Crafter's Anonymous Club

Princess Printable

2011-03-23T00:19:00.000-07:00

Every Princess needs this.

A free printable for your personal use.

Just click the picture and save to your computer.

Easter Printable

2011-03-21T00:11:00.000-07:00

Here is a fun printable for Easter.

Just click on the picture and save to your computer.

Baseball Printable

2011-03-19T00:03:00.000-07:00

My son is in baseball and I really wanted to make something for him to have in his room.

So I created a printable just for him.

Feel free to download for your personal use!

Just click on the picture and save to your computer.

Sheer Spring Scarf

2011-03-02T00:01:00.000-08:00

Spring! Chelsea what are you thinking?!

I know many of you are still snowed in your homes back east, but here in Las Vegas it is starting to become Spring.

My fleece scarfs are just to warm some days and I needed something lighter.

So the other day I picked up some light weight, sheer fabric. I got 1 yard each of three colors. I have not yet done the third. It is going to be a bit more special. I'll show you when it is done.

I really liked this fabric because it has tans, blues and browns in it. Perfect to wear with jeans.

This one is a bit more fun. An animal print is browns, blacks and tans. Also good for jeans.

I sewed both in an infinity loop. I hate my scarfs slipping off my shoulders so this works perfect. They are long enough to just hang, be doubled up or wrapped around the neck.

I have never sewn with this type of fabric and was worried it would be hard. It worked out pretty well. I did a basic double fold hem on all the sides and sewed the ends together. I made sure to use a new needle and it worked out pretty well.

Now I am set for Spring!

Tax Return Grocery Shopping

2011-02-28T00:01:00.000-08:00

Well. We got our tax return. We always get a very large tax return so I knew that when it did come that I wanted to go grocery shopping and FILL my storage area.

And I did.

Sorry for the bad pictures. The sun would not cooperate!

This is my trip to Walmart. I spent about $500 and I am so happy!

I also went to Sam's Club and spent about $200.

I planned this trip very well. I had a huge shopping list put together by isle. I had so much stuff that I had to take two trips into the store. I went through half the store and filled the cart to brimming, payed and filled the van. Then I went right back in and filled the cart again with the other half of the store.

I had planned in advance and taken one of the seats outs of the van. Good thing I did!

Not only did I get pantry items but I also got bath and freezer items. I have a small cube freezer in my garage and it is full of frozen meats and veggies.

I redid my entire storage area. It is in a strange sort of place. Under the stairs in the

BATHROOM.
Yes, the bathroom. You have to walk through the bathroom and open a door to under the stairs.

I has a built in shelf and I added a plastic shelf as well.

As I stood there SEVERAL hours later to admire my work, I was thinking how cool I was, and then it hit me.

I am not proud of myself, I am blessed.

Our Heavenly Father has given us this wonderful blessing.

I know that I can now feed my family for at least 6 months with very little trips to the store.

I am so blessed. I actually started to cry a bit.

I know my Heavenly Father has blessed my family and I am so grateful for this blessing.

Whirley Pop and My Absence

2011-02-25T12:21:00.000-08:00

Hi! Remember me? Chelsea, the blogger.

You don't?! Well, I really don't blame you.

I have been absent for a whole month!

What happened?

Nothing.

I have just been lazy, bummed, depressed. The list goes on and on.

There really was no reason. It just happened.

But I am back!

And I am going to start off easy. Simple goals. Only a few posts a week, nothing crazy.

Do you remember how much I love popcorn? Kettle corn to be exact. I did a post showing how to make your own Kettle Corn. So yummy.

Then I saw this little thing on Martha Stewart.

The Whirley Pop.

I ran to Bed Bath and beyond and snatched it up, $20.

I first made a batch of plain old popcorn.

I used my generic WalMart brand pop corn.
It came out perfect! Not a single unpopped kernel!

Then I made a batch of my Kettle Corn. And it came out perfect as well! Normally I have at least a dozen unpopped kernels stuck to the popped ones. In the Whirley Pop I only had 3 or 4. Amazing! I no longer have to worry that I am going to crack my teeth in half.

You really should give it a try. The kids love it and are able to help spin the handle. i makes popcorn a family event and the possibilities are endless!

Valentines Felt Heart "Wreath"

2011-01-28T00:01:00.000-08:00

I love using felt. It is so easy and makes such a statement.

This is my valentines "wreath". The reason it is not a real wreath is because I kind of just made it out of cardboard.

I started with a yard of felt, hot glue gun, white fabric scraps and some cardboard.

I drew my heart out and cut it with a utility knife. BE CAREFUL! To see what happens if your not, click here.

I then wrapped it in some scrap fabric. Doesn't have to be pretty, just cover the cardboard.

Start making your roses. You can see a tutorial here.

Lots of roses later....

I made three size roses; large, medium and small. It gave it a bit more depth.

I added a pick ribbon to the back and hung it about my fantle.

I love it!

Happy Birthday Mom!

2011-01-27T00:01:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Mom!!!!

You are Queen of the day!

A BIG kiss from me to you!

This is my mom. She will be 30 today. Wink, wink!

My mom has many roles in life.

Here she is as a traveler.

She and my Dad are snow birds. They travel where it's warm and stay there for about 6 months of the year.

Grandma. She has 15 grand kids.
This is her with the youngest of them, my little Danika.

Painter.

Wife.

Artist.

But I love her the most as my mom.

The BEST mom around.

Happy Birthday Mom, I love you!

My Valentines Fantle

2011-01-26T13:07:00.000-08:00

This is my Valentines Fantle (faux mantle).

I live in Las Vegas, so no real mantle for me.

Last month I decided to make my own mantle, you can see how I did it here.

I am just figuring out how to decorate such a large shelf, so be aware.

The square metal piece is a permanent fixture.

I added the felt rose heart to jazz it up a bit.
The Petersen thing is also always there.
I made some cute pinwheels (non moving) and a felt rose ball.

I added a super cute picture of my kids kissing. It is a few years old but soooo cute!

I also found some glass vases at Savers for a few bucks.

I replaced some pictures with cute printables I found.

I had an empty pink frame that I am planning on hanging it in my daughters room at some point.

Not to bad for my first decorating of my fantle!

Celiac disease or Gluten intolerant

2011-01-17T14:54:00.000-08:00

WHEAT

Looks pretty doesn't it.

Well not for my daughter, at least we think.

For the last several months my daughter has been having stomach pains. She will wake in the morning and the first thing out of her mouth is that her tummy hurts. It then progressed into her begging for snacks. She thought that food would make her feel better...it didn't.

So last week I took her to the doctor where they ran a full spread of blood work. I was sure it was a food allergy or even Celiac disease.

For those of you who don't know what Celiac Disease...
From WebMD: Celiac disease is a problem with digesting gluten, a protein in foods like bread, crackers, and pasta, affecting the absorption of nutrients. Symptoms include gas and bloating, weight loss, and fatigue.

My daughter in the middle of it all. The bowl is for throwing up, just in case.

Well the tests came back showing that NOTHING was wrong! Well that is not right! Look at her, she is not okay.

So I did my own research and found that people can be Gluten Intolerant. That means she may not have celiac but she may as well, because she has the same pains.

So we are starting a Gluten Free Diet this week. We will try it for two weeks. If after that time she is still in pain I will take her to a GI doctor.

I would love to hear from you. Your ideas, thoughts, recipes and tips.

CD Book

2011-01-17T14:32:00.000-08:00

My daughter is three and has problems with her colors. She just can't seem to get them.

For Christmas my sister in-law gave us a CD book about church leaders. I loved it! It was so cute and so fun to look at.

So I decided to make one for my daughter to help her learn her colors.

Her favorite thing is Disney Princesses, so that was my theme.

First I went to Google Images and did a search for "Disney princess coloring pages". Millions of images were there for the picking. I picked my favorites, printed them out to the correct size and started coloring.

I could have printed them in color but I decided to color them myself.

Each princess was given a color.

Ariel-red

Jasmine- black

Cinderella- white

Fawn- orange

Tiana- green

Snow White- yellow

Rapunzel- purple

Belle- brown

Silver Mist-blue

Aurora-pink

I cut two paper circles for each princess color and put one circle on each side of the CD. Then I cut my coloring page out and put that on one side. So each CD has the princess on one side and her color on the other.

I used Mod Podge to adhere the paper. I made sure to give both sides a good over coat.

I know it looks homemade, but that was the idea. I think it turned out great and my daughter really likes it.

Knee High Boots to Calf Boots makeover

2011-01-06T00:01:00.000-08:00

These are my knee high boots. I ordered them online several years ago, maybe 6. I had to order them online because you just can't find some shoes in stores in wide width.

I loved them! Then I had another baby.

You see, my feet grow a half size every time I have a baby. I used to be a 7ish, and now I am an 8 1/2. Not only did my feet get bigger but so did my calf's. I haven't worn these boots in about 4 years.

I was about to give them to Goodwill when I thought, "I wonder if I could make them shorter? If I am just going to give them away I may as well try. There is not harm!"

So I did!

These are not leather, some faux stuff. So I measured the boot, drew a straight line and cut.

(sorry... I forgot to take a before picture)

After.

The cut is pretty clean and it won't fray so I am not worried. I will have pants on anyway so it is not such a big deal.

I have to put some stitches in the zipper to keep it from separating but they are pretty much done!

It was worth a try, and it worked out!

