It's Toile Good

It's BAAACK! Whatcha Workin' With Wednesday!

2011-11-30T14:32:00.001-06:00

Hi guys! Missed yall! Hope you're having a super day! Couple exciting announcements to share...
First -
I wanted to share that I am returning to work - well, raising our kids is definitely work, but I mean I'm going back to the world of professional working! I'm excited and a nervous basket case at the same time. My youngest has never been without me and the thought of dropping him off with a daycare makes me throw up in my mouth a little. I know he'll be fine and it will get easier as the days go by, but it's part of the Mommy Code to worry and I'm doing a heck of job at that. Wish me luck - I'll need it. I hope to still maintain my (pathetically lazy) blogging schedule because I love it so and I'll need my crafty homegirls all that much more in the gray cubicle world!

Second -
Whatcha Workin' With Wednesday is BAACK! I hope you'll all link up the fabulouness that you've been working on this week! or last week - or heck - whenever! I have actually sewn a couple things this past week and want to share that with y'all tomorrow because now it's all about YOU!

Hey Pinterest! What's For Dinner?

2011-11-27T11:11:00.001-06:00

I love Pinterest for SO many reasons. First, it gets my creative juices flowing. If I'm ever in need of some "get up off your butt" motivation- Pinterest does it for me. I turn to my new BFF to get me going on cleaning, working out, decorating, crafting and each Sunday - I'm Pinning recipes!
Fortunately, I only have to cook about 4 days a week. It's a personal rule not to cook on Friday's and Saturday evenings and since my bonus daughters are with their Mom a day during the week, I can get by with a dinner of left overs for me and the hubs and nuggets for the boys. (I know - I'm not winning any Mom Chef awards here and I'm ok with that)
Anyhoo -here's what we're having this week!

Slow Cooker French Dip Sammies by Baking Bites via Pinterest

Adding a fresh salad to this for an easy weeknight dinner! Yum!

Cream Cheese, Garlic and Chive stuffed chicken from All Recipes via Pinterest

adding some fresh green beans to this for a savory meal!

A new fave! Bubble Up Enchiladas (a Weight Watchers recipe) from Recipe Diaries via Pinterest

with another fresh green salad to make me the hit of the week!

Tonight we're having Fajitas - my husband's idea. The temperature dropped here and he felt like grilling? Go fig! No recipe for that one - just grill up some pre seasoned chicken, slice her up and wrap it up in a whole wheat tortilla! mmmm!

What are you having this week? Are you ever inspired to cook meals you've Pinned? Do tell! I always need more ideas to keep my munchins happy!

Let's Pin together!! Find me here!

Hugs!

I'm Pinterested! Handmade gifts for boys - Linkup your great ideas!!

2011-11-22T14:34:00.001-06:00

It's holiday crunch time folks! Time to get the handmade gift making groove going double time! I'm hoping to give MANY hand made gifts this year and have several different folks that I'd like to give to. Little boys, little girls, tween girls, Moms, Dads, husband, grandparents, in laws, etc. Thought I'd share my first round up of crafty ideas for the little dudes in my life and I'd love to see your ideas too.
Check out these ideas I saw on Pinterest the other day, because while I haven't made a ton of time to blog about crafty things, I HAVE made time for Pinterest! Haha!

Angry birds game from Money Saving Queen via Pinterest

DIY Moon Dough by Interesting Ideas for Play Based Learning via Pinterest

Invention Kits by Filth Wizardry via Pinterest

Superhero shoes and arm cuffs by Aesthetic Outburst via Grosgrain via Pinterest

Fort Kits via Saltwater Kids via Pinterest

Now I want to know what handmade gifts you are making for the little dudes in YOUR life! Have a crafty idea that would pertain to small guys - link it up here!

Happy Monday - it's a manic one for me!

2011-11-14T14:11:00.001-06:00

Hi guys! I've missed y'all and would love to stay and chat and craft and laugh and share...but I'm SWAMPED! Like crazy busy! I sell a few items at a couple amazing stores in my adorable town and this weekend one of them has a booth in a Christmas gift show called Weihnactsmarkt (say that 10 times fast, heck - say it once correctly and you deserve a medal!) and I am working my tail off to fill her booth with as many Toile Good Things items as she'll allow me! So I'm craftin', but nothing to share - yet!

I did want to stop by to say - thanks for linking and showing me LOTS of love for WWWW last week! Great party, with sweet words and smart ideas linked up. I'm going to take another week off to get the Weihnact.lk@#!nsdg stuff done, but hope to be back with that on the 23rd.

