My Little Happy Moment

I wish I could have flipped the picture but I was pretty happy about this. It was the first time I have ever entered anything in the fair. I don't get to go to the State Fair, but I did win $25 and that big fat pink ribbon.

We Are Officially.....

HOMEOWNERS!!! There will be several pictures posted in the upcoming weeks. A special series will also be started on the decoration of the home. Right now we are packing up, cleaning up, and moving out. Will keep you posted.

Oh I am so excited!!!

We put an offer in on a house about 10 days ago and it has been accepted and is officially under contract. Wahoo!!! The mortgage broker doesn't think that we will have any problems and we have been able to sell our car that was totally paid off in order to have the down payment. We are to close by the end of the month. Eeek! I am so excited to finally own my own house and to decorate without having to ask permission. Be prepared for a Decorate My House series. The house has been repainted, but every room is painted the same tan color and is slightly boring. The house has 5 bedrooms, and 2 bathrooms. It will be quite the series.

I have also invested in this little beauty. (picture from half. com, my FAVORITE place to buy books online.)

What are some of your favorite paint colors for rooms? There will be:

Master bedroom

2 bathrooms

craft room (this room is going to be pink, and I may call it The Studio)

Toy room

living room

Theatre room

Guest room

Laundry room

extra bedroom

Kitchen

I'm looking for helpful hints and suggestions, so please comment.

Be still my beating heart!

One of my favorite blogs is found over on the side >>>>>. It's called Crazy Mom Quilts. Oh my I just had to share with you something she recently pieced at a retreat. I L-O-V-E it!!! Click on the picture to see more of her fabulousness.

Gone Too Long

Hey ya'll I am finally back. The ankle has healed beautifully. (But will forever be fat now.) March was a busy month. It came in like a lion and left like one. I did manage to get a curtain project done for a very dear friend. I also got a new DAYtime job. since I was working nights I was grumpy, tired, irritable, and my house was a disaster. Since I started my new job three weeks ago, I have been in such a good mood. I knew I missed the sunshine, but I didn't realize just how much. Now I get to see the sun all day long from my beautiful front desk abode.

I've also been able to wear "fun" clothes again. It's so exciting for me! I love dressing up. You all remember the Halloween dress found here. (P.S. Plans are in the making for Halloween this year. I know it's only April, but really, I plan waaay ahead for Halloween. We get way into it. I'm thinking either Eliza Doolittle/Henry Higgins or Mary Poppins/Bert). Back onto fun clothes. One of my long-time friends has started as a consultant for My Cents of Style. Love their stuff. I'm doing a party in May for her. In the meantime, I wanted to share their lovelies with all of you. Click here to view them all, but my first purchase is for sure going to be these shoes.

photo from MyCentsofStyle.com

Down for the Count

Sorry everyone. I've been out of commission for the last couple of days. I sprained my ankle walking out to my car. (The snow gave away and revealed a muddy pit to which I so un-graciously fell into). We are talking ER visit, ex-rays, crutches, the whole nine yards. I'm hobbling around my house, slowly getting a few projects done here and there. I never realized how much I used my feet for projects until one of them was bruised like a bad tomato. Hopefully this little (I mean HUGE) ankle of mine will heal quickly and I'll have fun posts to bring you shortly.

Until then.

Bella & the Hippo

My husband's cousin and his wife are expecting a baby in 6 weeks and the family had a baby shower for her last night. I did a baby book and a blanket for her. And like a spacey person I forgot to take pictures of the book, but got the blanket, so here it is. Her name is going to be Bella (based on family history, NOT after Twilight characters) and I was just so excited to give her this blanket (but at the same time loved it so much I almost hated to give it away). The cousin's sister bought the same fabric and made a carseat canopy for the baby. We did not collaborate on that. It just worked out that way. Of the 4 fabric stores in Cache Valley we go to the same one and pick out the same fabric. What are the odds? It is completely made out of fabric (with the eyes, nostrils, and flower center having been cut out from the SEI iron on transfer sheets with the LPF).

