Time for an update!

Hello to all my crafty friends and everyone who has followed this blog over the past eight years.  At long last, I am returning to share paper and other projects, some photography, digital cutting and image files, occasional recipes and travel reports, and some other random things that I find interesting and that I think you will enjoy as well.  I have missed keeping up with the blog and I do appreciate all of you who have emailed or been in touch to let me know that you also missed seeing my posts and projects.  If you are a Facebook or real life friend you probably know some of the things that have been happening in our lives - here are a few highlights of the recent months.

The past year has been full of changes for our family.  As many of you will recall, we started the process of moving from Massachusetts to New Hampshire over a year ago and that became more than a full time job for me!  When you are a crafter you "collect" a lot of things that you know you can use for a project someday.  With a full walk-up attic in our Concord house and a crafting space that had taken over most the lower level of the house, I had a lot of organizing, sorting and moving to do in order to prepare our house for sale.  While we were selling our house, we also took on the build out of the lower level of our new house which was another huge project that lasted much longer than expected.

Our new house sits back in the woods with a very long driveway.  During the record breaking snowfalls of last winter, we had two houses, 45 minutes apart, with snow removal turning into a constant battle.   This photo shows the first big storm at our new house when the "plow guy" couldn't make it up our drive and we brought our snowblower from Concord to clear the way to the house.  I am thinking about everyone who is affected but the storms this weekend and hoping that you stay safe and warm.  Miraculously, it seems to be passing just south of us and we haven't had any new snow here.

In June, our younger son got engaged, and wedding plans were on a fast paced schedule because they wanted to have the wedding while it would still be possible for our older son and daughter-in-law (expecting their first baby) to fly out from California.

The wedding was a wonderful celebration on a beautiful fall day - which also happened to be Halloween!  (I'll share more about the wedding in another post).

We even managed to squeeze in a baby shower on the Sunday after the wedding.

Throughout the summer, work continued in the new house.  This is my new craftroom at a fairly early stage in the work.

Here is the craftroom a few days ago - as you can see, there is still a lot of moving in to do but I am making progress..

I have been very grateful to have my Cricut Explore with the iPhone app which made it possible for me to keep up with cards for family celebrations and holiday gifts for some of our new neighbors.

Even though I had limited time for crafting, I was able to do lots of little things quickly and easily just using my phone (which was great since my computer was having issues that I couldn't sort out for months). 

Our first granddaughter was expected in January but she surprised us all by arriving a month early.  She was tiny but healthy and we are very grateful that she is doing so well.  This photo is from her one week old birthday in her adorable preemie dress that actually fit.

We were able to meet her and have a nice long visit in California earlier this month.  Of course we think she is the cutest baby ever!

It was great to be there for her one month birthday!  She is growing quickly and we can't wait to see her again as soon as we can make another trip.

So that's a very brief "catch-up" on what's new here.  I have some housekeeping to do on the blog and will be updating some of the pages and links over the next week. I also have some new products that I have been using that I can't wait to share.

I'd love to hear how you are doing and what sorts of things you would like to see me posting.  If you have any questions or requests for certain types of projects you'd like to see here, please be sure to leave a comment.  I have some plans that have been on the "back-burner" far too long and I am eager to share them with you all.


This post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase a product using the link I may receive a commission. I only participate in affiliate programs for products that I use or can recommend without reservation.

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Craftsy Flash Sale, True Stamp Savings & Cricut Support

Happy Saturday!  This photo reflects some wishful thinking on my part.  It was taken in our front yard a couple of years ago.  These crocus normally bloom in a sunny spot near our front door - a spot that is currently buried under several feet of snow.  We may see them in May!

There are just a few things I wanted to let you know about today.  I have been a little under the weather and we have some family plans for the weekend but I hope to share some new projects next week.

Craftsy Flash Sale

Craftsy offers great classes and resources for many different crafts (including quite a few that are free!).  Did you know that they also offer supplies and kits for many of the crafts?  There is a flash sale going on this weekend and you can save up to 70% off on fabric, yarn and kits.

Here are the links for the different categories of the sale (these are affiliate links).

Craftsy Flash Sale: Up to 70% off all Yarn, Fabric, Sewing Supplies & Kits
Craftsy Flash Sale: Up to 60% off Sewing Kits
Craftsy Flash Sale: Up to 70% off Quilting Supplies & Kits
Craftsy Flash Sale: Up to 70% off Knitting/Crocheting Supplies & Kits 

This Flash sale will end on Sunday, March 1st, 2015 at 11:59 p.m. Mountain Time.

