morning squeeze: win $100 visa card

this week i talk about my morning squeeze, you know cause sometimes you don't get to sit and eat a full breakfast...enter to win here

also if you'd like a chance to win my patterns go here!

winner of week three $100 visa card is:
amy l

homemade play doh = coolest mom ever

last friday was a half day for the boys, so katie and i had to get some fast "creating" stuff done. no sewing projects were on the agenda (my sewing machine was at the doctors getting all nice and fixed after being abused everyday for like 2 years...so i was without her.)
no, katie and i actually hit the kitchen.
we made play doh.

which btw if you haven't ever made your own play doh, i highly recommend it, because you become the coolest mom EVER in your kids' eyes and not only that but the kiddos will be thoroughly entertained for like hours.
heck the boys got home and were all over it as well.
i do dare say some pigs were a flying...because the words "video games" were not uttered once. crazy i know.
my floor though was really crumbly with play doh bits and colors were mixed so some almost 4 year old girl drama was had, but it's nothing the boys haven't seen before.

so here's the recipe used to make home made play doh:
so you too can be the coolest mom/wife ever too
1cup flour
1/4 cup salt
2 Tbsp. cream of tartar

combine and add to above:

1 cup water
2 tsp food coloring
1 Tbsp. veg oil

cook over medium heat stirring constantly (like 5 minutes)
slowly it will form a ball in the center.
remove from pan and on a lightly floured surface knead for a couple of seconds.
place in a plastic bag (with air our of it)
or an air tight container.

watch your kids play with the stuff for hours, get to read a book while they make a mess.
enjoy your afternoon.

on the agenda today. a little bit of sewing.
well after katie and i hit hellmart for groceries.
then the little miss and i will try to get back on the horse with a nicely tuned up sewing machine.
we'll talk soon.

the most wonderful time of the year...

ah yes the most wonderful time of the year.
or so you would think...

yes, this week started out with being one of our last hurrah's of going to the pool.
as the children played and swam and jumped off the high dive, the mothers on the sidelines were a chatter of how we were all ready and done with school shopping and we just couldn't wait to get back onto the natural schedule that school gave our lives. some of us were even a little giddy as to get our "other life" back of eating and talking with friends as we let the younger still left at home children play for a few hours only to go and have the rest of the day to either do errands with only two to four extra little hands grabbing things or to do some extra cleaning or some extra catching up on some AWESOME books that just came out (seriously how awesome IS that series?!!) or catch up on projects that have been put on the back burner for some time. whatever the case the excitement was there. i admit i was one of the ring leaders.

tuesday came and went a little too fast. trying to tie lose ends and such things.

wednesday was spent at the pool with the knowledge that this in fact would be it till the weekends if we got around to coming at all...

wednesday night the boys got haircuts, clothes were laid out, and alarm clocks were dusted off and set.

a nervous excitement was all around the house. and it was hard to get everyone to quiet down enough to fall asleep for a while. ahem even me..."imagine all three boys in school...i'll get so much done! and then katie later on in a couple of months two times a week." *big grin*

then the morning of...
i get breakfast ready after my early morning walk, scriptures are read and prayers are had. groomed boys are all ready a few minutes too early and are chomping at the bit to get going.
"MOM! we're going to be late!!!"
"no you are not, quit it and smile for me!"
this is the best picture by far that i got from them as threats were made on my end that we could do it there or we could do it in front of their class WITH their teachers as their friends watched.

that's right I WON.

