Gabriel's Good Tidings

Coordinating Older Boy + Girl Easter Outfits (and why this was the simplest yet most difficult thing for me)

2017-04-16T18:39:00.005-05:00

As many of you know, I lost both of my grandmothers last year. My dad's mom, Granny, passed away in late July. Then, in November, my mom's mom, Grandma, passed away. These were my last two living grandparents, which made the sting of their deaths even more painful.

At each of their funerals, I had the great honor of speaking and sharing about their life. While they were very different women, they were also very similar. Some of my most treasured memories from their lives include hours, even days, we spent together in their sewing rooms. I have shortcuts and tricks, as well as foundational sewing knowledge I learned from each of them, and am forever grateful for each handmade item they sewed for me and my kids: church dresses, pageant dresses, prom dresses, my wedding dress, nursing scrubs, baby blankets, an heirloom baby bonnet, library book bags, bathrobes, party dresses.... I could go on for quite some time listing all the treasures I have that they sewed.

When Granny and Grandma passed away, I inherited a sewing machine from each of them. From Granny, I received her serger, and from Grandma, I received her computerized Brother sewing machine.

These machines have sat in my office since late 2016 and I would look at them often and then find myself quickly looking away. I just couldn't bring myself to sew on the machines that these sewing matriarchs had used. These two women taught me 90% of what I know about sewing today, so using their machines and claiming them as my own wasn't something to take lightly. I didn't want to un-thread their needles, remove their thread, change their setting. I didn't feel worthy to have the machines they each treasured in my office.

However, as Easter approached, I knew I wanted to move past this feeling and actually use the machines. I wanted to make an Easter dress for my daughter (seven, almost eight years old), and I wanted that to be the first thing I made on their machines.

It was important to me that the first item I sewed on the machines of my grandmothers wasn't something for business or for profit, but something for my family. Because that's what these women did -- they constantly sewed things for grandchildren and family. I wanted to hold their honor high and follow the same model.

So, I sewed an Easter dress for my daughter, and a matching pair of shorts (paired with a navy collared tee) for my son. It was not without tears, but I'm so glad I used their machines to do these two things.

The dress is from Made Everyday First Day Dress Pattern, and the shorts are also from the Made Everyday pattern. The seersucker blue and white stripe with navy embroidered anchors fabric was from Hobby Lobby about three years ago, so sadly, no longer available.

The patterns are both quite simple and come together very quickly. I sewed the dress in about three hours (once I worked through my initial emotional mess), and the shorts only took about one hour. The hardest part of the entire project? Not being able to call and talk to Granny or Grandma about the process, ask questions along the way, or being able to send them photos of the finished product.

Freezer Cooking Day Recipes and Details!

2015-12-29T22:51:00.002-05:00

2015 was a banner year for me. My business soared to new heights beyond my wildest dreams, and to be honest, I wasn't quite ready for it all. There were days I felt like pulling my hair out and closing the door to my sewing room/office forever. I had no idea how all-consuming this growth would be, but I'm so grateful. I grew personally in many areas of my life, including time management, organization, and personal confidence.

However, I continually remind myself that my first priority is my family and home. Earlier this year I shared how dinners in my family had taken a backseat and I had found freezer cooking to be a life saver for me.

Y'all. I can't rave enough about this concept. Having gallon sized freezer bags in my garage fridge that are ready to dump into my crock-pot has been a game changer for me.

Here's how it works: My kids walk out the door for school at 8 am. I get to work right away. I work hard, sometimes forgetting to stop for lunch, from 8 am until 2 pm. At 2 pm, I grab a bottle of water, a good book, and any other essentials and head for the car line to pick up my kiddos from school. Somewhere in this process of getting out the door, I remember - "I've got to fix something for dinner." (Why oh why do they always need to eat dinner?!?!?) I spend five extra minutes pulling a bag out of the freezer and putting it in the crock pot before I leave for car line. Okay, in an ideal world I would take it out at 8 am and let it defrost before 2 pm, but I don't always think that far ahead, so I'm being honest here.

By dinner time, and typically the the time I get home from carline/gymnastics/baseball, We have a hot meal in our crock pot ready to eat! It's been a lifesaver, and not just once or twice. It's changed my evenings with my kids. Sometimes I have a small portion of rice or pasta to cook, but that is nothing compared to scrounging through the pantry trying to find something they will eat, or serving PB&J, or ordering pizza (guilty!).

Below you'll find a report of my most recent freezer cooking day along with links to recipes. If you've never tried this, I encourage you to give it a shot.

I shopped at ALDI. My total was $206, which is way more than I typically pay at ALDI on a weekly basis, but this was a big trip, almost exclusively for freezer cooking.

I had basic spices and condiments, as well as gallon sized freezer bags on hand.

I made two batches of each recipe, except for the few I noted as making three.

Here's what I made:

Meals:
Slow Cooker Beef Roast and Carrots from New Leaf Wellness - I made this on my previous freezer cooking day (scroll a few posts back) and it was a big hit with both my husband and kiddos. If you can find roast on sale at ALDI like I did, it's pretty frugal to make. I also love that it's saturated with carrots - a veggie everyone in my house seems to gobble up.

Pesto Ranch Crockpot Chicken Thighs from Picky Palate - This is so yummy that I made three batches! We love adding a bit of brown rice to this chicken dish. I use chicken breasts (just because I find it easier to buy bags of chicken breasts rather than thighs -I have no idea why, it's just what I do!) and I use four breasts per recipe. You'll have a good bit of sauce left over, so we sometime eat that over rice (no chicken) as a late night snack or for lunch the next day.

Chicken Italiano from Mom Advice - A recipe my sister recommended to me and our family is hooked! You can serve this with either noodles or rice - my kids prefer noodles. I hope to sneak in and try some quinoa (my favorite!) soon. Imagine a homemade spaghetti sauce simmered for hours.... this is it, folks!

Salsa Chicken from Chef Mommy - Another recipe from my sister. In fact, my kids call this dinner "Uncle Josh's Favorite". ("Uncle Josh" is married to my sister.) It's a spicy yet creamy dish that is always a hit!

Crock Pot Cajun Roast from Stacy Makes Cents - This is not your mama's roast! It's filled with veggies and flavors that make it spicy yet comforting. It's a fantastic meal for the entire family and one of our faves.

Crock Pot Stuffed Peppers from Stacy Makes Cents - Another great recipe from Stacy. My crock pot (oval shaped) can hold six peppers, so this is perfect for a crowd. I do this meatless - I try to do one night a week meatless to keep cost down - but it is very filling. I freeze the filling and then wash and stuff the peppers the day of the meal. I top them with either shredded cheese or a slice of provolone cheese - whatever we have in the fridge.

Crock Pot Tomato Turkey and Vegetable Soup from New Leaf Wellness- my husband is not a soup person. He says that "soup isn't a meal". Anyone else have a hubby like that? I love soup, though, and this is a great combination of veggies, hearty, and soupy. It's a family favorite here.

Shepherd's Pie - I've had this recipe since our first few years of marriage, and have no idea of the source. I made three batches of this family favorite. I use ground beef, tomato sauce, frozen peas, onions, and worcestershire sauce to make the meat mixture. I freeze that part and then add the potatoes and cheese the day of serving.

Snacks:
Oatmeal Muffins - I have no idea where this recipe is from as I found it in my recipe binder with no source. It's fantastic, though, with oat flour (ground oats in the blender), agave nectar, bananas and mini chocolate chips. My kids gobbled them up!

The Biggest Loser's Baked Eggs in Turkey Cups via Fabulous Foods - my husband and I love these for breakfast or mid-morning snacks. They are full of protein, low on calories, and great on flavor.

Roasted Chickpeas - we make these often. I don't have a recipe, but we spread canned chickpeas (garbanzo beans) on a baking sheet and sprinkle them with cumin, salt, pepper, hot pepper, whatever we have on hand. We roast them in the over and munch on them like crazy - a healthy snack that beats ice cream or potato chips. :)

Hurricane Katrina: 10 years after the storm

2015-08-28T21:35:00.000-05:00

August 29, 2005.

A day that is forever etched in my memory. No August 29 has passed since 2005 that I have not shed a few (or many) tears. It's a day that jars memories that I have long pushed back into the depths of my mind, and a day that causes me to hug my husband and children more often than usual.

The summer of 2005 was absolutely perfect. My husband and I were in our first few months of marriage, having a picture-perfect small family wedding in April of that year and then moving to New Orleans the week after our extravagant honeymoon. We made our home on the campus of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary in the Upper Ninth Ward of the city. It was a tiny home, and measuring at just over 600 square feet, we laughed about how we could go from "complete mess" to "perfectly clean" in 15 minutes or less. Everything in our meager home was given to us at our spring wedding, and we enjoyed making it our own space.

We loved exploring the city of New Orleans together. Our adventures included exploring traditional cajun food, enjoying jazz concerts, admiring the architecture, meeting new friends and navigating a new city. I had immediately been offered a job at Children's Hospital of New Orleans and was learning was being a nurse in America meant. We found a church that welcomed us warmly and had plans to get involved in the coming weeks.

Prior to our wedding, we had spent two years in Africa. I was a nurse and served in Lesotho, and he rode mountain bikes across the country of Zambia. We had met at a children's camp in Johannesburg, South Africa and the second year of our two-year terms emailing, chatting over AOL Instant Messenger (anyone remember that service?), and the occasional expensive international phone call.

Our return to America in October of 2004 was particularly difficult for me. I don't always adapt well to major changes, and this was the ultimate test. In less than twelve months, I left a country I loved dearly, moved back to America, planned a wedding, landed my first job in the USA as an RN, left that job, got married, and moved to New Orleans - where neither my husband nor I had any family. I thought that was enough change for one year. Little did I know that it was just the beginning.

