dandelion design

polly & me

2012-01-28T11:12:00.000-06:00

This is my sister Polly & me-from this fall. She is 2 years younger & lives in Dallas. We are due with babies 2 weeks apart-she's due at the end of February & me mid-March. Such a sweet blessing to be prego at the same time & have babies together-no one else can truly remember newborn days besides the ones living it. My Ruthie & her Charlie are 3 months apart as well. Polly & I have walked life together:
-cheered jr high & high school together
-ran track together
-dated brothers back in the day (kinda weird & neat at the same time)
-went to college together
-pledged same sorority (I was her pledge trainer). her sorority big sister was my sorority little sister---Jane!
-I assume her friends are my friends & now she has Dallas friends that I don't really know (!)
-we got married in the same year (poor mamasita)
-I can be very honest with her & tell her anything
-we are very different from each other in lots of ways but get each other & i know if we every fight/disagree, we'll get over it quickly & maybe just pretend it didn't happen.
-we appreciate the same type of music
-i am the older sister, but sometimes there is role reversal many times going thru life-polly can be more adventurous than me about things.
-polly is a pretty no-frills girl, but ain't scared to indulge in a massage: chair massage, table massage-wherever she can get them (in the middle of a mall, in a spa, or at the chiropractor)
-she has a heart for the people around her, people who are hurting/those who need God/she takes time for them regardless of her own "stuff"
-if you know polly, you love her because she's authentic & really don't pretend to be someone she is not. this sounds like a simple thing, but is hard for us to do.
-essentially, polly does her thing without much fanfare, and you are blessed if you know her

come fly away

2012-01-28T09:18:00.001-06:00

YAY for the soon arrival of baby Camille. This is one of my little sister-Polly's best bud's first baby. I tend to acquire Polly's friends too, so Palmer is a friend of mine as well! I was smiling & praying for this little one while painting. Palmer will be a great mom & handle it all well. And our babies will be the same age coming up together-sweet! This is part of the baby shower gift we are helping do for her.

custom boards

2012-01-19T21:51:00.001-06:00

Okay, so this project started with a friend dropping off a sad/falling apart wooden Adirondack chair at my house & had the idea for me to make something of this wood for her Christmas gifts. I was stumped for a bit, but after Tim took it apart (sweet tim)-the slats lent themselves to little hangers. Fun to make something out of junk. Thanks, Sally Kate for the challenge & the order.

luv is in the air...

2012-01-19T21:32:00.003-06:00

So Ruthie's #3 is March 10, but we are celebrating early with a v-tine party and this is all she talks about. She's been decorating for it already. Heart stickers all over the kitchen windows. We are both so excited. Ideas I've gathered below, not sure if they will all happen, but at least gets me going.

I have limited energy these days...baby boy due March 11 & my body is giving out on me. But a party can always energize me!!! Got one of those nifty belly braces and everything. And sporting a fever blister, which doesn't look that great on a heavy breathing, big bellied woman. Mandy, you can feel my pain & all the sistas out there who cannot hide when they are stressed because of these loverly tell-tale signs.

To clarify, this post is not about my fever blister, it is about getting excited about Ruthie's party!!!

invites

2012-01-18T22:36:00.001-06:00

INVITE INFO:
-$1.25 per (4x9 or 5x7 sizes)
-2 weeks turnaround, por favor (extra for rush-rush jobs)
-Super thick cardstock & white envelopes
-Return address labels included with quantities over 40 (or pay $10 for 40 return address labels)
-bah humbug, no Christmas cards offered
-$1 per coordinating 5.5x4.25 fill-in the blank thank-you notes

Here are some designs new & old:

happy NEW YEAR

2012-01-09T11:00:00.000-06:00

This was a commission hand lettering for a Happy New Year's card from an ultra hip blogger-Mary Straton. You should add her site to your list-it will make you feel hip too.

What new will God bring your way this year?

mo ho ho

2012-01-02T22:03:00.001-06:00

You know how I like to wrap. Made use of some paint swatches I had & used these great initial stamps from Michael's for my Christmas wrapping. Not that my 4 & 2 year old fully appreciate coordinating wrap job, but it made me happy!

In motion unwrapping.

My sweet babies, they were bribed with choco milk to pose for this pic.

Monkey bread for Christmas morning! Henry's favorite. His comment was that he liked monkey bread much better than pumpkin bread.

honey & big daddy's Christmas visit & these great Melissa/Doug cupcake kit

dinner rec

2012-01-02T21:48:00.000-06:00

So I'll take any food shortcut I can find. This little box mix gives us a somewhat fancy tasting meal for not much work. Very yummy. You just provide the chicken. Found my magic box at the Wal Mark.

shell L

2012-01-02T21:42:00.000-06:00

A little happy for Tim's parents for our Thanksgiving beach trip. I used shells from the beach & glued them in the shape of L with a little w-color treatment. This is such a gift to us each year.

When I'm at the beach, I collect shells like crazy and want to make earrings, belts, EVERYTHING out of shells. Why?

Happy 2012!!!

2012-01-02T21:33:00.000-06:00

Got a wild hair and decided to have a little NYE gathering. Very last minute, which works best for me. Still time to throw together some decorations using things I had: silver/black chargers, brown butcher paper, newspaper for stars & accents. I love a night when both kids & adults can have fun! The weather was great, so the kiddos could run around crazy outside. And SPARKLERS! So simple but so much fun.

christmas cheer

2011-12-20T17:34:00.000-06:00

So excited about my new stocking for the fam. We have 2 of these plaid long skinny ones (bought from a woman in Canton-made from an old coat!) & I got the red ones made to match it at Premiere fabrics in Jackson.

This nesting santa is henry's fave thing to play with...

Lots of yard work being done with Tim & limited work schedule during the holidays. They are squishing down his pinestraw. Henry has been very interested in Oscar the Grouch after we told him about this green thing that lives in a garbage can & is grouchy all the time. Maybe since most mornings when Henry wakes up he says he's "just a little bit grumpy"-he probably wants to meet this green grouch & gripe about mamas who try to make them talk way too early in the morning.

pumpkin bread

2011-12-20T16:57:00.003-06:00

Ruthie "helping". This was right before I had to send her to time-out because she tried to push Henry off the chair that was beside her. He was moving in on her stir.

This cake release stuff (at Michael's) is fabulous for my occasional baking needs. My mom uses crisco & flour to grease her cans.

all wrapped up and ready to give. yarn is my fave c-mas wrapping ribbon (warm/fuzzy & very inexpensive)

It doesn't feel like Christmas until I make some pumpkin bread. My mom use to send us to school with these little odd-shaped loafs of pumpkin bread, I remember thinking "i seriously doubt they are going to want this".
But now I am making it and giving it to my neighbors. If you like pumpkin bread, it is a good recipe. It is fun to save the cans and cook in those.

HOW TO:
3 1/2 cups of sifted flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp nutmeg
3 cups sugar
4 beaten eggs
2/3 cup water
1 cup vegetable oil
16 oz can pumpkin
1/2 cup of raisens
1/2 cup of chopped pecans
7 empty 14.5 oz aluminum cans

Combine sifted flour, soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg & sugar in large mixing bowl. Add beaten eggs, water, oil, and pumpkin & stir until blended. Add nuts, mix well. Grease cans with crisco/flour or Wilton cake release. Pour mixture halfway into 7 aluminum 14.5 oz cans (or three 1 lb. coffee cans). Bake 1 hour at 350. Cool slightly in cans. Turn out on cooling rack to finish cooling. Run knife around the inside of can if needed to get the bread out easily.

Keeps for weeks in the fridge or freezes. Yummy sliced with butter or cream cheese.

christmas memories

2011-12-15T08:07:00.007-06:00

Our little fam had a interesting Sunday church experience this past week.

