Crafty Dad

"A" is for Anniversary and "B" is for Birthday

"A" is for Anniversary

Patio Color

Today is my 21st wedding anniversary.  Twenty-one years.  That's quite an accomplishment (in today's terms) if I say so myself.  Love ya honey!

"B" is for Birthday

My "little guy" turns eight today.  What a wonderful anniversary gift he was eight years ago.  Love ya buddy!

Some tasty carbohydrates!

"C" is for Craft Time

Craft time has not been in the cards lately.  Other tasks have forced the Crafty Dad to be not-so-crafty lately.  But...I think we're turning a corner (gee I hope we're turning a corner) and there will be some time for craftiness.

Hey, BTW, I sold something on Etsy this week.  A vintage piece.  Woo Hoo.  Don't forget, you save 15% on all items (shipping/handling excluded) when you put the word "giveaway" in the comment section as you checkout.  Offer is good for another ten (10) days.

Have a great weekend.  Stay home and make something.  You'll have fun and save gas!  (Don't even get me started on that one.)

Father's Day - 2008

It was a very different Father's Day for me this year.

After hearing that Tim Russert had suddenly passed away on Friday afternoon.  And after watching the special coverage on NBC, I really have a new appreciation for fatherhood, and time.

I don't know Tim Russert.  Sure, I've seen him on TV like the rest of you.  But from what I've heard, he was a really great guy.    It has been a time of reflection for me as I watched his colleagues remembering him -- his faith, his belief in prayer, how important family is, and how very important fatherhood is.  It really made me think.

I'm a very sentimental kind of guy.  Ok, a softie.  But I'm certainly not embarrassed by that.  Quite the opposite.  I'm proud of it.  So when I hear of a great person that has passed on, it really makes me stop and think -- what can I learn from this person?  You know, we only have so many days here on earth.  And we have a choice.  We can go through the motions and watch our days slip away, one day at a time.  Or...we can make a difference.  I'm choosing (more than ever) to make a difference -- at home, with my wife and kids, at work, and in life-in-general. 

I'm going to do some simple things, like say "hi" to people that I don't know [I already do, but I'm going to do more of it.]  I'm going to care more about the people that I work with.  [I already care about them very much, but I'm going to care for them at a deeper level.]  I'm going to love my wife and kids on a deeper level too.  I get wrapped up in the trivial crap too many times during the day.  Now, I'm going for the gusto.  I'm going to try very hard to ignore the little, silly stuff that doesn't matter. I'm going to focus on the positive and hope that my attitude shines through.  I'm going to have even more chats with God and ask him to really keep me on track. 

I had a really great Father's Day weekend.  We spent Saturday and today at the lake.  My wife and the boys took me to breakfast yesterday in Shipshewana (I've sang that town's praises many times here.)  Breakfast was excellent and then it was off to do some shopping.  The sun was shining, the boys did their best to not look bored, and we had a great time going from shop to shop.  Then it was back to the lake for some swimming and golf-cart rides, a campfire and a double dose of s'mores.  How can you top that?

Marigolds on the corner of the deck.

The boys brought their old bikes to the lake this year.  They've shown a good deal of responsibility with them.  So far, so good!

The boys (one will turn 8 on Friday and one who is 13) have all but outgrown this table.  But I can't part with it.  As long as I have any say-so, it will stay on the deck forever.

A great cookbook I got at the library.  Tons of easy, good-looking recipes.

A sneek peek inside. Click for a larger image.

Today was chocolate chip muffins (made by the boys) and then a trip into the town of Sturgis, Michigan.  We needed a few things from WalMart and the Dollar Tree.  Then...by a stroke of bad luck, traffic was horrible and I could not make a left turn out of the parking lot.  So...I backed up and turned right.  Then a left into the next parking lot, around the building and there it was: the Goodwill store.  Not able to pass it up, we went in.  Twenty-three dollars later, we were back in the car with a Kenmore sewing machine and a copy of Disney's Haunted Mansion (in VHS no less).  The sewing machine was in perfect condition.   Perfect as in it was still packed in the Styrofoam and original box.  How cool!

Great gifts:   My Father's Day cards (from the boys and my wife); latest goodies from Levenger; fabric finds; freebie tote bag from Martha Stewart Living; new sewing machine from Goodwill.  It just doesn't get any better than this!

The machine was the same model my mother-in-law had while she was living with us.  Nothing fancy at all, but a simple, hardworking machine.  I have been looking for that model on eBay for quite some time but could not find one that I liked.  I brought my new baby home (complete with owner's manual), tweaked the bobbin tension a bit, and I'm happy to report that it runs like a top.  Beautiful stitches. What a very cool, very unexpected Father's Day gift.  [Thanks Honey.  It's the last thing I need, I know, but I love it.]

