We Grow By Our Dreams

Sterling Pear Photo Shoot

2011-12-15T23:20:00.000-08:00

Sterling Pear Gold Christmas Tree Skirt

About two weeks ago my friend Janet, the co-owner of Sterling Pear asked for my help styling a photo shoot for her of some of the new products including a gold quilted tree skirt, stockings and table runner. She wanted gifts to go in the stockings and around the Christmas tree. Our friend Jeannette had picked out the most lovely gift wrap and gold silk ribbon and she needed my help wrapping the "gifts."

The papers were beautiful colors, thick and textured with multiple silk-screened layers or flocking. I wrapped each gift and then tied each bow a different way. I even used the Easiest Bow Ever Tutorial on the big present on the left. The ribbon only came in one width which would have overwelmed the smaller boxes so I cut in half lengthwise.

Sterling Pear Gold Quilted Stocking

The pictures came out lovely. Be sure to check out all the other unique items from Sterling Pear including mantle clips, keepsake storage boxes, and hand painted ornments.

Welcome December

2011-11-30T22:44:00.001-08:00

It's all about the advent around here. My mum put out her beautiful advent calendar today. Every morning the niece opens a door to find a piece of the nativity and a treat.

The niece opening the first door this morning. She found an angel and a chocolate.

This is what it will look like on Christmas Eve.

And, we started a new tradition this year. Dana from Made posted about wrapping up 25 Christmas books and having her kids open one every day until Christmas. So, I raided my mum and sister's bookshelves and found 25 Christmas-themed books for my niece to read.

Some are fun

Some have a good message

And some tell the true story of Christmas

I have a few favorites

I wrapped them up and put sticky letters and numbers on them.

Every day the niece will choose a book to read. I'll let her choose if she wants to start with 1 (the calendar day) or 25 to count down to Christmas.

Some are a little long so I put a shorter book the following day so the niece could finish the previous book. I tried to alternate the fun with the more faith-building so there is a good mix. The niece loves to read and open presents so I think she will enjoy this.

Thanks for stopping by today. If you have time, stop by my other blog, The Vintage Sheet Blog, I'm doing a little gift guide and giveaway link up party.

Vintage Sheet Love

2011-11-19T14:58:00.001-08:00

Exciting news: I'm the new leader at the Vintage Sheet Blog! I've been a follower of the blog for a long time now so when I found out that Jen was moving on to pursue other things, I immediately raised my hand and sent her my ideas.

It's been a busy but fun project. But, I love vintage sheets as seen on these projects posted here on this blog:

Owl Bags

Pink Bunting

Green Bunting

I also have an Etsy store filled with vintage sheet fabrics pieces and pillowcases.

It will be fun juggling two blogs but I have a plan. We Grow By Own Dreams will still have recipes, holiday decorating, papercrafting, and non-vintage sheet sewing projects as well as the occassional random post. The Vintage Sheet Blog will have my projects and tutorials made with vintage sheets as well as link parties and other vintages sheet fun.

So, stay tuned because I still have a coule recipe tutorials as well as Harry Potter party details to post about here, on We Grow By Our Dreams. Thanks for stopping by today.

Harry Potter Party Overview

2011-10-12T10:51:00.000-07:00

We do parties big at the Grow Home, especially my niece's birthday bashes. This year, we had a Harry Potter party complete with a multi-course banquet, potion-making and Herbology classes, an egg hunt, pinata, and a game of Quidditch. There were so many details and I took so many pictures that I am going to do a quick overview as well as more detailed posts with the food, decor, and games.

Welcome to Hogworts.

Party attendees were students at Hogwarts. The Birthday Girl was named, "Student of the Month."

There were many potions on display. Some silly, some creepy but the students mostly enjoyed mixing their own potions.

We transformed our living/dining room into a banquet hall.

I'll do another post on just the food but in the meantime, here are pics of the bubbling punch

chicken legs, mashed potatoes and carrots

and the cake.

The kids played a very competitive game of Quidditch.

The students enjoyed learning about "Herbology."

Of course we did the traditional Pinata and opening of gifts too.

All the students went home with handmade owl goody bags full of treasures.

Stay tuned for futute posts on all the food, the decorations, the games, and all the handmade details. My sister spent months doing research and creating all the handmade details that made the day so special. It really paid off with an amazing event that the niece and all her friends will remember for years to come.

Happy World Card Making Day!!!

2011-10-01T12:03:00.000-07:00

Welcome to We Grow By Our Dreams. I hope that you have had the opportunity to see all the other wonderful Christmas creations made by the talented Operation Write Home cardmakers. If not, click here.

Below is my card that I am happy to share with you before it is sent to a hero serving abroad. I hope that the hero will use this card to keep in contact with his/her family and let them know that they are loved and missed.

If you like to make cards, please consider making cards for our heroes. You may also help out by donating money to pay for postage. Every little bit helps and our heroes appreciate it.

I've Been Published Times Two

2011-07-13T20:22:00.000-07:00

Long time no blog. Sorry. Hey, but I have some good news. I'm in two publications this Summer. One crafty, one not-so-much.

The first is Just Cards Magazine. They published a baby card that I sent them in a bundle of ten cards over 2 years ago. This is the third card from that bundle that has been published. That reminds me I should send them more cards. :)

Next, totally-nothing-to-do-with-crafting-but-still-cool, I wrote an article about remembering September 11th. It was published in our Police Officers Association publication, Justice for All. I was honored that they wanted to print it, especially since they usually only print articles written by fellow officers. It's on page 4 if you want to read it. And, look, they even printed a picture of me (the officer authors don't have that!)

Thanks for letting me toot my own horn. I'm currently trying to create the best sugar-free coconut cream pie recipe. I'll let you know (by way of a tutorial) when it happens. Let me know if you have any tips on coconut cream pie.

Memorial Weekend Blog Hop-Miss You

2011-05-28T07:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the We Grow By Our Dreams hop along the Operation Write Home Memorial Day Weekend Bloghop. Hopefully you came here from Ky's Bunny Nest. If not, you can start at the top of the hop by clicking the above graphic.

I'm in love with the yellow/white/gray color combo and the ruffle technique that I learned from Sandy, our fearless OWH leader. So, I made this card for someone serving in our armed forces to send home to a loved one.

I hope that this card will help someone at home to feel very loved. That is why I make cards for Operation Write Home.

Thank you for stopping by my blog today. Please leave a comment so I can know that you were here. :)
Next hop: Deborah from Thoughts of a Grasshopper

A Royal Tea

2011-05-24T09:42:00.000-07:00

We love any excuse for a party around here. And, like most people we anxiously awaited the nuptials of Kate Middleton and Prince William.

We wanted to celebrate with the British people. We live in California so that meant watching the wedding live at 3 a.m. We didn't dress up. Hey, I was lucky to get the fam up that early. But, when food is involved, the family can't resist.

Of course we had our herbal tea. Our favorite is chocolate coconut (very non-British but yummy.)

Actually, we started our party early by having Fish n' Chips for dinner. Then, woke up to the rest of the goodies. For some reason, we had no problem having another huge meal at 3 a.m.

We bought the scones and some of our other treats at Bristol Farms. In fact, they were ready for us with a whole section dedicated to the Royal wedding. We enjoyed the scones with clotted cream and marmalade.

I made some cucumber and egg salad sandwiches. The cucumber are then niece's favorite.

Welsh cheese with crackers. Not only are we Welsh but this was our little tribute to William's mother, Princess Dianna.

I made an English trifle with blackberries, angel food cake, lemon pudding and whipped cream.

For dessert number two I made chocolate bread pudding.

For dessert number 3 we had a small grooms cake. This was another Bristol Farms purchase. It was a chocolate cake with crushed cookies and dried fruit with a ganache frosting and dusted with gold.

That's the end of the food. Ha ha ha. I decorated the dining room with British nick knacks and I covered a bulletin board with a map of London and other London postcards, photos, brochures and souvenirs.

We loved the wedding. But some of our royal guests could care less. This is Moses (aka the Prince of Egypt)

And, this is Kinsey, she is a corgi like the Queen's dogs.

I wonder if the Queen's dogs sleep in this position.

Thank you for stopping by my blog today. Sorry I didn't get these pics up a couple weeks ago. And, sorry the picture quality is poor. We don't have a lot of natural light at 3 a.m. :) I'll have another post this weekend. For sure.

I made a hat

2011-05-07T21:46:00.000-07:00

I loved seeing all the fabulous hat creations from the Royal Wedding. So, this week when I received the invitation to a Derby Party, I knew that I had to wear a cool hat. I really don't know where I would go to buy a hat so I chose to make one myself. I went with the "fascinator"style which, as described by wikipedia is, "a delicate, slightly-to-very frivolous head decoration worn almost exclusively by women."

How I made my hat:

Covered a headband with pink grograin ribbon.
Rolled orange meshy fabric (it's stiffer than tulle and the holes are larger.)
Sewed the orange fabric together
Sewed the pink flower to the orange fabric
Attached big green leaf to headband with florist tape
Attached the orange fabric to headband with hot glue (and sewed a little just to be safe)

That's it!

It was fun seeing the other hats at the party. I might be a little obsessed with hats now. Or, shall I say, fascinators?

Thanks for stopping by the blog today. I'm still working on the pictures of our Royal Wedding Feast. 3 o'clock in the morning isn't the best time to take photos. LOL.

Cherry Tea Party

2011-05-03T10:14:00.000-07:00

I love throwing parties. When I heard that my dear friend Danielle was dreaming of having a tea party similar to one she attended with loved ones a year ago when she lived on the East Coast, I knew that I wanted to recreate a version of that for her. And, because Danielle is bravely fighting stage 4 breast cancer, we also used the party as a means to raise awareness and money for her treatments.

Danielle and me

The theme I chose is Cherry Tea. I love the way it sounds like charity which is defined as the pure love of Christ. Danielle is full of that love. I took a little creative license and changed up the scripture 1 Corinthians 8:1 which says in part, "charity edifieth" to "Cherry Tea edifieth." This was on our invites, little picks, and thank you notes. Danielle's friend Kathy designed them beautifully. On the back of each pick (shown standing in a See's chocolate) is an uplifting quote or a breast cancer fact.

The menu was somewhat traditional English tea which included:

Scones with whipped cream, butter and jams
A selection of herbal teas (coconut chocolate was very popular)
Cucumber, tuna and egg sandwiches
Cookies, lemon tarts, chocolate-dipped cherries and mini cheesecakes

I made two party buntings: one for our hostess, Suzanne and one for our guest of honor, Danielle to keep.

