More Purses and a Card

I'm sure all of you are getting sick of looking at these purses, so here's a card for a change! I made this for my friend Sarah yesterday. She FINALLY got to close on her house today and I'm so excited for them. It's been a rough year for them and they totally deserve it. I just wish they didn't have to move so far away . . . true, it's only a half hour away, but when you don't have a car during the day, that can be very far! I know Charlie will miss his buddy Aspen in Nursery . . . so sad! Anyway, I found this old ad online . . . it's really weird how obsessed I am with these vintage ads. I'm a pretty strong feminist about a lot of things, but I get such a kick out of these 50s ads where women worship appliances. I'm so weird, I know. Notice I made the oven shiny with rhinestone knobs . . . hee!


So this "Practical Landscaping" purse is probably my favorite (after my Shakespeare one). I made this one for my mom. She wanted one, which totally shocked me. My mom is not into fashion or purses AT ALL. So, when she wanted a purse, I took it as a huge compliment . . . she even carries it around, so that makes me feel good! I think this is the most "chic" looking purse I've made. I love the colors and I just think it looks sophisticated . . . not cutesy crafty.

 

Here's Aunt Hilda with her bird purse I made her for Christmas. Isn't she the cutest lady? She was so excited about it. This purse I made from a bird watching book from the 60s. I love the old books the best!

 

 

 

And finally, my purse I take everywhere. It's the perfect size for me . . . plus, it's polka dots, black, white and red . . . very me. :)

I had one other purse I made, but I accidently deleted the photos AFTER I had already given it away! Hopefully I can take some new pictures of it . . .

"American Music" Purse

 

When my brother saw my Shakespeare purse, he goes, "Hey, do you think you could show me how to make one for Lauren (his girlfriend) for Christmas?" Those of you who know Ethan realize that's code for, "Will you make it for me?"

I LOVE this purse. I think it's the perfect purse for a hip young 19 year old. She plays guitar, so I used a multi-colored pick shaped button for the close. I chose a muted green for the inside. I just love this one. I wish I was cool enough to carry it! I think I should just stick to Shakespeare, though. :)


I did something really cool with this book. As you can tell, it was an Annie Lebowitz (most overrated photographer EVER . . . but the book does make a cute purse) photography book with a wrapped cover. The entire cover was one photograph. Problem was, the spine was only one inch. You can't exactly fit much into a 1 inch purse! So, I ripped the spine out completely and trimmed the cardboard on both sides to make room for a wider bottom. I cut a new 2.5 inch spine from pressed cardboard (I just cut it from the back of an old sketchpad--that's the best cardboard to use), hot glued it to the cover, and voila! A perfect sized book for a purse. I was so excited it worked because now I'm not limited to just textbooks or dictionaries for making a decent sized purse. And don't worry . . . if you make a little rip in the cover, it's no biggie. I've done that, and it's easily fixed with Alene's craft glue. Just fill in the crack, wipe off the extra and cover it with some masking tape to dry overnight. If it still shows, just mark it with a marker and it's fine.

 

 

 

Keep checking back . . . I've got tons more purse pics to share!

Book Purses

I'm happy to report that my dad's skin cancer surgery went perfectly. They didn't have to cut into any muscle, which is huge. My dad's head is covered in gauze, but he is cheerfully driving my mother insane. So, all is normal in the Evans' front. His prostate surgery is on the 26th, so if you could remember him (and my mom!) in your prayers around that time, we'd all appreciate it.



I've found an excellent distraction from what I should be doing. I should be writing my new screenplay. I am . . . just not as faithfully as I should. I'm reluctant because once I'm in, I can't get out. It kind of consumes me and I'm not ready to be consumed quite yet!

Enter book purses. (chorus of angels) I LOVE THESE THINGS!

I found an article in "Country Living" about how to make a purse out of a book. I literally ran upstairs and started tearing through all my books (I've got tons!) to see which one would make the cutest purse. I made a great choice, don't you think?


