Not so idle hands

Guest Posting Today Over At I Heart Naptime

2011-11-09T02:10:00.000-08:00

Hey all!

So can you believe it's November already!?!? Holy Molie!!

Well, computers 'round these parts are getting fixed (hear that hubby?), but in the meantime.....head right on over to I Heart Naptime and check out Jamielyn's awesome blog,......where I'm guest posting today (recognize this cutie, from awhile back?)!!

She has a great Crazy Christmas Crafters Series with SO many talented crafters featured......you can get started on your Christmas list today, Yipee!

Well, what are you still doing here......GO CHECK IT OUT!!

Have fun!

Kindergarten T-Shirts That Are Cuter Than Apples Pie

2011-10-17T01:05:00.000-07:00

So.....our Super Saturday was awesome, as it always is every year!! Very crazy & busy....but AWESOME!! The ladies who arranged it all did wonderfully, and all the teachers did great!

I taught my Halloween & Christmas countdown blocks and everyone who made them did a smashing job (trying to be a little British here :) Thanks all!!

Anyhoo, I promised to show you all the cute Kindergarten field trip t-shirts I made for my daughter's school.....so here they are!!

(and thanks a million bazillion to all the moms who came equipped with irons so we were able to get these done in 1 morning!)

Anyone wanna take a stab at guessing where they went for their first trip? Anyone......?

I've made these (in one form or another) for my older daughter's kinder class and then again 1st grade and they are so fun for the kiddos!! We will add a picture for each place they visit through the year & they get to have a fun keepsake.

Well, this year it was for allllllllll 4 kinder classes, so I looked for a slightly easier method to use than paint and stencil. So I decided it was time to try my hand at some iron-on vinyl. And, even though it was a bit more costly.......it saved so much time!

Make sure to heat up your iron to 300 degrees or cotton setting....this may be different depending on what brand you use, so be sure to check! Also, pre-wash them in cold and hang to dry.....or if you want to pre-shrink, now is the time to do it (no dryer afterwards)

I started out by cutting the words and images mirror image on my vinyl cutter......all 80 of each baby!

The vinyl looks a little lighter on the outside, so don't worry.

Peel away the negative space and the image/words stay on the clear carrier sheet (which is tacky as well).

Then turn that puppy over and place it where you want it on the shirt. The clear sheet will be on top.

Grab your handy-dandy parchment paper and put a sheet over your image and iron it on while using medium pressure (ie. press down as you iron ;) for about 20-30 seconds.

Then, while it's still hot (again, check to see if yours need to peel while it's hot or cold), peel away the clear sheet and then lay down the parchment again and iron for another 15-20 seconds-ish (just to make double sure it's stuck).

That's all!! Now you have your super-duper cute t-shirt aaannnnnddddd it was easy peasy!

The shirts they got turned out to be pretty big.....so I had her throw on a cute pair 'o leggings and she was adorable and SO ready to go on her 1st field trip ;)

I got my vinyl from Signwarehouse.com (as always) and made sure to get the iron-on stuff (EnduraTex Iron-On)....the other kinds, I was told, need to be used with a t-shirt press.

It says you can dry these on low, but.....to be safe I would wash, inside out, in cold water and hang up to dry. The heat may shrink the shirt around the decal and make it pucker. Especially if they are 100% cotton, like these cuties.

Stay tuned for a new segment I want to try out.....

Have fun!!

Yummy Fall-ish Brownie Pops

2011-10-11T01:02:00.000-07:00

So, I survived our CRAZY, busy weekend (with a whole bunch of fun complications.....like our EZ-up was blown over while I were setting up at the Fall Festival and broke.....in 2 places!!)

Now that we've recuperated a little, I really want to post these super-cute, yummy brownie pops I made last week!!!

Check these lovelys out!!! Don'cha wish the internet was interactive??

Anyhoo, I found this awesome square pan at Wally World awhile back and HAD to get it!! I knew it would be fantastic to use for fun treats.

Well, I whipped up a batch of yummy chocolate fudge brownies, and baked 'em up in this pan. Make sure to grease it and maybe a light dusting of flour too.......it makes it much easier to get these puppies out!

Once they are baked, cooled, and out of the pan......melt down some creamy choc. chips or candy melts. I like to use a double-boiler, since I can keep the chocolate melted the whole time.....but the microwave will work great too. You will just need to re-melt a few times.

Now, pop some wooden popsicle sticks in the brownie squares (I like to dip the ends of the sticks in chocolate first to help weld them to the inside of the brownie) and dip your brownies into the melty chocolate of your choosing (I like milk choc with brownies, yum!)

While it's still wet, sprinkle on the adorable sprinkles you (or your kiddos) picked out and place on a piece of parchment paper to dry. You can also speed up the process by throwing them in the fridge for 15-20 minutes.

As you can see, my kids hated them.......

These are also great to wrap up and give as little treats to your VT sisters.....or neighbor gifts!!

Have fun!

It's My Own Fault, Really

2011-10-04T01:24:00.000-07:00

Ok, so if you're here to see a super-cute craft.......Sadly, you'll have to come back later.
This is an: I'm-so-busy-but-don't-wanna-neglect-my-blog post.

As well as an: I'm-gonna-complain-a-little-about-how-busy-I-am-but-I-really-brought-it-on-myself post. I love helping out, and sometimes don't realize how many things I've volunteered for...... until it's too late! (like right now)

Anyhoo, I thought I would have a few more weeks before things started to get crazy for the Halloween/Thanksgiving/Christmas season. But, I was gravely mistaken. I'm sitting here thinking of all I have to do in the next few weeks......so I thought I'd share. Whether you like it or not.

October 7th: The super-cool Fall Festival fundraiser that our school does every year.....It's a blast, but since I now have 2 kiddos in school......and want to help in both classes.......I signed up to help set up the booths for both AND run them for an interval of time during the festivities.

Hubby has no sympathy and just smiled and said: "good luck with that!"
But they will both be super-cool!!

October 8th: Huge garage sale that my community does twice a year and draws TONS of crowds!! We have about 6 years worth of ~~crap~~ stuff that still needs to be sorted and priced......and then set up bright & early @7 the morning after the BIG event mentioned above......Goody!

October 11th: My sweet kindergartner's very 1st field trip to the apple orchard near us. I happily volunteered to head up the t-shirt making for over 80 cute kiddos so they can all match and it'll easy to spot them all. I did it for my oldest here.....but only did 1 class of 20-ish. And last year I made shirts for two 1st grade classes of around 40, so I'm a little worried this time......but it looks like the awesome room moms have rallied plenty 'o volunteers so hopefully we can get it done fast!

I need to cut all the vinyl for the apples, the names on the front, annnnnnd the class names for the backs......For 80 kids!!!!!

Luckily, it's all iron-on stuff this year.....(don't worry, I'll post it afterwards.....it gonna be cool)

October 15th: Super Saturday!!! Yay!! I am heading up the Halloween & Christmas countdown blocks, and need to get all the supplies ready for that......but, on the upside, I also get to chat and have fun without the kids saying "mommy, mommy, mommy" every 3 minutes.

Soooooooo, as you can see.......I'm freaking out a bit right now, but will be able to post soon!! I made some really yummy treats and just need to get hubby to fix the office computer, so I can post them.

We currently have 3 computers!! The PC in our office is on it's last legs, so we got a new one.....but are still transferring all the files/pics/programs/etc.

So, until then, I'm working on all 3......

Awesome.

Plus, #3 is waddling around like she has a load in her shorts.....so I better go take care of that. She's so small that we don't want her to fall over from the extra weight.....hee hee ;)

Until next time....Have fun!!

How To Share In Kindergarten

2011-09-29T01:09:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm so proud of my sweet kindergartner, Aislyn......and how well she shares. So I thought I'd brag a little to you all.

So, this is what her typical snack might look like.....

....or.....like this if daddy is in charge that morning (he tries to buy their loves with treats).

Anyways, I digress......

So, Aislyn came to me one day after school last week and told me "Guess what mom!? My friend shared her Cheez-it's with me today!..........She gave me the whole bag, even!"

For some reason, Cheez-it's are a prized delicacy in my house.

So, of course I replied "Wow, that was so nice of her to share her yummy snack with you!"

Not to be outdone by her friend, she went on with :

"Then, I let her take a turn with my toothbrush......"

Ummmmmmm, what???

It took me a minute to process this info while my sweet 5 year-old was patiently waited for the loads of praise surely coming her way....

...with a great big expectant smile on her face.....

So, I pulled her close to me and hugged her and gently explained "honey, that was SO nice of you to share with your friend.....but, remember we aren't supposed to share things like toothbrushes with other people....."

Apparently, she didn't like the way this conversation was headed, so she backpedaled a bit and said very seriously, "Actually mom, I was just kidding.....I didn't really share my toothbrush."

Awesome.
Add fibbing to her list of skills too.......

Don't you just LOVE kindergarten?

Have fun!!

Yummy New Halloween Countdown Blocks

2011-09-26T01:28:00.000-07:00

Howdy everyone! Hope you all had a great weekend and maybe pigged out on some yummy fried foods :)

Today I wanted to show the new countdown blocks I made with some yummy new Halloween paper from Echo Park. I LOVE this collection with all the orange and black & white!! It's great! Plus, we are making these as part of Super Saturday this year and it'll be great!

Anywhoo, I made this set awhile back, but didn't show a whole tute.....so here goes with pics and all!!

Sooooooooo, start off with 2 blocks 3 1/2" x 3 1/2" (get a 4 x 4 and cut it down.....they are really 3 1/2 x 3 1/2, don't ask me why......but that's the way it is :) You also need a 1" thick piece cut 8" x 3 1/2" for the base.

Now, paint these puppies black.

Annnnnnnnd while they dry, cut out 12 squares of paper 3" x 3". Don't forget to cut a small strip for the front of the base. Of COURSE I used Apothecary collection from Echo Park and the papers are double-sided, so that means you have double the choices!!

Mod Podge the paper onto your blocks and a little strip onto the front of the base.

Then, while you let that dry, cut out your numbers (and "countdown") using your die cut machine OR you can just print them out onto the back of your paper in reverse and then cut them out by hand.

You will need: 0,0,1,1,2,2,3,4,5,6,7, & 8 (make sure the #6 can double as #9 if it's turned upside-down)

Then, glue on your numbers and the word "countdown". On the first block put: 0,1,2,3,4, & 5 On the second block put: 6 (will also double as 9), 7,8,0,1,2

After those are dry, you can seal with a few coats of Mod Podge or a finishing spray. And....

Yay! How ca~ute are these new ones!?!?!?

LOVE IT!!!!

Anyhoo, I'm also putting these kits in my Etsy shop in case you don't have time to gather all the materials yourself (busy time of year and all).

Stay tuned.....I have a lesson to teach you all that I learned from my daughter about sharing in kindergarten......

Have fun!

Guest Blogger: Annalisa and Yummy Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

2011-09-21T06:41:00.000-07:00

Hey there party people!!

I'm still feeling a little like a celebrity over here about my big magazine debut (ok, just by my mom and sibs mostly :). Thanks so much for allllllll your fabulously sweet and supportive comments......I love hearing from you all!!

Anyhoo, today we are having a super awesome guest blogger who will make you drool and want to start your Fall baking early. I even made a batch of these yummy muffins the same day I saw these and she's not kidding about how yummy they are!! And definitely huge, so be sure to pace yourself!! My kiddos wanted these for breakfast 3 days in a row (that's only how long 2 dozen lasted in our house) But, I'll let her explain.....

---------------------------------

Let me start off by saying thanks to Emily for asking me to guest post over here on her awesome blog today, I feel so honored! I'm over at The Lung Fam, where I write about my daughter (cutie), my husband (hottie), our dog (crazy), where I share crafting tutorials and yummy recipes. Today I am sharing my pumpkin cream cheese muffins recipe, so get excited! Have you ever had Starbucks pumpkin cream cheese muffins, or do you like pumpkin and cream cheese together? Well you should try this recipe because it is so yummy! I seriously ate 4 in two days, and they're definitely not minis!

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

umm, how could you not want to eat that?

In a bowl, combine 8 oz. cream cheese, 1 cup powdered sugar and 1/4 tsp vanilla, beat until combined and fluffy. Cover the bowl and place in the fridge.

Combine your flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, pumpkin pie spice, salt and baking soda, whisk to combine. In a separate bowl, mix the sugar, eggs, oil, vanilla and pumpkin, until completely combined, and add the dry ingredients in until just combined, do not over mix.

Preheat your oven to 350.

Combine the streusel ingredients, the flour, sugar and cinnamon. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter, or two knives, until it resembles course crumbs.

Put your cupcake liners in your pan, and place 2 Tbsp of batter into each cup, or until the bottom is just covered. Add about a tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture on top of the batter, and then fill the cups 3/4 full with the remaining batter, until the cream cheese is covered.

