DIY Christmas

As if working on the projects for the craft shows wasn't enough, I decided to work on a few other DIY projects for Christmas. I am making good use out of the craft table my sweet husband made for me LAST Christmas! :)

1. Ornament Door Hangar

I posted about this a few weeks ago, but thought I would add it to the list. I have loved having this decor piece on our door, though the windy season has made it difficult for us to keep it out on a regular basis. It sounds like someone is constantly knocking on the door; drives Sasha nuts :)

2. Romans 12:12 Wall Sign

I got a custom order from the craft show, and ended up making this sign. I have decided that of all the items I made for the craft show, these 12x12 wood signs are my favorite to design and make. 

3. Walk by Faith Wall Art

Our nieces are really into their middle names lately. So I decided to make each of them a wall sign for their rooms for Christmas. Sweet Elizabeth is our ultra girly, pink lover :)

4. 1 Timothy 1:14 Wall Sign

Sarah loves teal, and is a little older, so I wanted to make her a more "grown up" sign. This one was more of a challenge because of the layered colors, but I really liked how it turned out!

5. Personalized Dog Treat Jar

My mom had been looking for a treat jar for her puppies, so at the suggestion of my dad, I decided to personalize her own! 

6. Minion Hooded Towel

Laura made these for her kiddos, and I knew that I needed one for PK. It definitely challenged my sewing skills {it was a simple project, I just need A LOT of practice}. I think these hooded towels are so adorable, and the lady who designs them has tutorials for several different ones.

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I had a lot of fun working on these projects, and I hope that everyone enjoys their gifts. I'm a little crafting weary, so I think I might take a break for a bit. At least until I find another project I really want to work on! ;)

Silver Wings Gift Galleria

Lindsay and I decided to do another craft show in an effort to move some more inventory. So this past weekend, we headed to the Silver Wings Gift Galleria at Hebron High School. The nice thing was that we didn't have to prepare anything for it; we just showed up!

We had a little larger space this time, which actually worked out really well. We were able to put out more product, and it felt more open for customers to walk through.

The show itself had a lot of vendors and really was great. The Silver Wings dancers were adorable and super helpful the whole day. The sad thing is that there just wasn't very much traffic. So unfortunately, it was kind of a bust. I did get a custom order out of it, so that was kind of fun.

Our craft show days might be over haha, but we are glad that we tried! We enjoyed creating our inventory and learned a lot in the process. And if you're interested in any of our products, check out our Etsy shop :)

{iPhone Rewind} :: November

It was feeling more and more real when Lindsay and I did a mock set-up of our craft show! It was fun to see our finished products; it made us feel legitimate :)

I absolutely LOVE my Silhouette Cameo. I used it for almost all of my craft show products, and even tried the print and cut feature for our price tags. It is by far the best crafting tool I have ever bought. I'm a HUGE fan!

This dog. With it getting darker earlier, she is convinced it's time to eat WAY before it actually is time for dinner. She will stare me down until I feed her. 

My mom asked me to help with some of her Christmas gifts, so I took it as an opportunity to jump back into sewing! 

I am REALLY enjoying the Revelation study with BSF. I had an early morning, so I decided to grab a cup of coffee and read my notes. It has been good for me to slow down and intentionally focus on the Lord on His throne. Good stuff.

Apparently, I spent a lot of time at Starbucks this month :)  It was Mike's first full day of vacation, so we headed to Starbucks for an afternoon date. We enjoyed lattes and our books.  #lovehim

The colder weather meant utilizing our fireplace! We are so excited to have one in the new house, and we plan to thoroughly enjoy it through the winter months.

November and Thanksgiving means all things pumpkin! I made a pumpkin roll as a precursor to Thanksgiving, and it was SO yummy. One of my favorite Thanksgiving desserts, for sure!

I finished the project for my mom pretty quickly, which I was excited about. Sewing is like riding a bike...it all came back to me once I got into a groove, and now all I want to do is sew. Now to find my next project...