The table was decorated with very colorful Fiestaware teacups and saucers as well as fun spring teapots and nick knacks.

We had three tea times to accommodate the most guests. It was nice because it kept the groups small so we could visit more. The noon tea time had three little girls. They were adorable.

the niece and her friend using their manners

Our hostess, Suzanne with two happy guests

Unfortunately I didn't get pictures of all the guests. I was busy refilling teacups. :)

Janet, the other co-hostess with our friend Susan and my mum

It was a fun and successful event. Danielle's sister is planning on throwing an East Coast version of the Cherry Tea party.

Thank you for visiting my blog today. I have more tea pics coming up from the Growgirls royal middle-of-the-night bash.

If you want to learn more about Danielle and her fight with breast cancer or to make a donation for her treatments, go to supportdanielle.org . Thanks so much.

Lotsa Love for Locks of Love

2011-04-28T10:34:00.000-07:00

I did it, again. This is the fourth time I've donated hair to the wonderful organization, Locks of Love. Two years ago I wrote a tutorial on donating hair to Locks of Love. Really, it's totally easy.

Grow your hair out
Put it in a ponytail
Cut off the Ponytail
Fill out the form and mail it in with the ponytail

Here is a picture of my hair just before I got it cut off.

I love the organization Locks of Love. I feel truly blessed to have the opportunity to help in my little way.It's funny, I get a lot of the same comments from people. I will address two of them:

"Your hair must grow really fast!" Actually, my hair grows the average 1/2 inch per month. I usually donate 10-12 inches every 24 months so that's how the math works out.
"I could never do that!" The first time I donated it was a little hard for me. But, now I always think of my hair in terms of how much longer it needs to get before I can donate it to a child in need. Change your perspective and you can do a lot of impossible things.

I've copied the organizations mission statement below. I think it is beautiful and inspiring. For even more inspiration, go to the recipient web page to see children with their hair prosthetics.

"Our mission is to return a sense of self, confidence and normalcy to children suffering from hair loss by utilizing donated ponytails to provide the highest quality hair prosthetics to financially disadvantaged children. The children receive hair prostheses free of charge or on a sliding scale, based on financial need."

Thank you for visiting We Grow By Our Dreams today. I hope that you will consider donating a ponytail to Locks of Love.

Day Trippin' in Long Beach, CA

2011-04-27T18:48:00.000-07:00

I live about 20 minutes from Long Beach. In fact, I can see the Long Beach coastline from the beach where I run. But, I don't really go and do all the fun touristy things there very often. A few weeks ago the niece and I had a super fun half-day in Long Beach so I thought I'd share some pics with you.

I have to tell you about the red Passport Bus. It takes you (for free) to pretty much all the touristy things in LB like the Aquarium of the Pacific, the Queen Mary, Ocean Boulevard, etc. The niece had never been in a non-school bus so this was a big deal for her.

9 year-olds are still pretty easy to entertain.

We took the bus from the Queen Mary to the Aquarium drop off. We stopped for a quick picture.

Then we rode the Ferris wheel.

There are some pretty cool views from the top of the ferris wheel. We can see the Queen Mary and Seaside Village.

After a quick trip to the closing Borders Books where we bought some cheap reads including some inappropriate humored doggy desk calendars (whoops!), we got back on the red bus and headed to the Queen Mary.

I love the Queen Mary. When I was a kid, we used to take school field trips to visit the old ship. Built in 1936 as a luxury cruise liner, it took its last voyage in 1967 and was re-purposed as a hotel with all its 1930's era charm. I've also attended conferences on board. The views from the deck are spectacular.

In the first picture, the niece tries to see our town from a telescope. Again, 25 cent entertainment rocks!

This is a view of the harbor, the LB Convention Center, and a lot of the skyline.

We can't forget to do a smash-a-penny.

We ended our day trip with some hot chocolates and pastries on the way home. We love Long Beach!

Thanks for stopping by the blog today.

Easter Memories; Successes and some Eggceptions

2011-04-25T09:41:00.000-07:00

Every Easter morning at the Grow house begins with a plastic egg hunt. My mum and I hide eggs for the niece to find. My mum is super tricky, I tell you, if you ever want something to "disappear," have my mum hide it for you. ;)

When I was a kid, an article came out in Friend Magazine about how to make Bunny Buns. My fam was totally on board with making bunny-shaped breads for Easter. This year, I recreated it for the fam. Note to self: don't start making bread at 8 o'clock at night.

The egg hunt started out a little drizzly and then went to full rain. Not pictured:: the fam standing outside with coats and umbrellas but barefoot, searching for eggs. The niece is pictured proudly showing her new egg catching frog device.

The young womens choir did a wonderful job. The Greek dinner was delicious. The strawberry pie mum made was fabulous. Now, the fails. I boiled a pot full of eggs but we never colored them. I tried to make rainbow jello-jiggler eggs but when I opened the mold, they all broke in half. :( Oh, but one of the highlights of my day was finding the glasses I lost a month ago. Where were they? In my blue shoes of course.

I hope that you had a blessed Easter. Later this week I'll show some pics from the Cherry Tea Party that I co-hosted and a fun half-day trip the niece and I did a few weeks ago. Thanks for stopping hy.

Easter Open House

2011-04-23T11:48:00.000-07:00

Spring is so fun! I have a few photos from around the house to share with you and some stories to go with them. Enjoy!

We'll start with two of my new finds. I found these vintage fabric-covered plastic eggs at an estate sale a few weeks ago. Each egg has a different fabric and there are 3 different sizes. I found the wire bunny egg holder at the Assistance League Thrift Shop this year. I love the combo.

Here we have two versions of a similar chocolate bunny. The first guy is faux chocolate. The second can be filled with any kind of candy. We used sparkly jelly beans.

This is the egg garland that I made last year with fabric scraps and vintage pillowcases. Our Easter count down bunny is in the middle. He counts down the days with numbers on carrots.

As long as we are peaking out the front window, here are some flowers in the front yard.

We are very lazy gardeners at my house. My neighbors asked if we had garden faeries that come in the night because they never see us gardening and we always have gorgeous flowers. Ha ha ha.

Up next, my sister and I found this spring plate at a different estate sale. Actually, it was buried in the garage of all places. I love the texture of the flowers.

We love to decorate the coffee table. At the same estate sale as the plate (also in the garage), we found the purple pitcher. It is filled with plastic eggs. The little basket holds the eggs we hide for my niece every year in our front yard.

This is another thrift store find. This bunny sits on the divider between the kitchen and dining room. I love strawberries for Easter.

One of my favorite Easter memories as a child was going to my cousins' house for spring break. We would always make lemon cupcakes with green coconut and jellybeans with pipe cleaner handles to resemble Easter baskets. The niece and I re-created them this year.

We aren't Greek but wish we had Greek relatives to teach us how to cook Greek food. A few years back I bought this beautiful cookbook. It is filled with gorgeous pictures of not only the food but of the people and landscape of Greece. We will be having a Greek-style feast for Easter this year.

And, lastly for our tour, our Crown of Thorns plant. This was given to my niece at church this year to remind her of the true meaning of Easter. She was told that this is what the Roman Soldiers used to make the crown of thorns for Jesus to wear during his crucifixion.

Thank you so much for visiting We Grow By Our Dreams for an Easter Open House. I hope that you have a wonderful Easter. I will be conducting a choir of young women ages 12-18 for one song tomorrow at church.

The Drive Home

2011-04-09T20:27:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty blessed. I commute to and from work along a beautiful stretch of Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) in Huntington Beach, California. At the beginning of my commute is the more urban, downtown HB scene. Then, I get a beautiful, unobstructed view of the ocean. Sometimes I'm lucky enough to drive home at sunset. I have a little habit of taking pictures with my camera phone if I stop at a light. Here are some pics:

I actually took this one on my way to work. I'm sitting at the light at Main Street. Main Street has lots of fun shops and restaurants. It is closed a couple evenings a week for a street festival.

This is Duke's. It's a yummy restaurant at the base of the HB Pier. It sits right on the ocean side of PCH so the views are incredible.

I'm sitting in traffic in this one. I see all kinds of cars on PCH. I like the classic cars like in the picture below. Yesterday I drove home behind a Ferrari.

Even our cloudy days are beautiful. I ran barefoot on the beach into a pretty strong headwind yesterday. All part of the challenge.

HB is the host of many surfing competitions. The picture below shows the bleachers and tents being set up on the sand.

The Huntington Beach Pier is our most famous landmark. You can see it in the picture below.

And, here it is at sunset.

Just another beautiful sunset over the ocean. In the picture below you can see several people walking along our bike path. You can see Catalina Island on the left side of the picture and Palo Verdes Peninsula on the right. This is the view of The Cliffs or Dog Beach. It's mostly a local beach for surfers and dog lovers because it is one of the few beaches where dogs are allowed in Southern California.

I hope that you enjoyed a few views of my commute home. My favorite is when the brown pelicans soar above my car as I'm driving home at sunset. On the non-ocean side there are beautiful wetlands full of interesting birds. It's pretty cool.

Thanks for stopping by WGBODs today.

Wonderful Sunday

2011-04-03T19:20:00.000-07:00

I broke away from my standard breakfast (Greek yogurt with chopped walnuts and honey) to make something special for the fam- chocolate croissants and fruit salad.

Before you get too impressed, the croissants are Trader Joes. You let them rise overnight and then brush them with a beaten egg and then bake them in the morning. And, the fruit salad is just a bunch of fruit I found in the fridge and on the counter that we already had. But, it was yummy!

So, why all the fuss today? Well, it's General Conference weekend which means we get to hang out in our jammies and watch our church leaders give very inspirational messages. My favorite today was from Richard G. Scott. He spoke lovingly about his wife who has passed on. Kleenex alert!

There were several talks about giving service to our community which I found very poinant. And, there were a few reminders that I need to go here again soon.

I hope that you had a wonderful Sunday too. :)

Giving to Charitable Thrift Stores

2011-03-31T22:08:00.000-07:00

For month 3 of WGBOD's 12 Months of Giving, I'll share some tips for donating items to your local charitable thrift store.

As a teenager I had the opportunity to volunteer at two different thrift stores: Deseret Industries and the Fred Jordan Mission. Today, I volunteer bi-monthly at the Assistance League Thrift Store. It is a lot of fun and very rewarding knowing that all the money that comes in goes to help my community.

