Home Ec...it's not just for high school anymore!

Back in high school, home ec class was about the last thing that interested me.

Funny how the times have changed! A couple years ago I decided that I wanted to be crafty and so I got a sewing machine. With the help of Mr. H, I managed to get the machine all threaded and ready to go. It didn't take long for me to realize that I have a sort of "crafty ADD" and am only a crafty wanna be. I did manage to make a few pillows and some cute skirts.

The site You Can Make This has enabled me to create the few things I have made. I definitely recommend that you check it out if you are wanting to get creative, there are so many different things you make from sewing to jewelry, etc!

I've also bought several books chock full of projects. But inevitably I run into a skill I don't know how to complete and end up all disappointed. And trying to figure out a real pattern? Forget about it!

But I sure have discovered a love for fabrics. There are so many beautiful designer fabrics out there and I've gotten a bunch of yards here and there. Mostly my gorgeous fabrics sit folded in a bin until the girls get into them and start cutting into them to "make things". I'll admit, I hate to see them chopping chunks of pieces out of my nicely folded yards.

So when I learned about the Home Ec class at the Freckled Nest, I was curious. It's a 5 1/2 week course with 26 projects that each teach a different skill, guides, online chats where you can ask questions and more. But I had my worries, how could I possibly keep up? Though I find sewing fun and relaxing, I am still very much a beginner. I often have to stop mid-project and take apart some portion of what I'm working on to do it over and get it right. Sometimes I require several do-overs!

Worrying about this, I decided I better skip the class. But it kept stirring in the back of my mind. So I would go back to the site and look it over again. At one point I noticed that all of the information would not be available for just 5 1/2 weeks. No. It will be available for an entire year! By then the deadline had passed. Bummer. But no again! The sign ups have been extended til 8/15. And then I saw that Gussy is taking the class! She's recently made her creations a full time business!

At this point I was sold! And I've just taken the plunge and signed up for Home Ec! I'm so excited! It's a little late tonight to get started. Plus I've got to figure out how to replace a broken needle on my machine, Bethany was having a little too much fun one day. And I've noticed the first project requires ric-rac which I don't think I have. But soon, I'll be getting started.

And if any of my tens of readers out there are interested in signing up, you've got til 8/15 to do so! Come on and sign up with me, it'll be fun!

Disclaimer: I'm not being compensated for posting this or encouraging anyone to sign up for Home Ec. I just think it'll be the more the merrier. I am an affiliate for You Can Make This, so if you do happen to purchase something entering via my button, I think I get a store credit. It's never happened before, but maybe some day!

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Aloha Kai "Love of the Ocean"

I'm wanting to share an awesome new shop on etsy. For disclosure purposes, I'm not being compensated for writing this. When I saw my friend's art on Facebook, I encouraged her to open an etsy shop. This week she and her friend did just that! I promised her I would do my best to share their shop. They have been selling their art at different functions in So Flo, not living there anymore I really wanted to be able to buy a few pieces. Now I can and so can you!

ALOHA KAI "Love of the Ocean" is the shop run by Carol and Vic, two artists and surfers. They have found a way to clean up our beaches and make old things beautiful and new. They started this before the awful oil spill in the Gulf. Their art is made from items mostly collected from the Atlantic and Caribbean coasts.

Carol and I met in high school. Funny story and one to show you that though I have always had lofty aspirations to be crafty, I really don't think I have one iota of talent. (Maybe I just haven't found my niche yet). We were in ceramics class together and try as I might I could not make anything beyond the beginner's pinch pot. Carol would be whipping out piece after lovely piece, while I would have project after project fall apart or turn out downright pathetic. By the end of the year, I had not one, seriously not one ceramic masterpiece to show for my efforts. Carol took pity upon me and gave me one of her really cool pots full of swirly designs. I painted/glazed it and took it home...I was kind of proud-atleast of my color skills. But the truth, was engraved in the bottom, Carol's name!

I am pretty sure that my mom still has that pot that is now home to a plant. Yet another thing I can't do-grow plants of any kind. Instead of a green thumb I have the "thumb of plant death"! Mr. H will not let me touch any plant, flower, garden veggie. In fact, he prefers that I don't even look at them.

So back to ALOHA KAI...if you love the beach check out the shop and maybe pass it along to your friends! I just bought a few pieces that really spoke to me and reminded me of the many days spent on the beach during younger and more carefree times, ones that I've had my eyes on since Carol shared the pictures on Facebook. The images I've shared are the ones that I got. They will be a perfect addition to my bedroom redo, a room that I've been wanting to make all about peace and tranquility.

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