eucalyptus mint

New Light Box

2012-07-15T17:50:00.001-05:00

So I made a new light box! Okay, I made my FIRST light box. :)

I used this tutorial to help me along.

It was super easy! And, if I hadn't been distracted by How to Train Your Dragon, I would have finished it in about an hour...haha.

Here are some of my new pictures using my box:

Yay for much better pictures!

Although I did have to edit them, I didn't have to edit them as I had before.

Alayna

Quick Update!

2012-06-17T10:07:00.002-05:00

I just wanted to send out a quick update to everyone. I'm still kickin' and creatin'! I've just been rather busy with work and trying to get back into school. I've fallen behind on the WIPs and FOs but hope to get back into the swing of things this week. I've finished off a few critters but my list just keeps getting longer.

I decided to take a personal break and crochet for myself. I'm currently participating in Stacey Trock's (of FreshStitches) Cow CAL! I've never crocheted a cow before but I'm super excited! I decided I would crochet it for Joe since he has been patiently waiting for a critter since I started. So I'm going to make him in 2 different blue colors and I'm going to throw in some orange somewhere, but I'm keeping that a surprise!

I've just started on the body and I"m about halfway done. I used her color changing technique for the first time and let's just say I LOVE the way it turns out. I've also never left the different strands of color just hanging off my critters, so it's weird maneuvering around two yarns that are still connected.

Just a little of what I'm up to today. Since today is Father's Day, here is a little Father's Day funny.

Alayna

FO Fridays!

2012-05-11T01:00:00.000-05:00

Okay, lets face it...I love being lazy. But, I don't like how unproductive being lazy is. Such a predicament.

I did however get something finished!

No, it isn't my sweater. Although, that would have been pretty amazing to finish in two days.

Anywhosies...this was one of the first critters I designed.

Meet GRRRR.

He's real mean. Can'tchya tell?

It's based, and mostly inspired by, a monster design of Stacey Trock's (from FreshStitches). I love her work. As you can tell, I work my critters in the back loop only. It makes for (in my opinion) a neater finish and it's much easier to assemble!

Here is the initial sketch. All my fancy schmancy notes!

I'm pretty sure even though I wrote all my notes down, I didn't follow my "pattern" at all...

That's all I got today! Check out all the other awesome finished off projects over at Tami's Amis Finished Off Fridays!

I have a question for y'all...Joe, the boyfriend, asked me the other night when he was getting a critter (after telling me he thinks I'm "very talented at crocheting."). EEEP!

He wants to put it on his dashboard in his car since he doesn't have a specific office at work...what do I make him?!!!

I was thinking something in orange...it will match his car.

Any ideas?! I'm looking for something small-ish, that will fit on his dash but something he'll love.

WIP Wednesday!

2012-05-09T02:00:00.000-05:00

It's that time again!

WIP Wednesday!

Although I'm not working on anything new, I did make progress on my sweater!

Instead of a scarf it now looks like a little girls dress!

HA, just kidding. As you can see I've got the sleeves going! Yay!

Here is my fanciful stitching. I'm so good, I make mistakes and don't care...it adds character. That's what I tell my OCD.

So I didn't start stitching a new project but I did design two new critters.

Ms. Lysa Marie is going to be for Joe's sister, Ramona.

I got the name from Ramona's middle name and Joe' mama's name (spelled differently).

I just have to figure out how to make the hair...I've seen hairpin lace fringe as hair, but I have NO idea how to do that. *sadface*

Any ideas? Tips?

Aaaaaand this little (big) guy is going to be for Karsen, Joe's nephew! I wanted to create something simple but really goofy because...well, that's how Karsen is!

Karss is going to be HUGE! I didn't want him too small because a 5 year old can't snuggle (properly) with a small stuffed animal. So, I'm opting for GINORMOUS!

I've started writing the pattern short-hand but haven't finshed that yet.

So that's what I'm working on!

See what everyone else is working on over at

Tami's Amis and Other Creations!

FO (Finished Off) Fridays!

2012-05-04T08:03:00.000-05:00

So I really only have one thing to report today.

I was very lazy this week, hehe.

