whatever

our 10 week break seemed to fly by like breaks usually do.
but with Craft Weekend being my job it’s pretty easy to enjoy getting going again.

we had another sweet group who were so nice to spend the weekend with!
i love meeting all these new friends.
they always ask me “is it so weird for you to have people know so much about you?”
🙂
i answer “no… i actually like it because the pressure is off for me.  you already know all my stuff and you chose to come anyway so i know we will be friends!  it makes the nervousness go away for me completely.  i love it!”

our routine to get the house ready…. light the candles…. open the curtains… turn on the lamps…. turn on the music… make the margaritas.
it’s a the perfect equation for welcoming guests.
(but really i think it’s all about the margaritas… recipe HERE)

on friday night we eat dinner and then we head straight for the swag!
we have SUPER sponsors that i will tell you all about in the next post.
after we talk about our sponsors and oohhhh and aahhh over everything they send, we start right on the aprons.
we don’t mess around.
no time to waste.

I love friday nights while they sew their aprons.
some of them are sewing for the very first time in their life!
they learn new things… they make new friends… they eat dessert… it’s so fun.
i loved this collage that Jill made on her Instagram – SO SUNNY!

every plate at craft weekend looks like this – completely empty.
i can’t tell you enough how well we eat!

one of our projects was this pillow made from felt triangles.
i used this tutorial on ABeautifulMess.com and we used the fabulous Benzie Design felt for all of it.
some of the girls switched up the design which i loved because they were making it their own.
i am always happy to watch where they take the projects.
it’s always fine to make the exact copy of the example but it’s so cool to watch where everyone’s creativity take them.

we had slightly chilly weather to head over to Bearly Making It Antiques and The Old Mill.
i always find the colorful things… orange sewing machine… yellow pencil sharpener… and even yellow livestock fly spray? yuck.

umm….this cabinet is A M A Z I N G.
i keep looking at it over and over!?!  it has cutting boards?!

so many treasures were brought back to the Craft House!
no one thought they should bring any of these skulls with fur still attached back to the craft house though, thank goodness!
although… a little glitter.  a little yarn wrapping… some paint… you know we would make those RAD!

i was jealous of Lola’s find of the WEST sign.
i really liked it!

it was Sooooo WINDY!
but wind will not stop die hard #whatevercraftweekend.
NEVER.

how cool is that trunk that Kelly was eyeing?!
it’s an old ice box!

kimberlee spoiled us again with delicious meals and snacks and desserts.
after we ate those beans i said “who knew green beans could taste good?!”
she makes it all yummy.
we even had personal chicken pot pies in jars!
adorable!

we made the leather cuff bracelets with stamped metal tags.
everyone had a blast with this!
so many people asked on IG how to make these and where to get the supplies?
i ordered the metal stamps on amazon.
the belts are ALL from thrift shops.
the snaps, rivets and blanks are from hobby lobby and michaels.
then from there… google it and see if you can find a good tutorial.  🙂

it’s not difficult once you get over the fear of the hammer and the metal parts.

SO MANY awesome color & pattern combos at Craft Weekend!

squeeze in annnnnd…. JAZZ HANDS.
ha ha ha

all the beautiful roomies!

our helpers this Craft Weekend were Taryn – a friend i’ve had since 2nd grade
and Jami – an online friend that i met in real life on friday morning.
AND I LOVE THAT about Craft Weekend!
all my old and new friends all mixed together forever!  it is a gift from God to me!
our helpers are so great.
they work hard for these ladies and keep everything running smoothly!

i know everyone wants to be a CW helper… i get email after email after email about it.
but unfortunately… that’s not the way it works.  🙂

 

look at all those happy ladies!!!
i love each one of those smiles!
i kinda wish i could give each them one of them a hug again… i miss you girls!

if you want information of how to get to come to a craft weekend…. READ THIS FIRST.

then email us AT THE CRAFT WEEKEND email HERE to get on the wait list.
the list is very long  but we use a lottery system so you never know when you will get picked.

i hope to meet you someday!

AND… if you can’t wait to get picked for Craft Weekend you can reserve the house for yourself!  Bring your friends and have your own crafty girlfriends get away!
for all the information on The Craft House you can click HERE!  
(or the button on the top right of the blog works too!)

and one more thing…

this sign was a gift from The Lovely Mosaic.
she’s super talented!

the craft house looks its very best 10 minutes before the guests arrive.
we light all the candles.  we turn on all the lights.  we open all the curtains.
music is playing.
everything is clean and sparkly.
and kimberlee and i are making the margaritas!

the guests arrived… nervously met each other… ate a delicious meal and then we get busy ruffling!
they chose the fabrics and ribbons.
they sewed into the night.
they are always so excited about what they’ve made… which makes ME excited too!

while we were shopping i told myself i didn’t need anything and wasn’t spending any money.
but then i started pulling out quilts i’d never seen before at Bearly Makin’ It.
and i was starting to feel my will power giving in.
but thankfully these girls stepped up and bought all the things i wanted so i could stay strong.
isn’t that orange quilt the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen?!

my breaking point is usually when i see something very unique that i love.
because i know i may never see anything like it again.
and that vintage wedding ring quilt in ORANGE? i bet that was once in a lifetime.

and a rainbow quilt?!
it was a tough day for me!

i like to take pictures like this in the barn because when i am in the barn i feel like there is so much and i miss great stuff.  so when i take a picture i can go back “shop” again.  like… i never noticed the stool in front of the desk… the middle table with the cradle on top… or the round table behind the desk!

