Matryoshka Doll Downloads
This is a super fun and easy craft project just using fleece! We made these during our last MOPS meeting and I am in love with this little project. For the version of the project that we made in our meeting we didn't even need to sew....in place of the stitching we simply punched holes up either side of our hat after folding our fleece from left to right (along one edge that was folded and the other two stacked pieces of fleece) and threaded a 1 inch strip of fleece that we cut through the holes and knotted at either end to secure (trimming ends).
Here is a diagram and version of the project using some simple sewing:
Cut fleece to 16" x 21" so it stretches the long way. Fold in half with right sides together. Stitch along the short ends to make a tube that will fit over your head. Leave the last 4" unstitched. This will become part of your fringe. Cut 4" slits every 3/4" along this end. Turn right-side out.
Cut a piece of scrap to 1" x 8". Gather fringes and tie tightly with scrap. Roll bottom up twice to make band.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1-1/2 cups sugar, divided
2 eggs
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
TOPPING:
1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Directions:
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, sour cream and vanilla; mix well. Combine the flour, baking powder and soda; add to creamed mixture (batter will be thick).
Spread half of the batter into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan. Combine chocolate chips, cinnamon and remaining sugar; sprinkle half over batter. Drop remaining batter by spoonfuls over the top. Sprinkle with remaining chip mixture. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.
Yield: 12-16 servings
Here is a quick layout that I did using Creative Imaginations' Narratives Collection.
There's just something special about watching the Packers play at home on Lambeau Field.
We spent the weekend with Ethan's family and they watched Zoey while we got away and went to the Sunday game this past weekend and it was so much fun. Usually we go to games in December or January and it's freezing and bitter cold, but there's something special about that too...it is Wisconsin we are living in after all and having the little heater packs tucked away in your boots and having hot cocoa while bundled up with your neighbors in the stands is an experience in itself. Ethan and I were actually talking about how different the crowd was and we were thinking that it may have something to do with who it is that comes out for the colder weather games vs. only the warmer and more temperate ones. For this past Sunday's game the weather was really mild and we were commenting on how we were actually hot at one point (probably because we are so used to dressing in layers to stay warm!
One of my favorite things about going to these games is to people watch...it's so much fun.
Our seats are really good ones, we're right down there near the South end zone...they are in my Father-In-Law's name (his family was actually on the waiting list for these tickets for quite some time I believe) and so for us to get to use them is a pretty neat thing.
The half-time show on Sunday was pretty exciting and probably the best one that I've seen so far. The University of Wisconsin Marching Band was performing for the crowd and perform they did!
After half-time throughout the rest of the game the band split up into sections and would filter through the stands and play little bits here and there. Here was one young man that came near us.
And of course I had to get some pictures of these guys:
Such a fun way to spend the weekend. Thank you Ann and Ken for letting us have the tickets every year...it is truly a special thing and we are so appreciative! Oh, and thanks for babysitting too! =)
I've been slowly playing with my November Cocoa Daisy kit (which I just am in love with!)...last night I put this layout together using goodies from it and I was happy with how it turned out. I've been holding on to these photos and just didn't ever feel as though I had the "right" papers or embellishments to go with them. I am happy with the patterned paper from Basic Grey's Indian Summer collection...they just seemed to work perfectly in this case.
We're off to see family this weekend (Zoey's already got her bags packed for grandma's house!) and will go to the Packer game this Sunday and this time I am going to try and remember to bring my camera along! Have a great weekend!
Zoey's first Kindergarten Parent/Teacher conferences were last night...I have to say that it would be hard to top just how proud of this little girl I was last night while we were all sitting there together with her teacher sitting across from us in her classroom. She's pretty darn super-duper! Super happy parents of one (okay, I just have to say "super" once more!) super happy little girl! The neatest thing I think was that the day prior to her conference Zoey's teacher saw me in the hall and said (with much enthusiasm) that she was so excited for our conference, that she just couldn't wait...and due to her amount of enthusiasm I was a bit nervous about what it was exactly that she was so excited about sharing...or, what did Zoey do that showed she is directly from my genetic lines of dorkydom? =) Alas, her secret is safe for a bit longer it seems...her teacher was genuinely excited about sharing what achievements Zoey's been making in school thus far. One more time, super proud of this little girl!
