Off I went, to the LA Fabric District

Hi there ~
I promise, this is not turning into sewing blog! But truth be told, I'm on a sewing kick right now and when I sink my teeth into a medium, I usually go crazy with it for a while. Confession : I'm obsessive that way, please don't judge me :)

It all started a few weeks ago when my daughter in law, Sheridan was visiting and she wanted to go the LA Fabric District and invited me along!

OHHHH! I had forgotten how fun that place is! If you like fabric, notions and bargains, of course :) Well I definitely do. I've had a love of textiles since I was a little girl but my sewing machine and serger had been sitting idle for some time while paper crafts had taken center stage. Love that paper too! Wish I had 4 hands and more hours in the day for craftin...I want to do it ALL, LOL!

Subsequently I didn't pick up much fabric for myself during that trip cause I wasn't sure what I wanted to sew. But I thoroughly enjoyed showing Sheridan around and seeing her love of fabric begin.

Then other day, I pulled out a knit stripe I did buy and whipped up a simple yoga chevron skirt that I posted last week. The obsession was on and I instantly knew I had to plan an encore trip to the district to get MORE FABRIC!

Here's how it went...but first let me mention if you're in the LA area and planning to go, checking out a shopping guide is essential before planning your trip! This place is a sea of wholesalers and retailers and you could easily get overwhelmed and worse yet, not get the best deal, if you don't know where to go. Here's a good one and I'll tell you where I went too.

FIRST STOP....The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising FIDM 919 South Grand Avenue. Not in the district,  but close to it.

Project Runway is filmed here, but for non contestants and students like myself, the place to go is their Scholarship Store. It's filled with discounted clothing, accessories, even wedding dresses. But the draw for me was the little room in the back with a wall of fabrics for $1 , $2 and $5 a yard. I picked 2 bag fulls of goodies here. Mostly knits and all $ 1 a yard ! YAY!

Once I was done at the fashion school, I just headed down 9th for a few blocks right into the district. 

NEXT STOP...Michael Levine Loft 900 block of Maple. It's across the street from the main store which is cool too, but the main store is not for bargain hunters. They do have a lot of stuff, it's like a Joann's on steroids,  including designer cottons, but I think the prices are better elsewhere.

I was on the hunt for knits and jerseys. BINGO the loft did not disappoint! Can you believe $ 2.50 a pound?!!  I filled another 2 bags here...luckily I parked directly above this store on their roof top parking lot. No frills here and the elevator is a bit scarey, but it's safe and convenient to drop off bags of heavy fabric in your trunk in between store stops. Please keep in mind thou, if you're a primadonna the district is not for the faint of heart. It can be crowded, unfamiliar and a bit grungy. But I love all that stuff,  after all I was born in New York so I'm originally a big city girl. I find the beat of a crazy downtown shopping hot stop fun, diverse and inspirational. Not the stuff you find at your everyday local suburban strip mall.

NEXT STOP...LUNCH! Have you ever had a BACON WRAPPED HOT DOG with grilled onions, peppers and guacamole salsa? Sounds crazy, I know...but trust me, it's de-lish!

NEXT STOP...probably my FAV store for knits and wovens is
ANGEL TEXTILES 850 S Maple. Yikes ! I forgot to take a picture, too busy picking out fabric. I bought ALOT here, everything is $2 a yard. I found a picture HERE from another blog I stalk frequently.

WOW! I don't think I've ever purchased this much fabric is one HAUL, but I have so many projects in mind and the prices were so good I couldn't resist. Plus the district is in LA and I live in San Diego, a bit of a drive.

Final TALLY 8 BIGS filled to the brim with knit fabrics! YAHOOIE!

OH BTW speaking of driving...very important. Use that navigator to help you get around town and monitor traffic. There are a lot of roads and ways to get around downtown but some flow faster than others. I never take Interstate 5 downtown, it's pretty much a parking lot. The 110 and 405 are much better bets and avoid traveling at peak times. Go early, get shopping and leave early or what would be an hour drive could turn into a nightmarish 3 to 4 hour drive!
 
OKAY FOLKS...time to fold and organize my stash and GET SEWING!