As I am sorting and preparing for our move, I have "rediscovered" a lot of my sewing things.  I think I will set up a section of the new craft studio just for fabric crafts and quilting.  If I leave the machine up and ready to go, I might use it more often!

 

True Stamp 2015 - Special Offer Expires Today

Earlier this month I shared some information about this online event.  There are six classes featuring some great teachers from a variety of stamp companies and it all happens just four weeks from today.  You can get all of the details and read the descriptions of the classes HERE.

I am signed up and I hope to "see" some of you in the virtual classroom with me.  If you can't attend for the entire day live, no worries!  You will have access to the recordings to watch as many times as you like.

You can save $30 by using the code "GOLD" when you register for the event.  This code is only good until February 28th - that's today so don't miss this opportunity if you are interested.  Just click HERE to go to the information and registration page.

Cricut Support

There are lots of new things to learn about with the launch of the new Cricut Explore Air, Design Space 2 and the iPad App for the Explore.

The Cricut Customer Care staff will have extended hours today, Saturday, February 28th, from 8AM-4PM (Mountain Time) to help with any issues you may be having.  The number to call is 877 727 4288.

Even with the extended hours, there might be a longer than usual wait to talk to someone.  There are many helpful resources on the Cricut site that might help you troubleshoot any problems you are having.  You can find them on the Support page HERE.  This page was recently updated to include common questions and answers.

If you have questions about the iPad App, you can find a manual on the Cricut site HERE.  There is also a series of videos about Design Space 2 on the Official Cricut YouTube channel HERE.

This winter has been truly incredible - here are a few more snow photos to share. We are expecting more snow Sunday night.  This is officially the second snowiest winter on record for Boston.  At this point, everyone I know is hoping that we actually break the all time record.  Somehow that will make all of this seem a bit better - at least we'll have bragging rights!

These are the snow piles at the condo complex where my husband's parents live.  We have had some melting and evaporation over the last week and they are still very tall.  It feels like you are driving through tunnels!

Last weekend we tackled the clearing of one of the decks at our new house.  After 2 1/2 hours of shoveling (including pulling some snow from the roof) we had a figure eight path around the deck with two big snow piles remaining.

When we started, the only way to get on the deck was to climb through the window on the right side of this photo.  All of the doors have screens which open out and the snow was above the windowsill height so we just couldn't budge them!

I know that many of your in the South have now had snow in unusual amounts.  My sister in Virginia has had several large snowfalls.  Stay safe and warm and if you don't really have to go out I hope you just stay home and craft!


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Craftsy Offers Free eGuides

Happy Saturday!  This week has been very busy as we try to keep ahead of the snow that has overwhelmed our area.  Everyone I know is getting very "snow-weary."  This is now the second snowiest winter on record (98.7 inches) and we have a good chance of claiming the record for most snowfall (107.6 inches in the winter of 1995-96).  While this may not be an honor we want, after this much snow it would seem unfair not to make the record!

We haven't had an ice storm (yet) but in a few places the melting snow from the roof has dripped down on the bushes and then frozen again, coating sections with ice.  While I have really had my fill of snow, the way the ice formed around the needles to make little flowers is rather pretty (I'm just trying to find the bright side again!).

I have a couple of updates to share today. 

Free E-Guides from Craftsy

I have taken a few classes through Craftsy and also have enjoyed some of the free resources available there.  I am also a Craftsy affiliate.  If you have never visited the site, it is well worth your time to take a few minutes to see what they have to offer.  You can register and try out some of the free offerings which cover all sorts of crafts including knitting, quilting, art, photography, cake decorating and more.

Craftsy recently added some free eGuides on lots of topics, including paper crafting.  I downloaded the Paper Crafts eGuide (linked below) and found some great ideas for organizing and using up your paper stash and scraps.

You can find the guides for each of these topics by clicking the links below.  This are PDFs that you can save on your computer or print out.  Most of them include a discount offer for future classes.

Paper Crafts
eGuide: 6+ Stash-Busting Paper Craft Projects
Photography
eGuide: Understanding Exposure for Better Photos Now: Beginner Photography Tutorials
Cake Decorating
eGuide: Not-So-Basic Buttercream Decorating Ideas
Food & Cooking
eGuide: Delicious Doughnut Recipes You Can Make at Home
Drawing
eGuide: Drawing the Human Face: A Primer
Painting
eGuide: Beginner's Guide to the World of Watercolor
Gardening
eGuide: Success With Container Gardening
Woodworking
eGuide: Woodturning Basics for Beginners


Extended Customer Service Hours at Cricut

The new Cricut Explore Air machine was launched on Wednesday.  The Design Space program that controls the Explore was upgraded to Design Space 2 and the iPad App that allows you to design on the go was also released this week.  Lots of new things happening all at once.  There are many features of the upgraded programs that are big improvements but there are always some glitches and hiccups as so many people start using the new programs.

