My little artist

{Giveaway} Love Notes Garland from my Etsy shop

Hi everybody! It's time for my first giveaway! I'll be giving away 3 yards of my beautiful Love Notes garland! It's made with 1 inch hearts that are cut from sheet music out of a 1939 copy of Anthology of Modern French songs, and red card stock. Entering the giveaway is easy! Just follow the instructions in the Rafflecopter box at the bottom of this post. The giveaway starts January 15th (today) at 12:00 AM, and will end January 23rd at 12:00 AM. The winner will be announced on this post & notified by email. Please, feel free to share with your friends! Thanks for visiting!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A Little Dirt Never Hurt

Winnie the Pooh Garland

A while ago at a thrift store, I came across an old, very well-loved copy of The House at Pooh Corner by A. A. Milne. It was missing most of the cover & some of the pages were torn, so I decided to rescue it and give it new life. I've been using it to make my paper garlands, and love the vintage feel it gives to them. Today I finished making some garland using the Winnie the Pooh pages & white paper.

Winnie the Pooh & White paper garland

I've listed the garland in my Etsy shop & can make more as necessary! I also have Winnie the Pooh garland with pink card stock circles.

2012 Halloween Page

Etsy Success

I've been keeping pretty busy lately as I've had 5 different orders, 3 of them being custom orders, from my Etsy shop. I was telling my husband last night that it sure is nice to have a hobby that starts to pay for itself! I'm not really expecting to make tons of money with this business, though of course that would be nice, I really just enjoy getting to create something every day, and help to make other people's lives a little more crafty! I've been a little surprised that my best sellers so far have been my paper creations rather than some of my fabric items. So far, I've sold 131 yards of paper garland & just yesterday sold 12 yards of bunting. I had my first international sale, and have really enjoyed working on various custom orders. I love making the garlands with paper hearts, which is perfect for Valentine's Day coming up! This week I worked with a woman who asked me to make a heart garland made out of maps & I think it turned out beautifully. Here are some pictures of what I've been making lately. What's your favorite?

Pink hearts with dictionary paper

"Defining Love" - Red hearts with vintage dictionary paper hearts

"Love Notes" - Vintage sheet music with cream hearts

"Love on location" - 3D map hearts

Savannah's Red Dress

Zoku Quick Pop Maker

For Christmas, my mother-in-law sent us some money to get a gift for the family. We debated about various games, and other ideas, but we finally settled on getting a Zoku quick pop maker. It came with the freezing base, the super tool for removing the pops, 4 sticks and 4 drip guards.

I saw these awhile ago, and have had it on my wish list since. I really loved the idea of being able to say, "Hey, lets make popscicles" and rather than waiting 2 or so hours to let them freeze, we could be eating them in about 10 minutes!
After we got it in the mail, I let it freeze over-night, and then made some pineapple pops around lunch time. I just put a can of crushed pineapple with the juice into the blender (obviously without the can), along with a little bit of milk to make it creamier, and just a touch of sugar. Blend. Insert sticks into the pop maker. Pour pineapple mixture into the Zoku, and made sure not to fill past the fill line. I just let it sit on the counter for about 10 minutes, and once they were firm enough, I screwed the super tool onto the sticks, and was able to pull the pops out with no problems!
Since then, we've also made pops with yogurt, mixed with a little milk to make it pour easier. Yesterday, I put some sliced bananas in Sharon's yogurt pop. This morning I made one just out of apple juice for my 1 year old, and she loved it! I just held the pop and let her bite little pieces off. I love the texture of the pops, they are so easy to eat & haven't been rock hard like some pops I remember making as a kid.
Next on my list of pops to make is some fudgecicles and pudding pops.
If you have a bigger family, they also have the Zoku Triple Quick Pop Maker, or if you just want to make one at a time there's the single pop maker. You can also buy extra sticks, a storage case to keep pops in the freezer, and other tools.
So, if you love homemade popcicles, check it! It's super fun!