Stay tuned for my next project!...and If you'd like to see more pics of what the District looks like...sorry, I'm not to best at taking pictures, especially when I'm obsessing...check out this blog post. It also shares some fun hot spots to see spitting distance from the district. I'm already planning my next trip :)

Chevron Yoga Skirt

~ Hi there ~

Well HI YA peeps! I know, I've been gone for a while huh? But I promise for good reasons...

# 1...my lovely daughter in law Sheridan graduated from college..whoop! whoop!

# 2 ...My husband and I got to attend church with my son Jaime  (pictured above) as he was released from his church calling as 2nd counselor in a bishopric ( sort of a big deal if you're a mormon )

# 3...Got to hang out with these two cuties....

# 4 ...while my daughter and her husband (picture below)...

# 5...brought this little bundle into the world....

 

 Hello my new granddaughter....ABBEY NINA STEVENSON... YAY for grandkids and HAPPY FAMILY occasions !!!

NEEDLESS to say...I had a GREAT TIME and I'm super HAPPY MOM and GRANDMA ...

Nothing like a BIT O' JOY to get your CREATIVE juices flowing. So immediately after getting  home from my trip. I whipped out the sewing machine and decided to make this...

HELLO comfy, stretchy and cool CHEVRON YOGA SKIRT !

  OH YES, and meet my new SIDE KICK....her name is Ethel! She's my new best friend sewing buddy!

Want to make a CHEVRON YOGA SKIRT for yourself?  Check out these two super awesome blogger tutorials...HERE and HERE 

The tuts are for maxi skirts, but I didn't have quite enough material so I just adjusted the length and didn't make mine so full. I am in LOVE...I think I'll make a million is every color! Sounds like a encore trip to the LA fabric district is in the cards for me :)

IT'S HERE !!!

~ Hi There ~
The UPS made a super happy DELIVERY last week...can you guess what it was?

My NEW SILHOUETTE CAMEO !!!     YAHOOIE!!!

I SQUEALED and TWIRLED around the room like a school girl when I saw it! WEEEEE!!!!

I did have to wait a bit to get it though , 2 weeks to be exact for it to arrive. I had taken advantage of the Oh My Crafts 25% off coupon that was offered not too long ago, even though I had there was some kind of BRU HA HA associated with the coupon, some error had occurred and therefore Oh My Crafts was delaying delivery. I really didn't know what the facts were BUT since I've always had excellent customer service from Oh My Crafts and they had sponsored my blog at times before. I decided the wait was worth it and OH YEAH the savings...25% OFF was a smoking deal ! I'm a sucker for a bargain :)

With in minutes of opening the box and downloading the software, I was cutting my first shapes! WHOOP WHOOP !!!

Just like everyone told me...the cuts turned out GREAT! But oops, I forgot to take a picture of my finished cut. I wound up playing around with some rolled flower shapes, it was fun! I used my $10 FREE SHAPES CARD which was included, to download some fun shapes too.

I'M SO EXCITED for all this machine has to offer. OF COURSE, the down side is, there is always a learning curve when acquiring a new, especially electronic toy, BUT I'm just going to set some time aside and learn, learn, learn, play, play, play :)

If you guys know of any resources that might be helpful to me in learning the Silhouette...by all means...give me a shout out ! I've already been poking around and found THIS site and THIS You tube channel for tutorials, shapes and tips!

Thanks so much to everyone that has shared the excitement with me as I transition from Cricut girl to a Cameo girl :)

On a sadder note...I just wanted to say,  love and prayers go out to all those that have been effected by the awful tradegy in Aurora Colorado this past weekend. I was horrified and deeply saddened as I watched the events unravel.
May God bless and protect us all and let's remember...even in the very face of evil...GOOD does prevail.

SU # 5 and Summer Memories

~ Hi there ~
The anniversary getaway was AWESOME! It was so much fun to explore the central California coast! It's like going back in time when the California landscape was undisturbed and natural. The seaside towns of Morro Bay, San Simeon and Cambria were charming and offered yummy food and lots of natural beauty eye candy. Hearts Castle was amazing and the coast line was spectacular! I love that there wasn't one big box store or chain restaurant to be found!

Arriving at Hearts Castle

Ginormous Grecian style pool where legends swam like Charlie Chaplin, 

Clark Cable and Greta Garbo. 

Elephant Seals at San Simeon

 After a yummy breakfast at the quirky Madonna Inn - gotta love those self snapped arm length FaceBook shots!

OH...all good things must come to an end, but the happy memories linger. I'm so grateful I had this special time with the hubby :)

Which brings me to my next card. Doesn't this remind you of those CARE FREE SUMMERS as a kid?! Once again, I'll add the sentiment later depending on who the lucky recipient and occasion are. Check out my previous posts to see the other Stampin Up Party making cards I posted.

And stay tuned for MORE!!! Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Summer and SU series # 4

Hi there ~
Well, so far this summer has certainly been filled with SUN and FAMILY FUN! Just finished visiting with my son and his wife and spending a whole lotta time in, on and by the water...I have the best tan! And I got the BEST news! They are EXPECTING! That's grandbaby # 4 on it's way! YAHOOIE!!! I AM THRILLED!!!!

Now it's off to celebrate probably the BEST decision I've ever made! Marrying my DEAR HUSBAND 29 years ago! We're heading up the coast to explore Cambia, San Luis Obispo and Moro Bay...they say it's beautiful!

While I'm gone...HERE is another installment of my Stampin Up Card Party projects. You'll notice that some of them don't have sentiments stamped on them yet. When I make a lot of cards all at once, it's my preference to do it that way, then depending on the need and the occasion, I can add an appropriate sentiment later - clever, huh ? :)

 I'll be using this one to give to my DH on our ANNIVERSARY in a couple of days! I love HEARTS and I'm always looking for ways to use them other than valentine's day.
Thanks again for my sweet friends TINA and PAM, the gals that host these AWESOME card making parties! If you're interested in ordering any Stamp Up stuff, check our their blogs, they both can hook you up! Mention that I sent you :)
 Okay...off to finish getting ready for my trip!

Happy 4th 2012 - SU Series # 3

~ Hi There Everyone ~
For all you USA'ers...HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!!!!

I figured this year I would make a differentiation since we all know the BLOG and CRAFT world is MULTINATIONAL.  I think my friends to the north {Canada} just celebrated their Independence Day, AY?

Well, from wherever you are in this great GLOBE...I do hope you enjoy FREEDOM there, like I do in this AMAZING NATION of THE UNITED STATES :)...HAPPY FREEDOM DAY!

And SO IMPORTANT.. I want to THANK all the EXTRAORDINARY military men and women and their HERO families for the SACRIFICE they make everyday on my behalf to keep me safe! THANK YOU!

Now onto the cards! As you can see, I'm quite the PATRIOT and so proud of my CUBAN AMERICAN HERITAGE.... { both my parents and in laws left communist Cuban to be blessed with liberty in the USA}...I don't often send out July 4th cards... BUT I do love RED, WHITE and  BLUE.

So here's my PATRIOTIC INSPIRED CARDS that I actually WON at one of the fun stamping parties I attend. My friend TINA actually made these - she is super talented! She used the fun TYPEWRITER stamp from Stampin up. I have an awesome set!

Have you checked out the super CUTE Patriotic Stamp Sets Robyn from My Pink Stamper has available! One set is brand new and has images!

Typo - Stampin Up Series # 2

~ Hi there ~
I love this little retro inspired card using Stampin Products. I made this card a while back at one of the STAMP A STACKS parties I attend! What's a Stamp a Stack ? I explain it all in  My Last Post.

The sentiment is the best part ...it's interchangeable ! Gotta love versatility.

 If you're interested in purchasing Stampin Up products...let me know and I can hook you up! Just private facebook me HERE or use the contact me form HERE. They just came out with a whole new catalog and you can view it HERE. My wish list is HUGE!

Stampin Up Series

~ Hi there ~
More changes...and here they come! Most of you probably don't know that I attend a monthly {sometimes bi-monthly} Stampin Up party called a "STAMP A STACK". This is where our crafty friends get together at out local Stampin Up demonstrator's house and create 10 FUN CARD designs. She supplies everything we need and we just show up and start crafting. It's SO much FUN! and talk about relaxing!

The basic card designs are demonstrated but we can then alter and change up our card however we like. Which I usually do a bit, just for fun and to make my cards my own.

I've never posted any of these cards before and I have a TON to show you! Hope you enjoy them!

