Hullo.

Hullo, friends!

So.  It's been a while.

I'm sorry I've taken such a long break from blogging--I've just let the time slip and forgot.  

But I've been extremely busy during my little hiatus.  I've done several Twi'lek hats, including one for a precious little baby and one for a lady running I. course of the Force--it even appeared briefly on Good Morning America!

I've also learned a very little bit of knitting which I am actually strangely enjoying.  Although it'll never take the place of crochet :P I've just gotten the yarn and plan to begin work on an Ahsoka Tano hat very soon--I've been promising Lillian from Fan Girls in The Force that I'd make one since forever ago--really excited out that project!  

I'm gonna try very very very very very hard to blog at least once a week now...I'm so sorry I'm really bad at keeping a schedule!

 

Update pictures! Haha, here's what I've been up to lately:

    Knitting....

 

   Adorable little baby in a Twi'lek hat I made :)

  A Twi'lek hat I made on Good Morning America:

   Galaxy shirts!

  Making earrings...

...and I'll post again soon.  

photo update

Hullo, friends!

As a way to quickly update/ fish through my pictures, I've picked a few to show what I've been up to lately :) No, I did not make the cookies (my mom did, aren't they awesome?!)

--Romans 1:16 beaded bracelet, thrift store ring find, chocolate chip pancakes, hat order, FINALLY reading Harry Potter (I'm on Order of The Pheonix), Easter cookies, Tunisian crochet Gryffindor scarf, window view, crepes I made for breakfast and a Luna Lovegood necklace :)

Much love <3

The Importance of Words

Hullo, friends!

Well, that title is just a tad ironic considering it has been forever and a day since I last posted. (I'll be back to regular posting now, promise.)

Anyways, BEFORE I do get back to my normal posting routine, I wanted to share some of the absolutely lovely sermon I heard the other day. It's by Trip Lee and is titled "The Importance of Words."

It was a really wonderful sermon--I HIGHLY recommend it--you can hear it at bragonmylord.com. Here's some of the highlights I got from it, starting with a little analogy he used---
So, you have a cup. You are the only one who can see what's in it, so you can tell people whatever you want. For instance, you could say, "it's tea" or, "it's root beer." But no matter what you claim to have in it, when it spills out, everyone will see its true contents. Now, your heart is the same way. When you speak, you are spilling out the contents of your heart. You can SAY you are a Christian, but what are people really seeing from the things you say? And this isn't just the clever, thoughtful things you say. What about the things you said when you were angry? What about the jokes you tell your coworkers? Ultimately, you are going to be judged on every careless word you have ever spoken.
Never waste your words on anything that is dishonest, impure or disheartening.
Use your words to build others up, and above all, work to further the kingdom of God.

Much love <3


(Seriously, check it out at bragonmylord.com!)

{a heart that never stops}

Hullo, friends

You may or may not be aware, but I'm kinda obsessed with Christian rap :) It is literally the coolest thing, like, ever.

I heard a song recently by KB (with special guest Jasmine Le'shea) called "Heart Song." It's a really sad, but totally awesome song. Jasmine is an incredibly talented young lady who had a heart transplant 11 years ago. As the song notes, the average lifespan of someone with a heart transplant is 10-15 years afterwards--without another transplant, Jasmine is only expected to live a couple more years.
However, the song is not a big pity party--the message of the song is stated here in the chorus...

"Underneath these broken pieces, there's a heart...
that never stops.
When you feel your life is bleeding
there's a heart that never stops...
that never stops beating."

Ezekiel 36:26 says "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you..."

All men are born with a deadly heart condition. The world offers us many "cures" but the only true solution is a new heart. In order to receive a heart transplant, there has to be a donor--someone has to die in order for you to live. Jesus Christ is that donor. He came to Earth and died so that YOU could have a new heart. A heart that will keep beating through all of eternity.

If you don't have a relationship with Christ, what are you waiting for?
Please check out www.needgod.com if you'd like to know more.

