Goodbye 2010, Hello 2011!

Wow! I  cannot believe that 2010 is over!  This year has flown by!  Overall, 2010 has been a pretty good year.  Especially for this little space of mine!  I started blogging ( s l o w l y) in September of 2009, and can't believe how much has changed since then!

Let's see, this year I hosted my very first giveaway ( hopefully more to come!), gained some followers, gained some viewers too! Currently my little space has had more than 30,000 visitors to date! 

Not to bad in my book!

Now, I don't think I am the only one who thinks their current project is their favorite project, so I couldn't decide my top ten favorite blog posts. But my viewers did!  With that said, I thought I would recap the ten most visited posts of this year!

10. Bedroom Pillows

 These were a blast to make, and I don't know why I haven't made any more! Especially since I 

HATE ( I know such a strong word) the pillows that came with my couch! 

 ( Maybe something I will conquer in early 2011?)

9. Crochet Monkey Hat

Oh, my love for yarn. I think I finally figured it out.  Knitting and Crocheting are nice because there is no cleanup. When I sew there's thread, scraps and anything else sewing related all over the place.

8. Craft Closet

I am very happy with how this came out!  Especially the functionality of it!  Everyone doubted me when I said all my craft stuff would fit, and for the most part it stays organized.  Which leads to more crafting!

7. Little Boy Pants

Just last night I said to myself, I need to trace the pant's my little man had on! As he has outgrown my summer ones I made him!  Another craft to conquer soon? I think so!

6.  Cupcake Toppers

I created this for an Alchemy post over on Etsy, and got so excited that I made up some more too!  I haven't used them yet, but they are ready and waiting for the right time to use them!

5. Felt Pumpkins

Felt another craft love for me!  The fact that you don't have to hem the edges wins me over every time!

4. Hot Plates

Have you made a set yet? They are so simple, and quick. Perfect housewarming or hostess gift!

3. Candy Corn

Ah, salt dough.  Come back next week I have a Christmas post waiting in the queue made from salt dough!  

2. Meal Planning

I was hesitant, and I think my husband was too. But it has definitely made daily life a little easier. Especially as I am starting to go back to work!  No more guessing, and I am not forgetting to take stuff out of the freezer that needs to thaw!

And the number one viewed page of the year....

Simple Bobbin Storage!

Another duh moment when I saw this in blog land!  Definitely helps when I sew to keep them from rolling all over the floor, or tangling up on one another!

Thank you so much for visiting each and every day! 

Wishing you a Healthy and Happy New Year!

Packages...

Earlier this week I shared Shaped Rice Krispie Treats, and today I am sharing how I wrapped them up to pass out to family and friends.  

In comes my favorite customizable tool, the clothespin! With a dab of glue you can jazz up your clothespins to suit any holiday or party!  Plus add them to my favorite way of wrapping, the paper lunch bag. And you have an adorable way to hand out some simple homemade snacks!

For my mitten clothespins, I found cute Felt Stickers already to go in Joann's.  All I did was glue them to my clothespins and attached my card to each bag.

Are they not super cute?

I've also done Leaves for a Fall Bridal shower to use for the "Clothespin" game.  Super simple, and adds just the right amount of homemade flair!

DIY Photo Christmas Cards

I love sending my little man's picture out each year for our Christmas card.  Two years in a row, I made our cards from simple 4x6 prints and they came out great!

Supplies:
12x12 scrapbook paper (For each piece of paper you will get 3 cards)
4x6 pictures
Scissors or Rotary Cutter
Ruler
Glue


These are super quick and easy! First step, cut your paper into three strips 4 inches wide by 12 tall.  Take into consideration is you have any design elements on your paper.  Like my snowflake band and snowman.

Cut each strip down to 9 inches tall.  Your card is now 4" x 9" and will fit in a legal size envelope.

Glue on your picture, then sign, seal and deliver!  

This year I got my pictures back a little later than planned, and just handwrote my Happy Holidays greeting.  Last year I stamped and embellished because I had more time.  

Either way though, they came out cute and everyone loves them.

My favorite part, if the people you send them too just want the picture all year round, they can cut the bottom off and still have a picture!

The best part about this is, is that you can do them for anything! Thanks you's, Valentines, Halloween or whatever you can think of!

Shaped Rice Krispies

Need a quick treat to take to an upcoming party?   Or something extra to hand out for the holidays?

How about some festive Rice Krispie Treats? Like These?

Who ever thought cookies cutters could cut more than cookies?

Here's a quick how to for the trees!

Make your krispies as per your recipe. Pour onto wax paper.

Smoosh flat. * Yes, Smoosh is the technical term!* 

Make sure you grease your hands a little for smooshing.

Grease cookie cutter.

