shop sale tonight! ♥

things have been so last minute around here lately :)

just want to pop in to let you know my one year anniversay sale 

is starting tonight at 7pm est

that's in just under two hours!! yikes

with all new things...

and some old favorites :)

new tags too!

set a reminder cause i don't think most of it will stay still very long!

see you there! 

mug swap 2013 ♥

i talk a lot about instagram.

it's really cause i love it so much

the handmade community on there is really awesome

a couple weeks ago, i found Kim

you can read her blog here ... she's the inventor of the mug swap.

where she pairs you up with someone to exchange mugs, but it's a surprise

it was so fun to see everyone sending and receiving packages the past few weeks
if you're on instagram just look up the #mugswap2013 hashtag
and you'll see all the fun pictures

the person i sent to was Katy ... you can read about her here.

she's awsome. and she has this really cool etsy shop here.

this 2nd set of goodies was for Kim herself. the president. the one who's in charge...

and who probably spent hours & hours setting this whole thing up for us.

so she needed a box too :)

the little camera garland is something i sell in my etsy shop

it's a great gift idea for a friend who's on instagram, or who loves photography

the person i received from was Jessica

her box was such a shock to open.

it had gifts and more gifts all wrapped up in paper and she sent me not one mug

but a whole tower of mugs! wow. generous heart this girls got. 

you can check out her blog here.

mark your calendars or phones, or whatever.
just be sure to sign up for this next year.
trust me, you won't regret it!!

linking up here! with CuppaKim!

insta-saturday 2nd summer edition ... ♥

there's only two weeks of summer left

this happens every summer. it flies by.

and i wonder why i let it.

this was the first year i really noticed my girls were not little anymore.

it was really a turning point as far as summers go

sad :( 

anyways, i'll be back next week with a few project-ish type things

here's my 2nd installment of summer instagram pics

you can follow me there ... i'm @raisinguprubies

the hubs took me away for a surprise anniversary weekend, 

monday morning it was back to my regularly scheduled program. 

♥ the view from my deck into my backyard ♥ psalms thirty-four. five. 

those who look to Him are radiant. their faces are never covered with shame . 

♥ oh the life of a blogger. i may or may not have fallen 1 minute after 

my daughter took this picture. ouch.

it's weird finding yourself when you're at the library... read more about me & BHG here

♥ i started that little project a few weeks ago ... 

it was coming right along. it just turned from little to big 

♥ found a tool caddy in my nice neighbor's garbage (thanks neighbor) 

got a little coat of pink paint.

have you seen Ed Emberly drawing books? go find them at the library. they're fun.

♥ new fabric = more hoops soon! ♥ hebrews. six. nineteen  we have this HOPE. as an anchor for the soul. firm & secure. ♥ that green goodwill file cabinet find is holding my fabric quite nicely

sent out some long overdue happy mail ♥ flowers from my hubs. 14 years to the day 

♥ yarn. it does a body good. ♥ teeny tiny hoop. love.

the free printable garland that i talked about in my housewarming gift basket post, was simple to make. i need to do one for me now! ♥ colossians. one. twenty one. to them: God has chosen to make known the glorious riches of this mystery which is Christ in you. the hope of glory. 

♥ mugswap2013 was the most funnest thing ever... i'll be blogging about it next week, it was so fun you'll have to be sure to sign up for next year ... you can read all about it and about this awesome girl here.

me and my besties spent the day hitting up all the area thrift stores... we found a bunch of awesome stuff. ♥ this mug. kills me. ♥ my loot from the thrift stores ♥ diy fabric softener ... make your own! i would like to post a little how-to soon :)

arm party day. lovin' my redeemed bracelet from here and my mason jar cup from here ♥ the view from where i worked :) ♥ happiness in a rug. there can be happiness in a rug ya know ♥ new crayons at target made us break out the coloring books later that day.

i love going on Pinterest and watching all those braid tutorials ... but i have a really hard time doing them to myself. is it cause it's doing it in reverse when you're doing it to yourself? yes. that must be it. ♥ oatmeal cream pie recipe from here (nom nom nom) ♥ a clean & sunny kitchen makes for a happy mama ♥ this last picture is of my sunday night routine: 

coupons, popcorn, planners & doris day movies 

(unless of course the hubs is home from work, then it's NOT doris day movies) 

(it's like some guy thing on tv that i happily watch with him) 

(note the hint of sarcasm in my voice)

i {heart} sunday nights ... i really do :)

whatever craft weekend SWAG! read about whatever craft weekend here ♥ summer means so many fun things for us ... library visits are my fav. my kids are older, it means a lot of exploring/reading time for them & crochet time for me :) ♥ i had a few pairs of these booties that i had made at the beginning of the year, thinking i'd start selling these in my etsy shop... only to realize they are really time consuming to mass produce :( so that's a no go. ♥ hoops on sale means hoop making for me has begun!

finally got around to spray painting my craft room chairs!! ♥ my craft room has gotten a bunch of updates, and i can't wait to share a whole new post with you guys as soon as i'm done ... just one more thing to do ♥ we like to go to the lake a lot in the summer ... i've been going to this one spot with my big family since i was a kid ... i love this lake, it's so peaceful and relaxing there ...just layin on a blanket... lookin up through the trees... reminds me of this song ♥ by the end of last week i was soooo tired ... i'd been going non stop. 

just needed rest. to stop. listen and rest.

