Colorful Birthday Memories

A few weeks ago, we Arizona Joneses celebrated our little niece's 2nd birthday from our house in the desert far, far away from her. I was so sad to miss this special milestone in her little toddler life!

We wanted to send something a little special, because she has gotten to the age where she understands that things are made especially for her. And she definitely knew this was her birthday and it was going to be a very special day that all her loved ones celebrated Katie Anne with smiles, gifts, and cake.

I thought back to my childhood and a flash of a memory came to mind. I remembered a special book that my grandparents had printed especially for me, as a Christmas gift, I think. The book was a treasure to me--after all, it was written about no one other than ME!!! The story told of "Trisha" doing this, and "Trisha" doing that. I remember sitting in my bedroom floor, reading and re-reading and re-re-reading that book forever. Carlton jumped on the idea to find a book that Katie Anne might enjoy reading. After all, her birthday was all about her. Why not read something all about herself too? We found an adorable book telling the tale of Katie Anne on her own little adventure, counting lots of animals.


And then it happened. As soon as the book was ordered, I found something else! Of course. I had to sprint out to Michaels and Joann for supplies right away! Being the Blogger stalker that I am, I came across Inchmark, a fantastic crafting blog that posted a beautiful how-to on creating color flash cards that could also work as a flip card memory game. These were so adorable, I just had to make them. (You should really check her out... she used to do some sort of work for Martha Stewart, and her projects are super. And the blog is so pleasant to look at!) Plus, Martha Stewart had been telepathically urging me to purchase one of her fabulous punches for creating pretty paper crafts. (I already had one, but why not get a second to make pretty trims on the edges of paper projects?) I know, I know... Martha Stewart, Martha Stewart, MARTHA STEWART! But it's not only me... another blogger, Eyelet Sage Studio, has also just recently discovered these marvels.

Joann will cut a sample of fabric for you from any bolt you wish. However, they will charge you for it. They cut a sample the entire length of the bolt, so you've got a length of fabric about 54" long and about 2-3" wide. Each will only cost you a few pennies, because they count this clipping as a fraction of a yard. But this project was totally worth the hassle! Sure, I had lots of long fabric scraps lying around my drafting table, and the pup didn't know what to think of the stinky glue I used, but the final product was precious.

All this project required was some cardstock, scissors, some glue, and the fabric scraps. I embellished the project by using the fancy MS punches for added character and a dab of cuteness. Inchmark also debated laminating her cards. She opted out, so as to not cover up the feeliness of the bright fabrics. I opted in, and just cut the hole with an xacto knite--not a perfect job, but it was alright, and the lamination should hold up a little better for Little Miss I Am Two.

First, I cut the cardstock into the size I needed for the cards. I wanted 16 cards total to create 8 card matches. This meant that I needed 32 pieces of cardstock cut. Then I punched the scallop-edged hole in the center of 16 of the cards (these were the fronts). After that, I punched the lacey edge onto all 32 cards. Zip on over to FedExKinkos to laminate the fronts and backs separately. Zipped back home, glued on the fabrics to the backs of the cards. Then I used my xacto knife to cut around the inside of the hole in the center of the front, where the fabric would be positioned. Glued the fronts to the backs, and trimmed around all the edges once everything dried. This all sounds kinda complicated, but it was actually quite simple, and very fun to create. Take a look at the final product! (I know, a few pictures to show exact steps to finishing the project would have been nice, but I was in a creating frenzy and couldn't bare to stop long enough.)

I set aside all the materials for a condensed overview of what materials the project involved.

This is the entire set, laid on the kitchen table upside down, ready for memory card turnover:

Found two!

And here are all the pretty colors of the rainbow:

Katie took a sweet little video of Katie Anne playing with the cards as flash cards. "Katie Anne, what color is this?" "Puh-ppl." "Good job!" My goodness she's getting big. We are so happy that Katie Anne had such a happy birthday, and I'm very glad that Katie Anne has already enjoyed her gifts!

Where for art thou, green carnations?

Let's just say, I'm glad I wasn't holding my breath! It's now Sunday, and here are my results for the St. Patty's Day green carnations:


There's an overall vaguely green tint to everything, but nothing is really green. I have been holding out, waiting for a definite result, but nothing has really happened. The lavender, on the other hand, has taken well to the dyed water, and has a purpley-green color now. My mom suggested cutting the carnations one more time, and maybe even smashing up the stems a little bit on the cut end, to open them up even more to the water. I'll give that a try and try to keep you updated.

St. Patty's Day project

Carlton flew out of Sky Harbor this morning for a quick trip to Georgia. There's an interview at a company in Marietta that he's really interested in, and that's scheduled for tomorrow at 10:30. New suit? Check. New shirt and tie? Check. Lots of studying? Absolutely. So say your prayers, peeps!

