Vacation!!

You know I love you all right?! But sometimes you just need to get away...and thats what the kids and I have done! We are in the fantastic state of Texas visiting my family! And yes, its HOT HOT! I like it though. I had a moment where I could feel the sun scorching my skin and I decided it was time to come inside :)
Here are a few pictures from our vacay so far. I promise I will be back and September holds something really cool! Promise.

My kids are awesome travelers! PJ is making sure we are safe and Eva has the barf bag... which we needed after we landed!

Were eating at our favorite restaurants! Loving the tex-mex! I swear this green sauce ( not to be confused with guacamole) is the most addicting thing I have ever tasted.

I'm trying to fix my awesome tan line from my Toms. So far no luck.

And spending time with family! Love them!

Hope your all enjoying summer!

Its giveaway time!

Who loves free stuff?!!! I do! I have a lovely friend over at 2 Peas Boutique. She makes some amazing hair accessories! She is hosting a 500 fan celebration giveaway! WOHOO!!

Here are the rules:

The giveaway ends July 24th at 8pm PST. Winners will be announced sometime that evening. I will put the winners name in the caption of the item they win.
*Please read the rules and comment "agree" on the "rules" photo before participating
.
*To enter to win, like her page (if you haven't already), and the pages of the vendor for the item(s) you would like to win.

*Comment on the photo of the item you would like to win with your first name, and email address so that we can contact you after the giveaway if you are the winner. (if you don't feel comfortable with leaving your email that's ok, but you are responsible for getting ahold of me if you win to get the email of your vendor)

*If you purchase an item from a vendor during the giveaway you get an extra entry, please make a SEPARATE comment on that vendor's photo if you do so. Only one extra entry per person per vendor.

*Winners will be chosed AT RANDOM using random.org. Each item get's it's own winner so there are many chances to win. One person CAN win multiple items.

*Once winners are announced I will email you will the vendors email address and from there on it is YOUR responsibility to contact them to claim your prize.

** If a vendor has requested the winner pay shipping, it will be noted on the photo caption and must be paid to the vendor before item will ship. DO NOT enter for a prize that does not have free shipping if you do not want to pay for it.**


Please remember that once you are stated as the winner and I have given you the email of your winning vendor, YOU are responsible from there on to contact your vendor and claim your prize.

GOOD LUCK!

Linking up!

Im linking up to a sweet blog called Tea Rose Home! Check it out!

Calender holder gets a makeover

I bought this plain white calender holder at a garage sale for $5. I turned it sideways and an idea instantly came to me! So, here's what I started with.

Its cute and kinda plain...

A few of things you'll need:

-Spray paint ( I chose a flat black)

-Cardboard

-Batting

-Fabric

-Hot glue

-Chalkboard paint( pic below) This is the coolest stuff ever! I found it a little pricey but if you shop around you can find it for about $4.

Go ahead and spray paint away! Once it's dry, use the chalkboard paint on one of the sides. I used two coats of it just to be sure that the peg board on the back didn't soak it all up.

You can now measure a piece of card board the size of the other side. Take that an add a half an inch. Having too much and trimming it down is easier than cutting a whole new piece. And just a FYI scissors are NOT ok for cutting cardboard( Im sure you already knew that though). Its painful and slow but I was mid project and feeling a little impatient :)

Mine obviously isn't perfect.

Next comes the batting and hot glue. I put the bandaids out because I ALWAYS seem to hurt myself when Im doing a project like this. Its a "just in case"

Cut your batting the same size as your cardboard and hot glue all the edges down. Then take another layer and do the same thing. You want it pretty fluffy.

Now take your fabric and lay it over the top and then turn your cardboard over. The edges do not have to be perfect as long as it fits your good to go. Then pull the fabric tight and glue it down. Do this all the way around. If you have ever re-upholstered anything this is alot like it. Just with hot glue!

Imperfections hidden! Looking good!

Slip it in and makes sure it's secure and.... your done! I love it! I put it right above my sewing table. I always have scraps, ribbons and coupons and the pin-board is perfect for them!

Love, create, simplify. My words to try and live by. Hope you have fun! If you happen to make this project email me and let me know if it turns out for you!

A post of random things...

First things first. Its quiet...which means that Eva is napping! What?! Yes, the little one who has refused to nap for a week has just worn herself out. Now the house is quiet and I don't know where to start. I think I wandered around for almost 30 mins wondering what to do first. Floors mopped? Check! Moving on to the blog!
Since it was nice out the kids, MIL and I decided to head out to our local farmers market. I was pleasantly surprised, the price of produce is cheaper and fresher! We love fresh veggies, but I have a hard time justifying the price, when they look wilted and brown. So the farmers market might be my new destination for cool, crisp fresh food! One random thing I picked up today was Dill. I like dill and I like to use dill. This is fresh and I'm going to try my hand at drying it myself. It can't be that hard right?Along the lines of the rising prices of food...my garden is coming along nicely! The kids love eating from it, I really like to see them excited about it as well! This is the first year we've had a garden and I wasn't sure where to start. I heard that peas can survive almost anything. So, I planted them. Now we have peas, peas and peas!

On to the next random topic! I found this cool calender holder at a garage sale for $5. I instantly knew what I wanted to do with it! I'm off to find our big ol stapler...I promise to post the tutorial when I'm done!

Lastly, I decided to open an Etsy shop. I've been thinking, stewing and praying about it as well. Now that it's open I'm just so stinkin excited about it! I have to say "Thank You" to my wonderful and supportive husband who made my Etsy banner. He's like a super skilled web/java ninja! For real. So hop on over and check the shop out!

Thanks for sticking with me!

Summer fun!

Maybe someday I could actually post the things I do on the day they actually happen but generally I'm not THAT on top of it. So heres a quick look at some crafty, fun things I did this week.

For starters this is a great book by Amy and David Butler (I am slightly obsessed with Amy Butler fabrics, just sayin!) For anyone who is a first time jam/jelly maker this is the book you need. The pictures are great and the recipes are basic. Its also filled with awesome advice, and some unique bread and butter recipes. We all know how I feel about butter ( if you don't...and you want to understand then you can read it here) I want to get back to a simpler way of life, less dependent on the "boss man" grocery store and what better way than to start with simple jams and jellies?
With about 8 pounds of strawberries, I set off on a sticky adventure!

And... after a burnt batch(it would be a miracle if I actually got it right the first time) got JAM! I added some sparkly red, white and blue fabric to give it a little festiveness!
Since I had jam, now I needed bread. At several points in the day I busted out with some Sound of Music songs, I couldn't help myself! Tea a drink with jam and bread!! Well, I was in the kitchen all day and well into the night. But it was worth it. Homemade bread and homemade jam was just a little piece of heaven off my stove. I knew I should of made butter too, but I was too tired and sticky.
And of course it wouldn't be summer without some cute chubby legs running through the sprinkler! Melts my heart like a popsicle on the 4th of July.