We were asked to light the advent candles at the church service.

When Vicki (one of our associate pastors) asked, I hesitated thinking how this reverent tradition symbolizing Jesus' birth could go south with a 2 & 4 year old in the mix.

But I couldn't pass it up-a special memory RIGHT??? So we covered what you do/don't do while lighting advent candles in front of the church....
-don't pick your nose
-don't hop like a bunny
-hold all questions until after the service
-stop drop & roll if you catch fire
You will be rewarded with M&M's if you be little angels.

So all is going well, had Ruthie's hand & as I am starting to light the last 2 candles......she breaks free and hanks her dress up over her head and ignores my dress swatting. Tim is thoroughly focused on his advent reading and is unaware (how do they have the ability to do this?). I have to leave my flashing daughter to finish my lighting.

It was a big, beautiful music program that Sunday-a full orchestra on stage, who all got a front seat to her show.

I wanted to:
1-roll laughing
2-cry and run my pregnant body out of the sanctuary

The first thing Ruthie asked when we left the sanctuary was,
"Do I get my m&m's now?"
"Sure baby."

Thank goodness that "Jesus loves the little children" & I have convinced myself that He was laughing as much as I really wanted to.

client gifts

2011-12-13T13:35:00.000-06:00

I did these little gift cards in wooden boxes for my largen design client gifts this year. God has blessed me so much. I thank Him each day for using my gifts and keeping my crazy brain busy. I get to work with some really fabulous clients. Got the boxes at Michael's.

holiday house

2011-12-13T13:30:00.000-06:00

I always like sneaking peeks at others' Christmas decor. Tried to keep my muted and natural this year. Hard for me, because I do love my color.

Advent calendar I found on etsy last year. Will locate the link.

BELOW: Keeping it real, with my Christmas explosion room. Christmas can bring out the crazies & I hope you can keep yours at bay.

holiday cheer

2011-12-08T15:30:00.000-06:00

Okay, pictures with Santa is always something that is just "on the list" for me. And you can see why (above Henry when he was 1.5 with his beloved Santa). I'm sure you have similar story/shot to match this. If you need a bit of cheer, check out more below. I gave a friend a book from this site, it will make you roll. Good one to bookmark for a laugh.

to see more awkward holiday photos

watercolor custom orders

2011-12-08T15:01:00.000-06:00

Above is a custom watercolor for my sweet friend Courtney. She dropped off the frame & this was a $30 5x7 in 8x10-I put in it.

These above 2 shots were of a gift from Betsy to her friend who loves things to be "clean" & Betsy thought this verse fitting for her! The friend said she was going to hang it in her bathroom =)

custom baby gifts, all under $35

2011-12-03T08:10:00.001-06:00

A sampling of custom orders. All it takes is an email (and a little extra lead time), you tell me your price point & I'll give you some options. sarah@largendesign.com

A gift that is customized really is appreciated. I'm even touched at the thoughtfulness of my customers...it inspires me to be a more "thoughtful" gift giver. I love being in on a special occasion, hoping that the receiver LOVES it & oohs & aahs.

^ 8x10 custom canvas ^ $30 Bless this Child with monogram

^ custom 8x10 canvas with monogram ^ $35 (we matched her bedding)

^ 5x7 watercolor in 8x10 matte for $30 ^

^ The 2 above were for 2 nieces of a customer ^ 8x10 canvas $35 per (with monogram & verse)

5x7 watercolor in 8x10 for a new baby girl $30

give thanks craft

2011-11-26T10:15:00.001-06:00

I got to work with the kids from Mission First this past summer (thru a jr. league project), an after-school program in Jackson & couldn't forget these sweet kids. I did a thanksgiving craft with them. They don't realize the blessing they are, I'm glad God was nudging me to go back-it got me out of my little world. It was a "give thanks" banner. My supplies were:

-foam board

-beans

-paint

-stamp created with burlap wrapped CD jewel case

-added texture to the background with circle shapes dipped in paint

-printed "give thanks" circles (you could write your message out with sharpie vs. print it)

Christmas sticker labels (also available as circles)

2011-11-22T17:30:00.000-06:00

gold tree design

dotted stocking design

pink/green angel design

trumpet angel design

ho, ho, ho balls design

3 gifts design

3 ornaments design

single ornament design

single gift design

2 trees design

damask design

green rectangle design

These are the label options (original watercolors & design!) for my square sticker labels (2.75"x2.75"). 36 labels for $15. ALSO AVAILABLE AS ROUND 2.5" STICKERS!!! They will certainly spruce up your Christmas happies! Email me & specify which design & wording.

totally tubular

2011-11-11T13:41:00.000-06:00

Okay, so Tim & I had the opportunity to get crazy 80's and attend the jackson jr. league pretty in pink prom. A great band called the Molly Ringwalds played-people go cuckoo over them here. So here I am above, knocked up at prom. Don't these pictures make me look like I live a very fun & exciting life-I'm even impressed. Got get all this fun out before baby boy comes. I'm being dramatic.

And here we are with our skeeeered friends who were not dressed up in the proper decade, but they promised to do it next year.

Literally I danced 2 hours straight.

BTW, these are all the sweet (and as shown here-crazy) ladies in my Bible study. They make my life full-lending me maternity clothes, breast pumps (ugh), praying for me, laughing with me, crying with me & dancing with me!!!!

Tim's 867-5309 iron-on shirt I made for him.

Okay, there were 10 of us packed into my new mini-van. I was determined to make use of my delicate condition and serve as the DD.

You can't fully appreciate Ashley's polka dot dress with the full shoulder pads, but this was an actual dress she wore back in the day & still fit in it fabulously.

food stuff

2011-11-11T13:29:00.000-06:00

So this very unassuming cheese dip has been my food obsession lately. It is YUM. It is in our Kroger specialty cheese section. Great on pita chips. You'll be hooked.

new item

2011-11-03T22:38:00.000-05:00

I'm working up some of these to offer...Here's a preview. They would be great hanging over a doorway. More to come. Made from reclaimed wood-that a sweet customer brought to me. It was an old Adirondack chair that Tim took apart from me.

new van!

2011-11-03T22:33:00.000-05:00

Lots of excitement here lately-we have a new car...to make room for #3. Henry tells everyone about his new van & the first week we had it would play in it every afternoon while Ruthie was napping. Gotta say, I'm loving it. I spaz out in carpool line a bit with the automatic open/close doors, but I am getting it.

mo halloween

2011-11-03T22:21:00.001-05:00

Henry & his funny, sweet teacher-Ms. Holloway. He's learning so much-clapping out his syllables, writing his letters in the air with little sound effects with each line. I'm so proud of him!

The little ones in their costumes. They were SO into them & that made me happy. Although, Ruthie was saying she wanted to be a unicorn the day before H-ween & we worked around that. She is obsessed with hello kitty-so was I (30 years ago). HK's still got it! The robot costume came from Henry's cousin William-Henry almost exploded when he saw it.

On the back of Ruthie's shirt it says-"hello candy". An iron-on design I printed out.

kiddo boo craft

2011-10-29T23:11:00.001-05:00

If you need a last minute inexpensive Halloween craft, this is one I"m doing with Henry's class on Monday.

-Got the $1 wooden frames at Michael's

-painted them with watered down orange acrylic paint (so you can see the woodgrain underneath)

-painted the little cardboard insert that came with the frame a glossy black acrylic

-do the handprint with acrylic white paint (will stain the clothes unfortunately)

-used small & big black buttons for the eyes & mouth

-went ahead and wrote everyone's name & year on the frames

So Ruthie thought it was a puppy dog, but we know it is a ghost-right.

