Life.Design. and the Pursuit of Craftiness

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Mother's Day Garden Tool Kit

My momma is a yard-aholic. Not that it was her intention to be such, but in Montana....yards can be BIG. And hers is no exception. I was pretty sure that she had all the same tools that I was ~~forced~~ lovingly encouraged to use when I was kid working in the yard. Mother's Day was a great time to bring some color and shine to her garden tool collection!

This is a simple, but versatile gift idea because you can give just a couple or a big variety of fun gardening tools! There's no shortage of colorful gardening tools and they are super inexpensive. I found these tools at Michael's and wrapped them up in a cute package to mail home.

I created this poem to attach:

I know you're quite the gardening pro,
but you can't carry on with an old rusty hoe!

I hope you'll find these new tools versatile
so you can garden with a little bit of style!

You can snag my little printable below.

Happy Mother's Day to all you wonderful mothers out there (but MY mother especially)!

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Texas Flag Onesie & Rag Quilt for Baby

Hey y'all! It didn't take long for Texas to take a hold of my heart... but it still amazes me how much Texas pride radiates from this Lone Star State! For example, did you know that in the Texas schools, students not only say the Pledge of Allegiance to the American flag, but also the Texas flag? Yup, true story. I've seen it myself in about a dozen schools.

Aaaanyway, I had a new nephew born in March in west Texas...a perfect opportunity to make this lil' Texas Flag Rag Quilt to match a onesie that I bought for him.

{how darn cute is that?! You can find these Texas Flag Onesies at Cavenders in a variety of sizes}

{no wonder the Texas flag is everywhere...it's SO easy to duplicate! Three cuts of flannel and a few measurements, snips and stitches later makes this light rag quilt...perfect for a Texas baby!}

{this handsome little boy is gonna be all-Texan...can't wait for him to grow into his little onesie!}

For the Quilt:

- I made it a standard crib size: 54" x 72"
- I recommend a 1/2" to 1" seam to allow for plenty of raggy-ness after being washed.
- I used only one layer of flannel.. no doubling up or batting! If you haven't heard, it gets HOT in Texas. One layer of flannel is plenty!
- If you've never done a rag quilt, it's SUPER easy, just look up a tutorial online (there are plenty of them, but I'm afraid I'm not the best for providing one myself. I kinda just piece it together as I go)

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Peep Show Ticket - Easter Romance Printable

This year on Easter, hubby and I will be with family. For packing sake, we decided to forgo doing Easter baskets for each other and instead just one small Easter treat.

Here's what I came up with:

yup....a ticket to the Peep Show. Hey, don't look at me! I didn't come up with the phrase, I just found a creative way to present it. ;) Either way, it'll be a sure hit with most hubbies!

However, I mentioned we'll be staying with family and I don't want them peeking at hubby's lil' treat ticket. Hence, the need for a disguise.

See, once that ticket is tucked in it's sleeve, it's just an innocent little chocolate chick. No one will ever know that there's sa-more sugar tucked inside! ;)

Aaannyway.... if you have some big Easter shin-nan-a-gans (is that how you spell that?!) going on, feel free to incorporate this printable into your plans:

If you're doing an egg hunt for some-bunny special, roll-up a Peep Show ticket and place in one of the eggs. Hide this one good! (you don't want the kids stumbling upon this little treasure...)

If you've got a basket ready for him, hide a ticket in the grass. Not sure he's gonna care much for those jelly beans after seeing this...

So fun! I love Easter festivities!

Here's your printable. Happy Easter!

Saturday, February 16, 2013

Date Knight: Batman Movie Marathon

Lately, when planning Date Night, I try really hard to think of things that my hubby would REALLY enjoy. It's so easy to get caught up in the lovey-dovey dates that any girl would LOVE...but when I step back and think about what HE would really like, I find myself planning a date centered around Batman. I know, right? What is he.. 5? But seriously... the latest Batman Trilogy is really entertaining and they are one of his top picks right now! So, I now present:

Date Knight: A Batman Movie Marathon

Hubby was welcomed home by a colony of bats hanging out in the entry way...

The others said things like:
You can "bat" it's gonna be a dark knight...
I'm "batty" for you!
This date is going to be a bit "batty"

As he walked into the living room, the bat signal was shining on the ceiling (I took one of my bat cutouts, stuck it to a toothpick, and held it in front of the flashlight at different angles until it showed the way I wanted it to!)

