Sisters, Sisters

Liebster Award

2012-03-03T00:30:00.000-05:00

Michelle from Miss Stitch a Wish Designs, has recently passed along the Liebster blog award to our blog. What is the Liebster blog award? As has been said already by another blogger, I quote:

"Liebsteris a German word for dearest or beloved, and the award is given to otherbloggers, to promote and encourage new friendships among the bloggingcommunity."

What a colorful and a creative way to get to know and encourage each other on the blogging community. It's nice to know that other people like what they find here. Speaking of creative, you must visit Michelle at Miss Stitch a Wish Designs, she has such a electic and creative blog full of real life goodness and beautiful creativity.

So here is how the Liebster blog award works:
-Post award on your blog
- Reveal your picks for the award and let them know (see below)
- keep on supporting your fellow bloggers
- Have fun and pass it on!

InNo Particular Order: drum roll please

1. Ablog I’ve been reading for a long time is A Few Good Things. However, I havefound more than a few good things from Jessica. She has inspired me to readmore good books, I’ve laughed so hardat her wit, and she likes Alan Rickman.

2. Anotherblog that I just love reading is a friend of mine (from those college days oh solong ago).: Rikki at Live it to the Heavens. Rikki gives a glimpse of her lifewith her family by being honest and so funny. She takes the word akward andmakes the reader feel totally at ease. I don’t know if she realizes it, I'm always so inspired reading her daily thoughts and sometimes little struggles. Morethan a few times, after reading one of her post, I have been so relieved that Iwas not the only one going through some crazy problem or emotion. Rikki, please don’t stop writing.

3. Thelast one is one that I recently discovered. It is Modesty is Pretty by Shey.She is a teacher who loves to thrift and likes to dress modestly. It is so nice to read a blog about fashion inwhich the fashion is modest and way cute. It is a breath of fresh air.

Well there you have, go now and be inspired!

The Pineapple Pillow

2012-03-02T14:20:00.001-05:00

Sierra has a thing for pineapples. I think it has something to do with the show "Psych"...not really sure. Anyway for Christmas a little bird (Hava) gave me the idea to sew her something with a pineapple on it. Because she likes to take her pineapples with her everywhere I thought of a pillow. Good news...she loved it and I had a lot of fun putting it together for her. Pillows are such a great way to do just a little bit of quilting at a time. Plus a pillow is small enough that I can do the quilting myself. LOVE that.

Savvy Style: Shabby Apple Skirt

2012-03-01T08:00:00.000-05:00

So I have always loved Shabby Apple but ever sense they started sponsoring us I find myself wandering to their website more frequently and I have to tell you I have fallen in love with one of their skirts. Now I know that may seem a little intense but you must understand that I work in a legal department and I do not really like business dress, so naturally when I see skirts like this one I may or may not fall in love. If only true love was really that easy... Anyway enjoy and keep being awesome!

May the Force be with.... your brown lunch bags

2012-02-29T10:22:00.000-05:00

Remember how I mentioned that it was our brothers that taught us all we know about Star Wars? Well, this post is in honor of them...actually my brother Dave get's the credit for all of it. Monday night he sent me these pictures of these Star Wars lunch bag puppets that he and some friends made.

Proof that even guys can be creative with glue and paper if they have the right motivation.

In this case Star Wars was their motivation.

Every time I am in the company of my brothers (or hubby), Star Wars always seems to make it's presence at least once. Whether in a subtle reference to a character or a random quote that only Star Wars nerds would know. Sometimes, I don't think they realize that they do it; Star Wars is so integrated into every fiber of their being.

Well may the force be with them and their families!

Mona Lisa takes a nap

2012-02-27T10:43:00.003-05:00

our recent adventures took us to Columbus Ohio while the hubby interviewed.

He was so wonderful to let us tag along.
We found such fun little treasures while there; such things that made me so happy.

such as discovering a Mona Lisa...on her side, taking a rest. I can only imagine how tired she must have been from smiling and sitting so still for all those years.

We also encountered a cute cafe with Van Gogh's Night Cafe.
Seriously, what a genius idea for a cafe wall.

The hubby encountered an evil alien robot, which he fought like a pro.

I think more cities should do famous paintings on their old buildings. It makes things so much more colorful and would add such zing to any run down building.

Savvy Style: Red & Aqua

2012-02-23T08:00:00.000-05:00

I don't know about you guys but I love these shoes (if anyone wants to buy them for me I wouldn't say no.. jk) but seriously I found them on this great site called Urbanog.com and I'm not sure about the clothes but the shoes are a decent price. Especially the boots, I think they are all under $30-$40 dollars which I think for boots is a great deal. Anyway this whole outfit was designed to be a good deal and look cute. All of the items are under $20 (except the bag). So enjoy and keep being awesome!

Red & Aqua by sunshineburton featuring ballerina flats

Jane Norman button shirt
£14 - janenorman.co.uk

Dorothy Perkins red pleated skirt
$12 - dorothyperkins.com

Ballerina flat
$17 - urbanog.com

Big Buddha messenger bag
$45 - piperlime.gap.com

Turquoise earrings
$11 - jcpenney.com

Mango cotton scarve
£18 - mango.com

Shabby Apple

2012-02-22T09:23:00.000-05:00

We have recently been invited by Shabby Apple to join their Affiliate Program. We are so excited to have them represented on our site. Not only do we love their cloths, we love what their company represents. Please watch the video below, it is truly inspiring.

Downtown Abbey Paper Dolls for true hardcore fans

2012-02-20T08:46:00.001-05:00

Are you a Downtown Abbey fan? I am. Love it. Thanks to my sister for introducing it to me last year. I'm still working on getting the hubby to watch it (i'd think he'd love it). If you've never watched, then get to it (watch Season 2 here-I think Season 1 is on Netflix). I promise you won't regret it. It's one of my favorite masterpiece period pieces of late. The hubby would say I'm obsessed with period pieces, he's probably right. sigh. What can I say, I just love them. Good old fashioned humor and morals.

Anyway....

I recently discovered these paper dolls. They make me laugh. I seriously just might print them off....

You can see the rest of them here. The one below is my personal favorite. Poor Mr. Pamuk.

Savvy Style: Snowboarding in style

2012-02-16T17:08:00.000-05:00

Now obviously this is not real style tips but I think the lesson to be learned from these pictures is don't be afraid to wear what you want. Really the only reason I am posting this is because the first response I got from my sister after sending her this picture was "that is going on the blog". So here are two embarrassing pictures for you to laugh at and also for you to see how much I haven't changed when it comes to what I wear under my snowboarding gear. Well I might be a little bit more stylish now but not by much. And yes the outfit on the bottom was worn into a Wendy's and yes my friends laughed at me..but hey I was more the proud of what I was wearing.

my first quilt square EVER!

2012-02-11T16:44:00.003-05:00

I'm in Texas visiting sister Joy and she gave me my first quilt lesson. This is what I made:

I told her I wanted to do the easiest square possible, and this was pretty easy. It is going to be turned into a couch pillow. I love how it turned out. I've decided that it would be fun to make a quilt out of these type of squares in different colors...maybe one day.

Savvy Style: Summer on my mind

2012-02-08T08:00:00.001-05:00

So when I created this outfit I really just was dying for summer but don't you guys think this outfit is so cute and so simple! Yes the shoes are way out of my price range but I have some just like them so I felt safe adding them to the outfit. Here is another great example of mixing colors and this summer would be a great time to practice cause lets face it summer means anything goes right?? And since we still are in February and summer really isn't that close yet you could switch the wedges to some cute flats and throw on a jacket and you would be good for the colder weather. Whoever says you can only wear these colors in the summer has no imagination. So go crazy, and don't forget to keep being awesome!

Summer on my mind by sunshineburton featuring a waist belt

Cotton polyester t shirt
$30 - topshop.com

Miss Selfridge peach skirt
$46 - missselfridge.com

Stuart Weitzman black sandals
$365 - simplysoles.com

Red Herring lightweight scarve
£15 - debenhams.com

Ray-Ban wayfarer shades
parkandbond.com

Dorothy Perkins waist belt
$11 - dorothyperkins.com

Clutch, Bag, Lady's purse...something like that

2012-02-07T08:00:00.000-05:00

I first made one of these little bags in August just to learn how to make it and I found it so easy that I just had to make one for all my sisters for Christmas. They took some time, but they were fun to make.

I used Noodle's gathered clutch tutorial and used this tutorial to add pin tuck pleats to the fabric (i did the pin tuck pleats before cutting out the measurements)

They are far from perfect, but my sisters are very forgiving of such details.

