Crafting with Clay Pots

Working with clay pots is one of my most fun Summer activities.  You can make adorable garden accessories, and can be housewarming gifts or used for graduation and wedding parties.  They are versatile.  Watch the video below for some good ideas, but remember not to copy other people's work.  Let it be a spark to your own creativity.  I am currently working on some new solar lights using clay pots.  The clay people are especially fun, but I don't find them to be all that durable, or easy to move around. 

Upcyled Paper Valentine's Day Decor

I am very bad at decorating for Valentine's Day.  Matter of fact try never.  So, I decided since I am trying to get my daughter more enthused about Artsy stuff we would do some Valentine's Day decorations.  If  you are like me you have a ton of books, magazines maybe even newspaper lying around.  This cool lady shared some easy Shabby Chic ideas using old paper.  We are definitely going to try this.  I will share our results after we get them done.  This holiday will be here soon, so if you want to join in better get going.  If you join in, share a pic in the comments.  I would love to see what everyone else comes up with.

2019 Goals for the I Can Blog

Are you ready for a New Year?  I am!  This blog has been a dud for a while now.  I just have not been all that motivated since I shut my Etsy shop to make new things.  Then I found a monthly craft kit group, mine is for crocheting.  I buy the kit, make the item, and then donate it to the suggested charity.  This is an affordable way, at 25 dollars a month, to keep crocheting and help charity.  Of course I do other things too, paint, glass etching as well as much more.  So far I have finished 2 projects, just need to ship them.  So, here are the goals for this blog:

1-  Blog at least once a week, with new and interesting content.

2-  My son bought me brand new paint brushes for Christmas, so I guess I need to paint, lol

3-  Draw more

4-  Glass Etching and or Wood Working

5-  New garden projects

Please remember all content, and my images are not to be used by anyone else without my permission.

Making A New Blog (Update)

This blog will probably, eventually just go defunct.  Even though I already changed the name, after thinking about it, it makes sense to just make a whole new The I Can Blog.  I will add a link to this post, once it is set up.  I will probably leave it with Blogger, though I will look at Wordpress, just because I am already familiar with Blogger.  Since I want it to be a Health Buddy/Coaching blog, I need to look at some things, like a new email, possibly encrypted just for this blog, a Paypal account just for this blog, etc.  That will be what I will be doing for the month of December.  Watch for the link and my first post which will be an about me post.

Here is the link to my new Word Press blog https://healthbuddydotblog.wordpress.com/  I will continue to use this blog for crafting, DIY projects, my Redbubble, 3 sales there yay, etc!

Learning to Make A Fairy Garden

I want to make fairy gardens. I just love them. I want to make accessories to sell for them, as well. It is a long process learning how to make accessories. The other day, my daughter and I were in the craft store and saw these tiny birdhouses. We bought one, put it together, the glue is still wet in the image, and left off the perch part. I will now paint it, and decorate it, and voila my first fairy house. I wish I had bought a few more, lol. Hopefully they will have more when I go back.

Make it Monday!

Finally, after two very busy weeks, a new Make it Monday post. I had family visiting the first week, what a blast, and the second week I actually started a new job and had to do orientation, boring. So, today, I got quite a bit done, for Make it Monday.

 The first item, the turtle chia type pet planter, was actually an idea from Pinterest. I thought the method they used was a bit more expensive then it needed to be. I used a metal round planter hanging basket from the Dollar tree, to make the shell. then I filled it with dirt, put the seeds in the dirt, and then covered with leaves as a mulch to avoid having to water too much. The head and neck is just an old sock filled with dirt, and I painted on a little face with a sharpie. Total spent 2 big ones. I planted flowers that will attract hummingbirds. I will update when it actually starts to do something.

 Next, are three new etched glass pieces. 2 are glass olive oil bottles, or any oil or liquid really. The one for men, the pics didn't come out great, but I showed the side with the bear. There is also a deer head, salmon fish, and moose head on the other three sides. The one for the ladies has sealife images on it. A sea turtle, octopus, sand dollars, and a jellyfish. This one is my favorite.

 The third etched glass item is a beautiful vase that I found at a vintage store. It is heavy and well made. I drew on the dove and olive branch, and the beginning of the 23rd Psalms. This is a beautiful gift idea for a wedding, housewarming, or anyone who has faith.

 All three of the glass items will be available in my Etsy and PatternbyEtsy shops. hopefully tomorrow.    Plus, I am having a huge Mother's Day sale, with a brand new 10 dollar gift section. Don't miss it!

Make It Monday!

