WOOHOO!!!!

I just had to share...I just got an e-mail from Memory Makers...and I'm going to have a LO in an upcoming idea book!!!!!!!  This will be my first print publication and I'm soooo excited!!!!!!  :D

Ok, off to play with my new serger more...it's just a day full of wonderful things!!!  Thanks for letting me share!!!!

Lil' Dickies Girl

It's finally here!  This was the 2nd thing I made once I realized I could sew.  I LOVED this Dickies shirt I have had forever but it had a hole it so I couldn't wear it anymore.  After making Zeke's shirt I decided I'd use this for a shirt for Grace...and then I decided why not add a skirt and make it a "dress"?  Again I started with Dana's 90 Minute shirt tutorial and then just added some strips of different materials for the skirt.

I used one of the sleeves of the shirt for the back bottom of the ruffle...

Seriously, it doesn't get much cuter than that does it?!?!

Saturday

Just a bunch of randomness today...

I ordered this last night and am waiting very impatiently for it.

I can't wait to be able to use it on the kids clothes instead of stitching over everything twice to make sure it will hold!  I'm not going to make the girls Easter dresses until it comes in...but I am excited to make a few practice ones out of t-shirts we got thrifting yesterday! 

I've got a shirt for Zeke almost done...just for the fun of it.  His reaction when I make him clothes is THE greatest!!!!  So totally amazing.  He jumps up and down and hugs it and screams about "mommy made it for me!"  *grin*  Makes me feel like a million bucks...which is nice since there was a huge screaming fit just trying to get another one to even try on a dress I made for her.  This is my life.  *eye roll*  lol.

I've been using a lot of Lil Blue Boo's patterns and I LOVE LOVE LOVE them.  They're super simple and they look amazing!  AND if you don't sew she sells ready made dresses in her etsy store...however they FLY out so you have to be a fast click!  :)

Ok, I'm off to hang with my kids and niece and nephew.  Have a great weekend!  Hopefully tomorrow I'll have some pictures of some of the clothes I've made lately.

The Gang

Yup, my friend Jessica and I have a pretty large gang...just between the two of us.  Four girls, two boys and all three years old or younger!  We get some pretty interesting looks and comments when we go out places.

I went to my not so local scrapbook store yesterday after a Dr. appointment and I was THRILLED to discover they had gotten in some of Sassafras Lass' Monstrosities papers.  I splurged (I had birthday $ still!) and bought the whole line.  Today...I dug in.  It's oh so yummy!

I used a sketch from Up The Street scrapbooking for this LO...and as is par for the course with me...I took some "artistic" liberties!  lol

I sewed the banners onto my LO and I also used another banner as a mask up on the left corner with some orange Maya Mist.

Be sure and stop by Lily Bee's blog today...Virginia is featured!!!

Croppin' Good Time

This past weekend I did some of the challenges for the Swing Into Spring crop over at Noel Mignon.  I love cropping with them.  It's always so laid back and just tons of fun!!!

This LO was a "cardstock only" challenge (no patterened paper, but we could use other embellies.)

These pictures were taken just the other day of Kessa.  I'm so glad she's getting over her "You can't take my picture!" phase!  lol  I think pretty much everything on this LO is from the Color Me Daisy Change of Heart kit (it's on sale for only $25.00 right now...that's a GREAT deal!!!)

The Core Impressions Jenni Bowlin cardstock from Core'dinations made this cardstock only LO really easy for me...and that's saying a lot because I love me some patterened paper!  lol

This one is simply for me but I really like the way it turned out.  I used my Martha Double Loop punch as a mask on the edge of this page and stamped on my naked chipboard letters with a houndstooth stamp from OA.  It's fast becoming one of my favorites!

So...here's the whole, simple LO.    I used a really light gray background and then spritzed it with Midnight Blue Glimmer Mist.

isn't my baby girl just too cute with that crooked little smile?!?

Bleck

Soo....it's Monday and I had big scrappy plans.  I have several projects floating around in my head...and partially finished on my desk.... but then, the stomach flu struck.  Bleck.  So I thought I'd pop over and share some cute pictures of my kids at the park....but then I remembered that they're on the other computer and I don't feel like sitting anywhere but the sofa!  lol

So, happy Monday!  Maybe tomorrow I'll have some stuff finished to share.  :)

Flutter

How about those colors with my little cutie?!?  The papers are all Pink Paislee Bayberry Cottage.  I used some of my lovely punches to embellish this LO...I'm a little addicted to my Martha butterfly punches (I have two different ones.)

I also added a little glimmer mist to this Maya Road chipboard butterfly.  I just love these Jenni Bowlin stick pins too!  Aren't they great?

and for the journaling strips I used some of the package topper from the Pink Paislee cardstock letter stickers.

