It's been a busy few months with barely a crafty bit of anything to share...but at least tomorrow has some mini colored pencils wrapped up for my nephew and nieces.
Happy Easter!
St. Patrick's Day Mantle...
There is an Ireland flag themed patterned bunting, a rainbow, a shamrock print (I changed it a bit) and an Irish blessing.
Now we just need some stew, some Kerrygold butter spread on buttermilk dill bread, and some Clancy Brother's music playing.
I made a smaller banner for my mom and one more to share here. Unfortunately, it won't arrive in time for this year's celebrating, but if you would like it leave a "pick me" comment and I will email a random winner on Wednesday.
Halloween Snack Cups...
With Halloween a week away, I wanted to share the project I contributed last month to Eighteen25's Spooktacular September.
It wasn't terribly creative, but I made up Halloween versions of the dessert cups I have made before. This time I just filled some with candy corn and some with muddy buddies. Oh, but a pumpkin muffin with some caramel cream cheese frosting would be so good!
Happy Easter...
This is about as crafty as I got for the holiday, but we are still looking forward to hosting our family's homemade brunch tomorrow.
Hope you have a wonderful celebration too.
Happy Fourth of July...
A photo from tonight's 3rd of July fireworks show...after working a cheer fundraiser for about eight hours.
Hope you have a wonderful celebration this weekend!
A holiday decorating world record...
Thanksgiving and Christmas are the only two holidays that I am guaranteed to decorate for way in advance. Every other holiday decoration throughout the year is at great risk for not being up until the night before or something.
This is why it is kind of momentous that there are Valentine's decorations on the mantle on February 1st. Free prints from here and here helped (as did some patterned paper and a heart punch) along with a quick trip to Ikea for white frames. The heart lights also came from Ikea, but I have had them for a couple years now. Some candlesticks help it be a glow-y and romantic.
This was so simple to do and I am so happy to see the mantle all lovey-dovey...maybe I should decorate for holidays in a timely manner more often.
Photographic priorities...
Did I take photos of our family and friends on the 4th of July? No.
Did I take photos of the fireworks? Nope.
The four desserts were documented though...they are actually the only thing I took photos of. I made a s'more pudding cake and angel food berry skewers. A family friend brought a tray of stuffed and white chocolate covered strawberries that were amazing. And my mom managed to make rice krispie treats that were thicker than any I have ever seen...and two days later were as soft as the moment they were made...I tested this by devouring one before dinner tonight.
Patchwork Patriotic Banner...
The craft room has been torn apart and sort of put back together, so I managed to get to this pile of fabric today and made the wonky banner I had in mind. I was thinking if the blue was one third on the left and the red was two thirds on the right, that it would kind of look like a flag. I decorated the mantle with it (along with this free print-that I edited a bit and this one-although I changed the font) just in time to host a party on the 4th of July later this week.
And, since I had a set of squares leftover, I made one smaller banner to share. I know the 4th is coming up quickly, but I already have this packaged up in an envelope and will get it in the mail to you tomorrow. Just leave a "pick me" and make sure the email address you check often is linked. I will email the random winner tomorrow around 4pm so I can hopefully get your address in time to run to the post office around the corner before their last pick-up of the day at 5pm.
Here is our mantle last year...my patchwork paper flag...and another smaller patchwork paper flag from a few years ago now.
Happy Summer...
Last week, all of this was waiting when Sean and Mac got home from school. I had a little too much fun with buckets to celebrate summer starting. They both got water blasters and bubble wands. Then Sean got a bouncy frisbee and bocce game. Mac got a dice game and also a pair of shoes he has wanted since he worked hard to earn all "A"s and "B"s this school year.
I made sure I had a bucket and water blaster too...have to make sure I am prepared for water fights in the front yard.
I know pretty much everyone is out of school for the year, but here's the "Happy Summer" tag just in case you are still wrapping up any end of the year gifts.
Pepper and eggs...
We do not really drink coffee and I think pepper is spicy, so I don't have any. That meant my poor brother, sister, and brother-in-law had to get 7-11 coffee for Easter brunch and picked up some pepper for the make-your-own omelet bar. So much for being the hostess with the mostess. At least there were 120 stuffed Easter eggs for the hunt, coloring pages for the kid's table and tulips.
