Sweet Computer Deal at Walmart

Ok I have to start by saying that I was not asked by anyone to say this or whatever. So my hubby and I were at Walmart picking up a couple things last night and we decided to stop in the computer section. We've been needing a computer (the one we had before we moved was mine from college..we got rid of it). So we walk over and see this Acer (good brand) laptop on sale for $298! Now I'm not talking about a little notebook, but a 15.6" screen laptop with Windows 7, a webcam, 2 GB/250 GB, etc. We immediately called our computer-savvy friend to find out about the computer and if it was a good deal. Turns out it is! And the computer normally runs for about $500! Walmart is having this one-time back to school sale. We got one immediately, not wanting to miss out. So if any of my bloggy friends are looking for a new computer, look no more! Hopefully the Walmart near you has this awesome deal!


PS, Tutorial Tuesday is coming later today!

Friday Blog Hops

It's that time of the week again! To anyone visiting, I hope you like what you see! Feel free to browse around and check it out. Coming in the next few weeks I will also be offering some giveaways and doing reviews. But my passion is crafting and giving tutorials!

Birthdays

In honor of my husband's birthday today I decided to do my Thursday Thoughts post on birthdays. I am a huge fan. I personally think birthdays are a big deala nd shoud be celebrated. I made my daughter's first birthday a huge event. Last year for my husband's 25th birthday I threw a baseball themed surprise party.
In my opinion life is pretty tough and if you've survived another year then let's celebrate! I mean, if you're not a party planner like me, you can still make birthdays a big deal by the things you do. For instance, food is a great way to celebrate. Make the menu all day to surround the birthday person. Plan activities that they want to do. Leave happy birthday notes around the house.
Just make the day about them.

Boy's Car Mat

Ok, so I saw this project on one of the linky parties I participate in. The original is here. And I knew I just HAD to make it! It's adorable! Plus I had so much fun making it. So, I will try my hardest to give a tutorial, but know now that this is a personalized thing and you can make one however you want. I just started with a picture I drew and went from there! So here goes nothing....

Supplies Needed:
* Felt, lots of it. You'll need 1/2 a yard for the mat itself and then lots for all the other stuff
* Glue Gun
* Scissors


Step 1:
First start off with your main piece that you will be glueing everything else to. I chose green for grass. Very original. Then you want to create your roads. Like I said, I drew a picture so I just went from that and made sure the raods filled up the amount of space I wanted.


Step 2:
Start adding. Now, I didn't want to take picture after every single thing I put on, so I just took a couple pictures of the process. The most important thing to remember is to focus on one thing at a time, or you'll feel completely overwhelmed.


Step 3:
Add your finishing touches. I added the little boy's name whom I'm giving this to, plus a little "garage" for his cars. The Barber Brothers (real dealership in Utah) has pockets. So here's the final product, along with close-ups.

San Antonio Family Fun

I know, I haven't done a Family Fun Friday post in a long time. Besides being incredibly busy and it wasn't a priority, I wasn't exactly getting a lot of comments or feedback. So I want to know, do y'all want me to continue? I would love to research more cities if there is a want, but it is a very time consuming post. So, give me some feedback! And if you want your city featured, let me know!
Now, San Antonio is only a couple of hours away from here, so I thought I'd focus on that city next, especially since I know we will be visiting.

The Alamo
Do I really have to say anything here? I mean, the Alamo is well, the Alamo. Remember?
By the way, they also have TONS of other missions you can visit.

The River Walk
Now granted, the River Walk is full of shops and restaurants, but if you don't want to spend any money, that's ok! It's absolutely gorgeous just to walk down.

Museums
Now there are 3 museums that if you go to them on the right day, they are free as well.
The San Antonio Museum of Art is free on Tuesdays from 4 pm to 9 pm.
The McNay Art Museum is free Thursday night and the first Sunday of the month.
The Witte Museum is free Tuesdays from 3 pm to 8 pm.

Japanese Tea Garden
The Japanese Tea Gardens, adjacent to the Sunken Garden Theater in Brackenridge Park, features beautiful floral displays, a waterfall and a safe habitat for new Koi and aquatic plants. It is an extraordinary example of the ruse of an old rock quarry which dates back to 1899 and remnants can still be seen in the gardens architecture. The site is designated as a Texas Civil Engineering Landmark, a Registered Texas Historic Landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Friday Blog Hops

It's that time again! If you're visiting from a blog hop, welcome! I hope you like what you see! If you're already a follower, awesome!

Picture Board

Hello everyone! So this past Christmas I decided to make these picture holders for my nieces and nephews. Of course, I didn't want them to be any ordinary picture holder and I wanted them to be personalized. So I came up with something and I think they're pretty cute! So here's the tutorial:

Supplies needed:
* Rectangle of styrofoam
* Abotu 1/2 yd fabric (I prefer cotton)
* Matching ribbon
* Glue Gun
* Batting


Step 1:
Measure out your batting to fit onto the styrofoam. Keep it laid on top. (And yes, I know mine is in pieces :()


Step 2:
Lay the styrofoam on the fabric and cut a piece for the front. The key is to cut it large enough that the edges will be able to wrap around to the back so you have pretty edges.


Step 3:
Carefully flip your styrofoam over, batting and all, onto the fabric. So basically, the front is down. Make sure the right side of the fabric is also down. Start by hot glueing one side down. Next move, to the opposite side. Make sure that you pull the fabric tight. Continue with the other 2 sides, continually pulling the fabric tight.


Step 4:
Glue your ribbon on. You really can make any criss-cross design you want. But want to make sure to cross the ribbon at times. Also, glue the ribbon to the back. You will be covering up all of this later. Also, take a piece of ribbon and create a little hanger and glue it to the back.



