DIY Valentine Pillow

I'm a huge Parks & Rec fan and when I heard April (who is my favorite next to Ron, naturally) say this the phrase stuck with me like a Little Debbie sticks to my muffin top.

It looks great on our bed when it's made which is never so hopefully it will look great on the floor next to the bed or next to the pile of laundry or rather piles of laundry.

Take your favorite fabric and cut out two heart shapes, pin right sides together and sew around the edge leaving a hole to stuff it full. I used this vintage heart cotton fabric for the front and a soft flannel for the back. I hand-sewed the hole closed after stuffing it as full as I could with fabric scraps and poly fill.

Wait...I'm getting ahead of myself. I obviously got the phrase on the front somehow. I guess I should go over that part. I used some basic stencils and some paint. I didn't even use fabric paint because I knew I was making this pillow as an accent pillow so I wasn't worried about the paint being weird. Because paint can get all sorts of weird up in your business let me tell you. We all know about paint, right?

Hope you like!

 front

 back

 it looks good next to the bleeding heart pillow I made two years ago

i could not get him off of the bed but how could i just push him off? 

Hey Lovers

there's still time to get your valentine something (from my shop not some lame mall kiosk jerk)

get a Wallace & Berrie Co. figurine from The Shop today

Vlog Series #4: Chin Zit

I'm not thrilled with the absurd facial expressions these videos decide to pause on.

My Saturday yesterday was awesome. Starting the day off with Buffy is the only way to go. I think Fred has a little crush on her.

Vlog Series: #1 
Vlog Series: #2
Vlog Series: #3

just some things via my phone

In the picture

Check out more info on this series here and join in the fun.

5 blogs I luv (supposedly)

I was tagged by the lovely and extremely talented Erin (who was tagged by this gorgeous gal) so I'm returning the favor. It was hard to choose just five so I picked what was inspiring right now.

In no special order what-so-ever:

1. Anika from Pasando

2. Urban Muser

3. Roots & Feathers

4. Weekday Carnival

5. Hula Seventy

Spoons; a mortal kombat-like family game

It started on NYE. There always seems to be something in the air during the holidays that brings families together and makes them feel they should play games. My family is not the type to do this year round but if your family is that's just great. I hope you've had some lasting memories sitting around the game of Life watching your siblings plastic vehicles fill up with tiny pink & blue baby pins while yours sits empty. It's disturbing how realistic this is all sounding isn't it? Well, I just wanted to say good for you and your adorable little family. A family who plays board games together is a family who sticks together, or something like that. In my family it goes more like a family who tells crass jokes, talks about their bowel movements, and calls each other names is the family is who actually sticks together. 

This year on NYE we decided to play games. We get the itch to do it during the holidays. Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't. I was having déjà vu about sleepovers when I was in grade school (maybe even jr high) of staying up late with a bunch of my girlfriends playing games with them and my family. What I couldn't stop thinking about was the card game Spoons and I was determined to make us play it that very night. I get my way most of the time because I speak up loudly and get in everyone's face until they agree. I started googling the rules of the game because I couldn't remember the specifics but soon enough it all came back to me. Before we knew it we were gathered around the kitchen table with a pile of spoons and two decks of cards. My SIL had the cards in her purse which was perfect. I forgot to ask her why in the world she was carrying them around with her but it didn't really matter at that moment as it was suiting me and my eagerness to get this shit going.

i swear to God I didn't cause that scratch on his nose

His Majesty (my nephew - if you haven't been following my stories) was still awake so my mom decided to sit this one out to watch him until he went to bed. That left my dad, brother, SIL, Tyrone and myself. I was as giddy as a vagrant at a hot dog stand to begin The Drawing of The Blood. This was something I definitely remember very fondly that happens during this game. The gist of the game is, you want to grab a spoon before they are all gone and if you don't you're out and in this case that means whimpering in the corner licking your wounds. It didn't take my SIL and Tyrone to become accustomed to my families’ aggression. I think they could smell the competition sweating from our brows. You grab a spoon no matter what. That means, unintentional scratching, bruising, kicking, biting and or launching one’s body over the table in order to rip the spoon out of an opponent’s hand (this is not an exaggeration). In order to minimize blood spill you should try to disrobe any jewelry or accessories that could cause damage. If you have  tender hands like Tyrone does then you'll need a box of Band-Aids near as well. And maybe a box of tissues. (hehehe). He's such a sore loser too. This is a game that I am able to beat him at and unfortunately there aren’t many others of which I can gloat. I'm not competitive in any way but this game brings it out of me. Tyrone is super competitive and he'll even rub it in his nephew and nieces faces when he beats them at things. He does not let up for no one so when I see him struggle with Spoons I can't help but rejoice aloud like a proper wife should.


