Fabric Flower Fun

I have been having fun. And I have been a little obsessed. Have you seen these around the blogoshere?



No sew fabric flowers. The key words....no sew. Love that. I learned how to make them by following this tutorial. Then I tweaked it. Then I made LOTS of flowers. I even made them in the car on the way to Utah.

So, then I thought, "what the heck am I gonna do with all these flowers?". I put one flower on a clippy that I can clip to hair bands. I've got plans to make a summery wreath. Maybe dress up some drab lamp shades. But the first thing that I thought of was...TOPIARY! So, I took this...



and made this.






I love creating.

I'm linking up to the Catagorically Crafting party at Someday Crafts.

my first attempt....

so, with the help of my sil, melanie, and a fabulous tutorial from the shabby princess, i made my very first digital layout. i'm a sloooooowww learner when it comes to this kind of techy stuff, so i neglected all of my household duties, and spent my day learning. now, i'm hooked!



i've been so intimidated my digi scrapping, but have wanted to do it for soooooo long. and, i've had photoshop elements since 2004, and have only used it to store photos...so sad. now, i'm realizing photoshop's potential, and i love it! maybe some of our favorite memories will finally be scrapbooked!

Vinyl Giveaway

Just found out about this fabulous little giveaway. LOVE the vinyl for the fridge...isn't this awesome?



So go check out the What's Your Style blog and see what she has to offer! And hurry...it ends tonight!

a tale of 2 wreaths

okay. it's not really a tale. i made 2 different wreaths thanks to ideas i found here and here. they were fun to do.

let's start with the square momgrammed wreath i found that idea at for what it's worth-or not. i love this one. mostly because i didn't go out and buy a thing to make it. (except one tiny piece of garland, which you will hear about later.) everything i used, i had here. the garland was in my christmas stuff. have had it forever. the wood letter, i bought awhile ago, not knowing what i'd do with it. same with the berries and ribbon. the frame is one i bought last year to make a magnetic board. it was too heavy for my little m3 hook, so it kept falling off the wall. it was in pieces, but gorilla glue to the rescue! good as new, and ready to be re purposed. i wrapped what seemed to be about 350 feet of garland pieces around the frame, and hot glued as i went. i ended up with this...



okay, so it really wasn't 350 feet. but i estimate it was pretty close to 30 feet. and i only had one really long piece of garland left. and it didn't match what i had already used. it was the wrong color of green and the fringe was really short. so, i embarked on a journey, and do your know what? this fringy garland is an endangerd species. i went to the dollar store, target, walmart, micheals, porters (local craft store) and nobody even carried the stuff. final stop...k-mart. and they had an 18 foot garland for $3.99. it wasn't an exact match, but close enough for me! so i went right home, neglected my motherly duties and finished the wreath. it made me happy. my husband thought i was crazy. but here is the finished product...



and now for the burlap wreath. this one is from craftaholics anonymous. apperantly, burlap is kind of a big deal in decorating right now. i like it. but i really loved the wreath. not so fun to make. burlap is MESSY! or maybe it's just because i got mine from cheapo walmart. not the highest quality, but it worked just the same. i got my wreath from the dollar tree (a buck), and the burlap from wally world (2.97 a yard), so that's cheap, i think. here is mine finished...




love it next to the burlap trees above my kitchen cupboards. i found the idea for the burlap tree's here. the only thing i did different was i wrapped some hemp cord around the trees after i covered them in burlap strips. then, i added some glitter to both the trees and the wreath. love them!! i think i still might add a red fabric flower like linda did. it needs a splash of color, don't you think?

go get your craft on and have a fabulous day!

A Meme....for a fabulous giveaway!

Mama’s Holiday Wish List Meme
TodaysMama and Provo Craft are giving away a sleighful of gifts this holiday season and to enter I’m sharing this meme with you.

1. What 5 items are on your holiday wish list this year?
***a finished basement...with craft room just for me!
***a cricut, and a kindle
***a house that stays clean for longer than 2 hours...2 weeks would be nice.
***a magic bullet...smoothies whenever i want!
***happy, grateful children.

2. What is your favorite handmade gift you have received?
***so many....i'm gonna go seasonal, and say the hand painted ceramic Christmas ornament from my aunt granny jo-anny. i think Iiwas 3 when she gave it to me. it's a little santa peeking out of a chimney.

3. What handmade gift have you always wanted to tackle?
***homemade pj's for each of my kids. may sound simple to some, but i have 5 kids, and i'm not a sewer.

4. What was the best Christmas gift you received as a child?
***legos. oh, and a cabbage patch doll.

5. What items are on your kid’s wish list this year?
***well, they keep changing their minds, so this is probably wrong...
madi- a nintendo ds, or a cell phone
alex and gabby- new bikes
jake- seriously, changes daily...ummmm...i'm just gonna say the last thing he saw on tv.
jaxson- he's one. he'll be happy with the wrapping paper.