Cover the tops of each muffin with about a Tbsp of the streusel mixture and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

Allow to cool, because the cream cheese will be very hot, or you can pop one in the freezer for 10 minutes to cool it faster (if you're that impatient).

Enjoy the simple delight of fall in the form of this delicious muffin (that sounded cheesy), and try not to eat more than one, I ate two.

Check out my Pumpkin Spice Lattes as well and make one to enjoy with your pumpkin cream cheese muffins!!

You can get the printable recipe over here at her blog.

-----------------------------

Thanks so much Annalisa, you absolutely cannot go wrong pairing pumpkin with cream cheese! Don't forget to come back for more Halloween crafts coming up!!
Have fun

Guess Who's Cute Craft Is On The Front Cover Of A Magazine!?

2011-09-18T19:56:00.000-07:00

I hope you guessed mine.......!

OhmygoshholycowI'msoexcitedIcan'tbelieveI'mactuallyinamagazine!!!!!!

Ok, Emily......take a deep breath and start over.

Alrighty, so one of the editors (hi Brian!) contacted me a llloooooooonnnnngggg time ago about putting my cute Glowing Jack O'Lanterns in their magazine. So of course I said YES!! Then,.......he emailed again and said the Editor-in-Chief (impressive title huh?) wanted to write about it on her Editor's page! I couldn't believe it!!

So, last night, I'm at the store getting 20lbs of sugar (marathon jam-making session and ran out of sugar) and there it was........I recognized the jars right away!! I was so excited I wanted to tell everyone standing in line with me!!! Ok, maybe not everyone since it was 11pm and there were a few questionable characters in line with me. But, I ~~sped~~ hurried home and was so excited, I jumped on our bed and scared my hubby awake to show him (sorry honey).

Anyhoo, I thought I would re-post the cute craft for you guys, since those are from over 2 years ago!! And the pics of the "monsters" versions too. You can also read the issue and see the cute ones they made for the magazine.......they turned out adorable!!

Thank you Woman's Day for letting me be part of your great magazine!

September 4th, 2009

Hey there!!

Today we have Freecycle Friday!!!!

And we are making these awesome Glowing jack O'Lanterns made with recycled glass jars (I have enough jars to make a TON of these :)

So, I was perusing Instructables a few weeks ago and found this awesome chick, who made these! So cute huh?

So I HAD to make some!!

(especially since I have a million jars laying around.....sorry honey)

But, I figured I would go ahead and post a tute, 'cuz I love you all ssoooooo much!

You will need:

5 glass jars of varying sizes (I think the varying sizes make it more interesting)

Some orange tissue paper (If you are anything like me.....you save tissue paper from EVERY gift you get but,.......NOT ORANGE! But luckily this was only $1 buck at Walmart)

Mod podge (Yes, I've had that bottle awhile.....no matter how much I use it, it never runs out!)

Black paper

Green paint

Start by cutting the tissue paper into strips about 1.5 - 2 inches wide. Measure the height of your jars and cut the tissue paper strips to that size.

Paint Mod Podge, a section at a time, onto the outside of the jar. lay down a strip of paper and smooth it down well. Then, move onto the next section. Don't worry if it's a little wrinkly, it doesn't show once it's dry.

I loved the way she overlapped the strips of paper to make it look more pumpkin-y (is that a word?)

Keep going till you get the jar covered. Then, work on cutting out the faces for them. You can click here and here to download a template of the faces I used and size them according to the sizes of your jars.

Glue the faces on and paint the tops with some pretty green paint and then brush on a coat or 2 of Mod Podge (I used glossy so it looks shiny like it's part of the jar :)

I ended up having to use vinyl for the faces since i didn't have any black paper on hand and I didn't feel like running out just to get paper.

Let them cure for 24 hours and.....

(in my office)

(in the sun)

(in the dark.....Ooooooooo scary)

Ta Da!

Your very own glowing jack o'lanterns!!

So Cute!! My girls are LOVING these!!

They were easy to make, AND your older kiddos can help do them. I'm thinking about using some baby food jars and letting my girls make some tiny ones to show in their room.

You can even use candles or those neat (fake) tealights in them for a fun effect :)

And here are the "Monsters":

Have fun and be sure to check me out in Woman's Day!!!!!

Super Quick And Easy Peasy Halloween Printable.....Oh Yeah, Cute Too!!

2011-09-13T01:06:00.000-07:00

Hello all!

Well, I was gonna post something non Halloween-y.....but this is so cute and easy, I just had to share.......Plus, I made it last year and never got around to posting it :(

Anyhoo, I made this one with a glass frame and vinyl and showed you last Halloween, but I also made it into a colorful 8 x 10 printable and threw it into a white frame.

All you need to do is download it here and then print it out onto photo paper (or send it to be printed) and voila!! Some more awesome Halloween decor to put up around your house.
Make sure you use the high quality setting to get the best & brightest color!!

Annnnnddddddd, it looks way more expensive than it really is.....shhhhhhhhh. I won't tell if you don't! Well, besides the few thousand other people who read this.....but after that, it'll be our secret!!

Have fun!!

Glow-y Paint Giveaway winner!!!

2011-09-12T09:24:00.000-07:00

Okie Dokie!!!

Wanna know who won their choice of 3 cool glow-in-the-dark paints?

Drum roll please.......

#12 CodynStacey

Just email me with your info and what 3 colors you would like (out of white, green, blue, aqua, lilac, & orange) and I'll get those on their way so you can whip up some of your own awesome Halloween glowing crafts!!

Have fun!!

Oooooooooohhhhhhh! Spooky!! And A Batty Giveaway!!

2011-09-09T03:54:00.000-07:00

Well, it's that time of year again........the time when we all feel like kids again at the thought of truckloads of candy and sweets and the idea of dressing up as ANYTHING we could possibly dream up! Add to that the smell of Autumn in the air and the result is simply magical.......

Anyhoo, I LOVE Halloween and have TONS of ideas for crafts this year, so come back soon!

In the meantime.......lemme show you how to make this awesome craft I made with cool glowing paint and cute glitter bats. Cool huh?

Anyhoo, I started off with a 16 inch pizza tray from Walmart.....which only cost a few bucks. That was waaaaaayyyyyy cheaper than ANY round wooden plaque I could find ($8-$14 bucks), oddly enough. Plus, the rounded bottom gives great dimension to the moon.

I sprayed it well with a white primer.....and then took some grey paint and sponged it on to try and give it a cool "moon-y" look. Don't worry if you don't get it perfect (like me :).....you can cover the splotchy parts with the bats. Actually.....I DID like the way it turned out, pretty "moon-ish"

To finish.......paint on a few coats of super-cool glow-in-the-dark paint. I got mine here and got a bunch of different colors (each one glowing for a different amount of time......The white, purple, and orange only glow for a few hours and the other 3 glow at least 10-15 hours!).

I wanted to use white and luckily this kind of paint is clear in daylight and glows in darkness. I Painted on 3 coats to make sure it works well.

I got these cute glittery foam bats last year on clearance and just attached them onto the front with foam adhesive to add a little more dimension.

Ta da!!! Totally spooky huh?

Here it is hanging on the front door.

And for extra cool effect outside (since the glow isn't the greatest outside due to street lamps and such)......I replaced our porch light with a sweet blacklight I picked up at WallyWorld. It's an energy efficient one, so it should last for years!

If you don't want to do the glowing paint.....you can do the regular paint and the blacklight should still help it glow nicely ;)

Want to make your own? Well, leave me a comment and tell me what you would like to make glow in (or around) your house and I'll send you 3 jars of glow-y paint to make your very own cool Halloween stuff!!! You can even pick your colors!!!

Ready.....go!!

Have fun and good luck......you can leave comments till midnite on Sunday the 11th!!

Etsy Store Is Open!!

2011-09-05T09:32:00.000-07:00

Hello all, hope you are all having a great Labor Day and get/got to spend some fun time with your families for one last summer hurrah!!

Anyhoo, just wanted to let you all know I decided to open up my Etsy store again.....Yay! It will be stocked full~ish with all sorts of fun kits for you to make your own cute little crafts. So basically, I'll do all the hunting & gathering......and YOU can go in for the kill.....hee hee.

I already added vinyl so you all can make your very own "Be" blocks......which is also a great craft for Super Saturday. I also added a kit to make the super~cute clothespin magnets I posted a few days ago.

Soon, I'll post stuff like countdown blocks, and more, so check back often!!

Have fun!!

Super Duper Cute and Easy Clothespin Magnets

2011-09-01T03:22:00.000-07:00

Holy cow! It's been SO hot here the last week-ish. We've just been hiding inside or searching for other activities to do indoors and I'm trying REALLY hard to refrain from crankin' the A/C till it snows in here. Good thing the older 2 get to hang out in nice air-conditioned school each day, hee hee.

Anyhoo, I wanted to show you all these really cute magnets that are also incredibly strong, so they can actually hold lots of papers, photos, and stuff. Plus, they're made outta clothespins!! Sweet huh? Do I need to remind you all how much I am infatuated with magnets?.....no? ok, let's get on with the cuteness, then.

Just start off with a bunch of wooden clothespins and take 'em all apart (super easy~peasy......just don't pinch your fingers).

Spray paint the pieces with white paint.....or you can hand paint them too! They are very lightweight, so I used painters tape to stick them to a piece of scrap wood before I sprayed. Paint both sides and let those puppies dry well & then put 'em all back together......I like to do this while I watch t.v., since it's kind of monotonous. (Ha! look at me using big words!! And spelling them right the first time!)

So, now you have some pretty white clothespins.....what to do next? Oh yeah, make them even prettier!!

So, now pick out your cute paper and cut strips the same size as your clothespins. Then, using your finger, spread a thin layer of glue on the paper (make sure it covers it completely), and press it in place. I like to use Aleene's Tacky glue for the thicker paper to make sure they stick well.

Once those are dry, spread a layer of Mod Podge on top to seal it......you can just use your finger for this part too, it's easier than a brush.

Next glue a super~strong magnet to the back (they are called neodymium and you can get them from Sun & Moon Crafts on Etsy)......and......

Ta~Da!!
The pink and green papers are Basic Grey & the other is My Mind's Eye. You can whip some of these cuties for any holiday too!

Now you have some very pretty magnets that will hold a lot of weight for you. These are great for bag clips too or holding cute pics of your kiddos.

Have fun!!

A Little Update.....i.e. Why I Have Been MIA

2011-08-26T02:53:00.000-07:00

So it's been awhile since I've been writing regularly (soooooooo sorry about that BTW) I figured I would write an update post for ALL my awesome readers that have continued to stop by even though I've been kinda laaaaaame. I want to let all you wonderful people know how much that means to me and that some of you have even dropped emails to ask about things around the McDonald casa. Those emails always seemed to land in my inbox on days when I was feeling too overwhelmed & really needed a lift in my spirits. I know I was terrible and didn't always answer, but please, please KNOW how much those few sentences meant to me and that someone was thinking about me. I promise I'll make it up to you guys!!

So enough about me......ok, actually maybe a little more about me since this IS an update post after all :D

Well, we have all been doing well......just super busy over the summer. It always took up so much time to take the kiddos places to keep them active and entertained and keep them from maiming each other whenever they got cabin fever and had had too much of each other. It gets pretty HOT 'round these parts in the summer (or this week too!!) and we need to visit the pool often or find alternate sources of indoor fun.

My migraines also got worse there for awhile and I just wanted to focus all my non-agonizing time with my sweet little girlies (no, really......look how sweet & cute they all are.....mostly while they are alseep). I am learning to manage the migraines better and treat them faster, so that's good.

We have also been working really hard with Kira everyday to try and catch her up with speech (she's very behind and we were starting to worry). But, we just found out that she is having hearing problems due to fluid buildup in her ears.....which we were starting to suspect. So, they'll drain them to see if it's a chronic problem and then check for any other issues. Even though this is not necessarily a good thing....we are relieved to know that this should help her speech immensely.

Other than that......Madison just turned 7 (gasp!) and is now a big 2nd grader. She is at a larger school campus and was worried about that all summer. Sissy #2, Aislyn, is still 5 & now enjoys her mornings in Kindergarten and LOVES it!! Although I suspect she still gets lost in "Aislyn-Land" sometimes. Kira will be 3 soon and is still small in stature, but makes sure her presence is known throughout the house. She is making huge strides in development, but just needs more help with speech (as I said earlier).

Anyhoo, since the older 2 kiddos are off to school these days and I have more time in the day to spend with Kira and to keep up a little better with my blogging.....after all, I have many months worth of crafty things to show you all! I also want to open up my Etsy store again soon......so stay tuned!!

BTW, don't you all just adore this year's family pics!!! And yes, you guessed it...... these were all taken by the very lovely & talented Jen Gagliardi, thanks SO much again Jen!!!

