For Me, It's You...

Freezer Meals

2011-10-02T13:16:00.000-05:00

I have been meaning to do this for quite some time now. When we first bought our house I picked up a standing freezer so we could try out freezer meals but I really had no idea where to start or how freezing meals even worked. Over the last two years I have been debating starting this and started really researching the "how-to" of freezer meals. Browsing the web I found a bunch of ideas and many blogs about people who meal plan and freeze food, but not really much detail about the concept of freezing. I stumbled upon the book: Don't Panic - Dinner's in the Freezer and it helped me so much!

This book gave me so many recipes to make, how to prepare them, how to freeze them and how to cook them after frozen. It gives tips on shopping for meat - the most expensive part of meals for our family. I love the variety in all of the meals and how they explain how to cook the meals if you are cutting a recipe in half.

I went through the book and picked out recipes our family would enjoy and made a list of ingredients I needed to buy to make the meals. I looked for the weekly loss leaders (items that a store puts in the ad to lure you in with the goal that you will buy other full priced items also) and found all of the chicken on sale at one store, and all of the ground meat on sale at another! I got $80.00 worth of chicken for $40.00. I was so excited! I went shopping for the remaining items on the list.

Tonight we will be having a family cooking night to get all of the prep/cooking for the meals. I am excited about this because it will get the whole family involved in making the meals, and hopefully they will be able to appreciate the ease of not thinking about what to have for dinner next time because of all the work we do in one day to make that possible!

Pictures to come...

Craft Room Creation...

2011-04-27T10:05:00.000-05:00

I have been wanting a space of my own for doing my crafts, and have finally begun to put it together. I needed storage for all of my supplies and I wanted it to become the look of the inspiration... My craft bag has become the inspiration for the colors of my room.

Here are the pictures of the dresser for storage I am updating to match the color scheme.

I plan to do this with another dresser I have, and then I plan to paint some other items for storage. I also will be painting the chairs and upholstering them as well. I found a really neat color of floral wire to make my shop name out of that I plan to frame and hang on the wall. We have some peg board in the garage that I will hang up in the basement and also paint. It will soon be coming together!

Bathroom Remodel

2011-04-27T09:48:00.000-05:00

We have been planning to do the bathroom for quite sometime, and it was going to be our first big project. Finally 1 1/2 years later we got started. We got a new tub, nice tile, and new fixtures. The next plan is to pick out a new paint color and eventually finish the tile up to the ceiling. Here are some pictures of the process:

Almost complete!

Over the Winter Update...

2011-03-31T10:16:00.000-05:00

Lots of things happened over the winter, so I will post a few updates and hopefully keep up with the blog now that it is spring...

We made crafty gifts for Christmas this year...

A wreath I made for Secret Santa at work.

Wreaths made for the family for Christmas

Card I made for a family member who just adopted a baby

A card for a friend of mine

Fabric Flowers for headbands and card fronts

Lavender Sachets almost finished

The card I made for the department to give to my friend, and boss for donating his kidney.

Inside of the card

Cards For Soldiers!

Donating cards to the troops to send home to their families!!

More to come in the next few weeks... Lot's of projects brewing...

Halloween Party!!

2010-10-25T11:24:00.000-05:00

We had a great turnout for the Halloween Party this year. Everyone put thought into their costumes and the winners of the costume contest were well deserved! It was so much fun!! Here are some pictures from the event...

Our Pumpkins

Scarecrow 1

Scarecrow 2

Table Decorations

Coasters - Part of 2nd place costume contest prize

Coasters - Part of 1st place costume contest prize

Graveyard

Georgie the Cow

The Ex Tiger Woods Family

Futurama

Gangsters

Gold Digger

Hippie and Tooth Fairy

Jason

Mad Hatter - Winner of 1st place costume contest

Mechanic and Exorcist

Millionaire doing a money toss for his Gold Digger

The "Pampered" Chef and Officesaurus Rex

Pulling teeth

The Addams Family

The work crew

It was a great night and I am already looking forward to next years party! The planning has already begun!

Getting Ready for Halloween!

2010-10-20T22:25:00.000-05:00

I finally have time to get a post up! I got lots of stuff done for Halloween... We completed the scarecrows tonight, and just have to hang them. Would have done that tonight but it was raining a little. I also got the gravestones done and made a cute ribbon wreath for my front door!

Heart Walk this weekend! Got the team shirts today. There is going to be a full moon on Friday too... great weekend for all of the fun things planned!!!!

Oh - and here are the cards I made a friend for her birthday.

Badger Homecoming Weekend...

