50 State Album - #29, Texas

Trevor's 50 State Album has a new page, following our November trip to Texas. 

The album is starting to fill up (29/50 done!). I love looking through it and reminiscing on all the wonderful trips we've done. And seeing the 21 blank pages makes me so excited about the adventures that remain! Of the missing states from Trevor's album, I have been to two (Virginia and Montana), but all the rest will be new not only to Trevor but to me as well. Trevor will be traveling with his school over spring break to Washington DC (which will include time in Virginia), so he'll have #30 then. 

As for the rest of the states, we don't have firm plans yet. We're planning to do a multi-state trip over the summer, probably to see the final four New England states. We're hoping to spend either Thanksgiving break or Christmas break in Louisiana. Exciting times ahead!

A Crafting Necessity: The Brightech Lamp

This post contains affiliate links.

Have you ever received something you didn't know you needed, then wondered how you ever lived without it? Such was the case for me and my Brightech lamp. It is AMAZING!

I received the LightView XL Magnifying Glass Light 2-in-1 Floor Standing-to-Table Lamp to try out back in late November. For the past six weeks, I've been wishing I'd bought one years ago! I love everything about it. It's easy to adjust and provides beautiful light right where I need it. The huge rectangular lens magnifies 2.25 times, which has come in very handy for my aging eyes. (No more calling Trevor over to read fine print for me!) I've used the magnification without the light, the light without the magnification, and both together.

So how have I used my lamp? I used it to fix my REACH tag when the rub-ons didn't transfer completely.

I used my 005 Micron pen to dot in the places where the rub-on was missing. Piece of cake with the magnification!

It's great for sewing, a frequent activity for Scout parents.

I can thread needles again! (Note to self: Schedule appointment with optometrist. Clearly, it's time for glasses.)

Steve has taken my lamp out to his electronics desk in the garage. 

I'm not sure it would be possible to solder such a tiny circuit board without the light and magnification.

My mom used the lamp to read more comfortably and is planning to buy her own. She often reads holding a magnifying glass. No more!

Obviously, I highly recommend the LightView XL Magnifying Glass Light... even if your eyes are still young! It's allowed me to do precision crafting at night, which I'd never done before. It provides amazing hands-free magnification. It provides white light exactly where I need it. I could go on and on.

If you received any Christmas money, treat yourself to a Brightech magnifying lamp! There are a lot of different styles, so visit their website to see which is best for you. They offer free shipping over $50 and free returns if you're not happy with your lamp (but I can't imagine that being the case).

If you already have a magnifying lamp, tell me how you use it. There are probably a dozen more uses I haven't thought of yet!

A Gift of Money: The Euro Gyro

I’ve been doing money gifts for my nephew, Timothy, twice a year for six years. I enjoy the challenge of coming up with clever ways of giving him money, but there is some pressure when gift giving time is near and I still haven’t thought of something unique. Planning a money gift for Timothy's birthday at the end of October isn’t too bad, because I have 10 months to think of something. But designing his Christmas gift just 8 weeks later always proves more stressful. And now that he lives out of state (Idaho), it’s way more complicated than before. Last year, he came to California for Christmas, so I was able to give him an elaborately wrapped money gift (in this case, Air Force One), which he dismantled and flew home with just the cash. This year, I had to design a gift that could go into my suitcase and through airport security before it was opened (alas, no more Money Trees).

In a few months, my parents are taking Timothy’s family and our family on a European cruise to celebrate Timothy’s high school graduation. Naturally I wanted to give him euros for his Christmas gift. But I couldn’t think of a clever way to package them. I was brainstorming at the dinner table and Trevor thought I was talking about gyros instead of euros. Once we realized what the other person was talking about, it was obvious that I’d need to invent the euro gyro. Affiliate links below.

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The Euro Gyro

Materials:

• Euros
• Felt - tan, white, red
• Scissors
• Needle and tan thread
• Polyfil
• Easter grass
• Gyro wrapper
• Arby’s bag

Steps:

Procure euros. I went to my bank, which does not charge fees to buy foreign currency. They keep euros on hand, so I did not have to order ahead or make an appointment. Quick and easy.

Procure a gyro wrapper and bag. I wanted my gift to look like I’d literally bought Timothy a gyro for Christmas, so I did a little research and learned that Arby’s sells gyros. So Steve, Trevor, and I had dinner at Arby’s in early December (turns out their gyros are quite delicious) so that I could ask for a clean wrapper and a bag. Also quick and easy. (As an aside, I was looking on Amazon just now to see if I could link to something Arby's related in my materials list and found this fabulous gem. It took me a long time to realize they were referring to a golf driver and not a roast beef delivery person.)