So, clean out your cupboards, closets, and garage and pass some items on to new homes. Here are some tips:

Choosing a Charitable Thrift Store

Choose a store in your community. Most likely the money earned will help people in your local area.
Donate where you shop. It is so easy to drop off a bag, box or two when you do your shopping.
Choose a charity that is close to your heart.
or, pick one that will pick up items from your home or work.
Check out Thriftshopper.com for charitable thrift stores in your area.

What to donate
Each store has different needs/wants. Check with the store for specifics but below are some pretty standard donations.

clean clothing
shoes (my tip: tie shoelaces together so they don't get separated)
books
knick knacks
toys
linens
kitchenware
CDs, DVDs (Originals only. Not burned or copies. )
jewelry, belts, and handbags

What NOT to donate
Again, check the specific needs of your thrift store. Below are some pretty standard items that are not accepted by most stores, many times because of federal laws.

mattresses
paint and other chemicals
tires
torn upholstered furniture
broken electronics
medications
newspapers

Some great charities that have thrift stores
Many wonderful charitable organizations raise funds through a thrift store. However, it is important to note that not all thrift stores are run by charities. The Charities Review Council has a good article about the distinction and also has information on charities.

Below are some of my favorites.

Assistance League -This one is dear to my heart.
Goodwill
Salvation Army
Deseret Industries - This is a great one if you have large furniture to donate. Sometimes you can schedule a time for them to pick it up from your home.

Don't forget to ask for a receipt. Your donation could be tax-deductible.

Do you have a favorite thrift store that I didn't list? Any tips for donating/shopping at thrift stores? Favorite thrift store purchase? I am all about the thrift stores lately. :) Thanks for visiting.

Some Happy Stuff

2011-03-22T09:53:00.000-07:00

WGBOD has been a little MIA lately. I've been busy writing/directing/enjoying Roadshows. If you are unfamiliar with Roadshow, it's a 15 minute long musical skit that features teenagers. It is performed in at least one church building in an evening. In our case, it was two and we had 30 minutes to get off stage, pack up kids, props, musical instruments and scenery and get to another church building. We made it!

This post is a catch-up of some cards I've been making but haven't posted. They all use color combos that are different for me and some Martha Stewart eyelet paper trims.

The first is navy, yellow and white. I made all three cards for Operation Write Home.

The next card was in response to the OWH challenge to create a card using mostly white with a pop of color.

And, finally, this card features an unusual color scheme for me. It is navy with green, red and white. The Love is a rub-on. My verdict on rub-ons: Stamps are totally easier and budget-friendly but if you want a clean, crisp white on dark cardstock, rub-ons are a solution. White embossing powder would also do the trick.

As always, thank you for stopping by WGBOD today. Leave a comment so I know that you were here. :)

Happy St. Pat's Day!

2011-03-17T10:14:00.000-07:00

There isn't enough for a We Grow By Our Dreams'-style open house but I thought I'd share a few of our decorations.

First up we have a little leprechaun that my niece made in kindergarten. Her teacher was super crafty and the class made different 2 x 4 people every month. I love how the hair could either be a beard or chest hair. Ha ha ha!

I've made buntings for almost every month now. This year I mad a festive green bunting for March. I used various scraps of green and white fabric and some vintage pillowcases. I made 3 shamrock appliques out of felt to do something different.

Sorry the pictures look unclear.

Totally off subject but totally yummy, I made Samoa Bars (based off of Girl Scout Carmel Delights) using this recipe. They were good but I'm going to tweak the recipe a bit the next time.

That's it. Have a Happy St. Patrick's Day!

These are the clover in my flower bed.

Welcome to the Bunny Hop

2011-03-05T07:00:00.001-08:00

Welcome to We Grow By Our Dreams. The blog is all about crafting, baking, family, and all the other stuff that keeps me busy but today I'm excited to be a part of the Operation Write Home Bunny Blog Hop. Operation Write Home is a great organization that helps our troops stay connected with loved ones back home. And, it is a really fun group. Join us!!!!

To celebrate the OWH Bunny Hop, I created this fun bunny-shaped card. It folds along the bunny bootie and fits perfectly into an A2 envie. (I got the template off of The Stamp Shack. They have lots of templates that are free to members.)

The sentiment is part of the OWH free digi set. Check out the free digi stamps available to OWH cardmakers. I tied the white ribbon bow to look like a tail and added a button for an eye. The plaid paper is from a DCWV cardstock stack.

If you feel inspired to make some fun spring cards (awesome, that means I've done my job!), just remember the deadlines:

Easter deadline: March 18

Mother's Day deadline: March 31

Okay, if I'm your first stop, you can start at the very beginning (Do Re Me tune here) at the OWH blog. Or, if you've been hopping along, hop over to Anita's blog, Cards and Coffee. She is loves to play with animal images on her cards. So cute!

Some Bunny Loves You

2011-02-25T21:02:00.000-08:00

Welcome to We Grow By Our Dreams. Next Saturday is the Operation Write Home Bunny Hop. It will be a ton of fun and many blogs will be offering tutorials and blog candy. All blogs will offer inspiration and creativity.

In the meantime, I made some simple Easter cards using the same papers but playing with the layouts. I thought it would be fun to go non-traditional colors. Maybe these are "guy" Easter cards.

I was having so much fun with the papers that I also made an all occasion card too. Our heroes always need everyday cards to send home to their families.

Like I said, all occasion cards (thinking of you, miss you, happy birthday, love you, etc.) are always in demand. If you'd like to create some holiday cards, be aware of these upcoming deadlines:

Easter deadline: March 18

Mother's Day deadline: March 31

Don't forget to hop with me next Saturday, March 5th. Thanks again for stopping by.

It's My Birthday!

2011-02-23T18:00:00.000-08:00

To celebrate my birthday I am making/collecting pillowcase dresses for the organization Hope 4 Kids Internationals' "Dress a Girl Around the World" campaign. It is a wonderful organization that donates handmade dresses to girls in need.

My goal is to send 27 dresses by April 1st. I need your help.

If you are a non-sewer you can help me by sending me cute pillowcases that my friends and I can turn into dresses.

If you are a sewer, you can make pillowcase dresses using any pattern but I recommend the pattern on the Dress a Girl Around the World website.This is a great easy project for a beginner. And, once you make one, you will want to make a dozen more. :)

If you want to help, you can email me at h_mcewen at hotmail dot com or you can leave a comment below.

Thank you so much. It is such a simple act that makes such a huge difference in the lives of these girls.

Girl in Uganda

Children in Appalachia

Girls in the Philippines

Wouldn't it be fun to see the dress that you make on a child?

I'm this weeks sample girl

2011-02-21T09:46:00.000-08:00

Operation Write Home has a great sketch challenge this week and, I made the samples. :) Actually, I was only asked to make one but I had so much fun that I made 3!

Here's the sketch:

First, I was feeling very pink so I made this card:

I had fun with layers as you can see here:

I made the pink card using Martha Stewart eyelet papers, a felt flower, button, chipboard flower, prima leaf, and rub-ons.

Next, I was I made a fun patriotic card:

I think this would make a great hero card. We can never express our appreciation enough to the brave men and women who serve in our military.

One more,

For the owl card, I used vintage photo negatives for my squares, a camera eyelet I've been hoarding, another rub-on and the owl is a Odd Bird Planet Stamp that comes in a fun set.

Well, thanks so much for stopping by the blog today. Happy President's Day!

Pretty in Pink Party Decorations

2011-02-16T21:12:00.000-08:00

Last month we had a super fun baby shower for my bff, Dawn. I was in charge of the decorations and it was all about the DIY. I have been super into making buntings for my friends lately and couldn't help making one for the shower (all pink) which doubles as a gift after the party.

I mixed some new fabrics with some vintage sheets and vintage pink corduroy.

The main decoration was the records. I bought a dozen records at my favorite thrift shop.

Titles include: Organ Dance Party, Accordion Favorites, and Polka Party. I measured the label and then (since I don't own a circle cutter) I found something in my home the same diameter to trace.

I was able to fit 6 circles on each 12" x 12" paper. And, I bought the paper at JoAnn when it was on sale 4 for $1. Score!!!

I tried a few glues but a good old fashioned glue stick worked the best.

I wanted the hole in the center so I stacked all my glued records, found the center and drilled a whole with my Fiskars drill thingie.

I placed the records all over the room and used one as the guest sign-in book.

Here they are all lined up on the mantle.

I could not get a good picture of this last decoration to save my life so I'll just explain it.

I look yards and yards of vintage pink string and glued on punched out pink scalloped circles and hearts. Again, I love that 25 cent paper!

Thanks for stopping by today. Right now I'm thinking about a tea party. Hmmmm. Any ideas/suggestions?

Burrito Soup

2011-02-13T10:31:00.000-08:00

I had the yummiest soup at a place called Barbacoa in Salt Lake City. Apparently there are several Barbacoas in Utah. Delish. You must go. Anyways, it's one of those places where all the ingredients are lined up and the nice people behind the counter add whatever you want to make whatever you want. The day I went the guy thought it would be funny to ask me everything in Spanish. So, it was also an educational experience.

Anywho, I had a wonderful burrito soup. Since there are no Barbacoas in California (boo hiss!), I decided to make my own and share the recipe with you (hurray!).

Burrito Soup

You'll need:

1 Quart of vegetable broth

1 Can of white hominy (it's a corn product)

Bell peppers and onion (I used 1 green, 1/2 red, 1/2 yellow and 1/4 onion)

2 cans of beans, rinsed and drained (Barbacoa lets you choose between black or pinto)

Sour cream, 1 cup shredded cheese and 4 corn tortillas (or use tortilla chips, crushed)

2 cups Cooked rice (I use brown but it's a free country, use white if that's what you're into.)

Let's do it!

First, heat up the broth and hominy in a 2 quart pot. Set aside.

Slice the peppers and onions, fajita style.

Saute in olive oil until the onions are golden brown. Place mixture in serving bowl.

Slice tortillas into 1 inch squares (nevermind this if you are using chips.)

Fry in a pan with some canola oil until crisp.

Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with salt.

Everyone gets to serve themselves for this one.

Here's the order:

1. Rice

2. Peppers and onions

3. Beans

(at Barbacoa you also have the choice of shredded chicken, beef, or pork at this point. Hello leftovers!)