Also, if you're in South Texas, definitely try to stop by the Weihnactsmarkt show for crafty Christmassy goodness, but also make time for Cowgirl Handmade Bazaar in San Antonio. My pal Lauren from The Elephant's Trunk is hosting this crafty event filled with lots of handmade crafts and yummy eats!

Also, my other bloggy buddy, Angie is hosting a super exciting series called Handmade Holidays right now. There might be a little sumthin' sumthin' from moi coming soon over there! Head over to check out the terrific handmade gift projects and ideas WITH tutorials, and the amazing handmade shops she's featuring! It's a wonderful idea to share and support the handmade love!

anyway - miss yall! Hope all is well! We'll get back together soon! How's the Christmas crafting / shopping going for yall? Can you believe Thanksgiving is 10 days away!!!

Holy cow!

Hugs!

Wurstfest: our family tradition

2011-11-07T18:38:00.000-06:00

This past weekend, Wurstfest opened it's doors to commence the 51st celebration of German culture, sausage, music and merriment. My husband is a member of this community organization, thus making him an "Opa" and me an "Oma" by default. We love this festival and attend as many of the 10 days as possible. As members, we dress in traditional German Trachten wear. Mostly uncomfortable, but totally adorable on the kiddos! Wanted to share a few pics of the fun we had this past weekend!

two mini Opas in their lederhosen

Cousins enjoying a view of the water and a shot of the new Steltzenhaus in the background - the newest addition to the Wurstfest grounds.

my youngest enjoying a sausage on a stick

riding the carousel

We LOVE Wurstfest!

If you're near New Braunfels, come join in the chicken-dancing, polka-music, sausage eating fun! Let me know you're coming- I'd love to say hello!

Thankful Thursdays

2011-11-03T10:54:00.000-05:00

Because I have all the free time in the world available to me, I also write another blog called the Thank You Note Project. I've mentioned it here before, but have decided since November is a month that motivates us to think about our gratitude more than usual, I'm going to dedicate each Thursday on It's Toile Good to sharing the posts of the Thank You Note Project blog over here.

The Thank You Note Project is my experiment in living this year more meaningfully, more impactfully, and more appreciatively. I have set a goal for myself to send one thank you note every day to a person who has touched me in some way. I truly believe in the power of hand written correspondence and hope to demonstrate its importance to others in though this challenge. I was raised writing thank you notes and I want to pass on this tradition of thoughtfulness to my children, teaching though my example. I’m going to document my journey on this blog, and I have no doubt it will challenge and change me in many ways.

Years ago, I was lucky enough to find a career I loved as part of a small team responsible for building up a completely new stationery brand called Expressionery. There I met my husband and in 2008 I left the corporate world to become a full time Mom. Combining my Thank You Note Project challenge with my former life as a stationery specialist seemed a natural fit and (squeal and giggle) Expressionery.com has agreed to sponsor me in this blogging endeavor, providing the stationery and supplies I’ll need throughout the year to help me achieve my Thank You Note Project goal.

Today's thank you note is coming soon! I would love to hear what you're feeling thankful for these days! I rounded up a few crafty ideas on how to keep track of your gratitudes for this month too. Take a look at these terrific ideas!

Katie's Nesting Spot created this decorative Autumn Leaf Thankful Banner!

Perfect to decorate your home and create a yearly keepsake!

Honeybear Lane made an adorable Thanksgiving Countdown Calendar with her kids that captures four reasons to be thankful each day!

Somewhat Simple created a Thanksgiving Countdown Activity Jar that engages her whole family to think about and act on their thankfulness!

What do you do to count your blessings this month? I'd love to share your gratitude crafts too!

Hugs,

WWWW and features

2011-11-02T13:13:00.000-05:00

Happy Wednesday my friends! How ARE you? Things around here are busy! I hope you had a wonderful Halloween! I've debated on whether or not to post pics of the projects we made and the kids in costume and then I realized - I didn't take any pics of that stuff. So, there goes that. I'm not a big Halloween fan myself, so I kinda just "get through it", which is sad, I know. I do enjoy the candy. Well, I did yesterday and today I'm actually sitting her crunching my abs as I type because I'm overcome with guilt for eating as much as I did.

My house is gearing up for the annual German festival that our city holds every year. My husband is part of the organization that puts on Wurstfest and we all get pretty excited about it. It's a great excuse to dress up (in our German-wear) do the chicken dance, eat lots of fried stuff and drink lots of beer. Ugh - more ab crunches.

