Altered Compostion Book - Where I'll record my crafty ideas!

I was staring at this black and white composition book for weeks, not knowing how I wanted to cover it. I finally decided anything would be better than the boring black & white stripes that were dizzying if I looked at them for longer than 1/2 a second. So, I picked out some patterned paper from Stampin' Up that I've been hoarding forever...I used my Base Camp Cricut cartridge to cut out the letters, and then used mod podge to adhere it all to the cover. Of course I had to finish it off with a ribbon and flowers. :) Flowers...my all-time favorite embelli.

I'm not totally happy with the look of the letters. I think I might re-do it with the yellow-ish colored cardstock. The patterned paper of the letters just isn't pleasing to me...I dunno...what do you think??

Leave a little comment...Don't be shy!

So, I've noticed that while I have 11 "official" followers on my blog (can you see me jumping up and down with joy!), and several other people that I know visit here regularly, I'm not getting many comments. Can I just tell you that I absolutely LOVE comments? Seriously, they make my day!!!! I also get super excited when I get new followers!!! I often look back at old posts so if you see something you like from ages ago, go ahead and leave a comment on that post. I'll see it, I promise! I'm wondering if perhaps you're just not sure what to say? Well, I'm make it easy for you today.

You can simply leave a comment telling me:

1) how you found my blog?
2) What you like best about my blog
3) What keeps you coming back here?
4) What you wish I would post more of?

And again, if you're reading this several weeks from now, you can still comment! The answers to these questions will help me in deciding what to write about!

Thanks for leaving a comment and making my day!!!! :)

Super Simple Greek Salad

This is the easiest, yummiest summer salad!

1 red onion

2 green bell peppers

2 roma tomatoes

1 cucumber

1 can of medium pitted black olives

Feta cheese

Greek dressing (I use Girard's)

Chop veggies, and add to bowl. Toss with Greek dressing. Sprinkle with feta cheese. Enjoy!

I make this in fairly big batches, chopping all the veggies and storing in the fridge (undressed, don't worry, it's dark in there, no one else will see the naked veggies!). Then I dish out in smaller servings as needed and toss with dressing and feta.

This recipe can be served alone as a meal in and of itself; as a side dish for steak or chicken; added to a bed of romaine; or added to pasta for an instant pasta salad.

I love the ease, simplicity and versatility of this recipe so I just had to share it!

Flower Prints

I was inspired by this post and knew exactly what I was going to do with some flowers we had that were beyond their prime. I realized in writing this post, that The Artful Parent used watercolors for the prints. We used acrylic paint. I let Taylor use my acrylics a while ago to make a gift (which I haven't posted yet because the recipient hasn't recieved it yet!) and she always wants to use my acrylics now. So, that's what we used. The pictures show the process. She made some really great prints and I plan to make notecards out of them.

Another T-Shirt Dress

I got these T-shirts on a trip to the Goodwill last week. All of their children's clothes were on sale for 99 cents! I bought several big T-Shirts and this is the first of many dresses that I'll be making with them. I used the Lil Blue Boo pattern again and this time I added the ruffle option. Tip: I had some issues with the gathering stitch. Being a beginner sewer I've never made a ruffle or used a gathering stitch. I consulted with Ashley and she gave the essential tip that I needed to start and end my thread long enough that I wouldn't lose the thread when I pulled the other end to gather it. That solved my problem! That Ashley sure knows what she's doing! I love the look of the ruffle!


You can't see the detail of the bird very well, but it's a silver and glittery. I left this one as a halter but the back hangs to low/wide on my long and lean girl so I'll be turning this one into a tie-back just like the other one I made. If I can get my girl to stand still long enough, I'll post some pics of her wearing it!

The Scrapbooking Aftermath...

This is why I don't scrapbook more often...ahhh the mess.

Fortunately I've cleaned up most of it, but my desk is still pretty messy and cluttered.

Are you messy when you're crafting?

Altered Coaster Mini Album

Remember I said I was scrapbooking on Saturday? Well, here's what I made. I bought a pack of 20 cardboard coasters from Michael's for $1. Using patterned paper, fabric and paper flowers, brads, rhinestones, ribbons and acrylic paint, I altered the coasters and created this mini-album.
Here's the inside of the album:



This was one of our first family photos. Taylor was only about 3 days old in that picture. I know, amazing that she's got that adorable grin on her tiny little face!





I love that pic of her with the sunglasses on her head. That was taken Christmas day and she looks like such a little diva. The joy on her face in the other pic is because she's at her friend's birthday party and they were singing Happy Birthday. And of course, after you sing Happy Birthday, you get cupcakes!!!

A pic from a trip to the beach this summer.

My new favorite family photo. Taken on a hike in Orange County the same weekend we went to the beach.
Pics taken on that same hike. I absolutely love these pics. They totally capture her personality right now!

I love that I can add to this album. I still have lots of coasters and the random colors don't box me in. The rings are plenty big and can accomodate a lot more pages.