(other punches are Stampin Up Modern Label and Hearts)

Freezer Paper Stenciling

(how about those two adorable teeth?!?!)

I finally got my sewing machine back and these pants were the first thing I whipped up.  I used this tutorial for making pants from an adult t-shirt.

I used my SU Three in One Hearts punch to make the stencils and paint them.  Three little hearts on the leg and a few on the tush too.

Sadly (as you can kinda tell from the photos) they're too small for Grace!  I crammed her into them for the pictures, but I'm just going to give it again.  Makes me a  bit sad cause I loved the pants!

Faith for Your Future

I spent a bit of last weekend cropping over at Citrus Tree Studio.  I needed a little push to get my mojo flowing and their Going Green crop was just the thing.  

One of the challenges played on the legend of the shamrock.  You had to use one of the words the leaves are said to represent (hope, faith, love, luck) as part of your title.

I knew I wanted to use the word faith and as I was looking through these pictures some of the things God has been teaching me lately were very much in my mind.  I know that no matter how good (or bad) a parent I am God has a plan for my children.  So while that doesn't give me the right to think what I do now doesn't matter it does give me confidence.  I have faith that whatever happens God has promised me that it is for the good of those who love him (I do) and that's it's for His glory.  I have faith that love does indeed cover a multitude of sins, and I have faith that He has plans for Ezekiel.  Plans to give him hope and future.  Plans for good and not for harm.  In short, I have faith for his future.

(sorry the picture is so poor, lighting has been wonky here!)

Everything but the tiny JB alphas is from the November Color Me Daisy kit.  They're all sold out, but there are a few patterned paper add ons left.

Bedtime Thoughts

Today I...

did laundry
ironed shirts
made sure everyone was fed
failed miserably as a parent.

Tomorrow I will...

do laundry
make sure everyone is fed
be a better mom by the grace of God.
and maybe if we're lucky I'll get a duvet cover or two made too!

night night

Lucky in Love

I've been having a fun time with the Going Green crop over at Citrus Tree Studio.  I just kinda stumbled over there from someone's blog but the inspiration is good and the people are friendly! 

Here's a LO I did for a Green Monochromatic LO.  I was pleased with it because I wasn't sure I'd ever use these Basic Grey Origins papers, but it turns out I do like them once I use them!  lol

I love BG's new "note pad" embellishments!  They're so much fun and right up my ally.  

I also cut up some of the BG packaging for this flower up in the upper corner.

Handmade Love

I can still do it!!!  Scrap that is.  It's been a long time, but it has all come back and I created a couple LOs yesterday (one of them I'm going to submit though, so no sharing it till it gets rejected!  ;)

I started with this sketch from Sketch Inspiration - 

and came up with this LO about Zeke's 90 Minute Shirt that he loves oh so much.  I'm really happy with it!

The cardstock is from my stash and the black and yellow grid papers are from My Scrapbook Nook's February kit.  It was full of the Basic Grey Origins line, which seems VERY feminine to me so this page was a bit of a self-challenge to use them for a "boy" page...granted I didn't use any of the girly papers...but still!  lol

  

The "love" rub ons were a bonus that Leah and Pam included in with the February kit and the Thickers were green...but that just didn't work for me so I used my Lemon MM paint to make them match.

Zeke calls this his "star shirt" because there are stars on one of the sleeves.  I used my Stampin' Up Modern Label punch and Small and Large Star Punches on this LO....*sigh*  punches are wonderful!  hehe!

and my favorite part of this LO (and I really like this LO!)

Zeke was "scrapping" with me when I was making this LO and he grabbed an extra star I had punched, colored on it, and then put it right here for me.  So I glued it down and told him Thank You!!!!  Yea for sweet kids that melt my heart!!!

Hope you're having a great weekend!!!  I finally found out what was taking so long for my sewing machine (I took it to be serviced almost two weeks ago!!!)  I should have it back Tuesday.  *fingers crossed*  So much I want to do!

Baby Gift

My friend Jessica had her third child about a month ago and I knew I wanted to make her something rather than buying something.  I have an affinity for the handmade!

I had just bought Lil' Blue Boo's Little Leggings pattern and really wanted to try it out.  So, even though it's a pattern that starts at 6 months I cut it down a little and made some "pants" rather than leggings (ie, not as tight.)  I used some material I had picked up in the remnants bin to add ruffles to the legs and also to reverse applique the heart to the onesie.  The pants are actually made out of a tank top I picked up on clearance at Old Navy a while back.  (and they're brown, not black like they appear in the picture!) 

Hope you liked it Jess!!!  (and that it fit!  *fingers crossed*)

The Here and Now in Regards to Parenting and Worship

That's where we live right?  In the Here and Now.  Last night in Bible study we talked a bit about how the Here and Now will never have true happiness or fulfillment...and the fact that God designed it that way!  We're too constantly be looking to the future, to our eternal future with HIM.  That's what's going to bring us true happiness and ultimate fulfillment. 