Just a week after my husband's first week of class at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, we were made aware of a hurricane that was headed towards Florida. We knew living in New Orleans would accompany the risk of a major hurricane, but my husband (a native to Orlando, Florida) was not worried in the least. He'd been through countless major hurricanes in his life and assured me the likelihood and severity would not be what I thought. However, this time it was different.

Ten years ago this week, the world watched in absolute amazement as Hurricane Katrina hit Florida, and then strengthened in the Gulf of Mexico, and later attacked the Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama coastline.

Being a new nurse and "low man on the totem pole" on my job, I was called in to work. So, I took all of our prized possessions, our favorite wedding gifts, and sentimental items and moved them from our first-floor tiny apartment to the hallway of the third floor apartments. I knew there was a chance they would be gone, but I knew that would surely be destroyed on the first floor. I called family, friends, and my hometown pastor who all prayed for God to spare the city, protect our lives, and deliver us to safety.

On Sunday, August 28, 2005, my husband and I (and my brother-in-law, who happened to be visiting for the weekend), drove a 1980-something Buick to Children's Hospital of New Orleans and prepared to stay for an indefinite time. I packed all of the scrubs I owned, some toiletries, and as much non-perishable food as I could carry.

And we waited. We made ourselves comfortable in one of the unoccupied patient rooms of the fifth floor, and watched as the janitorial and maintenance staff boarded windows. I met with my nurse manager who reviewed all possible scenarios. We prayed, we talked to family, and we waited.

Monday morning, I started a nursing shift at 7 am, just like usual - only it wasn't usual at all. We had a dozen or more patients on our floor, all with one, two, three or more family members who were there for the long haul. The majority of these patients were a higher acuity than usual for our unit, as the doctors had discharged anyone who could be remotely stable outside of the hospital. They wanted to get as many people as possible out of the city.

Sometime during the mid-morning hours on that Monday shift, we felt the storm hit. Being on the fifth floor, the building shook. I remember charting (this was back when we had paper charts) and feeling dizzy. When I looked up, we were swaying.

The movements stopped after a short while, and I remember going to the nurses' conference room to look out the window. It was the only window that wasn't boarded shut, and from that window the Superdome was in clear view. I saw the roof severely damaged and knew it would likely get worse before it got better. I knew that although the hurricane had passed, the storm was just beginning.

The hours and days that followed are a bit of blur in my memory, and I've chosen to keep it that way. I remember sitting with a co-worker when she got the phone call that her grandmother had drowned. I watched my supervisor frantically try to find her teenage children and breathe a sigh of relief when she was notified that they were rescued to safety. I cried with another co-worker who could not locate her husband for hours upon hours, and rejoiced when he called later that week.

We had minimal media coverage inside the hospital. All of the generator power was used for patient care and maintaining computers. There was one TV set up in the lobby, and I walked by it once and just stared. I had no idea the severity of the city until several days later.

I remember hearing of a few medical residents going out in a canoe to rescue a child at another local hospital who needed emergent pediatric care. I remember families trying to decide who would stay with the sick child and who would go with the other children, and watching them say goodbye in the hospital lobby. I remember the nursing administration bringing all of the candy from the gift shop and showering the nurses station with enough goodies to make Willie Wonka smile. I remember begging my husband to find me a Diet Coke, and then learning he paid $5 or more for it. I remember seeing a news station show our I-10 exit, Louisa Street, being used as a boat ramp.

I can't remember the exact day of our evacuation, but I remember the circumstances. I believe it was Thursday morning after the storm, but it may have been Friday, or possibly even Saturday. After all the patients had been evacuated and transferred to other children's hospitals across the country, all remaining hospital staff slept in front of the elevators. Well, we didn't really sleep. We were keenly aware that we were in a violent city, and we needed to leave ASAP. We rose before dawn, and gathered in the first floor lobby. A SWAT team charged in, gave us very direct and bold instructions on how to drive out of the city, and we left.

I didn't see much of the city as we left. My husband was driving, and we were told to keep our heads down if we didn't need to see the road. As the sun rose and we escaped, a new fear emerged. We had no food, only a bit of gas in the car, and minimal cell phone coverage. But we had our lives, and we were very grateful.

In the days and weeks that followed, an outpouring of love came over us. We were blessed beyond measure by the individuals who, without prompting, brought us a second wedding gift. Countless bags of clothes, household goods, food, and basic toiletries were given to us. We lacked for nothing.
Our apartment had flooded, and 90% of its contents were gone. We were able to retrieve the items I had moved to the third floor, and some things we had in attic storage. But other than a quick two-hour trip to claim what was left of our belongings, we've never been back to New Orleans. I've haven't seen the hospital since, nor have I seen my co-workers who weathered this storm with me.

A week or so after the storm, Casting Crown's song, "Praise You In The Storm" was released. Although it was not written for those affected by Katrina, it was timely. The second part of the first verse is my favorite, because it so eloquently articulates my thoughts while we were in the hospital, especially before there was an end in sight.

As the thunder rollsI barely hear Your whisper through the rain"I'm with you"And as Your mercy fallsI raise my hands and praise the God who givesAnd takes away

So many times throughout this journey - both in the hospital, during our escape, and in our rebuilding - I heard the Lord sweetly whisper to me, "I'm with you."

I wrote this entire story to share with you that He's been so faithful, so present, and so overwhelmingly good to me in the last ten years. And He will be that to you, too. He is with you.

For years, I've wanted to share my story, but haven't had the courage or emotional stamina to write it out until now. I know that so many lost lives and even more material possessions than I in Hurricane Katrina, and my heart still aches for you, even ten years later.

So no matter your storm, your tragedy, or your hurricane right now, know that there is One who is whispering to you, "I'm with you."

Crockpot Freezer Cooking Day (how I'm surviving the summer!)

2015-06-03T21:54:00.000-05:00

My husband works late into the evening and typically gets home between 7:30-9 pm. Therefore, when he mentioned last week that he felt a bit slighted on dinners, I took a look at what we had eaten the days prior.

Mac & Cheese.
PB&J.
Chicken Nuggets.

Ugh - nothing adult friendly, and quite frankly, nothing healthy, homemade or even yummy for my children.

After about five minutes of feeling like the worst wife of the year, I decided to get my booty in gear and make dinner happen.

We are a family of four with no allergies or special dietary needs. We like to eat lean meats such as chicken and turkey. I really don't like cooking (I'd much rather be sewing!) and had let meals just completely fall off my radar screen during the month of May.

But June was on the horizon and I was determined to get our family out of this funk!

Thanks to Pinterest, menu planning is fairly simple. I created a June 2015 board and started pinning things that were easy, looked delicious, fairly cheap, crockpot and freezer friendly. In less than half an hour, I had a menu. Fifteen minutes later I had a grocery list. An hour later I was on my way to Aldi.

Here's the recipes I made and our family's thoughts on each meal:

Slow Cooker Potato Soup from Once A Month Meals- my seven-year-old said this was the best thing I'd ever made! :) It's a bit time consuming to chop all the potatoes, but it's yummy! I left the skin on the potatoes and used 1/3 less fat cream cheese.

Slow Cooker Chicken Burrito Bowls from Number 2 Pencil - this is so yummy! It makes a LOT of food, so it's perfect if you're feeding a crowd. We have a good size container of leftovers in our fridge right now. There is also a one-pot recipe here if you prefer to make this on the stovetop.

Chicken and Wild Rice Freezer Meal from Joyful Momma's Kitchen - this is a great comfort food! It was a bit greasier than I like, but I think that was because I used chicken thighs. I usually use chicken breasts (boneless skinless from Aldi) for everything, but for some reason, grabbed a bag of thighs on my shopping trip. I am pretty clueless sometimes in the kitchen and didn't know that thighs were dark meat! Oh well... live and learn. I'll definitely be trying this again with breasts and think it will be a winner.

Slow Cooker Beef Roast and Carrots from New Leaf Wellness - we had this on Sunday after church. The roast has a great flavor with the taco seasoning (I couldn't find the chipotle or mesquite seasoning mentioned in the recipe) and the carrots are amazing! Definitely will be making this again!

Slow Cooker Chicken Curry from New Leaf Wellness - I loved this! It was certainly something different from our family's normal palate, but what great flavor it had! One of my children loved it, one did not. Hubby said it was a win!

Crockpot Tomato Turkey Vegetable Soup from New Leaf Wellness - we have yet to eat this, but it looks amazing!

Pesto Ranch Crockpot Chicken Thighs from Picky Palate - also yet to eat this one, but I can't wait to dig in!

Chicken Italiano from Mom Advice- another one that's still in the freezer, but this recipe is from my sister, who says this is a family favorite!

Salsa Chicken from Chef Mommy - this is a long-time family favorite of ours, also from the recommendation of my sister. It's easy and packed full of flavor!

I prepared each of these twice, so we had 18 meals total. I spent $144 at Aldi, and $60 at Publix, so approximately $200 total, or $11.11 per meal for a family of 4 (some meals with leftovers). I live and shop in the Orlando, Florida area - so prices will vary according to your region of the country. Not bad at all, and certainly more delicious than mac & cheese or PB&J.

Can I just also say how easy my afternoons have been this week? Mid-morning, I pull a freezer meal from our garage freezer, and pop it in the crockpot. It has revolutionized everything! Try it- I promise it will change your afternoons!

Want more? Be sure to follow me on Instagram {@gabrielsgoodtidings} and subscribe for email updates to get this info and more in your email inbox.

Mason Jar Fruit Cups - Simple, Easy, and Frugal!

2014-05-21T16:02:00.001-05:00

There are some members of my family who will eat an entire fruit bowl in one sitting. And, there are others who couldn't even tell you if we have a fruit bowl in the kitchen. So, in an attempt to moderate portions for the fruit lovers, and to make fruit more easily visible and accessible to those who forget to eat fruit daily, I created these Mason Jar Fruit Cups.