Anyhoo - today is about Whatcha Workin' With. I have to say that I might have started this party a tad premature. I mean I LOVE every single one of you 212 lovelies who read, follow and support It's Toile Good, but we've only had a handful and a half of folks participating in this party each week. I have been wracking my brain to try and find a way to grow this thing, but aside from promising free stuff, I'm not sure how to get more folks involved. I'm going to keep plugging along with you guys and hope that more people join the fun. Maybe a different day would be better? I'd love to hear your thoughts - why and why don't you link up to certain linky parties?

Enough outta me now - let's show off who was the most viewed project last week!

Whimsy Couture created a tutorial for this adorable Pink Ribbon Ruffle Scarf What's even more awesome about this feature is that the proceeds from the purchase of the pattern are all being donated to a Breast Cancer charity! You get a cute scarf pattern and help kick Breast Cancer in the butt!

That's a win-win for sure!

Mustashe Bash for Movember

2011-11-02T12:04:00.000-05:00

Have you heard about Movember? It's a really neat campaign that started in Austraila to help raise awareness and funds for prostate and other cancer's affecting men's health. Mo Bros around the world shaved their faces clean yesterday to start their month of stache' growing and campaigning. Mo Bros and MoSistas engage families, friends, and their communities to "grow" funds as their mustaches grow throughout the month of (formerly known as) November. It's catching on as you can see...

So why not try to host a Movember Stache Bash this month to join in the fundraising efforts? We celebrated with mustache style for my son's 1st birthday and everyone had a blast! Staches are so in style right now and accessories to create the perfect party can be found in so many places. Here's a few DIY ideas we used...

Utilize Picnik and their mustache stickers to create custom invitations!

Pop in the face of your Mo Bro freshly shaven!

Create a day by day stache growth banner of your Mo Bro! Just take the photos and use Picnik to edit them. Print at your local one hour photo processing center (or home printer), punch some holes and thread onto string, ribbon, whatever!

What's almost as popular as mustaches?

That's right...CUPCAKES!

Use these awesome and FREE toppers to add some humor to your desserts!

Of course you'll need plenty of fake stache's to share!

These Stache' Sippers have been widely received and they are super easy to make!

Just take a look at the How To here!

Keep them in 'Staches even when they're not sippin' on drinks!

These 'Stache on a stick are awesome photo props too! See...

Pin the 'Stache on the Mo Bro would be a great way to raise a few dollars for the cause!

Just print out a enlarged photo of your Mo Bro and folks can donate dollars for mustaches to try and pin!

It's a classic party game, but with this little twist, you can do a little good while you play!

Party favors could include...

or a cute razor and shaving cream kit?

or a mini travel brush or comb paired with a retractable sewing tape measure to give party goes the tools to groom and measure their Mo Bro's stache!

In all seriousness, A Mustache Bash is a great excuse to have a fun and sorta silly party that increases awareness and raises money for a worthy cause!

For more deets on Movember, check out their website!

and for more DIY info on these ideas, check out this post!

Hugs!

Never More Raven Halloween Wreath

2011-10-28T11:37:00.000-05:00

Have I mentioned I'm always a little late to things? (i.e. Whatcha Workin' With WEDNESDAY parties hosted on a Thursday?) Well, Halloween decor is no exception. I got out the box of Haloweeny items a couple weeks ago, but wasn't thrilled what I had inside and this Black Burlap Halloween Wreath I had used last year, even with the sprucing of my trusty flat iron, wasn't cuttin' it for me. I have been wreath-less people! A crafting sin for certain! Shameful, I know! So after perusing Pinterest (my ultimate guide for inspiration), I had seen these awesome Raven decorations

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and it got my wheels a turnin'... big wheels keep on turnin', Proud Mary keeping on burnin', rollin, rollin', rollin', rollin' on the riiiivahhh!
ahem...
I loved the "Never More" paired with the ravens idea - kind of a smart yet creepy Halloween idea. Which is how I like my Halloween. Creepy, not scary and more funny than frightening. Fortunately, I knew exactly where to find a raven too! The Dollar Tree! I headed up there to grab me one of those lovely birds and $50 later, headed home to get workin' on the wreath.
I used an old pie pan and book pages to make the base for my wreath. I've been using a lot of those materials for the Toile Good Things store...see...so I had everything I needed out on the craft table (formerly known as the dining table). Added some bits of black tulle into outer pages and then stuffed the raven into a nest of shredded and crumpled book pages and hot glued that whole mess to the bottom inside rim of the pie pan. I got out my trusty Silhouette machine and cut me out some letters and bats for decoration from grey cardstock. (which btdub, if you have a Silhouette, the Halloween downloads are on sale for $.75! and if you don't have a Silhouette, there are a bajillion blogs giving away the newer version, the CAMEO. I'll round up a list and post it on FB if you're interested)

Added a hanger bow made of more black tulle to the back and hung her up and am much happier (this year at least) with my new Halloween Raven Wreath and got it up just in time, 4 days before the holiday! Ha!

and will I procrastinate on creating holiday decorations again?

