Since I last blogged.............................

Wow I can't believe I'm saying this and I'm not going to say it too loud, but the house is clean the laundry is done, the two youngest are asleep and I actually have a little time to kill so I thought I'd do a little blog post.

Since I last blogged.............................................

* We've been to the doctor 13 times, emergency room once (we are all fine).

*Managed to get through the first 3 weeks of the kids being out of school.

*Planned a family reunion for 30 something people in the middle of no-where.

*Have done absolutely nothing crafty, wait I painted the front door (can you guess?) black! Ok, so my husband painted it but I hung a cute little wreath on it.

*Looked into buying a bigger house, but realized soon it still wasn't in the budget.

*Became a Great Aunt, wow that makes me feel old, speaking of old I also turned 33!

*Haven't lost one stinkin pound even though I go walking (fast, sorta) for an hour every day at 6:00 in the morning.

*Learned how to make home-made flour tortillas (maybe that's why I haven't lost anything).

*Had the opportunity to play my flute at the funeral of my cousins husband who died of a horrible disease called Stiff Person Syndrome, you can read their story here.

*Had a whole lot of solicitors come to my door and of course they all have to ring the door bell to wake up any kids that might be sleeping.

*Realized (not that I didn't before) what a wonderful husband I am and how lucky I am to have him and our 4 beautiful children.

*Bought a used car for my husband since out of his carpool of 5 he is the only one that hasn't been laid off.

*Counted my blessings!!!

*Got DISH - maybe that's the real reason I haven't blogged for like 2 months, I REALLY like TLC. My favorite show - 19 and counting, I don't care what anyone says, they are amazing.

*Moved the baby out of our room into his sister's room. For some reason, that is always tough on me.

*Didn't win one single prize at my husbands work party, my kids didn't realize that I was just as disappointed as they were.

*Missed hearing from all of you!

And there you have it, a little of what I've been up to the last two months.

Happy Mothers Day!!!

Here is story of a Mom who truly inspires me to be a better mom, almost as much as my own mom does!!! I hope you all have a Happy Mother's Day!

Thank you Ashley!!!

Dear Ashely Furniture,

We can be friends again. I do recommend though that in the future you don't sell couches that cannot get water on them, especially if the family has 4 children (3 of which are crazy boys).
Thank you for picking up the couches that were slowly driving me insane and dropping off these lovely water tolerant green ones.


,
My husband and children would like me to thank you also. Add to that list my mom, my friends, my visiting teachers and anyone that would listen to me complain, they all thank you. These new green micro fiber one's are the bestest. I don't even have to worry about my three year old (or me) falling asleep and slobbering on it, it's truly wonderful. Thank you a million times.

Your Friend,
Nicole

PS Blogging Friends, crafty posts are coming, I promise!

Guest Post by Megity's Handmade

Hi everybody!  I'm Megan from Megity's Handmade.  I'm super excited to do a little guest posting on Nicole's blog.  Nicole's a sweetie, but you all should know that by now. 

Last week, Nicole posted about how she transformed her kitchen from drab to fab on my blog.  As great as it looks in the pictures, it's even better in person!  Everytime I see them, it makes me want to paint my cabinets.  This week, I get to post a little tutorial about how I made some ruffle bumsies for a slew of baby showers. 

So, let's get started!

Ruffle Bumsies How To

If you aren't making your babies bums ruffly by now, here's how I made mine. Now you have no excuses to not ruffle that darling round baby rump.

Here's what you will need:

• Onesies of your choice. I simply used a package of white onesies, but there are some colored $3 onesies at Wal-Mart. I found that out after I made mine.
• Several different fat quarters to choose from.
• Scissors and/or cutting mat and rotary cutter.
• Sewing machine

And here's how I did mine:

  

1. First I begged my cute friend Jackie to let me come over and serge my strips of fabric. If you don't have a serger, don't worry about it because this can still be done! You can do one of two things. Either cut your strips of fabric with pinking shears to the size you want. When it's washed, it creates a little raggy edges that are really cute on that baby bum. Or, cut your fabric twice the width of the finished ruffle you want and simple place right sides together and sew down the long edge. Turn right side out and then continue on with step 3 of the tutorial. (Make sense? Feel free to ask questions. I won't bite!)

  

2. Using fat quarters is the simplest way for me. Since your fat quarter is already 18x24, the width is just right to make quick ruffles. Cut several 1.5" strips along the 24" length. Now serge these strips. (Or cut with your pinking shears or making your tubes of fabric.)

