The day we've all been waiting for!

It's the beginning of Stampin' UP!'s new calendar year... and with the new year, brings a new catalog, complete with tons of new stamps, accessories, paper, punches and this year, COLOR!!!! That's right, they've done a color renovation to bring us into the year 2010. There are fewer colors, but they are definitely more trendy! I love, love, LOVE them!!!

My wish list is a mile long. I'm sure yours will be too.

Well BOW me down!

My newest craft project is making hair bows. With 3 year old and 18 month old girls (who will finally leave hair accessories in her hair), buying hair bows can get VERY expensive. At $3-4 each (and that's on the low end), I save tons of money by making my own. It took me quite a long time to get to the point where the bows were cute enough to let my girls out of the house in them. Now they probably have enough to go with every outfit they own.

Over the last year, several of my friends have had baby girls. I take the baby shower as an opportunity to start their hair accessory collection, complete with a handmade and personalized container to keep them in. I estimate that if I were to have bought all of the clips and bows I give to the mom-to-be, I would have spent at least $50-$70. So for about 20% of that cost, I can make them and the mom-to-be is so much more appreciative than to have received a pack of diapers. It just so happens that I have two more friends who are having girls soon and I'm working on their shower gifts... and a few extra bows for my own girls, too!

Welcome!

I'm happy to share my obsession for crafting with you! I don't use the word obsession lightly. I am that person that walks down an aisle in the store saying "I love that! I can make that!" or "I love that color combination!". Yep, that's me snapping a photo of something so I can attempt to figure out how to make it myself or use the colors in my next project.

My girls are my inspiration for a lot of my crafting exploits. I made all of my baby shower invitations, thank you notes, and birth announcements for both kids. I made a lamp for the nursery. I've made dozens of clips and bows for their hair and a butterfly mobile for my older daughter's new "big girl" room. That's just the beginning. There's the brag books for grandparents and the scrapbook pages documenting their first trips to the zoo, their first times trick or treating, and the rest of the adorable things that little kids do.

Then there are the cakes. Yes, I decorate cakes too. Kids cakes, birthday cakes, anniversary cakes, all different sorts of cakes. Fondant, gumpaste, buttercream... all handmade.

Some of the crafting, ok, ALL of the crafting starts off as a way to save money. It just so happens though, that I love to do it and get obsessed with it. So, yes, I have lots of finished projects sitting in my craft room that I think I am going to try to sell. Eventually, I will link up to my Esty page. If I ever get around to making one.