Cranberry Ice Luminaria

Sometimes I wish I was Martha Stewart. I wish I had a whole team of people paid to make decorations for me. Because while I love decorations, I loathe making decorations. And this would be awesome to have them make. So not practical, but oh, so cool.

Cranberry Ice Luminaria

I wonder how fast they melt?

St. Nicholas Day

I get a lot of questions about St. Nicholas Day. My husband was born in Europe. When he was a child they celebrated St. Nicholas Day. When they moved back to the States his family quit celebrating it, but when we were married he asked to continue the tradition.

So first I had to figure out what in the world it was.

Then I had to figure out WHEN it was.

And then I had to figure out how to explain the difference between Santa Claus and St. Nicholas Day. Americans say they are the same person. But if Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost can be different people. So can St. Nicholas and Santa. (I know, no comparison, but it works for me.)

HERE is a website we use to help us get resources. You know, just in case you want to celebrate it too.

I get asked a lot how I can remember the date. I can't. I just leave a major portion of my Christmas decorating out until that night. Like the stockings or the nativity. I notice those things aren't out and it reminds me I'm waiting until St. Nicholas Eve to do it. Kind of wacky, but it works for me. :)

Reversable Apron/Cooking party

For Ally's 5th Birthday we did a cooking party. Yes I know she is about to turn six. I've been a little (read: ALOT) disorganized.

I made each of the kids aprons. I got the pattern from THIS website.

For the party we also had the kids make their own pizzas and decorate their own 6" cakes. This party was hugely successful and all the girls loved it. I should probably post pictures.

Vinyl Walls

I do like vinyl sayings on walls. I just take forever deciding that to put up. A year and a half ago I found a saying I wanted on my girls wall. I saw it at Kirklands, but didn't buy it because Matt had just lost his job the first time. And then Kirklands had the nerve to CLOSE because the mall raised their rent.

So my friend Jerusha referred me to a Vinyl cutter that was pretty inexpensive so I took advantage of it. I was depressed that day and a little online shopping helped. :)

FYI, I used:
Vinyl Wall Stickers

This is above their closet. Cute eh?

I bought another saying, but that one will have to be a surprise for later. I have some frames and such to get to complete the other wall.

Car Seat Cover

I made a car seat cover for my baby. It was actually pretty simple. I decided I wanted to try it when I saw them going for $40 a pop and thought I could make a cuter one for cheaper.

My only disappointment is that it drags a little on the floor. I found that not all car seats are the same and mine was a little bit bigger than others, so I added several inches. I guess I added a couple too many inches. This is going to be too hard for me to fix because I used Rick Rack like Tiffany did. But it's still really cute. I should take a picture, but alas, I don't want too.

But here are the blog posts that I got my ideas from:

Tiffany is my sisters SIL. They are super crafty and I loved how her cover looked.

Tiffany's Blog

This is a tutorials I followed:

Lulu's Tiles

Sumo's Sweet Stuff

Next up, I'm going to make a nursing cover.

Homemade Hand Sanitizer

I hate hand sanitizer. I think it is gross and has potentially harmful chemicals in it. I also don't like anti-bacterial soap. But there is something intriguing to me about knowing what is in mu hand sanitizer. For a tutorial click HERE.

Wedding Frame

Okay so, I am loving the Creative Crate. She has so many cute ideas. Here is another one that I really like.

All I need is a Cricut. Dang it. Oh and money. Money is good too.

Family Canvas Tutorial

I found a new blog called The Creative Crate with ton of Creative ideas.

I want to make this canvas art and HERE is the tutorial.

Kari's Quilt

So I have been trying to find a quilt for my girls that I like. I want to make them something, but I've been looking for a basic patchwork with cool material. I found it! It was made by the lady on The Polka Dot Chair. Ironically, she made it for her daughter Kari. So I felt like it was mine already. :)
I'm not sure how I feel about the light blue, but I love the patterns on these fabrics. And I love the polka dots on the back. What do you think?

Shower Curtain Play Mat

I got this idea from My Little Gems, who doesn't want me to take pictures without asking. So I'll just link it instead.

Basically, she used a shower curtain to make a Hot Wheel town, like the ones my siblings and I would make. This totally reminded me of my childhood and I loved the idea. So if you want to see pictures you'll have to click here.