It’s heeeeeeeeeeere!

That’s right…I was fortunate enough to get my hands on the brand new CAMEO, courtesy of the nice folks at Silhouette.

I’m going to give you the details on the Silhouette promo right away and then we’ll chat.

OCTOBER SILHOUETTE PROMOTION:

Silhouette Cameo + starter kit of your choice (vinyl, heat transfer, fabric ink, or rhinestone)

=

$299

Use code “CRAP” to take advantage of the promotion.  And according to my Silhouette guy, they’re fully anticipating them to sell out.  So, if you’re DYING to get one, go NOW!

OK, where were we?

I actually purchased the fabric ink starter kit on my own a few months back because I HAD to know how well it worked.  The stencil vinyl is 9” wide, so you can use it in your Silhouette SD as well as in the new Cameo (which cuts up to 12” wide and TEN FEET long).  Here’s what came in my starter kit:

Tangent:  The packaging on these new starter kits is DELIGHTFUL!  Nice job, Silhouette folks!

I moved the roller over to adjust the Cameo to cut 9” vinyl

and then got to cutting!

The starter kit comes with clear transfer tape, which has already been applied in this picture.

You will want to burnish the crap out of your design, particularly if it has small details like the peacock.  I don’t have the actual Silhouette tool for that, so I used a download card and a Pampered Chef scraper.

Then you’ll apply the stencil vinyl to your fabric

and apply the fabric ink with either a sponge brush or a sea sponge, depending on the look you’re going for.

(sea sponge on the left, sponge brush on the right)

Once the ink is dry, you peel off the stencil vinyl.

I was WAY impressed with the crispness of the details.

And I can’t wait to get my hands on a few more colors.  Two thumbs way up!

Tomorrow I’ll be trying out the new 12 X 12 cutting mat and letting you know how I feel about that.  In the mean time, feel free to post any Silhouette questions in the comments and I promise to get back to you!

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We’ve had Emily here before…she’s an Independent Scentsy Director (and a friend of mine from way back).

In case you’re not familiar with Scentsy, here’s the short version.  Bascially, Scentsy = smelly candles without the fire hazard (or am I the only one that can’t remember to blow those suckers out?).

(The Jolly warmer…HILARIOUS, no?)

Emily and I don’t live in the same state, but her customer service is fabulous.  One time I really really REALLY needed an aqua colored warmer. I guess it had been discontinued? Emily found me one and had it on my doorstep in a couple of days.

My new favorite thing is these cute little plug-in warmers.  You don’t lose any counter space. Heck, you don’t even NEED counter space!

(I’m enjoying this one in my kitchen right now.  The moon lights up all spooky like and it makes me WAY happier than it should.)

I have a Christmas one ready to roll, too:

So what’s in it for you?

Emily is going to be giving one lucky Crap I’ve Made reader $40 in Scentsy product of their choice!!!

TO ENTER:

Click on over to Scentsy and have a look around. Come back and leave a comment ON THIS POST (on the blog, not on Facebook or in response to your email subscription) saying what you’d spend your $40 on.

ADDITIONAL ENTRIES:

“Like” Emily Andersen, Independent Scentsy Director on Facebook. (Post a little “hello” on her wall, if you’re feeling frisky.)  Come back and leave a comment ON THIS POST saying that you did.

Click back over to Scentsy. Take a look at the fragrances and leave a comment ON THIS POST saying what your favorite one is.

That’s 3 potential entries, so get to commenting!

***Giveaway closes Friday, October 28th at 10pm MST. Disclosure: I received Scentsy product to review for this post. I enjoy Scentsy and use it in my home even when I’m not blogging about it.***

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The winner of the $50 Target gift card courtesy of Groopdealz is Lyndee.  If your name is Lyndee, check your email and respond ASAP to claim your prize!

Look forward to more free crap tomorrow morning bright and early!

