Pink Paper Peppermints ♥ Life is Sweet ♥

make your own foam soap refill tutorial!

 
Although being a one-income family has always meant that I have to be creatively frugal, these days, like most mamas, I am trying to cut the grocery budget down even a little bit more. 

One of the ways I've been doing that is learning how to make homemade versions of some things I would normally just purchase new. 

It's not always a huge savings, but often times it's "luxury" items that would just be cut right off the list like paper towels and sugar scrubs and foam pump hand soap. 

So today I thought, "I should really tell my bloggy friends about some of these." (my bloggy friends--that's what I call you guys in my head) and thus "Homemade Homemaker" was born!  And since I can't just do a post about something, I have to make a matching button.....

Ta da:



So this week I thought I'd tell you about foam pump hand soap (and in a couple of weeks I'll tell you my sugar scrub recipe...so easy and so awesome!)



I just love the foamy soaps don't you?  The only problem is that  you can't refill them with regular soap and the "special" refills are absurdly expensive for what they are, but thanks to some crafty experimenting on my part I can now tell you how to make your very own, super cheap refills!

Of course you have to make the initial purchase of the foam soap to get the special little foamy pump (I haven't figured out how to make *that* myself yet...heh-heh).



 
The one I'm using for the tutorial is the kid's soap Kandoo.  My Little-O *loves* this stuff and making my own refills saves lots of cash (and a little nagging from me about only pumping one time!). 

Step One

So the first thing you do when your bottle is empty is to wash it out with warm water. I pump some water through a few times too to make sure there are no clogs.

Step Two



Next fill the bottle about one third of the way full of regular hand soap - any brand will do.  If you have a warehouse type membership you can get the gigantic bottle of liquid hand soap for super cheap.

Step Two
 
Now, slowly fill the bottle up the rest of the way with water.  Do this gently so your soap doesn't foam up on you.

Once it's filled, you want to *softly* tilt the bottle back and forth to mix up the soap & water.  Don't shake it or it will get all bubbly and won't work right.




That's it!  Now you have an almost free, foamy pump hand soap refill!  Neat, huh?  And this works in all the brands I've tried including Bath & Body soap! 



 

Hope you're having a great Monday!  I'm still packing and cleaning and doing laundry and getting ready for our trip.  I'm trying to keep reminding myself that we are only gonna be gone for a week and a half and probably don't need to bring *everything* we own (I tend to over pack...heh-heh).

See you soon!

Grace & Peace,

♥ Melissa~

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"He saved us because of His mercy, and not because of any good things that we have done. God washed us by the power of the Holy Spirit. He gave us new birth and a fresh beginning" - Titus 3:5

summer crochet & such

Well hello there.  I thought I'd pull the dust covers off the furniture and open up some windows here and say hi again.  How are you all?

I've been busy, busy with wrapping up school, church activities, learning new craftiness and all sorts of fun things.

You may remember me learning to crochet awhile back. I'm completely head over heels for it now.  I want to crochet *everything*. 

I found a blog by a lovely lady named Lucy called Attic 24 that is just the most fun, eye-tingling, inspirational place you can imagine. 

The colors she chooses for her pretty crochet-y things are fabulous and she has lots of *free* patterns and tutorials!  She has such a fantastic way of explaining how to do the stitches that I feel like I can tackle the most complicated pattern now! 

I'm in the middle of finishing several of her patterns right now. The most wonderful, amazing, colorful, yarny bag (I'm not quite finished with it yet, but you can see it in the background below) and flowers and flowers and a little granny square pillow!!  It's crafty heaven, I tell you, working with all these beautiful, bright colors!

 

 

 

 

If you've never tried to crochet you have to pop over to Lucy's blog and read through her instructions you won't believe how easy (and addicting) it is once you get going!

Well, I'm busy packing for our summer trip to Wisconsin and looking forward to lots of summery, lake-y, road trip-y fun.  {I'm especially looking forward to another visit to the amazing Red Lead paper art store!)

I need to load up the ipod with lots of crafty podcasts and some good faith-building ones too as it's a long two-day drive up.  Any suggestions of favorite podcasts??  I'd love to find some new ones to listen to.

O-man & Little-O in Wisconsin last summer.

These last few months have been very busy and at times quite trying and I really need the rest.  Some time away to think and pray and visit with far away family that we love so much and see so little...it will do me well I think.

What are your plans this summer?  Have you learned any new craftiness?  I would love to hear what you're all up to.  I've missed you!

Grace & Peace in Him,

♥ Melissa~

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"Jesus said, "Come off by yourselves; let's take a break and get a little rest." For there was constant coming and going. They didn't even have time to eat. So they got in the boat and went off to a remote place by themselves." -Mark 6:31-32 (the message)

a floating inspiration board

I've always had an inspiration board of some kind over my work area.  I usually have it covered in magazine photos, scraps of fabric, quotes and scriptures, whatever happens to be inspiring me at the moment.

{If you're not sure what I mean have a look here.  Woah, talk about inspiration!}

In my current setup however, I have almost *no* blank wall space.  So no pretty inspiration board. :(  Until I saw this:

Inspiration Mobile

I was so excited when I saw it because I had that exact same mobile sitting in a drawer waiting to be used! (and I found it at Target on clearance!! Could life get any better??)

So now my inspirational bits and pieces float above my work surface in front of the window and I love the three-dimensionality and balance of it all.

And because I love you all so much I went searching for where you could purchase one of these  {because the clearance ones at Target are all gone bye-bye now of course. :(  }...

...and found you a link!

 

Kikkerland

Have fun and be crafty this weekend!

♥ Melissa~
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"Those who live at the ends of the earth stand in awe of your wonders. From where the sun rises to where it sets, you inspire shouts of joy."
-Psalm 65:8 (new living translation)

ten on tuesday (on wednesday) - the crafty vacation edition

ten thoughts on tuesday

(or wednesday...or...you know...whenever I can grab my laptop and hide in the closet for long enough to post something)

one

I've already told you about Red Lead, the wonderful paper art store in St. Louis owned by sisters Chris Schwartz and Sharon Wisely, but I wanted to show you more photos and say again how amazing this store is! 

If you have a minute you must go take a peek at the online shop.  They have a unique line of stamps that are all so charming.

Here are some more photos of their inspiring space (click on them to see a larger image).

I want to bring a sleeping bag and live here!

 

A tag skirt with silk ribbon ties!  I really need this in my house!

 

Every display in the store is so clever and unique.  I love the umbrellas hanging from the ceiling and do you see the ATC cards dangling in the back?  There's a close up of these later.

Sharon and Chris hand pick all the old furniture and display items at antique shows and flea markets.

I am crazy about the collaged chair and the paint-chipped red table!  The postcards are displayed in old drawers!

 

Aren't these frame shelves amazing?  What a creative and crafty idea!

 

Art in glass jars.  Breathtaking.

 

Oh, this round table and all its goodies just makes my heart sing!

Love these microscope slide necklaces. This one is made with their queen bee stamp.

 

Buttons!  The texture and colors of all these make my eyes tingle!  Don't you just love that big button frame full of buttons!!?

A display of rows and rows of beautiful ATC's pinned together and hanging from the ceiling... stunning!

In this corner of the store it's always Christmas!  How lovely! (A red Christmas tree!)

For those of you lucky enough to live in St. Louis I hope you'll visit Red Lead soon and think of me here in Texas being super jealous of you!

two

In Madison, Wisconsin we stopped for lunch at Ella's Deli.  It is such a neat place full of creativity and craftiness (not to mention delicious food) so I just had to show you some pictures!

  

three

Outside of Ellas's is a restored Parker carousel from 1927.  Little O wanted to ride, but only on the bench, not on the horses.  Apparently they looked a little wild to him.

 

The wild carousel horse.

four

Inside Ellas' is even more whimsical and fun with all kinds of handmade animated characters, displays and dioramas created by local artists and the owners themselves!

 

Everyone's favorite elephant.

Teen O found the feet faces a little creepy.

 

This ketchup bottle jumps over the hot dog and vice versa. Pure genius. heh-heh

 

This robot has a camera in his face and a monitor on his belly so when you walk up to him you can see yourself on the belly monitor.  Little O *loved* it.

five

Even the tables get in on the act at Ella's.  Each table has a glass top with a themed-shadow box underneath.  We sat at the origami table.

 

This table was filled with mini instruments.

six

The other fun and crafty thing I did on the trip was to go to a small town "Strawberry Festival" art fair.  It was really neat.

