New Valentine's Project Sneak Peek!

It's been a busy week here! Just wanted to give you a little sneak peek for a new flirty and romantic Valentine project to come next week---{and it's free!!} I have a fantastic group of testers that are busy working up their own versions to provide you with added inspiration...I can't wait to see how they all turn out. I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Tricks for Tea-Dying: Easy Tutorial!

For some of my stitching projects and home decor designs, I like to create that distressed, antiqued, and aged look on the fabric I use. One of the easiest ways to do that is to tea-dye the fabric. Here is an easy tutorial to help you achieve that same antiqued look:



1. For a mottled and lightly-dyed effect as shown in the design above, simply steep one or two tea bags in a very small pot of boiling water for 5-10 minutes. Remove the bags, then crumple a fat quarter or more of muslin and place it in the pot.



Leave the fabric there for a half hour or so, (leave it longer for a darker color) without moving it around at all. The smallness of the pot seems to keep the tea from distributing through the fabric evenly, so as to get a mottled and splotchy effect. Wring out and let dry naturally, then press to remove wrinkles.




2. Now for my favorite way to tea-dye! To create a darker, stained, tea-dyed effect as shown on this Merry Halloween design, run hot water over a tea bag for a few seconds. Dab the tea bag over muslin that has been placed on a cookie sheet. Repeat as needed.



Dry fabric for approximately 10 minutes in a 200 degree oven, watching closely. Repeat process for darker muslin. You can also squeeze the water-soaked tea bag over the fabric to create a splotchy, stained look. I would recommend dying it this way before you stitch, but it can be done after as well.

Be sure to drop me a line if you have any questions!

Whimsical Wintry Wreath

It good to be blogging again! It has been an arduous and challenging season of health for me and my family. (Aarrgh!) Hopefully we have all built up plenty of immunities to last us for another decade!

I finally got my Christmas decor down the other day, (woot!) but my front door felt a little drab and lonely missing the festive wreath. I found this little snowman guy that I had forgotten about when putting away my Christmas items, and determined I needed to find him a place in my home during the month of January.


I also spotted a segment on our local daytime show, Studio 5 that showed how to make cute wreaths from rolled up copies of sheet music.

In a moment of creative frenzy, I decided I wanted to pair my snowman guy and these paper rolls to create a new wintry wreath for my door. I found the details here at www.kmckaydesigns.com and went to work.

I made copies of three wintry songs on some ivory paper I had laying around and began rolling.

Now, if you try this wreath, I might suggest a variation from the directions on Kristine McKay's site, as they didn't quite work for me...



Instead of stapling four rolls together, then gluing, I found it easier and faster to simply glue each roll to the next with hot glue, creating the circle and wreath. However, be sure to still pinch the narrow end of the roll flat before gluing (as if it were stapled to another), so that the rolls will nest together as they form the circle. Is that clear as mud???


I also added a cardboard stabilizer on both sides of the completed wreath with hot glue, then glued my little guy right onto the cardboard circle. There was no cost involved in the wreath portion, so I figure that if I get tired of it, or no longer care for it, I can simply tear it from the back of my snowman guy and he will still look just fine. Easy, easy!!! And I think he's kind of cute on the wreath.

A funny thing, however...my son had a friend over and as I was taking him home one afternoon, the two boys commented on the new wreath as we pulled away from the house. When the word "snowman" entered into the conversation, my son's friend did a double-take and said, "That's a snowman? Oh...I thought it was a turkey!" I couldn't fault him as I could see the resemblance from afar with my eyes squinted. Oh, well! At least it's something new to look at, and I had fun putting it together!






Merry January!

It's New Year's Eve...Do You Know Where Your Shoes Are?

It's New Year's Eve...and at our house, that means a visit from the New Year's Elf. It's a tradition from my childhood that my mother passed down to us from her father.

Simply put your shoes under the Christmas tree (if it is still up---a fake ficus or large plant works too, we have discovered!) and the New Year's Elf will fill the shoes with treats, money, goodies, and trinkets to ring in the New Year.

So, it's New Year's Eve...do you know where your shoes are?
Happy 2011!

When Life Gives You Lemons....Sometimes They're Just Sour.

I hope that each of you has had a warm and wonderful Christmas season! I feel as though I have been in a cave for the entire month of December, and am looking forward to a new month and a new year!

Three weeks ago, I was looking forward to a month of endless hopes and wishes---crafts and goodies to make with my kids, Christmas-y places I wanted to take them, holiday parties to attend, shopping, wrapping, finding that just-right-gift, and on and on. However, I could sense that I wouldn't be able to do it all, and I wrote my post about slowing down, realizing I would have to pick and choose some things to avoid frantic overload. What I didn't realize at the time was that not only would I have to slow down a bit, but that I would be forced to come to a sudden halt.

Life handed me a big, fat, juicy lemon in the form of flu just days after that post---you know, with all the yuck that comes with it, and to make a long story, short, I didn't improve much after the first 4 or 5 days. After two different trips to the doctor, they finally took x-rays of my chest to discover that I had pneumonia. (Oh, what fun!)

So yes, crafts, cooking, parties, shopping, all the above, went out the window as we resorted to concentrating on survival to get through the holidays. Luckily, I have a husband who was willing to shop, kids who can clean (getting them to actually do it is another story!), a daughter who makes fabulous pancakes for dinner, and a six year old who simply loves me and shows me in the best ways she can. She wrote me this precious note: (I so love this little peek into her sweet and innocent heart.) Notice that "lamonya" is her phonetic-ish spelling of pneumonia.



I've decided that we don't always get to make lemonade out of lemons that life gives us, but sometimes I think that's ok. Those sour times make us appreciate the sweet, and we are filled with greater gratitude for the blessings we sometimes take for granted each day.

