Etsy, Here I Come!

March 19, 2012 / Abbi / 2 comments

It’s official!! I have an Etsy shop!

Etsy is something I’ve been meaning to be a part of for ages, and I finally bit the bullet. My goal is to gradually add more and more items as time allows (as a wife, mom, friend, event planner, and personal trainer, there’s only so much time for crafting!)

I plan to add paper goods and party-planning essentials, wall art, etched glass items, handmade books and journals, maybe even some textile pieces. The sky is the limit, really!

As I’m building up my shop, I’d love for you to swing by and check it out!

For those of you who asked about this wall art…

…there are now TWO available in my shop. Choose which frame style you like best, submit your order, and it can be YOURS in just a few days! They are ready to go, just need to be shipped to a loving home. :)

Thanks for loving Z as in Zebra and inspiring me to expand my horizons. Cheers!

Category: Books, Company, Decor, Design, Party, Personal Growth, Wall Art / Tags: , , , ,

Project 52:11 • Like A Rock

March 16, 2012 / Abbi / One comment


***

From the time we brought Beau home from the hospital, we planned to co-sleep. As a nursing mama, it just seemed to make the most sense. Baby would be right there by my side and I would know immediately if he needed anything. And in between “needing somethings,” we all actually managed to get some sleep!

Fast forward 12ish months and Beau had been moved to his own crib in his own room…a decision he fought against with intensity that can only come from someone who cannot communicate with words. It was a challenging adjustment for all of us, but we stuck to the plan.

Now he sleeps all night long…most of the time. And on those rare occasions when he just doesn’t want to be alone, we bring him back to our bed…knowing he will be the only one who is comfortable for the rest of the night.

But that’s love…sacrificing something you love (sleep) for something you love even more (your baby).

***

Check out some other folks doing Project 52: Lucas & Mahina; Shawna at StyleBerry; Wicked Kate; WokAbout

If you are participating in this year’s Project 52, leave me a comment and let me know…I’d love to link up with you!

Category: Challenges, Personal Growth, Photography, Project 52 / Tags: , , , , , , ,

Project 52:10 • Bruiser

March 9, 2012 / Abbi / 4 comments



***

There must be something naturally ingrained in boys that makes them fearless warriors. In fact, I know there is. God says so. :)

In becoming a tough guy, bumps, bruises, cuts, and scrapes are all a part of the initiation process.

The hard part? They scare/worry the mama more than they worry the boy!

This scrape was earned in the cousins’ tree house. You know, the one that’s 6-and-a-half feet up in the air but you can still climb the ladder and get into? (side note: GASP) You were playing around up there while I watched (like a HAWK) from arm’s length. You lost your footing while opening the door and slipped only a few inches (side note: GASP), but enough to scrape your chin.

You fussed a little bit, but when I said, “Come here and let me kiss it,” you looked at me with distrust. Almost as if you knew I’d make you come down if I got a hold of you.

So you just wiped your bloody chin on your sleeve and climbed back into the tree house. And I learned (yet again), that if you are “hurt” and don’t seem to care, I shouldn’t worry about it too much, either.

Learning to be tough is part of learning to be a man. And I’m learning to leave you alone a bit so you can learn that.

But I’m still be available to kiss your boo-boos whenever you need me to.

***

Check out some other folks doing Project 52: Lucas & Mahina; Shawna at StyleBerry; Wicked Kate; WokAbout

If you are participating in this year’s Project 52, leave me a comment and let me know…I’d love to link up with you!

Category: Challenges, Personal Growth, Photography, Project 52 / Tags: , , , , , , ,

Name That Glass

March 7, 2012 / Abbi / One comment

Even before I treated myself to a digital cutter, I knew I wanted to try glass etching. I’d heard it was really easy and I knew what I wanted to try as my first attempt.

My husband and I belonged to a Bible study where each couple in the group took turns bringing either an entree, side dish, dessert, or soft drinks.

Every Wednesday, as we threw away paper plates and plastic cups, my stomach turned. I hated seeing all that trash week after week, so I proposed we buy reusable dinnerware. I offered to take up a collection and do the shopping myself.

I found a set of glasses for about $1 each. Problem is…in a group, you set down your Coca-Cola, walk away to get seconds, and then can’t remember whose glass is whose.

So, I used my SIL’s cutter (since I hadn’t purchased my beloved Silhouette Cameo yet) to make a personalized stencil for each glass, one per group member.

I finished off the edges with masking tape to prevent any leakage from the etching cream.

I pressed firmly to make sure there were no bubbles in the stencils.

Then I gooped over each one with a nice, thick layer of glass etching cream and let it sit for 10-15 minutes. That’s it!

Then, I rinsed off the cream, peeled off the stencils, and TA DA! Instant personalized glasses!