3. Next, turn your sewing machine's tension up and the length of your stitches as long as you can. Leaving a long tail of thread, sew down the center of your strip. The fabric will ruffle as it is sewn. Be sure to leave a long tail of thread at the end too. I always test on a piece of scrap fabric to make sure it is working right. I don't like unpicking if I don't have too. Now your strips will look something like this.

 4. Work your strips to the width of your onesie. Now would be a good idea to mark your onesie with straight lines with a fabric marker. This will help you keep your lines straight as you pin on the ruffles. I was feeling adventurous and didn't mark these lines. It has nothing to do with the fact that I didn't want to go and find said marker. Nothing.  

5. Starting with your center ruffle, pin onto the onesie. Folding the raw edge down, sew down the center of the ruffle. Darling already!

 6. Add your next ruffle above the first. I tried to make them as close as possible since when the onesie is on that cute round baby, the ruffles spread out and you can see the white peeking out in between the ruffles. Lifting the edge of the ruffle that was sewn down, pin the next ruffle in and sew down the center.

 7. Repeat for the third ruffle and then TA-DA! You just made a darling ruffle bumsie!

 *There are so many variations on this. You can use all the same fabric or multiple fabrics. You can make your widths of your ruffles smaller or bigger. You can have more than three ruffles. I think that this would be cute with five 1" ruffles smashed close together with the pinked edges. This would make one fluffy and ruffley bum!

   

I felt that the front of the onesie need a little more so I twisted and sewed an extra strip of fabric into a little flower with a scrap of fabric for some free handed leaves. This fabric will fray a bit in the wash but I like that unstructured look, but if you want to minimize this, just finish your ends anyway you like.

  

I also made this darling hedgehog onesie for the one and only little boy.  Made By The Mama Monster designed it and I'm in love with it!  Be sure to check out my blog later to find out how to make one for yourself!

I'm guest posting today over at Megity's Handmade, so come on over and say hello.

Easter Carrots Tutorial

Recognize this post???  I thought I would repost
it since Easter is just around the corner!

I've been wanting an Easter / Spring decoration for my front door forever so I came up with (copied from a neighbor) this cute Carrot decoration for my door. The little girl that I watch everyday came over today and said that it was weird to hang carrots on the door. I told her that is how we get the Easter bunny to come to our house, she didn't think it was so weird after that. This picture makes me want to paint my door black!

I love it when projects turn out to be easier than expected and that's how this one was. It only took about an hour and a half and that is with me trying to take care of my crying baby too.

Supplies
* 2 orange tea towels ( or 1/2 yard of orange fabric that you like)
orange thread
* ribbon (what ever you have around the house, it wont be seen)
* small safety pin
* fake greenery (something that resembles carrot foliage)
* glue gun or craft glue
* fiber fill or stuffing (they are the same thing aren't they?)
* optional - brown wood stain and foam brush

Cut three carrots. They should be 6" wide at the top and 15 - 17" long. Mine are 15", but if I had to do it again I think I would make them a little bit longer. I would especially make them longer if you have a big front door, not the normal white generic one like I have.

Starting at the top, sew down the sides of each carrot using a 1/4" seam allowance. Then fold the top over 1/2" and stitch near the bottom (like picture below). Be sure and leave about a 1/2" opening to thread the ribbon through.

Turn the carrot right side out. It helps to clip the excess fabric at the bottom a little and use a pencil when turning it. Fill with fiber fill or batting or stuffing or whatever you want to call it.
Slide some ribbon onto your safety pin and feed it through the casing that you just made.

Group some fake greenery together so it resembles carrot stems and wrap some of the wire around it so it stays together. Now put lots of hot glue all around the end of it. Put it in the top center of the carrot and pull the ribbon tight and close and knot.

This is totally optional but I used some watered down wood stain to give my carrots a little more character. I didn't want them to look so new. It worked good, but my house smelled like wood stain for a while.

Group your three cute carrots together and tie some ric rac around. Use some fray check at the ends of the ric rac so it doesn't fray.

When your done you should have some cute carrots hanging on your door, and when your kids think you've lost your mind, you can tell them it's so the Easter Bunny will be sure to come.

I really think I need this!!!

Some people just amaze me. Look at this cute craft that Heather Bailey has come up with.

It just reminds me of Easter when I was a little girl, so cute and vintage. You can buy 3 of these cute little decorations here for only $4.95. I think I need some. I think my kids teachers need one for Easter.

And the winner is.......................

Jo Anne over at the Carter Clan.

Jo Anne picked Santorini. I'll hurry and get it in the mail. Congratulations JoAnne, you'll have to let me know what you end up making with it.

