Well I suppose this is turning out to be more of a "fashion accessories" blog than a "watch my musical journey" blog!! Why do I say this? Because I made two more clutches/wallets yesterday! I love my life... and I love being cheap and creative :) Another plus about all of this is that I have things that no one else has. That feeling is just the best! Yay originality!
Anyway, the first bag that I made yesterday started out as a plain leather bag that I found at a thrift store for less than $5! I immediately saw potential in it because it was clean (always a plus!), plain, and already kind of in fashion right now. I took it home, sewed a swirly line of pearls onto it and added a pink flower, and it was immediately transformed from "kind of boring" to "I'm super cute and ready to go out!"
Here it is without the strap, used as a clutch. 
You can see that it has a "coin purse" closure and the chain strap is optional, but cute (and definitely long enough) to sling over your shoulder!
My second project of the day was to create a clutch from scratch! This was a little scary because I didn't have a definite pattern that I was following, and if you know me, you'll know I'm not the most amazing with a needle and thread. I started out by finding a half yard of this fun pink swirly fabric for only $2 in a remnant bin at Hancock Fabric! Talk about cheap! Then, I decided that I would want it to be a little more sturdy, so I doubled the fabric up and went from there! I sewed the entire thing by hand because I don't have a sewing machine... if you do that, make sure to get extra durable thread! Lots and lots of sewing later, I came up with an adorable clutch that fits my cell phone, cards, lipgloss... just about anything I need it to! I was debating on how to close it... but like I said before, I always need a little bling on my projects! So, I bought two HUGE rhinestone buttons (for $1.50) and decided to make it a button closure. I cut two button holes and sewed up those seams, then added the buttons, and it's a perfect little detail!
The finished product... just perfect!
It has a nice big flap that opens into one big pouch.
I'm so proud! It's just a great size for carrying around, or I can stick it in my purse to keep all of my "necessities" together!
That's it for now... not sure if I'll create more today, but I'm always looking for fun items to make my own :)
Well, today I didn't sub... didn't work at Coach... didn't write any music. Instead, I typed libretto for the opera that I'm assistant directing ANNNND I drank lots of yummy Starbucks! It's about time!!
After that, my roommate and I were feeling a bit creative, so we traveled to Joann Fabrics and looked for some fun crafty things to make. I started out with a fistful of awesome beads, ready to make an awesome necklace. But then I saw watch heads and thought, "woah! I should make an awesome watch!!" After I gathered materials for that, I decided, "mehh... this is getting expensive... maybe just an awesome bracelet." While pondering the last things I would need for my awesome bracelet, I ran across some even MORE awesome clutch designs... then the idea popped into my head: "Not jewelry... an awesome CLUTCH!" So, that was it! I was inspired and I came home with lots of fun vintage things to decorate my clutch. I think this might be the beginning of some beautiful gifts :) I hope all of my friends like clutches!!
Here are a few pictures of my creation!
There is a cute jewel at the bottom of the flap. It isn't a functional button... just decorative, because, knowing me, I can't leave my creations without at least a small hint of bling!
This is with the flap open. The applique wraps to the back of it... I love it! I also added a little jewel in the middle of the applique on the back. The original clutch had a cheap velcro closure, so I removed it and replaced it with a nice magnetic closer. Also, the strap was attached with a flimsy white plastic ring, so I got rid of that and changed it to a key ring... I'm pleased with the outcome!
That's it for today... now off to be the crazy opera assistant director that I am... staging SEVEN arias tonight!! Wish me luck!
Well, following the cue from my oh-so-trendy sister, I have decided to re-join the blogging community. Or at least try to. I have zero consistency in my life right now, so don't expect this blog to be a consistent everyday thing... you'll be disappointed.
Since my last post, a LOT has happened in my life. I have graduated from college (a 4.5 year feat!!), started playing with my band again, started subbing, and become a coffee addict even more than I was before. What a shame. But really... I woke up with an abnormally bad headache this morning... most likely because I haven't had coffee in over 2 days. Such a sad story.
