5 things that I was obsessed with in 2010 - in no particular order

1. Hunger Games Series

Yes, another young adult fiction series. Technically, I got hooked on this through my book club and I'm very thankful. And for the record, other grown women love it too (ahem, Jodi & Sarah). It is the perfect combo of young love, survival, and a glimpse into what America could be. Google it - right now - and then buy all 3 books on Amazon. You're Welcome in advance.

2. Florence + The Machine

I fell in love with this music when one of the songs was on the Eclipse soundtrack. I quickly bought their album and have been rocking out since. One of my fave songs plays on my blog. I liked it before it was popular ;)

3. Bethenny Frankel

Everyone knows how much I love Reality TV. If not, now you know. Bethenny was one of the original Real Housewives of NYC and has developed into so much more. I was obsessed with her spin-off show and look forward to her tweets and brutal honesty about her life. She really puts herself out there that you can't help but fall in love with her from your living room couch.

4. Becoming an amateur photographer

Um, duh, right? I've learned terms that I never knew existed like aperture & white balance and I actually know how to manipulate them to my advantage.

5. Downloading songs that no one else has

I have this playlist that I'm always adding to as if one day I'm going to release a soundtrack to my life chronicling every emotion I've felt or experience I've had. I can't tell you how many times I've been somewhere very random and I have "shazaamed" the song so that I can go home and download it. And wouldn't you love to know some of these songs? Guess you will have to wait for that soundtrack to drop!

Without all that 2010 was, there wouldn't be what 2011 could be...

Just like many years before, 2010 has been quite the year. I started my 2nd year at Hines VA as one of the Suicide Prevention Coordinators and thankfully can say that I love what I do. It can be overwhelming at times to think of all the different parts of my job but it is very rewarding. I got the opportunity to attend the 2nd Annual VA/Department of Defense conference on Suicide Prevention and was very inspired by what our military and my fellow VA employees are doing in the field of Suicide Prevention. I am honored to be one of the speakers at this year's conference. One of the goals that I set for myself in 2010 was to apply to the Hines Leadership Development Program for 2011. It is a program within the hospital geared toward grooming the future leaders on the hospital across all disciplines. My mom completed the program in 2009. As Brad and I were sitting at the airport waiting to board our plane to Kaua'i, I got the call from my supervisor that I was accepted into the program! This is very exciting as they take less than 20 applicants each year. I consider myself a master of multitasking but this coming year will be the true test of that!

When I think back to what made this year memorable was my new found love of photography. Brad has been my biggest cheerleader in regards to my photography starting with buying me my camera. He has supported my decision to take numerous classes even if that meant for a whole month straight he had to make his own dinner every Wednesday! Brad was also a gracious model for all my homework assignments demonstrating how patient he can be. He has had fun along the way too and I think that he has earned himself either the title of my "assistant" or "photo shoot director" - I'll let him decide. Thanks to Brad & my parents, I have 2 additional lenses to play around with as well. I'm teaching myself how to do some post production with Lightroom - stay tuned for some awesomely edited photos.

Just a few weeks ago, Brad and I had a trip of a lifetime to Kaua'i. Due to the nature of both of our jobs, Brad and I really have not been able to take a vacation like this since our honeymoon. It was truly amazing! I actually made Brad drag our laptop to Kaua'i because I knew I would need to empty my memory card from my camera. Sure enough, I did that twice. Overall I took over 1200 pictures! The food, the scenery, the mindset - Kaua'i was a photographer's dream. I have actually submitted a bunch of the picture to different contests because the images were so breathtaking.

I bet some of you read the blog and think, "Is Mandy really Sew Snappy or just Snappy because all I see is pictures. Where are the crafts?!" Rest assured, the "Sew" part of "Sew Snappy" is alive and well. I actually took over one of the spare bedrooms in our house and have affectionately claimed it as my craft room. If Brad can put dead animals on the walls of our house, I can have a craft room. I took a knitting class this summer and learned the basics. My plan was to make Brad a scarf for hunting season but I ran out of time and my photography classes were very time consuming. I won't let Brad down this year - I will get the scarf done before hunting season starts. Between a new niece on the way and a few friends expecting, I have lots of babies to make things for. Stay tuned for diaper cakes, name banners, and many gifts for the special little ones in my life.

