Scrap Happy

Photo Card

2011-12-03T18:33:00.001-08:00

Filled With Love Holiday

holiday party invitations and thank you cards by Shutterfly.

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Another Healthy Treat!

2011-02-22T08:46:00.000-08:00

While I realize that I've been kind of ~~obsessed~~ focused on recipes lately, I have another great one for you!

I haven't really filled you in on my coupon/money saving techniques on my grocery shopping trips but it truly deserves a post of it's own. Meanwhile, I will tell you that I've been saving a TON of money and able to buy some fun and healthy new things to try. The first of which is quinoa.

There's SO many fascinating recipes with quinoa and I've been so eager to try it. So I picked up some quinoa on my last shopping trip. It's an organic variety and seems pretty simple to cook. So in my quest to decide what to make first, I really wanted to find something that would be healthy and filling. I did a foodgawker search for energy bars....none with quinoa. Then I searched quinoa bars and nothing really stood out. Then I found THIS RECIPE for apple quinoa cake - perfect. I'm a sucker for dessert! As always, with my cheater / improv style, I had to make a couple of substitutions.

First mix the dry ingredients in a bowl.

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 ts[ ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

In a separate bowl, mix the wet remaining ingredients. I used:

1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1/4 olive oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup chopped pecans (any nuts wold work)

1/4 cup raisins

2 tbsp ground flax

Add 1 large apple, cored & grated and 1 cup cooked quinoa,

mix well and put in a greased bread pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until done.

I chose to omit the topping referenced in the recipe linked above. Allow to cool completely before slicing or it will fall apart ) not that I know ANYTHING about that!)

It doesn't rise up as much as a regular bread but more like a cake would. But much more dense. Plus it's super moist and has great texture from the grated apple.

I've individually wrapped each slice so it's ready for anyone to grab and go. A healthy alternative to the high calorie & sugary cereal or granola bars. Plenty sweet and full of nutrition! If you give it a try I'd love to hear how YOU liked it! Leave a comment below. :)

Only {5} ingredients

2011-02-21T16:01:00.000-08:00

In my quest to eat healthier, I'm trying to incorporate more wholesome alternatives into my meal plan. Especially for lunch. Lunch is the perfect time for me to try new things since I eat at work, it won't matter if no one else likes it or not.

This week, I've prepared lots of precut veggies like carrots, celery, orange bell peppers...easy for grab and go. Way better than dipping these in ranch is hummus. So, today I decided to try my hand at making it.

Here's my ingredients:

The actual recipe for basic hummus calls for Tahini, not peanut butter. Tahini is a sesame paste and should be readily available in any grocery store. BUT....being that I'm ~~lazy~~ creative, I replaced the Tahini with peanut butter. It should probably be a natural kind, like from the health food store but we like to keep it simple around here :)

The directions I found gave a specific order to which ingredients to add and when...again, in keeping things simple, I tossed everything in the food processor and whizzed away!

It was delish! Not fussy or complicated, just right. Serve with fresh veggies and some pita or naan! If you want to try my version, I (sortof) kept track of what I did:

1 can garbanzo beans - reserve liquid

3 tbsp reserved liquid

3 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp peanut butter

1 tbsp olive oil

1tsp minced garlic

Five ingredients and pretty much five minutes to a great snack. I've packaged it up for lunches this week and am super excited to have found something healthy and tasty that's super easy to make.

{English muffins}

2011-02-20T20:05:00.000-08:00

Since my recent ~~obsession~~ discovery of the website, foodgawker, I've been motivated to try some new recipes. One that has been showing up quite a bit is for english muffins. There are many different recipes but SURPRISINGLY most do not require baking! I know!! I was super surprised when I first started reading the recipes but they were all the same! Can you say "easy?"

To start with I used the recipe from King Arthur Flour, found here. It's very straight forward and while I used the same ingredients, I mixed everything in my Kitchen Aid mixer with the dough hook, where their recipe calls to use your bread machine. Didn't seem to make one bit of difference.

1 3/4 cups (14 ounces) milk, warm
2 teaspoons instant yeast
2 tablespoons (7/8 ounce) granulated sugar
3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) butter
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten
4 to 4 1/4 cups (17 to 18 ounces) Flour (I used 2 cups of white and 2 cups of whole wheat flour)

Mix the milk, yeast and sugar until yeast is dissolved. Add remaining ingredients and scrape into an oiled bowl. Let rise in a warm place for 1 hour.

Punch down the dough and roll out to roughly 1/4" thinner than you want the finished muffin. Cut with a 3" cutter (I used the mouth of a glass jar) and place on a cookie sheet to rest for 20 min.

Place cut out muffins onto a griddle on semi-low heat - do not grease the griddle just dust with cornmeal - for 6-8 minutes per side or until they reach desired color and doneness (is that a word?).

These can be refrigerated or frozen and hold up very well.

This is a pretty generous recipe, as the final photo above is about 8 shy of what it actually made. We ate them as fast as they came off the griddle :) Yes, they are that good!

Feature Friday

2011-02-18T20:31:00.000-08:00

There's so many wonderful creations out there and I mucho enjoy when others share awesome things they've found in blogland. In that vein, I've decided to begin a "Feature Friday" post, where I highlight some of the best things I find each week.

This week I can't stop dreaming of ~~stealing~~ re-creating this idea from Make It and Love It!

This is so darling and included is a complete tutorial on how to recover your baby carseat. It's so cute that it makes me want to have another baby, just so I can do it too! :) ha ha OW!! Just bit my tongue -

Do you love Naan (like flat bread)? Love this version from The (ONE AND ONLY) Pioneer Woman

Find 10 different tutorials to make crocheted flowers from Skip to my Lou

More to come next Friday! Will try to include more links, perhaps a little something for everyone. {wink}

{I'm a stalker}

2011-02-16T14:08:00.000-08:00

It's true...I certainly AM a stalker. But NOT the creepy kind. Well, I guess that's left to someone besides me to decide. I stalk blogs. A LOT of blogs! Google Reader has been the best and worst thing I've ever found. It's absolutely spectacular! It enables me to be a stalker!

If you haven't tried it, YOU MUST! Instead of visiting all of my favorite sites each day, I subscribe to them via Google Reader and it automatically populates new posts into my reader. Lovely. Here's what it looks like:

I currently ~~stalk~~ love 162 blogs / websites. There's NO WAY I could visit these individually every day, without missing lots of good stuff :)

Those of you who don't know, I'm a full time working mom outside of the home. An 8a-6p working mama of 3, thanks to the support of my husband, who knows the preschool moms, makes it to the school parties, drops by forgotten school lunches and gets dinner started MANY days of the work week for me.

So, on days like this, when I actually have time to be crafty, I instead try to spend time with my family. Prior to one year ago, I got to stay home with my babies everyday, until the troubled economy put the squeeze on us financially. It's really easy to hold my own little pity party when I miss special times with the kids, but truth is, I'm fortunate to have a great job.

Now, having said that...it's also days like this that I go along reading all the uber-crafty posts from blogland and BOY...do I feel inadequate in the creativity department. One of these days soon I WILL FIND BALANCE between the two important parts of my life; family and my pursuit of inner fulfillment.

Until then, I will admire and stalk the rest of you who continue to amaze me with your super talented selves!

Bountiful Baskets v.3

2011-02-12T16:56:00.000-08:00

Another exciting trip to pick up our goods from the co-op. This has been such a great endeavor for us - not only because we get fresh veggies and fruit from local sources, but it really encourages us to eat better. We love to try to come up with new ways to use our loot, especially the veggies. The fruit is pretty basic but some of the vegetables we have rarely or never tried!

This week:

One bunch fresh spinach
one bunch of broccoli
head of green leaf lettuce (have you seen the price of lettuce at the store lately?!)
a carton of mushrooms
4 orange bell peppers
2 bags of carrots

2 lemons
7 minneolas
5 fugi apples
a container of strawberries
one cantelope
one bunch of bananas

I can tell you that as I write this, those strawberries have long been polished off!

All of this was $15 plus $1.50 handling fee = $16.50! And it's unbelievably fresh. Last time I used the broccoli I was a bit short for my recipe so I added some that I had bought at the grocery store. The co-op broccoli, upon cutting the florets off was a nice dark green color. However, the grocery store version was almost white inside. Funny how I'd never noticed the inner light green color until there was something to compare to. Not only is this a great deal, but the quality can't be matched!

If you want to see if Bountiful Baskets has a pick up site in your area, go HERE.

Foodgawker and corn salsa

2011-02-08T19:12:00.000-08:00

Recently, my journey through blogland has led me to a new website - foodgawker!

The recipes are crazy awesome and the photography is even BETTER! What I like most is that you scroll through these lovely photos with just titles or brief descriptions...no write ups. It's total eye candy! If you like it or want to get the recipe or read more about it, you simply clock the photo and - wa lah - it takes you to the original article!

Here's a screen shot to demonstrate:

Nice, huh? A small warning: if you add this to your Google Reader, it will give you LOTS of posts to read! It updates VERY often.

After coming across this post for corn salsa...

I had to give it a try. But, being the ~~lazy~~ improvisational type I had to alter the recipe to fit what was already in my fridge. Here's what I came up with:

First I took the corn (frozen of course) and put it in a pan with some hot olive oil in it (maybe 1 -2 tbsp or a quick turn of the pan) and roasted it up, until it started to smell nutty and sweet. Then I added in some diced onion for just another minute. Then I put the mixture into a glass bowl to which I had added a couple of small Roma tomatoes, garbanzo beans and some finely diced and orange & yellow bell peppers. Salt and pepper to taste. The heat from the corn speeds up the coming together of all the flavors.

You know how regular tomato salsa taste even better when it sits for a while....same is true here. In fact, the next day I had this as a dip with some tortilla chips for lunch and it was delish!

Simple, easy and tasty! The best part is that you can use any ingredients that you have and it will taste great. Don't have garbanzo beans? Use black, pinto or white beans. It wold also be fab with some diced avocado added! A simple "go to" salad, dip or condiment :)

February Menu Plan

2011-01-30T13:22:00.000-08:00

Lucky for me I'm no longer dizzy & lightheaded but still have some time while sick in bed to organize my menu plan for next month! YAY! {said with much sarcasm}

For the most part, I'm trying to keep the weeknights simple, so if I get delayed at work anyone can step in & get things rolling. {Insert best Wayne's World impression..."Shaa...right!} I'd like to incorporate more fish and you will notice I've started doing so on Fridays, especially with Lent approaching.

Some nights are themed (Sundays - Mexican, Mondays - Italian, Thursdays - Asian, Fridays - fish) and others are just things that everyone likes.

Doing this menu at the beginning of the month gives me a guideline for shopping and organizing. Each week, on Sunday, I write the ACTUAL menu for that week on a weekly planner we have in the laundry room. This planner also holds any appointments, play dates or special events for the week.

Even though I've already got the menu pre-planned, again it's just a guide line. I revise & substitute according to what we get in our Bountiful Baskets or what sales may have influenced my Saturday shopping trip.

How do you organize your family meals? Would love to hear your ideas!

Time Out

2011-01-29T13:26:00.000-08:00

That's what I'm doing....taking a time out. Any guesses as to why?

Yup! It got me.

Stuffy nose, dizzy, lightheaded, nausea, can't eat or sleep nasty cold. A trip to the Dr. this morning revealed a sinus infection to boot. Antibiotics and some rest are the only thing on the agenda for me.

Thus, no photos from the Bountiful Basket pick up today, or the grocery store, since I didn't go...but here's a run down:

One bunch of PENCIL THIN asparagus
Head of lettuce
3 cucumbers
8 roma tomatoes
2 bunches of broccoli
Head of cauliflower (looking for a good recipe, anyone?)

7 green apples
2 bananas
8 oranges
one container of strawberries
3 pummelos
one cantaloupe

Never heard of a pummelo? My parents actually had a pummelo tree when we lived in California.

It's very similar to a grapefruit but sweeter. Originally native to Asia, it's flower is also used in making perfumes.

That's one of the best things about the co-op...we look forward to the surprise of what we will get in our baskets :) Plus the kids get to try new things which is ALWAYS a big plus in my book!

Black Heels & Tractor Wheels

2011-01-25T21:43:00.000-08:00

Can I just say how much I LOVE the Pioneer Woman. She's coming out with a new book titled "Black Heels & Tractor Wheels." That's such a cute title and so is she!

Needless to say I SOOOOOO enjoy trying her recipes. They're sophisticated and full of flavor, creative and delicious, but never so complex that I can't make them work. Perfect for me!

This week in our Bountiful Baskets share we had Anaheim chiles and a pineapple. I've only used these peppers a time or two. And I've always avoided whole pineapples since it's so intimidating to attempt to cut it up.... but this recipe just screamed at me!

Meatballs with Peppers and Pineapple - absolutely di.vine! Served over basmati rice. My kids totally DEVOURED it and made me promise to make it again.

This recipe is simple and awesome! I very much appreciate the Pioneer Woman's awesomeness and beautiful photography & tutorials on her site. Check her out - you won't be disappointed. Not just recipes...photography, family & life stories, farm life depiction, etc. Plus, she's a total smarty pants and will make you laugh :)

Big Boy Status

2011-01-20T18:15:00.000-08:00

It can't be put off any longer....my little guy isn't so little and BARELY fits in his crib any longer :( {sniff sniff} After multiple attempts to order the side rails to convert his crib into a full size bed, along with many turn downs, I've resolved to the fact that I'm gonna have to wing it.