What I got for Christmas

2011-01-05T00:01:00.000-08:00

Look what I got for Christmas from my amazing sister in-law!

This one is the best...a CD book about the Prophets of my church.

Starting at Joseph Smith, each disk has one prophet and the dates he served. Ending today with President Monson and the First Presidency.
So fun! I think I enjoy looking at it more than my kids!

These are tiles with vinyl nativity characters. I need to get some plate stands to hold these. They will be perfect on my new shelf next year.

Sweet little apron for Danika. She can play in her little play kitchen with a sparkly new apron.

Oven mitt. I love the fabric, so cheerful!

Thanks Missy for the great gifts!

Kettle Corn

2011-01-04T17:36:00.001-08:00

Do you love Kettle Corn?

I recently did a post on how to make my Homemade Kettle Corn.

Yummy!

Kettlecorn.co contacted me and added my recipe to their website.

You really have to check it out.

An entire website devoted to Kettle Corn....WOW!

I know what I am making tonight.

Floating Shelves Tutorial

2011-01-04T00:01:00.000-08:00

Do you love the look of floating shelves?

I do!

They are just so darn expensive! Even at IKEA they are more than I am willing to spend.

So I decided to make some myself. I did a bunch of research to find the easiest and cheapest way to do it. I kept coming across one way,

Make them from a Door. Really, a door?!

My parents were in town for Christmas so I decided to use my Dad's help.

He is a cabinet maker after all!

So here we go!

Finished product. I just threw some stuff on it to take the picture.

Next Christmas will be MUCH better!

Empty...Sad ;(

I started with a plain door. I got mine at Home Depot. We decided to go with a 28"inch wide door. It was about $20 bucks. I will be able to get three full length shelves out of one door. Or I can cut them into smaller lengths.

THOUGHT: If you are going to cut smaller shelves you will need to get some decorative molding to cover the open ends of your door. Just glue or tack them on.

Home Depot will not cut doors, we begged but they refused, so we were going to have to do it ourselves. I do not have a table saw so we improvised. We got a 1x4 to use as a straight edge, clamped it down and used the circular saw to make a straight cut. This was a two person job, one to hold the door down and one to make the cut.

Here it is after we cut it. Inside of door and outside of door.

Sorry about the fire extinguisher in the pic. Safety First!

This is my Dad. Love him! We used a chisel to clean up the inside of the door. In these cheap doors the only thing inside is cardboard. It was super easy to break the cardboard out and create a space to slide the brace in. If you don't have a chisel a bread knife would do the same thing.

Here is my Dad pushing the cardboard in to create space. He also scraped away some of the glue that was holding the cardboard in place.

A bit of sanding to clean that cut edge up. Now it is ready for paint. I used a high quality black semi gloss spray paint. I sprayed about three coats to create a glossy finish. Sorry no pics!

These are the braces that the door will slide onto. My Dad cut these on the table saw at his house before he came to Vegas. He made them exactly the same size as the inside of the door, 1 3/16". That way the door slides perfectly onto them. If my Dad had not been able to do it before hand I would have got a 2x2 post and had Home depot cut it down to 1 3/16". Make sense?

This is hard to see but it is showing that we have measured, leveled and pre drilled holes in the walls where we want to attach the brace board. We went into studs only. Better safe than sorry!

Measure, level, draw level line.

We pre sunk our screws, you don't have to. Just make sure your screw is long enough to go through your brace, the dry wall and into the stud. About 2 1/2 or 3" screws. You will need a fully charged drill to do this. It took a lot of strength for my dad to get these screws through so many layers. I suggest you get some man muscle to help you out for this step.

Slide on the shelf. You can add some wood glue if you like. I didn't because we rent and I want to take this shelf with me when we move. Screw some tiny flat head screws to attach the shelf to the bracket.

My shelf is high enough that I am not going to worry so much about covering them.

DONE!

I can't wait to decorate it for the seasons!

Thanks for the help Dad! Love you!

Homemade Laundry Detergent Part 2

2011-01-03T00:01:00.000-08:00

Several months ago I made Homemade Laundry Detergent. I have been using it for about 2 1/2 months and I LOVE IT!

I just made my second batch yesterday. It is so easy and it really does work.

No more itchy skin from store detergents. There is no stiffness, smells and it even works on dedicates.

You should try it!

My Recent Absence...

2010-12-30T19:42:00.000-08:00

I am so sorry for my absence!

I have had in-laws and my parents over for the last week and had no time and no motivation to craft or to blog.

But I am back and I have some fun projects in the works, so stay tuned!

FYI: I am going to start building furniture! I know! Crazy!

Mean People at Christmas?!

2010-12-18T12:05:00.001-08:00

I got my first mean comment today.

A week before Christmas!

The nerve!

I know that sometimes I have typos and sometimes I use words incorrectly. That is life. I like to try to type like I talk, and sometimes that is not correct.

So I received a comment about how I misspelled a word. It was the "voila". I spelled it "whala".

At the time I knew it was wrong. Spell check couldn't help me and I was lazy and didn't pull up the dictionary. I let it slide.

BIG DEAL!

This person felt that they needed to post a comment about it.

My mother is allowed to tell me those type of things, not some random "Anonymous".

Well, this is what I think...

Whop de do!

Whala!

Bone Apatete!

Saylavee!

Ta Da!

And every other word I can possibly misspell and use incorrectly.

Merry Christmas!

Homemade Kettle Corn

2010-12-07T00:01:00.000-08:00

Hi all!

I LOOOOVE Kettle Corn. I only had it for the first time a year ago. Ahhh! I was missing that amazingness this whole time! Sad face :(

Another thing you may not know about me is that I am cheep...very cheep. I learned it from my mother. A SALE shopper to the end. So I will NOT pay good money for popcorn when I know it is so easy to make. Example: As a child we NEVER purchased treats or popcorn at the movies. We brought our own. My mom had a really ugly green pleather bag that we took with us full of pre-popped popcorn, pop cans and candy from the gas station. Saved lots of money and I never knew the difference. So spending $8.00 for a bag of kettle corn at the theater is CRAZY! I will not do it!

Guess what I did. I figured out how to make it myself. GENIUS!

And I want to share it with you.

First you need an ugly pot with a fitted lid - Not to big and not to small. (he, he..Goldilocks) You will not want to use this pot for much else after you make this a few times. The bottom gets pretty scorched. The lid must fit well to avoid oil splatter.

Pop Corn - I use the Walmart stuff
Oil - vegetable or canola
Salt
Sugar

I have a gas stove so take that into consideration. An electric may take more time to heat.

In your pot dump:

1/4 cup oil

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup kernels

Mix up with long wood (not metal or plastic) spoon.

Put on lid. With hot pads hold your pot on each side.

Lift and shake side to side and up and down.

Put on burner, Count to 5.

one one thousand, two one thousand...etc.

Lift and shake....blah, blah, blah

Put on burner and count to 5.

Do this over and over till the popping slows and stops for 2 seconds.

This is me in motion.

Turn off heat and dump popcorn into large bowl IMMEDIATELY. The pot is still hot and will continue to burn your corn.
Sprinkle with salt, mix and salt some more.

NOTE: Be careful of unpopped kernels. They stick to the popped kernels and you don't know it till you bite down. I will not be held responsible for broken teeth! Let your kettle corn cool down and then break it apart gently. This should help dislodge those unpopped kernels.

Done.

This is my bowl, get your own!

This Post was featured on KettleCorn.Co!

E-Mail to Santa

2010-12-06T19:01:00.000-08:00

You really have to try this with your kids. We have done it a few years now and we love it!

Merry Christmas!

A letter to Santa Claus? Yes kids its true! Jolly Saint Nick wants to hear about you! From the North Pole Santa will send his reply... Faster than Rudolph the reindeer can fly! Merry Christmas!

Front Room Decorations

2010-12-06T00:01:00.000-08:00

This is just part of my family room Christmas decorations.

I found how to make these beautiful snowflakes at Scrapalicious Bytes. My large snowflakes are made form 12x12 paper. The smaller white ones are made in several sizes; 8x8, 6x6 and 4x4.

They are absolutely stunning hanging from the ceiling in the front room.

Just above the snowflakes on the landing I have hung a fabric garland and a wreath. It is hard to see in the picture but the garland is tied to a string of lights. I got this idea somewhere.

It makes the blah area a bit more va va voom!

So this is just a piece of my front room. I will share the rest later.

Merry Christmas!

FREE "foam" Trees

2010-12-05T00:01:00.000-08:00

I love all the amazing trees everyone is making.

I really want to make some of my own but I have NO MONEY to spend.

So I decided to make my own foam tree forms.

I saw this idea somewhere, I can't remember, sorry!

I started with a plastic cup, fabric strips and a piece of paper.

I twisted my paper into a cone shape that fit over the top of my upside down cup. I taped it along the entire thing to keep it form undoing.

I trimmed off the excess paper and hot glued the cone onto my cup.

I took my torn fabric strips and started gluing them around the cone. I made sure to go over the lip of the cup so that no cup could be seen.

I think they turned out really cute.

And the best part is that I spent zero dollars on them!

Super Easy Paper Ornaments

2010-12-04T16:38:00.000-08:00

Everyone seems to be doing cute ornaments so I decided to do some of my own.

I started with a cute Christmas patterned paper, tiny gold brads and scissors.

I cut my paper into different length strips and then just played around with them.

