Corner House

A Vintage Inspired Baby Blessing Dress

2013-06-03T05:55:00.000-06:00

As many of you may already know I am a Mormon. In the LDS church, typically children get baptized when they are 8 and are old enough to choose for themselves (unless you are a convert like me and then you get baptized at whatever age you are). But babies and children under 8 are not baptized. But we do have baby blessings. Basically, an LDS baby blessing is where a man with the priesthood (usually the baby's father) and other priesthood holders (usually other men in the family) officially give the baby a name on the records of the church and a blessing. If you ever want to see one, go to just about any sacrament meeting in Utah on the first Sunday of the month and there will very likely be a baby being blessed. And if there is more than one baby being blessed, you are probably at my ward. :)

Babies usually wear white for their blessing and if the baby is a girl, it will be the first of 3 very special white dresses she will wear in her lifetime. The other two being when she is baptized and then when she gets married. And unlike when she chooses to get baptized or married, mommy get to choose this white dress!

Bonnie's blessing dress is quite possibly my very most favorite thing I have ever sewn. I spent FOREVER looking around on etsy for just the right soft lace and trim to create a look that was very sweet and feminine. Supposedly, the lace is an old vintage piece taken off a wedding dress or something. That may or may not be true. But it was perfect for the this dress.

I took a lot of my inspiration from 1950s blessing dresses. They were often shorter and were a baby doll cut with a puffed sleeve and an embroidered overlay. I also referenced a picture on the front of a VERY old baby dress pattern I picked up at DI for .25 years ago.

One of my favorite things about sewing for a baby (other than a baby's lack of opinion) is that you don't need a lot of fabric. I bought 2 yards of the lace because I wanted it to be very full and flowy, but the rest of the dress was actually made from white satin left over after making Emma's Baptism dress. I love that the fabric is something that my girls can share.

Now, you can't actually see it in the pictures, but the dress is a little longer in the back than it is in the front. I called it a baby train. I achieved it by making the front of the bodice actually a little shorter that the back part. It arcs up ever so slightly at her belly giving her an extra sweet chubby look. Not a good idea if you are designing for most people, but babies and pregnant women can totally pull it off.

In case you were wondering about the headband. The flowers on the headband and was created by cutting leftover bits of mesh from the lace into squares and then folding those squares in half and in half again. Then I hot-glued the folded corners together to create the center of the flower and glued a few pearls in the middle. Then I glued the flowers to a piece of the sweet rosette trim. The back of the headband is a soft fold over elastic. I find I like a wider elastic with a soft stretch for baby headbands. It seems to be more comfortable

I love HER!

I love creating links and tradition for my children. Bonnie didn't know it, but on her blessing day she wore a dress made for her by her mother, made from fabric she shares with her sister, she was given the names of 3 of her grandmas/great grandmas, given a blessing by her father, and held in the arms of many who love her.

Pineapple Flower Cupcakes

2013-05-01T22:02:00.003-06:00

Aren't they pretty? And so easy.

To make these pretty pineapple flowers all you have to do it get a pineapple, cut the top and bottom off. Then trim off the sides. Then go around and cut off any of the little ugly bits that are left. Now turn your oven on at about 200 degrees. Carefully cut the pineapple (core and all) into the thinnest possible slices you can. So you now have pineapple circles. Place your circles on a cookie sheet that has parchment paper on it and bake them. Really you a more like drying them. I think it took mine about an hour on each side, but check them after 30-45 mins and flip them over. They will curl up a little in the drying process, but I would suggest placing them in cupcake pans overnight while they cool. Then just stick them on your cupcake. One really nice thing about these is that they can be made ahead of time.

I made these beauties for Bonnie's baby blessing.

And here is the girl of the hour with her Grandma Bonnie (my mom) and Great Grandma Bonnie (Scott's Grandma). This picture was taken just before I took Bonnie upstair for a nap.

Cutting Edge Stencil Winner, A Not So Craft Related Story, and The Return Of Friday Night Features

2013-04-26T22:00:00.000-06:00

So, somehow I managed to totally forget to announce the winner for the Cutting Edge Stencils giveaway. The winner is... Elizabeth Downie.

YAY!

Okay, on to the story. The other day I was in my craft room making some super cute fabric rosettes when suddenly I heard what sounded like someone put a bunch of rocks in the dryer and turned it on. The strange thing about that was that I knew I wasn't doing laundry and no one else was in there. Upon going into the laundry room I discovery that a not-so-smart bird had flown into the outside dryer vent (the cover blew off in a windstorm this past winter and it is like 20+ ft up on the side of our house so we have yet to replace it) and was now stuck in the vent hose in the back of the dryer.
I then had to free the bird. Picture, if you will, me pulling out the dryer, climbing up on the top and laying on my stomach across the top, and reaching down to detach the hose. For a moment the hose was pointed right at my face. I was so scared! I managed to get the hose pointed towards the open window and then there was no noise coming from the hose. I thought maybe the bird had found its way out the way it came in, when suddenly this bird that was much too large to fit in the hose came busting out flapping its wings like crazy.
Now although I had told the kids to stay out, Alan and Bryce had come in the room while I was scaling the dryer and I was now climbing over them to get away from the bird that was repeatedly flying into the upper half (the still covered with glass half) of the open window while I was yelling "go down you stupid bird." And the boys were screaming.
It was pretty awesome.

