tulle pom-poms + garland tutorial

I promised a tutorial after my last post. It took a little longer than anticipated. I ended up having my granddaughter, Madi, spend two whole days with me. I like to give her my full attention when she visits. She's also a talker, so getting anything done is a little difficult. :) She is seriously one of the most hilarious little people I know.

Then I was called to a new position at church. I know. I did not see that coming. I loved my calling as RS Meeting Coordinator and I will miss working with so many wonderful women. More on that later.

RS birthday celebration 2013

Our annual Relief Society birthday celebration was last week and I would chock it up as a great success. Our theme was "Small and Simple Things."

one simple recipe: heavenly hot chocolate

Here in beautiful Utah, we've had a far more extreme winter than usual. There have been record breaking low temps and snow accumulation totals. Brrr! That's led to far too little socializing among neighbors and friends.We decided to warm things up a bit with a good old-fashioned Relief Society social.

helen's quilt

I have a friend, Helen, who is sweet and caring and can always make me laugh. Seriously, she's hilarious. She's also authentic to the core and very knowledgeable of the gospel--all things I very much admire about her. One thing she apparently is not, is graceful. :)

While painting a room in her home a few weeks ago, she took a major dive off of or onto (?) a chair and got a spiral fracture in her leg. I'd describe what that is, but it's super gross and would make you cringe. I just did--eck. Following her surgery, she's been at a rehab center for physical therapy. As much as I'm sure everyone there is enjoying her humor and antics, I know she's going nuts without her family and friends.

To give Helen a little comfort and remind her we're thinking of her, some friends got together and made her a quilt. Actually, Jen Ostler did most of the work, the rest of us got to help. The whole thing came together in three days. I know...amazing!

super {simple} saturday 2012

I'm excited to share our collection of projects for Super Saturday 2012. For those of you who don't know, Super Saturday is a sewing/craft day we have each October for the sisters in my ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. My calling in the Relief Society (women's organization) is the Meeting Coordinator. This event is a great time to socialize, learn new skills, create projects that strengthen our homes and families and be treated to a yummy lunch.

We've focused on simple projects that focus on creating memories and traditions, celebrations, strengthening family and preparedness. Each project has a time element suggestion, so consider whether you want to work on projects at home or finish them at Super Saturday.

*To my ward: see RS announcements for date, time and location.
*I've updated this post with tutorial and download links.

A-FRAME TENT
Taught by: Ruth Dangerfield

tips for a RS basic quilting class

We had a lot of requests from the Relief Society sisters in our ward to learn to quilt. A couple of months ago, we held a basic quilting class that was very successful. Here's how we set it up:

One of our instructors, Monica, teaching binding.

Instructors
I approached three very experienced quilters to "team teach" the class, so no one teacher would become overwhelmed. We broke the class into a three part series and each teacher was responsible for one part. They were all so enthusiastic and did an awesome job!

RS birthday celebration

We held our Relief Society celebration last week. It was a delightful evening and I had tons of help from many talented sisters.

This was the invitation I created. We send ours out via e-mail to all the sisters so it worked great. (I had another ward ask to use our invite, but when they tried to print it out it was slightly pixelated. So if you use the image from Pinterest, know that it's only about 400 x 600 pixels and can't be enlarged.)

Seriously love this little couple though--they make me smile. They were perfect to set the stage for our vintage theme.

RS birthday celebration invitation

Happy Birthday Relief Society! March 17th marks the 170th birthday of the largest women's organization in the world. All women in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints belong to the Relief Society. It's purpose:

"The Relief Society prepares women for the blessings of eternal life by helping them increase their faith and personal righteousness, strengthen families and homes, and help those in need."

The Relief Society has been a great blessing in my life.

This is the invitation I sent out for our birthday dinner/celebration. I love this little couple! (Found the photo on Pinterest.) The tape strips and fabric flag are free downloads from Pugly Pixel. (Love her digi stuff and inspiration. And she's got great tutorials.)

