Friday Faves

I must first say how blown away I am by the blogs I have visited and have the pleasure of following and reading.  There is an enormous about of talent, humor, inspiration, motivation, and just great tips and insights out there.  I could spend hours just reading blogs and finding connections with people and well of course pinning some great crafts and recipes.  I also love and find it so funny how most of the blogs I follow are run by inspirational women who love God and put him 1st.  I did not seek this out just realized it was a common thread with most of the blogs I follow and well it is an amazing connection.  I am trying my best to serve the Lord and make sure he shines in all I do and that my children learn to love him at an early age.  I hope I can start and continue to find wonderful ways to share my faith with those around me.  

That being said I have seen so many blogs have "Friday Faves" and share a bit about themselves and their taste.  I am still so new to blogging and everything is exciting about it and frustrating at the same time, but I want to give you a glimpse into my world.  I hope that will help me connect more with all my readers.  I get giddy each time I get a new comment and I am ecstatic every time I am featured so you can just bet how tickled I am over a follower.  I am telling you it is like Christmas!! :)  So to help us get to know each other better here are my Friday faves.

*Catching sweet moments between my children and their Daddy. 

*Getting together with my family and cooking and laughing.  We played whiffle ball with my parents on Memorial Day after we grilled out.  My momma even hit the ball some!  {If you knew my momma you would be shocked}  It had been years since she had swung a bat.  So wish we had gotten a picture.

*Finding great inspirational websites!  Here are a few of my faves.  Go check them out!

-www.tddm.org -www.proverbs31.org -www.focusonthefamily.com

*Gurgles and laughter.  I so wish you could hear them.

*Watching America's Test Kitchen and the Chew :)  Yum it just makes me hungry and want to cook!

*Singing with my 3 year old.  This week he is in LOVE with "Heavenly Sunshine"  I think we sing the chorus 5 and 6 times in a row as we swing on his swing set.

*Smash on NBC I know it is off for now but I loved it and I am looking forward to its return.

*Fresh fruit!  We went to the Farmer's Market last Saturday and oh my goodness the berries were so good we had then all gone by Sunday.

*Lunch with friends

*The Fresh Market!!  Love being able to get meat that is normal and not pumped full of antibiotics and hormones

*Linky Parties!  Always fun and I always find so many things I want to make!

*Shirts without real sleeves.  ;)  Haha I do not know how to make sleeves yet so I love all these new styles that don't have separate "real" sleeves.  Most you can just curve and there is a sleeve and that is the style now yay!!  It makes sewing my own tops much easier. 

*Homemade cleaner!  I will share more about that soon.  So happy with the turn out!

I really could go on and on but I will save some for next Friday or well when ever I get around to it.  Times get busy around here so I will try my best.  Have a great weekend everyone and please come back again!!

John Deere Baby set - Snap bib

Hi!  So glad you came back ;)  Ok so yesterday (ok not yesterday, it has been awhile sorry) I showed you my John Deere Baby set and a tute for the burp cloth.  Remember? If not you can revisit it here.  Ok now to the bib. 

I have tons of bibs from my 1st little man but most of the closures gave out before the bib gave out.  Velcro- it looses its sticky, gets on everything, and can put unwanted snags on other fabrics.  So I am not a huge fan of velcro on baby items but you could definitely add velcro if you wanted, I just prefer snaps.  Snaps - fast, easy, and no snags.  :) 

Snap gun from Hancocks and a snap kit from Walmart.  I used the snap gun but either would work just fine.  If you are going to be putting snaps on a lot of items I would recommend the snap gun.  It can also add eyelets and decorative snaps.

So I wanted to make a bib that was absorbent and had snaps.  So I found a pack of 10 colorful wash cloths at Walmart that were $2.  Wash cloths are cheap and absorbent so that made a perfect base for my bib.

To get the basic shape, I found a bib that I loved and traced it onto my fabric.  I added some width around my pattern to make up for  seam allowance.  Then I pinned my fabric to my wash cloth and cut it out.  There are several ways to finish off the bib.  I am not going to explain all the different options right now but I promise a post in the future that will show a different way to close it up and finish it off with bias tape.  But for this project I went plain and simple.  {This bib could be reversible and if you had one or wanted to pay for it you could have a name embroidered before you sew it together.}

Front

Back

Pin the right sides of your fabric together. (it doesn't matter with the wash cloth it has no right side) Mark at least a 1 inch section to leave open so you can turn your bib right side out.  Then serge the edges together or use a zig zag stitch.  Make sure if you serge you go very easy around the curved tabs.   Carefully pull/push the bib through your opening to turn the right side out.  You may want to use a pencil or tip of your scissors to push the corners out of the tabs, but be careful!!  Then tuck your raw ends into the bib and make small stitches to hide the opening.  And now your bib is finished!  You might want to go around the bib with a top stitch but you don't have to, completely up to you.  Easy Peasy and you have an adorable cheap bib!

