Where Did The Summer GO!?

Sorry for my absents. I couldn't seem to keep up with the events that took place this summer.
Wow! Summer seemed to be a whirlwind that was here and gone in a hurry. I'll keep it short and simple...
*June...Kitchen flooded. (Dishwasher is to blame.)
No big deal, right?
Can you say Asbestos?
Apparently it was underneath the sopping wet, flooded hardwood floors. The sub flooring in my house had asbestos in it. We had to hire a company to safely remove the flooring down to the bare bones. Yeah...I could see the ceiling of the basement in my kitchen.
*My son kicked a soccer ball through the kitchen window...ouch!
Time to replace the window anyway, right! lol.
*July...Good News...excuse to remodel!
Don't worry that the floors were only 3 years old and I kinda liked 'em. We had a major mess on our hands!!! What use to be hardwood is now a beautiful tiled kitchen. What use to be a wall that divided the kitchen from the living room...GONE. I now have wide open spaces. A nice new pantry made it's home in place of the wall.
*My son broke his nose while we were on our family vacation. Another OUCH!

I think this is the 1st school year that I have welcomed it with Open Arms. Life seems to be somewhat back to normal for now. (knock on wood.)
Be Back Very Soon.

Thank You!

I entered a give away over at Audrey's Give Away Blog a while ago and....I won this gorgeous necklace from Lilyja. I love my new necklace...Thank You Lily!

Alternative Down Comforter

We've all heard of an "Alternative Down Comforter," right? Apparently so has the Robin that made a nest in my pine tree. The alternative just happens to be cat fur. We have a 15 pound cat named Chloe that unknowingly contributed to this little nest.....ewwwww, sick!

Featured Etsyblogger May 2009

Create A Thought

You're sure to find something that you can relate to in this shop. Here's one of my pick's...

This one is cute too. Life seems to slip by so quickly and I need to remember to "Get Together" with friends and family more often.

Project Ideas

I love these cute necklaces that I found online at Urban Outfitters. I'm thinking of trying to make my own with some of the "doesn't fit me anymore" T-shirts that are in the kids closets.

Anyone ever tried this Up Cycled project? Any tips you wanna share?

Mr. Miyagi, help me!

I have an evergreen in my backyard that hasn't seen a good day for as long as I have call my house "home." I thought I would do a little shaping...you know...make it look like they do in Karate Kid. I'm still working on it... but I think I'll leave much to be desired...lol.


If you're wondering what the "after" looks like...stay tuned. I'll post pictures. (It might be bare naked and starting all over!)

And the Winner is...

#22

Brooke said...
Being a Mother is the greatest gifts! All the hugs, kisses, all the little pictures, and fun little crafts they make up for me! Mother hood is awesome and so rewarding!

Thank you Kristin and have a lovely weekend!

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Thanks for sharing your thoughts on Mother's. Hope every Mom had a terrific day!

Give Away

Mother's Day is on Sunday and I thought it would be fun to reflect on how Mother's Make The World Go Round. Having the wonderful Mother that I do, and being a Mother to 4 fun children...The memories could go on for days. I am so very grateful for my Mom. As I go down the path of motherhood, I have a greater appreciation for the person that My mom is...

The winner of this Give Away will receive this fun Anni Kae Apron.

To enter, simply leave a comment about Mom. It can be anything...a funny memory, a quote about Mothers...or It can be something you've experienced as a Mother. Whatever, just as long as it highlights the importance of Mother's. This Give Away ends on Sunday, May 10th at 8:00 PM. The winner will be selected by Random.Org . Be sure to check back and see if you won.

Tweet Tweet

I started a Twitter account a while back and then did absolutely NOTHING with it. So...the question is...Do you twitter? I'd love to know more about what you think. Do they have a 'button' to put on the side of my blog page? Any other tips you might have, please fill me in. If you want to join, follow, tweet or whatever the Twitter lingo is, here's my link..
Anni Kae Twitter

My Urban Garden

These are the new items I have listed in my shop. I really love the way they turned out.

Fun and Flirty Aprons!

Here's a few pictures of the new Aprons that I made. I'll be taking more photos soon and listing these aprons in my shop.

Treasury...Going to granny's

One of my aprons is being featured in a treasury! Great way to kick off the weekend...hope yours is wonderful as well.

Here's the link...http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=51661

A First For Everything.

Over the weekend I decided to attempt a tunic top for my 9 year old daughter. I have to admit...I didn't ever think I would be a 'Make My Kids Clothes' kind of crafter. After an ugly experiment with making doll clothes I decided..."Leave the clothes to the professional seamstresses,"

Now I have a couple of years of sewing under my belt. I got brave...pulled up my sleeves and started cutting out the pattern.
I'm in love with the fun Amy Butler fabrics!

I've been holding on to these particular fabrics forever...having a hard time cutting into them. Anyone else do this?

I was going to get a picture first thing this morning...but it got chaotic. Here's an after school picture. Hey...if the shirt can hold up through 3 recesses and school lunch...I call it a success!

Signs of Spring at my House

Perfectly Sweet Caramel

CaramelJubileeI ordered the 'UTAH SPECIAL 1/2 Pound Caramel.'


