Candy Cane Bath Salts

I have long wanted to make this recipe, but I keep forgetting! If I post it here I can't not make it, so here is the recipe:

12-12oz canning jars with lids and rings

1-4lb cartons of Epsom Salts

4 lbs of sea salt or kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon of glycerin, divided

12-15 drops of red food coloring

12-15 drops of peppermint essential oil

Cardstock, Ribbons, etc., for decorating

Wash, rinse and dry jars. Empty one carton of Epsom Salts and add 3 cups of sea salt. Stir well. In a small dish Add 1/4 teaspoon of glycerin and 6-8 drops of peppermint oil and add red food color. Stir until blended. Mix with salt mixture until completely blended. A Kitchen-Aid works well for this on low speed. Don't use a hand mixer or small stand mixer. If you don't have a high powered mixer use a spoon and elbow grease! Set aside red salts. Mix remaining salts with remaining glycerin and peppermint oil using same method above. Holding canning jars at an angle, layer salts in the jar alternating the white and red mixtures.

Makes 12 gifts at less than $2 per jar! There are other ideas and recipes you can find similar to this here and here and here AND here! ENJOY!

Christmas Paper Piecing

Everyone is looking for ways to get more out of their supplies and save money too! I think paper piecing is a great way to do this! It's a great way to use paper you think you would never use AND it's a great way to use scraps too! I found this link to 30 paper piecing templates (free-you may have to register, but that's what your hotmail email address is for), and hopefully you can find one you will use!

The link is HERE!

Should Have Taken More Pictures!

I feel like I take TOO many photos. I go to scrapbook or make a simple photo greeting card and I never have the right photo. . . is it just me?!??! I took 58 pictures at the Fiesta of Lights Parade. I took 15 pictures of my kids on the fireplace and do you think I could make any of them look like they fit in these digital cards?!!?! I should always take MORE pictures!!!

Twigs in faces or distort the image?!?!?!

Mikensee at the parade, Kids in front of the fireplace?!?!?! Weird!

This is supposed to be a vertical photo. . . ridiculous tipped on it's side!!!

I give up! One of these will just have to do, but which one?!?!?

I'll just call it INSPIRATION

If you have 20 minutes and a tissue click below and read about

Stephanie Nielson

You'll be glad you did.

Organizing Christmas and a Funny

Seems like I forgot this project in my previous post. These have been around for a while. . . A file folder converted to a pocket holder. Planning pages are from Organized Christmas. . . I just converted them to green since I'm not a fan of black at Christmas!

So this morning while getting Walker ready for school he asks me,

"Mom, what will you grow into?" (I understand Walker speak and knew exactly what he was asking!)

"Well, Walker, when you grow up and have kids I will be a grandma!"

Walker thinks for a minute and says,

"I don't want you to grown into a grandma, I want you to stay my mom. . ."

"You are growing up, Walker. . . every day you are getting bigger. You can clearly see you are not a baby anymore."

There is a long pause and then he says, "I want you to come over to my house then. I'll bake you some cookies."

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{BIG HUG!}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}

Christmas Goodies and a Christmas Wish

Running out the door (again!) but I wanted to post a few Christmas goodies before Christmas is over and done for 2009! Thanks to the numerous artists who inspired these projects.

Perpetual Keeping Christmas Calendar

Gift Tag Gift Set

A Minty Kiss For You!

Key Chain Post-It Note (if your name starts with T, it may be for you!)

Christmas Cocoa for 4

Mini Milk Crate - MMMMMMMM Good!

Hope your holidays are the best and that you enjoy the true spirit of Christmas no matter what the circumstances in your life happen to be. Christ is alive and well and that is what Christmas is all about!

Ho Ho Radio to Make you Merry!

Too nice to have playing in the background while I work!

Try it!

Ho Ho Radio

Hope you are decking the halls and enjoying the season! Artwork soon!

EDIT!

It didn't work that way, so you'll have to go HERE and then CLICK Ho, Ho Radio!

UP TIME!

UP TIME VIDEO {click}

Here is the text!

