Another Surprise Package!

I can't say it enough...I love getting mail, especially packages! Anyone else with me??

They just always have such a nice, personal touch & it makes a person feel good to know that someone out there is thinking about them and wanting to brighten their day, just a little bit.

I met Jenn when I was living in Monterey, CA. I was having a hard time meeting people (as is sometimes the case when you move somewhere not knowing anyone) and decided to join this knitting group on Meetup. The group contained about 5-10 ladies (all different ages) who got together every week to eat, knit & chat...it was a blast! Anyway, Jenn was one of the leaders of the group and we very quickly became good friends...going to get coffee or dinner, taking short road trips, attending the midnight release of Twilight's New Moon at the local Borders, and even taking a sewing class together. Our love for knitting, DIY, Twilight books/movies, etc. bonded us for life, I'm pretty sure! :)

Have I mentioned that she is one of the craftiest people I know?! She knits, crochets, paints, cooks, makes handmade cards, sews...you name it, she does it...or she'll figure out how to do it! She has such great ideas - I just love them all. She has a blog too - Piles of Patterns, and she's promised me that she'll be updating soon!!

So I received this uber-thoughtful package from her and had to share it:

It was partly a belated birthday gift - even the gift bag was personalized!

Cutest handmade card AND envelope - it says "Sparkle & Shine"

Some AMAZING sea salt caramels from Lula's Chocolates in Monterey (I also featured them here on Friday - so you can see what the caramels actually looked like). Needless to say, they're gone by now, not a trace of them left! :)

A darling bookmark that displays the quote: "Where there is love there is life" ~Mahatma Gandhi. I am currently putting it to good use, as I'm starting the 3rd book in the Fifty Shades of Grey series!

Some fun 'create-your-own' magnets...you just stick a picture or piece of scrapbook paper or whatever you want behind the glass, stick the magnet on and you have personalized magnets for your fridge! Very cool idea - will have to share my finished product when I'm done.

And finally, a beautiful, handmade cowl - made from jersey knit material. It is soft, light-weight AND reversible (you can see both sides in the pic)!! I love it and have a feeling that I'm going to get A LOT of use out of it.

So as if I hadn't listed out a lot of ideas & suggestions for care packages here, there are many more options above, if you enjoy DIY/crafts/sewing/etc. Jenn knows me SO well, and this package screams it - I love her thoughtfulness and can't wait to send her one right back!! Thanks Jenn :)

Do you all have any other items you enjoy receiving in the mail or in packages? Please share!!

Re-Cap of 2010

Well, 2010 was definitely an interesting, enjoyable...but difficult year. A lot happened and when thinking about some of things that I accomplished, I am pretty pleased! :) But I still feel like I can do more and I intend to in 2011! So, here are a few things that stand out to me when thinking back on 2010:

• I started off 2010 by becoming a vegetarian...well, more like a pescetarian (I still ate seafood)...it wasn't very difficult for me to do and I felt like I made much better choices for the most part, incorporating a lot more fruits/veggies into my meals.

• I started my blog and began writing posts related to food, crafting and events occurring in my life. I still struggle with posting regularly, for some reason I just can't post everyday...and I definitely feel as though my blog lacks focus. I have brainstormed a few ideas and, who knows, maybe the blog will change with the new year! ;)

• I learned how to crochet...I was taught how to knit back in the summer of 2007 and have knit ever since, but just this past year I picked up crocheting. I would still say that I prefer knitting, but it's great to know both because they both create very different-looking end products.

• The hubby bought me a sewing machine and I began learning how to use it, attending sewing class with my friend Jenn and knitting up various items: zippered pouches, knitting handbags, and even an apron! I am still learning but it is a very fun hobby to have!

• My sister got married in the summer...in Seattle, WA, where they live. I got to see and spend time with all of my immediate family and we had a great celebration to be remembered for sure!

• We moved from Monterey, CA to Omaha, NE in the early months of Fall...BIG change, but it felt great to be back in the Midwest. Said goodbye to the ocean, some awesome restaurants/seafood and some amazing friends...and said hello to flat land, cold winter months and steak. But we are closer to family and we really like it here, so it was a good move.