Have fun!!

Need To Stay Organized This School Year.....And Later too?

2011-08-08T05:00:00.000-07:00

Yes, yes, I know what you all are thinking.......terrible blogger, this one. But, I won't bore you with excuses. I'll just get on to the cute new craft I have to show you all!

Okie dokie, so I love, love, LOVE those cute framed wall calendars you can write on with dry erase......BUT I don't think the tiny squares are big enough to write things in (legibly).....so, I still don't have one in "ma maison" (a little French thrown in to sound more sophisticated).

Well, the desire to have days planned out came up again once summer started and the kiddos always want to know: "mommmmmmmm, when are we going to the beach?" "mommmmmmm, what day is movie day again?" "mommmmmmm, when can we go to the library this week?" AND, now that school is starting soon (10 days to be exact.....not that I'm counting or anything), I need to be even more organized!!

Soooooooo, I thought that having a weekly calendar around would be a great help to keep track of the family's fun activities as well as appointments and such. I also though to myself: "Self, wouldn't it be nice to think up a way to do this without using vinyl......so anyone can whip up one of these awesome organizational tools up without needing to run to your friendly neighborhood vinyl expert (like me).

Well, you all know I like things on the cheap......so of course I went out and found this sensational old frame to fix up for a few buck-a-roos. There was some very questionable deposits left all over it......so it took longer than usual, but was SO worth it in the end! I need to remind you all in these situations.......don't forget the primer!!!! More and more these days, you can even find primer that matches the color you choose to use. So it only took one coat of primer and one coat of paint.

I designed this so it can be printed out onto super cute paper and put into the frame of your choice. Mine is 11 x 14, so if you use the design for larger than an 8 x 10 frame, you will need to set your printer up to print onto 2 separate pages and tape them together. I just wouldn't use paper with glitter on it since, sadly the ink won't stick to those parts. I designed 3 sizes ( 8 x 10, 11 x 14, & 12 x 12) so you can pick what best suits your needs.

Then, you trim it down to size and tape the pages together in the middle and.......easy peasy, you have your new weekly calendar!!! It's great since you can periodically change the paper to match your decor!!

Have fun!!

Got Candy Canes?

2011-02-13T01:05:00.000-08:00

Heloooooooooo!

So, as you can see......I'm back from my alien abduction. Those little green men were a nice escape from reality, but I figured it was time to get back to crafting and posting (at least more often than every 3 months).

So, farewell my friends from the stars....you were kind to me and introduced me to new and exciting things, like star-fishing and Gorgon hunting. I will miss you all!!

Anyhoo, I will try to post every few weeks as my blog means alot to me......as well as YOU GUYS. I am so pleasantly surprised to continue getting such nice emails wishing me well and making sure I had not fallen off the edge of the Earth (I haven't......not yet). My migraines are still around and even with all the treatments and medicines I've tried, they have (sadly) not abated. But......I am tired of being a recluse and have vowed to try to inhabit the land of the living more often. I have good days and bad days......but am learning to better take advantage of the good times.

Therefore, I want to show you all what I did with my kiddos for some fun V-Day treats! I originally saw this done here over at The Idea Room last year, and made a mental note to make sure and get extra candy canes at Christmastime. This year she added melted chocolate in the middles and they turned out so cute.

I wanted to make larger ones and this is how it worked out for me.......

I heated the oven to 350 and then I lined my cookie sheet with parchment paper (you can use the same piece over and over) so they would not stick.

Check all the canes for cracks and breaks and then lay them as shown with the stick in between.

Put them in the oven and then keep an eye on them and watch for the very FIRST signs of melting and crackling on the top. In my oven this took between 2-2 1/2 minutes.......They will continue to melt a little once out of the oven (this picture was taken after they had melted a tiny bit more and cooled). Take them out and quickly (and carefully) push the melty candy onto the stick at the top and bottom. Then, let them cool.

For the filling.....melt your chocolate chips (white or milk) and spoon into the middle of your pepper-minty treat. It took about 2 tablespoons to fill it nicely. Use the tip of your spoon or a toothpick to spread the chocolate around inside.

You need to wait a few minutes before sprinkling in your sprinkles (or crushed candies) to keep it from sinking down to the bottom like what happened here.....

Done right, they will turn out supa cute like this one!!

Then......once cooled, you can slip them into some cute bags and tie them at the bottom with a purdy Valentine's ribbon.

As you can see, my little girlies wanted to make their own customized suckers to show their cute individuality.

We even had the idea to use some of the cherry ones to make some "boy" ones for my 4 year-old's preschool class (yes, it's a small class.....2 girls and 2 boys)

So, if you happen to have any of these Christmas candies laying around......use them up now!! If not......a friend of mine even found some on clearance at one of our local grocery stores.

Have fun!!

Silhouette Bundle Winner!!! And Super Cute Birthday Calendar

2010-11-11T22:37:00.000-08:00

So.........

Wanna see who won the supa-awesome Silhouette bundle including:

1. 2 rolls of heat transfer (1 white & 1 yellow, smooth)

2. A package of tattoo paper (2 sheets!)

3. A package of magnetic paper (4 sheets!)

Well, I'm gonna make you wait a few......first I want to show you all this really cute project I made with the neat-o magnet sheets I got from Silhouette.

We all know how much I llllooovvveeeee all things magnetic......right?

Okie dokie.

Well, my friend Heidi showed me a cute birthday calendar she made for her grandma in the style of my chore chart. Needless to say, I wanted one too......but didn't have another large space to hang one that size.

So, I started thinking really hard.....

.....and about a year later, I came up with this cuteness.

So I went to Marshalls and picked up a pretty 8x10 frame on the cheap.

Then, I looked in my stash and pulled out an 8x12 metal roofing shingle (you can get at your local hardware store....also called "metal flashing") and marked 10" on the long side and took hubby's tin snips to it trim it to size (not too expensive either). Also, you can totally use medium or coarse sandpaper to de-sharpen the razor-sharp edges.

I found some cute Autumn-y paper and printed "November Birthdays" at the top and put that in the frame, in front of the metal shingle.

I designed these sweet magnets, sized 1" x 1.25", and used this cute cupcake clipart to add some festive-ness (and to ensure my girls would want to play with them all. the. time.)

Then, I just had to print them out on my printer (I put the settings on matte photo paper, in order to get a great, colorful printing), and cut them all apart.......and.....

Voila!!!

So, now I have a new, pretty, and useful magnetic thing in my house!

AND, you can either leave the paper the same year-round, or change it monthly to add to your seasonal decor.

Well, thanks for all of your very flattering compliments last post......you guys ROCK!!!

Also, I'm not the one who made that first project.....I got that photo from the really awesome Silhouette blog. Be sure to check it out, there are tons of great crafty eye-candy to look at and get inspiration from.

Ok, on to the winner!

According to Random.org......

Congrats

Julie Johnson!!!

You are the winner of this awesome prize from Silhouette worth $50!!

Email me your info so I can pass it on to Silhouette so you can get your cool stuff :)

BTW.....I am SO getting one of these cool machines for Christmas!!!

Have fun!!

Super-Duper Silhouette Contest!!

2010-11-03T16:06:00.000-07:00

Hey all!!

Guess what!!!!

Silhouette sent me some of their awesome products to try AND they are sponsoring a cool giveaway of those products worth $50 bucks!!! AND are also offering a special deal for my super-cool readers!!!

How sweet does all that sound????

Well, I'm sure by now you all know what Silhouette is.....right? It's a fabulous electronic cutting machine that hooks right up to your computer. You can then download any of their charming images or fonts (and have access to all the fonts already on your computer!) to use to cut out just about anything you can think of.......vinyl (my fav), paper, heat transfer material, magnetic sheets, and SO MUCH MORE!!!

Silhouette also carries all sorts of fun materials you can make such fun and creative things with.....think Christmas presents ya'll!!

The software the machine uses is very user friendly and super-duper easy to set up. They offer thousands of amazing images that you can buy one at a time and most start around .99!! Even though I don't have one yet.....this is definitely going on my Christmas list this year!!!

Up for grabs in this Silhouette bundle contest is:

1. 2 rolls of heat transfer (1 white & 1 yellow, smooth)

2. A package of tattoo paper (2 sheets!)

3. A package of magnetic paper (4 sheets!)

These cute projects are from their blog, but I will be showing something you can make with some of these neat products in the coming week, so check back to see.

Don't forget.....you don't even need to own a Silhouette machine to make cool stuff, you just need a handy pair of scissors or another die cutter that you already own!!

How to enter:

1. Stop by the Silhouette site or blog and tell me what you would make if you won this awesome prize pack

2. Become a follower of the Silhouette blog or on their Facebook page
3. Become a follower of Not So Idle Hands ~ We all like to be followers.....
4. Tell me how cool I am......hee hee, this one's just for my self esteem ;)

*Don't forget to leave a separate comment for each entry*

A few rules too:

1. Giveaway ends November 10th

2. Open to US residents only

3. You can only win once......even if you are lightning-strikes-twice lucky and win on another blog, you can only be sent one prize pack.

AND DON"T FORGET......My readers get 25% off all accessories using the code HANDS until November 13th, so don't delay!!!

Have fun!

A Few Last Halloween Ideas.....

2010-10-30T23:21:00.000-07:00

Ok, so anyone game for 2 last great Halloween projects.....for next year, of course. But still fun to look at and keep in mind for later :)

For this project, I was inspired by Shelley of House of Smiths and her supa-cute Halloween subway art she showed here!!

So, I decided to make one to add to our Halloween decor stash this year (I like to add something each year).

I got myself a perfectly nice frame at the thrift store for a few buckaroos (just like Shelley) and painted it white (I always like to use primer first to make sure it sticks well)

Then, after cleaning the glass thoroughly, I applied my words to the back (it was cut out backwards), popped the glass back into the frame with a nice kraft paper background.......

AND

Ta da!!!

Totally cute, right?

Next up, I just fancied up a cute jar for some spooky gummy worms.

I found this SWEET blog Love Manor and they had some spooky and realistic-looking Halloween labels that I HAD to use!

So, I printed one up and then dirtied it up a bit around the edges and used my Terrifically Tacky Tape to stick it to this cute jar and then added some yummy wiggly worms to it.

YUM!!

Okie dokie, one last idea while I've got you all here.....

My friend Chanelle told me about the "Halloween Fairy" at their house and I thought that was a fantastic was to get all that candy OUT of the house AND still keep the kiddos happy.

So, after they get home and look through their stash, they get to pick out a few pieces to keep (5-10ish) and then put the rest under their pillow (or at the foot of their beds since it's supa hard to get that from under a sleeping kid's head).

Then, the Halloween Fairy comes and leaves them a present and takes away ALL THAT CANDY outta the house and the kiddos LOVE IT!!! They even tell all their friends about it.....and when their friends tell them they haven't heard of the Halloween Fairy, it just makes them think they are so special to be the only ones ;)

Hope you all have a spooky and safe All Hallows Eve this year and be sure to come back on Monday for a Supa Special giveaway I will be hosting!!!! Don't forget!

Have fun!

A Few Words.....And Some Halloween Inspiration!!

2010-10-08T03:49:00.000-07:00

So,.......

I wanted to take a few moments and explain why I've not been around much lately.....

First, I hope you all know how much I LOVE this blog and all of you GREAT readers out there! You guys are what keeps me blogging/crafting late at night when I should be sleeping (really, I should be....)

Next, I wanted to tell you all the real reason I have been MIA so much (gasp!), well aside from the fact that there are 3 cute little girls always running around here that keep me pretty occupied.

So, I've mentioned before that I get migraines....and they suck (for lack of a better.....PG-rated word)!! Well, what I didn't say was that I get them all.the.time. Like several days each week....and recently they have gotten worse and more frequent. (if you don't know what migraines are, here's a pretty good breakdown, but I have never had an "aura" with mine.....so needless to say I'm jealous, cuz they sound pretty freakin' cool!).

Anyhoo, typically mine start with a regular headache for several hours and then advance in to full-blown migraine attack, where I need to sprinkle a box of cereal on the kitchen floor and turn on Phineas & Ferb to keep my girls happy while I retire to my closet and lay on the floor and just try to sleep it off and keep my feet against the door to keep my kids out when they run out of cereal....or till the baby has a poopy diaper....whichever comes first. Ok, I'm not really THAT neglectful.....but you get the picture. The migraine part is also usually followed by another headache or just where I feel crappy and tired for another few hours.....such a treat!

I do take a daily medicine to (cross-my-fingers) keep them away and then a medicine to stop them when they do decide to bless me with their presence....and that second one works well enough IF I catch it early enough, so, thankfully (hallelujah!) they don't always progress to the migraine attack part.

