I have been reading

Hey there! So if any of you have been reading my blog, you know that I absolutely love reading! It is a great way to pass time and dive into another world! I always love reading other people's book lists and their opinions, so here is my list of the books I read in 2012.

The Lost Hero by:Rick Riordan: I received this book as a gift and decided it was about time I should read it. This is the sequel to the Percy Jackson series. Hands down, the Percy Jackson series is one of the greatest series ever! I had very high expectations going into The Lost Hero and boy was I impressed! This book totally lived up to the others and I am so glad that this book is also in another series or else I would be so sad! The Lost Hero is basically about three kids that are demigods of the Greek gods that go on an adventure but get caught in traps. I really loved this book because it was a fun read and had a lot of mythology in it. 

The Help by:Kathryn Stockett: Words cannot describe how much I love this book, but I'll try my best to. The Help literally changed my life. It made me want to become a better writer. I am sure all of you have either heard about the book or watched the movie. I am just saying that the movie does not do the justice. I really did love The Help movie, but the book is just so much better. Funny thing I bring this up because in my English class a few weeks ago we had a heated debate on book or movie. I of course said book because you can travel into another world that a movie just doesn't do for you. Other kids said a movie is better because you get more into the story because you can see the setting and characters. Honestly to me, movies take away your imagination and you are stuck in a boring world without it.  Anyway, sorry for that tangent, The Help is about a young writer looking for a new story. She asks her friend's maids, or her help, to be a part of the book and tell about her life. After much begging, the help agrees and they make a big book about a helps life. This book is absolutely amazing and can help brighten your day.
Where are the Children? by:Mary Higgins Clark: Everyone needs a good mystery once in a while that keeps you on the edge of your seat and Where are the Children? does that exactly. Where are the Children? is a mystery about two children being kidnapped. The mother of these children had a hard past life and finally was settled in a loving family. When her children are taken, she crumbles but with the help of those around her, she is able to get herself back together. This book was so tense and made me want to constantly read it! Where are the Children? is a great mystery and an awesome book.
The Gift by:James Patterson: The Gift was an o.k. book. It was the second book in the Witch and Wizard series and my hopes were set way too high. Witch and Wizard was the first book in this series and it was absolutely stunning. I read it twice before the second book even came out! The Gift was a little hard to get into and the majority of the book was boring. I wouldn't really recommend this book and it definitely wasn't my favorite.
Thirteen Reasons Why by:Jay Asher: This is by far my favorite book ever! I picked up this book when I was in New York(details coming soon) for a fun, easy, quick read. Although it was quick, there was a lot of drama that made this book beautiful.
The Fault in Our Stars: John Green: Cancer. It has always been a touchy subject for me. My mom has had cancer(she's all free of it and healthy now!) and so I have always been sensitive to the matter. My mom first found this book right before our trip to New York last July. She brought it along for the trip and finished it almost immediately. Right after, my mom gave it to my brother and he also read it super fast! After the pass down of the book, I finally received this marvelous book and deeply fell in love. I am not going to lye to you, this book made me very emotional. All three of us were crying at more than one time in this book. The Fault in Our Stars is very touching and will stay in your heart forever.
Unwholly: Neal Shusterman: This is the second book of Unwind. I love these books because it is a concept I have never ever read about. Imagine a society where if you are a trouble child, your parents have the option to Unwind you or in other words harvest every part of your body. Now don't feel scared, because this book is so good! I really enjoyed Unwholly and I think you will too!
Sold: Patricia McCormick: Set in Nepal, poverty is a major issue that has taken over a young girl named Lakshmi's world. In this book, I found myself feeling very spoiled. I had a house with everything I needed and way more knick-knacks than I should have. I read this in literally one night and felt myself connecting with this book very fast. This is one of my favorites!

 I hope that some of you have become inspired to pick up one of these books and get reading! Thanks for stopping by!

I am back to the blogging world

Wow! It has been an extremely long time since I have blogged! I have so many things that I want to tell you guys about so I will be following this post with many more! I haven't been on here for probably 6 months(I would come on but not know what to post about) but anyway they have a new feature that told me that I have 5,000 views!!! Thank you guys so much! I really want to make some changes to this blog and express more of my personal feelings instead of just my crafts, but I promise the crafts won't stop! Thanks to all of you that have been reading my blog and been patiently waiting for me to come back to the blog world!!

My garden

Hey crafters! For a while I have been wanting a vegetable garden but never got around to it. So this year I decided to make one. My dad helped me make it. Here is what it looks like:

 My dad and I did this project together and it was super fun! My dad was responsible for the stone wall around the garden, isn't it beautiful? 

 I originally had the idea to create square wooden signs to mark the plants, but I have to say that my dad made each of the signs. I love how unique and beautiful they are. We found the distressed wood behind my house and decided not to just waste it. I love how they look!

These little babies were the first to grow. The radishes have cute little heart shape leaves that were so cute! I love my garden! Keep crafting!

T-shirt Scarf

Hey there! Sometimes in crafting, you just want an easy project that you can get done in one day. That is definitely how I feel a lot of the times. Pinterest has helped a lot with finding fun, fast crafts. Today I will show you how to make a scarf made out of old t-shirts. I actually had a friend show me how to make these...but i also found a pretty good tutorial here: http://www.alanataylor.com/post/6341370041/diy-hipster-t-shirt-scarves-grab-some-cotton.
Here's how mine turned out:

Then here I am modeling it: 

There are so many different possibilities! You should try one!
See ya later!

Sweater to Pillow

Hey Crafters! Happy Valentines Day! I hope that your day has been full of love!! A few weeks ago I picked up this sweater for really cheap(not intending to wearing it) because I like the pattern on the sweater. I thought and thought of what I could make. While browsing through Pinterest I saw these really cute sweater pillows that I loved! So I decided to make one two! A few years ago my sweet brother gave me a heart pillow on valentines day and I loved it! It has gotten a little worn out so I wanted to make one just like it!
                          Here's the original

                                  
                          Here's the replica

                                  

Now I'll break it down for you

I first took a sweater and cut off the top and bottom so I just had a loop rectangle. Next I cut the loop so I now have two pieces like this.

Next I traced the original heart and made a template. And then pinned it to one side.(I added another piece of fabric under the sweater fabric so the stuffing wouldn't come out.

 Next cut around the template. Do this to the other sweater piece. Next put the two pieces together and sew around, leaving an opening.
Turn the heart inside out and start stuffing. After your pillow is plump get a needle and thread to sew up the opening on the one side! Now you have a cute heart pillow!

Keep crafting!

Guest Posting

Hey Crafters! The day has finally come for the guest posting! Yay! I am at Harvest Kitchen Sisters today with the post. To see the guest post click HERE .  I hope you all like my lace wallets!

Keep Crafting!

New Year

 New Year means new goals. I have a goal to post on here at least once a month to keep you guys updated on what I am up to. I have been quite the slacker this year and I promise to post more in the new year.I also want to read a lot of books and finish the books that I have started a million times. What are your New Year goals?
  How was your holiday season? My holiday season was awesome and went way too fast! I had the chance to sleep in every day, stay up late, craft whenever I wanted to, read in bed for 3 hours, stay in pj's all day and just relax. Ahh, don't you just love the holiday's? 
 I have some very exciting news! A very nice blogger asked me to guest post on her blog! I have created my project for the blog and it's almost guest posting time! And even greater, I made up a whole new tutorial! Keep watching for the guest post!
  I just wanted to thank all of you crafters that are reading my blog. You guys are AWESOME! Have an awesome New Year!
Keep Crafting!