Midwestern Sewing Girl

out of my comfort zone..."chalkboard" art

2012-03-01T06:00:00.000-06:00

Well, today's the day...the start of the "Step Outside Your Comfort Zone" series! Yay!

For a quick recap on the premise behind this series and a summary of my comfort-zone problem, click here...

Can I tell you a secret? After I wrote about the start of the series I was wondering why I did it. I kept thinking..."I don't want to do this - this is dumb...why would I want to spend time doing something I can't do? What a waste..." I even told my girl, Jaime (whom I met in real life last weekend...and let me tell you, she is a doll! I adore her...), that I hadn't started my project - I didn't even know what I was going to do yet! - and I was really trying to find a way to get out of it.

BUT, there's nothing like a self-imposed deadline to kick me in the butt...and, when I saw this post by The Nester last week I knew exactly what my "step outside" would be. If you didn't see the post, Nester featured some amazing chalkboard art by Dana Tanamachi...have you seen this girl's work??? Here are just a few beautiful examples...

Unbelievable, right? That's chalk...yep, chalk...I still can't get over it...

I really really like the look of the chalkboards...but my issue was using a paint brush, not chalk (although that's another problem area)...so I decided to make my "chalkboard" art a little more permanent. Here's the Dana Tanamachi piece that I was most inspired by...

I started by painting 1/2 of an Elmer's Foam Board with flat black spray paint. Then I took a white tailor's marking pencil (I'm sure any white pencil would do, I just used what I had around), laid out a rough design and started sketching my design.

This part was really fun for me. Here's a photo when I was a little further along...

When I was all done with my sketch, I picked up my little paint brush and 2 bottles of my DecoArt paint...one in Snow White & one in Lamp Black (to cover up all of my mistakes). That was the best part of this project - when I made a mistake...and believe me there were plenty...I just covered them up with black paint and started all over. As it turns out, my painted design varied only slightly from my original sketch...

So...what do you think? Honestly, it was A LOT more fun that I thought it would be. And, after using the paint brush for a while, I actually started to enjoy what I was doing.

It's certainly far from perfect...in fact there are some spots I may still change...but I like it. I really do. And I know exactly where I will put it (as soon as I get that project done, too).

Wanna participate in this series? Just email me at msgirlblog@hotmail.com and I'll put you on the schedule...

11 questions...

2012-02-28T09:04:00.000-06:00

So, here's what's up...

Shelley from Crazy Wonderful (who, by the way, is so cool and has the best decorating sense) tagged me in a fun game floating around blogland...11 bloggers - 11 questions...

Here are the questions Shelley asked me:

1: If you could go back in time and change one thing what would it be?

Hmmm...Truthfully, I'm really happy with the way life has been for me so far...but, if I have to pick something I think I would have taken more time to dress my daughter up when she was a baby. I was so laid back with what she wore and how she looked...I don't think she even owned any pink until she was a few months old...and bows? Nope. Didn't even know about 'em. Now that all she wants to wear is skinny jeans and Aeropostale tees, I regret not dressing her up more...

source

2: What is your favorite trend in decorating?

I am all about white right now...I find myself more and more drawn to it in all of my decorating. It's just so clean and perfect...and it's so easy to accessorize with. I recently painted a "room" white (more on that later) and I absolutely love the way it looks...so bright and cheery...

source via pinterest

3: What is your reoccurring dream?

OK...this is weird...don't get freaked out...and please please don't email me telling me this dream is some horrible foreshadowing of something terrible. Ready? I often dream about plane crashes. And here's the weird thing...they don't scare me...I see the plane flying and I see it coming down and I see it crash (usually in slow motion) and it never scares me. I've been having this dream for about 20 years (I know, I know) and the planes always come down in different circumstances, in different places...but they always come down. That's it. Crazy. No photo for this one...it's too weird.

4: If you could take any type of class what would it be?

Definitely photography...ooh! Or graphic design (just like you, Shelley!)...or interior design...or cooking...or baking!!! Yes, definitely ~~all~~ one of those...

source via pinterest

5: Do you have a secret talent?

Not sure if it's a talent, but I can tie a cherry stem into a knot with my tongue...

source

6: What celebrity do you think you'd hit it off with?

Are the Lolly Jane twins celebrities? Cuz I love those girls...and I think we could definitely hang...

7: Calories don't count, what are you going to devour?

A brownie ice cream sundae...or two.

source

8: If you could do one thing without any repercussions, what would it be?

Oh man...let's see...that's a hard one...

If I could take a vacation by myself...at home...but without any distractions...for like two weeks...and when it was over no one was mad that Mom wasn't around for 2 weeks...that would be awesome.

source

9: What's a TV show you're embarrassed to admit you watch?

Let's just say...when "The Amazing Adventures of Gumball" or "Adventure Time" or "Regular Show" is on, and the kids leave the room, I don't turn the channel...but I won't admit to actually watching...very often...

10: What song could you listen to over and over?

Definitely Dave Matthews' Two Step...or Kanye West's Love Lockdown...or my new absolute favorite that I'm listening to non-stop is Somebody That I Used to Know by Gotye...have you heard this song??? My kids think it's weird...I love it...if you haven't heard it before, listen all the way through...it's so awesome...

and finally...

11: What have you said to get out of a speeding ticket?

When I was about 25 I got pulled over near my house and I told the officer that I was speeding because I was really tired and I just wanted to get home (oh my gosh...was that like THE LAMEST THING EVER to say?!?!?!), but it worked! Must have been my lucky day...

source

So...that's it...my 11 questions...and here are the 11 bloggers I'm tagging:

*Kristin from A Simply Klassic Home

*Jaime from Crafty, Scrappy, Happy

*Carol from The Answer is Chocolate

*Rachel from Maybe Matilda

*Randi from Dukes & Duchesses

*Courtenay from Three Sisterz

*Katie from Sew Woodsy

*Nikki from Everything Under the Moon

*Tonia from The Gunny Sack

*Chelsea from two twenty one

*Jenny from Crossing the Bugger-Dixon Line

And here are the questions I'm asking them...

1. What is your worst habit?

2. What is your greatest fear?

3. When was the last time you cried? And why?

4. What celebrity do people say you look most like?

5. What are three things you cannot live without?

6. Were you part of the popular crowd in high school?

7. Who is your favorite actor/actress?

8. What is your greatest accomplishment?

9. Name one thing you wish you did better.

10. Morning person? Or Night Owl?

11. What color do you find yourself drawn to over and over?

Fun, huh?

And, just a quick update...I'm ALMOST done with my art project for Thursday's post...yikes, I hope it turns out OK...

baby girl...

2012-02-17T08:57:00.000-06:00

I just wanted to share a happy little photo of my Mom's new puppy, Lilly...

Oh my gosh...she's just so cute I wanna eat her with a spoon...

Happy weekend...

something new...coming March 1

2012-02-15T06:00:00.000-06:00

I've always had this thing about doing stuff I don't really want to do...I spend more time worrying about doing that stuff than the actual stuff would take to do...(make sense?)

And, gratefully, as I get older I don't run into as many situations where I'm forced to do things I don't want to do...it's great being an adult, isn't it?

BUT, as I get older, I'm not as hesitant to do those things as I may have once been...they may not be any easier for me, I'm just not as adverse to trying them. In fact, sometimes I actually want to try them...

(I just reread those 3 sentences...holy crow, do they make any sense at all? I understand them, but I wrote them...yikes...)

I guess what I'm trying to say is...we all need to step outside of our comfort zones sometimes. It's good for us...it keeps us on our toes...and we may end up actually liking that thing we were so reluctant to try before.

So here's what I'm doing...I'm starting a new series called "Step Outside Your Comfort Zone." Starting March 1, and running during the first week of every month, I will be featuring people doing things they wouldn't normally do...for any variety of reasons. No, nothing crazy or kinky...get your minds out of the gutter...just things in their daily/crafting/diy-ing lives they have, up to now, not tried because they think they can't do them.

For the first project, I will be featuring none other than...me. Yep. Here's my thing...painting. Like small, detailed, flowers & words hand-painting. I can't do it. Can't. do. it. BUT, I'm gonna try. I'm going to find a project and I'm going to complete it and I'm going to write about it. Whether it works or not. Scary.

Are you ready? I'd love it if you'd help me spread the word...grab a button and let people know! And start thinking about some things you should try that are outside of your comfort zone. Maybe you want to be featured? Email me at msgirlblog@hotmail.com with your idea and I'll get a time set up to feature YOU! Wouldn't it be great if we were all trying so many new things that I had to run this series every week instead of every month???

And...quick update...no sugar yet...OK, maybe a couple of gumballs...but THAT'S IT! Woo hoo!!!

a week without...

2012-02-13T06:00:00.000-06:00

...sugar.

Yep. I'm gonna try to not eat sugar this week.

Does that sound hard to you? Well, it does to me. See...if you know me IRL (in real life), then you know how much I love to eat. And by love I mean LOOOOOOOVE...like no off-switch love to eat.

When I was younger, it was no big deal. I think I weighed 140 pounds from the day I started high school until the day I got married. Then I had 3 kids in 4 years and I just kept packing on the pounds...all the while telling myself it was no big deal, that the weight would come off when I stopped nursing, when I was getting a full night sleep, whatever...

But guess what? It didn't. I was still eating whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted...and it caught up to me and kicked me in the butt. Hard.

Last year I had decided I'd had enough and I took some pretty drastic measures to lose weight. I virtually stopped eating and tried to stay active ALL THE TIME. And guess what? It worked. I dropped almost 50 pounds in 3 months (yes, I know that is dangerous and not the best way to lose weight...I know, I know...), and I was back down to my 140 lbs. I felt awesome. Sooooo awesome. In fact, I felt so awesome, I decided I would start eating again, because I could always go back to not eating and I could lose the weight again. Uhn-uhn. Didn't happen. In fact, now I'm gaining weight like crazy and I've got to take control again. The right way.

Soooooo, I'm starting. Now.

This week I'm knocking out sugar. I have a huge sweet tooth, so this is going to be hard. Especially since Valentine's Day is tomorrow. Good thing the kids' schools don't allow treats anymore...
I've done it before, I know I can do it again. And if I can do it for a week, I know I can do it for longer.

I'm hoping to drop something new every few weeks and to add more and more activity as time goes by. This time I hope to lose the weight slowly...and to keep eating a lot...just eating the right things...

Wish me luck...

source via Pinterest

distressed photo art - how to

2012-02-10T06:00:00.000-06:00

One of the things I like best about decorating is, that even though there are "rules," you don't have to follow them (or maybe you do, but I don't...either way...whatever)...

