A Most Wonderful Time of the Year...

I don't know about you, but I think I may just go through withdrawals once summer is over. I know without a doubt, I am going to miss...

THIS.

We went to Park City, (one of my most favorite places in the whole world), a couple of weeks ago with the kids. And I told my family that we couldn't leave until I visited the farmer's market there. We have farmer's markets each weekend where we live as well, but I just love to see the fresh produce from other places we visit. Here are a few more of my favorite pics...

It's a beautiful thing, isn't it?

A Pincushion to Drool Over...

OK, ladies. Today I received the most beautiful pincushion in the mail that I had purchased on Etsy. I don't mean to sound overly dramatic or anything, BUT I really am in LOVE with this accesory. :)

You know when you see something and think to yourself, "Oh, I know just the right place for that?" Well, as soon as I saw this in my friend Heather's Etsy shop, I knew it was calling my name. LOL

Glad it did.

My New Gift Card Holders!

This last week I've been busy digitizing some gift card holders that are made from start to finish in the hoop! What started out as just a Christmas idea, quickly became ideas for birthdays, a college student leaving home, and even music-themed designs to stick those I-tunes gift cards in!

I still have a ton of ideas I would like to do. I plan on doing gift card holders around the theme of babies, weddings, Valentine's Day, princess, sports, a first home, Mother's Day, and more!

Here are a few pictures of what are at SWAKembroidery right now! Thanks for looking!

Making Back-to-School Clipboards

As you know, after taking these tween girls to go "clean the sink" at the local restaurant, with filled tummies, we came back to the house to make a nifty little project. I'll show you how quickly this project comes together...and it was such a fun way for these gals to really show more about who they are!

First, we started with a basic clipboard. I was able to pick these up at Walmart for only 97 cents! Not too shabby.

Then I also picked up a couple of teenie-bopper magazines...(can you say Miley {hearts} Nick?) and set them out on the floor in front of the girls. I also put out a ton of scrapbook paper scraps that I already had on hand,stickers, and old photographs, along with scissors and gluesticks.

Then away they went! Faster than a "Wizards of Waverly Place" re-run, these girls tore the magazines to shreds, used the Cricut machine to make their own die-cuts, snipped scrapbook paper, and glued it all on.

Oh, and one more thing. At the restaurant earlier, I took a picture of all the girls together. Then when we got home, I just went to my computer and printed off a copy for each of the girls so they could glue them onto their clipboards as well.

Once everything was the way they liked it, we simply took clear contact paper to cover the entire board, front and back. So easy!

Here was my daughter's front and back of the board!

Our New Back-to-School Tradition: "Cleaning the Sink!"

With the end of the summer here and the start of school just around the corner, we decided we would begin a new tradition with the kids.

And it was all about cleaning the sink.

"What?!" you may ask. (Trust me, my kids felt the same way.) That was until they saw this....

OK, now THAT'S my idea of cleaning the sink! LOL

So over the past week, I got to take some 1st graders, some 5th graders, and some 7th graders (all on different days) over to a local restaurant in town who challenges you to "clean the sink" with this ginormous (Is that a word?) amount of ice cream. All you need to do is order one of them, and you've got the masses filled with a special treat. :)

They all dug in as soon as it arrived to the table. Each got to scoop the banana split and put into their own bowls.

For the gals going into 5th and 7th grades, we came back to the house afterwards and decorated clipboards for school. I'll show those pics in a later post. With the 1st graders, coming back to the house and letting them play together made for a great summer afternoon.

So was the challenge met?

I'll let you be the judge. :)

Farewell summer!

I Am a Better Person Because of Her

It's so interesting in this big blog world we share, (yet small in many ways), you can become friends with those you've never met, laugh with those who laugh, and be inspired by real, everyday people like yourself.

Yesterday I wept.

Happy tears. Sweet tears. Stephanie Nielson accomplished something tremendous. Nothing short of a miracle.



Thank you, Nie Nie for your shining example of overcoming a life-changing obstacle. I'm sure many of you know her story. Some may not. This mother of 4 young children almost died in a small plane crash one year ago. Her husband, by her side, has shared the same pain over the past year. Their outward appearance burned and scarred.

Inside...stalwart, courageous, and so amazingly in love.

If you've never read her blog before, I would encourage you to. Her story will draw you in. You will never look at your life the same.

I know I haven't.

My Newest Designs for Halloween - Mr. & Mrs. Ghost!

I've had some fun playing around with my machine lately. I had put together Mr. and Mrs. Ghost appliques several weeks ago, but then this last week I decided it might be fun to make them into little softies that you can do entirely in the hoop! Each size comes with 2 different versions...one with the words, "My 1st Boo" on the front, and the other version has been left blank so that you can add someone's name to the front if you'd like! All are found at SWAKembroidery.com and searching by "Mr. Boo or "Mrs. Boo."

My little gal LOVES them and wants to carry them around EVERYWHERE. They are her new "babies!" LOL

And now it's HER turn to take a picture of mommy. LOL ;)

Craft Fairs: Making a Great 1st Impression

I just posted an article over at " CraftBoom" at Sparkplugging.com about making a great 1st impression when selling at a craft fair! If any of you are preparing for one here shortly, you may want to go take a look HERE!

Beating the Munchies- Tidbit from Joy

Boy, it's been awhile since I've posted on the blog! The summer has been going way too fast, but I'm also excited to start a school routine again very soon! Once we do, I will be posting a lot more often!

But I found this interesting little tidbit in my inbox this morning that I thought I would share. I subscribe to Joy Bauer's newsletter which is all about living a healthy and nutritious life. She always has some really good information in it that is quick to read and simple to do. Today, she had a question come in from someone about "beating the munchies" after they've had a meal and they begin to get hungry again. Here is what she said...

"Do you want to beat the munchies, lose weight, prevent cavities, and sweeten your breath all at the same time? Look no further than your bathroom cabinet or wherever you stash your toothbrush (I have a friend who keeps hers in the fridge — don't ask!).

One of the most dangerous times for dieters is the period just after a meal or snack. There are two key reasons for this. The first is that eating is pleasurable, and it's human nature to want to continue doing things that give you pleasure. The second is that it takes about 20 minutes for your brain to tell your belly that you've eaten enough, which means that if you eat a meal or snack too quickly (which most of us do), chances are you'll keep going until it finally hits you that you're stuffed.

This is where the humble toothbrush comes in. Brushing your teeth immediately after eating prevents postmeal picking and nibbling because NOTHING tastes good mixed with toothpaste. Just think about it: mint-flavored peanuts, minty potato chips, mint and meatballs — ick."

Isn't that interesting? I never would have thought of something like that! Has you ever made this association in your day? I'm curious!