Tradition...2 years and counting

I've done it again!
I promised myself last year I wouldn't do this again!
I've done it again!
I lost my husband's present last year trying to hide it from him,
and somewhere between Sunday and today,
the present has gone missing!
Maybe I'll just tell him that it's a treasure hunt, and when he finds it, he can have it!
Merry Christmas honey!
(from a very pathetic Lynette)
Hope your holidays are running more smoothly than mine!

Purse...with a pretty cute twist!

My niece is OBSESSED with purses.

And taking things OUT of purses.

And She really liked this...

Crayon Roll

(out of a Dollar Tree dish towel)

That I made for her big brother for his birthday this year.

I had the materials to make her one for Christmas, when my husband decided she needed a crayon purse instead!

And this...

 is what I came up with.

But here's the twist...

The crayons are the 'coin purse,' which can come out for easier access to the crayons...

but are attached so they don't go missing.

This was one of those "make it as you go," projects, and I think it turned out quite nicely!

Giveaway at Oops I Craft My Pants!

You should check this giveaway out!  It's hosted by Oops, I Craft My Pants! There's this frog that's a bath toy holder that scoops the toys out of the tub, AND it also holds all the shampoo and stuff.  I know this makes little or NO sense, but until you look at the pictures here you'll never know what you're missing out on!  There's also some super cool blocks, but I'm just absolutely in LOVE with the frog!

Scarves X 5

Hi!  I'm so excited to be able to blog about this today!  I found this fabulous idea from Make it And Love it for a scarf, and when I was asked to make the scarves for the Young Women in my ward for Christmas, I decided to try this idea out.  Have you ever looked at something so long that you decide you hate it, but you know somebody else will like it?  That's how I feel about this project.

Now if I could only clone this one and have 5 done!

(Oh, and a trick I learned, is that if you can find the blanket kits ---I found mine at Joann's---some of them are already cut to the 60 inches for the lengths of the scarves!  Hooray!!! and less work for me!)

Token Board

Today is my first day of freedom from finals, and I can't wait to get started on some new projects!  I wasn't planning on posting about this, but then I decided that it involves cute pictures, buttons, and a bit of sewing, so I decided it counts as a craft!  I am a special education major, and made this for one of my classes at school.

This is a called a token board.  It's used commonly in Special Education classrooms to keep students motivated to work.  You can either use it to help reinforce responding correctly to directions, or for behaviors that student is working on (such as feet on floor, sitting right in chair, hands to self, quiet mouth, etc.).  Each time you praise the child, you give them a token (the buttons in this case).  Once they get the 5 tokens, they get to do the activity they chose (sitting above the buttons).  While you're working with the child, you remind them how fun it'll be to do the activity once they've earned it.  This helps a ton in helping students learn that there are benefits to getting their work done at school!  It also helps teachers remember to praise and reward students for doing well!

This is the choice board listing different options the student can choose to work for.  The bag below has more choices inside as well.

Well, it's my first day of no-school, and I've got a lot on my list to do!  I'm so excited, I finally get to clean up some messes and have a clean house! Wahoo!  Hope you are all having a fabulous Christmas season!

Still Alive!

Hi readers!  What a busy life I've had the last month!  With school and everything else crazy going on in my life, there has been no time for crafting and especially no time for posting! I haven't even had time to take the Halloween decorations down!  Hang on a couple more weeks, and my crafting will be in full force once school's out for December and I'm locked in my house with nothing to do! :)  Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Thankful Thursday

Wow, it's already been a week since my last post?  Ooops, no crafting to show for it!  Well, we'll see what we can do about that. 

This Thankful Thursday I am thankful for books.  I LOVE to read.  Reading has kept me sane this semester.

The past week or so, I haven't had any books to read!  The library books I've got on hold haven't come in yet!  I didn't realize how calming reading is for me until I didn't have a good novel to read.  I love clean (namely written by Anita Stansfield, Rachel Ann Nunes, or Michele Ashman Bell) romance novels, but I'm starting to branch out to new types because I've read all the good ones (sometimes twice)!  

If any of you have books you're thankful for, give me some ideas of what I can start to read!

Sooo Yummy!

Tonight I had no idea what to cook.

Like NO idea.

I didn't want to cook ANYTHING I've made before, so I made something up!

(This can be REALLY scary for me, I usually can't try anything unless I know there's a recipe for it.)

But I just have to say that my dinner was SOOOO yummy!

I literally just threw things in a 8 X 8 pyrex dish and cooked it! (Oh and a warning on the spices, I don't measure them, I just smell it and throw more in til it smells good!)

Here's the recipe if you want to try it yourself!

