tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2779541452646835462024-03-15T19:09:29.074-06:00Third Time's a CharmMy misadventures in quilting, crocheting, and all things DIY.Britthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101262476606430931noreply@blogger.comBlogger102125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-277954145264683546.post-85772568831625889542023-01-18T10:10:00.002-07:002023-01-18T19:48:00.109-07:00<h3 style="text-align: left;"><b style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Universal Orlando: What We Learned</span></b></h3><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">We recently went to Universal Orlando, and since getting back have had three friends ask us for information. I decided it would be easier to type it up here, rather than constantly sending a jumbled mess of texts. Maybe one day I'll come back and pretty this up, but for now I just want to get the information down.</span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">To Disney or Not to Disney</span></b></h3><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Initially, my plan was to spend one day in Disney World (had to get in the Tower of Terror and the Star Wars attractions), and two days in Universal. My husband is military so we can get discounts. That one day in Disney was still going to cost our family over $600. Ouch! Then I learned that Universal Orlando has an amazing annual pass for military families.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I also talked to several people who had done both Disney World and Universal. The general consensus was that they preferred Universal Orlando to Universal Hollywood, and that they preferred Disneyland to Disney World. I have been told that the parks of Disney World are so spread out that park hopper tickets are not worth it. I was also told that the Wizarding World of Harry Potter is much more impressive in Orlando.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">So all things considered, I dropped the idea of Disney World and decided we would just do Universal and some beach days.</span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Before You Go</span></h3><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Harry Potter Wands</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-weight: normal;">Ask your friends if they have one of the magical Harry Potter wands they would let you borrow. The wands are pricey (about $65 in December 2022). Sure they are fun while you are there, but once you are home they are just an expensive wand. We did buy a family wand, but we also borrowed one from a friend.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Download the App</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The app is fantastic. It has maps of the park that you can filter what you see. It lists the ride wait times. It contains lists park hours. You can download your passes to it. You can order food through it. Some of the food places let you order your food, find a table, put down what table you are at, and then they bring you your food about five m minutes later. It was fantastic.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><b><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Hotels</span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I originally had us booked at a non-Universal hotel. Then I learned that Universal's Endless Summer Resort - Surfside Inn and Suites was just slightly more expensive and had some great perks. I quickly switched my reservation. Here are the main things we gained by switching.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Free Shuttle to the Parks:</i> This was big to me. Parking at the parks was going to be about $60-$70 a day. The shuttle would save that price, and it would also give us some flexibility. It made it easy for my husband and I to divide and conquer with the kids. My 12-year-old and I would go early, while the others slept in and joined us later. Whoever needed a mid-day break could go back to the hotel. It just made it so much easier to cater to everyone's desired schedule and keep people happy.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Early Entry: </i> This was huge. When we were there we could go into Islands of Adventure an hour early. The rides that were open were the Velocicoaster, Harry Potter's Forbidden Journey, Flight of the Hippogriff, and Hagrid's Motorbike Adventure. We were there at a time that was not that busy, but Hagrid's was almost always a 90 min + wait. We would get to the gates 45 minutes before the early entry opening. The gates would open 15 minutes before. We would go in as fast as we could and head to the right through Suessland. You need to show the park staff your room key at one point to prove that you are eligible for early entry. Then we would rush to the line for Hagrid's. One time we were the second group in line. It was great! We were off the ride shortly after the early opening time, and then we could explore Hogsmeade or go on one of the other rides. It was also fun to get to see Hogsmeade empty without all of the people.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Hotel Amenities: </span></i></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The hotel has two good-sized pools. My kids enjoyed exploring both. There are laundry mats on some of the floors. They were a little pricey, but it was nice to not have to pack as many clothes. There is a cafeteria-style restaurant that was reasonably priced. The kid's plates were often enough food for even me. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The rooms were a 2-room suite. They had a separate room with a queen bed, a small closet, and a TV. There was a bathroom vanity are with two sinks, and the toilet/tub were in a separate room. There was a small kitchen area with a mini fridge and a microwave. There was also a table that could seat about four around it. There were A LOT of shelves in this area, that made it convenient for storing food. I went to Walmart the first day we got there and got simple easy breakfast and lunch items. It made it nice to have a small quick breakfast before heading to the park. Then there were two other queen beds and a TV. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><b><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Planning Dates</span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I used undercovertourist.com's crowd calendars when I was picking our dates. It seemed like they were fairly accurate.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: large;">Food in the Park</span></b></h3><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">My kids actually did better with the food in Universal Orlando than they do with Disneyland. We found more options that they liked and would eat. We never carried a meal into the park. The shuttle made it easy to go back to our hotel for lunch. There are lockers that you can rent when you go into the park if you want to bring a little food, but don't want to carry it around.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Turkey Leg - this was available at several places and they all liked it.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Rotisserie Chicken - again, this was at several places, and it was probably their favorite.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Tacos - there is a taco truck in the Simpson's area that had some pretty good street tacos. Not all of my kids tried it, but I'm guessing my pickier eaters wouldn't have liked it.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Burgers - I know my husband and oldest got a burger in the Jurassic Park area one day and said it was pretty good. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Butterbeer - we tried almost every variety of it. Regular, frozen, hot, ice cream...it was all good! I think most of us would say the Hot Butterbeer was our favorite, but it isn't available all times of the year. My husband and I would usually share one, because it was a lot of sugary sweetness.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Tips On Where to Get Butterbeer:</i> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Ice Cream: 3 Broomsticks and Florean Fortescue's Ice-Cream Parlour</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Hot Butterbeer: 3 Broomsticks, The Leaky Cauldron, and there was another place across from the bathrooms by the stone umbrella. I don't know what it was called, but it was never busy when we went.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Cold Butterbeer and regular Butterbeer: I'm pretty sure you can get these at about any of the Harry Potter food places, including the Butterbeer stands outside.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>3 Broomsticks</i>: A tip on the 3 Broomsticks. It was really fun to go in and see it, and the food was good. However, if you see a line outside, and they tell you it takes about a half hour to get in, know that there is ANOTHER line once you get inside. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><b><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Other Food</span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Simpson's Large Donut: </i>It was plenty for our family to share. It was decent, but not a must-have in my opinion.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Pumpkin Pasties: </i>Decent if you like pumpkin.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Peppermint Frogs: </i>These were pretty tasty.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Shakes: </i>We got shakes from the Chocolate Emporium in City Walk. They are pricey and very sweet. We shared two among our family of five and it was plenty. They were good!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Park Hopping</span></b></h3><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">If you want to ride the Hogwarts Express you need to have Park Hopper tickets. You will need to show your tickets every time you get on the Hogwarts Express. So if you plan on your group splitting up, then someone in each party will need to have tickets for everyone. I had the app on my phone, and my husband had our paper tickets. You could also have multiple people in your group download the app.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><b><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">City Walk</span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I have been to Disneyland multiple times, so I tend to compare Universal Orland to what I know from Disneyland. To me City Walk is comparable to Downtown Disney. There are several restaurants and shops. You have to walk through City Walk from the shuttle drop-off/parking are to get to the entrances of Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios. It is at least 1/4 a mile.