Savvy Style - Kid Edition

2012-02-06T17:48:00.003-05:00

Since I have absolutely no style when it comes to dressing myself I thought I would share my cute daughter's outfit she wore to school today. She insisted on eating her snack while I took the picture.

Headband (Target), Cream Shirt (Children's Place), Jean Jacket (Children's Place), Jeans (Costco...I know, I shop at the high end fashion boutiques), Boots (Target), Sugar Snap Pea (from our garden...yup just picked it today...yup...it's February. Love me some Texas)

awesome micheals coupon and facebook

2012-02-03T08:36:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to let you know that we now have a facebook page, go here. Sometimes I just might post cool things on there like awesome coupons I find, for example: spend $5 get $5 off coupon from Michaels....

Birthday Mini Pies

2012-02-02T07:00:00.000-05:00

In our house, we're pie people. L just turned one and we decided it would be only be fitting to give him pie instead of cake (when he's older he can have cake if he so desires). I thought that it would be fun to do mini Apple and Pumpkin Pies.

For the Pumpkin I used the recipe on the can and the Apple my I used my sister's yummy recipe found here

I found a round container that was about 4 inches across (although I think bigger circles might have been better) and cut out circles for tops and bottoms.

So...they looked kind of sad and a bit ugly after they came out of the oven, but that's probably because they knew their fate

Yep, squeezed and demolished by a one year old....that's a pretty scary fate. Who needs pretty pies anyways; L loved them and so did we.

Happy Birthday Little One!

Savvy Style

2012-01-30T16:45:00.001-05:00

Skirt: Old Navy Sweater: Target Shoes: Delias Scarf: Sister =]

Something you'll become very familiar with and see as my trademark is my cheesy smile. Ask anyone in my family and they will tell you I have been doing it my whole life and don't plan on stopping it anytime soon. Anyway on to fashion...

So this outfit here was not a work outfit just a simple Sunday outfit. But as you can see I am a fan of color but tend to have a lot of black because as we all know it goes with everything and its a pretty common color in a legal department. So I threw a bright skirt into the mix, but there is no need to stop there. I don't know about you guys but I think these colors look awesome together. Actually it is kind of in style now to wear random colors together so be bold and brave and try out new colors. If you are the kind of person who has a hard time throwing bright colors together cause your afraid they won't work I dare you to at least try these two together because I promise you they look awesome! And to top off the spunkyness (even though they are both black) I put on some exciting tights and some super cute shoes. Now these pictures don't show the shoes to well so you can go see them here at Delias, and they have other colors also.
Now here are a few bargain tips that I learned from the find of the items in this outfit. The sweater/cardigan and the skirt were only $6. Here is how I pulled that off. Everyone knows that Black Friday is this huge shopping day but have you ever tried going shopping a few days later. When it comes to clothes there is still a good amount of the stuff there and its marked down even more! Another great time for this is after Christmas, like a day or two before New Years there are tons of clothes that are marked down way more then usual. Obviously with these few tactics you have to practice a little bit of patience but I promise its worth it. So try these things out, be awesome and let me know if any of these ideas work for you.

COMING SOON: Savvy Style

2012-01-30T15:26:00.001-05:00

So, we're starting a new thing, and when I say we I mean me. I say we, because hopefully my sisters will join me on occasion (we all know I could use their help). Once a week, I am going to start posting an outfit I wore and give some tips from the little bit of knowledge I have on fashion and bargain shopping. Oh, and if you have some knowledge you would like to share as well, I am always open for tips, you can even guest-post here on Sisters, Sisters.

Now, if you’re someone like me who works in a business world, most of your wardrobe may be slowly becoming blacks, grays, and whites. I'll share some of my tips that help liven up my outfits a little bit. I might sometimes post an outfit just because I thought it was cute. But on top of all my great knowledge that you are going to receive (wink wink), I'll even be giving you some tips on how to find cute/new clothing for super cheap. I don't know about you guys, but I have a really hard time paying full price for anything except shoes. But thanks to my mother, I'll share some tips on how to still have a decent/stylish wardrobe while not going into debt.

Now, I must warn you as you have seen in past posts, I am not great at modeling (my sister calls me an "awkwardly awesome" model). So, not only will I share a little bit of advice, you'll have comedy hour where you are free to laugh at my pictures to your heart’s content. So enjoy! Oh, and don't forget to keep being awesome!

Heart Shaped Hand Warmer

2012-01-26T19:40:00.000-05:00

So back a while ago someone gave Zac a heart shapped hand warmer (he is in the heart business). Anyway I thought I could recreate one easy. So here goes my first tutorial. I thought it would be perfect for Valentines Day. Wouldn't one of these be a great gift for someone you love?

Here is what you need:

*Red Fleece (for heart front)

*You could also use flannel for both front and back.

*Red Canvas (for heart back)

*Heart Template

*Ribbon

*Rice (not brown rice...according to my sister it smells funny when you heat it up)

1. Cut out 1 heart from fleece and 1 heart from canvas.

2. Pin canvas heart to fleece heart. If you want a ribbon tag now is the time to pin it inbetween the two layers. I also like to pin the heart together at the V of the heart.

3. Sew heart together leaving a 2-3 inch whole for pouring the rice in.

4. Trim the tip off the bottom of the heart so you can get a good point to your heart.

5. Cut a slit right between the V of the heart. Helps it turn better.

6. Turn the heart right side out.

7. Pour in rice.

8. Sew hole shut. Not as pretty as I like it but oh well.

Now go throw that baby into the microwave for 1-2 minutes and warm your hands, feet or whatever! Enjoy.

Baby Quilt from Grandma Sweetheart

2012-01-22T22:25:00.001-05:00

Marme makes quilts for all the grand babies. Luke just received his for Christmas. We all love it! My mom made it extra special by using some of the same material that she used on my wedding quilt (the blue, orange and green fabric).

She even had his name embroidered on, as well her nick name-Sweet heart- is embroidered in.

The Little one, loves, loves loves the quilt. He likes to point at the owls and the bright colors. I name the colors as he points and he laughs really hard when I say blue.

Thank you Marme!!

Shake it, shake it like a Polaroid picture

2012-01-19T14:47:00.000-05:00

Once we moved into our new place, I wanted to get frames and put pictures of all my fam up. However, between the hubby and I, we have quite a few immediate family members, and we are only "allowed" so many holes per wall and we have only so much self space. There was no way I was going to let the landlord's rules win on this one. Thus this Polaroid wall idea was born.

(sorry the light is terrible in this part of the house)

I had seen these few pins here and here, that inspired me to do the Polaroid idea. I wanted to make a heart, but the hubs didn't like that idea. It was actually his idea to take some hemp and string it back and forth using tacs, and then put the pictures up with clothes pins. Genius I say. I don't know what I'd do without him.

I made a sign based on my church's Family theme: Familiy, Isn't it about time?

As for the actual Polaroids, I cheated using an online program HERE

The program is free and blimey awesome.

Making Polaroids and Printing them - Tutorial

1. Download the program HERE

2. Once downloaded, open up. It will look like a Polaroid camera. All you have to do is drag with your mouse a photo from your library and drop it on the film coming out of the Polaroid camera.

3. Then you just wait and watch it develop. The downer is you can't shake the picture : (

To Print Polaroid

4. Open up your photo editing program. Make your image the size as shown below.

width: 4

height: 6

Just be safe I made the resolution 350.

5. Open your developed Polaroids in your photo editing program and copy and paste into your newly made 4x6 document.

6. Save and send off to print

*if you're planning on just printing it off on your own computer, none of these steps are needed.

7. Once you get your Polaroids printed, just cut off the extra white stuff on the top and bottom.

Don't go too crazy with the Polaroids ; )

And just for fun, enjoy this video!

Hearts on a String Garland

2012-01-12T15:05:00.000-05:00

As history would have it, V-day and I don't really care much for each other. No fault of anyone, just bad luck and too much pink and red . I don't generally hate pink or red, I just can't stand the over abundance amount that is produced during the holiday.

With that being said, I decided that this year, V-day and I are going to try again and start out fresh.

Of course, terms were set and contracts were consciously signed.

1. Limited red and pink

2. Other colors must be equally included. After all, why can't love be represented with purple or blue (after all we do have blue blood running through our veins)

3. Nothing too lovey-dovey-mushiness

Thus, this was how my heart garland came to be under those strict terms. I used old scraps and didn't pick fabric out based on the usual V-day standards. I must say, I'm quite happy with my garland and when I look at it, I don't feel the least bit hostile towards V-day.

linking up to Rockin Valentine Party and here

Baby Shower for Twins

2012-01-06T13:20:00.003-05:00

In November I was able to Host a baby shower for a great friend with the help of some friends and my Mom. Our theme was Two little Birds why, because she was having TWINS. A girl and a boy! We kept the shower simple and had tons of fun.