So, there it is.....I still think of you all very often and will continue to post whenever I am able or not prying my older 2 children off the baby....cuz they "just love her so much, mommy" or keeping my now-walking toddler from running (yeah, that walking-to-running thing happens FAST!) over and getting the child-safe scissors from the craft table and putting them straight into her mouth. And then, blah, blah, blah, blah.......

Ok, enough boring stuff and onto the the good stuff!!

Here are some Halloween crafts I did in the past that still garner a pretty good following and will hopefully get your creative juices flowing in time for the long-awaited, candy-filled, sugar coma night (I will post new stuff soon!):

Glowing Jack O' Lanterns and Monsters

These have been SO wildly popular since I posted about them last year....and anyone can see why. Cheap, easy and they glow!!

Spooky Cupcake Ghosties

This also has a recipe for super-easy homemade fondant so you and yours little ghouls can make your own!

Halloween Countdown Blocks

Whats better to foster anticipation than letting your kiddos count down each.and.every.day.

Glass Halloween Blocks

So, can I tell you how much I LOVE finding craft supplies at Home Depot or Lowes....this is one example....

Super Yummy Eyeballs

Mmmmmm, what more can I say?

Okie dokie, so get out there and make up some of your own ghostly goodies to display around your home!!

Have fun!!

Mobile Diaper Changing Station And Reader Giveaway!!!

2010-09-14T05:27:00.000-07:00

Good morning to you all!

Well, school is well on it's way....and I started the first rotation for teaching in our preschool co-op. So,things have calmed down a bit for us. Hopefully, that means more crafting time.....

Okie dokie, so I made this for a friend of mine and brought it to her shower last month (yes, I'm behind....what else is new?). It's a MObile Diaper Changing Station, or MODCS. Things with acronyms just sounds better :)

I thought it would be cool to have a remote place to change baby so she wouldn't always have to go to baby's bedroom each time. And........this is great for those of you with 2 or 3 story houses, so you don't need to climb the stairs 25 times each day (even though you still may for other reasons :)

Anyhoo, I got the handled carrier at Ikea in the kitchen area, and the diaper holder at Michaels on clearance awhile back (I knew it would be cute for something!!) I stocked them with diapers, powder, butt cream, spray hand sanitizer, (for mom), lotion, and even one of these cute onsies for when she's out with dad.....

So, I started by spray-painting these both "heirloom white", and don't forget the primer....they both needed it to help the paint hold on!

Then, I picked out some ca-ute paper I got recently by My Mind's Eye called "Penny Lane." I didn't want it to be too girly or cutesy, so it wouldn't look too weird hangin' out in her living room.....or if she wanted to use them for something else later on (like in the office or as a mail sorter).

I cut all the paper to size and glued it down....but I didn't do the front and back of the diaper holder.....I was too lazy to cut out all those birdy sillouettes.....on the inside, though, I put my favorite paper!!! The cute bird with crazy hair.....isn't he SO stinkin' adorable?!?!

Also, I found a cute diaper changing pad to help keep the carpet nice and spotless during those extra messy, post-chili diapers (but who really feeds their baby chili anyways.....oh, wait my hubby does!).

Hope this inspires you to think outside the box when it comes to baby shower gifts. Good luck!

Now,

I wanted to talk about this awesome Color Wonder stuff we got to try out from the folks at My Blog Spark & Crayola!

Family travel and Color Wonder are a perfect combination. With a variety of Color Wonder activities, children are free to express themselves and have mess-free fun whether they’re in the backseat of the mini-van or up in the wild blue yonder.

Kids love the way the colors magically reveal and moms love that there’s no clean up involved. Color only appears when the markers or paints meet Color Wonder paper, so there are no clothes to wash or hands to clean when you reach your final destination!

From purple mountain majesty to the pacific blue ocean, we want you to show us the wonders of America using Color Wonder as you travel this summer. The great Crayola Color Wonder products that you can take along on your summer trip include:

Crayola Color Wonder Lap Desk provides a large, hard-top surface for kids to create on the go. The sturdy desk has a built-in handle and a soft detachable pillow that can be used as a storage unit for Color Wonder markers and paper. The Lap Desk is equipped with 12 re-stickable pieces of Color Wonder paper to keep kids’ drawings in place and 5 Color Wonder mess-free mini markers in red, orange, yellow, green and blue.

Crayola Color Wonder Fingerpaints & Paper make the once impossible possible – fingerpainting in the car! The set includes clear, fast-drying gels that feel just like traditional fingerpaint. The set comes with 5 mess-free colors (red, yellow, green, blue and orange) in a hand-shaped storage container, a built-in finger cleaning sponge and 12 extra-wide sheets of Color Wonder paper. When kids are finished painting, they simply snap the fingerprint lids closed and paint stays fresh and ready to use again!

Crayola Color Wonder Markers and Paper includes 5 Color Wonder markers and a 24-page Color Wonder drawing pad where your kids can create anything they want while you’re on the road!

Crayola Color Wonder Stow & Go Studio provides a solid, compact drawing surface with stay-put clips that can secure a single piece of paper or an entire Color Wonder activity book. Kids will enjoy creating with mess-free Color Wonder markers that make colors magically appear on special paper and reveal special hidden surprises.

Crayola Color Wonder Story Stampers includes 5 Color Wonder markers in red, blue, green, purple and orange, a Color Wonder stamp pad, 6 sea creature stamps, and an 18-page coloring pad with undersea background settings. Each setting is unique, so every page will inspire a different fish tale just waiting to be told! Kids’ imaginations will take them beneath the sea as they stamp color sea creatures using the colorless Color Wonder stamp pad to create innovative stories and scenarios then can then color in. It's like high tide for your imagination!

My kiddos have LOVED every minute with these......and I LOVE not having to worry constantly about where they are creating or what their messy fingers are touching afterwards :)

AND

I get to give all this away to one lucky reader!!!!

So, congrats to:

Jenn @ My Not So Glamorous Life!!!

Just email me with your info and I'll send it on!!

Have fun all!

Super Easy Chalkboard Plate

2010-08-06T03:33:00.000-07:00

Well, helloooooooooo there!

So sorry it's been awhile, but we have been very busy enjoying all the fun stuff summer has to offer (and going a little crazy from cabin fever whenever we can't get out)

So, I wanted to show a fun craft that I saw here last year sometime somewhere (I see sooooo many great ideas, but my memory poops out on me sometimes.....or I just forget to write it down.....).

I got these beautiful plates on clearance from Target some time ago and knew they would be perfect! I like the way they have a wide edge around them.

You will also need:

Chalkboard paint
Primer
Blue tape (painters tape)

Start by taping off where you want the chalkboard area to be.....making sure to cover the rest of the plate to keep it splatter-free. See how I used the tape to make curved corners....it's easy :)

Spray a layer of primer first. This will help the paint to stick to the slick surface of the plate. Then, spray 2-4 thin layers (thin layers will keep it from getting drips) of the chalkboard paint till you are happy with the thickness.

After you are happy, take the tape off (before it dries), just in case your painters tape pulls off the paint once it's dry.

Yay!

Now you have something to use for your daily menu, instructions to hubby & kiddos, shopping list, etc.......

These also make awesome gifts.....this is one thing I made to give out at Christmas last year ;)

Thanks so much for sticking with me this last month while I was being a hermit....I LOVE you all and will be posting more often now that school is almost back in session.

(YES! In California school starts early! Maddie goes back the 16th)

Have fun!

I'm Not Quitting, But.....

2010-06-27T22:26:00.000-07:00

......I think it's time for me to slow down a little and focus on spending more time with my kiddos.

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE blogging and all the new bloggy friends I've met by doing my blog, but I don't want to look back one day and wish I spent more time playing Candy Land with my girls.

But, I WILL continue to post when I have the time, so please still come visit me every now and then.

Until then........Have fun!!

Hmmmmmm......

2010-06-20T23:41:00.000-07:00

Now I see why this construction company was the lowest bid.........Maybe I should find a new route home.

Don't Laugh, He's My Dad.....

2010-06-17T13:18:00.000-07:00

Sorry I've been MIA this week, yesterday was my birthday (In case you were wondering, this is the second anniversary of my 30th), so I thought I would take a few days off to relax.

And now I have to brag a little about my sweet hubby........

He was GREAT......on Tues, he took the kids out most of the afternoon, so I could have some "me" time. Then, he arranged for his step-mom to come watch the kiddos and put them to bed (thanks so much LaRee!!) while we went out to a REALLY nice French restaurant in Palm Springs. And although it was all pure butter and cream, it was YUM!

Then he left an ice-cream cake for me and the girls to eat and some awesome gifts for me to open yesterday since he had to work

Thanks Chris, you are the BEST!!

So on that note.....
Anyone need an idea for father's Day?

Well, I wanted to show you all the special gift I made to show my hubby how much we love and care for him......

I made these cute matching shirts for all the girls to surprise daddy on Father's Day last week (yes, we celebrated last week........cuz mommy got mixed up and thought it was last Sunday until AFTER church when hubby broke the news and by then it was too late to UN-excite the kids......and me :)

So, you can whip some up too just like I did with this onesie.

My older 2 girls were trying REALLY hard to help me get good pictures of them.......

....but this is what was really happening.

These were just too funny not to post, since I know you can probably all relate.

Needless to say, Kira was NOT happy about getting her picture taken and the other 2 started getting bored after a few minutes.

Out of 150 pics (I was just shooting the whole time), the 3 at the top were the best ones I could find :)

Have fun!!
And don't forget to upload YOUR pics to the NSIH Flickr Group.

Reader Flickr Feature

2010-06-13T23:01:00.000-07:00

Time for another Reader Flickr Feature!! So check these awesome ladies out!!

Stop by and check out Sarah over at A Little of This, A Little of That and see how she makes these gorgeous table leg candlesticks.......you'll never believe what they are made of (or maybe you will since I just wrote it :)

Anywhoo, pop on over and get the full tute on how to put a pair of these together for your house!!

Next up, I saw this beautiful dress refashion and now I'm on the lookout for a shirt and skirt to make my own!! Plus, her 3 year-old took her pictures and did a very nice job :)

AND her blog name is Polkanuts.......dontcha just LOVE that name!?!?!?!?

Also, look at these adorable candle holder that omaroma made......just so cute to make for your sweetie on V-Day or your anniversary

Be sure to stop by the NSIH Flickr Group and share pics of your cute crafts with everyone!!

Have fun!

Freecycle Friday - Temple Sealing Gift And Reader Giveaway!!!!

2010-06-11T14:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday!!!

Today is special because it was the LAST day of kindergarten for my baby girl!!!

I think I need to cry now......my baby is growing up so fast and she's gonna be a first grader!! Holy cow!!

When she was a baby, I could NEVER imagine her as a first grader......or a kindergartner :(

Ok, so enough blubbering and on to my Freecycle craft for today.

I found a B-eautiful frame at my local thrift store and grabbed it right up!!

It was perfect for a gift I wanted to make for some friends of mine who got sealed together last Sat!!!!!

I made this like I made the Christmas frame here and the Halloween frames here.

I started out with this......gorgeous right?

So I took it apart and spray-painted the frame black and then distressed it.

I made sure to cut the vinyl out backwards, so I could apply it to the backside of the glass.

And then I put the name on first and after the writing. I wanted to personalize it so it would be a special reminder of that special day.

Finally, I glued the glass back into the frame with E6000, so it would stay without a back.

Ta-da!

Congrats you guys!!

Also, I wanted to tell you a bit about a new snack I got to try recently.......

I was sent a pack of these yummy Nature Valley Chewy Trail Mix Bars from General Mills through My Blog Spark and let me tell you, they are GREAT!!

I love the chewy-ness (is that a word?) and all the whole almonds, peanuts, raisins and cranberries!!

These are now available at Sams club and They aren't only yummy, but convenient too, the club sized snacks are individually wrapped and ideal for throwing in your purse or travel bag, just in case your little one’s tummy starts to rumble.

So, I got send a club-sized pack (48) AND a giftcard for $25 to Sams Club......

AND I have one (the snacks and giftcard) to give away to one of you (I pick the winners from my list of followers, so follow me if you want a chance in the future!)

The winner is:

SunShineyRain!!

Be sure to e-mail me with your info so I can get your prize sent to you!!!

Have fun!

Why I Am How I Am - Part Deux

2010-06-10T16:25:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I've got my bowl of cherries (no, really it's cherry season here and they are GREAT!!), a tall glass of water and I'm ready to type some more!!

Umm, so I guess this next one is from my baby sis, Sarah......she asked:

So ummm how come you haven't posted my cool clock that I made you for Christmas?

Ok, so I don't really have an excuse, other than I keep forgetting :(

But here it is now!! This is the best clock that my baby sis made us for Christmas!! Isn't it awesome?!?!?!?!

She painted, decoupaged the paper, numbers, and quotes on and then sealed it. We LOVE it and have it on our mantel for all the world to see :)

If you want to see pics of my sis, you can click here and here to see pics of her wedding last August (that I took :)

Eileen asked:

How much time do you spend each day updating/posting to your blog?