Here's the inside:



This craft is addictive, man. I love making stuff (as you know from all the project pictures that I post all the time) but at the same time, I don't like clutter. I don't like crafting just to craft. It has to have some purpose. This project combines two of my favorite things AND it's very cute. Every single purse is unique. Older books make the best covers. I love that these old books that, let's face it, no one is going to read, get new life as an adorable purse. And finally, believe it or not, these things are cheap to make. Really cheap. The materials required are things that pretty much everyone has around the house (with the exception of purse handles). Even if you had to start from scratch, it would cost around $15 to make, probably even cheaper.

I'm addicted to making these things. If I don't get too burned out on making them, I'm planning to sell them at Hodgepodge (a huge craft fair on Signal) in October. I think people will buy them. John has even talked about making me a website. I always get too carried away with stuff, but who knows? I'm just having fun making them. I've made 6 so far and I think I'm getting better the more I make. I've got tons of pictures, so I think I'll just start posting a few at a time. By the way, the "Tom Sawyer" one at the top was for my 10 year old niece's birthday.

If you're interested in making your own book purse, here's the "Country Living" article. If you really are interested in making one, let me know and I can give you some tips. I do it a little differently just so they're more sturdy. I don't know about you, but I'm pretty rough on purses, so I had to make mine pretty strong. They are really sturdy purses, believe it or not. When you think about it, a dictionary or big text book is heavier than a purse. A book is designed to hold more weight than a purse does. Anyway, happy crafting!

Snappy Suit and Health Updates

Well, Charlie FINALLY got to wear the adorable suit my mom gave him to wear on the Sunday before Christmas. Today was the first time he's been to church in 4 weeks because of that flu. He was not too cooperative (as you can tell) with the picture . . . he was mad he couldn't stay outside and play in the snow. I'm very proud of this suit, not only because it's adorable but because I had to make so many alterations. Charlie is in 24 month/2T stuff . . . but I think his waist is still 9 month size. I'm not joking. I had to take in the waist of these pants (ELASTIC pants) 5 inches. Then, I had to take up the hems of the pants AND the jacket (which is velveteen, BTW! So cute!). Then, he doesn't wear it for a month and what do I find? He sprouted AGAIN! So he was kind of wearing floods today. Nice herringbone tweed floods . . . but floods nonetheless.

Today John was released from the YM presidency and Scoutmaster to be in the Elders' Quorum. John is bummed because he really loves the YM . . . I'll admit I'm doing dances with joy that Scouts OVER! I know this calling will be time consuming too, but I actually think he'll be home more because he won't be on a campout or basketball game every weekend!

For those of you who don't know, my dad was diagnosed with skin and prostate cancer last month. He has surgery for the skin cancer on his face tomorrow. Next week will be the biggie, the prostate surgery. It's been a very hard time for him and I just hope you guys will remember him and my mom in your prayers. Both of these cancers were caught very early and so everything is very positive. My brother gave my dad a blessing that was very comforting and reassuring. I know he'll be okay, but I think life as he knows it has completely changed and he's trying to adjust . . . all while he's trying to take care of everyone else's needs like he always does.

I guess it's time I update everyone on what's going on with me. As I've complained constantly on this blog and facebook, I've had a virus for a month and a half. I've never been sick like this. This was worse than when I had mono! I would get to feeling better for a day or two, then it would slam me all over again. It was literal, can't raise my head off my pillow sick. I finally got the doctor 2 weeks ago to find I had yet another sinus infection. My doctor said that since this is my third one in under 6 months, that I should probably get a CT scan. Ugh. We're still paying for my gut scan from a few months ago! I have a cyst on my sinus I've known about for 10 years. My doctor back then said it wasn't a big deal at all. When I told this doctor, he was like, "Uh, no. It's a VERY big deal." He's afraid it's spread and not allowing my sinuses to drain correctly. So, I'm really praying for a speedy recovery so I don't have to have surgery. Ugh. Just the thought of someone doing surgery up my nose icks me out!

