Bella Kate's

Back in Black (Back door project)

2012-01-30T14:02:00.001-06:00

Our door from our garage into our laundry room was in serious need of a coat of paint. It was starting to rust where the former owners dog had scratched it. Since this door is the main point of entry into our house (really who uses the front door), it was always dirty. I spent alot of time using the magic eraser on it in the last few years. Since I'm addicted to Pinterest (yes, very addicted) and DIY blogs, I checked out several people who had painted their front doors black.

So, one weekend when BP was duck hunting, he came home to the door off the hinges in the drive way. I taped off the windows using newspaper and blue painter tape, I also taped alumnimun foil over the very brass/gold handles....which are another project for another day. BP then proceeded to critique my spray painting technique (I think he has a secret love for spray paint), therefore he finished the project. I used a Rustoleum Black Gloss (3.5 cans). It turned out really good (except for the white insides of the windows, but they are not too noticeable). I also painted the brown cabinets the same color as the garage so they don't stick out so much.

It has been a big adjustment not to think the back door is open when peering into the laundry from the kitchen. All in all it was worth the effort.

Wedding Sign and Stamped Cake Server

2012-01-14T09:34:00.002-06:00

Miss D, I's teacher got married on 11.11.11. So you know I volunteered to help.

She needed a sign for a little boy to carry down the aisle.

I whipped this one up using a piece of fence board that we had in storage. I started by painting the board white with trim paint. Then I cut a stencil from adhesive vinyl using my silhouette. I spray painted over the stencil. There was a little bleeding under the vinyl. I touched it up with more trim paint and then finished out the weathered look with the handheld sander. I love our sander...just saying. I finished out the project with a little spray on clear coat in gloss and a piece of wire!

I also stamped her cake forks and cake server.

I am so glad that we got to help her out with her special day. My girls love her and I know that she and M will live Happily Ever After!

Trunk Makeover.

2012-01-13T08:55:00.000-06:00

When I moved into my first apartment (yes, in the late 90's...seems like only yesterday), I was in need of a small coffee table. My mom had my great grandfather's trunk in storage. He used the trunk when he was young so the early 1900's. It was painted a milky blue in the early 70's and had been stored in a very damp storage location.

I started by sanding the truck by hand....for days....and days.... and days. The above picture was taken after 3 or 4 days of sanding and paint/rust removing. I finally sanded down to bare metal and wood. I used a faux leather kit from the local Hobby Lobby. I can't remember the brand....yes, this was 14 years ago. The kit consisted of a tan base coat and a darker glaze was applied with a wadded chamois type cloth. I sealed the trunk with a glossy polyurethane finish to protect the bare metal and wood. My mom covered in the inside with muslin. This trunk has been wonderful as a coffee table and doubles as holiday storage!

Here is the finished product. It has held up well.

Christmas Present from Pappy! Crayon and Marker Holders

2012-01-03T19:41:00.000-06:00

Our art desk in the breakfast room need some serious clutter control. The crayons, marker, pencils, pens, barbie shoes, and other random toys were crammed in a large bowl. And while the bowl was cute it was very limited on funcitionality.

Pappy (B's dad) made the crayon and marker holders for the girls for Christmas! I love them. They fit down the middle of the table and are great for finding things on the desk.

New Year's Resolutions

2012-01-01T09:35:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year!

Pork chops, Black eyed peas and turnip greens for lunch!

2012 New Year's Resolutions:
1) Live Simply
2) Live Healthy
3) Give Thanks

Life Cycle of a Butterfly, up close on the Farm!

2011-12-14T11:43:00.000-06:00

KP stayed with my parents on the Farm in Northeast Arkansas this summer. My mom has a beautiful flower garden in the back yard and maintains plants that attract butterflies. KP got to witness the entire life cycle of the Monarch butterfly in just a few days. It was amazing to watch. Since she loves science and had covered the life cycle of the butterfly in school, she told us all about it.

Boston & Maine Trip (Part 2): Southern and Central Coastal Maine

2011-11-27T13:48:00.002-06:00

Ok, the trip story continues. You can read the first part in a previous post about Boston.

Day 3: New Hampshire (in a flash) and Southern Maine
Well after completely leaving the airport on the wrong highway and getting to cross the super cool bridge, we finally made it north on the I-95 toll road. We were looking for a place to eat breakfast after the 17 flight fire alarm, leaving downtown on the T, and finding the rental car place. Good thing I had some hotel coffee and a power bar to tide me over. By the time we finally found a breakfast stop, we were in the middle of New Hampshire. We fueled up on some Mickey D's...a very nice McDonald's I might add.. and a grocery stop for a case of waters and we were on the road again.

We thought by looking at the map it would take a few hours to get to Maine....it was more like minutes.
We arrived at exit 1A Kittery! We spent the next few hours in the Orvis outlet and the Kittery Trading Post. What a fab store!! 3 levels! I picked up some super socks....Darn Tough brand. Love them, I've even ordered more since we got home. BP also got a sack full of jigs and fishing gear, what better place. The whole basement is fishing!

Lunch was at Bob's Clam Hut! Awesome fried Clams. (yes, we will return here before the trip is over for second helpings). The weather was great, so we ate out back on the picnic tables! Yes, I'll say it "I LOVE CLAMS!" (for the record, I love them both ways....Bob's & Lillian's).

From there (after the GAP outlet), we continued up 1A then 9, to York, Ogunquit, Wells, and onto Kennebunkport, by this time we were hungry again and I needed coffee. The drive up was crowded. It was Labor Day after all. Hard to find parking in most of these coastal towns due to the nice weather and the use of the beaches. Here is a picture of the first beach we saw...I think around York.

in Kennebunk, we stopped at H.B. Provisions a general store and I had my first blueberry pie. We also tried a whoopie pie. They were both good. Whoopie Pies are not my favorite....they are alot like an oreo cakster. I'll hold out for more blueberry pie though. We did not see the Bushes, but did see a lot of pictures of them in stores. Kennebunk has a nice downtown shopping area. We also saw this cat which I think might just be Sneakers the Seaside Cat.

Here I will diverge....good luck finding a real public bathroom on the coast of Maine. Most of the tourist areas have port a lets. Just saying if you see a real bathroom...use it.

Back to the trip. We continued up the 9, until we came to the turn for Biddeford Pool. We took the 208 out past the pool to F.O. Goldthwaite's & the Pool Lobster Company and arrived about 4 p.m. To get there you just keep driving and driving, when you think you've gone to far...there it is.

This is what I expected Maine to look like. I had a lobster and BP had a lobster roll. This was the last day for the store to be open for the Summer. They will re-open next summer for inside and outside dining! We ate on the picnic tables out back. This is the only commercial establishment we saw in Biddeford. Biddeford has some very lovely seaside homes!

Lobster #1 for the Day

Scary bird....yes, the movie "The Birds" scared me for life.

View from Picnic Table.

After leaving Biddeford, we traveled through Saco, past the old red brick textile mills, to our hotel.   The Hampton Inn, Saco is very nice and quiet hotel.     We checked in and then decided to go for an after dinner drive.    We drove out Route 9 toward the ocean.   We took Bayview Road to a beach access near Ferry Beach State Park.   The beach was lovely...and cold.   We dipped our feet in the ocean.

Our evening drive continued up the road to Old Orchard Beach.   Old Orchard Beach is a cousin to Gatlinburg, TN or Branson, MO.   Very very very touristy. Yikes. They have a carvinal and a bustling crowded commercial district full of arcades and pizza joints....it is on my skip next time list.   Running like crazy from Old Orchard, we took Highway 5 back toward Saco.

At this point, I was hungry again. I know you might say I already had dinner once, but it was a small lobster so we'll call it a snack. My mom (aka super planning danger ranger) gave us a wonderfully annotated book, map and travel hints for Maine, which was a Godsend, but for Saco the recommended restaurant was F.O. Goldwaithes and we thought they might laugh if we came back for a second dinner.

So how do you find a fab place to eat in an unknown city.   Yes, google.   I googled it and read the reviews so "The Lobster Claw" in Saco was my second dinner.   And a yummy one it was.   I had another lobster and some clams. BP had the plate of all things fried...clams, haddock, shrimp, scallops and fries.   YUMMY!   After a couple beers and a second dinner, we called it a night!

I will continue the journey in future posts!

Summer fun on the Farm.

2011-11-21T12:38:00.005-06:00

The girls and my nephew love to ride the tractors at the Farm. Granddaddy or my brother usually takes them for a ride when they ask! No wonder they love being at the Farm so much!

Little Rock Zoo.

2011-11-19T12:50:00.000-06:00

Back in the summer, I took the girls to the Little Rock Zoo.

Phi Mu legacies?

I am amazed at the progress that this zoo has made in the past 10 years. If you haven't been recently you wouldn't recognize it. It is located in the heart of Little Rock, so it is easy to stop by before doing some shopping in town.

KP loves Lorikeet Landing!

The girls also love the Arkansas Carousel located inside the zoo. It is an "over the jumps" carousel that is one of the last known to exist of its kind.

Camping 2011!

2011-11-18T06:40:00.014-06:00

We love to camp! However, BP and I (ok, really just me) are fair weather campers. I like the weather to be between 40-60 degrees at night and between 75-85 during the day....and no rain!

BP & I choose the perfect weekend in September to take the kids to Heber Springs, Arkansas. There are several wonderful campgrounds in this part of Arkansas and they are close to town in case you run out of s'mores!

We purchased a Coleman 10 man tent a few years ago. It is perfect for spring and fall camping. And it is extra large...because I have yet to master the art of traveling light. We took the girls sleeping bags, which kept them very warm. I on the other hand used the Pottery Barn down comforter from our old bed. We also took the gymnastics mat for all the girls to sleep on...yes, we were glamping! BP did make a little fun of us, but it kept us warm and comfy on the 40 degree night.

The best thing about the trip was that the campground was almost deserted. It was fabulous. School in Arkansas had started back and football season was in full swing, so very few people were camping. The girls had a blast hanging by the campfire, making s'mores, running in the woods, looking for raccoons and chuckies (squirrels), and fishing from the bank.

The girls love love love camping. IP thinks it is very cool to wear her socks with sandals! Yep, she's a little granola and I love it! KP just loved helping BP keep the camp fire going and poking the fire with a stick.

My favorite part was camp coffee (Community Coffee, no less) and S'mores for breakfast!

The girls loved it so much I know we will spend many more weekends playing the woods!

Holy Guacamole is that a Bat on the Porch!

2011-11-17T11:55:00.006-06:00

We have had such a busy summer and fall that I am way behind on posting on all the summer/fall fun. I will try to catch up in the next few weeks.

A few months ago we were looking out on the porch as saw this! Holy guacamole....it is a bat! The kids were freaked out for a few minutes (thanks, scooby doo.), but they got over it. We live on the edge of our rural town and by edge, I mean our fence is the city limits and it has a bean/rice field on the other side. So wildlife in our backyard is not unheard of. I'm just glad it wasn't the skunk that likes to hang out in the flower beds. The kids finally decided it was cool.

