Is this just a Utah phenomenon?

In any case, I decided to put all the ways my kids have asked and and answered over the last 4 years all in one place (primarily for my own selfish purposes). Will I add to this post over the next 7 years of kids in high school? We’ll see.

Asking a girl who loves to eat?

Do you like puns?

The small lizards were purchased in the party favor section at Zurchers.  The live lizard is optional and probably not a good idea unless you know your audience and their heat lamp situation.

Is gross more your style?

Dollar store skeleton hands and mask plus clothes from the donate bag stuffed with newspaper are wrapped around a disposable roasting pan (dollar store) full of disgusting. We used every expired thing we could find in the pantry and fridge plus a can of pumpkin and a jar of pigs feet for ultimate disgusting.

Asking an Adam Levine lover?

Found a bunch of inflatable flamingos on clearance?

I’m still using the crap out of my Silhouette. Old habits die hard.

Free and funny?

You’ll need a couple of strapping young men to get the 200lb rock out of a field and into your car and then onto the porch, though. The bottom of the poster says “Bring your answer to school tomorrow!”

Need something cute and easy?

Leftover wrapping paper?

And then you have to answer the promposal, which you never remember until an awkward amount of time has passed. Just me?

Are you the proud owner of a hotdog costume?

Definitely getting our money’s worth out of that sucker.

Need something super easy and quick you can grab at the grocery store?

Answering a football player?

Answering a golfer?

That’s more Silhouette usage on the poster and their tattoo paper on the golf balls. The turf came from Lowe’s and the club was in the garage collecting dust. I’m sure you could find one at a thrift store as well.

Answering someone whose warped sense of humor you know well?

All the balls came from Amazon. I don’t even remember if we included the YES in there somewhere or not.  Oops.

There was some Ramen included with this one.

The crown came from Zurchers. The couch came from my bedroom and was headed for DI.

The pinata came from Zurchers and was full of rice and the letters YES.  You could do candy if you were not trying to make an enormous mess.

And has it really been 3 years?

No, I’m not making a come back…turns out I don’t miss blogging even a little bit.

Macy is almost 16.

(Basketball, shopping, driving, straight A’s)

Keller is 13.

(Football, wrestling, computers, straight A’s)

Campbell is 10.

(Football, wrestling, rugby, straight A’s)

And Bennett will be 8 this month.

(Football, wrestling, ladies, straight A’s except for handwriting)

]]> http://www.crapivemade.com/2016/04/3-years-later.html/feed 18 http://www.crapivemade.com/2013/03/that-time-when-i-stopped-posting-for-a-month.html http://www.crapivemade.com/2013/03/that-time-when-i-stopped-posting-for-a-month.html#comments Fri, 15 Mar 2013 17:27:47 +0000 http://www.crapivemade.com/?p=4745 I’ll be honest…it wasn’t intentional, but it WAS fantastic.

Am I done for good?

I don’t know, but I suspect I am.

In the mean time, I’ll be busy doing this:

and supervising this:

and fighting my guts out for this:

I’d say to email me if you need me, but I don’t think I’ve checked that in a month either.

Thank you for reading over the years.

Thank you for your supportive comments and emails.

Thank you for making me laugh.

Thank you for making me cry.

Thank you for letting me be a part of this community.

XOXOXO

The nice folks at Silhouette sent me some of their new double-sided adhesive to try out.  And I played with it.  And then people got sick (and by people I mean basically every single person that lives here has taken 1-2 sick days in the last 2 weeks).  So, I’m finally at the computer and telling you about it.  And the good news is that you still have through tomorrow to take advantage of the current Silhouette promotion.  (Like, maybe if your Valentine forgets to get you something and you decided to get yourself something instead…not that I’ve ever done that…)

Here are the details up front:

use code “CRAP” and GO HERE to take advantage of any of the promotions, between now and February 14th.

OK, so the adhesive!

Remember like 3 years ago when I used the Silhouette sketch pens to make some art for above my bed?  Well, we got some new bedding and the blue paper looks ridiculous.  I decided to update the contents of the frames using the double sided adhesive and some flocking powder.

However, that is the only one you’ll see a picture of because I had a few problems.

The short explanation is this:  the double-sided adhesive works fantastic on less intricate designs.  Something like the teeny tiny inside cuts on a doily?  Not so much.  I did finally discover that weeding (removing the negative space pieces) whilst everything was still on the mat helped, but I’m still not up for 5 more frames worth of doilies…yet.

