Apostrophy Designs

Nesting Series Over at Delia Creates

2012-01-31T20:04:00.005-07:00

I did some sewing this weekend and I love how things turned out...

Here's Bergen's half...

Of course she wore it to church, but we were late, then I came home early with Dylan, we both napped, by the time I woke up Bergs she had stripped down and wouldn't put it on for a picture.

Anyone else ever has those days?

Anywho, for Dylan...

I posted her cute little number, with a tutorial over at Delia Creates.

Delia is about to have a baby girl and so she is celebrating with this sweet little 'Nesting Series' and can I say there couldn't be a more stylish pregnant lady, I'm sure her little one will be just as stylish!

Going "Live"

2012-01-22T18:31:00.003-07:00

My cute little etsy shop and I parted ways this week... I had been toying with the idea for awhile but the split came abrupt and left me sorta heart broken. (A word to the wise, don't make etsy mad!)

I will always be apostrophy and still be involved with local boutiques, just not online for awhile. I'm thinking of making my own site to sell stuff, but we'll see.

In the meantime I am launching a website, Sassy Steals, and have been really excited about it for months!

Sassy Steals is a Boutique & Handmade Deal Website paired up with a Weekly Friday Giveaway (because I love Giveaways!)...who doesn't love both of these things??

I've met a lot of crafty friends over the years and I'm excited to team of with some of them and bring their creations to you.

The site goes "live" tomorrow and I hope you'll stop by and support me and these awesome artisans that I've teamed up with!!

P.S. Go ahead and "Like" Sassy Steals and Follow us on Twitter.

Pregnancy, Nesting, Healing & a Blessing {Final Chapter}

2012-01-11T23:23:00.003-07:00

My Mom was an amazing women and talented to boot. She whipped out the most amazing blessing dresses for each of the granddaughters born in my family.

A few months after her passing the realization hit that there are only two dresses left and I have two brothers who have yet to have girls, seems only fair they should get dresses right?

I decided that I would just be ok with the fact that Dylan could be blessed in the same dress as Bergs and so on down our little family line...

Until one day I found a half finished dressed, I teared up at the thought that I could finish something beautiful that my mom had started (it was usually the other way around). And so the nesting began.

I crocheted for hours at a time and days before Dylan was due turned into weeks after she was here!

I cried trying to teach myself the pattern and spent a great deal of my time in this labor of love, but as of last Friday, the dress was done. I cried as I tied the finishing ribbons on the dress, for when I started it I didn't think I could finish it, I thought the dress would defeat me.

Isn't she sweet?? Her dad blessed her that she will have a 'zest' for life, I'm pretty sure she's got that nailed at 3 months! ha ha

I spent a greater part of the last year feeling defeated by life. But this year will be different, I am enjoying Motherhood to its finest and pursuing many creative endeavors

[[ which I hope to share soon! ]]

I'm back and I'm happy, what more could you want??

Dylan's Birth Announcement

2012-01-11T23:08:00.001-07:00

So our Christmas card sucked this year -- ha ha, but I'm really proud of how this turned out.

Thanks for the idea Pinterest!

Friends

2011-11-17T18:35:00.001-07:00

Thankful for friends and sweet surprises sent in the mail...

Brown Beverages

2011-11-16T17:59:00.001-07:00

I am definitely thankful for this... The bigger, the better!!

Smiles

2011-11-15T11:49:00.001-07:00

Thankful for smiles and sweet noises, makes not sleeping totally worth it!

Warmth

2011-11-15T11:46:00.001-07:00

I dislike the cold but I am thankful for jackets, blankets and sweat pants!!

Birthday Boy

2011-11-15T11:44:00.001-07:00

I am behind in posting this but I am thankful for this birthday boy/husband/daddio.... He's the best ever!!!

Music

2011-11-11T15:56:00.001-07:00

Thankful for the music and dance partners who go with it !

Creative Outlet

2011-11-08T22:22:00.001-07:00

Even if I kill myself in the process (burns, smashed fingers, and all!)

My Dad

2011-11-08T13:47:00.001-07:00

Such a good, patient, loving guy!

One Month

2011-11-06T20:30:00.002-07:00

Can't believe it's been one month already! Love our little sister lots and lots!

Being A Mom

2011-11-04T13:42:00.001-06:00

To these two lovelies...

Great Grandma

2011-11-03T16:19:00.001-06:00

My mom's mom... 94 years old!

Jeggings

2011-11-02T17:53:00.001-06:00

{the baby in them is cute too!}

Thankful for

2011-11-02T17:51:00.001-06:00

Since I am a bad blogger but great picture taker I thought I would post pictures in November of what I am thankful for... With little or no words FOR A WHOLE MONTH!...

Don's Photos: Seattle Edition

2011-10-16T17:12:00.000-06:00

Sorry it has taken me forever to finish blogging the rest of our pictures from our trip to Seattle, we had forgotten a normal camera and so we used Don's phone to take a lot of the pictures.

And then his phone got ran over by a golf cart...eek!

So after much anticipation, here's to playing catch-up when I should be sleeping!

Happy Due Date + One Week

2011-10-13T16:41:00.000-06:00

Remember how for a year we watched my Bergaboo grow??

Well I was excited today to take Dylan's first ever, 'watch her grow' picture!!

And of course, not much gets by BIG SISTER without her wanting to join in on the fun!!

Also, today was technically my due date, so Happy Due Date little sis, we love you lots!!

Baby, Oh Baby

2011-10-08T21:48:00.001-06:00

So excited to show off our newest addition, Dylan Joyce.

We named her after my Mom, and it couldn't be more fitting! She was born with thick brown hair, just like Grandma Joyce had.

We are slowly adjusting to life, but couldn't be more in LOVE...

Can I also mention that Bergen is one heck of a big sister?

She has started naming all of her baby dolls DYLAN, too.

TWIG Winners!!

2011-10-05T22:03:00.001-06:00

The winner of the necklace is... JAIME!

and the winner of the earrings is ALISON!

CONGRATS YOU TWO!

I will be contacting you both real soon to get mailing addresses, in the mean time I WILL BE HAVING A BABY...

Be back REEEEEAL soon!!

{This is for LINDS who said I needed to post more pregnant pictures!}

TWIG Creative GIVEAWAY!

2011-09-29T08:00:00.000-06:00

While at the Oh Sweet Sadie Boutique I was lucky enough to have one of the most clever, creative and talented neighbors, TWIG Creative.

I must admit I first saw them at Crafty Lake City and I've had a crush on their stuff ever since!!

I mean look at these wonderfully crafted Nest Chairs...

Their Wooden Cameras and anaPADS... and their colorful unique jewelry... I love everything they make!

And NOW YOU CAN TOO!

TWIG is offering to giveaway and necklace to one lucky person and a pair of earrings to another lucky person, 2 WINNERS, YAH!

Simply leave a me comment on this post telling me what you like most about TWIG.

I will pick the TWO WINNERS next Thursday!

P.S. If you are an impatient person like I am and can't wait to see if you WIN, you can head on over to their shop for the 3/5 SALE.

Gifts For Chicka

2011-09-27T23:04:00.000-06:00

I have been exhausted lately, sheesh you'd think I was like ginormously pregnant or something...

Bergen is quite enthralled with my belly and Chicka and kept bringing her presents tonight as I caught up on TiVo.

According to Bergs, Chicka just needs books, blankets and shoes to survive... man I hope this parenting thing is that easy this time around!

43rd

2011-09-20T23:44:00.004-06:00

Today my Mom and Dad would've been married for 43 years.

I am still in awe of how gorgeous my Mom was and how young and handsome my Dad was.

I can't help but think of a fun Girl's trip we took for their 40th Anniversary to Las Vegas to see Donnie and Marie {I know, it's a Utah-Mormon thing}.

But we had a lot of fun!!

I am thankful for lots of fun memories with my Mom and my family. She was a great example to me in so many ways and taught me a lot of life lessons. I am also so thankful for the knowledge that we can be forever a family.

Baby Sister, Chiiiiiiicka

2011-09-19T21:46:00.001-06:00

We are getting close [t-minus 3 weeks] and ready for this new baby girl of ours to arrive.

However, sometimes my doctor says he will induce me a week early [as was the case with Bergs] and then the next I am looking great to go right to my due date....

I think it's the waiting game that gets to you the most, especially when I didn't really contract much with Bergs so every little thing is like "oh" and then its nothing really...

I am not meaning to complain by any means because I am really grateful to be FULL with CHILD, I think for those of you that know me really well can attest to the fact that I just REALLY cannot be kept waiting...

We took these pictures the other day and I love them for a couple reasons...

1- You can't see my swollen face... ha ha!

2- Bergen looks so grown up in these pictures and really she has grown up these last few weeks...

3- The last picture is Bergen half way through saying Baby Chiicka, which is the name she calls her baby sister.

3a- Speaking of names, we are out of luck and looking for a name, so if you have any ideas shoot them our way...

Oh how I love her, just like I will love this new baby [nameless/CHICKA] girl of ours!

apostrophy designs over @ Very Jane

2011-09-17T17:52:00.002-06:00

This weekend my measuring tape watches are a featured deal over at veryjane.com, so snag one while you can!!

P.S. Have you ever used or visited Very Jane before? They have several awesome deals a day. You can even sign up and receive daily e-mails showing you the ongoing deals.

I have bought several deals from it and love using it. In fact I may be purchasing that Crochet pattern!

Bergalicious: As of Late

2011-09-15T13:30:00.001-06:00

I bought Bergen an Aggie 'Game Day' shirt the other day and for days she talked about Aggie State and going to the game.

I don't know if she even remembers Aggistate games from last year, but thankfully her dad didn't mind her tagging along with him to the first Aggie home football game last Saturday.

They won and it didn't rain,so it was a major plus'...wish I would've been there but I was down at Oh Sweet Sadie! (which was delightful, I will post on that later!)

Also Bergalicious started dancing yesterday...

I was a little bit nervous, but she was just fine...

In fact she loved it, I shouldn't have expected anything less!!

Her favorite part is that she is taking it with her bestest cousin Bella!

