Current Favorite Higher End Crafty Gadgets

If there is one thing I've loved longer than makeup and planners it is craft supplies.  One of my favorite traits about myself is my creativity.  I love that if I have an idea I can execute it - for the most part.  Being able to create anything under the sun means having an amazingly stocked craft room/area.  Honestly, I feel so thankful to be able to have the fun gadgets I have to make nearly anything possible.  I've shared my favorite paper crafting supplies in this post, and I've also shared my favorite craft supplies in this post, but now I want to share my current favorite higher end crafty gadgets.  Some of these could be considered middle end (which makes no sense, I know) rather than high end but if you're an average crafter I feel like these are things you save up for or ask Santa for and don't really pop into a Hobby Lobby and throw money everywhere.

I've been in love with these gadgets since I got them and find them so, so helpful for many different things!

Cricut Explore

I found my Explore on sale at Menard's (a hardware store) of all places.  It was severely discounted and I just snatched it up.  Since owning it I've used it to make stickers, planner dividers, & scrapbooking embellishments.  I'm looking forward to trying to make some vinyl decals and seeing what I can cut with it.  There are tons of free shapes and cartridges to create super simple projects.   There is even a monthly or yearly subscription service so you don't have to buy a zillion cartridges all at once. The Design Space is easy to learn (reminds me of using PicMonkey) and the creation process is really simple.  The Cricut software also has a print then cut feature as well.  I would have never been able to create kiss cut stickers if it weren't for this machine.  I also wouldn't have been able to create small embellishments in various shapes with out a million punches if it wasn't for my Cricut.  The precision cutting is amazing as well - no more uneven planner dividers!

We R Memory Keepers the Cinch

I recently created my own planner using the Cinch and my Cricut Explore.  I never would have been able to bind a little journal like that with out this little contraption.  I was super intimidated by this little machine and just stared at it for a long while.  Turns out it is super easy.  If you're looking to create any sort of memory book or notebook.  It is perfect if you need to make a little notebook in a pinch - like for a gift or something.  But you can also take your time and make a super detailed scrapbook.  It can also double as an A5 size hole punch to punch pages for your planners!  I like it because I can make notebooks super fast.  I'm going to try to make some little notebooks out of Project Life cards as little gifts this year for Xmas.  You can also create a junk journal of sorts and punch in your pictures to create a flip book.

Sewing Machine

I. Love. My. Sewing. Machine.  I don't even do a 10th of the things it is capable of but it is so inspiring to just feel like creating something out of fabric and then being able to.  If I want to sit down and sew something I can...and fast.  Hand sewing would make me get super bored of the project I was working on.  I find that I get bored with a project if I can't see it develop quickly enough.  I've loved using my sewing machine to make a few aprons, my fauxdori, some garb for the SCA, and just general sewing two pieces of fabric together.

Crop a dile Big Bite

This is one of those things where you can justify not picking it up every time you see it in the craft store.  I finally picked one up to set eyelets and punch holes in my fauxdori.  I now think it will be super handy when I want to set eyelets in other crafts - maybe scrapbooking? Who knows?  I haven't really found assorted uses for it yet, but I'm sure I will!

These are my 4 current favorite higher end crafty tools.  Now I can make all the things!

What are your favorite crafty gadgets?  Anything I should try out?

xoxo, Moe

Make it Monday // Crochet Halloween Coffee Cup Cozie

In between my planner obsession I've picked back up a little bit of crochet.  Over the long weekend when I made these face scrubbies, I also made a few Halloween inspired coffee cup cozies!  I even went out and bought another travel mug to go with the cozies I made.  You always need a new mug right?  Right.

this post contains affiliate links, please read my full disclosure here.

When it comes to crocheting 9 times out of 10 I'm like 'I want to make something....but...... I...don't....know.....what......'  That is when Pinterest comes to the rescue.  I think I was looking for patterns for face scrubbies when I stumbled upon a pin, that led me to another pin.  None the less I settled on this coffee cozie pattern.