Today I am sharing a fun little mini-book that I created using library pockets as the pages. After cutting out the library pockets from my lss's Ellison die-cutting machine I created tags from cardstock and rounded the corners using my corner rounder punch and threaded a book ring through holes that I punched in the top corner of my library pockets.
The patterned papers that I used to embellish the book are all by We R Memory Keepers with the exception of the Glazed (dot) cardstock by Bazzill. The snowflakes were cut out using the SLICE portable die-cutting machine by Making Memories.
My journaling strips were typed up in word (I think I used Century Gothic type) and I simply printed it off on cardstock and then used my paper trimmer to cut into strips.
A super fun and easy way to record what your family does every season to get ready for the holidays! This is going to be a class that I'll be teaching next month at Paper Studio in Minocqua, Wisconsin.
Getting ready for the holidays is going to be extra special and a bit more fun this year with The 12 Creative Days of Christmas going on over at the MPCo. blog! Stop on over here to read and learn more (updates will be every Sunday and Wednesday)!
Here is a fun project that I created recently for Marks Paper Company using the Old Fashioned Courtship Collection of papers. The idea is that the book is a tea booklet and you can adhere little tea packets to each solid cardstock piece within the book (you could always change this up and simply add photos in place of the tea packets). I was thinking that this would make a great teacher gift for the holdays with a nice handmade mug to go along with the tea.
Supplies needed for this project: 2 sheets of color coordinated cardstock, 1 sheet of Marks Paper Company patterned papers (Old Fashioned Courtship Collection), Corner rounder, Ink + stamps (Hero Arts), Embellishments, Ruler, Paper trimmer, Scoring blade, Craft knife
Project tutorial can be downloaded for free here.
Then, on Saturday I worked at my local scrapbook store and the owner and I spent the entire day rearranging the store and the studio space which, while it may not sound like it, was alot of fun. Those that know me well know that I love rearranging things here at home and it turns out it's fun at my workplace as well (it must be a design thing)! And I suppose that it helps that I have a boss who, when we are both at the point where we're sweating and tired and plain out pooped, will call out "SUGAR BREAK!" I mean, who can not enjoy themselves while hanging out with someone like that? Saturday evening Ethan had prepared for me a wonderful meal of wild rice, mushrooms, onions and some of the vegetarian Quorn bits of chicken with hot buttered corn on the cob (my absolute favorite food is corn on the cob, I would eat it every day if I could!) and there were my favorite flowers on the table as well...yellow daisies. It was a very special evening and it was nice to have it be a quiet one.
Sunday (today), Zoey and I did a bit of birthday shopping (thank you Ethan!)...I found these boots:
which I did not pay full price for. I actually got them on sale for $59 and had a special $10 off coupon to apply to my purchase so I was pretty happy about that. I love them. I've been wanting these Frye boots for so long now but just can't justify spending that kind of money on a pair of boots (when I'm really not a hardcore country/horseback riding kind of girl to begin with...I just want to look like one apparently!). I used some birthday money that I got from my dad to purchase a copy of The Recipe Club: A Tale of Food and Friendship by Andrea Isreal and Nancy Garfinkel and a copy of Martha's latest Christmas edition of Living magazine and to sweeten the deal even more, I got a birthday package in the mail from my in-laws and one of the goodies inside was a copy of Barbara Kingsolver's newest book, The Lucana: A Novel. Yay! I also had a special visit from my mom, little sister and step-dad in which they basicly drove up to see me (a five hour drive, one way) and drove back. They delivered a homemade chocolate birthday cake with peanut butter frosting (my grandmother's recipe), a table runner that my mom had quilted, a gift certificate to a favorite coffee shop here in town and some other special things including several hugs. What a crazy, lucky girl am I! Oh, and the Packers must have known it was my birthday today too as they pulled out a win from somewhere for me! It was a great 32nd birthday!
Today I Turn 32...
