February 5, 2010

My Family Tree

Can I just say that Ancestry.com is awesome?  Well, it is!  I have been spending countless hours (hence the lack of crafting!) on my family tree and have made it back into the 1300's on one side, and the 1500's on the other side. 

I've been able to find pictures, wills, books written about family members, and so much more just by working my way backwards through the family limbs. 

The membership fee is pretty reasonable for the information they give you access to.   I highly recommend it!
And, I get to cross off #6 and #7 from my 101 in 1001! 
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January 22, 2010

Slump... and Free Stuff Friday!

I guess I've been in a bit of a blogging slump, huh?  Starting a new term at school is always a little difficult, and this term I'm taking pretty difficult classes.  But I've been spending a lot of time with my Little Sister, and volunteering.  

But I promise I will be posting more now that life has slowed down to a more normal pace!  Look out for some fun and easy Mod Podge crafts this weekend.


An amazing friend of mine runs a website called Create for Less - which I HIGHLY reccommend for all your crafting supplies.  Every Friday is Free Stuff Friday - who doesn't love free stuff?! - and I would love for all of you to run over there and try to win one of her awesome prizes!! 
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January 21, 2010

Sunshine Award


Jo over at That's My Story gave me my first blog award!  I am so honored to win the Sunshine Award.  




The award is given to bloggers whose positivity and creativity inspires others in the blogworld. 

Now I get to pass this to 12 other bloggers...












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December 17, 2009

Last Minute DIY Gift Ideas

I'll admit it.  I'm a Procrastinator with a capital "P".  I always wait until the last minute to do anything.  So if you're like me, here's some easy gift ideas for those of you, like me, who would prefer to give a handmade gift.



{ This is one of the gift baskets I made with all of these great ideas  }




Now get to it!  We only have 7 days left until Christmas!!  
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DIY Hot Chocolate Packets

Who doesn't love hot chocolate in the winter?  And these make adorable additions to any gift - and are really easy and fun to make!
Ingredients:
11 Cups Dry nonfat milk
 1 Cup Non-dairy creamer
 2 Cups Chocolate Drink Mix (Like Nesquik)
 1/2 Cup of Cocoa
 1 Bag Mini Marshmallows
Mix all ingredients, except marshmallows, in large bowl.  Scoop out 1/2 cup servings into little cello bags.  Top hot chocolate with mini marshmallows and tie with ribbon.  
Easy, cheap, fun! 



Thanks to Happy House for this great recipe!
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DIY Lotion

Everyone in my family loves lotion.  I decided to make some homemade lotion to add to some gift baskets and it turned out smelling so great I just have to share it.


Supplies:


Baby Lotion
Petroleum Jelly - I used creamy, but you can use traditional if that's what you have
Essential oil 
{ I was able to get all supplies at Dollar Tree - so this can be a very thrifty project! }


Squeeze entire bottle of baby lotion and petroleum jelly into bowl. (I cut the tops off the containers to be sure I got out every last drop!)  Mix with mixer until thoroughly combined.  Add 2 - 3 drops of essential oil and mix.  Add more oil, only 2 - 3 drops at a time, until you are happy with the scent.  Put in small containers or jars.  





Easy, huh?  This is one that I will use for many gift-giving occasions.  
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DIY Tile Coasters

These were really easy, and look amazing.  You can get really creative with these little coasters and your loved ones wil love them!


Supplies:


Tiles - I bought mine for $.32 each at Lowe's
Permanent Pigment Ink - Staz-On solvent ink pad
Sealer - I used Rust-Oleum Ultra-Cover Clear Gloss { Any sealer that specifies it's safe for ceramics will work }
Felt
Super Glue Gel
Rubber Stamp


Stamp each tile using the ink pad and rubber stamp.  Let each tile dry completely - about 20 minutes.  In a well-ventilated area, spray a VERY light coat of sealer on tiles.  Let dry about 20 minutes.  Spray an additional coat of sealer on tiles.  After about 20 - 30 minutes, check the tiles to be sure they are completely coated, spraying a third coat if needed.  Add felt to each corner of the back of the tiles using the super glue.  Allow glue to completely dry.  Stack tiles and tie with ribbon.  





I'm really happy with how these guys turned out.  Sorry for the crappy picture!  These are my tiles as they are drying.  I will make an additional set for myself, I loved them so much!  


Thanks to Edie for this great idea!
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DIY Candied Almonds

These are yum-O!  I'm adding these tasty little treats to the gift baskets I'm giving out this year.  





Ingredients:
Almonds - I bought a big canister at Target 
2 Egg whites
2 tsp water
1 cup sugar - I used brown, but you can use white sugar also
1 tsp cinnamon
Preheat oven to 250 degrees.  In a large bowl, whisk together the egg whites and water until frothy.  Dump in almonds and toss to coat.  In a seperate bowl, mix sugar, cinnamon and salt.  And dry mixture to bowl of almonds and mix well.  Place coated almonds on a lightly greased baking sheet.  Bake for 1 hour, flipping almonds every 15 minutes.  


{ Thanks to My Happy House for this great idea! }
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December 16, 2009

And The Winner Is...

The winner of the year subscription to Oprah Magazine is:







#10  Erin 


Thanks to all my followers!  
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December 10, 2009

Christmas Memories

Christmas was always a big celebration growing up.  We decorated every inch of the house with big gold bows and garland.  Purchasing our Christmas tree was always exciting.  We'd head over to our local Target and pick a tree out of the garden center.  Okay, not so exciting I admit, but there aren't many forests in Southern California.  


We baked Christmas cookies and wrapped them in cellophane on decorative Christmas plates for all our neighbors.  My sister and I would walk to all the neighbors and give them their freshly baked, decorated cookies.  On Christmas Eve we would cook a huge dinner and invite the entire family over.  After our Christmas Eve dinner the adults would sit and sip their coffee while trying to ignore all of us kids begging to open gifts. 


One of our favorite gifts would be the snuggly pajamas my mom would wrap for us.  She lovingly picked them out, knowing we would snuggle into bed with visions of sugar plums dancing in our heads.  As soon as our company left we'd dash upstairs and put on our new jammies and tuck into bed, looking forward to Santa's visit.  


The dinner was always good, we enjoyed the family and appreciated the gifts.  But my favorite memory of Christmas was always the snuggly warm pajamas we'd nestle into bed wearing.  Husband and I have decided to continue the tradition with giving each other pajamas to wear Christmas Eve.  When we have children I will lovingly pick them out a pair of warm snuggly pj's and place them under the tree, so they can await Santa's arrival cozily in bed.  


What's your favorite Christmas memory?  Link it to The Chick Momma's link party!  


Be sure to enter my Oprah Magazine giveaway!!  
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