By the way, if you like any of the elements used in these cards, they can be purchased from Stampin Up and I can hook you up, if you want to order. Just send me a private message HERE or send me a private message on Facebook HERE

This little ditty is the card I gave to my dear HUBBY for FATHER'S DAY! He loves the ocean and loves to sail.

The Deed Is Done, hellooo CAMEO

 ~ Hi there ~

It is now OFFICIAL. I packed up MISS CRICUT and all her friends, went to the UPS store yesterday afternoon and she is ON HER WAY to her new home ! I can't believe all this is happening SO FAST!

I have to ADMIT, this whole process has made me GIDDY!  The excitement I feel in my craft room is ELECTRIC! Who knew making this change would provide such a JOLT in my crafting mojo! I've been looking around at what still remains at the YHMAC headquarters, which incidentally is still alot. And I've rediscovered all my "CUTE as a BUTTON" stamps, my NEW image stamps from My Pink Stamper, my water color pencils, markers, my fabric, sewing machine, serger, ribbons, embellishments and on and on and I feel like I'm shopping in my own private Hobby Lobby!

Can't wait to start posting projects I've already made!

And not to MENTION the ARRIVAL of what is sure to be the next PRINCESS in my craftroom...MY NEW SILHOUETTE CAMEO!!!!

I ordered her yesterday from OH MY CRAFTS and they had a TERRIFIC coupon deal for 25% OFF. I was thrilled to only pay $217 TOTAL including shipping! Normally the thing goes for $269.99, and I was totally prepared to pay that :) But how much sweeter is it when you get a deal :)

I'll keep you posted on her arrival and MAIDEN cutting ceremony!

Epic ?

~ Hi there friends ~

Well did I ever have a busy afternoon YESTERDAY with my announcement that I was SELLING my beloved CRICUT EXPRESSION along with all my PROVO CRAFT products. HA, you would have thought I had made an EPIC announcement that I was pregnant or something, LOL! {which actually would have been epic since I'm way past my child bearing years}

But seriously, THANKS SO MUCH for everyone's support, advice and interest in my ...shall we call it...MID CRAFT CRISIS ???

Truth be told, I had been thinking about making this kind of move for a while. And since I had been MIA from my craft room with travel, family visitations, and well... just lack of crafting mojo. I decided it was time to SHAKE things up and make a change.

Thanks to the overwhelming response, I sold my BUNDLE within hours of posting my intent to do so. And I do apologize for those that missed out. I had to go with the only fair thing and sell it "first come, first serve". It was a SMOKING DEAL at $ 250 for EVERYTHING plus shipping. I'm so excited to pass the torch.

BUT NOW WHAT ?!  Shall Alex go on with no cutting machine ???!!!! HEAVEN'S NO !!!

SO I NEED YA'LL's HELP ! Which CUTTER do I buy ???

I've done some research and I think I am going with the Silhouette CAMEO, but want your guys input! I KNOW you guys have an opinion on this...so SHOOT AWAY those COMMENTS!

Here's one of the many videos I found on the CAMEO.

It's kind of hysterical though.... the music sounds like the theme from the BORN IDENTITY, LOL!!! Maybe I'm going to become a papercrafting ASSASSIN, hahahaha...OKAY, I'm having too much FUN with this !!!



BUT DO stayed tuned! If you've followed my BLOG or YOU TUBE channel lately. You know I've mentioned there are MORE EXCITING CHANGES coming at the YHMAC HEADQUARTERS. This is just the tip of the iceburg :)

OKAY ! NOW SHOOT AWAY THOSE OPINIONS! (comments)

FOR SALE

SINCE POSTING THIS ....IT IS NOW SOLD. 

Thank you for your interest!

~ Hi there  ~

Well...after much thought and a few pre- FAREWELL tears, I've decided to SELL my CRICUT EXPRESSION and ALL my accessories, even my CARTS! Oh dear, you would think I was selling my children's first home. I'm ridiculously emotional about the whole thing, LOL!

You see...MISS CRICUT has been like my SISTER, MY BEST CRAFTING FRIEND ! She'll drop everything at a moments notice to come and craft with me. She listens, she inspires me with ideas...I will miss her DEARLY. But alas, I CANNOT be selfish...it's time to SHARE her with a fellow crafting friend.

 So... if you are so inclined to take MISS CRICUT and all her CRICUT friends and welcome her into your craft room...here are the DEETS...

