Me and my singer!

I love to craft. Crocheting, scrapbooking, paper crafts and more recently sewing! Justin got me my very own Singer for Christmas and boy have I been having fun. Its amazing what having a brand new sewing machine can mean in terms of productivity. Before my new machine I used an ancient one that came with the house. I spent most of my time untangling thread or hand winding my bobbin. But those days are gone and I'm enjoying trying more complicated sewing projects other than sewing ribbon onto burp cloths! :)

Last year I got onto a website called Pinterest...if you've never checked it out, DO! Its amazing. I found most of my ideas for Jacks bday party on there, not to mention lots of yummy recipes...the list could go on. Most recently I was inspired by some DIY folks who were making their own pillows and since I have a fabulous new sewing machine...well I'm sure you can put two and two together. :) Here is a photo journal of the process (which only took about an hour, if you don't count Jack breaks) I hope you feel inspired!

Stencil, fabric, brushes & paint!

I've been obsessed with canvas and burlap fabrics of late.

I cut a 19.5"x18" piece and sewed it with a 5/8 seam

Just a little opening for all the stuffing that will be added later! Which I back-stitched on either side of where I took out the stitches and ironed so it would lay flat.

I taped the stencil on the fabric at the corners to ensure it wouldn't move then painted away!

Now they just have to dry for 24 hours then I can stuff em and sew them up!

Trimming the tree with mommy!

A couple of years ago I found the most beautiful Christmas tree in a magazine with homemade ornaments and I was sold! I've continued the tradition because I really love making the ornaments each year, there is no glass balls for little hands to break, and I'm just a gal that loves to craft! This year Jack helped me put our cranberry wreaths on the tree and he loved it!

Jack is very proud of all the ornaments he helped to place this year! Our tree has a red burlap garland, golden walnuts, paper cones with holly branches, pinecones, oranges sliced and baked to dry and a few other ornaments we've collected since becoming a family! One of which is an adorable sock penguin I got from an ornament exchange party. I'm on the lookout now for more little sock critters to add each year as they bring a certain little kid charm to our rustic tree!

How do you decorate your tree? Do you like certain colors? Share with me! 2 days til Christmas now...hope you all are slowing down to enjoy time with your family for the holidays!

Food love from Pinterest

About a month ago my friend invited me to join a site called Pinterest. If you've never heard of it, it is a site dedicated to sharing ideas on style, crafts, food, quotes, books, pictures...you name it. You create these boards, and as you find things you like you "pin" them to the different boards. I'm completely obsessed, I keep finding so many things I like and having a place that keeps them organized plus logs their origins is awesome! If you haven't been introduced please do check it out! If you decide to join and need an invite, let me know! Today I decided to make a little treat I had pinned for homemade Jalapeno Poppers! Here is how it went!

Pillsbury crescent dough, each triangle was cut in half

A large dollop of cream cheese plus turkey bacon (which can be omitted)

Add some fresh jalapeno

Fold and pinch closed, then bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes

These are super yummy! And depending on how much jalapeno you put in pretty mild. Jack loves them, and I have a feeling when Justin gets home the rest will disappear! Next time I'm going to do more cream cheese and jalapeno as I was a tad easy for my first time! These would be a great appetizer for a party!

Daily Jack

I've been doing a lot of browsing on the web lately for fun indoor play, with rainy weather just around the corner and a little man who is ever so active this is a must. I found a tutorial on how to make a kid sized tipi. Well it took me a bit to find what I needed for poles and I'm still working on the outside part but this is what I put up just to have some fun with Jack.

I used large bamboo poles, finally found some at Freddy's, then used some painters canvas for the outside over which I draped some old fabric I found in my teaching supplies. Inside we threw down our lambskin rug, added a dream catcher someone gave Jack and presto!

Pretty sure I'm having more fun with it right now than Jack, but he was a good sport and let me dress him up. This being as long as I danced around making wild indian noises! Good thing no one was around with a camera. :)

I hope to finish it and make it a little more secure here soon but I couldn't resist the one pic. Years ago when I was in college I had a friend who lived in Montana and she built a huge tipi, it was pretty amazing and we all slept out in it one night. Talk about a truly fun way to camp out! Someday maybe Jack will have one like that, but first mommy must master a smaller indoor version!

Well happy Tuesday all, hope this brings back memories of pretend play from when you were a kid!

My young artist

With the knowledge that colder weather is just around the corner I've been trying to do more arts and crafts play with Jack. Yesterday we used his easel and he created this masterpiece using all the colors in the crayon holder which I made, you can see that here. I've dubbed this artwork "LINES" and we put it up in the pallet corner.

Homemade Granola

I don't know about you but I LOVE granola. Literally love it, don't really like any other kinds of cereal but granola. Especially since you can mix it up so easily, add some fresh or dried fruit, nuts, seeds, whatever. Kendra and I used to make granola parfait's all the time in college. That granola is just good stuff!

I got a hankerin' one day to try to make granola, couldn't be that hard! Justin's gramma Pat is known in the family for making the best granola, so I kidnapped her one day to show me how it was done. And now since I've done it successfully I just had to share, because believe me once you try it you'll be hooked too! I'm just saying...

So you start with your dry ingredients, quick oats...


...sesame seeds....

...brown sugar love...

...salt...

...sliced almonds or whatever kind of nut your feeling...

...some delicously fluffy coconut...

...then you add in the liquid ingredients which are just water, oil and vanilla!

Don't be shy, use your hands to mix it up good.

Yummmmmmmm! Doesn't that look delicious!