4. Broth (don't forget to scoop the hominy from the bottom.)

Finish it off with:

5. Cheese

6. Chips

7. Sour cream

How did I do?

Thanks for stopping by We Grow By Our Dreams today.

Super Bowl 45 Open House

2011-02-08T10:32:00.000-08:00

Usually I upload my Super Bowl picturess during the game but this year the game was actually pretty fun to watch. So, it's a little after-the-fact but I need to hold on to tradition. So, here we go.

The Decor:

Team Pennants

Football Field Pennants

and Football Coasters

Besides my home-made decorations, I look for football-themed goodies all year long at garage sales, thrift stores, and clearance bills.

The Food:

The menu:

Sloppy Joes on Football-shaped rolls. You can find these rolls at a Mexican market.

Olive Bites. Olives surrounded by cheese and butter. Hello beautiful!

Greek eggplant dip. We had this at a Greek restaurant and went crazy for it.

jell-0 jiggler helmets (the dark ones look like Darth Vader helmets in the picture.)

Rotel Cheesy dip with chips, huge black olives, and potato salad

For Dessert:

Ice Cream Football cake

The Outfit:

This is a referee apron complete with yellow velcro flag. Gotta love my slouch white socks.

We had a ton of leftovers. That cheesy dip goes a long way. Hope you had a great game day too.

Okay, gotta go get ready for the next big day-Valentine's Day! Thanks for stopping by the blog. :)

Felt Football Coasters

2011-02-04T19:05:00.000-08:00

I love football crafts. This is a really quick and easy one. These would make a great gift for the host of your Super Bowl bash.

To make 6 coasters you'll need:

One 8 1/2 x 11" sheet of brown felt
A clip art picture of a football measuring about 4" long
Scissors or rotary cutter
1/4" wide white twill tape. The twill tape is great because it is super flat so your drink won't rock on your coaster.
Tacky glue

Cut out 6 felt footballs using the clip art as your pattern.
Cut six 3" long strips of the twill tape
Cut eighteen 1" twill strips. I rolled the tape onto my cutting mat and used my rotary cutter at every inch march but scissors would be fine too.
Glue a 3" strip lengthwise down felt football followed by 3 1" strips short-ways.

Have a great game day!

Thanks for visiting We Grow By Our Dreams today.

Pretty In Pink Baby Shower

2011-02-03T17:45:00.000-08:00

My bff Dawn is expecting her first girl. Sooooo, we had to throw her a Pretty in Pink Shower. It was a little '80, lots of fun and tons of pink! I have lots of pictures to share so I'll post recipes and instructions another day. In the meantime, enjoy our party (que music- duhhhhh, duh duh duh-da duhhh)

In lieu of a guestbook, guests signed a pink labeled record.

Pink was everywhere: the food, the decorations, the guests. I sewed the pink bunting to use at the party and to hang over the baby's crib later. The pink labeled records were a fun project that I will share in a future post.

The ladies enjoyed the pink frothy yummy punch.

There was a lot of controversy over whether the dip should be served cold or warm. Warm won in the end.

We had a very pink spread complete with:

Fresh strawberries and homemade pink fruit dip (I'll do a tutorial another day-it's super yummy!)

Of coarse we had Sweetheart S'mores. The dark chocolate cookies remind me of records.

And, yummy Costco chocolate cake. Mmmmm.

The mom-to-be was showered with pink presents. At the end of the party, it was like a mini high school reunion for several of us. We took a Pretty in Pink picture.

Guests left with a little goodie bag, complete with an edible mixed tape. We ate several of the tapes the night before when we were up at midnight making party favors. Yummy!

We had such a fun time. You can tell that the by the look on this mama's face.

Thanks for stopping by. Like I said, I'll share some recipes and decoration instructions in future posts. Plus, I still owe you wonderful readers another Super Bowl craft and a Super Bowl open house. Busy busy. :) What's your favorite '80s movie?

Football Field Banner

2011-02-02T20:04:00.000-08:00

Every year for Super Bowl Sunday I make felt pennants for the two playing teams. This year, both teams have been in the Super Bowl recently so I already had their pennants made. So, going on a theme I started last year, I made a whole field of pennants. I think it would look great at any sports-themed party or in a boy's room. Here's how I did it:

Football Field Banner

You will need:

1/3 yard green felt
1/8 yard white felt (2 8 1/2 x 11 sheets works too)
White double Fold Bias Tape (aka Quilt Binding)
Tacky glue or another fabric glue
Scissors, rotary cutter with mat, and Sewing Machine

Let's get started. First, to make your pattern, fold a piece of copy paper in half and then draw a diagonal line from the outer corner to the center.

Cut along line to make a triangle.

Fold the green felt in half (so you can cut two layers at once.) Cut an 11 inch wide strip.

Place your pattern on the top edge of the strip and cut along lines using a rotary cutter.Flip the pattern over and use that cut diagonal line as your guide to cut another triangle.

Cut 9 green triangles. Remember that you folded the felt so this step goes really fast.

Cut your white felt into an 11 inch long strip (this step is already done if you are using felt sheets.) Cut 14 strips of white felt 1.2 inch wide and 11 inches long.

Cut 4 of those strips into 1.2 inch pieces. You'll end up with about 40 or so.

Glue long strips down the center of each green triangle and glue four little piece on each side of the long strip. Do one triangle first and then use it as a placement guide for the rest.

We will trim the hangovers after the glue dries. In the meantime, use a computer to print out 5,4,3,2,1, and 0. I used the font Team MT at a 120 size. You'll need:

2 ones
2 twos
2 threes
2 fours
1 five
9 zeros

Cut out your paper numbers and place on top of white felt. Cut around your paper pattern, through your felt with scissors.

Glue the numbers down on each side of the long white center strip. You should have:

1 50
2 40s
2 30s
2 20s
and 2 10s

Flip your pennant over and trim off the excess felt using scissors or a rotary cutter.

Open up your quilt binding and fold it in half to find the center. Place your 50 inside the fold in the center and pin. Place the 40s on each side, then the 30s, the 20, and then the 10s. You will have extra binding but that's okay.

Using white thread and a zig zag stitch, stitch along the bottom edge of the binding. Start at one end of the binding and go all the way to the other end.

Now, hang, enjoy and celebrate!

Thank you for visiting my blog. I will post one more Super Bowl craft before Sunday and on Sunday I will show do an blog Open House with pictures of my football spread and decorations. Do you have a favorite team?

Sweetheart S'mores

2011-01-26T18:27:00.000-08:00

I'm neck-deep in pink this week as I prepare to co-host a Pretty in Pink baby shower. These easy treats would be good any time but they would be especially lovely for Valentine's Day.

Sweetheart S'mores

You'll need:

Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafer Cookies

Pink Marshmallows (regular sized)

Large Chocolate Bar

Instructions:

On a parchment-lined cookie sheet layer:

1 chocolate square
1 marshmallow and
2 cookies (actually, if you want you can wait to put your top cookie on after the heating process. It's up to you)

Place cookie sheet in a 300 degree oven for 5-8 minutes (bottom rack). The chocolate will melt and the marshmallow might slide off but don't panic. Re-stack and press the top cookie down to slightly flatten the marshmallow.

Serve warm or let them cool to room temperature. They are really chocolaty, delicious and pink!

Thanks for stopping by We Grow By Our Dreams Today. I will have lots more pink goodness to share with you in the next week. :)

Random Thoughts On Blogging

2011-01-19T12:40:00.000-08:00

I watched the movie Julie and Julia tonight. It really made me think about when I first started this blog and how it has transformed me. (The movie is great by the way.)

My first blog post was on July 13, 2007. My blog was basically a card blog at its inception.

This was the first card that I posted

When I began blogging I thought that I was just an "okay" cardmaker. I enjoyed the craft but felt very outdone by all of the talented cardmakers in the blogworld (and real world.) I used my blog as a means to encourage myself to try new things and create more.

Thank you card with border made with dot stickers

On July 31, 2007 I posted my first tutorial. I made a shortcut and shared my instructions for creating a scalloped edge using dot stickers.

Krispie Pops

One of my most popular tutorials so far has been my Krispie Pop tutorial. I make a million versions of these but I chose to do the tutorial on the jack-o-lantern pop. The original post was on October 22, 2007.

Right around this time I submitted cards to the justjohanna (now Odd Bird Planet) Design Team call. To my surprise, I got accepted. I was on the Design Team for a year and it really pushed me to perfect my craft. Also during that year I sent cards in for magazine calls. I was published three times including on the cover. It was amazing to me at the time because just months earlier I was feeling "blog unworthy."

Origami Tree Card

My most read tutorial is my Origami Christmas Tree. Actually, I have a few versions of origami trees but the one that is looked at month after month was posted on November 14, 2007.

On December 19, 2007 I offered my first blog candy. I randomly drew a winner and it was a woman who lived on the other side of the world from me. Luckily the prize didn't weigh very much or I would have been really sad.

Which brings me to another fun statistic. Do you use Google Analytics?

Not surprisingly, most of my blog readers are in America. This makes sense since I write in English and most of my friends live in America. The next most common are somewhat surprising to me. The second most popular: Turkey

Third most popular: South Korea

So, hello, Merhaba and Ahn-Nyeong Hah-Seh-Yo to my faithful readers.

Christmas Open House during the Blue Door Period

December 24, 2008 was my first blog open house. I joined several other bloggers in a fun little blog hop. I was hooked! Since then I've shared my home decorated for Super Bowl Sunday, Valentine's Day, Easter, 4th of July, Halloween, and Thanksgiving.

One of the highlights of my blog life was my Birthdays Project. Last year for my birthday I asked fellow bloggers help me collect baby items to be sent to needy moms around the world through LDS Humanitarian Services. To my delight, I received donations from around the US and Canada. I hand-delivered the items to the LDS Humanitarian Services. Through your generosity we were able to bless 11 babies and their mothers with clothing, blankets, and hygiene items.

I'm working on another project for my birthday. I'll keep you posted. ;)

Well, thanks for sharing a blog flashback with me. I have a few things planned for the blog for the blog this year. I hope that you will join me on my journey. And, please, leave a comment sometimes. :)

Hello

2011-01-18T12:20:00.000-08:00

I had an unexpected day off from work yesterday. Yeah for free time. Boo for no notice and a missed opportunity to visit the bf in Salt Lake City.

I lounged around a lot (in between competing with the niece on the wii Just Dance) and made a gazillion cards for Operation Write Home. Anyways, I'll be posting some of my cards in the coming weeks but in the mean time, here is a fun one for Operation Write Home's sketch 34.

