Ward Bulletin Boards...

I have the distinguished honor of maintaining our church ward's bulletin board, keeping it current with the latest info. Now keeping in mind, there really is only SO MUCH that one can do to a board such as this, that is not too...I don't even know the word for it. Let's just say, it is challenging to keep the board neutral, eye-pleasing, and efficient.

Anywho...there were a couple of other board ideas that were executed but not photographed. This is one of the first few attempts at updating it. (You should have seen it before I came along!) ...Sorry, but I just don't think it's acceptable for someone to just print headings off on standard white paper, fold the edges to "trim" off the excess borders, then staple it to the board. L.A.Z.Y. ...but that's just me.

In this photo below, I was winging it. I was given the calling on a Thursday, not knowing the exact board measurements, I just guessed at the size the headings should be and cut them out with my Cricut...oops. The yearly theme for 2009 was "Taking the Next Step..." and each month's theme completed the sentance. This is what I like to call my "rough draft board."

There was another "board" in between the first and this one. I attached little shoes - various types, around the upper and lower board borders, symbolic of taking a step. The shoes were a little cheesey, but the Bishop's wife had requested that I use them. Here, I re-cut the headings, utilizing my trusty Cricut machine. All colors used here were all from the Fall color family. I cut the words out of vinyl - WAY easier than attaching individual letters for the wording. Nothing too exciting, but it got the job done.

To celebrate the arrival of Spring, I hand-crafted all of these flowers, once again utilizing my handy-dandy Cricut machine, and attached them to a background border, which was then attached to the board itself. Now, some may call me an "over-achiever," but I'll admit that I'm still not satisfied with how it looks.

Here are some close-ups of some of the flowers before they were mounted on display. I won't say they were all quick or easy to make...I don't want to fib :)

Spider Mums & Begonias, (which look like roses to me.)

Marigolds & Mums
Bachelor Buttons, Impatiens, & Pansy

More Begonias

Daffodils

And a collage containing all of the flowers above as well as others - Clematis, Cosmo, Azalea,Echinacea, Wind Flower, Dogwood, Gerber Daisy, and a couple of other random ones... I wish I had cut more flowers, making the border fuller, but wasn't about to come back for round 2. I had spent ample time on what was done already...

Now, I've got to come up with something even more special for the Summer! Any ideas? There are only 2 of you women out there that even know I keep this blog, so if you're really reading it, I'll be expecting your suggestions in the comment section! :)

We Are The World...

This chokes me up inside, each and every time I watch it...

A Few Other Window Panels

Here are a few other window treatments from around my house that I've sewn. These floral ones are in my dining room for now - I have big plans to replace them with a nice heavy rich colored brocade fabric, but that requires more cash than I'm willing to spend right now. I also covered my dining room table chairs in this same fabric. These were the first curtains that I had ever sewn - from about 6 or 7 years back, (embarassingly long time to have up the same window treatments, but it is what it is.) The panels are 114" long, still leaving about 4 more feet of bare wall above them in this room. Not a great photo of them, but you get the picture, right? I have these two narrow windows that flank the fireplace in the downstairs living area. Full sun floods through them during mid-day..summers are brutal. So, I lined these dupioni silk panels with a thermal fabric and a blackout fabric. They are awesome - not a drop of sunlight gets through them, so they serve their purpose well.

And lastly on my list today, are the silk panels that I literally threw together for my littlest son's room. At this point, his bed backs up agains this wall - would have included it in the photograph, but didn't feel like making his bed this morning :) The panels are floor length and lined with blackout fabric as well. Needless to say, they match his bedding - store bought, mind you, perfectly... His room decor is for another day, perhaps...

A Few Vinyl Projects

I own a Cricut Expressions cutting machine, so when I find free time, I like to work on vinyl projects like these.. If I were a smart woman, I would put my machine to work for me and try to make some cash with it...just something I should and could easily consider. Anywho...

I have this quote on my bedroom wall - I put it up as a constant reminder to keep my calm, whether times be good or bad, hard or easy, and it really has helped get me through...

