karenskidcrafts

The Rainbow

2009-04-10T11:16:00.000-07:00

I think it was Wednesday we had a big rainstorm. This was the view from my front yard after that storm!

When my daughter saw it she said, 'That's a promise!'
What a beautiful reminder that God keeps his promises to us.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter weekend. When you are knee high in Easter grass and plastic eggs, remember that Jesus is the Reason for the Season. Christmas is a celebration of Jesus' birth. Easter is a day to remember His sacrifice, and celebrate His resurrection. Without his death, there could be no life.
When I told my preschoolers Jesus died, I asked them if that would be a good reason for a holiday. They all yelled NO! Then I told them how He came back to life and that He is living in Heaven with God. I told them if they believe and ask Jesus to live in their heart, He can help them live the right way, and we can all live in Heaven together someday. Then I asked if that was a good reason for a holiday and they all yelled YES! Please remember the sacrifice that was made for your sins, and remember that it's a gift that has to be actively accepted. The Easter bunny is fun, and we all love to hunt for Easter eggs, but Jesus' Resurrection is the real celebration!

Spring Snow!

2009-03-28T13:34:00.001-07:00

Sick sick sick - JBF Sale

2009-03-06T07:53:00.000-08:00

I haven't had time to even check my email lately. Bub has had pneumonia twice in the last 5 weeks; it didn't clear up entirely the first time. We have been doing breathing treatments around the clock for 4 days now and he still doesn't sound great.

All that said, I had some time when my mom was visiting to go through the kids stuff and consign in the Just Between Friends Sale. If you haven't been to the Tulsa sale it is worth going just to see the amount of stuff in that building. I went to one in Broken Arrow last fall and loved it. I went with a friend who got a presale pass as a First Time Mom. I think if you are looking for something in particular you need to have a presale pass or go the first day. Almost everything I had was sold by the end of the first day the sale opened to the public. I plan on consigning stuff in the Tulsa sale every Spring and Fall. There is a 10$ consignor fee and then you earn 65%. If you volunteer you can earn 70% and get a pass to shop before other consignors. It's pretty easy to print tags now with the new system. You can also track your items and see what sells each day. If you go look at your sales report it will show you what your estimated check amount is (your 65% with the consignor fee subtracted).

I consigned 104 items. As of yesterday I sold 80 of them (most of them at full price). My estimated check amount is more than 300$! I think the rest of my stuff will sell by Saturday (50% off day - Thurs/Fri is 25%).
The best part is that I went to the sale Sat (with the consignor presale pass) and spent 185$ for clothes for both kids that will give them some good staples for their Spring and Summer wardrobes. I also got some toys that will help Bub with his physical therapy stuff.

So I made back what I spent plus at least 125$! Totally worth the effort - I highly recommend it.

ICE STORM

2009-01-28T11:15:00.000-08:00

I took these in my back yard this morning. It's cold and icy, and I didn't have to go to work today! I'm relieved because my husband got to stay home with me and the kids. We have a fire going - just a word to the wise, check your firewood for bugs before bringing it into your house! We found lots of wood beetles in ours. Don't worry, they got fried pretty quickly. Another side note, try to buy firewood that has been aged for 2-3 years. The newer wood leaves deposits in the chimney that can cause a chimney fire.

Child's Felted Crochet Purse

2009-01-28T11:07:00.001-08:00

This is such an easy project - and lots of fun! I just got some thick wool (100% wool or it won't felt) yarn and crocheted a rectangle. Then I folded it and sewed the sides together (with the wool yarn). I just crocheted a single chain for the strap. When it's all together wash in warm water and let dry! If it doesn't shrink as much as you'd like you can wash again and toss it in the dryer for 5 min to help it shrink up. The purse was adult size before felting and ended up the PERFECT size for my 2 year old after felting.

I chose not to line this purse, I like how it looks as is.