6. What is your favorite holiday food?
***all of it. i love food. mostly all the finger food type stuff. and hot chocolate.

7. What will you be hand-crafting for the holidays?
***mostly home decor. i've made a couple of wreaths, and some burlap covered cones to look like christmas trees. i'm also planning to make a little something for my sister and sisters-in-law.

8. What is your favorite holiday movie?
***a christmas story, white christmas, elf, and polar express.

9. Favorite holiday song?
***breath of heaven (mary's lullaby).

10. Favorite holiday pastime?
***looking at christmas lights with the family.

Now...if you want to enter to win this sleighful of prizes...



Click on the link above. But don't get your hopes up...that baby's mine!

I'm Ba-ack!

Wow! Never thought I'd be away from the blog that long! But, hey...life happens. And now, I'm back. At one point, I thought I'd try to catch up, but I know myself too well. That will NEVER happen. So, let's just start with now. Here are a few randoms...

It's cold.

It's snowy.

The economy has hit us hard, like alot of people, so I'm stressed.

It's the Christmas season...my very favorite.

Our camera died. We got a new one (cheapy, though) at Wally World the day after Thanksgiving.

I've started feeling the urge to craft lately. So I have. Thanks to the inspiration of some blogs like this one ,and this one, and this one .

My kids are growing up way too fast.

I'm still addicted to facebook. And Dr Pepper. And looking at Craigslist.

Got a new Christmas tree for my birthday. $50. From Craigslist. Nine feet tall. I LOVE it!

My favorite Christmas scent this year? Candy Cane. From Walmart. Cheap scentsy knock off type thing. But, they are CHEAP. And it smells good.


There. I've posted. Stay tuned for a little looky-loo at some of the stuff I've been doing. Now, I need to go and care for the very tired baby and the very hungry kindergardener. Have a fabulous day!

Lovin' the coupons

I am really lovin' this coupon stuff. I made a trip to Albertson's on Tuesday and Wednesday this week. If you plan your trip, use coupon, and heed the advice of people like Coupon Clippin' Cutie, A Thrifty Mom, and Pinching Your Pennies, your can really get a lot of stuff for your pantry/food storage.

I'm still pretty much a beginner, but my trip on Tuesday had me giggling by the end. It's so fun watching the total drop, and drop, and drop, with all the coupons and discounts.

Here's what I got....

TUESDAY

5 LBS braeburn apples
mascarra (clearanced)
foundation makeup (clearanced)
4 boxes of Bagelfuls
2 lbs chunk cheese
4 boxes Krusteaz muffin mix
4 bags Sara Lee bread
12 pack of Cherry Diet Dr Pepper
4 bottles Kraft bbq sauce
1 bag fritos
6 Kraft easy mac & cheese
2 boxes ritz crackers
2 glade air freshener kits

payed $40.60
saved $77.12

WEDNESDAY

3 boxes Cinnamon Toast Crunch
2 boxes Albertson's brand Cereal
1 box Frosted Mini Wheats
3 boxes Frosted Flakes
6 pack of Yoplait Yogurt
2 packs of Kraft American Cheese
2 bags Albertsons shredded cheese
12 oz Albertsons chunck cheese
2 Green Giant steamers -corn
4 lbs Chicken

payed-$27.50
saved-$55.03

The saved price includes coupons, store sales, and manufacturer promotions for buying a specific number of specified items. For example, on Tuesday, there was a kraft promotion going on. Buy $10 worth of participating products, get $3 off. I bought 4 boxes of bagelfuls for $2.50 each to equal $10. Minus $3 makes it 4 boxes for $7. Minus four $1 off manufacture coupons (mq)making it 4 boxes for $3 dollars. And when you are trying to build food storage, I think it's better to have food your family will actually eat. I have a LONG way to go to get to the 90% savings that I've seen others do. But it's fun, and our food storage is growing!!!

An award for me....

Yeah, don't get too excited. I'm giving the award to myself, and don't even have a button to display. I'm giving myself the "worlds worst blogger" award. Nothing to be proud of. Just hoping it will give me a kick in the pants to get with the program and start blogging again. Who knew life with 5 kids would be this busy?

Anyway. I'll just catch up on a few things a day. That's my plan. Don't expect too much. Remember, I am the "worlds worst blogger"!

First, the event of Jaxson falling out of the pickup. I would have blogged about this when it happened 3 or 4 weeks ago, but Madi felt horrible, and I didn't want to make it worse. Cory and I were going out to dinner with his sister and her husband to a new place...The Hardhat Cafe. I wish I could tell you if it was any good or not, because we didn't actually get to eat dinner. As we were walking in, Madi called to tell us Jaxson fell out of the back of Cory's truck, and hit his head. Calm nurse and frantic mommy had a fight. Frantic mommy won, and we went home to this...



Which eventually turned to this...



