Goals Update!

 Hey Y'all!

We're solidly 3 months into the new year, so let's check goal progress!!

As a reminder here are 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.

How am I doing with these???

1) Pretty Good, not stellar, but not bad.

2) Haven't logged in about 2 weeks, was doing so well too. Time to get back to it. Today!

3) Not 100% but pretty close.

4) Nope, not for about 3 weeks, restarting that and catching up today too.

5) Easy!

6) We have ONE down, it was very cool. (Laurel Co KY Public Library) There was even a Muppets/Jim Henson exhibit!

7) Total fail, haven't crafted at all.

8) It's averaging about once a month, sometimes a bit more.

So, as you can see it's time to refresh and get back to tracking things, that's where I'm failing the most.

I've got this!!!

Other Goals:

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. ~DONE!

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

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?

1& 2) are done!

3) No progress, no crafting.

4) No additional progress, though color is chosen for the quote now.

5) HAHAHAHA.

6) Nope, only the one in January.

7) Once or twice, nothing beyond that.

8) Nope, I'm spending time growing Outland Adventures, so CWC social media isn't as important to me right now.

I still feel like these are good goals for the year, and I'm going to try to make it happen moving forward...

Are you interested in the Outland Adventures Goals??

Let me know moving forward.

This year we'd like to grow each and every one of our social media platforms, do more, and see more of this vast country!

2025:

1) Post daily on at least one of our social media platforms. 

Tuesday's and Thursday's will remain blogs and videos. 

Saturday's will be something quick and fun, like a picture of what we're doing. Monday is fan engagement posts, and Wednesday are currently anything goes. Sunday's are a question to our followers.

These posts can be on any, or all of our social media so be sure to check us out everywhere.

This is going really well, 100%!

2) Get more active on Instagram, add Amanda as a user to that account as well. -DONE!

After 3 month of posting semi regularly and seeing no growth we've dropped Instagram from our focus.

3) Work on Work Camp Resume, finish by mid- February. Apply for jobs ASAP. (This is dependent on Amanda's treatment schedule.)

100% and job secured for the season!

4) Purchase and use VidIQ, especially to aid in thumbnail and descriptions on videos. -By end of January.

Done!

5) Revamp and update Amazon Wishlist.

Done!

6) Visit 3 new states this year!

Nothing new yet, but we know for sure 2 we'll get already. We've also explored new areas in states we've been (like KY and OH).

7) Visit 4 new State Parks in 2025.

One down!

8) Complete 52 hikes this year (at least 1mi). We're already ahead with 3!

We haven't done any in the past week and a half, but we were ahead, so we're still well on track!

9) Try something new everyday.

Easy!

10) Get the drone up at least once a month, even if it's just to practice flying it around.

Fail. We've used it none.

11) Use the "good camera" at least 2x a month, get those shots!

0, total.

12) Complete a course on Digital/Social Media. (These will be free courses, and we'll update you on our favorites!)

We're both enrolled in classes. Mine's through EdX. It's intro to Social Media for Business, but it has some relevant information and tips so far. Chris is going through a marketing course, and programming courses on Stack Skills.

13) Become more involved in the Van Life community both online and IRL. 

The online side will be easy to do since we are posting more often! 

Work in progress, but we are growing and engaging more online. We also have talked with more people out and about.

14) Connect with other creators, and van life brands. Make lasting connections and build relationships!

Work in progress!!

15) Friday's post just came to me! Post what we're grateful for from the week. May be one thing, may be a short list of things.

We haven't done it the past few weeks, we have posted everyday but I'd like to get back to the grateful post.

Have a great day,

Craftin' Wife

Favorite Products Right Now (Hair)

 Hey Y'all!

I didn't plan for my favorites to almost all be sample sized from just two different brands, but that's the case here.

I am currently working through a few shampoos and conditioners. Nothing that's a holy grail product, but from the drug store I'm really liking the Aveeno Scalp Soothing Fresh Greens Blend Shampoo, I like that it's sulfate, paraben, and dye free. Conditioner wise I like  Herbal Essences Argan Oil Conditioner. 