Mine is a variation of this idea I got here.

BTW, Henry is a robot & Ruthie is Hello Kitty this year. Their pick. Ruthie sleeps with a giant hello kitty each night & Henry would will himself to become a robot if he could. Can't wait!!!

pumpkin time

2011-10-29T14:42:00.000-05:00

Pumpkin carving time...I got a large & in charge pumpking & downloaded a carving template & made us a smiley pumpkin (well, Tim did the heavy scooping/carving). And the kids lost interest pretty quick.

I saved the pumpkin seeds, rinsed them off, tossed them in butter & salt & toasted them. YUM, I'm the only one interested them though.

Delta T-shirt designs

2011-10-28T21:04:00.002-05:00

So I've got a friend in the MS Delta & we grew up together-Heather Dunning Short. She has more energy than anyone I know. She makes things happen. She run a cute gift shop there in Cleveland, MS-Locals & she asked me to design some T's for her incorporating all the hot spots in the Delta. These are the 2 T designs I worked up (back of the T-shirt). If you heart the MS Delta & want to reserve a T....here is their FB page or call 662-846-6816 to order one!

Getting ready for Halloween....

2011-10-25T19:40:00.003-05:00

This makes me smile. Just sums up Halloween for me. Growing up, it was my favorite holiday. We were a candy-only-on-Saturday family, so Halloween was my dream. My sisters and I would literally roll around in our candy after the big night-sort it, count it & eat it until we were sick.

The moral dilemma of this sweet boy & the sneaky bumble bee remind me of Henry & Ruthie.

chicago trip!

2011-10-21T16:44:00.001-05:00

Chicago!!! It was on the list & is now checked off! Perfect timing..before our family expands in March (no one is extremely willing to keep a newborn). It was a perfect trip-a long weekend & we slept in and everything. Our friends Chris & Jennifer were fun traveling partners.

^ seeing the big bean, so very cool in person ^

^ no kids on the trip, but went to the lego store-it felt wrong being there without Henry. windy city man made of legos! ^

^ Frontera Grill, Rick Bayless restaurant-YUM. If only I could have had a margarita! ^

^ Trump towers neato succulent display. ^

^ kept taking pics of buildings because there really is the coolest architecture there ^

^ ITALIAN NIGHT::::::: ^

(so we needed mustaches-right. don't worry, in the cab only.)

^ love the top two light fixtures, this vent covering light was a nice nod to the industrial-ness of chicago ^

::::::::::Art Institute of Chicago:::::::::::

thanks, jennifer for going with me. It was amazing to see some of my favorite artwork in person.

i was all energized after the museum. blown away.

and i had flashbacks to the dorm room studying for my art appreciation class. my roommate Frances would be flipping thru the flashcards helping me remember all the fancy artists' names.

DAY in the COUNTRY

2011-09-28T16:01:00.001-05:00

Join me at the Day in the Country at the Chapel of the Cross in Madison
674 Mannsdale Road

this Saturday, October 1, 9 am-4 pm

I am in Booth #61 (blue tent)

Come, come, come! Find me & say HEY, I won't make you buy anything!

It is a great day for the family, lots of shade & lots of vendors, food & music. It is free!

I will have some new wooden block verses, wooden crosses, new framed quotes, bookmarks, verses in easel frames.

If you plan on coming & want to order some Christmas labels or everyday labels, email me today/tomorrow & I'll have them ready for you to pick up on Saturday ($15 for 36).

sucker butt

2011-09-22T22:37:00.001-05:00

So I was quickly swishing through the wal-mark the other day, with 2 cranky, hungry kiddos tearing into our un-purchased food. And I heard this voice from behind me saying "girrrrl, you got a sucker stuck on your bootie". huh? I did a quick hand swipe & I found something that looked like ^that^ swinging right from the middle of my skirted bootay. Gosh. I thanked her and we laughed, knowing i had made her day. But I literally had just made all the aisles of wm in about 10 minutes time with a cartfull of commotion. At least it was just in wal-mart, everyone looks their worst in WM-right?

I can't wait for Ruthie to be old enough to tell me this stuff (lipstick on the teeth, cover-up not blended properly, one earring on, etc.)

I told my friend Sherry my ha-ha & that night she sent me a text that night that just said-"sucker butt", I thought surely it was a weird predictive text thing. No, she was right....I was sucker butt.

meredith pardue!

2011-09-21T21:15:00.002-05:00

tim had a weak moment and let me get a meredith pardue painting (oil on paper). can go without explanation, but it was before we found out about #3. oh, how I am enjoying it...her work got stuck in my head when I saw it a few years ago & have not been able to forget about it. she is gifted.

rainbows

2011-09-14T10:15:00.002-05:00

Saw this craft idea at my fave pick-me-up site whatever & couldn't get it off my radar. Then a little friends of henry & ruthie came to mind-these girls love rainbows (big sis especially) & thought we needed to make them together. Looks like Avery has had a long day at play-sans shoe & all.

My friend decided to paint her wood scrap background black (or you could do white), I kept Henry's piece on the rustic wood. I screwed in little hoop screws to hang with ribbon. I found those wood scraps on the side of the wood that day-artwork for the cost of crayons & ribbon!

Kids loved this craft-so did mamas. Color does something for your soul. No one is immune.

be my everything

2011-09-09T17:40:00.003-05:00

So I get much inspiration while sitting in church: through scripture, lyrics-always walk away with ideas for projects. So this song (listen below) made me happy cry and I love its message. Letting God permeate our entire lives, to be in our: sleeping, hoping, crying, loving, dreaming.

This one is going to a silent auction for my nieces/nephew's school fundraiser: 1st PRES Holiday Potpourri

	Tim Hughes - Everything .mp3

	Found at bee mp3 search engine

largen life

2011-09-03T22:59:00.000-05:00

Sweet friends, I was organizing my computer bookmarks tonight & realized there are so many precious blogs out there I mark & never return to...so it made me thankful for you who keep coming back. You are a such a fun part of my little life & thanks for letting me having my space on the web!

So we passed this car on the road the other day & henry almost flipped his lid. A life size hot wheel car!

henry & ruthie started school this week & happy to report they are loving it. ruthie would go 5 days if I let her & Henry's main report each day is if he's been able to play with the class' computer. ruthie can almost name all in her class/henry is good to be able to recall his teacher's names.

ruthie and her cousin elizabeth are 2 peas in a pod. elizabeth is 5 years older & is mom junior. they have flowers in their hair, they picked from my sister's backyard. Literally, ruthie called to "mom" yesterday while we were all together-but she said she wasn't talking to me, she was talking to elizabeth.

lysa terkeurst Jackson talk

2011-08-21T23:02:00.000-05:00

Local ladies...consider going to this. Lysa is gifted & is so very honest. I've read 2 of her books & heard her speak in Hattiesburg. God uses her openness & humor for His purpose.

August 31, 2011
12:00 - 1:30
Lunch with Lysa (catered by chick-fil-a)
MS Ag Museum Sparkman Auditorium
Tickets are $12.50 & can be purchased at www.thesourceatpinelake.org. Seating is limited.

The night event is at 6:30 at the Pinelake Reservoir campus, admission is FREE, and childcare is provided!

if this isn't nice

2011-08-17T22:29:00.000-05:00

recognize when you are happy! ruthie will sometimes pop out with "this is a good day"-meaning she is having fun at the moment. Because I like to recap our day at night time-saying "today was a good day-right?", talking about the high points (playing with friends, eating a doughnut, poo-poo'ing on the potty). sometimes i miss these happy moments because I think that happy is supposed to hit me over the head.

things that are making me happy:

-tim caving & letting us eat at the mexican restaurant last night (this typically is not enjoyable for him). i love people bringing me food while i sit.