They're super simple really - so easy that I feel kinda odd writing a full post about them instead of just posting a pic on Facebook or Instagram. But, nonetheless, here I am, typing away.

Most of the fruit was from my Aldi trip today, so the majority of the prices are from that store. I live and shop in the Orlando, Florida area, so prices will surely vary by geographic location, too.

Pineapple: $2.29

Bananas: $1.50 for the bag of 8. I used 2 bananas, so that's $0.36.

Kiwi: $1.89 (it was a bag of 6)

Blueberries: $1.99 (1 pint)

Strawberries: $1.39

Apples: $0.66 each, I used 3, so $1.98 (I had to google the average price of apples, since I had these on hand and coulnd't recall a price.)

Total invested: $9.90 (not including tax)

I had a stash of pint sized jars on hand (more info below), but if you didn't have that already, you could add that as a one-time investment.

I washed and sliced all the fruit. I opted to eventually slice the strawberries, but you could put whole strawberries in the jars. I wanted to keep it easier for my kids, so most of my fruit was cut pretty small for their little mouths.

I lined it all up in order on the counter. This made it really fast to assemble the jars once I got it all ready.

Side note here: For years, I avoided buying pineapple because I couldn't figure out how to slice it. I absolutely loved pineapple, but was too frugal to buy the pre-sliced in the deli section, and canned pineapple just isn't the same. Then I found this gadget. Y'all. It's awesome. Seriously, I will never pass up a pineapple again.

I have a stash of mason jars in my garage. I save them all and just stash them in my garage for days like this. It's just one of those things I can't bear to purge at this point. I pulled out all the pint sized jars, rings and lids I could find from this stash.

So, just because they'd been in the garage for months, I gave them a good wash in the sink.

I layered my fruit in this order:

Pineapple

Apple

Kiwi

Strawberries

Blueberries

Bananas

I did this for a few reasons. 1) The apple is nestled between the two most citrus fruits, helping it not to brown. 2) The fruit ranges from hardness to softness (bottom to top). This keeps my bananas from getting mushy and my blueberries from getting crushed.

After I made all of these, I realized I had watermelon in my fridge that I could have added, too. Oh well. Next time.

This made 9 pint-sized jars. I would have made more, but ran out of lids. I did have a good sized bowl left over, so overall, I would say that this amount of fruit would have made 12 jars (if I'd had enough lids).

So, for $9.90 invested / 12 jars = $0.82 per jar. MUCH cheaper than the deli section!

I took the leftover fruit out on the patio and served it to my kids, who gobbled it up!

Lavender and White Rose Baby Shower

2013-06-12T20:03:00.004-05:00

About a year ago, I found myself walking through a very dark time with a dear friend. She lost her nine month old daughter very suddenly, and it affected me deeply. The moments and hours around her precious baby's death will be something I hold in my memory forever. But our God turns mourning into dancing, and while we miss that sweet baby dearly, I rejoice that I have a deep bond with this friend and our relationship is one of my highest earthly treasures.

So it is with great joy that I share this Lavender and White Rose Baby Shower with you. Shortly after the tragedy, my friend was pregnant with her third baby - a girl! I could do nothing more than rejoice with tears of gratefulness to our God for his goodness to her family. And my heart is filled with thankfulness of how the Lord has intertwined our journeys together.

Her baby's name is Rosie. The nursery colors are lavender and white. We continued that theme at the baby shower by using those colors and sprinkling roses throughout our party.

Baby booties made from two 2 oz medicine cups, then wrapped in tissue. A cotton ball was used to make the "toe" and then tied with 1/8" satin ribbon. Simply a charming way to display trail mix!

Forks wrapped in lavender and white striped napkins, then tied with white ricrac.

Once again, I used the cupcake tower my father built for the Monster Birthday Party. This party piece is coming in handy time and time again. Thanks, Dad!

I followed Sarah's example and displayed each cupcake under a wine glass. This was a big hit with guests!

I also borrowed recipes from Sarah and her cupcakes are delicious! Seriously some of the yummiest ever!

My dining room table held all the food - mini quiches, veggie tray, fruit spread, trail mix booties, and of course, the mini cupcakes!

I made this felt dot garland using my circle rotary cutter, and then sewed it together. I draped it around the fitted tablecloth (made from this tutorial) and it added an extra punch of purple color to the table.

I also made a felt ruffle wreath for the front door. I used Amy's tutorial for the wreath, and then inserted mini purple roses. The banner was a piece of paper I printed from PicMonkey.

In lieu of a guestbook, another friend found this book, Ballerina Rosie. Since it was fitting with our theme, we had all the guests sign the inside of the book.

I used my kitchen bar as the drink station. We served punch, water, and hot tea and coffee.

I ordered items on Etsy and made a cookie sheet full of rose magnets. (I ordered the roses from Whimsy and Pop and the magnets from CraftProjectSupplies. Both amazing Etsy sellers!)

Each guest took a white felt bag and filled it with a few magnets. They were asked to put them on their refrigerator and use the magnets as a reminder to pray for this sweet family.

The afternoon was a time of rejoicing, and it brought much healing to my soul. The time of prayer for this family was filled with emotions, as you can imagine, but I wouldn't trade this last year for anything. The way that God has used the darkest of times to draw me to Himself, and the friendships I've formed within my local body of Christ as made all the tears worthwhile. Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father!

Strawberry Shortcake Party {Simple, Frugal yet Sweet Version}

2013-06-05T15:54:00.002-05:00

Today I'm sharing the details behind my daughter's fourth birthday party last month. She's 100% girl, so it was only fitting to have a Strawberry Shortcake party, since she is completely crazy about this character.

I had a busy few weeks with a major role in a children's consignment sale in late April, and coordinating a craft fair for my church on Mother's Day weekend. This party fell smack dab in between those two events, so I tried to keep it simple but still have a fun and sweet celebration. Mostly, we invited family, and a few friends from her preschool.

I used the kitchen bar area to display all the goodies except for the drinks. A large piece of Strawberry Shortcake fabric (from Hobby Lobby, but also Amazon has a large selection, too) covered my countertop and served as a tablecloth of sorts. The printable collections from Simone Made It on Etsy helped to put the finishing touches on the food and drink display. Her strawberry collection was absolutely perfect for this party!

I've used Simone's printables before - for my son's dinosaur birthday party - and absolutely love the way her designs look! Not only do I love the appearance, but it's a great value for your money! She gives you so much and I've never actually used every single page.

The main dessert was a "Build Your Own Strawberry Shortcake" tower. My dad built this tower for my son's monster birthday party last October. It's been used countless times since then at parties, showers, and even craft displays. It's a great display piece. If you don't have a handyman around, this cupcake tower on Amazon looks similar and of good value.

I used PicMonkey to create a 5x7 paper to put in the frame for the top of the tower. It helped guests understand why the cups were full of two cubes of cake and undecorated when they arrived.

I purchased the plastic clear cups from Dollar Tree, and then baked two 9x13 cakes - one yellow and one pink. I cut them into small squares (approximately 2" x 2") and stacked them inside the clear cups. I loved that the cups have a small "stem" on them and it makes them just a little more fancy than standard cups. Here's a link to a similar (yet more expensive) cup on Amazon so you can see the exact shape.

Each guest was able to "build their own" dessert with a berry tray overflowing with raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, and of course, strawberries.

To top it off, I had two canisters of whip cream available. I covered them with papers printed from Simone's party pack.

I used my favorite photo editing tool, PicMonkey, to alter some basic Google images of Strawberry Shortcake and Friends. These served as "tents" on the food and drink areas to help further describe how the food related to Strawberry Shortcake. Since it's been 30+ years since I played with Strawberry Shortcake, I too needed a refresher on her friends' names and characteristics. I found this article extremely helpful in explaining each of Strawberry's friends, animals, and sisters.

I incorporated a few other desserts and a fruit bowl using Strawberry's friends as the display character.

Lemon Meringue shared her famous pie with the guests. Thank you, Winn-Dixie, for supplying the pie since Lemon Meringue was too busy getting ready for the party! ;)

And Orange Blossom went to Aldi and picked up a bag of Cutie Oranges for her fruit bowl. She wanted to provide something for party guests who didn't want added sugars.

Apple Dumplin', Strawberry Shortcake's baby sister, also provided an apple pie for the day, but she missed her photo opp.

I displayed the drinks outside on our patio, which is screened in around the pool. I used the same fabric from my indoor food display to drape over the drink table. Two three-gallon plastic drink dispensers held green and pink punch. I used this recipe for the green punch, and this one for the pink. The green punch was super sweet, though - I would recommend cutting the sugar in half!

I ruffled streamers on the sewing machine, a technique I've used before for the Pink & Purple Birthday Party. Read about how to do that here.

I also had water bottles, covered with labels from Simone's printable kit.

Although the greatest form of entertainment was the swimming pool, we did play a few Strawberry themed games. This site has a great list of games for all ages.

This plastic sheeting came from Party City and was only $5! It served as a great backdrop for photos and brought color to our neutral patio! (It's also available on Amazon.)

Happy partying, everyone!

Got a glimpse of my kitchen and want more details? Read about my cabinet makeover, built-in pantry, and see where it all started.

My other parties:

Dino-Four Birthday Party

Dora Birthday Party

Pink & Purple Birthday Party

Monster Birthday Party

Consignment Sale Series Recap

2013-04-03T09:14:00.002-05:00

Consignment sale season is in full swing and I hope you'll plan on shopping a sale in your area. I had so much fun writing the entire Consignment Sale Series and now I'm in "crunch mode" as Boutique For A Week is less than two weeks away! I hope to see many of you there!

Here's a list of all the posts in the series, all in one place for you to access easily.

