Blogging

I have way too many blogs and not enough time to write on all of them, so please check out my blog at http://thehandmadeandnaturallife.blogspot.com.

Amy

Latest Creative Endeavors

I actually completed a couple of projects yesterday, yes Thanksgiving.  I brought wine to 2 differnt houses and didn't just want to bring a bottle of wine, so I made a wine sack for each bottle.  I used a little tutorial, but then I did a little of my own design.  Now , that made it spund like I truly designed it, but I just did the bottom of the back a little differently.  I am thinking of trying something else for the Christmas gifts that I plan to make.  I am loving sewing and I hope that I can continue to make time to do more in the future.  I still have a few things to make for Christmas and I have to figure out how to decorate for a kid  toddler friendly Christmas.  Maybe some of my next projects will be non-breakable ornaments for the tree!

Amy

Am I Being Creative?

I have been able to be pretty creative lately.  I still wish I could do more, but I was able to make an apron, make 5 tuck-ins, and finish on time.  I still have a little more to do, but I will be able to mail it out tonight or tomorrow.  I have also been meeting every Monday with a friend to set aside time to be creative.  The best part is we work on projects that are important to us, not try to find projects that fit into the theme that week.  I have been trying to do a lot of sewing and am loving it.  I would love to make a quilt, but I'm not sure which one I want to make yet.  I'm contemplating making another Santa wall hanging, mainly because I have the material for it.  I also want to make a couple of wine sacks for Christmas gifts.  Then I can feel like I attempted a handmade holiday.  I also have to make candies and spiced nuts for Christmas Eve.  I am really looking forward to Christmas this year and decorating for it!  Another way to be creative!

Amy

Creating

I will be participating in my first ever apron swap!  I have never even made an apron.  I'm am definitely a little no quite a bit nervous about it.  I am totally looking forward to it though!  I have a partner who loves Christmas, is very religious, and wants to wear her apron Christmas Eve while having her family over.  This is making me a little more nervous that I would be if it was just a holiday apron swap, but I'll get over it and I'll get through it.  We have to add tuck ins that spell out a holiday word.  Since my partner is very religious, I chose the word angel.  I decided that the a would be an angel, n would be notecards and/or necklace, the g would be ginger, green, geranium, e would be earrings/estrellas (stars), l would be lavender, lollipops.  I may do all of these, or I may just do some.  I will be working on the tuck ins tonight when I get together with a friend for our weekly craft night that hasn't happened for a few weeks now.  I am really looking forward to this and can't wait to craft tonight!

Amy

Newest Ideas

I have a bunch of projects that I need to work on for the holidays, but after that, I think I am going to look towards crafting for charity.  I have been wanting to do this for sometime now, and I recently bought a book with projects to donate, I have a knitting book with projects to donate, I have a prayer shawl book, and last but not least one of my friends posted on facebook, some pictures of some crocheted prayer shawls (never mind all of the internet articles I have printed).  All of these things put together made me realize that this is something I really want to do.  I love to create, draft, make things.  I should put that to good use.  I can't afford to donate money, but I have supplies at home that I really should use.  What better way to put my love of crafting to good use and work on using up some of my stash as well as being able to give to the greater good!

Look for pictures of the things that I am making for the holidays as well as pictures of the things that i make that I will be donating!
Amy

What Have I Been Working On?

My most recent project is finishing my Halloween costumes.  I waited to the last minute and ended up spending a lot of time all at once, getting stressed out, just to finish on time.  I am not sure what my next project is going to be.  I have a few things that I want to work on for Christmas, but am not sure what exactly I'll be doing next.  I have not been good at creating every day, but it is still a goal that I want to work at.  I am participating in an apron swap soon, and I'll be working a lot on that, but after the holidays, I want to work on crafting thing to donate.  I have all these thoughts, but just not enough time to focus on them.  I am also continuing my goal of using the supplies I have instead of investing in more supplies that I really don't need.  I do love window shopping for supplies, but I get too tempted, so that means since I have plenty of supplies on hand, I am going to stop visiting craft stores, unless there is an absolute need.  I am also going to try my hand at using thrift stores for my place to buy things.  I have heard that the Salvation Army store near me has good stuff.  I'm off to check it out this week after I get paid.

I made 3 of the 5 costumes here and  the other two were recycled (my daughter's dress was passed down to us by a family member and it was bought at a thrift store by her and my older son's costume was bought from another twin mom, so the only new things for Halloween was the material to make the costume!)

I got this idea from http://pinkandgreenmama.blogspot.com (my newest toy for the kiddos.  I plan to make a snowman one also!)

Amy

I'm Back

I was watching The Early Show this morning, and they  had on a blogger that has been creating a dress a day from thrift store, flea market etc finds.  She said that one of her inspirations for her blog was the movie "Julie and Julia", which was my creative inspiration for this blog.   Unfortunately, I stopped writing on this blog because I had put too much pressure on myself by trying to be creative and write about it everyday.  If you don't know already, when I started this blog I had 3 children under 2.  There was no way in the world that I could do all that I had said I would do.  I think that I am going to come  back to this blog and not put so much pressure on myself.  My goal is to create every day, but if I don't that's ok.  I don't even have to write every day.  I just need to make time to create since that is what I love to do.  The one new limit that I am going to place on myself is that I need to use the supplies that I already have instead of going out to buy new supplies, when I more than likely have it already and can't find it, or I have supplies for other projects that I should be working on first.  The only way that I can go and by new supplies is if it is something that I need, ie: halloween costume supplies, or gifts, things I need to make that I can't just change.  I will, however, attempt to work with what I have no matter what it is before I go out and buy new supplies.

The newest goal:  Be creative as much as possible!  If possible create daily and finish a project before starting a new one!  Document the process as much as possible.  Every day would be fabulous, but don't give up if that doesn't happen.  Use down time (what little there is) to my advantage!

Amy