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Hi, I’m Ashleythe DIY-enthusiast behind this crazy blog!

I live in windy Oklahoma with my husband Steve and our 5 energetic kids—-and I LOVE making stuff! And by “stuff” I mean anything that involves sewing, crafting, baking, hammering, painting…you know, ALL the stuff! Which, let’s be real, is sometimes annoying because there’s a part of my brain that thinks I have 5,376 hours in my day! Aaaaagggh!  Don’t worry…..those are my own issues I’m working through. Ha!

But the “stuff” that I do find time to make, I REALLY love sharing here with you guys! So I’m really glad you’re here! 

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Sometimes I get asked how I got started with this whole blogging thing, and to be honest—-for my sanity.  Ha!  Back in 2008, Steve and I were living in Idaho while he was going to school full time, and even though I had finished my degree, I decided to stay home with our little babies (we had 2 kids under 2 at the time).  But I needed something that kept me busy, apart from being a mom.  So I started a blog to share the things I was making (while living very poor as students)….purely because it was filling a creative void.  But then as the blog grew and people I didn’t even know would stop by and comment and share things they were making…..I fell in absolute love with this whole online creative world! 

My little family is my main inspiration for what I create…..whether they want to be or not! ;) But all someone has to do is dare me, and then I’m off trying to figure out how to make something that I’ve been challenged to make….mostly out of stubbornness! But I especially love making things for these little rascals! 

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Here’s a secret though—

You know the phrase, “Fake it ’til you make it!”??  Yeah, THAT’S ME!!  (Good grief, especially at the beginning…haha!) But if I don’t know how to make something, by golly, I’m going to work at it until I figure it out.  And then when it actually works…..I am usually FLOORED!!!  Then I can hardly wait to share here on the blog what I made……so that you guys can try it and get that same shock of excitement. It is seriously what drove me to create new projects almost every single day of the week back when I first started blogging in 2008.  (But also because right after starting the blog, we had moved to Georgia for grad school and Steve was rarely ever home….so holy crap, that’s how I survived!)  Haha…..sounds crazy for a reason to create a whole blog around it, but it’s totally what drives me!

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Here are a few more things I get asked. :)

  • Yes, I’m tall (5’11”)……and yes, my feet are really large (size 12…boo).  Okay, and my thumbs are stumpy.  (Through blogging, a reader informed me that they are actually called “clubbed thumbs”. Ha!)
  • Oh, what?  You heard I had big babies?  Yep, my third baby (Chloe) weighed in at 11 pounds even.  However, for some reason she was the easiest delivery of them all!
  • My husband (who is 6’5”….yay, I can wear heels!) and I were married in 2005, in Idaho.  Our kids are Ellie (12), Connor (11), Chloe (8), Oliver (5), and Max (2).  We have every personality from spicy and hormonal to bashful and sensitive…but we completely adore them all! :)
  • I first started this blog while we lived (and my husband was finishing up his undergrad) in Rexburg, ID.  Then we moved to Georgia for my husband to attend P.A. school.  He finally finished in April of 2012 (hallelujah!)!  But we actually moved to Colorado in 2011 (so he could finish his clinical rotations and hopefully find a nearby job after graduating) and then once done, he began his first job in gastroenterology.  Yay…..time to be real-life grown ups, with an actual job/insurance!  But after 3 years, we decided to follow a job opportunity in family practice and headed to Oklahoma in 2014….and have been here ever since.
  • Have we been hit by tornadoes, since moving to Oklahoma?  Nope.  In fact, we’ve only been down in our “storm shelter” once, and that was after 4 years of being here. And we were completely fine.  (What’s a “storm shelter? It’s a steel box, secured below the floor of our garage with a sliding door that secures shut, that protects 8-10 people from tornado weather. I was adamant about having one the minute we moved here….and I wrote a whole Storm Shelter Info post about it, in case you’re interested.  It has definitely calmed my anxious mom heart!)
  • I learned to sew very basic things from my mom as a young girl.  She used to make us Easter dresses every year (I have 4 sisters) and we would go the fabric store, pick out a pattern, then fabric and notions, and we would watch her as she stitched together some of my very favorite dresses. My interest grew and I would sew simple skirts and pajama pants as a teenager.  When I went to college, I took a basic sewing class and learned how to make the inside of my clothing just as beautiful as the outside.  Do I follow those lessons now?  Sometimes.  I like a quick project though…..so if I can get away with taking a few shortcuts, I will. But MORE THAN ANYTHING, I learned to sew by taking risks and trying projects that seemed harder than I thought I could do…..and improved rapidly!
  • I don’t use patterns much anymore.  I like to slap down an article of clothing that already fits…and pretty much cut around it.  Well, almost. ;)

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Hmmmm…..what else do I get asked a lot?

  • Oh yeah, no I don’t have a perfectly clean house, and yes, I feed my children.  Haha……yeah, I often get asked how I have the time to keep this blog going.  Like I mentioned above, I choose crafting over an immaculate house.  Or organized linen closets.  Or writing poetry.  Or family journals.  Or playing musical instruments.  Nap time is sacred in our house…..because that’s my time to finish things up, upload pictures, etc.  I also get up earlier than the kiddos most days….and most days I stay up late.  But it depends on the project.  If I’m super excited about it, then I am completely glued to it.  And I can’t get it out of my brain until I find some time to finish it.
  • Yes, I do run out of ideas sometimes or just get tired of what’s in my brain.  And when that happens……I get out of the house.  I walk through stores, I people watch, I take mental notes of things that I like while watching a movie, etc.  Oh, and I always have my phone with me to take a picture of something I’d like to duplicate…..to be sure I don’t forget.
  • If you have read this blog for very long……you’ll know that my passions are my sweet babies, my husband, a few supplies to create with…..and sugar.  Sugar in all forms.  (Candy related gifts are always welcome!)
  • YES!!!  I love to see what you create.  I have to tell you that one of my favorite things, is to hear that you’ve dusted off your sewing machine, pulled out your sponge brushes, sharpened those scissors and/or heated up that glue gun……and are making this or that right along with me. Creating new things is just as addicting as the fattest bar of chocolate.  And THAT is an equal comparison.  So send me an email or tag me on social media!

If you have a comment/suggestion about a particular post…..leave a comment below any of the posts on this website.  However, if you’re looking for a response back, send me an email…..it’s usually easier for me to get back to you that way.

-Ashley

Emails:

General Questions/Comments, email me here.

Advertising Inquiries, email here.

Order Questions/Comments, email here.

(**Project ideas are for personal use only…NOT for resale or re-distribution. Do not use photos without permission……unless you are using a photo or two as a reference on your own blog, with a link over to my site for the full tutorial/post. Thanks!)

 

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