Lynette's Yummy Chicken

2 chicken breasts

1 can Cream of Mushroom soup

1 can large olives chopped (I just stick a butter knife in the can after it's open and move it back and forth to sloppily chop them, it may not look fabulous, but it's fine)

1 can sliced mushrooms (I think it's like 4 oz.)

1/2 cup of rice

3/4 cup water

1/2 cup-ish sour cream (I just used the rest of my container that was going to expire)

garlic powder

onion powder

salt

pepper

parsley (I honestly just did this for looks because I like green specks in foods)

grated cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350. (Does anyone else forget to preheat your oven?) Put the chicken in the dish.  Mix the soup, mushrooms, olives, rice, water, sour cream, and spices.  Pour over chicken.  Grate cheese and sprinkle on top.  I just grated enough to cover the top.  I sprinkled a bit of paprika on top for looks.  Cook for about an hour at 350.  (We tried it at 45 minutes and the rice wasn't quite done.  So if you want the dish to cook faster, just cook rice separately on the stove...I was just too lazy tonight to do that. :)  This fed two with leftovers for lunch for the next day (love that!).  You could easily double it for a 9 X 13 size for a family.

My husband loved it, and I was so excited!  My first made up dish that he really really liked!  Wahooo!!!! :)

If I skipped something and you have any questions, just leave me a comment and I'll get back to you!

Thankful Thursday

This Thankful Thursday, I am thankful for laughter.  I have had a long and hard week with school, and with keeping up with everything (groceries, laundry, cleaning, ya know...the normal stuff that you just LOVE to do).  We bought Laffy Taffies after Halloween for way cheap, and have been enjoying the jokes on the wrappers.  Here's my favorite so far!

"Why don't monsters eat clowns?"

"Because they taste funny!"

I must have just been a laughter-needing mood, because I laughed like it was the funniest thing I've ever read!  Hope you enjoyed it too!

What are YOU Thankful For this Thursday?

Zippered Pocket and a Sneak Peak!

Hello there!  I told you I was making a bag....and I still am!  But I'm getting closer!  I have very short periods of sewing time, so it will get done sometime!

I have this thing about purses.  I HAVE to have a zippered pocket in the inside.  Without one, a purse is USELESS to me.  So when making bags, I have To MAKE a zippered pocket...and let's just say that first couple I've tried were a PAIN to do.

I wanted to give up so many times, but I told myself the more I practice, the better I'll get.

Well that's true...but I found a better way to do them, and they were a CINCH!  I found this tutorial to help me get a better idea of how to do the pocket.  The tutorial is for a whole bag (which is super cute and I may have to try sometime), so for the pocket instructions, start at step #12.  All I have to say, is trust the instructions.  I didn't believe them at first, and got SUPER confused but once I tried it, it worked perfectly! :) 

And look how cute my pocket is!!!

To give you an idea of what the bag will be like (when it's done), here's one of the outside panels.

Stay tuned!  I hope to have this thing finished really really soon!

Thankful Thursday

Since Thanksgiving is just around the corner, I want to spend Thursdays blogging about something I'm thankful for.  I love this season, and I'm so excited to share some of my 'favorite things,' with you.  This Thankful Thursday, I am thankful for my ability write.  I have always loved writing, and sometimes I just get the urge to write about ANYTHING.  Whether it's my joy, my frustrations, my ideas, or my imaginations, I just love to get them on paper.  This past few months, I have loved typing.  I even love to write papers (kinda insane, I know!).  I just love writing!  It may never make a difference in the world, and hey, I know I can count the number of readers of this blog on one hand, but it doesn't even matter to me!  I'm writing.
I was once taught in a 10th grade english class that sometimes the best writing is done in journals, and I tend to agree.  Sometimes when you are so involved in your own feelings, you can describe them better than anything else.  YOU know what to say, because YOU are what you're writing about.  I love writing in journals.  When I was in high school, I would write nearly everyday, and have about 15 journals full from my high school days.  It's funny to read back about all the boys I liked, the days that were tough, and the funny things I liked, but it's a part of me.  Sometimes to know who you are, you have to know who you've been, and reading back does that for me.
Well, that's it for today's Thankful Thursday!  I hope you have a great one!

Christmas Gifts

I have come to a frustration point.  I am working on some super cute things, and so excited to share them with you.  However, the frustrating point is that many of the things are Christmas gifts for my family this year.  My family reads my blog well I hope they read my blog! so I can't post secrets up here!  I'll have to show them to you after Christmas, but meanwhile I am making a way cute bag for myself (yes mom, another one) and hope to have it finished soon to show!  Maybe I'll even do a tutorial of it!

Super Cute Giveaway @ Beneath My Heart

Beneath My Heart has a super cute bulletin board giveaway!  It ends tonight, so hurry on over!

