quite possibly the cutest thing i have ever made.

you can't really see his pretzel stick arms, but that are there and all part of the cuteness.

and i am not lying here, RIDICULOUSLY simple.

recipe found here. it is mistakenly labeled as "Cream Cheese Pepper Jelly Christmas Tree".

holiday greetings.

a few years ago, after looking at our pile of saved christmas cards hauled out with rest of our christmas decorations, a lightbulb went off inside my head. "why not put them all in an album?" now, a little background. i do love the whole christmas card deal. i love getting them. i love sending them. it doesn't really feel like a chore to me. so each year i have carefully laid aside an extra card for for family to keep. with the exception of one year, when i accidentally cut the picture out of the card to give to ellie.

so here is my "holiday greetings" album. nothing fancy. i think i was given the album. i don't do much on the page either. i just let the photos and sentiments speak for themselves.


album cover. i may add something one day.




my favorite saying. i may use this again one day.


ellie's first christmas card appearance.


drew's first christmas card appearance.


tara whitney photographic genius.


cat's first appearance.


and......ta da....... this year's craziness. cards went out today.

and i just have to say that tiny prints is my FAVORITE place to order cards from. so yums!

i'm crafty.

i just haven't been very good at posting it.

(hopefully) over the next few days, i am going to post a few little ideas that i have been meddling with, quick and easy for the crazy holidays.

faux printed candles:

this is a great idea with a great video tutorial by the fab heidi swapp.



i used the christmas greetings mega brush kit from house of 3. they also offer a holiday candle kit specifically sized for making these candles.

a few hints:

printing on tissue paper is a beast. just be patient.

use pins instead of adhesive. much easier. stick it like a voodoo doll.



the wax will get a bit bumpy. you can smooth it out, but i like to just let go and live with the imperfections.



very fun to use the heat tool.

and there you have a great inexpensive gift.

a new favorite.

spud & chloe.

such yummy stuff. there is a knit-along pattern for a turkey this month. i can't wait to start on that.

before school organization tips.

this segment on studio 5 was really helpful. i am going to incorporate organizing the needed school items, the night before with these labeled baskets.



i know the baby isn't in school, but she has plenty of stuff that needs to be organized and put away.

i'm back.

here is a cute idea for your special student going back to school. taken from pioneer party and gift. i just used scrapbook rub-ons letters, a bit of scrap paper and voila!

project next.

luckily i already have the paint. i think i will try to find some old enamel ware. my kitchen needs a little somethin'.

farm chicks here.

articlehere.

i almost, almost bought this today....

string theory quilt by denyse schmidt.

i would like to replicate some of denyse's work. she has a great book that i should get.


the sundance catalog outlet is a bad place to go (for me).

exactly what i want.

cjane is doing a product blog. i lurve it!

do this now: notepad.

sometimes it is just that extra touch to make your life not feel so mundane. i ripped off this idea from becky higgins' blog. so easy and a great way to get rid of all those pesky scraps of paper in your life.



first cut a piece of patterned paper 5 inches (or whatever width your notepad is) by 2 inches.



my notepad is slightly used.




glue the heck out of your paper, especially around the edges. i use herma dotto dots permanent adhesive. but a good glue stick would probably work just as well.

attach. embellish as you want. and voila!



isn't that better? the green just wasn't helping the chaos.

now if you have a half an hour go make a bunch for your friends. they will think you are so cool.

"that is the most beautiful thing i have ever seen."

that's what the eldest said that when she came home and saw this.



it was quite a sight to behold.

silicone baking cups are from crate and barrel.

ripped off from here.

wish i had more time.

amy butler just came out with a new sewing cd. makes me covetous just looking at the pictures. i keep reminding myself, "one day i will have time to do this. scratch that. i won't have time, but i will make time."

now i am off to baby school...

cute teacher's gift.

this is totally ripped off from another blog. i can't remember which one. sorry whomever i ripped off.

i am not one for big overdone teacher gifts. usually i just contribute to the class gift. but this year my girl's teachers have really gone above and beyond and i just want to show my appreciation.

i have wanted to try etching for several years. ever since i saw martha do it.

so finally i tried.



so go and get yourself some etching cream. i got mine at michael's, near the "real" craft supply section, like leather working and rug hooking. don't fall for buying any of their stencils. they are cheesy beyond belief.

i also used and IKEA jar, but i think this would also be fantastic on a regular mason jar.

* imagine picture of area being prepared to etch.*

i just used a variety of leftover scrapbooking stickers. if you can find vinyl ones to reuse, more power to you. also i want to find some decent letter stencils (no i don't have a fancy vinyl stencil maker, shocker, i know), because you need to mask the area off.



so now that our etching area has been prepped. apply a very thick layer of etching cream. thicker than you ever imagined. you will thank me later. let it sit for 5 minutes and don't touch.



this isn't listed on the directions, but i read about this elsewhere. put some baking soda over the etched area. apparently it stops the etching process, but more importantly it is supposed to neutralize the acid before it goes down the drain and into our water source.



rinse off the etching cream. i use a paper towel to get all of it off. and voila!




add a treat and a little somethin', somethin' and you are good to go.

for my test run i decided to etch the underside of a pyrex dish. i have seen this done before and i thought it was the most brilliantest of all ideas. now that new mom will know who that pan goes to.

do this now.

apologies for the sorry photo and ugly garage (our next project is actually improving our garage. wow! the economy IS that bad).

putting kids artwork on the door from the garage to the house. it makes coming home that much nicer. this is such a great idea that i blatantly ripped off from my friend's house.



*editor's note: most of my ideas are rip-offs, so beware if i ever enter your house.*

wrap it up.

craft paper is truly one of my favorite things. the wrapping that comes on potted plants..... not so much.

my solution:



i put a plastic bag on first, secure it with a rubber band and then wrapped with the craft paper and tied with twine (or ribbon).

the nice thing is that you can just change the ribbon for each season/holiday/event and you are good to go.

this is the same potted plant from a shower that i hosted.

i need more wall space

to do this.



i have been holding on to this little photo for a while. such a simple project with big visual results.

image from the purl bee. instructions here.

the crafts department

check out this new blog from the martha stewart family.



i wish i had a cat to knit this little scarf for.

very excited to see this in person

encyclopedia of crafts

so it begins

i don't know why, but for some reason i want a place to "store" all my crafty kid/mom ideas, since that is what i am most interested in. these ideas will include home design, food, art, outdoor/nature activities. so i guess it is not really for just "crafty" stuff, but i just like the name.

i am also hoping this to be a collaborative effort, so for all you crafty mamas out there, let me know if you would be interested in becoming a contributor to the blog.

hoping to get some ideas posted soon.