Dealing with lemons also humbles us and gets us on our knees in an effort to be nearer to our Savior...something that I sometimes tend to forget when all around me is sugary and blissful.

If we never experience the unpleasant or miserable on occasion, how do we possibly relate in any way to the suffering that our Savior went through to provide us with a remission of sins and to allow us eternal life? Certainly, our suffering will never come close to the agony he experienced on behalf of each of us. But in a small, human way, we can perhaps ponder upon his great love for us, with greater gratitude and humility....that He would be willing to suffer so deeply in order to save us.

And one final thought...the sourness of life's lemons helps small and simple things which follow seem especially sweet. A sweet neighbor called to check up on me after not seeing me at church for two weeks---a simple gesture, but so sweet for me to feel her concern. Another friend basically fed and raised my youngest at her home for an entire week, and made my daughter's holiday break a little brighter. Another neighbor spontaneously dropped by with a pot of soup---a true blessing for me and my family. Other sweet women offered and provided meals, even amidst my prideful objections. (We can handle it, I thought). But these women knew better, and just brought meals and freshly baked bread anyway, and I ended up so grateful that I could rest and not fret about meals for my family. And another sweet friend texted, emailed, and called from 1400 miles away to check up on me daily. All of those acts felt especially sweet to me!

So, this holiday season, as we have celebrated the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ, I find I am deeply grateful for his birth and the life he gave on my behalf. I am grateful in a strange way for life's lemons and what I am learning from dealing with them. And I'm learning that it's okay when, sometimes, those lemons are just sour.

Some Crazy Christmas Glee!

"The family. We are a strange little band of characters trudging through life sharing diseases and toothpaste, coveting one another's desserts, hiding shampoo, locking each other out of our rooms, inflicting pain and kissing to heal it in the same instant, loving, laughing, defending, and trying to figure out the common thread that bound us all together." ~Erma Bombeck

I want to introduce you to some of my family that I absolutely adore. My sister Marva Lu and her hubby have 7 kids---all are now married but one, so with children in-law, they have a posterity of 13 children so far, 19 grandkids, and 3 more on the way, I believe.

This family is crazy. But in all the right ways. They are multi-talented, outgoing, bursting with personality, and completely uninhibited. Those 13 kids are comprised of successful businessmen, doctors, nurses, dance instructors, college athletes, teachers, college students, and the baby of the family---the brains behind this production you're about to see---was a performer at Walt Disney World. (I guess you could say I'm a pretty proud aunt--It's fun to see where they have ended up, and to realize I love the in-laws just as much as my sister's kids.)

They have more fun together than any family I've seen. It's just a party anytime any of them are around, and their enthusiasm is contagious. I love spending time with them. So here is a taste of their crazy Christmas Glee that they are spreading this holiday season. Enjoy!!!

And just in case that wasn't enough glee for you...here's one more video they put together at a family reunion earlier this summer. I told you they were crazy. And I love 'em.

Slowing Down Through Turbulence

"When stress levels rise, when distress appears, when tragedy strikes, too often we attempt to keep up the same frantic pace or even accelerate, thinking somehow that the more rushed our pace, the better off we will be."

Have you ever felt this way? I do almost daily...with the rigors of raising a family, being a supportive spouse, trying to earn extra income, keeping up with all the home duties, helping with homework, running kids to and fro, keeping appointments...(SIGH). It makes us tired just thinking of it all, doesn't it?

I have had gobs and gobs that I have wanted to share on my blog, just in the last week! I have stacks of designs in their infant stages waiting in folders and boxes to emerge and become something beautiful. I have half-finished projects galore. But when to get to all of that? I'm not sure! As I have pondered this issue of mine, I have been reminded of what a very wise man has said recently:


"It's remarkable how much we can learn about life by studying nature. For example, scientists can look at the rings of trees and make educated guesses about climate and growing conditions hundreds and even thousands of years ago. One of the things we learn from studying the growth of trees is that during seasons when conditions are ideal, trees grow at a normal rate. However, during seasons when growing conditions are not ideal, trees slow down their growth and devote their energy to the basic elements necessary for survival.

Have you ever been in an airplane and experienced turbulence? The most common cause of turbulence is a sudden change in air movement causing the aircraft to pitch, yaw, and roll. While planes are built to withstand far greater turbulence than anything you would encounter on a regular flight, it still may be disconcerting to passengers.

What do you suppose pilots do when they encounter turbulence? A student pilot may think that increasing speed is a good strategy because it will get them through the turbulence faster. But that may be the wrong thing to do. Professional pilots understand that there is an optimum turbulence penetration speed that will minimize the negative effects of turbulence. And most of the time that would mean to reduce your speed. The same principle applies also to speed bumps on a road.

Therefore, it is good advice to slow down a little, steady the course, and focus on the essentials when experiencing adverse conditions." -Dieter F. Uchtdorf

So, I guess as I post this today, I just want you all to know how much I truly appreciate you bothering to read and follow my little blog. I truly value you and am grateful for your support!! I also want you to know that if it goes a week or so and you haven't heard from me...I'm not ignoring you, or quitting, or being irresponsible in my blogging (is there such a thing? lol) or some other crazy thing. I'm just...well, being forced to slow down and take care of the essentials for survival in my little home. And at this time of year, especially, I want to focus on my family and making this a meaningful time full of warm memories.

So please forgive me if I slow down through the turbulence of everyday living now and then. I need to read to my kids. Or hang out with my hubby. Or mop my floor. Or head over to my son's last basketball game of the season. Or fold that mountain of laundry. Or decorate our tree with the kiddos. Or just ponder on my many blessings at this glorious time of year.

Hugs and Christmas Kisses to all!!