Baby Quilt

I saw this quite a while ago and fell in love with it!  And I put it in my "bank" of things I wanna make someday...

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And then we found out I'm having a girl and a whole world of opportunity opened up for me!

And the first thing I had to make was this quilt.

I couldn't get it out of my head.

So I went fabric shopping and came up with this:

I basically followed her tutorial fairly closely.

I obviously used different fabric.

I cut the letters out using my Silhouette, which was AMAZING!  Saved me so much time!  I really heart that little machine.

And changed the word "play" to "poop" because, come on!  We all know that's whats REALLY going on.

And I used black thread to zig zag stitch around the words.  I love how they kinds of pop.

I simply quilted diagonal lines across the thing, since I didn't really want to hand quilt anything and don't own a super fantastic quilting machine.

I basically love everything about this little quilt and can't wait to let my little belly snuggle with it...or on it...or whatever.

So a HUGE thanks to Vanessa from V and Co for this amazing idea and tutorial.

And expect a lot more of where this came from!
I'm not due until June!

And there's a WHOLE lotta ideas out there for little girls...

I CAN"T WAIT!!!

Candy Bottles

I was up home at my parent's house and Valentine's Day was fast approaching.  I saw this post and thought it was an awesome idea to make for them.

I had no supplies so I had to go shopping at the limited stores over there, but I think I made it work.

So here's the before:

And here's the final product: 

It was really fun trying to make this and make it work with what I had.

I spray painted the case, inside and out.  Then I decorated the CRAP out of it!  

I cut labels for each bottle out of black paper and then used ribbon and felt to decorate them.

I chose three snacks for my mom, and three for my dad, as so indicated by the black and pink ribbons.

I tried to think of cute little sayings to go with each snack.

All in all it was a super fun idea! And a blast to make.

The only downside was trying to drink all the soda that came in the bottles...

 A perfect idea for someone who's hard to buy for.  And it doesn't just have to be for Valentine's Day! This would work for a birthday, maybe even Father's Day!  The possibilities are endless!!

So thanks again to Becca over at Nap Time Journal for the super fantastic idea!  If you haven't been to her blog, stop what you're doing right now and go!  She's awesome.

Valentine’s Day Wreath

I was browsing through one of my favorite blogs and saw this little beauty. 

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And I decided it might be a fun little project.
Plus my door has been looking a little naked since I took down my autumn wreath.
I know, I need a Christmas wreath.
All in good time.
ANYWAY, so I went to the dollar store and found a floral form.
 
And went to Wal-mart and bought some $1 Valentine’s Day ribbon.  And I wrapped it around the form and hot glued the ends down.
 
Then I took some cupcake liners and went crazy!
FYI: IMPOSSIBLE to find cute cupcake liners in a small town.  I made due with what I could get my hands on.

I followed her directions pretty closely and worked in sections.  Instead of bunching them up, though, I sort of wrapped the liners around a chopstick (See that green stick in the background?) and then pressed it into a dab of hot glue.  I found it a lot less brutal on my poor burnt fingers.  Plus I could press the liner slightly into the form, which kind of gave it a more secure feel.
And I just worked my way around.  I also put them on the outside of the form, which makes it nice and puffy.
Then I sprayed some adhesive on the liners and poured a whole bunch of red glitter all over the thing.  It was magical.
I then made a sort of flower out of a couple liners and glued it on.  Then I tied a bow out of some thin ribbon and glued it in the center of the flower.
I glued some ribbon across the back and tied it in a bow and hung it on the door.
 
I think it turned out super cute, even though I wasn’t a huge fan of the liners I got.  Fun colors and a fast little project.

A huge thanks to Jen over at Tatertots and Jello for this super fun project!  She’s pretty awesome, just so ya know.

Seven Layer Dip

Here's my go-to recipe for yummy 7 layered goodness.

On the bottom of a 13x9 Pyrex dish, spread a can of refried beans or bean dip.

Next, mix 1 pkg taco seasoning with a 16 oz container of sour cream.  Spread over beans.

Next, spread a layer of guacamole.

Then top with cheese, lots and lots of shredded cheese.

Then, in no particular order, layer tomatoes, olives, and green onions.

Then try not to eat the whole pan in one sitting.

Or turn it all into a fun Jack O'Lantern face for Halloween.

Whatever.

How To Use 50+ Apples

The carnage was everywhere.

My kitchen has still not fully recovered.

But I put up 6 quarts of apple pie filling and 6 pints of applesauce.

I just love how yellow and cheery these little jars of happiness are!

To make the pie filling, I used this recipe. And I added more cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and allspice, just to taste.

To make the applesauce:

I peeled most of the apples.

