What's for Dinner? Pinterest Edition

This week I would like to share some dinner ideas I have discovered on Pinterest. I will admit I have not made any of these yet. My hope is by putting them here and separating them from the other 250 pins on my Favorite Recipes Board, I will actually try them out! :)































Be sure to follow me on Pinterest for lots of other recipe ideas! :)

Saturday Mornings

Who doesn't love Saturday mornings? It's pretty much the one day out of the entire week where you don't have to do anything you don't want to. It's amazing.

I always wake up first on weekend mornings. I guess I just can't sleep in like I used to, but I have grown to love and look forward to my private Saturday mornings to myself. Not that I wouldn't mind someone waking up before me every once in a while though. :)

My day always start with a HUGE bowl of cereal and Netflix :) It's a time when I get the TV all to myself and can watch the girliest show of my choosing (no basketball playoffs ;])! After an episode (I will admit sometimes two episodes if it ends of a real cliff hanger) I fire up the old laptop (I literally mean old) and work on my blog. I don't always work on posts, sometimes I just research how to add something, or I simply catch up reading on the blogs I follow! But sometimes I get distracted and go on a Pinning spree! ;)

Lately I have also been working on catching up with Moorea Seal's 52 Lists Project. The thing is though I don't want to rush through them. So I will admit I have been taking my time to catch up. I would rather take the time to reflect on myself than be on the same week as everyone else.

And after I'm done with that I either spend more time on the computer, read (have I mentioned I LOVE reading?), or I work on sewing and creating patterns. :)

Overall, I have come to love and enjoy my Saturday morning alone time. It's a time I use to reflect on myself, and focus on the things that make me happy. By the afternoon I feel refreshed, revived, and ready to conquer the everyday norm.

Oh! And did I mention I get this little guy all to myself too! :)

How do you spend your Saturday mornings? Or how do you wish you spent them? :)

My Pinterest Closet

I was a bad blogger and didn't make an Oh, How Pinteresting post last week! I guess you could say life got the best of me, I was really busy and super tired all week. Plus Tom was sick :( poor guy. But no more excuses!

This week I would like to share some of my favorite Pinterest style finds! I would LOVE to have my Pinterest style board be my closet, I am sure I am not the only girl out there who feels that way ;) Enjoy!

Current and Future Goals and Dreams

Welcome to my week four of the 52 Lists Project! This week focused on listing your current and future goals and dreams. I must admit I had a lot of fun with this one. It is a fantastic feeling to put your goals and dreams on paper, and SEE them! :)

- Have my own personal library.
- Have my own special craft room.
- Run a small no kill animal shelter/rescue.
- Learn how to sew clothes.
- Learn how to safely use a saw, then use it!
- Grow my blog and business, be successful!
- Create more items for my shop.
- Get married.
- Have babies (while still maintaining a -successful- business).
- Visit Europe.
- Visit EVERY U.S. State.
- Graduate college.
- Create a household budget and stick with it!
- Attend a blogging conference.
- Save enough money to send my future kids to college.
- Smile more at strangers (if could change their day and yours).
- Be able to care for my parents when they grow old.
- Visit Disneyworld.
- Sell my creations by various means (not just Etsy).
- Take a cooking class.
- Never stop reading.
- Work on finding the silver lining in my life events and not just others. Be more optimistic.
- Grow my own Christmas tree (at least once).
- Have a garden.
- Make working out part of my lifestyle and not just a chore.
- Complete everything on this list!! :)

Join in the 52 Lists Project {here}, have an amazing week everyone!

52 Lists: Things to be proud of

Honestly, this post was challenging to write. I thought about skipping it altogether, but that would be cheating! So I sat for a while and just thought. Eventually I came up with this list. I strongly feel like everyone should make one! Especially if you are having a bad day! It forces you to come up with positive things about yourself and your life. :) Enjoy! :)

- I am a loving, compassionate person.
- I love animals. I want to help every lost one I find, and I almost always do.
- I am creative.
- I have learned from my mistakes.
- I try to enjoy the little things in life that many people overlook.
- I stand behind my beliefs and do not conform simply to fit in.
- I am in a healthy, loving relationship (with an amazing guy, I should add :]).
- I started my own blog, which is something I have always wanted to do.
- I started my own business.
- I am not afraid to dream.
- I am determined.
- I am a hard worker.
- I am a good cook.
- I am making and maintaining a happy home for Tom and I while working full time and starting my own business.
- I haven't killed our basil plant.... YET! ;)

Join in the 52 Lists Project! Moorea Seal's blog is great!

Make Your Own Labels

Buying labels with your logo on them are SO EXPENSIVE!! And as much as I wanted them I could not bring myself to spend $60 plus on them.. :(

Well last week when I went to the craft store, I happened to stumble upon ... wait for it ... FABRIC PAPER. It got my crafty brain all excited and pumped! No more excuses not to have my logo on tags now! :)

Now I know you want a how to! It is super simple! Here you go.

Materials:

- One package of Computer Printer Fabric

- Printer

- Ink

- Computer

(I know you need to go pick up all these things, right? :])

1. Design your logo. I already had mine done so it was just a matter of re sizing the image. :)

2. I grabbed a template off of Avery's website {here}, downloaded it, and inserted my image. 

3. Follow the instructions on your printer fabric and print. I had to let mine set for 10 minutes, then iron on high with no steam for two minutes. Super easy!

Here they are all printed out! :)

4. Next, I ironed my sheet onto some Pellon 808. 

5. Cut out your tags. Make sure they are straight! ;)

6. Fold over the edges on the sides so your tag looks pretty, and press. Be careful of your fingers! I used an old antique iron my Grandma gave me to help get the tags pressed nicely! If you don't have an antique iron, you should! I can not imagine ironing without mine! 