Operation Write Home has a challenge right now to send in any amount of cards but half of them need to be spring themes (Easter, Mother's Day, etc.) and the other half need to be general themes (thinking of you, love you, happy birthday, etc.)

Have a great day. Try to do something creative.

Just Like the Magazine

2011-01-15T21:04:00.000-08:00

Last March I fell head over heals in love with the cover of Country Living Magazine. I knew right then and there that I wanted to recreate the look in my living room.

I already have a neutral color couch and chair so I just needed to find some really great pillows. I don't know if you've been pillow shopping lately but nice pillows can be pretty pricey, especially if you are buying 6 at a time. Luckilly, I discovered my new favorite store- Home Goods. OMG, I love this place! Everything is really nice quality and the prices are very reasonable. I bought 4 of the 6 pillows there.

Here's how I did:

Not an exact match (the magazine house doesn't have the cool apple green coffee table) but I think it looks pretty good. The only pillow that I really couldn't find in the store was the green pillow with orange details so I whipped up my own version.

I added some funky orange flowers to a green pillow using orange piping and thread. It took me over an hour but it came out pretty cool.

Left: from Kohls Center: from Home Goods with some tweaking Right: from Pier One (the most expensive pillow)

All of the Home Goods pillows are down-filled so they are super comfy. Here are some more pics:

I like it. My old pillows got a new home. Thank you for stopping by my blog today.

Have you ever been inspired to recreate something in your home like a picture in a magazine? How did it turn out?

Giving to Animal Shelters

2011-01-13T10:26:00.000-08:00

This is Month 1 of We Grow By Our Dream's 12 Months of Giving. Every month WGBOD will feature a fun and easy way to make a difference in our community.

Month 1: Giving to Animal Shelters

My dog Moses was abandoned in a field as a puppy.

There are so many ways that we can help animals in need. You can contact your local shelter to find out their specific needs but below is a list of many things that will be appreciated by most animal shelters.

1. Pet items. This includes leashes, toys, pet beds, flea treatments, pet bowls, and unopened pet food. You may have extra pet items in your home or you may stumble across a great deal out there.

2. Your time. The shelters are always looking for volunteers to help walk dogs, pass out information, and help at fundraisers and adoption drives. This is a great project for big kids too.

3. Used linens. Animals love having a warm, dry place to sleep. Shelters need towels, blankets, pillows, placemats (the vinyl ones are great for cats), tablecloths, flannel sheets, etc.


My recent shelter donation of a down duvet and pillows

4. Cleaning Supplies. It takes a lot of supplies to keep the shelters clean and healthy. Shelters need laundry detergent as well as bleach, windex, Simple Green, etc.

5. Kitty Litter and newspapers. You can only imagine how much the shelters use.

6. Money. This seems obvious but with local government funding down, the shelters are really struggling to provide for the animals. Usually these donations are tax-deductible and sometimes employers can match your donations. Get the kids involved and have a garage sale or lemonade stand to raise some money for your shelter.

This list is just a sample of items needed by animal shelters. Again, it is best to contact your community shelter to find out its needs.

Moses says thank you for helping his friends. :P

Christmas Open House 2010

2010-12-24T21:04:00.000-08:00

It's time for another Christmas Open House. We've added a few little treasures. Let's start outside. We love how our wreath looks on our new, red door.

Next, let's walk though the entryway. We had too many ornaments for our tree that we had to place them on garland and houseplants throughout the house.

You might be able to tell from my Halloween Open House that we are big Charlie Brown fans here at the Grow house. Introducing our newest "nativity."

Let's make a quick stop in the kitchen. Up until now I hadn't made a bunting for the kitchen window so this is what we have (until tomorrow.)

Of course all of the kitchen cabinets are festive. This is Santa standing in front of our glassware. He is our favorite Santa because he is was my Gramma's. He's actually a piggy bank.

While we are in the kitchen, check out the great gingerbread house my niece created.

Speaking of gingerbread, this is the new bunting that I created to go over the kitchen window. I designed it myself. There are three boys and three girls.

Now, let's have a little look at the snow village.

Finally, our tree.

Have a very Merry Christmas. Thanks for stopping by my blog today.

Owl Pops

2010-12-22T09:59:00.000-08:00

I made some super quick Owl Krispie Pops to go with my sisters' Owl Bags. Happy Owl-a-days!

Recipe Round-up

2010-12-21T20:36:00.000-08:00

Click on the item name to go to the recipe.

Everyday Food

English Muffins from scratch

Christmas

No-bake Buche de Noel aka Yule Log

White Hot Chocolate

Peppermint Pretzels

Peppermint Ball Cookies

Joy Letters

Peppermint Bark

Other Holidays and Special Occasions

Sweetheart S'mores

Pink Candy

Hot Cross Buns

Krispie Pops


The tutorial

Owl Bags - They're a Hoot!

2010-12-20T21:33:00.000-08:00

The puns just keep coming to me. I made some fun owl bags for my little sisters this Christmas. I followed the clever pattern from Everyday Celebrations. The best part is that I used felt, vintage pink corduroy, fabric scraps and vintage sheets all from my stash. I only had to buy the fusible web.

Some additional views:

I hope that my 12 and 14 year-old sisters enjoy them. My niece keeps asking me if I will make one for her.
Check out this and other patterns at the Everyday Celebrating store. I'm not an expert seamstress but she gently walked me through new-to-me techniques like using fusible web and making straps.

I have some more owl surprises to share later this week on the blog. I have no idea why this week became owl week. Hoo knew. Ha!

Bûche de Noël - Yule love it!

2010-12-13T16:23:00.000-08:00

I love the French tradition of making a cream-filled pastry that resembles the Yule log for Christmas dessert. It usually involves baking cake layers, spreading the layers with frosting, rolling it up, and decorating.
This is a really easy, no-bake version of the Bûche de Noël which is my variation on one of our favorite family desserts-Black and White Dessert.

.:~ Bûche de Noël ~:.

"Yule" need:

2 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 Tablespoons cocoa powder, sifted (regular unsweetened or sweetened if you want your dessert a little sweeter)
1 package Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers (look on the shelf near the ice cream toppings)

Whip the cream with an electric beater.

Beat or fold in the cocoa powder and vanilla.

Now, start building your log by spreading a little of your chocolate cream mixture onto your platter in a line. Also, you might want to put a little parchment or wax paper on the sides of your platter to make clean up easier.

Apply a spoonful of chocolate mixture onto each cookie and stand on its side, sandwiched beside its neighbors.

Repeat until you are out of cookies.

Angle your log for a realistic affect.

Cover your log with the remaining chocolate cream mixture. Let it chill in the refrigerator for 4-6 hours.

Remove parchment paper from sides. Decorate with fake branches, berries, and greenery. Sprinkle with powdered sugar "snow."

Slice log on the diagonal to create stripes.
Optional-Serve with:

Chocolate sauce

Whipped cream

Powdered sugar

Try it, "Yule" love it!

Merry Christmas.

Origami Candy Cane

2010-12-03T13:48:00.000-08:00

Okay, enough fattening treats for a while. Thanks for visiting another day of We Grow By Our Dreams' Red and White Week. Today, I'll teach you a really easy (and addicting) craft. I make these with the kids at work and they love it.

Origami Candy Cane

You'll need:

1 piece of 8 1/2" x 11" white paper (like copy paper)
A red marker
A piece of tape (preferably double stick but whatever)

Color one short side and one long side of the paper red (about 1/4").

Now, flip over your paper. And start to roll up the corner that does not have the red lines.

Roll towards the corner where the red lines meet.

When you are done rolling, tape down the corner (under my thumb).

Then, take either end of your tube and roll around your finger 3-4 times.

Take it off your finger. Straighten it until it looks like a candy cane. This would be great on a tree or on top of a gift.

Thanks for stopping by today. :) Leave a comment so I know you came by.

Candy Cane Cookies and White Hot Chocolate

2010-12-01T21:52:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the 4th post in We Grow By Our Dreams' Red and White Week. Today, I bring you two treats and a couple of fun red and white thrifted finds.

Candy Cane Puffs

I adapted the recipe from the Gooseberry Patch cookbook entitled, "Jolly Holidays."

You will need:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup powdered sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon of vanilla (and peppermint extract if you have it)

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

8 oz. white chocolate

1/2 cups crushed candy canes

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cream butter and sugar; beat in egg and extract(s.) Mix in flour and salt using low speed. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour.

Shape dough into walnut-size balls and place on greased cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Cool.

Melt white chocolate ; dip cookies into melted chocolate. Roll in crushed candy canes; set on wax or parchment paper to harden.

White Hot Chocolate

This is a great Better Homes and Garden recipe.

You'll need:

3 cups half-and-half

3/4 cup white chocolate chips

1 stick of cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

optional-whipping cream

Combine 1/4 cup of the half-and-half, white chocolate, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium saucepan; whisk over low heat until white chocolate is melted. Remove cinnamon stick.

Add remaining half-and-half. Whisk until heated through. Turn off heat and stir in vanilla and almond extract. Serve warm in mugs and top with whipping cream if desired.

I bought the cute red and white plate and mug at my favorite thrift store-The Assistance League Thrift Store in Huntington Beach. You might actually see me if you go. I volunteer there a couple times a month. All proceeds go to local philanthropic projects.

Thank you for visiting today. You may want to visit my other red and white posts from this week.

Check out the Curtain to Cute Apron Transformation and three candy cane treats using only three ingredients and the Homemade Gift Guide.

Three Easy Candy Cane Treats

2010-11-30T22:33:00.000-08:00

Welcome to day three of We Grow By Our Dreams' Red and White Week. Today I will show you how to make three yummy treats using only 3 ingredients. Hello quick gift idea.

The three ingredients you will need to make all three treats are:

Candy canes (I used regular size but small would work too)
Pretzel Rods
White melting chocolate (it goes by many names)

J.O.Y Candy Cane Letters

Inspired by the L.O.V.E. letters on the Make and Take blog, the J.O.Y. letters add a festive Christmas touch.

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Break and arrange 4 1/2 candy canes like the picture.

Bake for 5-7 minutes. The candy will flatten slightly and the broken pieces will meld together. Remove from pan when cool.That's it!

Red and White Candy

This is a variation of my pink candy recipe. To make Red and White candy you will need:

a half a bag of white chocolate melting chips, melted according to package directions
2 crushed candy canes

Spread the melted white chocolate in an even, thin layer on a parchment lined cookie sheet.

