Apple Picking

Every year we like to go apple picking. Yesterday seem like a perfect day for it. The weather was on the chilly side, but not so much that we would freeze. It was cold enough that the bugs weren't out, which I think is always a plus. We took a hayride out to the apple orchard and pick all kinds of different types of apples. The gala apples are my favorite and my daughter can't get enough of the golden delicious ones. I can't wait to make some of our apples into apple sauce. There is nothing better then warm homemade applesauce and it makes the house smell soooo good. Homemade apple sauce is really easy to make. All you need is a crock pot, water, cinnamon, and peeled diced apples. Directions to make Apple Sauce 1) Peel and dice apples. (We like to peel many different types of apples for the sauce. I think peeling is the worst part of making the sauce.  2) Fill up the crock pot with the diced apples and add water. Put enough water in to fill up about an inch of the crock pot's bottom. If it seems to be drying out while it is cooking, then you will need more water. 3) Turn your crock pot on low and let it cook about 5 to 7 hours. (Sometimes I have even set it up to cook over night and have waken up to a wonderful smell.) 4) Stir and add cinnamon. The amount of cinnamon depends on the taste you like. You can also add sugar if you would like, but we never do because we find it sweet enough already. 5) Serve and enjoy. Leftovers should be kept in the fridge. This also taste good cold, but you still can't beat how it taste right after it is made. I hoping I can make some tonight. Now it is time for pictures :) The beautiful apple I ate right off the tree. Yum yum.

My daughter hanging out in an apple tree, enjoying her apple. Our big bag of apples, minus the one my daughter is eating and the one I ate. A spooky graveyard in the orchard, that they have for their haunted hayrides. I'm thinking we may have to come back for it. Giant pumpkins! I see these every year and I always want to get one, but I never know what I would do with it. I know I would have lots of yummy pumpkin seeds and I would crave some sort of face into it, but after that I'm not sure it worth the price they are selling them at. they have them priced at $55 to $75 a piece. But, I am thinking some day I will have to get one, just because I'm really curious about what the size of the seeds would be in them.

Homemade Birthday

This last Friday my daughter was invited to a slumber party. We found out that the Birthday girl really wanted a purse and that her favorite color was pink. Since we have been on a tight income and have been very into making crafts, we decided we would make a present that was completely handmade. I decided that I was going to use the purse pattern, I had made and then make her some fingerless gloves with little bows on them. My daughter decided that she wanted to make the birthday girl a bracelet. I found it interesting that my daughter used the clay beads that my friend and I had made over 16 years ago. I never did much with the beads once they were made, but ever since my daughter found the container I kept them in, she has been crazy for them. It is kinda funny to think that when I was creating the beads, I would be creating for a person I had never met to use. The Birthday girl loved her presents and was very excited about the purse.

On another note, it has turn chilly here and you can feel fall in the air, my favorite time of year. This morning we enjoyed hot chocolate with vegan marshmallows. Being a vegetarian for the last 5 years I do miss some of the food items I use to have, but not enough to go back eating them. I was so excited when I found the vegan marshmallows. They taste very yummy by themselves and I just found out they taste really good in hot chocolate. My daughter also gives them the thumbs up approval.

Latest Projects and new goodies

Lately, I feel as if my creative juices have been on overdrive. I so many ideas brewing in my mind that I'm afraid I won't get them all out. I have decided that I'm going start to keep a journal for these ideas, so I won't forget about them, before I have a chance to get to them. A couple of days ago, I got our items back from the Painted Pot. I'm very happy with the way my sugar skull turned out and can't wait to do more. Lately, I have been very into sugar skulls. So much so, that I want to make my kitchen theme around sugar skulls. My daughter is also very happy with her new cup for drinking tea. Right now my daughter is very into zombies and wants everything that has to do with zombies. Because of this, I got an idea to make fingerless zombie gloves. I'm very happy with the way they have turned out and I'm thinking I'm going to have to make a whole monster series and possibly list them on my Etsy store. I was really excited yesterday, when I got my brand new skully earrings made by my friend Sug. She makes awesome items and when I saw these I knew I had to have them. I love them so much, when I first got them I was making them dance. If you would like some awesome skully earrings like mine check out her Etsy store.

ATCs and more

This past Saturday and yesterday, I received some awesome ATCs in the mail. ATCs stands for Art Trading Cards. ATCs are mini works of art that are the size of trading cards or playing cards. I think they are a great way to express and share your art with others. This has been my 5th trade with ATCs and I'm addicted. I love getting items from all over the world, that people have made special just for me. I make ATCs and swap them on a site called Cut Out + Keep.