The crib manufacturer (of course) has since discontinued this particular model and it's accessories. If I want to make the conversion I'd have to pay $175 for non-matching sides. Not so much. We'll just go without the footboard. I've used this as my excuse for so long. Now I just feel bad for making him sleep in his tiny crib. The front has been off for the past year though, so at least it's like a daybed. Still...so here's the before:

and the after:

Since all of his clothes are in his dresser or armoire, I also decided to take off the bi-fold closet doors and make it into a little reading nook.

(Yes, that's a punching bag! Gotta get the wiggles out somehow on snowy days! :)

The bookshelf was actually in the basement and recently came out of his sister room. It worked out nicely for holding stacks of wooden puzzles, dress up clothes (capes, fireman costume and Go Diego Do vest & backpack), Lincoln Logs and his lap desk, which also has a sports theme.

This little leather chair:

has a matching love seat and comes from Pottery Barn. The "hideout" needs some sprucing up yet, perhaps some curtains and maybe some hooks or another shelf along the wall??

All in all, I'm happy with how it turned out so far, and feel very relieved that he can finally feel like he's graduated to Big Boy status. Love you, my big boy!

Bountiful Baskets

2011-01-16T15:29:00.000-08:00

As another component to my New Years SIMPLIFY goal, I've decided to partake in the Bountiful Baskets food co-op. Local, fresh and less expensive - doesn't get any better than that, right?

There are a few food co-ops that I checked out before deciding on one:

Bountiful Baskets
Community Food Co-op of Utah
Green Bee Produce

They each have different pick-up locations and different guidelines, but we ultimately chose Bountiful Baskets. Our first pick up was this Saturday.

With Bountiful Baskets you have two choices for your produce: Regular for $16.50 or Organic for $25. They try to get as local of products as possible and whatever is fresh and in season. Not knowing exactly what you will get is part of the fun :)

With the pick up spot less than 5 minutes from our house, we were super excited to see what we would get. Typically you will get 6 fruits and 6 vegetables. This time we received:

2 bunches of fresh spinach
1 head of green leaf lettuce
7 anaheim chiles
1 basket of cherry tomatoes
3 small butternut squash
1 bunch of fresh asparagus

6 apples
9 tangelos
6 kiwi fruit
1 pineapple
3 asian pears
1 5# bag of Bosc pears

We also signed up for 5 loaves of 9 grain bread from a local bakery for an additional $10. It's honestly THE best bread I've tasted in such a long time and the kids can't stop raving about it!

Everything so far has been delicious and wonderfully fresh. This is definitely something we look forward to continuing.

50% off Winter Palooza tickets!

2011-01-12T07:26:00.000-08:00

Having a busy household on a budget, sites like Screaming Daily Deals are AWESOME! For Utah locals today you can purchase tickets to Winter Palooza at 50% off. This will take place at Southowne Expo Center on January 22nd. Get out of the snow & have a ball indoors with your kids! Here's the highlights:

Grab the kids and leave the snow suits behind for a day of crazy, indoor fun fit for all. Whether you’re a pack of rowdy boys or gentle girls, Winter Palooza has an activity for any kid. Little gals will take delight in the Princess Festival, complete with themed characters. The boys can have their fill of action packed fun at the paintball arena and the Boy Cave.

With rock climbing walls, eight bounce houses, a mechanical bull, live animal shows, face painting, laser tag, ropes courses, and more any kid will have their fill of fun at Winter Palooza. Fear not parents, you’re not forgotten; food, shopping, and more is available to keep you from a kid overdose.

Even snow-lovers need a break from the winter conditions. Take yours with the help of the Utah Kids Club's Winter Palooza and jump on this deal quick... It might be your only chance to escape.

If you're new to Screaming Daily Deals, you will get a $5 instant credit, making it an ever BETTER deal! Go the Screaming Daily Deals to take advantage of this great offer. We will be there for sure!

January Menu Plan

2011-01-08T13:35:00.000-08:00

As part of my New Years Resolution (of sorts) to "SIMPLIFY" I am trying to reduce chaos around the house AND the dinner table. Being a full time working mom, weeknight dinners can be frustrating and less than nutritionally balanced if there's no plan. Plus it pushes us to spend more money by using our "go-to" favorite take out places, which include the prepared foods at our local Harmons grocery store - which ROCKS!

So here's my rough plan for the month.

Weekends have a breakfast plan and dinner plan. We can wing it for lunch. Weeknights have dinner only as we tend to have cereal, toast & fruit pretty religiously. I always have lunch stuff around and the girls pack their own lunches each morning, as do I - mine are usually leftovers. I've committed to bringing my lunch everyday instead of eating out to offset the cost of my joining the gym.

Not only will it (hopefully) help at dinner time, but for grocery shopping and spending less. When we don't have a menu, we tend to buy stuff that sounds good but then we end up without balanced "meals." Then we're left having to improvise with junky hodge-podge dinners we lovingly call "whatever nights."

Chances are, we will probably be switching around the plan to coordinate with our bi-weekly haul from Bountiful Baskets. More on that in the next post!!

I will be posting my menu at the first of each month and also posting my planning and shopping trips from the weekend each Monday, which I will call Menu Plan Monday.

How do you plan for meals? What's on YOUR menu?

Nicey Jane Quilt

2011-01-04T13:18:00.000-08:00

Last July (yes, I said JULY!) while perusing my favorite fabric shop, Material Girls Quilts, I fell in LOVE with the new Heather Bailey line of fabrics called Nicey Jane. My mom had requested a quilt for Christmas that was a little "vintagey" and this seemed to fit the bill just right.

I went with the yellow, blue & green colors for the quilt. When I got home with it, I already knew I'd be using the "Perfect Ten" pattern by Swirly Girls.

Without further adieu:

This quilt is a most generous size at 60" x 72"!

The sashing and the back are a nice butter yellow Kona cotton.

Thanks so much to Abby from Gracie Lane quilts for the awesome job on the quilting! And as you can tell by the date that, despite my early start last July, this wasn't done in time for Christmas. Lucky for me my mom's birthday is the 4th of January :) Happy Birthday, Mom! xoxo

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T10:32:00.000-08:00

Can't even believe that 2010 has already passed! The older I get the faster time goes - scary! Rarely do I actually make Resolutions but this year, for whatever reason, it feels right.

I've noticed that so many people are trying to choose just ONE word that describes their goal or motivation. If I'm choosing just ONE word for this year....it is SIMPLIFY.

–verb (used with object), -fied, -fy·ing.

to make less complex or complicated; make plainer or easier: to simplify a problem.

Less complicated? YES PLEASE! Make it easier? INDEED!

To achieve this one word state of bliss, here are some things I will be attempting to incorporate, in no particular order....

Balance, organize, structure, plan, focus, prepare, create, finish, refresh, repurpose, upcycle.

Be more specific? I want to find balance in my life between work, home, me, family. You won't "find" time for all these things...we have to "make" time. Being organized with meal plans (which I will share) which include using coupons and other strategies to save money. Structuring time and life to incorporate the things I love, like scrapbooking and sewing. I have so many ideas floating in my head, start lots and only finish a few. I will stay focused and finish those projects and begin new ones to satisfy my creative outlet, beautify my home and surroundings and make others happy in the process. Using materials and things I've already got to save money, bless our home and become more "green" with less waste.

And of course, as I take on the above principles, I will take you along the journey with my weekly posts, which I vow to no longer put off :)

Happy New Year!

{Neighbor gifts}

2010-12-20T14:35:00.000-08:00

As Christmas approaches, we tend to turn our thoughts to those that we care about and who share our lives. One group in particular would be the neighbors. For me this group in a fairly new concept...

When I lived in California, I lived next to the same people for 10 years and never even knew their names. Not even their LAST names. Couldn't pick 'em out in a line up. Since you just DIDN'T allow your children to play out front - only in the backyard, we never even gave the cordial "wave" as they drove by.

Utah has been such a refreshing change! The culture is completely different and it's amazingly wonderful to feel that sense of belonging and community. The very day we moved in to our home, we had treats delivered by hand and offers to help in so many ways! Crazy but awesome. To share in the lives of others and know that someone is always watching and vice versa is very comforting.

To those nearby that we appreciate so much we wanted to make a little something to please the palette. Enter the pretzel hugs! These are totally easy but taste unbelievably good!

Take the pretzels and line a baking sheet with them. Then stack a Hershey kiss or hug on top. For the kisses I used the ones with caramel inside.

Put into the oven at 170 degrees for 5-8 minutes. Remove and press an M&M into the softened hug or kiss. I used M&Ms for the striped hugs (in green and red, of course) and for the ones with the caramel kisses I pressed a pecan half into the top - YUM! Put them in the freezer for 8-10 minutes and package as desired. These are really SO tasty and simple enough for the kiddos to help with!

What are YOUR neighbor gifts this year?

It's a PARTY!

2010-12-18T13:01:00.000-08:00

Nolan's 4th birthday and his first REAL birthday party. It's a bummer to have your birthday two days after Christmas, so anticlimactic. But it's also very tough to PLAN a birthday party 2 days after Christmas. People are typically partied out by this time. Not in the mood for more food, more presents, more traveling or more merriment!

His request is for a "cop party." Obviously my attempts to eek out better behavior have instilled a strong respect for police officers and the powerful position they hold. The whole "good guy, bad guy" thing has taken hold and he LOVES cops.

So, in that vein, here's what I've some up with for invites:

Not great lighting, but you get the idea :) I had metallic blue cardstock and a white printed invite on the top, but before attaching the invite I wrapped a wide piece of yellow ribbon around it, which allowed me to clip on the police badge.

We will be hand delivering these since the badges make the envelopes pretty bulky.

Oh, and yes.... totally caved to having the party at Chuck E. Cheese (blech). We've never been there before but Nolan insists that his birthday party MUST happen there. Easy clean up I guess, huh?

A visit with Santa

2010-12-17T21:48:00.000-08:00

Today was the hubbs Christmas party for work. They had it catered and all the families were invited. One of the fellow employees even offered to dress up as Santa and give out gifts to all the kids.

Now, I was a bit worried, in that, the guy who was playing Santa is also a member at our church. Whenever Nolan sees him at church he will holler out a resounding (and completely NOT reverent) hello! But with the suit & all, hopefully he wouldn't see any resemblance.

So we arrive, eat and wait...getting the kids excited for Santa's arrival. Finally, after much anticipation Santa appears from the upstairs hall and starts making his way down the long staircase. So here's the part I where most children would run up to Santa and start rattling off their wish list right? Not mine. Nope. Nolan quickly blurts out "How come Santa's so SHORT?!?"
which, of course, prompts all those who still believe to look to their parents in bewilderment. Leave it to my child to instill doubt into the minds that surely never before questioned Santa's height.

All in all, it was still good to see everyone and get just a bit more excited about Christmas.

C + PB = TLA

2010-12-13T12:27:00.000-08:00

Every once in a while, I just get a craving for something sweet. But not the usual Oreo or duplex type cookie. Something different.

So today when I went to my pantry (which is totally UNDERstocked these days! Project for the New Year) and found that I really didn't have ANYTHING to pull together :( No chocolate chips, no nuts, nothing to get creative with. All I had was less than half of a bag of peanut butter chips leftover from melting them & drizzling over rice krispie treats a while back.

And BONUS! When I went to pull those out I found a box of Bakers chocolate...SCORE! That instantly reminded me of a recipe I've had forever:

Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

8 (1 oz) squares semi-sweet chocolate
3 TBSP butter
1 (14 oz) can Sweetened Condensed Milk (NOT evaporated milk)
2 cups biscuit making mix
1 TSP vanilla extract
1 cup peanut butter flavored chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a saucepan over low heat, melt chocolate and butter with sweetened condensed milk; remove from heat. Add biscuit mix and vanilla; beat at low speed until smooth and well blended. Cool to room temperature. Stir in chips.

Shape the dough into 1 1/4" balls and place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 6 to 8 minutes or until tops are slightly crusted. DO NOT OVERBAKE

Now it's absolutely worth it to stick around and watch these. Just when the outside of the cookie starts to get a bit crackly and crusty, THAT'S when you want to pull them out. Then they will be done on the outside but still gooey on the inside... and since there's no egg in this I completely advocate eating the dough :)

Christmas Card 2010

2010-12-09T21:13:00.001-08:00

Joy And Happiness Christmas 5x7 folded card

Turn your pictures into personalized Christmas cards.

View the entire collection of cards.

Charlie Brown Christmas

2010-12-05T07:20:00.000-08:00

This is, without a doubt one of my most favorite Christmas specials of all time. Don't get me wrong, I love watching how the grinch stole Christmas, Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer and all the claymation classics. But Charlie Brown Christmas, for me, truly captures the spirit of Christmas.

If you love the recitation Linus gives in this clip, you can visit Betty Crocker Wannabe for a beautiful {free} printable version of the scripture Luke 2: 13-14.

Spread the Christmas Cheer....

2010-11-29T19:56:00.000-08:00

via Shutterfly! We all get so busy with the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, it often times becomes a ~~chore~~ challenge to get those Christmas cards out, not to mention print the updated family picture to insert into said cards! For those of you who know me, you know that I spend day after day designing personal stationery and wedding invitations for others. Not only do I not have the TIME to design my own Christmas cards, it's too difficult a task! We are usually our own worst critic and I become so indecisive with the design options that I can hardly make a choice for myself.