I bent and twisted till I got a shape that I liked.

I pocked the brads through and added a ribbon as a holder.

I figure that I can get about 6 ornaments out of one 12x12 piece of paper. That is a cheap ornament!!!

I can't wait to put them on my tree!

Tiered Skirt Tutorial

2010-11-28T15:42:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine, Laura, mentioned that she also had a blog but that she didn't really do anything on it a lot. I decided to check it out and I love it! A Make It Yourself Mom's Diary.

Laura, you really should keep it up!

This is one of the posts I really liked.

Tiered Skirt Tutorial

These are her girls, aren't they so cute!!

This is another skirt she made up.

She really is an amazing sewer.

You should check her out and give her a kick in the butt!

Kettle Corn Guest Blog

2010-11-25T22:06:00.000-08:00

Guess what!

I am doing my very first guest blog over at What Allie's Making Now!

I am super nervous and excited!

I decided to show how to make my famous Kettle Corn.

Yummy! Not to sweet and not to blah.

Go check it out!

This is my bowl, get your own!

Stockings Door Jingle

2010-11-24T12:01:00.000-08:00

I got this so long ago that I don't even remember who gave it to me.

I think it was my sister Kristen.

Anyhoo, isn't it cute!

Hangs on my door .
Fun, Fun!

Bundle Up! Snowman

2010-11-23T00:01:00.000-08:00

This guy is super easy to make. Very little cuts and easy painting.

He has a base that he stands on with a cute little scarf.
I also have this same type of idea made into a scarecrow.

Don't forget to Bundle Up!

The Big Nosed Snowman

2010-11-22T00:01:00.001-08:00

This is the easiest snowman in the world!

I made it several years ago and made a few last year for gifts.

It is made from a 4x4 post and scraps.
It is sanded and has stenciled stars.

The hat brim and nose are made form scrap wood.

I outlined the stars with a sharpie for more detail.

Fun, easy and CUTE!

Stuffed Snow Man

2010-11-21T00:01:00.000-08:00

Another cold guy!

this is my favorite of all my snowmen.

I made it at a church activity in my sister ward about 10 years ago.

It is fabric stuffed with filling.
His little ski's and sign are so cute!

It has lasted several moves and more than a few breaks, but he is still the cutest of my snowmen.

Let It Snow-Man

2010-11-20T00:01:00.000-08:00

Another Snowman!

I love this guy. He hangs just inside the front door.

My sister, Kristen, made this for me a few years back.

He has a real hat on his head!
He is ready to shovel some snow.

I love the snow affect on it. So creative!

Let it Snow Man!

Gentleman Snowman

2010-11-19T10:57:00.000-08:00

I decided to skip Thanksgiving this year.

Don't hate me.

I just don't really love Thanksgiving. All that work cooking and decorating for one day. My kids don't even like the foods for Thanksgiving. So this year we are just doing a yummy dinner that everyone loves and inviting my sister to join us. That is the real point right!? Family!

So instead of Thanksgiving I have decided to jump straight to Christmas. I put my Christmas decorations, minus the tree, up last week. And I am adding more and more as the days go on.

I love Snowmen!

They are my favorite decoration for winter/Christmas.

Over the next several days I will be showing off several of my snowmen decorations

This big guy I made at a Super Saturday YEARS ago in my sisters ward.
He stands at the front door greeting everyone that enters.

I love that little scarf!

I have added more pine cones this year. Most of them fell off in storage.

Love him!

Felt Circle Garland

2010-11-17T00:01:00.000-08:00

I love felt. You all know that. When I saw this I loved it right away.

A fun felt garland.

Jen at Let's Make It Ours made this.

So simple but I think it would look so fun on a Christmas tree.

Perfect to make for any season, just change the colors.

Thanks Jen.!

You should check her out!

Lemon Sugar Scrub

2010-11-16T00:01:00.000-08:00

Brandy over at Gluesticks made these amazing little gifts,

Lemon Sugar Scrub.

It looks so yummy I just want to eat it!

I LOOOOOVE lemon and this is on my list to make for the holidays.

My hands are getting more and more dry as the weather turns here in Las Vegas.

Something yummy to scrub them with sounds perfect.

I will leave it right by my sink and scrub away.

You should go check her out.

Thanks Brandy!

Stylish Blogger Award...ME!

2010-11-13T19:19:00.001-08:00

I have won an award!

April at Wildflowers & Whimsy awarded me with this fab award!

Thanks April!

Rules for accepting this award are:

1. Thank & link back to the person who awarded you this.

2. Share 7 things about yourself.

3. Pay it forward to 15 recently discovered great bloggers.

4. Contact those bloggers and tell them about their award.

Okiedokie...7 things about me...

1. I don't eat veggies. I know! I am 33 years old and I still don't eat them.

2. When I go out I order my Pepsi "half and half, half Pepsi and half Diet Pepsi". Weird? NO!

3. I really want a kitten! We rent and aren't able to, but one day I will get my cat!

4. I just got my 100th follower!!!

5. I HATE cleaning. No secret there.

6. I love to bake. Bread, cake, cookies...anything.

7. I am skipping Thanksgiving decorating this year. I am going straight to Christmas!

And here is my list of stylish bloggers...

Some of them are new to me and some of them are my favorites.

All done....see ya!

My 100th Follower!!!

2010-11-12T16:51:00.000-08:00

I officially have over 100 followers!

My 100th follower is Anne,

THANK YOU ANNE!

Anne has a blog, Anne's Antics, you should check it out!

I am so excited!

Fall Felt Garland

2010-11-10T14:45:00.001-08:00

All of my sisters (3) are super crafty. I have shown you two of my sister work, the twins, and here is just a taste of the other sisters work, Nikole.

This is a fall garland made out of felt.

I love the little stitches on the leaves.

This one is just a fun one. Simple circles with stitches.

Scarf Revamp

2010-11-10T03:19:00.000-08:00

This is a beautiful scarf I was given by my parents years and years ago.

They were in Singapore/Hong Kong and picked up lots of beautiful gifts for all the kids.

I loved the scarf...but it was so light and flowing that it never stayed on my shoulders/neck.

So after awhile I just stopped wearing it.

This season the infinity scarf became the big hit and I knew I had the perfect fabric to make one with. I started by removing, very carefully, the fringe on the ends of the scarf. Then I just sewed the ends together with a simple stitch.

Now I can wear it without worrying that it is going to fall and get dirty or even lost.

Thanks Mom and Dad!

2x4 Crafts from my sisters!

2010-11-09T22:58:00.001-08:00

These are some fabulous 2x4 crafts that my sisters made.

Look at those cute wire springs!

Basic, but so fun and patriotic.

That little flower makes me smile!

These are linked up to 2x4 Tuesday Link Party!

Rosette Clips

2010-11-09T15:05:00.000-08:00

I had a special order for several rosette clips.

The customer wanted specific colors to match outfits her daughters were wearing to a wedding.

I think they turned out cute.

I made two clips with all three colors on one clip.

Two rose clips with only two of the colors. This one is not as heavy and might be better for the littlest girl, she doesn't have as much hair.

I am happy. I hope she is?!

2x4 Tuesday Link Party!

2010-11-09T00:01:00.000-08:00

2x4 Tuesday Link Party!!

I love 2x4's!

They are super easy to cut, and they are super inexpensive!

There are so many ideas out there for fun and easy 2x4 ideas.

So lets get them all together right here!

Rules:

Your post must include a 2x4!

Be nice. Comment on other fun links.

Link as many as you would like.

Make sure you link to the post not you blog main page.

HAVE FUN!

Easy Cheesy Meatballs

2010-11-08T04:56:00.000-08:00

Before I found this recipe I bought my meatballs frozen at the store.

NO MORE!

These are easy, moist and super yummy. My kids and my husband LOVE them.

We eat them on pasta and as meatball sandwiches.

I found this recipe on Kraft Foods. I love the recipes I find on that site.

The recipe is super easy and has very few ingredients.

1/3 cup Italian Bread Crumbs

1/4 cup milk

1 lb. ground beef

1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

Mix your bread crumbs and the milk together in a medium bowl. Let it sit for 15 minutes. Add all the other ingredients and mix well by hand. Form into balls. I make mine golf ball size.

Place on a foil lined cookie sheet for easy clean up.

Bake on 350 for 20 minutes or till cooked through.

Here they are done. Not very pretty but oh so yummy! Remove from baking sheet and toss your foil. Eat lots!

This is a picture of a double batch. I like to make a ton and freeze them. A double batch makes enough for my family (3 eaters) to eat three times.

Hope you try them. Enjoy!

Las Vegas Craft Boutique!!

2010-11-06T10:43:00.000-07:00

Do you live in Las Vegas?

Because you HAVE to come to this amazing Craft Boutique!

Don't miss out on this amazing Craft Boutique!

Check out the website to see all the amazing pictures from previous years.

Three days of shopping to get your Christmas shopping started and done with!

I will be there and I hope you can come too!

Felt Flower: The Michelle

2010-11-06T00:01:00.000-07:00

Don't forget to link up your Felt ideas on the

Week of Felt Link Party!
One of my very favorite types of fabric is FELT.
It is cheap, soft, and super easy to work with.
You can sew it or glue it.

This is a Week of Felt.
The Michelle Flower

Yellow Infinity Scarf

2010-11-05T11:03:00.001-07:00

LOVE IT!