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><b><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">The Rides</span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Here is my take on the rides we did. There are several of us that get motion sick from spinning rides or rides with a lot of videos. So I'll be mentioning which ones made us nauseous. We didn't go on every ride, so if I do not mention a ride it is most likely because we did not go on it.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><b><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Island of Adventures</span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Doctor Doom's Fearfall</i>: This is comparable to Guardians of the Galaxy/Tower of Terror. However, I felt like it shot up a lot faster. It was fun!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Popeye & Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges</i>: This is similar to Grizzly River Run in California Adventures. However, with this one you WILL ABSOLUTELY get wet. Most likely drenched. If you don't want to get soaked, wear a cheap poncho or don't go on it. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Skull Island: Reign of Kong: </i>This reminded me of Indiana Jones. You are on a bus on tracks that shakes, shifts, and tips. You go through scenes and videos that tell the story.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Camp Jurassic: </i>This is a big playground area made up of rope bridges, stairs, and areas to explore. My nine-year-old loved it!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Jurassic Park River Adventure</i>: This one reminds me of Splash Mountain. You go through a calm river at first, and then it ends in a big drop. The boats sit about 5 people across and have one common lap bar. My girls didn't like the common lap bar, because it meant it wouldn't go snuggly on their little legs so they felt a little insecure.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>VelociCoaster</i>: This is quite the thrill! It was fast, it lasted a decent amount of time, and it took some guts to go on!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey</i>: This one goes on a track, tilts, turns, and moves in other directions, and has sections of video. This one made several of us sick, which is a shame because the line goes through Hogwarts, and had a lot of fun things to see. My oldest went on it several times by herself and used the single-rider line.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Flight of the Hippogriff: </i>This little roller coaster does not go fast and is VERY SHORT. So I would suggest not waiting in a long line for it. I wouldn't even wait 20 minutes for it. However, my younger kids loved it, and it had great views of Hogwart's Castle. We would usually go on it right after Hagrid's during the early hour because then we could walk right on it.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure</i>: Such a fun roller coaster! One of our favorites! My girls get a little nervous on roller coasters, but they watched videos of this one beforehand. Knowing what was coming helped them have fun. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Hogwarts Express: </i>The experience is a little different in both directions, so if you can ride it both ways.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Poseidon's Fury: </i>One of Universal's staff said this was one of their favorite things. My 12-year-old and I went through it. It's kind of like a walk-through show/experience. Honestly, we found it a little cheesy.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><b><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Universal Studios</span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Despicable Me Minion Mayhem</i>: I didn't go on this, but some of my family did. It sounds like it is a ride where you are in something that just shifts, shakes, and tips while you watch a video screen. It made my husband a little nauseous.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon: </i>This is another one where you are in something that shifts, shakes, and tips while you watch a screen. This one definitely made me nauseous, but my 12-year-old really liked it.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Revenge of the Mummy</i>: A roller coaster with some video. This was another of my 12-year-old and mine favorites. However, if I went on it multiple times in a row I would get sick.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Transformers: The Ride-3D</i>: This is another roller coaster/video ride. It's fun if you have a history with the franchise or love of it. It made me sick. 😆 Are you seeing a theme here?</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>The Night Bus:</i> If there is an actor outside of it, it is fun to take a minute to stop and watch. The crowd can ask questions and interact with them.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Ministry of Magic Phone Box</i>: You can go into the phone box and dial the special number to "try" to get into the Ministry of Magic.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts: </i>This is another fun one that is part roller coaster, part video. It is a 3D ride, and I had a hard time keeping the 3D glasses on during the roller coaster part so I would hold them in my hand when I needed to.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Men In Black Alien Attack!: </i>This is a really fun one where you get to shoot aliens as you ride. This was one of my 10-year-olds favorites. I've learned since going there that after you ride you can nicely ask the staff if a ride tour is available. If they aren't busy and have someone available they will take you to see parts of the line that you walk past but don't experience.