Giveaway Winner

Is number 2 - Cambric! Congrats!

Make sure to get your entering fingers ready for next month.  I'm debating between a purse, or a clutch.  Any preferences?? :D

Monthly Giveaway #1 - CLOSED

Hello! Happy Friday!  Today, we are having our first monthly giveaway!  It's easy peasy to enter, and here is what is up for grabs:

A crocheted flower with a scrubbie center, and a crocheted dishcloth.  Both are handmade by me. :D

To enter:
1. Leave a comment
2. Be a follower - and leave a comment saying you are
3. Like us on facebook - and leave a comment saying you did (Button is on the right of our blog!)
Fine print: Will ship to the US and Canada.  Will email if you win, so please make sure to either leave your email, or have an email attached to your blog id. Giveaway will close on Monday morning, May 29th.

So there you have it!  Every month we will be having something handmade or supplies for something for you to make.  Just a little something to say thank you for reading our ramblings, sharing our love of crafting, and inspiring us yourselves!

~Tiffany and Melissa~

Moving

My lovely sister, Melissa, is moving closer to me! About 5 minutes away from the now 3000 miles!! I am so excited!  We will have some lovely crafting time in a couple of weeks.  To celebrate this, I think we will be starting a *giveaway* tradition.  A once a month thing.  So check back tomorrow - you don't wanna miss it! :D

Love to all the followers!!
<3

_Tiffany_

Bells

Love these in the garden!

Happy Easter!!

Hope you all have a fun filled holiday weekend! <3

Moo Moo lunch bag

Here is my latest project! The pattern is from Joann's 

I return to work on Wednesday from the best 10 weeks of maternity leave ever. sigh

Since I am breastfeeding, I have to pump at work.  With my first child, I would just take a brown paper bag to store the milk in the fridge so that no one could see it.  But sometimes the bag would get wet and the bag would just fall apart.

I decided to whip up this quick bag. I skipped the insul-bright because the bag would be straight in the refrigerator after I pumped, and because my commute from work is ten minutes, so I didn't need the extra lining.  

I used the cow fabric from my stash. Thought it was cute. Kind of letting everyone know not to open my bag in the fridge! :D

FlashCards Love

I have recently made an Etsy Purchase I just had to gush about!

Number and Alphabet Flash Cards made by Katie.

Check them out in her shop here

She just added the Colors set and Shapes set. I bought those today and can't wait to print them out.  At $3 a  PDF set, they are a steal of a deal! You can print them out as many times as you want and get your kids to learning! :D  

I stole the pictures above from her blog, so stop by and take a look around. You might just fall in love like I did!  And hopefully those of you that have a toddler will go take a look at the awesome flash cards too!

My New Toy

Does this mean my crafting might suffer? Maybe.  But I think it's more like - another creative outlet can only help.  Isn't that how it works?? ;)

Springtime In Wisconsin - Wordless Wednesday

Going Manual

Recently I won an ebook from this giveaway.  

The book is called Say No to Auto! and you can buy your own copy here

I have been a bit terrified of switching to the manual mode on my camera because I don't know what I am doing. I do know that I just have the "kit" lens, and I still have a lot to learn, but today was my first day. I said No to auto.  I just did what Kristen suggests. I took a couple of pictures and didn't worry what they looked like, but rather just played with my settings.  Here are some of the pictures.  We had a bit of a rough potty training day, so we stayed indoors near the window instead of finding open shade outside.

These are two straight out of camera from AUTO:

And here are two straight out of camera on MANUAL:

These reflect more of a true coloring of what she was looking like.  I still have lots to learn, but it was fun experimenting today. 

Quilt in progress

For a baby in our ward,  kurt and I worked on this together. Will be perfect for the family. :-)

Tiffany

Do you own a Nuby Breast Pump?

Okay, so I recently purchased a Nuby Natural Touch Rhythm Breast Pump.  Wouldn't it be my luck that during the last couple of weeks of pregnancy baby brain, I lost the instructions manual?

If anyone has this breast pump, can I please get a copy of the instructions manual?

Thanks friends!

Yummy cookies

That's right,  cookies for breakfast.  But they have Oatmeal so it's okay. Harriet homemaker shared this recipe and I had to try them. Yum!

Baby Eleanor

Since my lovely sister Melissa is spending time with her adorable little girly...I'm posting some pictures to share with all of you.




Isn't she a cutie?  And Missy was right!  She was a good solid 8 lbs plus!

Baby Day

Today is the day.

In about twenty minutes, my husband and I get in the car and drive off to the hospital.

In about three days, we will be bringing home baby number two. Our sweet little girl.

I hope that you all have a wonderful rest of the week.

This is me a month and a half ago. So little then!  She was probably a light six pound baby.  My guess? She will be a solid 8 pound baby.

Help me Win - vote for my love story

Go to facebook and like Ebel Photography.  Then vote for my story! (Or, if you like the other stories better, you can vote for them).  You simply have to like ebel photography, and under your favorite couples story comment "vote".  Easy peasy! <3

Tiny Tot Tote

Today I whipped this up:

It was so easy, and the instructions were very clear! I follower the tutorial from Harriet Homemaker.

I think it turned out super cute?  Yes?

You should try out the tutorial.  Make bags for all the little ones in your life - I know I can make a dozen more and find happy hands and homes :D

Do you love free Printables too?

Sometimes its just plain nice to have a free printable ready for you. 

Check out these sweet Valentine's Day printables from Sweet Art Boutique.

Leave her some comment love while you are there! 

Thanks

Facebook Re-do

First, I want to thank everyone that is being super patient with me as I'm reconnecting our facebook page!

Thanks!

Also, I have added the new facebook like button over to the right. 