Poor kid. After interviewing several eyewitnesses (under the age of 10) this is what I think happened. Madi thought it would be a good idea for the truck to double as a play pen. Jaxson was in the truck holding onto the tailgate. Cousin Bailey wanted to get in the back of the truck. Bailey climbed up on the bumper of the truck, using the tailgate latch to help pull her up. She inadvertently opened the tailgate. Jaxson kept holding on, until he couldn't, and landed on his face. He had some pretty nasty road rash, but is completely healed. He even has a sweet tough-man scar that I'm sure will result is a frustrating cowlic (really don't know how to spell that) when he's older. I think I did more comforting to Madi, though. Poor thing. She felt so bad, and cried off and on all evening. But, she learned the lesson the hard way. Trucks should never double as a playpen.

Next up, I have to share my attempt at imitating Bakerella. You've heard of her and her famous cake pops, right? She also makes cupcake pops. They are so stinking cute, and so yummy. Bakerella is much, much, much better at this that I am. And of the few I attempted to make last night, only 6 actually stayed on the sticks. Apparently, I don't follow directions well. Anyway, here is Bakerella's cupcake pop...



and here's mine...



What do you think? They are pretty tasty. I'm gonna take these to a couple of friends who have b-days today. Hope they like 'em.

So there is a brief glimpse of a few things that have happened in the past few weeks. Hope you have a fabulous day!!

GIVEAWAY ALERT!!!!

Okay. So, I've been busy. I have lots to blog about. Like the story of Jaxson falling out the back of Cory's truck. (yes-you heard me right. no-the truck was not moving, or even being used. well, it was being used by Madi as a playpen. full story and pictures to come) Lots of pictures to share. (like Easter and birthdays for the last 2 months)

But.....there is something much more important to discuss right now. A giveaway!!!! You remember the meme that was going around a few months ago? Make something to give to the first 5 people who comment on your blog? Then they have to post the same challenge on their blog? Well, I was lucky enough to be one of the 1st five on Amber's blog. Amber is fabulous, and oh-so-crafty! And she always has the cutest blog headers. Well, a few days ago, I recieved this from the fabulously talented Amber M......





How lucky and I?!?! When I pulled these babies out of the package, I was so excited! Something I can use all year long! And now, it's your turn to be lucky. Amber made and extra set of these beauties, and is currently having a giveaway on her blog. Giveaway ends on Thurday. Go here. Enter. And tell her I sent ya! Good luck!!

i'm still alive

hi. how've you been? i have been procrastinating. everything. from starting an excercise program to updating my blog. i blame the weather. it's snowing again. it's april 2nd, and we are having a blizzard. well, maybe not a blizzard, but definitely a snow storm. 6 months of winter is more than i can deal with. so i don't. i get depressed, and don't deal. as a result, i have missed posting about birthdays, and spring break fun, and my couponing adventures, and other stuff i've already forgotten. so, here is the condensed version of the last month.

*cold weather, warm weather, snow, rain, and mud. (no grass yet)

*grounded 3 kids for going to their friends house without letting me know. these kids are 10,8,and 4. the friends house was not next door. not even on our street. try 3 or 4 streets over. i thought they had been kidnapped. scared me to death.

*started to dabble in the world of couponing. it's a fun little rush to get deals for pennies on the dollar. it's a lot of work, though. but yesterday, i got 5 boxes of post cereal for $3 and some change. woohoo!

*madi turned 13. i have a teenager. she's a good teenager, but when the mood strikes she can through a fit to rival even the most seasoned teen. so proud. she had fabulous grades this past quarter. and she has decided to run track. not sure where she got that from. not me, that's for sure. i don't know what i'd do without her. she's a fabulous big sister. she really helps out alot with the baby. love you madi!!!

*speaking of the baby, he's 1 today. that year went fast! he is so loved and spoiled by his siblings. he is walking a little. he is such a happy baby. i'm glad he's here. happy birthday baby boy!!

*1/2 price book fair at the elementary school. i love books. that was a fun time!

*read the new fablehaven. i was almost dissapointed. don't get me wrong. i loved the book, but there were a few things that really caught me off gaurd. and the ending? keeps you hanging. i really can't wait for the next book to come out. hurry up mr mull!!!

*we had a 3 day spring break. 4 if you count last friday, which was technically parent teacher conference. six if you count the weekend. we went to utah to visit my sister and brother-in-law, and nephew. my kids love it there. my nephew, buddy boy, is a crack up. 3 year olds rock. we were going to come home sunday, but the weather was less than desirable, so we stayed another day. stayed up late every night talking and laughing, and playing games. went shopping. watched the yw general broadcast. ate good food. thanks wendy and dj. we had a blast!

*looking forward to the weekend. general conference is one my favorite times of the year. girls night saturday night. encouraging talks that always lift my spirits. time with family. it's the best.

well, i should really get to the housework. still have to go to the store for a few birthday things. hope the weather on your end is better than it is here. and i will leave you with a link to an interesting website.
www.the39dollarexperiment.com
enjoy!