A Jennuine Life

I Pinned It! 3.2.12

2012-03-02T06:00:00.000-05:00

** If you pin any images from this post, please click back to the source so it links properly to the originator **

As always, let me know if you'd like an invitation to Pinterest - just leave a message on this post.

So, without further ado, here goes:

Shwin & Shwin

This collaboration between Shauna and Ruthie Pearl is a-dor-able!

Ana White

We just put a wall between our breakfast nook and the office, and I'm thinking this might be perfect for some additional pantry storage in the breakfast nook. I might forgoe the drawers - depends how ambitious I'm feeling. Maybe grass green? I'm definitely getting a Kreg Jig if I take this monster on...

Two Little Hooligans via Project Run and Play

This is sooo cute! Plus I have some fabric in my stash that would be perfect! Vest weather is almost here!

Little Lovables

I have a perfect spot in Arden's room to do something like this cute curtain puppet theatre. I might go more for a "stage" sort of look for dress up, but the idea is still great!

Pink Party Planning on Pinterest: Decorations

2012-03-01T21:15:00.000-05:00

** If you pin any images from this post, please click back to the source so it links properly to the originator **

I've got a good chunk of the decorations either completed or purchased - you saw a glimpse of the "happy birthday" banner the other day:

I finished that up later that day using bias tape I made myself. I seem to be quite the banner lady lately which I think is really ironic since the nautical banner I made for One Month To Win It was my first go-round at banner making. Sometimes I'm late to the party, but I seem to make up for lost time.

Completely off topic but goes along with coming in late with trends - I watched the first episode of Downton Abbey last night, and I totally agree with everyone who raves about it! My friends have said it's addicting and that I'll be sad when it's over, so I'm going to try to spread it out a bit.

Okay, so back to PINK! party planning. Today I made the rounds to Hobby Lobby to pick up some things for it, and tomorrow will be devoted to getting the house ready and trying to make any food that can be made ahead.

The Pleated Poppy

There were a ton of ideas in this pink party post, but the big takeway I'm planning to "leverage" is hanging pink balloons from the ceiling - sans helium. I also snagged some similar pink lanterns.

Oh, Goodie! Designs

I LOVE this quote from Audrey Hepburn. I'm going to make my own version and frame it for the party and then hang it in her room afterwards.

Sweet Designs a blog by Amy Atlas

I mostly pinned this one for the tissue paper flowers. Dave gets brownie points for snagging a couple from the Daddy Daughter Dance a couple of weeks ago.

Reaves, Party of Four

This is a great idea to ask the same 20 questions each year beginning at age three. I asked Arden her questions before bed tonight and her answers were pretty interesting. I imagine some of them would be different tomorrow, but still a worthwile exercise. My favorite - "what do you want to be when you grow up?" -- Arden: "Big".

Pink Party Planning On Pinterest: Food

2012-02-28T17:14:00.001-05:00

Say that three times fast! If you follow me on Pinterest, then you've likely noticed that I have a board for planning Arden's third birthday party - It's a PINK party! I saw Summer from Sumo's Sweet Stuff did a similar wrap up for her popcorn party planning, and I wanted to be cool like Summer, so here goes:

I've pinned waaay more stuff than I'm actually planning to use, so here's the cut and what I'm planning - at least at this point - I reserve the right to change my mind!!

** Oh, and if you want to pin any images from this post, please click back to the source so it links properly - I've seen this pointed out recently and it makes a ton of sense since I'm getting some undeserved traffic from my I Pinned It! posts that should be going to the originator. I'll be putting this disclaimer on those posts going forward. **

Betty Crocker

I pinned a ton of beautiful pink cakes and cupcakes, but I decided that my time was better spent working on decorations and favors instead of muddling through a so-so cake. So I ordered cupcakes from our local Gourmet Cupcake Shoppe. They make fabulous cupcakes and all I have to do is go pick them up! I ordered six dozen mini cupcakes in three different flavors and one big cupcake for Arden.

I don't have an image to pin, but I saw somewhere? an idea to pre-freeze the ice cream in cupcake liners to make serving easier.

The Kitchen Witch

I try to have a variety of foods at my parties to prevent sweet tooth overload. Plus, the party begins at 4PM, so I feel like the food should be a little more substantial. I'm doing a version of this turkey with cranberry cream cheese sandwich on whole wheat slider buns.

The Girl Who Ate Everything

This fruit salsa sounds super yummy! I'm going to serve it with the cinnamon graham cracker option.

Simple Girl At Home

I saved two bags of valentine's M&Ms specifically for this pink snack mix. Question is - do I have to go through and pick out the red ones, or leave well enough alone?

Food.com

Pink popcorn - need I say more?

I might also do a pink candy station, but I'm pretty sure if I do that I'll make it more part of the favors since there is already plenty of sweets on the menu. Do you think that's creating problems for the parents? I know some parents are vigilant about how much sugar their kids eat (I'm one of them to some extent).

Birthday Prep: A Glimpse

2012-02-25T06:00:00.000-05:00

I finally got one thing checked off my to do list for Arden's third birthday prep - a banner. Here's a glimpse of it because I didn't finish until late and therefore don't have a shot of the completed banners.

And nope, I haven't been lucky enough to get a Silhouette Cameo, so I do my stencils the old-fashioned way. I print out my letters, trace them by hand onto freezer paper and then painstakingly cut them out by hand using teeny tiny scissors. I actually enjoyed it up until my thumb knuckle started getting a dent in it because both girls were napping and I was catching up on Project Runway All Stars. The font is Elephant in case you're wondering.

And here's the soon-to-be birthday girl herself. This is the shot I used for her invitation - maybe not the best picture of her, but she just figured out how to hold up three fingers and she was wearing all pink in preparation for dance class so it worked for me!

I Pinned It! 2.24.12

2012-02-24T06:00:00.000-05:00

Phew - it's been a busy week! Not one thing in particular; I've been getting several orders for custom nautical flag banners, an out of town birthday party on Saturday, still wrapping up my gifts for my package pal, and starting to work on projects for Arden's 3rd birthday party.

As always, let me know if you'd like an invitation to Pinterest - just leave a message on this post.

I still found time to pin a few things - here's some I'd love to share with you:

luvinthemommyhood

luvinthemommyhood is doing a giveway for what looks to be a fabulous book - Make It Sew Modern Book, and this doily applique quilt just grabbed my eye.

Honey Bear Lane

Are you starting to see a theme? I guess it's been a while since I fixed my quilting itch so I'm pinning a bunch. This basketweave quilt is so ingenious and she worked out all the kinks for us!

fibrespace

This one took me on a little trip to trace back to the source, but I'm glad I did - she's got kits for sale to make these adorable felt birdies as well as other great felt projects. Only problem is she's in the UK...

Cute Food for Kids

This is sooo cute and we have pretty much everything on hand in our house - Arden calls Babybel cheese "round cheese".

clickin moms

I love this idea for setting up a natural light home studio in a very small space. This made me realize I've got a really great option for setting up something similar in my home.

Sticky Note

2012-02-22T10:46:00.000-05:00

I'm at work today and stumbled across the online sticky note I had used to time my contractions for my pregnancy with Hadley:

It's so surreal seeing that! I was working from home because it was my due date and I was feeling large and uncomfortable and had been having some sporadic contractions for a few days. I had some things to wrap up at work, and we had scheduled an induction for the next day unless I went on my own. So I was instant messaging a friend at work who was also going to be my backup during my maternity leave and telling her that I was having contractions, but they weren't regular yet - you know, no big deal... See the last entry for 4:03 - that was when I called my OB and they said to head to labor and delivery.

At labor and delivery they checked me in to the triage area and I was dilated to 1cm and tested to learn that my water had not broken. They decided to keep me anyways since I was scheduled to be induced in the morning. We got into our room around 6:30, and then things progressed quickly from there and I had Hadley at 10:14 PM. The whole story is here.

Jennuine Design

2012-02-20T09:53:00.002-05:00

Normally I do a couple of projects over the weekend to schedule for posts the following week. I have the beginnings of a birthday banner for Arden's party that I was planning to finish and share, but I've been getting a few orders for custom nautical flag banners in my Etsy shop - Jennuine Design. I'm glad for the business, but those banners are taking priority over personal projects at the moment. Hopefully I can get caught up a little in the next couple of days and start sharing party prep projects with you!

Notes From A Super Amateur Photographer

2012-02-18T06:00:00.000-05:00

Remember last Saturday I said I was going to a one day DSLR photography seminar and that I would try to share what I learned with you? Well, here we go! Now, don't flip past if you don't have a DSLR - most of what I'm going to talk about can be applied to your point and shoot since most of them have a manual mode. I'm also going to try to share some of the little tricks that I think have helped my pics get better.

The first part of the class the teacher started talking about how to set up a studio shot and I started thinking "oh boy, this is not at all what I wanted". But we got past that part, and some of it is still pretty applicable with the exception of the professional lighting aspect.

I'll start with the mechanics of shooting in manual. There are tons of handy guides and actual professionals out there talking about what ISO speed, f-stop and shutter speed settings you should use so I'm not going to get super detailed here.

Manual Setup: First things first - at least browse through your camera's manual, mainly just so you know what all the buttons do and how to change settings. I had played around with the manual settings on my camera, but couldn't figure out how to change f-stop in manual mode. So I stuck with shooting in aperture priority. Turns out, I just needed to hold one button down while rolling a little dial.

Start by setting the white balance on your camera. This helps your camera adjust to the differences in light between full sun, indoor light bulbs, flash, etc...
Set the ISO speed - a general rule of thumb is the brighter your surroundings, the lower ISO you will use. Higher numbered ISO will allow you to take photos in lower light, but will result in grainier resolution.
Then set the f-stop or aperture. The lower numbers the more bokeh, or blurry fore-and-background you will get. I read once a nice rule of thumb that your f-stop should be around the number of subjects in your photo - so if you're shooting a picture of one baby f 3.5 or lower if your lens allows it will have your little subject in focus but everything around blurry, while a group shot should be more like f 8 so everyone will be in focus.
Once you have ISO and aperture set, then set the shutter speed. DSLRs should have an internal meter that helps you determine what shutter speed will allow optimal light, or exposure compensation. On my Canon Rebel T3, it shows up as a scale something like this: -3..2..1..x..1..2..+3. a little light will appear along this scale and then adjust so the light falls close to the center.

Now here's where you have to play around with things. Once you have your ISO and f-stop set, your shutter speed might need to be super slow to get enough light which will cause you to get a blurry photo if your or your subject are moving. You can use a tripod if you're the one moving, but if your subject is moving then you need to start over and use a higher ISO and readjust your shutter speed. Most people can't get a focused photo with a shutter speed slower than 1/80.

Here's some photos straight out of the camera to try to demonstrate (using my new favorite model - Hadley!):

All of these were shot in my living room with northern and western exposure on a sunny day in the late morning. I set the white balance to cloudy since I didn't have any lights on inside but there wasn't a ton of light coming in.

ISO 1600, f/4.5, exposure 1/50

Okay, so this is nice and bright and surprisingly it's relatively in-focus considering the slower shutter speed of 1/50. I was resting on my elbows to get to her level and she was holding pretty steady. Normally this would have come out a bit blurry, so making some adjustments:

ISO 1600, f/4.5, exposure 1/100

So now my shutter speed is faster and there shouldn't be any blur on the subject, but there's not enough light. Let's try again:

ISO 3200, f/4.5, exposure 1/100

So here by bringing the ISO up one level, I was able to keep a faster shutter speed and still let in enough light. I don't notice any graininess, so this is the photo I'm looking for.

Portrait Photography: This was the part of the class that I started to glaze over, but I pulled myself together and I'm glad I did. Most of my reservations were because I'm primarily taking pictures of little people who don't take direction well. But I can see how I can try to apply these guidelines by how I pose them or from what angle I shoot.

A rule of thumb is "if it bends, bend it". Referring to elbows, knees, wrists, etc.
Body and head should face different directions
The camera should be at about eye level for head and shoulders portraits, chin to chest for 3/4 length and chest to waist level for full length portraits
Avoid flat lighting - portraits usually look best with one side brighter than the other side.
A 2/3 face is appealing - 2/3 of the face is toward the camera, so 1/3 is in less light.

Some Blog Photography Tips: Here are some little tips and tricks I've used to make my photos better.