Ten Places to Find Items to Consign
Five Reasons to Volunteer at a Children's Consignment Sale
Ten Reasons to Shop a Children's Consignment Sale Even If You're Not A Mom
How to Shop a Children's Consignment Sale with Kids in Tow
Ten Tips for Selling Items at a Children's Consignment Sale
Six Things to Know Before Volunteering at a Children's Consignment Sale
Ten Reasons to Consign Children's Items

Tips for Shopping with Children in Tow

2013-04-03T08:54:00.000-05:00

This is the final post in the Consignment Sale Series, because Boutique For A Week is just around the corner! I've been tagging items over the last week or so, and it is really exciting to see it all coming together for sale week!

To finish this series, I thought I'd share some shopping tips with children in tow. As a mom of young children, I know going to the grocery store alone seems like a vacation, and this is a sale that should ideally be shopped alone. However, sometimes life just doesn't allow that to happen. So, if you find yourself in a situation where you must shop with children, here's a few pointers.

1. Play by the rules. Check your consignment sale's website for shopping policies. Some hours - typically the pre-shopping times for volunteers and consignors - restrict children to nursing infants only. Make sure you are allowed to bring children during your shopping time before going to the trouble to plan such an excursion.

2. Have a plan. Even if you don't have children with you, I encourage you to make a list. Does your son need a navy Polo shirt to match those cute shorts? Does your daughter need shoes for school? Are you planning a Strawberry Shortcake birthday party in coming months? Know what you're looking for and plan to shop intentionally. Now, if the kids fall asleep or are exceptionally happy, feel free to browse - but in the event of a cranky shopper, make sure you get the most-needed items first.

3. Bring new toys or an electronic device. Depending on your child's age, consider bringing a new toy they have yet to see and/or an electronic device they love such as an iPod or iPad. This may buy you some precious shopping time as they play with such a well-loved toy.

4. Go hands-free. Again, depending on the age of your child, plan to bring something to help you be hands-free. A baby carrier (I always loved my Ergo for things like this!), a stroller, or even a wagon- just somewhere for the kids to sit away from your hip.

5. A full tummy. Clearly don't bring the kids half an hour before lunch. Rather, plan to shop at their best time of day. Consider bringing snacks to help their hunger if you end up staying longer than planned.

6. Sleepy shoppers. If your child is a stroller or baby carrier sleeper, consider shopping during naptime. Of course, have a plan B in case your child refuses to sleep, but this may work well for shoppers with infants who are good on-the-go sleepers.

7. Partner up. Consider joining forces with another mom (or a non-mom -- they will learn to love these sales, too) who can lend an extra pair of hands if a child is having a hard time. It's more fun to shop with friends, anyways!

8. Have a plan B. If things are disastrous - kids are hungry, a blow-out diaper, child with a fever, or any other unexpected events - have a back-up plan. Know in the back of your mind that you can come back later in the day when someone can watch your children, or when you have some time alone. It will be far less disheartening to walk away from great deals if you know you'll be back later.

What are your best tips for shopping with children?

How to Volunteer Well at a Children's Consignment Sale

2013-03-25T12:53:00.000-05:00

I'm picking back up with two final posts in the Consignment Sale Series this week. It's almost time for Boutique For A Week, and I've got to get busy tagging and sorting items!

I previously shared about the benefits of volunteering at a children's consignment sale, and today's post is some practical tips to help a volunteer shift go as smooth as a knife cuts butter. :)

1. Eat before your shift. Now, I wouldn't recommend stuffing yourself at an all-you-can-eat buffet, but I wouldn't come hungry either. Eat something healthy - something that will give you energy - and something you know settles well with your tummy. You likely won't have time to snack or eat often (or at all, if your volunteer shift is less than 4 hours), so plan accordingly.

2. Tell your family where you'll be. The last time I volunteered I didn't make clear arrangements with my husband about picking up the kids from school. By the time I slowed down to check my phone, I had quite a few text messages about who was getting the kids! Plan ahead, and let your family know where you'll be and how to contact you if an emergency arises. Tell them you won't be checking your phone during your volunteer hours.

3. Go to the bathroom before your shift. Plan to arrive a few minutes early to make a stop by the restroom, put your car keys and wallet in a secure location, and make sure you're fully ready to work when your start time arrives. There will likely be some initial instructions you'll need to hear, so be ready to start a few minutes before.

4. Wear comfortable shoes and clothes. You'll be on your feet a lot, if not the entire volunteer shift, so dress accordingly. Wear shoes that are conducive for long-term standing, and clothes that are comfortable for being on the move. If you have long hair, consider bringing an elastic hair tie to pull it back. You won't know your exact role until you arrive, so be prepared to sort clothes, clean toys, organize books, hand out fliers, or a variety of other jobs.

5. Bring some $. One of the great benefits of volunteering is that you get a closer look at many of the items. Like I mentioned in this post, plan to shop after your volunteer shift and pick up some of those items you've been eyeing.

6. Volunteer at your best time of day. If you're a morning person, sign up for the 9 am shift. If you're a night owl, plan to sort clothes late into the evening. However your body is wired, be aware and plan to volunteer according to your best time of day.

I hope many of you will consider volunteering at your next consignment sale. If you're local to the Orlando, Florida region, you can sign up to volunteer with Boutique For A Week by clicking here. Hope to see you there!

Organize Your Spices with Baby Food Jars

2013-03-01T14:13:00.001-05:00

Wow! It's been a busy month for me! I can't believe it's been over two weeks since my last post. March holds a baby shower I'm hosting, April is a big consignment sale with which I'm partnering, and May is a Strawberry Shortcake birthday party, an upcoming event at church, and an end of the year pool party for the kids' classmates. It's gonna be a busy spring!

I've been bit by the spring cleaning bug, and started with my spices. Ever since my freezer cooking day last year, I've been brainstorming about how to re-vamp my spices. For quite sometime, I've had them on the side of my fridge in stainless steel containers from Ikea. More info about that project can be found here.

But a friend at work recently mentioned her infant eating baby food, and the wheels started turning.... I asked her to save jars for me, and another friend started saving, and before long I had a large variety of baby food jars!

Most of the jars are of the 4 oz size (Stage 1), but a few are of the 6 oz size (Stage 2).

I washed them all in hot water, removed the adhesive from the label, and ordered these Avery office labels from Amazon.

Using Microsoft Word, I typed in all the names of the labels and printed out two sheets of round stickers. Transferring the spices from the Ikea containers to the baby food jars was my favorite part - I just loved smelling all the spices! :)

Arranging the new jars in the drawer was my second favorite part!

And now, I love opening this drawer each day and finding the spices. It's the little things.

So what happened to the Ikea containers? I plan on using them in the sewing room to organize buttons, similar to how I organize my ribbon. Stay tuned!

How to Get Your Items Sold at Children's Consignment Sales

2013-02-11T21:56:00.001-05:00

One of the most common questions I receive about consigning children's items is "How do you make money selling used items?" And while this entire series will answer that question, this particular post will likely give the most direct answers.

I invite you to read about why I consign, why I volunteer, and why everyone (even non-moms!) should shop these sales. I also described all the places I search for items to consign in this post. Today, I'm sharing my top ten tips for making sure your items will sell!

When you work hard to gather, price and deliver your items, it's important that they sell. After all that work, you don't want to return home with greater than half of your gently used children's items!

1. Price it Right. Look at your item closely. What would you pay for this item at a garage sale? What would you pay new? Based on the answers to these questions, price your item accordingly. A good rule of thumb is to price the item somewhere between 75% off retail price and just above garage sale prices. So if a shirt was $10 new, the consignment price should be around $2.00. I have found that the majority of my items sell for $2 or less.

2. Volunteer. I've elaborated on this topic before, but volunteering gives you a first-hand look at what items buyers love and shopping patterns. You can read 15 articles on consigning, but volunteering will give you the experience that will cement this information into your mind.

3. Get it Clean. Wash clothes, wipe down toys, scrub shoes- get those items clean and in pristine condition! Giving your items a "bath" will make them presentable, desirable, and sell-able!

4. Hang it Up. Most consignment sales require clothing to be on hangers. Although a few items such as pajamas are sold in large bins, I have found that all items tend to sell better when hanging. I've opted to hang pajamas, even when I had the option to put them in a ziploc bag and sell it from a bin.

5. Battery Check. Any toys that require batteries should be checked prior to drop-off. Invest in new batteries if needed, and your toy will be much more likely to sell. Who wants to risk purchasing a toy that may or may not work?

6. Piece Check. Open all puzzles, games, etc and make sure all pieces are included. It's important for buyers to know that they are purchasing a complete set and won't find themselves short a puzzle piece with their child.

7. Print Tags in Groups. I choose to print tags in sets of 10. This system works for me because I can tackle a small pile of items in a short amount of time. It also prevents me from having a stack of tags and searching for that one particular shirt... a never-ending matching game that drives me crazy! Printing in small numbers allows me to price, tag and store items without getting overwhelmed. Boutique For A Week has an excellent article here about Preparing Your Merchandise.

8. Tag With Items You Have. If you have a lot of zipties, use those to secure your tags to your items. If you have a surplus of safety pins, use them! Tagging doesn't have to be costly- use items you have in your home. I'd recommend Boutique For A Week's video series on tagging for tips and tricks.

9. Keep it Organized. As you tag items and they're ready to be sold, organize them to make drop off more efficient. I recommend grouping clothing by gender, then by size. Toys and books should be grouped by age. At drop off, it's essential to put your items in the best location to sell - the volunteers are great to help direct you! - because if you put your girl clothes in the boy swimsuit section, they're not likely to sell there!

