A girl and a glue gun

solar systems

2012-01-27T09:32:00.001-07:00

notto pull another oldie on you....but i've been working on something (it's a secret to be revealed on monday......) and so i didn't have time to get my post ready yet.

and it's friday and i'm going grocery shopping.

and then i'm going to see one for the money at the theatre...

so dear blog, i have simply no time for you.

but instead of leaving you up a creek you get an old guest post.

(please leave any complaints in the complaint box that does not exist.)

(i say kinda cause i didn't try to replicate ACTUAL planets...)

this is made very similar to my giant cupcake (you can go here for a refresher)

but i took some styrofoam balls in all sizes...

and I gave them a coat of magikote by americana (it basically is like a paint that seals the styrofoam)

(i didn't over them all..because i wanted some planets to be porous!)

I also took the magikote and dripped it over some planets for dimension!

I then took some krylon spray paint and paint from americana and gave them all some pretty color!

then i found some glowz paint by krylon and i gave all those little planets a nice coat...

I did the same treatment to an embroidery hoop!

then i added a little one inside the big one (using clear string)

I THEN found some glow in the dark stars (i've been "winter" cleaning so i keep finding all these "treasures")

I took two stars the same size and hot glued them together with the string in between...
then i just hung them to my hoops...

i ran a needle with the clear string through the planets and added a little hot glue to the ends to keep the string from slipping all the way through.

i made sure to spread the planets evenly around the hoops so it didn't lean to one side...

you could get real creative and add some starwars battle ships in there....but for now...it works! and it glows so awesome at night! perfect night light!

diy your own canvas

2012-01-26T08:34:00.001-07:00

apparently i forgot that the internet company was doing maintenance on the neighborhood yesterday and my Internet was out all day.

it was awesome.

my husband was home so I was all..."see, you think i'm always on the computer" (which i am except when it's not working) but he doesn't know that...cause as soon as i hear his truck in the driveway i blast the air with pledge and drop to the floor to pretend to mop it.

but that is all irrelevant....

mandy is calling herself the underdog. (i mean she is like 17 behind me. not so much the underdog)

but we need to make sure she STAYS an "underdog" go follow me. it's vital to my health.

and yours.

if i don't win i might get depressed and never blog again.

and NOBODY wants that.

and EVERYONE wants me to go to snap (except husband who doesn't know a thing about it.)

so go HERE and vote for me.

(i promise to take lots of pictures.)

cause if i don't win i might get depressed and never blog again.

and NOBODY wants that.

okay empty threats over....

this was a diy club guest post....

and in honesty one of my most favorite projects.
i love the outcome, and the colors...and i want to make some many more!!!!!

in high school, i was the art teachers T.A. (teacher's assistant)
(I spent a lot of time in my art room in high school...)

and one of my assignments was prepping the canvas by painting it with gesso.

and it sucked.
25 canvases...and they weren't small.

so when i saw that krylon had gesso spray SPRAY paint..i totally had to give it a try!

I took some white material (it was actually dark out curtain material left over from my daughter's room)

and spray painted it..

maybe i should of ironed? naaaaaah.

then i took this awesome vinyl cut out from ten 23 designs

I painted a big black spot. laid the vinyl birds on top..and then took a little black paint and painted around the edges to help seal it in so no paints sneaks under!

(i acutally had it up on my wall...but it wasn't exactly what i wanted!)

so i used it as stencil instead...

i then went totally paint happy

my inpirations was this awesome picture from pinterest

i used loads of awesome paint by americana...on my very professional artist paint try (i.e. i can't believe it's not butter lid)

when i was happy with the behind...i peeled up my vinyl...

and then..since i wanted it to pop off the wall like a real canvas....

but lack the word working tools/talent to make a real frame for it...

i wrapped it around a large piece of styrofoam....

and gorilla glued it all around...

then gorilla glued on a disc hanger....

then i hung it up! and i totally love it!

photo tips: a picture panel

2012-01-24T09:29:00.000-07:00

(make sure you go over to the sidebar and follow me to profess your undying love for me.

and to also whip mandy's butt.)

she's catching up reallllll quick.

and while you are clicking crap....you should go here and vote for me so i can go to snap and meet awesome bloggers and take fun pictures and then come back and tell you all about it.)

REAL POST STARTS HERE.....

so....it's snowing....and i'm really sick of hauling fabric out and ironing it and then laying it out than taking a picture and repeat and repeat and repeat...

so when i finished a roll of wrapping paper and had the empty roll sitting there...the wheels started to churn...

and this is what i came up with....an easy portable photo back drop!!!!

i had this huge long strip of white black out fabric from my daughter's curtains....

i hot glued this all around the tube and rolled it onto the top of the fabric....(do it section by section so the glue doesn't cool before you have a chance to attach it to the fabric..

and roll until the whole tube is covered...

i bought this string at walmart for like $3...and i've used it in a hundred and one ways....

i cut off a strip of rope and ran it through the tube...

and tied a knot.....

then i rolled the whole fabric up...

push pin..(was that really necessary to write? probably not but i want to be as descriptive as possible)

then i just find a blank wall by my big window and hang it up....

then you just pull out as needed....if it's tall like a lamp you could move the push pin up....

or if it's really long you can pull it out however long you want.

then you just take your object...

and snap away......

(i haven't ironed it yet..don't judge.)

and you can make a bunch...or just hang this one and lay other fabric on top.......

take this yellow duck cloth...

and this cotton polka dot...

turns into this..

pretty pink gauzy material...

and my fav..ruffle fabric...

sorry...i was running out of props!!!

and when you are done..

it rolls up nice and small

i love it and have used it about 4 times since i made it on sat.

(i also still use my photo boards....

and you can go here to read some photo tips!

(psst.....

i ran all those pictures through picnik (and no i won't link it up cause i'm mad at it.)

if you have been living under a rock. picnik is closing. (april 19)

i'm distraught.

and i'm literally trying to anticipate any reason i need to use it in the future. so i can do it all now...

someawesomesauce person who deserves

mentioned be funky

and it is quite similar..it's free...it's easy..it's not as good as picnik...the fonts are lacking. you can upgrade to get more features.......but it will save me in a pinch! i played around with it....

this is my little sister mallory...(and the gun target guy that she is dating) (this is the orginal picture)

(love this one..i can totally see a picture of my son done this way posed like a super hero for some art in his room!)

you can still crop...add borders..stickers....text.

how do you edit your photos? i'm dying for a good alternative?!!!

oh...between naps on the porch did a post with a rundown of 9 photo editing programs..

go here to read about it!!! i'm trying one a day to see if any of them click with me!!!!!

it has been brought to my attention.....

2012-01-23T14:50:00.000-07:00

that mandy from sugar bee crafts is going to pass me up on followers.

mine....

hers.

i cannot (repeat cannot) let this happen...

here is my challenge....whoever has the LEAST followers by feb 1st has to do a giveaway on the winner's blog.....

dear mandy,
the gauntlet has been thrown....

so make sure you go over and click the follow button so i can retain sanity. follow this crazy train.
you know you want to......

reSEWlutions

2012-01-23T08:04:00.000-07:00

a new years series:

so many scrap tastic ideas....

and i'm up today showing off my pocket scarf (go HERE and leave me some love so i don't feel like a loser)

don't you worry..it's agaagg worthy (super duper easy)

psst. WHEN you go over there..check out her lace zipper..it's so easy with DYNAMITE RESULTS!

shout out sunday

2012-01-22T08:37:00.000-07:00

sugar bee crafts

i love mandy. i think we are crafting twins. i saw this post on pinterest and wanted to do it. Mandy must have got the twin genes were she ACUTALLY gets things done! and sooooo stinking good!

i que linda

little red roost

love this dress! the colors are just spot on.