Use natural light whenever possible. Even if that means setting up a shot inches away from the french doors leading out to your deck (it's a common sight for me to be crouching on the floor to snap project photos)
Get a couple of foam core boards. I have a black and a white board I use for 90% of my photos. I know it's not terribly original, but I often don't have a whole lot of time before tiny people start waking up, so it's quick and easy - and way better than a cluttered background. If you're shooting something really small, scrapbook paper would be cool.
Use the macro (flower) setting on your point-and-shoot, or even on your DSLR (you don't have to shoot in manual ALL the time!)
Use the largest file size setting on your camera, and post photos as large as your blog layout will allow. I adjusted the body of my blog to allow the extra large photo size.
When editing your project photos - make one of them square so you can use that one for linky parties. Have some fun with titles and fonts to make a good shot for Pinterest while you're at it!

I really hope something here helps you. I'd love to hear your tips and tricks and anything you've learned along the way, as well as if any information I've shared is incorrect or unclear.

I Pinned It! 2.17.12

2012-02-17T06:00:00.000-05:00

I love Pinterest more and more every day. I've noticed a huge increase in the pageviews on my blog and it's because of people clicking over from Pinterest. I've seen lots of other bloggers point out that their number one referrer is now Pinterest, so I'm sure not alone.

Here's some of what I've been pinning this week:

Shanty 2 Chic

I pinned this and within a few hours, it was repinned over 360 times. I was getting so many update notifications that I went in and changed my settings to only give a daily summary. I'm sure it was so popular because it's such a clever idea!

source?

LOVE this idea! I couldn't find the original source even though I tracked it back through several repins.

Happy Together

This must have been before I started following Happy Together, cuz I repinned this from one of my sorority sisters but would have definitely pinned it (or starred back in July when it was posted) if I had seen it. Easy and cute! Love the pieced ones!

The Worldwide Gourmet

Homemade dried strawberries?? Get out! These look so yummy!

My Go-Go Life

Cathedral window pincushion - the beauty of this amazing quilt square without the committment of an entire quilt. Perfect!

Chubby Chirp Flirts

2012-02-16T06:00:00.000-05:00

I finished the last of the chubby chirps last week - meet Chelsea! I know I'm really stretching a simple knitting project for all it's worth, but I've enjoyed working on them during some evening tv watching, and I can't resist the little speech bubble conversations!

Since this one is supposed to be a girl, I changed the eyes up a bit and made french knots with a little cat eye for lashes. It sort of borders on Angry Bird-esque, but I think it looks more feminine than the plus signs on the boys.

Chelsea may be a Chubby Chirp, but she's rocking it!

There may be one more post about these little birds once I put the mobile together, but that's it I swear! I know I haven't done a full nursery reveal for Hadley's room. There's this mobile project and the bumper left to do before I feel like it's really complete. Getting close, but other things keep taking priority.

I'll be linking up to these great parties:

Mondays Making the World Cuter Monday – Making the World Cuter Just Something I Whipped Up – The Girl Creative Party Blog Made By You Monday – Skip to My Lou Do It Yourself Day – A Soft Place to Land Craftastic Monday – Sew Can Do Making Mondays Marvelous – C.R.A.F.T. Market Yourself Monday – Sumo’s Sweet Stuff Creative Me Monday - The Southern Institute Tuesdays I Made It Without My Hubby – Shanty 2 Chic Sew Cute Tuesdays – Creative Itch Anything Related – All Things Related Tot Tuesdays – My Delicious Ambiguity Tute-in Tuesdays – Oops, I Craft My Pants Take a Look Tuesdays - Sugar Bee Craft Edition Shwin&Shwin Wednesdays We Did It Wednesdays – Sew Much Ado Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice - Seven Thirty Three Show & Tell – Blue Cricket Design Show Me What Ya Got - Not Just a Housewife Your Whims Wednesdays - My Girlish Whims Thursdays Strut-Your-Stuff – Somewhat Simple Make It, Wear It – The Train to Crazy It’s Stinkin’ Cute – Sew Stinkin’ Cute Show Off Your Stuff – Fireflies and Jellybeans Making It With Allie - What Allie's Making Now Pinspirational Thursdays - The ArtsyGirl Connection Fridays Furniture Feature Friday - Miss Mustard Seed Weekend Wrap Up Party – Tatertots and Jello Feature Yourself Friday – Fingerprints on the Fridge Friday Fun Finds – KojoDesigns Weekends Check Me Out Saturday – A Vision to Remember Show and Tell Saturday – Be Different Act Normal Sunday Scoop – I Heart Naptime Sunday Showcase Party – Under the Table and Dreaming A Pinteresting Party - Tutus & Tea Parties

Versatile Blogger Award

2012-02-15T10:10:00.001-05:00

LibertyMom from Oodles 4 Noodles has awarded me The Versatile Blogger Award! What a nice surprise -thanks so much LibertyMom!

The Award has rules:

1. Add the award to your blog

2. Thank the blogger who gave it to you

3. Mention 7 random things about yourself

4. List the rules

5. Award to 15 bloggers

6. Inform each of those 15 by leaving a comment on their blog.

Seven Random Facts About Me:

I subscribe to over 100 blogs, so choosing just 15 to feature will be challenging!
I was a witness in a trial once - in Hawaii! Then boyfriend now hubby and I got flown out and stayed in Honolulu for five days on the defense's dime.
I haven't had a haircut since May - and boy do I need one!
I'm very imparticular about what people call me - I'll answer to Jennifer, Jenny, Jenn, Jenna, J, Hey You, etc... The only problem is I don't always know how to sign cards!
I couldn't stand coffee until I was 30 - now I'm seriously hooked!
I used to work as an internal auditor for the same multinational company I work for now and traveled all over the world for three and a half years - I needed extension pages in my passport! Now I only travel domestically to visit family.
I currently lose more sleep to blogging/projects than to my four-month-old daughter.

And below are the

15 fabulous bloggers to whom

I am passing on "The Versatile Blogger"award.

Check them out!

Daddy Daughter Dance

2012-02-14T10:21:00.000-05:00

Arden and Dave attended their first Daddy Daughter Dance at our new YMCA on Saturday. I pulled out the second of the Arden Refashioned Shirt Dresses that I made for her a year ago during Project Toddler Runway. I made this as a 2T and it was big on her last year at 23 months but now it fits her really well - that whole growing taller without getting much heavier thing!

She had taken a four-hour power nap that day and I had to practically drag her out of bed to get ready in time. She started out whining "I want to stay here and play and watch a movie" but I got her keyed into the idea and by the time we got dressed she was really excited about it.

Dave thought she was going to be overdressed, but he found that she was right on the mark and he was a little underdressed in jeans and a button down shirt - one guy had a tux with tails!! Arden thoroughly enjoyed the party and especially liked the craft where she could put stickers on a cardboard picture frame. She had a little mishap with some red punch, but it only got on her tights and it came out just fine in the wash. Dave said one of the cute things was some of the slightly older girls dancing on their own while their fathers followed them around videoing with their phones.

Did any of your girls go on a date with Daddy? How did it go?

Shoe Rescue

2012-02-13T06:00:00.002-05:00

I hit Old Navy's clearance section last week and on the way in, spotted these (not on clearance) adorable little shoes for Arden. Cute, right? Arden loved them, too. Only problem was that ballet flats sans strap and preschooler do not mix well. They were slipping right off her feet as soon as she tried to take a step. I scoured my local fabric store for elastic that would coordinate, but my options were pretty much white, black, or ummm white...

I just noticed that I can totally see my reflection in the shoes in the photo above - Hi, folks!

So I snagged some hair bands - these were on clearance, I'm redeeming myself a bit - right?

I sewed on the elastic and added a cute little navy button from The Button Jar. The elastic is a near perfect match and I promise - the button matches better in real life!

Notice the cat/dog/whatever-other-furry-animal-has-made-it's-way-into-our-house-and-we're-feeding-along-with-the-rest-of-the-menagerie hair inside the shoes? I saw it and was too lazy to a. make more than a halfhearted attempt to get it out, or b. edit the photos to remove it. When I noticed it, I was like "how the heck did all that hair get in there? Did Poe try the shoes on or seomething?". I didn't realize until two days later that - DUH - when Arden tried them on she obviously had hair on her socks.

I swear I used to be smart. Then I had two kids.

This project was featured!

Linking up with:

LOV*E Embellished Tee

2012-02-11T14:23:00.001-05:00

I feel as if I've gotten behind the game in regards to Valentine's crafts. So when I came across a plain white tee at Old Navy in the clearance section, I grabbed it up with a plan in mind to embellish it.

Included in my package pal box was some great felted wool - see the cute pink on pink stripe? Perfect for what I had in mind!

I searched for the LOVE sculpture (it's by Robert Indiana and the first one is in Indianapolis created in 1970 in case you were wondering) and printed it. Then I traced the image onto freezer paper omitting the "O" and cut it out using teeny scissors. Insert sympathy here because I don't have a fancy Silhouette. A Big girl camera took priority over crafty stuff!

I used Tulip fabric paint and put two coats on with a foam brush. Then I cut three hearts from the wool felt, grabbed some embroidery floss and plunked myself down on the sofa while Arden and Hadley were playing.

A little blanket stitch to hold them in place - Arden was incredibly interested in this. Oh, how I wish I had a personal photographer around because she grabbed her lacing cards and we had a little sewing party - adorable, but I couldn't capture it. Maybe a tripod and camera remote should be on my wish list?

This project turned out better than I had imagined in my mind. Arden loves it too - so much so that it caused a major meltdown when she wanted to wear it before I had finished putting the hearts on the elbows. "Rational" and "almost three" are most definitely not synonymous!

I'm in love with the little hearts on the elbows. I thought I was being all original but literally the evening after I finished this I saw an adult version with needle felted hearts on the elbows on Pinterest.

I can't wait until we can go outside to take pictures instead of the bathroom! There are only about three places in my house I've found work well for photographing the girls, and one of them was in use by Hadley at the time.

Showing off her pirouette. She got a little too into it and fell down right after this...

I'll be linking to these great parties:

I Pinned It! 2.10.12

2012-02-10T06:00:00.001-05:00

I think I've run out of tips for Pinterest. If you've got one, I'd love to hear it! As always, if you need an invitation to Pinterest, just leave me a comment or send me an email at jennuinedesign@gmail.com.

JulieKnowlesPottery on Etsy

I love how simple and serene this yarn bowl is.

The Paro Post

Becca was inspired by Pinterest, and now she's inspiring on Pinterest! I really like the row of hooks at the bottom for headbands - I haven't made a hair accessory holder for Arden or Hadley just yet, but now it will have hooks when I make it!

Ucreate

How could I not include this "Pin it" pincushion? It attaches to your sewing machine - genious!

Patent and the Pantry

These microwave lime cheesecakes are the second lime desserts I've featured - I'm sensing a trend... Yummy AND portable? Yes, please.

dandee

Isn't this yarn ball invitation a fun way to send an invite for a craft night or knitting club?

My Package Pal Rocks!

2012-02-09T20:02:00.000-05:00

Are you participating in Jamie at C.R.A.F.T's package pals? If not, then you should definitely consider doing it next time - she's going to do one every other month. Check out what my pal Ellen sent me:

I'll start at the top left and go clockwise:

Button "bouquet" - can you say adorable! And how original - I've never seen anything quite like it before, and that's saying a lot with all the button art that's floating around. I made it a home in a little cut glass jelly jar I had on a shelf.
Baker's twine - There's an assortment of colors in there. I've pinned several projects using baker's twine - I know some of this will get used as part of Arden's birthday party decor next month.
100% wool felt - Ellen is big into felt, and this is nice stuff - some feels like cashmere wool to me. I've only dipped my toe into the world of felt, but I have at least two projects already percolating to use some of these pretties! Keep an eye out, 'cuz one should be done like tomorrow!
Felted wool cupcake pincushion - Even my stingy-with-the-compliments husband said he liked this cute little pincushion. I love it too, and I have to admit that my pins are in the little plastic box they came in, so this will definitely be useful.
Key wristlet - always handy, and this one's cute to boot! I'm thinking for when I walk Laser & Sophie.
Map embellished sticky note holder - When I work on projects that I'm thinking will become tutorials, I scratch down dimensions and notes on whatever paper I can find. Now I can find a note when I need it!
Fold over elastic (FOE) from Pick Your Plum - I've seen some cool projects with FOE, and I know you can use it to make underwear - maybe I'll try my hand at that? I am running out of places to find cute underwear in Arden's size to give as rewards for her staying dry all day... I also think it looks cute as binding on t-shirts, of which I'm planning to make more.
Crocheted clippies - I think Ellen might have been checking out my pins for these. I used to know how to crochet, but I have looooong ago forgotten and kept finding cute crochet projects like these. Now I can move "re-learn to crochet" way down on my list of things to do.

