Boutique this Saturday!! Dec. 5

I will be in a boutique this saturday, Dec. 5, in West Jordan!! (1253 W. Trimble Ln. (9160 S.) West Jordan. (Despite my almost due baby bump!!) This is going to be at my sister's house, which is just off 90th South, and 13th West- just down the street from the Jordan River Temple! It will be from 9am-1pm. My nursing covers will be on sale for $15!! And I also have a few other cool things I am selling! Plus, my sister is selling her clocks, and jewelry. And there will also be super cute designer jeans, and lots of other stuff. This boutique will be a great place to find a great deal for anyone on your Christmas shopping list!! So PLEASE stop by!!!
For more info, visit the Shop Til You Drop blog, or the Facebook event, where you can invite all your facebook friends!!

A Lady Bug Baby Shower!

Lady bug cookies. I used chocolate chocolate chip cookies, and put red icing on in the shape of wings. Then I took a grasshopper mint cookie and stuck it on there for a head, smarties for the eyes, and chocolate frosting for the polka dots! They weren't only adorable, but delicious too!!
Here is a sample of the invitation I made:

Tausha

is expecting a little lady!

Come help us celebrate!

When: Saturday,

November 7, 2009

Where: Melanie's home

Time: 1:00pm

Due November 12

(On the actual invitation I made, there was a REALLY cute border of Anne Geddes babies in Lady Bug costumes- but it won't upload on my blog! Sorry!)

Although we planned out the baby shower, my friend had her baby the same day as the shower, so we didn't go through with it. But, I was planning on getting red balloons, and painting black polka dots on them to decorate with.

And the gift I gave her was this:

pink and black polka dot nursing cover... and this cute wipes case that I made, with lady bugs all over it!:)

Homemade Halloween Treats!

I started with a chocolate pretzel mold kit that I got at Wal Mart. And it didn't come with long pretzels, so I had to hunt them down, and I finally found them at the dollar store! I took each pretzel, and wrapped a caramel apple wrap around it, so that when you bite into it, there is a layer of chocolate, caramel, and pretzel! MMMM!
They took a really long time to make, but they turned out cute, and my friends and family loved them:) So did I!

Halloween Decorations...a little late.

A cute broom I found for a buck, and a pre-arranged flower bouquet for a buck. Throw it together, and you've got an adorable Fall decoration!
My front door, with the little "trick or treat" sign I made with vinyl lettering, scrapbook paper, wood and ribbon.
And the pumpkins that my little boy just HAD to have!:)

Cute Sock Monkey!

A while ago, a friend of mine taught me how to make sock monkeys. It's so much fun, and they are so cute!! I made this one for my little niece who just turned two. I embroidered the smile, and eye lashes, added some button eyes, soft ball ears, and a little skirt that I sewed. I think she is pretty cute:)
Here is a picture of my niece when she opened what my Mom gave her. It's a little fabric doll house (that I helped her sew together), and a bunch of little stuffed bunnies that she made. You can see the sock monkey I made for her sitting in that victoria's secret bag. lol It's the only pink one I had, though!:)

Decorating the inside of our armoire:

I decided that I hate when people would come over and see our ugly mess of an armoire when they walk through our front door. So in an effort to take the focus off the cords, etc, I put some vinyl lettering up on the inside of the door! I am still going to tape the cords to the outside of the armoire so they aren't visible, but for now, I am looking at my cute lettering:)

My thumb ain't green.

I got my husband this herb kit for Christmas last year. I even cut out vinyl with each of the herbs names to stick on the pots. Super cute, right? (We were both really excited about it at the time.) Well, I think we both suck at watering them, or making them grow, cause they didn't. I mean, they sprouted, but then we didn't know what to do with them. Oh, you cook with these things?? Ya, didn't do that. So, they died. And a piece of my heart died with it. So, I dug up these herbs...or what was left of them, and threw them away. Then I got some florist foam from the dollar store, and stuck it in the bottom of the pots. And I just shoved some artificial plants in there. And now it looks like I am oh so green, and grow my own plants. Ha!And this is the finished "fake out" herb arrangement. I put some artificial yellow pears by them too, just for a pop of color. And I must say, this is a major improvement to my dead window sill display before.

