Embroider a Candybar Wrapper (or even just make one!)

The other day I came across this saying and I got a pretty good chuckle out of it. It read, "Put 'eat chocolate' at the top of your list of things to do today. That way, at least you'll get one thing done."

Can anyone relate? Too funny. Then yesterday I received in the mail, clearly out of the blue, a package sent from a dear friend. This was completely unexpected. A birthday? No.... Illness? No.... Hmmm. What in the world could this be? I opened it up and there sitting in this box were the most exquisite looking chocolate and candy-covered apples you did ever lay eyes on. Yes, I did use the word "exquisite" on purpose. ;) It was more of an "I'm thinking of you" kind of gift. That thoughtfulness completely made my day.

Receiving this pleasant surprise made me think, "Is there someone you know who could use a little bounce in their step?" I'm sure you can think of many. How about giving them a small token of your "I'm thinking of you" spirit and embroidering a candy bar wrapper for them? It's very easy to do, and if you've never embroidered on paper, you should give it a try! In fact, I digitized 2 different designs that are yours for FREE, and have been digitized especially for the candy bar wrapper!

And if you don’t have an embroidery machine… that’s OK! You can still use this same idea with just about any kind of hand-drawn and pieced wrapper you’d like!

My step-by-step photo instructions are found in the SWAK 101 section of SWAKembroidery.com this week!

So go ahead and enjoy! Because after all, when the going gets tough, the tough eat chocolate. ;)

Birthday "Spa" Party for the Tweens!

Oh, what a fun weekend we've had! We celebrated our daughter's 12th birthday party by inviting friends over for a "spa" party! With a few stations set up and some extra help on hand, we were able to pull it all off! (I think I need a trip to a "real spa" now!) ;)

Here are a few highlights!

Bottles of water were awaiting the girls as they came in. We tied each one with a different colored ribbon so they would be able to remember which one was theirs!

Next, the embroidered towels were all lined up and ready to go. The girls LOVED seeing their names on each one! My designs came from SWAKembroidery.com.
Those towels came in handy when it was time to do homemade facials! I got some great recipes from BirthdayPartyIdeas4Kids, including a CHOCOLATE face mask and a banana avacado mask! I set out all the ingredients and recipe cards on a table so that they could each make their own. So fun!

Can you imagine putting THIS on your face?

And the chocolate one? (It smelled delightful!)

Oh, and don't forget the cucumbers for the eyes of course!

We set up a foot bath area as well. The girls got to soak their feet for 10 minutes in small tubs I picked up at the dollar store. We added bath crystals to the water. Afterwards, they put on a foot scrub, cleaned off, and then used a foot cream at the end.

Then we had our manicure station. We set up different bottles of nail polish, emery boards, hand creams, and nail stickers.

And the centerpieces? They were glass vases filled with gumballs and flower lollipops, all of these things which I purchased from the dollar store! I love that place! ;)

We finished the party with a light meal- a "build-your-own-sandwich" bar and fresh fruit...with some birthday cake of course!

All in all, I think everyone had a really fun time. And it was actually quite fun to put it all together. Someone asked me the other day if I went to this much work for every party. I'll honestly tell you no. A lot of it depends on the child, the birthday year, and other factors. Some years we just celebrate with the family and other years, friends are invited. I have another daughter who has a summer birthday and is 100% happy with a bucket of water balloons at her party. So for the past 2 years, we've done a few water games outside and everyone is thrilled! Birthdays only come around once a year, so celebrating that child in a special way is a great thing!

"Don't Cry Over Spilt Smoothie" & Other Lessons I Learned This Week...

Hooray for FRIDAY! It's been a great week and a lot has been happening, both with work and at home!

Yesterday morning with my 2-year-old on my lap, we were drinking our breakfast smoothies together. All of a sudden, (and who knows how this happened exactly), down goes her smoothie... drenching her clothes I had just BARELY put on her, my pants, and all over the carpet. Sigh. What a way to start off my day. BUT as I yelled out, "Aaaa!" from the initial shock, she quickly leaned into me for a hug and patted my back. "It's OK, Mommy."

Yep. She was right.

So as I cleaned the both of us up and scrubbed the carpet, a few lessons I've learned this week came to my mind. For example...

Did you know every household object has a soul? That's right. Jacob accidentally dropped his favorite snowman mug on the floor and it shattered. Katie came over to where I had cleaned the cup up and threw it in the trash. She looked inside the trash can and said, "May you rest in peace." LOL!