{Aren't the matching outfits cute too??}

Imperfect Pleated Pillow @ See Kate Sew

2011-09-12T12:50:00.000-06:00

**I'm hugely pregnant and like to sit on the couch and eat ice cream instead of sewing!! Eek, so I thought I would share the pillow I made and shared over at See Kate Sew for her Pleat Weeks!

When Kate first asked me to be apart of Pleat Weeks, I was nervous because when I think of pleats I think of crisp and perfection. I know I am not always the perfect seamstress so I decided to use the imperfection to my advantage and I sewed up an Imperfect Pleated Pillow.

To start, you will need roughly 2 yards of fabric in contrasting colors.

Cut them into 3 inch strips (leaving enough fabric to line your pillow). I first cut a half a yard of each, but then had to cut 2 more 3" strips. So if you cut 8 strips of each color you should be safe to cover a pillow that is roughly 17"x17".

Sew the same color strips into one long strip and then sew the two colors together with right sides facing. (I used a 3/8" seam allowance).

Press the hem open. Then fold the strips in half with right sides facing outward.

This step can take awhile but the pleats look better the more you are willing to iron the strips.

Start laying the strips across your pillow and pin the pleats as you go.

I love this part because like I mentioned above you do not need to worry about your pleats being even or being perfectly aligned. (see PINK PILLOW below for a variation on the pleats)

Once you have laid out all of your pleats you can then go ahead and sew the pleats on row by row, and overlap them to hide the exposed fabric and stitching.

And because I have a thing for pillows and switching them out often, I chose to make the pillow into a pillow slip cover using the lime fabric on the back.

I loved this pillow so much I made one for my daughters bed (I had a lot of fun mixing up the pleats on this one).

To see the rest of the Pleat Projects, GO HERE.

Pregnancy, Healing & Nesting -- Part ONE

2011-09-06T13:16:00.000-06:00

I'll never forget this last Valentines Day. No, it wasn't because my husband was super romantic {which he is, don't let me ever tell you different } but I found out I was pregnant.

Now, let's back up to the end of November... We had thought long and hard about our insurance and our options for the upcoming year. I never was gung-ho about having my children all super close, because I have four fabulous sister's and we aren't that close in age and are still best friends. So after a lot of talking we decided to go the cheaper route and up our deductible and wait until the following year for a baby.

Whoops.

I, a little shocked, and also pretty excited...ditto for Adam Don. After waiting almost a year for our Bergen Jo, I couldn't believe that a little baby somehow could sneak it's way into our lives.

After my Mom passed away, everything made sense. This baby was not an accident but apart of something bigger than the here and now. She was my miracle baby.

She is my bit of sunshine through this rough time. Every time I get down and discouraged a swift kick to the ribs or tap dance on my bladder reminds me of the happiness that can still be found in life.

{There is a lot of rib kicking these days}

Ca$h Money

2011-08-30T21:52:00.000-06:00

I have been staying up late working on projects as long as I can remember and to date, this has by far been my favorite late night project...

We stayed up late putting together this awesome tattoo for Adam's work party, where they committed him to sitting on the dunk tank.

{It's also been a running joke that he had a huge dollar sign tattoo on his back, we used this temporaty tattoo solution + contact paper}

I-h-a-v-e-n-e-v-e-r-l-a-u-g-h-e-d-s-o-h-a-r-d...EVER!

Is it possible that after six years of marriage, this guy still surprises me??

So Long Sweet Summer

2011-08-29T11:22:00.002-06:00

I found these pictures the other night and they kinda sorta broke my heart because Summer is over.

The pregnant me is thankful because the heat is deadly, but I love the long Summer days and I will miss my kids!

Bergen is currently my only child but I babysit {in the Summer} 10-12 kids, and so today that number has dwindled and I'm a bit BORED.

But maybe, just maybe, I can get caught up on some projects and share some fun baby tutorials I am working on.

But first I need a snow cone, because you know, they won't be around much longer and I've had about 500 of those this Summer.

The Maternity Pumpkin

2011-08-26T22:23:00.002-06:00

Don't know if you have anything fun planned this weekend, but we have been gearing up for one heck of a Garage Sale.

I mean just look at the gem I found...

Who knew this lovely pumpkin costume would also double as Maternity??

Too bad I'll have {hopefully} this baby by then...plus, I'm not gonna lie it was kinda hard to get off.

Have a ginormous-ly fun filled weekend!

The Cover

2011-08-24T23:39:00.001-06:00

As part of my nesting, aka mad dash to get things done before Baby CHICKA comes, I made a carseat cover.

I know these aren't NEW TO THE SCENE...I just didn't get around to finishing Bergen's cover until the time she could reach up and grab it...the sure sign that she didn't really need one anymore.

So as proof to getting things done in an orderly fashion this time around I wanted to show off my finished product...

Plus I really looove the fabric!!!

I made the cover using a yard of two fabrics and sewing them together {36" x 42"} with rounded corners.

I really loved this stripey ribbon I had laying around and so I sewed to strips (18") long midway to tie the cover onto the seat.

Seems like I've been wondering where time has gone a lot lately, just look at Bergen at 1 month compared to now at about 2 1/2 yr.

P.S. She hasn't left the car seat alone since I got it out to wash it...anyone else thinking I'm gonna have my hands FULL???!!!

{P.S. Ignore the mismatch PJ's, this pregnant lady is behind on her laundry....don't judge.}

Guest Posting Over @ See Kate Sew

2011-08-23T11:06:00.002-06:00

It's been Pleat Weeks over at See Kate Sew and I'm excited to share with you my Pleated Project.

{I saw on Pinterest and couldn't remember where I found it...but thanks to a reader I found out it's from West Elm...!!}

So head on over and see my tutorial for an Imperfect Pleated Pillow!

Here's a sneak peek...

The Closet

2011-08-22T00:08:00.002-06:00

Sorry for the lack of tutorials and blogging in general...

We are busily preparing for baby #2 and I'm proud to show off one of our biggest accomplishments...

THE CLOSET!

Since we live in a very cozy 2 bedroom house, it has been noted that our girls will share a room. This will leave no room for a dresser. Boo, so so many clothes.

So my handy Donnie built shelves to hopefully help fix the dilemma of where to put all of our the girl stuff, x2.

I will admit I am so excited with out it has turned out {and functioned} thus far!

I COULD NOT HAVE done it without the help of my talented and very organized sister in law, who found all the bins and basically organized everything.

NOW I JUST NEED AMY TO VISIT MY CRAFT CLOSET!

**The vinyl labels say "Toys" on the blueish bins and "Bergen" on the white ones for her clothes, baby #2 will get her name on the other 6 bins once it has be determined!**

{P.S. The cute Creer Family could use a few prayers and good vibes their way}

To be continued...

Craft Lake City 2011

2011-08-15T23:15:00.001-06:00

Craft Lake City came and went and I had a fabulous time with my sister-in-law, Ashley!! It's always a blast to have such good company (especially someone who shares my love of snowcones).

This was one of the few shows I've done outside of my happy little valley and it was fun to run into some old friends as well as make some new ones.

I think if they'll have me, there's a good chance I'll be back again next year...

We, We So Excited

2011-08-03T21:57:00.001-06:00

I am out of town for a work conference and I miss my Don and Bergs...apparently I'm not used to getting a good nights sleep if I'm not woken up by a toddler once or twice!

Anyways I have some other exciting events coming up to share...

I am really excited to be apart of Craft Lake City...there are so many crafters there that I look up to, so it will be fun to see (and if I'm brave enought MEET) some of them!!

Plus I am sharing a booth with my cute SIL, Ash...so what more could I want?

Do you remember the talented and Oh, so lovely Kate over at See Kate Sew? I swooned over her ruffle weeks and I am stoked to be apart of her Pleat Weeks.

Catch me over there near the end of August (per usual I will keep you posted on when it happens)...

And lastly, one last horray before the baby...I will be apart of Oh Sweet Sadie the first of Sepetember...

Again, I am in awe and so excited to be among such talented crafters.

Another one of my cute SIL's, Jill will be there too! Yah for crafty family members!

Once I have completed ALL OF THE ABOVE I will have a baby...ha ha, wishful thinking! :)

SYTYC Upcycle - Pinkalicious Chandelier {TUTORIAL}

2011-08-01T09:13:00.001-06:00

{I am finally getting around to posting this due to the troubling time I had and my reason for leaving SYTYC...but here it is a few months later! :)}

I typically love sewing projects and found myself stumped for the Upcycled Challenge, so I decided to come up with a craft for my sewing table.

I took a drab, old, and dingy flower basket and turned it into a Pinkalicious Chandelier!

Not only did this turn out to be stunning and elegant, it is actually functional!

Can't wait to start sewing up some PRETTY things to match my new lighting fixture!

TUTORIAL

I bought about 10 bags of mardi gras beads from the dollars store. I used some floral wire I had on hand to wire the beads to the hanging basket holder in three places.

I attached the top level first and then the second before hanging it from the ceiling to attach the underneath.

After that I spray painted it like crazy. I have to admit this was the challenging part because I thought I was done and then a hint of gold or silver would appear.

Be patient, paint lots.

Overall I really love the chandelier and how perfectly it fits in with my cute [super} little sewing space!

Read more about my SYTYC Projects HERE.

Chicka Takes Seattle

2011-07-29T00:24:00.005-06:00

Oh the places you will go one day, my little Chicka...

Just thought I'd share with you some of the places you have already been {around the Seattle area}

{Lots of boats and a beautiful sunset on the dock here}

{Went to Dad's friend, Ken's wedding here}

{Threw rocks into the lake per Aunt Leslie's recommendation here}

{Dad wants to golf here some day}

{Enjoyed / Spilled delicious ice cream here}

{Enjoyed beautiful scenery and ugly fishies here}

And many other places, these are only the ones I remembered to take pictures at.

And for good measure a picture of your parents...

{Here's to hoping you think we're cool one day}

Vacation {All I Ever Wanted}

2011-07-26T13:08:00.002-06:00

Well it appears I disappeared...

I have a good reason, one of our good friends got married in Seattle last week and so we got our vacation on...

Seattle spoiled me so much that I'm having a tough time getting back into the swing of things!

Be back with more pictures, soon.

Backyard Water Pinatas

2011-07-18T18:15:00.005-06:00

Grocery bags that double as Water Pinatas?

A little bit of white trash, a lotta bit of F-U-N!!