To Tim Russert's wife and son and all his colleagues: my deepest, deepest, sympathy to you.  He was a legend.  In the truest sense.

I Told You So

It's true - the giveaway packages have been wrapped and labeled.  They are ready to go!

First Place Winner

Second Place Winner


Ready to make their way to Texas and California!

T G I F and looking forward to a great (relaxing) weekend.

Take care,
Mike

Hey, don't forget: mention the word "giveaway" when you make a purchase in my Etsy shop and receive 15% off everything you buy (sorry shipping costs cannot be discounted). This offer is good through the end of June.

Brown Paper Packages Tied Up With Strings

I was going to title this post Blogger-Not.  Slacker-Yes.  But the lyric from the Sound of Music is much more positive, don't you think?

Never enough time to get all the things done that need to be done.  Nothing new for me (and you too?)  I just seem to be chasing my tail these days.  Lots of new projects at work causing me to bring work home. And..with all the rain and humidity we've had lately, the lawn and bushes are growing out of control.  It's tough to stay ahead.  Speaking of rain: I hope all of you are safe.  There has been so much nasty weather (rain, tornadoes, flooding) that I hope all is well with you.  We are okay here, but in the south-central part of Indiana, they are dealing with record rain fall and major flooding.  It's a mess to say the very least.  My prayers go out to all who were affected.

The giveaway gifts have been packaged and they are ready to be tucked into their shipping vessels so they can make their way (finally) to my 1st and 2nd place winners.  They look nice.  They smell nice.  I think know you'll like them.

Don't give up on me!

It's Been a C R A Z Y week.

Some days you just can't win.  But...whatever.  It's been a wacky week at work.  The first of the month is always very stressful.  Tons of reports are due, lots and lots of number-crunching goes on, and all on top of the 'normal' day-to-day stuff.  Define "normal" would you?  Ha!  Ain't no such thing folks. No. Such. Thing.

My wife was out of town for a few days this week at a conference.  I was Mr. Mom while she was away and it went very smoothly.  The boys behaved wonderfully.  The house was in relatively good shape each night when I returned from work, no one got hurt (well Little Guy slipped in the shower, but no blood), no spaghetti on the ceiling, or anything like that.  Woo Hoo.  That all adds up to a good week in my book.

I did receive my new shipment of soap making supplies on Wednesday, but did not have a chance to use them until early this morning.  Ladies (Stephanie and KJ), the lavender soap is going to be w-o-n-d-e-r-f-u-l.  It is setting in the mold now and it smells really, really good.  I'll finish it up and get it shipped off to you (along with the other soaps and tissue holders, over the weekend).  Thank you for your patience.

Have a great weekend!

Oh, and Carolyn, I will get your package of dinner napkins ready this weekend too.  Thanks for hanging in there with me.  :-)

Sharing a Great Thrift Shop Find

The recent giveaway has put me in such a good mood.  It's a great pleasure for me to make stuff, sell stuff, and give stuff away.  This post is a little bit of the selling and giving.

I came across these restaurant napkins the other day at the thrift shop.  They were all wound in a roll.  I had no idea how many there were, but I figured around 20 or so.  Ha!  I got home and I think I counted about FIFTY of them.  Yes. 5-0.

We really don't need 50 napkins, so I'm sharing these with you.  I picked out 24 of the nicest ones but please note:  these are NOT new napkins, but they are perfectly fine for everyday use.  They really are in good shape, but some may have a blemish or two.  They have been laundered and I promise I'll pick out the best-of-the-bunch if you decide to purchase some.

They are approximately 18 inches square and are a very durable, dark burgundy fabric.  [They may not be for your Sunday best dinners, but they sure beat paper napkins any day! ]

Here's the cool part:  I'm selling them at twenty-five cents apiece + $1.25 s/h for every group of four you buy.  Minimum purchase is four napkins. They are strictly a first-come, first-served situation.  So...grab 'em while you can.  There are 24 of them.  ALL SOLD OUT.  Thanks Carolyn!!

I tried to get some good shots so take a look:

To give you an idea of the size of them, I folded this one.

Close-Up Shot of the edges. 

The Stack!

Again these are AS IS folks.  But for the money, I think they are a great deal.

Let me know if you're interested and I'll send you an invoice via PayPal.  I'll need your email address to make that work.

Thanks,
Mike

Craft Time with the Little Guy

There's only so much TV and computer time a kid can handle (believe it or not!).  So...last night my youngest son joined me in the craft corner for some tracing, cutting, sewing, turning, stuffing and sewing activity.

Initially he wanted to make a set of coasters.  I told him that would take quite awhile to accomplish.  In the essence of time (and his attention span) I convinced him to make some pin cushions from the really great fat quarters we found at Lolly's Fabric in Shipshewana a few weekends ago.  [Lolly's is a VERY cool fabric store in the heart of Amish-ville, Indiana.]

