Birthday party decorations

Last weekend we celebrated Julia's 7th birthday with a party at the pool. I made some huge tissue paper flowers to hang in the pavilion. I put them in a bag for transport and they got a little smushed. To fill them out a little I taped a balloon in the middle. Problem solved!After the party I hated to throw them away so I fastened all the pipe cleaners (sorry they will never be chenille stems to me) together to form a giant ball. I tied some ribbon through the middle and hung it in front of her window.

Flower and Feather Barette

I haven't posted in awhile...the end of the school year has been busy! This is a project I did about a month ago and am just getting around to putting up. Sorry there are no pics of the process. You can find instructions all over pintrest on how to make these. One I found called for cutting out flower shapes by hand. I just used one of my dies and some leftover fabric. I cut 7 of the flower shapes a rectangle and a black felt circle. Simply fold the flowers in half and glue (I used hot glue)to the circle so you have 4 glued to the base. Do the same with the other 3 to form the 2nd tier. Roll the rectangle into a tube shape and glue into the center. I attached the feathers to the bottom of the felt flower and glued the whole thing to a tension barrette. One of the ones that you need to squeeze the sides to pop open. It was pretty easy.

Mojo Monday #242

This week's mojo monday was done with the delicate doilies stamp set. I used gum ball green,melon mambo,so saffron and white for the paper,ink and ribbon. I also used basic jewels,circle and a border punch. Hope you like it!

Mojo 241

Friends of mine are making settlement on a house this week so I used the good neighbors stamp set. The paper, ink and ribbon colors are cajun craze,pear pizzaz,early expresso,more mustard and white. I cut the circle with a spellbinders die and used the new Stampin'up bitty banners die for the congrats. A little s.u dazzling details and done!

Mojo Monday #240

I finally got around to using the verve stamps I won from a previous mojo monday. These things are great... thanks again! This set (I believe) is called one person. Everything else was done with Stampin' Up products. The colors were taken from the Twitterpated DSP. Pear pizzazz, baja breeze, riding hood red, blushing bride, island indigo,grey and white. I used a spellbinder's die for the circles,square lattice embossing folder and a blender pen.

Mojo Monday #239

Time for another mojo monday. I used pumpkin pie,pacific point,real red and white for this one. The stamp set was happy moments I also used the curly label punch.

Julia And Mom Book

I found this idea from pintrest and just had to make it ASAP! This book is used to write letters to each other. Since I don't get to see her after school or before bed 2 times a week this is a great way to show her how much she means to me and know how her day went when I get home. My husband says she gets so excited about it! Another advantage is it gets her to practice writing without it being "homework". Hope everyone gets as "pinspired" as I did to make a great keepsake!

Fabric Memo Board

This is my first try at the fabric memo board. It's so easy to make! All you need is a board (I used an artist canvas),some batting, ribbon, fabric (I used some from stampin' up) and a stapler. Measure and cut the batting and fabric so they wrap around and can be stapled to the back. Wrap the batting and staple first making sure it't tight. Next do the fabric, once again making sure it's tight. Measure, cut and staple the ribbon in a criss-cross pattern starting to the corners. Add the ribbon to hang it and you're done! I decided to use it to hang Julia's necklaces since wall space makes for such great storage in small spaces.

Mojo Monday #238

It's been a few weeks but I managed to do another Mojo Monday card! The flower detail was something I got from Do Stamping With Dawn's blog. She has so many GREAT ideas that she is kind enough to share. For my card I used Tangerine Tango, Daffodil Delight, Chocolate Chip and Wite for my paper and inks. The embossing was done with stripes and polka dot folders. The stan set was cute by the inch and the squares were done with the 1 1/4 inch punch. I also used the 1 1/4 inch circle, blossom bouquet, and modern label punches.

Mojo Monday #235

Here's another mojo entry! The colors are pink pirouette, melon mambo, lucky limeade, bashful blue and concord crush. stamp set is silhouette sentiments and embossing was with the lattice impressions folder.

Mojo Monday #234

Ok! Here we are with another mojo card. Everything I used was Stampin' Up. The Because I care stamp set is in my top 10 favorites! What can I say...I like flowers. The paper, ink, and ribbon are wisteria wonder, pear pizazz, and marina mist. This is my 1st attempt at a square card and I LOVE IT!