I love Mondays! Monday is the day, for the last 4 years, or so, that I take time to be crafty. I do it every Monday unless I absolutely can not. Unfortunately, I have been a blogging slacker during the last year, or so. So, now each Monday I will try to share a new video tutorial that I find, a clever idea, something I have tried, upcycled ideas, or just other craft ideas. Hopefully that will keep me on track to post at least one good post each week. I love doing the Polyvore sets, and sharing them here, but it is a lazy way to blog, lets be honest. So, I might have mentioned that I got a Dremel for Christmas. I wanted to learn to etch glass so bad. Then I got sick, on Christmas night, and though we still don't know for sure what caused it, it knocked me out of commission for a long time. So, when I went to try out my months old Dremel I discovered somewhere along the way I threw out the charger. My husband replaced it, so I was back in learning business.


 I love to learn new things. I tried several different techniques shown on tutorials and websites, but man I just didn't like either of the two. So, I came up with a method that worked for me, to get the image on the glass, and voila I was creating beautiful pieces. The item below is a lovely glass serving bowl that I found at a consignment shop, and then I etched on the Easter chick with eggs and flowers. It is so adorable. I just finished a whole bunch of new pieces tonight, and I can not wait to share them. My hand is killing me, surprised I can even type. Did I mention you really have to have a steady hand when using the Dremel, and it really cramps your hand? It does. To purchase this beautiful bowl, or check out any of my other items, visit my Etsy shop. You can always search #missy69, or #missy69pattern. The first shop is for Etsy members, and the second is for those who do not want to be an Etsy member, but might still want to shop on Etsy

Let It Snow!

This will be my last Team Support and Promote weekly post, until New Years weekend. I will continue to share my daily Polyvore treasuries, until Christmas, then they will be every few days. I hope my readers are enjoying them, and getting some great gift ideas. My sales are not super this holiday season, but I have not had the time to promote as much as I would like.

 Be sure and click the highlighted link under each of these images, to visit the Etsy shop, browse and purchase if you like. The theme this week is Let it Snow. It doesn't snow here in Florida, well maybe a flurry or two, but it is nice to have decorations that look like snow.

First from Missy69 is this adorable acrylic canvas Snowman painting,with beautiful roses. 

Next from MsPDesignsUSA is this adorable Christmas pony playing in the snow, it is a quilt block available on PDF.

I have a new member join in this week.  112Miniatures, makes the most adorable doll house accessories, like these snowman cookies.  So cute~

Beautiful Blue and White Handmade Gift Ideas

A day late and a dollar short, lol. I am doing a singing Christmas Tree with our church, and four other local churches. We are near performance time, so some of my days are shorter. This week, I am featuring blue and white handmade items from #teamsp. If you check previous posts I am doing daily treasuries on Polyvore, or at least trying to do daily, and then they get posted here and other social media. There are all kinds of cool gift ideas in those treasuries as well. Be sure to check them out. After Christmas I will probably only do one or two a week, and maybe around holidays. To visit each of the shops featured today, just click the link under the images.

First from Missy69, a blue and white glass bead and pearl BOHO single leather wrap bracelet, great price too!

Also from Missy69, this beautiful blue tourmaline and white pearl, with mother of pearl cross pendant.  Wow!

MsPDesignsUSA, is offering this beautiful blue and white quilt pdf pattern.  Love it!

Also from MsPDesignsUSA, this beautiful Bluejay quilt block pattern.  Great bird lover gift. 

How To Crochet the Shell Stitch

I so wish I could crochet faster, lol. I am currently finishing up an infinity scarf for a friend's birthday. It will be listed as a made to order item in my Etsy shop. I love to crochet, it is my favorite thing when I want to be distracted from other things. Unfortunately Etsy is flooded with crochet items, all pretty much the same, so most of my items are now gifts, or I donate them to various charities. It is starting to get chilly, so slippers will be on my list too. One of my most favorite stitches is the shell stitch. As you can see from the three videos below, it is a very versatile stitch. I love all things lacy, so the last video is my favorite option. Don't forget to go back on this blog, to learn the other more basic stitches that you should learn before attempting harder stitches. Have questions? Please feel free to ask. If I don't know the answer, I will try to find it for you. I hope to find some new jewelry tutorials soon. I am still trying to convince myself that I love to make earrings, it isn't working. I much prefer rings, and bracelets.

Brown and Pink Handmade Items

This week I am featuring, brown and pink items, from Team Support and Promote, on Etsy.  To view each item on Etsy, click the highlighted item under each picture. If you are someone who makes handmade items, doesn't have to be just Etsy, check out my new weekly link up party.