Anyway, I love the way rough, worn, textured pieces look with elegant, shiny, pretty pieces - like Shabby Chic on steroids...here are some of my favorite examples...

skona hem

rachel ashwell

alkemie

As I mentioned yesterday, Kate's room is almost done...and Ultra Shabby Chic is kind of the look we're (OK, I'M) going for in there. Here's a fun little piece I finished yesterday...

Easy & cheap. Just the way I like 'em.

I started with:

*A bare wood frame from Hobby Lobby (mine was 12"x24" and cost $24.99, but it was 50% off) - no glass, no nothing...just the frame.

*Two 8x10 black&white photos of my darling girl

*DecoArt Americana Acrylic Paint in Snow (Titanium) White

*a sponge brush

*steel wool

*Sticky Tak

*Washi Tape

First I dry-brushed the frame with the paint & sponge brush. If you've never dry-brushed before, here are some tips that work for me...

*make sure you use just a little bit of paint

*after you get it on your sponge, dab in on paper or something similar (see my lid up there?), until almost all of the paint is gone - make sure that you dab the entire end of the sponge, so that paint ends up along the whole end...

*brush your item in long easy strokes and try continue to brush on until all of the paint is gone from the brush.

*repeat these steps until you get the look you want.

I used about a dime-sized amount of paint to do my entire frame.

Next, I took my photos and dry-brushed those, staying mainly on the outside inch or so of the paper.

To get the feathered look around the edges, simply dip your sponge in the paint, blot to remove the excess and pull your sponge down the edge from top to bottom (instead of along the edge). This will give you a small, faded-looking line around the photo. Cover the corner edges with a little triangle of paint (does that make sense?).

When that paint dries (usually in about a minute or so), take your steel wool and rub it along the photo - again paying closer attention to the outer edges so that you don't obsure your subject too much. Rub the wool up and down and back and forth (you can do it in circles and diagonally, too, if you like, I'm just not a huge fan of the look it produces). Some of the photo will be removed, leaving little copper-colored lines on your photo (There may a chemical reaction explanation for this, but I'm not sure what it is...).

You will be left with photos that look like they've been shuffled through, looked at, handled, shoved in drawers, and appreciated for years...

When you have your photos & your frame looking just the way you want them to, go hang your frame. I use Command products to hang most of my lighter-weight art...especially in the kids' room...we seem to change things up in there so often...

After your frame is hung, decide on the layout of your photos & hang them on the wall with Sticky Tak (again, our temporary-but-will-work-perfectly-for-as-long-as-we-need-it-to solution).

Then, because I thought the photos needed just a little somethin' more, I decided to add a little washi tape to some of the edges (I used Tim Holtz' Tissue Tape).

I love the way this looks because the color of wall mimics a mat behind the photos...and the photos can be changed out or removed without any trouble (or mess) at all.

I love the way this looks...especially next to some of the other art we've added to her walls...(more on that later...).

I hope you all have a fantastic weekend! I'll be working on some more things around the house for the next few days...my little "weekend goals" sheet is all filled up...how about you? What's on your sheet?

Here's where I'm linking up! PLUS...

new pulls & hooks...

2012-02-09T06:00:00.000-06:00

I am absolutely in love with my new JoAnn purchases...I stopped there last week on my way to Target, and I'm sooo glad I did...they were just putting out their spring items (yay!) and I saw these...

Aren't they wonderful?! I just love these hooks...I have ABSOLUTELY NO idea where I'm going to put them, but I had to have them. And I knew if I didn't snatch them up right away they would be gone by the time I came back to get them.

I also got these (2 of each)...

Yes. You're right. They are awesome.

Here's where I put them...

Here:

And here:

And here they are together with 2 other pulls I had on hand...

This is just a little sneak peek at Kate's bedroom furniture...more on that later. Yes, yes, I know I started re-doing her room (at the beginning of) last summer...it's almost done. (smile).

Have you entered the Smarties® giveaway yet?

smarties®...a GIVEAWAY!

2012-02-06T06:00:00.000-06:00

OK...remember last Friday when I hinted that if you love Smarties then you would not want to miss today's post? Well, here's why...

Smarties is giving away a whole huge box of their yummy candy to 1 lucky m{s}g reader! Woo hoo!

Here's what you'll get...

Oh. my. heck.

And let me tell you...those X-Treme Sours are AWWWWESOOOOOME.

This giveaway will run from now until Thursday, February 9 at midnight central & the winner will be announced on Friday, February 10.

No, go on, enter! You know you want to...

a Rafflecopter giveaway

DISCLOSURE: SMARTIES® sent me a box of their amazing candies...and I love them for it. Thank you, Smarties®!

10 uses for old clothing...guest post at A Simply Klassic Home

2012-02-03T15:00:00.000-06:00

Come on over to A Simply Klassic Home to see my post on Creative Uses for Old Clothing...

Kristin has this awesome series focusing on creative ways to use common items...come check it out!

Valentine's Day...Inexpensive & Perfect...because #IAmaSmartie

2012-02-03T06:00:00.000-06:00

Before I had kids, Valentine's Day was pretty much just another day in February. Sure, my husband and I exchange cards & have a nice dinner, etc., etc., etc. - but the real cutesy stuff started when the littles came into the picture. I love packing little mailboxes with treats and tiny gifts for them, cutting their toast & pancakes into little hearts and having red & pink paper plates at dinner...so cute.

So a couple of weeks ago I went shopping for some Valentine's treats at Dollar General. Check out my whole trip here on Google+.

I found a bunch of candy for them...all of their favorites...Gummi Bears, Sour Patch Kids, cookies...and Smarties. My kids looooove Smarties. In fact, we all do. I remember eating Smarties as a kid...sucking on those little dimpled wafers until the middles fell through, and then chewing up the rest. What? That's not how you eat them? Hmph...well...whatever.

Slight sidetrack here...have you ever thought about what flavors Smarties come in? I mean, the original rolls have 6 flavors, but do you know what they are? Gotta tell ya...I had no idea...

You learn something new every day...OK, back to the post...

Anyway, Smarties are always a big hit around here...and at just 25 calories a pack? I mean, really, how can you go wrong? So I grabbed a bunch of packs of Smarties (at just $1 each! Woo hoo!) and used them in our Valentine's Day treats...

First we made Kinsley's Valentine cards with them...here's what we did...

We printed out some graphics on cardstock (the printables are available at the end of this post)...grabbed a few other supplies...

...plus an X-ACTO knife & in just a few minutes we had her class cards made...what do you think?

I wanted to come up with some snappy little phrase that incorporated the name "Smarties," but I just. couldn't. do it. I couldn't. So, the "Smartie-pack-as-an-arrow" won out.

The kids like to hand out little gifts to their teachers, too, so I found some old canning jars in my stash, filled them with Smarties & added a little crocheted heart...easy peasy...

Finally, we used some of our Smarties as little vase fillers for our kitchen side table...I love how the pastel colors are just so subtle and wonderful. Perfect for an understated decoration (my favorite kind)...

I'm really looking forward to Valentine's Day this year...I can't wait to see my kids' faces when they open their little mailboxes...that is, if there's any candy left by then...mamma loves her some candy...(especially Smarties...).

Do you love Smarties as much as we do? Then you WILL NOT want to miss Monday's post...hint hint.

OH! And here's the Valentine Card printable from above...enjoy...just click the little cloud with the arrow to download...these are 4 cards sized to fit on an 8 1/2x11 sheet of cardstock - we printed ours on cream-colored paper.

Be Mine - Printable Valentines 2012

Happy Weekend!

Here's where I'm linking up...plus...

DISCLOSURE: This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. All opinions are mine...but I adore Smarties & would eat them even if I wasn't being compensated. It's the truth.

Karas Kustoms...a giveaway

2012-02-01T06:00:00.000-06:00

Remember this awesome giveaway for Karas Kustoms I had right before Christmas?

Just to refresh your memories, here are some of the amazing machined metal items you can find at Karas...

...iPod cases...

...iPad cases...

...metal speedsters (my boys have one and they adore it...)

...and wonderful toy tops...just to name a few...

Were you upset you didn't win last time? Well, guess what? You have another chance!
Yay!!!

This time around Karas Kustoms is giving away an iPhone case to one lucky winner & a Karas Kustoms t-shirt to 2 more winners! Woo hoo!

Take a look at this awesome prize...

OK, seriously...I'm thinking about buying an iPhone just so I can buy the case...and check out all of the colors the winner will have to choose from...

Here are the details...(from the Karas Kustoms website)

"Our design comes with an anodized finish, delrin spacers and stainless button head hardware, they look and feel great on the phone. An added bonus is that our cases also help prevent the dreaded dropped call problem by moving your hand away from the surface of the phone, without covering it up. Our specially designed notches along the edge allow for easy access to all ports and buttons. We machine all the edges on the case, adding a smooth chamfer to give the case an industrial aesthetic while making it more comfortable to handle. Because of our unique design, the phone can stand on its end, or side, to make activities like viewing video much easier, without the need for a separate stand. And, these cases are lightweight, weighing in at just under 24 grams. Remember, these are all made by us and they are all unique." Fits all versions of the iPhone 4. Retail value $39

And here's how you can enter to win...

a Rafflecopter giveaway

5 blog posts that have changed my life...

2012-01-31T06:00:00.000-06:00

I started (routinely) blogging exactly 1 year ago tomorrow, and it was around that time that I found some of my most favorite blogs...and over the past year there have been a few posts that have truly changed the way I do or look at things...(don't expect anything too deep...these things aren't exactly emotional, philosophical or mentally inspirational {well, with the exception of one of them}...but they are AWESOME, all the same)...

#5: This post from Shelley at House of Smith's introduced me to the most wonderful shampoo ever...ENJOY...

Truly...I have never before used a better shampoo or conditioner. The shampoo smells soooo good (and it continues to keep your hair smelling good for days...don't ask me how I know that...), and the conditioner really does detangle my over-tangly hair (I'm telling you, I get more tangles than anyone I know and this conditioner is a miracle at helping to smooth them out). It is a bit pricey, but, for me, it's definitely worth it. Love this stuff.

#4: This post from Rachel at Maybe Matilda changed the way I use makeup...

Not only did it encourage me to wear just a little more eye makeup (which I LOVE the look of now), but it also clued me in about this...Monistat Chafing Relief Powder Gel

And NO...not for it's intended use, but for wearing over your moisturizer and under your foundation. And, can I just tell you...this stuff is da' bomb! Truly...I can't believe just how soft it makes my skin and how well my foundation goes on...and how little said foundation gets caught in my crow's feet when I wear it underneath. Just amazing...

