The 8th Wonder of Kansas

And now be prepared to be amazed. Because we were. In our attempt to appreciated Kansas and all that it has to offer, we ventured northeast 108 miles on Saturday to see Monument Rocks, the Chalk Pyramids. I am totally impressed. In the middle of no where stand these majestic towers of chalk.

Not to mention it was about 65 degrees on Saturday with not much wind.

Perfect day for an outing in Kansas. The next best part of the day-we went to Arby's. Is it bad to drive three hours to go to Arby's? I have a thing for Arby's sauce.

My Ode to President's Day

I appreciate your kindness President's Day. You give Paul a day off work. And if he's not working, why should I? And so at 8:30 a.m. Monday morning I sit in my pj's catching up on my blogging. I didn't have to get up before the sun to make lunch for Paul, get in the shower just to wake up a little, or be out of the door with myself in order by 7:54. I owe it all to you President's Day. You give me the opportunity to stay at home and be lazy. Heck, I may not even have a shower today. And so I dedicate this lazy Monday to those 44 president's who have led the United States. Thank you President's Day.

Presenting Easy, Homemade Valentine's Day Decor

a week late or on time for next year!

Cutesy wooden "Love Blocks"

Cost: $0 (at some point it costed someone money, but here's how I did it)

I made these blocks last year when we were at my parents. Into my dad's wood pile I found some 2 x 6 boards and cut them to size (or had my dad cut them to size). Next step, spray paint wood-I used a can of spray paint in my dad's shop. Then I used scrapbook paper, the cricut and ribbon to decorate. My sister made a cute set of smaller blocks out of 2 x 4 scraps.

So easy, cute and a fun way to decorate!

Fabric Knot Heart Wreath
Recently, I made a trip back to civilization and stopped at Michael's (multiple times) to see the new and cute crafty stuff. This idea instantly caught my eye. They had heart wreaths and garlands covered in Valentine's fabric. I didn't look at the cost, but figured I could make it, tailored to my own specifications. Plus, I only had one suitcase and limited space to return home.
Cost: $5 for fabric (or you can use up scraps!)
This is how I made it. I had my super, strong husband form a wire hanger into a heart. Next I went to my favorite, local quilt store (I work there) and bought 8 different fabrics ranging from pink to red to white and in-betweens. I bought 5 inches of each fabric-which is more than $5, but I didn't use the whole 42 inches in length. I cut 18, 1 x 5 inch strips of all the fabrics and then started tying them on the hanger. I started by doing a simple knot, but wanted the fabric to stick up more, so I used a loop-knot around the wire hanger. I think that's what you would call it. I folded the fabric in half, put the hanger over the fabric, then pulled the two loose ends through the loop. The best part about this project is that it took two hours to do everything.


And then with the left over fabric I made a table runner. I got some more fabric for the border, backing and binding and left out the pinks. I hate to brag, but this is so dang cute! I sewed 2 1/2 inch strips together to my desired length (until I used up the extra fabric). Then I added a 4 1/2 inch border on two sides. Layered backing (which is the red with white polka dot) batting and the top then pinned like crazy and stitched in the ditch every three rows. Then I added the ric-rac down each side and finished it off with binding and a zig-zag stitch to add some flair (and I didn't want to hand stitch the binding.)
Total cost: $15-$20
I'm excited to make one of these for every holiday!

Last of all, you know when you get a really fun calendar and can't stand it the next year when you can't find one nearly as cute? This has happened to me. What to do without making a tile picture? Frame it. I bought this $5 frame and cut out the calendar. Each month I am going to update my art and switch it to the next month. Who needs to know what day it is?

Happy Crafting!

A cup of water plus a laptop equals
a laptop that no longer turns on.
At least Paul has a work laptop that he can bring home. Don't expect to hear a lot from me. Which is too bad because I have some really cute crafts that I've been working on. Maybe Paul will be nice and share his computer once in a while.