Higher end picks would be NatureLab Tokyo Perfect Shine Clarifying Scalp Scrub, Amika Normcore Signature Shampoo and the corresponding conditioner, as well as Oribe Gold Lust Repair & Restore Shampoo & Conditioner. I like this scalp scrub, and it works well, but what's your favorite?

I've yet to really find a hair mask I love. Any suggestions??

Dry shampoo, I don't use often with my hair being this short, but these are my top 2.

Amika Perk Up Dry Shampoo is #1. It's been my number one for several years now. Living Proof Perfect Hair Day is a very close second. Both brush through well, smell good, don't leave a white cast, and are about the same price.

The current hair styling products I'm using in favorite(s) order:

#1, 3, and 4 are all Oribe! I just wish it wasn't so pricey!

Featherbalm Weightless Styler is great for an everyday styling cream, to keep things in place without adding much structure, and no stiffness or stickiness. A little goes a long way with this.

Dry Texturizing Spray is for the days I want more. More structure, more texture, more fun.

Grandiose Hair Plumping Mousse isn't sticky or "crunchy" like a lot of the mousse products out there, it smells great too. 

#2 is the Amika Fluxxus Touchable Hairspray, I've used it for years. It's not too heavy. but still holds my hair in place. The best hairspray around.

Currently that's about all I use on my hair. Every once in awhile I'll use Davines OI All in One Milk, when my hair's feeling a bit dry, now that it's Spring and I'm out a bit more, I plan to use it more, just for the UV protection. (Is there a (better) hair sunscreen? Let me know in the comments below!)

What are some of your favorite hair care products? Let me know! I'm always looking to try new things.

Have a great day,

Craftin' Wife

Favorite Craft Supplies in the Van

 Hey Y'all!

In this blog I'm going to share a list of the craft items that are coming with me, in the van. This blog isn't about how I'm going to fit them all in or the storage solutions we've come up with- that's later in the month.

First is Cricut Joy.

You've seen the carrying case for the Air 2, now hubby recently got me this one for the Joy off Amazon. It'll also hold the Mini Press!

As seen in a previous blog the case is packed with weeding tools, vinyl, leather, HTV, markers, pens, etc.

I've also got a shoe box full of more vinyl, transfer tape, and blanks.

Blanks= small totes, some cups, small crossbody bags, and a few other random items. 

Outside of Cricut items, I regularly use my my sewing kit, for mending items, hemming something, etc.

I don't use the coloring books as much as I thought, but I still have them in the van.

Anything you'd add? Let me know in the comments below!

Have a great day,

Craftin' Wife

What's New?! (February Recap)

 Hey Y'all!

So what'd we do in February?

Amanda had radiation, but this cycle wasn't nearly as bad as the previous times. 

We spent a few weeks in Warriors' Path State Park. Then we moved on, (with a short stop at Cumberland Gap National Historical Park) and spent a week and a half in London/Corbin KY at Levi Jackson Wilderness Road Park. After than we took the scenic route, via 68/62 through KY and into OH. Stopping that evening and splurging on a hotel with an indoor pool & hot breakfast! The next morning we continued our adventure, and jumped on US 30, ending out February in NE Ohio.

What'd we do in each of these places?

At Warriors' we walked the campground a few times, talked with other travelers, explored more of the park, did a few hikes, endured another snow, and enjoyed nature watching. On this trip we saw a ton of birds, some turtles, and more deer. We went out to my (Amanda) sisters families and had dinner and visited one night, and spent some time with mom before moving on.

During our pit stop in CGNP, we went to the bathroom, and then walked a short trail before continuing the 25E leg of our journey.

While at Levi Jackson Park we spent a day exploring the campground (we had the nicest "neighbors" here), while being followed by a beautiful black cat. 

