Holy Craft

Sometimes...random thoughts with Rachel

2012-01-27T05:30:00.000-08:00

Sometimes we pull kids teeth out with floss and the quick slam of a door

Sometimes I make a list and add items after I've done them just to cross them off Sometimes I leave the list out so my husband can find it
Sometimes I sing the wrong words to songs

Sometimes I wish I had pre-schoolers again For 10 years I had toddlers/pre-schoolers. I miss play dates, and zoo trips and bounce houses.

Sometimes I quote movie lines Talladega Nights
Sometimes its nice that my kids don't start school until 9:30 We get to read and play games in the mornings together
Sometimes I get more zits now than I did when I was a teenager
Sometimes I get a craving for chocolate and chips while I watch The Biggest Loser sometimes I eat them while I watch too
Sometimes I sing songs out loud to my kids then realize the words are really inappropriate
Sometimes I dig box tops and soup labels out of the garbage can
Sometimes I take the coupon inserts out of the newspaper at the library
Sometimes I dig through the trash to get those store coupons that people throw away

Sometimes I run out of things to blog about.Sometimes.

more FREE projects! Hand dyed coffee filter wreath tutorial

2012-01-26T05:30:00.000-08:00

In keeping with the word of the week (FREE!)

I wanted to show you how to make your own coffee filter wreath

Mine was free but you might have to pay minimally for the supplies if you don't have them on hand

Don't forget to check out my other free projects that I posted about this week

Boot socks

awesome bloom belt (still have to trademark that!)

and now

Hand Dyed Coffee Filter Wreath

O.k. moving on

My super awesome (not really my cousin) cousin Erica (who is friends in real life with Emily...(you know, THE Emily) at Jones Design Company) picked up these grapevine wreaths for free and passed them on to me.

I have like 8 more, so stay tuned!

also, please disregard the straw wreath on the right, that one was a quarter at a garage sale but was used for a different top secret (not really) project that you will see another time.

Now that we have the introductions down, lets move on.

While we are talking about Emily (oh, we stopped talking about her? hmmm...guess I was still thinking about how I want to be best friends with her and possibly stalk her at Target), she posted a beautiful wreath project way back in September that has had me drooling since.

see totally drool worthy?

I had some coffee filters that I got for (you guessed it) FREE from Grandma and dyed them.
You can read about how to do that here.

I used a stapler and piled 5 coffee filters together and stapled them twice in the center.

Take the first layer and pull it up twisting it in the center.

Keep pulling up layer after layer and twisting them until you have this beautiful flower

Glue your flowers around your wreath and it looks like this.

I hung mine in my den bringing my wreath total to four in a 9x10 room.

I think I might have a problem. Is there such a thing as wreath intervention?

Free, my favorite word.

What's your's?

Another FREE project! Flower belt tutorial and the difference between an estate sale and a garage sale

2012-01-25T05:30:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I showed you my boot socks that I made for free, today, I am keeping with the theme (FREE-my favorite word!) and I am going to show you a belt that I made.

Even though garage sale season is over (you didn't know there was a season? It's like hunting season, or crabbing season, you know, garage sale season. Usually from May-September, no license needed!)my heart started racing when I saw an estate sale sign a few weeks ago.
What's the difference between an estate sale and a garage sale you ask?
An estate sale is usually being held after a person dies. Not always but usually. If it's run by a company (and there are several companies out there)I don't typically enjoy them because the prices are set so high so the company can receive their commission. It's so much more fun when it's run by the family because the grieving family is usually on site to answer any and all questions and you find out about the history of the items you are interested in. Also (the best part), they want to get rid of the stuff so it's super cheap.An estate sale is usually a whole house full of items for sale, and it isn't just limited to a garage.
A garage sale is just that, a sale in the garage (or front yard/driveway) and is mostly held so the family can purge off their belongings and not end up on an episode of hoarders.
O.k., back to my story. So my hearts racing as I saw the signs directing me to the estate sale. I was even more excited when I saw that it was an old house (you know, those houses that are completely built around by new cookie cutter houses but where the owner won't sell their property).Old house=cool old stuff
After perusing through the garage I headed inside and found out that this lady had some cool old clothes. The family told me to fill a bag for $2 so I stuffed that bad boy full! One of the items I picked up was this belt.
My husband thinks it's a garter belt for a fat person, but I'm pretty sure it's not. And while the bag of clothing was $2, I consider this belt free because you should see how much stuff I stuffed in the bag, so to make me feel good about myself, we are calling this belt free.

When I saw it I immediately thought of those belts that the Pleated Poppy makes,

the bloom belt

or that I am Momma-Hear Me Roar put a tutorial out there for.

autumn bloom belt

the awesome free bloom belt
(pretty sure I should trademark this one!)

So with that inspiration, I got started.

I cut out lots of circles (freehand) out of fabric that I got in a free box last summer at a garage sale.
See how much fun free is?!

then I folded the circle in half and put hot glue in the middle (by the fold)

Then I folded it in half again and added another drop of glue

I used one of my circles as a base and started gluing the folded circles around the base

I filled in the center with more folded circles

I made three flowers. Two larger ones, and a smaller flower.

I took some felt scraps that I had in my stash and cut it into a crazy rectangelish shape.

Then I glued the flowers on and cut around the felt so you just saw flower, not felt.

I added a pin

And covered the pin with another piece of scrap felt...you know, to make it pretty and hold it in place

Then I pinned the flowers into place on the belt

Now stand awkwardly in front of your fireplace modeling your awesome free bloom flower belt

That's it!

Don't you just love FREE!

Making your own boot socks from an old sweater

2012-01-24T05:30:00.000-08:00

There isn't much I love more than a good re purpose project.

Fabric and supplies for crafts can get so expensive, so I love to use things that I get cheap at garage sales, or things that I have on hand fo free yo!

Remember this ruffle skirt I made eons ago from some of my hubby's old t-shirts?

Or this scarf. Again, out of old t-shirts from my hubby's goodwill pile.

I made this dress from a pillowcase that my mom sent me that she picked up at a garage sale.

We had LOTS of free time last week during our snowstorm, so I cleaned out my closet.

I found this sweater that I haven't worn in a few years

and this camisole, that I got in my cousins Goodwill pile (she let me scavenge through it before she sent it off..thanks Betsy!).

I put the two together and decided to make some boot socks.

All you need is a sweater. It's a bonus if the sleeve is a little tighter on one end.

I cut the sleeve off just before it attached to the body of the sweater

I was left with these two leg warmers but I knew they could be better

I really liked the lace on this cami so I cut it off.

I pinned it where I wanted it on my socks and hand stitched the lace down

And there you have it!

Boot socks for free!

My belt? Oh, stay tuned for that tutorial later on this week.

You can find the tutorial on making your own skinny jeans here.

Homemade pizza and calzones

2012-01-23T05:30:00.000-08:00

This past week we got hit hard with a snow and ice storm many people lovingly referred to as snowmaggedon or snowpocalypse.

We didn't leave the house for three very long days. My husbands work was even without power, so we had a very impromptu family staycation.

I spent a lot of time cooking and I thought I would share with you one of our families favorite meals. homemade pizza and calzones

It's pretty easy but does take a little prep time in the kitchen so be forewarned.

To make the pizza/calzone dough you need:

1/2 to 3/4 cup warm water (not hot! it kills the yeast. Warm bath water hot)

1 tablespoon dry yeast (or 1 package)

1 teaspoon sugar

2 cups flour

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

In a small bowl combine 1/4 cup water with the yeast and sugar. Stir to dissolve the yeast and let it stand.

While you are letting the yeast activate, mix together your dry ingredients.

Put the flour, oil and salt in your mixer. I use my Kitchen aid with my dough hook blade.

Your yeast should be ready by now. See how foamy and bubbly it got? It usually takes around 3-5 minutes. If it doesn't foam up, do it again, the yeast was either killed with the hot water, or the yeast is old.

Put your yeast mixture in with your dry ingredients and mix

keep mixing and as you mix, add the extra water that you have, but just a little at a time...not too much.

The dough should start to clean itself off of the edges. Once it does this, mix it around about 20 more times, or you can knead it if you don't have a fancy mixer.

After it gets mixed, cover it with a dish towel and let it rise. This should only take about 10 minutes but you can leave it for up to an hour.

When you take the towel off, the dough should have risen to at least twice it's size like this. Bring the kids over to ooh and ahh cuz that's pretty awesome!

While I wait for the dough to rise, I usually chop up vegetables to put in the pizza and/or calzones. Since we were snowed in, this is what we had on hand. You could use any of your favorite toppings.

To make a calzone, I take a small piece of the dough and roll it out on a lightly floured surface.

Then I put pizza sauce in the middle along with any of my toppings.

Then I fold up the edges and pinch the edges together like so.

My younger two kids don't like calzones, so I make them personal pizzas instead.

Same thing, just roll out the dough, then sprinkle on your toppings.

You can also make a calzone like this.

Place the finished product on a baking sheet and sprinkle Italian seasonings on top.

Bake at 425 degrees for 17 minutes

I usually double my dough recipe and with the leftover dough make a pizza I can stick in the freezer for one of our busy nights. It makes for a quick dinner and since I already have the toppings out, I can whip the pizza together pretty quickly.

Add a salad

or make a veggie tray and serve it to your hungry family.

Enjoy!

Good reads

2012-01-20T05:30:00.000-08:00

It's been awhile since I did a post on some good reads, so here they go.
I just saw this article circulating Facebook and really had to share it with you.Glennon Melton: Don't Carpe DiemSuch a great reminder that it's o.k to not experience parental ecstasy every moment of every day.We're on snow day number four after a long weekend. I'm not in ecstasy. Just sayin'.
It's been awhile since I read a book that I had a hard time putting down, but Unbroken is one of those books that you just get thrown into and can't help but want to stay awhile.It's such an amazing story of survival, resilience and redemption...oh wait, I copied that from the title, but really, that sort of sums it up. I'm going to miss Louis. It was fun getting to know him.

On a lighter note, I had some fun laugh out loud moments reading Mindy Kaling's (from The Office) book "Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me"

And in the same thread I also read Ellen Degeneres book "Seriously... I'm Kidding". Not as good as Mindy's book, but worth the read if you pick it up at the library (don't pay full price for it). I love Ellen and all, but it was just o.k.

And speaking of just o.k. books, "In The Garden of Beasts" by Erik Larson sure seems to be getting a lot of hype, but it was sort of a dry read for me. But hey, look at the previous two books I just read. Not a lot of substance there.
It did help me clear up some of my questions about why Americans didn't do more for the Jews during Hitler's power. Having just gone to the Holocaust Museum in Washington DC I had a few new questions on my mind. Interesting, but not a beach read.

As I age well into my 30's I find that one of the things I am enjoying more now is listening to talk radio. I'm pretty sure I have ear hair now and my nose hair needs trimmed.
Anyways, I heard local author Kathleen Flinn on a program talking about her book "Kitchen Counter Cooking School". I immediately went out and picked it up at the library. I bet you thought I was going to say I bought it, nope, I'm too cheap for that! Didn't you see my post on how I like to have fun?
I'm not one of those people who watches Top Chef or Julia Childs (is she still on...or alive?). I don't even have cable with those fancy cooking shows, but I do know people really get into those kinds of things. And by people I mean, people that aren't me. So it surprised me that I actually really liked this book.

So there you have it. A few books to keep you reading. Have you read anything good lately?
By the way, you can usually find current savings on books with this Barnes and Noble promotional code.

Monthly onesies in action!

2012-01-19T05:30:00.001-08:00

Do you all remember my 12 months of onesies that I posted about hereand here?

No, o.k. here's a refresher.

I'm seeing these onesies pop up all over.

I wish I had made some when my kids were babies.

You can find the tutorial for them here.
It's been fun to see the onesies being modeled by their sweet little recipients.
Let me introduce you to my niece Brielle

and our cousin (once removed or something...) Trevi

Aren't they just precious?!

Hanging a Picture OR Helpful Hints from my Handy Husband

2012-01-18T05:30:00.001-08:00

Yesterday I introduced you to my husband Mike. Today he is taking over!

Welcome to the inaugural edition of :

where Mike takes over Holy Craft for the day and all of the tips are guaranteed.**50% of the time, they work every time!

Well, it's finally come to this. After years of lurking on the edges, assisting with projects only to be cropped out of the pictures, and generally getting stuck with the sweatshop labor while my better half gets the glory, Rachel finally offered me the opportunity to write my own post, tell my own story, and let the world find out for themselves just how long of a run-on sentence they are willing to put up with. And I promptly turned her down. "I want no part of it," I said. "Blogging is your thing," I declared. "I'm not even crafty!" I protested.
But it was all to no avail. Just as Leonard and Sheldon are wont to do on occasion, I had forgotten the fine print of our roommate agreement. Said agreement states, unequivocally, that in order to uphold my end of our Mutually Satisfying Relationship™, I am required to assist her in any way she deems necessary. To paraphrase Tennyson's immortal words, mine is not to make reply, mine is not to reason why, mine is but to do and die. Which means, in this case, that I am to blog. So here I sit, pecking out my thoughts, exposing my heart, baring my soul and leaving it at the mercy of the internets. Half a league, half a league, half a league onward...

Today's topic:How To Properly Hang A Large Picture
First things first. Accept the fact that hanging a picture of this size requires more than just banging a nail into the wall and calling it good. To do it right, there are going to be several steps. To get yourself in the proper sequential activity sort of mood, you may want to grab your iPod and crank up some tunes. If you're a child of the 80's like me, perhaps "Step By Step" by New Kids on the Block?
Next, have someone super strong and dreamy (see below) hold the picture against the wall, while you stand back and direct him to the proper location. Try not to take too long though, because those things can be heavy. Even Atlas got Heracles to carry the weight of the heavens for a while...

Now that you know approximately where you want it, grab your stud finder and figure out exactly what is going on in the walls behind where you want to hang the picture. Don't have a stud finder, you say? Stop right now and go get one. We'll wait. They're relatively inexpensive, and essential for a lot of jobs, not just picture hanging. You can probably find one for about 10 bucks.

Once you get your stud finder home, practice with it by pressing the button and sliding it along the wall. Depending on your model, as it approaches the location of a stud, the lights will change and it will start beeping. Now is a good time to practice making the beeping sound yourself. Once you've got it down, use the "stud" finder and your new found beeping skills to "locate" your husband. Cheesy? Of course. But he'll appreciate it. Remember ladies, a happy husband is a helpful husband!

Back to the task at hand. With the stud finder, figure out exactly where the studs are in the wall behind where you want to hang the picture. You will also need to know the location of the hardware on the back of the frame that you hang the picture by. Is it one hanger in the center? Two across the top? If you're lucky, there will be a stud (or studs) exactly where you need them, or at least close enough that you can move the picture over a few inches and it will still be pretty much where you want it.

Here's a picture of me using the stud finder. With the paparazzi (Rachel) snapping pictures of my every move, I did find it a bit hard to concentrate on the task at hand. When I should have been thinking about where the studs were relative to the picture hangars, I was really thinking "I wonder if anyone will notice my bald spot?"(Hint: This isn't one of those Magic Eye illusions that had everyone staring at blurry pictures in mall storefronts during the early 90's. It shouldn't be too hard to find, since pretty much my entire head is a bald spot. I'm just in denial.)

The stud finder told me that there weren't studs close to where I needed them, so the job actually became a bit easier in a sense, because I could hang it exactly where Rachel wanted it and wasn't limited by stud location. However, if the stud is right where you need it (much easier if the frame has only one hanger) then just grab a screw, drive it in at the proper height, and hang the picture.
Here's a shot of me measuring to get the picture just right on the wall. Centering the picture on this particular wall would make it look awkward over the cabinet below, and centering it above the cabinet would look bad on the wall, so I chose to split the difference, which worked out pretty well.
Notice the reflection of the dining room chandelier in the picture below. The glowing halo effect makes my beautiful wife look even more angelic than usual.

That's right folks, forget what you heard about artists and musicians, us engineers know how to sweet talk the ladies...
Quick side note, if I may: Although we may be able to talk to the ladies, our listening skills could still use a little help from time to time. Case in point: The other day while driving home from work, I got a call from Rachel. She proceeded to describe the dinner situation as tenuous at best, owing to the fact that all the plates were currently being washed in the dishwasher, and allowed as how we should probably just go out to dinner. Problem solver that I am, I reminded her that we have a set of perfectly good plastic plates sitting on the top shelf, and we could just use those.
See how helpful I am? Problem solved. Except that for some reason she continued to discuss various tableware issues, with me finding a solution to every one, until she finally got so exasperated that she hung up. It was about that time that I said (aloud and to no one in particular) "I don't think that was about plates." When I got home a few minutes later, we had a lovely discussion about how she was exhausted from having company at our house for the past week, and really didn't feel like making dinner, and just wanted to go out to eat. While I still maintain that I expertly solved every problem she presented me with, perhaps by reading between the lines a bit I might have been able to help with what she really wanted. But I digress...
Now that you know where you want the picture to go, and have verified that there aren't studs where you need them, go ahead and lightly mark the wall where the top and left edge of the picture will go. Then measure the back of the frame in order to find out where the hanging hardware is in relation to the corner of the frame. In this case it was about 1" down and 3" in. Go back to the wall, find your previous lines, and using those as a guide, mark the location of your first hanger. (If your frame is small enough that it only requires one hanger in the center, then you can ignore the next few steps. Just mark the proper location for the single hanger, and resolve to come back next time with a man-sized frame.)
Yes, this is actually a picture of a pencil mark on the wall. Bring on the Pulitzer!
Now comes a very important step. After measuring the frame to find the distance between the hangers, use a level to help get the other center mark in the proper location. "Don't have a level," you say? Why didn't you pick one up while you were out getting the stud finder? Think you can outsmart the system by just measuring up from the floor or down from the ceiling? Think again. There is a good chance that those aren't particularly level, and it will screw everything up. "Wait a minute, the floors and ceiling aren't perfectly level," you say? Probably not. Why not? Because they don't need to be. As long as they aren't terrible, no one will notice. A crooked picture hanging at eye level will get noticed, however, so quit asking questions, get out your level, and finish this step.
My level is 2 feet long, (a perfectly normal size!) but the holes needed to be 32 inches apart, so I used a yardstick to bridge the gap, and held the level against the yardstick. I then measured over 32", and made the second mark at the proper point.

