Craft My Soul

Nautical Bachelorette Extravaganza

noreply@blogger.com (Nicole - Craft My Soul) — Fri, 24 Oct 2014 15:00:00 +0000

I was catching up on my blog feed and came across fellow blogger Kate of Nautical by Nature today, and thanks to her, had the genius idea to share my nautical themed Bachelorette Extravaganza waaaay back when. (It's okay that I'm sharing this over two years later, right?)

Let me first say that I have the Best Friends and Sister's ever! My friend Tori, knew of my small infatuation with everything nautical and they ran with it! From the sailor hats down to the sailor telescope/ spyglass, everything was to-die-for amazing. Not to mention the nautical wristlets my best friend sewed for everyone in attendance. Blood sweat and tears kinda shit for her Best Friend. Gosh I love my friends. I can't wait to return the favor one day.

It all began with a 1.5 hour road trip...

... to sunny San Diego

The weather was perfect
and the laughs were plentiful

Custom TShirts to
rep our crew were
created by Naye and Kinndy
"Dropping Her Anchor and Tying the Knot"

We had ourselves a scavenger hunt
in Downtown San Diego...

...and did shit like this...

... and were subject to things like
taking fake shots on a bar.

Then we wore funny hats
with vulgar quotes on them

Then we made our way to the
Hard Rock Hotel

Where my captain and shipmate's
apparel was waiting... amazing right?

I still swoon...

Then we all magically
got sexified for our evening out

More Sexiness

EL CAPITAN!

Bride's Crew Sue and My 1st Mate
(aka Maid of Honor on the right)

More of my lovely Bride's Crew

Sue and I
(Amazing makeup c/o Sarah Garcia)

Some Booty Shaking with Sarah
(my legs look so long.. I'm not that tall)

My Beautiful Sister's

She's a Sexy Beast

Then we partied like Rock Stars Poolside

...and Nicole was the Happiest Bride to Be...
all because these broads and amazing women loved her.

I know it's two years later and I know I thanked you then, but since we are on the subject, thank you for making it the best weekend EVER! From fuses blown in the hotel room, picking random shit off the street, to one gorgeous looking bachelorette crew. Those are memories I will cherish for the rest of my life. History was made ladies and I am abundantly grateful.

Craft My Soul is on Bloglovin

noreply@blogger.com (Nicole - Craft My Soul) — Fri, 24 Oct 2014 14:34:00 +0000

Hi Blogalicious Babes!

Craft My Soul is on Bloglovin now... officially... like for real status. Have a Lovely Day!

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

This is my excited to be on Bloglovin face

Thrifty Thursday - Sequin Tribal Skirt

noreply@blogger.com (Nicole - Craft My Soul) — Thu, 23 Oct 2014 16:27:00 +0000

We recently celebrated the Love of my Life's 32nd Birthday and it was the perfect opportunity to wear my latest Vinted purchase. I like to think of Vinted as an online thrift store. Unlike many traditional thrift stores, Vinted ranges from high-end new items to low-end used items. Onto the skirt...

I had my eye on a sequin tribal skirt from Francesca's Boutique before our Brazil Adventure but it wasn't something that I could justify with all of the travel shopping (and saving) I needed to focus on. So I passed on the skirt. Recently I was browsing Vinted and discovered a beautiful sequin tribal mini skirt. After much thought, I purchased this unused beauty for $17, which is a steal compared to retail prices right now.

Although I was now the proud owner of such a lovely statement piece, I didn't know where I would flaunt it. Eureka struck me and I decided to wear it to my Hubby's Birthday. It was a casual affair but I "dumbed" it down a bit with my thrifted jean jacket and Doc Marten's Mary Janes. Here is the full outfit (minus the shoes. See the shoes in this post). Gosh I love thrifting.

Skirt - Vinted $17
Jacket - Goodwill $3
Mint Shirt - Ross $6
Necklace - TJ Max $12
*note: my hair looks jacked up in this photo

In a nutshell, I LOVE this outfit!

Update: 30 Before 30

noreply@blogger.com (Nicole - Craft My Soul) — Fri, 17 Oct 2014 16:24:00 +0000

Needless to say... this was an epic fail. To think that I could accomplish these 30 goals before I turned 30 on top of the Brazil vacation AND job hunting was insane. Well... I do have plenty of time to accomplish them in my 30th year. Sooo maybe this post should be called 30 in 30? What do you think? Anyhow, I did manage to check-off one of a couple more items from my list.

I decided that I wanted to take my hubby out for our two year wedding anniversary and we enjoyed a very lovely day at the Anaheim Packing House and Park Avenue Steak House. Great Mini Staycation indeed!

The hubby proposed a spontatneous outing to Santa Barbara one Friday and although we were too lazy to finish our day trip to Santa Barbara, we had a great time wine tasting in Ojai and shopping in Camarillo.

1. ~~Visit Brazil~~ – Done! Post Here

2. Learn and dance Samba – Eeeeh We didn’t have time to Samba!

3. ~~Travel out of the country (filler)~~ – Yeah Buddy!

4. Get a tattoo

5. ~~Get a Brazilian Bikini Wax – Boom for some Sexiness in my pants!~~ - Done and Done and I LOVE IT!

