stylish blogger award

Guess what?
I was picked by Homemade Ginger for the Stylish Blogger Award! How sweet and totally undeserved! (is it okay that my blog's designer is Microsoft Paint?)

Anyway, I'm supposed to share 7 things about myself, and then recommend 15 of my favorite blogs. Easy breezy.

Here goes...

1. One of the first craft projects I ever made were fully-functioning flip flops made out of newspaper. I'm not even kidding you, I wore them to walk the dog.

2. I play team trivia every Wednesday night with a group of friends which often reminds me just how little I paid attention in history class.

3. When I met my husband I was a bubbly social butterfly & he was a 13 year old shy kid with glasses. Now he's a superfox. Nerds make the best husbands!

4. I just started sewing last August. I loved fabric and wanted to be able to create things with it. So I taught myself through online tutorials... and a lot of mistakes.

5. I am an only child which is why I think I've always been immersed in creative projects. Talking to yourself gets old.

6. In addition to my part time blogging, my moonlighting as a seamstress, and my full time mommy gig, I'm also a full time Pre-K teacher. Whew!

7. My dream job would be a photographer with a fun side business in sewn-accessories.
Well, I've got the second part started!

♥♥♥

As for my favorite blogs, the number grows and grows everyday as I browse through Follower lists and are introduced to the awesome ladies following me. The SBA just calls for me to list my faves, but I thought I'd add a little about why I love these blogs so much.

Here are some of my favorites so far:
Honey We're Home
Not only has Megan rocked the blogging world,(she had me at rainbow bookshelf) but she's actually really sweet to boot AND she has great style. Please decorate my house Megan... for free. :)

Laurie Gale Designs
She makes her own glass beads and they *seriously* put others' to shame. Pandora who?

Modern Jane
Some of the best eye candy! Prepared to want to get out your hammer and get decorating!

April's Reign
One of THE funniest and sweetest people I know (in real life!) You can't read her blog without laughing out loud.

The Sweet paper House
Not only is her blog name one of the cutest I've seen, but her love of crafty projects keeps me coming back for ideas!

The Peach Chablis
The blog that keeps my friend Alana distracted at work!

SENSELESS sophistication
"Shabby Chic doesn't even begin to describe it" LOVE this girl's style!

Old House, New Look
She creates the most beautiful spaces in her home, and the best part is they're all modest and doable!

Madigan Made
She has some of the best, most inspiring ideas for easy home makeovers. I'm waiting for a rainy day to make her DIY family chalkboard!

Decor Allure
Every time I see this blog I seriously want to jump in mycar, head to a craft store and get to work. I ♥ that feeling.

Crows Feet Chic
Don't remodel your house until you see this blog! I get so many great ideas for future projects.

Aspiring Kennedy
I'm not traveling to Europe tomorrow and I'm not rich, but I sure feel like those things when I read this beautifully stylish blog.

A Little Chippy
Another inspiring blog with GREAT decor ideas! Get out your hammer ladies!

A Bowl Full of Lemons
I love this blog because she shows how to turn everyday things (and free things) into super cute things and that's a good thing (Martha Stewart anyone?)

a little lovely
Some of the best tutorials ever! have your notepad to jot down ideas.

Etiquette En Vogue
EEV is such an original blog with a unique message. Go check it out!

Happy Healthy Mama
Okay so I added two more. But Maryea is the fittest, healthiest mama I know, and her recipes will make your kids that way too. I had to share!

So there you have it! If you were one of my favorite blogs, please link back to my blog when referencing who nominated you :) and don't forget to put the SBA button in your post!

Happy Friday everyone! TGIF ♥

look!

I added some cotton blossoms to the shop, except they're in fun new fabrics and colors! ---------------------->



spicing up a boring cardigan!

Tomorrow I hope to get lots of sewing time after work (my day job) since Sammers will be with grandma. I like to call grandma's house "mom's sanity time."

Speaking of moms, I hear the really smart ones carry crayon wraps in their purses for those times when distraction is needed ;)
Sam uses his at restaurants and it really gives the hubs and me the ability to speak to each other without having to stop and say "don't you throw that plate!" Gotta love the terrible twos!
:)

modpodge letter tutorial

It's been awhile since I've done a tutorial!
I'm in the process of turning Sam's room into a "cool dude" big boy room, so I've been looking for, and making stuff I can put in there. I bought this cool "S" from JoAnn's for $2.99 I think. I thought about painting it, but I spent the weekend painting old picture frames so I thought I'd do something different. Enter: Modpodge!
(please excuse the bad photos- nighttime photography)


Supplies:
cardboard or wooden letter (these come in all sizes!)
Modpodge (or elmers glue)
scissors
scrapbook paper (cardstock is harder to bend)
paintbrush
Apparently Fred Flintstone took the photo.
Do you like my funky toenails?

