It's Caroline, I'm hijacking Elizabeth's blog again to spread the word about Home Spun Threads. Right now she is offering super cute patterns to download from her shop for (my favorite price) FREE! Check it out now, it won't last forever!
Okay, I apologize for the poor quality of the picture (sent it to my email from my phone!) and the rushed manner of this post, but I just wanted to take a minute (literally) and post about the homemade Woody costume I made for my 2-year-old boy this year!
It was touch and go there for a bit, but I think it came together so cute! I can't wait for him to put it on this afternoon for our first of 3 Halloween parties we'll be going to today and tomorrow! What do you think?
The sheriff badge, belt buckle, holster and boots are all made from craft foam (either hot glued or stapled together...let's hope it all lasts till tomorrow!). For the boots I just made two cylinders and cut the V shape int he front. He'll wear his brown tennis shoes, and just slip the "boots" over his pants. I made the vest out of white fabric I painted cow spots onto. The shirt I made by painting the plaid and buttons on with some of that fabric paint with the skinny tip.
My husband and I are going to be Slinky Dog! Still throwing that one together though! I'll try and post a picture of that tomorrow.
I'm linking this post up to Fun on A Dime's October Fun Challenge!
Lately I feel like I need to wear a gas mask when I clean the bathrooms. Because, ironically, the bathroom is about a million times smellier while I'm cleaning it than it is between cleanings. It's not the smell that's really bothering me, I guess, it's the fact that I'm sure something that something that smelly can't really be very good to be around...
So, I want to know, what do you use to clean your bathrooms?
I currently have a handy tote full of cleansers and sprays that I take from one bathroom to the next on bathroom cleaning day... Right now it's got some Fantasik bathroom spray, Lysol toilet bowl cleaner, Clorox wipes, store brand blue glass cleaner, and a bottle of The Works tub and shower spray (which I just used for the first time--not only was I worried my nose hairs were being singed by the chemical smell of it, but it didn't seem to make my shower look a bit cleaner).
I don't mind the wipes, bowl cleaner and glass cleaner so much, but I want to find a better solution for the tub and counter/sink that will get the job done without poisoning me in the process.
I've thought of trying the homemade route, but I always worry I'll go to all that work for something that either doesn't make my bathroom look clean, or doesn't actually get it clean (disinfecting all the dirt, grime, and bodily whatnots that happen in a bathroom...). Any thoughts on this?
I've thought about (but not yet seriously considered) something like the Shaklee cleaning system that professes to be both economical and safe to use. Has anyone tried this?
So, please leave a comment, tell me what you use, what you like, love (or dislike for that matter), and any other tidbit that might help me decide how to clean my bathroom without having to invest in one of these:
Today I'm blog swapping with Michelle from Fun On A Dime! She has a great blog with lots of fantastic ideas for inexpensive family fun! She was kind enough to share one of her fun projects on my blog today! Thanks, Michelle!
Hi my name is Michelle (aka the Fun On A Dime Lady) from Fun On A Dime. If you are looking for some inexpensive fun for the whole family, you should come over and check out the fun we are having. There are a lot of yummy recipes, crafts, games, and many more fun ideas to keep you and your entire family busy. Come join the fun!
Now onto the fun!
We made these while we were discussing hands and feet, but I think they would make a great present for any mom, dad, or grandparent or great as a keepsake! Super easy to make and the kids had fun decorating them after they dried.
A few months ago I bought a set of popsicle molds from the Target dollar spot thinking it would be a fun activity/treat for my little boy. Then of course I pretty much forgot about them, and never used them until I saw this challenge at Fun on a Dime.
So a couple of weeks ago we broke out the molds, our blender, and some fresh fruit and milk. I believe our concoction consisted of some milk, a banana and a half (you can see my little boy eating the other half, below!), a peach or two, and what little we managed to get out of a mango that we had a hard time cutting open. We are inexperienced in the mango department. Just look at the look on my husband's face... I'm pretty sure he was saying, "What am I supposed to do with this?"
We poured our smoothie mixture into the molds, and put them in the freezer to enjoy the next day.
We ran a little water on the outside of the molds to loosen the popsicles up enough to get them out, and enjoyed! I kind of like this next picture. Not so much the up-the-nose shot of me (I used to be notorious for that one), but the fact that my little boy seems to be lovingly looking at me and thinking, "My mom is so cool!".
