Stumped for a mother’s day gift?

I was really stumped for a mother’s day present a few days ago.  I am feeling a little more confident today thanks to the lovely comments (good thing too because Mother’s day is this weekend.) I thought I would share a few things that caught my eye this week. They may help you in your search for the perfect present. Or if you are similar to me, you might make them for yourself.

Picture Source: Making it Lovely

I thought that this “A time to create box” was super fun and creative. Nichole over at Making it Lovely shows you the step by step. Interested? Click Here. This project got me thinking you could use this same idea and fill it with another theme as well. I was thinking a cupcake making kit with liners, frosting, cupcake mix and sprinkles. Or for the mom who enjoys gardening you could put some fake grass on the bottom of the box and put some seeds and gardening tools and a magazine. The possibilities are endless.

Picture Source: Ikea Hackers

This photo instantly reminds me of a dear friend “The Artsy One”. She has several lanterns scattered all over her backyard. I love it. I seriously do. I sit out there and imagine I am camping, or in a diamond mine, or a lighthouse keeper. Yes, I have a wild imagination but it’s fun. So back the lanterns…they are neato!

Want to make one? Click here to find out.

Picture Source: Meek + Chic

I LOVE this gift idea. If you click here you can get the free download and the instructions for this project. It is the perfect thing for the coffee drinking mama. I think a 5 dollar gift card would pair quite nicely with this gift.

Have a great day friends!

Eggcelent

As I was munching on my bagel and listening to the pastor this Sunday he mentioned something about Easter eggs. That got me thinking…

Trying not to get side tracked. I wiped out my handy dandy notebook and wrote down Easter eggs. Well, life has been a little busy lately refer to this post. I finally got a chance to sit down and read my own thoughts. After a quick trip to the thrift store (I swear the employees know me by name) I came home with my treasures.

I had intended to fill these Easter eggs with candy for a program my church was hosting but after seeing all the cool things you can do with Easter Eggs I decided that I may have to go back and get more. Look what I found….

You can make glow in the dark fireflies- this is so ingenious.

Plastic Egg Snake- I instantly thought of making one of these to use when I read Mouse Count by Ellen Stoll

Storage idea- I need to put some doggie treats in my car for Darcy.

Stop over and check out the Geeky House Wife’s list of uses for plastic eggs

Plastic Eggs in the kitchen

Eighteen 25 has a great download and idea to cheer up your friends or family.

 

Enjoy the links and enjoy the day friends.

Spring sprang and then went back to sleep

Just when I was getting in the spring mood it gets cold again. Really? To say that I was bummed, is an understatement. My fingers were just itching to dig in the dirt and start planting this year’s garden. Alas, the rain and hail and snow.

So I stomped back inside asked a dear friend to come over and get me out of my pity party. She is a delightful person who can make even the worst day seem sunny. Shortly after my phone call she drives up to my house (it was pouring rain). Her good mood started to rub off on me and in no time we were laughing and crafting and eating ice cream (yes it was still raining and hailing).

We went on Pinterest to get some ideas and we found this adorable  tutorial over at Sincerely Kinsey.What we loved about this craft was the simplicity of it and yet it looked so unique. I was thrilled. I don’t think I have taken my necklace off since I made it.

So glad that I have two cute little love birds hanging on my neck waiting for spring. Even more thrilled that I have such a dear sweet friend that would hang out with a grumpy hobbit and help me see rainbows on raining days.

Why I blog

I blog because:

* I don’t want to forget.

All the stuff I made, recipes I baked and challenges I finished.

*I like having a place to record all my favorite recipes.

Just in case my recipe folder gets lost, or flushed, or destroyed. 

*I enjoy getting to meet new blogging friends.

I still scream with excitement every time someone comments on my blog.

The main reason I blog is for the reader. The reader who could really use some help finding their next great book. The reader who is at the grocery store and could really use a friend to share a tried and true recipe with her. The reader who needs a quick craft while they have some time to themselves. The reader who could really use a good belly laugh. On days when I have writer’s block, I write for you!

Thanks for asking  Andee!

