Package Pals Craft Exchange

Over at C.R.A.F.T., Jamie hosted another great Package Pals exchange. This time around I got paired with Ami from AliLily. She is so fun and we have become great friends. Stop by her blog because she has great recipes, craft tutorials and you will LOVE the jewelry she makes!

Participating in Package Pals is a blast because not only do you get to make something crafty for someone else, but you get the surprise of an awesome package in the mail.

After getting to know Ami, I found out her favorite color was orange so I went with a totally orange themed package.

My niece is finally here!

We've been awaiting her arrival for quite some time and she kept us waiting an extra week, but Zoey Jane is finally here! She arrived this morning and is beautiful. I have so much more to post about her and many other things to share with you all but just wanted to give everyone a quick update about her.

I'm sure we will have much better pictures soon but I just had to share!

Zoey and me:

St. Patricks Day Roundup

As seems to be the case with almost everyone around me, I've been down with a cold most of this week. Boo! So that explains the lack of posts. But in my down time, I've been browsing all sorts of other pages.

I'm totally loving all the St. Patrick's Day inspiration I'm finding. If I can manage to kick this cold, I may manage to get Valentine's Day stuff put away in time to get up some St. Patty's stuff.

I would love to bust out my new Silhouette interfacing and give this lucky pillow from Infarrantly Creative a try. It's just so festive and would be a great replacement for some of the other Valentine's decor!

After getting all the buttons sorted in my craft room, the Shamrock Button Art from Oopsey Daisy would be a fantastic way to put them to use.

I am totally in love with the St. Patrick's Day Banner from Simple as That. It's so beautiful that I may have trouble taking it down after the holiday.

My sister-in-law just mentioned the other day that there are no cute shirts for St. Patrick's Day this year. I think this ruffly tshirt from Thirty Handmade Days proves her wrong and I think I may end up making it for her. It's just too cute!

Gluesticks has totally awesome St. Patty's Day party ideas for kids. This rainbow looks so delicious!

And over at Let's Go Fly a Kite, they are making some really fun leprechauns. Now I know what I've been saving all those toilet paper and paper towel rolls for!

A big thanks to all of these blogs for the amazing inspiration! Be sure to stop by and tell them hi.

So Pinteresting #3: Lovely Quotes

With Valentine's Day just around the corner, my Pinterest finds this week are of course inspired by love! There are so many famous love quotes and poems out there that are wonderful but my husband and I tend to be a bit quirky. There are some more traditional quotes in here and then I threw in some more unique ones for those that are like us. Enjoy!

Source: google.com via Andi on Pinterest

Source: lacedinweddings.tumblr.com via Andi on Pinterest

Source: tumblr.sayingimages.com via Andi on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via Andi on Pinterest

Source: Uploaded by user via Andi on Pinterest

Source: Uploaded by user via Andi on Pinterest

Source: Uploaded by user via Andi on Pinterest

Source: loveyourquotes.tumblr.com via Andi on Pinterest

So Pinteresting! #1 Baby Things

Anyone that follows me on Pinterest knows that I pin baby stuff like crazy. Anyone who doesn't know me probably thinks I'm having a baby soon or planning to have one in the near future. Well I'm not, but it seems that everyone I know is!

So I have been pin crazy with ideas for great things that they need. We've been surrounded by little boys in my family for over 10 years now, so I'm very excited to have a girl coming our way soon. All I see lately are pink, ruffles and rhinestones! Girly, girly, girly! I mean it's really about time!

With all the pink on the brain, these are some of the things I've been seen pinning:

Source: BuzzFeed - 50 Unexpected Wreaths You Can Make Out Of Anything

Source: etsy.com via Andi on Pinterest

Source: Tidbits - Business in the Front, Party in the Back

Source:teagreenchandelier.com on Pinterest via user andimac14

Source: The Mama Dramalogues - Make It: Gorgeous Shadowboxes

Now to just get started making the new little one things before she gets here!

A Few of My Favorite Things...

With all the Christmas presents I've been working on lately, I thought I would share some of Santa's little helpers with you. These are some things that I just can't live without this year:

Source: Joann.com

1. Olfa Pinking Blade

For those that are familiar with rotary cutters, this is for use with the Olfa Deluxe 45mm Rotary Cutter. A rotary cutter is used with a self healing cutting mat and a ruler to cut fabric and it makes cutting a dream. The pinking blade makes cutting pinked edges (zig-zag) so much easier. I've used pinking shears on so many projects but I hate how uneven my lines come out! By using the rotary cutter, the cut lines on your fabric turn out so straight and even!

Source: Amazon.com

2. Singer Stylist Sewing Machine
I recently upgraded to this sewing machine from a more basic model and I am so impressed. If I had known there was such a difference, I would have done it much sooner. This machine has more stitch functions than I have figured out what do with. It also has an automatic threader, comes with an assortment of foot attachments and is incredibly easy to use. It would be great for a beginner or even a more experienced user. It is very reasonably priced too!

Source: www.silhouetteamerica.com

3. Silhouette Cameo

The newest model is the Silhouette Cameo, it has been on my wishlist since it was announced that they were going to be putting it out this fall. This amazing little machine can do everything! It cuts vinyl - both heat transfer and indoor/outdoor vinyl - scrapbook paper and cardstock, makes temporary tattoos, cuts fabric, it can sketch designs, all sorts of great things. I've used it to make gifts, cards, home decor, t-shirts and just about everything imaginable! I really don't know what I did before I had it.

Source: www.elmers.com

4. Elmer's CraftBond Glue Spots
These handy little glue spots are great for all my paper crafts. My most common use for them is when
making cards. They are also great for scrapbooking. But using these with my latest projects - a 3D snowflake and paper chain - turned out so much better than if I had used tape like the directions said (I'm not one to follow directions anyway!). They come in a variety of sizes and I've found them all to be useful depending on the project.

Source: http://www.beaconadhesives.com

5. Fabri-tac
This is such a fantastic adhesive. Most recently, I used it to decorate Christmas stockings. I found that it worked wonderfully to apply buttons, ribbon, pom-poms and felt flowers to my stockings. Then when my friend was talking about how plain her stockings were, the first thing that came to mind was using Fabri-tac to help with decorating hers. It's great because instead of having to figure out how to sew through layers upon layers of fabric, you use a bit of this and your materials adhere quickly and effortlessly. I think it's my new favorite way to "sew!"

 Disclaimer:  I was not paid for this post. I paid for all these products with my own money and these reviews are all my personal opinion. 

What are you all loving that we should know about???

30 is creeping up!

I had a friend post a list of 30 things to do before turning 30 just the other day and I realized that I would be turning 30 much sooner that she would. Eight months from now actually! It's startling because it is so much sooner than I realized. It got me thinking that there are so many things that I would like to do (and need to do) between now and then. It seems to me that I'm much better at accomplishing these sorts of things when I write them down so I can see them. It took some serious thinking to come up with my list, but it's finally ready to share. Without further ado, here it is:

My 30 before 30: 

1.     Go wine tasting

2.     Lose (and never find again) at least 40 pounds

3.     Pay off a debt (or more)

4.     Host a party

5.     Finish taking my sewing class

6.     Try at least one new recipe a week

7.     Learn how to make tutorials for my blog

8.     Re-learn Spanish

9.     Go on a road trip

10.  Stay at a B&B

11.  Get a regular exercise schedule

12.  Run a 5k

13.  Finish our wedding scrapbook (or junk box as my husband calls it)

14.  Try scuba diving

15.  Go shooting with my husband more (actually learn how to use a shotgun and get better with a handgun)

16.  Read the Bible all the way through

17.  Learn to sew from a pattern

18.  Blog regularly

19.  Learn to decorate cupcakes/cakes

20.  Make the VIP fundraiser list at Ronald McDonald House Walk for Kids

21.  Organize my kitchen/pantry

22.  Organize my craft room (that’s a BIG project!!!)

23.  Get into good habits (reading scriptures, drinking more water, not putting my clothes at the foot of my bed, not leaving dishes in the sink, eating healthy… what I know I should already be doing)

24.  Learn to hand sew

25.  Learn how to design my blog

26.  Watch top 25 from American Film Institute’s 100 Best Movies (it’s a good start toward the “Whaaaatttttt, you haven’t seen [insert apparently AMAZING movie title here]?????” response that I always get when a movie is referenced)
 **Update (1/7/12)** - I've had a hard time finding the AFI movies because they are mostly older movies, so I've changed this to the top 25 from IMDb's Top 250 movies. 

27.  Go on a picnic (with our picnic basket that has never been used!)

28.  Volunteer for Project Linus more often

29.  Keep my coupons organized (instead of the crazy pile that they always seem to be in)

30.  Read one new book a month (and actually finish it)

I'll keep you all updated as the list gets checked off and post all the things I get to try/get done. Should make for a fun 8 months!

Update: Check out other 30 Before 30 lists here. 

Shabby Apple Ballerina Dress

If you haven't heard of Shabby Apple, you absolutely must check them out. I love dresses and adore everything they make. I was recently lucky enough to win a $50 gift card to their store and was ecstatic! I have been eying their dresses for as long as I can remember, waiting for the day that I could make one of them my own. Well, that day is finally here!

One of the great things about their site is that you can shop by "collections," where the outfits are similar in style. So if you have a certain look you are going for it is much easier to find. You can also shop their sale and practically perfect departments. They also have a wedding department that carries styles for both the bride and bridesmaids.

I chose Ballerina, which has been one of my favorites from the start and I anxiously awaited it's arrival. It shipped very quickly and came beautifully packaged. I couldn't wait to try it on! It fits like a dream and is very comfortable. I wore it all day and had no issues with comfort or movement in it. It also washed well on the delicate cycle, which I was happy about because I am not one for hand-washing anything. I think it's become my favorite dress!

Now I can't wait to get another beautiful dress, skirt or other beautiful item from Shabby Apple. I'm in love!