I'll tell you what these popsicles are really useful for. The post-nap, pre-dinner snack. Works out great... He thinks he is getting a treat, while I know he's really having something healthy. And everyone's happy!
Life always wins, when it comes to that one. That's my excuse for not blogging much. I had big plans of posting everyday and whatnot, but I just haven't felt like it.
I've been trying to adjust to living in a new place with a husband who is at school until after dinner time everyday and an almost-2 year old, who is totally acting his age. As I type this, I just realized that this is the first time in my my life I've lived somewhere without someone in my family or my husband's family living in the same city. No wonder it's an adjustment!
I've been getting things done slower than a snail's pace lately, at least that's what it feels like (every time I look at all the walls I haven't finished painting). I blame that one on at least partially on being pregnant... I've been so tired lately! Everyday by the time we put the little boy in bed (and often during his naptimes) I feel SO exhausted that all I can think about doing is lying down. And I thought the 2nd trimester is when you're supposed to have more energy! I'm afraid to think what I might feel like in the 3rd trimester.
Anyway, I did upload pictures from my camera today, so hopefully I'll be able to put together a few quick posts in the next little while!
And, because it's sort of lame to have a post without any pictures (and since I guess this is the first post on this blog where I mentioned my pregnancy--it's a boy, by the way!) I'll leave you with this lovely shot of me. This was last Sunday at 19 weeks, in my ugly master bathroom.
Have a good weekend!
Well, we survived the move. It was actually a little over a month ago, now, but I'm sure glad it's over. I'm not gonna lie, I had a little meltdown when I was stranded at the gas station with a dead car battery and neither my husband or father-in-law (who was driving our other car--thank you!) answered their phones. I think they were talking to each other... It all turned out fine, thanks to some friendly strangers, and of course my great FIL who came back and took care of it all while I entertained my little boy. Anyway, after that it was smooth sailing!
We got here, unpacked the essentials and went on vacation!
And now while my husband is at school, I am busy taking care of this crazy kid, and working on putting our house together. It's been going super slow so far. Remember this present from my husband?
Yeah, that's the only thing hanging on the walls of our house. Not a single other thing is up. I had a bit of a hard time figuring out what to do at first, as far as decorating goes (more on that later). But I think I've got it just about all figured out now, so it's on to the hard part...ya know, actually doing it. For now I am focusing on this room:
I hope I can get some of my readers back and interested in seeing the rest of the house, it's little makeover, some more recipes, and other little tidbits that I hope to post in the near future! I've even got a great guest blogger lined up next month that I'm super excited about, and you should be too!
Thanks for reading!
This post almost started like this:
THE DISASTER: I cannot find my camera cord....
And then, right after I typed that, I got up, walked right over to where the camera cord had most definitely been sitting the entire time I looked all over the house for it. "It's this brain of mine..it's got a mind of its own!" (If you can name that movie, I will think you are SO cool!)
Sorry, I realize this is a strange start to a post about garage saling, but it's my blog and I'll start the post how I want! :)
Anyway, you may or may not know that I am a thrifty girl. Yes, I did mention my Trying to Save a Buck Series (which *cough* has still yet to appear on this blog...), but my love for thrifty finds goes much beyond cheap groceries and meals.
I will admit I really enjoy shopping in thrift stores (GASP!). In fact, just this morning, when Bitty and I wanted to get out of the house, where did we go? Salvation Army. True story. It wasn't always this way... My mom and sister have been a thrifters for years, but in all honestly I use to think it was kind of gross. Maybe some of you can relate to that feeling.
Even when I was in college and single. I remember one particular incidence, where I was wearing a grey fleece Gap sweatshirt my mom had bought me at Goodwill. I was in front one of the groups of lab students I was TA-ing , and this cute girl said, "Oh, I have that same sweater in cream! It is SOOOOO OLD, but very comfortable!" (in her defense she was a very sweet girl, and didn't mean anything by the SOOOOO OLD part, except for the fact that she had gotten it several years previous).
And I just said, "Mmm-hmmmm...it is comfy" instead of "Yeah, it probably is old, but I wouldn't know, because my mom got mine at Goodwill." I loved that sweater by the way, and I still wear it in the winter.
Anyway, then I got married, graduated college, had a baby, started reading blogs, and started going to the thrift store for fun while my husband was at school or work, and the rest is history.
Oh my, this post is so long already! Can you tell I sort of struggle with finding the balance between making this blog personal enough to be interesting and succinct enough for people to read without falling asleep? I do. And this post is erring on the "personal" side. Oh well.