I have been in a scarf craze for awhile. I have never really liked scarves in the past. They seemed to make me feel like I was being strangled! They also never stayed where they were supposed to! They always fell off my sholders.

Until the infinity/circle scarf came along. They have become really popular lately so I thought I would give them a chance.

I started by making one out of some left over fleece. Simple, no need to finish edges. I loved it!

So here is my next try.

Last spring break my family went to Disneyland. I purchased bright t-shirts for all of us to wear so that the kids (and me) could find us easily in a crowd.
These are the shirts. I got them at JoAnn's craft for super cheap. The problem was that they were never worn again by the adults. WAY to bright for a shirt....but for a scarf? Perfect!

I cut the bottom off of both shirts and created a really long piece of fabric about 24in wide. Then I cut smaller strips from the leftovers, about 2 in wide, and created another really long strip. I then ruffled it up and sewed it down the center of my larger strip.

With right sides together I sewed up the long side.

I folded it in on itself, right sides together, and sewed the short ends leaving an opening to turn it right side out. This website shows a good demo of this. I finished the hole and was done. The whole thing took me about 30 minutes.

I love it! Bright and cheerful!

I was featured at:

Felt Flower: The Kristen

2010-11-05T00:01:00.000-07:00

Don't forget to link up your Felt ideas on the

Week of Felt Link Party!

So this is a Week of Felt.
The Kristen Flower

Felt Flower: The Nikole

2010-11-04T00:01:00.000-07:00

Don't forget to link up your Felt ideas on the

Week of Felt Link Party!

One of my very favorite types of fabric is FELT.

It is cheap, soft, and super easy to work with.

You can sew it or glue it.

Lately I have been doing tons of flowers in felt.

I did a felt rose lamp.

A felt rose wreath.

A felt flower Fall wreath.

Felt flower jewelery/accessories.

A Felt pillow.

Gosh...I must love felt?!

So I wanted to share some tutorials on how to make fun felt stuff. Mainly flowers, but maybe some other stuff too.

So this is a Week of Felt.

The Nikole Flower

From Trash to a Scarf

2010-11-03T13:36:00.000-07:00

As we all do, I have a bag of stuff that is destined to go to Goodwill/thrift store.

I added a super cute jacket to the bag recently. It was Danika's jacket last year and it is just to small now. It is the cutest thing ever and I was really sad to get rid of it. it had a hole in the collar also.

So I decided to make it into a cute little scarf for Danika.

I cut about 5 inches off the bottom of the jacket.
Then I carefully (this is a knitted jacket and it started falling apart when I cut it) turned the piece inside out and stitched it closed, leaving a hole to turn it right side out.

I took three buttons off the jacket and sewed the on one end of the scarf.

The other side of the scarf had a button hole already so it worked out perfectly.
I can put it on her tight, loose and very loose.

Now the cute little jacket can still be cute, just in a different way!

And Danika will stay warm too.

Felt Flower: The Anita

2010-11-03T00:01:00.000-07:00

Don't forget to link up your Felt ideas at the

Week of Felt Link party!

One of my very favorite types of fabric is FELT.

It is cheap, soft, and super easy to work with.

You can sew it or glue it.

Lately I have been doing tons of flowers in felt.

I did a felt rose lamp.

A felt rose wreath.

A felt flower Fall wreath.

Felt flower jewelery/accessories.

A Felt pillow.

Gosh...I must love felt?!

So I wanted to share some tutorials on how to make fun felt stuff. Mainly flowers, but maybe some other stuff too.

So this is a Week of Felt.

The Anita

Felt Flower: The Danika

2010-11-01T00:01:00.000-07:00

Don't forget to link up your Felt ideas on the

Week of Felt Link Party!

One of my very favorite types of fabric is FELT.

It is cheap, soft, and super easy to work with.

You can sew it or glue it.

Lately I have been doing tons of flowers in felt.

I did a felt rose lamp.

A felt rose wreath.

A felt flower Fall wreath.

Felt flower jewelery/accessories.

A Felt pillow.

Gosh...I must love felt?!

So I wanted to share some tutorials on how to make fun felt stuff. Mainly flowers, but maybe some other stuff too.

So this is a Week of Felt.

The Danika Flower

Week of Felt Link Party

2010-10-31T22:50:00.000-07:00

It's time to share your FELT ideas.
RULES:

It must be made from FELT!

Please take my Button and put it on your blog somewhere.

Check out what everyone else has created and leave a few comments.

No Giveaways or Selling please.

Link as many as you would like!

I can't wait to see what you have created!

Mini Book Case-Sew What Sunday!

2010-10-31T05:13:00.000-07:00

My blogging world happens on my HP Mini Book. It is small and easy to take around the house. I can sit at the couch or at my desk. I have even started to take it out and about. So I decided it need a cute little case to protect it from scratches.

I had some scrap fabric left from past projects and I whipped this up in an afternoon.
It has a magnetic closure.

Felt lining for a bit more cush.

And a few cute little flowers of course!

Now I can go out in style!

Announcement! A Week of Felt Link Party!

2010-10-29T23:31:00.001-07:00

Next week starts the Week of Felt event!

Do you love Felt? Well you better check this out.

Join in the party, link your FELT ideas.

The party starts Monday Nov. 1st and ends Sunday Nov.7th.

I can't wait to see your ideas!

Microwave Pasta Boat Review

2010-10-28T05:40:00.000-07:00

Do you love "As Seen On TV" stuff? I do!

This is one I have seen on TV for a little while. I looked kind of dumb.

But recently we have been having problems with our method of noodle cooking. It always boils over, I can never find the perfect size pot, and I am tired of standing over the stove top watching water boil.

So a few weeks ago I was at Walgreens and I saw the "Pasta Boat". It wasn't too expensive, $15 I think. I was looking for a new pot anyway so why not give it a try?

I started with a small portion just for myself. I had some leftover spaghetti sauce and it was a perfect opportunity.

Measure out your noodles according to the book. The handles on the side of the boat are pasta measures, and they are accurate in my opinion.

Add the amount of water required. I sprayed the noodles with some non stick spray. It helps the noodles not stick together.

Put it in the microwave and set it to the required minutes. Wait. Drain it with the handy boat lid. Whala! Perfect noodles. No over boiling. No mess to clean. No watching the pot.

I love it! I have used it several times on spaghetti noodles and Penna noodles. I want to try mac and cheese soon. It comes out hot so you can add cold sauce to the noodles and the sauce warms from the noodles.

I hope this helps. You should give it a try if your family is a pasta loving family like mine.

Bon apatite!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

2010-10-27T13:28:00.001-07:00

I can't remember where I got this recipe but boy am I glad I have it!

They are not very good for you, but who cares!

Recipe, makes 50 muffins (can be halved):

4 cups sugar

1 large can pumpkin or 2 small cans (not pumpkin pie)

1 cup oil

5 cups flour

1 tsp cinnamon

4 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cloves

1 bag 12 oz chocolate chips

Mix wet ingredients. Add in dry ingredients slowly. Mix well. Fill paper muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

Moist, yummy, sweet and chocolaty!

She likes them. I bet you will too!

Applesauce and Canning

2010-10-25T04:34:00.000-07:00

My mother came to visit a few weeks ago and I asked her to show me how to can applesauce.

I was a bit scared but I wanted to have applesauce for my bread recipes. I grew up watching my mother and her sisters can every summer. They did peaches mainly. I remember thinking it was just not worth it. It took all day and it looked really hard. Now I realize that it was probably fun for my mom and aunts. They got to spend time together, talk about their families and with all of them there it really wasn't hard, just time consuming. I also have learned that money is precious, so why waste it when you can get something cheaper. A very good lesson. Thanks Mom!

I had a ton of fun making these and I want to share it with you guys. It was really not that hard and I plan on doing it again...alone!

Doesn't that look yummy! I love applesauce, and homemade applesauce is even better!

Here is my oldest trying to be silly.

And my middle child as well. He is concentrating very hard...

We ended up picking apples at our local orchard for $1.00 a pound. Not bad, and fun too! My mom and I think we picked about 35 lbs.

So let's get started.

Clean your kitchen sink and surrounding counters VERY well.

Wash your apples.

With this method (my moms) we cut the apples in quarters, leaving the skin and core.

Keep reading for other methods.

Put about an inch of water in the bottom of a heavy (no cheap pots) soup pot with a lid. We used about three pots and had them all cooking at the same time. The water will keep the apples from burning to the bottom.

Fill to the top. Cover and bring to a boil. Not too high, above medium temp.

Cook till they turn soft.

My mom brought her ANCIENT apple masher. It takes the good stuff and the bad stuff and separates them. Her is my mom pushing the apples through the separator.

Good stuff out the front and bad stuff (skin, seeds, core) off the the side.

It already tastes yummy!

Now at this point I want to tell you how to do this if you don't have an ancient apple separator.

Wash your apples
Peel your apples
Core your apples
Slice your apples into chunks (you can do the coring and the chunking with one of those fun apples slicer things. They are only a few bucks at the store and are great for fast snacks)
Cook the apples as I did above OR put them into your crock pot and cook them all day:

Crock pot Recipe:

10-12 apples (medium to large in size)
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Cook on low for about 8 hours.

when they are super soft use a masher and mash them to bits
Put into your food processor or blender to puree to your liking

Lets add some good stuff! Sugar and cinnamon to taste (skip this if you did the crock pot method).

