Craft Urges and the Craft Room Closet (ThTh)

I'm starting to go a little bonkers waiting for my craft room cleaning stint to be over. (Yes, I recognize that's up to me - but there's only so much I can get through at a time.) I'm not allowing myself to 'craft' ANYTHING until I'm done. Why make a mess until I get it all cleaned up first? That makes perfect sense, doesn't it.

In the meantime, I'm still daily reading and looking through craft blogs, going through jewelry and craft books and magazines at the bookstore, and listening to craft podcasts. Do you have any idea how much those tasks get my creative fires burning? It's torture. . .that's what it is. Painful, creative, crafty TORTURE! On a related note, in case you haven't noticed - I added a new list of blogs on my sidebar - these all have to do with BEADING. They are GREAT! But, at the same time, they are some of the main sources of torture for me.

Fortunately, LOML (whose name is Pat - which I will be using from now on) has band practice/recording/something-or-other tonight so I can slip into the Craft Room and knock out some more of the mess. Of course, the living room floor is rapidly DIS-appearing under all the stuff I'm ready to get out of my life. Eh, that's the price I'll pay (for now) for the relief of finally getting back in there and letting the creative juices flow once again.

While there are still some bits and pieces still laying around the actual craft room, it's the closet that will be my major task, as I mentioned yesterday. Wanna see what I'm dealing with? Don't be shocked ...
WARNING: if you can't handle the sight of huge messes, just scroll on past these pictures.

Now you see why I'm so afraid.
Wish me luck!

Before I go back to daydreaming about crafty projects I've got some thing for you, for now . . some "Thrifty Thursday" links:

• The man who builds recycled houses
• 50 new uses for old things - my favorites: storing chalk with silver to slow tarnishing, twister tablecloth, shower cap shoe wrapper, window decals to mark drinks, rubber bands on clothes hangers, ketchup bottle pancakes, glasses case for storage, and paint chip place cards. - Check out those and others from Real Simple.
• Bizarre hotels made from found objects (this list leaves off the igloo hotel in Sweden, which melts each April)
• Drink Tumblers made from Beer bottles - SO WANT!!

The Craft Craze (FGF)

I am proud of my crafty self and hope that you can forgive the short and sweet post yesterday.
I'm also really anxious to get back in the craft room and play some more.
Hopefully, I'll get some pictures taken of what I've been creating. I've just been so busy creating that I can't seem to stop long enough to get the camera out and pictures loaded.

What was I crafting so furiously? Oh, some collaged pendants. I did have one that I soldered the other day that I was able to string up. And, I love it. I'm getting bead fever all over again. I know the amount of beads I have is overwhelming, but I just want to head out and get more because my creativity feels confined by the beads I have. I've promised myself to slow down on the bead-buying until I use up some of the ones I have. I guess I need to focus on making some items with what I own before I run out and get more. Perhaps, that can be a new challenge for me. A "make-do" challenge. Hmmmm. . .interesting. I see earrings instead of necklaces, lots of charm bracelets, and . . . well - now I can't wait to get started on that project.

That might make a good blog topic. I'm thinking I can show you some beads or other craft items that won't get used in another project and come up with something else to do with them. Pictures would come with those posts. What do you think? That may end up on the Fairy Creative site to keep it from being so stagnant. Again, what do you think. Input people, I need input!!

Sorry.

Besides the crating, there's so much running through my head that I wasn't able to get to sleep last night. I finally succumbed and then COULD NOT get out of the bed this morning when it was time to get up. I finally made it in to work and downed several cups of coffee before I felt human.

Now, I can't wait to get home. It is, after all, Margarita Friday and I've got a crafty craze running through me.

For now, I'll leave you with a couple "Feel Good Friday" items:

• Did you hear about this act of sportsmanship from a high school basketball team/player/coach?
  
• I couldn't decide if this should go under Thrifty Thursday or Feel Good Friday. Finally, I decided that being thifty as well as fit makes you feel good, so here we are!! Check it out.
  

You can guess that I'm gonna fit as much time in my crafty haven (room) as I can this weekend. I hope you get to participate in your favorite activities too!! Have a great one!!

Mike Check (& WWWW)

Tap, tap, tap - is this thing on?
I haven't heard much from any of you lately. As such, I haven't been real motivated to post as often. (For me, it's all about the attention.) Just kidding (kinda), I will continue to post so I have some place to vent from time to time and a place to put and find all the amazing and fun links I discover.
I do know that SOME of you are actually reading my current posts. Though, I see that the majority of my traffic is directed to a post I did several months ago.
Whatever.

It's "Wild, Wild Web Wednesday" and I'll move on to that - it's more encouraging.