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>The Simpsons Ride</i>: This is another one that you sit in a cart while it shifts, shakes, and tips, and you watch a video. You guessed it...it made me sick. My kids liked it though!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>ET Adventure</i>: This is what I consider a good ride for a break. It's dark, cool, not fast, and not too loud. However, I definitely would not wait in a long line for it.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Woody Woodpecker's Rollercoaster: </i>This was another small roller coaster for younger kids.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">A lot of rides do not allow bags on them. They have lockers nearby that you can put your bag in for free for about 30 minutes. However, you would have to get out of line to go put the bag in the locker. For that reason, we chose to not bring bags most of the time.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">There is a dragon on top of Gringotts that shoots fire out of its mouth about every 10 minutes. My dragon-lover child was SO EXCITED about this. It starts to make some gurgling noises before it emits fire.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">There are about six mapped places that you can use your wand to interact with in Hogsmeade and in Diagon Alley. Some were more difficult to get to work than others. There are also a few secret ones. You can have a Wizard or Witch working in the area show you, or we just started looking for the red sensor lights and were able to find some on our own. The spots at the windows are often crowded, so it might be a good thing to do during the early hour after you go on a ride or two.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">We did not pay for Express Passes, but were given a few single-use ones. While we were there most rides were short enough that they wouldn't have helped much. However, there were a few times they would have been nice to have. You cannot use them on some rides, like Hagrid's. Some of the nice Universal Hotels include Express Passes with your stay. If we go again I would price if it is worth staying one or two nights in one of those hotels to get the passes. Those passes are also closer to the park entrances. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Wow. If you are still with me, good job! I hope this information helps you with planning your Universal Orlando trip! My kids loved this place and would definitely go back. They chose to spend 5 1/2 days in the park even though I kept offering to take them other places like the beach, Sea World, and Gatorland.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div>Britthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101262476606430931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-277954145264683546.post-56970238607492331862013-02-03T11:38:00.000-07:002013-02-03T11:38:02.732-07:00Maternity Leave<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Almost two weeks ago two angels joined our family.</div>
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Needless to say, this blog is going to take a back seat to more important things. I may still manage to post about a few projects I've done recently. But it's not a priority. Snuggling these two little girls and their older sister is priority #1. Sleep is definitely up there in the top five when I can manage it.</div>
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<br />Britthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101262476606430931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-277954145264683546.post-87094811661066497652013-01-17T15:40:00.001-07:002013-01-17T15:40:09.522-07:00Toddler Seat CoverWhen we were looking to move our toddler out of the high chair, my hubby let me know he wasn't thrilled with the idea of booster seats. He feels that they aren't that secure and safe. His solution? A bar stool with the legs cut down a little. I was fine with the idea until I started pricing stools, particularly ones with backs. Yikes! They get pricy really quick! Luckily I stumbled on a floor model that was on clearance and snatched it up.<br />
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The seat was covered in a micro-fiber like material so I thought it would work out great. But we noticed it was staining easily and my mom warned me that it would looked well used very quickly.<br />
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Enter my husbands idea to make some sort of cover for it. Of course it was one of those "WE should make a cover for it" statements that meant "<u>I</u> should make a cover for it." We'll just assume it was a manifestation of his confidence in my ability.<br />
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So I grabbed some PUL fabric on sale, and this is what I came up with. The design is a combination of my hubby's idea and my own. It ties on all four legs, but also has flaps that are long enough to wrap around part of the bottom to be joined with a small bungee cord. It's been in use for a few days now and it seems to be working out okay. <br />
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It stays in place, cleans up easily, and our little one seems to be happy with it. Better yet, it was one of those one day projects. Love those.<br />