I cored them and cut them with an apple slicer, into 8 pieces.

I put them in about 4 cups of water.

I boiled them and boiled them and boiled them until they were super mushy.

I picked some of the skins out and then decided to give up on that.

I pureed them in my food processor.

I added some ascorbic acid to aid in the yellowness.

That's it. No sugar, no cinnamon. It is pure deliciousness.

Yum yum!

I made jar tags and printed them on sticker paper.

TADA!

Yummy, I can’t wait to make some apple crisp on a cold day!

Bikini Bread

Ah sweet deliciousness! I was jealous of everyone's zucchini abundance, so I went to the store and bought some. Bikini (banana-zucchini, get it?) bread is my most favorite treat. And since I'm on the cursed diet, I can't have a lot of treats. So here's the recipe I use, feel free to alter it to fit your needs and desires. I'm sure chocolate chips would be fantastic in it, but you know, I'm just sayin...

BIKINI BREAD
3 eggs, beaten
2 cups splenda
1 cup applesauce (or oil)
1 cup dry milk
1 tsp baking soda
1 tbps vanilla
2 cups grated zucchini
31/2 cups wheat flour
2 tsp salt
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
2 cups mashed bananas
1 tsp lemon juice


Grease 2 9"x5"x3" loaf pans (I ended up using 3). In a bowl, combine eggs, splenda, oil, milk, baking soda and vanilla. Stir in zucchini and mix well. In a seperate bowl, combine all dry ingredients. Add to zucchini mixture and mix well. Add bananas and lemon juice and mix some more. Dived into pans and bake at 350 f for 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. (I sprinkled some wheat germ on mine before I put them in the oven, you know, just for good measure.)

It's super yummy, you won't regret it!!

It seriously doesn't last long around here, seeing as how I baked these at midnight last night and this picture was taken at, uh, 10 am...

Just Somethin’ I Whipped Up

I was in DESPERATE need of a tablecloth.

I LOVE my table. She’s a real beauty. She’s a 54'” square with a built-in leaf, so when the leaf it not up, the size is 54” by 36”.

I bring this up because, apparently, this is an odd size table. Who knew?! I have had the hardest time finding the correct size. they are either WAY to big or not the right shape or hang off beautifully down one side and barely reach on the other. It’s been a nightmare to say the least.

I went to Wal-Mart *HOPING* to find some miracle tablecloth, but alas, all I could find was this lovely:

Not bad, right? No, well, no but come on! 60'”x84”?! Apparently no one has informed Wal-Mart of my oddly shaped table and need to NOT have two feet hanging off either edge just waiting for Tarzan and George of the Jungle to take a swing on. Yes, it’s happened more than I’d like to admit.

I was about to hang my head in sadness and defeat when an idea struck my little brain. I walked over to the bedding area. (Sound the heavenly angel choir) Flat sheets. $3. Any color I wanted.

I bought a cutie, drove her home and pressed all the creases out. Wouldn’t you know it, by cutting a twin sheet in half, I would have two, count ‘em TWO tablecloths! YIPEE!!

So I did a sweet little narrow hem on both of them and now TADA!!

Sorry, Tarzan! No swingin’ today!

Look at the cute little decorative border! Added bonus I suppose!

So pretty. And I mean, come on! It’s just something that's going to get dirty, it’s obviously not for my fine dining, but for $1.50 a piece, you just can’t beat that! Start to finish, took about 40 minutes for both.

AwEsOmE!

Silhouette Love

Hey! You all know how much I want one of these bad boys, right?

So I just found out about another giveaway! Over at SugarDoodle!
So go over there right now and enter to win one too!
But hurry because I think it ends today!
Good luck!
And if you win, I will be over to use it as soon as it arrives! :)

Facelift

I've been redesigning some stuff around here.

What do ya think?

New name.

New look.

Please forgive me if some of my previous post look a little, uh, skiwampus.

I changes my layout too.

So until I can get home to fix them, they look no bueno.

Don't judge me by how they look because, uh, sad.

But I'm excited about the new me.

Look out blog world!

Here I come!

Well, here I re-come...

...or come again...

...oh you know what I mean!

American Baby

(Photo courtesy of Love Stitched)

Um hello.

Can you say cute?

Do you love America?

Do you not love this little cutie?!?!

I saw this picture and was so struck by it’s adorableness, I decided these shirts would make my boys look, hopefully, just as cute for the 4th.

Aww, matching “his” and “his” cuteness.

These were a snap to make, thanks to the amazing step by step tutorial by Cheri at I am Momma Hear Me Roar, found here and here.

Seriously, awesome. I can’t wait.

Thanks Cheri! You’re awesome!!