I actually heard this idea from a lady in my neighbor who had a Grandma Camp (totally cool idea of it's own) and they did these pinatas that her Grandkids loved.

Since I babysit on a regular basis and our budget is usually, well cheap...I thought we would try these out...

Gather up your grocery bags, I even had my sister's send some from their houses up with their kids...

And they sort them holes, no holes...

The ones with no holes can be doubled-up, filled with water, and then tied up, ready to be hit.

The ones with smaller holes can be layered a few more times and done the same as above. Sometime these ones will leak but the kids loved running underneath them.

We first tried to hit them with a bat, but it failed!! So then I let the kids use a tennis racket and the water and bags came trickling down.

We had a ton of bags, and the excitement lasted for hours.

Near the end my we were joking about this being 'white trash' pinatas...either way we were having a lot of fun.

I even hit a few!

Here are some of my favorite faces...

**When we were done with our grocery bags, we laid them in the sun to dry and then threw them into the recycling bin.**

One Month To Win It {Re-Cap + Your Projects}

2011-07-15T11:00:00.003-06:00

I still can't believe I won the competition over at One Month To Win It!!

After I dropped out of SYTYC, I felt like something was still missing... I had followed OMTWI for awhile and felt like maybe I should give it a try, and am so glad I did!

**If you are debating whether to particpate in anything like this, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND YOU DO, I loved having the themes and the competition...every Monday was like Christmas morning....

Here's a re-cap of my projects...

Week 1 BURLAP -- Chevron Ombray Bag & Clutch

Week 2 FRAMES - Picture This Pillows

Week 3 KIDS CRAFT -- Toothbrush Bracelets

Week 4 BEACH BASH -- Beach Towel Rompers

It's been fun to see people who have used the tutorials and created projects of their own..

Ashley @ Cute As A Fox made these two darling Beach Towel Rompers usings cute towels from Target.....

{swooon for Target, I love that place!}

These turned out super cute and look just perfect on her cute little models!

and then my SIL Katie made some toothbrush bracelets with her kids and some of their friends, so much fun!!

**If you have any projects you had tried, I'd LOVE TO SEE THEM!! Shoot me an e-mail at apostrophydesign{at}gmail.com**

Have a good weekend!! :)

The Perfect Corner Baby Blanket {Tutorial}

2011-07-13T22:17:00.001-06:00

I am a mere week away from my last trimester and I FEEL SO UNPREPARED! Whoa is me, pregnant lady...

The nice thing about having another girl, is that I already have a lot of baby girl stuff, however Bergen tends to think all of her blankets are her blankets... so I whipped out a few more of these Perfect Corner Blankets I shared over at Made in Monday with Jill.

I thought I would repost and share this tutorial on my blog as well...

Literally if you have never made these before you will love them, such a quick project that is perfect for baby gifts or for yourself once you start nesting!!

I feel so honored to be guest posting over on Made it on Monday with the fabulous Jill!

I have been trying to think of a tutorial that would fit in with Jill's blog and be fun. Since I will have babies on the brain until October, I thought I would combine everything with a cute and easy baby blanket.

I call this blanket the Perfect Corner Blanket and it is my go to baby present or baby essential.

Step 1 -- Start out with a square piece that is 46" (BROWN) or 1 1/4 yard.

Step 2 -- Cut another square piece that is 36" (PINK) or 1 yard.

Step 3 -- With right sides facing each other, center PINK over BROWN and pin. Start 1/4" away from the edge and sew along the side leaving another 1/4" from the end.

Step 4 -- Repeat Step 3, with the opposite side. And then the remaining sides **REMEMBER TO LEAVE A 4"-5"OPENING IN THE LAST SIDE TO ALLOW FOR FLIPPING THE BLANKET INSIDE OUT.

Step 5 -- You will have excess material in the corner's, so start with one corner and fold it to a point.

Step 6 -- Fold the tip of the point to meet where the sewing starts on the side.

Step 7 -- Cut along the diagnol of the fold. Start where sewing edge ends and sew along the diagnol (this is what makes the perfect corner PERFECT!)

Step 8 -- Turn blanket inside out and press. I typically don't like pressing things but this will give the blanket a finished feel.

Step 9 -- To help the PINK layer stay inline with the BROWN layer I did a zig zag stitch on the PINK side where it meets the BROWN.

Step 10 -- Fold the blanket and you are ready to give it as a gift or keep it as yourself!

**This blanket can easily be made using any measurements ( I simply make the bigger backing piece a bigger square by 10", this will allow for a nice border.)

The Summer Park Tour

2011-07-11T15:28:00.002-06:00

Remember this guy? And how awesome of a Dad he is?

Well last week he decided to take Bergen on a bike ride to visit NOT ONE park but EIGHT in the SAME night...

We are very fortunate to live in an area with so many parks, needless to say, some hills had to be climbed in order to get to a few...

And just how do you get a two-year old to leave park after park??

You tell her a BIG DOGGY is coming!!!

(ha ha!)

Needless to say, they had a lot of fun on their park tour and Bergen is still talking about it (and the BIG DOGGIES) a week later!

It's also fun to hear from Bergen what she liked about the different parks (crazy slides, small slides, horsies, crazy stairs).

They also saw a few of the same people at each of the parks, apparently they weren't the only ones on a park tour.

Chatstick + A Pregnancy Confession

2011-07-07T07:44:00.000-06:00

Lately my lips have been chapped, and it's because this little one and developed a deep love with chatstick or stick as she likes to call it!

Every single tube of stick we find is automatically claimed by her and devoured within the day.

I literally find myself hiding my face anytime I go to apply it these days...

But atleast in her words "She's beautiful princess!!"

And lastly I have a confession, due to my pregnancy laziness...I broke down and got eyelash extensions.

I don't need to worry about mascara these days and so when I'm feeling lazy or having a blah day I just put on a tiny bit of make-up and go... IT'S PERFECT!!

This truly has been a lifesaver these past few months.

**Remember when I tried the eyelash growing stuff? I also really enjoyed it but this way I don't need the mascara!**

Have a good weekend!!

Sunkist Creamsicle Cupcakes {Recipe}

2011-07-06T22:36:00.002-06:00

Part of our Bucket List for Summer with the kids I babysit is we try to cook something {new-ish} once a week for the WHOLE Summer {and because there's a pregnant lady involved we tend to be baking treats}.

We have been wanting to make these for awhile but it kept getting put on our back burner, so we were really excited to have finally whipped these Sunkist Creamsicle Cupcakes out!

Did you know you can make a cake/cupcakes with just a cake mix and a can of diet soda? No eggs necessary...and the cupcakes are delicious!! In the words of my niece they won't even go to your hips, well of course until you add the marshmallow fluff and butter right??

So we started out with a funfetti cake mix {I would've prefered vanilla but we just used what was on hand} and my nephew Kole dumped a WHOLE can of Diet Sunkist Soda in...

The youngest kids couldn't believe I was letting Kole dump a whole can of soda into the cupcake batter. I did add a little bit of vegetable oil to help the cake from sticking the liners. If you don't have liners I would grease the cupcake tins too.

After our cupcakes cooled down, we stuck a straw in the middle of all the cupcakes to create a hole and then we filled them with our marshmallow filling:

1 c. marshmallow fluff

1/2 c. butter

1/4 - 1/2 c powered sugar

Cream all together and let stiffen{add only enough sugar to help stiffen the mixture}... Then the kids took turns piping the marshmallow filling into the cupcakes with a plastic sandwich bag... they love this part.

To finish the cupcakes we then made an Orangey Frosting by adding fresh orange juice and zest to our original frosting recipe:

1/2 c. butter

4 c. powered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

Fresh juice from and orange and zest to taste... we used probably about a tablespoon of juice but you can definitely use more depending how orangey you want your frosting

Mix together and pipe onto the cupcakes using another zip lock baggy with a corner cut off...

Anyone will squeal with delight after they taste these babies! I think I had about 2 cupcakes {each for me and baby}...but it won't go to my thighs right?? :)

**If you don't have time to make frosting I am sure kids would love to frost and decorate these cupcakes with frosting bought at the store and sprinkles, either way I really love the option of making cupcakes with diet soda, sure beats having to borrow eggs from the neighbors!**

4th of July {Re-Cap More Pictures to Come}

2011-07-05T20:21:00.002-06:00

We had a great fourth of July weekend!

However, they legalized aerial fireworks here in Utah and as great as they are to watch...our crazy neighbors have been lighting them into wee hours of the morning.

This does not bode well for Bergen who is afraid of the "loud bang"...we have had a heck of a time getting her to bed at a decent hour {coupled with the pregnant mom laying on the floor next to her big girl bed!}

None the less, I still love July because we celebrate all month long...

Plus, I have some fun projects and recipes up my sleeve!!

Fourth of July Weekend

2011-07-01T11:17:00.000-06:00

Hope you have a fabulous Fourth of July weekend!

I saw these cookies from Bake at 350 over on Pinterest and we just had to make them this past Wednesday...they are seriously the best and would be a HIT at any BBQ or party this weekend!

{Plus my nieces enjoyed making them as well}

**My only problem with the recipe is that I would double it! We ate the cookies way too fast, and the cookie dough isn't so bad either. Plus we went without the royal icing and found the cookies were just perfect on their own.**

Are you on Pinterest? I'd love to follow your boards if you are, and you can always follow mine here...

The Tie-Dye Twist {Tutorial}

2011-06-29T08:39:00.000-06:00

I babysit a few kids a couple days a week and every Summer we try to come up with a fun activity to do.

This Summer they wanted to tie-dye shirts, but due to the vary ages I didn't want to mess with buckets of dyes, salts and all the other mess associated with tie-dying.

So with the idea spark from a good friend of my Holly Hox and a little browsing through Hobby Lobby.

We started with plain white T-shirts and Elmer's glue. Because Elmer's glue is washable you can draw a picture onto your T-shirt and it will block the dye from coloring the T-shirt.

For Bergen's shirt I drew a butterfly...and after the Elmer's glue had dried completely I pulled out the tumble dry that I bought from Hobby Lobby.

