Scrap It Saturdays: Pink Giraffe

So I headed to Target in hopes that they would have short sleeved shirts. It is a little early I guess, and there were none that were plain enough to use for my project here. But this cute little tee was on clearance so I picked it up. I decided on this pink floral fabric because I knew I wanted to do my pink giraffe. I set to work to get things cut out and ready to sew.

I went ahead and blew up the giraffe to cut out as my template for the fabric.

After I cut out the template I placed it on the shirt to be sure it was the size that I wanted for the tee.

Then I used an erasible fabric pen (found at any fabric store) to trace the template onto the fabric.


Now I am ready to head to the sewing machine.

Check back for the final steps, the template for you to use, and pictures of the final product.

Enjoy!

Friday's Find

photo courtesy of Plum Pretty Sugar

I am basking in the sunshine today. It is a bit cold, but the weather outside is gorgeous. I am taking it all in because snow is in the near forecast. While stunning, I am a warm weather person and being cold just doesn't suit me. So... I have decided to enjoy the sunshine - while it is here.

Isn't this robe amazing. I have dreams of having pretty, feminine robes, night clothes, lounge wear. To look that pretty and feminine while relaxed almost doesn't seem possible. Maybe that is because I usually have two little munchins wiping their dirty hands on my clothes or spilling their milk on me. Nonetheless, this robe would be perfect for a romantic getaway with the hubs. And if you are able to pull of the pretty while bumming around the house and want to add this to your wardrobe, you can find it here.

Happy Friday and don't forget to check back tomorrow for my first installment of Scrap It Saturdays. It should be fun!

all we need is love...

Do you remember these little guys from last year. Well, they are back and my little shop is feeling the love right now. I am offering these notecards as sets again this year - smaller (a six pack) and the normal 12 pack. You can always add more cards. But for those of you who have LOTS of love to share, I am also offering these notecards as printables - so you can print as many as you need. Feel free to check them out here and here. Also, stay tuned as I will be offering a few more fun lovey dovey items next week!

{scrap it}

So the new year has inspired Doug and I to clean out closets and put a little organization into practice. One of the big projects was cleaning out the playroom closet. It consisted of videos, financial records, and lots and lots of fabric scraps from my apron making days. Oh, this isn't the first time I have cleaned out my fabric bins, but I still held on to a few thinking that I would surely use them for something. Out of sight out of mind and therefore, nothing has been done with the scraps since I cleaned out the closet before Douglass Charle's birth (2YEARS!!).

So, with the new Kelly's Kids catalog and a little inspiration from Pottery Barn Kids arriving in my mailbox over the holiday (not to mention the desire to applique some clothing for the kids for Spring/Summer), I have decided to start a little blog segment called Scrap It Saturdays. It is a purely selfish endeavor. My goal is to use the blog to help keep me motivated to do it - while sharing with you and documenting it for myself - all while trying to economically dress my children. :)

So... I plan to post my progress on these projects every Saturday, and guess what??? I will be using The English Pea Studio graphics. Yeah... so stay tuned! And for those of you who want to "scrap" along with me I plan on sharing a few of my patterns so you can join me (And if you really like, a few ready made kits may find their way into my shop so I can help share the love).

Crock Pot Pork Ribs

So for New Years Day I carried on my tradition of serving pork. Last year it was a Boston Butt roasted in the overn - and was absolutely delicious - and this year it was pork ribs. Ribs were a new concept for me several months back when I purchased some on sale. I came up with this recipe and it truly has become one of our favorites. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Crock Pot Pork Ribs
(Can substitute beef ribs if desired)
3-4 ribs (you can do more, but we usually have some left over with 3-4)
¼ cup Dale’s Sauce
2 ½ - 3 cups water
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt, pepper, garlic salt to taste

Take large skillet and heat olive oil in pan. Season ribs with salt, pepper, and garlic salt. Place in skillet and sear each side of meat. Once seared place in crock pot on high. On medium heat take butter and flour and melt in same skillet. Use a wire whisk to mix together scraping up the brown bits from the bottom of pan. Gradually add Dales and water to mixture stirring continuously until fully blended. Bring to a boil and let simmer about 5-10 minutes or until sauce has thickened slightly. Pour sauce over ribs and cover. Cook 4-6 hours. Turn ribs over halfway through cooking time (not necessary, but just helps cover the meat in the sauce). Ready to serve (meat should be falling off the bone – delicious and delightful).

Happy New Year!

Find this gorgeous photo here.

Turning over a new year is usually hard for me. I usually mourn the passing year instead of celebrating the new one. 2010 treated us pretty well - with a few bumps in the road - but I found myself inwardly celebrating 2011 and mourning less over 2010's passing.

This picture evokes hope for me. The simple beauty of the flowers captures a positive and sweet image - and an attitude I want to have more in 2011. I don't really want to write my resolutions here, but I ALWAYS have things that I want to work on or towards and gracefulness is one of them - being gracious in mind and spirit, quiet in thought, and simple.

Wishing you and yours a simply beautiful and gracious 2011!

Christmas Recap

Christmas kicked off for us on Christmas Eve with a candle light service at the church - and finally an opportunity for the kids to wear the outfits I made them. As you can see by the following pictures the kiddos are just a little bit excited. It really was fun seeing how wild they were for the upcoming day.




Of course cookies were left out for Santa and he was kind enough to leave a note thanking the kids for their goodies.


Charlotte got her Ariel doll.


And Douglass Charles was more into opening presents than his big sister (trying to open both mine and Doug's gifts as well)


And the favorite toy for both the kiddos - this great little playdough tool that kept them occupied for hours.


That night we carried on a family tradition (and one of my favorites) that my family did growing up. Because we didn't have family close by my parents would always invite friends over for a Christmas potluck. We decided to do the same and invited our friends the Zenus family and the Martens family over. It was one of the highlights of the holiday.
Angela, me, and Marlene

Stephen and Michael tending the babies

four of the eight kids

Doug and me

The food, lots and lots of wonderful food.

Both of the families who celebrated with us have three kids so the joke the whole evening between the guys and Doug was where was his baby. :)

Then it was off to Birmingham to spend a few days with Doug's family. Did I mention we got 3 1/2 inches of snow on Christmas day. It was beautiful, but not great for traveling in the South, so after our little party we packed in 45 minutes (yes, record time for me) and hopped in the car praying that we would make it soundly - arriving at my in-laws safe and sound before midnight (and before the freezing temps set in). This picture was of the kids "riding the pony" with their Pa. I believe they managed to do this with every uncle who made himself available.


Charlotte also loved holding her cousin, Kiersten. Here she is with her Aunt Meg and Kiersten.

Christmas wound up being fun filled and very busy. The kids also received colds for Christmas - which I think is a right of passage at their age, but we have thoroughly enjoyed Doug's time off and getting to spend time with family and friends.