My First Try At Pysanky (Ukrainian Eggs)

Yesterday I was trying to get some ideas for decorating eggs this year. I probably should have been thinking about this a month ago but it's too late now. I came across some beautiful Pysanky eggs and found them very interesting. So I, being spontaneous like I am, told my Mom that I was going to try them. I spent the rest of the day trying to find a place that sold kistkas (the little tools used to write with wax) but to no avail.

This morning I called a lady in Salt Lake City that teaches Pysanky classes and asked where I could find a kistka. She said I wouldn't be able to, I'd have to order online. But I wanted to do it today! She ended up offering me some kits that had the kistka, 6 dye colors, patterns and beeswax. I got it all for $10! She was such a nice person that I decided to take a class from her. I'm really looking forward to it!

Now for the egg...




I spent about 4 hours (I'm ridiculous) between drawing the design and writing with wax and dying. Thought it's far from perfect, I have to admit I'm pretty proud of the final result. It was my very first attempt AND I'd never been taught how to do it. Go me!

More Turquoise Lovin'

My love for this color grows with each amazing picture I find. Dig in!


I'm pretty sure my hubby wouldn't go for the pink, but I can dream.

Turquoise Is Officially My Favorite Color

It's official: I love turquoise! When I found Everything Turquoise it was pure elation. I'm pretty sure the name says it all.

It all started when I bought this picture frame from Kohl's on Saturday. I was trying to find out who makes it so I can see what else they might have to my liking when I came across Everything Turquoise. JOY! I encourage anyone who finds this soothing color appealing to check it out.

The Past Two Weeks

Hello blog world!! I feel I have been away so long. Forgive me, but between running two businesses for my dad (aka boss) while he's been out of the country, reading 5 of 7 Harry Potter books and having visitors it has been kind of hectic the past two weeks. But that does not mean I have been idle in my crafting! I have nearly completed my practice quilt and managed to make some little paper mache and tissue paper lanterns. Oh, I've also planted freesia, fuchsia, impatiens, baby's breath, baby's tears, paperwhites, cilantro and a whole slew of fruits and vegetables for my parents' garden. It's no wonder my house looks the way it does... which I plan on remedying tonight... ok, maybe tomorrow.


These are my paperwhites that just started blooming.

Boudoir Pillows

I have many projects-in-waiting and I think I'm gonna add this to the list. I don't have an embroidery machine, but I am going to figure out some way to make these adorable pillows. And when I do make them I will show you. You might be waiting a while, as I still have two quilts to finish and a dozen other things that I'm just itching to do. Expect to see some DIY party lights soon!

Who Loves Party Lights? I Do!

Over the past decade I've collected a variety of party lights-on-a-string, but this might just be my favorite yet!

When you buy specialty light strings you pay, in my opinion, way too much. Now you can take those extra Christmas lights that you have lying around and get creative! Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU Reese Dixon. You can find her tutorial here. If any of you try this I want to see!

Car Seat Canopy

I know, I know... another item for a baby. My sister-in-law was talking about making a car seat canopy so I thought I'd make it easy for her and post a tutorial for one. This comes from Just Because I am Me. It looks way too easy. Hope this helps!

Growing Shamrocks

In preparation for one of my favorite holidays I wanted to share this article about growing shamrocks from Martha Stewart. It combines two of my favorite things: the color green and plants.

I apologize beforehand for the lecture on "going green." Sometimes it gets a little overwhelming to hear about it constantly.

Baby Changing Pad

I love this baby changing pad tutorial from homemade by jill. Ed and I are planning on having children soon and I'm a person who can never prepare for things like this early enough. Nine months doesn't seem long enough to finish a list of projects while you're busy working full time. I'll have to give this one a try sometime. It would make a great gift too, right?

For the Love of Garland

For Christmas my sis-in-law, Lacey, made me and my sister garlands for a few holidays. She made them almost entirely of paper and they are just about the cutest things I've seen. Until then I'd never given much thought to garland, which is quite unfortunate because now I know what I've been missing out on. They're so cheery! And they add instant color to a room. I haven't taken pictures of the garlands Lacey made me yet but here and here are a few to spark some creativity.

Valentine Cupcakes

I've been telling myself for the past month or two that I'm going to make cupcakes and I finally did it! This was nothing fancy. I used a devil's food cake mix and half a package of devil's food pudding mix. I attempted making Swiss Meringue Buttercream frosting but turns out it doesn't work with margarine. At least this particular recipe didn't work. I ended up throwing away the entire batch, but at least I know now! I just used good old Betty Crocker frosting...mmm. Not as good as homemade, but it's what I had. Lemon, cherry and vanilla.


I tried doing a basket weave design. Obviously I need more practice.

As far as I can remember this is the first time I've actually used pastry bags and tips when decorating anything so I felt kinda proud. Go me! They're pretty tasty!

When I Have a Baby... and a House...

I adore this nursery from La Buena Vida. I love the colors and the simplicity of it. Someday when I have a baby (and a house so I can paint) I want something very similar to this! Of course it will have my own personal touches, but you get the idea. See more pictures here.

Vintage Cutting Board

Ok, so it's not actually vintage, but that's kinda what I was going for. I bought a plain old cutting board at a craft store for about a dollar. I didn't know what I was going to do with it but I wanted it. A few weeks later I found just the right paper for it.




I used my handy exacto knife to cut out the star, the cherry blossoms and the old school labels. I had tons of fun doing this. I painted the cutting board then sanded the edges. I should have sanded it more but oh well. I also used dry chalk around the edges of the paper to give it more of a worn look. When all was finished I went over it with my favorite medium, Mod Podge. Was it easy? Yes! Does it look fantastic in my kitchen? Yes!

