Crafty stuff

My creative sister sent me a package a little while ago. Can you spot what might have been in it?





It's a Nester Ragamuffin garland! Now, I know many of you will know just what I'm talking about, but Dave was clueless.

Now, why did she send you a string of rags, again?????



He just doesn't understand, but I love it! Does it look so cute?! I am enjoying it in my kitchen window. Thanks, Ruth!

Speaking of crafts, we did such a fun one yesterday at MOPS. One that I actually came home and wanted to use in my home - and that is saying something. :) I got the idea from my sister (isn't she amazing?!). It's just a painted wooden letter, and we used scrapbooking rub-ons to decorate them.

I came home and immediately hung mine in the bathroom. I love it!

Sewing chair

I found this old chair at Goodwill for $4.98. I've been wanting to find a chair to put downstairs at my sewing desk, so I snagged it up.







Dave and I are a little photography-obsessed these days, so I actually made it into a picture. That doesn't happen very often. Unless my dad is visiting, of course. :)

I got a coat of spray primer on the chair, and Simon and I got the cover off the seat cushion. I want to find some cute fabric to recover it with. I am picturing a white chair, with some sort of large plaid fabric. But maybe it should be blue...or yellow gold. I haven't tried those color spray paints before.

Did I mention that I like to paint?

Remember this? I do - like it was yesterday! I still remember laughing so hard at the expression on his little naughty face. He is such a little booger...still is, even though he's a few years older and can talk his mommy's head off.



Check out that computer armoire though. Don't you just love the fake wood grain? Me, neither. Well, I finally got my act together and painted it. It was way easier than I thought, and boy, what a difference a can of paint makes!


Ignore the laundry basket on the couch. I didn't notice that when I took the pic!

I used an oil-based primer (after sanding a bit) and then oil-based paint. Supposedly this will give it a pretty hard finish, to prevent chipping. The best part about it was I didn't even have to move this ginormous piece of fake wood (it is so heavy - Dave said he won't move it again until we're getting rid of it :). I just put a drop cloth down and painted right here in my kitchen. And, Mom, just so you don't worry, the windows were open. :)

This is my favorite thing right now, my little organization hub right here in my kitchen. I could look at it all day! My best find was that black and white damask file folder for $3.99 at TJ Maxx. I love that store!



I've toyed with the idea of putting some scrapbook paper up on the back of the armoire, but I love it how it is now too. What do you think?

Goodwill Find

Spring always puts me in the mood to create, whether it's just homemade cards, scrapbook pages (okay, I haven't done that in awhile!), organized drawers....or bigger things, like painting or recovering thrifted furniture. You will not find me trekking through snow to get to the Goodwill, but first sign of warmer temps, I am there.

We went in yesterday and found this cute little bench.


I love it so much. What do you think? Black legs and a new seat cover? What kind of fabric should I use? Solid or print? I am thinking it will be perfect for my basement entry way, under the coat hooks.

The boys love it too.


Now they're just getting silly.

We have a 4 year old????

Ethan turned 4 on Sunday (is this really possible??), and he chose to have a Diego birthday party. For those of you without 4 year old boys, Diego is a cartoon on Nick Jr. with a Spanish-speaking boy (Diego) who is an animal rescuer in the jungle. My kids can't get enough of this show. They have learned what a tapir is, a scarlet macaw, and jaguar, and even a marmoset. It makes me laugh when Simon tries to say jaguar - he says, "Aaaa-arrrrr" and then he grins. He is trying lots of new words these days.

Coming up with ideas for this party, I was a little lost at first. The party store in town didn't have much, just plates and cups, stuff like that. So I got on www.nickjr.com and found all kinds of printable crafts for the show FOR FREE and an idea for making a Diego costume. Since I did all that sewing for the Christmas program a few weeks ago, I have been in the mood to sew, so this was perfect!

Diego Vests
Walmart had tan cotton fabric in their clearance bin for $1/yrd, and I made 14 vests out of 5 yards. For a pattern, I just used a vest that my boys already had, folded it in half in the middle longways, and laid it on the fold of my fabric. On the website were printable Animal Rescuer Center badges to iron on the front.


No Animal Rescuer would be complete without his Rescue Pack! I used pieces of felt to make a bag for each of the kids to carry their rescue supplies in. This was so easy! It took about 20 minutes to sew up all the sides, and then Ethan glued on the eyes and mouth. He had so much fun!


To start the party, our Animal Rescuers geared up to save animals. First, they made a spotting scope out of toilet paper rolls, construction paper, and Diego stickers. This is how Diego sees an animal in distress.