"is that it? did you get it?" boys asked
no faster as i said "ye...s"
katie and i were left in the dust.
that's right even my 1st grader was gone.
i stood there a little lost. then one little cute girl pulled on my hand and asked me where the 1st grade was. i started to show her the way and then another one asked do you know where 1st grade was.

i ended up with a couple of cute little people following me to first grade.

and well that's when it started to happened.
as i turned the corner i saw my first grader sitting quietly in the front row.
*BIG GRIN* twitter of the stomach...
oh geez i'm okay.
we waved he waved back...

as we waited around and started working on the bulletin boards to get them up to speed in the hallways, the bells ring and all is quiet. we moms got busy working in the hall all happy and getting ready for the pep rally we were going to support and help out with.

as the time neared, and we started cheering and greeting the kids in the gym...the second twang of emotion hit.

what in the...? i'm EXCITED remember?!!!

as my kids' classes come in and the cheering continues i've gone from a completely excited mom to get her kids in school to itchy eyes, twitching nose, trying to hold in the flow that is about to happen to a cotton-headed ninny-muggins with tears streaming down her face.

my friend looks at me and asks "vanessa are you okay?"
i bob my head up and down and then side to side.
"NOPE. not one bit. i'm such a dork."
*big huge pathetic grin*

yup and there you have it.
cool confident can't wait to get those boogers i call my children out the door on to the next school year on monday to a bawling mess of a loser by thursday morning at 9 am.

after the mini meltdown of 4.5 seconds...katie and i went to the grocery store and we got drinks and chocolate.

only way to handle the first day of school if you ask me.
now...onto figuring out life again with a little too much extra time on my hands.

favorite cereal for breakfast: win $100 visa card

week three of kelloggs program where i share bits and pieces of our life and then you get a chance to win yet ANOTHER $100 visa card.

this week i share about how someone who will remain un-named regressed from pooping on the potty to holding her poops yet again, and stressed out her mother who will also remain un-named.

read more about how we cured her FINALLY and find out the details on how to win this weeks $100 visa card by kelloggs and BlogHer here.
this is sponsored content by blogher and kelloggs



#4
Ashley said...

My husband started school this week so our summer is technically over. Boo. Perhaps on a Saturday (if he doesn't have homework) we might try going to the pool with our 4 month old.

V and Co. just dandy baby quilt pattern now available

well happy monday to you all!
thank you for all the pre orders and love of my new pattern. if you've pre-ordered you should of already received your pattern via email. if you would like to order please go here.

this last weekend was the finish of the county fair...phew! i entered my just dandy quilt and it won a blue ribbon! yay!

but with all the running around this weekend i also managed to get a nose throat and head cold. boo.

but it wont stop me from taking the kiddos to the pool.
i'm going to load myself up on DayQuil because we've got to squeeze it on in there!
only 3 more days till first day of school.

let the countdown begin.
and the project time begin.
:) i think i may just start getting into the fall mood. maybe.
but for now pool, sun, and DayQuil.
we'll talk soon.

new quilt pattern pre-order sale

well here she is.
that little quilt i've been working on a little bit here and a little bit there all summer long.

i made the promise to myself that i would only work on it when we were at the pool or when i was sitting doing nothing after the kiddos went to bed.
can i just tell you how much i love it?
a lot.
it's by far my favorite quilt i've made.


so here's the deal.
i'm super busy doing fair week in our little town as we're still trying to raise money for a new playground for the elementary school so i'm on fast forward motion with fundraiser stuff and i wont be able to completely finish the instructions till next monday.

sooooooo i'm giving you a deal:
if you pre-order my pattern i'll give you a little discount just to say thanks for ordering something you will need to wait a little bit on. but let me tell you...i think this little quilt is worth the wait.
soooo what say you?
do you like it?

pre order your pattern here
this pre order sale will end on monday the 23rd.
and once again thanks for your lovely support.
we'll talk soon.
;)

winner of $100 visa card: week one

random # generator picked:
#487
which just so happens to be simply EC
thanks to all who entered.
but still know that you can win week two's: summer fun $100 visa card by entering here.

a little bit wiser: win a $100 visa card from juicy juice

okay i warned you you guys would have a lot of giveaways this month!!!
here's another chance to win $100 thanks to the great people at juicy juice.

there's nothing like a few years under your belt of being a mom (10+ years for me) to make you realize how much of an inflated head you had as a young know it all mom. well a few years wiser and a much more deflated head, i've come to realize my mom wasn't sooo off on the parenting thing...read more here for a chance to enter to win $100 from blogher and juicy juice.