John Deere Baby Set- burp cloth

Today I thought I would share a baby set I made before we knew what our 2nd little bundle of joy was.  We live out in the country and my father in law is a farmer, so boy or girl our little one would need some John Deere. ;)

I love burp cloths made from cloth diapers, thick bibs with a snap (Velcro gets annoying), and these little ribbon blankets (which I will call lovey blankets).  And everyone little one needs each of these things or several of each.  haha It is so fun to sew for babies!

First up the burp cloths.  I know you have seen these every where but they really are great.  They are so much bigger than standard burp cloths, so absorbent, you can make them to your taste, and super easy and cheap, so what is not to love.  All you need is a pack of cloth diapers (You can get them almost anywhere Walmart, Target, craft stores, etc) and some strips of fabric that you love. 

I have made them with cotton, old cut up onesies, and flannel.  Find what you love, you could use anything.  They can be as expensive or as cheap as you want.  Ok once you have your fabric of choice then cut it 19in x 4in.  Next if it is needed serge around the sides of it or zig zag stitch if you don't have a serger.  Now if you serge it you can leave your edges the way they are or you can fold them under before you sew it down.  If you zig zag you will want to fold it under to protect your edges from raveling.  Then just pin your fabric to the middle of your cloth diaper and sew it down.  You straight stitch down both sides and whalah you have a personalized burp cloth.

Ok well that is enough for one post come back tomorrow for the post on how to make a bib out of a wash cloth.  :)  Have a great day!!

Linking to some of these wonderful parties!

           

            http://www.watchoutmartha.net/

            www.funkypolkadotgiraffe.blogspot.com

            www.ladybug-blessings.com

            www.sugarbeecrafts.com

            www.creationsbykara.com

            www.733blog.com

            www.somedaycrafts.blogspot.com

            www.sugaranddots.com
          http://bec4-beyondthepicketfence.blogspot.com/

            www.katiesnestingspot.com
         http://www.chickenscratchny.com/

            www.herecomesthesun-kelly.blogspot.com

            www.shabbynest.blogspot.com

            www.kojo-designs.com

            www.oneartmama.blogspot.com

            www.504main.com
http://www.weliketolearnaswego.blogspot.com/

Curious George Cake

My owl cake was one of my most popular posts so today I though I would share a cake I made when my little man turned 2.  He wanted a "Turious Gorge" cake. (Curious George for those who don't speak fluent baby)  :) Well who doesn't love Curious George, I mean he is adorable and fun and always willing to take a risk. 

This was my second time experimenting with cake decoration but the 1st time I did not have a pan or a mold.  I was going to buy a pan in the shape of a monkey but they are expensive and I was not sure I could make him look like George and not just a regular monkey.  So I searched on Google for pics of George cakes and wow there were a lot!  Some were really fancy and out of my reach but I saw several that were just faces so I thought that would be quick and easy. 

Making a George cake turned out to be pretty simple.  I just needed a round cake pan, 4 cookies, Wilton whipped frosting mix, icing dye, frosting tip # 4, frosting bag, and a couple tooth picks.  I only cooked 1 round cake and used the rest of the batter to make a few cupcakes.  I do not like super sweet icing so I always make the whipped frosting instead.  Making the icing is very easy, just add chilled ice water and beat it a ton.  (Directions are on the box) 

After I got the cake cooked I let it cool while I made the frosting.  For George you need frosting that is very light brown, very dark brown, black, and white.  I used the gel coloring from Wilton to dye my frosting. 

I used a toothpick to draw out the shape of the inside of his face.  This was for the light brown area, and then I frosted it.  If you did not have to add cookies for ears you could leave the rest of his head without frosting since the cooked chocolate cake is the right color but you need frosting to hide the cookies and well what 2 year old wants a cake without frosting. 

To make the rest of his face cut away a small curve out from your cake and stack your oreos (or whatever cookie you like) to make his ears.  Then frost the ears heavily with the light brown frosting and cover the rest of his face with the dark brown. 