We used each of the spray bottles and colored the shirts. After the paint had dried completely I put the shirt in the dryer for 20 minutes to heat set the paint {That's why I chose tumble dry, because the paint is completely washable until you heat set the dried paint!! Perfect for little kiddos!}

Then I washed the shirts in warm water and dried them on low...and behold you will have a butterfly t-shirt with a cool tie-dye twist!

This shirt is perfect for any little diva!

**Side note on time -- depending on how much Elmer's glue your little ones use it can take awhile for the glue to dry, if you need to speed things up we put them out in the sun and even used a blow dryer!**

Some of us even turned our shirts out to have a cute patriotic twist! I loved them all!

Shop Update -- Zipper Bags

2011-06-28T23:19:00.000-06:00

Just wanted to let you know I have started to update my Apostrophy Shop with some of my left overs from Summerfest and I started with the popular Brightly Colored Zipper Bags...

Get 'em while you can!!

OMTWI Beach Bash: Beach Towel Rompers {Tutorial with a few EDITS}

2011-06-27T08:05:00.001-06:00

I can't believe I won the WHOLE SHEBANG over at ONE MONTH TO WIN IT!!

Thanks everyone for your votes and to my family for putting up with my craziness...I think I should mention I made these rompers while participating in Summerfest, and it was pretty crazy because of the lack of sleep thing going on...but I am still very happy with how they turned out!

My nieces Brinlee and Brooklyn both wore them to their family reunion this week at Bear Lake and loved having them and also got lots of compliments.

From BEACH TOWEL to BEACH WOW! You are going to love these Beach Towel Rompers for all of your Beach Bash Parties this Summer!

Each Beach Towel Romper is made of a single towel and fits perfectly over your swim suit. Wear the Beach Romper to the Beach or to all of your Pool Parties this Summer.

There was even had enough towel left over to make a coordinating beach bag!

You guys coming to the BEACH PARTY??

TUTORIAL:

Depending on how tall your model is you should be able to get one romper out of one towel... **Sorry I was in a mad dash to get these made before Summerfest and then before a family reunion so the pictures were taken on my nieces ipod.**

STEP ONE -- Fold your towel in half and figure out the width needed for the romper. I wrapped it from armpit to armpit and added about 4 inches.

STEP TWO -- Cut the towel into a big rectangle, using your measurements.

STEP THREE -- The perfect thing about using towels is using the bottom of the towel to hem your leg holes, this saves lots of time!

Fold the towel with right sides facing each other and cut a slit directly into the middle, about 3 inches up. This will section your leg holes in half.

STEP FOUR -- Sew along the sides with 5/8" of an inch. To finish the edge you can either serge them or a zig zag stitch works just fine!! Next sew along the inner leg seams with 5/8" and finish seams, I actually double stitched this area because I was afraid of seams ripping.

STEP FIVE -- Try the romper on your model to assess how high the top band will need to be. Fold the top of the towel down and trim excess towel off. Double band over and create an elastic casing.

Step SIX -- Try the romper on your model again {at this point they may or may not be happy with you...} and find the waist on your model. Mark the area off and prepare to make an elastic waist casing... the best tutorial I direct you to for this is actually from DANA at MADE from her cute T-shirt Dress, it's step #8. **Side note I didn't double up the band like DANA tutorial suggests, the towel would be too thick!! eek! I just hemmed the top and bottom and then proceeded to attach the material to the romper. (Thanks for the feedback on this!!)

STEP SEVEN -- After you get your waist banding on I added some straps just below the casing on both sides to create a halter look. The straps were 2 in x 18 in and sewn a few inches in from the armpits. (This step could be optional if you would prefer the strapless look over the halter look.)

Hope this helps you enjoy your Summer a little more, we finally got the sun to shine here in Utah so we will be using our lots this week!

Indication of a Fun, Busy, Crazy Summer...

2011-06-23T14:22:00.002-06:00

This week has been the first week that the weather has actually felt like Summer here in Utah.

Sheesh!! AND IT IS ALMOST JULY!

Other than the weather, here is my main indicator that reminds me {almost daily} that it's Summer...

We have been so busy that naps times have been compromised on most days, thank goodness Bergen has gotten comfortable sleeping just about anywhere.

{Bad Mom! Bad Mom!}

Hope you are having a fun, busy, crazy, sleepy, warm, sunny Summer...

I'll be back next week to show off the fun crafts we've cooked up so far this Summer!!

Made It On Monday : Guest Posting

2011-06-22T09:17:00.001-06:00

Today I am guest posting over at the fabulous Blog, Made it on Monday.

You may remember Jill as one of my fellow contestants on SYTYC, she won third place with all of her amazing crafts.

I feel honored to be a guest over there and hope that you wouldn't mind popping over and showing me so love!

Today I hit the 6 month mark of being pregnant, and mostly because I have babies on the brain...I am shared one of my go to baby gifts, the Perfect Corner Blanket.

Just when you thought I was over Chevron, I go and do something like this! :)

Occupational Hazard

2011-06-21T21:45:00.004-06:00

I had a few people ask me where I got the idea for the toothbrush bracelets, and though I didn't invent them out of thin air ,I do have an occupation hazardous past when it comes to teeth...

While in high school and for my first year outside of high school, I attended a Dental Assisting program at a local vocational school. It was while I was in this program that I met a fun group of girls and one night while attending the UDA Conference and we made toothbrush bracelets...

{Emily, Keesa, Me, Court, & Cambria in our hotel night before the 2004 UDA Conference}

{I had a thing for Lord of the rings... what can I say? That post it note actually said "Take me home!" ha ha! This was also from the same night that we went down to SLC for the conference.}

I loved teeth and still do! I went on and became a certified dental assistant in the state of Utah and worked for a few years as a Orthodontic Assistant.

A few years later, as a recent newlywed and after just buying a house, I had a really bad experience with my employer and so I QUIT! {Looooong story and I hate admitting that I quit anything...but my morals were questioned} So I decided to go to college and got my degree in Business Administration/Marketing. Best decision ever!!

Funny how my plans I had made for myself waaay back when {I'm getting old!} have changed...of course for the better. It was just fun to make those bracelets again with my nieces and nephews and remind them that I do know a thing or two about teeth and hygiene! :)

OMTWI Kids Craft: Toothbrush Bracelets {Tutorial}

2011-06-19T23:35:00.000-06:00

Are your kids already bored this Summer?

I have a solution! A kid friendly, easy-to-do, adult supervision required Kid Craft: Toothbrush Bracelets!

They can be new or old plastic toothbrushes. Just round up a bunch of kids, you can even invite the neighbors. Don't forget to have them bring their toothbrush.

The color options are endless and they are a breeze to make.

Using a Toothbrush has NEVER been so fun!!

TUTORIAL:

Ok FIRST let's talk toothbrushes. In order to make the tooth brush bracelets you need tooth brushes that are 100 % plastic.

I got really excited when I found a bunch at the dollar store but because they are made of recycled plastic the won't bend like we want them to for the bracelets.

The best one's I found were at Wal-mart. They were in a pack of four for about $4.98, which ends up costing a little over a dollar a toothbrush...not too bad! I also found the ones that are clear with plastic striping bent better than the ones that were all plastic.

**Also, I will add that this craft can be made by kids and for kids but done completely with ADULT supervision due to the need to boil water.**

SUPPLIES:
pliers, one saucepan full of boiling water, one saucepan full of cold water, a thick dish towel, and your willing participants.

Step 1 -- You will need to pull the bristles out of the tooth brushes. I found that if you stuck the HEAD of the toothbrush in the hot water for 30 seconds and then bend the head back, it will open up the bristle holes making them easier to pull out. Do this step near a garbage can because the bristles can get messy!

Step 2 -- Place the WHOLE toothbrushes into the boiling water for about 3-5 minutes.

**I had a concerned parent who made a comment about not wanting to use a gross used toothbrush on their child. Through boiling the head of the toothbrush and then boiling the whole toothbrush for a few minutes, should rid of all the gross germies!**

Step 3 -- Remove the toothbrushes from the boiling water with your pliers and bend them into shape with your dish towel. We made ours into an oval shape and that seemed to work out pretty good. However, when you are done if you don't like the shape you can put them back into the boiling water and keep trying to get the best shape.

Step 4 -- Once you have shaped the brush drop them into the cold water to help cool off.

Hope you enjoy these bracelets like we have and that they will help you have a the best Summer!

If you have any other questions let me know!

Father's Day + Mom's Birthday

2011-06-19T20:03:00.002-06:00

I am so thankful today for the Dad's out there. I love Adam and thankful for him and everything he does.

Matter of fact I made quite a mess of the house this past week and after the first night of Summerfest was done I came home to a clean house, the second night folded laundry, and the last night a fully cleaned car. What an amazing man!!!

Lately Adam and Bergs have been taking bike rides and I must say she is also quite in love with him as I am!! She can't wait for her Dad to get home from work so they can play together.

Next is my Dad. I have so many fond memories of him growing up and find myself getting teary these days when I talk to other people about him. He is the most easy going, humble man I know. Growing up his patience frustrated me because I felt {and still do} I needed a direct answer, but now I realize sometimes there is more understand and learning in patience than always knowing the what and why. I have learned many more things from him, I wish I could share them all with you...just know he is an amazing man and example to all of us.

Today also happens to be my Mom's birthday, she would've been 63. There are not enough words to describe my Mom, so I will just say that I love her dearly. I can tell you I wasn't alone, I still have people stop me and tell me stories about her...I wish I could write them all down.

We took some balloons over to her grave and sang Happy Birthday and then let them go...

Bergen is not that fond of Balloons but was completely enamored by them in the sky...

Happy Birthday Mom/Grandma...We LOVE you!

Summerfest Booth

2011-06-16T23:06:00.002-06:00

I am so happy with how the booth turned out...so much brighter and cuter than last year!

We had a busy day despite the wacky weather! We hope to see more of you there sometime this weekend!

Zipper Necklaces and Big Red

2011-06-15T22:23:00.000-06:00

Last minute I whipped out a few Zipper Bib Necklaces...They are a bit different than I usually do them but turned out so bright and fun, just perfect for SUMMER!

So please come visit us at Summerfest, I know the weather may not be too promising...but please come say a quick hello.

You will be able to find us by our BIG RED bench. It's Bergs favorite.

