Little Girl Princess Superhero Capes...

A couple days ago we were facetiming with our daughter and grandchildren, and I remembered that it was little Taitum's birthday this Saturday. Taitum is a southern belle. She's a little slip of a thing with impeccable manners, but as you might be able to guess from the photo below, she also has an adventurous side...

Her mother told us about the birthday party she has planned for Taitum which involves a "superhero" theme. She had planned to make some superhero capes for all the kids as party favors. I'd been promising to make Taitum a little girl superhero cape for eons, so I offered to do the sewing. I had one day to finish all eight capes so they would arrive in time for the festivities.

Yesterday I worked at sweat-shop speed, and by 10:30 last night I put the finishing touches on the last one. This morning I had enough time to take some photos before I shipped them off. I made four Little Girl Princess Superhero Capes and four Little Boy Lightening Bolt Superhero Capes. {I'll show you the little boy capes later this week.}  Here are the princess capes. Taitum told me on the phone the other day that her favorite color is "bink," so I made plenty of "bink" ones for her to choose from!

I know I've said it before, but I absolutely LOVE the glittered fabric rectangles you can buy at Hobby Lobby that I used for the superhero emblem and crown on the capes. They are found next to the felt squares in the craft department. These flexible fabric sheets are easy to cut (no unraveling), and you can sew them onto your projects with a zig-zag or straight stitch. They add so much pizzazzzz to these little kid capes!

I made a little synthetic flower for the neck tabs to cover up the stitching lines where I attached the velcro at the end of the tabs.

I can just imagine my little granddaughter and her girlfriends saving the world with these capes fluttering in the breeze behind them!

If you'd like to make a Little Girl Cape for the superhero in your life, 

just click here for the tutorial and pattern.

Here's a sneak peek at the Little Boy Lightening Bolt Superhero Cape that I made for the little boys invited to Taitum's birthday party. I'll post a tutorial and the pattern for these capes later this week...

Friday's Fabulous Finds....

I spy with my Etsy eye some...

mint chocolate.

Clockwise, starting top left:

Dot Soap Dish

Bible Verse Instant Download

Journal  

Earrings

Hair Comb

Wishing you a restful weekend.

Antique Dresser

This post has been a long time in coming! If you have a really good memory, you might remember that we bought this dresser back in June, and I started refinishing it at that time. If you're interested you can read
Part 1...

Part 2...

and Part 3 of this saga...
  

Those posts detail how I cleaned and restored the piece to it's former glory. Between those posts and now, summer happened. A couple of weeks ago after I got home from my last trip, I knew it was time to finish this project!

When we bought the dresser the framed mirror that rests on the top of the dresser was a mess. It had been jury rigged, and incorrectly "fixed" many times, so this is where we spent most of our time in restoring this piece. We repaired the obvious, and some not-so-obvious, problems. Then I restored the frame the same way I refinished and restored the dresser. A beautiful new beveled mirror replaced the corroded old one. Then it came time to hang the mirror in the newly restored oak frame. The former owner(s) had attached the mirror to the frame with makeshift brackets...

What's more, they hadn't hung the mirror straight, so it tilted on the frame. It was a mess. We bought some new swivel brackets and mounted them on the mirror and frame...

The last step was to mount the frame onto the back of the dresser -- easy...

This dresser now sits in a newly painted and redecorated room. I love the intricate carvings and curved lines of the framed mirror pared with the straight lines of the mission style dresser. So beautiful...

We were lucky to find a dresser that still had all original hardware...

I think I was fortunate to pay $130 for this beautiful dresser. It cost another $100 to replace the old mirror with a new beveled one. {crazy} All in all, it was a great project, and I'm so happy with the results of this antique piece.

Friday's Fabulous Finds...

I spy with my Etsy eye... 

little boy blue!

Clockwise, starting top left:

Crochet Giraffe

Baby Mobile 

Owl Brooch 

Baby Shoes

Teething Ring

Wishing you a whimsical weekend!