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<br />Britthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101262476606430931noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-277954145264683546.post-59522408324076547212013-01-09T14:13:00.000-07:002013-01-10T19:14:01.079-07:00Toddler Quiet BookMan! Between the holidays and getting ready for these twins to come I haven't been spending much time on the computer. And since the twins will most likely be making their grand debut in two weeks there's a good chance that it is only going to get worse.<br />
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I do still have some projects to share with you, so we'll see if I can't get one or two in before they rock my world.<br />
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Back in September a friend of mine organized 16 of us to make Quiet Books together. The idea was we would each pick a page to make and we would make 16 of that page. The organizer made sure nobody was duplicating pages, and was our go to person. Once they were all made and turned into her, she divided them so that we each received 16 different pages. Brilliant! It was easier, faster, and cheaper to do it this way.<br />
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The goal was to get the pages to everyone in early December so that they could be put together for Christmas presents. I decided that I would hold on to mine until the twins came so I could use it as something to help entertain my 2 year old when I have two new babies to take care of.<br />
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Here is my finished project finally! I bought extra Pellon to make the front and page covers. I covered them with some fun fabric and hand sewed on the foam letters. I tried using my sewing machine, but I didn't like the look of it. Of course! Don't we all tend to prefer the look the more complicated methods give us.<br />
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I put some eyelets in each page then joined them with metal rings. Even with 1 1/2 inch rings I couldn't fit all of the pages. I figured I could switch them out every so often to help revive her interest in it.<br />
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There were some fantastic pages made: Barnyard Finger Puppets, Tic Toc Clock, Abacus, Match the Socks, and many more. I decided to do the Peek-a-Boo Mittens page. I'll be honest, I wanted to pick one that was cute, but not too difficult to do. I'm still amazed someone chose to do the Barnyard Finger Puppets 16 different times. Wow!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg70JVLc-qdwejrYA0XCrDZ0shi-PotrhUBHP3PehyphenhyphenMQr0xdE6is6WyMbP4rag8k-x7Dziym-D6dxvX9nt15mWYgK6o_4Z3tGl_XrxS89nbK2AwyRDLPCkFsrgJmopg2_GwJgFrb2CBbFwe/s1600/QB+Collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg70JVLc-qdwejrYA0XCrDZ0shi-PotrhUBHP3PehyphenhyphenMQr0xdE6is6WyMbP4rag8k-x7Dziym-D6dxvX9nt15mWYgK6o_4Z3tGl_XrxS89nbK2AwyRDLPCkFsrgJmopg2_GwJgFrb2CBbFwe/s400/QB+Collage.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I wanted the kids to be able to put their hands in the mittens if they wanted. So I made a few trial sizes and tested them out on my little one. I wanted to embellish the mittens somehow, but again, didn't want to make it too time consuming. So I chose a decorative stitch on my sewing machine and went to town.<br />
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Rather than buying photo pockets which were a little more costly than I liked, I cut page protectors down to the size I needed and sewed them on with a zig zag stitch. I ended up getting four photo pockets out of one page protector. Not bad, huh?<br />
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Then for the wording I didn't want to write "Peek-a-Boo" sixteen different times. Lazy, huh? So I used my method for printing <a href="http://diythirdtimesacharm.blogspot.com/2012/01/create-your-own-material-labels.html">Fabric Labels</a> and printed it out on fabric then sewed it on to the page.<br />
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I finished it all off with some cute little snowflakes I bought from JoAnns and there you have it! A fairly simple, but cute version of Peek-a-Boo Mittens.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ5mN3QiJ7Rnu1_LNCLt3RWPNFdjujsYsPrC5pzRvfRqYHoPUOd83T2Wgj6XFEFyBPZtOSN3xJqRjcI8WmJ7e5ISBJgXcv8LfVZhiO1arLkI9Kz1kcbCdtVIVFTE2laTJfLTNyHr2jHbmM/s1600/Quite+Book+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ5mN3QiJ7Rnu1_LNCLt3RWPNFdjujsYsPrC5pzRvfRqYHoPUOd83T2Wgj6XFEFyBPZtOSN3xJqRjcI8WmJ7e5ISBJgXcv8LfVZhiO1arLkI9Kz1kcbCdtVIVFTE2laTJfLTNyHr2jHbmM/s400/Quite+Book+1.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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I still haven't given the book to my toddler yet. Hopefully it will provide hours of fun, educational play to help keep her entertained!<br />
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P.S. - If this post is full of typos, it's because I was playing pretend with fish, horses, cars, and ducks with my toddler as I typed it up. Where would we be as moms if we couldn't multi-task?Britthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101262476606430931noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-277954145264683546.post-40717403728778237352012-12-21T07:00:00.000-07:002012-12-21T07:00:01.101-07:00Online Eyeglass FunThe following is a sponsored post for <a href="http://www.glassesusa.com/">GlassesUSA.com</a>.<br />