Twins

We had the guests right thoughts on the diapers.

This was great. Some said "Dad's Turn".

We hung the diapers up so everyone could read them.

And on the bird cage are recipes for my friend, her one request was for some simple recipes.

Another Friend, decorated this cake.

I couldn't get a good picture but that is a mini clothes line.

The one game we placed was figuring out was in the bag.

We placed a small baby object in each bag.

They could feel and shake but that's it.

the "Infinity and Beyond" Scarf

2012-01-02T21:55:00.001-05:00

I really like stripes and I like scarfs. As luck would have it, I just happened to find a striped shirt in the pile of "giveaway or redo clothes". Thus, inspired by this scarf here, I came up with this simple infinity scarf. Nothing fancy or original, but comfortable and a bit of relaxed class.

I'm not so sure about the face Sierra is making, but she must thinking she is cool or something.

p.s. in case your curious, Sierra is wearing this sweet sweater; everyone should make themselves one.

to make one of your own:

1. find a knit shirt or skirt that is begging to be made into something else. The one that is never worn but would gladly go through a bit of surgery just to be worn again.

2. Cut out long strips of fabric. I wanted to use as much of the shirt as possible, so I cut and sewed pieces together. I was able to do these dimensions:

14 inches wide (before sewn into a tube)

50 inches long (after all the separate pieces were sewn together.)

3. if you have multiple pieces, sew together. Then fold in half hot dog style and sew. Then turn right side out.

4. fold nicely (iron if you like) one of the ends and then pin it over the other end. Then it will look like a big circle. Then sew it shut.

5. For the leather part (I used pleather) cut a piece wide enough to wrap around the part that you just sewn together (sorry I forgot to measure the dimensions of the pleather it before I did it).

6. then hand sew the pleather together.

7. Next, wear that scarf like you own it and love it!

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Star Wars Corner bookmarks

2011-12-28T21:27:00.000-05:00

for Christmas, my brother got these. He is an avid reader and literally read's like 10 books at a time. One by the couch, one in his room, one in his office, one in the kitchen, one in the car, one in the 72 hour kit and one by the toilet (I feel for the book stuck there)...I might have just exaggerated a bit, but probably not. So for all his books, I decided he needed some friends to join him.

I basically guaranteed that the force will be with him as he reads

...I guess that includes the dark side as well

The hubby wasn't so happy to see me mixing Star Wars and Jane Eyre (he despises Jane Eyre), but I did it anyway. Yoda understands Jane.

OK here's my How To make Star Wars Corner Book marks

- check out this easy tutorial here

- go here for some free Star Wars stencils

- Copy into photo shop or word and make them the size you want them. Then print

- Color in if you so desire

- Follow tutorial and make corner book marks. Then hot glue on Star Wars stencils

Have fun making some awesome bookmarks!

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Joy To the World - Map Decoration

2011-12-19T11:22:00.002-05:00

I saw this picture on Pinterest and loved it, and I thought it would be the easiest project; which it was. A few months ago at our party surplus store, I found a party map for only $.99; yep 1 dollar. So, I figured it was was totally worth the price and effort to try painting the 'Joy the the World' out.

1. First I sketched out my letter design.

2. Then I painted with tons of cheap white acrylic paint until it looked how I wanted it too.

3. Then I hung it smack center on the wall.

and I LOVE IT!

I just love Christmas Decorations that center around the true meaning of Christmas.

As an extra bonus, you must watch these beautiful, authentic Life of Jesus Christ videos: Here

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EASY DIY light box + beautiful beaded ornaments

2011-12-15T17:08:00.000-05:00

My hubby gave me my Christmas present early because he knew I could use it before Christmas: a light box!!! and I love it!!
I've been asking for one for a while now, and he finally found the best way to do it. He used this tutorial here. And seriously, it is pretty easy. After we got the supplies (yes, I went shopping with him, how else was he going to navigate Micheals by himself?), it probably took him about 10-15 minutes to cut and put it all together.

The cost wasn't too bad, but it would have been cheaper if we already had some of the materials,

which we didn't

Cost:

3 Foam boards and poster board - $8

day light energy saving bulbs (a little pricey but worth it) - $10 for 2

two cheap desktop lamps - $10

total: about $30

Every penny was worth the investment.

After taking a few pics with the light box, we both couldn't believe it took us so long to make one of these

With light box

Before without light box

After:

Super amazing right! My husband is the best! no more terrible looking pictures.

And just for fun, here is a tutorial of the above beaded ornament. Super easy and awesome looking. p.s. these pictures were taken before the light box and I was too lazy to take more. : p sorry.

1. get a glass or plastic ornament

2. string some beads on to wire (about necklace length or longer)

3. push them into the ornament

3.5 keep pushing until all the beads are inside. It will be a wonderful random mess.

4. Hang on the tree.

Older kids would love to do this! you can do all sorts of colors.

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The Help

2011-12-10T15:45:00.000-05:00

“The Help”

“Twenty-two-year-old Skeeter has just returned home after graduating from Ole Miss. She may have a degree, but it is 1962, Mississippi, and her mother will not be happy till Skeeter has a ring on her finger. Skeeter would normally find solace with her beloved maid Constantine, the woman who raised her, but Constantine has disappeared and no one will tell Skeeter where she has gone.

Aibileen is a black maid, a wise, regal woman raising her seventeenth white child. Something has shifted inside her after the loss of her own son, who died while his bosses looked the other way. She is devoted to the little girl she looks after, though she knows both their hearts may be broken.”

“You is kind. You is smart. You is important.” What a great message. This book is full of so many messages that unless you are heartless, or your heart is just “two sizes to small” there is no way you can finish it without learning something. Obviously the main idea behind this story is the civil rights movement which is something in this day and age that we don’t really understand but this book shows you the side of the Help and shows three woman who are ready to stand up for what they believe in.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone. Even if you have already seen the movie the book gives a lot more insight and details to what is going on. I am usually one of those people that if I see the movie first I am not likely to read the book but I decided to go for it this time and I definitely did not regret it. So do it, go read it and keep being awesome!

in my world, Elves are big - ergo big Elf stockings

2011-12-08T21:10:00.001-05:00

Here is the finished stocking; a big stocking for our little elf.

I made it to match the two stockings that I had made for the hubby and I a few years ago.

While we're visiting the mantle area, I just have to show you this nativity we did for my church's Super Saturday craft day. The original one was all black, but I decided to do mine in color and I'm so glad I did.

They are wooden and the perfect nativity for Luke and our future children to play with.

Christmas stocking sneak peek - the name

2011-12-07T16:14:00.000-05:00

here's a sneak peek at Luke's Christmas Stocking. I was inspired by this and this.

I really wanted to try the name embroidery for Luke and decided it would be perfect to do on Luke's stocking.

stay tuned for the finished product

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Hand Print Snowman Ornament

2011-12-07T15:59:00.004-05:00

This last weekend the kids and I made some new ornaments for our tree. I am so happy with how they turned out...and I think the kids are too. Jackson takes his off the tree daily and runs around with his then points out Anne and Andrew's ornament on the tree. I love it!

I wasn't intending to post about this little project but I posted a picture on Facebook and a few people asked for a tutorial. Well I didn't do a tutorial. I didn't because there is a really good tutorial already out there. Why redo what is already done really well? Right?

So go on over to eighteen25 and see what Jamie, Jodie and Jen have to offer. They have tons of fabulous ideas. For the hand print snowman look here.

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Popcorn Ornaments

2011-12-06T10:10:00.001-05:00

Stringing popcorn is always fun, but what about a happy contained popcorn ball as an ornament?

I'm going to a Christmas ornament exchange and I thought these would be perfect.

In high school, I remember seeing these ornaments in some magazine, so my Mom and I experimented and made some. However, back then my success rate was breaking 2 out of 4. This time I made 12 successfully and only broke 2. Not sure how, maybe it was the microwave or the glass balls were more sturdy. Or I just got lucky/

To Make your Own Popcorn Ornaments:

You need:

- glass ornament blass

-Popcorn kernels.

(I'm sure you can experiment and come up with your own way but this is what I did.)

