Carrying On

One day I was perusing Facebook (Don't judge me, thank me).

I was reading a "fan" page of one of my favorite bloggers. A fellow fan posted a link to her friends website. So I clicked, and found this:



She has posted Keep Calm and Carry On in several colors.

I added them to iPhoto and sent them off to be printed (I print at Sam's Club). She said that it's for an 8x10, but I regularly get 4x6s of everything I print. The one pictured above is a 4x6. It came out perfectly.

Do you know what that means?

It means it is my new favorite inexpensive gift. Stick it in a frame and wah-la. Mod Podge it to some wood and you've got a magnet. The ideas are rolling now. I'm thinking that these will be going to the girls I visit every month from church. That's a gift for UNDER $1.00.

Check the site out. She has some really neat things all for FREE!

Under the Bell Jar...

It's been a while since I posted a transformation of a thrift store find. So, ladies and gentlemen, without further ado...

I started with a dinner plate and a bathroom glass.

Each costing a whopping $.69 at the Salvation Army thrift store.

Then I did a little priming (done on a spooky, windy night out on my patio!)

When the primer was dry I painted them dark brown.

Once that was dry it was time to put a layer of crackle coat.

And I topped it off with a coat of red paint.



Once it was all dry I got out the gorilla glue, turned the plate over and glued down the cup.
(I got a little over zealous with the glue!)



turn it over, find yourself a bell jar ($7.99 at Home Goods!)

I had a small bowl of succulents that should do well under a jar. But I don't like the bright red pot on the barn red stand so I am now on a search for the perfect pot to transplant my plants into!

So easy and fun!

There's an APP for that!

I'd never thought I'd need them and somehow I'm still in denial that I have them. I don't know why, but to me they seem like something paranoid old people have like plastic on couches, yet here I am totally endorsing them....coasters.  Not roller coasters, coasters to keep your drinks from creating little crop circles on your nice furniture.

WAIT! That's it! That's why I've never needed coasters...we've never really had nice furniture! I never wanted to get anything too nice when the kids were little which was a good idea (I have pictures of a couple of large drawings on couches with sharpee markers to prove my theory).

But the baby is 4 now and for the most part knows not to draw on things, so we decided to get a nicer dining set. Note the word "nicer" does not equal nice. It means it's nicer than our last one, but I didn't break the bank on it because I know my kids aren't grown up yet and I already have a lot of stress in my life, I don't need to add scratches and nicks on the table to the long list of things I get mad at my kids about. But it's nicer.

And a few nights ago husband suggests that we get coasters for our new table to keep it "nicer." "Coasters," I thought. "We're one step away from shoving kleenex up our sleeves." But determined to have cool coasters I hit the internet. There are plenty of cute coasters out there and so many ways to make your own, but most of them involved using tiles and decorating them. If I made tile-based coasters, water rings on my table are the last things I need to worry about. I'm sure my kids would drop them, or throw them at each other or use them to carve fun things into the table.

Then I saw these iphone app icon coasters:

Since we're iphone people, I thought these were great. But the $60 price tag wasn't so great. I was determined to make these.  I looked for a while online to find these icons in a high enough resolution so I could print them to a 4inch x 4inch size which is standard coaster size, I guess. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE ICON FILES.

Of course, you can always use whatever print outs you want. Pictures of family, magazine ads, beautiful flowers, funny sayings, whatever! I just happen to like Apple products.

I headed to Michael's to find a non-tile solution and I found a bargain. In their bargain bins in the front, I found a pack of 8 thick cardboard coasters for $.30 a pack. I had modge podge already, so I bought some cork ($3.29 for a roll) and some acrylic sealer ($7.99 minus 40% coupon).

So I cut out the icons and applied modge podge to the underside of the coaster (because the design showed through the paper) and I placed the print out on, making sure there were no bubbles (this is harder than you think. I'm not a very good modge podger...so this frustrates me a little).

After it was dry, I used an exacto knife to cut the corners off. Don't worry if it's not perfect, we are going to sand it.

Then take a fine sand paper (or here a sand block) and sand the corners to smooth them. You can sand all the edges, too. If you want to add an antique look to some vintage pictures or something, you can lightly rub some brown paint around the edges and sand it, too.

I applied a layer of modge podge on top of the paper and on the sides of the coaster "sealing" it in. And let it dry completely. Then (not pictured) I sprayed sealer over the coasters. I put on three coats, allowing each to dry before adding the other. This is to help make them waterproof and it also takes away the modge podge stickiness. Sealer makes them shiny and smooth.