Cut the paper into strips but make sure the strips are at least as wide as the space you're gluing it to. I did mine a little wider then folded the edges over.

Brush your glue onto the paper and stick it to the letter. Don't worry about it if it's not glued down at all the edges, that'll come later...


Keep gluing until the letter is fully covered where visable. I didn't worry about the bottom and back, but it's up to you.

When it's all covered, go over the whole thing with Modpodge on your paintbrish. Because mine is satin finish, it gave it a soft glaze but you can also get Modpodge in matte and glossy. This seals all the edges and will prevent lifting.
Finished!
I did an "S" for Sam but looking back I may have tried a different letter with more straight sides like an "A" for our last name. Keep this in mind when choosing your letter. An "O" for example, wouldn't be very much fun to work with.

Now put that baby up on a shelf or atop a dresser for a personalized touch.
These would also look cute in an office or on a bookshelf :)
Happy Monday everyone...ugh!

menswear...

...makes the best Cotton Blossoms!
Cotton Blossoms are these cute little pins I make that you can get here that look like this:

I also make them in jersey knit (t-shirt cotton) but right now I'm loving them made from menswear because it dresses them up a bit.
The blossoms have gone business casual! Look out!
And I got some new dress shirt fabric today that I can't wait to cut into!

I also added some romance-inspired stuff like this zippered pouch and these wristlets

pink roses & love letters

lovebirds
Visit the shop for these and more stuff and stay tuned for updates!

weight watchers

Almost two years ago they pulled a gigantic baby out of my belly.
As in, almost 10 pounds.
Oh, and get this: I was a week early too.
So somehow my 5 foot 2 inch, 115 pound frame grew a dinosaur baby in my belly. I'm not blaming you, Taco Bell, but you may have played a part.
Either way, that robust, healthy, Spartan baby boy took a toll on my body.
ENTER: WEIGHT WATCHERS.
I'm not going crazy with weight watchers, but I am using their points system to know what I should avoid, and what's good to snack on. And it's working! 6 pounds down in 19 days! (I started January 1st... but don't we all?)
The reason for this little fire under my butt is my hubby and I are finally going on our honeymoon- a Caribbean cruise mid march! So that means I've got until March 11th to drop as much fat as I can, and I thought if I post about it here it might keep me more accountable during my late-night Oreo cravings.
Anywho, here's what I looked like on my last cruise:
Photo of me and an ex-boyfriend. Just kidding!

I'm guessing those abs and skinny legs will never happen again, but this is my "goal" photo, you know, the one you look at when all you want to do is shove mashed potatoes in your mouth.


And here's the belly. And um, I wasn't even full term here, only 7 months along!


My giant baby!
This picture always inspires the thought "thank God for C-sections."

Naturally because I'm a woman, I have no bathing suit horror photos of me post-baby, but I'm sure any mom out there can imagine it. So stay tuned for my "after" photos... and just that promise alone might give me all the willpower I need!

That little face is soooo worth it :)

new stuff in shop!

Not only are there new things in the shop, but there's also NEW things in the shop!
I've added wristlet clutches, camera strap slipcovers, and cotton blossoms!
I'll make more and offer more varieties once I see what sells. Two of the wristlet clutches sold TEN minutes after I posted them, to a girl in California who obviously has amazing taste :)
How cool is that!?
And she chose one of my favorites. Maybe I'll make more in that fabric combo...

Anyway, back on task!
Here's a preview of some of the stuff that just got added...

wristlet clutches



cotton blossom pins

camera strap slipcovers


This is one I made for myself using two of my favorite fabrics.
So I'll be stylin' in the Caribbean, mon!
53 days til the cruise!

makeup organizer

Every woman has makeup and maybe I have a teeeensy bit more than what's normal, but who's counting right?
At least instead of having it all jumbled up in a big messy makeup bag, I have it organized.
In the spirit of new year's organizing, I thought I'd share my little system!

I have one of those paper organizers you can get at any Target, Office Max or Walmart. I would've prefered a white one but they only had black when I got mine :(


Top shelf: eye shadows.


Middle shelf: Face stuff, like brushes, blush, concealers and powders


Bottom shelf: Lip stuff. Glosses and lipsticks


This organized drawer system makes it super easy to find stuff, and fits right under my bathroom sink.

