Love Lives Here

When Kipper and I first started dating, money was tight and we didn't always have a ton to spend on each other at Christmas. We would generally just do one nice gift or a few smaller ones. After we got married and combined finances we still didn't have tons of money to spend at the holidays. And it never fails when Kipper would do our budget, he always budgets for me to spend about half as much on him as he will on me. This drives me crazy because I love surprising him, but it forces me to plan ahead and get creative.  Each year at Christmas I try and create a special gift for Kipper. In 2010, I sort of outdid myself  (if I can say so myself) and created a painted photo canvas that he will tell you is his favorite Christmas present ever! And honestly, out of all the projects I have done it was the most special to do and it makes me smile every time I see it! (even though I have learned a lot this year through other projects and I think I could make it 100 times better now! lol) 

This year Kipper has been working to purchase a bike so he can start riding with some of the guys at work. He asked everyone who wanted to give him a gift to make it a gift card towards his bike so that he could pay it off in mid-January. So...I decided I would do something a little smaller this year. Of course I turned to Pinterest to find some inspiration! :)

I loved the ideas of doing something with buttons and was originally going to do a M or Martin, but then I found the heart with the "Love Lives Here" and I knew that was it!

Here is how I did it:

• Used a colorful sheet of scrapbook paper to cut out the exact shape of the heart I wanted. 
• I used a print that had different colored circles on it so it blended well with the buttons. 
• Picked a selection of buttons in all different colors and sizes out to sew onto the heart.
• Yes, you read that right...I hand stitched the buttons on verse gluing and I am oh so happy I did! 
• Here is a great tip to help if you are sewing buttons onto paper, especially several in a confined space: use small pieces of scotch over your stitches on the backside. It helped give the paper more weight and support.
• Sewing the buttons took longer than I expected because I was very particular about where each button went cause I wanted as little of the paper showing, but I also wanted to stay within the lines of the heart I cut out
• After I got all of the buttons sewn on I wanted to do something subtle to fill in some of the larger spots between buttons where the paper was showing. Because rhinestones are my thing,  I went in and scattered different colored rhinestones, as well as some AB stones throughout the heart. 
• I let that dry overnight and set out to find a frame
• Tip for picking out a frame: because of the dimension in the heart, you can't just use any old frame. It needs to be something that has some depth from glass to the artwork/photo. 
• I found Hobby Lobby had the most options of this style frame and they are ALWAYS  running 50% off sales on frames. I ended up getting this one for $10 or $11! 
• Next I went into photoshop and created the text to print on the background. 
• Even though I used photoshop, you could very easily use word or publisher to do this. 
• Print the text and cut it to size for the frame. 
• Glue the heart onto the background paper.
• After the glue has dried all that is left to do is pop it in your frame! 

I was super excited to give it to Kipper, but I was also a little worried it might be a little too girly. Yet as I watched him open it and then the way he looked up and smiled at me - all those worries went out the window cause I knew he loved it as much as I had hoped!

This post is part of Get Your Craft On Tuesday at Today's Creative Blog!

Project 2012!

Before I get started...........

I know 2011 was an incredibly tough year for not only me, but more family and friends than I can even start to list. But that is the past and I have a feeling that 2012 is going to be a great year. I am just thankful for all the blessings in my life that I have and those that God has yet to give me. I pray that 2012 will be a banner year for everyone. 2011 had enough sickness, death, drama and flat out craziness to last us at least 10 years if not more.

As we kick off 2012 I have decided I really want to make a better effort this year to focus on the simple pleasures of every day life as well as some projects that I have been wanting to do for a long time but keep putting off for one reason or another. If I learned anything from this past year, it is that life is too darn short and when you keep yourself so busy, you miss out on the things that are really important!  And to hold myself more accountable I decided I would post them in a blog so it is public knowledge! lol.

Blogging:

Allie 365 - I am really good at documenting the "big" moments and events in my life, but I want to more thought into documenting every day life, as well as get into more of a regular blogging routine. After some thinking, I have decided to put my own spin on Project 365 and Project Life and have come up with Allie 365! Each day I will have a photo of the day, then once a week I will do a SHORT photo blog recapping the week (guessing Sundays, but we shall see.)  At the end of the year I want to do a digital book of the year. I am trying to get Kipper to do Kipper 365 too because 1. I love his photos/photoblogs and 2. I think it would be really neat to be able to include both of our stuff in the book.

Project Blogs - When I started this blog, the goal was to blog about crafts and DYI projects only. Yet as I look back at all my posts from 2011 I realize that I have used it this as a creative outlet for much more than just sharing projects. I have no plans to change that in 2012 either. I just want to do better about sharing the projects I am working on, not just the ones I consider bigger projects. On larger DYI projects I don't want always wait until then end to share either, so I hope to do more mini "progress" blogs.


