The Best Laid Plans...

When I originally started this blog I wanted it to be a place where I could share with the world my latest crafting projects because I've pretty much always have something up my sleeve. I wanted to push myself, to challenge my creativity. To put myself out there, to use products and make things I'd never tried before, and to even fail on some epic level. My amazing boyfriend and I were trying to buy our first home and I was so excited about all these really creative ideas I had for decorating our house and making a house into a home for the two of us.

But fate is a fickle, funny thing. 

My amazing boyfriend was diagnosed with cancer. 

And everything changed. 

The house and all those plans faded away and the reality of chemotherapy and a strict regiment of medicines because my life. Along with the idea that he might not survive, which has hurt the most. In the last month since we got the news our whole world has changed. We're packing up everything and moving back to our hometown to be close to family. I'm leaving a job I enjoy and co-workers that I love. He has stopped working because he just couldn't keep going on with medicines that he's on. We've had to make decisions on sperm banking, will writing, advance directives and final wishes and burial arrangements.

I have had to step into the role of being the rock, the one he could rely on, when he's always been that for me. He's always been so grounded and steady. I'm the dreamer, with my head in the clouds, who has always needed him to come back to reality.

My Mom recently asked me if I'd been writing about all the stuff that we'd been going through, and I was surprised when I had to answer no. I've been writing updates for family and friends, just so that everyone knows what's going on, but I hadn't really been just writing for myself. Growing up writing had always been my therapy. I still have a collection of journals full of poetry and stories and chronicles of my life. I've fallen out of practice as I've grown older. But now I have this blog. And I can pretty much write whatever I want on here.

I still want to use this blog as a way to show off my awesome crafting skills, but it's also going to be a chronicle of the current challenging journey that I'm on. Because there are times that I need to vent, need to cry and need to yell, and instead I plan to write.

Love is...

Still here? 

I honestly haven't forgotten about this blog, but life has a funny, funny way of getting in the way of all the plans that you make and tearing them to pieces. Because of medical issues that my wonderful boyfriend is currently going through I haven't had much time for crafting, although I have been doing an awful lot of knitting, but mainly because it's something to do while you're sitting in waiting rooms. 

But in the last couple of days I've been able to get some projects done and I'd been procrastinating on before life decided to get in the way, and I thought I'd share them. 


The first is a gift that I made for my boyfriend, which wasn't originally supposed to be for Valentine's Day, since he's not a huge fan of the holiday. 

I just took a picture frame from the dollar store, painted it red, and drew the Love is... on the scrapbook paper before going over it with a permanent marker. I also got dry erase markers from the dollar store and gave them all to him to use to write or draw whatever he (or I) want. 

I'm a huge fan of the love is... cartoons and am constantly using love is... and coming up with something funny that reminds me of my boyfriend.  


The second Valentine's idea is something that I totally copied from Random Thoughts of a SUPERMOM... her see-through Valentine's. 

Aren't they adorable? 

Now here's my version

I loved the idea and had all the supplies already in my kitchen (I love when that happens!) 

 
I traced hearts onto wax paper, cut them out, hand-stitched them together with embroidery floss and filled them with conversation hearts. Such a simple and easy Valentine's goodie that I can't wait to give to my awesome co-workers. Because honestly, who doesn't love candy. 

I hope to have something else to post on here soon, although we're getting ready to move and I think everybody knows how crazy that can be. 

P.S. Happy Valentine's Day 

A New Year...

So after a few months of blog stalking others for creative ideas that I'd like to apply to my everyday life I've decided to throw my hat into the blog ring and see where this journey will take me.

First things first, my name is Bethany and I'm a creative Pisces girl that likes to sew, knit, paint, create, laugh and dream. I have an amazing man in my life who seems to love me, no matter how crazy I may seem. I have wonderful friends that are a second family to me, added to the already crazy large family I have. 

This blog is mainly to be a creative outlet, a way of showing others (if anyone is actually reading this) what I'm capable of doing. I have a lot of projects in mind for the coming year (especially if we get our house which we should find out in the next week) and I'd love for this blog to motivate me to challenge myself to try new creative outlets and projects that I've always been a little too scared of failing at. 

This is a new year, many good things are on the way for me, I can tell already. 

Hello 2011, I'm ready for whatever you've got...