On another note, I was a busy bee in my studio tonight and I'll be adding some fun stuff to the shop tomorrow! Make sure you check back for previews.
Happy MLK day!

kids eat free

I compiled this list for our Pre-k parents and thought I'd share it here!
This is a list of restaurants that offer "kids eat free" nights and which nights they're offered. I know this will come in super handy for me, since I take little Sammers out for "mommy & me date night" on Tuesdays when Danny has practice. Most are chain restaurants so it shouldn't matter if you don't live in sunny Arizona!

MONDAY
TGIFridays (all day)
Rock Bottom
IHOP (4pm-8pm)
Rumbi (4pm-close)
Robeks Smoothies (free kids smoothie with purchase of regular IF child is present.)
Johnny Rockets (all day every day)

TUESDAY
Islands (4pm-close)
Chick-fil-A (5pm-9pm free nugget meal)
Dennys (4pm-10pm)
Lonestar (all day)
TGIFridays (all day)
Rock Bottom
Rumbi (4pm-close)
Johnny Rockets (all day every day)

WEDNESDAY
NYPD Pizza (4pm-close)
Bill Johnsons Big Apple (3pm- close)
Manuels (4pm-close)
Applebees (all day)
Buffalo Wild Wings ($1.99 kids buffalo wings)
Johnny Rockets (all day every day)

THURSDAY
Johnny Rockets (all day every day)

FRIDAY
Johnny Rockets (all day every day)

SATURDAY
Dennys (4pm-10pm)
Lonestar (11am-4pm)
Johnny Rockets (all day every day)

SUNDAY
Arriba Mexican Grill (all day)
Johnny Rockets (all day every day)

On a cuter note, Pocket Full of Pink featured my burlap wreath! You can find my tutorial here.

Happy Thursday everyone! It's almost the weekend! :D
Sam taking his super cool lunchbox to grandma's

the laundry closet

I don't have a laundry room yet.
So for now, we're working with a laundry closet.
There may be only three of us, but somehow our little family goes through a lot of laundry so when I saw this article in my beloved Better Homes & Garden magazine, I knew it was just what we needed to maximize our laundry-doing skills!



I love the cute clothespin detail!
All I did was print out the words from my computer, glue them to colored cardstock paper, paint 3 clothespins and pin them on the laundry basket.
That's it!
And this project is cheap too! The baskets were only 5 bucks apiece at Target.
♥
On a cuter note, check out these great bribery photos I shot today of Sam wearing mommy's heels! ;) Just wait til he has a girlfriend!


Hope everyone has a great week :)

lets get organized!

As a self-proclaimed organizational queen, I'm utilizing the new year as a reason to cleanse, purge, and organize...everything.
There's a certain calm I get from a house where everything has it's place. I never want to have to search for something when I need it, and I don't want my spaces to ever feel overwhelming. And clutter? I shudder at the thought.
One of my most useful organizations is my "important papers" file.
You know, the kind of thing you could grab & go in a fire- all the important papers.
(after grabbing all the photos and scrapbooks of course!)

start with a standard plastic filing bin


in the top we store bulky things like spare keys, but also things we might have to grab often, like our social security cards. The card at the bottom is our room key from our wedding weekend in Vegas :)


you just need hanging files and manila folders


Let the organizing begin!
First I decided what categories I needed.
I separated the hanging folders into these categorizes: Sam, Insurance, Car, Home, Taxes & Miscellaneous.

Then I used the manila folders as sub-categories.
For example, in the "Taxes" folder I have a manila for each year.
In the "insurance" folder I have "car, home & health).
In Sam's folder I have medical bill receipts, his birth certificate & his social security card.

Some other things I keep organized in there:
warranties
big-purchase receipts
instruction manuals
payment records
passports
marriage certificate
etc.

I wanted to share this idea with everyone because anyone who sees my little filing system always says "I need to do that!" So here's how I did mine!

guess what?

...I'm being featured today over at The Peach Chablis!

I'm so honored that she asked to feature me- my first one!
Go check it out- and follow her super cute blog too! The girl's hilarious!

my new wristlet

Here is an example of the new wristlets I'll be making for the shop.
I say example because this one is mine!

I made it one day because I had errands to run and didn't want to lug my bulky purse around.
I also made one for my friend Michelle who said hers was perfect for the Rosebowl.
She didn't have to worry about her purse dumping over or getting in the way.

This is the other side. I love this new fabric because each one will have its own personality

Fits my Blackberry, digital camera, cards, chapstick, and keys.

I'm going to make lots of different varieties so keep checking back for updates.
Katie at The Sweet Paper House suggested calling them "whimsy wristlets" which I think is really cute.
Hmmm decisions decisions...
Stay tuned :)