September 2013 – Page 2 – The Reaganskopp Homestead

Posted on September 4, 2013January 20, 2019 by Brianna — 19 Comments

Fall Table Decor

Autumn seems like a time for relaxation. The cooler weather forces an end to the constant outdoor activity but it is before the bustle of Christmas. Fall is a time to just let it go. Therefore my table is simple, clean, and easy.

The main show piece is a chevron table runner made from beans (click here for the tutorial).

See I can have a serious craft post from time to time.

The centerpiece is an assortment of carved wooden fruit. My grandparents lived for a time in Thailand, and brought back and assortment of hand carved furnishings and decor. I managed to snag a double set of the fruit. So much cooler than old-school wax ones.

Simple wooden bowls and green accents match the runners. Perfect from the green transition of summer to the ruddy browns of fall.

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Enjoy other great DIY, Crafts, & Decor at these link parties: By Stephanie Lynn, The Pin Junkie, Craftberry Bush, Craftionary, The Jenny Evolution, Peek into My Paradise, Tidy Mom, My Romantic Home, Simply Sweet Home, The Stitchin’ Mommy, DIY Vintage Chic, Twigg Studios, I Should Be Mopping The Floor

Posted on September 3, 2013May 6, 2015 by Brianna — 6 Comments

August Package Pals: Why I Can’t Be Trusted

I have a thing for craft supplies. So, when I saw the chance to sign up for Package Pals hosted by C.R.A.F.T and Stars & Sunshine I jumped at the chance. What is it?

It is a sign up where you and another crafty person get matched together to send each other crafty items. Unknown Craft Items? Don’t mind if I do.

Do Not Trust Me

Here is where I can’t be trusted. Laura, the awesome person behind Experimental Home was matched with me. Having just made a huge move from my state of North Carolina to Texas she was still able to get it together, send a wonderful package, take pictures of her package to me, blog about her package, obviously take pictures of what I sent her, probably blog about that too, and most likely making something clever and amazing with what I sent her. While, probably throwing together a perfect graphic to explain the whole process. Yeah I’m SOOOO jealous of how she has it together, but in a good way. :)

What did I do? Immediately rip into my package like a kid on Christmas morning! Did I take photos of her lovely orange twine packaging? No. Did I stop to find the card? No.

August Package Pals: Picture of opening my craft package — Note the torn paper and twine… I may, or may not have used my teeth to remove the twine since finding scissors would take to long.

In the presence of unknown craft supplies I turn into some sort of ravaging craft animal. Incapable of thinking about things like blog posts and photos. I ripped it open and ran my fingers over the journal yelling to my husband, “Oh shit, she hand-embroidered this journal I bet!” To which I believe he may have made some non-committal grunt and/or reminded me to watch my language in front of the kids (A sailor mouth is a hard habit to break). However, I don’t know because I was flipping through patterned paper, caressing fresh bunting , and marveling over a matching clipboard.

August Package Pals: Detail of the package — Look at this journal! Look! She crafted me a craft item. It is like Craftception.

Then, and only then, it dawned on me. Oh crap, I should have taken pictures.

Luck Would Have It

Luckily, Laura has saved the day again by nicely documenting the items she sent me. You can read all about her thoughtful and awesome choices over at Experimental Home.

In the next couple of weeks I’ll be documenting what I made with all of her awesome supplies. I’ll give you a hint and it starts with ‘Halloween Mantel’. Until then I have to thank Laura for making Package Pals a fun, and in her case, professional blogging experience. I hope to sign up again and keep in touch with my new Package Pal!

Posted on September 1, 2013May 6, 2015 by Brianna — Leave a comment

Exciting Changes Ahead!

You might notice that the bi-weekly posting schedule has dropped to weekly. Don’t worry I’m not going away. I am just taking time to make some fresh changes.

A Little History

I started Craft Thyme in February as a hobby, though you may see some older material I moved from a personal blog. Because ~~I am crazy~~ motivated I thought it was good time to start that, while finishing a degree in computer information technology, trying to find a new job, etc. Craft Thyme languished unloved and somewhat haphazardly posted.

I really think of June as the true start date for Craft Thyme and since that time I have put steady part-time hours each week towards creating tutorials and networking this website. And guess what? I have seen steady growth from just a few page views to regularly close to 200 hundred a day.

While that isn’t a lot of views, that increased traffic coupled with the fact some regular readers have taken the time to comment, pin pictures and email, has given me the motivation to create a better, more professional website with better pictures, tutorials and projects.

Where We Are Headed

Here is a list of things I have in the works with ~~hilariously impossible~~ aggressive timelines.

Redesign Website: Jan 2014

Write First Ebook: Nov 2013 (always wanted to try that, so that’s more a personal goal that relates to crafting than something that will intrinsically change Craft Thyme)

Develop a Biweekly Newsletter: Oct 2013

Add a sub blog on Crafting a wordpress blog: Oct 2013

Marketing Plan for Craft Thyme: Dec 2013

Some of these items require a lot of substeps. For example, I am learning PHP to better control the design of my website. The ebook will have brand new tutorials on garland making for the Christmas season. Marketing is going to take a lot of research…

The sub blog is my answer to annoyance. I have spent the last couple of weeks reading about how to make a professional blog and website that is useful/fun for readers and allows me to make a little income to offset this time consuming hobby and pay for all those lovely craft supplies. There is great information out there, but from a technical stand point there is some crazy or outdated shit that people keep posting. For example: Facebook no longer penalizes posts from third party API, there is no need to go hand edit every link out of your comments because Google offers tags and tools like (nofollow attributes) to handle these types of content, plugins and why they aren’t so great technically (why I am learning PHP)… The list goes on and on!

Since I spend a lot of time reading up on technical items like jquery, PHP, SEO, etc I figured sharing that info for the less technically inclined would be a good way to document my website tests and growth, as well as, make notes of my research. Plus it just drives me bonkers when I read advice I know is just technically bullshit and internet marketeering witchcraft.

So Why The Lack of New Tutorials?

Yeah, well all the above items will set the stage for easier to read and better tutorials. Plus other things like practicing better photography, working on my writing style, and coming up with fresh ideas happen without timelines and are part of the day to day work that needs to occur behind the scenes in the coming months.

All these items take time. Lots of time. As we say in Western North Carolina ‘Shit Tons’ of time. You’d be amazed the time and think I am cray-cray for doing this as a hobby.

I currently work full time outside the home in a brand new field AT a brand new job (So nightly reading of technical concepts has become my defacto existence), have two children ages (3 & 1), a husband back in school, plus I like to sleep. I’m not Martha Stewart. I literally can not function without sleep, though, I sooooo wish I could.

I’d rather give one good and useful post a week as opposed to slapping some crap up in a haze of sleeplessness and I think readers would prefer that too. If not, I am sure I can ramble on like today’s post :). Just let me know!

So while I am embarking on these changes please let me know if I can offer anything in the way of readability, tutorials, or other things you might want to see! My door is always open:

Email: Brianna @ CraftThyme.com

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Or the comment section below

Thanks in advance for everyone’s support!

Oh and while you are ‘supporting’ sign up for that biweekly email by clicking here. It will start soon and hopefully offer tidbits beyond what simply shows up on the Craft Thyme.