Toilet Paper Message

And, J says he is not creative. 

This seems pretty creative to me.

Sharpie Decorated Mugs Update

A picture is worth a thousand words;
isn't that what they say.

Well, here is my Sharpie decorated mug
after being run through the dishwasher twice.

Yeah, that didn't work out so well in the end.

                             : (

You can find the original post here, if you are still interested. 

Fried Rice

Fried rice is an easy dinner that can be made out of pretty much what ever you have in the fridge (and rice of course). I don't know if this is really how to make fried rice; I made it up. It is very similar to fried rice from the Chinese takeout place, so that works for me.

All that said, here is how I make fried rice.

Cook rice as usual, if I am short on time I do white, if I have time, I do brown.
I usually cook a cup of rice, sometimes double it if we need lots of lunches that week.

Saute whatever veggies you can find, this time, carrots and zucchini.

I also had some spinach that needed to be used,
 so I chopped that up to add towards the end of cooking.
Again, any veggies you would like.

Scramble some eggs; I usually do two but only had one egg left tonight.

Make a sauce. I use an easy stir-fry sauce from a recipe I found on-line.
Follow the link to check it out.

When it's all done, dump it together and mix and saute until combined.

Enjoy! 

Leftovers make great lunches.

Fabric Memory Game

Inspired by a post on the Purl bee for a fabric memory game, I made a memory game out of fabric scraps for my nieces's birthday.

The hardest, most time consuming part of the project was cutting out all the pieces. Once that was done, it was fairly quick sewing.

I used a zig-zag stitch around the outside edges, instead of a straight stitch and trimming like they recommend.

I also sewed a simple little pouch, with a velcro closure, for her to keep the memory squares in. Embroderied with the word "Memory," it is the perfect little keeper.

While still a little young for the Memory game concept, she loved the colorful squares, and can start by simply matching patterns.

Monsters! Banner

The monsters were a hit at A's birthday party this past weekend. While that's not exactly what this post is about, I couldn't resist another picture of those adorable guys.

Last minute, Friday night, I decided to make some monster banners for the party as well. I kept it really simple, tearing out pages from the book about making monsters that I got at Good Will and stitching across the top of them. On one I wrote "Happy Birthday" using a Sharpie. Done; it was simple but added some color and themed decoration to the party.

Monsters!

Today we celebrate my niece's 2nd birthday; recently she loves growling and pretending to be a monster. So, a monster party it will be. Last weekend while on our mountain getaway, my mom, aunt, sister, and I created, sewed, and stuffed many monsters for party favors.

While I had to break to stretch my back and fingers several times, we eventually got them all done. Okay, so maybe I gave up about 3 away from being finished but luckily my mom has more endurance than I at the trusty sewing machine.

Our inspiration came from this book I found at Good Will for 50 cents. I think it was worth the money.

A loved all the monsters, smiling and giggling when each was completed. 

She made sure to give each a loving hug.

Joy Banner: Paper Version

Lately, I have enjoyed using my sewing machine to sew paper, in particular to make cute banners out of reused papers. Some friends recently moved to a new home, so I thought they might appreciate a new, little decoration.

I hand wrote the words grace, peace, and love (many times) on blank pages from the front and back of an old book to be the background of the banner. Then I cut the letters out of handmade paper and sewed them on with the trusty sewing machine. Lastly I stitched across the tops to hold them together.

I hope their new home is full of grace, peace, love, and joy!

Happy Birthday J!

Today is J's birthday! 

Yay! 

We will celebrate with some delicious food and even deliciouser cake.

So, for the table I created a little bit of birthday cheer.

Anniversary Banner

Last week, J and I celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary. 

I made this little banner out of old book pages and handmade paper to celebrate 

and stitched it together on my trusty sewing machine.

Happy Labor Day (Yesterday)!

Hope you had a great long weekend. 

I spent time away in the woods with wonderful family. 

We spent an afternoon sewing away at a special project for this cutie's birthday. 

More on that to come this weekend; I can't give the secret away.