Dallas Arboretum, Grass Stains and an Awesome Secret!

Yesterday we went to the Dallas Arboretum. They didn't really have any flowers blooming, but it was still beautiful. We went ahead and got a membership for a year because it was so much fun. We had a picnic, played, walked around and just had a GREAT time.

Here is my artistic photo for the day:


Laci and I in front of one of the water fountians:


Another cute one of me and my munchkin:


JUMP:


My personal cheeseball:


She looks so sweet and innocent here:


Sitting in the exact spot I sat when Jake asked me to marry him:


This one is here so that I can show you the grass stains that Laci had on her white pants after only a mere 20 minutes (note that she was shortly after changed into jeans for the rest of the pictures)... how do you get rid of grass stains you ask? Read on below:


Do you have a tom-boy, clutsy girl, a boy who also likes to get dirty, etc? Well I have a solution... for years I have used this to get out grass stains from socks and shirts (hubby used to play outdoor soccer) to pants and outfits... what is this miricle you ask? Murphy's Oil Soap! I know you are all saying, isn't that for hard wood floors. YES it is, but it works and here is how.

So you take your pants and pour on some of the Murphy's Oil Soap. Let it sit for a minute and then use your nail and rub the spots, let it sit more and pour on more if necessary. Rub fabric together to get into all the crevices (oh yeah... this one was right on the stitching lines and creases great job Laci, you gave me a doosy this time). Next start filling sink in cold water, put pants in to water and let them soak. Over night if necessary (or if you forget to check on them before going to bed - this is an admission). When you get back to them or wake up in the morning and remember you forgot about them the previous night pull them out and look at them... still a small spot, pour more soap on and use your nail or rub fabric together and it should all come out. Rinse out with cold water, and then wash in the washing machine... here they are after rinsed. I should have taken a better picture, but I promise, they are all clean!



I put them in a fresh sink of water so that the hubby could throw them into the washing machine later with a load. Yes I have a wonderful husband that does laundry. Pretty cool secret huh? The Murphy's Oil Soap part not the hubby doing laundry part. Sheesh. ;o) Have a great week and remember what to do the next time you have a grass stain and think, oh no, those are ruined.

TTFN~

Cute Pictures

I love being in training videos... I feel like a celeb!

Here are some of the cute pictures that were taken of me on Monday...
I had literally just picked up the papers on the ground because we had dropped them and Matt took a very akward photo of me...


Practicing our lines (well me listening)


Not sure what I was doing here... Matt was going nuts taking pictures.



Me during filming - JUST LOVE THOSE WRINKLES ON MY FOREHEAD! Just Kidding I hate them. But it is a cute picture...


Right after filming, me walking out:


On a side note, I started to do the mold for the soap last night. Because my house is not 77 degrees the optimal drying temp it is going to take a few days to fully dry. Boo... Oh well, I think it is working correctly so I am excited to get it done so that I can try and make the soap!!!!

TTFN~

It's Stinkin' Cute Craft Thursday #39

I LOVE Valentines... but to be honest Decorating for V-Day seems kind of pointless right now since on 2/20 I will be decorating for a Seuss Party. But I still LOVE the ideas and will bank them for next year! If you didn't see yesterday's post on Dr. Seuss Party Planning - Take 1... go take a look. I am psyched that most of the wall decorations are already done! Eek!

Judy over at In His Grip linked up an ADORABLE!!! heart pillow that I would fawn over. I have pleaded that she post a more in depth tutorial since I need to make some ones with stars just like that with the cording and all. HELP PLEASE!!!


Lindsay over at Diary of a Crafty Lady linked up a SUPER CUTE Valentines pouch... I want one it is just adorable! I will have to make one for Laci when she gets bigger. Unfortunatly I don't think that she would appreciate it right now. But I sure would love to have one. Not sure why seeing as how Valentines are few and far between where I work.


Ami over at AliLilly posted LOTS of stuff that she did for Valentines. I really couldn't pick one thing, so I chose the Valentines mantle. It is so pretty and I would love one of each item for my hosue!


Ladies I am just wowed by all the wonderful creations and links from this week! Be sure to grab a featured button. I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with this week! Go get crafty!

Let's get to linkin'!! Rules:

1. Please link craft projects that you have done (not advertising an Etsy site)!
2. Linky Tools will remain open until next Wednesday evening so there's plenty of time to link your projects!


<a href="http://itssewstinkincute.blogspot.com/" target=""><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4066/4561049489_a63691786d_o.jpg" alt="Stinkin Cute Thursday Button" width="147" height="77" /></a>

TTFN~


Rules for linking:
(1) Link to specific blog post, not blog home page!
(2) Link craft projects that you have done!
(3) Make sure to visit a few of the links and leave some comment love!
(4) Linky Tools will remain open through Wednesday, February 2 so you have plenty of time to add your projects!

Dr. Seuss Party Planning - Take 1 - Decorations

Ok, so 94 days until Laci's 4th Birthday Party, 51 days until Laci's real Birthday (did you notice the GIANT gap in between her birthday and party - to avoid conflict I changed the date), 39 days until my sisters baby shower and an unknown amount of time until Baby Holden actually arrives. Busy months ahead... YES!!! As it was put yesterday... "we are in FULL party planning mode" :o)

Anyways, so I stopped at the store and got some elastic so I can start working on the baby bag (actually sewing it together) but last night I made decorations with my mom... we have SO many already done and I am super excited about it...

Ones I don't have pictures for but that are already done are:
1) One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish
2) The Sneetches (three of them - 2 with stars and 1 without)
3) Hop on Pop and the Kids for the door for Pop's Potty
4) The boy from the Cat in the Hat (I conveniently took the picture and must have been moving because when I looked at it last night noticed I only got a picture of his arm)

Here are the ones we did last night:
The little girl who will be holding a sign and some balloons...


The box


Thing 1 and Thing 2



And last but not least... HORTON! Isn't he just super cute!!! I know he doesn't look it but he is almost 4 feet tall... In LOVE with it!


Still on the to-do list:
1) (2) kids in chairs in the front of the window (to go in front of my window)
2) Fox in Socks
3) Garage door stuff (Mountian and Hot Air Balloon from Oh the places you'll go book)
4) Fish in the Bowl
5) Sam with Green Eggs and Ham
6) Big Hat for the Front Door to Welcome them to Seussville
7) Oh, and a lot of those cute Trees to go everywhere...

I know it is crazy, but we are just about done with the big decorations and I can focus on the smaller things like food labels, the menu, the bathroom decorations and pictures... eek still too much to do!

Oh, did I forget to mention that my sisters baby shower is going to be the same theme. So I am putting up the decorations before March 6th and they won't come down until after April 30th. Well it is a good thing that they are cute. Because I am not sure I could handle many themes for such a long time, but this one should be ok. I may hate Dr. Seuss by the time this is over with... just kidding. Who could hate the man who said "Don't cry because it is over, Smile because it happened!"

What do you think of the Seuss Party Planning - Take 1?

TTFN~

Bag Embroidery Done

I kept my word. Last night I pulled out old faithful... you know I aught to come up with a better name for my sewing machine. I mean I don't name cars, but I feel like it needs a more personal touch. It is temperamental and needs a soft touch some times which makes me think that a male name is more appropriate. Insert laugh here... Until I decide on a name I guess I will call it Old Faithful. Whatever, my rambling can stop now.

So I had an issue with my machine on Sunday morning when I was trying to embroider the name Holden on a piece of fabric for my sister's baby bag. Old Faithful 1 - Me 0.

Last night I re-imported the font, changed the sewing style, density and increased the number of stitches by double... eek. Twice the chance to screw it up.

So, to see what it was going to embroider like I did a test run with a different color of brown to see what it was going to embroider like and if it was going to attempt to loop on me and be mean. It was turning out pretty and I finally stopped it with two letters to go because I knew it was going to be the winner. It was pretty! Here you can see it below doing the sample one. OF 1 - Me 1 <- score is getting tied.


Once I put Laci down to sleep I started working on doing the embroidery for real. I have to say I was holding my breath through most of the 20k stitches. There was one issue I had on the "d" but I worked it out and it looks great. I had to change the bobbin thread with about 2,000 stitches to go but expected that as the test run ran out a little before that. OF 1 - Me 2 <- woo hoo pulled ahead!


After I finished this I looked at the pattern. There are a couple changes I am going to be making as far as closures go, so I am anxious to see how the magnet is going to work out. Keeping the fingers crossed big time! If it works right it will be GREAT! But really the pattern is pretty easy. So hopefully once I get trucking on it I will do just fine. ***please cross your fingers for me***

Oh, and Ashley... to answer your question from yesterday, yes I do have an embroidery sewing machine. Do I use it as much as I should for what I paid? NO. Do I know how to do the clothing that I just adore and am spending 60 bucks on from etsy (insert guilty NO here)? I am very fortunate to have gotten this wonderful machine, but at the same time feel uber guilty that I don't get much use out of it.

ANYONE WANT TO COME GIVE ME SEWING LESSONS? I mean for clothing, not bags? I REALLY want to learn how to make some twirly dresses and not be so slow. Also I would love a serger, but "A dream is a wish your heart makes" comes to mind, because that isn't happening any time soon. Ok, well enough of that!

Have a GREAT TUESDAY! Hopefully next week I have more of the bag done so that I can link to Creative Itch's "Sew Cute Tuesday".

TTFN~

Embroidery Problems

Grrr... so yesterday I finally decided to get off of my rear and start my sisters baby bag again (I already cut out all the pieces). First thing, embroider name so that the funkies would be inside the bag. Good thing too since the font did not like the name. I am going to change the embroidery pattern in HOPES that that fixes the problem and do a sample embroidery of the name. I have no clue why it decided to make loops on the H (I stopped 1/2 way through) and now am REALLY hoping that I can change the embroidery pattern of the font because that really was the best font.

Maybe I can try and do the sample embroidery tonight. Keeping my fingers crossed... I will let you know. :o)

TTFN~

It's Stinkin' Cute Craft Thursday #38

I am nothing short of impressed with all of the BEAUTIFUL links from this week! Amazing and I totally wish I could feature you all. But, alas, I do have to pick. This week due to the INSANE amount of AWESOME ideas I am picking one feature and going to share with you all of her awesome V-Day ideas.... Hey friendly reminder... it is only 24 days away. EEK!

Amanda with We Are the Joneses linked up her Valentines Day Inspiration. Um... I will definatly be keeping some of these things on my TO DO list!


This entire shelf only cost her $19 to make the stuff and then she bought the candles for another $7 making this entire cute shelf only cost $26. I want the banner and the L-O-V-E sign and well, I will just have to take one of everything, and I just adore the candy balls. What a wonderful idea. Oh thank you so much for your great V-Day ideas!

Amanda, be sure to grab a featured button. I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with this week! Go get crafty!

Let's get to linkin'!! Rules:

1. Please link craft projects that you have done (not advertising an Etsy site)!
2. Linky Tools will remain open until next Wednesday evening so there's plenty of time to link your projects!


<a href="http://itssewstinkincute.blogspot.com/" target=""><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4066/4561049489_a63691786d_o.jpg" alt="Stinkin Cute Thursday Button" width="147" height="77" /></a>

TTFN~


Rules for linking:
(1) Link to specific blog post, not blog home page!
(2) Link craft projects that you have done!
(3) Make sure to visit a few of the links and leave some comment love!
(4) Linky Tools will remain open through Wednesday, January 26th so you have plenty of time to add your projects!

Coaster Gift

Was going to post these yesterday, but wasn't feeling well. So here they are. The cute gift I made my friend that you can duplicate!

I started with these coasters. I talked about them here.

Here they are in the stand, but because I was lazy you really can't see it because it is on the black background for the photo box.