6. Learn a song on the Guitar

7. Write a song

8. Record a song

9. ~~Post a YouTube video of me singing~~ I sang the National Anthem for West Covina Nationals Little League and posted my very first YouTube video. More to come! Check out the video!

10. ~~Stay out until 5 am - PST or Brazilian time (I am often times incapable of staying awake past 2 am)~~

11. Get rid of some of my craft stash - a craft stash is all the hoarding of craft supplies one crafter might be storing.

12. Learn to make champurrado - one of my FAVS

13. ~~Learn to make tamales - Any kind: Guatemalan, Cuban, Mexican, etc~~

14. Learn to make Pozole - any volunteers to teach me?

15. Pay it Forward - Pay for someone’s Starbucks in the drive-through behind me, etc.

16. Sew a skirt and a dress – probably using a pattern

17. Cut my hair short again - the cut may come sooner than later. Tired of this “longness!” - I will get there soon but I'm loving my medium/long length right now and I just dyed it copper. Loving the copper (photo above)

18. Ride a horse - surprisingly, I’ve never done this (that I am aware of)

19. Attend a professional football game (Even if it’s in nose bleed)

20. ~~Go on a spontaneous outing with my hubby~~

21. Run/jog 1, 2, and 3 miles without stopping

22. Post 30 blog posts or more on the blog

23. Call my friends at least once or twice a month - or more if reciprocated - Calls made: 1/6/14- I have been lagging on this one.

24. ~~Volunteer – thinking of the~~ ~~Do Good Bus~~ ~~or other local community volunteerism~~ - Volunteer Hours: Massage Event, Tinker Bella ½ Marathon. Massaged all of the runners and walkers. Super great experience and it was great to use my magic massage hands again.

25. ~~Greet at least 1 stranger a day or week (Hello, good morning, good evening, etc) - this one is going to be tough for me~~. Greetings: 1/8/13 - Introduced myself to one of my new classmates. Too many to count now! I’m on a roll!

26. Learn self-defense techniques - I’m thinking a self-defense meet-up to save money

27. Learn to French braid and learn to French braid my own hair

28. Take the train and spend a day in LA with my Mommy and Sisters - Girls day out!

29. ~~Take my husband to dinner - Girls can be “romantical” too!~~

30. Treat myself to a day of pampering - Hair, nails, the works! I don’t do this enough.

Wish me luck on the rest. I will update after completion of each item.

Thrifty Thursday - Dress My Soul

noreply@blogger.com (Nicole - Craft My Soul) — Thu, 16 Oct 2014 16:17:00 +0000

I really need to get in the habit of taking outfit photo's; especially when they involve thrifty finds.

I attended a very lovely summer wedding this year. Complete with mason jars, a photo booth, and an open bar. Weddings are just not fun without an open bar. Sorry to all my sober fans out there. We like to drink... socially, of course. Here is one of my favorite thrifty finds.

Blue Polka Dot Dress

Blue Polka Dot Dress (Goodwill) - $2.50
Ivory Bow Belt (Hand-me-down) - $0
Nude Wedges (Chinese Laundry/Ross) - $30
Pearl Necklace (borrowed) - $0

Pssst... the dress to the right... also a thrifty find of mine
One Shoulder Floral Dress (Crossroads Trading) - $8

I wore the same dress to a Bridal Party/Birthday gathering at Paris in a Cup, Anaheim.

Blue Polka Dot Dress (Goodwill) - $2.50
Ivory Bow Belt (Hand-me-down) - $0
Brown Doc Martens (Urban Outfitters) - $25

More Thrifty finds coming soon!

Crafty Little Things

noreply@blogger.com (Nicole - Craft My Soul) — Wed, 15 Oct 2014 15:53:00 +0000

Sharing all the crafty things I've accomplished lately. I must say, I am proud of these beauties. I can't wait to make more time for crafting soon.

I Made Blue Velvet Cupcakes for my
Best Friends 30th Birthday in February

Penelope's 1st Year Collage Canvas

Miguel's 1st Year Collage Canvas

Miguel's 1st Birthday Hat

Penelope's Mermaid-Themed Hair Bow Canvas

Delilah's Hair Bow Canvas

Bow and Headband board for Mia and Aiyanna

I must have short term memory
because I can't remember who this was for.
Sad Face

More Crafty goodies coming soon!

Life Lately - The Struggle is Real

noreply@blogger.com (Nicole - Craft My Soul) — Tue, 14 Oct 2014 17:08:00 +0000

The Struggle is Real... per my metrics.

Thankfully, I'm not struggling to make ends meat because the husband and I are fortunate enough to be living with Mom and I am fortunate to have unemployment, and the hubby is working hard for us. The struggle, though, is with my confidence. The journey to finding where I belong has been humbling. Was I too confident that I would find a well-paying job right away? Possibly. Yes. Absolutely! Employers don't want to pay for talent or if they are willing to pay for talented individuals, they require a degree, which I don't have yet; and the competition is intense! I read somewhere that the average number of applications received for one position is 250. Two Hundred and Fifty contenders for just ONE position. I honestly, and naively assumed that finding a job would be easy. Not the case. I have applied to over 40 positions since August but I have not lost hope and I am still trying to stay positive that there will be light at the end of the tunnel and I will find the right place of employment for me. Until then, I'm still working hard to graduate with my Associates Degree in Business Management by 2015.

