Damon-ism

Damon and I have just pulled up the driveway and there is Roxy (the dog) standing in the way of the car.

Me: Damon can you move Roxy out of the way?

Damon as he opens the car door: Well you know what they say...If a woman wants something done...ask a man to do it.
....
....
....
Eh?
Yes, I have a 7 yr. old male chauvinist.

Baby Shower Projects

So the baby shower finally happened on Sunday.  It seemed that although planning and preparation began three weeks ago, Sunday came too soon.  There were a few late nights before the shower.  But I am happy to report that the guests of honour were very happy with the way things turned out, and I must say, so was I.

So here is a rundown of the finished projects I worked on. Some of these photos were taken at 2 in the morning so please forgive the poor lighting:
Cookies for the gift bags:

This was the first time I had decorated cookies.  It was fun (not at 2 a.m. though), and now I'm hooked on cookie decorating.  I got alot of compliments on them.

Flower Balls:

These were time consuming, but worth the effort.  We hung them with wide sheer ribbon.  Unfortunately, I did not get a good shot of them in action. I found the original tutorial on the wonderful site House of Smith's. Shelley has great tutorials on there and I recommend you check her out.

Flower Arrangements:

I am NOT a florist, and I underestimated their job.  It's not as easy as it looks.  We had six arrangements to make for the shower.  The flowers were bought as big bunches and we spray painted some cans to hold them.

This is the best picture I have. We also glued butterflies to  each can.  We gave the arrangements away as prizes for the shower games.

Cupcakes and Tower:

Cupcake towers in The Bahamas are expensive. So I decided to make a tower. Actually, my husband built it and I decorated it.  It isn't the most graceful looking tower, but it worked for the shower.

I also baked the cupcakes.  Banana Spice with Cream Cheeese Buttercream, Chocolate with Chocolate Hazelnut Buttercream and Guava with Guava Buttercream.  While I enjoyed the Banana and Chocolate, the Guava didn't turn out the way I wanted them too, but the guests enjoyed them.

I also baked mini-cheesecakes.  You can check out the recipe here.

It took me two days to recover from all of this, but it was all worth it.

I Don't Scrapbook.....

But I LOVE Scrapbook paper! I never knew of the magical powers of scrapbook paper.  It can transform any old ugly object into a thing of beauty!

After I made this lovely for my cousin's baby shower, I had a lot of scrapbook paper left over.

So I turned this boring can on the bookcase that had become the catch-all :

Into this lovely:



When my husband saw it, he immediately asked for one for his desk:

I also turned this :

Into this:

I'm currently looking around to find something else to cover.

Why I'm Up at Two in The Morning

My Dining Table 2:00am

My cousin's baby shower is on Sunday. As you can see from the photo I am in prep mode.
The cookies are for the gift bags and dessert table.  That tower in the back is the diy cupcake tower that my husband put together.  And  to the far right are two of the flower ball decorations.

I also put this together:

Baby Banner

Yes, this child will take a while learning to spell her name, but it's pretty. 

Left on my to do list:

• decorate cookies
• bake mini-cheesecakes
• bake three dozen cupcakes
• spray flower cans
• finish cupcake tower
• take my son on a field trip to The Bahamas Humane Society

Piece O' Cake!!

Spreading The Love

 

I am so honoured that Jill of Creating My Way To Success has awarded me the "Great Blog Neighbour Award"!!!!  She is so sweet!  She has a great blog that I just happened to come across one day and i'm glad I did. 


 Thank you Jill...You Rock! 

Upon receiving the award, here are the rules one must follow:

1. Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award and his or her blog link.

2. Pass the award to 5 other blogs that you’ve newly discovered.

3. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

4. Tell us about your favourite book

My favourite book is "100 Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Gabriel Garcia Marquez is a Columbian born Nobel Prize winning author.  He wrote 100 Years in 1967, but this book is timeless.

 The book chronicles 100 years in the life of Macado, a small village founded by  José Arcadio Buendía. You are introduced to his descendants and experience their pain, joys and eccentricities.  An excellent read.

Now onto my awardees (In no particular order)...All of these blogs, I have recently discovered and think you all should check them out:

Frou Frou Decor

Sumo's Sweet Stuff

C.R.A.F.T

Me Making Do

The Craft In Me

Leaf Print Pillows

As I've mentioned on this blog before, we've been at Sapphire Ridge for a year now and haven't really decorated with the exception of the kid's rooms.  I have since made slipcovers for both couches and I am now making pillows to add a bit of pop.

As I was browsing the great queen Martha Stewart's site, I came across this lovely tutorial for "Leaf Print Pillows".  I had a bit of canvas left after covering the couches so I decided to use the leftovers for this project. This is my first try and I've only used one color.  Next time I'm going to use at least three.

 First I had to pick the leaves.  I decided on Sea Grape leaves.  Sea Grape is a fruit tree that grows along the shore and resembles grapes in size and purple color.

They also grow in a clusters similiar to grapes. 

Hence the name.  Their leaves are broad, have deep vines, and are perfect for this project.

First I gathered my supplies:

• foam brush
• fabric medium
• acrylic paint
• paper towel
• rubber roller (I didn't have this so I used a large cup)

 Prepare the paint and medium. Then with the foam brush, paint the underside of the leaf. Do not put too much paint on the leaf, you want to be able to see the details (I did a few practice runs). 

Next, place leaf painted side down onto fabric.  Then place a paper towel on top of leaf.  

Roll the brayer/cup back and forth on the paper towel, making sure you get all of the grooves. Carefully lift up your leaf.

Continue to add leaf prints in a pretty pattern until satisfied.  Let dry. Heat set with an iron. Sew your pillow together.   

      

Linked To:

Blue Cricket Design

Sew Much Ado

Someday Crafts

Oops I Craft My Pants!

Today's Creative Blog

My Frugal Family

Creative Itch
The CSI Project

Just Take A Minute

Yesterday I had the opportunity to meet some special people.  They all live at a government run facility for those who need assistance as a result of mental or physical incapacity or drug rehabilitation. 

We visited the children's wards. Some of these children were abandoned by their parents and family members because they are mentally or physically disabled.  Linda is in her early thirties, has the mental capacity of a child and has lived there for more than 15 years.  Her family just left her there.  She greeted me with a wide smile and a long hug.  She had never met me before today, but she called me her niece.

I also met a group of boys and girls ranging in age of 12-16.  They are in there for behavioural problems.  They were all polite and listened intently to us.  They quoted Bible scriptures and prayed beautiful prayers.  When I left, all I could ask myself was "Why are they there?  What went wrong? Will they be okay?"

For most of us, we live a good life.  We are secure in the knowledge that we are loved by someone.  We take so much for granted.  Family, friends, the abilty to read, write, use computers, cellphones, ATM's etc.  We have it so easy, and complain so much. 
Just take a minute to look around, really look at what you have and then thank The Lord.