1. In a glass bowl (if you use plastic, it will get really hot and potentially start melting after doing a couple of these), put some popcorn kernels and put them in the microwave for about 20 seconds. If you hear popping take out. You don't have to do this step, but I find it better to start heating the popcorn before popping them in the actual glass ornament

2. Now take the bowl of kernels out of microwave and put about 15-20 into a glass ornament. Then put glass ornament into glass bowl to keep it from rolling around the microwave.Then turn the microwave on for short segments and watch it closely. As soon as it looks the popcorn has filled the ornament then take it out. (use a hot pad).

Anyway, good luck and happy popping!!

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Knit Skirt

2011-12-01T17:38:00.002-05:00

I did it. I sewed something, well part of it. If Havalah had not been there forcing me/helping me do it there is no way I would have done it. But I will admit that it was ridiculously easy and that is saying something coming from me, someone who does not sow. You can find the pattern here at Suburbs Mama. Here are some of my modeling pictures that Havalah also convinced me to do, seeing as she has dubbed me the "awkwardly awesome" model.

Yes you can even jump in the skirt, it is that comfortable!

So coming from someone who doesn't sew I would recommend this pattern to anyone. It is super easy and if you buy the right material it is very comfortable as well! Enjoy and keep being awesome!

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Applewood Bacon & Eggs Breakfast Flatbread

2011-11-25T13:11:00.000-05:00

This is a super creative breakfast recipe that I discovered. Now I will give you the whole recipe but I did make some of my own person changes.

Roasted Cinnamon Candied Bacon:

6 slices thick-cut applewood bacon

3 tablespoons honey

2 teaspoons McCormick® Gourmet Collection Roasted Saigon Cinnamon

Breakfast Flatbread:

1 package (8.8 ounces) naan (2 pieces)

1 package (6 ounces) baby spinach leaves

1/2 cup shredded Gruyere cheese, divided

6 eggs

McCormick® Gourmet Collection Black Pepper, Coarse Grind (optional)

1. For the Candied Bacon, preheat oven to 400°F. Arrange bacon slices in single layer on foil-lined 15x10x1-inch baking pan. Bake 15 minutes or until bacon edges begin to curl. Remove pan from oven. Carefully drain drippings into glass measuring cup. Set aside. Microwave honey and roasted cinnamon in small microwavable bowl on HIGH 30 seconds, stirring after 15 seconds. Brush bacon with honey mixture. Bake 10 minutes longer or until bacon is browned and crisp. Carefully drain any additional drippings into measuring cup. Cool bacon on wire rack. Break into bite-size pieces. Set aside. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F.

2. Cut out 3 holes from each naan using 2-inch cookie cutter. Place naan on baking sheet sprayed with no stick cooking spray. Set aside. Heat 1 tablespoon of the reserved bacon drippings in large skillet on medium heat. Add spinach; cook and stir 2 minutes or until wilted. Remove from heat. Add bacon and 1/4 cup of the cheese; mix well. Place spinach mixture evenly around holes on naan. Sprinkle spinach with remaining 1/4 cup cheese. Place 1 egg in each hole, taking care not to break the yolk.

3. Bake 10 minutes or until egg whites are almost set. Remove from oven. Let stand 2 minutes. Cut each naan into 3 pieces to serve. Season to taste with pepper, if desired.

So the changes I made were I did not add the cinnamon or honey to the bacon, I also didn't have any Gruyere cheese so I just sprinkled some cheddar cheese on top. It was really easy to make and is delicious!

Stuffed Bell Peppers

2011-11-23T01:39:00.000-05:00

Ask anyone in my family since I was a small child I have loved bell peppers. My mom used to have to stop me from eating them straight out of the garden. So ever since I started getting into cooking I have wanted to make Stuffed Bell Peppers. The recipe is super delicious and easy to make!

6 large red or green peppers, rinsed

1 pound lean ground beef

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 or 2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup long-grain white rice

1 1/4 cups chicken or beef broth

3/4 cup diced tomato (fresh or canned)

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon salt

Pepper, to taste

1/3 cup grated Parmesan, plus a little extra for garnish

1 large egg, lightly beaten

3 cups of your favorite tomato sauce

We added probably 2 more cups of rice because it looked like it was pure meat. In the end it was a good decision and we put it in only 3 bell peppers where the recipe calls for 6 so depending on how much meat or rice you want you can make the call.

It may not look super appetizing but I promise you it is delicious. Even if you want to just make the filling it would be great in burritos!

Classic Apple Pie

2011-11-16T11:45:00.002-05:00

Thanksgiving is next week. If you are like me then you are busy planning your Thanksgiving Feast. If you are also like me then the most important part of the meal is the desert. Yes, the turkey (or ham), mashed potatoes, rolls and stuffing are delish but what would a Thanksgiving meal be without a beautiful apple pie?

Now we all know that the apple pie starts with the apple. I know there is some serious opinion out there about what apples to use or not use when making the pie. I am here to tell you that with this recipe you cannot go wrong. Why? Well the apples are cooked before you add them to the pie so no matter what apple you use it bakes perfectly in the oven. Trust me, I have tried multiple kinds of apples and while the taste may change slightly, the pie is always yummy.

See...precooked and yummy.

Now I know you are asking how I made such a wonderful looking crust...I didn't! I use good old Pillsbury Pie Crust (in the freezer section at Costco now). The crust has always been the stressful point for me and I have never had a pie turn out well with a homemade crust (except when my good friend Shelly helped me make her fabulous crust) so when I found this recipe in Better Home and Garden one year and it said to use a store bought crust I jumped at the chance to try it and I have been making this pie ever since.

classic apple pie

1 package refrigerated rolled pie crusts

1/2 cup plus one tsp. sugar

1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar

3 Tbs. cornstarch

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. salt

Pinch ground cloves

2 pounds Granny Smith apples, peeled and cored*

2 pounds Fuji apples, peeled and cored*

2 Tbs. butter

2 Tbs. lemon juice

1 Large egg, beaten with 1 Tbs. water

Directions:

Heat oven to 400. Unroll on pie crust onto work surface. Roll out slightly with rolling pin to 12 inches. Fit into bottom and up side of a 9-inch deep-dish pit plate. Prick bottom of crust with fork;refrigerate while assembling filling.

In a small bowl, blend 1/2 cup of the sugar, the light-brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, salt and cloves. Set aside.

Cut apples into 1/2 inch pieces. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add apples, lemon juice and sugar mixture. Cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until pan juices thicken. Cool for 25 minutes.

Pour cooled apple mixture into prepared crust-lined pie plate. Unroll second pie crust and roll out slightly to 12 inches. Cut 1-inch vent hole in center of dough. Transfer dough to pie, centering over filling. Crimp edge together and flute decoratively.

Brush pie with egg mixture; sprinkle with remaining 1 tsp. of sugar. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes then reduce temperature to 350 and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cover pie with foil if it browns too quickly. Cool at least 1 hour before slicing and serving.

*I used Golden Delicious and Empire Apples. They seemed juicier but still good.

There you go folks. My fool proof apple pie. Try it. Let me know how it goes.

“Come join Love the Pie with TidyMom sponsored by Cherokee USA, Le Creuset, Wilton,Bags by Bloom and Harvard Common Press”

La Vita e bella - date night in Italy

2011-11-13T19:27:00.001-05:00

Friday was 11-11-11, which meant I needed to do something really silly, really bizarre or really amazing. I chose to do all three. I decided the hubby and I were very much in need of an abnormal date. You know the kind you go on in college when you have no money and really want to impress your date? Yep, I bet the memories are flowing for many of you. So I took my hubby to Italy for one night. It was my sister who gave me the idea. She sent me a link to this blog the Dating Divas to a specific date about Italy, knowing we want to to there someday (she probably thought we needed some spicing up in our life ; ). Thus, I decided last minute on Thursday to make it happen for pretend. Even grownups can play make believe sometimes.

Our Tickets

I found this awesome website where they make fake tickets for any airline you want. You can enter in the passenger info, the date and destination. Pretty cool, right?
He didn't know we were even going on this little trip until he opened his lunch on Friday. He might have been a little confused by the random tickets, but he was pleasantly surprised when he got home.

I even made a ticket for Luke, but his destination was bed. Although, he somehow ended up going to dinner with us, that stinker.

Our Italian Cuisine

I made Macaroni Grill's rosemary bread via here. So easy and delicious. And then I used Our Best Bites Cheese Garlic Bread recipe . Oh. My. Gosh. You must try; it's to die for!

for the main dish I made Olive Garden's Capellini Pomodoro.

The easiest and most delicious dish ever.