Part of the reason I haven't posted as much this week is that I've been working on my package for Ellen. She sent hers early and I'm really glad because I think I would have ended up in that awkward situation where the gift you give isn't as cool as the one you've received - you know what I'm talking about? Like first gift exchange when you're in the early stages of dating?.. not that Ellen and I are dating... oh, never mind...

Hadley Marie - Four Months

2012-02-07T06:00:00.001-05:00

Time just keeps flying by with the craziness that is having two little girls in the house! Hadley is four months old, and Arden will be turning three in a month! We officially had to say goodbye to the yellow/green onesie, but now we get to see her in the cute orange sweater I had originally knit for Arden.

Hadley continues to be the World's Easiest Baby, or WEB for short. She's still sleeping through the night, and for the last couple of weeks has been going down around 7 PM and staying asleep until around 6 AM with the exception of a dream feed around 10 or 11 PM. She's still working on rolling over, having done so successfully once about three weeks ago.

I did a little photo shoot for Hadley just after three months. I took them in her nursery and used a reflector to bounce the light coming in through a small window to the right. I think they turned out pretty well, and I should be able to do even better next time after taking the DSLR photography class - I can shoot on manual now! Previously I was mostly using the action or the aperture priority setting.

This one is my favorite - I love how it shows her little pointy chin and the alphabet wall art behind her without being distracting. This is edited in Picnik.

... or maybe this one is my favorite - little chubby belly and chunky thighs! This is edited in PhotoShop Elements with a free action from the Pioneer Woman called "seventies".

Hi there, cutie!

She spends a lot of her time with her hands clasped together in front of her. If they're not there then she's trying to cram her thumb or her whole hand in her mouth - I'm trying my darndest to prevent having a thumb-sucker! I want to be able to take pacifiers away when it's time. She's got an awesome belly laugh and she smiles so big when I go to pick her up from daycare. She still gets chatty in the evenings and we swear she's saying "hello" to us. She's getting better with her hands and grabs onto to toys in her floor gym, or a toy on the Bumbo tray. She also grabs a fist full of hair at every opportunity, something Arden is not too thrilled about!

I don't have a weight for her right now - not even an at-home one. I forgot to do it over the weekend, and I work Monday-Wednesday and it's too hectic in the evenings to try to do it then. We have our Dr. appointment on Thursday so I'll update her stats then. I think she might be leveling out a bit, but I could be surprised!

Chubby Chirp Friends

2012-02-06T06:00:00.001-05:00

I finished up another of the Chubby Chirps, and have a third on the needles right now.

I used larger needles (US 8) for the blue one, so he came out bigger.

I think they'll be great friends.

Ellen suggested that I call the little one Chirp, and this one could be Chester. I'm kind of thinking the grey one on the needles is a girl, so she can be Chelsea.

This project was featured on:

Ruffled Camera Strap Cover

2012-02-04T06:00:00.005-05:00

I'm taking a one day learn how to use your DSLR seminar today, so I thought I should take the opportunity to pretty up my camera and check another item off my project list. I'm planning to take copious notes, so I'll try to share what I learn! Fortunately I realized it would be hard to take pictures of the camera strap cover while it's attached to the camera, so these are from before I put it on:

I followed a tutorial from The Cottage Home, and used some stash fabric. You might recognize the linen from my Un Petit Pouffe, and the turquoise fabric is from one of the aprons I made for the Every Occasion Dress - the tutorial is in a different fabric. I've been doing really well with stashbusting projects lately - both yarn and fabric. Go me!

This came together easily during a naptime, even with a fussy baby interrupting me every ten minutes or so. Hadley is a super sleeper at night, but she catnaps during the day, which makes it a little difficult to work on projects. She also has a runny nose and a cough, so she's none too pleased with me every time I have to use the sucker on her nose. Poor baby!

I've been trying to put my labels on more of the things I make even if they're not for my shop - it's not like I'm going to run out of them any time soon (I ordered 500 of them!). Unfortunately I forgot to center it with the last seam allowance factored in, so it's completely off-center. Oh well, I'm too tired to fix it.

I Pinned It! 2.3.12

2012-02-03T06:00:00.002-05:00

This week's tip is Likes - if you like a pin, it puts it in a separate spot from the rest of your boards. It's a perfect way to keep track of things you like but which don't fit in with a specific category:

Here's a few of the things I've pinned this week:

You & Mie

Can you say ca-ute? I mean the blazer is really cool and all, but check out the little girl!! I love how it's an "adult" blazer and then lined with a fun print.

Dayna White via Pinterest

These mug cozies are just one more example of why I need to re-learn how to crochet. Anyone wanna teach me? I have like a bazilian hooks from my Grandma.

Always A Project

This idea is going immediately on my "to make" list. She got the idea from a Martha Stewart laundy bag found on Pinterest - don'tcha just love it?

Joanna Figueroa via Pinterest

This could definitely be a problem.

Sugar Baby Aprons

I'm still gathering ideas for Arden's PINK birthday party - this pink lemonade pound cake looks like a contender!

As always, just leave me a comment if you need an invitation to Pinterest.

Chubby Chirps

2012-02-02T06:00:00.009-05:00

The winners of the Double Wine Tote giveway are Melissa (pattern) and Kim (finished tote) - the names are displayed in the Rafflecopter widget on the giveway post. Congratulations, and thanks for entering!

I love these fat little birdies! This is the first of a planned series of three of these to add to the nursery decor in Hadley's room.

The pattern is from Rebecca Danger and was a free download on Ravelry. While prepping this post, I discovered that she also has an Etsy shop, a blog, and has written a book. Busy lady!

It knitted up very quickly. The body was pretty easy, but those little wings were a bit tricky - you have to work 8 stitches in the round - so trying to coordinate five double pointed needles was very awkward. It turned out fine even though I felt like I was going to end up with a big tangled mess while I was doing it.

My Mom crocheted a fabulous baby blanket for Hadley (along with an accompanying dolly blanket for Arden to play with), and she gave me the leftover yarn. So these chubby birds will coordinate perfectly with the blanket and the rest of Hadley's nursery.

I thought I had pinned the idea that I'm planning to "leverage", but I can't find it. Anyways, I'm going to make two more in blue and grey and then use either vines or embroidery hoops to make perches for the birds and then hang them from the ceiling over the crib - high enough that there's no danger of it being pulled down.

I had fun with my little photo shoot and I'm trying to soak up the last weeks of Picnic availability. He made a nice model - I didn't have to give much direction at all; I think he's a natural!

I think he should have a name, but nothing is coming to mind. Any thoughts?

I'll be linking to these fabulous parties:

Mondays Making the World Cuter Monday – Making the World Cuter Just Something I Whipped Up – The Girl Creative Party Blog Made By You Monday – Skip to My Lou Do It Yourself Day – A Soft Place to Land Craftastic Monday – Sew Can Do Making Mondays Marvelous – C.R.A.F.T. Market Yourself Monday – Sumo’s Sweet Stuff Creative Me Monday - The Southern Institute Tuesdays I Made It Without My Hubby – Shanty 2 Chic Sew Cute Tuesdays – Creative Itch Anything Related – All Things Related Tot Tuesdays – My Delicious Ambiguity Tute-in Tuesdays – Oops, I Craft My Pants Take a Look Tuesdays - Sugar Bee Craft Edition Wednesdays We Did It Wednesdays – Sew Much Ado Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice - Seven Thirty Three Show & Tell – Blue Cricket Design Show Me What Ya Got - Not Just a Housewife Your Whims Wednesdays - My Girlish Whims Thursdays Strut-Your-Stuff – Somewhat Simple Make It, Wear It – The Train to Crazy It’s Stinkin’ Cute – Sew Stinkin’ Cute Show Off Your Stuff – Fireflies and Jellybeans Making It With Allie - What Allie's Making Now Pinspirational Thursdays - The ArtsyGirl Connection Fridays Furniture Feature Friday - Miss Mustard Seed Weekend Wrap Up Party – Tatertots and Jello Feature Yourself Friday – Fingerprints on the Fridge Friday Fun Finds – KojoDesigns Weekends Check Me Out Saturday – A Vision to Remember Show and Tell Saturday – Be Different Act Normal Sunday Scoop – I Heart Naptime Sunday Showcase Party – Under the Table and Dreaming A Pinteresting Party - Tutus & Tea Parties

Early Empire Maternity Cinch

2012-02-01T06:00:00.008-05:00

Don't forget to enter the giveway for a free double wine tote pattern from Fireflies & Jellybeans, plus a finished tote made by me!

This was a project that I had fully intended to make... oh, about eight months ago so I could wear it during my second pregnancy. Between pregnancy fatigue, chasing a two year-old around, and sewing a majority of the nursery items it just never happened. But now a coworker of mine is pregnant with her first child and her birthday was last week so I whipped one up during a naptime!

The pattern is from Anna Maria Horner's Handmade Beginnings. I made her Four Corners Top here, and there are a few more patterns I'd still like to make.

This cute maternity cinch is designed to tie either in the back or the front. Her pattern is intended to be patchwork on one side, but this was a somewhat last minute project and I couldn't leave the house while the girls were sleeping. It turned out to be a nice stashbusting project as I used the purple linen from my Plum Pleats Pinafore and some of the grey polka dots from Hadley's quilt.

I love the color combination, and it's the scheme my friend would have liked to have used in her nursery, but she just found out she's having a little boy. So I figured she could wear her favorite colors instead!

The pattern was easy to follow, and since I didn't have to make a patchwork first, it came together very quickly. I think the ties are a bit on the long side, but I guess better too long than not long enough - wouldn't want to give a pregnant lady a complex!

I'll be linking up:

Mondays Making the World Cuter Monday – Making the World Cuter Just Something I Whipped Up – The Girl Creative Party Blog Made By You Monday – Skip to My Lou Do It Yourself Day – A Soft Place to Land Craftastic Monday – Sew Can Do Making Mondays Marvelous – C.R.A.F.T. Market Yourself Monday – Sumo’s Sweet Stuff Creative Me Monday - The Southern Institute Tuesdays I Made It Without My Hubby – Shanty 2 Chic Sew Cute Tuesdays – Creative Itch Anything Related – All Things Related Tot Tuesdays – My Delicious Ambiguity Tute-in Tuesdays – Oops, I Craft My Pants Take a Look Tuesdays - Sugar Bee Craft Edition Wednesdays We Did It Wednesdays – Sew Much Ado Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice - Seven Thirty Three Show & Tell – Blue Cricket Design Show Me What Ya Got - Not Just a Housewife Your Whims Wednesdays - My Girlish Whims Thursdays Strut-Your-Stuff – Somewhat Simple Make It, Wear It – The Train to Crazy It’s Stinkin’ Cute – Sew Stinkin’ Cute Show Off Your Stuff – Fireflies and Jellybeans Making It With Allie - What Allie's Making Now Pinspirational Thursdays - The ArtsyGirl Connection Fridays Furniture Feature Friday - Miss Mustard Seed Weekend Wrap Up Party – Tatertots and Jello Feature Yourself Friday – Fingerprints on the Fridge Friday Fun Finds – KojoDesigns Weekends Check Me Out Saturday – A Vision to Remember Show and Tell Saturday – Be Different Act Normal Sunday Scoop – I Heart Naptime Sunday Showcase Party – Under the Table and Dreaming A Pinteresting Party - Tutus & Tea Parties

Another Non-Event

2012-01-31T06:00:00.006-05:00

Don't forget to enter the giveway for a free double wine tote pattern from Fireflies & Jellybeans, plus a finished tote made by me!

As a mother, sometimes I build things up into a big intimidating THING, and then when whatever it is happens it's so not a big deal. I think I'm not alone in this. I need to give my kid a little more credit where credit's due because she's handled change well since she was an infant. I'm apparently the one who is averse to it.

For probably at least a year, we've limited Arden's pacifier use to sleeping only. It was very little upset to stop having it in the car, which had previously been another time when she could use it. I knew we were pushing the boundary of when the dentist was going to say it was time. I've been talking to her a lot about how she was a big girl and didn't need it anymore, yada, yada, yada. The thing is - Arden's not a very good sleeper. She's a fabulous napper, and at bedtime she usually goes to sleep pretty easily. Then she wakes up to three times a night crying incessantly. I've done a little research and it sounds like night terrors. Because of her poor sleep I was reluctant to change anything in her routine.