The next step is to install the drywall anchors. I included a picture of my favorite kind, although there are many similar styles and brands out there that will work just as well. DO NOT, under ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, use those terrible drywall anchors that you drill a hole first and then pound them in. They are TERRIBLE! They don't have as much holding power, and generally make a mess of the wall.

These are very bad!

Don't look at me! I'm hideous!

With this type, you first place the center point right on your mark...

... and pound it in up to the threads. Making a face like an old man with no teeth is optional.

Then grab a screwdriver and screw it in until the head is flush with the wall.

You know how your mother always told you to wear clean underwear, in case you were in an accident and had to go to the hospital? My grandfather always told me to keep my nose clean. I never understood why, until now...

After installing both drywall anchors, it is time to put in the screws. My favorite are Grip-Rite Gold Drywall Screws, but there are plenty of kinds that work just as well. I have about half a dozen boxes of assorted lengths, and I use them all the time for all sorts of projects. Pretty much any time I need to attach something to the wall, I use these.

As you drive in the screw, the back of the drywall anchor will split with an audible "snap", locking the anchor in place. Install both screws, leaving the head sticking out enough for the frame hanger to rest on, probably a little more than 1/8 inch.

All that's left is to grab the picture and hang it up. If you did it right, it will be just where you wanted it, look nice and level, and not turn into one of those things that go bump in the night. (Especially helpful if you hung it over your bed!)

There you have it. You're all now experts. Feel the awesome power as you survey your house, stud finder clenched in one fist and level in the other. Go forth, attacking blank areas with reckless abandon, and transform your bleak beige walls into vast mosaics of well hung photographs.
Glitter and unicorns,

(Well, really Mike)

linking up to some of these great parties

Enlarging a picture to frame and introducing my handy husband

2012-01-17T05:30:00.000-08:00

We recently had family photos taken by local photographer Kris Allen.

We had a hard time deciding which pictures to choose, so we bought the whole disc!

Thankfully we have lots of wall space!

The entry is one area of my home that I hope to spend some time decorating this year.

I've been keeping my eyes peeled for a new entry table/hutch/console. I found a great dresser at a garage sale this summer that would work, but the gal told me (no joke) that I could have it when her father died.

So I gave her my number. Fingers crossed.

No, not really.

Anyway, the one I found that I like is nearly $3000! Out of the budget. In the meantime, I will keep looking and instead work with what I have.

During the mega Christmas sales, I picked up this huge frame (27 x 30) at Michael's for about 70% off. I knew I wanted to enlarge a picture (Costco does great enlargements) and put it in the entry. It had to be a horizontal picture to fill the space so that narrowed it down a bit.

I settled on this picture. Only in color.

My husband really wanted it matted, so I set out to find a mat to fit that mega frame. No luck. But I did find a mat that he could cut. It cost me about $6. It's not professional, but it works.

The next step was hanging it. The picture weighs a ton. Well, more like 20 pounds. Definitely heavy enough that you should know what you are doing when you put it on the wall.

Normally I would just tell you that my husband hung it up, but lately I've had requests from readers to have him write some guest posts describing some of the projects he has done, and he agreed to give it a shot.

Which brings me to the exciting announcement of my newest monthly blog feature, Helpful Hints From My Handy Husband!

I realize that I haven't formally introduced you all to my handy husband, so let me take a second to do that.

This is my husband Mike. The two of us have been together for nearly 15 years. We met at Purdue University back in the late 90's. Purdue has a great engineering program, and that (and the possibility of meeting a lovely farm girl) drew Mike from the Seattle, Washington area to beautiful West Lafayette, IN. We met at a fraternity party my freshman year, and as they say, the rest is history.

Mike is a great dad to our three kids. While I am usually looked at as the "fun parent", lets just say he isn't the one that you would ask if you wanted a cookie before bedtime.

Mike is deathly afraid to shop for underwear (then the sales people would know that he wears it), and is known to be very particular in his every day life. And you all know what "very particular" is code for am I right ladies?

It's not uncommon for him to refold his clothes after I do laundry or re arrange the dishwasher after I load it.

Mike is a freak when it comes to math. You can give him a math problem and he takes like two point six seconds to figure out some crazy percentage or value. I remember grocery shopping with him once and the lady at the register rang something up wrong. While she got out her calculator to do the math, Mike started running numbers in his head. He can even impress the grocery clerk and if that ain't the sexiest thing you ever heard, I don't know what is!

While I am not bent in the direction of being detail oriented or being a perfectionist, he most definitely is. While I am a dreamer and a visionary, he's the most rational logical reasonable person I know. I guess that's what makes us a good team.

While Mike isn't a follower of my blog (he told me he won't join until I get 1000 followers), he does read along and his favorite posts are always the ones where I feature something that he has done and he gets to read all of the lovely comments that you guys post about how awesome he is. Which is probably why I think he decided to say yes to taking on a monthly blog post on Holy Craft. I don't think he's going to disappoint!

Tune in tomorrow for the the inaugural edition ofHelpful Hints from my Husband, and be sure to let me know what you think.

36 hours in Washington DC

2012-01-16T05:30:00.000-08:00

In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, I wanted to share with you some pictures from a recent trip to Washington DC.
Last weekend my oldest son Aidan and I got an amazing opportunity to tag along with a friend and her son to Washington DC. It was going to be a quick trip, and it proved to be an amazing adventure.
I've been to DC before as a kid but now that I live in the other Washington, the city isn't super accessible.My last visit was also before 9/11 and I must say, so much has changed. You can't just walk in the front door of the Capitol building anymore.
It is an amazing city chock full of history and as my son said, it took what he had been studying for so many years in school and brought it to life for him. A ringing endorsement from a 13 year old if I ever heard one.
My big guy was also the official photographer, and after we deleted a jillion blurry photos, it was fun to see DC from his perspective.
First up, a little "holla" to my home state! Holla!

DC is full of amazing stories, fun facts, and beautiful architecture. Take the Willard hotel for example. It's where Martin Luther King Jr. wrote his "I have a Dream" speech.

