Race 4 The Cure and a wee bit 'o crafting......

Today I, along with three of my friends, did the Susan G. Komen Race 4 The Cure! I'm so proud of me (and us). We raised money for the cause, showed our support and had lots of fun! Here are a few pictures from the race! I raced (okay, I walked - but, I raced the clock... ;) ) in honor/celebration of my grandmother who is a two time breast cancer survivor! The race didn't take long, it was only 5K - but, it was oh, so much fun! And, I feel very proud about my participation - and, honored to have friends who participated too! I've made up my mind - I'm doing the timed/competitive race next year - I'm so inclined to do so - that I started jogging today at the gym, so that I know I'll be ready by the next race in the spring!!




Don't you like my t-shirt? I did a freezer paper stencil on it! I really, really, really like it - oh, and, I really like it! ;-)

Now - for the crafting! I made a large tote bag. I'm going to make some of these to sell on Etsy, but I'm pretty sure that this one is just for me! ;) I'm in love with this retro looking bowling fabric. I used a fusible fleece for stability and nylon webbing for the handles. I really like the look of fabric handles, but since I intend to use and abuse this bag, I thought that the nylon webbing would offer a lot of stability for the wear and tear.

This bag is HUGE - I can use it for the gym or shopping or whatever - it'll clearly hold everything! This is NOT your tiny little tote bag!! It's finished size is about 20" X 16". I can't wait to use it!!

Since I've been up since 5:45am - I'm actually kind of proud that I've allowed myself time to post a blog entry tonight! Not to mention the fact that I made the tote bag tonight! I think that I'm about ready to crash - but, even so, today has been an extremely satisfying day!

Personality Test

Your Five Factor Personality Profile

Extroversion: You have high extroversion. You are outgoing and engaging, with both strangers and friends. You truly enjoy being with people and bring energy into any situation. Enthusiastic and fun, you're the first to say "let's go!" Conscientiousness: You have high conscientiousness. Intelligent and reliable, you tend to succeed in life. Most things in your life are organized and planned well. But you borderline on being a total perfectionist. Agreeableness: You have medium agreeableness. You're generally a friendly and trusting person. But you also have a healthy dose of cynicism. You get along well with others, as long as they play fair. Neuroticism: You have medium neuroticism. You're generally cool and collected, but sometimes you do panic. Little worries or problems can consume you, draining your energy. Your life is pretty smooth, but there's a few emotional bumps you'd like to get rid of. Openness to experience: Your openness to new experiences is high. In life, you tend to be an early adopter of all new things and ideas. You'll try almost anything interesting, and you're constantly pushing your own limits. A great connoisseir of art and beauty, you can find the positive side of almost anything.

The Five Factor Personality Test

Wonky Monster and rock climbing....

So, I've made some cute little 'monsters' for my cute little monsters. And, they requested that I make one for a birthday gift this past weekend. And, right now, that is the only 'crafty' or 'artsy' thing that I have to share. So, here it is .......

In the past - I've made up a pattern for these little felt monsters - but, this time, I thought what the heck and just cut into the felt... I'm not really happy with how that turned out - but, I'm doubtful that a 3 year old cares!

At the birthday party, there was a rock wall - I have to share a picture of my 7 year old scaling the rock wall like she was Spider-Man... oh, so cute!!!

My oldest has her birthday party this weekend - so, I have GOT to pull together some 'goody bags' this week - Why do I always put everything off to the last minute?? Anyway ... that said - I probably won't be posting anything much until next week - unless I get a crazy spurt of energy and get all that has to be done, done early... then, maybe I'll have time to do some fun stuff!

Altered Domino...

I bought some dominos at a yard sale and thought that I would try my hand at altering some. This is the result.

I had a lot of fun doing it - and can't wait to try more. Now, to decide exactly how to USE these little bits of art!

Oh - b/c I'm addicted to UTEE currently, that is how I finished it off. See my prior blog entry to see how I use the UTEE - I used it in the same manner here!

What Color Is My Soul Painted? Wow ... how deep is that??

What color is your soul painted? Orange Your soul is painted the color orange, which embodies the characteristics of balance, heat, enthusiasm, flamboyance, playfulness, aggression, over-emotion, danger, desire, strengthens the ability to concentrate, attraction, adaptability, and stimulation. Orange falls under the element of Fire, and symbolizes glory and fruits of the earth. Click Here to Take This Quiz

Quizzes and Personality Tests

Another Freezer Paper Stenciled Item

This one is for a baby gift... just thought that I'd share! This stencil was much harder (for me) to cut out, as my craft knife is getting dull - but, I still think that it turned out cute. I used clipart from PCCrafter to create this stencil.

I have started making my 'bucket' from the previous blog - but, I'm not yet finished - I hope to have it done and share it here before the weekend is over!

I so want to make one (or more) of these.....

I found these cute little buckets in the blog, Ric-Rac online! And, now I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY (get the point) want to make some of these! I'm not exactly sure what I'll do with them - but, I think that I'd like to make some!

It's early yet, so I don't have anything creative to show you of my own yet - though, I hope to show something by this evening. But, before I lost site of this blog and project - I wanted to put it on here!

Sarah tried her hand at Freezer Paper Stencils

So - Sarah loved the Skull bag so much that she wanted to try her hand. But, she couldn't just put her stencil on a ready made bag - so, she wanted to cut the leg of a pair of old jeans, make a bag - THEN do her stencil! So, that is what we did! She sewed it together, herself, attached the strap and I did the snap. Other than that - it was all her!!

She likes the Clemson Tigers, so her stencil was a tiger paw. I think that it turned out cute as a button! Here is the picture.

I also made her a skull t-shirt that she is sad that she won't be wearing to school tomorrow. Tomorrow is a 'game' day for her and she has to wear her cheerleading uniform - I didn't think that she'd ever want to wear anything but her uniform - so I was surprised that she was bummed about not wearing the shirt.

I have finally tried my hand at freezer paper stencils...

and, I am in LOVE with the process. It is possible that I might stencil everything in site, given the chance! It was super easy and goes SOOO fast. I'm sure that it depends very much on the particular design that you use. This skull was super easy and, oh so cute! My girls now are having a love affair with skulls and cross bones - I think that it is because they are in love with Pirates Of The Carribean (can't blame them there - I love those movies too!).

This one is for etsy, but Sarah has already requested one with a pink skull - so, I have to go get some more fabric paint and resist the urge to stencil everything in sight! Here is a picture showing the detail, though unfortunately - not the true color of the fabric paint - which is a gorgeous metallic aqua.

I can't wait to try my next project! What should it be..... stay tuned!

Quilted Purse to share

Well - I've finally made a new purse! I think that I'm going to list this one on Etsy - but, I wanted to share it here too!

It is black and white on the outside and a fantastic lime green for the lining! Additionally, I made a (removable) lime green and button 'flower' for embellishment on the outside. The purse is quilted with a varigated green thread that I just adore!! I also added a magnetic snap closure. I think that it turned out cute and I almost hate to part with it - but, I rarely carry a normal sized purse - I'm more the 'large bag - fit the kitchen sink in it purse - kind of gal.' So, I hope that this purse will go to a woman who will enjoy it!!

I, now, want to go make a new bag for me - in my style! :-)