Sprinkle the crushed candy canes over the melted chocolate while it is still warm. Allow time for candy to cool before lifting it off of parchment paper and breaking it into pieces.

Dipped Pretzels

You will need:

1/2 bag of white chocolate chips
2 candy canes, crushed into fine pieces
1 bag of Pretzel Rods

Sprinkle the candy cane pieces on top half of parchment-lined cookie sheet.

Dip whole or halved pretzel rods into melted white chocolate. If you use halved rods, dip the broken end into the chocolate.

Roll the dipped rod into the crushed candy canes and allow time to cool on the cookie sheet.

They look great displayed in an ice cream glass along with peppermint taffy and red and white kisses.

There you have it, three easy red and white treats using only three ingredients. Save yourself time and melt the whole bag of chocolate chips at once. And, crush the candy canes for the Red and White Candy and Dipped Pretzels at once.

If you missed the previous Red and White Week posts, check out the Curtain to Cute Apron Transformation and the Homemade Gift Guide.

Come back tomorrow for more red and white fun. I have more edible treats, an origami creation and some fun thrifted finds to share this week.

Handmade Red and White Gifts

2010-11-29T12:46:00.000-08:00

Welcome to day two of We Grow By Our Dreams' Red and White Week. I love giving handmade gifts whether they have been created by me or another talented crafter. I found some really fun red and white things to share from Etsy Shops. Let's support our small business artists.

1. Red and White Cupcake Stand from Burlap and Blue (Love it)

2. Queen of Hearts Matroyshka Doll by Mikasita (OMG, this seller in Mexico has the cutest stuffed dolls ever!)

3. Red Velvet Cake Truffles by LolliDreams (YUM!)

4. Candy Cane Booties by Sweets Handmade Gifts (so darling)

5. Felted Tray by Gretchen's Creations (she has some really amazing things in her shop)

6. Hand Painted Joy Letters by Daffidolls (I love the stockings she makes from recycled sweaters)

7. Believe Banner by Studio 1621 (check her great jewelry too)

8. Peppermint Twist Earings by Molly the Pirate's Bit 'O Shine (she's having a sale right now)

9. Red Turquoise Necklace by Rachelle D (Love her necklaces.)

Thanks for stopping by. Tomorrow I'll have some edible treats to share. And, don't be shy about sending me links to fun red and white things that you find in cyberspace.

Curtain to Cute Apron Transformation

2010-11-28T12:43:00.000-08:00

This week, We Grow By Our Dreams is celebrating Red and White Week. All week I'll be featuring crafts, food and other fun stuff as a tribute to the red and white color combo. To kick off the week I have a quick, inexpensive and easy sewing project for you to make for yourself or to give as a gift. Introducing. . . .

The Curtain Apron

You'll need:

1 Curtain panel with rod pocket

1 17" piece of 1/2" elastic

Safety pin

2 36"x 4" strips of fabric for ties

pins, scissors and sewing machine

First, choose a really cute curtain. I bought mine at an estate sale. Usually these panels come in a set but this beauty was a loner. I love the ruffle and the embroidered flowers. You may have a kitchen curtain you'd like to retire or you may find a great one at a garage sale or on clearance somewhere.

Second, find a cute coordinating fabric for your straps. I had some red and white check fabric in my stash. Cut the fabric into two 1 yard by 4 inch strips.

Third, fold over your strips lengthwise (right sides together) and sew the open sides 1/4" from the edge.

Now, flip each tie inside out and tuck one end in 1/2 inch inside and sew shut. Leave the other end unfinished.

Next, with a safety pin on one end of elastic piece, thread through top pocket of curtain, gathering as you go.

Finish by sewing the elastic piece and the unfinished edge of each tie to the inside of each end of the rod pocket. It helps to pin in place.

There you go, the Curtain Apron. If you try it, please leave a comment with your link and any suggestions you may have to improve it.

Please play along. If you have something red and white to share, please leave a comment below. It could be something on your blog or a find from another website. Share the red and white love.

Thank you for stopping by today.

Red and White Week Preview

2010-11-26T17:19:00.000-08:00

I LOVE red and white together, especially for Christmas. So, I'm dedicating a week of my blog to the fabulously festive color combo. I have fun food, thrifting, crafts and other delights to share with you.

I would also like to extend an invitation to you to play along. If you have any red and white things to share, please post a link in the comments section so we can share the red and white love.

To get your red and white juices flowing, I made a little collage of some red and white pictures from the past.

Thank you for visiting and I'm not kidding, please share your post link so we can all oooh and awww. :)

A Goofy Thanksgiving

2010-11-25T18:28:00.000-08:00

My family, the Grow Girls, went to Goofy's Kitchen for Thaksgiving dinner. Goofy's Kitchen is one of the restaurants in the Disneyland Hotel.

In the Hotel entrance

I highly recommend all of the Disneyland restaurants. The food is great and several fun characters visit with you at your table. We saw Alladin, Dale, Goofy, Donald, Minnie, Briar Bear, and some other bear.

I only took pictures of the dessert station items but I will tell you that the dinner was great. Lots of choices for kids and grown-ups. The good news is that it's all you can eat.Only Disney can get away with serving gummy bears with Thanksgiving dinner

Pecan Pies

Mini Pumpkin Pies

There were some really cool breads shaped like turkeys and alligators. I have no idea why an alligator is at a Thanksgiving spread but, why not?

I kid you not. This was my dessert plate. Not pictured is my caramel nutella tart and rice Krispie treat. And, there were lots of desserts that I left alone like the ice cream sundae bar, the fruit cobbler, jello, brownies, and cookies.

The Rice Kristie treats were very colorful with just a hint of white chocolate.

Yummy Rice Krispie Treats

Here is the niece with Goofy himself.

She's getting to that age where she gets embarrassed taking pictures with the characters.
Happy Thanksgiving!

A Simple Love Card

2010-11-19T11:08:00.000-08:00

During the Operation Write Home Be My Valentine blog hop, I realized that I don't have a lot of Valentine-y sentiments. And, to add incident to injury, my printer was acting up on my this weekend so I couldn't do the digi thing either. Sheesh. Thus, out of desperation, I had to go to my stash for lovey embellishments.

I made this card from papers, ribbon and a metal tag that I've been hoarding for just the right time. I think that our troops and their loved ones deserve the best so it was fun to layer all the treasures together.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today. What are you hoarding?

Miss You Cards

2010-11-17T21:17:00.000-08:00

I made several Valentine cards this weekend for Operation Write Home. My go-to theme seemed to be "miss you" since I'm sure so many of our troops miss their families. Here are three very different cards made with the same digital sentiment.

Teresa Collins and BoBunny paper, Fiskars border punch, ribbon

Prima flowers, buttons and brads

		Thank you for stopping by my blog today. I'd love to know your go-to sentiment.
More Teresa Collins paper, Primas, brads and an eyelet

We have a Blog Candy Winner

2010-11-15T21:00:00.000-08:00

Thank you to everyone who stopped by my blog and left a comment. You are so sweet. However, without further adieu, the random winner of the Valentine stamp set is:

K. Joy from Splashes of Joy and the artist behind K n' K Designs. Check her out, she creates the cutest digital images. I am a sucker for dog images.

Valentines for Veterans

2010-11-12T18:46:00.000-08:00

I am excited to be a part of the Operation Write Home Be My Valentine Bloghop. So, you may be asking yourself, "why are those crazy card ladies making Valentine cards in November?" Well, the Christmas deadline has passed so we are working on our next deadline, Valentine's Day, January 7th.

But, we have a special incentive to get them in earlier. Archway cookies is matching the Valentine cards received by our shippers by December 1 with cookies for our troops. Click here for the details. So cool!

Back to the hop. I made a little card to start off my weekend of Valentine's Day card making.

I went a little crazy with the patterned paper but I like how it turned out. I love the blue and black check paper from Teresa Collins. I can pretty much add it to every card I make a be totally happy and justified about it. Hopefully a soldier will love to send it to his wife and she will love to get something homemade from her hubby who is serving far away on Valentine's Day.

Here is another view.

So, do you want some sweets? I'm offering some blog candy today. All you need to do is comment below about anything, the troops, Valentine's Day, whatever. I'll draw a random winner from all those who comment by Monday at 8 p.m (California time) November 22. If you don't have a blog, leave a way for me to track you down.

Thanks for visiting. Please continue along the bloghop by visiting the very talented cardmaker, Patti at What are you Iinking? And, if you are in the creative mood and love our troops, please make some Valentine's Day cards for OWH.

Also, since it is Veteran's weekend, I wrote a blog post about sending care packages to our troops. Check it out.

How to Send Packages to the Troops

2010-11-05T11:01:00.000-07:00

With U.S. Veterans Day just around the corner, I wanted to share with you some tips for sending packages to our troops. Our troops love to receive mail, especially packages from home. When sending treats overseas, some of the rules can be a little tricky. I'm going to try to make it a little easier.

My cousin's Air Force buddies

What to send:

The most important thing we can send our troops is a letter of encouragement. Other than that, they love to receive fun things from home like books, dvds, magazines, snacks, video games, socks, toiletries, puzzle books, and other thoughtful gifts.

Our local library has a wonderful used books sale and I am one of their best customers. :) It's a great way to support our library and our troops.

MREs can be pretty yucky. Some troops love condiment packets like hot sauce to kick it up a notch.

Troops love easy on-the-go bars, candy, packaged cookies, beef jerky, instant items and drink packets.

What not to send to the middle east:

Obscene articles (prints, paintings, cards, films, videotapes, etc).
Any matter depicting nude or seminude persons or nonauthorized political materials.
Bulk quantities of religious materials contrary to the Islamic faith.
Pork or pork by-products
Chocolate (it melts) send hard candies instead

Where to send it:
There are several really great organizations that help you connect with soldiers. Each is organized in a different way so be sure to read their FAQs first. Here are a few reputable organizations:
Books for Soldiers (I've been a volunteer for a few years and love this group)
Any Soldier
Operation Gratitude
Soldier's Angels

How to send it:

The USPS has some great packaging solutions just for our troops and lots of tips on their website. You can pick them boxes and envies at the post office or do what I do and order them for free online and have them dropped off at your home. There are Priority Mail envies for smaller items.

And, my favorite for shipping books and heavy items, the Priority Mail Flat Rate box.

