DIY Toilet paper roll wall art

I am so excited to share this post with all of you!  I have been asking family members to save their empty paper towel and toilet paper rolls for a few months now and I have final creations to show you as well as a little tutorial on how to create your own works of art.

This project did take some time but I think it was well worth it and the finished products look great on the walls!

I got this brilliant idea from a pin on Pinterest found here:
http://jamiebrock.hubpages.com/hub/Clever-Crafts-Using-Toilet-Paper-Rolls

How to make your own toilet paper roll wall art:

What you will need... Toilet paper or paper towel rolls, scissors, ruler, clothes pins, tacky glue, and spray paint.

Step 1:
Flatten your toilet paper roll with your hand.

Step 2:
Mark with a pen and a ruler at every 1/2'' all the way down the roll, then cut roll at each mark.

Step 3:
Be creative!!! This is the time to plan your design.  Play around with all of your pieces to see what neat patterns and shapes you can make. When you have decided on a pattern snap a picture of it just in case you have to stop before you finish.

Step 4:
Now you take two pieces and put glue toward the end on one, then stick the second piece on the glue.  Use a clothes pin to pin the two together to help the glue set.  Let dry, then continue with the rest.




Step 5:
When you have completed gluing your design together and it has completely dried spray paint it what ever color you have chosen and hang it.  You are finished!!!

Below are my two finished projects.  

Happy Crafting and don't forget to share your creations!!!

~ Miss Kasie ~

Update on the Crowns

WOW has time flown by or what!  It's been a while since I've been on here and it is so good to be back!

I have been subbing long term at our private school in the Kindergarten classroom.  It has been a wonderful experience and I have learned many new things but I am so happy to be going back home to my wonderful husband and puppy (I have had Dakota with me the past month and Snickers has been with Ross).

I recently interviewed for an exiting job opportunity and could possibly be moving back to the bay in the next couple months.  As for Ross and I, we will both permanently be living in the Bay area come the end of October!!! His transfer came through and we have been so blessed in this whole experience!

We are currently house hunting and in the decision making process of whether to rent or buy.  Wish us luck and please pray that we find the right house for our family, a big yard would be perfect.

Not much else has really been going on other than subbing, softball, and teaching Dakota how to play fetch with a Frisbee (my favorite)!

I pray that you all are having a great end of the school year and wish you all a safe and fun summer vacation!

~ Miss Kasie ~

ps. I promise to update you on my crafts that I left at home in Humboldt. I think my garden isn't faring so well without me but our cherry tree is very full, so I've heard.

Quick update on the Crown's

Well we knew the day would come when we would have to pack up all over again.  Who would have thought that day would be now?  God has blessed me with a very fun work opportunity at the private school affiliated with our home church.  Even though this is just a temporary position, I am a I am very excited to go back to the Bay and be closer to friends and family if only for a short time.   I will be leaving in a few days to move back in with the Jones' while Ross remains here in Weott.
(They have no idea how thankful I am, again!) maybe dishwasher thankful ;)

 The puppies will once again have a good deal of 'alone' time' from one another.  Dakota will be coming with me and Snickers will stay with Ross.

I know some of you are probably wondering if Ross got his transfer to SF... not yet, we haven't heard any news on that front.  But, on another important note we have begun the great journey of house hunting!  ugh... and I already have headaches ;)  Wish us luck in finding just the right home for our little family.

I wish everyone a happy rest of the week and have a great weekend!

~ miss kasie ~

ps. I will definitely try to blog about my experiences in Kindergarten. :)

Cranberry Scones

Having a large bag of dried cranberries leftover from when I made our own trail mix left me stumped at what to make with what was left of the cranberries.  SCONES!! I had never had one but I always wanted to try the ones at Starbucks so why not make my very own.  I found an easy recipe at AllRecipes.com Cranberry Scones

I realize more and more each time I use my food processor just how much I love it!

Just mixing the dough smelt so good in the kitchen.

And once in the oven the smell began to take over the whole house, DELICIOUS!

Add a little bit of butter and it's one tasty snack. 

Looking forward to trying out different scone recipes.  

Happy Wednesday!

~ miss kasie ~

crafting update...