Our BFF family came over to check out the bat, too, which led to all the kids doing gymnastics in the grass in the backyard. Did I mention they all ended up grass covered... and they were all wearing their pajamas. Summer fun!

The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission has some information on bats in Arkansas. According to the information, I think this bat was probably hanging out and eating some stinkbugs, since the stinkbugs ate our entire garden this year. Hopefully, the bat ate them all. Yea for bats!

It was gone the next day. And don't freak out... we didn't get near it or touch it. That's all we need is a little rabies.

Here is a picture of our lovely garden last year....not so pretty this year...thanks, Stinkbugs.

JD's birthday

2011-11-16T11:54:00.000-06:00

My cousin's little girl had a birthday back in the summer! Here are pictures of her gifts. A rabbit screen printed t-shirt and a seat cover/pockets for her car! I just love giving homemade gifts!

I'll be posting about screenprinting in the next few weeks!

Halloween Costume: Strawberry Shortcake

2011-10-31T07:00:00.001-05:00

IP loves Strawberry Shortcake and Friends. She slept with the 3 inch dolls for several months. She usually has one in her hand and carries them in her pockets. So, Strawberry Shortcake was a natural choice for Halloween this year.

We picked up the tank and patch (on the hat) at H & M during our New York trip in March. I made the tier skirt on the same pattern as the twirl skirts. My great aunt Dorthy gave me vintage Strawberry Shortcake fabric from the 80's. I used it to make the hat and the middle tier of the skirt!

I also learned to make a yarn wig during this project from A Beautiful Mess. This is a very easy project. I think I need to make a few more for the dress up box.

When looking for Halloween ideas I also came across some Strawberry Shortcake tutus on Etsy. They were super cute and probably just as easy as the twirl skirt to make. Isabell didn't want her costume to be scratchy so I whipped up a twirl skirt!!

Happy Halloween!!

County Fair!

2011-10-28T10:38:00.000-05:00

You can't live in the South and in a rural area without attending the County Fair. In September, we took the kids for a night of corn dogs, cows, pigs, chickens, and exhilarating (but torts in the making) rides at the Arkansas County Fair.

It was throwback night celebrating 75 years of Arkansas County Fair (yes, this equals cheap rides!!) The girls had a blast! BP learned that he may be too old for the tilt-a-whirl!!

If you have never been to a county fair, you must put it on your bucket list!

Vinyl Bag

2011-10-22T22:59:00.005-05:00

KP's school has a strict dress code in which the kids can only carry mesh or clear backpacks. She has a pink mesh backpack that she carries some, but she needed a clear one for rainy days. My friend found clear messenger bags. I cut and applied vinyl for decoration for the girls! She loves it.

A Weekend at the Farm!

2011-10-21T11:03:00.000-05:00

My family has been farming for several generations. Our farm consists mostly rice, soybeans, corn, and wheat. My parents and grandparents still live on the farm. My brother lives close and is there everyday. My husband and I both grew up playing on farms with our cousins. We try to take the girls to the farm at least one weekend every month and most of the times two or three times. It is only an hour and 1/2 from our house. My extended family still gathers about once a quarter for family dinner (lunch) at the farm. Fried fish, hamburgers or crawfish are usually on the menu. Fun times! The girls and my nephew as well as my cousins and their kids love to come to the farm to play. You can judge the fun had on the farm by how dirty the kids are at the end of the day. I made this sign last week for my mom's kitchen! It is so true!

Last weekend, the kids had the opportunity to ride the combine during soybean harvest and to attend the Parker Homestead! The Parker Homestead is a wonderful fall festival type event in Northeast Arkansas that shows how the pioneers in Arkansas lived! White beans, cornbread, buggy rides and fried pies! Needless to say at the end of the day their shoes (and pants) were full of soybeans and they were very dirty!! I wouldn't have it any other way.

Present for BB: Monogrammed vinyl bag.

2011-10-13T08:08:00.001-05:00

KP's BFF turned 8! We gave her a monogrammed bag (love my Silhouette vinyl & Target totes) with her initials. We also gave her a stamped necklace and some glow sticks! What else could an 8 year old want!!

Silhouette Projects: Wooden Signs and License Plates

2011-10-12T20:02:00.001-05:00

IP's school is having a fundraiser tomorrow night. I ordered some market totes and cozies from JustSoCute Designs. I then made a few painted signs out of some distressed wood. And by distressed I mean wood from our scrap wood pile! Love the scrap wood pile, (except for the fact that I've almost used it up.) I also tried out vinyl on license plates for the first time. Not so happy with the initial one, I think I'll redo it, but the team plates turned out cute!

This project also required a trip to the local hardware store for wire to hang the signs. While I was there, I bought the girls a present! They are going to be so excited because I bought them a red and white 12 foot rope for a jump rope! I had a white one when I was in the 5th grade and it was rad...rad I say!! Can't wait to try it out! I love the hardware store!

MB's Birthday: Zipper bags

2011-10-07T09:02:00.000-05:00

My super sweet nephew, MB, had a birthday in August. We were traveling with Aunt B and MB this summer. She had the nerve to carry his toys in a ziplock...what is this world coming to.....Aunt J had to make the boy some travelin' bags for his cars, army men, motorcycles, tractors and other favorite toys (the girls sneaked a few dolls in the mix after the trip)! This super cute fabric came from the French Seam and Purl Soho!! Here are two tutorials for the Dopp kit (Purl Bee and Sew4Home)

I also made some travelin' bags for myself. (the photo is a little lacking! Maybe I should have cropped the mail pile out, yep, we live in a real house, as I digress on this Friday morning...) Anyway, the clear bags are great for airport security, power cords, cosmetics in my purse and other jumbled messes.

I used a basic zipper tutorial for the zipper bags. For the clear and orange bag I used this tutorial from Lil Blue Boo.

Supplies for this project. Moda fabric is from the French Seam. For the vinyl, I didn't go out and buy it. We recently purchased a new sheet set..hello, Pottery Barn Outlet! The sheets came in a vinyl pouch. I cut the vinyl pouch up into the pieces that I needed. Yipee for reuse (and the realization that I'm turning into my great grandmother and great aunt)!! I purchased the elastic from the Fabric Hound. I also used a little fabric and elastic to make a credit card pouch similar to the my felt iPhone case.

The Fabric Hound also has very cute striped elastic trim. You can cut a piece into a headband and tie a knot....instant headband!

Have a good weekend and craft on!

Boston & Maine Trip

2011-09-26T20:02:00.001-05:00

Many of you have asked about our recent trip to Boston, MA and Southern Coastal Maine!   We had a fabulous time.   It was the first time that BP and I had taken a trip together (without kids or work) since KP was born.    It was also a couple weeks after our 10th Anniversary.   Over the next couple of days I will recount our trip. You will notice that some times I had more than one dinner or several entrees at a meal...yes this should be entitiled "Eating my Way across New England!"

Day 1 --
We flew into Boston on Friday night.   We stayed at the Embassy Suite Boston Logan Airport.    Let me just say that this was the friendliest Embassy Suites.   The van driver was over the top nice.   It is right by the airport, but I didn't hear any planes. It is also very close to the T Station at Boston Logan. We had dinner at the Baltimore airports (love some Philips!) but had a snack at the Embassy Suite.

Day 2-- Saturday
   Breakfast was at the hotel...typical Embassy Suite (yep, I had the omelet). We took the T into Boston early (my husband is a very early riser--yipee). The Boston Hyatt Regency let us check our bags until our room was ready.   This hotel is in the Downtown Crossing area near the Boston Common.   I picked it solely on proximity to H & M.   Yes, we are from the south and until last week no online H & M shopping.

We took off walking after checking our bags. The Red Sox/Rangers game was moved to a day game so we didn't have a lot of time in Boston. We did walk part of the Freedom Trail.    We saw the Paul Revere House, Fanieul Hall and a couple other old buildings. I thought the whole this is where the revolution started was pretty cool. The Freedom Trail is not very spaced out in this part of town so it was easy to see a few sights in a short amount of time. BP however did complain that I was a runner and he was not (he was glad to get in the car on Sunday!)    We ate lunch at Quincy Market, which is a great lunch place.    Lunch consisted of New England Clam Chowder, Pizza and Choocolate Cheesecake. Yum.

Quincy Market

Faneuil Hall

Cheesecake

Paul Revere House

After an afternoon of shopping (BP took a nap), we headed onto the massively packed T train for the Red Sox/Rangers game. Fenway was really old and historial and did serve a mean brat and lobster rolls, but it was so not Busch. We sat in the outfield near the Green Monster Walls. It was really big and monster like.

Bp & JP at Fenway

Lobster Roll #1 at Fenway!

4 Reasons why Fenway is not Busch.
1) No beer sales in the stands. Nuf said. Maybe if it was Sam Adams park you could get beer in the stands.
2) No organ....just not baseball with a little "Charge" on the organ.
3) No Pujols
4) No Fredbird.

Anyway, we finished up the evening eating at Max & Dylans! It was near the hotel and had good upscale bar food!

Day 3 - Leaving Boston
The next morning we awoke at 6:00 a.m Eastern Standard Time. Yes, one hour earlier than our normal time to the Fire Alarm and the call to evacuate the building. Nothing like 17 flights of stairs at 5:00 a.m. I'm really glad I had my running shoes. Nothing like brushing your teeth on the side of the street in Boston. The firemen were not amused by my wanting a picture. Anyway, we got a really early start. Back on the T to the airport, shuttle to Rental Car Place and then we headed out to Maine. Without a map, or coffee or sense of direction. We took a wrong turn and ended up going through the Tunnel and popped up on the bridge that I had been eyeing in Boston and wanting a closer look. Good thing it was early Sunday morning and there was little traffic. Word of advice...don't drive in Boston.

Bunker Hill Bridge

Onto New Hampshire & Maine....See the rest of the trip later this week.
Link to next Post about this trip!

Memphis Zoo!

2011-09-22T14:16:00.000-05:00

We love the Memphis Zoo. I grew up about an hour from the Zoo.   It is one of the top zoos in the US.   If you haven't visited, you must! I've visited many zoos (San Diego, DC, St. Louis, Philly and many others). The Memphis Zoo & Aquarium is by far my favorite (although the St. Louis zoo's penguin exhibit is pretty cool...literally). I try to take the girls two or three times a year.

This past visit was the first time that we had been to the Birds & Bees exhibit. KP loved feeding the birds.   I have a totally different view.   I don't do birds...I still have nightmares regarding the movie "The Birds".   These birds were actually pretty nice (the Lorikete Landing at the Little Rock zoo is great as well) and not one tried to peck my eyes out.   It was close though.

IP loved the Polar bears in the Northwest Passage (as usual).   The Panda exhibit is outstanding.   You can stand there as long as you like and there usually isn't a line unlike the one in San Diego.   Check out the Panda and Polar Bear cams on the website.

IP running with the polar bear!

Kp feeding the birds.

