May Makeup Looks

 Hey Y'all, 

Well I didn't meet my goal of twice a week, but some is better than none...

1) 

2)

3)

4)

5)

6)

7)

That was all!

June's goal? 12....

What have been some of your favorite products lately? Let me know in the comments below!

Have a great day,

Craftin' Wife

Memorial Day Prep... Things Are Not Going As Planned

 Hey Y'all,

So... Since we didn't make it back to Indiana, there really was no preparations on our end. 

We went out to my sister's where her husband helped Chris troubleshoot the alternator issues, our nephew grilled, and us girls hung out in the shade and chatted.

They got the issues resolved, we ate potatoes & sausages, and enjoyed the mild weather.

Have a great day,

Craftin' Wife 

Books! (What I've Read Recently)

 Hey Y'all!

There's not as many, and definitely not as favorable reviews this go 'round...

1) Montana, Debbie Macomber

Her grandfather wants her to move home, and Molly thinks she just might. His ranch will be a good place for her sons to grow up, a place to escape big-city influence. Then she learns--from a stranger named Sam Dakota--that her grandfather is ill. Possibly dying. Molly packs up the kids without a second thought and makes the long drive to Sweetgrass, Montana.

Once she arrives, she immediately has questions about Sam Dakota. Why is he working on her grandfather's ranch? Why doesn't the sheriff trust him? Just who is he? Despite everything, Molly can't deny her attraction to Sam--until her ailing grandfather tries to push them into marriage. Moving to the state of Montana is one thing; entering the state of matrimony is another! Some borders aren't so easy to cross.

I liked this one. The story was good, the characters well written, and even the subplot(s) were interesting.

2) Star, V.C. Andrews

In the second volume in the Wildflowers quartet, Star hides her nightmarish secrets from the other girls in her therapy group, until she gradually reveals her story to Dr. Marlowe and the others, allowing her to finally confront the horrors of her past.

I liked this better than Misty, and they are quick easy reads. I still don't understand why these girls have been made go to this therapist, but the stories are heartbreaking and a good read.

3) Leashed, Zoe Dawson

Jack has some ‘splainin’ to do!

That's right! Callie Lassiter's normally well-behaved Great Dane Jack has run off and done the wild thing with the neighbor's dog. It must be puppy love! It's doubly embarrassing since she's a professional dog trainer. Of course, the neighbor would have to be hot, hot nightclub owner bad boy Owen McKay, just the kind of man Callie is determined to avoid.

Owen’s comfortable with his playboy status and the hype in the media. But the ground moves beneath his feet when he gets an eyeful of the girl next door. The Dog Whisperer never looked this good! How can he convince this wholesome honey that his player days are behind him? Maybe Jill, his Great Dane can help him with this dilemma now that she’s pregnant and Callie’s dog is to blame.

Is this bad boy a bad bet?

Beware of dogs, romance and deep belly laughs!
Going to the Dogs is a romp through the urban jungle of New York City to find true love, the perfect cocktail, and expensive heels. Dog is a man’s best friend, but sometimes a woman just needs a hot man in the city. This series will appeal to a mature crowd, especially fans of Sex in The City.

This was just....boring. It takes forever to get to the actual story, and too much about Callie, her friends, their dogs, her hobbies, etc. Rich people problems with dogs. Meh.

4) Beg For You, Sherilee Gray

Ten years. Ten endless years I've waited to destroy the man who tore my family apart. But I never thought I'd get the chance... until his daughter walked into my tattoo parlour, looked me in the eye — and had no damned clue who I was.

I never planned on falling for Cassandra Deighton. She's silk scarves and manicures. I'm scars and rage. Yet I can't resist when she begs for more, my ice queen who burns with enough heat to sear the soul.

I need to end this. Before she finds out who I am. Before she gets hurt.

But I'm not the only one with secrets. We both have our scars, and if the truth comes out, we could lose everything...

The story here is pretty good. The writing however, is okay at best. The author clearly doesn't have access to a thesaurus as the same 4 or 5 words are used until they no longer have meaning, and it's just a game of count how many times this word is used per page.

What have you read recently? Any suggestions for me? Let me know in the comments below!

Have a great day,

Craftin' Wife
 

Makeup I'm Using... and What I Haven't

 Hey Y'all!

I haven't been using much at all lately. But when I have I find I'm gravitating towards a gold eye shadow most often.

Something like this:

Too Faced Chocolate Palette, or Wet 'n Wild Alice in Wonderland shadows.

As far as face, I really haven't been doing any cream products, foundations, etc. I also haven't done much blush, bronzer or highlight recently. What have I done?

A lot of Burt's Bees Lip. like this:

One product I've tried to like, several times:

The Wet 'n Wild Alice Glitter Mascara... it's pretty, but it's also flaky. Not great when it's all over my face. It also tends to get itchy towards the end of the day. 

What are some of your favorite items right now? Let me know in the comments below.

Have a great day,

Craftin' Wife

One Month 'Til My Birthday!!

 Hey Y'all!

What a time it's been this past week, week and a half!

All my doctors appointments went pretty well. My bloodwork wasn't the best and I'm now working on becoming not pre diabetic. Scan was clear, so no cancer, YAY!!

We bought a bigger home on wheels, and have been getting it ready to roll back to Indiana. For more on that check out linktr.ee/outlandadventures. Specifically our facebook posts.

What do I want for my Birthday this year? 

I have no idea!

I already got to open my gifts from Mom, since we're here now and wont be in June. She got me a few pair of earrings, a Diamond Painting kit, and a box set of the Nightmare on Elm Street films. (Awesome!)

I'm writing this late, and haven't taken any pictures, sorry.

