Life's Latest Updates...

A lot of things have been happening around here lately, making life a little chaotic and a whole lot of fun!
1st-Nat and Alex are now both employed full time which is awesome! They will be moving to Rock Hill this upcoming weekend, which means that my house currently is filled with suitcases and boxes. As they leave I will be able to do some redecorating and rearranging, which I always find relaxing and fulfilling.
2nd-I finally got my floors to put down in the living room and dining room. I will be getting stuff for the kitchen later on this week. The plan was to put it down this week, but with all the moving, this long overdue project waits once again.
3rd-I have come to love my job even more, especially since I have been having to pick up hours at the hospital this summer. I can't wait to get back to my kids this fall.
4th-The surprise in my banana nut muffins? Cauliflower puree-can't taste it a bit and you get some veggies in with breakfast.
5th-Laundry room is painted, one of the shelves is hung and I am waiting to buy another shelf. I was trying to be thrifty and paint an old wooden shelf, but after it was left outside while the paint was drying, it warped and is now unusable as a shelf. So when I pick up my kitchen floors, I will be getting some shelves for the other side of my laundry room. Then after I hang my pictures and curtain to cover the not so beautiful laundry supplies, the room will be complete. Yea : )
6th-Sarah loved her pillows, she said they look great on her bed. I will have to get over there myself soon to take a look.
7th-I recovered the window seat cushion in the living room and if it ever stops raining and the sun reappears I will take some pics and post.
8th-So much more has been going on, but it is just about as boring as everything else I have listed. Sometimes it just feels really nice getting your thoughts out, ya know?

Sweet and Simple

My friend Sarah asked me months ago to make her some pillows for her bedroom. She couldn't find exactly what she wanted, but fell in love with this material. I have never done pillows before, but figured I would give it a shot. At first I thought she would want a little something extra on the pillows like a big button or pleats, etc; but I really like the way they turned out. I think the words have enough of a pattern to make the pillows interesting even though they are simply made. I made them into slip covers so that she could easily wash them and they are a little big because she and her roommate can shrink anything! Really, it is their dryer, but whatcha gonna do? Anyways, I am giving them to her tonight and I hope she loves them!

A Birthday Suprise!

For my friends 30th birthday, we held a surprise party on her boat. Hanging out on the "Turquoise Mermaid" is one of our favorite summer past times. I found an awesome picnic basket at Goodwill for 99cents and decided to give her a reusable picnic set.
I found some really cute dishes with fish on them, quite appropriate for lake time antics and then decided to make these reusable silverware rollups. I should really come up with a better name for them. I had intended on making on for myself first, seeing as how I eat at my desk while at work and am always searching for my silverware in my lunch bags, but I am glad that I decided to make them to go along with Meg's present. I basically took some fabric I had and came up with these beauties. I also added a little something to the napkins that I got on clearance.

I made a little holding section for the silverware and the napkin and the top part of the roll up folds over to hold the silverware snuggly and compactly. They are going to be amazing to use after spending time out on the lake and then eating while you are still all wet and sun screened up. Meg absolutely loved them and the whole picnic set. I wish I had thought to take a picture of the whole gift together because it turned out fabulously! Meg was also really excited about having things to reuse, I guess all of my "hippish-tendencies" are starting to rub off on my friends too!

Banana Nut Muffin Suprise!

I love to bake! It is one of my biggest stress relievers. I decided to bake some banana nut bread today because I had some over ripe bananas taking up space on my kitchen cabinet. As I dove into my cabinet to get out my cookbooks, I came across a book I picked up awhile ago by Jessica Seinfield. Most people have heard of her book, Deliciously Deceptive. It is where she gives recipes that have fruit and veggie purees added into them. I decided to give it a whirl to see how things turned out. So far, they look delicious, but the real test will be when I actually bite into them. I am hoping it works out because I am always looking for ways to add more fruit and veggies into my diet. I will let you know tomorrow how things turned out!

Wacky Wednesdays!!!

Do you ever come across a picture and just bust out laughing or nod your head in confusion? I come across this pics a lot. Case in point, the pic above. Now I am a huge Harry Potter fan, but even I think this is a little over the top. I often wonder what people where thinking when they do these things. Does this person truly believe in "The One Who Can Not be Named?" or were they just really bored and wanted to make people laugh (or confused for that matter)? Who knows the answer, but at least it brings a smile to my face!

Side note-I am unsure where this photo came from originally, it was sent to me. I would love to find out though because I want to know the back story behind it!

Organizing 101

So, I have a lot of jewerly....yeah, it is kind of a problem! I just love how you can change a look around with some different accessories! The only problem with having so much jewerly is making sure it all gets worn and that it doesn't end up in a huge tangled mess. That is where my awesome jewerly hanger came from. I actually made this a few years back and it has held up so well and through several moves. It is made from an old peg board that I covered with some fabric from my stash, added some hooks and voila...a jewerly organizer.



Now I just have to make another one for the rest of the jewerly I have acquired and is currently hanging out in my bathroom drawers. I guess I could get rid of some stuff, but what is the fun in that? Happy Crafting!

It's not easy being green!

So, I went to go take pictures of one of my old, yet still awesome, crafting projects and my camera battery is DEAD!!! And of course I can't find the charger. I have beepron having an off week so far when it comes to misplacing things. So instead of a craft I figured I would talk about something else near and dear to my heart. By now, everyone has heard the term, "Going Green." I am almost honestly sick of hearing about it. Don't get me wrong, it is not that I don't believe in protecting the earth, I just think too many people are using the slogan, but not living the life.

I have grown up with the knowledge of recycling and treating the earth with kindness. You should always leave the earth cleaner than you found it! My parents taught us to recycle and compost. I even did my huge senior project on recycling and researched our city's recycling program and its future goals. I created a coloring book for elementary students that talked about cleaning up the earth and we did different projects making things out of ordinary objects like milk cartons and soda bottles.

Like most people, I have adapted to recycling everything possible, use cloth napkins, wash in cold water, have the new energy saving light bulbs, etc. But lately, I have been feeling like I need to do a lot more. I am going to try to continue to "green" my life in one or two additional new ways each month. This month I am starting with trying a new body wash. I know it doesn't sound drastic, but it is an all natural bar of soap that comes in recycled cardboard. It will be a huge change for me because I love using my liquid soap and lathering up some bubbles! I am also going to mix my own cleaning solutions (vinegar and baking soda based) and see how they do cleaning the house. Hopefully everything be just as clean, but without the harsh chemicals! More to come on how my two new goals are going!

Fabric Flowers????

More bouquets! I love how this bride made her flowers from old textiles and fabrics. She was trying to have a very eco friendly wedding. These flowers just turned out amazing! My sis has mentioned having some, if not all fabric flowers and I think I am in agreement, they are simply breathtaking. I found these off of the www.greenweddingshoes.com website. This website is one of my daily reads and if you love weddings, it should be one of yours too!