the resolution bandwagon

i'm hopping on....

my goal list for 2012:

January -  restock my card stash
                really really clean my fridge/freezer
February - stop avoiding and actually read  my copy of Crazy Love by Francis Chan
                figure out a filing system i can maintain and take care of the paper mess
March -  scrapbook at least 5 layouts
               clean out the storage area in the utility room (i'll have to be sure to take a "before" picture, yikes!)
April - do 2 projects i have "pinned" from Pinterest
         - paint the back porch and steps
May - read 2 novels from my list of "books i want to read"
         - clean out at least 1/3 of the garage (another one to have a before picture of!)
June - run 5 miles in one workout
         - finish the front porch project
July - go "screen free" two days a week (no computer or tv)
       - ruthlessly clean out the girls' closets
August - keep a daily journal
            - clean out another 1/3rd of that garage
September - try to can or preserve something i haven't done before
               - ruthlessly clean out our closet
October -  try 4 new recipes
             - finish the garage
November  - actually be organized for Christmas this year and make the gift ideas and to do list
                  - back up my pictures and empty my camera card
December -  make a reusable daily calendar to start in the upcoming year
                - clean out the attic

MAYBE since i posted this on here for the world (or the 10 or so people that read my blog) to see, i will be more likely to complete this list.  some are for sure more lofty than others, some will be quick, some require A LOT of work.
or MAYBE i will be like the majority of other "new year resolution" makers and fall right back off the resolution wagon. 
MAYBE i will regret the day i posted this
MAYBE i will be so motivated to see things being completed i'll finish my list early
maybe maybe maybe
MAYBE i will
MAYBE i won't

and MAYBE if i care to share my successes or failures i will post each month (or so) on how i'm doing on this list.  we shall see.

i leave you with this fabulous picture of my kids:

elastic love

i finally found what i was looking for.







elastic thread.  (what? did you think it was going to be something more monumental than that?) 

i can not tell you how many times i have checked at wally world for this stuff the past few months. (and it's A LOT cause it seems i am there about 5 times a week, no lie.)  scanning the sewing area, meticulously checking the thread display, cause silly me thought that elastic thread would be with the THREAD.  silly me, neglected to think about the first word of said product. eeelaaasss-tic.  yep.  it was by the elastic. go figure.

anyhoo.  i have been itching to try my hand at sewing a few projects with this stuff so last weekend (two weekends ago? i dunno anymore) i dusted off my sewing machine and started in with my fabulous new find.

i made all this:

first off the easy peasy t-shirt refashion following this awesome tutorial

i took 2 of hubby's old t-shirts and sewed them in and then cut off the neck and sleeves.  wa-la. an 80's inspired "flashdance" t shirt (as my sis told me it looked like, ha ha) super easy, the only issue was that since they were cheapy t shirts was the graphics weren't really centered on the front so they ended up even more crooked when the t shirt was sewed in.  no biggie though, i just twist it a little once i put it on and it's all good.

next up was this skirt:

cue fabulous elastic thread

nice and wrinkly huh?

i picked up a 3X t shirt that was on clearance at wally world for only $3, hacked it off under the sleeves and ruched the top with my snazzy new elastic thread.

i followed this tutorial.  well, in the long run i did. first, i tried to add a tier to the top of it before i did the shirring because i thought it would be too short and i ended up sewing it together wrong but i shirred the top anyway and did too many rows and then it didn't fit, so i took it all back apart and just followed the tutorial like i should have in the first place.  lesson learned.  no close up pics cause it is far from perfect! 

and lastly i made these two "ruffly" scarves:

the one pictured above is sewn from a remnant piece of fabric i picked up at wally world for just over $1 (see, i told you i was there a lot!).  it was shorter than i wanted so i cut it in half and sewed the ends together and after that i sewed two rows with my handy dandy elastic thread to create a ruffly effect.  the edges are unfinished and look kind of raw but the fabric was really hard to work with, so i am just gonna "go with it"  rather than try to put a seam on it.

for this one, i took an old pair of flannel pants and just winged it. i cut the legs off, and sewed them together and then "ruffled" them.  the length is kind of weird so i may sew the ends together and make it an infinity scarf instead.  this one i am not so confident about.  does it look like i just wrapped a ratty old pair of flannel pants around my head?