This is an ongoing project for me. I love it! If you have any tips or questions, please share. I'll try and update this post as new info comes in.

Thanks for stopping by :)

Halloween Open House

2010-10-30T20:41:00.000-07:00

We really go all out for Halloween at my house. Last year I was in Wales for Halloween so it's fun to be back in the U.S. where we love Halloween.

Lets start outside and then work our way in.
Hi, I'm Ghostie and I will be your guide. Beware of posers. There is only one Ghostie around here.

The windows have either orange lights or spider lights. Spooky.

This sign used to say, "Welcome to the crows nest:" but the Grows changed the C to a G. They are so clever.

Even the car is not immune to Halloween decor. This is the Jack antennae ball on Heather's sister's car.

Spidey greets our guests. Lets go inside.

Charlie Brown and Lucy are our favorite indoor decorations.

The decorations have been collected over the years. Many have been crafted by Heather and her sister.

Halloween is the beginning of pumpkin pie season. Heather's mum roasts pumpkins to make the pies from scratch.

I hope that you have enjoyed your tour of the Grow Halloween home. Thanks for stopping by.

Happy Patriots' Day

2010-09-10T13:05:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow, September 11, 2010 marks the 9th anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks. I baked up a bunch of my kitchen sink cookies for my local firehouse. I packaged them in a recycled cinnamon roll container and added a USA ribbon. Hope they enjoy them. :)

I've been thinking a lot about September 11th and so I wrote a little op ed and sent it to my local newspaper. It was published! Check it out and let me know what you think. And, if you have some time, bake some cookies for your local firehouse. ;)

Happy Independence Day Open House

2010-07-03T21:49:00.000-07:00

We go a little nutty with our holiday decorating around here. The 4th of July is no exception. I've taken a few pictures from around my house to share with you. Enjoy!

We'll begin with the front of the house. Our door used to be blue like the window boxes but this year we painted our new door red. We wanted it to really "pop" so we left the flower boxes blue which I think looks a little patriotic all year 'round.

The buntings are from Hobby Lobby (in Arizona.) Next up, we have a few pics from inside the house. My mum collects pitchers and this is her new patriotic pitcher.

I loved Holly Hobby as a kid so this plate reminds me of my childhood.

We found this cute frame at the Assistance League of Huntington Beach Thrift Shop. It sits on top of my piano.

Lastly, I took this picture in my backyard. I thought the redish geraniums with the overgrown white vine with the violet morning glories looked very red white and blue.

Oh, and the welcome sign up at the top of this post also came from the AL of HB Thrift Store. I found the cute star plates at Target (Love them!). Well this is all the new stuff we've collected/done this year. Thanks for visiting and happy 4th of July.

If you are interested, you can view last years 4th tour. Check it out here.

Operation Write Home Memorial Weekend Blog Hop

2010-05-29T07:08:00.000-07:00

Thank you for visiting my blog to honor Memorial Day. This year, as I was assisting Nathan, a 2nd grader, in writing an essay on Nathan Hale, I fell in love with this Patriot all over again. Young Nathan was impressed that Hale went from a school teacher, to a political leader, to Revolutionary War soldier, to a spy on the British troops, to a fallen hero. We were both impressed by his integrity and patriotism. When captured by the British troops Hale admitted to spying and was thus sentenced to be hanged. His last words were,

"My only regret is that I have but one life to give for my country."

Hale's great-nephew, Edward Everett Hale said, "And because that boy said those words, and because he died, thousands of other young men have given their lives to his country."

It is these men (and women) whom we remember on Memorial Day. I cannot help but be grateful to all those who have served and continue to serve in the fight for freedom. I am also filled with gratitude for the families who support them.

Please continue on the Operation Write Home blog hop journey to the talented Angela with Midnight Crafting.

After I posted my cards the niece (age 8.5) made her own version.

Blankets of Love

2010-05-08T19:37:00.000-07:00

This week I went to Salt Lake City, Utah to personally drop off the infant kits from my Birthdays Project. I was able to see the LDS Humanitarian Center for the first time.

I was amazed by all the work that is being done for people around the world. The Humanitarian Center gives tours with a movie at the end of the tour. Each row of the little theatre had a box of Kleenex. I lasted about 10 minutes through the movie without crying. Then, a ninenty year old woman talked about how she learned babies were being taken home from hospitals, wrapped in newspaper. She decided to make blankets for children all over the world. She showed how she hugs each blanket before she sends it off so when the children get the blanket, they can feel loved.

I made 11 receiving blankets. I hope that the babies who receive their blankets in the infant kits feel loved. The Humanitarian Center volunteers were very happy to receive all the donations from the Birthdays Project. Thank you to everyone who helped.

Kitchen Sink Cookies

2010-03-22T21:09:00.000-07:00

These are my new favorite cookies. There is something for everyone. There are a lot of ingredients and that's why I'm calling them kitchen sink cookies. They are just about fool-proof. If your cookies tend to fall flat, try these. They are hard to screw up.

Kitchen Sink Cookies

Ingredient List

1/2 cup unsalted butter
½ cup vegetable shortening
1 cups packed light brown sugar (or sugar in the raw)

2/3 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose white flour

¾ teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon baking soda
generous ½ teaspoon salt
2 cups old fashioned rolled oats

2 cups corn flakes, crushed
1 ¼ cups (5 oz.) chopped pecans
1 ¼ cups (about 3 ½ oz.) shredded or flaked sweetened coconut
Optional:
*1 tablespoon peanut butter
**2 cups Chocolate chips

The instructions, with pictures

preheat oven to 375 degrees

In a mixer or a large bowl, cream the butter, shortening and brown and white sugars until light in color.

Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until fluffy.

In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Add flour mixture to butter mixture and mix until combined. Stir in the pecans, corn flakes, coconut and oats.

This is a good time to add chocolate chips. You can add peanut butter here too.

Let the dough stand for 5 to 10 minutes, or until firmed up slightly.

Use an ice cream scoop and place balls about 2 inces apart on silpat or greased cookie sheet.

Use your hand to pat down the balls until about 1/2 to one inch thick.

Bake for 12-15 minutes. The sides will be a light brown and the center will look slightly underdone. Set the cookie sheet onto a wire rack and let stand until the cookies firm up slightly, about 3-5 minutes (this is super important so they don't break apart!). Transfer cookies with a spatula to wire racks. Let stand until completely cooled.

Makes 24-30 3 inch cookies. Store in an airtight containes for up to 1 week or freeze for up to one month.

Enjoy! Try them and let me know how much you love them.

Little note: you can make them larger or smaller, just adjust the cooking time. :)

Birthdays Project Thanks

2010-03-04T11:09:00.000-08:00

I am overwhelmed with gratitude for all my wonderful friends who donated items for the infant kits. You rock! I'm still receiving items (donations are coming from all over the US and Canada!) so I will probably have the kits complete by month's end. I'm hoping to personally bring the kits to Welfare Square in Salt Lake City. I'd love to take a tour of the facilities and learn other ways that I can help relieve some of the suffering around the world. If I go, I'll take pictures for sure.

Have any of you been there? Is it amazing? What service projects are you working on now?

Thank You Card

2010-02-25T15:18:00.000-08:00

I am loving the beautiful Teresa Collins papers and elements.

For this card, I used a reversible (light blue check/black floral) paper from Teresa Collins Welcome Home collection. The frame is a Teresa Collins chipboard piece from the same collection. It was in a package of really fun elements given to me by Stephanie as a prize at her class on Saturday. Thanks Stephanie. <3

The sentiment is a Stampin Up stamp on a scrap of DCWV paper. I added sparkle to the flowers with aqua and wheatfields Glimmer Mist and finished them off with turquoise brads.

Thanks for stopping by today. And, welcome new visitors. :)

Some Fun Cards

2010-02-23T23:10:00.000-08:00

I woke up early on my birthday and started making cards. When my mum got up she joked, "are you making your own birthday card?" Funny. Here are 2 of the cards I made (you will just have to trust me that they look better in person).For both cards I used Bo Bunny and DCWV papers. For the first card I used my odd bird planet scallop circle and Hero Arts sentiment. The heart was punched with my Fiskars scalloped heart punch. Vintage ribbon.The next card uses CHF sentiment and tree stamp. The hearts are Stamps by Judith. I used my Fiskars border bunch and ribbon from the stash.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today. I'm going to Sacramento tomorrow but I have at least one post to share while I'm gone. Okay, gotta pack.

The Home Book

2010-02-20T21:25:00.000-08:00

I was so excited to see on Stephanie Ackerman's blog, Homegrown Hospitality that she was teaching a class in my town. We made a gorgeous book using Teresa Collins Welcome Home products.

Stephanie showed us how to make our own embellishments including paper roses. Stephanie is taking it upon herself to bring letter stickers back. I have faith that she can do it. She taught us how to change the color of the stickers to fit our project and to make them dimensional. I added several photos that were on my laptop. I used picnik to make my photos black and white with a touch of color. This is only half of the pages. I'm not done yet. I'm going to add journaling and maybe some doodles. It will be all about my home and family. Also, since I took the pictures, I added sparkles to the cover and tabs.

It was a fun class. It was also a Fiskateer reunion. And those are always fun!

Thanks for stopping by today. I have lots of things to show you this week before I go away for my birthday. ;)

The Latest on the Birthdays Project

2010-02-19T19:59:00.000-08:00

I feel so blessed and overwhelmed by the amount of help that is coming in for my Birthdays Project. So far, I've collected and received emails from ladies all over the U.S. and Canada willing to help me collect items for poor infants. If you would like to help, there are still many things needed including:

20 bars of Ivory soap

40 flat fold diapers (these are sold in packs of 12 at Walmart)

10 pairs of baby socks or booties (storebought or homemade)

For more information on what this project is all about, go to my original post. You can either email me ( h_mcewen at hotmail dot com ) or leave a comment here with questions or to volunteer to help me collect infant items for my birthday. Thanks so much.

A little Love

2010-02-15T20:24:00.000-08:00

I was inspired by the this week's Sunflowers and Dragonflies challenge to make a card with red, pink, and cream. I used a pink sparkly card base then stamped the hearts and love with red ink onto cream cardstock. I made a little ruffle out of an old sewing pattern and added brown satin ribbon, a red flower and a metal rimmed canvas tag. I know Valentine's Day is over but I think my boyfriend will still like his "love card."

stamps used: Rubber Stampede, Co-Motion, and two unknown stamps

I'm also working on a little sewing project. There may even be a tutorial involved. Here's the teaser:

Thanks for stopping by today. And, thank you to everyone who has offered to help with my Birthdays Project.