#3: My post on Fish Foam...

This window/mirror cleaner is truly the best I've EVER used. I use it on all my windows & mirrors and I couldn't be happier...it really is that good...

#2: Vivienne's post here on The V Spot...detailing how to clean your stove burners with ammonia.

Oh my heck, this is out of this world amazing...and EASY...and CHEAP...and it REALLY WORKS. Exactly the way she says it does...you HAVE to try this...

and the number 1 post that has changed my life over the past year...

#1: Nester's post here...it was originally posted in 2010, but she re-posted it a few months ago and that's when I saw it...

You see, the motto on Nesting Place is IDHTBPTBB...It Doesn't Have to Be Perfect to be Beautiful. This phrase has stuck with me since I first read it...I can't get it out of my head...and I try to remember it in everything I do.

So, there you go...my top 5 life-changing posts...

What have you read recently that has changed your life?

new winner...

2012-01-26T04:01:00.004-06:00

Unfortunately, I never heard from one of the winners from the Fish Foam giveaway...sooooo, I chose a new one - yay!

Congratulations, Bonnie from A Wee Meenit!

Bonnie ~ a wee Meenit 43

I follow you by email!

I've sent you an email...please contact me asap so we can get your prize to you...thank you!

organize your weekend...printable

2012-01-25T07:32:00.000-06:00

If you're anything like me, then your weekends are sometimes really hectic...sometimes I lose site of the things I want to get done.

I have my regular, weekly to-do list...but on the weekends I like to focus on tasks that maybe the kids can help with, or that I need my husband to do part of.

So, last weekend, when I was making another to-do list, I threw together this "weekend goals" printable...just to keep those things separate from everything else...

Want it?

It's yours...

Weekend Goals

Enjoy!

i feel so scattered...

2012-01-20T10:15:00.000-06:00

Have you ever just felt...crazy? Like completely scattered and messy?
That's how I feel right now.

I've been working on getting my house organized and "clean-swept" for the new year, but, in the process, I've really made a messy house. Rarely do I have the time to start a project and finish it in the same sitting...so I've perfected the 10-minute cleaning ritual. OK, "perfected" may be a ~~little~~ incredibly generous...but, because I have only about 10 minutes at a time, I have a number of different organization projects going on at once.

Here's how it went yesterday morning...

I woke up, got Ty breakfast & tore out all of the things on one shelf in my closet. Then I made the beds and got Gray breakfast. Kate got up and Ty had his second breakfast. I organized the shelf I'd just torn apart and started a load of laundry. While I was in the laundry room, I pulled down some board games and started going through them to make sure they were all intact. Then Kate and Gray ate and I made the kids' lunches. The driveway needed a'shovelin', so I did that...then I came in to get Ty his third breakfast (yes, I know...he eats 3 breakfasts and then hardly anything for the rest of the day...except yogurt...he has about 4 yogurts for dinner...I don't even try anymore...). When I was done with that, I put the laundry in the dryer and grabbed a bin full of Kate's crafting stuff from the basement to go through. Then I put the clothes in the dryer, called my mom and got the kids on the bus. Then I cleaned up the kitchen (sorta) and got Ty's shoes on...drove him to school and headed to the grocery store...

Now, I know this probably sounds exactly like most moms' mornings...in fact, this day was really pretty tame compared to some. But, in just those 2 hours I managed to start 4 organizing tasks and to finish exactly none of them. A few days of that and my house looks like little mini tornadoes hit every. single. room.

source

Not to mention I'm changing my blog look...again...I know, I know. I just have this picture in my mind of how I want it to look and I haven't been able to translate that into reality. Yet. It'll happen...but, in the meantime, please forgive the craziness.

So that's where we are now. I'm making progress...but slowly. And that's OK. It's a lot easier to just shove things into the closet and shut the door...but the mess is still there. At least now that it's out in the open I'm forced to deal with it. And it feels good. I keep thinking about my "one word" - ACCOMPLISH...and I'm making strides to do just that...amidst the craziness, scatter & mess...

How are you coming with your goals so far this year?

l.o.v.e. glittered

2012-01-18T06:00:00.000-06:00

I wouldn't describe myself as a particularly "girly" girl...I've always preferred jeans to dresses, flip-flops to high-heals...you get the picture.

BUT, I do love glitter...

So, when I was cleaning out my huge stash of scrapbook items earlier this week and I ran across some chipboard letters, I decided to bust out the glitter and make us a little Valentine's Day decoration.

Easy-peasy to make...

Chipboard letters
Glitter
Glue
Twine
Tape

I have this branch nestled in a basket with some evergreens and pinecones...I love how the glitter looks against the natural colors and textures.

Here are the parties I'm linking up to this week...

we have some winners!

2012-01-17T20:19:00.002-06:00

We have our 3 winners for the 3-can cases of Fish Foam!

Thank you so so much to everyone who entered! I hope that you all get a chance to try Fish Foam for yourselves...it is truly amazing...

OK - so here we go!
Here are the winners!

Cheryl S. 40

My least favorite cleaning chore is the bathroom.

6 Steph @ Crafting in the Rain

My least favorite chore is putting away laundry!

Anonymous 20

I can't stand dusting. Moving all that stuff, wiping off the dust, then putting it all back. So much time, blech. -Emily

Emily & Steph, look for an email from me...Cheryl S - I don't have your email! Yikes! Please contact me before Friday so that we can get your prize to you...thank you!

I love surprises...#CBias #IcedCoffee

2012-01-17T15:00:00.000-06:00

I do...I love love love surprises...but I'm not very great at keeping them secret.

Let me explain...

Remember that post I did a couple of weeks ago about the new iced coffee from International Delight? (Which, by the way, is now available in Walmart & Sam's Club stores everywhere!!! Yay! Yay! Yay!)

This is what I received from International Delight...the 3 different flavors of their new iced coffee...

Well, not only was I lucky enough to get to participate in the preview taste testing of this awesome coffee, I was also asked to give some away to the blogger of my choice...I love love love doing things like this. I think giving things away is even more fun that getting them for myself. Weird? Maybe. True? Yep.

Now here's the part where I can't keep a surprise secret...

I knew immediately who I wanted to send the coffee to...Holly from 504 Main. Not only does she "rely on mochas to get her through the day," but she is also one heck of a cool chick.

So, the first thing I did when I decided on Holly was to send her an email letting her know that the coffee would be coming (I'm telling you...I just can't keep all of that good stuff bottled up inside).

I adore Holly's blog...she has some of the coolest projects around and her sense of humor and writing style are things I really love. Sending her this "surprise" was just a little way to for me to say "thank you, Holly" for being such an inspiration to me.

When was the last time you surprised (or un-surprised) someone with something fun...just because?

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Don't forget to pick up some International Delight Iced Coffee next time you're at Walmart or Sam's Club...maybe pick up 2 cartons...and surprise a friend with one...

DISCLOSURE: This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. #CBias All opinions are my own...this #icedcoffee truly rocks...

Valentine's Day...a printable

2012-01-16T08:40:00.001-06:00

When we were young, my Mom would always tuck us in at night with the same little phrase...and now I say that same phrase to my kids every night...

"I love you round the world, and back again, more times than tongues can tell..."

I really love these words...and I've created a printable with them for you to share...enjoy...

iloveyou

PDF is created as an 8x10, but you can resize it to anything smaller in a photo editing program...I think this would make a darling Valentine's Day card...

Here are some of the parties I'll be linking up to...

...plus: Today's Creative Blog - Get Your Craft On

I Feel Like Chicken Tonight...no, wait, strike that...I Feel Like Chicken This Morning! #TysonGoodness #CBias

2012-01-15T06:00:00.000-06:00

If you're anything like me (and I hope you are, because I don't want to think I'm weird...), then breakfast can become a pain sometimes.

In my family, each kid wants something different...and I usually get so bored with breakfast I won't eat until almost lunch time (and then I just end up eating lunch...). Kinsley & Tyler like cereal - but they will eat only certain kinds of cereal...and it has to be in the "right" bowl with the "right" amount of milk...and they won't drink their water or juice if it's not in a glass cup (???). Grayson will eat things other than cereal...but the things he'll eat, I have to actually make for him- egg sandwiches, toast, salami sandwiches (don't judge), etc.

One thing I really love about my kids is just how flexible they are. (I hope you're sensing the sarcasm here...'cause I'm layin' it on pretty thick).

So when I was asked to change things up a bit at breakfast time, I was a little excited...and...a little worried.

Tyson...you know the awesome chicken guys? have a new product available...Tyson Mini Chicken Sandwiches. Here's why I was a little worried...ummm...chicken for breakfast? Yep. I was asked to feed these to my brood for breakfast. OK. I can do that. I think.

These babies are available at Walmart (BUT only certain stores, in only 25 states, carry them...click here to check if yours does). Check out my Google+ album to see how Tyler and I found some in a nearby Walmart...

So, here's how the morning went...

ME:

"Come on up and have some breakfast!"

THEM:

"Hold on!"

ME:

"NOW!"

THEM:

"...fine..."

ME:

"You guys wanna try something new?"

KINSLEY & TYLER:

"NO!!!"

GRAYSON:

"OK"

(that's my boy...)

ME:

"It's these new chicken sandwiches...they look really good"

GRAYSON:

"mm-hmm"

(he's a boy of few words)

So, I took a package out of the box (each serving consists of 2 little sandwiches)...

Popped it in the microwave for a little under 2 minutes...

Gave one to Gray (I was saving the other one for me...)...

And sat back patiently waiting for him to try it...

Just look at that tired little boy...

Here's the verdict...

So now I had to try this little sammie for myself...and, I have to admit, I'm not a huge fan of frozen sandwich products, so I wasn't holding out much hope. I took a bite and...oh my gosh. This little sandwich is seriously good...I mean seriously good. The little roll that the chicken patty is on is a real roll...not a hamburger bun...it's chewy and super good. The chicken is flavored really nicely and the sandwich is filling...without being heavy. AND, two little sandwiches have less than 400 calories (that's awesome).

My husband made a couple for breakfast this morning and he agrees with us...these little sandwiches are absolutely perfect for breakfast...or lunch...or dinner...they're just perfect.

I hope you're able to give these a try...and hopefully Tyson will get them into more Walmart stores soon.
Yep...they're that good...

***And here's a little tip...if they are available at your local Walmart, check for them in the Snacks & Appetizers section if you can't find them anywhere else. This is where they were in our store...***

DISCLOSURE: This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. #CBias All opinions are my own...these sandwiches are awesome...

