No time to be bored

Flower & Lace Hair Clips - Tutorial

2012-02-16T10:27:00.001-07:00

Let me start by saying this is a super easy & quick project!

(No glue needed, no sewing, just fast & easy.)

So no excuses not to try this :)

Begin by gathering your supplies:

* Lace

* Flowers (You want the kind that comes apart, like most of them do)

*Brads (preferably with long legs)

*Alligator hair clips (The one with an opening in the center, as pictured)

The only tool you'll need are scissors...

Begin by taking your flower apart as pictured below.

Take off the plastic piece in the back, and separate your flower.

You might find some plastic pieces in between, you won't need these...

Next, cut a strip of lace, and poke your brad through the end as pictured below.

Then, start pleating or folding your strip, and push the brad to each pleat to keep it in place.

Work your way around.

If your strip is too long, you can trim it, if it's too short, just add another one.

Slip the smallest of your flowers on the brad behind the lace center you just created.

Then, cut a piece of lace about the same size of that flower.

Fold it as pictured (double it twice).

Trim the corners.

Open it, you created 4 petals.

And repeat once.

Now, slip these 2 pieces of lace onto the brad, as pictured below.

Then, add the next flower (one that's bigger than the previous one).

Keep repeating by layering lace and flowers till you have the desired result.

You can trim the lace if you want to.

Then, take your alligator clip.

Open it, and slip your brad through the top prong as pictured below.

Fasten your brad by bending the legs.

And you're done!

Now, if you are worried that the flower could come off,

or if you think this is just TOO simple,

you could use your glue gun...

(But I have used them just like this and it usually works just fine.)

But for gift giving or for little girls to wear them, I prefer to have them a little more secure.

In that case, you can secure the brad by putting a little glue on top of the legs of the brad.

Or you can go all out and glue some felt on top of the brad and then glue the alligator clip on top of that.

Now, enjoy your beautiful hair clips.

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All you need is love - free printable

2012-02-10T13:39:00.002-07:00

I created this printable a while ago and found it again today while searching for something else.

So I decided to share it...

I made it in 4 colors and don't know which one I prefer, so here they all are.

Print your favorite and use it as a card or to decorate your home...

Enjoy!

Lovely Cards

2012-02-06T12:48:00.001-07:00

This weekend I attended a fun workshop at a friend's house.

It has been a while that we did something like that, and I really enjoyed it!

We made these awesome cards, demonstrated by Penny.

You really have to check out her blog Stamps'N'Smiles, she is so talented and creative!

Not only did we make cards,

we also made this cute little box that holds some chocolates.

Loving all of it!

Flower canvas wall art - a tutorial

2012-02-01T13:41:00.003-07:00

A few days ago I tackled this project.

It had been on my to do list for a while,

and when my husband was out of town this weekend,

I parked the kids at the table with a craft,

and joined them with my own project...

I have seen a similar project with petals cut out of fabric,

but I decided to use scrapbook paper.

I loved how easy and quick it was!

Here is a list of materials needed:

* Canvas

* Craft Paint (background)

* Mod Podge

* 5 coordinating scrapbook papers

Tools:

* Foam paint brush

* Scissors

Begin by squirting some paint on your canvas.

Use the foam brush to spread it evenly.

Let dry and repeat if necessary.

(Since I used a dark color, it took 2 layers.)

Don't forget the sides.

Then, cut petal shapes from the patterned paper.

No need to be precise, I just freehanded them.

This is a very simple, basic shape, and that is why the project comes together so quickly.

Lay the petals on the canvas.

I liked to start somewhere off-center, and let some of the petals run off the canvas.

One petal at a time, glue the petals onto the canvas with Mod Podge.

I just glued the petals onto the sides too, I always like it when the print of a canvas continues on the sides...

Trim off extra pieces on the back.

That's it!

Simple, right?!

The whole time I was working on it, I thought I would put it up vertically.

But I like it this way, too...

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Some random projects: crochet baby cardigan, ruffle scarf and vinyl snowflakes

2012-01-25T12:19:00.000-07:00

Here are a few projects that I've done recently:

A little crochet cardigan for our baby girl for this spring:

Trying to decide if I like it better with or without the flower.

For a bigger child, I would just attach a pin and make it so that I could take it off, but don't want to do that for a baby...

I love how fast it came together...

* * *

For myself, I made this ruffled scarf:

Using elastic in the back, I shirred it.

In the picture below you can see the elastic on the back side.

So easy, just sew straight lines with elastic instead of regular thread on your bobbin.

There may be more of these in my future...

* * *

And this is something I did a while ago already:

I made vinyl snowflakes with the Silhouette Cameo.

They looked almost out of place with the weather we had for the last couple months,

but last week, it finally started to look right:

Love the intricate design of the snowflakes.

And decided they'll stay a little longer, even though the snow is gone again.

Who knows, the snow might be back?!

You are a-MAZE-ing: free Valentine Printable note cards

2012-01-23T11:32:00.002-07:00

This year, we are making these Valentines:

Miniature heart-shaped mazes, attached to a card with the text

"You are a-MAZE-ing"

I didn't come up with the idea myself, I saw it here.

When I happened to see little heart-shaped mazes at the Dollar Tree, I just had to have them :)

Fortunately, my daughter liked the idea, too...

I made little cards to go with them in Word.
We printed them on textured card stock.

We used adhesive tape to attach the hearts to the little card.

We rounded the corners with a corner punch, and added the adhesive.
In the picture below you can see a strip of adhesive if you look well...
The hearts can simply be put on it, the mazes stay in place, but can be taken off without glue sticking on the back of them.

Simple and cute...

It took me some time to figure out how to line them all up so that all cards would be exactly the same size (I am kinda compulsive that way, they just all HAVE to be exactly the same).

I decided to share the document in case someone out there wants to use it, too.

Click on the following link to download the free PDF document

FREE You are a-MAZE-ing DOWNLOAD.

Nine small cards print on a 8.5 by 11 size sheet.

Make sure you change the print settings in Adobe Reader where it says "Page Scaling" to "None".

The backs can be personalized. (Before the hearts are attached.)

The small cards could also be glued to a bigger sized card.

Enjoy!

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I linked up to Sugar Bee Crafts

Heart Tree Tutorial

2012-01-17T14:08:00.005-07:00

It's no secret that I love quick, cheap and easy projects.

Here is another one.

It adds some instant color to our living room and is perfect for Valentine's day.

I took some pictures as I was making it...

Ready to make your own?

First, I cut a bunch of hearts out of cardstock with my Silhouette Cameo. I love how easy it is, just let the machine do its job...

No need to use a machine, though, you could cut them by hand, too. There are so many options: you could use cardstock, scrapbook papers, gift wrap, fabric, you could glitter it up with glitter glue, etc. If you like the lace look, you could cut heart shapes out of lace doilies for example.

Other supplies you will need:

* Branches, look for ones with lots of little side branches

* A vase or pot to put your branches in

* A stabilizer (to stick the branches in, you could use floral foam, or even newspapers would do)

* Thread to hang the hearts with

*Something to cover up the stabilizer (I used red yarn, you could use moss, raffia, Easter grass etc.)

Put the stabilizer in your pot.

Arrange the branches

Cover up the ugly stuff...

Attach strings to hearts. I punched holes in the ones that didn't have an opening of some kind, you could use a needle or pushpin to create a hole if needed. Pull the string through, and tie the ends.

Lots of them...

Put them in your tree.

And find a spot to display your heart tree!

Shared at Delightful Order, Craft-O-Maniac, Thirty Handmade Days and You Seriously Made That.

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About birds and green pigs...