Here are some recent photo highlights of life lately.

Our very first USC Tailgate

Amazing time!

An Impromptu Drive to Ojai

A Miracle Baby's 1st Birthday

My 30th Birthday Celebration

Carpenteria Avocado Festival

Update: 30 Before 30 Bucket List

noreply@blogger.com (Nicole - Craft My Soul) — Sat, 02 Aug 2014 00:07:00 +0000

I have A LOT to accomplish in 39 days! Aaaaccck. Oh well... Maybe I can extend this to 30 IN the year of 30! Baaaahhaaaah!

Enjoying a Mimosa on our Business-Class
Flight to Brazil. OLE!

1. ~~Visit Brazil~~ – Done! Post Here

2. Learn and dance Samba – Eeeeh We didn’t have time to Samba!

3. ~~Travel out of the country (filler)~~ – Yeah Buddy!

4. Get a tattoo

5. ~~Get a Brazilian Bikini Wax – Boom for some Sexiness in my pants!~~ - Done and Done and I LOVE IT!

6. Learn a song on the Guitar

7. Write a song

8. Record a song

9. ~~Post a YouTube video of me singing~~ I sang the National Anthem for West Covina Nationals Little League and posted my very first YouTube video. More to come! Check out the video!

10. ~~Stay out until 5 am - PST or Brazilian time (I am often times incapable of staying awake past 2 am)~~

11. Get rid of some of my craft stash - a craft stash is all the hoarding of craft supplies one crafter might be storing.

12. Learn to make champurrado - one of my FAVS

13. ~~Learn to make tamales - Any kind: Guatemalan, Cuban, Mexican, etc~~

14. Learn to make Pozole - any volunteers to teach me?

15. Pay it Forward - Pay for someone’s Starbucks in the drive-through behind me, etc.

16. Sew a skirt and a dress – probably using a pattern

18. Ride a horse - surprisingly, I’ve never done this (that I am aware of)

19. Attend a professional football game (Even if it’s in nose bleed)

20. Go on a spontaneous outing with my hubby

21. Run/jog 1, 2, and 3 miles without stopping

22. Post 30 blog posts or more on the blog

23. Call my friends at least once or twice a month - or more if reciprocated - Calls made: 1/6/14- I have been lagging on this one.

26. Learn self-defense techniques - I’m thinking a self-defense meet-up to save money

27. Learn to French braid and learn to French braid my own hair

28. Take the train and spend a day in LA with my Mommy and Sisters - Girls day out!

29. Take my husband to dinner - Girls can be “romantical” too!

30. Treat myself to a day of pampering - Hair, nails, the works! I don’t do this enough.

Ole, Ole, Ole, Ole! I miss... Brazil (photo-heavy)

noreply@blogger.com (Nicole - Craft My Soul) — Tue, 29 Jul 2014 15:43:00 +0000

Ole, Ole, Ole, Ole! I miss... Brazil!

Needless to say, Brazil was amazing. If I wasn't a travel junky before, I want to be one now! The beer was plentiful, the people were charming, and the fun was endless! I can't wait for the next adventure! If you love soccer, or even if you don't, attend a World Cup in your lifetime! You will LOVE it and it is an experience of a lifetime. Meeting and socializing with people from different parts of the world was amazing! The passion that people have for their country and their teams was evident, inspiring, and so much fun to witness. We made friends from Canada, Spain, Argentina, Mexico, Russia, Chile, Australia (oh I LOVE their voices), and most importantly, Brazil! The wonderful Brazilian people were so friendly, helpful, and hospitable. What a great host country.

Here are some of the highlights of our trip.

Unknowingly flying business from LA to Miami and from Miami to Rio and utterly enjoying the experience. Annel and I were like kids in a candy store. Blanca was used to that great treatment. The flight attendant hooked it up with the Jack and Coke's too! And... who says no to mimosas?!? Crazy people, that's who!

Almost missing our flight to Rio by... minutes. We ran to the terminal to find the doors closed already but the airline attendants waved us in just in time. Baby Jesus was watching over us. (Thank Goodness we also flew business to Rio)

Dining at Paprika 4 nights in Natal, Rio Grande De Norte and all of the great people we dined with. So many great memories there! We just loved it there.

Witnessing the fifth fastest World Cup Goal made by USA's Clint Dempsey at the Ghana vs. USA game in Natal. We witnessed world cup history right there... history!

Being photographed by Javier Soriano of Getty Images displaying my Americanism and it being viewed on television and websites such as NBC News and Huffington Post and hey! my Dad said he saw me on CNN television! Whooooooaaaaa!

Playing volleyball at 2 a.m. with fellow American neighbors at our Natal beach house.
Almost finishing a bottle of Crown Royal and then going swimming in the warm rainy water at the beach house.

Attending the the Mexico vs. Cameroon game in the POURING rain in Natal. We were all soaked! (If you know me, you know I am not a fan of rain)

Being Hosted in Rio by the BEST LOCALS! Thank you Paulette and Jon
Running into "the Canadians" 3 times between Natal and Rio
Staying out late every night in Rio

Jonathan and Paulette

All of us and one of our Canadian friends

Lapa

Club in Lapa

Our Evening out in Ipanema

... and the amazing food

An amazing group of accomplished young females

Lapa

Our Canadian Stalkers

Zip lining in Rio at Fan Fest

One of our Favorite Photo's

Mariu's Churrascaria was AMAZING! An establishment with such personality and amazing/fun decor! Not to mention... the food was GREAT. Even though many would say it is a tourist trap... well... I was a tourist and we really enjoyed it. It might not have been an authentic Brazilian Churrascaria but it was enjoyable.