After seeing the movie Eat, Pray, Love with 3 of my girlfriends, I was left thinking about my own life and needing to strive toward having more balance. Does anyone remember the scene toward the end of the movie where Javier Bardem is talking to Julia Roberts about needing balance in her life? That scene cracks me up because he is yelling at her to find balance. BALANCE....BALANCE! It's like when someone is telling me to relax as they are screaming it at me - how is that supposed to help? In a way, they are right. At times, I need to find more balance with....work and home...friends and family...needs and wants...saying yes and saying no. With the job I have, I needed a creative outlet or I wasn't going to survive. I'm so glad that I started this blog because it gives me the opportunity to showcase my creativity and share it with those who know me best. I hope you enjoy the posts and visit often. I thrive on being busy and I love that I can call myself many things - wife, daughter, sister, aunt, friend, social worker, cook, crafter, and photographer. Now I can call myself one more thing - Sew Snappy.

Thanks for reading! Happy New Year!

Mele Kalikimaka

Aloha!

A few weeks ago, Brad and I traveled to Kaua'i to celebrate the marriage of Brad's brother AJ & our new sister-in-law Christen. In the midst of the wedding activities, we managed to have the trip of a lifetime. Some of the highlights of our trip to Paradise: swimming in the amazing pools and lagoons at the resort, eating amazing food, going deep sea fishing, taking an open door helicopter ride around the island, and snapping pictures of our gorgeous surroundings. We truly had an amazing time - it was like a second honeymoon.

Mahalo Kaua'i for the amazing memories!

Cookie Monster

I am that weird person who loves to take pictures of food. Just ask Brad how many times I pulled out my camera to take pictures of our food when we were in Hawaii. No big surprise that I had a photo shoot with my christmas cookies. That's not weird, right?

Red Velvet Cookies

Hidden Snicker Cookies

Peanut Butter Balls

Wishing you a very Fairy Christmas

On a chilly Sunday morning in November, I got the pleasure of doing a Christmas photo shoot for Bob, Dina, & Alex. I learned that while Alex is a sassy toddler by day, she is a sassy Christmas Fairy by night. Check out some of my favorite shots. Props to Dina for being an awesome "stage mom" and entertaining Alex throughout the photo shoot!

Mandy's Candies

Every year, many of my family & friends look forward to enjoying some of my toffee. The first year I made it, Brad's Grandpa Wozniak affectionately named my toffee "Mandy's Candies." Here are a few shots of the Mandy's Candies Process.

Sneak Peek

Last Sunday I did a Christmas Photo shoot for Bob, Dina, & Alex. Dina and I had a great time coming up with some fun outfits and shots. Since some of you will be getting Christmas cards from Bob & Dina, I wanted to keep the Christmas photos a surprise! Stay tuned in a few weeks for the photos. This pic was literally the last picture that I took that morning and it was one of my favorites.

Can you say Foodie?

Photo 101 and beyond

Just a few favorites taken over the last few months. Believe it or not, I was testing out my skills in camera settings and post production editing in all of these.

I took this 1st picture for my architecture assignment during my first photog class.

Trick or Treating in Elmhurst with Sammy the Lady Bug and Alex the Lil Monster

Self Portraits

I just finished my 4 week Intermediate Photography class at the Chicago Photography Academy this week. The class was about 90% technical and 10% creative. I learned a lot and I'm trying to incorporate it all into every picture I take. The final assignment was to do 2 Self Portraits. One needed to be a traditional self portrait - a head & shoulders shot. The second shot needed to be creative and showcase some part of our personality. That photo is an homage to my clothes horse tendencies and my reputation for taking a long time to get ready because I can't figure out what to wear.

How did I get to be Sew Snappy?

I was the kid growing up making crafts, doing projects, and getting excited about school assignments that involved being creative. I kept up with my crafty tasks & scrapbooking all through college but then once I started working full time, I let it fall by the wayside. In the spring of 2009 when I was planning my sister-in-law's baby shower, I was inspired again! It all started with the idea to make a diaper cake for Dina and mysweet angel of a niece, Alexandria. Since then, I've started making custom diaper cakes, name banners for nurseries and kids' rooms, and baby blocks for all the little kids in my life. Tapping into my creative side again has really helped me feel balanced in my life. Playing social worker all day can be hard so I look forward to coming home, having dinner with Brad, and working on my latest craft while watching some trash TV.

Alex's baby blocks were her 1st Christmas Gift.

Cole Shein got his baby blocks for 1st birthday. In typical boy fashion, the first thing he did was stack them up and knock them down.

A diaper cake for Mary Shein's baby shower for Cole. His cake was topped with a football player & cheerleader rubber duckies in honor of his mommy & daddy.

Mini name banners for 2 of kiddos who travel the world - Liam & Ana McCambridge