New Blog!

Happy late October everyone!

Well...I'm off to a new adventure....Using WordPress! Please visit my NEW crafting blog http://middletreemade.wordpress.com/

Take a look at (and comment on) some of my new fall creations, etc.

Thanks to all of you who have been visiting me at this site! See you on WordPress!

♦

A few of the things that I’ve been up to lately…

Here’s my latest custom purse, made for a friend’s wedding…as a gift to her maid of honor (I hope that maid of honor doesn’t happen to come across this post before receiving her gift!) The blue matches the bridesmaid dresses.

And yes, I also made the little checkbook wallet, but I decided to keep that one for myself!

I’ve also been trying to get my home more organized from cleaning to cooking. I accidentally stumbled upon a great idea for organizing bathroom necessities. Honestly, I was at a get together with friends and went to use the washroom…that’s when I noticed their cabinet was left partially open and I could see her organizational skills and I was inspired! Perhaps many of you have already discovered this method, but it’s new to me!

I know it may not look terribly fabulous, but keep in mind it is behind a closet door and now everything (or mostly everything) has it's own place. From top to bottom, I've categorized each drawer (with masking tape-I suppose a label maker might help) as follows: Tooth care, Shaving/Nail Care/Feet, Aloe/Sunblock, Hair Products, Soap/Lotion, and Feminine Products. This has solved the problem of searching through the usual standing pile of bottles and whatnot all lined up on the shelves! Now I don't need to move every thing over just to get one item on the back of the shelf! I bought the drawers at Walmart for around $7 each.

Other Blogs!

Another way I've been inspired to get more organized has been by reading this blog...Beautiful Work. A group of wives/mothers have some wonderful household tips, recipes, etc. And though I'm not a mom yet, I'm sure I'll benefit from some of their suggestions when I do have my own kids! (I've noticed they they have also used the plastic-drawer method for organizing bathroom stuff too...I guess I am a bit behind on these organizational skills!)

Random cleaning tip for the day (from a friend at church)

Bring a household cleaning sponge or scrubber into the shower with you...It'll only take a few seconds to wipe down the corners of the tub, etc and you're already in there anyways! Might as well take a few more moments to do a quick clean!

Future Endeavors

I'd love to try some stamp making some day (hopefully in the near future). I found this video on a blog I enjoy... Geninne's Art Blog. I love her work :-)

If anyone has any stamp making tips, please tell me!

A few pictures to hold you over till my next post...

Mmmmm...Mango!

I just made this Mango and Blueberry smoothie and it's delicious! Thank the Lord for wonderful fruit! I bought a package of frozen mango chunks/cubes at Aldi's and they work perfectly! I found the recipe on Epicurious ...lots of interesting recipes...take a look for yourself!

Hand-bound notebooks!

I've been enjoying the challenge of new crafts lately in the form of hand bound books. So far I'm going small so as not to overwhelm myself with frustration (not because of difficulty, but just because I have a tendency to get too far ahead of myself without reading directions and I end up having to redo what I thought I did correctly!)

Anyways, I hand-bound these cute little note card booklets. I think they would be a neat idea for gifts - either blank, or you could fill them with your favorite recipes to pass on to a friend...or of course whatever else you want to fill them with! We'll see where this takes me!

* Please excuse the terrible lighting...I took these early in the morning without any natural light!

Upon request, I'm designing a baby headband and have very much enjoyed the cuteness of it all :)

Crocheted in hot pink, it measures 1 3/4" wide and 15" long, has 4 buttons to make the headband adjustable, and a lovely light pink flower accent.

I may be making more of these (in other colors, etc) to sell on etsy. (I have posted a few more items for sale, so make sure to stop by!)

Merry Christmas!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
(I was hoping to find a better picture from White Christmas...perhaps one of them singing the "Snow" song, because of all the snow in Chicago lately! But this photo will have to do for now :-)

Well, I've been a bit M.I.A. lately, but still busy crafting of course. I'm thankful to have finally sold a few items (THREE!) on my etsy site! Two of my hand-painted Koala pillows and one blue paisley shawl. And as the holidays have rolled in, I've also been blessed with a handful of custom orders for Christmas gifts and have made a few sales at my women's Bible study Christmas get-together. I've really been encouraged and feel motivated to keep on crafting :-)

I crocheted these little hand bags a few months ago, hoping to find them a home since they turned out so cute!
So far I've sold one - the olive green one with white ribbon - $25. The last two items were custom ordered coin holder key rings, perfect for those of us who like to shop at Aldi's! - $6