Houseguests

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Starbucks T-Shirt Bag

Trent & I have been doing little things to "be green" for years now. We both carry our lunches to work in fabric bags - mine was a gift from my mother :) - and recently we purchased Sigg aluminum water bottles to replace plastic ones.

My only dilemma has been toting these two items (my lunch fills the bag so no room for the bottle) plus my mug of coffee and purse. Ok so the purse can sling over my shoulder, but I'm not very skilled at juggling both drink containers, lunch and my keys. I've been putting the lunch & water bottle in a paper shopping bag which works great except for that nagging thought in the back of my mind that I have another idea on my "crafty to-do" list which would also work and, well, I just want to try.

A few months ago, I saw another blogger post with a reusable bag she made from a Heinz ketchup t-shirt. I've searched tonight to link that post and can not find it (anyone know what I'm talking about??). The idea came from the Martha Stewart Show (Good Thing: T-Shirt Bag). I've been wanting to make my own, but it keeps hitting the back burner.

Last night, I dug through my drawer of printed t-shirts. I cleaned it out pretty well last year so I only had about 2 dozen to pick from. But the choice was easy - my free Starbucks tee! It was part of a giveaway Starbucks had last year. It's way too small for me. I haven't worn it and probably never will, but love the cute print.

So, I pulled out the sewing machine. Grabbed some purple thread for a bit of accent. And began to sew. I followed the instructions except that I took about 7.5 inches off the bottom. Sewing the bottom at the existing seams created a bag that was too big for my intended use. Here's the result:

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A Card and A Shopping Spree

I'm momentarily addicted to cards. ;) Created this one late Saturday night using Making Memories products. Inspired by May 14 of dw2008 to stitch a title. Also by Shirley's amazing work. I was already in awe of her hand stitching on projects, but even more so after creating this simple card.


A close-up of my hand stitching:

Supplies: Making Memories patterned paper and stitches; Chelsea Studio font.

The patterned paper is from a shopping "spree" at Big Lots Saturday. I bought 3 packs of American Crafts rub-ons, 2 packs of American Crafts stickers and the Making Memories patterned paper pack for $11. Now, if only my Big Lots stores would carry the American Crafts albums....

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Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day, Mom! :)


Supplies: Purple Floral patterned paper from Rhonna Farrer's Color My World kit at Two Peas; Flower Spray from Rhonna Farrer's Flowers Are Beautiful kit at Two Peas; Edwardian Script font.

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Scrap Organization {Stickers & Rub-ons}

Over the years, my stash of scrapping supplies has grown. This includes lots and lots of stickers and rub-ons. I used to keep them in a single poly 8.5x11 envelope. When it was about the bust at the seams, I found an idea on Two Peas from another member to organize them in a binder using these 99cent poly envelopes from Target:


This has been wonderful for me. The envelopes come in several colors, all translucent. I prefer the clear so I stocked up on several trips. Each holds a category - letters, words, kids, animals, etc. I labeled them using my Dymo label maker.

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Mother's Day card

Here's the card I made for Trent's grandmother. I created it in Photoshop and printed on white cardstock.


Supplies: Floral Garden patterned paper and scalloped label from Painted Season kit at Peppermint Creative; green ricrac from Twinkle Toes kit at Peppermint Creative; leaves from spiral flower in Anne Langpap's June '07 kit at Two Peas; font: 2ps Silly.

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What You Lookin' At?

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Primary Day

We went. We voted. Afterwards, we discussed our choices. We agreed on a few. Canceled each other out on others. But isn't that part of the joy of our right to vote? Our right to make our own choices?

Thanks for the comments on last night's tacos. They were as delicious as they looked. Here's our "secret" super quick & easy method:

Break up Perdue Short Cuts Original Roasted flavor chicken into bite size pieces. Toss into frying pan. Sprinkle with taco seasoning. Add water to cover the bottom of the pan. Cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until all of the water is cooked out. Warm soft taco shells in microwave to soften. Add chicken and preferred toppings. We use low fat sour cream, shredded cheddar, baby spinach and diced tomatoes. Enjoy! :)

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¡Feliz Cinco de Mayo!

Trent and I celebrated with homemade chicken soft tacos. Yum! :)

And after dinner I did a little studying:
Just in case you haven't heard - we finally have our primary election here in North Carolina tomorrow. Trent & I typically use the early voting option, but decided to wait until the official election day this year. Tonight I was reading up on some of the local elections I was a little unsure of. Tomorrow after work, we'll head to the polls.

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In the Garden

Today's weather was gorgeous so we spent some time outdoors working in the yard. Finally planted our vegetables and I added a few new perennials in the front yard. Also, I took the time to just sit for a bit watching a bee enjoying our catmint:


And Cali hiding in it to watch for birds:

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