{If You're Goin'...to San Francisco...}

"...be sure to wear...some flowers in your hair..."

Yep...we're heading there this week and I. CANNOT. WAIT!!

all photos courtesy of Wiki

Hubby has been a few times for work, but it will be my first trip out there and I'm giddy.

And with good reason! Not only are we going to a place we've been talking about seeing together for YEARS, but we are also going without the kiddo (as precious as she is), and on our FIRST REAL ACTUAL vacation since she was born 7 years ago. Yes we've had wonderful weekend getaways, but still within a few hours of home.

This will be 4 days of childless bliss! No packing bags for little ones, no one to feed or take to the bathroom except ourselves! Carrying around only what WE need...which, when you think about it, is next to nothing. (Do you remember those days of taking very little wherever you went? You know, no band-aids, water bottles, snacks, etc.? Let alone those days of diaper bags!)

And let me tell you, we will miss her like crazy...this I know. We will be so thrilled to get back to her, but in the meantime we will be partying like rockstars I tell you! :)



I plan to buy BAGS of Ghirardelli trolleys, and eat fresh grilled salmon like they are almost extinct!

The weather looks like rain, rain, rain while we are there, but we will still make the best of it. We'll do it all soaking wet if we have to, but it will be the best time no matter what. Hangin' with my man is still the most fun I could ever have...even after almost 20 years together!

Happy Creating while I'm away!

As always, thanks for stopping by and have fun with your own sig other this week...even if it's a

"staycation".

Take care,

{Felt Leaf Garland}

I have only a couple of weeks of Fall decor left before my hubby takes over for Christmas! (He doesn't actually take over, but he does decide WHEN the holiday decor goes up because he's nuts about it, LOL!) So after I take down the Candy Corn Bunting , I string this cute and easy Felt Garland along my staircase. It's so simple to make, and adds a nice touch to any area.

{You need}:

felt

marker

leaf pattern(s) to trace

jute twine

thread, scissors, etc.

I cut the leaves out of felt, 2 sides for each leaf, using a pattern I found through Google. (Any leaf pattern will do just fine.) Then I machine sewed them together down the middle, and randomly added 'vein' lines to each one. (There was no rhyme or reason to it...I just went with what I thought looked good...so don't bother with planning out your veins. They probably look better just going willy-nilly anyway!)

After I sewed together all the leaves I needed, then I hand-stitched a long strand of jute twine to the back of each one. I wish I had pics to show you, but I basically estimated about how far apart I wanted my leaves to be in relation to where I knew I would be hanging it. Then I pinned my leaves to the strand of jute twine and took a second look. Once I was happy with the placement, then I put 5-6 stitches in the back of each leaf to secure the twine. I stitched the twine just to the back side of each leaf, so from the front you can't tell how the leaves are attached at all.

That's it! Very, very simple.

Can you disregard the little green man sitting on the stairs?  He must have been in some kind of time out.  :) 

Time for some super cheese...Happy Fall Y'all! (I couldn't resist.)

Take care,

I Heart Naptime-Sundae Scoop

Friday Flair Link Party-Whipperberry

{Bigger Bag...the one I actually DID need}

Hope you all had a fun and spooky Halloween! My kiddo was a bit down with a low-grade fever, but we managed just fine and she came home with oodles of goodies that will rot her teeth and her mind.  :) I'm sad to be taking down all of our spooky decor this next week, but I gotta...because hubby (who is National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation crazy about Christmas) will be taking over for the holidays in just a few short weeks.

In the meantime, I wanted to share a second jelly roll bag I made...and this one I actually DO need! Remember my first jelly rolly, and this cute purse I came up with? I really needed a bigger bag for all-day type functions...you know, when you need a little more than will go in a purse (my purse anyway), but not enough for a backpack?

Here's what I came up with, and it was perfect for our trip to the Zoo Boo last weekend. I {love} the colors and patterns in this jelly roll!

I added a snap, as well as pockets on both sides of the interior. I also used heavier weight interface to give it a little more durability.

