Missybug's Craft-tastic-ness:

I love you iPhone but....

So it turns out that my computer hates typepad. :( Everytime I create a post ( and I mean everytime) it freezes and I lose all of my work. So I have to save the draft every three words and when it freezes I have to restart my computer and repeat. Sigh....

I am currently typing this post from my iPhone and as exhausting as it is typing with one finger, it also turns out that I cannot add photos, hence the photos from yesterday's post (done on my iPhone) showing as img.blahblah. To fix I will now start the fun game of freeze and repeat. :)

The reason for my neglected blog

When I was in Portland in August I began making a wrap for my friend Rachel. I had no idea what I was getting myself into! This project took me almost two months....but Rachel and baby love it, so all the time and love I put into it was worth it!

I looked at a variety of patterns and then as usual, made up my own. I chained until I thought it was long enough. You might not be able to tell by the photographs, but Rachel is 6 feet tall. :). I then just worked a shell pattern until it was as wide as I wanted. ( I was many times tempted to change plans and make her a scarf instead of a wrap!). I then added a couple of buttons so she could wear it like shown or button towards the top and cover baby while feeding.

Happy crafting!

Patchwork

Getting ready for Patchwork has been fun AND exhausting.  It's my second show, and I'm sharing a booth with my friend Candy.  I'm super excited, but all of my "free time"  is being consumed with crafting...and then there are babies coming...and the holiday....yikes!

Luckily, I have great friends and great support to be there the day of.  For now, it's me

and my busy little fingers.  :)

 

www.patchworkshow.com

You should stop by...we'd love to see you!

:)

Happy crafting!

xo

Happy Fall!

I hope that you are some where enjoying chilly and wonderful fall weather.  Here in Southern California....I spend hours (not really) starring longingly at all my pretty sweaters.  Some of which still have tags on them and are anxiously awaiting some love.  It is officially November and still 85 degrees.  Sigh...  I am not, and have never been a California Girl.  Fall is my favorite season... but I don't ever really get a Fall.  Unless I travel of course.  Why then is it my favorite?  Hmmm???  Maybe it's that I know that it's Fall somewhere, and instead I settle for the pumkins, apples, and warm colors that I see on decorations, cards, and clothes?

So I get my fill of Fall where I can.  A couple of weeks ago, I took a day trip to Oak Glen to go apple picking...or rather purchase apples that someone else picked...and home made apple butter...and eat yummy apple pie.  I usually love to have fresh, hot apple cider, but on this particular Saturday it was 99 degrees and for some reason I was just not feeling like Hot Apple Cider.  Weird huh?  Oak Glen is one of the closest places to travel where you can actually see the colors change.  This year was a little different, but still a great day.

Here are a few photos of a great little farm.

 
Looking at the pictures, it is making me want to go back....I'll cross my fingers that the weather will cool down enough to warrent another trip, so that I can actually have cider this time.  :)
 

I heart Oregon

Did I mention that yet?  I did?  Are you sure?

Okay...well that is very much the case.  I have never been a California girl.  When I was a wee one, I had family that lived in Washington, and decided at a very young age that I was going to live in Washington.  When it was time to go away to college, I was convinced that I was going to go to school in Seattle.  I got accepted to my top choice...and then sadly, it turned out that I could not afford to attend that college.  I ended up staying in California for University (I like to pretend I'm British sometimes).  I studied abroad my sophomore year in Salzburg, Austria...at which point I fell in love it Europe and put on my Life- To Do List, that it would be fantastic to live in Europe at some point...or at least have a summer home!  Maybe be a teacher and travel their every summer? 

At the end of my junior year of college, I moved to Portland, OR for a summer...and then fell in love with Oregon.  Yup, it seems that my longest lasting love affair has been with the Pacific Northwest.  I've tried to move their a couple times, and it seems that the universe doesn't have that in my immediate plans....I'm still holding my breath though. 

For now...I visit a couple times a year, and wear my new favorite, adorable, fantastical necklace.

This was made by my friend Nicole.

I hope you have something that you hold on to that makes you smile.  :)

xo  Melissa 

You can even craft at work (shhhh!)

I am lucky enough to have a job that I love....and sometimes I get to do wonderful projects and activities with wonderful kids and grown up type people.  I work at a non-profit that provides therapeutic services to Seriously Emotionally Disturbed Kids.  If you have worked with kids, have kids, or have ever met a kid...you probably know that traditional methods don't always work for them.  We do lots of creative and fun activities and call them therapy.  Well...the secret is that they really are therapeutic, but we usually like to trick them into thinking they are just fun!  We do a lot of art, crafts, music, and creatively expressive activities.  Sounds like the perfect fit for me right!

In the future, I will share more creative fun things with you.  Today I wanted to show you a quick project I put together with simple supplies.  We have a wonderful volunteer who has done many amazing and generous things for our program, agency, and our clients.  He will be traveling for the next year, and may or may not be returning to us.  One of my staff was kind enough to put a book together for him with our thank yous and well wishes.

I took on the challenge of making the most adorable page I could with what I had: a computer, a printer, construction paper, and a glue stick.

I did a brief search for quotes and vintage photos of kids and viola!

Given the supplies and time constriction, I'm delightfully happy with the result. 

Thanks for reading!   Happy Crafting!

xo Melissa

Cupcakes

My sister is a huge fan of cupcakes...in all forms, shapes, and sizes.  This would be evidenced by all the mini-cupcakes, crafty cupcakes, cupcake cards, and real cupcakes that you might find around her home.

On my birthday she prepared all the ingredients for us to make these adorable mini-cupcakes.

And for her birthday, I made her this:

It's a crocheted pin cushion.  I found a variety of patterns that just didn't do it for me...so I pretty much made this one up as I went along.  If I ever can actually write down the pattern, I will be sure to share.

I hope you have a wonderful cupcakey weekend!

Melissa

Experimentation with jewelry!

Over the last month I have been collecting a variety of beads, bulk chain, and findings.  As you may know about me by now…I get a bit overwhelmed with some projects and don’t know where to start.  So…I have been kinda putting off actually putting things together to make jewelry.  Luckily my friend Emily wanted to get together Sunday to craft and watch True Blood.  I hadn’t really prepared what I wanted to work on…so decided that this would be my chance to experiment (yummy Thai Food helped the process).  J

Here is my first result:

 

I think that I love it.  Can’t wait to see what else I put together.  Will keep you posted! 

Happy Crafting!   Melissa

Adorable Mini-cuteness

I am in love with these adorable earrings.  They are mini scrabble tiles!!!  They are from the Scrabble Travel edition.  I have been wanting to track some down, and then someone I work with (without even knowing I have been wanting them), brought them to me as a gift.  It was meant to be!

Pretty adorable huh???  I drilled a hole in the top, added some hang-ey things, distressed the sides, and sealed them.  Aahhhh....I can't wait to make more!  Too bad that I won't be able to sell them or give any away....as I will pretty much be wanting to keep every pair I make!

 

 

 

Bracelets!!!

So...I have already made a couple of charm bracelets that turned out pretty darn cute...and then a friend suggested a new style.  I did a bit of research and viola!

 

 

 

This was a special order from my sister.  After sending her these pics from my phone, I tried to convice her that she wouldn't like the bracelet...and that I would be happy to keep it.  She wasn't buying it, and threatened that I would be in trouble.  Seems like I'm always in trouble!

 
 I'm working on a custom order right now for a friends friends wedding.  I'll share that when it's finished!

Happy creating!