all you need is...

and, for this project, a lot of patience.

Co-Ed Cave

I have to take some to write about the area of the house my husband and I enjoy quite a bit. It's {what I've lovingly dubbed} the Co-Ed Cave. The poor man has his man cave corner staring out over at my craft explosion area. Fortunately, we co-habitat well together.*

*Unless one his projects involves sanding...that noise drives me up the wall.

[This was one of the very first pictures - thngs have since then 'exploded' in the 'cave']

This space in our house is our place that displays our hobbies, our livelihood. We have been living from apartment to townhome and worked hard to purchase our first house together. This area is proof, in a day in age where most people in our generation are gifted their 'fortunes', we learned together what it means to live in a brand new state where our moms and dads are not a 10 minute drive away. We learned what it means to be able to start paying back a student loan debt of $100,000 because we have jobs! We learned what it means to decorate our house with things we enjoy whether those pieces are from target, kohls, ikea, or the thrift shop down the road - eclectic is my middle name. We learned what it means to answer questions for ourselves. We learned what it means to worry about finances but realize it's all okay in the end - things can only go up from here - and they have :)


Life is not always rainbows and butterflies but we get by. We laugh, we have fun, we spend some money, we freak out because we spent too much money, then we save a bit of money, we laugh some more, and life keeps on moving!

And when life just gets to be too much to handle and I wish I had the luxury of spending the evening at my parent's house like so many of my friends do, I retreat to the co-ed cave -
it's just a lot safer there.

DIY Christmas Ornaments

This post will be short and sweet.

All I needed for an extra homemade touch to this year's Christmas was Scrabble tiles. So I had my mom on the lookout, her friends on the lookout, and of course I 'borrowed' some from the kids at work (don't say, "OH how rude!" They had three scrabble games they never played).

Other materials needed are:

Glue - I prefer E-6000 ... it bonds EVERYTHING with no residue or funky 'growth' like gorilla glue
Wire - any thickness ... I liked a little less thick then I was able to mold it a little more easily
Popsicle Sticks to secure to the tiles to

You can create decorations for any occasion! Birthdays, holidays, or just because!
Just spell and create :)

DIY Memo Board

I want to start off by saying, I TRULY began making this before pinterest ate them up. My mom found the idea in some DIY magazine (I forget which one) and thus began our love for recycled frames from Goodwill. (and candlesticks, vases, and plates oh my!)

Sidenote, I seriously think Goodwill is my favorite store. After target of course! Yes, Meghan, I know, I know, I always used to complain when you wanted to thrift shop but I just didn't foresee myself becoming an old lady 'crafter' in my mid-twenties.

Here is one of my recent DIY dry erase memo boards. All I need is spray paint, fabric, and a staple gun. Thank GOODNESS I got a staple gun for Christmas :)

BEFORE....

AFTER!

The cork board was a gift from my mother-in-law...she knew her old bulletin board she had made for 4H when she was younger had some great potential. For this craft, I did have to buy glass from Lowes. No biggy though, it was a large, odd sized piece and it was still under $12. Plus, they cut glass for free!

Applique

My mom was able to teach me how to applique (successfully, without fighting) over Thanksgiving. I have been OBSESSED with applique now.

I used to think, omg, applique is for old women. Which is partially true because my mom is trying to convince me to join her on some of her quilt retreats. In her defense, I hear there is always booze at quilt retreats!

Where was I? Oh yes...applique is so fantastic! Here's proof :)

I got this idea from Pinterest...it's a football for everyone who is saying, WTF?
It's cute and you know it.
This is a gift for an undisclosed recipient.

This was a Christmas present for my cousin's son, Ridley.

So was this one :)

If you're going to applique I HIGHLY suggest "Steam-a-seam" sticky backing. I don't know many other brands but this one is good stuff. You can choose your desired stiffness. This one is a bit more stiff than I'd like but I might as well use it until it's gone!


The ONLY confusion with applique is how to cut your fabric and backing to the desired orientation of the design. I would definitely start out with a design that is the same no matter front from back. If you want to go for a trickier design it will just involve thinking before tracing. SO FUN!! So easy!