Since my last post, I have also traveled to Estonia, Lativa, Finland, and Hawaii (not to mention Nashville, Little Rock, and probably other cities that I can't remember). I love traveling... a lot. Especially now that I am freeeeee of school. I can just pack up and leave whenever I want! Of course, I have to have money in order to do that... therefore I've been getting some gigs organized for my band! This is a super exciting endeavor for me, because I have plenty of time to get stuff prepared and hopefully make this into a "real" thing for us. In the rest of the time that I'm not doing that stuff, I have been doing a little subbing here and there for the amaaaazing Anoka High School choir. I LOVE those kiddos! I student taught there in the fall, and I'm just attached to them all :)
Another exciting part of my life right now is my new retail job at... hold your breath... COACH! I love purses!!! It's going to be an awesome job for me!
But back to this band stuff... we had a gig on Friday at J. Arthur's Coffee shop in Roseville. If you haven't been there, GO. It's adorable and delicious. Here are some pictures of the evening! 
How about a video too?? maybe? yes. I think so. You can go to www.youtube.com/natkaycrom to see a bunch of them :)
Well, there it is... the first post back. Stay tuned though, because I will be blogging all about the journey into the music industry, from both the "singer/songwriter" side of things and the southern gospel diva that I am!
Cheers!
Ok, today (which was actually yesterday cause I started this blog and never finished it last night) was awesome. We started out by eating a yummy breakfast and then taking a tour of Tallinn. This was SO great because the weather was sunny and PERFECT. We saw many beautiful buildings, but most importantly, the Song Festival Grounds. Estonia is known for their HUGE singing efforts. Every 4 years, the Baltic citizens get together at this location to sing! This singing movement is what led to the independence of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. There are usually 15,000 participants, and there is room for 200,000 in the audience!! It was HUGE! So, we went there... and got to sing! Here are 2 videos of us singing in this VERY historic place!
Cantate Domino:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHtLDzNezkU
Jesus I Adore Thee:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81ZT8-Owu5s
After this tour, we were dropped off at the center of town called "Olde Town". There are many beautiful buildings, fun cafes, and great shops! We were then allowed to roam around for the rest of the day! Here are some pictures from this afternoon.
Also, we had senior night out... that was SO much fun! It was at a great restaurant with a traditional Estonian 3-course FEAST! Just delicious! So, tonight (which is actually a different day than I was just talking about... cause now it's the next day... if that makes sense??) we have another concert. I have been SUPER sick for the past 2-3 days, but thankfully the Lord has been speedily healing me, and I think I'll be able to sing my solo with just a little bit of a stuffy nose :) Tomorrow we leave for Finland... we're taking a ferry!!!
We went from "open the bus door!! It's HOT!!!" to "CLOSE THE BUS DOOR!!!! It's FREEZING!"
Hello! Well, I am in my third day of being in Estonia! A few days ago, we were in Tartu. We had a concert 2 nights ago and sang in their church on Sunday morning. The concert on Saturday night was AWESOME, but we didn't wear robes because we're still missing a box of them! It was INCREDIBLY mosquitoey too, and everyone was getting bitten up! 20 of us girls stayed in the seminary on Saturday night, which was basically like dorms. It was DISGUSTINGLY mosquitoey and one of the girls even got a bite on her lip! We took showers without towels, so we used our pillow cases to dry off... let's just say it was definitely an adventure. The hosts of the seminary were also difficult... they didn't speak any English (only Russian)!! They asked if any of us played piano or anything, so I sat down at the piano and had the 20 of us girls sing "Let Everything That Hath Breath" for them! They LOVED it!!
This is our friend that we made at this church. His name is Taivo and he spoke awesome English! 
