Craftyminx

Budget motivation - Kitchen remodel

My galley kitchen has been the most hated part of my house since I bought the place. It's small, has very little storage, and was shoddily remodeled by the previous owners. As I have mentioned before, I bought the house six months before I met Sheldon and while it was perfect for me and my tiny chihuahua it is not the best space for Me, Sheldon, Dewey and Dash. We make it work but it could be so much better! Ok back to the kitchen... Sheldon and I both love to cook so we have a lot of necessary cookware and I have a soft spot in my heart for vintage kitchenware (bowls, mugs, pyrex, cups etc.) all of this equals a really cramped unorganized mess when we try to cook together. 

I've dreamed of turning our tiny kitchen into a much better space since I bought the house so the other day I built it using the IKEA home planner software. I think Sheldon thought I was crazy, because I was measuring everything and obsessing on this little project that may never actually come to fruition. I say it may never happen because we are actually saving for a down payment for a bigger house, but I love this little house and would really like to make it the best it can be, especially if we don't move for another few years or decide to keep it as rental property. 

Here are some photos of how the kitchen has evolved since I've moved in. 

The day I closed on the house

8 months later - I added some make-shift shelving and the pot rack.

A year later - open track shelving (adds tons of storage cheaply but looks gross) and a new much bigger fridge. 

So what do I want in here?

Counter space, white cabinets, window pane cabinet doors, built in drawer dishwasher that matches the cabinets, and more space!! This doesn't have the back splash added to it but it needs that too.

I would of course have my uncle make me a little scalloped piece to go over the window to connect the two cabinets together and make it look cute. 

Since we have such a small space, the total of all the materials that I used in the program came out to around $3500 from IKEA. We could save that in a matter of months if we really wanted to. 

Again, not that this may not actually happen (even though I really want it to!!) but it is a good source of motivation for me to stick with our budget, bring our lunch to work more, buy nail polish and make up more sparingly, and just say no to getting that dress I know I'll only wear once in a blue moon. Even if I don't get my dream kitchen for this house, we'll save up enough to get the dream kitchen I want in a house that is better for us all around!

Christmas Wrapping

Last year, I bought a HUGE roll of brown kraft paper. It sits in our living room (mainly because it is too heavy to move anywhere else haha. I have used this paper to wrap every gift we give all year and it seems as though I haven't used any of it. I see using kraft paper as a challenge to be as creative as I can with my wrapping. I always like a candy colored Christmas house so that was kind of my inspiration this year. I bought some bright colored tinsel ribbon, stamped my own paper, and made ornaments for gift toppers. I even got out my letter stamps to stamp "to" and "from" on the tags. This has been my big project every night this week. 

I always wrap each present for our nieces individually. It's always really interesting when something comes in an odd shapped box. 

The gift sacks were inspired by this photo. 

Our tree is really quite sad this year. I decorated just enough of it to do my photoshoot for Deluxe and that's how it has been all season because I have been too busy to think about it. 

I tried a few different techniques for stamping the paper and I ended up using my foam stamps. I have a huge collection of these from the dollar bins at Michaels. For applying paint, I found that a really easy way is to make your own stamp pad out of a sponge. 

Just dampen the sponge, spread on some paint and get to stamping. I'm not really sure how I came up with this, but I think I thought about it at 3 am when Dash woke me up one night. I must have been dreaming of sponges.

Halloween behind the scenes

Halloween has kind of been on the back burner this year, which is sad because it is our favorite holiday. Thankfully, we switch off which holiday we have our big party on and this year we are all about Christmas. We went all out for last year's Halloween party.  I haven't had a lot of time to think about Halloween because of Crochet School but this week I am being thrown into everything Halloween. Tonight, we have our annual pumpkin carving party with Sheldon's side of the family (2010, 2009) which I'm really excited about. It is always fun to have traditions and I started this tradition with everyone so that makes it even more special. 

I've been frantically pulling together all the little pieces for my halloween costume. Here are a few peeks:

Can you guess what I'm going to be? 

Sheldon and I started dressing up in couples costumes from the beginning of our relationship (2010, 2009). We seriously talk about costume ideas all year long. We kicked around quite a few ideas this year but we finally decided we are going as silent movie stars Louise Brooks and Charlie Chaplin gray-scale make-up and all. This is my reference photo for Louise:

I have had to do so much research on make-up to make this work out for us because typical halloween make-up will not do -- I've tried it, it looks good for all of 10 minutes then cracks and looks awful. I might do a how-to after I actually do all of the make-up. It will be involved. I've only practiced little sections but it's crazy how weird it looks to have gray skin.  I haven't even tested the make-up on Sheldon. If it doesn't work with his dark skin-tone we may just have to cut some eye-holes out of a sheet so he can be a ghost!

We have a family Halloween party on Saturday, then the downtown Halloween parade (my favorite part of Halloween!) and Saturday night Levi is having a big Halloween party. It will be interesting to see how long our make-up lasts. We'll probably do it before the parade and do some touching up before we go to Levi's.