Around the House:

Let's Get Organized!  - There are several places throughout the house that I have wanted to do an organizational overhaul on, but when it comes down to my free time these things didn't make the top of the list. Having found some really great ideas and new blogs on Pinterest these tasks don't seem as daunting to me anymore. Some will only take a few hours (if that) max, others might be a full day or weekend project, but if I tackle one each month it will be so easy to get them all done!  Here are the areas (in order of importance) that I want to tackle this year:

1. Pantry
2. Important Documents 
3. Garage
4. Laundry Room 
5. Wet Bar
6. Computer Area
7. Bookcase and Cabinets in the Living Room
8. Master Bathroom
9. Kitchen  
10. Coat Closet

Makeover Madness! - While there a TONS of things I would love to do around the house, time isn't the only reason they haven't been done! Kipper and I both have lots of talents that we are very good at, home improvement doesn't float to the top of those lists. Also, finances haven't allowed for a lot of the things we would like to do either (especially since we would have to hire someone for some of it!) After talking to Kipper some more about this, I think there are some things we can make happen this year and actually do ourselves and then there are some that are that wish list if we happen to have extra funds! . Here are the makeover projects  (in order of importance) I want to take on this year:

• Guest Bathroom: 
• Paint walls and get rid of the wallpaper border
• Rip up the carpet and put down tile (we are are a little iffy if this is something we can do ourselves, but think we can)
• Change the hardware on the cabinets 
• New decor accessories



Backyard


• Build raised beds for our peppers in the existing flower beds
• Take down the raised bed Kipper build on the work table last year
• Revamp the work table to be more functional when working outside
• Cut down the dying tree in the back corner
• Plant a new tree or two
• Wrap the big tree by the patio in lights
• New patio furniture - WISH LIST 
• Small storage shed - WISH LIST



Back Bedroom


• New flooring - WISH LIST



Living Room:


• Painted quote or saying above the TV


• Front of the House:
• Redo the front flower bed
• New front door - WISH LIST
• New garage doors - WISH LIST
• New light fixtures - WISH LIST


• Master Bedroom:
• Create a fun shabby chic headboard 
• New flooring - WISH LIST
• New fan/light fixture - WISH LIST
• Replace the old TV with a flat screen - WISH LIST
• Find a great antique/shabby chic cherster drawer - WISH LIST


• Master Bathroom:
• New fan/light fixture - WISH LIST


• Kids/Craft Room:
• New flooring - WISH LIST
• New fan/light fixture - WISH LIST

Life in General:

All About ME!  - Whenever I get busy (which is ALL the time) the first thing I stop thinking about is myself. I get so wrapped up in taking care of everyone and everything else I forget to take care of ME! Well this year that is all going to change! Kipper and I are ready to expand our little family. The more we talk about it the brighter the light bulb in my head shines - YOU HAVE TO TAKE BETTER CARE OF YOURSELF!!! Does this mean I am going to go on some crazy diet or become a workout natzi? Nope! But I am going to make a conscious effort make the following things a part of my daily life:

1. Eat a healthier diet
2. Find healthier alternatives to some of my meds
3. Incorporate more physical fitness into my daily routine 
4. Learn to say no! Before committing to something, really think through how it will affect me emotionally and physically
5. Be more aware of my stress level and using relaxation methods to help control

All About US!  - My over busy life doesn't just affect me (even though I forget that sometimes!) I am so blessed to be married to my best friend and soul mate. After almost 8 years of marriage I still get butterflies in my stomach when he kisses me or holds my hand. I watch so many people I know who have been married a while who have fallen into a rut and just go through the motions. I understand, with everything this last year, there were times I felt we could fall into that. This year I want to focus more on just enjoying each other and all the things we love. I am sure we will come up with lots of great things, but these are a few things I really want to promise myself we will do:

• Chefs in Training: After cooking dinner with Kipper the other night we both went on and on about how much fun we had. This year I really would love to make a point to cook a meal together at least once a week, if not more. Plus it gives us a chance to try out the million recipes I have been pinning into "If I knew how to use my kitchen..."



Take Us Away: We used to travel quite a bit, but the last two years because of time and other commitments that hasn't been the case. We love to have little adventures, exploring new places. Even if for some reason if we can make a big vacation work this year, we CAN make sure we take little getaways. We have been so many places together, but this year we realized there are a TON of places right here in Texas that we would have a blast visiting - we just have never taken the time. 





Let's Get Physical: Working out is way more fun when you have a friend to do it with! Kipper is getting a new bike and is going to start riding with his work buddies. Hopefully in the next few months we can afford to get me a bike as well so that we can ride together as well. This year I want us to help encourage wellness in each others life by trying out new activities together.





