The Spunky Diva

I recently upgraded to the 4g iPhone, and of course am loving it!  After having everyone else's hand me down iPhones it is very nice to have my very own new one.  As part of my new phone spree, I decided to see what new task manager programs had come out, and if they had one for a weekly cleaning list.  One that has come out since my last investigation into cleaning lists is Home Routines .  I am soooooo in love with this application!!!!! It is why I have been mostly MIA for the last couple weeks.  With Ms. Diva crawling everywhere, Mr. SD working longer hours, and Ms. T coming in January, I have really been wanting to stop the procrastinating and get a handle on the household mess.  A major factor in this is the two large dogs we have (think constant shedding) and Ms. Diva normally looking like I am using her to mop up all the dog hair.  Gross!!! So... I downloaded this app, it cost something like $5, and I started modifying the daily lists and t...

I took two napkins Mom purchased, added a couple leaves with my embroidery machine, sewed around the edge, and stuffed to make this cute holiday pillow.

Outlive Your Life by Max Lucado, Published by Thomas Nelson How can you outlive your life? How can you transform your faith? Take a look at Max Lucado's latest book, and you may be surprised at what you find. One thing you learn right off the bat with Max, is what his personal stand on the subject is. As part of the dedication for this book, Max dedicates 100% of his proceeds to benefit children and families through faith based organizations. Throughout the book Max brings the Old and New Testaments to life, and he shows you how what God said hundreds of years ago applies to my life today. We go along for the ride with the Ethiopian Enuch as he learns about God first hand from Philip. How does this story show us how Philip outlived his life? It shows that by obeying God and sharing both his time and his with an immigrant he outlives his life. How much affect could your college student be having on someone's life while away at school? There is an interesting twist in C...

The Vigilante's Bride by Yvonne Harris, published by Bethany House. This historical fiction romance begins during 1884 in the wilds of the untamed Montana Territory, and has everything a good American Cowboy romance should have. Cowboys, cattle rustlers, Indians, a mail-order bride, shot-outs and a saloon fight. Emily McCarthy is dislodged from her place at the Girls Home when she is unable to find work in Chicago to earn her keep. The board members of the Aldersgate Home for Girls accept, on Emily's behalf, a request for a mail-order bride. Emily is told of the boards' acceptance, and is given no choice regarding leaving the civilized world of Chicago for the wilds of the Montana frontier. Upon arriving in Repton she finds herself engaged to the town bully who is old enough to be her grandfather. As if that wasn't enough, she also finds out that her fiance is harassing the local Foundling and Orphan Asylum, of which he is a board member. The hero of this story face...

Another week has flown by...   I have been busy getting Stay-Put Towels ready for the holiday craft fairs.  I have one show confirmed, and another one still pending.  Both are indoor events, and should be a lot of fun.  This weekend I will be working on holiday themed burp cloths, and should have some pictures ready for Monday's weekend wrap. In case you missed it last week; we announced the winner of the 200 Follower Giveaway .  Check out the post, and find out which pair of towels she claimed! Here are this week's Five Questions from My Little Life : 1. Who is the better cook, you or your spouse?   Definitely him.  Ex-firefighter and all, LOL!  He loves to cook, and actually cares what he eats.  I am just one of those cook whatever is easy and be done with it.  So... I do a lot of dishes. 2. How often do you talk to your mom?   All the time.  We live close, and are always calling each other too.  She takes care of ...

I have been very envious of all the wonderful fall garlands that have been popping up in various link parties.  Here is what I came up with that fit my commitment level, and used materials that were on hand.  First off, this is a very simple, quick fall garland project.  There are many tutorials out there that take more time and give you a fancier effect, but if you are looking for something quick that you can get done in 15 minutes, this How-To is for you! Grab four sheets of fall colored felt.  Stiff felt would have worked better if I had been buying felt.  I had regular craft felt on hand, and it worked just fine.  A length of ribbon about 1.5 times the width of your opening or window. Two thumb tacks. Print out your letters using a font you like.  I used Arial at 500 pt.  Under "format font" (or maybe "format character" depending on your computer) select "outline".  No sense is wasting a lot of ink to print out a extra large letter. ...

Welcome to Etsy Tuesday! This week's feature shop selected by Random.org is Treacle And Ink . Here is a little about the shop and Amanda: I've pretty much been into creating things since I was little, but it wasn't until just a few years ago that I really realized how important it is to me. There is something about the creative process, seeing something go from being just merely an idea to a completed project, that is just exhilarating! It's wonderful to have something to show for your work at the end of the day. Whether it's a recipe, a song, a character, or a crafty project, I was born with the need to be creative. At first, I made things just for myself and my family and friends, but about a year ago they encouraged me to try my hand on Etsy, so here I am. It's so much fun to see items that I have made (or discovered, in the case of my vintage items) find their ways to people who will appreciate them.     ~ Amanda Here are some fun items from Amanda's ...