I don't have any photos to share with you yet, but hang in there.  Shame on me for leaving my camera at work last night.  I had a 'cold sweat moment' until I remembered that it was tucked in a drawer at my workstation.  I would have been heart-sick to lose that baby!    I'll update this post tonight and you'll see the great job he did on the pin cushions. 

Little Guy wants me to add a section to my Etsy shop for things that he makes.  We're working on the details.  He's quite the entrepreneur and we're haggling over the financial details.  I'm sure we'll be able to work out an amicable agreement.  He is anxious to sell items in order to increase his bankroll for Lego sets.

Check in later for the pics.

As promised, here are the photos of the pin cushions that Little Guy and I made last night:

I am putting them (we made two of them) in the shop at a super-great price of $2.00 each + $1.25 shipping/handling.  I promise all proceeds will go to Little Guy on these.

Pincushions by LG ("Little Guy"):

Top View

Bottom View

The measure approx. 3 inches square x 1-1/2 inches tall and are stuffed with PolyFill.  They would make a great addition to your sewing area, don't you think?

While LG was making pin cushions, CD (Crafty Dad) was busy working on yet another tissue holder.  It too is on its way to the shop with the standard price of $4.00 + $1.25 s/h.

A Weekend at the Lake - time to relaaaahhhax

It's a short (35 minute) drive from home, but it feels like a land far, far away.  And prepping for the weekend isn't all fun and games -- especially with me and the two boys.  We all love to spend time at the lake, but we don't seem to plan very well.  As in, "Oh yeah, we should probably take a change of clothes."  Or..."Oh yeah, it would be nice to eat while we're there."  If it weren't for my wonderful wife, us boys would be wearing the same clothes all weekend and making trips to the camp store for some grub.  [Love you honey!!]

Once we're there and have the essentials up and running (water, hot water heater, DISH network (yes...I said essentials, silly) it's a breeze.  We leave all our cares at home and it's relax-ville the whole time we're there.  And we need that.  The 8-5, Monday through Friday grind can really take a toll.  So grilling out, watching the golf-cart parade and just doing nothing is a pure pleasure.  The boys are old enough now that they can walk to the playground and camp store and game room without us worrying too much. 

Here are some photos from our weekend:

I enjoy the simple things: like homemade glycerin soap.


On the kitchen table.


One of my FAVORITE things to do at the lake is to sit on the deck in my folding chair and look through magazines.  Current or old issues -- it matters not.  It is just a great way for me to relax.  Here's what was next to me this weekend.
[BTW:  Bug catchers make great paperweights.]

My little guy still gets a kick out of playing in the sandbox.  That makes me happy.  Cuz I'm really not ready for him (or his brother) to grow up.

There are lots of pine trees.  And blue skies too.


Friday and Saturday night at 8:00 is the golf cart parade.  Most of the participants toss candy to the kids along the route.  Here's Son No. 1 waiting for the prize.

Candy!

Essential part of camping:  the camp fire.


And there's always time for crafting.  Scary, but yes, I have a sewing machine at the lake.  Late at night, my wife watches television, and I crank out craftiness. 

And the Winners are ...

I used a random number generator I found on the Web and ...

My First Place winner is Stephanie from Angelic Accents.  I have notified her by email and am anxious to get her response so we can make this 100% official!

First place winner receives:

• One Watermelon Tissue Holder
• One Floral Pattern Tissue Holder
• One 4 oz. bar of Lavender Glycerin Soap
• One 4 oz. bar of Grapefruit Blush Glycerin Soap

Second Place goes to KJ over at the eye-dyllic blog.  I have notified her by email and am anxious to hear back from her to make second place 100% official too.

Second place winner receives:

• One Watermelon Tissue Holder
• One 4 oz. bar of Lavender Glycerin Soap

Congratulations to both of my lucky winners.

And THANK YOU ALL for your participation.  This was my first giveaway experience and it was a ton of fun.  I will certainly do this again next year.  And...I'm planning to do a monthly giveaway of my own.  So please check in often to see what's up.

As a token of my appreciation, all participants will receive a 15% discount on any item in my Etsy shop during the month of June, 2008.  Just add the comment "giveaway" and I'll refund you the 15% discount via Pay Pal.  [Please note: discount is on merchandise only; no discount on shipping charges.  Thanks!]

Good night!

Lots of suspense, I know ....

Hang in there!  We were at the lake yesterday and most of today.

I WILL post the winner(s) before the end of the day today.  I promise.

Winners you ask?  I'm in a very giving mood, so there may be a second-place winner. 

Check back late(r) tonite for the announcement.

And THANK YOU to all who participated.  This was my first giveaway and it was a lot of fun.  I'm sure I'll do it again.  In fact...I'm thinking of having a monthly giveaway myself.  Yep.