Shelleyscrochetole has to offer this brown and pink baby hat and diaper cover. 

Need an adorable first Halloween baby costume, check out this baby bear dress and hat with pink ears, from Missy69

This beautiful pink scarf is made by, Sticksnstonesgifts. 

This beautiful shades of browns, and pinks by Alfadesigns, is a lovely necklace. 

From Debupcycles is this lovely tan ultra suede fabric, for  all you DIY buffs. 

Mspdesignsusa, didn't exactly have a pink and brown item to fit, but she has a mix and match option in her shop, so that will work.  Check out all her pdf quilt patterns.

Time To Go Back to School and Halloween

This week, for my Team Support and Promote member feature, I am doing a double theme.  Since I don't want to forget about all the lucky kiddos going back to school, I decided to do that theme, and Halloween.  You can't ever start thinking about Halloween too early.  To visit each Etsy shop, simply click the highlighted link under each picture.  Come back again next week to see more beautiful handmade items.

Shelleyscrochetole offers this adorable pug tote bag, perfect for back to school. 

Next, from Conniesquiltfabrics, is this skull fabric sold by the yard.  Make something awesome for back to school, or Halloween. 

Missy69, offers this adorable wood burned Halloween picture frame.  Perfect for school picture, or baby's first Halloween.

Want to make some adorable back to school clothes, or bags?  Then check out this fat quarter fabric bundle from, FabricsandFrills

If you are a preschool, or elementary school teacher, then you need zoo animals in your classroom.  Check out this pdf pattern from MsPDesignsUSA, and make this for your classroom.

Last but not least, from SticksnStonesgifts, are these adorable skull Halloween napkins for school lunch box.  Awesome!

A New Kindle Fire Tablet Crochet Cover For Me

I have been extremely crafty of late, just not blogging a lot. I have to try and catch up. My petite emerald ring, sold from my Etsy store today. So happy someone will wear it and love it.

 For Christmas I got a new Kindle Fire. I love it. The case I made for my old tablet, was getting worn out, and I had just a little bit of the pink petunia yarn left and didn't want to waste it. It was just enough yarn to make a tablet case. I mean just enough. This is the softest yarn ever. It is very bulky too, which is tough on the hands. I made a baby cocoon, and hat earlier, which are in my Etsy store. The button, on the tablet case is made from resin, with hand painted rose buds. I haven't made any new resin pieces, but I am trying to use up the ones I did make. I have made lots of cool things. I will be doing resin again, maybe soon. Be sure and check out my Etsy shop. I offer free usa shipping, and a layaway service.

You Can Update and Improve Your Home Without Spending A Fortune By Painting

Last year we saved a lot of money for the boys to take a trip to NY, for the holidays. This year we have dedicated savings to paying off the car, and doing home updates, and repairs. There is so much to keep up with when you own your own home. I am not working right now, so money is much tighter, but you can be frugal, and still make your home beautiful. Back in Feb we had our plumbing all redone under the house. That was a huge undertaking, but needed to be done. The new plumbing should last the rest of our lives. Then we put in a new tub, faucets, floor, and fixtures in the boys bathroom. I got a new sink, and faucet in my bathroom. I still need a tub, and floor, but I decided to paint the vanity and shower walls, rather than replacing them. That saved a lot of money. You can paint your shower walls! Just make sure when you are done painting you put at least one coating of polyurethane over the walls. I did two coats, and did all the walls just because bathrooms hold so much moisture. I painted a Cherry Blossom tree on the shower wall. My tree trunk isn't exactly wide enough, but I wasn't concentrating on that. The vanity also got smaller cherry blossoms too. Now, my daughter's room has been painted. This is her 11th birthday gift. She loves to watch, Flipping Vegas, with her dad. Though we do not have any where near the budget of Goliath Construction, we have learned a bit of tips on doing a home over. She wanted an accent wall, like Amy always does. Since green is her favorite color, she picked a very light green, and a darker green for her accent wall. My husband surprised her with some chalkboard paint on her closets door. She wasn't excited about that at all. I also painted the laundry room, the old ugly furnace that is more of a pain to remove then just paint over it, and the fuse box. If you live in a double wide you know what I am talking about. The laundry room was painted with left over red paint, and black for the furnace and fuse box. What an improvement. Next up, will be another biggie, replacing the floors and tiles. I am not sure we will get that done before the end of this year, but that is what I am shooting for.

Crochet Toilet Cover

I finished the crochet toilet seat cover. I only had to pull it out once, lol. I did not like how the shower curtain was coming at all, so that will be restarted as well. I will do a shower curtain, and toilet floor rug, and maybe window valance. Then I will decide if I want to list them as made to order items in my Etsy store. I am not sure I will ever get the money out of the amount of time I put into these. So, probably not.