2012-01-10T21:23:00.001-07:00

Today we made these birds and pigs, to create our own game.

My girls were SO excited to make this, and I was surprised how patiently they made their pom poms.

It was a super simple project!

I had already seen it on some blog a while back, when my kids weren't infected by the bird-bug yet.

So today, while my oldest had to stay home from school with a bad cold, this seemed the perfect craft to tackle.

I had all materials on hand, just some yarn, felt, googly eyes and cups.

The kids did good making the pom poms, and I handled the hot glue gun to glue it all together.

At first I had them make the pom poms with a single strand of yarn, but I found out it was quicker and easier to just "fold" the yarn so that they wrapped their disks with four strands at once.

And after we were done creating, they could start playing.

This made for some happy little girls!

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Be.YOU.tiful - Valentine's day printable

2012-01-06T00:01:00.010-07:00

Inspired by the idea on this blog, I wanted to do something with this neat word play, so I made this little printable.

Think it contains a great message for our kids, or another loved one...

Use it as a card, for your scrapbooks, home decor, etc.

Would also work great as a Valentine...

Shared at Craft-O-Maniac, Sugar Bee Crafts, Thirty Handmade Days, Oopsey Daisy and Embellishing Life.

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Two choices...

2012-01-02T20:50:00.000-07:00

Someone shared the following story with me, and it was so touching, that I just have to share.

The important question the writer asks is: would you have made the same choice?

The context might be different, but all of us could be in a similar position one day...

I believe this is also a good story to share with your kids, if they're old enough to understand.

Two choices: An Anonymous Email (worth sharing)

What would you do? You make the choice. Don't look for a punch line, there isn't one. The question is: Would you have made the same choice?

At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves children with learning disabilities, the father of one of the students delivered a speech that will never be forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he offered a question: 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does, is done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the natural order of things in my son?' The audience was stilled by the query.

The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, who was mentally and physically disabled comes into the world, an opportunity to realize true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people treat that child.'

Then he told the following story:

Shay and I had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' I knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their team, but as a father I also understood that if my son were allowed to play, it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.

I approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and said, "We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth inning.'

Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a team shirt. I watched with a small tear in my eye and warmth in my heart. The boys saw my joy at my son being accepted.

In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning,Shay put on a glove and played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from ear to ear as I waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now with two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be the next at bat.

At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the game?

Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball. However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make contact.

The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay. As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball right back to the pitcher.

The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been out and that would have been the end of the game. Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled.

Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had the ball. The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to be a hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intentions so he, too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's head. Shay ran towards third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him circled the bases towards home.

All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay!' Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third! Shay run to third!'

As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the game for his team.

'That day,' said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity into this world.' Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never forgotten being the hero and making me so happy and coming home and seeing his mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!

A footnote to this story: We all send thousands of jokes through the email without a second thought, but when it comes to sending messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar and often obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces. If you would consider forwarding emails such as this one, you would probably sort out the people in your address book who aren't the 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message.

The person who sent this email to me believes we all can make a difference. We all have thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little bit colder in the process? A wise man once said every society is judged by how it treats its least fortunate amongst them.

Happy Holidays!

2011-12-25T08:55:00.001-07:00

Wishing all of you a good time with your loved ones and all the best for 2012!

Snowflake Card and Gift Card Holder

2011-12-20T11:52:00.001-07:00

I just made these cards and a gift card holder.

I used the Silhouette Cameo to cut out the gift card holder, and then used a traditional snowflake punch to punch out a snowflake.

I glued some turquoise cardstock under the lid, and trimmed it with scissors, just following the shape of the box.

For the cards I used my good old Big Shot.

I still love that one, too.

I used an embossing folder to emboss the snowflakes,

and a die to cut out the snowflake.

Am trying to decide which version I like better,

if you look closely, there is a difference.

On the left, the kraft cardstock is debossed (imprinted),

on the right it is embossed (snowflakes are sticking out).

Shared at Blue Cricket Design.

Peppermint Crunch Brownies - super easy recipe

2011-12-17T14:03:00.000-07:00

I just made these super simple brownies.

I am pretty much out of groceries, and needed to make something for a little x-mas party for the kids.

I know, bad planning...

I happened to have brownie mix and candy canes on hand.

It doesn't get any simpler, but it tastes great.

Just prepare the brownie batter according to package instructions.

Crunch some candy canes with a rolling pin in a Ziploc bag.

Sprinkle half of the crunched candy canes on top of the brownie before putting it in the oven, and bake as normal.

It will melt and kind of soak into the brownie.

Then, take it out, and sprinkle the remaining candy cane pieces on top of it, and put it back in the oven for a minute.

Enjoy!

Silhouette Cameo: Vinyl wall quote for the nursery

2011-12-13T11:14:00.003-07:00

A couple months ago my husband told me he wanted to get me a Silhouette SD as an anniversary gift.

I have admired the Silhouette SD for a couple years, but never wanted to actually spend the money to get one.

Even after he told me to get one, I waited a while.

That turned out to be a good thing, since I was able to get a good Black Friday deal on their newest model, the Silhouette Cameo.

I have had it for about a week and a half, and I LOVE it!

So many things that it can do.

What I love the most, is that it doesn't need cartridges, but you can buy individual files (which go on sale sometimes), and you can also use all fonts on your computer.

With all free fonts that are available (and dingbats, which are actually pictures),

the possibilities are endless.

I realize I sound like I am trying to sell the product.

Trust me, I am not, I don't get paid to say this, but am just very impressed with it :)

You need to use it with your computer, and it comes with software that is easy to use.

It can cut a 12x12 sheet, and you can resize a file just by dragging the corners, so you can resize anything pretty easily to exactly the size that works for you.

The pictures below show my first bigger project.

Our nursery is decorated in a classic Winnie the Pooh theme.

I have loved the quote below for quite a while.

So thought it was perfect to go on her wall!

I made the quote and the heart with the Silhouette, using the following free fonts.

The quote: Reklame Script Regular DEMO (only letters, you pay for the full version)

Winnie's signature: Boopee

Heart: KR Heartalicious (actually it's the capital G)

The little bee and Winnie himself are vinyl stickers that we bought several years ago.

You can expect to see more Silhouette Cameo projects in the future!

I linked up to Blue Cricket Design.

Let it snow...

2011-12-11T01:48:00.003-07:00

Although it's pretty cold,

we still haven't seen much snow here.

We have been doing some winter decorating,

and I made this printable.

So I thought I'd share it here...

(The size is 8 by 10.)

Now we need some snow!

Shared at : Skip to my lou and Sugarbee Crafts.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T20:00:00.000-07:00

Guess what this is...

2011-11-12T19:59:00.000-07:00

Can you guess what is pictured here?

It kept my two oldest girls entertained for quite a while...

I saw the idea somewhere online,

and thought it was brilliant

(both literally and figuratively)

Simple, but so much fun!

Even before they started playing, they asked if they could do it another time!

Anyway, this is what you are looking at:

Glowsticks in the bathtub = lots of fun!!!

Baby gift

2011-11-05T14:14:00.001-06:00

I found this cute dress for a friend of mine who had a baby girl.

I love the color combination, and decided it needed something to go with it.

So I made her a couple of hair clips in colors that match the dress.

I cut some felt into flower shapes, using my Big Shot.

Glued them on alligator clips with my glue gun, and added a rhinestone.

And a matching card.

21 things I love about you

2011-10-31T00:31:00.005-06:00

This is the last day of the "31-for-21 challenge", and I am glad I 'made' it, posting every day.
It was kind of hard, so I sort of 'cheated' here and there by keeping it short and just posting a picture.
It takes a lot of time, and besides that, I am not one to easily share my feelings with 'the world'.