Then you split the batch between two baking sheets and bake it then enjoy some homemade goodness! I will give ya the recipe below, try it, experiment! I plan on adding dried cranberries to my next batch. And wow your loved ones with this wholesome, hardy goodness that will give you energy and leave you full and satisfied!

Gramma Pat's Homemade Granola

6 cups quick oats

1 cup coconut

1/2 cup sesame seeds

1 T salt

1 1/2 cups brown sugar (do 1 1/4 cups if you don't want it as sweet)
1 cup walnuts (sliced almonds, whatever kind of nut you want) chopped

3 cups wheat flour

1 cup water

1 cup oil

1 T vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl, mixing well. In a separate bowl combine the liquid ingredients, whisking till the well mixed. Add liquid to dry mixture, mix until all dry ingredients are well coated, break up any large chunks. Divide mixture between two baking sheets, spreading out evenly. Now here comes the tricky part. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, but watch as the time gets down so that it doesn't burn. Pull out sheets and stir granola. Reduce heat to 250 and bake for another 90 minutes, stirring every 30 minutes. Continue to watch it closely as ovens can vary. I have to turn my oven off after 60 minutes and just leave the granola in to finish baking. Don't let it get too hard as it will harden up after you pull it out. Let cool and ENJOY!

Chicken coops and kids tables

Happy Thursday everyone! My what a busy week we've had here at our house. Yesterday our chicken coop arrived which I'm sure will make the chickens happy. They've been itching to roost or perch on something and I'm anxious to get them acclamated to their new home. Its made from cedar and our whole garage smells just delicious. I just might have to start stashing cedar boards around our house! :)

Justin loves the wheels to move it around

It has this great little run built on,

so the chicks can roam safely if we are not around to keep an eye on them.

We also picked up this amazing table made for Jack by a family friend. He made it from a wine barrel and it truly is one of a kind! I've seen some taller pub style ones he's made but not a little pint sized one. It fits so perfectly in Jack's corner, definitely adds that special touch. Jack has already climbed up on the chairs to perch at "his" table, something he never seemed that interested in before. All in all the table is a big hit with child and parents!

I can envision an adult version of this little set up in a coffee shop! :) Thursday fun, hope your week is going as well!

Why yes...that is indeed a pallet!

My front living room with Jack's new cool corner

Justin brought me the pallets from our store and we screwed them into the studs in the wall just in case Jack decides to start climbing anytime soon!

So I finally finished that project that I had hinted at the other day. Thanks to a friend who not only helped me get my pallets up, but brought over his daughters to entertain Jack while we worked. My pallet corner, which is just missing Jack's table to go with his chairs, is done and I absolutely LOVE it. There is just something cool about taking ordinary things and incorporating them into your decor. Justin was pretty skeptical about it at first, but now that he is seeing the finished product he actually really likes it and has added some suggestions of his own. Which means that I can check another DIY project off my list!

Whats a favorite DIY project you've done?

Lets Go Green

(source: apartment therapy)

Is that not the coolest wall you've ever seen!!!!!! I love it. This past weekend we spent some time in downtown Portland and found some really unique decorating ideas using some very uncommon things. Wooden pallets, is all I will say about that until I have finished that project but its in the works and I love how unconventional it is! Anyhoo, this plant wall just might be another idea to incorporate into my eclectic decorating scheme! Happy Thursday!

Another DIY

So I just had to share one more thing I found today...I know, I don't post something forever then all of the sudden I'm posting like crazy! :) Joys of motherhood and running a business together. Anyhoo, this is such an easy project that I am totally going to do it. Seriously. Thrift store and some paint. Check it out!

[click here for the full post from Speckled Dog]

Food Coma and a Christmas Garland

Thanksgiving was amazing. Jack had a blast stuffing his little cheeks like a chipmunk. As you can see below his cheeks look like he is storing some food in them for later, just in case we forget to feed him.






Kendra and I recently visited a super cute boutique near my house and saw an adorable Christmas garland. As soon as we saw it we both had the same idea, WE CAN TOTALLY MAKE ONE! So after a quick stop at the craft store we got down to business.

We used a 3" hole punch, a 2" hole punch, red and green sparkle paper,

fishing twine and Amazing Goop!

We punched out lots of circles using both sizes for both colors.

We laid out the circles in the pattern we chose, one for each side of the twine.

We put the goop on the circles, placed the twine across one circle and pressed the second circle to it to. Once done the sparkly paper would show on both sides.

Next weekend we are heading up into the woods with some friends to go find our Christmas tree. I really want to have it up before Jack's birthday party. We usually get a noble tree but this year I think I am going to branch out. I plan on making my ornaments like I've done the last two years, we'll just have to keep 'em up higher so Jack doesn't get them. I love this time of year, the lights, the music and the memories of Christmas's past. Justin and I are even more excited because this is Jack's first Christmas. Our first Christmas making memories as a family, creating our own family traditions to continue in the years to come. So yeah, we are excited.



Today a friend came to visit with her son. He and Jack are about 4 months apart. They don't really play together yet but they watch each other and play with the same toys. Its great to get Jack around kids his age, learning how to share and play nice. When it was time for them to leave Jack was sitting on my friends lap next to her son when all on his own Jack gave him a hug! It was so precious and I wish we had a gotten a picture of it but of course we didn't have the camera on hand. I probably shouldn't be surprised, Jack gives "loves" to everyone. He will grab you around the neck, sometimes grabbing your hair, and squeeze with all his little might to show you how much he loves you. I adore this and will be so sad when my little boy grows up to that age where hugs are fleeting things and only allowed when no one is watching. So that made today a snapshot that I'm storing away in my memory for those days to come.



Loves to you all, we are so thankful for you!