Toddler Apron

I basically traced around a toddler apron I already had that was a little run down for the pattern, but these were super easy and quick to make. Perfect for friends Birthdays.=)

I found this recipe online and it's so yummy and easy. You will never need to buy Reese's at the store again! I made the big cupcakes the first time and then this weekend I made a whole bunch of the small cupcake size. I like the small ones better, they stay around longer because there is more. :) Here is the link to the recipe. http://havecakewilltravel.com/2008/08/29/pb-cups/ I did not use the salt and I put them in the freezer to harden, which made the process go faster.

Cherry+Lime=Yummy

About a month ago I went to an open house for a local Doctor's office. They had this amazing cupcakes there and as soon as I tried the cherry lime one, I knew I needed to recreate it.
So the thinking began..... I wanted to do a white cake with lime and cherry frosting. I started hunting around on the internet for different way to flavor the frosting and also I wanted to make the white cake from scratch. This is where I found the cake recipe http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/tender-white-cake-recipe
For the frosting I did a basic buttercream and doubled it. To one half I added grated lime and the juice of limes, I kinda just taste tested until I got want I wanted. For the other half I added juice from a jar of Marciano Cherries because I couldnt find an cherry extract at Freddies. The cherry taste was good but a lil weak. I, now have a bottle of Cherry extract for the next time. I made 2 9" round putting the cherry buttercream in the middle and lime on the outside. I added some cherry buttercream on the outside for decoration and my creation was complete. It was quite tasty! This was my first cake from scratch and I was quite pleased.

Way Cute Bubble Dress

I've been wanting to make one of these for awhile now. And every tutorial I found on them. Weren't quite what I was picturing in my head. So...I made up my own, and am quite happy with how it turned out. Obviously it would look cuter if I had a little girl to put it on...  I don't have a little girl to model, but I do have the right sized, little... Oh Brady................. Just kidding I wouldn't put it on my son. Well, I wouldn't post a picture of him in it, on the Internet anyway. lol!

                                                 Front side

Backside

You can have the straps crossed like in the picture or just straight down. I'm working on some matching bloomers they will probably be the solid blue color. And some booties, oh and a matching hair accessory.

               I haven't posted in awhile, but have been making things like crazy! Heres one of my latest...

APPLIQUED ONESIES and MATCHING BOOTIES

I have a beautiful new niece Rylee, that I made these for. It was my first try at making booties and I was very happy, with how they turned out.

What do you think?

Pretty Flowers

These flowers are so easy to make. I think they are my favorite! Go here to make some yourself.

Check out this cute rag flannel blanket. I got the idea from a pic I saw on facebook. I wasnt sure how wide to cut the strips so i just guessed. The strips are 7 inches by 36 inches. Once I sewed them all together, they fit quite nicely on 1 yard of the white flannel, there was just a couple inches of the width of the white flannel that i had to cut. I found this so much easier then doing squares as I am new at this sewing thing. The nice thing about flannel is that is frays so well. I cant wait to make another one.

Since I find out I was having another girl, My Mom, Sis and I have been making bows. I really wanted a way to display them but wasnt sure what I wanted. My Mom and I went to Michaels to browse and get some ideas and we came up with this. The mirror was like 2 bucks, I painted it pink and just attached some 1 inch dollar ribbon that I also got from Michaels. Chloe insisted we put some paper flowers around the mirror but you could decorate it any way you want. I might be making another one soon with all the bow making we have been doing. Chloe loves to look in the mirror once I put a bow in her hair.

So this cake is basically like the strawberry lemon one I made, it uses the same cool whip frosting but instead of vanilla pudding i used white chocolate pudding. Its a chocolate cake with crushed Reese's PB cups in the middle of the two layers. It was so very very yummy.

BATH SALTS

I honestly didn't know how easy it was to make Bath Salt. This would be a great gift for a friend or yourself. =) If you want to make some go here.

It makes quite a bit, so I would half it if you don't want a ton. Oh, also my colors changed after a day or two for some reason. So the purple is now blue and the green is now neon yellow. Oh well.

I have been wanting to make a dress for Jovi for a while, but just have never gotten around to it. Well, I finished this dress in about a half hour. It was so easy! I just did my own measurements and wish I would have done it a little bit bigger, but it fits at least. I got the idea on how to put it together here, but just changed a few things.

Now I just need some cute sandals for her to wear with it. =)

LUGGAGE TAGS

Ok, so I don't totally love the coordinating fabric I chose for these, but they will be perfect for when we go on vacation. Go here for a great tutorial if you ever travel. =)

These are the ones Hannah made...

They are definitely not as pretty as Jackies, but they'll work.  And if I was ever to make some more, theres a couple things I would change.

Simple Green

Ok, this stuff is amazing. If you haven't tried it you should. It's pretty inexpensive, and its concentrated so it's gonna last longer. 