And now to the features. I must be in a girly mood.

Antiqued Beauty from Petticoat Junktion

Girly Room from A Little of This, A Little of That

Picture Frame Pin Cushion from Love Grows Wild

Cute Cabinet from Whimsical Perspective

Bonnie's Room Reveal

2013-04-22T08:30:00.000-06:00

Welcome to Bonnie's room!!! I am SO glad to finally have this room done... well mostly done. I don't think I will ever really think a room is really truly done.

The theme of Bonnie's room is Sweet Baby Girl with a vintage feel. (nailed it)

This room was so much work. There is hardly anything in the room that I didn't do something to. I did most of the painting and molding while I was very pregnant. Have you ever tried to do crown molding really pregnant. Well I wouldn't suggest it. One of the hardest parts was that my belly stuck out so far it made it pretty much impossible to use a ladder.

I am SO in love with her crib area. As I mentioned in an earlier post the Charlotte stencil from Cutting Edge Stencils was an amazing find. It just makes her crib area feel so special. Speaking of things that are special, this lovely Jenny Lind crib is quite "special". I bought it as an old used drop side crib with the plan to turn it into a stationary crib because I really wanted a girly vintage looking crib. As it turns out it was missing some parts and is a VERY hard wood. Like made my drill smoke and broke screws type of hard. But finally with a little help from my mom's husband we were able to get it all together. And it is now customized, perfect, and very safe.

I am also loving her bedding. I will make sure to give you the full tutorial on that. I really wanted to keep the top part very clean since the skirt was so ruffley.

Let's see what else... the awesome paper flowers are from Martha Stewart (I mean not personally or anything, although how cool would it be to have Martha Stewart help design your baby's room?!) The shelves, and the frame are from Ikea, but I Mod Podged fabric to make them a little more personal. The rocking chair is also from Ikea, but it was a normal chair when I bought it and I turned it into a rocker. I will have to give you a tutorial on that later too.

The chandelier was a Company Store Kids find. It was way on sale back in November. The fabric in the room comes mainly from three different lines: Riley Blake, Marguerite; Riley Blake, Sweetest Thing; and Moda, Sophie. I love how they all work so well together. And to add to the fun vintage feel, most the little things on the shelves were actually mine when I was little.

I think Bonnie's room is a total success. It is so happy and calming and can't wait for her to try it out!

Bonnie's Accent Wall by Cutting Edge Stencils plus a Giveaway

2013-04-11T20:00:00.000-06:00

When I found out I was FINALLY having another girl I knew one thing for sure. I wanted her to have the pinkest most girly room possible. Mainly because I happen to really like pink and this was going to be my last chance to decorate one of my kids rooms exactly how I wanted it. I mean, what if when she is 3 she totally decided she hates pink. I think I would really regret not getting to do this room when I had the chance. So after countless hours of searching I found this BEAUTIFUL wallpaper.

Right? Isn't it so soft and girly???

Okay, here it is in blue so you can get a better idea of its true girliness But to my sadness this wallpaper is only sold in Europe. I spent quite a lot of time trying to find a site that would sell/ship it to me. Then when I finally found one I learned that for me to get the amount I wanted for her room it would have been over $450. You should have seen my husband's face when I (hopped up on pregnancy hormones) told him I wanted to spend over $400 on wallpaper for the baby's room. He didn't even have to tell me no. I knew there was no way I could justify spending that kind of dough on just the wallpaper. And I thought about just doing one wall or something, but I just couldn't get it to mesh with the overall feeling I wanted to create. So I let go of that dream and moved on to plan B... paint.

I looked all over for a stencil that could make me forget about my wallpaper, but couldn't find one. Then one day I saw Cutting Edge Stencils' new Charlotte Allover Stencil.

Isn't is wonderful? It was the first stencil design I had come across that healed the decorative hole that was torn into my heart after having to let go of my very expensive wallpaper.

Right away I knew I just had to have it. I was seriously giddy when I saw it.

I still haven't finished poor little Bonnie's room (I can't seem to get the stupid old crib I bought to go together. It has REALLY hardwood and my poor drill doesn't seem to like it.) But I am just too excited about the awesomeness of this stencil not to share it with you now. So here is a little sneak peek of the room and then lets cross our fingers that I can actually show you the whole thing next week.

You LOVE it right? I mean, even if you don't really like pink, how can you not love it? The funny thing is that the pink on the walls and the stripes on the ceiling is actually called victorian pearl, which in on a white Behr color card. So really I painted it all white. Which it really what I was going for. When I was describing the kind of pink I wanted in the room I told my husband I wanted it to be such a light pink that it was actually more like you meant to paint it white and then after you painted it you were all like oh crap it is pink. Not that that has ever happened to me, but I am pretty sure I have seen it happen to people on tv before.