If you see injustice, STAND UP
If something needs to be said, SPEAK UP
If you make an appointment, SHOW UP
If you make a mistake, FESS UP
If you’re overstepping, BACK UP
If you get behind, CATCH UP
If they knock you down, GET UP
If you’re out of line, STRAIGHTEN UP
When your boss instructs, KEEP UP
When your elders speak, LISTEN UP
When your teachers teach, SIT UP
When your preachers preach, WAKE UP
When your country calls, MAN UP
Ladies too... WOMAN UP
When the fight is over, MAKE UP
If you’re being hard, EASE UP
If your heart is closed, OPEN UP
If you want to buy something, SAVE UP--
It’s not an entitlement, so SHUT UP!
If you make a mess, CLEAN IT UP
If you drop trash, PICK IT UP
If a car is waiting for you to
walk across the street, SPEED IT UP
If you’re cold busted, GIVE IT UP
If people fall down, HELP THEM UP--
Not the government, YOU STEP UP
If idiots start fighting, BREAK IT UP
If the music is wholesome, TURN IT UP
If the message is poisonous, THROW IT UP
If your words are vulgar, CLAM IT UP
If your words encourage, KEEP IT UP
If your pants are baggy, PULL THEM UP
If the belt’s too loose, CINCH IT UP
If your fly is down, ZIP IT UP
If you’re dressed half naked, COVER IT UP
If you can’t afford stuff, PASS IT UP--
No “bailouts” folks, PONY UP
If you made a promise, you BACK IT UP
And you can take your whining and PACK IT UP
It’s called personal responsibility, so TAKE IT UP
This country was founded on it, you can LOOK IT UP
It’s the American way people, so TURN IT UP
Because when life gets boring, you SHAKE IT UP
When life is good, you SOAK IT UP
When life’s unfair, you SUCK IT UP
When life is funny, you can YUCK IT UP
When life is sad, just LOOK STRAIGHT UP
And life’s too short people, so LIVE IT UP!

A Thought For the Day

Everything is always okay in the end;

if it's not okay,

it's not the end.

. . . a little something . . . Not Available at the "O"

This is a little gift that isn't available at the "O". I don't know about you, but that Overstock.com commercial is already on my nerves! This isn't that incredible, but a little gift for a friend - I have yet to make any of my own cards, but this is 16 cards to get her off to a slightly less stressful Christmas season. Money is tight around here this year, so chances are if I can't/don't make it out of my "I'm not a hoarder" stash, it won't be given.

If you would like to make a card gift box of your own, there is a very simple formula. Measure the length (L) and height (H) of your card. Measure the thickness (T) of your card pile. L + T + T and the H + T + T and cut one piece of cardstock to this measurement. For the top use the same formula adding 1/4 - 1/2 inch or L + T + T+ 1/4", cut. Now score both pieces at the THICKNESS measurement on all 4 sides. Cut one score line from each corner and for a nice flush edge cut a "V" from the cut score line. Glue tabs inside. For a standard 4 1/4 X 5 1/2 card with my pile of cards and envelopes meausring 2 1/4" I cut the bottom at 9 X 10 1/2" and 9 1/4" X 10 3/4". I scored on all sides at 2 1/4".

O, O, O. . . we'll let's just change that to HO, HO, HO and HOpe you are building up to a wonderful Christmas season with your family and those that are important to you!

Happy Halloween

I like Halloween. I'm not a Halloween junky like my friend Paula, but I like the cutsie side of Halloween. . . I'm sort of like the "Good Things" side of the Martha Stewart Halloween Issue. I think the "Bad Thing" side is fun to look at, but just not my style. Here are some Halloween treats from my recent Halloween themed classes. I know it's a bit late for Halloween, but most of these could be easily adapted to Thanksgiving or Christmas (or even Easter, the 4th and anything in between!) I made my very first computer template for the pumpkin box. I'm not tech savvy enough yet to know how to post a link for you here, but if you really want it, you can email me and I will send it to you. It worked for the class so I guess it's okay! I was able to print 2 to a sheet of 8.5 X 11 CS so it works for me! I made extras for my kids' teachers and they really liked them. The sisters that I visit teach enjoyed the goodie bags (along with my mom) and I gave the hats to a couple of friend's of mine for a little treat. If you'd like to see photos of my kids at the ward Fall Festival (translate Halloween Party) last night, pop on over to myMoments in Time Blog

we had a great time and my boys won Cutest Costume (again!) They have won the costume contest no matter where we have been every year of their lives!

Anyway you spend it; ghoulish or cute, have a very Happy and SAFE Halloween!

Long Time, No Time!!!

Thank YOU for Hanging In Here!!!

I have no time, but I'm making a quick post to share a couple of things. We are moving, I'm in school, still selling real estate full time and still managing a small bit of time of my creative endeavors! I have many stacked up, backed up projects just waiting to be posted, and they will post. . . E-V-E-N-T-U-A-L-L-Y!!!

Here are some fun creative photo projects I found today and if you are looking for some inspiriation and creative ways to decorate your home with loved family photos, click here

Creative Home Photo Decor

Also September is National Stamping Month and Close To My Heart is offering another fabulous promotion!