So these flowers started blooming in our backyard. Aren't they SO interesting? Does anyone know what it is?

Our church handed out these advent guides from Buckner, and I was excited to start reading through it. I am thankful for this season to slow down and focus on celebrating Christ's coming.

Cold and rainy Sunday afternoons mean homemade lattes. I enjoyed this sweet smiley face pumpkin spice from my love :)

High Five for Friday!

{one} Mike started his vacation today! He is able to take most of next week off, so I'm looking forward to spending that extra time with him. When I asked him what he wanted to do, all he said was "sleep." Ha! With Thanksgiving and his birthday, it should be a great week! 

{two} After our first craft show, we decided we wanted to do another one! So we will be at the Hebron High School Silver Wings Gift Galleria on Saturday, December 5th, 9am to 5pm. It will be held at the high school in Carrollton, so it's a little closer than the last one. The event has over 100 vendors, so come check it out!

{three} So I think the cold weather is finally coming. It got up to 70 today {and I enjoyed every last ounce of it}, but it's supposed to drop below freezing this weekend. The extended warm weather has been a sweet gift to me, but I know it's time to prepare for the cold. I mean, it IS the end of November...

{four} It's crazy that the holidays are here! Christmas started at the beginning of the month in a lot of places {a personal pet peeve}, but I am happily enjoying all things fall and Thanksgiving for the next week. If you haven't caved, there's only 1 more week; you can make it! :)

{five} Tonight we're headed over to Ben & Lindsay's to grill the dove from the guys' hunting trip. We're looking forward to hanging out with family and enjoying the spoils of the hunt. I can't eat the jalapeño poppers, but there will still be plenty of gamey bird to enjoy. 

Happy Friday!!

Holly Daze Bazaar

A few weeks ago, Lindsay and I decided to rent a booth at a craft show. We looked at a few different options, but settled on the Holly Daze Bazaar in Fort Worth. We spent the following weeks furiously building our inventory and preparing for the show!

We left early Saturday morning to head out and set up. We were SO nervous and excited! We didn't know what to expect, but we were ready to find out :)

It ended up being a blast! The members of Arlington Heights United Methodist Church were incredibly helpful and so sweet. The atmosphere was fun and friendly, and it really was the perfect introductory show for us. 

Presley Kate Boutique was ready and open for business!

So proud of our booth :)

My mom came into town for the craft show, and it was so fun to have her there! It was great to have an extra set of hands and someone who could run errands and some recon on the other booths ;)

Overall, it was a great day. We sold a good amount of items and feel like we could definitely do this again. We felt completely prepared, and not at all like we missed anything important. If we do another craft show {maybe December 5th??}, we would like to do one in a school, because we think our customer base will be higher. But if not, we still had fun, and everything we were not able to sell was placed in our Etsy shop, so be sure to check that out!

{iPhone Rewind} :: October

I spent the first part of October sanding all of my wood pieces for our craft show {coming in November}! At first I hated it...but by the end, I thought it was fairly therapeutic. 

I spotted a Blue Bell truck!! It will be in our area November 2nd. Almost here!

What?? Apparently you can now choose the skin tone of your emojis. I'm definitely going for tan.

Sometimes you just need to keep watch over the neighborhood #Sasha

I wasn't really a fan of Greek yogurt, but decided to give it another shot. My co-worker ate these Oikos cups with fruit in the bottom every day, and after trying them, I understand why she did...they're SO yummy! Now, I'm sure there are more healthy {read: less sugar} Greek yogurts out there, but I really like these!

Sasha has been my little crafting buddy. I work hard on my crafts, and she works hard on her nap :)  But she is sweet to keep my company!

Ya'll. I have seen adult coloring books everywhere and have decided that I needed one in my life. I LOVED coloring as a kid, and it's my favorite activity to do with kids. I was so excited to pick out my 24-pack of colored pencils, and I have enjoyed coloring my paisley patterns. #nerdalert

High Five for Friday!