You can also add water to make it thinner if you want.

This 9x13 was full to the top, about 18 cups applesauce. It took about 30 apples to make this pan. We added 1 1/2 cups sugar and 2 tsp cinnamon.

Take your SUPER CLEAN mason jars and rings (wash on high heat in the dishwasher while you are cooking the apples). I used wide mouth jars. Fill the jars to the top of the bend/first line of rings.

Do this while your applesauce is still hot. If it has cooled, or you left this part for later, then reheat your applesauce on the stove before canning.

Here is a better picture.

Clean the sides and the very top rim of the jars VERY well. This will help the seal stick.

Boil your new lids. Follow the directions on the package. When done remove one at a time, be careful not to touch the red part. Quickly put the lid on the CLEAN jar.

Screw on your lid. Do not make it tight. Really loose is best.

This is a caner. They cost about $18 bucks at Walmart. A great investment if you plan on doing this more than once. This is my moms. My mother in law didn't use hers anymore and gave hers to me. SCORE!

Fill water in the caner.

Place your jars very carefully in the slots of the wire rack. Slowly let the rack go to the bottom of the caner pot. Make sure the water goes over the tops of the lids. Bring water to a boil and then boil for 20 minutes, then remove the jars very carefully and place on several layers of towels (or placemats in my case).

Use the special lifer device that comes in the caner pot. Let cool. You may hear the lids pop but I never heard mine. This tells you the seal took and your jars are sealed. (if you don't hear it it doesn't mean it didn't work) I was very disappointed that I didn't hear the pop, oh well...

All done! Yummy applesauce.

I made 15 wide mouth jars this day with my mom. I am quite proud of myself. Canning really isn't that bad. It is a time consuming project but it is really not that hard and it can save you money.

Give it a try!

If you have yummy canning recipes please send them to me. I will post them for everyone to see.

How to make your own Laundry Detergent

2010-10-23T05:11:00.000-07:00

Last week I showed you how to make your own Dishwasher Detergent.

Today we are talking LAUNDRY!

Don't you love to do laundry? I do. HA!

It is the bane of my existence!

The thing I hate the worst is running out of laundry soap.

Oh! and spending a fortune on laundry detergent!

Oh! and getting it and finding out it makes my family all itchy.

So here is the solution:

MAKE YOUR OWN!

Your ingredients are:

5 gallon bucket
old detergent bottles (small enough to lift and shake easily)
Borax
Washing Soda
Fels Naptha bar soap

All of these ingredients can be found in your supermarket. Walmart has Borax and gallon bucket with lids. Smith's has Washing Soda, Borax and the Fels Napth bars.

In a soup pan start to boil 4 cups of water.

While that is starting get you bar of soap and grate/chop fine. it melt easier this way. The reason you are using Fels Naptha is because it is a washing agent. Better that regular bar soap that is made for your skin. Read the wrapper.

Once water comes to a boil add your shavings and cook till melted.

In your 5 gallon bucket put 3 gallons of water, as hot as you can get it.

When your shavings have melted add it to your bucket and stir.

Add a 1/2 cup Borax and stir till dissolved.

Add 1 cup Washing soda and stir till dissolved.

Stir for a few minutes to combine well.

Put your lid on the bucket and go to bed.

Yeah, GO TO BED!

In the morning it will look like this.

Yuck! Goopy, runny and it smells so good!

Mix it up good and disperse it into leftover containers.

TIP: Cut the bottom off of a milk container and use it as a funnel.

This recipe filled the equivalent of 4 containers of detergent/16 cups.

WOW!

That is a lot of detergent!

And cheep!

Use a 1/2 cup per load. Adjust as needed depending on the hardness of you water. Use a little less if your clothes are stiff, more if you feel you need it. Play around.

***Shake the container before each use. That is why you want smaller containers.

***This is a low sudsing soap. If you don't see suds that that is fine.

The suds are not what cleans your clothes.

***I have done some research and found that homemade detergent works great on HE Washers. Apparently the only issue with HE washers is that they need a low sudsing detergent. Well this is a very low sudsing detergent so it should work great. I DO NOT HAVE AN HE WASHER. This information is based on web research. I have seen that if you use other detergents that it voids your washers warranty. So take that with consideration.

I like this recipe because it does not make my family itch! No perfumes. I know exactly what is in it.

Look at that SPIDER in the window!

2010-10-20T05:49:00.000-07:00

I have one of those long windows next to my front door. I thought I should do something cute with it and this is what I did.

SPIDERS!!!

I used black yarn and created a web on the inside of the window.

I just taped it to the inside on the edge.

I cut some vinyl spiders on my Cricut in a few different sizes.

Applied them to the inside of the window.

All done. Fast and easy. And best of all it didn't cost a thing!

Harvest Friendship

2010-10-19T06:00:00.000-07:00

My sisters made this for me, Kristen and Michelle. The twins.

They are REALLY crafty and have started their own little business making wood crafts.

This was a little something they made for fall.

Perfect for my front porch!

The little Witch has a wire hand that is waving. And the cat has wire whiskers.

They will be sending me more pictures of other projects and I will post them for you guys.

Thanks sisters! Love it and Love you both!

Grandpa Bread

2010-10-18T07:04:00.000-07:00

When I was a little girl we went every summer to visit my mother's family in Utah. We would stay for the whole summer going from house to house. When we were at my grandparents house we always had the same thing for breakfast. Toast. The best toast in the world! It was homemade bread made by my Grandpa Pack. My grandmother was not well most of my life. She had several things that kept her in bed most of the day and in a lot of pain. Grandpa did most of the work both in and out of the house. His bread was soooo good. I remember sitting at the table every meal with bread. It was just what you did. Bread went with everything. To this day my parents eat bread with every meal.

I remember when I was a kid I would say, "I am hungry!" my mother would say, "Have a piece of bread and a glass of milk." Bread solved all problems.

May Grandfather's bread was even better.

So here is his recipe. It is healthy, sweet, moist and just plain yummy. Oh, and it's easy too.

When you eat it remember all the good times you had with family, sitting around the table eating a meal. Food brings us together, and bread is the glue.

Grandpa Bread

Ingredients:

3/4 cup warm water

2 TBL. Yeast

1/4 cup Oil

1/4 cup Honey

1 TBL. Salt

1 cup Applesauce

3/4 cup Hot water

3 cups Whole Wheat Flour

3 cups White Flour

In a bowl put warm water. Warm to the touch but not hot, like a baby bottle temperature. Add your yeast and a pinch of sugar, allow to proof (get bubbly).
In your mixer put Oil, Honey, Salt, Applesauce and Hot water (as hot as you can get it before boiling it).
Add 3 cups of flour one cup at a time, mixing between each.
Add your proofed yeast mix to the mixer. Mix on low.
Add the other 3 cups flour one cup at a time, mixing between each. Knead in mixer for about 5 minutes.
Remove dough from mixer, roll into a ball. Place it in a greased bowl rolling it around to cover in grease. Cover and let rise in a warm place. I raise my bread in the oven. Set your oven to the lowest temperature for about 5 minutes. Turn it off and put your bowl in the oven. Let it rise till double in size. This will vary depending on your climate and elevation. Check after a half hour and then every 15 minutes or so.
When it has doubled in size remove it from your bowl to the counter. Punch down your dough. This means you are basically going to push it down to remove air from the dough. It shrinks and is very soft.
At this point you divide it in half and form each half into a loaf. I like to press the dough into a rectangle of sorts and then roll it up like a cinnamon roll. Pinch the seam closed and the ends together. Place in a greased bread pan, roll to cover in grease. Press the dough gently into the corners of the pan. This will help it bake better.
Place in a warm place, I do the warm oven again, and let rise till it reaches just above the top of the pan.
While dough is in the oven turn your oven to 350 degrees and bake for 30 minutes. You do not need to remove the bread to preheat the oven. After done you can check to make sure they are ready by tapping on the top and bottom of the loaf. If it is hollow sounding they are ready.
Place on wire racks to cool. Wait about a half hour to cut.

TIP 1: These can be frozen. I just leave them out to defrost over night.

TIP 2: If you make this with homemade applesauce it is even better. Even cinnamon applesauce is yummy.

Enjoy!

Homemade Dishwasher Detergent

2010-10-16T06:04:00.000-07:00

THIS HAS NOT WORKED WELL FOR ME YET.

WHITE FILM ON THE DISHES=UNHAPPY CHELSEA.

I AM ATTEMPTING TO CHANGE THE RECIPE. STAY TUNED FOR A NEW AND IMPROVED VERSION!

What is your favorite household appliance?

Maybe "favorite" is the wrong word.

How about what is the most used appliance in your home?

Really think about it.

What makes your life easier?

My answer would be a tie between my washer/dryer and my dishwasher.

What is the cleaning solution do you always run out of right when you need it the most?

That would be laundry detergent and dishwasher detergent.

Well now you can make your own!

Today we are going to talk about dishwasher detergent.

Stay tuned for laundry detergent.

First you will need some supplies. And you know what the best part is? To make dishwasher detergent AND laundry detergent you basically need the same stuff!

Borax
Baking soda
Kosher salt
Vinegar
4 Sugar free Kool Aid Lemonade pkgs (not in the picture)

In a container of your choosing mix:

2 cup Borax

2 cup Baking soda

1 cup salt

4 pkgs of lemonade

Shake it up and use 1 TBL per load.