The Zoo is located in Overton Park which is a gorgeous setting in the old neighborhood in Memphis. (I 40 was re-routed around this area to save the Zoo!) There are several new exhibits such as the Teton Trek and the Northwest Passage. Most of the zoo has been renovated over the last 15 years and I just can't tell you how outstanding it is. The Zoo is relatively flat, not any big hills and for the most part is shaded, so it is not too hot in the summer. The buildings are air-conditioned which is nice, too! The farm exhibit has been renovated this summer and should be great!

Link to Map on Website

Laundry Room & Kids Art

2011-09-20T10:48:00.000-05:00

I have posted about our laundry room a few times. I posted pics of the cabinet reorganization project (which is still fab I might add). When we moved in I needed some artwork for the laundry since it is also the backdoor entrance (note to self...do not have the entry walk through the laundry). I also needed a place to display some of the kids artwork. I picked black frames and added some of their art work. I especially like the butterfly above the key rack and the handprints (Note to teachers...Mom's love art made from handprints).

Now comes the part of the laundry room in which I (and my husband especially) hates. Yes, the bad word of hate. In our house we don't have anywhere to hang laundry except the front of the cabinets. Since I'm a tall girl and also run alot, I don't dry a lot of clothes due to shrinkage and longivity of the expensive running clothes. Therefore, we have hanging laundry all the time.

Here are some examples of what I have found on the net. Little Lucy Lu has a fab rack, but we don't have enough room for it.

via Little Lucy Lu

I also like this from Jo Rabaut, but again not enough room.

via House of Turquoise

I think something like this would be more our space and size. I would lose a set of cabinets though and the picture below they wanted to hide the rod with a curtain.

Via Remodelaholic

Yikes. What to do What to do? Comments are welcome.

Summer Heat wave and t shirt necklace

2011-09-15T08:04:00.002-05:00

I'm glad that it has cooled off in Arkansas. Three weeks ago it was 114 degrees in Little Rock ....MEGA MELTY HOT!

Anyway, today's post is about a project that didn't turn out so hot. I tried make the very popular t-shirt necklaces. Here is a great tutorial from Sugar Bee crafts. Other crafters t-shirt necklaces are so cute. Mine just looked like a bunch of cut up t-shirts hung around my neck....BLAH...it was too hot to be creative that day. Anyway, I turned the necklaces into braided head bands for the girls similar to these at make it and love it. My headbands actually turned out super cute!

And now I will move on to another craft.

Felt iPhone Case.

2011-09-14T10:44:00.001-05:00

After years of hatred for my Blackberry, I finally purchased an iPhone 4. And I'm in love. Now the problem is what kind of case? It needs some protection, but I can't decide spur of the moment. In the meantime, I used felt to make a case.

I cut a piece of felt 12 inches x 3 1/2. Edged it with the pinking shears for some fun.
I appliqued a piece of butterfly fabric (oval shape 2 inches x 2 1/4 inches) onto a yellow piece of felt. I trimmed the felt and sewed it in place(2 1/4 inch from one end).
I sewed a button centered 1 inch from the edge of the front (side with applique).
I sewed a felt pocket (3.5"x2.75") on the reverse side 1 1/2 inch from top of flap (end away from applique). The pocket is the right size of a driver's license or credit card.
I folded the butterfly/button side 5 inches up and stitched around the edges with embroidery floss.
I sewed a small ponytail holder (or piece of elastic) in the center of flap.

Very simple and easy project.

Tree Heat Transfer & Bleach T shirt

2011-09-13T06:32:00.000-05:00

When we were at the beach, we did a project using bleach pens on tshirt for tie dye. We didn't get Aunt B's finished while we were there. She wanted a skull shirt. I tried dyeing a skull on the front. It didn't dye so well and turned out more blob like. Instead of waste the $1.99 tank, (yes, bargain shoppers) I used my new Silhouette and fuzzy heat transfer paper to add this tree to the front. The design is from the Silhouette website. I think I will have to try the heat transfer for other projects!

Silhouette Projects: Doors and Mixer Projects

2011-09-12T09:30:00.000-05:00

I bought a Silhouette a few weeks ago. I thought I would start with a couple easy projects. I made labels for a few doors in our house and a decal for the mixer (I had extra space on a piece of vinyl)! The Silhouette was much easier to use that I imagined but it does take some practice of learning the settings and software. Be prepared to waste some vinyl in the beginning!

I can't wait to see all the projects that I can come up with!

Craft Gossip Blogger Meet up

2011-09-11T08:05:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I was selected to participate in the Craft Gossip Blogger Meet up in Little Rock.   It was a great day that involved 20 craft bloggers and four of the local Craft Gossip Editors.   The event was held at Trio's (yum) and sponsored by EK Success. I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to network with other crafters in Arkansas.

EK Success (who I knew from Scrapbook paper) also carries many lines of craft supplies and craft kits.    EK provided all the attendees with a swag bag full of craft supplies! I didn't realize that EK made some of my favorite craft brands such as Martha Stewart and American Girl!

Swag Bag from EK Success at Event

A LALiberi Kit that we demonstrated at the event. These kits were easy to use and would be great for young crafters and beginners! KP was a great model for my flower!

Here I am...a little excited over winning a prize!!

Pic from Nooks and Crannies

When I got home, the girls were just as excited as I was. They immediately had to try out the Perler beads sets that I received. My 4 and 7 year olds loved them!

I loved talking to the other bloggers. Check out all the pictures on Nooks and Crannies Crafts. It was nice to meet Andi and Paige. I will post links to other bloggers I met as I receive them.

Thanks again Craft Gossip and EK Success for a great events (and the giant Swag Bag!!)!

Craft Gossip: Blogger Meet up

2011-09-09T09:15:00.000-05:00

I have been invited to participate in the Craft Gossip Blogger Meetup in Little Rock sponsored by EK Success Brands . This is an opportunity to meet up with other craft bloggers in the area and demonstrate products from the sponsor (and eat fab food). This is my idea of a perfect event! I can't wait to share the event with you!

Teacher Survival Kit

2011-08-26T13:48:00.000-05:00

It is back to school time. For the open house, we took the girls' teachers a Teacher Survival Kit. My friend E inspired this project. What teacher doesn't need extra supplies.

I included the following: Sharpies, highlighters, band aids, acetaminophen, dry erase markers, pencils, pens, scotch tape, waters, and a bottle of personalized handsantizer. I spray painted the bottom of a shoe box (and part of our driveway, yes, my husband is very happy about this! hehe) red. I applied vinyl letters cut with the Silhouette and some cut shapes.

For the hand sanitizer, I removed the front label from the bottle. I cut vinyl self adhering letters and circles on the Silhouette machine and applied. Clean hands for everyone!

Watermelon a.k.a. Favorite Summer Dinner

2011-08-22T09:01:00.000-05:00

Being from the South, I LOVE a good watermelon. My mom loves watermelon and my youngest, IP is obsessed as well. It is genetic, probably from the Mississippi side of the family since my great grandfather "Pop" always had watermelons in his garden.

My favorite watermelons are Cave City, Arkansas Watermelons! I know they have them in Hope as well. However, I think the Cave City ones are the best. So sweet!! Yum!

My husband, BP, works at a factory with an Angel (yes, sent from heaven) that brings watermelons to our town weekly!

Have I told you lately I have the best husband in the world? He buys them and hides them in the garage refrigerator (Yep, the 25 year old harvest gold one!) and surprises me with them after I run.

Is there anything better than having ice cold watermelon for dinner after a long hot muggy run in the South in August? I think not. The one above was dinner a couple weeks ago.

New Obsession: Banana Faux Cream

2011-08-10T17:15:00.000-05:00

I'm training for another 1/2 marathon, so I'm trying to lose a few pounds in the beginning. This would all be fine and dandy except it has been 114* here. Not kidding! 114! or 106! or melty hot as I like to call it. Anyway, I need ice cream to save myself from the heat wave. But that's not on the low calorie plan.

We were over at our BFFamily's house and she said she had a new ice cream for me to try that was very healthy and made with bananas. Since this is the girl who loves some wheat germ, I was skeptical!!! But it was fab! She had a commercial machine. It was so good I ate my cup and K's cup since she wouldn't even try it. It does taste like bananas. But since I love Ben and Jerry's Chunky Monkey Ice Cream, I'm in heaven. However 1/2 cup (1/2 cup= one giant spoonful!)of the Chunky Monkey has 290 calories!! Therefore, I make banana ice cream in my Handy chopper (tiny food processor) throw in some pecans and honey (or chocolate syrup) and I've got icecream. For 190 calories and its a bowlful!

Here's the link to the ~~recipe~~ instructions!

YUM!

Stamped Necklaces

2011-08-09T09:42:00.000-05:00

A few of the pendants that I have stamped this summer!!
Stamping is harder than it looks to get the numbers/letters to line up.
I am enjoying it just the same.

Princess and the Pea Gift set

2011-07-29T10:45:00.000-05:00

One of the girls' friends, Miss MM was turning 5.   She reminds me so much of "I" with her vivid imagination, love of all things princess, and the ability to perform ballet at the most random of times (such as while performing at church or during freeze dance at VBS).

What else do you get for a true princess having a Princess birthday? Yep, Princess and the Pea.

I made the princess similar to the one found at Sewing in No Man's Land.   I made the pea out of piece of green felt.    I included several mattresses.    You will notice the mattresses look amazingly similar to the lunch box napkins...hmm? The paper book was crafted with the text of the "princess and the pea" story printed on white paper inside of a piece of scrapbook paper and tied with string.

I also made a zipper pouch to hold all the items for on the go play and to serve as gift wrap. I've been a little anti-gift wrap these days. It costs $$ and doesn't really serve a purpose so I'm trying to make reusable gift wrap.

"I" loved it and I hope Miss MM does too.

Wedding Crafts!

2011-07-28T09:10:00.000-05:00

As you all know, my SIL was married in June in Mexico! (see previous posts) When we returned to the States, a reception was held in the city where she and my husband grew up. It was loads of fun. The Bride had some very cute and crafty ideas that I want to share.

Sign in Tree: The Bride provided circles and glue dots for everyone to sign their name and place on a tree. What a great way to show who was at the wedding and a great keepsake for later.

Table Runners: Notice the super cool table runners, yep, that was my contribution. I made 17 overall. I split the fabric in half lengthwise. Cut to the length she requested and serged the edges. She glued purple ribbon to the edge using fabric glue.

Candy Bar: This was a big hit with my girls. The Bride filled glass dishes with green jelly beans, rock candy, twizzlers, sour balls, gummy fish and lime slices! She also stamped the take home bags with the newlywed's names and a filigree design. We loaded up before we left!!

Photo Booth: The photo booth was a huge hit with everyone! The coolest part is that my father in law made it! Yep, he's crafty too! He made a frame of pipe and a wall of Masonite board. He cut hole in the wall and applied the decoration (frames, molding, and wallpaper). My grandmother in law made the curtains from black fabric. The bride had tons of props including paper umbrellas, leis, flowers, funky glasses, mustaches, lips, chalkboards, and necklaces! Stools were also provided for the little ones to stand one and the adults to sit. It was tons of fun!

The Bride & I

Kids Activities: Since there are several kids in the newlywed's families, the Bride provided coloring books and crayons for the kids. They were a big hit as well.

