Airplane Quilt is now Flying :)

Finally Finished!! Instead of blogging, instead of doing the dishes, instead of sleeping, I have been working on this during the past several days. So I stayed up late tonight (thank you Redbox for the movie) and finished it! This is for my 20 month old son who is obsessed with Airplanes- "airpeen" as he calls them. :) It measures about 54 by 54 inches. The fabric is by Michael Miller, from a collection called Tot Town. The airplane print is called "Fly by Day". There are tons of prints for girls out there, but cute boy fabric, seems to be another story. (Although...I have found some really cute ones recently, and now I want to make more little quilts for my boys....)

Here is an close-up of the fabrics. Fortunately, I had a dot fabric from Wal-mart- that matched almost exactly (thank you Wal-mart) and I used that for the back. I am not very good at machine quilting yet...but I am sure getting some practice. I think I need a little break from sewing....although I have 3 more quilts I want to make in the next 60 days...before this baby comes :) ...oh dear....darn "nesting"... makes me want to do more than I have energy to do...:)

Chocolate Caramel Bars (S.O.S.-Sweets on Sunday)

Yes, I know it has been a while since I posted a Sweets on Sunday recipe....and I would like to say it is because we are eating a lot less sweets around here....but that's not entirely true ☻ -maybe a tiny bit true-or maybe I've just been munching on Easter chocolate instead :) We actually made this recipe about a month ago. This weekend we enjoyed something else delish- which will come later.....These bars are really good. The recipe and source are below the photo. Happy Sweet Sunday!

Substitutions I made: I did not have enough caramels, so I used some caramel syrup (like you might put on ice cream)WITH the caramels I did have- about 1/2 a bag- and I used fat free sweetened condensed milk instead of whipping cream.

Flirty Apron Swap

A few months ago, when I had energy, I signed up for this. Well then things went crazy on the home front, and my energy ran out. Darn pregnancy ;) I should have listened to my husband, when he told me I was c-r-a-z-y for adding one more thing to my plate. :)


I managed to whip this up the other day. I like it enough to keep it for myself. :) But off in the mail it shall go.....as soon as I can find the energy to drive to the post office....


above: kitchen linen to match below:apron made from old sheet, pink eyelet(from my flower girl's dresses at my wedding), and a little pink gingham. Neck is adjustable, pocket is extra large, and back straps are extra long for fit.

Button Frame

Still using up my stash....I had this plain chalkboard, so I painted the frame, and used some wood glue to glue on some buttons. When painting the chalkboard frame, cover the edge w/ tape so you don't get paint on the actual chalkboard. You could use this same idea to make a frame for a picture, cover the edge of a mirror, magnetic or wipe off board, or any kind of frame. Add wire, fabric, or ribbon to the back to hang it from if you wish.

This could make a cute and easy/affordable gift. :) I think mine will find a home in the office/craft room :) Happy Creating!

Earth Day Cookies

Disclaimer: I know these don't look that pretty-- but at 11 p.m. at night, when you have to make pre-school treats, you make do with what you have- and let's face it- pre-school kids will eat anything with frosting!

SO... I had this idea to make some sort of cookies and frost them to make little earth cookies, since they are celebrating Earth Day at my son's pre-school tomorrow... and lo-and-behold- someone else posted these little beauties-so cute! So click there if you want to see some pretty ones :) Just make your favorite cookie and frost it with blue and green frosting. (frosting on oatmeal cookies isn't easy and doesn't look pretty-but hey I did it anyway- I figured oatmeal cookies were a tiny bit better for you than sugar cookies :))Hope you had fun celebrating Earth Day this week!

Mother's Day Stitching Pattern/Idea

Here are some stitchings I did several years ago for Mother's Day gifts for my mom and mother-in-law. You are welcome to use the blackline pattern (below), or use this idea and make your own. I used the words from a Primary song I learned as a child at church. This stitching was placed in a frame, but you could do anything you wanted with it. :) Happy Mother's Day-coming soon!