36th avenue

love everything about this...pops of red..polka dots. the striped rug. i think i will move in!

custom slipcovers by shelley

this is probably going to be my boy birthday gift for 2012. a nerf gun and an ammo belt! it's genious!
miss lovie

how clever is this! i have a lot of chocker necklaces that i would actually wear if they were longer!!!!

it's about blogging time

this is too cute! that pop of turqoise just did me in!

ava designs

i bought the wishbone...(and love it) and now i want to go back and get the love one! so cute!

thrity handmade days

what a super fun way to drag out valentines day. my kids would love unwrapping a package of gum! so i could buy loads of fun cheap crap! best.mom.ever.award coming my way!

scattered thoughts of a supermom at ucreate

home storage solutions 101

i think this idea is awesome. break up cleaning week by week....this week i cleaned out my spices and made a list of the ones i had. i'm so productive!

brassy apple

barbie fools in this house! how cute are these aprons?

baubles and bits

this pattern is cheap and the outcome is dynamite!!! love it all.

stitch

2012-01-21T10:32:00.001-07:00

so i got another cute bubble skirt from one of my sponsors stitch to stitch...

it came with a cute black bow (it's removable..which i removed cause it didn't match the shirt i got to go with it)

(the shirt ACTUALLY matches the skirt...but the editing i did on picnik makes it look like it doesn't)

it's made from some soft corduroy....

and the lining is this beautiful satin silvery...

it's so pretty...my daughter said she is going to try to wear it wrong side out!

you can go here to see the other cute dress i got...

go check it out!!!!

and

i woke up this morning to find 5 bffs that posted some news on my facebook.

picnik is closing.

let's have a moment of silence.

it won't close until april 19th.

but until then you get to use all the premium stuff for free.

but still.

you can go here to read (and then you can come back here to vent)

google sucks.

the end.

garbages and krylon

2012-01-20T09:20:00.000-07:00

so. i'm trying to clean out my inbox. i have about 90 drafts and it's a bit overwhelming. i start post i already have started and i forget to post things and they sit there for weeks. (poor lonely posts) so i'm weeding out some guest posts i have done! this one was for diy club!

so, i occasionally do some work at a kids dentist office here in town.

and i was sprucing up the bathrooms...just a little touch up of paint.

and thought that the garbages need a little sprucing up as well...

so i took loads of krylon spray paint...

and got to it... (oh...look at that green grass. come back green grass!)

for the lids i used my cricut and some contact paper and made a stencil....

and used painter's tape for the rest....

lots...and lots of painter's tape....(i would put on one..spray paint...add another layer..spray with a different color...and repeated!)

they are so fun!

this is the boy bathroom

and the girls (didn't realize i didn't get a wide shot of it!...but it's the toothfairy's dressing room)

(this is before i touched it up! it's now a shade darker!)

i think i always have a scowl on my face.

one of those random posts....

2012-01-19T09:44:00.002-07:00

First things first: i'm HERE at the expressions vinyl blog showing off my sister's laptop skin made with patterned vinyl

they are also giving away a silhouette cameo....so go enter!

and remember...they have great vinyl (cheap) and loads of fun colors!)

(break)

i'm going back to school...

to crochet school. not sure if you remember my first crochet endeavour

it was a mess. not even a hot mess.

I figured i gotta give it another go. my husband has 4 basketball games this week and i've decided i have to learn a craft i can do when i go. (it's the multitasker in me) (and also because watching 35 year olds acting like they are 18 drives me bonkos.)

SO this time. i'm actually paying attention and doing what i should.

(i bought big beautiful yarn that i don't want to ruin)

and she's fantastic

and i'm totally learning a ton!

(thanks to ucreate for motivating me!)

so go learn along!

(break)

I wanted to talk about these little buttons on my sidebar

first: the plus:

bloglovin

i love bloglovin. it's my google reader. i find google reader confusing and overwhelming. and i love bloglovin cause it will take you directly to the blog. i'm a visual person and i love seeing peoples headers and sidebars and just the feeling of their blog layout. (and lets face it....we spend a lot of time (and money) to make ourselves purty...we want people to see it!!!)

it just gives you a little snippet of the post

and i can just go through and click 'mark as read' on the ones i want to skip

I just wanted to share in case you aren't into google reader like i am

(i should mention that i added a bunch of blogs into google reader and then forgot about google reader and then when i went back i had like 500 missed posts....so that might be the reason for the overwhelmed feeling)

I'm also on twitter.....

and facebook....

and i share a lot of fun stuff over there...cool giveaways i happen on and sneak peaks into what i'm working on....and fun contests that are going on right now...

like...

it's awesome. go vote!
and...

the voting is over..but go check out the clever crap people come up with!!!!

and i'm also on pinterest....but you should know that cause i mention it on almost every blog post..

and i'm less than 200 away from reaching my fake new years resolutions! so excited!

(break)

are you going to snap?

well...if you want to go..you can try to win a ticket!!! (go here!)

i haven't bought a ticket yet cause we are going to disneyland..but we just planned the dates and it's a whole month before snap....

so now i want a ticket.

and i want it bad.

and so do you.

(pretend there is something swinging in front of your eyes)

you want to come to snap

you want to come hang out with me

you want to...nod your head.

go buy your ticket and come rub shoulders with the who's who of blog coolness.

(i was NOT referring to myself)

ticket prices go up after tomorrow!!!! so don't be slacker like me!

(break)

i organized my fabric.

and i only tell you this so you will pat me on the back.

cause i told husband and he said something along the lines of...it's about time and then a murmur of i wouldn't have to organize it if i stopped buying so much darn crap.

i mean the support he gives me. i'm going to start calling him wonderbra.

(dripping with sarcasm)

(break)

the end

(break)

fizzy pop bottle cap

2012-01-18T09:18:00.000-07:00

okay. so every morning i open my gmail while i eat my breakfast. and every morning i go through very jane, and groopdealz and pick your plum to see what fantastic deals i just can not live without. even though usually i have gone 29 years without even knowing their existence.

and i buy a few. (even a new wedding ring for my husband)

and my latest purchase was some bottlecap keychains from fizzy pop... for a steal of deal i might add (cause if it wasn't i wouldn't have boughtn it...)

(this set was for keychains)
then i went to their shop and found all sorts of cute stuff....and decided to buy another kit with some colored necklaces....

and in agaagg true fashion...i went hot wild with it....

i found a really cute etsy shop that sells little images that would fit perfect in the bottlecap (then you stick the epoxy sticker over it)

then i thought..i could make some using picnik.

(just so you know. i don't get paid for saying i use picnik. i just honestly use itTHATmuch. i should get paid for using it.)

just some circles of colors and i switched in and out the clipart (that's free)

then i just pulled up the images and let them pick....

and printed them out..and then they cut it and glued it in...

we had to customize a peace sign for this one...

and his football team is the longhorns so we found an image we liked and shrunk it down! i love how the older ones were getting ~~picky~~ creative.

I think i'm going to assemble little kits to give to my neices and nephews for valentines day this year!

camera strap....true grit.

2012-01-17T14:02:00.000-07:00

so at the beginning of the year, i got a fresh tablet and started over with my blog notebook. i draw pictures and make lists of all the things i want to do..write down any ideas i have...my ongoing list of things to buy at joanns...things of that nature....

and i was thumbing through it and realized that 75% were sewing projects.

wait.

when did this become a sewing blog?

i mean i've always sewed....just as much as i hot glued....and painted....and cut vinyl..

but when did it become the majority of what i did?

so i decided to get back to my name roots...

and make one of the things on my list...hot glue style....

cause really...you don't need a sewing machine to read this blog (you probably DO need a sense of humor though)

the supplies:

(sidenote: i bought my husband a "hunting" camera so he wouldn't borrow mine...and now here i am borrowing his. and truth be told..his little ashton kutcher camera is awesome. i might have to confiscate it permanently)

okay...take you camera strap and measure it...then cut a piece that is about 3 times as big...(mine is about one inch...so i cut a 3 inch piece of fabric..(and cut it about 1 inch longer than the length of your strap)

you are going to "hem" the edges with hot glue.....

you just need to do the two ends and ONE of the long sides....

then you take your strip...and right at the ends you are going to hold in place.....(notice that the unhemmed side is down first)

then you are going to add a little strip of hot glue (to the fabric only..NOT YOUR CAMERA STRAP)

and then lay the finished hemmed edge down over it (tightly) and hold it in place until glue is set.

and continue down the strap.....

now...you can stop here....

BUT. i like ruffles. so let's add one.....

i cut 4 strips that are a teensy bit smaller than my strap....

i hot glued the end of the fabric to the end of the covered strap (this is the side with the seam..so the ruffle will cover it)

and then ruffle...and i tried to take pictures...but you can't really get an action shot when one hand is on a camera...

so here's a short and sweet video....