Beaded Napkin Rings

This is a little idea I found at a store and decided that I could make my own.  I am planning on using them for Christmas gifts for some family members.  Here's a sneak peak of a couple types I've made.  I'm planning on 3 sets, and I've got 2 done!  Hooray!

Scrap Can

There are tons of ideas out there for modge podging formula cans, but we don't happen to have formula in our home at the moment, but we do drink lots of Tang!  We recently ran out (sad day for yummy drinks) but I was able to make this (happy day for crafting) to throw my sewing/crafting/paper/everything scraps in.  It sits very nicely on my desk!  I used my handy dandy clear Elmer's glue instead of modge podge for some fast acting drying action.  (Oh, and by the way, I've seen this idea somewhere and I'm not sure where!  If you know, holler and I can link it up!)

And yes, the can says, "So Long Scraps!" (I was in a silly mood that day, but it's cute just the same!)

Wonderful Wednesday Crafts

A couple weeks ago, I went to our relief society meeting and enjoyed their craft night.  They called it Wonderful Wednesday, but it was very much like a Super Saturday that many people are familiar with! :)  We ate yummy treats and made some super cute crafts.

(Oh and GOOD NEWS! I was playing with my camera while taking pictures for this post, and I found a cool setting that makes pictures not so fuzzy!  So hooray for upcoming non-fuzzies!)

I chose two of the crafts and I'm so excited to share them with you!  They are super simple, and are not really new, but I learned some cool tricks so I'm happy!  I made the glass magnets...

I knew that you could use modge podge for this project, but it takes forever to dry, so I was introduced to this stuff:

It's fabulous!  It dries clear, and is FAST!  I have an upcoming project that I also used this friend for. :)

I also learned to make little girl bows at Wonderful Wednesday.  I made one at the meeting, and then went home and finished them up on my self-proclaimed Super Saturday while watching General Conference.

This is the first one I ever made.  This one was SO hard for some reason.  I guess I was just trying to get the hang of it.  A friend told me, "Well just think, by the time you have a little girl at your house, you'll be a pro!"  I said, "Yeah, and I can give all the ugly ones away in the mean time!" :)

Kind of an experiment, but I think it's pretty cute!

Ohh, I have to tell you a trick I learned!  The girls at the meeting were telling us to make the bows by making a loop of ribbon and hot gluing it to make a ring.  Then you take a piece of small ribbon (that'll be covered up by the button) to make the 'bow' look.  Well, that part was way hard for me.  So I improvised.  I got out my hand dandy clear elastics for hair (the itsy bitsy ones) and wrapped it around the bow a few times to get the 'bow' look.  It was clear, and now covered up by a button, so it worked fabulously for me!

This one I made doing a ribbon flower, using  this tutorial from Little Birdie Secrets for inspiration.  For the bottom, I sort of used the same instructions, but I didn't sew on the edge of the ribbon but right down the middle to just gather it cute. 

 

Then I glued both pieces on, and wahlaa (who ever knows how to spell my expressions/sound effects!) we're done!

Thanks for reading, and more fun projects to come!  I promise!

Discovery of Modge Podge

Today, I'm going to share a couple of projects I did with modge podge.  After a few more posts of catching up on old projects I've done, I'll get to share the most recent stuff!  I'm so excited!

~Before~

This is the very first project.  Found the tray at DI, and loved it, but needed it to match my decor.  Some black and red paper cut into squares, and some modge podge, and we have a fabulous place for magazines and mail piles!

~After~

This next project was simply 3 little square pieces of woods with ugly pictures from DI for like 75 cents each, and I modge podged cute paper to them and hung them up!  Way easy, and super fun!

This was another of my first projects, that I really am not fond of anymore, but it's not horrible I guess!  I went to Dollar Tree and found a wreath and some cute flowers, and just went at it.  I didn't use any glue or anything, I just stuck everything into the wreath and it's held up pretty well.  Maybe I should do one for fall! :)

Well there ya go, some of my very first projects!  Stay tuned for the most current stuff, coming as soon as I get caught up on my lovely pile of homework! :)

Sweet CD!

My favorite music artist, Cherie Call, came out with a brand new CD called Grace.  It hasn't hit stores yet, so I ordered it online here on Friday, and it was in my mailbox Saturday afternoon!  What a joy!  I absolutely love it.  She's an LDS artist, and writes all her own music about life, and God, and family values.  Loooove it!

Marvelous Movie!

My husband and I went to see the Movie Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs last weekend and LOVED it!  I am a HUGE fan of movies that are funny and best of all clean.  This one had nothing questionable, and it was incredibly entertaining.  You should go see it too!