As far as the tummy issues go, it's going okay. For those who don't know, I have IBS. It's not a disease, just some weird condition tons of people have that no one really knows how to treat or "cure." Everyone's symptoms are different. I have a tricky type that means I have ALL the symptoms, not just some. My digestive system can swing one way, then turn around and do the opposite in the same day, even the same hour. It's very unpredictable and causes a lot of pain and cramping, which is the worst part. I was diagnosed in 2006, but I've had symptoms my whole life. They've gotten ten times worse since I had Charlie, though. Oh, did I mention stress is the major trigger of my symptoms? Makes sense, right? LOL. Anyway, I'm on a few medications to help the symptoms, but nothing truly gets "rid" of it. Last year, I decided to take control and be on a super strict diet limiting anything that remotely caused me discomfort. I only eat meat a couple of times a week. The only dairy I consume is low fat milk. No fried foods, nothing spicy, no desserts, no whole grain wheat or barley, no orange juice, nothing with MSG in it (that makes me the sickest . . . you wouldn't believe how many things contain MSG), and the list goes on. I eat a lot of the same stuff and it can be bland. BUT, I have yet to give up buttered toast and sugar cereal. I eat a lot of cereal (not wheat cereal, obviously), mainly oatmeal. Sometimes I like it because I'm pretty picky. It's easy to whip something together because it takes less time. But I have yet to figure out how to travel. I can occaisionally eat the noodle soup at Panera, but some days I can't even stomach that. Since I've had the flu and I did really well over the holidays . . . I broke. I ate fried chicken (and GRAVY! Liquid death!) for dinner the other night and got SO sick. See, I had made my dad his favorite meal before his surgery . . . I have a feeling he'll be milking this cancer thing for a long time just so he can get me to make him fried chicken! Why must I be cursed to make such good fried chicken?! Why???!!! :) Anyway, I've found when I'm not feeling great, my willpower isn't strong. But I think I've done pretty well on the diet. I've lost over 30 pounds since I started it a little over a year ago, so that was a HUGE perk.

A couple of months ago I had a CT scan (after having horrible abdominal pains that were really scary). Two grandmothers of mine died from colon cancer. My dad's mom spent the last decade of her life in bed, basically. She had to have several feet of small intestine removed and lived off of pain medication and baby food. Obviously, that is always on my mind when I have extra bad symptoms. I know my family history and I worry about it. So I had the scan.

That showed one of my medecines was not doing what it should be doing. After my scan, my doctor gave me some different medication to try. That was very hard, because I had done the same routine for 3+ years. The new plan is less stringent, but I don't like it. I like having the doc tell me exactly how many pills to take when, etc. This new plan is like, see how you feel and judge by then. It's different, but I think it's a better approach. I just have to get used to it. Every plan has pros and cons so I'm trying to be positive about it. I know I'm stuck with this, so I'll just do what I have to and be grateful for what I have. I do see this condition as a hidden blessing. I used to feel so guilty every fast sunday because I can't fast without getting really sick. And you parents out there know that you can never afford to be sick with a little one. I've had to be a lot more strict with myself so I can take care of Charlie. I was thinking about this the other day and I realized that even though I'm not fasting, I'm living the law of the fast every day. I can't tell you how many temptations confront me on a daily basis. Hello, I live with my mom and those of you who know my mom know what a good cook she is . . . and that she's what we call a "treat truck." The house is never without at least one dessert hanging around. To be able to withstand those temptations makes me feel stronger and more in control, even though I don't have much control over this condition. Obviously, I'm happy to have all the weight gone, but I'm happier about how I feel. Because I eat so healthy and low fat, my body feel BETTER. Even if I get pains everyday, I can tell a difference in my overall well being, if that makes sense. It's not the end of the world if you can't eat chocolate. And that's empowering to me! There are more important things in life. It's also helped me with Charlie's tummy problems . . . since I know pretty much what any food can do to your colon, I've been able to keep him pretty healthy over the past 2 months. He has yet to see a GI, but I'm putting it off as long as I can. Right now, I'm very happy with how he's been. The kid could stand to gain some weight, but I'm sure it'll all come in time. I'm going to try to live a healthy life, especially since all of the cancer that runs in my family. Sometimes I'm going to fall off the wagon (and into the toilet like I did this weekend), and that's okay, as long as I keep trying.