(ignore the manicure...and the gross glue gun..i have two glue guns..one for pictures and one for use)

but you should get some....

and that's all! you can just cut it off when you want to replace it! (nothing should be glued to the actual camera strap!)

so go and glue some crap!!!!

ctr blocks

2012-01-16T09:44:00.000-07:00

first: a winner for our paper bakery giveaway

tt.scraps said... Wow! Thanks for sharing them! :)

email me at kimbowest 21 (@) gmail.com!

I am a member of this church. and i'm in the primary (ages 3-12) and this year's themed is CHOOSE the RIGHT. (which is a great theme if you are a member or not...i mean you don't tell your kids to choose wrong before they leave their house am i right or am i right?)

and we were thinking about giving each kid a CTR ring

(stands for choose the right if you are having a slow day) (this green one is the one i grew up with...but they have gotten all cute and fancy now...

but most kids have them (my daughter has two) so we decided to do ctr blocks....

i gave my facebook family a sneak peak of colorful goodness:

which just started as a bunch of blocks...(my sister in law was building a house and they had huge piles of leftover scraps! and they were just going to throw them away..needless to say, i saved them)

got on my silhouette studio and made a sign that fit the 2x4 (that isn't really a 2x4 but i won't get into that here)

and cut them out

and used transfer tape

gave it a nice rub and peeled it off. (so cheap alert: i reuse transfer tape. (especially with big letters) i got to reuse it about 4 times before it didn't work so great.

(i distressed the sides before i stuck the vinyl on)

then repeat...

and repeat....

we made all different colors so everyone can pick whatever will match their rooms.

so fun. i have to say, i love them all together...i mean i don't need 20 blocks...but i love the effect of all the colors together!

on a related/random sidenote: i found this cute etsy shop

just thought i would share...

shout out sunday

2012-01-15T07:09:00.001-07:00

small town life

you know how much i love this saying!!!!

bonnie's blog

that sign is ADORABLE! i love it so much i want to have another kid call him/her alice shirley and make a copy of this sign.

Let's explore

love these cute printable! 10 super fun easy inexpensive things to do to make sure you make the most of your days with your youngins!

sugar bee crafts

i (heart) these hairclips. (i (heart) sugarbee too)
woman's day

this plate/clock is awesome.

vibrant designs

this bag is so cute...but here's the awesome part! she will make this bag with the fabric you send her! that's right! you get to pick your very own fabric~ I think that is so awesome! that way you get exactly what you want!!!! brilliant i tell you!

lookie what i did!

i won't show this to my husband. he will love it and insisit i make it and i don't have any room to put it.

but it's awesome.

and if i did have room

(and i loved my husband)

i would make it.

landee see landee do

these pictures are so cute! i think it's such a brilliant idea!!!!

my decoupage life

love anything involving a castle!

36th avenue

um. i need a nook. and a dresser...and someone to come paint strips for me. i wonder if 36th avenue would mind if i just moved in.

grey luster girl

this paperdoll set is so fun! i want to have a birthday party and have a little paper doll station.

buggy and jelly bean

oh, blue painter's tape. how much fun you are.

eighteen 25

this idea is the most brilliant one ever.

ever.

in all of history.

ever.

OTHER girls with glue guns..

2012-01-14T13:15:00.002-07:00

Bunch of Bees

i'm sorry. but these play mats are my favorite. i just love how each person individualizes it to their kids...the palm trees, the church, the gas station! so CUTE!

tina brantley

printing on bookpages!

Olive and pickles

another sweet car mat

stephanie

look how cute this ruffle is along her levi apron!

Mistee

adore!

from gardners to bergers

her diy drum shade blows mine out of the water!

jaime stovall

okay..how cute is this smurf one!?

nicole

she used my cricut love posts to add some vinyl on a mixer! looks great!

scissors and a whisk

frikkin awesome!

Samantha B

she got herself orgainzed with her own christmas binder

733 blog

every color looks in good in felt i've decided! love that yellow!

http://craftanyway.blogspot.com/2012/01/toy-car-storage.html

her car storage is terrific! and with lighting mcqueen~!

laura

isn't that barn just adorable!!!

everyday chaos

how cute is this apron! love that cupcake. (go to this post and check out her cute pjs she made!)

long country road

made an awesome i spy quilt...! i got this email and was motivated to finish mine...! ( i mean not that i will..but it motivated me.)

kara

dylan's town is awesome!!!

bugaboo

this lego bag/mat is so cute! love that she used fabric for the cords and the outside of the bag is so cute!

kelly's craft corner

cute pin cushion*!

if you have made anything from one of my tutorials...send me a picture (or a link!) i would love to see it!!!!

once there was a snowman

2012-01-13T08:33:00.001-07:00

made of deliciousness....(and glue. lots and lots of glue)

remember the turkey?

this is another "homework" assignment for my kindergartner....

and he wanted to do food.....

we traced the circles from cups and then got glue happy (made the colors of the m&m's run a little)

i think more got eaten then glued....we wanted stick pretzels for the arms but had to settle for fettuccine noodles

and then someone smelled the candy and had to get in on the action
(and she dresses herself and it was a cold day and she's wearing a tank top...)

the final result?

and here's the littles one:

cute tiered skirt that only took me two years to do...

2012-01-12T10:10:00.000-07:00

so i bought this fabric it was for $3 and then 50% off red tag at joanns. so i got it for $1.50. two.years.ago. i thought it would be so cute as a skirt (and wasn't I right?) a year later...i bought more (unintentionally...i forgot about the first yard i bought) then about 6 months ago i found a cream of it....so i bought a yard of that...

and can you guess what i made? a skirt (two actually)
my girls got them for christmas.
and can you guess when i made them?
christmas eve is about accurate.

the big girl skirt is made of 5 layers..9 inches high. (i cut 6 and used the last one for the bows)

I took a rectangle piece of black fabric and hemmed the bottom..(I think about a half yard and i didn't trim it at all..so half yard by 44 inches.

then i folded each strip of polka dot material in half...ran a loose stitch ....

gathered it up until it fit across the rectangle

then i pinned it on and sewed....

(does this sound familiar? i used this same technique when i made these fancy pancy aprons)

just keep ~~swimming~~....layering it goes pretty quick..the larger size skirt only has 5 layers and this guazy material really ruffles fast.

so i get here...with all 5 ruffles sewed on..and i have no black elastic (joanns was sold out)
so i did what i did best (no i didn't hot glue it) i pulled a tim gunn and made it work.

i had about 4-5 inches left along the top...so hemmed the very top and folded it down and covered up the seam of the last stitching.

I sewed it right alond the bottom...

then i took some boring old thin white elastic, added a safety pin and threaded it through...

then i just sewed the two sides together so it only has one seam in the back...

then, i added some giant flowers (cause i had that last layer left) (tutorial for the big flower is HERE) i added them with pins cause i wasn't sure daughter number 1 would love them..(she does)

okay baby's skirt (who is turning 4 and i can't really call her that anymore)

I made the same basic way..smaller layers and more of a ruffle so it's a bit fluffier...

I literally got this far and thought, "this is cute, i could just do a black skirt with one ruffle"

I did happen to have black elastic for her...

sewed it right on top....

and right sides together sew up the back seam (make sure each ruffle is laying down where it should be)

i don't know about you...but ruffles make me happy....

i love that they match...but are not the same!!!

the planket? the quillow?

2012-01-11T09:34:00.001-07:00

this was a guest post over at postively splendid

and i do think it's quite clever...but i'm vain like that...

and an easy project...

introducing.....

It's a pillow....

it's a blanket..

it's a planket....?

okay. so it's a working title.

(that was supposed to be sung to the pillow pet song)

but whatever it is called...

it's awesome.

and usable.

and a great gift for the traveler...

or the napper...

or the picnicer.

or the football fan...

someone did mention that they have heard it called a quillow (quilt/pillow)

and I loved the excuse to go to joanns and buy some fleece....

i narrowed it down to like 10

but ultimately i choose this one...