You need:

Fresh Roma tomatoes (any kind work)

fresh or dry basil

minced garlic

Olive oil

and Angel hair or Capellini noodles

1. Heat up about 3-4 tbls of olive oil and add in the basil and garlic.

2. Once the garlic is white add the tomatoes. Don't cook the tomatoes to long, just heat them until warm.

3. Then mix in with Capellini or Angel Hair noodles.

Wala, super easy and delicious.

The Art Museum

We both love art, so I went online and googled as many famous Italian artist I could think of and put together a little slide show of art with Italian music in the background. It was definitely not the real thing, but it was fun looking at some art together and pretend we were cultured and all.

Our Entertainment

We were going to do some painting, but it was late and we were both tired. So we ended up just watching Life is Beautiful. I got it last minute at the library that day, but was regretting it half way through the movie. You see, it used to be my favorite movie, but I haven't watched it for years. And being married and a mother now has really made it a terrible movie for me.

Needless to say, we were both sobbing through the second half. I guess it's good to watch these type of movies every once and a while to realize all the blessings we have in our life.

So there you have it. Our date to Italy. It was so fun to do something completely out of the ordinary and I think it caught hubby-bear off guard. I told him that it's his turn next, and I can't wait!

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pinterest sweatshirt refashion challenge - The Black Beauty

2011-11-09T08:04:00.002-05:00

My sister challenged me(here) to do to a sweatshirt refashion as done below by Dee.

So, finally I hit up the local thrift store and by luck found a brand new extra large black sweatshirt. I didn't take any before pics, so you'll have to trust me on this one. Also, by more luck, Dee made it easy for me and recently posted a tutorial for her sweatshirt refashion. So, I guess I didn't figure it out by myself, but I'm totally cool with that. Beyond cool actually, because secretly i dreaded the idea.

And on top of my luck, my sister Sierra came into town just as I was finishing it. Which meant, she had the honor of being my both awesome and awkward (awesomely awkward) model.

And no one else could have made that sweatshirt look any cuter than she did.

I think I'll call this sweater The Black Beauty

Below is a sneak peak of the skirt she made in a amateur photo shoot {by yours truly}. Yes you read that right, she made it. I'm determined to get her sewing, one step at a time.

She really is the best model. Love her! (stay tuned for more pics of the skirt)

I wish my sister could come visit me more often...actually I just wish I lived closer to her, and to the rest of my sisters and family. But alas, I'll take what I can get.

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Colors of Autumn

2011-11-07T11:05:00.001-05:00

Fall is such a beautiful time with all the variations of yellows, oranges and reds. We didn't want our halloween pumpkins go to waste, so we just added some beautiful foliage to the pumpkins. Happy Autumn!

Padawan Yoda

2011-11-03T20:51:00.002-04:00

For Halloween, our little Lukester was Yoda. And let me tell you, it was the easiest costume to prepare! The hat took a couple of days, but if I was to just sit and do it, it probably would have only taken me a few hours.

I did the base of the hat using this pattern. But you could probably use any hat pattern. To make it not itchy and warmer, I sewed in fleece lining, that way he can wear it all winter. As for the ears, well...let just say I winged it and I'm not sure how I did it. The I simply used a towel for the robe part and just sewed it with arms and tied a tie around it. So as I said super easy.

He also happen to be 9 months around Halloween so we had to take some 9 month pics with this cute little pumpkin.

end of 31 days of HP

2011-10-31T20:26:00.001-04:00

found here

or "I had you at hello, I lost you at 'i don't like harry potter'"

And most Important:

Thanks for joining us on this magical journey through Harry Potter land. Come back next October for more Harry Potter love.

Murder Mystery Dinner

2011-10-31T02:32:00.001-04:00

Inspired by a dear friend who turned 30 in January and threw a Harry Potter party. I decided I needed to do something like that for my 30th. I decided to do a murder mystery dinner. Another dear friend told me about one that was all focused on Fantasy Characters and I knew that was right where I wanted to go.....so we had Vampires, werewolfs, mages, Faes, and Mortal watchers. And the setting was a costume ball so the costumes could be whatever you wanted. I found the downloadable kit here at Dinner and Murder.

I had so much fun planning this party and putting it on. I also enjoyed coming up with my costume. I normally focus on my boys for Halloween (which I will post about soon) that I don't dress up. This year I came up with the perfect costume for me, inspired by The Affinity Bridge a George Mann novel and his Character Miss Veronica Hobbes. Miss Veronica Hobbes has been compared to a female version of Watson in Sherlock and Holmes. So based on her I created a Steampunk Costume. Steampunk involves a setting where steam power is still widely used—usually Victorian era Britain—that incorporates elements of either science fiction or fantasy. Still confused just google Steampunk and discover a whole genre!!!!

Now on to the Party!!!! I had 30 of my closest friends there to share the night with me. And I was so glad to see how into the night every one was. I wish I had taken more picture before of the decor but I ran out of time.

The Goody Table

Labels found at Love Manor's Flicker page.

The Guests!!

I was the investigator, discovering the bodies.

(no I didn't know the solution)

The whole Group

I think I need an Airship.

Trying to pose. Not my strong suit.
I found a pattern for the jacket and made the hat. The rest is goodwill or internet finds.

Would you like a tutorial on how to make the hat?

HP and Halloween Day 30: Pumpkin Carving

2011-10-30T16:00:00.000-04:00

We carved pumpkins this weekend with Sierra. And yes, the pumpkins were from our garden; It felt that much more awesome knowing that one little fact the whole time we carved

Here's my Harry Potter Pumpkin. Looks sweeter in real life.

a side view of the snitch.

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HP Day 29: Witchy Woman

2011-10-29T11:30:00.000-04:00

So my mom is pretty awesomely creative. Where do you think all us girls got our creativity from? Definitely from her.

She recently sent me some pics of her recent Halloween endeavors and I just had to share them on here.

Isn't this the most awesome witches hat ever!! I love the pink and black striped tights with it. And yes, she makes for a pretty hot looking witch.

She's also helping with my nephews Harry Potter party, so she made these potion bottles. She smoked the jars with smoke spray (jars found at various antique shops). Then she sprayed with glitter.

Next she watered down acrylic paint and painted the jars. She kept smoke spraying the jars between steps to get the authentic look. They look awesome!

And here is a glimpse of the table; The red eyed rat is a nice touch!

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HP Day 28: Accio...

2011-10-28T21:41:00.000-04:00

I definitely need to make this for Luke....found here

HP day 27: Potter Wars

2011-10-27T07:30:00.000-04:00

Just had to throw this video into the mix. Enjoy

HP day 26: Harry Potter Parties

2011-10-26T07:00:00.000-04:00

This month of Harry Potter wouldn't be complete with out highlighting some awesome Harry Potter parties that fellow bloggers have done.

This one below is the ultimate Harry Potter Party, and I mean ultimate. She even named her blog My Harry Potter party, because there were so many details and prep work.

Along with the sign she painted a sheet that looks like bricks to be the passage to Platform 9 3/4.

I love this portrait of the fat lady. She actually hired an artist to paint it for her. Amazing!

Her husband made some really authentic wooden wands for each child and they even had a table for potions class. Seriously, if you've never been to this blog before, YOU NEED to check it out. It will make you want to have a intense Harry Potter part yourself.

Serendipity Creativity also did an awesome HP party. Check out that cake! The attention to details with this party are amazing

Over at the Dragon Fairy Tale blog she included a Horcrux Hunt with her party.

She even has free printable labels to print out for your own HP party.

My sister is doing a Harry Potter Party and I really, really, really wish I could apparite, fly a broom, or use floo powder to be there for it. Ah, well next time maybe.

HP Day 25: Proclamation Educational Decree

2011-10-25T11:56:00.002-04:00

I came across this Umbridges Proclamation board on the noble collection site and saw that it was $55!! Seriously, why would anyone spend that much money on something like that; there are much cooler things in the Harry Potter collection for less then that amount. I figured I could make it for MUCH less.

Here is my version. How much did it cost? umm....NOTHING. Well, I guess we could get technical and say maybe 10 cents for the paper and ink, but that's literally pennies.

Moral of this story, DON'T spend $55 and make one yourself!!!

Although our little one is too little to understand such verbal commands, we figure it's a good thing to start ingraining such things in his head early. However, when the mama or dada tickle, he really has no choice but to laugh because we are that good at hitting the right spots on his belly.

Here is a free printable so you can make your own. Just copy it into word in a horizontal document and fit it to the page. Then print. *important note, I used a 14x11 frame and used a blank paper for the bottom of frame. To make it look antiqued, make some tea, or pero (works wonders) and gently soak the printed page. Then bake in oven for a few seconds or until desired look.