I finished off a pair of octopi sisters to send to an old co-worker of mine! They turned out fabulous!

The patterns ( for the bow and octopus) can be found in this post.

I had a great time working on them. They are so quick and easy!

Unrelated to crochet or knitting...I finished off my enchiladas for our work fiesta today! We are celebrating Quatro de Mayo...since Cinco de Mayo is not a business day.

I'm already getting hungry!

What did you guys finish off today?!
Also, hop on over to Tami's Amis and Other Creations and see what everyone else is finishing up!

WIP Wednesday

2012-05-02T07:41:00.001-05:00

Good morning world! Well, it's morning where I'm at... :)

So I only have one project working this week. I'm a closer at work this week so I don't have quite as much free time when I get off. I've just been lazin' around the house watching TV and getting caught up on all 13 seasons on One Tree Hill (even Joe got hooked on all the drama!)

But here is a photo of the Free Dolman Sleeve Crochet Sweater I've been working on

I know, it isn't much...but eventually it will be a awesome looking sweater!

This is the first crocheted garment I have ever made. I was a little confused at first about how to get my measurements but I just decided to use her listed measurements and come to find out we are the same size! HA! So that made it super easy!

I found the pattern on Ravelry (that site is a serious time killer) and I have soooo many other projects in my favorites...

Anyways, enough daydreaming I have to go to work!

What are you making this week?

Let everyone know by linking up over at Tami's Amis and Other Creations blog

WIP (Work-In-Progress) Wednesday!

2012-04-25T17:15:00.001-05:00

You know, every time I spell out "Wednesday" I have to say it in my head "Wed-nes-day"....

Anyways, on to my current projects!

Currently I'm working on Octopus #2 for a friend of mine. Instead of a yellow bow, this little gal will have a light pink bow.

Here is the head of the little lady Octopus

The light pink bow in progress.

On Monday, I decided I wanted to take up knitting. I love knitted garments. I bought a couple knitting magazines to look at while at work and after looking through them...I want to knit them all. /facepalm

Sooooo, since I need to learn how to knit (to make said garments)...I'm teaching myself! Here I'm working on a simple dishcloth because lets face it, I'm in Houston and it's hot as blazes. I don't need a scarf. Plus, I'd rather not knit just to...knit. I wanted to make something useful!

My only problem? I had to keep ripping it out because it looked super wonky! In the picture I'm only on the 2nd row(?) and I've had to put it aside to work on some other crocheted pieces for family and friends.

I got silly with the camera and just started snapping away. I thought I would spare y'all EVERY picture I took. *grins*

And here is my Work-in-Progress cat. Does that count?! His name is Titan and he's a booger.

OH OH OH!! PLUS, I got this bad boy in the mail today. Can't wait to whip up some of these motifs and make an afghan...because I need more warm things in this tropical climate (super sarcasm).

What are you working on this week?

Alayna

New Home

2012-04-24T20:00:00.003-05:00

So I sent this little gal to a new home today.

While making her, I gave her an extra tentacle. You can't see it in this picture but it's there (we are our own worst critic, right?!). She's just EXTRA special. :]

She went to live with my little green monstie I mentioned in this post.

I get a LOT of compliments on these little guys (and gals), so if you want to give this cutie a shot:

Octopus pattern: HERE

Bow pattern : HERE

Both patterns are easy to follow and easy to customize!

Let me know what you think! I would love hearing from you guys!

Alayna

Munchkin!

2012-04-22T11:16:00.000-05:00

Joe and myself went over to my parents house for game night last night. Our game of choice it seems is Munchkin! It's a ton of fun! No game is ever played the same so that makes it even more excited!

Munchkin is a role playing card game with snark. With weapons such as "The Boots of Butt-Kicking" or "The Chainsaw of Bloody Dismemberment" it makes game play funny. I cannot say enough about this game. It can be lengthy but my family is super competitive and we argue the rules at least once a turn.Our games last night ran about 2 hours or more. They have rules for a quick game play if your are looking for some quick Munchkin fun.

My parents own 3 of the Munchkin card game versions.

