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Summertime Spruce Up

Out with spring, in with summer!  It's hot, hot, hot and my spring time wreath told me so.  It couldn't handle the heat and bugs any longer.  I felt it's pain and updated it with summer time flowers, and ribbon.  Since yellow is the "in color" for fashion this summer I decided my wreath needed a little style too. 

What I mean by updating my wreath is that I use the same grape vine wreath and switch out the flowers every season.  Hince why it's easy to change it out....it does not cost much.  For these flowers and ribbon it was around $9.00.  Any easy and cheap spruce up huh?

Corn Hole Bags

Last Friday afternoon I overheard Phil and his friend, Travis discussing bean bags for the game corn hole.  They kept debating about what to do and a light flipped on in this pea sized brain of mine and said ahh ha you can make them some bags.  I just so happened to have scraps of FSU and Miami fabric and whipped them up some bags to play with just in time for their tail gate. 

If ever you need to make them cut 2 squares that are 7x7 and sew them right sides together.  Fill them with dried corn or beans and sew them up.  Super easy, Phil even made one! The different teamed fabric made their game a little interesting I think. 

Which Tutorial to Feature?

Several people have contacted me asking me to give them instructions on how to make certain projects that I have done.  I have since created a poll on the right hand side of the screen for people to log on and vote to decided which tutorial I will post.  I know some of you have asked me for directions on how to do a couple projects however, I would like to keep some as a secret.  Feel free to use my ideas and try to figure out on your own how to do them though!  As always if you have questions or are stuck I will be glad to help you. 

The poll is open from today until May 20th.  You can vote as many times as you would like.  Simply select which tutorial to feature and next week we will find out the results.

Happy early polling!

Triple the Love

If you need a chocolate fix these cookies will sure satisfy it.  My parents went to San Fransisco last week and brought me back a Triple Chocolate Chip Mix. 

 After eating a salad last night, Phil asked me to bake the cookies for him.  I gave in and made them and I think I found my new favorite cookie.  It is basically a cookie mix with milk, dark, and white chocolate chips.  Indulge and make these scrumptious things....

If your not in San Fransisco to buy the mix below is the recipe:

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups stick butter
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips
 1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips 1
1/2 cups dark chocolate chips

Directions

Mix softened butter with sugars and beat for several minutes, until mixture is creamy. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat for one minute, or until eggs dissolve into butter mixture.

Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl. Add butter mixture, stirring well. Add chocolate chips. Refrigerate cookie dough for two hours or until firm.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

Drop by two tablespoonfuls of dough, spaced 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly browned and puffed up.

The secret to baking a perfect cookie (that even my mother does not understand) is to pull the cookies out when the middle still looks a little un-done.  When you take your cookies out to cool for a bit the cookies are still baking because the cookie sheet is so hot.  If you take them out of the oven when they look too done they continue to harden and over bake on the cookie sheet.  Let them cool on the cookie sheet for a minute or two and then slide them onto a paper towel or cooling rack to properly cool.

Sending out a Message

When I posted sometime last week I mentioned that there were several celebrations around the corner that needed my gifting attention.  Two of my cousins are graduating this month.  As I reflected upon what I got for graduation I tried to really like about what was my favorite gift.  Well, I had a many favorites but what stuck out most were things I have since used.  As these two cousins are moving out this fall I thought it would be perfect to make them something for their apartments and this is what I came up with...

Picture Frame Dry Erase Board

When I was in college I used a dry erase board in my bedroom a lot.  Not really school related, mind you but it was a funny way for at the time my friends and I to communicate.  They would come into my room and write me a funny message.  Most of the time they consisted of funny things like "silly hefer" or inside jokes.  It made for a good laugh...which is what I wanted to pass on to these girls.  Hopefully they will love them and also crossing my fingers that they match their room decor. 

The green and white damask print is for my cousin, Abigail.  The other frame to the right is for my cousin, Tori.  Tori's is a more retro print that I think she will really like.  To the right of hers is my Moms which has a leopard print.  I was thinking she could put it in her office or at home by her calendar.  All of these gifts are not gifted until tomorrow and Sunday...so really hoping the homies won't look at my blog until Monday.  I have been dying to post these little gems. 

I am going tonight to buy them a set of dry erase markers to include also.  Will let you all know what they think of their little boards.  I think I will write them a funny message to keep the tradition going :)

This little package is for my grandmother....what do you think is inside?

Mom's leopard dry erase board...(please act surprised if you read this post before Mother's Day)

This is a fabric flower arrangement also for another lucky lady. I made this with scrap fabric laying around my craft room...out of boredom :)

Happy Mother's Day, Moms!

