Saturday, December 3, 2011

N's Nursery

Here are a few photos of our baby girl's nursery. The projects I did were simple and budget-friendly.


These hoops were really easy. A lot of the fabric I found in scrap baskets at a local fabric store - they gave them to me for free! I just used wonder-under to apply the bird, letter, and heart. All in all this project was under $15!
This wreath was only a dollar. These hydrangea's were from centerpieces from our wedding. I'm so glad I found a use for them. Foam wreat forms can be found at the dollar store. Cut the stems and poke them in the wreath. I used hot glue to keep the stems in place. I think this took less then an hour to make. Told ya I did simple projects.
Different versions of this pillow can be found all over the web. I used this tutorial from V & Co. It was fun to make and a good project for beginners (the sewing doesn't have to be perfect).
Let me know if you have any questions with anything! I hope to be posting more from here on out!
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Thursday, September 15, 2011

Happy Moms




I read this message today and it really lifted my spirits. Its written by Heather Johnson over at Family Volley.



Since the beginning of time, all of mankind has had something in common, we want to be happy. I know I want to be happy. My greatest happiness and joy comes from my family. Receiving awards, recognition, money, doesn’t compare to the feelings I have when our daughter learned to ride her bike without training wheels or when I saw the smile on our son’s face when he worked side by side with his dad on his pinewood derby car. But, if I am not careful, the stress of taking care of others and managing family life overshadows the happy and leaves me sad and miserable. It doesn’t have to be this way. This plan of family life is meant to be a happy plan.

Here are 8 things that Happy Moms have in common.

1. Happy Moms Avoid Comparisons As mothers and women we have a tendency to compare ourselves to others. If we want to be happy, we have to stop. We are usually comparing our weaknesses and shortcoming to someone else’s strengths. It is not a fair comparison. And, when we compare, we foster feelings of jealousy and envy. Those feelings will make us miserable. There will always be someone skinnier, with a cleaner house and with kids that seem more behaved. Always. SO what…comparing will not make us skinner, or our house cleaner. Don’t waste energy on comparing. It is the same with our children. Don’t compare our kids to others. When we do, we miss all the magic that is in each of our own children. We overlook how wonderful and unique they are. And we put unfair pressure on them. When we find ourselves longing for someone else’s life, sit down with a piece of paper and pen and start listing all the things you are thankful for. List all the blessings in your life. When you feel yourself starting to compare again, get out the paper and re-read all that you are thankful for. We will quickly realize how blessed we really are. The other thing we can do to stop the comparing is to serve others. Serving others brings humility and helps us recognize our many blessings. Lastly, we have to be careful with social media. It is easy to read about all the recipes and refinished furniture and beautifully sewn cloths and feel inadequate. Just because we don’t do all those things, doesn’t mean we are less. Nor should we compare ourselves to all the “ideal” posts we read.

2. Happy Moms Recognize Their Worth. There comes a time when we have to accept ourselves, as is. We need to love ourselves. Instead of wondering what we are good for, we need to know that our role is THE most important role. We are raising and influencing future generations. We are primarily responsible for nurturing little human beings. It doesn’t get more important than that. Even if we don’t have children of our own, there is nothing that compares to a women’s loving influence. Take a minute and write down all the things that you are good at. Don’t be shy, write them down. Maybe you are a good friend, patient, a talented seamstress, or creative. Own them, find strength in your strengths and use them to help others. The sooner we can recognize our true worth, the happier we will be.

3. Happy Moms Choose Good Friends. We are quick to preach this to our children, but do we realize how important it is for us. We need to surround ourselves with people who lift us up, who believe in us, and who support us. Avoid relationships that are one sided and draining. We want friends who don’t compare, who revel in our successes and who believe in lifting others up, not putting others down. That is also the type of friend we want to be for others.

4. Happy Moms Have Faith and Pray The act of being faithful, in and of itself raises our spirits and gives us hope. Hope is happy and healing. Couple that hope with prayer and the sun will shine happy rays. :) Even on the worst of days, having faith that we are trying our best and that tomorrow will be better, can help us feel happy today. Prayer can help us lead happier lives also. It gives us a chance to express gratitude and ask for help. When we pray, be specific. Yesterday I prayed that I could be more creative with our 3 year old. Lately she has wanted me to play zoo, and make animal sounds. Sometimes that is hard for me, so I asked for help. Pray for more time with your family, pray for stamina to get through a long day. Sometimes my prayers are that I can get through the next 15 minutes. Happy moms have faith. For me, faith helps because I know that I am never alone.