We played late into the night/early in the morning and my mom even joined in after my dad wussed out and finally went to bed. My mom surprised us a bit with her psychotic manner. I don't know why this surprised us at all because we learned these traits from her but there was just something in her eyes when we were playing that made you take a step back. She does not focus quick enough when the cards are being handed to her and she begins to trail off and start asking random questions yet somehow she is able to get a mothertrucking spoon. My brother ended up winning this night. 

We played again this last weekend because, a game where it's perfectly acceptable to be loud and pull your opponent’s hair out is right up our alley. We don't need Christmas to remind us to play this game. I think it's going to become a family staple. My brother ended up winning again this night which could not piss me off more. You don't understand how my brother is if you've never met him which I don't say to be obvious but that he is so big and his hands are so large and strong there is no yanking a spoon out of his paw. He has sausage fingers which we've all (me, bro, mom) inherited from our grandma except that his are six times the size of anyone else's. They're not so much long as they are thick and wide (no disgusting innuendos here this is my brother we're talking about sickos) and they don't budge for anything. Also because he is pretty much numb to pain you could bite his hand to try and get him to let it go and it wouldn't do anything. He's sort of like the big dopey guy on Goonies, but smarter of course (I'm obligated to include this disclaimer) that isn’t fazed by much. We tried our hardest to beat him, and his wife almost did, but in the end we failed. One day we'll kick his ass. I even made him switch me chairs because I was convinced he was winning because he was sitting in the "right" spot which was the middle of the table perfectly proportionate to each spoon. Soon after that my time had expired. So annoying.


I bowed out with minor injuries. I may have shed blood but I didn’t need no stinking bandage.

I should have more to write about but suddenly my brain is drawing a blank. My mom even took notes for me during the first game after she had lost, of every comment that came out of our mouths, but I unfortunately lost the paper. She was all proud to dot it too especially after I told that “This shiz is soooo going up on the blog.” Now she’s going to be mad that I lost her well-kept notes (sorry Daisy!!). If I end up finding them, which could very well happened because it happens to me all of the time where I end up starting something without a certain piece of information or tool that I thought I needed and then later finding out that it was in my purse the entire time. (another family trait) In that case I will surely update this post to include them. 


I was thinking that if we keep this up which I very much hope we do that I might make some trophies. They could be really vulgar or even graphic like a mounted moose head with a spoon sticking out of its eye ball or just throw some blood on some little kid’s little league trophy that his mom, the OCD freak, made him throw out in a cleaning fit. I have lots of ideas for this. 

sneak peak

valentine diy sneak peak

plus more, as in a mustache diy, phone case diy, sweater turned cowl, etc.

Weekly Confessional

I feel like I have to explain myself a bit here even though I know
it's my blog and I'LL DO WHAT I WANT (just like Cartman - watch this
if you haven't already, it's so damn funny:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZLVi4v7lSM - I would have hyperlinked
that shit except that I'm on my phone and haven't figure out that
function just yet, also that is the reason why this post will come out
looking like shit as well)

I have been super busy making things (for fun and for The Shop) which
has made me pretty happy except the part of taking pictures (waiting
for decent natural light which for me is only on the weekends as I
rarely see sunlight M-F), editing said photos, posting said photos and
including some genius rhetoric and explanation that attempts to amuse
the masses (all four of you) to accompany failed photos. It's as if
I've lost a bit of desire to post DIY's because of how much time they
take up. I'm not saying I want to stop it's just that I'm so exhausted
most days to even attempt to sit down at my computer. I have avoided
my home computer for the last few weekdays of this week and last week.
I don't even want sit down at it to check my email. I never go on FB
or Twitter on it. I usually like to blog on the weekends like on
Sundays but this last weekend didn't work out to be able to do that
and to be honest I didn't really care.

On a more boring note we may sell the Rodeo tonight, the $200 dollar
car we purchased after we lost Tyrone's Evo a few years ago, so cross
your fingers that we are able to do that. It's kind of sad because
that Rodeo has been an utterly pure blessing for us. It has literally
made us money and I'm not even talking about after selling it. We are
in the positive on it so I feel a little bad letting it go like we're
being ungrateful or something but we just got Tyrone a new car, one
that is more reliable because he travels more with his new job, so
besides that having three cars is pretty ridiculous after selling it
will help out with going to towards the new car. We bought a VW Jetta
TDI and I could not be more thrilled. VW TDI's are the best cars in
the world. A Golf TDI is my dream car but they are so damn expensive -
maybe one day I'll get one. I have a dream of being able to order one
in the color and everything I want some day. Some day. Just typing
makes me sound greedy because I drive a pretty damn nice car right now
and I would drive it forever and up until it eventually died. I know
there are a lot of people that are against VW's but they can suck it
and if you're one of them well I'm sorry. But not really sorry. Thank
God for America!

