it's been a good year 2010

just a few projects i did this last year.
you can find all of them here

this last year i made my word "consistency" i wanted to make sure that i worked on being a better person all around. not just in the things that i liked but in the things that i struggled with. the word consistency also gave me the opportunity to be more balanced. i focused on relaxing and being silly, while trying to teach my children structure in daily work and organizing. i also was able to consistently try to push myself to create new things, enjoy quiet time, and focus on spirituality. i also started to look at my diet and exercise as a more long term lifestyle than a weekly deal. i've realized that "consistency" was a wonderful word for 2010. it helped me to at times stop, re-think, and re-direct or continue on my tracks. i kind want this next years word to do the same for me as last year's word did.

so with much consideration (and thanks for your word suggestions and the words you have already chosen) i've decided to choose the word HEALTHY.

i want to work on myself, my relationships, my spirituality, and my creativity... in a healthy way.
healthy means picking the important things in life and sticking to them, it means stepping back and counting to 10 when all you want to do is give them a good whack and a "what the___?", (kidding on the whack please don't call cps on me), healthy means working on reading scriptures, healthy means not eating a whole package of something just because it said "low fat", healthy means saying sorry, healthy means getting outside and enjoying the air and grass beneath your toes, healthy means...well, a lot of things...but what it means mainly to me is moving forward in becoming something closer to the potential of what i have of becoming, probably not in this life...but what the heck, might as well keep trying.

and with all that trying to become healthier in 2011...maybe i can be a smidgen of a good example to my kids...or if not a good example...a fair warning...
happy new year.
here's to another good learning year.
we'll talk soon.
ps thanks for the love on the bangs and hair. :)
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it was a blur

was your Christmas good?
ours was fun but ours was a blur. currently i have 40 fingers and 40 toes at my house wondering what to do next and staring at me and begging me to let them play video games. so i let them...but then i get annoyed with how much they play...so i make them stop...big huge difference between summer vacation and winter vacation, the possibility of leaving and being out and about and going to the pool. i'm so not a cold weather person, but maybe i'll get us out sledding. yuck, i'm cold just thinking about it. do you think they would mind if i stay in the running car with the heater on? hmmm possibilities opening up.

another blur was my decision to cut my bangs and then actually going out and doing it. didn't think twice about it. yikes. and actually had a really hard time with the change...but i'm getting used to them. i actually went and saw tron and loved cora's bangs so much that i walked away from that movie going...yeah i can do bangs. we shall see how the saga continues.

also notice that i went back to my natural hair color. (i did about a month and half ago) i don't remember being this dark but sure enough there you have it.
all this change i did with my hair got me thinking of my new year's resolution word for the upcoming year. this last year's word was consistency...hmm i'll work on it for the next few days i think...seeing that i'm not really going to be working on anything else till after the holiday vacation.

any good word suggestions out there?

ps: thank heavens for the blur of a picture...it makes me look like i have no wrinkles. it's like my own personal botox...minus the weird lack of facial movement.
we'll talk soon
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last minute help: the doily

most of you are doing the mad dash last minute this and that...well here's a little extra boost of help for the last minutes...from the unexpected...a doily.
i got a package of paper doilies earlier this month in hopes to do something with them...

i made gift tags already...but i had a lot more left over.
i got my clear thread (or fish wire would work as well), and i got the rest of those doilies out, and went to town.


like how about hanging them from your windows? place the thread in one hole on one side, and drape it across the front of your snowflake and thread it in a hole on the other side. this will keep your snowflake facing forward.


hang a cluster of them in a window and enjoy a the pretty view.
or you can dress up a side table, mantel, or shelf by threading a few in a row like a swag.
don't want to wrap all the presents? got plain boxes...add some doilies with some glue.
you'll have a few days with the kiddos home before you head off to grandma and grandpa's, make cards with doilies.
if you are entertaining at your house. dress up your silverware in a cozy made out of a doily.
and don't even get me started with fabric doilies! i could just think up stuff left and right, but for now here's a really simple one for a baby.
get your doily (i found mine at walmart in the craft section) get a plain little onesie, and stitch around the edges of your doily in cream thread onto the onesie.
simple and adorable.
okay i'm off till after the holiday weekend. hope you guys enjoy lots of hot chocolate, a lot of good christmas movies (my favs are national lampoon's christmas vacation, and elf) and if you are traveling...travel safely!
we'll talk soon!

winner of the best buy GC will be contacted later on this week (so make sure you leave an email in your comment).
you still have one last fighting chance to enter here and here.
ends later today.
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from ours to yours

well one more year has come and gone, and they just keep growing. no matter how hard i've tried they won't stay little. isn't it funny how that goes? when they are super tiny you wonder how they are going to be when they get older, and wish and dream of when they will be more independent...and then they get older and all you want is for them to be little again and not so independent...ah so is the life.

so from our chaotic mess we call a family to yours...happy christmas, and merry new year.
thank you to this gal for the my pics
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coming this january...