These gift tags I originally created for a workshop that I helped teach at Paper Studio, Inc. I first stamped on the acylic tags with white Staz-On ink (and let dry), I then cut out papers from the Making Memories FaLaLaLa collection of patterned papers and embellishments and adhered the papers to my (now dry) tags using a permanent adhesive roller. The ovals and scalloped ovals were cut out using Spellbinders' nesting dies. I adhered my scalloped and plain ovals to my tags using 3 dimensional adhesive after stamping my sentiments on them. A fun and unique gift tag to attach to gifts this year! All supplies available at Paper Studio, Inc.
I cannot tell you just how excited I was to find a template to create this card over at Zakka Life. I am getting Zoey a set of Matryoshka nesting dolls for Christmas this year (something that I was on the look-out for last year) along with the book The Littlest Matryoshka by Corinne Demas Bliss. This card now of course will be accompanying the gift under the tree...or perhaps even in the tree!
[ETA: The nesting dolls can be purchased (along with the book) at Hearthsong here.]
The patterned papers that I used are all by Cosmo Cricket, I used the scalloped border punch by Stampin' Up for the red dot paper along the bottom of the dolls and used clear stamps by Hero Arts for one of the dolls faces and the "i luv you." Other embellishments include chipboard (cherries) by Basic Grey, letter stickers by Creative Imaginations, buttons by Chatterbox, and gemstones and brads by Doodlebug Designs, Inc. Pretty much everything that I used to create this little gem of a project was from one of my kits from Cocoa Daisy.
Such a fun and sweet little project, I think that I'll also be making Zoey a blank cut-out of these dolls too so that she can make up her own "set" after reading the story.
i love her..i love her..i love her..
This morning was hurried and rushed and we were all running late. I had an appointment in another town to get to right after dropping Zoey off at school and she was being pokey and stubborn and I had too much to do myself to help get her organized and ready for the day. She was grumpy and I was too short with her. I was literally holding my electric tooth brush in my mouth brushing my teeth while packing her lunch for school. We made it to school on time and I just made it to my appointment and now I am missing her and wishing that our morning would have been a better one and had gone differently. Being a parent is such a mixed bag. I wouldn't trade it for the world.
This was a project that I created originally for an ongoing workshop that was held at Paper Studio, Inc. which is located in Minocqua, Wisconsin. I used an Accu-Cut die for creating the paper boxes and box lids (if you do not have access to an Accu-Cut machine click here for a great tutorial on making a small gift box that would work perfect for this project) and then punched out scalloped circles from cardstock using a small Fiskars punch. I stamped on the scalloped circles using Christmas stamps from Hero Arts and added a rhinestone to the center of some of my stamped images. I simply threaded some ribbon through a hole that I had punched through the top of my box lids and tied my ribbon to secure. The papers that I used for this particular project are all by Bazzill. I used the dotted swiss, the new glazed cardstock and then plain textured Bazzill cardstock (for the scalloped punch outs). This was a super fun and easy project and will make for some special treat holders for some special people this year I am sure! All supplies used for this project are available for purchase and/or use at Paper Studio.
Fall + Winter Reading List
1. Home Safe by Elizabeth Berg
2. The Lacuna: A Novel by Barbara Kinglsolver (just thrilled to see that she has a new book out!)
3. Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah
4. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer (heard so many good things about this one that I bought myself a copy)
5. The Recipe Club: A Tale of Food and Friendship by Andrea Isreal (I want to own this book)
6. Connected: The Surprising Power of Our Social Networks and How They Shape Our Lives by Nicholas A. Christakis
7. Just Like Us: The True Story of Four Mexican Girls Coming of Age in America by Helen Thorpe
8. Too Much Happiness: Stories by Alice Munro (this one will be released Nov 17th but is available for pre-order on amazon)
9. Going Away Shoes by Jill McCorkle
10. NurtureShock: New Thinking About Children by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman
11. The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl (I love her blog and I want her book)
12. Half the Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity for Women Worldwide by Nicholas D. Kristof
13. The Summer Kitchen by Lisa Wingate (my mom told me I should read this, so I am going to)
Are there any books that are on your "To Read" list? Please share!
Here's the rules: I need to pass this award on to five people, post on their blog to let them know I left them this award, and then I need to answer a list of questions (to follow) using just ONE word.