10. Designate a Room. If you have an extra room in your home, designate this space as "Consignor Central." It can be a guest room, formal living or dining room, or home office that is rarely used in your home. For me, I use my sewing room and our formal living room to organize and prepare items to consign. I have a "consigning station" complete with all my tagging supplies and bins to store my "ready to go" items. This helps me stay organized and see the progress I've made in getting it all ready for consignment week!

I hope you're getting excited about the upcoming consignment sale! Will you shop, consign, volunteer - or all three?

You Don't Have to Be A Mom to Shop

2013-02-07T11:41:00.000-05:00

I'm having a lot of fun with this little Consignment Sale Series, are you? It's getting me very excited to start purging, pricing, sorting and selling!

Today's topic is one that will challenge you to think outside the box. I know we all have friends that are not moms, for a variety of reasons. As you're preparing to shop your local consignment sale, why not bring a friend along?

Here's a list of ten reasons why you should shop a children's consignment sale even if you're not a mom.

1. Purses and Bags. All women love this accessory. Most children's consignment sales have a large variety of bags and purses. Although some of them may be diaper bags, even those type of bags can be versatile enough to be used for a laptop, iPad, binders, or a large purse. Diaper bags are designed more and more to look like tote bags or large purses, so it's no surprise that many women could make a diaper bag work for work-related or personal needs. However, I have bought a few bags at Boutique For A Week that I carry as tote bags to work and on trips.

2. Office Supplies. At the last Boutique For A Week, I found an unopened package of T-shirt Transfer Paper. I was ecstatic because I use this paper to make my own sewing labels, and it's quite pricey. To find this full package for $2 was a real deal!

3. Books. Consignment sales have a large amount of children's books, but also homemaking and religious books. If you're a teacher, this is a great place to stock your classroom library! I've seen cookbooks and other how-to books as these sales in recent years.

4. Gifts. Even if you're not a mom, surely you know someone having a baby. Or, you have nieces and nephews. Or co-workers with kids. Many times consignment sales will have a good number of items with the retail tags still attached. This is a great way to collect a few baby gifts and store them away until the baby shower for a fraction of the retail cost.

5. Shoes. Because most consignment sales allow clothes up to junior sizes, adult sized shoes are welcome, too! These sales are a fantastic way to add to your shoe obsession without blowing your monthly budget.

6. Clothes. If you are able to wear junior sized clothing, shop these sales for the teenager clothing. You may be able to score a pair of jeans or a casual t-shirt for a rock-bottom price.

7. Evening Dresses. Many of these sales will have a "prom dress" or "pageant dress" section. Although the sizes are originally intended for teenagers, if the dress fits, wear it! Don't overlook this important area of the consignment sale when you are browsing.

8. Home Decor and Organization. Nursery decor is a big seller at children's consignment sales, but with nurseries becoming more and more modern, this is an item that can be used however it fits your home decorating style. Likewise, you may be able to find organizational bins or basket that are perfect for another room in your abode.

9. Furniture. Another versatile item that you can use in various rooms of your home. Just because it's a dresser that matches a crib doesn't mean the dresser can't go in your bedroom.

10. Twin Sheets. If you have a twin sized guest bed, this is a great place to stock up on sheets for your guest room. Especially if you have nieces or nephews who sleepover often- you may just be able to find superhero or princess sheets they will adore!

If you are planning on consigning, I encourage you to read this information from Boutique For A Week as it contains details on what is and is not accepted at their consignment sale.

So, I challenge you to encourage your non-mom friends to shop a sale like this. They're certain to leave with some great bargains!

Your Children's Consignment Sale Needs More Than Your Items

2013-02-03T22:59:00.001-05:00

When most people think about their local children's consignment sale, they begin to make a mental list of items to consign. Or, they begin to think about items they intend to purchase for their little ones.

However, they need so much more than your items or your money - volunteer your time!

I have had the pleasure of volunteering at Boutique For A Week for several years now, and could share hours worth of stories, rewarding experiences, and fun memories with you. To keep myself from rambling, I've compiled all the benefits of volunteering into a short list of five reasons.

1. Shop Early. I already mentioned this reason when I discussed the reasons I consign, but did you know that volunteers are allowed to shop even before the consignors? Truly, the sooner you can be granted access to shop, you will be guaranteed a better selection of items and likely a less crowded shopping atmosphere.

2. Browse Early. If you volunteer during set-up or early in the week, you can get a good idea of where your "most-wanted" items are placed in the sale, and keep an eye on items you hope to purchase. You can't shop while you volunteer, but you can end your volunteer shift and then go purchase a few items you've been watching.

3. Learn the Ropes. If you are volunteering and consigning, serving as a volunteer and observing shoppers' purchase patterns can aid you in consigning for future sales. For example, if you know you will consign your double stroller within the next year, you can watch first-hand how much shoppers will pay for a similar double stroller. This will aid you in pricing your items right so they sell first.

4. Make Friends. I used the word "pleasure" in the paragraph at the beginning of this list because that's truly what it is - a pleasure. Although volunteering is hard work, the company is well worth the work. Most volunteers are people just like you- moms working hard to get top dollar for their gently used children's items and willing to put in a little extra effort. It's a great place to meet like-minded friends.

5. Earn Kid Kash. Boutique For A Week rewards volunteers with a kid kash, which works like store credit at Boutique For A Week. Volunteering is a very simple way to earn some extra "store credit" and keep your consignment prices low.

If you're interested in volunteering but not sure how the details will work, click here to learn about all of Boutique For A Week's volunteer options - including opportunities for grandparents and men! Likewise, if you have a unique skill that can partner with Boutique For A Week. click here to learn about their bartering opportunities.

So, when will you volunteer?

Ten Common (and Not-So-Common) Places to Find Items for Children's Consignment Sales

2013-01-29T11:39:00.001-05:00

Are you all fully convinced to consign this spring? Yesterday I shared the reasons I'm consigning this spring, and I hope you'll join me in such an endeavor. But perhaps you're not fully convinced because you don't have anything to consign. Today's topic is for you! Search these ten place,s and I guarantee you'll have a box (or two, or three!) of items ready to go.

1. Kid's Closets. Let's start with the obvious, shall we? :) Clothing items contribute to more than half of a consignment sale's inventory. Browse your children's closets and remove any items that they no longer need. Don't forget the shoes!

2. Children's Bedrooms. Another obvious one. My first consignment sale, I only sold clothes. I had no idea that I should go beyond the closet to the non-clothing items that were nearly new. My second sale, over half of my profits were from items such as toys, puzzles and books.

3. Patio and Outdoor Play Area. We have a large screened in patio at our home and toys galore in this area. Items such as ride-on toys and preschool sports equipment are high dollar items at consignment sales.

4. DVD Cabinet. Another area I overlooked for years. Most consignment sales no longer accept VHS tapes, but DVDs and CDs are among the "most-wanted" items for shoppers.

5. Grandma's House. As you're purging your own home, ask grandparents to look through their stash of toys, books and DVDs. I find that items at Grandma's house are in better condition and more likely to have all the original pieces - making it a candidate for consignment.

6. Garage. If your garage is a "catch all" area like mine, you may find a plethora of items there. Throughout the year, I'll box up items and label them for consignment, but then forget them if I don't do a thorough check of the garage before sale time.

7. Kitchen. Items such as baby bottles, unopened (and within expiration date) cans of formula, toddler plates, cups, and utensils are small items that can add to your grand total at a consignment sale. Don't forget the bib drawer, too!

8. Linen Closet. Don't forget this high-dollar stash in your home! Crib bedding, toddler sheets, and baby bath items are all qualifying items.

9. Bathroom. I hope I'm not alone in this, but my kids have so many bath toys they can hardly bathe in the tub! This is an often overlooked area of the home, and since the toys are in soap and water, they should be clean, right? :)

10. Your Own Closet. If you've recently had a baby, don't forget about consigning your own maternity clothes and nursing tops. Most consignment sales won't allow you to try on items, so make sure your clothes have a clear size marked on the tag. I find that dresses, jeans and skirts do best at these sales.

Well, if you've searched all ten of those places you likely have several boxes ready to clean, prepare, tag and consign. You better get busy!

See you later in the week for a discussion on why your consignment sale needs more than just your items- they need you as a volunteer!

Ten Reasons I'm Consigning this Spring

2013-01-28T16:02:00.000-05:00

I'm excited to be partnering with my favorite consignment sale, Boutique for a Week. Over the next few weeks, I'll be sharing details about my consignment history and lessons learned through years of participating in Boutique For a Week's semi-annual sales. Even if you live far from Orlando, Florida, you're sure to learn some tips and tricks for consigning. And for those of you who don't have children, never fear- I have an upcoming post just for you!

1. Make extra money. Who doesn't like a little extra cash in their wallet? Last fall, the money I earned from consigning at Boutique For A Week allowed me to meet my goal to have my kitchen cabinets painted. In other past sales, I've been able to pay cash for Christmas gifts or put several hundred dollars back into our savings fund.

2. Declutter my home. I'm constantly purging and re-organizing our closets, drawers, and storage solutions. Boutique For A Week is the twice a year motivation I need to ruthlessly go through my home and purge items that are no longer working for our family. A clutter-free home makes for a very happy me.

3. Shop early. Consignors have the added benefit of shopping before the public. This allows me to have the best selection and shop with less crowds. Consignors also gain access to the 50% off sale before the public, which allows me to grab items at rock-bottom prices before the public.

4. Browse early. Just like shopping early allows me to purchase before the public, consigning also allows me to browse through items prior to the public shopping times. For example, if I see an adorable dress for my daughter but don't want to pay full price, I can keep an eye on it and plan to drop back by for the 50% off shopping times and snag a deal on the dress. Discounted items are specified by the consignor, so be sure to check the tags to see if your favorite item will go half price the final day.