Much love <3

{hullo again}

Hullo, friends

I hope you are all doing well :) I haven't posted in a while, sorry for that. I've been busy as a bee lately, with all sorts of boring everyday things.
I've had a nasty little cold right now, which is of course never fun.
And though I haven't been posting, I have been crafting some. Mainly Twi'lek hats--I really can't believe how popular those have been to sell! :) It's so nice to work with people who can appreciate the things I make.
I don't really have a whole lot to post about...in other news, I heard Owl City's version of In Christ Alone via Pinterest the other day, and I highly recommend it. It's probably the loveliest rendition of the song I've heard yet. <3

"In Christ alone, my hope is found. He is my light, my strength, my song..."

{Giveaway WINNER!}

Hullo friends!

Thanks to everyone that entered my giveaway! I really appreciate y'all's support! :)

And the winner is.....

Entry Comment #5, Bernice Garcia!

CONGRATULATIONS, Bernice! :)

Happy Valentine's day, everyone!

Much love to you all <3

{high five for friday}

Hullo, friends!

(Linking up with From My Grey Desk)
Let's see what's going on for me lately...

1.  I did some little pink-with gold tips nails last night :)  Love 'em <3

2.  I'm really loving the song "Background" by Lecrae right now--actully, pretty much anything Lacrae, "Background is just my current favorite ;)  "So just let me shadow you, and just let me trace your lines--matter fact just take my pen, here, you create my rhymes.  'Cause if I do this by myself I'm scared that I'll succeed in no longer trusting you 'cause I only trust in me."

3.  I've been seeing these arm-knit scarves/cowls lately and I totally want to try it!  Aren't they just CUTE?!

4.  This is totally random, but  I've been laughing over it all week--(yes, I do need to get a life, thank you)--When shopping the other day, I caught a small snippet of a conversation--all I heard was this little boy saying, with a very shocked expression, "a donut?!"  Needless to say I started laughing out of nowhere.  Oh, to be a fly on the wall and hear that conversation! :)

 

5.  AND I have a GIVEAWAY going on right now! :)  But no entries so far :O  Where are my lovely follwers at? ;)  No worries, it's still going up to Valentine's day--check it out!

{GIVEAWAY!!!}

Hullo, friends!

So I've finally gotten the chance to do a giveaway for y'all! :)

I made a few little things that I'll be giving away to one lucky winner :D

 

 

{giveaway items: 1 handmade (by me) wire LOVE necklace, 1 crocheted flower hair pin, 1 crocheted swirl/beaded hair pin and 1 crocheted/beaded flower brooch}

 

 

Ok--how to enter?

{Mandatory to enter:} Follow my blog via the button on my sidebar (Google Friend Connect) and leave a comment on this post telling me that you follow my blog.  (If you already follow my blog, just leave a comment anyway!) :)

{Extra ways to enter:}

• Follow me on Pinterest and leave a comment on this post

• Favorite my Etsy shop and leave a comment on this post

• Write a blog post about the giveaway linking to this post and leave a comment here on this post

RULES:
Please leave an email address in at least one of your comments so that I am able to contact you if you win.

This giveaway is only open to those within the 48 contiguous states--I am sorry for any inconvenience this may cause!

The contest will be open until midnight, February 13th--I will then randomly (using RANDOM.org) choose a winner the following day (Valentine's Day.)

  Ok, you can start commenting now! :)  I can't wait to choose a winner!

Much love to you all! <3

{tissue paper flowers: tutorial}

Hullo, friends!

 

Today I was working on wrapping a birthday gift for a friend--which as a side note, I am quite terrible at. 

