I know I haven't blogged for a long time, but I just can't get this little guy off my mind.  This is Tripp

and I've been following his story for a little over a year now.  He is struggling a lot and could use lots of prayers.  Click here to visit his blog and read his story.

It's feeling springy around here!

Well not really.  In fact mother nature can't decide what kind of weather we should have here in Utah.  One day I take my kids to the park to play and the next day there is a full winter snow storm........weird.  Welcome to Utah.

Anyways, I'm trying to make my house feel a little more like spring.  I saw this cute basket over here and really wanted to copy it.  I looked all over the internet trying to find a basket like this but struck out.  But then, I was at our little home town craft store and saw the perfect basket.

 It had handles on both sides so I just cut the one of the front and it worked perfectly.  I couldn't find any flowers I liked so I took a wreath apart and used the greenery from it.

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I think it turned out pretty cute and it added some color that my house desperately needed.

Happy Spring!

Pottery Barn inspired Spring Pennant Garland

Here is a little tutorial I did for a Spring Garland.  Now all I need is a good place at my house to hang it up.  Right now it's hanging up at my mom's house since she has that beautiful fireplace mantle to hang it up on.

My inspiration were these gorgeous Easter dishes from Pottery Barn.  I just love the colors, and the burlap table runner underneath the dishes.

So here is what you are going to need..................
- 3/4 yard of  burlap (you can get this at any crafty store with fabric by the yard).
- 1/4 yard of 6 coordinating pieces of fabric
- thread
- sewing maching (don't get scared, were only doing straight stitches here).
- iron, and ironing board
- 1/3 yard Heavy Heat and Bond
- 4 yards of 1 inch wide cream or white ribbon.

You need to cut you burlap into pennant triangles.  The easiest way to do this if you don't have a self healing mat and cutter is take a normal sheet of paper and fold in half lengthwise.   Cut off the bottom 1 3/4 inches.   Take a pencil and draw a line from the top outside edge of the paper to the bottom fold.  Not cut along the line and unfold.  Now you have your template.  Use it to cut out 12 triangles.  Sew two triangles together along the outside edges using about 1/4 inch seam allowance.  Now you should have 6 double think triangles.

Now you are going to make the bias tape.  If you've never done this,  don't freak out, it's super easy.  From each of your 6 pieces of fabric cut a strip of fabric that is 1 3/4 inches by 22 inches. Iron the strip of fabric in half lengthwise and unfold.  Now iron the two outside edges into the middle.

Now your just going to sew your bias tape onto the two long edges of your triangle or pennant.  Starting at the top right corner start folding the fabric along the edges of your pennant and sew into place using 1/4 to 3/8 inch seam allowance.  Keep sewing until your get to about the bottom 1/4 inch.

This picture is cruddy but hopefully it will help you get the idea of what to do since it's hard  to explain.  Fold the bias tape back down at the point of the pennant.  Open the bias tape and fold over the sides to make a nice corner. 

This is sorta trial and error.  Just work with it until you like how it looks, and really it doesn't need to look perfect.

Now for the fun part.   Here are your letters.  You should be able to click on the image below and print it out onto some heavy duty paper.  You can either cut these letters out and use them as templates or do what I did and just trace them.

Place your Heat and Bond  (adhesive side down) onto the letters and start tracing.

Cut around your traced letters and iron them onto the wrong side of your pieces of  fabric.  Cut the letter out and peel off the paper backing.  Now iron onto your pennant.

Iron your ribbon in half lengthwise and staring about 1 yard in,  fold the ribbon around the top edge of your pennant and sew on.  As you reach the end of one pennant just add the next one until the ribbon is sewn onto all of them.

 

Now your going to make the little flowers that go along the top.    Using this flower as your template your are going to need to cut about 8 flowers from each piece of fabric.  This flower may be a little big.  You might need to shrink if down a little bit.  It should be about 1 3/4 inches square.

 The easiest way to do this is to layer 4-5 pieces of fabric, trace the flower on top and cut them all out at once.

Now the fun part.  Start placing them on the top edge over the ribbon and sewing them down.  I found it looked a lot better if I didn't put them in a straight line but staggered them a little.  Just sew straight down the middle of the ribbon.

Once your done you should end up with one super cute Spring Pennant Garland.   If you decide to make one you'll have to post pictures on your blog and let me know so I can come and see it.  Hope this makes things around your home feel a little more like Spring.

Pottery Barn inspired Spring Pennant Garland

Gosh that seems like a long drawn out title.........sorry.  Anyways, I'm guest posting over at Liberate Creativity so come on over and say Hi.   I  am doing a tutorial for this cute little Spring Garland.

Crazy Week with some peace and inspiration!

It's been a crazy week!  Sunday this little guy started

with a cold (well actually more like Friday).  But, by 

Sunday he was feeling pretty crummy.  I sent the family to

church and tried to get in a little cuddle time with him. 

He just wasn't  breathing good and breathing treatments 
were not helping.   I took him to the doctor where

he had two more breathing treatments but finally she

decided it would be best to send him to the hospital.

By the time we got to the hospital me and him were both

pretty cranky, but him especially.  Most of the poor nurses

knew to keep their distance from him.   Anyhow, after a 

night of monitoring and breathing treatments

they let us go home.

Thankfully we have a nebulizer machine at

home from last month when he had RSV and 

he is doing much, much better.

My 7 year old came home from the library with this

book.  Let me tell you, I've heard more knock knock

jokes than well.......anyone should have to hear in a 

lifetime. He is such a silly guy.

My 9 year old had a report due on Juab County.  I 

remember in college taking my last final thinking...........

finally I'm done.  No more dates looming over me or tests 

to stress about.  Boy was I wrong, really it's just beginning. 

  I think her float turned out pretty good.  I,  (I mean she)   

better get an A.  Hey, I got some pretty good tips from  

watching  CakeBoss, I'll remind my husband of that next 

time he teases me.

This guy has a new found love for money.  My parents

bought each of my kids a piggy bank for Christmas.  I 

kept them packed away while we were in our apartment

and got them out just recently.   If he finds any spare

change lying around he swipes it.  We've had some

nice talks about stealing and not taking other people's 

money. 

On the upside, we can get him to do just about anything

for money.  He doesn't care if it's a penny or quarter,

as long as it's money.  Oh wait, he doesn't care for

the paper stuff.  Probably because it doesn't go in

the candy machines.

This weekend is General Conference.  I love 

General Conference.  It helps me to re-evaluate

and keep things in the right perspective. 

Lately I've been feeling insecure about a lot of things.
And honestly, they are things that in the eternal
perspective don't matter even a little bit.   It's been
so nice to relax with my family this weekend in our
comfortable home and enjoy listening to our Prophet
and Apostle's.    

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.

My kind of March Madness!

Click on for a better view!