I went for some more basic cuts and the results were fantastic.

Some sparkly aqua glasses on a bucket for Macy to store her glasses in:

And a basketball embellished jar for Keller to store his change in:

turned 7.

Tonight, he and a couple of friends are going to see the Harlem Globetrotters.

Happy birthday, Campbell Don.  I sure do love your face.

It’s time for another Silhouette promotion.

Here are the details up front:

use code “CRAP” and GO HERE to take advantage of any of the promotions, between now and February 14th.

The nice folks at Silhouette sent me the double-sided adhesive starter kit to try out.  It arrived yesterday, so look forward to a project and my thoughts on that in the next few days.

Now for the reason you’re all really here:

The nice folks at SIlhouette are giving one lucky Crap I’ve Made reader his/her very own Silhouette Portrait (plus the software, blade, mat, cables, download card, etc.) and the double-sided adhesive starter kit!

Score!

TO ENTER:

Leave a comment on this post.

ADDITIONAL ENTRIES:

Follow Silhouette on Pinterest. Come back and leave a comment ON THIS POST saying that you did.

Follow the Silhouette blog.  Come back and leave a comment ON THIS POST (on the blog, not on Facebook or in response to your email subscription) saying that you did.

***3 possible entries per person***

Giveaway is open to US residents age 18 and over only and closes Thursday, February 7th at noon MST.  Winner will be chosen at random using a WordPress Plugin (And The Winner Is…) and notified by email.  Winner has 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.

I was browsing the aisles and came across this delightful pot.

(Is it still a pot when there are 3 vessels?)

It would be darling with herbs or small flowers in it, if it’s warm enough for those to be available in your neck of the woods.  Here, however?

The only thing that’s growing are the piles of snow on the sides of my driveway.

So, buy one (or 5) of these darling pots (they’re around $10), and grab some dry erase markers.

Start writing love notes…or drawing…or doodling…anything that will make your valentine’s day.  And, if you screw up?  Wipe it off!  (Note:  A couple of my markers didn’t erase as well as others.  They all came off with a Clorox wipe, though.)

Fill it with treats and gift away!

And how about a few ideas of what the recipient (or you) can do once the treats are gone (or if you bought 5 of them because you clearly have a problem just for kicks?

Holding cutlery at a party:

Office supply holder:

What about having the whole class write messages for the teacher on it?  You could try that Sharpie/baking it trick that’s floating around on Pinterest or buy some actual paint pens if you wanted it to be permanent.

The purpose for which it was intended?

I’d love to hear some other usage suggestions, if you’ve got any.  You know…since I couldn’t just buy one.

Also, Lowe’s is truly one of my favorite stores to hit up when we are forced get to make Valentine boxes for the kids.  Remember this one from a couple years back?

Every part of that came from Lowe’s:  moving boxes cut and taped back together in proper sizes, white contact paper, toilet seat, flusher, bolts to hold the boxes together…ALL of it.

That same year Keller took this,

which is a bucket from the paint department that he decorated with some stickers his grandma had given him for Christmas.

Don’t forget to click on over for your FREE Subscription to Lowe’s Creative Ideas Magazine:

Or, check out the Lowe’s Creative Idea’s app (also free)!  I have it on my iPhone and it’s delightful!

*I was given a Lowe’s gift card for the supplies for my project.  All opinions and statements are my own.

Today, this guy turns 10.

He saved me.

2003 was not a great year (OK, it sucked), but his tiny dimpled face gave me something to look forward to every single day.

We headed out of town for the weekend so best friends could celebrate their birthdays together.

And so other best friends could dress up like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and creep people out?

Happy birthday, Keller.

I bought straws from IKEA.  You could use cute paper stripey ones or those crazy twisty straws or whatever, really.

I separated the packs by color (because I liked how it looked better that way) and bagged them in self sealing cellophane bags.  I got mine locally at Paper Plus but I’m sure they’re available all over.

And then I applied labels I designed in Silhouette Studio.  You can for sure do this in PhotoShop or use PicMonkey or any scrapbooking program, but Silhouette Studio is what I know, so it’s what I went with.  I printed the labels onto sheets of sticker paper and then cut them out and stuck them right on the bags.

Super easy, right?