The Original Munchkin

Star Munchkin

AND

Munchkin Bites

They all have their own quirks which makes each game interesting. We definitely will be buying more versions of these games!

Any of you out there played (or ever heard of) Munchkin? Let me know!

Alayna

My (First) April Birchbox

2012-04-19T10:49:00.000-05:00

What is Birchbox? It's pure awesome in a box. HA! Seriously, it's a box full of trial sized beauty products from name-brand companies and probably some brands the common folk (like me) have never heard of. It's only $10 a month and totally worth it.

I first heard of Birchbox from Kate at The Small Things Blog. She has GREAT hair tutorials and beauty tutorials. So for a complete beginner like me, her blog is stinkin' wonderful!

In early March I decided to jump on the train and start getting boxes. I didn't realized they had a waiting list. Bummer. So I jumped on the list and figured it would be awhile before I got my email telling me I could sign up. At the beginning of April I got my email! (I did a little dance at work when I read it.)

So I signed up immediately and waited for my box to ship...and yesterday I finally go it! It's a small pink box and when Joe came home with the mail he dropped everything else and handed me my box. He went crazy and asked me "What did you order NOW?!" I calmed him by telling him it was only $10 and tried to explain what it was. He wasn't listening after determining I hadn't just spent all our vacation money (hehe).

The cute little box.

Here's everything that is included, as well as a description.

All of my goodies.

The Vapour elixir gloss. I was a little hesitant to use it since it's such a dark red color. But it's totally buildable! YAY! I have really fair skin and it went on super dark. Joe didn't like it at first but I tried again and didn't put so much on and it looked fabulous! I went out to dinner with my parents last night and wore it out. I didn't feel uncomfortable in it at all!

Le Palais des Thes tea. I don't normally drink hot tea. (Being from the South it's always sweet iced tea for me) but I'm going to give this a go.

I was most excited about this little guy. I just got through reading my Cosmo and this product was mentioned in one of the articles. It's called dirt and it is a salt scrub. Salt is supposed to be grittier than other scrubs, meaning it should slough off more dull, dead skin. So I'm really pumped to try this bad boy out!

Here is the Orofluido hair oil. It's got essential oils such as argan, linseed, and cyperus which are supposed to make hair super soft.

I'm excited about these guys, too! I've been looking for a new face cleanser and moisturizer because what I'm using just isn't working. These guys are made with food! (that kinda blows my mind) I got two pouches of cleanser and three pouches of moisturizer. The moisturizer has SPFs in it which is exactly what I'm looking for!

So, for my first box it was a good deal to me! I'm determined to give all of these things a shot. I mean, isn't that the purpose of this box?! To try things you may have not tried before?

Alayna

What I've Been Up To.

2012-04-18T16:35:00.000-05:00

So I've been pretty busy lately (I say that all the time!). I've taken up crochet again and I may have found my calling. I love crocheting!

I recently signed up for a Craftsy crocheting class. Best money I've spent. I signed up for two classes Amigurumi: Woodland Animals with Stacey Trock and Amigurumi: Design Your Own Monster with Stacey Trock. I really enjoyed her classes! Before I took up sewing and embroidering I was struggling with my amigurumi. I would get all the pieces made, try to attach them and fail miserably. Stacey gave me some seriously helpful tips to make it soo much easier to assemble my little critters!

Since I loved making the critters so much I stepped into designing my own little monsters. As with her previous class, she gave some super useful tips when designing your own little guys. While sitting at work, I've been filling up a notebook with ideas. Annnnd since I'm on vacation until the 22nd, I have lots of time on my hands.

So, here are some pictures of what I've been up to the last month.

Here are the monsters I thought up.

Here is Grrr, in bigger detail.

The finished Grr. I still have to write the completed pattern.

Here is Booger. I made him for a co-worker and she named him Booger and sat her on top of her computer.

Octi. A cute little octopus pattern I found online (click here for the pattern). Everyone loved him. He sits on top of my computer at work.

A dragon I made for my dad. He was a struggle but I conquered him.

(click here for the pattern)

And Sir Bear. He is my very FIRST amigurumi piece I completed. The pattern is from the Woodland Class I took online at Craftsy.