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HP Day 23 - Party Invites

2011-10-24T01:17:00.000-04:00

Ok I know I said I would share my costume next but forgot to take some pictures I needed in better light. So for now it is......Harry Potter Party Invites.

My oldest sons 8th birthday is right around the corner. In 10 Days I will have an 8 year old, and he will be baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints. So 8 is a big birthday for us. He just finished reading the first 2 Harry Potter books and is waiting until his birthday to read the 3rd. (I know I am a mean Mom.) He has really got into Harry Potter which works well for our family, since my siblings and I all love it. And we are grateful the next generation does too. So for his birthday which is Nov 1 we are throwing a Harry Potter Party. Which also works well because all three boys agreed to be HP characters for Halloween. We will have Harry, Ron and Neville. Hopefully I will have their costumes done by Friday so I will share those with you.

But enough about that.....I have been frantically looking for invite ideas and have found some really cute ones that I want to share.

Delivery By Owl Post

This is amazing. I wish I knew where to give credit but this is just an image off google.

If I had time to hand deliver this is defiantly what I would be doing.

Just Sweet and Simple had these great examples.

She even is sharing her creations for Free by simple download.

All you need to do is type up your information and print.

This is the one I am going to do because of time constraints.

Hostess "with the Mostess"

shares a how to on how to create your own Hogwarts acceptance Letter.

Again Because of time restraints I won't be able to do this but they are all fabulous.

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Halloween Day 22 - Dollar Store Pumpkin Revamp!

2011-10-23T00:47:00.000-04:00

I know that Pumpkins have been done but I just needed to share these pumpkins that I upgraded from the dollar store. I wish I could claim the idea myself but it came from Mundane Entertainment. Cost of this project about $2 to $3 depending on your ribbon and extra items and if you don't have spray paint on hand.
Items:
Dollar Store pumpkins
Spray Paint, I used some I all ready had from other projects.
Ribbon, and bling from Michaels 50% off.

I have decided I like my orange as an accent color for Halloween,

so my pumpkins became black, purple and cream.

I gave them 2 coats each.

Then I hot glued on ribbon and stuck on the bling.

I really like how they turned out.

The white one found a home by the front door on a pile of old books.

And my friends bling covered pumpkin. Don't you love the Fleur De lis?

And the other two found a home on my goody table for my Murder Mystery Dinner. Can you find them? Not the best picture but they are there.

This is a sneak peak more pictures of the murder mystery party soon!!!!!

And my Costume is up next!!!

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Halloween day 21: the ultimate Halloween music playlist

2011-10-21T10:14:00.001-04:00

Everyone has their own personal playlist for Halloween of fun songs. Well, today I present for you a list of some great classic and soundtrack music that should be on everyone halloween music playlist. Not only will you get a thrill listening to each one, but you're ears will love you and thank you for the awesomeness of this music. And, all your "cultured" friends will be impressed with your selection of music.

In no particular order:

In Hall of the Mountain King from 'Peer Gynt' by Edvard Grieg

This one is one of my favorites, and their couldn't be a more perfect name for this song.

Toccata and Fugue in D Minor by Bach

This is a MUST. Seriously. GET IT on your list NOW!!

Phantom of the Opera main theme by Andrew Lloyd Webber

Need I say anything about this one?? Although, this might make your kids just act crazy.

Night on Bald Mountain by Mussorgsky

This is not for the faint of heart. Although a little dark, it is deep and rich and screams Halloween. The best part is that it has a happy ending. Read the story here

Carmina Burana [O Fortuna] by Carl Orff

This is in every movie and it should be because it is that powerful.

Hedwig's (Harry Potter theme song) by John Williams

Again, no brainer. If not for yourself, do it for the kids.

Double Trouble (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban)by John Williams

This one is fun because it not only is from Harry Potter, but the words are based off the witches chant in Macbeth.

Ride of the Valkrie by Richard Wagner

The Firebird Suite - Infernal Dance of King Kaschei by Igor Stravinsky

This one is not as well known, but i think belongs in this playlist. Especially since the name has "infernal dance" in it.

Imperial March from Star Wars by John Williams

My husband asked if I put it on here because Darth Vader is a Villain. I told him no, it's because Darth Vader induces fear to those around him.

Mozart's unfinished Requiem Mass in D minor

Mozart's requiem might be an uncommon one to find on a halloween playlist, but I think it belongs. After all, it was written for a funeral...And it is truly a beautiful and heart wrenching piece.

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HP Day 20: Harry Potter Peggies

2011-10-20T00:30:00.000-04:00

Seriously, Aren't these so awesome! Liz at Simple Simon and Co made these and I'm so in awe and desire to make some ASAP!

And if the Harry Potter ones weren't enough, she even made a set of Star Wars ones!!! Seriously!

One day I will make these for Luke.

HP Day 19: Potions and Dementors.

2011-10-19T01:00:00.000-04:00

Lisa at Over the Big Moon blog, made some Professor Snape potions. Awesome right? So authentic and they totally belong in Professor Snape's potion closet. She even has a free printable so you can make your own potions (Here). If not this year, I'm totally going to make some of these next year.

As well she made these sweet looking dementors to hang in her living room. I hope she has lots of chocolate on hand...and someone who can cast a good patronus. Want to make some yourself, she even has a tutorial.

HP Day 18: Real men are Wizards

2011-10-18T00:00:00.001-04:00

Since you all know about my negative feelings about Twilight (as well as my positive feelings about Harry Potter) and I know many of you feel the same way. Thus, I thought you would all appreciate this great shirt!

Day 17: Harry Potter Party Menu

2011-10-17T00:30:00.000-04:00

Now, if you wanted to throw the most epic Harry Potter Party, then delicious Potterish food is a must! Upon my search for the right recipes for such an epic Harry Potter party, I came across the Ezra Pound Cake blog. She basically has it all planned out with recipes and foods from the books and movies.

Such as a Gryfindor Fruit Trifle

Some chocolate frogs

Rons Pumpkin Pasties

As well as many more delicious treats.

and Pumpkin Cookies with caramel frosting are a definite, most certain need

And if you're really adventurous, how about some Golden Snitch Cake Pops found here

Oh my, I just realized I only included deserts....well who needs anything else at a party ; )

HP Day 16: Wand Power

2011-10-16T00:30:00.000-04:00

Cami at You Seriously Made that blog has a tutorial for making your own wand out of paper, hot glue and modge podge. Perfect for the young ones or adults. Check it Here

HP Day 15: Keep Calm...Firebolt

2011-10-15T08:00:00.000-04:00

and just for good measure:

HP Day 14: Hogwarts Supply list

2011-10-14T00:14:00.001-04:00

Are you ready for your year at Hogwarts? Have you gone to Diagon Alley to get your supplies? If not, you can find a full supply list here (that is if you've lost your Hogwarts letter). Here are some of my supplies that I've rounded up:

Uniform: Black robes and House Scarf

Books

Wand

Cauldron

and my pet toad

Hogwarts Textbooks

A couple of months ago I was at our local library and they were giving away all these old books. I snagged a few hardcover ones thinking I could possibly make them into something new. Well, this month I came up with the idea of making Hogwart text books. With a little paint, word, and modge podge, I came up with these books.

and I LOVE how they turned out.

The book I used for A History of Magic just happen to have a witch on the cover like it was meant to be a magical book.

Wands

Here are our wands. We found some sticks out back and Brigg carved a couple of wands for the both of us. Then after a little sanding and some lacquer (or modge podge works) we had ourselves some nice looking wands. Super easy and durable.

Brigg's Wand - willow with dragon heartstring

For my wand I wrapped some twine around it to give it a more feminine look (like Hermiones).

My Wand - oak with phoenix feather

Are we Harry Potter nerds? Yes. And we're still waiting for our Hogwarts letter....

; )

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HP Day 13: Harry Potter Cake

2011-10-13T00:14:00.000-04:00

my friend Sabrina at SAB Cakes is a genius with cakes. Genius people. I mean, look at this Harry Potter cake:

Pure awesomeness!! I need this cake for my next birthday.

If only I lived near you Sabrina...I'd probably have you make me an awesome cake every year for my birthday

check out that wand...

seriously GO right now and check her out. She's located near Dallas, Texas so if you're near there then seriously, seriously give her a call.

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Halloween Day 12: Snake Hair Do

2011-10-12T08:00:00.002-04:00

Remember the show Ugly Betty? One of my favorites...sad it is no longer on. Amanda on the show always had such great hair. I saw the above one on Pinterest and had to try it on Anne. We are calling is the Snake Do because it looks like...a snake.