I met lots of talented crafters and artists.  I wish I could just tour around the country going to these types of shows.

seven

The first was a gentleman who owns American Forging.  He crafts beautiful pieces from recycled aluminum cans!  You really won't believe they used to be cans when you see them.

eight

Next I met Jody Avery and Tammy Mueller of Squiggles and Squares.  They make super cute collaged scrabble tiles and dominoes.

I just loved them and bought a scrabble tile necklace with a little piece of the Bible collaged on the front!  Go check out their etsy shop to see their jewelry & key chains.

nine

Finally I met Gisela Magdalena Moyer.  A paper artist that creates the most amazing paper sculptures. 

Her work is bright and beautiful and full of life. The pictures don't do it justice at all.  I just couldn't stop looking at each piece.  She also has a fascinating life story (don't all wonderful artists?) that you can read about on her website.

I'm saving up for one of her tree pieces, they just make me smile.

ten

That's it for today, I am out of computer time!  Hope you enjoy some of those websites and maybe buy some art!

More photos tomorrow!

God's Grace & Peace,

♥ Melissa~
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"Hallelujah! I give thanks to God with everything I've got...God's works are so great, worth a lifetime of study—endless enjoyment! Splendor and beauty mark His craft; His generosity never gives out. His miracles are His memorial— This God of Grace, this God of Love."
-Psalm 111:1

Altered Reusable Grocery Bags! | 31 Crafty Flowers in 31 Days-Day 17

Day Seventeen - You're a Flower Queen!

It's day 17 of the 31 Crafty Flowers in 31 Days extravaganza!  Woo-hoo!

Today we're using silk flowers (and a little fabric & buttons) to gussie up those ugly (but important) reusable shopping bags!

(gussie up - that's Texan for make 'em pretty)

I got mine on sale when my Albertson's was going out of business and now I really don't like taking them to other stores because of the big (and mega-ugly) Alberston's logo on them.

I first got the idea of "altering" them at this little blog: ferferly.  She has a wonderful tutorial for creating a pocket to cover the logo.

My bags were different than hers though and I'm not quite as good a seamstress so this is my solution.

(I think you could do this completely with hot glue too if you are not a sewy sew kinda gal.)

Here's what you need to get started:

 

-A reusable shopping bag with an ugly logo (or not)
-Silk flowers (or polyester - the dollar store usually has bunches of them for...well a dollar, heh-heh)
-Fabric Scraps
-Hot Glue gun
-Needle & thread
-Sewing Machine (optional)

Step One

Cut out the the fabric to the size needed to cover the logo. 

Step Two

Layout the flowers in the design/pattern of your choice and pin them to the fabric.

Step Three

I sewed around the edges of my fabric square to make it look sewn-on.  I left raw edges because I like that look, but you could turn the seams under if you prefer a neater look.

In hind-sight I should have done that *before* pinning the flowers on.  It would just be easier.  Now you don't have to make that mistake though.  Aren't I awesome?  I'm always workin' for ya to figure things out. heh-heh.

Step Four

Now select the buttons for your flower centers and sew them on by hand.

Step Five



Attach your fabric square to the bag.  I used hot glue, but you could hand sew it or even hot glue velcro strips to both the bag and the fabric so that the fabric could be removed for washing!

That's it! 

Now you have a pretty bag to take shopping!   

And you can create so many different designs with this idea too! 

You could do a patchwork of different fabrics instead of just one.  You could even use appliqué or embroidery or cross-stitch to decorate the fabric!

You could also hot glue only around three sides to create a pocket (similar to what ferferly did with hers)!

If you don't already have some reusable grocery bags (with mega ugly logos on them) you can get some very nice plain ones to decorate here.


Ok! Go make some fun & flowery shopping bags and say no to plastic!

Grace & Peace,

♥ Melissa~
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"At that time the Lord All-Powerful will be like a beautiful crown, like a wonderful crown of flowers for His people."
-Is 28:5

ten on tuesday - the fabric edition

ten random thoughts on tuesday (on wednesday night)

one

Easter was lovely and long.   We had quite a fun (which translates to exhausting for mama & daddy) three-day extravaganza.  I won't bore you with tons of photos, but I do have to show you this one:

I found these little plushie peeps and I cannot stop taking photos of them.  They are so cute!  I always buy peeps for the kids Easter baskets because...well..it's tradition...but you know...they taste ...um...  disgusting! 

