Finally.

It's been a while!  I apologize for my long absence in crafting and posting; I have spent the last months experiencing all of the joys that a first trimester of pregnancy can bring.  It was rough, but I am finally regaining some of my energy and trying to find the floor in my craft room again (kids...).  I have a fantastic Valentine's Day craft in the works and will hopefully finish it by tomorrow.  Thanks for sticking with me!

Emily

Summer Madness!

Is summer as busy for you as it is for me?  Choir camp, tennis lessons, ballet, swimming lessons, playtime at the pool, weddings... It's been ridiculous!  I think that in the next couple of weeks things are going to start to slow down.  That will mean more time for crafting!  I have a lot of projects in the works, but I haven't had any time to craft in way too long.  I haven't forgotten the tutorial for the bracelet and headbands with ribbon flowers; It's coming!  I also have a really amazing giveaway coming up, as well.  So thank you for your patience and I hope that you're enjoying your summer as much as I am!

Respite

I won't be around until late this week because my husband and I are on vacation!  We left our kids (for the first time!) to explore Washington State, a place neither of us had either visited.  We have been here for a couple of days and are absolutely loving it.  Other than crying at the sight of a pink donut in a grocery store because I miss my daughter (and son, but the donut didn't remind me of him) SO MUCH, we're having an absolutely wonderful time.  So I'll be back sometime soon, nice and relaxed.

Good News and a Few Cards!

It feels like I haven't posted anything in forever!  I've been busy, so busy.  The end of the school year seems to bring endless concerts, field trips, performances, and lots of work!  On top of it all, my back is still giving me trouble.  The good news, however, is that crafting is my respite.  So despite not posting, I am still crafting little things here and there, where my back allows it.

I have good news!  I am going to be doing some guest blogging and blog swapping!  This is unbelievably exciting for me--I even called my mom when I got the good news (yes, I was that excited!).  On the first Wednesday of June, I will be guest blogging over at Tatertots & Jello.  Jenn runs an amazing blog over there with tons of creative and fun ideas.  She's sort of my crafty idol, so this is a pretty big deal. :)  Then on June 10th, I'll be blog swapping with Amy from Mod Podge Rocks.  Amy is the QUEEN of Mod Podge and has the most unreal collection of Mod Podge projects that you could ever imagine.  This is also a pretty big deal.  As you can imagine, I'm completely freaking out calmly thinking of great tutorials for my guest posts.  Send crafty thoughts my way!

Do you love the UPS man as much as I do?  That guy gets a pretty big smile at our house.  Well, a couple of days ago, he brought me the most amazing stamp.  I ordered this stamp from Stampin' Up a little while ago, but forgot about it until it came.  I am in love with this stamp.  Let me show you:

It's a giant cupcake stamp!  AMAZING!  The coolest part of the stamp was that it had a thank-you note written inside it.  I cut that part out, though, and put it on the back of the stamp.  That way I can use it just as a cupcake or I can stamp the thank-you note inside the cupcake as it was meant to be.  My son used it to write all of his birthday thank-you cards and I have made a bunch of different cards from it.  You can cut it out and send it just as a cupcake.  You can cut the frosting part of and stick it on the base with a dimensional.  There are so many neat ideas.  (Did I mention that I just love cupcakes?)

I've been trying to replenish my card supply.  I looked for birthday card the other day and realized that not only did I not have a birthday card, I didn't have any kind of card.  I try to keep a good stash so that I can send them out when I need them.  Here's one my daughter and I made today:

I'm going to try to crank out a few more cards tonight.  I'll try to get pictures when I'm done.  Sometimes I look at the pictures on other craft blogs and get so jealous that they are taken during daylight hours.  How do people find time to craft when their children are awake?  I can maybe get 10 minutes.  MAYBE.  Oh well, that's what the evenings are for, right?

Coming Soon--New Tutorial and Giveaway!

I'm working on a Freezer Paper Stencil Tutorial! ( I should have it up sometime this weekend.)  I'm just wondering if there is anything else you all want to see?  I think I've said it before, but please feel free to request something--It makes it easy for me to know what to do!

I also wanted to thank everybody for supporting Martha Shmartha--I've been absolutely blown away and incredibly touched by all of the features on other sites, and sweet and kind comments.  I can't believe I've only been doing this for two months!  Thank you for inspiring me to create and craft!

Here's a sneak peak of something I'm working on:

And get ready for a GIVEAWAY coming up too!

An Article. A Real Article!

Check this out!  I'm astounded, completely astounded.  We just wanted to throw a fun party for our son. We honestly didn't plan it to be so huge, but we had so much fun creating that it sort of blossomed into a life of its own.  And now an article on CafeMom?  I'm over the moon right now.  (Would it be overdoing it to go out for dinner to celebrate?)

Potter on the Brain

I feel like I'm living in Hogwarts!  Robes, brooms, wands, Platform 9 3/4 sign, potions--We're getting ready for a party!  I'm overwhelmed and busy, but I'll try to post pictures of it all soon, plus a monogramed canvas I just finished last night.  I'm off to work on the Golden Snitch cake!

Cherry Blossoms. Sigh.