I was going to do one more braid to the left but my hands and Anne's knees were getting tired so we opted to end it with a braid over her shoulder. You could also wrap that braid into a bun and then add a cute flower. What does this have to do with Halloween or Harry Potter....ummm....there was a snake in Harry Potter. Does that count?

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HP Day 11: Mischief Managed

2011-10-11T01:52:00.000-04:00

The little one is at the age where he wants to investigate everything BUT his own toys. Oh, and he is fast. It was only necessary for me to make him this onsie. After all, I'm positive that he is thinking mischief managed after he has finished scattering all the books and dvds off the shelf's.

I used the font Parseltongue which you can download here.

You can follow this freezer paper tutorial to make your own Mischief Managed Shirt.

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HP Day 10: Play Quidditch Printable

2011-10-10T03:25:00.000-04:00

Speaking of Quidditch, did you know that there is an International Quidditch Association? You totally need to check it out. They have a rule book and everything...

Halloween Day 9: Gourds and Squashes

2011-10-09T03:25:00.000-04:00

We must not forget the gourds. I love the unique shape and color of gourds. They are a decoration in themselves without any carving needed.

This would be perfect for any front door. Via here

How but a gourd bird feeder...

luminary guards

or a gourd garlend

use as candlestick holders

choir boys. Love!

use for candy bowls

HP Day 8: Harry Potter vs. Twilight

2011-10-08T03:24:00.001-04:00

My whole family knows my feelings towards Twilight and also Harry Potter. If you don't, just take a gander at these pictures and my guess is, you'll figure it out pretty quickly. If you like Twilight, hopefully you''ll still enjoy these!!

Halloween Day 7: Fall Mantle

2011-10-07T08:00:00.001-04:00

Because it is still 85 degrees outside I really have felt the need for this year to bring the fall inside my house. I am still working on a few projects around the house but so far we have finished painting the living room/kitchen area. I am totally in love with the color. For now I just settled with putting a little fall on my mantle area.

I was really excited to find the sticks that have little lights on them. I love how it looks at night. Zac thought I was a bit nutty to go out and buy sticks from the craft store...he might be right but at least these sticks don't shed and I can use them over and over :)

I have been trying to use real pumpkins as much as possible but have you seen the prices for pumpkins? At the local grocery store they were between 7.99-9.99 each! Then I was in Target the other day and found some for 3.99!!! Score. I had to grab a few. Come Halloween you will find these beauties out on my front porch carved with scary faces.

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Halloween Day 6: Pumpkins

2011-10-06T03:23:00.000-04:00

Martha Stewart is a great resource for holidays, and she has some excellent pumpkin ideas.

For parties or just decoration.

here are some of my faves:

Besides the awesome face on this pumpkin, here is a great tutorial on how to light your pumpkin not using candles

Why not use it as a drink cooler for your awesome Halloween or Harry Potter party

or maybe this

I love these pumpkin creatures

Mice motel...so funny

How about a Cinderella Coach to go with the mice

Who doesn't like a little glitter

I love this haunted house

Another great party idea

A pumpkin candy dispenser? yes please

Have a few spare pumpkins lying around? use cookie cutters

I love this idea of using the mini pumpkins as name place setters.

And we might as well add a Harry Potter pumpkin in the mix. Free Stencil here

or maybe you'd prefer doing the Dark Lord, he who must not be named

or my personal favorite character, Snape

HP Day 5: Conjure a Patronus printable

2011-10-05T00:22:00.000-04:00

And don't forget to eat some chocolate afterwards....

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HP Day 4: Muggle Born

2011-10-04T00:00:00.000-04:00

I saw this Pin on Pinterest and just had to make one for our little one. I used the original Harry Potter font which you can download here. In which everyone should have in their font collection...it is a must. As well, this shirt is a must for any baby.

After you determine how big you want it, print out and trace on to freezer paper (you want shiny part down). Then , using an exacto knife, cut it out (you can use one of those fancy machines like a cricut or silhouette...one day I'll get one).

lay it shiny side down and iron onto shirt. Then apply your permanent fabric paint. Let it dry and then peel off the freezer paper.

This boy may be muggle born, but he sure is full of magic and fully capable of casting a hex on anyone who dares tease him....

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Halloween Day 3: Homemade Pumpkin Puree

2011-10-03T03:20:00.001-04:00

So, you know how every year when the leaves start turning colors, and its starts getting a little chilly, you start craving everything pumpkin? But for some reason its not quite the time of year when they start selling pumpkin puree in the stores! Well, here is the solution!! Just make this! Homemade Pumpkin Puree is where it is at!

HP Day 2: The things I learned from Harry Potter

2011-10-02T03:22:00.002-04:00

So many great lessons taught in Harry Potter...no wonder its so great!

HP Day 1: Keep Calm...

2011-10-01T03:15:00.000-04:00

To start off this month of Harry Potter, here is the first of many free printables:

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Harry Potter and Halloween October Series

2011-09-30T03:15:00.000-04:00

Starting tomorrow, get ready for:

Linking here:
A fish who likes flowers
Come Together Kids
Momnivore's Dilemma
The Creative Genius
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Sweatshirt Refashion TUTORIAL finally!!

2011-09-29T18:02:00.000-04:00

Remember this Sweatshirt Refashion? Well guess what? I am finally going to do a tutorial.

Sa-weet!!! (that's what I'm imagining you are all saying ; )

Materials Needed:

-One old used and loved sweatshirt (it could be new or not loved...you will love it after; ); a larger sweater is best to work with.

-Fleece or other sweatshirt material for lining

-Buttons (the biggest and most awesome you can find)

So the sweatshirt I used for this tutorial is a zippered one and a little on the small side. It's been needing to go for along time, but I just couldn't get rid of it....so here's to new life. And here's to hoping you can follow this tutorial. Just because it makes sense to me doesn't mean it'll make sense to everyone else.

If your doing a regular hoodie, just cut open a little off center.

2. Turn inside and put on the sweatshirt. Then pin the sleeves to make it fitted. Then sew and cut of extra material.

2b. if working with a larger sweatshirt, take in the sides of the sweatshirts as well. You could even use that extra material for later on.

3. as you can see on the left, the extra sleeve material will taper on one end. Take the two extra material pieces and pin (right sides together) to both sides on front of sweatshirt. Then sew. After you sew turn right side out and iron flat.

4. From the neck of the sweater to the bottom, measure the length. Now cut 2 pieces from your fleece, or sweatshirt material, using the dimensions of sweatshirt length plus about 5 inches wide (does that make sense).

4.5 I forgot to do this step, but i think it would make it look nicer. After you cut your 2 fabric pieces, either surge it on one side or fold the fabric a 1/4 inch and sew it closed.

5. Now take those two fabric pieces and pin it to the RIGHT SIDE out of your sweatshirt. The surged or closed seam should be facing the right side of sweatshirt and away from middle of sweatshirt-it should not be on the pinned side got it?
6. Now sew the sweatshirt and your fabrics together as seen above in the right picture where my beautiful white lines are.

7. Now turn it right side out and do a top stitch on the edge of both front sides.

(seriously, my arrows look like they're on drugs).

8. Almost done!! now put it on and decide where you want your buttons and such and then pin. Now as to make a button hole...I sort of faked it since I can't get the button hole foot to work on my machine. But here is a great tutorial

Yay your done!!! Now go make tons and tons of sweatshirts....

p.s. Let me know if you make one...I would love to see your version and would totally post it on here

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The 7 Cello song

2011-09-26T17:14:00.000-04:00

So beautiful and inspiring!

something wicked

2011-09-22T09:26:00.001-04:00

And we don't mean scary wicked, we mean something wickedly awesome!

Something totally, wickedly, awesome is coming during the month of October....so stay tuned

Motivating Monday

2011-09-19T11:01:00.001-04:00

It's Monday and ironically it has recently become my favorite days of the week. I used to hate it in high school because it meant waking up at 5 a.m. for early morning seminary (an early scripture study class for high school students provided by my church). Now I loved seminary, I just hated waking up so early.

However, now my whole outlook has changed (well, not having to wake up so early helps ; ). After being spiritually fed on Sunday, I find I have a new gained energy and motivation to start the week and accomplish many great and small things.

One of those great and small things being exercising Every Monday I wake up determined to exercise 5 times a week. And you know what motivates during the week to keep exercising? the right movie. You know those movies where the heroine or hero is working their butt off? The ones that make you feel super lazy and so out of shape...
Here are some of my favorites:

Basically the movies that make me want to go out and run and doing something incredibly athletic-like run a marathon.