I can not do any sort of fancy wrapping--not even just plain wrapping--instead it always looks like I got something and just wrapped and taped wherever I liked...which is pretty much what I do--but while 'wrapping' today, I was messing with some little strips of tissue paper I had left and made some little flowery-things.  So I thought I'd make a tutorial to share, just for fun :)

 

 

They're amazing aren't they? :P  Before I even try to go any further with this post, though, let's talk about my nails:



 

I know. They totally rock. For those who don't know, they are Lord of the Rings nails--see it?! It's the inscription that was on The One Ring! I'll do a tutorial on that sometime :)

 

Ok, back to flowers. 

 

1.  First up, you need a strip of tissue paper--it can be as long or short as you like. 

 

2.  Crumple up the end into a little ball

 

3.  Now start to loosely twist the tissue paper, crumpling it a bit as well, and wrap it around the ball in a circle

 

4.  Keep twisting

 

5.  Once you run out of tissue paper, fold the end to the back of the flower

 

6.  Put some tape on the back to hold it in place

 

7.  Repeat with all of your scrap tissue paper

 

 

Aren't they cute?!  And it adds a nice touch to my rather crazy wrapping!

 

Much love to you all <3

{H54F}

Hullo, friends!

Whew--it's been a while since I've posted! My apologies on that, I've been preeeeety busy lately!
Time for another round of High Five for Friday :)

1. I love cream of wheat. So, so much. It is the best thing ever with some Splenda & bananas :)

2. I got a hair curling wand, (which is really awesome by the way--it works really well!) and the highlight was by far the warning it had. "Caution-this product can burn eyes." Really?! So this is what Frodo needed all along to destroy Sauron...

3. More orders! I didn't think these Twi'lek hats would be so popular, but I've gotten two more orders in this week :) my fingers hurt a bit from all that crocheting, but it is definitely satisfying being paid for something I love to make! :)

4. I've been meaning to share a pic of this necklace with y'all--my sister made it for me for Christmas, and I totally love it! It's a Japor Snippet necklace (For those of you who don't know, it's Star Wars.) Such a cute necklace!

5. I'm going to be having my first ever GIVEAWAY sometime soon!!! Stay tuned for a post about it and a chance to win!

Much love to you all <3

{today}

Hullo, friends

For all of you who are sleepwalking through your daily routine, remember: Today is your day.

Stop sliding back. Live today so that tomorrow has no regrets.
You were wonderfully made by the creator of the universe.
Your life is like lyrics on a page--make it a song worth singing.
Stop waiting for tomorrow.

Time is precious--don't waste it.

Much love <3

{dreaming of spring}

Hullo, friends!

I've been messing around a bit with one of my favorite apps, Stylish Girl (which I very highly recommend!  It's completely freeeeeee!!)

One of my favorite features is the "Outfits" tab.  You can use items from your closet and/or wish list to create and save outfits--it's really nifty. 
Here is a little outfit I put together with some items I am currently loving.  I'm really, really getting tired of winter (I know--already?!) and can't wait for spring to hurry up and get here!  Hence all of the spring-y colors.  If you wanted to be more realistic, you could skip the necklace and add a scarf and coat instead, I suppose :)

Much love to you all <3

Basic Essentials corduroy pants, for $15, Couldn't Filigree More Bracelet, for $24, Time to Bow Bracelet, for $12, Pattern Familias Dress, for $19, Guaranteed Charm Necklace, for $24

{let's talk style: lessons from the past}

Hullo, friends!

I've been hopping around Pinterest (seriously, check it out: www.pinterest.com/thecraftyjedi) and I've really fallen in love with some of the vintage clothing styles. 
The main reason being, it is incredible how they can be so modest, and STILL be ah-door-able--seriously. 
Let's take a look at a few examples of some lovely vintage dresses (via Pinterest):

A 1970's dress

1950's dress

1915 Peacock dress



1913 Peacock evening dress




1950's day dress


I think it brings up a really good point that I wish the fashion industry would catch on to already:  immodesty does not = cute. 
Not by a long shot.  For an outfit to be "modest" it does not have to mean skirts that go down to your feet, turtleneck sweaters or bonnets.  One of the definitions of "modest" is "reasonable: not large, extreme or excessive."  In my opinion, that is definitely the key to dressing modestly.  Let's face it, we all know when we've gone over the line as far as modesty--you can tell when something you are wearing is too short, too tight, too sheer, etc... 

