A Little Oklahoma On My Couch

I saw this little pillow here back in 2011, and then a few weeks later I ordered 2 pillows for Christmas presents for family members. My mother-in-law was a recipient of one of the pillows, and every time I see it at her house I think "I want to get one of those for my house" and then I never did. Until now....enter 2013 Valentine's Day present to me.

My 2011 order was a custom order (I picked the colors for the fabric) and this one was a custom order too. Marek did not disappoint either time - she is super nice to work with and super fast on production and shipping (I think I talked to her Thursday last week? and my pillow arrived this morning). Check out her shop: marekalaine on Etsy.

This fun little pillow will live in my living room for now, but it would be great anywhere - in a kid's room, a playroom, on a bed, etc. Here she is:

{I tried to get him to smile and "model" the pillow but he was NOT about to humor me}

At Staples with Martha

...Martha Stewart that is. Let me explain. This past week I ran to staples to grab some supplies I needed for little therapy activities I work on with Levi. While I was in there, I noticed a new highlighted area with what appeared Martha Stewart's logo, so I walked over and checked it out (at our Staples all of the Martha Stewart stuff is totally separate from everything else). 

I've been pleased with her lines at other places, so it's no surprise that she has some really great "office supplies." They sell 3-ring binders in 2 different sizes, and all kinds of fillers for them - like planners, photo pockets, regular (but cuter) notebook paper, and several other things. The last 6 months for us have been crazy and filled with doctor appointments, evaluations, and most lately different types of therapy appointments (about 3 times a week), so with those among other regular daily life events, I've had to start religiously living by a planner. I'm definitely going to get one of hers because it is totally customizable and will make my life a lot easier.

One of the main things in her line are blank print-your-own labels (she partnered with Avery). So if you are someone who uses those, check them out! This sounds like a cheesy advertisement, but in reality I am just a nerd who gets excited about notebooks and craft/office supplies (my friend Cassidy can attest to this - she shares the same nerdy interest). 

The one thing I did purchase (well, besides some cute-shaped sticky notes), were some stick-on chalk board labels (they come in 2 sizes). They are really fun - here's how I've used them so far:

 

 

 

 

Best Tacos Ever

Guess where we got to eat this weekend?!!? Hint (besides the title of the post): I told you about this place back in this post.

Tyler had to go to Dallas for work, so we made a little family mini-vacation weekend out of it. On Friday night we headed down to Fuel City to get some tacos for dinner. I was really excited to take Tyler there (or rather him take us there) because he has never been. He said there was no way that the tacos could live up to the dramatic way we had described them for years (myself, Tyler's mom, and his brother have all been before) so I was eager to prove him wrong. He said they were really good, and worth the drive down there any time he was back in Dallas. If you know my husband, you know that translates as "they are out-of-this-world unbelievable."

The Blue Tumblers

If you are a family member or close friend of my parents, you know exactly what this title refers to. Yes, I am writing a blog post about the blue tumblers.


About 6 or 7 years ago, my mom bought a few plastic tumblers at Wal-Mart. It was about this time of year (early Spring), when they stock the shelves with all the colorful, summery plastic dinnerware. Let me give you a little background information first... My parents have everyday dinner glasses (for when there is company), fancy iced tea crystal goblets (for when there is really fancy company), but what they use the most are plastic tumblers. Anyone who knows my parents also knows that they always have freshly brewed iced tea ready-to-pour at all times of the day.


Back to the tumblers...Now, my mom is picky about her cups. She won't use just any tumbler, and she won't even touch one if it's not insulated (and not every plastic tumbler that says "double-walled" is really insulated...thanks Mom), but the ones she picked up at Wal-mart that Spring several years ago were pretty close to perfect if there ever was a perfect plastic insulated tumbler. She stocked up on a couple every trip she made throughout that summer, and she got her next-door neighbor hooked on them too. But much to their dismay, when they went to Wal-mart the following Spring to stock up on more tumblers (to replace ones that had disappeared, been lost, cracked, etc.), they had quit carrying them. Mom searched high and low for probably the next year and never found anything adequate (I realize Tervis Tumblers are the best of the best but at fifteen bucks-a-pop, who can afford to have a cabinet full of them, especially when the Wal-Mart ones were 96 cents?). After months, possibly years, of no luck finding the tumblers, and watching with dismay as the last few were lost, cracked from wear, or eaten alive because they mistakenly were put on the bottom rack in the dishwasher, my mom was about to give up. She put my dad in charge of finding a suitable option online to order, and he ended up finding a closeout on THE cups from the manufacturer who actually sold them to Wal-Mart. He found out that he could buy them at cost if he bought enough, so what did he do?