FIY: I was not compensated in any way by Zoku for the opinions in this post. I just wanted to share my experience with a product that I love!

Crazy for Games

For a number of years, now, the favorite game in my family has definitely been The Settlers of Catan, along with the expansion games. The first expansion we bought was The Sea Farers of Catan. We played it a lot until the more recent expansions came out, but tend to play The Cities & Knights of Catan the most, now. If you've never played the basic version, you should, plain and simple. It's a strategy game, and since the board is different every time, there's tons of replay value. Before you know it you'll be a brick trading, road building, 2 for 1 trading machine! As avid Settlers fans, we've done a few things over the years to help streamline & enhance our playing experience. A few years ago, my husband and I made a playing board to hold the hex pieces together, so they don't move around during play, and so that you can move the board from off the kitchen table if it's time for dinner. You can kind of see it in the bottom picture. We made it out of two pieces of hardboard. The bottom piece was left in a large square, and the top piece has a hole cut in the center in the shape and size of the Catan game. Then we glued them together, and it created a fabulous board!

The next enhancement we made was for our own Cities & Knights game. We like to play with more than just the normal 4 people, sometimes, so I decided to attempt to make our own 5-6 player expansion. We would actually need the expansions for both regular settlers & for Cities & Knights, so I checked what pieces we would need and set to work. I had almost the right amount of hexes from our Seafarers expansion, but needed 3 more, so I used some extra water hexes as the base, copied the front of the hexes needed, printed them off & used spray adhesive to attach them to the back of the water hexes. My husband made three sets of the wooden playing pieces using his wood working tools, and then I painted them black, pink or yellow. I also made knight stickers to go on the knight circles, and they turned out fabulously!

Our most recent goal was to create a card holder to house all the cards needed for a game of Cities & Knights. My technically minded dad, and my creative husband (along with a little input from their wives to help with design) figured out a decent design, and built a prototype for the holder. It turned out great! You can see it in the top right photo. The card holder is angled upward toward the back, so the cards overlap a little on each level. It holds all the cards, including the victory point cards you win when you conquer the barbarians. We used it during the next game we played, and it was so nice to have all the cards organized, without needing to straighten the piles during the game. It was easy to see all the cards, and I'm sure we'll get plenty of use from the organizer. Another nice thing about the holder design, it fits perfectly into the Cities & Knights box!
So, now that I've revealed how crazy we are about board games in general & Settlers of Catan particularly, what are some games that your family is nuts over? Have you made anything to streamline your game play? Or are we just a weird family? =) Have a happy new year!

Pressure Canner

I sure do love to use my pressure canner! I use the Presto 23-quart pressure canner and I bet it would make a great gift for the canning enthusiast in your family!

Gift Idea

I don't know how many of you struggle to come up with the perfect gift for your husband, but I always have a really hard time. I love to make handmade gifts, and usually make pretty fun things for everyone, except my husband. It's just so hard because when I ask him what he wants, he usually can't come up with anything, or the only things he thinks of are tools. I hate buying tools. So, when I found {this game} on Amazon, I went ahead and bought it, in order to gift it to my husband. It actually wasn't for Christmas, it was to celebrate him earning his Master's Degree this summer. We've played it a few times already, & I think it's going to be a big favorite! It's so easy to learn how to play, and we had a blast playing it. The characters on the cards are hilarious & it's been fun trying out different strategies. So, if your family likes games, or if you want to try a fun, new card game that will test your mind, check out {Loot}!

Vintage Book & Pink Paper Circles Garland

I've been having a bit of success lately selling my paper circles garland in my Etsy store. I just finished making 15 yards of pink, white & vintage book garland (I used pages from a vintage edition of Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte) and it is now available in my Etsy shop {HERE}.

Our Beck Treks: What can YOU do with 12 words?

I'm providing one of the prizes for this 12 word essay contest. Go to Crystalee's site to enter for your chance to win some fabulous prizes! Hurry, it ends on Monday & the winners will be announced on Tuesday, December 12th (12.12.12).

