DIY Bookcase Marketplace- IKEA Hack

Merry Christmas! I hope you and your family had a great time together. We hosted Christmas this year for the first time for about 20 of our close family members. Besides ruining half of the turkey, it went great. My usual over the top planning has left us eating leftovers all week- but isn't that the bonus of hosting a holiday?

Turkey Hair Clip

 I love Thanksgiving! Its so nice to be able to relax with family and not have to worry about presents and shopping like you do with Christmas. It's also one of the few times I get to see my mom's side of the family.  My Aunt Margie has hosted Thanksgiving for as long as I can remember. She has an amazing spread every year. I'm actually dreading the time when I may have to take over this tradition because it will never come close to her Thanksgiving.

Here is the turkey bow I actually made last Thanksgiving for the girls. I think it turned out super cute and was done in less than twenty minutes.

Its Been a While

Hi Everyone,

I just wanted to post a quick note to let you know that since moving, my husband and I have had to cut expenses and internet was a big one, so I haven't had the opportunity to post in a while. I have been blessed new job last month, and with that jump in my salary, we should be able to bring it back up again this month. I have lots of posts ready to go out when that time comes.

Thank you all for continuing to visit my blog. I am so happy to share my creativity with others.

Sandie

Chevron Strip Quilt DIY

One of my friends is having a baby girl next month and her baby shower was last weekend. I was so excited for the opportunity to make another baby blanket. I get ridiculously excited to come up with a new design for a blanket. Plus, I love the look of strip quilts. In addition to being much easier than a traditional block quilt, I think they have a very modern look.

I have been making quilts since college. I think my first quilt attempt was for my boyfriend, Jim for Christmas 1999. I know, a big undertaking right before the world was supposed to end for Y2K, right? Anyway, in the last 14 years, I've made dozens of quilts in varying shapes and sizes and I've never been able to do the binding right until now. I found this blog post by Red Pepper Quilts that does a fantastic job explaining how to perfectly machine quilt binding. It worked perfectly. I highly recommend it.

Here is my original strip quilt tutorial if you'd like to make one for yourself. I'm currently working on a fairy quilt for Elsie and a football field quilt for Logan...so I'll have a few more ideas to share this summer.

Non-slip Adjustable Headband DIY

This is a great 15 minute project that is very useful. Its so hard to find a good headband to work out in. My hair is very thick and curly, so not any headband will work. I always have issues with headbands either slipping or giving me a headache if they're too tight. These headbands are great because the velvet ribbon keeps it from slipping and the adjustable feature helps it sit perfectly on your head without being too tight.

The velvet ribbon was a little tricky for me to find, but I was able to get a 2 1/2 inch spool and cut it down to size. I actually think that was more cost effective than finding a5/8 spool.

Not into making your own? Visit my etsy shop to purchase one. I'm currently building up my inventory, but I have a few ones made to sell. Looking for a specific color? Email me and I can make one for you.

Monster Smash Cake

Hello again!

My life has changed quite a bit since I last posted. We moved closer to my work. Clinton changed jobs and shifts; he now works evenings. These two events have sent my life into chaos. I love that I'm closer to work and family but I desperately miss my friends back in Ottawa. I have great neighbors here and there are plenty of kids for my girls to play with, but with Clinton working nights, I've basically had to learn to be a single mom. Grocery shopping, housework, yard work and hobbies have had to take a backseat to being the sole person responsible for my babies from 5 until about 10:30 when I can eventually get Elsie to sleep. I realize that I don't have it as hard as a single mom, but wow, I can really appreciate how difficult it would be not to have those two days where I actually get to see my husband and count on him for support.

BUT...now I'm back. I have managed to get a few projects done and I have a couple in the works. One of my favorite aspects of our new house is my craft room. (Yes, a craft room...be jealous). I haven't had a room devoted to my crafts since before kids and I'm ecstatic that I have one now. I was able to find a large wooden kitchen table on craigslist for $25 that I will be rehabbing in the next few weeks for my sewing table- details to come.  I love it!

My little nephew turned 1 in April. He's my little birthday buddy because his birthday is two days before mine. I love that I get to share my special day with him forever :).  He had a monster themed birthday party and my sister-in-law asked me to do his smash cake. Having two girls, I love getting opportunities to do "boy" things every once in awhile, so I was happy to do this.

Porcupine Meatballs with Gravy

What a month... about four weeks ago, I decided I have had enough of my long commute to work. I recently took over a new programming area in a new community center and along with these new responsibilities has come longer hours. As a result, I am exhausted and I never see my family.

So, we are moving to Oswego, Illinois. Our new house is 9.87 miles from my work- I am going from 110 miles a day to under 20! I cannot wait. This whirlwind of events has caused my projects and my blog to take a backseat. I promise I will resume shortly- in fact, I'm in the middle of a project for our new home and will share it once we're settled around the first week of April.

For now, I'd like to share one of my favorite meals from my childhood- porcupine meatballs with gravy. I recently started making these for my family. I forgot how delicious and budget-friendly this recipe is. With just a box of Rice-a-Roni, a pound of beef and an egg, you have a great dinner for the family. And if you have a young family like mine, you'll have plenty of left-overs. This pairs perfectly with my Garlic Mashed Potatoes recipe.

Here is the recipe...