He bought 24,000.


That is a semi truck load if you're wondering. And they were all cerulean blue - not navy, royal, or sky blue - but like a neon cerulean blue, like the color in the box of 64 crayons. THE WORST color imaginable (strictly my opinion). You can now find these bright blue cups in the cabinets of every family member we have (and we have an insanely huge family). My dad started selling cases of the tumblers on eBay shortly after acquiring the mother load, and he's made pretty good money on the hideous little things. As it turns out, my mom wasn't the only person in America who hungered after those tumblers. They have quite the following. It's no question that I hate them, especially after seeing so many of them every day, in every house I visit, for all eternity (it seems), but it's really not the cup I hate, it is just the color.


All of that to say this: the unbelievable has happened. Mom told me a few weeks ago that Wal-Mart has the cups again, and in very pleasant bright Spring colors. They are exactly the same, except a dollar more in price, which is to be expected. In my opinion, they are worth the extra dollar. The outer wall is clear, and the inside is the bright color instead of white - so the tea stains don't show as well (we are all big tea drinkers). The only thing better would be if Tervis Tumblers were $1.96 each. I mentioned that I might buy us a few red ones (Tyler has mentioned before that he likes those cups too, but he knows I would never have those blue things in my cabinet), and my mom informed me that between she and her friend, they had already bought out our local store (wow). I did snag a few later.


And now, your life is richer for knowing that very long story :)

Blessed Are the Peacemakers

{Me with Granny Iva}

{Me, Mom, Granny Iva}

It all started last summer. A bunch of our family was up at my grandparents' house having dinner one evening. While I was back in my grandma's bedroom rocking Levi, she came back there and got a little storage box out of her closet and said "I was wondering if you thought you could use these for anything." Inside the box were a few piles of fabric scraps that had been cut out by my great grandmother from clothes she used to wear with the intention to someday make a quilt (or two). There were not enough scraps to complete a quilt pattern, but I knew I could use them for something.

My (great) Granny Iva holds a special place in all of our hearts, as I (and most all of my siblings/cousins) had the privilege of growing up knowing her (I have mentioned her here and here before).

I had an idea of what I wanted the minute I got the scraps. I had seen this blog post a few weeks before, so I sought out the shop it came from, which is called For the Love of Joy. I emailed Anna, the shop owner (you can visit her shop here, and her blog here), and told her my story, and asked her if she would consider making 10 pillows for me, using my great grandmother's fabric scraps and a scripture of my choosing (Matthew 5:9). Everyone in our family can quote this scripture, having heard it recited by my grandma (the one who gave me the scraps) most all of our lives.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God. Matthew 5:9

I wanted to give these pillows as (Christmas) gifts to my family members as an heirloom of Granny Iva's. Anna was extremely gracious and told me it would be a privilege to make the pillows for me, and she even provided me a discount since I provided some of the fabric. I sent her the fabric scraps back in August or September, and told her I just needed the pillows before Christmas, which she mailed to me in plenty of time. They turned out perfect, and I have never been so excited to give a gift as I was for these. Had I had no budget, I would have commissioned a pillow for every family member, but I live in the real world so I made sure to have at least one per family.

Be sure to visit Anna's shop if you are in the market for something special like this. She has so many precious items, especially if you or someone you know is expecting a little one. Here are a few of my favorite items from her shop:

{Family name pillow with scripture, image via For the Love of Joy}

{Coffee sleeve, image via For the Love of Joy}

{Quilted Boppy Cover, image via For the Love of Joy}

Anna's shop will be closed for a couple of weeks in January, but she will be back after a short vacation. You can find out more about it on her blog.

Here are some of my family members with their pillows, and a few snapshots of my pillow. I love these heirlooms and I'm so happy to have had them made!

