Crafting

DIY Angry Birds – just in time for Christmas
All credit for this amazing idea goes to my amazing friend
Stori Spotten.
When her and her husband posted this idea on facebook
I just knew I had to share it with the cyber world.
The picture pretty much tells you all you need to know,
but for those of you like me who want more details,
come back for when I hear back from Stori
as to what she used to draw on the store-bought bouncy balls.
I am guessing she used paint or sharpies.
What’s your guess?
Stori’s answer
I used a little bit of everything, sharpies, paint & even a little green nailpolish(which i already had) on the pigs noses to give them a little depth. lol I got my paint at lowed they have in any color for around 2.97
Wha-la.
Easiest and coolest
and quite possibly the cheapest
Christmas gift for the season.
It will be perfect to give to your kids on Christmas morning
when you have a million assorted cardboard boxes
to put to good use.

Thanks Stori for having a brilliant mind.
And for being an awesome friend
and letting me be the one to crack the story on my
little personal blog.
I think I am going to get millions of hits this month.

DIY Dining Room Frames
Remember the post
where I told you about
my thrift store picture frames?


Well, here are the photos of the finished product.
Just for my mother-in-law.
She won’t be visiting any time soon
to see it for herself.

My father-in-law
will be serving in the
Columbia, South Carolina
LDS temple presidency
and my mother-in-law will be
assisting the temple matron
for the next three years.

We are so excited for them
in their new calling.

I think I need to redo this one 
so that the lettering is darker and easier to read.

Your love is better than ice-cream.
And African safari animals.

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Giveaway = MyMemories

No, I’m not giving away my memories.
Or I guess I kind of am.

Read on down and you’ll get to take a look into my heavenly getaway with LG.
In My Memories style. You must keep reading for the giveaway. It’s my best one yet.

Guess what?
You can have this too!
For freeeeee.
We love free, don’t we?
(No, you can’t have my getaway or my man,
but the digital scrapbooking software silly)
Get your own man.

My Memories has generously offered their MyMemories Suite (a $40 value) to one of my loyal readers.
I told them that you guys were the best and thought you deserved something.
All you have to do is go to My Memories.com and look around,
come back here, and tell me one thing you love.
It can be your favorite layout, paper, embellishment or anything.

Enter now because this giveaway will close at 11:59 p.m. on September 30, 2011.
You only have a week to win.

Don’t miss out on MyMemories.
I found digital scrapbooking way better than the old-school ways.
I never got into cutting up all that paper.
I hated spending a fortune and wasting all the scraps.

Really this software is sooo easy and fun to play with.
After three pages, I had to tear myself away.
The possibilities are endless:
Christmas cards, baby announcements, birthday invites…
your imagination is the only limitation here.

If you can’t wait to win, or if you lose this giveaway, have no fear, you’re all winners.
Go here to purchase

By using the code STMMMS1691 you can save $10 on your purchase.
That’s a whoppin 25%.
Pretty good savings if you ask me, and you all know that I’m the couponing queen.

Oh yeah, if you really want the chance to win,
go do one of the following three and let me know in your comment that you did
and I will enter you into the pool of contestants twice.

Follow the My Memories Blog
Like them on Facebook
Or link up on Twitter

Go ahead check out their intro video, it will make you really want to win.
Way more than anything I can put together.

Your love is better than ice-cream
I am so excited to present my original idea.
It’s gonna put me in a higher realm
with my oh so crafty friends.
Trust me when I say you don’t want
to miss out on hitting the read more button.

My mom brought me these great frames from the thriftstore.
They are black with red matting.
They match my kitchen-aid.
Remember this post about me and red.
There was one problem with the frames,
they had safari animal prints.
They hung with the original prints
for the past 4 months
until I got sick of explaining my
fake love for Africa.
I took some photos a while back,
that I intended to use.
And I finally found the time
to edit them and put them to good use.
I present the best dining area framed photos
of all time.
I know you are all going to copy me.
Can’t wait to see what you come up with.
Lay off the ice-cream shots.
They are mine.
All mine.
As is LG’s favorite song.
Your love is better than ice-cream.

