hearts...and more hearts

This year, I had to urge to add some hearts to the little cottage for Valentine's Day.  I spotted these origami hearts when I was blog hopping a few weeks ago.  They are super easy and quick.  I made a bunch while watching TV over the next few days/weeks.  The other night, I was going to hang them up as garland, but changed my mind and taped them up on the wall in our kitchen.

Supplies:  an old Vogue magazine, glue stick, painters tape to stick them to the wall.  All items that I had at home, so basically free!

I made a few cards too.  These little hearts were too cute not to share.

Supplies:  cardstock, old Vogue magazine, glue stick, double sided tape, stamps, ink pad.  All found in my closet, so basically free! 

Happy Valentine's Day to you all!

"How precious is your steadfast love, O God!

The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings.

They feast on the abundance of your house,

and you give them drink from the river of your delights."

-Psalm 36:7-8

gifted

A dear friend of mine, who also loves to do crafty things, had a birthday last week.
I knew immediately what I wanted to give her.
It actually didn't take very long at all to finish and I love every minute of the making of it.
(a few episodes of Dr. Who and The West Wing)
Sorry for the yucky photo.
I realized I wanted to take a photo and it was already dark outside.
But you get the idea, right?

And before you begin to think that I am some amazing artist,
you can buy the embroidery pattern here.
I've been in awe of Lucky Jackson's 365 project for a while now.
If you have some time, go back through and see some of her gems.
Wow.  
In-spiring.

I never have gift boxes on hand, so I decided to use brown paper.
It's my go-to wrapping material.
So versatile.
This time, I just layed her present down, folded the paper over top of it and sewed around the whole thing with the sewing machine.
Then I punched holes along the edge and cut around the holes to make it look like lace.
Easy-peasy.
My love of present wrapping is a bit ridiculous.
It's my favorite.

drawn

I watched HP #7 Part 2 today.  Decided to be totally lazy and sit down and watch it, start to finish.  Mostly because it was a free rental on Amazon Instant and it was about to expire.  But second mostly....I've been wanting to watch it again after being disappointed by it the first time in the theater.  While it still wasn't my favorite one of the bunch (Order of the Phoenix is it for me, of the movies at least), it was a little better the second time.  Still not enough character developement.  So many small moments that were much better in my head or the emotions were conveyed differently than I would have done it. And still hated how they did the epilogue.  Oh, how I hated it!

Anyway....rambling in HP world, sorry......I jumped online to find this pin to post. 

(I have searched high and low for the source and can't fid it any where.  So sorry, amazing artist who drew this)

It has been stuck in my head since the moment I found it online.  Just loved the way it conveyed the whole tone of the epilogue that I loved (and not the one in the movie).

As I was looking around online, I found another amazing artist (Viria13 on deviantart [be warned: deviantart can be risque, so click with caution!]) with the most incredible work.  Seriously. I've been looking at her drawings all day.  I'm obsessed.... 

Harry and Ginny

The HP crew

The death of Fred

Harry and Ginny



 "Never Like This" Ginny, George (and Fred) (don't you just love how George looks kinda sad and happy at the same time)

Hermione, Harry and Ron

Oh, there are so many more, but I'll stop there.  If we're friends on Pinterest, I'm sure you are sick of all my HP pins from today, but I just couldn't help myself.  Her drawings captured me today.  Thank you, Viria.

I'm completely jealous of anyone who can draw like this.  To be able to get on to paper the worlds that are floating around in my head....that would be such a gift.  And to be able to draw them like this?  Wow.  I so, so wish I could. 

pretty, pretty

(source)

I haven't been able to get this quilt out of my head.
The colors are perfection.
No, really. 
The colors. 
The colors!
And then the chevron.
And don't get me started on the other side.

Thank you Pinterest for making me obsess over something I have no skill to create. 
Thank you.

cabled

(source)

I can tell that the cool fall weather is soaking into my very being. I'm suddenly attracted to every knitted and crocheted beauty I find.

(source)

I'm still resisting the cooler weather with every ounce of me, but the thought of warm cabled things does make it better.