So, if your neighbors enjoy a good Christmas pun, keep this in mind for next year. 

And, just FYI, printable sticker paper and everything but machines, gift cards, and download cards is 40% off over at Silhouette through the end of today (1/17).  Use code “CRAP” to stock up.  40% off is the best deal you’ll see all year!

This month’s Lowe’s Creative Blogger team challenge was “New Year’s sparkle”.  If you know me, you know I’m not especially sparkly. 

So, what’s a girl to do?

I asked for suggestions on Facebook, and I was still stumped.

I went to Lowe’s and walked around for inspiration and came across these

and then the wheels started spinning.

Supplies:

Frame (mine was 16 X 20 and purchased on super clearance…you don’t need the glass so thrifted or on clearance because the glass is broken is perfect)
1/8” MDF cut to size of frame
Valspar metallic spray paint
Valspar glitter spray pain
Valspar chalkboard paint

I gave the frame 2 coats of the metallic paint.  It is COLD here, so I painted it in the garage and then brought it inside to dry between coats.  It might still be drying if I hadn’t.

Then, I sprayed the front with 2 coats of the glitter paint.

Glitter is hard to photograph, but here’s the best picture I got of how it looks in real life.

I painted the MDF with 2 thin coats of chalkboard paint, one in each direction.  And then after it dried I put it in the frame.

We each came up with a resolution (OK, we made up that last on on BC’s behalf because he was at work and not answering his phone) and wrote it on the chalkboard.

We’ll keep this displayed all month long to help us remember our resolutions, which will hopefully make us more successful. 

To get your new year started off right, Lowe’s is giving one lucky Crap I’ve Made reader a $75 Lowe’s gift card.

TO ENTER:

Leave a comment on this post telling me what one of your New Year’s resolutions is.

Extra entry:

Leave a comment telling me what you’d spend your gift card on.

***TWO POSSIBLE ENTRIES PER PERSON***

Giveaway is open to US residents age 18 and over only and closes Thursday, January 3rd at noon MST.  Winner will be chosen at random using a WordPress Plugin (And The Winner Is…) and notified by email.  Winner has 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.

And while you’re waiting to see if you won, head on over for your FREE Subscription to Lowe’s Creative Ideas Magazine:

Or, check out the Lowe’s Creative Idea’s app (also free)!  I have it on my iPhone and it’s delightful!

*I was given a Lowe’s gift card for the supplies for my project.  All opinions and statements are my own.

I hope your holidays are fabulous.  We’re enjoying them thoroughly.

We’ve met new cousins,

cried tears of happiness over presents,

lost our 2 front teeth,

and felt like punching the guy with the harmonica.

(Whose idea was that anyway???)

I’ve truly never felt more grateful for what I have.  I’ve been reduced to tears many times this week over just how darn blessed I am.

I hope you’ve felt that joy, too.

Happy Holidays!

And, if Santa didn’t bring you quite what you wanted and what you wanted was a Silhouette, they’ve got a couple of promos going on now that you might be interested in.  Details here on my Facebook page.

No one’s right.  No one’s wrong.

We’re just different.

My sister used to (? maybe still does?) go sit at our dad’s grave and talk to him and leave him notes.  That doesn’t work for me.  I remember him in the way the back of Keller’s head looks and when I sometimes call my kids “pup”.  Or when I get the giggles about how loudly and joyfully he sang “Far, Far Away on Judea’s Plains” every year at my grandma’s family Christmas party.

Not right and wrong…different.

If you read/follow a lot of blogs, you have probably seen that many are observing a day of silence today, and many more tomorrow.  I love what these women are doing.  I love to see the blogging community come together for good.

So why was I hesitating?

Silence isn’t right for me.

I don’t consider myself a writer.  I don’t know how to move people with my words the way other bloggers can.  I’m a mom who studied math and economics in college.  I sew stuff and make crafts.  Who do I think I am?  Why does anyone care what I have to say?  Maybe they don’t?  Maybe just one person does?  And, if that’s the case I believe it’s still worth doing.

From my personal Facebook page this weekend:

Oh Facebook…do you really want to know what’s on my mind?

I’ve spent the better part of 2 days holding back tears and feeling like I want to throw up. You see, I have a child the same age as the children killed in CT. He probably would have been in their class.