• Here's what it would look like if advertisements were truthful. (Caution - some adult language and references.)
  
• Sleep safe tape lets you sneak in a sleep without getting in trouble.
  
• Check out this cool tool that gives you movie, book, and music recommendations based on and related to what you like. It is not completely accurate and I question how some are similar, but overall does a great job. It's called Taste Kid.
  
• Shame on this guy and OUCH!!
  
• If you love Harry Potter like I do, you'll get a kick out of these Harry Potter-related license plates.

On an even more personal preference:
MICKEY MOUSE IS 80 - and still more dashing than any other "older" actor I can recall, Check out this sideshow tribute to him and his creator. Happy Birthday Mickey!!!

I will note that with my absence has also come more crafting. I've really been into collage lately and collecting ephemera for such. Fun Fun!!

That's all for now. Please let me know if you stopped by. I wanna know!!

A Crafty Obsession Switch (and WWWW)

Whoa. . .two posts in two days - Believe it!!
I just have to brag, I got my craft-on again yesterday. I worked mostly on on the Halloween piece but also worked some on a few other projects. I think I've switched gears again and my new crafty obsession is collage (again). Right now, I'm carrying around a craft bag full of colored pencils, pastels, watercolors, watercolor pencils, acrylic paint, various papers (from old books, newspapers, copy paper, cardstock, tissue paper, etc.), magazines, scissors, sharpies, and glue sticks. Of course, there are probably also some shrink plastic squares somewhere in the bag's depths in case I change gears.

Hopefully, I will complete the Halloween piece tomorrow so it will be ready for the big day.
For now, it's "Wild, Wild Web Wednesday" So enjoy:

• Check out this blog that challenges bloggers to draw themselves as teenagers. There are over 500 links to bloggers who took the challenge. It is kinda old (started in April), but people are STILL posting pics there. Since I can't draw I will NOT be contributing, but I've have had fun looking at the others. Here's one example of one of the early ones.
• So true!!
• I find this photoblog of elders with style, called Advanced Style, really interesting. I only hope that I'll have developed my own style by the time I'm the age of some of these individuals. That's one of those things I still struggle with.
  
• Holy Cow, if I didn't already have plenty of reasons for wanting to get pregnant. Now there's an iPhone pregnancy application, Expecting, to walk women through the 9 months. Geez, a geek pregnancy would rock!
  

And now for some Halloween links:

• How creepy is this body in a bag costume?
• As if I haven't already shared enough pumpkin carvings, here are some geeky pumpkins.
  
• If you have any reason to want to make fake snot and didn't know how. This tutorial will help ya out!

I guess that will do if for today. Maybe you'll see me tomorrow. We'll see.

My Week Thus Far (and WWWW)

I don't really have much to say today. It's been a slow couple of days.

Monday night was spent with my nieces - homework, dinner, some crafting, and baths. I had promised that after homework, we could do a craft. Fortunately, I still had some items in my car from helping them make cards last week. Included in that stuff was a few sheets of Ruff-n-Ready Shrinky Dinks and my big box of colored pencils. Unfortunately, I didn't have a hole puncher. So, the didn't get to make pendants. Instead, I cut one sheet into four pieces and let them draw and color whatever they wanted before we shrunk them. I told them that I would bring some magnets over the next time I came and they could turn their creations into refrigerator magnets. I still have one more sheet of it in my car and will try to go ahead and put a hole puncher and some ribbon in there so they can make pendants next time too.

Last night, the LOML* and I ate dinner and watched a little tv before he had to get back to work. He's trying to finish this project so he can move on to another. He's really ready to be done with this one and is pushing to get it completed. It stresses him out so, and I can't stand to see him like that. He's usually sooooooooo laid back. I'm the one who supposed to worry and stress. He's supposed to be the calm one. While he worked, I went in the craft room for a bit and worked on my shrink plastic pendants. Of course, I had been doodling on some blank pieces while dinner cooked as well. I think my current crafty obsession is shrink plastic again. In fact, I have some with me at work.

Tonight, I'm meeting a good friend and some of her co-workers for dinner and then going to see "The House Bunny." I know it's supposed to be kinda silly, but I think I need that. I'm looking forward to it.

I guess I had more to say than I thought. Y'all said you wanted to hear more about my everyday life in the poll from last month. Are you still sure it's that interesting??

I better get on to the fun stuff since it is "Wild, Wild Web Wednesday"

• Lindsey Lohan's Gay and getting married to her girlfriend? I don't really follow the celebrity gossip, but I tend to have somewhat of a clue. This TOTALLY surprised me.
  
• Try this tv theme song quiz. I thought it would be a breeze for me and it was harder than I thought.
  
