Photo a Day May, part 2

From top to bottom, left to right, Something that makes you happy,  A smell you adore,  Mom, Kitchen, a word you love, Something you do everyday,  Someone Who Inspires You

Garage Sale Finds

 Since garage sale season is in full swing, and since going to garage sales is a huge part of what Cora do in the mornings, I thought I would post some of the fun things I found last weekend.  This isn't a complete documentation of what I got because some of it is already in the laundry.  My mom and I hit one sale where all of the clothes were .25! I spent $2.50 and got a bag full. That whole bag is now in the washer.

Long sleeve t-shirt, Cherokee .25
Tank and shorts outfit, Gymboree $1.00
New Gymboree tights .50
4 packs of new hair clips for crafting .50

Yellow dish .25

3 felt play boards, perfect for church! $1.00 each
Melissa and Doug activity puzzle $1.00

Short sleeve t-shirts, Cherokee .25 each
Pink/brown dress outfit, Wonderkids .25

 

Pink Red Wing Pottery vase, $1.00

I don't know if these kind of posts are totally boring or not. I kind of like reading about what other people find and I thought I would just post these for fun. I hope this week brings a lot more fun stuff!

Photo a Day - May

A couple of years ago I did Project 365. It really helped me learn how to use my camera and it is a lot of fun to look back and have a memory from each day.  I have been wanting to do it again, but I really didn't want to have to try to remember to take the picture for 365 straight days. Last month I came across the Photo a Day Challenge from Fat Mum Slim.  I thought it was a fun project that would only last a month (or more if I wanted to continue the challenge). 

I haven't decided if I like having the structure of a having a specific topic each day.  Sometimes if I can't think of a subject for my photo, it is nice to be able to fall back on the list. There have been a couple of times when I have wished I could deviate from the list and just post something cool I saw. (As Jeremy reminded me, I can always post whatever I want...)  Maybe after this month I will go off on my own again and just borrow from the list if I'm stumped on a subject.

I am going to be posting my daily photos from the last week on the blog. I'm hoping to get some interesting stuff in the next couple of weeks! I will post the photos from Instagram that were edited and then provide the links to Flickr where the photos were not edited.  1. Peace, 2. Skyline, 3. Something I Wore, 4. Fun, 5. Bird, 6. You

Sunday School Song Canvases

I have had these canvases done and in place for a long time, but I have never gotten around to posting about them.  I thought it was a fun project and I love the results, so I decided to share them.

Before Cora was born (2 years ago!) I saw a couple of canvases on Etsy that gave me inspiration. They were kind of like subway signs, but they had other sayings on them.  The one thing that I wanted with mine was color. I wanted them to match some of the colors in her room and not just be black and white. I was pretty sure I could create what I wanted myself using my Cricut, so I gave it a whirl.

I bought 2 16x20 inch gallery wrapped canvas from Michael's (with my coupons!)  I then painted the whole canvases with black acrylic paint and waited for them to dry.  I liked the weathered, worn look from the canvases that I saw on Etsy, so I aggressively sanded my canvases all over and especially concentrated on the edges.

The most difficult part about the project was getting the sizes of the letters just right.  I first sketched out the canvas and placed the words in lines how I wanted them to appear.  I then experimented cutting out different sizes of letters using white printer paper.  I actually cut out all of the letters in white just so that I could lay them all out on the canvas and get the right size before I made my final cuts. I free-hand cut the sun (it is a little bit rough) and I used a couple of different cartridges for the flowers, beanstalk, bird and butterfly.

I'm very pleased with the way they turned out! More than once when I was singing Cora to sleep and I ran out of songs, I would just glance up and use these two.  We have all had those long nights, right?  She now really enjoys singing and these are two of her favorite songs.

If anyone needs to know the exact cartridges I used, let me know.  It has been a long time, but I can figure it out.

I was featured!






Link Parties:

Saturday: Tatertos and Jello, Family Ever After,   Young and Crafty, Be Different...Act Normal,  Funky Junk Interiors, To Sew With Love, Bubbly Nature Creations, Serenity You, A Vision to Remember, Craft Envy, 
Sunday: Under the Table Dreaming, I Heart Nap Time, The Girl Creative,  Petite Hermine, Nifty Thrifty Things, Randee's Organized Chaos, A Rosie Sweet Home
Monday: Polly Want a Crafter? Skip to my Lou, C.R.A.F.T., Polish the Stars, Keeping it Simple, Craft-O-Maniac, Lines Across My Face, DIY Home Sweet Home, Sew Can Do, Marvelously Messy, Sew Chatty , Singing Three Little Birds,  An Original Belle,  Bringing Beauty, Making the World Cuter, Sumo's Sweet Stuff,  Embellishing Life Everyday, Its So Very Cheri,  So Very Creative,  Colours Dekor, Be Colorful, Kampen Lane Designs, Our Delightful Home
Tuesday: Mommy By Day Crafter By Night,  How to Craft - Today's Creative Blog, Tip Junkie,  A Bowl Full of Lemons, Cherished Bliss, Funky Polkadot Giraffe, Chef In Training, Type A Decorating, Me and My Boys, Not Just a Housewife, Ladybug Blessings, New Nostalgia, I'm Topsy Turvy  
Wednesday: Sugar and Dots, Some Day Crafts, Sew Much Ado, Creations by Kara, DIY By Design, My Girlish Whims, Handy Man, Crafty Woman, Junk In Their Trunk, The Shady Porch, Jaqs Studio, Tales of a Trophy Wife, Ginger Snap Crafts,  The Sasse Life, Passionately Artistic, Southern Lovely, The DIY Dreamer,  