2010-10-09T00:05:00.000-05:00

This weekend is going to be a busy one... Homecoming weekend downtown, a friends wedding... lots of creating for the Halloween party...

Here are the fun gifts I made for my friends who are getting married tomorrow!

Wedding Card

Coasters!

I stopped at Michael's today on my way home and picked up some spray paint that was on sale. They had the perfect colors for my gravestones. I plan to have those finished by the end of the weekend. Only 2 weeks until the party... I better get in gear!

Sometimes Life Takes Over...

2010-09-30T02:15:00.000-05:00

I cranked out quite a few Christmas cards last weekend like I wanted to, but never got to the Halloween stuff. I am hoping to work on making the scarecrows for the backyard soon. It is already October 1st tomorrow, so I need to really get on it... But sometimes life happens...

It has been really busy lately and I have been feeling really exausted. There are so many things I would like to do and so little time with which to do it. Maybe it is because winter is drawing near... It's hard to say. So, if I am gone for a while thats why.

Here is a song that pretty sums it up...

I am - Train

I never been on a railroad, as many times as they pass me by

I never crashed in the desert or seen a rodeo
I don't know much about the world wars or Vietnam
I've yet to read about Uncle Tom
Never climbed a real rock or seen Colorado

Am I the son I think I am
Am I the friend I think I am
Am I the man I think I wanna be - hey

I never had a day where money didn't get in my way
I never listened to much Elvis
I can't remember a warm December

Am I the son I think I am
Am I the friend I think I am
Am I the man I think I wanna be
I'm here for my sanity, sanity I am here for you
I'm here for your fantasy sanity, I am here - I am...

Am I the son I think I am
Am I the father that I think I am
Am I the man I think I wanna be
I'm here for my sanity, sanity I am here for you
Whether or not I'm walkin in, or whether or not I'm walkin out...
I'm always here for you
And I'm here for my sanity, sanity - I am here for you
I'm here for my fantasy sanity, I am here - I am

Weekend Plans...

2010-09-24T14:44:00.000-05:00

I am so excited not to have to work this weekend and I have so many projects I am going to try to tackle! I am going to begin working on my Christmas cards, and some favors for Halloween, and also a few gifts and cards for some weddings a birthdays coming up. It is going to be a busy weekend!

But first to start it off with a Halloween bang... I will be visiting a haunted cemetary this evening with a good friend!

Pictures to come!!!

Sunday Evening Crafts

2010-09-19T22:17:00.000-05:00

So I came home from work tonight and started crafting... I ripped apart a book to stain the pages... a BIG book, and I got a little more organized. I had my stepson help me go over the lanterns once more to make them just a bit less transparent. Took some pictures of my busy adventure...

Coffee Staining

My cardstock folded and ready for creating!

Spearmint from my yard hanging to dry to make sachets for Christmas

The Ox almost has the second half of my paper storage unit complete!

He even cut up an old headboard for me to re-purpose... As what you ask???

Gravestones for Halloween decor!!!

...And now it is time to hit the hay... Until next time!

Dig & Save...

2010-09-17T23:02:00.000-05:00

Dig & Save is a thrift store here that I have never been to before. I had some time to kill today after work so I stopped. This is a place that charges by the pound for clothes and misc. items. I found 4 vases that I knew I could use for Halloween. I also found a large amount of laminating sleeves.

I have no idea what I will do with them all yet, but I think I might use some of them for a banner...

I also found a wreath that I plan to use for Halloween for my door. Here it is before...

The Ox finished the top half of my paper storage shelf. It is now hanging on the wall in the basement waiting to be filled! Each slot holds 12x12 paper.

Saving the best for last! I am making mason jar lanterns to line my walkway for my Halloween party this year!

I just finished placing the tissue paper over the jars and the vases. The white jars will be ghosts and the orange will be pumpkins. The vases will either hold flowers or taper candles.

My favorite tree in the backyard is starting to change! I love the look of the changing leaves!

Have a great weekend!!

Bathroom Remodel...

2010-09-16T14:01:00.001-05:00

We are going to start looking into updating our bathroom. When we bought our house the people who we bought it from were "flippers" and they failed miserably at the flip. There have been many mishaps with things were done poorly that we have had to fix or is on our to do list. The bathroom is the first project on that list. The floor was in bad condition and when they fixed it they simply placed plywood under the bathtub rather than replacing all of the floor. Now the sub floor under the tub is rotting. Our plan is to rip out the tub and the floor and replace the tub and the fixtures, tile the tub surround and the floor and paint. We also would like to update the vanity with double sinks and a framed mirror.

I have to take pictures of the bathroom before and will post them once they are taken. This will be a great update to our house, not to mention a piece of mind for me knowing that the tub is not going to fall through the rotting floor...

