Some Greeting Cards

I thought I'd share some recent card projects I've been working on. I always like to make them in coordinating sets and hopefully someday I'll remember to start taking step-by-step pictures. :)

Set of 5 baby boy congratulations cards

Set of 3 sentimental greeting cards "Thinking of You" and "Love"

   

Fun with buttons! Set of 4 any occasion cards with shimmer accents 

All the cutouts were done on my Silhouette Portrait, and the cursive script is done with a black sharpie pen, both are must-haves for me when it comes to card making!

A Note on Organization

I am not (currently) the tidiest person in the world, I'll admit to that. I do, however, have a thing for organizing. Few things are as satisfying as taking a messy pile or drawer and making everything fit perfectly with room to spare. I love the feeling of an organized house, and lately I have been given quite the challenge when it comes to finding a place for everything. We recently moved from a 1,000 square foot apartment to a 500 square foot home. Needless to say we have had to do some adjusting and some serious reorganizing. Luckily I find it enjoyable, and I like to think I'm somewhat good at it.
Today I had the daunting task of finding some place for all my card making stuff to go (that is, all my card making stuff that I didn't put into storage). It previously resided in a cardboard box and piles on the floor around the ugly desk. Some might say I should have just left it in the box, but since moving I cannot stand to look at another cardboard moving box. It had to go.

Here is what I had to work with:

A small, two shelf bookcase that is half full of books for school and music lessons, 

The bottom "shelf" of the ugly desk that is currently housing said cardboard box and some really junky looking bins and shoe boxes, 

And the floor around the desk that was the home of everything else that didn't have a "spot."

This was not an easy task. We only have one storage closet in this house, so most everything is out in the open. For what I had to work with I think I did a pretty good job!

The secret to my organizing success? Memory boxes! The kind I use are the Recollections brand from Michael's, they are almost always on sale when I go and today happened to be a particularly good sale, 7 for $10! I didn't buy 7, but for less than $1.50 each I am wondering if I should have.

These work so well for a house like mine, where everything is exposed, it makes it look cute and organized.

Here is the finished product:

I still needed a place to stick Shaun's books for school, so the feng shui wasn't perfect, but again, I worked with what I had and this seemed to be the best arrangement!

The ugly desk looks SO much better. This was such an eye sore in my living room and I think it really tones it down a lot to be rid of the cardboard box and the mismatching bins and shoeboxes that were just stuffed with...stuff.

This project cost me about $4.50, and the feeling of a clean, organized house is totally priceless!

Click here to see what else I use these boxes for besides crafting supplies.

Adventures with bread

My life is absolutely hilarious. I am sure many people think that about their own lives, but we all find things funny that no one else would...you know, those inside jokes and you-had-to-be-there moments. However, I think I have some license to say that my life really IS hilarious, and if anyone knows my family, my husband, or my husband's family I think they would agree. Those people never cease to make me fall on the floor laughing.

This said, many of the most humorous moments I have are the times when I do things that make me laugh at myself. These instances happen frequently, and instead of being mad at my stupidity or embarrassed-I wore out the embarrassed title a loooooong time ago-I simply laugh it off, and then share it with Shaun (my husband), who also laughs with (at) me. Our days are filled with endless laughter and happiness, and much of that stems from something ridiculous I did or said. These moments most frequently happen when I'm trying to do any type of cooking or baking.

Today's story, however, is one of triumph, one of success! I had a rare "wow, I really nailed this" moment and to my own shock and amazement, yes, it happened in the kitchen!

I have been trying to bake my mom's bread for years. I'd say 6 or 7 to play it safe. Her dough recipe is versatile and delicious. I have used it to make pizza, cinnamon rolls, scones, rolls, monkey bread, you name it. Anything that a basic dough recipe can do, this dough somehow magically morphs into exactly what I need. And it turns out delicious every time!

Except. When. I. Try. To. Bake. A. Simple. Loaf. Of. Bread.

This is not a joke. Ever since I moved out of the house and started doing my own cooking I could not get it right.
Some of the real failures include:

~The bread didn't raise
~I forgot an ingredient
~Beautiful end pieces, then completely raw in the middle
~A totally hollow loaf of bread (this one still baffles me, it was like those disappearing marshmallow rolls everyone makes at Easter, I chose to be impressed that I pulled that off even if it was an accident.)
~Waaaay too salty
~ Tasted like you bit into a loaf of pure yeast
~Too crumbly and light to use for anything besides picking at it with your fingers

.....to name a few.

So, you'll have to excuse me for bragging.  Two days ago I once again attempted to save us money by baking loaves of bread instead of buying, and I held my breath as we pulled them out of the oven. When they were finally cooled and ready to cut into, I all but broke into tears when it sliced so perfectly that I couldn't believe it. I can only think of a handful of times when I have been more proud of myself. The long wait has ended! The curse is lifted. Now knowing my track record, there will be plenty more mishaps but right now until these loaves are gone and I have to bake new ones I am on top of the world!

Sometimes all you need is a small triumph to lift your mood and boost your self esteem. I feel like I can do anything now! All I had to do was bake a loaf of bread correctly...who knew?

For my mom's dough recipe, click here.

Constructive Criticism

While I am not at all new to the blogging scene, I am a total amateur when it comes to blogging for a purpose other than to keep my family updated on my life. That said, I really want a place to share my crafts and ideas and the everyday challenges I am faced with, like trying to make a half decent loaf of bread (the struggle is SO real), as well as a place to share other people's amazing ideas! This seems like the most practical place to do it, so bear with me on this journey as I try to make a dent in the already ginormous housewives-of-the-internet scene. I am excited for this new project, and I am definitely open to ideas, suggestions, and positive constructive criticism.  It must be positive right now because I'm six months pregnant and I am overly sensitive about, well, everything. I hope you enjoy the craziness that is my life, and I look forward to sharing my thoughts with you!