Snow Day!

Snow in the South is a magical thing. A few flurries can send dozens of reasonable people to dash to the local grocery for bread, milk and batteries. Entire school systems shut down with the hint of snow in the forecast (except Hamilton County, of course . . . a few kids have to freeze to death at a bus stop before they'll cancel school). This snow had been in the forecast for about a week and everyone was fully excited and prepared for a great snow . . . and for us, 2-3 inches is a great snow. The tempuratures have been below freezing for over a week, which is super unusual for here. The conditions were just right. It started snowing Thursday morning and snowed through the night. Friday morning John stayed home and we got to play in the snow for awhile. It was the first time I've gotten to play in snow for years and Charlie's first "real" snow. We pulled each other in sleds, had snow fights (the snow was so powdery we couldn't make snowballs or snowmen) and just had fun. It was an absolutely perfect snow day. The pictures say it all.

Some crazy teenagers on our street decided to pull each other on a sled behind a car. It was pretty hilarious.

Christmas Part 2

I know I'm doing this is in a random order . . . . been watching a lot of "LOST" lately if you get what I mean. If you don't know what I mean, you're just not cool. :) Or a nerd.

Before Christmas, John's mom got Charlie two "pre-Christmas" presents. The first one was Christmas PJs, which I LOVED. I wanted to get him to have a pair so badly. I was so happy to get them . . . and they're Carter's and super cute.

The second gift I wasn't as psyched about. When John's mom gave it to him, she said, "Now tell Autumn I really do love her." His name is Christmas Carl. He sings and dances. Over and over. We had to stuff him in a closet after the first five minutes because Charlie wouldn't stop making him sing.

So Christmas Eve night we spent with my family, doing the usual. We eat Chicken Velvet Soup (well, Charlie and I didn't since it was cream-based), act out the Nativity and we get to open one present. We let Charlie open a little airplane since we got him two big presents for Christmas morning. We should've saved the money and just let him have that $4 airplane because he loves that thing!

Chistmas Eve night was fun. I know this is weird, but I've always wanted to stay up late to put toys together for my kids and leave them under the tree. Even though most of my life I didn't really want to have kids, I always thought that would be fun to do. I was really excited to put together Charlie's new basketball hoop. Thing is . . . it was only pieces to snap together. It took less than four minutes. Oh well. It was fun anyway! Here's a video of Charlie checking out his big presents under the tree.

As you can imagine, the boy is totally spoiled. We got him the basketball hoop and a wagon (to keep his billions of cars in). My parents got him lots of clothes, a Chuck truck (TALKING truck, of course), a big stuffed puppy, a stuffed dino and his own MP3 boombox. My parents also do stockings and I was pleased my Mom skipped the candy (it makes him sick) and filled it with pretzels and Teddy Grahams. I know that was a sacrifice to her! :) She also put some Cars crayons and a Cars notebook in there . . . Charlie calls the notebook his "journal." It's really cute. He carries it around and has people draw pictures in it for him. I think he gets the journal thing from Smitty from "Imagination Movers." He'll open it up and every time he'll say, "Let's see." John's parents got him a shake and go Mater (whayda know, ANOTHER talking truck . . . grandparents! Oy!) and some finger puppets.

This year, I had no idea what to get John. On a last minute whim, I decided to order him a really nice Georgia watch. It was expensive, so it took up ALL of his budget. I was afraid to get him only one thing especially since John isn't a "fancy man." He's not a slob or anything, but he's just a guy's guy and doesn't care much about that kind of thing. BUT . . . he had NO idea I got it and he was really excited. I think he's proud of it because he wears it all the time. Maybe he's a "fancy man" after all . . .