I Can See Clearly Now

Sunglasses Pouches

I know I am biased...but aren't these little precious things cute?  These little numbers are perfect or any pair of glasses that you own. As you can see I even made a Miami Dolphins one for Phil's sunglasses and he loved it!  All of the Mother's this year are getting one... (let's hope they don't look at the post until after Sunday)  Sorry I couldn't wait any longer to post these. 

If you are a beginner these are super easy.  I whipped these up in about 10 minutes.  As I have said before if your interested in how to make something let me know and I will post a tutorial. 

Update on the Produce

I updated a while back on the plants.  However, since the last update they have grown in size!  Our peppers were due to be ready on Cinco de Mayo (funny, huh) but they aren't quite ready yet.  They are looking pretty healthy though....

We now have a couple tomatoes budding too...I can't wait for these juicy things to be ready

Our onions are progressing well too...they produced these pretty bulbs

I hated to pick them off but many told us if you don't it will stunt the growth of the onion.  The flowers are a way for them to pollinate and produce more onion. 

The cauliflower has formed a head and doing well so far.  It should only be a couple weeks until it is ready.  Most of our plants are due to be ready now, but are a little behind their estimated time.

Mother's Day Ideas

This post is dedicated to the people like me that are searching for the perfect gifts for their mothers.  If your like me, I struggle with tyring to come of with the perfect gift for someone that does so much for me. 

 For the crafy people here is a link to a blog called Ruffles and Stuff.  This whole month she has dedicated her posts to making things for mothers day check it out here http://www.rufflesandstuff.com/. This site has great tutorials for beginners like me. 

Martha Stewarts blog had a great idea to make a grocery bag out of an old t-shirt.  Which can be found here http://thecraftsdept.marthastewart.com/2010/04/bags-for-earth-day.html. 

Little Birdie Secrets blog had a super cute idea to add some frill to dirty household projects do woman likes found here http://littlebirdiesecrets.blogspot.com/2008/11/not-your-mamas-rubber-gloves.html.

If any of you have questions about the links let me know. If more are interested I will post more ideas for thsoe that are looking to make something for Mother's Day gifts.  I am currently working on a few projects but can't tell you about them because a few of my readers are recipients of the gifts...hmmm hmmm.

For those not looking to craft anything a few ideas are:

• Buy a hosehold plant
• Gift card to her favorite store
• Gift card for a dinner date
• Gift card for a mani and pedi
• IOU coupons (great for kids to give)
• Flowers
• Bake her something sweet
• Hit up Ann Taylor Loft
• Frame a picture of you with your Mom

(I know I am lame with ideas...it was hard not to think out of the crafty world.) 

If you are on a budget the most important thing is that you spend the day with the lady that brought you into this world and give her a hug.  I am sure that will mean much for than some silly hosehold plant any day.

A Time for Everything

It seems like lately there has been a lot going on.  With Mother's Day and Graduation festivities right around the corner there is a lot going on in our family.  With every occasion there is a card to be made.  Which reminds me of the bible verse Ecclesiastes 3:1 "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven".
Sunday evening I sat down to make 6  cards and when I sat down to make them I thought about how funny it was to make 6 different cards for people all of different personalities and how each of the cards have different meanings.  I love nothing more than to create a card soley for that individual and I think in the end I get more of a blessing out of the deal.  Here are few that I made on Sunday. 

If you are not into the whole card making thing--there is nothing wrong with Halmark.  They make beautiful cards too!

"Take a Load Off, Sally"

Add pizaz to your basic plastic outdoor patio chair...

Outdoor patios should be a form of expression--a continuation of your home.  In other words you should try to bring the inside out which provides a "roomy" feel outside.

On our patio we have a grill, plants, table and chairs.  But something was missing on my little patio...and that was COLOR.  Just in time for summer I recovered some indoor pillows I had with outdoor fabric.  The floral print fabric I found at JoAnn's in the remnant section for around $3.  See how cheap it is to add a little pizaz to these basic chairs? 

Corsage Cardigan

For those that don't know me...I love Ann Taylor Loft. But often times do not like their prices. Most of the things that are purchased from there are on sale. I loved the sweater pictured below from ATL and thought I would try and see if I could so something comparable.

Ann Taylor Loft's version

Whitney's version

What do you think...pretty close! I used a patterned chiffon fabric instead of cotton. I got many compliments on it today. (Since this picture I added another corsage but didn't get around to taking another photo)

The wonderful thing about this, is this is a basic black plain cardigan.  The corsages I made as pins so that they are interchangable and can be pinned on another shirt or sweater. 

Stay tuned and I might teach you how to make one...if your interested?

Stop and Smell the Roses

I know you all have heard the expression "take time to stop and smell the roses". Well if you have not stopped to enjoy the beautiful spring flowers--you should. This is the most beautiful season and I thought I would dedicate this post to God's beautiful creations.

