Day Eighteen: Whatever Tickles Your Fancy; Patriotic Favorites 2

Independence Day weekend is coming up fast! Do you have any plans?! I do and I can't wait to get them under way. I understand we have a lot of rain in the forecast all over Texas, but that won't dampen our celebration, will it?

The Fourth of July is an important holiday to MM and I, so in honor of that, I've scoured the internet for some more Patriotic Handmade Favorites. Here they are:


Cute stars by Lisa Bees Craft and Design.




This Anchors Away Apron is just an adorable find by Phormas.




The statement necklace by Rosy Posy Designs is a stunner!




I want this patriotic trinket box by Sister Butterfly on my kitchen counter right this instant!!




Check out this Patriotic Feather Tree by MaryImp. I think it would look great in our bay window.




This Satin Clutch is just gawgeous and would be great for July 4th celebrations as well as a cocktail party, so it does double-duty! It's by Bead Flora.




I think MM would love to have this flag-inspired House Marker by Mosaic Smith out on the front patio. I would, too. Isn't it great?




Seeing these ADORABLE shoes makes me want to go have a baby RIGHT. NOW. Jewelry and Baby Bling by Dara certainly knows how to make a cute pair of baby Converse Hi-Tops a-freakin'-mazing! I'm picturing chubby baby legs and cute white bloomers under a jean skirt. Awwwwww....




This Patriotic Lover's Heart by Lover's Heart is probably my favorite out of all the items I found. It's appeal is in its simplicity.




It wouldn't be a Handmade Favorites feature without some form of sweet treat and this July 4th-inspired birthday cake by Pink Cake Box certainly fits the bill. Isn't it too cute?! Be sure to check out their other cakes, they're full of awesomeness!


Well, that's another day down on the 30-Day Meme. I linked to all of the web stores of the featured items today, so be sure to click away and see what other goodies they sell! Also, here's the original "Patriotic Favorites" post from November 2008 for you to peruse; there were some awesome items in that post as well!

Day Seventeen: An Art Piece

Okay. ON WITH THE SHOW!! Today's prompt didn't require any thinking on my part as I'm currently obsessed with James Jean's work. I love just about everything he's done, so the hardest part was just picking one to post. This one is called "Supertron" and is a graphite and digital piece he did in 2005.

I don't know why, but this image really, really resonates with me. Maybe it's the minimalist design, but it's more likely that the attachment stems from the fact that I was in a bit of a depressed funk when I stumbled upon it. I love that the colors are soft, but the image striking. I'd like to make a print of this the centerpiece of my crafting area, but I'll just have to admire it online for now.





I've wanted to get back to blogging for a while, but after that last post, I just didn't know where to start. Continuing with the now-way-past 30 Day Meme seemed like the best way to jump back in. Life has been crazy and I really miss decompressing via blogging.

We had a house inspection recently and there were some issues that came up such as foundation work that needs to be done, some electrical work and possibly some claim-worthy hail damage on the roof. On top of that, the A/C in MM's truck went out and will be $800 - $1200 to fix. Woohoo. Who knows when we'll get that done, but it's not SO bad right now. At least we have my car for long drives.

We've decided to postpone a lot of the home improvement plans we had in favor of really accelerating the debt reduction. We're confident it's the right decision right now, but we're a little bummed about not seeing new siding on the house and a new shop out back for a while. Oh well. Again, the joys of adulthood and home ownership!

On a good note, we're looking forward to an exciting and fun-filled Independence Day weekend with my family. I'm bound and determined to enjoy the heck out of myself and take lots of pictures, so I hope I will be posting them soon!

Well, that takes care of the necessity of jumping back in. Hopefully some fun, festive posts will soon follow!!