DADDY DAY!!

With Father's Day coming up in a few weeks, I've been busy scouring the internet for ideas of what we can do for the best daddy I know- my hubs- Derek. He seriously is such an amazing father to our 3 beasties and I love that we can honor him on this day. Having a 6 year, 4 year, and 3 month old, I'm trying to incorporate them all in this years gift. I really try and have them make something meaningful for dad rather then go out and buy him something expensive and say it's from the kids. Who are we kidding? I got a bike for mother's day (yee-haw!) but the girls stole my heart with their hand-made cards and a sweet silhouette drawing of Olivia. Here are some things I'm hoping to get made for the big day (along with the regular cards):

#1 Dad Trophy - kinda cheesy but super sweet

Dad photo - LOVE this! Might switch it up a bit but I love the idea!

SUPER T's

The Super T's were a huge success and I've been officially renamed "Martha" by my friends. Here are some pics of the finished products. I need to get some pics of the shirts in action...

SUPER PARTY!!

My middle beastie is turning 4 in a few days (sniff) and for her birthday we're going to Monkey Joe's with a few of her besties. It's a HUGE room with a bunch of inflatables that the kiddos can run and bounce around in. They leave sweaty and staticy and hopefully exhausted! We actually won the party while we were at another party a few months back so that was a major score. Because B2s party is relatively inexpensive (being free and all) I thought I'd have fun with the favors. I always try and avoid giving favors that will make parents curse me out and I like to be practical. For B1s 5th birthday party, she wanted a Pinkalicious party so everything was PINK and girly. She was having several of her little girlfriends over so this was the favor. The girls LOVED them! Anyway- back to B2s favors. I figured she's 4, full of energy, and loves to dress up so why not something they can wear that's fun and sort of dress-upy. Enter the Super-T. It's essentially a t-shirt ($2.99 at The Hob Lob) that I'll applique something on (not quite sure yet...and the party is in 2 days!!) and then for the fun part- I'm going to make capes out of shimmery material (no fray bathing-suit type material- I scored 2 yards- enough to make 8 capes- for about $8 at The Hob Lob with my 40% off coupon...) and I'm going to attach the capes to the shirts using snaps. I got this handy dandy contraption that is supposed to attach the snaps easily to the shirts and capes which I'm pretty excited about using. We'll see how well it works...
Stay tuned- I'll post pics!

Fun Baby Book Idea

I got this great idea from one of my favorite sites- younghouselove.com. I wanted to make a fun baby book for Eli marking his first year (Derek and I are really trying to do this for each year for all of our children- we're a few years behind with the girls!) Anyway- on YHL, they take a picture of their daughter, Clara, every on a piece of fun material dressed only in a onesie. Then, John (the dad), uses photoshop to put the week on the onesie so it looks like it was silkscreened on there. Check it out his handiwork here. I loved the idea but didn't think I'd be able to do it weekly (having 3 kiddos and all) so I opted to do it monthly. A few weeks ago, Kaitlin and I set up our first photoshoot with the boy while our boys were off doing manly stuff (they may of actually been at the store buying stuff for supper...can't really remember...but they came back with beer so that makes it manly, right??) Anyway- check out some of the great shots we got that day. Eli was being super cute (as always) so it was easy! The plan is to do a iPhoto book and have 16 shots on the left page from that month then the monthly picture taking up the entire right page. I'm really excited about it!

Happy Boy!

He's Here!

Ok- so it's been awhile...a long while...but my boy finally made his debut February 5th at 12:47am! He share's his first name with Derek's grandfather and a middle name and birthday with his Boppa Martin- Elias Daniel- our sweet Eli. The girls are so in love with him and are always loving on him and wanting to hold and snuggle him. So far, he's been a really good baby- really only cries when he's hungry or during his nightly fussy time (between 8 and 9 pm) but he's quite the snuggler and has cheeks that would rival those of a chipmunk storing food for winter. Labor was fast (it started around 6:00pm Feb 4th) and delivery was faster (5 contractions and all 9 lbs 4 ozs of him was out!) We're so excited to finally have him here and have loved getting to know our little man. Here are some pics from his first couple of weeks here.

Right after he was born












The girls meeting their brother for the first time












Our first picture as a family of 5 (!)












Sweet boy












Sweet big sister

Handstamped Necklaces

I love these necklaces- they're not perfect and each one is unique. i love making them for people and seeing how each one is going to turn out. I recently made a new one for myself and went a little bigger and more organic on the charms. The charms I used were actually rejects- I had messed up on a previous order and just used my metal scissors to trim that part off and make a new shape. I love how it turned out and the sweet jingling sound it makes when I walk reminds me of my sweet beasties. Here are some that I've made and you can purchase at our shop (made with the names of your choosing, of course!)