The Charlotte Stencil is so awesome. I kinda really want to use it in my room now. (Is it overkill to stencil in every room of the house? and if so what percent of the rooms in my house can I use a stencil in before I become the crazy stenciled house lady? Is it anything like the number of cats you can have before you are a crazy cat lady? If so I may be in trouble.) Back on point. I was asked to review the Charlotte stencil and it is 100% my own opinion that it is freaking awesome. Is that okay.. can I say freaking on this blog? :) It is a really nice big size, the pattern is beautiful and it is the same great quality as all Cutting Edge Stencils stencils. This is my third Cutting Edge Stencils stencil and 3 out of 3 I have been really great quality and easy to use. And 3 out of 3 ain't bad.

To create this look in Bonnie's room, first I taped off around the inside of the molding to create a little border effect around the stenciled area.

Then I painted the whole box white, centered the stencil, and used one of those dense foam little rollers to stencil the pink on there. Then I just pulled the tape off and I was done. Definitely a one nap time kinda project.

Stenciling is really easy. Nothing to be scared of. The only word to advice I really have not to put too much paint on your roller. Less is more in this case. If you need more help there is a TON of really helpful info and videos at cuttingedgestencils.com.

Okay, and now for what you REALLY want, a $50 Cutting Edge Stencils giveaway. I am not gonna lie... I would really appreciate it if you were a Corner House follower before you enter this giveaway, but I am not going to require it of you.

For your first entry you just need to hop over to Cutting Edge Stencils, look around, then come back here and tell me what one you would want.

If you would like a second entry follow me on pinterest and pin your favorite stencil on one of your boards Then come back here and leave me another comment with a link to your pin.

I think that is it. The giveaway will be open until Tuesday, April 16 at midnight, so good luck.

Just Between Friends

2013-03-27T23:00:00.000-06:00

It is that time of year again. Time for our local Just Between Friends Sale. JBF is a consignment sale where people consign everything for kids. It is a total jackpot if you are having or have a baby. But that have stuff for kids of all ages. I am consigning once again. It was crazy trying to get everything ready to sell with Easter and my sweet new baby, but I managed to get quite a lot tagged and taken over to the Davis County Fairgrounds in Famington.

The JBF sale is so great and they are nation wide, so you should check their site to find out when your local sale is. As a consignor I got to shop the pre-sale last night and got so really cute stuff for my sweet Bonnie girl. And I got one of those Tiny Love floor mat baby play gym things for $10. It looks really good and they are like $65 new... so score!

Anyway, if you live in the Davis County Utah area you really should head over there this weekend. And see what you can find. And almost everything left on Saturday goes half off. I always like to go back on Saturday to look for jammies. That way I can stock up and they are only like $1-2 each.

Davis County Fairgrounds - 151 S. 1100 W. Farmington

The sale is open 9am to 8pm Thursday and Friday.

The Half Price sale is open 9am to 2:30pm on Saturday.

Alan's Skylanders Party - The Logo, Cake and Decor

2013-03-25T12:47:00.000-06:00

I don't know what the deal is, but my kids seem to always choose a party theme about a year before there is any actual pre-made party stuff out for it. That's how it was Mario and Ninjago and now how it was with Skylanders. I wouldn't be at all surprised in a year when there is Skylanders party everything at the stores and it will be super easy to get Skylanders plates and treat bags But even with the lack of supplies out there I was still super excited to put this party together.
Skylanders lends it's self really well to a party and the logo is so easy to personalize.

I don't have a lot of spare time these days so when it came to creating a personalized logo for Alan's party I took the easy route. Well in all truth the easiest route would have been paying someone on etsy to do it for me, but I am a can't stand to pay someone to do something I can easily do my self... like house cleaning. I have been trying to master the art of cleaning my house for years, but I suck at it so I think I need to start paying someone to do it, but a little image manipulation on the computer is easy.
I just downloaded the image and then opened it in picmonkey. Then I used there stickers feature to cover up the word "GIANTS." I just matched the blues as best I could. And the typed in the words. It took less than 5 mins and Alan thought it was awesome.

The new improved logo was used through out the party. First I used it for the invites by just typing the words right on there, once again in picmonkey.

Just make sure you save the logo all on its own or you will be kicking yourself when you realize the only copy you have is the invite and you have to make the logo all over again... Not that I did that... I just know that sort of thing happens sometimes... but never to me. :)

I also used the logo to make this super cool vintagey Skylanders tee. The key to the vintage look is that I used Silhouette heat transfer for light colors. That aloud the grey to show through and the colors to look softer.

And just to make sure I used it as much as possible, I also used the logo on the water bottles,

front door welcome sign,

and cake topper

For the cake I just had to make a portal. It was really easy and nice that I could just top it off with a few I Alan's favorite guys.

For the rest of the decor I used canvas drop cloths on the tables and green crepe paper as the runner. Then I got balloons in all the element colors (I had planned to use a silver sharpie to draw the elements on each of the balloons, but I have a newborn... she likes to be cuddled.) I also made a large poster with all the skylanders grouped into there elements, but didn't take a picture of it. Oh well.

And then to top it all off we just put skylanders out everywhere.

Ta da Skylanders bliss.

It is good to be back

2013-02-05T13:51:00.000-07:00

It looks like my "maternity leave" lasted a little longer than I thought it would, but I am so excited to finally be back.

SO first the big news... my little Bonnie Rebecca was born on January 21, 2013 at 10:14 am.

She was 8 lbs 5 oz, 21 inches, and has just the sweetest personality. She seems to just make every person she meets fall in love with her sweetness.

Everything did not go as planned when it came to getting my sweet Bonnie here. Since she is my 5th child, I really thought we had this whole labor and delivery thing down. With my first, Emma, my water just broke at home and I was in labor. We headed to the hospital and she was born 6 hours later. The whole thing went really smooth and I learned that I really like epidurals. I had plans to go natural (or at least try it) and the contractions weren't that bad, but then I started uncontrollably shaking. As soon as I had the epidural the shaking stopped.

Since Emma was 9 lbs 2 oz and born 3 days before her official due date, and I was measuring really big, with my second pregnancy my doctor induced me a week before my due date. I really liked being induced, so with my next 2 deliveries we also did scheduled inductions. I had really great experiences with being induced. Me being induced went a little something like this: My in-laws would come over early in the morning to watch the kids and my husband and I would head off to the hospital. They would check me in, get my IV started (up until having Bonnie, for me the IV was always the worst part of having a baby), and Scott and I would put on a movie. About the time the movie was over (lots of pausing when nurses would come in and out needing stuff) I would get my epidural and then my doctor would come by to break my water. Then I would usually fall asleep a little and about an hour after they broke my water I would have the baby. With Bryce it was only one push and he was out (although Bryce was born during a snow storm and I had to sit there waiting for about 30 minutes for the doctor to get there because of the bad roads). Anyway, that is what I had planned in my mind when I went in to have Bonnie. Check in, IV, watch movie, brake water, little nap, one push, holding baby by around 1 pm.

Bonnie's delivery went a little something more like this: We checked into the hospital around 7:15 am. They got me back to my room and started all that fun stuff and the IV. The IV was of course terrible. Somehow I have never had a nurse be able to just put an IV in me. They always have to stick me a few times and on their first try they wiggle the needle around a little trying to succeed on their first try, then at some point something happens to make me squirt blood everywhere. Pretty much it is awesome.

Okay, so we get the IV, and in the room next to me there is suddenly a ton of CRAZY screaming. Think the most over-acted on TV dramatization of childbirth you have ever heard. So one of my nurses hooks me up to the belly monitor things while the other one goes to see if they need more help in the other room. As the nurse is hooking me up she makes a face and moves the monitor around a bunch trying to find where the baby's heartbeat is. She finds it, but not where it should be. Then the other nurse also goes to help in the other room because I guess they can't even get this poor other women into the bed so they can check her. Once they get things squared away in the other room, my nurses return to tell me my doctor is coming to deliver the baby for the screaming woman and then he is going to come and do an ultrasound on me to see what is going on.

It is now just before 9:30 and in walks the doctor. He does the ultrasound and says something along the lines of "Well the baby is transverse and we have a couple of options." Did I mention that this was all happening on my 31st birthday... A birthday that I'm pretty sure has been cursed ever since my 17th birthday. Seriously, something always goes wrong on my birthday.

So, back to my options. First option was to have a c-section (I was not a fan of that option). The second option was for the doctor to try to turn the baby, but with where she was and where the cord was, there was every possibility that it wouldn't work and when they broke my water the cord would drop "and that would be bad" and we would have to do an emergency c-section (Okay, really not a fan of that idea. I have a very easy going doctor so when he says "and that would be bad" I am pretty sure he was downplaying it). Or the third option where I go home and give it a few days and hope she moves back into the proper head down position on her own. But in the meantime, if I were to go into labor on my own or my water were to suddenly brake (because that is how it happened with Emma) and she was still in the wrong position, then things could go wrong very quickly.

So as much as I was not a fan of it, especially after giving birth to 4 children with relative ease, I chose the first option. Plus I thought "Hey I already have a ton of stretch marks, why not add a big old scar to it." It was 9:30 am when they told me my options and Bonnie was born at 10:14 am. It was CRAZY. I felt completely overwhelmed and although I am pretty sure they were telling me what was going to happen and what to expect I really think my mind shut off and all I could hear was Charlie Brown's teacher. It all happened so fast and as they were wheeling me out of my room to the OR I remember saying to my husband, you might want to get the camera, your daughter is about to be born. I think he was in class with Charlie Brown too.

