Still Alive...

Just thought I would say hi real quick. I hope you all had a wonderful long weekend. 

 This past weekend was particularly busy getting things done around the house and catching up on errands.

We put new shutters on the house with the help of Matt's family- Im so happy how they updated the look of the house. 

I thought I would post a few pictures of a jumper and matching doll dress I made for B awhile back.

The dress was supposed to be for Bristol but I mis-judged the size ( of course I did it while she was napping with no other clothing size as a guide) so I had to use the remaining fabric to make a jumper. 

Its been a great spring outfit as just this past weekend it decided to warm up! :) 

  

A Little Family Time...

Having Matt home the last few days reminds me of how much we missed him over the last three months! 

Here are a few pictures of us catching up on some family time... Ill be back next week with the rest of the favorite things. :) 

Family Hike... B is such a dare devil! 

How Bristol and I like to camp... with electricity and indoor pluming. :) 

Shooting range at Cabelas...

A little dancing in the middle of Cabelas...

The Pier in Old Orchard Beach...

First Pier fries of the season! 

Hope you all have a wonderful long weekend! 

Favorite Things -Beauty Products

I hate when you see a product that you think ( and it promises it will) change your life- then it doesn't. 

Such a waste.

1. Hair stuff. I have massive curly hair- ugh. As I have gotten older though I have learned to try and work with it more instead of always fighting it. ( Dont get me wrong,  Ill still bust out my straightener 3-4 times a week) Here are a few things that make me hate my hair less. 

1. Moroccan Oil. This stuff really does help smooth out my hair and take away a lot of the frizzy-ness. I tend to use this when I am wearing my hair straight. 

2. Fructis Leave in conditioner. I have used pretty much EVERYTHING under the sun to try and tame my curls. Most things I find leave them "crunchy" or wet looking.  I love how the conditioner helps contain the curls but looks more natural so 6 hours later you don't look like you just stepped out of the shower. Plus its only like $4 a bottle- that lasts a long time! 

3. On to skin stuff. I typically tan up pretty well however my face ALWAYS without fail is drastically lighter than the rest of me. Something I have found that I use every other day is L'Oreal Sunless tanning Lotion. It doesn't look orange and really helps even things out. Plus, it doesn't cause me to break out. 

4. Olay Spin Brush. Its an investment at $30. However, to my acne prone skin this really does help. I use it every 3 days or so with my normal cleanser. 

5. Plain Crest Toothpaste. No teeth whitener, no extra stuff. Just toothpaste. BUT I don't use it for my teeth. I put a little dab of this on a zit before bed and it really does clear it up by the next day! It works better than any other spot treatment I have tried. 

So there are a few things that help make me a little less scary when I walk out the door! :) 

Tomorrow I may skip on Favorite things... Matt's outage ends tomorrow so we will be celebrating  having him back - plus some much needed sun shine! :) 

Favorite Things -Kids Stuff.

So last week I mentioned doing a favorite things type of thing this week. 

Nobody told me they hated the idea so Im moving forward. :) 

I thought Id start with kid stuff.  It seems they accumulate stuff faster than anything I have ever seen.

 Its insane. 

My daughter is 18 months old so I apologize to Moms of older kids... when it comes to big kids Im clueless! 

Ok enough rambling... 

1. First up these shoes.

I love them. B has had two pairs and if I could find more I would buy them. They are great because on the bottom you can SEE where your child's foot is and how much room they have left. Plus, they have all the basics needed for good baby footwear- velcro, pink, glittery. You know the necessary things you look for when buying your baby shoes. 

The best part is they are from Wal-Mart and under $10. They make all kinds of shoes with this fancy toe option for boys and girls. 

Glitter Sneakers

2. We live in New England where we have winter 9 months out of the year. The other few months it can be chilly too. Lucky us.

Last summer we were at LL Bean, like any good New Englander, and I came across this bunting. I liked it because it wasn't bulky ( easy for car seats) and covered B up completely. I picked it up along with the matching hat and gloves. We have used this more times than I can count. It was great for the fall and early spring. Plus, it can all be thrown right in the washer and cleans up great! 

Bean makes them in all different patters, color combos for boys and girls. Check them out over the summer and you can get a great deal on them!

3. Happy Tot. 

They sell these at Target and probably other big food chains. I love these because I know what all the ingredients are and its an easy way to get fruits and veggies into B! They are great on the go or for a snack.  They come in ( I think) 5 different combinations for infants and toddlers. 

Happy Tot


So here are a few things I have found along the way that I love for B.

On another note, please keep the people of Joplin, MO in your thoughts and prayers. I can't imagine what it would be like to have our town completely torn apart.

Non- Silhouette Subway Art Tutorial

I suffered from Silhouette envy for a long time. So a while back I decided to try and make some affordable subway art WITHOUT using a Silhouette. 

When shopping around for subway art I ran into two problems.