I say, "never more"!

Happy Friday yall!

Hugs!

Linkin' up to these awesome parties!!

WWWW and feature!

2011-10-27T20:10:00.001-05:00

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That's my son Will saying Hi and Happy Friday Eve to all you lovelies!

Since I'm way late to this party, I'm cutting right to the chase...

Last week's most viewed project was this awesome DIY rotateable storage idea from Mei Jo's Joy.

That lady IS a smarty, she is.

Head on over to her corner of the blogosphere if you haven't already because she has some serious crafting (on a budget) skills!!

And now for this week's overdue soiree...

Tickle

2011-10-24T21:57:00.000-05:00

Hi guys and Happy Monday? (it IS a question as far as I'm concerned)

I just finished licking the veeeery last bit of honey from the plastic bear shaped bottle and now I'm settling in to sip my mug of hot lemon and honey water because I woke up today with one of those annoying tickles in my throat. bleh. Oh, and I gargled with salt water while I was waiting for my drink to heat in the microwave- so that should kick it right? Do share any and all home remedies for throat tickles if you have some please!

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Just tried to read a few blogs in the reader and came across a couple about blogging that got me wanting to write. Mostly, just to say - even though I don't have a craft to share today, I wanted to say HI and connect with yall a bit. I totally wish I had a perfectly photographed project to share, but alas, I don't. Truth be told, I've been working on trying to SELL my crafty wares in a couple stores here in my adorable little town. PS - if you're in New Braunfels, Texas - hit up Kitchy Chicks and La Belle Vie near downtown because they are totally awesome stores. I gotta do a blog post about these places! Both shops are completely inspiring!

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So, while I've been hot-gluing and sewing up a storm, it's nothing really exciting to share with yall. Boo. Also, I like to share crafts and ideas that you might not have seen. I mean, I sewed up some velvet pumpkins to add to my holiday decor, but I'm not the first to have done this. Do you guys really want to know about my version of a project that's been done a time or 10? I totally love them and think they adorbs, but don't necessarily feel like they are quality blogging material. So I struggle - do I post about these "been there, done that" projects to keep creating new posts for you all to read, or do I go silent on the crafty front for a while until I find something more original to post about? Thoughts, comments, yawn? do share...I wanna know your thoughts - just think of this as our own little "Coffee Tawk" topic...discuss...

WWWW and Features

2011-10-19T21:35:00.000-05:00

Hey, hey party people! Missed ya! Thanks for coming out to the WWWW shin dig last week! Great collection of brilliant craftiness, if I do say so myself!

The most viewed project were these too-cute-to-be-true Dollar Store Pumpkins from Ms. Smarty Pants! It's pretty hard to believe that this greatness started with something that cost only a dollar!

There was a 4 way tie for second highest views among West Furniture Revivals with this precious Time Out Chair! I'd be happy to spend a few minutes in quiet in that spot!

and the House of 6 Monkeys created new fab new shoes from old blah shoes with PAINT! Pretty hard to believe how cute those sassy slides came out if you ask me!

and Mei Jo's Joy Made this no sew, TShirt scarf! All you have to do is cut folks and you too can make something as cool as this! Christmas gifts anyone?

and Maiden Shade gave a great demo on an often-over looked project. Sprucing up this little laundry door really gave this area of her home some flair! A must do project in my home!

Thanks for linking up all your smarts! Hugs and high fives to all of you!! Please take a button if you're so inclined!

DIY Chalkboard Paint changed my life

2011-10-19T16:12:00.000-05:00

Years ago, I saw this post from Amy at The Idea Room. And let me take a minute to say, she has the best blog. Hers was the first I began really keeping up with and reading. She has smart and timeless ideas that I have bookmarked (and now Pinned) that I refer to year after year. This idea for DIY Chalkboard Paint was something I've always wanted to try, but it's never been the priority for any project I've worked on, so I never made the trip to the hardware store for the unsanded grout. BUT for some reason, while we were at Lowes the other day, I remembered to buy some. You can get very large bags of unsanded grout, but I managed to find this little container for about $5. I'm pretty sure it will last me for years! (well maybe, this project is kind of addicting and I'm looking for any reason to make this paint!)

All you do is take regular paint, I used craft paint, and mix it with a little bit of the grout. Mix well and paint away! I didn't need a full cup of paint as Amy used in her tutorial, so I just adjusted my amounts when mixing. I think I used a 1/4 cup of paint and half a tablespoon of grout. When you mix, you'll see the tiny bits of grout in the paint. You don't want it too chunky, but if you add too much grout, you can either add more paint to disperse it or it smooths on pretty well when you start your painting too.