So, THIS year I'm delegating. YAY! Leaving the work to someone else. Seriously, I could deliberate and procrastinate 'till the week before Christmas - like last year OR I can cross yet another item off the ever-growing holiday to-do-list! LOVE LOVE LOVE this one here!

This one would be perfect to insert pics of all 3 of the kids. With mine it'd be near impossible to get one altogether....without someone crying anyway :)

Some of the other Christmas designs I'm considering are here and here.

The Shutterfly designs are simple, colorful and absolutely fun. And from previous experience printing my photos with Shutterfly, they will be nothing short of perfect! Their photo prints are great quality and ship super fast!

Still looking for gift ideas? Make a photo calendar here! Need invitations for your cookie exchange? Find the perfect one here. Need a birthday card like NO other? Find it here!

Make it easy this year and don't let the details bog you down. Enjoy every moment and check out the great options at Shutterfly!

Fall Leaves

2010-11-23T20:36:00.000-08:00

As Thanksgiving draws near, I'm so thankful to be able to be home this week with my kids! I genuinely tried to make the most of our time together baking and doing fun things.

Today Nolan and I made melted crayon leaves! When I saw the idea over at Running with Scissors, I knew this was a toddler friendly craft! What boy doesn't like to destroy things, i.e, shredding up crayons and smashing and melting them?!?

First we got old crayons together in the right colors and went to town grating and shredding. There really wasn't an easy way to accomplish this. We tried the cheese grater, scissors, vegetable peeler and a razor blade.

Here's all you will need (iron not shown here).

Take your cut up crayons in a variety of fall colors...

make a sandwich with them between two sheets of wax paper...

lay down a towel on your ironing board and a paper towel on top to save your iron and melt away. The crayon shavings will liquefy so take care not to spread it outside of the wax paper sheets. Once they are cooled cut into leaf shapes and display in any way you like.

I chose to make a little slit and string them onto a ribbon. Nolan had tons of fun choosing the colors and sprinkling the shavings onto the wax paper.

While this was originally supposed to hang in my window (as seen here) for all to see as I host Thanksgiving at my house this year, it will now be travelling with us, along with ALL of the other food, decor, etc. to my parents house. My dad went 4 wheeling last Friday and ended up breaking his leg. The festivities are coming to him now! If you didn't want to drive all the way to my house, Dad, all you had to do was say so! ha ha

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Day

2010-11-22T15:43:00.000-08:00

Another Silhouette give away at Infarrantly Creative!!!

Turkey finger puppets

2010-11-22T12:26:00.000-08:00

Since I found this post for turkey finger puppets over at Skip to My Lou, I figured it'd be fun to join in the Made by You Mondays over there too!

It's SO wonderful to be home with my little guy this week! Since I work full time he almost wasn't sure what I was doing NOT going to work today :) But I've got some fun stuff planned for us, so hopefully I can make the most of our precious time together. Starting with these:

So easy and he's having lots of fun flying them around everywhere. We even made extras for the kids coming to Thanksgiving dinner :) Just adds to the excitement of the season. Thanks to Skip to My Lou for the inspiration!

Speaking of....

2010-11-22T06:34:00.000-08:00

Jen at Tatertots & Jello is giving away a Silhouette cutting machine!!!! {Swoon} Check it out!

Let it SNOW!

2010-11-21T15:00:00.000-08:00

Today it finally snowed. Well, in enough quantity to stick around for a while anyway :) YAY! So this morning, my pancakes....

look much like the yard!

Which also makes for some good indoor creativity. Since I already had most everything to make this, I decided to copy Jen from Tatertots & Jello and make my version of a holiday burlap wreath.

This was a pretty easy project and was super fun. The worst part was burning my fingers with the hot glue gun! I'm the biggest clutz and ALWAYS tend to not be very careful. The burlap was very inexpensive ($2.99 /yd at JoAnn) and everything else was purely scraps! I did get the music note ribbon half off at JoAnn also. When I was trying to figure out what phrase I could use with my left over Scrabble tiles, it seemed as though I was missing ONE letter for all the good ideas...Be Merry - no "m'. Jingle Bells - no "j'! Then it hit me. Well, actually I had the Christmas music on (gotta love FM100!!) and the song Silent Night was on - DONE! So when I saw the music notes, well, that tied it all together.

Thanks Jen for the super idea! Had I got my rear in gear sooner I would've had a Thanksgiving version too. But, looking at the bright side, now I've got a jump on my Christmas crafts!

Also linking up at:

Gettin' in the Spirit...

2010-11-20T15:10:00.000-08:00

or not. This has been a tough start to the holidays for me so far. Not sure I can pinpoint one particular reason...things are just so busy and rushed and now that Halloween is over Thanksgiving is HERE! It goes so fast anymore.

So, to attempt to get into the holiday swing, Nolan & I decided to try to make some turkey cookies. The first sheetful were turkeys....the rest were plain ol' drop cookies. I didn't say they were pretty...just great tasting. Which is the important part anyway, right?

Halloween Fun

2010-10-30T15:17:00.000-07:00

This is the first year that Nolan is really "into" Halloween. He put great thought into what he wanted to be (and it changed MANY times before we actually decided) which ended up to be either a werewolf (inspired by Jacob) or a pirate. Lucky for us, his auntie just happens to have 3 boys and one of the cutest pirate costumes around! First stop - Salt Lake Police Department!

Got to sit in the fire engine...

sound the siren on the motorbike...

and shoot an airsoft gun (which he now insists Santa is bringing him for Christmas!).

Then once it was time for Trick or Treating we had to add the mustache - a la Captain Hook era.

The girls are "too old" for dressing up. Or so they thought until they saw everyone else out & about. Impromptu costumes came out and off they went to bring back some candy loot! It was short lived, thanks to the rain, but we had so much fun eating treats and sitting by the fire.

This is truly a wonderful time of year. Feeling the excitement of the season setting in!! :)

Halloween Quilt

2010-10-24T19:43:00.000-07:00

I didn't get as far as I was hoping on my Halloween quilt, but there was some progress.

All of the strips are sewn and cut into 4.5" squares, in preparation for THIS zig zag pattern. It will have to be modified just a bit to adjust for the use of a jelly roll, not yardage. The only difference is the finished size will be just a bit smaller. But for a seasonal quilt that will only be used for one month each year, that's perfectly fine.

Next in the line up is this:

Going to try it in some fleece just to make sure I can make it work. I've never sewn any clothing before but hopefully this will be pretty easy.

More Cupcakes!

2010-10-23T18:53:00.000-07:00

So today was just an "orangey-fall, stay home and cook & be cozy" kinda day.

First off, I made MORE pumpkin spice cupcakes. I know, I just made these and completely overindulged. But, c'mon....how can I stop thinking about these delicious little beauties WITH cream cheese frosting!?! Plus they make your house smell like HEAVEN! However, I did "healthify" them just a bit, if that's even a word. Here's the new version via Wingledings:

1 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp nutmeg

2 eggs (room temp)

1 cup canned pumpkin puree (not pie filling)

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup light brown sugar (not packed)

1/2 cup applesauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift together flour, soda and spices.

In a larger bowl beat together eggs and remaining ingredients.

Add flour mixture until combined.

Fill cupcake liners and bake for 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool and frost with icing of choice. I used this cream cheese frosting again, cuz it's the best!

Then I made another batch of tomato sauce and put a whole chicken into the crockpot to roast for 8 hours. Who knew you could make a "rotisserie" style chicken in the crock pot!?! It's super easy and pretty much cooks itself. Throw it in, season it and walk away for 8 hours. It will literally fall apart when done!

And as if THAT wasn't enough, I decided to roast a butternut squash.

These are FOR SURE one of my favorite fall foods. Simple, tasty and good for you. Except for possibly the butter and brown sugar I slather on the last 10 minutes of baking!

Initially, I was really wanting to make a risotto with the roasted squash, but I didn't have any Arborio rice on hand. However, I DID have barley. There's no set recipe but here's how it went:

Half the squash, remove seeds and place cut side down on lines baking sheet. Bake for 45 minutes or until fork tender. Cool and scoop out the flesh ( I used an ice cream scoop). Set aside.

Saute some onion & garlic in butter. Add some diced, cooked bacon (as desired)and 1 cup barley and stir until the barley is aromatic, smelling kinda nutty. Then add approximately 2 cups of homemade chicken stock and let it absorb most of the way (15-20 minutes). Then add 2 cups of water and season. Again, allow it to cook up & absorb MOST of the liquid (another 15-20 minutes). The last 10-15 minutes add in approximately 1 cup (or as desired) of the roasted squash. If you don't want it chunky, you can puree it with some chicken stock prior to adding it to your barley or risotto mixture. Wah-la!

Serve it up with some chicken, fresh baked rolls.... so hearty and stick-to-your-ribs good!

Now I'll just have to add an extra 45 minutes to my workout in the morning to recover from my day in the kitchen. Who am I kidding, huh? :)

{Sunday progress}

2010-10-17T18:51:00.000-07:00

Well, as the day started out with much promise, it quickly slipped away with laundry, a bit of re-organizing (my office, the pantry), some grocery shopping and treat making.

Needless to say I didn't make much progress on my Halloween quilt, other than calculating sizes and realizing I need 6 more rows of zig zags to make it a nice size. Back to the fabric shop, I guess. No sewing on it whatsoever :(

However, the day was still productive. I did manage to re-arrange my stash, make a list of works in progress and made this for my tiny guy:

A Halloween pillowcase. This is a new Halloween print by Riley Blake. Perfect for a 3.5 year old who loves "spooky" things but not "scary" things, cuz there IS a difference. It's a sweet mix of bats, black cats, spiders, mummies, ghosts, skulls and little vampires. While my guy isn't afraid of vampires, thanks to Edward Cullen, too much ghoul & gore makes him wanna snuggle with Momma. Which is FINE by me :)

The orange "boo!" print on the end is also from Material Girls Quilts, my favorite fabric shop, pretty much ever, but not sure who makes it. It didn't last long enough for me to make note.

This was seriously, like a 10 minute project - good for me and good for THIS guy:

He even said "Wow, mom! That sure was quick!" when I brought it to him. I think he loves it {wink} and is happy that I made something special for him.

Ring the alarm!

2010-10-17T18:32:00.000-07:00

Holy corn chowder, Batman! I've been wanting to make this recipe from The Pioneer Woman for a minute and finally did it today. And it's DELISH! Great for a chilly Sunday afternoon 'cuz it'll keep you warmed up with these:

Chipotles in Adobo sauce - yum!

It's a quick soup and so easy to improvise too. BUT, one word of caution...it was too spicy for my kids. They ended up with turkey sliders (recipe to come another day). Give it a try!

You brown up the bacon until you've got a bit of fat rendered in the pan. Then add your onion (I also added carrots) and stir until translucent. Maybe toss in a pat or two of butter just for fun :) Add your corn, diced chipotles ( I used 2 as it suggests but use caution) and chicken stock.

Let them cook around for a bit. Then add the cream (didn't suggest it was low fat!) and green chiles.

Throw in a little cornmeal to thicken things up a bit

(I also added some leftover mashed potatoes from last night - YUM) and simmer for 15 minutes. Done!

Serve with your artisan bread of choice and enjoy! Can't say enough about how much I loved this soup! Simple and delicious. Love that Ree Drummond - she rocks!

Time for JELLY?

2010-10-17T05:51:00.000-07:00

When visiting my favorite fabric shop last week, Material Girls Quilts, I was really only intending on going to search through the sale fabrics. The always have great bolts out front on display that are WAY marked down! Or they also have grab bags, which was the next thing on my list. But then I went in to see what was new...MISTAKE! Or not, actually :) I found this:

The new DARLING Halloween line "Haunted Mansion" by Moda! It has a great assortment of prints and colors. The details are what makes it, like this:

These little spiders were just too cute to resist. Then I saw THIS print:

A floral QUATREFOIL - my favorite pattern of all time - WITH the little spider too! Done deal. Had to have it. So I bought the jelly roll and a few fat quarters to {hopefully) make some cute coordinating pillows. Saturday was a bust as far as sewing is concerned but today's looking like there may just be a small window. I'll post progress later today :)

I {HEART} Fall

2010-10-14T19:17:00.000-07:00

There are so many wonderful things about Fall...crisp weather, colorful foliage, Halloween, apples and PUMPKINS! Love everything squash or pumpkin related - from roasted butternut risotto to THESE beauties - Pumpkin Cupcakes!

So easy to make from scratch and very tasty! Here's how:

Pumpkin Cupcakes:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup white sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup solid packed, canned pumpkin puree

Cream Cheese Frosting

4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins with paper liners or spray cups.

In a large bowl sift together flour, baking soda, spices and salt.

With your mixer cream butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each one. Beat in the vanilla extract. Scrape sides of bowl. With the mixer on low, alternately add the flour mixture and the pumpkin puree in 3 additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.

Fill the muffin cups roughly 2/3 full using 2 spoons or an ice cream scoop. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until firm and a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Cool.

In your mixer beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the butter until incorporated and smooth. Add the vanilla extract and the powdered sugar. Beat until fluffy (2-3 minutes). Pipe or spread frosting onto cooled cupcakes and garnish with toasted nuts

(as I did: Spread walnuts onto baking pan lined with foil and bake for 8-10 minutes until brown and fragrant) or with toffee bits.