-hearing henry & ruthie play together today in the mcdon's playland. henry singing to ruthie "don't be scared, don't be scared", while Ruthie is screaming to me AYUDAME, AYUDAME (help me per Dora).

-the baby in my tummy, we are expecting #3!!! that should be at the top, i realize this. God has given us a surprise, answered the prayer I have whispered to Him. I feel blessed beyond what we should be allowed. I am due March 11. I needed to tell Tim in a creative way (note along with beer placed in the garage) so that he would not stroke out on me. He's a CPA, he thinks he's old, I can kinda gloss over the sleepless nights-they still haunt him. He's all on board now, looking for a bigger car and all.

-the caramel cake in my fridge (as shown below). i went straight to the piggly wiggly to purchase after watching The Help. It reminds me of Heloise, who made the BEST caramel cake evah. She surely helped us growing up-she was the best cook & kept mama sane. Mom with 4 girls and dad working alot. She is one of the first people I want to find in heaven, I will need to tell her a real thank-you. I took her for granted, she passed away when I was 16 before I fully realized all she did for us. Heloise's cousin-Christine owns Christine's Back Porch in Canton. And on Tuesdays she serves the best fried pork chops. Each day is great, but the pork chops are how Heloise used to cook hers too. Go try them.

-the boiled peanuts i made yesterday, the first time & they turned out perfecto (rare). i'm pretty sure ruthie & i ate the pound by ourselves.

-thinking about MadMen starting soon.

-the way tim made me a new egg-n-toast after this happened to mine. it was really nice of him.

susan's painting

2011-08-17T21:33:00.000-05:00

Making this for such a sweet woman did my heart good. Susan has had too much sadness this past year & a complete blessing and bright spot is a granddaughter on the way. This is a picture frame/canvas for Rae who is due soon.

bro/sis step stools

2011-08-17T21:29:00.000-05:00

Thanks Emily for this order! Hope you are soaking up each moment with new baby girl.

triplet girl gift

2011-08-13T17:10:00.001-05:00

Thanks, Lindsay! This is for a gift for her friend who is having TRIPLET GIRLS. Her blog is quite hilarious, especially this post. Worth the read.

5x7 watercolor/collage in an 8x10 matte. These are $30 each.

angel painting

2011-08-13T17:05:00.000-05:00

A commission from a friend for a friend. I had fun with this one.

crafting weekend report

2011-08-11T19:14:00.000-05:00

mandy, sarah (rita) & baby wren, christy & me. we gathered in Starkville for a craft weekend & we hadn't all been there together in 11 years. it was a wonderful weekend. I would recommend this for your girlfriends. We didn't spend money shopping & we had more time to visit, sitting around the table together.

I'll walk u thru the crafts we did:

CRAFT 1: paint sample book mark

above: paint sample bookmarks, a way better tutorial here. Very straightforward.

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PROJECT 2: drip paintings

Super smart Mandy, got us started by buying inexpensive thrift store paintings $3-5 each & she spray painted the frames to give us an easy start.

we painted our solid backgrounds and then started squirting the paint. Mandy had put paint in old-fashioned squirt bottle condiment containers to make for easy application.

We'd paint a bit & then hold the painting upright to let it drip down. No real mess-ups with this one & it was the MOST FUN project. Wren is in the background overseeing our crafting.

Mandy's cross.

My cross.

christy's tree.

Sarah Brashier's angels. It says, "my heart is full".

My little wooden frames that needed some drip!

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PROJECT 3: flip-flop re-do

These fabric flowers were Sarah/Rita's-so cute. But this was the end of the night & there was a little push-back and smack talk going around. We were pooped. You could put them on a headband, shirt or on your flip-flops. One way to make them is here.

So you start with a basic flip-flip & cut off the plastic straps & put in fabric T-shirt strips in. Again, a fab tutorial is here. This was a cute one, but my flip-flop did have a blow-out in the gas station on my way home from the craft weekend. I almost gagged because i had to walk out barefoot from the BP. Sad because no one was there to laugh with me. I think it was a matter of having my strap too tight, I'm sure this wouldn't happen to your flip-flops.

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PROJECT 4: origami lanterns

This one was led by our craft minx: Christy. Mandy gave her that name, she slyly led a very cool craft & brought her ARTSY! They were origami balloon lanterns.

A origami how-to is here.

whipped topping for our coffee-sarah b's touch.

baby wren and me when he got up from his nap. he gets the sweetest baby award. he totally was in the mix and was so easy going.

sista meg is 40

2011-08-04T23:12:00.001-05:00

My older sista Meg holding Ruthie. This is one of my fave pics of her. Our big sisters are always good about grabbing our babies when we need a baby break.

I painted this for Meg's bday. She can handle funky-she likes color! And is a big U2 fan, in particular this song. I vividly remember her telling me that this song (it's a beautiful day) helped her in her postpartum funk. It was a serious funk. I remember feeling helpless when she had to go through this after her kids. She's an open book, she would tell you about it. And totally uses whatever she has gone through to help others.

Once you meet Meg, you know Meg-she's 100% herself. She's the one you want when you are in a crisis-she fixes things. She's not afraid to get in other people's messes & walk with them through it. She loves my kids just as I do. She gets Henry, she lets him play with her iphone. She is a great sister to me & picks up cute bargain finds for me just because.

wanna go back to camp desoto

2011-08-04T22:48:00.001-05:00

My niece Mary Margaret & sister Kathleen after MM's month at Camp DeSoto.

Our crew that shortly got back in the blue van and road 6 hours home. There were some "pulling over the car" moments.

ruthie on the steps of MM's cabin-she said "this camp is cool"

Kristen Mullen of Crumb's fab cake that MM's mother-in-law ordered for her welcome back.

My sister, me, her 2 kids & my 2 kids went to pick up her 3rd kid at CAMP this past week. She has been at Camp DeSoto (in Mentone, AL) this past MONTH. Kathleen (sister) has written her everyday & Mary Margaret has been ever present in her mind. Special K chilled out once she got THE LETTER from MM, the one that said it was the happiest she had ever been! Wow. And that MM couldn't wait to get home to teach her family how to compost & to do stitchery.

I went to camp desoto as a camper & worked there one summer. It stirred up all sorts of memories being back there. I still have close friendships from camp. And got to see one of my fave people-Jennifer Miller. We lived together in Chattanooga & used to have the best laughing fits together. She went through treatment for Hodgkin's disease while we lived together, I still remember laughing with her in the middle of this tough season of her life. She's one of a kind. She works full time at this camp & is really using God's gifts & following his plan for her. It is neat to see people where they fit.

I have told Tim I want to set up a special bank account to save to send the kids to Camp Desoto for Ruthie & Alpine for Henry. He thinks I'm crazy.

craft weekend

2011-07-29T22:51:00.001-05:00

So I couldn't decide on an image. But the point is...I am having a crafting weekend with 3 of my best friends from college. I am sooooo looking forward to it. I got inspired from meg from whatever (who is my friend but does not realize it).

So each of these girls are super-creative and have inspired me throughout knowing them. Their creativity goes beyond craftin'...it spreads to the way they approach motherhood, how they dress!, how they make their homes unique & homey, how they love God in their different walks, & how they view life. We wish we lived closer, had more time to talk, but will always have a little thread connecting us. We make a point to get together once a year, it used to be quarterly around each other's birthday (pre-kids).

Funny....Christy (who in her defense does has 4 kids) missed that it was a crafting weekend and freaked a bit last week when she realized this. She's got it under control now.

I'll keep you posted. Gosh, knowing us-we may peter out and go shopping, but our plan is to each bring a new craft/art project and show each other how to make it.