summer fun: win a $100 visa card

round two of the twelve week program i'm participating in with kelloggs and blogher...oh yeah and another shot at a chance to win a $100 visa card.
read about our summer fun for a shot to win.

ps: totally unrelated...i finished that quilt i've been working on all summer. pattern will be made available later on this week. :)

coming together

i mentioned a while a go that i was re-decorating. trying to bring a more "fresh" look. a little more modern but still country loft. i don't know if that's what i've acomplished but whatever the case i like it more and more as i S-L-O-W-L-Y change things as i make them.
this little pillow was made using my heat transfer tutorial and using the silhouette to cut out my design.
when i finished it i kept thinking "hmm wouldn't that make a cute bottom half of a skirt for a little girl? i may just try it out using my bandana skirt tutorial.

see my new dandelion spray painted custom art i made with my silhouette? yup it's being displayed up above my piano and it gives me a great piece of art with clean lines. (ahem, also notice the little monkey on the table making a somersault into my picture? a kid threw it right as i was taking a picture. i caught it in the shot as it was sliding across at full speed. it's a miracle i don't have more things broken on a more regular basis. scratch that. i DO have things broken on a regular basis. this summer we've had hardly any breaks because we've been at the pool every day. knock on wood i just jinxed myself...coming up soon a post on how saying you haven't had anything broken in a while will make the "break things in your house" gods get angry because you got cocky...)
the next big change was that round mirror over on the left side. i have been eyeing magazines and have absolutely fallen in love with round mirrors. so when i was up in the big city last weekend, i just happened to take the kiddos to ROSS dress for less to see if there were any shoes or clothes for them there...we by chance went by the home section and this mirror was tucked in the back. i was ecstatic! the price on it was $39.99. which is still a good bargain, but i noticed that the back had a rip and looked to see if i could find another mirror just the same. there was not another one like it. so i took it up and thought what the heck...i asked the cashier if she could give me a discount because there was a rip and it was the only one. she gave me 25% off the thing and i walked away paying only $30 for that lovely huge mirror. i think it adds a great feel to the room.
yeah i think it's coming along quite nicely.
have a great friday the 13th!

morning routines: the follow up a FAQs

alright already!

i get it i gave you the routine and now you are all "when did you start?" "does this work during the fall with school?" and "I NEED A FOLLOW UP!"

well aren't we all a little demanding!

in case you haven't seen it i posted my morning routine here.

but i'll post it here as well:

no electronics (except tv for a few morning cartoons while eating breakfast, and checking of i-touch for any emergency emails...never has happened yet) may be started up and nothing may be worked/played on till everything else on the following list is completed (usually around 10 am in the summers)

the morning routine:
*kids up. eat cereal.
*dishwasher, is unloaded from the night before while kids finish breakfast.
*dishwasher can then be loaded with breakfast bowls, and can continue to be filled throughout the day as needed.
*beds are made and rooms are tidied up (but really they don't need it cause we pick up before going to bed.) mainly dirty laundry: pj's, undies, and socks or bedding that needs washing is taken to the laundry room.
*next each person in our family (minus dad because he's at work) is to participate (as well as they can due to age!) in our daily household chore.

ours goes as follows:
Monday-fold laundry- kids are all responsible to fold their own clothes and put them away in their drawers) yes even the 6 year old and 4 year old. they do a horrible job, but with practice they get better. i'm not looking for perfection, just good habits...and my 10 year old and 8 year old are incredible laundry folders as they have had a little bit longer practice. the rest of the week i am the one who folds all the laundry and they are responsible to take it to their drawers.

Tuesday- bathrooms- while the boys, who have been taught how to clean the bathroom, each are responsible for one part of the bathroom (ie toilet, tub, and sink...and that is on a rotating weekly schedule so not one kid gets stuck with the toilet every week) katie and i clean my bathroom. basically i just want her to be part of it and help and when we get to that point when she's a little older, she'll be rotated into cleaning the "kid's" bathroom as well.

Wednesday-floors, and dusting- one kid vacuums their room, the others dust and help me dust as well. i make sure my floors are all swept and mopped.