Happy Spring everyone!

Easter Gifts on a Budget

Refashioned Beverage Napkins

From this....

To this....

Cute. Cute. Cute. I loved the way these napkins turned out! Phil was cleaning out his closet a couple weeks ago and pulled out this old Polo dress shirt he no longer cared for. I thought this shirt is terribly cute what should I do with it. I thought long and hard and this is what I came up with--beverage napkins. Beverage napkins are nice when you are outside and need a little something to wrap around your beverage--why would anyone not like a set for their patio?

Here's how to do the project:

1. Steal your husband’s old dress shirt

2. Measure the size you would like your beverage napkin to be

3. I measured mine 8 x 8 but if you would like them bigger 12 x 12 is a nice size

4. Grab a ruler and turn down your raw edges 1/4 of an inch or if you are a beginner like me turn them down 1/2 of an inch

5. Remember to have the faded side up when pinning your edges

6. Iron your edges and pin

7. Sew your edges

8. Unpin and you’re all finished!

If you want to sew on a "yo yo" like I have done thats another post/subject but contact me if you are interested.

If  I am unclear on the directions please let me know and I can clarify. 

 

All Purpose Spice Rub

Men typically love to grill. This I thought would be a perfect gift to give Dad since he is very much into brines, marinades, and rubs. I found the recipe on marthastewart.com. What's nice about this Easter goody is that all of the ingredients found in the recipe are typically in ones cabinet. I mixed up the rub and put it in a plastic bag. Included was a recipe card in which I wrote out the recipe for his future reference. Personalized recipe cards were found online at polkadotpress.com but are available everywhere and make nice gifts. Once packaged it looked really nice (a lot better than in a Ziploc)

 

Give me feedback--what do you think?

Easter Goodies

More of the chocolate goodies! Do I make you hungry?

 Easter would not be complete without chocolate and candies.

This is the top of a chocolate covered pretzel in yellow.  I bought an egg mold made by Wilton and gave this a try.  They make them for every season pretty much and turn out really cute.  You fill the mold with any color chocolate you would like and then put the pretzel on top.  And of course you again cover the pretzel with chocolate.  Stick them in the fridge for 10 minutes until they completely harden.  To the touch if they are hard they should pop right out and look like the picture.  You may have to trim the excess chocolate around the pattern of the mold.  In this case I trimmed around the egg.

I made these for a girls lunch I had at my house on Saturday.  They enjoyed them too!

A Textures Greeting

For starters, I do apologize for always updating my blog on Fridays.  I know the readers would probably like to read a post daily but the truth is I can't seem to find time everyday to update it.  So until I figure it out...look for new posts on Friday! 

Poor Mom has been hounding me for about two weeks to make her a few greeting cards.  Last night I finally sat down to do so.  I have been busy with work, my little family, and I got a new sewing machine....can I get an Amen?  After using one from the 80s my dear Dad finally caved and bought me a machine.  I have been working on a special little project that I can't post until after Easter...so stay tuned.

Anyway...greeting cards are way fun to make and can basically be done with just scraps you have laying around.  Here are a few that I made for Mom...

Two say "Thank You", one says "hello" and the fourth one says "You make my day".  If you think about it writing notes are a thing of the past.  The only instance it seems they are written are to say "thank you".  I do not typically brag on myself, but I will say I am good about sending encouraging notes.  Card making does make a mess...but so worth it to the people on the recieving end. 

Above are a few supplies that have become my BFF when make cards.  Scrap pads which can be purchased anywhere , distress ink, which creates a finished look on the cards, and random scraps. All of which can be found at your local craft store.  I encourage you to use your creative juices and makes someones day by making them a card.  It will relieve stress after a long days work and pay off in the end.

That is all I have for now...stay tuned for next Friday when I post what my latest project.

Oh, and for those that have been looking at my blog without becoming a "follower"...you better do so because I can see you looking anyway ;)

Just kidding! But seriously here is how to become a follower.  On the right had side of the screen scroll down until you see the "Followers" heading.  Then click "follow".  It is that simple people!  You can sign in with many different accounts such as google, aim, yahoo, or twitter. 

An Update on the Plants

For the readers that read the post on 2.16.10 regarding my herbs here is an upade for you.  The plants are LOVING this spring weather and rain.  My husband should be known as the "green thumb" because he waters and takes care of them really well.  Pictured above is our cauliflower which should be ready in late May.  Other plants we have growing include, bell pepper, yellow pepper, onions, mint, rosemary and tomatoes.

Oh, Mack is a green thumb too I guess...since he keeps the squirrels out of the plants for us.

And here am I...the hippy with the new RayBans--layed back relaxing drinking a lemonade enjoying the spring weather. And yes, I do need a tan!