Kate's Purse

2009-01-27T18:11:00.000-08:00

This is the purse I made for my sister. It's my second attempt at felting. I taught myself how to knit because I liked the felting so much! The lining turned out better than I thought it would. I had to knit the purse, then felt it (wash it in warm water - I did it in the washing machine). Once it shrank down I did a little measuring and eyeballing to get the lining to fit. I sewed the lining up on my machine and hand sewed it into the purse. I'm going to try to take some pictures of my daughters purse - it was the first attempt at felting! I just taught myself to cable knit, so stay tuned because that makes felting SO much more fun!

Auntie Kate's Quilt for Bub

2009-01-08T19:20:00.001-08:00

Here is the quilt my sister made for Bubba. It's beautiful...she quilted circles all over it. It's much better than anything I have ever done and I am so happy it's Bub's.

2009

2009-01-01T22:44:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! I have a few projects to post, but no pictures yet. I'll also be posting some new kid crafts, my daughter got a suitcase full of craft supplies for Christmas!
I'm hoping to be continually working on something during 2009. My husband and I decided our resolution would be to spend more time outside. Anyone else make a resolution?

Baby Gift

2008-12-31T11:10:00.001-08:00

I made these as a gift for my sister in law and (soon to be) nephew. This is a link to the tutorial for the shoes. I used one of my son's old jackets for the material. I used the hood of the jacket to make the heel of the shoe. This is a link for my lame explanation of the burp cloths. I made her a set of 6- 2 each of 3 different colors.
She's due in less than a month and we're excited to meet him!

Tissue Holders

2008-12-28T16:25:00.000-08:00

I made these for Christmas presents too. We have a gift exchange with my husbands family every year so I put a gift card in with the tissues and put it in a little brown paper bag. I thought it was cute.

Name Pillow for Baby Reid

2008-12-27T11:03:00.000-08:00

Here is the name pillow I did for baby Reid. The disappearing ink hasn't disappeared yet ;-) in this photo. I looked at several pictures of trains and drew this design onto the pillow.

Embroidered Name Pillow

2008-12-17T11:45:00.000-08:00

I've been working on this pillow for a little girl named Lily. She turned one in Nov, and I just finished it for her.

It's all different courderoy. I thought it turned out pretty cute!

The verse is Mark 9:23 - " 'If you can'?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for him who believes."

Happy Birthday Lily!

Hand/Footprint Angel Bags

2008-12-12T08:45:00.000-08:00

Everything I've been working on lately is for Christmas. Since I haven't been able to post any of that stuff yet I brought home a project from school so I could finish it and show it off on here.

Their names are on the bottom left corner.

Cute baby shoes!

2008-11-13T14:00:00.000-08:00

Check out these baby shoes! They are SO cute! This is a link to the tutorial. I might have to try these out.

Sewing Machine

2008-11-11T14:33:00.000-08:00

It's here! It got here yesterday, but we've been sick, so I didn't get it out until this afternoon. I read thru the entire instruction manual and after referring back to it several times I got my first satin stitch done! I'm going to be using the satin stitch a lot for gifts this year. I'll do a little more practicing and then I'll start posting my projects as I complete them!
If you have a sewing machine and haven't read the manual, I highly suggest doing so. I learned a LOT about sewing and settings and tension and on and on. It was well worth the time spent.

Katie's Towel Bibs

2008-11-09T14:33:00.000-08:00

These are the bibs my friend Katie was telling me about. Her grandma makes them - she uses old t-shirt or sweatshirt necks and sews them in. Then you can skip the velcro altogether. I like that better since the velcro tends to stick onto things it shouldn't in the wash. Thanks Katie!

Holiday gift tags

2008-11-08T13:42:00.001-08:00

My husband designed these and printed them out on cardstock. Then, last night at our monthly crop, I cut them out and added the stickles. Thanks to Patricia for the inspiration. It didn't take too long, and they are really cute!

Baby Shower Cupcakes

2008-11-08T13:37:00.000-08:00

I made these cupcakes for a baby shower I went to this afternoon. It took most of the morning, but the end result was pretty good! Let me know what you think!