Our Beck Treks: What can YOU do with 12 words?: The challenge is on. Enter the 12-word essay contest and wow me with your word skills!

A catch-up page

Savannah turns 1

Grateful

Today I've done very little in regards to housework, or any work in general. I'm feeling sick, so aside from dropping off a package at the post office, going to the doctor, and filling my prescription, I've mostly sat on the couch. As I look around my disaster of a house, I can't help but be a bit grateful for a few somewhat odd things.

1. I'm grateful for a cluttered living room. Toys may be scattered everywhere, Savannah may have ripped a magazine to shreds, a stack of laundry is stuck in limbo on the couch half folded & just waiting to be put away, and a box of dress-up clothes is overflowing everywhere, but having a messy floor means that I have a home. I am so grateful to own our home, to have our own space & be able to fix things when they break, and to not worry about putting nails in the walls to hang pictures.

2. I'm grateful for dirty dishes. No, I haven't finished washing all my dishes from Thanksgiving leftovers. Yes, the stacks of dishes are getting perilously high. No, I don't feel like washing them today. But, I am certainly grateful for those dishes because it means we have enough food to eat. We aren't going hungry, and we can afford to splurge a little on ice cream, somewhat expensive cheese & deli meat, and a bag of chocolate every now and then.

3. I'm grateful for the cold. What?! Don't shout so loudly! I can explain! I'm grateful for the cold mainly because it means that I can finally wear my cute peacoat & hand crocheted scarf! I also like the cold because I can always put more warm clothes on to feel nice & toasty. When it's hot, you can only take off so many clothes before you get arrested.

I love this time of year, when people turn a little nicer, strangers smile & say hello, hearts are turned toward those less fortunate, and sitting on the couch with a mug of cocoa can make my day. I hope you enjoy the upcoming Christmas season. Take time to spend some lazy moments with your family. Laugh until you cry, or shoot milk out your nose. Go for a walk in the snow, or at least in the slightly chilly evening. Listen to Christmas carols as often as you'd like. And always remember the reason for the season, that Jesus Christ is our Lord & Savior.

Happy Thanksgiving

Well hi there! I hope everyone has a fabulous Thanksgiving! As for me, I'm making my very first Thanksgiving feast (of course, I've eaten many a feast, just never cooked it all by myself). I'm roasting a chicken instead of a turkey, but I'm making cranberry sauce, pumpkin and pecan pies, sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes, bacon wrapped asparagus, and of course a birthday cake for my sweet Savannah who is turning one on Thanksgiving!
I hope you enjoy this free printable Thanksgiving sign. Feel free to save it to your computer and print it at your favorite photo printing place. It is sized to an 8x10. You can get the high resolution image {here}.
And just so you know, I almost wasn't able to post it, because when I went to upload it, I was informed that I've maxed out my free Picasa storage space and would have to purchase more if I'd like to continue to post photos on my blog. I deleted some random photos from my account, just so I could post this! Has this happened to anyone else? What did you do? Is there any way that I can get around having to pay for more storage? Anyway, happy Thanksgiving! Don't eat too much!

If you download the print, could you leave a comment, just so I know the download is working properly? Thanks so much!

I'm back & have an update

Well hello my long ignored blogging friends! I've been super busy lately. Mostly I've been making crafts, sewing, & making more crafts. I was getting ready for my first craft fair. Yeah, it didn't go well. But thanks for asking.  Since this was my first fair, I really had no idea what to sell, how much to sell it for, or how many layers of clothes I should wear. Now that it's over, I can definitely look back & say that I was catering to the wrong age group. I had lots of items for children (only saw a handful of kids at the fair, and only a few younger women), and while I absolutely love all the things I had for sale, others clearly didn't share my love.
So, now that the fair is over, I decided to try selling my crafts in my Etsy shop. I'm giving Etsy another go, so hopefully I'll have a bit more success than I did at the craft fair! So here's a link to my {shop}. Please check out my listings, and maybe {if you love me} you could come back and tell me what you think. I'd love some feedback! Here are a few pictures of my favorite items! Enjoy!