Being from the midwest, we always drove into the city. Flying into Reagan National airport at night was an amazing experience. Seeing the Washington Monument reflected in the reflecting pool from the sky was a sight to behold!
Since we didn't have much time, we hit the streets to see some sites at 10:30 at night. Some of the most iconic buildings in DC deserve to be seen at night. They are amazing!
The Lincoln Memorial is one of those buildings that is worth saving for after sunset.

The spot where Martin Luther King delivered his speech is on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

Why hello Lincoln.

We visited several Smithsonian buildings, but the Castle was by far the most beautiful. Isn't the rotunda gorgeous?!

We also made plans to tour the Capitol while we were in the city.

Um, yep, that's a Starbucks cup in my hand, sue me. Guess I'm becoming more of a Seattle girl than I thought. I can see why people on the East coast aren't total Starbucks fans. It's a totally different experience to enter a Starbucks in the Seattle area vs a Starbucks in DC. The service is what makes the experience, but I digress.

The weather was amazing! It was in the high 60's. Seriously, for early January you can't ask for anything better.

Fun fact: I have a great great great (the list of greats goes on, I just don't remember how many) Grandfather who has a statue in the Capitol building. His name is Lewis Cass from Michigan (Cass county anyone?), anyway, we refer to him as my fat Grandpa.
You can see by the heavy equipment located behind my fat Grandpa that he holds a place of honor in the Capitol building. He's pretty much in the corner, but whatevs. My fat Grandpa's in the Capitol, where's yours?
Also, fat Grandpa's statue was carved by the same guy that did the Lincoln Memorial. But I'm not sure that guy liked him. I mean seriously, he's like literally popping buttons on his coat. His zipper may well just be down too.

Anywho, we also made a stop at the National Archives. I've been told the line for this building is usually snaked around the block and several hours long. Got to love the off season because we walked right in to everything. Seriously, January is the time to go.

Take that Washington Monument

If you ever dreamed of going up in the Washington Monument, you better come up with a better dream. Check out that crack and the gaping holes from the earthquake damage last year. It's not much different than going up in the St. Louis arch, do that instead...dream big!

We went into the Library of Congress building and were amazed at it's beauty. Probably the most gorgeous building in the whole city.

No visit to DC would be complete without a trip on the Subway. Even though we only made it two stops (with great assistance), it was a fun ride.

This is literally the last picture we eeked out of the camera (we ran out of battery power) on our last few hours of our stay. The big guy is still smiling.And don't tell, but I think he learned something too.

Phew! It was a whirlwind trip and we are thankful for all the things that we were able to see, experience and learn.

Here's a rundown in case you wanted to know what we could see in 36 hours. We call it:

Bustin' Out DC in 36 hrs

Saw city flying in (amazing!)
Taxi from airport (a first for Aidan)
China Town (Starbucks in China town was super cool!)
White House
Washington Monument
Ellipse
WWII monument
Vietnam Vetrans Memorial
Lincoln Memorial
Castle Smithsonian Tour
National Archives ( Constitution, Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights )
Sculpture Gallery
Holocaust Museum
Lunch at Subway
Capital Tour, scoped out Gramdpa Lewis Cass and saw old supreme court
Underground tunnel
Library of Congress
Saw Supreme Court Building
Italian Ice on the Mall
Air and Space
Metro (subway)
Chinese Starbucks (so cool it made the list twice!)
Ford Theatre
Peterson House (where Lincoln died)
IRS...Oops (I sort of broke into the building)
Museum of Natural History
Museum of American History
Post Office Tower
Official Bells of Congress

My craft closet update

2012-01-13T05:30:00.000-08:00

Do you guys remember the post that I made back in October showing you how my husband made some shelves for my craft closet?

Remember this was the before?

Pretty disorganized right?

As of last week, this is what it looked like. Still not how I wanted it, but getting closer.

I used several ball jars to hold some of my various notions.

On my Christmas list, were comic book backing boards.

Not because I read comics and needed somewhere to store my latest Spiderman adventure, but because I heard around blogland, that you could use them as mini fabric bolts.

Guess what? They work!

Check out my fabric storage now.

Some of the bulkier fabrics (felt, fleece) are hard to store on the bolt, but the smaller fabrics work just great on there.

It makes it so easy to see what fabrics I have now. And I must say, after using all 100 boards (and needing more!), I feel like I may have a little bit of a fabric addiction.

Did you notice the two new can lights? Those are new.

My handy hubby installed those to give me a little bit of extra light over my work area.

He installed a light switch right next to my sewing area and he also put two new outlets into the wall.

Before, the only outlet was at the front of my closet and I had to string an extension cord to plug in my machine. Also, because the table is so deep he had to splice the cords on both my sewing machine and serger and make them longer. Both outlets work great!

It's really starting to come together. I've come a long way from sewing on my kitchen table!

Bingo number ring

2012-01-12T05:30:00.000-08:00

My daughter and I did some antique shopping recently and found this super cute bingo number for $1.

I knew immediately what I wanted to do with it.

I'm sure by now you have heard of Pick Your Plum.

Pick your plum is a site that is similar to Groupon but for crafty stuff.

My only complaint is that the deals get released early in the morning and all the East coast people get to the best deals before the West coasters are awake.

Anyway, I bought these ring bases for super cheap.

It actually took me longer to gather the supplies than it did to make the ring.

This is what you will need:

Ring base

super heavy duty glue

bingo number (or whatever you are gluing on)

That's it!

I had a few different ring bases to choose from, but I picked this one because the circle fit perfectly in the indent on the bingo number. I put some glue on the ring then pushed the two together and held firmly for a bit (that's the technical term for do it however long you want to).

And that's it. Easy peasy.

Did you call B4?

My husbands DIY closet built in's or Better than California Closets and so much cheaper!

2012-01-11T05:30:00.000-08:00

I sort of casually mentioned that my husband was making built in's for his closet back in October.

It's been a long time coming, but he finally finished them during some of his time off around Christmas.

As a reminder, this is what his closet looked like before.

He had a dresser in it to hold his undies and t-shirts, and some really cheap shelves.

And as you can see, lots of wasted space.

He got the base built in along the back wall and has been working on making drawers

This is the finished project.