Make Your Own White Board-tutorial

The hubby found a white board in our basement a few months ago, and I thought, "Oh, this is going to be great. We can share." He filled up the majority of the board leaving almost no space for me. So I decided to make my own. I had seen several dry erase board tutorials, but they all included fabric. I wanted to be able to write on my board without worrying about what color the marker was. Here goes:

You will need:
1 Frame
1 Foam Core board (available at most craft stores)
Exacto Knife
Vinyl
Dry Erase markers

First, I started with a 16x20" frame I found at the thrift store. (It originally came with a mat board, but I forgot to take a picture before I threw that away.


Next, clean both sides of the glass with glass cleaner and a paper towel.

I forgot to take a picture of cutting out the board, so I'll just explain it. Remove the glass from the frame (if you removed the glass to clean it then you are already a step ahead :] ).

Lay glass on the piece of foam core board. Using an Exacto Knife cut around the glass piece.This ensures that the piece will be the same size and fit in the frame. It also ensures you will have straight cut lines (I don't know about you, but I have a really hard time cutting straight.)

Then, insert the glass and foam core board into the frame. Mine had the staples on the back so I just used those to hold the foam core and glass in.

Next, cut out a title in vinyl material. I used the LPF, and a raspberry colored vinyl for this one.

Viola!! You can start using the board right away.

And, it erases like it's no biggie. It also looks just like a dry erase board. That's what I love about it.

So, get out your markers and start making those lists.

Total cost for the project?

$2 (cost of the frame). I already had the vinyl, dry erase markers, foam core board and Exacto Knife.

Actual cost for someone doing the project could be more like $6. But, I found an 8.5x11" dry erase board that is $12.99.

Total savings: $11!!!

Happy Thursday!

I made these costumes for Halloween 2008 (that was the first year we were supposed to go as The Phantom and Christine Daae, but due to costume mishaps, it got put on hold. Click here to see the costumes). Well, We got to bust these babies out tonight to help with a book literacy night at my nephew's school. We were reading Little Red Riding Hood. We got the cafeteria which just happened to have a stage. With my background in drama and the hubby's dramatic background, we took advantage of the stage, and had a mixture of reading and acting. It was great. The kids loved it, and I know my SIL is thankful to us. We're going to Chinese on Saturday to celebrate it. It was a little thing, but fun, and the costumes got used again. Whew! Happy Thursday.

I Did. Have You?

Last week I signed up for a years subscription to Better Homes & Gardens. I am in serious need of a home makeover. Here's what you get:

for $5.99 you can get a one year subscription (I think it's 11 magazines) to BH&G. AND You also get the BH&G COOKBOOK!!! I should have my first volume in about a month. I can't wait. Go here to subscribe.

Here is the home to-do list:

NEW Curtains in:
Kitchen
Living Room
Bedroom
Craft Room
Laundry Room
Guest Room
(So basically everywhere needs new curtains)

I am going to re-upholster my couch, re-do my piano, radio, and rocking chair as well as add a bench seat under the window, and paint the hallway.

Whew! 2011 is going to be a busy year.

What are some things on your to-do lists?

Monday, Monday, Monday!

Kind of a silly title, I know, but I am a little excited this morning. I get to play with my new Cricut DesignStudio software (between it and some vinyl I bought, my allowance for this month is already gone :( . Oh, well, it's definitely worth it.) I am also excited about the fact that it is 10 am and I have been awake for over 2 hours!! I currently work graveyards 5 nights a week so on my days off I usually sleep in until the afternoon, but I slept so well last night, it was up and at 'em bright and early. Hooray!!

Anywho, have any of you picked up the Cricut DesignStudio yet? I can't wait to use it on the LPF.

image from cricutmachine.com

Guess What I Found?

Or rather, what found me. I linked up with the SEI party here to display the clutch I made for my sister. And you'll never guess what those sweet gals at SEI told me where I could find the plain-colored iron-on transfer sheets. Click here to find them.

Remember the play mat I did (pictured below)? The following parts of this were made with the iron-on transfer sheets.

• Frog
• Giraffe
• Dog
• Star
• The stripes and dots on the bee and ladybug.
• The letters in the orange square are all iron-ons.
  

Vinyl

Custom vinyl sayings are now available. For pricing, please email me.

This one was the tester, that's why the letters are a little unevenly spaced, but I'm slowly getting used to my LPF (little purple friend)

Menu Planning

Our goal for our family this year was to be better with our budget and menu planning. I have never been able to get into clipping coupons. Someone ruined the idea for me so I do not subscribe to pinch your pennies. Maybe someday....