I bought a yard and a half of the print..and half a yard of the green
(but realistically you could buy a pre-made blanket and just add the pocket!
(or you could add the pocket in the same print as the blanket so it's not noticeable at all)

trimmed the edges to make it all even and nice..

then i had to break out the math.

i used to be very good at math.

then i had kids.

fried the brain or something.

but it's not too difficult. I drew a picture cause I'm a visual person....

basically..to get the measurements of the pillow piece..you need to find out how big your blanket is...then divide it. the top piece will have to be divided by odds (3 or 5). but the side pieces can be whatever you fancy. (so if you have a HUGE blanket you could do 3 across the top...and 6 going down.

if your blanket is big...and you do only 4...than your pillow is going to be pretty big. (so keep all this in mind. )

The measurements of my pillow is 14 x 18...so i added an inch for a seam and cut 15x19

and cause i feel the need to add crap to everything..

i decided to sew on some flowers to decorate the pillow.

made a template

cut them out..and sewed them on

Now...if you are only using one piece of fabric than you need to pick something that will be okay from both sides (like you can't do a letter k. cause it will be backwards on the blanket or pillow side)

but you could just add another piece of fabric and then the problem won't be a problem.

I put the flowers face down on the blanket...(so the pillow will have the pop outs)

okay..so just like my drawing...the pillow goes at the top (or bottom) in the middle (centered) (on the back if you have a back to your blanket)

sew it on...except for the part i have written do not pin here. that will be our pocket to stick our blanket in

lucky for me, i'm using fleece. which means i don't have to finish any seams...but if you are using a fabric that frays you will need to finish these edges before sewing it on...

okay.. sew it on!

you could get all fancy and bind it but i like the ~~lazy~~ easy path.

this would be great to take to a ballgame

keep you warm if you need..

or keep your bum from going numb on the hard bleachers

(you could even get all fancy and make it in your team colors!)

i think i will keep this one in my car. great for picnics,

for long car rides when your kid is falling asleep against the cold window

or for ANYTIME you kid complains cause they are freezing...(even when it's like 75 degrees outside.)

i think i might just add a pocket to all my blankets. makes them so handy to have!

i ended up making my daughter one for christmas

but i borrow it from her cause i added that cuddle fabric to the back.

and it's sooooo soft.

edited later to add:

so someone mention handles....

which is just brilliant. brilliant....

i would do fleece..i would just make sure it is doubled up for durability...

and i would put it on at #1...you will have the handle on the inside the pillow and blanket with the ends peeking out. then you could sew it the pillow part as normal..

this will make it so the handle isn't seen while you are using the blanket part.

BUT if you wanted to use it like a bag and put some stuff inside..you would want to sew on the handle where number 2 is...and you would probably need two handles..one on the pillow part (sewn on before you sew on pillow) and another one on the blanket...

same way with the handles tucked underneath the pillow

you knew it was coming...

2012-01-10T08:41:00.000-07:00

oh my gosh. i'm not trying to be a hater to cricut.

but i love my silhouette cameo.

LOVE.

it really goes above and beyond what you would think a normal cutter could do.

so far the only thing it can't do is make homemade cookies for me.

(if it did i would leave my husband and marry it.)

i'm going to start with what EVERYONE is dying to know

CRICUT vs SILHOUETTE.

(let's start with some fighting music)

you know. this is a toughy.

they both are good.

and they both beat the crap out of cutting things out by hand!

but you know--it really just depends on what you are using it for!

If you....

are a big huge scrapbooker.

makes cards like they are going out of style

not a huge computer fan

maybe not super creative and you love that it's all ready and cute for you

than the cricut is for you.

If you..

are using it more for home decor

words are the majority of what you print

and are on the computer lots....

love designing and making your own cute things....

the silhouette is the cutter you should buy!

I got my cricut..crap..um..4 or 5 years ago?

before i had a computer.

so it was perfect for me.

My husband also loved it cause he knew that every mother's day, birthday, and christmas he could get me a new cartridge. (cause he thinks i'm hard to shop for)

the downside:

the cartridges are expensive.

i mean the are pretty steadily on sale for $35.

and so many ~~traitors~~ people are trading in their cricuts for silhouettes so you can get some for CHEAP!.

(you can actually buy the whole cricut for a good deal!)

now the silhouette.

it's awesome.

but i have to tell you..it's got a lot of hoopla to learn.

the cricut is load your mat, pick what you want cut, choose a size and cut...

the silhouette is a bit more complicated..

but..it links up to all your fonts on your computer so the possiblites are endless!

and they also have cute cute little images in their online store...

BUT they are a dollar a piece.

not too bad...

but with a cricut cartridge...you spend $35 and get

50 separate images....

like this one is the clothesline..but you also get a border, a saying, a corner border, and two other things i have cut off...

the paper doll has hte dolls...outfits, outfits with tabs, wigs, necklaces, shoes, scenery, etc....

so in reality..you are getting over 200 images per cartridge...so it sures beats the crap out of a dollar a piece clipart!

i made these cute cards super duper fast using the outline and layers effect on the cricut! the cricut is a no brainer. i'm sure i might be able to figure it out on the silhouette..but i guarantee it would take me thrice as long...

so, in reality..both are great. but..i'm bias cause i have scal (which is not available to cricuts anymore) so it makes my cricut above and beyond.

If i had neither....and If I was going to buy one..

and knowing what i know now..

i would choose.....

drumroll....

silhouette.

(cue winning music)

and guess what?

I have a little crash course in the basics of silhouette

it's HERE at the expressions blog...

i'm also showing my very first craft i made..

an open and closed sign for my sister in law's salon

it's just a 97 cent board from walmart that i painted, bribed the husband into drilling some holes. added some ribbon and vinyl!

and i had one font love left:

and if you are a cricut owner...did you catch all my cricut love post?

you can go here to get all the info

shout outs

2012-01-08T14:31:00.000-07:00

quiet lion

love the colors..love the necklace...love it all.

seven thirty three

how could i not feature this? it's felt...and it's hot glue.

and i love it all!

all things thrifty

this fun picture frame is a back of chair. if miss brooke isn't talented i don't know who is.

artsy fartsy mama

how fun is this quiet book? my kids would LOVE this...but too bad i possess not the skill to make it. sorry kids!

domestic imperfection

this is great! i need a book holder.....might have to get this done!

the thriftress

ingenious! and love that pop of yellow!!!

just us four

guess what this was made off?

guess?

did you guess toilet paper roll as a stencil?

yeah. pretty awesome.

design dining and diapers

would it be weird if i made one in my size to wear?

a little less frou frou tutu..but still so ADORABLE! and great for old scraps!

becoming martha

oh paint chips. as long as you remain free i will continue to use you without abandon.

from a to sneed

cutest.chalkboard.ever.

classy clutter

oh me oh my! love this!

kims kandy kreations

anything with candy poop makes me smile..and the angry bird is just icing on the...pooop?

make it and love it

this looks super hard.

but it's not.

this looks super cute

and it is.

the paper bakery and a giveaway.

2012-01-07T10:09:00.001-07:00

Have you heard of The Paper Bakery Kit Club? If not, you are missing out!! The owner and designer of these wonderful kits, Sarah, works to create amazing project kits just for you.

The Paper Bakery has been created to share the love of unique ideas, vintage items, and inspiration with others through user friendly kits, detailed instructional sheets, add-on kits, and coordinating handmade goodies. I don't know about you..but i go into a scrapbook store and get so overwhelmed! i either leave with nothing...or a bunch of stuff that i didn't intend on getting cause it was cute! so a kit that gets delivered right to your door is awesome!

They offer several ways to enjoy their kits each month. You can get your project kit for just one month OR become a member with a 3, 6, or 12 month subscription! You can also get your add-on kit for just one month OR become a member with a 3, 6, or 12 month subscription!.

(If you don’t need the full Project Kits, we also offer Add-on Kit Subscriptions for 3, 6, or 12 months.)

We are a unique and inventive scrapbook club featuring project kits with a twist. No matter where you live, you too can create amazing scrapbook projects, complete with supplies and detailed instructions. We use “out of the box” materials and teach you to use these materials in a fun way.

The Paper Bakery kits offer you a wide range of options. You can create the project in the kit using the instructions, change it up a bit and add your own flair, or use our design team Gallery to create your own project!! The monthly add-on kit always coordinates perfectly to create a project using both the project kit AND add-on kit.