He toyed with the idea of putting drawers in the bottom two shelves but for now likes having quick access to his workout clothes and jeans.

He also put in some custom features that work just for him. He installed a new electrical outlet along the back wall so that he can charge up his phone or ipod. He's also got a recessed shelf so I have easy access to his money jar and a place to put his keys when he gets home.

And he has a drawer in the middle for all of the random cords.

He also likes having easy access to his guitar. He used to just store it in his case, but that took too long to get out, so he built a hanger to hold his guitar as well as a divider to hold his case upright.

The drawers hold everything he needs (yep, he's always this organized...super fun times being married to an engineer!) and they easily slide in and out.

Now maybe he can get started in my closet!

One of my favorite things-corn filled heat sacks

2012-01-10T05:30:00.000-08:00

I am always cold.

Always.

My friend Stephanie started selling something she calls Hot Sacks.

As Stephanie puts it, Hot Sacks are therapeutic corn bags meant to bring you an overall feeling of wellness. Hot sacks can be used hot or cold and come in various sizes.

We bought several hot sacks from Stephanie last year at a local craft fair that she was at. We were hooked.

The kids love to heat their hot sacks up just before bedtime and push it to the bottom of their bed. It helps their toes stay nice and toasty.

I know some people have these filled with rice, but we like the corn filled bags better because they stay warmer longer.

During the winter I almost always have my hot sack in my lap if I am working at the computer, reading or watching TV. I heat it up for 3 minutes in the microwave and it stays warm for almost an hour. Then I heat it up again.

I have made a few hot sacks myself because there is that kind of demand at our house. I even made one for a friend who said her newborn didn't like to be put down in her crib after falling asleep on her. The hot sack helps warm the babies sheets and makes it nice and cozy for the transfer to the crib.
You can buy these quality hot sacks here. Because of my friendship with Stephanie I won't post my own tutorial. I already feel bad enough that I didn't buy every.single.one of ours from her.
source
With the power of the internet, you can google "corn filled heat sack tutorial" and find a tutorial that may inspire you, (check out No Big Dill). Now you can make your own and stay warm and cozy as the temperature starts to fall.

Making your own soup stock

2012-01-09T05:30:00.000-08:00

I love my crock pot. I use it at least once a week.
Lately I have been using it to make soup stock.It's super easy. Here's how.

Take the bones from whatever carcass your family cleaned off the night before.

It could be the turkey your family ate or the carry out whole chicken you picked up.

You can even save those bones in your freezer for another night.

While my parents were out last week I made a turkey, so I had bones leftover.

I put them in the crock pot. Covered it as far up as it could go with water and added celery, carrots and onions. Your only using those vegetables for their flavor so you can use the pieces you don't want. I like to cut the tops off of the celery and add that part because I usually don't use it when I cook. I've also heard that you could start saving your vegetable castoffs in a bag that you keep in the freezer and use them in your stock when you make it.

I cook the stock all day in the crockpot and by dinner time, it is ready.

To make things go more smoothly for dinner, I cut my vegetables up ahead of time. I always have celery, carrots and onions on hand so soup is an easy meal for our family.

I forgot to take a picture of the turkey noodle soup I made that night, but here's a photo from last year.

Super easy, super healthy and super cheap! Three of my favorite things.

Having fun isn't hard if you've got a library card!

2012-01-06T05:30:00.000-08:00

My kids used to love Arthur. And I must confess, I kind of liked him too. One song that they had on in the show that often times gets stuck in my head is this one.

Yep, having fun isn't hard, when you've got a library card.

I love our library.

I sort of have a little book ADD. I hate to read the same book more than once. Which, as you know, is a bit hard when the kiddos are little. I used to take the kids at least once a week to the library to get new books. Mostly for my sanity.

This weekend my oldest son and I were invited along on a quick field trip to Washington DC. And by quick I mean, almost more time will be spent on the plane than on the ground. After a facebook poll of my friends I had a list of books to put on my library account. Several of the titles had waiting lists that were going to take months!

I asked my son what books he wanted to read and had a list from him. The top left one was the only one he requested, the other three were ones I think he would like.

While I was there, I found a few books that were on my list. Notice the Lucky Day stickers.

There is a special section at each of our neighborhood libraries called Lucky Day. These are books that are popular and have many requests and holds on them. These particular books with stickers are not allowed to be held and are placed in a special section where if you find one that you have been wanting to read ("Unbroken" has been on my list for a few weeks) it's your Lucky Day!

Go have fun at your library today...it's not hard!

Random

2012-01-05T05:30:00.000-08:00

With my little blogging break, I didn't do much crafting. With that in mind, I thought that I would share a few random thoughts with you instead.

I've always said that I don't trust men in scarves

or a man in skinny jeans
Not sure why.
I rarely know the correct words to a song.
Foster the People has a song called "Pumped Up Kicks" that I swore had a line in the chorus that said "all the other kids with the bum tuft hair better run better run faster than my mama" It doesn't. But I can't stop singing it like it does.

What's a bum tuft you may ask?

It's the fancy fur on the backside of our golden retriever. Let me use it in a sentence.

Sophie has bum tufts.

Pardon the fact that this picture involves the mauling of our 6 year old son. It's how the two of them play.

I have a little obsession with these Lindt truffles. So good. Oops, I just ate two of them as I typed this.

Emily at Jones Design Company recommended this Q and A book

I think she's like the next Oprah because the book went out of stock for a few months and the price went up to $99.

I love it though.

I got a color printer for Christmas from my sister and brother in law.

They used it first to print their Christmas letter. It didn't bother me a bit. They kept the USB cord though so I haven't been able to use it yet. I have projects lining up so hopefully we (and when I say that I mean, my husband) will get it working soon.

I had two Christmas cards returned to me. Unable to be delivered they said.

Both were to my cousins in Arizona (brothers). Both had correct addresses on them. I think the post office is getting lazy.

I love getting Christmas cards and am sort of in a slump now that they aren't arriving in the mail anymore.

My favorite was from my friend Kacy in Indiana. She had the best handwritten note that had both my husband and I laughing so hard. The handwritten notes are the best. Oh, and so is Kacy. Hopefully you will see some of her on the blog this year.

