Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Class Windchimes {Teacher Gift}

Things really get busy with 2 kids in school, huh? I'm always amazed by how much we get done by noon now.

Anyway, Finn's teacher's birthday is coming up next month and my neighbor (who also has a boy in Finn's class--YES, it's all my housewife dreams come true!) suggested we make her a windchime.

We went out and bought some metal alphabet stampers. Who knew they're sold at Hobby Lobby and only $12 (even less with 40% coupon)? Then we got some metal washers and stamped each child in the class' name on them. We went back and forth about what to hang them on, but while shopping at Goodwill, we spotted a cute door hanger and that was settled. I upcycled it by cleaning it up a bit and Mod-Podging the teacher's name to the bottom.

I added the teacher's name to it and voila! I think it was just such a great idea and a really cool way to remember the class!



I'll be linking up here!

And I'm entering this into Sew Dang Cute Crafts' Upcycled Linky Contest. Go check it out!

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Welcome Fall {Bag Personalization}

Last week was my birthday, and it was fabulous! My dear friend gave me this purse I've been wanting:


And a few days later I was in Hobby Lobby (spending the gift card my mom gave me) and came across this lovely print on clearance:


I mixed the two together...:


And got a fab new personalized purse! I love it and the colors so remind me of fall:


I'll be linking up here.

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Pina Colada Rum Cake {Recipe}



I have been sitting on this recipe for a couple of months now (I actually got it from my local liquor store), just waiting for a chance to make a cake--so I finally made it for my birthday last week!

It was amazing.

I'm a chocolate and icing kind of girl, but I didn't miss either of them at all.

***Non-alcholic version instructions (for kids and preggos) are at the bottom of the recipe***


Pina Colada Rum Cake

1 box pineapple cake mix
1 package (4-serving size) coconut pudding mix--I used vanilla on one of the cakes and it was just as yummy!
4 eggs
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup pineapple rum
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup sweetened coconut flakes

Glaze:
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup water
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup coconut rum

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a bundt pan, or use Baker's Joy spray. Sprinkle chopped pecans and coconut flakes over the bottom of the pan.

In a large bowl, combine cake mix and pudding mix. Mix in the eggs, water, oil and pineapple rum. Blend well. Pour batter over nuts and coconut flakes in the pan. Bake in preheated oven for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Cool in pan while you prepare glaze.

To make the glaze, bring butter, water and sugar to a boil over medium heat. Stir constantly for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add in the coconut rum.

Remove cake from pan. Pour half of the glaze into the empty bundt pan and then place the cake back into the pan to absorb the glaze. Poke holes into the bottom of the cake while it is in the pan and pour the rest of the glaze over the bottom. Let the glaze absorb for at least 20 minutes. Remove from pan into serving dish.

***Kid-friendly version****
To make it kid-friendly, simple boil the coconut rum in the glaze instead of adding it in at the end.

Enjoy!





I'll be linking up here!

Thursday, September 8, 2011

It's My Birthday and I'll Be Indulgent If I Want To

A. age: 29. Today. Whee. 


B. Bed size: Queen

C. chore you hate: Vacuuming. Too much exercise.

D. dogs: one. A beagle. He barks a lot.

E. essential start to your day: A tiny bit of juice and a big bit of coffee
F. favorite color: Green. and Purple. and Pink. and Blue.
G. gold or silver: Used to be die-hard silver, but I must be getting old b/c gold is growing on me.
H. height: 5 feet 3 inches on a good day.
I. instruments you play: I took piano for 6 months once. I can play a mean kazoo.

J. job title: Special Services Teller. Sewist.
K. kids: Two...and my cat.
L. live in: Not sayin. Too freaky after watching Catfish.

M. maiden name: Lucas
N. nicknames: My in-laws still call me Love Kitten, Scott calls me Kitty and my Mom still calls me Elizabeth.

O. overnight hospital stays: 2. Although I really wanted to go home the second I gave birth to Kiki.

P. pet peeve: When people say things that are obvious.


Q. quote: "Her?" from Arrested Development

R. righty or lefty: right.

S. siblings: 1 sister and 1 brother
T. time you wake up: Earlier than I'd like. Usually 7:01, unless my demented brain wakes me up earlier and I can't fall back asleep. Happening a lot lately.
U. university attended: UCO for bachelor's, OSU for master's.

V. vegetables you dislike: Okra. Uck. Not even fried.

W. what makes you run late: The kids and their damn shoes.


X. x-rays you’ve had: Never. But I've had to hold down Kiki for a couple.
Y. yummy food: Nutella!


Z. zoo animal favorite: The ostriches are always up to something sneaky.

if you want to play along with the a to z game...GO FOR IT! you are all officially tagged!

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Superhero Nap Mat


A friend of mine asked if I could sew a Captain America nap mat for her son. I love making stuff for my friends, and I always love a challenge!

I started by using this tutorial from Prudent Baby, but I ended up changing it so much, that I could have done my own tutorial (had I taken pictures).

I made the top as a pillowcase, so that the pillow could be taken out when it's washed.

Folded up:

Or down:


The blanket is attached and made of cozy fleece:

And it all rolls up and velcro's shut! I took some creative license and put his name on the outside. Hope he likes it!

I'll be linking up here.

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Sprucing Up the Master Bedroom

Guest post written by Angela Lee

It's easy to forget to take care of yourself when you have young children running around that need constant attention. Now that we finally bought a bed for our oldest, who graduated from a crib, we can focus on redecorating our master bedroom as a special treat for mom and dad. However, I don't know when the next time we'll be able to redecorate our room, so I want to make the best of it now.



I looked online to get some ideas on doing some DIY decorations for it and while I was doing that, I ran across the site homeproimprovement.com. After I looked through it I showed it to my husband, who said we could use it to get new windows, which is on our list on home chores.


We're well on our way to completing the master bedroom makeover. I painted our headboard a nice color and bought a new comforter. Besides that purchase, I'm doing DIY for everything else. I'm also painting a few other things in the room, including the frame for a big mirror we have hanging on the wall. It's amazing what a few pans of paint can do to a room.



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