The Women's Restroom was covered in vintage dolls and trinkets

Our evening out after dinner

Spending the day practically hiking up to Cristo Redentor, one of the wonders of the world!!!

Above All, travelling with the LOVE of my LIFE as we have always planned.
I can't wait for our next travelling adventure.

Life Lately (2) - Brazil Bound

noreply@blogger.com (Nicole - Craft My Soul) — Tue, 10 Jun 2014 18:00:00 +0000

Hello stranger *said in a sultry voice*

Life has been interesting, to say the least. Since I last posted, I have been working on my 30 before 30 bucket list, preparing to get laid off (don't worry, it was expected), and preparing for our trip to beautiful Brazil. Well folks, Brazil is here and I'm on a flight to attend the Copa Mundo tomorrow morning! I am pretty darn excited and nervous! I've never traveled overseas and the furthest I have traveled out of the Country is Mexico. Mexico is my neighbor, it doesn't count. My bag was packed 2 days ago, I'm not stressing, and I have time to sit in front of my laptop and update my blog.

Copa Mundo Attire-Ready!

In previously mentioned news, I got laid off from my job. Our entire line of business did and it was expected so I'm okay. I've been enjoying my time off prepping for my trip, starting my days with Bikram Yoga almost every morning (which is not something I could do before), and focusing on finishing up spring semester at school. I know that I will find the right place for me when I return from Brazil. New adventures await and I'm really looking forward to them. Nothing but positive thoughts from this gal! This also gives me a great opportunity to attend summer semester full time and be on track to graduate June 2015 with my Associates Degree in Business Management. Then... maybe babies. Don't hold your breath though!

The Last of the Mojicans

What I'm going to miss most about not working at my previous employer is the wonderful friends I made who managed to wiggle their way into my heart and working with my Mom and Sister. I've worked with my sister since her and I worked at ROSS together back in 2002. After four years there, we both transitioned to this company. Over 12 years! Additionally, Mom was the one who helped get us in the door. It just so happens that Mom and I were working in the same department together. As much as I will miss seeing both of their faces everyday, again, I'm looking forward to what God has planned for us next.

Sissy And I

Mommy and I

Jeff and I

Paula and I

I hope to post all about our trip to Brazil when I return. Until then, xoxo.

Update: 30 Before 30 Bucket List

noreply@blogger.com (Nicole - Craft My Soul) — Fri, 09 May 2014 21:01:00 +0000

I've only slightly chipped away at this list but here is the latest update! The main point of this update is to share my YouTube video of me sangin' the US National Anthem. Hope you all enjoy! xoxo

Link to YouTube Video HERE

Check out the video here! More to come, I'm hoping.

Visit Brazil - Flights have been booked! Brazil here I come! I will cross it off when it actually happens.

Learn and dance Samba - coincides with Brazil

Travel out of the country (filler) - Brazil here I come!

Get a tattoo

~~Get a Brazilian Bikini Wax – Boom for some Sexiness in my pants!~~ - Done and Done and I LOVE IT!

Learn a song on the Guitar - tasking myself to learn “Lucky” (Mraz & Callet) and “You and I” (Michaelson) I am learning both songs to sing with my classmate so I would like to eventually know how to play it on the guitar. Definitely challenging myself! Coming out of my shell people! (1/8/14)

Write a song

Record a song

~~Post a YouTube video of me singing~~ I sang the National Anthem for West Covina Nationals Little League and posted my very first YouTube video. More to come! Check out the video!

~~Stay out until 5 am - PST or Brazilian time (I am often times incapable of staying awake past 2 am)~~ - Sooo… I’m crossing this off of my list because recently I had the opportunity to massage at a local Half Marathon event, Tinker Bell ½ Marathon in Anaheim. The night before I had an engagement party to attend. So on February ___ I woke up in the morning, went to the engagement, left the engagement part at 1:30 am and had to be awake at 3:00 am to be in Anaheim at 4:00 am. I tried to get that 1.5 hours of sleep but was not successful. So I was awake about 30 hours between Saturday and Sunday! Whoa! What a day it was! I was very proud of myself for not grabbing a blanket and snoozing on my massage table that day.

Get rid of some of my craft stash - a craft stash is all the hoarding of craft supplies one crafter might be storing.

Learn to make champurrado - one of my FAVS

~~Learn to make tamales - Any kind: Guatemalan, Cuban, Mexican, etc.~~ My Sister, Bestie(s), and I made 80+ Guatemalan tamales. They were sooo yummy. We used my Sister’s Mother-In-Law’s recipe. I’m a little burned out on them now but they were so good!

Learn to make Pozole - any volunteers to teach me?

Pay it Forward - Pay for someone’s Starbucks in the drive-through behind me, etc.

