So Long, Farewell

After much thought I have decided to take a break from blogging. It has been fun. I have enjoyed logging all of my projects but I think it is time to take a break, since I haven't been all that faithful anyway. I am not sure how long this break will be but if you are interested in having me contact you when I start blogging again please leave a comment on this post.

I leave you with a picture of Tanner's Halloween costume The Evil Emperor Zurg. Made by yours truly.

Happy Holidays!

Matt's Car Caddy

Here is a little car caddy I made for Matt, my nephew. My friend Chantal just asked in the crayon roll post if I have tried making one yet. Yep, here it is. A little more time consuming than the crayon roll but very similar idea. This has been on my to do list since I saw it on SYTYC. I of course used Jill's tutorial from Homemade by Jill. Thanks Jill for sharing all your great ideas!

Crayon Rolls

Be aware that making crayon rolls are addicting. If you are like me you might end up making 5 at one time. They are fast, simple and easy.

My favorite tutorial is from The Pleated Poppy.

I used ribbon to tie it up for a few and then hair elastics for the rest. These would make great stocking stuffers for Christmas. If you are way ahead of the game.

elizabeth's recipes

I am not a chef. I don't ever claim to be. I'd much rather bake than cook. And I am not one to improvise. I follow recipes to a tee. If I don't like something I make I like being able to blame it on the recipe, and not my cooking skills, because I can cook, but only because I can follow a recipe.

This summer I tried out a bunch of new recipes. Here are my favorites from Elizabeth's blog.

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough
I actually made pizza again tonight using her pizza dough recipe. I really like it. In this picture I made a BBQ Chicken Pizza, tonight Pepperoni and Black Olive.

Chicken Caesar Wraps (no picture)
This is one of my new FAVORITE meals. I didn't make the homemade Caesar dressing because I had some on hand. But let me tell you the wrap bread is delicious. But it does take some time. So the second time I made them I made a double batch of the wrap bread and froze half of it. Then next time I defrosted the bread and then heated them up on a hot skillet for less than a minute each and they tasted just as good.

Chicken and Dumplings (no picture)

I was nervous to try the chicken and dumplings because I have never even had it before. But I made it and like it a lot. Justin loved it. LOVED!!! Elizabeth says it is David (her husbands favorite) maybe it is a guy thing. Don't get me wrong I liked it but Justin loved it. So it will be a repeat.


Strawberry Shortcake

This is me on my birthday...in June. I am not much of a cake kind of girl. I am a baked goods kind of girl. I will take a cookie over anything else every time. I love cookies. Sigh. Now I really want a cookie. Moving on. I really liked the cake in the strawberry shortcake. This is my favorite Strawberry Shortcake recipe so far.

So there you have it. All of Elizabeth's recipes that I have tried. Go try them out. You can trust Elizabeth she is a foodie and has a very refined palate.

This Weekend..All about ME!!!

This past weekend was ALL ABOUT ME!!!! (and no, it is not my birthday.)

I drove over 7 hours in the car.

I met Meg from Whatever! (she was so sweet).

I ate Cafe Rio for dinner.

I went to LA fashion district with my friends & Claire (unfortunately almost everything was closed because of Yom Kippur).

I went to Michael Levine (all the fabric was so beautiful I felt like a kid in a Candy shop).

I got some of Randy's donuts.

And finished off the weekend on a major sugar high.

A special thanks to Justin for putting up with all my plans.

Pirate Party Activities

To entertain all the kids at the party I made a tape the patch on the pirate. I thought the kids would be old enough for this game but they were not quite ready. The age range at the party was mostly 4 and younger. The small kids didn't even get the patch on the eye without a blindfold (which I forgot so we used a friend's sweatshirt). I was planning on hanging it somewhere but it was SUPER windy/cold the day of the party so we used the stroller.

As the kids arrived I had rolled up white card stock that the kids could decorate for their telescopes. Then we went on a pirate treasure hunt. They would find a clue, use their telescopes to find the next location until they were lead to the pirate treasure.

For the pirate treasure box I spray painted a Costco Baby Wipes Box and used masking tape for the designs. The "treasure" inside was the party bags. Tanner looks like he has a pirate side pony in this picture, it is just Lily behind him.. don't worry, he doesn't have a side rat tail.

This is the sad end to the Pirate Party series. Maybe something new next week.

Cupcakes and Pirate t-shirt

The cupcakes sailed to the pirate party. I used some free printables from cottage industrialist. Super adorable if you ask me. She has great printables for pirate parties. I was lucky enough to find some pirate party hats and other decorations at the dollar store, otherwise I would have used more of her free printables.

I used the pirate party for an excuse for trying out some of the crafty techniques that I have been dying to try. For example Freezer Paper Stenciling. Tanner HAD to have a homemade pirate shirt for his party. There are a ton of tutorials out there on how to do this. I used Create Studio's tutorial. I didn't have textile medium so I just used puffy paint and painted it in. I did this a lot in high school when making t-shirts. It didn't work as well as I remember it working but my puffy paints are from high school, so maybe that was the problem. This was a lot of fun and easy to do. Now I want to make some onesies for Claire. This picture was taken months after making the shirt and washing it weekly (since it is one of Tanner's favorite shirts). He did wear it to the party but his jacket covered it the whole time.

tomorrow: activities

Parrrrty Bags

Here are the parrrrty bags I made for the pirate party. I've wanted to try potato stamping FOREVER. This was the perfect project for it. I went to check out any tips from Martha and she actually has instructions on doing skull potato stamping. HERE is the link. I didn't use her template. Potato stamping would be great for so many other projects and even with kids. I will be doing more potato stamping in the future.