(can't find original source)

Something warm to cuddle up with. Maybe even a granny square.

(source)

And wait until you see what my sister made me for my birthday earlier this year. It just about cool enough to pull it out. Exciting.

(source)

I'm still not entirely happy about you being here, Fall. But I guess I'll look for the silver lining and take the good with the cold.

comics and nail polish.

Disclaimer: This isn't my idea. I got it from a friend. And it's all over the internet right now.

Newspaper nail polish. I loved the look and decided to try it out with a little twist.

I used comic books instead of newspaper because, well, I love the illustrations, the font and the speech bubbles. This was an old Justice League comic that I had bought for a quarter at a thrift store.


Comic book nail polish. Easy as pie. Here's how:

1. Paint nails in a light color nail polish. 1 or 2 coats. I did one this time.

2. After nail polish is dry, submerge finger tips in rubbing alcohol or 10 seconds or so.

3. Cut comic book into small squares and put on nails. Press for 10 seconds.

4. Slowly peel off comic book paper, making sure not to mess up the nail polish.

5. Add top coat. Something clear and shiny.


Easy as pie. And super cute "t" double "o."


Over and out,

Cottage Girl

gifted with love

New craft.




I've seen felted soap for a long time, and have been wanting to give it a try.


A friend's birthday was a perfect excuse to make one up. I love giving hand made gifts. And thankfully, my friends seem to enjoy receiving them.



This is my friend, J (and her adorable family).



We've known each other since....um....let's see....my first summer here at camp...13 whole years ago. We go way back like spinal cords and car seats. I love her. We've been through some crazy stuff together. Crazy good and crazy bad. Through the midst of it, we've cried, laughed, talked, eaten good food, been wet, sandy, soapy/sandy, face painted, dunked in soda, chased, covered in mashed potatoes, laughed some more and just shared life together.

Today is her birthday. She's in my birthday club, which means we now share the same age.

I love you, J. I hope we share a backyard forever.

Tied on & off

Did you make a thousand friendship bracelets like I did when you were young? I thought that was the only purpose for embroidery thread. All those pretty colors just to make bracelets and anklets galore.

When I saw this pin, I decided it was time to make another one. And summer camp seems to be a perfect time to wear one, right? So I followed the link on the pin and made this one up in no time.

I don't leave mine on all the time though. I would smell like yucky river water if I did. So, this one just gets tied on and off. And I used this photo....

(which I just love for more reasons than it's Elena and the brothers Salvatore) for my color palate. Those dark, dreamy colors. I guess I could call it my Mystic Falls bracelet.

tiny pies

The moment I saw these little mini pies on Elsie's blog, I knew I had to try them out for myself. A birthday get-together on Monday was the perfect excuse.

They are super easy and quite tasty. I used cherry and blueberry instead of peach, but I think apple would be delish too. Or chocolate....everything is better with chocolate.


On the agenda for this weekend...

1. Church! I haven't been in 3 weeks because of work and then being gone 2 weekend in a row. I miss it. Miss it!

2. Flea Market. On a hunt for old, fun things. Flea markets are the bestest.

3. Finish up Vampire Diaries season 1 and then mourn the fact that I can't watch season 2 until it comes out on DVD. The CW...why do you hate posting your shows? It's really quite ridiculous.

4. Finish off my vintage outfit for the wedding I'm going to next weekend.

5. Sleep. It's been a crazy week, y'all. God is doing some crazy, crazy stuff at camp right now and we are just hanging on for dear life.

6. Spend a good long time in the Word. (see #5)

7. Share a super cool way that you can help 2 sweet orphans in China come home. You guys are gonna love this! Can't wait to share it with you.

8. Finally go through my NYC photos. And tell you about the trip.

9. Watch some more FNL season 5. The first episode already had me close to tears. I'm loving/dreading every moment of this last season. It's crazy, good, of course. Every season has been.

10. Enjoy this free weekend that feels like such a gift after the insanity of the last month.

What are you up to?

yarn above

Another handmade gift that's going home with its new owner tonight. Already planning one for myself. Super easy and so adorable.