Head on over to the site, have a look around, (make sure to check out their gallery..it's awesome!) then come back here (to A Girl and a Glue Gun-) to leave a comment for your chance at a $10 Paper Bakery gift certificate.

for additional entries you can follow them on their blog (loads of inspiration here!)
and like them on their facebook page!

lamp and stuff

2012-01-06T08:17:00.000-07:00

i decided to give my little lamp a makeover...

the before:

i moved it downstairs cause i made my new ruffled lamp and didn't have a place for it..but it didn't match the decor....so i spraypainted it nickel from krylon

and recovered the lamp shade...

I just took the shade and rolled it along the fabric and marked it off....(i always cut bigger too just to be on the safe side)

then i just hot glued it around....

and painted my nails...sorry. everytime i do it i feel like i should get credit...

I then took a brown ribbon...and since the lamp is curved if i would have just hot glued it around the base it would have puckered...so i pleated? ruffled? it...and then hot glued it around...

it lies a lot better!!!!!

matches so much better!!!!!

the lamp was just part of a little wall makeover! you can go here to see it all!

who's loving the houndstooth dresser? cause i am.

husband not so much....but what does he know?

pin cushion.

2012-01-05T10:11:00.000-07:00

i lost my freakin tomato thing. (and the pins stuck in it.) so i had to whip one up! (and then buy some pins....)

i measured around the lid....and cut it smaller....

hot glue fabric all around withs stuffing inside...

nice and tight...

then i hot glued it inside the lid and added another piece of fabric to make it purty..

i store extra pins down inside..(you could also keep mini scissors, measuring tape, sewing machine needles..whatever you need!)

for info on how i made my jar all pretty red and polka dotty you can go HERE

the science box:

2012-01-04T10:00:00.001-07:00

I ended up with my 10 year old nephew for christmas this year.

and i was pretty stuck on what to get him.

and then i came across science bob...

and i thought, what boy doesn't like exploding crap. (my 32 year old boy still likes exploding crap)

so i compiled a whole box of experiments to do with all the stuff he needs to make them work....

(and p.s. couldn't have done this without pinterest!!! i have a folder called crap i'm working on...and everytime i find anything i'm interested in i pin it! i love finding it all in one place.)

I started with a composition book...

(made the labels at picnik.com) (you getting sick of me talking about them?)

then i made a page with the experiment...the list of items. the instructions...and then the how it works science part!

then i gathered all the supplies up that were needed......

and labeled everything with a number...

and i also got a little sandwich baggie for each separate experiment and included the little stuff....

blow up a balloon has the yeast and balloon and the water bottle is the box labeled with the number 6.

i also included some safety goggles and some gloves..for safety sake

(okay..nothing is that dangerous..but you got to dress the part)

i threw it all in a box

and put the tablet right on top...(and i threw in snickers just cause)

most of the stuff is pretty fun and would make a great rainy day project! we are going to lava lamps this week..and the slime sometime when i get brave!!!

if you want to print off the 17 experiments you can go HERE (each page has the link with proper credit)

i also later went in and added notes like what happened when you use double the yeast, or try all different kind of balloons, which one worked the best? i wanted him to experiment beyond just the regular instructions.

i went in and added pictures because some of things need pictures to better explain...

hover craft:

the haps..

2012-01-03T14:17:00.000-07:00

you know..the hardest part about vacation..is ending it.

i had too much fun.

and i might not have showered for a few of the days..

but that is really none of your business....

but i had a great week...lots of fun presents...

like some gray toms (fyi..the zumiez in the pocatello mall has them for $10 cheaper than the online store..in case anyone is local)

my mom got me this cute coat....

(wet seal)

my husband (and sister in law) both got me set of these books....

and other fun odds and ends that i can't remember right now...

my sister gave the nephews a fort kit...which included clothespins, rope, chip clips, suction cups, sheets and a flashlight...all in one bag....

(fyi: awesome gift.)

she also made these cute little travel houses for the girls...

(which i plan on making for my husband's side of the family this year so more info later..)

my other sister made these adorable ruffled purses...

and we are all going to disneyland this year..so my mom made all the grandkids play minute to win it games to earn spending money to buy their own souvenirs.

(i totally had to spell check that word....it's a toughy)

w also made some hot glue pancakes using a pancake pen...

we took some awesome family pictures...

which literally ended with me saying "SCREW IT! excuse me for trying to capture some family memories!"

i spend a good half hour brushing hair...

and wondering why i spent 20 bucks on this doll. (cause tangled is the best movie ever that's why)

woke up to a rash..

he's fine..

and my sister whipped together these adorable ornaments...(just a little 3x3 piece of wood at joanns with a picture mod podged on...)

they were for my mom's tree...all 15 of her grandbabies...

sorry..it was nighttime when i thought to take a picture...

we also watched an outrageous amount of movies....

we played games

and took a dozen baths...

dear, mother in law,

real makeup? REAL? she's 3.

and we just got to laze around and play with all our new stuff!

all in all...it was much needed! i love christmas..but i'm sure happy when it's over!

random item of business:

I'm also getting ready to start another ispy swap...i'm over halfway full so if you want in email me at kimbowest21 (at) gmail.com. you need 5 fabrics...20 squares of each (ie 100 squares) and in the mail by feb 1. (you pay shipping both ways) i've got full details if you are interested!

this post is brought to you by:

who is having a sale! go check them out!

new years resolutions...

2012-01-01T03:35:00.001-07:00

this year. i will resolve to actually do my new years resolutions....

source

and so i will make them super duper easy.

like...

i WILL resolve to get over 3,000 pins on pinterest....

I also resolve to cook dinner AT least once a week.

I resolve to only say curse words at my husband and/or a craft that is not behaving. and maybe when i stub my toe cause it hurts like the dickens.

I resolve to eat chocolate for breakfast. and maybe lunch.

I resolve to play more board games.

I resolve to never do laundry again.

(this is NOT my house.)

I resolve to get more sleep

and to teach my daughter how to run the dvr so i can get more sleep.

such a lady....lifting her dress up so she doesn't get it dirty...

I resolve to make out with my husband more....

and my boyfriend.

I resolve to quit telling my husband i have a boyfriend on the side.

I resolve to put actual clothes on at least ~~four~~ twice a week

I resolve to write more thank you notes (and ACTUALLY mail them instead of having them sit on top of the tv until i threw them away with shame)

I resolve to figure out this silhoueete...

I resolve to learn how to spell silhouetete.

I resolve to CRAFT MORE!

(my *real* resolutions involve dentist, pap smear, and all that fun jazz...that's why i'm sticking to the first list.)

what's your new years resolution?

my favs

2011-12-31T09:04:00.000-07:00

in no particular order..the ones i love..the ones i use..the ones that has some sentimental value...

playclothes suitcases

blanket that took forever

family tree

family home evening blocks

diy your own canvas

t-shirt to cardigan

top twelve overall....

2011-12-30T06:49:00.000-07:00

#1 is......

the menu board

(my personal fav)

the car mats! all 420 of them...

diy drum shade

stuffed animal scarfs

faux board and batten

#6

hopscotch (and other games!)

star wars picture

ruffled lampshade

my vinyl HOME

#10

ruffled aprons! love these cute little things!
#11

cupcake stand using terra cotta pots

#12

painted peekabo shower curtain

i thought i might get my act together and post today...

2011-12-29T10:49:00.000-07:00

but i have to tell you. i have not missed you blog.

no. that is a lie. i have missed you. but after the craziness that is christmas it is sure dang nice to not plug in the glue gun..

and i don't think i will until well into next week.

so this will not be a craft post....

more like a a countdown of crafts.
I did this last year (you can go HERE to see the comparison!)

so this FIRST countdown is a PINTEREST one.....the things that are the most pinned on pinterest.....

(I did a comment one last year..but now thanks to pinterest the comments get fewer and fewer and the pins get higher and higher!)

#1.
this one hurts. the number one isn't even mine...it's from a shout out sunday i did....

source. these are for sale at in an etsy shop. i did not make them. i did think about making some...but we don't give our kids an allowance. we figure feeding, and dressing them, and putting them in piano and basketball and their general upkeep means they can unload the dishwasher without monetary compensation.

Next up at a number 2...

from my using book pages post. people just like this idea as a way to keep a momento from your first house.

#3 is the curiously strong mint posts....

the magnetic funny face and first aid kit gets pinned a lot..but i see this crayon holder one the most~

#4.

how to cut vinyl with your cricut.

nough said.

