California

So I feel like I've been "neglecting" my blog. It's sad but I work ALL the time I hardly have time to do anything else. But I took a two week vacation to come to California to visit my family and friends. So I figured I'd do a lot photo blog of my times here. So we'll start with Day 1 :)
So I wake up and start getting ready and finish packing and here's my pup laying in my room. I miss her so much and it's only the 3rd day!

After I'm on my way to the airport. And of course updating my Facebook. Which I did all day. And I had to throw in the classic Back to the Future quote.

And then I'm in the airport. Never flown before and I was flying alone. Well, my brother, James, and his girlfriend, Mandy, were flying back to California but they were on a different air line. So I made it through security and found my gate with a little bit of help. My suitcase was 6 pounds too heavy so I had to transfer over some stuff to my carry on and my purse. Then it was 50 pounds EXACT. I was proud haha. So then I sit at the gate and knit for a while until I realize that my hat is twisted and I need to start over. Then it's time to get on. Flying in a plane is a dream I've had for a really long time but every time I've had the chance thing's would go wrong and it never got done. But this time it did. My ticket was paid for, I made it to the terminal, through security, to my gate and onto the plane. Then suddenly, we were in the air. It was exhilarating! I was in sudden awe and the only thing that could go through my mind was, "Wow, this is incredible. This is so beautiful. God is amazing. He designed all of this. Every rolling hill. Every growing tree. Every moving cloud. Every fall of snow. Every piece of sky. All of it. And I got to see it all from way up high. Then suddenly I remembered everything people told me about flying. Most of them were wrong. In my opinion at least. It was one of the most incredible things I've experienced.

And I also got to fly over San Francisco and saw the Golden Gate Bridge along with the rest of the city. It was pretty stinkin' awesome. So anyways, then I land in Oakland. Fly to LAX and then meet my brother, his girlfriend and my friends Randy and Jennifer at the airport. And we drive home and I eat some bomb Chili's Cajun Chicken Pasta and then went over to my brother's house. There I was reunited with my nieces and nephews all except Leia. This is me and Annie

Then a few more friends came over to welcome me back. And we continued the night with whatever I pleased. We ate pepperoni pizza, watched Tangled, and played Disney Scene It. Don't worry, we'll have more adult activities along the way haha. So after a long night I feel asleep.

Then starts Day 2. I woke up, hung out with the kids and ate breakfast and then got dressed. Went down to one of my favorite places, Augie's coffee house with my good friend Randy. Had an extensive conversation about Harry Potter with my friend Brian and then we left to pick up Jennifer from work. After that we proceeded to drive down to Disneyland. I finally rode on the new Star Tours, Little Mermaid ride, and Goofy's Flight School for the first time and all my other favorites. Including riding Tower of Terror 3 times in a row. I brought home a Harry Potter Lego keychain which I will cherish ALWAYS. 

 I bet the whole car on Toy Story Mania :) As usual. But I also got my best time. 

And then afterwards we went to James' work and he made me a martini. It was delicious. But I was so dang tired, it was like drinking juice before bed. And then I passed out in bed. And that's the end of day 2. I'm on day 3 right now so I'll have to write about that later. 

Happy Halloween!

So I really enjoy decorating pumpkins and I didn't get to decorate one last year. And this is the last year for Harry Potter, my favorite story of ALL TIME. I had to go all out! And this is my pumpkin. And yes, it's all on one pumpkin. Also it's a little hard to read but the second one says "After all this time?" "Always"

Church Nursery Mural

So I was asked by the lady that runs the nursery in my church if I'd be willing to paint a mural for them. At first I was a little nervous since the other mural in the church is a bit beyond my skill level (that I'm aware of haha), nor is it the sort of style I like to portray in my art. But I took on the challenge and came up with a design I loved. It took me about a month going in a few days a week. I'm pleased with the turn out and it's even brought in a "customer" who is likely to hire me (paying!) to do one in their house. And I have to admit, I love those trees so much, I wish my room was bigger so they wouldn't look funny on my walls haha

Pincushion Turtle!