As you can see, very busy! But I love all my little guys. I have them camping out by my TV in our living room so everyone can see.

Alayna

Laundry Detergent!

2012-02-29T06:38:00.001-06:00

So I just discovered a recipe for homemade laundry detergent!
I got the recipe from the Being Creative to Keep My Sanity blog. The directions were simple and I found everything I needed from WalMart!
I did tweak my recipe though. Instead of using the Fels-Naptha soap, I decided to use regular Ivory bar soap. For me it was more cost efficient and Ivory smells delicious! And since the detergent smells very mild I decided to add some more scent so I used some Purex crystals. I said what the hey and add the whole bottle and it smells GREAT!

Ingredients:

(1) 4lb box of Borax
(1) 4lb box of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda
(1) 4lb box of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
(3) Bars Fels- Naptha soap (Here I subbed 3 bars of Ivory Bar Soap)
Oxy Clean, you will need about 3.5 lbs
(optional) (1) large container of Purex Crystals, to add a more intense smell
5 gallon bucket
Large container of your choice

Here's How You Do It:

Grate your soap either with a cheese grater or stick it in your food processor to get a really fine grate.
Mix all your ingredients in your giant 5 gallon bucket. Make sure it's mixed evenly.
This step is optional. You can just store your detergent in your nice big 5 gallon bucket or you can transfer your soap into a large container like I did.

There's my supply. Using about 2 tbs a load, this should last a very long time. Joe and I only do about 3-4 loads a week.
I'm super excited about this find! My next adventure with probably be the dish washing detergent recipe that she also has on her blog!

Alayna

It's been awhile!

2012-02-23T08:01:00.000-06:00

I've been super busy packing and moving this last month! I'm still running around like a chicken with it's head cut off. We moved into our own apartment at the beginning of February and I couldn't be happier! The only downside is that the weekend we moved it, Joe had to start working overnight and it's been pretty sucky. I only get to see him in the evenings right before he leaves for work. But luckily, he will return to normal people working hours around the beginning of March. We are about halfway through and he's so exhausted. He's either sleeping or working. Poor man...

As soon as I can get this place cleaned up to my liking I will be posting pictures! Yay!

Alayna

Look What I Did!

2012-01-22T13:20:00.001-06:00

I downloaded a trial of the embroidery software Embird and I'm still learning.
I am making my cats no-sew fleece beds and I wanted to put their names on it. I finally figured out how to combine each letter file to make one file that my machine could stitch out. It turned out AWESOME! I'm so pleased with the result. :)
No more stitching one letter at a time and re-hooping, resulting in uneven letters.

Happenings

2012-01-18T18:16:00.000-06:00

I haven't had much time to sew lately. Joe and I left for Wichita on short notice last Tuesday. His grandpa wasn't doing to well and he wanted to say his goodbyes. We got home late Monday and I still feel exhausted.
Despite everything that happened, I'm glad we got to go to Wichita and see most of Joe's family. I know he doesn't get a chance to see his parents or other family very much and it's nice seeing him interact with them.
Joe's grandpa passed on Thursday morning and we spent a few days more with his family. We also got to spend a couple days with my mom and little brother in Oklahoma City. It was nice. :) We had planned to make a trip to OKC over the holiday weekend but since we were saving up to get a new place we had to push back the trip indefinitely. Even with the unfortunate events it was good to spend time with both of our families this past week.
Joe always tells me to just go with the flow of things, but being a control freak makes that kind of hard. I'm a planner. And I feel most comfortable planning things well in advance...and letting go is HARD! But I'm getting better at it...at least I like to think I am.

Sorry for no pictures...wasn't exactly a picture taking trip. :)

Alayna

New Design

2012-01-18T12:39:00.001-06:00

So I'm updating my blog layout. I'm not done yet but hope to be soon!
I'll post soon what I've been up to after I get the layout done. :)

Alayna

The Park

2012-01-08T11:40:00.000-06:00

I took Joe on a surprise picnic a couple weeks ago. We went to Challenger Memorial Park, it's the park where we first met. :)
To make it a surprise, I had to blindfold him. He didn't want fellow drivers looking at him weird so he opted for a beanie over his eyes to make it look like he was sleeping...dork.