Here's how the Project No Pacifier went:
Thursday after her dentist appointment, I told her she wasn't going to have her pacifiers any more and that we were going to go and trade them in for a big prize. Arden - "a big horsey prize?" Me - "sure". Thursday nap went fine. Thursday night time was a little rough, but I think more because we had been babysitting at a friend's house and got home a bit late. Friday nap - fine. I had her decorate a paper bag to hold her pacifiers after nap. She enjoyed a half hour of crafty time. Friday night - only one bout of crying, so an improvement from normal. Saturday nap - fine. Saturday afternoon we went to Target and she got a little purple sock monkey as her big prize. I made sure to get in line with a female checker and explained that we were trading our suckies in for a big girl prize. The cashier went along with it no problem and we went home with a new purple sock monkey and without pacifiers. The End. A complete non-event.

I did almost the same internal buildup about switching over to her toddler bed, and that also was no problem. Have any of you found yourselves making things a bigger deal than your child?

Fireflies and Jellybeans Double Wine Tote Pattern Giveway!

2012-01-30T00:01:00.007-05:00

Recently I volunteered to pattern test for Fireflies and Jellybeans. In exchange for a free pattern they were developing, I sewed a double wine tote and provided feedback on the pattern. It turned out to be super easy to follow, and a nice quick project. I think this would be perfect for a hostess gift, or for toting a couple of bottles for a picnic. Fawnda also generously offered to do a giveway on A Jennuine Life - here's a bit from her:

Hello, Fawnda here (from Fireflies and Jellybeans), I am so excited to introduce my newest pattern:
It is a Double Wine Tote!

The double wine tote is the perfect way to carry your wine safely anywhere you want to go. Whether you are going to a party or a evening with close friends and family, you are sure to look stylish with this chic wine tote!

**The Pattern come with a license to sell what you make!**

Jenn was gracious enough to be one of my pattern testers! Her tote turned out FANTASTIC! I love her fabric!

To introduce my pattern I am giving away 1 free to A Jennuine Life reader!

Also A Jennuine Life readers get 20% off at my shop: Funky Joy.

Just use the code: JENNUINE

Isn't that cool! Plus - I'm going to giveway one completed wine tote to a lucky winner in the fabric shown above. This is the first time I'm trying a Rafflecopter giveway - I think you need to be on a computer with Javascript enabled. If you have any trouble entering, please leave me a comment!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

OMTWI Week Four: Media Dresser

2012-01-28T10:33:00.001-05:00

Did you see the results of the final round of Season 7 of One Month To Win It? I knew as soon as I saw Rhonda from home.made's grain sack painted dresser I knew my little project didn't stand a chance:

And Jessica from Sunny Tuesday (who claims to not "do" furniture) made her own ribbon storage station from scratch:

My project ended up being a minor fail. If left entirely to my own devices, I would have tried to do a more interesting paint scheme, and I would have loved to try to do some stenciling or hand painting on it. But it had to also fit with my husband's aesthetic, and the room it was intended to go into was already painted a rich blue and had dark woodwork, so it needed to be lighter.

That's not really the fail part, just the constraints. The fail part was that Dave got the family a Blue Ray disk player for Christmas, and it didn't have the same dimensions as our previous DVD player. Also, after I got the whole stinkin' thing finished, it didn't really work in the space - it was narrower than our television, and it was elevated enough that the damaged spots on our hardwood floors was visible as well as the power strip and all the cords. I selectively edited the photos and "prettied up" the floor and cords for submission to the contest. Here's what it looked like without editing:

So, if you know anyone in the central Michigan area looking for a cute media dresser - send them my way! I do like how it turned out; just not in our living room.

I'm thrilled to have made it as far as I did in this competition pitted against some very talented ladies. It's one place further than I made it in Project Toddler Runway, so I'm movin' up in the world!

Media Dresser

I feel soooo lucky to have made it to the finale of One Month To Win It! I was really on the edge of my seat for the results of last week's voting, so thanks everyone!

For the furniture theme, I wanted to tackle the media center in our family room. We had recently wall mounted our television, so no longer needed a unit for the TV to stand on. I searched Craig's list for a piece of furniture that could be repurposed to fit underneath and found this charming little antique dresser.

Now don't go getting all upset at me for painting an antique - it wasn't in the best of shape, and whoever had stained and sealed it previously had not done it any favors. I used paints from the Martha Stewart line and painted the drawers fronts and side panels a high gloss buckwheat flour and the body of the dresser cast bronze.

I removed the top drawer to house our DVR and DVD players; reusing the drawer bottom to make a shelf. I wanted the components to be somewhat hidden but still able to receive the remote control signals and also be able to access the DVD player to change disks. To accomplish this, I built a frame and used L-brackets at the corners and a mesh screen called hardware cloth to back it. I sprayed the hardware and screen with oil rubbed bronze spray paint to go with the new drawer pulls I installed. The door lifts up on hinges so we'll be able to reach the components. I think the L-brackets give the piece a look similar to campaign furniture.

I lined the shelf and both the drawers (which had seen better days) with linen fabric decoupaged to stay in place. The drawers will hold our DVDs, spare remotes, and a cozy blanket for snuggling up on the sofa to watch a good movie!

This has been such a fun challenge - regardless of the final outcome, it has been a pleasure to participate on One Month To Win It Season 7!

I Pinned It! 1.27.12

2012-01-27T08:00:00.000-05:00

Hellooo! Have you been ~~wasting~~ spending quality time pinning stuff? I sure have! Some of the Pinterest parties have broadened my circle of following/followers so there's even more cool stuff to look at!

This week's tip is mentions. You can mention a user you follw by typing @ in front of their name - it will pull up a dropdown box as you type and then you can select the user you want. You can add a mention to a Pin description or to a comment. So if you see something you know a friend of yours would like, just type "@Jane Doe" and Jane will receive a notification of your mention.

Here's some of what I've been pinning lately:

Hazelnut Girl

These sleeping bags for stuffed animals are simple, sweet, and amazing! One of those duh! - why didn't I think of that kind of things. I will be making these for my girls' loveys.

Craft Hope

I sort of feel like I've been living under a rock that I hadn't heard of Craft Hope previously. As stated on their "About" section, Craft Hope is "a love inspired project designed to share handmade crafts with those who need them. It is our hope to combine our love for crafting and desire to help others into a project to make a difference around the world". Right now they're collecting handmade beanies and bags for kids who are fighting cancer. Beanies - check, bags - check. I can totally put my crafting skills to work for this cause!

stayorganized.com

LOVE this idea! Someday when I have an actual laundry room and not just a couple of ancient appliances in the dreary basement, I'd love to do this! Right now all my gDiaper liners are on one of those rickety folding racks!

crochet me

I used to know how to crochet, and I think I'm going to sit myself down and relearn soon. This magic ring or adjustable ring method looks really cool!

My Madison Bistro

OMG! This key lime cupcake looks so yummy that I used stereotypical texting abbreviations - that's so not my style! I wonder if I could make them pink and have them at Arden's PINK birthday party???

As always, if you'd like an invite to Pinterest just leave me a comment and I'll send one right away!

Tutorial: Nautical Banner

2012-01-26T22:45:00.000-05:00

I promised a tutorial for the nautical flags which made up the banner for my project for Week Three of One Month To Win It, and here it is!

When I set out to make this banner for my parents I had intended to make it for their home - called "the crab trap", but my Mom thought it might get more use on their golf cart - "the crab cart". After I had finished the project it dawned on me that TRAP and CART only differ by one letter. So, I whipped up a "P" and took photos for a tutorial along the way.

First, I used this site to translate "the crab cart" into nautical signal flags. I decided to make the flags 9" square because most of the pieces of the flags were divisible by 3. It would be even easier to make them 12" square because then you would easily have halves, thirds, and quarters. I could be any size, just whip out a calculator and go to town.

Nautical FlagSkill Level - Beginner
Items Needed -
* Fabric
- white cotton canvas - 10" width for every 3 flags desired
- ripstop nylon in blue, red, yellow and/or black as needed. I didn't have any flags with black in them, but I, L, and Z do.
* coordinating thread
* grommet tool and grommets
* jute twine or whatever you want to use to connect the flags
* rotary cutter and self-healing mat
* sewing machine
* iron

1. Using the rotary cutter and self-healing mat, cut the canvas into strips 9 1/2" wide and then 18 1/2" long for as many flags as you are planning. It's 18 1/2" vs. 19" because you don't have a seam allowance on the fold. Cut the ripstop nylon - for this letter "P", I cut a 9" square and then folded in half each way and cut out the middle leaving a 2" frame. The more accurate your cuts are for this step, the easier it will be to sew and will make a nicer flag.

2. Pin the nylon in place on the bottom half of the canvas, leaving a 1/4" border for the seam allowance. I placed mine at the bottom so the fold would be at the top making it easier to put the grommets in - less bulk from seams.

3. Using a zigzag stitch and coordinating thread, applique the nylon onto the canvas. I made my stitch slightly wider and shorter than the default for my sewing machine.

Make sure to test to see where the needle drops so you can sew right along the edge of the nylon.

4. With right sides together (RST), fold the flag in half. Switch the thread to white to coordinate with the canvas.

5. Leaving about a 4" opening for turning and backstitching at beginnings and ends, sew along the three sides with a 1/4" seam allowance. I found it unecessary to pin this step, I just started at the edges of the opening and sewed towards the fold for each side. Clip the corners to reduce bulk after turning.

6. Turn the flag right side out. Use a chopstick or similar tool to push the corners out nice and square. Iron using a low heat setting appropriate for nylon. I also ironed from the backside. (I skipped this step for the flag pictured because H was sleeping in the same room and I didn't want to haul out the ironing board). Make sure the seam allowance along the opening is turned in and lined up.

7. Topstitch about 1/8" from the edge.

8. For the grommets, the cutting plate that's part of the tool didn't begin to cut through two layers of heavy cotton canvas, so I folded the flag over about 1" from the top and sides and made a small cut to get an opening large enough to fit the grommets through.

9. Put the part of the grommet with the cilindar sticking out through from the front side. That collar piece is what gets pinched and folded over and isn't as pretty. Put the ring on from the backside with the domed side out.

10. Line up the grommet pliers and squeeze with all your might. It gives good resistance and then you'll feel it squeezing the collar piece.

I'm one grommet short since I had to do a test one when I began the project to be sure I was doing it right.

I cut 9" lengths of the twine and put a looped end through one grommet, the cut ends through the loop and then through the next flag's grommet and tied the ends around the part going between the flags.

I really enjoyed this project - I think it would be fun for a boy's room (or a girls!), or as part of cottage or coastal decor.

Linking to:

Mondays Making the World Cuter Monday – Making the World Cuter Just Something I Whipped Up – The Girl Creative Party Blog Made By You Monday – Skip to My Lou Do It Yourself Day – A Soft Place to Land Craftastic Monday – Sew Can Do Making Mondays Marvelous – C.R.A.F.T. Market Yourself Monday – Sumo’s Sweet Stuff Creative Me Monday - The Southern Institute Tuesdays I Made It Without My Hubby – Shanty 2 Chic Sew Cute Tuesdays – Creative Itch Anything Related – All Things Related Tot Tuesdays – My Delicious Ambiguity Tute-in Tuesdays – Oops, I Craft My Pants Take a Look Tuesdays - Sugar Bee Craft Edition Wednesdays We Did It Wednesdays – Sew Much Ado Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice - Seven Thirty Three Show & Tell – Blue Cricket Design Show Me What Ya Got - Not Just a Housewife Your Whims Wednesdays - My Girlish Whims Thursdays Strut-Your-Stuff – Somewhat Simple Make It, Wear It – The Train to Crazy It’s Stinkin’ Cute – Sew Stinkin’ Cute Show Off Your Stuff – Fireflies and Jellybeans Making It With Allie - What Allie's Making Now Pinspirational Thursdays - The ArtsyGirl Connection Fridays Furniture Feature Friday - Miss Mustard Seed Weekend Wrap Up Party – Tatertots and Jello Feature Yourself Friday – Fingerprints on the Fridge Friday Fun Finds – KojoDesigns Weekends Check Me Out Saturday – A Vision to Remember Show and Tell Saturday – Be Different Act Normal Sunday Scoop – I Heart Naptime Sunday Showcase Party – Under the Table and Dreaming A Pinteresting Party - Tutus & Tea Parties

OMTWI: Finale

2012-01-24T09:00:00.000-05:00

Voting for week four's finale projects will open today at One Month To Win It. This week the theme was furniture. I've done all my work - the decision is now in your hands!

