Monday, May 23, 2011

Swingers

One afternoon not too many weeks ago, Natalie and I returned home from ballet class to find that T was in the final stages of putting a brand new swing set together for the girls.

I would have loved to buy one of those really neat play structures with the tree house/rock wall/see-saw, but our budget allowed for something much smaller. I shouldn't have worried though, because the girls were most thrilled with the box that the set came in...until T got the swingset finished up.


They used sticks from the yard to "paddle" poor Emma across the deck. I don't think she was particularly amused.























The makeshift canoe was abandoned once the set was complete. It's okay because I don't think it would have been truly seaworthy anyways.

My new business cards should read "Amanda T, certified mom and swinger." I'm just about the best swinger this side of the Mississippi. (And I mean playground swingset swingers, for those of your minds in the gutter-shame!)

Natalie's preschool will be letting out this Friday, and I foresee a lot of summer time divided between our backyard and the pool at the end of the block. We had to pay pool dues, but good old-fashioned swinging (on swingsets!!) never goes out of style, and it doesn't cost a dime.

{Have you made any worthy "summer investments" for your home or family?} 

Sunday, May 22, 2011

More Highlighted Links from Weekend Bloggy Reading!

Good evening, friends! I know Weekend Bloggy Reading is almost over, but I wanted to share some more links with you all. My computer was off all day today, and it was a nice break...after church we had lunch at Panera with Mimi, worked in the garden, and watched a movie. Sometimes taking a technology time-out is energizing!

Here are a few links from Weekend Bloggy Reading that caught my eye!

~DIY Recipe Card Holder

~Chocolate Chip Pie

~Whimsical Framed Art


~Delicious Gift Idea


*Please, if you haven't already, take a few moments to visit a few of the other links from the party if you linked up this weekend. I love hosting, and I love commenting on posts...but it's no fun for anyone if we just have stale links sitting around. Get out there and find some fun reads! {wink}

Did I feature you today? If the answer is "yes," feel free to grab this button for your sidebar!
Featured At Serenity Now


Saturday, May 21, 2011

Highlighted Weekend Links-- Share Your Best Post!

Happy Saturday! If you are reading this, I assume that either A) the world has not, in fact, ended or B) you are in a super secure bunker somewhere with incredibly good internet access.

Regardless, I hope you're enjoying your weekend. Please pop in to link up YOUR best post of the week at my Weekend Bloggy Reading party. Open for new links until Sunday at 10 pm (ET).

All kinds of posts are welcome: We have recipes, home remedies, room makeovers, crafts, fashion advice, book reviews, and more! The code for the button is near the end of this post.

If you haven't yet, please be sure to visit some of the other links from the party and say a quick howdy to those who have taken the time to visit you. That's how a good blog party works--lots of participation. Otherwise we just have a bunch of stagnant links, and that's no fun for anyone!

Keep reading to see just a few of the posts that caught my eye so far:

~Lovely No-Sew Curtains


~Twenty Minute Quesadillas


~Good Exercise for Your Core


~Best First Date. Ever.


~Oreo Truffle Cinnamon Rolls


~Amelia Shirt


So, what did you have up your sleeve this week? Come by and share it with us here! Be sure to check out some of the other bloggers' work too.
Weekend Bloggy Reading


I'm working at commenting as well as balancing my family and fun time this weekend...thanks for your patience!

If I've featured you, feel free to snag this button for your blog:
Featured At Serenity Now


I'll be back tomorrow with more Highlights!

*And don't forget that I've got a great Silhouette Promo on this week! You can also get 25% off of Heat Transfer Material when you go shopping (click my Silhouette button) and use the code SERENITY!
Silhouette Electronic Cutting Tool

Friday, May 20, 2011

::Weekend Bloggy Reading:: Link Up!

Welcome to Weekend Bloggy Reading. I hope you'll link up your best post of the week today, and maybe leave me some comment love!

All kinds of posts are welcome--recipes, crafts, funny stories, home decor, etc.; but please do not link to Etsy shops, businesses, items for sale, etc. (I have a Sponsors section, if you'd like to Advertise with me.)

Here are a few of my faves from this week:

~Julia daydreamed about a charming Beach House with Blue Shutters. Perfectly styled!

~Read about 10 Ways to Promote Other Blogs over at CrafterMinds.

~Beckie shared a great tutorial on how to create your own Decorated Flip Flops.

~Meri wrote about some excellent ideas on putting together a  Travel Journal for Kids. Love this!

~This cool Pegboard Wall Art over at His and Hers made me smile. I wonder if kids know what rotary phones are these days...maybe I will test my children.

~Do you have any Upstairs Friends? Trust me, you want to read this one...Kimba offers some excellent things to ponder.


~And me? This week featured:

Silhouette Electronic Cutting Tool



    Time to link up your best post of the week (please take the time to include a link-back or my party button and visit some of the other participants!)

    Here's the button code if you'd prefer to use that rather than a link-back:
    Weekend Bloggy Reading






    Party is open until 10 pm (ET) on Sunday night.

    Remember that blog parties work best when bloggers participate, so if you have a chance to visit a few of the other links, you might find a new friend or two!