#5...my daughter's personal fav....

the diy barbie house

i actually just updated pictures with how my daughter rearranges it. she actually plays interior decorator more than she plays barbies.

people on pinterest must love rude crap cause next up is my etched pans...

#7....is one of my all time favs and gets used a ton at this house...

the levi apron

up next is number #8
hair crap...all 41 post of it...

#9 the clipboard chore chart

#10 is another kid thing.....pinterest must be full of moms.

the activity binder with the easy and cheap i spy bag

#11 paper lanterns

there are 10 posts of hanging crap....and i have to say..everytime i walk into my daughters room i love it!!!!

and number 12 is my land of nod knock off letters..

come back tomorrow to see my personal favorite top 12.....

merry christmas

2011-12-25T06:35:00.000-07:00

nothing says christmas like the biebs. hope your holidays are GREAT! i love you all! merry christmas!

a whole lot of freakin crap.

2011-12-24T17:00:00.000-07:00

i don't know why i do this to myselfeverchristmas.

i mock the people that do christmas in july. CHRISTMAS in july. who is thinking about christmas in the nice warm day of summer! I SHOULD BE!

now i'm STRESSED!!!!!

I think homemade gifts are the best. and by the time i get these stupid presents done i hope the intended receiver rots.

okay...maybe not rot...but they had better spend about 25 minutes ooohhing and aahing over all these dumb homemade gifts.

what i'm trying to get at is... i hate christmas. just kidding. i love love love it. I just wanted to show you all the stuff i've been doing and the reason i have been an el sucko blogger.

but FIRST! a winner of my button and badges giveaway!!!!

thanks so much to button and badges!

i have been sewing up a storm.....making keychains..

you can find some here in my etsy shop

and handwarmers...and regular warmers...(i always keep a few rice bags under the tree in case i need a gift fast!!!) you can buy some handwarmers in my etsy shop..or see the tutorial HERE.

i made these tags for my handwarmers (at picnik)

i made some angry bird magnets...

and a personalized justin card for my daughter's friend...

i've made a few more scripture covers from this review

at our church's christmas party we were having a christmas around the world. we had pinatas and were asked to bring desserts from all over.

yeah. brownies aren't too exotic. and that's about all i do...

so i bought boxes of fortune cookies.

then i ended up staying late shopping with the sisters and never made it to the party...

and was left with tons of fortune cookies....

so i popped on picnik and made a little tag...

and wrapped them all cute and stuck on a pictures and a tag...i did for a moment thinking about dipping the fortuen cookies in choc. but that moment passed quickly thank goodness...

i also wrote out my christmas letter. i used awesome in almost every sentence. i'm pretty awesomely proud. you can go HERE to read it...

i'm also here at the diyclub today showing off a new-to-me product frosted glass by krylon

and now i'm off to wrap....

Christmas story day 24 (christmas eve)

2011-12-24T08:39:00.000-07:00

the link to print this off is HERE
the link for this great clipart is HERE
i hope you enjoyed the christmas stories as much as i did! hope you all have a very happy holiday!

christmas story day 23

2011-12-23T10:18:00.000-07:00

a Different Kind of Christmas.

okay. grab the kleenexs. i cry everytime i read this. even when i was editing it and skimming i still had tears on my face! this is one of my most favoritest!

Martha had tried to ignore the approach of Christmas. It was fairly easy, what with all the work to do around the cabin the meals to prepare, the rugs to braid to cover the earthen floors, the lye soap to make, the snow to keep cleared away from the door, and the myriad of other things necessary to sustain life in the bleak valley. She would have kept it almost entirely out of her thoughts if Jed had not come eagerly into the cabin one day, stomping the snow from his cold feet as he said in an excited voice,

"Martha, we're going to have a Christmas tree this year anyway. I spotted a cedar on that rise out south of the wheat field, over near the Norton's place. It's a scrubby thing, but it will do, since we can't get a pine. Maybe Christmas will be a little different here, but it will still be the kind of Christmas we used to have."

It was a two-day journey from their home on the floor of the wide valley to the mountains where there were pine trees, and none of the settlers felt they could spare the time that busy first year to go after trees. Besides, the snow was too high to do any unnecessary travel.

As she shook her head, Martha noticed that Daniel glanced quickly up from the corner where he was playing, patiently tying together some sticks with bits of string left over from the quilt she had tied a few days earlier. She drew Jed as far away from the boy as possible.

"I don't want a tree," she said. "We won't be celebrating Christmas. Even a tree couldn't make it the kind of Christmas we used to have."

Jed's face set in lines that were becoming familiar.

"Martha, we've got to do something. For the boy, at least. Children set such a store by Christmas."

"Don't you think I know? All those years of fixing things for Maybelle and Stellie. I know all about kids and Christmas." She stopped and drew a deep breath, glancing over to see that Daniel was occupied and not listening. "But I can't do those things for him. It would be like a knife in my heart, fixing a tree and baking cookies and making things for another woman's child when my own girls are back there on that prairie."

"Martha, Martha," Jed said softly. "It's been almost a year and a half. That's all over, and Danny needs you. He needs a Christmas like he remembers."

She turned her back to his pleading face. "I can't," she said. "Besides, what could he remember? He was only a little more than five when his own mother died, and I don't think his pa did much last Christmas."

Jed touched her shoulder gently. "I know how hard it is for you, Martha. But think of the boy." He turned and went back out into the snowy weather.

Think of the boy. Why should she think of him when her own children, her two blue-eyed, golden-curled daughters, had been left beside the trail back there on that endless, empty prairie? The boy came to her not because she wanted him but because she couldn't say no to the bishop back in Salt Lake City last April before they came to settle in this valley. Bishop Clay had brought Daniel to her and Jed one day and said, "I want you to care for this lad. His mother died on the trek last summer and his pa passed away last week. He needs a good home."

Jed had gripped the bishop's hand and with tears in his eyes thanked him, but Martha had turned away from the sight of the thin, ragged, six-year-old boy who stood before them, not fast enough, however, to miss the sudden brief smile he flashed at her, a smile that should have caught her heart and opened it wide. Her heart was closed, though, locked tightly around the memory of her two gentle little girls. She didn't want a noisy, rowdy boy banging around, disturbing those memories, filling the cabin with a boy's loud games.

Yet she had taken him, because she felt she had no choice. Faced with the bishop's request more of an order, really and Jed's obvious joy, she couldn't refuse.

He came with them out to this new valley west of the Salt lake settlement and had proved himself a great help to Jed, despite his young age. Sometimes Martha felt pity for him, but she didn't love him.

With Jed it was different. He had accepted Daniel immediately as his own son and enjoyed having the boy with him. They had a special relationship, a secret sharing that sometimes shut Martha out and made her wonder once, when she could bear to think of it, how Jed had felt about somehow seeming to be just outside the charmed circle she and her daughters had formed. Not that she really resented Jed and Daniel's relationship she was glad Jed gave the boy some attention since she so often ignored him but sometimes she felt that Jed had grown to love the boy more than he did her. She told him as much one evening after the man and boy had come laughing together into the cabin only to sober up when they saw her, but not before one of those quick smiles from Daniel, the smile she was never sure had actually been there, it was gone so fast.

When Daniel went back outside for a bucket of water, Martha spoke to Jed.

"Seems as if you enjoy the boy's company more than you do mine these days."

Jed didn't look her quite squarely in the eye. "That's not so, Martha."

"The two of you laughing together all the time. You never laugh with me anymore."

His voice was quiet. "You don't seem to find much to laugh about lately, Martha."

It was true, of course. When the girls were with them they had been a happy family, laughing at humor and hardship alike. It just seemed as if all her laughter had also been buried on that grim morning back on the desolate prairie.

"I'm sorry, Jed," Martha said. "I just can't seem to forget my girls. I can't feel that close to that boy. He's always so serious around me. Almost like he's afraid. Calls me 'Aunt Martha.' I notice he calls you 'Pa.' Did you tell him to call you that?"

"No. He just started doing it. He's just a little fellow, Martha, but he knows how people feel about him. He needs more than just a full stomach and a place to sleep."