My Craft Room!!

This past summer we gave our youngest daughter the boot from her room and moved the beasties in together. They love being roomies and there hasn't been any problems (yet...they are only 3 and 5...I'm scared of the teenage years!) What did we do with this new found space? We made it my craft room, of course! It's been a wonderful space and I love having it all to myself. A few weeks back, my in-laws came for a visit. Seeing that it was the first time seeing our house, we wanted to make sure it was spic and span for their arrival. I took advantage of this and made sure to take pictures of my super clean craft room (it's since fallen apart...a little...) So here are the pics! I love 'em and just looking at them makes me want to make something!

view 1: the bookshelf in the background is my fabric storage, the short table is my sewing table, and the long table is my multi-craft table
ps- the upholstered cornice board I made to match the room- I love it!












view 2: my wonderful cutting table that I searched high and low for (got it at Ikea in the kitchen island section)- it fits my cutting board perfectly. Eventually there will be a TV on the wall so my hubby can watch TV while I create. (note the clock on the wall- I made it out of a plate and stickers...and the lamp- made of little rosebuds from Hobby Lobby and glued on)












view 3: the white cupboard in the background is my gift wrapping station












another view of the wrapping station- cards, tissue paper, ribbons...it's all there. And the drawer hols the tape scissors and labels. (the wreath and R have since been combined and hung above the cupboard...stay tuned for that one!)


















view 4: the closet- it's since be revamped for efficiency

A Baby Thing (or two...or three...or ten)

So I'm officially 20 weeks pregnant (well- I was 30 weeks this past Wednesday.) Which means less then 10 weeks until Baby Boy gets here which means less then 10 weeks to get myself (and my family AND this house) organized and working like a well oiled machine (riiiiight- just wanted to see what it felt like to write that....) Anywho- maybe because it's the holiday season or maybe because of the baby's imminent arrival or maybe because I know my time will be at a premium once he gets here but I'm feeling rather crafty lately! I thought I'd post a few things I'd like to do before Baby Boy arrives mainly to organize it in my own mind and so I don't forget the things I'd like to make. So enjoy and if you have a bun in the oven too or are looking for some fun baby gifts, then check out the tutorials I found!

Nursing Cover

Changing Pad Cover

Binky Straps

Wooden Monograms

Easy Swaddle Sheet

Crinkle Toy

Blanket with Mitered Corners

Baby Hat

Crib Sheet

Wet Bag

Super Girls!

My beasties wanted to be superheroes for Halloween so off I went in search of the perfect tutorial to make a cape. I found it on thelongthread.com. They turned out really cute and I love the sparkly belts (1 inch elastic sequin trim), wrist bands and masks (silver glittery bathing suit material) I made for them. My husband said they couldn't be REAL superheroes until they had masks. All of the materials I got from my favorite cloth store called Mary Jo's. This place is a HUGE mecca of fabric delight (how's that for an advertisement?) Check it out here.

check out the pumpkin I made- it was a bumpy one that I painted green and then puff painted the face on. The hat was from the dollar bin at Target (it was a pet costume)- sweet, huh?


















that's one good lookin' candy man!


















SUPER GIRRRRRRRL!

Oh my...

I have a friend who is having twin girls. I was on one pretty thing this week (perhaps you've heard me mention that site before??) and there were several tutorials for baby things being featured. The first was an ADORABLE baby bonnet that I HAD to make. And let me just say that the baby that's modeling the bonnet is SO stinkin' sweet it makes my teeth hurt. I'm glad I have someone(s) to make the bonnet for because I don't think my boy will appreciate me putting a bonnet on him when he's born in a few months!

Reversible Baby Bonnet on Sew, Mama, Sew! (don't you just want to snuggle her and sniff her head?!)

Cute Halloween Crafts

I'm an avid reader of oneprettything. I'm officially obsessed with that site and check it several times a day. This site is the reason my "someday crafts" list keeps growing longer and longer. Recently, there has been an abundance of Halloween and Fall crafts and I just thought I'd share some of my favorites (all of which I plan to make over the next week or so...)

Floating Ghost by Everyday is a Crafting Day!














Harvest Blocks by Shannon Makes Stuff (the one I made is going to say "welcome" and sit on my mantle)















Superhero Cape by The Long Thread (my girls are going to be superheros for Halloween)


















Boo Wreath by Craftaholics Anonymous



















Have a spook-tacular time crafting!! (see what I did there?) ;o)

Katie

Best.Cookies.Ever!