And finally: the purpose of this post: Garage Sale Finds!! I went out with my sister Caroline this weekend to her neighborhood garage sales and we had so much fun, and bought so much stuff! Here's the proof:
Here's our Nester-inspired view-from-the-trunk shot:
She got so much stuff, all for under $30! The big highlight was that big brassy chandelier! She's been looking for new (cheap) lighting for her entryway for a year or two, and it was so worth the wait...that soon-to-be beauty was only $2!! I also love the giant candle sticks! If I wasn't already out of money by that time I may have fought her for them!
I spent just over $20 on all of my finds combined. Most of the things I found were for my little boy. Here's the rundown (left to right):
I love this video. If you haven't seen it already you should watch it. It's about the blogger NieNie, and the things she's gone through and her wise perspective on life, including motherhood, so I thought it was perfect for today. One of my favorite parts is around minute 5, when she says "Beauty and motherhood are one; they're the same thing."
Happy Mother's Day! Love you!
Mmmmm...Avocado, anyone? Michael Miller Laminated Cotton Dandy Damask in Avocado, that is. I painted my dining room table black a while back (sorry, never got around to posting about it), but I think after we move this summer I want to paint the chairs black too, and recover the seats {again}.
And I think this fabric would be perfect! It's laminated, so we could wipe them off easily, which I think would be a great improvement. Not gonna lie, the fabric on the seats now is covered in unidentifiable spots. Liquids of some sort, mostly, and a little bit of dry erase marker from a recent incident.
What do you think? Would laminated fabric look too cheesy? I love the green damask either way.
I love cinnamon rolls, but I've never been that great at making them. Sure, they've always turned out pretty good, but the process... not good.
Let's just say there have been tears shed over the making of cinnamon rolls at my house, and they were mine. I don't have a fancy mixer or anything, so I've always mixed them by hand, and ended up with sticky dough that stuck to everything when I was trying to roll it up. Kinda drove me crazy.
But last week one day, I was making scrambled eggs with ham for dinner, and just had the idea "I should see if I can find a cinnamon roll recipe that will work in the breadmaker.", you know...to beef up my breakfast for dinner. Well, I found one! So we ended up having breakfast for dinner/dessert!
I love using my bread machine to make pizza dough (because let's just face it, I don't love handling dough). It's so easy to throw the ingredients on and turn it on the dough cycle. Granted, you do have to do that step an hour in advance of when you might have started making it by hand, but to me it is SO worth it to have the bread machine do all the work. I don't know why I didn't think of doing cinnamon rolls in there sooner!
I found this recipe on Allrecipes.com.
The website calls them "Clone of a Cinnabon". I call them Delicious. And Easy. Or maybe... So Delicious and Easy That I've Already Made Them Twice in the Last Four Days. But whatever you choose to call them, I hope you try it and enjoy!
Or am I the only crazy one? Let's find out! Look at the pictures below and see if you can tell the difference.
Here's what it looks like when my husband loads the dishwasher:
And when I do it:
What? You think both pictures look exactly the same? Well... I know, they do look pretty close, but they ARE different.
Does anyone else like to arrange the silverware by type when they load the dishwasher? I find it makes unloading the silverware so much faster. I guess it just bugs me having to put individual pieces away. This way I can just grab all of one type at once and dump them in the drawer.
Don't get me wrong, though... I L.O.V.E. when my husband does the dishes and I don't have to! {And it's only occasionally that I go behind him and rearrange the silverware!}
I know. I'm nuts. I really wish that this tidbit of OCD carried over to all aspects of cleaning my house. Alas, becoming a crazy cleaning woman is still on my list of things to do. Right after cleaning out my fridge and getting rid of the large quantity of cheerios my child dispersed throughout the car this weekend.
Do you have any crazy cleaning quirks?
I meant to post this a week or two ago. Better late than never!
I posted about my renter's mantel here, and this is what it looked like after we got moved in and set it all up. I thought it was nice, but now it kinda looks like a bunch of stuff all lined up in a row across the mantle. But it worked.
I didn't take a picture of the mantle at Christmas, though it was lovely. Mini ornament wreaths around the candle sticks, garland, and a little white nativity in the middle.
Then....after Christmas... well I got lazy, I guess. I just kinda threw the other pictures and accessories up there and never really got around to arranging them...for a couple of months.
So this is sadly what my mantle looked like (or some variation of this) from the new year until just a couple of weeks ago. Sad, I know.