I'd like to spend my birthday doing something fun, but we already took 2 weeks off when it was just supposed to be one. It's a week day though so maybe...

Have a great day,

Craftin' Wife

Workamping, One Month In...

 Hey Y'all,

So, we're one month into this gig.... What are our thoughts?

When we first arrived, we were given our spot and got settled in. Picnic table and fire ring were delivered by Chris & Dave (one of the owners) a few days later.

The entrance to the park is very pretty! As is the park as a whole. The bathhouse is very nice, and always clean. The pond/beach area is looking very nice!

We wish there was laundry on site, especially since the nearest laundromat is kinda crappy, and takes forever to dry clothes.

The sunsets here? Beautiful!

One of the jobs Chris has done?

Mulching this area, it didn't photo real well but there a hill there, and some plants/flowers.

Another Chris job? Sanding & painting all the picnic tables.

Told ya these sunsets were stunning!

Chris has been doing the above jobs, weed killing, leaf burning, tree trimming, wood splitting, groundskeeping, and other manual labor. I've been learning the campground layout, the check-in software & process, organizing the store, taking inventory, reading electric meters for seasonal campers, and once delivered wood!

Neither job is too difficult, and we really like the owners, so that helps. 

The campground is large, but the seasonal sites are responsible for their own spots. There are over 100 sites, but only 30 are available/non seasonal. The common areas, like the playgrounds, pond, beach, and grasses/sand in those areas and between seasonal sites are campground responsibilities.

They have a bathroom crew, so we don't have to clean those regularly, just pick up in-between and make sure everything is running smoothly.

There are a few things we'd like-

the aforementioned laundry

a good grocery store close by (Sorry Sav A Lot, but you are expensive, and don't carry much.)

a few more things to do nearby- In under an hour there's Kankakee Sands, Fair Oaks Farm, and several small parks, a couple libraries, several truck stops, a few restaurants, a drag strip, a flea market.... and okay maybe there is quite a bit.

Overall it's a pretty nice gig, in a fairly remote part on Northwest Indiana. 

Have a great day,

Craftin' Wife

Reorganizing The Van... Again

 Hey Y'all!

Work In Progress!

We had a day off, and decided it was past time to clean the van and reorganize the drawers & the garage.

I worked on the drawers, and cleaning the sand out of the rugs-seriously so much sand, and we just washed them. Chris worked on the garage, and garbage.

Here's a short I did during one of my breaks:

I started off by emptying all the drawers and cleaning them out. One was full of soap, so I figured I may as well scrub them all. It was the right decision, they were kinda gross (hair, sand, dust).

While I did that Chris worked on taking things out of the rear, to rearrange and move some items elsewhere, as well as getting rid of a few things.

Since he had all the bins out I was able to organize what I refer to as the bathroom bin. It holds sunscreen, shampoo, hair care, razon blades, first aid, etc.

We had far too many sunscreen in the drawers, and both were out of bodywash, but the bin had plenty.

The rest was just throwing away trash, and organizing what we have. There isn't any more space in the garage area, but there's more in there right now, and it's much better organized.

There's less in the drawers and things are much easier to find!

Vitamins, Meds, Toothbrushes, Deodorant

My hairstyling stuff, razors, lotion, body sprays, Chris' beard care items.

Sunscreens, Shampoo & Conditioner, Body Wash, Nail Care.

They're not 100% but definitely better than before.

You'll have to watch the video for the FULL TOUR:

Have a great day,

Craftin' Wife

How To: Download & Install Fonts in Cricut Design Space (PC)

  Hey Y'all!

This how to is written under the assumption you know the basics of Design Space. Need help? 

Start here:

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

http://craftinwifescreations.blogspot.com/2023/01/how-to-cricut-design-space-on-pc-part.html

In this example I'm using Dafont, which is mostly free for personal use with the option to purchase a commercial license on the majority of fonts offered there. There are many sites to find fonts, but the process is the same. 

Other sites I like:

designbundles.net

fontbundles.net

lovesvg.com

creativefabrica.com

…just to name a few

How To-

I like to use both the default font presentation, and the font preview.

Step 1) Choose a font, and click download.

2) Find your downloads folder, and the downloaded file.

3) Click on aforementioned file. Open it by double clicking the file image, then click on OPEN TYPE FONT FILE.

4) Click Install.

It really is that easy!

5) Open Design Space, if you already had it open you'll need to reload or restart the program.

6) Your downloaded fonts will be found under the SYSTEM tab in the text menu. You can search by name, if you know what you're looking for, or scroll through.

Any questions? Leave them in the comments below and I'll get back to you ASAP!

Have a great day,

Craftin' Wife

Washing Makeup Brushes (Long Overdue)

 Hey Y'all!

I utilized a large sink and vanity when we were in Decatur, IN and finally washed (and dried) all my makeup brushes:

It was well past time, and now they're all clean!

Have a great day,

Craftin' Wife

Van Decal!

 Y'all!

I'm finally doing it!

Using the Joy, and a taking advantage of a less windy day I finally opened up Design Space and got to cutting. 

I had already decided on a font, size, and so forth. I just kept procrastinating..

Once the Joy was connected I could really get started.

There are no craft stores within an hour of here, and I don't love supporting Amazon, so I was limited to the colors I had on hand.

I had the option of floral, peach, or teal... I chose teal.

But first, preparing the program and materials. Now I'm ready to cut:

Cut in progress:

Finished up & Weeding the vinyl:

Next step is getting the transfer tape on, and putting it on the van... 

The winds picked up so I'll have to wait. Not too long though!

Have a great day,

Craftin' Wife