5. Happy Moms Make Time For Themselves As mothers and women, we tend to take care of ourselves last. I have caught myself more than once saying “when the kids are older then I will have time for….”. We need to stop thinking like that. We should find some time for ourselves to cultivate our gifts and interests. Pick one or two things that you would like to learn to do that will enrich your life, and make time for them. It is not selfish.

6. Happy Moms Simplify We need to clean up and clear out. Take a look at your schedule and make sure it is not too full. Don’t over schedule our kids, or ourselves. Juggling a million things doesn’t make us better moms with cooler kids. It just stresses us out. We are not happy when we are stressed. Our kids only need one or two extra activities, same with us as moms. We should simplify our homes also. Too many clothes and toys in our homes and cars add stress. It can become overwhelming to manage so much stuff. Simplify. Cut down to what is manageable and spend less time keeping up with all the stuff, and more time with those you love, doing things you want to do and being happy.

7. Happy Moms Stop Worrying I am very guilty of this. I am a worrier. It causes stress, and then I am not happy. It will take practice, but think about it this way: If you can’t change it or control it, then there is no need to worry about it. Instead think about what you can control and put your efforts there. The other thing we can do to stop worrying is to turn off the news. I watch the news filled with all the negative and horrible and I worry more.

8. Happy Moms Smile and Laugh Smiling and laughing naturally brings happiness. Let your face light up and let out a giggle. In fact, smile at someone else and watch their face light up. We can get so rushed and serious that we forget to be happy. So even if you have to force it at first, smile.



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Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Thumbdrop Cookies

These cookies were made somewhat by accident. I made a batch of regular peanut butter cookies and decided to "spice" them up a bit. I thought of thumbdrop cookies and knew I should put my grandma's homemade raspberry jam to good use.

THUMBDROP COOKIES


1/2 c shortening


1/2 c peanut butter


1/2 c granulated sugar


1/2 c packed brown sugar


1/8 t baking soda


1 egg


2 T milk


1 t vanilla


1 3/4 c all-purpose flour


1/4 c granulated sugar


1/2 c preserves



1. Beat shortening and peanut butter with an electric mixer 30 seconds. Add the 1/2 c granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, and baking soda. Beat until combined, scraping bowl. Beat in egg, milk, and vanilla. Beat in as much flour as you can. Stir in any remaining flour.


2. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll balls in the 1/4 c granulated sugar. Place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in a 350 oven for 10-12 minutes or until edges are firm and bottoms are lightly browned. Immediately press down gently in middle with edge of spoon or end of a wooden spoon. Drop about 1/2 t preserves in center.



These are delicious!




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Thursday, July 28, 2011

Nursery Inspiration

After finding out we were having a girl, I got giddy thinking about a cute, feminine nursery. I put together a few ideas that I might use.

Olivia Crib set from Target


Fabric Hoop Art


Sheer pink curtains


Rose Pillow


Minky fabric


Here's a closer look at the fabric for the bedding



These lanterns would look great too.

Martha Stewart


I'd love to make this adorable lamp shade


Pottery Barn



Or perhaps some vinyl on the walls.

EtsyWhat do you think. Any other good ideas out there?
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Monday, July 25, 2011

Cowboy Caviar

In honor of Pioneer Day I thought I'd whip up one of my new favorite recipes: Cowboy Caviar. Its a perfect dip or salad for a hot summer day.

COWBOY CAVIAR


2 T red wine vinegar


1 1/2 to 2 tsp hot sauce


1 1/2 tsp salad oil


1 clove garlic, minced


1/8 tsp pepper


2 firm-ripe avocados


1 15 oz can black-eyed peas


1 11 oz can corn


2/3 cup sliced green onion


2/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro


2-3 tomatoes, chopped


salt


1 bag tortilla chips


2 cups shredded lettuce or cabbage (optional)



1 - In a large bowl, mix vinegar, hot sauce, oil, garlic, and pepper. Peel, pit and cut avocado into 1/2-inch cubes. Add to vinegar mixture and mix gently to coat.