On Sunday morning, the church service was all in Estonian! It was sooo weird!! I felt like I was in a dream! After the church service, we started heading to Narva, Estonia, which is right on the border of Russia. We didn't actually get to go to Russia because it's either $200 or $300 for a visa! However, we can see it! Last night was our last concert in a string of concerts that we've had, now we have a few days off. I had a bit of a sore throat, so I was pretty nervous about my solo! However, that piece has been going really well so far... one of the Estonian girls even video taped me on her phone during the church service on Sunday!
This is the church we sang in last night... it was ANCIENT! It was bombed during WWII and it's still being renovated. We were the first college choir to ever sing in this church! 
Today we drove to Tallinn, Estonia. On the way there, we stopped at Narva Castle, which was founded in 1256 under Danish rule. We saw Russia right across the river!!! It was incredibly windy, but BEAUTIFUL. I'm currently sitting in my hotel room in Tallinn with a VERY bad cold :( Thankfully we don't have any concerts for the next 2 days! I hope I can kick this one fast!
Here are some pictures from our castle adventures today:
Well, we are still in Riga (today is our last full day). We have been given until 3:30 this afternoon for free time! So, this morning we ate a nice breakfast at the hotel and then Shawn, Kurt, Barry, Dan, and I went wandering around the city. We stopped at an INCREDIBLE little tea house. It was basically a pretty small glass octagon in the middle of a beautiful park. The first level was where you smelled/ordered the tea, and then we climbed a spiral staircase to the top where we sat on the floor cushions. It was so fun! They brought our tea up on trays and we each got our own pot. Delicious and cheap :) After that, we wandered the city some more and did some shopping. I got a really unique amber ring for a great price. (side note: the Baltic countries are known for their amber. 80% of the world's amber is found here). We did a lot of walking after that, and stopped at a BIG market. We found a lot of fresh fruit, veggies, and meat there, along with some souvenir-ish things. After looking around for a while, Barry, Dan, and I walked back to the hotel for some rest before our first concert tonight!
Mr. Sawyer finally arrived at dinner last night, and all of our luggage (including Dr. Kolwinska's long-lost trombone) made it too... except for one choir robe box.. that will make for an interesting-looking concert tonight! We are singing a somewhat abbreviated concert tonight, so hopefully it won't wear us out TOO much.
Here are some pictures from dinner last night and our adventures today:
Beautiful ladies at dinner :)
It was suuuper mosquito-y last night when we were watching the boys play Killer Bunnies... sooo we grabbed our choir jackets and made turtlenecks look fashionable!
Tea time!
Our CRAZY time in the market... where Dan tried some pop that tasted like Tootsie Rolls!!
Well hello everyone! We have arrived in Riga! We didn't have ANY volcano issues at all, even though the Reyjavik (Iceland airport) was closed the day before we flew in. Thankfully, there were no delays or cancellations. Last night was basically a free night after we arrived at the hotel. Several people were missing their baggage, however, and some still are! Shaylee and I both have our luggage though :)
This morning, we had a great continental breakfast at our hotel that included a LOT of great fruit! After breakfast, we took a guided tour of Riga which was BEAUTIFUL! We saw a ton of VERY old buildings with lots of history behind them (got some great pics too... like this one!)
During our free time, we ate at a beautiful cafe with delicious pizza! After that, we went on a row boat ride!! It was only $4 for the 4 of us to ride... super fun! Here's a video of our chaos...
Tonight we have dinner together and then more free time... lots of free time in Riga... oh well. It's Latvia. Cool, right?
We have our first concert tomorrow night, and thankfully Mr. Sawyer is on his way (his dad had a stroke the night before we left, so he stayed until yesterday). I was pretty worried that I was going to have to conduct the concert because he wouldn't reach Latvia on time!
Well, that's about all I have for right now! Here are some of our funny quotes... I'm just writing them on here so I don't forget them :)
"Darba laiks" -- every door on any building
"Door! Shut your door!" -- Barry
"Flick the dicker" -- Shaylee, referring to the camera switch
"I can use it as an utter... i mean RUTTER!!" -- Barry rowing the boat
"Shaylee is having a TOTALLY BLAST in Latvia!" -- Shaylee's facebook status