{I'm booth 78, 3 up from the corner -- right across from Center Street Grill! Hope to see you there!}

Zipper Bags

2011-06-15T00:29:00.000-06:00

I already posted a sneak peek of the new zipper pouches...but I forgot to show you the best part...

The FUN colored INSIDES....

I really enjoyed making them, I hope you ENJOY them too!

Sewing Tape Watches and Zipper Pull Earrings

2011-06-14T00:17:00.000-06:00

I am really excited about these things for the Summerfest, mostly because I consider them sort of a Door Buster.

I only have about a dozen of the watches and will be selling them for a steal of a deal! Be sure to stop by and check them out.

Next are my earrings, I only really break these out for special occasions so you will have to come see all of the new cute ones.

I have fallen in love with a few pairs and have been going back and forth on selling them...

See if you pick out one of the pairs I'm talking about...

See you on Thursday!

Summerfest 2011

2011-06-13T09:34:00.000-06:00

I am in full preperation this week for the upcoming Summefest this weekend! I will have all of my zipper stuff in their glory but I came up with a few new things I'd love to show too!

First up are these adorable Ruffle Cuffs.

They are made with elastic out of cotton material and topped off with some satin flowers and cute buttons.

I couldn't help but put this last picture on here, I love the faces she pulls! Thanks Brook and Brin for modeling!!!

P.S. I am still in it over at One Month To Win It...go on and vote for your fave (and my project ;) )

OMTWI Frame: Picture This! Pillows {Tutorial}

2011-06-10T23:51:00.000-06:00

**Thanks again for all your votes over at One Month To Win It, I have been having a lot of fun with this and can't wait to show you my last 2 projects!**

For the frame challenge I thought what would be more fun a summer frame project, then some Picture This! Pillows.

Each pillow is made out of a heavy muslin and decorated to suit the color of each frame. The frames are lined with clear vinyl, to help protect your picture from tiny hand and finger prints.

The bigger pillows are actually pillow covers, so your pillows can be switched out to suit summer decorations or certain colors of different rooms.

The best part about the Picture This! Pillows is that swapping out pictures is as easy as 1-2-3!!

I used my pillow cover tutorial found HERE.

I also compiled my template for the Picture Frames HERE.

- For the frames I traced the frame onto wonder under and ironed them onto the reverse side of my frame fabric.

- Once the frame was cut out, I cut out a block of clear vinyl and sewed it to the frame.

- Before sewing the frame to the pillow sew along the egde you would like to slide the picture in from. This will give the frame the apearance that it is sewn all the way around while you can still be able to change the pictures on the pillow.

- Then sew the frame onto the pillow and contiue to make the pillow cover mentioned above.

**Hope that made sense sorry I had guests the night I made these and didn't many pictures!!

hello baby sister...

2011-06-09T23:28:00.002-06:00

Six Years Ago...

2011-06-09T01:06:00.001-06:00

Six years ago Adam Don and I were married!

Oh boy, it is crazy how time flies...I can't even begin to tell you the journey we've been on and the things we have gone through.

We renovated a house, quit jobs, graduated college, became parents, and experienced other losses.

{Not to mention that the pregnant me isn't so happy go lucky these days... Poor Adam!}

But we've made it, we're still in love as ever, and we haven't killed each other yet.

Ok, well who says we haven't tried... jk!

I love my Adam Don and am thankful for the great husband, daddy, friend, and partner in crime he is to me.

Can't wait for many more years to come!

OMTWI Burlap: Ombray Chevron Bag {TUTORIAL}

2011-06-05T23:47:00.001-06:00

For the Burlap Challenge, I came up with an Ombray Chevron Bag & coordiating clutch. This bag was made from white burlap and painted into Chevrons using an Ombray painting technique.

Both accessories are adorned with a coordinating brown burlap flower and blinged up in the middle with some matching beads.

I made the bag a bit bigger than I usually do, along with 6 pockets. This makes this bag and coordinating clutch perfect the take along for the Farmer's Market, Beach, or where ever your summer will take you!

TUTORIAL:

Supplies:

- 1 yard White Burlap

- 1 can of Fabric Spray Paint (I got mine at Jo-Ann's)

- 1 yard of fabric

- 1 yard of Interfacing

- Masking/Painters Tape

I started out by cutting out an 18 inch strip of white burlap and began taping chevrons with painters tape.

The I painted the burlap in a Ombray fashion....heavier in the middle and lighter on the outsides. **Be careful too much paint can leak through the tape.

Let the paint dry over night and peels the tape off.

I then continued to make the bag into a market bag. There is a similar tutorial that can be found HERE.

Also someone sent me this link when they found out which bag was mine....it's a painted chevron rug from House of Smith's...

Now, I just need to get to IKEA!

Chevron Pouches & Such

2011-06-03T23:36:00.000-06:00

Sorry I haven't posted things this week, I have things to say just not enough time!

I have been sewing up a storm for Summerfest! Just can't wait, only 2 weeks from now...

Plus I made it to the second round over at One Month to Win It...

So I'll be back with some tutorials and more sneak peeks and what I'm making over here.

Have a great weekend!

Memorial Day 2011

2011-05-31T23:34:00.003-06:00

This year we made our annual bike ride up to the Logan Cemetery to deliver our flowers (Ok, the pregnant lady drove).

Only this year was a completely different experience.

I had a lady ask me a few weeks ago "how my life has changed since my Mom passed away" (exact phrasing...) and I was pretty bitter at the time that she nor no one comprehended how things have changed.

I hate changed, have I ever mentioned that?

My Mom was not only my Mom she was my best friend. I used to go up there almost everyday, I know it sounds extreme and out of the ordinary, but it's what we ALL did, I'm pretty sure we'd ALL do it AGAIN.

My life has changed immensely, but I'm not bitter.

And though I wish for a happier change, I believe in something bigger than myself. I'm thankful for that knowledge and can't imagine going through life thinking any different.

These guys are pretty amazing too...

My parents had seven children (one of them was having fun at Disneyland...) and I wish I could tell you how amazing each of them are!

In my mom's life history, which she wrote when she had just gotten married, she had mentioned several times that she wanted a big family to celebrate Holidays and go on family trips.

My Mom had a special way of making us feel like we were special, which can be trying with 7 children. But we did them all, celebrate, family trips, big christmas' and it's because of her that we are all great individuals with cute little families of our own.

What a sweet legacy she left!

What a neat lady she was, I love and miss her very much.

{P.S. My Dad is pretty great too, more on him soon...}

TUTORIAL: Summer Pinwheel Necklace

2011-05-26T23:18:00.000-06:00

Remember how I was telling you about the Color Your Summer Series over at Delia Creates and Kojodesigns?

Well as part of their series they did a contest and I submitted a Summer Pinwheel Necklace... and even though I didn't win, I got an awesome shout out over at Kojodesigns for my use of the whole rainbow of color...

I really liked how this project turned out and am excited to share it with you...

My mom always loved pinwheels and quite frankly I don't think it feels like Summer without them (even thought we've had a hard time knowing what Summer feels like in Utah anyway!)

For this necklace I grabbed some felt sheets from Hobby Lobby 4 for a 1.00, along with some coordinating ribbon.

I have a pdf you can view that will explain how to make the Pinwheels (Click HERE).

Be sure to clean your mirrors before you attempt to take picture like this...eek!

Be careful while making pinwheels, you will find you can't stop...the possibilties are endless.

(Hint, hint, I have a few more projects involving pinwheels to show you!)

Be sure to bounce back over to Kojo Designs and Delia Creates for the other awesome Color Your Summer Projects!

One Month To Win It (ALL!)

2011-05-26T16:16:00.000-06:00

I have some more exciting news, I'm going to participate in another blog contest called "One Month To Win It".

The contest starts on Monday and I have been slaving away on my current project...can't wait to show you what I have in store.

In the meantime they posted the bio's of the ladies participating and can I say the competition looks pretty tough, I just hope I have what it takes to WIN IT! Or atleast make it passed the first round.

*I have to admit I'm struggling to find decent headshots of myself...ha ha! Maybe because I'm not super photogenic, I will try to work on that.

**I'll keep you posted as the crafts are posted.

With or Without You

2011-05-25T23:10:00.003-06:00

Last night we attended the U2 concert. It was an experience of a lifetime, and over a year in the making...

We had tickets last year, but they postponed the concert because Bono hurt his back. So finally after all this waiting we got to go to the concert.

It was totally worth the wait.

All last week I was dreading the concert because it was supposed to rain. Luckily it wasn't too cold and the sun came out for a bit.

One thing I am realizing though, I don't know if it's the pregnancy or what, but I may be getting too old to stand at a concert. Here's to hoping it's the pregnant thing...

Speaking of pregnancies and concerts, check out this concidence...

I like to expose my babies to good music at early ages...what can I say??

{Even though much to Don's dismay, Bergalicious currently has Bieber Fever.}

Going to a concert with a pregnant belly is quite the experience, I think this baby girl is definitely a U2 fan!

Pamela 2: The Sequel

2011-05-24T00:15:00.000-06:00

It's another girl!

So I'm lame, we found out last Wednesday but things have been crazy ever since.

First, we got lame pictures/news in our first attempt and I kinda turned into Debbie Downer from then on...

First attempt?? I know.

You see I have funny blood and it gave us a scare last Wednesday. It was/is complicated...

But, today is Monday and it's a better day, because I got to see my baby girl again for a second attempt and get better pictures of her (even though she was quite snuggly) and things look good for now.

Only I shouldn't have married my cousin...ok, that's not true.

I love my Donnie...and we are really not cousins. I swear!

Here's our snuggly baby sista. ("Comin' Halloween!" says Bergs)

(Feet)

(Profile)

Anyways, now we are really excited!!

I have lots of cute baby projects and ideas a brewing...can't wait to show you what we are up too!

Exit Interview SYTYC

2011-05-16T23:39:00.000-06:00

Here is my exit interview for SYTYC... seriously loved my experience there. If you are crafty at all, you should audition, it was a blast!

Huge thanks again to Missy and everyone who voted for me! :)

1.Tell us a little about you and your blog.
I orignally started my blog as a challenge from a sister in law who was living a few states away. A few months later we purchased a Duplex and began renovating it, so then I began pumping up our blog with our renovations and other fun projects along the way. I have always loved making things and so I also began sharing some of that stuff on there as well. At first I called it My Life As Donswife, for my husband Adam who I loving call by his middle name Don. I recently have changed the name to Apostrophy Designs to reflect my business and etsy shop.

