tootsie pops for an ol' man

Just a quick little project I couldn't wait to make for my brother-in-law who has turned 30. You can make this little gift for any age - although you may need a bigger container once you get up there in years - lol!

Materials needed:

• container/pail (always check the $ section in Target! They always have some cute pails! This one is from Ikea)
• floral foam square (Dollar Store)
• paper towel
• suckers
• kebob skewers
• "30 sucks" sign - cardstock, designer paper, cricut letters - whatever your lil' heart desires
• filler (I shredded some vintage sheet music)

1. put a wadded up paper towel in the bottom for a little support

2. place foam square on top of paper towel

3. start poking the suckers in the foam alternating colors and placement for stability

here are all 30 suckers

4. (optional) shred vintage music paper in your shredder

5. stuff paper filler in all the crevices

6. attach message to kebob skewers with a little tape

7. push skewers down to desired height

birthday boy :o)

Hope you enjoy!

summer lovin'

Well my friends I'm FINALLY back in the groove! Summer has been flying by. I had so many plans to get a head start on Christmas cards, layouts, and gifts. Not to mention creating something to blog about everyday. Then....well reality set in.....life happened....and I strayed away - forgetting how fun it was to lose track of time creating pretties from bits and baubles in my studio. So I'm back - for now - and I'm lovin' the bright hues of summer days.



This album sprang up from my love of strawberries and blueberries - with a little cream of course! I used paper from the Girls Paperie called "Kitch". It is so bright and cheery - and so hard to cut apart - lol! But I managed. Luckily I saved enough remnants to possibly squeeze another album - but due to my recent track record I'm not promising anything - lol!


So many vintage yummies went into this lil' cutie. All from my humungous stash of goodies from auctions, flea markets, my mom and grandma. I think I really need to start destashing so be on the lookout for some lovelies being added to my Etsy shop. Notice the blue Planters pick on page two? That was from my Grandma's junk drawer :o) I also used a lot of fabric remnants throughout which is my new love.



This album is up for auction on eBay this week. You can see the complete listing (and more pictures) here.






Thanks for looking! Have a happy week!

xoxo

strawberry blueberry mojito - oh my!

Well my summer is just flying by! Pretty soon I will be back at school - I've head Wal Mart already has their school supplies out! *sigh* I try not to think about it as much as possible. Even though it is flying, my summer has been sooo spectacular! It has been chock full of fun times and relaxation! My hubby and I have been playing with summer flavors and stumbled upon a yummy little drink that is sure to make your taste buds scream for more!

(my husband kept sipping his drink while I was taking these pics - I could have smacked him! Luckily, I snap pictures quick!)

Strawberry/Blueberry Mojito

1/2 cup run (I used Malibu Coconut)
12 strawberries finely chopped
1/4 cup blueberries
1/4 cup sugar (I used a little less since I don't like drinks overly sweet)
1 lime (squeezed)
club soda (about 1-2 cups depending on how strong you like your drink!)
mint or lemon balm (20+ leaves) Tear or rub to emit flavor
ice (about 1 cup)

I combined everything into our cocktail shaker and shook until blended.

Serves 2



This was one of the strawberries I used for our mojitos! I just had to snap a quick picture!

Hope you find this as refreshing and scrumptious as we did!

Enjoy!

a glimpse of my backyard

I just thought I'd show you a peek of some of the goings on in my backyard - one of the past time that has kept me away from blogging these past few weeks.

When we first moved into our house after less than a year of being married, we didn't quite understand the amount of work needed in our landscaping. We don't even own a half an acre, but it is chock full of plants, trees, and shrubbery. Now seven years later, we are still getting the hang of it - lol! We only managed to spread one truck load of mulch so far this summer and probably will get two more by the end. I never thought that I would ever possess a green thumb....but I must say - gardening is starting to grow on me! Perennials are my new best friend - even though some bright, cheery annuals speckle their way throughout my beds.

We still have a long way to go....but it is a learning process and a super fun past time to share with my hubby!









Thanks for taking a peek in my backyard!

strawberry shortcake gifties

Holy long blogging break! After school was out, I took a little break from scrapping and blogging, but didn't realize it had been over a month since my last post! Summer came so fast this year! We've been busy going on family trips and getting the great outdoors prettied up with flowers and such that I haven't set foot in my studio since May! I have a few fun things to show you - a little late of course!



At the end of the school year, I wanted to create a little special somethin' for all the special people that bring a smile to my face and lend a helping hand throughout the year. The people that do so much - and don't get nearly enough recognition for the amount of work they do for our school. So I decided to put together a little strawberry shortcake jar for those certain wonderful peeps! Such an easy and eye appealing yummy to share!

I used pint jars (perfect size) and layered each with sliced strawberries, angel food cake and cool whip. Then I tied a little note with some jute and attached large bamboo spoons (loved the earthiness this gave the overall look!) so they can chow down immediately. I prepared them the night before and kept them in the fridge overnight. They were a big hit! I am sure they would be perfect if you added some blueberries for your upcoming 4th of July festivities!







Thanks for popping in!!

come ride with me

It's coming down to the wire - only two more days of school before a much needed summer break. I am hoping that my summer is productive yet relaxing - giving me extra time to scrap and use my trigger finger to take snapshots of summer memories. My hubby and I are planning to travel a little here and there - I hope the time doesn't fly by too quickly!


Here is a little mini I managed to pull together and list on eBay. You can find the listing here with many more pictures. For this design I used Pink Paislee's "Butterfly Garden" papers. This line is to die for! So soft and shabby! It was so hard to cut it up and cover it, but I think I managed showcasing some of my favorites. I used lots of vintage goodies including vintage doilies, lace, music paper, jewelry, beads....the list goes on! The cover image was taken from an image from Crafty Secrets Love Scraps. I just love this image and quote - so darn cute!









I hope you are inspired and are having a happy weekend! Thanks for stopping by!