I highly recommend these tasty treats! You deserve some of these mouthwatering caramels...go get yourself some.

CaramelJubilee.etsy.com

Felted Fun

Can I just tell you ...I love felted wool. It's so much fun to play & create with. The texture so soft and yummy. Here's what I came up with...

I think you'll be seeing some of these in the shop very soon.

Zarkle Love

The Etsy Blogger Team Member featured seller for the month of April is Two Zany Zebras. I'm in love with the shop and all of the whimsical creatures that she calls Zarkles . Each Zarkle has their own story...which is SO much fun to read. They come with a Zanie Blankie that measures 17 x 17. Perfect size for the stroller, car seat, or just to snuggle up to the cute little Zarkle.

She also has a line of children's wear.Stop by her blog and show some love. She is celebrating her One Year Etsyversary.

Give Away...

April Fools. Well, kinda. My apron is in a GiveAway featured on Audrey's blog. She does all kinds of exciting, fun giveaways. This week the item up for grabs ...


Head on over to Audrey's Country Crafts GiveAway blog & enter to win one of my Aprons.

I'm super excited... One of my flowers is featured in a Treasury.
Etsy Treasury :Hand picked featured items from fellow Etsians.

Link to the Treasury

A friend is someone who reaches out for your hand...and touches your heart.

J. Leigh Designz gave me this awesome 'Friends' award! Thank You...it means a lot.

I have some of the greatest 'BlogLand' Buddies ever.

Here's the rules for this award:

"These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award."

1. i love plum


2. Grammatically Delicious Designs


3. hdawnparratt


4. Audrey's Country Crafts


5. ShoozieShoes


6. Amberae


7. One Healthy Mama


8. helenesdreams
   

Here's a little peek at some of the cuteness in J.Leigh Designz etsy shop...
Thanks again...

When you just can't let go...UPCYCLE.

Spring is here...oh no...oh wait...yep. Well, at least the calender made it official. Time to open up the windows & let in some fresh air. Clean out the closets, get rid of the clothes that haven't seen the outside world in forever.

The other day, I was doing just that. I had my pile of clothes to give to charity. I have an old sweatshirt that always makes it to the pile, but I can't seem to part w/ it. Just before it's time to send it out...I tell myself...I bought this when I was 1st dating my husband. Now it has become this silly sentimental shirt that I never, ever wear. Here comes the Upcycle part.

11 year old sweatshirt that serves no purpose.

Before Picture

In the works...

*I cut the arms off of the sweatshirt & cut into 2 rectangle shapes.

*Used some fabric leaves from a rag quilt I made. Stitched them onto the front piece for a little added flair.

After...the new look.

A cute little toss pillow.

*just think about how cool it would be to try this out with an old high school sport jerseys, scout uniforms, baby blankets or whatever. I'd love to hear about your re-invention.

How cute would these look...

attached to an Easter Basket

I decided it was time to get the flower seeds going...indoors. I planted them on Monday and here's the progress so far...


I'll be transplanting these seedlings outdoors in the late spring. My Grandpa always told me to be patient & wait until Memorial Day to do any kind of gardening outdoors. Gosh, It's so hard to wait...especially because I just know it's going to warm up any day now! *ahem...yes, Mother Nature, that's a nudge.*

Design By Nora

Here's a pair of super cute earring that are for sale in her shop.

http://www.norademirjian.blogspot.com

I can feel it...spring's just around the corner.

The temperature is only in the high 30's, but it's a beautiful, sunshiney day! In Utah, we'll take what we can get. If it's not snowing in March...we're looking good.
I picked up some seeds at the store the other day. Thought I would give it a try instead of buying the flowers already grown and ready to transplant. I love poppies, so I'm excited to incorporate them into my flower beds.

Be sure to set your clocks ahead one hour tonight...."Spring Forward."

It's Me...Here to announce the winner.

And it is...

Up for Grabs...

It's Give Away time! This time, the winner gets to choose any One item from my etsy store. To enter, simply leave a comment telling me what you would like to win from the Anni Kae Shop. This GiveAway ends on Friday, March 6th at 8:00 PM. The winner will be selected by Random.Org . Be sure to check back and see if you won.

Here's some of the newly listed flowers in the shop...

this is how we play...

with play dough.

Today, my youngest daughter kept complaining that she was...'bored.' We decided to make a batch of homemade play dough.
I have a wonderful book, Clay Characters for Kids by Maureen Carlson. It has step by step instructions on how to create all kinds of fun things with clay.

Here's the recipe we used...

Play Dough

1 cup flour

2 tsp. cream of tartar

1/2 cup salt

1 cup water

1 Tbls. vegetable oil

food coloring

Combine flour, cream of tartar, and salt together in a saucepan. Then, combine water and vegetable oil in a small bowl. Slowly stir liquid into flour mixture, stirring constantly. Cook over medium heat until mixture pulls away from side of pan. When mixture is cool enough, divide into as many parts as you'd like and add food coloring. Knead until color is evenly distributed into dough. When finished, put into plastic bags to keep it fresh. Store at room temperature.

Here's what we created today...

How sad...It looks like this 'dude' had some bad plastic surgery!

My daughter did a much better job than me...
Well...I tried another one & it turned out much better than the first.