Empty Nesting real soon. We are a little sad, but we are excited too. She is going to a small college that has dorms built in 1836. The last update was over  2 decades old, so we really have to be creative! Move in day is 2 months away.

I couldn’t  find a lot of information on actual trunk parties. From what I found out, they are for young adults on the way to college or dorm living. They need supplies such as snacks, water, school supplies, and dorm room supplies. I let my guests be creative. I bought the trunk last year, and her suitcase set this year.  I also registered her on Bed, Bath and Beyond.  I tried Amazon, but had a very hard time getting her list to be searchable.  I still used a friend list on Amazon to make some of my own purchases. Some guests like to see what she still needed and wanted to wait until after the trunk  party. One of the nicest ideas I liked was actually using a personal headboard. It really makes a difference in the look. Dormify.com had beautiful ideas.

We chose to do our party  immediately after the graduation.  I have been buying 1-2 things a month since last March. This kept us from being overwhelmed. They need like a whole house in 1/2 a room. She chose purple and gold for her dorm room.I chose those colors for the trunk party as well. Although she has most everything,  she still needs cleaning supplies, and snacks!

Time is flying as usual.  I’m not crafting like I know I should be.  Back and forth to a slew of doctors.  I still get on my Pinterest as it gives me such joy!   I’m thankful to God to see a new day.  My walking is bad, but my hands are still working great, so I have no excuse. Sitting and crafting for hours is a thing of the past. But I cant let them go quite yet.I have been making these wonderful scrapbooks that I learned how to make on You Tube.  Shelly Geigle gets all the credit for these innovative books that can be stretched to imagination’s content.

It was well worth the watch.  I slowly made books using her technique and Raine enjoyed playing with my new equipment: scorepal, and the cutter, oh lord.  She is 14 and like: “Mom, you have to let me learn something.”  I just ordered my Martha Stewart punchers to make the exotic paper borders.

I have enough pictures and kid’s artwork to last a lifetime. So serious. I’ll be 50 in January, and I figured out that no one would really care about all those pictures unless I do SOMETHING with them.   My highschool friend Tiffany told me that she knows her kids wouldn’t really be bothered with her pictures.  I got a very uncomfortable visual of my children trying to figure out what to do with all those photos and “stuff” if I wasn’t around. I have downsized my mom’s “things” to a drawer and a photo album.  Amazing.

So me…the procrastinator crafter has to absolutely pretend that scrapbooking is my new job.  I created this room in my house called the Memory Room. It’s filled with lace, pillows, and my cousin’s old Dixie French Provencial bedroom set. No man will ever willingly sleep in it.  I have had my family move those crates of pics/photos/invitations/greetingcards/awards/obits/ to the Memory Room.   And I select random batches of pics, so it wont be too orderly.  So far so good.  I’ve even made books and given them to family to put their own pictures in.  I couldn’t resist.

Life is too short, no matter what’s wrong with us.  I read on Quora, and boy was it was an eye opener:  “No one will even know you even existed 200 years from now.”  I almost got a little attitude when I read it, but I realized it’s true.  Maybe Facebook will preserve our stories longer. And I know scrapbooking won’t hurt….

Do something today that your future self will appreciate…:)

Ree

I was off this weekend and was able to get the rest of my invites and everything written.  Stamps are almost a thing of the past.  It seems weird sending invites through emails and texts.  It was pretty effective though I will admit.  The killer is that I am planning the vowel renewal celebration and my family reunion at the same time.  It’s really getting me into the swing of things.  And working 2 jobs while planning 2 things is a little insane.   But I don’t feel stressed…just beaming.   John’s birthday was today, we even managed to get out for that today… It didn’t help our promise to lose 25 pounds a piece plan…we are both beyond full. 

I started a second job trying to fund a vowel renewal ceremony.  It’s taken all my time away.  Although I will admit, I have been crafting some wonderful things. 

According to this quiz, I’m a techy crafter? Ok!
http://crafts.quiz.kaboose.com/80-what-s-your-crafting-style/result/921264

I like four different styles: Shabby chic, Country, Blingy, and Recycling. Most of my blogs will be these types of crafts. Shabby Chic is number one for me. I can’t get enough of magazines like Romantic Country and Altered Art. It takes basically everything you have around the house and makes it usable and ultra frou frou, feminine. It was a wonderful way to change my 22 year old’s room around. When she came home, she glared at me. “Are you serious ma?”
Snicker…sly…snicker.

Blingy is just me. Glamour, Diva-ishness. I notice that there are groups that like Blingy and groups that hate it, but it’s okay. Usually Full Glamour styled folks don’t seem to like country and vice versa. I think of Green Acres with this. That’s why the world goes around. My husband hates anything mirrors, and glitterish. Hence shop alone.

Country is so popular and also represents simplicity. I think it’s popular because most people can relate to something in it. Like good old apple pie. I like it because it’s usually simple for me to make. I kind of think its more like shabby chic, but more green and simpler, not so feminine.

Recycling is the best. To be able to take something and turn it into something else is awesome. My uncle Pee Wee’s house was filled with aluminum foil when I visited him. He was sick at the time, and I remember looking at the aluminum foil coasters, cup holders, placemats and other oddities around the house and kind of chuckling. What is that? Why does he have a fascination with aluminum foil. He died the next day and I always remember his fascination with it. I was floored when I first saw that you could make dolls with aluminum foil. I put my own spin on it and I love trying to figure out what else I can use that foil for. We covered up a rust spot on a freezer last week for a surprise birthday party. We couldn’t find any tableclothes. We put a fruit tray on top and sprinkled confetti on it. No one was the wiser, and it looked cute. Success!!!!
I’m sure there is some formal research on why crafters like some styles, but these 4 are my favorites.