Going away party basket

My good friend moved away from Seattle this Summer, so I found it to be a great excuse to throw her a going away luncheon. I created these little baskets for each guest with some of my favorite edible treats that are made in Seattle.

Check out what I put inside:

Hey all you party people: Let's make some noise

Have you ever been to a party where you receive a noisemaker only to promptly set it down and then become uncertain which one is yours? An easy way to prevent this situation, is simply purchase chipboard letters and attach the appropriate letter to each guest's noisemaker. A quick, personalization which keeps guests tooting their own horn.

D.I.Y. Mini easter baskets

If you are in search of an individual place setting for Easter, a sweet treat to take to neighbors or a simple gift for your children's class look no further than these mini easter baskets. With just four simple items you can easily create a dozen or more mini easter baskets in no time flat.

You will need the following:

Washi tape

Baking cups

Easter grass

Candy- jelly beans, truffles, M&Ms etc.

Instructions:

Take one baking cup and attach a piece of washi tape on one side to the other (sticky side up) as a handle on the cup. Attach another pieces of wash tape (sticky side down) to the baking cup. Now you have created a double sided washi tape handle. Fill baking cup with easter grass and then add candy.

Seattle Blogger Meet up: Craft and Chat with Assemble

I have been blogging for almost five years now, but it has not been until recently I have really embraced the title of blogger. Last night, I had the privilege of attending my first Seattle Bloggers Unite Meet Up. This morning, I am still buzzing from both the sugar and the inspiration. The blogger meet up was a Craft and Chat by Andie and Emily from Assemble Shop in which we learned how to make these adorable granny squares all while eating cupcakes and chatting. There was an abundance of brains, beauty and blog talk which pretty much means it was an awesome evening.

Trophy cupcakes as fuel for crocheting.

Dressing up a t-shirt

When I am at Target...... for let's say ziplock bags, I have a tendency to pick up an extra clothing item or two. In particular, I like to stock up on these Mossimo v-neck tees. They come in a variety of colors, are perfect for layering, working out in or even dressing up a bit.

I had some leftover fabric from when I had my wedding dress made, so I found a pretty cluster of flowers, cut out around them and sewed them directly onto my t-shirt. In about thirty minutes, I had a custom t-shirt for very little time and money.

Birthday party in a box

Do you ever wish you could celebrate a special occasion (like a birthday) with someone who lives far away? Much cheaper than buying an airplane ticket is creating a birthday in a box:

Items for you party in a box:
Festive paper plates
Fun paper napkins
Colored paper streamers
Paper lanterns or pinwheels
Birthday candles
Candy
Noise makers
Festive cards/thank you notes
Cake mix
Can of frosting

A fun, easy party in a box!

Sources for great party supplies: The Confectionary, Target, Metropolitan Market or Packaging Specialties.

Featured on Make and Takes

Today I am hanging out with all the creative ladies over at Make and Takes. If you love a dynamic, vibrant, inspiring woman than you will love the founder, Marie LeBaron. Today, I am showing you a simple solution to dressing up treat bags. In a half hour flat you should be able to tackle the most daunting 'party is in an hour' dilemma. So grab your glue gun and join me over at Make and Takes.

Follow me at:
Pinterest
Instagram @lwoltermckinley

Stitch by stitch

The second horizontal strip quilt.

Quilts have become symbolic of certain periods of time in my life. My first quilting project was undertaken long before anyone ever knew I was pregnant. My thought was this: I am having a baby, why not make a quilt. When most people find out they are expecting they start calling their loved ones, I took a different approach and headed to the fabric store. I enlisted the help of my friend and together we toiled on a quilt with an unknown recipient. How exciting it was to tell her one day the recipient was someone growing inside of me. She had her suspicions, but had never been brave enough to ask.

Flash forward five months and I had already purchased fabric to make another quilt because I worried the first would be a little too feminine for my little guy. After Asher passed away the first project I wanted to undertake was commencing my second quilt. Days after he had pass away I remembering emailing my friend to tell her I wanted to start on the second quilt. I asked her if my response was weird and being the devoted friend she was she responded with a resounding 'no, not at all'. Less than one week after he passed away that same friend and I started to piece together the second quilt, much like I was piecing back together my life. Just recently the second quilt has been completed and while the first quilt was made for the hope and excitement of my new life, the second quilt was made for healing.

The first chevron quilt.

Heart Attack

Valentine's Day is rapidly approaching, so here is a great, inexpensive way to show your love. The best part, you can use items you most likely already have on hand.

Supplies:
Newspaper or card stock for heart stencil
Flour or powder sugar
sieve

Directions:
1. Lay heart stencil on lawn/sidewalk.
2. Shake flour/powder sugar over stencil and then pour excess flour back into bowl.
3. Place stencil in another location and continue as desired.