I Tivo The Martha Stewart show every day, but have a hard time watching it. Her show is like a train wreck. She stumbles on the teleprompter and when she isn't reading the prompter, she is being rude to her guests and her staff.

Just today I watched a show from before Christmas and she had an audience member helping her with a craft. When the audience member told her how nice the vase that they were making would look on her table, Martha very seriously told her that the guest wouldn't be able to keep the item they were making, and that she needed it for her own holiday table. She then said she was kidding, but not before she made the guest feel like a total idiot on the show...and really, I'm not sure she was kidding.

I wear long johns under my clothes nearly every day. I grew up in the Midwest and have felt temperatures in the negatives, but somehow 40 degrees in the Pacific Northwest feels WAY colder than a -30 degree wind chill.

My Grandma Gladys passed away when I was in High School but one of the funniest things I remember her saying was that some people used to call her happy bottom. It took me awhile to get it too. I'll give you a second.

I can't wink.
I've tried.
I really think it would come in handy.
But when I try I just look like I'm having face spasms.

That's why this girl is super impressive to me.

I'm going to go practice my eyebrow rolls in the mirror now.

What's random with you today?

What I did on my Christmas Vacation

2012-01-04T05:30:00.000-08:00

I didn't mean to, but I took some time off of blogging during my kids Christmas vacation. I enjoyed being away for a bit and wanted to share with you some of the things we did.
On Christmas eve we headed up into the mountains with some friends to spend some time having a snow day. The best part was tailgating after a long morning of sledding.

We celebrated Christmas eve evening with a wonderful church service followed by a drive around one of the local neighborhoods that is filled with lights. Everyone else had the same idea too...it was more crowded than I had ever seen it!

That evening we were visited by Santa

While Sophie the pup slept soundly nearby.

The kids did such a great job this year of staying focused on the true meaning of Christmas. Our youngest son (age 6) started selling some of his drawings and pictures for a quarter a piece to earn money to buy presents for his brother and sister. This is his thank you hug from his sister after receiving her hand picked very thoughtful gift from her brother (not quite sure what's going on with his PJ choice!).

My parents and younger brother braved the cold, left their high 70 degree days in Arizona and headed North to spend a week with us. They arrived on Christmas evening and to quote my sweet Owen "Nana and Papaw coming is like another Christmas present!"

Isabella received money from Nana and Papaw knowing we would be heading the very next day for our first ever visit to American Girl in Seattle.

Isabella brought along one of her five American Girl dolls to spend the day with us (don't worry, not a single one of the dolls was bought at retail price...I'm lucky enough to find them at garage sales!). She purchased a new outfit for her doll with her money. Holy cow those things are pricey!

We had reservations at the American Girl cafe for lunch and got to spend some time just us girls.

We even ordered dessert, something we rarely do!

Bella's doll Ali had a little taste too!

My brother Ben, was reminded by Owen, how very awesome Legos are. They spent a fair amount of time putting together some of Owen's Christmas presents.

We played lots of board games.

The dream team (made up of my brother and husband) was a scrabble team to be reckoned with!

We attempted a trip to the Space Needle, but fog held us off. Instead we played a family game of laser tag.

We also hit the indoor putt putt golf place

and went bowling

The kids and Nana spent some time relaxing and reading.

It was a great break, but we look forward to getting back into a routine for 2012. What did you do during break?

Top projects from 2011

2011-12-30T05:30:00.000-08:00

I have been taking a little blogging break this week to enjoy the time off with my family. My parents and younger brother have been visiting us this past week from Arizona so I have taken some time off of blogging to be with them.
But, I don't want to let the year go by without highlighting some of my favorite projects from 2011. It's been a busy year for our family with a new home, a new puppy and a new community. Holy Craft has grown by leaps and bounds this year and I look forward to what 2012 has in store. If you missed some of my past projects, here they are in a nice tidy month by month package.
January
The year started off with lots of unpacking and settling in. I did manage to get my new silhouette machine humming and made these house numbers for my front door.

I also made this hand stamped initial necklace

February
The month was a bit slow for me as I tried to make our house feel like a home and get into the routine of a having a new puppy.
I shared with you my skills on a lathe though and featured this ring that I made my husband out of a hunk of stainless steel.
March
I started March with a four part series I called "or current resident". I was getting magazine, after magazine, after magazine for the old resident and took advantage of the inspiration that I found from them. This shirt is one of the things that I made.

April
We celebrated my daughter's 9th birthday with a spa party with posts here, here, and here

May
May brought you this book page EAT sign out of vintage utensils

and a tutorial on how to make a fruit platter.

June

June brought you potato sack pillows

and DIY mercury glass

July

In July, I completed a master bedroom makeover. I spray painted all of our existing bedroom furniture and gave our bedroom a face lift. Check out the before.

My husband also made me a new mirror for our bedroom.

August

I took a little bit of a blog break to complete my second and third half marathons (then quit running and told you about it here) and to enjoy the last month of our kids summer at home.

I did manage to complete the "or current resident" series and shared this ruffle shirt with you.

September

In September I shared with you the "She's about to Pop" baby shower that I co-hosted. The shower provided several posts through September. You can read more about the sweets and treats here, and the popcorn containers here.

October

While September started baby season, October only continued it. I made two different versions of the 12 month onesies. You can find them here and here. I must say, it's been fun to see the babies wearing these onesies as they grow each month.

I also repurposed cashmere sweaters into soft and cuddly baby blankets.

And I tackled my sons room and made him this gear wall art.

November

I made several versions of subway art

and a few versions of book page wreaths.

This

and this

December

I shared with you how I made my ornament garland

and also a few of the baby gifts that I made

Did you have any favorites that I missed?

I had such a wonderful time sharing these projects with you throughout 2011 and can't wait to share many more in 2012.

Happy new year!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T05:30:00.000-08:00

Isaiah 9:6 (NIV)For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

As we celebrate the birth of our Savior, I wanted to share with you this reminder from a devotional that I recently read.

When we see a wreath, let's remember that God's love is never ending.

When we see the lights, let's remember that Jesus is the light of the world.

When we see candles, let's remember that our lights, however small, shine brightly enough to spread to those around us.

When we see presents, let's remember that God gave us the greatest gift of all in His Son, Jesus Christ.