my gal pal is adopting another baby ... she's so sweet & i love her. read more about her, her cute family, the adoption and this super fun hoop exchange here ♥ my biggest little crocheted this neon pink mushroom :) all by herself, no help from mama ... she started to crochet when she was seven... and now she reads patterns all by herself. and i love here (the mushroom pattern is here) ♥ some days the laundry is my nemesis. so i wrote it a letter:

oh hey laundry. we've been together for a long time. i think we need to take a break. no it's not you. it's me. ♥ i've been staying up waaaay too late the past few night making these ... making things with my hands is good for my soul. 

my etsy shop is one year old this month! hope to have a big sale 

with all new hoops & stock in the shop ... hope to kick it off this week! stay tuned!

ps. my girls are obsessed with this video

they watch it a million times a day

now when they start to tattle or get in each other's business

i say: worry bout yo self.

wurrrrd.

an oldie but goodie ... back to school pom pom garland ♥

i've gotten a bunch of questions about this apple pompom garland
mainly about where it is on the blog ... well it's here... again :)
just in time for the back to school hustle bustle that will fill our days & weeks ahead
i posted this last year, and still love this project ... 
i have ideas to change it up to suit other seasons as well 
enjoy! ... again!

a few things you need ...

pom pom makers are the funnest (not a word i know) things to have

oh i know you don't need them to make pom poms 

but they make it a little easier :)

the medium size was used for these pom poms

they're made by Clover and we got ours at Joanns and i've seen them at Walmart too

they have a few different sizes, one of them is huge

and would make an apple pom pom the size of ... well ... an apple :)

there's even a heart shaped pom pom maker! can you imagine??

(not 'cause i like hearts or anything)

(♥)

since the instructions on the back of the package are basic

i thought i'd give you a few pictures of the process

first wind the yarn of your choice around both sections of the pom pom device :)

don't worry about the ends, they will blend in when you trim at the end

close both ends together and then cut with sharp pointed scissors 

through the thickness of the yarn

take a separate piece of yarn and wrap it around the groove that is now exposed

loop the ends through each other a few times to make sure the pom pom doesn't get loose

open both ends and open up the pom pom maker

pom poms! make lots now :)

they will need some trimming to give them a round shape

don't worry, it's hard to mess this up 

(unless you're blind folded :)

all done ... fun! now let's make garland

to make the stems use wire snips to cut the pencils

(you can still use the bottom of the pencils

you just can't make any mistakes when you write with them :)

cut some leaves out of green felt
hot glue the pencil tops & the leaves inside the pom pom 

pressing the yarn around it to hide the base

to string them, i used jute that was a more on the stiff side 

(from the jewlery section at the craft store)

just so the apples wouldn't be top heavy and slouch over

hot glue the jute onto the backside of the pencil more towards the base

you want the apple to hang from the pencil not the pom pom

you can cut strips of felt or material to tie between the apples

these polka dot scraps were leftover from the pony houses i made here :)

hang it somewhere and enjoy the cuteness ♥

linking up here ♥ :

linking up here:

A Crafty Soiree ♥ Yesterday on Tuesday

Whatever you Want Wednesday ♥ Free Pretty Things for You

live laugh linky ♥ live laugh Rowe

Party Time ♥ the 36th Avenue

Weekend Wrap-Up Party ♥ Tatertots & Jello

Sundae Scoop ♥ i heart naptime

Party Junk ♥ Funky Junk Interiors

Junkin' Joe ♥ the Cottage Market

back to school checklist ... free print ♥

it's coming ... it's at target. walmart, and in my sunday newspaper.

school.

it's here.

and when summer comes to an end and we have to actually get up before noon 8am

it hits us like a mac truck and a tidal wave all in the same day

soooooo.

i'm planning ahead. and made up our day to day school year routine list.

it makes for easier mornings, and nights too.

there's no more "you didn't tell me's" or "i forgot's"

and they get to check off their list with dry erase markers! fun.

(well in the beginning) 

(then they'll slack with the list)

(but stay strong mama's)

stick to the list!

my girls have a small list for three parts of their day

it may seem tedious to have things like "put away shoes" on the list but i've found that if they have a visual somewhere, something that holds them accountable ... they're more likely to do it, then it becomes a habit ... when you come in just throw your shoes in the coat closet.

that's it. good habits. yes.

night-time can easily escalate into frustration time...

giving them a list and a few things to accomplish on their own

seems to help our routine stay more positive

we have top-floor laundry, which is kind of the central area in our upstairs hallway

perfect spot to put the lists up, and have them checked over before getting on the bus

and before going to sleep :)

download this list here

download the blank checklist here

i left a space for you to write your kiddo's names all fancy like

or maybe they can write their own? :)

i laminated the lists and stuck them to the washer with magnets

i also hot-glued magnets to a metal pail from the target dollar bins 

to hold the dry erase markers

that's all! download the list i made or save the blank one, print and write out your own!

{of course you know that the lists are for personal use only. please. thank you.}

happy list-checking ♥

linking up here:

A Crafty Soiree ♥ Yesterday on Tuesday

Whatever you Want Wednesday ♥ Free Pretty Things for You

live laugh linky ♥ live laugh Rowe

Party Time ♥ the 36th Avenue

Weekend Wrap-Up Party ♥ Tatertots & Jello

Sundae Scoop ♥ i heart naptime

Party Junk ♥ Funky Junk Interiors

Junkin' Joe ♥ the Cottage Market

Funky Junk ♥ Funky Junk's Party Junk