Shutting Down

Announcing the demolition of this blog... this rinky dink craft blog is merging with my fam blog at http://houseofholes.blogspot.com/ to make way for my Design/Decor Blog at http://angelasdesigndecor.blogspot.com/ So if you're watching, now you know :)

Cloth Diapering

A friend of mine surprised me by mentioning she's been using cloth diapers and loving it, and I think I was in need of a challenge, so I have decided to attempt them, and of course I have to sew them myself :) Go figure, right! So here we go, I'll let you know how it goes. I plan to make a fitted diaper that is waterproof and will have inserts, still deciding whether to do velcro or snaps. I've ordered this cute flannel for the outside, white PUL off fabric.com for the waterproof layer then a cloth diaper fabric for the inside. The insert will be microfiber. I'm going to make some with a denim-look fabric for Ryan that our new little girl can use later too. I like the idea of the bum genious diapers...
Next, I found a couple tutorials, so once the fabric arrives, a sewing I will go and then the adventure begins. I don't know that I'll use cloth wipes, but I'll give them a try. Also, super excited to try and make a cute wet bag for travel and we'll go from there :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sh84LK19VNE
and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1M6xFAqS14&feature=related
and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXFdSJMKey0&feature=related

Wet Bag sewing tutorial http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HapJffnak-E

Upcoming Enrichment Projects

My new job at church makes it so I get to plan the women's activities and I love it :) Each summer the activity I looked forward to the most was Super Saturday... a day of fun and girls and crafts. Well, with the economy and such, this year I decided to change it up a little, but still offer some fun crafts that are super inexpensive. The first half of the day we're going to have classes on Spring Cleaning from the inside out, Savings and Storage, Photo Organization, Canning and Menu Planning & Making Meals Memorable. Then we'll have lunch and here are some of the crafts.

Re-usable sandwich wraps/snack bags... I found a great tip on a blog where they used the flannel-lined table cloths for the liner inside... I'm excited to see if these work out better than the rip-stop nylon. The polk-a-dot table cloths are in the spring section at wal-mart... and 1 fat quarter will make a set of 1 wrap and 2 bags. With donations of fabric we can do it for $2 a set.

I ran across this really cute wooden temple decor from here. We're doing it up as a 5x7 pic and we can offer it for $2.


Our Dry-Erase Menu Board... you can do it with vinyl on the glass or the way I did it was just print the words on the paper with a variety of papers to switch out. With the wal-mart $3 frame and donated paper we can do it for $4 which even includes a dry-erase pen.

I found some really cute tutorials for making all these different flower embellishments and we'll be demo-ing how to make 1 of each different style for $1 a set.
Simple Scripture Case that can hold either a soft or hard-bound Book of Mormon... I plan on taking one of those cute felt flowers and fancy-ing mine up and then I want to find a little "Future Missionary" tag to put on the boys. Thanks to donated fabric, these are only $1 too.

Quiet Book... pretty much complete

Quiet Book Begun

I was sitting behind a little boy in church a couple weeks ago and saw him playing with an old-school quiet book, literally out of the 70's, and it brought back so many memories I had to make one... that and the fact that all my kids were hanging over the bench to look at it :) So after google and etsy spying I have a list of about 30 different pages I could/want to do. Here are my first two pages I actually completed and the kids LOVE them.



The flowers come un-buttoned and can be switched around, and the pot is a pocket.


I found this awesome chunky yarn at hobby lobby, originally I had planned on having the bows tied by the kids but it was in the way too much so I just glued on cute bows. Eventually these will all go in a fabric cover with rings. Keep watching for more to come... next is my I-spy rocket ship and a pumpkin.

Back in the Saddle

After almost 4 years I did my first drape job. It was fun to do but with twice the kids it took me 4 times as long as it should have and made me realize how much I missed Wendy's help with the kids and the sewing!

Re-usable Lunch Bags & Stockings

A friend asked me if I made re-usable lunch bags and at first I told her no, and I didn't really want to and then the next week I was noticing how many plastic bags I was throwing away and I realized I should. So after shopping on etsy and browsing google I made sandwich wraps and snack bags to match my kids lunch bags. They're all wrinkly in the picture because I've washed them a few times, and I'm happy to say they are working great, keeping food fresh, and holding up well.

