Happy Valentine's Day!

I saw this print over on Pinterest not too long ago and instantly had to pin it. Jeremy and I are always joking about how we're the most awesome couple we know so it seemed perfect for us! I don't make prints or anything but I decided this would be a cute little embroidery to give him for Valentine's Day.


I stitched it up Sunday while watching some Disney movies. I have no idea where I got this little square frame but isn't it so cute?! It's about 3" x 3", I thought it was the perfect size, not too overwhelming or anything. I will be giving this to him this afternoon. We are having a Valentine's Day lunch together.

Side Note:
Why we had lunch instead of dinner...
I just started working second shift last week. I work from 3pm -11pm and he works from 5am - 5pm (you read that correct, he works 12 hour days and then Saturdays too...he's a lunatic.) He is fast asleep before I even get out of work. At first I was really upset when my boss asked me to switch shifts. I mean it still sucks because I don't see Jeremy as much anymore. I was also upset because I figured I'd be like a vampire and didn't know when the hell I would be able to do some of the things I love. Like go to Joann's, the library, not grocery shop or do laundry at midnight, etc. I figured out a different kind of sleeping pattern though, not the normal wake up, work, then do other life stuff that I've been so used to. I get up around 11am and have a few hours to do whatever I want before work. I can crochet, do laundry, go to the library or shopping all before going to work. Then I get out at 11pm, go home and watch a movie, eat a little something, read and go to sleep. I like being able to get up before work to do stuff and not feel like my whole day is JUST for going to work anymore.

Anyway...
Jeremy had to take a half day off work today to go to the dentist. This all happened yesterday so it fell together nicely. We will be getting lunch after his appointment! I'm stoked because I didn't even think I'd see him.

I hope you have a wonderful Valentine's Day and get to spend it with the ones you love!

Jamie

Fun Fact Friday #6

Describe your spouse (significant other).

I thought this would be a pretty perfect prompt to do what with all this Valentine's Day stuff flying around!

Jeremy
aka Jermish, Lover Face, Lover Lips, Lovey and Babe. Besides Jermish, how sappy are those pet names?! LOL! They all started as jokes. Like we were joking around being overly, annoyingly in love but they eventually just stuck. Oh and "babe" totally came from The Office Dinner Party episode!
He's 25 years old and his birthday is at the end of this month.

Jeremy is hands down the hardest worker I know. The only person I can think of that works harder than him is my dad. He truley loves his job. He is a machinist and has been since I think he was 16. He started in Vo-Tech at his high school and kept going with it. He's told me a few times how funny it is that he's a machinist. He wanted to take masonry (laying bricks, UGH!) but the class was full. They told him he had to pick something else and on a whim just picked machining. I actually didn't even know what machining was until I moved to PA. I never knew a machinist other than that Christian Bale movie. But out here I know a TON of machinists. My sisters ex boyfriend is a machinist. One of his friends is a machinst, he worked with Jeremy and that is how we met actually. Basically he takes big hunks of plastic (he can also work with metal but his shop manufactures plastic) and using different machines and tools he forms that plastic into a part. He makes all different kinds of parts. The two I remember the most are parts for the pulleys on cranes, those ginormous cranes that build bridges and sky scrapers and crap. Also, he makes parts for submarines. He's the group leader for the turning center (the department he works in) and I know that in a very short time he is going to be a supervisor. He loves that place, he gives 110% everyday and they love him. It's just a matter of time before he's running shit, hehe!

To go along with the hard worker thing, anything he does he likes to be THE BEST at. He started bowling a few years ago. His dad used to bowl all the time until he injured his bicep this past year so Jeremy joined the team as well. Just last month he had his first 500 series, TWICE! He also had his two highest scoring games. He bowls every Wednesday. I don't go anymore because it can be a little boring to watch. Plus it's time for him to hang out with his buddies. I sit at home crafting away and wait for him to tell me how he's doing so I can cheer him on, hehe! He also golfs. That was a new thing last year. He actually even went down to Florida with his best friend, Justin on a "Mancation" this past summer! He golfed for a few days with Justin and Justin's step dad. I only went to the driving range with him once and holy moses! My ribs were so sore the next day from all that twisting while swinging! He really wants me to golf for real, like 18 holes this year...we'll see!

He also went hunting for the first time this year. I'm not exactly a fan of that but I also can't tell him what to do. He's been hunting birds, pheasants and grouse to be exact. He knows I don't like it so I'm hoping once hunting season is over that he'll kind of forget about it. I don't know though, he works with one of the guys he goes with so...bleh!

He's extremely funny and laid back. I'm pretty sure everyone who meets him instantly likes him. He just has this way of making people laugh, he's just so big and loveable and says inappropriate shit all the time. It's one of the main reasons I love him. No matter how I'm feeling, he can make me laugh. I wish I could get a video of him doing his satchsquatch impression in the woods...oh it's priceless!

Jeremy is what I call "a fixer". Whenever something is wrong or someone needs something, he is the first one to be there. Whether it be just with some advice, an actual solution or literally fixing that broken chair, he's there. It's so reassuring to know he'll always be there for whatever I need!

Oh and he's one of the best dancers I know!!