There was a mom from our small group that would make these A-MAZING peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. They were SO yummy that I had to ask for the recipe. I've made them several times since and they're always a crown pleaser! Give 'em a whirl- you won't be sorry (although your love handles might be!)

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

* ½ C butter
* ½ C butter flavor shortening
* 1 C peanut butter
* 1 C granulated sugar
* 1 C packed light brown sugar
* 2 eggs
* 1 tsp vanilla
* 2 ½ C flour
* 1 ½ tsp baking powder
* 1 tsp baking soda
* ½ tsp salt
* 12 oz chocolate chips

* ½ C chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. Preheat oven to 375*
2. In bowl beat butter, shortening, peanut butter, sugar and brown sugar, eggs and vanilla on medium speed until nice and creamy
3. In a separate bowl stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
4. Add to peanut butter mixture and mix well. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts if desired.
5. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until set, remove from oven and let sit on cookie sheet for 10 minutes before cooling on wire racks.

That's what I'M talkin' about! Yum!!













Katie

Nap Towel Revamp

My youngest daughter started preschool a few weeks back (sniff) and she needed a towel to take "rest time" on. I use the term "rest time" very loosely- try getting 15 3 year olds to lay down and be still for 10 minutes and see how successful you are! Anyway- I couldn't just send in a normal towel. I needed to make it pretty so I looked through my ribbon stash and found some chute ribbon that matched perfectly and set to work. First I embroidered her name (I couldn't just write it in sharpie on the tag!) and then I used some stitch witch to attach the ribbon to the towel (so it wouldn't slide around when I sewed it. Then I tacked down either side with a basic stitch on my sewing machine and I was done! A super cute towel that she wriggles around on for 10 minutes a day.

The original towel...BORING!!












The updated version...cute!

Craft Room Clock

As you may know, I gave my youngest daughter the boot out of her room and moved her in with her bigger sister so I could convert her room to my craft room...selfish? I think not. Their room is actually huge and they LOVE sharing. Anywho- I'm still in the process of taking pictures of the finished result (actually- the room is currently in shambles from about 30 projects I've been working on so I'm embarrassed to take pics...) but I did want to share a cute clock that I made for the room. I originally had a wooden square clock that I dismantled and was going to mod podge some scrapbook paper to the back and reassemble it and hang that- a nice simple re-use project, right? WRONG- as soon as I took the back off, all the clock dials started coming undone- it was a mess. SO I moved onto plan B. With the help of my trusty craft buddy, Kaitlin, we set off to create a plate clock. I had seen several of these at the bakery Amelie's in Charlotte, NC and I loved them. They looked easy enough so off I went to get the necessary materials. I needed a plate (duh) $3 from Homegoods, a clock kit $6 from Hobby Lobby (plus 40% off), scrapbook numbers $2 from Hobby Lobby, a dremel drill, and drill bits meant for porcelain or glass $12 for 4 sizes at Lowe's. We submerged the plate under water (in my handy dandy lasagna pan) and started drilling. Slow at first then faster when I became inpatient but eventually we had a hole big enough for the clock kit. The rest of the assembly was easy then I added my sticker numbers and voila! A plate clock! Here are some pics...

It's a....

BOY! Yipee!
We went for our ultrasound yesterday and found out we're adding a boy to our crew! The little ladies are really excited! Some of the names they suggested: Samuel (nice), Justin (my brother's name), Ashton (Olivia's new BFF in kindergarten), or Lilly (that was my 3 year old's idea...) While all the above are nice, I don't know if we'll be going that route. Now that we know, hubby and I can start discussing nursery and name ideas- yay!! Right now the nursery is our guest room. Over the next 5 months, it'll be changed into a sweet nursery for our little man. Where will the guests go you ask? (ok- so maybe you're not asking, but our guests- mainly my mom- are...) They will go up on our 3rd floor...which was supposed to be the man cave but then turned into an extra playroom and will eventually become a guest/media room. It's scary up there...toys and craft paraphernalia are strewn about. It was the landing zone for the kids when I had a mom's small group at our house and the babysitters would take them up there. I had BIG plans to clean it out up there when my mom was here in July for 3 weeks (sniff- miss you mama!) but I got too busy crafting, and playing, and reading, and going out on date nights with the hubs (free babysitters RULE! sniff- miss you mama!!) So there it sits- in all it's destructive glory...I'm waiting for the nesting urge to kick in- then I'll really whip this place in shape- until then- I'm going to take a nap...

