A Duvet fit for a King

I finally finished the new duvet for my king size bed.  It was super easy and a super pain in the butt! The thing was so big I had absolutely no place in my house to lay it out.  Some how I managed to make it work and I would do it again because that is how in love with the fabric I am.  Plus it only cost me about $60 and with duvet covers running about $120, thats a bad deal.

So 12 yards of fabric, two JoAnne's coupons, 3 hours of my life, and 7 hammer on snaps later, here is the finished product.......

(Please excuse my wrinkled bed.  I tried my best to iron out all of the wrinkles, but have you ever tried to iron a king size duvet.....it is not a easy task.)  So now that that is finally finally finished its on to sweet talking my wonderful hubby into helping me make head and foot boards:~)

Anthro Refahsion

I love my craft blogs.  Every morning I grab my coffee and sit down my lovely macbook and go through all of the craft blogs I follow.  I've noticed a trend lately among them, Anthropologie and JCrew refashions.  Two of my very favorite stores that I can't afford to buy anything from.  But oh how I love to torture myself by browsing through their beautiful selections of clothing, especially at Anthropologie.  Drool with me...

  These are a few of the tops I found during my latest torture session.  I've been so inspired by all of the other refashions I've seen lately, I decided what the heck...I can do that! So I headed to our local thrift store and Joanne's to pick up what I needed to get started. I found a knit top for $4 and some trimmings for about the same. I forgot to take a picture before I went at the shirt with scissors. But here is what it looked like after the scissors:~)

 

And here is the finished product. I used another tank top of mine to decide where the sleeves and neck openings needed to be.  I used the sleeves to make the drape in the front and the turtle neck to make the rose.  I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.

Party Projects

Today I finished up the decorations for my friend's daughter's birthday.  All in all I think that turned out pretty well.  I'm excited to see how it looks all put together.  We pulled ideas and inspiration from a few different, really great sources and I got to work.  My favorite decoration project were the tissue paper pom-poms.  They turned out really, really well.

We got this idea from a blog called "All Things Thrifty". I did two things differently...I only used 9 sheets of tissue instead of 10 (the packs we bought only came with 9 sheets) and heavy thread instead of craft wire.  I searched and searched for my craft wire to no avail and thus was forced to improvise.  But I still think they turned out pretty good:~)

Another decor piece that we did was a tissue paper number 3. This idea came from a blog called "Prudent Baby".  Again as with the last project, I did a few things differently.  Instead of buying a painter's canvas I made my own frame with some scrap wood and a heavy duty staple gun.  I've used this technique of mine a with a few different projects and it hasn't failed me yet.  I also went pretty overboard with the tissue, so mine is a bit more...fluffy:~)

   



 

These are part of the table decor.  The foam airplanes were kits we picked up at Joanne's for $1 a piece.  And the other airplanes I made out of scrap book paper.  I can't wait to put it all together at the party:~)

Grosgrain Giveaway - Steamer Frock

I stumbled upon this blog a while back.  Click HERE to take a look. It is continually full of fantastic dress designs.  She also has a pretty great tutorial segment called "A Frock by Friday", where one can follow her through each step everyday and end up with a really great dress in the end.  On top of all of that she always has really fantastic giveaways.  This week's is her Steamer Frock made exclusively by her. 

Cookin' with Moose

Last September Ryan shot his very first moose. Size wise it wasn't huge, but he was pretty excited.  Now we have a big ol' freezer full of meat.

I've tried several times using the meat in my regular recipes, using moose instead of beef.  It never goes over so well.  Neither one of us can get past that "gamey" flavor.  So, what do you do with a freezer full of meat that you don't particularly like?....You suck it up and learn to like it.  So, last time we were at Fred Meyer we made a stop in their tiny book section and found a Moose Cook Book.  I figured that someone had to have come up with a way to season it to mask some of the not-so-yummy flavor.

I have made three recipes out it and so far so good:~) I have made an Enchilada casserole, Chili con Carne, and Macaroni and Moose. The Macaroni and Moose was an interesting one.  It called for cinnamon and nutmeg which I thought was rather odd.  I wouldn't think to add those spices to ground meat.  But Ryan said it was actually really good.  His favorite at this point was the Chili con Carne.  I added jalapeno's to the recipe which, Ryan informs me, made it perfect.  And it was quick and simple, which made it perfect for me. 