Cut two pieces of tan felt into a circle the size of a pita. Use a quick whipstitch to connect them, leaving a small opening for stuffing.

Add a little bit of Polyfil at a time until the pita has the appropriate puffiness. Sew the opening closed.

Cut a couple of red felt tomato slices and some white tzatsiki. Fold the euros in half lengthwise and add some Easter grass.

Layer the euros (which represent the meat in a gyro) with tomato, tzatsiki, and lettuce inside the pita.

 Fold it over and wrap it with the gyro wrapper. Alternatively, you can wrap it in foil.

Muss up the bag a bit, then put the euro gyro inside. Your gift is ready!

Timothy was amused. Success!

  

I’ve done foreign currency for Timothy twice before: first, when he took his Make-a-Wish trip to Australia, then again when I turned colorful foreign bills into flowers. It's fun to mix things up a bit.

Any ideas for his birthday? I only have 10 more months to come up with a clever idea!

One Little Word 2019

This is my ninth year participating in Ali Edwards' One Little Word. I started in 2011 with Balance (2011), then did Celebrate (2012), Try (2013), Enjoy (2014), Relax (2015), Share (2016), Connect (2017), and Believe (2018). Spending the year focusing on each of these words has been very positive for me.

My word for 2019 is Reach. 

I love this word because reach can mean stretching toward something, or actually arriving there. Both are important. You can’t reach your goals without first reaching toward them. All progress is positive. This year, I will reach toward, reach for, and reach out. I’m excited to see where it will lead me.

As always, my new One Little Word does not replace the previous ones. Balance, Celebrate, Try, Enjoy, Relax, Share, Connect, and Believe will be as much a part of 2019 for me as Reach. My tags hang together in my craft room. These are the first 7:

Reach has joined Believe on my 2nd string of tags. They hang right below the first. 

Did you choose One Little Word for 2019? I'd love to hear what it is and why you chose it!

Creative Resolutions

Happy New Year!

I've been making creative resolutions since 2005... six years longer than I've been blogging! There is a real sense of accomplishment to writing down my goals for crafting (and my creative life in general) and checking in once a year. My goals have changed a lot over the years as my hobby has become my business. When I look back at past resolutions, I am really proud of myself and how far I've come. I've worked hard, and while my progress has not been as rapid as I might have hoped, I know that 2005 Cindy would be blown away by what 2019 Cindy has accomplished and where my creative life (or more accurately, My Creative Life) has taken me.

So, how did I do in 2018? Of the nine resolutions I made, I completed five and made excellent progress on two.

First, the resolutions I completed:

• I made 64 layouts in 2018, which exceeds my goal of 52 for the year.  
• I took multiple classes about blogging, both in person at Creativation and online through CreativeLive.
• I taught a class at Creativation about marketing crafts toward kids, teachers, and homeschoolers. 
• Believe it or not, I actually did learn some HTML! I'm amazed by this. I still rely on Steve's knowledge a lot, but it's so helpful knowing enough to fix the little problems. 
• All 50 Little Passports adventures are complete!

I gave myself partial credit for these resolutions:

• I did finish organizing all all my craft tutorials by holiday, which was a HUGE job. I also kept up-to-date with my page of crafts from A-Z. However, I did not organize my craft tutorials by topic or theme. At the very least, I would like to organize my animal crafts and edible crafts. 
• Of the 50 states, I posted craft tutorials for 44 out of 50. The missing states are Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, South Carolina, Virginia, and Wyoming. I'll work on those during the first part of 2019.

Incomplete resolutions:

• I did not do anything to improve my photography skills. 
• I did not add a recipe template to the blog. After I did the research, Steve agreed to write the code for a template so that I don't have to pay a monthly fee to the developer of the recipe template many bloggers use. Recipes are not very important for my blog, however, so I don't feel too bummed that it didn't happen. My efforts, and Steve's, were better put elsewhere.

For 2019, I've decided that my creative resolutions should, for the most part, focus more on creativity and less on my business. I don't want my resolutions to just be a checklist of blog chores I should do - I already have one of those. Instead, I want to challenge myself to grow creatively. And I want to be excited when I look at the list! 

After much thought, here are my creative resolutions for 2019:

Are you making any creative resolutions? I'd love to hear what they are!