Click Here to See the EXCLUSIVE CARD KIT AND STAMP SET that is yours free this month for purchasing $60 in stamp sets

I have the new catty set for release September 1st! Combine purchases totalling $100 this month or next and receive the exclusive Stamp of the Month. . . also FREE!!! That's $62.90 in free product for spending $100 on the paper and stamps you already love!

This is the Summer Kids Cooking Class Cookbook I made for all of my students. . .nothing too spectacular, but the recipes inside are just YUMMY and the class was a blast. . . The younger set really enjoyed learning to make some recipes all on their own and the older girls had a blast making everything from Eggs Benedict to Animae Pasta Salad! Hoping to do it again next summer!

Repeat After Me. . . I Am NOT a Hoarder!

One of the things I've always said about my neatly organized, stuffed to the brim craft room (choke, gasp, cough, laugh), is that it is full of wonderful things that I can make and give and I don't have to go the store and buy something. . .  It's so much thriftier, isn't it?   It's not my fault that  clearance and dollar bins at Target, Michaels, JoAnn's,  Wal-Mart . . . are just brimming with bargains screaming take me home and make the most adorably cute gift out of me!!!   Most people would call this insane shopping hoarding, but I know my fellow craft sisters understand.   And you can never, never, never have too many flowers, ribbons, buttons, brads, papers, adhesives, stickers. . . you can just fill in the dot, dot, dots.    Here is a case in point;  I picked up several packages of gerber "whities" on clearance a while back. I knew that someday they would come in handy.    Here are the baby gifts that came out of them!  I didn't have to buy a thing and better yet, not even a ding in my stash was made! And no, you can not have the 2nd duplicate jar of flowers I just bought because I know I'm going to run out of the first two and then what?  LOL!!!

Onsie, Burp Cloth, Socks & Headbands.

The headbands are bought in the hair care section and are for older girls, 

but if they are new they fit perfectly on a baby's adorable head!

(These were also in my stash!)

I Just Thought You Should Know. . .

that Wyatt and Walker had an adventure today while they were under the ocean surfing. First Wyatt was grabbed up by a giant octopus who was going to squeeze him really hard. This was the gigantic king of the octopuses, but then Wyatt remembered that if he fed him people food he would become his friend. Just then Walker was about to be eaten by a shark so he whipped out a can of whale chicken and the shark gave him a ride around in the ocean so they could see the other sea creatures and defeat the evil sea monster. . .

And now back to our regularly scheduled programming!

I received an award! Not once, but twice! Thank you Kelly and Sharli! You are both awesome and two of the most lemonade making people I know!


The Lemonade Stand Award
Rules for this Award:
*Comment on this blog
*Cut and Paste this award logo and use it on your own blog
*Nominate a blog you feel worthy of the award
*Link to your nominee within your blog post
*Comment on their blog to let them know they have received the award
*Link back to the person who gave you the award to show your appreciation!

While there are many, many worthwhile bloggers, my award goes to Lois! Lois you are definitely worthy of a lemonade stand. You inspire me with your generosity, creativity, love of family and friends, as well as just plain kindness. Enjoy your award my friend!

Come Hungry, Leave Hungrier

You know I would feed you if I could, but since I'm not smart enough to develop Smell-O-Vision or Taste-O-Vision, you'll leave hungrier than you came. . . at least for food! Hopefully the tasty art will satisfy one part of your hungry soul. Please enjoy! I know we did!!!

February Recipe Club. . . Cards designed, typeset and made by me. . .

 recipes shared from class members.

Now Appearing in their "Natural" Habitat. . .

WalkerThe Entire Zoo - Mikensee, Jessica, Walker on the Left, Wyatt on the Right
My little Monkeys - Walker on the Left, Wyatt on the right

Jessica (still showing her stipes!)

The Lioness - Mikensee

I guess my kids didn't think my Mother's Day Joke was too funny, 

so I'm trying to make it up to them.  I guess posting the pictures with 

their eyes crossed wouldn't help, so I chose these. 

I'm very lucky to be the mom to such a wild bunch!

The 4 Reasons I Get To Celebrate Mother's Day

Walker - a bit shy, very creative, awfully moody and yet so adorable!

Jessia, a real one-of-a-kind. . . She is not afraid to show her stripes!

Mikensee, The Lioness of our Jungle, Proud, Fiercely Loyal, Beautiful inside and out!

Wyatt - My real joy boy, unique, playful and proud to be him

(These are actually photos I took of the "kids" at a recent trip to the zoo.  

Shhhhh. . . don't tell them I showed you their "real" faces!!!)