In the OR, the anesthesiologist gave me a spinal block, which is not fun, but I still don't think it was as bad as the IV. And my anesthesiologist was really great. Then they laid me down and waited for everything to go numb. It was weird because, a lot like a good epidural, I could still feel everything, it just didn't hurt. So they put up the blue sheet thing and there was a lot of pressure and pulling and then there was a baby. They brought Bonnie around the curtain really quickly before they whisked her off to the nursery to check her out. The whole thing actually made me very nauseous and I just had to close my eyes and try to go to a happy place (kinda like when you are starting to feel sick in a car). I had to lay there for what seemed like forever trying not to throw up. I really have do idea what all was happening at that point. But they closed me up and took me back to my room. I got there just before Bonnie and Scott. I finally got to hold her, but I was so out of it that I only held her for a minute... then I threw up.

I spent the rest of the day feeling nauseous and one of the many things they put in my IV made me super itchy. By the end of the day I was very puffy from the many many bags of saline they gave me, I had a lovely little rash all over my face. But I had a very sweet baby to cuddle .

(oh my goodness, I look SO hot! Can you see the puffiness and rash. AWESOME!)

Due to the c-section Bonnie and I got an extra day in the hospital. Which we really needed, plus all my kids had been sick back at home so I was happy to give them an extra day to get better before I brought a new little baby home. I was a little worried they kids wouldn't get to come visit her in the hospital, but all the fevers broke by Tuesday night and on Wednesday night Emma finally got to meet the sister she had been waiting years to hold.

The recovery has been really hard. I HATE taking it easy and not being able to just do things. But everyone keeps telling me that if I take it SUPER easy for 3 weeks and the still pretty for 3 more the recovery will go a whole lot faster. (2 weeks down, 4 weeks to go)

And just for fun, here is a list of things that suck about recovering from a C-section. If you think of one I missed feel free to add it in the comments.

-Coughing, sneezing, or laughing hurts so bad.
-Going from sitting to standing or standing to sitting.
- Walking, especially up stairs. I feel about 100 years old taking my little baby steps everywhere.
- Picking things up off the floor. Pretty much if it is on the floor it is staying there for a while.
-Trying to do laundry or dishes.
- You can't vacuum and I am going to add sweeping to that. I swept my floor the other day and about an hour later my incision hurt so bad.
- Getting dinner on the table (at least in our house that means a lot of walking back and forth). Those first few days I thought I rather just not eat.
-It hurts to lay on your side and forget about sleeping on your stomach.
- I didn't get Bonnie's nursery all done yet and I was totally planning on being able to be feeling better and get it done by now.
-There is this glue residue on my stomach that I just can't figure out how to get off and it hurts to much to scrub it.

(this little girl is totally worth it!!)

I am glad to be back to blogging. I missed you guys.

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

2012-11-26T22:20:00.000-07:00

I recently took my kids out to do a little Christmas picture photo shoot. I took over 1000 pictures of them in about an hour. In not ONE of those photos are all four of my kids looking at the camera at the same time.

And I decided it just wasn't worth my time editing them to make it look like they were looking at the camera.

On the up side, I have rapid fire on my camera, so when you roll through the pics it is one of the funniest stop motion shorts you have ever seen.

I hope you have had a wonderful start to the holiday season. About a week before Thanksgiving my little Bryce started asking "Is it Christmas season yet?" And when we got home from Thanksgiving dinner and I gave the kids their new Christmas jammies Bryce once again asked "Is it Christmas season now?" When Scott and I finally answered him with the long awaited yes he started dancing around the room singing "Yay, It's Christmas Season." This was made all the more cute because his new Christmas jammies make him look a lot like Buddy the Elf.

I am not sure who taught him about Christmas traditions, but his little 2-year-old mind is keeping us on our toes. Right away on Friday morning Bryce was in our room proclaiming that it was morning and we needed to get the lights on the house. A little after noon he had worn us down, so Scott and I (7 mos pregnant) are out putting up the lights. Just as we are finishing up the bottom row Bryce runs up, looks at the lights on the house and says the sweetest "Oh, Thank you guys!" you have ever heard. Then he took a step back, furrowed his brow, and said "hey, you need to do the top!" We still haven't done the second story and every time we pull up to the house Bryce reminds me that we NEED lights on top too.

This is how it has gone all weekend. Every time I was in the kitchen make a meal Bryce would come in and asked if I was making Christmas cookies yet. He made sure we got the tree up and decorated and the stockings hung. He is a funny kid.

I just love this time of year. I love cuddling with my little ones in the glow of the tree watching Christmas movies, going to see all the lights, and the magic of the season.

So I have come to a very important decision.

I am putting Corner House on Holiday/Maternity leave until mid-January.

I want take the next 7 weeks and focus on my family without having to think about the post I still have sitting open and not finished on my computer. Plus I am tired and have so much to do to get ready for Christmas, Bryce's birthday, and our sweet new sister arriving that I just don't have it in me.

I hope you will understand. My readers really mean a lot to me. Every comment and email brighten my day and make me feel connected to so many of you, so I really don't want to go away.