So...even though I KNOW that I should always be looking toward heaven, it's not always easy.  However I have found something that helps me "look to heaven" and still gives me some sense of accomplishment in the Here and Now too when it comes to training and discipline. 

I know I've talked before about how when I'm disciplining my daughter for something...for the seemingly 1000th time...that day...it's not worth it.  Her good behavior isn't worth that much work.  It's just not.  However, if I think about the fact that by requiring her to obey (right away, all the way, with a happy heart) I'm readying her to quickly and cheerfully obey Christ which will give HER ultimate joy, that's worth it.  But then...honestly...there are days I can't even get that far in the future in my mind.  It's more like...I'm doing this...AGAIN...because it might make life easier for her someday if she is saved, and my flesh wants to win out and give up.  I can't see any progress...nothing is changing and that makes me want to quit. 

BUT, if I take my eyes off my sinful self, and even off my sinful daughter, and focus them on Christ (who is seated at the right hand of God in heaven) then I can see my training and discipline for what it really is.  It's worship.  It's just one more way I can show God, and all the people around me, that I love Him.  That I love him more than self, more than ease, more than my daughter's momentary happiness.  I'm worshiping Him by training and disciplining my children in the way He has called me too.  And that my friends, IS worth it.  It's worth it in the Here and Now AND it's worth it as I set my spiritual eyes on heaven. 

A Funk

I started to title this "A Bit of a Funk" but really...it's more than just a bit.  It's a full on FUNK when it comes to scrapping right now.  I'm not sure if I just need to get in there and play, or if I need to print some new pictures or what, but ever since some rather timely events in my life I've been on a bit of a scrapping hiatus...and I miss it.  I have finished a mini album from Zeke's 2nd birthday so I'll be posting that soon...and I've started sewing so that was filling a "creative void" for me for a while...but then I took my sewing machine to be serviced and they said it would be done in 3 or 4 days...and that was over a week ago!!!

Anyway, I mainly wanted to post something...anything...because it's been a week...and I've found that the longer I go without blogging the harder it is to do again for some reason.  And I do enjoy blogging.  And I do want to do it.  I just need to kick myself outa this funk!!!  (any tips?!  lol)

Soo...after all that whining (sorry!) I think I'm going to just print some pictures and get to my desk and try and scrap tonight...just for the fun of it!

And because no post is complete without some pretty pictures...how about this cutey?  I got to take her 1 year pictures last saturday and they were so much fun!

and on a side note...be sure to go tell Virginia congrats because she made the Lily Bee design team!!!!!  How awesome is that?!?!?!?!?!  I know someone famous!  ;)

90 Minute Shirt Love

So this past month (the ENTIRE month of February that is) it was Celebrate the BOY month at a great blog I just discovered called MADE.  (I know, I must have been under a rock or something to not know about Dana and her amazing blog, but I didn't!  lol)  Anyway, one of the projects (which included a complete step-by-step tutorial!) was this super cute 90 Minute Shirt. 

I wasn't sure why, but I was just itching to make one for Zeke.  Mind you, I have a sewing machine...and I DO sew...on scrapbook pages!!!  lol, anytime I have something that needs sewn "for real" I take it to my mom!  (thanks mom! ;) 

But I wanted to make this and it looked easy enough so I snagged one of my DH's shirts that I liked but he never wears anymore (it was a New Found Glory shirt) and turned it into this:

 

and he loves it!!! He's even slept in it once or twice because I couldn't get him to take it off.

I love that he loves it!  In fact I used this same tutorial as the starting place for a dress for baby sister the next day and he was rather upset that I wasn't making another shirt for him.  He wanted to know if he could share her's.  he!  love it.  Makes me want to make him clothes ALL the time!!!

 

However, the best thing that this tutorial did for me wasn't give me a great shirt that my BOY loves; (although it did do that!)  It gave me the confidence to really SEW and I'm LOVING it.  So fun!  Come back tomorrow and I'll share the soo soo cute "Dickies" dress baby sister got.

Birthday Banner and a WINNER!!!

One of my friends' daughter is turning one soon and as she was planning the party she found this cute banner.  However the price tag was a bit more than she wanted to spend so she called and ask if I could do it for less.  OF COURSE I CAN!!!  :) 

So, I picked out papers and ribbons, borrowed my sister-in-law's Cricut and whipped up this cute little thing (except it's NOT very little!  lol)

Sorry the pictures are so...dreary.  I'm tired of this weather.  It's got me in a weird funk and everything looks dirty!!!

Now, the part I know you were all waiting for....the winner of the $10 gift certificate for Color Me Daisy was.....

MARA!!!!

(e-mail me or leave your e-mail in the comments and I'll get you your prize girl!  :)