The following days we hiked several trails, and explored the park. Even though it's the off season we enjoyed seeing the museum property and mill. We saw quite a few deer, lots of wild turkeys, and tons of woodpeckers. 

We then had 2 days of snow. After that we checked out the local library- which had a Muppets exhibit! We also checked out the local flea market, and the downtown area, as well as a few parks.

Once we moved on from there, we took the scenic routes mentioned above. On the way we saw quite a bit of horse country, several cute small town, ponds, lakes, rivers, and a lot of scenery. We also saw windmills, and solar farms, several parks, and tons of wildlife.

We'll be in Ohio for a bit them move west!

Have a great day,

Craftin' Wife

Beauty Tag Part 3

 Hey Y'all!

Here's part three of the 202 Beauty Qu's:

51. Makeup brushes or makeup sponge? Brushes!
52. Do you feel confident of your makeup-free look? Most of the time, yes.
53. Would you love to try monochromatic look? I have.
54. What’s so fascinating about your nighttime skincare routine? Nothing. I wash my face and apply whichever cream/serum/oil I'm trying out.
55. What’s your favorite K-Beauty product? Nothing I've tried is a "love it" product. If you have any suggestions, please share in the comments below.
56. If you are asked to carry only one makeup item with you, then what would be that? A palette, if you really try you can get almost a full face out of a good eye palette.
57. What’s your current face wash? Neutrogena
58. How many times do you wash your face? Once. If you lather, rinse, repeat your face, you're really stripping it of all the oils and it'll over produce from the lack of.
59. Charcoal powder or chocolate – what’s your favorite face mask? Neither.
60. Do you use any DIY facial mask at home? Sure, they're fun!
61. Which is your favorite scrub at the moment? Body, scalp, or face? I like them all, but not loyal to any brand yet.
62. If you find an alternative to a luxury brand, then would you still use that? Uh yeah.
63. Which chemical in cosmetics you just hate absolutely? Formaldehyde....
64. What’s your favorite weekend hair pampering? Doing nothing, LOL.
65. Is it alright to tie your hair while sleeping at night? Not with rubber bands.
66. What’s your favorite hair care treatment? Amika Hair Mask.
67. How often do you oil your hair? IN the Summer, and now that it's short? Never.
68. Do you use any heat protection for your hair? IF I heat style, yes. I really like Beauty Protector.
69. How many ratings would you give to your skincare routine? 3. 'Cause I'm lazy.
70. Is it necessary to use essence? Of???? No.
71. Physical exfoliation or chemical exfoliation – which one do you love? Physical.
72. Which country has the most gorgeous people? There are beautiful people everywhere.
73. Do you take any beauty supplement? Nope, most are "snake oil".
74. Which natural product is your favorite skin staple? Nothing yet.
75. Have you ever faced acne problems? Nope. Some breakouts as a teen, and the occasional pimple but nothing major.

Have a great day,

Craftin' Wife

How To: Cricut Joy Smart Materials

Hey Y'all!

More about the Joy machine, from Cricut:

Once you get your hands on this sleek machine, you’ll no doubt be surprised that you can hold it in the palm of one hand! Its compact design might make you want to keep it displayed on your counter, but it packs away easily and sets up instantly so you can use it on command. Cricut Joy cuts, writes, and draws for you so you can bring happiness to practical, everyday projects – from organizing your entire home to putting your personal touch on almost anything. Use the Cricut Joy app or Design Space to get started quickly on projects such as labels, decals, and cards. You’ll find endless excuses to personalize, organize, and customize every single day. That’s right, we bet you’ll step away from your inspiration boards to actually start making.

