She's Crafty - And She's Just My Type

This is the one in which I get crafty. Or, if you prefer it a little fancier, craft-ay.

It seems as though all this non-running has taken a toll on not only my physical fitness, but my mental health as well. I can't begin to tell you the number of times I've woken up in the last six weeks from dreams of jogging. I never really noticed it too much, I guess, but apparently exercise is good for more than providing you the opportunity to devour ice cream every night and making your leg muscles a little stronger.

So without the outlet I used to get pounding the pavement, my muscles have been shrinking and I've been spending a lot of time on a little obsession website called Pinterest. (Don't worry, I've still been scarfing ice cream every night, so not all the benefits of exercise have been erased from my life.)

The best way to describe Pinterest, other than totally super awesome, is as this big virtual bulletin board where you can "pin" things you really like - recipes, home decorating ideas, wardrobe inspiration, funny quotes. So many times I've been browsing the Internet and come across a cool art project to make with Anna or a yummy-sounding recipe, only to completely forget about it an hour later. With Pinterest, I can "pin" it to one of my boards, and it's there for me to go back to when I have the time. I'm telling you, it rocks. (Full disclosure: when I showed the site to my sister for the first time, she was like, "Oh. So it's basically a bunch of shit that I will never do." Well, yeah, a little bit. But I also think it will inspire you.)

With all my extra energy, and all these amazing ideas being thrown at me from Pinterest, let's just say that my free time the last month or so has been filled with baking, knitting, glitter glue, spray paint, and many, many trips to Hobby Lobby and Michael's.

First up was this nifty little Thanksgiving banner:

I found it on Pinterest through a site that was offering a bunch of free printables. Check it out here. I actually made this at my sister's house, and we were both totally amazed that we were able to just print the letters on card stock using her normal printer and that they came out looking so cool.

I made playdough for Anna. I baked several different kinds of pumpkin cookies. I knit a scarf.

Yesterday, I spent ten bucks on supplies at Target and made this wreath. It literally took me twenty minutes, although I have to admit I skipped the part about gluing the ornaments together. And then it took me twenty more minutes to hang it because mine turned out kinda thick and the screen door wouldn't close. But regardless, I love it.

And finally, yesterday I hung my latest mantle decoration. This one was organized by my mom, who found the idea and bought all the supplies, but I really can't wait to put it to use. It's an advent calendar made from tiny mittens and clothes pins. The number tags are little price tags you can find at any office supply store - I stitched them on using embroidery floss, and then used glitter glue pens to write the numbers on. The plan is to fill each mitten with a little trinket or toy for Anna to get each day leading up to Christmas. I think it will be a small victory if she doesn't rip the whole thing down once she discovers there might be gummy bears hiding  in the mittens, but my hope is that this becomes a tradition for years to come.

I'm also working on one really big craft project for Anna, but lots more on that to come later.

If you're not on Pinterest, do it. Do it now. And let me know if you need an invitation, because I am more than happy to spread the love. And if you're already there, find me! Share your pins!

And before you start worrying that our entire house is going to be covered in glitter and yarn, I should tell you that I signed up for a spinning class tonight. My knee is starting to feel better, and even the most hardcore of crafters need a break now and then. Besides, wielding a glue gun is hard work - I need all the strength I can get.

Happy Crafting!

What are you doing to get ready for the holidays? Any fun crafts? Delicious recipes?