Well, I don't post every day, but when I do, it takes a few hours (for me) to write a post. I have to write out the steps for the tute and then upload the pics to Photoshop to edit and then add them to the post.......and that doesn't take into account the bazillion times I get interrupted by my family.

Also, when I am making a craft (and this goes for all those other crafty-blog-ladies out there), I like to stop at each step to take the pics that I ultimately post with the tute.

Do you have any computer/technical background?

No way, I've had to learn how to design my own blog as I go along.....with help from some great bloggy friends of course!!

Do you earn much money from your sponsors?

Nope, for my sponsors I currently only charge $5 per month for space on my sidebar. I also earn a little from Google Ads, but it's not much....yet :) Although, maybe next year I'll show the Super Bowl here.......and then I can charge whatever I want!!!

Lucy asked:

What is your favorite recipe?

Mostly things that are bad for me and I can't eat very often!! But, I would have to say it's a toss-up between the aebleskiver recipe and caramel sauce for dipping my mom gave me (from her Danish friend when we lived in Germany) or yummy no-bake cookies!! Both of which I will share with you soon.....I promise!

Where would you visit if you could go ANYWHERE in the world, and why?

Well, hubby and I traveled a bit in Europe before we started popping out kiddos, but the next places on our list are Australia and New Zealand (as long as we are going that far, we might as well visit both!)
Then we can visit Middle-Earth too!! And maybe meet some hobbits (because NZ is where they filmed the movies, get it?)

What would you drive if you were to be given ANY vehicle?

Just check yesterday's post to see the answer to this.

What do you love about your home?

That it's just a one level and NO STAIRS!!!! Woo Hoo!!!!

What do you hate about your home?

Too many ginormous walls to decorate......we've been here 4 1/2 years and STILL have alot of bare walls!!

Why are you so nice to share such FUN with us?

Thank you for that, BTW.~

Awwwww, you are sweet! I really like doing a blog, and meeting so many bloggy (yes, that's a word) friends! Plus, it helps that I am keeping track of the crafts I do.......I've even had to go back a few times when I've forgotten measurements or something ;)

Jill asked:

What's your favorite way to "escape from mommy-land"?

Well, I hate to say it, but t.v. (or movies) are my escapes. I usually watch a little to unwind after putting my 3-little-reasons-my-hair-is-grey to bed at night. My other escape is kinda obvious......what? No, it's not?? Well, CRAFTING of course you sillies (can you tell I hang out with kids all day?)!

What's the one crafty talent that you wish you had?

I wish I could sew better........as in, not scared out of my wits when I have to sew anything other than straight lines.

If you were a superhero with craft powers, what would they be and how would you use them?

Hmmmm, hubby and I were JUST talking last week about what super powers we would each like to have. (BTW, I would LOVE to be able to teleport AND fly and hubby wants invisibility) But, as for crafting super powers.......maybe the power to NOT screw up any of my crafts? And I would use them to help others not screw up their crafts too! Because, trust me, I mess up more than you think :)

Organicmommy asked:

If you had to pick one craft to do and that was the only one you could ever do, what would you pick? That is my toughest question I ask myself.

Oh man!! I could NEVER stick to just one thing!! I get bored all the time AND have ADD, so that would make me crazy!

When you are sitting in your nice alone time crafting or relaxing what is the one thing you mind tends to run to?

Well, sometimes I think about what I'm gonna write in my next post or how I want to do the tute.....OR trying to work out different ways to trick my kids into going to bed early or eat their veggies.

Mandy asked:

How do you prioritize your time with motherhood, being a wife, cleaning, cooking, crafting, blogging, and whatever else you have!?

Well, I have learned that when I get busy with other things, my kids are the ones that get neglected the most. So I try to make sure I spend time with them (and hubby) each day and play games or snuggle or even just listen to what they have to say ('cuz girls ALWAYS have something to say!!) As much as I joke about them, they are the sweetest and I LOVE spending time with them and all together as a family too.
So, I guess my first priority is family........but crafting and blogging always trump cleaning and cooking (we have PB and J alot for dinner at our house)!!

Shirley asked:

Prioritizing time! That will be a wonderful one to hear! Starting the blog for the ribbon retreat has been a bit stressful balancing motherhood, being a wife, and crafting and blogging about it. You craft bloggers are my heros! lol.

Mostly just what I said above. But, trying to make deadlines (that I set for myself) is stressful at times, but sometimes I have to just let my self be a little late posting in order to keep my sanity.

Where did you grow up and what in your childhood has shaped you the most?

Wow, this is deep!! I'm not sure what has shaped me from my childhood, but I do know I was lucky to have a stable family life and two parents that loved me very much. I also had TONS of siblings (just kidding, there were only 5 of us, but some days it seemed more!)
I grew up mostly in Colorado, with some time in Germany (I was born there since my dad was stationed there for the Army) when I was little. Germany is the COOLEST place for a kid.....they LOVE kids there and always seemed to be having fun things going on (or maybe that was just what I thought as a five year old :)

JustJenn said:

Wow! Good questions here! I'm curious to see your answers Emily! (call me nosey, LOL!)

That's ok, isn't that the whole reason we all read blog!?!?! Cuz we want to see what everyone else is up to and see into their lives (and wish we were them......oops, didn't mean to write that outloud)

Seth's Mommy asked:

Favorite Guilty Pleasure?

Well, since this is a PG blog.......I would have to say going and browsing at craft stores or finding some screaming deals at thrift stores or Marshalls (that's MY crack!)

Favorite TV Shows?

Check yesterday's post.

Biggest Vice?

Candy.
(HA! you guys thought I was going to say crafting!!) If I'm not careful......I can polish off a whole bag of Skittles (or M and Ms) in one sitting. And then I'm all hyper and crazy (crazier) for a few hours!

Char@CrapI'veMade asked:

If you ever come to Utah, can we have lunch?

Umm, yes please!! Lunch is my 2nd favorite meal (after breakfast and before dinner :) We get up there around once a year to see family (Duh, I'm LDS, so of course we have family in Utah)

Would you rather have newspaper for skin or bendy straws for hair?

Ooh, Ooh, bendy straws definitely......you must've been reading my mind, cuz I was just thinking about having bendy straw hair the other day!!!

Could you do a cartwheel right now?

Can you? I'll do one if you do.

Whose poster did you have in your junior high locker?

Hmmmmm, well that was ___ years ago.....so probably New Kids On The Block or NKOTB as they are known now. Right next to my Trapper Keeper and leg warmers.

Hope asked:

How did you feel about the way LOST ended?

Oh man I was NOT expecting that ending!!! It was a nice twist ending and very sweet that they all ended up together (although I'm not quite sure where they went.....heaven maybe?). Even thought they didn't answer all the questions I'm sure we all had, I was actually happy with it. I guess it's kinda fun to leave with a little mystery and gives us something to talk about with our friends. I do want to watch it all over now to see the things I missed the 1st time around :)

Also, what's your favorite craft/s?

Check yesterday's post

Valentinegirl asked:

What's your favorite color?

Blue....and I like green alot, but don't tell my girls, I'm ONLY supposed to like blue. That would throw off their universe.

What is on your most played in itunes?

I really like Barenaked Ladies (they have a song called "McDonald's Girl"!!) and Weezer, but otherwise I listen to alot of different music.

What is your favorite quick and easy dinner to make?

Peanut butter and jelly!!! I make it alot when hubby isn't home so I don't have to listen to the kids whine about dinner being "yucky"

Rafahi Family asked:

Do you constantly think of crafts all the time? And when you are on vacation, do you break from crafts, or write down ideas to crate once you return home? Or do you take crafts to do while on vacation?)

Yes, yes, no.

Ok, yes, I am always thinking of crafts to do, but it's not because I'm crazy or obsessed or anything (just a little of both)........it's just because of the blog and I want to always have cool stuff to post for you all.

Well we haven't taken a vacation since Jan 09 because we were saving $$ (and vacation hours for hubby) for our trips to Russia, but when we do get out again, yes, I do break from crafts and just maybe take a few notes if I see something cool.

No, hubby would probably leave me if I took crafts to do while on vacation......not kidding.

Greenbean asked:

Ok...i know nothing about sewing...but wanting a newbie friendly machine...any suggestions?....

Unfortunately, I don't know much about sewing machines (other than mine). I know that I do like that mine's NOT digital (too many things for me to break), but I've heard others say differently. I also LOVE the button feature and the general setup of mine (I have a Janome model 385.4052LX200). But I think Ashley over at Make it and Love it did a post about machines awhile back you could check out.

*Update* I totally forgot to add this in that my super-sweet friend Chanelle (who writes the blog Simply Real) wrote for me to put in here. She says:

"When I read Emily's post asking for questions, I thought and thought about what I could ask, but couldn't come up with anything. I did think of some things you might not know about her. She said she would be honest in answering your questions, and I'm sure that's true, but there are some things she may forget to tell you. So that's where I come in.

Things you never would have known about Emily
So you already know that Emily is a super star crafter. But you may not have known she's got the Midas touch- everything she touches doesn't turn to gold, it turns to a craft. You've seen that with her freecycle fridays, but what you haven't seen is her crafters club. She'll have us over to do crafts, take one look at mine, and say something sweet like, "Maybe I can finish that up for you." When I next look at it, my tile with vinyl slapped on haphazardly becomes a beautiful work of art.

When Emily moved in a mutual friend told me that Emily was into health. I believed her for a while... until Emily fed my 8 month old a donut (his first sugar EVER!)

But healthy food or not (and seriously, it's probably healthy most of the time), whatever she's doing is working for her. A man down the street from her said to me, "You and Emily look exactly alike. Except she's the skinny version." Ummm...thanks?

When you walk into Emily's front room, the place where a dining room was probably shown in the model, you see a craft table for the kids. There is open space where folding tables can be set up at any time if someone wants to come over and craft.

The only time I can remember Emily getting mad at someone in the four years I've known her is when someone tried to take credit for an Emily-craft. She's the kind of person who will do anything for anyone, but don't mess with Emily and her crafts." (Aaaawwww, thanks Chanelle, this is so sweet!!)

Well, thanks so much to all of you who asked questions, and those of you who just stopped by to read them.

Hopefully I didn't bore you and make you not want to ever come back here or fall asleep on your keyboard....like I did a few times :)

Please come back tomorrow for Freecycle Friday.....I'll miss you till then!!

Have fun

and don't forget to upload pictures of YOUR projects to NSIH Flickr group.

Why I Am The Way I Am

2010-06-09T01:54:00.000-07:00

Sooooooooooo, you wanna hear all my deep, dark secrets?

Well, I guess I won't make you all wait any longer, so I'll just jump right in......hope you don't find my life as boring as I d...zzzzzzzzzzz.

Sandy asked:

1. Mayonnaise or miracle whip? (ha! how's that for easy)

Well, actually neither one (what!!) Yeah, I started using sour cream awhile ago cuz it's healthier (go with Daisy for pure ingredients) and I LOVE the tangy taste. I usually use the "light" kind, though (still great ingredients).

2. What did you want to be when you grew up?

I wanted to be a veterinarian for a long time......but then around high school I realized how much schooling you have to take and ended up working at McDonalds for my first job.
How's that for karma.....I worked at McDonalds, and at my high school I was known as "McDonalds Girl" 'cuz in my senior year I was a manager and would give out free food coupons.......and THEN I ended up marrying a McDonald HA!!

3. Dream car?

I would LOVE to (someday) own either a Rolls Royce, vintage Corvette Stingray, or Jaguar!!! But I'm nearly there, as I am now driving a super-sporty Saturn minivan (man, seeing it actually written down makes a little part of me die inside)

4. Dream occupation?

I have it already!!!!!!! (is that the right answer for a mom to say?)
Maybe once the kiddos are a little older I would like to do something with foreign language (I speak French and a tiny bit of German, but want to learn more) or traveling alot.

Abbie Byers asked:

How did you learn how to do so many different kinds of crafts and how do you get your ideas?

Well, I didn't learn all at once, just kinda pick up new things as I go along. I love a good challenge and working hard to figure out how to do it....it makes me feel so MacGyver~ish :)

I get some of the best ideas (or find the best ideas) when I set out to make something out of nessesity like this, this, this, or even this! I also get TONS of inspiration from other things I've made, other AWESOME bloggers and websites like Martha, Pottery Barn, BHG, etc. And if I see something I really want, but don't want to pay for......I try to make it instead :)

Katie asked:

I want to know more about your adoption. How and why did you decide to adopt? Why did you do an international adoption? Why Russia? How long did the process take? What did you love about it? What did you hate? Tell me all about it:) On a side note, I think you are awesome:)

First of all.....Thanks!!!! I think you're awesome too! :)

As for our adoption......you can read about the "whys" here in longer version, but mostly it was all because that's the way we felt we needed to do it with baby #3 (and where we felt we needed to look for her)

It took exactly 2 years from start to finish (Feb 2008-Feb2010)

The parts we loved were: Once we found out who we were going to be bringing into our family, Meeting her for the first time, and OF COURSE finally bringing her home!!