I was pretty busy lately with crafting, house sitting, working with the dogs, and applying for a new job that I haven't posted in a very long time.  So here we go...


I finished Petra's CSU Stanislaus T-shirt memory quilt.

I created a book page mirror to add to our home decor (we literally have only a few pieces on the walls).

This project was actually really fun, because I had found an old book with aged pages the look is sort of antiqued.  Finding the right mirror was the trickiest part and took a few shopping trips to find it.  But it was only $1 at the dollar store, so I LOVE IT!

I haven't started our sunburst mirror yet, but I have to find a large enough mirror and a few more pieces before I can start that one. I got the idea from pinterest via this blog... http://thejollyjames.blogspot.com/2010/12/diy-starburst-mirror.html

I found an awesome idea (Toilet paper craft Decor) to upcycle toilet paper rolls and paper towel rolls into awesome looking home decor!  I haven't completed this project yet.  I am still collecting rolls and still gluing them together and designing cool new patterns.  I think I will be spray painting them all black when i'm done assembling them.  Here's what I have so far...

So first I flattened each roll and marked with a ruler and pen every 1/2'' and then cut the roll at each mark.  Then to make a four leaf flower I glued (using tacky glue) two pieces together (above photo) and held them together with a clothes pin.  Once that has dried completely you glue two of those to each other and VoilA!! You have a flower! There are many variations for this craft, 5 petal flowers, leaves off the flower, etc. The possibilities are endless, hence why I haven't finished ;)

The next projects I am going to show you are also upcycled house hold Items.  I have started to collect glass jars from store bought items (jelly, salsa, pickles...) and also wine/cider bottles.  Below is a new soap dispenser created from a salsa jar.  I punctured the lid and created a hole large enough to insert the pump into the top. I will spray paint the lid white and then hot glue the pump to the lid.  You may also spray paint the glass as well and can make designs with rubber bands and masking tape.

Below are going to be bathroom decor.  I just need one more cider glass to write "live" on.  These were super easy and will look really cool when finished.  It's just hot glue! I wrote the words using my glue gun.  I will spray paint these as well.  Ross suggested I then peel off the glue and let the green of the bottle be exposed, which is a pretty neat idea.  We'll see what happens. :)

Well that's all for this update.  I'll be sure to post pictures of the finished products.

Happy Monday!

~ miss kasie ~

Woo Hoo for March!!

So the first few days of March here in Weott have been pretty nice.  We have had chilly mornings with some frost on the ground but usually warm during the day.  This next week though we are going to get a good amount of rain.  The dogs have really enjoyed the sunny days with their 'swim lessons' down at the river.  They mostly just run through the shallows but Snickers did get some courage when he thought he could make it in a deeper section and was surprised by deep water.  He ran right into it and went completely under water.  He came out a little frazzled and was hesitant to go in the water after that.  But today he had no fear and had a blast running in and out of the shallows.

Puppy Update:
Training is going great, they are doing well learning the 'come' command.  Both are allowed off leash at the river and have been pretty consistent at obeying the command.  Of course they get a treat when they do well. :)  Ross and were so shocked today to see Snickers using a soft mouth to retrieve his toy duck in the living room.  He would stay as I tossed the duck away and when given command would go retrieve the duck gently and bring it back to my lap for a treat.  Ross might have to get himself into hunting after all. :)

Crafting Update:
I have started Petra's Stanislaus t-shirt memory quilt and am putting together a 'simple' tutorial for a t-shirt quilt to be posted when the project is complete.

March Goals:
As far as my March goals I have to say I've been doing well at trying to work out more. I would say every other day is how it's going right now.  Healthy eating is still a work in progress... Ross didn't help by buying Oreo's tonight. :(  Friends and family have sent us a number of delicious and new recipes for our meal plans.  I can't wait to put some to use!  The Photo Challenge is going great!!!

I have started another Pinterest project that was inspired by a fellow CHiPy wife who has this project as part of her home decor.  Pictures later, but I will say it has to do with book pages, wooden dowels, and mirrors. :)

I also shipped my baby quilt off to Craft4Change this week and we built the trellis for our peas and cucumber in the garden.  Sprouts are growing and transplantation is coming around the corner... Can't wait!