Use the vinegar in your rinse agent hole thingie. The one you normally put that blue stuff. (I never remember to do it)

That's it! So easy and soooooo cheep.

If you find it leaves a white residue on your dishes adjust the 1 TBL to a bit less. Everyones machines and water are different.

Good luck! Tell me what you think.

Fall Porch-Cricut Crop Friday!

2010-10-13T23:51:00.001-07:00

This is porch. Nothing super exciting but cute I think.

We went to a local orchard and got pumpkins this year. I went a little overboard.

I was at Savers this past weekend and I found this cute little chair. It is solid wood and super sturdy. I think I may repaint it after the fall season, but orange is perfect for right now.

This is my window right next to the front door. This is the inside shot. I used black yarn and created a spider web. I just taped it on the inside of the window.

I cut some spiders out on my Cricut. I found it at The Free SVG Blog. Yep! It's Cricut Crop Friday!

Looks SCARY!

Better than nothin'!

My sisters made this for me. So cute! They are super creative and make all kinds of wood crafts. I am trying to get them to send me some pictures so i can post them for you guys. They are slow pokes!

Aren't these little guys so cute! I love that witch!

This little cat even has whiskers!

Here is the wreath I made last week.

I ended up wiring it to the screen door on the top and the bottom. It is very secure now. No banging in the night thank heavens!

The total effect...nice. Not AMAZING, but just right.

Our Eternal Family 2x4

2010-10-13T13:00:00.000-07:00

2x4 Tuesday!

I got this idea from How Does She... I loved the idea and wanted to do it for awhile now.

A few months ago a young man in my ward (church) died. He was the son of a friend of mine. He was the youngest, 17 years old, of her children and a sweet young man. I wanted to make her food and comfort her, but she had plenty of food. So I thought to myself, "What else do I do well that I can share with her?" CRAFT! So this is my gift to her. A family tree of sorts. The wires hold pictures and are removable. Corey is the young man that died, and I decided to do his name in white because he is now with our Heavenly Father.

I started with a 2x4 and cut it into six pieces; 8in, 7, 6, 5, 4, and 3in. pieces.

I sanded the edges and drilled holes in the ends to hold the wires.

I chose paper and cut it to the correct sizes.

I used Mod Podge to apply the paper. After it dried I sanded the edges again to rough up the paper a bit.

TIP: Use a ruler to press the paper into the Mod Podge.

Here they are all done.

Next I cut the names out on my Cricut. I used the Kristen font.

Then I applied them. Sometimes I applied the letters one at a time so that they were all crazy and off center.

Here it is all done. I added a dot of hot glue between each board to keep them in place. It won't hold forever. If you want it to hold forever than make sure you use wood glue.

Next I cut and twisted my wire. You can find this wire at Home Depot/Lowes. I found mine in the rebar area. It is called rebar wire. Mine is a huge roll and only cost $4.

Grip the end of the wire and twist it around the tip of your needle nose pliers.

Pull out your pliers and pinch the swirl together. Now it will hold a picture.

All done. I put a wire in every hole but they are removable.

I added a ribbon around the stack to hold it together and to add a bit more softness.

I hope my friend enjoys it. She is going through a rough time, one that I cannot even imagine, but maybe she can put some pictures on this and remember all the time she had with her son. Most importantly I hope she remembers that this is not the end, she will see him again.

Fall Wreath

2010-10-07T07:00:00.000-07:00

My Fall Wreath.

I rarely ever use wreaths. It is just to windy here in Vegas. It always bangs on the door and we end up taking it down.
But all the wonderful wreaths you all have been making lately made me want to make one of my own.

I guess I will have to find a way to secure it so it won't bang
because this is way to cute to keep inside!

I started with a grapevine wreath from Walmart for $3.00.

I got three colors of felt and three colors of burlap cut at Joann's. I only got 1/4 Yard of each so it was really inexpensive.

I cut my burlap into strips and sewed them together to make one long strip. Then I did a ruffle. I did it by hand, not using the longest stitch on your machine. I tried to but burlap is just too difficult to gather.

I looped it around the wreath and secured it down.

Then I made lots of felt flowers. All different kinds and techniques.

I also made a little pumpkin out of my orange burlap. I cut a circle, hand stitched a gather stitch with ribbon around the circumference, stuffed it with pillow fluff and pulled it closed. I added a felt stump in the top.

I like it! Perfect for Fall.

Crafts Kill!

2010-10-06T15:13:00.001-07:00

Sorry for my absence.

I have been a bit incapacitated.

It all started when I decided to make myself a lightbox.

Easy enough. All I needed was a cardboard box, paper and white material.

I have all that stuff already so why not do it?!

I got my box and my brand new box cutter.

As I cut I reminded myself, "cut away from my body". Duh!

Then it happened...

SLICE!

I have posted a current picture.

Please be advised... it is yucky!

Almost cut my tendon. Very deep. Only about an inch long.

So....a message to all of you. Cut with caution.

Or as my husband said when he posted my wound on Facebook,

"Crafts Kill!"

Saturday Super Savings - Homemade Magnets

2010-10-02T05:23:00.000-07:00

My sister just got a job this year as an elementary school teacher. Yeah! Big blessing, long story.

So I asked what I could do for her to help her get her room ready. She came over and we cut a ton of stuff on my Cricut for her walls. She also asked for some magnets. It has taken me awhile, but here you go!

This is my favorite. Cute cow!

Instead of going to the store and spending a few bucks for one magnet make a bunch for a few bucks. Super Savings!
At Michael's I got a bag of glass marbles. They are flat on one side, round on the other.

Depending on the size of your marbles, mine are huge, cut a circle to fit on the flat side. Use anything you want. I used pretty papers and stamped images.

Use Mad Podge and glue it to the back. Be very sparse with the glue!

I got some magnetic buttons at Walmart. They were about $2.00 for 50. You need to use a good magnet, none of that strip stuff. They just aren't strong enough to hold the marbles up, let alone hold up papers.

Once the glue is dry, hot glue the magnet on the back.

Ta Da! Cute cow!

Here is a bunch I made.

Have fun!

Cricut Crop Friday - Countdown To...Whatever!

2010-10-01T05:07:00.000-07:00

Everyone seems to be making these Countdown things. So I jumped on the bandwagon!

I decided to make mine universal.

Now we can use it for anything exciting that we have coming up.
I started with two blocks (I cut mine from a 4x4 post) and a 2x4.
I painted a rough coat of white over the wood.

I cut all my paper to fit within the sides of my
blocks and them using Mod Podge I glued them down.

Here we are all done.

TIP: Try to use papers that go well together. I used a line of paper that is made to work together. This way no matter what sides of the blocks are showing they look good.

Using my Cricut (Cricut Crop Friday! Duh!) I cut vinyl numbers.

This is what you will need:

Block 1: 1,2,6,0,7,8

Block 2: 1,4,3,5,2,0

Doesn't matter what order just as long as they are on the right blocks.

Stick my vinyl on the blocks.

I sanded down my edges to add a bit of texture.

I added a little clip on the end. This is so I can put a slip of paper to show what we are counting down to.

Yeah! 3 days till Dylan's Birthday and 9 till Logan's!

Fun to do and SUPER easy!

2010-09-30T01:59:00.000-07:00

I was featured today at These Magical Years! Check it out!

Mmmm...Monday - Yummy Homemade Bread

2010-09-27T00:01:00.000-07:00

Mmmm....Monday!

Remember awhile back I had a post The Best Bread Ever!? Well I was wrong! I found a better one. I got this one from Deals To Meals.

It soooo good. My hubby decided he didn't like the bread I was making. "It's to dry...and falls apart when I cut it for lunch!" (winny voice over)

What ever! But I decided to look for a new recipie.

One afternoon last week I made three recipies of bread. Two of them worked out and my hubby did a tast/crumble test. He approved of both and all was right in the word. (sarcasm!) This is the one I am making currently. The other I will share later.

You can go to the link to see the original recipie that makes four loaves. I have halved it here and it works great.

Emilie's Whole Wheat Bread - Makes 2 loaves.

3 1/2 c. whole wheat flour (grind your own if you have a wheat grinder)
1/3 c. vital wheat gluten
1 1/4 T. instant yeast

2 1/2 c. steaming hot water

1 T. salt
1/3 c. oil
1/3 c. honey or 1/2 c. sugar
1 1/4 T. bottled lemon juice

2 1/2 c. whole wheat flour

Mix together the first three ingredients in your mixer with a dough hook. Add water all at once and mix for 1 minute; cover and let rest for 10 minutes (this is called sponging). Add salt, oil, honey or sugar, and lemon juice and beat for 1 minute. Add last flour, 1 cup at a time, beating between each cup. Beat for about 6-10 minutes until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. This makes very soft dough.

Pre-heat oven for 1 minute to lukewarm and turn off. Turn dough onto oiled counter top; divide, shape into 2 loaves place in oiled bread pans. Let rise in warm oven for 10-15 minutes (approximately...mine takes 40 minutes in Las Vegas) until dough reaches top of pan. Do not remove bread from oven; turn oven to 350 F and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from pans and cool on racks.
**Another tip..when the dough is put into the bread pans, squish the dough softly into the corners of your bread loaf pans. This will make your bread cook more evenly and not have the large lump in the middle of your loaf.

Enjoy!