But I hope my posts have been interesting, and maybe even encouraging to someone out there that is going through similar experiences. Thanks to everyone who has been reading these posts!

Since our baby girl has an extra copy of the 21st chromosome (Trisomy 21=Down syndrome),

I thought I'd create a list of 21 things I love about her as my final post for the "31-for-21" challenge.

(In random order)

21 things I love about you

Your big blue eyes - almond shaped and all
The way you stare at your hands, you think they are amazing
Your smiles, grins and giggles
The way you talk, cute noises
The way you gaze in our eyes as you're talking to us
How you like to look at your big sisters when they are playing
How you like to smile at your big sisters
How you are usually sleeping between midnight and 7 - thank you, little girl!
Your long, dark eyelashes
Your chubby cheeks
Seeing you kick your little legs happily when you spot one of us
Your sweet baby smell - except for the diapers ;)
How you are enjoying your baths
The way you grab our fingers
The cute long 'tail' of hair on top of your head
Your chubby hands and feet
The cute little sandal gap between your big toe and the next one
How you like to suck your thumbs, either one is fine
The way you stretch and try to roll over when you see a favorite toy or something interesting
How you've taught us that perfection comes in different forms
How you have shown us that having a baby with Down syndrome is not a bad thing - actually we're very lucky to have YOU

Love you, baby girl!

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T00:04:00.000-06:00

We've been busy with Halloween preparations:

carving our pumpkins,

toasting pumpkin seeds,

making treats for school,

decorating the house with some cute pumpkin and candy corn lights

(that I got for VERY cheap some time in November last year).

I even got the treats ready, since I'm usually surprised how early the first trick-or-treaters are coming,

and then I am running around like crazy to get candy ready, the kids dressed up, etc.

So I guess we're ready for Halloween :)

A beautiful day at the park

2011-10-30T00:21:00.000-06:00

This weekend we went to the park to take some pictures.

The weather was so nice.

Loving all the fall colors!

These girls were excited to find a squirrel.

And the squirrel didn't seem to mind them so close, he was just looking at them.

Little sister was content to hang out in her stroller, taking it all in...

Favorite toy!

2011-10-29T00:00:00.001-06:00

This little cat is Little Miss N's favorite toy.

Whenever she spots it, she HAS to get it!

So we use it a lot to get her to roll over, reach for things, etc.

It's nice to have something that 'motivates' her to move,

so we use it during Physical Therapy, too.

It's so cute to see her 'play' with it :)

A different perspective :)

2011-10-28T00:00:00.008-06:00

(If you have Down syndrome, you have 47 chromosomes, instead of 46, which is typical.)

No time to be bored...

2011-10-27T00:17:00.000-06:00

The past three days

in our house

we've had

someone with a stomach bug

someone with hand, foot and mouth disease

someone who managed to get chewing gum stuck in her hair... TWICE

someone who got a bead stuck in her ear, requiring a trip to the doctor to get it out.

Who does have time to get bored around here?!

Fortunately none of it involved the smallest member of the family...

Nope, she's just as innocent as she looks...

Sound asleep...

2011-10-26T00:12:00.000-06:00

2011-10-25T00:00:00.001-06:00

Our baby girl smiles a lot.

However, it's not so easy to take a picture of her smiling.

She is very curious, and the instant she spots a camera, she HAS to 'check it out', which results in a very serious look.

The trick is taking a picture of her without her seeing the camera.

So for now no pictures of her looking at the camera with a smile, but pictures taken from the side when someone else is distracting her and trying to get her to smile.

This one is cute anyway :)

Down syndrome: what do siblings think?

2011-10-24T00:12:00.000-06:00

Often one of the concerns of parents whose child is diagnosed with Down syndrome,

is that it will burden the other kids down the road.

They think the child with Down syndrome will need too much attention, thus taking it away from the other children,

and when the parents are gone, the siblings might be the ones to take care of their brother or sister with Down syndrome.

But do siblings really see their brother or sister with Down syndrome as a burden?

Not according to this study:

Having a brother or sister with Down syndrome: Perspectives from siblings.

This study asks brothers and sisters about their feelings and perceptions toward their sibling with Down syndrome (DS). They analyzed valid and reliable surveys from 822 brothers and sisters whose families were on the mailing lists of six non-profit DS organizations around the country.

More than 96% of brothers/sisters that responded to the survey indicated that they had affection toward their sibling with DS;
94% of older siblings expressed feelings of pride.
Less than 10% felt embarrassed
Less than 5% expressed a desire to trade their sibling in for another brother or sister without DS.
Among older siblings, 88% felt that they were better people because of their siblings with DS
More than 90% plan to remain involved in their sibling's lives as they become adults.
The vast majority of brothers and sisters describe their relationship with their sibling with DS as positive and enhancing.

Skotko BG, Levine SP, Goldstein R.

Patti from "A Perfect Lily" had her older children share about their feelings about this subject in this very touching video:

I remember talking to one mom who told me that she and her husband were debating whether or not they would keep the baby they were expecting, knowing that he had Down syndrome, when her older boy, who was 12 at the time, came in, and overheard the conversation of his parents.

His response?

"Of course we are going to have this baby, he is our BROTHER!"

So touching!

And, I am happy to report they didn't terminate the pregnancy, and he is the best and most proud big brother that this little toddler with Down syndrome could wish for!

I have heard a lot of parents say that having a sibling with special needs made their other children better people.

These things have been very encouraging to me!

And, looking at my oldest 2 girls and how they adore their baby sister makes me very happy and supports the findings in the study I mentioned above...

Lesson from my kids

2011-10-23T00:00:00.001-06:00

Two years ago we happened to have the privilege to be involved with the Special Olympics World Winter Games.

Our girls were 2 and 4 at the time, and they LOVED it.

They were so involved, and admired all the athletes. A lot of them had Down syndrome.

My girls really adored the athletes, and wanted to be just like them.

My 4 year old had noticed they were a little 'different', as we found out months later,

but she didn't see that as a negative thing at all.

Admiring the gold medal of one of the athletes.

That is such a great lesson.
I wish that everybody would see the person first, and their capacities, rather than look at the limitations someone might have.

I know a lot of parents of kids with Down syndrome are sort of offended when their kids are referred to as "Down syndrome babies" or "Down syndrome children". They would prefer the following: "Babies with Down syndrome" or "Children with Down syndrome".
Putting the person first, rather than the syndrome.

Personally, I don't have too many issues with the way people phrase things.
I think the intention matters much more than how people say it.
If they mean well, I don't get offended too easily.

But since not everyone feels the same, I thought I'd mention it...

But I love the lesson from my little girls: admire the PERSON first :)

Having fun crocheting

2011-10-22T00:00:00.000-06:00

With the weather cooling down,

our youngest needs her hats again!

But she outgrew all the hats I made her earlier.

So it was time to make some more...

I also fancied up some plain hats from the $ store, by sewing crocheted flowers and leaves on them. These are nice and stretchy, so they fit my older girls, who have to be able to wear them over their hair...

Simple and fun...

And since I am still doing the 31-for-21 challenge to raise awareness for Down syndrome ,

just one more picture of our dear little girl, wearing one of her new hats and showing off her beautiful almond shaped eyes :)

Hoppin' for 21

2011-10-21T23:16:00.000-06:00

Today is October 21 (just a little bit longer), and I just learned about this blog hop:

"We want to support all those that rock that extra chromosome with a blog hop on the 21st!
Hoppin' for 21 is hosted by
Crazy Beautiful Love, The Bates Motel, and Carrie with Children. "

So I decided to join it!

