LadyGil.com

9 Wonderful Years!

     Chris and I celebrate our 9th anniversary today!!  Wow...9 years...where did the time go?  You can see our wedding picture here in a post over at my other blog.  Chris was barely 19 and I was almost 20 when we got married.  We watched some of our wedding ceremony on an old VHS tape (once we found a VCR and got it hooked up!) and had a few laughs.  I think we may be the only couple that has 'toe nails' mentioned in their ceremony.  My Grandpa Jack officiated the ceremony and had many words of wisdom for us!  
     Chris gave me my card and a bowl full of chocolate kisses when I got off work yesterday.  He couldn't wait until today.  :)  I made him a card using the man and woman stamps from his birthday party invitation.  Chris is currently going back to school to become an elementary teacher.  He'll be in my building today doing a pre-lab, so we'll get to eat lunch together.  That will be really nice!  We are going away for the weekend - we plan to eat at our favorite restaurant, Johnny Corinos, have ice cream from 'Shake's' and then go and watch a movie.  We're staying at the same hotel we stayed at for our honeymoon and then we'll just have a lazy Sunday.  I can't wait!!

 

 

    

Needle Felted Christmas Stocking

     This is my first attempt at making a needle felted Christmas stocking.  What do you think?  I started another one and I think I might try to put stripes on it.  I'll see what happens.  Thanks for stopping by!

 

Interesting Flea Market Find

     My husband and I were at a flea market a few years ago and I came across a box of wood mounted stamps.  They said things like 'Dog Patch Trading Post' and 'Sheperd of the Hills'...I didn't know what to make of them.  The only thing I could think was that they were used to stamp boxes or bags from gift shops.  So, I bought them, stashed them away, and decided to finally pull them out and do something with them.  That's my question...what should I do with them??    

 

 

The Gift

 

    This is what my mom, dad, and two friends and I chipped in on to give my husband for his birthday - Obi-Wan Kenobmonki, Jedi Mentor. I found it in an Etsy shop called Siansburys.  The creator of this amazing sock monkey is Sian Hughes.  You've got to check out all of her awesome creations!! 

     Chris's party was a blast!  A lot of his friends were able to make it and it really made it special for him.  Thanks everyone!!

Birthday Wishes

Today is my husband's birthday.  Happy Birthday, Chris!!  This picture was taken at our favorite Mexican restaurant this past Sunday.  Our friend Tim paid Chris back for the time he had to wear the hat and be sung to.  :)  Good times! 

We're having a party tonight with some close friends and family.  Chris has been so busy with school and work and I'm excited for him to get to relax and enjoy himself.  I can't wait to show you the gift that I bought him.  I've been keeping it a secret for a long time.  I'll post some pictures tomorrow!!

Needle Felted Santa Project

 

     I took my second felting class last night from my friend, Ronnie Bringle.  We made a felted Santa pin.  Well, mine is more like a 'Santa Ornament'...it's a little large to be worn as a pin!  I wasn't too sure about this class.  I'm very linear with my paper crafting and this needle felting stuff takes me WAY out of my comfort zone!!  The above picture is my finished product and I'm very happy with how it turned out.  My husband wants me to needle felt one of his World of Warcraft characters next...we'll see how that one goes. 

              Felted Santa Slideshow

     Check out this Flickr slideshow of my felted Santa.  It shows him step-by-step and it's pretty cool to see the transformation.  For awhile there, I didn't know how I was going to turn my work into a cute little Santa.  Check it out! 

 

 

It's a Boy/Girl Party

     My husband's birthday is coming up and I'm throwing him a party. (obviously not a surprise party)  We're inviting some close friends to come and play Rock Band and Wii.  It'll be a lot of fun!

     We've been watching the show 'The Big Bang Theory', a sitcom about a bunch of geeks. One of the shows was about the geeks being invited to a party.  They wanted to know if was a 'boy/girl party' and that is where my husband got the idea for his birthday invitation.  I found this set of acrylic stamps at a local scrapbook store...the stamp couldn't be more perfect!! 

 

Souptoknits = A+ Roving

    

     As you know, I just learned how to needle felt.  I searched and searched the web for a great place to purchase more roving.  I stumbled upon Souptoknits, a fabulous Etsy shop owned by Eileen, that sells hand dyed yarns, handcrafted buttons, painted birch needles, gorgeous roving for spinning and needle felting, and cute hand-knitted children's sweaters!  I recieved my roving yesterday and I'm so glad it's the weekend beacause I'm ready to start a project!!  Eileen was great to work with and I'm sure I'll be visiting her shop again soon.  :)  Here are some great items from her shop:  (each picture will take you to the item in Eileen's shop)

   

      

Fun Nugget Box Project

Check out this fun nugget box project over at my TAC blog!

   

Needle Felting

    I'm taking a needle felting class from my friend, Ronnie Bringle.  She is an amazing artist and I just love that she is willing to share her knowledge with others!  Our class consists of three, 4 hour classes.  Each project gets a little more challenging.  We started with a one-dimensional star button and then proceeded to a three-dimensional heart today.  Needle Felting is so much fun!!  It's also a very affordable craft...that makes my husband very happy!  :)  To learn more about needle felting, check out this article at Wizpick.com.  Ronnie came to my local quilt guild and demonstrated needle felting back in August.  She makes it look so easy!!  Be sure to check out some of Ronnie's other felted items here. 

Here are some step-by-step pictures of my heart pin cushion and then one picture of my star button. 

 You start with wool.

  You used a barbed needle to form your wool.  Careful...it's  very sharp!!

  The more you work with it, the smaller it gets.

 Ta-da!!  A heart!

  Star button