These are quick and so delicious. I put walnuts on some but not all, as I have some finicky eaters but they're just as yummy with frosting alone.

Welcome Fall and thanks for bringing with you that beautiful pumpkin. {wink}

Plums!

2010-10-12T19:46:00.000-07:00

Another one of Summer's gifts - plums! My mom brought over a basket of fresh plums, right off her tree. While I'm not a big stone fruit fan, there are some wonderful desserts that make the most of these little guys.

While they can be really messy of you are the tree owner, they cook up beautifully in a dish like this one: Plum Clafoutis

SUPER quick, simple and delicious. Best served still warm out of the oven! Try it out. Start to in the oven was about 10-15 minutes, including preparing the fruit!

Plum Clafoutis

6 tablespoons white sugar

14 plums, pitted and halved

3 eggs

1 1/3 cups milk (I used 1 cup milk & 1/3 cup cream)

2/3 cup all purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 pinch of salt (precise, I know- I'm kinda like that)

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 10 inch pie plate and sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the sugar on the bottom.

Arrange the plum halves, cut side down, to cover the entire bottom of the pie plate. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the sugar over the plums.

In a blender, combine the remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar, eggs, milk, flour, lemon zest, vanilla, cinnamon and salt. Process until smooth, about 2 minutes.

Pour over plums in the pan.

Bake for 50-60 minutes in a preheated oven or until firm and lightly browned. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing. Dust with powdered sugar before serving. Try to serve fairly soon after cooking as it has a tendency to fall and become more dense (less "fluffy") upon cooling.

This is an impressive dish for guests that is WAY easier than it appears when finished! Which is TOTALLY right up my alley!!

Apple Gallette

2010-10-09T15:32:00.000-07:00

I have a confession. I Love Costco. I mean, really. LOVE it! It's so awesome to be able to get all the usual things I buy, but LOTS of it. A household of 5 plus a large dog = lots of laundry. And there's nothing worse than being 2 loads from complete (starting with oh, about 20 loads to do) and run out of Tide! Or even worse, running out of Downy! Or how about Charmin?? Lots of butts around here, so....you can figure the rest. Have you tried their granola?!? It's THE absolute best I've ever tasted. Literally, I eat it for breakfast EVERY.SINGLE.DAY. Never get burned out. I could go on, but it's just so nice to have plenty of the essential things we need (or love) and not having to worry about running out.

Anyway, I digress. So, needless to say I buy lots of stuff at Costco. While I try not to go there on an empty stomach, sometimes I can't help myself. This time it was apples. The kids LOVE apples. So why not buy LOTS?!? We can't eat them fast enough and I was feeling a bit bad about buying SO many. Being that it is the season for apples, inspiration wasn't tough to find, as far as something to do with them. (Have I mentioned how much I LOVE Google Reader?)

Thought about these apple dumplings by The Pioneer Woman - Ree Drummond (She ROCKS!) but didn't have any Mountain Dew on hand. So I went for a "rustic" aka lazy version of an apple pie - the Gallette! By definition the gallette is a general term used to describe various forms of flat, round or freeform crusty cakes.

I started with a pre-made pie crust. Yes, I could've made one but I had these on hand and it saved TONS of time.

The recipe:

4 large apples - your favorite variety ( I used Pink Lady) - peeled & cored

1 tbsp flour

juice of a lemon - approx 2 tbsp

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp clove

1/4 tsp ginger

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp cinnamon sugar

Put your peeled, cored & sliced apples in a bowl and toss with lemon juice. In a separate bowl combine flour, sugar & spices. Toss with apples.

Take your pie crust (store bought or otherwise) and lay it onto a greased pizza pan or rectangular cookie sheet. Lay the apple mixture either in a circular pattern or in rows into the middle of the cold pie crust.

Fold up edges of the pie crust around the apple filling

and dot with butter
Lastly, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar - I keep a shaker of cinnamon sugar handy since we LOVE it on buttered toast!

Bake at 425 degrees for about 50 minutes or until golden brown. For maximum impact, serve with vanilla ice cream OR cinnamon whipped cream!

Trust me. It won't disappoint.

Lasagne Roll Ups

2010-10-04T18:28:00.000-07:00

After making my homemade tomato sauce, I was inspired to make Lasagna Roll Ups! Italian food is a major favorite around here. The only drawback (for me, anyway) is that it's usually fairly time consuming to prepare....such as lasagna. This is my cheater and quick version that always goes over BIG!

First, brown your ground meat of choice, I used beef but turkey works great too. You can add onion but since I have one picky eater than can detect the smallest molecule of onion, I refrain.
Then add your tomato/marinara sauce to the meat and allow to simmer on low while you cook the lasagna noodles.
Only cook for about half the suggested time as you want them to be VERY al dente. Otherwise, if overcooked they will fall apart. Once they're cooking, prepare your filling.
For the filling I used one container of ricotta cheese, one egg, a handful (precise, I know) of cheese - anything works however I prefer a blend of Asiago, Romano and Parmesan, basil, parsley, salt & pepper. Mix well.

Drain your noodles and rinse in cold water. Drain again. Then you will take a small amount of the sauce/meat mixture and coat the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan prior to adding your roll ups.
Once cooled take you lasagna noodles and put a spoonful of the cheese mixture onto each on and spread it from end to end on the noodle. Roll it up and layer into the pan.
Repeat until all noodles are complete.
Take the remainder of the sauce on spoon it over the pan of roll ups.
Cover the top with cheese of your choosing, here I've used shredded mozzarella. Fresh mozzarella slices are an especially extravagant touch as well.

Bake for 35-40 minutes at 350 degrees or until heated through and nicely browned on top.

Yum! It's a crowd pleaser for sure. This is also one of those dishes that tastes even better the next day!

If you're lucky enough to have that happen {wink}

You say Tomato, I say Tomahto

2010-10-03T16:15:00.000-07:00

Summer's bounty - such a beautiful thing. Last years garden gave tomatoes, broccoli, butternut squash - yummy! This year's garden...zip. Nada. Zero. Didn't have one :( Bummer! Luckily for me, my mom is on the ball. She's kept me stocked with one of my favorite summer treats - tomatoes! Caprese salad (sliced tomatoes with slices of FRESH mozzarella cheese, drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and sprinkled with chopped basil) is one of my most favorite things to eat!

Now that they are almost past their prime, the last of the tomatoes are ripening on the vines. There's many more than my mom & dad can use so I decided to try my hand at homemade tomato sauce.

This is quite a conundrum because everyone does it different. You can freeze it or can it. Cook it or puree it. Seeds or no seeds. The right approach for me? The EASY way. Now, I've made authentic "Brooklyn Gravy" before, where it HAS to be a Roma tomato and you blanche, peel, strain, cook, condense, etc. SO delicious but SO much work. Not today. It doesn't get any simpler than tomato sauce so why should it be difficult? Here's what I did:

Take your fresh, delicious tomatoes (roughly 6-8 tomatoes produce 1 cup of sauce)

and remove the core. Cut into rough 1" pieces.

Put them into your food processor or blender (I chose the latter) and puree, skins seeds & all.

Pour everything into a stock pot and simmer on low. You want your puree to condense down to about half of the original amount OR until it's the desired thickness. Mine took about 2.5 to 3 hours. You can leave it as just tomato sauce, to maximize the number of uses, OR you can season while you are cooking as I did, with any number of the usual spices; garlic, basil, oregano, etc. Since I use the same sauce for pizza, pasta, meatball sandwiches or whatever, I went ahead and seasoned mine. Also, you can use a rubber spatula to stir and scrape down the sides as it cooks, about every half hour works great.

This simple recipe is so versatile. If you don't want the seeds you can strain before or after freezing. To freeze, fill your containers and leave on the counter for about an hour to cool then put in the freezer. It should keep fine for 6-9 months, but if you're like me, it won't last that long!

Today I froze half and used the other half. But that's another post - stay tuned!

Lauren's party details

2010-10-01T19:20:00.000-07:00

So keeping this SURPRISE Sweet 16 is pretty tough. Trying to come up with cute ideas...even tougher. Trying to come up with cute, creative ideas and get them made on the sly...the toughest of all!

Here's some inspiration and my version in progress:

Painted bottles for vases by Chicy Creations via Oops I Craft My Pants found here

Dollar store serving trays by Joys Hope found here

Paper lollies by Rhonna Farrer found here SO much to do and so little time! Gotta keep it up - only a few days left :)

Terrarium add-ins

2010-10-01T19:07:00.000-07:00

When I posted here about making terrariums, I really had another use in mind. Aside from them being just plain cute, I wanted to use then for Lauren's birthday party table decor.

Using the same technique with the Crayola Model Magic, I molded a Mad Hatter's hat and a Cheshire Cat face. Again using Making Memories acrylic paint to finish it, these were super easy.

And I think they loo pretty cute in the terrariums, too!

Cute Flower necklace

2010-09-24T21:03:00.000-07:00

Yep, another Vintage Groove creation. Seriously, these are so easy and turn out SO well, I feel that there will be many more to come in the very near future. If you're related to me - don't look! You may be getting one of these beauties for Christmas :)
Started with the same antique gold chain as last time but went for another color scheme. First was this pendant! So awesome because it comes JUST LIKE YOU SEE IT! The cute circle with the glazed petite flower center and the long strand with complimentary beads of all sizes. Just attach it with the jump ring on the top and move next! Next comes the cute little red flower finding that adds a visual break in the line of the chain. Takes all of two minutes to add in with a handy pair of round tip pliers :) Love it!Lastly I added a small ceramic flower in a complimentary coral color to the opposite side for a bit more interest - again...2 minutes tops.If you're like me & LOVE the instant gratification, then this is for YOU! Ten or fifteen minutes and VOILA - you've got an awesome accessory that will cost $10-12 at most if you use your Michael's coupons. Plus, when you get compliments on them (which you will) you can take pride when you say "Thanks, I made it!"

Wanna know where to find the goods? The Michael's in the Draper Peaks shopping center on 12300 South in Draper. There's an end cap display that looks like THIS:

While Michael's doesn't yet carry the entire line YET, they have a pretty good selection. This is the only Michael's in Utah that carries the Vintage Groove line so far. If we can show them how much we LOVE the products by purchasing them, then they will bring in the entire line, which includes pearl strands, bead strands and MORE. Let's show some LOVE!

Antique Rose Necklace

2010-09-24T20:45:00.000-07:00

So my first endeavor with the Vintage Groove line from Making Memories is this Antique Rose necklace. I started with the gold vintage chain with varied link sizes.

To it I added a jade colored flower and the rose & leaves pendant from the same set of findings.

Next came the twig shaped extra that gets connected to the links of the chain from both ends. This creates a break and focal point in the necklace. Attached to the center is a third jump ring to which you can attach another pendant or finding, in which I used a light pink bevelled teardrop shaped jem.

These colors go SO well together and made a bold enough statement to stand out but the colors are soft enough to go with just about anything!

They've thought of every detail in the design of the Vintage Groove products! Even down to these cute little charms on the end of the chain! A little metal "M" for Making Memories and a darling little bird with "JS' for Jill Schwartz, the mastermind behind it all!

The best part? It took maybe 10 or 15 minutes start to finish! All you need is a pair (or two) of needle nose pliers! Want one for yourself? Visit the Michael's craft store at 215 East 12300 South in Draper, Utah! Questions? Send me a message - would love to hear your thoughts!

Vintage Groove

2010-09-22T19:49:00.000-07:00

We all know that Making Memories is one of THE premiere scrapbooking manufacturers in existence. Now they've taken it to the next level with the introduction of the Vintage Groove jewelry line by Jill Schwartz!

It's a mix n match eclectic group of chains, pendants and designer style findings that have LIMITLESS combinations. These are so fun to work with and you can choose which element YOU like for a custom look that suits YOUR style.

Making Memories has just sent a trial line of product to SELECT Michael's stores throughout the United States, one of which is right here in Draper, Utah. These are so affordable and you can be as creative as you want to be with the DIY elements. TALK ABOUT EASY AND AWESOME CHRISTMAS GIFTS!!!

Here's a few shots of the display in the Draper, Utah Michael's just to give you an idea of how darling some of the pieces are:

Most of the Designer Combinations are $5.99 to $7.99. Same with the chains and pendants, so $12 gets you an awesome necklace or multiple bracelets and that's NOT figuring in any of those 40% OFF coupons that come in the paper every Sunday. PLUS Michael's will take "competitor" coupons too :) Happy day! Very affordable for everyday OR for great gifts!

So go check 'em out for yourself - Michael's in the Draper Peaks shopping center off 12300 south! If they sell well, Making Memories will bring the Vintage Groove line to ALL Michael's - so let's show them some LOVE!

New Family Members

2010-09-19T19:48:00.000-07:00

Ever since we got back from Kelli's house, the kids have been talking about Speedy the turtle. He IS very cute and IS fun but I'm not sure that we need a turtle. With 3 kids and a LARGE dog, we really don't have much time for another pet.

That being said, we have found a compromise.....FISH.

I'm not a big fish fan, but Lauren has been talking about a fish for quite some time and Nolan gets so excited when we discuss it. So when we went to my mom's house last weekend to help her with her garage sale, my sister had a fish tank for sale. Done! Easy! Cheap! If it didn't work, no big expense to feel bad about. Right?

