So many things have changed in the last year....sorry I haven't posted in FOREVER:(

Well, A LOT has happened in the last year. I suffered with debilitating headaches, nausea, blurred vision, etc for almost 3 years. All of the neurologists in my area diagnosed me with migraines, but NONE of the medicines they prescribed me helped and believe me when I say I've tried them all. I just couldn't believe that something that felt this terrible could be migraines. So, my husband did some research on the glorious internet and found out about csf leaks. I seemed to have many of the symptoms, but this was suppose to be a very rare disorder. So, we contacted the only doctor in the US that truly specializes in csf leaks, Dr.Wouter Schievink. He personally called me to discuss my problems. He told me that it sounded like I could possibly have a csf leak and that I needed to ship him all of the ct scans and MRI's I had done since the condition began. I over-nighted them to him and he promptly called me to let me know that it did look like I may have a leak, but he needed me to travel to Los Angeles for more updated scans. Apparently the ones they did here were obsolete. I was on a plane within 2 weeks. He got me in for scans on day one, then saw me the next day to let me know that I did have a leak and that I would be having surgery the following day. He told me that there was about a 50/50 chance that they would even be able to see where it was leaking from, but amazingly enough, they did AND they said that I had the second most obvious leak they had EVER seen and this man has seen MANY people from all over the world with these leaks. Mine was on the front of my spine which meant they had to go in and remove 2 vertebrate and give me a spinal fusion just to get to the leak. Of course having it on the front of my spine was the rarer type of leak, as if the condition wasn't rare enough....I was in the hospital for 6 days after surgery which was ok considering they had us in a suite due to the hospital being so full. So, ever since December 2010, I've been a completely healthy woman. I've never felt so fortunate in my life. I thought that I would have to live with this condition forever...I thank God every day that my husband wasn't willing to believe that these were migraines. He and Dr. Schievink gave me my life back, and for that, I could never repay either of them. I wasn't able to run or do any exercises really before I had my surgery because I would leak so much spinal fluid from the leak that my head would start killing me. It wasn't worth the risk of even trying it. Since December, I've ran my first 5k and a 4-miler. I've also lost 30 lbs. I've really never felt better. If anyone else thinks they may have a CSF leak or Spontaneous Intracranial Hypotension after reading my blog and the link provided, message me with any questions. I'd love to help another person get their life back:)

WoW! I'm tired....

Well, I've been working like crazy lately and haven't had much time for anything, but I really hope to accomplish some things this coming week. My son is at the in-laws, so I plan on painting some things. My hubby has a different idea, but hopefully I'll convince him to jump on the band wagon. Our kitchen is still boring, boring beige, as they say on the Imagination Movers and I'm so ready for a change. Our cabinets are an ugly oak wood and I want to freshen those up with a light color as well. I want to really clean out the house this week. I've been listing things like crazy on eBay and Craig's List because I just need them out of my way. Our attic is packed with toys, cake pans, books, and tons of other things that we will never use again, so it's time for it to go! I guess you could call this fall cleaning=) I've got to get back to work, but after tonight, it's vacation time, so I'll be signing on with some new projects soon. WOOT!

Procrastinating...

Well, with my first time being a crafts vendor rapidly approaching, I haven't even begun to make things to sell=( I have plans to make a ton of things while I'm off work this next week, but we'll see how that goes. My main product will be tutus. I love making them and they are fairly easy to put together. I hope to add some gorgeous flowers to them and make them just over the top. I am so nervous about this fair. I'm so afraid that my items won't sell, making me never want to participate in another fair ever again, lol. I'm sure I'm just over reacting, but I had to share my concerns. Out of all of this, maybe some pictures of them and my booth space will appear on my blog....who knows?

Well, hello again. Sorry that it's been over a month since my last post

I'm so ashamed that it's been over a month since my last post. I've just been really busy lately with school starting back and work, I haven't had much time to clean the house or cook dinner, let alone blog. I've got some new crafty ideas, that I will hopefully be sharing in the near future. I'm planning on setting up my first craft booth on the October 16th, so I hope that all goes well. It is definitely stressing me out, to say the least. My craft projects are going to be more geared towards using the things I already have on hand, rather than running out and purchasing supplies. I shop way too much and I would really like to be a stay at home mom some time in the near future, so I have to sacrifice somethings. It will definitely be worth it in the long run. I have tons and tons of supplies, so I still have enough to keep me busy for a year or two, lol. I'm on a home DIY kick, so that's probably what direction my projects will be taking for a little while=)

I've been busy making Tutus!

So, I'm participating in Samster Mommy's tutu drive and I'm so happy to have completed 3 tutus to send to her. I wish I could have cranked out more, but with a full-time job and my family, it's virtually impossible to do much crafting at all, especially the kind that's on a deadline. Mine are nothing fancy, but hopefully some little girls will enjoy them just the same. I'm going to look for some kind of magic wands to doll up to match tomorrow. If I find some, I'll post them too. You can read all about the tutu drive here. I suggest that we all get together and send as many dress-up items as we can to this cause. It's just an awesome idea and I'm happy to be helping.

State love art tutorial

I saw this adorable art on Etsy (I wish I knew who it was by so I could give credit) a while back that included a state on striped background with a tiny heart for the capitol of the state. I can't remember who was selling it or how much it was, but I knew I could recreate it for much cheaper, or I would have bought it then. So, here's another tutorial.



Supply List:
-print out of state (desired size)
-scrapbook paper
-heart or star hole punch
-craft knife
-scotch tape
-glue stick (not pictured)



1. Cut out the state but leave enough around it to be able to tape it to the scrapbook paper you're using for the state, tape the state to your scrapbook paper so that it doesn't move when you're cutting, then cut out your state with your craft knife.



2. Next, take your heart or star hole punch and punch it in your desired sb paper color to mark your capitol. I just used the edge of my background sb paper since that was the color I wanted and I wasn't using it all. Also, cut your background sb paper to whatever size frame you will be using. Mine is 8x10".



3. Finally, use your glue stick to glue down your layers. You should end up with something like this.



This is really easy and fairly cheap as long as you have some of the tools in your arsenal, so enjoy. If you try it, please share your version with me. I'd love to see it!

Yay! My first tutorial: DIY striped broom

Ok, this is my first tutorial and it's super easy. I've seen the brooms in different stores that have cute stripes and patterns, but I couldn't really justify spending the $$$ when I had a perfectly functional broom at home. Sooo.....I took a few supplies that I already had on hand and went to work. I chose the blue green color because I love the way it looks with red, but I'm not in love with the way the combination looks on my broom. I may change the colors all together, but I wanted to share the tutorial anyway, because I DID promise one. So, here goes!

The supply list:
-broom
-blue painters tape at desired stripe width
-your choice of color spray paint
-plastic bag (not pictured)
-sandpaper (optional)



1. First, you CAN sand the broom down and then whipe it clean, so that the paint will stick better, but I didn't. Only time will tell if this was a mistake or not. That is why the sandpaper is optional. Then, Tape off your broom using the width of the roll of tape to measure in between so that your stripes are even and cover the bottom and bristles of the broom with a bag and tape it off so that you don't get paint on it. This is how mine looked.


2. Next, spray paint your broom.



This is how mine looked at this point...



3. Let the paint dry completely. I left mine over night. Remove the tape and wahla! You're done! Wasn't that easy? I know mine looks a little Christmasy, but you get the idea. It was a really cheap and easy project using items I had on hand, so it was FREE!