Sew What! Sunday - Clutch Bag and Labels

2010-09-26T00:01:00.000-07:00

Today is Sew What! Sunday

Today I made a cute little clutch to go in my new purse I made last week.

I found it at Noodle Head. Super easy and it went pretty fast too.

Do you see that little label? I made it! The Cottage Home did a post on labels and she linked to a post from Patchwork Pottery.

She showed there how to make your very own labels.
Inside.

With my hand to show you how big it is. This will be perfect for my small items that get lost in the bottom of my purse.

This is one I am in the process of making. Cute!

Love gathers!

Here is how I made my labels. Go to Patchwork Pottery for her tutorial.

I used Avery light T-Shirt Transfer paper. I had it on hand so I was lucky.

Printed out my label on the computer word program. Make sure to Mirror it. You can find that option in your advanced printer settings.

After my test print on regular paper I printed it out on the transfer paper. Then I cut it in strips.

I followed the directions with the transfer paper and ironed it on to a few types of ribbon. I used regular grosgrain and twill.

You can kind of see the shinny transfer on some of the ribbons, but in general I really like it. It adds a cute touch to my stuff and if I ever sell anything I am ready!

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A THEME for every day of the week!

2010-09-24T10:43:00.000-07:00

Many of you bloggers out there understand me when I say,

"What am I going to post today?"

Thousands of ideas start rushing through my head and within a few minutes I

find myself totally confused and overwhelmed.

So what is the solution?

I have decided to have each day a theme.

That way I will not have to think too hard :0}

Now, I will not necessarily be posting everyday, but at least I can narrow down the list a bit.

So this is it!

Monday: Mmmm...Monday - Food and a Recipe

Tuesday: 2x4 Tuesday's LINK PARTY - You can join me! Anything you have created made of wood (I like 2x4's but I am not going to judge you if you use something else!)

Wednesday: Wordie Wednesday - Just words, maybe a few pictures. My thoughts straight to you. Boring? NEVER! I am amazing and I have many thoughts that I know you want to hear.

Thursday: Thursday's at Target - I Loooove Target! Don't you?! So I will make something with Target items. Maybe I'll make it even better!

Friday: Cricut Crop - I love my cricut and today I will make something fabulous with it. Paper, vinyl, fabric...the possibilities are endless!

Saturday: Super Saving Saturday! - Was it on sale? Was it on clearance? Then I will craft that sucker up!

Sunday: Sew What! Sunday - Anything that I sewed!

Pretty simple. Hope it works! Ha!

2010-09-23T13:34:00.000-07:00

2x4 Tuesday!

2010-09-23T09:58:00.000-07:00

Hey all! I am starting my first Link Party!

I wanted to do something different and fun and this is it!

2x4 Tuesday's!

(other size wood is acceptable!)

If you have a project you have made or are in the process of working one, LINK IT!

I love working with wood and I want you to show off your stuff!

Rules:

BE NICE! Visit other links and post comments to cheer them up!

TWO is the limit. If you have more then wait till next week silly!

Please take my button and put it somewhere on your blog.

Now link it baby!!!!

Mom-A-Go-Go Purse and Pattern (coming soon!)

2010-09-22T14:24:00.000-07:00

I have made several purses over the last few months.

Not any one of them was just right for my needs.

I am a mom of three. In my purse I carry many things.

wallet
phone
brushes and clippies (me and my little girls hair)
sanitizer (MUST have!)
2 pull ups (she is three...no comment)
wet wipes (good for so much more than bums!)
lots of receipts (you never know what will need to be returned)
snacks (duhh! 3 kids!)
camera (memories)
makeup clutch

And on occasion, more often than not, I also have:

sippy cup
water bottle
book/magazine

So needless to say, I need a larger than average purse. Yet it can't be so big that I can't throw it over my shoulder. Oh! And speaking of shoulders, the strap must go over my shoulder and STAY! Not so long that it hits my butt and not so short that it sits in my arm pit!

I could not find one that would work. So I made my own pattern. And here it is!

This purse is made out of leftover black corduroy and two fabric quarters. Black corduroy is not the best for taking pictures, but perfect for just about everything else.I used two kinds of lining. I used a light weight iron on interfacing and regular old felt.
It is pleated a lot. This creates a big puffy bottom that can hold lots of stuff.

The inside is open and roomy. The top band it only 12 inches across so that all my stuff doesn't fall out of the bag. I may add a center pocket for my wallet next time. It has a magnetic closure.

Inside there is a pocket with a flap on one side. I may add one to the other side next time.

Here it is with my phone in it, flap open.

Flap closed. Maybe it needs a little Velcro closure?

So there it is. Do you like it? Why am I asking you?! It's my purse after all! Just kidding!

If you would like the pattern then you will have to wait a few days. I am drawing it as we speak and will post in a few days. See you then!

Beaded Watch Band Tutorial Part 2

2010-09-19T06:29:00.000-07:00

Here is part two of the beaded watch band tutorial video.

Beaded Watch Band Tutorial Part 1

2010-09-17T08:00:00.000-07:00

I learned how to make beaded watch bands about a year ago and I have been obsessed with them ever since. They are so fun to make and soooooo much cheaper than the"name brand" ones. I love them so much that I want to share them with you! I started to do a tutorial and it quickly got out of hand. Way to much info and way to many pictures. So I decided to do a vlog.

So here you go! Let me know what you think.

T-Shirt makeover

2010-09-15T11:56:00.000-07:00

I redid one of my plain old t-shirts the other day. I have seen them all over the web and even done one of my own awhile back. I saw a really cute one over at Momma Go Round, (click here for the tutorial) and decided to go for it.

It was really easy and just took a little bit of patience and time.
I started with a plain white t-shirt from Joann's for $3.00. I cut off the neck band and rehemmed it. It makes it fuller and less athletic.

I cut my little B's and stitched them up.

Here it is. So pretty and fluffy. I also trimmed a few inches off the bottom of the shirt to make it hit right at my hips. It is so cute and I think it is perfect with a cute skirt.

Thanks Momma Go Round!

Jealous Much?!

2010-09-15T11:34:00.001-07:00

Look!!!! Look what I got!

A Miter Saw!

I know you are jealous ;0)

I went to Harbor Freight yesterday. I only have two in Vegas and of course both are FOREVER away. So needless to say I had never been there. I really wanted to get a miter saw and Harbor Freight has amazing deals. So after dropping off at school my little girl and I drove across town and went shopping!
Love it! I haven't even used it yet and I still love it!

I also got two c-clamps and a square. I have not had a decent clamp and it drives me crazy.

I found a few other things that were a good find as well. I got a blade, a pack of masks and a drop cloth for painting. I hate using plastic when I paint. The stuff always sticks to it.

So I of course had to go to Home Depot to get some 2x4's and a 4x4 post. You can't have a new saw and have nothing to cut!

All in all it was a great day. I can't wait to start making stuff with it. i of course will show you as I go along ;)

Kitchen Up-Do

2010-09-13T12:32:00.001-07:00

What did I do this past weekend? Well, I had a spurt of Kitchen Re-Do fever.

This is my toaster. Sad don't cha' think? We have had it since...forever, 13 years?

I really want to replace it with a sleak red one but I feel wasteful because it is only a toaster and it still works. So I decided to make it pretty, but covering it up!

Simple cover. Nothing fancy. But it is red, and that is one of my kitchen colors.

This is my knife block. Isn't it pretty! Well it wasn't before I painted it. It was a yucky brown. I got this idea from Crafts and Deals. Why not paint it! Now it matches the colors, black and red.

I do need new knives, but now I can wait a bit longer.

I got these glass jars form Savers. I loooove Savers.

Clear glass is going to be the theme in the kitchen.

I got these at Target. They were 20% off and I think they are perfect.

So that was my weekend. My kitchen can't be painted {renting} so this is my little touch. I am not done. I have some baskets that I am going to paint black and red and I think I am going to make a soap dispenser out of a jar. I'll show you if I do!

DUMP Cobbler

2010-09-11T09:41:00.000-07:00

This is so easy it is almost sad.

WARNING...This is not good for you, but it sure tastes good!

Dump Cobbler

I used fresh apples. You can use any kind of fruit, canned or fresh. My favorite is fresh peaches. This is a good way to use fruit that is about to go bad or fruit that is not quite ripe enough. These apples were way to tart and turned out perfect in the cobbler. This is also perfect for camping/dutch oven.

Cut into small chunks.

Ingredients:
1 large can fruit or equivalent in fresh fruit
1 box cake mix, white or yellow
1 tsp Cinnamon
3/4 cube margarine or butter

Dump your fruit in bottom of 8x8 ish' size pan.
Dump cake mix on top.
Sprinkle Cinnamon on top.

Cut margarine into slices and spread over top.

Bake at 350 for about 35 minutes or until bubbly and brown on top. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving to allow juices to thicken a bit. Topping will be crumbly.

Eat...and prepare yourself for heaven!

Italian Parmesan Chicken Bake

2010-09-09T17:10:00.000-07:00

This has got to be the easiest chicken recipe in the world. And it is supper yummy too!

Italian Parmesan Chicken Bake

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1/8 tsp salt

1/4 cup Italian dressing

Chicken breasts, skinless

non stick spray

Mix all dry ingredients together in a bowl or shallow pan. Spray pan with non stick spray. Coat chicken in dressing. Coat chicken in bread crumbs. Place in pan. Bake at 400 for about 30-40 minutes.