Blog Quilt Festival

Park City Girl is hosting a Blog-Quilt -Festival. Click here to enter and view links of many many great quilts! There are also some give-a-ways going on too! What great inspiration! I shared my car quilt- my first machine quilt and original/made up pattern:) You can enter/share any type of quilt from any era. This is not a contest, just a really cool way to share a quilt you have made with others. I think it is a great idea! I really am starting to l-o-v-e quilting..... I have about 4-5 more quilts I can't wait to start working on :) Now if I can only find the time and energy to do so:)

Framed Fabric

Let's face it... I. WILL. FRAME. ANYTHING. Seriously- I have a problem w/ frames and it isn't new.

It has been going on for years. I had this idea to frame some fabric- and I had these frames in the garage. So I just put the fabric in them- and some vinyl I had on hand....might change that part later....hey- I might change the frame color later...too....and you can always change the fabric :)

So we have really high ceilings, that have just been ignored- and since I don't want to do anything permanent...I just did this.....hhhhmmmm...not sure but I think I like it. It's better than the white space that was there. What do you think?

Don't have $ to redo everything or even some things- how nice would that be- so I am just adding/updating/re-doing/what we already have-for cheap-o-free-using up the stash! Must be that nesting thing kicking in....because I have more projects planned than I can possibly do before this baby comes ;) oh well- who needs sleep right? ha!

Enjoying this

Blogging absence due to last minute trip for a family emergency...and we also enjoyed

Easter Sunday with family and cousins

Seeing lots of these from the freeway

this is the Logan Temple in Utah

Doing some of this

Enjoying the sweetness of these

Seeing the beauty of these

Doing THIS- my boys throwing rocks in the river

Lots of THESE

Viewing MY FAVORITE MTN....TIMP while driving lots of miles

I have climbed numerous times in the past and just love this mountain

And of course we enjoyed EASTER and FAMILY. Next time we hope we have time to enjoy our friends also and more family :)

more little gems to come soon ....

Why I Create

I rarely watch videos online. This one really touched my heart. Creating is a deep yearning within me. :) This video really puts being creative and those desires to do so in perspective. No matter who you are, this is definitely a beautiful message for all women who yearn to create! Enjoy!


Thanks Tara, for sharing this with me:)

Storytime and Creative Play: Rain Rain Rain!

Here are two of our favorite stories about rain and a fun activity you can do to go with these stories.
The Rain Came Down by David Shannon - It is amazing what can happen in this little community when it starts to rain! This is such a fun story with darling illustrations!

MAKE RAIN IN A JAR: (please excuse the puddle on my counter in the above photo- just makin' some rain and the ice melted a bit too much:) If your children are in elementary school, they may have done this little experiment at sometime. It was really fun for my pre-schooler to do.

You need: glass jar with metal lid, hot water, ice cubes

Put the hot water in the jar. We experimented a bit with temperature, and you want it really hot but not quite boiling. Put the lid on top but upside down. Fill with ice cubes. Wait for a few minutes, and you will be able to see moisture forming in the jar, and dripping down like rain. It was really fun to watch it drip down in the middle of the jar and not just on the sides of the jar. It really looked like rain!

Why this works: Warm moist air from the hot water rises up and hits the cold air created from the ice cubes. It condenses and turns to water vapor and rains!

Another favorite rain story: Peter Spier's RAIN. This is a wordless picture book with darling illustrations. I love this book because it allows kids to use their imagination, and language skills, to tell the story themselves. Very cute book!

Hope you are enjoying your April Showers!

Money Saving Deals on Disney DVD's

The last 2 Disney movies I have purchased, Pinocchio and Bolt, both had rebates of $4, when I bought a food item too! What a deal-since I'm going to buy food anyway! This week I found amazing deals for Bedtime Stories too! BTW- You don't have to buy the food item in the same exact transaction. You do have to have receipts or in most cases a copy of the receipt and the proof of purchase to get the money back, along with the official rebate form-which I have included links to below. So here are the links and deals for you too :)

PINOCCHIO: If you buy a package of Sun maid raisins, you can get $4 back . Click here for the form and details. This one allows for a photocopy of your receipt, and asks for the UPC codes off of your raisins and Proof of Purchase tab off of Pinocchio. Offer expires December 31, 2009.