From messy bookcase to organization station!

Here is my bookcase before the makeover. It has so much junk on it- like books we never read, random stuff we throw on it when we walk in the door, decorations, decorations, decorations.
Sooo, I wanted to simplify it, and make it much more useable space instead! FIRST: I de-junked it. Got rid of tons of magazines, books, old decorations,etc. Then, I took out the second shelf, and added some wainscotting panels to the back of the shelf. Then I painted them black, added some cute hooks, got some adorable apple baskets, made tags to label what is in them, and that's it! I am very happy with the improvement, and I must say, I am losing my keys, and shoes a lot less now that they have an assigned spot in my home!


AND AFTER:

Yes, I already have my Christmas stuff up. But, this is not to showcase my adorable handmade stockings, but to show the new backsplash, and hooks that I installed.
My awesome apple baskets that fit perfectly in my bookcase! I have them labeled- one for shoes, one for toys, one for books, and one for photo albums. I use the smaller baskets on the top shelf to hold my scarfs, gloves, and hats, and the other to hold our hand sanitizer, and any other odds and ends that we might throw in there when we walk in the door: like wallets, sunglasses, receipts, etc. And we hang out keys on the hooks! And please excuse my little monster in this one. I think he was yelling at me, and standing on my Christmas decor boxes that I just got the Christmas tree and ornaments out of!:)

Halloween/ Fall Decor...Link It Up!

This is my first time letting others use Mr. Linky on my blog, but here is the dealio. If you would like to share your awesome Halloween/ Fall or Thanksgiving Decorations that you have posted about on your blog, just pop a LINK TO MY BLOG in that post, and then put your link in the Mr. Linky slot, and everyone can link to your blog to check out your sweet decor!! So much fun!

Happy Birthday sign!

I made this sign so that on each of my family member's birthdays, I can put this on our front door, so that everyone knows that we are havin a party that day!:) And to make the birthday boy or girl feel super special! I bought the sign at the dollar store, painted it green, cut some vinyl with my cricut, slapped it on, added some ribbon, and that is it!:)
This post is participating in DIY (Do It Yourself) Day over at A Soft Place To Land!

From one kind of creativity to another...

I have just been thinking about how I have always LOVED getting my creative juices flowing. I have always loved crafts, and stuff, but when you are young, at least when I was younger, I didn't have a lot of opportunities to do crafts, paint, sew, etc. But, I did have one HUGE creative outlet, and that was DANCE!!! I was on every dance team that was available to me. I just loved it. From Jr. High, to High School, clear through college, I was dancing all the time. I miss it now. But at the same time, I have found so many other ways to use my creativity. It's interesting how as life changes, so do your hobbies. Now I am the mother of (almost) two boys- or at least I will be soon!!:) I can't just drop everything and go be on a dance team. That's just not practical for the kind of Mom and wife I want to be. But I am so glad that I have the opportunity to discover and learn new creative outlets. It's just too much fun!:) I LOVE CREATING!

My nephew & his photography...

Oh to see the world through Gavin's eyes...
My nephew, Gavin is a very special little guy. He is five years old, and has quite an eye for photography! He was diagnosed with severe Autism, and ADHD when he was about three years old. So you can imagine this kid's energy level!! But I just wanted to share some of his pictures. They are so great. It's amazing what kind of creativity he has, even with his disability. He is so talented and smart!

Here he is.

Etched glass, Christ picture

Stupid blogger won't upload my pictures right, no matter which way I rotate them, so just pretend they are rotated.:)
I wanted to show you HOW TO etch glass. First, you need a pretty picture, mirror, or anything glass, a vinyl stencil (I made mine with my Cricut machine), & etching cream.
Then, you apply your vinyl stencil, and put plenty of etching cream over the stencil. Lay it on thick. Then you wait a few minutes, wash off the etching cream with a wet paper towel, and then take off the stencil, wipe it all off with another wet paper towel, and you are done! So easy!:)
I wish I had a better picture, because this really doesn't do it justice! It is so pretty in real life! I made it for my sisters "secret sister". It says "Hope in Christ", and at the bottom, "Oakcrest 2009"- which is an LDS girls camp here in UT that my sister worked at this summer.
I put it on a really pretty easel that I got at Rod Works- one of my favorite stores!