As they say, "clutter attracts clutter," so since it was in disarray already, I found myself sticking random things {that I wanted out of Bitty's reach} up there. Hence the headband, wedding announcement, and cover of yet another book my little boy destroyed.
Don't worry, I finally got sick of it, and did a little rearranging. I was going to look around and switch out a few items, but in the end I didn't.
With just about a minute's worth of rearranging, I ended up with this:
Ah, much better.
Here are a few other posts about decorating mantel's lately:
Lettered Cottage's Mantel Mania Part 1 and Part 2
Just a Girl's Spring Mantel
Makes me want to put something more springy up there!
I just wanted to say a quick "thank you" to everyone for commenting on and following my blog! It totally makes my day when I check my email and I see that I've got new comments to read! And when I see that I've got a new follower, it feels so good to know that someone likes what I'm doing! And emails are very wonderful too!
Anyway, thanks! We've got spring break this week, so I may kinda sporadic.
Have a great weekend!
You may have noticed in my mess of a blog redesign, the tab above that says {FAM}tastic Idea File. It's pretty much my new favorite thing! I started a tumblr account and I LOVE it! It instantly blogs pictures, links, quotes, etc that you find online, automatically linking them up to where you found them! Easy peasy.
So if you click on that tab, you'll see what I've put on there so far... just random things I've seen that I've liked in the last few days. There's not much on there yet, but if you check it periodically, you may see something interesting!
And here's my other fave this week:
One of my friends from college (Hi Amanda!) just started a really cute craft blog called My Inspiration Index, and just posted her first craft tutorial (yesterday, I think) for these:
How cute are these sock monsters? I love them. And they are perfect for my goal of making homemade gifts this year! Pretty sure Bitty will be getting one this year! (And maybe a few other people, too...). Go check My Inspiration Index out for this tutorial and some other cute ideas!
A couple of weeks ago I was shopping at Walmart and saw these green t-shirts for $2 each, and I thought that for $2 I could make a St. Patrick's day shirt! I'm usually too cheap to buy a holiday shirt that's only going to to get worn a couple of times, but even I could handle $2!
So I picked up 3 and had my sister and sister-in-law come over so we could make shirts for our little boys. I knew I wanted to do one of the bleach stencil shirts, so we used this tutorial as a guide.
Here's how to do it:
Step 1: Cut out your letters, shapes, whatever you want to put on your shirt. We printed them off the computer onto cardstock. Figure out how you want to arrange them. This is how I did mine:
Step 2: Use spray adhesive to stick the letters onto your shirt. Mix some water and bleach in a spray bottle. I think we used about a 3:1 ratio (water:bleach). Spray it over the the part of the shirt where your letters are. Anywhere that you want bleached.
Note: Don't forget to put something inside the shirt so the bleach doesn't soak through to the back. We just put a plastic grocery sack inside.
Step 3: Once you see the bleach starting to work, rinse it out in running water. We used some dish soap too, since it was handy, then threw all of the shirts in the washer when they were all finished. We also peeled the letters off as we rinsed it in the sink.
Steps 4, 5, & 6: Wash, dry, and wear!
Super cute, eh? I love it! And it was super easy too. That's the best kind of project in my opinion!
We were thinking of maybe doing Easter ones with brown T-shirts and using the shape of a chocolate bunny for the stencil. How cute would it be if you used a scallop punch on your stencil to make it look like the chocolate bunny had a bite out of it!?
Okay, I'm doing it. A blog I read linked to a great Spring Fling challenge, and I think I'm up for it.
The host is a blog called Life Frosting. I browsed a bit and it looks like she has some other interesting ideas on there as well, so check her out.
The challenge:
"Fling" 100 things in your house before the first day of Spring, March 21st.
How to Fling:
Throw away, donate, give away, re-gift, sell, etc. Get rid of it!
And I'll try to keep track of it all on my sidebar... Not sayin' I'll make it to 100... At first I didn't want to do it because I might not be able to complete it in time. Then I realized that that didn't really matter, because even if I didn't make it to 100, I'd still be getting rid of a bunch of junk. And since we're moving this summer, that is something I plan on doing anyway!
You should join me, it'll be fun!
Thursday night Bitty and I spent the night at my sister's house while both of our husbands were out of town! That's always fun. We've done it a couple of times now, and it's fun to watch a totally girly movie and just hang out.