I also have a child who fits many of the things people are saying about the killer. "Weird. Socially awkward. Extraordinarily bright. Asperger’s. Subject to outbursts. Didn’t speak much. Didn’t like talking to people. Odd. Nervous and fidgety. Deeply uncomfortable in social situations."

It’s the same child.

I’m sick about what happened to children just like him.

I’m sick about what a grown child "just like him" did. Terrified, really.

So, Facebook, THAT is what’s on my mind.

I sat in church this week and cried when we sang the 3rd and 4th verses of “I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day”.

And in despair I bowed my head:
"There is no peace on earth," I said,
"For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men."

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead, nor doth he sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,
With peace on earth, good will to men."

So now what?

I recalled the words of Gordon B. Hinckley in the April 1999 General Conference for my church.  I think they’re applicable whether you’re religious or not.

Let us return to our homes with resolution in our hearts to do a little better than we have done in the past. We can all be a little kinder, a little more generous, a little more thoughtful of one another. We can be a little more tolerant and friendly…It is our obligation to reach out in helpfulness, not only to our own but to all others as well.

Let’s be a little kinder.

Let’s be a little more generous.

Let’s be a little more thoughtful.

Let’s reach out in helpfulness.

Let’s do a little better.

Peace on earth, good will to men.

I’m going to provide you with the pattern and details on how to do the general assembly and Kierste is going to show you how to cute them up.  I’ll tell you when to go over to her site and get some embellishment ideas and then you can click back over here to finish the assembly.  Sound good?

BURLAP STOCKING TUTORIAL

Stocking template, printed and assembled
2/3 yard lightweight fusible interfacing
1/3 yard burlap
6”-ish of ribbon/twill tape/etc for hanging

Cut 2 stocking shapes from interfacing, facing opposite directions.

Fuse shapes to burlap (following package directions and using a press cloth), placing the top of the stocking along the selvage of the burlap, just slightly below the edge.

Cut out around the interfacing, leaving a seam allowance.  It doesn’t need to be uniform or anything, but you do need to leave enough to make a seam.  (You’ll be sewing along the edge of the interfacing.)

***STOP AND EMBELLISH THE BURLAP SIDE (the outside of the stocking) AS DESIRED NOW***

Head on over to Simply Kierste for some ideas and beginner’s tips and then come back to finish your stockings!

Once you’ve monogrammed/embellished/whatever your stocking, put burlap sides together.  You can see through the burlap weave just enough to get the pieces lined up nicely.  Insert a loop of twill tape or ribbon for hanging.

Pin.

Stitch along edge of interfacing, leaving top of stocking open.

Clip curves (carefully, be sure not to cut the stitching).

Turn right side out and press a little, if necessary.

GO HERE and use code “CRAP” to take advantage of  the promotions before midnight tonight.

I love the look of neat and tidy text, but I sometimes don’t love the harshness of vinyl.  Maybe “harshness” isn’t the right word?  I dunno, but stay with me for a minute…

Remember how I used vinyl to stencil the art in the DIY Blogger House nursery?

I loved that project and it got me thinking about doing things in reverse.  So, when a friend asked me to recreate something she’d pinned, I went for it.

Supplies:
A board of some sort – I use 1/4” MDF.  It comes in a 2’ X 4’ sheet at Home Depot for about $3.50.  I have not found something as thin/affordable at Lowe’s.  All 3 signs you’ll see in this post came from the same sheet.
Vinyl lettering – I cut all of mine with my CAMEO.  The color of vinyl is not important.  You could probably even use stickers.
Craft paint in 2 colors
Sponge brush
Sandpaper and stain (optional)

Cut your MDF to size.  What size is not really important.  One of these signs was about 18 X 24 and the other two were closer to 15 X 24.

Apply a base coat of craft paint.  This is the color your lettering will end up.  I used white and off white.  I also watered down my paint, about half paint and half water.  You might not need to, but I was using some nasty old paint. 

Once the paint is dry, apply vinyl lettering to the board.

Make sure the edges of the vinyl are sealed nicely.  Apply a coat of craft paint over the whole thing.

Scary, right?

Once the top coat of paint (or two) is dry, peel off the vinyl.

Whoa!  Different sign all of a sudden!  I may have dropped my phone in the toilet last week and lost some of my pictures.

You can for sure stop now, but I wanted something a little more worn.  I took some sandpaper to my project and roughed it up a little.

(I stopped after the sanding on this one.)

