My New Crafting Toy

I'm very excited to share with you that I got a brand new crafting toy - the Silhouette Cameo 3!  I've never used a cutting machine before, and I LOVE it!  So far I've only used it to cut purchased files and do a bit of sketching, but it can do so much more.  It has really opened up a whole new level of paper crafting, and I look forward to making many projects with it 😀

The first projects I made were from a company called Little Scraps Of Heaven.  They have the cutest cut files in many different styles, so I started collecting all the ones I thought I could use.  I made a series of little Halloween kids all dressed up in their costumes - they all came together in one purchase and I created them one by one.

Frankenstein:

Frank's Bride:  

Dracula:  

Witch:  

Red Devil:  

Werewolf:  

I haven't yet made a scrapbook layout with all of them, but when I do I will share it with you.

When I decided to start making YouTube videos, I focused on Halloween themed items because the holiday was fast approaching.  I have always loved Halloween decorations and designs, so it was a great opportunity to really play with them.  I made spiders:  PIC

And bats:

And witchy things:

And even a haunted house:

Settling In

Well, after many long months of extreme stress, we are finally settled into our new home!  I can't even describe how happy we are to be here.  I really didn't think that we would ever have a chance to live in such a beautiful home, but we really did it.  There is so much room for all of us to spread out and relax, but still come together for meals in the eating nook and TV time in the spacious family room.  I feel that we have been truly blessed, and I am eternally grateful.

On a related note, I was able to turn one of the bedrooms into my very own craft room!  Finally I have a dedicated space to keep ALL of my many craft supplies, and can escape to the joy of crafting whenever I get a chance.  This has to be my favorite thing about our new home!  And Dave is glad that he doesn't have to look at all of my crafting clutter everywhere (hahaha!)  I have plenty of shelving, a brand new desk, and even a folding table for spreading out with big projects.  It's definitely my happy place, and I look forward to decorating it and making it a very feminine and creative space.

During our big move, we had it really tough because we needed to sell our first house before we could purchase our new one.  Not only did we have to pack and store everything we possibly could, I had to part with virtually all of my needlework, lampwork glass, and paper crafting supplies.  I had one crochet hook and some yarn so I wouldn't lose my mind completely, but that was it.  I guess I never fully understood how much creativity was a part of my life and my soul.  My stress level was steadily rising and I had no creative outlet to find relief.  I hope and pray that I will never have to go through another extended period like that again.  It was so much harder than I ever imagined!

Once I get a bit more coordinated, I will be able to share some of the projects that I have completed and a few more I've started.  I hope that you will check in with my blog once a week or so to catch up on my updates.  I'm starting up my YouTube channel and have already posted some videos, so please check them out.  It's a lot of fun - I almost feel like I'm on TV!

My very own YouTube channel