John got 3 new GA shirts, a soldering iron (I know, I know . . . I'm worried too!), a Bionicle (hee!) and a bunch of stocking stuffers like an i-Tunes card and socks. He got a really nice GA hat and a suction cup basketball hoop for his office from his Dad. That basketball hoop was inspiration . . . just that morning as John played basketball with Charlie's new hoop he mentioned how he needed one for his office. Guess dads just know these things!

John got me some lounge pants (GA red!), a Ped Egg (funny, because John squeals like a girl whenever he sees the commercial with all the dead skin filings!), "LOST" season 5 DVD and "Glee" volume 1 DVD. When I opened the Glee one, I was surprised because it wasn't supposed to come out until the 29th. I flipped the box over only to see Heath Ledger in creepy clown makeup. John had printed the front of the "Glee" DVD off and stuck it in our copy of "The Dark Knight"! I got the actual DVDs a few days later . . . I love getting presents after Christmas! My parents went overboard, as usual. I got lots of great stocking goodies (no candy, thank you Mom! I know that was hard . . . it seriously breaks her heart to not give out candy). I got LOST season 4, a hoodie, some shoes, "Singin' in the Rain" on DVD, a great flat iron/straightener (which I learned how to curl with . . . I'm so proud of myself!) and shopping money. It was quite a haul . . . I got everything I could've wanted and more. We are just too too spoiled, man.

In John's family, we pull names. Sarah had me and she got me lotion, body spray and bath gel from Bath and Body Works in my favorite scent: Irresistable Apple. It's Country Apple's sexy cousin. :D John had Scott and his present didn't go so well. My sister recommended getting gift cards from a site called Restaurant.com. We got them $50 in gift cards for a good deal. Come to find out, some of the restaurants make you pay at least $25 before you can use it. WHAT?! I was so furious and embarrassed about that. So avoid restaurant.com if you can . . . . it's a total waste.

I pulled John's Great Aunt Hilda. I was really excited about that because I could make her something and I knew she's love it. She loves birds, so I made her some embossed stationary, some tea towels (I stamped "flour sack" towels and sewed a little stitch on the bottom) and made her a purse out of a bird-watching book. I'll have more on those book purses later . . . I've got tons of pictures of some I've made. It's a craft I love and I'm super excited about. Anyway, I knew Aunt Hilda would appreciate anything I made, but she really went nuts over the purse. She said I made her Christmas. It made the work even more worth it.

Finally, here are some cards I made during the Christmas season. Whew! We got quite a haul and feel very blessed and love. Yet, I'm really relieved the holiday season is OVER! Hope you had a good one. :) Here's a Christmas message from Charlie that I intended to put on facebook but never got around to it. Enjoy!

Christmas Part 1

Here are all our Christmas pictures, finally. We battled (some of us are still battling) a month long flu, so it's been a little rough. Luckily, all 3 of us felt well enough to stuff a few activities in before and during Christmas. On "Christmas Eve Eve" John and I took Charlie downtown. A couple of buildings in Chattanooga decorate the windows with animatronic elves and such. We had heard they were really great, so we went (plus it was free, so why not?). To tell you the truth, I thought they were kind of creepy . . . the panhandlers didn't help either. Charlie had a decent time, but I think we'll skip the cold next year and save the trip!

Christmas Eve morning I took Charlie to the "Santa Train." For those of you non-Signal Mountaineers, a few elderly men a while back built this train from scratch. They display it in town for a couple of months. Everyone takes their kids to play on it and take pictures. The craftsmanship is pretty amazing. It's a fun little slice of small-town life. It's become a tradition for us to take Charlie there. He kept asking where the tracks were. I told him it wasn't a real train so it didn't need tracks. He jumped off the boxcar and started pushing it, trying to make it go. Crazy kid.

Christmas night at the Flynns was fun and busy as usual. Unfortunately, Charlie's flu symptoms had started that day and wasn't feeling well. He played for a little while, then eventually crawled into John's lap and just sat there. He turned to John and said, "We please go home now?" It was so sad because he LOVES John's parents and asks to go there every day. We knew he was sick if he wanted to go home in all that excitement. We had to leave early, which stunk, but we had a great time anyway.