Our theme for our March meeting is "A Return to Simpler Times", all vintage-y. We're focusing on simplifying our lives. I'm loving it. And I've asked some amazing women to help out. I'm super excited and can't wait to share the details after the event.

Have a happy day. :)

cooking club: homemade yogurt + granola

We held our second Cooking Club for Relief Society this week.

It was at the home of my friend, Breanna Smithson. She's known as "the foodie" in the ward/neighborhood. :)

She taught us to make homemade yogurt. (It was kind of a personal request from me.)

relief society meeting: cooking club

We're starting a new meeting for the Relief Society (the women's organization in our church) this month. It's called the Cooking Club. We're inviting sisters (or they can volunteer) to hold a meeting in their home to demonstrate and share a taste of one dish from their family favorites recipe file. The focus will be on simple and healthy dishes their family loves and that they enjoy making. They can share additional recipes on a handout if they'd like, and I'll help them with the entire process.

I'd much rather prepare a "tried and true" recipe I've actually tasted. I've been making a point of trying new recipes lately and have had a lot of misses--and some successes too. More misses though. We have some women in the ward who love to cook and are good at it.

Our first Cooking Club meeting will be a little different. With the upcoming holiday season approaching, we thought it would be fun to get together to learn to make yummy pies. We have a sister in the ward, Tamsen, who has some mad skills in that department. Everyone I talk to says her pies are amazing! We sent out an ingredient and supplies list and we're all going to mix and roll our pie crust right along with Tamsen. Then we'll add our choice of filling and have a finished pie to take home and bake! How cool is that? We're going to have some very happy husbands in the neighborhood. :)

10 tips for a successful super saturday

Whew! Another successful Relief Society meeting under our belts. Super Saturday is an activity held once a year for the women in our church. We get together to socialize, craft, learn new skills, and eat. Yep, it's good times. I was on the Relief Society Board for this event and there's a lot of planning and work that goes into it. I've put together a simple list of things we've learned.

1. Choose simple, quality, up-to-date projects that fit the needs of the sisters in your ward.

We hold our Super Saturday in October each year, so we focus on projects that can be gifted for Christmas and decorate our homes for the holidays. We also try to choose projects that teach a new skill. Our ward has a huge number of children, so darling hair accessories are always a no-brainer.

After making fifteen hair accessories, Sandra started teaching Melissa. :)  

Sandra's hair accessories (shhhh, they're Christmas gifts).

Projects that require painting add a level of mess and wait time. If you choose to include them, limit the number. Also limit how many projects you offer (and color choices you offer) for simplicity sake, kit prep, and teaching purposes.

ss tutorial: felt flower hair accessory

As promised, here's the first of our Super Saturday tutorials.

 

SUPPLY LIST:

sheet of felt
hair clips--I like the metal ones with a double prong.
fabric covered button--tutorial here.
glue gun and glue sticks

super {simple} saturday

Hey Sisters, it's time again for our fall Super Saturday. The board has been working hard to bring you some delightful (and simple) projects to pretty up your place (and peoples):) or to give as gifts for the upcoming holidays. Here's the line-up and information:

Thanks to our darling model, Kelsie Bybee. :)

spring quarterly Relief Society meeting

Our quarterly RS meeting was delightful! We ALL had a great time, including the board. We kept it super simple--love it!--and were able to visit and join in too. Marina told a funny story and oh my goodness, I laughed so hard I pulled a muscle in my neck. :) Good times.

This was our invitation:

flower designs: Crystal Wilkerson

family word art collage & phrases download

Here's the word art collage I created for the Design on a Dime: Decorating Your Walls class for our Relief Society meeting.

life story binder

Tonight is our Life Story Binder class at the church in the Relief Society room. We'll start promptly at 7 pm, so be on time! I'm very excited about the response to this project. It seems we're all motivated to get more organized this year. I'm loving my first binder and can't wait to move on to the others.