When we see a Christmas tree, let's remember a tree on top of a hill called Calvary.

When we see snow, let's remember the One who cleanses our sins in a way that makes them pure white.

When we sing carols, let's remember the importance of making a joyful noise unto the Lord.

When we sit down to Christmas dinner, let's remember that Jesus is the bread of life.

When we see all those around us in need, whether physically, financially, emotionally, or spiritually, let's remember that Christmas really shouldn't be limited to one season of the year.

God's gift was for all seasons. And, every time we share that gift, it's Christmas!

Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! (2 Corinthians 9:15)

Merry Christmas to you!

Christmas Family Festival

2011-12-23T05:30:00.000-08:00

For the past 20 years, our church has put on a Living Nativity production for the community. It was an amazing Christmas production complete with Roman soldiers on horses, angels appearing in fog, young Mary on a donkey and older Mary explaining her response, villagers selling traditional wares, and often times a live newborn in a manger. There were lots of live animals and an even larger cast and crew for the four or five productions each evening over that many days.

This year, things were a little different with more of a focus on family. There was a Bavarian market feel to the sanctuary with lots of various foods and treats to buy (the money goes to missions) and snack on.

These are the toppings for the waffles

Several church members brought their delicious snacks and treats to sell as well.

There was a petting zoo with several animals

And a story time with the shepherds

There were crafts and lots of fun things for the kids.

We had fun with sharpies!

I was asked to help plan and organize the crafts for the kids. Since this was the first year of the festival, we weren't sure what to expect. I wanted to plan simple crafts that could be enjoyed by kids young and old. I was amazed at the amount of pre-teen boys who were excited to make crafts!

I went to pinterest to find some ideas.

The wool acorn provided inspiration for the pine cone trees

Martha Stewart provided the inspiration for the candy cane mice. We attached the candy cane story as well.

Remade simple provided the inspiration for the baby food jar tea lights.

We made several variations of the jar tea lights adding Christmas fabric, holiday paper or tissue paper to the jars before embellishing them with stickers, letters, hand drawn decorations, ribbon and/or glitter.

It was a great craft for all ages.

Families were also able to take a hay ride with Roman soldiers leading the way.

The festival was a lot of fun for the families that attended.

What type of activities does your family do to celebrate Christmas?

Touch up paint

2011-12-22T05:30:00.000-08:00

We bought our home almost exactly a year ago.

It was a short sale and while it was only three years old when we bought it, the previous owners lived in the house hard.

The young couple took in roommates to rent rooms and pay their mortgage and because of that there was a lot of moving in and out.

They had several puppies that did their teething on the molding. More on that another time.

They even took the extra paint from the builder with them when they moved out.

Thankfully, this color is on the walls at several of the neighbors houses, so we were able to borrow some paint to touch up.

I've been meaning to touch up the paint for MONTHS now, and after giving the kids some blue tape and having them mark the marks on the wall, I finally got my rear in gear!

I mean really, would you want to live in a house that was literally covered in blue tape?!

Several times I thought they were big spiders crawling up the wall. Eeks!

The stairs and the corners took some beatings in the house. Lots of touch ups were needed there.

This was my leg after I finished the job. Lots of tape, but I finally crossed that task off my list.

Next up is painting the entertainment unit. We had to remove the doors to make room for a new TV.
I hate painting, but love the end result. Anyone else with me?

The gift of yearly ornaments

2011-12-21T05:30:00.000-08:00

When my husband and I got married, I remember stressing out a bit about our first Christmas together.

I invited my mom and my best friend up to our new home to help me make some ornaments because I didn't think we would have anything to decorate the tree with.

When we started having kids, I continued a tradition that my husbands Grandmother started and we began giving the kids at least one new ornament every year.

I usually buy the ornament on sale the previous year keeping in mind milestones or interests of the kids. For example, just before the youngest started school, I bought him a school house ornament. When my oldest learned how to ski, I bought him a skiing ornament.

I wrap the ornaments in wrapping paper and place them with our Christmas decorations. Then when we set up our tree and get our decorations out for the year, the ornaments are in the box.

We get the tree set up, and then the kids get to unwrap their ornament for the year. It becomes the first present of the season.

We write their initials and the year on the ornament and after the year is over each child has their own box to put their ornaments in.

The kids are starting to have quite the collection of ornaments to take with them when they are adults.

I asked the kids this morning which ornament was their favorite.

The youngest (age 6) picked his baby shoes from his first Christmas.

My middle (age 9) picked this ballerina princess from when she was three and fully into anything princess!

And my oldest (13) who is never full and always ready to load up on junk food, picked this smores ornament from a few years ago.

My dear friend Tiffany, passed along a few of these ornament charms that I think are genius! They came from Oriental Trading and are such a classic way to label the ornaments (better than our sharpie that we use now!). Where have they been for the past 13 years?!

Don't they look great on my daughter's newest ornament?

I totally need to order some!

Does your family celebrate with a yearly ornament?

Handmade baby and kids crafts

2011-12-20T05:30:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Christmas a bit early with my husband's side of the family since one of his cousins was in town from Okinawa. We were so thankful to be able to get together with everyone this year.

At Thanksgiving the little cousins exchanged names for a cousin gift exchange. Our kids drew two babies and a two year old. I made a few gifts for them as part of the exchange.

For the youngest babe in the bunch, I created this "T is for Trevi" print. Graphic Design is not my forte, so it took me more hours than I would like to admit, but at least now I feel more confident in Picnik thanks to the great tutorial from Cheri at I Am Momma.

The next two cousins we drew were sisters. Both heading back to Japan on several LONG flights, I thought I would make them a few things that could quietly entertain them on the airplane.

For the three month old, I made this soft tag plushie. I used this lion for inspiration.

And for the two year old, I made an I spy bag. There are lots of tutorials out there. I used this one.

Did you make any fun gifts for kids this holiday season?

sheet music ornament

2011-12-19T05:30:00.000-08:00

When I was unloading Christmas decorations I found a half a dozen clear ornaments.

I immediately thought that I should put sheet music inside of them. I had just bought vintage books of sheet music at an estate sale for a quarter, so I cut it into strips and rolled the strips up on a pencil. Then I just stuffed them inside.

I love the very simple finished ornament don't you?