Happy Friday!!

~ Miss Kasie ~

WoW, february flew by.

So my goals for the month of February were to try and workout everyday, cook healthy dinners, and finish my baby quilt for Craft4change.  Well I wasn't very good about achieving my goals but now that March has started I have set some new goals.

- Finish Craft4Change quilt (DONE)
- Workout a little each day
- Get back to meal planning and eat healthier
- complete March Photo-a-day Challenge
- Get seedlings planted into the garden
- complete one project from Pinterest each week

Wish me luck!!

Since I have completed one of my goals already I figured I would blog about it.

A few friends have already asked me to teach them how to quilt.  I may not be the best person to teach how to quilt as I am not an expert but I would love to teach this awesome skill to anyone who asks, so here is my "tutorial for a baby quilt."

First things first, here is what you will need:
2/3yd of each fabric (three different fabrics)
1yd of the super soft and cuddly fabric (you'll know which one when you feel it)

one bag of Crib sized high loft batting

one spool of machine quilting thread that matches your fabric choices

one sewing machine (don't forget the seam ripper, it may come in handy for mistakes)

fabric scissors (or really good scissors, or your hand will not be happy) 

          **Rotary cutter and a cutter board work best!

ruler or craft ruler (longer than 12'')

Sewing Pins!

1. Wash and dry all fabric (i did not wash the cuddly fabric)

2. Iron all fabric (i did not iron the cuddly fabric)

3. Set cuddly fabric and batting aside you won't need for a while.

4. For each fabric you will cut out the following in this order

       - 6 1/2'' square (6 of them) 

       - 2 1/2'' square (6 of them)

       - with remaining fabric cut out 1 1/2'' strips (you should have approximately 216'' in strips)

5. Start with one color's 2 1/2'' squares, lay down on a different fabric strip and pin.  You can leave a little space between each square on the strip.  You will make one long sewing line so as long as the squares don't get sewn together it is fine to get them as close as possible. 

ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS, RIGHT SIDES (OF FABRIC) GO TOGETHER WHEN PINNING FABRIC TOGETHER!!!

 Look at image below for example

6. Now sew along the pinned edge with a 1/4'' seam allowance (look to your machine for allowance width.  

7. Cut apart the squares and iron them flat.  Here is where you can top stitch to make it stronger, but I did not do that on this quilt.

8. Take a strip of the 3rd color fabric and repeat on the side of the square that is now extended with the previous strip.  Pin (RIGHT SIDES TOGETHER), and sew one sewing line, cut apart, and iron flat.

Look at image below for example.

9. Now you can start to see the log cabin pattern forming.  The key to remember is that you want to sew the new strip on the side of the square with the seam you just sewed, slowly moving around the square.  In the picture above the next strip would be a white polka dot strip and it would get pinned to the right side of the square.  

10. Continue with this routine until you have completed two times around the square to create a 6 1/2'' completed square. 

Look at image below.

11. Now you have all of your 6 1/2'' squares and can begin forming the top of your quilt.  

12. Layout the squares in the pattern shown below.  **TAKE A PICTURE OF PATTERN LAID OUT!!! this will help you later in case you forget. 

13. From here you will start to pin the rows together.  Go slow and take your time so that there aren't any "woopsies." Start with the first square on the left in the top row.  Pin (RIGHT SIDES TOGETHER) to the square to the right, and continue down the row. You will have 6 squares in each row and will sew five seams in each row.  Again; pin, sew, iron flat. 

Below is one row pinned together.

14. When all 6 rows are sewn and ironed flat lay out your quilt in the pattern shown above. Now it's time to pin the rows together starting with the top row (RIGHT SIDES TOGETHER).  Pin, sew, iron flat.

Congratulations!! You now have the top to your quilt assembled.

 

15. Now it is time to put the TOP, BATTING, and, BACK together :)  Lay your batting down first, then your cuddly fabric with the right side up, then your quilt top right side down (RIGHT SIDES TOGETHER).  Cut excess off to make batting and back same size as the top then PIN along the perimeter.  