Headband and Barrette Holder

I realize the photo steps on this post are backward and I really have given up trying to figure out why! Here we go anyway! I've been looking at a lot of headband and barrette organizers on pintrest. I've seen frames ,fabric ,cup hooks and canvas. Here's what I came up with! I started with an artist canvas and masking tape ( I had no painters tape in the house) to create my stripes. I used acrylic paint from the craftstore and a foam brush. I think it took about 3 coats of each color to get the look I wanted. After it was good and dry I measured and cut my ribbon. I used 2 kinds since I wanted skinny for the barrettes and thick for the headbands. Using a plain old stapler I attached the ribbon to the back. Next I added a push-in type of picture hangar. These things are great I didn't even need a hammer! I hung it with a command hook (yet another great invention) and DONE!

Mojo Monday #233

When I saw this mojo layout I thought of this stamp set right away. The only problem was after I started to put it together it didn't quite work. Then I thought...just turn it on the side! Perfect!

Under bed curtain

We bought this Ikea bunk bed for our daughter when she was about 4. i loved the idea of having her toys under it. Storage was important in her small room that has 2 windows 2 doors and a radiator. The wall that her bed is up against used to be a doorway to the master bedroom and was closed off when we did the room for her. Before that it was our computer room and she was in the extra-tiny "baby room" that her brother would be using. I always thought it would be great to put up a curtain to hide the mess. While looking at Ikea hackers I saw that others had done it and even painted it. I wish I'd thought of that before it was put together! Yesterday I spent an hour trying to hang the curtain I made (yes Julia picked out the fabric) with eye hooks string and then rolled twist tie and eye hooks. It drooped way too much from the weight so I broke down and got a shower curtain tension rod to hang it up. I added some fringe I had leftover from almost 7 years ago when I did the baby room. I think it turned out pretty well although I wish the rod was just a little longer so I could have covered up behind the ladder.

Mini Greenhouses

I managed to get 1 project done that I've been meaning to do! I found this in Garden Gate Magazine. You can turn old milk containers into mini greenhouses. They claim that even if it gets below freezing this will work. We've been having crazy warm weather here. It's been floating around 70 degrees all week. I thought I'd give it a shot since I have a small home and hate to have seedlings everywhere inside. Not to mention a wild 2 year old and 3 cats in the house! I've never planted broccoli before and I hear they like cool weather so I needed to get them started. As you can see from my photos I never got around to my fall clean-up. This also allows the procrastinator in me to put it off just a little longer. The basics are- Start with a clean milk jug (ditch the lid you won't need it) and cut about 4 inches up almost all the way around making a flip top. Poke some drainage holes in the bottom (I did about 10) and add dirt. They said to put damp soil in but I just added water until the soil was moist NOT SOAKING! Plant the seeds according to directions. Put the top back on and tape closed with clear packing tape. I tried to seal it the best I could with the tape. I had my wonderful daughter label them (yes she used pink of course) and put them in the garden. According to the article nature should do the rest. When it rains they get watered...easy right? According to my seed packs the broccoli will take about 10-21 days to germinate, Cosmos 5-10, and African Daisys about 7-14. As the seeds get bigger just flip the top! When it's warm enough, usually around mother's day around here, just transplant right to the garden. I'll check them in about a week and post the progress! I LOVE THIS TIME OF YEAR!

Just an update ...there are seeds growing in all my greenhouses. They even managed to survive my 2 year old son turning 1 upside down and putting pulled weeds into another. Ya really gotta watch them don't ya?

blast from the past

I've been pretty busy with some projects that aren't quite complete yet. I hope to finish them on sunday since I'm at work 2 hours early tomorrow for a wedding party! I thought I'd post a pic of a mini-album I made and did a workshop with awhile ago These things are the perfect for wallet sized pics! The front was done with a cracked glass technique.

Mojo 232

This is based on the mojo monday 232 sketch. I LOVE these colors together! S.U.'s calypso coral,pool party,soft suede and vanilla. I used the fresh vintage stamp set, everyday enchantment dsp, ribbon and brads. I got all these items from sale-a-bration free. For the main focal point of the card I stamped it...ran it through the big shot in the stripes embossing folder sponged the edges and embossed the whole thing with clear powder.

