(Almost) Done

There's a lot half-finished lately at the PMD house.

We're

(almost) done. 

with a LOT of things.

For starters,

I'm (almost) done being pregnant!  Today is the first day of the third trimester! 

12 weeks to go!!!

Another thing, the Love Shack is just a little closer to being done today.

Drywall gets delivered!

Granted....we still have a LONG way to go before it's done

(i.e. hanging said drywall (tomorrow) , finishing it (Monday), trim work, priming, painting, and all the little things that go with finishing a room (or five)- light and plumbing fixtures, etc.)

BUT, we're a LOT closer to being done than we were 10 weeks ago.  :)

This is what my living room currently looks like:

If you've EVER lived through a drywall project, you'll understand why it's blocked off so well....and still, we'll be vacuuming that super fine dust out of couch cushions for the next decade.

But hey, it's (ALMOST) done!

And other (almosts):

A. is (almost) fully dressed for the day.

I'm (almost) fully done with our camping trip:

Laundry is clean and folded

She's been bathed (just this morning, but hey....it's done!  Hence the wet spots on the belly pic above):

The only thing left to do is take the clean linens out to the RV and give her a good scrub down and vacuum.

And one of my favorite (almosts):

I'm almost done making the dragonfly mobile for baby girl's room!

I saw a butterfly one on Pintrest, and thought I could do one to match our bedding.

My friend, Stephenie, came over last night for some crafting fun, and we got a good start.

Now, I just have a few things to do to finish it.

Which I'll probably get around to early next week.

But, since it's (almost) done, you get the gist!



(almost) done!

The Pain in my arse....also known as the "blue project"

Yes...the blue project has come to a completion.

Thank goodness!

It all started when A. threw a football in the living room, and dumped my Pier 1 berry wreath on the floor.

When I picked it up, I realized that the bright red berries were somewhat clashing in our new living room.

We hung it up during the Christmas season, and it looked fine at the time...

...but without the Christmas tree...well, now the red stuck out like a sore thumb.

Which led me to thinking (insanely) that I should change the red berries for blue ones.

Upon further review of the berries, I realized that they were nothing more than fancy painted Styrofoam on sticks.

So, if little Chinamen can put fancy paint on a bunch of Styrofoam balls,

then so can this Norwegian/German mama.

So, I picked through the wreath and plucked the red ones out...

All 124 of them.

And proceeded to paint them.

And I painted, and I painted and I painted.

All 124 of them.

Then, I realized that they were too bright, and needed to be "antiqued" a bit.

So, I found some brown and gold paint and made a wash with water...

...that seemed to do the trick.

So, then I had to glue them all back on.

All 124 of them.

But, I have to say...it goes so much better with our decor.

ONE DOLLAR craft/ gift idea!

Yes, ONE dollar!

This is a great idea to make for those people that you want to give something to, but don't want to join the rabble of candles and lotions on the teacher's desk.

I found these at The Dollar Tree:

Just plain air tight flip lid glass jars.

I have a Cricut machine (the OLD schoool Cricut machine- it's old, but it does the job)

You do NOT need a Cricut machine for this craft.

These can be done by hand - you just need more patience than I'm capable of.  :)

I used the Opposites Attract cartridge, 2 1/2" width.  Medium pressure.

Do you see that black oval button?  Yep, fourth row down, fourth from the right.

I cut it out of clear vinyl Contact Paper:

You don't need the oval part, you need the outline part.

Clean a side of the jar and place it on the jar.

Make sure all the edges are sealed.

Then, using the same cartridge, but dialed down to 1".

I cut the word "yum."

(In order for this to show up right, you need to cut the vinyl with the clear side up)

Stick it to the middle of your oval.

Again, make sure all sides are sealed.

Pull our your Armour Etch acid and paint brush.

(Latex gloves too!)

When applying the Armour Etch, try to do a thick layer and apply it from the top down (like blotting it),

 not brushing on.

To avoid bleed through, go easy on the edges, but make sure you apply a thick layer.

Wait 90 seconds.

Wash off with warm water.

YUM!

Fill with candy and giveaway to someone special.

Or, in my case, someone(s) special.

Merry Cricut! Christmas!

I'm always trying to figure out a way to do creative gift giving...

                                          ...within the budget.

So, this year, when our Christmas budget shrank considerably, I decided to make many of our gifts for family and friends.

Enter:  the Cricut.

This lovely machine was a gift from my awesome parents a few years ago.

I love it.

I think every crafter should have a Cricut machine.

Perhaps it should be a rite of passage for crafters....not sure, but I digress.

So, here's a list of some of the things cluttering up my kitchen counter that I'm keeping handy to finish my crafts:

Picture Frames . Armour Etch . Paper . contact paper . paper cutter . paper mache box . Mod Podge .

And, here's a little hint at what's to come.

I'll post more pictures when the projects are completed and/or delivered!

Merry Cricut!  Christmas!

The MOST FUN and DELICIOUS Thanksgiving Dessert

I'm not sure about you, but as a child I didn't like pumpkin pie.  I didn't even like the flavor of crust....I'd load that bad boy up with whipped cream, take it back to my seat, eat the cream off the top and leave the pie to sit.
  I know, I know....what was WRONG with me?!?!?

Anyway, a few years ago, my mom discovered this little gem

(she teaches kindergarten)

Where were these when I was little?!?!?

And they are as delicious as they are cute!

For each turkey, you'll need:

• 
  
  a chocolate covered cherry,
  
  
  
• 
  
  two chocolate cookies (I used Anna's brand.  Chocolate Mint)
  
  
  
• 
  
  Chocolate frosting
  
  
  
• 
  
  3 candy corn (this one is carmel apple flavor- that's why its red but reg.. looks just as cute)
  
  
  

Once you have them all at your disposal, start sticking them together with the frosting!

I start by attaching the cherry to the "tail feathers"  The cherry actually sits on its side when the turkey is complete.  Then I put them on the base cookie.  Then the head.  Then I cut the last 2 candy corn in half and put the small ends in front for feet.  Don't make these more than a day in advance.  The cookies start to go stale the minute you open the sleve.

Enjoy!

Easy Fall Craft for kids

I LOVE fall!

I love to get outside and walk around smelling the crisp air and appreciating the color array God has made. My favorite are those maples that almost look like they're on fire from the inside out. They're so vibrant!

This week is peak color in Michigan. This is always a good time to get out and collect leaves with the boys. I tried to turn our "loot" into crafts. This is what I came up with- easy, fast and incredibly cost effective!

You'll need:

• a pile of leaves (dried and de-bugged)
• clear contact paper
• scissors

First, gather leaves.

Cut 2 pieces of contact paper per child. I usually cut them about 18" long.

Peel one sheet of contact paper and place it sticky side up on the table.

Allow kids to decorate the sticky paper with leaves.

You'll want to leave some empty spaces so the paper can stick together.

When they're done, peel the other side and stick them together.

If you're like me, you'll need to trim the edges a bit.

The boys love their place mats! They're excited to eat meals at their "fall" place settings.

Cost per craft: $.75