The parts we didn't like were ALL THE REST!!!! Especially the looooonnnggggg waiting.

CBear asked:

Favorite household chore?

Ummmmmm, none of them. Oh wait, does eating ice cream while watching LOST count? No? Well then, defer to my 1st answer.

Lease Favorite household chore?

All of them!

Favorite sound?

My kiddos laughing and having fun (Aaawww!)

Least favorite sound?

Spoons in the sink disposer.

Favorite word?

Hmmmmmm, well I've been trying not to say crap anymore (sorry Char :) since my kiddos started saying it too. So, my new word is "criminy.".......Don't ask.

Favorite book?

Like ever? I would have to go with....(no, not Twilight) Anything Sherlock Holmes and Jane Austen (especially P and P). but I like reading a good variety.

Favorite movie?

Definitely The Princess Bride!! Who can resist Westley and Buttercup? or the super romantic line: "As you wish"

Favorite kind of craft?

Well, I love paper crafts alot cuz they are usually cheap and pretty quick :) But mostly I LOVE "Freecycling" crafts!!!!!

Favorite holiday memory?

Sneaking and opening Christmas gifts before Christmas with my older sister.....and then carefully wraping them back up after :)

All time best thing you ever ate?

CHOCOLATE!!! ALWAYS CHOCOLATE!!!

Barbie and Craig asked:

I'd love to know how you have the energy to craft after you put the kids down to bed! :)

For some reason, I've ALWAYS been a night owl, so I seem to get a second wind at night AND I seem to be able to think better (I wonder why.....maybe no "mommy, mommy, mommy!!!" every 30 seconds)

What is your favorite craft to make WHILE watching tv? (That way I can do something and hang out with the hubbs at the same time...otherwise I end up upstairs and we spend the evening apart :( )

Anything repetative or easy (so I don't have to pay much attention and can watch my show :)

What shows do you watch?

Umm, nothing anymore since all the seasons are over :( But, I LOVE crime dramas like Law and Order (regular and CI), How I met your mother, Big Bang Theory, CSI, LOST, Accedentally on purpose, NCIS.

What's your favorite thing you've ever made?

My kids! Even though I didn't make them all :)

What's your favorite baby gift to give?

It really changes depending on what I feel like making at the time, right now I guess it's sassy screen~printed onsies.

How old are you? ;)

Next week (the 16th) will be the 2nd anniversary of my 30th birthday :)

I love your blog, and I have no idea how I even found it. Are you LDS? Maybe that's how :)

Yup.

Erick and Molly asked:

I want to know when do you craft?

Basically whenever I can fit it in!! I would love to be able to do it all at night....but then you guys wouldn't have any purdy pictures to feast your eyes on along with the tutes :)
Is your home super organized?

Not at all!!! And I'm not just saying that to make you guys feel better.
Basically....how do you do it ALL?

I don't. I do all the nessesary stuff that keeps everyone here alive and the rest of the time I (try) to do crafts or blog about doing crafts or help my friends do crafts. By bedtime, I'm usually ready to poke my eyes out with a spoon and often think about taking up drinking.

Marilyn asked:

You inspire me, so I'd love to hear where you get your ideas and inspirations. Favorite types of crafts to do, AND please tell about your workspace - or post photos. (Maybe I just missed them. A link to photos, perhaps?)

Well, for the first 2 questions, just see above.

For the third one....just feast your eyes on this post and see for yourself.

Ok, so my butt hurts from sitting here and my brain hurts from thinking too much, and I'm sure you guys are tired of hearing (seeing) me ramble......so I will be back tomorrow with the rest. Stay tuned!!!

Have fun!

Great Baby Shower Gift

2010-06-07T15:15:00.000-07:00

Howdy all!

Don't forget to post your burning questions for me to answer :)

Today I wanted to show an AWESOME baby shower gag gift and a super-easy way to make it.

I have been wanting to make a funny onesie for a friend Jessica's baby for awhile now (I meant it to give it before he was born......but these last 6 months have just flown by!) and now he's crawling, so I thought it was now a perfect time to whip one up!!

Good thing he still breastfeeds :)

I was going to make it like I did this t-shirt, but then, after some research, I found this easy-peasy tute from Ashley on Little Blue Boo on a super cheap and easy way to do screen printing at home!!

So OF COURSE I had to try it......and it is SO easy!!

Here's how I did it:

Other than a onesie, You will also need:

Large embroidery hoop (one large enough for your design)
Screen printing ink- I used Yudo
Sheer drape panel
Squeegee or credit card
Contact paper or vinyl

So, you can get the contact paper anywhere in the kitchen supplies section and run between $2-$5 bucks per roll. Make sure it has adhesive on one side.

The drape panel I just got at Wallmart for around $6 bucks (I think), but there is TONS of material, so you and a bunch of friends can go in on one panel and have plenty to share!!

The ink I got at Michaels and Joanns. It is the Yudo brand and I made sure to use a 40% off coupon, since it's pricier than regular t-shirt paint (21.99 for a 3 pack or 7.99 per bottle before coupon). But, I wanted to make sure it would work with the screen and wash out nicely, so that's why I went with the screen-printing ink instead this time.

Also, the lady at Joanns said she thinks it's formulated to wash out of the screen, so you can use it again later.

Anyhoo, start by washing your shirt beforehand and make sure you don't use fabric softener. And cut a piece of cardboard to go inside the shirt to prevent bleed-through.

Grab your contact paper or vinyl, and cut out your design using an Xacto knife, Cricut, or other die-cutting machine.

Cut a piece of sheer drapes and stretch it onto you hoop. Then, adhere the design to it.

Place the design over the shirt, where you want it (make sure it's straight) and then put a thin line of ink down as shown. Take your squeegee (or credit card) and drag the ink over the design. I did mine a few times to make sure it was well covered.

Then, lift it up and check out your hard work!!

Don't forget to remove the vinyl (or contact paper) and rinse the ink out of the screen (material) after you do this.

Let it dry and heat set it according to the directions.

I also got some matching knee socks from target and made some cute Baby Legs for him to protect his cute chubby legs while he crawls around :)

Now he'll be the best dressed baby boy on the block!!

Have fun!!

Don't forget to upload pics of your projects to our Flickr group.

Freecycle Friday and Our Little Guest

2010-06-04T13:26:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday!!

After today, it's just one more week of school before Maddie is out for the summer (and she's been asking to go swimming for 2 months already!)

And also, you guys continue to ROCK!!

I just LOVE the questions you are sending, they are so funny, thoughtful, sweet, ingenious, and imaginative all rolled into one!!

When I checked my e-mail this morning you guys had me grinning (and laughing so hard I almost peed myself....although maybe that's not so hard to do since I've had 2 kids :)

Well, keep 'em coming.....this "answer" post promises to be interesting!

Anyhoo, today I just wanted to show a super-simple thing I did to help me organize our bills to pay.

Last week I got a panel of curtains at Wallyworld and after I took them out of the bag, it seemed a shame to throw it away. After all, it's fairly sturdy and has a nice zippered top and it's own hanger!

So, I took out the cardboard that had the curtain info on it and replaced the bigger one with some cute paper that I printed "bills to pay" on. Of course I rounded the corners and inked the edges too :)

Now I can just hang it up in the office and when we get bills in the mail, I have someplace to put them, other than strewn across the kitchen counter.

And I know they will all be hanging in my office when I'm ready to pay up!

Next, I wanted to introduce our new little friend that came to visit us yesterday (and caused quite the commotion).

So, I had gone to the door to see if Maddie was home yet and when I peeked out the window, I saw this little guy just hanging out.

At first I thought it was fake, but then he moved. So, I knew I needed to stay there so I could warn Madison so she wouldn't get scared (or Dana Lee, our friend we carpool with :)

Madison got home and was intrigued (but scared enough to stay away) and Dana Lee and I didn't see a rattle, so we just went inside to tell daddy.

Chris came and got a bucket so he could move our slithery friend to a better place, but when he touched it.......it shook it's tail at him!!!!

So then: "Oh crap! It must be a baby rattler! Everyone inside!!" "Now we have to call animal control to come move it."

So I called, since hubby had to run off to work (much to his dismay), and they got here in RECORD time!

I'm gonna have to remember the old "there's a rattler on my porch" for next time I need them :)

The snake obviously knew we were after him, cuz he slithered down the table and into the bushes, but the guy found him and caught him anyway. All the while my girls were crowded in the little window watching.

Turns out, it was NOT a rattler, just a harmless little gopher snake that was pretending to be a rattle snake (my girls were in awe when I explained this to them).

The guy that came was so nice and sweet and even let me take a picture of him in action (even though he was probably thinking I was a weirdo), but he got embarrassed and blushed and laughed a little when I turned the camera towards him :)

And I totally didn't get his name,......

But, here's to you Mr. Snake Catcher Guy, thanks for being our hero!!!

(and so long little gopher snake, have a great life out in the field eating gophers)

So, as you can see, we don't get much excitement here. Even a few bored firemen came along to see if it was a real rattle snake :)

Have fun!

Don't forget to upload pics of your projects to Not So Idle Hands Flickr group!!

Hungry For More?

2010-06-03T11:13:00.000-07:00

So, I'm sitting here, enjoying the smell of wet dog, (but I guess it's better than how the dog was starting to smell........) and I was thinking that since I've been doing this blog for over a year now, it was time to tell you all a little more about me.
Except, I want to let YOU guys pick the questions. Any blogger can easily pick nice stuff to tell.......but I'm not just any blogger........

I can be a little anti-social at times, so I think this Q and A is wwwaaaayyyyyy overdue. But, I feel weird talking about myself, so I have to just do it (like Nike)!!

I'm not necessarily a private person, just lazy with correspondences sometimes, oh, and I really like my me time at night. Hubby works nights 3-4 days a weeks, so I get plenty once I put the kiddos in bed ~~early~~. After that, I usually want to craft or watch t.v. (you know we all do it, so don't judge me :) So, I can answer all you burning questions then.

Anyhoo,.......just leave a comment with your question(s) and hopefully, I can get to them all in the next few days.

I'll post all my answers in next Wednesday's post for all the world to see.

Remember, I'm not shy (so ask whatever you want), but please be appropriate since my some of my family reads this blog :) (notice I said some,..........hmmmmm)

AND,

PLEASE don't make me feel like a loser by only having ONE question to answer in my post........because I will cry :(

Also, don't forget to upload pic of projects you've done to my Flickr group......I KNOW you guys want to be featured, and that's the easiest place for me to pick from.

Have fun!

The Tooth Marshall

2010-06-02T15:23:00.000-07:00

Hi all!!

I just wanted to show pics of the little boy tooth fairy pillow I made to send off to my sweet nephew Joseph, (who is already losing teeth too :)

You can check out Larissa's post here to see the original "tooth marshall" tooth she made (so cute!), and click here to see the ballerina ones I made for my girls.

I used flannel for this cutie too, so I had to use fraycheck on all the raw edges (star, hat, & holsters).

I just freehand cut the little holsters, star, and cowboy hat for him. and I embroidered the star on before sewing him up (be sure to NOT sew through the tooth pocket!). I also sewed on the little ribbon "gunbelt" then too.

This adorable guy is ready for some ROOTIN' TOOTIN' fun rounding up stray teeth at his new home!

Have fun!

and don't forget you can upload pics of your projects to the Not So Idle Hands Flickr group and I might pick you to be featured!!

Make Your Own Olive Garden Dish At Home

2010-05-31T01:13:00.000-07:00

Happy Memorial Day!!!

Hope you all have a great day with your families remembering our veterans, past and present.

I know I will be.
(I love you daddy, thank you for serving this great country of ours!)

Now that summer is officially upon us, I wanted to post a recipe PERFECT for those hot summer nights or even for taking along for your next picnic.

Many moons ago, when I was younger and living in Colorado, I worked at one of the local Olive Gardens there.

One of my FAVORITE dishes while I worked there (and still now) is their Capellini Pomodoro.

It's so yummy and healthy and has tons of tomatoes, which I LOVE,

AND,

It's super easy to make in a flash with not much cooking.

Since we have a wee babe 'round here these days, I've been making all my pasta dishes with rotini, so it's easy for Kira to pick up eat with her hands. I also use whole wheat pasta, so it takes a little longer to cook.