If Marty Can Do It, So Can You!

2012-01-23T21:55:00.000-05:00

I know my title doesn't make much sense. Let me explain.

In High School my friend Marty was super lazy. I mean a real slug (Marty - if you somehow are reading this; sorry but it's true!). He used to say he was tired from napping so much that he needed another nap. Then Marty went to college and something changed. Marty up and decided to start running. Marty began to look amazingly fit. You know that tanned fitness model with boundless energy fit - that was Marty after he started running. So I decided that if Marty - formerly the laziest person on the planet - could transform himself into a runner, then so could I.

One of the great things about running is pretty much all you need are shoes and something to wear. I started by trying to get around the block without having to walk. Once I could do that, I added another block. Eventually I could run a couple of miles. I didn't decide to start entering races right away, but eventually I ran a local 5K, and it was really fun. Then I met and began dating a fairly dedicated runner and we would go to races for fun.

Maybe I'm naive, but I've generally found if I decide I want to do something I don't see the obstacles in my way. I blithely trot forward until I'm knee deep in whatever it is - riding my bike (with streamers on the handles of course!) across town for Zip's ice cream when I was eight, moving to Atlanta before landing a job, running a marathon six months after bunion surgeries, knitting my first sweater after only basic instruction - you get the picture. And for the most part everything has worked out just fine.

So the point of this stream of consciousness is that it's not so much the doing of the thing, it's the deciding to do it. That's kind of how I explained to people that would say "oh, I could never run a marathon". Of course you can't... until you put your mind to do it!

I couldn't find a good picture to represent doing what you set to mind to do, so this is me at the Taj Mahal during one of my trips as an internal auditor. I was in Mumbai for three weeks, but traveled to New Delhi and Agra since I took every opportunity to take side trips while I was in that job, something I will never regret.

Phew!

2012-01-22T21:07:00.000-05:00

Sorry I've been out of pocket a bit lately. Between projects for One Month To Win It and Arden being sick this week, I feel like I've barely had a moment to do anything except care for tiny people, deal with poop in places it shouldn't be (don't ask - let's just leave it at it involved a preschooler in the utility sink), and work on furniture.

I've been so scattered that I made a trip to the store with Arden and didn't realize until I was checking out that I didn't have any makeup on. I know it's vain, but I like to at least have some foundation and eyeliner on if I'm going out in public.

I have had a ton of fun participating in the competition but I have to admit I'm glad the work part of it is over. A weight lifted off my shoulders the moment I hit send on my post. I'm planning to do a tutorial for the nautical flags - those were fun to do, and I was torn between a banner for my parent's house called "The Crab Trap" and their cart they call "The Crab Cart". Then I realized I only needed to do a "P" and they could have it either way. Pretty cool! I also found a cute knitting pattern for little birds that I'm going to make for Hadley's room.

Have you heard that Picnik is shutting down next month? I am super bummed about that - I have Photoshop Elements and I'm getting better with it, but there are many things that are sooo easy in Picnik that I haven't figured out in PSE just yet.

And so as not to leave you picture-less, here's a shot of Hadley modeling a little hat my Grandma crocheted. She cranked out a ton of little hats for the great-grands a couple of years ago and Arden decided Hadley needed to wear one today. Super cute!

I Pinned It! 1.20.12

2012-01-20T20:51:00.001-05:00

This week's little tip is a quick and easy way to add a description when you pin. Before you click on the Pin It button on a post or on your toolbar, just highlight the text you'd like to appear on your pin. It will appear in the description field as you build your pin and select the board. Love this quickie trick!

On to what I've been pinning this week:

HappyHairDay on Etsy

This crocheted birdie is adorable! I especially love the heart as a wing. This might just already be on it's way to my house! (Don't worry, she has other items just as adorable!

Momtog

Great description of how to setup a shot with a tripod and timer from a wonderful photography blog. This is a recent addition to my reader and I'm lovin' it!

Flamingo Toes

LOVE - ha! get it? - this knockoff of designer pillows. So sweet and elegant.

Infographic

I find this graphic really funny because my husband is a physicist. I guess I can't get too high and mighty since I'm an accountant - I've heard rumors we're not all that cool, either.

A Farmgirl's Dabbles via Foodgawker

I can almost smell this, and it looks fabulous!

OMTWI Week Three: Nautical Banner

2012-01-20T09:30:00.001-05:00

I'm so excited! I made it to the final round of One Month To Win It!! Next week the project theme is furniture, and I had a planned project for our home that I know we'll like - I just hope the voters appreciate it also...

Here's my entry from Week Three - Banner or Bunting:

Whee! I made it through another week against very stiff competition. I was pretty excited when I learned this week's theme of banner or bunting. I had planned to do this very project as a Father's Day gift and it didn't materialize - One Month To Win It gave me the perfect kick in the pants to get it finished!

My parents live in a coastal community that has recently permitted the use of golf carts on the roads. It's a quirky kind of place where people name their houses, and now; their golf carts. This nautical banner spells out "The Crab Cart".

The 9" square flags were created from ripstop nylon appliqued onto heavy cotton canvas. I then added a 3/8" grommet in each corner, and used jute twine to string them together. Let me tell you - if you ever need a good forearm workout, try squeezing 22 grommets into place!

I'm happy with how it turned out and it was fun to sew - I hope my parents enjoy it just as much!

Linking to:

Mondays Making the World Cuter Monday – Making the World Cuter Just Something I Whipped Up – The Girl Creative Party Blog Made By You Monday – Skip to My Lou Do It Yourself Day – A Soft Place to Land Craftastic Monday – Sew Can Do Making Mondays Marvelous – C.R.A.F.T. Market Yourself Monday – Sumo’s Sweet Stuff Creative Me Monday - The Southern Institute Tuesdays I Made It Without My Hubby – Shanty 2 Chic Sew Cute Tuesdays – Creative Itch Anything Related – All Things Related Tot Tuesdays – My Delicious Ambiguity Tute-in Tuesdays – Oops, I Craft My Pants Take a Look Tuesdays - Sugar Bee Craft Edition Wednesdays We Did It Wednesdays – Sew Much Ado Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice - Seven Thirty Three Show & Tell – Blue Cricket Design Show Me What Ya Got - Not Just a Housewife Your Whims Wednesdays - My Girlish Whims Thursdays Strut-Your-Stuff – Somewhat Simple Make It, Wear It – The Train to Crazy It’s Stinkin’ Cute – Sew Stinkin’ Cute Show Off Your Stuff – Fireflies and Jellybeans Making It With Allie - What Allie's Making Now Pinspirational Thursdays - The ArtsyGirl Connection Fridays Furniture Feature Friday - Miss Mustard Seed Weekend Wrap Up Party – Tatertots and Jello Feature Yourself Friday – Fingerprints on the Fridge Friday Fun Finds – KojoDesigns Weekends Check Me Out Saturday – A Vision to Remember Show and Tell Saturday – Be Different Act Normal Sunday Scoop – I Heart Naptime Sunday Showcase Party – Under the Table and Dreaming A Pinteresting Party - Tutus & Tea Parties

This project was featured!

OMTWI: Week Three Projects

2012-01-17T08:00:00.000-05:00

Week Three projects will be open for voting today at One Month To Win It. This week the challenge was to create a banner or bunting. Who doesn't love a good banner? Please go vote - who knows, maybe mine will be your favorite!

Return to Running

2012-01-16T11:05:00.001-05:00

Here's a bit of the Life part of Life Family Crafts as I've phrased it in my blog header. Hi, my name is Jenn and I used to be a runner. I guess I'm still a runner, but it's definitely a statement with qualifications. I've run twice since having my second daughter three months ago, and it has been and will be a slow and difficult return to some semblance of my former running self.

This is me passing off my gel bottle at the Detroit Marathon. I only ran 20 miles - I used it as a training run for Honolulu...

Running and fitness in general used to be a huge part of my life. For a period of about seven years this so-called mild mannered accountant ran nearly daily, taught and trained in kickboxing (Muay Thai - the real deal!) three days a week, and also fit in a few adventure races. I identified myself as a runner. My social world revolved around running and kickboxing. There was a core group of friends that traveled to run half and full marathons around the country - I've run Chicago, New York, Honolulu, Phoenix, Marine Corps, and Toronto marathons and a ton of half marathons and shorter races - you saw my t-shirt quilt here.

Honolulu Marathon with my buddy Kevin

Baltimore Half Marathon with the hubster - Baby on Board!

I ran through a majority of my first pregnancy - being sensible and taking it nice and easy. I had to stop around six months because my pelvis started to hurt too much to run. That pelvic pain continued for nearly a year postpartum. I went into my second pregnancy running sporadically.

Marine Corps Marathon - Finally hit my goal time of 4 hours!

So here I am almost five years after running my last marathon. I have two beautiful daughters, so I can't complain too much about the 25 pounds I need to lose. I should count myself lucky that I can run at all. It will probably come back more quickly than I think. I've done this before - I ran my first marathon six months after bunion surgerys, and I had to recover from a broken collarbone another time. I'm being held back some because my old nemesis Morton has returned to my right foot - Morton's neuroma is like carpal tunnel in your foot - ouch!

I know I won't be running the mileage I used to, and I can't maintain the weight I used to be - that required an insane number of hours on the road and in the gym! But I REALLY miss the freedom of a good run, and how my body felt when I was fit and strong. I am going to recapture some of that feeling, and demonstrate to my daughters that it's important to take care of yourself by being active.

I can do this. I know I can do what I set my mind to do. I'm setting a realistic goal of running a half marathon this year. I'll keep you posted periodically on my progress - hopefully you won't get sick of me blathering on about running and weight, and maybe being accountable here will help motivate me.

Gotta run,

Jenn

OMTWI Week Two - Brag Blocks

2012-01-14T06:00:00.001-05:00

Well, I made it past week two! Yippee! I had a really fun time putting together my banner project for week three. Here's my entry for the DecoArt challenge - with the pixelation removed from the photos.

I'm so excited and honored to have made it past the first round of competition! There were some pretty amazing projects put forth last week, and I'm sure this week will be just as inspiring (and intimidating)!

For this week's DecoArt challenge, I wanted to try to flesh out a project that had been floating around in my head for some time - sort of a shadow box frame that could hold photo blocks for my Mother, an idea which became Grandma's Brag Blocks.

I had great intentions of finding a cool thrift store frame to use, but after scouring three different stores in the area, I had to go to plan B - an open back frame from Hobby Lobby for 50% off. It ended up being only a little more than the prices I was seeing for frames at the thrift stores. I painted the frame with DecoArt Desert Turquoise Americana acrylic paint, then mixed and applied a wash made from water and DecoArt Raw Umber to get into the nooks and crannies. I ragged most of the wash off using scraps of an old t-shirt. Finally I used DecoArt DuraClear gloss varnish to seal the paint and give it a brilliant shine. I ended up with an accidental faux verdigris finish that is really pretty!

For the shadowbox and blocks, I built a box to fit in the frame from a piece of plywood and some poplar 1/4"x2" pieces of wood. I cut and sanded the 2"x4"s to fit nicely in the frame. I brushed on the same wash to stain the blocks and then decoupaged the trimmed photos to both sides of the blocks.

Now Grandma can swap and rearrange photos as she likes, and I can always make additional photo blocks as grandbabies get older.

Featured on:

Linking to:

Mondays Making the World Cuter Monday – Making the World Cuter Just Something I Whipped Up – The Girl Creative Party Blog Made By You Monday – Skip to My Lou Do It Yourself Day – A Soft Place to Land Craftastic Monday – Sew Can Do Making Mondays Marvelous – C.R.A.F.T. Market Yourself Monday – Sumo’s Sweet Stuff Creative Me Monday - The Southern Institute Tuesdays I Made It Without My Hubby – Shanty 2 Chic Sew Cute Tuesdays – Creative Itch Anything Related – All Things Related Tot Tuesdays – My Delicious Ambiguity Tute-in Tuesdays – Oops, I Craft My Pants Take a Look Tuesdays - Sugar Bee Craft Edition Wednesdays We Did It Wednesdays – Sew Much Ado Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice - Seven Thirty Three Show & Tell – Blue Cricket Design Show Me What Ya Got - Not Just a Housewife Your Whims Wednesdays - My Girlish Whims Thursdays Strut-Your-Stuff – Somewhat Simple Make It, Wear It – The Train to Crazy It’s Stinkin’ Cute – Sew Stinkin’ Cute Show Off Your Stuff – Fireflies and Jellybeans Making It With Allie - What Allie's Making Now Pinspirational Thursdays - The ArtsyGirl Connection Fridays Furniture Feature Friday - Miss Mustard Seed Weekend Wrap Up Party – Tatertots and Jello Feature Yourself Friday – Fingerprints on the Fridge Friday Fun Finds – KojoDesigns Weekends Check Me Out Saturday – A Vision to Remember Show and Tell Saturday – Be Different Act Normal Sunday Scoop – I Heart Naptime Sunday Showcase Party – Under the Table and Dreaming A Pinteresting Party - Tutus & Tea Parties

I Pinned It! 1.13.12

2012-01-13T21:08:00.002-05:00

Well, this is getting out on Friday, but just barely! It's been a busy day! I really pushed getting my project for week three of One Month To Win It right to the edge, and then baby Hadley had a case of the clingys, so I had to edit photos and draft my post with her bouncing on my knee. But I got it done and I'm happy with how it turned out.