Sew a skirt and a dress – probably using a pattern

Cut my hair short again - the cut may come sooner than later. Tired of this “longness!” - I will get there soon but I'm loving my medium/long length right now and I just dyed it copper. Loving the copper (photo above)

Ride a horse - surprisingly, I’ve never done this (that I am aware of)

Attend a professional football game (Even if it’s in nose bleed)

Go on a spontaneous outing with my hubby

Run/jog 1, 2, and 3 miles without stopping

Post 30 blog posts or more on the blog

Call my friends at least once or twice a month - or more if reciprocated - Calls made: 1/6/14- I have been lagging on this one.

Volunteer – thinking of the Do Good Bus or other local community volunteerism - Volunteer Hours: Massage Event, Tinker Bella ½ Marathon. Massaged all of the runners and walkers. Super great experience and it was great to use my magic massage hands again.

~~Greet at least 1 stranger a day or week (Hello, good morning, good evening, etc) - this one is going to be tough for me~~.Greetings: 1/8/13 - Introduced myself to one of my new classmates. Too many to count now! I’m on a roll!

Learn self defense techniques - I’m thinking a self defense meet-up to save money

Learn to French braid and learn to French braid my own hair

Take the train and spend a day in LA with my Mommy and Sisters - Girls day out!

Take my husband to dinner - Girls can be “romantical” too!

Treat myself to a day of pampering - Hair, nails, the works! I don’t do this enough.

Handmade Christmas Gifts 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Nicole - Craft My Soul) — Fri, 24 Jan 2014 18:31:00 +0000

I love the Holidays and gift giving; Especially handmade gifts. It was nice to get a little crafty for the Holidays; though I wish I would have made more time to create more masterpieces. There are a lot of sharpie mug tutorials floating around on Pinterest and craft websites. I found inspiration from many blogs and websites and decided to be economic about some Christmas gifts this year. Check them out!

All of the mugs are from the dollar tree! Can't go wrong with a mug for $1! I designed all of them with regular black and gold Sharpie brand permanent markers and also touched up with Gold Sharpie paint pens. The Sharpie paint pens are IDEAL for this project. I highly recommend them.

I baked them for 30 min at 350 degrees F. I did not preheat the oven before baking. I put them in the oven, started the 350 and left them in there until they cooled completely once I turned the oven off.

I didn't make one for myself so I don't know how long the Sharpie lasts when hand-washed. I suppose they will last a while if you're gentle when washing them.

I also put together a little treat bag to fill the mugs that included a small 1.76 oz coffee bag from Fresh and Easy and a few chocolates.


Mug 1- Top Left/Top Right: Better Latte Than Never/Stay Grounded Mug 2 - Bottom Left/Bottom Right: Have a Nice Day/ Start Each Day Laughing


Mug 3: Top Left/Top Right: Coffee Keeps me Grounded until it's time for Wine Mug 4: Gold is Best


Mug 5 - Top Left/Top Right: Caffeine, It maintains my sunny personality Mug 6 - Bottom Left/Bottom Right: Audrey Hepburn Quote


Mug 7 - Bottom Left - Better Latte Than Never Mug 8 - Bottom Right: Keep Calm and Craft On

Until Next time! Craft your Heart, Craft your Soul!

30 before 30 Bucket List

noreply@blogger.com (Nicole - Craft My Soul) — Wed, 08 Jan 2014 19:41:00 +0000

I should have started this list right after I turned 29 or even before then … but regrettably, it didn’t cross my mind until recently. 2014 is going to be a challenging and adventurous year for Carlos and me. Our plan is to travel to Brazil in June to experience the World Cup as we both have been anticipating for four years. Brazil is supposed to be our late honeymoon and the last big trip before we start planning on extending our family. Though, our conceiving time-frame is now TBD per our most recent conversation (sorry Mom!). In addition to Brazil plans, I am still taking evening courses at school to graduate with my Associates Degree in Business Management by 2015. We will fly out to Brazil the day after my last final of Spring Semester!!! (Crazy, I know) Needless to say, I will be a busy bee. Keeping busy will only help us save more money for this trip! It’s a great thing. Additionally, as most people have experienced, things don’t always turn out as planned and there could be a major employment change for me the first quarter of 2014. However, I’m on a mission to stay positive along the way.

So since this is the year I am going out of the country for the first time (Mexico doesn’t count, it’s too close to home) I decided to challenge myself a bit more and do an ever-so-popular 30 before 30 bucket list. Though, because of Brazil, I won’t have much financial wiggle room for adventures such as skydiving, hot air balloon rides, and other trips (which is why those are not on my list), I think most of these goals are within reach. Join me on my Journey and be sure to come back and visit for the 30 before 30 updates. I pray that I don’t flake on this list! Encouragement is welcome! I HAVE to do this for myself.