Etched glass temple picture

My cousin got married in the Salt Lake temple last week, and I made this for her. I etched the glass with her new last name, and also her anniversary date. I got the frame for cheap at the DI, and spray painted it black.

LAST CHANCE!!!

VOTE (entry #109)for my baby bump, so I can win a new nursery!!:) (Voting ends tomorrow- Sept. 30 at noon!- speaking of which, if you are in UT, watch channel 11 at noon, cause I will be on the news, talking about getting vaccines while pregnant!:)

Help them adopt!!

Meet Shian, Tom, and Gavin! I have known Shian my whole life- or rather, she has known me my whole life. She is one of my sister's best friends, and Shian's younger sister is one of my best friends. (Does that make sense? lol) Anyway, I know that Shian and Tom are wonderful parents to their son, Gavin, and I know that they will continue to be awesome parents to their future adopted child. Shian and Tom are hoping to adopt! If you know of anyone who may be thinking of giving their child up for adoption, please contact them! HERE is their adoption blog, and here is a letter to the birthparents of their future baby:)
Dear Birthparents,

We admire you for your courage to give your child life. We can't imagine the anguish you must be experiencing. Please know that we are praying for you. You will be guided in the direction you should go. We know you will make the best choice for yourself and your baby and find peace in your decision.

Our names are Tom and Shian (sounds like Shan). We have been married for 2 1/2 years so far and look forward to a lifetime together. Because we were both 29 when we were married, we wanted to add to our family right away. That obviously hasn't gone as planned. We have discovered the Lord has another plan for us. While we have not exhausted all infertility treatments, we really feel we have been led to adopt at this time and we couldn't be happier. We know there is a certain child meant to be a part of our family.

We promise to give unconditional love to any child placed with us. We are hoping for a very open adoption where the birthparents will become a part of our family, including letters and pictures, access to our family blog and in-person visits. You will be welcome in our home.

We sincerely thank you for taking the time to learn more about our family. Please feel free to contact us or our caseworker at any time. We are praying for every person who reads our profile and can't wait to meet our birthparents and baby. We love you already.

Tom, Shian and Gavin

Craft of the Week- iGail Designs

My little sis told me about her friend who is trying to earn money to stay in college, and turns out she's got skills!:) She makes tons of cute stuff out of buttons, and she even has some cute crocheted flower pins that I just love! Check out her etsy shop HERE, and help this chick stay in school!

Candy & Fruit Kabobs

I love me a good kabob! And what is better than chocolate and strawberries? I think these would be so cute for a shower or party, if you put them in a pretty jar or pitcher!

Nothin's better than FREE!

My little guy, sporting his new, FREE, outfit. So handsome!:)
My stake did a "clothing swap" a couple weeks ago, and it turned out so awesome! I want to organize something like this with my extended family, or just friends!! It's such a great idea, especially in an economic downturn! Sooo, everyone donated the clothes they didn't need anymore, and then a few days later, the Relief Society presidencies organized all of it into size and gender, and then we all went shopping for FREE! So, all the peeps in my stake went and got stuff for their kids, or for themselves. It was so nice! I ain't too proud- share and share alike...that's what I always say. (ok, I admit- I have never said that before. but I should!) I got some pretty great stuff! Some heels for me, and a couple maternity shirts...a couple outfits for my little boy, and some shoes...and then some jammies and shoes for my baby on the way! It was so great! So, everyone should do a clothing swap!!:)

Strawberry Freezer Jam

If you have never done this, you gotta! It's sooo delish, and sooo easy! It only take like 15 minutes!
What ya need to buy:
A couple packages of strawberrys- it takes about 1 and a half.
Sugar! Lots of it.
Fruit pectin.
Mash up those strawberrys, or crush them up in a blender. Then you will cook the fruit pectin, stir that together with the strawberries, and sugar, and that's it!! Put them in cute little freezer jam jars, and you are done! So easy!