Suzanne's Black & White Chocolate Chip Cookies

 I love this time of year because I get the urge to start baking again. As the temperature outside cools down, my oven warms up...

Here's a recipe I've tweaked, and in my estimation it's as near to perfection as any cookie has a right to be. Crispy on the outside... chewy on the inside... and stuffed with semi-sweet and white chocolate chips and nuts. Seriously yummy.

 Suzanne's Black & White Chocolate Chip Cookies

{makes 6 dozen cookies}

1 cup (2 sticks) of salted butter, softened
1 cup of butter-flavored shortening
1 1/4 cup of light brown sugar
1 cup of granulated sugar
3 eggs, room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla

4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 cups white chocolate chips
2-3 cups nuts (optional)

1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F). Lightly grease cookie sheets with a little bit of shortening or line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

2.) Beat softened butter, shortening and sugars in large bowl until creamy (about 3 minutes). Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Add vanilla. Sift together flour, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl. (Sifting makes a big difference.) Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, mixing until just blended. Add chocolate chips and nuts; mix well.

3. Using a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop, drop dough about 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets. Bake 12 minutes. Let cool.

I'm hungry.

Thankful Thoughts...

What moved me this week?

For the last few years I've been on a quest to develop more inner peace. I think that's something we all crave, but often, especially when we are facing real-life challenges, it's not easily found. I've had enough experiences in my life to know that true inner peace can only be found through Jesus Christ and his teachings, but for me, knowing that and applying His principles -- especially when life gets painful -- can be two separate things. This week I had a break-through in this quest when I realized that inner peace and faith are inseparably connected. As I read specific scriptures about faith, I realized that God has given us the capacity to exercise faith, and by doing so we can replace our fears and concerns with inner calm, comfort and hope born of the Spirit. When we have faith that the Savior is all-powerful and that He knows and loves us and is aware of our thoughts, concerns, failures and pain, we can be assured that He will provide help and support when we need it most, no matter how challenging the circumstance. By exercising more faith in Jesus Christ and inviting Him to shoulder our burdens and heal our hearts, He helps create for us a new path to inner peace. Now that I've discovered how to develop more inner peace, my next journey is to grow my faith and trust in the Lord. I'm confident that inner peace will be a natural consequence of that quest.

Friday's Fabulous Finds...

I spy with my Etsy eye some... 

autumn.

Clockwise, starting top left:

Fox Wallet

Acorn Necklace

Hand-Printed Silk Scarf

Pumpkins

Felted Slippers

Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

David Archuleta: GLORIOUS from Meet the Mormons

I'm looking forward to the soon-to-be-released movie "Meet the Mormons." Much is said about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Some of it is accurate and some is not, but there's nothing like learning about a subject from the source to give you a more clear understanding! Here's the soundtrack from the movie -- beautiful lyrics that all can appreciate. If you continue to watch after the soundtrack there are trailers for the movie...

Enjoy! 

Apple, Carrot & Broccoli Slaw with Orange Poppy Seed Dressing...

The other day I had a Jicama Slaw at a restaurant in California. It was wonderful and it got me thinking about other ingredients one could use for a slaw recipe. I decided on this combination, and it was a hit. This is an embarrassingly simple recipe. It will take you a minute to put together, and it only has three ingredients!

Apple, Carrot & Broccoli Slaw

(feeds 2)

1 pkg. ready-made broccoli & carrot slaw

1 apple (Honeycrisp or other sweet variety)

Ready-made Lemon or Orange Poppy Seed Salad Dressing

1.) Put two small handfuls of Broccoli and Carrot Slaw into a bowl...

2.) Cut apple into slivers to resemble the pieces of slivered broccoli and carrots. No need to remove the apple peel. Add apple to mixture.

3.) Add enough ready-made Lemon or Orange Poppy Seed Salad Dressing to moisten. Regular Poppy Seed salad dressing can be substituted, but the citrus definitely brightens the flavor of the slaw. This salad can easily be doubled, tripled or more!