The pockets on the left are divided, for cell phone and keys. The one on the right is a larger single pocket.

I'm so pleased with how it turned out.

Thanks for dropping in...I love hearing from you!

{Canvas Trick or Treat Bag}

I've been busy, busy with my preschool class and extra-curriculars with the kiddo, BUT...I squeezed out one more Halloween project to share with you!

Now we have a candy bag that will actually hold ALL the candy, and look cute, too.

I purchased this canvas bag at Joann Fabrics, with a nice 50% off coupon to boot, making it about $3. I really wanted a cream-colored one, but they didn't have one and I needed to get it made for Halloween!

I opted to use felt scraps, just to make it easier and a real no-brainer. I actually pieced together the center yellow because I didn't have one piece big enough.

I thought it made it look a little scrappy, so I went with it!

I basically machine-stitched it on, and added some scrap orange fabric from my candy corn bunting for the bow.

I think it will hold all the candy this year! :)

Thanks for stopping by,

I'm having trouble pasting code, so here are the links where I am this week:

It's Sew Stinkin' Cute

Show Off Your Stuff Party

Show & Share Day at Just a Girl

{Classroom Halloween Treats}

Well...not really treats I guess.

Won't they be getting enough junk to rot their teeth and minds right around this time of year? :)

So for my daughter's first grade class, we opted for a Halloween pencil instead...and possibly a Halloween fruit roll-up.

I picked up the pencils on the Dollar Spot at Target. I found something similar to this idea years ago, and just made it my own.

It's very simple, but you do need a few tools of the trade. How it comes out though is all up to you!

I cut the base rectangle with a Nestie. I used a slit punch (about $6 and although it's not used often, it's really handy when you do need it!) and put a slit in each short side of the rectangle. These are the slits where the pencil will go.

I hope you you can see them! It's a little tough on the black.

Then I took a favorite old Stampin' Up Halloween set, stamped 20 images, and punched them out with a circle punch. I punched a background for those images with a scallop circle punch. (Are you tired of hearing the word 'punch' at this point?)

Adhere your stamped (or printed) images to the pencil holder rectangle and you're all done.

I know they will get thrown away and crushed, so I didn't add ribbon. I've learned when making papercrafts for kids, it's best to pull back a little so you don't burst into tears when they destroy your pretty project! :)

Just a little classroom 'treat' to pass out at the Harvest Party, and they take very little time to make.

If you have questions, let me know!

(I can't wait until Halloween!!)

Take care,

Sundae Scoop at I Heart Naptime

{My First Jelly Roll}

Sounds a little strange doesn't it? ;) 

I picked up my first jelly roll on super clearance at Joann's a couple of months ago, and it's been waiting patiently for me until this weekend. I loved the colors (turquoise and greens!) and it was $6.97 plus a coupon. I designed this bag and {love} how it turned out!

Do I need another purse? Of course not, but I tell you I am addicted to making bags! I'm not sure why exactly, but I love making them...whether they are my own design or using a tutorial/pattern. I actually changed my mind halfway through, so it turned out to be a little different shape than the original plan, but I'm happy with it nonetheless. You never know!

I'm calling it my Jelly Roll Bucket Bag, because when I look at it top-down, it really stands up like a bucket.

I added one larger pocket, as well as a snap.

I'm really proud of it! :)

It's all jelly roll strips except the lining and handle. I love the ease of not cutting the exterior panels!

I'm working on making a larger 'everything' kind of bag, because that I actually do need. We had a parade to attend a few weeks ago, as well as a festival the following week, and I realized that I don't have a larger bag that serves the carry-all purpose AND looks cute. I knew the jelly roll would come in handy to fix that problem. :)

Joann has a 20% off total purchase coupon this weekend, so I'm heading to Joann tomorrow to see if I can find some more clearance jelly rolls. I'm on a roll I'll tell you....haha...okay...not so funny. (Can you tell I'm getting tired?)

Thanks for stopping by!