BOLT: If you buy a package of Ronzoni Smart Taste Pasta, you can also get $4 back when you also buy Bolt. Click here for the form and details. Offer ends July 31, 2009. Allows for photocopies of receipts. I used a coupon and only spent 79 cents on my pasta product.

Here are the Details this week for Bedtime Stories:

On sale at TARGET for 16.99. OR-Purchase Bedtime Stories (16.99 for DVD) and Tigger and Pooh (17.99 for DVD) and get a $10 gift card. You can use the gift card the same day, but it has to be on a different purchase.

Use the $5 coupon you can print here, and you get Bedtime Stories for 11.99. Coupon expires on April 13th, so hurry!

Rayovac Battery rebate (buy 2 packs of batteries, and any Disney DVD and get $5 back)

print HERE. You can do photocopies on this offer of receipts also. Most Disney DVD's also have 2 Proof of Purchase Tabs, so you can really do 2 different rebates, which is the case with Bedtime Stories. Total now (minus the fact that buying batteries--but you'll use those batteries right?)-7.99

WAIT-- there is another rebate! You can print it here. With this one, buy 2 Ortega Products.

This one ends July 31, 2009 and you can photocopy the receipt if needed. Just use the other Proof of Purchase tab from the movie and the UPC/proof of purchases from the Ortega products. Rebate is $5 so now your total for Bedtime Stories is 2.99!!

And weren't you going to buy food and batteries anyway ? :) Well that is how I do math and that says DEAL to me :)

I have done all these rebates, so I will be getting about 18$ in the mail, and I used the $5 coupon, plus the $10 Target card....so I saved a total of $33! I don't think I'll buy another Disney DVD again-without a rebate or coupon!

TIPS ABOUT REBATES:Many will take photo copies of the receipt, allowing you do to multiple rebates. But some won't accept copies. ALWAYS read the entire rebate form and follow instructions exactly and you should get your money :) Happy DEAL Finding!

Spring Banner

You know you've stayed up way too late when the info-commericials come on. ☺ And they sold me on the "Circut-Expression"- I think I need one now. :) My husband was off last night and therefore stayed up doing our taxes, so I stayed up doing this. And now I've having a hard time getting going today. :) Go figure...maybe I should replace my "crazy-crafting-addiction" with a little sleep-at least at night! :)

Well it got late, so I skipped putting in one eyelet on this, and just said, it will have to do. I wish I just had a mantle to hang it up on....but we don't- so it is taped to the wall for now :) hee hee ( below it is a little chick from pre-school- I thought it was so cute-we had to hang it up:...and the bunny ears peeping-up are another crazy-craft project I'll share later :) )

Here is a great tutorial on how to make a banner so you can make one too if you want....just don't stay up too late doing it like I did :).

OK... I feel better now that I shared what I stayed up way too late doing....and now...Pandora got me going...so I can get on my treadmill and get moving! :)

I ♥ Faces- My Friend and I

This is just for fun.... I love these two kids. These two have known each other since they were one, and they are still buddies. Head over to I ♥ Faces for more fun photos of kids with their friends.

Edible Birdie Nest Treats

I first got this recipe from my sister, several years ago. I know these have been around for a while, but they are always fun to make around Easter Time. There are several different versions you can make of these. Click HERE for a few different recipes for making your own edible Birdie Nest Treats!

7 hours of Doctor Visits and a Broken Arm

I never thought I'd have my 19 month-old baby break his arm. But that is just what happened. This has been a crazy week. I had a close call with a car accident, several sleepless nights, and we spent seven hours at doctor's offices today and came home with a beautiful blue cast.