This is in my upstairs family room, above the front windows. No matter what faith you belong to, I feel that this could apply.

...And last, but not the least, I put up this quote on the mirror in my oldest son's room - in a place where he's guaranteed to see it at least twice a day. He's awesome, and on some of my busier days, I feel like I've neglected to tell him just how much I cherish his sweet spirit. These three things are very important for him to know, how ever the message is given.

Grace's Bedding

I put the twins into twin beds, no pun intended, on their second birthday. For Grace's, I used a daybed that used to be in one of our spare bedrooms, but for the past several years, has been being stored under my own bed. For two purposes, I didn't want to leave the underside of her bed empty. First out, because it would become a haven for straggling toys, and secondly, because it was an awesome place for me to hide away some of our food storage. In any event, I needed to come up with a dust ruffle to cover the underneath portion. This particular daybed does not accomodate a standard ruffle because of the slats underneath the mattress, so I had to be a little creative. (by the way, pardon this photograph - it was taken on my iPhone..., pun: but you get the picture...)
I gathered and sewed up these panels, then stitched velcro, (yes, I said velcro,) along the tops. Having to purchase it separately, I lined the underside of her bed with sticky-back velcro. Viola! Problem solved. All I had to do was line the panels up with the bed, and she was good to go.


Now, on to the next project, her bedding. For now, she is using a white down comforter, but I already have a vision of the quilt that I am going to make for her bed, which will tie everything in her room together... You'll just have to wait for now to see the finished product!

Drapery for Grace's Room - A Work in Progress

As with most rooms in my home, they are a work in progress...and so it is with Grace's room. Once again, with store-bought bedding not appealing to me, I take on the challenge of sewing my own custom bedding and window treatments. Deciding on a color palette was by far the most challenging thing I've had to do so far. I didn't want the standard pink and purple decor, and loathe the idea of a themed room like Barbie or the Disney Princesses, so I set out on my own to invision something exciting. After deciding on a bold color palette, the kids and I got started...and yes, I said the kids and I. They are always a lot of help, and I've learned that if I involve them, things tend to go smoother for me :)

When making long drapery, it is wise to just spread everything out in a wide open area - I chose my entry way, as usual. Walker helped me smooth out the coral colored fabric, and mark off cut and hem lines for two large panels...

Then he helped roll out the lining...

Grace did the cutting... (not really, but she thought she was really being a big helper!)

The fun part was left up to me...the sewing. These panels are 108" long, completed, so they were quite a hand full, literally, to sew up. I managed, and though I don't have the rest of the window treatment sewed up yet, they are now serving their original purpose in her room - to block out sunlight when she naps :) For now, they look like a huge wall of orange, but it's only temporary. Once I install tie-backs and sew up a top layer for the upper part of the window, they'll look like they came straight out of a magazine...

Crib Bedding for the Twins

When I was pregnant with the twins, I took it upon myself to sew custom bedding for their cribs. Not necessarily trying to save myself money or time, just not very impressed with what I had found in stores. Custom bedding is ridiculously priced, and after taking this task on, I know exactly why... Keeping in mind that I was sewing for two cribs instead of just one, and add in the fact that I am a perfectionist down to the last stitch, I spent a large amount of time on these. I am my own worst critic, but looking back on them now, I think they turned out really well.

This first photo is of Walker's crib... I commissioned my sister-in-law, Amy, to paint the tree mural - which turned out fabulous, (thanks again, Amy!)I wanted to keep the nursery colors very neutral until I knew each baby's personality, so I went with a creamy color and browns.

Here is the inside of his crib. I used the chocolate browns, creams, and a blue, almost a deep Tiffany blue for his bedding. I also sewed these teddy bears - one for each child, out of left over scraps from their bedding. Love them...

I also made these quilts, seen hanging over the back of the crib here, in their respective colors, using minky fabric on the back. Sooo soft and sweet.

