Giveaway

Thank You Fireflies and Jellybeans, they featured me on their Sunday Spotlight.

So I am thinking about doing a monthly giveaway.

You need to help choose. So I need your comments.

***apologies, I got distracted by the toddler, I meant to leave a few choices,

1. watchband
2. Simple/full apron
3. childrens coloring bag
4. **a special surprise**

Models must have a sense of humor

SO I was browsing J Crew for Re-Styling ideas, (I have been working on a few I will post them soon, SOOO much fun btw) I couldn't help but look at the faces of these models.

What are they really thinking? Seriously.... ^ that one looked so P.O.'d

I know what this one is thinking ^, "hurry up, I have the the wedgie of a lifetime!!

^ this one is the one that really got to me. Here is what she is thinking. "what the #$%&?, this shirt is $795.00? ........Really??? How much do you think she got paid for taking her pic.?

This girl is so pretty. ---but she looks hungry to me.... I picture people running around her holding up french fries, and thick juicy steaks just to make her look all sad/annoyed for the picture.

I know not at all craft related, but I laughed so hard, and there was no one home to laugh with. So do you agree? Or is it just me?

Another bag.

Here is another bag, already on its way to Arizona!! I love how it turned out. I used jeans again, but was able to work in a pocket for the inside as well as the crayon pocket on the outside. Let me know when you get it Em. Love ya!

Skirt from a polo.

My husband got a new job and now I have a lot of these polo shirts with the old company logo on them. Everyone is repurposing clothes these days, so I thought about it for a while.
Last summer I had been wishing for a grey knit casual skirt...... , I cut one apart to make the main part of the skirt. THe second one I cut into strips for a ruffle on teh bottom, I am very tall and if I left it alone it would have been a mini skirt. Then I just made a drawstring to thread throught the waist...... TADA

I liked this up with Blue Cricket Design, and AWESOME blog, check it out HERE

Knotted scarves.

these are the only 2 scarves I have left, I must have made 8 or so. I am still looking for a tutorial, if I can't find one I will add one. They are fun to do on a girls night, everyone brings their yarn and you can share or swap. Its GREAT FUN, and so cute.

Watchbands

This is all I have left of Watch faces and watchbands. The watchfaces are $10.00 each. and watch bands are; $12.00. The brown and silver ones on the far left are

EXTREMELY chunky. They are $16.00.

**these are clearance prices, almost my cost. so there would be additional shipping. I will resize any watch for free, or custom make anything you would like. Cutsom watchbands are between, 12-16 dollars depending on the watch.

Valentine craft

This is the Valentine I put together for our ward. We are going to make these 6x6 blocks Thursday night at my house. emial me if you want to join in, buy a kit. or if you want me to put one together for you. $4.00

new look for old jumper

I got an old jumper and just added a ruffle of the fabric under it. I really have been dying to use this fat quarter I bought. I just wanted it so bad...

It needed a little flower on the hip to match. Now Ansley just needs to try it on. Who is Ansley. well just a cute little bundle of smiles I love to squeeze at church. but sadly she is starting to recognize me, and I think she knows when I am about to squeese those chubby thighs. call me so we can arrange for a fitting before she outgrows this.

Loom Hats

You can never have too Many.

When you live in the frozen Arctic.

And this kid loves them all!!

sweater re-do

I loved a pick turle neck sweater outfit that McKinley outgrew a long time ago, and when I found this sweater at the DI I wanted to try and relive it.

THis is a Womens Medium. I cut the sleeves off at the seem. then took it in on the sides, Easy Peasy. I was really hoping it would be longer, but she is so tall. I turned the sleeves into legwarmers with a little heming, although she wanted to make them into fake leggings, cause well its too cold here.

Eye Sore

This 14 year old ironing board is such an eye sore. But it still does its job. so I sprayed the legs black, turned it upside down and hot glued the fabric around it. I hope it will stay. I was so excited when my hubby came home and said EXACTLY what I predicted him to say. In a nice voice,"Did we really need a new ironing board?"

I just jumped up and down laughing and told him I recovered it. It probably cost around $5. I think a new cover to buy is around 19.99.

There you have it, I don't mind ironing nearly so much. I decided since I've been doing so much sewing that it would be worth my time (15 minutes) to recover it.

church bag.

I LOVE the boys' new church bag. I made this one Christmas Eve. hahahaha, yep I turned into my mother. But I lined it with Denim so its nice and strong, and guess what... you don't have to dig around in the bottom of the bag to find the crayons and pens. Just let me know if you want me to make you one for about $10.00

Boys dress shirt to girls shirt.

I got this boys dress shirt at the thrift store for 4 bucks. Probably too much for a thrift store but my town is wierd like that. I didn't take any before or during pics because I planned on it being a flop. Well McKinley loves it.
#1 - cut off the collar.
#2 - I took it in on the sides and under the arms. this made just enough extra fabric to make a ruffle on the bodice.
#3 - cut the extra into strips, hem on edge and ruffle the other side, then attach.

T-shirt challenge. I did it.

This is my $2 shirt. I wanted to challenge myself to do a shirt for my 12 year old boy, their are not very many ideas out there. So I've been paying attention to shirts I see guys wearing.

I used the trusty old masking tape, and it worked out nicely to make the tape longer attatching the shirt to the counter for no slipping.

I think he'll wear it?... He doesn't have to know it was El Cheap-O.

And there it is.... My first Craft Blog Challenge, hosted by

Get your craft on.