Thursday-organize- just like i challenged all of you to organize one area (large or small) we have tried to do this as a family. it's mainly for my kids during this summer because i just want them to get used to doing it on a regular basis. it will be more for me in the fall when i will tackle closets, and other places on a more regular schedule again.

Friday-mow lawns- the older boys have started this this summer. our lawn looks like it gets a bad hair cut every week, but they are slowly improving. sigh.

now i have to ad this because i'm sure people will have the question of "how the hell do you get them to do it?"

i have one answer for you.

my kids revolted (especially the bathroom day) for a little while...but i didn't make them do it. instead of yelling, and getting after them, i would let them sluf off and when they would ask if they could play video games, asked to play with friends, or asked to go to the pool. i said "nope. not till your daily chore and every day stuff is done." oh you should of heard the wailing!

but after a few times, and with my consistency of "if these things get done...then you can do..." they may still huff and puff on certain days and say "ugh i hate mondays because i hate folding laundry..." to which i always answer "no kidding, you know folding laundry is my least favorite thing to do? but we have to do it in order to go to the pool right?" and that usually stops all grumbling.
and there you have it our morning routine/schedule...which opens up the rest of the day for us.
***********************************************************************************
and here's my follow up:

my mornings are all scheduled. yes, because it is summer that's how i have it. during the fall i personally keep the schedule that i've implemented...but i have a "lighter version" for the kids during the school year because lets face it... homework, scouts, piano, and if we are doing a sport...will most likely create meltdowns (and i ain't just talking about the kids).

no see during the school year i'll keep my routine till 10 am. it still gets everything done and my house is somewhat clean at any given moment. not spotless because well HELLO i have 4 kids. i also adjust my routine if i know i have to go to walmart or doctors appointments or whatever else by switching out more time consuming tasks with easier tasks (less time).

but for the kids they are expected to do something before they are allowed to watch tv or play video games and play with friends. (and of course we also have to adjust the days when we have den meetings or if the kids are involved in a sport...)

school schedule aka "the lighter version" is as follows for the kids:
monday piano, and bring in trash cans from the curb
tuesdays clean the bathroom
wednesday vacuum/room (their room)
thursday help fold clothes (not the whole load i'll leave a little for them out. this will be a new one this year...we'll see how it goes)
friday mow lawns(but not till spring which around here doesn't really hit till school gets out anyways!!!)

saturday and sunday are not work days except for the regular morning stuff like make bed and keep it tidy. or if we've had too many things going on that week we'll try to do catch up, but i try to avoid at all costs making the kids work in the house on saturdays and especially sundays.

i know there will be scouts and possibly sports in there, so i normally don't put the bathrooms and laundry day anywhere we have extracurricular activities out of the home.

now to answer some questions i keep getting asked:

*when did you start this routine with your kids? when they were older or did you always have a routine?

well i've always had a routine...but it's morphed throughout the years.
let me explain. when my youngest was little around 18 months old i would have him help put away his toys he was playing with. but i made it really simple for him (and me). i had bins of toys. they didn't even need to be a specific "toy bin" like just super heroes or just trains. (but i tried that too) i just had a few bins that sometimes would have different kinds of toys as well. i would take it down from the closet and open it up for him. he could play with his hearts content. if he wanted another bin. i would have him help me put away that particular bin that was already down, so we could bring the next bin out. it seemed to keep things less overwhelming for a little 18 month old (and a new mommy like myself) to have to only need to clean one bin at a time (and i ain't talking huge bins!!)...
that is how i made all my little kids start helping with our "cleaning routine" katie's room is mainly bins that are accessible but she's pretty good at helping me clean up every night and not dump out every single bin. cleaning up thier room is a great place to start to teach little ones to clean. but i think the main key point here is that you need it to not be overwhelming for them to help. so less toys means less overwhelming. i'm having a little bit of a harder time with a girl on this but we've been working on weeding out and boxing up things she's not that interested in and i have a hard time letting go of because i made it or it has sentimental value (ahem to me).

as they get older more can be expected of them. but remember they are just learning and they can't do it without your help. you first have to teach them what you would like for them to do while doing it with them. i'm still at that stage. not so much with the 10 and 8 year old but more so with the 6 and 4 year old. at some point i hope to of instilled habits that the kids will know how to do it on their own (we're shooting for teenage years) but then again i'm not looking for perfection...i'm just looking to instill in them habits they will be able to take on with them when they leave home and they'll hopefully know how to do laundry and keep a dorm or whatever rat free. do you get what i'm putting down?