...and his dust ruffle. Gracen's bedding was/is identical, with the exception that her dust ruffle was chocolate brown with a sheer polka-dotted brown ruffle sewn into the top, and her quilt & bear have pink in them rather than blue. I know for a fact that I photographed Gracen's bed, too, but for whatever the reason, cannot locate the files. Here are a couple of random photos that show her quilt and bumper.

(I will post Gracen's bedding photos when I come across them.)

For My One Best Friend's Birthday

Last year, for her birthday, (I won't mention what number, for her sake,) I literally threw together this butterfly project to give her as a gift. Keeping in mind that I am a novice scrapbooker, I made it entirely out of supplies that I already had in my craft stash, so it didn't cost me a dime...this time :) I don't think she minded that fact at all - she was just excited that someone had finally hand-crafted something for her... She is, after all, the queen of all paper-crafting in these parts. I personalized all pages for her.

Cone Trees for Christmas

Over this past holiday season, I saw a ton of crafty home decor items that were made with or embellished with jute string/twine. I just so happened to have some handy, plus I managed to save back the styrofoam trees that my sis-in-law, Ginger, used for grape and olive trees for table decor at children's birthday party. Viola!

Simple and virtually free...plus they went very well with this little snowman that was given to me a few years back. Bonus!

Not All That Crafty...

I don't consider myself to be the most "crafty" person who ever existed, but I have other talents to make up for my shortcomings. For instance, I can sew. I'm not claiming to sew well, but I know enough to give off the illusion that I can. I'm not one to be tooting my own horn, but as I sat in silence today, looking around, I felt a sense of accomplishment at. Even though I am self-taught, I have successfully sewn quite a few things around my house over the past couple of years, hence this post. Over time, I will be sharing pictures of some of the home furnishings and other "crafty" projects that I've completed.

For starters, here are the curtains that I whipped up for my kitchen windows. They are mostly along the back-side of the house, which catches full sunlight. I love how they sparkle when the outside light shines through the trim on these babies just right.

I loved the dark chocolate brown, golds, and the garnet colors in this fabric. I know the fabric is heavy, but I fell in love with it at first touch. It compliments every other color used in decorating the surrounding rooms, and ties in perfectly. I lined them in a coordinating garnet silk dupioni fabric that I used to make the drapes that flank either side of the fireplace mantle in the downstairs living area.

Oh, and I'm not too proud to admit that there are several safety pins holding some of these trumpets in their place...

I omitted the expensive trim from the curtain hanging over my kitchen sink, as it is a west-facing window and gets minimal lighting. Noone ever even notices :)

You would never guess that all of this trim is hot glued on, would you? ...the only quick and easy part of making these window treatments.

Evolution of Dance

Melanie - I bet you remember doing each one of these dance moves, don't you?

Door Wreath, Fall 2009

This was my first official "Fall wreath" ever. I've always been enamoured with wreaths, just never brave enough to dream one of my own up. But times, they are a changin', and I threw this little ditty together to adorn my door throughout the fall season.

It really wasn't all that difficult - I'd say maybe a 1 on a scale of 1-5 :) I just wired two different sized grapevine wreaths that I already had in my craft arsenal together like this...
Easy. Then, I hot glued 2 leaf garlands that I picked up for 1/2 off at Hobby Lobby onto the grapevine in a circular pattern. Simple.

I didn't want a traditional metal wreath hanger scraping up the paint on my front door, so I took about 1 yard of my favorite 5" wired ribbon, again from the craft stash, and looped it around the top center of my wreath. Stapling the ribbon to the top of the actual door was the most difficult part of this project for me - even on a step ladder, I was barely tall enough to get the staples in deep enough. I wound up taking my hammer and tapping them in all of the way to ensure they were flush with the door and not making contact with the door frame. Using the same wired ribbon, I made a simple bow and literally safety pinned it to the center front of the hanging ribbon.

Easy. Simple. Done. Granted, my wreath was nothing elaborate, but for a busy mother with twin toddlers and limited time on my hands, it was just perfect. All in all, the entire project took less than 1/2 an hour to complete, I only cost me, out of pocket, $14.99 for the swags. Not bad if I do say so myself!