this green desk.
this was my dreamy idea i had out in the field… a nursery or flower shop should use this for display!
or i should put it in MY flower bed (if i had one…) for more pots to create another level.
OR anthropologie should use it for stacking 2507 dishes on and make a hand written price tag of $3913.00
ha ha ha
bottom line: this rusty desk is awesome.

i died a little when i saw this.
sad sad sad.
i appreciate my electric sewing machines 1000% but this hurts my heart.

after shopping and eating and a little resting it is straight back to crafting!

ashley taught us how to make leather cuff bracelets from old belts!
oh my goodness.
this was a total blast!
i found all different metal stamp sets on amazon…
Lowercase Alphabet 6mm
Lowercase Alphabet Set – 3mm
36-Piece Letter &Number Set 6mm
4mm Letter & Number Stamp Set
Metal Block
Revolving Leather Hole Punch Tool

and all the other supplies you can find at a craft store.
it takes a little while to get the hang of it and it is loud but it was SO much fun!

(my friends joyce & arnie found THE MOTHER LOAD of belts making this project possible!! YAY!!)

i am certainly no expert at stamping but it is too fun to care!
my husband calls me mrs. duerksen.  🙂

the girls made super cute wreaths with fabric scraps and benzie felt.
benzie felt is easy to work with and she has the best colors!

julianna and ashley were our helpers this month.
it’s not an easy job!
there is not a lot of sleep.  there is not a lot of crafting.  and there are very very many dishes to wash.
but the food is amazing!
and new friends that you get to make… i think it’s worth it.  🙂

all three of these girls make me happy!
i just keep looking at those smiles and it makes me smile too.

i always like to photograph the room mates!

what a super group this was!  they were joyful and silly and so kind!
it was the best kind of group to end 2014 Craft Weekends!
God knew just what kimberlee and i needed.

these girls reminded me once again what a blessing this “job” is.
we get to give these women a break from their demanding lives, give them a pretty place to feel refreshed, feed them good food, remind them of their creative gifts and let them be themselves!
they go home inspired and ready to make things again.
sometimes they get teary when they are leaving because they’d forgotten how much they like to create.
our lives just get so busy and creativity takes a back seat to work, kids and lots of other things.  and sometimes it’s not even in the backseat anymore.  it has been put in the trunk under all the other junk and we forgot it was even there anymore!
but at Craft Weekend… Creativity is number one.
front seat all the way!
getting time to sit, have all the supplies you need and just M A K E is a big deal.
i am so grateful that you CW girls agree…. all of you that have come…. all of you on the wait list and all of you reading that encourage me.

THANK YOU!!

if you would like to come to a craft weekend….

1. read this informative post
2. send an email to get on the wait list (address is in that post)
3. wait patiently to get a chance to come
🙂   🙂   🙂   🙂   🙂   🙂   🙂

 

we had PERFECT weather for the october craft weekend!
it was so nice prepping for CW with the sun shining and the trees turning fall colors.
i am always happy when kansas puts on a good show for visitors.  🙂

our sponsors sent fabulous swag for our guests!
they always do!
it had been since june that i had opened the sponsors boxes… it’s always like christmas!

there were lots of new fabrics to choose from for aprons.
picking out apron fabrics is one of my favorite tasks!

everyone was pretty great at sewing!
they were just moving right along… making ruffles like rock stars.

everywhere you look at the Craft House there is color!

Homemade Bread Pudding with Caramel Glaze… to die for!!
Kimberlee makes sure we eat well all weekend.
homemade cookies… harvest chili & cornbread…. cinnamon rolls…. french toast… YUM!!!

Back40Life sent these 16″ letters for us decorate.
they were heavy duty!
the chalkboard paint was a big hit too.

we made photo frames out of old books.
Amy from Amy J. Delightful taught us how to cover the books with fabric and cut the covers and pages to make a frame.
These were really fun!

We made these SUPER CUTE garlands using Say Hello Shop’s wood banners and Felt Pom Poms from Benzie Handmade.
i love these!!!
we used chalkboard paint on one side of the banners and decoupaged fabric to the other side.
the felt pom poms make it so cheery!

Jaime from Raising Up Rubies led this project based off this tutorial by Bev.
it. was. awesome.
we were all flipping out over how fun it was and how much we loved it.
it is a lot of cutting but seriously adorable results!
we got our hoops at joanns (18″x27″).
you should make this!

proud crafters… and they should be!!


my favorite = antique treasures and chippy paint!
our trip out to the barn was extra lovely with the perfect weather.
there is always something fabulous for everyone.

i was really tempted by the farm bureau sign because i love my kansas sunflowers.
but it went home with someone else.
i am happy about that… i would hate to have left it there.

i even got to drive Oggie‘s truck out to the barn since i took so long at the shop!
ha ha ha
the group had to leave in the giant van without me.  🙂
i had a few partners in crime along with me.

these quilts are such a treasure!
that green?  i was dying over that one… great score gretchen!

roomie pictures!

my pretty ruffled up friends all lined up.  🙂

jaime & amy…truly lovely ladies and also excellent helpers!

Thank you girls for making Kimberlee’s and my job so much easier and fun!

Thanks you to all our new friends that came to Craft Weekend!

🙂  🙂  🙂  🙂  🙂  🙂  🙂  🙂  🙂  🙂