My skull and cross bones stamp.

Party bag sweat shop.

tomorrow: t-shirt and cupcakes

Pirate Party Invitations

I threw a pirate party for my son Tanner's 4th birthday party. This is the first of four posts with all the fun crafty things I did for the pirate parrrrteee.

I made super simple invitations for the party. I made them using microsoft word and printed them on some scrapbook paper that I had. Then I crumpled them up to make them look old. I rolled them up and tied a ribbon around them. I used this link HERE to get ideas for wording the pirate invitation.

tomorrow: party bags

Blueberry Crumb Cake

Hello...
Anyone There?

Well I have debated long and hard about telling the whole story as to my whereabouts, but I would attribute a lot of it to this talk from Elder Bednar.

Seriously, read it when you have time. Make time. It hit me hard and made me really evaluate where my time was being spent.

That is enough about that.

Now Summer is over, not officially but it is Labor Day, I am back to blogging. Before blueberries disappear from the grocery store go run out TODAY and buy 2 cups, or 1 cup if you want to half it.

I saw this picture on Pioneer Woman and about DIED! Blueberry Crumb Cake. Yum! Yum! Yum! I couldn't stop thinking about it until I made them.

Picture from HERE: Pioneer Woman

Now I don't know what I was expecting. They were delicious but I think I built them up in my head WAY too much because I was almost disappointed when I ate them. But don't get me wrong they were wonderful. I think I just expected one of those melting moments where you sink down in your chair because something tastes that A-MAZING. So just go get some blueberries and make them before it is too late and you have to think about them ALL winter.

By the way it took me forever to find the pioneer woman. Where have I been? Her blog is a tad overwhelming to me because she seems to have so much to look at. But I have been enjoying her recipes and photog tips. So go check her out.

Come back soon. This week I have posts set up every day to tell you all about that pirate party I told you about months ago.

Long Time No See

My sewing machine has made residence on my kitchen table again after months of being stuffed in the closet.

And what was my first project? Just some burp cloths I whipped up for a friend's new baby boy.

There is a lot more coming. I have been working on birthday presents and a pirate party is in the works. My crafty to do list is getting out of hand.

I fixed it!!!

I fixed all the links on the Queen Bee Market Inspiration Post. Go back and check it out and get some crafty ideas.

Messed up Links

My friend Bobbi, just emailed me and told me that none of my links worked on the Queen Bee Market Inspiration post. Sorry, I had no idea. I tried to fix it but am having troubles. So I will let you know when I get the links work.

Being Frugalicious

**I know a lot of words, little picture. If you would like to learn more about saving money on your shopping trips read on. Don't get overwhelmed! I hate wordy posts myself. Just so you know "The Weekly Tools" are only for Southern California. But I would think that you might be able to use them for stores like Rite Aid. Not sure though, you will have to compare your local prices. My extra tips are in green.

Over a year ago my friend Misty introduced me to shopping frugaliciously (is that a word?). I was already cutting coupons and shopping sales but Misty took it to a whole new level for me. She started up a program consisting of 3 databases to help make shopping more efficient and cost effective. I slowly started to use the program but to tell you the truth I wasn't sure if I loved it. It took some getting used to. But I love getting good deals and knowing when to stock up on items that had rock bottom prices.

When I started Misty was keeping up all of the databases on her own. She found it to be very time consuming so she asked friends to do a co-op where we split up the work and shared in the information. I have been doing this for several months. My job is to enter in Sunday's newspaper coupons. After splitting up the work I am not sure how Misty ever did it all by herself.

Since I started the co-op I have really applied myself and have been saving crazy amounts of money. I found that shopping drug stores really saves a ton of money. There have been countless times where a store is pretty much paying me to take a product out of their store. I love that. My food storage is going up and I am starting to have a hard time finding space for all my storage. In some instances I end up buying a nicer brand product because it is cheaper than the store brand. And I will tell you that I will never buy toothpaste, toothbrushes, or deodorant again because my stock is built up and you can often get good brands for free.

So why am I telling you all this? Well, today Misty is opening up the databases called "The Weekly Tools"to the public for FREE!!!! That's right ... FREE!

So if you have ever wanted to start using coupons or save money on your grocery budget this is the time to start.

Go to Frugalicious and check it out.

She has so many great resources and information that can be helpful even if you don't use the weekly tools.

To find out more and use the Weekly Tools click HERE.

Now don't get overwhelmed, but if you want to learn more about using coupons click HERE.
- When I get my coupons on Sunday I mark the date on them and put them in a three ring binder. No need to cut the coupons. The Weekly Tools tell you where to find the coupons when you need them.