On another subject, my silhouette came in last night, but I was too busy sewing a birthday gift to play. Don't worry more crafts to come!

Make your own printables!

2011-07-22T12:11:00.000-05:00

We bought a pool party to our local public pool at a Charity Auction a few months ago. Yes, I was driving up the bids by bidding on stuff. I'm a sucker for a silent auction for a good cause! Therefore, we hosted the 1st Annual Payton Girls Splish Splash Pool Party.

I was a winter baby as well as my brother, so we very deprived (ok. not so much) and never got to have a birthday pool party growing up. Since my girls also have winter birthdays, we just hosted a fun pool party last night. It was great.

I'm the kind of mom who can't stand to sit in the shade dressed in my finest casual attire and melt while watching the kids swim (or have to get a babysitter and explain to the 4 year old why she can't go to the party), so the parents, a few grandparents, and siblings were invited to participate, too!! We had about 30 kids participate ranging in age from 2-12. Therefore, we had FUN FUN FUN!! The waterslide was a big hit (even with the grandparents)!!

For refreshments, we had frosted/sprinkled donuts as life rings and goldfish for the little ones. It was great since we didn't have the pressure of gifts and not inviting people because you didn't want to pressure them to buy a gift...yikes the stress of it! Although it was still stressful, because we live in a small town and can't invite everyone....oh the mom guilt! I even remembered folks during the party that I forgot to invite! YIKES! They are on the list for next year! Emily Post is cringing and giving me the evil eye! Oh and what is up with everyone going to cell phones and I'm not able to look up mailing addresses in the phone book....I know E-vites, but those are not fun. And yes we are those people too with a cell number for our home phone. Ok back to the crafts...sorry for the digression.

Looking for cool invites, I came across this printable tutorial from Homemade by Jill! I tried my hand at picnik. I think it is alot like Photoshop that I use but it was so easy and FREE!! All the better. I think I will work on something even cuter for next year.

Beach Vacation Crafts!

2011-07-20T13:29:00.000-05:00

The girls and I took last week for the annual Family Girl trip to the beach. I went with my girls, my mom, my Sister in law, her mom and my sweet nephew. All the ladies on the trip are super crafty.

Check out JustSoCute Designs!!

This is the view from the Skyhouse in Gulf Shores.

We spent the days hanging on the balcony, chasing kids on the beach, pinning on the internet and designing/planning crafty ideas. One we came across was the Bleach Shirt idea. So what do crafty girls with lots of time do....we loaded up for the outlet mall to buy some cheap t-shirts and a bleach pen.

Yes, that is the ocean you can see from my work space!!

I placed a few paper towels and a cookie sheet between the layers of shirt so it would not bleed through. I sketched several designs on a piece of paper and then just free handed it.

Some of the details on the shirts were smeared due to bleeding. I think the one below turned out very cute. One word of caution is not to use very detailed designs as bleeding will probably occur. The turquoise and red shirts bleached the best. Yellow and pink not so well....maybe I didn't leave the bleach on long enough.

I think I will try bleach tie dye or screen printing with bleach next!! This would make a great camp or bible school craft.

Next time, I might even take some finished pictures although the shirts look almost like the before pics!! (Ok, not taking after pictures might officially make me the worst craft blogger ever.)

Fabulous Quilt Find

2011-07-20T13:00:00.001-05:00

I recently went to an estate sale. I found these two fabulous finds! One a ring lap quilt and the other an unfinished quilt top. They were both dirty and old. But I got them for a steal!!

Here are pictures of the holes in the ring quilt. One fabric in the quilt had basically disintegrated. I have no idea how old these are. I'm going to say the fabric is at least from the early 60's?

I did quite of bit of research on how to restore and repair the old quilt. The tutorials include unbinding, un-quilting and fixing the areas and then putting it all back.....no thanks.

I'm not even sure who quilted this and it has no sentimental value so I went the quick and easy route.

I washed and dried both in Biz washing detergent. It took out most of the stains and brightening the colors. Yes, I know you are not supposed to wash quilts like this, but I did use the delicate cycle!

I used vintage fabrics from several sample books of old fabrics that my great aunt gave me a few years ago. The vintage fabric was perfect to use to repair since it was similar in color and style of fabric. I cut vintage fabric of the correct shape (1/4" larger all around) and corresponding to the fabric removed. Ironed the edges under and then I just zigzagged the applique over the hole. (I marked the replaced sections with blue arrows since they were hard to see!!)

Let me know what you think!! I love comments! (Let's me know I'm not the only reader of this blog!)

K recently took this as her blanket to the Beach and it worked out great for her quilt as it is about 4' x 6'.

Now to finish the quilt top. I'm thinking this is a winter project!

On another crafty note, I just ordered my first cutting device, A Silhouette SD!! Yippee, I'm so excited. More fun to come.

Dresses for the Wedding.

2011-06-25T08:27:00.001-05:00

My sister in law recently got married (IN MEXICO!!) Yipee!   A big group went and we had a blast. I can't say enough nice things about the Dreams Resort Riviera Cancun.   Very nice with excellent food.

My girls were both in the wedding.   IP was a flower girl and KP was the Jr. Bridesmaid.    My SIL wanted KP's dress to look like the Bridesmaid's. It was a beautiful green dress from Watters.   The only problem is that is didn't come in a girl's 10.   She wanted me to drive 1 1/2 hours to see a seamstress, but who has time for that so I made it myself.

Oh....I couldn't find a pattern.

So I made one using KP's measurements. [I used a blog tutorial for this and can't seem to find it. I'll link it when I do. ] It was fairly easy since her chest, waist, and hips are almost the same measurement.    The pleats in front were a trick and I still didn't get them right.

We ordered the fabric from Low's Bridal (where else?) where the bridesmaid dress was purchased.   During this project I learned to put in a hidden zipper and to do a blind hem stitch!

Inspiration Dress:

KP's dress:

I had fabric left over. It only took 3/4 of a yard to make KP's dress. I used another yard for a table runner for the beach reception. I couldn't let the extra scraps go to waste. I made my SIL a purse and KP a headband. I have better pictures of the headband but can't seem to find them. Yep, one of those days. I used the flower tutorial and wrapped a head band with the fabric and glued. The purse was a basic zipper pouch from Make it and love it.

I also wanted to share pictures of IP's dress which we purchased from Etsy - Posh Plum Dress Loved it!!

A Paper Towel Come Apart....

2011-06-24T08:27:00.000-05:00

Ok, when you read the title did you thing of the commercial of the wet paper towel with various objects falling through.

Well, its not that kind of come apart.

It is the kind you have in the middle of Sam's Club when the paper towels that used to cost $11.00 for a jumbo pack of 12 rolls now cost $24.00.....for $24 at Sam's you can get Shrimp...or Salmon. A couple of packs!!

Yikes! I did not buy the paper towels. Instead I came home and had a complete come apart while unloading groceries regarding the cost of paper towels. This was similar to the come apart about Milk prices that I had a few weeks ago. B felt so sorry for me he offered me money on the spot to stop the rant. Nope, I'm still mad. I have decided to give up paper towels except in dire instances like frying fish, cleaning glass windows and cat puke. Other than that we are going to try out the "bar towels" from Sam's Club that retail for a giant price of $8.28 for 24 towels.

I know I should do this to "go green" but I really think it is crazy to pay $24.00 for paper! I mean maybe for craft paper, but not for paper towels.

Let's see how that goes.

Bunco Project: Glass Magnets!!

2011-06-06T08:01:00.000-05:00

My fabulous friend, Nada, hosted "Bunco" Craft night! (if you remember we gave up bunco for adventures!) We made the cutest glass magnets, using glass rocks (from floral sections), Scrapbook paper, and magnets. A similar tutorial is provided Two Girls being Crafty.

We used E6000 glue instead of modge podge and it seems to work great and dry clear. We also used circle scrapbook punches a little small than the stones so we didn't have to freehand the cuts.

At KP's school, a group of ladies who are not assigned regular classrooms get the pleasure of letting the kids out of 9 cars at a time in three lines. They safely let the children cross the traffic. They do this is sun, snow, sleet, pouring rain, lighting, wind, fog, heat and bugs. They also do this with not so nice parents in line at times. And they do this with smiles on their faces!!

They are great and I feel so safe having them navigate my KP in traffic! I made each of these ladies a set of magnets and a heartfelt thank you note at the end of this school year! The pictures are from this set.

Lunch Sacks

2011-06-03T12:27:00.000-05:00

I had this great vinyl fabric from my trip to Austin and the Stitch Lab!! It had been in my stash way to long. We are using them as the "snack packs" for the car. I no longer have an old ratty ziplock with smashed granola bars and random raisins. We now have cool lunch sacks! They are also good for keeping things dry from splashes near the pool and beach.

Thanks Martha for the tutorial!

T-shirt remake

2011-06-01T10:29:00.001-05:00

BP, KP and IP volunteered at the local German Heritage Festival Oompa 5k. (yes, it might have been because mom forgot to get other volunteers and wanted to run the race, but hey the kids loved it and my husband racked up more brownie points). IP loved her tshirt but it was way too big. We changed it into a dress like we have for other t-shirts (see 1, 2 and 3. ) using an old tank of mine for the skirt and drawstring neck.

IP loves it and it is cool for summer.

Art Line

2011-05-31T10:24:00.001-05:00

My kids are so lucky to go to schools that promote art! Since my kids love art and I encourage them to be creative everyday, we needed a gallery. Our house has limited wall space due to the open floor plan. So I improvised. I tied a colored string from one end of the curtain rod to the other and use clothes pins to hang. When it gets too full we clean it off and start again.

Beach Bag aka another purse

2011-05-30T16:23:00.000-05:00

As you have all guessed, I love handmade purses and I have made several in the past few years.

We are taking a trip to Cancun for BP's sister's wedding.   I therefore needed a new purse.

I have loved this apple picking tote since I discovered Purl Soho.

I have the fabric that I picked up in NYC and I've been dying to use it.    I wanted something a little sturdier for my purse than just one layer of linen so I decided to line it.   (yes, the liner is fabric left over from the nursery bedding project 8 years ago....hello packrat).

I love love love my new purse.   It is just the right size to carry my netbook, kindle, a couple mags, my small baggaillni purse and other random mom junk like plastic rabbits, ipods, and raisins.

Before you know it I'll have my toes in the water....

Nursery Painting from the "old house"

2011-04-27T11:20:00.002-05:00

Since I haven't found time to actually upload the pictures of this week's craft projects (and some are gifts that can't be posted yet), here is a crafty project from many moons ago.

Here are pictures from the nursery at our old house. I miss our old house. It had original hardwoods, beautiful molding, 1950's style and one bathroom....ok I don't miss the one bathroom or the laundry in the detached garage or the petty crime from the old shady neighborhood. But still, my next house will be old or have old house features.