 

Finished (for the most part)

So here are the after pictures.  There are still a few minor things that need to be done, like touching up paint and finishing trim. We plan on refinishing the log portion of the house and building a larger porch.  But the house is more or less complete finally and we are pretty stinkin' excited:~)

It only took five years...

Five years ago Ryan and I decided to become homeowners.  At the time Ryan was still in the AirForce so we had a housing allowance and it seemed like a good financial move.  Ryan found a house he liked that was well within our price range.  I have to admit I was not thrilled, but figured we could fix it up, make it cute and move on.  What we thought was a house that just needed a little TLC turned out to be a house that needed a major overhaul.  So after two horrible contractors and five years of sweat, hard work, A LOT of stress, and A LOT of tears (on my part:~) we finally have a normal house with normal problems (i.e. mowing the lawn or unclogging the drain).  It is a huge weight that is finally gone, gone, gone.

Here are some before pictures.  I'll post some of the new ones tomorrow. 

 

Sunday Projects

Well Sunday was a miserable rainy day. So while Ryan lost himself in video games, I lost myself in two projects:~)  A check book cover and a receipt wallet. They also had iron on vinyl, which was pretty fantastic because no one in town sells laminated fabric.  I gathered up my supplies and got to work:~) The check book cover was first on my agenda.  It went together super fast.  I used some left over black out fabric I had as a as a lining.  The fabric alone was just to flimsy.  Next was the receipt wallet.  I absolutely hate it when my purse gets cluttered with loose things.  The receipt wallet was perfect idea for keeping all of those things in one place. I ended up using iron on vinyl for this one because no on in town sells laminated fabric.  

I'm really happy with how they turned out and how quickly they went together.  Now I have a super cute check book cover to match my purse and the receipt wallet to keep it organized.

If anyone wants the tutorials here are the links...checkbook cover , receipt wallet

Favorite Finds

1. http://www.preserveproducts.com/  - I stumbled across this website while meandering through the internet and was pretty excited to find that they have ultra soft toothbrushes, which are impossible to find, and they will ship to Alaska.  The fact that they are made of recycled yogurt cups and can be mailed back to be recycled again just makes them even more fantastic! Whats really neat is that you can purchase a toothbrush "subscription" where they mail you a new brush every 3 months for a year.  

2. FoodSaver canisters - We finally broke down and brought a food saver. Whats so neat about them is that now they do more than just bags.  They have canisters and left over containers that you can vacuum seal as well.  Right now I have all mine full of produce.  You know that stuff that usually goes bad in a week and ends up getting thrown out because you either forgot you had it or didn't use it fast enough.  I've had strawberries in one of the larger canisters for a little over a week and they still look and taste as wonderful as they did the day I bought them.

 

Purple Princess!

Today was a bit of a play day for me.  My good friend's daughter is turning 3 in a few weeks.  She is in love with pretty much anything purple and, just like every other little girl, anything princess.

I'm one of those horrible people who takes any chance I can get to buy super cute kids clothes, so I don't usually go the toy route.  But, lately I haven't had the need, want, or desire to buy clothes. So I got to thinking about what to get her for her birthday instead of clothes.  Now, on the occasion that I do buy toys as gifts I try to buy something more on the unique side.  I mean really how many dolls or trucks can you possibly have? (Have I turned into an adult or what?) And then it hit me...She has no dress up clothes!!! Not only does every little girl absolutely need dress up clothes, but its a toy and clothes all in one:~) 

Sticking with my "unique" requirement I decided to make an outfit especially for her.  I headed to JoAnne's to find the brightest purple tulle I could find.  Here is what I came home with:
 

The project took me a few hours this afternoon from start to finish and about $10. I used four layers of tulle.  The bottom layer is a nice smooth, sparkly tulle and the top layer is a netted tulle.  I picked up the crowns while I was at JoAnne's for a $1 a piece and everything else I needed I had on hand.  I'm so excited and I can't wait to see her in it. It actually turned out better than I had envisioned, which pretty much never happens. 

Verses to keep close

The past few months have brought with it bumps in the road.  The following are bible verses that have helped me over each one of them.  I keep them close to my heart and read them often.

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.- 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. - Romans 8:28

I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I said, 'You are my servant'; I have chosen you and have not rejected you. So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. - Isaiah 41:9-10 

 

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, WHICH TRANSCENDS ALL UNDERSTANDING, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. - Philippians 4:6-7

 

Brothers, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy. James:5-10-11 NIV

Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails. Proverbs 19:21

And my all time favorite....

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. - Proverbs 3:5-6