I am a Melaleuca freak. My whole house is full of Melaleuca products.  If you've never heard of Melaleuca go here and read about it. Its an extrodinary company, with impeccable products.  My children, my 2nd child inparticular is so curious, and into everything all the time. With my Melaleuca products, I never have to worry about having to call poison control 100 times per day. He could literally drink the cleaners or dish soap and be totally fine. Not saying I think its ok for him to play with my cleaning products, by any means, but knowing if he ever did that its not going to kill him is definitely reassuring. 

I'm sure you'll see lots of cleaning tips and cleaning products pop up, on this blog from me.  Most of them being from Melaleuca, because its just that amazing.

Simple Green is not a Melaleuca product, but its still pretty great. I was a bit weary of trying it cause I never really heard anything about it or payed attention to it in the stores. I didn't want to use anything that was toxic or anything. 

 I was cleaning out my car one day and trying to clean the backs of my seats where 2 of my boys have kicked their muddy shoes all over.  My seats are leather and for the life of me I could not get the dirt out of all the little crevices in the leather. So it still looked dirty after cleaning it. Well I was talking to my husband about it and his mechanic mentioned Simple Green, that it would definitely work, he also said it would work on those tuff stains in the carpet from where my children have spilled stuff.  So I went to the store, found it, read the label, then bought it. Its a non-toxic, biodegradable, environmentally safer cleaning product used for household cleaning. I went home and tried it, and what do ya know it got my seats clean. (on the bottle it said not to use on leather, but I did anyway).  After seeing how well it worked I went online to read some more about it. One of the things I read is that it gets all kinds of stains out of clothes. I have yet to try it on clothes, but with 3 boys and a husband that gets real muddy at work, I'm sure I will.

  Probably the only thing I'm not too crazy about, is the smell of this stuff.  If it does what its suppose too tho, I can put up with the smell. 

If you've used Simple Green, let me know how it worked for you!

  

Carseat Covers

I've been making these carseat covers like crazy! I had gotten a tutorial on them here awhile ago and had made a couple. They were super cute, but after seeing tons of other cute ones that were slightly different in style, I decided to change a few things. So these are a couple of my first few in this style.

I feel like they turned out pretty cute, but I still wasn't completely happy with my measurements and stuff. So I kept tweaking things, and they keep getting better and better.

CADBURY EGG COOKIES

Yeah for Easter! I love Cadbury eggs and after seeing this recipe I had to try them. I am so glad I did too cause they are absolutely delish! Go here and get the recipe. 

Hair Bows

My mom came up for a visit and to help watch my boys. We went crazy making these hairbows for my new niece and the one thats on the way. They turned out so cute and are going to look so lovely atop those delicious baby heads.

Butterflies

Bumble Bees, I really loved how these turned out.

                                          Tons of  Korkers

I only wish I had a little girl , so she could wear some.

WET BAG

This is another little project I've been wanting to put together. It was pretty simple to make, but it was a bit tricky working with the vinyl on the inside. I think I would use plastic next time. If you're interested in making one go here for directions. It will be nice to have for the swimming pool or just to have in the diaper bag for those dirty diapers or panties.

There is this place in town that makes the best Strawberry Lemon Poppyseed cakes with whipped topping. The only thing is that they are on the expensive side and Jason can't have poppyseed, soooo I decided to make up my own. I found a whipped topping online and kinda went from there.
I made a lemon cake in two 9 in round pans.
I covered the first layer with the cool whip frosting (recipe below) and then i cut up strawberries(about 2 of those green baskets or one of those clear plastic containers you get at the store) I covered the first layer with the sliced strawberries and then i put more whipped frosting over the strawberries, then i added the second cake and covered with the frosting. I used the extra strawberries to go around the cake and a few in the center on top. It was yummy!
*Whipped Topping Frosting*
1 tub cool whip
1 package Instant vanilla pudding
1 cup milk
1/4 cup powdered sugar

Mix sugar, pudding mix, and milk until blended, fold in cool whip.
Spread on cake :)

You can decrease milk and increase powdered sugar for a thicker consistancy.

My cousin Jackie had made one of these boxy pouches, and I just knew I needed to make one. It was pretty easy, and they are so cute. The tutorial came from here. I'm going to give it as a gift to one of my good friends, lipgloss in it and gift card.

These pictures really show the threads I still need to nip, so try to ignore those.

I was just about to throw out our empty tub of cashews today and so glad I didn't. I have been needing a cookie jar and it just so happens the cashew tub was the perfect size. I even made cookies this morning, which are by far my favorite! I don't know remember where I found the recipe, but they are super easy.

LEMON COOKIES

1 Box of lemon cake mix

1 regular size tub of cool whip

1 egg

Powdered Sugar

Combine the top three ingredients. Beat until blended. Batter will be sticky. Drop by teaspoonfuls into a small bowl of powdered sugar. Roll lightly to coat. Place them on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 9-10 minutes.