Hope you like to check out some of the blogs on here!

"I make these genes look good..."

2011-10-20T00:17:00.001-06:00

Things I wish I would have known when our baby got diagnosed with Down syndrome - Part 3

2011-10-19T00:00:00.001-06:00

This is probably the most important thing I wish I would have known a year ago.

I wish I would have known a year ago how falling in love with your baby would change everything.

Simply the joy of having her around, and how much we love her, totally outweighs the worries we had and still have.

Yes, we still have worries about her.

But we have worries about our other kids, too.

I think it's only natural for parents to worry about their kids,

or for people to worry about people they love.

The fact that your child has 46 chromosomes (which is the typical number of chromosomes in a human cell),
is no guarantee for a life without worries.

But adding an extra chromosome definitely does not take away from the love you have for your child and the joy they bring...

Things I wish I would have known when our baby got diagnosed with Down syndrome - Part 2

2011-10-18T00:00:00.001-06:00

Did you know that we were told not to read any literature about Down syndrome that is more than 10 years old?

People used to think that individuals with Down syndrome were not able to learn.
They thought they were 'trainable', but not 'teachable'.

It's not too long ago that parents of babies with Down syndrome were told to send them to an institution and forget about them.

Since it's not too long ago that these things happened, it's best to stay away from outdated information. Therefore, just looking around randomly for information is not always helpful. I think the NDSS website is a great start for people looking for accurate information on Down syndrome.

We have had a lot of help after our little girl was born, and even some beforehand, in different ways:

There are several therapies that help individuals with Down syndrome to reach their fullest potential:

Physical Therapy
Occupational Therapy
Speech and Language Therapy.

At the moment our little girl gets Physical Therapy, and the plan is to start Speech Therapy around 6 months. That might sound funny, but apparently even the way you feed your baby influences the way they use the muscles that are used for speaking down the road.

So far little Miss N has reached all her milestones in time. She is smiling, cooing, rolling over, reaching for toys, etc.

Therapy sort of helps to stay ahead of the game.

We know that there will be a point that she will show developmental delays, but it really helps to know that she is getting all the help she needs to develop at her best potential.

They make it easy to incorporate therapy in our daily lives, it's not like we have to do exercises all day long. For example, each time when we change her, she does a baby "sit-up", or we play on the floor to strengthen her neck and tummy muscles. Even her big sisters can help, which is a lot of fun.

I sort of dreaded the thought of therapists running in and out all the time, but guess what? It's not bad at all, we really like our therapists and we enjoy doing whatever we can do to help our girl.

We have more resources in our community, like Down syndrome playgroups, and even activities for parents of children with Down syndrome, lectures, etc. All these things have been very helpful to us.

Things I wish I would have known when our baby got diagnosed with Down syndrome - Part 1

2011-10-17T00:00:00.001-06:00

I think we have come a long way this last year.

It's almost exactly a year ago now that we had the ultrasound that showed that our little girl might have Down syndrome or another chromosomal abnormality.
It took over a month before we knew for sure what was going on.

Now, a year later, there are some things I wish I would have known back then.
So in case someone who is in the same boat as we were, reads this, or someone who knows people who are going through this, I thought it would be useful to share.

Of course, every person is different, situations might be different, but I hope this can be helpful and encouraging.

Did you know there are a lot of families that have a child with Down syndrome that decided to adopt another one?
If it would be really that hard, I think nobody would be able to do that!

Some blogs that I really find interesting and encouraging are:

Our perfectly imperfect life

This family has 3 adorable kids, the youngest two have Down syndrome.

They adopted their youngest girl from Russia.

The following blog is very inspiring, too:

They have 3 kids, including Ben who has Down syndrome.They are in the process of adopting Davis, who has Down syndrome, too.These international adoptions are expensive, so they can use any help they can get!

Grab This!
Isn't he cute?
I love the fact that their mom, Amy, even has the room for him and his bigger brother ready already.She is very crafty and has great taste.You can look at the room that is waiting for him HERE.
I also love the following blog:Confessions of the chromosomally enhanced
The writer of this blog has an older sister who has Down syndrome.In 2010, she and her husband decided to adopt Josie, who has Down syndrome, too.This blog is about Josie and her aunt Leanne. I like the subtitle: "A Diary of Dual Downs Divas".
There are so many more blogs out there of people who know first hand what it means to live with someone who has Down syndrome, and then go on to adopt a child with Down syndrome.
Wish I would have known that a year ago, that would have been very encouraging...

I have a voice

2011-10-16T00:00:00.002-06:00

Down syndrome poem

2011-10-15T00:54:00.001-06:00

My face might be different

But my feelings the same

I laugh and I cry

And I take pride in my gains

I was sent here among you

To teach you to love

As God in the heavens

Looks down from above

To him I’m no different

His love knows no bounds

It’s those here among you

In cities and towns

That judge me by standards

That man has imparted

But this family I’ve chosen

Will help me get started

For I’m one of the children

So special and few

That came here to learn

The same lessons as you

That love is acceptance

It must come from the heart

We all have the same purpose

Though not the same start

The Lord gave me life

To live and embrace

And I’ll do as you do

But at my own pace.

Author unknown

How do you tell people that your child has Down syndrome?

2011-10-14T00:15:00.000-06:00

That's a big question, and I know it is for a lot of parents that are in the same boat.

For us, it started during the pregnancy.

Since we found out pretty early (I was just a little over 3 months along),
we decided we'd like people to know before our baby was born.

That way, by the time she was born, most people would be 'used to the idea',
and would be ready to just be happy with us that she was here.

But then the next question:

How do you tell people?

We started with our close family and some close friends, pretty much right after we found out.

We decided to leave it at that for a while, to allow ourselves some time to get used to the idea.

We waited about 2 more months to tell other people.

We needed that time, so that we'd feel "strong" enough to talk about it with other people.

We send out an email to let them know, just describing how we felt.

And that worked good for us.

It also gave the people that received that email the chance to think about it, rather than to have to come up with something to say immediately, which they would have had to do, if we would have told them in person. For some it was easier to write back to us, rather than say something in person, which was fine, too.

Still, the most awkward thing for me, is to tell people that I don't really know too well...

When someone in the store tells me how pretty my baby is,
I just say "Thank you" and leave it at that.

But once I get to know someone a little more, for example other moms at my older daughter's school,
I feel like there is a point I need to say something.

It's not that I'm sad or embarrassed or anything like that.

It's more that I feel it's a little awkward for the person I am talking to.

I don't want them to feel bad for me, I don't want them to feel like they don't know what to say.

Usually I tell them that we knew before we had her, and that we were glad for that, so that it wasn't a shock at birth. That it gave us time to get used to it, which is so true.
That usually is enough to make the other person feel "OK", since they see we're OK.

So far we have had -mostly- good reactions, which is nice.

But I always have to take a deep breath (in my mind that is) before I tell them...

That's OK, I guess :)

Reece's Rainbow

2011-10-13T00:56:00.000-06:00

While checking out blogs about Down syndrome, it didn't take long before I found some links to "Reece's Rainbow".

"The mission of Reece's Rainbow is to rescue orphans with Down syndrome through the gift of adoption, to raise awareness for all of the children who are waiting in 25 countries around the world, and to raise funds as adoption grants that help adoptive families afford the high cost of adopting these beautiful children."

On their site, you can find so many little ones with Down syndrome in other countries, waiting to be adopted.

It is heartbreaking to see and realize that the majority of these children ended up for adoption simply because they have Down syndrome.