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Glasses. Me and glasses. We don't go together very well. I got my first pair when I was 16. My mom's friend who worked for the optometrist helped me pick them out. I was too young and impressionable to speak my mind so I ended up with a pair of <a href="http://www.glassesusa.com/">eyeglasses</a> that I wasn't crazy about.<br />
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When I was in college I eventually ventured out and bought me a new pair of <a href="http://www.glassesusa.com/">glasses</a>. I LOVED 'EM!! Unfortunately, I didn't own them for very long before I lost them when I was on a trip with friends. I even went back to where I bought them from, but they had discontinued that frame. Of course!<br />
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Then I became a mom and discovered that young ones can be brutal on <a href="http://www.glassesusa.com/">eye glasses</a>. I don't know how many pairs I have gone through in the last two and a half years, but it's ridiculous! Needless to say as a busy mom it's difficult to make it to an optometrist every time I need a new pair and EXPENSIVE.<br />
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This is when I discovered online eyeglass companies. Sure it can be intimidating to <a href="http://www.glassesusa.com/">order glasses</a> online, but these companies are getting smart and have fantastic tools to help you virtually try on the glasses. Just check out the Virtual Mirror Feature from GlassesUSA.com.<br />
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<object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/get/flashplayer/current/swflash.cab" height="433" id="glasses" width="650">
<param name="movie" value="http://www.glassesusa.com/try-it/ext/glasses_650X433.swf" />
<param name="quality" value="high" />
<param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" />
<embed src="http://www.glassesusa.com/try-it/ext/glasses_650X433.swf" quality="high" width="650" height="433" name="glasses" align="middle" play="true" loop="false" quality="high" allowScriptAccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.adobe.com/go/getflashplayer">
</embed>
</object><br />
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I had a blast with it! <br />
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And this one had some features that were superior to other websites. This one you can upload a picture and rotate it so your eyes are level as well as change the size of the image. Some sites require you to use a photo you take with your webcam. Uploading an existing photo was very desirable to me, as I'm not crazy about how my swollen pregnant face is photographing these days.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMf3MTFQsuOvRu6JlUc8ogurOkVz6ZftZhCMjn67N2XqsEXFpbVYaswRlkSFnC9CFKQOFn-cYWhyphenhypheniTvHBvcxv5mkNIUZIyna2Bg8S9c6PyU2-Cgt54ReRW33GNFSQYIy2LfbzSKgw-fFmM/s1600/Screen+shot+2012-12-20+at+8.17.09+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMf3MTFQsuOvRu6JlUc8ogurOkVz6ZftZhCMjn67N2XqsEXFpbVYaswRlkSFnC9CFKQOFn-cYWhyphenhypheniTvHBvcxv5mkNIUZIyna2Bg8S9c6PyU2-Cgt54ReRW33GNFSQYIy2LfbzSKgw-fFmM/s320/Screen+shot+2012-12-20+at+8.17.09+AM.png" width="271" /></a></div>
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Another thing I liked about their site was the Virtual Optician that helps you select frames. You can do it by frame features, measurements or your personality to help find a pair of frames you'll love!</div>
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And for you my dear readers they are offering some discounts. </div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Take 15% off your entire order amount + FREE shipping (orders over $50). Code: FS15</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;">Take 10% off any order of prescription glasses. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;">Code: Blog10</span></div>
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<pre style="text-align: center; word-wrap: break-word;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times; white-space: normal;">Check 'em out and have some fun with the Virtual Mirror!</span></pre>
<br />Britthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101262476606430931noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-277954145264683546.post-53860054159559522262012-12-20T10:17:00.000-07:002013-01-09T13:10:14.269-07:00Pretty Peasant Dresses<center>
<a href="http://twoyellowbirdsdecor.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="http://i1101.photobucket.com/albums/g430/jshcroeder/Iwasfeatured2.gif" /></a></center>
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Are you familiar with the blog <a href="http://www.sew-much-ado.com/">Sew Much Ado</a>? If not, you should be!!! I have never bought one of her patterns before, but I have used several of her tutorials. The tutorials are so fantastic, the quality of her patterns must be amazing.<br />
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I used her Infant Peasant Dress tutorial to make a few little dresses for the twins. I love the simple design and the use of elastic. It's going to make it ssssooooo easy to put these on and take them off!<br />