    Tomorrow is Natalie's big end of the year ballet recital. She is so excited to wear her fancy costume and work her solo! I think it will be hard to keep Byrdie from rushing the "stage" to dance with her big sister, but we'll do our best to restrain her.

    What are you up to this weekend?


    Hope to be back this weekend with some highlights from Weekend Bloggy Reading!

    (This Code is for blogs featured today!):
    Featured At Serenity Now


    Thursday, May 19, 2011

    A Few "Crafty Cutter" Highlights!

    I've really enjoyed perusing the links at this week's I {Heart} My Crafty Cutter link party, as well as sharing a few of my own crafty creations. The neat thing about many of the projects is that you don't have to have a "crafty cutter" to complete them...but it does make it easier!

    The party is open for new links until tomorrow night, so if you have a Cricut/Silhouette/Stencil/Transfer project, tip, or trick to share, please stop by and link up. *Bloggers who link back to me or include my party button (your choice) within their post will be eligible to win a $10 Starbucks gift card!

    Here are a few projects that caught my eye!

    ~Painted Stencil Design


    ~$0.25 Pottery Barn Knock-Off Pizza Board


    ~Papel Picado (Perforated Paper) Straw Embellishments


    ~Countdown to Summer Board


    ~Bathroom Art

    Want to see more crafty inspiration? Be sure to check out the party! If you linked up, please be sure you visited a few of the other links. Parties with "stale links" sitting around are no fun for anyone. Share some comment love!

    I posted my DIY Monogram Flag and Ruffle Flower Bag/Head Band Tutorials this week. If you missed them, I hope you'll stop by those posts.


    If you've been inspired enough to purchase your own Crafty Cutter, Silhouette is offering a fantastic May Promo that includes my favorite Heat Transfer material. You can also purchase Heat Transfer Material for 25% off until the 25th! Just be sure to use my affiliate code SERENITY when you go shopping!
    Silhouette Electronic Cutting Tool

    I hope you'll come back tomorrow to link up YOUR best post of the week to Weekend Bloggy Reading. Recipes, crafts, home decor, book reviews, funny stories, you name it. Come prepared to showcase your blog and find some great weekend reads.
    Weekend Bloggy Reading




    Wednesday, May 18, 2011

    Monogram Ruffle Flower Bag and Headband Craft Tutorial

    "A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous." -Coco Chanel

    Having two little girls in my house, we sort of live by Coco Chanel's mantra. When I knew I'd have the opportunity to guest post for The CSI Project not too long ago, I decided to work on a project that could be swapped back and forth between mom and daughters.

    And because I am as easily distracted as a raccoon with something shiny, I got an idea for a second project while I was in the middle preparing for the first one. So you get a two-for-one today. Aren't you a lucky reader?

    I started with my supplies, mostly purchased with coupons or hunted down from my craft stash:

    -Black canvas bag from Hobby Lobby
    -Old Tights (yes, I said "tights!")
    -Buttons
    -Pink Ruffled Trim (I am aware that you can make your own ruffles, but I tend to err on the side of laziness)
    -Matching pink thread
    -Bling (every girlie project should have some bling, right?)
    -Pink fabric paint (optional...I ended up using my Silhouette instead of stenciling)

    I started out by roughly measuring out how large I wanted the design for the center of the bag. I say "roughly" because I tend to eyeball things because Math gives me a headache. After I used my Silhouette machine to print my design onto heat transfer paper (you could totally stencil it yourself with the fabric paint!), I ironed it on and pinned my trim in place.

    (I did the initial for our last name, so we can share the bag when we go to the library)

    My sewing machine is a little wonky and persnickety when it comes to thick fabrics, so I hand stitched the ruffle in place while I watched The Nate Berkus Show. Good times.

    The bag seemed a little plain, so I decided to take some leftover trim and create a little ruffle flower.

    I eyeballed about how large a flower I wanted, wrapped the trim around itself and stitched it into place with the pink thread.

    And because I couldn't stop with the embellishing, I layered some buttons and added a "diamond."

    And Project 1 was complete!


    Next, I decided to turn those old tights into a stretchy headband to coordinate with the bag!

    I took a rotary trimmer and chopped the toes right off of those tights, and made another cut at the top of the tights to form one long tube.

    I turned the unfinished seam inside one end of my tights tube and stuffed the other end of the tights tube inside that. Then, I ran the material through my sewing machine to make a headband. (The side with the seam goes at the base of your neck)
    Um, kind of plain, huh?

    I had plenty of trim left, so I gave it the ruffle treatment, and look what I ended up with!

    I had to negotiate with Natalie to get her to change clothes and model for me, but she was willing to do it for two bites of ice cream (?!). Some people are such divas.


    She insisted that the stickers on her hands added to the ambiance of the shot. I'm not so sure.

    Thanks for hanging with me through a long tutorial today. I hope it was worth it since you got to see not one, but two projects!

    If you have a Silhouette/Cricut/Stencil/Transfer project, I'd love for you to stop by this week's I {Heart} My Crafty Cutter link party.
    I Heart My Crafty Cutter


    {I hope your day is classy AND fabulous!}

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