I think, though hard, it is good to go to their site and see for yourself how many kids are waiting for a home.
And, like they say on their site:

"Even if you are not in a position to adopt or fund a child's adoption, there are countless ways to help these sweet children…."

Go HERE to see how.

I think that they are doing a great job, and have been following several blogs where people have adopted, or are in the process of adopting, one of these little ones.
I might share some about that later this month.

Don't be surprised...

2011-10-12T00:00:00.001-06:00

Source: nads.org

So cute

2011-10-11T00:00:00.006-06:00

This picture is sort of blurry,

but just love the expression on her sweet little face,

love her chubby cheeks,

love the little spot with long hairs right in the middle of her head,

just love HER...

So just had to share this picture in spite of it being blurry.
Wish I'd used a real camera to capture this instead of a phone...

Some good advice

2011-10-10T00:25:00.001-06:00

When we learned that the baby we were expecting had Down syndrome,

I felt pretty overwhelmed.

I am sort of a control freak, and I like to plan things as much as possible.

I don't like to feel like I have no control of a situation.

This was definitely a situation where I felt like I was totally out of control.

I felt so worried about our little girl and what her future would be like.

We talked to some other families who had little ones with Down syndrome.

One mom gave me some good advice.

She said: "I am the kind of person who likes to plan everything.
So when we learned our baby had Down syndrome, I wanted to plan out her whole life.
But I had to let go of that. We don't plan our other kids' life up till retirement, either."

That was an eye opener. It was like I heard myself.

And I realized I needed to let go more.

Not worry too much about the future.

Just taking it one day at a time.

There are still days when I do feel overwhelmed by it all.

But trying to just take it one day at a time and enjoying the good moments, does help a lot.

When I try to focus on the good things,
I am definitely able to just enjoy our little family and feel so rich!

So my little girl taught me a big lesson!

What can people with Down syndrome do?

2011-10-09T00:00:00.008-06:00

The answer is: A LOT

Probably a lot more than you would think :)

The blogger of Life is beautiful, who happens to have a sweet little girl with Down syndrome herself, made an awesome compilation of video clips and articles featuring some amazing people with Down syndrome.

It is really quite something to check out, so please go to the following link:

What can people with Down syndrome do?

They can be musicians, athletes, teachers, actors, too many things to list really.

So please check out the link, you'll be amazed.

And while you are there, you may as well check out some of her other posts and see her adorable little girl!

Just perfect...

2011-10-08T00:08:00.000-06:00

Weekly Planner Dry Erase Board - Tutorial

2011-10-07T00:00:00.023-06:00

Just looking at my own blog during this first week of the 31 for 21 challenge,

I realized something was sort of funny:

If you look at my blog and all these posts about Down syndrome,

it seems that it is the only thing I can think and talk about.

The reality?

It's not!

Mostly, we're just enjoying our little girl.

There are moments when we get reminded again that she has

Down syndrome, but mostly, our life is just 'normal',

whatever that is...

So to 'prove' that, here is another craft ;)

I needed something besides an ordinary calendar to keep track of my daughter's schedule.

Since it would be hanging in our kitchen, I wanted it to be pretty, besides functional.

So I came up with this:

It's a dry erase board, that has her weekly schedule already printed on it,
with things she needs to bring to school, and other things that happen every week.

I made sure I have plenty of room to fill out appointments, etc.

Now, every week, I can just add things that we need to remember that particular week.

Simple, but it works great.

Wanna make your own?

This is what you need:

* Picture frame

* Fabric, slightly larger than the glass in the frame

* Masking tape

* Cardstock (mine was just a standard 8.5x11), smaller than the glass in the frame

*Double sided tape

* A marker to write the schedule, or a computer and printer

1. Create the weekly schedule, by printing it or write it by hand.

Make sure you have enough room to write in extra things.

If you have more kids in school, you could make separate columns for each child,
or even make a separate one for each child.

2. Take out the backing of the frame.

3. Put the fabric on top of it, as if you were to frame it.

4. Put some adhesive or double sided tape on the back of the schedule, and attach it to the center of the fabric.

5. Put the schedule and fabric, together with the backing of the frame, back in the frame.

(So it will be underneath the glass, that way you can write on the glass later.)

6. Fold over the extra fabric and stick it with masking tape to the back.

Not pretty, but who will see the back anyway?!

7. Grab a dry erase marker, and start using your new board!

And since this organizer thing (what do you call these?) is also hanging out in our kitchen,
I might as well share it in this post, too...

I've had it for quite a while, but recently updated its look.

I gave it a fresh layer of spray paint and used some stencils to create this:

Since the cork board looked so plain, I stenciled part of that, too.

A fun, quick project, hardest thing for me was to wait till the spray paint was dry...

Shared at Blue Cricket Design.

So many sweet little faces

2011-10-06T09:10:00.012-06:00

I know of at least 2 bloggers who made a compilation of a lot of sweet faces of kids with Down syndrome.

I looked at them quite a few times during my pregnancy,
wondering what our little one would look like.

Although most kids with Down syndrome have certain characteristics, like the almond shaped eyes, they can look like their parents and siblings, just like any other kid.

The little mouth of our third daughter with Down syndrome is shaped exactly the same as my oldest daughter's when she was a baby.

My youngest and the next older sister have exactly the same shape head.

All three my girls share their long, dark eyelashes and they suck their thumbs.

I love to see their little resemblances, and I think I love their uniqueness even more.
Just the little things that make them an individual.

Anyway, I'm drifting away here....

I wanted to share these 2 clips with you

Please watch them, they are so touching!

This first clip was created by Patti, who has adorable little girl named Lily.

You can visit them on their blog:
A perfect Lily

If you want to read the blog post to go with it, please click on the following link:

Worthy of life

The other video worth watching is this one.

Kelle Hampton created it when she was organizing a fundraiser for the NDSS (National Down Syndrome Society) in honor of the first birthday of her daugher, Nella.

She tells her story in a nutshell, and has quite a few pictures and video clips of other sweet little ones with Down syndrome.

If you prefer to just see the pictures in her blog post, click the following link:

Pay it forward: rock the ONEder fund

This fundraiser has ended by now I think,

but if you want to donate to the NDSS,

you can go to their website:

NDSS.

So sweet

2011-10-05T16:26:00.000-06:00

The sky is the limit - free printable quote in red and aqua.

2011-10-04T11:32:00.007-06:00

To celebrate Down syndrome awareness month, I created the poster above.

Feel free to download it, by double clicking it, and saving it to your computer.

It should be fine to be printed in 8 x 10 format.

You can print it, and frame it like it is, or put it on pretty scrapbook paper or fabric.

So many possibilities...

Enjoy it!

My inspiration for this poster?

This blog:

Down syndrome - Up, up, up and away

Laura, the writer of this blog is a mom of a 4 year old girl with Down syndrome.

The reason why she writes the blog?

"I started this blog hoping to inspire other parents to help their children with Down syndrome reach for the sky! My daughter was reading words, before she was 2 years of age & reading books by 3.5 years. I believe kids with Down syndrome can do amazing things if we give them the right tools. I truly believe high expectations can make a tremendous difference in the lives of our children!"

This is such an inspiring blog to me, and full of great resources.

HERE is a video of the little girl reading the alphabet when she was only two years old.

This blog is awesome, and full of resources, not only for parents of children with Down syndrome, but for any parent who wants to give their child an early start with reading, and help them develop to their fullest potential.

Another awesome post is this one:
How can you stimulate a newborn?
Again, this post has great information for ANY parent of a newborn.
Most things in there are pretty easy to incorporate in your daily life as parent of a newborn.

Please check out this great blog!