Yarn is so easy to turn into a million different fun things. Definitely one of my favorite materials to craft with. And a perfect travel-craft. I did some of this gift on the beach trip last weekend.


ps...NYC was amazing. Ah-mazing.

made this

Made a new card I love this past week.
Been crocheting up a storm.

1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .

I made 4 in one week.
Just couldn't stop.
Still can't.
Already planning and getting ready to start #5.
The plan is to add on a few little pieces to make them pop.
But I'm completely lovin' this color combo.

Knitting Academy

It's Oscar night! Basically, that means I'm plopped on the couch for the entire night. I've been watching the Oscars forever. Always loved them, even though TV is more my thing. I asked my brother once if he would take me as his date to the Oscars if he ever went. His answer..."no way, I'm gonna take someone hot. Not my sister. Gross." I still laugh thinking about that. I miss him so much lately.

(source)

Yesterday, I ventured out to my local yarn store and loaded up on yarn for baby hats. I have so many friends and family (my sister is single handedly taking care of the grandkids situation in our family) pregnant (or just had a baby) that it's nearing the double digits. Yikes... Awards shows always make me want to knit something. Maybe because I can't just sit there for hours doing nothing. Maybe cause I feel like I have to be creative while watching artists. Who knows...

So, I'll be knitting and Oscar viewing tonight. And trying not to watch the end of Friday's Smallville another 15 times. (yes, really. it's despicable, I know.)


My name is Cottage Girl and I love the Oscars, knitting, Smallville, Chloe and Oliver happy endings, parenthesis, italics, my brother and babies that belong to my friends...especially my sister.

I made this

Tiny hair bows for a little kiddo's first birthday. Knitted up in some of my favorite yarns and fashioned with love.

If only my niece would keep things in her hair, I would make some for her too. Hear that, sis?

love notes

I love making Valentines. A perfect excuse to use hearts and red and pink and lots of other girly things that make me happy. And a perfect excuse to sit in my room crafting for a few hours.

This year, I decided to add a little candy to my Valentines. These were super easy. I just love the way they turned out.



The little treat bags are just wax paper zig-zag stitched on the sewing machine. I just folded it in half and stitched up the sides. Then I folded the top over and straight stitched it to a piece of cardstock. The wax paper held up really well considering how delicate it can be.

After the treats were stitched on, I used stamps and paint to add a little pop. The heart is an old Stampin' Up stamp I've had for 20 years, maybe? All the other were given away years ago, but this one was just the perfect heart, so I kept it. The mustache was just traced and cut out of a foam meat tray. It's a little tricky because isn't stuck to a wooden block, but still seems to work just fine. I like to use paint instead of ink pads because the colors are just more vibrant.

After the paint dried, I wrote the lyrics to the Beatles "All You Need Is Love," "Happy Valentine's Day" and my name in Sharpie pen.

I made about 14, I think. Only took me one disc of The Good Wife. Easy-peasy.


Side notes:

I realized that I have been threading my sewing machine incorrectly since I bought it. A HUGE revelation. After going back through and reading the instructions all over again, I put all the threads (top needle and bobbin) in their proper place. It didn't get tangled once. Sewing was a delight!

The Good Wife. It captured me from the first episode. So good! Now I have to wait for disc two via Netflix. Why, oh why don't they just put all TV shows on Instant? It drives me insane. But seriously, I'm starting to understand why TV critics have been recommending this one. It's not the same story every week, but has a continuing story line while the weekly cases are being solved. And who doesn't love Julianna Margulies from the Carol and Doug days?

Here are the Valentines I made last year.

make it

This has been fun month for creating and dreaming up fun new projects. Here's something I did for a friend's birthday earlier this month.

She's a fellow photographer. An amazing one. We both have Nikon's (yes!), which are great camera's, but have those not so pretty camera straps with the world "NIKON" in bright yellow all over them. A few years ago, I made a camera strap cover to go over mine. You know, doll it up a bit. My friend was so nice to say that she really liked it. Perfect gift idea!

