My Goals Progress Report

 Hey Y'all!

We're just over a month into the new year, so it's time to check out the goal progress!

As a reminder here were my goals-

My (Personal-ish) 2025 Goals:

1) All the goals from the previous blog, and the Outland Adventures blog. 8+15= 23 total there!

2) Continue using the Lose It app to log calories, fitness/exercise for the day, and water intake.

3) Read at least one book a week, any subject. Did y'all know there are FREE books on Google Play?!

4) Spend at least 10min a day writing in my planner/journal.

5) Do something nice, every day. This can be as simple as saying "hello" when out and about.

6) Visit at least 5 new libraries.

7) Spend less time scrolling social media, and more time creating content. 

8) Play Sims 4 at least once a month, see how far I can get in one family over the year.

So how am I doing??

1) Those goals are tracked separately, the craft ones here on this blog, the others over on Outland Adventures. Both are going pretty well!

2) So far, great! Haven't missed a day, far more active, and down 10lbs!

3) Not so great. I'm at 2 for the month of January.

4) Great! I'm tracking my goals, planning content for both CWC and OA, and keeping up with day to day stuff.

5) I think this has been a success so far. 

6) 0 so far, but because of my recurrence we also haven't been traveling far.

7) Work in progress, but I have committed to the daily posting for OA, and more frequently with CWC.

8) I did start a new save, and play for a bit. So the goal for January was met.

Overall I'm happy with the progress, and growth on social media- that's the main goal!

Have a great day,

Craftin' Wife

February Blog Schedule

 Hey Y'all,

Yay for February, it signals winter's end here in the south...

Blog Schedule:

31st F- Blog Schedule 

1st BONUS- Other Goals Progress Report

3rd M- How To: Insert Card w/ Cricut Joy 

5th W- What's in my Makeup Collection?

7th F- A Year FT Van Living! This Year's Travel Bucket List

10th M- How To: Iron On Basics

12th W- GRWM

14th F- Happy Valentine's Day!

17th M- Color with Me, Favorite Coloring Books

19th W- Makeup Routine

21st F- Books! What I've Been Reading

24th M- Design Space Updates, and News

26th W-  Jan & Feb Makeup Looks

28th F- March Blog Schedule 

Have a great day,

Craftin' Wife

My Least Favorite Things

  Hey Y'all!

For the Least Favorites, I figured I'd do 2 craft items, and a few beauty items as well...

1) American Crafts Adhesive Vinyl~ This is glitter vinyl specific, the others seem to do okay, but I still wouldn't use it if given an option. The glitter doesn't cut well. On my many attempts, when I did get it to cut it was a pain to weed. It sticks to pretty much nothing but itself, and is crazy thin. I had purchased several rolls, and had so much issue working with it I gave them away. After such a hard time I tried the others (foil, and holographic) that I had also purchased, and luckily they worked for that project.

2)RoseArt~ Crayons & Colored pencils, both of these suck. (I had enough bad experience with these, I've not tried the markers.) The crayons are too waxy and don't leave much else behind. The colored pencils have poor pigmentation, and dull quickly. Spend the little extra and get higher quality! 

Beauty Items:

Dishonorable Mention- 

Makeup Remover Facial Wipes~ Some Dollar Tree products are a hit, some are a miss. I actually didn't even finish using these. They dried out super fast, and the wipes themselves were so thin I found them hard to use. (They tended to want to wad up in my hand.) They also weren't very good at removing makeup. Save the dollar+! 

1) Burt's Bees Tinted Balm~ I have two of these, one in a pale pink, the other in a rich berry shade, neither has much pigmentation. I know a tinted balm isn't supposed to be solid pigmentation, but expected more. The pink is actually more tinted/pigmented than the berry, which is pretty much non existent on my lips. I could get over that, but the balm isn't very good either. I have one lipstick from the new line, and it's more moisturizing than the balms (still lightly pigmented however). I remember Burt's Bees being better than this, so I don't know if the formula changed or what went wrong, but these are a fail. 

2) Lorac Alter Ego Lip Gloss~ This feels great on the lips, and was very moisturizing. The issue was that when first applied the color was beautiful, but within 20min it was gone (Where did it go?). The moisturizing effect lasted most of the day, so maybe it was a color issue (Flower Child) and maybe not. At this price point, I'm not willing to gamble on Lorac Lip Gloss (again).