His Batman Attire (a t-shirt from Target) for the evening was laid out on the ottoman with some movie treats. (Batman themed candy and treats are all the rage now...super easy to find if you look!)

For dinner during the movie, I served... what else? "Bat" Wings from The Wing Stop.

*oh, ps--I was wearing all black with this little batman face mask when hubby walked in. you know, it's those details that count! ;)

And a little later, let's call it "intermission", we delighted in this decadent Dark Knight Chocolate Cake washed down with milk via DIY batman straws. Yum!

Oh, and this movie marathon took place over 3 nights. I can hardly stay awake through even one really good movie, let alone three.

Thursday, February 14, 2013

"Our Love Rocks" Date

February 13th was our Valentine's Day this year since M had the day off.. I planned a rockin' little day for the two of us!

I presented him with a tube of chocolate rocks (World Market) to declare that "OUR LOVE ROCKS!"

This next little card introduced the first activity of our rockin' fun day together: ROCK Climbing!

(seriously...a ton of fun! We decided that we have got to do this more often! Something that made it even more fun were some [dirty] Rock Climber's Pickup lines from here and here. I memorized a few of my favorites and used them as we climbed. Seriously, hubby was cracking up!)

We worked up quite an appetite and this next card was ready for him as we walked out of the gym....

Hard Rock Cafe in Dallas. mmm...mmmm. (I'm referring to the food and the hunk there in that picture) :)

We headed home after our late afternoon lunch to this.... A Hot Rock Massage. (perfect for sore muscles after climbing)

DIY Hot Stone Massage

Miss Cheapo here didn't want to spend a lot buying a Hot Stone Massage Kit (they're kinda expensive!) so here's my version:

-River Rocks (smooth rocks with no sharp edges. a variety of sizes is best. Mine are decorative river rocks from World Market. I didn't have any large ones like a real kit would have, but these sufficed for an at-home rock massage. You can also search craft stores, your local river, or a rock quarry.

-Massage Oil or unscented lotion

-Crockpot (put rocks in, cover completely with water, heat on high for approx 45 minutes or 140 degrees, remove with strainer spoon, dry with towel, let sit for 1-2 minutes, then rock and rub!)

If you're really going to do this, I suggest these two links:
1. Creating Your Own DIY Hot Stone Massage Kit

2. Hot Stone Massage Techniques - a GREAT youtube video showing you how to give a stone massage!

After things get a little steamy with the rock massage, next up is:

There are bazillions of songs with "Rock" in it, but these were my favorites and the most fitting. Seriously, as the words play out, you'll know what I mean.

Rock With You - Michael Jackson
You make me rock hard - Kiss
Rock Me - Great White
Rock Me Gently - Andy Kim
Rock Your Body - Justin Timberlake
Roc Ya Body Mic Check - MVP
Feel like a RockStar - Tim McGraw

Spending a WHOLE day with my hubby was pretty sweet, but there was still room for dessert!

Rocky Road Ice Cream is his faaavorite ice cream so that was a gimme, but I also made these Valentine Rocky Road Crunch Bars (a recipe found at Barbara Bakes). Super rich, but tasted great with the ice cream.

Hopefully this gives you an idea for your own Rock Date. Some other ideas for activities?

-playing rock band
-if you're a guy, take your girl shopping for a new rock (a fasion ring)
-skip rocks down at the river
-watch The School of Rock movie

In case you want to do it the same way, I've got the printables for you!

The first set is for a Valentine's Day date. The second for any date (not V-day specific)

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Long Stem Red Roses Giveaway!

I'm not sure if anyone can pass up a chance to win these BEAUTIFUL long-stem roses...especially if the entry is ridiculously easy!

What are you waiting for? Go enter by February 5th on my other blog, Love Actually Blog HERE!

Thursday, January 24, 2013

The Bachelor Premier & Finale Party Ideas

I thought I'd share with you my round-up of ideas for planning a The Bachelor or The Bachelorette Party. I did a little research while planning THIS finale party and THIS premiere party, so here it is:

You better pull up a chair.

1. Have your single guests apply to be on the Bachelor--for reals! How funny! details at: Entertaining Life

2. Game sheets with all the contestants (with pic, name, age, hometown, profession). Before the rose ceremony guests had to choose who they thought would move on. Clever! details at: Entertaining Life