In like a lion, out like a lion

Welcome to March in western New York!

Don't worry, I'm still alive!

Everything has just been so busy the last few months.

I took a three week course in January, so of course it was a crazy amount of work squashed into a teeny tiny time frame. And then the semester started, which has been a load of work on and off. But there's always something else I can work on, so blogging has sadly taken an extremely back seat.

The good news is that we're nearing the end of March! Half of the semester is over!

I have done a fair bit of scrapbooking (to keep me sane).

Unfortunately, my camera battery is 'exhausted', or so it says every time I try to charge it.

So until I buy a new one, those pages will just have to be secret!

I also finished all of my leaf coasters!

I cut up all that craft felt I had before I realized I would feel obligated to make them all...

25 is probably more coasters than any one person needs!

In other words, I'm sharing! 

They're ridiculously cute (Instagram doesn't do them justice) so if you want one or two or ten... they're yours! :) Sharing is caring!

See you all when my crazy homework nonsense is over!

(aka May)

Toasty coasty coasters

Here's the latest creative binge I've gone on: 

leaf coasters!

Last Saturday I ran out of scrapbooking pages and needed something to do all day. So I took a little browse through my Pinterest pages and found a leaf coaster I pinned at some point or another.

After spending three dollars at Joanns for the felt and drawing a quick sketch of a leaf coaster, I went to town. Literally, I did. I have twelve so far and twelve more to go. It's a little out of hand, but I figure they're cute enough for little gifts at some point!

And there you have it! Even my giant mug fits. Win. 

In the next couple days I'm hoping to get a little tutorial up...we'll see :)

Losing Steam

I started this in June. Don't ask me why I thought this would be a quick little project. For some reason I thought this would be a two, three day deal. Tops. 

Which is probably why I started it in the first place.

I hate sewing.

But I didn't want to just throw out every college t-shirt I've accumulated over the last four years. They're sort of fun. And full of memories. And the colors look good together.

So, in the spirit of why not, I decided to make a t-shirt quilt.

Probably I should have stopped when I pulled my mom's sewing machine out of the closet.

I cut up almost every Houghton t-shirt I've ever owned and sewed a couple together before I lost interest and put it all in a drawer. I found the pieces last week and decided that since I started this silly project, I should pay the price and finish it.

I finally finished putting all the squares together a couple nights ago. The corners are a little messy and there's no back yet, but it's getting there! This will teach me to start something I know I'll never have the motivation to finish :) I'm a little proud of it, though. And will never make a quilt again.

Moving Back

I actually had to unpack my car.

I can't remember the last time I came home and actually took everything out of my car. Usually I just get what I need when I need it. What's the point of taking it out if I don't actually need it over a break? Well. Now I'm going to need everything because I'm home again. Weird! 

Since it apparently takes a few days for my name to show up in the Starbucks system, I got the week off. It was nice. Crafting, cleaning, unpacking, sleeping... it's been a nice break. And I finished another bit of my junior year! I think there are still four or five spreads to go.. hah. I am so behind.

I really like my tree die cut, if you haven't noticed.

And! Oh, I am beyond excited about these! I finally, finally, finally got to finish my scrabble tile coasters! They turned out exactly how I was hoping they would. It is such a wonderful feeling when you've created something that turns out well.

AND (it's almost the end, I promise) I figured out how exactly I want the phone cozies. I made them a little bigger so they're not so snug, added a pocket on the back, and a flap that buttons inside so an iPod or phone (or whatever else you put inside) doesn't fall out. Excellent.

An End

Whenever break is about to end, I scramble around trying to complete sixty new projects before I leave and tie up loose ends on things I've never finished. So, even though last night I knew I had twenty-four hours before I had to take off, I started not one, but two new projects, sewed a couple more owls and made a card. Whew. Busy bee, me.

This I have been just dying to make ever since Christmas break. I bought the cork board, purchased the pins, found the pattern, developed the plan... and then I simply ran out of time. This is my very own stick-a-pin-where-you've-been map. I still need to create some kind of frame to make my map more epic and wonderful, but I'll save that for the summer. The rock jar is my other wonderful creation here. You might not agree, but I think it's wonderful. I've taken a rock from every big, awesome national park I've been to (or just big, awesome places in general) and put them in my mason jar. Yosemite, the Grand Canyon, Sunset Volcano, you name it. I can't wait to add this summer's trip to the jar! 

It's a little hard to see the pins in the first picture, but trust me, they're there.

I am obsessed with these owls. Eek! They are so adorable. Thank you, Etsy girl for inspiring me.

And finally, here's a little sneak peak at what my next project involves. I'm ridiculously excited about it. I told Mom about it months ago and she picked up a couple dollar Scrabble set for me to create with. Isn't she wonderful?

Well. Three more weeks of class, two exams, a wedding, and a week of commencement are all that separate me from graduation. It hasn't really set in yet. Maybe when it gets closer and I begin to have trouble focusing :) And then, two weeks later... grad school! That is just crazy. In an exciting sort of way.

Blue Skies

The sky is so incredibly blue today and the sun is deliciously warm from where I'm sitting on my couch. It's so deceitful, because it says to me, "come outside, its beautiful and warm out here!" And of course, it is beautiful, but it is in no way warm. So I'm going to continue sitting on my couch, still dressed in my Easter outfit, and wait until the time to leave for Grandma and Grandpa's house. 

This week was too short. I feel like I only squeezed in a third of what I wanted to get done, especially homework-wise. Isn't that how breaks always are though? I probably spent a little too much time crafting, which based on the amount I have to show for my time wasn't very much crafting time at all. In summary my week has been an absurd amount of real analysis homework (including my overnight stay at Roberts. How sad is that?), grad school orientation complete with getting lost at Buff State, the Hunger Games (!!!), more homework, and a slight bit of crafting to keep me sane for the rest of my semester. At the rate things progressed this week, I'm estimating another two weeks to finish everything I need to have done for Tuesday. Eesh!

And to catch you up to speed with my latest crafty adventures,

I love my butterfly. It's hard to tell from these pictures, but I distressed it to give it a softer look on the page.

This page isn't super exciting, but long overdue. We went to the baseball game at the beginning of last May... 

It's about time it was finished.

And THIS is the biggest accomplishment of my break. It's not the first one I made; the first was a little small and so much sloppier. I'm so proud of it, although I do admit I stole the idea from a pin I have on Pinterest. I've been dying to make one of these every since I saw it, but haven't had enough time until now. They wouldn't take very long to make except that I am just awful using a sewing machine. Mom and Nicole have both set it up for me. I basically just know how to push the petal down and turn it on. 

Click on the picture if you want to see it bigger :)

Eek! How cute is this!? I want to make a million. For every single person I know. It's the perfect size.