3) Parlor Leave in Detangling Conditioner~ Yuck! This feels more like a crappy hairspray than a detangler. The Kids Detangler from Dollar Tree does a better job. After using this I had a really hard time combing out my damp hair, like I was pulling some out. I actually had to cut a bit from the ends on one side it was such a matted mess. I will not give this another try as a detangler, and will not subject my mom or sister to the horror that is this product by sharing it with them. The only plus? It smells really good.

Have a great day,

Craftin' Wife

Craft Goal Progress

 Hey Y'all!

Well, we're just about a month into the new year, so it's time for a progress report.

As a reminder, here were my goals:

2025 Goals:

1) Organize the Cricut Joy Bag, and Storage Box in a way that makes crafting easy to accomplish.

2) Make note of supplies/colors I already have. Keep running tab on my phone.

3) Set aside time each week to do some crafting, or craft related activities... Mondays?

4) Make the decals for Brunilda, the van, by April. 

I have two planned, one for the front visor simply stating "Brunilda" in blue no font chosen yet, the other a quote from Ferris Buehler for the rear two windows... color unknown right now, but design/font is chosen for that one.

5) Finish one craft project a month.

6) In addition to #5 make at least one card per month, give it away.

7) Film more How To's and other Craft related content for CWC. Post 2x monthly on YouTube.

8) Post more often on CWC social medias. Just the blog posts aren't enough. Aim for at least one additional post per week... Saturdays?

How are they going?

1) & 2) Done. In fact there's a video of most of the process! This will be ongoing, especially the supply list, as I purchase new, and use up items.

3) Ummm.. So far I'd call it about 50% success rate. I do the blogs, and I made our great niece a 1st Birthday card, but not much else.

4) Have decided on white for the quote. No other progress.

5) Not so far...

6) Did make a card!

7) Yes! Have posted 3x on YouTube, and a few times elsewhere too.

8) I'd call this about 50% successful for January as well. I'm trying. I did post a makeup related reel exclusively on Facebook.

Overall I'm happy with the progress. 

I did get our work kamp resume(s) done, and I used Canva for the bulk of that... so it was a little bit crafty. Yesterday I played around on design space looking at images and projects, but nothing jumped out at me.

What are you making? How are you're goals progressing? Share with me in the comments below!

Have a great day,

Craftin' Wife

Books!

Y'all,

You aren't going to believe it...

I finished 0 books in January...

Way to smash that goal (sarcasm)!!

I did get other goals accomplished, and we did a lot of other tasks- like reorganizing the dresser, cleaning the van, work kamp resumes and correspondence (we have not settled on a position yet)... so reading took a bit of a backseat in January.

I'll exceed the goal for February.

Have a great day,

Craftin' Wife

YouTube Videos:

Outland Adventures:

~AO

My Favorite Things Right Now

Hey Y'all!

 Some Of My Favorite Things Right Now:

Craft Favorites:

1) Gildan Tees~  An endless assortment of colors, affordable, easy to work with, comfortable, true to size. What's not to love?

2) Craftables vinyl~ I like several others, but this is my favorite place to get vinyl. I'm in love with the glow in the dark, and the UV color changing HTV. This vinyl is insanely easy to weed and adheres like a dream! When I wanted a peach HTV that wasn't pink this is the only place that I could find it. I love that they're super affordable, and the company is in Tennessee! I wish they had a stronger social media presence (y'all hiring??) but they do have a very active private Facebook group, the admin is fantastic, but I don't see the brand posting much.

3)Dorhui Vinyl Scrap Collector~ Prior to this I was using a mini cup, and it wasn't working well. This speeds up the weeding process by leaps and bounds. It just suctions right to my work surface and the petals grip all the scraps. Game Changer!

I really miss this next one, working with just the easy press mini right now is sometimes difficult:

(It's still my favorite though, so highly recommend.)

4) Goldoro Pro 5 in 1 Heat Press(12x15)~ So much more even heat and pressure with a heat press! I love the versatility, and price, of this model.  Much larger work space 12x15, as opposed to my easy press which was 9x9. I needed something larger. It fit nicely in the space where the Cricut Easy Press was. I was afraid a heat press would be too big for the space, but it worked well there, so I know moving forward it should fit with ease.  The only negative I have with this heat press is it doesn't have an auto shut off feature, I'm used to shutting it off when I finish, but if you've relied on an auto shut off before it would take some getting used to.

Makeup Favorites:

I've broken this up into four categories; Makeup, Hair, Skin, & Nails! These are my current favorites in each category, most items are linked if still available.

Makeup:

Face- 

Flower Erase Everything Foundation in UF1. It's like a primer, but better. Like a foundation, but no shade matching required. Walmart says out of stock, and it's not available elsewhere. I was able to find it on the other beauty websites, and places like posh, mercari, etc.

I wish it still existed. I'm on my last one. Any suggestions for a similar product?

Eyes-

Y'all already know. Wet 'n Wild Big Poppa Mascara is my #1 drug store mascara. It lifts, lengthens, darkens, and curls my lashes well. Plus it lasts all day!

Lips-

IF you've seen my collection you know I have a ton of lip products, and I constantly look at what's new. Here lately I've been really loving nude, and drift towards this formula & shade the most... Dose of Colors Liquid Matte Lipstick in Nude Mood. It's the perfect pinky nude for what I'm currently liking. It dries down nicely and isn't sticky, or slippery.

*It's the only pic the website would let me save.*

Travel Product-

I love I.B.Y. Beauty, and enjoy all the products from them I've tried. If you decide to shop the brand use code CraftinWife25 at checkout for 25% off! 

For travel I like the Carry On Face Palette. It has an eyeshadow palette side, and a face quad side featuring blush, bronzer, and highlight. I don't have it with me currently, but previously I always took it with me on trips.

**The influencer program is over, but last I tried the code still works.

Hair~

I still haven't decided what I'm doing with my hair (grow, cut -medium, or short). Currently it's at a length where it will all go into a ponytail! Styling, and shampoo/conditioner wise I'm not really using anything new. It's less wavy and way way thicker than it used to be. Any of the thick haired people have suggestions? Please share in the comments below.

Currently I'm using  all the things (styling wise), until I find something I love.

Also, which style brush should I be using? HELP!

Skin~

Y'all Influenster* had been spoiling me with luxury products and I'm loving them all! Currently I'm still using Charlotte Tilbury  Charlotte's Magic Cream, and it's fantastic. My skin is more hydrated, brighter, and feels firmer after use. It's about 2 uses from empty so any other products that are this great? I need to know!

*Now I never even get a notice for potential freebies from them. I haven't in over a year...

 Nails~

I've done a Nail Polish Collection blog, and rediscovered Fresh Paint Nail Lacquer. Apparently it's available at Five Below, but I don't recall where I got mine from (in the shade Honeydew) and they only appear to have one shade, sold out. So, it looks like I better enjoy that bottle, as it seems near impossible to find. I liked it because the color was vibrant and it held up for TWO WEEKS!

I couldn't find a picture online that wasn't from another persons blog, or pre 2018.

What are your current favorites? Please share below, or tag me in a social media post!

https://linktr.ee/CraftinWife

Have a great day,

Craftin' Wife

How To: Photo Crafts With Cricut

 Hey Y'all!

Today I'm, going to share how to make a few (FOUR) different photo projects with the Cricut. Once you have the basics down, these are all simple projects.

Need help with the basics? Start here:

https://craftinwifescreations.blogspot.com/2023/05/how-to-cricut-design-space.html

https://craftinwifescreations.blogspot.com/2022/12/how-to-cricut-design-space-on-pc-android.html

Need additional help? Feel free to leave a comment below, or DM me on social media:

https://linktr.ee/craftinwife

Supplies:

Cricut

Printer

Photo or Sticker Paper

Options:

Card Base(s)

Frames

Journals

First up, a photo craft for Valentine's Day. I see this being added to a card front, or framed on a wall- the perfect gift!

Step 1:

Choose your image!

2:

Upload your photo.

The blog linked above will walk you through this process for PC, or Android. I feel it's similar enough on Apple devices you could follow along.

3:

Add both to your canvas.

4:

Send the photo to the rear, so you can slice out the section(s) you want to showcase.

Size things up or down to work for your images, and finished project.

5: 

SLICE.

Once you have the section you want, highlight both the images, and click the slice button.

You should end up with something like this:

6:

Delete the slice remnants from your canvas.