40 (well, actually 38) before 40

2012-01-11T06:00:00.000-06:00

Guess who's turning 40 this year? Yep! It's me! I know, I know, I don't look a day over 39...I'm one of the lucky ones...ha.

Actually, it's a pretty weird thing to think about...I mean, I don't feel almost 40...but then again, what's a 40-year-old supposed to feel like? I just know that I feel better now than I ever have...and I look forward to the decade ahead of me...

Here are some of the things I wanna get done before November 3rd...my 40 Before 40...(in no specific order)...

1. Finish the guest room/office
2. Make myself some ruffle pants
3. Drop 10 pounds
4. Read Atlas Shrugged
5. Crochet an afghan
6. Finish my first quilt
7. Learn to knit - make a hat or scarf or something
8. Finish rehabbing the "barn dresser"
9. Get the kitchen/living room trim painted
10. Get new hardware for the living room windows
11. Sort/Organize fabric stash
12. Write love notes to the kids
13. Teach Gray to tie his shoes
14. Bake a pie and bring it to a friend
15. Send birthday cards to friends and family (something I always forget to do)
16. Go out for a fancy dinner with the whole family
17. Learn to use my DSLR in Manual Mode
18. Take 1 photo each day for a month...make a mini-book
19. Clean out basement
20. ~~Go to dentist~~ (this is something I'm soooo bad at...sorry, Jaime-girl!) DONE!!!
21. Make sheers for the living/dining room
22. Plan a little garden...and actually plant it.
23. Repaint the house
24. ~~Organize the kids' memory boxes~~ DONE!!!
25. Take a weekend family trip
26. Start a "Gratitude Book"
27. Reupholster arm chair
28. Organize my computer files
29. Use my cookie press to make cookies
30. Host an ice cream party for the kids and their friends
31. Complete at least one scrapbook page per month
32. Get a pedicure
33. Spend one week without TV
34. Make myself a bag
35. Spend a day reading
36. Make a slipcover for the blue recliner
37. Organize Pinterest boards
38. Get better about returning emails (oh man, I am sooo bad at this...)
39.
40.

I'm leaving the last two open for two reasons: one; I can't think of a darn thing more that I want to do right now, two; I'm sure I'll come up with a couple more things sometime in the next few months...

I'll be leaving my 40 Before 40 button up on my sidebar all year...so, if you suddenly get the urge to check on my progress, you can just click on it...I'll keep this list updated throughout the year.

I can't wait to see how I do...(smile).

What are some of your "now" goals? I would love to hear...

Fish Foam...a giveaway NOW CLOSED

2012-01-10T06:00:00.000-06:00

I have a secret to tell you...

I don't like to clean. I love to have things clean...I just don't like to have to make them that way. So, when it comes time for me to clean, it has to be easy...and convenient...and not too time consuming.

I keep a basket full of cleaning stuff in each of the bathrooms...this way I can give them a quick scrubbin' while the kids are in the bath or shower...or before I head to bed at night. I also keep one in the laundry room and one in the kitchen. I guarantee, if the supplies weren't as handy as they are, my house wouldn't be cleaned half as often as it is now.

Even though all around cleaning is not really my thang, there is one aspect of housekeeping that I absolutely have to stay on top of...like every.single. day. Mirrors & windows. My absolute biggest cleaning pet peeve is yucky, finger-printed, toothpaste flecked, smudgy glass...yuck. HATE IT. In fact, I have been known to stand in front of a mirror for ever, checking it out from every angle, just to make sure you can't see any smudges.

I've tried almost every product on the market to eliminate those dreadful streaks...nothing works. They've all promised me "no streaks, no smudges," and I've been disappointed over and over.

So, when Nathan from Fish Foam contacted me regarding a product review for Fish Foam Glass Cleaner, I was really skeptical. I've tried foam cleaners...and, while they do work better than sprays (in my opinion), I still haven't found one that eliminates the smudges...and the odor associated with some of these? Oh my heck, I have to hurry up and clean the windows and then run from the room before I pass out.

But, I thought, what the heck...I have nothing to lose. About a week later, this is what showed up at my door (this photo is just a representation...obviously...if just the three cans had appeared at my door, I'd have been scared).

I grabbed a can and ran right upstairs and sprayed & wiped down the mirrors in the bathroom...

Wait a minute...what was going on? No smudges. No really...no smudges. And the foam was thick and not runny and just a quick spray was enough to do the entire mirror...no respraying. AND, NO deadly odor...none...this had to be a fluke. Even the worst products work sometimes, right? So, I took my can and went down to the kitchen...where our sliding glass door is... it's one of the dirtiest "windows" in our entire house...the kids hands are like magnets to this door, so it's constantly gross.

Just a quick spray and wipe...and again, perfection. I was starting to get excited...so I headed to our dining room and the large mirror that sits on our buffet...this is the mirror I'll stand in front of and buff and buff and buff until my arms are tired. Spray, wipe...awesome. Again. I'm sold. Fish Foam is awesome. And by awesome, I mean AWESOME...bold AND in italics...that's pretty awesome.

And guess what else? You can win some...woo hoo! Yep! Fish Foam is generously giving away 3 cans of it's amazing window cleaner to 3 winners!!! You heard me right! 3 WINNERS!

Here's all you have to do...please leave a separate comment for each entry...

1. Be a follower of M{S}G...our giveaways are for our awesome followers only...

2. "Like" Fish Foam on Facebook...

3. Let me know your least favorite cleaning chore...

3 chances to win! Yay!

The contest will run from right now until January 16 at midnight CST...the winners will be announced Tuesday, January 17.

Good luck!

...one word...

2012-01-09T06:00:00.000-06:00

A couple of weeks ago, I received an email from Big Picture Classes detailing a new class they were starting for the New Year...One Little Word. The idea is to pick a "word of the year" and to focus on that word...to let it shape your year...to use it to help define your projects and your life. I was inspired immediately...and I knew exactly what word I would pick to be my word...ACCOMPLISH.

You see...I am a list maker...I make lists for everything. To Do lists, To Buy lists, To Make lists, you name it, I have a list for it...I am AWESOME at making lists. What I'm not so awesome at is finishing the tasks that fill up my lists...(except my "To Buy" list...I'm pretty darn good at completing that list...). So this year, I'm going to focus on accomplishing things...things that have been left undone in my home, and in my life.

I am also turning 40 this November...so I will be concentrating on completing my 40 Before 40 list, too...yikes...I hope I'm not biting off more than I can chew.

Anyone wanna join me?
Do you have "one word" you are focusing on this year?

link

Well, hello! It's good to be back...

2012-01-06T06:00:00.000-06:00

Have you noticed that I've been a little absent as of late? Gee, I hope you have...

Well, we just got back from an awesome vacation! We decided right before Christmas that we needed a vacation...like really needed a vacation...so, the day after The Big C, we jumped in the car and headed south...this is where we wound up...

yep...that's the Gulf of Mexico...

...the beach...somewhere in Florida...

And oh yeah, here, too...

Universal Studios, Orlando

...again at Universal Studios...

And let's not forget here...

DISNEY WORLD!

Oh my heck...what a wonderful time we had!!! No plans, no reservations, no schedule, no NOTHING. And it was perfect...absolutely perfect. I had never been to Disney before, so I wasn't sure what to expect. But I felt like a little tike when I first saw that amazing castle...I was giddy...it was like I was 6 years old again...truly. It was really so neat. We had the absolute best time...and I can't wait to go back. The kids LOVED playing on the beach and riding all of the rides at Disney & seeing all of the "shows" at Universal...but we are all glad to be home. 17 hours each way in the car with 3 kids can be hard...but, if I'm being honest, I gotta say the kids were amazing. Really, truly amazing. I couldn't have asked for a better trip.

Here are just a few things I learned during our week away...

1. You can never pack enough Cheetos...you just can't...it's not possible.

2. 8 year old girls are not exactly the tidiest creatures around...

3. Brothers will manage to wrestle anywhere and anytime...even across car seats...at 6:00 in the morning.

4. I am a much better traveler when my Kindle is charged...

5. Always buy the Giant Souvenir Popcorn Container with $.89 refills from Universal...this is crucial...

6. Don't leave a hermit crab (yes, we were down to just one) with what you think is enough water and food alone for a week (we are now down to none).

7. Eating countless calories while on vacation is not necessarily the best idea...

8. Using GPS on your phone sucks up batteries...FAST.

9. People in Tennessee move waaaay more slowly than people in Chicago...this is a good thing...

10. And finally, under no circumstances whatsoever, NEVER, EVER, EVER, speed in Georgia. I have a $125.00 money order just waiting to be mailed to the GA Court Clerk for my indiscretion...suck.

So, we are home now & I can't wait to get right back into the swing of things. I have a few fun things that will be happening soon...as soon as I can get the posts together...including an explanation of my little link over there "One Word: Accomplish."

I hope you all had a wonderful, wonderful holiday...

Coffee Lover? Then this is for you...#IcedCoffee #CBias

2012-01-05T06:00:00.000-06:00

There is no question...I love coffee. And by "love," I mean adore...seriously...adore. And need. It's probably kinda weird.

Let me give you a graphic to help explain just what coffee means to me...

Here is me in the morning...before my coffee...

Not pretty.

BUT, here I am after my first cup...

Muuuuch better...

My kids learned long ago that you don't ask me for anything until I've had coffee...it's true.

So, when I got the opportunity to try a BRAND SPANKING NEW coffee product, I jumped at the opportunity.

International Delight (you know, the flavored creamer people...) sent me some of their soon-to-be-released (January 15 to be exact) newest product...ICED COFFEE! You heard me right...iced coffee! And not only that...it comes in 3 flavors! Original, Vanilla & Mocha! oh. yes. awesome. Here's what I received:

When I opened this box, I just knew it was going to be a good day...yup.

I love iced coffee almost as much as I love it hot...but, to be honest, I don't have it very often, because I usually just make one (hot) cup at a time at home, and, quite frankly, I would go broke stopping at Bucky's (Starbucks...adorably nicknamed by my awesome friend, Amy) all the time. And even those tiny little bottles of iced Starbucks are a bank-buster...so I rarely pick those up when I'm out shopping. But here is a product I can buy a whole half gallon of, and it's already made and perfect? I can definitely do that...definitely...

As I mentioned before, this coffee will be available in 3 flavors...and I wasn't sure which I wanted to try first...

So, I went with the Vanilla...