I will be back and when I come back I will have tons to share (since I plan on having the nursery all ready, and it is going to be AWESOME. If I do say so myself.)

In the meantime I truly hope you have a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS and a Happy New Year!!

And yes my kids just started kissing each other for the picture. I didn't even tell them to do it. It must be part of the magic of the season.

With so much love,

Happy Halloween

2012-10-31T09:43:00.000-06:00

Happy Halloween from

Harry

Ron

Hermione

and

Draco.

I will give you the full lowdown on making their costumes. For now we hope you have a safe and MAGICAL Halloween.

DIY Harry Potter Wands

2012-10-23T22:23:00.001-06:00

My four crazies are bring the cast of Harry Potter for Halloween this year. Namely Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Draco.

It has been a lot of fun looking up all the little details and then figuring out of to do it all on the cheap.

My kids are super excited about their wands.

The wands were very easy and cheap and I hate to knock my photography skills, but they look better in person. To make your own wands all you need are chopsticks (I got mine at the dollar store, 5 pairs for $1), hot glue, and glossy acrylic paint. You can also add beads and stuff, but you you don't need them. All I had to do was buy the chopsticks, so for me these were about $.10 each, but even if you factor in the glue and paint these wands are coming in under $.50 each.

To decorate your wands you pretty much just add hot glue to your chopsticks and paint it. So easy right? You can play around with the glue. I found that if you put the glue on thick and let it cool a little you can twirl it and mold it. And if you kinda go up and down it makes a wood type grain. Bryce REALLY wanted me to add a ball on the end of his (even though it doesn't stay true what Draco's wand looks like.)

I used this picture as a guide when making their wands.

I found that a lot of glue is good.

As soon as the wands were dry the kids were running around the house casting spells at each other. I wish I could remember some of the spells they were saying, because they were pretty silly.

My Halloween Mantel

2012-10-22T21:10:00.000-06:00

I have one of those mantles that has a big 'ol tv above it (not very pretty). It seemed like a good idea when we were building the house, but ever since I have always wished I had a mantel that I could properly decorate. And by properly decorate I mean put stuff there and not have my husband be annoyed because something is blocking the remote receiver.

But piano tops make good mantles too.

I actually have big plans to make my piano awesome, but for Halloween having it all old looking kinda adds to the effect.

I have a tutorial for the pumpkins here.

Super Cute Cutting Boards

2012-10-22T09:21:00.001-06:00

Normally I wouldn't post about this, but...

HAVE YOU SEEN THE SUPER CUTE CUTTING BOARDS ON PICK YOUR PLUM THIS MORNING?

They are the really nice temper glass kind. My mother in law has a tempered glass cutting board that she got when she got married and she is still using it on a daily basis (that is like 32 years of use). So go get yourself one and while you are at it get one for your sister for Christmas and your niece for her wedding next month.

You get the idea. :)

Happy Conference Weekend!!

2012-10-06T14:16:00.005-06:00

from Deseret Book

Friday Night Features - Awesome Fall/Halloween Mantels

2012-10-05T22:15:00.000-06:00

Most my Halloween decorations are sitting in a pile on a table in my front room. Everyday I walk (well more like waddle) past them and think "today I am going to decorate for Halloween." So tomorrow I am going to decorate for Halloween. I would say tonight, but currently I have to get up off my butt and finish making a cake and cookies that will be picked up tomorrow.

After seeing so many great mantles I am really excited to get it done. And I wish I had more crows.

Fox Hollow Cottage

Awesome goth glam.

My Sister's Suitcase

I love the fairytale villain theme.

Cherished Bliss

Great fall colors with a pop of aqua.

Positively Splendid

It is so bright and whimsical (if you can call a Halloween mantle that).

Madtown Macs

Such a creative way to make spooky art.

We Are Real Monsters Sometimes

2012-10-03T13:07:00.001-06:00

Okay, WARNING! The pictures towards the bottom of this post may be too scary for kids. SO you have been warned. Infact, I have only let my kids see the vampire pictures. That said, have you tried out the new Halloween effects on Picmonkey yet? They are pretty awesome. Seriously, you are going to waste way too much time playing with all the ghostly effects.

Have you ever wondered what you would look like as a vampire.

Of course I am a vegetarian vampire. I am from Alaska after all.

And I vampired Emma too. She is just too pretty to be anything else.

Day of the day effects are super fun.

and you can also do some pretty awesome ghosts, goblins, witches, demons, and ZOMBIES!

I am actually very afraid of Zombies. The funny thing about this picture is that it is actually a very sweet picture of him, but when you zombie it, it takes on a whole new ... Well it is just plain creepy.

So go have fun and give yourself a creepy profile picture or something.

Count Down to Candy... The Time Has Come

2012-10-02T15:08:00.004-06:00

I just LOVE decorating my porch for Halloween!

I really enjoy adding something new every year. The first year we were in this house I made my hanging trees. Which it a super easy craft. I just spray painted some branches and hung a few dollar store skeletons on them.