Then I cut some cork just slightly smaller than the coaster and glued it to the bottom.

I set a couple of heavy books on them and let them dry and this is how they turned out.  Here are my very inexpensive version of iphone app icon coasters. I chose our favorite apps...see words with friends? Who wants to play? My user name is nonobull!!

And I found a cute little box that fit them perfectly...it needs some decoration...but that can be another project for another day.

These personalized coasters can be a great Christmas gift for the person who has everything. Yes, I said it....Christmas!  And as a couple of friends who use coasters have pointed out...coasters are your friends. They are not a sign of old age! I agree, especially these...they're not your mother's coasters!

Today I linked up to:

Sew Much Ado
The Thrifty Home 
Someday Crafts 
Blue Cricket Design 
The Trendy Treehouse 
Lucky Star Lane 
Hope Studios 
Suzy's Artsy-Craftsy Sitcom
Paisley Passion

Sisters

I grew up surrounded by sisters.

Four to be specific.

Two in front of me. Two behind me.

Growing up, there were days I had mixed feelings about a house of girl emotions.

And then I grew up and realized what a great blessing it is to be surrounded by sisters.

I will always have 4 friends who will be honest and love me no matter what is going on in life at that moment...good or bad.

And then I really grew up and I moved away from the comfort of home.

We all did.

I went West (California). One went to the South (Mississippi). One went East (Pennsylvania by way of North Carolina). One went North (Minnesota then Massachusetts). And one stayed put (Utah).

(Yes. They paid for all those smiles.)

Ten years ago, I spent a lonely Saturday on the phone with one of my sisters. Most of our conversation was about how it would be nice to be able to live by just one sister. She was my sister in the North. Having one sister close by would make all the difference.

I came home that night to a voicemail from that same sister saying our dream was coming true. They had received a phone call out of the blue that a friend had just moved near us and wanted to hire my BIL. And it has been as wonderful as we talked about on the phone that day.

Last Saturday was a BIG birthday for that sister. I wondered what I should do for the sister that does so much for me. The one that lets us treat her swimming pool as our own. The one who always invites us to dinner. The one that takes my children for days when I'm adjusting to a new baby. The one who watches my children for me so I can get my hair done. The one who drives her daughter to me to babysit and then picks her up. The one who makes time to come to my children's games while making it to all 5 of her kids games the same day. The one who will drop anything when I need something.

I wanted something special.

So I made her this:

A quilt.

I'm in love with this quilt!

I wanted something that would match her family room. And with Winter approaching, she'll get plenty of use out of it.

I used a simple 9 block pattern and alternated it.

I cut my fabric into 4 inch strips and sewed them together.

I then cut the strips by 4 inches - to make each a square.

And then sewed them together alternating the blocks.

Then sewed the green strips. I cut the green strips into 10 inch sections.

I used a brown for the back (it coordinated with the green).

I did free motion quilting with my own machine.

And finished it off with a green binding to match the strips.

And gave her two of these pillows to match.

*** I should also mention that I have a WONDERFUL brother and I absolutely love his FABULOUS wife! She's even funnier than my sisters! ***

“Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple.” - Dr. Seuss

My son’s book collection was getting a little out of control (thanks to those great Scholastic book orders that come home from school every month!) So I moved a little, Target brand bookcase into his room (and this isn't even all of the books!):

Turns out that my son would never make it working in a library. He cannot shelf a book to save his life! I was spending way too much time sweeping out books from under his bed because he just couldn't (and wouldn't) put them on the shelf. And I wasn't real thrilled with the fake wood bookcase that didn't match the rest of his room.

So I decided that I wanted these:

Yes...these are from Pottery Barn. Now If you’re like me when you get the Pottery Barn Kids catalog you want everything on every page! If only I had an unlimited amount of money with a house with an unlimited amount of space! But lucky for me I have something better -- a husband with an unlimited amount of talent!

The love of my life tore the page from the catalog, hung it in his workshop and in a couple of months (give him a break...he works a lot!) I had these:





I could not be more thrilled! Aren't they great?! Unfortunately he did not take any pictures of the process or document their making in any way. BUT...I found a tutorial after he finished these on Ana-White.com.

P.S. The bookcase made it's way across the hall to my daughter's room. But it's home there is temporary because my uber talented husband is making THIS from this tutorial! Thank you Ana White and thank you Super Dad!!!