We tried...
Instead of the same old Easter egg dye, we tried three kinds of watercolor supplies and cool whip with gel food coloring. We certainly did not end up with any masterpieces, but we sure had fun trying.
Our February 16th Valentine's Day...
For the second year in a row we had to reschedule Valentine's Day due to sickness. This year it was only me, thankfully, and hopefully it stays that way.The flu totally got me last week. I tried to teach one of my first night time Introduction to Sociology classes with 102 fever. You can only imagine how well that went.
I came back to life on Saturday, so by Sunday evening we had our traditional fondue dinner. I have been using this cheese fondue recipe for years. We tossed everything onto the table and dug in (my mom joined us too) then we laughed over our handmade Valentine gifts for each other. Unlike past years the gifts weren't wrapped (we just closed our eyes), the mantle wasn't decorated, nothing was cute.
We still got to celebrate though...and sometimes it's good to remember that's what is really important.
#SeanBringsMeFlowers
I love flowers. Not that this a terribly unique trait.
I wanted to be a florist when I was growing up...not quite as bad as I wanted to be a teacher though.
My priority at our wedding was flowers. To this day the wreath of flowers hanging on my mom's front door (where we had our reception) is one of the neatest things I have ever seen. I'll have to try to find a photo of it.
I bought a bucket of wildflower seeds when we first moved in this house and Sean still curses me for it as he has to yank random stuff all summer. Fourteen years later, though, it's not as bad as it used to be.
I have asked Sean never to spend a lot of money on flowers, never give them to be after an argument (to me it's a reminder that we fought in the first place) and, if possible, buy me something we can plant so I can have even more flowers.
He has been known to surprise me with a bare rose roots instead of fresh flowers. And speaking of roses I had a coupon and just bought a ketchup and mustard rose bush yesterday.
I have always taken photos of bouquets...even back in the film days. I couldn't resist documenting them, since they don't last long.
Since late last summer Sean has been bringing me home a bouquet of flowers from his grocery shopping trips to Trader Joe's. $5.99 for a big bouquet of blooms is my idea of a good time. I love arranging them into something each week.
This year I decided to document them on Instagram...hashtagged and everything. #SeanBringsMeFlowers It'll be fun to get to the end of the year and see all these flower arrangements gathered together.
I came up with the hastag after the Neil Diamond & Barbara Streisand duet, "You Don't Bring Me Flowers". I have been a huge Neil Diamond fan since I was three years old, but I'll spare you a list about that...for now.
So, in summary, I love flowers and Neil Diamond.
Oh yeah and Sean...for bringing me flowers.
Trick or Treat...
The mantle is a hodge-podge of deocrations and the front porch is glowing orange. Can't wait for our annual pizza party, trick-or-treating and lots of hot apple cider. Hope you have a fun Halloween too!
Pumpkin Jars
We all know by now that I love saving and decorating jars...I've strung buttons on wire around them, filled them with flowers and have used them as candle holders.
When I was super lucky to get to participate in Eighteen25's Spooktacular last month, I thought of jars yet again. This time I tried to make them into into "carved" pumpkins.
You can see more of the project here...and here's a Spooktacular project I got to make a couple years ago too.
The 4th...
There were amazing appetizers made by our friends, my sister's berry cobbler, and my mom's potato salad and baked beans recipes. There were guitars and ukulele's for the, now annual, hootenanny. We had snow cones and root beer floats and legal ground fireworks...surrounded by, what seemed like, everyone in our city setting off illegal aerial ones. Despite a few moments fearing for our lives and the safety of our house, it was a really great celebration.
Happy Fourth of July...
We can't wait for lots of food, fireworks and fun...hope you have a wonderful celebration too!
Prints by Eighteen25 and Kiki & Company. I made the patchwork paper flag last year.
The countdown is on...
Starting today Sean, Mac and I have thirteen school days left this year, so I thought it was a great time to start a summer countdown.
I made a super simple print and made some numbers to cut apart and change out every day as the total gets lower and lower. I placed it on a magnet board frame we actually made for Halloween a couple of years ago. Around the countdown I included some photos from past summer fun.
In addition to the big frame, I sewed a messy banner full of bright colors. I changed the colors on some summer subway art from Eighteen25 to match a little better. I also dug out a sun I made out of patterned paper last summer and added a few random items I had to have from the Patchwork show this past weekend.