Still not quite right?

Apply some stain.  And stage the picture SUPER professionally. Then lose that picture when your phone goes swimming as well.

A little irony in the fact that one of my signs actually said “swim”?

He he he.

So, try using vinyl lettering as a reverse stencil.  I think you’ll love it.  It’s my new favorite thing.  And if you’re on my Christmas list, pretend like it’s your new favorite thing, too. 

I recently received a box of Switchers Transforming Balls in the mail.  Switchers transforming balls convert from a rubber ball to a surprise easily…no instructions or pictures needed.

I knew what was in the box, and I know my kids, so I hid it.  I knew that if they saw what was inside, I would have 2 options:

Hear “MOMOMOMOMOMOMOM!  CAN WE PLAY WITH THOSE BALLS?” every 30 seconds for the rest of the day.

-or-

Give in and let them play.

I waited for a relatively calm afternoon when everyone’s homework was done and there were no sports practices to rush off to, and I cut open the box.

And I immediately had company of the 4 and 6 year old boy variety.

Campbell’s favorite was the shark “because it looks like a football” (and he’s currently obsessed with football).  Bennett’s favorite was the octopus, because it was the easiest to figure out how to transform.

My favorite part was that there are no batteries to replace and no annoying sounds.  They also seem like they’re little boy proof and won’t be missing an arm any time this week. Wait.  Fishes don’t have arms.  Neither do sharks.  Or octopi.  You know what I mean, right?  

 
(Yes, Bennett wears mismatched socks most days.  Poor picked on 4th kid!)

The Switchers are recommended for age 5 and up.  Bennett is 4.5 and he struggled a little with the fish and the shark.  I think with a little more time he’d have figured them out, but sometimes over zealous older siblings don’t let you have more time.

The boys immediately ran upstairs to show my older kids the cool new toys.  Later, I even found one stashed in my purse in the middle of our football banquet.  Guess someone was worried the banquet would get boring?

Switchers are available in the check out aisle at your local Walmart.

I think I might leave the one in my purse.  You never know when you’re going to have to keep a kid occupied.  Or should I say octopi-ed?  Ha!

I’ve been buying my front door wreaths from Lowe’s for YEARS. They’re inexpensive (around $15) and they stay fresher than others I’ve purchased.  However, they come with a big old red velvet ribbon bow on them and that’s SUPER not my style.  The good news is that the bow is easily removed by undoing the wire on the back.

I saved the wire and reused it to make my new wreath embellishment, because I couldn’t find the wire I bought at Lowe’s last month I’m super eco-friendly. I cut the bottoms off of the tree picks and then wired them together and attached them to the wreath.

Much better!

Then, I used the drop cloth to make some pillows for my porch chairs.  I cut the hem off of one of the 4 foot edges and then cut an 18” strip the width of the drop cloth (so 4’ X 18” ish).  Both 18” ends should still have the factory hem on them.  Cut 12” (including the hem) off each end.  These pieces are for the envelope closure on the back of the pillow.  Square the remaining piece so it’s 18” X 18”.  The square piece is what you’re going to embellish.  I chose some Christmas word art from the Silhouette Online Store and cut it out of freezer paper with my Silhouette.  You can for sure do this with a craft/utility knife if you don’t have a cutting machine.  I ironed the freezer paper to my drop cloth square to create a stencil.

And then I taped around the edges

and gave it a coat of red spray paint.

I used Valspar Gloss Classic Red.

After it dried, I peeled off the tape and freezer paper and assembled my pillow case.

And I loved it so much that I decided to make another one, only in reverse.

Kinda makes you want to sit down and visit, doesn’t it?  Well, except for the part where it’s frickin’ freezing outside and metal chairs are SUPER cold on the old rear end, right?

Maybe the festive-ness of the porch will rub off on the rest of my house?

A girl can dream, right?

Be sure to check out Lowes Creative Ideas and sign up for their free newsletter which is full of fun DIY projects.

*I was given a Lowe’s gift card for the supplies for my makeover.  All opinions and statements are my own.

Let’s get real for a second here:  Sometimes Christmas sneaks up on me.  And, even though I had big plans in October, I have 2 days left before Christmas and I have to go the gift card route.  Plus, they mail nicely, right?

So, how can you give a cuter gift card?  Put it in a stocking, of course!  These babies are perfectly sized to hold a gift card or two

and would look darling hanging on your tree as ornaments

or tied atop a package as well.

Supplies:

Fabrics, 1 for the exterior and one for the lining.  I used Riley Blake small chevrons in green, red and aqua and Riley Blake small dots in green, red, and aqua as well.

Trims.  I used some red baby pom-poms and some Sew Together crocheted lace in red and aqua.

Print out of the pattern piece and cutting instructions which can be found HERE.

Assembly:

Cut out 2 exterior fabric stockings, facing opposite directions.  Cut out 2 lining fabric stockings, facing opposite directions.  In these images, the chevron fabric is the lining and the polka dot fabric is the exterior.  All seams 1/4” unless otherwise indicated.

With right sides together, place your lining fabrics on top of your exterior fabrics.  Sew along top edge of both sets as indicated by the lines in the image below.

Turn wrong sides together and press a crease along the top edge as shown.

Unfold.  Stack both pieces, right sides together, making sure lining is on top of lining and exterior is on top of exterior.

(You’ll want to line yours up completely.  I staggered them for illustration purposes.)

Leaving a small (1-2”) opening in the bottom of the lining fabric stocking for turning,

sew all the way around the edge.  I found that leaving the opening on the bottom flat part of the stocking “foot” worked best.

Clip your curves.

Turn the whole thing right sides out.

Press the exterior half.  You can press the lining half, too, if you want, but I didn’t find that it made any difference in the finished product.

Stitch the hole in the lining closed.  I used my machine since it’s inside a tiny stocking and no one is ever going to see it.  You could do it invisibly by hand if you’re a little bit nuts and enjoy stuff like that. 

Tuck the lining down inside of the exterior fabric.  (This is when those creases you made along the tops of the stockings way back in the beginning comes in handy.)  Use a pencil with an eraser to tuck the lining all the way in if you need to.

Fold down the top of the stocking along the fold line indicated on the template and press.  Attach a loop of trim (you can sew it neatly under the cuff or hot glue it if you’re lazy pants) and you’re done!

And a whole row of them hanging together?

So cute nobody even cares what’s inside!

Needless to say, getting a family pic for holiday cards wasn’t exactly at the top of my to do list.  In fact, it wasn’t actually even on my to do list.

So, when my pal Becca called and asked if I was interested in having some pictures done by her friend Daniel Silva, I was hesitant.  But, everyone had a decent haircut, so I agreed.  (Seriously…what are the odds of all six of us having good hair at the same time?  The universe wanted me to do this.  Or something.)

Here’s the concept:  PiCALITY wants to capture REAL memories.

It doesn’t make any sense…why go somewhere you have never been and try to create a false memory? Let’s go take awesome pics where you really do spend time as a family.

And, PiCALITY wants to keep it fast and affordable.

No one wants to spend a crazy amount of money for creating true family memories in photographs. We created an affordable price for photographing ‘For Real Memories’. In a 60-90 mins session we photograph any arrangement of pics. Whatever we can fit in that time with your family is yours. No additional charge for pose, groups, portraits, backdrops and etc. Its simple we take great photos in 45-90 mins and you take all edited pics (45-75 digital photos) on a flash drive.

Becca and Lara both had pictures done in their homes (and you can too…they turned out freaking fantastic!) but that’s not where we spend most of our time together.  We are always always always on the go.

Sometimes it’s lacrosse,

sometimes it’s football,

sometimes it’s basketball,

and sometimes you’re just along for the ride.

Welcome to our life.

Let’s try that again.

Welcome to our life.

It involves a lot of bleachers,

and a lot of crazy,

but it’s our PiCALITY (ba dum bum!).

So here’s the good news:

If you’re a Utah local who is also a procrastinator, you are in luck.

PiCALITY has appointments available that will get you a card worthy pic.  (Free Christmas card design for sessions between now at December 16th, but seriously…don’t wait clear ‘til the 16th.  That’s just asking for an ulcer.)  AND, if you get pictures done THIS WEEK (now thru December 1st), you can save $100 if you mention Crap I’ve Made.

Plus, it’s SUPER easy to schedule (especially if you hate the phone or only like to schedule things whilst you’re not wearing pants).  You can schedule from the PiCALITY Facebook page or on the PiCALITY website.  You can also give Daniel a call if none of the times listed will work for you.  Nice, right?

So…how’s your hair?