Holiday clearance

My friend Bryn is a genius. She taught me a trick a couple of years ago. Buy up the after Christmas sale Hershey's kisses. The red and white are Valentines, and the green are for St. Patty's day. You can include the m&m's as well, I think I will get some chocolate coins to mix in with the green kisses. These can freeze for over a year and still be good as new. I made this plate at Vinyl Verses craft night. If you are local you should come. It is the first Wednesday of the month, and items are very discounted at the craft night.

I-Spy Quilt

This project has been haunting me forever. I collected fabric all last summer and had all the squares cut out. I thought it was going to be a baby quilt, but I just couldn't do it because my then 6 year old was in LOVE with it. He is the I-Spy boy at our house, that is all the books he wants and likes to play that game all the time. He's is such a funny boy. He notices everything. and if you loose something, you just have to ask if he has seen it, and he knows where it is almost every time. My 12 year old could be looking right at it and not even see it....... Anyway then I had the stress of figuring out how to make it into a twin size quilt. We have too many lap size blankets as it is. And as far as a bedspread goes he has always had the handmedowns when my older son gets tires of something.

Finally a few days before Christmas it hit me. That big tub of denim in the garage that really needs to go?..... I will just make use of it.

Well I sewed for two days straight (remember the small squares were ready) I found a brown flannel sheet at target and voila. He absolutely loves it and feels so loved. I am glad I did it for Christmas because it was his favorite gift and for two days he sat on his blanket with his New Christmas I-spy book and his New movie Night at the museum 2. I don't know if I remember seeing him so content for so long.

Basketball Cookies

This is a pic. of the Basketball Cookies I made for Westins final game, I packaged a few up in celophane with ribbon (the ribbon had b-balls on it) for the coach as a Thank You. If you have never been to Karens Cookies you must go there now. http://www.karenscookies.net/ It rocks. and she is my friend and neighbor, she has everything you could possible need, in fact Marta Stewart menitoned her name in an episode. WOW!! she also has tutorials. I got this round cookie cutter from her and have used it for so many things, it is BIG. I have done Pizza's (cookie pizzaa that is) and soccerballs. I added some mapleline instead of almond or vanilla to the basketball icing, it was verry yummy and pretty much made it the right color. But I prefer Karen's color gels, and I always use her recipe's that are on her sight. She is pretty much everything my daughter wishes I was. Partly because she was McKinley's first Act. day leader so of course Mck. has her on a petistal.

The top picture of valentine cookies is from her site, she even has a tutorial on this cool technique, and sells the whole kit, honestly her prices are very good.
So go try it out!! and let me know how this goes.

12 year old Boys Party.

My son turned 12 and was too cool for me to take pictures at his party. But also thought he was still young enough to have a "fancy"party. He wanted a theme and decorations, favors and the whole shebang. I didn' have the heart to tell him I thought he was outgrowing it so I talked him into a rock climbing party. The boys had such a blast and I wish I had pictures darnit. We contacted to local YMCA and it was only 5 or 6 bucks a kid and they let us bring cupckes and pop in.
I didn't want to make a scrapbooky type cutesy invite for a bunch of 12 year old boys so chase drew and awesome pic of a guy rock climbing and we printed the words on it and made copies. It was just right I think.
HUGE SUCCESS.

Reeses cookies

AMAZING!!!!!! I don't know what they are called but I went to visit my friend Jen after she had her cute cute cute baby boy(Hi Jen). and her 12 year old daughter made THE most awesome cookies so she taught me how (Hi Sierra!)

#1 - Line a mini muffin pan with mini cupcake liners
#2 - put a ball of cookie dough, she used regular choc. chip dough with out the chips and I tried Pillsbury PB cookie dough, both awesomely sinful. the ball should be a little smaller than the hole.
#3 - Bake it like you would cookies, sorry I didn't note the time. but they are raised over the top and starting to brown on the edges.
#4 - While cooking unwrap the mini-reeses. When you take them out of the oven shove the Reeses in the middle of each cup.

Stick them in the fridge or freezer. For 2 reasons, they need to cool before you can eat them, and if they are out of sight you might not eat the whole pan at once.

I started to make these for neighbors. but that did not go well. yep I ate them. hahaha nope I am not sorry.

Secret Agent - Bday Party.

Invitation, I thought I took a picture. It looked like a manilla file foler with their name in typewriter fon on fron with a not that we needed their help on a secret mission to catch a spy. The scene of the crime was our house etc.
Decorations, I didn't do much but I put crime scene tape all over the front door.
Games, They came in and put the gifts on the kitchen table and played a little game. Its been 2 months so I can't even remember what it was. It was somehow related. Then they came downstairs to play Pictionary. The words in the bucket are all thing that you need to be a secret agent. Meanwhile my daughter hid the gifts, and when the boys came upstairs to open presents there was a letter to: Westin and guests. If was a clue from the birthday bandit. Eventually it led them to the presents and when he finished opening the last present I snuck a note out onto the table, one more note from the birthday bandit. It led them to the oven where my friend sneakily lit the candle on the bomb cake that she made below. Westin had to put it out and we ate it.

She used a ball pan, and stuck the candle inside a piece of chocolate licorice. SHE IS SUCH A GENIUS, I TELL YOU. It was my favorite part of the party. It turned out SO AWESOME, just right for a big boy, who still wants a big fuss for a birthday, and very simple too.

THE CAKE - my friend and I both LOVE to make and decorate really creative cakes but when you have to plan the whole party, clean the house and decorate, to invitations, and what not, there really isn't time. and if I manage to make time I don't enjoy it. well we are swappin. I make the cake for her boys birthdays, and she makes the cakes for my kids'. we have done it a few times now and so far it is Perfect. So swap with a friend if you can, it is really nice!.