While I'd say I'm pretty good at making up projects on my own, this couldn't have been more perfect.  This is actually one of my favorite stitches and back when I tried to sell some of my crocheted hats this was the stitch I used to make a lot of them.  It looks sort of like you're knitting in the round like you would with crochet.  Instead of going in the top loops of the row, you slip your hook in the loop behind the top two loops.  You're going into the back of the yarn over part you did to create the stalk (if you will) of the half double crochet.  Once you get this down the stitch is beautiful.  And if you're like 'man, I had crocheting in the back loop only...takes FOR.EV.ER!'  I promise you this stitch totally doesn't.

You do need to use a stitch marker - a proper one or a safety pin or a little piece of yarn (or you can be a rebel and not use one, I don't) - because you won't be joining and turning between rounds.  You'll keep going and going until you're satisfied.  The pattern I used called for a button, but I had bigger plans.

I searched, and searched for a tiny scull applique pattern and tried a few out but they all came out too big.  I finally found this one and did a slight modification.  The chart really helps you see where you need to be placing your stitches and what stitches will become what part of the scull.  When I reached the last row of the pattern I continued on with a slip stitch in a few points around the mouth part of the scull.  I did two slip stitches in the corners of the mouth to give it a little bit of a square shape and just even off the finished edge.  Then I joined with a slip stitch to the final row just at the middle of the scull, right above the mouth piece.  Leaving a tail, I used that to sew the scull onto the coffee cozy.

You could leave it as it is, or you could crochet yourself a little bow, a video how to is above.  Using a bright, neon yellow yarn I started with a ch of 4, then 2 double crochets in the 4th ch from the hook, 3 ch and joined with a slp st.  Then I ch 3, 2 dc in the stitch I just joined in, ch 3 and slp st back into the stitch I worked the dc in.  This creates two little flower petals that are perfect for a tiny bow.  Leaving a tail again, I used that to sew the bow to the cozy by wrapping the yarn around the center of the bow then into the cozy and back out again, wrap around, repeat.  much like you would sew through a button hole.

If you find other small applique patterns, you can have endless amounts of coffee cozies for the fall!!  Yay!!!

Hope you enjoyed this fun little project to work up in an afternoon!!!  If you're looking for a beginner class (or just looking to brush up) be sure to check out Crochet: Basics & Beyond class here on Craftsy.  You can also purchase some amazing supplies on the Craftsy site I love their variety of yarn!

xoxo, Moe

Meet Sweetie B // A Post on Pet Adoption

The other day I got a notification from Facebook to look back on some memories from that day in the past.  Turns out that day was the day, 2 years ago, that Emrys came to stay with us.  Growing up we never had a dog...my parents only got a dog when I left for college.  So having Emrys come stay with us was a big deal.  What was supposed to be a temporary arrangement turned into a forever home for a little guy.  This is going to sound crazy - but from the first time I met Emmy back in 2012 visiting Zach's parents for the first time....we were friends.  He would always come sit with me, cuddle me, etc.  I didn't think anything of it at the time.  But when he came to stay with us, he definitely crawled up in my heart and stayed there.  So loosing him was horrible.

It was only about 2 weeks between losing Emmy and adopting Sweetie but it felt like ages.  All I wanted was for someone to give me a dog.  I went to a few shelters and all the dogs seemed too much for me to handle.  I talked to a breeder of Corgis and it just seemed like I was going to be alone for a long time.  It seemed like I'd never have a fur ball in my life again.  I'd find a dog on a shelter site that I liked, they'd always end up being adopted.  (Which was wonderful, but when was I going to find my dog?)

I went to a shelter by my work, only to find out that the dog I saw online had been adopted.  I decided to look anyway..... and there she was.  A super cute, lemon colored female dog estimated to be about 1-2 years old.  I was told by the workers there that she was really sweet, kept her kennel clean, etc.  Honestly it was like 'why was she even dropped off here?'

I asked to see her.  We went into their little visiting area and I can't express the love I felt for her right there.  I'm not even exaggerating.  I knew I had to apply for her.  So I did.  And I waited.  And I was so stressed.  I tried to look up reviews on the shelter - and some I saw were negative, and I got nervous.  I've run into a place before where the shelter hardly ever adopted animals out....the owner apparently was like an animal hoarder!  But, thats beside the point of this story.