Down syndrome - some facts

2011-10-03T00:39:00.000-06:00

Even though I knew several kids with Down syndrome when I was growing up,
during this past year I learned that there were a LOT of things that I didn't know about it.

Once we found out that this little girl we were expecting came with some extra genetic material,
we did a lot of research.

Since I had never visited the NDSS site until I knew that I was expecting a little one with Down syndrome, I think it's pretty safe to assume many of you who happen to visit my blog for the crafty stuff on here, haven't been there either.

I got the following information from the National Down Syndrome Society website:

• Down syndrome occurs when an individual has three, rather than two, copies of the 21st chromosome. This additional genetic material alters the course of development and causes the characteristics associated with Down syndrome.

• Down syndrome is the most commonly occurring chromosomal condition. One in every 691 babies is born with Down syndrome.

• There are more than 400,000 people living with Down syndrome in the United States.

• Down syndrome occurs in people of all races and economic levels.

• The incidence of births of children with Down syndrome increases with the age of the mother. But due to higher fertility rates in younger women, 80% of children with Down syndrome are born to women under 35 years of age.

• People with Down syndrome have an increased risk for certain medical conditions such as congenital heart defects, respiratory and hearing problems, Alzheimer's disease, childhood leukemia, and thyroid conditions. Many of these conditions are now treatable, so most people with Down syndrome lead healthy lives.

• A few of the common physical traits of Down syndrome are low muscle tone, small stature, an upward slant to the eyes, and a single deep crease across the center of the palm. Every person with Down syndrome is a unique individual and may possess these characteristics to different degrees or not at all.

• Life expectancy for people with Down syndrome has increased dramatically in recent decades - from 25 in 1983 to 60 today.

• People with Down syndrome attend school, work, participate in decisions that affect them, and contribute to society in many wonderful ways.

• All people with Down syndrome experience cognitive delays, but the effect is usually mild to moderate and is not indicative of the many strengths and talents that each individual possesses.

• Quality educational programs, a stimulating home environment, good health care, and positive support from family, friends and the community enable people with Down syndrome to develop their full potential and lead fulfilling lives.

• Researchers are making great strides in identifying the genes on Chromosome 21 that cause the characteristics of Down syndrome. Many feel strongly that it will be possible to improve, correct or prevent many of the problems associated with Down syndrome in the future.

Welcome to Holland

2011-10-02T00:38:00.001-06:00

That is the title of a poem about Down syndrome, that often is given to parents who are expecting
a baby with Down syndrome, or that just found out that their newborn has Down syndrome.

It compares becoming the parent of a child with Down syndrome with a journey.
The traveler in the poem is expecting to go to Italy, and somehow ends up in Holland and has to stay there.
Holland is completely different than Italy, but after the initial shock,
the traveler is able to see and appreciate the beauty of Holland.

Windmill and tulip fields

If you want to read the poem, click on the following link:

Welcome to Holland

After getting the diagnosis for our little girl, the genetic counselor handed us the poem.
I had already heard about it, so I wasn't too surprised.

I thought it was pretty ironic, since I happen to be from Holland, although I am living in the USA.
Nothing wrong with Holland to me :)

But I do see what the writer of the poem means,
although I would've preferred if she had reversed the roles of the two countries in her poem ;)

Windmills at Kinderdijk

My parents' backyard in bloom

Down syndrome - my story

2011-10-01T00:00:00.002-06:00

October is Down syndrome awareness month.
And that gave me the little push I needed to write about it.

I have been thinking for a while if this is a subject I want to write about on a craft blog. But since it's such an important part of my life, I feel like I just want to share this. During the past year I have learned so much, and if this little blog could even help only one person, it would be worth writing about it. I have quite a few new visitors on here every day, so this is a great way to 'reach' a lot of people.

I don't write much about personal stuff, but some of you who have been following this blog for a while, might know that we had our third baby girl last May. One thing I haven't shared here before, is the fact that this beautiful little girl has Down syndrome.

It wasn't a surprise at birth. During a routine ultrasound early in my pregnancy, we learned that there was the possibility that our little baby would have Down syndrome, or possibly another chromosomal abnormality. Since we didn't want to wait more than a half year to find out what was going on, we decided to have an amnio. We learned that we were having our third girl, and that she came with a little extra: an extra copy of the 21st chromosome, also called Trisomy 21 or Down syndrome.

We were pretty nervous at first. You simply want the best for your child and looking at all the possible health issues and other 'limitations' that our baby might have, was pretty overwhelming, to be honest. And looking around the web randomly didn't help a lot, I should say. Reading that about 90% of people in our situation would decide to terminate the pregnancy, added to my anxiety. If all these people didn't think they could handle it, how would we do it?

But there were a lot of things that DID help us during that time.
In the first place, faith that God won't give us anything we can't handle.
We also had a lot of support from family and friends.
We found out about resources in our community, and met with families who had children with Down syndrome, and they showed us that they were basically just like any other family.

During the months that followed, I found some helpful blogs and websites.
Of parents who gave us a peek into their lives with a little one with Down syndrome.

And slowly, the sadness went away, and got replaced by something else:
we actually started to look forward again to meeting our little girl.

Writing this, I feel bad to say that at first I was all worried and sad about our baby, who is just amazing and perfect! She has some health issues, and she has physical therapy, at this point about every 2 weeks, but in the big picture these things are not that important. We're just so happy to have her in our lives!

As I am taking part in the 31 for 21 challenge, this month you can expect to read more about Down syndrome and a lot of things we learned. Hope you'll come along for the ride!

Grab This Button

(And this is the link to the blog that all started it,

I would really appreciate it if you'd put a button on your blog to get the word out!!)

Ruffle Shoe Tutorial: a Refashion

2011-09-28T12:17:00.010-06:00

I really like shoes with something extra, like ruffles or flowers, but usually not the price tag on them...

In my closet I had these boring shoes, still in perfectly good shape, just plain though.

So I thought of a way I could change them.

And LOVED how they turned out!

So here is another refashion tutorial...

It took me less than a half hour to make these, and hardly any supplies!

Gather your supplies:

* Shoes

* 7/8" Wide Grosgrain ribbon (color that matches your shoes)

* Matching thread

*E-6000 glue

Begin by measuring your ribbon. I took ribbon about twice as long as the edge I wanted to put the ruffle on. You could use a little less, but don't use too little, you can always trim it if it's too long.

Stitch one edge of the ribbon with a straight stitch, at the longest length your sewing machine will allow. (For mine that is 4.)

Gather the ribbon by pulling one of the threads.

Put it on the shoe to see how it looks, and adjust if needed.

Trim the excessive ends. Make sure the ribbon can still fold to the inside of your shoe like shown in the picture below. Make sure the part on the inside of the shoe isn't ruffled.

Then, with stitch length 1, sew the edge of the ribbon once again, to make sure the ruffle will stay put!

Now, grab the sports section of the paper, your glue, and if the weather allows it, go outside!

(Otherwise make sure you're working in a well ventilated area!)

Sorry for this blurry picture, but at this point I was holding the glue and camera, and wanting to work as quickly as possible, so didn't take too many pictures....

Put some glue on the center of the shoe as pictured.

Wait a little, following the directions on the glue.

Put the center of the ribbon in place, make sure it is a little higher up than the edge of the shoe, so that the edge won't show anymore.

Work your way around the shoe, finishing of the last part like shown in the picture below, and fold to the inside.

Let them dry and enjoy!

You could also add ribbon flowers, or an extra layer of ruffles, beads, etc.

I liked it just like this, and was worried to mess it up by overdoing it, so I kept them like this.

Would also be fun for plain flats...

Oh, and for people who always manage to glue the lid of the glue stuck to the tube: (Of cooooooooooourse not me, not at all.) I learned by reading the directions in small print (who does that anyway?) that it helps to put a little petroleum jelly on the inside of the lid. Tried it last time and it works like a charm :)

I linked up to I heart organizing, CraftOManiac Monday, Blue Cricket Design, Tea Rose Home and Sugarbee Crafts

Pin It

Looks like watercolors! - Fun quick kids' craft

2011-09-27T16:46:00.000-06:00

The other day I was watering plants, and I accidentally dripped some water on one of my daughter's artworks. Since their creations need to be treated with respect, or so they think, I put it on the kitchen counter to dry. And then I convinced her that I liked it almost even better this way:

It had sort of a water color look. My girls were really excited about it and thought it looked like they painted it!

So we felt like we 'invented' a new craft by accident!

We took some coloring books, just those made with that ugly grey-ish paper.

They picked a favorite picture, and colored it with markers.

Then we sprayed it with a water bottle.

And let it dry...

(We put it outside in the sun.)

Just a fun, quick little craft, and it looks like they painted, without the mess.

Flower T-shirt Tutorial - a Refashion

2011-09-20T15:49:00.008-06:00

I made this flower t-shirt using a plain black t-shirt and a black and a white top that I was going to get rid off anyway. It was such a quick and easy project, and I am really pleased with the results. I took some pictures while I was making it, and decided to share..

Supplies needed:

A basic t-shirt (I used black)

Knit fabric in 2 colors (I used 2 old tops, black & white)

Lace

Matching thread

Begin by cutting flowers in 3 sizes using the knit fabric and the lace. I used my Bigshot, but you could also freehand them. Since you will layer them, and put lace on top of the lighter color, their shape won't matter as much. Also, once the t-shirt is washed the edges will curl up slightly, therefore the shape is not too important.

Then, lay out the flowers on your shirt. I used 2 of the big knit flowers, and one each of the smaller ones. Then I made sure that a piece of lace was on top of the white knit, so that the lace was more visible.

Once you have found an arrangement that you like, pin the flowers down, and start sewing.

This was really pretty easy. I used a straight stitch, starting in the center of the flower, and went back and forth in a straight line on each petal twice. In order to move on to the next petal, just make sure the needle is down, lift the presser foot, turn the fabric so that you're good to go for the next petal, put the presser foot back down, and repeat.

Here are some close ups to show the flowers.

And that's all!

Hope you enjoy this mini tutorial, let me know if you have any questions!

I linked up to Blue Cricket Design, Tatertots and jello , Under the table and dreaming, CraftOManiac Monday, Young and Crafty, Sumo's Sweet Stuff and Sugar Bee Crafts.

Why I love spray paint...

2011-08-24T16:34:00.001-06:00

The past couple months I have had fun using spray paint. Both for things to use inside the house, as well as stuff for the yard.

What I think is so great is that you can make anything boring suddenly look interesting again by changing its original color. And the best thing is that it's easy and quick!

I just have to be careful not to go overboard and paint everything I come across.

Just a couple pictures of some things that I painted, unfortunately I don't have any 'before' pictures since I am pretty impulsive once I have a can of spray paint in my hands...

An old tin bucket that I use to keep my garden tools handy got a fresh layer of paint.

I love old window frames, picked this one up at a garage sale over a year ago, and it has been sitting in our garage ever since. I stayed away from the paint during my pregnancy, but not too long afterwards I just HAD to paint it. Now, what do I do with it?

I was thinking it would be neat to let some vines, like ivy, grow through it.

Another awesome idea I found on Craftberry Bush, but not sure if I have the patience to get the materials and do all the work. But doesn't this look pretty?

Picture from Craftberry Bush.

For now it has just been sitting on an old broken bench in our yard, just waiting till I make up my mind...

Another item I found at a garage sale is this flower cart. It was unfinished, and lived in our garage for 2 years! So finally I managed to get it painted. I want to put some flowers in it.

This birdhouse was just an unfinished wooden bird feeder.

I love how it adds some color to our yard, think it will be especially nice once our yard has lost all its color during the winter months.

Party food

2011-08-18T09:54:00.000-06:00

We have 2 birthdays in July. I have been wanting to post these pictures, but they're a little late. My husband's and daughter's birthday are only one day apart, and that usually results in us celebrating their birthdays together.

Although my hubby isn't picky, I tried to stay away from the typical pink girly party decorations and find something that would be cute for a little girl and a big guy :)

This color theme seemed to work for both of them.

I found some free printables that I really liked.

I used the printable Lots-o-dots to make the cupcake toppers. On the same site, there is also a printable mini banner. Both printables are so cute. I used the dots to make the round cupcake toppers, I printed them on textured cardstock, punched them out and attached them to short skewers. I used the banner printable to make the little flags.

After I was done making the flags, I had some extra pieces, so I also made a little banner and used that to decorate our ice cream cake.

(Recipe can be found here.)

Since a couple of my girls' cousins couldn't be at the party, we had another little party.

This time it was a tea party, and I enjoyed making small treats: chocolate covered strawberries, mini chocolate cookies, mini cupcakes, heart shaped cheese & crackers, and I added some chips and watermelon. Just some small kid-friendly treats, that could also be enjoyed by the moms.

Since it was really hot, we had ice tea instead of hot tea, and strawberry lemonade.

Faux Etched Glass Framed Quote - Tutorial

2011-08-04T22:26:00.003-06:00

Today I combined two things that I had laying around here into this:

It cost me $6 to make this...

Very simple, but I really like it. So in case you want to make your own, I just took some pictures.

I started out with a picture frame from Walmart.

And a wall decor sticker from Dollar Tree.
They have several neat wall quote stickers - no, I don't get paid to say that, I just like to browse that place ;)

I took the glass out off the frame, and applied the sticker.

Then, I used a box knife to cut off the back of the frame, that was attached to one of the sides.

Since the hooks of the frame were attached to the part I took off, I had to find something else so that I could hang the frame later. After a quick search through my hubby's tool box I found these little guys:

Perfect for the job. I used a hammer to attach them. (If you want hooks, make sure to do this BEFORE you glue the glass to the frame.)

Next, I used some E-6000 to attach the glass to the frame.

If you use that stuff, follow the directions on the tube.

I put some books on the glass to weigh it down while the glue dried.

And voilà:

Think it looks really neat, and think it would even look better on a colored wall.

Another quick, cheap and easy project :)

Magnetic Pin Holder Bowl

2011-07-29T17:51:00.001-06:00

I really like quick crafts: Especially these days with our little newborn in the house it's so nice to be able to create something that doesn't take hours. This project only takes minutes!

I saw this great idea of a Magnetic Pin Holder Bowl at Sawdust and Paper Scraps. Sandra takes a simple glass bowl and candle holder and creates this cute pin holder, using spray paint, a magnet and some glue. Now, that is a simple project! I had a very ugly magnetic pin holder, so I just took the magnet out of it and used that. I did already have some spray paint on hand. (You can never have too much of that, right?!) Since I didn't have a primer on hand, I skipped that step. Not sure if I'll regret that later, but on my can of spray paint it said it would work on glass, too, and it seems to hold.

Anyway, here is my little copycat project:

Two candle holders from Dollar Tree, spray painted with Krylon spray paint.

Added a magnet, and glued it together, to make this magnetic pin holder.

Love it!

Handmade baby gifts

2011-07-08T13:04:00.001-06:00

I love to get handmade gifts for our little girl. I have not been doing too much in the creative department lately, but thought I'd show you a couple handmade gifts that I received and that I really enjoy.

My friend Katie made some cute things for our baby girl.

She made her some pretty burp cloths, using soft and pretty flannel:

And this cute onesie, using reverse applique:

Isn't this pretty?

If you want to see more of her creations, you can check it out at Crafted by KatieB.

It's definitely worth a look!

(I 'borrowed' the pictures from her blog)

Flower Party

2011-06-12T21:17:00.001-06:00

With a newborn in the house, I am sort of behind with pictures, but just thought I'd share some pictures to show what we did at the birthday party we had for our oldest!

Some cupcakes for her classmates and our family birthday party...

And different ones for the kids' party...

Party favors

With tags that match these party invitations

More party favors that double as decoration

Little purses to decorate ...

with rubber stickers

We made our own party leis...

with flowers I punched out of tissue paper with my BigShot and straws...

Matching summer skirts for THREE girls!

2011-05-20T17:24:00.002-06:00

I love to have my girls wear matching clothes. But with more kids, it is definitely not easier, since I have to get their clothes in different departments of the store. So am slowly giving up on the idea of have them wear matching clothes all the time...

I decided for a happy medium, and have this one matching set for my 3 girls by making my own.

(And no, I am NOT going to make them a lot of matching sets, making something times 3 takes a lot of time ;) )

But I am happy with the way these turned out!

Baby sister:

Big sister 1:

Big sister 2:

(The oldest, somehow this skirt appears smaller in this picture, but it is not.)

Love the patterns and colors!

I linked up to Tea Rose Home.

It's a party - Party invites

2011-05-09T17:18:00.001-06:00

Although we have celebrated a lot of birthdays at our house, this one is a first for me and my 6-year old:

a birthday party with only Kindergarteners.

They are all girls, and my daughter and I decided to go for a flower-theme again.

I kept the invites pretty simple, by printing the text on the front and the inside, and then used a stamp for the stem and punches to make the flowers.

Simple but sweet...

Hooded Towel

2011-05-01T16:54:00.000-06:00

I really like to use hooded towels for babies, and even for toddlers.

Often, store-bought ones are thin and not very large.

I bought a large, soft towel, and squared it off to make a hooded towel for our new baby.

I used an old hooded towel to see how large I wanted to make the hood, and cut off a triangle slightly larger than that, to give some room for the seam allowance.

Since I didn't have bias tape on hand, and was anxious to finish the project, I just zigzagged the raw edge, and then seamed that edge. I have put it in the washer and drier since, and it seems to hold up pretty good.

For the hood I just zigzagged the one edge that was raw.

Also, to make it a little cuter, I added some pretty knit fabric on the outside, and some large ric rac.

This is my favorite (and cheapest!) hooded towel we have had so far :)

Pretty Pansies

2011-04-24T17:14:00.000-06:00

Simple Scarf Tutorial

2011-04-19T14:03:00.002-06:00

When I saw this pretty fabric at the store, I was trying to figure out what I could use it for. It has a linen-like texture, and is fairly light weight. It would be pretty for a summer skirt, but I didn't feel like lining it and I was worried that it would wrinkle a lot.

Then I thought I could make a pretty scarf.

It is very simple, and perfect if you want to add a little extra to an outfit.

SUPPLIES

Light weight fabric (twice the desired width of the scarf plus 1 inch for seam allowance, I bought a half yard and had a little extra, since my scarf is about 8 inches wide)

Matching thread

Cut the fabric to the right width (=twice final width plus 1 inch).

Fold the fabric lengthwise, right sides together, and pin.

Stitch the fabric lengthwise with a straight stitch.

I also zigzagged outside the line I just stitched.

Turn the scarf inside out, and iron flat as pictured, with the seam in the center of the back.

I was going to cut off the selvage, so I stitched along the bottom, and was planning on fraying the fabric up to that line. Then I decided that the selvage looked already good the way it was, and never cut it off.

So that is up to you.

The finished product...

I really like FAST and EASY projects, and this one definitely qualifies.

It's also fun to have a quick and easy way to add some pretty prints to a plain outfit.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial.

If you like something a little different,
consider buying this pattern I created:

It's very pretty, and patterns for 2 different kind of flowers are included.
You can use fleece or knit fabric, and there is no need to finish edges!

You can buy the pattern HERE

Guess what this is...

2011-04-19T11:50:00.000-06:00

Sometimes I find things like this around the house:

Can you guess what this is?

Hint:

This is underneath the cup.

Well, of course,

it is ...

an easter bunny trap!!

And the pieces of paper are easter eggs.

So far no easter bunny has been trapped...

Our 'new' guest room: turquoise and red

2011-04-16T00:20:00.001-06:00

With our new little one on the way, we have moved around a lot of furniture in the house.

One thing we needed to 'redo' was our guest/workout/craft room.

It's a pretty small room, and you wouldn't believe what we all managed to fit in there. (Daybed, large corner desk, treadmill, bookshelf and 2 filing cabinets...)

I decided to decorate this room with one of my favorite new color combinations: turquoise and red. I thought it wouldn't be too hard to find some pretty bedding in these colors. I was wrong.

Fortunately, I happened to find some plain turquoise comforters and sheets. So I decided to get them, and get some fabric in red/turquoise and make some pillows to make it more interesting.

I love the flowered duck fabric I found at Hobby Lobby. I made the covers for the 2 big pillows with that fabric.

Then, I thought it would be too boring if the smaller pillows would be covered with the same fabric. I used some plain fabric in the same colors to make the following 2 pillows:

They were a lot of fun to make, and just add a little extra to that room!

The bed in the picture is a daybed, with another bed underneath, so that room could actually be used by 2 guests. For now, this is the only part of the room I am sharing, because the rest is taken over by all kind of half-finished projects! But I am really happy with these bright, cheerful colors in that room!

And speaking about turquoise and red: I recently got these cute bowls and plates for eating outdoors this summer. I love everything about them: the colors (surprise), the scalloped edges, the pattern, the material (melamine), and the price!

They are from Better Homes and Gardens and I got them at Walmart...

(They have them in 2 more colors, but I just got these.)

I linked up to Todays Creative Blog.

Crochet Baby Sandals with Flower

2011-04-12T09:31:00.001-06:00

I have been looking at some patterns for crochet baby sandals. I thought they would be too difficult to make, but after drooling over these for weeks, I decided to give it a try anyway.

I bought the pattern from this etsy shop.

It took me more time to make these than the crochet shoes I made, but it was definitely not as hard as I thought it would be. I realized that my gauge was off, so I had to adjust the pattern to make the sole a little smaller as I was going, and this will still be on the big side, but all together I really liked making these!

The bottom of the sole is ribbed.

Another small adjustment I made to the pattern is that I made the straps that go over the toes a little wider, because I prefer that look. (I used a single crochet instead of a slip stitch for the last part of the pattern.)

It would definitely be handier to make these when our little one would be here, so that I could make sure the straps fit right, but I just couldn't resist...

I linked up to Tea Rose Home.

Knit Ric Rac Baby Blanket

2011-03-28T01:45:00.003-06:00

I found one of my favorite Michael Miller prints in a soft knit fabric!

I happen to have a diaper bag/purse with the same pattern and I thought it would be so cute to have a matching blanket using this fabric. I got the fabric, and also a bright pink knit that matches the color of the flowers.

I saw a blanket in the store that used 2 layers of knit, with very large ric rac in between the two layers.

I really liked the idea, and looked for a tutorial to make a blanket like that.

I found a good tutorial using small ric rac HERE and used that to make this blanket.

It was pretty simple, and I love the result!

I linked up to Todays Creative Blog, Sugarbee Crafts and Tea Rose Home.