I've started to ramble so I'm going to end it here.

DIY's coming soon and more videos too.

Peace out Beatrices!

Wingers Days (part 1)

I was sorting through boxes that we have stored at my parent's house when I came across an old photo book that spanned about seven years of my life. The only reason I was even going through boxes, sorting, throwing any black metal dollar store candle holders I was saving and any old moon & stars decor that I use to think would be in style forever, hence the reason why I was keeping it all in boxes in my parents basement....wait....I just lost my place...oh right the reason I was sorting shit was because my husband's "band" (band is put in parenthesis because who knows when one or two of the band members will decide that they don't want to be in the band any more like a premenstrating teenager going through boyfriends like a vending machine goes through quarters) needs a practice space. They can't drink in my parent's basement so we'll see how long this lasts. ANYWAYS....I'm all over the place hold on tight if you decide to keep reading.

{since starting this story they have decided to practice at a different venue (I knew it) - you're welcome mom for the semi-organized basement}

Right. The photobook. It's not a big photobook and definitely doesn't cover everything that happened in those seven years of my life but it did cover most of the fun times I had spent serving at Wingers diner. It does, however, consist of a lot of Halloween costume pictures. I was seventeen and working at Wendys and also at some telecommunications call center when my friend, Jenni, practically forced me to go and apply for this new restaurant that was coming to town. This is how I remember it happening but I'm sure I followed her without much coaching.

A new restaurant in American Fork 16 years ago was a big deal for this small town. Before Wingers opened I think the only other two actual restaurants were China Lilly (I think that was the name; Lee's, oh crap) and Mi Ranchito. We walked in ready to apply as hostesses. I had always said I would NEVER be a server. Never. I was dead set against it but by the time we walked out the door she had gotten a hostess position and I was walking out a fucking waitress. You can imagine the major eye rolling that came from 17 year-old me. But I wasn't quite as feisty then as I am now. I just sort of went along with it like I was in a trance. I especially wouldn't have agreed to go along with this whole serving bullshit if I had known that the manager who hired me was a swinging pervert. At that time, who knew that I would stay at that place through the rest of high school, all through college and a failed marriage....

{more to come}

Vlog Series: third time's a charm

It's getting pretty close to ridiculous. The vlogging business is hard work I don't know how people do it. I'm not ready to speak actual words yet.

Fridays with Fred

You're so weird!

If i could, like, faux-birth a litter of puppies and be a stay-at-home-dog-mom that would be the life. I'd even consider feeding them with a set of eight furry nipples and carry them around by the loose skin on the back of their necks with my teeth.

I'm quickly approaching strange territory here.

Anyone still there?

[crickets]

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Junk Hunt

These are some items I picked up around the holidays. I think I was feeling the spirit a bit because it was all red and green.

vintage bulbs to start collecting

vintage apron that I'm in love with now

I like it so much more than the one I made

a vintage scrapbook/album which I am over the moon about that has never been used

I started adding to it and will show pics soon

A new mantle for the new year 2012

I'll admit it was nice to finally put up the tree and box away all of the creepy santas and annoying caroler trinkets. I love playing with the mantle. I probably think of a new idea for it every month but I resist the urge to change it that often as much as I can.

i'm almost over the feather wreathe but i can't figure out what else to replace it with right now

blue ball (hehehe) mason jars found at Savers one extemely lucky night, they had never been used either, they weren't cheap either but I could not walk away from them, the gorgeous postcard was made by my talented friend Anika 

my Merry always did want to be a unicorn painting by my other talented friend Erin next to our framed day after wedding photo

 vintage russian nesting dolls

 pictures taken by me, the one on the left is from a small corner on an alteration shop's sign which is owned by the sweetest guy named abraham

 picture of Tyrone taken at a show by our friend uglysheep

another lovely painting from Erin if you look closely you can almost make me out, i couldn't get it with out getting a reflection of myself

past mantles

the decor hasn't changed much in a year (last year's new year mantle)

halloween 2011 mantle (my personal fav)

a simple one