The group LOVED these and it made it so easy to keep track of our drinks!

Since then, I’ve done many more glass etching projects: mustache drinking glasses, a monogrammed 9×13 baking dish, picture frames, candy jars, flower vases, beer mugs, etc.

These may be simple projects, but their uniqueness makes a huge statement! Etched glass is perfect for weddings, showers, parties, and one-of-a-kind gifts.

How about you? Want anything etched? Tell me your vision and I can make it happen!

Category: Design, DIY/How-To, Party / Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Madeline’s Moments

March 5, 2012 / Abbi / No comments

It’s always fun when family commissions you to make something! The following book was created for my cousin Alisa to give to her niece (and god-daughter), Maddie, on her confirmation day.

Madeline, who at the time was 7, loves writing and sketching. This book was intended to be a combination journal/sketchbook and also a place where friends and family could write letters/prayers.

I love the lime green/chocolate brown combo and this paisley paper allowed me the chance to throw in some hot pink accents.

LOVE. This. Paper!

Bronze letters were strung on a brown ribbon and attached to the cover with star-shaped brads.

Seriously, this paper! aah!! The colors, the whimsical pattern. Love it.

The star brads continued all the way around the back cover as well.

Since the ribbons wrapped all the way around the book, they allowed it to be tied shut.

My cousin let me know that the book was a hit. Several family members wrote letters to Maddie, shared photos and stories, and drew pictures.

If you’d like to make a keepsake album for a loved one, email me! I’d love to make one for you!

Category: Books, Fabric / Tags: , , , , ,

Project 52:9 • Snuggle Up

March 2, 2012 / Abbi / 4 comments

***

Watching my son gather things to snuggle with always amuses me. Sometimes it’s the typical blankie-and-stuffed-kitty combo. Sometimes Bear, Horsey (“Tootie” as Beau says), and Guy are part of the mix.

Lately, he’s been really interested in a doll was his older sisters’. “Baby” used to wear a lacy, crocheted pink and white dress, but we “boy-ed” Baby up by swapping it out for a brown and red onesie…much manlier, wouldn’t you agree? ;)

Now Baby is in the running for daily snuggle companion. On the day I took this photo, Daddy’s sweatshirt and a small wrench were also chosen. Ha! Only a boy would cuddle with a wrench!

***

Check out some other folks doing Project 52: Lucas & Mahina; Shawna at StyleBerry; Wicked Kate; WokAbout

If you are participating in this year’s Project 52, leave me a comment and let me know…I’d love to link up with you!

Category: Challenges, Personal Growth, Photography, Project 52 / Tags: , , , , , , ,

Cake Pops!

February 29, 2012 / Abbi / 3 comments

I love cute party treats and cake pops are one of the items I’ve been trying to perfect.

Ever since Bakerella starting showcasing the cute little goodies on her blog, I’ve been attempting to learn the ins-and-outs of the entire process. Believe me, there is more of a learning curve than one might think!

Below are some of the examples of the pops I’ve made in the past year. Not only did I love making these for my friends, I also enjoyed stretching my mind to come up with creative ways to display them.

It’s a Boy! pops for my friends Heather and Alex. I made these to share at our Bible study group before baby Owen arrived. I was able to score a green picket fence display rack from Hobby Lobby for free! The styrofoam base works perfectly for displaying cake pops.

I also made some cake balls (minus the stick), just to give that a try. YUM!

This set of cake pops was created for my friend Mandy’s birthday party. She invited all her friends over to dreadlock her hair, and I knew the occasion called for chocolate and sprinkles!

Mandy is an amazing writer, so I wrapped a plastic container with fabric covered with words. I added a green stripey ribbon and a cork-board M.

To help the cake pops stand upright in the container, I filled it with dark chocolate and white chocolate chips.

These cake pops were made for my SIL’s baby shower. A baby girl, could you guess?! :) It was fun playing around with different combinations of sprinkles and decorations. Again, the display was from Hobby Lobby (free), with a coat of pink paint and a sparkly tulle bow.

I failed to get a shot of the last batch of cake pops I made. They were for a wedding shower, and I made round ones and also tried my hand at shaped ones. Hearts. Not as easy as I anticipated.

I only took the best-looking pops to the shower. These were the “defects” left behind to be consumed by my family. ;)

This photo shows a couple of the things that I need more practice to perfect…funky-shaped hearts and cracked candy coating (and there are so many variables that can cause cracked coating, argh!)

But, considering that Bakerella herself only ever shows 5-10 pops at a time, I’m sure even she has at least a few duds in every batch of 48. :)

 

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Category: Baking, Cupcakes, Designer Cakes, Party, Showers / Tags: , , , ,

Handy Dandy Notebook

February 27, 2012 / Abbi / No comments

Several years ago, I made my sister a handmade journal cover for Christmas. And I just found the pictures of it (though most of the design process photos are missing *sad face*)!