30 before 30 Bucket List (in no particular order & subject to change)

Visit Brazil
Learn and dance Samba - coincides with Brazil
Travel out of the country (filler)
Get a tattoo
Get a Brazilian Bikini Wax – Boom for some Sexiness in my pants!
Learn a song on the Guitar - tasking myself to learn “Lucky” (Mraz & Callet) and “You and I” (Michaelson) I am learning both songs to sing with my classmate so I would like to eventually know how to play it on the guitar. Definitely challenging myself! Coming out of my shell people! (1/8/14)
Write a song
Record a song
Post a YouTube video of me singing
Stay out until 5 am - PST or Brazilian time (I am often times incapable of staying awake past 2 am)
Get rid of some of my craft stash - a craft stash is all the hoarding of craft supplies one crafter might be storing.
Learn to make champurrado - one of my FAVS
Learn to make tamales - Any kind: Guatemalan, Cuban, Mexican, etc.
Learn to make Pozole - any volunteers to teach me?
Pay it Forward - Pay for someone’s Starbucks in the drive-through behind me, etc.
Sew a skirt and a dress – probably using a pattern
Cut my hair short again - the cut may come sooner than later. Tired of this “longness!”
Ride a horse - surprisingly, I’ve never done this (that I am aware of)
Attend a professional football game (Even if it’s in nose bleed)
Go on a spontaneous outing with my hubby
Run/jog 1, 2, and 3 miles without stopping
Post 30 blog posts or more on the blog
Call my friends at least once or twice a month - or more if reciprocated - Calls made: 1/6/14
Volunteer – thinking of the Do Good Bus or other local community volunteerism
Greet at least 1 stranger a day or week (Hello, good morning, good evening, etc) - this one is going to be tough for me.Greetings: 1/8/13 - Introduced myself to one of my new classmates
Learn self defense techniques - I’m thinking a self defense meet-up to save money
Learn to French braid and learn to French braid my own hair
Take the train and spend a day in LA with my Mommy and Sisters - Girls day out!
Take my husband to dinner - Girls can be “romantical” too!
Treat myself to a day of pampering - Hair, nails, the works! I don’t do this enough.

COUNTDOWN TIMER WIDGET

Life Update

noreply@blogger.com (Nicole - Craft My Soul) — Sun, 24 Nov 2013 00:26:00 +0000

I haven't blogged for over a year. Why? I haven't a clue. Has my passion for blogging, crafting and fashion disappeared? Heck no!?! Lets just say, my journey in the last 13 months has been... interesting.

They say the first year of marriage is the toughest year and as blissful as our first year was together, it was quite a roller coaster in between all of the LOVE. After mine and Mr. Godinez's amazing, perfect nuptuals and wedding celebration, we hit so many roadblocks. I'm sure our trials are insignificant compared to what other people go through; but nonetheless, they are/were roadblocks. First, I returned to work after our honeymoon to a new boss and went through a couple transitions at work since September 2012. Needless to say, I had a lot on my plate and there was little time for blogging or crafting.

Wedding Shadow Box

Then around April, my husband was forced to make a change in his career, to say the least. There is so much more to the story but to sum it up it involved deceit and disappointment. He walked away from a business he helped build-up and we lost friends whom we thought would be in our lives forever. We also had to move in with my Mother, which has been a blessing in and of itself. We have our own room and I now appreciate what I hadn't appreciated before. Space. My Sister, who also lived here with her son until recently, setup a craft space in the garage for all of our projects. Sadly though, I haven't utilized that space as much as I would like to. I'm slowly but surely getting back into the groove of crafting.

To top it all off, at the end of July, while playing roller hockey at the local rink, Carlos fractured his fibula and dislocated his ankle. He had surgery to insert a metal plate and eight screws. Yikes! Thank you baby Jesus I have insurance for both of us and we have the support of our families and each other to get him to 100% recovery. He is now going through physical therapy and is doing very well. He can put 50% weight on his foot now, but until he's 100%, his best friends are his crutches. Me and his crutches have a love-hate relationship.

\Through all of this I have developed anxiety. It's a daily struggle and it's incredibly frustrating. I haven't been anxiety-free in over 3 weeks. I didn't have a primary care physician before this started and I can't find the energy to go through the list of doctors and TRY one out. I haven't had the best luck with doctors lately. I wish there was a reallllly good website for doctors reviews. A Yelp of Medical reviews. There are some websites out there but I don't think they're very really reliable. I need to get a handle on it but I'm not sure what's holding me back.

Although my future at work is still unclear, we don't have our own place to call home, my husband won't be able to walk for another two to four months, and I am suffering from daily anxiety; I'm ALIVE, I have LOVE, and I have amazing family and friends in my life. I've learned to adapt to change and also embrace change. I have also learned to look forward to change. Change is a scary thing but God closes doors only to open new ones and everything happens for a reason. I am simply BLESSED.

Wedding Wednesday: I'm Married!

noreply@blogger.com (Nicole - Craft My Soul) — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 22:25:00 +0000

My apologies for not living up to my New Years "Hopefuls" of 2012. Particularly the one about me blogging more. Yeah right!

I just wanted to let you all know that I'm here and well and loving Married life! Not that it makes much of a difference since we have been cohabitating for 4 blissful years.

Our Wedding was amazing and we both really enjoyed ourselves. I will post more details probably sometime next year. I will leave you with a few of my favorite pictures from our special day.

Photo's Courtesy of Green Photography. Amazing Photographers!

Sew in Love Bridal Shower: The After Party

noreply@blogger.com (Nicole - Craft My Soul) — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 15:33:00 +0000

Not only did I enjoy an amazing Bridal Shower, but my friends and I got jiggy with it in Old Town Pasadena afterwards. I had to get the most out of my professional Bridal Shower makeup! See the highlights of our evening below.

Maid of Honor and Best Friend Ever

Me and the Sue Sue

They LOVE to dance

We Crazy

A night would not be a night without patron shots

My Peeps!

A night would also not be a night without boob grabbing

Me and the Fabster!

