Frayed Rosette {Flower Week}

Is anyone else in love with all of the different varieties of fun fabric flowers there are out there? Well, today I'm going to start with my personal favorite, the frayed rosette! You can make necklaces, brooches, hair clips or headbands, pins for any accessory....the list goes on and on! And what's even better? Here is a free tutorial on how to make them!

Frayed Rosette Tutorial

Kiss Me, I'm Irish! - St. Patrick's Day Craft

Here's a fun little craft to celebrate St. Patrick's Day!
{Now you can give out kisses without puckering up}

Click on image- it will take you to Photobucket
Click on "download" (in the gray area above the picture...where it says "zoom in, risize" etc.)
Then once it's downloaded to your computer, print it, cut the little circles out, and attach them to the Hershey kisses (I used glue dots).

Ballard Designs

When you're renting a house, occasionally you will find that you inherit mail intended for the previous tenant....luckily this was the case for me. I'm sure the rest of the World is fully aware of this little bit of bliss, but I've just discovered it thanks to a former tenant's amazing taste. {I'm pretty sure it's illegal to read other people's mail, but catalogs are okay...right?! Either way, I think it was worth it} So what's a girl to do when faced with a tantalizing home decor magazine beckoning her from the kitchen counter while she looks at all of the things that need to be done {a boutique in which I have absolutely nothing ready, a 3 year old, a 1 year old, playdates, lunch to be made, dinner started, dishes, vacuuming, laundry, dishes, bathrooms to be scrubbed, beds to be made, toys strewn around the floor, popcorn and other various bits of colorful kid snacks smashed into the carpet, preschool lessons, crafts, rinse and repeat this process over and over and OVER} She picks it up and pretends she has a maid. I spent the rest of the day dreaming and droolng over all of the things I want and all of the things I want to try and make. *sigh* one of these days.

Joy School

Sorry for the lack of posts! I've been crazy busy putting together something sort of like a preschool , it's called "Joyschool".

"Joy School is a preschool where parents form a neighborhood group (usually three to seven families) conduct a twice a week do-it-yourself preschool -- rotating from home to home, with each mother taking her turn as teacher.

With Joy Schools your trusted friends and neighbors are the other teachers; you take your turn teaching and then have more free time while the others take their turns."

I've found some great resources for teaching that I thought I'd pass along to you (a friend helped me out quite a bit in finding these)! You don't need to start a joyschool to use all the tools that are available out there.

Everything Preschool

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/abc/w.shtml

http://childfun.com/

http://www.sproutonline.com/sprout/home/

http://www.nickjr.com/crafts/index.jhtml

http://www.dltk-teach.com/alphabuddies/letter-a.html

http://www.handwritingworksheets.com/

http://www.kidzone.ws/prek_wrksht/index.htm

http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=21bc9fbee98db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=1cf8ee626ed0b110VgnVCM100000176f620a____

It should be a lot of fun, wish me luck!

GNO- Designer Blvd.

If ever there was a Heaven on Earth...it would have to be Designer Blvd. I get giddy just walking through the doors. It's a place that has beautiful and unique home decor, fun clothes and jewelry. oh! and I can't forget their baby boutique. The owner is an interior decorator who wanted to bring the fine treasures that were available to her to the masses, ie:me.
A white damask pattern over a light blue wall, green and pink floral arrangements with matching whimsical throw pillows, ornate tables and mirrors and rustic chunky frames decorated with metal flowers and jewels all greet you when you walk in. *sigh*. If only I had a million dollars. What? What's that you say. THEY'RE HAVING A SALE!!! Giving prizes, discounts and even dinner!! That's right! Every second Thursday of the month they do a Girl's Night Out! Today they're having homemade fry bread ...mmmm....Well, I know what I'm having for dinner (sorry, honey...you get pizza tonight). The prizes and discounts are all day, but the dinner is at 6pm.
Their address is:
4895 S. Higley Rd. Suite 103
Gilbert, AZ 85298
(It's on the South East corner of Higley and Queen Creek)

And to top it off , I have a brooch from there to give away!! Tie a ribbon around a candle and pin it on top, put it on a throw pillow, or wear it on your lapel or in your hair. It's so pretty!

If you go to the GNO today, you will get 10 extra entries. If you put this on your blog you'll get 5 extra entries. If you become a follower you get 5 entries. Leave a comment telling me what you've done!

Bloomers Winner!

So far this year has been quite eventful and we're only 2 weeks into it! My sister's husband was deployed (he's in the Navy) for six months, so she moved next to me so her in-laws and I could help her out when she needed it and the cousins could be close. Well, the first weekend in January, her 2 year old son had to be hospitalized for pneumonia and then the second weekend in January, her 2 week old daughter was admitted to the hospital for RSV (we're hoping she gets to go home tonight or tomorrow). I've been watching her boys, and I love it! It's a bit tiring, but it's been fun, too. Needless to say, I've been neglecting the blog, which is sad because I have a lot to give away!

So let the give aways begin!!
First things first: The bloomers (I was hoping for 15, but 10 will do)

The winner is:
Brenda!!
e-mail me with the waist measurment, from waist to crotch, and then from waist to just above the knee. I'll also need your address.

elsa15@hotmail.com

Pictures

I took some pictures last Monday of a grandpa and his grandchildren.




I also took some of her niece who was turning 12.