"I know," she said. "I know." She was ashamed that she could deny love to a child. Any child. She tried harder after that, but she found she was always comparing him with her daughters. They had been soft and yielding, a pleasure to hold close. Daniel was bony and wiry, and his small body was hard-muscled from the work he did with Jed. The girls had been golden-curled and had taken pride in keeping their little pinafores neat and clean. Daniel was always grimy; he seemed to attract dirt, and his shirt always hung out from his overalls. The girls had liked to play quietly in the house with their rag dolls. Daniel preferred the outdoors, where he had full-scale, one-man battles, playing the parts of both settlers and Indians and making enough noise for any real fight.

It seemed as if he was always doing something to plague her. Not intentionally, to be sure. At least Jed said not. Just the high spirits and imagination of a boy, Jed said. There was the time he took her best tied quilt outside to build a tepee by the creek bank. By the time she found it, it was muddy and bedraggled and had to be laboriously washed.

Another day he got into the trunk she had brought across the plains and was playing with the carved wooden animals Grandpa Elliot had made for Maybelle and Stellie. She couldn't bear to see them in his hands and had scolded him soundly for opening the trunk. Another day he pulled up most of the flowers she had grown from the precious seeds brought from Nauvoo. He said he wanted to surprise her by pulling the weeds, but he couldn't tell which were weeds and which were flowers. He broke precious dishes and tore clothes that could not easily be replaced. And so Martha told Jed that she wanted him to take Daniel back to Salt Lake on his next trip for supplies and to give him back to Bishop Clay.

Jed looked at her for a long time before he answered, "Yes, maybe that would be best. For the boy's sake. I'll take him when I go in January."

Daniel seemed to sense something, because he tried to please her after that and was careful not to annoy her. When winter came and he had to be indoors much of the time, he tried to play quietly, although occasionally the natural inclinations of a boy took over and he had to be reprimanded. Martha wished that Sister Norton had been able to establish the school for the children of the settlers, but she had been unable to get any slates or copy books and had decided to wait until the next fall.

Daniel mentioned Christmas only once. One day it was too cold and snowy to play outside, and he had been humming softly to himself as he played in his corner. Suddenly he looked up at Martha and asked, "Can you sing, Aunt Martha?"

Martha paused and straightened up from the table where she was kneading bread. She used to sing for her girls all the time.

"No, I can't, Daniel," she said. "Not any more."

"My mother used to sing a pretty song at Christmas," he said. "I wish I could remember it."
He said nothing more, and she did not question him. She didn't want to stir up any further memories of Christmas, since she didn't intend to observe the day. Perhaps he did recall snatches of past Christmases, but certainly he wouldn't remember enough that it would make any difference to him.

Martha couldn't help thinking of Christmases past as the day approached. Three years ago had been the best one, before the persecution of the Saints in Nauvoo got so bad. Maybelle had been seven then, and Stellie five. She had made rag dolls for them with pretty, flouncy dresses and cunning little bonnets. That was the year Grandpa Elliot had given them the carved animals and had also carved a beautiful little toy horse and carriage for Maybelle, promising Stellie he'd make her one when she was seven.

Dwelling as she did in her past memories, Martha paid very little attention to Daniel those last few days before Christmas. He went in and out with Jed and she didn't attempt to keep track of him. On the day before Christmas Jed went through the deep snow to do some chores for Brother Norton, who was ill. Daniel was alone outside most of the day, although he made several rather furtive trips in and out of the cabin. On one trip he took the sticks he had been tying together.

Toward evening Martha went out to the stable to milk Rosie, since Jed had not yet returned. As she approached, she saw there was a light inside. Opening the door softly, she peered within. Daniel had lit the barn lantern, and within its glow he knelt in the straw by Rosie's stall. In front of him were the sticks he had tied together, which Martha recognized now as a crude cradle. It held Stellie's rag doll, all wrapped up in the white shawl Martha kept in her trunk, the shawl she had used to wrap her babies. Her impulse was to rush in and snatch it, but she stopped, because the scene was strangely beautiful in the soft light from the lantern. Rosie and the two sheep stood close by, watching Daniel. He seemed to be addressing them when he spoke.

"The shepherds came following the star," he was saying. "And they found the baby Jesus who had been born in a stable." He paused for a moment, then went on. "And his mother loved him."

Martha felt suddenly that she couldn't breathe. Another mother, another day, had loved her little boy and had told him the beautiful story of the Christ Child with such love that he hadn't forgotten it, young as he was. And she, Martha, had failed that mother.

In the silence she began to sing. "Silent night," she sang. "Holy night."

Daniel didn't move until the song was finished. Then he turned with that quick, heart-melting smile.

"That's the one," he whispered. "That's the song that my mother used to sing to me."

Martha ran forward and gathered the boy into her arms. He responded immediately, clasping her arms tightly around her.

"Danny," Martha said, "it's beautiful. Your cradle and little scene here."

"You never called me Danny before," he murmured, his head against her neck.

"I didn't do a lot of things," she said. As she held him close, the bands around her heart seemed to loosen and break.

"Danny," she said, sitting on the edge of Rosie's manger, "let's go in and get the cabin ready for Christmas. Maybe it isn't too late for Jed for Pa to get that tree. It might be a little different kind of Christmas, but it will still be a little like the Christmases we used to know. We'll set up your cradle with the Christ Child in it under the tree, because that's what Christmas is all about."

"Do you mind it being different?" Danny asked. "I mean with a boy instead of your girls?"

Martha wondered how long it would take her to make up to him for the hurts she had inflicted these many months. "No," she said. "After all, the Baby Jesus was a boy."

"That's right," he said wonderingly.

"I'll open my trunk," said Martha. "We'll get out those carved animals to put around your manger scene. We'll string some dried berries to put on the tree, and when it's all done the three of us will sing 'Silent Night' and Pa will tell us the story of the Christ Child."

She thought about the lovely little carved horse and carriage Maybelle had loved so much, and knew it would be the perfect gift to put under the tree for Danny's Christmas morning.
She set him down on the floor and put her arm around his shoulders.

"Merry Christmas," she said. "Merry Christmas, Danny."

He looked up at her with a smile that did not fade quickly away this time, a sweet smile full of the love he had been waiting to give her.

"Merry Christmas," he said, and then added softly, "Mother."

you could make this cute terra cotta pot nativity

it's the kid friendly set that my kids are actually allowed to touch!

and hey, guess what? i finally compiled them into one BIG document..all 24...you can go HERE to print off all 80 plus pages!

it's a cinch!

2011-12-22T16:14:00.000-07:00

I acutally learned how to make these bags when i volunteered to make some for humanitarian aid for my church...

and you can go HERE for probably way better instructions....

I bought a yard of the football flannel..and i already had the yard of the red..(the red is just to make the inside look nice...you can skip it and just do one fabric.....(and actually one yard makes two bags....so you could buy one yard and just double up the football fabric!) and you will need about 4-5 yards of the red rope material....but you could use shoelaces...ribbon, etc...(the red rope at joanns was a tab expensive)

I cut out rectangles...you can pick any size really....if you are making them for a small person you will want a smaller size....this one is approx 14 by 36 inches

I was painting. that is why my finger is black. but ironed down the top and bottom edges about 1/3 of inch and then took in the sides of them starting at a half inch and going smaller....(to all 4 sides)

then i folded down about two inches and sewed right at the bottom...

then i folded in in half....right sides together. front and back both have that lip and the sides all sewn in

before you sew up the sides you take 3-4 inches of the belt material from your flag football set....

fold it in half....

and place it inside...so all the raw edges are facing outwards...

pin in place and sew all the way up to the folded over edge..(don't sew past that part)

you stop right there.....

make sure you reinforce that nylon belt material...

here's what it looks like so far....

go ahead and turn it right sides out....
take your rope material and add a safety pin and feed it through your top part...

one piece is going to go in one side and go all the way around. so you are exiting right by the whole where you started...... (do it for both sides)

you can tie a knot. but i'm not a boy scout. or a girl scout. and can't tie a proper knot...so i just sewed the pieces together....

what the sides looks like.....

completely lost? sorry about that.

when you pull the strings it makes the bag cinch up at the top keeping all your priced possessions inside...

and then you throw it on your back and take them wherever...