If you are still in school and are counting down the days, you can download the Days Until Summer Countdown Print...and don't forget the Numbers too.
Easter...
There were peeps on a stick for a centerpiece (idea from here). There was our traditional omelet bar, belgian waffles with fresh strawberries, and honey baked ham. My brother brought a lemon bundt cake. My sister cranked out ham salad for us all to take home. My mom spoiled us all with gifts. We searched for at least a hundred eggs in the front yard. And we laughed so hard we cried. It was a really, really great family celebration.
It's only fair...
When I was lucky enough to get to start teaching a second class about a month ago, I caught myself thinking like a parent expecting their second child. "Will I be able to devote the same time and energy?" "Will I be good at taking care of two?" "Will I love them as much?"
And I do love them just as much. So when my first class received Valentine's that offered a couple extra points on a test answer they may be worried about, it was only fair to make sure my second class got the same treat...just for a different holiday.
Happy St. Patrick's Day...
Pretty sure I've been wearing green for a week straight, we went to an Irish music concert with my mom last night, there were Lucky Charms for breakfast this morning, there will be stew and my favorite soda bread-ish recipe, shamrock cookies have been baked, and the Clancy Brother's will play all day long.
Hope today is lucky for you too!
Candy rainbows...
I could not resist this idea that is all over Pinterest and came from this blog. I used Skittles and M&M's to get all six colors of the rainbow and made tiny tags to tie to each bag. One of these went off to my niece and seven year old sister (along with the shamrock necklace kits) and the other three will go to my sister's kids. She will likely be less than thrilled with me for giving them all this candy, but it's just too cute not to.
If you also want to overload the kids in your life with sugar here is a copy of the tag I put together...Download Rainbow Tag.
Thankful for the details...
Making cranberry sauce, a silly deer bottle opener that found a new home by the stairs, our traditional chocolate croissant and shopping ads before getting the turkey in the oven, watching the Macy's parade together, carving the turkey and making gravy, the kid's table, plates full of food, and coloring turkeys.
We were so fortunate that every Thanksgiving detail was pretty much perfect...hope your holiday weekend has been too.
Recycling...
Last year I decorated some jars for our dining room table at the last minute before Thanksgiving. They were promptly packed away the next day to start getting ready for Christmas. This year they are being recycled as decorations on our mantle...
Speaking of Thanksgiving crafting, I put all the projects I've made over the years in one place with a link in the sidebar. I'll share what I made for Friendsgiving later this week...
Yabba Dabba Do
Over the weekend Sean and I cut 3,467 wonky triangles into felt and black sweat pants.
And somehow, thankfully, that turned into Bam Bam and Pebbles Halloween costumes for Mac and a friend of his...
Stars and Stripes...
Just a little something I made at the last minute to decorate our mantle for tomorrow's festivities.
Hope you and your family have a wonderful celebration...Happy 4th of July!
3rd of July...
Mac's cheer leading squad is hosting a fundraiser at a local fireworks show tomorrow evening and they asked for baked goods to sell...minus chocolate so it doesn't melt in the late afternoon sun.
We're sending many, many bags of cake batter rice crispy treats and frito snack mix...
Now we start cooking for our own celebration including my mom's potato salad recipe. We're also trying a few new recipes...Apple Bacon Salad, Rolo Cake Bars, little salami mozzarella sticks, a berry bruschetta on pound cake, and a little Sangria.
I mustache you...
Mac is still loving all things mustache-d so his favorite stamp inspired Valentine's for his classmates this year.
A mustache, heart nose and googly eyes went on top of a coin envelope that we tucked the all too necessary chocolate into...
We used my new favorite stamp to put together the sentiment.
And I tried not to be too sentimental when I realized this is the last batch of classroom Valentine's we'll ever need to make together...I'll just have to start passing them out myself next year.
Little love mantle...
This year's Valentine decorations ended up being a case of too many ideas and not quite enough time. However the ombre love canvas is front and center on the mantle for tomorrow...along with last year's handcut hearts and some old spools unevenly wrapped with fabric.
Please don't look at it for more than a second or two so you don't notice how unevenly the letters are arranged...I try to think of it as homemade charm.