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.quiltdad.com/p/bloggers-block-palooza-quilt-along.html" title="Quilt Dad" target="_blank"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5281/5237752145_4765c7a390_o.jpg" alt="Quilt Dad" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

so i'm happy to announce a pretty cool thing that is a long time coming. jon from quilt dad is the master mind behind this plan...

By now, many of you are busy making the final push towards the holidays. But what are your crafty plans as we enter 2011? Well, clear your plate, because we have a great quilt-along planned that will begin in January!

18 quilt bloggers have collaborated to bring you the first-ever Bloggers' Block-a-palooza. We'll jump from blog to blog making 2 quilt blocks per week, wrapping up with a custom setting and layout design to help complete your quilt. I am so excited to be one of the participating bloggers.

We're calling this quilt-along "Waiting for Spring" because we'll be using the brand new Sunkissed line by Sweetwater for Moda, and the bright colors and botanical prints should help you (or at least those of you in the Northern hemisphere!) push through the cold winter months and have a fresh new quilt ready for the Spring.

so go on enjoy your christmas movies and christmas songs for a little bit longer...but come january...get ready to get your spring on baby.

terrace hill winner and alabama?

winners of the terrace hill giveaway:
random # 143
winner of the monkey with a tat:
kylar
random # 15
winner of the apron and tea towels:
colleen and kendra

thanks to all who supported and entered this giveaway.


also thanks for the love on the new quilt pattern. yeah i like it too. i had no idea that alabama was the place to have houndstooth. so i googled it and sure enough Alabama Crimson Tide Houndstooth popped up... maybe i should do a discount for all alabama fans. hmmmm. okay if you buy the houndstooth quilt and you are an alabama fan, leave me a note saying so (when you check out in paypal) and i'll return you 10% for a discount.
GO ALABAMA!!!!!

have a smashing weekend.
i think we're going to watch despicable me, my fam and i haven't seen it yet...i hear it's good. but at the moment i spy a yellow and gray mess i have to clean up before that happens ... we'll talk soon.
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new pattern: houndstooth quilt pattern

i am beyond excited to finally show you my newest pattern for the V and Co. shop.
the houndstooth quilt pattern.

boy or girl, this quilt will be perfect for either one. but one thing is for sure this quilt will make a big statement in your baby's nursery.
i know i say this often...but i think this is my favorite pattern i've made. is it yours too?

go on, enjoy yourself a lovely little houndstooth quilt. you know you want to

Buy your pattern here.


ps don't forget of the two giveaways going on:
intel processor $250 gift certificate to best buy. ends Dec. 22nd
terrace hill's harley monkey and retro apron giveaway. ends this friday at 10 am.

we'll talk soon!
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nine

happy ninth birthday to my second noise maker.
a few facts about you right now:

*you love spaghetti, tacos, burritos, and you hate pizza.
*you love to read and will read any huge book you can get your hands on.
*you love school. (and are really good at it too)
*you are my easy going kid. thank you.
*you sometimes choose to hang out with me instead of doing other things on your free time. (that makes me tear up when i think about it)
*you want to learn to sew. (i love that!)
*you do all your homework, chores, and keep your room clean without being asked. (your future wife will love you for that)
*you are way older in maturity than your actual years.
*your siblings look to you for guidance.
*you can sense when family members are in need and you usually are the one to try to comfort them.


you are are an amazing kid.
we're so lucky to be your parents.
we love you and we hope you have a wonderful birthday eating tacos and having ice cream cake. ;)
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terrace hill giveaway

this month's giveaway is one that you will just love. terrace hill is hosting a pretty sweet giveaway that includes a harley...okay maybe not the bike but most def the monkey, you know the one in the kia commercial with the tat...yeah him and some wonderful aprons as well.
i've been privelaged to have one of her hand sewn monkey live at our house for about a month now and all i can tell you is that katie and i fight over him. want to win one too?
come check out her giveaway here.