Projects, more projects and snippets of life

I am a firm believer in "real" cameras, not cell phone cameras, but what the phone lacks in capability, it makes up for in capturing quick snippets of life. 

Here is my latest quilt project, it is called a spider quilt. This is just laid out, not sewn together...a real work in progress.

Community

Sometimes by choice but oftentimes by circumstance, we become part of various groups or communities. One of the most powerful impacts of working on tiny flannel bereavement diapers are the women across the country I have been able to connect with who have experienced a similar loss.  I have been the benefactor of an outpouring of love and support from complete strangers. After making all our diaper sets I was left with twenty eight single diapers. I was uncertain what to do with these, so I contacted Megan from Teeny Tears  and within a day I was given a name and address on the opposite side of the country to send them to. Not two days after they were received there was a request for a 20 week boy kit. Oh, how my heart goes out to these grieving families, but it is a humbling experience to be able to provide some sort of solace during a difficult time. The need is constant and I am happy in my own small way I can help.

Moving onward

During an open and honest conversation with a good friend, I asked her if she found it odd I am working on my second baby quilt right now. She wisely responded "there is no right or wrong way to grieve, you will find your own path". I have found a lot of freedom and comfort in that phrase. As a relative novice to grief, it is easy to assume as time distances you from your grief you should feel a certain way or do particular things, but I love the personal nature this phrase gives to grief. After further reflection this sentiment could be applied to an array of situations...."there is no right or wrong way to be happy or to feel fulfilled, you will find your own path".
In the midst of a different conversation a profound question was asked to me. "are you being kind to yourself?" What a great question to pause and cause some soul stirring reflection. This particular question really made me ponder my treatment of myself as opposed to the usual auto response to the vague. "how are you doing?"
Today, I appreciate friends who ask the soul stirring questions and friends who give me precious jewels of wisdom to percolate through my mind.

Taking a break from Christmas: Birthday Fun

Amidst all the holiday fuss each year, we have the opportunity to celebrate the youngest member of our family's birthday. I wanted to do something extra special for her, so when I saw these mini pinatas featured on Oh Happy Day I knew they were just the thing. They are relatively simple to make and are the perfect addition to any fiesta. My little sister loves Mexican food, but also likes to keep her birthday on the down low, so I did not bring them to the restaurant as planned.

In order to make these mini pinatas all you need to do is create whatever form you want out of cardboard and then glue layer after layer of crepe paper around them. Once you are finished make sure to slice open a trap door at the bottom so you have somewhere to stuff the candy into.

I then thought what is party without a birthday hat? So I made this birthday hat for her out of a piece of 12 x 12 scrapbook paper and embellishments I had around the house.

As a family we always enjoy a good party blower, but sometimes it is easy to get confused whose is whose. In order to remedy that problem I glued chipboard letters onto each blower for a little personalized touch.

Someone had asked me the best way to package the chocolate spoons and my advice is to keep it simple with a cellophane bag and a little ribbon.

We enjoyed a week night dinner out and more importantly time with the family.

Give "thanks"

For a quick last minute craft. Spell something out with wire and then wrap it up with yarn. I found my inspiration from here.

Witch's Broom Treat Bags

Martha Stewart never fails me. She is always an endless source of inspiration, especially around the holidays. I wanted to make these witch's broom treat bags for several years now, but then I spotted this kit at Michael's and knew I was all set. They were easy to put together and just as cute as I imagined they would be. The only hard part was trying to decide what candy to put inside.

Birthday kits

With a slew of birthdays over the next couple of months, I thought it would be fun to put together birthday kits for the little girls in my life. The contents can differ depending on age and interests, but here is what I came up with. I started with a colorful insulated lunch bag and then filled them with the following items:

1. Birthday Mad Libs

2. Noise Putty

3. Hand held punching balloon

4. Pop Rocks Bubble Gum

5. You Put the K in Cute gum

6. Birthday girl headband

7. Kaleidoscope

8. Hand string game

9. Rainbow swirled colored pencil

10. Journal

Inspiration vs. jealousy

When you look at other blogs do you feel jealous by other people's creativity and success or inspired? Yesterday, when I came across this great post by Jordan, it inspired me to create the following cards out of crepe paper.

Supplies:

rolls of crepe paper in different colors

scissors

hot glue

solid notecards and envelopes

I was so happy because I was able to use this Christmas gift for the first time, now I can establish they really were a "need" and everyone needs a pair.

Instructions:

1. Take strips of crepe paper the length of your notecard, fold in half and cut fringe along the bottom.

2. Attach with glue.

3. Apply as many rows as you want.

4. Instant party on a card.

What blogs inspire you?