5. Recycle items to a new home. It's rewarding to know that my son's favorite dinosaur shirt from two years ago will find a new home via Boutique For A Week. We can't practically keep every piece of clothing or toy that has sentimental value, so it's comforting to know that another child will love it as much as my own children once did.

6. A budget reminder. Purging my home in preparation for Boutique For A Week is a visual reminder of areas we may overspend. For example, when I was purging last fall, I found that my son had four puzzles that were practically identical. When I have all of my items tagged and ready to sell, I am reminded that sometimes less is more, and sticking to our budget is more important than a new outfit for my children.

7. Keep what they love. When I show my kids items I'm considering for consignment, I ask them to pick their favorite one. This shows me which toys or clothes they love most, and therefore helps me plan for future purchases.

8. Donate to the community. Boutique For A Week donates a large amount of items after each sale. If you choose to donate your unsold items, you can tag them with white cardstock (instead of your designated color) and they will be automatically sorted for donation.

9. Make friends. Through consigning at Boutique For A Week, I meet other women via the Facebook page and at the sale who are like-minded. They may have children of different ages and be in a different stage of life, but we share a bond of decluttering our home, recycling items to a new home, and earning a profit from our children's gently used items.

10. It's fun. Call me crazy, but I really do enjoy seeing a huge pile of items, entering them into the computer, printing tags, attaching tags to items, selling items, and picking up my check. It's a sense of gratitude I receive for all the reasons listed above and more.

What about you? Have you consigned at Boutique For A Week or your local children's consignment sale? What are your reasons?

Orlando readers, registration is now open for Boutique For A Week's spring sale. Consignor spaces are limited, so sign up today if you plan to sell.

Next post in this series will discuss how to find items to consign. I'll share ten places to look for items to consign.... some of them will be the most unusual places!

How to Remove Sewing Interfacing Gunk from your Iron

2013-01-07T15:07:00.000-05:00

Second only to a sewing machine, an iron is a seamstresses best friend. A good iron allows you to make your fabric smooth, create strong creases, curve bias tape around a circle, bind interfacing to fabric, and put the finishing touches on a project.

I love my iron. It's a Rowenta Effective, similar to the one here. I got it for my birthday many years ago and while I wouldn't typically ask for an iron as a birthday gift, it has improved my life so much that I deem it one of the best gifts ever! It's great for ironing clothes and it helps tremendously in the sewing room.

However, in the last few months, it's been clogged up with interfacing glue and stitch witchery remnants. I could see a decline in the iron's performance and was determined to restore it back to its full functioning wonderful self!

I picked up this Faultless Hot Iron Cleaner at the store last week and was incredibly impressed with the results!. For less than $5 a tube, it is worth the price of a Starbucks Latte- I promise!

First, I'd recommend massaging the tube and mixing all the gel prior to opening. My gel wasn't mixed well and tended to do better towards the middle or end of the tube rather than the beginning.

Squeeze a small amount onto a towel. Make sure it's an old towel that can be ruined.

Put your iron directly on the cleaner and start moving your iron in a circular motion.

It will get very smoky in your room.... open doors, windows, etc. I didn't think the smell was too bad, but the smoke was pretty thick.

If you have a pretty dirty iron like me, you'll need to repeat the cleaning process a few times. I did three "rounds" of cleaning and used about 3/4 of the tube. The above picture of my iron is after the first cleaning.

And the pictures below are after the second and third cleanings.

You may notice that I still have a little "gunk" in the round spots, which I think could be removed with a q-tip when the iron is hot. I just havent' gotten around to trying that yet.

The difference between this iron cleaner and other iron cleaners I've used has been amazing! I've paid more for other cleaners that didn't work but this was simple, fast, and effective.

Since I've cleaned it, I find that it irons better and heats up faster. It's like a brand new iron. :)

Oh, and make sure to use a towel that you can toss in the rag box. This is what my towel looked like after three cleanings.

Happy New Year; Happy Iron Cleaning!

Helpful Links:

Faultless Hot Iron Cleaner

Rowenta Iron

2012 In Review

2012-12-31T23:39:00.002-05:00

It's been a banner year here at the Gabriel home. Well, at least in the sewing room! I've been so honored to see this little blog and Etsy shop grow to reach more and more people. I'm not as faithful of a blogger as I'd like to be, and I appreciate you sticking with me through the frequent and infrequent posting seasons. I'd like to toss some of the blame to my tiny computer, who has been preforming faithfully for the last three years. In the last six months, it's taken a true turn for the worse. As I type, the left 1/3 of the screen is flickering in a computer seizure-like mode. It's almost enough to close the sucker and just watch the New Year's ball drop, but I'm trying to push through and ignore the bright colored strobe-like flickering in my left peripheral vision. Good news- a new computer has been shipped from Costco's warehouse and should save the ~~day~~ blog very soon!

True to form, there's about an hour left in 2012 and I'm just now writing a post about the year in review. Planning ahead is not my forte when it comes to blogging.

Without further delay, here are the top ten posts of the last year:

In addition to these posts gaining traffic and publicity, here's a few additional highlights:

Being featured on UCreate
A Handmade Holiday Open House (both in Birmingham and Orlando)
Having my "How to Make Money on Etsy" article published on Money Saving Mom
Multiple tutorials posted on AllFreeSewing.net
Linking up to Sew, Mama, Sew! Giveaway Day

And finally, a sneak peek at what's to come in 2013:

Giving and donating to those who are dearest to my heart
New items- including a few contributions from my husband!- in my Etsy shop
Sharing new tutorials, sewing tips, and home renovations
Giving you more of a glimpse into my family and kiddos
Sharing about companies I love: Craftsy, Pick Your Plum and Very Jane, and more
Sharing amazing creations from other Etsy sellers and artisans
More giveaways!

Here's to 2013! Wishing you and your family a very Happy New Year!

How to Make Your Own Christmas Bows

2012-12-16T23:40:00.000-05:00

After a long blogging break, I'm really excited to be back sharing a fun tutorial today. I've always loved dressing up packages and presents with a personal handmade touch, and this year, I learned how to make my own bows. It's so much easier than you would imagine and quick, too- in fact, it took me longer to upload the photos for this post than it did to actually make a bow.

This tutorial will cover two different types of handmade bows: felt and paper.

The photos in this post are from a felt bow-making project, but it's the same directions if you're using artwork or felt.

Let's start with supplies.

You will need:

Felt or Children's Artwork. A 12" x 9" square of felt is perfect or a comparable size of artwork. The thicker the paper (if using artwork), the better.
Rotary cutter and mat, or ruler and scissors
Pen
Hot glue gun for felt; tape or school glue if using artwork.

Cut your felt or paper into 1" strips. I tried many different sizes of bows and found this size to be the most sturdy, easiest to assemble, and most beautiful bow.

Cut the following strips from your felt or artwork:

3 - 1" x 12"
3 - 1" x 11"
2 - 1" x 10"
1 - 1" x 4"

Set the 4" piece aside.

For the 12", 11" and 10" pieces, use a light colored pen or marker to mark the center of the strips. Do this on all 8 strips.

Starting with the 12" pieces, fold the top to your left.

Then, flip the end under and bring it to the line in the middle of the strip.

This really is the hardest part of the entire project, and it's one of those things that easier to show you than to explain to you, so just follow the pictures please. When I taught this craft at my church mom's group, I found it so much easier to go around and show everyone how to do it than to try and explain it. Maybe I'm just not eloquent with words....

Then, put a small amount of hot glue on the red line.

And glue the raw edge down on the red line.

It helps to practice the turning part a few times before putting the glue on your felt or artwork. But once you get the turning thing, you've got it and can pop out a hundred of these babies in no time! :)

Okay, so then you're going to do the same thing to the other side of your strip. Some people say it helps to flip your strip upside down, but I didn't find that helpful to me.

So if you keep your strip in the same position, flip the other raw edge to your right.

Again, flip it under and meet up with the first raw edge on the red line.

Once you get the hang of the turning and flipping, you'll find that you can put one strip of hot glue and get both ends glued down pretty quickly. But it takes practice, so don't get frustrated on your first bow!

Your two raw edges should meet perfectly together.

Repeat this with the other two 12" strips, until they all look like the photo below. You'll know it's right when you see a continuous figure eight.

Then grab your 11" and 10" strips and do the same thing. Keep them separated by lengths.

Now find your 4" strip that you set aside earlier. Put one small strip of hot glue on one end and make a loop, or an "O".

Now it's time to start assembling your bow! Remember that several layers of felt can get thick quickly, so use just enough glue to stick and not too much!

Grab your set of 3 12" figure eights.

Put a small (pea-sized) amount of hot glue on the meeting point of the two raw edges.

Put the second 12" figure eight on top of the first one, but don't make it perpendicular (or an "X"). You have three to fit on this bottom layer, so stagger it accordingly.

See how there's enough room for the third 12" figure eight to fit in?

Add some glue (another pea-sized amount) to to the second figure eight and put the third one on top.

This is the bottom layer of your bow!

Follow the same directions to put the three 11" strips on. One by one, add a pea-sized amount of hot glue and stagger the figure eights on top. Space them evenly so that the bow looks full and balanced.

Once the 12" and 11" figure eights are all glued together, glue the 10" figure eights on to the existing bow. Since you only have two 10" figure eights, they will be perpendicular to each other.

This creates a perfect "pocket" or "bowl" for your little loop. Glue the loop, raw edges down, into the bow.

And you're done!

To affix your bow to a gift, I suggest tape for artwork bows and hot glue or ribbon for felt bows. Artwork bows are a true treasure to grandparents, aunts, uncles and anyone who treasures your children's creations. Felt bows can be used over and over again- much longer than store-bought bows.

A helpful link on making bows from magazine pages can be found here, but I haven't found these bows to be as durable.

Here's to handmade bows this holiday season!