I actually did this a few weeks ago BUT I figured I'd still blog it in spirit of my newest layout design haha. So here's the link to make it yourself:
http://www.makeit-loveit.com/2011/06/stuffed-fabric-turtles-with-pattern-pieces.html

Theirs is just for a stuffed animal but I made mine into a pincushion. Also the tail was RIDICULOUS to make so I ended up just sewing a piece of felt on for the tail :) Isn't he cute!?

Newest Art Endeavor

So generally I stick to my basic art forms, drawing and painting. But recently I've gotten into sewing but haven't made anything too extensive other than a blazer and an adorable turtle pin cushion. Well this previous Saturday my mom, her friend, and I went to the Pacific Northwest Quilt Show and on the way home I got a sudden urge to create. I immediately started searching through my bookmarks to find a previous idea I'd saved and came across this:
http://belleandburger.blogspot.com/2009/09/how-to-make-fabric-scrap.html

I sat down and started sketching my idea and searched through my scraps. I have one huge piece, the sea foam blue/green color I used (it just looks light blue in the picture), that is my absolute FAVORITE color and knew right away I had to use that in my piece. After starting, more ideas came to me. And this is the result! I am soooo excited about this project and can't wait to shoot out so more of them! I already have one design in the waiting :)

And I LOVE those PERFECT buttons my mom had. They'd never get used unless it was for me haha! And you can't tell but the jeweled ones have this sort of "ocean" look about them. As if they'd been sitting in the ocean for a while and got that greenish look. Like how the copper Statue of Liberty became that green color haha

Repurposed Dress!

So I bought this dress originally for a "swing dance" party and thought it looked a little vintage. But a little later on I felt it wasn't modest enough and too short for me to wear. Especially since my legs are a little longer than average. So I decided to add a little "flair" to the bottom. And this is what I came up with!

It's awesome what a little lace can do!

Custom TOMS, once again!

So not to long ago now, I came across this wonder piece of webpage:
http://thehandmadehomemaker.blogspot.com/2011/07/diy-fabric-covered-toms-tutorial.html

I had a pair of TOMS for probably over two years now that have been sitting in my closet for well over a year because of some major holeage in the toes. But didn't have the heart to throw them out. And good thing too! This DIY totally saved a pair of shoes from the trash!

So here they are, my NEW-ish Custom TOMS

Wedding card

Originally I saw this as a wedding invitation and instead turned it into a card for the Bride and Groom.

Here is the original:
http://bridalmusings.com/2011/06/a-unique-wedding-invitation-tying-the-knot-literally/

And here's mine! Sorry I didn't get the cover, I didn't even think about it. But if you have to know, it only says "congrats." Haha

Paint Chip Art

So maybe a couple weeks ago I was using StumbleUpon, as I usually do for great arts and crafts ideas, and came upon this page:
http://twogirlsbeingcrafty.blogspot.com/2011/04/intersecting-circles-wall-art-tutorial.html

I decided to do it with my own twist. I definitely didn't follow their directions haha. I found that slab of wood in my stepdad's wood shop and then got the template for the design using my mom's quilting template design on the computer, and while very frustrated, attempted to center it with nothing being the same size all around. But I did an alright job. I definitely love the colors and the wood stained background :D

Paper Flowers

So a few months ago I decided I wanted to decorate my new bedroom with a Gryffindor theme to show my undying love for Harry Potter. Which recently I've decided to go in a different direction. Anyways, I found a tutorial through Stumble Upon to make paper flowers. So here are my Gryffindor Common Room themed paper flowers!

And here is the link if you want to try them yourself!

First Custom TOMS

Wow, so this is my first blog post EVER! And I have no idea who'll read it haha. But anyways, since I decided to dedicate this blog mostly to arts and crafts I figure I'd start out with something that I designed myself.

These are TOMS that I designed for a girl I went to church with.

Hope you like them! :)