A Look Back at 2009....

2009 has been a great year! I have grown as a person, and as a crafter! And I have learned so much from all you fellow bloggers out there. My "To Do" list is getting longer and longer thanks to all of your great ideas!!

Here's a look back at some of the projects I've done this year.

Washer Anklets


Paper Bag Purses


Purse Card Holder


Teacher Appreciation Post It Holders


Tall Milk Carton Box


Scrap Cards


Revamped T-Shirt

Some things I'm looking forward to in 2010:
**trying new skills (mainly in sewing!)
**tackling my "To Do" list
**having my Christmas projects DONE by November
**staying organized
**keeping sane by creating

Although 2009 has been great, I'm looking forward to seeing what 2010 brings! Have a happy & safe New Year everyone!!

Quick New Year's Banner...

I wanted to make a quick banner for New Year's this year and saw this idea somewhere (I can't remember where...so if it's your idea, let me know so I can give you credit!).

All I did was:
** print off the letters from the computer & cut them out in a circle (I used plates for my template)
** cut patterned paper circles
** inked the edges
** glued them together
** punched holes in the top
** and strung my twine through the holes

My kids think it's the greatest banner ever!! I'm hoping to make one for each holiday!

Baby Shoes...

My cute sister had her 5th baby boy in early December, and I decided to finally tackle a project that has been on my "To Do" list for years.....I made my new nephew some cute cloth baby shoes.

It took me 3 tries to get it right, but it was well worth it!! I had planned to make him an appliqued tie onesie to match the shoes, but never got around to it. I'm hoping to have that done by February when I get to meet him for the first time!

I got the pattern and instructions for the shoes HERE.

Felt & Yarn Flowers...

Okay, so I lied. I thought I was done with all my Christmas projects until I came across THIS tutorial for felt & yarn flowers. I couldn't resist making some!!
I just used what felt and yarn I had on hand, but I can't wait to get other colors to try!! These are the ones I've made so far. The orange one with the button center is the size that the tutorial calls for. And they're really supposed to be pins. But I put my own spin on them and made them smaller for hair bows. LOVE THEM!!
Instead of using yarn on this one, I just cut a piece of felt into strips and rolled it all together. I plan on making more of them like this, only using different colors.
I put one in my hair lastnight to see how it looked, and my husband said it looked like a "Grandma bow". What?! Luckily they look cute on my girls! I guess I won't be wearing them around though:(.

On another note, it looks like I hit 100 followers over the weekend!! Woo Hoo! Thank you all for checking out my blog and leaving such nice comments! Your comments make my day!! To celebrate, there will be a fun giveaway coming up......after the holidays! So be sure to check back!!

My Christmas Sewing Projects....Done!!

Wow....it has been a crazy couple of days! I looked at the calendar and realized I didn't have very much time to finish up my Christmas projects. I guess that's what I get for procrastinating! Here is what I've been working on:

I made my own pattern for this ball and figured it out as I went. It didn't turn out too bad, if I must say so myself!!
I was a little intimidated by this Cozy Car Caddy, but it was SO simple to make! You can get a tutorial HERE from homemade by jill.


I'm hoping this Relaxing Neck Pillow will help my husband sleep better. Again, a very simple project that came together pretty quickly. A tutorial for this can be found HERE from sew4home.


And lastly, Crayon Rolls. I don't know why it took me so long to finally make these, but they are so much fun! I made my younger 3 kids the crayon rolls and decided to make my older 2 girls some marker rolls. A tutorial can be found HERE from Skip To My Lou.

For the marker rolls, I just used some placemats that I already had on hand. Love them!
Today is my kids' last day of school until the New Year, so I will be a bit busy for the next few weeks. I don't know if I'll get around to posting again until after the holidays, so until then, I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!

Teacher Gift Idea...

These are what my girls will be giving their teachers this year. All I did was type up the quotes and print them on cardstock, Mod Podged them on my tiles, and embellished with ribbon.




These were quick and easy, and turned out lovely!

***If you need other tile gift ideas, check out THIS IDEA from Some of This and Some of That, and THIS IDEA from Little Birdie Secrets.

Handmade Gift Idea: Black Apple Dolls...

These were supposed to be made by my 10-year-old for her sisters for Christmas. Well, as usual, Mom did all the work, and she'll get all the credit. That's how it goes around here!!
We saw this idea HERE on homemade by jill (love, love, LOVE her blog!! I'm making a few more things I found there for Christmas gifts....hopefully I'll have them ready to share soon!). I didn't have time to embellish the dresses like I wanted to, but they still turned out cute!

Stocking Stuffers...

It 's been a while since I've made bows or flower clips for my girls. I was motivated to make more after seeing THESE and THESE. They will make perfect stocking stuffers for my girls!


Last week my cousin asked me to make some CD holders for her. She is a leader in the Primary in her area, and they are making a CD with the songs in the 2010 Primary Sharing Time Outline for each of their Primary children for Christmas. I was so excited about this project that I made all 50 of these CD holders in 2 days!!

Now I need to find some stocking stuffer ideas for my little boy. Time is running very short!! If you have any ideas, please share!!

Handmade Christmas Gift Idea...

If you're looking for a gift that will last all year long, this idea is for you!

For the past couple of years, my Christmas gift to my Dad and Mom has been birthday cards. I make enough birthday cards for them to give to their children and grandchildren for the year. It's a win-win situation for all of us....they don't have to worry about buying birthday cards each month, and I get my 'fix' by being able to create them.

These are the cards they'll be getting this year.
The ones with the flowers are obviously for the girls, and the star ones are for the boys. You can't tell from the picture, but I used a foam square on the star to give it a 3-D look.

I had fun making these cards (all 27 of them) and look forward to getting mine on my birthday!!

Candy Cane Kiss Brownies...

One of my favorite holiday treats is Hershey's Candy Cane Kisses....love them! Picky Palate inspired the making of these...
I did a few things differently than Picky Palate....

**I used my favorite homemade brownie recipe
**I made them into brownies instead of brownie bites

Here's what they looked like before baking.
I could've eaten them just like this!!

They turned out fantastic....which didn't surprise me. Everything Picky Palate comes up with is amazing!