Friday, July 22, 2011

A New Day..... A New Craft



So I'm in the flag business too now. LOL  How cute are these? They looked great against my picket fence outside, but inside they were adorable around the mirrors and doorways! Very Shabby Chic and FUN! I have them in several different colors on my etsy shop at  http://www.etsy/com/shop/dianasgrl with lots more colors to come.

Crafts are a MAJOR part of my life - as in, if I'm not crafting, I'm not living (nor happy)! I was running a business that taught every craft imaginable (ok, slight exaggeration). I've had my etsy shop for several years, have a website http://www.craftyu.net/ , I'm on facebook (Crafty U),  I make my own patterns, I give my wares for gifts all year long and feel there isn't a craft I don't know how to do. I'm always looking for something new, searching for the next trend. Then I take what I find and expand on it or alter it to make it uniquely mine. What's my favorite? I can't really say. When I get bored with something, I just move on to something new. What do I know how to do best? Probably crocheting. I learned when I was 8 and never stopped - I can crochet in my sleep! But that gets boring too. I have an entire craft room filled with every craft item you can imagine - so when I want to move on to something else, I just review what's in front of me and conjur up something new. It's what I live for! (Next to being in the mountains)

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Deckers, Colorado


Ahhhhhh........ spent a beautiful and relaxing day by the creek near Deckers, Colorado. Deckers is located 22.8 miles from the intersection of Hwy 24 and SH 67 in Woodland Park. The picture above was taken at a rest spot we found located 15.7 miles into the trip. The weather was amazing at 86 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. Simply beautiful.

We found our way there after several garage sale stops. I have another remarkable tale of how I found EXACTLY what I was looking for today (this always tickles me!). I had placed an ad on craigslist this morning for fabric scraps for a new craft project. One of the first stops we made today gave me just such fabric. The girl offered me a box full of fat quarters (for quilting - which by the way, I NEVER do!) for a whopping 50 cents! Her husband then said, if you take the fabric, we'll throw in this Pfaff Quilter's Tool Box kit that's just missing the needles. Of course I took it, and did some research when I got home. I found the needles for $3.96 on ebay, ordered them, then placed the kit up for auction. Did I mention that this Tool Box has a value of $259.00??? The girl who gave it to me even told me what the value was but also said, "I'm too lazy to put it on ebay so you can have it and do that if you want". Amazing day.

Oh, this is me by the way (I just love this hat that I found in a little boutique in Manitou Springs!) lovin' life!



Thursday, July 14, 2011

Garage Sale Day - on a Thursday?

Attending garage sales is a HUGE part of my life. I've been searching for that ultimate item this way for at least 25 years now. I have made a good deal of money over the years buying and reselling collectibles that I have studied to be worth investing in. With my own garage loaded with items today, I find it hard to keep accumulating without releasing - some of these items, though I don't use them, I'm attached to them. I have a really good eye for a great bargain. I have bought an authentic Roseville pottery tea set for $5.00, I bought a 14kt gold and diamond ring for $1.00, and have furnished my entire living room for $60.00. The list is endless. Though you see lots of stories on tv about finding trash and turning it to treasure, I can assure everyone, it's not as easy as it looks. My husband and I go garage saling EVERY weekend - and not just in the summer. We go every month we can find them. We go to night sales, last minute sales, out of the beaten path sales and wherever else we can find them. Often, on Saturdays, we are gone from 8am and come back to the house around 5pm. It's like a full time job - but a lot more fun.

I find this to be a spiritual adventure for me as well as a way of life.  I will often lie in bed and think of things I hope to find during our outings, and lo and behold, I'm hardly ever let down. Today I was hoping to find fabric remnants. I have a little craft project going on that I'll share with you shortly.  We pulled up to a sale held by a charter school, and there they were.......... a stack of 12" square fabric samples (maybe 20 different kinds) for a whopping .50 cents!

We are also HUGE pet lovers! The dogs we get to see during our ventures are astounding. I think this is one of the many reasons I love Colorado so much.... there's so many animal lovers here! With 2 dogs and 2 cats of my own, I fit right in. But I also meet some amazing people. I can tell who's approachable for conversation and who's not interested. For the most part, most people are pretty friendly. I also find that you can get a much better deal if you just warn up to people first. We actually made friends with a couple that was leaving the state to live in a motor home park in North Carolina. This was of great interest to us as we also hope to do that type of traveling some day...........

Monday, July 11, 2011

A new art form - for me, that is

I'm dabbling into photography, not so much as a primary art form, but secondary to have things to add to my current mediums. I love turning pictures into something else - cards, tiles, etc. Here's my latest creation...

And the saying is:  "As the Sunflower glows in the warmth of the sun, so does my soul in the presence of you."

I took this picture of the sunflower while it was still in the refrigerator at the florist's. Some photoshopping to blur the white flowers in the background....... et voila!

And I can't leave out another of my favorites, Lilacs!

Which says: "The Lilac's swift passing of its blooms and unmistakeable fragrance reminds us to live life in the moment. This beautiful life can be so short" - this is in memory of my beloved parents. This was taken in my backyard during the super short season of the Lilac.

Thursday, July 7, 2011

This last week...... WOW!

This has been one adventure filled week! As I mentioned on 06/28, I made it to the top of Pike's Peak (once again) but this time it was via the Cog Railway.... an incredibly gorgeous, scenic train trip that ascends a remarkable 7 thousand feet to the top. Amazing! (I just wanted to post a couple of pictures from the top)
They say on a clear day, you can see 5 different states at the same time!




Here it is, less than a week later, I find myself attending Motorocycle Training School that I had enrolled in last month. This intense course lasted only two days, but consumed about 20 hours of those 48 hours. Exhausted, but happy (I passed the exam!), I can now remove that desire from my Bucket List. I may never actually own a motorcylce (I look ridiculous in a helmet) but I now know how to ride one. I'm thinking more on the lines of a vintage pink scooter - you just never know. (I could so see me on this!)