I recreated pictures from Beatrix Potter in the nursery before K was born.   I used a computer and projector to draw the outline on the wall and then painted on with acrylic paint. When I do this project again, I will so use a sharpie for the black outlines rather than trying to paint with a tiny brush.   Squirrel Nutkin was my fav!    I also outfitted the room with Beatrix Potter books and music boxes from when I was small. My mom made baby bedding and cafe curtains in red, green, and yellow plaid; a green and pink flower print and yellow chenille.

The paintings have probably been painted over by the new owners by now.   But I have fond memories of them.

Stamped Wedding Set

2011-04-22T14:19:00.000-05:00

My Sister in law is getting married. I wanted her to have something special for the wedding.

I used 1/8" metal stamps on two cake servers and forks. After some slippage (see upper middle picture), I realized that painter's tape works well for keeping the letters straight and to protect the non stamped surface from scratches. These took a lot of force to get good impressions.

I also fashioned a felt roll to keep them in. Can't wait to see them at the wedding. When I get time, these items will be added to my etsy listing!

Spring Break Trip-- Great Wolfe Lodge!

2011-04-20T10:51:00.001-05:00

I love to travel....it is pretty much why I go to work to pay for travel and adventure...and crafts.

A few weeks ago was Spring Break! Not so much the Pensacola, Bahamas, Jamaica, South Padre spring breaks of my past, but fun none the less.

We took the kids to Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine, Texas. Kathryn asked for this trip for her birthday! I was so glad to give her something that was just more plastic toys.

This was our third trip (second one in which we let BP come).    It was fun as usual. I can't say enough about how much our kids love Great Wolf Lodge. The Lodge has activities for all age groups. The water park rocks!

This was the first year that we let the kids play Magiquest and electronic scavenger hunt located throughout the resort.   64 flights of stairs later we finished the first 6 levels!! Yipee. Great exercise and the kids loved it.   Take your tennis shoes for the stairs!   Flip flops won't hack it for this game.

While in Dallas, we also ate Mexican at Chritina's...YUM! and took the kids to Rainforest Cafe at Grapevine Mills.   Rainforest has pretty good food to be such a kid friendly place although it is a little pricey.

Painted Stool Project

2011-04-19T10:33:00.007-05:00

While completing the Adirondack chair project, I also have two stools from my apartment in Jackson many, many moons ago. They have been moved at least 4 times since then. The stools were being used as grill seating and plant stands on the porch. They were not very attractive.

I sanded the stools with the palm sander (still in love with my palm sander) and then sprayed painted the stools and applied a stencil. See prior post.

I think they turned out great.

Here the lesson from this project! OVERSPRAY.

I spray painted the chair and stools in our garage. It was a little windy that day so I shut the garage for the painting part. Big Mistake. The overspray coated everything in our garage with a fine dusting of paint dust. Some of the paint dust I could shake off things...such as all my hubby's camoflauge clothing! Yikes!

I ended up swiffering and mopping (yes mopping) the garage to get it all up since we were tracking it in the house. So lesson learned, don't spray paint 8 cans of paint with garage door closed...even if you raise it between coats to dissipate the cloud. Husband's do not take kindly to overspray!

In the meantime, during this project, we discovered termites in the garage baseboard...Double YIKES! Now we are dealing with that. I'm sure a blog project will come out of the aftermath of that discovery...stay tuned!

Overspray aftermath!!

Adirondack Chair Paint project.

2011-04-18T10:31:00.000-05:00

I purchase an unfinished Adirondack Chair at our local Ace Hardware at the end of last summer. It was the display and had a few knotholes on the edges of one arm piece. It was super cheap.   It lived on the porch all winter (snow and all) naked!   I finally decided on a color and pattern.

I used the tutorial at Cactus and Olive for my stencil!

I started by partially disassembling the chair and sanding it down. In the top center, you will see one of my favorite power tools, THE PALM SANDER!! You cannot (ok, cannot easily) refinish furniture without it. We have used it on many projects! Our is a Ryobi brand but I think they are all very similar. Remember to wear your PPE (safety glasses and gloves) when using. It hurts if you get your skin....not that I would know first hand (wink wink).

For the paint, I used outdoor spray paint from my local Wal-mart.   It was very expensive (8 cans worth) and ended up costing more than the chair itself. It would have been much cheaper to prime and paint with regular paint.   Although the spray paint was easy, (except for multiple trips to the store)!

I love my new chair. It is great for coffee, reading the newspaper, or making hexies, while the kids play in the back yard.

New York Fabric Purchases

2011-04-14T20:05:00.000-05:00

When were in NYC in March, I had the opportunity to visit Purl Soho. Purl Bee is one of my favorite online craft website. I racked up.

Can't wait until I have time to make something. Now they are all just piled on the art desk for me to admire. Yes, I spent a pretty penny, but it was so worth it.

Young inspired artist. Part 2.

2011-04-13T20:00:00.001-05:00

"Glaring like diamod. Ringing like a bell, buzzing like a bee! I still love you!"

K also has other passions beside painting. She also likes to write us poetry. The dry erase board is now a permanent fixture in our living room. Besides being a great medium for poetry, it is also the list of who next at the vet, the "board" that she teaches from and the signin sheet for work. I love that my girls have wild imaginations.

Young inspired artist.

2011-04-12T20:00:00.000-05:00

During the recent art project of the painted tiles (see a few posts ago), K found some of the tiles we didn't use. She decided to paint her own. I think she did a great job.

She is sad that her favorite art teacher is leaving her school. She came to us two years ago from teach for america and now has the chance to go to grad school...not any but just Harvard. We are very excited for her. K has been very inspired by Miss C and teaches me about art. Just because mom has an art minor, K still must teach me. I'm learning about horizon and Van Gogh! I love it and try to be a good student!!

Life is crazy and the days are now sunny....

2011-04-07T09:05:00.000-05:00

Life is crazy and the days are now sunny so I'm finding it very hard to blog.

Ok not blog, but upload pics to the home computer, edit and the format for blogging.

So this may be one of my few posts without pictures.    Pictures will follow...hopefully this week.    I'm off to a conference for my "real" job and therefore will have time to blog.

Why will I have time?

Because I'm going to Disney World....without my kids.

Yes, the tragedy of it.   Why no kids? I'll be in conferences all day and after the NYC trip and the upcoming Beach trip for my SIL's wedding (dress making blogging to come), K doesn't need to miss anymore school and B doesn't have any vacation time. And you sure can't take one kid to disney and not the other. So the kids think I'm going to Georgia.

I know lying to small children and not taking them to Disney.   Straight to hell. I will tell them eventually that I went to Disney, but probably only after I have sacks full of Disney merchandise as a bribe.    I will spend the $65 dollars for the 1/2 day park ticket on princess gifts I'm sure. I'll also try to get some running in.

I'm taking a vacation day on Friday to pack for my upcoming law school reunion (10 years...yikes) that I'm hitting on the way to ~~Orlando~~ Georgia and to get in my 11 mile run with my sole sisters.    Longest run yet. I'm excited.

So what will future blogs entail: Repainted Adirondack chair and stools with Stencil, repainted playhouse floor, probably a little about the upcoming 1/2 marathon (or craft stores in Nashville), banana nut bread, termites, sewing camera straps, new felt/fabric purchases, making a Jr. bridesmaid dress from a picture (no pattern), and new jewelry adventures.   New items should be up on etsy soon as well.

Ok here's a crazy story since I'm shorting y'all on pictures.    Several bloggers have started "truth be told Tuesday."   I know its Thursday...anyway here it goes for my little bit of crazy old lady moment for the week.

Since envoking the 8 hour plan (Part time schedule) I get to pick up K at school most days.   This involves getting to school 20 minutes before it lets out so she is not the last kid picked up. To my first grader this is the biggest tragedy in the world....a late mother (or one who goes to Disney without her kids). So I get to school most days, get it line, shut off the engine and enjoy the breeze, however recently I have noticed that many other drivers are smoking in their cars while sitting in line on the "smoke free/drug free/gun free" campus of our public school. I have now taken it on myself to "kindly yell" from my car to stop smoking on campus.    I don't want to have to breath it.   The kids/teachers don't need to breathe it nor deal with the butt litter (another soapbox for another day). Can you believe that these law breaking individuals actually get mad when you "kindly yell" from one giant SUV about the illegalities of smoking on campus?    So now I take their picture if they don't stop or if they get really mad and share it with my closest 400 facebook friends.

Yes, my friends, I will be that crazy old lady (lacking a filter from brain to mouth) one day...and I'll be good at it.

Spring! Yippee!

2011-03-17T10:47:00.000-05:00

Spring is here!! Yippee! The weather has been very nice for the past few days. All the daffodils are blooming and would look great in our flower beds (if the girls would stop picking them). What is up with little girls having to pick every and I mean every flower that blooms.

We have several kinds of flowers that I have dug up from abandoned home places around the farm, from plant swaps, and from family. I'll try to feature them through out the summer as they bloom.

Since my girls won't leave the flowers in the gardne, it is a good thing that I have some super cute bottles that my mom picked up for us on one of their adventures. I love them and am thinking about making more.....looks like vintage cards and some glue. Hello, Mrs. Modge Podge!

I'll let you know how they turn out if I get around to it.

Anyway, Happy Spring! Any remember to stop and enjoy the flowers.

Art Studio Night Out (formerly Bunco)

2011-03-17T10:28:00.000-05:00

Years ago (2003 maybe) I joined a Bunco group. It was formed by 3 friends who each picked 3 more friends. And then there were 12. It is the most superb group of women I have ever known.    Although some have moved on and some are members from afar, we still have a great group of "babes" that meet monthly.

We have been through marriages, births, deaths, miscarriages, divorces, cancer, job losses/gains, career changes, home changes, and other of life trials and for each we have grown closer. All of these girls are open minded, kind, faithful, and caring with each bringing special talent(s) to the group. I am inspired daily by these women.   We joke that if we had a vet in the group, we could start our own commune!!

Somewhere along the way, we stopped playing bunco every month and started eating and socializing (and griping about our kids, husbands and jobs).    This past year many of us have been striving to live more simple lives (see prior posts on simplicity).

For 2011, we decided as a group to bring a more positive spirit into our lives and have activities every month.    The group (KSZ as ringleader) had a balloting system that was comparative to the electoral college (without the hanging chads).

We picked 11 activities for the new year.   Here are the top 11 events for 2011:   Art Studio night, Stress Relief night, Crafty Girls Night, Cooking, Pottery, Movies in the park, Give Something Back (we do have a 46 Mommas among us...and yes BALD MOMS ROCK!), Rock Climbing, Waste not, want not Swap, Jewelry making and Christmas PJ party.

Susan from Pinky & Bitz Art Studio

Our February outing was Art Studio night in which I hosted. A few years ago we recieved a set of coasters made by my husband's very crafty cousin. We love them and use them often. Painted Tile Coasters was Art Studio Night. I am so lucky to have a friend who is a real artist from Pinky and Bitz Art Studio. She found us studio space to rent and gave lots of artistic advice. I brought lots of snack food.

I picked up several rough tiles from Home Depot. Each babe picked 4. We used acrylic paint, stamps, stencils and brushes to decorate the tiles. Each turned out as unique as the babe that created it.