What kinds of fun things are you doing for Halloween? I want details! I need to live vicariously through all of you that decorated, picked the perfect candy for trick-or-treaters, and have a kick-ass costume planned out. 

FYI crochet school students. The lesson on crocheting in the round will go up tonight :) with other lessons following along. So much for my schedule eh? haha

Flow Magazine

I would like to introduce you to my new favorite magazine - Flow Magazine. 

I guess I should begin at the beginning. I was interviewed to be in a magazine! (holy crap right?!) The last issue of Flow had a big section devoted to 365 projects and my Granny a Day project must have caught their eye. I was contacted by a freelance writer who was doing the story and have a nice little mention (and quote) in the magazine. Did I mention the magazine is in Dutch? haha Sheldon thought it was really funny when he saw the quote and said, "oh really, you said that? I didn't know you knew Dutch."

Anyway, lets get back to why this is really my new favorite magazine... This is my new favorite magazine because it is absolutely BEAUTIFUL! Seriously, the thought that went into designing this thing is amazing -- some of the pages are normal glossy pages, some are wonderfully thick kraft paper which is very aesthetically pleasing. 

The artwork is brilliant throughout. 

This issue had a huge spread of pages about Dutch Illustrator Fiep Westendorp and I got lost in the pages about her.

In the back were these really cute postcards you can tear out and use and... a little to-do notebook! It's just too cute :)

Sadly, there is a big drawback. I suppose no matter how beautiful a magazine is, I can't justify a subscription to it if I don't know the language. I guess I just need to learn Dutch!

I've noticed in the past few months how there are these really amazing magazines coming out of other countries that are beautiful and full of crafty details. (Mollie Makes anyone?) We all know how bad the US magazine and newspaper industry is doing. Is it not the same in other countries? I guess these magazines are becoming more aesthetically pleasing to make their place in this world of online media. I'll admit I'd rather read a normal old glossy magazine online than have it clutter my house. Then again, there's just something about getting a new magazine and holding it and tearing out pages for inspiration boards. It must be the crafter (and a little bit of the hoarder) in me that needs print publications. 

Answer Vlogs - Part 4

These vlogs are answers to the questions asked in the Ask Anything post. Each vlog is based on a person's question/set of questions. Some are long, some are short and sweet. I'll post the question before the video so you can decide if you want to watch it or not. After the video I'll post any links I mentioned in the video.

Answer Vlogs - Part 1
Answer Vlogs - Part 2
Answer Vlogs - Part 3

Answer Vlog #8

Carrie asked: 
Where do you think your crafting gene came from?
When did you really start crafting?
When you were growing up, what inspired you to do crafts?
Who inspires you?
What inspires you and the things you do and share with us through this blog?

Rachel's Blog - Smile and Wave
Amy's Blog - Early Bird Special

Answer Vlog #9

Creating Trouble asked...
My biggest question is: How do you get the time to have such an amazing blog, and do a Granny a Day AND do other things too?!!

I also have a photo question - you quite often put together a number of photos in one piece so that they are almost like a jigsaw or a treasury. How do you do that?

I love your blog - I've been following for a few months now and there's always something I'm interested in. And thank you for linking to all the crochet patterns! I'm doing my own version of granny squares, although it's more like A Granny A Week with me, and it's really useful know there is somewhere I can find lots of patterns easily! Thank you.

 

Flickr Mosaics

Calendar Photoshop masks

Weekly Photoshop masks

I am sooo sorry that I completely forgot about these last two videos!! They were just patiently waiting to be uploaded to vimeo and blogged.

Answer Vlogs - Part 3

These vlogs are answers to the questions asked in the Ask Anything post. Each vlog is based on a person's question/set of questions. Some are long, some are short and sweet. I'll post the question before the video so you can decide if you want to watch it or not. After the video I'll post any links I mentioned in the video.

Answer Vlogs - Part 1
Answer Vlogs - Part 2
Answer Vlogs - Part 4

Answer Vlog #6

Amanda Asked:
1. How long have you been crocheting?
2. You have a great eye for pairing colors in your granny squares- is this a natural talent or something you cultivated? (I ask because my own color sense is abysmal! Working with non-neutrals scares me!)
3. Does Sheldon have any crafty hobbies?
4. What's your favorite (and least favorite) thing about living in Oklahoma?

Creature Comforts color Inspiration posts
Style me Pretty Color Palettes
Emma Lamb's Color Palettes 
Pugly Pixel Colour Lover Posts

Answer Vlog #7

Melissa asked...

1. How did you and Sheldon meet?
2. What made you first start this blog?
3. How much time do you spend each day crafting?
4. Can you show us more pictures of your craft room, maybe at different angles?