Project Post 16: Bay Leaf Wreaths

Apparently there are a lot of negative opinions about getting married at Christmas time (which we heard over and over 4 years ago when we tied the knot), but in my opinion, I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate an anniversary. On our Pottery Barn wedding registry (circa 2007), we had several of their Bay Leaf Wreaths and Garlands - which they only offer at the Holidays (perk!), but I use them for decorations year-round (there is nothing Christmas about them - they are just a great form of greenery). They carry these pretty much every year - although they have different versions of them. Here is this year's version of the garland:

{Found here, via Pottery Barn}



Some friends gave us a few of the strands of garland for a wedding gift, and with gift cards (also wedding gifts), I purchased two Bay Leaf Wreaths and a couple more strands of the garland (at a huge after-Christmas discount too!). I've used the wreaths ever since - and I pull the garland out every once in a while and stick it somewhere, sometimes at Christmas. The wreaths are easy for me - I LOVE wreaths and I will put one anywhere (see pictures below), but I struggle a little with the garland.

{One of the Bay Leaf wreaths I already had - it currently lives on my pantry door}

{The other wreath - it lives above my kitchen buffet/hutch}

Well, as of tonight, problem solved. Three strands of my garland have become brand new (repurposed) beautiful Bay Leaf mini wreaths. All it took was a trio of grapevine wreath forms (the 8" ones that are about $1.99 each), some floral wire, and a lot of "fluffing" and turning of leaves. I will probably hang them as a horizontal trio somewhere (I'll add pics when I do). Each strand of garland fit perfectly around the wreath two times.

{Bay Leaf Garland}

{grapevine forms}

{The finished product!}

{UPDATE: Here is where the wreaths live now - they might camp out
for a while and they might get moved again, you never know}

A Baglady {Giveaway}

Nestled in the beautiful Ozark Mountains in the great city of Springfield, Missouri, is a fabulous little shop called Baglady Boutique (Find them on their website, Facebook, Twitter, & blog). Here's a brief description of the Baglady experience, taken from their Facebook Fan Page:


"Located at 1111 E Republic Rd in Springfield, MO, the Baglady has traveled the world to find fun, unique, and funky gifts for all occasions! We strive to be the best girlfriend gift shop in town. Anything from trendy jewelry to home décor, the Bagladys will help you find that perfect gift! So grab your girlfriends and come shop!"

*******KEEP READING TO WIN FREE STUFF! :)*******

Take a look around their shop, and you'll see why this fun shop is a must-see next time you pass through the area!

{Head Bags Ginny, Chelsea, and shop companion, Daffy}

The Bagladys sent over a couple of items from two of their best-selling lines - a personalized self-inking address stamp from Three Designing Women and a Thymes "Sink Set" (Hand Wash, Hand Lotion, caddy) in Frasier Fir scent - both gifts are PERFECT for the holiday season.

One happy reader will win both of these great gifts (an $80 value)! Find out how to enter to win below!

To enter:

1. Become a "Follower" of Embellishments - via Google Friend Connect or your Facebook account, both on the right side of this blog (Click the "Join this Site" or "Follow this blog" button to follow)

2. Leave a comment on this post telling me you became a follower (if you are already a follower, just leave any comment)

3. For a bonus entry, "Like" Embellishment's page on Facebook here - and leave a SECOND comment telling me you did

 

The giveaway closes Saturday, December 17 at 11:59pm. The winner will be chosen at random and announced on Monday, December 19. Your prize will be promptly mailed to you in time for Christmas :) Check back on Monday to see if it's YOU!



Peanut Butter Push Cookies

I got this idea from here, and she got it from here. Neither gals gave these cookies a name, so I took the liberty to create a name for them myself.


2 ingredients for these babies (plus you'll need a mini-muffin tin instead of a regular baking sheet):
1. Peanut butter cookie dough (ready-made if you want)
2. Reese's miniature cups


Instructions:
Spray your mini-muffin tin with cooking spray. Plop your cookie dough in each hole. A regular package of dough (either the tube kind or the break-apart kind) will fill 24 mini-muffin holes.
Put them in the oven according to package instructions, and remove 5 minutes earlier than instructions say.
While they are baking, unwrap your Reese's miniature cups (or do it ahead of time). When you take the cookies out, immediately push (hence the name) a Reese's cup into each cookie. As they cool, the Reese's cups will melt into the cookie nicely.


That's it!

{Mine are a little rough around the edges because I didn't spray tin with cooking spray - Oops!}