Christmas in July

I know it is WAY too early to really talk about Christmas but I am having a form of anxiety about it. Chris and I bought our house in October last year but because of all the renovating we had to do, we didn't move in until almost Febuary. So this Holiday season will be our first in the house. So far nothing has worked out as planned. For example, I wanted to do a 4th BBQ, but our ac has been out (3 weeks and counting people.... dern home warranties) so we have been staying at my mother in laws, and in turn didn't get a bbq as hoped.

This may be the silliest fear ever, but I am actually afraid that Christmas won't come to my house unless I am  overly planned and prepared for any and every disaster that may occur. So to help quench my thirst for a joyous Christmas, I have started prepping. Yep... I have made my first Christmas craft.

 Now keep in mind I still have to paint on Merry Christmas under the tree and add finishing touches.

But this little project turned out to really cool me down. When I get stressed, everyone knows it. After I finished this I was much more fun to be around. So just because it is July, don't be afraid to whip out your Holiday spirit and get into the joy of Christmas, even if it is just a door hanger or a small something. Go ahead, and turn on that Christmas cd while you do it too! The kiddos will love listening to carols and pretending the summer heat away, and your husband, mother in law, and friends never have to be the wiser.

Have a merry "Christmas"

National Cow Appreciation Day at Chick Fil A Celebration: Cow Mask Tutorial

Today was National Cow Appreciation Day at Chick Fil A. If you came dressed as a cow you got a FREE meal and kids got kids meals. So my bff and I had to participate. We showed up at 10:30am. We were the first "cows" to come in that day so we definitely got some love. They took our pics, they opened a line just for us, and all the other guests were smacking their heads because they had forgotten and already paid for their food.

I am going to show you how to make a cow mask so maybe you can go for dinner or just wear it around the house when you are bored.

Here is what you will need:

White cardstock

Black and Pink construction paper

Piece of yarn long enough to tie around your head

Scissors

Glue stick or double sided tape

To begin you will start with the base of the mask. I drew mine by hand and it worked great!

I had to redraw the eyes because I couldn't see so make sure they fit before cutting out by holding it up to your face.

Next, Cut out the mask. Then cut out the nose from the pink paper. I drew an oval with two circles for nostrils. Put your mask on the paper, the nose should touch both sides of the mask as shown in the picture below.

Cut out your nose. Use a hole punch on the nostrils or fold it in half to cut with scissors.. You will glue the nose on the mask. Only the part above the nostrils should be glued to the base. Make sure the drawn on side is facing the back.

Next up cut a peanut shape from the black construction. It will need to be big enough to cover one eye  and then some. Also cut out a "spot" to fit on one cheek. These will provide the spots for your cow.
After you cut out the peanut shape, then place it over the eye and then flip the mask over so wrong side is up. Trace the eye hole onto the black paper and cut out the hole.

Here is a blurry pic! You can see that I had to redraw my eye hole. But Im trying to show how you get the eye hole right. After you cut the whole out then glue it over one eye. Then the spot can be glued to the other cheek. Modify it to fit if needed.

Next, make the ears. I cut out two black triangles and two pink triangles then glued the pink on top of the black. Then you glue the ears to the back of the mask with the pink facing out. Use a hole punch to make a hole on each side, put some yarn in and tie it on.

I made one for me and one for Aubrey! We had a great time being cows for the day. I have decided these will be filed away for next year. Comment with your site if you make these or something similar! I would love to see them.

Book Review: The Hundred Foot Journey

Lately, I have been hunting books to sneak my nose into and find myself in another world. My air conditioner has been out for two weeks now and the repairmen and home warranty are taking their sweet time replacing it. So I wanted a book that would transport me to another place to help me forget about the fact that it is 104 inside my house. I found The Hundred Foot Journey by Richard Morais at my library. It took me all of three days to read it cover to cover, and I am typically a slow reader.

The book is broken into four sections: Mumbai, London, Lumiere, and Paris. I didn't get into the book until I was in Lumiere. The first section sets up the story. It gives you the background of the Indian culture and about Hassan and his family while he was a child. I won't give anything away, but i will say it is a deep look into a very different livelihood of the Indian culture. It took me a whole day to read this part because I kept setting it down from not being interested.

After Mumbai, Hassan and his family is forced to move to London because of a major tragedy. Throughout this section of the book, the author delves into the mind of a teenage boy (Hassan) who is just discovering girls. Hassan's girl troubles end up forcing his family out of London and on the road. This part was short, but still difficult to get through.

When the family lands themselves in Lumiere, it was as if I had a different book in my hands. French cuisine dishes fill the pages and make your mouth water while you read. I, being a major foodie, couldn't set the book down. The first part of this section is hysterical. The Indian family finds themselves living cross the street from a to Michelin starred bed and breakfast. Chef Mallory is a heavy set French woman who is the essence of refined French culinarians. She and Hassan's father do not get along and make jabs at one another before finally going to far. Chef Mallory ends up taking on Hassan as an apprentice to repay for the harm she caused. Throughout this part of the book I laughed, cried, and was seduced with passion and food (not together)...