 

The story of how Sheldon and I met and fell in love :)

My studio tour on Chickiedee

Prayer Candles from Sweetheartville

We have had my wonderful friend Staci and her husband staying with us this weekend so there was no time for posting on Friday. So you get these today. I think I have a full week of posts planned out too! I've just got to get busy tonight. Oh and Staci and I did a vlog together while she was here. I'm excited to share that with you guys! We might do one or two more today too. We've been thrifting this weekend too and yesterday I found my dream sewing machine. I can't wait to share that with you on Thursday. 

Answer Vlogs - Part 2

These vlogs are answers to the questions asked in the Ask Anything post. Each vlog is based on a person's question/set of questions. Some are long, some are short and sweet. I'll post the question before the video so you can decide if you want to watch it or not. After the video I'll post any links I mentioned in the video.

Answer Vlogs - Part 1 
Answer Vlogs - Part 3
Answer Vlogs - Part 4 

Answer Vlog #4
Lea said... I am always in awe of your makeup--it looks fantastic in every picture! Do you have some tips you've amassed? I'd love to hear them!

Some YouTube make-up gurus I love. I've pretty much learned everything I know from these channels.
vintageortacky
SarahVictor
MakeupGeekTV 
panacea81
xsparkage 
EnKoreMakeup
 petrilude
prettyrainyday  < My friend Staci. She's just starting out but well on her way to guru status :)

On all of these, I personally think their earlier videos are much better for beginners. They took the time to teach more of the basics back then. Now many of them do a lot of sponsored make-up looks.

My favorite tip videos:
How To Contour Cheeks | An in depth tutorial 
Makeup 101: Complete Guide to Makeup Brushes!!!
MAC Brushes vs Painting Brushes
Makeup 101: How to apply Eye Makeup
Pinup Inspired Makeup 

I buy a lot of MAC products, but here are some of my favorite inexpensive brands that have really great products as well!

E.L.F Cosmetics - Really cheap, really awesome. I did a post about some of their products here. You can sometimes find this brand at Target, but you can buy everything they have online.
NYX Cosmetics - I'm just starting to use NYX stuff, but their glitter eyeliner is the greatest. You can get NYX at ULTA. 
Coastal Scents - Their duo fiber brushes are really great and waaay cheaper than MAC. Online only.
BH Cosmetics -  They have a big selection of inexpensive palettes and brushes. I haven't ordered from them, but I've been eyeing their 88 matte eyeshadow palette. Online only.

Also, if you're ever wanting to know about a new product before you use it check out beautylish.com. It's like the ravelry of the makeup world. People post reviews, videos, photos, and there are forums. I mainly use it for the reviews, but it's a great site for a one-stop shop for make-up info.

I'm also going to do a couple of blogs about my everyday makeup staples and the brushes I use all the time. I'm excited that you want to know about makeup! Can you tell I love it and can't wait to share?

Answer Vlog #5

Erika from Pinksuedeshoe asked: How often do you go thrifting? Do you find yourself buying things because you love them, even if you can't logically figure out where you are going to put them. Do you have a thrifting budget or do you just wing it How many stores/garage/estate sales do you visit frequently, what do you do for your day job, do you like it? How long have you been blogging and do you see it as something you will do for a long time? Have you thought about sponsers, do you advertise as a sponser on someone else's blog? How did you get hooked up with the craft editor gig you posted about a while ago?

Motif Magazine

Example of what I do at my day job

Thanks for all your sweet comments last week!! I really enjoyed making these. I'll have to vlog once a month or something because it's pretty fun :)  I've got to stop saying umm so much. I'm sorry about that! The next set is going to be posted on Friday.

Motif Magazine

Do you read Motif? I've been reading it since the first issue. I was drawn in by their first cover. It's just soo pretty :) 

 
It's a pretty wonderful little on-line lifestyle magazine. It has fashion, recipes, book, music, and movie reviews, really great articles, and a craft column. 

Speaking of the craft column. You might find a little surprise if you head on over and see the new issue. Ok, you will find a surprise...

I'm the new craft editor/resident crafter!

 
In this issue, (the Journeys Issue), I'll teach you how to make an experience journal from supplies you probably already have laying around the house. I created a travel journal, but you can customize it to reflect any journey you want to keep mementos and notes from. It would be really great for keeping track of your year with 12 envelopes for mementos and lots of pages for goals and journaling.

 
This was a really fun journal to make because we had just returned from our Austin trip and I had a lot of fun pictures and stories to tell. I also took the time to add all of the trips that Sheldon and I have taken together over the last 3 years to it. It was exciting to comb through all the little mementos I kept from our first trip to Vegas, our first road trip to Louisiana, and our Honeymoon. There's also plenty of room for future journeys we take together. Here are some more photos:

 
 

 
Tips:
- Use what you have! Most of the pages in my journal are from printed commission packets from work that are one-sided. I use them for everything and I get a huge stack of them each month.
- Mix it up by adding in interesting papers from kids writing/drawing tablets and ledgers (both of which I always find at thrift stores but are available at Target and WalMart too).
- Envelopes and pockets add interest and allow you to add mementos you don't want to use glue on.