I love how the added text
combines the love LG and I have for each other
with the love we also have for and from our kids.

I would show you the photo of how cute they are on the wall, 
but I am too lazy to get my camera back out. 
I guess you’ll just have to come over and see it for yourself. 
Definitely do come over.
 It’s just too bad you weren’t here the first time Caroline 
discovered the photos on the my wall 
and bubbily exclaimed, 
“Look mom, it’s my Caroline.” 
Sometimes two year olds are too cute.
I am pretty sure God intended it to be that way,
so we don’t kill them when they go and sling dog poop
And LG, your love is better than ice-cream,
and chocolate molten cakes,
and Olive garden,
and Cafe Rio,
and rootbeer floats,
and chocolate covered strawberries
combined.

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September’s Give Away
A while back I won.
Here are the girls sporting the spoils.
Funny that you can barely see the brown headband
when it blends in with the hair on Bella’s head.
I was so happy to get some
of Heather’s signature pieces.
So very cute.
{keep reading for the give-away}

Like oh my gosh!
(Heather will appreciate the valley girl talk
she loved the 80’s)
I was even more delightfully surprised when 
she didn’t just send me one as promised
in the give-away,
but one for each of the girls.
Woo hoo. Bonus.
The giveaway was hosted
on a blog called scraps and scribbles.
Heather’s facebook page is called
Go and like her, just to be nice.
Her crocheted stuff is awesome.
Check out her little cell phone purses.
They would be a great Christmas gift for that pre-teen
that only wants clothes and wants to pick them out herself
leaving her with only some cash under the tree.
I know from experience.
Get a little purse for the gift cards and cash
so big sister won’t be bummed out on Christmas Day.

Now on to the giveaway.
I know that’s the part you really care about.

I made friends with Shannon in Nashville
a few years back
when visiting Kristy Faye.
KFaye is one of my besties from high school days.
Shannon is now KFaye’s new bestie.
And Shannon is uber creative.
She sells her stuff
creativelyrecycledbyshannon
on facebook.

She makes cute things from recycled materials.

She has single rose clips for $5 (headband $7), 

triple rose for $9 (headband $11), 
adjustable rings for $5, 
Hairbows for $5, 
and necklaces start at $12…..

But guess what?
Shannon has already made something
that she has graciously offered
to one of my readers for
FREEEEEEEEE.

The giveaway is a triple rose alligator clip that can be used in hair, on a headband or even on a shirt as an accessory as well as a matching adjustable ring.  Both items are made out of shirts.

All you have to do is like Shannon’s page on facebook.
and then leave a comment here.
3 clicks, I made it easy for you.
I hate those giveaways that tell you to do about 20 bazillion things.
That’s not a giveaway. That’s slave labor.
But really you have to go like Shannon
cause it’s her giveaway.
If you don’t have facebook, just leave a comment.
I am double dipping and this give away 
is counting as my game this month.
So in your comment give me a link
to a craft that you’ve made that you are the most proud of.
Or if you are like me, the least proud of. tee hee
If you have no online presence,
then just tell me about it.
Just try to make me laugh, will ya?
I thought it would be so cute to send Shannon 
some of Caroline’s outgrown clothes 
and pay her to make me some keepsake flowers.
She would probably be game for something like that.
You can e-mail her directly
shansharris at gmail

Anyhow, I will be leaving the give-away open all month
and then will randomly pick a winner from all the comments
first thing in October.
Me screaming: OCTOBER, how did you get here so fast?

If you really want to be nice,
you can tell your friends.
I never tell my friends because I
don’t like to lower my chances for the win.
Rude, I know,
but strategic, yes.
So, don’t tell your friends about the giveaway,
but do tell them about Shannon and Heather.
They deserve a shout-out or two.

My Husband Loves Boobs

I remember having a conversation years ago with a lady about breastfeeding etiquette. She had whipped it out in sacrament meeting and I was a little astonished.