(BTW, in case you were concerned...there is nothing wrong with my arm. In pictures, sometimes I do this weirdo thing with my arm-literally I remember a jr. high dance picture with this same bent-up arm going on).

sock monkey for Jacob

2011-07-29T22:09:00.000-05:00

This was for my friend Angel's little boy on the way. She is going to hang it on her hospital room door.

martha mood's textiles

2011-07-29T22:05:00.001-05:00

I recently got semi-obsessed with this artist's work-Martha Mood (1908-1972) & I want to see more of it. Thought you'd may like too. It makes me want to experiment with fabric. It has got a homey, 70's feel to it-a touch groovy too.

livingston farmer's market

2011-07-22T06:51:00.001-05:00

If you are in the area, please put this down. We went last night & it was fab: music, honey, jams, tomatoes, water slide thingy, Parlor Market cooking demo, wine tasting. I would recommend. Low key and perfect for the fam. Just keep driving down 463 west until it intersects with HWY 22.

wish, i had designed the poster/logo, but did not. i want to know who did-love it.

Thursdays from 4-8 PM, June 2 - October 13, 2011

henry & tim

2011-07-22T06:40:00.000-05:00

henry & tim. 2 peas in a pod. henry will come to tim's side of the bed first in the middle of the night. the first thing henry asks when he wakes up "where's da-da" & then I say "at work", then henry starts crying. every morning.

henry is playing soccer in the fall, tim is really into soccer-STILL PLAYS! He just got him a soccer net the other day to prep.

so henry is not really a mama's boy, more of daddy's boy. now ruthie on the other hand...

balloon sticks

2011-07-22T06:27:00.001-05:00

The things I think you have to know about...I used these at Henry's party & will continue to...Loved them. I didn't have to make a morning dash to the grocery story for helium balloons. I got mine at Hobby Lobby, but they are way cheaper here.

nursery painting

2011-07-12T20:54:00.003-05:00

This painting is going in a ultra mod nursery: orange, gray & black.

beautiful books

2011-07-09T19:35:00.003-05:00

I always stop in front of this display at B&N. I want to grab all these books for my shelf. Really only for my shelf, not to read. I have bought up some 1950's Readers Digest condensed books for this purpose-to look pretty on a shelf. That condensed book concept makes me laugh, I'm sure these authors love having their work chopped down and squished up with some other books into 1 book.

The Penguin Classics Hardcover series, designed by Coralie Bickford-Smith.

ROBOT party

2011-07-06T19:53:00.004-05:00

so little henry turned 4 & we had a ROBOT party. He requested a roller skating robot party, but we settled on a robot party. We've been dancing the robot, talking about robots, building robots, etc. for the past couple months. I get a little crazy-I can't get a grip. it is complete fun for me.

So my starting point for Henry's 4th bday was to start spraying painting all in sight SILVER, to raid Tim's utility closet, & purchase home improvement items I had no idea what their actual purpose was.

Marshmallow/pretzel craft: Build your own robot (& eat it of course). Marshmallows are like crack to Henry.

Robot foam beads from oriental trading & others from Michael's.

Can you see tell how large this cake is? I started with the body & everything else had to be in proportion. I think some children were afraid of it when I brought it out.

It was easy to make. I used loaf pans, 9x12 & square pan to make the body. I decorated with sprinkle (to hide my icing job) & various green/blue candy. I used colored marshmallow creme for the icing (not completely ideal), but again Henry luvs m-mallows. cake tip: I made all the "pieces" beforehand and froze them & pulled them out a couple of days before.

My white IKEA picture frames-not sold online =( you'll see those again.

Our girl & boy robot!!! Thanks to my stash of USPS mailing boxes they came to life.

jello in clear cups with duct-taped spoons.

one of the favors: some flashing things I found at $ tree & added the sticker & "necklace" string. Also gave wind-up robots (oriental trading) & pop rocks.

we had a robot part hunt in the backyard. i divided the group up boys/girls & they found hidden robot parts (random silver painted objects: yogurt containers, tin & aluminum cans, etc.).

afterwards, the bigger kids tapes their parts together and made ghost buster backpack things. my sweet uncle pat was the ringleader & thankfully did not melt.

freedom

2011-07-05T13:53:00.003-05:00

Freedom. I am certainly thankful for the selfless soldiers who have fought for our freedom. And during Sunday's sermon, this IMPORTANT type of freedom was coupled with another thought: in Christ we are free...free from the social norms & worries of this world, which in my case are: insecurities, being envious of beautiful homes in very sociable neighborhoods, wondering if our school selection is right, hoping my kids will love Jesus (OK, this one is legit), worrying that everyone else has lots of wonderfully close couple friends & are involved in all sorts of fun activities with them. Geez. I am a silly girl & I pray everyday God will take distractions from me & so that I will focus on being free in HIM. Free me up to serve Him, and to make use of my life & my time here.

dawg house

2011-06-23T08:34:00.000-05:00

This is for my neighbor, Bob, who is THE grill master. It is for his great outdoor grilling area. God is good to give us them as neighbors, they bring over grilled treats often & take such good care of us. The first time I met Becky (Bob's wife)-she said she'd be like a second mom. I didn't know what to think about this, I wasn't sure how close I wanted to be my neighbors at that point. Well, she was right. She's taught me how to be a laid-back hostess (that it doesn't have to be perfect) & how to SMILE & be positive regardless of the situation.

summer salsa

2011-06-18T22:39:00.004-05:00

Making this tonight and needed to share. Love this one because very few ingredients & perfect for hot summer. I was in a rush, so I put my in the food processor-no chopping!

I'm laughing to myself, pretending like I'm a food guru, propping out my ingredients. Considering this past week, made a quick thrown-it-all-in-there dish & Henry would not eat it because he said he thought it could be poo-poo. He wasn't being funny, he was really concerned.

Summer Salsa:
4 cups of green grapes
2 chopped green onions
1 can 4 oz. green chilies
juice of 2 limes
chopped cilantro, salt and Tobasco to taste.

Chill and serve with tortilla cup chips.

hands stitch for Dad's day

2011-06-18T21:06:00.003-05:00

I did it. It is not perfect, but I'm so glad to have these little hands remembered in a sweet way. You should try it. I just used the type yarn/twine I had here: raffia, thin ribbon & yarn. The fabric I used is just a very basic canvas. I'll practice a few more & then I'll add this to the list of dandy offerings.

sea cross

2011-06-16T15:16:00.002-05:00

Mandy, this is yours! I made while on my beach trip with my little treasures I collected: shells, seaweed, driftwood, sand, etc.

This is me determined to paint on the beach, using my goggles as my water dish.

I brought back this driftwood and put in this glass container. Love anything that reminds me of the beach...(well besides tattoos & sunburn).

last minute father's day gifts

2011-06-14T16:43:00.003-05:00

rock paperweight how-to right here.

free adorable printables to use on his day. download available by love party printables.

cute. tutorial here.

a little more involved, but i may attempt a variation of this for timmy.

summer shoes

2011-06-13T14:33:00.001-05:00

Don't shop at Kohl's often, but I did recently & love their SO® line of shoes . Love it when I found the perfect summer shoes-got them!

wedding block

2011-06-13T14:24:00.000-05:00

A wedding block for a gift for Carey Leigh & Jody from Dara (thanks, Dara)!!

dining room

2011-06-08T23:19:00.000-05:00

can't let go of the yellow decor from Ruthie's party. btw, i found those white skinny glass candles at the dollar tree. I have about 10 of them now. they remind me of the traditional catholic prayer candles.

NEED to tell you about my IKEA dining room chairs. Very proud of my $19 chairs. They came unfinished. I did a white-wash stain thing on them & polyeurethaned them.

