Oh Creativity...

you are a very fickle thing. The weather has been so rainy and dreamy, breeding the perfect situation for reading ALL day and I have! Hope you love the book posts because between reading and gardening I haven't spent too much time creating. Today I am organizing all of my monthly kits for project life in hopes that a clean work table will inspire me to make things... a clean room usually does the trick!

Charlie

Currently

I am...

wishing I was back on vacation staring at those beauties up there.

muddling through a creative rut.

wanting to organize and clean everything (to avoid the aforementioned creative rut).

slowly making new pillows for the couch.

catching up on Bates Motel.

reading too many books at once because I can't make up my mind.

sleepy and just want to take all the naps!

What are you up to currently?

Charlie

Make Your Own Felt Tulips

This is a quick, instant gratification kind of DIY. All you need is felt colors of your choice (at least 2), scissors, floral wire, a ruler and a hot glue gun. Now go gather your supplies so we can get started! 

1. Cut a 1/2" by 8" strip of felt. Roll it and glue to keep in place.
2. Cut 6 petals. Just free hand them... you can do it!
3. Glue the first 3, slightly overlapping. Then, glue the next 3 where the others overlapped.
4. Cut a squiggly center in your second color to cover the rolled base. Then, add a three petal piece at the center.
5. Fold your floral wire in half and hot glue it to the back and you've finished your first flower! Keep repeating the process until you can fill your favorite base.

Charlie

50 in 2014: 13-15

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Chasing the Dead - There is only one word for this book: INTENSE. It wasn't my cup of tea, but the plot was good enough to keep the pages turning. I had to know the ending and those types of books always hold a special place in my heart.

Across the loneliest back roads of Massachusetts, in the black expanse of a New England winter, Sue is forced to confront her most awful fears as she is met at each step by ever increasing horrors created by a monster who is surely something less than human. In the hope of saving her daughter from a kidnapper whose origin seems darker than anything she could ever have imagined, Sue will discover just how much trauma and fright the human body is capable of absorbing. (excerpt from goodreads)

Invisibility - I had high hopes for this book because I have enjoyed his others. This book started out so strong and held so much promise, but somewhere just past the middle it began to fall apart. It never really came all the way back together for me.

Stephen has been invisible for practically his whole life — because of a curse his grandfather, a powerful cursecaster, bestowed on Stephen’s mother before Stephen was born. So when Elizabeth moves to Stephen’s NYC apartment building from Minnesota, no one is more surprised than he is that she can see him. A budding romance ensues, and when Stephen confides in Elizabeth about his predicament, the two of them decide to dive headfirst into the secret world of cursecasters and spellseekers to figure out a way to break the curse. But things don’t go as planned, especially when Stephen’s grandfather arrives in town, taking his anger out on everyone he sees. In the end, Elizabeth and Stephen must decide how big of a sacrifice they’re willing to make for Stephen to become visible — because the answer could mean the difference between life and death. At least for Elizabeth. (excerpt from goodreads)

Double Dexter - This may be where I depart from the series. The early books in the series were so well done and now I just don't know if I can hold hope for that style to return. There are too many books to read in the world to keep being let down.

A witness. Such a simple concept - and yet for Dexter Morgan, the perfectly well-disguised monster, the possibility of a witness is unthinkable. But when Dexter is on a very private, very satisfying excursion one evening with a wretchedly deserving playmate, the unthinkable happens: someone sees him. (excerpt from goodreads)

I guess this was a streak of less then awesome books... but it happens! Anyone out there fall in love with any of these? I would love to hear your take!

Charlie

Faux Leather Madewell Inspired Tote

Here are the results of Sewbon's leather tote DIY. I opted to use a leather-like vinyl instead of leather which makes this tote even more affordable! This bag comes together really easily, and it is the perfect size! Having the DIY version of the beautiful Madewell Transport Tote makes buying the original very appealing because I see how lovely the style is.

If you didn't already gather up supplies to make this bag, you definitely should! Who doesn't need another purse?

Charlie

A DIY to Try: Sewbon's Leather Tote

This weekend I will be giving this leather tote tutorial by Erin at Sewbon a whirl! If it interests you, you should give it a try too... I will share my results next week! Do you have any crafty plans for this weekend?

Charlie

Dainty Felt Coaster DIY

I never used to be a coaster lover until I did this DIY. Then, I discovered how easily they add character to a room. They also save on trying to get ring stains off of your coffee table!

What you need:

Multiple colors of felt

Scissors

Leather punch

Glue gun

Template

Now that you have gathered your supplies, the coasters will come together with ease. To make one coaster:

1. Print and cut out the template.

2. Using the template, cut three scalloped circles.

3. Lay them together so all the edges line up. 

4. Place a spot of glue only in the center, gluing all three pieces together.

5. Punch a hole in the middle of each scallop with your leather punch all the way around.

6. Now, finish gluing the piece together. 

7. Repeat these steps until you have a set! 

This is not the end of my coaster love. I have a few more ideas up my sleeve, so I hope some of you love coasters as much as I do! I have a feeling that some of them may even end up in the shop... an addiction has started. If you make these, nothing would make my day brighter then seeing what you come up with! 

Charlie