“Isn’t that why we have mother’s lounges in every church?” I prodded.
She replied, “What’s the difference in me breastfeeding my kid and you feeding your baby a bottle in church?
Um, I thought that the answer was obvious, but she was awaiting a reply.
“The difference is simple really: Your boob.”

(Hello to you, if you are reading this – I am sure you will make your opinion on the matter known.)

“My husband does not want to be looking at that.”
And he didn’t. He was the one that brought my attention to the boob in the first place.

Guess what? Over the years, I have discovered something. My husband does want to be looking at that! He’s a man. He has a thing for boobs. That’s what men do. They start life on their mom’s and work their way up to having free access to their wife’s. It’s the perk of marriage. At least that’s how it is at our house. I don’t know how it is for you flat chested ladies.

Oh man, my husband is going to kill me.
So,this post is really just my plea: cover it up ladies.
Please.

I know it’s all trendy right now to advocate for mom’s rights to whip it out, but really, can we not be considerate for other people? Especially other ladies who don’t want their husbands to have any temptation? I hope you don’t think I am 100% serious. My husband isn’t some creep who goes around stalking lactating liberals. But, there is always an awkward moment for him when a woman whips it out with no shame.

I am assuming the moment goes something like this in his mind:
“Should I look? Should I not look? Boy, I think I could look and still get into heaven.”

My hubby sent me a link about a lady with a Breastfeeding truck. who has been featured recently in the news.
It showcases a woman’s desire to create a place where mom’s can breastfeed comfortably and privately.

Bless you, Jill Miller.

Now, all my hubby has to do when he is feeling kind of desperate is look at the huge nipple on top of your private place. Nice. At least your way he can still get into heaven.

Oh, if you didn’t read the article, I’ve got to let you in on the best part. The author says fictionally to her children,”No children, that’s not an ice-cream truck, stay away, it’s a milk truck.”

I bet some moms in South America who are still breastfeeding their 8-year-olds are wishing they could get a milk-truck in their country.

Oh, here is a place you can buy a classy udder cover. Or if you are the typical Mormon mommy who likes to be crafty, go here to learn how to make your very own baby blanket. Because even though we live in a fancy schmancy 21st century where we have to have every product on the market, a baby blanket really works for everything.
At least that’s what I think every time I see someone walking around with one of these. Of course it’s so cute; Cally made it.
But really, I had four kids and used a blanket to cover my car seat with every one and it worked out just fine.

Coming soon: a post about the versatility of baby blankets.
Oh and for you la leche nazis, I did breastfeed. I have nothing against it. Nothing at all.
Unless it’s you, and you are all hanging out in front of my man.

Thrifty
I have always loved this old pioneer motto:
Fix it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.
Who knew that life would take me on paths
where I got to master the skill of thrift?
I thought that once law school was over,
life would be peaches.
Boy, was I wrong.
I’m not complaining though.
Really thrifty is my newest resume builder.
It makes me a better wife and mother.
I am grateful to God for the trials that teach me.
I wouldn’t have learned without them.
Here are three examples of ways I have learned thrift.
I plan to post some from time to time.
I hope you will enjoy.
I am not one to throw handicraft out as a way of bragging.
I can’t stand braggy.
I just thought that you may get some ideas of your own
on how to be more thrifty,
and we can all use ideas like that
in today’s economy.

1. Make your own gifts.
(this is so much cuter on my wall
I couldn’t get the picture of the picture to work well,
but trust me when I say that LeGrand
loved this for Father’s Day
almost as much as the Beef Jerky.)

2. Recreate your curtains.
(My old plan panels have a new look
And the material only cost me $5 on clearance at Wal-Mart)

3. Create, create, create.
(Here is my refinished dresser
It started out dark and ugly
I bought the dresser for $35 at the thrift store,
paid about $15 for paint and new hardware.
Wha-la – A new baby dresser / changing table
I wouldn’t be as in love with it
if I had bought it at Pottery Barn.)

My kind of Craft Project and Chore Chart
I am NOT crafty.
That is not a confession,
like the kind you have to hide in a closet,
but a declaration of this is part of who I am.
More power to those of you who are crafty and take joy in it.
I would rather buy your stuff than attempt it myself.
Because I am a shopper.
Shopping is a talent I like to spend my time working at.
I’ts also something that I have learned how to curb.