Check out the Useful Downloads HERE.
-I like that what not to buy at a warehouse list.

You can also read more from a Press Release HERE.

Here are my tips if you are going to get started.

• Subscribe to a newspaper. If you are getting the newspaper for coupons get the LA Times over the Union Tribune. The Union Tribune only carries the Smart Source and Proctor and Gamble inserts, not the Red Plum coupon inserts. The LA Times carries all three so you will get more savings. I do prefer reading the UT over the LATimes. You can also compare prices at discountednewspapers.com. it is only sometimes cheaper using that site.
• It will take a couple of weeks to build up you coupons and really see some savings.
• Honestly there are some weeks where there are NO deals that interest me, just wait you will also have weeks where you have to go to 5 stores to get all the awesome deals.
• You don't have to go to multiple stores to see savings. I only go to multiple stores when it is really worth my while. I prefer to shop at Vons so I usually always shop there.
• It can be really time consuming in the beginning. Honestly, sometimes it can be very time consuming to plan the trip and then to go. I just see it as this is my way of "making money" for our family. The more you use the Weekly Tools the easier it gets.
• Sometimes the cashiers have no ideas about deal, coupons, etc. That is why it is good to know what you are talking about. If for some reason it doesn't ring up like you thought don't be afraid to go over to customer service and figure it out.
  
• Allow yourself time to learn. It takes a while to get the hang of it (at least it took me a while).
  
• Have fun!

Queen Bee Market Inspiration

I went to the Queen Bee Market on the first and LOVED it! I know the purpose of a market is for people to buy things. I didn't walk away with much.

Only this awesome picture by Stacey Winters.

I loved all of her stuff. But I had to buy this because it reminded me of Justin and me. I also love the title "Love Your Haircut". I brought it home, put it in a frame, wrapped it up and gave it to Justin for our Anniversary of getting engaged (we don't really celebrate the day, it just happened to be the same day). You can check out her etsy site HERE.

I also walked away with lots of inspiration for getting crafty. I walked around and thought, "And I want to make that, and I want to make that, and I have to make that." So I got every one's card, checked out their online shops and made a list of all the things I want to make. I used my own names for things, but here is the list. I wanted to add pictures but didn't feel comfortable using them without permission, so you will just have to link over to take a look. And if you are not feeling too crafty just buy it already made.

Birdie Polymer Clay Clippies at Creme de la Gems

Wall Hooks and Magnets at paisley mill

Little Felt Flowers and Big Felt Flower and Fabric Flower and Another Fabric Flower at Baby Flair Boutique

Covered Notebook, Crayon Roll, Covered Button Clips at The Pleated Poppy

Word Signs at Joy's Hope

Security Blanket from MEG original

I also have a mental list of all the other thing I want to make. Maybe I should write that down too. But for now here is part of my never ending to do list.

Queen Bee Market

Sometimes when I am hopping around crafty blogville I come across awesome gift/craft shows. They are never nearby. NEVER!! Okay, sometimes I have come across ones in LA but I have never been able to go.

So when I saw that Mique, from one of my favorite blogs 30days, was having an art and gift show in CARLSBAD I about died from excitement. I immediately informed Justin that on May 1st I would be attending the Queen Bee Market. And don't you just love the name: Queen Bee Market. You would think they named it after me and this tiny little blog.

Check out the awesome vendors and their site HERE!

If you want to carpool with me and my small sidekick Claire (and are not creepy) let me know.

My Latest

Did you know that March was Craft Month?

I think it was my least craftiest month in over a year.

I spent most of March working on this:

I spent a lot of my "free" time sleeping and resting. Now that she is finally here I feel so motivated to get back on the horse and get back to crafting and blogging again. But we will see if I am able to find the time with all the extra cuddling and snuggling going on around here.

A Hidden Talent

A couple of weeks ago we went to Utah to go visit Justin's family. While we were there I learned something new about my husband. We have been married 5 1/2 years and I never knew that he was an Etch A Sketch artist. Seriously. Check out the work he did.

The Dragon Scene

The Underwater Scene

There you have it, my Husband is amazing (if you didn't already know).

The Wants

Last night I had a bad case of "the wants".

If you ever have "the wants" don't combine it will blog hopping.

It just makes it worse.

I grabbed an Ensign to distract me.

I found this article about gratitude.

I need to work on being more grateful for all the many things I have been blessed with, instead of what I don't have.

Sorry, no picture.

Peanut Butter Truffle Brownies

Can someone please tell me where

February went and how it is already March 11????

I am feeling like a ticking time bomb. Officially 5 weeks until this baby is due to arrive and there is so much I want/need to do before its arrival. I reduced the days I am going to preschool so that I can have more time to get things done and more importantly go fun places like Sea World, the zoo and the beach. I think it is time to start crafting and blogging again. I don't know what I have been doing but it hasn't been crafting or blogging.

I signed up for a Betty Crocker coupon book. It came in the mail and it was filled with delicious pictures of food and desserts. I about died when I saw these brownies. I made them that night. Justin and I agreed that they tasted better the second day and straight out of the fridge.

(picture from here)

You can find the recipe HERE. Thank you Betty Crocker.