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*****The Groopdealz giveaway closes tonight at 10pm MST.  Last call for $50 to Target!*****

You guys helped me find sandals (and started my Born addiction), so it only makes sense that I’m turning to you again in my time of need (er, want).

The days are getting shorter…

the weather’s getting cooler…

and I can’t stop browsing for boots.

Do I stick with my beloved Born?

Image from Born

Do I splurge and try the Frye?

Image from Zappos

Something else entirely?

Help?

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I’m a little out of sorts as of late.  It’s nothing major…just life.  I’ll be fine soon, but there hasn’t been a whole lot of creating going on around here (as is evident by yesterday’s confession that not a one of my kids has even a concept for a Halloween costume yet).  Thank you for being patient with me.  I love you all.

You know what else I love?  Target.  And Groopdealz.

If you’re not familiar with Groopdealz, here’s the low down:

Groopdealz is an awesome daily deal site that offers products 30%-90% off the regular price. While you might be getting overwhelmed with the number of daily deal sites coming out, Groopdealz is special in that their deals are targeted for WOMEN!

Not only will Groopdealz offer unbelievable discounts from popular nationwide companies, but (my favorite part) they mainly feature amazing deals from Etsy shops! I love that Groopdealz supports handmade items and all of the hardworking women out there!

Many of the deals they offer are crafty and trendy. Jewelry, vinyl, accessories, home decor, holiday items and so much more.

If you head on over to Groopdealz today, you’ll find this fabulous personalized necklace for only $12

and you’ve got a few more hours to pick up this camera necklace ($6!!!) as well.

Because they’re super awesome, Groopdealz wants to give one lucky Crap I’ve Made reader $50 to Target!

TO ENTER:
(2 options, leave a separate comment for each ON THIS POST on the blog, not on Facebook or in response to your email subscription)

Sign up to get GroopDealz daily emails and check out today’s deal! By signing up, you are the first to see the upcoming homemade and boutique deals.

Like Groopdealz on Facebook (they post extra deals over there)!

Giveaway closes Friday at 10 pm MST.  Happy entering!

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We just wanted to let everyone know how grateful we are to our readers. With your help we were able to raise $1,317 dollars. This is enough money that we are able to provide almost 5.5 children a new smile… Isn’t that so amazing? Thank you so much! We are especially grateful for all the bloggers who donated their fun projects and the bidders who bid on them. Thank you…

Heather M.
Susan A.
Ellen M.
Elsa
Heather W.
Melissa R.
Tiffany
Kim
Paige
Suzy
Andi
Robyn
Rebecca
Kami
Megan W.
Jennifer G.
Barb M.
Jessica
Jen
Regina
Kimmy D.
Dominique
Kim
Nancy

If you were one of the top bidders, we will be in contact with you via email with the rest of the details for how to get your items.

We are so grateful to be a part of this amazing and uplifting community.

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until Halloween, and I haven’t even thought about costumes.

Pretty sure I’m about to get kicked out of crafty blogging all together.

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You’ve got about 3.5 hours (until noon PST) to place your bids on any of the items in the auction to benefit Operation Smile.  You can also make a donation directly.  The goal was 5 smiles.  We’re at about 4.5 right now…so SO close!

Here is the post where you can big on my pillow cover.

And the other items available can be found in the linky at the end of that post as well.

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First up, the winners of the nut cup giveaway (he he he) from Pick Your Plum are:

S
Jeanette
Dianna

Check your email and respond within 48 hours to claim your prize, please!

Can I tell you about my day yesterday?

It was not fabulous.

My keys were missing.  I don’t lose stuff.  Not stuff like keys, anyway.  I moved furniture.  I took off cushions.  I climbed under stuff.  I moved the piano.  And the stove.  And the fridge.  I was desperate.

It was getting late and I needed to get to the post office.  I decided to just take the spare van key and go.  At that very moment, Bennett did something evil to the deadbolt.  I’m not sure how or what, but the end result was that we were all locked out of the house.