(he's trying to watch good luck charlie)

did you see my flag football set?

pssst. have you seen this ADORABLE ruffle version?

source

if you bought some of that awesome ruffle fabric you could make one super duper easy!!!!

christmas story day 22

2011-12-22T10:04:00.000-07:00

this is one of the stories i remember the most. i had long hair growing up and i loved it...and just couldn't even imagine cutting if off.....so this story has always stood out to me!

the gift of the magi

One dollar and eighty-seven cents. That was all. And sixty cents of it was in pennies. Pennies saved one and two at a time. Three times Della counted it. One dollar and eighty- seven cents. And the next day would be Christmas.

There was clearly nothing to do but flop down on the shabby little couch and howl. So Della did it..

Della finished her cry and attended to her cheeks with the powder rag. She stood by the window and looked out dully at a gray cat walking a gray fence in a gray backyard. Tomorrow would be Christmas Day, and she had only $1.87 with which to buy Jim a present. She had been saving every penny she could for months, with this result. Twenty dollars a week doesn't go far. Expenses had been greater than she had calculated. They always are. Only $1.87 to buy a present for Jim. Her Jim. Many a happy hour she had spent planning for something nice for him. Something fine and rare and sterling--something just a little bit near to being worthy of the honor of being owned by Jim.

Suddenly she whirled from the window and stood before a mirror. Her eyes were shining brilliantly, but her face had lost its color within twenty seconds. Rapidly she pulled down her hair and let it fall to its full length.

Now, there were two possessions of the James Dillingham Youngs in which they both took a mighty pride. One was Jim's gold watch that had been his father's and his grandfather's. The other was Della's hair. Had the queen of Sheba lived in the flat across the airshaft, Della would have let her hair hang out the window some day to dry just to depreciate Her Majesty's jewels and gifts. Had King Solomon been the janitor, with all his treasures piled up in the basement, Jim would have pulled out his watch every time he passed, just to see him pluck at his beard from envy.

So now Della's beautiful hair fell about her rippling and shining like a cascade of brown waters. It reached below her knee and made itself almost a garment for her. And then she did it up again nervously and quickly. Once she faltered for a minute and stood still while a tear or two splashed on the worn red carpet.

On went her old brown jacket; on went her old brown hat. With a whirl of skirts and with the brilliant sparkle still in her eyes, she fluttered out the door and down the stairs to the street.
Where she stopped the sign read: "Mne. Sofronie. Hair Goods of All Kinds." One flight up Della ran, and collected herself, panting. Madame, large, too white, chilly, hardly looked the "Sofronie."

"Will you buy my hair?" asked Della.

"I buy hair," said Madame. "Take yer hat off and let's have a sight at the looks of it."

Down rippled the brown cascade.

"Twenty dollars," said Madame, lifting the mass with a practised hand.

"Give it to me quick," said Della.

Oh, and the next two hours tripped by on rosy wings. Forget the hashed metaphor. She was ransacking the stores for Jim's present.

She found it at last. It surely had been made for Jim and no one else. There was no other like it in any of the stores, and she had turned all of them inside out. It was a platinum fob chain simple and chaste in design, properly proclaiming its value by substance alone and not by meretricious ornamentation--as all good things should do. It was even worthy of The Watch. As soon as she saw it she knew that it must be Jim's. It was like him. Quietness and value--the description applied to both. Twenty-one dollars they took from her for it, and she hurried home with the 87 cents. With that chain on his watch Jim might be properly anxious about the time in any company. Grand as the watch was, he sometimes looked at it on the sly on account of the old leather strap that he used in place of a chain.

When Della reached home her intoxication gave way a little to prudence and reason. She got out her curling irons and lighted the gas and went to work. Within forty minutes her head was covered with tiny, close-lying curls that made her look wonderfully like a truant schoolboy. She looked at her reflection in the mirror long, carefully, and critically.

"If Jim doesn't kill me," she said to herself, "before he takes a second look at me, he'll say I look like a Coney Island chorus girl. But what could I do--oh! what could I do with a dollar and eighty- seven cents?"

At 7 o'clock the coffee was made and the frying-pan was on the back of the stove hot and ready to cook the chops.

Jim was never late. Della doubled the fob chain in her hand and sat on the corner of the table near the door that he always entered. Then she heard his step on the stair away down on the first flight, and she turned white for just a moment. She had a habit for saying little silent prayer about the simplest everyday things, and now she whispered: "Please God, make him think I am still pretty."

The door opened and Jim stepped in and closed it. He looked thin and very serious. Poor fellow, he was only twenty-two--and to be burdened with a family! He needed a new overcoat and he was without gloves.

Jim stopped inside the door, as immovable as a setter at the scent of quail. His eyes were fixed upon Della, and there was an expression in them that she could not read, and it terrified her. It was not anger, nor surprise, nor disapproval, nor horror, nor any of the sentiments that she had been prepared for. He simply stared at her fixedly with that peculiar expression on his face.

Della wriggled off the table and went for him.

"Jim, darling," she cried, "don't look at me that way. I had my hair cut off and sold because I couldn't have lived through Christmas without giving you a present. It'll grow out again--you won't mind, will you? I just had to do it. My hair grows awfully fast. Say `Merry Christmas!' Jim, and let's be happy. You don't know what a nice-- what a beautiful, nice gift I've got for you."

"You've cut off your hair?" asked Jim, laboriously, as if he had not arrived at that patent fact yet even after the hardest mental labor.

"Cut it off and sold it," said Della. "Don't you like me just as well, anyhow? I'm me without my hair, ain't I?"

Jim looked about the room curiously.

"You say your hair is gone?" he said, with an air almost of idiocy.

"You needn't look for it," said Della. "It's sold, I tell you--sold and gone, too. It's Christmas Eve, boy. Be good to me, for it went for you. Maybe the hairs of my head were numbered," she went on with sudden serious sweetness, "but nobody could ever count my love for you. Shall I put the chops on, Jim?"

Out of his trance Jim seemed quickly to wake. He enfolded his Della. For ten seconds let us regard with discreet scrutiny some inconsequential object in the other direction. Eight dollars a week or a million a year--what is the difference? A mathematician or a wit would give you the wrong answer. The magi brought valuable gifts, but that was not among them. This dark assertion will be illuminated later on.

Jim drew a package from his overcoat pocket and threw it upon the table.

"Don't make any mistake, Dell," he said, "about me. I don't think there's anything in the way of a haircut or a shave or a shampoo that could make me like my girl any less. But if you'll unwrap that package you may see why you had me going a while at first."

White fingers and nimble tore at the string and paper. And then an ecstatic scream of joy; and then, alas! a quick feminine change to hysterical tears and wails, necessitating the immediate employment of all the comforting powers of the lord of the flat.

For there lay The Combs--the set of combs, side and back, that Della had worshipped long in a Broadway window. Beautiful combs, pure tortoise shell, with jewelled rims--just the shade to wear in the beautiful vanished hair. They were expensive combs, she knew, and her heart had simply craved and yearned over them without the least hope of possession. And now, they were hers, but the tresses that should have adorned the coveted adornments were gone.
But she hugged them to her bosom, and at length she was able to look up with dim eyes and a smile and say: "My hair grows so fast, Jim!"

And them Della leaped up like a little singed cat and cried, "Oh, oh!"

Jim had not yet seen his beautiful present. She held it out to him eagerly upon her open palm. The dull precious metal seemed to flash with a reflection of her bright and ardent spirit.

"Isn't it a dandy, Jim? I hunted all over town to find it. You'll have to look at the time a hundred times a day now. Give me your watch. I want to see how it looks on it."

Instead of obeying, Jim tumbled down on the couch and put his hands under the back of his head and smiled.

"Dell," said he, "let's put our Christmas presents away and keep 'em a while. They're too nice to use just at present. I sold the watch to get the money to buy your combs. And now suppose you put the chops on."

The magi, as you know, were wise men--wonderfully wise men--who brought gifts to the Babe in the manger. They invented the art of giving Christmas presents. Being wise, their gifts were no doubt wise ones, possibly bearing the privilege of exchange in case of duplication. And here I have lamely related to you the uneventful chronicle of two foolish children in a flat who most unwisely sacrificed for each other the greatest treasures of their house. But in a last word to the wise of these days let it be said that of all who give gifts these two were the wisest. O all who give and receive gifts, such as they are wisest. Everywhere they are wisest. They are the magi.

Today we are wrapping presents.

but you could make these cute 3 presents to represent the magi gifts..

source

or paint some 4x4s

source

or you could read my post HERE to get tons of fun ideas on wrapping...