Okay, first visit to IKEA for my mom, polly & me in Dallas. I thought we were going to pass out from all the excitement. I get it now. Such a smart store, the efficiency, the design, the prices, the thought given to EVERYTHING. I overheard mama telling all her friends about her IKEA trip for days after our trip.

bathroom update

2011-06-08T22:57:00.008-05:00

BEFORE

full disclosure: this was the WAY before picture, like before we moved in the house. but this provides the most impact.

AFTER

REDO steps:
-painted wallpaper CORNBREAD (by Martha Stewart) after Ruthie's sunshine party
-replaced big wall mirror with 2 gold leaf mismatched antique mirrors (spray painted silver with touches of brush applied champagne metallic paint).
-got the S & T (sarah & tim) vintage metal letters from this etsy store.
-closed up the flourescent light box with a foam board panel covered by Home Depot ceiling tile/like wallpaper. (friend bridget introduced me to this awhile back)
-switched towel hooks for some sale bin anthropologie ones
-spray painted the hinges & pulls & switched out the faucets

Yellow is slowly creeping over the house. I can't stop.

happy closet

2011-06-08T22:31:00.001-05:00

let me preface this with...i've never organized by closet by color, but I did on Sunday night! i had some antsy energy and it was let loose on my closet. i was a sneezy mess afterwards, but it was worth it. i relentlessly purged (no comment if you see something that should have been purged) & learned I have the majority in these colors: white, black, & gray. You need to know all this..

VBS

2011-06-07T23:01:00.001-05:00

I mentioned earlier, I headed up decorations for the VBS at our church. We have about 500 kids who come through each year & when they asked me-I really had to think/pray about it. Really I didn't want to pray about it because I didn't want to say yes. Glad God helped me say yes.

He gave me the 2 best co-chairs EVER. They were detailed, hardworking & so willing to help. It got kinda dicey when I would tote the kids up there with me to work, I would just hope no one official from the church would walk into our "room"-with Ruthie no shirt on & paint all over her & Henry standing & jumping off the snack table over & over. My freelance graphic design work stayed manageable, which was a blessing-no new big projects during this time period. I know God was helping me along the way. I have loved being part of something big. Loved working with sweet friends, laughing, painting & talking. God has been good to me. A sweet reminder that when He asks us to do something, He'll make it happen & fill you up more than you give away.

I was filled up on Monday morning when I overheard a little girl seeing the VBS decorations for the first time...say, mama, this is weird-I like it.

Below are some iphone pics I took today. Not fabulous. But I feel kinda weird, walking around taking pictures of my own decorations with my official camera.

Theme is "Inside Out & Upside Down on Main Street".

Pray for these kids this week, that the Bible lessons & music will stick with them.

I read this book, while prepping for VBS, it was such a beautiful reminder, "Jesus loves the little children".

God worked in my heart & made me a happy volunteer with message. Would recommend it.

SUN!

2011-06-07T22:33:00.003-05:00

each year my fam goes to the beach. my fave time of the year. 18 of us all together: my sisters, husbands, kids & parents. i get post-beach depression. I tote beachy things home: driftwood, shells, etc. Will share pics soon of some beach creations. It is hectic, relaxing, fast, low-key all at once. We eat lots of ice cream, a family cooks each night (us=fish tacos), there are spats (glad we aren't pouters), some spazzy dancing pre-dinnertime, my sisters & I delve into high-gear deep conversations in a stolen time away from the little ones (a 15 min. walk down the beach).

love the sleepy time in the morning as the preteen kids are still snoozing and kiddos are patiently waiting to get to the beach.

ruthie & her cousin (and keeper) elizabeth. i overhear elizabeth say, "now, say yes m'am, ruthie", "say please first"...

the lone picture i got of these 2 together with their perfectly fabulous artificial smiles. no matter-i got it.

chillaxing.

the youngest ones: charlie & ruthie getting crazy on picture night.

highlight of the trip, pushing the buttons on the elebator.

They surprise me sometimes & they sure did with their love of the water, considering they seemed tortured by their swim lessons last month. Ruthie would attack the water, slapping her little body down. She would say she was a mermaid & then wiggle her little booty while she swam.

made me laugh

2011-05-23T21:03:00.000-05:00

okay, typically wal-mart commercials are lame, but these new TV spots make me laugh-especially this one. since I'm wondering what i should be slathering on my face coming up on 35.

baby monogram

2011-05-22T16:59:00.000-05:00

Trio of canvases I painted for a Largen Design client of mine. Got them there just in time, the evening before she was being induced.

mother's day request

2011-05-22T16:56:00.000-05:00

This was a gift request from Paige for her mother-in-law. Mom to two boys. Hard to tell, but it is a layering of fabric & watercolor paper on a canvased-centered with a paper flower.

wedding watercolors

2011-05-22T16:53:00.001-05:00

Have friends tell me often that in the bride's thank-you note, this gift was their favorite. They can't possibly say that in every note-right? Regardless, I love hearing this!

may projects

2011-05-22T16:49:00.000-05:00

Above is a painting I did for a grad gift for a dorm room. Incorporating things close to her heart: music, volleyball & her faith.

Above a christening gift commissioned by Amanda!

Above a 5x5x2 wooden block with watercolor/collage elements ($30). This is a wedding gift requested by my sister's sweetest friend-Sallie. It can sit on the shelf or hang.

Above was also a request by Sallie as a going away gift for a friend.

momhood

2011-05-06T11:41:00.008-05:00

hard to believe i'm a mom. i had no idea how hard it is, how great it is, how much God would teach me. usually i feel like everyone is doing it better than me, like they are somehow receiving some intel that i am not privy to. these are some of my recent faves.

drinking coffee in the car from henry's sippy cup. in the sunday morning rush, the most accessible one available.

ruthie finding a new purpose for oven mitts.

henry with his magic marker beard.

ruthie after her easter chocolate.

ruthie helping me with vbs decorations.

after a cuckoo day, i treated myself to a 5:00 wine & cheese on the veranda. that is wine out of a coffee mug. i needed a calgon moment & eating some fancy cheese & wine took me to a less chaotic place.

this song gives me perspective on my crazy moments as a mom, as a human living in our temporary home.

happy mom's day.

say a special prayer for those who are waiting to be moms & waiting on their little ones. and those who've had to say goodbye to their moms too soon.

dallas with polly

2011-05-06T10:59:00.001-05:00

wanted to share pics from our visit to dallas to see my little sis-Polly & her 2 boys: William & Charlie. one of the highlights was the DALLAS ARBORETUM. Magical. the kiddos loved it. i loved it. a glimpse of heave on earth. dramatic, i know-but it really was.

big ole bunny made of pine straw.

william & charlie in back & my 2 in the front. charlie & ruthie are a couple months apart.

this entire hut was made of potted flowers.

the best we got of the crew. henry is always doing this own thing anyway, so kinda fitting.

ruthie looking like my son, i did not pack weather appropriate attire for miss priss.

said this before, but my sisters are the biggest blessing in my life. polly & i shared a room all growing up, until I graduated from high school. i hated sleeping by myself, i am a scardy cat. the meanest thing she could do to me growing up, would not let me sleep in her bed & I'd have to go down the hall and sleep in my bed by myself & sing amy grant songs to myself all night long to keep the boogey man away.

June 6-9, Monday-Thursday, 8:45-12

2011-04-17T16:15:00.001-05:00

Have your kiddos come to this!!! This is the Vacation Bible School offered at our church-Christ United Methodist Church in Jackson. It will be great & I'm hoping the decorations will be GREAT, since I have been heading up this portion this year. Just have to keep reminding myself-this is not a broadway production. We are totally stretching the limits of cardboard & construction paper. Email me if you want me to look out for your child there.

