We're a team, sharing this life together, helping one another achieve the greatest heights and buttoning each others' hard to reach buttons.
My sister, Heidi, and her husband, Spencer, had their first baby on December 22nd! His name is Ty and he is a fighter. There were some complications and he had to be hooked up to all sorts of machines for the first few days, 
but he fought through it all. He's home now and mommy and Ty are doing so well!
weight: 6 lbs 6 oz
length: 21 inches
Click here for more photos of baby Ty.
Now that Christmas has passed and friends and family have opened their presents I can show you what I've been up to:
My sister wanted a banner to hang in her window whenever her alma mater, BYU, plays a game to show support and get in the spirit. Well, they looked simple enough so I decided to make one for her. It turned out so cute and was so easy that I decided to include the instructions here so you can make one of your own favorite sports team, too!
Window Logo Banner 36" x 24"
2-3 hours depending on skill level
easy for beginners
what you'll need:
sports team logo
1 yard blue fleece
1/2 yard white fleece
4 yards blue & white polka-dotted ribbon
2 large eyelets with tools
iron
sewing machine or needle and blue and white thread
Step 1. Start by downloading the "Y" logo from BYU's website. In Photoshop, (or on a copy machine) enlarge it to be about 1.5 feet by 2 feet then print it in 8x10" sections on several pieces of paper. Cut out each section, tape them together and now you have your pattern for the logo! Click here to download my template. Armed with this, head to your local fabric store for some blue and white fleece (BYU's colors), 4 yards of blue and white polka-dotted ribbon for the edging, and 2 large eyelets for the upper corners so you can hang it.
Step 2. Measure out 36 inches x 24 inches on the blue fleece and cut out. Set aside. Pin the oval logo pattern to the white fleece, right side up. Cut out material. Cut the "Y" out of the middle of the oval logo pattern and pin it to the remaining scraps of the blue fleece (right side up) and cut out material.
Step 3. Center the blue fleece "Y" on top of the white fleece oval, right sides facing up, and pin. Sew together using blue thread, leaving 1/8 to 1/4 inch seam depending on the look you want. The small seam gives it more of a refined look, while the larger seam adds the look of being "homemade" and crafty. Now, center the white oval, right side up, on the 36" x 24" blue fleece, right side up, and pin. I chose to have the banner horizontal instead of vertical, but you can sew the oval on either way. Once the oval is pinned, sew together using white thread and leaving 1/8 to 1/4 inch seam. It's almost done!
Step 4. To prepare the ribbon to be used as binding along the edges, fold it down and press it with a hot iron to leave a crease. Leave one side just a touch longer than the other so when sewing it on you're sure to catch the ribbon on both sides of the fleece. Crease the entire length of the ribbon. 
Starting along one of the 24" sides of the blue fleece, slip the fleece inside the folded ribbon and pin. Leave about 1/2" excess ribbon on both ends and trim the remaining ribbon. Do this to both 24" sides of the fleece banner then sew the ribbons into place. You should now have ribbon edging on the sides of the banner. Now we'll do the top and bottom! Pin the ribbon into place, leaving 1" excess on both ends this time. 
As you sew on the top ribbon, tuck the 1/2" excess of the side ribbons under the top ribbon to hide it. Once you've sewn the entire length of the top of the fleece, triple-fold the 1" excess ribbon under itself to hide the raw edge and prevent fraying and stitch into place, lining up the seams, to give it a nice corner. Repeat on the bottom ribbon.
Step 5. Use the eyelet tools to insert an eyelet just inside the two upper corners of your banner. Hang your banner in your window using suctions cup hooks and cheer for your team! Go BYU! Rise and Shout, the Cougars are out!
My niece, Megan, arrived yesterday afternoon. She's so precious!! She weighs 7 lbs 6 oz and is 18 1/2 inches long. Here are some photos taken by photographer Lori Allred at the hospital:
Well, I think I've finally appeased the Sewing Gods because my projects are actually turning out so cute!! I wish I could show them to you, but Christmas is just around the corner and I don't want to give away what I've made for you. So be patient, my friends, and I will post my finished sewing projects later this month. I'll give you one clue, though. I'm having a love affair with Brocade and Silk. Oh, how I love them!! They're so dangerously beautiful. Like Sirens of Sewing, they lure you in by their supple feel and charming embroidery then skewer you when you try to stitch them! It's a love/hate relationship, really.