Then my *staff members* (AKA Merikate and Brooklyn) handed out a Diego video watch that I had printed on my computer and laminated for each kid. Everyone picked an animal to place on their video screen, and this would be the animal that they would rescue later!


Next, Dave designed a 4 part obstacle course for the kids to go through to rescue their animals. Keep in mind that these are little kids. It was nothing fancy, but they loved it. First they had to go under the bridge (a bar taped across the doorway), over the slide, through the jungle (vines taped over a doorway), and over the mountain (the ottoman covered with a blanket).

And they did it over, and over, and over again. :)




Then each Animal Rescuer grabbed their flashlight and headed to the dark basement to hunt for snakes. Rubber toy snakes, that is. Here they all are, after a good hunt.


I can't believe that Ethan is 4 - it seems like we just brought him home from the hospital! He has grown up so much this year, learning to talk, potty training, sleeping on the top bunk, learning to ride a bike. And he is developing a compassionate heart too. I've treasured the moments I've seen him show concern for his brother and others who are hurt.

This little boy never stops for a minute, but we love him so very much. Thank you, Lord, for sharing him with us! Like his dad prayed at his party, help us to raise him to seek after You and become a man who loves and lives for You.


Happy 4th birthday, Ethan!

Christmas Play

My little shepherd


The excitement builds!

Ethan, with Mary and Joseph

Here come the sheep crawling up the aisle!

The shepherds, snickering about the antics of the sheep

The angels sang The First Noel, there was a solo performance of Hark the Harold Angels Sing, and then the whole group sang Joy to the World, Away in the Manger, and Oh, Come All Ye Faithful.

The boys did double duty as shepherds and wise men. There are a lot more girls than boys!

I made 6 costumes (plus 1 sheep costume) for the Christmas play this year. It was so fun to have a reason to get out my sewing machine! I used a Simplicity pattern that was really easy: no zipper, 4 pieces, slides over their head, you know the kind. It was great!

Our play was a narrated skit about the birth of Christ, and it included the gospel message. The kids did such a good job, and there were only a few mishaps. One being that my sweet little sheep stole baby Jesus and THREW HIM ON THE GROUND! Thankfully, not too many people noticed his antics. :)

All in all, it was a great night!

How to make a sheep costume

Simon was given the part of a sheep in the Christmas play this year. His costume was my favorite to make!


What you need:
black shirt or sweatshirt
black sweatpants
black hoodie cap
black socks
1 sheet of black craft felt
1 sheet of pink craft felt
fabric glue
bag of polyfill

What to do:
Cover the front of the shirt (from neck to hem, no arms) with fabric glue, the more the better. Place small hand fulls of polyfill to cover the glue. Repeat on the back.

Cut ears out of the felt, making the pink ear slightly smaller. Glue the pink ear to the black ear. Sew or pin each ear to the black cap, at the crown of the head. Cover the cap with fabric glue and place polyfill all over cap. Make sure to place polyfill under the ears to get them to stick out.

How easy is that?!

My latest project

I've been inspired the last couple of weeks to pull out my sewing machine again. We've either been sick or it's been raining, so most evenings after we've gotten the kids into bed, I've had some free time on my hands. And to tell you the truth, I think that sewing is one of my favorite hobbies. When I create something that adds beauty to our home, I get the best feeling. I told Dave the other night that it's probably similar to hitting a home run in softball, but he just looked at me like I was totally insane.

"As long as it makes you happy," he replied, barely looking up from his major league baseball game on tv. We are sooooooo different, he and I. And I'm pretty sure I will always be somewhat of a mystery to him. :)

Almost a month ago now, I spotted a white wicker chair at a garage sale in our neighborhood. The lady was asking $15 for it, and I offered her $11. She took it, and I was thrilled! It's in great shape, and I was wanting more seating in the living room. And I knew just what color to paint it. Is there any other color?, you ask...of course not!

Black, it is.

It came with a cushion that was in great shape, but with a slightly early 90's look. I gave it a cleaning in the washing machine, and then my mom covered it in this heavy, textured fabric I found. Didn't she do an awesome job?!

I made a lumbar pillow to go on it. So, help me out...which side do you prefer? The silk or the floral? I can't decide.

I also made some throw pillows for the couches to match. The front pillow pictured is from Hobby Lobby, but you can see the silk one behind it.

And a floral one.

It was my first time to use tassles, but after a tutorial from my ever-so-talented sister Ruth, I think I got it!

This is currently where all the creating takes place, my dining room table.

But my next project--after I finish 2 more silk pillows for the couch--will be painting a desk that I found at the Goodwill so that I have an actual place to sew.