Disclosure:  I was provided with a PiCALITY photo session in exchange for this post.  All opinions are my own.  Daniel went WAY above and beyond and even allowed my kid to call him Bob.  The pictures don’t lie…this was a great experience.

YOU MUST USE THIS LINK and code CRAP to get the promotional prices from now through midnight EST on November 30th!

OPTION #1

1 Silhouette CAMEO® plus 1 copy of Silhouette Studio® Designer Edition (MSRP $349.98) for $229.99

OPTION #2

1 Silhouette Portrait™ for $179.99

OPTION #3

40% off at silhouetteamerica.com!

(Offer only valid at silhouetteamerica.com. Expires November 30, 2012. Rain checks not available.  40% discount excludes Silhouette CAMEO®, Silhouette Portrait™, downloads, download cards, subscriptions, and gift cards).

And, last of all, if your name is Anastasia, you should check your email before you make a purchase.  You won the Portrait giveaway.

Happy shopping!

When the nice folks at Silhouette asked me if I wanted to check out their 2012 Limited Edition Advent Calendar, I jumped at the chance.  I’d seen some pictures and knew it was darling and something I could switch around and leave up all year long.  (Seriously…click on that link and check out the one where they’ve printed and hung Instagram pics…I’m so doing that!)

For my Christmas version, I wanted something non-traditional.  You know, since I basically never do anything traditional.  I started with some ribbons I picked up at the American Crafts warehouse sale.

(Tangent:  If you are in the SLC area you MUST swing by the sale.  It’s in Jordan Landing in the old Petsmart.  I’ve already been twice and I don’t even like paper crafting.)

And then I dug through my washi tape until I found some that coordinated.

I busted out my Silhouette Portrait and cut out the shapes (from the download card included with the advent calendar).  I used one 12 X 12 sheet of each color of cardstock: white, gray, pink, lime, teal, and purple. I cut all the cards out of the white and then punched a hole and tied the tops with a 4” piece of ribbon.  For the colored card stock, I cut off a 4 X 12 strip from each piece and used that to cut the embellishments.  The chevron zig zags, the word “joy”, the large number 6 and the gray ornament on day 12 are the only things not included on the download card.  I cut the envelopes from the 8 X 12 piece.

Cute right?

Now we just need to figure out what activities to put in each one!

SOME IDEAS FOR ADVENT ACTIVITIES

Put up the tree
Make an ornament
Have hot chocolate
Have a snowball (or sock ball if you don’t have snow) fight
Sing a Christmas song
Send Christmas cards
Build a snowman (out of marshmallows, if necessary)
Wrap presents
Make gift tags
Read a Christmas story
Read the Christmas story from the Bible
Do something nice for a family member
Do something nice for a stranger
Shop for Sub for Santa or an Angel Tree or Toys for Tots
Deliver treats to a neighbor
Watch a holiday movie
Make cookies
Go see the lights
Make paper snowflakes
Go sledding
Go see Santa
Take a Christmas picture (Santa hats and reindeer antlers optional but encouraged)
Go ice skating
Color pictures from a Christmas coloring book
Write letters to Santa
Hang a wreath on the front door
Put up a nativity/crèche
Mail a package to someone
Make your own wrapping paper (stamps or markers and a roll of craft paper)
Make a gingerbread house
Wear a Christmas sweater
Hang some mistletoe
Have reindeer pancakes
Eat a candy cane
Go caroling
String popcorn for the tree
Buy a poinsettia
Make paper poinsettias
Drink eggnog
Go see the Christmas decorations at the mall or in your town
Attend a local junior high/high school choir performance
Attend a local junior high/high school band or orchestra performance
Attend a dance recital
Call grandma and grandpa
Read “Twas the Night Before Christmas”
Make luminaries
Go Christmas shopping
Wear something red and/or green
Buy Christmas jammies
Make Christmas candy
Shovel snow
Light a holiday scented candle
Volunteer at a food bank
Serve a meal at a soup kitchen/homeless shelter
Visit a rest home
Make a holiday mix tape (or CD )
Look at Christmas pictures from years past
Watch/read/listen to A Christmas Carol (may I recommend the Muppet version?)
Tie jingle bells to your shoe laces
Make a snow angel
Hang stockings
Make a paper chain for the tree
Eat something covered in red and green sprinkles

Please, please, PLEASE feel free to add your own ideas in the comments!