Me and my Linds

My Kinndy (Kindred Spirit)

.... and more dancing

...and kisses are a must!

I take a GREAT parking garage photo

Like a G!

Sew in Love Bridal Shower: The Fun and Games

noreply@blogger.com (Nicole - Craft My Soul) — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 21:27:00 +0000

It is ALWAYS... ALWAYS... ALWAYS a great time when my Family and/or Friends get together. Like many families or groups, we are always fishing to have a great time. If we're not having fun at a moment, we make fun happen! I should probably coin that phrase if it isn't already - "We Make Fun Happen!" Boom! So here are some funny moments from game-playing to Lap Dances. Yes, I said Lap Dances!

These... are the days... of our lives

There was this game that involved a paper bag and next thing ya know...
women were practically getting naked!

... and then came the lap dances

Mom pretending... but No...

The dancer shall not be named

It was one hell of a party!

Sew in Love Bridal Shower: The Photobooth

noreply@blogger.com (Nicole - Craft My Soul) — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 20:30:00 +0000

So it seems my Family and closest Friends know me all too well and they set up a wonderful photo booth complete with 3 life size thread spools. Check-out a few of my favorite captured moments in my sew-in-Love Bridal Shower Photo Booth.

This Little Devil

My Bridal Party

The Most Important Women in my Life (Mom, Sis Brittany, and Sis Lidia)

No Bridal Shower would be Complete without a Glove laying around

My Funny Grandma Lillian

Yeah, I have some crazy amazing Amigas

The Sandoval/Godinez Clan

My Lovely Crazy Fun Sister-In-Law

The Scothorn (Mom)/Guerra (Dad) Clan

My Bestest Friends

My Amazing Hostess Jeanne, Mama Donna, and My Amazing Mommy

My Amazing Hostesses

This Little Devil Again

Aren't those spools amazing? I have some pretty dang amazing friends!

Sew in Love Bridal Shower: The Decor

noreply@blogger.com (Nicole - Craft My Soul) — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 01:59:00 +0000

I have been a busy Bride! This is interesting to post because Carlos and I just got Married this Saturday the 29th and I'm just now getting to posting about the Bridal Shower

Anyway... I'm excited to finally get to sharing all of the Bridal and Wedding Festivities.

So to start... Yes my friends... the theme was Sew in Love! Does that just SCREAM Nicole or what? ummm... yes!

So here is the adorable decor my Mother dreamed up and executed. She's so freaking amazing!!!!

The entrance at a different angle

The Sangria/Lemon Water Station

The Plates

The food bar!!! Filled with my favorite egg souffles from Panera Bread, Quiche, Fruit, Pan Dulce, and Diane Salad!

Mimosa Bar!!!! We was feeling good that afternoon!

Undies and Vintage Furniture

The front entrance

Customize Furniture with lovely sayings. This one is mine and Carlos'!

My special mugs

The coffee Bar

The pictures don't even describe how amazing everything looked. I didn't notice half the things that were incorporated I was so overwhelmed by it all. I couldn't have asked for a better Bridal Shower Decor! Great job Mommy! Love you so much!

Tune in next time for more Sew In Love Bridal Shower Details

Craft My Soul: Shop Now Open!

noreply@blogger.com (Nicole - Craft My Soul) — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 23:49:00 +0000

I'm so excited to share that I have finally listed some items in the Craft My Soul Etsy shop. I definitely have some more crafting to do but this is definitely a start.

Hope you like what you see! Spread the word or add my shop to your favorites.

Bells Are In The Air

noreply@blogger.com (Nicole - Craft My Soul) — Sat, 25 Aug 2012 14:53:00 +0000

I'm so excited today is my Bridal Shower. I know that a lot of time and effort was put into this event and I am really looking forward to celebrating with my closest Girlfriends and Family. They all mean the WORLD to me!

Wedding Wednesday: Budget Friendly Wedding Dress

noreply@blogger.com (Nicole - Craft My Soul) — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 20:00:00 +0000

Hello Blog readers!

I don't have any personal wedding updates to post today but I came across this gorgeous white dress from OASAP on one of my favorite blogs, Wearing it on my Sleeves, and thought that I could post some lovely budget friendly wedding dresses. I found all of these bridal finds at OASAP. They have amazing products and they offer free shipping worldwide.

For the Effortless Chic Bride
OASAP: Bohemian Flower Pattern Sleeveless Ankle Length Dress - $86

For the Greek Goddess Bride
OASAP: One Shoulder Pleated Bound Waist Dress - $140

For the Princess Bride
OASAP: Boat Neck Flouncing Detail Short Sleeve Princess Dress - $110

For the Vintage Bride
OASAP: Semi Sheer Cap Sleeve Dress with Wrap Front Design - $109

For the Tea Party Bride
OASAP: Luxurious Lace Bound Waist Pleated Dress with Cropped Sleeves - $125

For the Bohemian Bride
OASAP: Long White Exquisite Cut out Sleeveless Dress - $69

I hope you like my budget friendly wedding dress picks. Although my Beautiful wedding dress was not budget-friendly, If I were on a budget I would totallu snatch up one of these beauts!