They called me.  I got her.  She was mine.  

I went to pick her up with a new collar and leash.  I signed for her, and we walked out the door.  She did not want to get in the car so I had to pick her up.  We went home.  I don't really remember the first few days except that I was super nervous this wouldn't work out.  I didn't know what to name her - I had a name picked out for another Corgi, Sandy for a girl or Calder for a boy (my favorite artist is Alexander Calder) - but with her yellow coat I thought Sandy was too obvious.  I named her Sweetie because of how frickin' sweet she is.  The B initial is for Zach's last name.

We went for her check up where everything initially went fine.  I was told, however, that she was in heat.....and I could be having puppies on my hand come a few months.  She turned out healthy though.  Over the next few days, however, she developed a horrible case of kennel cough.  They even thought it might be the dog flu.  I remember her sneezing and having to clean the snot out of her nose.  Have you ever seen a dog with a snotty nose?  Neither have I!  She was just so sick.  We took her to the vet twice.  We got a few rounds of antibiotics, got her some fattening wet food, and she got better.  Like night and day better.  I honestly thought I was going to lose her.  I also thought that if something was seriously wrong, I couldn't just give her back.  I got her, I looked her in the face and told her she was mine, I couldn't just give her back.  But I didn't know if I could go through something crazy again like losing another dog.  But like I said, she got better!

So then I had to do all the things you do with a dog....like train them!  I will tell you - she got on my last. damn. nerve.  Everything was a struggle.  She would potty on the floor at night by the door to the bedroom.  She would get into. every. damn. thing. She wouldn't listen.  It was more than that though - all of this was brand new.  She didn't trust me...she didn't know who I was - we had to work together on this.  But she's frickin' smart.  She got better at not pottying on the floor, she hasn't had an accident since I can't remember when.  She stopped pooping in the spare room - I thought that was more hilarious than anything else!  Every time I'd open the door...she'd poop in there.  It was ridiculous.  She now knows to sit, to wait, to lay down, to shake.  She can be by herself and I'm not afraid she's chewing on something.  We've only had 3 washi tape casualties.  She loves socks.  She still gets on the counter.  She still jumps up on people.  I'm pretty sure she loves Zach more than me.  But she's very trusting now.

I also think it is hilarious how good of a guard dog she is. I named her Sweetie because of how utterly sweet she was when we met.  She didn't bark & she wasn't aggressive towards me.  Now that she's realized this is her home and we are her humans she's gotten to be a little bit protective!!  I have to explain to people how sweet she really is while she's barking her head off.  We've gotten better at that too (for the most part).  If you ride your bike down the street or are in your yard while we are on a walk you're ok.  If you're a group of people or you're trying to come up to me or Zach while we're on a walk....prepare to be barked at.  If you come in our yard, prepare to be barked at.  She's a pretty good guard dog.

The reason I'm writing this post is because today I just realized she can pretty much have the whole run of the house and she doesn't get into anything.  I also found her laying in her crate earlier....just hanging out in there...which means she finally feels that it is a safe place!  She's also fattened up well.  She walks alright on a leash.  I feel like my baby girl is all grown up.

I think it is crazy that you can train a dog and that they are so smart to know what you mean!  Adopting her was hard.  It really was.  But she filled a hole in my hear that Emmy left.  And I thought that would be weird.  But I know she isn't him, I know she's got her own personality - which is so weird. That has been another thing that's been crazy to get used to - her personality.  She asks for things differently (she stamps her feet when she has to poop and she just plain acts bat shit crazy).  She snores when she sleeps, she takes up the whole bed, she makes little piggy snorting noises.  I never thought we'd get here.  I never thought that she'd be as responsible as she is.  She just makes my life so much better.

Oh, and she loves the crap out of Zach......she thinks he's her boyfriend.  No lie, kisses his face all day, all night, if she could.

But I also wanted to ask myself this question 'would I adopt again?'  I don't know...I think I got lucky, but I also think that the dog finds you.  I was very nervous about adopting since you don't know what the dog might have gone through, what might trigger something, etc.  I think I got super lucky.  I think she makes the perfect addition to our family.

So, meet Sweetie B.

xoxo, Moe