...no excuse..

well, there is no excuse to the fact that it is now almost Thanksgiving and I have not posted on my blog since JUNE!!! wow...time really does fly when you are having fun! Let's see, summer was great! we enjoyed a family vacation to a Minnesota lake! the girls got back in school we now have a 6th grader and a sophomore! whew... fall? fall was busy, between Melanie's cheerleading & musical and field work we were meeting ourselves coming and going. and so now we find ourselves in November...Amanda is in basketball, Melanie still cheerleading and back to her job at the grocery store, Brad putting on those truck driving miles and myself cramming in some Holiday craft/art shows for Recycks! life is good, no, life is GRAND!

moral of the story: Be good to yourself, don't let time rush by without having FUN!

WOW! it's been awhile...

i apologize...

it has been so long since i've updated my blog...i know there are no excuses but we have been over-loaded here! the girls have been out of school for almost 2 weeks already...amanda is playing softball...baby kitties have been born...the calves are now weaned from their bottles...we have a guinea pig...recycks has began her season of craft shows...corn and beans have been planted...corn is sprayed...chickens are laying eggs...gardens have been planted...and unfortunately we've had 2 deaths in the past few months.

now, like i said, there are no excuses to leave you hanging in the blogging world, but geez...we've been over-loaded!!! but now i'm back...life is somewhat normal and we've settled into the relaxing summer lifestyle!

recycks is excited to announce her acceptence into market day in downtown des moines ( a monthly indie fair). she is also offering home trunk shows for 2011~ first one was just last night and it was AWESOME!!! 2 miles from home with a great group of ladies feasting, visiting and shopping! can't beat that!

today is an extremly warm day in central iowa...92* and 100% humidity!!! maybe 150* humidity!!! i spent my morning baking sheet cakes for our adorable niece, isabella. her #4 birthday party is this afternoon. should be a wonderful day as long as the frosting does not melt off the cakes at the park!!! *ughhhhh* pray for me and the cakes!!!

school spirit

our school district hosts a carnival each spring...tons of fun for the kids and adults alike! so, recycks decided she needed to donate something this year to the silent auction! i had a pile of school sweatshirts and t-shirts that either were just plain worn out of had met the bleach bottle! so i went to work and created a fun school spirit pillow. along with it will be a bag made from the bottom of the t-shirt filled with candies and a homemade bunny!

it feels good to donate. to give back to organizations that have been good for you. it makes me feel bad that schools are on such financial cut backs when the future of our kids is in that building! we need to all donate time, materials whatever to help the youth. whether it's a school or an organization...

i hope the pillow sells...wouldn't it be embarassing if there was not even a bid on it!!! ughhhh..... i guess i'll have to buy it back!!! :)

wish me luck!

...cool new stuff...

recycks came up with this cool new idea...wrapping paper! i keep everything, including the smallest pieces of paper, damaged books...etc! finally, an idea to use some of them up!

our daughter's last birthday party we found it cool that both grandma's had bought the exact same wrapping paper...one even stated, "there just was not much to choose from!" hmmmmmm......

now, our packages can stand out from all the rest! measuring 18"x28" they will wrap up a good sized gift!

i even fashioned bows to match out of magazine pages! sure to be the talk of the party - and it's upcycling what you already have! *genious*

..and then there were backpacks!..

my parents, rollie & connie, have worked hard all their lives...business owners, farmers, parents and grandparents. they have earned the priviledge of spending their winters in the warm sunshine of arizona. so how does this pertain to the above owl backpack? well, dad is always 'shopping' for me - thanks to him i have a wonderful cookie cutter collection!!! but, he phoned me and said, "i found a great idea for recycks!' - that night the first owl backpack was designed! it's amazing when you have a passion, whether it's a business or a hobby, how it wears off onto those people around you! friends of mine are always sharing wonderful new ideas...and most of these will be made and travel with me to my 2011 shows! i hope to see you and share my recycled, usable, eco-friendly, repurposed, using what you have ideas!!!

...scrapmarks...

all those little pieces of left-over fabrics & papers get tossed into a basket...some make it into the bird nesting balls and others just sit there waiting patiently for their upcycling purpose. i keep looking at them, seeing their beauty and promising them i will use them. yup, i speak to my 'materials'! and shhhhhhh, sometimes they speak back!

this bookmark was dreamed up on an afternoon when i was upstairs 'piddling' in my sewing room! the tassel is made from t-shirts made into 'yarn'. they are purposeful, beautiful, unique and certainly one of a kind!

they will make their 'de-bout' showing at prarieland herbs sample sunday on march 13th. you really should make the journey to woodward, iowa for this event! truly wonderful! you will not regret it!

and then there were workshirts...

workshirts...an iowa staple! every farm house closet has many stashed into the corners. every farm family has memories of great grandpa - and every generation to follow - wearing their workshirts to do chores, to go to town for coffee & even to wear to church! flannel workshirts - a feel good thing!

so, when i got a call from a cedar falls shop named "Barn Happy" workshirts popped into my head! i offered 2 new items for her - the 'barn owls' whooooo even have the pocket on the back of them! and the 'iowa' mats crocheted from all the parts of the shirt i don't use when making the owls! she loved them both so i added them to the list of orders!

iowa workshirts....a good thing. an iowa icon.