Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day

Welcome everyone from Sew Mama Sew!!! There are 2 days, in the "Crafty World," that I really look forward to. Both are Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Days! :)

Since Christmas, I've had this book waiting. Just for today. You see, for Christmas, I received 3 copies. And well, I didn't need 3 copies! I managed to exchange 1, for the 2nd in the series. But the 3rd, well I couldn't do anything with it. So I thought, I'm going to give one away. :) Between, it's an AMAZING book!

Now for the rules. You have until May 25th, at 5PM EST. And all you have to do, is leave me a link, to your favorite online shop. For craft supplies, or patterns. Super simple! And don't forget to head over to Sew Mama Sew's blog. There are so many great giveaways posted right now! Good Luck everyone!!!

Ideas From Friends

I don't know if I've ever told you this, but I'm in a band. Actually, 3. But right now, I'm traveling with just one of the bands. We're on the road for almost 2 weeks. And it's perfectly fine with me! Because I get to spend so much time, with some of my best friends.

On top of that, some of their wives came too! That means, a few of my Goddaughters get to travel with us. And you know what, life is just better with little ones! It just is. :) Between our work, we got lots of time, to just sit, talk, and catch up. For me, this is so welcomed! Because most of the time, I'm just on the go.

While talking yesterday, one of my friends mentioned this idea. She found it online, but didn't save the source. So if you know where it's from, please leave me a comment. :) Anyway, she saved the picture. On her phone. Then she e-mailed it to me. Isn't this adorable???

I think idea is so fun! I don't eat lots of Altoids. To be honest, I have a tin of the minis. And I've had it since before Christmas. But you know that band that I mentioned? Well, it's filled with tons of cowboys! Who enjoy munching on tons of Altoids. The original ones. Some whispering happened. And before I knew it, some of the most precious little girls, were begging their daddys to hurry up and finish their mints!

Genius I tell you! Well, when we get back, can you tell what I'll be working on? Heck, we have Monday and Tuesday off. For the most part. I just might, try and make a run, to pick up some supplies. I'm sure, these are super easy, and quick to whip up!

I just love that my friends come to me, with fun ideas like this! Do you have friends that do that? Or do you have any other fun ideas for me? I'd love to hear from you!

Jell-O Cookies...Yum!

I don't know about you, but I'm pretty adventurous when it comes to baking. We're going to give that credit, to my Auntie. She took care of me, until I was in 1st grade. Before and after school, I'd hangout with her. :)

You see, my Auntie was a caterer. She worked various events. And made the most amazing wedding cakes! Yup, before all these crazy cake shows...my Auntie was making church cakes. With running water fountains. And big doll birthday cakes! She taught me, to always try new things.

And as an adult, I feel like, I've done just that. Experimented with lots of food. Tried things, that previously, I never would have! And now, lots of those things, are my absolute favorites to eat. :) But this also applies to cooking and baking. Recently, I found Jell-O cookies. Everybody smile!!!

I know that they sound odd. But trust me, they're delish! The first recipe, came from a friend. She found them right after Valentine's Day. And they were honestly, the perfect addition, to a Baby Shower, that we threw. Yum! They were delicious. :) We made them with various red and orange jell-O...because the color palette for the Baby Shower was pinks and peaches.

About 2 weeks after that first recipe, another friend gave me a 2nd jell-O cookie recipe. This time, I tried green jell-O. Perfect for St. Patty's Day! And I really liked the lime flavor of the cookies. :)

Well now, we're across the country. Working. And I had another friend ask me to make some fun cookies. Now I know, I could have gone with something easy, and delicious. Like chocolate chip cookies. But I wanted to surprise, some fantastic kiddos, with colorful cookies. With this heat, I didn't want anything too heavy. Or with frosting that would just melt all over the place.

That's when I remembered those tasty jell-O cookies. But darn it, I don't have my recipes with me. But don't fret. I took to the internet. And found another recipe. :) Just as yummy. Just as quick! And just as fun. What more can you ask of a cookie?

To be honest with you, all 3 of these recipes are pretty similar. The final cookie, is pretty much the same. But they are definitely something you have to try! Because they are amazing. I know that jell-O cookies probably sound weird, but trust me, they are delicious! Now go bake a colorful batch of cookies!

A Little Inspiration

I have a confession to make. Money is really tight around here. For me anyway. Mostly because, it's the end of my Spring semester at school. And I need to be making some rather large payments. It's unfortunate I tell you! Being that my Mom's birthday was Saturday. And Mother's Day was yesterday. But what can you do?

I got real creative. And I wish I had taken pictures to show you. But my Mom enjoys certain things. Like gardening. So I went to the Dollar Store, bought a few fun baskets. And loaded them up, on fun garden things. Including a ton of seeds!!! My Mom has been planting a garden, for a few years now. I also bought some gardening tools, and decorations. Oh an of course, flowers! My Mom LOVES flowers!

