Christmas Tree 2010

Lisa came by yesterday afternoon on her lunch break and helped me decorate my tree, b/c that's the kinda gal she is. When she left, it looked amazing! Lisa has taught me to never be afraid to go crazy, to make your tree fun, to always showcase your child's handmade ornaments, and to use big ornaments in odd numbers.



I got this crown from Red Door, and I stuffed it with lights to give it a regal glow.




I know Clyde won't be with us until March 1st, but I couldn't resist hanging his stocking too! As much as I feel him kicking, I feel like he's here already!



And the buffet. Love it!

Christmas Wreaths

It seems everyone is making decorator Christmas trees and wreaths with floral wrap lately. I had to jump on board b/c they're so inexpensive and fun! Inspired by a friend of mine, who lead me to this website tutorial on how to make the wreaths I just jumped in and got started - http://blog.mardigrasoutlet.com/search/label/Wreaths

The first wreath I attempted was at my mother's house on Thanksgiving. It took me just a few minutes. The technique isn't hard, it just takes time to get comfortable with the "finessing" the floral wrap requires. I didn't like the green ribbon I intertwined over the floral wrap, but it's all I had. (I am realizing how desperately my mom's front door needs re-staining!! Oooh wee!)



Inspired by a wreath at the Red Door, I tried to model my next wreath for my own front door after it. This is where it can get expensive. The two strands of garland were $20, which I really wouldn't recommend paying, but a friend thought it would look nice and picked it up for me, and I didn't want to bother returning it. Plus, I do love the garland, just not $20 worth.

Red Door's wreath: (which retails at $230)



My wreath: (In the first pic, I had not added the garland yet)

Applique

So I am in love with children's clothing brands like Anavini, who produce these adorable applique t-shirts with cute designs.



The only problem with them is that they are really expensive. Like $36 for a t-shirt kind of range. With the holidays coming up, I decided I need to master this sewing skill! So off I went to Hobby Lobby, who had surprisingly cute choices of applique for children's clothing, as well as well-priced t-shirts at $2.99 (the appliques were $1.99). Wal-Mart also has good prices on the Garanimals t-shirts, which are extremely soft, for $3.50. This is a great idea for gifts that can be "homemade" but not too homemade, if you know what I mean.

Ok, so here are some pictures of the two shirts I've done below. An exciting note about the first shirt: We're invited to a one year old birthday party next weekend for the daughter of a good friend. I'd already purchase a cute little pillow pet, but when I saw this owl applique with a pink shirt, I knew fate was stepping in. The owl applique looks just like the birthday part invitation!! So for around $5, I am throwing it in with the gift, and that will hopefully make both gifts more memorable!




I made the second shirt as a gift for a birthday party I am going to this Saturday (even though I showed up last Saturday mistakenly! haha! thankfully it is a dear friend who would never make fun of me!). His name is Perry and I think this will be adorable on him. Suzanne and I are mostly just excited that I can do the applique, as we both like it.



Technique: Directions are on the back of the applique packet you buy. First I put the shirt on the ironing board and placed the applique where I wanted it. Then I put a thin white cloth over it, and held the iron over the patch for 15-20 seconds. Do not use steam (it says). Then I turned the shirt inside out and ironed it from the back side (with the press cloth over it) for 20-25 seconds. That will keep the applique in place for a while, but not permanently. To make it permanent, you have to sew it on.

Use a color thread that you think will compliment the entire applique. I have seen more complex Anavini appliques that change thread, but this was my first one and I just didn't feel like it. I used a zig zag foot which allowed me to see what the heck I was doing as well as a very short zig zag stitch (experiment before actually starting). Then I slowly stitched around the applique. The little curves and feet can be especially tricky, so just go slow and be careful. Remember, slow and steady wins the race! :)

A Pioneer Woman Supper Club

We are in an informal supper club, which consists of four couples who like to cook (girls) and eat (boys and girls). Since we all share the common denominator of being in love with Ree Drummond, her quirky writing style, her fabulous recipes, and her infectious attitude, we decided the theme this month would be...the Pioneer Woman! Denise was hosting this month, so we started out in her kitchen. Here is Denise sampling the cooking and Sarah trying to avoid being photographed! Suckaaaaaa :)



So here's what was on the menu for the night.
Denise delighted us with coq au vin for the main entree, plus wine.
Sarah contributed spinach salad with hot bacon dressing, plus wine.
I whipped up some creamy mashed potatoes, plus wine.
Ann made the oreo/peanut butter pie, plus wine.

Are we booze hounds??



Whilst we were slaving away in the kitchen drinking the drink of booze hounds, the boys were relaxing and catching up. Helloooo boys!!!! (They have it so easy)



Because each of us worked hard to bring the Pioneer Woman's individual recipes to life, here's a close up of each. I am adding the links because I know you want to be just like us, and I'm just here to make it a little easier for you.

The spinach salad with hot bacon dressing!!!!!!!!!
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/06/the-best-spinach-salad-ever/




The coq au vin! With noodles!
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/08/coq-au-vin/




The creamy herbed mashed potatoes! I take the easy way and leave the skin on. I think you get more...um, fiber or vitamins that way. The secret ingredient to mashed potatoes is Lawry's seasoned salt...which, I am ashamed to say, I didn't even own when I first made this recipe. Now I quadruple the quantity any time I use a recipe that calls for it!
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/11/delicious_creamy_mashed_potatoes/




The peanut butter pie! As PW says, "If you don’t like peanut butter, step away from this recipe. I’m serious, man. You’re in the wrong place at the wrong time." It was delicious!
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/06/another-pie/





All assembled, the heavenly dinner looked something like this...why is there so much salad?? This must be Sarah's plate!