1. It was not big enough-they were mostly smaller sizes. 

2. The price ( although reasonable for the work involved) did not fit into my decorating budget.

So heres how to make your own. 

Supplies: 

Wooden Board 

Vinyl letters from Dollar Tree- dont be scared if they are pink cheetah print. They will just be thrown out. 

Spray paint in two contrasting colors. 

Ruler, pencil, distressing ink ( optional) 

Sander/ Sand paper

** I had step by step pictures... my computer ate them so you will have to use your imagination.**

1. Go to Lowes or Home Depot and ask the nice man in the lumber area to cut you a piece of wood. Pick whatever size you want. Mine is pretty big- 3ft. X 2ft. 

I would not recommend using plywood though- it wont sand nicely. 

2. Bring your board home, sand it and paint the whole thing in the lighter of the two colors you choose. I did black and white so I painted it all white first. 

Let it dry over night. 

3. Measure your vinyl letters. Mine were 2 inches tall.  I then counted how many lines I would need on my board and spaced them out according to how tall my letters were. Using my ruler I made LIGHT pencil lines so I could stick my letters on somewhat even. :) 

4. Start sticking your pink cheetah letters on! This took a while- I would recommend waiting till your kids are sleeping. It gets annoying having to move little hands out of the way - just saying. 

5. Once the letters are on - make sure they are stuck on well- spray paint your darker color on- covering the entire thing. I needed a few coats. Let it dry over night- be patient. You will be sad if you remove the letters too early and smear the paint. 

6. Peal off your letters- and do any distressing you may want to add. 

7. Nag your husband for three weeks to hang up your mammoth subway art which has no real way to attach itself to the wall. Now he has to come up with something and is silently wishing you would stop crafting for a while. :) FYI- We used "Wall Dogs" to hang up it - hasn't fallen down yet! :)

This project came in under $20 for those of you wondering. 

Pretty Sure I am not supposed to see this look for another 10 years...

Because Its Funny...

I was going through old pictures and found this...

Last year around 4th of July I had really started getting into crafting. I made B a simple pillowcase dress in patriotic colors. When I was done with that I moved on to the head piece. Its too ... elaborate... ahem...to be called JUST a headband. :) 

Its Americana meets Cher, meets B embracing her Native American heritage. 

Don't worry, I toned it down. A bit. 

Copy Cat Crafts

Lately, I have been trying to catch up on my crafting " To Do" list. I always see so many great tutorials and ideas around blogland so I have been working to tackle my ever growing list. 

First, I made B this bath towel using this easy tutorial from "Make it and Love it" and "Samsters Mommy." So far its getting rave reviews around our house. :)

Next, I made B some summer pjs. I got this great idea from over at "Craftiness is Not Optional." I picked up some cheap t-shirts from Wal-Mart and used up some soft flannel from my stash.
PS for Wal-Mart shirts I would recommend buying a size larger than your child usually wears cause they shrink- even on cold and delicate.

Finally, I put something together for me! Ok not too exciting but exciting to me. I picked up some washers and ribbon and BAM- pattern weights. SO much easier than pinning and re-pinning. :) Plus, they are pretty to look at.

On another note, next week I am thinking of doing a favorite things week...think Oprah. Well, except my great finds are more along the lines of cleaning products instead of diamond watches and I cant give you all a sample, and their will be no celebrities... so I guess really nothing like Oprah.

Now that we are all disappointed, Im thinking each day will have a different  topics ( Children's products, home products, etc) I love when someone shares things that make their life easier with me so I thought I would pass along great finds to you guys!

Ok Im off to find something to do with a 18 month old on our 3rd day of rain. Wish me luck-

The Post Man Clutch Tutorial

I wanted to make a larger clutch that could hold my keys, cell phone, wallet, and maybe a diaper. Something that could be thrown in a beach bag or the bottom of the stroller. 

I did not have a pattern so I made it up as I went along. 

I picked a neutral fabric because I wanted it to match quite a few things but you can make one out of anything you like! 

Ok here is a quick run down of how I made this ( sorry for the dark pictures- crafting at night!)

First, I cut out the main body and top flap shapes. I cut two of each. The body of the clutch was 7 inches tall X 13 inches long. The flap was 6 inches tall at the widest point and 13 1/2 inches long. 

I then cut out some batting the same shape. I wanted to add some cushioning for my poor iphone- plus it gave the clutch a little more shape. 

I sewed up each piece, wrong sides together,  then turned right side out and added the batting. 

Finally, I attached the flap to the main body of the clutch and top stitched around the entire thing. 

To cover up the seam I sewed a piece of brown ribbon on the inside. 

Dont worry, I have done my nails since these pictures were taken. :) 

To finish it off I added a button for the clasp and a small loop on the side for hooking it on a stroller, bathroom stall, or to attach your keys to. 

I hope everyone had a great Mothers Day weekend. Our week has started off rainy and cold. :( Im ready for summer to show up! Today I am going to start working on a few dresses/ skirts for vacation next month!