Written With Love Card

I have decided that I need to start using all of the hoarded scrapbooking/cardmaking supplies that I have collected over the last several years.  I have kind of neglected my love for making cards since Cora has been born and the last couple of weeks I have really been getting the itch to get back into it.  I am going to try to do at least one paper project a week. Last night I was searching the internet for some inspiration and I came across the Saturday Card Sketch Challenge on Two Peas.  I actually first spotted the challenge on Kimber McGray's blog and I figured that since I have an account at Two Peas, I would post my card.

My friend Karin and I went to the October Afternoon warehouse sale a few months ago and I have had the stack of goodies that I purchased sitting on the counter in my craft room just waiting to be used.  I really do love their products and I think they really fit my style of cards.  Almost all of the supplies used on this card are October Afternoon, except for the letter stickers. They are from EK Success.

I love making cards because it is so satisfying to be able to sit down and be done with a project in a short period of time. I hope to have more cards made to post soon.

This project was featured:






Link Parties:
Monday: Polly Want a Crafter? Skip to my Lou, C.R.A.F.T., Polish the Stars, Keeping it Simple, Craft-O-Maniac, Lines Across My Face, DIY Home Sweet Home, Everything Under the Moon, Sew Can Do, Marvelously Messy, Sew Chatty , Singing Three Little Birds,  An Original Belle,  Bringing Beauty, Making the World Cuter, The Girl Creative, Sumo's Sweet Stuff,  Embellishing Life Everyday, Its So Very Cheri,  So Very Creative,  Colours Dekor, Be Colorful,
Tuesday: Mommy By Day Crafter By Night,  How to Craft - Today's Creative Blog, Tip Junkie,  A Bowl Full of Lemons, Cherished Bliss, Funky Polkadot Giraffe, Chef In Training, Type A Decorating, Me and My Boys, Not Just a Housewife, Ladybug Blessings, New Nostalgia, I'm Topsy Turvy  
Wednesday: Sugar and Dots, Some Day Crafts, Sew Much Ado, Creations by Kara, DIY By Design, My Girlish Whims, Handy Man, Crafty Woman, Junk In Their Trunk, The Shady Porch, Jaqs Studio, The Stuff of Success, Tales of a Trophy Wife, Ginger Snap Crafts,  The Sasse Life, Passionately Artistic, Southern Lovely, Free Pretty Things for You, Let Birds Fly, Mushki Loves,  The DIY Dreamer,

Doll Diaper Bags

Cora's birthday is coming much faster than I anticipated.  She turns 2 on April 5 and I think I'm trying to not face the fact that she will be 2 already.  Last week my mom decided that we needed to do a family birthday party on Sunday for Cora and her cousin Grace. That gave me one week to complete their doll diaper bags.  A couple of months ago I had pinned a tutorial from Ashley who blogs at Mommy By Day Crafter By Night.  I decided to give it a try because it looked pretty simple and didn't require a lot of supplies that I didn't have.

 Ashley's Dolly Diaper Bag has minky on the inside, but I decided to go with the plain white flannel that I had used on the diapers.  I also made a little panel that matches all of the diapers. My ultimate plan included a little pouch for wipes, but I was still sewing the bags about an hour before the party started, so I didn't get the pouch done.  I did include a couple of flannel wipes and I will make the pouch soon.

 

I made little flowers for the bags that have pin backs so that the girls can wear them on a sweater. A couple of years ago my friend Lisa Sheppard Pearson made me some fun flower magnets and I copied her design and added some leaves. Lisa's flowers were a lot prettier.  Mine are kind of...rustic.

When the girls opened their bags last night Cora wasn't too thrilled about them because she had been watching me make them all week. During the week she kept asking me what I was doing and I would just say, "Sewing something special."  Grace on the other hand was thrilled!  Grace is a year older than Cora and I think she is a little bit more independent in her dolly play.  I'm sure Cora will start to use them soon.

I couldn't get any good pictures of the actual present opening time because it was so dark.  I did get one good picture of Cora trying on the apron that my mom made for her. She loved it! I'm sure she will wear it all the time while she is in the kitchen with me and also when she is making cookies for her babies.