Hand/Footprints were vanilla cupcakes, the hearts were chocolate.

Hand Towel Bibs

2008-11-07T09:43:00.001-08:00

Check out these bibs...I'm going to make some for my son!

Click here for directions on how to make this bib!

Hooray for my birthday!

2008-11-07T09:07:00.000-08:00

My birthday is coming up and my wonderful husband has agreed to let me get a new sewing machine! I am SO excited and I can't wait for it to get here! I decided on the Singer 7470 and I can't wait to get it set up and going. Even better, I found a 15% off coupon for first time customers at HSN and saved 50$! Can't get a whole lot better than that!
I am drawing up some gift ideas for Christmas in my One Month of Projects and a new sewing machine will make things sew much easier!

Go Vote - Freebies

2008-11-04T09:14:00.001-08:00

Have you gone to vote? I went this morning before I went to the dr. My husband came a little later and I sat with the kids while he voted. They had donut holes and coffee at my polling place. And if you go to Starbucks and show them your I Voted sticker you can get a free Tall cup of coffee. You can also go to Chick Fil A and get a free 3 pc chicken!

Stress

2008-11-04T09:01:00.000-08:00

Stress has a lot of crappy side effects. I went to the Dr this morning and was told I might have an ulcer. I get to be on prilosec. I've never had gastro problems like this in my life! I've also been having problems with my sciatic nerve and she told me my hips were out of alignment. I'm guessing that is caused by carrying around my 2 1/2 year olds at school and my own two kids all the time. She pushed on me and moved my legs around and had me hop on one foot. I'm amazed at how much better I feel!
I've decided to post a picture of Bubba to show his progress. He is holding his body up so well these days!

Burp Cloths

2008-10-30T10:53:00.000-07:00

Here is what I'm making for some of the new babies in our Sunday School class.

I just bought a higher end washcloth and wrapped the edges with yarn like this -

Then crocheted one row all the way around - I don't know the correct terms for crocheting, I am self-taught, but on the corners crochet one and then do one extra loop before crocheting the next so it lays flat. They are easy and really cute and they are also really absorbent for the big spitters out there!

Bubba's Progress

2008-10-30T09:16:00.000-07:00

For those who don't know, my eight month old son is behind in his development. In Oklahoma we have an awesome program called SoonerStart where different therapists (depending on your child's needs) come out to your home and work with your child. They also show you different ways to help you help your child. Well, Bub is doing SO much better! We're so proud of him. He is coming up on 8 months old and he is now holding his head steady, holding up his body weight when you hold him (this makes carrying him around much easier for me), rolling over from tummy to back both to the right and left, and I have every confidence he will be sitting up unsupported by Christmas (maybe Thanksgiving!).

We're not exactly sure the reason for his delays. He has torticollis, which is what we've been treating through physical therapy. Here is a picture of our Bub at about 3 months -
You can see how this would delay development!!!

He also has issues with extension, or throwing his body backward in an arch. This caused us to think he may have Cerebral Palsy. However, none of the doctors we've taken him to think we need to be overly concerned about that. They say we wait to see how he improves with the PT. He is a totally different baby these days and we hope to see enough continued improvement that we can avoid going to a pediatric neurologist for an MRI (to see if there is any brain damage).
There are people all over the country praying for our little Bubba and we appreciate every single prayer. The power of prayer is extraordinary and we are blessed to have dedicated prayer warriors on both sides of our family. I plan to keep my blog updated with his progress and with the steps we are taking to help him improve. I will also try my best to put into words the feelings of having a baby who isn't "normal".

One Month of Projects

2008-10-30T09:04:00.000-07:00

This November I will joining Patricia in her One Month of Projects. I will be trying to come up with a new project each day and detail that project in a notebook with sketches and notes. The plan is to come up with as many Christmas gifts and baby shower gifts as I can. Since I know about 100 people who are pregnant or trying this will come in very handy this year! Thanks for the motivation Patricia!