I usually don't write about my personal life on this blog. But I am a real person, who sometimes feels that she isn't the best mommy; who often doesn't do her laundry or the dishes; who gets caught up in things that don't really matter; and who has moments where I realize what is important and what really matters.

This week has been full of those kinds of moments. Because of my beliefs,
tough situations become easier for me to handle. I don't know when my little guy broke his arm. He is a rough-n-tough little guy who is always climbing and always falling. I pick him up several times a day to comfort and hold him. And then it is back to business for him, playing and getting into everything. He must have a strong tolerance for pain.

I could blame myself, and (in a way I do), for being a bad mommy, and not watching him more carefully. I could wallow and feel sorry for the tough situations that surround me. OR I can realize it will all be O.K. His arm will heal with time. The situations that surround me will change and get better. God is in charge and He will take care of us.

I am grateful for these moments in life, when we are forced to stop, look to God, and realize what the most important things in our lives really are. As I look back on these years, I don't want to remember the "crafty crap" I made- it won't be cute in several years anyway. :) I want to remember the cherished moments where my children said something funny, smiled and giggled, and gave me hugs and kisses. I want to be there to experience all the joys these little ones bring into my life. These are the things I will cherish forever.

S-P-R-I-N-G blocks

Another Spring Project! Woo-hoo! I am loving how my blocks turned out! I started with a scrap piece of wood in the garage-and it is amazing that it can turn into this ☻

Here is the low-down on this project: Piece of scrap wood from the garage-free; handy-husband who cut and sanded it for me-priceless; paint from my stash and/or from Michael's-88 cents; papers that I modge-podged onto the top of the blocks-free from my stash; and vinyl lettering to go on top-very affordable ( the whole project was probably under $5)!

In the past, I cut my own lettering with a stencil cutter and stencil paper. I now prefer vinyl lettering, but cutting from the stencil -although a lot of work in my opinion-and a bit different look- is another option-that is free- if you have a stencil cutter-which you can purchase at a craft store. ☺

Happy Spring!

Spring Table Runner

I made this Springy table runner a few weeks ago- one of the easiest ones I have made.

I'm not the best at writing tutorials, since I usually don't follow patterns, and (this is far from perfect- but good-enough-for-my purposes) Anyway--- here are a few things I did, if you want to make one like this. ☻ ☺ ☻

1. I used an old sheet for the main fabric. I cut two pieces the same size measuring with one of my other table runners. Before stitching, it was about 20 inches by 47 inches. I used warm and natural batting for the middle.

2. Cut 36 squares- each of a different scrap of fabric- that measure 4 inches by 4 inches.

3. Using Spray Adhesive Batting, spray each square and place them as evenly as possible, on the white fabric-4 across, and 9 down.

4. Stitch a 1/4 inch around each square sewing it onto the main fabric.

5. Next, carefully snip around each square without cutting the stitching.

6. Sew all the layers together. I just pinned it together and straight stitched between the rows.

7. Before binding, I washed it to allow the edges of the squares to fray.

8. Bind it as desired and you are done! (I'm still learning some better binding techniques..so I don't have much to say on this subject yet ☺.)

Oh yeah, and total cost for this project: less than $3. All I bought was a piece of warm and natural batting- the rest of it I already had! I love "almost-free" projects!

Happy Spring! I just love Spring colors!!

Easter Egg Art with Coffee Filters

My son and I made this little Easter Egg garland out of coffee filters.
First we cut the coffee filters into egg shapes. Then we colored with water-based markers (Crayola) layering the coffee filters-3 deep- but only coloring the top one.


Next we placed the 3 layered coffee filters on a paper towel and used a squirt bottle to get them wet. We let them dry, and then separated them so we had 3 eggs from coloring one.

We strung them up in front of a window, and added letters as seen in the first photo. During the day, the light shines through, and they look really pretty! My 3 year old loved this so much he wants us to hang some up in his room too ;)
BTW- you can get a nice pack of coffee filters at the dollar store ;)