Enjoy!

Thankful Thoughts...

What inspired me this week?

My husband and I had the opportunity to spend some time with my 91 year old mother last week. She is an inspiration. She has a walker as a constant companion, but the walkways and halls of her independent living home must remind her of a racetrack. I hope in the future she continues to have the same agility and finesse as she speeds around objects and individuals like she demonstrated while we were there. I'd hate to hear that she had a collision with a bookcase or mowed some poor soul down because her walker got away from her. I'm certain she would come out of a collision in one piece, but as for a bookcase...

What surprised me this week?

 While in California my husband and I were able to visit the LDS Oakland Temple. It sits high on a hill and has an imposing view of the San Francisco Bay Area. As we looked at this beautiful building that symbolizes so much to us, it surprised us to realize that it was 37 years ago this week that we were married there. Much has happened in our lives since that day -- so much good and, of course, some difficult times as well. However, every aspect of our life together has been blessed by our marriage taking place in this House of the Lord.

What moved me this week?

Lately I've been thinking a lot about forgiveness, so I paid special attention in church last Sunday when someone spoke on this subject. One particular thought the speaker expressed touched my heart. His comment, as I remember it, was, "When we demonstrate forgiveness we open ourselves up to other possibilities, opportunities and blessings." That simple thought gave me peace and moved me. Maybe it will help you too. 

Friday's Fabulous Finds...

I spy with my Etsy eye something...

violaceous.

Clockwise, starting top left:

Owl soap

Owl Mug

Booties

Knit Hat

Hair Clips

Tote

Wishing you a fun weekend!

{Not so} Bloomin' Tuesday...

I've let our garden slide these last two months. I've had better things to do -- like spending time with children and grandchildren. We also welcomed this little blossom onto our family tree...

Macy is our 14th grandchild. As you can see she is absolutely adorable. She won't have very long to enjoy the "youngest" grandchild status because we have another one due in January and two more {a week apart} in March. It's another "year of the babies" in our family. We seem to have baby clusters every few years, which makes this grandma very happy and makes for very fun family get-togethers.

A couple of days ago I went into my backyard and saw this -- our birdie submerged head-first into the birdbath...

That pretty much describes our yard right now. With everything else happening in our family, I've let the garden go to pot. Figuratively speaking -- not literally. {One has to be careful in Colorado regarding what one says about "pot."}

Anyway, our garden has been neglected. The only plants that are thriving are these beautiful impatiens. They've been ignored and haven't even received the water they've needed, so it's only by sheer determination on their part that they are flourishing.
 

This last week I scheduled some gardening time and began winterizing the yard. Some of the container plants were the first things to go. We picked the apples off our two trees {twas a bountiful harvest this year}...

and cut back our clematis and other perennials. It feels good to give the yard a little attention. This week I am away from home again. When I get back I'm going to start painting and redecorating one of the bedrooms. Do you remember the dresser I refurbished last spring? 

It will find a home in this redesigned bedroom. I also have a few more projects in the works -- an little-girl owl purse, some flower headbands and a princess cape to name a few! There's never a dull moment around here. Have a nice day,  

Friday's Fabulous Finds ...

I spy with my Esty eye some... 

nature and burgundy.

Clockwise, starting top left:

Legwarmers

Nesting Bowls 

Notebook

Bison Art Print

Felted Acorns

Wishing you a beautiful autumn weekend!

Friday's Fabulous Finds...

I spy with my Etsy eye some... 

fabulous fall finds!

Clockwise, starting top left:

Soft Sculpture Dolls

Fall Pillow Cover

Stamp

Garland

Necklace

Wishing you a fun fall weekend!

Friday's Fabulous Finds...

I spy with my Etsy eye... 

a late summer wedding. 

Clockwise, starting top left:
Cake Topper
Grecian Crown
Pearl Necklace
Paper Peonies
Bridal Sash

Wishing you a lovely weekend.