• Ran the farthest that I think I have ever run in my life...began running on outdoor trails behind our apartment complex in Omaha and worked up to a total run of 6 miles! It wasn't easy and I ran very slow at first, but it felt like a big accomplishment...now that it's cold outside, the treadmill is unfortunately, my enemy! :/

• I started eating meat again, after a few months in Omaha...it was a decision I thought about for quite sometime. I still eat more seafood than anything and only occasionally eat red meat.

Some difficult things I endured in 2010:

• I spent 6 months apart from my hubby when he left Monterey for some military training (before our move to Omaha, NE). I wouldn't wish time apart like that for anyone...we would talk almost every day and I tried to keep myself as busy as I could, but it was still one of the hardest things about this past year.

•  I finally had my tonsils taken out...this has been on my to-do list since 2008. I have had numerous problems  with them over the years and decided to just get it over with. It was a ridiculously awful recovery, but I had great friends who visited and brought me liquids...and I got through it! (And yes, this occurred after the hubby left! :0)

• Living so far away, I didn't get to visit home very often...11 months, in fact, before I made it back to Illinois = home. 

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The hubby and I were able to spend the holidays visiting our families in Illinois...and it was so great to spend time with everyone!! There were lots of presents, tons of food and too many sweets! :) My favorite gifts were: a book I've been wanting: Breaking Night, the Eclipse movie (I know, right?! It's crazy that I hadn't bought it for myself when it came out), a Keurig one-cup coffee maker and some gorgeous new red dishes (that we have desperately been needing/wanting)...and lots lots more that I am enjoying! :) 

And then the hubby and I spent New Years Eve back in Omaha...it's crazy, because this is the only the second year (since we met) that we have spent both holidays together. It was nice!

Goals for 2011 to come...

Sew What! Bags

So, on Saturday a group of us girls got together to do a little sewing! I was very excited to use my machine again and hopefully get some tips/tricks from some more experienced sewers. We decided to make 'project bags' which, in the knitting/crocheting world, are just bags that hold 1 or 2 knitting/crocheting projects that are being worked on (so you can tote along your project wherever you go). But really, the bags could be used for just about anything.

We had SO much fun and it really helped that we were all working on the bags together...I felt like I learned a lot and actually finished something that isn't hideous! Haha :) And, I tried to make another one today, by myself and it turned out pretty cute too! They're definitely not perfect, but I feel great about making progress!

The bag with the *cute* owls is the one I made yesterday and the hearts one is today's:

Aren't the fabrics just so cute?! But folks, fabric is NOT cheap...cute fabric, anyway ;)

They both have drawstrings to tighten up the top, like this:

What do ya think?

My friend Jenn and I are really wanting to make a bunch of them to sell on Etsy or at craft fairs...and we've got lots of other patterns/projects that we want to accomplish as well!

So, stay tuned for more craftiness coming your way! ;)

Craft-tastic!

So, this is a very belated post...but before the hubby left, for a pre-anniversary gift (our anniversary was March 8! Woohoo, 1 year down, many more to go)/pre-birthday gift (it's next Sat. :) )...he bought me a brand new sewing machine!

A Singer Esteem II

And this lovely case...
I was in awe!

I had been telling him for the past 6 months that I wanted a sewing machine and the hubby pretty much said "Don't you have enough hobbies?!" :) Haha...my answer was always NO! A woman can never have enough hobbies/crafts!! So, I think after I bothered him enough, he realized that I wasn't going to give up! And I was so surprised when he got it for me...he is such a thoughtful man who supports all of my obsessive crafts!!!

Not knowing how to even thread the machine, I've mastered that thanks to some video tutorials. And I even took a shot at a simple project...and eyeglasses case (however, I'm not going to post it because it's pretty sad, haha). But, needless to say, I'm gonna need some more practice and am still getting used to my machine and sewing with it in general. So, stay tuned for some projects to come!

P.S. If any of you have sewed before, and have any tips for me, please send them my way! :)