Today I painted a Dollar Store pumpkin, a few of these little yard signs I've had for years and were looking pretty rough and a Dollar Store platter. (that will be another project I will share with you soon).

Depending on the kind of paint, you'll need to do a few coats. The craft paint didn't cover too great, so I painted 3 coats letting it mostly dry in between.

The hardest part of this project, by far was mixing orange paint. It would have been way easier if I had just waited until I could get to the store for some orange craft paint, but hey - I learned that yellow and red make orange in kindergarten - I can do this, right? trickier said than done I guess because I made brown the first try and then still ended up with an odd shade of orange. Good thing I try not to let "perfect" get in the way of "good".

More chalkboard paint projects to come! It's super easy and totally fun - so there might be MANY more projects to come! haha!

WWWW is on its way!

Hugs!

Whatcha Workin' With Features and a Better Late Than Never Party?

2011-10-14T21:52:00.000-05:00

Hey partay people!

Here are the top 4 most viewed links from the past party!

Cute Cubbies by West Furniture Revival! Love the way Lauren styled these!

Love these HAND STITCHED coasters made from scraps on hand by Flat Rock Cabin! Also, her two versions of pizza sound DE-LISH!

Love seeing Pinkopotomus's Halloween Rewind from years past! Adorable ideas there to get the Halloween-y creativity flowin'!

Some great tips on how to stay organized while taking on a massive building project from Lemon Tree Studio!

Thanks for linking up your awesomeness! Grab a party favor button!!

Friday Fave Friend Features!

2011-10-14T21:29:00.000-05:00

I'm so excited to showcase an exciting blog today called Whimsy Couture! It's a sewing blog and while I'm no sewing expert, the patterns and projects on this site are too cute not to give them a try!

Check out this hooded jacket for boys AND girls!and the cost for this pattern right now is only $6.50!!!! Or how about this adorable Retro Romper eBook perfect for teeny tiny to little bittie girls!This pattern for Ladies Lounge Pants would be the perfect item to sew up for some Christmas gifts!Denise is also always sharing the latest news on hot sewing patterns that are floating around the blogosphere, so head over to Whimsy Couture and see what's SEW cool! (ha!)

Where in tarnation?

2011-10-13T15:38:00.001-05:00

First off, let me apologize. I have been in a blog slump so to speak...I have 981 items in my Google Reader, I have two weeks and one day overdue on a WWWW party, I've missed a Friday Feature of a terrific blog site and I'm just kind of blah about the whole thing. I feel like I've read a few of these kinds of posts from other bloggers - "why did I start blogging?", "where is this blog going?", "do I really have time to do this?".

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Here's the dealio- I like to blog. I like to craft. I started blogging to keep my creative mind busy and to give me an outlet for expressing that creativity. After I started blogging and read about other successful bloggers, I thought, "maybe I can make this into a career". I figured I have about 2 more years before my youngest goes to school full time and my goal was to get this blog a hoppin' in those 2 years to eventually make some a decent amount of moolah. Turns out - I don't think I have what it takes. and that's ok.
As far as things go - the schedule around here is this...

Monday or Tuesday - a craft I've made post
Wednesday - WWWW and features post
Friday - Favorites post

which isn't even much of a busy schedule, but it's making me feel restricted and bored. Not sure about you, but my life is just not the same from week to week and sometimes I can't get the craft post done until Thursday or sometimes not at all because (if you read my FB today) I have big, fat, craft fails that angrily end up the the trash can after working on them all day! grrr

WWWW isn't taking off like I'd hoped. I'm sure persistence is the key, but I guess I've found myself in an impatient spot. I'm not saying I'm canning it all together, but it takes a decent bit of time to get the features all written up.

As far as Friday Fave's go-we're keepin' that because reading and learning about YOU is what keeps me motivated. So I'm excited about that.

So what's the point of all this Allison? Well, it's this sweet ITG readers - I'm going to keep blogging, but I want this place to be fun. Even if I'm the only one giggling, I want to enjoy doing this and that probably means my (itty bitty) attempt at a schedule around here is going to fly right on out the window. My goals are this:

Post some crafty project once a week (whatever day that magically happens)
Post the WWWW party every Wednesday

WWWW features will be the top 3 most viewed projects (not based on my opinion, strictly based on # of clicks)

Friday Faves are going to stay

Faves will include:

other bloggers and Etsy stores
WWWW personal picks
Pinterest picks
a photo of whatever I deem as a fave that day
collections of ideas
kinda whatever I feel like I guess

I think I'm going to start sharing a few more personal deets too - sometimes I need a place to exhale all of the craziness of my day or look for some parenting/styling/cooking advice from you, my extended online friends!! I swear that I have had days in which I've thought - man, I wish I had so-and-so's number so I could call them up and ask them about X. I really think about you guys in my non-pc life too! haha! Anyhoo - I think I'll connect with you guys more if I open up a bit too!

