to be continued...

hi guys. sorry for the lack of blogging in the last month & a half. i'm sure i've lost a lot of you readers in the meantime, but for those of you who are still around, waiting for that next post... i figured i owe you a bit of an explanation.

while i love blogging and love the opportunities this site has brought me over the past few months, i'm going to have to take a step back for a while. i'll be back -- that much i know. this isn't a project that i want to give up on, but with how busy life has gotten lately, i don't have the time to craft like i used to... and even when i do have the time to craft, i don't have the time to post on here, or even keep up on the blogs that i follow.

so this is just "see you later" for a little while -- until life calms down & i have more time to spend crafting and blogging and following all of you wonderful people on your own adventures :)

until then...

away we go...

Off on vacation so things will be a little bit quiet around here for the next 2 weeks. I'll be sure to come back with pictures & stories & keep plugging away at the giant list of blogging ideas that are rolling around in my brain! :)

Don't miss me too much ;)

busy times! also... February craft challenge (finally!)

I knew that this past week & a half was going to be busy, but a few unexpected things (oh, like buying a car) made it a bit more hectic than I had planned! my best friend bought a new car a few days ago and left a nice car needing a good home. seeing as my car was needing repairs more & more often, we had been thinking about a new car anyways. when the most recent problem (a crack in the rear axle) led to the repairman telling me the there was no rear axle available in the entire continental US, Puerto Rico, or Guam, we knew that something had to be done. so for a decent price, we decided to buy the 2002 Mitsubishi Mirage de Coupe off of my friend... and figure out a way to either sell my car or get the state to buy it back :)

anyways... in the midst of the busy week i finally managed to get pictures of the newly finished shower curtain (February's craft challenge) and dig out pictures of the fabric basket that I sent off to Bley (March's craft challenge)! So without further ado... pictures of the infamous shower curtain :)



and the finished product...





what do you think? I think that's definitely the biggest project I've tackled thus far... and I really like the way it turned out! It's been brightening up our bathroom for several weeks now and I think it's a keeper :)

more tomorrow on how I made it and the book that I used to help me out!

Wow!

Ok, so people really DO read this blog! Or maybe I just need to get myself out there a little more often :)

After participating in Park City Girl's 0online quilt festival (fabulous idea, btw!) my number of visitors went up... and so did my comments! Just look at all those pretty little words :)



I feel like a proud mama :) Thanks, friends! And be sure to stop by (and comment ;)) again!

*I think I'm addicted :^)*

Happy Etsy Day!

I've heard rumors throughout the blogosphere that today has been declared Etsy Day by none other than... Etsy :) I actually heard about it in the twittersphere (you can find me at @candidcrafts)... not the blogosphere... but decided to play along none-the-less.

Therefore, here are a few of my favorite Etsy items... some sold out, some still for sale... but just a few of the beautiful things I have found over the last few months.


Hello Stranger, by dkim


Small Beaded Clay Journal, from Bibliosophy (Bley also runs the Bibliosophy Books blog, which hosted the Cozy Domesticity swap -- pictures about that later!)


LivvieLee doesn't have anything for me right now... but what little girl wouldn't love this Blue & Brown Apron? She always has adorable things in her shop.


and lastly... these prints (this one is called "Baby Rain" by the poppy tree are just too sweet. check out the others... she's got some serious talent!

one of these days i hope to have an Etsy shop of my own... what are some of your favorite Etsy spots for inspiration?

under construction...

a bit of redesign happening today (and possibly throughout the week)...

just an fyi in case links are broken, etc. :) feel free to let me know what's wrong with the page!

In Honor of the First Online Quilt Festival...

I'm revisiting my first quilting adventure due to the first ever online quilt festival, hosted by Park City Girl (which is a fabulous idea, btw!).

My dad's sister started quilting about a decade ago (feel free to correct me if I'm wrong!) and her creations are breathtaking. Filled with vibrant colors, innumerable swirls and pinwheels and colors for every season, she has handquilted (almost) all of her quilts and is just now learning how to machine quilt, which, I might add, she is equally talented at. I've always loved looking at her quilts and visiting quilts shops with her.



With this inspiration under my belt, I decided in late high school that I too would make a quilt. Starting with a huge pile of scraps from my mom's fabric bag, I measured & cut 5"x5" blocks with a paper pattern (which led to a few 4.5" blocks as well as other wonky shapes & sizes). I then laid out all the blocks on my parent's living room floor, which was quickly covered... and then proceeded to arrange them... and rearrange them... and arrange them yet again, until I was told that the living room floor must be returned to normal. Needless to say, it was a sad day. ;)



The stacks of blocks sat for quite some time after that, until during a Christmas break two years later I decided it had to be either a) finished or b) ditched. I came up with a pattern I liked... found the perfect backing (a "flower power" sheet that my mom no longer wanted or needed)... and figured out the best alternative to quilting (sewing vintage buttons on all of the navy blue corduroy squares that alternated with prints across the quilt).



Even though the patched strips aren't exactly straight and the blocks don't line up due to the different types of fabric (note to self: knits, denim, and old sheets don't stretch the same way...), it was a HUGE accomplishment for me. I found a way to cram it into my already-full suitcase, and dragged it across the country back to school, sleeping under it most nights in the dorm.

Now, it's losing buttons periodically, but it's still on the back of the couch in our small apartment, ready for cuddling on cold nights.