And we almost always throw them out *unopened*.  *ugh*  I really don't like that, so when I found these little stuffed peeps this year I was so excited!  These will be the new tradition. Yay.

two

After the egg coloring was finished hubby was cleaning up for me (yes, that's right, I have *the* best husband in the world - see number 4 for more proof), and he asked,

"So can I throw this egg dye out?" 

I don't know why, but the words "can I throw this out?" just trigger something in me and my natural reaction is to say,

"No way I can make something with that!"

I got that *I can make something* gleam in my eye and Oman looked just slightly annoyed so I knew I better jump up and make something immediately to prove that I wasn't being the ultimate pack rat. 

The first thing I saw on my desk as I went into the kitchen was a little stack of manila tags...so into the dye they went!  And you can't believe how cute they turned out!

I also experimented with the little white wax crayon that came with the kit for the eggs and that looked even cuter!  See my little birdie?  (can you tell that Molly Chicken is influencing me?)

So now I have quite the collection of tags to use for projects.  I'm thinking of adding some stitching to them too.

If you like these and want to try it you should run to the grocery store right now and see if they have the egg dye kits on clearance.  I usually pick these up the week after Easter for less than 50 cents!

And if you *really* like them, but have no desire to make them yourself then check my etsy shop in a couple days because I'll have some listed there. :)

three

Things you hear frequently in a house of boys:
"Ha-ha...you will never defeat me!"
"Why can't I just wear *this*?"
"What? I don't smell anything."

Things you don't hear:

"Would you braid my hair?"
"I think we need more pink around here"
"Wanna play barbies with me?"

four

My husband can fix anything.  Really, he is a genius.  He has fixed everything that's ever broken in our house or figured out a way to replace it with almost no money. 

Last night the dryer made the most awful sound and it wouldn't stop.  This morning he opens it up, does some tool-y things to it and now it works better than before!  Really, it had gotten so loud and now you can barely hear it.  I {heart} my handy hubby.

(and also, tonight when I told him supper was ready he said "yay!" as if he was about to go on vacation...and that is even better than handiness to me.)

five

Let's talk about the quilt show some more shall we?  I didn't get to finish showing you everything anyway.

There was so, so much beautiful fabric.

Did I mention the fabric was beautiful??

Lollipops of bias tape.  yum!

Cutest pillow case kits *ever*.

six

Mom bought me this one for LittleO's room.  I'm going to be re-doing it this summer and I just fell in *love* with this!  It's so sweet and retro and I just love all the little sayings about the Lord.  I want to do a mural with those little birds and sun!  Can't wait.

seven

My mom bought me the pattern for this one too!!  I'm so excited, my first quilt!  Isn't it gorgeous?

It's called French Roses by Heather French.   I just love the way the flowers are all rustic looking and fuzzy around the edges.

I like the colors they've used here, but the fabric I want to use is the Ginger Blossom collection by Sandi Henderson. 

I am *so* in love with that fabric.  Gotta sell some stuff on etsy to raise the money to buy me a whole lot of Ginger Blossom! 

And then you will get to see the journey of a first time quilter which may or may not be pretty.  I don't know...*LOL*...

And here is all the beautiful fabric she bought me:

Notice a color trend at all?

I just love the birdy paint by number one...

eight

Can you guess what these are?

They are these:

Gorgeous quilted hearts cut from all sorts & styles of vintage quilts.  They are so beautiful. 

I'm making all kinds of wonderful things with them that hopefully will end up in my shop if I can manage to let them go!

Each one is so sweet and unique.  I just love them. I may put a few of them all on their own in the shop so you can play too!

nine

Here are some of  my first sew-y things.  I am trying not to be too pefectionistic about it, but I do see a lot of flaws when I look at these.  I still love them though and I'm falling more and more in love with fabric everyday!

The first one is this little bunny.  I made him from an old bandana because I wanted to practice on something besides my lovely fabric.

I found him at Crafty Carnival.  She has a wonderful tutorial for him and a little pillow to put him in as well!  You have to go see, they are so cute.

He didn't come out looking like the pillow type to me though.  He kinda looks like he has an attitude...you know?  Like he's saying..."you want somma this?" 

This is my angel baby:

She is from a pattern my mom gave me called "Small Snippets" from Mary's Patterns.  I have to say even with her imperfections I am really crazy about her.  I have never made anything like her before and I just can't stop picking her up and looking at her. It's so amazing to take little bits of thread and fabric and create a beautiful little thing.

She is *very* tiny.  I should have put a quarter in the pic with her to show you.  It would have taken
up her whole dress, that's how tiny she is. 

And I just love her.  Did I mention that?

I want to make lots more of these little snippets.  Oh if only there were 48 hours in day. (24 of them occurring after children went to sleep...wouldn't that be fabulous??  Oh...but then I would miss the children....a little...)

ten

Look what my library just got in!!!

I am so excited!!!

I must go fall asleep reading these now and dream sweet, fabric-y dreams...

Hope you're all having a fantastic week!

Grace and Peace,

♥ M~

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"She shops around for the best yarns and cottons, and enjoys knitting and sewing."
-Proverbs 31:13 (the message)

ten on tuesday - 8

ten random thoughts on tuesday (night)

one

I have been tagged by three sweet friends!  Deanne, Marianna and Quirky.  I  just wanted to say thanks ladies and I am working on these!  There is so much to post and so little time! 

two

We made Glazed Lemon Scones the other day.  Oh what fun! They were yummy too, only I think I flattened them out a little too much so they weren't quite as high as I think scones are supposed to be. I'd never baked scones before though, so I was pretty happy with the way they came out!  The lemon glaze was *dee-licous* I could just eat that with a spoon - yum!  I found the recipe in the most recent issue of Family Fun Magazine. 

three

Here's the recipe and some visuals:  (you can also get the recipe here)

Ingredients:

Scones:
2 cups flour (I used cake flour and this made them very moist)
1/3 cup sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
Finely grated zest of one lemon
3 Tbsps cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 cup heavy or whipping cream, plus a little for brushing
1 egg yolk, beaten slightly
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Lemon Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp lemon extract
1 Tbsp melted butter
2 Tbsp heavy or whipping cream

1. Heat the oven to 400°. Grease a large, heavy baking sheet (preferably not a dark one) and set it aside.

2. Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt into a large mixing bowl. Add the lemon zest and toss the mixture with your hands.

3. Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles fine crumbs.

4. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour in the cream, the yolk, and the vanilla extract and use a fork to blend the liquids within the well. Then use a wooden spoon to combine all the ingredients, just until the dough holds together.

5. Scrape the dough onto a flour-dusted surface and then, using floured hands, knead it gently three or four times to form a ball. Flatten the ball into a disk about 3/4-inch thick, then cut it as you would a pie into 8 wedges. Transfer the pieces to the baking sheet, leaving at least 1/4 inch between them. Brush the tops lightly with cream.

6. Bake the scones in the center of the oven until golden brown, about 16 to 18 minutes. Allow them to cool on the sheet for a few minutes and then transfer them to a wire rack.

7. While the scones continue to cool, make the glaze. Combine all the ingredients in a small mixing bowl and whisk them until the mixture is smooth. If necessary, you can thin the glaze with water, stirring in no more than 1/2 teaspoon at a time. When the scones have cooled for another 10 minutes, drizzle each one generously with glaze. Makes 8 scones.

(can you see my banner in the tea kettle?? heh-heh - love that - can you see the fridge open?  LittleO was getting a snack...)

four

Okay, if you've been reading my blog for any amount of time you know that I have a squirrel thing (not like a "thing" for squirrels - that would be weird - a squirrel thing - click here to catch up). 

Well yesterday when taking a peek at what people were searching for when they came across my blog I found the most hilarious search term ever.  Someone was looking for "squirrel bureaucracy".  I kid you not.

five

After I finished laughing I thought...what in the world were they looking for? What human being would want or need to know about squirrel bureaucracy?  I mean, actually, I thought I made that term up...you know?...I don't think there really *is* a squirrel bureaucracy..is there?...

Wait a minute...do squirrels get internet?  Maybe the *squirrels* were doing some research....

six

Congratulations to Lisa at The Scrap Princess Blog she won my prize at The Ultimate Blog Party! Look here to see what she won!

seven

Speaking of prizes I won *two* prizes during the blog party.  How cool is that? 

I won an Arbonne goodie bag from Stacey at The Truest Thing and some *fantastic* felt pins from Katrin at Cuteacious (you must go check her etsy shop, Kaleidoscope Style - so pretty). New bloggy friends and prizes!! What a blessing! 

eight

The quilt show was fabulous.  amazing.  I really can't describe it with words. 

I've always been a paper girl myself, but my mom has been wanting me to sew and a friend or two have encouraged me in that direction so that I was feeling kind of fabric-y already when my mom called and invited me to the quilt show.

nine

I am *so* glad I went. There was so much color and design and texture, everywhere I looked.  It was astonishingly inspiring!  Look at this!!!

This quilt was so tiny!  No bigger than your hand (those are the mini-binder clips holding it up)!

 

Felted cupcakes!! Can you get over it??

ten

My mom bought me fabric and goodies that I can't wait to show you tomorrow (plus more quilt show pics).  So much pretty!

I can't stop touching all the fabric.  Is this normal? 

I never liked the term "fat quarters" before because...you know... it had the word "fat" in it ...heh-heh...but now I {heart} the words "fat quarters"!

You know what they mean to me now?

"Here is some very expensive fabric that you cannot normally afford, but we are going to cut you a little, fat piece of it and only charge you $2.00!!  Now you can have some.  Aren't you happy?"

Yes! I am so happy!

My mom also got me a book on how to make fabric yo-yo's and ideas to use them *and* a heart-shaped yo-yo maker!!

I am so excited, I want to cover *everything* in heart-shaped yo-yos!!

But then

will I have to cut my fabric to do that?

Because I don't want to cut it.

I just want to touch it,

and hold it

and love it.

I have to go now, the fabric is in the other room and I can't reach it from here.

♥ M~
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"All you who fear God, how blessed you are! How happily you walk on His smooth straight road!...Enjoy the blessing! Revel in the goodness!"
-Psalm 128:1 (the message)

ten on tuesday - 7

ten random thoughts on tuesday

one

The three questions my hubby asks me most often:

1.) How many pictures of that are you going to take?

2.) Did you take this out of the garbage??

3.) Without looking at the clock, what time do you think it is right now?

two

A conversation with Little O this morning:

littleO:  mama?  'scuse me, mama?

me:  yes?

littleO: is dis special to you? (holding up a scrap of fabric from my desk)

me: no, why?  do you want it?

littleO: well, no.  I just thought it was special to you and I think I sneezed on it.

three

Sometimes when I'm emailing someone in a rush and I'm typing super fast I will start to sign my name and type:

lovey  ou

instead of

love you

I kinda like it.

four

Have you ever been trying to take a photo of something in your home and you're zoomed in on it and then you tilt your camera down towards the carpet and it auto focuses and then you scream? 

Oh. 

No that's never happened to me either...I was just wondering...you know if it had ever happened to you.

five

The snow is all finally gone and I heard the squirrels again for the first time yesterday, scampering around on the roof. 

six

Snow you say? Yes, here is a look at our *one day* of snow in March. (You "zone 5 & unders don't hate me because I live in zone 8 - a little early gardening talk for ya there - heh-heh)

Teen O - he thinks this picture is pretty cool.

Caught him with the zoom trying to catch snowflakes on his tongue. He *does not* think this photo is cool.  And please don't tell him that I posted it 'cause I'll get in trouble. (heh-heh)

Snowball fight!

seven

This morning when I went in to make sure TeenO was awake (which of course he was not) I noticed he had retrieved an old pink & red flowered quilt from the closet (must've gotten cold last night). 

As soon as I saw it I thought it would be perfect for a spring tablecloth in the kitchen.  (I was just thinking of buying a new one - spring tablecloth, not kitchen)

I grabbed hold of the edge of the blanket and mostly talking to myself said out loud,

"hey, can I use *this* for the tablecloth?" 

Teen O mutters in his sleep, "yeah, but not right now, ok?" 

Oh that child knows me too well.

I'm washing it as I type.  Can't wait to see if it works!

eight

I am going to the quilt show with my mom this weekend!!!!

nine

Fabric, fabric, fabric.  I am *so* excited!  (you can't be jealous 'cause love is not jealous.  besides, I will bring you some back ok?)

ten

I woke up to a foggy, springy morning today.  And here is what I heard and saw (- more video - aren't I conquering technology?? - well, ok, after you see the video you won't think I'm conquering anything - sorry about my lame video skills - just close your eyes and listen if you have to.)

lovey  ou

M~

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"You made me so happy, God I saw your work and I shouted for joy. How magnificent your work, God! How profound your thoughts!"
-Ps 92:4 (the message)

behind door number one

Time to show you the prizes for the winners of the bloggy move giveaway! 

Kate from Costa Rica won this little felt basket of springy paper goodies!

It includes lots of little crochet and appliqué flowers, tickets, tags...

...tiny beads...

...die cuts a library pocket a little chipboard birdie wrapped in ribbons, lace & baker's twine! (and did you notice the clear, crinkly cellophane?)

Angela won a little Birdie Book O' Bakery Twine all wrapped around some tiny ticket tags!

Inside the birdie (28 yards of gorgeous bakers twine!):

Are you drooling yet?  Well don't despair dear readers because you too could soon be opening a package filled with goodies like those above!

That's right, I'll be giving away more little prize packages during "The Ultimate Blog Party" sponsored by 5 Minutes for Mom! If you haven't looked at this yet, jump over there and see.  If you have a blog it is such a fun week to get to know other bloggers!

And if you simply cannot wait for the blog party you can sneak over to my etsy shop (yes, that's right, I have actually *updated* my shop - woo-hoo!) and get some twine and other goodies right now!  :)

See you tomorrow for Ten on Tuesday!

♥ M~  {←did ya see what I did there?  a little heart!  and an arrow! look here to conquer some evil technology yourself! ha-ha!}
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"She perceives that her merchandise is good..."
-Proverbs 31:18

christmas the sequel

I love Christmas, and I especially love the "after-Christmas" sales!  Hubby calls this week or two after Christmas my "Christmas Again".  Packages arriving daily with lots of little 75 to 90 percent off happiness!  It's such a fun time for me, because honestly, I don't do a lot of fun shopping the rest of the year.  Just the grocery and kid's shoe kind mostly.  *LOL*

We always budget part of our Christmas money for these sales because it's the most affordable time of year for buying birthday gifts (7 in the next three months!!), Christmas stuff for next year and household goodies that ordinarily cost infinitely more than our little budget allows for.

One of my very favorite places for the AC sales is Gooseberry Patch.  Just looking at their insanely beautiful watercolor catalog throughout the year makes me drool, but when their sale hits and some of the things on my wish list are 80% off!!!!??

Oh. my. goodness.  Heaven.

So I thought I'd share some of my favorite finds this year:

First, these delicious (I know it's a "food word", but it's how I feel about them) red mixing bowls and sweet little retro measuring cups (shown freshly covered in flour from some homemade french rolls I made for dinner) arrived last week.

real. glass. cups. that measure.  heh-heh.  Love that.

These make me so happy.  The colors, the textures.  I want to fill my whole kitchen with this kind of stuff. 

Before I got the mixing bowls, I had approximately 2 plastic bowls to mix with.  If you bake or cook at all, you know that (especially during the holidays) two mixing bowls will not work.  Well, they will, but so will the cook as she washes and rewashes hastily between dishes she's preparing. 

I also ordered the beautiful Gooseberry calendar.  It's $12.95 unless you wait for the AC sale and then it's $1.95!!!  Wa-hoo! 

My next favorites were some little red birdie salt & pepper shakers.  I found these for 50% off at an American Greetings card store in the mall.(which made them a mere $3.50 ).  I would like to say that we really *needed* new salt & pepper shakers, but the truth is we did not.  However, the "oh-so-beautiful-red-with-little-stitch-mark-wings-and-tiny-
pink-beaks-birdieness"  of these simply defied resistance.

They had an entire line of wonderful little red birdie things but I had to wait it out for the better sales.  And I'm so glad, because I got the matching red birdie cake plates below for 75% off !!

I don't know why, but those red birdies in my kitchen just make me happy.  How can it be so much more fun to shake salt & pepper out of red birdies?  But it is. :) 

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"For He did you good and showed you kindness and gave you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with nourishment and happiness."

-Acts 14:17 amp

target has me targeted

Does anyone else find it disconcerting just how well Target seems to know you?  Seriously.  They know my favorite color, the kind of music I like, when I shop, when I need a coupon.  The way to package the coupon, that will most delight me into opening it.

This is the latest:

Know what hubby said when he handed me this?  Not, "just junk mail." (which is what most flyers and coupons get in our household as they are unceremoniously dumped into the trash can), but, "hey, looks like you got somethin' fun from Target."

And it was fun.

I loved opening the clear, krinkly paper and slipping the coupons out of the red cardstock camera sleeve.  I especially loved the silver target, postcard background and the clever way the lens of the camera mimicked the Target logo.  Of course the free $10.00 worth of photofinishing coupon was nothing to complain about either. :)

And will I use it?  Of course I will.  The Target .com window is open in another tab as I type.

Ahhh marketing.