I learned that if sleep is important to you, it's not a real good idea to begin embroidering 12 towels the night before your daughter's birthday "spa" party. (I'll fill you in on the fun on Monday!)

I learned that the concept of a St. Patrick's jell-o dessert, works just as well as for a 4th grade creative book report. The end result may not look as pretty as a rainbow, but Sarah, Plain & Tall's favorite colors were blue, grey, & green, (OK, our "grey" didn't turn out as originall planned!),...the colors of the sea which she missed so much. Wala! 25 happy 4th graders tomorrow! ;)

I learned how FUN it is to receive something in the mail for ME...and they were not bills! Thank you to the "Katies Squared" (they'll get that joke!) behind the fantastic new site ABC and 123 for sending me the shape organizer! The kids and I have really enjoyed it! I also received that amazing Martha Stewart Cookie Book from Beth at ManicMother! Oh, the pictures are incredible! (Now if I can make them as good as they look! I'll keep you posted!)It was like Christmas!

I also have discovered how uplifting reading a blog could be. This week we have been promoting the new YouCanQuiltThis.com site and asking people to post about what quilts have meant to them. The responses of such tenderness, reminiscing of loved ones, and the quilt connections have been so moving and I have been very touched. Yes, there are over 1000 comments already and I have read them all. Every. Single. One.

And finally, when a couple of your little ones are under the weather, and all they want is mom, your whole world stops. And that's OK by me.

What have you learned this week?

A Sneak Peek...

Look what I got to test this week!!!!!!!!! ;)

Wordless Wednesday: My Favorite Part of My Office

I just look up from my desk and can't help but smile.

You can view more Wordless Wednesday posts at 5 Minutes for Mom and WordlessWednesday.com!

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And before I end today, a few more "housekeeping" items from JesseKate Designs!

*Welcome anyone visiting from the Ultimate Blog Party! Click HERE for my post!

*I made my 1st introductory post over at Sparkplugging this week! Please go HERE to check it out and help me by filling out a very easy and super quick survey! If you are looking to grow your business, this is a weekly blog you'll want to be sure to visit!

*Don't forget about the debut of YouCanQuiltThis.com! Find out how to win the Marie Osmond 200 Quilter's Edition Sewing Machine HERE!

Pillow Tutorial Made Easy!

Some of the items I find myself making over and over again with embroidery designs are pillows. Whether I use a primitive sampler or even a seasonal applique, I love to find ways to decorate throughout my home with pillows! Pillows also make great gifts to give!

For me, making a pillow was something I don't really remember learning about, and so I guess I take it for granted that it comes so easily. But over the last few months, I have had numerous requests from customers who would like to know how I make them. And so I am going to share with you a very basic, step-by-step tutorial on putting together 4 strips of sashing to a pillow. I'll also tell you my time-tested trick for getting the lumps and bumps out of your stuffed pillows!

I'm using the "spring flowers" design from Needle in a Haystack at SWAKembroidery.com for this demonstration. But remember, this same technique applies to ANY project you want to do, whether it's machine embroidery or not.

1. Stitch out your design onto background fabric.

2. Trim fabric so that you have an approximate 1 or 1 1/2" border around each side of the design.

3. Cut 4 different strips of fabric, each measuring 2 1/2" wide X _____. (This second number changes all the time depending on the finished size of your background fabric.) What I usually do is cut a long 2 1/2" size strip and then I trim the ends after sewing each strip onto each side.

4. With right sides together, place your first strip on the top of your background. Use a 1/4" seam allowance to sew a straight line. Trim any excess fabric off at the end. Press open with a hot iron.

5. Now take your 2nd strip and sew to the right-hand side of your pillow front. Again, make sure right-sides are facing and you are using a ¼” seam allowance. Press open.

6. Now it’s time to sew on your 3rd strip to the bottom of your panel. (Same as above instructions)

7. And finally, sew on your last strip! This will go on the left-hand side of your panel.

8. Now that your front panel of the pillow is finished, use this as your template to cut out your pillow back. Place this panel on top of the material you will be using for the back of your pillow. Pin. Cut out.

9. Place right sides together and sew around the entire pillow, leaving about a 2” opening at the bottom of the pillow as I show in this diagram.

10. Turn inside-out and now you can add the stuffing. Be sure to poke all the way through the corners. I sometimes find a dull pencil or a chopstick to be very helpful in this. Stuff away!

11. Hand-stitch the bottom of your pillow closed.

And my #1 tip for getting a nice, evenly stuffed pillow? Once your stuffing has been pushed all the way to the corners, edges and center, and you have closed the bottom, take a hot iron and steampress over top. I will even hold my iron down firmly for several seconds over the entire pillow. It may sound simple, and it is...but this is definitely the key to having a nice, firm, and lumpy-free pillow! (Is that a word?) ;)

Happy Tuesday everyone!