Thanks and Noel Hand Painted Word Candle Upcycled Jelly Jars

I am just a little late with this post, LOL. Sorry about that. My mother, for some reason, had a whole bunch of jelly jars cleaned and saved. Maybe she was going to put homemade jelly in them. I don't know, but she offered them to me. Since they were all the same size, I took them. Then using letter stencils I created a set of THANKS and NOEL painted candle jars. The Noel is not pictured, but they are the same coloring and design. You can add a tealight or a votive candle, but I like the tealights because they come right out to be replaced. You could also put in those battery operated candles, but I don't find they last very long for what they cost. They look lovely on a dining room table, or mantel like I did. If I had more of these jars, I would do a set for my store. Maybe I will start looking for the jars now, then I can have them in time for next year. We don't eat a lot of jelly, lol. These do take a while to make. You need several layers of paint, and then sealing. That is after you have cleaned and removed all labels.

Orange and Yellow Mums and Bunny Art Solar Garden Light

Be sure to visit my Etsy store, to see all my items available for sale. I try to get them all onto this blog, but it doesn't always work out that way.

 I only have one bottle left, for the garden solar lights. I think I will put a Sugar Skull on it with some Ancient Tangle Doodle Art. Stay tuned for that. Yesterday, per request of my daughter, I did a bunny sniffing some garden flowers. You can see the results below. The bottle will get a solar light in it and be added to my garden. The painting is available for purchase, in my Etsy store. I offer free USA shipping on all items. Free shipping for paintings only applies to the painting, not framing. Please read my listings carefully.

 I think I will be returning to my first love, soon, setting my gemstones in traditional settings. I will continue with resin, crochet and painting too. I just really miss making the gemstone jewelry.

Upcycled Wine Bottle Into Solar Garden Light Red White and Blue with Eagle Abstract Art

Yesterday, was Memorial Day, here in the USA. A day to thank, reflect, and remember those who died serving their country. In honor of Memorial Day, two of my wine bottles were painted in a patriotic theme. This is only one bottle, two different lighting camera options.

 This one was done in red, white and blue, with an Eagle painted on the flag colors. The Eagle even has a red, white and blue eye. This was not exactly how I envisioned it, but I am really pleased with how it came out. After two layers of sealant, it looks amazing out in the front garden.

I have finished three other bottles as well, but I will share them one by one in the next few days. I also painted on a Magnolia leaf today. That was awesome, and I can not wait to share it. I am still working on the baby boy crochet cocoon, and some jewelry pieces.

Waterfall Painting Attempt #2

This is my second attempt at painting a waterfall. I am very pleased with how this one came out. I liked the first picture, which had a waterfall in it, but was not the major theme of the painting. This one is all about the waterfall, and is done on a heart shaped piece of pottery. I added rocks and multi colors of wildflowers. It has a ribbon for hanging and would make a beautiful ornament, or just hung on the wall on a tac or nail. I am slowly getting all my new pieces into my Etsy store. If you see something on this blog, but don't see it in my store, the widget is above, please drop me a note. I may not have gotten it listed yet. I have lots of paintings, and crochet items to add. A couple jewelry pieces, but that has not been my focus as much lately. The other one of the puppy paw print was done by my daughter, but is for sharing purposes only. She does not want to sell any of her pieces, but she does enter them as a 4Her in the local fairs, and has done quite well.

Spice Up Your Home With A New Bathroom Suite

When my husband and I decided to buy a home, we opted to buy an older more affordable home. If you have ever bought an older home, you know you are gonna need to learn some DIY skills, with updating and repairs abound. So we are slowly learning to fix all the DIY projects our lovely home needs. It really isn't that hard either, once you learn it.

One of the things we need to consider next, is a new bathroom suite. Of course you could do the bathroom piece by piece, but buying the whole suite will save you money in the end. Because our home has two full baths, we would start with the bathroom that is used by us, and company. The bathtub has a crack in it, so we would definitely need at the very least a new tub in that bathroom.

The website showcased in the link above, has many great clearance prices, and specials on all kinds of bathroom products. You can get a whirlpool tub, stand up shower, or bathtub shower combo. The also offer bathroom tiles for the ultimate DIY do-over. Unique and stylish railings, shower enclosures, and furniture to meet any style you desire. I would love one of the heated towel rails they offer. How luxurious is that? Make it as simple, or as elegant as you wish. You are the master of your DIY domain.