Who doesn't like free stuff, right? Well Tabatha over at Momma Smells A Deal has an awesome blog where she posts some of the best mom freebies on the web. And this isn't a giveaway type thing, everyone can get the free stuff, you're always a winner! :)
I recommend everyone check it out.
And stay tuned. I have been scouring the web and am in a particularly crafty mood lately so may have some crafts and DIY projects coming up very soon! Among them you can expect an awesome felt quiet book for baby, or toddler, or child. It's so fun because you can really customize it for any age!
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Tips for Tueday- Rearranging A Room
Why does blogging feel like a chore this week? I usually love to blog and enjoy finding great things to share, and still do, it's just the getting it posted part that is annoying. For example, yesterday I took all the pictures and thought up the post for my cooking blog but I just never got around to publishing the post. *sigh* I am in cram mode now!
Anyhow, today is a post on something I plan to be doing in my office/craft room in the very near future. Rearranging! Sometimes, you have a room in your house that no matter what, just does not stay organized. And it's not always the fault of people who use the room, sometimes, the room is just not set up to optimize organization.
So where to start? First off, don't move anything!
Grab some graphing paper and measure the room. Figure out a scale that will work on the sized paper you have draw out the the room include any columns if they are in the room, windows, doors, etc.,
Then, get another sheet of graphing paper and some scratch paper. On the scratch paper, measure all of the furniture that you want in the room, sofas, desks, chairs, EVERYTHING! One by one, draw out the perimeter of the furniture/item to go in the room on your spare graphing paper (to the same scale as your room paper) and then cut-out each item.
The fun and easy part is next. Now you can arrange all the furniture on the paper without straining your muscles moving something to one side of the room only having to push it somewhere else later! This is what I did for our son's nursery and it was a lifesaver!
When you chart things out this way, you will be surprised how much furniture you can fit in a room without it feeling crammed or cluttered.
Once you have figured out your furniture arrangement, think about accents. Would shelves on the wall above a dresser make the room more functional? How will you utilize closet space? Plan out a place for as many items as possible, and then get to work making your mental image a reality.
It is so much easier to make sense of things spatially and organizationally when you can think out before just going in there and moving stuff around!
Good luck! I promise to post my office makeover when it is complete.
Anyhow, today is a post on something I plan to be doing in my office/craft room in the very near future. Rearranging! Sometimes, you have a room in your house that no matter what, just does not stay organized. And it's not always the fault of people who use the room, sometimes, the room is just not set up to optimize organization.
So where to start? First off, don't move anything!
Grab some graphing paper and measure the room. Figure out a scale that will work on the sized paper you have draw out the the room include any columns if they are in the room, windows, doors, etc.,
Then, get another sheet of graphing paper and some scratch paper. On the scratch paper, measure all of the furniture that you want in the room, sofas, desks, chairs, EVERYTHING! One by one, draw out the perimeter of the furniture/item to go in the room on your spare graphing paper (to the same scale as your room paper) and then cut-out each item.
The fun and easy part is next. Now you can arrange all the furniture on the paper without straining your muscles moving something to one side of the room only having to push it somewhere else later! This is what I did for our son's nursery and it was a lifesaver!
When you chart things out this way, you will be surprised how much furniture you can fit in a room without it feeling crammed or cluttered.
Once you have figured out your furniture arrangement, think about accents. Would shelves on the wall above a dresser make the room more functional? How will you utilize closet space? Plan out a place for as many items as possible, and then get to work making your mental image a reality.
It is so much easier to make sense of things spatially and organizationally when you can think out before just going in there and moving stuff around!
Good luck! I promise to post my office makeover when it is complete.
Monday, September 6, 2010
Make It Yourself Monday - Apple Pie Pops and mini apple pies!
In honor of Labor Day, today's make it yourself is getting a little American with some great apple pie variations!
You can start with your favorite prepared apple pie filling. I usually just do cut up apples with cinnamon, brown sugar, and a little bit of nutmeg. Set the filling aside in a bowl and prepare your pie crust, you can use any pie crust but for the pops you will want enough to line a baking sheet twice.
Now comes the fun part!
Apple Pie Pops:
1. On a greased baking sheet roll out your pie crust and use cookie cutters or another shaped object to cut out the dough. This can get really fun because you can use star shapes for 4th of July, hearts for valentine's (use cherry pie filling for red!), and just get creative!