It's a Date: Every since we got married we have always been big on "date night/day" and this is something I for sure don't want to change. Yet sometimes I think we forget that dates don't have to be a big, over the top experiences or we get into the dinner and drinks rut. This year I would love to get more creative our dates. I have found some really great blog resources that I want put to use this year! 

Well that all took a lot longer pull out of my head than I thought it would! ha! But I am so glad I took the time to really write these goals out. I can't tell you how many times I have said "I want to do..." and something changes and I forget about it. If I would have had it down in writing, I would have had the reminder of "Hey! This was important to you! Don't forget about it!"

I think we sometimes forget that can't get to where we are going with a road map. Sure there will be detours along the way, but when you have a clear map of where you are going it is so much easier to find your way back from those crazy detours!

Insomnia-palooza and Polyvore

The last few days I haven't slept very much.  To top it off, Kipper has had to work early each morning so I have tired not to do things that would make too much noise or get Gulliver excited. (This is code for: I have spent A LOT of time on my laptop!) We all know how I love me some Pinterest and one of the sites that gets pinned a lot is Polyvore. (I know what you are thinking...she is addicted to some new website...well I plead the 5th!)


Okay back to what I was saying.  The official description of Polyvore is "The web's largest community of tastemakers where people can discover their style and set trends around the world. Trendseekers and shoppers alike come to Polyvore to discover the hottest brands, products, trends and looks."  Basically it is sort of like Pinterest but for fashion and you can take pinning a step further by creating sets and collections.

For fashion bloggers I know this site had to make things so much easier for them and if you like fashion, it is a lot of fun to play around on. And so I don't feel like I have just been wasting more time than I can to admit on the site, I figured I would share a few of the sets I have created during Insomnia-palooza! Enjoy!

Memory: A Way To Hold Onto The Things You Love, The Things You Are, And The Things You Never Want To Lose

A few years back I had a stack of old family photos that I for from my mom to use in some frames I had in my bedroom. Mixed in with them I found three snapshots from Paris when my Papa was deployed over seas at the start of the Vietnam War. On their own they weren't anything spectacular, but as a collection they almost "spoke" to me for lack of a better way of saying it. On a whim one night I decided to take the three photos and create something to hang on the wall in our bedroom. My Papa passed away when I was in the 2nd grade, so all of my memories are from a young age. The older I get the more I wish I could hear the stories about his travels during the war, among many other stories. Sometimes when I look at these photos I try to imagine the day, what it was like, what he did etc. While I might never know the "facts" in these and many other old photos, to this day, this project is one of my favorite projects that I had ever done and it makes me smile every time I see it.

As I was trying to decide what to do for Christmas gifts for family members, I remembered how much both Momma and Vickie loved the three plaques I did with the pictures of Papa. I decided I would create one for each of them as my special Christmas gift.  Not only would this be a gift they could enjoy, hopefully it will be something that will be passed down through our family as well. 




It took me a little bit of time to pick out which photos I wanted to use cause I wanted them to flow together. This is one of those projects that I stretched out a little longer than I normally would because I wanted to make sure they would both LOVE them!  By the looks on both of their faces when they opened them,  I am pretty sure I can say I succeeded! :) 


  

Momma's Gift 

Vickie's Gift

Creating A New Holiday Tradition

Can you believe it is already the 7th of December?? I sure can't! The last week of November we started getting all of our holiday decorations out at the house (which is certainly one of my favorite times of the year!) As we were getting everything out I told Kipper one thing we have never done is an Advent Calendar. After talking about it I turned to my trusty inspiration, Pinterest, and within 30 minutes I had a plan!

I went to Hobby Lobby and just wondered the aisles of Christmas until I decided on all the supplies. I purchased a strand of basic evergreen garland, a make it yourself advent calendar and 24 miniature stockings. It didn't hurt that everything was 50% off either!

I cut the numbers off the calendar and glued them on to the stockings for each day. Yes, this does seem odd, but if I wanted enough numbers to cover all of the days I would have had to buy several packages of all the other numbers Hobby Lobby sold (which were NOT 50% off) So to make this project budget friendly this is the route I went, which worked great!

For the display of the stockings I folded the garland in half, fluffed it and hung on the wall in this random spot that I always want to put something, I just never had. Needless to say, this worked out perfectly and it is right on the entry hall as you come in the house!

 Now for what is IN each of the stockings! Because we don't have kids and it would just be Kipper and I doing it I decided to get creative. I came up with 24 questions that both Kipper and I would answer separately. Each day we would pull out the slips of paper and read to each other what we wrote. I wish I would have kept the list of all the questions, but I didn't. As soon as we get through all of them I will put the complete list, but here are some examples.