Pink Candy Tutorial

2010-02-12T20:14:00.000-08:00

I make pink candy every year for Valentine's Day. There are a million different ways to make it but I'll share how I do it.

Pink Candy

You'll need:

About 8 candy canes

1 bag of white chocolate chips or white baking bar

Instructions:

Unwrap the candy canes, break into thirds, and place inside a freezer zip bag or two regular zip bags.

Using the side of a mallet or a rolling pin, crush the candy canes. You should still see some stripes.

Place white chocolate chips in a medium glass bowl. Melt in a double boiler or in the microwave for about 2 minutes at 50% power stirring every 30 seconds.

It's okay if it isn't completely melted. Just keep stirring.

Add your crushed candy canes and stir. Also, you can add a couple drops of red food coloring if you want your pink candy more pink. I usually do this but I was out of red and didn't want to turn my candy orange or blue.

Spread mixture out onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet, silpat, or even a clean stone counter if your kitchen is cool.

Wait for it to cool. If your kitchen is warm, you may need to pop it into the fridge for a few minutes. Then, break it apart. The easiest way is to peel it off the sheet and then break it apart.

Now, pack it up and make it look cute. It's really yummy and addicting. I buy my candy canes after Christmas for really cheap and then use them up in February. Otherwise, you can use round peppermint candies.

Thanks for coming by my blog today. I'm still accepting donations for my Birthdays Project. Let me know if you can help.

The Birthdays Project (UPDATED)

2010-02-11T22:44:00.000-08:00

Last year a fellow blogger, Kelly McCaleb from My Happy Little Life started a great service project for her birthday. She collected (and made) items for newborn kits to be sent to LDS Humanitarian Services for distribution to families in third world countries and other areas affected by disasters. She continued the birthday tradition this year and I asked her if she would mind if I borrowed her idea for my birthday this month. She offered her blessing and some great advice. Thanks Kelly.:)

My goal is to put together 10 kits in the next few weeks. I need some help from my friends to gather some of the supplies. Here is a list of the kit contents that are packed in a 2 gallon zip bag:

4 single thickness cloth diapers
4 diaper safety pins
1 pair booties or baby socks
2 bars of Ivory soap 3.5-5 ounces each
*1 receiving blanket
1 layette gown

The Humanitarian Center is very specific about some of the items in the kit. I could use your help collecting these items. Since I would like to put together 10 kits, this is what I will need:

40 flat-fold single thickness cloth diapers (Approximately 25" Birdseye Cloth or diaper flannel, 100% cotton.) Please, no pre-fold or disposable diapers.
~~40 diaper safety pins~~
10 pairs booties or baby socks (this would be a great project for a knitter or crocheter)
20 bars of soap 3.5-5 ounces each (Ivory or other non-allergenic brand)
~~10 layette gowns (Newborn to 6 months, Fabric: cotton knit.) Please, No footed sleepers, buttons, zippers or strings. This could be store-bought or, you can use the pattern~~ ~~here~~.
*10 receiving blanket (36x36 – 45x45 inches) (see instructions below) This need has been filled.
~~10-2 gallon size heavy ziplock bags~~

How can you help? Please email me ( h_mcewen at hotmail dot com) and let me know what and how much of the needs you would like to donate. Or, you can leave a comment here. I'll email you my address where you can send items. Then, I'll assemble the kits, filling any holes if necessary. I'll then deliver the kits to the Humanitarian Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. From there the kits will be sent to orphanages, hospitals, or anywhere they are needed in developing countries or places affected by disaster.

Any help would be appreciated. Email me if you have any questions. I'll keep you posted on my blog with updated totals of what is still needed to complete the kits.

Thank you so much.

Super Bowl Spread

2010-02-07T17:30:00.000-08:00

Super Bowl Sunday is a holiday at the Grow home. I collect foot-ball themed treasures all year long at garage sales and thrift stores. This year I was thrilled to find the NFL tablecloth and the little football bowl with a football spreader.

This year's menu:

Antipasti platter including olives, peppers, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, mozzarella balls, kosher pickles and spicy jack cheese

Crackers and Brazil nuts (don't they look a little like footballs?)

Cheese fondue with green apples, broccoli, carrots, and Panera bread cubes

For dessert: Jell-O jigglers in Saints gold (sf lemon) and Colts blue (raspberry)

Not pictured: Turkey Sausage Chili and Vegetarian Chilli

Thanks for stopping by my blog. I hope your team wins. Please say, "hi" if you have the time. :)

Super Bowl Prep

2010-02-04T22:46:00.000-08:00

I made another 2 NFL (American football team) pennants tonight. And, I decided to string them up on a laundry line so I can adjust them every year as I add more. Actually, I'll probably need two strings because I have 5 more pennants not pictured here (maybe AFC and NFC?).

The big game is this Sunday. Our menu:

Antipasti platter featuring olives, pickles, roasted peppers, mushrooms and baby mozzerella balls
Cheese fondue with bread cubes, green apples, carrots and broccolli
Chili (turkey and veggie versions)
Jell-O helmets in blue and black (orange+grape=black)
and for dessert we are tentatively planning on chocolate fondue

We'll probably do some chips and guacamole and some chex mix too. I'll post pictures.

Oh, and my football pennants are featured this week on the modern eve blog along with some really yummy looking football cupcakes.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today. I'd love to hear your Super Bowl traditions. And, if you are from outside the USA, I'd love to hear about your sports traditions.

Wet dogs, ugly stockings and green marshmallows

2010-01-23T23:29:00.000-08:00

Today was the first in several days that did not rain in the O.C. We made the best of our day of sun before the rain starts again. My mum, niece, my sister's dog Kinsey, my dog Paris and I went to HB Dog Beach.

Dog beach is full of dogs, every breed you can imagine. Paris doesn't really care about other dogs. He's more of a ladies man. We usually chit chat with other chocolate lab owners.

Paris will be 13 in May. He loves laying on the beach.

And I love him.

Next stop, the thrift store. My sister and I have a favorite thift store outside of the O.C. It is huge and crowded and the service is awful but we love it. There are always a lot of treasures. Here I am holding the world's ugliest stocking. Oh yah, I'm wearing a child's hoop skirt. (I didn't buy either.)

I did buy some shiney blue shoes. I don't usually do thrift store shoes but these looked brand new.

And I love this chicken plate. I'm not sure if I'm going to keep it or put it in my Etsy store. I also bought some cute tops and a Super Bowl decoration. I'll show the latter during my Super Bowl open house.

Next stop, House of Fondue. I gravitate towards any type of "House of." Can you see that the sign says, "Euro-Chinese Restaurant?" Not a lot of cars in the parking lot. That doesn't discourage my sis and me.

Dinner was good but you have to see our dessert. We ordered chocolate fondue. The chocolate was good. The assortment of goodies for dipping was very interesting: apples, strawberries, cherries, bananas (so far so good right?) then it gets unusual one big pink marshmallow, one big white marshmallow, lots of little color marshmallows, marachino cherries, cookie assortment, dried apricots and get this-raisins.

As much as we laughed about the selection when it came, we still tried it and it was great. Although, skewering a raisin is harder than it sounds.

Thanks for stopping by my blog. I really didn't do anything extraordinary today but I had a great day. I'm glad that I could share it with you.

I'm honored

2010-01-21T10:28:00.000-08:00

My polka dot turkey is featured on the V and Co blog. I love Vanessa's tutorials and ideas. She's also super funny. I have never made a stuffie and I can't understand written directions most of the time but her pattern was full of pictures and really easy instructions.

I've been a veggie for 18 years. I thought it was really funny when I told my family I was making a turkey this year. They laughed really hard when I showed them my "stuffed turkey."

Heart Table Runner

2010-01-20T12:42:00.000-08:00

I whipped up this table runner to coordinate with the Valentine's Day pennant I made last year. Since I set the goal to create more tutorials this year, I've included pictures and directions.

Heart Table Runner
You'll need:
Heart Pattern (see below)
White felt (sold by the yard)
Red and white fabrics (probably a yard total)
Buttons and ribbon
Sewing Machine
Needle and Thread
Pinking Shears and rotary cutter

First, make your heart pattern. Fold a piece of 12 x 12 scrapbooking paper in half and draw this:

Unfold and cut it out along line. Lay pattern on top of two layers of white felt and cut out using scissors or rotary cutter. Repeat until you have 6 white hearts cut out. Now, cut out your red and white fabric hearts.

See, you have 6 white hearts and 6 red/white hearts. Now, place a red/white heart on top of a white heart and pin with the right side facing up. I only do one pin in the middle but you can do a few if that makes you feel more comfortable.

Don't stress if the sides don't perfectly match. We'll take care of that later. It's time for some sewing. You can see how the felt is totally wider than my red fabric. So, I'm using my top piece as my guide.

Sew all the way around the heart. I use about a 3/8 inch. Don't go smaller but you can go a little wider. Do this for all 6 of your hearts.

Using your pinking sheers, cut all the way around the outside of your heart. The width from the stitching doesn't matter as long as you don't cut your stitches. Now, let's attach our hearts.

Using a needle and thread (I used red thread) you are going to connect the hearts with a ribbon on the back and buttons on the front. You'll do this pointy ends (of the heart) together and then rounded ends together.

I used 3 inch long strips of 1/2 inch ribbon but you can use wider or more narrow ribbon if you like, depending on the size of your buttons. This is a picture of the back.

This is how the rounded edges are attached.

Attach all the hearts and you are done. You can make it longer or shorter. Just remember to do an even number of hearts.

Enjoy! Thanks for visiting my blog today. Thank you Tip Junkie for featuring me. And, welcome Craft Critique Valentine's Day Carnival visitors. Please leave me a comment and say, "hi." You may also enjoy my new pink candy tutorial.

Party Hat Banner

2010-01-02T20:55:00.000-08:00

nI made a banner for New Years so my kitchen window wouldn't be naked until Valentine's Day. I was going for the look of party hats. I might add a pom pom on the tops so they look less like Christmas trees.

This one took a little longer than my usual triangle banners. In order to finish my edge, I used ric rack, ribbon and pom pom fringe. Which, I think, added more to the party hat look.I used a bunch of fabric that I had leftover from other projects around the house. Thank you for stopping by my blog. I'm hoping to have lots more fun stuff to share with you this year.