No Sew Ruffle Purse Tutorial

One of my very first pins was "The No Sew Ruffle Purse Tutorial".  I am loving all the easy purse tutorials and with my ADD personality, I do not want to give a lot of time to any one project.  I figured that a "no sew" tutorial couldn't take long and didn't require me to be a perfectionist to complete the project. I completed this Pinterest during my second week of my New Year's Resolution, it has just taken me a while to post it.  Here is the super cute tutorial.

The No Sew Ruffle Bag 

And here are the pics from the purse I made for my sweet baby girl.

 Super cute and she loves it.  If you are looking for a quick project, this one is it!

Mantle Redo

In November we had a family photo session and the end results were fantastic. Kari, of Kari Tench Photography, was beyond patient and worked so well with the chaos that is my rambunctious family.  Every element of my crazy family of five was captured in about a 15 minute shoot.  The kids were not in the mood, plus it was frigid to say the least.  Either way, I decided that with such fabulous photos, I must display them for all to see. 

My grand plan was that after Christmas, I would give the mantle in our family room a makeover.  It has looked pretty pitiful since we took all the Christmas decor down, as I did not want to spend the time putting up all the previous decor.

So, today was the day I have been waiting for for nearly 3 months!   My large, 24x36 print came in the mail!  I have been researching for months, trying to determine how to decorate this very LONG mantle.  I have been collecting all kinds of pieces so that I would have options.  You know, a girl always has to have options.  :)  Here is the sad before picture:

As you can see, the scale is all wrong, but again, it wasn't going to be a permanent fix, more of a band aid until may portrait came in.

So, after a good hour of putting things on the mantle and pulling them off, I came out with a satisfactory look and feel.  Actually, its beyond satisfactory!  I am in LOVE with it!  I feel like its the perfect fit for such a large mantle and I couldn't ask for a more fitting result.

My flash kept screwing up the glare so you get two examples.  It's simple yet really allows for the portrait to be the star.  LOVE it!!

Devoting Time To My Pinterest Boards

One of my New Years Resolutions for 2013 is to dedicate time to completed items on my Pinterest Boards.  I LOVE Pinterest and I am constantly pinning and dreaming of making anything from an apron, to an emergency family notebook.  I rarely have time or energy to commit to finishing a project.  I decided to complete one project a week.  This will allow my creative juices to flow and you feel as though I have accomplished more than caring for my family.  

So, the first project??

A Christmas Card Keepsake Book

I love receiving Christmas cards in the mail but after Christmas feel so bad to toss them or put them in the bottomless container of photos that are no where near organized.  Sooo, I found this idea on Pinterest and figured it would be a good place to start.

Christmas Card Keepsake 

First I got all my items that I might need. 

• Stickers
• Cards
• Markers
• Scrapbook paper
• Binder Rings
• Hole Punch
• And some glue

Then I got to work. 

And here is the finished product.  It's not nearly as cute as the Pinterest Pin, but Hey!  It will do.

I just used what I had on hand.  I could have made it SUPER cute if I had large number stickers, but it's ok:)

I love that I took the time to complete this and I look forward to next week for Pinterest Project Number 2

Time to Get Busy!

I am truly trying to lose weight and I must get busy.  Today I began with a high fiber bowl of cereal and a medium size banana.  I am currently on my third, 16oz cup of water.  This morning, the boys and I tried Zumba for the first time.  We did 2 total dances because the boys were completely disinterested after the second dance.  I then had the kiddos play in the playroom so I could at least try some other small exercises to get in at least 30 minutes of activity.  I did 50 crunches 30 leg lifts on each leg and some bicycle leg lifts.  My core is burning and I have a ton of energy!  I just hope that I can keep this up!  I want to have more energy for my family and fit into some old jeans.  3 babies in 4 years really takes a toll on your body.  I never took the time to get my body back after each pregnancy so now I am really going to have to work my butt off.  Wish me luck!

Welcome Sweet Baby Doll!

First things first!  My favoritist friend in the whole world had her first baby on Thursday!  She had a perfect baby girl who looks just like her.  Mommy is doing something that I tried and failed at....breastfeeding!  She is doing such an amazing job and I am so very proud of her.  I thought that I would try to make her a breastfeeding cover so that breastfeeding doesn't seem so awkward when others are around.  I got to try out some knew things and really enjoyed making this.  I had so much fun picking out the fabric and I really hope that she will love this.

The first time I have used Boning.

My first attempt at using "D rings"

The finished product!

Happy Breastfeeding Baby Doll!

While They Were Sleeping...

I generally take a nap when my kiddos do only as a defense mechanism for the rest of the day.  That way I am well rested and can keep up with them for their afternoon shenanigans.  Today was the first day in a long time that I did not nap with my sweeties.  I got this wild hair that I was going to make my boys capes so that they can play superheros.  I am a novice at sewing but figured this wouldn't be too incredibly difficult.  Turns out that I was right.  Here is the result of 1.5 hours of silence. :)

My eldest has been running around in his cape since waking up and finding his nap time surprise!  It really warms my heart to see that he loves it so much!  When I have more time I will add a better strap to the neck tie so that it doesn't choke them. 

Prettiest thing I have made...

This is the prettiest item from my recent crafting.  This is my second attempt at making my own holiday wreath for the front door and the one that I came up with I am so proud of and it fits my personality to a T.  Here is my masterpiece...

Upon completion I proudly hung it on the front door and went to the store.  Upon returning, my lovely work of art had crashed to the ground and there were balls and pieces everywhere.  For the record this is my second homemade wreath because the last wreath did the same thing, except they were glass balls.  I think I will forfeit this battle and just spend entirely too much money next year for the perfect wreath that will hopefully last at least through the first week.