2. Drop a spoonful of your apple mixture into the center of the each pie dough shape and then add your lollipop stick.
3. Cut out a second copy of your pie crust shape and place this over your pop. Crimp the edges securely, you may want to fold it over a little.
4. You can brush whisked egg yolk and water over each pop for a brown, flaky crust and sprinkle a little cinnamon and sugar over it too.
5. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
Mini Apple Pies:
1. Get a muffin pan and grease it. Cut out circles in your pie crust slightly larger than the muffin tin, and press the crust into it as you would to a regular pie pan.
2. Add filling.
3. Add lattice topping
4. Bake according to your pie instructions, or until crust is browned.
And if you want to go all out you can make cute little apple shaped personal pies with the mold from Williams-Sonoma
A perfect treat, that happens to be as easy as pie.
You can start with your favorite prepared apple pie filling. I usually just do cut up apples with cinnamon, brown sugar, and a little bit of nutmeg. Set the filling aside in a bowl and prepare your pie crust, you can use any pie crust but for the pops you will want enough to line a baking sheet twice.
Now comes the fun part!
Apple Pie Pops:
1. On a greased baking sheet roll out your pie crust and use cookie cutters or another shaped object to cut out the dough. This can get really fun because you can use star shapes for 4th of July, hearts for valentine's (use cherry pie filling for red!), and just get creative!
2. Drop a spoonful of your apple mixture into the center of the each pie dough shape and then add your lollipop stick.
3. Cut out a second copy of your pie crust shape and place this over your pop. Crimp the edges securely, you may want to fold it over a little.
4. You can brush whisked egg yolk and water over each pop for a brown, flaky crust and sprinkle a little cinnamon and sugar over it too.
5. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
Mini Apple Pies:
1. Get a muffin pan and grease it. Cut out circles in your pie crust slightly larger than the muffin tin, and press the crust into it as you would to a regular pie pan.
2. Add filling.
3. Add lattice topping
4. Bake according to your pie instructions, or until crust is browned.
And if you want to go all out you can make cute little apple shaped personal pies with the mold from Williams-Sonoma
A perfect treat, that happens to be as easy as pie.
Friday, September 3, 2010
Transitioning to Milk
Well, the day has finally come and we have gotten permission from the pediatrician to start our 10 month old on milk.
He said to start giving him 4oz. of formula mixed with 2 oz. milk for 1 week, and see how he does.
The first week is almost over and he's been great! Loves his food, no upset tummy as far as I can tell, and our formula is lasting a bit longer which is nice.
Next week, I think we are supposed to start doing 2 oz. formula with 4 oz. milk. I honestly can't remember if it was that or half milk half formula though. So the plan is to start with half and half for a few days and if he does good then maybe switch it around Wednesday or Thursday.
This has also been a gerat way to start transitioning to a sippy cup. I've noticed he won't drink his regular formula out of a sippy cup, it's like he needs a different drink. So I have started giving him his combo formilk in the sippy cup and it is a great success!
I'm really excited to not have to spend money on formula anymore, but honestly, we are now going through milk really fast! Regardless, the milk is definitely cheaper. I guess i'll just have to buy more milk at a time :)
Hope you all have a great week, I am working on some fun crafts for next week.
He said to start giving him 4oz. of formula mixed with 2 oz. milk for 1 week, and see how he does.
The first week is almost over and he's been great! Loves his food, no upset tummy as far as I can tell, and our formula is lasting a bit longer which is nice.
Next week, I think we are supposed to start doing 2 oz. formula with 4 oz. milk. I honestly can't remember if it was that or half milk half formula though. So the plan is to start with half and half for a few days and if he does good then maybe switch it around Wednesday or Thursday.
This has also been a gerat way to start transitioning to a sippy cup. I've noticed he won't drink his regular formula out of a sippy cup, it's like he needs a different drink. So I have started giving him his combo formilk in the sippy cup and it is a great success!
I'm really excited to not have to spend money on formula anymore, but honestly, we are now going through milk really fast! Regardless, the milk is definitely cheaper. I guess i'll just have to buy more milk at a time :)
Hope you all have a great week, I am working on some fun crafts for next week.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Adding Pockets to Clothes Tutorial
What mom, or kid for that matter, doesn't need more pockets? I know many a times at church I have tried to stash my cell phone in my dress or skirt only to have it fall straight to the floor because my skirt had no pockets!
Well, lament no more. I bring you a fabulous tutorial to add hidden pockets to clothes (although personally, i think front pockets are cute and fun). Sometimes it's nice to have a secret pocket somewhere for you know, phones, rocks, seashells, marshmallows (for secret eating)...
Notes From A Very Red Kitchen is here to deliver that for you. Enjoy the tutorial!
Well, lament no more. I bring you a fabulous tutorial to add hidden pockets to clothes (although personally, i think front pockets are cute and fun). Sometimes it's nice to have a secret pocket somewhere for you know, phones, rocks, seashells, marshmallows (for secret eating)...
Notes From A Very Red Kitchen is here to deliver that for you. Enjoy the tutorial!
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Tips for Tuesday- Keep Your Cool
Let me paint a picture for you. It's 7:30pm, your child should be asleep, but he's not, he's been fussy and cranky all day. You're waiting for your husband to come home so that you can go grocery shopping for this week's dinner but he is nowhere to be found. You try to clip coupons but the little one rips the circulars from your hands, frustrated you move to the other side of the room. Five minutes later, you hear a loud crash and see that your favorite floor lamp has been pulled to the ground and shattered by your precious child. He is safe, but your lamp is beyond repair.
Is this hard to imagine? It shouldn't be because it is a true life experience of what my day was like today. So what did I do? I did the best I could. I put my son in his crib so he wouldn't walk into the broken glass, and cleaned up for a bit. I was still really frustrated so I let my son hang out for awhile in his crib still, not very happy but safe. When I calmed down and finished cleaning up, I took him out and brought him grocery shopping playing some of my favorite tunes along the way.
It helped a great deal and if you were reading closely you can pull out some good "Keep Your Cool" tips from my experience today:
1- Remember 90% of the time, whatever it is that's frustrating you was just an accident and what's done is done.
2- Keep your child in a safe place and take some time for yourself
3- Listen to some music that helps you with your feelings, and then switch to something relaxing. Personally, I go from Taking Back Sunday to Missy Higgins. i love them both
4- Take your mind off of it. Go grocery shopping, to the library, somewhere you enjoy and can focus on something else.
5- Exercise. Running, yoga, cycling, all of these are great stress relievers and help you get rid of extra negative energy.
Also, don't underestimate the power of deep breathing, and even just talking to yourself to sort out your feelings and work out your next step.
Is this hard to imagine? It shouldn't be because it is a true life experience of what my day was like today. So what did I do? I did the best I could. I put my son in his crib so he wouldn't walk into the broken glass, and cleaned up for a bit. I was still really frustrated so I let my son hang out for awhile in his crib still, not very happy but safe. When I calmed down and finished cleaning up, I took him out and brought him grocery shopping playing some of my favorite tunes along the way.
It helped a great deal and if you were reading closely you can pull out some good "Keep Your Cool" tips from my experience today:
1- Remember 90% of the time, whatever it is that's frustrating you was just an accident and what's done is done.
2- Keep your child in a safe place and take some time for yourself
3- Listen to some music that helps you with your feelings, and then switch to something relaxing. Personally, I go from Taking Back Sunday to Missy Higgins. i love them both
4- Take your mind off of it. Go grocery shopping, to the library, somewhere you enjoy and can focus on something else.
5- Exercise. Running, yoga, cycling, all of these are great stress relievers and help you get rid of extra negative energy.
Also, don't underestimate the power of deep breathing, and even just talking to yourself to sort out your feelings and work out your next step.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Make It Yourself Monday - Low to No Sew Halter Top
I got the original idea for this from Found in The Ali's No Sew Halter Top tutorial I just tweaked it a bit to meet my needs.
Instead of using a large T-shirt I used some fabric I have been wanting to turn into an article of clothing. I sewed the fabric into a tube and then just followed the tutorial.
Also, to make things a little different I made a braided halter top strap and used that to tie on the front ends instead of just a strip of fabric.
I didn't like the idea of the strips tied all together in the back because it just didn't work right for me, so I also braided a backing strap and tied that to it as well.
Altogether very similar, and very easy! I love my new braided halter top and it only cost me $2.00 unlike the ones going for over $15.00 in stores.
Instead of using a large T-shirt I used some fabric I have been wanting to turn into an article of clothing. I sewed the fabric into a tube and then just followed the tutorial.
Also, to make things a little different I made a braided halter top strap and used that to tie on the front ends instead of just a strip of fabric.
I didn't like the idea of the strips tied all together in the back because it just didn't work right for me, so I also braided a backing strap and tied that to it as well.
Altogether very similar, and very easy! I love my new braided halter top and it only cost me $2.00 unlike the ones going for over $15.00 in stores.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)