A Lazy Weekend

So I truly think that California’s weather is bipolar. Friday, I was outside BBQ in shorts and over the weekend. I was huddled under a fuzzy blanket sipping cold tea and listening to Pride and Prejudice (you know it is “cold” when I run to Pride and Prejudice).In other news California is an awesome state but a little quirky at times….probably why we get along so well.

As I briefly mentioned, I was reading Pride and Prejudice. I have watched the movies (different versions) several hundred times but have yet to read the books (disgraceful). Since I promised myself that I would read at least 5 classics before I turned 29 I figured it wasn’t too early to start. The books was splendid and I enjoyed being swept off my feet by Mr. Darcy and his pride. The language used throughout the book was so elegant and the descriptions of the fine balls ( I sound like Lydia) were just enchanting. Can you tell how enraptured I am by this book?

I have decided to read all of my classics through Librivox. Librivox is a site that offers audio formats of various classics. These classics are then brought to life by various volunteers who read the book aloud. Librivox has an app too so if you have an iphone or ipod you can enjoy classics on the go. It really is  a handy website.

Even though I promised myself that I would read at least 5 classics it truly is a challenge for me. I don’t necessary enjoy reading classics. I get distracted very easily and can’t get motivated to read the darn book. Sad but true. Therefore, I find it an extraordinary help that Librivox provides audio books that are in the public domain for people like me (who like to cook their dinner and read a book).

In other news, since the book was longer than I expected I had some extra time to create in my craft room. Since valentine’s day is tomorrow I knew that making valentines was on the top of my list. As I sat there contemplating all the ways to complicate a valentine…I came to the conclusion that simple can be elegant. Maybe it was Elizabeth Benet describing Mr. Darcy’s pride maybe it was  pure genius. We may never know.

Have a great day.

Book Clutch

Ever since I saw this tutorial for a book clutch on See Kate Sew I have been searching thrift stores and yard sales for the perfect book. Last week I was out thrifting and I came across this very plain clutch. I will admit at first I passed it by without a second thought but upon second glance I noticed its true potential.

I dashed home with the illlusion that I had already purchased the perfect book to make this clutch. Disheartened, I put the plain black clutch into my craft room closet till I could find its book soul mate. (Insert tear)

About a month after this sad disillusionment I recieved a flyer from our local library that they were hosting a HUGE book sale. I was down there faster than you could say “Hey! Don’t forget the ice cream.”  That is where I found this gem.

It was like at first sight.

I ripped out the center of the book. Which was one of the hardest things I had to do that hour. In my defense I did use the pages for envelopes. Then I just pasted the clutch inside. Tada…craft in minutes.

Hand Made Stocking Stuffers

I really like little presents that are hand made. There is just something about someone spending all that time on something that makes it extra special.

Earlier this year, I was attempting to fancy myself up by buying little cute hair pieces to spice up my pony tail. That can get kinda pricey or at least the way I was buying them. That’s when I decided it was time to start making a few things.

And if you are anything like me and I haven’t grown up all the way from third grade…everything must match. So of course the next craft I made were these adorable earings that I just can’t get enough of.

 

These would make from some adorable stocking stuffers this year! Now I am off to make some mini stockings….I’ll show you soon.

Have a great day.

Monthly Check in or is it Check up?

“I can’t make you a peanut butter and jelly sand which cause we don’t have jelly!”

Welcome to the day in the life of me. The statement above is what came out of my mouth about an hour ago. I chuckled with my hubby as we both cracked up that we didn’t have jelly. It’s the silly little things..

Other than going grocery shopping to buy jelly. It’s a big deal. Here is a look at November and a look forward to December.

November Goals

1. Read the Uglies Series by Scott Westerfield

I read the first two books and they were kinda blah! I felt the author didn’t engage the reader. I didn’t care much about the characters or the Smoke so it was a dead end book for me. I figured why suffer myself to read through the entire series if it wasn’t enjoyable. 

2. Plan a few dates for me and Mr. Snail

This one is kinda funny. I tried to be all cute with a candle lit dinner and when he came home he stated that it was too dark and that he couldn’t see anything. Ha! So much for romantic date. Our dates morphed into playing competitive volleyball and stopping by the ice cream parlor on our way home. Works for us!