Cut popular materials perfectly:

So long, scissors! Cut 50+ popular crafting materials, including vinyl, cardstock, iron-on, paper – even materials you already have at home like construction paper. Now, it’s no biggie to make decals, cupcake toppers, cards, gift tags, school projects, sport’s team T-shirts, custom decor, and so much more. And yes, the rumors are true: Cricut Joy cuts all-new Smart Materials – that means super-easy cuts WITHOUT A CUTTING MAT! More on that further down. Now you can pen a monogram, inscribe an invitation, or label just about anything with perfect penmanship. Without lifting a finger. If calligraphy is your calling, go ahead and do you. But for the rest of us, we’ll let Cricut Joy take it from here. It’s like having your own personal scribe at your side. Pick a pen or marker, choose your font, and watch it customize labels, cards, paper, and more.

Drum roll, please! Unlike other materials, Smart Materials don’t need a cutting mat, so you can just load and go. Sensors measure your material to ensure it’s large enough for your project, then your machine starts cutting. No cutting mat needed!

You can use Smart Materials to cut continuous shapes up to 4 ft and repeated cuts up to 20 ft* (like stars, hearts, or confetti) making it easy to decorate entire rooms in no time. It’s such a time saver not having to babysit your machine to swap out mats.  

*Maximum cut length requires Smart Vinyl, 20 ft. in Black or White.

We can’t wait to try them all, including:

• Smart Vinyl Permanent & Smart Vinyl Removable
• Smart Iron-On 
• Smart Label Vinyl
• Smart Label Paper

Cricut Joy is the perfect companion machine to Cricut Maker or Cricut Explore Air 2. For last-minute cards, labels, and decals, this is your go-to.

For projects with wider images or materials that need a bit more cutting power, like leather and fabrics, you’ll make that magic with your full-size machine.

Cricut Joy tools and accessories

Here’s everything you need to know about the tools and accessories made to fit this pint-size powerhouse:

Cricut Joy Blade + Housing (included)

• Breeze through DIY projects with this all-purpose blade + housing. This duo comes with the machine, but it’s always nice to have a Replacement Blade on hand, just in case.

Cricut Joy Card Mat (sold separately)

• This newly designed mat makes it fast and easy to create custom cards in minutes using pre-scored Cricut Joy Insert Cards .

Cricut Joy StandardGrip Mat

• Available in 8.5” and 12” lengths, use this reusable mat to secure new Adhesive-Backed Deluxe Paper, Infusible Ink Transfer Sheets, and heavy cardstock.

Cricut Joy LightGrip Mat

• With its softer release adhesive, this reusable mat is your go-to for everyday paper items you may already have at home like copy paper and light cardstock.

Cricut Joy Pens & Markers

• Available in a variety of line weights and styles, use these tools in your machine to write on cards, new Smart Label Vinyl & Paper, Adhesive-Backed Deluxe Paper, and more.

Cricut Joy Tote

• With a padded interior for protection and custom pockets to keep you organized, use this beautiful bag to transport your machine with you so you’re always ready when creativity hits.

Cricut Joy Starter Tool Set

• Make  projects even easier with these 3 must-have tools: Spatula, Weeder, and Scraper.

A few projects:

https://cricut.com/blog/back-to-school-classroom-organization-with-the-cricut-joy/

https://cricut.com/blog/add-a-little-shine-with-cricut-joy-foil-transfer-tool/

https://cricut.com/blog/cricut-diy-home-projects/

Want to see me make something specific? Let me know in the comments below!

Have a great day,

Craftin; Wife

March Blog Schedule

 Hey Y'all!

We're so close to spring, YAY!!

March Schedule:

3rd Mon- How To: Smart Materials With Cricut Joy

5th Wed- Beauty Questions Part 3

7th Fri- What's New

10th Mon- Favorite Craft Supplies in the Van

12th Wed- Favorite Products Right Now

14th Fri- Goals Update!

17th Mon- How To: Spring Crafts

19th Wed- Spring Favorites

21st Fri- Q & A (Ask Me Anything)

24th Mon- What Have I Been Crafting?

26th Wed- March Makeup Looks

28th Fri- Books!

31st Mon- April Blog Schedule

Have a blog idea? Share it in the comments below!

Have a great day,

Craftin' Wife