What's On My Work Table? Wednesday: More "Hobbes" Tigers

I had no idea, when I made that "Hobbes" tiger doll for my friends' son for Christmas, that it would be so popular!  I've recently received at least 3 requests from people who came across my blog while searching for a Hobbes plush. 

I've been pretty busy lately with preparing for shows, plus just keeping up with real life, church, friends, family, spending time with my husband, and maintaining order in my house, and I do this whole craft/Etsy thing part-time.  The "woodland creature" style (as I call it) has been pretty popular, but it is time consuming, since they require more hand-stitching than my typical monsters.  The heads and arms have to be hand-stitched on.  These tiger dolls especially take a lot of extra work, due to the stripes.  Most of the stripes can be machine sewn, but the stripes on the head have to be hand-stitched, since they wrap around the seams of the head (I forgot to put my hand brace on while sewing and now my wrist is killing me!...Oh the hazards of a crafter!)  

I finally got around to finishing one of the requested "Hobbes" dolls last night.  One down, 2 to go! But I have some other custom requests to do first that are ahead of the "Hobbes" requests in my queue.  Luckily the other two Hobbes don't have to be finished until October.  Oddly enough, both requests are intended as a gift for someone who is having a baby in November. (one guy says his wife is having a baby in November, the other guy says he has a close friend having a baby in November) Strange coincidence?...or will both tigers end up being for the same person?  That would be pretty funny.

My 30th Birthday Bash!

 I had a wonderful time at my party on Saturday.  I loved having my friends and family all together.  It made me feel incredibly loved and blessed.  I didn't want  the day to end!

CJ helping put up the decorations.  We got the strings of little blue paper lantern lights at Target.  They were on clearance for $5 a string...so we bought the rest that they had (which was 8 strings).  Mom and I made the tissue paper pom-pom flowers.

My festive back yard!

Blowing out my candles! (No...there were not 30 of them!)

 Everyone just relaxing.

 Mom brought photo albums with all my childhood photos for my friends to look at.

 

Our little family (minus Terra...who was inside)

My friend, Julie, and her adorable daughter, Mollie (with husband/daddy Tim in the background).  I thought they weren't coming, so I was pleasantly surprised when they showed up! (there was some Facebook event RSVP confusion I guess).  Mollie is the sweetest little girl ever!  Most toddlers are really shy around people they don't know very well, but Mollie was so friendly and lovable with everyone! I've only met her once before almost a year ago, and she had no problem coming up to me and giving me a hug!

Tim & Mollie

Alan and Dad hanging out.  Alan and I went to high school together and were in the church youth group together...as well as youth counselors when we graduated.  He was my best guy friend.  It meant a lot to me that he came on Saturday!

Kids (and Rachel) playing the classic "keep-the-balloon-off-the-ground" game! 

30 and still jumpin'! (in a dress!)

 My friends' kids had a lot of fun playing with glowsticks!  I was blowing up balloons and putting the glowsticks in them to make them glow, but it wasn't quite dark enough to see them (and by the time it was dark enough, most of the kids had gone home to bed).  But they all had fun with them all the same!

The party winding down... only Alan, Sheila, my parents, and Grandma were left at the very end of the night, and they helped us clean up.

Thanks to my friend Sheila for taking some cool pictures with my camera as I was too busy having fun with my many friends!

 My family and I being silly and playing with the streamers, pretending it was a May Pole (or a "June Pole"?) as we started taking down the decorations. (it was supposedly going to thunderstorm the next day, so we wanted to get everything torn down that night.  It never did thunderstorm the next day.)

It was a good day.

Instagram Sunday: Boxes of Neckties Birthday Present

So...what did my mom give me for my birthday?...

Two photo boxes full of neckties.

My reaction?...

I was thrilled!

Oddly enough, it was one of my favorite birthday gifts!  I can't wait to start making these ties into things!

Not only did Mom give me the ties (which were given to her by a co-worker), she gave me an idea for a craft to do with them!...mini purses for cell phones, mp3 players, or cameras.  She saw the idea on Pinterest.  Mom and craft show customers have suggested before that I make small, cell phone purses that look like monsters.  And these ties will be perfect!  I look forward to crafting with them!

(The funny thing is that ties that would typically be considered hideous as ties will make the best purses!)

"30 and Beyond" Guest Book!

