Sissies II Treasures...

My mom and aunt recently started a sewing and embroidery business called Sissies II.  I am hosting an Open House to help introduce their treasures to Louisville on Wednesday, December 1st from 9am-noon and 6pm-8pm at my home.  Here are some of the items they create...

Taggie blankies for babies... (LOVE the monkey!)

 Aprons for the chef

 Burp cloths

Towels

 Salad greens drying bags

 pillow cases

 girl's jumpers - so cute!

 Boy's shortalls

Thursday Thirteen

13 Places I Want to Visit...

1.  France - it's been on my list FOREVER!  Maybe I'll get there someday.
2.  Washington DC
3.  Pacific Northwest
4.. Montana
5.  Switzerland - preferably while my cousin lives there
6.  Alaska in both summer and winter
7.  Greece
8.  Germany at Oktoberfest
9.  Turkey
10.  San Antonio
11.  Napa Valley
12.  British Columbia
13.  Singapore

Here's my version of the Boo wreath...

A few of my favorite face shots...

Added these because they are my first entries into a Link Up!  There are so many other photos better than mine, but this was great motivation to work with some of my favorite shots.

Ellie and Lucy - they could be sisters :)  Loved using the warmify effect on this one.

My baby sister - added a glow to her already glowing personality - love her sparkle!

Maddie

The boy

Sweet Moments in Time...

On Saturday at Mass, after Communion during that quiet reflective time, Sam turned to me and said, "Charlie's always in my heart."  It was so precious and unexpected.  Never want to forget times like these when my kids say the sweetest things...

Halloween Wreath

I'm totally making this for Halloween!  Went and bought the stuff yesterday plus I found something to put a little sparkle in it.  Cause everything looks better with a little sparkle...
BOO wreath TUTORIAL from Craftaholics Anonymous

i had quite a few requests for this tutorial, so here ya go! 

Supplies

• 1.25 yards of black burlap cut into 1"x16" strips {i used a rotary cutter, but if you want to prevent most of the loose strands, you could use this technique.} 
• 14" foam wreath ring
• black paint {i used craft paint, but spray paint would work, too}
• scissors or rotary cutter

 paint your wreath ring black to hide the green under the burlap.

 when the paint dries, tie the burlap strips around the ring with a double knot.

 overlap the strips a little and bunch them together so you have a full wreath.keep adding strips and arranging until you like the overall look of the wreath.

*note: if you have to untie a strip, don't plan to use it again. the burlap will basically be shredded.*

 embellish with your SPOoKIEST finds. 

i used wooden letters, painted them black, and then mod podged Halloween paper to them.

 and there you have one easy, fun Halloween wreath! 

Photo Tile Coasters

Photo Tile Coasters

from Snippets of Wonderful by Erica

We made these little cuties last month at my church's craft day I help out with. They are super easy and way cute!

Find at tiles you like from the hardware store. Print out pictures or use ones you already have and size them down to fit the tiles. Next, adhere them to the tile with Mod Podge. Finally, spray an adhesive on top to protect the photo from any water. Lastly, stick some felt pads on the bottom.


A super cute, easy, and personalized gift! I've also seen them done all around the internet using scrapbook paper, napkins, and monograms printed from your home computer - the sky's the limit! I just might have to make some more :)

Last Days of Summer 2010...

Changes...

I'll admit - I love change.  As the mom of 4 kids, I kinda feel like our life is pretty routine - school, activities, therapies, cook dinner, do laundry, clean - that's pretty much it.  So when something comes along to spice things up, I'm all for it!  Except for today ...

Maddie officially promotes to Middle School.  Seriously, Middle School.  This is one change I have been looking forward to and dreading all at the same time.  She's so little!  I mean, she's going to be dwarfed by all those bigger kids next year.  At least in elementary school, there were some kids her size, even if they were kindergartners :)  And we also have to say goodbye to her teacher and aide, whom she's had since kindergarten - that's 6 years.  They are like our family now. That is going to be the hardest part.

But with change comes the chance for new adventures and new friends, and hopefully everyone will welcome Maddie and see her for all the wonderful things she is - caring, kind, helpful, and funny ... and a bit of a prankster...

So tonight as I sit at her promotion ceremony in tears ('cause that's how I roll...), I will be thankful for all the great things she has experienced in elementary school, and especially for all the truly wonderful teachers, administrators, therapists and friends who have walked with her along the way...

Spring at our House

I love Spring in Louisville!  Everything seems to bloom overnight and the air is filled with sweet aromas.  Within about 3 days, my vibernum bushes next to the porch bloomed, the azaleas showed their color, the magnolia bush opened and the cherry tree bloomed.  I'm waiting patiently for my favorites, the peonies, to open up.  They are close!  Within a week, I should have a vase full of big, beautiful pink blooms to cheer up the inside of our home. For now, I will sit on the porch and enjoy the all-too-short season of my vibernums.

The cherry tree...

azaleas...

vibernum (wish you could smell them!)...

and the tulip magnolia...

Happy spring!

Sam's Big Boy Room

I started a little (or so I thought!) project in January.  I honestly thought it might only take me a weekend, two max, to get this finished.  Well, it took WAY longer than expected due to all the life interruptions, but I finally got Sam's alphabet headboard finished and hung up!  I am so happy with the project overall.  Of course, there are things I would do differently if I made another one, but that's the beauty of crafting and projects in general.

Bling-a-licious!!!

I am soooo excited!  I just got this cutie-patootie iPhone case in the mail today.  Finally, my favorite piece of technology gets a litlle "girly" upgrade :)

Things That Make Me Happy...

• fresh squeezed lemonade
• the smell of rain
• crunching through fall leaves
• my peonies when they are in bloom
• sitting on the porch at night
• catching fireflies
• a rainy day and a good book
• sun-dried sheets on my bed
• campfires
• purple ink pens (my favorite!)
• plain old chocolate ice cream
• my childrens' laughter, especially those baby belly laughs :)
• a brand new coloring book and a big, new box of crayons (for me, not the kids!)
• falling asleep to the sound of crickets

What makes you happy?

Tubing at Perfect North

On our last run of the day, I recorded us going down.  That's me, Lucy, Hannah, my mom and Amy!

Happy New Year!

Today was such a great start to a new year and new decade.  I have never had a "theme" for a year, but considering all the turmoil of the past few years, I decided I need Peace.  Peace in my home, Peace in my relationships, and Peace in myself.  It must be wishful thinking because I think this was one of the most peaceful days I've had in a long time.  We enjoyed the day visiting with my parents, who came down to deliver Maddie's air hockey table.  The kids all played together relatively well, especially once we got the air hockey set up, and I enjoyed cooking and working on some random projects with my dad.

But really, the best part of the day was when I was putting Sam to bed.  He was not happy to go to bed because he was enjoying watching us play a game. To calm him down, I asked him if he was ready to say his prayers.  After we say the goodnight prayer, we say the Guardian Angel prayer.  Tonight, Sam said the whole thing by himself - it was the sweetest thing to hear and I so wish I could burn it onto my brain and replay it whenever I want. What a beautiful end to a beautiful day!