:o) Katie

Lemon Blueberry Trifle

My friend made this for our small group a few weeks ago and my taste buds danced- never mind the fact I'm currently a little nuts-o about blueberries. There's a guy at our local farmers market that has the BEST blueberries- oh my- I've probably spent over $100 this season on blueberries alone. We froze 10 pints of them so I can make blueberry pie this Thanksgiving along with blueberry pancakes and blueberry scones all Fall and Winter long. It's my nod to Little House and the Prairie (I love that book!) Anyway- I digress (I do that often...) I begged and pleaded on my knees for the recipe (actually, I emailed her and she emailed me back...in like 15 minutes- what a gal!) It is SO good- I made it the other night for my mom's last night visiting here (she had been here for 3 weeks- oh how I miss her!) Check it out, then do yourself a favor and make it...and try to not eat it all in one sitting...with the bowl between your legs and a spoon in your hand watching Cake Boss (not that I speak from experience...)

Ingredients:

* 1 frozen prepared pound cake (16 oz)

* 1 lemon

* 1 1/2 cups milk

* 1 (8oz) container sour cream

* 1 container cool whip

* 2 packages (3.4 oz each) lemon instant pudding

* 1 pint blueberries

* 1 square (1 oz) white chocolate for baking (I used 1 oz white chocolate chips and food processed the heck out of them)

Cut pound cake into 1 inch cubes. Zest one lemon and set aside. Juice the lemon and sprinkle lemon juice over pound cake and toss gently. Combine milk, sour cream, half of the cool whip, and reserved lemon zest, whisk until smooth. Add pudding mix, whisk until begins to thicken.

Set aside 10 blueberries for garnish. To assemble place 1/3 of the cake on the bottom, top with 1/3 blueberries, grate 1/4 of chocolate over, and top with 1/3 of the pudding mix. Repeat layers 2 more times. Use remaining cool whip to make rosettes or dollops on top- place a blueberry on each dollop and sprinkle remaining chocolate on top.

**side note- I used all of the cool whip in the mixture- whoops!- but it still tasted heavenly.**

:) Katie

So much to share!

Good grief! Has it been long enough? I go into summer every year dreaming about carefree days where much will get accomplished and all will be happy and tanned by the end of it and about halfway through I wake up. We are one busy crew here! Especially add to it the fact that I'm now 15 weeks pregnant (yipee!) and exhaustion pretty much made the first half of the summer nothing but a hot, sunshiney blur. It's been like 900 degrees here for about the last 2 months- I believe we skipped right over spring and got into the dead of summer within a matter of days and here we stand. So- not only do I have 2 beasties to chase after, but I'm 15 weeks pregnant, trying desperately to NOT gain 60 lbs with this one (it's ugly...really, really ugly), and possibly living on the surface of the sun- whew! BUT, I'm back (for now) and boy do I have a lot to share...we have the craft room set up (it's not quite done yet- but almost!) and I LOVE IT!! The color is perfect, the crown Derek and Nate put up is perfect, the furniture is perfect (I'll tell you about my cutting table another time) and it's a great spot to go and create. Never mind the fact I have about 30 unfinished projects or things I'd like to do (which I should probably do in the next 5 months- I somewhat recall newborns being kind of a time-suck...that's all a blur too...) Anywho- I'm back and ready to post! Maybe when school starts it'll be better?? Maybe not...

:) Katie

Fabric Covered Lamp- Tutorial

Ahhhh- our first official tutorial! So I'm officially obsessed with Mod Podge- it's a wonderful creation and I've been mod podging everything- my husband is a little scared- I can see it in his eyes. Anywho- the other day, I was organizing The Beasties playroom (for about the 50th time this year) and I noticed the sad little lamp sitting on their book case. It's from Ikea and the base is black and the shade is white. If you know me at all- that's so BORING!! So I decided to introduce the lamp shade to my new love- Mod Podge! The result? A super cute, girly lamp shade that looks awesome in their playroom. Check it out below!

Tape 4 pieces of scrap paper together (recycle baby!)

Set the shade to the edge of the paper and using a pencil, along the outside edge of the shade, trace the path of the shade as you roll it.












like this...
(like my posed hand? I'm not left handed...but I needed to be for the picture...)












It should look like this when you're done...












Cut out the pattern and lay it on your material (isn't this material super cute??)
(make sure the pattern is going the right way- I cut out two that were upside down...scrap pile!)












Cut it out leaving about 1/4 inch clearance on all sides...












Get your Mod Podge...hello love!












Using a nasty foam brush leftover from another craft (and apparently not washed in time...) smear the Mod Podge on your shade- one row at a time (so it doesn't dry on you) and adhere the fabric- rubbing it to get any air bubbles out.












Run some Mod Podge along the lip of the shade and fold the material over the edge.
(on a side note- I've realized I'll never be a hand model...)












Set the shade right side up and admire your work.


















Attach to the lamp base and show all your friends- viola! You're done -go you!