It's kind of neat trying a product that hasn't been released to the public yet...and I was excited!

I filled up my new blue cup with ice and poured in the coffee...I held the straw to my lips and took my first sip...and...OH MY GOSH!!! Are you kidding me? It was DELICIOUS! I mean absolutely delicious.

The coffee is sweet & creamy (not at all watery) (just like it says on the package) and wonderful... and...dare I say...better than the mermaid-branded competitor?

I really really loved the Vanilla, but I didn't want to try the others right away, because, to be honest, I knew that after I opened them I would have only about a week to finish them and I didn't want to risk having to throw any of the coffee away...yes, I'm a dork.

So, when it came time for Christmas Eve brunch at my parents' house, I grabbed the Original Iced Coffee and brought it along so that my family could try it...

My Mom, my brother & I each had a glass and, again, it was delicious. My brother likes his coffee with about 6 lbs. of sugar, and this was sweet enough for him (I like mine with 1 Sweet & Low and it's perfectly sweetened for me, too). I think I liked the Vanilla better than the Original, but only because I love flavored coffee...and the Original was still better than any iced coffee I've ever made for myself...by a longshot.

So now it was time for me to try the third, and final, flavor...Mocha...

I saved this one for last because I thought it might be my favorite...(I do this with my food, too...I eat the stuff I like least first...)...we were heading out on a driving trip so I included the container in our cooler...

I first tried the Mocha while I was waiting for my husband to pump gas at a station outside of Paducah, KY...I didn't have any ice, so I just poured some cold coffee into my awesome new cup...

And guess what? I did love the Mocha the best...I knew I would. I know myself so well...

What I like about the Mocha flavor is that it's not overly chocolate-y...it's really pretty subtle...and really, really good. No aftertaste...just yum.

I'm all out of my coffee now. And that's sad. BUT, in less than 2 weeks (like I said before, January 15, to be exact) I can head out to the dairy section at Wal-Mart and pick up some more. And I. can't. wait. It's really that good...

So...how about you? Do you drink iced coffee?

DISCLOSURE: This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. #CBias All opinions are 100% mine...this stuff rocks.

we have a winner!!!

2012-01-03T06:12:00.000-06:00

The winner of the awesome $25 bag of wonderful from Pick Your Plum is...

Jennifer 66

I am one of the few that didn't know about Pick Your Plum, so thank you! I signed up for their newsletter. I don't FB or tweet but I do think this is an awesome giveaway.

December 28, 2011 8:18 AM

Congratulations, Jennifer!
I'm so jealous!!!

A couple of fun things are coming!

2011-12-29T09:31:00.003-06:00

Well, hello everyone!

I hope you all enjoyed your Christmases...we had a wonderful holiday...very quiet...just perfect. The kids were happy, we were happy...what more could you ask for?

And now here we are...just a few days before 2012...can you believe it? Me? No.

The new year will bring a couple of fun things here at MSG, too! Yay! A new look (so if things here look funny and scattered for a day or two, I apologize...), some new features, and tons more projects & makeovers...I'm getting so excited I can hardly stand it!

In the meantime, have you entered the Pick Your Plum giveaway yet? If not, you can do so here...

Talk soon!

Pick Your Plum...a giveaway NOW CLOSED

2011-12-27T06:00:00.000-06:00

You've heard of Pick Your Plum, right?

Well, on the off-chance that you haven't...let me tell you all about it...

Pick Your Plum is an AH-MAZING deal-of-the-day site specifically for creative people like YOU. Just take a look at some of the items recently up-for-grabs...

...adhesive chalkboard paper...

...feathers in gorgeous colors...

...this fold-over elastic is awesome...I bought this and LOVE it...I've made some headbands for my daughter (which I love to wear) with it...and you get SOOOO much of it...

...beautiful peacock feathers...wouldn't these be gorgeous adorning a gift?

...a diy magnetic stand...

...diy frame charms...

...this is one of the best offers...personalized stamps...so cool...

...and trendy belt bracelets...

Awesome, huh?

But here's the catch...there's only 1 deal offered every day...and there are limited supplies of each deal...so you have to "Get it before your neighbor does!" (That's their slogan...isn't that the coolest?)

A new deal is offered every day at 9 AM Eastern...and let me tell you, every single day holds a new fantastic product...

And see over there on my sidebar? There's a button over there that can take you right to the daily deal every single day...so, if you ever forget to check the site, you can get there easily right from my blog! Woo hoo!

Now, how would you like to win some super-cool crafting swag? Yep! That's right! Pick Your Plum is offering up a box full o' stuff from their site...$25.00 worth! Now, the contents are a surprise, but I guarantee, you will not be disappointed.

Here's how you can enter to win...(leave 1 comment for each, please)

*Like Pick Your Plum on Facebook (and let them know how awesome they are for offering up this giveaway!)

*Register at Pick Your Plum to receive the newsletter informing you of the daily deals.

*Become a follower of Midwestern {Sewing} Girl (or leave a comment say you already are).

*Share this giveaway via Facebook or Twitter (you can just click the FB or Twitter icon at the bottom of this post and it should take care of pretty much everything for you...)

*This giveaway is open to US residents only*

Contest will run from now until January 2, 2012 at midnight central time.

The winner will be announced Tuesday, January 3.

Now go sign up at Pick Your Plum! You'll thank me...

It's almost time...

2011-12-24T06:00:00.000-06:00

Well, it's almost here...the day we've all been waiting for...the day that seems to have come much too quickly this year...Christmas Day. I hope you will all be spending tomorrow with loved ones...Merry Christmas, everyone...

My 8-year-old will be reading us this poem tonight...I can't wait...

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads.
And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tinny reindeer.

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name!

"Now Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! On, Cupid! on, on Donner and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!"

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky.
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of Toys, and St Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.
A bundle of Toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler, just opening his pack.

His eyes-how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow.

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly!

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself!
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk.
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose!

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ‘ere he drove out of sight,
"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!"

-Clement C. Moore

2 days...

2011-12-23T06:00:00.000-06:00

Decorating It Forward with Kmart...

2011-12-22T17:26:00.000-06:00

A week or so ago I shared my Christmas decor...most of which was purchased at Kmart. I was amazed by the selection I found in Kmart's Holiday Shop...everything was really just so gorgeous...

My favorite collection of the many available was the Golden Heritage Collection by Jaclyn Smith...

So, imagine just how excited I was when I was asked to take this collection and "Decorate It Forward" to someone in need this Christmas! Seriously?!?! I love love love stuff like this...just the thought of possibly making someone else smile makes me feel awesome...

Kmart generously sent me a HUGE box filled with a million pieces of the Golden Heritage Collection...these photos do not do these pieces justice (I didn't want to unwrap them...I was afraid I might hurt them somehow)...they were so wonderful...

OK...so I unwrapped a few...I just had to see these nutcracker ornaments...oh my heck...so adorable...

I chose a family to send the items to...a family that is affiliated with our church that has come on some really tough times lately (the father, the leader of the family and the sole monetary provider, recently lost his job)...AND THEN, just as I was getting everything all re-bundled up to send along to them, I got an email from my kids' school district...one of the school's bus drivers had lost her entire house to fire just the day before...the house she shared with her husband, daughter-in-law & three grandkids (her son is in the Army)...oh my gosh, my heart sank...and I knew what I ~~wanted~~ needed to do.

The school was asking for donations to help the family...oh my goodness - just 5 days before Christmas (I couldn't get this thought out of my head)...so, I divided the box into 2 piles (seriously, there was enough in this box to decorate more than 2 homes for the holidays), and took one over to the school's transportation department. I know that our decoration donation was probably not exactly necessary, but I pray that it helps give this family some degree of normalcy this Christmas...

The family that received the other box was able to provide some much-needed Christmas cheer in their home as well...and they were so happy that another family was also helped with a donation. Here are some photos they sent to me...complete with some new Christmas decor...thanks to Kmart...

I love how they used the beaded garland to make a tree skirt for their little tree...

A wreath was dolled-up with some ornaments & one of the collection's beautiful bird clips...

One of the family's girls adores ballet...I was told she has these pink glitter ballerina ornaments all over her room...

Now, thanks to Kmart, there is a little more joy in the world this Christmas...

Thank you so so much, Kmart & Collective Bias, for giving me the chance to participate in this wonderful holiday project!

DISCLOSURE: This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias - all opinions are 100% mine...but the joy that was created during this project is shared by many...

Karas Kustoms...a winner!

2011-12-21T14:00:00.000-06:00

Thank you so so much to everyone who entered the Karas Kustoms giveaway!

We have a winner!

Desi @ Wee Share 9

I like Karas Kustoms on FB

Yay, Desi!

Congratulations! I've sent you an email...let me know if you didn't get it...

And enjoy your new piece of machined art!

Christmas Tree Linky Party features...

2011-12-21T06:00:00.000-06:00

Thank you so much to everyone who linked up their Christmas trees to my linky party...all of the trees are just gorgeous...I loved checking them all out. I got a million ideas for next year, too...

Wanna see some of 'em? Here are just a few that caught my eye...

I absolutely ADORE this tree from Chris at Red Gate Farm...the boxes of vintage ornaments and wrapping papers around the room are just wonderful...and the story that goes along with this tree is one you must read...

The colors and textures in the tree by Elizabeth at Blue Clear Sky are just to die for...and the mix of modern, primitive, rustic & Victorian ornaments is brilliant...love love love...

This tree by Stephany at home is...what you make it is absolutely out of this world. Just look at those big bright poms!!! And on the ceiling, too?!?! Oh my heck...awesome...

This candy cane tree by Priscilla at Priscillas is so much fun! She has this in her kitchen...what a perfect place...this would make me LOVE being in the kitchen...

And this tree gets the "ARE YOU KIDDING ME RIGHT NOW???" award...Ela from Scrapidoodleicious created this gorgeous tree from a million little paper flowers...each individually hand-rolled...so beautiful...

Beautiful, right?

Guess what? 4 days left...

we have some winners...

2011-12-20T14:00:00.000-06:00

First off, let me say thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart. The comments you guys left for this giveaway were so wonderful and sweet...thank you. I wish I could send each and every one of you a gift...

But we have our winners...and let me tell you...it was so weird...I was getting all nervous and excited when I was hitting the "generate" button on random.org. Yikes...it was stressful...BUT SO FUN!

Here we go...the three winners of the My Favorite Things giveaway are...

Anonymous 52

I am a follower and am so excited!!

Lindsey 13

I follow you through Google Reader! Thanks for such an awesome give-away!

