Envious

I am so envious of individuals, artists, crafters, and hobbyists that have a primary focus. That have a hobby or art that they do well. My dad is an excellent carver. He carves these incredible houses and structures out of cottonwood bark. My mom is a cross stitching expert. I look at the projects she completes and I am in awe of her patience and skill. (I will post some pictures soon.) I feel like people all around me have this incredible talents. Whether it is photography or sewing or crafting, they know what they like to do and they do it well.

I have SO many things that I am interested in and I just can't focus and get really good at one. I want to perfect my photography. I want to expand my sewing skills. I would love to learn to knit. Spring is slowly approaching and I want to grow a bigger garden. I would love to spend more time cooking and preparing healthy meals. I guess having so many interests isn't a bad thing, but at times it gets so overwhelming. Lately I have been longing and searching to find a hobby that I am really good at, but to be honest I don't think it is going to happen. At least not anytime soon. Anyone have any advice or suggestions to help me keep my focus?

For now you get to see what I have crafted this week. I have been trying to stock up the shop.

Some coffee cozies...

A couple of gadget pouches....

I made these sweet little bird sachets that are stuffed with lavender.

And another owl...

I also made a pendant and matching earrings, but didn't get photos.

Best Shot Monday- Colors of Winter

Yesterday was an absolutely perfect day. The temperature was in the mid 60's. There was not a cloud in the sky. So we packed up and headed to the zoo. The kids rode the carousel and played in the massive playground. We ate a picnic lunch and checked out a few animals. I was so excited to be outside and able to take photos of something else besides my kids or my backyard.

The first thing that captivated me was the soft color of the plants with the sun beating down and the contrast of the bright blue sky. It was perfect.

Check out more wonderful photos at Best Shot Monday here.

Project Valentine's Day Cards

Last year after spending way too much time on Harper's classroom valentines, I swore I wouldn't do it again. Her cards were the only homemade ones in the bunch. Not that it matters, but it left me feeling like most people just don't care. Why should I?

I wanted her Valentine's to be personal. I wanted her to be a part of the process. She colored every single card. I probably thought about it way too much and should have just grabbed a box of mass produced cards signed her name to it and called it a day. Well, unforunately that is just not in my nature. So here we are again. Valentine's Day is drawing closer and yet again I find myself obessed with classroom Valentine's. I just can't bring myself to buy any. There is something in me that just can't do it.

The only difference this year is I have 2 sets of cards to worry about, one for Harper and one for Miller. I have vowed not to spend any money on materials (unless I make the dum-dum flowers in the photo below and I will have to buy dum-dums). I have plenty here we can use. I have also decided to keep it simple. I just want them to be a part of the process. I have many ideas swimming around in my head, but have not settled on one yet.

I thought I would throw out a couple of other green options if you do not want to go the handmade route. A good compromise is the Stubby Pencil Studio set. The kids still color the cards, but most of the work is already done. You can also purchase this set from Endangered Species Chocolate. For $9.95 you get 24 cards and 24 pieces of chocolate. Plus 10% of their net profits are donated to help support species, habitat and humanity. Gotta love that.


Head over to Stacy's to see some more projects.

Wordless Wednesday- Huey and Friend

Find more Wordless Wednesday here.

Shop Update Tuesday

For the last several weeks, I have updated my shop on Tuesday. So I have decided that this will be my shop update day. It makes it a little easier to list several items all at once rather than updating as I go. I am finding that the hardest part for me is photographing and getting the stuff listed. Having a designated day for this will help me be a tad bit more organized. So you will get to see what I have been working on all week and I don't have to think about what I am going to write here too much. Lucky you, right?

As you can tell I have been thinking about Valentine's Day.

Here are a couple of coffee sleeves I made for a wholesale order.

Little felt heart barrettes.

Another scrabble magnet set.

A tote made from a reclaimed thrift store skirt.

Pinky. Another stuffed thing I had to sneak away from Harper.

I really like owls. My sister-in-law claimed this one.

And finally some lavender dryer sachets.


Harper claimed one of these as her own too and has been sleeping with it under her pillow. She calls it her dream pillow. I think the smell is a little overpowering to have right by my head, but she loves the smell. I tried them in our laundry over the weekend and the smell is really subtle, but nice. They are a great alternative to regular dryer sheets.

Best Shot Monday- Hangin'

We went to my brother's house on Saturday morning to let the kids play and to just hang out. It was so nice to watch the kids play and to spend some time with my brother and his wife. My brother and I work together and the kids all go to the same daycare. So it's not like we don't see each other, but rarely do we just hang out. My brother cooked up an awesome brunch too. Can't beat that.

Harper has finally decided to cooperate during my photo sessions (most of the time).

Look at this little stinker. Looks like she is sleeping, right?

Nope. Just pretending. She is about as cute as they come!!

Oh, and then there is my little nephew. He is turning 1 in a week. So I am sure you will be seeing more of this little guy next week.

I just can't get over his sweet curls and blue, blue eyes and what about that milk dribble?

He has the most precious smile.

And just so you know that Miller was there too, here's a shot of him slamming the door in my face while yelling, "NO!" You gotta love that.

I can't possibly pick a favorite. It's just too hard.

Tracey hosts Best Shot Monday every week. You really should check it out.

Our Winter Wonderland

The theme this week over at Stacy's is Winter Wonderland. On Monday I mentioned we spent some time outside on Sunday. I took this opportunity to snap some shots of our backyard in all its wintery glory. So these photos represent our little Winter Wonderland. We have been battling colds, coughs, and ear infections at my house this week so these photos are SOOC. I just didn't have the energy to edit them.

One of my blueberry bushes. I sure hope it gives me some good blueberries.

Some irises popping through the leaves.

I am not sure what this is, but it is kind of pretty in a dead flower kind of way.

What's left of my herb garden. Just a little bit of sick looking parsley.

The fairy house still stands. Harper made some repairs.

Visit the The Land of KA to see more winter wonderlands.