Cupcake Garland

My beautiful Goddaughter turns 1, later this week. She is a doll and a half!!! Her family is having a fun dinner, later this week. On her birthday. Because her birthday party is later this month. But I wanted to make something fun. For the dinner.

I found this cute garland pattern. And I called up my Commadre, to ask what colors she was going to use for the dinner. I know Alice. She had already bought colorful plates, decorations, and an outfit for Sofia!!! And she ordered the most beautiful flowers.

I'm going to go with some pretty, and bright colors. I'm definitely going to make Sofia's cupcake garland longer. Alice and Mark, have a long buffet in their dining room. I know exactly how long it is. Because I might have made a few garlands for my friends. :)

I honestly can't wait for Friday!!! I get to see my good friends. And my precious Goddaughter. Dr. L...I've missed my old friend. He also happens to be Sofia's Godfather. Friday night, is going to be all about fun. And shouldn't turning 1, be all about cupcakes and fun? I think so!!!

The Easter Bunny and the Googy-Eggs

Easter is less than a week away! We're talking days here. And my cousin just invited us, to her house. :) For an Easter BBQ!!! Well, I've been working on a few Easter treats. For my Goddaughters, friends' kiddos, little niece, nephew, and small cousins. But now, I need a few more. And they need to be quick and easy!!!

What do you think about these cuties? First of all, I adore this bunny! He's just too cute and fat. :) Perfect for Easter! And these silly eggs, I would have NEVER thought of something like this. But they are too cute! I want to make a bunch!

Which is good. Since I've got 3 days to make 10+. And I have 2 BBQs ahead of me! Between, I adore the "line up" in this picture. And this amazing blog! Go check out Woolly Toons. And maybe, you should make a bunny too!

Oh Chick!

St. Patty's Day is now behind us. And all I've got on my mind is, Easter!!! I've been thinking about bunnies, lambs, and chicks. Anyone else? I just can't help myself! So I went on a little search this morning. In Blogland...

Well, I found this cute blog on my search. It's loaded with yummy treats. That are super easy. And oh so cute. So I might just have spent an hour, drooling all over my laptop. :) To top that off, look at these chicks!!!

Ya, I know! I've been trying to figure out, how to sneak out of work. I NEED to go buy a few things. Maybe I can bribe a few of the other doctors. :)

What are a few of your favorite crafts or recipes for Easter? I've been looking for something new. And fun! I still can't believe Easter less than 2 weeks away! Just point me in the right direction, of some fun Easter treats and crafts. :) Happy Monday!

Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day

This has been a bit of a wild week. And it's ONLY Monday!!! Honestly, I just wish I had a day off of work. But medicine, music, and the "Holiday Season," aren't letting that happen. Not anytime soon, that is.

 

But we're not going to let that get us down. Nope! My Mom and I decided that we wanted to participate in Sew Mama Sew's Giveaway Day. Since we were supposed to talk about this yesterday, and I didn't make it to our "Craft Fair," I was on my own.

 

I got to thinking. What are we enjoying at the moment? And what's a "hot" trend going on? Well, you can't go wrong with something for "baby." There are ALWAYS new babies! We are going to give away a copy of this book...

 

 

I first came across this book, at Wal-Mart. About 6 months ago. And I've made everything inside. More than 5 times! OK, so our family and friends, might have more babies than most. But you get my point. There is always a "demand" for baby items. For the price of 1 skein of yarn, and a button, you have a cute gift. A handmade gift! That just takes a day or so to make. :)

I might also have 2 other books from this series. A pack of crochet hooks. And a $50 gift card to JoAnn's or Hobby Lobby. The winners choice. We're feeling the "season" around here. And want to share something fun, with our readers. And visitors!!!

Now you ask, what do you have to do? Just leave us a comment. With your favorite Holiday Craft. Or Pinterest craft. Anyone else "in love" with Pinterest? Or is that just me? At work, I like to "steal" a few minutes, to look up crochet patterns, recipes, and holiday cheer!

Just leave us a comment. And you have until Friday, December 7th. Sew Mama Sew, says I have to close our giveaway by 5PM PST. So let's get those comments coming. Don't forget to checkout the other giveaways. And Good Luck everyone!!!

Nothing Says Summer Like...

To me, nothing says summer like s'mores. Nothing! It wasn't a "tradition" in my family. Nope! But when I was about 5, my grandparents moved to the mountains. It was heaven! For the entire family. Weekly, we'd go visit. I'd spend entire summers with them. And because my grandma LOVED to fish, many hours were spent at the lake.

We always had a little fire going, at sunset. My grandma would be making coffee, on the open fire. And I'd go find a stick. I'd sit there, roasting my 3 marshmallows. It was my perfect end, to all those perfect days. With my grandparents at the lake!

When I was in middle school, I started going to summer camp. For music. It wasn't all summer long. But it was glorious! This is where, I learned about s'mores. I know! I had a rough childhood. It took until I was 11 years old, to discover s'mores!!!

Well, I sorta kept my little secret, to myself. Until 4 or 5 years ago. I'd buy Hersey bars, graham crackers, and marshmallows. The beginning of summer heat, meant I needed these things! It was that one thing, I just loved to share with my Goddaughters. It didn't matter, that I had to use the BBQ grill to toast our marshmallows. :)

I also finally made my parents s'mores. I think it was 3 years ago. My Mom LOVED them! My Dad, I think he thought I was nuts. But I sat there, over the stove, toasting marshmallows. And we enjoyed our little treat.

Well, this week, I needed a bit of a "pick me up." I spent all day Monday, in the hospital. Dealing with some health issues. Things I'd been ignoring for far too long! And I'd been feeling bad. Not really wanting to do anything. Which isn't good, when you're getting paid, to make people happy. I'm telling you, in general, musicians are a happy bunch of people. But some days, that smile, is just another part of the costume...

So I was pleasantly surprised, when my friends had a fire going. And all the makings of s'mores. Yum! That smile, wasn't fake. And it's been plastered across my face, ever since. Yes, my friends now how, to cheer a girl up. :)

As my Goddaughters were so excited, covered in sticky, yummy goo, I got an idea. Can I turn s'mores into some amigurumi fun? I took to Google. And I came up with this picture...

So cute!!! But another broken link, when I tried to find the source. :( Have you seen this picture before? Or know where I can find the pattern? I searched Ana's blog. To me, these look a lot like her patterns. No luck! I searched Etsy, eBay, and Ravelry. No luck!

I think these will be perfect, for the itty bitties in my life. I just need to find the pattern. If you have any idea, where I can find this pattern, please leave me a comment. I'd really appreciate it. Oh, and don't forget to enter our giveaway!

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.

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?

Look What I Found...

I don't know about you, but I got a few gift cards for Christmas. And it was a nice little treat! :) Just a few days ago, I headed out to Wal-Mart. I needed a few essentials. And was going to look through the craft section. Honestly, I was leaving with bread, milk, eggs, grapes, and some cotton thread.

That is, until I past the book section. That's when I about died! Did you know, you can buy books for $2.96? Books that sell for at least $12.95 elsewhere! Actually, many of the books that I picked up, had a $16.95 price on the cover. But Wal-Mart had them for $2.96! Like this one...

I bought 10 books! A little crazy. I know! But this book, it immediately grabbed my attention! I just had to pick it up. And since I'm a HUGE reader, I was in heaven! Even more so, because I only used 1 gift card. And it still has money on it. This is going to be the first book that I read...as soon as I finish my current book. Oh Wal-Mart...can you offer some craft books at this price? Pretty please!

Craft Supplies

If you've been reading a craft blog, for the last year or so, you've heard about the Cricut and the Silhouette. There are so many projects that you can make with these 2 machines. And I've been eyeing them, for longer than I can remember...

The Cricut has been out longer. At least I think so. And I see it everywhere! At Hobby Lobby, Wal-Mart, and JoAnn's. EVERYWHERE! They're always having sales. But even the sale price, is just out of my reach...right now.

How about the Silhouette? Almost every blog out there, the big ones, is sponsored by Silhouette. And honestly, if I had a few hundred dollars, I'd buy this bad boy! Without even thinking about it. I find myself, dreaming about so many projects. Oh, my! If only. But let me tell you, I'll be saving my pennies, to buy one of these fun machines.

Mark's Craft Books

Have you ever heard of Mark Montano? Well, I didn't know that he wrote craft books. On a recent trip to Barnes and Noble, I literally stumbled on one! I was there buying some stuff for school. But I sat down with this book, and took a long look!

And by a long look, I mean I sat there for 2 hours. Just going through all the projects. What a great book! And it wasn't too expensive. I think it was under $15. Honestly, it's an incredible book for the money!

That's not all. When I got home, I Googled the book. And I found out that there are 2 of these books. Yes, 2! I'm putting these on my "Wish List." Maybe just maybe...I'll get them for Christmas. I'd be so excited! Because I'm already thinking, of all the projects that I want to make. :)

Christmas Cooking and Baking

Now that Thanksgiving is behind us, I've been thinking about Christmas. One of my absolute favorite things, about the Holiday Season is, cooking. And baking. Yum! I have a lot of recipes that are "tried and true." Recipes that I LOVE to make every single year. Things that my family enjoys. But then, there are all these AMAZING Holiday cookbooks. And I want to try them all! None more than this one...

This cookbook is at the top of my list! Yum! Just look at these pictures. What's not to love? Do you have a favorite cookbook? A favorite holiday dish? I'm always looking for new recipes. And I'd LOVE to hear all about your favorites!

Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day

I came across Sew Mama Sew's Giveaway Day about a year ago. And I knew that I wanted to participate in it. So when I saw the blog post last week, I talked to Mom about it. And we agreed to be a part of the fun!

We have a few items that we're going to giveaway. Just some stuff from our stash. But I think they'd make some fun Christmas presents. :)

This is a stuffed tutu for a little girl. What little girl wouldn't enjoy playing dress up? And there are jingle bells in there too!

And a warm scarf for winter. The color is between a light blue and a turquoise color. But as you can tell, I can't find my camera. My phone camera doesn't have the best quality. But it is a nice and warm scarf.

And the best part, this is one of Mom's Strawberry Shortcake Dolls. Isn't it too cute? I wish I could keep this one for myself. Can you believe that I don't have one?

Here's a close up of her cute face! So cute!

So for all the rules. Just leave us a comment with your favorite holiday treat. You get an extra chance for a link to a recipe. Oh, and you can get a 3rd chance if you follow our blog. Good luck! And you have until Sunday, December 19th at 11:59PM MST.

Lifetime and Christmas Presents

I'm on the road this week. For my internship and school. And Mom is home. Getting through her last week of work before the holidays. Today was a long day, one that started with a 10K run for the hospital. And has ended with me in a fancy hotel.

After our fancy dinner tonight, we got the rest of the night off. Our supervisor and his wife went shopping. The other doctor from our hospital went to bed. He wasn't feeling so well. And that left me alone.

Never fear. I brought some projects with me. I'd like to share them with you. But they're going to be Christmas presents. So we will have to wait until after the holidays. But I did watch a cute Lifetime movie, A Christmas Wedding.

If you get a chance to watch it, you definitely should! It's not your typical Christmas movie. But it was fun. And I managed to almost finish one of my Christmas projects!

Craft Fair Day

Today was our Craft Fair! We honestly had a great time. Mom and Dad set up the 2 tables. I was still on the road. But I managed to get there before the first mass got out. And I added my new crafts to the tables. We also did a little bit of baking, to go with our crafts. :)

Mom and Dad had to leave after 2 hours. We also had a Family Reunion today. So I took care of the tables by myself, for half of the Craft Fair. That happened to be the half that was the busiest! Maybe because Santa came to take pictures. But I managed. Thank goodness for a friend, who came by to chat with the people, while I made the sales. :)

I don't think all the booths did well. Mostly because lots of the items were way overpriced. I think people need to take the location and the economy into consideration. The lady next to me was selling stuff that I could find in shops, around the hospital, were I work. Mostly jewelry and scarves. Not handmade. But she had some good business. Our tables were pretty busy all day. And she was the friendliest lady!

The ladies that were across from us, they came to chat with me for a while. Neither of them sold a thing. I felt really bad. Mom really liked the shawls that one the ladies had made. Yup, we got some ideas. I think Mom is going to try and make herself one.

And the food, it sold so quickly! Our church sells breakfast, lunch, and snacks during the Craft Fair. Within 2 hours, they had completely sold out! I was getting a little concerned about Mom and I's baked goods. Then all of a sudden, we started to sell out! We even had a bit of a riot over the peanut brittle that I made. For some reason, I had such a hard time making it this time. I made a double batch. Honestly, I should have made 3 or 4 times that amount. That's how much people wanted it. I need to remember that for next time.

At the end of the day, we had a great time. I even managed to finish another scarf while I was there. I need to also remember, to make some more business cards. And to go looking for socks. I sold out of Baby Legs in minutes! I had made about 15 pairs. But that wasn't enough!

We came home with some pumpkin bread, and some cookies. But we did good. Made a good amount of money. Both Mom and I came home with $100 each, and put the rest into our stash. We use that as change for the next show. Or to buy supplies. It wasn't a bad day at all. Now I can't wait until the Craft Fair in February.

JoAnn's Sale

Did anyone happen to go to the big sale at JoAnn's this weekend? Mom and I made it there. And I'm so glad we did! I'm pretty sure Mom is excited too.

My Dad bought her Christmas present today. A dress form. Mom has wanted one for such a long time. Possibly since I was a small kid. And today, they ordered it. Because the one that Mom wanted wasn't in stock. We also stocked up on lots of fabric. I got a great deal on tulle. I bought 2 bolts for $7.99 a piece. The regular price is $21.99!

We also stocked up on odds and ends. Neither of us could pass up the pattern deal. And left with 10 patterns a piece! I picked up a sewing book that I've had my eye on for a while. And just some odds and ends.

In the end, we saved close to $50! That was just using coupons. We're not counting all the sale prices. And before we left, we couldn't resist the Scarecrows. We bought 4, at 99 cents a piece! Yes, it was a great sale. And now, we're stocked up for a while. At least until after the Craft Fair