The Ultimate Blog Party is HERE!

If you are coming over from the Ultimate Blog Party going on right now at 5 Minutes for Mom, then WELCOME!

Kim and I recently met Janice and Susan from 5 Minutes for Mom at the Mom 2.0 Summit we attended last month in Houston. It was a lot of fun to meet fellow twin bloggers out there and swap some great stories. We also had the opportunity to be interviewed by them regarding YouCanMakeThis.com, SWAKembroidery.com, and *NOW* the new YouCanQuiltThis.com! Here's the interview! (BTW, I know I'll most likely be asked this, so I'll answer this first. I'm in the white, Kim is in the black!) ;)


Two Sets of Twin Work at Home Moms Talk Business at the Mom 2.0 Summit from 5 Minutes for Mom on Vimeo.

The Ultimate Blog Party lasts all week long and anyone can participate! You can find out more details by visiting their site. There are some FANTASTIC prizes this year as well! If I won, my top 3 choices would be:

#101: PR Training for Moms from PR in Your Pajamas
#178: Karmin G3 Salon Pro Styler from My Hair Styling Tools
#USC11: See Kai Run Toddler Shoes from Traveling With Baby and See Kai Run (Cutest lil' shoes EVER!)

If my top 3 picks are not chosen, I would be more than thrilled with any of these: 71, 76, 106, 125, 123, 118, 52, 132, 19, USC26, and USC51.

JesseKate Designs is also offering a prize during the Ultimate Blog Party. For those who machine embroider, you can win a $100 gift certificate to JesseKate Designs. The prize # is INTL13.

Have fun this week out there on the blogosphere! And don't forget about the Marie Osmond 200 Quilter's Edition Sewing Machine giveaway going on right now over at YouCanMakeThis.com! We're celebrating the debut of our brand-new site, www.YouCanQuiltThis.com!

What a fun week of prizes and giveaways!

BIG Announcement: YouCanQuiltThis.com is About Here!

OK, I've been holding back for weeks now in anticipation of letting everyone know of the new website we are starting! It will officially be launched in April, but we are celebrating its arrival by having a FANTASTIC give-away over at YouCanMakeThis.com!

Drumroll please....

I am so excited about this as I absolutely LOVE to quilt. I have quilts all throughout my home- on walls, over couches, on beds and quilt stands. I love the process. I love the end result. I think quilting is very nostalgic as well. For hundreds of years, men and women have created beautiful masterpieces through quilting. I'm sure many out there can relate to loved ones, perhaps grandparents who have passed quilts on from one generation to another.

If you have never quilted before, that's OK! You'll be in good hands as this will be a site to come to for the beginner to the seasoned. I'm really looking forward to it.

So the really fun news that goes along with all of this of course is that our friends at Janome are sponsoring an AMAZING giveaway! Anyone interested in this?

It's the incredible new Marie Osmond 200 Quilter's Edition sewing machine. Let me tell you. I'm drooling over it. Unfortunately I'm ineligible... but you're not! This machine values at $1200 and is a beauty!

You can find out how to win this and all the details of the giveaway at: www.YouCanMakeThis.com/blog. There are many ways to have multiple entries, so go over now and post away!

Oh, and one more thing. Remember the little "teaser" with the watermelon I posted about just over a week ago? Well, this was a patched watermelon applique I digitized and it's yours for FREE along with a darling pattern to go along with it PLUS another free pattern for a tablerunnner just by signing up for the new YouCanQuiltThis newsletter! Don't have an embroidery machine? No worries! I made the hand-applique version of the pattern as well!

Have a super weekend everyone!

Why Perseverance Works

per⋅se⋅ver⋅ance  [pur-suh-veer-uhns]
–noun 1. steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc., esp. in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement.

Last night I sat down to help my kindergartner with his homework. He was given a book to bring home and the note said that the parent needed to listen to their child read it 3 times before the book could be signed off. OK, let's do this.

The first time reading through the book was quite laboring. It's OK to say that, right? I didn't mind so much because it gave me a chance to sit down and rest, but I know for him, it had to have been a bit exhausting trying to sound out new words one by one.

So we finished round 1 of the book and now it was to round 2. This time, the sounds came a little easier for him. He was becoming more adjusted to the words on the page. I was so proud of him. But by round 3, there was no holding back! He was reading these same repetitive sentences with more enthusiasm and expression!