So this isn't too huge of a difference, but I think it will release me from the guilt monster a bit and bring me back to the fun side of blogging.

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I appreciate y'all reading - really I do!!

now I'll cut the whining and get back to the fun!

Hugs!

Chevron Pumpkin Mat for Halloween!

2011-10-03T12:21:00.000-05:00

I picked up a felt pumpkin cut out from the Dollar Tree the other day and thought I wanted to use it as a stencil for some Halloween decor around the house. After contemplating a few different projects, I decided I didn't want to paint over the cheery, bright orange felt, but wanted to incorporate it into a project as it was. Here's what I ended up with...

And here's how I did it...

Thought I'd put on my Jen-and-her-Tatertots-and-Jello inspired shoes and give a chevron patterned project a try. I picked up a bag of Freecycled fabric a month or so ago and it had some thick canvas remnants. I cut a mat sized piece from the fabric and got out my measuring tape, straight edge and painters tape and got to work.

To get the sharp points, I just used one end of my scissors as an exacto knife and sliced through the tape to get a crisp edge. After I was done taping I asked my dog, Sir Teddance of Lickalot, if he would mind spray painting it for me while I made dinner. Unfortunately, he reminded me about the no-opposable-thumbs thing, so I had to wait to paint it until I got dinner started.

Then I headed to my painting studio (cardboard on the floor of the garage) with my cheap can of spray paint

Painted over the whole thing making sure I coated all the outer edges well and got a relatively even coat. Then I pulled up the tape and proceeded to get black spray paint into the cracks of each of my knuckles. *Tip: wear gloves when spray painting (DUH)

I stitched the felt pumpkin to the lower right corner and voila!

It's a great pop of color, pattern and holiday decor to my kitchen!

I'll be linking up to THESE AMAZING PARTIES!

Hugs,

TRESemme Fresh Start Dry Shampoo

2011-10-03T09:25:00.001-05:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of TRESemmé for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Raise your hand if you're an uber busy lady who loves to look great and might be interested in a smart and affordable short cut! Read on, because today, I have some exciting news for you!

Suffer no more from the dreaded Bad Hair Day!

Toss out your worn-too-often ponytail bands!

Reset your alarm clock and sleep in a little longer!

I'm sure you're asking, "How, dear Allison, can we do all these things? What magical potion have you found to save us from our hair doing woes?!"

TRESemmé Fresh Start Dry ShampooTRESemme Fresh Start Dry Shampoo is your answer! Well, at least I think it's the answer. Full disclosure: I haven't actually tried it, but I am dying to because I have found myself on MANY occasions with zero time to wash my hair, but needing to be out the door and presentable. After watching this video in which celebrity Julia Allison demo's the TRESemmé Fresh Start Dry ShampooTRESemme Fresh Start Dry Shampoo, I'm convinced it's worth a try!

Check out her video here(she's actually doing her own hair in her bathrobe, so I believe her!)

Plus, you could win a $500 Target Gift Card (eeek!) to a lucky viewer if you watch her video and enter to win!

I'm super psyched about this product for a few reasons.

1) My hair dresser has told me I shouldn't be washing my hair as often because I dye it a bright red shade and repeated washings take the color out faster.

2) I am pretty tired of wearing a pony tail every day to hide my oily, non-washed hair

3)TRESemmé Fresh Start Dry Shampoo TRESemme Fresh Start Dry Shampoo comes in 4 formulas tailored to particular hair style needs!

Strengthening Dry Shampoo: The formula, with B12 vitamins and keratin, helps strengthen hair and leaves it full of healthy body.
Volumizing Dry Shampoo: The formula, with mineral clay and citrus, removes oil while injecting hair with salon-gorgeous volume.
Smoothing Dry Shampoo: The formula, with Vitamin H & Silk Proteins, refreshes your straight style by removing excess oil, impurities and odor to ensure your smooth look lasts.
Moisturizing Waterless Foam Shampoo: The formula, with Witch Hazel, Citrus, and Aloe Vera, refreshes your hair by removing excess oil, impurities and odor while moisturizing hair.

