Personalized Perpetual Calendars

And the post Christmas posting continues...

I made personalized 2 week perpetual calendars for some of the girls in our family.  Super easy!  Just a 12x12 frame from HobbyLobby, some scrapbook paper, some paint samples and some images found via The Internet printed on photo paper and painstakingly cut out.  Throw in a dry erase marker and how awesome is that!

So awesome, that I'm probably going to have to make one for myself!  Oh, the themes running through my mind...

For the Hello Kitty Fanatic
It's my sister-in-law and her family Hello Kitty style with lots of pink glitteriness.

For the gamer fan.
My other sister-in-law is married to a gamer and has become one herself.  The Guild is an internet show by Felicia Day on Youtube.  My husband and I enjoy it.  It's pretty funny.

For the teen fan musical lover.
Starkid.  There are no words...but I made it anyway - that's love.

They seemed to be a big hit.  I made another one that is not pictured.  It was for my nephew and my daughters wrapped it up before the picture could be taken.  It was a Call of Duty theme.

Anyway - great gift idea.

Quick.  Easy.  Yet Personal.

Nice...

Valet Box Take Two

And here are the boxes from my husband's side of the family:

For the RenFest enthusiast
A Celtic dragon and a Celtic prayer

For the World Changer
The quote is a mash up of Helen Keller and Anne Frank

For the Physical Therapist student
Nothing says PT like motion :)

For the hunter
Not a fan of sport hunting, but...here ya go

Valet Boxes and a Girl with a Wood Burning Tool

 

I have always wanted to try wood burning.  I have a childhood memory of my aunt making an owl that I thought was so cool.  I had the idea to make valet boxes for all of the guys in our family, but Procrastinator Kels ran out of time...

 

Not this year.  Though I did procrastinate...

 

These are the boxes that I made for the guys on my side:

 

For the football fan
*the blurred out section of the football is actually my brother-in-laws full name

 

For the Aggie
Complete with some Spirit of Aggieland lyrics

 



For the World War II buff
A US patch with a quote from the D Day prayer by F.D.R.

For the cowboy
Fitting words for my nephew by Chris Ledoux

 

For the newly graduated Firefirefighter
*after I stained it I really wished I would have off set the firefighter to the right and added his monogrammed initials to the left

I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to finish gifts, cook, bake, wrap...I let my kids wrap and had them take photos of everything as they did.  The pictures don't really do the boxes justice.  Everyone seemed to really like them.

Here's a photo of the WWII box that my sister took once they got it home:

I love the idea of a man's 'valet' box, especially in a day where we can use more gentlemen...

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas!


Ode to Matt Smith, Goodnight Raggedy Man

So the night of the Eleventh Doctor has come.  No spoilers, but I will miss the raggedy man who won me over after losing my Doctor. 

Matt Smith did a fantastic job with the character and will always hold a special place in the geek section of my heart. 

I get so emotional when a regeneration comes around.  Probably because the actors playing the Doctor seem to really mean what they say when they are bidding the role goodbye. 

I was so devastated when Ten left that it took a while for me to give Smith a chance.  I guess it is a good thing then that Thirteen won't start airing until next year and not like after the New Year in a week, but like the fall of 2014.  That should give me enough time to mourn...and get excited for the next adventure!

Thank you, Matt.  Fezzes around the world are tilted to you tonight in appreciation for a wonderful, magical ride!

My Addictions

 

 

I am ready to admit that I have a problem...

 

I used to see a sign like this and think 'woo hoo, limit 10, that's 10 for 10 how exciting'.

 

 

 

Then I thought, 'woo hoo, limit 10, let me call a few people and see if they want to meet me up here to get the ones I want that put me over the 10 limit'.

 

Yesterday I thought, 'woo hoo, limit 10, hmmmmm...I can write down all of the ones I want and go to the three closest Hobby Lobby stores to get the 26 I want and what the heck, I'll pick 4 more and make the 10 limit at the third store'.

 

This is my pattern container before I added the thirty I bought yesterday...

 

And you know what?  I think that Butterick dress poking out of the stack is just like Simplicity 1940s Retro pattern I bought yesterday.  C'est la vie.  I embrace my addiction.

 

 

My husband, however, does not.  :)

 

He says if I actually used them it would be one thing, but right now he thinks I'm just a collector.  So my response had to be to order a dressform, which I did promptly.  I can't wait for it to come in. 

 

I'm a complete novice.  I've never taken a sewing class.  I've made some skirts with elastic waists and one knit dress that didn't fall right because the hem was wonky.  But that's not going to stop me...oh no.  I've collected a descent fabric stash and I have youtube tutorials and Craftsy.com so I'm pretty sure I'll be an expert in a month or so ;)

 

Wish me luck! 

Cold weather, crochet blankets, and a runny nose...

I usually love the cold weather, but not when I'm sick.  And man, oh man, am I sick.  I caught my husbands germs.  Runny nose, hacking cough and lots of phlegm...sounds gorgeous right?

However, I did not let it keep me from having a great time at the Texas Renaissance Festival.  The cold kept the crowds away, which meant not getting to see as many costumes.  At least the costumes that we did see contained more clothing :-)

(I never understood the chainmail bras)

We picked up a couple of souvenirs.  We brought home an ocarina and a longbow.  here to fore,  I will now call my youngest daughter Zelda and my middle daughter Katniss.  My oldest daughter picked up the Horn of Gondor last year, so yeah...that about sums us up.

Oh, and before we went we watched the kicking 50th anniversary episode of Doctor Who, The Day of the Doctor...no spoilers.

All in all, a pretty epic day and worth the sinus pressure that is now causing a horrible headache behind my eyes.

And now for the pictures...

Cowboy Baby Shower

So, I have been super busy and stressed getting our house ready for a baby shower and making decorations and catering it myself...thank goodness for my daughters and mother in law! 

The new upcoming baby is a boy and we decided on a western theme.  I love me some country and down home food.  However, it has not loved my waistline...

We served brisket, baked beans, potato salad and cornbread.  Sweet tea to drink, of course.  Instead of doing the typical baby shower cake I did a cookie bar with oatmeal raisin, chocolate no bake cookies and sugar cookies. I also made a pie station with apple, cherry and peach pie served with ice cream.