Sometimes seeing someone else in super amazing shape is just the ticket for me.

What motivates you?

"I'm a stud" baby shoes

2011-09-15T12:04:00.000-04:00

our little Lukester has already quite a few pair of shoes to grow into, but he currently just grew out of his old favorite ones and is in an in between stage. If it was still summer I wouldn't care about him wearing shoes or socks, but its getting cold. I came across this free pattern HERE and decided to make some new shoes for the Luke.

They turned out to be much easier then I expected. I did a fleece lining for the top ones so they could be extra cozy. The ones below are just fleece and remind of me of little baby toms.

The one thing I did do different was add some extra fabric on top to look a little more boyish. I love how it turned out. You can see below what I did. Super easy.

1. cut out two pieces of the size you want for the over flap. Then sew then right sides together and then turn out. Then do a top stitch over if you wish for that look. Then sew on the buttons.

2. then with a needle and thread, sew on to the top fabric of little shoes.

Refashionista + Thrift store tips

2011-09-13T10:53:00.000-04:00

Since living on a tight budget, I've been learning how to change up my wardrobe without spending much. I recently discovered that our Salvation Army here occasionally does a $5 dollar bag sale at least once a month. Basically any clothing items you can fit in their plastic bags, you get for $5 (jackets and shoes are an exception)...its a sweet deal. I finally caught them on one of their $5 sale days and scavenged for what I could find. It is a tiny SA so it lacks good selection of clothing. However I've finally learned the best ways to thrift shop for clothes:

Game Plan: First off, if you have kids, or uno kiddo like me, mostly likely you don't have much time to spend in a thrift store looking through all the clothes. Before going in I decide what I would like to look for before going in. For this last trip, I kept an eye out for stripes, cardigans, and bright colors. I couldn't believe how much easier it was knowing what I wanted to look for.
Size: Don't look for just your size; any bigger shirt or sweater can be altered to fit you (plus you can use the extra material to embellish your shirt or sweater
Color: look for colors that stand out and that you love to wear. This will help sifting through all the clothes to find what you like. Again, if it's not your style but you like the color, you can always alter it.
Style: keep an eye out for a style you really like; for example, I really like stripes so I watched for stripes.
Vintage: look for vintage; I've been seeing a lot of people buy vintage and mixing it with modern styles (I'm yet to be that stylish)

Here is a sweater that was too big that I took in on the sides and arms. After I took it in I had some left over material so I made a ruffle collar. Super easy and cute.

So this whole outfit (minus the pants) came from that one trip to the Salvation Army. The shoes were extra but only ended up being $2!! steal!

And So, I came home with a couple of potential new outfits and I only spent a little over $5! I was thrilled!! my husband was thrilled!! Stay tuned for a striped shirt transformation into a cute knit pencil skirt...

Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala

2011-09-12T01:21:00.000-04:00

So I got the best early birthday present last week. My parents brought me home for Labor Day weekend. And so while I was enjoying my time home my sister Anjuli and I decided to take advantage of the time together and make some of her favorite type of food, Indian. Her name is Indian and cause of this she has formed a special bond with Indian food, but really who can blame her its so good! Well we decided to take the easier route and start with the most common Chicken Tikka Masala. Let me tell you it was delicious and on top of that it was super easy. The only difficult part is that you have to find all the special Indian spices, which we found at a World Market. The only mistake made was that I forgot the cream (which we didnt notice until we found it in the fridge the next day) so needless to say if you can't eat cream then you can leave it out and it will still taste really good. We also didnt do the last paragraph of the recipe. So if your feeling courageous and want to try something new this is definitely a recipe I would recommend. The slow cooking part of it really makes the chicken nice and moist. So enjoy!

Chicken Tikka:
1 cup plain yogurt
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp cumin
1/4-1 tsp cayenne (depending on how spicy you like it)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt

6-8 chicken thighs (skin on, bone-in)

Stir all ingredients except chicken into the bottom of a large plastic container. Add the chicken and coat the chicken completely with the marinade, cover and place in the fridge for at least an hour or overnight.

Masala:
1 can 28 oz. diced tomatoes
1 can 5.5 oz tomato paste
2 inches fresh ginger, grated (store your ginger in the freezer and it will be super easy to grate)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 onion, diced
1 tbsp garam masala
1 tbsp tikka paste (could use mild curry paste instead, but then also add about a tbsp of lemon juice)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp dried coriander

1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
Salt
1 cup cream
2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped

Turn your oven to broil. Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place a rack over top. Take the chicken out of the marinade and place on the baking rack. Place under the broiler about 6-10 inches from the heating element and broil on each side about 10 minutes. You don't have to worry about cooking the meat all the way through, you are just looking for a nice browned color.

While the chicken is broiling, in a pan over medium high heat, add about a tsp or two of oil. Add the onion and saute for a few minutes to soften. Add the garlic and ginger and saute for a few more minutes until the mixture is nice and fragrant. Place the mixture into your crockpot. To that, add the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, garam masala, tikka paste, cumin, chili powder and coriander. Stir together. When the chicken is done broiling, add them straight to the slow cooker and stir into the masala (sauce). I have cooked and experimented with this dish quite a few times, and it by far tastes the best when the chicken is first broiled and then slow cooks in the masala sauce. It gives the sauce a real richness of flavor. Slow cook on high for 4-6 hours or on low 6-8 hours.

Before serving stir in 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp chili powder, 1/2 tsp garam masala and salt if it needs it. I find this just brightens up the spice flavors a bit. Then stir in the cream and fresh cilantro. Serve a chicken thigh with lots of sauce over basmati rice or Yellow Basmati Rice: 2 cups basmati, 4 cups water, salt, and 1/2 tbsp of turmeric. Stir together and prepare as you normally would. When the rice is done, stir in 1/2 cup frozen peas

Rise and Shout...BYU onsie

2011-09-10T14:00:00.000-04:00

The college football season is yet upon us again. Let's be honest though, I can understand most sports, but every year my husband always has to give me football 101; for some reason it goes in one ear (stays in just until the end of the season) and then out the other ear. The only reason I watch it is to cheer on BYU, so for that reason I do enjoy it. So in honor of their second game today, I decided made the Lukester a onsie to wear.

I didn't realize until afterwards that I did the Y backwards, oops! I remembered that my sister did a backward applique sweatshirt in high school and thought it would work well for this project. It was so easy and turned out great (besides the backward Y).

first pick the material you want to peak through. In my case I used a blue onsie with white t-shirt as a contrast color. Just like regular applique, you need to use interfacing (one sided iron is the best). on the interface, sketch your pattern or letter you want.
With the onsie or shirt inside out, layer like this: onsie, white material, interface.
Sew directly on the sketched lines
then turn the onsie or shirt right ways and cut out the negative material. There you have it.

Sweet Verbena does an excellent and more detailed tutorial as well

Anyway, go BYU!

Tribute to Psych

2011-09-09T01:19:00.000-04:00

So as my family knows I have a deep love for Psych, and its continued to grow over time. And there is something special about psych that you do not notice unless someone points it out to you, or you are a huge fan like me; in every episode there is a pineapple. So last week I was home for Labor Day and we were headed to the beach for one of the days. As I was about to walk out the door, I saw a pineapple on the counter and decided that I needed to take it to the beach and take random pictures with it as a tribute to Psych.

So Shawn Spencer here is to you and your pineapple.

Sweatshirt Refashion

2011-09-07T16:05:00.000-04:00

* UPDATE: Tutorial is now HERE

I saw this sweatshirt on pinterest and decided that I could totally make it. I'm originally from Washington, and hoodies were a must in everyone's wardrobe. So as you can imagine, I have TONS of hoodies. Most of them are from high school that I just can't get rid of; just call me a hoodie hoarder. It just seems wrong to get rid of something that has brought me so much comfort and happiness. Well, because I can't seem to get rid of the sweatshirts (even though my husband begs me to), i decided to refashion it into the sweatshirts that I saw on pinterest.

This is what I came up with. I was going to try to make a tutorial but I really wasn't sure how I was going to do it. So maybe next time...that is if people are even interested in one; I won't be presumptuous in thinking that anyone else would want one.

I took these pictures with a tripod and timer...and you know what: awkward!!! totally, and irrefutably awkward.

Have you ever read Made By Lex? well she has her sister model her clothes for her...So all I need is my sis Sierra to live near me so that she can model my clothes. That way she can feel awkward so that I don't have to ; ).

p.s. in case you were wondering, i made the sweatshirt inside out so that all the high school insignia is not visible. I think it looks cool...but my husband says it looks like its from the 90s (although he likes the style).