Click to register.

teacher gift

2011-04-17T16:06:00.000-05:00

Super thoughtful Amanada-always thinking ahead. These are for her little boy's teachers for the end of the year (she ordered a month ago). I personalized the verse by adding their name at the top. These are in the block acrylic frames.

college grad invite

2011-04-17T16:04:00.000-05:00

Graduation invite for our fabulous babysitter-Brittany. I'm sad to see her graduate and move far, far away. She wanted something a little more funky than the typical college grad invite.

request wooden block

2011-04-17T16:01:00.001-05:00

This was ordered from sweet Paige. This is someone who I've never met, but feel like I know. At the end of her voicemails-she says "love ya, honey". She's just that type of person. Friends like this are an absolute perk of this little biz.

wooden door hangers

2011-04-17T15:55:00.000-05:00

Thanks Amy for ordering these. I did one for her son-Jax awhile back & she wanted to give to new mamas.

front porch sale

2011-04-13T09:16:00.001-05:00

Having a front porch sale! This WED-SAT (April 13-16). Text or email me for info/directions:
601-506-5265 or sarahlargen@ yahoo.com

Easter happies, teacher gifts, mother's day gifts.

Bookmarks, wooden blocks, acrylic easel frame verses, notepads.

Easter blocks! $12

2011-04-12T20:32:00.000-05:00

$12 each. Great Easter basket happies...I can personalized the back. For example: it can reads "He has risen for Henry & Ruthie, Easter 2011" Email (sarahlargen@yahoo.com) or call (601-506-5265) to reserve one. I can ship for an additional $2. Durable wooden blocks, can't be broken-perfect for little hands.

made me laugh

2011-04-07T22:38:00.000-05:00

Saw this display at Barnes & Noble last week. Struck me as funny. I think my brain needs some awareness-sure enough. I forget how to pronounce words sometimes. It happened tonight. I was trying to say "Catholicism" & it came out all crazy.

unneccessary necessary post: SHOES

2011-03-26T00:22:00.007-05:00

there are probably 100 other things God would rather me post about, but the other night these shoes were capturing my attention while hubby was out of town tonight. can't sleep when he is away.

and they are all from PAYLESS (each shoe pic is linked). I'm on these at the next BOGO or before. Aren't all of them precious &amp. Don't know if you are this way....I am so proud to tell others where I find my deals: Hudson's, Wal-mart, 1/2 of 1/2, Forever 21. zero shame. only feel shame when i pay too much.

spring break

2011-03-25T23:42:00.003-05:00

spend alot of time at my mom & dad's in canton over spring break. sisters & their kiddos were in town.

cousins ruthie & charlie lovin life. we ate lots of ice cream & bday cake (except those who gave up sweets for lent). there are five March bdays in our fam.

henry has gotten berserk over puzzles. cousin clara is helping him sort it out.

rob is the oldest cousin (13). so patient with the little ones. giving a 2 year old a piggy back ride is not easy. he's the best 13 yr old i know-solid, kind & sweet.

charlie-my little sister polly's youngest. he & ruthie are a couple of months apart. they are a bit like oil & vinegar, they are going to work it out.

spazzing out to capture a moment, i hit this "stitch" feature on my camera that turned out neat.

little finds from our nature walk.

susan's painting

2011-03-24T21:41:00.000-05:00

A piece for my friend Susan who needs prayer and this sweet reminder from her God right now (I will never leave you, never forsake you. hebrews 13:5) She has recently lost her husband and then a long-time co-worker & friend (also my dad's law partner). Please pray for sweet Susan.

Please pray for my dad-he had be working alongside Bill for 25 years. He died suddenly a couple of weeks ago.

ruthie's sunshine party

2011-03-11T08:00:00.002-06:00

So for the past few weeks, YELLOW has been all around! And lots of talk about Ruthie's SHUNSHINE PARTY. It was impossible NOT to be happy about planning Ruthie's sunshine party. A very special day celebrating our ray of sunshine.

^ Ruthie's cake: A simple 1 layer yellow cake from Kroger. I added yellow sprinkles to top and made the rays with candy sticks & some cheapy sunglasses. ^

^Yellow "vases"-I spray painted wine bottles & added ribbon/button detail.^ Found this vintage yellow/white table cloth at my mom's house-my treasure trove!

MENU: goldfish, peeps, lemon drops, yellow jelly bellies, pimento cheese & PBJ finger sandwiches, pineapple/cantaloupe skewers, nilla wafers, old fashioned yellow/orange candy sticks. Fun tip to keep food cold, a last minute improv: I put a layer of popsicles (in the clear plastic sleeve) in the bottom of my dish that had the fruit skewers. I used yellow/orange popsicles.

I now like my letter press cookie cutters. I found the sugar cookie recipe that works with them great. Thanks Rebekah. No sad faces after they came out of the oven. Don't you love seeing ruthie drooling over the candy & cookies.

^ The crafts: Sunshine paper plates & then paper sunglasses. White paper plates are so cheap & such a good starter for a craft. We will keep these in stock from now on! ^

A little foam crown I fancied up with plastic jewels. Then forgot to have Ruthie wear it for "happy birthday".

^ Made these circle/ribbon thingies... Found a sunflower calendar on clearance and cup the pages in circles, made 2 slits to weave the ribbon through it. A simple decor idea you could do with any size ribbon or circles. These yellow lanterns my sis found at dollar tree & I spiffed up with hanging ribbon from the bottom of it.

Not a super pic of it, but I made Ruthie's shirt. I printed a little sunshine on canvas with fabric backing. No sewing over here, so it is rigged up with fabric glue and a little hand stitching. One time wear shirt, but Ruthie loved her shunshine shirt.

^ Favors: lemon drops & candy stick.

^ This was a book that my sister Meg gave Ruthie for her bday. Quirky, cute little book-Ruthie is lovin' it.

the SUNSHINE PARTY PLAYLIST (you were prob wondering-right?)

Blue Sky: The Allman Brothers Band
Here Comes the Sun: The Beatles
Ain't No Sunshine: Bill Withers
Blue Skies Again: Jessica Lea Mayfield
Walking On Sunshine: Katrina & The Waves
Keep On the Sunny Side: The Low Anthem
Sunshine: Matt Costa
Sunday Sun: Neil Diamond
You Are My Sunshine: Ray Charles
A Place in the Sun: Stevie Wonder
You Are the Sunshine of My Life: Stevie Wonder
Island In the Sun: Weezer

I was so sad about saying goodbye to all this yellow after the party, I decided to paint our bathroom a bright happy yellow. Literally I started painting the Saturday afternoon after the party. Tim was a sport and went with it, no "crazy lady" comments.

wedding bliss

2011-03-02T14:24:00.000-06:00

How to order one of these:
1-Mail or drop by the invite
2-Let me know certain colors, flowers, bride's style preference, any watercolor invite you like from my blog
3-$25 for watercolor invite & $30 (with matte). This include gift wrap.
4-Tax & shipping not included. $5 to ship to bride.

you're my blue sky, you're my sunny day

2011-02-26T13:37:00.001-06:00

Having soooo much fun over here. Getting ready for Ruthie's 2nd birthday! A sunshine party. All this yellow is doing my soul good. I'll post pictures after we celebrate this ray of sunshine. She has no idea how much joy she brings to our family.

wal-mark

2011-02-17T22:09:00.002-06:00

i have a love/hate relationship with the wal-mark (someone's grandma calls it this-can't remember?). i feel i need to shop there because of the prices (don't do coupons very well). but i think it sucks a bit of life from me each time i'm there. but the other morning i went sans kiddos & i wandered into the jewelry section.

i have not shame buying shoes, clothing & accessories from wal-mart, may be my best chance of having something new. anyway, the jewelry was really fun & totally cheap. Here are some iphone pics of ones I liked-had self control & got only one.

feeling the love

2011-02-15T11:46:00.001-06:00

Henry displaying the valentines for his classmates! My friend Jennifer gave the me the choo-choo choose line-thanks!