Not quite. The tank didn't have a pump. Going down to Petco to get one would've been $40. A whole new fish tank WITH a pump, goodies for the inside AND fish food was $45. Another decision made easy.

SO today we brought home our new friends.

Nolan got to choose the names....Bob and Patrick. So original for two fellows that live under the sea, huh?

Mushrooms!

2010-09-14T19:38:00.000-07:00

Ordinarily fungi are NOT that intriguing. Unless they're in a Parmesan cream sauce or dipped in ranch dressing :) But after seeing a cute post over at OhDeeDoh, I had to try my hand at putting together a terrarium of my own with a couple of cute mushrooms!.

My first stop was Etsy.com, of course, to search for cute little mushrooms of the clay variety. After not finding any that 1) fit what I was looking for or 2) was worth paying for, my typical crafty nature said the ever popular phrase "I can TOTALLY make those!" So without further adieu, a trip to Michael's ensued.

I came home with Crayola Model Magic of all things! It was one of those crazy trips with ALL the kids in tow that quickly turned into an "OK! Let's get the heck out of here before I lose my mind!" Couldn't locate the FIMO or SCULPY so Crayola Model Magic it was...sorry didn't take any pics but it's easy to find anywhere. Also, picked up some black sand and preserved sheet moss...no LIVE plants involved. If you knew me, you wouldn't question why :) And these cute Apothecary jars were buy one get one free! Even better.

I first shaped the stems and skewered a toothpick inside to be able to put it into the moss. Then grabbed the first thing I could find after realizing they'd need 24 hours to dry and I couldn't lay them flat. Lucky for me there was a tasty box of Everlasting Gobstoppers nearby!

Fast forward 24 hours...I painted the mushroom caps with my trusty Making Memories acrylic paint and added white dots with the end of a Q-tip...easy peasy! Then BACK into the Everlasting Gobstopper box they went to stand & air dry once again.

Assembly was so easy....dump in some sand, use the lid as a template to cut the sheet moss & add it on top of the sand then poke in the cute little clay fungi! Ta-duh! With the exception of the dry time for the clay & paint phases, this really only took less than a half an hour. And they're SUPER cute!

This was a great project: fun, easy, inexpensive and I can't kill it! Perfect :) Next I'm going to try my hand at sculpting some other types of fun things to add to the terrariums. We'll see how it goes.

We {heart} birthdays!

2010-09-03T21:46:00.000-07:00

It's so difficult to believe that my middle child is turning TWELVE! It's that awkward age; no longer a child but not yet a teenager. The top of the ladder (6th grade) in elementary school but soon to go straight back down to the bottom in middle school.

We didn't really have a "theme" per se, however, she did want to camp out in the backyard.

So we set up the tent, the goodies and the fire pit for a night of giggles & treats!

All of the paper goods I made using the awesome works of Rhonna Farrer / House of 3, including the cupcake wrappers, water bottles, banners, napkin rings, name tags and decor for the candy jars! Rhonna is my all-time favorite designer and you will LOVE everything he does!
{Marshmallow pops!}
{the cupcakes BEFORE baby brother swiped his fingers through!}
The girls all had so much fun and actually got a little bit of sleep. They came in early the next morning for some homemade cinnamon rolls & OJ!

Happy birthday, Mira! Love you, sweets xoxo

{Fabric Scraps}

2010-08-28T19:33:00.000-07:00

There some fun new scrap packs in the shop. One of my new favorite sites that I've added to my Google Reader is Stash Manicure. LOVE IT! So many great ideas on how to manage your fabric stash, as well as de-stash, which is what I'm doing. I love each & every fabric I use and have such a hard time throwing away my scraps when a project is complete. The number of future projects I could potentially use these little bits of goodness on is limitless. Hence, my scrap stash grows & grows.

So today I decided to package these fun scraps together for someone else who can appreciate some scrappy goodness....and put them to use sooner than, oh, 2018! They've been sorted by color or theme. Anywhere from 1/2 pound to just over a pound of creative bits, some of which have a fat quarter or two!

Check them out in the Etsy Shop! You'll find pieces from Amy Butler, Joel Dewberry, Alexander Henry, Sandi Henderson, Heather Bailey, Michael Miller and MORE! They're perfect for patchwork, scrapbooking, making hair pretties, brooches, fabric flowers, ruffles or fashion embellishments, etc.

Next I will be de-stashing my larger pieces from fat quarters to full yards and bolts! I know, I could have a problem :)

New goodies in the {SHOP}

2010-07-31T16:05:00.001-07:00

Just listed more patterns & fabrics in the Scrap Happy Etsy shop (CLICK HERE). Check it out!
Joel Dewberry 16 Fat Quarter set - $30.00! Lots more on the way so please check back often :)

Edited to add: SOLD! Thank you :)

Morning Glory Laptop Case

2010-07-30T19:43:00.000-07:00

I've had 2 bolts (yes, I said bolts) of this Morning Glory fabric by Amy Butler in my office for more than a year now. Knowing I wanted to make something with it. But not sure what. Until I saw this tutorial. Then I knew.
I got the most awesome 15" MacBook Pro a few months back & don't especially care for the black neoprene sleeve it came with. When I found this way easy tutorial on Skip to my Lou, created by Crap I've Made, I had to give it a try!

Now my MacBook Pro has a marvelous home inside THIS laptop case. It's a much better use for the fabric than covering a small sedan, don't you think? :) Now what to do with the rest? I'm thinking luggage to match....we'll see.

You've Got Mail

2010-07-30T15:47:00.000-07:00

Well, actually more like UPS, but who cares! I LOVE getting any kind of delivery. Especially ones like today...from Westminster Fabrics! Yipeeeeeee!

How's THIS for a stack of LOVE??? Yes, it is actually LOVE, the complete fat quarter set from Amy Butler's LOVE line of fabrics! 26 beautiful quarter yards in 2 colorways (called Heart and Soul) just begging to be made into a couple of the cutest quilts you've ever seen. Actually I"m only keeping the 13 from the Heart colorway. The other 13 will be up for sale shortly in the Scrap Happy Etsy shop! Lucky YOU :)

Hold your horses, cuz there's more love:

This is the ENTIRE fat quarter set from the Joel Dewberry Modern Meadow line, in all three colorways! That's 48 FAT QUARTERS! Oh Happy Day! I am going to decide between the Sunny Day and Cool Stream colorways to redecorate my bedroom, starting with a quilt & pillows. Any good suggestions for a quilt pattern? The other sets will show up soon in the Scrap Happy Etsy shop :)

Want another peek?

These 2 darlings came in the delivery today as well.

Add THESE 2 other things I had already

and I've got the ingredients for a busy weekend!!! I will be taking a trip next week and hope to have a carry-on bag and a new laptop case to take with me :) Pictures to follow.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Perfect Ten

2010-07-29T20:25:00.000-07:00

As mentioned on the Scrap Happy Facebook page, I'm starting a quilt. It's for a Christmas gift. Yes, I realize it's July. But I also realize that 1) I work 40+ hours a week at a full time corporate job, 2) I work 15-25 hours a week at my Rue 39 Design invite business, 3) I have 3 kids and a dog to tend to in the evenings, 4) the weekends go by way too quick and the family wants to go camping, attend baseball games or have Mom around to clean up after their messy behinds and wash their laundry. SO, that said, I'm starting a Christmas quilt in JULY. Or it won't get done.

Here's a sneak peak at the fabrics:

These are Nicey Jane by Heather Bailey. The request for the quilt was something sort of vintage-y. These should fit the bill nicely. Especially using THIS pattern:

Instead of piecing the colored 8x8 squares into the white fabric (thinking of using a crisp white Kona cotton) I will most likely sew them on top, close to the edges so they will fray up just a bit. Which will add to the vintage feel.

Another brand new copy of this pattern is now in the Scrap Happy Etsy shop way below the retail price of $9.50...it's only $6.50 and is simple, concise and easy to follow. This makes a finished quilt size of 60"x72".

This is the first of 3 requests for quilts I have for Christmas, so hopefully I can stay on track...unlike last year, where I had left everything until the last minute and spent every, single night from Thanksgiving until Christmas Eve working on SOME project for gifting.

I'm also hoping to find a pattern for a KING SIZED quilt to make for myself and work a complete redo on my bedroom around it, including the window coverings and the bathroom to match. Lofty, yes. Impossible, no. Wish me luck :)

Batman Returns

2010-07-09T20:08:00.000-07:00

But this time on the back of a hooded towel! I made a trip to Ikea a while back and picked up a bunch of colored towels, super cheap. Colored towels aren't my thing either...all the bath towels in my house are white. It's a bleach thing, I digress. Anyway, I've had this grouping of towels for at least a year, maybe more. Yellow, orange, green and black. I had picked up the black ones specifically for a Batman hooded towel for Tiny Guy, but had envisioned adding little "ears" to the hood.

When I decided to re-vamp my office/craft room a few weeks ago, I made a list of all the outstanding projects I had to work on. There were two towels ALREADY made for Mira, all I ad to do was add the names. Also had two more for my nephew, again sewn & just needing the name! How lame is THAT?!? So when I pulled out these other Ikea towels, the yellow landed next to the black and it clicked.....

I had procrastinated all that time not being able to decide how to add the silly little ears, when all along THIS would've been easier AND looked better! I sewed the yellow hood to the yellow towel and used the scrap to make the bottom layer of the Batman logo. Then used the black scraps from making the black towel for the top bat layer of the logo. So I still have a yellow hooded towel to figure how to put to use, but in the meantime we now have a Btaman hooded towel for the pool!!

Once the towels were all ready, I took them to my local t-shirt shop to have the names put onto the hoods. Just so happens they had the EXACT color yellow as the Batman logo for Nolan's name. These were Mira's requested color combinations:

Sometimes I need to remember that taking 2 minutes to figure out the obstacle is better than procrastinating forEVER and realizing after how dumb I feel for waiting so long to tackle a project.

Now that I've re-organized my office, I have a master list of projects outstanding so I can prioritize and tackle each one and catch up. Feels good. This also means that I will be posting scrapbook supplies, fabrics, patterns and goodness know what else in the Scrap Happy Etsy shop for sale very soon. So check there often :)

Change in plans

2010-01-07T12:43:00.000-08:00

For reasons beyond my control, I have decided to take the personal portion of this blog private. Should you wish to keep up on my happy little family, please comment on THIS post with your email address and I will happily contact you with my new blog address.

Otherwise, Scrap Happy will keep bringing the craft goodness and more of it! I will be doing a lot more scrapbooking & crafting and posting EVERYTHING here. Lots of fun things, so keep checking back.

Thanks in advance to everyone for your support :)

{More} Make & Bake goodness

2009-12-24T06:48:00.000-08:00

Just some random goodies that have been made with lots of love and care this year.

Christmas Quilts!

2009-12-23T14:52:00.000-08:00

Quilts were on the top of the request list this year. Not only are they the most time consuming thing to make, they're not cheap to make either! And I'm certainly no PRO!

On the tippy-top of Lauren's list was a "sock monkey" quilt. She'd been raving about the "Mid-mod quilt" on the Amy Butler website for quite some time (link here). So, here's the Mid Mod quilt...sock monkey style:

64" of square cuteness! It turned out so much better than I'd expected! I'm certain she's going to absolutely LOVE it! The brown border fabric looks JUST like knitted socks!

For about a year now, I've been trying to make a quilt that matches my living room. Everyone in the evenings like to snuggle up & cuddle under a blanket. Except said blanket drives me NUTS! It's either a worn out Pottery Barn chenille throw that sheds like crazy or an '80s comforter that is SO cheesy it makes my stomach churn! So, this year, here's the solution....

It's brown, gold, red & ice blue and backed completely with MINKY! Could this possibly be ANY cozier?!? I think NOT! Approximately 10 different fabrics make up this luxurious slice of heaven!!! I even included some rectangles of minky on the front for extra texture!

Utah winters, chill no more! This house is PREPARED and ready for all the chilly-ness one desert winter can bring! And might I add it's with chic style we stay warm! :)

Make or Bake (girl verison) vol. 2 - WORKDAY

2009-12-13T06:33:00.000-08:00

As mentioned HERE, my plate is quite full these days trying to come up with options for "make or bake" gifts for the family.

Today I worked on multiple projects. I really want the gifts for my kids to be things they'll actually use and love. For Mira I've been working on some re-decorating items for her room:

She needs some type of artwork for the walls and I decided to go with something more 3-D than a painting. This is two canvasses that have one scene and its done with FELT. The little wing of the lovebird looks a bit like a paisley which is what her bedding is.

The girls have TV's in their rooms (another post all it's own!) and each night she spends so much time trying to track down her remotes. Most of the time they've gotten made right into the bed! So behold the remote caddy that exactly fits the side rail of her sleigh bed :)

It's been more challenging than I'd anticipated converting from a pink flower-y room to a brown & turquoise room. I still have a TON of shelves to finish but I think when it's all done, it will be darling.

For Nolan I made a hot wheels caddy that has a figure 8 race track and pockets to tuck his cars into. It folds in half and rolls up to toss into a bag & take on the go.

Now that he's potty trained we really don't take a diaper bag anymore, but even at home this will be great because it doesn't take up very much room to store.

For some of the other girls in our family, I made a few fabric headbands and some matching hairclips...what girl could have too many of these?