I have an incredible knack for taking the most simple sewing project and making it impossibly difficult by choosing exotic and tempermental material. I'm sorry, but cotton just doesn't cut it sometimes. A woman needs some passion and excitement in her life! My sensitive skin longs for smooth caresses by satin, silk and luxurious furs! (wow, I didn't think this would turn into such a steamy romance novel!) Closet Couture Lovers, unite!
For all of you out there, like me, that LOVE freebies when it comes to crafts and projects here are some websites with FREE PATTERNS for clothing, home decor, crafts, holiday projects, crocheting, knitting, quilting, toys, etc. Enjoy!
Hook Me Up - crochet & knit
Love To Know - several links to sewing patterns for just about EVERYTHING
Voor Nop - sewing patterns for baby clothes infant to 24 months
Pink of Perfection - TONS of craft ideas and some free hot-to videos
HappyThings - lots of craft ideas and how-to's
Many of these sites have excellent links to other great sites so get out there and see what you can find! Let me know what you make!
(click to enlarge)
As I was clearing the dead vines from the backyard fence I remembered that my mom used to make beautiful Christmas wreaths from dead grapevines. So I laid my vines out in strips and began twisting and twirling the vines and tied them in circles with twine. This is where my creativity ran out. :) So I relied on my best friend, Google, and found this great site that taught me all about the proper and simple ways to make beautiful wreaths for any holiday or occaision in 3 or 4 easy steps. 
Plus there are links to places where you can buy the materials if you're not fortunate enough to have dead vines in your backyard. :)
Here's another great wreath (right) that my sister, Heidi, made for a party before Thanksgiving. You can find her directions here. Hers was SO simple and pretty much free since she used items that she already found in her home: wire hanger, leftover paper from scrapbooking and wrapping presents and a bit of raffia for the bow. It took her 20 minutes. Try it and tell me how it goes!
Hello, my name is Kristi and I'm a craigslist.com junkie. I swear I spend hours at that website on a daily basis. I could probably MAKE half the stuff I look at in the "free" section just in the time I spend drooling over it! :) For those who have completely no idea what I'm talking about: first, I pity you; second, why haven't you been to craigslist.com? It's like a big online garage sale but has more than other people's junk. Ok, it does have a lot of junk, but isn't junk really in the eye of the beholder? People can also post job listings, real estate, businesses, etc. The San Francisco area's section is by far the largest, but there are probably a few gems in your area, too. So, check 'em out!!
I have to brag about my latest dazzling deal! I've been wanting and searching and dreaming and wishing and hoping for a water fountain for my backyard since April. Little did I know that fulfilling my dreams could also make me money$$. I found this fountain (see photo) on craigslist.com for $50!! It's over 6 ft tall and I can climb in and sit in the bottom tier! It works beautifully, too. The owners said the over 30 people emailed them about it. Miraculously, I was the first to respond to the ad so I had first dibs. It took 4 of us to move it in pieces since it's solid stone. Anyway, to make my really long story short - I recently found the EXACT SAME one at a garden store for $1,499.00!!! I am so positive that I could easily resell this heavy beauty and make a few hundred dollars! Cha-ching! But I won't. I like bragging about it far too much. :)
I love playing games - card games, board games, dice games, online games, outside games - the more people involved the merrier! Some of my fondest memories with my family, especially during Christmas, are with all eleven of us sitting around the kitchen table playing games. It gets loud and funny and exciting and we just have a great time.
Some of you may remember that I used to spotlight a different game in the side column each week. I'm bringing that back in hopes of igniting some fun with your friends and family. Some of the games you may already have, some will be Freebies where there's nothing to buy just get a group together and play, and others may be played with things you already have like basic cards or dice.
This week's game is a family staple in our house: Phase Ten
Phase Ten can be purchased at Wal-Mart, Target, Amazon.com or any other place where card games are sold. Here's a link to wikipedia for more info on how the game is played: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phase_10
It was brought to my attention this weekend that I have seriously slacked off in the blogging department. Some relatives now even shudder to mention my name and "blogging" in the same sentence. So, from the bottom of my keyboard, I apologize for the outdated, old hat, uninteresting blog and vow to make a re-energized effort at creating a stimulating, tantalizing and overall entertaining blog for what's left of my faithful patrons.
Accompanying this offered olive branch, I give to my ridiculously-cold friends who obviously don't live in California (yes, the weather spoils us out here) a secret formula for an invaluable elixer: 
to prevent frost and ice from forming on your vehicle windshields, create a solution by mixing 3 parts vinegar to 1 part water and spraying on your car windows in the evening.
"You can attract more friends with honey than vinegar." Says who?