Wow!  What a busy week.  The B-day Girl turned one on Saturday (I still can't figure out where the past year has gone?), and had a heck of a good time with her chocolate cake. The cutie pie B-day Girl with her embroidered t-shirt.  Font frame from Planet Applique, font from Embird. "Some Assembly Required" Are you sure those are going to go one? Let's take them over to Dad for help.  And of course Dad got it together right quick! Enjoying her cake! On Saturday I finished Ms. Diva's Harvest costume.  She is just the right size to be an adorable candy corn! She found the ribbon a little too interesting to play with though, LOL! I also got a FALL garland whipped up to add a touch of fall to our kitchen window.  It is hard to believe that it is the middle of October when we can leave the house windows open all night (with fans on) and the house is only down to 77 degrees in the morning!  Don't get me wrong, I love being warm, I just also love some cr...

1. What is your favorite Halloween candy?   For sure my favorite is candy corn.  Nothing but sugar baby!  Ms. Diva will be a little candy corn this year for Harvest Festival.  So, stay tuned for the adorable pictures.  PS - this is my first ever costume sewing endevor. 2. Do you fold your socks?   Nope.  Keeping up with laundry is hard enough.  I used to when I had different types and colors.  Now all of my socks (and hubby's) are just plain white/black footies.  Hubby does have tall socks for work, so his are seperated by footies and tall. 3. What is something that you wish you had been warned about?   I have probably been warned about everything.  Every time I look back on a poor decision or a circumstance I wish wasn't happening, I can see/hear someone giving me their opinion (or warning) about that exact issue.  Either I didn't remember or did it anyways, LOL!  What do they say... hindsight is 20/20. 4. Wh...

Fonts 500 is a fantastic site to download free fonts onto your computer to use in Word/Open Office docs. I am not sure if you can digitize these fonts (don't have that upgrade to my embroidery software yet, darn-it), but you can use them to make fabric labels. I used these directions from AscenderCrop to install the fonts. These directions were straightforward, and I had no problems getting the three fonts I downloaded uploaded and then used them right away in Paint. Here are the three options I am looking at using for fabric labels. Your thoughts???

Here is my most recently finished custom order for an Etsy customer.  I have also added the Sea Turtle Bag Tag to the shop as well.  These critters will brighten anyone's day!

Congratulations Allison for being the winning comment selected by Random.org. Comment number 5:         Allison said...         Aqua Paisley Stay Put Towels are super cute!

Today is the last day to enter the 200 Follower Giveaway!  Click on the button above to enter your comments.  Entries will close at 6pm, and the winner will be broad casted at 7pm.   In case you need a reminder of what the fabulous prizes for this giveaway are... From Monika's etsy store: www.ILoveItAll.etsy.com And any pair of Stay-Put Towels listed at www.SpunkyDiva.etsy.com -   Remember - Click the '200 Giveaway' button at the top of this page to enter your comments!

As you can tell I had lots of fun at Joann's Columbus Day Sale!  I also stocked up on stabilizers and fusible interfacing (both 50% off).  Now, I am ready to get ramped up for the Holiday Craft Fairs!  Let me know if you would like to reserve a burp cloth or pair of stay-put towels made for any of this fabric.  I have two orders that get first dibs currently, but the I still have enough of each fabric to give others dibs too. Metallic Autumn Leaves / Pumpkins on Black Background Variety of Fat Quarters ($0.99 each) Some very adorable turtles. Of course you have to have Winter Snowflakes! Holly, Poinsettias, Peppermints, and Gingerbread Men, Oh my! And some girly fabric is always welcome in my stash, LOL!

Welcome to Etsy Tuesday!   This week's feature shop selected by Random.org is The Trendy Owl .  Here is a little about the shop and Jocelyn: I am a stay at home mom of three kids who is married to her very best friend. I have always enjoyed crafting and baking for as long as I can remember. About a year and a half ago when flowers started becoming popular, I jumped on the band wagon and started making my own unique flower pieces for my hair. After having some positive feedback from my close friends, I decided to open a shop on etsy this past February. I love making these fun trendy pieces and adding my own creative spin to them. There is something so fun about matching up fabrics to make one of a kind pieces. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. ~ Jocelyn www.thetrendyowl.etsy.com www.insidebrucrewlife.blogspot.com -------------------------------------------- Etsy Tuesday Rules: 1. Link up your Etsy shop, and choose a picture of your favorite item to share....