I traced out his eyes, nose, and mouth with my toothpick before I filled them in with frosting.
I piped them in very carefully using my piping bag (could use a Ziploc if you don't have one) and my small tip. (Wilton #4) I used my toothpick and finger to pat some of the lines out and adjust them. 

I liked the dark color of the cake better than the lighter color of the frosting so maybe if I make it again I might mix my brown and black to see if I could get a darker shade without having to use so much dye. 

My cake wasn't perfect but it made my little one very happy to have Turious Gorge :)  And you can't beat his smile. 

Oh and just a side note.  I made his birthday shirt by finding pics online and then playing around with them and printing onto iron on paper. 

Sorry I have no idea how to rotate the picture.









Linking to:

www.herecomesthesun-kelly.blogspot.com

www.shabbynest.blogspot.com

www.kojo-designs.com

www.oneartmama.blogspot.com

www.504main.com

www.creationsbykara.com

www.733blog.com

www.somedaycrafts.blogspot.com

www.sugaranddots.com

http://www.weliketolearnaswego.blogspot.com/
www.cheeriosandlattes.com

Mother's Day Thoughts

I hope everyone had a fantastic Mother's Day and realize how truly blessed you are to have children.  Even when they drive you absolutely BONKERS, they are still such a blessing. :)  It took me and my husband 4 years and 3 miscarriages to finally have our 1st little man.  And though I have moments I would like to mail him to my friend in St. Louis I am thankful for him every day. (Our children are 6 days apart and we used to live near each other so we joke a lot about getting them together through the mail)  He can drive me up a wall and then make me smile all at the same time.  He just turned 3 and I am amazed everyday by the things he learns and most of the things he says. 

Now that I have been blessed to enjoy Mother's Day, as mother, I can still remember how not so long ago I hurt every time it came around.  I have friends and family that have lost their babies or are still in that trying boat, and my heart is especially heavy for them on Mother's Day.  I pray that the Lord will comfort their pain and fill that hole in their heart.

Well here are a few pictures of Mother's Day projects I have made in the past.  What did you do for Mother's Day?  I would love to see.



Hand towels with ribbon trim and iron on letters.  I loved how it looked embroidered but was only iron letters.  (even though I so wish I had an embroidering machine, sigh dreaming)



This is a rug I made from place mats.  Got the idea from my friend Abby at http://www.morningbymorningproductions.blogspot.com/  I bought three fabric place mats from Walmart and then I bought some spray adhesive.  I placed the mats how I wanted them and then just picked up the over lapping spots and sprayed according to the directions.  This one was for my momma.  I think it looks like a fancy mat you could buy from a store.  :)



This rug is made from place mats too.  I bought 3 plastic place mats from Walmart and over lapped the two green ones just a bit and covered them with the gray one.  Then I used some more spray adhesive to make them stick.  After they dried I used stencils to paint them.  This one was for my mother in law and I made one with red mats for my Grandma.  My mother in law used her mat for a table runner instead of a rug and it looks great!

Well those were my Mother's Day projects from last year.  This year I made every one a Spring time wreath.  Sorry it was way too busy I didn't even snap one pic. 


Linking to:
http://www.watchoutmartha.net/
http://www.funkypolkadotgiraffe.blogspot.com/

Diaper Wreath

I have seen diaper wreaths and diaper cakes every where lately.  They are super and make an adorable gift but some are way over priced.  I can not even fathom how some people could be able or willing to put over $50 in a diaper wreath.  I am sorry I love cute, I love adorable, but I am practical. It has got to be affordable.  Ok I can hear some of you "she is just being cheap", not cheap but smart and crafty.  :)   I decided I could make one just as cute for a much more manageable price. 

Again let me apologize in advance I do not have tutorial pictures.  Sorry I was not a blogger when I made this wreath so I only have a picture of the finished product, but trust me you can follow it with out pictures.  Plus there are tons of tutorials out there.  I saw a very cute one tonight from http://www.cheeriosandlattes.com/ and it made me decide to go ahead and post about mine. 