Did I mention he was wearing Santa pajamas and no shoes?

I braved the post office anyway.  Then I got one of these:

Gotta do something to pass the time, right?

Once BC was off work and we could get back in the house, we decided to tackle the deadbolt sitch.  Have you ever tried to remove a deadbolt with the lock stuck out and the door locked shut?  It ain’t pretty.  I’m going to save you all a few swears and tell you that this little doohickey right here will retract it…if you can move it.  You might have to use a screwdriver and some sailor talk, but you’ll get there eventually.

And now my door looks like this, so that’s awesome.  And not at all redneck, right?

Did I mention that all 4 exterior doors have the same keys for both locks?  That means we either deal with multiple keys, or we buy 8 new locks.  Delightful any way you look at it, really.

We then resumed the key hunt.  I opened a drawer I had already gone through twice, including holding it upside down and shaking, and I saw this:

WHAT THE CRAP?

Who’s messing with me???

My money’s on this one:

You can’t trust a guy with shatter painted finger nails.

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This was originally posted as part of Kristen Duke’s Decorating with Portraits series.  I wanted to post it here, too, for those who missed it and because I want to remember/have a record of what I said and how I felt.

When Kristen asked me to post about decorating with portraits I was all:

My 5 year old has Asperger’s.  Because of that, he FREAKS out about pictures and we have literally no family pictures worth displaying from the last 5 years or so.  Any pictures I display are mom taken snapshot type pictures because at least he’s not rolling around on the ground/chewing on his shirt/screaming/giving a thumbs down/hiding behind someone/etc.

So, anything I could contribute would be using non professional quality photos/portraits.

How do you feel about that?

Kristen said:

I think that is an excellent perspective that is completely worthy to share!  This series isn’t just about displaying professional photos, but snapshots, too.  Anything that shows your children they are loved!  I know there are other mothers out there that are experiencing something similar.

I’m going to be super honest with you here…there are many days that Asperger’s kicks my trash.  It’s been a long 5.5 years.  It’s not easy for me to talk about, because I love my kid and I’m emotional and protective.  Plus, HOLY VULNERABILITY when I lay it all out like this.  BUT, Kristen’s right.  There are many, many of us in the autism club, so here I am.

Let me show you a little bit of what I meant in my initial response.  Here’s the last batch of family photos we had taken by my insanely talented friend Leilani.

Note the lack of willingness to make eye contact/look at the camera and him smashing his face up against me.

Oh, hey…how about I look sideways?

Pictures that emphasize Campbell’s problems (that word’s not sitting right with me, but I can’t think of a better one right now) make me sad.  I’ve come home from a photo session and sobbed more than once.  There’s a yearning for “normal” that I can’t put into words.  And there’s a want, maybe even a NEED, to document and display the happy times and not let autism define him.  How would I feel if all the pictures in my home documented my bad temper or my cursing habit?

So, if you come to my house, you won’t find any blown up canvas prints or a giant framed photo above the mantel…you’ll find lots and lots of pictures taken by me.  And I’m definitely not a photographer…just a mom that wants to remember the good stuff.

Welcome to my living room.

This display is a whole bunch of cheap-o IKEA frames duct taped together on the back.  You can read more about it here, if you’re interested.  I swap the pictures as often as the mood strikes (because 39 cents for a 5X7 doesn’t exactly persuade me not to).

On the other side of that wall, in my family room, you’ll find this:

I saw the clipboard treatment online several years ago and have been meaning to do my own version.  This post was just the push I needed.  (Details on how I laid out the clipboards here.)

And so, instead of remembering tears and anxiety (me, not the Asperger’s ), we remember birthdays with our best friends, karate kicks above our heads, football coaches with no kids of their own,  first days of school, stuffed animals can be our best friends, and that smiling will NOT get you off time out any quicker.

Celebrate the ordinary.  Be thankful for those moments.

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