The Book of Mormon App

I belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, otherwise known as Mormons. As a Mormon, I believe in The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ. The Book of Mormon is similar to the Bible, but is written by people who were living in the Americas before and at the time of Christ. Jesus Christ visited them after his resurrection and taught them many of the same things that he taught to the Jews while he was alive. Recently, the church created a free app that contains text and audio versions of The Book of Mormon. To learn more, check it out here. To download it from the Apple store, go here.
I've read The Book of Mormon many times in my life, starting as a small child reading with my family. I first read it on my own around age 14, and have read it over again many times since. I want you to know that I know that it is a true book. In my current reading, I am in 3rd Nephi, which is when Christ visits the people called the Nephites. It is beautiful scripture, and always touches my heart. I know that I can come closer to Christ by reading The Book of Mormon, and invite you to do the same.

And hey, if you read it and don't like it, you won't be out anything, as it's totally free!

Cloth Diapering

When my older sister told me that she was planning on using cloth diapers for her first baby, I finally convinced myself that I wanted to give it a shot, also. I've thought about using them for awhile, and just never wanted to take that leap. A friend of mine also uses cloth diapers and told me that the ones she uses are so much more affordable than some of the more popular cloth diaper brands. So, I checked it out. I looked at a lot of different brands, read many articles & blogs with advice & experiences, and in the end, while other brands may be better quality, or more absorbent, I opted for a good product for a great price.
I ordered from Sun Baby Diapers. For my first order, I didn't want to order a bunch of diapers without knowing whether I would like them, or not, so I opted to buy the pack of 6 diapers with 12 microfiber inserts. These are pocket diapers, so they have the waterproof outer shell and a fleece lining that creates a pocket, into which you stuff an absorbent liner. They also have tons of snaps (instead of Velcro) to accommodate many sizes. I was so excited when the diapers finally arrived! The shipping did take awhile as they shipped from China, where the seller lives, but it was also free shipping.

I have been so impressed with these diapers. I've had them for a few weeks now & have never had a problem with leaking. They are simple to snap on, even with my 10 month old squirming all around. They seem super comfortable & I haven't noticed any squeezing on my daughter's legs. As for the "what do I do with the poop" issue, it really hasn't been bad. I give it a quick dunk & swish in the toilet, and then just put the soiled diapers into my washing machine. I don't do laundry every day, so the diapers can sit there until I have enough to do a load. Six diapers is just enough to get me through the day, but I definitely wanted to have more, so I don't have to wash them every day. I recently placed another order, this time for 12 diapers with just 12 microfiber inserts. My two orders totaled $105. So, I've ordered 18 diapers with 24 inserts, which works out to about $5.85 per diaper, with a few extra inserts. That's a whole lot better than between $10 and $20 a diaper!
With cloth diapering, it kind of made sense to just use cloth wipes. Again, I researched a lot to find out the best way. If you want to pay tons of money, there are certainly organic wipes & special sprays you can use. For me, I like to just use a spray bottle filled with water to get her bum clean. I made some wipes by cutting squares of flannel & serging the edges & these work great. I also really like the wipes that I made by just cutting up some thrift-store-bound t-shirts into handy squares. I just stuff them all into a disposable wipes container for easy access.
I did buy a wetbag to use for dirty diapers while on the go, and it works perfectly. We are definitely cloth diaper fans & it certainly doesn't hurt to see those chubby baby legs sticking out of a big, fluffy cloth diaper.
I'm sure if you asked someone else about cloth diapers, you would get completely different advice, but I just wanted to share my experience with this seller because it has been so positive.
I wasn't compensated in any way for this post, I just wanted to share a good product with which I've been very impressed.