I'm not as scheduled as you are. i wish i was. have you always been this way?
i'd like to answer this with a yes and no.
i've always been a more organized and routine person. my room wasn't ever super messy growing up, but then again my mom is pretty tidy herself (?don't know if that has anything to do with it?), and
i've had times when organization of my home wasn't the most important, but it was still kind of tidy i guess.

now...
i'm going to confess here to something which might get me hung.
after my first kid i got ppd. for about a year. didn't know it till the year passed and i slowly walked out of it. in that year i didn't feel like i was "myself" in some ways. a house schedule was one of the things that sort of was put on the back burner.
it used to make me happy to have an organized and somewhat clean house. but for that year, it did not, and i had no desire to do it. i only did it when i knew people would come over. or when it was absolutely necessary.

that year was one of my hardest transitions (yes probably as bad if not worse than when jake left for deployment) i was learning how to cope being a mom, being an apartment manager, and being someone that never left home to go to work anymore.
i found walking to be a great mood lifter...and slowly i started add cleaning on a regular basis. by the time my oldest was 18 months i was finding ways to have him help me with our house, as i noticed how much better my mood was when i was walking AND having my environment somewhat peaceful.
if you think you have ppd talk to other moms, get help and support and love. if need be go see a doctor.

here's what i honestly think: if you have too much stuff you will be overwhelmed.
live in the house you live in now. i know some of you are military so you never know what size house you will have. well i was military for a little while (out in october!) and that's when the whole every 6 months i would get rid of things that weren't being used because i HATED packing up and unpacking crap i knew we didn't need. i know when i have stuff laying around that doesn't have a place to go it makes cleaning frustrating. same thing goes for students oh yeah and for the rest of us too.

so to those of you who feel overwhelmed by a cleaning schedule, i would say it probably means you might have stuff laying around that doesn't have a place to go. get rid of the stuff you don't need and make more surface areas show up. you'd be amazed at how easy dusting and keeping things looking nice will be when you don't have to keep pushing around stuff from one corner to the other.
maybe your first step should be to look at organizing your space.

hold on i have to break up a fight between the boys...

okay we're back...now for those of you who work full time jobs. i thought about it and honestly because i'm not in that situation...i don't feel like i would be able to answer that? so i did the next best thing.
i googled: cleaning schedule for working moms...and this post came up
there were many others but this one kind of had everything briefly spelled out. i hope that was somewhat helpful!


last question: do you have a night routine?
YES absolutely!!! this is probably one of the most important things because this will ensure you will start your next day with a put away house. (which will help you with your cleaning routine because...you don't have to worry about putting things away ON TOP of cleaning!)
at night we do a pick up of hot spots:
bedrooms are completely picked up (i should also mention that i only allow video games to be played if the room is picked up. and i only let my boys play video games starting at 5, right around dinner time for a little so they basically have been starved of video games all day and are willing to pick up the few toys that have been played with during the day just to get on the blasted thing. (i swear video games are like crack to kids! and when you keep crack away from them for a long period of time they are willing to do anything for it! so use those blasted video games in your favor! can you tell i hate them? can't win them all)

our night time routine:
*so i make dinner.
*kids are getting their video game high.
*we have dinner.
*talk about our day with dad over dinner.
*and then it's slow down mode.

**while the fam checks out the garden, or plays outside for a little. i put the last of the dishes in the dishwasher, i pick up the kitchen, and if needed sweep and hot spot mop areas where there's goop or something sticking to the floor(some nights its the whole freakin floor). turn on the dishwasher and walk away from the kitchen.**

*my kitchen is ready for the next day.

