Happy Birthday!

To SAM CASTLE!

She is a great person and friend!  She is a twin, but wanted her own post, so here you go!  Her and her sister don't always get along that well and often end up in a tangle!

Her and her twin!  On the slopes of Mt. Hood!

Happy Birthday!

To ABBY CASTLE!    

She is the twin of Sam and is the one who always make you laugh!

Abby is the one in black and Sam is facing towards the camera in blue!

Tutorial: Gathered Ribbon Flowers

I made these puppies for some friends of mine since i needed something quick and easy to give them... And they are!    Simple and Easy!  Here is the tutorial:

Materials needed:

• Ribbon (doesn't matter if it has wire or not)
• Sewing Thread 
• Needle
• Hot Glue Gun
• Button
• Hair clip/bobby pin (optional)

***I found that the ribbon with the wire actually works a little better because the thread will stay in the ribbon and you wont take that chance of the ribbon fraying there.

Step 1:
To secure the ends of the ribbon and make sure they don't unravel, burn the ends slightly so they melt and have a hard ending.

Step 2:
Cut about a 9 inch piece of ribbon.

Step 3:
Sew a running stitch right along one of the edges. (if it has wire, sew right along the inside of the wire)

Step 4:
Pull the two ends of the sewing thread together so the ribbon bunches up and creates a circle.

Step 5:
Tie the two ends of the sewing thread together.

Step 6:
Hot glue (you could also sew it) on a button or embellishment.

Step 7: {optional}
Glue or sew a hair clip or something similar on the back!

Here are a few I made for friends...

Cute but also super easy!

New Poll!

I say you should vote!  Poll closes on June 1st.

Simply Saturday

Just a quick one today as I don't have much to say...

I seem to have started having theme's to Simply Saturdays so this week will be 

music.  

1. I don't have a favorite song, artist, or album.  I just listen to what ever is on the radio.  

2. I had a piano recital this morning.  {sorry, its not that random...}

3. I have taken piano lessons for about 7 years now. 

Happy Birthday!

To My BFF, Anna Martin!

She's 13!

She is one of my closest friends that I've known the longest!  She has been with me through everything and we have done almost everything together!  She is my crafting buddy, ski buddy, and everything buddy!  She has a fabulous blog, check it out here!  

I love you!  Have the best birthday ever!

Here are some of the fun times we have had together!

Skiing!

Car rides!

Outdoor School!

ODS!

Bus Rides!

Candy and Blue Tongues!

Happy Birthday to a FABULOUS girl!

Happy Birthday to Casey!

Casey Lum is turning 13!

She is an amazing person!  We have so much fun when we spend time together and our brothers like to hang out which means we get more time together!  I Love You!

Some pictures of our fun times together:

Outdoor School

ODS

Ski trip  {she would not stay still for a picture so this is what she gets on her birthday!}

Fun Family Vacations!


One of the most exciting things about having Casey as a friend, is all the exploring of new sites and trips we take with our families!  We've been practically everywhere!

Jazz up YOUR blog!

My last post in the Jazz up YOUR blog series is a simple short list of 10 Ways to Make Your Blog Better!

1. Include Pictures.

Most of your readers don't want to read pages of text.  Use bullet points, pictures and other visuals to break up lots of text.  

2. Going on a holiday? 

Don't let your blog die.  Write and schedule some good posts or have guests post and to be published ahead of time.  

3. Keep it simple.  

Don't clutter your blog with ads, widgets, or non-useful items.  

4. Make it easy for readers to contact you.  

Broadcast your email or the way readers can contact you easily and have it visible.

5. No inspiration?

Read!  Read anything you can to get inspiration.  If you find something, write it down so you don't forget!

6. Comment and link to popular blogs. 

You will get more traffic to your blog by promoting yourself on other blogs!

7. Respond to comments.    

If readers leave a interesting comment or have a question, reply back!

8. Sign up for Site Meter.

This way you can view what pages get looked at and how many people visit your blog!

9. Try writing about what your readers might want.

Include how-to's and keep your readers interested!

10. Have a theme. 

Incorporate your blogs background, header and name into a theme and stick to it.   It's okay to change it up just keep it consistent!

For a while on Tuesdays, I will keep it as a 'tutorial tuesday' and post craft tutorials!  It will definitely keep me busy!