I'm off work all day today, and have decided to make it a lazy day immersed in crafts and other fun projects. Nothing big or busy, just a little lazy fun. As I was watching Martha this morning I was entranced by some naturally spring green carnations she was building into a shamrock shaped arrangement and decided I wanted some green carnations for myself. Of course, those that grow green naturally are probably only found at lavish flower shops and specialty markets, and all I've got is a dinky grocery store floral section to choose from. That'll do; I'll just make my own.

Select a container first. I couldn't shy away from one of my favorites, a crystal wedding gift we received from some very generous neighbors. I use it regularly on the painted brick fireplace mantle, and love the contrast between the intricate glass and choppy white brick.



Fill the vase with water and flower food as well as a generous amount of green food coloring. I added some yellow into mine as well, to hopefully get more yellowy-green petals. I just don't like the plain green that food coloring gives you.



Pull a few unsuspecting plants from outside - fragrant lavender will be a nice compliment to the scent that the carnations put out, and any purple I can get is sweeeet! Some buds from the pomegranate bush for a bright pop of neon orange in the front, plus they'll bloom in a few days and be gorgeous with the green flowers. And some fat leaves from our bird of paradise plants that have yet to put out a bloom since we moved in, to fill in a bit of empty space in the back, and to push everything forward.



I've heard carnations will begin to show the food coloring as early as an hour in the colored water, so I'm going to try to keep an eye on them during the day and see how they react. Here they are at 12:30:


And again at 1:50, no visible changes yet. But stay tuned for more updates!


FINALLY! Below is the first inkling of green creeping up into these flowers, at 6:45 tonight!!!


Next projects on the list:

- finish my sundress for the cruise
- start Sister's sundress (at least cut the pattern)
- try to find something interesting to use my new kitchen rags for (you can see the edge of one of them in my "selection of vase" picture above)
- work on my Toula a bit more
- think of what I want to eat while Carlton's not here for a couple days (he limits my menu!)

Thanksgiving for Two

Today I woke up and got right to work in the kitchen! Because it's finally Thanksgiving, it was time to finally use the Thanksgiving table decor that I recently sewed. I made a table runner which turned out so-so. As I moved the plum purple cordouroy and orange plaid wool fabrics through the sewing machine, I pulled just enough to stretch them both out, so there was a rippled effect on the hems. The runner looks wavy, which is fine, it's just not what I had originally envisioned. I also made some napkins in a black and creamy white damask print. Then came the challenge! While in North Carolina on our trip to Greg and Jillian's wedding, I innocently picked up a Martha Stewart magazine. Inside were ideas and detailed drawings on how to create multitudes of fall-themed sewn decor. I found one thing I couldn't seem to live without: a placemat shaped like a maple leaf. I decided to make the mat two-sided, an orange wool on top with a black and creamy white houndstooth on the bottom. Getting these two maple leaf place mats finished was a test on my sewing endurance for sure!!! The last craft I had on display for the Thanksgiving holiday has been hanging on our front door since Halloween: a paper leaf wreath with accents of silk florals. The paper wreath hanging on our front door wasn't really an issue here since there is no rain in the big desert!

Wreath hanging on the front door:

Table setting for two:

Detail of placemat's underside:

Turkey, potatoes au gratin, sweet potatoes, lima beans, stuffing, dinner rolls. I didn't want to make more than that, becaue we can't even finish what's listed. One vegetable for me (the lima beans, yummmm) and one for Carlton (he's discovered that he really likes sweet potatoes), and a turkey breast (legs and wings removed).

I brined the turkey for 24 hours, and followed these directions all the way through to the end. I can say that I have never had a juicier turkey in my life, unless it was deli sliced from the grocery store! All of the meat was sooo juicy!!! I am very proud of how it turned out. The potatoes au gratin were a little runny and not as soft as I prefer (even though they baked for 2 hours!), and Carlton's sweet potatoes needed a little more baking to crispen up some, but everything was overall a sweet success! I'm very proud, especially since I have never baked a turkey, a sweet potato, homemade au gratin potatoes, or stuffing before.

Carlton and I talked about what we were thankful for, and about the delicious meal as Vespa ate her (very) fair share of turkey on the floor next to the table. Even though we couldn't share this holiday with our friends and family, we had a very happy Thanksgiving together with each other.




Tomorrow night our plans are to meet up with the Cook cousins in Anthem, AZ for a post-Thanksgiving dinner. I'll be sure to get pictures of the whole crew together!


Happy Thanksgiving to All!!!