*my kids then are to pick up rooms (if at all necessary...usually just katie because she plays in her room while the boys were tweaking on video games and i'm making dinner.)

**and then night time routines are done.
brushing teeth.
good night songs sung.
personal prayers had.**

*and then i read to the boys for about 45 minutes (currently we're reading percy jackson book 2)

i end my day with either sitting next to the husband while he watches tv and i do hand work on a quilt or something else, or read. this summer it's been all about reading...yeah try 8 books in like a month and a half. hello, my name is vanessa and i have an addictive personality. whole different post though.)

start my morning at 5:45 to go walking 4 miles.
get back around 7...where i'm suppose to take a shower and get ready for the day but in reality i 99% of the time meet my pillow for that 1/2 hour till the kids get up...and yes i do fall asleep 97% of the time.

and there you have it the ultimate complete too much information about my schedule post.
you asked for it.
and now that i've written a mini book of a post...
we'll talk soon.
;)

morning routines: win a $100 visa card

now that we've tackled organizing (are you still doing it?)
lets talk about daily routines. and all this bragging i do about having all of our chores done by 10 am during the summer...
i'm sort of a scheduled kind of gal who likes routines.
i've made it so my house runs that way as well.
i had to adjust it and be more strict about this "morning routine" when blogging became more of a job and started taking some of my free/household routine time.
go here to read more of this said routine and to find out how to win a $100 visa card from BlogHer sponsored by Kelloggs.
and then answer me this: after reading my routine...do you think it would be a good one to try to incorporate in your home?

adding color and dying men

hello!
i can't believe we're rounding out summer.
i'm so not ready to welcome fall.
please don't make me do it.
sigh...fine...i'll do it but not now.
right now lets talk about our garden...
our garden (despite my earlier attempt to kill it) has made a bit of a comeback. sooo happy because i don't know how i would of been able to handle years on end of talk about how i managed to kill everything the husband had worked so hard for so many months blah de be blah blah...yeah...
but for the husband and my sake i'm so happy we are able to actually reap some stuff he planted. this year we broadened our horizons and tried other things other than just zucchini and peas. this time we added some color! with tomatoes (still not pictured because they refuse to grow faster.) and carrots which i totally pulled out way too early but who cares cause look!... WE MADE A CARROT!



and radishes which my 8 year old actually brought home from scout camp and is apparently taking after the ol man of the house because they both go out there and sit and stare at the garden like they can see or hear it grow.
my 10 year old and i just look at them like they are nuts while we ride bikes get tired of that and then jump on the trampoline and get tired of that then we go inside and then we come back outside just to find those two still sitting there staring.


but the most exciting thing about our garden this year is that we finally got some heads lettuce. i totally doubted the husband because i kept seeing a ton of lettuce leaves and was like "we should start picking it and eating it."
and he was like "no, there's suppose to be a "head of lettuce" by the time we pick it.
i kept staring at it thinking "i think you are wrong...there's no way there's a round head of lettuce going to come out of all that leaf-age."
and then he would reply "did you just say leaf-age? and you are totally smoking crack, there will be a head of lettuce at least that's what the package said just be patient."
and then i was all "you are smoking crack...and since when has our life EVER been just like the package said?"
he was like "good point...but i'm sure on the lettuce."

and sure enough we have heads of lettuce growing...who knew?
somebody needs to tell heads of lettuce that they waste a lot of leaf-age though. seriously. look at all the extra fluff.


anywho. meet our new neighbors. no their not ours...we've loaned out our pasture to some nice people...who have a lot of sheep... and these said sheep look like they are wearing turtlenecks and should be on their way to a coffee house to take a break from their school studies. it makes me giggle every time.

and coincidentally... did you know that these said sheep sound a lot like dying old men? not that i have a lot of experience with that sound...but that's what i've decided they sound like... especially when they are right outside your bedroom window and you and the husband are trying to be romantic...not the best sound to hear.
i'm just sayin.

we'll talk soon...
i'm writing a post about schedules and another post on glass etching.
oooh maybe i am getting in the fall mood.
nope not just yet, cause i'll get to it when we get back from the pool.
:)

winner of the silhouette giveaway

well one the MANY women AND MEN who entered is walking away a happy camper and is going to be able to make either this lovely custom art or one of the bazillion other things you can do with this silhouette machine.

are you ready for the winner?

random # generator picked #797

Melanie said...