2.How and when did you start crafting?
I have been crafting as long as I can remember. My grandma would teach me how to make prickly bushes into baskets when we would got camping and I also loved to string beads and her house while watching her quilt. My mother was quite the seamstress and I remember just waiting for her to start a project so I could gather up her scraps and fashion them into a dress for a doll or some sort of awkward purse.

3.How often do you craft?
Being a mom, it’s hard now to craft than before… but I consider my “me” time crafting and I try to have or complete some project during nap time at least once a week.

4.Where do you get your inspiration?
Right now I am addicted to pinterest, there are so many fun and inspirational aspects of it. I also love to look at athropolgie, because let’s face it everything they have is amazing and also very inspiring.

5.What is your favorite medium to work in?
I love to sew, whether it’s hand or machine. I’d put my glue gun down any day and pick up a needle!

6.What is your guilty pleasure?
On really bad days, I love to go hang out and the fabric store and just browse the aisles. However, I think it makes my husband have a bad day when he sees me come home with more fabric, I have a closets full.

7.What makes you smile?
I love a good stupid joke. I also love my family, we are very close and there is nothing better than sitting a talking to them.

8.What is your favorite thing to do (other than crafting)?
I love reality TV. It’s almost bad to say but I have auditioned for a couple shows, and not made it…but AM SO EXCITED TO BE APART OF SYTYC because this is more reality than TV anyway!!

The Hive & Swap

2011-05-15T22:10:00.001-06:00

I am going to be at Melissa's Hive Boutique on Thursday & my stuff will be there without me on Friday! I am really excited about this boutique and have been sewing like crazy for it. I will show off my left overs after the boutique is over.

For the boutique Melissa is hosting a pre-giveaway on her blog... so if you are in the area and would like an extra incentive to stop by, go enter her giveaway! (http://hollyhocks-honeybees.blogspot.com/)

Also, Melissa was on Studio 5 recently for the 365 Swap they recently hosted! How exciting! We are doing something similar for our upcoming Enrichment on June 1st and I have been really excited for it ever since I saw the segment on Studio 5! Need an idea for a summer party or an fun activity with some friends, you should check it out. (http://hollyhocks-honeybees.blogspot.com/2011/05/studio-5-wrap-up.html)

**Sorry blogger's not letting me link to certain things

A Little Sunshine

2011-05-09T23:13:00.002-06:00

There are moments in our life when times are cloudy {like the present} but I believe if we are patient, the clouds will part and a little bit of sun will shine down.

Early, early Saturday morning my sister Sals, gave birth to her sweet little baby girl, Layla.

I, with my other sisters, got to be present for the birth. This seems weird to some people but I am glad that I am close enough with my sisters that we don't mind sharing the experience.

There is nothing more sacred and special than the moment a sweet little angel enters into the world.

Layla is pure heaven, she is my little bit of sunshine.

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Did I mention that I find out in a mere week, the gender of my baby? And then I'll be half way pregnant?

I'm itching to get making baby stuff, but in the mean time I'd had to scratch the itch...so here's a peek at what I've been up to...

It's amazing how close I feel to my Mom when I sew.

Guess I'll be up to some more textile therapy the next little bit. I'll share what I come up with...

Mother's Day

2011-05-08T22:06:00.003-06:00

Mother's Day this year was more special because not only did I focus on my Mom who recently passed away, I focused on the Mother that I hope to be someday.

I think this poster from kikicreates and quote from good ol' abe, say it best...

For the funeral, it was my job to go through pictures and get some printed up to display. In the box of pictures, My mom had written several short notes and a longer life story about herself. It was fun to read that my Mom mentioned over and over how she wanted to have a big, fun family. She loved Holidays and wanted to celebrate them with her family and go on lots of family vacations.

Check, check, and check. My mom successfully did it all!

I was so proud of all of my siblings who stood up at the funeral and shared an account of our Mom. I was afraid we'd all end up talking about the same things. But I should've known better, my Mom did her very best to make us all feel special and share special moments with us. I hope I can do all of that for my family.

One thing I wish is that we would've taken more pictures together. I had a hard time finding some of any of us with her through a specific period of time and it broke my heart. I wish I had more to cling to, but I do have many fond memories.

So with that in mind, I've decided to take more pictures with Bergen. Often times I think I look bad or feel fat, so I mostly snap a few of Don and Bergs. But I am going to resolve more to taking some of me in them too, for posterity sake.

Here are some we took tonight...

I love my Mom very much, she was one special lady.

And if you can't tell from all of swag, I am not the only one!

Penny For Some {Random} Thoughts

2011-05-03T22:59:00.001-06:00

I had a lot of people ask me about the So You Think You're Crafty competition. I just wanted to let you know I had an absolute blast competing in the competition, but due to my family circumstances I decided to drop out as of last Monday morning.

I appreciate all the love and support of everyone voting and Missy was a sweetheart and said I was always welcome to come back and audition in the future... So who knows what will happen, I'm really excited for the ladies left in the competition and can't wait to see who will win! Go on over and cast your vote...

I was also lined up to participate as a guest crafter for the Color My Summer series over at the fabulous blog, Delia Creates. But unfortunately I also had to drop out, I have my supplies and if I can get around to it I will show you what I had cooked up... Can I just say how cute Delia is and that she has some fun crafts and crafters lined up. So go over to Delia Creates and give them some love...

I am barely making my way through funeral photos. It's hard to look at stuff, life just seems surreal. However I could make it through this section of pictures I tried to take of Bergen in this dress my Mom had made over 10 years ago for my niece, Brinlee. My Mom was one talented lady, remember how she made Bergen a gorgeous yellow dress for her Blessing Day?

I just happened upon the dress as I was going through clothes a few weeks ago. I am so thankful to have found it and that Bergen could show it off at the viewing on Wednesday night. She loved wearing the dress because it was purple and she thought she was a princess.

Here is a picture of all of the grandkids (minus cute Crew & Grady) as they practiced their song they sang at the funeral. They are such a sweet bunch, it's easy to see why their Grandma loved them so much!

Did I mention they had me in tears from the moment they stood up there? Oh sweet angels.

Tonight I quietly drove by my mom's grave or "Grandma's Place" as Bergen calls it. I thought she was sleeping but she woke up as I stopped and said "Give Grandma flowers and I tell her love you Grandma!" I lost it.

I have been so used to seeing my Mom just about everyday when she was alive. We have visited the "her place" quite a bit since her funeral. I just had been thinking one of these days I would show up and the flowers might be gone...but my sister who had been on the same wave length went a picked up a flower windmill and let the kids put it in the ground. She would've loved it.

I am really sorry I am not good at responding to text messages, e-mails, or the like. But I really do appreciate all of the love and support we have received. I sure hope I can be the kind of friend to others, that have been there for me. Thanks more than words can say!

dear bergen jo,

2011-04-30T10:45:00.000-06:00

**This is a letter I wrote to Bergen the night my sweet Mother passed away...

Tonight your sweet Grandma Joyce passed away. Tomorrow you will wake up and ask to go to Grandma's but you are to little to understand what's happened and it breaks my heart.

You loved your Grandma dearly and would give her loves and tell her all kinds of stories about everything. Her house was a second home to you with you visiting lots and sleeping on her bed when you were just a tiny baby.

You have dark hair and eyes just like her. She loved you very much and you would often sing to her...
"I looove you, I looove you, I looove you....so much, so much!"

We will miss her very much but I hope you know what a strong example she was of faith and strength she was to all of us. She battled a disease called scleraderma for 19 years and fought to see your mom graduate from high school, get married, graduate college, and give birth to you.

I hope you know and can feel of our Saviors love and the Atonement, for I know Grandma is whole and with family that has gone before her and Jesus.

We'll miss you Grandma, we loove you, we loove you, so much, so much!

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Things are well, different. Everyone tells me things will get easier, however I don't think that's the case. I have caught myself crying over fireworks, yarn, fabric, and just about anything else dealing with Mother's Day. I hope my heart will get stronger, and in the moments I am feeling weak I find myself being caught by so many uplifting, kind, and caring individuals. Words can never express my thanks (and the thanks of my family) for the prayers, cards, gifts, hugs, and other kind actions! Thank you, thank you, thank you.

My Mom

2011-04-27T00:10:00.002-06:00

I feel so new to this, naive even. I can't tell how many times I tried to write down in words how I feel, how I've felt. Just on Sunday, we were at Church and someone handed me a piece of paper to write down something about my mother for an upcoming lesson. I sat racking my brain for something to write about my mother and yet I wrote nothing. Later on that night I would learn that my Mother passed away.

And now I need to write something.

My Mom was diagnosed with Scleroderma 19 years ago in June, I was 7. Everything changed, not all at first (at least for me) but eventually we all worked our way through that crippling disease. Her life, our lives, were a steady stream of bad news which we somehow turned into good. An original diagnosis of 5-7 years, turned to 7-10, turned to defying odds. That's how stubborn my Mom was, she fought to see graduations, missionaries return, weddings, and babies being born. She defied odds.

These past few years my sisters' and I have spent our days off during the week taking care of my Mom. I've had several people tell me "Oh, I couldn't do that..." or "How do you do that?" day after day. And I can tell them that I have grown up in the most charitable and giving family that I don't know any different. My Mom who was in extreme amounts of pain on most days, would be the first to ask me how I was feeling before I could even ask her.

My mom was a talented lady and I remembered being so excited when she was making a dress or costume for someone. I would sit beside her and scrounge together all of the scraps of fabric and save them for projects. She even helped me sew curtains for a playhouse that we had in our backyard. Two years ago, starting in October she decided she was going to make blankets for Christmas for all 7 of the married couples in the family. Not only did finish in time, she made one more for my Dad. The next year she made 15 blankets for each of the grandkids, plus other things over the years such as blessing outfits and blankets. I drove her several times to Michael's and enjoy helping her choose colors and patterns.

In all selfishness, I hate that she's gone but I guess it's NO COINCIDENCE that I wrote earlier on Sunday how grateful I am for the Atonement in my life. I have a strong testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

And hey, I like knowing she's in Heaven out of pain, with her Dad and future Grandkids, doing cartwheels and standing in line for the buffet.