I spray coated the tiles with clear sealer.

Then, I affixed cork from Micheal's to the back with Tacky glue.

I can't wait for the rest of the year to see what the Babes come up with next.

Stamped Garden Stakes

2011-03-16T08:54:00.011-05:00

My mother's birthday was last week. She is an avid gardener and loves things for her garden. I found this tutorial from Bunny Hill Blog on garden stakes.

This was a very very loud project (you will need ear plugs and a place for the cat to hide). My husband has a large sledge hammer and a piece of heavy iron that sped the process along. It is also a great arm workout!!

I picked up the spoons at the Magic Forest Consignment for very cheap.

I marked the spacing with a Sharpie prior to stamping. I also started with the middle letters and worked my way out. This process will take some practice!

I customized the spoons to match what she was actually going to plant from seeds, so the stakes weren't the random (basil, rosemary, etc) stakes that you can find in most stores.

I can't wait to see the stakes in her garden.

I think it would also be neat (yes, I said "neat") to stamp spoons with scripture or garden sayings.

Also I couldn't be more excited. I've been linked by Sew a Straight Line!! Yipee.

Stamped Metal Jewelry

2011-03-15T08:54:00.000-05:00

I have been in love with stamped metal jewelry for a while, but am too cheap to actually buy the finished product so instead I purchased my own stamp set and went to town.

I took a hint from another crafter (after I stamped a couple letters upside down) and labeled my stamps with a paint pen.

I bought a cheap version of Upper case Block letters from the PJ Tool die from ebay. Then I ordered the numbers. I should have ordered the whole set. It is a very basic set (cheap), nothing fancy (but a little greasy). I was amazed at the price of the fancy fonts.

Luckily, my husband had a stamp block, hammers, safety glasses and ear plugs.

This is my first attempt at necklaces for the girls and a key chain for me. Here is the great tutorial I used from The Idea Room.

I can't wait to make more projects with these stamps. I had new discs come in last night....can't wait to use them.

Check out tomorrow's post: Stamped Garden Stakes.

A Month with No Post

2011-03-14T14:36:00.000-05:00

Yikes! It has been a month since my last post. What have I been doing? Let's see...training for a half marathon, traveling to New York, crafting, sewing and chasing kids to dance, tennis, church, and gymnastics as well as working at my real job and serving as president of the local Chamber of Commerce and the public school Foundation. Also, the weather has been nice so we've been playing outside. Ok, I don't feel so bad for not blogging....I've just been a busy girl.

New posts to come this week. I've got a month to catch up on.

Shopping Trip: Stapler...a shiny new red one!

2011-02-12T17:43:00.001-06:00

Isn't it fun? I now have a new stapler. Valentine's gifts can be finished!

Valentine's Gifts (Chalk and Pencils)

2011-02-12T14:19:00.002-06:00

I think candy is great. I think a truckload of candy for every holiday is a little much.

Being inspired by the creative mama, I came up with fun gifts for the kids.

Sidewalk chalk for the Pre-K3 bunch and pencils for the 1st Graders.

Supply list for pencil project: Pencils, scrapbook paper cut into 4 inch squares, printer friendly labels (or you could hand label) and an x-acto knife or scissors for making the cuts for the pencils.

Supply list for Chalk project: Card stock for tags, chalk, cellophane bags (or food baggies), and staples.

I made the tags & labels in Microsoft office.

Speaking of stapler, I've lost mine. How do you lose a stapler? I have no idea. Maybe at the church from bible school?? Who knows. Teaching 16 2-5 year olds could make you lose more than a stapler. Anyway, I'll probably just purchase another one since my old one was very rickety.

If you have alot of time, these felt crowns are very cool, too. Another project for another day.

Hula Hut...I miss you.

2011-02-12T10:54:00.003-06:00

While in Austin, TX in December, we went to the Hula Hut. I had the pork tacos....yummy.

Since we are no where near there, I decided to make my own. This was a super easy and yummy recipe. K said they were like hula hut except without the fun stuff like the surf boards, boats, lake, chairs, tables, waitresses, friends, cool t-shirts, steps, fish, mermaids, table cloths, parking lot, starfish, buoys, and other fun stuff.

Slow cooker Pulled pork Tacos. from Real Simple. (REAL YUMMY)

Serves 6| Hands-On Time: 15m | Total Time: 8hr 30m

Ingredients

2 cups store-bought salsa, plus more for serving
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons dried oregano
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
kosher salt
1 2 1/2-pound boneless pork butt or shoulder, trimmed of excess fat
18 corn tortillas
1/2 cup fresh cilantro sprigs
3/4 cup sour cream
1 lime, cut into wedges

Directions

In a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker, combine the salsa, chili powder, oregano, cocoa, and 1 teaspoon salt. Add the pork and turn to coat.
Cook, covered, until the meat is tender and pulls apart easily, on high for 4 to 5 hours or on low for 7 to 8 hours.
Twenty minutes before serving, heat oven to 350° F.
Stack the tortillas, wrap them in foil, and bake until warm, about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, using 2 forks, shred the pork and stir into the cooking liquid. Serve with the tortillas, cilantro, sour cream, lime, and extra salsa.

Beans & Cornbread!! Beans & Cornbread!

2011-02-11T10:54:00.001-06:00

6 inches of snow in Southeast Arkansas...holy cow...a blizzard.

What does this mean? Yep, Beans and Cornbread!!

Yesterday (Day 2 of working at home with small children) I put on a pot of white (navy) beans and whipped up some cornbread. I have the best cornbread recipe ever! I cook it in a hand-me-down iron skillet that was my great grandmothers.

Straight from Southern Living.

Super moist Cornbread

Ingredients

2 cups self-rising cornmeal (I like the white self rising cornmeal mix)
2 cups buttermilk
1 large egg
1 tablespoon sugar
1/3 cup butter

Preparation

Stir together first 4 ingredients in a large bowl.
Melt butter in an 10-inch cast-iron skillet in a 425° oven 5 minutes. Tilt skillet to coat evenly with butter.
Pour cornbread batter into the buttered skillet.
Bake at 425° for 25 minutes or until golden. Remove cornbread immediately from skillet, and let cool.

Beginning Screen Printing

2011-02-09T09:39:00.000-06:00

Have I told you I have the best husband in the world? He is also the man who loathes shopping. So being the most wonderful husband, he handed me a fistful of cash in early December and said to buy what I wanted for Christmas!! Seriously....best husband ever!

So what did I do? Yep, straight to the craft store! I have been wanting to try my hand at screen printing. I still admire Lil blue boo. She is very crafty and is willing to share her secrets.

Thank you also for to The Sometimes Crafter for the squirrel inspiration. "I" now has a "Chucky" (her imaginary squirrel friend) shirt. I used the contact paper method of screen printing since it wasn't very sunny and I don't have a light box (yet).

The contact paper template only lasted about 10 prints. I tried it on some old t-shirts and some linen napkins before it was too saturated to work and the eyes slid around. I tried using some stick on store bought templates as well. I was not impressed.

Can't wait to try my hand at the photo emulsion techinque. I'm already working on a couple of designs.

Snow Day Project: Felt Hair Barrettes

2011-02-08T10:45:00.000-06:00

Another Snow day project from last Friday.

I have the most awesome hair dresser in the world (Thanks, AH!). When I was in her salon this week, they had some of the cutest hair barrettes, earring, and other trendy stuff. I was inspired.

And since "I" had some fun with the scissors one day and both the girls have a chin length strand of hair right in front of their angelic faces, they need barrettes at all times. I can't stand stringy hair in their faces!! Yes, I am turning into my mother!

Snow day project: Heart Banner.

2011-02-07T10:45:00.000-06:00

The girls had a snow day on Friday. I actually took the day off instead of working from home. We spent an hour or so making Valentine's day decorations. My girls LOVE Valentine's day. This was simply colored copy paper which I cut out in heart shapes. The girls decorated and punched holes in them. We strung them on red string (love some Martha Stewart twine...clearance item from the stash). I'm loving the banner on the curtains. I also love the fact that my girls love to be crafty and are very creative. See the "Bee my valentine" heart. Makes our little house a home!!

"I" is really in to handing me a heart and asking "Will you be my Balentime (valentine)?" It is still cute even 900 times later.

Hot Sauce and Trim Painting Explosion!

2011-02-06T16:26:00.000-06:00

Hot Sauce Explosion.
My super husband went to the Market this morning to get some Super Bowl supplies and donuts for the girls. I have promised him hot wings for a while. I have a few wings left over from our last Farmer's Market basket. And since he is staying home to watch the Superbowl, I told him I would make them today. I was into my second cup of coffee and enjoying the paper and then he dropped the hot sauce. Not a little jar, but a big one of Louisiana Hot Sauce. Yep.....maybe the messiest thing I have ever cleaned up. Still working on getting the rug clean.

Trim Painting Project Explosion:
While I was down on the floor cleaning, my dear husband brought in the trim paint so I could paint a 2 inch by 3 inch piece of wood to replace a piece next to the tub in the master bath. So once I had out the paint and brush I decided to touch up some trim....yes, this hasn't happened since the house was built (3 owners ago). I started painting and ended up repainting all the door trim in the kitchen, laundry room, master bedroom and bathroom. I also painted the wood under the kitchen bar.

And then it was time for lunch and for my husband to go back to the store.

And the trim looks fantastic. Can't wait for it to get warmer and I am going to tackle the garage and back door.

Here is a before pic

Here is an after.

Bar Stool Recover...Take 11.

2011-02-03T09:41:00.000-06:00

Yes, Take 11.   11 times I have recovered these...why might you ask.   Very messy kids and husband.

We started with two of these stools, bargains from Target, in the "old" house in 2001. Added two more when we moved in our current house. They were basic honey color with canvas seats.

I have since recovered these at least 11 times I can remember.    The top picture is the plaid which was number 4 and 10.   I recycled curtains from the old nursery for number 10.     The fabric on the purse from the last post was number 7.    It was $1 a yard from Wal-mart back in the day when Wal-mart actually had fabric.

They are easy to recover.   Turn them over. Take out the screws, cover with fabric and staple to the back. Then replace the seat on the chairs.    The electric staple gun works the best for attaching the thick fabric.    After coverings 4 and 9, I did remove all the bottom layers back down to the canvas.

The current layer is a faux leather from Hobby Lobby in a sage green color. This has been the best for removing spills. We'll see how long this holds up.    This is by far the most subdued fabric.

I'm thinking when this plays out and it is time for some new fabric that I might get bold and decide to sand and paint the chairs. Still haven't painted anything red....

Another new purse.

2011-02-02T09:41:00.000-06:00

This is a purse that I whipped up in the last few weeks. It is a larger version of the "Chucky" purse from this tutorial. I just made the pattern a little larger using freezer paper. This is large enough for my baggallini purse and my camera to fit in as well as the random things like small plastic bunnies. My husband thought the purple squirrel fabric was a little much for my conservative workplace, so I made this purse a little less fun on the outside, but still fun on the inside. And you all know that I won't really follow a pattern..yes, I have given up. So I added a pocket on the back for my blackberry and a couple of different pockets on the inside (using the basic instructions from the pattern just in different sizes).