Back to the menu planning. We are trying to eat healthier and lose some weight before the big family camp-out for 4th of July weekend. That is why you see chicken on the menu A LOT. I start with the first day being the day we get paid and go until the day before the next payday, so a full 2 week period. I also planned meals that are a mixture of very quick and simple, and more extensive meals, so that depending on my mood I could pick a meal. Make sure when you plan to plan fruits and vegetables, etc so when you make your list that is taken into account. One thing to keep in mind is flexibility. For example, tonight we are having stuffed shells. Tuesday, I didn't feel like eating stuffed shells so we had chicken stir fry. As you go along, mark off which meals you have already done so that you can narrow down your choices for meals.

(Click on photos to see a larger image, then click the back button to return to the blog post)

Next step once you have your meals planned, is to write down your grocery list. Put down the food you need for your meals. Account for snacks and meals for work, etc. With the meals above I planned out ones that I could make extra of, for Spencer and I to take to work, thus saving money (and calories) by not purchasing extras. (Make sure when planning extras for work meals that you and your spouse have microwaves and refrigerators readily available.)

As you put items in your cart, write down the cost of the items. I keep a calculator in my purse for quick math. If you purchase more than one, quickly do the math and only write down the total amount for that item. (i.e. if you purchase 2 cans of green beans write down $1.38, instead of 2@ 69 cents). Writing down what the items cost and keeping a running total will help avoid surprises at the cash register. Writing down what you spend will also help you realize where you are spending the most money for your items. Make sure to always compare prices, and remember to not disregard store brands verses name brands (i.e. Kraft vs. Great Value). Great Value will not always be cheaper than Kraft. You want to look at the price per ounce to compare. It is usually cheaper to buy in bulk, but the thing to remember when buying in bulk is to make sure it is something you WILL EAT. If you buy in bulk and most of it goes to waste, it was not a good bulk purchase.


** A few things to remember:

• Keeping a running total will help you budget for future months.
  
• Don't throw away a list once you are done. Keep it until at least the next meal planning to help you compare.
• Stay strong!! On a night when you would just rather order a pizza, remember the quick and simple meals you planned. Even if you planned a soup and cheese sandwich night.
  
• If you are trying to build up your food store, budget for it, and build it up slowly. Buy one or two extra cans of green beans. Make sure the foods for your storage system have an expiration date that is at least a year in the future, and will be good foods to keep in food storage.
  

Did this post help you? Let us know below by leaving a comment.

First project of the Year

As we speak my sister is on a big boat headed for Mexico. Little booger didn't take me with her. Rude. I know, right. Before she left I did this clutch for her, for the nights when she gets to dress all fancy. Her dresses are a variety of colors, so that's why we went with cream. It was my first official project using something that had been cut out with my Little Purple Friend. It was actually a black iron-on transfer sheet (available in 6"x12") that I purchased from SEI. (I think you actually have to go to the store in Logan to purchase the plain colored sheets) What do you think?



What did I learn from this project? How to add the magnetic closure to a bag.Woohoo!

Great Deals This Week

Here are a few AMAZING deals I found this week:

1. Wal-Mart has those little thin gloves, 2 pairs for $1.40!! They both fit oh so nicely inside my red coat, and are the perfect thickness for driving with gloves and not being too bulky.

2. Hobby Lobby is having a 30% off Cricut Accessories (click here to view their in-store ads) -includes cutting mats, cartridges (some exclusions), totes, replacement blades, and tool kits.

3. Or, if you can't make it to Hobby Lobby (or don't have one near you) you can go here for screamier deals on Cartridges (the disadvantage to ordering here and not going to the store is having to pay shipping.)

4. Also at Hobby Lobby (in-store ONLY) Simplicity brand patterns 99 Cents!!!! (limit of 10)

New Year's Resolution

I couldn't decide what I wanted my New Year's Resolution to be this year, and as I was traveling through the blogosphere I hopped over to Crazy Mom Quilts, and borrowed AmandaJean's idea. My resolution this year......


1. To use up my fabric scraps before I buy anymore fabric. (With the exception of fabric bought for custom orders)
2. Have at least 1 tutorial a week.
3. Get all those projects done I should have had finished in 2010.

There could be some ugly creations floating around before you know it, but just think of the tutorials for the coming year.

What are some of your resolutions?