Step 5:
Place the board on top of the extra fabric. Cut another piece that is about 1/2"-1" larger than the styrofoam.


Step 6:
Using the styrofoam as your guide, glue the edges of the fabric down, creating a hem. Make sure that the "hemmed" fabric fits perfectly with the back of your board.


Step 7:
Glue the fabric onto the back to cover up everything. And now you have a great picture hanger! These are great for teenagers. You can personalize them with chipboard letters of their names. You could also make a Christmas themed one for Christmas cards!









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And the award goes to...

I have received my first two blog awards! I was away on vacation this past week and came back to find out that I had received the Versatile Blogger award from two different people!

To accept this award the recipient must:
thank the person who gave it to you, tell 7 things about yourself, and give this award to 7 other blogs.



Thank you to Our Peaceful Home AND Tales of a Domestic Goddess

7 Things About Me:

1. I was a High School Drama teacher for 3 years, but recently (as in a month ago) stopped in order to be a stay at home mom.
2. I was a firefighter with my dad and brother for four years
3. I've only broken one bone in my body my entire life and it was my tailbone while giving birth
4. I was an extra in the Disney Movie, Read It and Weep, and I was supposed to be in High School Musical but I was going out of town.
5. I LOVE to travel. I plan on visiting all 50 states one day and many countries. So far I've been to Belize, Mexico, and Spain
6. I'm currently living in my parents house....
7. I once spent the day with Mandy Moore

Alright and I'm giving this award to:

1. Buzzing the Day Away
2. C.R.A.F.T.
3. Joy's Dumb Deals
4. Melissa's Place
5. Strawberry Fields
6. The Executive Mom
7. Velvet Over Steel


Congrats ladies!

Temple or Garment Bag

Ok so this past week my SIL went through the temple for the first time. As most of you know, we're Mormon, so this was an exciting time. In honor of her special event I decided to make her a temple bag. BUT if you're not LDS, you can still make one because they make great garment traveling bags! Plus it was pretty easy and I think it turned out so cute!


Supplies needed:
* Sewing machine and all that goes with it
* 2 yards fabric (I used cotton)
* piping (optional)
* matching thread
* zipper (should be about 18" long)
* hanger
* Velcro



1. Cut your front and back panels. I made mine 18 1/2" x 53 1/2". Obviously if you need it longer then go for it.


2. Choose which piece is going to be your back panel. Using your hanger as a model, pin down the top in a triangle to match the slope of your hanger. The top of the triangle should be flat. You can go ahead and sew this flat part. It's part of the opening for the hanger.


3. Repeat step 2 with the front panel. Now that you have your triangle, you can decide where your zipper will be. Make sure it's high enough that you can reach the hanger with ease when you put your dress in the bag. Mine was about 4 1/2" fron the top. Draw a line for the zipper and cut out. I used a rotary cutter for this line. Makes it much easier.


4. If you need to shorten your zipper to fit the hole, go ahead and whipstitch it shorter. Pin it in place and sew the zipper. (I do not by any mean claim to be an expert seamstress so my pictures are deinitely not perfect)


5. Now you will be cutting the fabric for the pockets. Before you do this go ahead and fold up the front piece into 3 pieces. The bottom piece will end up in the front when it is folded up. The first pocket will be going on the top piece. It should take up as much of the top as you can, leaving about 2" from the bottom of the zipper. Cut as much fabric as you will need for this. The pocket should go all the way across the bag.


6. Sew the top hem of the pocket. Then, sew the bottom of the pocket onto the front of the bag, making sure that it doesn't lap over onto the middle piece. You wil be sewing the sides when you sew the front and back together.


7. Cut out some velcro to hold the pocket together. Place it on the pocket and the front panel, matching them together. Sew each piece in place.


8. Next, cut out the same, or a little bigger, size piece of fabric for the middle section. Same as before, sew the hem and then sew the bottom onto the middle section. Make sure to leave about 2" at the bototm of the middle section. This time, though, cut out 3 pieces of velcro and place them evenly spaced along the hem. Sew each piece in place, making sure they line up on the panel. After doing this, sew a line between each set of velcro, creating 3 seperate pockets.


9. Sew a piece of velcro to the middle of the bottom of the middle section. Fold the panel up and sew the matching velcro onto the top of the top section. Make sure they line up. Also, sew 2 small pieces in both corner so the bag will hold it's shape when compact.


10. Now it's time to make the handles. You can do this however you want. Or you could buy purse handles form the craft store. I just made regular bag handles (like ones you find on reusable grocery bags). Pin one handle on the front piece on the inside of the triangle at the top. The other handle will go right below your bottom pocket (NOTE: you can actually sew the handle right into the bottom of that pocket as you are connecting it).


11. Now you're ready to bring the front and back panels together! Put the right sides facing each other. You will turn it right side out when you finish. Start at the top and sew the trangle type pieces together. Next, if you are going to use piping, pin it in place around the rest of the bag. If not, just pin the sides of the rest of the bag together. Sew together and turn right side out. Tada!! Whew! You made a cute garment/Temple bag!

Quality Time

So do you ever go somewhere and you see kids (sometimes your own) completely acting out, throwing these massive tantrums? Well I've noticed and I've also observed the parents in these situations. A lot of times, I notice that maybe these kids just want some attention. How often do we brush off our kids because we're busy doing something? I know I'm guilty of it. And then we wonder why they're getting into trouble or throwing tantrums 5 minutes later. It's important to spend time with your kids. Everyone knows there are a million studies proving kids get into less trouble if they have quality time with their parents. So put down the newspaper, turn off the TV or computer and go spend time with your kids.


*These are just my thoughts on things I know I need to improve on and are not at all meant to offend anyone.