Monster Birthday Party

2012-10-26T12:26:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago we celebrated half a decade with my oldest baby! I cannot believe how fast these five years have passed by. I was miserably ill my entire pregnancy with him.... morning, noon, night, midnight sickness lingered the entire nine months! We moved to a new state and a new career for my husband when he was only two months old.... a move through the snow, ice and other horrendous weather conditions. Then, when he was 19 months old, we brought home a baby sister, who he lovingly welcomed into our family. Just six weeks after that, we moved across the country to our current city of Orlando. The first two years involved way too many moves, but he has always been an amazing kid to "go with the flow" and keeps us laughing and smiling all day long!

We had this party at a local park. I paid to rent a pavilion for four hours, and timed the party to start one hour after the pavilion rental began. This gave me one hour to set up and transform a park pavilion into a monster home! I had lots of good help and it was all worth it for this birthday boy.

He requested a "Monster Birthday Party". I always let my kids pick a theme -usually I give them three choices and let them pick one - and then I take over the decor and food and other party planning. With an October birthday, monsters abound in the stores for Halloween, but that wasn't quite what I had in mind. I wanted bright colors, silly faces, googly eyes, and fun textures.

The inspiration piece was a stuffed monster that I found at a local consignment sale, Boutique For A Week. (If you live in Orlando, make sure to stop by their spring sale- it's the cleanest, most organized sale I've ever seen!) This fun monster had the bright green, yellow, blue and a punch of black that I was dreaming of. And, it was only $1. Amazing.

I sat this phenomenal find on top of the cupcake stand that my father made. It's a wooden circular stand with four "level" for cupcakes. We'll use it year after year for parties, and I may even use it at craft shows when I sell items from my Etsy shop. I was inpsired by this photo I found on Pinterest, and originally planned to add fur and googly eyes to the stand, but then decided it was better without.

My mother-in-law and "Mimi" (my husband's grandmother) graciously made the cupcakes. They were delicious!!! And, they looked perfect. The edible eyes came from Target, but similar ones can be found here on Amazon. The cupcake liners were from the Little Monsters Printable kit from MyGrafico.

For other food, we had a veggie tray, chips & salsa, and pretzels with spinach dip. I also served fruit in clear plastic cups, which I had done at another birthday party a year or so ago. It keeps little hands off the fruit bowl, keeps it from getting too mushy, and makes for a great display. I rarely serve fruit any other way!

For the table runner, I bought a roll of wrapping paper from Target. After the picnic table was covered with a white plastic tablecloth (from Dollar Tree), I taped down the wrapping paper. I also used my green shag rug from my kitchen to put under the cupcake stand. It gave the illusion of monster fur. (Don't worry, I washed it the morning of the party and didn't use it as a rug again until after the party.)

For the decor, I made monster boxes - 28 of them! This was, by far, the most time consuming part of party prep. I collected latex glove boxes from work (most of you know I put on my RN "hat" from 4 pm to midnight each night) and transformed them into monsters. First, I opened the box on the side and slid a piece of wrapping paper to form the "back of the mouth". I always used two contrasting wrapping papers to give more patterns and color. Then, I wrapped the entire box in wrapping paper. Most of the wrapping paper came from the Dollar Tree, but a bit was from Target, and some was just found in the box under my bed! After wrapping the box completely, I cut open the mouth (where you reach in to grab gloves) and taped it to the inside of the box. I glued googly eyes, pipe cleaners, and pom pom balls to give the monster a "face" and then added teeth to the inside of the mouth. Simple- even the birthday boy (and his sister) helped with some of it.

I strung fishing line through the monsters to make a "chandelier" of seven. I had four sets of seven monsters, one to hang above each table at the pavilion. I tied the fishing line to a beam directly above the tables.

On each of the four tables, I had coloring sheets (again from the Little Monsters Printable Kit) and a bucket of crayons. The buckets were from Target Dollar Spot, but I removed the fall colored ribbon and glued googly eyes.

I covered each table with a white plastic tablecloth and then cut a square table topper from wrapping paper.

For the food table, I made a banner with my 1" and 2" circle punch. I did a similar thing for my daughter's Pink and Purple Birthday Party 18 months ago. It's so easy when you have the circle punches. Of course, I added google eyes to this banner as well - the kids helped with that!

Couldn't leave the cups out of the decorations! They got googly eyes, too!

Since this party was at the park, I didn't plan many games or activities, but I did make this fun photo booth. I used foam board to create the frame, and then glued fur (from Jo-Ann's) to the frame. I printed the monsters on cardstock and added them to the bottom. The frame hung from fishing line at the perfect 5-year-old height.

I had a table beside the frame with fun props for the kids to use in their photos, and it was certainly funny to see them put the eyes over their mouths and other 5-year-old goofs like that!

For party favors, I made each child a monster snack bag. I didn't want to give more sweets, so I figured something useful would be perfect. If you aren't familiar with reusable snack bags, click on this link to learn more about the ones in my Etsy shop. The monster fabric was found at the Sewing Studio in Orlando, one of my all-time favorite sewing stores!

Before we sang "Happy Birthday", all the kids sat on the bench and my mom read Where the Wild Things Are.

It was such a fun party! Happy 5th Birthday to my sweet boy!

Helpful Links:
Monster Party Pinterest Board (I certainly didn't use every idea, but this helped me plan the party)
Googly Eyes for Cupcakes on Amazon
Monster Printable kit from MyGrafico- search for Little Monsters Birthday Party (what I used for cupcake liners, photo props, and party favor labels)
Where the Wild Things Are book on Amazon
Circle Punches on Amazon

Other Parties I've done:
Dino-Four Birthday
Dora Birthday Party
Pink and Purple Birthday Party

Kitchen Cabinet Makeover

2012-10-25T10:46:00.000-05:00

It's no secret that my kitchen cabinets were screaming for a remodel. The early 1990's kept calling and asking for their honey oak cabinets to come back. I am thrilled to have oak cabinets gone forever and welcomed new white, modern, clean cabinets with open arms!

First, lest we forget how far we've come....

Here is the kitchen prior to us purchasing the home- in the summer of 2010.

Ugh, right? You can see more of those pics and the incredible floor remodel (prior to our move-in) here.

Because funds were limited, we removed the wallpaper and painted the walls to match the open family room (which was also painted prior to move-in).

That helped a lot, and then my kitchen looked like this....

In July, I met with a painter who gave me a very reasonable quote to paint the cabinets. Based on her quote, I had to save $1000 more than what I already had. We did not have any wiggle room in our budget, and I have a separate account for my Etsy sales, consignment store sales, and other random side-job type things I do (none of which make a lot of money). I told my painter that I would work hard to save the money and hoped to call her in two months or less.

So, I started listing items in my Etsy shop, and thing started selling. One of the biggest lessons I have learned about selling on Etsy is that the more you list, the more you sell. Keeping your inventory up will almost always guarantee more sales. At one time, my inventory was close to 100 items, and it has dropped a little since then, but 100 items is my goal. My Etsy sales accounted for the single biggest contributor to my $1000 goal- nearly 40% if I remember correctly.

I also sold kids clothes, toys, and other items at a local consignment sale, Boutique for a Week. This sale helped me earn about 30% of what I needed for the cabinets. I made bridesmaids gifts for a friend's wedding- that was another 15%. I also purged some books and sold on Amazon- another 10%. I made another 10% from Google Ads, and things started coming together.

By September 1, just seven weeks after my meeting with the painter, I had all the money I needed to call her and set a start date!

She and her team arrived on a Monday morning, and worked tirelessly until Friday afternoon. I was incredibly pleased with the quality of work and professionalism she displayed. If you are in Orlando and would like the name and number of such an outstanding painter, please email me.

I'll stop talking now and let these amazing photos speak for themselves!

The cabinets coordinate perfectly with the pull-out kitchen pantry my husband made. My magnetic spice organization is still working wonderfully for our family!

The paint color is Clear Moon by Behr.

The kitchen light deserves an entire post, but my dad and my husband are responsible for this amazing transformation. Also, this photo give a glimpse into our family room, which underwent an incredible transformation about two years ago.

I really like the clean, white look, but am adding pops of green as I can. Green curtain, green shag rug (Target), green baskets on the microwave (also Target).

Before the white cabinets, I thought the countertops were so dated. Now that the cabinets are updated, the countertops don't look nearly as bad. In fact, I think they match the floor well!

Next to my mixer is my recipe binder (Target), which I use daily. I talked about how meal planning has helped me survive working full time in this post.

Another pop of color- not green, but pink flowers from a friend's garden. I try to keep either flowers or a candle on the stovetop.

This print was found on Pinterest, and is available as a free download here. The frame is from Target (big surprise!).

Barstools are from Wal-Mart.

Through the door you can see my laundry room, which was remodeled last summer. You can also catch a small glimpse of my sewing room, which was remodeled last summer as well.

I absolutely love this kitchen! It turned out so much better than I imagined, and I couldn't be any happier with the finished product. It was absolutely worth all my extra work to save towards my goal.

Anyone else had any home projects lately? I'd love to see! Leave me a link in the comments if so.

Tips and Tricks from Working Full Time

2012-10-24T00:27:00.000-05:00

I recently had the opportunity to share with a group of moms from my church about my experience working full time outside the home. While I certainly don't claim to be an expert in this area, I have gained some wisdom over the last 18+ months of working full-time.

First, a little background....
I am an RN - have been for 10+ years. I truly love being a nurse, and have worked consistently since graduating college in May 2002. I always thought that I'd stay at home with my kids once I became a mom, and while I did get the chance do that some, I never thought I'd return to work full-time as early as I did. But, when my daughter was diagnosed with Apraxia of Speech in January 2011, and my husband lost his job in February 2011, returning to work was the best decision for our family.