That same year I made this wreath. Which I love, but after a few years it is fun to change things up a bit.

So this year I took off the skeletons and layered it with this cute sign I got. I love the pop of color.

Then last year I made my Count Down To Candy sign.

And this year I added the black and white lanterns and a new mat.

When I got out all my Halloween stuff I looked at the cute rainbow striped doormat I had replaced my old one with this summer and realized it just couldn't stay on my halloween porch. But I also didn't want to go without a mat and I didn't want to spend money on a new one this year. So I went to the dollar store.

And found this cutie. The tag on it says it is a doormat, but it seems more like a placemat or something. It would definitely blow away at the slightest wind and it looks pretty wimpy in front of my door.

My solution was to cut it up and hot glue it to these cement blocks I just happen to have laying around. I picked a broken on purpose. I think it looks more Halloweeny

It is really easy. Just cut it in half the long way. Then cut it so that the middle piece fits the size of the blocks and then hot glue them down. So far the hot glue it holding just fine. My front door doesn't get that much use. We mostly use the garage door and the kids mostly use the back door when they go out to play. I am not use how well it would hold up in a high traffic or snowy area.

I love pumpkins. I am sure I will collect many more over the next few weeks.

So tell me, do you decorate your porch for the big day? I would love to see it. Please share a link in the comments.

Friday Night Features

2012-09-22T00:18:00.000-06:00

With any luck I will be decorating my front porch for Halloween tomorrow. YAY! I love decorating my porch for Halloween. So tonight, to get you in the mood I am just featuring Halloween stuff. And maybe it will get my booty in gear to get some Halloween projects done.

Halloween Countdown from Makoodle

Beware Banner from Mommy is Coo Coo

Halloween Lunchbox Notes from Kiki and Company

20 Free Halloween Fonts from That What Che Said

65 Free Halloween Printables from Ali Lily Blog

Patchwork Pumpkins from Positively Splendid

DIY Poison Bottles from The 36th Avenue

An Awesome Wedding Cake With Some Hidden Nerdiness

2012-09-17T18:10:00.002-06:00

Like all my favorite cakes I have a love/hate relationship with this cake. I love it because it is awesome, and I hate it because it was a super time consuming pain it the rear to make. But when Hannah showed me the inspiration cake I knew I had to make it for her.

There are over 400 flowers that I rolled out, pressed, painted with luster dust, and "glued" on one at a time.

It was so worth it.

But possibly the best thing about this cake is the little hidden nerdiness. (Is that a word? Nerdiness?)

That's right, Spiderman is climbing out the top of the cake. Hannah loves Spiderman.

But she loves Ritchie more.

Don't you love all the vintage touches and fresh summer colors. Perfect for a backyard reception.

The kids loved the lemonade bar. Especially the little mugs and straws.

It's A....

2012-09-14T22:57:00.001-06:00

My doctor's appointment was actually on Wednesday, but I have been so CRAZY busy I didn't have any time to blog. We had a gender reveal party for the kids on Wednesday night and I was in charge of my hubby's firm's "summer" party tonight. Sadly, my silly camera battery died and somehow I have misplaced the backup battery and the charger for my camera. So my picture taking mojo is off. Seriously, I have GOT TO find my charger. I am losing my mind and I couldn't take awesome pictures of my parties. Luckily I did get to take this one before my camera died.

That's right IT'S A GIRL!!!!!!

I am so so SO excited. We all are, well, all except Alan. He was hoping for 10 brothers. Yeah, that was never gonna happen.

So, in honor of my baby girl, tonight's features all come from my baby projects board on Pinterest. And with any luck, my camera battery charger will come back to me.

I am so excited to make this gathered car seat canopy from Sew Much Ado

I will definitely be making her a pair of these shoes from Fleeting Thing

How smart is this? Towel apron from Blissful Patterns

Elephant taggy blankey from Icing One The Cupcake

Pleated Yoke Dress from Craftiness Is Not Optional

First Day of School 2012

2012-09-10T23:46:00.001-06:00

You may remember last year when back to school time came we had end of summer/back to school parties and fun teacher gifts and I am sure we will again in years to come. But this year I really had to look at all the things I had on my plate and how much I could add to that. Meaning no parties and low key gifts. The kids didn't even notice.

I got these cute signs here.

And for teacher gift we kept it really simple. We just made cookies.

I made my favorite chocolate chip cookies and put them in a mason jar. Then I used picmonkey to make the cute little tags. Add a little washi tape, a cupcake wrapper, and some baker's twine and you are good to go. I got the idea here.

I have to admit, as much as I was excited for the kids to go back to school, but after dropping the kids off to their class rooms I worried about them all day.

Did you notice my 1st grader is about a head taller than the rest. It almost looks like he is in the wrong room. But he is not.

Poor little Bryce thought it was his first day of school too. He was so sad when we left. He was so cute that I just had to get a picture. Just after I took this picture Bryce held up one hand, blocked his face, and said "No pictures." Pretty much the cutest thing I have ever seen.

