paska

so my mom made this bread called "paska bread" this past easter.

it is some sort of russian citrus easter bread, and its soo amazing!

but what i really love about it is the name.

paska, paska, paska!

how fun is that to say?

i am determined to name the next cat i own "paska."

paska!

i love it.

dear 16 year old me.

uhhh, i saw this on one of my friend's facebooks, and it honestly broke my heart.

i appreciate well-made videos and commercials that get people's attention and their point across in a creative way, and this one certainly did.

i still can't watch it without tearing up, im sucha sap.

plus, its pretty informational and will make you never want to tan again.

ever.

homemade wedding!

AHHH!

it must just be the summer of love or something, but i just got back from yet another wedding!! sarah & jason, one of the cutest couples ever, got hitched on may 28th!

[arent they just the cutest? love them.]

anyways, this wedding was in indiana--and it was one of the best weddings i have ever been to! so personal, laid back, hilarious...soooo jason and sarah.

sarah and i also made almost all of the decorations in her wedding! sarah came down to oklahoma for a weekend in april, and we spent a whole fabulous, sunny saturday working on decorations! our first project was some picture frames that we found for $1-2 at the etcetera shop that we spray painted "sunshine yellow." (her colors were purple and yellow). it took sevvvveral coats, but they turned out really fun!

you can see the progression....

haha i guess someone forgot to take out their picture before etcetera-shopping it! i actually kept that picture, its hanging up in my craft barn. i love old people!

the frames--i love all the different sizes!

spraypainting with the "sunshine yellow." i guess it was cheap or just too windy in oklahoma that day, but it took soooo many coats and like 4 cans of paint! not as easy as it looked, right, sarah? haha we had fun with it.

these are the finished products that i finished after sarah headed back to kansas. i glued cloth flowers over the places that were messed up or not covered very well.

i kind of had a little kuhnzie shrine in my craft barn going on for a while! haha. here you can see that we made little signs out of dad's stash of beautiful barn wood. i even learned how to use some sort of wood-cutter-thing! legit.

and here it is in action! proud!

at sarah's batchelorette party! the scarf is from the etcetera shop, and the i made the "happy" sign for sarah for christmas one year! purple and yellow--such a fun color selection! i found the purple and yellow M&M's at a store in indiana called "meijer." its honestly the best store ever. it has EVERYTHING. and everything is fresh and beautiful there, and they....well, dont let me get started on it. lets just say that i loved meijer, i miss it already!!

and this was the kuhns sign by the end of the driveway! sarah's kuhns cousins put everything together at the wedding, and it looked amazing!

and now i'm semi-sad that this wedding is over! i looooved dreaming up crafty things to do for it! haha, oh well. i think i can deal.

:)

garter making!

my beautiful friend brooke got married this past weekend!

(isnt she just glowing? gorgeous.)

anyways, she asked me to make her garter(s) for her wedding! an interesting request/challenge, i must say, but it turned out being really fun! she gave me some embellishments to use on it, and wanted it to include the "borrowed/blue/old/new" trinkets on it. she had found one on etsy that was kind of the idea she was looking for ( here ...so cute, right?!), but thought it would be more personal (...and cheaper) to have a friend make it!

so, along with my wise and sewing-machine-savy mother, we came up with our version of a garter set! mom made a casing of white, silky material, fed elastic through it, and then i added some fun fabric flowers that i just can't stop making!! i also added a section of a "old" anklet that she provided for a little dangling charm! (and to fulfill the "old" requirement.)

if i was to do it again, i think i would try to find an already-made plain garter and then just embellish it, or look for elastic lace. when corey (brooke's new hubby!) tried to shoot it at the reception, it only went a few inches! haha oops!!

i made this brown one as well--brooke is a simple girl, so here is a simple garter. haha. i'm not sure which one they shot and which one they kept, but i liked the blue one better!

and so ends my garter-making adventure. i wouldn't call myself a garter pro yet, but maybe someday. :)

"express yourself!"

i just can't get enough of this commercial.

its just so happy.

i have nooo idea what coffee-creamer has to do with "expressing yourself," but i could care less. its like, the best commercial ever. i love every second of it.

thanks, coffeemate!

saturday projects

GEEE i love my weekends off.

i was out in my craft barn all day, working on stuff for SJ's wedding and making some signs for VBS. i found some big cardboard which worked out perfect because it kind of looks wood-ish! i made one small one (pictured) and one huge one. fun times.

plus it was just a beautiful, sunny, springy day. seriously. i never wanted it to end.

THINGS I LOVE ABOUT SPRING SATURDAYS:

- being able to go barefoot! my tender, white, winter feet were craving the cold green grass.

-unlimited mint tea in the fridge

-i love everyone's projects-spring is so inspiring! mom was gardening, dad was working with the cattle, trev was welding, i was crafting. it was productive and satisfying.

-the air is so sweet and warm

-i wore nasty paint-clothes all day and didnt have to put on makeup or shower or anything. i love saturdays when i can look nasty and be okay with it. haha.

confessions of an organic crafter

heyyy.

i cut these letters out by hand. i didn't mind it, but, it took me a while.

i need a cri-cut or whatever those things are called, don't i?

hmph.

i guess i just hate the idea of adding MORE technology and tools and devices and user manuals to the crafting experience. its like it takes some of the home-grown-ness out of the craft, although it does make it a.) easier b.) more professional looking c.) more options.

i guess i am just an organic crafter at heart. give me scissors, paper, and glue and see what i come up with. that is raw creativity, untainted by technology and complication. but, alas, the temptation of all of these other options is wearing on me!

so operation find-a-good-used-cricut-from-ebay-or-something might just commence in the near future. i'm a pushover, i know.