Big Fat Squirrels

We have corn hole now!  For those of you that don't know, corn hole is a game that requires some degree of skill or just a love for good old-fashioned backyard games.  Corn hole can be a lot of fun with a good group of people, so if you're planning a get-to-gether, this is the game you want!

This past weekend we had a few competitive games going before we couldn't take the heat and bugs (gotta love the South) anymore.  We all headed inside for iced tea, AC, and some more cup cakes and left the corn hole outside with the intention of playing again later.  Of course that never happened because we were exhausted from a long day.  

The next morning I was clipping my nails (ooh, gross) on the patio and noticed something odd about the bean bags scattered around the corn hole boards.  I popped up from my seat to take a closer look and as I walked closer, I honestly think I heard squirrels laughing from the trees.  You see the bean bags that you use for corn hole are made from squirrel feed.  Know where I'm going with this?  Anyhoo, those stinkin' squirrels had a feast on the bean bags from our brand new corn hole game set.

  I think I can still hear the squirrels chanting, "Suckers!"  So off to the fabric store I go to buy fabric for more bean bags.

Dresses for Haiti

I've been a busy bee! The pillow case dresses I've been hard at work making are finally done and ready to be shipped to Haiti! I participated in this great little project I found over at Smile and Wave that benefits school girls in Haiti. It was such a feel good project for me to do. Not only was it fun picking out the fabric and sewing the dresses, but I knew it was for a good cause, and that just made it more enjoyable. I just wish I could see the smiles on their faces...oh, to be a fly on the wall...

Baptism

What a beautiful weekend it was to be baptized! The baptism took place after mass and there were a total of six babies being baptized (four boys and two girls). My sister did a great job as her godmother! It was truly a happy and blessed day for all involved. Thanks so much to our families here and afar...we love you!!!

Make a Book With Fingerprints

I've had this great little fingerprint drawing book sitting on my book shelf for years now. It's entitled, "Ed Emberley's Complete FunPrint Drawing Book" and it's packed full of fun ideas. You will definitely want to do this one with your kids. Not only will your kids have fun, but you will too!

I didn't see an age limit, so I'm assuming it's appropriate for all ages, although, as a mom, I know this could get really messy with the little ones. My little one is only nine months, so I had all the fun by myself. Can you tell I'm still a kid at heart?


Here's what you'll need to make the book:
1 sheet of scrapbook paper (I used BazzillBasicsPaper in Rasberry Parfait)
3 sheets of 8 /12 x 11 plain white paper
needle and thread or sewing machine
stamp pad or water colors (I used water color, but the stamp pads may catch the fingerprints better)
colored pencils
markers

I practiced first using some scrap pieces of paper so I could get the feel of it. You'll need to wet the water color using a paint brush.

Put your thumb in the water color

Make sure to blot it on a towel or piece of fabric scrap (only if using the water color technique)

I wish I really did have a green thumb...

Press down nice and firm.

Can you guess what I'm making? Give your frog some eyes, arms, and legs.

I'm using colored pencils to fill in the details.

My frog needed a little place to live..

Here are some other practice critters I worked on.

Now on to the book!!! Cut your scrapbook paper into halves. Use one half to measure the size of the paper for the inside.

You should have several pages for your book.

Position the outer book cover with the inside pages under your sewing machine and sew a basic straight stitch right down the middle (or take your needle and thread and start stitching down the center).

What an adorable book you just created!

For the outer cover, I created a little name plate using heavy stock white paper. I decorated it with a colorful critter and added a name to it.

Put your thinking caps on and let your imagination run wild! I made a single "family page" with faces of some of my family.

Some other ideas for your book pages:

sports
favorite vacations
holidays
seasons
travel destinations
theme parks
pets
food
fun activities

Enjoy!

Linked to Life Made Lovely

Baptism Menu

Okay, so you know I'm in full planning mode for our daughter's Baptism and I'm happy to finally have a menu ready. We are having a small get-together for our families, so I'm keeping the menu simple, light, and springy.

Anti-pasto for appetizers - braided mozzarella cheese with herbs, block of parmesan cheese, grapes, olives, crackers, and brie topped with honey-walnut sauce
Spiral Ham
The BEST Pasta Salad in the WORLD
Fruit Salad
Fresh French Bread
Homemade Vanilla Cupcakes with Vanilla Icing

I think this ought to keep everyone's belly happy and full.