I love you Mom.

Easter Egggstravaganza

2011-04-24T21:29:00.003-06:00

Our weekend was a busy one, on Friday we went to our Aunt Tipee's house to dye Easter eggs.

Bergen wasn't really sure about the eggs and what to do with them. She did good for awhile until I caught her drinking the dye and later throwing it up.

This was Bergen on Saturday morning while we were waiting to go to a local grocery store for a scavenger hunt. I attempted a lot of pictures and yet this is the best one, at least I tried! :)

The line for the egg hunt was super long but was worth it when we finally made it to the Easter Bunny. Bergen wasn't afraid of him like I thought she'd be, she just wouldn't take her eyes off of him!

Later we ate at Grandma's and then had an Easter egg hunt. We were all excited that the sun was finally out and spent quite a bit of time in the backyard.

Bergs and Bells were dancing with their eggs and then per usual, ended it with a big 'best friends ever' hug!

After all the festivities we headed over to Old Main to roll {or throw} our Easter eggs.

Bergen launched 4 of them off before I could even get a picture. She loved rolling eggs so much it has been all she has talked about today!

The university has some cool places to take pictures so I couldn't help but snap a few of the youngest grandkids.

Little Gradyman thought the girls were really funny, but would only hold still for a minute before taking off! He is a busy little guy.

Rounded the other kids up for a quick picture. Funny thing is they all posed themselves and I love how it turned out!

And finally this is Bergen on the way home from Grandma and Grandpa Clark's today...

I think she was exhausted from the busy weekend! Me too!

Hope you had a good Easter too!

P.S. We had a great time at church today, with a great lesson on a general conference talk from the dear Prophet President Monson. I am thankful for the Atonement and feel blessed to have it in my life. :)

SYTYC Scraps ONLY - Bloomin' Yo-Yo Skirt Tutorial

2011-04-23T22:28:00.008-06:00

Many of you guessed and voted that the Bloomin' Yo-Yo Skirt was mine!

I am stoked to have made it in SYTYC this long, I seriously feel like a small fish in the ocean when it comes to this crafting contest.

So thanks again for everyone voting!

My husband was excited about this craft because I have laundry baskets full of fabric scraps, and well let's say I put a huge dent in it with this project!

For my SYTYC scraps project I made a Bloomin' Yo-Yo Skirt!

I have always been obsessed with the fabric yo-yo's because they are so simply and fun. Make about 60 of them, add them to a high-waisted skirt, and you have one cute skirt for all ages!

You can also jump for joy because with the Bloomin' Yo-Yo skirt the outfit possibilities are endless!

TUTORIAL

I used my favorite high-waisted skirt tutorial found via Anna Maria Horner (love her!) only I replaced the band with a thick elastic.

I used a dinner plate to draw my cirlces and made my Yo-Yo's, since I am pregnant and therefore lazy...I will send you to tutorial for Yo-Yo's from the equally fabulous Heather Bailey. **Tip you can lay several layers of fabric on top of each other and cute about 6 circles out at a time**

{I know this challenge was scraps and let's face it, some scraps aren't as big as plates, so let's get crazy and I will tell you I pieced several fabrics together to achieve plate-sized status.}

I made about 60 yo-yo's and started in the back along the bottom and worked my way around the skirt sewing them on an inch from their tops. For the second rows and beyond, I alternated the yo-yo's between the spaces of the row below and covered 1/2 of the below yo-yo's.

For the top row I used a salad plate and hand sewed each of the yo-yo's on to give the skirt a polished look.

Now you just need a cute model, like my Brinlee Joy and you are ready for Spring. I just wish Logan and I were on the same page!!!! Sheesh!

P.S. This was my cute photo assistant Brooklyn... she was a really good help, when she wasn't skiing down the hill or jumping off the steps! ;)

You may recognize her from my shop or the model from my purse last week...Thanks Brook & Brin!

Our Life in Polaroids

2011-04-21T22:12:00.001-06:00

These are just a few of the billions of pictures we take using Photobooth.

I used a cool Polariod App on my computer found HERE.

I highly recommend it.

Scraps ONLY @ SYTYC

2011-04-18T08:43:00.000-06:00

Go on and vote for this weeks Scraps Only project. I have to admit I have been dreaming about this one for awhile and it's fun to have made it and finally able to show it off!

GO ON AND VOTE, HOPEFULLY FOR ME! :)

SYTYC Knock Off - Summer Garden Bag

2011-04-17T21:56:00.000-06:00

Like most of us, I drool over all the items that Anthropolgie has to offer, minus the price.

So for my knock-off craft, I decided to take a purses of theirs that I have been wanting, and give it a summery twist.

And at a fraction of the cost, I would like to introduce to you my Summer Garden Bag.

This bag is made out of a houndstooth suiting material (found on clearance at Wal-Mart) and adorned with brightly colored garden felt flowers.

This bag is lined with a heavy green stripped material from IKEA and has an extra pocket for all of your important items.

I am a BIG BAG girl so I made the bag a little bigger so I could hold all of my Summer essentials. Can't wait to show this bag off well into Summer!

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I'm a little bummed my cute summer bag didn't do as well as I hoped!! I am getting around to the tutorial but I have been not been feeling great lately (verge of a cold, who knows?)

But I will hopefully get it out soon! Thanks to everyone who did vote for me, I sure love this bag and can't wait to use it! :)

Lemon Baby!

2011-04-12T21:53:00.002-06:00

This week my baby is the size of a Lemon, and it seems fitting that this baby is sucking all of the life out of me! Don't get me wrong I'm not sick or anything. I am just tired as all get out! Maybe it has a little something to do with the toddler I am chasing around...

Also fitting for this Lemon-y week is my current love of all things Yellow.

I bought this bedding for Bergen's new bed. However, true to my pregnant self / brain I forgot to order the bed! So when the bedding came today I got curious to where the bed had ended up?? Well it appears you have to order something for them to deliver it to your house, who knew?!

Also, I have been dreaming about dressing baby-to-be. It really needs a cheesy name, don't you think? I can't think of any, well at least until we know the gender of the baby. Which is driving me nuts, but that's another story right?

Anyways, I really like this onesie, don't you?

I am also drooling over this couch (which is just one of many).

Mostly because I would love to have a tiny baby's picture taken on it all snuggled up and half naked.

Don't judge me, you know it would be super cute.

Plus, it's yellow!

Don't even get me started on this fabric. I have been dreaming about chevron's ever since Paula Prass debuted her Summer Soiree line.

I almost bought ten yards of this today, but I could only image what that would do to my poor Don. You see my closet of fabric is already overflowing.

But who says a girl can't keep dreaming in Yellow chevrons?

Stripes are just as cool as chevrons, especially in Yellow with the Blue accents!

Let's face it with my ever-expanding belly, this might be the most realistic item I can add to my Summer wardrobe.

Will this bag make me look fat? ha ha!

**I found all of this gorgeous eye candy, minus the bedding, on Pinterest. Sorry to keep making plugs but it's where I am posting all of my favorites.

I just happened to notice my trend and thought I would share it! :) Hope you enjoyed it!

Knock Off Crafts

2011-04-11T09:03:00.001-06:00

Knock off crafts are up over at SYTYC, go on a vote...

I really hope I make it because my craft for next week is super cool.

So go on and vote, I need all the help I can get!!!!!!!

SYTYC Thrift - Old Schoolhouse Chalkboard {Tutorial}

2011-04-10T19:17:00.000-06:00

Growing up I always wanted to be a teacher and would've loved more than anything to have a chalkboard.

So I used a window pane that was found at a thrift store and turned it into an Old School House Chalkboard, perfect for any "little teacher".

The old glass in the window was replaced with wood and then painted it with chalkboard paint.

I had picked up some side walk chalk at the dollar store and school was in session!

With a chalkboard like this, your 'little teacher' will give you an A+!

TUTORIAL / BEHIND THE SCENES

I started with an old window pane from a thrift store. I got so excited to use chalkboard paint that I forgot to take better before pictures.

With the help of my cute husband Don, we made the chalkboard stand upright.

Truth be told we really wanted to add another bar in between the posts but our drill died! So just so it's known for more stability we will be adding the extra post soon.

Next I painted the posts white and then distressed them to match the antiqued look of the window pane.

Finally, I painted the chalkboard. After a few hours of drying the chalkboard was good to go and just in time for Spring Break with the kids I babysit! We played school a lot and even a few games of pictionary!

P.S. Don't you think I had the cutest model ever? He was all too excited to dress up and play teacher for the afternoon!! Thanks Haiders!

Pinteresting Day #1

2011-04-07T22:52:00.002-06:00

Here are couple of my favorite pins from my Pinterest board "This is what dreams are made of."

Right now, I am dreaming about wearing this necklace, getting my toes glittered, packing my bags and heading somewhere far enough away that I can read a good book (or two)!

Isn't that a good dream for a snowy day?

I think so.

{Do you Pinterest? If so, I'd love to check your boards out...you can follow me too if you'd like!)

Bergalish 2 Yr Pictures {a & g photography}

2011-04-05T20:51:00.000-06:00

I had been planning to take Bergen's 2 Yr old pictures ever since I saw one of these cute balloons over at Oh Happy Day.

I finally found the best one here, and then had to wait for semi-warm weather to arrive.

Once we had a glimmer of sunshine on a Saturday and we were good to go! Only ONE problem, Bergen was completely afraid of the balloon!!!!!

She screamed and ran away several times, the wouldn't even look at it at other times.

It was a bit windy and so the even though the balloon was tied down it would blow back and forth, finally I remembered I had some clear packing tape in my care {who doesn't carry packing tape with them?}.

Once the balloon was securely taped to the wall the pictures finally went a lot more smoothly.

I honestly love all of my pictures that Ashley from a & g photography takes and these are no exceptions (view more of them here).

It also helps that I have one of the cutest models there is!!! Absolutely love her.

Thirfty Crafts

2011-04-04T09:10:00.000-06:00

The THRIFTY CRAFTS are up over at SYTYC... go on and vote! Hopefully you pick mine! :)

SYTYC Dollar Store - Summertime String Lanterns {Tutorial}

2011-04-02T18:47:00.001-06:00

We spend a lot of time during the summer on our patio. The patio is an add-on with a neat tin roof and wooden enclosure, but when the natural light is gone it can be very, very dark.