Here's the recipe, courtesy of the Olive Garden web site
(check them out, they have LOTS of yummy recipes)

This is for 4 servings

Ingredients
14 oz capellini pasta (angel hair) or equivalent in another type
8 medium tomatoes, cut into ½” pieces
11 fresh basil leaves, chopped (also great with dried)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
6 Tbsp olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions

COOK capellini pasta according to package directions.
MIX diced tomatoes, chopped basil, garlic and oil. Season with salt and pepper.
DRAIN pasta. Toss pasta with tomato mixture in a sauté pan and heat throughout.
SERVE immediately. (or put it in the fridge till your picnic :)

This also great to make the night before and refrigerate to serve as a cold dish at a picnic, just let the oil mixture cool a bit before adding the tomatoes, so they are nice and pretty when you serve (and not wilted looking).

I also happened to have some fresh mozzarella balls on hand, so I just cut them up and added them after everything was done. I would have added black olives too, but we didn't have any :(

Also, since she has been SO busy making cute stuff, I want to show a few more things from Green Bean's Crafterole that she uploaded to the Not So Idle Hand's Flickr pool

Such a cute teacher's gift........might just have to try this one!

YUM! These marshmallows look so good and they are surprisingly easy :)

Don't forget.......you can upload your projects to the Not So Idle Hands Flickr pool too and you could be featured too!!

Have fun!!

Freecycle Friday - Magazine Rack Re-Do

2010-05-28T00:27:00.000-07:00

Hey all! Hope you all are having fun ~~dreading~~ anticipating the end of school so you can have your kiddos home ALL day EVERY day :)

Well, I know I am (it's not too scary for me yet since my oldest is only in kindergarten)

Anyhoo, today I wanted to show my little magazine rack make-over.

We've had this for a lloooonnngggg time, but I still love it. It was just looking a little drab and I thought I would add some color to help spruce up our ~~reading room~~ bathroom.

We got it from Pier 1, so it's plenty sturdy and has tons of life left in it.

I also had the PERFECT fabric for it!

We recently got a new bedding set (after 4 1/2 years!) and we didn't end up using the pillow shams (we aren't fancy like that).

But, I REALLY love the fabric, so I decided to use those to add a little color to this (and I actually only ended up using half of one).

So, here's the before (minus the bottom pocket cuz I remembered to take pics after I had already done one :)

Well, I didn't really measure, but the fabric was around double the length of each of the pockets

First, I sewed around the edges of the fabric to prevent too much fraying, but a little is fine with me.

Then, using a large stitch (at least #3 on your machine, but 4 or 5 works better for me), stitch a straight line down the middle (or 2 lines if you want to do it like this one).

Backstitch at only one end and leave the threads loose at the other end.

Then, pull one of the threads to make the ruffles.

Once you have the fabric to the length you need and the ruffles look good, tie the 2 threads in a knot to keep it from un-ruffling (hmmmm, good grammar?)

Then pin the fabric in place and sew it down along your original stitch.

See? So cute and an easy re-do!

Now you can look around YOUR house to see what needs updating and use re-cycled fabric you may already have on hand. Some examples: old clothes, under-used sheets, towels, curtains, tablecloths,...etc.

Have fun!

Cute Tooth Fairy Pillow

2010-05-26T23:51:00.000-07:00

So, we are now up to our eyeballs in Tooth Fairy lore here.

(the first pic is Maddie in the am all dressed and hair done for school, the second is right before bed and just a headband thrown on.....that's why the lighting looks so different in each)

A few weeks ago Maddie, my oldest, got 2 wobbly teeth (and then lost 2 wobbly teeth). So, I went looking for a cute Tooth Fairy tradition to start for all my girls.

That's when I stumbled accross Larissa's blog Mmmcrafts and saw this. I was blown away by how A-Dorable it was (as well as the others she made here)!!!

Plus, it's wwwaaaaayyyyyyy easier for the TF to get the tooth from a pillow hanging on the door than it is for her to go digging under pillows and trying not to even breathe for fear of waking up the sleeping child who is already sleeping lightly in anticipation of her. hands down.

So, I decided I was going to try to make one for each of my 2 older girls (so I'll already have one when Aislyn starts losing teeth next year :) and one of the cute "Tooth Marshall" ones for my nephew, who is the same age as Maddie and is already losing teeth too (I'll show pics of that one soon).

Well, Larissa has an awesome tute here on her blog already, but I'm gonna do one too since I did a few things differently.

The first thing I did was go to the store and get some yummy fabric!! I decided to use flannel instead of felt because I have a hard time sewing with felt and was afraid I would ruin them somehow (trust me, I would've found a way :)

But, that meant that I now had to make sure and use Fraycheck on all the raw, unsewn edges like the crown and the skirt and mouth. You could probably even use just about any fabric, but i like the look and cuddly~ness of flannel.

In addition to fabric, you will need:

Fraycheck
Fabric glue
Matching ribbon to hang it with
Sewing stuff (sewing machine, scissors, pins, needles, etc)
Matching thread
Buttons for the eyes
Stuffing

So, I cut all the pieces out thanks to the pattern Larissa has on her blog, but since there wasn't one for the teeth, crown, and cheeks I just made my own.
*Update: Larissa e-mailed me and said she's now added the cheeks and teeth to the pattern!! That's so very nice of her to take the time to do that, so be sure to thank her (and for the great idea in the first place :)*

Then, she suggested to sew around the mouth before cutting it, so I traced that part onto the wrong side of the front piece by laying the material over the pattern on the window (so the light shines through and I can see the pattern underneath).

I sewed around it and then cut a slit for the mouth and put Fraycheck on it.

After that dried, I glued the teeth onto the back and positioned them so they just peeked through the mouth.

Then, I glued the back of the mouth over that (remember, use a thin line of glue all the way around).

After those dried, I went ahead and did the face. I LOVED the way she embroidered the cheeks and teeth, and the eyebrows so I did that too (look closely and you can see the teeth).

Then, the little button eyes went on.

Now, before you pin the right sides together, make sure you add the crown and ribbon and pin those in place. Also, make sure you cut a slit in the back so you can stuff it.

I used ALOT of pins to make sure nothing moved while I was sewing it up :) Use a 1/4" seam allowance for this.

Then, I trimmed a little off and cut notches all the way around (yes, I did realize you only have to cut notches on the curves AFTER I did it on all 3 pillows).

I then turned it right-side out and stuffed it and hand-stitched up the back.

This is her up to this point.....pretty cute huh?

Oh yeah, and I also stitched the crown to the ribbon to keep it from falling over (can you say OCD?).

But, my girls HAD to have a skirt too (I guess we must be halfway modest for the Tooth Fairy), so I let them pick out the fabrics they wanted. I measured the waist and used a mixing bowl as a pattern (just like the one I used for this craft......and it's super-reflective, so you can see me taking the pic in my messy office. That one's for you Kristen :)

I cut them each out with pinking shears too (and Fraychecked around each). Then, glued them together around the waistband part and whipstitched (is that the right term?) them onto the tooth. Be careful not to sew through the mouth....like I did :(

So cute! And now the Tooth Fairy will be pleasantly surprised when she visits YOUR house too!!

A few weeks before her teeth came out, and they were still wobbly, Maddie wrote the TF a letter letting her know. So, the TF typed up a note saying thanks for the heads up and left it under her pillow. Then, when the teeth came out and were then put in the pillow, the TF left little "thanks" notes each time. Madison really liked that part.....almost as much as the $$!!
The TF also left a short trail of fairy dust on the floor when she came for the tooth :) Both the older girls REALLY LOVED that.

Sorry for the lack of posts recently, but these took a little more time and effort than I expected since there were so many little components.
I'll be back for Freecycle Friday!

Have fun!

Some Ideas For Your Lost Series Finale Party

2010-05-23T11:02:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to make sure and remind you all to watch the Lost SERIES finale tonight on ABC starting at 9pm (pacific time). There's also a special beforhand to help summarize everything and get everyone up to date. So, even if you haven't been a die hard fan.....you should be able to watch that and then enjoy the finale with all your friends :)

Here are a few fun food things I found that you can make for your LOST party.

You can make these super-cool (life-sized) fish biscuits, just like the ones that were dispensed in the cage Sawyer was in when he and Kate were locked up. Really, these are AWESOME!

You can go to Epicurious here and they have several dishes that are appropriate for serving.

Start with Fried chicken bites to represent Hurley's job at Mr. Clucks Chicken Shack.

Then, on to a grilled tuna and mango salad since these were 2 of the most available foods on the island.

Finally, peanut butter and fudge brownies with salted peanuts to represent the time when Charlie got pregnant Claire some (imaginary) PB wwwaaaaayyyyyyyy back at the beginning. (Aaaaaawwwwww, I can't believe it's almost over!!!)

And you can download and print out your very own Dharma Initiative Logos and put them over the labels of the food you serve to make your own Dharma food!!

Also, don't forget the HUGE tub O' Dharma ranch (like the one Hurley was hoarding) and the totally 70's music (like what Desmond listened to in The Hatch). And, you can make some yummy ribs and pretend it's wild boar!!

Have fun!!

Sleeping Yoga Master

2010-05-21T22:34:00.000-07:00

Maybe there is some truth to the "Russians are better suited for gymnastics" stereotype?

Have fun!
(Freecycle Friday will be back next week)

Guest Posting Today

2010-05-19T07:26:00.000-07:00

Hey there!!

Well, I got bored of posting on my own blog......so today you can check me out over at Somewhat Simple for "Make My May."

And be sure to poke around over there, Stephanie has a great blog (plus, she called me famous :)!!

Yummy Graduation Hats

2010-05-18T14:20:00.000-07:00

No, my kiddos didn't miraculously grow up and graduate.

(although.....there are moments that I wish they had :)

I made these to go with a RS lesson that my friend Cathy taught 2 weeks ago and thought I would share, since it's "That time of year again"

AND, they are SUPER easy!!

You will need:

Reeses PB cups~the small ones
Black cardstock
Fuzzy yarn (or whatever you think looks good)
Hole puncher~regular sized

So, just.....

Cut your cardstock into alot of 1 3/4" x 1 3/4" squares.
Glue them onto the small end of the PB cups.
Cut your yarn into small pieces and glue those in the middle of the sqaures.
Punch out black holes with the paper punch and glue those right on top (in the middle) of the yarn.

Voila!!

Didn't know graduation caps could be SO cute.....or yummy???

I just used different colors of yarn since it didn't matter, but it would be totally cute to choose the colors that match your child's school.

And, you can leave the tiny black dot off too, they look just fine without.....but you all know how anal I am and I'm always thinking things need just one more thing :)

Then, I packed them all up in a triffle dish and sent them on their way!!!

Have fun!

Freecycle Friday - Kids Freecycling

2010-05-14T13:49:00.000-07:00

Thanks SO much to everyone who responded to this post and gave me some great tips on how to salvage my shirt (that I worked SOOOOOOO hard on).

I tried EVERY idea, but, sadly, no success. So, it is happily going on it's way to a new home where Chris can hopefully get some use out of it (she was the first that called dibbs :)

You guys are AWESOME.......and so SMART!

Now on to the Freecycling!!!

Well, I was looking at some pictures the other day, and saw a bunch that I have taken of crafts that my girls have done. They really like taking trash and making crafts out of it (Hmmmmm, wonder where they got THAT idea?).

So, today, I'm gonna show some of the things they have made from trash..........because it's my blog and I can do whatever I want :)

Most of these are Maddie; creations, but Aislyn is starting to get more into making things like her sister.

And just so you all know......these are ALL things they made on their own.....all the credit goes to them :)

Maddie made this bed for her Hello Kitty.

Complete with a blanket and.....

....pillow!

The girls LOVED it when I let them get these yogurts at the store, they even made some pretend yogurt after they ate it all.

See the tiny M and M's???

AND a spoon (duh, you can't eat yogurt without one :)

These rings they made were just some plastic rings they had and then cut some shapes out of scrapbooking paper (with permission, of course). Then, they asked me to stick them on the tops of the rings with glue dots.

Maddie made this "sippy cup" by cutting up a cardboard box and taping it together to look like a sippy. She even put water in it (too bad the straw didn't work).

And OF COURSE they didn't forget to include the baby in their craft-making!!!

These were "wings" made from the leaves off the tulips in this post. Kira looks thrilled : D

Hope this inspires you to let your kiddos go wild with the ~~trash~~ recyclables in your house!!

Have fun!

Anyone Want A 4 Year Old?

2010-05-13T10:00:00.000-07:00

I'd like to share a short conversation that I had with my 4 year-old while driving yesterday:

Aislyn (ie. child I'm considering leaving on someone's doorstep): "Mom, how old are you?"

Me: "Ummmmmmm, 30 (ish)"

Aislyn (ie. child who I think was switched at birth): "Whoa, mom, that's REALLY OLD.....I can't even count that!" (yes, she can)

Me (suddenly feeling the need for bifocals and a cane): "Thanks hon."

New Sponsor - The Ribbon Retreat

2010-05-12T13:42:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to introduce you to The Ribbon Retreat!!

Why am I so excited, you may ask??