The happy diners. Can you guess which one is my husband??



I'm not sure where Ann was, but here's the girls!

Lengthen those Drapes

My friend Denise bought some incredibly cute drapes at World Market. But given the height of her ceilings, she decided she wanted to add on about 18 inches in brown linen to the bottom of the drapes. I say great idea! It's an inexpensive way to take mainstream drapes and make them custom design and custom length.

Denise had first tried to use what they call hem tape (something like that) but the thickness of the brown material she was trying to add on was really too substantial to be held by tape.



First, I trimmed the width of the brown fabric to correspond with the pre-sewn drapes. Then I ironed. One of the delightful evils of sewing is you always have to have an iron out and ready; it's a necessary evil I must tolerate if I want to sew, and is usually the only time I ever iron my dear husband's shirts.

I hemmed the sides in, then I went for the top. I wanted the unattractive, turned under top of the brown fabric to be hidden.



Then I pinned it to the back of the drape.



Then I sewed that sucker on! Take care to use a thread color that will not show up on front of the fabric. I know there's a way to sew where it won't show, but I haven't figured that out yet. So I just go search for the right thread (HINT: Always pull out the actual thread and lay it across the actual fabric. You'd be surprised how much the color changes from the roll to the individual thread. This is a fool-proof method of getting the right color. You're welcome.)



All that remains was to hem the bottom evenly. Since Denise wanted it as tall as possible, I didn't have to conform to 84 inches, or 96 inches. I just made sure it was even and voila!



Please excuse Wild Thing, he doesn't like to be left out.

Father's Day Card

Because I think Hallmark cards cost too much, and because I wanted to make a card for all the fathers and grandfathers in our lives that was a little more personal, we did foot print and hand print cards this year for Father's Day. Unfortunately, it wasn't as much fun as I'd envisioned, given the fact that Hilton acted as though I was amputating his foot when I plunked it down into the ink pad. It took me and Will to overcome the sheer will of an 18 month old.

The hand print was even more difficult. You wouldn't believe the places a toddler wants to stick his hand once it has big bad blue paint on it, or black ink. I though I'd try acrylic paint to mix it up a bit, and I would not recommend it. Unless it's painted on very thinly, and who has time to monitor how thick or thin paint is when you're trying to do it with lightening speed, it wound up being one big blue blob. The ink did turn out a little better.



My disclaimer is this: this is a somewhat messy project. Be armed, don't be outnumbered, and be ready to wash hands immediately afterward, or your stove will be "personalized" too! :)

A Tisket a Tasket

So my dear friend Suzanne and I decided, being the fabulous new moms that we are, our equally fabulous boys deserved a homemade Easter basket. Suzanne had heard of a woman selling baskets for $25 or $30, but she thought we could definitely make them cheaper and cuter. So off we went to King's Hardware and Tuesday morning; she purchased a pink basket and I bought a red one. ** Mistake #1, just buy one in white for goodness sakes! Suzanne was able to cover the pink with some white spray paint, but 3 cans of paint later, mine was a runny red still!

So off I went to Michael's, and found the perfect white(!) basket for $5. I got the seersucker fabric monogrammed with Hilton's name, and voile la!

Next we laid the fabric down in the basket and put cans in it (to make sure the fabric was truly filling out the basket). Then I cut the fabric to the appropriate length and sewed it inside out and finished it off with some ties. I wanted the cloth monogrammed so I pinned it so it would be centered (approximately). You will notice I was fitting this for my larger red basket - I had not yet gotten the reality check about painting white over red; thankfully, my new white basket was comparable in size and I am practicing not letting perfectionism get the best of me, so there. It fits close enough.




All in all, when Suzanne and I totalled out what we'd spent on our little craft project, it was more than having the lady do it for us, and obviously less work. But, you know, sometimes craft projects just take longer than expected, cost more than you'd bargained for, etc. But I am a big believer in doing some things yourself (not including laundry, ironing, and yardwork), and Hilton will have a sweet little Easter basket to enjoy!

A Purse and a Dress

Part of me always hopes my husband reads my blog, even though I know he doesn't. If by chance you are, though Will...dearest Will, I would really really love to own these two items. The first is a fabulous dress by Ella Moss, super comfortable, with pockets and a really fun slit in the back. My sister in law wore it to go to the pool, she had it in orange and white stripes, but it's just a great summer dress!

http://www.revolveclothing.com/DisplayProduct.jsp?product=ELLA-WD793&c=Dresses+-+Casual&s=C&sc=Short+Sleeve&currency=USD&source=shopstyle

Below, is a new purse by Tory Burch, also inspired by my sister in law (man, do those girls have a wardrobe! :). I had actually seen it first in Village Taylor (terrific boutique in Oxford, MS), and then saw it in person. It's so fabulous draped across, as the gold really stands out and it's just beautiful.

http://www.toryburch.com/toryburch/browse/productDetail.jsp?icProduct=20109821&icSort=&icCategory=cat70012