Stripes REVEALED

Hi there ~

Okay, here she is...my latest sewing project I promised to show you!

I am IN LOVE with this SKIRT and how she turned out. Not to mention how comfy she is to wear!

Check out my matching skills...pretty nifty eh ? :)

And so glad I gave using a TWIN NEEDLE a try. The finished look is so pro :)

Want to learn how to make one? Here's where I got all the info you need...
MISS MATCHED MAXI MINI TUT
and
Elle's Apparel MAXI TUT

Thanks to these FAB sewing blog gals, I have a skirt I want to wear everyday!!!

Okay...the truth and Stamp Up Series 6

Hi there ~

Yeah...so I'm on a sewing CRAZE right now! In the last two weeks, I've sewn 2 dresses, 4 skirts, 1 pre schooler hoodie, 1 toddler hoodie dress, an infant dress and a baby hat! I can hardly believe I just typed that let along sewed it! But I DID! ...and I am SO EXCITED to sew more projects!

What's my secret? Well 3 things...#1 JERSEY KNITS -don't know why I was so intimated by this awesome textile, it's so easy to work with ...  #2 SEWING BLOGS  and #3 PINTEREST...bet you're not surprised with # 3 :)

Here's a sneak peek of upcoming sewing posts...

But for all you PAPER CRAFT JUNKIES that began following my blog looking for card making inspiration...don't despair! I am still cutting, scoring, folding and embellishing my other favorite craft past time, PAPER !!!

Here's yet another card I made at one of those FUN Stampin Up Parties I go to...

Once again, I chose not to use a sentiment YET! Depends on the occasion and who I'll give it to, of course...since I started doing this, it has made my life SO MUCH easier when I need  to grab a card QUICK! I can pretty much chose any card in my portfolio, GRAB my large collection of sentiment stamps,  personalize it  and OFF I GO... LOVE  IT !!!

Not Scarey SPICE anymore

Hey there ~

Told you this wasn't turning into a sewing blog. Here's a new CAMEO project I worked on to organize my spice cabinet. I've had this idea filed away in my head for at least 6 months and finally got to it !!!

STEP ONE : Clean out your spice cabinet. EEK messy and hard to find things!

 CLEAN SLATE ! Clean and ready to start over!

STEP TWO : Get yourself a neat LAZY SUSAN (got mine at the Crate and Barrel Outlet)...

AND some small COOL but functional GLASS JARS. Also picked those up at the Crate and Barrel Outlet. Wash and dry them completely.

NEXT...GRAB a cute but simple DECORATIVE LABEL file from the Silhouette Online Store. Like this one...

NEXT STEP : Choose a LABEL, size it up and CUT it out on CHALK BOARD paper. I got mine from Pick Your Plum ( sold out) but I'm sure there are lots of other places that sell it.

THEN : Before pealing off the labels. Use CHALK BOARD MARKERS ( I ordered mine at Amazon.com) and write out the names of your spices. 

ALMOST DONE...Now fill up each jar with a different spice and slap on your COOL LABELS :)

 

TADA!!! Organizing my spices has never been so much fun! Love the LAZY SUSAN, makes grabbing what I need a cinch! 

TIP : when choosing a jar, make sure it has a wide mouth so you can fit measuring spoons in them...OR your index finger and thumb when you just want a PINCH.

I LOVE MY NEW CAMEO!!!




I linked up...

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 !!!