For my mom & sister I also made some functional goodies but since they read this blog, the details will just have to wait :) It feels really good to see so many things crossed off my list of things to "make or bake." Hopefully I can finish in the next week (or so) and be able to enjoy more free time with the family....I'd like to take them to see some Christmas lights and to see the Princess & the Frog. Maybe I should put those on my to do list so they're sure to get done, huh? :)

Make or Bake (girl version)

2009-12-05T18:07:00.000-08:00

What on earth could I make for two picky tween/teenage girls for Christmas that they'll actually like? Well, let's break it down a bit...what do they spend most of their time doing? Getting ready! They love hair things and blingy things so....

since feathers are the big thing right now, I've come up with some hair clips in the colors they wear the most. Then to coordinate with those, there's these little cuties:

Ribbon Rings! The possibilities are ENDLESS for these and I feel an addiction coming on strong. Watch out cuz I just may be sportin' some of these guys too :)

Also, Mira chose new bedding for her birthday a couple of months ago and there's a few re-decorating items on tap, these being two small ones.

There's a BIG hopeful score I'm trying to locate and it will be the coup d'etat if I can find it! So keep your fingers crossed for me :)

Make or Bake 2.5 vol. 1

2009-12-05T17:17:00.000-08:00

As I may have mentioned in previous posts, I am really trying to get back to enjoying the holiday season. This year I have committed to slow down and savor every moment. Along with keeping it simple, we are going with a "make or bake" theme for our gift giving. While I do want to truly take in all the holidays have to offer, trying to come up with creative gift ideas for my family has been tough, even a bit stressful. So I will share with you here on the blog the things I come up with.

For Nolan I was trying to come up with games or educational type things he could play with. A 2.5 year old doesn't have a very long attention span but he does love to play games. So, first off I thought of a "memory" game. There's a few different approaches I could use, but I decided to go with something more tactile than fabric or paper. Here I used wooden discs! I stamped the fronts with his initial "N" and the back with pairs of jungle animals.

Supplies:

Then I was going to make ABC flash cards, but thought these would bigger and more fun!

(can't get this picture to rotate :( They are quilted with colorful fabric on the front, flannel on the back and batting sandwiched in between.

Hopefully he will love them and it will make his

a little brighter :)

Go, Diego, Go!

2009-10-26T10:46:00.000-07:00

"Deep inside the jungle where nature's runnin' wild, coming to the rescue there's a very special child. Talking to the animals and swinging from a vine, this rough & tough adventurer is working all the time."

We have a HUGE Diego fan at our house. On any given night you could be asked to be a baby macaw, monkey or even a baby chinchilla...and you're in TROUBLE! But never fear, Diego and Rescue Pack will save the day!

No surprise here when Nolan said he wanted to be Diego for Halloween. So, I naturally started looking for a costume. Tough task! There aren't any. What would momma do? Make one. Really all I needed to make was Rescue Pack and a khaki vest - into the felt stash I go :) Lots left from last Halloween....

Here's what we came up with:
The Rescue Watch is a MUST! This is how you talk to Alicia and get messages as to which animal you have to save. I found this printable one on the Nick Jr. website and laminated it, along with the different options for animals. Each one has velcro on the back so they can be changed out.
For NOT having a pattern I think these turned out pretty good. The vest is just that...a simple vest with the same patch on it that Diego's has. Rescue Pack is worn by Diego with just one strap so that's what we did. I didn't even have to make a trip to the fabric store, thanks to extra orange felt from the goodie bags we made last Halloween :)

Last night Nolan wore these until the very moment I put him into his bed! I don't care that it's not very fancy, he loves them and that makes me feel great. Can't wait to see him as Diego for Trick or Treating!

Gimmee a {BREAK}

2009-09-24T05:50:00.000-07:00

Life has a way of taking the reins right out of your hands, bringing things faster than what seems possible to handle. But we always seem to find a way to work through it, right?!? What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger.....or so I've been told.

Until, that is, your body sends up the flag and says "HEY! Wait a minute!" Unfortunately that is what has happened to me. A little too much burning the candle from both ends has landed me with a terribly painful stomach ULCER. Now, I will admittedly be the first to tell you I work best under pressure and tend to take on more than I should. In some weird way, I feel more effective when my plate is full. Maybe I just need to balance out the food groups on said plate from now on.

Business has been outragously great over at Rue 39 Design and that has captured nearly all of my work attention. So, no pictures here...no exciting news...no grandiose things to report. (Check out Rue 39 Design to see what I've been working on!) Just laying off the blogging, facebook and most extracurricular activities. But I will be back soon with some great things, hopefully refreshed and refocused on those things that are important at the core (again think food groups): family, health and happiness.

{My Office}

2009-08-23T20:55:00.000-07:00

For my birthday, I had asked to move my office up to the loft in the upstairs of the house. It currently holds Nolan's toys and an obnoxiously massive TV on which the kids play Wii. Switching these rooms made so much sense to me, mainly because when the kids play Wii they get loud and it's right above the main living room. This way they could go to the back of the house, shut the door and be as rowdy as they want!

So after hauling all the toys downstairs, unhooking the TV & components and moving part of my office items upstairs, I realized I was making a HUGE assumption that the TV would fit. I then got my trusty tape measure and much to my dismay, it would NOT make it through the door. The doors to the OTHER downstairs bedrooms are 28" wide (which works) but THIS room only has a 27" doorway - TOO NARROW!

Needless to say I was uber disappointed. Back upstairs with the toys and back down with tons of my stuff! Bummed doesn't describe how I felt. To make it a little better I decided to re-arrange my current space. And I gotta say, it turned out better than I thought.

It feels like I now have more legroom and it's a better use of the space. Moving the desk out from having my back to the window gets rid of the glare on the laptop and now I have a view out to the backyard. Plus I got to add this on the wall behind the desk:

So, while I didn't get that gorgeous view of the Salt Lake Valley, I'm pleased with the outcome. For now, anyway. Plus everything got cleaned, dusted & vacuumed and back in tip top order, which always feels good.

Goodnight

2009-08-20T21:11:00.000-07:00

In my bedroom there's this wall. Well, there's more than one actually but one inparticular has been especially bare. I've looked and searched for something to put on it, but never found a thing. Until now...

I found this wonderful saying to serve as a gentle reminder of how sometimes we forget that a certain someone has such a great presence in our life. Want your own? Check out one of our local businesses, DCWV!

Under Construction

2009-05-21T08:32:00.000-07:00

Coming soon to a blog near YOU: Rue 39 Design!
http://rue39design.blogspot.com/

As somewhat of an offshoot to my passion for scrapbooking, I will be launching Rue 39 Design. We're shooting for July 1st to be fully functional with the web presence, however we are in business NOW.

Rue 39 design is your source for fine details that will help make your event one to remember. We are a custom design studio that works closely with each client to ensure that the invitations and accompanying products reflect their style and theme of the event.

Rue 39 Design currently offers save-the dates, engagement and wedding announcements, wedding invitations, place cards, menus, programs, thank yous, wedding and baby shower invites, baby announcements, birthday or any occasion party invitations, moving announcements, business and calling cards and MORE. We welcome other ideas not listed here.

In addition to the stationary listed above we can also personalize favors, goodie bags, candies, water bottles, labels, books, etc., We love to provide those little extras to bring together the theme of your event. Please inquire for special details and pricing. Corporate packages also available.

We are already working on projects and samples for the gallery. So keep an eye out for the new site and BIG premiere VERY SOON!

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-10T20:59:00.001-07:00

Today is Mother's Day.....a day that, while rumored to have been created by Hallmark to sell more cards, I'm glad for. Mothers do SO much, give so much, feel so much. There's always those select few who never should've become mothers to begin with, but for the gist of MY post, those are NOT the ones I'm referring to!

I'm talking about the ones like MY mom! The amazing ones who you simply couldn't live without. The ones who love you far more than you could EVER imagine, are there for you NO-matter-what, who are tireless, ageless and manage to accomplish more in a day that anyone else would need a week to come close. And I'm in no way exaggerating :) She's the BEST.

I spent the day with said "Wonderwoman" and gave her this:

She's only been asking me to make her a tote bag for, oh, like a year now. She found the fabric and I ordered it "about" that long ago. Good intentions...ya, ya, ya. SO, in the spirit of the day (and 2 sewing machine needles later) I put plenty of tears, sweat and swear words into this lovely handbag.

The inside lining is pieced using all the colors from the outer fabric, which is laminated for easy cleaning. Lots of pockets for the cell phone, planner, lunch, etc. It's been a LOOOONG time coming so hopefully she'll gets lots of use out of it.

All in all a great day spent with my family. Got to watch the kids plays at Grandma & Papa's house..

.(Nolan on his Quad)

and watched my guys wrestle...

took in lots of good eats and great conversation. The best Mother's day I could have wished for. Thanks to my family AND my mom for everything.

Happy Anniversary

2009-05-09T06:19:00.000-07:00

Five years ago today, I married my best friend. In some ways it seems like it FLEW by, yet at the same time it seems like FOR.EV.ER! Mainly because so much has happened in our lives, so much has changed, we as individuals and as a couple have changed. Experiences shape us and how we look at things.

Most couples get married, maybe get a pet while they get to know each other....buy a home, have children, etc. You know, EASE into things. We hit the ground running as I had my girls and Travis had his...Lexxi the Yellow Lab(she truly is one of the children!). For the girls & I we moved to a new state, new home, new family and for Travis he was invaded by females after living alone for 15 years.

Now that we've all learned from our experiences and added 2 NEW family members, I wouldn't trade it for anything! I'd do it all again. We definitely have our ups & downs like any family but this is right where I want to be.

This was one of the things I gave to Travis in commemoration of our day. Kind of like Letterman's top 10 but in my scrappy sort of way!

Top Ten Things I love about you

1. You take pride in ownership

2. Everyday is a new day & a fresh start

3. How you like to paint our nails with designs & bling

4. You totally get unto the Science Channel and believe in aliens

5. That you enjoy grocery shopping with me to see how much we save with coupons

6. When you are patient with my fickle nature

7. How you still ask me out on dates

8. That after 7 years you still blame your farts on the dogs

9. When you daydream about all the "family" things we can do together

10. You are dedicated to everything you undertake

Thank you, Travis for a jam-packed, full of love & adventure 5 years of marriage. Love You!

May KIT OF THE MONTH

2009-05-04T07:38:00.000-07:00

Now on Etsy! This month's paper pack is NOW up in my Etsy shop! It's a terrifically designed paper line called Dirty Laundry. They resemble sheets, shirts, dresses, even TIES! Flowers, paisleys, stripes and dots - all distressed and grungy. They are great for ANY occasion, layouts or cards. I've used these myself and LOVE them.

Later today I will be putting up some coordinating embellishments so watch for those too. Meanwhile the Dirty Laundry paper is a steal of a deal! You get 24 patterned papers and 4 solid coordinating sheets....ALL for $9! That's less than $0.33 per sheet! You won't find that anywhere.

Happy Scrapping!

Scrapbook Albums

2009-05-03T17:50:00.000-07:00

A while back I mentioned that I was going to be changing out all of my scrapbooks. Probably longer back than I'd like to admit, BUT.....I've started and wanted to share this crazy fast idea with everyone.

My BFF Kelli & I have received all the same goods. We have the We R Memory Keepers classic 3 ring binders in black. They are sleek Italian leather with silver metal corners and silver labels on the binding. These are timeless albums that will look awesome on the shelves! Switching from post bound to 3 ring albums is a big deal and really I didn't think I'd like it. However, there's one BIG advantage....the inserts!

They're the ultimate solution to TWO issues....

1) what to do with all those "extra" pictures that aren't included on the cute layout. If you're like me, you take 437 pictures of any given event and only scrapbook 6-10 of them into a fancy, well thought out layout. Then you have all those others than stack up & collect dust. Well, with the 4x6 photo pages you can put those extras into these pages and have little journaling spots in the extra spaces or whatever you'd like. You can even add rub ons to the outside of the 4x6 pages or hole punch a spot and tie ribbon through it. There's so many additional ways to embellish them without having to feel guilty for not using all the photos in your main layout.

2) If your like me and are "many" years behind in your scrapbooking (vacations EXCLUDED I'm not yet into this century) it can speed up the process IMMENSELY! You can scrap tons of photos way faster because you can use the best ones for select layouts and put the rest in the 4x6 sections and you're good to go. Then once they're in, you can go back anytime to add embellishments. Meanwhile, your caught up & can move forward...on to bigger things! :)

Here's just a few (poorly lit) pics to show an example of my albums. I still have to go back and add embellishments but I'm happy that the pictures are in their home and my albums are filling up quickly...

Another advantage to the 3 ring albums is that you can move things around anytime or anywhere you want. I'm really liking the whole set up! And it's not very expensive either. If you want to look these for yourself, send me a message and I can get the prices and lead time for you right away.

Also, I've added some additional baby items into my Etsy shop...slings, burpies, etc. So feel free to pop over & check it out. http://www.scraphappyutah.etsy.com/

Now on Etsy!

2009-04-30T07:59:00.000-07:00

I've finally added my Scrabble Tile pendants into my Etsy shop! I know...I know, it's taken entirely TOO LONG, but it kept getting pushed down to the bottom of the TO DO list. So, now it's done & hopefully they can find a new home. Lots of colors & styles so DO take a peek!