Here are your random numbers:

319 

Timestamp: 2010-03-24 13:56:00 UTC

My 200th post, Moda Tutorial and a Giveaway!

I can't believe I didn't say when this giveaway would end. I will pick a winner tomorrow night and post a winner on Wednesday morning! Thanks to everyone who has entered! (3/22/10)

It's hard to believe but this is my 200th post. And what better way to celebrate than a post over at Moda. I feel like besides meeting tons of great people, Moda has been one of the neatest things to come from my blog. Who could complain about getting darling fabric, and creating something fun out of it.

Soooo........come and visit me over at Moda today where I'm doing a tutorial for this fun Spring T-Shirt. But before that scroll on down and enter my giveaway! I have to admit, this one is tough one for me. Parting with fabric is never easy, but sometimes it just has to be done!

For my giveaway the winner gets to choose one of these Layer Cakes. Each Layer Cake has
40, 10"x10" squares.

Eva - by Basic Grey

Santorini by Lila Tueller

What do you have to do?

For one entry - Leave me a comment telling me which layer cake you would like to win!

For two entries - Leave me another comment letting me know you are a follower. (Because it makes me happy when I have a new follower, I hope that doesn't sound totally conceded , but lets face it a mom of 4 that doesn't get out much gets excited over silly things.)

For three entries - Leave me another comment telling me you blogged about this on your blog.

Ten Reasons I've been a slacker at Blogging!!!

1. I've been busy holding this little guy! Ok, so he's not that little anymore, today at the doctor's he weighed in at 171bs. Did I mention that this was only his 4 month visit.

2. I've been busy fighting Ashely furniture to let me return this couch, that apparently can't get water on it. So yes, that means no three year old falling asleep and sweating, no 8 year old girls sitting on it with long wet hair after taking a bath, no using a wet cloth to spot clean and definitely no drooling! Apparently this couch is for looking at only. But, I am happy to say after 5 months of fighting it, we will be getting a new couch next Friday, one that hopefully water wont ruin.

3. Planning some tutorials over at this place.

Here is a sneak peek at one!

4. Having a Birthday party for this cute little 3 year old!

It was so fun, it tuckered this guy right out.

5. Spent a day shopping or I guess I should say browsing at this store.

6. Trying to think of creative ways to fit my growing family into this little 1400 sq ft cozy nest of ours. It's definitely getting cozy.

7. Even though I'm really bad at making comments, I have been visiting all of your blogs also.

8. Trying to find an Easter dress for my 8 year old daughter. I can't find any I like in the stores. Ok, there are a few I like but they are out of my price range. I think I may just try and make one. Here is a pattern for two that I sorta like. I found them over here.

9. Sent this cute niece and her sweet brother and parents (her mom is my twin) to Canada to live.

10. Homework, homework, homework! I thought when I graduated college it was over. Yea right, now my afternoons are spent helping kids with homework. It's ok, I'm not complaining, just an excuse as to why I've been a bad blogger.

Our Birthday Boy!

Yesterday my sweet boy turned 6!

I swear this picture was taken just the other day, now you are so grown up.

You've always had a great head of hair. You get it from you dad (we call it a beaver pelt it's so thick.)

This was probably like your 3rd or 4th haircut, since your first was the day we brought you home from the hospital.

You pulled such a great Elvis face!

I can't believe your halfway through kindergarten, which you love, especially your teacher and especially when she wears her purple skirt!

You wanted a picture showing off your presents.


We let you pick your favorite meal and your chose, waffles with raspberry jam, cool-whip and orange Julius.

You are such a sweet boy. I absolutely adore you. You think about others before yourself. You have the sweetest smile. You truly appreciate things that people do for you. You've always had such a tender heart, which when you were 3 and 4 and constantly got your feelings hurt it drove me crazy, but now I love it. You radiate kindness. You have such a sweet disposition about you.

You do the funniest things. The other day I told you that you had a cute nose. The next thing I knew you were looking in the mirror admiring it. I told you that you needed to be more careful with your aim while going potty. Your told me it wasn't you that missed the toilet bowl, it was your shadow. I tried to be mad, but it was just to funny!

I hope you had a wonderful birthday. We love you so much!

Valentine's Cards for the Kids

At the last minute today I decided to make my kids valentines cards (my husband just loves it when I do that). This one is for my eight year old daughter!

And this one is for my 5 year old son.

There are some really fun digital kits out there to work with. This one here is from Shappy Princess, one of my favorite sites. They have some really fun free kits as well.

These one's here are from Shabby Miss Jenn.

Oh, if only I had all the time in the world, just think of all the lovely things I could make!