yesterday

yesterday i was going to blog about what i did on tuesday. but then i got the flu. yes i did. and did you know that when mom throws up so does the house all around you? no kidding, the laundry threw up all over the floors, the cupboards threw up all over my counters, even the kid's back packs threw up take home papers all over my kitchen table and kitchen floors, not to mention that my bed looks like it had a hang over with how bad it looked after me just rushing back and forth from the bed to the bathroom and then being the hub (after i quit throwing up) for kids to come and check in just to say that so and so was doing so and so, and what was i going to do about it...
so if ever you want to feel good about the things you do all day everyday, just don't do it for a day and see the disaster you don't let happen. i'm just sayin.

okay so onto what i did on tuesday before all hell broke lose in my stomach, i made little gift tags for family members using stamps, paper doilies, and a sewing machine. super easy and kind of cute and totally dirt cheap. my kind of craft.
my absolute favorite one is this doily one. i can just envision it on light brown plain paper wrapping and cut long strings of fabric. or if i get around to it buying some of this baker's twine
totally plain and simple.

that's what i'm going as this year's christmas motto, plain and simple.

we as a family we decided (okay it was me and jake and we told the kids this is what we were doing) that this year only one toy was going to be given to them by us, one from santa, and the rest of the presents under the tree were going to be needs of clothes for the rest of the school year. my kids who already, i feel, know the value of a dollar because i make them pay for their own wants through out the year, were totally okay with it and don't think it's wrong that they are only getting the one thing that we all went to the store together and each one of them picked out that one thing. they also saw how much it was. we got thanked for actually spending the money on that one want. that makes me feel like i may not be a total failure of a parent. now some of you may think i'm harsh when it comes to making my kids pay for things throughout the year...but i personally feel like my kids need to have some kind of knowledge about money and what it takes to actually have things they want and to see that there are a lot of needs that come in to play before those wants can come into play. and mainly i want them to have knowledge that even if the bank account says you have money...that doesn't mean it has to be spent right there and then. and especially not on wants.
now don't get me wrong, i know i have a lot of things. i know i do, but we don't get into debt for them. we council and hmmm and haa over our purchases every single one of them that we feel is more of a want. we've had this mentality since the first day we called our lives "together". and i hope to instill this feeling about money into my children.
am i really wrong for being so tough with them on money?
so i'll get off my soap box now.

okay a few things:
some of you have asked me where i was getting my polaroid looking pictures...new found obsession turning my pictures into polaroids using this site.
give it a shot it makes a lot of your plainer not so cool pictures look kind of cool.

some of you want to know of homemade goodness for christmas:
check out this site for a whole workshop of homemade goodness for the season.

some of you keep pestering me to show you more of the new house. okay i will but just know that i've not really done too much to it as i've moved into a bigger place...and well...i've been saving pennies for things i would like to add to walls and such things. but just know that yes more pictures to come.

okay with that. katie and i are going to sew a little bit more. yes, katie and i. she's been in my lap every single time i've been on my sewing machine when she's around. she's actually getting kind of gutsy and saying "i do it by myself now, mom." okay maybe i'll let some of the control issues go aside and have her make her own thing.
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december 2010 christmas tree

this year the V and Co. clan continued the tradition i so begrudgingly didn't want to start last year and now i actually find kind of endearing. we as a fam went out and got us a christmas tree.
we trudged in the two feet snow. i thought i saw a perfect tree within the first couple of minutes of walking in the snow...but then we had to make sure...so we walked in a circle...only to come back 45 minutes later to the same first tree i thought was the perfect tree.
the husband was a little like:
"uh, hun...it's nice and all...but don't you think it's a little big?"
me: "nope, i don't think so."
husband:" okay, we may need to trim it some though."
me: "i think it'll be just fine, remember we have vaulted ceilings now."

he gave me the look of "okay whatever i'll do what you say and i'm sure this is going to go just like it always does where i have to fix the issue you just created because you think you know what you are talking about."

i gave him back the stare of "i know what you are thinking but this time it's going to be different."
so i back up to take a picture of our not so big christmas tree...


i turn around and woah...it does look kind of big and angry doesn't it...but i can't stop him now...and anyways isn't it better to cut it a little bit bigger than to cut it too small?
also notice the little tree that the little noise maker is holding. each of the kids got their own little tree they could put the ugly i mean wonderful past home and school made decorations. but i digress lets get back to my slightly large tree...
we drive it home. we get home. and i'm ready to take the tree inside right then and there. the husband is all:
"woah...hold on lets measure inside and see how much we need to take off first."
we measure and sure enough we need to take at least 3 feet off. so the husband has me help him measure the tree...but i got nervous with how much we were going to cut off...so when he told me to keep my hand to mark where we were going to cut the tree so he could get his saw...i took that opportunity to slightly move my hand down just a tad bit...i GOT NERVOUS OKAY?

we brought it in and he scratched his head "i don't get it."...and then slowly turned around...to me saying "huh, so i guess you figured in the base and then the need for a star too...that's why you needed to cut down that much..."
he sighed and mummbled something his breath that sounded a lot like "she's going to be the death of me..."
so, he got his saw back out...i got my lovely white lights and monochromatic decor out...
and our angry monster of a tree turned into a happy wonderful,
perfect 2010 christmas tree.
and i don't care what any of you think because it's beautiful in my eyes.
oh and the husband would like to know if any of you have any tricks to picking out a perfect christmas tree for future years to come...and no, not having me come is not an option.
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how to: fabric snowflake table runner

so glad to see so many of you coming out of the woodwork to show your true colors on the addictive time waster apps and stupid facebook games. i'm not proud but i'm glad to say that my one time 10 hour obsession seems to be over. >;p

okay, today i'm guest posting this tutorial at U-CREATE. so welcome u-creaters who wandered on over here from kari's awesome site!

christmas is right around the corner and as much as i would love to say screw it to giving neighbor gifts, i know that isn't going to actually happen seeing that i have way too much of a fragile self esteem and i always want people to like me. i;m just sayin'. this tutorial is fast and easy and if you want your kids can help with parts of it too.

but i do have to tell you how this tutorial came about...the kids and i wanted to make snowflakes, you know out of paper like we used to make when i was young...well i forgot how to make them. seriously? i sat there and made square snowflake after stupid square snowflake, cursing that it was so simple when i was a kid and what was i doing wrong...for.heavens.sake. so i went and learned all over again how to make them. easy instructions here.
so we had a blast making a ton of snowflakes, and the mess of clippings that go with it. we had so much fun that i thought to myself...why not try to make fabric snowflakes, that we could keep to come out year after year. and well here you go, it was an experiment, that i'm kind of happy i tried. it may be a fun thing to try at your house too.

Materials:

squares of thin white cotton fabric. (my squares featured here are 10" by 10" and 5" by 5")

craft bond adhesive spray.

long piece of fabric at the width and length you would like your table runner to be plus one inch to length and width (or length + 1" and width + 1") i used kona stone by robert kaufman.

take your square and fold point to point like the picture above. with an iron press your seam.

fold in half
press your seam with an iron.


fold in half again. press your seams with the iron.

and one more time. you will see there's a little tail left. and make sure you press it with the iron one last time.

holding the top part firmly, cut off the tail. (see i wasn't getting the tail and hence why my first attempts with the paper snowflakes were square...not that there's anything wrong with square snowflakes...it's just that i wanted pretty round ones.)


next you are going to cut your pattern on the snow flakes. make sure you have a very firm grip on your triangle, other wise the fabric will slip around a little.

when making your snowflakes keep in mind that a rounded edge, makes roundy end edges, a pointy edge makes, well, pointy end edges. play around with it. see how many different kinds of snowflakes you can make!

if you are interested in a super cool book that i came across when trying to create paper snowflakes with the kiddos check out the Snowflakes for all Seasons book...they have a different kind of snowflake for every kind of season.
um try like 72 different kinds of snowflake patterns. we got to try the book because my neighbor actually owns it, and i've got to say, it was pretty sweet but some of those patterns made me get the sweats with how complicated they were...but i digress...onto the what we were talking about...the table runner.

now get your spay adhesive, and if you have a big sheet of paper or a towel you don't care about, place your snowflakes wrong side up on the paper or towel, and lightly spray one snowflake at a time.
place on the table runner where you would like your snowflake.

i had some of my snowflakes come off the runner because i thought it would look cool if some of them were halfway on...

after the snowflakes dried on the runner i cut off the extra hanging pieces flush the edge of the runner.

next to make the edge of the runner i did the simplest form of finishing my runner. you could make binding and that would be cute, but in this case this is what i did:

first fold your edge over 1/4" and press with an iron. then fold over again 1/4" and press with an iron. do this to each of the four edges of your runner.


sew around your folded edge. you are done.

:) we'll talk soon. i'm hoping to not have any more children home sick with the flu...they are seriously cutting into my alone sewing time. and momma don't like that. not to mention that i'm so over the laundry too. and of course the sad little kids. but mainly i want my sewing time back.

have a fantabulous day.

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