Cut Out + Keep is a cool site that is all about crafting. People share craft ideas, how-tos and there is even a board were users can interact with each other. On the board there is an area where people get together to swap. Most of the time swapping is theme, for example right now I'm in a Halloween swap that I have been working hard on making goodies for. It's a lot of fun and I love it. I just wish I had more time and money to spend on the swaps, so I could do more. Also, the people I have met are incredible and are some of the greatest online friends I have. If you get a chance you should check it out.

Now it is time for some pictures of the ATCs

These are the ones I got yesterday, they came all the way from Canada. Unfortunately, the one with the heart mirror didn't make it through customs, but I glued it back together and it is still cool looking. I love the stars and the monkey one.

These came for me on Saturday from the east coast. I love the monster ones on the top.

Here is my collection of ATCs so far in their sleeves. I finally got a binder to put them in and now I will have to think of a cool way to decorate the binder for them.

Here are some ATCs that I have made, and sent to others.

Yesterday, we went out to dinner with my Grandma and sister. On the way home I saw this guy on the road. I thought he was really so cool.

Before I went to bed last night, I got an e-mail that my zombie pendant, I listed on Etsy, was being feature in an article on BuyZombie.com. I couldn't believe it and I'm so happy about it. Here is a picture they used in their feature about the item. If you would like to see the full article you can go here.

If you would like to check out this guy in my Etsy shop click here.

New Etsy Store

For the last couple of days, I have been hard at work sewing and crafting. For the last month, I've been talking about starting my own Esty store, but hadn't acted on it. Well, today I finally made an Etsy store and put all the items I made into it. I'm rather excited about it and can't wait to make my first sale.

If you are interested in checking out my store you can go here.

Here are pictures of the items I have made for my Etsy store.

This is my little monster series, I created for tile pendants.

Black purse with orange spider web trim

Spider web cauldron shape purse

Rockabilly style purse with skulls and cherries

Day of the Dead/ sugar skull pleated purse. I think this is my favorite and I'm going to be making another one for me.

The Painted Pot

Tonight, I went to the Painted Pot with some friends and their daughters. The Painted Pot is a place where you can paint pottery and they will cook and glaze it for you. It was a lot of fun and we spent more time there then we plan to. I can't wait to go again.
Sugar skull I painted. I can't wait to see what its true colors look like once its cooked.

Looking down at the sugar skull

Girls with finish projects

Cool pumpkins that I wanted to paint, maybe next time.

Renaissance Festival

Yesterday, we went to an awesome Renaissance Festival they have here in Michigan.  I always love going. Since my friend had not gone since she was little, we tried to pack in as much as we could in one day. We visited almost all the shops and got to watch some of the shows. I love seeing the parade that walks through there. They try to send someone from every shop and some of the acts to be in it.

My friend and I both got our palm read while we were there. My palm reader told me I have a strong travel line and that I will find a way to make traveling work for me when I get older. I really do want to travel all over the world. I just want to experience everything I possibly can in this life time. I'm hoping to go back to the festival again this year on their last day. One of my favorite artist, Jessica Galbreth, is holding a costume contest. She is having everyone dress up like one of the characters she has created. I'm thinking if I have enough time I'll make a costume and have my daughter model it for the contest.

This guy stop for me just to take his picture during the parade. He was so funny. Later we ran into him again and he kept trying to make my daughter's hat stand up straight.

Hob the Troll is a newer act the festival, but he is one of my favorites. He likes to sing songs and tell jokes as only a troll would. In between his acts he sits on a bridge where he has two baskets. One is labeled sing louder, the other is labeled hush money. When people put money into the basket he will do whatever the basket says to do.

I love this mask that we got my daughter. It is made out of the material used for quilting and is embroidered all over it. I been drooling over embroidering machine lately and this really makes me want one.

Beautiful head wreaths.

Lots of little bottles filled with all kinds a smelly good stuff. I just wanted to take them all. I love the look of all these bottles.

Glass blowing and fairy dust bottles, how cool.

My new ear cuff. I didn't realize it had moved down my ear some before this picture was taken. I love these and I'm going to try to make some of these on my own.

As we were leaving we ran into these fun characters. They were saying it was decorate Ann day. I love how they were doing it with yarn.