I also made her a fun basket, full of snacks. My Mom likes to snack. :) So I thought about lots of yummy things. But like I said, she had 2 special days. And I wanted to make her a little something for her kitchen. Being that she's in the middle of changing the decor.

A few weeks ago, a friend of mine, and I were looking at one of those catalogues you get in the mail. And we saw these colorful wooden utensils. So fun! But they were a bit expensive. $50 for 5 utensils. What? That's what I thought! 2 days later, Jelly e-mailed me this picture. And it all hit me!

Jelly and I got to painting. We painted up 2 sets. A very colorful one for her. And a more "manly" set for our friend, Mems. He cooks for all of us, twice a week. We just thought he'd enjoy this.

Then I decided, I'd make my Mom a set. For her, I used yellow and green. She's going to be decorating her kitchen in John Deere tractors! How fun. :)

So there you go. My Mom really enjoyed her set of kitchen goodies. Not only did I do a little painting, but I managed to make some potholders. And add some fun decorations, to some plain kitchen towels.

Now, I think I'll start making some more of these sets. For the Christmas Craft Fair. I might even make some aprons. These should be fun!

Whimsical Book Necklace

One thing, that you probably don't know about me, is I'm a HUGE reader! As in, I read 5 books a week. For fun! That have nothing to do with school! I've been like this, since I was a little girl. You see, when I was little, nothing was better than the week, that the Book Fair rolled into our school library.

My oldest Goddaughter is also a BIG fan of reading. And crafting. Lots of time, she finds a project. Then her dad takes her shopping for the supplies. And I go help her. I've been teaching her how to sew. She's pretty good at crochet. And we've tried our hand at jewelry making. It's a fun thing that we share. Not only do we craft together. But she also has someone to talk to. That's what I enjoy the most!

Recently, she sent me this picture. Well, her dad did. And asked me, if I thought we could make these. I said we could. A fun book necklace! It got my heart racing a bit. :) And now, we have one little project planned. Before my Goddaughter and her daddy leave for the summer.

Honestly, my brain has been in overdrive! I just can't wait to make myself a necklace. I'm that much of a nerd! Or a bookworm. However you want to put it. And of course, I'm looking forward to some quality time, with my Goddaughter.

Happy May Day!

Happy May Day! I just enjoy May Day. Mostly because I get to surprise the people I love, with little gifts. For the last 11 years,  I've left my neighbors a little something sweet. Just to let them know, I'm thinking of them. And friends generally get some yummy baked goodies. My Goddaughters, well that get a little flowery treat.

But I also enjoy May Day, because it brings us further into the growing season. Generally speaking, the flowers have been blooming for weeks here. And the heat, well it's definitely on the rise. May just brings so many wonderful things with it. Especially, the end of the Spring Semester. :)

Oh, and I found this picture. I just adore these little flowers. I think in a color palette of 3 or 5 colors, this could make a fun summer throw. Where is this pattern from? Because honestly, I want to work on this during May! :)

Where Did Hoppy Chick Go?

I'm attempting to start my Easter craft projects. The little goodies, that I give to my Goddaughters. I knew immediately, what I wanted to make. For me, that's saying a lot. I usually spend, weeks trying to find the perfect project. But not this year.

You see, about 2 years ago, I found Hoppy Chick. The cutest little chick, that was dressed up for Easter. That year, I made 4 or 5. Gave them to a few kids in the hospital. And I figured, that I'd make a few more this year. Not just for my Goddaughters, but for the kids in the hospital. I love to make them things. It brings a little something special to their day. :)

Well, I went to search down the pattern. Since I had originally worked on Hoppy Chick, we moved hospitals. So I didn't find it, in my file at work. In fact, I still need to finish unpacking my boxes! :/ We've been here a few weeks, and those boxes...well I hate looking at them! Then I took to searching my jump drives. No luck! My laptop, well she burnt out, about 18 months ago.

That only left one option. The internet. There's not much that I know about this pattern. Other than, it's an amigurumi chick. Super cute! Extremely easy to make. At the time, it was a free pattern. And it's name is Hoppy Chick!

Ain't she a beauty? Now you can see why, I want to make it again. But I can't find the pattern. Somehow, I saved this picture on a jump drive. The pattern? I don't have a clue where I saved it to! I've searched everywhere! Every place I can think, on the internet. But I keep coming up empty handed.

Do you have any clue, where I can find Hoppy Chick? I'm willing to buy the pattern. Like I said, at the time, it was a free pattern. But with many designers these days, taking popular free patterns of theirs, and deleting the posts. To then sell the patterns...I understand! I just want the pattern. I have 5 little girls at the hospital, that are begging for their very own Hoppy Chick. And I can't let them down!

Bunny Fun!

Are you like me? You have a wreath for every holiday. An actual coat closet full, of "door accessories?" I can't lie. Wreaths are my weak point. If I see them on clearance, it's hard to walk away. And I'm always looking for new ideas.

I've tried almost everything that's out there! No lie! I guess, I doesn't hurt, that I have 5 doors, leading outside. It makes me feel, like I can continue to add to my collection. :)

So what do you get, when you have a wreath form, bunny ears, and a few white boas? Well, a bunny wreath! I found this picture, on Google. And it has me jumping of my seat, excited!!!

I've got a Hobby Lobby coupon in hand. And I can't wait, to make my own bunny wreath. I know. I already have 4 Easter wreaths. But this little guy, is just too cute, to pass up! What do you think?

A Story About a Sewing Machine

I got my first sewing machine, when I was in elementary school. I wanted to sew. But I'm positive, my Mom didn't want to teach her small child, how to sew on her expensive sewing machine. Instead, my parents bought me a sewing machine for Christmas. Nothing fancy, or special.

But I LOVED it! My sister also bought me a big sewing box, filled with tons of supplies! There was not a happier 7 year old, around. :) I'm almost positive, my parents bought the sewing machine at Wal-Mart. For less than $100. Crazy thing is, I never used it! I think, I tried sewing once. And didn't know what I was doing. Heck, I was 7 years old!

Well, we ended up taking my sewing machine, to my parents' cabin. We figured, on the weekends I'd learn how to sew. It didn't happen. But my Mom did sew on it. :) Jump ahead. I'm in my twenties. Living on my own. And I take my sewing machine, to my house. I start sewing, and I LOVED it!

For the next few years, I'm so inspired. Not just by "Blogland." But by my friends' kids. My Goddaughters. And stuff that I couldn't afford to buy. All was going great. Until, it wasn't anymore. My sewing machine, didn't want to work. I tried everything. I took it, to get worked on. Nothing!

After a few months, I just gave up. And I honestly didn't have any money, to spend on it. Or a new one. So when I had to sew, I'd go use my Goddaughter's sewing machine. Not convenient. But it was working. My parents surprised me, with a new sewing machine.

Again, it wasn't anything fancy. One of the Singer sewing machines that Target sells. That week, it was on sale for $70. How do I know? Because I went to the 5 local Target stores, looking for it. With no luck! And I happened to mention this, to my parents. On a Friday night. Before my birthday. Not expecting anything. Just annoyed that I couldn't find my sewing machine.

My parents happened to find one, in their city. The next morning. That was my birthday present. And I was over the moon! It was quite a bit different from my old machine. This one, was a front loading machine. My other, was a drop in bobbin. This machine, was also light weight. That was both good, and bad. But I've gotten to enjoy it.

Honestly, I've been saving my pennies. Hoping to buy a better sewing machine. It's not that I don't appreciate these sewing machines. Or that I don't love them. Because I LOVE them!But I've been sewing a lot more. And I want something more durable. Something that has a few more "bells and whistles."

That lead to me visiting JoAnn's. And I was dreaming of the day, when I could invest in a nice sewing machine. One that makes button holes. And has fun stitches. Something to grow, with my new sewing abilities. That's when I spotted this beauty!!!

Isn't this a pretty sewing machine? Well, I picked up the brochure. And showed it to my Mom the other day. She LOVED it too! I'd love to buy this for myself. The 50th Anniversary Singer Sewing Machine! It's nice to dream about. A little bit of history.

But I'm very happy with my sewing machine. And the fact that there is history behind it. My own history. My own story in the sewing world. And I'm really grateful, that my Mom shared this love of hers, with me!

Garden Pals

There's something about March 1st. Every year, when it rolls around, I get so excited! It means there are so many fun things ahead. I'd like to call March, "Birthday Month." :) Not only is my birthday in March. But literally, for about 2 weeks straight, I know someone who is having a birthday. It's pretty crazy!

With March, also comes Spring. My favorite season of the year! I think about gardening, BBQing after work, sundresses, open windows, and little animals. It's just a magical time of year! Not to mention, Easter is usually just around the corner. :)

Today, I found a new pattern. I guess it was in this month's Crochet Today magazine. But I haven't been able to find it anywhere! But just look at these sweet Garden Pals.

This is a free pattern! Yes, you read that right. And I've decided, it's the "little surprise," that I'm making for all the kiddos this year. I might have to figure out a way, to make at least 2 boy bunnies. But it shouldn't be hard. You should give this pattern a try. I know I'm going to! Times 100!!!