Okay...you know how a while ago I wrote a post about wanting to have a guest book for my 30th birthday party? (which is tomorrow!)  Mom gave me a half-size sketch book to use for it and I decorated the cover last night.  I spent the last few hours of my birthday having fun crafting!  Couldn't ask for a better end to the day! ;)

 Fold over the top and bottom

 Cut  the corners at approximately a 45 degree angle...

  ... and glue the flaps down.

 Then cut the side corners off at approximate 45 degree angles and glue down

I had written a little poem that I wanted to include on the inside cover...so I rubber stamped it on some kraft paper cardstock and glued it on with some paper button embellishments.

 30 and Beyond! ;)

I'm 30...

So...it's here.  The day that most women dread.  Goodbye 29.  As of 8:30 this morning, I am officially 30 years old.

I can't decide how to feel about it.  Part of me has dreaded it, but part of me embraces it.  Getting older is inevitable...why fight it, right?  (I'm not gonna do that thing some women do and say I'm just "turning 29 again")
Although I don't "feel" 30.  And although I've technically been an adult for over a decade now, I don't feel like a "real" adult.  Most times, I actually still feel 18 (some people have told me I still look it too).  It may run in the family...this feeling of not feeling old.  My dad has been described as being a 15 year old stuck in a 59 year-old's body.  Luckily, I get my young looks from my mom. ;)

Here is a picture of my mom and my squishy-faced newborn self.
(my mom had posted this on Facebook, and one of her old friends thought Mom was me in the picture and that Mom had become a grandmother! LOL!  That made me laugh!  I guess I really do look like my mom!)

Part of why my blog posts have been so sparse lately is that in addition to recovering from craft shows and preparing for other craft shows, I've been preparing for a big birthday party I'm having at the house this Saturday.  So most of the celebrating and cake and whatnot will be happening Saturday instead of today. Today will be pretty low-key for me in terms of celebration.  I feel like I should be doing more since today is such a milestone.  My mom is coming over today after she gets out of work to help me get my house tidied up and prepare decorations for Saturday.  But I'm sure we will pop out to my favorite local cafe for a chai latte (with a shot of espresso).  And maybe get ice cream at the local ice cream shack later when my husband gets home. 

RNEST Monthly Team Challenge: June 2012 (Trends That Drive Me Crazy!)

Here's what I made for June's RNEST Team Challenge!...a "Vaguely Steampunk Nubbin"!

To vote for me, please go to the RNEST blog and cast your vote in the poll at the upper-right of the blog! (no registration required!  Just click and submit! Take a minute and vote...the poll closes tonight!)

The theme for June's Challenge is "Trends That Drive Me Crazy"!  The idea was to be about trend that have been seen all over Etsy and the craft blogosphere and have been done so much that it's almost cliche (see my post about bunting).  I personally have nothing against steampunk, but I know it annoys some people, and I thought it was a good trend to "Nubbin-ize"!

I don;t know a whole lot about steampunk.  I just know it combines a lot of Victorian-era style with sci-fi elements.  The wikipedia entry is pretty informative and interesting...

"Steampunk fashion has no set guidelines, but tends to synthesize modern styles influenced by the Victorian era. This may include gowns, corsets, petticoats and bustles; suits with vests, coats, top hats and spats; or military-inspired garments. Steampunk-influenced outfits are usually accented with several technological and period accessories: timepieces, parasols, flying/driving goggles, and ray guns. Modern accessories like cell phones or music players can be found in steampunk outfits, after being modified to give them the appearance of Victorian-made objects."  - Wikipedia

There are lots of gears and clockwork elements (hence the gear on the Nubbin's tummy in lieu of the heart), and stuff like handlebar moustaches, top hats, and old-style aviator goggles mentioned in the Wikipedia entry.  So I just combined some of those elements into a Nubbin!

This guy has actually been sold already!  I may just have to make some more.  Steampunk may be one of those "drive you crazy" trends, but there is a reason things become trends...there is a market for them because people like them!

Church Architecture Photos

I liked the architecture of the church I had the craft show at this weekend...

Pullman Memorial Alternative Craft Fair

RFabiano - Hand painted "book boxes"

Ipiccolilibri - Hand bound journals

BrightSideofTheMoon - Handmade hula hoops

 AppleJaxie - Printed clothing  

AniaJane - Hand embroidered accessories

FairyMagik - Art & Jewelry