By the Paris section, Hassan is a chef working in well known restaurants. Every dish revealed is a mix of classic french dining mixed with Hassan's exotic background. The food alone makes me want to read it over.

While I was not enthralled with the beginning of the book, I did fall in love with the characters after the family arrived in France. I think it is because I can relate since I have french cuisine training. I would definitely recommend The Hundred Foot Journey assuming you are a foodie and can imagine flavors and aromas simply by thinking about it.

I hope you have a chance to read the book. Let me know what you think!

Plastic Bag Holder Tutorial

Being as I have just recently began sewing, I don't have much in the way of a stash. However, I have found a love for buying fat quarters when they are on sale simply because they are only a dollar. I had yet to ever actually use one until today! As I was cleaning I found I have a million plastic grocery bags floating around my house. Being that I am the queen of procrastinating and putting off cleaning, I decided I should make a home for them! Well here i what I made!

Here is what you will need to reproduce this bag:

1 fat quarter

16 inches ribbon

2 pieces of elastic - 11 inches and 6 inches

Step 1: Make your casing on the top and bottom. Do this by folding down 1/4 inch and ironing flat. Then fold over 1/2 inch, iron and pen. 

Step 2: On the top, you will pin on your ribbon. I did mine 1 inch from the ends, however you can do them wherever you want. I see now I would have liked them to be further apart. So I would do them about 4 inches apart from each other when I make this again. Sew the along the edge of your fold to create the casing for the elastic. I used a 1/8 seam allowance.

Step 3: Put a safety pin onto your elastic and pull through the casing. Use the 11 inch elastic on the top and the 6 inch piece on the bottom. Pin at each end.

Step 4: Sew the elastic down at the edge of the bag on all four corners. Also sew the ribbon on top so it will not hang away from the bag. I went 3 times over each one to secure the seam.

Step 5: Pin the long sides right sides together and sew (I used a 3/8 seam allowance) making sure to go over the elastic a couple times. You could do a french seam to enclose your edges. I didn't because I put my ribbon too close to the ends.

Step 6: Turn inside out, stuff, hang, and enjoy!!

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial! Most people put theirs in a closet, but because it matches my kitchen decor I figure it looks great in my nook beside the refrigerator!

Thanks for listening!

 * I'm linking up!

Pillow Fight - The Princess and the Pea Pillow

After reading Ladybird Ln's featured charity and contest, I knew it was definitely a project for yours truly. While I had never made a pillow case before, I found it was fairly simple when I followed the tutorial on Ladybird Ln's site found HERE. So here is my entry into the contest! It is also the pillow case I am sending to be donated for the cause! Some little girl will love it I am sure.

I thought it would be fun to make a princess out of felt. I think she turned out very sweet.

My inspiration was the Princess and the Pea. Aubrey loves this book. On the front of the pillow the main fabric is pink broadcloth with a felt princess sewn onto the right hand side. The band is purple cotton and the trim is lace.

The back of the pillow is the purple main fabric with a pink band. The trim is white eyelet. I thought using different trims and alternating the fabric would make the pillow look like a stack of cushions.

I added three green felt peas with a hand embroidered poem that reads:


The tallest bed she had ever seen


Cushions of purple pink and green


And beneath the covers she did not know


But three green peas layed down below

While my sewing was not perfect, I worked very hard to make a pillow that will cheer up any little princess! I am putting it in the mail today to send to Ladybird Ln! So excited to be entering my very first sewing contest ever! Wish me luck!!

Spring Ruffle Top and Father's Day Craft

Tutorial for this top found at Sew Mama Sew! I absolutely love it. The only thing I would have done differently is to have someone help me measure the straps. Mine ended up too big and my bra straps show in the front and back. 

On another note; Aubrey and I made Chris' Father's Day gift today! I know it was early but I have a wedding the weekend of and if I procrastinate too long, there won't be a gift.

I let Aubrey paint with edible paint made from flour and water and food coloring. The prints I did in acrylic paint because the other wasn't thick enough. After I finished her prints all she wanted to paint was her feet.

I think she may end up being a future Van Gogh :) Her pal Elena, just wanted to eat the paint ha! Good thing it was only flour and water.

Tell me what you did for Father's Day! I would love to hear some great ideas from other momma's.

Lilac Summer Dress

 Today I finally grew some guts and decided I would make something for Aubrey out of the fabric I have been storing. Since it is the hot Texas summer already, linen is an obvious choice!

This was the first dress I have completed for Aubrey and let her wear in public! I am always so nervous everyone will critique my work and I'll break down in front of everyone. However, all the moms at the baby shower today said they loved her dress. Only one mom even guessed it was homemade. That felt pretty good and definitely gave me a little more courage.

I think the purple works for Aubrey. I think she thought so too. I love it how she walks around outside like she has something to do and some place to be.

The shed is her Daddy's "man cave" as I put it. He works out in there and stores his tools in there. Its like a black hole.... I steer clear...

Aubrey however kept knocking on the door saying "Daddy, Daddy" guess she thought he was in there hiding. As for the dress, there are things I will do differently next time, but I am pretty pleased with the outcome.