7. And PRESTO! Your tags are done!

Word of warning. These tags are NOT waterproof. So if you put them on Etsy items that are washable, make sure you state to not wash the tag. :)

Pinteresting Spring Cleaning Tips!

So for whatever reason on Wednesday I could not for the life of me get a pin to embed from Pinterest! I think they should just go back to the old way it was done. Anyway, complaining time is OVER! Today it finally worked for me! YAY! So I present to you: Pinteresting Spring Cleaning Tips!























































For more cleaning tips and tricks, check out my Pinterest board "Sparkly Clean Fun" {here}!!

52 Lists: Greatest Comforts

When I first started this list, I did not think I would have so many things that comfort me. The more I thought about it though, the more the list grew. Even now as I write this post I think of more things I want to add to the list!

Writing down my greatest comforts was really fun for me. Plus I love going back and reading it. Moorea Seal put it perfectly, "And now every time I look at my list, I just feel comfort surrounding me as I think of all the ways that I can grasp comfort in my everyday life."

Tom says my cursive is hard to read so here it is all typed out again:

Column One: blankets, pajamas, cuddles, Tom, snuggles, Thomas, reading, the sound of rain on the roof, fire in the fireplace, birds chirping, snow falling, Christmas time, music, family, friends, acceptance, sweatshirts, safety, and a warm bed (I know it isn't in the picture, but it needed to be added :]).

Column Two: stability, order, the sound of the ocean, Disney movies, quilts, sewing, singing, sunshine, macaroni and Cavenders, hot chocolate, hugs, showering after a hard day, snuggling animals, animal kisses, meat gravy and potatoes (only my Mom's), hearing Dad listening to music, and listening to my grandparents tell stories. 

Travel Trash Bag Tutorial

Happy Sunday everyone! This weekend I decided I should make something with some old jeans Tom no longer wears. So I went hunting through my Sewing Projects board on Pinterest to see what I could find! You can check out my Sewing Projects board here. After some scrolling this pin popped up:



The pin does take you to a tutorial for that exact pattern you see in the picture, but this morning I just kind of wanted to make my own!

Materials:

- 1 old pair of jeans (Tom wears 32 x 32, and the style was original boot cut)

- Coordinating Thread

- Fabric Scissors

- Rotary Cutter

- Rotary Mat

- Rotary Ruler (is that what you call them? :])

- Iron

- Quilters Pins

Directions:

1. The first thing I did was cut off the bottom seam of the leg I was using. The end was frayed from wear so I just didn't want to mess with it. :)

2. Next, I cut 15 inches off of the leg, pressed, and folded the top down half an inch. 

3. Pin the edges down, and sew a 1/8 inch seam all the way around. 

4. Now fold the top (the side you just sewed) down 2 inches and press. Pin to ensure the edge will be straight, and sew across the top with a 1/8 inch seam all the way around. 

5. Now to add the pocket! I decided this would be a great place to put extra bags so there was never an excuse to throw trash on the car floor! ;) Cut out the pocket and pin to the front of your bag. Be careful to pin it only to the front side and not to the back as well! :) 

6. Sew along the seams of the pockets. Make sure to not sew your bag shut! 

7. Don't forget the top of the pocket too! I realize it could look a lot cleaner, but I don't really mind it. The front of the pocket covers it anyway.  

8. For the strap, cut a 5 inch section off from the leg of your jean. Turn the loop inside out, and cut off what would be the inner seam of the jean so it turns into a strip. Cut along the outside seam and align the strips so you have a straight line. Pin in place, sew along the seam of the jean, and cut off the access fabric on the back.

9. Fold the strap in half hot dog style, with the outside touching and press. Sew a 1/8 inch seam and flip the strap so it is right side out. 

10. Stitch 1/8 inch seams on both sides of the strap. Be careful I broke a needle on this step! :(

11. Pin the strap to the back of your bag. Sew on the straps and cut off excess fabric. 

12. Last step! Turn the bag inside out. Pin the bottom of the bag together and sew using a 1/2 inch seam. Cut off the corners, and turn right side out.

TAH DAH! Your travel trash bag is complete!! :)

I should have retaken the picture after I fixed the bag in Tom's car.. Oops! Let me know how your bag turns out! I would love to see pictures! :) 

52 Lists

This morning I was on Google looking for some fun list ideas to make about myself. For every search I did 52 Lists popped up. I finally clicked on it, and I am so glad I did! All the lists actually have a purpose behind them, which is fantastic! I know I have a lot of catching up to do, so bear with me. I am going to start doing the new lists every week, but also catch up on the old at the same time. Please follow along and get to know me better! :) Visit Moorea Seal's blog (here) to join in on the 52 Lists fun!

Here is mt first list. The prompt is "Words that Touch your Soul".

If you are having a hard time reading the picture here are my answers:

Column One: love, sweet, tenderness, special, beautiful, fluffy, companion, family, snuggles, caring, cuddles, hugs, kisses, flirting, happy, frolicking, playing, sunshine, joy, laughing, radiant, and friendship.

Column Two: forever, compassion, bliss, freedom, helping, trusting, support, respect, sweet, joy (double) lets put in alive instead :), bliss, kindness, progress, organized, cleaned, help, balance, nice, plan, vibrant, color, acceptance, peace, laughter, music, and song.

Column Three: dance, fun, cozy, soft, warm, protect, cherish, escape, memories, blessed, appreciate, determined, faithful, happy (double again) change it to gracious, reading, learning, knowledge, faith, create, imagine, and success. 

If I only had a Saw....

I am going to try out a theme this week for "Oh, how Pinteresting". Obviously from the post title, these are the things I would make if I only had a saw, and probably a house too! ;) Thankfully, my dad is a handy dandy contractor and one day he will give me a saw lesson so I can get on with making these projects!! :)