I've been trying to share a tip or trick each week - have you noticed? Do you want to post a button so readers can follow your pins on Pinterest? Just go to the goodies section at https://pinterest.com/about/goodies/ and copy the code. Paste it into a widget or post. Here's mine - follow me if you'd like, I'll follow back!

Here's some of what I've been pinning this week:

gDiapers

A photo montage of gBabies fan photos - Arden is pictured rubbing lotion on my pregnant belly at 3:10.

Purlbee

I have a thing for penguins ever since we took a volunteer vacation to South Africa to work with penguins on Robbens Island. I love how these are a little bit primitive. Free pattern download.

Glorious Treats

I've always wanted to make some pretty cupcakes. I think this will come in handy for Arden's 3rd birthday - I'm thinking cupcakes.

Craftiness Is Not Optional

Another gorgeous felt flower from Craftiness Is Not Optional. I'm going to sit down soon and try to make all of them! Arden has been on a headband kick lately, and Hadley looks super cute in them too.

imgfave via Tumblr

I love this quote and it doesn't hurt that the graphic is really pretty. I think this could be great framed and posted in Hadley's room - even works with the color palette.

I Support Walgreens

2012-01-13T06:00:00.001-05:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Walgreens for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

If your hometown is anything like mine, there is at least one Walgreens a convenient distance from your house. I pass one on my way to work in the morning, and another is on the way to the grocery store.

I use Walgreens to fill my prescriptions, but a lot of people are now being forced to use less convenient pharmacies to fill their in-network prescriptions due to Express Scripts (a health care service middleman) failure to renegotiate their contract with Walgreens.

Walgreens and Express Scripts

Walgreens offered to hold rates flat during negotiations, but Express Scripts insisted on being able to set contract terms, such as what drugs would be considered generic or a name-brand drug. They also proposed rates to Walgreens that were less than industry average cost to provide each prescription. Express Scripts clients won't see a financial benefit by excluding Walgreens from its network - in fact costs may go up!

One of Express Scripts clients is Tricare, which covers America's military personnel. In order to try to help our service men and women, Walgreens offered to negotiate separately for Tricare business from other commercial business, but Express Scripts refused to negotiate. This puts our military people in the middle of the dispute.

So, after making repeated attempts to be flexible and still being rejected, Walgreens is still trying to bend over backwards to help their customers who wish to remain with Walgreens do so. They are offering a discount on annual memberships to its Prescription Savings Club. A special promotion for January would allow an individual to buy an annual membership for $5, or $10 for a family membership. This would allow them to enjoy savings on more than 8,000 brand name and all generic medications. Regular annual membership is $20 for an individual and $35 for a family.

Prescription Savings Club at Walgreens

Want to learn more about this? Follow Walgreens on Facebook or Twitter.

Walgreens on Facebook

Walgreens on Twitter

Get informed. Pass on what you learn.

Une Petite Pouffe - Mini-Tutorial

2012-01-10T11:57:00.000-05:00

**Note: I've been informed that the correct phrase should be Un Petit Pouffe, as a pouf is masculine. Apparently, the way I've titled this is an insult -I'd change it, but my links would all break...

I've titled this a mini-tutorial, as I didn't take photos of every step along the way, and I don't have exact measurements for everything. But you'll get the gist...

1. Find an amazing graphic at The Graphics Fairy. Save to a file location on your computer.

2. Prep your fabric for printing. There are a few different ways to do this - freezer paper can work as well, but I chose to use full-size adhesive sheets. These were Avery brand.

3. Trim fabric to the same size as the 8.5"x11"adhesive sheet.

4. Remove adhesive backing.

5. I used a dinner plate to draw a line for cutting around my image. The image wasn't completely circular, so I lined up the plate about 1/2" from one side of the image and traced it with dissapering ink and then slid it to the other side and traced.

6. Sew basting stitches to both sides of the fabric to surround the image. I think my strips were about 4" wide and I used 1 1/2 times the circumference of the fabric I was using for the sides. I used the full-width of the fabric, which should have been about 45", so 1 1/2 strips for the gathered strip cut on the fold for each side - I put the image on the top and bottom of the cushion. Join pieces as needed with right sides together (RST). Stop sewing about 1/4" from the end and then join the band in a large circle with RST.

7. With RST, pin the band to be gathered to the image piece. To try to keep the gathers even, I pin at 12 o'clock and 6 o'clock at the halfway point of the strip, and then at 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock halfway between those. Pull bobbin threads to gather. Evenly distribute the gathers and pin in place.

8. Sew gathered strip to image. I don't have a photo of the step to add the decorative trim; just press the seam open and sew the trim right on top of the trim. Fold the unfinished end under about 1/2" on top of the beginning to enclose the raw edges of the trim.

9. Cut side piece. I used the full width from selvedge to selvedge and then however tall you want the cushion to be. I think mine was about 18". Sew in a zipper along selvedge edges. I don't have photos of this step, but I do mine pretty much like Ashley from Make It and Love It describes here. I used a zipper salvaged from an old sofa cushion - yay, free!

10. With RST, pin the top to the sides using the clock method described above. While gathering and pinning, sandwich the ball fringe in the middle with the ball part inside. Repeat for the bottom, opening the zipper slightly to allow for turning.

11. Stuff cushion - if using loose stuffing or foam pieces, a little fabric bag or pillowcase to contain everything might come in handy - just sayin', since I skipped this step in my haste and had foam scraps everywhere and it will be pretty crazy if I ever need to wash the cover! Stuff it very firmly to make it sturdy for sitting.

OMTWI: Week Two Projects

2012-01-10T06:00:00.000-05:00

Week Two projects will be open for voting today at One Month To Win It. This week the challenge was for us to use DecoArt products. After last week's projects, I'm excited and nervous to see what everyone created! Please take a minute to go and vote!

Hadley Marie - Three Months

2012-01-08T06:00:00.000-05:00

Hadley continues to be a super baby. I posted on Facebook today that I feel like I've won the Mommy lottery. In an unscientific at-home measurement, she weighs 15.6 lbs. and is 24.75" long. This puts her in the 100th percentile for weight and 90th for length. Go Chubba-Chunk!

She's been sleeping through the night for three weeks now. And when I say sleeping through the night, I mean the entire nigh - she'll crash around 8 or 9 pm, then I'll do a dream feed around 10 or 11 pm and then she doesn't wake on her own until 7 or 8 am. I usually wake her at 6 am to feed her and then put her back down while I get Arden up and around. She just goes right back to sleep and we don't hear a peep from her until it's time to load her in the carseat.

She's super happy and smiley - showing off her two dimples pretty regularly. In the evenings she turns into quite the little chatterbox, cooing and babbling away for at least half an hour. She loves to have her diaper changed - laughing and smiling immediately when we lay her down. I'm not sure if it's because we're paying her close attention or if she just really doesn't like to be wet. She also gives a good belly laugh when I'm getting ready to feed her. I'm not sure if I should take that personally - I guess boobs are funny!

A development that dearls indirectly with Miss Hadley is that I have caught up to her with my milk supply, and am building up a happy stockpile. I'm even thinking I might have enough soon to consider donating some excess milk (gasp! I never thought I'd have enough extra!!). I need to do some research to determine if and where I'd want to donate. I have a friend who donates hers locally and advocates for that, but there are also national organizations that accept and process breastmilk. I'm pretty excited to be in a position to possibly help some babies.

I love putting this little monthly collage together. Next month she'll be in a different outfit, cuz those pants aren't going to fit for much longer! She's pretty much in 6-9 month sleepers, and I'm starting to phase in that size for daytime clothes as well. She's also in the Medium gDiapers, which means that Arden and Hadley use the same sized inserts. Arden still wears a diaper for sleeping even though she wears panties for daytime.

GAP-tastic Cowl

2012-01-07T14:47:00.000-05:00

Don't laugh! I'm by no stretch of the imagination a model, so try to just admire the pretty cowl and don't look at my painful posing.

Remember the beautiful yarn I bought myself as part of my Christmas gift from the hubster? I finished it all up yesterday. Well.... almost - I still need to weave in the ends, but I just couldn't wait to wear it!

Jen Geigly on Ravelry

The pattern is the GAP-tastic cowl written by Jen Geigly and available for free download on Ravelry.

Here I am trying to recreate a pose from the pattern. And trying for that nonchalant, faraway gaze look. I don't think I pulled it off.

And this is me being silly. But it is warm and if I forgot my hat, I'm not above looking like a goof for the sake of warmth. This is Michigan after all - people routinely go to restaurants and bars wearing snowmobile suits in winter!

Featured on:

Linking to:

Mondays Making the World Cuter Monday – Making the World Cuter Just Something I Whipped Up – The Girl Creative Party Blog Made By You Monday – Skip to My Lou Do It Yourself Day – A Soft Place to Land Craftastic Monday – Sew Can Do Making Mondays Marvelous – C.R.A.F.T. Market Yourself Monday – Sumo’s Sweet Stuff Creative Me Monday - The Southern Institute Tuesdays I Made It Without My Hubby – Shanty 2 Chic Sew Cute Tuesdays – Creative Itch Anything Related – All Things Related Tot Tuesdays – My Delicious Ambiguity Tute-in Tuesdays – Oops, I Craft My Pants Take a Look Tuesdays - Sugar Bee Craft Edition Wednesdays We Did It Wednesdays – Sew Much Ado Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice - Seven Thirty Three Show & Tell – Blue Cricket Design Show Me What Ya Got - Not Just a Housewife Your Whims Wednesdays - My Girlish Whims Thursdays Strut-Your-Stuff – Somewhat Simple Make It, Wear It – The Train to Crazy It’s Stinkin’ Cute – Sew Stinkin’ Cute Show Off Your Stuff – Fireflies and Jellybeans Making It With Allie - What Allie's Making Now Pinspirational Thursdays - The ArtsyGirl Connection Fridays Furniture Feature Friday - Miss Mustard Seed Weekend Wrap Up Party – Tatertots and Jello Feature Yourself Friday – Fingerprints on the Fridge Friday Fun Finds – KojoDesigns Weekends Check Me Out Saturday – A Vision to Remember Show and Tell Saturday – Be Different Act Normal Sunday Scoop – I Heart Naptime Sunday Showcase Party – Under the Table and Dreaming

OMTWI Week One - Une Petite Pouffe

2012-01-06T10:00:00.000-05:00

Weee! I made it past week one of One Month To Win It! Here's the entry I submitted - I'll post with a few more pictures in a semi-tutorial in a few days. Right now, I'm busy getting my entry ready for Week Two - DecoArt products.

For the first week's project, one of the most difficult parts was deciding which of the fabulous graphics from The Graphics Fairy to use. After much browsing and selecting many options, I decided on this pretty vintage French sign. I knew I wanted to try to use the graphic in a unique way, so this little floor cushion, or "Une Petite Pouffe" was the final product!

I started by printing the graphic directly onto linen fabric using full-size adhesive sheets to feed it through my printer. I then surrounded the graphic with a band of gathered houndstooth and some decorative trim. I made this for a little girl's room, so for a bit of fun I added ball fringe on the outside edge. Black swirls adorn the body of the cushion, which unzips to remove the stuffing if it needs laundering.

I think it makes a perfect perch for reading a good book, and I believe my little model agrees!

