The Long Awaited Day I Thought Would Never Come...

For some time now, my Rodeo has needed new tires. My mechanic, during my inspection over the summer, told me my tires wouldn't make it to see winter. Naturally, this had me a little nervous. Since receiving this nerve-wracking news, Brant and I have been saving up frantically. Last week, my parents called and said the tire place they've been going to for years was having a great sale on tires. This caught my immediate interest. Come to find out, Johnson Tires was selling my tire size for $99 a tire along with a 60,000 mile warranty. I AM STOKED!! They look so nice on my Rodeo. Brant was pretty excited too. We still didn't have the last $100 but that'll be paid Thursday. I'll have pictures up along with some little changes we've made to our place. I know we haven't put up any pictures of it all yet, but that's because I'm embarassed of all the boxes.

Target Shooting Togetherness

Several years ago I may not have considered target shooting as a 'fun' activity. Ever since meeting Brant, I have learned that having a gun isn't necessarily a bad thing. I used to think they were dangerous and idiotic to have.

Well, I sing a different tune now.

Brant and I both had a day off together (and we didn't even plan it! wow!!)

and after running miscellaneous errands,

decided to go target shooting up against a mountain, on the outskirts of Smithfield.

It's a nice place to shoot. Brant had his 30-06 and

I had my 17HMR bolt action rifle

(mine is better! and only because it doesn't kick when I fire and

because it sounds more impressive when I say it)

Below is the area where we shot. The picture turned out rather disappointing. It was an absolutely gorgeous fall day.

These are our casings. the bigger casing is one of Brant's.

Obviously, mine are the smaller, faster casings

A closeup that really doesn't seem to help..... hmm...

Here is me and my awesome rifle.

I don't care if it has synthetic stock on it, I prefer a smaller-kick to looks.

Here I am lining up my shot

" See Brant lay prone on the ground.

See Brant envision an elk on the distant horizon.

See Brant drool over monster elk.

See Brant line up the shot. "

Lining up that perfect shot.

Here is a better shot of what a B-E-A-Utiful day it was.

More creativity!

Yet another installment of stuff I've been making. It's been fabulous having this wonderful thing called 'time' and being able to use it to create! Homework is entirely overrated.

This is a set of frames I painted like my previous set. I found this color scheme in some scrapbook paper as well. Brant doesn't seem to like it, but then again, when do men appreciate pinks and red?

This is what I created for my first comission job. I ensure that personal info is changed if I reuse and display the card. I had a lot of fun with this. I found I have a lot of skill with Adobe Illustrator, yay!
I love this one. It is simple and yet, elegant. It is visited a lot on my etsy shop.

This one is a lot of fun. It is lighthearted and speaks volumes of personality

This one was inspired by and older movie, That Touch of Mink with Carry Grant and Doris Day.

Odd, isn't it?

I have to say that Brant has been a great support for me. He encouraged me to pursue this because it lets me release my creative energy. I don't get so antsy and it cheers me up when I'm alone while he is at work. The other upside is it very well may help me buy new tires for my car. We've been tight on money and my tires are going VERY bald. Meaning I'll need new ones before another nasty Logan Winter. Wish me luck!!
Thanks to my friend next door, too. She's great at helping me critique my work.

My First Commision Job on Etsy.com!

So, I got the idea from my friend next door to start selling wedding, birthday and other invitations on this website called etsy.com It is where vintage and handmade things are sold. I decided (after much research) to just sell digital copies of my invites until I can afford to print them myself (which will be a while). I format them at 5x7 and sold for between $13-15. I think its a good deal considering you can print the entire thing for the price of a photo house print. PRETTY CHEAP and great for a BUDGET!

So I had been signed up for about a week when I get a message from a mom who wants to comission a custom invitation for her two boys' birthdays. Turns out she has a HUGE fall festival bash for her boys who are both under the age of 4! So, after about a week and ahalf of working with her, we finally have the perfect announcement for her. My custom designs are $30, so I was pretty excited. I have made wedding announcements/invites for a friend or two (as wedding gifts) as well as my own so I figured I have experience enough for this.

The mom LOVED what I came up with so I'm feeling even more confident in my abilities. She was great to work with too.

I can proudly say I have positive feedback on my little etsy shop. I have a little more confidence in my shop now and I think it'll turn out better for making a little extra money for bills versus selling my stuff on ebay

(stuff I no longer use, of course)

www.serendipitidesign.etsy.com

My Shop Web Address!

Happy Birthday Brant

For Brant's Birthday, he wanted to go to Cabela's down in Lehi. He'd been wanting to g for months, just to go and drool a bit over the pretty guns, pretty compound bows, tents, funny hunting shirts, etc. Brant decided to get himself a new hunting shirt that has a beatuiful clearing, a single elk and words RUSH HOUR in big bold letters. He also got a Team RealTree hat that has 1986 on it (his birth year). He was pretty excited about that. He also got the string on his compound bow tightened a bit and got some wax for it. He had a hayday.

We were going to eat there too, but I wasn't too keen on the idea of paying $4.50 for a 6-inch chili dog. I don't care HOW good it is. Brant was a little bummed but I told him it was either eating mediocre food there or eating at Cheesecake Factory. Needless to say, He had his heart set on cheesecake factory. The food there is a bit more worth the cost.

HAPPY 23RD BIRTHDAY BRANT

Nature Outings

This past weekend, Brant and I had the chance to go for a walk on the Logan River Trail and go fishing.

We sort went when it was a little too dark, so by the time we reached the end, it was really dark.

It was nice just talking, no distractions, and just saying hello to others we passed along the way.

This is what was at the end of the trail. We thought it was kind of cute. It also felt nice knowing we had walked that far and that it was a total of two miles since we had to turn around and go back.

This was a tree near the beginning of the trail. I really liked how the setting sun colors lit it up. I love random photos like that. They're fun and unique.

This was about the time we started the trail. These mountains are why I love living in Utah.

On Saturday, after I got off work, Brant took me up Black Fork Canyon to go fishing. I just sat and read while he fished. He caught a small one, but it was too small to keep. We plan on fishing together on our first anniversary camping trip this weekend.

This is the spot he had chosen earlier while I was at work. It was nice and shady

And me chilaxing in a camp chair, reading the time away.

We'll be taking off early Saturday to get a camping spot. It's probably going to be a busy weekend there because the Bear Lake area is celebrating Raspberry Days. They have the BEST fresh fruit shakes there. Hopefully we can get a good spot.

Recent Projects and Fun

So, I got some inspiration for some creative projects from my friend two doors down, and here are the fruits of my labor! I'm so excited!

These are a set of frames I painted and wrapped in color-coordinating ribbon. I got the color scheme from a piece of scrapbook paper I really like. I especially like the green color. I LOVE green and natural colors, but moreso brighter, more vibrant greens

Here are some closeups so you can see the ribbon.

Here is another project I started. Since Brant and I are on a tighter budget, I thought crocheting an afghan for my niece's birthday would be appropriate. I had leftover yarn so I also made her a scarf. She'll be three. Her birthday is also Brant's birthday.

I have three more frames to paint with a different color scheme. I'm excited to see how they turn out. I'm kind of using the same idea, but I'm going to try something else.

I'm also going to try my luck at designing and printing Wedding Announcements/Invitations for some extra income and so my design and computer skills don't dwindle away. I have a few designs already, it's just getting the rest of the material to sell with it.

My project stuff is all over the living room and it's driving Brant nuts,

but I'm having so much fun!