We went to the store to price out tile and everything else we are going to need. We picked out the floor tile (there was a really good sale) and also found the tub and grout we want to get. Still need to decide on paint color and faucets. Here is the floor tile we picked out...

and the wall tile...

I can't wait to get started!!

2010-08-31T11:42:00.000-05:00

I was really excited about the paper mache project, but it had been so long since I had done paper mache that I didn't realize it would take so long to complete. It should be finished this week, so I will give an update then.

We got Season 7 of NCIS in the mail from Netflix last night and we are very excited to watch it. We have plans for this tonight, so I think I will finish folding my card stock to prepare for my card creating session I am planning for on Sunday. I am really looking forward to replenishing my cards. In between episodes I think I will plan on making some bread. I found a few good recipes and think I will test them out.

I was looking through my new catalog from Oriental Trading and got the idea to use newspaper and my Mr. Cricut to make flower shapes for my cards. They offer the suggestion of using them for Earth Day cards, which is a good idea, but I can think of so many more times that they could be used! This would save me so much since I have a newspaper collection going - so when people no longer need their papers they give them to me to recylcle in many different ways! I will have to experiment with this though since the newspaper is really thin, but I think it can work.

So many projects, so little time...

Getting Organized...???!!!???...

2010-08-27T10:03:00.002-05:00

Ok, so cleaning and being organized is not my forte. I simply don't like to clean, but it has come to a point where I have ~~crap~~ stuff everywhere. I have been blog surfing and found so much inspiration to get organized. I have decided that I have to do something, as I am sure I am driving my husband crazy when I bring home a thrift store find with every intention to turn it into something beautiful and it sits in the extra bedroom collecting dust forever.

I am going to start by setting goals for my home organization transformation...

1. Start with bathroom (smallest room in the house) and get rid of everything that is not needed. Then take down all shelves in closet and remove wallpaper and paint the closet and the shelves. Add more shelves for additional storage space. Organize items in closet for maximum storage.

2. Empty hall closet and remove wallpaper from shelves and paint just like in the bathroom. Add more shelves for additional storage space. Organize items in closet for maximum storage.

3. Empty kitchen closet. Go through all items and start a goodwill box in the driveway. Remove the shelf from the closet, remove wallpaper and paint. Add more shelves for additional storage above the coat rod. Find or make a shoe holder for all of our shoes so they all have a home! Add another shelf below the coats for additional storage.

4. Go through each room of the house one at a time and purge ALL unneccesary items, do the Clean House thing! Have a trash, keep and donate area designated, and go to town. If I can manage to get all of the rooms done by the end of September I could potentially still have a garage sale and then donate the rest. If I can't then there will be no sale (since this will mean keeping all of the items over the winter which is not an option!) but the items will just be donated. Last time I tried this whole get organized thing I just made it worse - so lets hope that this time I can get through it and stick with it!

Current Projects:

I have been working on creating storage for all of my craft supplies. I asked the hubs - we will refer to him in the future as the Ox - to help me make a shelving system to hold all of my paper supplies. We went to the Home Depot and got some wood to make everything. This is still a work in progress since we are trying to find the best way to place the shelving dividers to hold the most paper. Still needs to be painted.

In Progress Photos:

In addition to the paper storage center I was at my local thrift store and found 4 round plastic bins with 5 triangular spaces in each. I thought that this would make for perfect storage for embelishments. They were 60 cents each. Next stop was to Menards for a wooden dowel and a few washers and bolts. We have tons of scrap wood pieces in the garage so I plan to attatch the dowel to the wood scraps and then add the containers to the dowel and another scrap of wood to the top to secure it. I am not entirely sure I how I will stabilize the dowel yet.

In Progress Photos:

I have also made 4 inspiration boards with dollar store foam and fabric from the thrift store. I really love the look of the fabric, but it needs something added to it to make it pop. I am still deciding what that will be, but once I have it done I will add pictures!

I have some left over wire fencing from the garden that I plan to use to hold the dowels for my ribbon. I think I will use some of the fabric left over from the inspiration boards for this too... Changed my mind about the fabric... Once I got home today I created my ribbon holder, and decided I like the concept but not the look. I took two additional wire cuts to use as storage on top. Next step will be covering the wire with paper mache and then covering the paper mache with some ripped up paper bags and modge podge. This is a project for this weekend. I should have completed pictures for next week! I can't wait to see it finished!

In Progress Photos:

Card Creations...

2010-06-18T13:21:00.000-05:00

I am currently in the process of getting my card supply stocked up. I have been scoring and folding for days and now I will be moving on to the paper cutting process. I have invested in so many embellishments and stamps that I am a bit overwhelmed with the creative process...

I am working on a project for a fundraiser next weekend. I am donating baskets of assorted cards to a group raising money for the family of a child who had to have a heart transplant. I have to get those cards made and the baskets put together this weekend. I am also looking into getting involved with animal rescue groups. I have a friend who is taking some samples of my cards to a group that she works with this weekend, so that will be exciting to see how this will pan out.

I found a new great site for my supplies that I am excited to start using. It will be great for selling because they make really nice packaging. Now I have to invest in a tax id number so I can get signed up for some local craft fairs! Excitement!

Cricut Tutorial: How to Reuse and Restick Cricut Cutting Mats

2010-05-17T21:57:00.000-05:00

This is amazing and will save so much money buying mats!

To purchase the items shown go to Custom Crops !

The Creative Process

2010-05-17T10:02:00.001-05:00

I just bought a Cricut Expression and is it the most amazing machine! I have had it for about 3 weeks now and I have done so much already. Here is the first project I made for some people I work with who all have the same birthday. It wasn't the best font to use for a banner which is why it is taped to a wall, but for a first time project I am very satisfied! It turned out really nicely and everyone enjoyed it!

I am slowly learning all of the things it is capable of by taking classes at Archiver's . I took the beginners class last Wednesday and plan to take the intermediate class this Wednesday. I have also been taking classes at Scrapbook Super Store and learned how to make a really neat card that has 2 pockets on the front that can be used to insert a gift card or many other things. Here is an example of some I have made to use as Thank you cards for people who donate to me for my Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure Madison 5K Run June 5th, 2010.

I have been stocking up on my patterned paper over the last few weeks and have come across some amazing finds such as the breast cancer awareness paper pictured above from Scrapbook Super Store. I got an e-mail from Michael's about a week or so ago and they were having a huge sale on their 12x12 sheets of paper so I couldn't resist. I went to a few other places too and now I have a very large assortment that I need to decide what to make out of it. Here is a small sample of what I found.

I am going to be making card packs, bookmarks, scrapbook packs, and many other things for a silent auction that my friend Nicole is organizing. Her best friends son who is almost 2 years old recently underwent a heart transplant and the proceeds from the fundraising event and the silent auction will go to the family. This is something I am very excited about because I get to help a family who is in need while sharing with others my passion for crafts. If you would like more information about this event please visit Fighting For Ezra on Facebook.

Time to start the creative process!

Tired!!!

2009-11-29T21:28:00.002-06:00

Wow! It has been a very long few weeks. We just purchased our first home so the months of September and October were rather stressful to say the least. We closed on the house on the 4th of November. I love the house! I am so happy we found it when we did because it would have been sad to pass it up for the price and the area. We have about a half acre lot. It is a 3 bedroom, 1 bath, full unfinished basement.

I really cant wait for spring (more like summer) so we can get to work in the yard and start our garden! I want to plant my flowers and my veggies! It is so nice to no longer have to deal with the loud neighbors upstairs. I can come home and fall asleep and relax and enjoy my quiet new neighborhood!

Here are some pictures of our first place... Enjoy!

How to Decorate Your House with Beads | Gomestic

2009-10-05T19:17:00.001-05:00

How to Decorate Your House with Beads | Gomestic

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All Things Stationary...

2008-12-30T15:53:00.002-06:00

So in my search for the perfect invitations I was astonished with how much some of the companies charged. If I would have ordered just my invitations, envelopes, save the date cards, and thank you cards from any one of those companies I would have spent well over $600.00.

I found my paper from a Wisconsin based business that uses recycled paper called The Paper Mill . It is a really great place. The customer service was great. I got 250 sheets of 11"x 17" teal card stock for the stationary items and 250 5" x 7" envelopes all for $67.00 including shipping. This has made so far - 100 invitations, 100 thank you cards, 100 save the date cards, 100 RSVP cards, 2 reserved table cards, 200 place cards, 24 table number cards, 150 program fans, 300 wish cards, and 100 map cards - not to mention a bunch of other non wedding things. It was a great deal and I still have paper left for anything that might come up later.

I lucked out with my decorative paper for the stationary. I was at Walmart browsing and stumbled upon some folder dividers that had a hibiscus floral theme to them. There were 5 dividers per container, 3 were orange and 2 were blue. This was perfect because I was able to cut them to get 100 invitations and 100 place cards out of the orange. I got 100 save the dates and 100 RSVP cards out of the blue. It was such a deal because the packs of 5 dividers were on sale for .75 cents each. I got all of my fun paper for #13.00. It was great!