Featured on:

Mondays Making the World Cuter Monday – Making the World Cuter Just Something I Whipped Up – The Girl Creative Party Blog Made By You Monday – Skip to My Lou Do It Yourself Day – A Soft Place to Land Craftastic Monday – Sew Can Do Making Mondays Marvelous – C.R.A.F.T. Market Yourself Monday – Sumo’s Sweet Stuff Creative Me Monday - The Southern Institute Tuesdays I Made It Without My Hubby – Shanty 2 Chic Sew Cute Tuesdays – Creative Itch Anything Related – All Things Related Tot Tuesdays – My Delicious Ambiguity Tute-in Tuesdays – Oops, I Craft My Pants Take a Look Tuesdays - Sugar Bee Craft Edition Wednesdays We Did It Wednesdays – Sew Much Ado Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice - Seven Thirty Three Show & Tell – Blue Cricket Design Show Me What Ya Got - Not Just a Housewife Your Whims Wednesdays - My Girlish Whims Thursdays Strut-Your-Stuff – Somewhat Simple Make It, Wear It – The Train to Crazy It’s Stinkin’ Cute – Sew Stinkin’ Cute Show Off Your Stuff – Fireflies and Jellybeans Making It With Allie - What Allie's Making Now Pinspirational Thursdays - The ArtsyGirl Connection Fridays Furniture Feature Friday - Miss Mustard Seed Weekend Wrap Up Party – Tatertots and Jello Feature Yourself Friday – Fingerprints on the Fridge Friday Fun Finds – KojoDesigns Weekends Check Me Out Saturday – A Vision to Remember Show and Tell Saturday – Be Different Act Normal Sunday Scoop – I Heart Naptime Sunday Showcase Party – Under the Table and Dreaming

I Pinned It! 1.6.12

2012-01-06T06:00:00.000-05:00

See the little Pin it button? Wanna add one to your posts? In Blogger, paste this html code into your post template found under Settings/Posts and comments:

<div><a href="javascript:void((function(){var%20e=document.createElement('script');e.setAttribute('type','text/javascript');e.setAttribute('charset','UTF-8');e.setAttribute('src','http://assets.pinterest.com/js/pinmarklet.js?r='+Math.random()*99999999);document.body.appendChild(e)})());"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.clickinmoms.com/cmprodaily/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/pinit.jpg" alt="Pin It" /></a></div>

Via Clickin Moms

The button will appear at the beginning of your post, so if you overtype it, you'll have to start another post or paste the code in manually to get the button back. If you don't want the button to appear on say, a post about your family, just delete it as you begin drafting. I've had the code in place for almost a week, but I've mostly been posting stuff about my family and life in general, so I've been deleting it. I'm pretty excited to see if the button helps my posts make it into Pinterest!

I've been pinning a ton of stuff this week - most of it ideas about Arden's 3rd birthday, which I know will sneak up on me really quickly - only 7 weeks left!

My Girl Thursday

I need to start planning my posts, and these printables seem like a great way to accomplish that. I figure having each Friday set with I Pinned It! should be a good beginning.

Flickr

Oh what an adorable idea! I have a pretty cute hat from Hadley's hospital stay, but I can't rmember if we have one for Arden's. If I can't find one, my grandmother crocheted one, so it could take the place...

RememberADay

This fabulous cowl available on Etsy is a pretty similar pattern to the one I'm knitting.

SuzieBeezie via Tumblr

I keep pinning all sorts of cute little nooks. Arden's room has an angled ceiling near the window; I think this could be super awesome in her room. Or, maybe I'm just obsessed with nook beds.

More Design Please

The possibilities are endless! I want to do a mobile or chandelier in Hadley's room, and this concept could be the direction I want to go...

I hope you're enjoying seeing some of what strikes my interest. As always, if you'd like an invite to Pinterest, just leave me a comment with your e-mail address if it's not linked in your profile and I'll send you an invite.

Hadley's 1st Day at Daycare

2012-01-05T20:31:00.002-05:00

My maternity leave has ended, so Hadley started daycare on Monday. Since we had kept Arden there to hold her place and to keep her attending preschool we were all pretty used to the routine for getting out the door in the morning. I don't remember why Arden was upset, but check out that pouty lip!

The 2nd was a holiday for most businesses so it was pretty quiet. Both Dave and I had decided to take the girls to daycare and use the day to get some projects accomplished - One Month To Win It for me and building a wall between our breakfast nook and the office for Hubby.

She did fabulous! I had to refrain from overselling her to the teachers because I didn't want it to backfire, but she's such a good baby. Everyone said she was super easy - drank her bottles down no problem, burped right on cue, slept really well, etc. She's more excited and happy to have her diaper changed than any baby I've ever met. Cracks me up! Since there were so few kids there that day, Arden got to spend some time in the infant room with Hadley, which makes me feel happy that they both got to have a special day for Hadley's first day.

With Arden, Dave used a week of paternity leave and stayed with her the first week I returned to work. This really helped us determine how she would react to bottle feeding for a whole day - she was a snacker and I didn't want to make the bottles too big and risk having them dump them out because they were out too long. No worries like that with Hadley.

I work three days a week, so we sort of have the best of both worlds - the social interaction for the girls at daycare and some adult and intellectually challenging time for me, and then four days at home with my babies!

OMTWI: Week One Projects

2012-01-03T06:00:00.000-05:00

Week One projects will be open for voting today at One Month To Win It. We each used at least one graphic from The Graphics Fairy. I am so excited to see what everyone created! Please take a minute to go and vote!

Rambling...

2012-01-02T13:12:00.000-05:00

I've been busily working on my projects for week one and week two of One Month To Win It. No, I'm not that conceited to think that I'm going to make it past the first week; it's just that the second week's project is due the same day results are posted from the Graphics Fairy project that I better get rolling on it or I'd be in big trouble! Week one projects are posting tomorrow - make sure you go and vote! I've got my fingers crossed that my project is well-received!

I've also been knitting away on my cowl made from the Noro yarn I got for Christmas. I am so in love with that yarn! It feels amazing running through my fingers, and it's so much fun watching what colors will appear next. I should have the cowl finished in another day or two, so watch for it!

Today is Hadley's first day at daycare. I'm sure she's going to be fine - she's such an easy baby. Here's a little baby yumminess so I don't have a post without any photos!

I just love how it worked out that her shirt says "laugh" and we captured her laughing as Dave tickled her!

Top 10 of 2011

2011-12-31T06:00:00.000-05:00

2011 was my first full year of blogging. I think I've learned a lot and made some wonderful bloggy friends over the course of a year.

In 2011 I participated in my first blog competition - Project Toddler Runway, my first giveway series - Spring Fling hosted by April at Wildflowers and Whimsy, and the first blog competition I hosted - Mother to Be, Being, Been for pregnancy, nursing, and postpartum fashions. I also had my first guest posts during that competition - thanks ladies! I gained about 130 followers over Google Friend Connect, and I started getting more lovely comments from readers and features by other bloggers. I love getting comments, and I try to reply to each one if I can. You should see me snatch my phone up every time I hear the notification tone to see if it's a comment! If you've received a response from me, I very likely wrote it while preparing a meal or nursing my daughter - I believe in multitasking!

Hopefully my photography is improving. I got a big girl camera for my birthday in June and I'm still learning how to use it - but man, what a difference!

So, here are my top posts from 2011:

10. Mother to Be, Being, Been - This competition was a ton of fun to host. It helped me to get comfortable asking for prize sponsors and guest posters.

9. Little Rascal Cap - This was part of the Inspired by Boy challenge of Project Toddler Runway. Arden still wears this cute little cap from time to time as part of her dress up bin.

8. A Jennuine Life: Mother Being Inspiration - This Four Corners Nursing Top was my inspiration piece for the nursing week of Mother to Be, Being, Been. It's being put to good use now that Hadley has arrived!

7. Ain't No Mom Jeans: Mother Been Inspiration - One of my lovely guest posters for Mother to Be, Being, Been. Love Ain't No Mom Jeans for fashion inspiration for "real" mommies like me!

6. Baby Shoes - these were posted in December, so to make number six for 2011 means they've received a TON of attention! This was totally a "what the heck" project - isn't it funny how things work out like that? Some of the projects I've planned and been super excited aren't nearly as well received as these have been. They're also getting pinned on Pinterest all over the place...

5. Plum Pleats - Pinafore Top - A Project Toddler Runway project for the Feathers, Sequins, and Fur Oh My! challenge.

4. Nursery Prep: Alphabet Wall Art - An Etsy purchase and great wall filler for Hadley's nursery.

3. Arden Refashioned Shirt Dress - Project Toddler Runway Shirt Off Your Back challenge entry. I liked this so much, I made two!

2. A Mother to Be, Being, Been: Finalists! - I still follow one of the finalists (Miranda from One Little Minute) - she's uh-maz-ing!!

And number 1! Richly Ruffled Dress - And finally, another Project Toddler Runway entry - A Flower in Your Hair. This one also gained a lot of views from Pinterest.

I Pinned It! 12.30.11

2011-12-30T08:23:00.000-05:00

It's time for the second installment of I Pinned It! I haven't heard much from all you lovely readers out there if you like it or not... but I like it, so I'm going to keep going!

One of the things I've found that helps me pin things is adding the Pin It button to my toolbar. You can do this in Pinterest using their Pin Marklet This adds a little button you can click on from whatever internet page strikes your fancy! Easy peasy!!

Gingercake

This stuffed penguin is adorable and looks super huggable! The pattern is for sale in her pattern shop. Penguins hold a special place in my heart after working with them on a volunteer vacation in South Africa.

Creation Corner

What a great idea! Turn a simple drink box into a lovely classroom gift. I can see this adapted for lots of different themes...

Craftiness Is Not Optional

Jess from Craftiness Is Not Optional did a whole series on felt flowers and I pinned every one of them! I love them all!

Lick The Bowl Good

Don't these Pizza Muffins look yummilicious?

Exercise Before Knitting

Some knitting love!

Lose the Baby Weight with Slim-Fast!

2011-12-28T21:00:00.001-05:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Slim-Fast for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

If you've been following along, you know I've recently had my second daughter. With pregnancy comes weight gain, and I never lost all the baby weight from my first daughter. I've lost weight on my own in the past, but since I obviously didn't do so hot with that nearly three years later, it looks like I need some help!

Slim-Fast

Enter Slim-Fast and their exciting new 3-2-1 Plan!

3 nourishing snacks a day like Slim-Fast 100-calorie snack bars, fruits, nuts or veggies to help control cravings between meals.
2 Slim-Fast Shakes or Meal Bars per day - delicious and nutritious for up to four hours of hunger control.
1 balanced meal - a balanced 500-calorie meal. Try to fill half your plate with veggies, a quarter with protein, and a quarter with whole grains.

The products are available in the pharmacy sections of grocers and retailers nationwide, including Wal-Mart, Target, Safeway and Kroger, as well as online at Amazon.com and the Slim-Fast 3-2-1 Store on Facebook.

I'm excited to try the new shakes, available in great flavors like French Vanilla and Cappuccino Delight. For more information, 'Like' Slim-Fast on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/slimfast

Slim-Fast

With Slim-Fast's delicious new 1-2-3 program, I know I can make the changes needed to go from now to wow! I'm on a roll already, having lost all the weight from my second pregnancy and a few more, so I'm excited to try Slim-Fast's program to keep it going. My twenty year High School reunion is this summer, and I want to look my very best!

A Simple Apron

2011-12-28T13:25:00.000-05:00

One of the Christmas presents I made for Arden was a simple apron to wear when she helps me in the kitchen, or when she gets creative in her play kitchen.

I used more of my deep discount IKEA fabric (are you getting tired of seeing projects made out of this yet?), and made orange bias tape from denim leftover from one of my Project Toddler Runway designs. Arden is already enjoying it and playing in her little kitchen. I have pictures of her opening it on Christmas morning that I don't want to share here because she had stripped down to panties and socks earlier in the morning because she wanted to wear some new holiday socks and was wearing footie pajamas. All our Christmas morning pictures are of a mostly naked two-year-old and a sleeping two-month-old. Hilarious!

This was super quick and easy - I think making the bias tape took more time than cutting and sewing the apron! I made it a little big so it will grow with her, and the neck strap adjusts with two d-rings. I cut two, so I'm going to whip up the other one to sell in my Etsy shop Jennuine Design.

Noro

2011-12-27T13:40:00.001-05:00

Mmmmm.... Yummy yarn for some selfish knitting! This is Noro, a Japanese yarn. I'm going to make a gorgeous cowl for myself. Love the colors!!

Hubby Dave gave me a gift certificate for Christmas to my local yarn shop and it was just about exactly enough to cover the two skeins of Noro and the 24" circular needles I needed for this project. I'm literally moments away from casting on, and I can't wait!!

I'm a Winner!

2011-12-26T16:16:00.001-05:00

I entered almost daily for Somewhat Simple's Twelve Days of Christmas giveways, and I was the happy winner of Day 7.