I am selling EVERYTHING as a BUNDLE...what is listed is what is included...ALL in EXCELLENT condition

25 CRICUT CARTRIDGES...

Accents Essential
Baby Steps                                                     
Birthday Bash
Car's (Disney)
Create A Critter
Cuttin Up
Doodle Charms
Elegant Edges
From My Kitchen
Forever Young 
Life's A Beach
New Arrivals
Nifty Fifites
Old West
Once Upon A Princess
Paper Doll Dress Up
Preserves
Plantin School Book                                    
Simply Charmed
Straight From The Nest
Stretch Your Imagination
Sweethearts
Sweet Treats
Twinkle Toes
Tie The Knot
 Twinkle Toes

*The GYSPY ( all carts above are linked - in excellent condition )

* CRICUT EXPRESSION - in excellent condition

* 42 ASSORTED COLORS CRI- KITS Gel PENS plus housing (never used)

* 5 CRICUT MARKERS ( never used)



I am selling ALL these items as a BUNDLE ONLY....please email me at thecondes@gmail.com if you are interested. 

Shipping extra to USA addresses only. Payment will be arranged thru PAY PAL.

Note: Perhaps I will consider selling the items individually, if I don't have any takers on the bundle.

FAREWELL...MISS CRICUT! 

I wish you the crafting best, I will miss you !!!

The Little Boat

~ Hi There ~

OH MY !!! It's been like a month since I've POSTED ! But there's a good reason for that, I PROMISE! My craft room has been lonely. Don't know, maybe I just lost my mojo temporarily, but there hasn't been much CRAFTING going on at the YHMAC headquarters....EXCEPT...everything changed yesterday, when I spent the day...and I do mean the ENTIRE DAY working on this gift for my sweet husband for Father's Day!

I know what you're thinking...#1 FATHER'S past already and # 2 Seriously Alex, any crafty GIRL can see that this was a simple vinyl cricut cut project, why would it take the entire day to make? WELL, you would be right on both counts, but's here's the SCOOP...

I originally wanted to cut out a STENCIL with my CRICUT using freezer paper and stencil PAINT the whole poem on muslim and then FRAME it.. WELL...after lots of trail and error, MOSTLY error, I had to SCRAP the whole idea and go with the vinyl. I'm really HAPPY with how it can out. I just wish I hadn't wasted all that time with the freezer paper idea.

ANYWAYS,  my husband was out of town on actual FATHER'S DAY, but comes home tonight. So I'll give it to him them :)

Too add to the history of the gift. My husband loves to sail and on June 14th we also celebrated 33 YEARS of having begun our courtship together in HIGH SCHOOL back in 1979, so the gift is also sort of romantic, to commemorate that too!

I know...you're feeling so warm and fuzzy right now...I am :) That's us back then...

 And HERE'S the finished masterpiece, LOL! I hope he likes it :)

New! News! News!

~ Hi there ~ 

 So excited to be writing this POST! I am just getting back from spending an awesome time with my daughter, her husband and my grandkids, and all this comes on the heals of my wonderful Florida trip which I told you about in my previous post! What a great month of May I've had! I'm still on cloud nine and so grateful for my family ties! 

And there's more FUN ahead! Remember I was telling you there would be some changes here at the YHMAC headquarters? 

Well here we go...TADA...What do you think of my new BLOG DESIGN? 

Seems like the trend in blogs these days is a clean, simple and uncluttered layouts and I finally decided to jump on the band wagon and change my look! 

I am LOVING it! 

I hope you'll find my posts easier to read, easier to navigate, easier to search, but most importantly easier to interact with me here and via Pinterest, Twitter, You Tube and Facebook. Thanks to my awesome blog designer Madeline of Shabby Vanity  for rocking my blog revamp!

NOW, have you heard the AMAZING NEWS from My Pink Stamper ?! Robyn has expanded her stamp line to include IMAGE STAMPS and EXCLUSIVE KITS !!! 

Here's all the EXCITING DEETS ...

 My Pink Stamper is pleased announce NEW IMAGE stamps sets available in EXCLUSIVE KITS and more IMAGE stamps available ala carte! 2 great ways to enjoy these super cute images! Here first release includes...

The Birthday Doodles Kit

This adorable KIT includes 6 ProMarkers, 24 sheets of Bazzil Cardstock, a 4 1/2 inch clear stamping block, and a My Pink Stamper Darkest Night Black Hybird Ink Pad! 

AND

Girlie Doodles Stamp Set 

This adorable new set is available ala carte. Where do you get these awesome sets, you ask?

 Available EXCLUSIVELY at Pumpkin Spice a wonderful company Robyn has partnered with! 

 SHOP PUMPKIN SPICE TODAY!

PROJECT SAMPLES and more information available at My Pink Stamper!

 

Surprise Party Success and A Winner

~ Hi there ~

I'm back from the MOST AMAZING trip with my family and my MOM'S 80th SURPRISE BIRTHDAY PARTY ! I cannot wipe the HAPPY grin off my face, I feel like the Joker in Batman with his permanent smile {a sane one ofcourse, lol} and shake the warm feeling I have inside since coming home and I hope it remains with me forever !

It would take me hours to describe the events that took place, it was one AMAZING ROLLER COASTER experience after another of fun, laughter, surprise, dancing, tears of happiness and reuniting with uncles, aunts and cousins I hadn't seen in years and even meeting family members I had never seen before that recently escaped from communist CUBA! 

But the icing on the cake was seeing my MOM'S FACE when she pulled up on the driveway of her house and saw a BIG TENT filled with family and friends that had come out to honor her...she was stunned and overjoyed!  She had no idea that we were doing this for her! 

I will be posting a video montage of the event as soon as I can organize the pictures my husband took, but in the meantime I'll share the slide show presentation I made for her that was shown at the party, if you want to take a peek. Can you pick me out of the pictures? I'll give you a hint...I'm the youngest of 4 children and I was born in 1965. 11 years after my closest sister. 

Hope you enjoyed the posts I pre scheduled while I was gone and the GIVEAWAY I did! I'm so happy to announce the winner of...

 My Pink Stamper's Fabulous Phrases Stamp Set

CONGRATS GOES TO....

Pynoblem said.... "I love how you made the paper look like wall paper!  It's beautiful.
pynoblem@yahoo.com 

YOU'VE GOT MAIL! 

Guilt Free Fredo? Yup!

~ Hi there ~

Had to share one of my new GO TO recipes since I've been on this healthy eating kick! I've lost 10 pounds and feel great! This recipe is GOLDEN and definitely hits the spot when you are craving a noodle dish and it's SO CREAMY! No need to down all that awful fat and calories from traditional fettucine!  Thanks HUNGRY GIRL for coming up with this winner recipe! And thanks noodle people for coming up with Shirataki Fettucine Noodles that only have 40 calories per pouch! Yes, you read that right!

I like to add veggies to mine like I've done here with broccoli and mushrooms. I've also tried adding tomatoes and spinach, both equally delish! You gotta try this! You'll find the recipe HERE.

Birthday Card Swap

~ Hi There ~

I'm almost embarrassed to admit it... BUT,  I've never been involved in CARD SWAP, until NOW of course! WOW, was I missing all the FUN!  The Pink Designers gals got together last month and decided we could all use more birthday cards in our stash, so BIRTHDAY THEMED cards was our assignment! We had a little over three weeks to make and send our 12 CARDS and envelopes to our gracious host. Thanks Helen for hosting :)

I had a BLAST making these! Lately I've been obsessed with DRESS FORMS, so this was the perfect opportunity for me to create something using this pretty shape as my inspirations! You like?...

 

Deets :

Dress Form and Layer cut @ 4 inches using the Nifty Fifties Cart

Shape and Shadow cut at 4.25 using the Elegant Edges Cart

Patterned Paper, Ribbon, Corner 1/4 Circle Punch, Bling, Inking and extra paper cut to size to frame the sentiment inside.

I used the BIRTHDAY CRAZY SET 

from MY PINK STAMPER

I can't WAIT to get the SWAP CARDS from the other designers!

BTW...as we speak I'm on my way to FLORIDA for my MOM'S BIG SURPRISE PARTY! She has no idea were are all flying in to surprise here! She's gonna FREAK...in a good way of course :)

Let's do a little CELEBRATING right here with a GIVEAWAY! Everyone's INVITED for a chance to win this...

•  Leave one comment on this post.

• Include a way to contact you if you win. 

I'll announce the winner when I get back from my trip in a few days!