Gigi (my mom) brought by our entertainment for the day-2 valentine balloons! Ruthie sporting her new vtine sunglasses.

conversation hearts

2011-02-14T14:50:00.002-06:00

Okay, here is a follow-up on this post. A Henry/Sarah review of the Williams Sonoma cookie cutters with letters.

We rolled them out. Okay, I used the Becky Crocker sugar cookie mix (didn't use the recipe suggested Williams Sonoma cookie recipe). I was out of flour (go figure) so we rolled the dough between 2 pieces of parchment paper (versus sprinkling flour on the roller & dough).

The letters were frustrating to slide in the cookie press part-think I worked up a sweat. Again since no flour to be located & no answer at 2 neighbor's houses. I sprayed the cookie cutter & letters with cooking spray. This worked pretty well. The directions suggested dipping the cutter into flour so not to stick to dough.

^ And everything was great UNTIL we pulled them out of the oven ^ If I wasn't on a sugar high, I may have cried. So after reading product review comments (of course after the fact). It is best if you use the recipe on the box, but I don't think they make very soft cookies-more of a shortbread cookie. BUT, it did work this way, stamping them AFTER they baked.

Okay, I did find a way that it worked for me & my Betty Crocker mix.....I used just the cookie cutter part & didn't not press down on the letter stamp & then bake the cookies as usual...Then after they come out and cool for a minute or so-THEN press the letter stamp into them. So when they are still a little soft and would allow for a stamp.

GENERAL SUGAR COOKIE TIPS (I'm pretending I'm knowing stuff here, literally I've only bake a few batches of fo real sugar cookies, but this is what I found):

-Make sure you soften the butter (don't liquify it)

-If batter is sticking to the rolling pin, flour it or sandwich it b/w 2 pieces of parchment

-Put batter in the fridge b/w batches

-So not to tear the unbaked cookies in the transfer...Roll the dough out on parchment paper, cut the cookies (leaving cooking space b/w each). Then remove the scraps. Then you have the cookies ready to bake on the parchment & move the sheet (with unbaked cookies) to the cookie sheet. You cook fewer cookies at a time this way, but it is worth it to me-not to tear the cookies.

my funny valentine

2011-02-14T10:54:00.002-06:00

love ya timmy. you are more than i deserve. i love that God picked you for me. He knew better what I needed. You balance me. I am thankful for you & that you love me even when i'm crazy & not easy to love.

i'm reminded lately of the fragility of life, 2 sweet women (Gena & Susan) had to say goodbye to their valetines this past week. See each day as an opportunity to love those put your life.

grammy highlight

2011-02-13T20:35:00.002-06:00

The Avett Brothers - Head Full Of Doubt/Road Full Of Promise

Goodness, they are cute! Watching the Grammy's and these boys, Mumford & Sons & the Bob Dylan segment were my fave. Love Bob Dylan-his voice is gone (maybe never was there). But sooo love him, for his lyrics alone.

your party pixie (and mine!)

2011-02-11T15:27:00.002-06:00

This post is completely overdue! Just wanted to do it right. One of my sweetest, closest friends-Sherry has started a party planning biz (like her logo =) & Sherry has done the cutest parties. She is so wonderful to work with (we worked together for 6 years at the Ramey agency) before we exited to stay home with our kiddos. Check out the rest of her party pics at her facebook page. You would have a ball planning your next party with her.

owl party

football party

book signing

shopping party

invites & such

2011-02-11T14:59:00.001-06:00

∆ This is a 1 year old's ball party. Shown: invite, envelope & favor label. ∆

∆ This is a 2 year old's car party. Shown: invite & envelope ∆

∆ Above is a groovy Jump Zone party. Shown: invite/envelope, thank-you notes/envelope & favor labels ∆

∆ For a 6 year old's shopping party. Shown: invite & thank-you note. ∆

∆ For a brother/sister roller skating party. Shown: invite & "logo" that this smart mama put on a backpack button as a favor. ∆

∆ For a toddler's construction party. Shown: invite & favor labels. ∆

∆ For a 4 year old's beach party. ∆

∆ For a 2 year old's owl party. Shown: invite & pennant banner. ∆

PRICING:

$1.50 per: 5x7 or 4x9 invites (20 minimum & pricing includes return address labels)

$1 per: 4.25x5.5 thank-you cards (20 minimum & pricing includes return address labels)

$15: 36 favor labels (2.75"x2.75")

$15: pennant banner

Invites are printed on 100 lb. heavy paper & use white envelopes. Return addresses are printed on labels.

allow 3 week turnaround

(so not for you last-minute gals)

Look here, to see if you like any of these watercolors icons. I can customize as well.

SORRY, I don't do Christmas cards =( I can do birth announcements &
I price these per project.

why am i so excited about this?

2011-02-09T14:09:00.001-06:00

Oh my! My heart started beating fast when I saw them. I went to our local Williams Sonoma & got them yesterday! Henry & I are making cookies as I type (waiting on butter to soften-I usually accidentally liquify it in the microwave). I'll post pics afterwards if they turn out. Yippeee.

farewell party for the mccaskills

2011-02-05T22:28:00.001-06:00

These were parting gifts for a bye-bye party for the mccaskill family. They moved to starkville to be with the bulldogs & of course needed a fancified cowbell that i'm sure brian wouldn't be caught dead toting to the ballgame. Be in touch if your cowbell needs to be fancified.

Made it with decoupage scrapbook paper & scrapbook lettering that came in a big fat pack of scrapbook paper.

This was a simple photo album from Target that I added some farewell quotes to. I jazzed up a bit with the ribbon down the spine. I cut down cardstock to 4x6 size & scalloped the top edge (with some of those scrapping scissors) & asked all at the party to write a memory or message to the mccaskills.

sweet, sweet fam. i will miss them. kristen is 100% authentic, comfortable in her own skin, not afraid to cry, being who God made her to be. love ya, sista.

wedding invites

2011-02-05T22:08:00.000-06:00

never gets old for me. love doing these. i find my inspiration from textiles, botanical prints, nature....anywhere i can get it.

ruthie's new do

2011-02-04T09:11:00.001-06:00

I've been at a loss what to do with Ruthie's hair, in a baby mullet paralysis. We don't do bows very well, I just feel like the sweet volunteers at the church nursery just have to keep up with it.

So we walked into the little kid-friendly barber shop near our house, & this sweet woman had a vision for Ruthie's hair! A bob! Yes, go for it. Although she was telling me something about blow drying it with a round brush & I was just nodding like I was going to do this with my 2-year old's hair even thought I don't do it for my own. Then she was telling me about this "bow training" process, you repeatedly return the bow to your child's hair each time she takes it out-even if it takes 20 times-she'll eventually give up taking it out. Goodness. I just don't think we will be doing bows.

making me smile

2011-01-26T21:20:00.004-06:00

I had some homeade cinnamon rolls recently & it reminded me of my sarah promise I made to try to learn to make these. A blog "friend" (not my actual friend) swears by this recipe.

photo credit: pioneer woman

And if you need some fun shake your booty music, my new fave. (My hip babysitter prob knew about them last year). The band is Vampire Weekend, my fave song has a not nice word in it, so I'm posting my second fave. It was in a commercial during the holidays. This music has gotten me thru Ruthie's spider monkey behavior due to bad ear ache/sinus infection these last couple days.

A beautiful movie I watched the other night, warning it will make you want to have a baby. Another warning: lot o' breast-feeding in it.