Then I used my Sure Cuts A Lot software (which you can purchase through Ashley at Cute as a Fox she talks about it in that post that I linked) to make the vinyl names... you have to flip the image how I do it, but the coasters will last LOTS longer because the vinyl won't get wet... I'll show you how.
So use your software and make the names backwards. Cut the vinyl out like this...


Here they are with the negative part pealed off...


Next you will put it on the transfer tape and then place it on the under side of the coaster. Here they are all finished.



My friend was like... I told you we wern't exchanging presents. I then promptly told her... REALLY it was NO big deal. (plus I got a good post out of it) **insert wink here**

So these were easy, fun to do and totally universal with colors, fonts, styles and gender neutral. So keep this in mind for your next small couples gift or an addition to a wedding gift (I mean you could do initials or anything like that). It is really a great idea for an inexpensive gift that looks like a lot. I loved it! What do you think?


TTFN~

Monday huh?

Ever had one of those weekends where you didn't really get anything accomplished that YOU wanted to do? Some of this weekends activities included:

1) Birthday Party Shopping
2) Birthday Party (I have decided my daughter needs a social calendar)
3) Going to a friends house so that the kids could play and having dinner there
4) Going book shopping
5) Going to Yougartland (this was an essential Mommy needed stop!)
6) Grabbing more powder (you don't want to see me without make-up)
7) Getting new shoes for Laci
8) The biggest thing we did was go to my sisters house to help her paint stars on her baby room wall. I will post pictures when the painting and trim is completed.
9) Oh, I was crafty this weekend for myself and made some of those coasters. I will post pictures of them probably tomorrow!

Needless to say I am exhausted this morning and was actually 45 minutes late to work. My boss actually called out sick today too. I almost did myself, I really couldn't lift my head off my pillow I was so tired.

Anyone have inspiration for me to start sewing my sisters baby bag? Anyone? HELP! I am lacking motivation and just want it to be done... It's not that I don't want to do it... I just feel like there are so many things to do and not enough time to do them.

TTFN~

Brithday Digital Scrapbook Pages from March

If you want to look at how I did anything for the party that you see on these, please be sure to look at the posts starting here back last January telling you how I did everything...

If you have any questions please let me know.

TTFN~

It's Stinkin' Cute Craft Thursday #37

Ok, so just a quick note... today is better than yesterday. I might have woken up at 3:30 but after 20 minutes did go back to sleep and feel SO much better than yesterday... YEAH!!!

Can you believe we have been doing this 37 weeks now? I love it and all of you are my wonderful bloggy friends. I think that is great!

Natalie over at Johnny in a Dress hit the nail on the head with my brain this week as I am starting to plan Laci's 4th birthday party. Look at this ADORABLE chandelier. I love it... Do you think if I search high and low I can find these ina store cheap right about now? This would look awesome off of my dining room light!


Here Amanda over at The Paisley Cupcake has shared her super stinkin cute idea for a get well gift. At first I was kind of hoping it was a soup in a jar recipe (insert wishes to anyone willing to share good cookie in a jar or soup in a jar recipes) but then saw the chocolate chip cookies. How on earth could I be disapointed... I mean who doesn't love chocolate chip cookies (insert disapointed look here if you don't like them). Super cute, simple and I love it!


For the two features thank you for linking directly to my brain this week. For everyone else, thank you SO much for linking up. I think it is just wonderful that we all get to share this stuff since most of my family and friends are void of the crafty bone. To my family and friends if you are reading this, this probably isn't referring to you... :o)

Let's get to linkin'!! Rules:

1. Please link craft projects that you have done (not advertising an Etsy site)!
2. Linky Tools will remain open until next Wednesday evening so there's plenty of time to link your projects!


<a href="http://itssewstinkincute.blogspot.com/" target=""><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4066/4561049489_a63691786d_o.jpg" alt="Stinkin Cute Thursday Button" width="147" height="77" /></a>

TTFN~


Rules for linking:
(1) Link to specific blog post, not blog home page!
(2) Link craft projects that you have done!
(3) Make sure to visit a few of the links and leave some comment love!
(4) Linky Tools will remain open through Wednesday, January 12th so you have plenty of time to add your projects!