Why I have been absent....

I just wanted to let everyone know why I have been silent for so long. Since my last post in the end of May, I had gotten really involved in some craft swaps and everytime I finished an awesome project I couldn't post pics here because my swap partner hadn't received their item yet and I didn't want to spoil the surprise! And I am going to school online full-time and school has been especially tough since I started my BA (it's very fast paced and hard!). So I have been crafting and I do have lots to share and I promise I will get on the ball and share it all with you! But that's not the main reason for the lack of posting....


...So the beginning of August I leave for my 22-year old sister's boot camp graduation from the Marine's (I love her. She is my hero.) and when I got back from the 4-day trip....yeah, my fiance breaks up with me. We have been together since November of 2005. We have two children together, my wonderful 3-year old son and my beautiful daughter of only 18 months.

My kids at ages 1 and 2...


I knew we had problems but it still came as a complete shock to me (though he doesn't believe that's possible). He drops this on me the day I have a HUGE paper to write for a class I was already at risk of failing AND I was right in the middle of the biggest craft swap I have ever participated in. But whoever said breakups happen at a "good" time in life anyway. Then after he tells me that we're done he decides that he doesn't want to be in the same house as me so "we" can have "time to process" what's happened. So then I was basically homeless although he says he didn't kick me out....

....so at almost 30 years old I have been staying at my mom's house with both my kids, sleeping on a queen-sized air mattress in my mom's back family room. No closet. No computer of my own. All my craft stuff at my previous home with my ex-fiance. Needless to say, it's been rough.



But here is the good news! In the midst of all this chaos there is a stream of light shining down through the clouds. My mom and I rearranged her craft room (yes I have an equally talented and wonderful mother!!) and organized all her stuff to make room for my stuff too! We are now sharing a craft room and spending amazing, quality time together crafting every night! And the even better part is that we are starting two businesses together!

We have a dream of quitting our "day-jobs" and somehow crafting for a living. We have started two Etsy shops and are starting to make items to sell on our shops. We have also just signed up for our first craft show that will be in November! I am happy as a clam that my mom is crafting again. And her and I get along so well when we are sewing and crafting. I see promise in a new day and I know that everything will be fine.

Me, my mom (pregnant with my baby sister) and my other sister...


I don't believe for one second that God gave my mother to me and me to her, with such talent and vision, for us not to be meant to do something amazing with our collective talents. If I could wish for one thing in this life, besides giving my children a happy existence, it would be to enable my mother to quit her job and open the boutique she has always dreamed of. I want her to die a happy and VERY old woman who works because she LOVES her job and not because she HAS to. I want her to die with a smile on her face, peace in her heart, and the feeling of fulfillment that comes with doing something she loves....creating.

With that said...I will be posting regular updates again. I have a backlog of projects to share from the last few months. I also will share the opening of my two Etsy shops when I have them fully setup. I want to have some contests with prizes, hopefully soon, and I am going to create a new Christmas craft project list for 2009 like I did last year. You can see last years list here.

Thanks everyone for their continued support and patience with me during these especially tough times. I love this blog and I never want to stop sharing with you all. Thanks for listening to my especially long rant. Mwah!

Love, Amanda
aka
SnazzleCraft

Floral Shirt to Toddler Dress Recon

I have been into clothing upcycling/recon lately. So I asked all my friends to rifle through their cloests and give me all their old clothes. My friend Rose gave me this stretch-poly floral print shirt...I think its a L or XL Juniors. Anyhow, I knew it would make a great bathing suit or dress for my daughter. Here is the original top:


I drafted a pattern and got to work. The finished design ended up being slightly too big on her but she can still wear it now and she will definitely grow into it! I am tweaking the pattern so I can post it on here!! I used some tealish colored stretch poly jersey that I had leftover from another project to use as the straps, accent waistband, and headband. I also used a teeny piece to cover the button in the flower.


The picture doesn't quite show how flat the triangle top pieces lay because my daughter wouldn't sit still for the picture and my camera is terrible.

Lastly, I used these instructions to create the beautiful flower for her matching headband. The instructions were realy easy and the design is fabulous.


