I'VE MOVED!

Hi friends! Guess what? I've moved! My new blog home is  Clover + Dot I would love it if you popped on over and followed me there instead! Thanks!

Updates!

Hey everyone! It's been a while, huh?  Let me start this post off with a little motivation: Monday is over! Make this week amazing!
 I just thought I'd do a good ol' update post about... well lots of things! - First, I have some friends and fellow homeschoolers who are going through a tough time since their dad passed away very recently. You can read their story and donate here.
- I have found a few new blog crushes!!! Seriously, these girls are amazing. Their blogs are Sugar and Cloth and A Little Birdy Blog. Check 'em out!

- I got a Polaroid camera!! I got it at a garage sale with film for a great price. Sarah and I tested it with some film that was already in side, but it didn't develop! Hopefully the new packs will work.
- I am assistant directing and performing in a musical! We are doing Dear Edwina Jr. and we had our first rehearsal today. Auditions are next week and I'm so excited for them.
- Arizona sunsets. I wish I could see the horizon from my house. There have been THE most amazing sunsets lately.

- I had a sleepover with Sarah and we built a fort outside and had a picnic. Yes, we did. And it was awesome.
- I have recently discovered the AMAZING and incredibly adorable store, Typo. I found out that they have a store in AZ, which made me beyond happy! Then I found out it's in Tucson, a town two hours away. It was a very sad moment. But, I will be putting in an online order soon!

- Iphoneography is a world that I have immersed myself in in a very short amount of time. In other words, follow me on Instagram @acreativecookie ;)
Have a lovely week!

Instagram Photo Dump

I have been way too addicted to Instagram! You can follow me @acreativecookie :)

My 2014 Goals

Today I'd like to share some of my goals for the new year. I feel ready for a change. Then again, I felt like this last year, too. Ha! You can download the adorable printable above here. 1. Blogging My blog has been feeling kind of stale to me lately. In 2014 my goal is to rename my blog, give it a makeover, and really be good about updating it at least three times a week. 2. Redo my room This one is already in the works. I've been working on smoothing out my wall for a coat of chalkboard paint! The sad thing is, redoing my room was on my goal list for 2013, too. But I'm finally making it happen! 3. Be more productive I'm reading a book on simple living right now and one of the things the author talked about was screen time. While I don't watch TV much (Netflix is our go-to. We don't have cable), I am on my computer (and now my iPhone) constantly. I just got rid of my Facebook app in order to try to limit me mindlessly browsing through my feed every 10 minutes. 4. Daily bible reading I got the Bible Gateway app and have been reading it every day. Having the app on my main page helps me remember to read it, because I see it every time I unlock my phone.
5. Exercising I hope to start slowly and exercise one a week. I've tried doing an exercising schedule and get a little in each day, but I can never seem to stick to it!
6. Clean I want to keep my room nice and tidy as much as possible. I just love being in my room when it's clean! Also, I'm going to pick up the house for 15 minutes a few nights a week. A quick pickup can make a huge difference!
What are your resolutions?

Instagram

Hi all! I finally got an Instagram! Follow me @acreativecookie :)

Christmas

Did you have a good Christmas?

I "slept in" until 7:00! We emptied stockings and opened the presents under the tree. My favorite present I got was an iPhone 4S! I haven't put it down since ;)

It's our tradition to go see a movie on Christmas. This year we saw The Book Thief. It was so good. Really heart breaking, but really well done. I highly recommend it! (Bring tissues)

I hope you had a good one! Time to start thinking of those New Year resolutions!

DIY Felt Pineapple Ornament

If you are still looking for a really, really last minute gift, then this post is for you! If not, pin it and save it for next year ;) What you'll need: fabric scissors, green and yellow felt, glue, string, and brown thread.

 Cut your felt into pieces like this.

Sew four lines across two of your yellow ovals. Be sure to leave an area at the top for the "leaves." Now, glue the leaves and your string inside the little pocket at the top between the felt. Make sure to loop the string so you can hang it (obviously). I used hot glue and that actually showed through the felt, so I would recommend tacky glue.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Wire Love Ornament

If you are like me and still getting/making gifts, today is your lucky day! You can make this ornament today in 20 minutes. Plus, you can personalize it with any message you want! (please excuse the lighting in the photos! I made this at night so there was no natural light left :\ )

You'll need the following: embroidery thread, thick wire (I can't remember the exact size but make sure it's easily bendable), sharp scissors or wire cutters, wire pliers, and a hot glue gun.

Start by making your base. I chose the word "love," but you could do anything - it doesn't even have to be a word. Try a heart or a star, maybe!

Once you're done shaping, now you can begin wrapping. Cut a long piece of embroidery thread (if you run out, you can always cut another piece and glue it where the last piece ended). Put a dot of hot glue at the beginning of your word/shape and begin wrapping your thread around the wire. There will be difficult places, like my "O." I had to do the bottom portion of it then come back later with a separate piece for the top half.

