Note to Self: Buy new Monopoly set

A friend of a friend of my boyfriend was throwing out a carfull of old junk she didn't want, but before it was driven to the dump I had the opportunity to look through it and see if there was anything I wanted to keep. Aside from piles of books and clothes that will be donated to our local library and thrift store, I ended up carrying home armloads of neat stuff for myself, including a very old, battered Monopoly game. Taking inspiration from the half dozen or so Scrabble bulletin boards I've seen around the world wide web, I turned the board and metal playing pieces into a bulletin board for my craft room.

After using spray adhesive to glue the board to some cork sheets I had on hand, I turned the metal pieces into thumbtacks.

There's the iron (I think it's an iron?) holding up a photo of Andy Warhol, who I like to think would have liked this project. And the hat, my favorite, holding a card Adam gave me the other day.
Now I just need to figure out what to do with the rest of the game pieces. I still have all the cards, money, houses and hotels. I'd like to somehow incorporate them into more craft room decor if I can. I think I'll ask the awesome guys and gals at Craftster for some inspiration.

A Gift for Daron

Sorry to have disappeared for the past week and a half, but I've been a busy little bee, crafting for the son of Adam's friends John and Darlene. I have yet to meet him in person as they live several hours away, but when we heard the news of his arrival I immediately started planning a quilt for him. I made a little doll quilt for Autumn a while back, but this is my first person size quilt. Although time consuming, it was actually easier than I thought it would be. The only difficult part was putting on the binding, which I've never done before and had to accept being only partly satisfied with due to time constraints. But all in all I'm pretty proud of it. The colors and prints (a mix of new and vintage fabrics) are so whimsical I can't help but smile when I look at it.

I made this little critter out of the same blue fabrics for sweet Daron to snuggle with when he sleeps under his quilt. I've actually become quite obsessed with making these little bunnies. I've already made a pink one for another friend's little girl, as well as several others that will be appearing in my Etsy shop soon.

I've named him Boybunny, but of course Daron can rename him whatever he likes if he wants to someday. I hope he likes his gifts, and will treasure them as he grows older. Welcome to the world, Daron Adam!

Fairy Day

Autumn likes to create "holidays" on which we celebrate the theme of her choice. This time it appears that a very stealthy little blue fairy named Twinkle has crept into our house and turned Autumn into a fairy. To celebrate her transformation we ate fairy toast, read fairy tales and did some fairy themed artwork. I printed out a few fairy coloring pages for Autumn to color and hang on the wall, and I was shocked at how good she's gotten at coloring inside the lines. When I praised her for this her reply was "Yeah, but sometimes I just get excited and I just have to scribble." Don't we all?
Taking inspiration from this great project idea, we made magic fairy bracelets out of toilet paper rolls, paint, stickers and ribbon. This was her favorite activity of the day. There's nothing I love more than watching Autumn be creative. Her imagination is like wildflowers; simple little ideas that grow and blossom into the most beautiful, joyous bursts of color and life. Even on the darkest, stormiest summer days she carries a bright, contagious energy with her at all times. Even though she is just three years old, she has taught me so much about life. There is no time for moping around. There are paints to mix, imaginary friends to create, costumes to wear, life to be lived.

Here's hoping your days are as magical as ours.

A Pirate's Life

Ahoy! If you know my family, you know that we're pirate people. We'd never pass up a grand high seas (uh, high bay?) adventure, even in the hottest weather. We joined Adam's mom, sister, four nieces and nephews as well as his cousin and her two children for the Pirate Adventures on the Chesapeake boat cruise. The kids all got their pirate nicknames and tattoos and we were off on a quest for hidden treasure in Annapolis Harbor.
We sailed around the harbor singing sea shanties, looking for clues, and even cleaning up pollution. The kids fought valiantly in an intense water cannon battle against a "bad pirate" on a rowboat who then surrendered the keys to the treasure chest. Each brave buccaneer took home a handful of plastic coins and gems and a thrilling tale to tell.



All the kids loved it, and if you live in or will be visiting Maryland I definitely recommend checking this out. Unlike some other pirate themed attractions which are geared more toward an older crowd, this is 100% kid friendly. The crew is wonderful and they make sure every child has a chance to participate in the action. What a fantastic day.

Hello

It sounds silly, but one of the reasons I've never blogged before is that I'm really, really bad at introductions. I can never find a way to start a journal without sounding clumsy and awkward. So I think the best way to do this is to keep it quick and painless, like ripping off a band-aid. My name is Xan Rosado. I'm a stay-at-home mother of one and I live with my three-year-old daughter Autumn and boyfriend Adam in Maryland. I'm starting this blog because I'm terrible at scrapbooking but I want some way to document and share my life with my friends and family, and I also hope to connect with other bloggers out there who I may have something in common with. I've been a long-time reader of the blogs of several other crafty mamas who inspire me and make me smile every day. I've seen the friendships and sense of community that bloggers have created and I'd love to be a part of it. I hope you enjoy reading my blog as much as I'm already enjoying writing it.