{one} RAIN!! After weeks and weeks of drought, we finally got some much needed rain. And the Lord blessed us with an abundance of it too! It was a rough night up with puppy {our first thunderstorms in the new house}, but we are grateful for the provision. While I have enjoyed the extension of the warmer weather, I know my husband is looking forward to the rain ushering in more Fall-like temps.

{two} I have been in full crafting mode! Our craft show is in 3 weeks, so I am working fast and furious to get my products ready to sell. It has definitely been a lot of work, but it has been so fun to have multiple craft projects to work on! {Thankfully, I am much farther along than the blank/plain wood in the photo :) }

{three} My sweet friend Laura and her husband have taken the steps to become foster parents. I am BEYOND excited for them, as they seek to trust the Lord and love on sweet kiddos in need of a loving and safe home. Mike and I will be babysitters for them {like we were for our neighbors in McKinney}, so we get to partner with them as they start this adventure. Laura has started blogging about their journey, and has even started a few "Foster Care Friday" posts. If you have a second, check out her posts here. It's good stuff.

{four} I have been working off and on with organizing a gallery wall in the new house, and I think it has finally come together. It's fun to have a mis-match of photos and wall art to decorate our living room. Completely random, I know, but this wall makes me happy every time I pass by it.

"Home is Wherever I Am With You" sign: Hobby Lobby // Metal wall art: Shutterfly // "McCullough Established 2011" wood sign: gift from Lindsay {Etsy} // "Home Sweet Home" print: my design // "love" and "M": mod-podged paper craft letters // Frames: Michael's and Hobby Lobby

{five} This weekend, we don't have any set plans, other than sleeping and working on a few projects at home. It might be the last "free" weekend we have for awhile, so we plan to enjoy it. I am looking forward to a low-key weekend, hopefully enjoying a rainy day nap or two!

Happy Friday!

High Five for Friday!

{one} I spent the the week at the office, training my {2nd} new replacement. The original person they hired for my position ended up not being a good fit. I have been filling in as much as possible, but mostly just helping to manage the work flow. I am so excited that they decided to promote my sweet co-worker and friend Kirston! Like I mentioned before, I will still stay on to do some consulting work, but my hours will be a little more consistent now. I love seeing my old co-workers, but I am also thankful for this season where I don't have to be at the office full time anymore.

{two} This week was crazy for work, and as I was running out the door to head to the office, I found a surprise waiting for me on my car hood:

My sweet friend had left me a cute bag of encouragement. Baked goods, a gift card for coffee, and a sweet note. Week made. I'm so thankful for her.

{three} Mike's job is going well, and he is totally rockin' it {like I knew he would}. His job requires him to travel a little, and this week he was in Houston. The house is so quiet when he's gone, and I cannot WAIT for him to get back every time he's gone. But when Mike's away...I let Sasha sleep in our bedroom {something she hasn't been allowed to do since my single days because she makes too much noise moving around during the night}. Is it weird that I love listening to my puppy snore?? :)

{four} Ya'll, I hate Crohn's. There are lots of things about it that are bad, but one thing in particular that I hate is how noisy my insides can be. One of the awesome things about Crohn's is that your stomach and intestines will make gurgling or other noises. LOUD noises. All the time. At random times. And especially during otherwise quiet times {like during church, or when you're in a meeting, or while you're praying}. It never fails. And it's so embarrassing. It's a good thing I am secure enough in who I am?? There's really no other point to this other than to share a little more of my reality. Welcome to {normal} every day life with Crohn's. #themoreyouknow 

{five} So this is kind of random and fun: Lindsay and I decided to rent a booth at a craft show :) We will be selling our handmade items at the Holly Daze Bazaar in Fort Worth on November 14! She's tackling the sewing, and I'm focused on the home decor and holiday items. We are both SO. STINKIN'. EXCITED. Ya'll, I've got the sander out, and everything :) We don't know what we got ourselves into, but we can't wait to figure it out! We've been doing a lot of planning and crafting lately, and we have had so much fun getting ready. We may not make a penny, but we sure are having fun trying! {and there may or not be an Etsy shop coming...}