Once you're done wrapping, cut another piece of thread and loop it around the middle area of your word/shape. Mine was a little unbalanced, because the left side was heavier. I don't mind at all though. It helps if you make a knot on the wire (see picture below). If you do mind, you could attach clear string to each side so it stays straight.

And that's it! This project took me about 20-30 minutes, so curl up with Frosty the Snowman or another Christmas classic and you'll have a great decoration or last-minute-gift in no time.

Zabrina Secret Santa Reveal

Hi friends! This month I participated in the Zabrina Blogger Secret Santa over at Cattails + Cardigans and Sometimes Z Takes Pictures. I got Alexandra and had so much fun putting together her package (you can see her reveal here!). I got my package a few days later from Sabrina, one of the hosts! I was so excited when it came!

1. The shirt. You GUYS, I love this shirt. I squealed when I saw it! I mean, come on, baby superheroes! I'm such a geek. ;)
2. Makeup. Sabrina gave me two Ulta eyeshadow palettes, red nyx lipgloss, and nyx white jumbo eye pencil. She told me the nyx products were her favorites, and now they're mine too!! The eye pencil has made it into my daily makeup routine and I absolutely love the color of the lip gloss.
3. Bath fizzers. That cute little snowman and owl are gingerbread and peppermint flavored. MMMmm
4. Eye mask. I just saw this the other day on a blog I read and thought it was so cute (and funny!).
5. Lotion and shower gel pack. Called Vanilla Sugar Cookie. Already in love! Vanilla is my favorite smell of all time.
6. Lots of candy! (not pictured. mysteriously disappeared into my mouth)
I love everything I received! Thank you so much, Sabrina! I can't wait to participate in another Blogger exchange soon.

Updates!!

Hello all! Today I'm going to share some recent things and what I've been up to! I know I've been kinda quiet online lately, so here's what I've been doing:
I have been a little busy lately! ;) I have several performances coming up for theatre and choir. There are long rehearsals (six hour ones lately for theatre) and so many things to get done! The shows and concert are going on this weekend, so you might not hear from me until after. :)
The shop! I closed it for maintenance about a month ago (maybe two... has it really been that long?!), so sorry if anyone's been waiting! I completely redesigned it and am working on adding Christmas ornaments. Storenvy is having some problems with the images though, and I don't know when that will get fixed.
Speaking of Christmas, I haven't even started decorating! I'm trying to redo my room, so I feel like I can't until that's done. The only problem is, I won't be able to get to it until next weekend. That's too close to Christmas for my liking ;)
So what have YOU been up to lately? Have you already completely decked out your home?

Sleepy Days

Today is an overcast, rainy day. I love these days because everything seems to slow down and all I want to do it sleep. I will be so busy soon with the holiday season so it's nice to just hang out in cozy pj's with Nellie (my new dog!).
Christmas is coming soon (I didn't forget about Thanksgiving! Christmas is just my favorite time of the year). I am preparing fun tutorials for gifts, ornaments, and decor. I love it all so much!

Currently

1. Our new dog, Nellie! 2. Autumn 3. I'm not sure what kind of flower this is, but it's so pretty! 4. Steampunk festival

Currently

 Currently...

I did a fun photoshoot on Friday. I would really love to start my own little photography business soon!
Halloween! I got together with some of my friends and we ate pizza and candy while watching Psych (only my fave show of all time). What did you do?
White Rabbit is currently under construction. I'm completely re-designing it! It should be up soon, once I find the time to finish it. ;)
My mom found this cute little dog in the street and she took it home. It's been living with us for a few days. She is literally like our other dog, Zoe, just tan colored. Zoe has never been great with other dogs (I call her socially awkward) so she's been jealous whenever we play or hold the other dog. We're not sure if we'll keep the new dog or not. It's so weird having a second one around!
That's what I've been up to recently! I have had the craziest two weeks so sorry for not posting much. xoxo

Kid's Tree Craft

Last month I was asked to do a craft for the kids at my church. We were telling the story of Zacchaeus (the little man that climbed the tree, remember?) and I decided to do a cute tree craft!

 This is a simple project that could easily be a "thankful tree" for fall, too! You will need: scissors, scrapbook paper, white cardstock, brown construction paper, and a glue stick.

Start by preparing all the supplies. Print out this file onto your white cardstock (optional). Cut out a leaf shape to use as a stencil and trace it onto the back of the scrapbook paper until you have traced as many as possible. Cut the leaves out. (I used almost 20 leaves for my sample to show the kids, but most of them used only 5-10. You will probably only need one sheet per kid) Then, cut a trunk shape out of brown construction paper. I just drew this simple shape:

Pull out your glue sticks and let the kids get to work! 

Art Museum

 This weekend I went to the Phoenix Art Museum downtown with my family. We walked around for a few hours then left to get some lunch at The Habit (a cool burger place we tried for the first time). We had a really nice time! They had their "Art of Video Games" room up this month, so we spent a lot of time there. ;) I rocked at Pacman!

I saw a Monet and my dad saw a Picasso! They even had the painting of George Washington that the dollar bill was made after. In one of the photos below, you'll see part of one of Mrs. James Ward Thorne's miniature houses.