I will be making another one of these dresses soon so I can *hopefully* post a pattern with instructions for the design. In the meanwhile, you'll just have to over these pictures! :P

Junk Jewelry Necklace

Today’s “Use What You Have Tuesday” is more of an inspirational guide than an actual tutorial by me. I did a Junk Jewelry Swap right before Christmas...I think....anyway it was a new experience in so many ways for me. It was my first craft swap (which now I am addicted to them!) and it was my first time really trying to mess with jewelry making. Before I get into the details of the necklace let me show it to you. ...And yes, I decorated the entire "package" as well. I couldn't resist. :P




The idea behind the swap was to create a piece of jewelry using "junk" jewelry that you have laying around in your jewelry box. You know, the costumer jewelry your grandma sent you for your 16th birthday that you never got rid of. Or the thought-it-was-cute-at-the-time jewelry from Claire's. Like most of us, I had a jewelry box full of jewelry I never wore but just never could seem to get rid of. So with this swap you collage jewelry pieces together to make a new funky piece of jewelry art!

I made a necklace out of for my partner from parts from a necklace I bought at H&M years ago and never wore. The dangling green beads hanging from the rose were from a pair of earrings. The silver rose was a stud earring...I looped the post around so that I could attach a jump ring and the green dangling beads. The dainty chain hanging from the main part of the necklace was just a plain chain I had that had a broken clasp. And the tiny shell discs dangling in random places were from a pair of earrings my sister gave me.


Here are two little but great links to get you started....now go out there and make your own junk jewelry necklace today!

http://junkjewelry.blogspot.com/

http://www.hippyshopper.com/2009/03/the_art_of_upcy.html

Keyboard Clutch

I made this for a swap I was involved in around Christmas time. The girl I made it for was a computer science major (hence the computer theme). I love how this turned out and one day hope I can find the time to make one for myself.

The pattern/tutorial I used was from a Craftster.org post. Here is the original link for the instructions to this purse/clutch:

http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=240105.0

The only thing I did differently is that I added a flap closure. I would have used a magnetic closure but it was a "Buy Nothing/Green Swap" and we had to use what we already had. At that time all I had was velcro! LOL. Anyhow here it is!

Bridal Bingo

I am a bridesmaid for one of my friend's wedding this July. We just had her bridal shower and I was in charge of the bridal bingo. Little did I know that it would be impossible to find a cute free bridal bingo game on the internet. Free? Yes. Cute? No.

So I decided that I would make one using Adobe Photoshop CS. I am, after all, going to school for graphic design. How hard could it be?

I ended up taking some inspiration from some other non-free ones I had seen on the internet and came up with this cheerful and happy version of bridal shower bingo. Feel free to download and use this design but remember not to use my design for profit! It's bad manners.

To use: Click on the image and it will open in a new page. Right-click and select "Save Picture As" and save to your Desktop. Then print! The image should print full size on one 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of printer paper.


The rules are simple. Every guest writes in what gifts they think the bride will receive. Then when the bride is opening her gifts, the guests cross off the ones that she received. The daisy in the center is the free space. If someone gets a line (diagonal, horizontal or vertical straight line) then they get a prize. **Note: If you are giving out multiple prizes, as we did, you might want to mention that once you win you can't win again. We didn't and it was chaos.

Fabric & Chain Necklace

Just wanted to show off something I made for yet another swap. This one was especially hard for me to giveaway...I really loved it. I was inspired by two necklaces I had seen...this one and this one.

Waldorf Boy Doll - w/ clothes pattern!

I made this doll for a swap I was involved in on Craftster.org. My swap partner had asked for a blond-haired, blue-eyed waldorf-style boy doll for her stepson. The swap requirements also stated that I needed to make some extras for the doll and something not for the doll. I knew right away what I wanted to make: A matchin PJ set for the doll and her stepson (just like I had for my Cabbbage Patch doll in the 80's!!) I also made a blankie for the doll and sent along some bedtime story books.


For the doll, I refered to Simmy's blog Echoes of a Dream to use her waldorf instructions. After I emailed her, she was so kind as to email me the pattern she used for the body! I had used her instructions before for another doll I made for my daughter but made a different body that time.


Well as usual, I was smart enough to make a pattern as I made the clothes for the doll. If you use Simmy's pattern, which you can get by going to her blog and emailing her to request it, then these clothes will fit perfectly! Enjoy!


To use these patterns, Right-click and "Save Target As" and save to your computer. Print the images full size. Each should fit on an 8x10" sheet of printer paper to make it the right size. :P