 Cut away!  You will need to re-smoosh every now and again to use all your Krispies.

Then decide whether you want to just put on a plate or put in cute bags with bows!

Oh the possibilities!

Last month, I helped my sister make these for a baby shower. They were a big hit!  She has since done them for another shower, and I did the trees for a Christmas party! I never knew Rice Krispies and cookie cutters were so versatile!

Not-So-Lazy Susan!

Everyone who crafts knows you can never have enough place to store your "things".  After seeing a cute craft lazy susan over on Clean Mama, I decided my sister NEEDED this.  Not because she is unorganized (That's me!) but because she wants to homeschool my two nephews, and I think this "Not-So-Lazy Susan" would be perfect to store all their homeschool supplies! 

I had a plastic lazy susan not in use, but wanted a sturdier wooden one.  Using a jigsaw and some MDF I was able to get the look I wanted!

With a piece of MDF big enough for my plastic lazy susan to fit on it, I traced my plastic susan and then added an inch all the way around.

Next, I got over of my fear of the jigsaw, and cut out my circle. It isn't perfect, so I went back with sand paper and worked it a little more. 

Then, I painted my wood white, and screwed my plastic susan to the bottom.

( The rest is the same as the Clean Mama version!)

Next, I found some cute scrapbook paper and traced all my cups lips onto the back of the paper and cut out.

Glue your circles down on your "Not-So-Lazy Susan". 

If you want, and I did. Seal your paper down with Mod Podge. 

Fill and enjoy!

Simple Sewn Gift Bags, a Tutorial

Ugh. I have a love hate relationship with wrapping. I like the wrap if it's easy, but when its impossible I start to stray away and think outside the box.

That's what happened with this gift. It didn't come in a box, it is breakable, and in no way shape or form would it have been easy to wrap.  So I decided why not sew up a little drawstring bag to gift it in!

Supplies:
Fabric of Choice ( I used Fleece, because I had it on hand, and it was the right size!)
Scissors
Ribbon/Cording
Sewing Necessities

Decide how big you need your bag and if you want it wider or taller.  I chose taller so I made my bag twice as tall as I needed and wide enough for my present. For example, my gift is about 10 inches wide, so I did 12 wide.  And my gift is 15 inches tall so I did 20 inches tall.

Next fold you fabric in half. Make sure you go the right way!  I want seams on my sides, not my bottom. Sew each side.

Fold down top edge.  Make sure it is big enough to hold whatever ribbon/cording you will use later.

Flip back so it is right side out.  Then, I used my seam ripper and made 4 holes.  Two for the front of the bag, and two for the back.  They are about a half in away from the seams.

See?  There is a hole on each side of the seam ( the right on is a little harder to see, but it's there!)

Because  I used Fleece that won't fray, I do not need to make button holes first.  If  you use any other "frayable"fabric you would make 4 button holes. And then cut them open.

Thread your ribbon/cording through the front. 

See how it goes in one side of the front and out the other? And then go on the back, and do the same thing.

How each side will look.  

Cinch shut, and tie a bow on each side!

Ah. Another present wrapped nice and safe!

Knock Off "Moleskin" Journals

Have you ever seen the beautiful moleskin journals over on etsy? Or in blogland? Well I wanted to make some for my knitting group, but was worried I wouldn't get them in time for our Christmas gathering. So what's a crafty girl to do?

Make a "knock off" of coarse!

To make your journal, you need:
A composition notebook  (the marble looking kind)
Heavy Duty Craft paper ( I found my in the packaging section of my local pharmacy)
Glue
Fabric Scraps



Using your notebook as a guide, cut a piece of craft paper big enough to cover the entire front and back of your journal.

Then begin planning any of your embellishments. I used fabric scraps and my sewing machine. Using a glue stick I "tacked" the pieces down so I didn't have any pin holes in my paper when I was done.  Then I ran my paper and fabric through my sewing machine! If you don't want to sew, you could embellish just like you would for a scrapbook too. The possibilities are truly endless!

Then using glue I covered the entire front and back of my notebook and placed my decorated craft paper to it.

Weighed it down with books to ensure a good bond, trim the excess paper down and I wrapped them up to go to knitting!

My only regret: I didn't make one for myself!

Orange Cream Cloud Trifle

This recipe is originally called Lemon Clouds, but with a few small ( and I mean really small) tweaks, you get this delicious Orange version.

I used one Angel Food Cake Mix, and baked per box directions.  Once cool enough to handle I cut it into pieces ( after a while I realized tearing worked just as well).  Then threw the pieces and one box of orange jello in a zip-top bag, then Shake Shake Shake!  Layer with cool whip or fresh whipped cream. And you have a easy, delicious trifle!