Disclaimer: Please forgive me for the quality of these photos.  Should I have waited for morning to take the pictures? Yes.  Is natural light always the better choice?  Yes.  Do I feel bad about it?  No, because I spent the day with my kids and will do so again tomorrow.  Crafting, for me, is an after-bedtime hobby.  Just pretend the pictures look amazing, okay?

I love cherry blossoms.  I want them all over my house.  I love the trees, the sticks, and the flowers themselves.  Unfortunately, I don't live in DC.  And cherry blossoms aren't exactly a year-round flowering plant.  What is a girl to do?  Yup, you got it, buy the plastic ones.

So thus was born our Tree of Kindness.

Next to my cherry blossom and pussy willow branches, I placed a small crystal bowl filled with tags.  I cut out (Thank heavens for punches!) the tags, then punched holes in their tops, then tied a loop of thread through the hole.  Each time that you do something nice for somebody else (it doesn't have to be family only--Kind deeds at school count too), you write it on a tag and hang it on the tree.  

I have found that when I give my children an outlet to share their acts of kindness, they spend real time seeking out opportunities to do something nice for somebody else, just so that they can share it.  We have a similar tradition that we do at dinnertime.  We go around the table while we're eating, and each person shares something nice that they've done that day.  Even if the kindness is acted solely to be able to report something at dinner time (or write it on a tag), at least they are thinking about being kind.  I'm hoping that this will encourage my children (and myself) to act a little more kindly to the people around us.

Here's my favorite:

Prayed for Abbie's finger.

That's my six year old, praying for his little sister.  She burned her finger on a tea kettle.  So sweet.

Coming Soon!

I spent all morning (between tying doll shoes, using scraps of fabric to create doll bedding, making snacks--every ten minutes, etc.) crafting a wreath for our front door!  Normally we'd be at church, but I still can't make it through three hours sitting in a pew and chairs.  Hubby's on call today, so the kids stayed home with me!  Sometimes I just love spending the day at home.

We made a super successful Goodwill run yesterday where I scored the base for my wreath.  So, coming soon is a tutorial for a spring wreath, using feux and real flowers!  Check back soon!

Happy Sunday,
Emily

My First Giveaway!

There are times in my life when I am struck with gratitude towards those who sacrifice their lives for our country, for me.  And "sacrifice their lives" is not exclusive to those who die serving (although that is the greatest sacrifice), but also includes those who leave their families for extended periods of time, those who leave their jobs, school, life plans, etc.  I often complain about my husband being a Medical Resident, and the long hours that he spends at the hospital, away from us.  But I am quickly silenced by thoughts of those women and men whose spouses leave for years at a time, living in volatile and dangerous places. That sacrifice is extreme.  It is trying, and it is humbling.  My gratitude, humility and awe led me to create my most recent project.  Here it is:

And now for the giveaway (US only, please).  I would love for this to go to somebody who really deserves it--A member of the Armed Forces, a family member of a soldier, a close friend, a supporter of the United States Military.  I would like to share my gratitude for his or her service.  The plaque is 7"x7." 

Here are the ways that you can be entered into the drawing (Leave a separate comment for each entry):

1. Leave me a comment telling me how you're connected to the Military.

2. Leave me a comment expressing your gratitude to "The Brave."

3. Become a follower of my blog (Be sure to leave a comment saying that you became a follower).

4. Leave me a comment telling me what you're looking forward to in this coming week.

I'll choose a winner on Wednesday March 24.  Thanks!

Apples and Pears

I've been eying this fabric for months now.  It's from The Alexander Henry Collection.  Thank heavens for National Craft Month and coupons at JoAnn Fabrics.  Hubby's on call tonight, so maybe I'll dig right in.  Now, what to make?

Sit. Swing. Breathe.

Do you have a dream house?  I do.  My dream home is the house from The Notebook.  You know, the one that Noah (swoon) restores?  I'm in love with that house, mostly because of the enormous wrap around porch.  I have fantasies of spending hours in a porch swing, drinking lemonade and watching the sunset/children playing/starts come out/ocean waves.  Dreamy, right?  I wanted to capture the feeling that my day dreams bring.  I wanted something to look at that would remind me of my North Carolina evenings, swinging on the porch with my honey.  (Hush, I know it's just a dream.)  So here it is:

What do you think?  I wanted simplicity.  Does it need something more, though?  Maybe a loop of ribbon for hanging, instead of just an alligator clip on the back?  Suggestions, please.  I love it, though, because I just feel a peaceful, dreamy feeling when I look at it.  Sigh.

FYI

Thanks again for visiting Martha Shmartha!  I've been completely blown away by the number of visitors!  Wow!  Thanks for the support.

Just an FYI... I had a friend ask for a tutorial on glass etching today, something I did for her wedding present.  So there's something to look forward to!  Also, though, I'm happy to post a how-to for any craft, provided I am the slightest bit competent at it, of course (and probably even if I'm not).  So please, don't be shy.  Ask away!

Martha Shmartha

Welcome to Martha Shmartha!  My creative endeavors were overtaking my family blog, so I created this.  I enjoy the process of creating.  I love finishing a project and knowing that it's my own.  I make to give, because I love that look on the face of a friend who is so touched by receiving something homemade.  For me, homemade is good, no matter how it turns out.

Here is a chronicle of my attempts at all things homemade.