• I guess I never really thought about the similarities between Harry Potter and Star Wars. But, it totally makes sense.
  
• How long could you survive chained to a bunk bed with a velocoraptor? Take the quiz to find out. Me? 47 seconds.
• I've posted a link to some bad domain names before, but here's whole new list of them.

Hopefully, I've healed the numbness you experienced in reading about the first half of my week with these links. Happy Hump Day!

Crafty Update - Tags

I quickly want to do an update on the crafty front. I'm trying to make sure I blog about my crafts - this IS the CraftyHope blog. I really want to make my crafts more of a priority on this blog and in my life. Geez, I dunno if some of the people in my life will be able to handle more crafts in my life.

So, I've switched crafty obsessions again and am currently making paper flowers. I may go into my process at another time but not right now. It's a craft of my own invention, and I have not perfected it yet.

I've also continued to work on the dyeing tags I mentioned a few weeks ago. They are not completely done but ready enough to share. I want to give credit where credit is due. This was not completely my idea. Originally, I saw these security envelope tags and thought that was a great use for the security envelopes I had been saving. THEN, I saw a post about using easter egg dye to color items other than eggs. She credited another crafter with the egg dye inspiration. I kinda just put it all together.This is the front of the tags (to write on, preferably with a Sharpie)

This is the back of the tags. It's just some pretty cardstock/scrapbook paper that I punched out and glued to the back of the tags for stability.

I dyed some string (see above photo) also that I will use on the tags. I'm still in the gluing and drying process as I just finished dyeing the other day. I dyed just about everything I could get my hands on.

Note: I kept the dye in yogurt containers with lids. This kept well for a few days so I could take breaks and go to work. But after a week or so, a few of the dye colors began to fade.

Hopefully I will finish these soon, but (like I said) I'm obsessed with paper flowers right now.

On another crafty note, I think I've mentioned it before - I constantly carry a 'craft bag' with me to soothe immediate crafting urges. In my craft bag today: sharpies, clear shrink plastic, travel watercolors, sketch book, tags to be glued, string for tags, small hole punch, glue stick, brayer, and a clipboard (as always).

Alright, I may post more tag pictures when I actually get them done. For now, I need to get back to work. I just wanted to remind everyone why I am Crafty Hope. I hope this helped.
Toodles!!

Wild Wild Web Wednesday (and a few personal notes)

Yay! It's "Wild Wild Web Wednesday"!!!Let's get to it!

• Try Questionaut! It's a cool, beautiful little question game. Really, the graphics are gorgeous and the questions are fairly easy (at least the part I was able to try.)
• If you just don't have the time to read like you used to, here's a collection of stories that are only one sentence long. REALLY! It's actually a writing exercise and anyone can submit their story, as long as it's only ONE sentence.
• Check out this photoshop contest where entrants had to place modern products in vintage ads. The results are fun to view and quite ingenious.
• How would you like your own personal microwave to take everywhere you go? Craving hot pockets? No problem. Jonesing for some easy mac? It's in the bag.
  
• Jonesing for some Meth? Stop first, and check out these faces of meth. They're before and after mug shots of the toll meth takes on its users. It's definitely enough to make you stay away from the stuff. Ugh!!!

A few personal notes:
1. My crafty obsession has switched (again). On Monday night, I was rolling out felt balls until dinner was ready. Last night, I started dyeing items. I'll get into exactly WHAT and HOW in a later post (when I have pictures.)
2. LOML* is getting a promotion already!! He'll have to go out of town again in a few weeks for some training and general information gathering. I'm so proud of him!!

That's all for now!

*LOML=Love of My Life

Crafty Obsessions - Watercolors

Have I ever mentioned how eclectic of a crafter I am? If I haven't, here's fair warning. I tend to jump from one medium to another fairly rapidly. The majority of the time, my pursuits come back 'round to jewelry-making. However, there are those few-odd crafts that I just can't seem to tie-in to jewelry. I become almost obsessed with that medium. I now plan on alerting you all when these interests shift (which could be on a daily basis, you never know.) In any case, I have been doodling on shrink plastic for a few weeks (jewelry -related) and suddenly, last night I switched to watercolors. As a kid, I actually took a watercolor class. I remember nothing from it (other than it was at my eventual High School, in the biology building.) I bought a set of travel watercolors a few weeks ago and haven't really done anything with them. Last night, I got the fever. And today, during "thinking breaks", I've doodled and colored-in my doodles with watercolors. The flow of the paint has somehow ignited my flow of thoughts and I've been able to get some of the copy written that has had me stuck for a few days. CRAFTING sets my spirit free - or some such proclamation. Ah well, back to work.