1. Where is your cell phone? n/a (don't have one)
2. Your hair? short
3. Your mother? strong
4. Your father? creative
5. Your favorite food? greek
6. Your dream last night? good
7. Your favorite drink? water
8. Your dream/goal? peace (in my heart)
9. What room are you in? bedroom
10. Your hobby? paper-arts
11. Your fear? fear
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? home
13. Where were you last night? here
14. Something that you aren't? high maintenance
15.Muffins? rhubarb
16. Wish list item? health
17. Where did you grow up? small town
18. Last thing you did? tucked in my little girl for the night
19. What are you wearing? yoga pants + an old long sleeved t-shirt
20. Your TV? old school
21. Your pets? deceased
22. Friends? the best
23. Your life? thankful
24. Your mood? good
25. Missing someone? yes
26. Vehicle? Subaru
27. Something your not wearing? make-up
28. Your favorite store? any bookstore
29. Your favorite color? crimson red, brown, green, burnt orange (I just can't choose just one)
30. When was the last time you laughed? tonight
31. Last time you cried? today (when I was laughing)
32. Your best friend? true blue
33. One place that I go to over and over? work =)
34. Facebook? interesting
35. Favorite place to eat? Harbor View and the Island Cafe
I had a few answers that went beyond the one word rule but for the most part I stuck to it. Here are the blogs that I am nominating:
Ronda - She goes above and beyond for a fellow scrapper, she's extremely talented and is incredible about telling it like it is when journaling on her pages.
Wilna - Love how courageous she is in sharing her faith with the world, her art is truly from her heart.
Misty (like "drizzle") - An amazing friend in real life, always makes me laugh and is an amazing seamstress (and mother).
Patty - Pretty much every time I see this woman she makes me cry or almost pee my pants (from laughing). She's one of those people that I know have been put into my life's path for a reason.
Anne - An amazing cook, to get some great recipe ideas be sure to check out her blog...another real life acquaintence who is now a blogger.
You are all "over the top" in my book! Now snag this award for yourselves and pass on the good cheer!
"Decide what your priorities are and how much time you'll spend on them. If you don't someone else will." - Harvey Mackay
I'm feeling the need to cut out those things that truly are not important. Those things that add unnecessary stress to myself or to my family. Things that I feel that I do more so out of obligation instead of heartfelt desire. Obviously there are things that I will have to continue doing that I do not absolutely enjoy (ummm, laundry unfortunately is not going to go away), but there are things that have taken up my time here and there that are not important or things that I could find a way to do more efficiently. The first step is to prioritize and to come up with a plan, and to make a commitment to stick to it.
Looking forward to sharing with you:
I'll be sharing very shortly here on my blog my 2009 holiday projects that I've been working on the past month or so, as well as ones that will, I am sure fit themselves in within the next upcoming few weeks or so before Christmas is directly upon us. Quite a few of the projects that are already completed were created for Paper Studio and some others are ones that I just created on my own and for fun. I just love Christmas crafting...it's the absolute best! I think the thing that I love the most is that it most often times incorporates those special people in our lives that we love and care for. Either we are creating something for those people that we care for or we are creating something that will honor them and our times shared with them. Either way, it's usually not about us...it's about someone else.
Here is a picture of the three little amigos...or better known as Zoey, Ruby and Ruby's little superhero brother, Mateo.
There was much running around to be done right off the bat...which was a good thing because it was pretty chilly and of course nobody wanted to wear their coats over their costumes.
Then of course when everyone had their trunks all set up it was time for the actual "Trunk-or-Treating" to happen.
I couldn't believe just how Zoey made out (when it came to the treats) and it was nice too because their was a mix of handmade goodies in addition to the traditional candy sweets.
After spending some time outside it was time to head on in to the fellowship hall for some warm cider and cookies and cake!
Then after being sugared up the kiddos expelled some of that energy by running around inside the fellowship hall...
boys chased the girls (I guess some things never change).
And here is a picture of Ruby and Teo's mom and my good friend, Misty. I think she was going as the Northwood's Packer Princess this year?????? =)