To make the sandwich wrap cut 2 squares of fabric 13" x 13". One from a cute cotton and the other from a food-safe water repellent type fabric. (I used rip-stop nylon, like you'd use for a kite or a windsock). Sew it like you would a pillow, right sides together leaving an opening to flip it inside out. Trim corners, turn, then top-stitch around the whole thing. Attach a 2-3" strip of velcro. I did a different one that is an octagon, not sure which I like better though.

To make the snack bags I cut 2 pieces 6" x 9 1/2" and did the sewed the same way to make a finished rectangle then attached velcro tabs, fold up bottom flap and stitch sides. (I also did ones without velcro, just the flip over kind, I like the velcro better though.)

I wipe clean or for the extra messes I throw them in the washer. Lay flat or machine dry.


Next project... with Christmas around the corner and a new little boy in our family it's time to make his stocking. The primitive stitch is all done, all I have to do now is sew in the liner, toe and cuff... I have amazing fabric luck... we had 4 kids when I first made all our stockings, and I just figured I could always get more fabric, well, when Anabelle was born and I went to make hers I realized I was short and the fabric was DISCONTINUED!!! Here's where my luck came into play, I looked online and found the last few yards and ordered them all... now I have enough to make a dozen more, not that I ever hope to have that many more kids, but in case I just may need it :) Now couple of my friend's are making the same type of stockings, just send me a note if any of you want patterns. We have the nativity, santa, angel and a christmas tree. I thought a gingerbread man and a nutcracker would be cute ones too.

Here a little, there a little...

That's about the amount of crafting I'm getting done these days, but I have high hopes for a craft-filled summer... I plan to teach Alaura how to sew, and come to think of it, Ben would probably love it too. So after really losing another tooth, I finally broke down and made a girl and boy version of some tooth fairy pillows I've seen, it seems like cheating to have them hung on the door, but I'm not opposed to making up some cute paper door hangers showing the tooth fairy which room to go to... since she's missed a couple... woops!


And I've been meaning to finish these for ETSY for forever, finally after a girls craft night Friday I got a couple done!

Digital Scrapbooking WooHoo!

So a while ago I blogged about how frustrated I was with shutterfly and photo books because they were either really plain or too restrictive. WELL..... I found something that is exactly what I wanted... pre-done layouts that are completely changeable!!!! I'm in heave, and they're on sale until Tuesday for 50% off plus free shipping.
SeeHere.com :)

The bug bit me again :)

I don't want to call it a crazy idea... but I'm hooked and I can't get my mind off of it. I'm starting research into maybe opening my own boutique/home decor shop, but when I looked a little closer at the location it has the perfect setting for another one of my dreams... an outdoor reception center. So, I haven't even called on the price yet, but I had to post how super cute this place is. So perfectly country it's adorable, and it might be the perfect place to roll all my dreams into 1... design center, decor shop, reception center... woo hoo! So, tell me what you really think, and would it be so horrible to call it "The Little Red Barn"?

So Rusty!

I've been without crafting so long I don't know if I can remember how to do it anymore :) So I'm in awe at my Sis-in-Law Andrea's adorable projects you have to check out on her blog! She's bit me with the bug, but I don't know where to start. We got moved into our new home and my craft stuff was finally put all away. I'm debating on doing a couple craft fairs before the holidays, maybe doing I-spy bags, bows & holders, Lost Socks banners, drawer labels for kids... what do ya' think? Anyway, here's my new craft room and my revolving art gallery for kids!My laundry/craft room.... I LOVE all the drawers :)

I LOVE my peg-board, I got it alley-driving in Phoenix
and it's so handy... I even got my ribbons hung on it this time
with some metal rods and curtain rod brackets...
Every time I walk by I'm drawn in, gotta start crafting!

My revolving art gallery for kids... the perfect place to display the kids school and church art-work... I took 12x12 scrapbook paper, covered it with clear contact paper and taped it to the wall. Now I can tape the kids art on and remove it when it's time for fresh stuff.

Paper Freaks

So Alaura picked out this book at the library, don't remember the name of it, but it had all these paper crafts. The dragon came from it, then we improvised on the pegasus. Really, they may look complex, but it was an hour long craft project in all. Sammie was napping, but we made her a peacock.

