Pretty Little Pot Holders

Hi guys!  One thing that never ceases to amaze me is how long I am willing to live with things that I hate in my home.  Some things are too expensive to tackle right now, so I have had to make peace with those for the time being.  I'm talking about the little things, though, like hot pads. They are not super expensive to replace.  Nor are they hard to make, and yet I have continued to use the same old, stained hot pads that I have used for the past . . . LOT of years.  The ones that don't match my current decor {not sure if they ever did match any decor, ever}, have burn marks from that time I got a little too close to the heating element, and are starting to unravel in one corner.  Sure, we've had a lot of dinner making, treat baking adventures together, those hot pads and I, but I'm not emotionally attached to them.  It was time for them to hit the road!  Then I found the perfect fabric the other day -- it had all the colors I want to bring into the room in a pretty floral pattern -- and it gave me the push I needed.  To make new pot holders.  Yes, this is my life . . .

Craft Fail Book Review

Hi guys!  Did I ever tell you about that one time one of my ideas was almost in a book?  

No?  Well it's true.  My chore chart printable was in the running to be included in the new book, Craft Fail, by Heather Mann.  Can you believe that?! It didn't make the cut, but that will forever be this little blog's nearest claim to fame.  You've all seen the Craft Fail website, right?  It's a hilarious showcase of gorgeous things people saw online {usually on Pinterest} and tried -- with varying degrees of success -- to re-create themselves.  Heather's cool sense of humor and positive attitude keep the vibe uplifting and fun, rather than snarky and mean.

My little chore chart was supposed to be the inspiration project for someone else's funny interpretation, but I've had my share of REAL craft fails in my day.  You know what I'm talking about, right?  The beautiful "whatever-it-is" you see on Pinterest and try to recreate without reading the instructions all the way through . . .or at all.  The intricate braided hairstyle . . . or bow on a package . . . or baking technique . . . or whatever.  That skill that took the person who posted it years to perfect, and yet we all think will be so simple to teach ourselves in an afternoon.  Craft Fail celebrates that can-do, or at least can-try, attitude!

The best thing about Craft Fail is that it is "a celebration of the creative process", as Heather describes it in the introduction.  As a full-blown perfectionist, I can relate to the desire to do only what I'm good at and steer clear of things that might make me look like -- Heaven forbid! -- I don't know what I'm doing.  I can't tell you how many projects I have attempted that have not made it onto the pages of this blog.  I fail at least as often as I succeed!  

Craft Fail is like a little self-help book for me, giving me permission to just try things. And then laugh at myself when I'm not great at them.  Because we can't all be great at everything all of the time.  We can't!  In the online world of crafting, it's easy to get overwhelmed looking at hundreds of blogs with their beautiful "glamour shots" of finished projects every day. It's easy to feel like you are drowning in everybody's social media perfection.   Craft Fail is a nice reminder to laugh at yourself and never stop trying something new.  

Happy Crafting, friends!

Amy

 

I was given a copy of Heather Mann's book, Craft Fail, from Workman Publishing to read and review.  All opinions expressed are 100% my own.

DIY Fabric Scrap Garland on Craftaholics Anonymous

Hi guys!  Are any of y'all fabric scrap hoarders like me?  When I but pretty fabric for a project it pains me to no end to throw the little leftover pieces away -- especially knowing how many cool things there are that can be made with them.  I spent my Fall Break a couple of weeks ago painting the interior of my living room, dining room, and kitchen white.  I LOVE IT, but now I feel an urge to bring in some color via accessories bright, fun accessories.  I'm super glad I have all my scrap stash now!  Head on over to Craftaholics Anonymous to see how I made this cute garland for my chalkboard.  Coming soon: a new chalkboard design with a {free!} printable version for those of you who prefer to print instead of draw.

Have a great day, friends!

Amy

Halloween Food Art with California Ripe Olives

Hi, guys!!  How many of you are busy getting ready for Halloween this week? We are scrambling to put finishing touches on costumes and come up with some freaky-fun food treats for Halloween get-togethers and office pot lucks this week. I took one of our family favorite dishes and gave it a "spookified" makeover for the occasion -- Spooky Seven-Layer Dip!  Seven-Layer Dip is super easy to make and, with minimal effort, you can give it a fun Halloween twist.

Free Halloween Spell Book Printable

Hi guys!  I am so excited to finally be pulling out my Halloween decorations.  This is my favorite time of year! I was born in October so Halloween has always felt like “my” holiday.  I don’t do creepy or gory, though.  We’re more a vintage-y fun Halloween kinda’ family.  This year I decided to make an old, worn spell book with the cutest winking witch on it to add to my other decor so I picked up an old book at the thrift store and gave it a little makeover.  It came together really quickly and I am loving how cute it turned out!