Paper Fun

2008-10-28T13:10:00.000-07:00

My mom introduced me to A Little Hut and I will be drawing inspiration from her during this holiday season. I've recently been on a paper craft kick so I was really excited to see some really awesome stuff by a great designer!
These are some things I thought would be fun to make for my daughter.
Paper fliers -

wallets -

And some boxes (which she LOVES to play with - I made several in different sizes so they can stack and nest) -

Homeland

2008-10-16T11:16:00.001-07:00

I went to Homeland last night and saved about 40% . I was hoping I would do better, but I had to buy stuff that wasn't on sale since it's been awhile since I've gone shopping. Remember Homeland doubles coupons up to $1! Here are some of the deals I got-

Sale Items-
Veg-all Cans x3 ~ 2.25 - MC (insert) $1/3 = 3 for .25
Kellogg's Cereal ~ 1.99 - MC (printable) $1/1 = Free
Frosted Mini Wheats ~ 3.00 - MC (printable) $1/1 = 1$
Voila Frozen Dinner ~ 3.00 - MC (insert) $1/1 = 1$

NonSale-
Ronzoni Pasta ~ 1.68 - MC (insert) $1/1 = .32 overage
Whisker Lickens Cat Treats ~ 1.67 - MC (insert) $1/1 = .33 overage

I got Juicy Juice for about 1.30 with a printable $1/1 and there were a few other things that I can't recall right now but I don't feel like searching for my receipt. Thank you to Sarah for telling me you have to cut the coupon out of the ad and hand it to the cashier. Saved me some time at the register. I saved about 65$ after my One Card savings, and coupons. Not bad.

Walgreens

2008-10-11T09:28:00.001-07:00

Thank you to Sarah for pointing out the coupons and rebate overlaps at MoneySavingMom. I went last night and exchanged 4 packs of diapers for different sizes, bought some Enfamil Formula, the Automatic Shower Cleaner (Scrubbing Bubbles), some scrubbing bubbles cleaner, windex, shout, and pledge wipes and I spent 27$!!!! The formula alone was 28$ before coupons! Not only that, but I have 14$ coming in rebates! Not a bad haul for 13$!!!!!

Deaf Awareness Week

2008-09-28T11:31:00.000-07:00

This is a link to Amy's blog. This is the classroom I used to work in - the character web is for them.

http://amyagimudie.wordpress.com/2008/09/22/deaf-awareness-week/

Character Web - The Castle In The Attic

2008-09-28T11:23:00.000-07:00

I used to work in a 4th and 5th grade classroom and I would make character webs for the book we were reading. Well, I enjoy it so I'm still doing it. Here's the one I made for The Castle in the Attic. I used construction paper, tempera paint, crayons, glue stick, and my printer.

Fun Easy Project

2008-09-19T13:05:00.001-07:00

I don't know if I have a picture for this one because we did it at school, but it was really fun!
Cover a box with white paper. Give kid/s watercolors, a paintbrush, and some water. I wasn't sure how they would do with this...they're 2 years old. But, they really liked it and even with a few water spills - it was pretty low stress and low maintenance.
A few tips - only put 1/2 in of water into their cup/s. That way, when they spill, it's not a tragedy.
Older kids could do a mural.

My new coupon book

2008-09-19T13:05:00.000-07:00

Well, thanks to inspiration from My Slice Of Life, I decided to completely reorganize my coupons. It took a couple hours, but it's totally worth the work. It's going to cut my shopping time by a LOT. Here are some pictures!

There are separate sections in the back for specific stores and the weekly ads.

Awesome Green Bean 'French Fries'

2008-09-18T15:46:00.000-07:00

I don't know if people already do this or not. Last night I made chicken salad wraps for dinner and I needed a way to get the serving of vegetables into the meal. I didn't want to just do broccoli or something, it felt like it needed a finger food. Anyway, this is what I came up with.