Birthday Sushi

noreply@blogger.com (Nicole - Craft My Soul) — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 15:47:00 +0000

In June, our friend Miguel celebrated his Birthday. It's pretty much become tradition for the four of us to go on a double date for Birthday Sushi at our favorite Sushi joint. So in keeping up with tradition we dined out at Azabu Sushi in Whittier, CA.

We ALWAYS have a great time there. Our Sushi man, John, is hilarious! He also makes the best sushi... EVER! The Sushi is AMAZING.

Group Photo

The Birthday Boy

My Sue Sue

After we paid the bill we walked off our sushi in uptown Whittier. We stopped into a candy/fudge shop called Village Sweets. I love me a quality candy store! Well... the fudge was amazing. They had Pistachio, Rainbow Sherbert, and a Tamarindo fudge. AMAZING!

Here are some funny photo's from the cute little candy spot

I loved their decor!

Just call me the Candy Monster

A couple of hotties right here!

It was a great night with the Chavez's!

West Covina Relay For Life 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Nicole - Craft My Soul) — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 17:26:00 +0000

This year I participated in the West Covina Relay For Life on June 2, 2012.

Our team was called Fighting Familia.

I walked in honor and in memory of my Mother In Law who left us too soon on December 24, 2011. I participated to make a difference in the fight against Cancer.

It was a 24 hour event and the goal is to fundraise and walk the event for 24 hours. Since there were only 7 walkers on our team and we couldn't gather enough participants to walk for us, we did not last the full 24 hours. I'm hoping next year we make a goal to have a representative from our team always walking so we make the 24 hour goal. It can be done because there were a couple teams who accomplished it.

The positive is that raised a total of $2,155.00 as a whole. Not bad for a first year team!

Here are some photo's from the event.

Our Team (missing one)
We got to hold the closing walk sign

Eric, Carlos, and Nicole Walking

Karina, Team Captain Lindsay, and Tori Walking

My Amazing Friend Tori

Our Event Candy Bar Fundraiser

Team Shirts. Some Lost and Some Survivors.

Me and my boo!

Concerts: Kimbra is AMAZING!

noreply@blogger.com (Nicole - Craft My Soul) — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 15:37:00 +0000

Disclaimer: I wrote this post a while ago and am just now adding photo's.

Kimbra. You may know her from the Gotye song, Somebody That I Used to Know. My Sister was so excited when she heard Kimbra was going to be doing a free show in Los Angeles and quickly invited a group of us to go. The show is better known as School Night. School Night hosts free shows every Monday night.

Our amazing view of Kimbra!

Well the only people willing and wanting to go to this FREE show was my sister, my brother in law and myself. It was on a Monday at 9:00 pm but we had to be there super early because it was a free show and free shows are first come, first serve and we didn't want to stand in a huge line. I was starting to back out because I was nervous I was going to wear myself out. But I ended up not backing out and My sister and her husband picked me up from work at 5:00 pm and we headed straight to the venue from there.

We arrived to Bar Bardot around 6:00 pm and couldn't find the place at first and there were no lines anywhere yet. After walking around the building once unsure of where exactly the entrance was we encountered some Kimbra fans as lost as we were and they told us they start opening the doors at 7:00 pm. So it's 6:30 and we decide to go grab a quick bite to eat.

We ended up at Juicy Burger. It was our first time eating there and I have to say the burger was JUICY AND DELICIOUS! What makes the juicy burgers amazing are the BUNS. They were crisp on the outside and light and fluffy on the inside and coated in a little oil or butter. I give Juicy Burger 5 stars!

Sister enjoying her Juicy

In the middle of waiting to get their food, My sister was so nervous about a line forming that she sent my Brother in law to go check out the status and wait in line. I had already scarfed my burger down by the time they received their food.

My sister and I basically speed walked to the venue and when we arrived, my Brother in law was first in line. Yes my friends we were the first in line to see Kimbra! We had about an hour to wait so I went to the car to grab something to sit on and my sister just so happened to have CARDBOARD boxes in the trunk of her vehicle. So I grabbed the boxes and we sat like hobo's and waited patiently for the show. We played some card game that I forgot the name of. That was fun! We also made friends with a dude name Nicholas from Newport Beach or Costa Mesa or somewhere near the beach.

Sisters in front of the line

The line quickly started to form and eventually wrapped around the corner of the street. We were gloating the whole time... or at least I was gloating. By the time we were let into the venue it was about 8:30 pm. I was even gloating that we got to go in before the VIP's did! LOVED that! We planted ourselves right in the front of the stage and only moved once to run to the restroom really quick and grab a couple drinks! The venue was small but cool but my feet and legs were already wearing down.

In front of the itty bitty stage

Of course there was an opener. They were called Mini Mansions. They were pretty freaking cool! I was afraid there was going to be 3 openers and Kimbra and then the Headliner would only perform for 30 minutes. That was not the case. As soon as the crew reorganized the small stage, they placed the set list for Kimbra in front of each musicians area. 15 minutes later the band came out and Kimbra came out in an ADORABLE dress!

As soon as she started singing, I was infatuated! Her performance was amazing and her voice incredible. Her live performance doesn't compare to her album. You MUST see her perform live. She also does this thing with her hands that is so cool and unique. She's very articulate.

As you can see the set list was not a short one and she sang every single song on the list. Her band was also damn amazing and her drummer looked like Kid from Kid and Play. Need I say more?

I call him Kid