The Cricut Customer Care staff will have extended hours for the next week to help with questions and problems.  They will be available today, Saturday, February 21st and next Saturday, February 28th, from 8AM-4PM (Mountain Time) and next week from Monday, February 23rd to Friday, February 27th, from 6AM to 7PM (Mountain Time).

If you have questions about the iPad App, you can find a manual on the Cricut site HERE.  

There is also a series of videos about Design Space 2 on the Official Cricut YouTube channel HERE.

Several of you have written to ask about the snow on the deck, worried about the weight and possible collapse.  Here is how the deck looked after some intense shoveling.

This is what it looked like before shoveling!  Unfortunately, we had another three or four inches a day after we tackled the deck.

Snow can be fun - if you dress for it.  Here is one of my little friends carrying around a snowball the size of her head!

Climbing snow banks is also fun.  If you look on the left side of this photo you can see the very tip of one of our "snow sticks" that marks the driveway.  These are supposed to be tall enough that you can see them as you plow or use the snow blower but ours have nearly all been submerged in the snow.

The cold weather has spread to many states - I hope you are all safe and warm.

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The Snow That Never Ends...

 

We have had another huge accumulation of snow with a second official blizzard of the year this weekend.   Snow totals for the year in our area are over 90 inches and about 85 inches of that snow has fallen in the past 30 days.

The lump on the right side of this photo is our gas grill.  You can see that the snow has now completely filled the deck - as high as or above the railings.

Here is another view of the deck.  The Adirondack chairs on the hill have disappeared and the snow is nearly up to the hooks on the trees where we hang our hammock (in good weather!).

This is the view from inside the sun room - when it gets almost as high as the top of the door you know that is a lot of snow!

Shovel, shovel, shovel - it gets more tiring when you have to lift the shoveled snow higher than your shoulders to get it into the pile along the side of the driveway.

Here is my husband starting up our driveway from the street.  You can see that the piles on the sides are close to his height - about six feet tall!

At this point, our driveway is really a snow tunnel.

The birdbath in the front yard is now completely submerged - it's just a lump in the snow, a blemish on the drifted snow lawn.

A few days ago you could still see some of the top edges - now it is gone!

After spending quite a long time clearing out the snow, I noticed the frosty patterns on the inside of the garage windows.  Since there doesn't seem to be a way to stop this snow, I decided to try to take some photos of the frosty patterns.

Despite all of the inconvenience and work these storms have created I still love the delicate patterns formed by the frost and snowflakes.  I tried editing the photos in different ways and some of them were taken on the sides where the outdoor lights were shining which gives a very dramatic effect.

I hope you enjoy the photos and if you live somewhere warm without all of this snow drama please remember your frozen neighbors to the North!  At least it is a holiday Monday and school vacation for the rest of the week so the traffic should be much lighter than usual.

It's almost time for the releases of three exciting new things from Cricut.  The Cricut Explore Air will launch on Wednesday, February 18th at 12:01 a.m. (this is just after midnight on Tuesday).  The upgraded Design Space 2 and the updated iPad App which allows you to design your own projects on the iPad will also be released this week.  I have been previewing the programs as a Product Expert for Cricut and there are a lot of changes that will make it easier to finish your projects quickly.  I can't wait to share more of them with you.

If you have questions about these new items or just want to find out more about them, there is a helpful Q and A post on the official Cricut Blog HERE.

Remember - the Design Space, Cricut Craftroom and the Cricut website will all be offline today from 6 a.m. Mountain Time until 11:59 p.m.   If you can find some projects to work on that don't require access to the site the time will go more quickly.  I may be doing some more cleaning and organizing in preparation for our move.

Have a great day and enjoy the President's Day holiday if you are not working today!


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Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day!  I hope you can enjoy spending today with someone special.  We have some projects to work on around the house and another big storm to prepare for.  I might get time to post some more information about the new Cricut Design Space 2 and updated iPad App later today or tomorrow.  

The weather is predicted to be so bad that the transit system is shutting down and we got an email that church is cancelled for Sunday morning.  This is one year when Spring will be a wonderful treat - it may arrive by July!

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This post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase a product using the link I may receive a commission. I only participate in affiliate programs for products that I use or can recommend without reservation.