Ok so I could literally keep going!! I'm sure you're the same way once you get on a role about your loved one.

Have an awesome Friday!

Jamie

Fun Fact Friday Disclaimer:
I found The Imagination Prompt Generator and loved the idea of writing posts based on its random prompts. Every Friday I will share a lil' something about myself based on these prompts. I see it as a means of sharing a bit more about myself with you! It will be a random topic or question and my responses will be pretty free form and random as well. I'll of course edit for spelling and punctuation but I want to just let it flow for the most part. I hope you enjoy and maybe even join in!

Valentine's Day Swap...Sent

Last month I signed up for the Oh Strumpets Valentine's Day Swap. I'm so glad I did because I really branched out with the type of crafts I usually do. I'm not really a hearts and pink kind of girl. This gave me the perfect excuse to look for fun heart fabric and all kinds of pink and red felt.

I knew right away that I wanted to make a bunting for my partner, Erin. Not for any particular reason other than, who the hell doesn't love a good bunting?! While at Joann's I found these two coordinating glittery heart fabrics. Although the fabrics themselves are kind of busy, I felt just the fabric by itself would be a little boring. I decided to cut out some hearts from that sticky backed felt to add. I originally went a little far and added white hearts with red X's and O's on the other flags but it was WAY too much so I got rid of those! I also used some pink thread and a zigzag stitch to attach it all together.




Also, while I was at Joann's I milled around in the area with Valentine's Day decorations to find some other fun tidbits to send my partner. I saw some cute little heart ornaments. They were a bit on the country clutter side though. You know what I mean? With the burlap, red gingham fabric and twine? It wasn't my taste but it gave me an idea...I could make my own stuffed heart ornaments!! I did a tutorial yesterday if you want to make some of your own! These are the three I sent Erin, I hope she likes them!



This was such a fun swap. Like I said, I branched out of my so called "comfort zone" and used different types of fabrics and themes than I normally would have. It was nice and refereshing. Plus now I have a few of the heart ornaments of my own!
I can't wait to see what Erin made for me!!

A special thanks to Becky and Olivia for organzing this awesome swap together over on Oh Strumpets!


Jamie

How to Make a Valentine's Day Heart Ornament

For today I present you with my first tutorial!! I am super duper excited and I really hope you try and make some of these on your own. They aren't hard at all and make the cutest Valentine's Day decorations. You could also hang them up whenever you want to bring a bit of love into your home anytime of year!

So let's get started!


1. Supplies:
Felt in any color you want
Fabric to compliment the felt
Embroidery Floss also to compliment your felt and fabric choices
Ribbon
Scissors and an Embroidery needle
(Not Pictured) A scrap piece of cardboard and some sort of stuffing - fiber fill, scrap pieces of fabric or yarn, etc.


2. Stencil
You will want to draw a heart onto your cardboard. Also draw a smaller heart to cut out of the center.
Cut out your stencil.
I drew this by hand but I have a feeling some heart cookie cutters would be the perfect template!


3. Felt
You will want to fold your felt in half and pin together.
Trace your heart stencil, the outside and the center.
Cut the largest heart out from both pieces of felt.
***Now if you kept your felt pinned together while cutting out the large heart UNPIN NOW!!!!***
Cut the center heart out of only ONE piece of felt.
(in a sleepy, crafty stooper I cut the center out of both sides of felt twice! You read that right, TWICE!! I'm a genius kids, a pure genius!)


4. Fabric
Trace the large heart onto your pretty fabric.
Trim around the outside a bit so that it is smaller than the big heart but still larger than the center.


5. Sew Fabric to Felt
Pin your fabric to the felt heart with the center cut out.
Stich around the center heart to attach your fabric.


6. Add detail
If you want, now would be the time to add any cute little details to the back heart. Make sure you embroider on the side that will face out.
I did this so that if the heart spins around, it will still look super cute!


7. Sew Felt Together
You will want to cut a piece of ribbon long enough to hang wherever you choose.
Pin this ribbon to the front piece of felt.
Pin the two sides together and embroider about 3/4 of the way around.
Make sure you stitch over the ribbon so it is nice and secure.
*Tip* Start your embroidery on the inside so that the knot does not show on the back of the ornament.


8. Stuff your ornament
Once you get to about the 3/4 mark you will want to stuff the ornament.
Don't overstuff or it might get kind of puckered looking (unless this is the look you are going for then by all means, stuff away!)
Once stuffed, continue stitching your ornament closed.
*Tip* Tie your knot on the inside so it doesn't show on your ornament either.


Now you can admire your adorable new heart ornament!!



I love all the different felt and fabric combos I came up with. All the emboidered details were just off the top of my head too.

I hope you try to make some of these for yourself or as a gift. If you do, leave me a link so I can see it too!

Have a lovely day friends!



Jamie

Happy Anniversary!

I won't go into all the sappy details about how Jeremy and I are a match made in heaven or how in love we are or how we met (you can read all that here.) For now I will just say it has been a wonderful 3 years and I am very excited about some of our future plans we've been talking about! I will be sharing the details once the time gets closer...and no it's not THAT! We're planning to get a place together early next year =D



Have a wonderful day friends!