On Friday we decided to finally finish the necklace I made her for her birthday (and the one I made myself!) I got a set of metal alphabet stamps for Christmas, so we stamped some cute brass tags to go with the big turquoise beads and chunky chains.
Here we are sporting our cute necklaces. Pardon my unkempt appearance please!
Some close ups. On my sister's (the circle) I stamped the first initial of each of her children. We were careful, and marked with a pencil where we wanted each letter, etc.
With mine...um, I wasn't quite as careful...oops! Oh well, I guess it's just got more of a home-made "rustic" look to it :) It was the first time I've stamped a plus sign or equals sign, so it was kind a of trial and a lot of error. I like it anyway!
Friday night I ordered my fabric from Around the Block Quilters Shop, and it got here Monday morning! Talk about speedy! And look how great it looks in person!
I should order things online more often...it's so fun to get a package in the mail!
I've never really liked peas. Growing up I HATED them. I can eat them now, but I don't usually choose them. As legend has it, my mom would serve peas with dinner and I would not cooperate. I gagged when I tried to eat them. When my mom said no dessert if I didn't eat my peas, I would opt out of eating the dessert as a way to get out of eating the peas...I actually told her I'd just smell the dessert, instead of eating it, so that I didn't have to eat them. I know...weirdo. Anyway, as the story goes, my mom pulled a fast one on me one night by mixing spaghetti sauce and peas in the blender before serving it with our spaghetti. I was none the wiser. No idea I had just eaten peas. It worked!
Point being, this isn't a new trick. I think it gained a little popularity when Jessica Seinfeld put out her cookbook Deceptively Delicious, all about this very topic. I really think it's a great idea. I realized recently that I am great at making sure Bitty eats lots of fruit, but not as good with the veggies.
Purees currently in my freezer: 2 half cup bags of sweet potato, and 2 of cauliflower... and I have more veggies just waiting for a date with the blender!
Soooooo good!On my list of projects to do this year, is a twin-sized quilt for my little boy, that he can start using when he moves to a big boy bed.
I'm not planning on starting it until after we move this summer, because I have so many other projects to finish first (including 2 other quilts!). But, I have been keeping my eyes out for cute patterns and fabrics. I want something that will definitely look like a "boy" quilt. BUT I also want colors that I could find girly prints in, in case the next baby we have (no, I'm not pregnant!) is a girl and we needed them to share a room. I'm thinking ahead, ya know.
Which also brings me to...I don't want it to look extremely juvenile either. I mean, I've never finished a quilt yet, in my life...I would love to be great at it and make my kids lots of quilts, but just in case, I don't want the one I make this year to be something he outgrows too fast.
Anyway, I was browsing Cluck, Cluck, Sew the other day and found this really cute disappearing nine patch quilt made for a boy!
I think the disappearing nine patch in the center is so cute, and just "messy" enough to be a great pattern for a boy! So I'm thinking I'll do some version of this for his quilt! Cute, eh?
Now the question is should I buy the green or the blue Garden Party print (on sale at Around the Block Quilter's Shop this week!)?
I hope everyone had a great Valentine's day! I didn't make a fancy Valentine dinner, but I did make some awesome PINK heart-shaped pancakes for breakfast! Not really very original, but so festive and fun! It may just be a new Valentine tradition for our family!
And this is what happens when you leave a plate unattended at our house...
I made my hubby a little coupon book for Valentine's Day (remember, one of my goals this year is to give homemade gifts!).
I was a little worried he'd think it was really dorky. But I'd totally forgotten that he said his mom used to give him coupon books for his birthday and he loved them! Phew! Turns out he really did like it.
Above is the cover I made for the book. I used a kit from shabbyprincess.com for all of the papers, and put it together with Scrapbook Factory Deluxe. Below is the coupon that he liked the best:
My husband got me this great clock for my present! I love it!
Our old clock pretty much stopped working after we moved here at the end of last summer. It would kind of work off and on, so it hung on our wall for months with the wrong time on it. Pretty gangster, I know.
I didn't really expect him to get me a clock, because I didn't think he'd want to pick it out himself. As you can see he did great. What's funny is that it actually looks just like our old clock, except the old one wasn't painted black. I guess he knew I'd like it, since I loved the old one so much, and we've got lots of black accessories in our living room! Well done, Dear!
My husband told his high school students what he was getting me, and they thought it was pretty boring, but I LOVE it! I told him that I'll hold it on my lap in the car when we move this summer so it doesn't get broken. He thought that was a little extreme, but I just may do it!
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