Diaper Bag Dilemmas Solved

Thank goodness for all our new tote options, because the last thing in the world I wanted to do was carry around that hideous "Peter Rabbit", powder blue diaper bag we got when our first was born. Now things are even cuter and cuter. I had a friend show me how to make those covered diaper-wipe holders, but I had to customize it and add a pocket for diapers and cream. Now this is really all I need in my purse... good-bye diaper bag :)

Getting it All

So I was at the library, and I totally did that thing where you see someone returning a book and have to hassle the librarian to let you take it :) It had a cute illustration and title, and it was a fun read... The MomsTown Guide to Getting it All. They brought up some good points... like you can have it all, you just can't do it all. Then I saw they had a website and liked the post on Getting organized... my favorite part: "Better done than Perfect". Now ain't that the truth :) Anyway, random post, but like to pass on stuff I find cool.

Window Flashback

Back in the day... ha ha, like it was that long ago... anyway, after I had my 2nd baby I stopped working at the furniture designing store I was at, and started my own business. It startedwith some chair covers and then I figured I'd dive into drapes. I'm insanely fearless when it comes to some things, and one of the first drape jobs I did was a $5000 set of 3 motorized Roman Shades, with the largest being about 15' x 10' and out of fabric that was $40+/yd. And did I mention that I'd never made a single Roman Shade before? Ya, crazy, but miraculously we pulled it off and I ws off from there. I had some amazing connections, and great help and it turned out to be a fun business that kept me pretty busy until we moved away and I decided it was time to put that on hold. So I still reminisce and thought I'd randomly share some of our old projects with you.

My first real draper job:

Can I please have this laundry room? These drapes were so fun to do! I even pulled my mom in on this job. Let me tell you, staple and glue guns ARE your friends.

Shutterfly woes

So I'm working on printing an album with all our family pics from 2007... the first printed one I've done. (I am now totally anti-scrapbooking with paper.) But I guess I'm realizing what a control freak I am. I love the quality of Shutterfly books, but I have issues with the rest... the pre-designed books have the most adorable layouts, but the headings can't change and they don't always work with the pics and get a little redundant. So 4 hours later, start over with a generic one, but sadly, the layouts aren't nearly as cool. So now I'm going back to my pre-shutterfly plan... doing the digital scrapbooking with Photoshop and getting exactly what I want. A TON more work, which I was hoping to avoid, but thank goodness for super cute digital products... if you haven't gotten into digital scrap stuff, you've got to check out the products from DSM. They are really cute, well-priced, and have helpful tutorials. If you're in the Salt Lake City area, their workshops are a must. Look for pics of my book in a few months now :( Ha, hopefully the work will pay off.

Feeling the Love

I love the blogging community! It's nice to be in my cozy little world and still feel a part of so many other people's lives. It's nice to drop in and be inspired by other people too... like Camille, who has the most amazing fabric line and beautiful quilts (see the sneak peak pic). Not to mention adorable family! I'm so glad I stumbled upon her site. I think I'm going to borrow her theme for my new year and Simplify a few things around here too :)

So I just ran across this Nesting blog and I love it... thought you might too. People and their ideas are AMAZING!

(Credit... this photo is from their site... I only wish it were from my family room.)

And check out my side bar for the other cute blogs I found!

Holiday Recovery Under Way

It was a super fun, busy holiday season... a boutique and a wedding on top of all the other holiday events made it a nice crunch... but I like pressure. I keep wondering why I am feeling like a turtle wanting to hide out in its' shell... then I remember, oh ya... maybe I just might need a little breather :) So to let you know what I've been up to, here's my half of a 12 days of Christmas.

6 Teacher Gifts:

5 Flower Girl Dresses:

4 I spy bags:

3 Frame Stitchings:

2 Hand-made Pillows:
1 Holiday Boutique:
Everything seemed to turn out just fine, thank goodness I started in October! Meanwhile, I'm veerrrryyy slooooowwwly getting back into my new year. Trying to get things in order, and adding a little more structure to my anti-structure way of being. I'd rather just wing it, but with 5 kids and a lot of ambitions, I'm realizing that order is the only way I can get things done that I need and want to and end up with some sort of sanity in the end! So these are some of my attempts to get things in order:

The post-it note weekly plan--set yet post-it flexible! Sigh :)My laundry solution--eliminate 1 step to the dreaded event :) Surprisingly, the kids get so excited to put their laundry in the correct basket. How does it go?... "Find the fun, and snap, the jobs a game"... yes, Mary Poppins is my hero, and I want her bag!

I Spy Fabric Weakness

If I didn't already have a hard time restraining myself from buying cute fabric, these I spy bags have definitely done it to me. At least I only need a little of each so I'm not totally breaking the bank. Here are the newest options I've bought: