Friday, December 30, 2011

Crafty Friday -- 12/30/11

Here's some new crafty finds for this week:
{Click on the pics OR on the source link below the pics to go to the sources!}


--------------------------------------------------------------

You can also find the following new crafty links ~ {PLUS MORE!!} - HERE on my pinterest Crafty-licious Board.

--------------------------------------------------------------


T-Shirt Rug:




Felt Roses:




Felt Camelia:




Recycled Newspaper Basket:




Hanging Notepad:

Source: etsy.com via Jennifer on Pinterest





Popcorn Tins "Reborn":




Easy "Bling" {bracelets):




Felt Board People:




Hand-Carved Eraser Stamps {very clever}:




On-The-Go Crayon Box:




Homemade Lotion:




Yarn Hearts:




Tissue Paper Flowers:




Button Headband:




Pretty Ribbon Bows:
Posted by at 2 comments:
Labels:

Thursday, December 29, 2011

{Toddler} Pants Fall Down??...Fix 'Em...SUPER FAST and EASY!






My son is skinny and his pants don't stay up (unless they're the ones with the adjustable waist!) So...when his birthday (and Christmas) came...and he got LOTS of much-needed new pants to wear...I was thrilled!! But...when we put them on...they all fell down.

Now...I LOVE to sew...but I do NOT love to mend/alter/fix clothing. So...I came up with a QUICK and SUPER-EASY way to keep his pants up!!

---------------------------------------------------------------------

All you need is some 1" wide elastic (you could probably use 3/4" wide, too)!!

---------------------------------------------------------------------


First...measure your child's waist (don't measure too tight!).



Second...cut the elastic 1" longer than the waist measurement (my son's waist measured 18"...so I cut a 19" piece of elastic.)



Form a circle with the elastic by overlapping one end on top of the other (with about an inch of overlap). Stitch the overlap in place by stitching a "square" around the edges {you may want to do a zigzag stitch at the edge so the elastic doesn't fray.} **I used black thread so it's visible for the pictures.**





Next, starting about an inch or two to one side of the sewn overlap, draw a line {using a regular pencil...or an erasable marker...doesn't matter too much}.



Draw 3 more lines - evenly dividing the elastic "circle" into fourths. {Fold the elastic in half, and fold it again to find the quarter marks.}
**See pic below {the sewn overlap part is facing to the right in the picture}**





Next...we sew.



Line up the line nearest the overlap even with the center back of the pants...and pin in place.





Sew over this line. ***Be sure to backstitch at the top and bottom!!!**
{***NOTE: If any of the seams are extra bulky,
you may need to sew a little to the right or left of the seam.***}





Now...pin the next line to one of the side seams...and sew in place.





Repeat the above steps to pin and sew the front seam...and then the remaining side seam.



All finished and ready to wear ~ WITHOUT FALLING DOWN!!




Quick...Easy...and...Cheap!!

{Plus...it's easy to remove, if needed!!}












Click here to see the parties I linked up to!!
Posted by at 19 comments:
Labels: , , , ,

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Books I'm Reading...plus BOOK REVIEWS

{BOOK REVIEW} ~ "Cherry Blossom Capers" ... by Gina Conroy, Frances Devine, Cara C. Putman, Lynette Sowell



Book description from the publisher:
Encounter mystery, mayhem, and murder near Washington, DC, alongside four professional females. White House assistant chef Tara Whitley works with an old flame, FBI agent Jack Courtland, to stop a plot to sabotage a state-dinner. Attorney Ciara Turner and her nemesis Daniel Evans have trials tracking down a judge’s murderer. Archeologist intern Samantha Steele and security guard Nick Porter are on the heels of a dangerous forger. Shop owner Susan Holland and renovator Vince Martini turn upside down her late uncle’s mansion while investigating a string of mysterious accidents. Will these sleuthing couples’ machinations move them into matrimony?


My review:
“Cherry Blossom Capers” is a Christian fiction {romance/suspense} book – part of the “Romancing America” series. I absolutely LOVED this book! It was a really great read! The book was a four-in-one type book, but all four of the “mini-books” were related, which I really liked! The book is based on four women neighbors (who are friends…and share “movie nights” together), with each woman being featured in her own story. In each of the four stories within the book, one of the four women ends up being in the middle of a dangerous situation. And, while trying to figure out what is going on…they each end up falling in love! This book had everything I love to read combined – drama/suspense {reminded me of Nancy Drew} mixed in with a little romance {but not too sappy}! (After reading this book, I am definitely interested in reading other books from the series.) I thought the entire book was well-written, easy-to-read, and hard to put down!! I would HIGHLY recommend this book! 5 out of 5 stars!!!!!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received an e-book edition of this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

**Link is an Amazon affiliate link**

---------------------------------------------------------------------

{BOOK REVIEW} ~ "Designed for Death"...by Jean Harrington



Book description from the publisher:
An Eye for Detail, a Nose for Trouble
Interior designer Deva Dunne's latest project comes to a screeching halt when blood on the carpet leads her to the body of her client, an exotic dancer with a mysterious past. But the murdered woman is not the only resident of the posh beachfront condominium with secrets, and investigating officer Lieutenant Victor Rossi considers them all suspects.
Though wary of working in the killer's midst, Deva continues decorating the unit for the new owner. When she stumbles upon clues that might help crack the case, she can't resist doing a little digging of her own, despite Rossi's orders to quit meddling. Now, she's juggling the investigation, her career and sexy neighbor Simon Yaeger, who seems interested in more than her etchings.
Deva can't help but be flattered by all the male attention—that is, until she realizes the killer has designs on her, too...


My review:
I thoroughly enjoyed reading “Designed for Death” by Jean Harrington. For lack of a better word to describe this book…this book was AWESOME!! It was a great suspense book…full of twists and turns throughout the entire book. I really did not know for sure who the murderer was, until the very end of the book. The book was very hard to put down…because I just wanted to keep reading it to find out who the murderer was…and WHY he/she did it. This book was cleverly written, was extremely entertaining and overall, it was just a GREAT suspense/drama book. I LOVED it…and would highly recommend that you read it, too! 5 out of 5 stars!! {And it’s the first book in a new series – “Murders by Design”….can’t wait to read more in this series!!}

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received an e-book edition of this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

**Link is an Amazon affiliate link**

---------------------------------------------------------------

{BOOK REVIEW} ~ "All Fall Down" ... by Megan Hart:



Book Description:
In the midst of a chaotic midnight assembly, Sunshine is forced outside into the darkness. Holding a scrap of paper scrawled with a stranger's name and address, Sunny grasps the hands of her three small children and begins her escape.
Liesel Albright has dreamed of starting a family. She never bargained on inheriting one already in progress…or one so deeply damaged. When nineteen-year-old Sunshine appears on the Albrights' doorstep claiming Liesel's husband, Chris, is her father, all they can think to offer is temporary shelter. The next day, they're stunned by the news that the Family of Superior Bliss, led by a charismatic zealot, has committed mass suicide. Sunny and her children haven't just left the compound—they've been left behind.
Now, instead of a baby of her own, Liesel must play mother to the four survivors, while Chris retreats into guilt and denial. For Sunny, however, a lifetime of teachings is not easily unlearned. No matter how hard she tries to forget, an ominous catechism echoes in her mind, urging her to finish what the Family started.


My review:
“All Fall Down” by Megan Hart is a very unique book – very different from most books I usually read. But I really enjoyed reading it! The book is about a girl named Sunshine, who is raised in a cult, and is forced by her mother to escape (along with her 3 small children) the cult and go to her real father (who she never met.) Liesel (the wife of Sunshine’s father, Chris) always dreamed of having a family – but Chris says he doesn’t want children. When Sunshine and her children show up at Liesel and Chris’ doorstep, everyone’s life changes drastically.
I found the book to be very interesting and hard to put down. It was written in a way that you really felt that you could relate to Sunshine, and understand how hard it was for her to adjust to “real life” outside of the cult. In the same way, you could really relate to Liesel, and understand her feelings – from shock and anger at finding out about her husband’s child, to forgiveness, and joy and love.
This book really brings your attention to the radical cult lifestyle – and makes you really think about what it would be like to be raised in a cult setting {think Kool-Aid drinking type cult}.
I felt the ending was a little bit of a “cliff-hanger”, maybe the author could write another book continuing this story – I would definitely read it!!
Overall, I would give this book 4 out of 5 stars – the book was enjoyable to read, a little “creepy” at some parts (when it described some of the details of cult life), but I would recommend that you read this book.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received an e-book edition of this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

**Link is an Amazon affiliate link**


-------------------------------------------------------------------------


Here are some great books I'm reading right now.
{Reviews will come shortly for some!!}


The Mercy ~ by Beverly Lewis:




The Cowboy Tutor ~ by Linda Ford:




All Fall Down ~ by Megan Hart:




44 Cranberry Point ~ by Debbie Macomber:




Heart of Ice ~ by Lis Wiehl:












Posted by at No comments:
Labels: ,

Tasty Tuesday - 12/27/11

Here's some new YUMMY recipes for this week:
{Click on the pics OR on the source link below the pics to go to the sources!}


--------------------------------------------------------------

You can also find the following new yummy links ~ {PLUS MORE!!} - HERE on my pinterest Yummy Board.

--------------------------------------------------------------


FIRST UP ~ a QUIZ!!

How well do you know your PASTA SHAPES?? - Click HERE to take the quiz.



And...now on to the YUMMY recipes!!




Andes Mint Cookies:




Red Velvet Brownies:




Potato and Cheese Pierogi:




Chocolate Chip Whoopie Pie:




Buckeyes:




8 Minute Mini Cinnamon Rolls:




Italian Crescent Casserole:




Mexican Casserole:




{SUPER YUMMY!!} Ultimate Choco Chip Cookie n' Oreo Fudge Brownie Bar:




Cranberry Cheese Bars:




Chocolate Mint Bars:




Hot Fudge Sauce:




Baked Nacho Platter:




Monkey Bread:




Chocolate Peppermints {Junior Mints}:




Biscuit and Egg Puffs:
Posted by at 2 comments:
Labels: ,

Friday, December 23, 2011

Crafty Friday -- 12/23/11

Here's some new crafty finds for this week:
{Click on the pics OR on the source link below the pics to go to the sources!}


--------------------------------------------------------------

You can also find the following new crafty links ~ {PLUS MORE!!} - HERE on my pinterest Crafty-licious Board.

--------------------------------------------------------------


Box O' Princesses:




Peg Dolls:




Toilet Paper {yes...you read that right!} art:




Page Corner Bookmark:




Embroidery Hoop Wall Pocket:




Felt Flowers:




Pillow Box Tutorial:




How-To Fuse Plastic Grocery Bags (to use for liners, etc.):




Tattle Monsters {could also be used for kid's storage, etc.}:




Shadowbox Banks {very cool idea!}:




Coffee Filter Roses:




Quilled Hearts:




Easy Felt Flowers:




Felt Poppy Flower:




Newspaper Gift Bags:




T-Shirt Pom Poms:




Rolled Paper Flowers:
Posted by at 1 comment:
Labels:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)

LinkWithin



Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...