I must also admit that I did a drive by. I just couldn't take it. I made it until morning recess and then I just had to drive by the playground and make sure Alan was having a good day. He was smiling and playing with friends and that got me through the rest of the day.

Friday Night Features

2012-09-08T00:16:00.002-06:00

Awesome Coral TV Console from Classy Clutter

Farmhouse Coffee Table from A Diamond in the Stuff

Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake Bars from Domestic Deficit Disorder

Faux Vintage Pull Down Map from Jessica N Designs

DIY Can Food Drawer Tutorial from Classy Clutter

Just Between Friends

2012-09-07T13:09:00.000-06:00

Have you heard of Just Between Friends? It is a National Children's and Maternity Consignment Sales Event. Which basically means, if you have kids or are expecting a baby it is a really great opportunity to make some money, clean out your closets, and/or fill them up.

Here in Utah there is an event is going on NOW. It is too late to sell stuff as a consignor, but it is not too late to catch some AMAZING DEALS.

Today shopping is open until 8pm
and tomorrow, September 8th, it is open from 9am to 3pm
Davis Co. Fairgrounds - 151 S. 1100 W. in Farmington

The best part is that on Saturday, almost everything goes on sale. We are talking 50% off almost everything.

As a consignor I got to go to a pre-sale last night. And I scored some awesome stuff.

Check it out. It pays to consign. Now, since I still don't know if I am having a boy or a girl I was trying to be good and not buy a bunch of stuff. But with such sweet deals how could I resist? Plus I am having a girl, right? RIGHT?

I got these two little sleepers for $3. Not $3 each but $3 total. Don't you just LOVE the brown one.

I got these 3 cuties for $2. Seriously, $2. I picked it up because I like the flower one on top, but when I saw the price I just had to get them. Boy or girl my baby's only wear the "newborn" size for about a week. So for that week it is nice to have a few newborn things that actually fit, but I don't really like spending a bunch of money on them.

And how cute it this? $3.50.

But my best score of the night was this swing. $30. The same swing, only in this year's pattern is on sale at Target right now for $125. And that is the sale price. It it super clean and in great condition, but I think I am going to give it a little makeover so it will stick out a little bit less in my family room.

Alrighty, so if you live close enough to go I totally suggest you go to the sale in Farmington today or tomorrow. If you don't, I suggest you hope on over to their site and see when there is an event near you. And it is not all baby girl stuff (that is just what I bought). There is just about everything for babies and kids, even big kids.

I am going back tomorrow morning, there are a few things I wanted to get, but decided to wait and see if they were still there at half off. A $3 sleeper is nice, but the same sleeper for $1.50 is better.

BTW, I was compensated for the post with an extra 5% on my consigned items, but that didn't change my opinion on the great deals I got.

Alan's Skylanders Backpack

2012-09-03T23:17:00.000-06:00

My kids start school tomorrow!!! Yay!

And today I realized Alan didn't have a backpack. Last year's backpack put in two full years but is now looking a little shabby. And I had bought him a new one, but he decided he didn't like it and I realized it was a small one and as a first grader he really needed a full size backpack.

So as you can imagine, going out to look for a backpack this late in the season pickens were slim. To make matters worse, as I was heading out the door, Alan informed me he wanted a Skylanders backpack. I don't know if they make a Skylanders backpack, but even if they did, there wouldn't have been one left. In fact, I don't think there was a single pencil left in all of Target.

Side note: If you don't know what a Skylander is, it is a video game with these little figurine guys that you put on a Portal of Power and then that little figurine guy is in the game. It is actually a pretty cool game. Alan and all his little friends are totally obsessed with it. I think it is really popular with boys ages 6-10.

Back to the backpack.

I picked this one up at Target and promised Alan that I could turn it into a Skylanders backpack.

And here is what it became. It totally looks like the logo is supposed to be there.

Making the patch was SUPER easy. I used Silhouette printable heat transfer material. I googled the logo, flipped it in picmonkey, printed it on the heat transfer material, and used an iron to put it on a piece of white cotton. Then all I had to do was sew it on.

This is the kind of project you could do as the first challenge project in Craft Wars. Meaning you could ACTUALLY complete it in an hour.

Friday Night Features

2012-08-24T23:51:00.001-06:00

I still have another 10 days until my kidos are back in school and we have been trying to make the most of it. Which means not a lot of crafting time, but a lot of mommy time. And since technically my job is Mom, that is probably a good thing. I have been trying to make sure we have something a little extra fun everyday. Kinda like an end of summer blitz. This past week we went to the zoo, painted with new water color sets, had soccer games and ballet lessons and went to the Children's Museum, splash pad, and pool.

Okay, so here is your weekly dose of inspiration.

Beautiful Party from My Fabuless Life

DIY Solar Jars from Love, Pomegranate House

Chevron Tufted Ottoman from Six Sister's Stuff

Under the Sea Party from DIY Louisville