Raspberry Bread Pudding

Seriously! Trying to blog this week has basically taken a miracle. Well, you all know about the move, right...and I hate to use it as an excuse for another week...but it's killing me. Right now we have no internet in the house as we wait for AT&T to take their sweet time transferring service from one home to another. For some no internet in the house is no big deal, but not to this family. My husband is a computer guy and this mommy blogger is finding it a real inconvenience.

Long story short, I'm writing this late on Wednesday. I had a whole bunch of fun ideas in my head for Thanksgiving (sorry Halloween for moving on) but none of them came fully together. So next week should be better. But this week there has been only one thing on my mind, Raspberry Bread Pudding (ala Kneaders for those of you in Utah). Maybe because it's been kind of chilly here (high 60's...I know, my Southern Californian-ness is annoying sometimes) or maybe because I've been needing some comfort food, but the tangy taste of raspberries and the crunchy crustiness of the pudding kept calling my name. So last night I made some for my family for breakfast and for a treat for the office.

I got this recipe from my friend Becca (Shout-OUT) and it's a hit every time. Today in the office 15 people tried it and 12 people asked me for the recipe. I told them it would be on my blog....sometime today.

So here is the recipe:

Berry Bread pudding

1 loaf of French Bread (15 oz)
2 cups of frozen berries

4 large eggs
2 ¾ c milk
1 c sugar
¼ c butter melted
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
dash of salt
1 tsp vanilla

Cube bread.
Place berries on top
Whisk together rest of ingredients and pour over berries and bread
Let soak for 20 min.
Bake covered in 350 oven for 30 minutes.
Uncover and bake for 30 more minutes.

Sauce
2 c whipping cream (I use half and half to make it lighter)
1 c sugar
2 Tbsp flour
½ c butter
1 tsp vanilla
dash salt

1st mix sugar and flour together. Then add the rest of ingredients except vanilla. Bring to boil, boil 3 minutes. Remove from heat and add vanilla.

Doesn't it look yummy. It's so good. I love nutmeg. Sometimes I add a little extra nutmeg just for myself. I love this recipe because the crusty french bread is crispy but is balanced by the pudding part. It's a fun explosion in my mouth.

So for those of you who were looking forward to one more Halloween thing, let me show you what the hubby did for scouts.

Aren't these great and the kids loved them, too.  He just got white chocolate chips (I told him the melty chips at the craft store are easier to work with because you can just microwave it and not worry about the double broiler) and dipped donut holes in it. Before it hardened he put a chocolate chip in the middle. After the "eyeball" hardens, take some food coloring and color the left over chocolate red and scoop it into a sandwich bag. Cut a tiny hole in the corner and squeeze the red chocolate on the eyeball creating the tired-look (they look like my eyeballs!!!).  And there you have it. Another quick Halloween treat!  Happy Halloween.

Haunted Houses

Uh-Oh!

It's that time of year...

The bags of Trick or Treating candy have been bought ahead of time. They've been sitting patiently. And then...

I'm blaming Him (the hubs). He opened the bag, not me. I was going to be good this year. I was going to save all that for them. But when a bag is open, I just can't resist the Snickers. They scream at me every year. I don't buy them throughout the year for this very reason. Willpower...or lack there of. So if you knock on my door on Sunday, don't be disappointed if you don't get a Snickers. I can guarantee Almond Joy though. (maybe I can entice my mom with a visit now. She's they only one I know who craves those).

My kiddos have been busy this week and it's been fun!

Remember these from the Spring. This week we made them Haunted.

It all started with these materials:

* paint and brushes

* battery lights/candles

* ghosts and skeletons

* wood lattice for our fence

* wood coffin

* wood houses

I bought everything at Michael's. I went there to buy the same houses that I used for the Fairy Houses. Those are thick cardboard for $1.99 each. I had visions of cutting windows and doors on angles to help make the Haunted effect. But then I saw these wooden houses. It was a little more, but I couldn't resist (plus let's be honest - it meant less work for me). So we went with orange paint for our houses.

Then the kids went to work.

We lined the outside of the flower pot with the broken lattice. I just broke it with my hands to give that dilapidated look. We put some branches in the back for trees. We put the coffin coming out of the ground with a skeleton inside. And we used some of our left over orange marbles for our porches.

They look awesome at night!

Have a Safe and Happy Halloween

from The Idea Attic!