What do you look like when you blog?

The Blog Guidebook recently asked, "What does it look like where you blog?" So I figured I'd let you all into our office to see where I blog. Warning: It's not clean! I purposely didn't clean it for these pictures because let's face it, if you have kids, your house never looks spotless. So I'm keepin' it real in my photos...

Do my blond highlights trick you into thinking I have no grey hairs? I hope so!

Look at our fur baby. We love you Molly girl! Always have, always will!!!

Flower for Baptism Bonnet

We are so thrilled because our baby girl is being baptized this weekend! Both of our families will be in town and I'm looking forward to seeing all of them. I've already begun the planning for her big day and I was hoping to share some of it with you. One of the things I wanted to do was dress up her Baptism bonnet with a flower or two or three. There is a beautiful tutorial on the jones design company that I'm going to use for her bonnet. I had so much fun doing it and actually found it somewhat relaxing.

I promise you, this is one that you will LOVE!

To start, you will need polyester satin fabric. I bought 1/8 yard of fabric and it's way more than I need, so I anticipate making lots of white flowers ;-)

Cut 3 - 4 squares of varying sizes. I started with 3 squares and added a 4th for a little more fluff.

This has absolutely nothing to do with this project, but I'm showing you the brand of candle I used because it smells really nice!

Take your candle and gently brush the edge of the fabric against the flame. You can see from the picture how the edges start to curl up, creating a floral look.

Continue with all of your pieces and when you are finished, you should have something that looks like this.

Now take your needle and thread and sew them together.

I purchased three little crystal buttons from La Petite to use for the center of the flower.

Simply stitch one button to the center of the flower and secure.

I wasn't sure exactly where to place the flower on the bonnet...I might need some suggestions!

Okay, I decided to make a few more flowers...I tell you, it's so much fun! Instead of the one flower for her bonnet, I made three smaller flowers. Rather than the large crystal bead (I didn't have enough of those), I used small, pink beads. I really liked how it turned out!

I didn't let the other flower go it waste, so I made a little head band with it.

Teething Time

Our baby girl is officially in full teething mode! My aunt told me that when my cousins were little, she would just wet a washcloth and stick it in the freezer for them to teeth on. I thought that sounded like a simple easy fix, so I decided that I would take her idea, but switch it up a little. Why not make a fabric teether?

I took a piece of cotton fabric and a piece of chenille and cut each one 6 in. x 4 in.

I sewed the pieces together and left a small hole to flip it right side out.

I didn't fill it with anything because it was soft enough as is. I just stitched up the hole and ran it under the faucet for a bit.

I rolled it up like a cigar and threw it in the freezer to let it sit for about an hour. And then I helped myself to some of the Breyers ice cream you see in there!

After it was nice and frozen, I gave it to our baby and she was all smiles - total teething bliss!

It Needs Some Zhuj

Carson Kressley is always using the phrase "zhuj" which is pronounced like "jooj" and basically means this according to the Urban Dictionary:

1. In the fashion world, it means to make something better, generally by tweaking or quirking it to better fit what it's supposed to do both functionally and artistically. It's become most popular due to its frequent use on the hit Bravo show Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, usually by their fashion guru Carson Kressly. It is very hard to pronounce, and even harder to spell, many times often misspelled 'jujj' or 'jooj'. Pronounced "zhuj", by the way.
Carson: "Just tszuj it a little, and you're set!"

Anyhoo, my couches are in desperate need of some zhuj!!! The easiest way to spark some new life into your couch is with pillows...lot's of pillows! I've created a little tutorial for you in case you need some zhuj for your couch too.

Cut the fabric to any size you'd like. If you're making lot's a pillows, I would vary the sizes so that you have a good variety. For this first pillow, I used 15 in. x 15 in. of upholstery fabric.

Make sure you put the right sides facing each other before sewing.

Give yourself about a 1/4 in. to 1/2" in. seem allowance.

Now start sewing and don't worry if your stitch is a little wobbly because it won't show. Sew all four sides, but leave about 8 in. on the final side. This is where you will stuff the pillow. Once you're done, be sure to snip the corners so you get a nice point on each corner of the pillow.

Flip the pillow inside out and press the sides with your iron.

Now you can start stuffing.

You are almost done now! Take your needle and thread and sew the hole shut.

Voila, you are on your way to a more zhujy and comfortable couch!