I get why his teacher asked for this assignment to be done 3 times. Perseverance works.

And then it hit me. That quote from Thomas Edison that I have always loved. He said, "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."

There's been a lot of times in my life when this has been the case. Here's one small example. Last year I wanted to create a pattern for a patchwork bucket hat. Being a fabric collector (OK, fabric-holic if you will), I had envisioned how cute it would be to combine so many different fabrics into one hat. A great way to top off that perfect little outfit!

So I went to work. Oh my. OK, maybe I didn't sew this out 10,000 times, but literally after a dozen attempts at this, (and trust me, it felt like 10,000!) I was completely beyond frustration. Here is the proof:

I don't really like to keep things like this that no longer serve a purpose, but this time I decided to hold onto them so I could show my children all of the terrible "attempts" I made to finally get the end result I wanted. A good lesson to learn I hope.

So I didn't give up. The amazing CarlaC and I then collaborated our efforts and the result of that is now The Reversible Patchwork Bucket Hat.

Like I said before, this really is such a small thing, but hopefully illustrates an important point. Just because we've tried something once, twice, or even more, and it doesn't work out as originally we had hoped for, it's perfectly OK!

Just because I start an exercise program and I "fall off the bus" for awhile, does that mean I just completely say it's not worth it? Do I give up because I'm tired of failing?

Perhaps my brave attempts at making the perfect dinner for my family are only welcomed with reactions of disgust such as, "Ew! That looks gross!" or "Not this again!" Should I stop trying to plan healthy meals which bring us together at the dinner table?

Maybe someone you know "snubbed" you while you were in town and didn't share a warm hello. Does that mean that this person doesn't care about you? Do I decide not to make any future effort towards our friendship or even association? Over the years, one thing I have really learned time and time again is this. Everyone has a story. We just never know what that other person might be going through in their lives. "Benefit of the doubt" is a very good thing.

Well, the list can go on and on I'm sure. So while it's very normal to have some of these feelings in our lives, I think it's during these times we have to just dig deep and keep "truckin" as my little boy says. ;)

What do you think?

7 Things That Made Me Smile This Week...

Phew! St. Patrick's Day is now behind us and to be honest, I've had so much fun with the kids, but I'm tired! LOL! Yesterday while doing the "magic" pudding, we had some of the neighbor kids over to join in. Isn't this reaction classic?

It sure made me smile.

Which got me thinking...there have been quite a few things this past week that have brought a smile to my face. Here are 7 of them!

1. My in-laws celebrated their 45th wedding anniversary yesterday! Isn't that wonderful? The entire family traveled from all over the country to celebrate this past weekend. With 8 children and over 2 dozen grandchildren, it was quite the party! What a strength their example is to each of us.

2. I have been asked to be the contributor to the Craftboom blog over at Sparkplugging. I have yet to make my 1st post, which will most likely be later this week. Wendy, of Sparkplugging was even interviewed on The Today Show last Tuesday! While there, I won't necessarily be showing new crafts to make, rather focusing on the business side of building a craft business. Wish me luck and I'll let you know when I make that 1st post!

3. I won a give-away this week over at Manic Mother! I will soon be receiving Martha Stewart's Cookie Book which I am SO EXCITED about. I mean, it's Martha...and it's cookies. GREAT COMBO LADIES. Thank you, Beth!

4. I finally got myself to the gym today. I've let way too much time pass and I am determined to get on a schedule again. Oh, my aching body. That's OK though. I finished. I smiled.

5. I received 2 blog awards this past week. Riannon from Moms on a Mission passed on The Lemonade Award and Sunshine and Rainbows passed on The Sisterhood Award. Thank you! So nice!!


I'd love to pass this award onto... Tantrums and Razzberries, Firefly Shop My Thoughts, and Cole's Corner.


And I want to pass this award onto... April's Little Family, Fresh Sweet Peas, and Peterson Party of Five!

6. Something else that brought quite a few smiles this week was just reading your comments on the blog and even seeing how some of you were incorporating the St. Patrick's ideas with your families and sharing on your blogs! I'll tell you, that is so rewarding for me. Dawn, Sharon, Michelle and Honeypot, THANK YOU! Carla even sent in a picture to the "I Made This" section at SWAKembroidery of the free "I (Shamrock) U" design I digitized. It turned out so cute on her little boy!

7. And finally, the weather has made me SMILE! The snow is melting and the kids are able to ride their bikes and have a ball! It feels so refreshing and there's just something to be said about a change of seasons. Hooray!

What has made you smile this week?