Did you find one that's perfect for you? I could use the Smoothing, Volumizing or the Strengthing formulas depending on the style I'm working with. Here are some how to use tips you and I will need when we try this product!

Do shake vigorously before use and in between spray bursts for best results.
Do lift sections of dry hair and spray lightly at roots
Do spray in short bursts, holding 8-12 inches from head
Don’t spray it like hair spray (all over and continuously)
Do leave in for 1-2 minutes.
Do use fingertips or a brush to distribute product evenly
If clogging occurs, remove nozzle and rinse the nozzle under warm water, then reattach.

These seem easy enough, right? I can not wait to get myself a can and will be happy to share my results when I try it! I'm so excited about all the time I'll save and the extra minutes I'll get to snooze in the mornings!!

Whatcha Workin' With Wednesday and Party Features

2011-09-28T22:25:00.000-05:00

Howdy folks! This post will mark my 3rd post of the day. Crazy? Yes. But fun.

Check out these fun Fall ideas from the partay last week!

Tattered &Inked made up this gorgeous glittery wreath in yummy Fall colors! Love the textures!

Love this wicker chair redo inspired and named after the colors of Fall from West Furniture Revival and it makes me want to run out and buy a boat load of gourds and pumpkins.

Drooling over this Artichoke Squares recipe from Flat Rock Cabin - sounds like the perfect Fall dinner for me. Check out her snazzy chair re-do too!

Thanks party people for sharing your awesomeness! Grab a button party favor!

And now it's time for this week's partay! Share it and show it off y'all!

I got a hot tip for ya...

2011-09-28T14:33:00.000-05:00

I couldn't stand it any longer. I have been trying to resist putting up my Halloween and Fall decor until the 1st of October, but seeing all of the amazing ideas on Pinterest and other blogs forced my hand. I made this Halloween wreath last year...

but sadly, it wasn't nearly as perky or cute after sitting smushed in a box all year. It needed a little sprucing. I decided it was too scrunchy and it needed some more room to breath, so I took out the hanger and then added another hanger to it making a larger wreath "form". Rethreaded the fabric onto the larger form and am liking the look much better. But the happy bow (yes, that's like the happy trees and clouds that Bob Ross painted) at the top needed some help and since I am world's laziest person, I decided I'd do what I always do with small things that need to be ironed - I used my hair straightener!

Yep - that's my hot tip for you today.

Have a ribbon or fabric bow that needs ironing? How about a drawstring on a gathered top or skirt? Or a sash on a dress? Or maybe an odd part of your shirt tail that won't cooperate? Or you want your collar to stand just a little straighter? Just clamp and pull it through your hair straightener to sneak in some quick, on-the-spot ironing. No big ironing board to set up or take down! No accidental water spots from the wrong setting on your iron? (or am I the only one who's spilled the water from my iron onto my clothes?)

Tada!

Perked up wreath complete with freshly pressed bow!

Promise - WWWW will come. Just a bit later...stay tuned!

XO,

Driveway Letter Dash

2011-09-28T09:22:00.000-05:00

It's officially Fall and while temperatures are still in the 90's here in Texas, we are excited to get outside and enjoy the (slightly) cooler weather! Today, I want to share with you a fun game we've been playing while we're outside, that gets the kids moving and helps them learn their letters!

Set up and rules are simple. Using sidewalk chalk, draw a starting square at one end of your driveway. Next, draw large letters (upper case or lower depending on what you're working on with your child) randomly along the rest of your driveway. Space the letters out a couple of feet or so to allow for plenty of room to "Dash". Draw your letters with the starting square as the bottom of the letter and the opposite point of your driveway as the top of the letter, so all letters have the same orientation, otherwise an "N" could be mistaken for a "Z". (does that make sense?)

Your child begins in the starting square. Then an adult (or big sister) shouts out the letters for him or her to dash to.

When we first started playing the game, we came back to the starting square each time before running to the next letter so that he could view the letters in their correct orientation. I also like to call out the letters closest to the starting square and then move towards the opposite end of the driveway so that as he runs to the next letter, he can read it right side up instead of side ways or upside down.

Continue calling letters until your child has either mastered the alphabet or is too tired to run any more. Kidding!

You can also play this game pushing trucks or tricycles to the letters. Which is A for Awesome!

And if they get bored playing this way, I also like to switch it up and have them run from letter to letter shouting out the letters they land on. Or switch places and let them shout out the letters for you to dash to! Either way, they are learning and having F for FUN!

My son asks to play this game every time we are outside! It makes me happy to help him enjoy learning his letters AND get out some of that never-ending boy energy!!

Have you been enjoying the outdoors lately? Any favorite games you've been playing with the fam? I'd love to learn more!