Tonia @ TheGunnySack.com 120

Fantastic Giveaway! And you already know that I am a longtime follower and fan!

Congratulations, ladies!!! And thank you, again, to everyone who entered...you are awesome.

Last Minute Gift/Ornament/Tag idea...

2011-12-20T06:00:00.000-06:00

I originally shared this project with the adorable Katie at Sew Woodsy during her 12 Days of Handmade Ornaments party...these really don't take much time to make, but they can take your gift wrapped package from great to fantastic...

I got the inspiration for my ornaments when I was taking out my Christmas decor...I came across some old ornaments that the kids had made in preschool...you know the kind...the teacher takes one of the kids' school photos and puts it in as the face of a snowman or reindeer or something equally cute?

Well, I thought it would be neat to do sort-of the same thing...minus the snowman or reindeer or something equally cute...

I started searching through my photos and came across a couple of cute ones I wanted to use...specifically one of my niece, Ellie, at Thanksgiving, & one of my nephew, Grahm, last summer...I popped these into Photoshop and...

1. ...printed them out onto matte photo paper...I really like this type of paper...it's thicker than most cardstock, but not so thick you can't work with it.

2. Then I cut the photos out and found some fabric scraps I thought would look good with them.

3. Next, I sewed all of the layers together (sewing over paper is just as easy as sewing over fabric - but you may want to use a needle made for denim or canvas in your machine...and it's kinda hard to pin to the fabric you are using without bending the paper & leaving pin-holes, so forgo the pinning & just make sure you have a good hold on your layers...go more slowly if you need to),

4. ...and added a little ribbon hanger...

Now, wasn't that easy? And I love all of the variations you can create...

For example:

With Ellie's ornament, I frayed the edges a little to it a more whimsical look...then I used a random zigzag stitch - twice - around the photo & added a little gem to the flower on her headband...

The burlap I used on the back provided a nice heavy base for the photo...it makes the whole thing feel a bit more substantial...

With Grahm's, I embroidered a couple of borders & added a scrapbook sticker...small details with what I hope is big impact...

I used 2 layers of decorator-weight fabric with Grahm's (right sides out on both pieces so that the back is finished, too)...I also added a piece of firm stabilizer between the layers to make them a little more resistant to wear & bending...

Then I thought it would be fun to just use my sister- and brother-in-law's last name...I printed out the year in this awesome font and then filled in the empty circles with little brown rhinestones...the houndstooth print is 2 layers of decorator-weight fabric...

Don't have a sewing machine? You can try hand-stitching or even hot glue!

The possibilites are endless with these little beauties...truly. I think I'm going to use these ornaments as the tags on the pictured person's gift...wouldn't that be fun? To get a gift with your photo on it instead of just a plain old "to: from:?" Ooooh, I would love that...

my new go-to breakfast strata...from Midwest Living #CBias

2011-12-19T06:00:00.000-06:00

We have a very small family...it's just me & my husband & our kids...my brother, his wife & their kids and my parents. Everyone in my husband's family lives too far away for us all to be together for the holidays...so we usually spend Christmas Eve together at my parents' house...and then have a quiet Christmas with the just 5 of us at home. I love it that way...it's really comfy & lazy & wonderful.

Of course, this year we'll have church on Christmas Day, but that's really it...I can't wait. OH! And if there is snow on the ground we go sledding...(fingers crossed).

This year we're going to my parents' house for brunch...and my sister-in-law and I are each cooking a few dishes to pass. I had no idea what to bring...seriously, no idea. I wanted something breakfast-y, but filling...and it had to be yummy.

So, I headed to the grocery store to search through some magazines...and I found the perfect thing...in one of my favorite magazines...Midwest Living. To see our entire grocery store adventure, check out my album on Google+.

So here's what we decided on:

And, of course, I had to give it a trial-run...just to make sure it would go over OK next weekend...

Here's what you need:

*6 or 7 purchased croissants
*8 slices bacon
*1 cup chopped onion
*1 cup chopped red and/or green sweet pepper or sliced, halved zucchini
*1 cup sliced fresh cremini or button mushrooms (I left these out b/c my husband is NOT a fan...)
*1 1/2 tsp. dried basil, oregano or thyme, crushed (I used oregano)
*2 cups lightly packed, coarsely chopped fresh spinach
*8 oz. colby & Monterey Jack cheese or American cheese, shredded (2 cups) (I used Kraft colby-jack)
*6 eggs
*2 cups milk
*3 tbsp. Dijon-style mustard
*1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

And here's what you do:

1. Preheat the broiler. Slice the croissants in half horizontally. Arrange croissant halves, cut sides up, in a single layer on an extra-large baking sheet (I don't have an extra-large baking sheet, but a regular one worked just fine for me). Broil 4"-5" from the heat for 1-2 minutes or until light brown. Set aside.

See, I just overlapped mine a little...and it worked out great...

2. In a very large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Drain bacon on paper towels, reserving 1 tbsp drippings in skillet. Crumble bacon; set aside.

3. Cook onion, sweet pepper, mushrooms & basil (again, we used oregano & no mushrooms) in hot bacon drippings 5 minutes or until onion is almost tender, stirring occasionally. Add spinach; stir until wilted and well coated. Transfer onion mixture to colander set in sink; drain. Stir in bacon.

This smelled so amazing with the oregano...just like pizza cooking...yum.

4. In a greased 13x9x2-inch baking dish, arrange croissant bottoms, cut sides up, in a single layer, overlapping slightly. Sprinkle cheese over croissants. Spoon onion mixture over cheese; add croissant tops, cut sides down.

...before I put the croissant tops on...

5. In a large bowl, whisk eggs; beat in milk, mustard and black pepper.

Carefully pour over strata; gently press down on croissants. Cover, chill in refrigerator for 8 to 24 hours. (we chilled ours for about 18).

I can not even tell you how amazing this smelled at this point...

So then I put the strata in the refrigerator and waited until the next morning...here's what you do next...

6. Uncover strata. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes. Bake, uncovered in 325° oven 50 to 55 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean and strata puffs, covering with foil the last 15 minutes to avoid overbrowning. Remove from oven. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Makes 10-12 servings.

OK...this is soooooo good. And it's really relatively easy to prepare...in fact, it's not hard AT ALL, it just takes a little time. I'll definitely be making this again next weekend...I think it will be a huge hit. And it's a recipe that will be added to my collection...

Thank you so much, Midwest Living & Kraft for helping me make the perfect brunch strata!

DISCLOSURE: This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. All opinions are my own...but I'm totally willing to share the recipe...it's awesome.

Need some last minute decorations? How about a printable...

2011-12-18T06:00:00.000-06:00

Have you entered the three giveaways I have going on right now? Well, please do! Just look over on my sidebar and you'll see the links...you don't want to miss these, my friends!

I originally shared this printable with my dear friend, Kristin, on her blog, A Simply Klassic Home, during her 12 Days of Christmas Printables party...

Need some last minute holiday decor? Or maybe a printable to use as a gift tag? Or maybe even to print out, frame & give as a gift? Well, here you go...

The printable I'm sharing today contains the words from my favorite Christmas Carol...O Holy Night. What a beautiful, beautiful song...these particular words are the ones that give me the chills each and every single time I hear them...

I've created this printable to print out at 8x10, but it can be resized to any size smaller than 8x10 as well. I've also created it in number of different colors...just click the download link below the graphic to get the ones you like.

Christmas'11-light blue

I hope you enjoy these...and Merry Christmas!

And one extra little treat...I adore this version...

Reindeer Food - A Great Neighbor & Classroom gift

2011-12-17T06:00:00.000-06:00

I orignally shared this post with Nikki from Everything Under the Moon at her 12 Days of Christmas Holiday Party...

Go on over and check it out...she's got some great holiday inspiration over there...

My project today is something my kids and I do every year...it's definitely become one of our Christmas traditions...and it's the easiest thing in the whole wide world to make...

You know, the stuff you sprinkle on your lawn to help Santa's reindeer find your home?

Now, I'm sure most (if not all) of you know what I'm talking about...but for those of you who may not, I'm going to share my ultra-special top-secret recipe...are you ready for it???

Amazing, huh? Yep, that's all it is...colored sugar & oats...

My kids really love making this on their own & then packaging it up to give to neighbors & classmates...

This year I've whipped up some printables to attach to our little gifts...just download and print!

Here's a little preview of the tag...

Reindeer Food 2011

This is a really fun craft for the kids and should take you all of about 3 minutes to do...and make sure to whip-up some extra for your neighbors & friends! You want to make sure you've covered all the bases when it comes to getting Santa to land at your house...

My Holiday Home Decor...a little tour...

2011-12-16T06:00:00.000-06:00

This year I've been a little late in getting all of our Christmas decorations out...not because I've been lazy, or not inclined to, or anything like that...but because I've just been moving slowly. And, I wasn't really sure exactly what I wanted to do...

I've been trying to have fun with decorating this year...instead of just "puttin' stuff out." The kids have been really interested in helping getting things ready, and, to avoid fights, I've been letting them do just that. And they've actually been pretty helpful! Surprise, surprise...

Up until a few days ago, the only thing completely done in the house was our tree...

And then I was given a challenge...

Shop at Kmart for some holiday tabletop decorations...and don't spend more than $100.00. Oh, yes. This was EXACTLY what I needed to get my rear in gear!

Over the years, our tree has taken on a sort-of rustic, outdoorsy-but-still-pretty feel...a lot of red, plaid, gold, pinecones, etc. so I decided I really wanted to stick with this theme...at least throughout the living & dining rooms.

I was hoping Kmart would be able to accommodate my wishes...it had been a loooong time since I'd shopped there & I didn't know what to expect...and man, would $100 be enough? I grabbed the boys and decided to see what I could find...you can read all about our shopping trip here on Google +, but here are a couple of shots I got while we were there...

I'm really starting to dig these white trees...maybe next year? And look at those fun cookie & cupcake ornaments!!!

I had no idea Kmart had such a huge holiday decorating selection! I honestly thought I would have a hard time with this challenge, but no, just the opposite...I had a hard time not buying one of everything!

And lookie here...just colors I'm looking for...

The boys and I spent about an hour just taking in all of the choices before we made our decisions...and I think we ended up with some wonderful things...

Here's everything I bought...

Various ornaments, mini pine trees, some garland, a pine-scented candle, some LED candles, candy, a jar, fake snow, a 2' tree & some ribbon...whew...

you can see the ornaments a little more clearly here...

And guess what? With all of the amazing sales that are going on right now, I spent less than my alloted $100.00...woo hoo!

Wanna see what I did with all of my wonderful new decorations?