I have linked our blog posts so you can get updates there. I will also have a giveaway soon for just our facebook friends!  Thanks again!!

Kirsti Koo Pattern Review

Have you been over to Kirsti Koo's blog yet? It's a must! 

Kirsti is very talented.  Her etsy shop has patterns that any seamstress would enjoy using!

I am reviewing Kirstikoo's Super Hero Cape Pattern. A-ma-zing!

I couldn't get a great picture because my two year old is at the point where he doesn't have the patience to take pictures with mom.  Here are the best pictures I could get (potty training underwear and all)

What I loved about this pattern: It comes with all the letters of the alphabet to customize for your superhero.  It is easy to follow, clearly written, and easy to print at the correct size.  Working with the satin-y material can be difficult, but following the steps in the pattern made it much more manageable.  I was able to finish this project in a short amount of time which is also important to me right now. :D

I was worried that the pattern didn't call for any type of fusible interfacing to piece the super hero emblem to the sating, but by following the steps in the pattern, it worked perfectly! I didn't have any puckering!  The pattern comes with a Superman shield as the pattern where the letter goes, but I wanted to have more of a diamond shape, so I just added the second point on the opposite side, creating a diamond.

Overall, I loved this pattern.  Easy to follow and Easy to put together.  A fast project that looks like I spent a lot of time on it!  I am going to be making some of these for nieces and nephews, that is for sure!

You can get your pattern today at the Kirstikoo etsy shop.  If you buy the superhero accesory set you can get the cape pattern for free! That is a great deal! Go check it out and let Kirsti know I sent you!

Thanks Kirtsi for letting me review your awesome pattern!

***The review of this pattern is my sole opinion. I didnt receive any money for this review. I received the pattern for free to review and gave my honest opinion. 

Pink Sweet Treats has a pattern review and giveaway

Tiffany's blog has a pattern review and giveaway going on right now.

Make sure to check it out!

Thanks

My Valentine Table Topper

When at my LQS, they had this easy quilt as you go looking table topper - so I snatched it up! (about 5 bucks, can't beat that!!)

So, I whipped this beauty up.  LOVE IT!!  Was super quick and easy, and makes me feel the love in the air....

Gotta love hearts...

Doesn't this make you feel all lovey??



Linking with:

Swaperoos Valentine's Day Swap

Who doesn't love Valentine's Day?  I do! That is why I signed up for the Swaperoo's Valentine's Day Swap! I am really excited!  Go check it out and let them know we sent you!  It should be a really great swap and you have until the 17th to decide if you want to enter!

Do you have any secrets to share?

Do you possibly live in a small space, and make the most of it?
Do you have a small room (most commonly the kitchen), and still manage to live well?
Do you live with someone else (roommates, in laws, parents) - and get along?
Do you have a small family in a little apartment and no where to store the kids clothes (let alone any crafting supplies or fabric?!)
Do you live in a townhome or garage and have a unique idea of where to store your holiday decorations and storage?

If so - we might be in similar boats!

Would you like to share your story with us? Tell us how you stay organized?

We are planning on a two week little "blog party" sharing our tips and tricks, and featuring you and your tips, tricks, and survival/coping mechanisms.

Crockpot Chicken and Salsa

Coming up with ideas for dinner is not my favorite thing to do.  Somehow though, having a helper makes the preparation of dinner easier!  My two year old LOVES to cook dinner with me.  He knows when I get home from work its our time in the kitchen.  Just this past week we made pizza bagels with mini pepperoni and I let him put the cheese and pepperoni on.  He is really good about keeping it on the pan too!

One of the homemade gifts this year was his own Apron.  He loved it when he opened it, but in this picture I asked him to wear it so I could take a picture, but he wouldn't smile-- Toy Story was on! 

Easy Crockpot Chicken and Salsa

3-4 Chicken Breasts 

1 jar of your favorite salsa (I used Pace medium shown here)

1 can of corn (optional)

Cook in the crockpot on low for 6-8 hours.  Chicken will be shreddable and excellent as Arroz con Pollo (chicken and rice), tacos, with toppings like cheese and sour cream, on nachos, etc. 

  This recipe is great because you can vary the taste depending on the salsa use. Green Salsa, Black Bean Salsa, Raspberry Chipotle, etc.   You could use instead of salsa, a can or two of Rotel.

Sadly I didn't have time to make beans, so we used Refried beans from our food storage.  

New Year, New Start

Let's all take a breath and relax a minute.  Holiday madness is over, the rush to finish gifts is done, and now it's time to start over.

With the new year, and resolutions, we have the chance to start again.

So here's to a new year -
may we all make resolutions we can keep
may we all craft more, love more, and have more gratitude.

And just because we all need something fun to do....check this out.



blocklotto.blogspot.com

I just joined it, and finished washing fabric, so off to piece a block or two today. :D

Bright Blocks Table Runner

What started out as a bunch of strips of brightly colored fabric, soon turned into my first Table Runner.  I didn't know what I was doing, so I asked Tiffany a lot of questions, Googled some tutorials, and made up my own design.  

My friend Madison is getting married today and I wanted her to have something fun and springy for her table.  This is the end product:

I drew up a basic design and then Jesse and I laid out the pieces. I had sewed my strips together and then cut them and turned them so that they were going all kinds of ways. 

piecing it together

One of the 16 stitches on my sewing machine.  What is that? I should have more than 16 stitches? I thought so too! My husband bought me a new sewing machine for Christmas!! I haven't been able to play with it yet, but I know it will be lots of fun! 

The front

The back and my first attempt at hand stitching binding on.

Wow! After this table runner, I feel like making a quilt. I really hope Madison and her new husband enjoy it and that it will bring a smile to their faces