I used some of my favorite fabrics and sewed up a few covers. I made little photo tags for them by cutting up some old UO/Anthro catalogs, drawing cameras on them with a Sharpie (patterns from Red Velvet Art embroidery sets were used as examples) and pinning the tags to the straps with safety pins.

Then I put them in a clear treat bag and made a paper topper with some old Love, Elsie paper I've been saving for years.


It's rather disgusting how much I enjoy wrapping things. I think it takes me just ask long to wrap my gifts as buy/make them. It's such a fun, creative challenge every time.

Make

Reverb10 + Make
What was the last thing you made? What materials did you use? Is there something you want to make, but you need to clear some time for it? (Author: Gretchen Rubin)




That's all you get for now. The rest are presents.

I am always in the middle of making something. I think I would go insane if I didn't. Creating is my stress relief. It's my sanity. I feel better and more alive when my room is covered in fabric/wool/yarn/paper/paint/glue/etc...

craft with the seasons

(source)

My knitting needles are starting to ever so slightly whisper to me "come and play!" They never look inviting until the weather starts to turn cooler, which for some reason it has here lately.

But I'm holding off for a month or two and sticking to my art journal until I can't take the cool days any more. There are too many fun summer crafty things to finish before they get packed up for the season.

Does anyone else do that? Craft with the seasons/weather?

ps...I'm in love with this sweater. Need to commission my sister, who is the knitting genius in the family, to make it for me. Or at least help me figure out how to make it...

washed up grass

Sometimes there are parts of you that just refuse to be quiet.
They are so deeply a piece of what makes you who you are.

Not just the way you look.
Your hair color.
Your height.
The curve of your nose and your lips.
Those are a part of you too, of course.

But traits of what build your personality.
What makes you laugh.
The thoughts you share only with your friends.
How you share your heart with those you love.
The words you write with.
The way you see the world through a viewfinder.
Those types of things.

Yesterday and today, I realized that a part of me had been missing.
Missing because I haven't really had time for it.
I tried to fit it in when I could,
but time is so precious right now
that this part was shoved quietly to the back of the line.

But thankfully, it wormed it's way to the front.
I sat on the beach yesterday,
watching over the kids,
making sure they weren't drowning
or fighting
or swearing at each other
or throwing rocks at the boats.
I looked down,
and there, washed up on the shore
were a few pieces of sea grass that had died.
I reached down and ran my fingers over them.
After playing with them for a few minutes,
not even thinking about it,
I braided them and turned them into a bracelet.
I wore it all day.
And then made another one today.

And I have to admit that
yesterday I felt a little better about life.
It felt a little more like...
life.
A life that I live and am a part of.

Ministry is very outward focused.
It MUST be.
It MUST be consumed with others for it to survive,
and for you to survive in it.
God can't use you if you are inward focused.
I'm 100% for that.

But I don't think that we are supposed to lose who we are.
I don't think that God wants us to become robots.
He created each of us uniquely.
He, himself, is a CREATOR.
He is the most creative being in the entire universe.
He MADE the universe.

So, I'm going to make sure that I take moments to be me.
I'm going to keep making headbands for the girls I love
because that's the way I can show them I do.
I'm going to make bracelets out of sea grass.
I'm going to write notes with markers
and fun paper and old books.
I'm going to do this thing that God has placed before me.
And not only do it,
but do it in a way that only I can.
Because Jesus loves ME.
The person I am.
The one He forgave and died for.
Yup, that one.
The one that makes bracelets out of washed up grass.

art journal

This art journal class that I'm taking has been so good for me. It's helping me explore my style, try new things, write down who I am at this moment in time, play with the piles of paper I have saved up and explore new ways of expressing myself.

It's kinda embarrassing to share your journal. All those thoughts you usually keep inside. But in some ways it's so free-ing to get it OUT.

Here are a few pages I've finished over the last few weeks....






And now, on to the craziest 10 weeks in my life each year. We start staff training on Wednesday after we host a picnic for 500 people tomorrow. Holiday, you say? Really? Not here. We don't believe in holidays during the months of warm weather.