Also, this weekend I will be adding the MAY KIT OF THE MONTH to my Etsy shop as well. Be on the lookout for THAT....you won't want to miss the awesome goodies I'm putting together!

Lastly, I'm considering putting together a scrapbooking weekend in the beautiful Utah mountains! This is a wonderful time of year and it would be LOADS of fun! If anyone has any ideas or suggestions PLEASE let me know. I want to make it super affordable for everybody so there will be lots of package options.

Short but sweet - the TO DO list calls! More to come...

A Day in the Life

2009-03-22T17:30:00.001-07:00

I've been trying to make this mini album since last JULY! I've had all the pieces, just never made the time to do it. So, last Friday night my neighbor Connie and I sat down for catch up session with our scrapbooking. She finished her Hawaii album and I finished this one:

The album is by We R Memory Keepers and the papers, etc are by Cosmo Cricket. It's easy and FUN and Nolan LOVES it! I wanted something that he could look at all the time (he loves books and pictures, especially of himself!) and this will allow me to look back at our time together and remember how we spent our typical day :)

More to come from We R Memory Keepers, as I'm in the process of converting ALL of my scrapbooks to NEW albums. It's way cute, fast and I can't wait to share. My BFF Kelli is doing it too. Photos to come SOON!

March Sneak Peek

2009-02-16T12:44:00.001-08:00

Now taking requests for the March Scrap Kit of the month! Here are the papers I've chosen and some extra goodies. If you have any suggestions, please let me know!

These are the latest releases from Imaginisce! This line is called "Twitterpated" which is perfect for SPRING! Included in the paper pack are one sheet of each double-sided paper in this line (6 total) PLUS 4 sheets of coordinating Bazzill cardstock. All this for the same price as last month's paper pack - $5.50! You can customize your KIT by choosing the embellishments you want.

The February embellishments sold out last month (paper packs still available) so be sure to get your March kits soon. I will also take pre-orders by request. Leave a comment here on the blog w/your email address if you'd like to pre-order yours now.

February Scrap Kit

2009-02-05T13:07:00.000-08:00

After much debating, I have decided to offer a monthly kit. The way it works is this...there will be a paper pack or "starter kit" which includes 8-12 sheets of awesome, top quality scrapbook paper. Featured below are some of the contents for February's kit. There are 10 sheets this month: 5 pattered sheets (2 are double sided) and five sheets of coordinating (textured) Bazzill cardstock. This months kit includes cream puff, diablo and painted pink!

The paper pack is $5.50 - that's $.55 per sheet! A bargain indeed :) Then you can mix & match which coordinating embellishments you'd like, all of which are offered at very affordable prices - below MSRP!
Red foil alpha stickers - $2.99
6 yards of coordinating ribbon - $5.19 and a 24 pack of brads - $2.99!
A pack of 84 die cuts - $2.99 and the cutest ribbon slides EVER - $3.99!

These are all available in my Etsy shop (link to the RIGHT) or contact me if you want the WHOLE KIT & KABOODLE for a special price of $20!

Keep your eyes open for more kits at GREAT prices. Also, let me know if you'd like to organize a scrap night.

Update!

2009-02-04T12:44:00.000-08:00

Well, there's hope yet. The law that I posted about has been delayed ONE MORE YEAR! YAY! So, we can keep on doing what we love to do for 12 more months. Hopefully by then they will have special conditions for handmade products made by moms like me in the good ol' US of A.

There's more hope - Nolan is potty training and doing unbelievably well! This is pretty early, since he's just turned two, but the signs of readiness are there & we're goin' for it.

There's more hope - President Barack Obama has imposed $500,000 caps on senior executive pay for the most distressed financial institutions receiving federal bailout money, saying Americans are upset with "executives being rewarded for failure." Ya think? Especially when those "rewards" are subsidized by US tax payers!

So, just when those winter blues were kicking in, there's a bright silver lining! My posts have been pretty sparse lately but I will be posting LOTS of new things soon. Not only scrap projects but there's new products coming soon too - stay tuned :)

{Sad Story}

2009-01-25T18:11:00.001-08:00

This is some local coverage on the CPSIA law that comes into affect next month, which will cause hundreds of mom-owned businesses (like me) to discontinue selling handmade products!

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

Scrap Happy GROUP

2009-01-25T06:36:00.000-08:00

Ever wonder what to do with those extra or duplicate scrapbook supplies? You know, the ones you HAD to have?! Well, now you've got the perfect place to go! I've created the Scrap Happy Group on Yahoo Groups! Not only will we chat about the latest and greatest supplies, tools and techniques, you can ask questions, get scrapbooking advice and post your items to trade or swap. Whether you live here locally or across the US, you can sign up to be a member. This will also give you inside information as to upcoming promotions, giveaways here on the blog and new item releases.

On the Scrap Happy Group you can even participate in polls to help me offer just the products you want. Go there now to voice your opinion on a new "kit of the month" offering!

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ScrapHappyGroup/

This is really going to be a blast. I will even be posting sketches & challenges so all members can create pages, cards or altered items for awesome prizes! But I can't do it without YOU. So, PLEASE SIGN UP TODAY! Be inspired and take part in the Scrap Happy Group. Swap & trade your extra supplies for new ones and have fun creating memories to last a lifetime.

Feel free to contact me directly if you have any questions :)

{Much needed rest}

2009-01-21T11:31:00.000-08:00

Lately I have been taking some much needed rest from the blog-world. Don't get me wrong, I love the blog, both figuratively and literally, but life comes at ya fast sometimes! So, now that we're back from Lauren's gymnastics meet in Las Vegas and have a 2 week reprive until the next meet, I'm trying to catch up.

Next in the agenda is to refocus on scrapbooking. Not only my personal back log, but business-wise too. I know I've posted here previously about the new CPSIA act coming into affect next month (see http://www.change.org/ideas/view/save_handmade_toys_from_the_cpsia). In a nutshell it will make it illegal for me to sell any handmade products intended for use by children under the age of 12, unless I participate in rigorous and expensive testing on each type of product. This is truly a shame. It's putting SO many wonderful artisans out of business...even local boutiques here in Salt Lake City!

So, look for more scrapbooking classes, products & inspiration - coming soon, here AND in my Etsy shop.

Happy NEW Year!!

2009-01-01T10:37:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! We've survived a Christmas Eve trip to the ER - Nolan had croup, tattered boxes, bags of crumpled wrapping paper, Nolan opening everyone ELSE'S gifts, long waits at the airport, packing up all the Christmas decorations, too much food and lots of late nights! Here we are in 2009!

Lot's of changes for the coming year. I think my resolution will be to slow down & enjoy life. Last year was so busy with teaching classes and creating product for boutiques that I didn't take time to do what I quit working to do: Spend more time with the kids! That's my New Years resolution. They're only young for such a short time and I want to savor every moment!

What's YOUR resolution for 2009???

Flashy Chucks

2008-12-22T10:37:00.000-08:00

One of Mira's requests for Christmas goodies was a pair of these:

Bling-ed out Chuck Taylor Converse sneakers :) We saw these at a number of boutiques, however they were mostly for smaller girls - toddlers mostly. But they're SO cute! So, I decided to try my hand at making them. I found the sneakers and got the crystals. But the first attempt didn't go so well...not only was I using the wrong type of glue (I thought E6000 would hold ANYTHING!) but the crystals were too big & wouldn't line up right. After 2 hours of gluing I had to tear it all apart and start again with NEW glue & smaller crystals! Phew - I'm glad the second attempt came out better. And now that I know my niece is having a girl this June, you can bet she'll have a tiny pair of these too!

{Done!}

2008-12-20T06:09:00.000-08:00

Last night the last custom order was picked up! YAY! This was such a fun one to do. Cynthia from My Quilter Girl (www.myquiltergirl.com) makes the most awesome quilts and asked me to make one for her daughter that matches a quilt she's made. Apparently her daughter chose the fabric. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the fabric but when I imagine a 5 year picking fabric I think of pink & purple! LoL! But it's WAY cool. Both my girls loved it AND my dad came over when I was finishing it and requested a shirt made from the skulls & crossbones fabric by Alexander Henry!

It turned out very cute and check back soon for more info, as Cynthia will be posting pics of her daughter with it and the quilt! Can't wait to see how they look all together :)

Also {DONE} with the Christmas shopping...just a few more handmade gifts to finish up. We've been doing LOTS of Holiday baking around here and we've even found a way to get Nolan involved :)

{Strawberry Shortcake}

2008-12-15T20:48:00.000-08:00

Talk about a blast from the past!! Okay, all you ladies from the '80's...remember Strawberry Shortcake? Blueberry Muffin? Orange Blossom? Ginger Snap? Can't remember the name of the dog or the cat...dating myself now, huh?!? LOL! Everything seems to come back around and so did she. This is a baby doll bassinet for a custom order made from Strawberry Shortcake fabric.
Also requested to go with this and the quilt was a matching dolly pillow. This was so FUN to make and hopefully there will be a happy little girl on Christmas morning :)I'm also finishing up my last custom order before the holiday. It's another baby doll bassinet made from skulls & crossbones with red roses. It's going to be very striking! I can't wait to finish! It's being made to match a little girls quilt she already has in her bedroom, made by her MAMA @ MY Quilter Girl. Please check out her website ( www.myquiltergirl.com )...she does AWESOME work!

Cricut Christmas Ornaments

2008-12-08T12:33:00.000-08:00

Nolan & I rushed out this morning to get our errands done before the snow came....and we BARELY made it :) He's such fun to hang out with. Everyone is always so polite when he tells them "Hi" - all 47 times. His curiosity is such that he doesn't mind going to the fabric store and Robert's with me. He just loves to look at everything, especially now with all the Christmas decorations being so bright and sparkly!

The rest of the day is dedicated to starting some custom orders due by the end of the week and working on family gifts. I've got these done already:

I absolutely LOVE my Cricut machine! And now that I've figured out how to use the sheets of vinyl, the sky's the limit. LOL! These ornaments will be cute for my sister-in-law whether she puts them on her tree or in a decorative bowl. Hope she likes them...and hope she doesn't read my blog before I can give them to her - HA HA. As much as I wish I could take credit for this idea, I actually got it (with permission) from Heather White at {unwrapped}: www.heatherdwhite.typepad.com. She always has such wonderful ideas for home dec & gift giving! She also is an incredibly talented photographer so be sure to visit her photography blog: http://heatherdwhite.typepad.com/white_house_photography/, especially if you still need to have those family photos done for this year!

Winner! Winner! Chicken Dinner!

2008-12-04T07:08:00.000-08:00

While I've been pretty immersed in the sewing realm of crafting lately, I still follow a number of blogs by very talented ladies here in Utah. One of which is Amber Packer. She used to teach classes at my favorite scrapbook store - All My Memories - before it closed last year. Last week she hosted a give away on her blog ( http://www.bloominmemories.typepad.com/ ) for a copy of a new publication by Scrapbook Trends magazine/Northridge Media: Simply Handmade.

That's right, I won! How exciting this was, not only because I never win anything BUT this magazine is AWESOME! It really can't be considered just a magazine either....more like a book. The thick pages are chock full of incredible photos & close ups, accompanied by step by step instructions for each of the crafts shown. Simple paper or sewing projects that can be completed in a matter of hours, that turn out great! I would definitely recommend picking up your own copy. This Christmas themed issue was wonderful & I can't wait to see what comes out next.

BIG THANKS to Amber for this fabulous prize. You have a beautiful home and nice ride (we drive the same car...haha). Hope the yard recovers from Nolan trampling through your flower beds!

100 Posts!!

2008-12-02T12:57:00.001-08:00

WOW! I just noticed that this is my 100th post on the Scrap Happy blog! YAY :) How the time flies. I'm really looking forward to using BLURB at the end of the year and having a hardbound copy of my blog made! Not quite scrapbooking but it's preserving other things I probably wouldn't scrap otherwise.

Also, wanted to let you all know about the Traveling Trunk Boutique:

Going on NOW in the Harvard/Yale area of Salt Lake! A quaint gingerbread style home and a smaller venue but GREAT FINDS! You won't want to miss this one!

Turkey Day!

2008-11-27T06:47:00.000-08:00

What a happy Thanksgiving, indeed! We are, seriously, so blessed. There's so many reasons, for which I give thanks everyday :) Especially my "2 special blessings" who are in California until Saturday! I love you girls more than words can say - Happy Thanksgiving to you also :)

Family and friends are at the top of my list! Last night produced a few more Holiday friends (12 to be exact). They are black & white & orange......have BIG eyes...yep, they're penguins :)

These chilly guys will be traveling with me to various holiday boutiques, looking for new homes...igloos not required:) You can also find them in My Etsy shop www.scraphappyutah.etsy.com

Enjoy the day and all we have to be thankful for! I know I will :)

Oh Baby!!

2008-11-26T13:47:00.000-08:00

These are my top 2 selling items at the last 2 boutiques; the baby doll sling (in action with Mira and Bitty Twin Boy):
and the baby doll cloth diapers:
I've always made the slings and added the diapers to go with the bassinets I made, but I didn't really think I'd sell out! I mean, I knew they were cute BUT I can't make enough of 'em! Want some of your own (or for your little "mommy")? Well, just watch the OH SWEET SADIE blog this week (http://www.ohsweetsadie.blogspot.com/) and enter to win your set. They may or may not be the ones pictured here but I guarantee they'll be CUTE.