I got a bunch of neon colored paper from Walgreen's I think for like $5.00 and I am using that to print out the details of the RSVP to put on top of the floral paper. I will post pictures once they are done. Still in the process of that.

I got my vellum from Michael's for $5.00/10 sheets - which made 20 invitations. I spent $25.00 on this which was a splurge for me, but they turned out great. I learned a thing or two from this though - when printing on vellum - do one sheet at a time unless you are standing next to the printer to catch the sheets as they come off because if another sheet touches it, it will smear. Fortunately I was able to find this out quickly and save the sheets that did smear by cutting them down a bit more.

I found raffia from Walmart in large bundles and I got 6 of them for $10.00. I am using this to tie together the invitations. I am also using this to surround the bouquets to give it a more tropical feeling.

When I was thinking about the program fans I wanted to have the program attached to the fan, but I am going against that a bit now. I got 108 of the hibiscus fans from e-bay for $30.00. I am going to print the details of the program on some other decorative paper I have laying around for scrap booking and then place a program with a fan at every seat.

Save the dates went out with Christmas cards. I wanted them to go out before Christmas, but when you don't have addresses correct it takes a bit longer to coordinate it all, so they will be fashionably late.

All together for all things stationary I have paid around $165.00 for everything from paper to decorations - since I am into crafts I have all of the glue and sticky dots and what not needed to put it all together. The only thing outside of what was mentioned about that I had to purchase was the ink refills for my printer which was $10.00 for black and white and $15.00 for color refills at Walgreen's!

I plan to add pictures so check back soon to see!

All Things Attire...

2008-07-13T17:36:00.022-05:00

I had been looking at dresses for a while and changed my mind a few times, but finally decided on Maggie Sottero Suzanne in ivory and gold. I thought about buying it online from a discounted website, but the ones I went to didn't mark it down as much as I would have liked them to. Fortunately for me I found it on e-bay from seller: jinfeng7788 in China and paid all of $205.00 for it and that includes shipping. I was skeptical at first, but then I looked through the feedback and found someone who purchased the same dress. I sent them a message and got positive feedback from her so I decided to go for it. Worst case scenario I would have had to get the dress from somewhere else, but since I had so much time it was a risk I was willing to take. I have to say I am happy I did because I got the dress in March after 2 months of waiting. I found a local to do alterations on craigslist and it will only be $100.00 including the bustle and adding a comb to the veil. Excitement!

If you are interested in the names of the sites for discounted dresses here is the list of the ones I have had good correspondence with:

http://www.rkbridal.com/

http://www.pearlsplace.com/

http://www.houseofbrides.com/

http://www.netbride.com/

http://www.perfectbridal.com/

http://www.leephilipbridals.com/

I got most of my accessories on e-bay. My necklace and earring set came from e-bay seller: myoasisjewels. I spent a lot of time searching for images of the perfect jewelry and stumbled across this and lucky for me I found it on e-bay for 1/3 of the price! I got my garter set from e-bay seller: kristis_charmed_life. Fiance is a huge fan of the Gators so I figured I would surprise him. I got my tiara from e-bay seller: veilsbylana. I didn't have any issues with any of my e-bay sellers and strongly recommend shopping there for wedding stuff for really good deals.

One thing to remember though is to shop around because something you can get online you might also find locally for less. The brooch I got to be added to my dress (it came without the ribbon under the bust and without the brooch) I got from St. Vinny's, a local thrift store. Paid all of $4.00 for it and it is perfect. My heels came from Gordman's department store. They were $20.00 cheaper than I found online and they are super comfortable. My sandals for the reception I got from Avon. They were $9.99 so I got a pair in black for each of the bridesmaids too. I love deals!

The bridesmaids will all be wearing Bill Levkoff #451 in euro black with an euro ivory sash. They can chose their own shoes and jewelry. We plan to go through http://www.leephilipbridals.com/ to purchase the dresses. They have the lowest price quotes and Stacey was great to talk to.

The groom and the junior groom will be wearing Perry Ellis America Groove in White from SK Menswear. We still have yet to decide on colors for the ties and the vests.

As a gift I got the groom a set of poker cuff links and a matching tie clip.

The groomsmen, fathers, grandfathers, and ushers will all wear Perry Ellis America Groove in black. The color of vests and ties is to be determined.

That's all for now... Stay tuned!

Welcome...

2008-07-13T16:28:00.007-05:00

So, I am changing up the theme of my blog... I have been finished wedding planning for almost a year and am getting back into crafting. I want to start doing something with my spare time that I enjoy and potentially turn it into a business once I get settled in. I hope you enjoy the blog and my journey into the craft realm.