Joe's artistic abilities with the camera. He found that phrase funny...

Alayna

Flashback!

2012-01-06T11:49:00.000-06:00

I wanted to share with ya'll some pictures of my siblings and I over the years. I only have a few, so here are pictures with all 3 of us in them.

We have myself, Alex, and Dillon. I just turned 9 a couple months prior to this photo being snapped. Alex was around 7, and little Dillon was only a few months old. He was born April that year and this was his first Christmas. I look like such a proud big sister. Although, I'm pretty sure me and Alex had just gotten into it before we talked to Santa. :)

Next up, a picture of when I was in 8th-grade. I believe I was 13-ish, maybe already 14. Alex would have been 12, so he was still totally uncool and still in little elementary school, haha. And Dillon is around 4 or 5 (depending on when the picture was taken). In this photo we were at the local skating rink. It's where all the cool kids hung out, ya know. (I still give people bunny ears.) :)

And lastly, here we are all growed up. This picture was taken in May of 2011. I was 21, Alex was 19, and little ol' Dillon had just turned 13. We were eating at my all time favorite restaurant back home, Ted's. It's a Mexican place that has amazing tortillas! Oh man, I miss it so. Alex and I (as well as Joe, he's just not in the picture) had taken a trip back home to see my mom and we meet her parents there to have lunch before we left back for Houston. :)

It just goes to show...the older you get, the funnier faces you make.

Alayna

A New Bag!

2012-01-04T18:50:00.000-06:00

So I was feeling adventurous this past weekend and decided to whip up a new purse. Ohmigosh...it was a lot harder than the instructions made it seem...

I got the instructions and patterns Here.

This is definitely not a beginners bag. The only thing I found difficult about this project was that I had no idea what I was doing. I had never made a bag before... plus, these instructions are very vague and left a lot of (what I feel) important steps out.

BUT! I did get it completed (after 2 days of ripping out seams and ripping out hearts).

The Front

The inside showing the pocket.

And the inside showing all my goodies.

(Why, yes that is a pamphlet on knitting in my bag. You never know when you might need it...)

I got my exterior fabric from Hobby Lobby. It's a printed duck fabric by Waverly and it's gorgeous! The lining is made of quilting cotton, I got it at Jo-Ann awhile ago so I forget who it's made by.

I decided not to add the little bit of trim (or whatever you want to call it) between the top two layers like in the tutorial. But, after all the hard work and turmoil, sweat, tears, and a few minor injuries...it was definitely worth it. Heck, Joe even said he was impressed and the man is as manly as they come.

Mission accomplished. :)

Alayna

Picture of the Day

2011-12-27T14:54:00.001-06:00

This is a shirt I got Joe awhile back. I still think its hilarious.

Alayna

Merry Christmas!!

2011-12-25T11:48:00.000-06:00

I hope everyone is having a safe and lovely Christmas today! I wish everyone lots of love, laughter, and cheer!

Hopefully I will be back tonight or in the next few days!

Alayna

P.S. I'll leave you with a picture of the gifts I made for my nephews. :) I'll have a tutorial up later!

Glitter Ornament Tutorial

2011-12-20T20:47:00.000-06:00

I'm going to be wiping glitter off myself for the next week. Glitter is pretty but, I definitely avoid it due to it's ability to stick on everything but what you wanted it to...

But today I decided to throw all cares to the wind and play with glitter.
I needed to make an ornament for my one of my work gift exchanges (yes, we have multiples. A Secret Santa PLUS an Ornament Exchange.) Being the crafty type, no store bought ornament would do! So I set out to create one. While looking around at Target I came across some glitter swirled ornaments. They were quite cute. So I set out to find my supplies...but my Target doesn't carry glitter (I know, right?!) So I had to go to the Wal-Mart across the street and got all my supplies there.

Materials:
-any sized ornaments in any color. (I used small glass ornaments)
-Elmer's Glue
-Glitter to match your ornaments
-Paint marker in white (or whatever color you prefer)
-a paper plate to catch your glitter
-paper towels (to wipe of mistakes)

Step 1: Use your marker to paint whatever design you like on your ornament. Here I just drew squiggles. On my other ornaments I chose stars and circles.

Stars

Circles

Step 2: After the paint has dried (it shouldn't take very long), apply your glue in any design you like. You could go over the stars or draw something in-between the stars if you like.

For my circles I decided to just put dots inside my drawn on circles. The beauty of this project is that it is completely up to you how you want it to look.

Step 3: Add your glitter. Hold your ornament over the paper plate and sprinkle (or dump) your glitter on the glue spots. When your ornament (and you) are sufficiently covered in glitter, tap off the excess. You will have some glitter that hangs around on the paint and other parts of the ornament. That's okay. When it is completely dry (and you are standing over a sink), you can blow the remaining glitter off.

ANNNNNND your done!! Easy peasy, right?! Let the glue dry overnight to ensure no smearing. Then hang on your tree!

You could probably use glitter glue to save a step (and mess), they just didn't have any matching blues in the glitter glue so I opted for a giant pack of glitter and some plain ole' Elmer's Glue.

Questions? Let me know!

Alayna

Whoa!

2011-12-18T09:03:00.000-06:00

It's been awhile blog land! But, finals are over and I now have a month of nothing but craftiness! YAY!
I'm hoping to get a couple more tutorials up over the next week or two. I have ideas to do just about EVERYTHING but I'm trying to limit myself to one project at a time....it's not going so great, ha!

Yesterday, I got Joe to agree to take some pictures with me so we could send out Christmas cards. It went pretty well! It was chilly outside so we didn't stay out too long. But, I did get some really good shots of Sage by our trees in our backyard. :)

Picture time!!

Joe was "posing" for some test shots. I had to set my camera on a stool and needed to get it set up before I could take the picture.

More "posing". That is a single blade of grass in his hands. I never ask why. I just take the pictures.

A good one of use sitting against the fence. My camera only had a 10 second timer so I never had much time to adjust once I sat down.

We took a little break when Joe got a phone call from his mom. So I started taking pictures of Sage and Jasmine.
Above is Sage next to our lemon tree. Or as we call it Greystoke (the story behind our tree names after all my pictures).

I decided to test out my macro setting on my camera. I was pretty impressed actually. It's a nice picture of the single lemon blooming on that tree. It only started blooming last month...I think the tree is confused with what season it's in.

Here is Sage at the Simba tree. It's an Orange tree. She decided that her best friend needed some fertilizer. That's what she is covering up. Ha.

Jasmine was playing in our little clover patch. She had just pounced on them when I managed to get the picture taken. She hates having her picture taken. As evidence by the 15 pictures I have of her behind. She didn't know I took this one. I'm so sneaky, he he.

I managed to snap this one while Joe was just standing around and I was playing with camera angles on my new little tripod. I reallllly like this picture. He had has a stressful day and you can tell. (He's gonna kill me when he sees this...)

And finally one of us standing in front of the fence. I think this is my favorite one. We both look normal haha. I'll probably use this one in our Christmas card. :)

So I bet you're ready for and explanation on our silly tree names. Here's the scoop. When my parents cats, Greystoke and Simba, passed away, they agreed to plant a tree on top of them. Greystoke passed away in 2009 and he got a tree (I forgot what kind) but it didn't take. So last year we had to re-plant another tree. They chose a lemon tree and that's what you see there. Simba passed away just this last August. Sage and Simba were BFFs. She followed him around everywhere and just like the grumpy old man he was, he would have never let you know he enjoyed her company as well. So, now we call our trees Simba and Greystoke. :)

Hopefully I'll be back soon with some tutorials on my awesome suicide cappuccino and some other crafty goodness!

Alayna

2011-12-08T07:49:00.001-06:00

Marcel the Shell With Shoes

I'll leave you with this today. It may not be everyone's kind of humor, but I found it amusing.

Hope everyone is having a great day!

Alayna

Haircut!

2011-12-05T10:29:00.001-06:00

Said to heck with it and got a hair cut!!
I decided I wanted it short.
Here are pictures of the front and back!
I love my new haircut!

Alayna