Stay tuned for Whatcha Working With Wednesday features and party!

Hugs!

Fave Friday - Fab Friends Edition #2! Meet Ashely from The Hillside Home!!

2011-09-23T08:54:00.000-05:00

Hi there ITG followers! I am so stoked that Allison invited me over to her place for the day. Anyone who describes their style as "a bridesmaid in a taffeta dress doing the runnin' man on the dance floor" is my kinda chick.

So let me offically introduce myself. I'm Ashley and I started my blog "The Hillside Home" last summer just as my husband and I (and our 1 year old son at the time) were getting ready to move into our new house.

Over at my place we talk DIY, decor, design, crafting, sewing, and a bit about life and motherhood. That little 1 year old I mentioned is now a little man at the ripe old age of 2 and we just welcomed our little lady this past June. We're a family of 4 working to make this house into a home by tackling one project at a time...

Here are a few of my favorite posts. I hope you'll take a minute to drop by and look around!

Thanks again to Allison and I wish you all a toile good weekend!

Master Bath Renovation

Chalkboard Wall

Paper Mache Pumpkins

Toy Story Themed Birthday Party

Whatcha Workin' With Wed, er Thursday and fabulous features!

2011-09-22T15:11:00.000-05:00

Sorry I'm late on the party y'all. Here are the features from last week!

The Craft That Improved My Marriage

2011-09-19T16:24:00.001-05:00

I shared this craft on While He Was Napping a while ago, but am still lovin' the results this simple project is having on my relationship with my husband! Check out the Lens Cap Camera Strap project!

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When I knew I was going to share a project here today, I started brainstorming on a cute, but practical project. Something that would come in handy, but be fun to create too and since my husband informed me (2 days ago, in fact) that it drives him bananas when I leave the lens cap off our (too-expensive-to-be-reckless-with) Nikon camera, I knew that I had the inspiration for the perfect project to share! I give you the....

Please tell me I'm not alone when I say that I've washed the camera lens cap because I forgot that I'd left it in my back pocket? anyone? mkay - well, it USED to be my bad habit, but now that I've whipped up the Lens Cap Camera Strap, those days of irresponsibility and making my husband crazy are o.v.e.r! I'd seen THIS awesome thing on Pinterest a while back and thought (the thought that all crafters think) - hey, I can make that! So here's my DIY version. Join me, won't you?

First, remove the camera strap from your camera.

Then remove the (what I'm calling) camera strap restraint pieces.

Grab your handy E6000 and glue those puppies to the cap.

If your cap has the squeezy parts that fasten the cap to the lens, just glue the strap restraint pieces to the other sides. (side note: if your camera strap doesn't have "restraint" pieces, you could use a small D ring or rectangle ring that they use for belts or one half of a large sew on Hook & Eye closure instead.)

Now set that aside and let it dry and get working on cutesy-ing up that camera strap. First sew a tube of cute fabric that is 1 and a half times the length of the strap. (You know I had to use Toile!)

Ruffle stitch down each side creating a pocket in the center large enough for the strap to slide through. (In my opinion, the easiest way to ruffle stitch is set your stitch length and tension to as high as they'll go and run it through. The machine will make the ruffles.)

Thread the original camera strap through the center

Sew across each end, securing the strap and the ruffle together.

Remove the strap adjuster piece from one side and thread the lens cap onto the strap.

Reassemble your camera with the strap. Tip! Make sure you thread the cap and strap back together so that everything is right sides up.

Show off your handy work to your husband and wait for the flowers and chocolates to be delivered!

Closed...

or opened...that camera lens isn't going anywhere near my back pocket or the washing machine!!

There you have it! A cute craft that was fun and easy to make and might just take my marriage to a whole new level! (wink)

I'll be sharing this idea at these awesome parties!

Come on by and check them out - you won't be disappointed!

Hugs!

More brotherly love artwork!

2011-09-19T16:12:00.000-05:00

I ordered this vinyl quote a LONG time ago (before I owned the Silhouette) and had it buried in the craft closet just waiting for the perfect piece of wood to come along and make it a reality. The other day someone on Freecycle offered up some old barn wood and I grabbed it! Here's the quick run down.

Cut up the vinyl into the smaller bits to allow me to situate it on the wood plank as my little heart desired.

Then use the official vinyl scraper (tongue depressor) tool to transfer the vinyl onto the wood.

Wrap some twine around the base a couple times and add a cute photo of my boys and presto! Cute art for their room that hopefully will encourage brotherly love instead of brotherly fighting!

Going to be linking up to THESE awesome parties!

Check em out - promise you'll be inspired!

Hugs!