That said, here’s a glimpse of what I made.

I started with some pleather/vinyl that was on sale at my local craft store. I measured and cut two hunks: one for the outside cover and one for the inside “pocket” flaps.

Then, since the wrong side of the fabric was so blah, I gave it a little pizzazz by painting it with a teal acrylic paint (which absorbed into the lining and gave it a nice, muted color).

My mother-in-law assisted me with sewing the flap fabric to the outer layer of fabric. ((I don’t own a sewing machine, nor do I know how to use one…add that to my crafting to-do list!))

These flaps would house the corners of a standard spiral-bound notebook.

Here is the finished piece unstuffed:

Complete with my sister’s doodles. :)

The covers of the notebook were then inserted into the sewn flaps.

Though I could’ve bound her a traditional journal or sketchbook, I wanted to make her a long-lasting cover that she could use for multiple notebooks. When you are a prolific writer like she is, you tend to go through a lot of notebooks!

I added a fun, jazzy button enclosure, too.

And here’s the finished product, all buttoned up and ready for the next story (based on the undone stitching around the button, you can tell this picture was taken months after the journal cover had already seen lots of action!)

Sonny, you are a terrific writer. I believe in you and your dreams. Go get ‘em!

Category: Books, Fabric, Paper / Tags: , ,

Project 52:8 • Be Careful Little Eyes What You See

February 24, 2012 / Abbi / 2 comments


***

We are at that stage of toddlerhood where every word we say gets repeated. Which is great if the words are kind like “I love you” or “thank you.” Knowing you are being watched 24/7 by an impressionable child sure makes a person more cautious!

But it’s not all fearful. And it’s not all “planned,” either. Sometimes I know Beau is copying me because it happens immediately. Then there are other times like the photo above where I catch a secret glimpse into his world and notice that he’s emulating me.

I did not grow up in a family of faith, and it wasn’t until I was 19 that I became a Christ-follower. I have always known I wanted my kids to know Jesus and what He means to me/us. Each morning, I read an entry from the devotional Jesus Calling. Generally, I try to read before Beau wakes up, but if that doesn’t happen, I read it aloud to him over breakfast.

Apparently he can sense this book has special meaning. While I was tidying up the other day, Beau quietly grabbed the throw pillow off my bed, got the book, and laid down on the floor to “read.” Luckily I was able to snap a pic of him before he knew I was watching.

This moment reminded me of my goal in life: to live in such a way that my friends, family, and especially my children, know that I love the Lord and I pray above all else that they would come to know Him, too. There is no greater gift than to point our loved ones towards everlasting life!

Moments like this make me wonder: am I teaching Beau about life or is he teaching me?

***

Check out some other folks doing Project 52: Lucas & Mahina; Shawna at StyleBerry; Wicked Kate; WokAbout

If you are participating in this year’s Project 52, leave me a comment and let me know…I’d love to link up with you!

Category: Challenges, Personal Growth, Photography, Project 52 / Tags: , , , , , , ,

#81: Day of the Dead Chocolate Cinnamon Cupcakes

February 22, 2012 / Abbi / No comments

In September 2009, I started a cupcake adventure. (At this rate, I may never finish! And, I’m not sure I even want to, so, ha!) If you haven’t read about it yet, you can do so here.

***

Would you look at that? Yummy! I can still smell the cinnamon/chocolate combo!

I made the icing first…butter and powdered sugar.

Milk, Mexican vanilla, and cinnamon were then added to round out the icing, which was set aside until later.

The base of the batter was (used guessed it), butter and sugar.

Four eggs were separated and the yolks were added to the cake batter.

More Mexican vanilla…this time in the batter.

Then, Mexican chocolate was added. This was something I’d never purchased before, so it was exciting to try something new.

Mexican chocolate comes in disks like this:

The chocolate was then melted (I used the microwave) and added to the batter.

Dry ingredients were added next…

And the whites I saved earlier were beaten until they formed stiff peaks.

So fluffy!!

The beaten eggs were then mixed into the batter.

And baked! These cupcake papers were a birthday gift from a friend. She found them at IKEA and they are designed in such a way that you don’t need a muffin tin…just a cookie sheet. Very cool!

They made cupcakes bigger than regular sized, but not quite “jumbo” sized.

Next, the icing I had set aside earlier was added to the top.

YUMMY!!!

If this recipe (or any other from the Abbi/Gail Adventure) intrigues you, I highly recommend getting Gail’s book. Your local library may even have it. This recipe is on page 138!

 

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Category: Abbi-Gail Adventure, Baking, Challenges, Cupcakes / Tags: , , ,
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