This project was featured on:







Link Parties:
Monday: Polly Want a Crafter? Skip to my Lou, C.R.A.F.T., Polish the Stars, Keeping it Simple, Making the World Cuter, Craft-O-Maniac, Lines Across My Face, DIY Home Sweet Home, Everything Under the Moon, Sew Can Do, Marvelously Messy, Sew Chatty , Singing Three Little Birds,  An Original Belle,  Bringing Beauty, Jillify It, Our Delightful Home
Tuesday: Mommy By Day Crafter By Night,  How to Craft - Today's Creative Blog, Tip Junkie, Sugar Bee Crafts, The Creative Itch, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Cherished Bliss, Funky Polkadot Giraffe, Chef In Training, Type A Decorating, Me and My Boys, Not Just a Housewife, Ladybug Blessings, New Nostalgia, I'm Topsy Turvy
Wednesday: Sugar and Dots, Some Day Crafts, Sew Much Ado, Creations by Kara, DIY By Design, My Girlish Whims, Handy Man, Crafty Woman, Junk In Their Trunk, The Shady Porch, Jaqs Studio, The Stuff of Success, Tales of a Trophy Wife, Ginger Snap Crafts,  Sew Woodsy, The Sasse Life, Passionately Artistic, Southern Lovely, Free Pretty Things for You, Let Birds Fly, Mushki Loves,  The DIY Dreamer,
Thursday:Momnivore's Dilemma, Christinas Adventures, Fireflies and Jellybeans, Suzy's Artsy Craftsy Sitcom, Somewhat Simple, House of Hepworths, Yesterday On Tuesday, Allie Makes, Rhinestone Beagle, Saved By Love Creations, Thrifty Decorating, A Glimpse Inside, Gluesticks, A Creative Princess, One Artsy Mama, The Crafty Blog Stalker, Beyond the Picket Fence,  Bear Rabbit Bear, The Shabby Creek Cottage, The Artsy Girl Connection,  Pincushion Creations, 52 Mantels, 
Friday: Dotted Line Crafts 
Sunday:A Pinch of Joy

Diaper Duty

Cora's 2nd birthday is coming up soon and thanks to Pinterest I have been flooded with ideas of fun things to make for her.  She has really started to be interested in playing with her dolls and lately she has been very concerned about how few (errr, none) diapers her babies have.  It seems in her mind they are always messing their pants.  I decided that diapers would have to be the first project to tackle, so of course I turned to Pinterest.

A couple of months ago I had pinned a post from Probably Actually where she made adorable polka dot diapers for her daughter's babies.  Her post can be found here  If you have time, check out her whole blog. She has some fantastic things that she has made for her daughter and her photography of her projects is beautiful.  I will be making some more of her projects in the future.

I ended up printing out the template and tutorial for the diapers from Skip To My Lou. Cora's dolls seem to be a little bit smaller than the template, so I made it about 1/4 of an inch smaller all around. I didn't really know what I was doing, but it worked!

As a novice seamstress I have never worked with Velcro before. I bought the heat and bond kind for simplicity and it seems to have a pretty good bond to the fabric.  If it starts to come off after being played with, I will sew it on.

I have a feeling I will be helping to change baby diapers for awhile, but that's ok.  I hope she loves them! I have more projects in the works for her birthday and I hope to be posting more soon.

New Water Pitcher

We just got home from a fabulous 10 day trip to Bellingham, WA to visit my Grandpa Pederson.  Grandpa has a friend, Donna, who volunteers at a thrift shop that helps the needy.  One day we went to visit Donna at the store and I found this cool vintage water pitcher. It really reminds me of my Fiestaware, so I brought it home.  (Thank you Southwest for your generous baggage allowance!)

 I have really been trying to drink more water lately and I found a post for Sassy Water on Pinterest, so I decided to give it a try.  Delicious! I have only had one glass this morning, but it was really full of flavor and very refreshing.  I think it will be great in the summertime.

I modified the instructions a little bit. They are so simple:

1 lemon

1/2 cucumber

10 mint leaves

1 pitcher of water

Chill overnight

I think next time I will only use 3/4 of a lemon so that the cucumber and mint stand out a little bit more.  Yum.

 

Green Onions

I might be one of the last people to realize this phenomenon, but I just started regrowing my green onions.  My first batch got kind of gross because I didn't change the water every day, but my second batch turned out great. I didn't really need them when they had reached about 12 inches, so I just chopped them and put them in the freezer because I read you could do that. (??)  I will report back when I find out if it works and they taste good.

Granola

My sister and I got an awesome deal on oatmeal about a month ago and I decided to use some of it to make some granola.  I didn't really want to buy a lot of extra ingredients, so I chose a recipe that I found in my Everyday Food Magazine. I just had to buy some honey, which I was out of, and some coconut. To all you haters, I realize that some people don't enjoy coconut. I have a theory that people either LOVE coconut or HATE it. I personally love it and I was excited to find this recipe.

Here is the cast of characters: Oatmeal, honey, brown sugar, vegetable oil, vanilla, salt (not pictured), pecans, coconut, chocolate chips, raisins (not used).

Look! I found a lost spoon buried in my brown sugar!

The wet ingredients

Chopped pecans

Mixed ingredients

Ready to go in the oven. (Yes I realize that I need to utilize one of those Pinterest tutorials on how to clean your pans!)

Right out of the oven.

Finished product. The article in the magazine had a picture of it spilling out of the jar like this. For your viewing pleasure I did the same.