16. Start sewing in the middle of one of the sides using 1/4'' or 1/2'' seam allowance. I used 1/2'' just to make sure all the layers were sewn together.  As you sew along the edge be sure to reinforce the corners by back stitching in and out of them.  As you come around the quilt towards your starting spot stop sewing about 8-12'' from the starting spot to leave a hole and back stitch. (you will close this hole later).

17. Carefully reach in with one hand and grab a corner, pull gently out of the hole until you have completely flipped the quilt "right side out."  Gently use finger to push out the corners.

19. We are going to top stitch along the seams of the rows to bring the entire quilt together and ensure that the batting does bunch and that it will lay flat throughout the life of the quilt.  This will also add a bit of texture to the back of your quilt. 

Tada! :)

CONGRATULATIONS, you are finished!!! 

Happy Sewing!

~ Miss Kasie ~

Back to quilting...

After the BIG wedding project of making a personalized quilt for each of my bridesmaids last year.  I swore I wouldn't quilt for a very long time.  Below is a picture of those finished products.

Well, God must have a different plan for me because a friend of mine posted this link on Facebook a week ago, http://www.craft4change.blogspot.com/

Here is a description of the project and some background information:

"This time we are partnering with The Sacramento Assistance League,  by helping with one of their many philanthropic endeavors, "The Birthing Project".  This (birthing) project is part of a program provided by the Center for Community Health and Well Being, Inc., located in Sacramento, which helps at-risk and low income women.

The Center for Community Health and Well-Being, Inc.’s mission "is to improve the health and well-being of our Sacramento community and assure our families and children the best environment in which to grow and thrive."   The Center was founded in 1988 by Kathryn Hall-Trujilllo, M.P.H. as The Birthing Project, an all volunteer, community service project to lower Infant Mortality in Sacramento. They help families with both pre-natal and post-natal care, parenting classes and referrals if needed to get them off to a healthy start.
We, at Craft 4 Change would like to help them out by creating those baby blankets.  They can be sewn, knit, crochet, quilted, or no-sew fleece.  The only requirement is, that they be approximately 36" x 36" in size."  


It didn't take me more than a few minutes to check my fabric supply and confirm I had enough fabric for a baby quilt for me to decide "YES, I'll do it!"


I just started sewing last night, here are a few pictures of my work.  I will also be posting a "tutorial like" post for how to make this quilt yourself.  :)

Fabric cut and set out

Let's get pinning

Starting the color-combo bricks

Have a great Thursday!!


~ Miss Kasie ~

Our first Pinterest project

A few months ago I repinned a friend's cinder block garden pin on the wonderful Pinterest site.  Since the house we are renting right now has three huge stacks of extra cinder blocks this was the perfect solution and cheapest way for Ross and I to create a garden.

There aren't a lot of locations on our property that get the right amount of sun and have easy access. However, we did find one perfect spot right along the fruit trees that was relatively flat enough.  We just hoed the weeds out and leveled the ground using a pick and a shovel.

Even though I'm doing the work in this picture, Ross undoubtedly did the majority of the weed removal. He is a beast with the pick!  We definitely got our workout in transporting the 25 cinder blocks from the top of our property down to our garden location.

And, Voila!!!  Our finished cinderblock garden.  The ground here in Weott is mostly clay so we will be purchasing potting soil and seeds soon!

Here's out garden wish list so far, but would love recommendations!! :)

Broccoli, Kale or Spinach, Cucumbers, zucchini, yellow crookneck squash, carrots, sugar peas(not in cinder block garden-they will be in a planter up by the house), basil, strawberries, bell peppers.

We are definitely looking forward to taking another step in becoming less reliant on produce aisle at the grocery store which seem like a rip off for tasteless fruits and veggies.  As summer gets closer we will have rich soil from our compost, and we also don't trash our dog doo ;) we recycle LOL. Another blog will have to follow to explain that one.

Hope you all had a wonderful Monday!

~ Miss Kasie ~

PS. I wonder how the concept of recycling dog poop would go over with Preschoolers... might be one fun discussion.

Two in one

Hey there,

Ross and I have been so busy puppy proofing our house and yard and unpacking from a month on the road that we hadn't really had time to plan out meals.  And let's just say that when you are on vacation for a month you don't exactly eat the most healthy meals.  So now begins our detox (so to speak).