Bird Shadow

2011-01-13T10:00:00.000-06:00

I usually blog about home, homemaking, cooking, sewing, and craft. This however, is none of those. We have huge glass windows on the north side of our house. We frequently have birds fly into them. The cats LOVE this and it makes for easy cat snacks. I'm pretty sure the bird that left this print was a dove and flew off to safety.

Anyway, cool bird print. Maybe I can use it as a screen print on a T.

Camera Strap

2011-01-12T10:00:00.000-06:00

I have been inspired by the camera straps by some fellow bloggers. Here is a great tutorial. My SIL saw my new one (yes, on the camera and can't photograph without taking it off) and so I whipped her up one as well. This new fabric came from a new line our Hancock Fabric is carrying. The camera lens cover was a hit and miss project that turned out quite well without a pattern.

Ironing Board and Cutting Combo.

2011-01-11T10:00:00.000-06:00

I've been pretty good here lately at most everything I make turning out looking pretty cute (after lots of tweaking and seam ripping). This project....not so much. It is very functional and works just fine, but it is very very uneven. I guess maybe I should have printed out the instructions (instead of going by memory) and maybe even had all the required materials instead of making do with what was on hand. Either way it works and is very functional. Here is what it is supposed to look like and probably great instructions had I bothered to follow them.

Disaster Ironing Board and Cutting Mat:

Tooth Fairy Pillow

2011-01-10T18:15:00.000-06:00

KP is close to losing her first tooth. We've been working on it for ~~months~~ weeks. We had a scare last week that she was actually going to pull it. So I whipped up a tooth fairy pillow from some scrap fabric and felt (all of her choosing.)

Maybe one day she will actually loose a tooth, since the permanent teeth are coming in like shark teeth behind the first. Yes, I'm saving my pennies for future dental work!!

Note: 2 hours after posting this...KP let me pull her tooth. Hopefully, another tonight!

Cabinet Knob Project - Finale!!

2011-01-08T20:12:00.000-06:00

I have finally finished a project started months ago! The finale is the Kitchen!! (See the prior posts Laundry, Bathroom, Kids Bathroom, Guest Bath, and Breakfast room.) I'm very happy with the results and the spray painted knobs have held up well. The estimate to replace all the knobs was $359.16. The total cost of this project (including replacing knobs I broke in the Kid's Bath with a few from Anthropology) $43.29.

Kitchen Before:

Kitchen After:

Tshirt Dresses for Girls

2011-01-08T08:15:00.000-06:00

The girls love the upcycled T shirt dresses. For Christmas, I made IP a Yoshi dress and a Bob Marley dress. She loves Bob Marley. I also made KP one out of a Scooby Doo T-shirt!! I also made them a few more hair barrettes and a couple headbands.

Minimalist Wardrobe

2011-01-03T09:38:00.000-06:00

In comes the New Year, out goes the clutter. I am a pack rat...it is genetic!! I think why would you get rid of this you might need one day! 9 moves later and I'm still not using it. I have all the excuses of keeping the good stuff. I might lose weight or gain weight, we might have a nice party (ok, we've never used the "good dishes" in almost ten years of marriage), Aunt Blank gave it to us, it is so handy.....yes, classic pack rat thoughts! In the last year, I've tackled the laundry room, pantry, storage closet, garage, craft storage....now to the clothes closets!!

Yikes! Most of our closets you can't get into without the fear of something falling on your head (yes, it happens!)

I'm even going to tackle the Christmas decorations when I put them all in storage this year... if it wasn't displayed this year, it is OUT! Harsh, I know, but it is gone! Then maybe I can reclaim part of the Christmas storage area for the decorations we actually use and reclaim the under the bed area (aka nativity storage) for...get this...dust bunnies! Yes, I want to be that person with nothing under the bed.   Lofty goal, it might happen one day!

I think for the most part my closets are 60% unused items. I have been doing some research (ok getting emails from KSZ) on this project.   We have some great Elfa drawers, plenty of hanging rods, great plastic storage boxes and yet we have too much stuff in all those places.   I started last week with the kids' closets (photos on a later post). I will begin this week decluttering my clothes.   Here are some of inspiration posts.

This one is harsh. Project 333.
This one a little easier and more my style. Too many Spares...
Minimalist Moms Link 1 and 2 She has several articles about "coming out" as a minimalist. Short blog articles, but great info!! I have learned a great deal from her about what I spend my weekends doing...shopping and then decluttering (vicious cycle that I'm trying to halt)! She also has a free E BOOK
11 Reasons to Organize your Closet

Christmas Gifts

2010-12-27T10:25:00.000-06:00

Here are a couple of Christmas Gifts that I made this year. The first is baby doll blankets that I made with fabric from Stitch Lab and from my stash.

The second is a Muno Sweatshirt for my nephew, MB. He loves Yo Gabba Gabba. I used the pattern found at Nick Jr. The Nick website has some neat crafts.

Sweet Potato Pie and I Shut my mouth.....

2010-12-26T10:31:00.001-06:00

The lyrics from the Alabama classic "Song of the South" is all I can think of when eating this pie. Here is the Southern Living recipe from the November 2010 magazine. I think it turned out well.

Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas!! Gingerbread house.

2010-12-24T09:31:00.000-06:00

Tree Skirt

2010-12-23T08:51:00.000-06:00

I sold our old tree skirt in the summer yard sale. Therefore I had to come up with a new one. I sort of forgot about this project until the tree was up. Here is the Tree Skirt Tutorial that I used. I love the fabrics from the tutorial but could not find them locally so this is what I went with. You will also notice on the bottom picture that our tree seems to be elevated. It is. Last year I really wanted a taller tree (this one is from the old house) but didn't want to pay for a new one. BP took a wooden box from work and screwed the tree stand to it. Works perfect since the bottom can't be seen from the window or the rest of the house and gives more room for presents. Hopefully, we eventually can get a taller one without the box effect!

Felt Hair Barrettes

2010-12-22T19:30:00.000-06:00

I made a few felt and fabric hair barrettes for the holidays.

For the barrettes I traced around the clip style hair barrettes. I cut two pieces of felt a little bigger than the barrettes. I embellished the felt. I then cut a slit in the back for the bottom of the clip. I placed the two pieces of felt over the top of the barrette and sewed together with a running or whip stitch. Here are the links (felt and t-shirt) to the flowers.

Yes, I took the flower off my purse and made it a headband.

The reindeer were a smaller version of last year's t-shirts.

Handmade Christmas Ornaments!

2010-12-22T08:56:00.000-06:00

Our tree is not fancy, but it is special. Almost all the ornaments on our tree are handmade. Most were made by my mom when we were little. Some the girls and I have made in the last few years. Some my brother and I made when we were little. Some were handmade ornaments purchased in our travels. Here are some of the special ones that my mom made.

Felt and Sequins (1975)

Quilted Bells and Stars (1970's)

Felt and Beads (KP's first sewn ornament 2009)

Blown Egg, Quilted Bell (both by JW in 1970s) Cross Stitched Metal (1980's JW) and a felt I (JP 2009).

Another Blown Egg with Joan Walsh Anglund Rubons (1970's JW)

Knotted Ornaments (1980's JW)

Felt Bird (JP 2009)

Cross Stitch and Crocheted (JW 1984) There are several of these in many colors


Felt Cardinal and K (2009). The Cardinal is a copy of the one from my Mom's tree.

Another Egg (upper right) and Knitted Bell (far left)

Stained Glass (JW 1979) and Smocked Ball Ornament (1980's)

Give Thanks

2010-12-21T09:31:00.000-06:00

We travel to my parents cabin each year for Thanksgiving. The girls made this last year. My mom saved it and we erected it at the cabin again this year for the Thanksgiving Feast. The tutorials that we used suggested using leaves, sticks, real outdoor stuff....this gets a little messy. We opted for paper leaves and pipe cleaner sticks which travel in the car better! Nothing says Thanksgiving better than a cabin in the woods, roaring fire, two channels on the tv, and 30 friends and family members. We love it.

Knit Dresses

2010-12-21T08:52:00.000-06:00

I made a few more knit dress (and there are more to come) from the pattern featured in the previous post. Our Austin friends include twin 3 year olds!! Fun to sew for.

I also turned this shirt from a law school hangout into a t shirt for KP. She didn't want a skirt on it.

And then I made a thrift store find into a Christmas dress for KP. It looks super cute with Red and Green striped leggings!

Trip to Austin!!

2010-12-08T14:04:00.000-06:00

The Austin Trip was Fabulous!! I love love love Austin.

I visited three fabric stores!!

The Stitch Lab was my favorite by far!! They were very helpful, had great funky fabric and were even tolerant of my children (who had been a on plane for 2 hours).

I also went to Fanny's Fabrics for the Home and The Common Thread. They were both great stores, but didn't really have fabric for the project I had in mind.

I was amazed by the trailer park dining in Austin. My favorites were Crepes Millie and Gourdough's. Below are some pics from Gourdoughs. Funky Monkey and Blue Balls crepes....yum. But don't order a diet coke....they will laugh and make fun of you....even when you come back a few months later as my friend S found out.

Upcycled T Shirt dresses

2010-11-29T19:50:00.000-06:00

I'm catching up on blogging today. I know 4 posts in one day...what is the world coming to?

I whipped up these upcycled dress for the girls over the weekend. The first is from two shirts in BP's good will pile. The other is from benefit t shirts and a thrift store find. The Pattern from Lil Blue Boo was super easy to follow. The girls love love love them. Can't wait to try out the freezer paper stenciling described at Lil Blue boo...as soon as I get to a store with fabric paint.

Strawberry Shortcake Birthday!

2010-11-29T19:43:00.000-06:00

IP had a birthday. One hour before the party started I realized I didn't buy any decorations. And she announced that she wanted to party to be a surprise and she would stay in my parents' house until everyone arrived and then come to the guest house for the party and we would yell "Surprise". Yes, she is 4 and very dramatic. Here's what I came up with. Tissue paper, Christmas tulle and some curly ribbon. She thought it was the best thing ever. Yes, I can't figure out how to rotate this picture.....just won't work...so we"ll just go with it.

New Chucky purse!

2010-11-29T19:36:00.000-06:00

I found this super cute purse tutorial. I wanted to try the pattern and piping (my first try) without wasting really expensive fabric. My daughter IP has an imaginary squirrel friend "Chucky." Which is why I purchased this funky mushroom/squirrel fabric in the first place.

I didn't have enough fabric to do the whole project in one pattern (yep, I've been buying alot of 1/2 yards and fat quarters) so it is a mix of funky fabric on the inside.

I used only one magnetic snap (I will use two next time.)

I also skipped the zipper in the tutorial....life's too short to mess with zippers!! I'm sure it will make a great bag to haul the iPods and DS's in when I make another purse for me out of cute new fabric.

I also decided to skip the buttons on the outside and go with a cute red felt flower. Here is the Inspiration Site and Tutorial for the flower. Very easy! If I make the purse again, I will make the flag a little longer and put a pocket

Pottery Painting.