Mojo 231

This was a fun project! I like all the elements. I used SU stuff in Pear Pizazz, Island Indigo,Pink Pirouette,White and Riding Hood Red. Last week I was inspired to get my DSP organized. I put a slip of paper in each pack of DSP with all the colors written on it. When I gather my materials it's so useful to have it written down. SO much easier than pulling out the color coach or guessing!

HUMMUS!!!!

While the granola was cooking I decided to make some hummus to snack on for the next few days. If it even makes it that long!
Get out the food processor and put in

1 15oz can chickpeas
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup of roasted tahini paste
1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice

2 cloves of garlic minced (or more if you like to ward off vampires!)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (I usually skip this one)

start the processor and run until the chickpeas are totally mushed. Next add up to a 1/2 cup of water adding a little at a time. I seem to wind up using 1/4 cup for my desired consistency. Now you can be done here or add my favorite!!! ROASTED RED PEPPERS! I throw in about 1/2 cup and process some more. ENJOY!

Home made granola

My daughter started the day not feeling well (still not sure if she was faking) so we're stuck in the house. It' a dreary, rainy day so what better than the smell of cinnamon and nutmeg to brighten it up? This is an easy recipe that can have various substitutions to suit your taste. This was made with what I had in the house.


3/4 cup craisins( or other dried fruit)
1/3 cup water
4 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 walnuts (or sesame seeds or other nuts)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup canoloa oil
1/2 cup honey

Preheat oven to 300
Soak the craisins in the water for 10 min. Meanwhile in a lg bowl mix everything but the oil,honey and craisins. after well mixed add the oil and using the same cup add honey this will keep the honey from sticking. Finish up with the craisins in water. Mix well and spread on a baking pan with a lip since you'll want to stir it a few times while it's cooking. Cook for about 35 min. It'll still be a little soggy when it comes out of the oven but will dry as it cools. Let it cool completely and store in an airtight container.

mojo 228

So...I'm getting my mojo a little faster these days! Mojo monday is done by wednesday. Both of these were inspired by the sketch and have pretty much the same elements. Green Galore, Gable Green,(both discontinued)Regal Rose,White and glimmer paper. I used both the doily and top note dies. The top note was used and the cut out was used as a stencil with rose ink. The 1 1/4 square punch got some rounded corners for the sentiment which got some lift from dimensionals. The basic pearls gave the other card a little umph. I tried to keep 1 simple and the other a bit of pizazz. I have to say I prefer the sparkle!

UGH! So annoyed with myself! I entered my creation onto the mojo page and posted the wrong one! Sigh...oh well.

Happy Valentines Day!

I made the 1st card for my daughter. It was done on white card stock with some old d.s.p in real red. I used the lace ribbon border punch on red paper to make the center strip. A combination of the full and small heart punches and embossing with dazzling diamonds make up the main detail. The stamp set is I heart hearts.I hope she likes it!
The second one I made for my hubby. I used riding hood red and vanilla paper and ribbon. The small heart and ink are expresso.
Once again i used the full and small heart punches. The message was done with the modern label punch.The stamp set is P.S. I love you. I wanted to keep it simple and think I did it!

mojo monday #227

I've been wanting to try mojo monday for awhile now...I used Stampin' Up products...Vanilla (card stock),Not Quite Navy (retired d.s.p., card stock and ink,and Crumb Cake(card stock,ink,and taffeta ribbon),p.s. I love you stamp set and 1 3/4 circle and scallop circle punches.

Classroom Valentines

I remember making home-made valentines as a kid and it was so much fun! I always try to have something special for Julia to make for her classmates. Last night we made these which were done with stampin' up's island floral die. I had seen this done with hearts (totally didn't work for me) on different websites. I just cut out the flowers(3 layers of the bigger complete one and a single of the small),folded the petals made the center hole bigger and slipped in the lollipop.I did find that wrapping scotch tape around the wrapper and stick made the flowers go on A LOT easier! On little pieces of paper she wrote who it was for and from they were tied on using some ribbon. This was a great project to do together since she can work the big shot and hole punch it went pretty fast considering how many pieces there were!