so that was my weekend of sewing (along with mending a couple things for my girlies).  pretty productive, no? 

linking to some blog parties i follow:
Polly Want a Crafter
Between Naps on the Porch
A2Z Tutorials and Tips Tuesdays
Finding Fabulous (friday)
Tatertots and Jello (friday)

click on the links to see some fabulous-o stuff that others have linked up.  :)

i used to make cards....

once upon a time there was a girl who liked to make cards.  then she had 4 babies and stopped making them.

that girl made an appearance last month at my house.

i spent an hour or so the other day stamping again for the sole purpose of making birthday cards (and one baby card) for FUN.  one of my goals this year was to start making cards again and make them in advance of when i actually need them.  (so far i am 0 for like 10... better late than never, right?)  it felt sooooo wonderful to create cards again!

it's been a very long time since i have posted any projects i've been working on. and since i still {heart} making cards i figured it would be appropriate to post such things. to those with recent (and i use this term loosely) birthdays you may just see one of these coming your way in the near-ish future!

so here are a few that i made:

this one is out of my typical comfort zone of cards... the haphazard crookedness is not something i typically do, but i still kinda like how it turned out

the inside of this card (has a bit more "fun-ness" than i typically do)

super duper simple (my go-to style for sure)

the baby card (the sun made a shadow of the popped up accent, looks weird)

a whole basket full of cards!

Now just to get them sent out ;)

linking to:

christmas stockings

whew! i managed to actually complete a project!

i decided on a whim to sew up some christmas stockings.  we only had 3 of the classic red and white fuzzy stockings (1 of them being a bit smaller than the others) and since we have 4 kiddos we needed to revamp things a little.  originally i envisioned using felt however i had a remnant of white cotton and decided to "use what i have" and came up with these ruffly stockings. 

a close up of the top.  i added a burlap flower with red beaded centers and red ric-rac as a hanger.  both these things are pinned on so i can change it if i decide to change my color scheme.  i left the ruffle edges raw to give it a rustic look.

all four stockings "hung with care" and a glance at the mantle

linking to: polly want a crafter

I'm not sure if I {heart} applesauce

we interrupt the "grand adventure" vacation posts and skip ahead to my day yesterday.

i spent alllllllllllllllll day making applesauce.  the past two years i made applesauce with my good friend sarah but she went and moved to texas on me so i had to go it alone this year.  (not near as fun by myself, hence the title of my post)

i make my applesauce in my vitamix.  sooooo easy. 

my method:

wash apples (i didn't worry about scrubbing them since they had never been sprayed)

chop 'em up (i leave the peel, the vitamix takes care of it all, i also didn't worry about removing too much of the core)

cook 'em up (i had two pots going, in past years we had 4 pots going but i couldn't keep up with that by myself)

strain out cooked apples into vitamix and add sweetener (if needed) and cinnamon if desired

i also make sure there is a little of the cooking water just because i am guessing a lot of the vitamins and nutrients are in there

finished! 29 quart bags to freeze and one jar to eat right away plus one apple crisp for dessert :)

tip:  block baby from kitchen so she doesn't get stepped on or get hot apple dropped on her ;)

linking to: Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam

i {heart} baby legs

the real ones and those cute little leg warmers you can order here: official baby legs site
LOVE the idea of using them on my school girls arms at this time of year when it is chilly in the morning and then when it warms up she can take them off and forget them at school put them in her backpack.
however, having to be super frugal, the price does not excite me.

i thought to myself, "self, i bet that some super smartypants mommy out there has figured out a way to make them for way cheap."  i googled "making your own baby legs" and sure enough it turns out LOTS of smartypants mommies have figured out more than one way to make them.  i chose this way: ehow
note: i skipped step 1 - cause i had a pair that i never wore in my sock drawer, i also skipped step 6 - cause i am lazy and don't pin things when i sew if i don't absolutely have to.  (sorry mom, i know you taught me better than that!)
another note: the warning on that page cracks me up... reminds me of growing up and my mom would sew us clothes.  we would have to try them on with the pins in it to make sure it was going to fit okay.  ouch!

here are my before and after pics and "in use" pics :)

before

after

in use

still in use

see? she likes them ;)

linking to: