yo-yo necklace

Sean's cousin Kaitlyn saw this necklace in a boutique shop and sent me the pic.

Using this tutorial, I made a bunch of yo-yos from my scrap fabrics and gave her this necklace when she finished college!
The straps are strips of knit fabric {they roll when you stretch them out} and each yo yo is secured to their neighbor yo yo with a few stitches.
Kait really likes dinosaurs and I had a random dinosaur button - match made in heaven!
This project is really easy and a great way to use up scraps, but there is a lot of tying of knots because I used needle and thread for the whole thing. Try it!

Scrapbuster DIY headband tutorial

These headbands would be great for a beginner {or expert} seamstress. They are really quick {I finished these three in about 30 minutes} and use materials you likely already have in your craft stash.

Needed materials (per headband):

Scrap fabric, approx 3" x 12" (2)

Fusible interfacing 3"x 12" (1)

1/2 in elastic, about 6" (might need to adjust for your head size)

basic sewing supplies

Cut out fabric (taper towards the edges so it's approx the same width as your elastic). Layer pieces as shown. **Note that the fabric pieces are right side together and the fusible interfacing is on the outside. Stitch around 3 edges, making a tube. Flip right side out (use a pencil to help push it through)

When the tube is right side out, iron flat. The fusible interfacing will help it stay smooth and also provide a little extra structure.
Top stitch around all sides. When stitching around short ends, add in elastic. Back stitch a couple of times to reinforce the stitch.
I chose to make mine reversible, but you could do the same on both sides if you want.
For the braided headband, I just cut a few strips of 45" fabric about 1" wide then braided them. I wanted it to have a frayed look, but if you want it clean, sew wider strips into tubes, then flip right side out and braid. I cut two pieces of the long braid about 12", then secured to elastic.The finished products! I like the versatility of this project: unlimited fabrics/ribbon to choose from, reversible, however wide you want it. Sewing customized projects is a great perk of knowing basic sewing skills.

I'm linking this project to:
Making the World Cuter, The DIY Show Off, Skip to My Lou, Today's Creative Blog, Fireflies and Jellybeans, Beyond the Picket Fence, Tatertots and Jello, Kojo Designs

Sean is a kid magnet

A couple of times a month we help out in the 4 year old room at our church. These kids are so precious and give Sean and I a lot of laughs. They seriously LOVE Sean -- sometimes parents will say "look...Sean is here today!" to convince their kiddos that they're brave enough to be without mom and dad for an hour.

Here's some picture evidence to support my claim: {the pics are blurry partially due to the iPhone and partially due to the fact that these kids never stop moving}

Four years old is such a sweet age. I feel like the seeds of the gospel are being cultivated as their little hearts and minds begin to grasp what Jesus is all about. They ask good questions, have a silly sense of humor and are eager to learn!

Easy Fish Tacos

image source

I have to admit I was skeptical about fish tacos, but after much prodding from Sean I added it to our menu plan last week. These were SOO good!

Ingredients:

White fish (I used 3 tilapia fillets, which was plenty for two people)

1 bag cole slaw mix

miracle whip/mayonnaise

packet of taco seasoning

taco shells/tortillas

lime

toppings: cheese, sour cream, salsa

Thaw fish, pat dry with paper towel. Salt and pepper, bake at 350 for 10 minutes or until flaky.

While fish is baking, mix 1/4 packet of taco seasoning with 1 cup of miracle whip. Add enough cole slaw mix to make it proportional.

Remove fish from oven and flake apart with a fork. Sprinkle with lime juice.

Build tacos to your liking. Mine had hard shells with the slaw mix on the bottom, then fish, cheese and salsa.

Optional additions that might be good: avocado, mango salsa, cilantro

This meal was yummy, quick and inexpensive which means it will likely become a staple at my house!

Haiti update

God is good! The same week that my final payment was due, I met my fundraising goal for Haiti! I have been very humbled by this experience. It was important to me that people didn't give out of a sense of obligation, but out of obedience to God's calling. I supposed I wouldn't technically know the answer to that, but seeing so many friends and family members not only donate, but give of their finances cheerfully was amazing.

The trip dates are August 4-13. I've received all of my immunizations, will start anti-malarials this week, and have also started accepting medical supplies to pack in my extra duffel bag.

If you're in the Fayetteville area and want to donate supplies, here's a list of what the surgery center needs the most. These should all be commercially available. If you're not local, but would still like to help, you can send me your cash donation and I will run to the store for you.

4x4 gauze
2x2 gauze
Kerlix
Coban
ACE bandages
Steri-strips
Tegaderm
Betadine
Large exam gloves

Specific prayer requests: safe travels for our team, an open mind and heart to process what I will be experiencing, and that our surgical team would be efficient with time and resources to help the most people possible.

Wyatt update

Wyatt is hilarious. And really cute. He's just over 5 pounds, energetic but also snuggly and is really smart.

He has a knack for being exactly where I need to be: see below for proof. He wants to be on top of the laundry pile while I fold clothes, on my pillow just before bed, on top of the comfortor when I'm trying to make the bed, etc.

His favorite toy is this Kong. The dog loves him some fetch. He's really good about bringing his toys back to you...too good, in fact.

He's also really excited about Milk Bone's new addition: mini milk bones. They are just his size! Previously we were getting the small ones and breaking them in half. Mini stuff is just cute.

One of his new tricks is catching a toy off a bounce. He's getting pretty good at it!

He brings us lots of joy and laughter! So glad he's around. :)

Birthday girl onesie

A friend from Columbia has a little girl, Jillian, who is turning one next month -- she asked me to help create her birthday outfit and I was happy to oblige.

I appliqued the cupcake liner and candle, then ruffled the tulle for the 'icing.' Sewed all with my machine.
I also added colorful pleats around the leg. Sewed a fabric tube 4"x20", ironed flat, pinned the pleats then sewed it.

Here's the adorable hair clip that coordinates! It has an alligator clip on the back that can just clip either into her hair or onto a headband. 45" of fabric and two rows of tulle, pleated and sewed onto a round piece of felt.
The tute is made of all bright colors -- it's super cute, but that glitter got everywhere! She only turns one once, though, so I think glitter is in order.

Can't wait to see some pics of little miss in her outfit!

I'm linking this project to:
Making the World Cuter, The DIY Show Off, Skip to My Lou, Today's Creative Blog, Fireflies and Jellybeans, Beyond the Picket Fence, Tatertots and Jello, Kojo Designs

Lake day

We were in Branson for the 4th this year. Other people's love for Branson cracks me up. See below.

We went out on the lake with Kyle and Jess (Sean's brother and his wife) and REALLY enjoyed the day together!

I think Wyatt likes the lake. As long as Sean or I were nearby he was good.

Similar pic from last year. Yes, that's the same dog. Yes, he needed a haircut. No, I didn't realize how bad it was.

Kyle, Jess and Axle.

We even took Wyatt tubing!

Such a fun day out on the lake!

25th Birthday

I turned 25 last week and had a great birthday. I had doughnut for breakfast, went to the farmers market, cake for lunch and catfish hole for dinner. My tummy hated me for those decisions.

My parents came to stay with us and we went to a Naturals game (they happen to be playing the San Antonio Missions that night). It was HOT!

Sean got me a DQ ice cream cake. It's good, but really rich!

Sean got me XM radio installed in my car and with my bday money I ordered a Silhouette SD machine. It seems kind of complicated but awesome, so I'm looking forward to trying out some projects when it arrives.

I have been on the hunt for these tongs for-ev-er. Silicon tipped (we don't use metal utensils on our pans), straight edged tongs. Seems simple, right? Wrong. They were always in the wrong color, scalloped edged, no silicone, etc. Well...I was at TJ Maxx and found the exact ones I wanted on clearance. Hello, birthday.

I have also wanted a beach towel for a long time. I always feel weird taking my bath towel to the random apartment complex pools I crash these days.

My parents generously bought me a new vacuum! I'm beyond excited about it. It's very light, which is good for our 3 story home and has picked up an amazing amount of stuff from our carpets already.

Looking forward to age 25!