P.S. For any fellow Twilight fans...the bottom 12 songs on my playlist (scroll down, it's on the right) are from the soundtrack! :)

I feel {Pretty}

2008-11-26T07:27:00.000-08:00

How do you like my face lift? The NEW look? I felt as though we needed to spruce up a bit here on my blog. With all the holiday decorating, it just seemed like the thing to do. We hauled out all the storage containers of Christmas decorations....not done with the tree yet, but it's getting there, no thanks to Nolan who insists that the glass ornaments are "balls!" So he takes them off and runs around the house, squealing in delight :) This year will be so much fun for him.

I still have to decorate the stair handrails with garland and lights and Travis is going to do the tree out front & the porch! He is off work the rest of this week so I'll be sure to put that near the TOP of his "honeydo" list :)

Christmas is Coming....

2008-11-25T06:45:00.000-08:00

the goose is getting fat....remember THAT one? How funny! It's probably been since second grade since I heard that last. In gearing up for Christmas I wanted to add some fun holiday accessories. See below:

The Christmas trees are my favorite. Also coming are candy canes and penguins!

On another note, I have some FUN sock monkey fabric on it's way from MODA and I can't wait to show you what I've got planned for that. :)

Scrabble anyone?

2008-11-24T07:26:00.000-08:00

Well, it's been 2 shows since I posted last! And I have 4 more coming up! YAY! This adventure has been so much fun. The variety of boutiques allows me to change up my products and try out new things....like these pendants (well soon to be pendants as the bails & chains are on the way). I made these out of SCRABBLE TILES! They're so much fun. :)

Lauren has a gymnastics meet January 9th and 10th which is sponsored by HER gym. The Booster Club is organizing it and we are having a few vendor booths, of which I will have one. I'm planning on many gymnastics related items which include THESE scrabble tile necklaces:

I'm also going to have hair bows & clips and other FUN stuff...more to come as I get it completed :)

Here's another WEEKDAY boutique that will offer some variety: The Traveling Trunk Boutique! Check it out at http://www.thetravelingtrunk.blogspot.com/ December 2 (noon-9pm) & December 3 (10am-6pm) in Harvard/Yale area, 1971 E. Yalecrest (1000 S.) A gorgeous gingerbread home will be brimming full of all the trimmings for the holiday season. Great gifts, homemade confections, fresh wreaths, baby and children items, jewelry, women and teen clothing, purses, books, and so much more! Don't miss out! The house is spectacular, just remodeled and FOR SALE! Move in for Christmas!

Next!

2008-11-18T21:07:00.000-08:00

Now that I'm back from the holiday expo (bah humbug) and onto the Oh Sweet Sadie holiday shows (YAY - please come to a NEW location this Thurs-Sat in BOUNTIFUL! www.OHSWEETSADIE.COM ), I'm looking to add a few more before Christmas arrives. So, for all of you on the SOUTH end of the valley, like me, there's no excuse NOT to come to the Spotted Zebra Boutique in Draper. After all, there's going to be "something for EVERYONE!" Plus I will have some NEW AND FUN ITEMS to share! :) Visit their website for additional info: www.thespottedzebraboutique.blogspot.com

The {BIG} day is here!

2008-11-13T12:58:00.000-08:00

Friends and Family: Please come to the 9th Annual Salt Lake Family Christmas Gift Show at the South Towne Exposition Center in Sandy, Utah. It's Bigger & Better than ever! Heather & I are in Booth #1106. Be sure to say "hello."

ADMISSION PRICES:Tickets: Adults $8.50 Children - FREE (13 and under)Free Return With Hand Stamp. Coupon here: http://www.holidaygiftshows.com/saltlake%20coupon.htm
SHOW DATES & TIMES:Nov. 14th Fri. 10:00 am - 9:00 pm
Nov. 15th Sat. 10:00 am - 8:00 pm
Nov. 16th Sun. 10:00 am - 6:00 pm

November 14th - 16th, 2008~ 425 Exhibits ~Premier Gift Show Featuring Arts & Craft, Entertainment & Food, Real Bearded SANTA daily 12:00-4:00pm, FREE parking at the South Towne Exposition Center, Return for FREE (with stamped hand & ticket stub), Live entertainment through out including dance, theatre, choirs and instrumentals.

With a cherry on top!

2008-11-12T07:27:00.000-08:00

These are a new addition to the bows I will have on a regular basis (including on Etsy). Due to popular demand....the cupcakes!

For now they're available in blue & hot pink, but more will be added OR these can be custom made in any color you wish. They're fun, sweet and even have a cherry on top!

Busy Bee

2008-11-10T15:09:00.000-08:00

Yes, that's me...a busy bee - SEE BELOW:

This is a peek at what I will have this weekend at the Salt Lake Family Christmas Gift Show at Southtowne Expo Center AND at the Oh Sweet Sadie Holiday Boutique at Noah's in Sandy. Of course this is not how I will display everything but this helps to keep it organized so I can keep track of what I have! Baby doll bassinets with matching blankets, dolly sling, baby doll cloth diapers, reversible baby slings, nursing covers, burp cloths, bibs, hooded towels, hair bows and MORE! Heather will be there with her adorable baby and toddler clothing line - Hollywood Baby- and her famous noodle swords. Lots of gifts and fun stuff so be sure to come out.

In addition to the Oh Sweet Sadie holiday boutiques, I will also be at the Spotted Zebra Boutique on December 12-13th in Draper. Find them here: www.thespottedzebraboutique.blogspot.com

More fun holiday stuff will be added so keep checking back!

Don't.close.eyes..must.stay.awake..

2008-11-06T06:14:00.000-08:00

This I muttered to myself at the stroke of midnight. I am on a strict schedule in order to complete all that is needed for TWO shows next week and two more through the first weekend in December. One whole day is set aside this weekend for a new product and I'm afraid if I get behind I won't be able to do it.

Yesterday was incredibly productive (maybe because the power cord to my laptop went out, so it limits my computer time). 8 nursing covers and 5 blankets....phew. Why is it that toddlers are programmed with a sensor that KNOWS when mama has had a late night and it wakes them up early? Ever notice that? Kids "pick" the worst days to get up an hour (OR TWO) earlier than normal. Just like when you plan a day around their nap it doesn't seem to work out. I digress... easily distracted due to lack of sleep.

Here's a few of the blankets I did yesterday that go with the baby doll bassinets:

I'm sewing at the dining room table because my craft room is full of GRID! I am trying to layout the grid & furniture I will be using in the booth at Southtowne so setup won't be so crazy. Since my experience with displays on grid is limited (like, NONE) it definitely takes some practice and rearranging to make things look presentable. One benefit of working in the dining room is Nolan can see me (my craft room is in the back of the house) so I can work all day, at least intermittently when he is playing, etc.

Another perk is that I can hear the TV and hang out with the family in the evenings. Mira LOVES to snip the thread off when I'm done sewing. So we sit at the table & chat. She always comes up with sewing projects she wants me to do for her. Next on her list? Satin pajama pants and a new quilt for her bed so we can redecorate her room :) I think that actually may be the next project when these boutiques are done. I've put so much time into sewing for the business that it's time to do some sewing for US :) Can't wait!

So, back to it! Hope to have the baby doll bassinets done by Saturday, which is a stretch. I will post photos along the way but expect short posts.

T Minus 9 and counting....

2008-11-04T06:13:00.001-08:00

Yes, I'm still here - and still getting ready for TWO (2) shows next weekend! I will have a booth at the Oh Sweet Sadie Holiday show in a new & improved location - Noah's in Sandy! This will be a fantastic venue and we're expecting a record turnout. We will be there Friday & Saturday (Nov 14/15) so be sure to shop early for the best selection. I will have a more limited supply here than usual. Only because I am also going to be at the Southtowne Expo Center in Sandy for the Salt Lake Family Christmas Gift Show!!

The Gift show will be PHENOMENAL! Such great treats from the best artisans in Utah! We're bringing our best to you in a HUGE location so you can get a jump on your holiday shopping. Heather & I will be there Friday & Saturday from 10-9 and Sunday 10-6. If you do stop in, please say HELLO to us. The support will be very much appreciated :)

I will leave you with a peek at another bassinet and blanky set. This one is a one of a kind, no more will be made, except for special order.

This one is made from the ever popular "Jungle Babies" print. The giraffe print is flannel and the rest is cotton. The matching blanket is backed with a coordinating print in flannel as well.
If you want this one, stake your claim now. Otherwise I will be taking orders at & after the show, with delivery the second week of December. Can you believe Christmas is THAT close? Crazy!

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T06:04:00.000-07:00

Those of you who know me will understand what I mean when I say that TODAY will, without a doubt, be a better Halloween than last year. Everything happens for a reason, and looking back I think I {mostly} understand and have learned some valuable things from the trials of last year. So, HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

This is our annual visitor, Marcus the Carcass! Every year he "pops up" in a different part of our yard. This year he's in the big flower bed in the center of the yard.

Everyone have a great day and enjoy all that Halloween brings!

Oh, and on a final note, we've added one more member to our buggy family....Darla the Dragonfly :)

Floats like a {Butterfly}...

2008-10-30T06:11:00.000-07:00

Our home has been invaded by BUGS! HUNDREDS OF THEM! Yellow ones, green ones, brown ones, red ones, blue ones and pink ones :) All adorable and perfectly harmless. Yesterday you met the ladybugs and bumblebees. Today I will share with you (named by Mira) Bella the Butterfly.

These little bug clips are so cute, I wish I had made these when the girls were little. I could totally go crazy with the ribbon too. There's so many different colors and patterns available but for now we will keep it simple. But definitely these can be customized for any occasion!

That's it for now. Moving on to other things tonight. Feeling the pressure to get some inventory ready for the Southtowne holiday show and the Oh Sweet Sadie holiday boutiques. The next three shows for Oh Sweet Sadie will be outstanding. Mark your calendar for the Sandy show (at a new venue!) Nov. 14 & 15, the Bountiful show Nov. 20-22 and the So. Jordan show Dec. 4-6. See their website for more info: www.ohsweetsadie.com

Say {hello} to my little friends...

2008-10-29T10:05:00.000-07:00

May I introduce you to our newest friends:

Lucy the Ladybug and Bob the Bumblebee! The cute little bugs will be adorable as a regular hair clip or clipped onto a headband. The ladybug would also be cute to go with Christmas outfits! Below is the more of Lucy's family gathered around the ladybug bow holder I posted about yesterday :O) And they're all looking for good homes. These are now available in my Etsy store: www.scraphappyutah.etsy.com Tomorrow we'll meet Bella the Butterfly - fun stuff!

Eeny-Meeny-Miney-BOW

2008-10-28T12:02:00.000-07:00

How about these cute little guys? These {BOW HOLDERS} will be a great addition to the line of goods at the Salt Lake Family Christmas Gift Show. You can also find them on my ETSY.com store: http://www.scraphappyutah.etsy.com/

I don't know about you, but in our house at least 1/2 of the drawers in the girls' bathroom is dedicated to bows. That doesn't include headbands, pony tail holders, etc! That's just bows and flower clippies. And it's a mess. These bow holders would be perfect to hang on the hooks that are on the back of the bathroom door. Plus it would make whichever one we were looking for MUCH easier to find:)

Don't forget to mark your calendar for November 14-16! The gift show at Southtowne Expo Center will be HUGE and FUN! This week is a busy one for getting more products ready, including some to go with THESE bow holders, so stay tuned!

Scrap Happy

Photo Card

Another Healthy Treat!

Only {5} ingredients

{English muffins}

Feature Friday

{I'm a stalker}

Bountiful Baskets v.3

Foodgawker and corn salsa

February Menu Plan

Time Out

Black Heels & Tractor Wheels

Big Boy Status

Bountiful Baskets

50% off Winter Palooza tickets!

January Menu Plan

Nicey Jane Quilt

Happy New Year!

sim·pli·fy

{Neighbor gifts}

It's a PARTY!

A visit with Santa

C + PB = TLA

Christmas Card 2010

Charlie Brown Christmas

Spread the Christmas Cheer....

Fall Leaves

Happy Day

Turkey finger puppets

Speaking of....

Let it SNOW!

Gettin' in the Spirit...

Halloween Fun

Halloween Quilt

More Cupcakes!

{Sunday progress}

Ring the alarm!

Time for JELLY?

I {HEART} Fall

Plums!

Apple Gallette

Lasagne Roll Ups

You say Tomato, I say Tomahto

Lauren's party details

Terrarium add-ins

Cute Flower necklace

Antique Rose Necklace

Vintage Groove

New Family Members

Mushrooms!

We {heart} birthdays!

{Fabric Scraps}

New goodies in the {SHOP}

Morning Glory Laptop Case

You've Got Mail

Perfect Ten

Batman Returns

Change in plans

{More} Make & Bake goodness

Christmas Quilts!

Make or Bake (girl verison) vol. 2 - WORKDAY

Make or Bake (girl version)

Make or Bake 2.5 vol. 1

Go, Diego, Go!

Gimmee a {BREAK}

{My Office}

Goodnight

Under Construction

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Anniversary

May KIT OF THE MONTH

Scrapbook Albums

Now on Etsy!

A Day in the Life

March Sneak Peek

February Scrap Kit

Update!

{Sad Story}

Scrap Happy GROUP

{Much needed rest}