For the Dollar Store challenge I wanted to come up with something that would be stylish during the day and provide some light at the night time, so we can enjoy our patio even more.

So I came up with some Summertime String Lanterns!!

So I went to the Dollar Store to pick up the supplies, suprisingly enough, it cost less than $5.00!

**Warning: making String Lanterns will make you wish it was Summer in your neck of the woods. I wish it was!

TUTORIAL:

Dollar Store Items Needed:
- Elmer's or white school glue (2)
- Balloons
- Thin String
- Gold Paint (optional)
- Clear Spray Paint (optional)

Blow up balloons and roll the string into a big ball {this will allow for easy wrapping of the balloons}.

Dump the glue into a big mixing bowl.

Add desired color of paint or leave alone to let the color of the string show.

You will want to work on a tarp or I just put everything into my sink. Dip the string in the glue and wrap around the balloon.

{It's a little hard in the beginning but the more you wrap, the easier it is to get the hang of it!}

Once balloons are wrapped hang in a dry, warm area over night.

I popped the balloons in the morning but still let them dry a few more hours before hanging them.

Because I wanted the lanterns to be outdoorsy, I would recommend spraying them with a clear craft or spray paint.

I then hung up the lanterns and then threaded some old Christmas lights into the balloons.

Now, just wait for the warm weather to hit your area and you are good to go! :)

Soo Excited, and We just Can't Hide It!

2011-03-29T21:09:00.004-06:00

I'm going to be a BIG SISTER...(October 13th)

Yeah, my mom right there is having a baby...

We are pretty excited! Can you tell?

P.S. My dollar store challenge is up over at SO YOU THINK YOU'RE CRAFTY, go on a vote! There are a ton of cute ideas (even though I am partial to mine!)

Well Now,

2011-03-23T23:34:00.000-06:00

it's me (well us) again.

I must admit I am really bad at writing when things are well, uh, not going my way.

I won't share details but I can say things are on the UP!

I haven't taken any pictures of Bergs with my camera for awhile, but thank goodness for PhotoBooth. If only I had time to document and sort through all the goodies we've taken...maybe one day.

Some of Bergs funnies:

-Saying "I'm sick" when she wants to get out of something
-After playing house with cousin Hadley, Bergs says Goo Goo Ga Ga (all the time)
-Sings weird made up songs about an Apple or Apple Sauce
-Say's "Oh Crap" for me when I drop something
-Loves to dip, Ketchup, Syrup, Butter, Ranch, Basically anything liquid or smearable
-Calls our house, HER HOUSE
-Asks to go to Church/Nursery about every other day
-Talks non-stop
-Loves to tell secrets (it's always I LOVE YOU!)

SURE DO LOVE HER!

**Also I just finished my first Weeks Project for SYTYC! The theme was Dollar Store and I'll have to be honest I am not a browser of any type when it comes to shopping. I usually have to have my mind set on what I'm getting before I go into any store, so this project was a little tough for me. But I love what I came up with and HOPE you will too!

LUCKY WINNER

2011-03-15T00:05:00.000-06:00

Sorry for the delay!

But we had quite the weekend, busy, crazy, busy, crazy, crazy, busy!

I got Bergen's two-year pictures finally taken on Saturday (the sun came out! HORRAY!).

She was completely afraid of the HUGE balloon, I know right? Totally worth it though.

But I will post more details as soon as I get the pictures from my cute SIL, Ashley.

CONGRATS TO KAREN WHO WON THE DOLL! CONTACT ME at torijoandersen(at)gmail.com with hair color/dress color preference and address!

I am still working on the pattern, who was I kidding it's a lot of work! But I will get it done soon!

SYTYC Audition: Day & Night Doll GIVEAWAY

2011-03-09T09:18:00.001-07:00

Many of you guessed it and WAHOO! I am going to be apart of the ongoing So You Think You're Crafty Competition!

I have a lot of fun ideas and am really excited to share them...

First up was my Audition Day & Night Doll...

Dolls are fun and they come with a lot of accessories. However, one thing that I am constantly picking up around my house is the clothing, leaving the dolls naked.

For my SYTYC audition project, I decided to craft a doll that gives you the best of both worlds, a Day & Night Doll.

You get all of the fun and playfulness of the DAY...

And the softness of the NIGHT...

Each doll is made out of felt, hand embroidered faces, and stuff with love.

{And the best part is you get a clothing change with the clothes staying on!}

I have been working like a mad dog to get a pattern done, but if you are interested in winning a customized doll for you or the little girl in your life leave a comment!

I will pick a winner on Sunday! Thanks!

Bergs Family & House

2011-03-05T22:19:00.001-07:00

For Bergen's Birthday we gave her a Fisher Price Dollhouse that came with a cute little family.

Lately this is her most favorite thing to play with and she has named the family members after her cousins and uncles.

I giggle everytime she plays with them because the baby is often crying and she is always telling the baby to stop crying and to go to sleep.

She is going to be a great BIG sister one day, ha ha!

Uncle Rico is Adam's brother, Aaron.

Grandma is Grandma.

Bryters and Brooklyn (sometimes Brinlee) are two cousins.

Mom, Dad and Baby are themselves.

I just really think it's cute to see her have an imagination with the family, even though she's named them after the people we probably see most often!

P.S. You should see us fit them all in the family van...

So You Think You're Crafty Auditions

2011-02-28T09:12:00.000-07:00

I am auditioning over at SO YOU THINK YOU'RE CRAFTY... I can't tell you which project is mine but atleast go over and vote for the craft you think is best (let's hope it's mine!). Thanks!

I'll post my project with a tutorial next Monday! :)

Birthday Bash Recap

2011-02-27T23:03:00.002-07:00

Bergen's 2nd Birthday was a FULL week of celebrating.

I often caught her saying "Happy Birthday to Me CHA-CHA-CHA!" Several times.

Due to family schedules we decided to have two Birthday parties...

So I made TWO cakes, both with the same idea of roses/flowers off THIS cake I saw over at I Am Baker.

We celebrated the weekend before Bergs birthday with Adam's family.

Uncle Rico's new girlfriend even made some delicious cupcakes too (worked out well for the occasion!)

We ate pizza, killed a pinata, and then headed to the Aggie game.

Here's Bergen and her cousin Paige at the game, the shared a seat together and did the Scotsman.

It was really cute!

Until Bergs tried to hug Paige, which she didn't know what to think of.

The party with my family was planned the Saturday night before her birthday, but she spent most of the night/day with the flu. So thanks to the Holiday on Monday we just decided to celebrate that.

The Barbie cake was fun to make, but the cake part didn't really turn out.

Has anyone ever made a successful Barbie cake? I followed the instruction and everything. Thank goodness for frosting.

After the presents were opened Bergs enjoyed looking at them with her cousins.

One of her favorite gift is a princess outfit which we wear atleast once or so a day.

Here she is reminding me that my baby is TWO.

And here she is blowing out her candle, which she insisted on doing 3 or so times.

I am thankful for everyone for the love and Birthday wishes for Bergs.

She is well loved, I can tell you that!

Burn / Valentines Day

2011-02-23T23:34:00.003-07:00

A few weeks ago my Bergen Bug got burned.

It was not a fun experience for anyone involved.

I was at work and Bergs was with her aunts.

It happened all to fast, and we all feel really bad.

She pulled a hot bowl of top Roman off the counter and dumped it on herself.

It burned her right eye and arm. OUCH!

We feel very blessed because it could've been a lot worse and are thankful for all the help and loves!

She was a really good patient and would tell me her "arm better mom, better!"

I tried to get some pictures of her arm but she wouldn't let me, she liked to keep it covered up.

Here's her eye a few days later and it already looks better.

This was the cute little outfit I bought her for Valentines Day, but I didn't get to many pictures!

Happy 2nd Birthday Baby Love

2011-02-20T20:29:00.001-07:00

Two years ago I waited anxiously for my doctor's appointment to determine if I was still having abnormally high blood pressure.

At my 8:00am appointment it was determined, that I would be induced and went back home to wait for the hospital to call me.

After waiting, I called several people to talk about the events to come and then Adam Don and I went to Old Gristmill (sandwich shop) and got some lunch.

By 3:00pm I hadn't heard from the hospital so I called up there and then told me to come up around 5:00pm.

After notifying some people I tried to sleep, but how can you sleep when your life is about to change forever?

Two years later it's all HISTORY... {thanks goodness for my blog to jog my forgotten memory}

Today my Baby Love, aka Bergs, is turning TWO.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY GIRL!

She makes up songs to the tune of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, gives loves so freely, and is a complete JOY to be around.

She put Daddy in time out for almost hitting her dollhouse with a ball, and when he walked into the bathroom she screamed at him to go back to time out. {I about lost it}

She throws things or bumps you in the slightest and she's there to say sorry and give you a big kiss.

She's love's chocolate in any form (except for with nuts, due to a weird HIVES thing) and happened to eat four candy bars at Grandma's tonight.

She says "Oh" if she thinks somethings interesting and laughs if everyone else in the room is.

She's an BIG Aggie fan, loves Big Blue, and can do the scotsman better than most.

WE CAN'T THINK OF A BETTER THING TO HAPPEN TO OUR FAMILY! WE LOVE YOU BERGEN JO~

Valentines Winners!

2011-02-14T23:05:00.000-07:00

I almost missed my deadline! But I have chosen some winners! So shoot me an e-mail at torijoandersen(at)gmail.com and let me know your color preference! CONGRATS and THANKS to everyone who entered.

I have some bum news, I can't find the cord to my camera. I had this whole cute picture montage planned but I will keep searching.

In the meantime I hope you enjoy this cute picture that is on the cover of j crew's crew cuts (kids line). Not only do I love their style I love the BRAIDS.

Braids are some of my favorite things and today I am sharing them over at olive & a. Heather is such a neat, well put together mother/wife/person and has such a talented eye for everything pretty! Stop by and check out mine and other favorites at her cute, cute blog.

You can also see more of my braids and other fun things on my pinterest.

Hope you had a great Valentines, I know we did! :)