2010-11-29T19:25:00.000-06:00

The Bunco Babes met for Pottery Painting at Firefly Studio in Little Rock in October. The wonderful KSZ was our hostess!! (Yes, we hardly ever actually play bunco!!) This is a picture of my bowl. I think it matches our fiesta ware very well. I used a round sponge for the flowers. Besides some basic clay firing in college, this was my first ceramic project. I think it turned out well.

Minimalist Christmas!

2010-11-29T09:00:00.000-06:00

In my new mode of minimalism, I have found that most of the junk in my house was received as gifts, most of them just of the sake of giving. Our families have over the last few years cut out gifts among the adults except with immediate family members. If you can't cut out gift giving, here is an excellent guide to minimalist gift giving. I think I will use this when planning my gifts this year.

I have new projects from the weekend. One is t-shirt upcycling from lil blue boo. Pics to follow in a later post.

Girl Weekend Roundup

2010-11-22T09:53:00.000-06:00

Here's how the weekend played out. Kids stayed up late and slept late. We didn't leave the house for 2 days (limited laundry by wearing PJ's all weekend!!!) It was great. The girls enjoyed as IP says "a home day, home day, chicken day." Where does she get this stuff!!

Current Project list:

Kitchen Knobs Refinish (30 to go)
~~Breakfast room cabinet cleanout~~ Still need to work on the old magazine scanning!
Hair Barrette Project (for the girls and friends) all barrettes are cut out and designs have been selected...great cabin project for the holiday!
Christmas Tree Skirt (Tree goes up in less than two weeks...gotta get this finished) Worked on the design....not inspired yet.
Gifts for Friends that we will be visiting in December
Christmas Gifts (shopping and things to make)-- Some internet purchases...gotta get a plan!
New Ornaments (at least one a year)
Skinny Leg jeans? Saw a tutorial here.
Create a nice desk space for me....yes, we have an office, but its not fun and its open to the front door. I need a real working home center.
~~New Purse~~ I'll post the pics later. Super cute and I learned how to make piping!!

Here are two great Mama posts. Which Name? and Today's Momma.

Bathroom Knob Project

2010-11-20T20:01:00.000-06:00

The Gold Knob project continues. Since I broke a couple of the ceramic knobs during the sanding process (butterfingers!), we needed some new ones. The kids bathroom is in a surfing/beach theme. We found these knobs on clearance at Anthropology. A bargain for some super cute knobs. I moved the set I had painted black into the guest bath. Now only 30 more knobs for the kitchen and the Knob project will be complete.

Girl's Weekend

2010-11-19T11:06:00.000-06:00

It is girl's weekend as Duck Season opens tomorrow. The girls and I have lots of projects on our list.

Current Project list:

Kitchen Knobs Refinish (30 to go)
Breakfast room cabinet cleanout
Hair Barrette Project (for the girls and friends)
Christmas Tree Skirt (Tree goes up in less than two weeks...gotta get this finished)
Gifts for Friends that we will be visiting in December
Christmas Gifts (shopping and things to make)
New Ornaments (at least one a year)
Skinny Leg jeans? Saw a tutorial here.
Create a nice desk space for me....yes, we have an office, but its not fun and its open to the front door. I need a real working home center.
New Purse?? Something with one strap...that is just like my favorite purse...which needs replacing before the bottom falls out.

Menu Nov 15-19

2010-11-17T14:33:00.000-06:00

Long time no post! I'll try to do better. Busy with kids and haven't had time for crafty postings. I'll catch up this weekend. Here's this week's Dinner Menu.

Monday: Salmon, Roasted Potato Fingerlings, Sweet Potato, Broccoli, Apples/Pears
Tuesday: El Rio Lindo!! New Favorite Mexican Place! Caldo de Pollo is muy bien!! (yes, that, ordering beer and directions to the bathroom is the extent of my Spanish!)
Wednesday: Third Wednesday at Church!! Turkey Dressing and Fixings. KP's debut on the handchimes.
Thursday: CrockPot Beef Stew. New recipe...I'll update how it turns out.
Friday: Homemade Chicken Strips or a treat of "Larry's Pizza"!!

New Fabric

2010-10-27T14:10:00.000-05:00

New Fabric from Japan....now what to make? IP's birthday is in a week....maybe a birthday project!

Menu for Oct 24-30

2010-10-26T09:56:00.000-05:00

It is the last week of the month, so the grocery budget is gone! This week is full of frozen meals & Pantry cleanout!

Saturday:

Yogurt & Granola
Homemade Pizza (hamburger pre-cooked from freezer)
Steak (from freezer), zucchini (surprise from garden), broccoli, garlic bread

Sunday

Pancakes, Bacon, Strawberries, Syrup, butter, Yogurt
French Lunch: Smoked Sausages, Smoked Turkey, Cheeses, Crackers, Pickles.
Chicken & zucchini Tostadas, Cheese quesadillas, Rotel Cheese dip, chips

Monday:

KP lunch: Turkey, Yogurt, Crackers, Nutella, Graham crackers
Dinner: Irish Hand Pies (filling from freezer & crescent rolls/pie crust) (& turkey cheese hand pies and eventually PB&J for IP), broccoli, green beans, Key Lime Pie (using items set to expire).

Tuesday:

KP Lunch: PB&J, Jello, Milk
Dinner: Duck and Wild Rice (from Freezer), Carrots, Crescent Rolls (1/2 of can from last nights hand pies)

Wednesday:

Salmon & Fried Rice (yep....from freezer)

Thursday:

Chicken Strips (frozen) & Mac n cheese [Dad cooking]

Friday:

KP Lunch: Dad & KP choice...probably PB&J or leftover chicken strips
CSA Basket!!!! YIPEE!! Menu from weekend will include CSA basket food!

Pantry Reorganization!

2010-10-24T19:25:00.000-05:00

Moving on to another space that needed a major overhaul -- The Pantry. The door space was badly underused. Most items were actually expired, some from 2007. Yep, that unused. I also cleaned out a lower cabinet in the laundry room to house the juicer and toaster (which we hardly ever use) to free up some much needed lower shelves. Some items I gave away. If we didn't use it, it was out. I also went with the method found here for plastic bowl storage. I packed some of the extra plastic bowls with lids and stored them in the garage. The rest I moved to the art bucket or in the back closet for outdoor yard projects.

Before

After the magic!!!

Please note that the pantry does have tile on the bottom...it had been so long I had forgotten! Yikes. It is very nice now. I moved many items to the door and lower shelves where the kids can reach them. Yes, we are very tall and actually keep cereal on the very top shelf (where we can reach it, but little hands cannot).

So how did I do on the weekend list.

Weed flowerbeds. Maybe
Finish kitchen knobs. This requires a few hours on sanding and sitting.
~~Birthday Party invites for IP's Party....Done. Stamped and ready for mailing~~
~~Organize Pantry and two kitchen drawers in order to get the random plastic cups out of the glass cabinet (it is way too full). Also to get all the stuff off the floor in the pantry.~~
~~Make labels for new refrigerator plastic bins. Thanks for the idea Kelly. See inspiration here.~~
Curtains for Playhouse. The girls would have to finally agree on a fabric.
Repaint trim in house....no I'm saving this for cold weather.
Sewing. Again sitting all day.

Extra projects that did get completed:

Camera Strap cover (another blog for another day)
Woven pot holder with KP, science projects, and mosaic magic model art work kit (from kits that we didn't have a space for).
A couple of drawers were reorganized after the plastic bowls went to the pantry. Now the travel mugs and plastic travel cups have a home.
Set of ladybugs wings and antennae for Halloween (another blog for another day)
New Recipe made from Zucchini (surprise from the defunct garden).
4 loads of laundry
Running a couple miles
Weekly meal plan (CSA Basket on Thursday...yippee!)
Cleaned out mail pile.

Yep....ready for work on Monday!!

Weekend projects?

2010-10-23T10:12:00.000-05:00

As IP says "it is a home day, home day, chicken day!" I think that means I need a couple projects.
Here are the options:

Weed flowerbeds. Maybe
Finish kitchen knobs. This requires a few hours on sanding and sitting.
Birthday Party invites for IP's Party....Done.
Organize Pantry and two kitchen drawers in order to get the random plastic cups out of the glass cabinet (it is way too full). Also to get all the stuff off the floor in the pantry.
Make labels for new refrigerator plastic bins. Thanks for the idea Kelly. See inspiration here.
Curtains for Playhouse. The girls would have to finally agree on a fabric.
Repaint trim in house....no I'm saving this for cold weather.
Sewing. Again sitting all day.

I think the pantry project it is. Pics to follow in my next post.

Bird Feeder

2010-10-21T19:30:00.000-05:00

On Columbus Day, BP and IP stayed home. They needed a project to keep them occupied. So they made a bird feeder. IP was very excited because a "Chucky" (squirrel) was eating on it the next day. It has a heart painted on it so "the birds will know the IP loves them."

Felt Clips - Pumpkin

2010-10-21T19:28:00.000-05:00

I made the girls a set of pumpkins for the Pumpkin Patch today. Made from Felt and DMC thread!

Menu for October 9-14

2010-10-11T09:45:00.000-05:00

This week's Menu:

Sunday: Duck and Wild Rice(recipe below)

Monday: Steak, Grilled potatoes, Grilled Zucchini(from our garden)

Tuesday: Dad’s Choice: Mummy Dogs (by request from the kids)

Wednesday: Fried Rice and Pot stickers. (2nd half of giant box purchase from Sam's/Costco)

Thursday: Dad’s Choice probably Breakfast (My Birthday and Bunco at Firefly!!)

Since we live in the "Rice and Duck Capital of the World," ducks and rice are staples in our meal plan.

Duck and Wild Rice

2 large ducks (or 4 breasts)
3 stalks celery,cut up (I just use celery salt)
1 onion halved
1 ½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
Water to cover

Cook ducks in Crock pot with ingredients (I use a pressure cooker). Reserve Broth.

1 (6 oz) box of Uncle Ben’s Long Gran and Wild Rice
1 small can sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped onion
½ cup butter (1 stick)
¼ cup flour
½ cup sour cream
1 ½ cups half and half
1 small can chopped water chestnuts
1 ½ cups of broth from above
½ almonds (sliced or slivered)

Cook rice per directions. Saute onions and mushrooms in butter. Stir in Flour. Cook one minute. Gradually add 1 ½ cups broth. Cook over medium heat until bubbly. Stir in chopped duck, rice, half & half, water chestnuts and sour cream. Season with salt, pepper and celery salt to taste. Spoon into great casserole (9x13). Top with almonds.

Bake covered at 350 for 25 to 30 minutes.

I also have a recipe that skips the mushrooms, onions, half/half, sour cream, butter, flour roux. Instead just use one can of cream of mushroom and one can of cream of celery, plus1 ½ cups evaporated milk.

I actually put ½ of the mixture into a 9x9 and cook according to directions and I freeze the other half. When ready to cook, I let it thaw in refrigerator and cook as directed…maybe 5 or 10 minutes longer (if still a little frozen).