You see, God made everyone different.
It’s o.k. that I am not crafty.
It’s o.k. that I don’t want to spend my time
trying to be like most of the other moms I know.
It’s o.k. that I would rather spend my time
reading and writing and bargain shopping.
It’s o.k. that I don’t care if my girls hair is perfection.
And that I don’t even like those horrible
crazy HUGE bows on the modern babies’ heads.
It’s o.k. that my house is simple.
That I don’t need a showroom
for my friends.
It’s o.k. It’s o.k. It’s o.k.

I recently came across a friend’s cool craft project.
It involves a T-shirt and a can of spray paint.
It’s my kind of project.
I am going to try it.
But, I will probably never post a picture of it.
Because that’s just not who I am.
I would rather blog about my
thoughts, opinions, ideas, and funny stories.

Go over and check out how to do it at Jennifer’s blog.
She’s most definitely a crafty.
In fact her mom tried to teach me how to sew once.
It was a disaster.
The only way my ugly skirt got done
was because my sister took pity on my
and finished it after she got done with hers.
We were 14 and 16,
and she was and still is a million times craftier.

And to add to that
Here is an example of the simplicity I prefer.
It’s our chore chart.

I will show you how to make your own
if you are craft challenged.
Like me.

This system made it through the whole summer,
and is still in full swing
into the first week of school.
I’m very proud.
Not of its gorgeous display,
or the effective system,
but I am proud of the fact
that I pulled out
the electrical tape,
crayons,
scissors,
paper,
contact paper,
and magnets,
and my kids made it for me.

The kids were crossing their weekly jobs out
with a dry erase marker
as they get them done.
Now, we just know when they’ve got them done.
The sooner the better.

Each of the girls were assigned a row.
Oldest to youngest.
And there is even a spot for Caroline.
Because we are putting her to work
as soon as possible.
Trust me,
the older girls
can’t wait to pawn stuff off on her.

And they each have three columns.
One for everyday jobs.
And a column of weekly jobs.
Because Excel spreadsheets,
I can reinvent.
We rotate the dailies on a weekly basis.
And they get to choose their own weeklies.
First come, first serve.
They love the grab.
And the competition.
We’ve initiated the concept
in family scripture study too.
Scripture chase:
Old Testament.
Go.
Proverbs 3:5-6
They are memorizing the
scripture songs
so they can get faster.
Watch out seminary kids.
The Gold Girls are in the house.

The last column is completely unrelated.
They are not rewarded any longer for chores.
They are expected to comply.
They don’t get allowance.
But, they do get warm fuzzies
for good behavior.
Kind of like
dad gets warm fuzzies from mama
for bringing home the bacon.

The black circles are worth 1 warm fuzzy.
The yellow are worth 2 and a treat at the store.
The red are worth 3 and a rented Redbox.
The blues are the biggest hit.
They are worth 10 and a date with mom, dad, or a friend.
The green are worth 20 or $5.
They haven’t learned to save up yet.
They like instant gratification.
In the form of candy and movies.
Lucky for dad.

The term warm fuzzy was coined
by my first grade teacher.
And you will hear me use it as a threat often.
“Go take two warm fuzzies for hitting your sister.”
But hopefully, more often than threatening,
you will hear me rewarding:
“Everyone gets three warm fuzzies
for being so helpful today.”

It’s on the fridge,
like every other important thing in my life.

And did I mention?
That it’s been working
at my house
for three months!!!

Kids doing chores = one very happy uncrafty mom.

One last sidenote:
At church the other day,
a teacher was explaining to me that
in his training he has learned
that you don’t want to divide and conquer your kids.
For example,
“Look at Bella, she is such a good cleaner.”

I am trying to figure out a way that I can
make this system
more of a Harry Potter style.
Where
everyone
gains
and
loses
together.
I am thinking that may
unify the girls
a little bit more.
Go Griffendor Gold Girls.