Check out all the goodies I get! Some of these will be gifts for others, but I know at least a couple that I'm going to keep for myself!! What a nice Christmas surprise!

Gift One: Maddie Mae Lane is your place for vintage pendants, cabochon earrings, rings, and hair pins, gorgeous bunchy scarves, hair accessories, and floral sashes!!! One winner will get their choice of bunchy scarf with coordinating felt flower brooch. These bunchy scarves are one of our most popular items this season!! Choose between plum, scarlet, grey, or chocolate, each with a coordinating and unique felt flower brooch pin. Keep warm without sacrificing style this Holiday Season!

Gift Two: YOUR Candle Diva sells fantastic candles, melts and accessories from the David Oreck Candle company. One reader will win a candle in their choice of scent. This collection of David Oreck’s favorites is inspired by holiday scents from his farm. The comforting aromas of fresh ginger pumkin bread and red currant cream on a wintery night and the scent of the pepperberry wreath hanging above the mantel will fill your home with soothing scents of simpler times. Each fragrance comes in a 21 oz filled jar.

Gift Three: OfficeMax has launched a Holiday Help Center – a one-stop for holiday needs. From gift wrapping tips to advice on hanging decorations without damaging the walls or mantel, the Holiday Help Center has you covered. Plus, the site features links to purchase your most-used holiday supplies. One lucky reader will receive help with their holiday preparations by winning Scotch Pop-Up Tape Handband with Pre-Cut Strips for easy gift wrapping, a Scotch Paper Cutter for safer, faster and more precise cuts for holiday gift wrapping and a 3M three-pack of Command Adhesives Strips to hang stockings and holiday décor without damaging the walls.

Gift Four: Clean Mama Printables is the best place to get homekeeping printables that REALLY work for you AND make your life easier! Clean Mama Printables specializes in original organizational documents designed to take the work out of organizing your life. Whether you are starting a Homekeeping Binder or just looking for a couple editable documents, Clean Mama Printables is the place to go to get organized! One winner will receive a $50 Gift Certificate to the Clean Mama Printable Shop. BUT WAIT- everyone can enjoy a special discount! Simply enter “20SOMEWHATSIMPLE” for 20% off your entire order!

Gift Five: Dolce Bella specializes in ‘sweet and beautiful’ clip-on earrings for little princesses (and those young at heart) . One reader will receive a $25 gift card from Dolce Bella. As any mother of a blossoming fashionista knows, accessories are everything. As such mothers, we became frustrated with the minimal selection and lack of quality earrings for young girls, and those young at heart, who don’t have pierced ears. So we created ‘Dolce Bella’, a place to find ‘sweet and beautiful’ clip-on earrings. (And not to leave any princesses out, most styles are also available in pierced earrings upon request.)

Gift Six: Get your site noticed by thousands of readers by winning 30 days of free advertising right here on Somwhat Simple!

Gift Seven: Cut it Out designs darling frames that are not only high-quality, but they are also very affordable! One lucky winner will receive 1- 8×10 frame in the design of their choice!

Merry, Merry!

2011-12-24T13:49:00.001-05:00

Best wishes to you and your family on this merry holiday! We'll be attending the candlelight service this evening, preceded by dinner at a great Chinese restaurant. After, we'll spread sparkly oatmeal in the yard to feed Santa's hungry reindeer and set out cookies and milk for the big man himself. Then we'll open warm jammies from Frosty and head off to dreamland. I'm planning to enjoy what will likely be the last year before Arden clues in and wakes us up at an unheard-of early hour!

I Pinned It! 12.23.11

2011-12-23T06:00:00.000-05:00

Do you Pinterest? Is that a verb? Well, it should be... I've been enjoying Pinterest so much that I thought I'd start sharing my pins with you - maybe you'll find something that you'd like to pin! If you aren't a member, send me a comment and I'll invite you to join.

AmyTangerine

Ca-ute! I love this Etsy shirt - want one for my daughter!

V and Co

I think I'll make these for my Father-in-law who gets really cold hands

Cameron Homemade via Under the Table and Dreaming

Perfect gift for grandparents

Simply Modern Mom via Somewhat Simple

I'm starting to Pin ideas for Arden's 3rd birthday party. She wants it to be "pink". Easy enough!

Kojo Designs

Adorable yarn-wrapped letters. Another birthday party idea.

LetterPerfectDesigns

I really like this Etsy letter art. I've done something similar on a t-shirt, so I can appreciate how long this must take - she hand-sews each button.

I've never featured items here, so I'd love to hear some comments. Do you want me to keep doing this, or could you care less? I'm thinking I'd try to do this each Friday if it's well received. Should I make a "Featured on A Jennuine Life" button?

Snowman Soup for Daycare

2011-12-22T06:00:00.000-05:00

I decided to make up a little gift for Arden to pass out at daycare. My Mom had introduced me to the concept of Snowman Soup a couple of years ago, and I thought it would be perfect for a bunch of two to four year-olds.

The bags and labels were Avery printable bag toppers with bags - meant for small business merchandising, so they have a little perforated hole for hanging if needed.

I googled "Snowman Soup poems" and found four different options. Sorry, I don't remember the source. We don't have a colored printer, so I can't do one of the nifty printables for this. We went old-fashioned and put stickers on the front. Oh, and don't you love the typo I didn't catch until after I had printed them all? Doh!! I'm going to blame it on the template having the text sideways.

I think they'll like them... Arden has recently discovered the joys of hot cocoa ("warm cocoa" or she won't drink it), and particularly likes the peppermint hot cocoa from "Donald's House" - her name for the Golden Arches.

Robe Redo - In Color

2011-12-21T06:00:00.000-05:00

Remember the adult robe I remade into a kid-sized version for Arden?

Here it is in color! Arden chose the light pink dye. I didn't tell her what it was for, only that she could choose her favorite color.

I think she chose the perfect color! I decided not to wrap it as a Christmas gift - she's got plenty to open on Christmas day. Plus, then I got to see her in it sooner!

I think this is one of my favorite projects I've made for her, and she really likes it too!

Knitted Earwarmer

2011-12-20T06:00:00.000-05:00

I decided to knit up a little earwarmer for Arden after the umpteenth time I decided it wasn't worth the trouble of trying to wrangle a hat over her ponytail. Since her hair is long and it gets all gummy with food if it's not put back, 90% of the time it's up in a ponytail, twisties, or braids.

At first Dave had to get her to buy into the idea by putting on one of his running earwarmers, but now she gladly keeps it on when we're outside.

Here's the details if you want to make your own:

Size 2T and up, worked in Debby Bliss Baby Cashmerino on size 7 double-pointed needles.

Using long-tail method, cast on 88 stitches split evenly between four needles. Work 6 rounds in seed stitch. Switch to stockinette and work 12 rounds. Go back to seed stitch and work 6 rounds more. Bind off.

Easy peasy! I only worked on this a few evenings after Arden was asleep.

Season 7: One Month To Win It

2011-12-17T22:00:00.000-05:00

If you already follow One Month To Win It, then you've seen my big news. I'm going to be a contestant for Season 7!! For my audition, I entered my ladder shelf project I made from reclaimed lumber from our garage reconstruction.

If you're not already following, then get over there and start! It's an amazing crafting competition where 12 crafters compete for one month to win some amazing prizes.

The twelve competitors were announced today, and it looks like I'm up against some tough cookies! It should be fun, as two of the projects in the lineup were the type of things I already wanted to tackle. They've already nicely told us the projects for each week, which is really nice giving us time to brainstorm and prepare ahead.

There must be something about me and January - Project Toddler Runway started in January last year. Is it some kind of weird resolution thing with me? Hmmm....

Hadley Marie - Two Months

2011-12-15T14:28:00.000-05:00

Hadley is a little over two months! I was waiting for her two-month well check to post this so I would have her updated measurements. As of today, she is 14 lbs., 13 oz and 24" long. That puts her at 97th percentile for weight, and 90th for height. Looks like she's going to be tall, though not too surprising since I'm 5' 8" and Dave is 6' 5".

Here she is modeling some knits I had originally made for Arden; a little bolero sweater and a (raspberry?)beret.

She's turned out to be a really good sleeper, and has slept through the night on several occasions. A typical night has her zonking out around 10 or 11 pm and waking around 3:30 am. I'll get her up at 6 am to nurse and then back to sleep until after we get back home from taking Arden to daycare. On days that Arden doesn't have daycare she'll sleep until around 7 or 8 am. I'm pretty much caught up to her with breast milk, and only have to supplement with formula on rare occasions.

Arden continues to be enamoured with her little sister and likes to hold and feed her on occasion. She offers her toys whenever I'm changing Hadley and makes sure she has a pacifier if she wants one.

Here's Hadley at one and two months for comparison. She's not really as much larger as it appears, but I couldn't get the collage to be proportional. My plan is to take a monthly picture of her on the quilt for the first year so we can watch her grow and change.

Robe Redo

2011-12-13T09:45:00.001-05:00

I had two cotton robes that I had purchased as guest robes, but after about four years only one of them had ever been used.

So I decided to redo one of them into a robe for Arden.

They're nice organic cotton - I bought them while on a business trip in Thailand. I used to be an internal auditor for my company and traveled all over the world. I have some pretty cool purchases from the trips I've taken.

I started by using a seam ripper and removing the tie and the pockets. Then I used a tunic length hoodie of Arden's to get the basic shape.

I sewed and serged the seams and reattached the shortened tie to the new waist. I also made a hood and attached that to the collar. I think I'll keep this for a Christmas present for her. Now I just need to decide if I'm keeping it white, or dying it. Pink, maybe? I have a little bit of the original robe fabric left, so I might make a little wrap for Hadley.

One Month To Win It - My Bio

2011-12-13T08:26:00.001-05:00

My biography and some quick notes are posted over at One Month To Win It. Here's a bit about me!

Hello! My name is Jenn and I blog at A Jennuine Life. I've been crafting and creating as long as I can remember. My Mom taught me how to sew when I was little and we created a whole bedding ensemble for my cabbage patch doll Krissy Lynn. My Dad is a retired home builder and I used to build things at the job sites with scrap wood when I was young. I was one of the only girls in shop and woodworking class in junior high, but I learned how to use all the tools and I can wire a mean lamp! Now that I'm all grown up, I love to sew and knit for my daughters Arden - almost three, and Hadley - two months; as well as an occasional DIY project for our home.

1. How did you start crafting?

I started crafting as a child - my Mom is very creative and taught me to sew, cross-stitch crochet, and craft. I'm a bit of an indecisive crafter as I enjoy all kinds of mediums - knitting, quilting, sewing, and DIY projects.

2. What’s your favorite style? (steampunk, modern, shabby, etc.)

That's a tough one - I guess I'd say I'm drawn to timeless styles, but I like to follow trends in an understated fashion.

3. Besides crafting, what are your other hobbies?

My husband has said he was first attracted to me because I was a kickboxing runner that sewed and knitted. Just like different types of crafts, I enjoy all sorts of activities. I do enjoy running and am looking forward to getting back into a routine after the birth of my second daughter. I also like to bike, travel, and backpack; and always have a good book on my bedside table.

I've been busy getting things around for Christmas, but have been doing a little knitting and sewing along the way. I'll share a quick knit earwarmer project as soon as I can get some decent pictures. It's been very grey around here lately - gotta love Michigan!

Baby Shoes

2011-12-07T21:21:00.001-05:00

I made my first pair of shoes today! I used a pattern from Amy at Naptime Crafter's Etsy store; Peekaboo Pattern Shop. I won a giveway on Fingerprints on the Fridge a while ago and I had chosen as one of my prizes the Pleated Mary Jane shoe pattern. Amy and I were both participants on Project Toddler Runway, so I was especially pleased to win this prize from her!

I needed tiny shoes for Hadley to go with her holiday outfit, but the smallest shoes at Target were too big for her. Then I remembered my free patterns! I had the houndstooth suiting from my inspired by boy-themed entry for Project Toddler Runway - Lil' Rascal, and the lining fabric was leftover from a baby quilt I made for a friend. Woo-hoo! Everything free and I didn't have to leave the house!

The pattern was really easy to follow and I made these start to finish with Hadley on my chest in her Moby wrap. It made checking the fit really convenient, since her little feet were right at my waist!

They were a little difficult to maneuver and sew but I think this is purely because they were the smallest size. I'll likely be making another pair very soon in the next size up so I'll let you know if it's easier!

I really like the little pearl snaps on the straps and the pink lining peeking out.