Let's start with that 2' tree & the wonderful yo-yo garland I bought...I wanted to dress up our kitchen just a bit this year...I didn't stick with the rustic look in here...the colors are a little brighter & a little more fun...

...and because this tree was for the kitchen, I thought the colander and the clementines were the perfect finishing touches...

Isn't this yo-yo garland just wonderful? And the tree is the perfect size to set on our kitchen table...

I love the turquoise with the orange & red & pink...so festive!

OK...so let's move on upstairs to the bathroom...I don't have too many decorations up there usually, so I didn't want to go overboard for Christmas. We have a wonderful, oil-rubbed bronze chandelier that classes up the joint a bit, so I wanted to keep things low key...I grabbed one of the ornaments from our buy (from the Country Living Vintage Christmas line) & simply placed it into my great-grandmother's silver candy dish...

I think it's perfect...and it really adds just the right amount of Christmas...

OK...so let's go back downstairs and into the living room...

I have a little side table next to our couch...I already had the mini tree & the photo (purchased at a craft show years ago)...but I added the jar, faux snow & another one of our new ornaments...

I love how simple & clean this looks...and it fits right in...

Over on the other table in the living room I had a basket with a couple of little holiday pillows in it...I added all 3 of our new mercury-glass acorn ornaments here...

I really didn't realize this little basket was missing anything until I added the acorns...now it's perfect...

Now...finally...our dining room table. This is always the spot I have a tough time decorating...I'm never quite sure if I'm doing it right...I already had a couple of outdoorsy-looking trees (aka jute-covered styrofoam cones) on the table...but that was it. Boring.

I took two more of our new ornaments (this one & this one) and just tucked them into the tops of the "trees"...

Aren't they so pretty?

Then I took the LED candles that we purchased, removed the bottoms from them & placed them into my vintage brass candlesticks...

These candles are awesome...you just turn them on once...they stay lit for 8 hours and then turn off for 16 hours...you never once need to turn them on or off again for the entire holiday season! Now that's my kind of candle...no worries at all...

You can see from the photo above that I took another ornament (just like the one in the jar on the side table) and dropped it into a silver wine glass...I love the way this turned out...

Doesn't that look neat?

I've seen little mini Christmas trees in ornaments all over blogland...I think they're so adorable. So I took a couple of the Lemax Village Collection mini pine trees that we bought and put them under glass...with some more of our "snow."

...one in a little mini-cloche on a candlestick...

...and a few on a cakestand...

I loved the little sweater-covered candle we purchased...but I wasn't jazzed about the ribbon that came around it...so I just took off that little ribbon & added a piece of jute. I pinned the jute together (with a straight pin) because I thought tying it would be too bulky...

I really just love this candle...and I can use the little sweater over and over again! Aaaand this decoration can stay out until spring!

And here is the whole table...all put together...what do you think?

For the dining room chairs, I took the garlands that we bought and fashioned little wreaths. I took some floral wire, formed some circles & wired the garland to the wire...super-easy...then I just took the ribbon that we got and attached the little wreaths to the backs of the chairs...

These little wreaths are my favorite things...I think I will do this every year...I love how festive they look - without being completely over the top and cutesy...

Finally...I mentioned that I had bought some candy with my Kmart money...I always like to have little treats around to offer guests that visit during the holidays...not just a piece, but a little box of something to take home...a little gift.

When I saw these little Whitman's & Russell Stover mini chocolate boxes ($1.00 each!) I knew just what I would do. I dressed them up a little with some ribbon & such and arranged them in a little metal box to set on the bench near our front door. Now guests can help themselves as they leave...

So there you have it...a little tour of my holiday decor...all thanks to Kmart and their Holiday Shop (oh, and two very patient little boys)...I have some wonderful decor that I can use year after year...and I found a new store to shop...definitely win-win...

What do you think? Have you finished decorating yet? Have you even started? Do you do a theme throughout your house? Or room by room? Or is everything just random? Do you change your decorations every year? Or stick with the same things? Can you believe Christmas is only 9 days away?

**This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias**

While I have been compensated for this post, all opinions are 100% mine.

Elmer's Holiday #GlueNGlitter #CBias : Do you love wrapping gifts as much as I do? No, I'm serious...I absolutely love it...

2011-12-15T06:00:00.000-06:00

Holy moly...10 days left. Did you hear me? 10 DAYS! Ten short, crazy-busy, fun-filled, hectic, absolutely wonderful days before THE day...I'm so excited I can hardly stand it!

This year I've been working my tail off to get everything done early so that I can enjoy time with my family (now that the kids are getting older, being together for extended periods of time is actually enjoyable...crazy, right?)

This last week+ is just so exciting...I've put together my top 5 reasons why I love it soooo much...

I really, really, truly do. I love it. Now, don't get me wrong...I don't love wrapping every. single. gift...in fact, I think we are pretty lucky that Santa does a not-so-great job of wrapping...he just sort of slaps the red wrapping paper on...the kids are lucky if they get an initial scribbled on the front to make it clear who the gift belongs to...

No, I love wrapping the other gifts...the gifts that we buy for the kids...the ones for friends and family...the gifts we give to the kids' teachers and pastors at church...those gifts. Love. it.

Another thing I love is that I don't have to drive all over God's green earth to pick up supplies...nope. I can get it all done in one trip...to Walmart...AND I don't have to worry that I'm spending too much, because Walmart always has the best prices...always. OH! And I don't have to remember to cut a coupon to get a discount on craft items (and not only that! Then I don't have to remember to actually bring the coupon with me...don't you hate when you forget that coupon???).

So when I was getting ready to get some supplies for gift wrapping this season, I headed out to Walmart. You can see my entire shopping trip here on Google+. But let me give you a few of the highlights...

First let me start by saying - I have TONS of wrapping paper...and by tons, I mean, miles & miles & miles. I buy it after Christmas every year (at a huge discount), and then I promptly forget that I've bought it and I buy more before Christmas (every year). So, wrapping paper was not something I needed on this trip...what I did need was inspiration. So I checked out the Elmer's CraftBond and X-ACTO items...just look at how much stuff there is to choose from!

See all that gorgeous orange & pink? Yep...that's where we're headed...(and keep reading to find out how you can WIN all of those products)...

OK...where do I start? I pondered and pondered and pondered (and walked around and got some Allegra for Ty's allergies, yogurt for eatin' & Endust...seriously, can you believe you can actually get all of that in ONE store???). Here are some of the things I found I really love...

Rulers...I loves me some rulers...

...double-sided tape...I got a tip (thanks, Amy!) that this would be perfect for wrapping gifts...um, yeah...why did I never think of that???

...and these awesome templates...bunches of different shapes in each package! All you could ever need...

After some serious deliberating...you know, whatever...who am I kidding...I grabbed every single thing I wanted and put it into my cart...

So here's what I brought home: both of the X-ACTO rulers...the 12" Metal Ruler & the Zero Centering Ruler; the Basic Shapes Templates and the Craft Swivel Knife (to be used with the templates); Glue Spots in both Thin Small & Pop-Up Medium; the Permanent Double-Sided Tape and the Thick 'n Thin Journaling Paint Pen in Silver. Now I'm ready to start wrapping...

First I got all of my stuff out...all of my paper, my embellishments, everything...

What? You don't think that looks like very much stuff? Well...I'm wrapping only a couple of things right now...I didn't haul out the big guns for these gifts...

Here's the first thing I'm wrapping...don't laugh...my kids love to unwrap gifts, so pretty much everything gets wrapped...

...yes, it's gum. But it's a BIG tin of gum...

I usually use plain ol' scissors to cut my wrapping paper, but, I gotta tell ya...a ruler & X-ACTO knife is waaaaaay easier. And you get a cleaner, faster, straighter cut...

Let me just take a minute here to offer some really quick tips on how to wrap the perfect present...

*DON'T use too much paper...place your item on your paper and roll it around so that you see just how much paper it will actually need...then cut only that much. Too much paper looks bunchy & yucky.

*DO make sure to get tight, crisp folds... loose ends look frumpy.

*DON'T use too much tape...too much tape can make a package look like a 2-year-old wrapped it...unless, of course, you have your 2-year-old wrap your gifts...in which case, the more tape the better.

*DO make sure to get printed paper on straight...if your paper has vertical lines, make sure they are still vertical while you're wrapping...not slanty.

OK...now let's move on...

I mentioned before how I hadn't thought to use double-sided tape in my gift-wrapping? Well, now I will never NOT use it...not seeing that transparent tape stuck all over the gift is wonderful...

Here I used the double sided tape to attach some embellishments to the top of the gum tins...

Here I used some of the glue-spots & the double-sided tape to attached a little bow to the top of the gift.

To make the bow, you simply take a length of tape & place a small piece of double-sided tape to the inside middle...

Then you fold in both ends into the middle to secure them...

Take another small length of ribbon and wrap it around the center of the larger piece...I secured mine with a glue-spot and then used another glue-spot to adhere the bow to the package...

Easy peasy...

Now, we usually get gift cards as part of my kids' teachers' gifts...but I hate just handing out the cards in the little envelopes that come from the store. I like to jazz them up just a little.

I found this awesome template at Lemon Jitters...I printed it onto regular printer paper, cut it out with my X-ACTO Craft Knife & my metal ruler & then traced it onto scrapbook cardstock.

Then I cut that out...I used a little Elmer's glue stick as my guide to cut out the half-circle on the front of the computer paper template...but it was a little hard to manage with the scrapbook paper.

So instead I used the circle template & my X-ACTO Craft Swivel Knife for the thicker paper...worked like a dream...

Then I used my metal ruler (love this ruler) and a bone folder (do you have one of these? If not, you must get one) to fold the card holder into shape. Once folded, I used the double-sided tape and sealed up the sides...no mess, no fuss.

I used another little glue-spot and added a little embellishment to the top...

I like it so much better than just a plain old envelope...

Another thing I like to do when wrapping gifts is add two different kinds of paper. Usually I just do a small wrap-around of one paper over another, but with these awesome templates, I can really dress that wrap-around up...

First I wrapped my gift in plain kraft paper (love this look)...using double-sided tape on the back & sides...

Then I took my other paper (this awesome aqua floral print from Martha Stewart), took the side of one of the stencils, and used my Craft Swivel Knife to cut out the design...first on one side...turned the stencil over...and then on the other side (in a random width I thought - hoped - would look good on my package).

Then I just cut two narrow strips of the floral paper (to wrap around the bottom of the package), removed the whole band from the roll of wrapping paper, and used the CraftBond double-sided tape to adhere the band to the package.