Materials you will need: (or at least that I used)
Foam wreath form (very cheap from JoAnns or Michaels)
Diapers
Thin ribbon
Flowers (or blocks or baby toys anything you want really)
1/2 inch ribbon for bows (again you could change it up to anything you would like to decorate with)

Then I took my diapers and turned them backwards so that all you could see was the white part.  I wrapped the diaper around the wreath and then pinched it tight at the top and secured it with a ribbon.  Most people tie bows or use wire but I liked it just knotted with the ribbon flowing down some.  As you add a new diaper just push the others close together.  I thought I had tied my last diaper about 3 times but then I could always push them closer for one more.  :) 

After you are happy with your diapers, you get to decorate.  This is where you can be as creative as you want.  You can add ribbon, toys, flowers, bows, towels, wash cloths, blocks, etc.  I have seen tons of different ways.  I liked cute and simple a little better than the ones that were filled with so much stuff.  I decided to stick with a few large flowers and some pretty bows. 

I tied up a few bows, pulled my flowers apart and got my hot glue gun heated up.  Then just arrange your decorations the way you would like and get ready to glue them on.  Try to pull the diapers apart where you want to stick things so you can glue to the form and not the diapers.  (That way the diapers can still be used later.)  If you do get some glue on a diaper you can always just give a few extra diapers to the recipient to use in place of the glued one.

Well that is the basic idea have fun, change it around and do what you think is adorable.  They make very cute gifts that don't wilt like flowers and that can be hung up even at a hospital. 

Linking to:
http://www.sugaranddots.com/
http://www.somedaycrafts.blogspot.com/
http://www.733blog.com/
http://www.ladybug-blessings.com/
http://www.funkypolkadotgiraffe.blogspot.com/

Everything but the kitchen sink Meatloaf

Ok before I get to my post for today I wanted to let everyone know about a fabulous give away that is going on over at Emily's blog. http://emilymmeyers.blogspot.com/2012/05/giveaway-time-again.html Hop on over and visit with her and enter to win a great give away from MODCLOTH.  Ok now time for my great recipe.  :)

Pink slime!  Everyone has heard about this right?  Yuck, I am already a picky meat eater but when I heard about pink slime I really thought I am done with hamburger.  I am not the biggest fan of the stuff anyway.  Every time I have been preggers that is the one thing I can not eat, cook, or stand to smell.  So after I heard about the nasty stuff in our hamburger I was determined to not feed it to my babies.  Well I found the wonder of a "Fresh Market"  Yay have you been there?  It is a wonderful place, like the best store ever!  I live in a very small town and we do not have this wonderful luxury near, I have to travel over an hour for the nearest one. 

Anyway this post is not about how great the store is or how I wish we had one closer or how I am only buying safe beef and chicken for my family (I don't need the pork cause I talked my father n law into raising some pigs) but about a recipe for meatloaf.   I made some of the best meatloaf EVER last night! And remember I am not the biggest fan of hamburger but it was great!  I started with some fresh ground, antibiotic free, hormone free, humanely raised beef (sorry this pink slime got to me).  After the hamburger I decided to throw a little bit of everything in.  And when I say everything, I mean everything.  Which is what lead me to the name of my dish. :)

Here is what I put in my meatloaf:  1-2 lbs hamburger (mine was ground sirloin), salt, pepper, 1/2 of a bell pepper (minced), 1/2 of a small onion (minced), garlic, paprika, cumin,  ground cayenne red pepper, bread crumbs, 1 egg, dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce, grated Parmesan cheese, and shredded cheddar cheese

I did not measure anything.  Sorry.  I am just not that kind of cook.  Not to say I never measure, but when I am just playing with something new well I don't really worry with measuring.  I add till it looks/tastes right.  (I did not tasted this DO NOT taste raw hamburger)  I am sure no one will but better safe than sorry.  So I added all of those ingredients until I was satisfied with it.  I did not go over board with any of the spices but I did add quite a bit of mustard, probably around 1 1/2 TBS.  Then I mixed it well and shaped it in the form of a loaf.  I placed my meatloaf on a foil lined baking sheet (cause who needs dishes) and put it in a preheated 350 degree oven for an hour.  Most of the cheese oozed out but it was on the foil so who cares.  :)  Anyway it was super great so I thought I would share.



my plate (sorry I had been eating before I snapped a pic)



sorry I do not have great photo skills, but it was still yummy (you can see the cheese)

I pretty much grabbed every spice I could find and well anything I thought might work with hamburger.  My friend Alana would have called this "garbage burger"  :)  but it was great.  I didn't know if it would all work but that is most of the fun with cooking, the experiment.  The few times I have followed a recipe completely it has flopped, but when I take one and change it up a bit it just seems to work. So give it a try.  I am sure there are plenty of other spices that would work well or maybe better.  Have fun, cooking shouldn't be stressful, be creative, be daring!  And please share if you make it or change it up or if you have a super meatloaf recipe.