What is a Life Story Binder?
It's a place to gather and organize documents, photos and/or journaling that pertain to your life or the life of a family member.

How do I get started? 
I would recommend starting small--one or two binders--so you don't feel overwhelmed in the beginning and drop the project all together. Like I always say, keep it simple and doable.

SUPPLY LIST:

• 3-ring binder* (2" ring size works well)
• sheet protectors (80-100) 
• Life Story Binder suggestions list (I've compiled a list of suggested documents, photos and journaling for you.) 
• Return Address Labels (80 per sheet) *optional, but it makes it simple to flip through and see what still needs to be added. I've put together a creating labels tutorial. 

What's next?
Step 1: Add sheet protectors to binder.

Step 2: Read through the Life Story Binder suggestions list and check off and/or add items that are applicable to you or your family member's life story. I store my list in the front of my binder for easy reference.

Step 3: Create labels using Return Address Labels and adhere to sheet protectors.I use Return Address size labels for other organizing purposes, so you might want to check out the creating labels tutorial even if you don't plan on adding the labels to your binder.

Step 4: Get organized by adding your documents, photos and journaling.

Step 5: Enjoy flipping through your binder, finding everything in one place and feeling organized! :)

Make sure sheet protectors will fit in your binder without sticking out. It usually says on the label.

super saturday projects {oct 2010}

Here's the line up of the projects for our October 9th Super Saturday. They're awesome! I know a lot of you are thinking Christmas gifts already and signing up fast.

{CELEBRATION BANNERS}
Taught by: Kim McCrary
This class is designed to give you the basic skills of creating three banner styles for any occasion or celebration. Create this delightful Halloween trio and then change up the papers for any theme or color scheme.
Cost: $3.00

celebration banners class

Colorful banners are all the rage! They’re simple to make and a great way to personalize your family celebrations or surroundings. In this class, we’ll create three delightful Halloween banners using only six pieces of patterned paper of your choice. You’ll learn the basics of creating a word banner, a flag banner and a punched garland. I’ll also have samples of other banners to inspire you.

Cost: $3.00

Here are the three banners we'll be making:

I've had so much fun creating these projects. This class will give you the basics of the design and then you can change up the patterns, colors and theme to meet your needs. I've used them for birthday parties, baby showers and Ella's adoption celebration. They'd also be great for a dorm room or classroom. I was also thinking it'd be a nice surprise for someone who loves to craft, to recieve the supplies and directions as a kit.

I purchased all the Halloween themed paper at Pebbles in my Pocket. It's by Echo Park and Pebbles, Inc. They just placed an order this week and it should arrive at the store Friday. Get there early for the best selection. You'll supply your own paper for the class and basic supplies. I'll supply the die cuts and ribbon/string.

You'll need at least six 12x12 patterned papers and one piece of solid purple cardstock. If you want to add a button pumpkin to your "boo" banner (optional), purchase a larger orange one and a scrap of 3/8" green grosgrain ribbon.

The display of all the projects will be outside the RS room on Sunday along with sign up sheets. Supply lists are coming soon.

stake poster

I was in the middle of editing our vacation photos when Gail called me asking if I could do some posters for the Stake fireside with Doug Brinley. Here's what I came up with after the Stake Presidency asked for a couple of simple changes. I like it.

I'm bummed we won't be able to attend. It's the same night as Ella's dance concert. I can catch a class from him at Education Week though.

rs meeting tonight

9th Ward Sisters, don't forget about our quarterly RS meeting tonight.

We'll be learning to make the most darling ornaments from ribbon for our Festival of Trees tree. Then you can make them at home for your own tree! We'll also be learning to crochet. (Something I've been wanting to do for a long time, so I'm excited.) For refreshments, you can bring your favorite holiday treat and we'll also be serving Frozen Hot Chocolate using the recipe from the Serendipity restaurant in New York. Jen made up a batch and it's pure yummy-ness! See you there.