Please let me know what you think!

Felt Playhouse

I just about squealed when I saw this felt playhouse. Though I don't have kids (and some day I will, right?) that doesn't mean that I can't appreciate some serious ingenuity! This felt play house from Homemade by Jill is brilliant! You transform your kitchen table into a play house by just putting this slipcover over the tabletop! I strongly suggest checking out Jill's blog along with more pictures of the felt playhouse. She's got some great ideas.

Something For Your Valentine's Day

As you all know, I love blog surfing. My favorites are the do-it-yourself kinds. I love the feeling of seeing something and thinking, "I could totally do that!" The DIY Show Off is one of those blogs that always has great ideas for all levels of crafters. In honor of The Pink Holiday (as Suzanne calls it) I'm posting some awesome V-Day craft ideas from The DIY Show Off and featured guests. They're all inexpensive so why not try more than one?



Valentine's Topiary



My personal favorite, the Wooden Love Banner



Here's the scoop, I like you!




Kiss, Kiss!



Love Birds, another favorite

Yummy Pincushions!

Check out these tasty looking Homegrown Tomato and Teacup pincushions from none other than Martha Stewart. After looking through some of her craft ideas I'm thinking I need to visit her more often. Is that super cliche? Martha Stewart? Either way, these are sweet.

A closer look at the Teacup pincushion made me realize that my mom received something VERY similar for a Christmas gift from a neighbor, only instead of a teacup they made a cupcake. The top is identical, but the base was made from some sort of ribbing. You can find each of the tutorial for the Teacup/Cupcake at the link above. I am so going to make some of these!

Free Stuff Rocks

I came across this little beauty while blog surfing (one of my new favorite past times at work). The good news is that it's free through Valentine's Day! I love me a little hand-stitched goodness. Check out Urban Threads other great stuff while you're there, including their awesome tutorials! Trust me, you'll like it.

A word of caution: if you're anything like me, all of this talk about embroidery will make you want to get an embroidery machine! But they're just so dang expensive!

The Practice Quilt

A month or two ago I started working on my practice quilt. I didn't care how the end result looked, as long as I learned something! But once I had sewn all the blocks together it looked nice and I decided to keep going with it. It's now a 58" x 51" quilt that very closely resembles something you'd make a baby. Honestly I just used scraps of fabric I had left over from some other projects and they happened to all coordinate. Don't judge. But someday it will be for a little girl, we just don't have one at the moment.




When I finally finished the quilt top I opted to quilt my quilt (not tie it). I've never done this before but I figured there's no better way to learn than on a practice quilt. So that's exactly what I'm doing. I "stitched in the ditch" for the center of the quilt, around the blocks. I'm hand quilting everything else. I think it's easier than what I first imagined, but it is time consuming. I'm having fun though and it's a great outlet! I'm so glad Edward made a quilt frame for me because it's coming in handy.

Stuffed Mushrooms

This is the first time I've posted a recipe (my own, too) so if I leave something out, forgive me. I made these for the first time last night and I love them! My brother made some a couple of weeks ago and they were eaten up so fast! He couldn't find the recipe he used so I just made my own. Enjoy!

about 30 small - medium size mushrooms (I used baby portobellos)
12 oz package of ground sausage (I used Jimmy Dean)
about 3/4 cup soft bread crumbs (I made my own in the food processor)
2 beaten eggs
about 1 cup shredded cheese (I used cheddar flavored rice cheese since I'm allergic to dairy)
onion powder
garlic powder
salt

Remove the stems from mushrooms and chop fine in food processor.
Cook sausage over med-high heat. Chop fine in food processor.
In a large bowl combine cooked sausage, mushroom stems, bread crumbs, 2 beaten eggs and cheese. Cook over med-low heat until thoroughly heated and cheese is melted.
Add onion powder, garlic powder and salt to taste.
Remove from heat.
Arrange mushrooms in baking pan or on a cookie sheet. Stuff with cooked mixture.
Bake at 375 degrees for 10-15 mins.

Experiment with different seasonings! I haven't had a chance to do it yet since this was my first time making them. I took some pictures of the finished mushrooms but none of them turned out. Just imagine that they look really good!

Just Another Card

I ended up making a birthday card for my soon-to-be 25 year old brother and this is how it turned out. It's fun... and I'll admit I stole the idea from Allison's Love Birds card. I used my Cricut to cut out the letters and branches and my exacto knife (love it!) to cut out the owls. On the inside of the card is a cute little bear and snail. I used Glossy Accents to make the owls eyes stand out and to raise some of the dots in the background. I love paper.


On another note, I finished my "practice quilt" top yesterday! I totally spaced taking pictures of it so I'll add some soon. It turned out great for a practice run!

Cards for Thought?

I love getting ideas from other bloggers. Here is today's contribution from me and my friend Allison. It was her first time making cards and I think she's brilliant! No stamps were used in the making of these cards. We used some Glossy Accents to add highlights. Enjoy!

Allison's "Love Birds"

Why does this LOVE card remind me of a Beatles song?

An Evolving Blog

Welcome to my new blog! I'm dedicating this blog to my self-described crafting and DIY experiences. As I learn and grow so will this blog. I am inspired by others who have shared their experiences and have helped me learn. I know it sounds super cheesy but it's true. Last year at this time I would have laughed if you had told me I would be starting a blog like this. But here I am! I look forward to sharing what I know with you!