A Whole Bunch of Hoopla

This was another idea I found on the web, but I can't remember where, so I can't link it. :( But I remember being so excited to try this myself!

I went to DI and found several hoops for VERY little money, and used some of the material I had on hand.  Some of it was from the 8 center pieces I have from our wedding, and decided to cut one up and put it to work!  I used ribbon and some cute buttons from WalMart I'd been eying for a project for awhile, and just went at it.

I liked the criss-cross look so you can tuck pictures inside, but the small hoop was too small to do that.  But it still looks pretty on my wall I guess! :)

Fabulous Giveaway @ Make it And Love It

Check out this giveaway for $30 to Tiny Seamstress Designs.  She makes ABSOLUTELY adorable bags!

Rain Watching

So we've all heard of bird watching...but have you ever  
Rain Watched?

Yesterday, it started to rain and I looked out my window and saw this...

Yes...I saw leaves.

And when I looked closely, I could see each leave move when the rain hit it.

Kersplat!

Pretty amazing view right outside my window if you ask me!

Necklace Bliss!

Last fall, I decided that I wanted to learn how to make beaded necklaces because I was not in school OR working due to us moving every couple of months.  So I learned to do some cool things!  This is the first necklace I made.  

(I'm sorry if the pictures aren't the best.  I'm not a photographer by any means, and you should have seen how high the nail was that these babies were hanging on compared to how short I am!)

  TADA! (yes, I agree it's kind of random)

I kept trying new ideas, and looking at different books and websites and stores for inspiration, and got the hang of it.  My favorite type is to make a necklace out of 3 or more wires, and then braid the wire place a bead on 2 wires while one is left out.  Here's a few that I've made.

 

The necklace below is one of my most recent creations and my current favorite.  (I change favorites nearly weekly). :)

At one point I was entertaining the idea of selling some of these, but I ended up falling in love with so many that I wanted to keep them all  it didn't really work out. :)  If you have any questions on how to make your own stuff, feel free to ask! 

Idea Discovery: No-sew Pumpkins

This is about the coolest thing ever! I love the no-sew pumpkins that are finding their way all around blog land, but these are made out of toilet paper rolls!  Talk about using items I've got on hand!  Family Fun Magazine originally displayed this idea on their website and  My Frugal Lifestyle has the full scoop! Click here to check out the idea.
(And I have to give myself a big pat on the back for figuring out how to link things! Wahoo!)

The Tale of My Sewing Machine

One night, my husband and I went to the DI (my latest obsession) and he was browsing at the tools, my eyes were attracted to the sewing machines on the other end of the room. "If only we could find one with all the pieces--that works--and for a good deal," I was thinking to myself.  I had recently discovered all the lovely sewing tutorials on the blog world, and had the deep desire to try some of the projects.  I'm not a expert with a sewing machine, but a very BASIC beginner, with big dreams.  I finally got my husband over to the machines and we began looking and sorting through some parts.  Some had missing foot pedals, and some had no bobbins, or other accessories.  It was no use, nothing had everything we needed.

We ended up wandering through the whole store and ended up in the electronic section.  And then....I saw something that caught my attention! I saw a singer sewing machine case, much like my mom's!

I tried picking it up to see if there really was a machine inside.  It was SO HEAVY, and I started jumping for joy!  We took a quick look at it to see if it worked, and it did.  It had everything I needed, including about 10 bobbins.  The book was there, and it was published in 1968, so I'm using a super old machine, but it's in perfect condition!  The best part, was that we only paid $10 for it!  How sweet is that?

My sewing machine and I have had a love-hate relationship at the beginning, but once I figured out it's quirks, we are becoming old friends.  Stay tuned to see all my fun projects that I've previously made, and the ones that are in the works!

A Bit About Me

Well hello friends!  I just wanted to tell you a bit about myself so we can get this party started.

I am a Severe Special Education and Early Childhood Special Education major at Utah State University, and love it!  Some people say it's hard, and I agree, but it's my passion.

Something I'm beginning to enjoy, and the reason of this blog, is my moments of crafting.  I am learning all the cool new things that I can do with a bit of imagination and some 'spare,' time.  I called this blog My Craft Discovery because I am learning and exploring the world of craft ideas.  I am seeing crafts with new eyes, and I'm loving it!

I also enjoy trying new recipes, and currently live by the crockpot method because of my crazy school schedule.  I love making beaded necklaces, card making, decorating my apartment, and most currently sewing.  The story of my sewing machine is my favorite of all, and I'd love to share it with you sometime soon!

**FYI: I am planning to set this blog to private in a couple weeks after I have everything running.  If you'll leave your e-mail addresses in the comments, I will be sure to let you in!**