I work second shift- I leave my house at 4 pm and get home between 11:30 pm and midnight. I love this shift- it allows me to be home with my kids in the day, participate in their school activities, have play dates with friends, and see them come home from school. I miss out on dinner, bath time and bed time, but since my kids go to bed at 7:30 pm, I don't feel like I'm missing much of their awake time.

So, here's the questions that were asked of me at the mom's group, and my corresponding answers-

Our family on a Sunday morning - me dressed in scrubs, ready for work.

1. What are the pros and cons to you working full time?

Pros- working full time helps me to be intentional with my time. It has forced me to be disciplined with my days because I only have until 3:30pm to get everything done. This means that dinner, cleaning, errands, etc. all has to be done by 3:30. As well, my time with the kids is limited to prior to 3:30, so I have to be diligent to spend quality time with them each day. I certainly don't do it perfectly, but I have gained much insight and wisdom about discipline from books mentioned in this post.
Cons- obviously I'm away from home. I don't know my kids' bedtime routine or bath time preferences. I don't know how much they eat for dinner each night. And as a result, on the nights that I am home, my kids seem to have trouble going to bed and tend to act out simply because "Mommy's home".

2. How does working full time affect your family positively or negatively?

Positive: Provides for my family. My husband was out of work for 8 months, and then after that, only provided a part-time income for the next 9 months. My job as a nurse provided more than enough for our family to live.
Negative: Again, it takes me away from home. My kids and husband miss me, and I miss them. It pulls me away from my family.
I also shared about how it affects my church family, since many of my dearest friends are at church.
Positive (church family)- allows me to minister to others in discussions about childcare, breastfeeding, pregnancy issues, general pediatric healthcare questions. It is truly an honor to share my knowledge with my church family. I get questions almost every Sunday about some nursing-related question... and I love it. I am quick to refer out to the child's pediatrician if I'm over my head, and I don't hand out a diagnosis (since that is outside of my scope of practice), but I freely discuss side effects of antibiotics, concerns about introducing solids, contagious-ness of viruses, etc.
Negative (church family)- I'm not around as much. As a family, we commit to attend every Sunday and we lead a small group in our home on a regular basis. But other than that, I don't go to a lot of other activities. Some of them conflict with my work schedule, and others are scheduled when I am home, but I choose to spend time with my family instead. I've learned to be okay with this, although it has taken time to make that adjustment.

3. What advice would you offer others looking to go back to work?
Two practical pieces of advice-

Have your husband on board. There is no way I could do this without the love of my life. Not only does he encourage me that this arrangement won't last forever, but he helps out so much around the house. He mops floors, irons shirts, finishes laundry, cooks dinner, cleans bathrooms, and so much more Without his willingness and hard work at home, I could not emotionally or mentally continue to work as much as I do.
Get organized at home. Before I went back to work, I took a week to organize my recipe binder. This is a collection of meals that our family loves, and I use it weekly when I meal plan. Meal planning is the one area of home management that I do religiously. I have seen how it keeps our family on budget, keeps a well-stocked fridge and keeps me sane so I don't struggle with "what's for dinner". I still have quite a ways to go in other home management areas such as cleaning and closet organization, but meal planning is set in our home.

Two spiritual pieces of advice-

"This is how God has chosen to provide for our family." This is the sentence I would say out loud to myself on the drive the first few months of returning to work full time. Yes, I talked out loud to myself. I would emphasize different words, starting with "This." I would say, "THIS is how God has chosen to provide for our family." Then, I'd say, "This is HOW God has chosen to provide for our family." You get the point. Saying this over and over to myself reminded me of God's sovereign plan for our lives, kept His divine plan in the forefront of my mind, and helped me remember that it was His provision for us.
"At least we're not going to hell." There were some pretty dark days in the initial return-to-work weeks. With my husband out of work, a daughter newly diagnosed with a speech disorder, and a mom who was adjusting to a whole new lifestyle, there were some pretty dark and sad days in our home. Listening to a sermon sparked the phrase, "At least we're not going to hell", and my husband and I would often say it to each other when the dark days arrived. It reminded us that no matter how bad things were on earth, we are guaranteed that this life will one day end and we will spend eternity with Jesus Christ. One day, there will be no more work, all strivings will cease, and worship will be our forever "job".

I anxiously await the day when I will receive the promotion I long for - the promotion to full-time, stay at home mom. Until that day, I will continue to persevere to provide for our family and balance home management duties.

Anyone out there working full-time? What are your bits of wisdom? What are your biggest struggles?

Baking Soda Air Freshners

2012-09-04T23:02:00.001-05:00

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to make five gifts for five amazing friends. I wanted to do something practical, yet frugal, so I chose this Baking Soda Air Freshener from Smashed Peas and Carrots website.

It's not only super-duper easy, but fun and you can customize it many ways. You'll need baking soda and some sort of scent.

I used massage oil from Bath & Body Works, but you could use anything- I'm sure there's tons of options.

I found my wide-mouth mason jars at Target, but you can find similar ones on Amazon.

It's so simple.... mix baking soda with the essential oil of your choice and add to jar.

Remove the circle lid part of your jar- not the ring- and add a piece of scrapbook paper. Punch holes in it with a tapestry needle. I'm so sorry I forgot to take pics of this before I gave the jars away, but you can see the original post on Smashed Peas and Carrots for that part.

How amazing would it be to make some with a fall or Christmas scent? My wheels are turning.....

Here's to good smelling homes!

My GoodWill Shopping Trip Score!

2012-09-02T15:28:00.000-05:00

I am in LOVE with Goodwill stores. I've always had an affection for all thrift stores, but since moving to Florida three years ago, I've learned to appreciate Goodwill stores here. I don't know about your city, but around here, Goodwill continues to be the best second-hand store around town. I really am impressed with the friendliness of their staff, the cleanliness of their stores, and the quality of their items. Sure, there area always exceptions and "junk" areas of the store, but overall, they appear to be the "top of the line" when it comes to thrift stores. I have three that are within a 15 minute drive of my home, and for that, I am certainly grateful.

Here's a few of my most recent favorite finds-

I've developed a love for vintage bakeware. This small white and blue dish caught my eye, and for only $3.99, I couldn't leave it on the shelf. I'm considering taking a few doors off of my kitchen cabinets and displaying some vintage dishes like this, but haven't made a final decision on that yet.

I was especially excited about this 1970's Corningware dish. This is the exact same pattern that my parents received as a wedding gift, and my mom still has many pieces that they use today. She doesn't have this size dish though, so I grabbed it at $4.99 and will give it to her next time we're together. It doesn't have a lid, but I'm hoping to find one on another Goodwill trip soon.

I have a love for green glass, and have many pieces on display in my kitchen and family room. This pitcher seemed perfect for my kitchen windowsill, and a picked up half a dozen roses at Aldi yesterday. I can't remember the price of this pitcher, but I'm sure it was under $5.

Those who know me well would know that I can't go to Goodwill without spending a large amount of time in the linen section. This trip was no different, and sure was productive as well! I found two pillowcases (each for $0.99) and two fitted sheets (each for $2.99). I love the bright colors in these bed linens.

Where do you love to shop for thrift items? Do you love Goodwill like me or do you have another favorite? What section do you head to first?

Foyer Bench from Twin Headboard

2012-08-03T00:10:00.004-05:00

Remember when my husband built me a pantry? He set the bar pretty high on that project, but this particular project may have even raised the standard.

I saw an idea on Pinterest, and tried to re-create it, and failed miserably.

I came home from the Habitat for Humanity ReStore with these two chairs ($5 each!) with hopes that my sweetie could make them into an amazing bench. He got to work, and I went to JoAnn's to buy foam.

After the initial sticker shock of this high-density foam, I came home to a husband who had tried his best to make two horrible chairs sturdy again. He really did give it his best shot, but in the end, the chairs won the battle and were awarded a spot right beside our trash cans, which are currently at the curb. :(

I was so disappointed, not only that my $10 chairs didn't work, but that I had also spent $40 on a piece of foam that I couldn't return.

Enter husband to the rescue!

He measured the foam and the board (which was actually a board that my father had cut years ago for our dining room table) and a huge light bulb went off! Our seat cushion was the exact width of a twin size headboard.

So, back to the Habitat for Humanity ReStore we went, and although it wasn't $10 (more like $30), we found this beauty!

I loved the sports theme painted on, but it didn't fit with my living room/foyer decor, so sadly, it was gone.

I fell in love with the curvature of the headboard and knew it would look amazing in the space.

The love of my life sanded, primed and painted this headboard and then attached two legs to make an amazing piece of furniture for me.

At this point I left to go to work.

I came home and found this in my foyer.

I was so excited I squealed with joy, which is really a bad idea because I get home around midnight and my kiddos are asleep, and sometimes my husband is too (although this particular night, he waited on me to see the finished product).

I love how it looks!!!!

I love the openness of the tile floor, the colors, the curves on the headboard and the legs, I love it all!

With a closer look, you can see how he used 1x3 boards to make the bench secure and sturdy. It really is solid, folks. He and I both sat on it and there wasn't a wobble or wiggle in the room.

He also used some L-brackets to secure the 1x3 to the bottom of the seat, which makes it even more solid.

I did a quick interview with him prior to this post and asked for any advice he'd share. His only words were, "Find out what your wife wants, and make it work.".

Job well done, Sweetie. I love the new bench. And I love you.

These fun ruffle and tie-front pillows emerged from my sewing room within the next day or so. I really didn't have a tutorial for them; I just found a few images that inspired me and tried to re-create the style.

It was such a fun project that ended completely different than I originally planned, but I love the finished product! It adds seating to my formal living room, which is where we often host Growth Group through our church, so we can always use an extra space. It also gives a pop of color to my bland foyer and adds architectural interest to the small space.

by the way, the fabric is Alexander Henry's Mocca.

How have you dressed up your space this summer?