2 - Drain and rinse peas and corn. Add peas, corn, onions, cilantro and tomatoes to avocado mixture. Mix gently to coat. Add salt to taste.


3. Serve with chips or add lettuce/cabbage to made a delicious salad.



Hope you enjoy!

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Wednesday, July 6, 2011

BBQ Invites

I made these invitations for a neighborhood BBQ and thought I'd share. I used my free picnik account. It was easy to make!




I thought some of you would like a blank invitation. Right click and save.





Thursday, June 30, 2011

Celebrate!

I decided to make this little printable to put on some soda bottles for the 4th of July. I thought I'd share it in case you'd like to use the image (personal use only). Just right click and save as a picture. For multiples, I fit about 6 of them in a Word document.



I made this using my favorite photo editing site, picnik. Try it out!



Linked to:








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Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Patriotic

Somehow it is almost July! I had been wanting to do these craft stars, so I finally hauled my 2-year-old to Joannes and got some cute paper.



This is the end result:


Sorry this is a poor picture, but the star is actually quite pretty with the glittery paper. Its a little rough, but I hope to make another one that is a bit more perfected.


Things you need:


2 - 12x12 pieces of scrapbook paper


cutting board and x-acto knife


glue dots


staples


about 2 hours



Total cost: .87 cents (for paper)!


For more instructions and pictures, go here.

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Thursday, May 26, 2011

Spring

A view from my front door a few days ago . . .



quite the difference from last February!



Hooray for spring!
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Monday, May 9, 2011

Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes

I wanted a nice light dessert for Mother's Day. I thought of strawberry shortcake, but didn't want to bother with the assembly (we were having a picnic), so I made cupcakes instead. Think of having your own little strawberry shortcake. My family and friends thought they took me a while, but they're really simple.



STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE CUPCAKES:



1 box yellow cake mix or your favorite yellow cake recipe



1-2 pints strawberries



Granulated sugar to sweeten



2 cups Whipping cream (use the real stuff, not Cool Whip)



2 T Powder sugar



2 tsp Vanilla



-Make cupcakes according to package directions (yield 24-36 cupcakes).



-While baking, chop strawberries and add sugar to sweeten.



-Once cupcakes are cooled, scoop out tops of cupcakes (see photo below). They obviously don't have to be perfect.




-Fill is holes with strawberry mixture (below)

-Beat whipping cream until soft peaks are formed. Add powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat until mixed.

-Right before serving, top cupcakes with whipped cream and additional strawberries if desired.



Here's another close-up. Yummy.


Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Blogging Slump

I wish I could say the reason I haven't posted is being I'm working on a big craft project, but I think the real reason is another project:




Due in November. :)


Pray that my energy will come back so I can at least spring clean!


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Monday, March 21, 2011

Rainbow Cupcakes

I know the rainbow cake and rainbow cupcakes are everywhere on blogland, but they were so fun and easy to make that I had to mention them.

RAINBOW CUPCAKES

You will need:

1 box white cake mix (prepare as directed)

Gel Food Colors (I used betty Crocker)

Multiple bowls for colors

Muffin tin and liners

Vanilla or buttercream frosting

Mix batter as directed and seperate batter into 4 (or more) bowls. Add food coloring until desired color. Spoonful batters of different colors in muffin tin. Bake as directed on cake box.
Frost when cooled.

You can see a little bit of color on the outside . . .


. . . and a whole lotta color on the inside! You could modify this into team colors or any other holiday. I will definately be making these again. Easy, delicious and cute!


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Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Photo Session Giveaway

Need some new photos taken (and who doesn't)? Tami Chandler Photography is giving away a free photo session on her blog!
Check it out HERE! I know I will!





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Monday, March 7, 2011

Spring Collage

I previously had a Valentine Subway Art displayed in this frame, so I decided I needed to update it with something cute and springlike!
I was inspired with Kelly B when she was on Studio 5 last week (local show). She has a pattern on her blog if you're interested in making one yourself. It was super easy (and free) to do and it makes me think of spring every time I look at it!

What do you think?
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Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Turquoise

Call it blue, aqua, robin egg, whatever - I LOVE turquoise. I would love to have any one of these living rooms.




Source: House of Turquoise


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