I mean, don't get me wrong--I am all for modern/inventive styles--that's why I love fashion, there is so much creativity involved.  It can just be very irritating and discouraging when it seems like all of the cute clothing are waaaaay too immodest. However, I think that in most cases, things can be worked with to fix the problem if you are willing to take the extra time styling it right.  
So I was thinking, how fun would it be to try to turn a normally immodest clothing item into a modestly cute outfit?  Stay tuned y'all--I'm going to do a post soon doing just that :)

What are some ways you keep your outfits adorably modest?

Much love to you all <3

{my etsy shop}

Hullo, friends!

So I've finally taken the leap and have created an Etsy shop!  Woohoo!

My username on Etsy is thecraftyjedi (since Stitchingupastorm was taken) and you can check out my shop here:

{The Crafty Jedi's Shop}

Have a wonderful Sunday!

Much love to you all <3

high 5 for friday

Hullo, friends!

Ah, Friday! :) Time for the WEEKEND!

1.  I just finished up another commission the other day and am getting it ready to mail off :)  So excited!  (I'll be giving y'all an update on orders from me soon... stay tuned!)

2.  I picked up a cookie and was met with that sad little facial expression :D  Obviously the poor guy knew what was coming ;)  I was laughing SO hard!

3.  The best, cutest, most awesome cat ever.  (A.K.A. my cat Arwen)  Isn't she just adorable?  The found the little tie on my jacket and had a ball playing with it :)

4.  Thanks to the AWESOME picture-tutorial pictured (via Pinterest) I can now do a waterfall braid!  I am so excited, I just want to braid everything now!  (speaking of Pinterest, don't forget, you can follow me at www.pinterest.com/thecraftyjedi)

5.  And, speaking of my jacket, it is seriously the most awesome jacket, ever.  So awesome, that I seriously need to do a post sometime just about that jacket.  I could write a whole blog just about that jacket.  Love. it. so. much.  <3

I hope you are all having a lovely week--happy weekend! 

Much love to you all <3

{wire elf ears}

Hullo, friends!

I've been wanting some elf ears (because I love Lord of the Rings elves) and because The Hobbit came out recently. I'm planning on going to see it again (YAY!) so I thought these would be fun to wear to the theater:

They are wire elf ears--you just slip them over your ear, bend to tighten, and you have elegant looking elf ears!
(Sorry about the pictures...it's really hard to get pics of wire ears.)
Let me know what ya thing :)

Much love to you all <3

{r2d2: the shoe edition}

Hullo, friends!

I have something totally fabulous to show y'all.

Are you sitting down?  Good.

Ok, prepare to be swept away with awesomeness...

R2D2 (which, for those of you who have been deprived of classic space operas, is a little droid in Star Wars) shoes.  I think they're pretty awesome, if I do say so myself. 
(Also note the adorable R2 action figure in that pic.  Isn't he the cutest?)

I saw the idea of glitter-R2 shoes on Pinterest (you can follow me at www.pinterest.com/thecraftyjedi) and after pulling out the thrifted glitter shoes I posted about a few weeks back, I tweaked the idea some and managed to make it work out. 

They were really rather easy to make!  The blue is just painted on with acrylic paint.  It turns out, the glittery surface is really easy to paint on.  I started out using tape to mark out the areas and such, but that ended up being too complicated for me, so I just went free handed.  The black outlines are just black permanent  marker.  And the red buttons are little sequins :)

If you'd like more info on how they were made, just let me know :)  After finishing them I had the realization (think: nightmare) that I should probably add some sort of seal to keep the color from coming off. I'll have to see about getting something.   

What do you think?  I'd love your opinions :)  I'm really excited to try something like this again!

Much love to you all <3