Because just take a look around their store and you will be salavating at all the pretty ribbon (every kind you can ever wish for) and fabric (tons of it!), as well as plenty of tools and supplies to help you along your way!!

At The Ribbon Retreat + Fabric, they carry the highest quality fabrics, patterns, and notions. They have name brands like Michael Miller, Moda, Riley Blake, Free Spirit Fabrics, Olfa, Collins, Pellon, And Dritz. I'm lovin' this Heather Bailey!!

Looking for fabric for quilting or crafting?....... they have what you need. Just browse through their large selection of the cutest, most stylish fabrics and you'll see for yourself!!

Check out their 96 colors of grosgrain (yup! I even counted)

Their very cute Moonstitch grosgrain (wow, the things I could do with this!!)

AND.....they have super-fun ribbons mixes.....that are COORDINATING!! No more searching through miles of ribbon to find it yourself.

So hop on over and check them out....they also do wholesale!!

Have fun!

How To Re-Size Your Photos

2010-05-10T14:12:00.000-07:00

Hey, remember this post a few days ago.....well, a few of you asked about a tute on how to re-size your photos to make this cute pendant. (see, I really do listen to you guys :)

You'll be happy to know that it's SUPER easy-peasy!!

Just go to where your picture is on your computer. Then, right-click on the picture (the thumbnail one) and click on "copy".

Now, open up your Word or Publisher Document and right-click again and choose "paste". And your photo will appear (magically) on the screen.

(what Word looks like)

Now, right-click the pic again and choose either "size" or "format picture", it may be different in different programs. In the version of Word that we have (2007), I click on "size".......

(what Publisher looks like)

In Publisher (2007), I click "format picture" and then choose "size"

Ta-Da! Then you have your RE-SIZED picture!!

(Don't forget to visit Jen Gagliardi to have her take awesome pics like these of your fam!!)

If you want to do multiple photos, just do the same thing, but hold down the "control" key while clicking on the pics you want so you can select multiple pics. Then, of course, click on "copy" to copy them all to your clipboard.

Then, right-click "paste" again and they will all appear on screen. Now just re-size them like before.

Now, save it as a file and you can upload it to the Staples (or any other site that does this) website for them to (laser) print it on 28 Lb. white paper......because.......
regular photos don't do well, since the paper is pretty much non-breathable and never lets the glue dry onto the glass tile.

Hope this helps....

Have fun!
p.s. Don't foget to upload your pics of your projects (can be anything!) here, so I can feature you!!!!

New Sponsor - Palm Trees and Chocolate

2010-05-08T22:12:00.000-07:00

I would like to introduce a great new sponsor....

Palm Trees and Chocolate!

Just look at that name, it screams "enjoying warm weather with lots of chocolate!! (not the cheap kind either)"

Well, they carry a large variety of beaded and natural stone watch bands and faces you can mix and match to your taste and style.

That means, you can have a new watch band (or whole watch) for each day of the week......or month!!! Imagine the possibilities for your wardrobe!

And to top things off, their prices are hard to beat for this kind of quality craftmanship. In fact I DARE you to try......go ahead, I'll wait......

You can buy these in 3 different sizes, so you can be SURE that you get the right fit. I have oddly tiny wrists, so I ALWAYS have a hard time finding watches that fit without sliding around :( Being able to pick my size is awesome!!!

Be sure to stop by and get what you REALLY wanted for Mother's Day (no offence to the hubbys, but they aren't always the best at picking gifts....even though they try SO hard).

So go crazy and stock up!!

Have fun!

and have a great Mother's Day!!

Freecycle Friday - Re-covered Fabric Ottoman

2010-05-07T22:57:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday.....hope everyone had a great day!

I know I had fun making this using only hot glue and a staple gun!!!

Today I wanted to show the quick and easy way I re-covered this ~~awful~~ very brightly colored ottoman I got at Target for the super clearance price of ONLY $5 bucks!!!

I've had it for awhile and have been wanting to do something useful with it.

I had a lot of fabric left over from this project and I still LOVE it,.......so I used it :)

I liked this ottoman because it's hollow inside and I can ~~hide~~ store some of our junk in it......maybe toys in the front room, not sure yet.

Anyhoo, I cut the fabric to size (leaving enough room to fold the edges over when glue-ing or stapling).

Then I wrapped it around and hot-glued up the side.Then, I got hubby's handy staple gun and folded the fabric over (so no raw edges show) and stapled everything in place. Don't forget to do the lid too!

The glue-ing took a bit longer since I was afraid I would burn myself again :(

Ta-Da!

(not my best work.......but it turned out great for what I wanted to use it for)

Quick and easy (and cheap) makeover and a great addition to our family room.

And a perfect place for Sleeping Beauty to sit and watch over her subjects :)

Have fun!

Cute Mother's Day Photo Necklace

2010-05-05T14:57:00.000-07:00

*If you are: MY mom, one of hubby's moms (he's lucky to have 2!), or any of our grandmothers......please stop reading this as it will ruin your surprise!!*

Ok, now that they're gone.........I wanted to show one last Mother's Day gift (and obviously the one I'm making this year :)

I've been trying to figure out a good way to make these for awhile and FINALLY did it!!

I LOVE the way the glass tiles make things look, but regular photos don't do well, since the paper is pretty much non-breathable and never lets the glue dry onto the glass tile.

So, since printing the photos on regular paper was not good enough (remember, I'm anal?) I re-sized them onto a Microsoft Publisher (or Word) document and sent them to Staples ( you can download it on their website and send it to them) to get printed off on a laser printer onto 28lb. paper.

Go to this post to see a tute on how to re-size YOUR pics :)

The results were GREAT pictures, on breathable paper. (Note these pics are some of the EXTRA AWESOME ones that Jen Gagliardi took for us a few weeks ago!!!!! Still LOVE them!!!)

So, it was then a cinch to make these like I did here and here.

Then, instead of a magnet, you attach a bail on the back. I got the 1 inch tiles and bails from here on Etsy and got the large bails so I could slide them onto any necklace. But, these also make cute magnets!!

I got some cute ribbon necklaces from Joanns for around 1.99 each.....but they were on sale or you could use your handy coupon.

Ta-Da!

I made ones in color and B and W and I like the looks of each!!

Now you can wear show off your kiddos wherever you go!! I like to wear mine on my slider necklace.

Also,

P.S. If this is too much for you.....you can also visit my sponsor PhotoJewelryMaking.com and get kits to make beautiful photo jewelry as well.

Have fun!

Don't forget to upload pictures of things YOU'VE made here so I can show them off for you!!!

Look What I Made!!!

2010-05-03T13:46:00.000-07:00

So, this is one of the things that has been keeping me busy this last week (along with a sick kiddo and one with allergies!)

I have been WANTING to try my hand at sewing some clothes for myself and so I got this pattern on impulse (and some cute fabric for cheap). And commenced making the shirt version.

Now, when I was a teenager, I made myself some dresses, with help from my mom, but when it came to the hard parts.....she was there to ~~do it for me~~ help me. So, I'm not really sure if I've ever sewed a zipper or gathers on my own before.

Therefore, you will all understand that it took me wwwaaayyyyyy longer than a few hours (even though it was labled as "easy")

But, I am pretty darn proud of myself......it came out REALLY cute!!

The only promblem was that when I tried it on........it made me look PREGNANT!!!

(NO! I'm NOT going to post a picture of me wearing it........I still have my pride :)

Not just a little, but like full blown preggers!!!

(I have nothing against looking pregnant.......when you really are)

So, sadly, I think I need to find a new home for this cute shirt that I worked so hard on :(

Any takers?

I'll be back in the next few days with more of the stuff I've been doing and another cute Mother's Day gift.

Have fun!

Flashback Freecycle Friday AND A Flickr Feature

2010-04-30T11:32:00.000-07:00

Hi all!

Well, I've been super-busy this last week doing some rather time-consuming projects (yes, I will show you later :)

So, I thought today I would flashback to some of my past "Freecycle Friday" projects!!

Oldies, but goodies....if you will.

Save those toy machine containers to make fun lip gloss necklaces for your kiddos

Also, salvage those sundae cups from McD's and make cute see-through ribbon dispensers for all those scraps you have.

Or take those drink coaster home from the restaurant with you and make a great photo album!!

AND......

Don't forget to use your old makeup containers to make your kiddos some faux makeup (and not the real stuff they get ALL OVER THE HOUSE :)

Also, don't foget to upload pics of the projects YOU'VE done here, so I can show them off for you :)

Like these cute projects from The Green Bean's Crafterole!

You can find the tute for the decorated tealights she made here :)

Have fun!

Share Your Stuff!!!

2010-04-28T22:16:00.000-07:00

Hey all!

Just wanted to let you know I've FINALLY created a Flickr group so you can all post pictures of all your FABULOUS creations for alll the world to see!!

So click here to start!! (or go to http://www.flickr.com/groups/notsoidlehands/)

I also get SO many emails from you guys showing me the GREAT stuff you make from my tutes.......so I'm gonna pick from the Flickr group each week and post some of my favs!!

Have fun!!

Sweet Organizing Contest And Reader Giveaway x 2!!!!

2010-04-27T13:58:00.000-07:00

Hello all!

Still doing your Spring cleaning?

Well, The Lean Remodeler contacted me a few days ago to let me know about a sweet contest she's runing right now!!

She's partnered with Wilsonart International for a Spring Cleaning Contest that will help families organize the Family Room by offering unique storage solutions and designer-inspired countertops. Maybe it’s installing a basement bar or perhaps a new way to store all the odds and ends that always pile up in the toy room. If you have a bonus room you use for all your crafts, you can submit that, too!

The contest runs through April 30th (so hurry over!), and one winner will receive expert design advice, as well as a customized cabinet/countertop organization utopia for your room valued up to $5,000!

Here's how to enter:

Take a photo of your family room, craft room, or basement. Whatever you think needs some organization love.
Post the photo on a blog post and tell us more about the room. Who uses it, what takes place in that room, etc. Also include what you’d like the design team at Wilsonart to help you accomplish with the Spring Clean.
Submit the link to your blog post here: http://ilnk.me/lremodeler on my blog, the Lean Remodeler, and you’ll be entered to win the $5,000 Spring Cleaning Room Makeover!

I don't know about you guys, but I NEED to enter my craft room!!

Granted....these pics were taken a few months ago, but almost all the ~~crap~~ stuff is STILL in the same place it was then!! I could use the help :)

So hurry on over and enter!

---------------------------------------------------------------

Also, I got some more fun stuff from the folks over at MyBlogSpark (and Seventh Generation and Shell Lubricants and MotorOilMatters.org).

So, I wanted to tel a little about them and then give some stuff away to 2 of my awesome readers!!

First, I am so happy with the Seventh Generation products!!

I love them because they are Earth-friendly AND the smell doesn't give me migraines!! I've been using their hand sanitizer for awhile now because of that :)

"Leading the “responsible cleaning” charge for the past twenty years, Seventh Generation has tapped into the disinfecting power of the herb thyme, to introduce an EPA registered line of disinfecting sprays and wipes that kill germs* naturally! The new line of botanical disinfectant cleaners includes a multi-surface cleaning spray, bathroom cleaning spray and wipes.

The disinfectants contain thymol, a component of the herb thyme, and can be used on hard surfaces including counter tops, plastic cutting boards, highchair trays as well as children’s toys. Best of all, they kill over 99.99 percent of germs* naturally and are effective against the Influenza A Virus, including H1N1."

MyBlogSpark and Seventh Generation are letting me give away a prize pack with everything you need to get started replacing your old cleaning products:

Seventh Generation “Disinfecting Cleaning Kit” that includes a disinfecting multi-surface cleaner, bathroom cleaner, wipes , a copy of The Conscious Kitchen, a cleaning caddy made from recycled plastic, and two rolls of 100% recycled, unbleached paper towels.

So, Congrats

Maggie from Smashed Peas and Carrots!!!

You will be getting one of these awesome kits!!

Next, did you know that April is National Car Care month??

And also that in the United States the average age of cars and light trucks on the roads today has reached a record high of 9.4 years? That means it’s more important than ever to take proper care of your vehicle.

With the informative Web site www.MotorOilMatters.org (created by the maker of industry-leading brands Pennzoil and Quaker State) you can easily locate key information about how quality motor oils can help prolong your engine’s life and improve overall efficiency, as well as help answer other questions you may have about motor oil. In addition, the site offers a fun, educational game for you to play called “M.O.M. Knows Best” where you can put your motor mind to the test with an interactive quiz.

So hop on over and poke around on their site to get some great info!!

Also, MyBlogSpark and Shell Lubricants with MOM are letting me give away a $35 give card to Jiffylube!

Congrats to

Life with the Lees!!!
You lucky duck!!

So, gals.....please email me with your info so I can send it along and get your stuff on it's way to you!!!

Have fun!