Archives for July 2011

Come and Vote for Creative Memories!!!

July 18, 2011 By JulieK

I know that this isn’t my “typical” Made for Monday post… But, Creative Memories has been involved in the Minnesota Journal’s “Brand Madness” contest, and they made it to the Championship Round!!! (It’s not super surprising!!! They are a WONDERFUL company!!) Now, we need your help!!! Please follow THIS LINK and vote for Creative Memories for the Championship!!! The voting starts Today (Monday) and closes on Wednesday at 9pm Central Time… Please follow the link and vote (often!!)!! Thanks!!!

I’ll be back later today with pictures of some projects I’ve made recently… I’ve been feeling super crafty, but the pics are still on the camera!! Please vote for CM :)

Thankful Thursday July 14

July 14, 2011 By JulieK

Wow! Is it already Thursday?? Summer vacation weeks FLY by!!! Today we ate lunch at The Pushcart (LOVE it!!) and then took a little trip through the Dollar Store to get a few summery things to take to the beach :) ummm… Did I say a “few” yeah, it’s actually embarrassing to check out for $53 at the Dollar Store… That’s OK :) some of it was class idea stuff for the space, and some was trinkets for the kiddos… It’s all good :)

This morning I finished up my August Zutter Class project for Ink About It in Westford… OMGosh, do I LOVE how it came out!! It just kept getting better as I went along!! I know that doesn’t sound right, but you know when you’re working on a project and it just flows?? This was one of THOSE projects :) I’m hoping to drop it at the store tonight after Mike gets home… I’ll share pictures once I get them off the camera…

We just posted our Summer Crop Specials at Late Night Croppers… Check them out if you want to escape the heat and craft a bit!

Here’s another pic from the trip… I uploaded the last of the pics to be printed last night!! No, I didn’t print all 1370 of them… “only” about 800 or so :) I still have to go pick them up, but this is one… Hard to see in the background, but this one is in Yosemite, and in the dip between the mountains is your first glimpse of Half Dome when you drive through the park… Lots of shadows ’cause it was getting late when we arrived… Special thanks to the family who offered to take a pic of all of us together!!

And then there is this set of 2 pictures that crack me up!! This is Mike, being “funny” taking my picture with the kids at Monument Valley… (He did actually take one of me with the kids, but I’m looking very cranky in it… These came out better :) This was right after we were stuck in the car for about 15 minutes while a wild dog circled our car… The kids thought it was a wolf, he actually looked like a dingo… Anyway, when we finally were able to get out, Mike and I both opened our doors at the same time, and a CRAZY wind came through the car and blew the park map away, out the door and out the valley… never to be seen again… I’m SURE it was like totally my fault :) someone was cranky :) Hence the “cut her out of the picture” picture :) Makes me LOL when I look at it ’cause it was so silly!!

Ok… Off to pack the kids for their adventure at the lake!! Enjoy the rest of your week!

Made for Monday (July 11)

July 11, 2011 By JulieK

Even though we were away… I managed to make several things lately!! The one I made on the trip I can’t share yet, because it’s a gift :) but once it’s at its new home, I’ll be sure to post pictures!!

Next… Card Club cards… 3 made before we left for vacation, and one last one made today… But, I also can’t share those until Card Club, tomorrow evening… Don’t want to spoil anyone’s surprise :)

BUT the “thing” I made today, I can share!!! I only have phone pics at the moment, but I think for a first try, it came out pretty darn cute!! My good friend Katy mentioned these to me ’cause she knows how I am :) I didn’t have time to do anything before we left on the trip, but I made this one this afternoon!! It’s called a “Pillow Case Dress” and several different organizations ask people to make them, and then bring them to various places to be distributed to children… I’m going to be making them for “Little Dresses for Africa” And, can be made from actual pillow cases (cool way to recycle!)… But, I stopped at a thrift store today, and they didn’t have any pillow cases… So, while I was looking for instructions yesterday, I found THIS PATTERN to make them out of fat quarters, so that’s what I did!! Now, I can sew… BUT I’m not super exacting, I kinda like to just make things up as I go along… So, although I read through that pattern yesterday, I didn’t consult it today… Yup, I’m a rebel that way :) It’s partly from the pattern, and partly made up as I went along… And I think it came out super cute!! It might get a little pocket on the front ’cause I have a small piece of the stripe fabric left… And, I might have to fight Kathryn for it ’cause she’s gonna think it’s for her… And she scares me :) Just kidding… It’s not perfect, but I think it came out OK, and now I know what to do so I can make more!! Kathryn will model it for me tomorrow and I can show pics of it on her… I think it will fit her… And, that will help me with the pocket placement… If you have any pillow cases you’d like me to turn into a cute little dress, let me know :)

Thankful Thursday (July 7)

July 7, 2011 By JulieK

I’m sure that I will have an EPIC post about our epic Western Adventure in the very near future… But I do have to say that I am VERY thankful to be home… We took a wild west tour of our own, because Mike had to go to CA for work… We turned it into 5 states in 18 days!! It was AMAZING, but I will be thankful to sleep in my very own bed tonight, and not have to share with a kicking-blanket-hogging 7 year old :)

I took just under 1400 photos (and the kids both took pics too, but I didn’t get them off their cameras yet) PLUS there’s video too…

We flew to Denver, drove up over the Rocky Mountains (and played in actual SNOW in June), into Utah to see Arches National Park and some other super cool places, then on to the Grand Canyon (with a side trip to see the Meteor Crater)… Next stop, Las Vegas and the Hoover Dam (with a drive by of the Pawn Stars Pawn Shop)… Then on to CA and DisneyLand… Up to San Jose (Mike did have to actually work for a couple days) then on to Yosemite for a couple nights… Back to San Jose and then San Francisco…

I just took the pics off the camera, and haven’t even looked through them all yet… I’ll share a couple that stand out… here’s one of my favorites… Sunset at the Grand Canyon (with the kids’ having strict instructions to have their eyes shut tight and not actually look at the sun…)

Look at this panoramic of the kids at the Grand Canyon (I think this was my favorite part of the trip… well, Arches and the Grand Canyon… Amazing sights you certainly don’t see around here!!) I think if you click on it, you can see it bigger…. I LOVE my new camera!!

The kids with their new “ears” at DisneyLand… On Sean’s actual birthday!

One of the waterfalls at Yosemite… You can kinda see the rainbow the mist was making at the bottom…

Here’s one of me and the kids at the Pacific Ocean… Almost exactly opposite the country from where we live :) Mike was pretty good at taking the camera and making it look like I was on vacation too :) I somehow expected the water to be warmer… But it was pretty cool to put our feet in the Pacific Ocean, even if it felt the same as home!!

Ok… I have a boatload of laundry to try and get to (before they shut the water off with the road construction) AND, there will be an epic post soon with lots more pictures!!!

Made for Monday (July 4)

July 4, 2011 By JulieK

Happy 4th of July!!! In honor of the holiday… And, my upcoming class :) Here’s a replay of this month’s Zutter Class at Ink About It in Westford… We’ll be making this beautiful book on Thursday, July 21 I hope you can join us!! The book uses Bo Bunny’s fabulous Liberty line… And CAN be 4th of July specific, but also can be just Summer Fun!! Contact the store if you’re interested!!