I took a can of french cut green beans and spread them out on a cookie sheet. Then I put bread crumbs and parmesan cheese on it and broiled it on a med setting until they started turning up and then another 5 or so min. Then I flipped them over and broiled them on high until they started turning up plus 5 minutes. They weren't crispy like french fries, but they were finger food - and they were GOOD! They would have been good with a little more seasoning.

Katie's Projects

2008-09-09T08:14:00.000-07:00

I have a fantastic friend who is creative and frugal - two of my favorite things. She told me about some of her projects that she did for her daughter's room and I had to share them!
First - the wooden letters for her name - she painted them to match the wall paper, very cute!

Then the coat rack - she found it at a thrift store and painted it with matching paint. It turned out beautifully!

Last is the trash can - I am so impressed - what an awesome idea!!! She took one of her daughters old blankets and wrapped it around the trash can gluing as she went. Then finished it by cutting out some of the graphics from the leftover wall paper and gluing them on.

Way to go Katie!!! Using things that would have ended up in the trash - getting creative and saving money! Lots of money! That stuff would have cost a pretty penny if you looked for something similar in a retail store, and it wouldn't have matched as well either!

New Project

2008-09-06T16:19:00.000-07:00

I think I'm going to find some fabric and try to make this skirt for my daughter.
I think I'll add pockets and a lining though. I'm excited!

I'm So Proud

2008-09-06T15:11:00.000-07:00

My husband works hard and he really does amazing work. I'm very proud of him for his latest project and I wanted to show it off. He did most of the design work and a lot of the building for Hanson's new charity website, Take The Walk. Check it out!!!

Landfill Fossils

2008-09-06T09:47:00.000-07:00

I found these fossils in some kind of shale at the landfill in Sand Springs.
If anyone knows what any of these are, I would love to know!

I thought this looked like a tooth or a claw - I don't think this is shale - I found it in a different area.

Crinoids in my Washer

2008-09-06T09:43:00.000-07:00

Well, I've seen the Rocks In My Dryer Blog. This morning I found crinoids in my washer. My daughter must have been putting them in her pockets!

Oklahoma Fossils

2008-09-05T08:01:00.001-07:00

My mom and I went fossil hunting during her visit from Virginia. We went to the Arkansas River, a landfill in Sand Springs and to a location on private property in Seminole County. We found lots of awesome stuff - I'm still waiting to have most of it identified, but it's all really cool! Here are some photos -
Seminole County - see all the Crinoid Stems?
My haul from Seminole Co.
I'm going to make my daughter a Crinoid Stem Necklace with these sections!
These are from the landfill - found in some kind of shale.

If anyone knows anything about fossils in OK and wants to help me ID some of mine let me know! I have an awesome one of a plant that I need to photograph. Plants are more rare than animals - they're destroyed more easily. Anyway, it was a lot of fun and I'm pumped about it! Hooray for fossils!

Update on the 'Aquaglobe'

2008-08-29T19:15:00.000-07:00

It's working well!

I do have a few tips tho:
1. When filling with water - squeeze the bottle and slowly release under the stream of water, it goes a LOT faster!
2. When putting into your plant - use a chopstick (or a pencil/pen) - to make a hole where you want to put your globe. This will help prevent clogging the end with dirt.
3. If you think your globe is clogged - pull it up about an inch and squeeze some water out, then gently put back.
4. If you put the end of your globe in the bottom of your plant only the bottom of your plant will get water. If your plant is well established this is fine - the roots will go deeper to get to the water. If you have a newer plant I would recommend putting the stem of your globe in at an angle so the end of it is nearer to the surface.

If anyone else tries this - let me know how it works for you!

For info on how to make it go to my old blog -

http://karenskidcrafts.wordpress.com

Ladybug Cupcakes

2008-08-29T16:39:00.000-07:00

I'm moving my blog...again.
I thought I would start with out with a few pictures of the ladybug cupcakes. People love the ladybug cupcakes. Anyway, here they are!