Print the image out and finish your project!

Congratulations on finishing.

Secondly, let's make a page title for scrapbooking, journals, or a card...

This time instead of an image, we'll utilize fonts!

First we start by uploading our photo, then we'll type out our wording. For this I chose "Snow Day!"

Second, we'll choose a font that fit's our theme.

Third, we line up our wording, and size it to slice the sections we want to keep:

Once sliced, I really could see using the photo on a layout too, but the title was our intended project here.

For this third project I'm showing off how the same photo can be used for something completely different. I could see this hung on a wall as an art piece!

Cute, right?

Lastly, this project show how you can use a photo as a pattern. I then turned this monogram into a sticker. *This is an access member project, but it could be done with the free version. Would you like a how to on that? Let me know in the comments below!

Sticker:

Monogram maker, access member only.

You could create your own using fonts, and/or images.

Because the monogram had multiple colors/layers and to slice we can only use 2 layers, I welded the monogram all together.

Next we'll fit the monogram over our image, get it where we want it, and slice!

Once sliced:

Next access members can use the create a sticker option. Free version can still make stickers, just choose the flatten option in the bottom right!

Which project was your favorite? Let me know in the comments below!

Have a great day,

Craftin' Wife

Anything Goes- Friday Beauty Tag (Part 2)

 Hey Y'all,

He's part two of the Beauty Tag Q & A. Questions can be found here! (Maybe... sometimes the link works, sometimes not.)

*The number are off but this is starting at #26, not 21.

21. Do you read labels before you buy cosmetic products? Sometimes, if I'm looking for something with SPF. Otherwise not much.
22. Have you ever experienced any allergic reaction after using a certain product? Not that I recall.
23. Which product made your skin condition worse? Nothing really, other than aggravating a pimple with too much makeup or harsh scrubbing.
24. Will you ever change your night cream? I'm always changing it up, until I find something I really love that's affordable.
25. Which brand of shampoo do you use? Several. I change it up there often too.

21. Do you change your shampoo often? On occasion, for most of the past year I've been using Bath & Body Works, it's been working nicely.
22. How much active ingredients should a product have? As many active ingredients as necessary, how ever not all ingredients are active...
23. Can you read the ingredients of cosmetics? Yes... 
24. Are you comfortable with liquid foundation or powder matte foundation? Either, but am not a fan of truly liquid products.
25. Is there any product that you have been using since your childhood day? The Wet 'n Wild eyeliner I've mentioned before, but don't use it much at all anymore.
26. Which latest trend looks scary to you? No necessarily scary, I just don't get the blush all over the face look. Maybe because my skin has always had a lot of red tones naturally.
27. What’s your definition of beauty? Being true to yourself and comfortable in your own skin.
28. Are you a freaking makeup lover? Obviously.
29. Liquid lipstick or bullet lipstick? Both, but use liquid lipstick far more often.
30. Are you someone who loves to use Ayurvedic products? Never tried them.
31. Which drugstore brand is your fav? Wet 'n Wild, Colourpop..
32. Would you ever try vampire facial? Never heard of it.
33. Which Kardashian sister are you a fan of? Is none an option? Then that.
34. Have you ever bought any Kylie Jenner product? Nope.
35. Which cosmetic brand is amazing yet underrated? IBY, I think because they are small and only release new stuff rarely no one really knows about them.
36. Do you exchange lip products with anyone? Sis and niece..
37. Matte or glossy lippies? Depends, I like both.
38. Are you confident over how you look? Most days.
39. Do you love to try dupe products? I like to try new things, but am never usually impressed by the "dupe".
40. Which makeup mistake people usually make? Choosing the wrong foundation color.. You shouldn't be orange...or grey.

Thanks!

Have a great day,

Craftin' Wife

December Makeup Looks

 Y'all....

I'm sorry there aren't many here. I just really wasn't wearing much in December, even though we were out exploring and attending holiday events pretty regularly. It is more than November. so that's an improvement!

I'm not going to promise anything for January, since it's already mid month and I've worn makeup only twice.

Maybe I need a challenge? Give me your ideas below!

December Looks:

1)

2)

3)

4)

5) Christmas!

6)

Have a great day,

Craftin Wife

Would you like a list of products used with each of these posts moving forward? Let me know!