Good friends of ours got us Insanity for Christmas.  Our number one resolution for 2012 is to get into a regular habit of working out and number two is to eat healthier meals.  Now that we have two pups with endless supplies of energy it doesn't seem that hard of a resolution to keep.  Even still we decided to start out slow, insanity every other day and walks/runs with the dogs everyday.   We noticed with Ross working the day shift that eating dinner, working out at night, and getting to bed early wasn't really as possible as we thought it would be.  So we've decided to switch lunch and dinner.  We will be having our large meals for lunch and a protein shake and snack for dinner after we workout (only on the days he has work).

With this being said Pinterest finally came in super handy!  A few weeks back I found a pin where someone had suggested pre-packaging smoothies in baggies to make it easier and quicker to make a shake/smoothie.  This was so easy!  We bought a tub of plain yogurt and I poured it out into a cupcake tin and put it in the freezer for a few hours until frozen.  We also had bought frozen strawberries, blueberries, and peaches.  I sliced up bananas and froze them on parchment paper on a cookie sheet in the freezer for about an hour and a half.  I also chopped up some fresh spinach to go into the baggies. You would be surprised that spinach doesn't change the flavor it just adds nutrients and sometimes if too much is added a greenish smoothie is the result. :)

After everything was frozen I got twelve baggies and started to divide the fruit and yogurt into the baggies, zipped them up tight and put them all in the freezer.

Below are pictures of the set up and finished products.

And now on for the second part of today's post... Stuffed bell peppers!
Recipe from my College Cooking cookbook

Ross loves stuffed bell peppers and well, I am not the biggest fan of bell peppers but I have also never had a stuffed one.  So tonight's dinner was a little new to me.  On a scale from 1-10 I would give it a 6.5.
The ground turkey lacked flavoring, carrots were a little under cooked (but I can't stand cooked carrots anyway), and the bell peppers didn't fully cook all the way around (I think because these were XL peppers).

Our solution to the lack in flavor was to add pasta sauce... it was kinda like a spaghetti with cous cous.  I will definitely have to look up another recipe using turkey and see what kind of seasoning to add next time.

Take Care!

~ Miss Kasie ~

What a busy January...

hello again blogger world!

I have to say first off, a month long vacation is not as wonderful as it sounds in my opinion.  Living out of a suitcase and crashing in spare rooms, on couches, and sometimes hotels can get a little crazy.  Well my husband and I figured why not spice things up a little bit by buying two adorable chocolate lab puppies to add to our family at the beginning of the month long vacation..
Welcome home Snickers & Dakota!!

Our vacations started off in the bay area celebrating the new year with my in-laws, then we traveled up north (picked up our puppies near chico) and visited with my family.  Only two days later we were off to Disneyland for our 4 day Honeymoon!!! My husband hadn't been there since he was a little boy and had never seen California Adventure so this was definitely a great choice in a Honeymoon destination.  We were given "Just Married" buttons and nearly every cast member in both parks congratulated us.  We also met another newleywed couple while waiting for the jungle cruise.  Overall it was a very fun, romantic, and special way to celebrate our marriage, just the two of us.  

P.S... Check out World of Color, it was amazing!


We are finally settled back in Weott and the pups are getting used to the area (so many new smells!)
Ross and I (mostly Ross) have been busy putting up the fence that makes up the new dog run and laying carpet and padding on the hardwood so the pups don't go sliding around all the time.  They are now 3 months old and growing so fast!  (almost 30 lbs each)

The days are busy and filled with lots of trips outside to go potty, daily walks/runs, training sessions and lots and lots of chewing (toys mostly).  Snickers has learned how to shake with not only his Right paw but also his Left paw ;)  and Dakota is learning how to play dead when shot, BANG!

One last thing before I go.. for those of you who are wondering how the fusion transported not just Ross, myself and Skittles but also the new pups and all of our added "luggage"... Ross finally found the truck he's been searching for.  Just one plane ride to L.A. and a long drive up to Humboldt but it's here and it's a beaut!

Hope January has been great to you all,

~ Miss Kasie ~