I am now a follower! :)

August 2, 2010 4:13 PM

well there you have it.
melanie who has 4 boys, and a husband...and apparently a bathtub outside. that must make for some really interesting neighbor discussions.

anywho, hope you have a blast with your silhouette and just mention to the boys that they wont see you for a few days because you will be having too much fun with it!

melanie please email me with your name and address of where you would like your winnings to go to!


now thanks to the rest of you.
if you didn't win. i'm so sorry i would of loved to give 2800+ of them away but it just aint going to happen...but remember you can still do the special promos when you enter the code especially for v and co readers!
here's a recap of the awesome promos:

enter the discount code: VANDCO

and receive one of these:

1) AWESOME PROMO (running from August 1st through August 9th at midnight)

Buy a machine and receive the following:

- $50 off the Silhouette Craft Cutter

- 2 rolls of vinyl (Valued at $15.98)

- 1 roll of transfer tape (Valued at $7.99)

- Scraper (Valued at $6.99)

- Home Décor CD (Valued at $50)

- $10 Gift Card to the Silhouette Download Store

- Cutting Blade

- 2 Cutting Mats

All for $249.99

A Savings of $130.96


2) GOOD PROMO (running from August 9th through August 14th at midnight)

Buy a machine and receive the following:

$50 off (receive for $249.99)

2 rolls of Heat transfer ($29.89 value)

$10 Gift Card to the Silhouette Download Store

Cutting Blade

2 Cutting Mats

All for $249.99

A savings of $79.98

pretty sure that's a really good deal. so make sure you take advantage!

now it seems like a big month for giveaways here. we are scheduled to have a few more. so keep a look out!

have a good rest of the weekend and we'll talk soon!
:)

enjoying...

all your funny lovely comments and the outside.
also remember you have till midnight tomorrow (saturday) to enter...and then we'll announce the winner on sunday.
i'm in the middle of a few more projects...but for now we are enjoying the last hurrah of summer...i'm slowly moving back into "fall mode" one tutorial and project at a time. so more to come in the next little while.
:)

we'll talk soon!

v and co tutorial: make your own custom art

so using your vinyl cutter (silhouette) you can make this lovely little custom canvas art.
my house is in the middle of a decorating overhaul and i don't have a buttload of money to just go out and buy pottery barn everything soooo. why not make some decor?
once i got my design on my vinyl i cut out excess black around it (because i'm super cheap frugal and thought i could do something with the excess vinyl which i did and for this tutorial as well.)
using the transfer paper i was able to place exactly on my canvas where i wanted my cut out.
but i wanted a little more twigs on there...now you could just cut out more from the machine but like i said i'm super frugal so i just used the extra black vinyl i had left over and cut out with scissors some twigs:
and then i added a few little leaves and a flower that would sort of match:

then i got my trusty spray paint
and sprayed over my vinyl. i did a couple of coats and let it dry.
once it was dry i peeled away the vinyl and well there you have it...custom art that looks like you took quite a bit of time to create!
i've made another one for my living room...the dandelions measure 8inches by 21 inches...

i love it!

i'm off to the pool, but i'm going to try my hand at the glass etching next. i'll give you a heads up when i'm done!

go and try to get your own silhouette here!!!!!!

huge giveaway at V and Co: Silhouette SD

well well well.
are you ready for this?
because i know so many of you are of the crafty type, when i was asked to review the SILHOUETTE SD to see how i liked it and to create something with it...AND oh yes... possibly GIVE ONE AWAY TO A LUCKY V and CO. reader. i said "sure i'll do it. send it on over, let me see what i can do with it."
READ MORE AND ENTER THE GIVEAWAY HERE