My Favorite Home, Hobby, and Crafting Projects of 2017

This is the time of the year when Blog Land slows down because everyone is off enjoying the holidays and people are not in front of their devices.  Can I get an "Amen" ?!  I do plan on closing my blog down for two weeks starting this Saturday, December 23rd, but before I do that I wanted to spend the next few days doing some reflective end-of-the-year posts.   Today I will share my Favorite Home, Hobby, and Crafting Projects of the year, picking one favorite craft or hobby for each month.  On Wednesday I will give a summary of our 2017 Travel Adventures, and on Friday I will wrap up the year with my favorite Fashion Posts.

Lets begin!

January

Pregnancy Announcement Photography

Even though I knew about my daughter's pregnancy from almost the moment she was conceived, it wasn't until three months later in January that we let the rest of the world know;  and I was honored to take their pregnancy announcement photos.  


February
Valentine Cards

February brought Valentine's Day and I made these cute and pretty Valentine Cards for my children.

March

How To Make a Succulent Planter

Succulents have been all the rage in interior design the past few years, so I decided to try making my own succulent planter.

April

Master Bedroom Big Reveal

April was an exciting month because we had been redecorating our master bedroom for months and it was finally done!

May

A Pinwheel Baby Quilt

In May I completed a baby pinwheel quilt that was started by my husband's paternal grandmother 20+ years earlier.  It was so special to present a quilt to my daughter that both her mother and grandmother worked on.

June

A Velveteen Rabbit Baby Shower

The month of June brought my daughter's baby shower.  It was thrown by a friend of hers, but I was asked to decorate for it.  

July

My Mid-July Garden

In the summer I don't have any time to spend in the house doing crafts or redecorating.  Those projects are saved for the winter months.  Once the weather warms, I'm outside working in the garden.  This summer, I spent most of the season re-doing this large shade garden.  

August

One-Month Old Baby Photo Shoot

August brought another photography shoot, but this time it was of my new grand baby!  Looking at these photos, I can't believe how much she has changed already.  She doesn't even look like the same baby!

September

Back In The Kitchen Again

In the fall, once the majority of the garden work was done, I was able to get back in the kitchen again and try some new recipes.  I found this Cheesy Gnocchi and Sausage Skillet recipe that my husband loved so much because it tasted "Just like pizza!"

October

From One Bag To Another

My dearest, oldest friend's birthday is in October, and I made this card for her.  I just love that it's a humorous yet sweet card.

November

Paper Turkeys For Your Thanksgiving Table

In November I had fun making turkeys out of paper for my Thanksgiving table!

December

During the month of December I made a last minute decision to send out Christmas Cards.  I was going to skip it, but changed my mind because it's tradition and it is something I enjoy doing.  So I quickly printed a photo card, wrote a brief Christmas letter, and made 40 cards.  All the card stock designs are different, but the "Joy" design is the same on all the cards.  Below is only one example.  I haven't had time to even do a post on these cards yet.  Not sure I even will as once Christmas is over, no one will be interested.  

I hope you've enjoyed my Home, Hobby and Crafting Projects Year in Review.  Come back on Wednesday to see where we've been traveling this past year!

Have a Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!

Blue Quilted Vest

I am such a sucker for quilted or puffer vests.  I had to stop at the mall to pick up some contacts that I ordered and I parked by Sears since the optometrist was located close to that anchor store.  Well that was a mistake because as I was walking through the store I spotted this cute blue quilted vest and it ended up coming home with me!  I love quilted vests for my frigid Wisconsin climate.  They keep my core warm without the bulk on my arms.  I now own five vests in various styles, thicknesses, and colors.

The vest is not quite this vivid blue in real life.  It is a bright, medium blue.  I paired my vest with dark blue denim, a beige cowl neck sweater, a burgundy pom pom beanie, and tall cognac boots.  I wore this outfit shopping.

 What attracted me to this particular vest was the grey fur lining, the gold accents, and the quilted design.

It is a thinner vest, so it's not as reliable for colder temperatures for outdoor activities as my burgundy puffer vest is;  but that's OK, because then I can wear it more comfortably indoors or on warmer days.

As I stated earlier, the quilted detailing and the gold buttons and zipper are very attractive.

My tall cognac boots are old.  I love the flat style to wear for shopping.

The Elizabeth Tote is by Liz Claiborne and sold at JCPenney.

It's hard to see in the picture, but the beanie has gold thread weaved throughout.

As I write this post, this vest is still available at Sears and is cheaper than when I bought it!  It's on sale for $16.00 and comes in several different colors!

Have a Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!

How To Wear A Floral Cardigan

I'll be honest with you.  This is the third time I've worn this floral cardigan and taken fashion pictures, but this is the first time I thought the outfit looked good enough to post.  I saw these floral cardigans at Charlotte Russe...a younger, hipper store than where I normally shop.  I was really drawn to the burgundy one because it had a much smaller floral print, but they didn't have my size in store or on line, so I settled on this black one.  And since I brought it home, I had a hard time styling it where it didn't look "old".  From my experience, I have found that there are certain styles that while they may be trending with the younger population, they can make us older gals look older or frumpy in them.  Think midi skirts, florals, maxis, or ruffled tops....I really have to work hard not to look dated if I choose to wear those items.

One of the tricks I've learned when styling an old-fashioned piece brought back into popularity, is to pair it with modern, trendy pieces.  This outfit works because it's paired with faux leather pants, a unique grommet top, and heels.  It strikes a nice balance of old-fashioned and modern.

I can wear leggings with this sweater and top, because they both cover my behind adequately.

 While taking these pictures, my husband admitted to me that he did not like this cardigan until I paired it with these pieces.  He said it looked too old-fashioned, but when put together with the all- black base and trendier pieces, it looked really nice.  I so agree!  Sometimes (actually a lot of time) when you bring a new clothing item home, you really have to play around with it until you find something that works.

I wore this outfit down to breakfast when we stayed at a bed and breakfast this past weekend.  I was thrilled to see the flowers in the cardigan matched the colors of the sofa in the lobby.

I picked up this cute little velvet bag on clearance for only $5.99 at Shoe Encore.

The floral cardigan is very thin (which I love, who wants more bulk?) and it has a hi-lo cut.  It also has pretty black lace on the hem.

My faux leather leggings I purchased several years ago at JCPenney.  I love that the faux leather is only on the sides of the pants.

For shoes, I chose black booties by Liz Claiborne (old).

It was so fun having a new location to take fashion photos at the B&B.

I just checked the Charlotte Russe website as I write this post, and this cardigan is still available but only in XS and plus sizes (The story of my life.  There's never any size mediums). The grommet style top I purchased at CJBanks (no longer available).

So what about you?  Do you find there are certain styles or pieces that you have to either stay away from or wear with more modern piece so they don't age you?  I'd love to hear from you!

Have a Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!