• What is your favorite Christmas memory from your childhood?
• Gift you have been most excited to give?
• Eggnog or Cinder?
• Favorite Christmas movie?
• Favorite Holiday tradition as an adult? 
• What did you ask Santa for this year?
• Favorite line from a Christmas movie?
• If you could give your spouse ANYTHING this Christmas, what would that be?
• Give or Receive?
• What is a Christmas tradition you would like to start? 
• Christmas song you wish they would stop playing on the radio?
• The holidays are a time to...

 I am really glad we did this because everyday I look forward to going home and having those few moments with Kipper. While some of the questions are silly, it has been special to hear what we each choose to write down. Almost all of the answers have been an amazing reflection of how much we really love each other. (even though Kipper keeps asking where his "prize" is each day because as a kid he got a piece of candy or something each day!  lol) 

After Christmas I think I am going to make a scrapbook page or something out of them so we can look back at them years later. The best part of how I made this is next year we can come up with a whole new plan on what we will pull out each day!

Not Really So Different

This is apparently several months old, but it has just started popping on facebook. An amazing and profound speech by Zach Wahls (even more incredible is that he is only 19!) This is one of those video's that will stick with me, much like Joel Burns' It Get's Better speech. 

The world is not full of cookie cutter people, we all have differences, but that is what makes the human race so beautiful!  Everyone should be able to experience the same feeling I did when I walked down the aisle and married my best friend.  I pray every day that when Kipper and I have children they will be able to grow up in a world that is loving and accepting of everyone.

This Thanksgiving, Kipper is Thankful I Didn't Burn Down Our House

You might laugh about the title of this post but sadly when I told Kipper I was baking for our family Thanksgiving meal I know he stopped and prayed we still had a home come Thanksgiving morning. Well before we even get started I happy to announce our home is fully intact. While we did ALMOST have a repeat of Thanksgiving 2004 (Short Version: I caught something on fire in the oven I was making for the Fire Department potluck, house was full of smoke and it took me forever to get the flames out. Kipper didn't answer his phone and I knew he was with the fire chief so I had to call the fire chief to have him get Kipper to bring the big fan from the station home to clear the smoke) we noticed the smoke and fixed the issue before any real flames started and the food ignited! :)  

Okay on to the awesomeness that was my baking! 

As you all know I am addicted to Pinterest and because of Pinterest I all of a sudden have decided I want to start cooking. And what better time to test out this plan other than Thanksgiving with my family, right??? Whitley apparently had the same idea to test out her cooking skills on our family so we decided we would  bake together at our house. (I think this plan made Kipper even more nervous! lol!)

After lots of hunting I decided on a recipe for Pumpkin Cheesecake Cupcakes from Your Cup of Cake. (I highly recommend this blog! Everything on it looks amazing and the recipes are really easy to follow!)  After a trip to the grocery store to get all the needed ingredients we were ready to get started! Well actually after I got the speech from Kipper about cleaning up any mess we made and to please be careful...THEN we were ready to get started. 

First we made the cheesecake filling and place it in the freezer until we are almost ready to start baking the cupcakes. Oh and we had to preheat the oven!





Next we mixed together the oil, applesauce, sugar, brown sugar and eggs  into a small bowl.  In a separate bowl, we combined the flour, pumpkin pie spice, salt, baking soda and baking powder.

Over the course of the next few steps we began to combine the oil and dray mixture, as well as adding in the remaining dry ingredients, milk and the pumpkin.

 After everything was completely mixed together it was time to fill the cupcake liners with the batter. We had to make sure to leave enough space for the cheesecake filling that we added on top and lightly swirled in with the batter.


Then we said a prayer and popped them in the oven for 20 minutes.At first glace I was really rather nervous because they were not looking near as pretty as the photo on Your Cup of Cake. 



At this point we were working on 3 other dishes so we just let them cool, then in the morning I would make the frosting and ice them. Several more hours of cooking craziness took place, but at that point we were more concerned with burning cookies or mixing the wrong this, so the play by play photos didn't happen as planned!

Fast forward to Thanksgiving morning:  I got up and made the cream cheese frosting and iced the cupcakes. I was a little concerned as they still looked nothing like I thought they would. I was also a little nervous about what they tasted like since Kipper sampled one right after it came out of the oven and was a little unsure. BUT after tasting one with the frosting one it I was very pleased at how they turned out..They were really good!

What we HOPED they would look like:

Photo from Your Cup Of Cake

How they actually turned out: 

As you can see I am FAR from landing a show on Food TV, but I was still proud of them and they were a hit with everyone at dinner too!  Plus I have a new found respect for all the bloggers who post step by step photos when they are cooking! Just getting the ingredients combined and baked/cooked is enough for me for now. lol.

Want to tryout the recipe for yourself? 

Here you go - Pumpkin Cheesecake Cupcakes