3. Learn to use my camera

I worked all month on reading articles about improving photography and looking at you tube videos and seeking out advice from other photographers. I was really excited with the results. I started using the manual mode (where you have to set everything and it came out decent). I was thrilled to shoot in manual to say the least. 

4. Learn to relax and take it all in

Ha! I was relaxing alright. I ended up getting sick (cold) a few times this month. I ended up having to relax on the couch. I watched way too many TV shows and ate too much popcorn. It was horrible. Seriously, staying on the couch doing nothing is very difficult for me. Several times, I was caught red handed doing dishes or laundry! 

On to December….

1. Decorate the halls with holly and tinsel

2. Learn makeup techniques.

3. All I am going to say is Muppets

DIY Book Marks

Reading is my favorite thing to do. I was that teenager who spent her money on books rather than clothes and makeup. Guilty as charged, I was a bookworm. Fortunately for me, I haven’t changed much. I scour the thrift stores to find a good old dusty book to take home. It’s like a treasure that has been passed over one two many times.

As you may have already deducted I am always carrying a book with me, to read of course. The problem is that the book marks I have been using recently have been falling out. Nothing is more catastrophic to a Bibliophile than to loose your page. I get particularly annoyed when that happens.

That annoyance with the ambiguity of the lost page is what inspired me to create this timeless craft.

First things first

You will need:

A large paper clip

A small circle piece of felt

A cute scrapbook flower (I got mine at Michaels)

Hot Glue Gun

Then it is smooth sailing from there on.

Glue the embellishment (flower in my example) to the paper clip.

Glue the felt to the back of the flower so that the paper clip is sandwhich in between the felt and the flower.

Viola you are all done. No more lost pages…saving you from the chaos..your welcome

October is full of surprises

It finally feels like fall here in So Cal, or at least today it does. Which means that I am thrilled to say the least. I have a ton of pumpkin recipes to try out, a stack of books I have been meaning to read, and a garden that needs to be pruned gutted and replenished. I don’t want to get ahead of myself here so let me start back in September.

September Update:

Counting Blessings was our challenge in the month of September. The goal was to take a picture each day of something we were thankful for. To be honest this was really hard for me! It wasn’t that I couldn’t find a blessing each day but rather my camera was not always available to capture the moment. I think I made it through half way but that was better than what I was expecting of myself.

Did you join in the challenge? How did you do?

Photography:

I got very seriously about my 27 before 28 List and started taking a photography class that I absolutely adore. Here’s  little sneak peak of what I have been doing in that class. It’s called light graffiti.

Volleyball:

I used to play a very long time ago and for various ridiculous reasons I stopped playing for several years. With encouragement from my lovely hubby, sister and her hubby (it was a plot from the beginning) I am starting to play regularly. I guess I forgot how much I enjoyed being out on the court.

On to October…

October is always bittersweet for me as I am one of those adults who gets scared of the creepy costumes and the stinkin’ halloween aisle where everything from the decorations to grannies pop out at you and try to scare the heck out of you. On the other hand, October is also the month to start baking all my pumpkin goodness. So you see me and October have a working relationship! So this October my focus is to get a few more checked off my 27 Before 28 List.

Read 100 Books (by my birthday): 

Through the month of October I am going to be reading various scary children’s books. I will be giving my reviews here on the blog as well. Why children’s books? The answer to that question is easy because the adult scary books are a little too intense for me and I haven’t read any “scary” kids books before unless you count Coraline by Neil Gaiman. I mistaken thought that Coraline was a book about sewing small dolls for children…OOOPS! I will post the list tomorrow if you want to read along with me.

Host a Dinner Party 

Make homemade pasta from scratch.- I have attempted to do this several times by hand (without a machine) and it has been an epic fail. Dont’ be discouraged, I have several dear friends who have a machine and are willing to give it a try with me sometime soon. Very excited that at least I will be in good company the noodles look like dry crusted yuck rather than pasta.

Photography light box This may the craziest idea yet. My hubby and I are going to attempt to make a photography light box this month.

What are you planning to do this month?