{More} Make & Bake goodness

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

Christmas Quilts!

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

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)

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

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!

"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}

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}

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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!

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

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!