A few more embellishments (attached with the glue spots & double-sided tape) & done!

I love how neat & clean the sides look...

I almost forgot! I used yet another of the basic templates to make that tag...cool, huh?

I still have tons of packages to wrap (hopefully I will be done before Christmas Eve!), but I'm really looking forward to it...

What about you? Do you enjoy gift wrapping as much as I do? Or is it more of a chore that just has to get done? Do you think you would enjoy it more if you got some of those amazing Elmer's products? How about if you got the ENTIRE WALL of products? Yep. The entire wall. Wanna know how you can?

Just click below (or on the button on my sidebar) and you'll be taken to a giveaway for the entire wall of Elmer's Memory Keeping & X-ACTO products...that's a $250.00 value! Yeehaw!!!

Now, get on over to Walmart...pick up everything you need & then sit down and enjoy some time with your family...

DISCLOSURE: This project has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for #ElmersHoliday #gluenglitter #collectivebias #CBias
Yes, I was compensated for this post, but I would've written it anyway...I think these products are amazing...

Karas Kustoms ...{a giveaway} NOW CLOSED

2011-12-14T06:00:00.000-06:00

Cicily, from Karas Kustoms contacted me a while back to see if I would be interested in hosting a giveaway for their shop...and when I saw what they had to offer, I thought this would be an absolutely awesome giveaway! Especially since we're so close to Christmas!

Whole bunches of you will probably be getting iPads, iPods or iPhones for Christmas or Hanukkah...and you will need to protect those amazing little machines...here's the perfect way...

Karas Kustoms creates amazing, hand-crafted, made in the USA, machined Apple Cases...as well as a number of other fantastic products (we'll get to those in just a second)...

Just take a look at these...

iPad cases

iPhone cases

just look at all of those colors!

and iPod cases

...so beautiful...

But just in case you're not getting Apple products this year, that's not all Karas Kustoms creates out of metal...just check these out...

little toy speedsters

toy tops (oh my heck, how fantastic is this???)

and...coming soon...

refillable pens...this is just gorgeous...

How perfect would any one of these be as a gift?

I was sent a speedster for my boys to try out, and I am truly impressed. When the boys opened the box, all I heard was "woooow" - they were both speechless. This little speedster is absolutely gorgeous...it's a true work of art.

They fought over who would play with it for a while...it has been tossed around the family room and played with hard...and it's still as gorgeous as it was when we opened it's box. When the boys aren't playing with it, it holds a prominent spot on a shelf on their new gallery wall.

Wanna get some awesome Karas Kustoms stuff of your very own? You know you do...

Here's how to win a $40.00 gift certificate...

1. Like Karas Kustoms on Facebook (leave them a note letting them know I sent M{S}G sent you)

2. Check out the Karas Kustoms site and let me know what you would get with your $40.00

3. Like Midwestern {Sewing} Girl on Facebook

4. Follow M{S}G publicly via Google Friend Connect (and leave a comment letting me know you do/did)

So there you go! 4 chances to win this fantastic prize!

You have until next Tuesday, December 20, at midnight to enter. The winner will be announed next Wednesday, December 21...yay!

Karas Kustoms

My Favorite Things HUGE giveaway!!! - NOW CLOSED

2011-12-13T14:00:00.000-06:00

I can't tell you guys how much I appreciate you...I really, truly do. I've made so many friends through blogging...found so many like-minded people...realized that my love for crafting & decorating is shared by so many...it's really amazing.

So, because I think you're the absolute coolest...I want to say thank you by offering a few of my favorite things! Yay!

So, here's what's up for grabs...there will be 3 prizes, awarded to 3 different readers... (the first number picked by random.org will win prize 1, the second number will will prize 2 & the 3 number picked will win prize 3) all three prizes are filled with things I love...and who knows? the winners may find some surprises tucked into their packages, too!

Here's all you have to do...

Follow Midwestern {Sewing} Girl. Yep, that's it. One entry per person. And because this giveaway is for my fantastic readers/followers, you must be a follower to win. The giveaway will run from now until Monday, December 19 at midnight central...the winner will be announced Tuesday, December 20.

Here are the goods...

$25.00 gift card

$25.00 Target gift card

$20.00 gift card

$5.00 Starbucks gift card

1 year subscription to HGTV magazine

SHINE necklace from The Shine Project

fun, huh?

$15.00 gift card

1 year subscription to Country Living magazine

and a few other goodies...(smile)

$10.00 gift card

the Winter 2011 issue of do it Yourself magazine

and a few things thrown in for good measure...

So there you have it. What do you think? Wanna win? Then just leave a comment letting me know you're a follower & you'll be in the running! Best of luck, everyone! And thank you so much for being so awesome!

AND WAIT! One more quick thing...I have ANOTHER awesome giveaway for you tomorrow!!! Woo hoo!

Linking this giveaway up here:

My Christmas Tree...

2011-12-13T06:00:00.000-06:00

I'm so excited that a whole bunch of you have already linked up to the Christmas tree linky!!! I've had THE BEST time looking at everyone's trees. It's so neat how everyone's tree is just so unique and lovely...

Wanna show off your tree? 'Cause I wanna see it...just go here...

I grabbed some shots of our tree yesterday...here it is...

I took this shot from right inside the front door, and I didn't have quite enough room to get the star on top (you can see that in a minute...)...

...there it is...

Over the years our tree has taken on a rustic, woodsy feel...I really like it. I'm not really a cabin-y-type decorator, but it really seems to work for Christmas (at least in my home)...I love these Santas...they are HUGE! If you've been into a Michaels during Christmas time, I'm sure you've seen them. They have new ones every year...I have 3 now and I LOVE them...

I have clip-on poinsettias all over the tree, too. Every year I add a few more. I love love love the look of a full, completely over-decorated tree...

A lot of our ornaments were passed down from my in-laws to my husband...I love these little guys. They have so much character...

This was another of our Christmas cards from this year (from Paper Coterie). I didn't feature these in my Christmas cards post because I didn't have them finished yet, but I love them. They are little 3"x3" booklets filled with photos of the kids...LOVE.

I have little banners in various places around the tree, too...

I just thought this shot looking up the tree from the floor was cool...(smile)

And here's the tree skirt I made from a whole bunch of linen, cotton, canvas & sheer scraps...I love it...I just wish I had made it bigger...it barely comes out from under the tree...maybe next year...

I love how crazy, uncoordinated, busy & memory-filled it is...it really makes me so happy...

So that's our tree...

Aaaand, I wanted to share something super-awesome...my wonderful, beautiful, & insanely talented friend, Amy Tripple (who also happens to be an amazing professional photographer - she gets the best photos of my kids), has just released the must-have photographer's posing guide...

Amy gives you detailed instructions on how to achieve each of 17 different holiday poses to capture with your kids...AND she even gives you camera settings!!! Seriously...could it be any easier? Click here for more details...

Now, go link up your tree shots!

And don't fret! I'll be posting giveaway details in a little while...

Linking up to some of these awesome parties...and Savvy Southern Style

The Christmas Tree Linky Party Starts Today!

2011-12-12T14:00:00.000-06:00

I am so excited to see what your trees look like! I can hardly stand it!

Grab a button from my sidebar and help spread the word!

But before we get to the party, here is some amazing tree inspiration I found around Pinterest...there are a lot of photos...I just kept seeing ones I loved!!!

Isn't this ornament mobile from Megan at not martha wonderful?

I love love love the large ornaments on this tree...and that wreath!

These are so cool...and I love the papers that were used! Especially that faux-bois! How perfect!

Oh. my. heck. I LOVE that you can't even see the tree on this tree!!! The ornaments are perfect! I would to have decorated this tree...I would not love, however, taking all of the ornaments off of it...

Not only do I love the colors & ornaments used on this tree by Happy Mundane...I love the little stuffty (what Ty calls stuffed animals) that crashed the photo...I know he has a name, but it's escaping me right now...

Leave it to Martha Stewart's design team to come up with something so amazing...this beautiful tree is made from old newspapers! I think these would be beautiful in all different sizes placed all over the house...

I am not a girly-girl...but pink has really been doin' it for me lately...this tree is gorgeous and not the least bit gaudy when paired with the beautiful wall color & soft, feminine shelf decoration...soooo pretty...

These ruffle trees by Jen @ Scissors & Spatulas and featured on Positively Splendid look so vintage-y and lovely... and I love the stripey bow...

OK...that's it...there were probably 18,000 more that I loved, but I figured you'd want to start the par-tay! So here we go! Show me those trees! And please...try to limit your entries to photos of your trees only...I would love to see your other decor, too...but this linky is just for trees...thank you!!!!

I'll be sharing some of my tree photos tomorrow...and I'll be giving you the deets on my FAVORITE THINGS GIVEAWAY! That is something you are not going to want to miss! 3 winners! 3 prize packages! Yay!!! But make sure you're a follower for this one...it's the only requirement...and I will be checking this time...

Now link up those trees!

Wanna know where I'm guest-posting today?

2011-12-12T06:00:00.000-06:00

Well, today is Day 3 of my blogville guest-posting tour...I'm sad now that my journey is coming to an end...but it'll be good to be home...I'm tired...and the road is a hard place to live...(alright, enough...right?)

Anyway...today I'm at Sew Woodsy with sweet-faced Katie! I'm sharing a handmade ornament for Katie's 12 Days of Handmade Ornaments Party!

Here's a little preview...

Come on back a little later today (2 pm Central) when we'll be starting the Christmas Tree Linky Party! Yay! I CAN NOT WAIT to see what your trees look like!!!! Woo hoo!!!

Guess where I am today?

2011-12-11T08:00:00.000-06:00

I'm at A Simply Klassic Home! Yay! I'm sharing a Christmas printable at Kristin's 12 Days of Christmas Printables party!

My project is the second-to-last one...so, if you've missed the first 10, head on over there to grab 'em! They are all fantastic...you won't want to be without them this Christmas!

Here's a little clue to my printable...

Confused? (smile...)

Queen of the Guest-Posters...that's me...today I'm at EUTM!

2011-12-10T13:00:00.000-06:00

3 days...3 different guest-posts...3 awesome blogs...thus, my self-given new title...Queen of the Guest-Posters...oh. yes.

Today I'm over at Everything Under The Moon with the fabulous Nikki...showing off my Christmas craft in her 12 Days of Christmas Holiday Party!

Here's a little sneak peak at what I'm sharing today...

Plus, there's a printable...don't miss it!

See you tomorrow when I'll be sharing another printable at my girl, Kristin's, blog!