I like to set everything up in order so that I have as little mess as possible.

Here it is before it is cooked...

and after.

Serve alone or with spaghetti and marinara sauce.

My kids love it!

I have also used this to make chicken nuggets. Same process, just use chunks of chicken. They freeze well.

Happy Birthday Dad!

2010-09-08T23:30:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday Dad!

This is my Dad. He is the best Dad in the world {no offense}.

Today was his birthday and blah, blah, blah...to make a long story short, I didn't call him!

I know! I am horrible! What kind of daughter am I? Well..no excuses. So here I am at 11:30pm at night writing.

My Dad is the best example a girl could hope for. He is loving, understanding, FUN, handy to have around, and most of all he is THERE. Do you know what I mean? He is always there when I need him. There to listen. There to talk. There to give advise. There to support. That is the most important thing isn't it? YES!

So...I love you Dad! I will call you tomorrow.

Pumpkin decor

2010-09-08T14:43:00.000-07:00

This pumpkin was made at a church craft several years ago. It is really cute on my door or just on the wall.

I still need to put a saying on the banner...and now that I have a Cricut I can!

This is made from half inch plywood and wood scraps. The banner, leaf and pumpkin were drawn out and cut with a jigsaw. Holes were drilled in the corners and connected together with rebar wire. The leaves were purchased pre-cut from Joann's.
It really was an easy craft and if you have a jigsaw it can be duplicated easily.

Now I just need to cut that vinyl. What should it say...

Happy Halloween!

Spiders!!

2010-09-07T14:32:00.001-07:00

My kids and I made two of these cute spiders last Halloween. I think I got the idea from Family Fun? Not sure. I just pulled them out of the garage and they need a little TLC, but are in pretty good shape.

They are made from:

Milk jug

4 pipe foam cover thingies

duct tape

plastic scraps

Just cut the top off of your milk jug and cover in duct tape. Tape your legs in the center of the pipe foam. You can see in the picture below that I need to repair a leg.

The eyes of mine are from milk lid, The mouth was a can lid cut in half. I painted the teeth and pupils on with craft paint.

They can be hung, perched or draped form anywhere and a really fun to make.

Cut an upside down V shape out of the center of each leg to make the legs bend and tape them so they stay. {I ran out of duct tape}

I was lots of fun and super cheep! Try it!

Hair bow Holder Re-Do

2010-09-06T07:41:00.000-07:00

My daughter had a bow holder in her room I made a few years ago. I decided to spruce it up a bit so that it would match better with her room makeover.

This is the original. I really like it but it was a little to busy. To much pattern, especially when all the bows were on it.

Here it is redone.

It is made from a foam project board that you get at the drug store.

I covered it with purple fabric and glued it on the back. Then I strung ribbon on it and glued it in the back as well.

Much better! Not so crazy, and it doesn't give me a headache like the old one.

Show Off!

2010-09-04T22:52:00.000-07:00

Leanne, from Organize and Decorate Everything showed off my Chalkboard Clipboard To-Do list on her We're Organized Wednesday Party!

Thanks Leanne!

Fabric covered Boxes UPDATED

2010-09-04T15:20:00.000-07:00

UPDATED POST!

Another object for my daughter room makeover.

Fabric covered boxes. I don't know if I am actually going to use them to put stuff in or just use them as decorations. We'll see.

This one is covered in felt. I love felt!

This one is covered in pale green fabric with a pick lid. I did a basic ruffle with ribbon to add some detail.

This one is covered in purple with a cute pink rosette.

It started with these boxes I got from my previous work. They were going to be tossed and I thought I could do something with them. They have sat for about a year in the garage waiting for the perfect project. They are about 7 in x 7 in.

I used some of the rooms fabric to cover them. Just a basic present type wrap. I just glued it right on the box.

Cute, cute, and so easy!

Lamp Bouquet

2010-09-04T08:00:00.000-07:00

This was a project that I was really looking forward to, the outcome that is. Doing it was a not super fun. But I did it, and I am done. And look how cute it is!

I started off with a lamp I got last year at Big Lots! for $7.00. The lamp was in bad shape. It had a pink boa glued to it! Who would do such a thing....me. It was a bad choice I admit. At the time it seamed like a really good idea. Then I plugged it in a realized the fire hazard. The feathers were everywhere! So I ripped it off and started fresh.
Some ideas just should not be done.

I purchased four colors of felt by the yard.

Cut them into different size squares and then into circles. You can see my tutorial here and here.

Then I started gluing them on with hot glue.

At one point I ran out of hot glue and had to use a different glue. Stressed me out! I am a hot glue girl through and through.

I am almost done!

All done! I really like the different sizes of flowers. Some a huge and some are super tiny.

So cute!

Here it is attached to the lamp base and an my daughters night stand.

She loves it! Can't keep her hands off of it!

Being that she is only three we had a talk about the bulb. I had her touch it so she would learn never to do it again...HOT! We also talked about how she can't just turn it on and off all day. I hope this was not a mistake?!

Oh well, it is cute!

A room of pink and purple

2010-09-02T17:48:00.001-07:00

Two weeks ago I got a ton of fabric to start on my daughters room. What have I done with it? Nothing.

I has sat waiting while I make more interesting things. So yesterday I finally did it.
Okay, not the most amazing photo, but I made it, finally! A simple bed skirt. No pleats or ruffles. Simple and pink.

Hear is a trick I figured out. I didn't want a "real" bed skirt that goes under the mattress. The reason for this is that my daughter would just mess with it and it would always be short on one side and long on the other. So what did I do? I pinned it in place! I got a pack of $1.00 tacks at Walmart and tacked the skirt to the wood box spring.

Pretty smart huh! {I tried to do this to my king size box spring...didn't work. Apparently mine is made of metal. :( }

Do you have ugly shades like this?! Well, we rent so I can't change it. So what can I do?
Use Velcro!

Simple and cute. I added a strip of pink from the bed skirt fabric to tie it together.

The top of this window has a 1 inch lip. So I attached some adhesive Velcro to the top, and stitched some Velcro to the drapes.

Sorry, hard to see the Velcro here.

Here is the stitched Velcro.

I added some fabric rosettes to cuten it up. Is that a word, cuten?

Oh well.

So her room is almost done. Only about 10 things left to do. LOL!

Chalkboard To-Do Chart

2010-08-30T14:14:00.001-07:00

I don't know about your kids, but mine are a pain when it comes to getting things done.

"Did you brush your teeth?" I ask. "Why?!" they yell. "Why?! So your teeth don't fall out of your head! Do it!" I yell. This is our morning routine. It also happens when I ask them to take a shower. You would think it was the end of the world.

So I decided to make a to-do chart. I had some chalkboard paint and clipboards for a possible craft project, so I hijacked them for this instead.

No, I do not make them shower twice a day!

I have it twice so that they can pick when they want to do it, before bed or before school.
I did two coats of paint, following the package instructions.

I added vinyl that I cut from my Cricut.

I could have left it blank and written in the stuff with chalk, but I decided this was an easier idea.

I plan on hanging these by their bedroom so that they see it and can mark stuff off as they do it.

Wish me Luck!!

Felt Flower Tutorial

2010-08-27T23:28:00.000-07:00

In previous posts here, here and here I have used felt flowers. I did a small tutorial but I wanted to try out a video tutorial, so here it is!

Purse Frenzy!

2010-08-26T17:16:00.000-07:00

I am in a Purse/bag frenzy!!

I LOOOOVE purses. I want to buy them all! But I have not money...what to do?

Make my own!

So I checked out several websites and tried to get a FREE pattern for a cute bag.

One of the mostest cutest patterns I found was at Made By Rae. She has a super cute bag, the Buttercup bag.

I made it and it is so cute! I made a few changes to the original pattern. I enlarged it, added an inner pocket with a zipper and lengthened the strap. Here is my version.

I also found a super cute tutorial at La Maison Reid. She made a Burlap bag that is to die for!
This is her bag.

I did not happen to have any burlap laying around but I did have some jean material.

I thought I would give it a try. And here it is.

Not quite the same. I think because of the material it took on a totally different shape. It looked kind of crazy so I made a few changes. I squared out the bottom corners and shortened the top rim. I added a jean rose to mine just like she added a burlap rose to hers. I like it!

So that is it so far. But I am not done! I have several more to make and then I think I will try to make my own pattern and tutorial.

These ladies inspired me! Thank you!

Teacher Gift

2010-08-25T11:37:00.001-07:00

Today I have my Activity Days Girls activity. It is a church activity for girls between the ages of 8-11. I have about 10 girls and we decided to have an activity where we made a gift for the girls new teachers. I wanted to do something really cute but sometimes that doesn't work out so well for this age of girls. I saw this idea at Brown Paper Packages but needed to change it up a bit. I don't have a saw that can cut a large 4x4 post but I can cut a 2x4. So I cut a 2x4 into a 3.5' square and went from there.

We added a cute little note as well. It reads:

An APPLE a day will keep the insanity at bay.

So keep this APPLE near and you won't have any fear.

We attached it to a red piece of paper and punched a hole in the corner to tie a ribbon.

I painted the block barn red.

Applied white vinyl "A" and "a" to each side.

Tied a cute ribbon around the block and tied the note to the block.

So here it is. I think it turned out cute. Easy for the girls to make and a fun gift for teachers.