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I believe I ordered this material from <a href="http://pickyourplum.com/">Pick Your Plum</a> when it was one of their daily deals. It's one of those great sites that posts a new deal everyday. It's often baker's twine, basic wardrobe pieces, blank jewelry or crafts. When I decided to make these dresses and was digging through my material stash, these prints seemed perfect. Adorable, but soft. Something that won't over-power two little girls.<br />
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BTW - I'm not getting paid by Sew Much Ado or Pick Your Plum. I just want to share two sites with you I love!Britthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101262476606430931noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-277954145264683546.post-60291989699476058492012-12-13T07:34:00.000-07:002013-01-09T13:19:35.684-07:00Diamond Quilt<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a border="0" href="http://threadingmyway.blogspot.com/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Threading My Way_Featured" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaoOaciiR9eoVMaP5qoE9bOQiB42CRGgQN6WtlIRnWgFVBbG6CgIzDONoWvee9G_RhMzXRbStr4F-TE-hz7CgBa17Ps3nhpxvtWDif1IZqbOpsIqVCQPjj8RcaKX8hdG2W77gyC2Kcdi0/s150/TMW_button_featured.jpg" /></a></div>
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Yay for another finished baby project! I'm definitely in the nesting stage washing dozens of onesies, a bazillion baby socks, getting the nursery in order, and working frantically to make everything I want to for these two bundles of joy.<br />
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About six months ago I posted about the <a href="http://diythirdtimesacharm.blogspot.com/2012/06/zig-zag-quilt.html">Zig Zag Quilt</a> I had made. Sure I intended to give it as a gift, but I just couldn't part with it. I promise I tried!! I even had my husband pick it up from the house one day and bring it to me when I thought we were going to see the lucky recipients. He brought me the wrong quilt. I think that was a sign.<br />
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Now that I have TWO babies on the way, I'm grateful I already had this one made so I could focus on making just one more and focus on the many other projects on my agenda.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sister Quilts</td></tr>
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I decided I didn't want to make the same quilt, but something complimentary to the Zig Zag Quilt. So I started with some adorable polka dot and neutral alphabet fabrics. I made the same amount of Half Square Triangles as the Zig Zag Quilt. I then played around with the squares, coming up with half a dozen different designs. It was difficult to choose a winner!<br />
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Eventually, after some Facebook votes I settled on this diamond design. I'm happy with my decision and love how these two quilts go together.<br />
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I backed this one with cozy flannel, just as I did the Zig Zag Quilt.<br />
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For the quilting I stuck with the same idea of just quilting in the white squares. After playing with a few quilting designs I decided to go with the double diamond. I love the look on the front and back.<br />
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I tried something different with the quilting. I wanted the thread to blend in on both sides, but I was quilting on white on top, and red on the bottom. Yikes! So I used red for my bobbin thread and white for my main thread. I don't know why this has never occurred to me before! I love how it worked out!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My ever faithful helper.</td></tr>
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Now on to baby dresses, afghans, receiving blankets....you get the picture.</div>
<br />Britthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101262476606430931noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-277954145264683546.post-82177206842658617792012-12-04T12:37:00.001-07:002012-12-04T12:37:46.300-07:00Ladder Bookshelf Tutorial<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Here it finally is! I've been talking about this tutorial for probably 10 months. Now the ladder's actually done, the tutorial is written, and the pictures and inputted. I'm not sure what took more time, making the ladder or writing the tutorial!</div>
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One thing I am liking about this project is it's versatile. I could put books or toys on it, or use it to decorate.</div>
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Right now it's being used to display some Christmas treasures. My little one has reorganized the shelves several times already...</div>
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For Halloween, I had it on my front stoop adorned with gourds and squash from our garden. Talk about cheap decorations!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKh5RKLZBOVOsT3ZIov6-Bfkb2YYwgmRBzh1lrRlxAdQuZnfnk7B9dA0dedBZy_SX64uyU0iNBG_pGjOBcWwCuAY58U7uwtSLWXJReIYjaRSSfBrRD-Xo3sfQCXpTW8YX-kXc81sJHZDOH/s1600/Ladder+Shelves+4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKh5RKLZBOVOsT3ZIov6-Bfkb2YYwgmRBzh1lrRlxAdQuZnfnk7B9dA0dedBZy_SX64uyU0iNBG_pGjOBcWwCuAY58U7uwtSLWXJReIYjaRSSfBrRD-Xo3sfQCXpTW8YX-kXc81sJHZDOH/s400/Ladder+Shelves+4.png" width="300" /></a></div>
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So now it's your turn! Go crazy and make your own, add your own touch. Hopefully this tutorial makes sense. It seemed simple at the time, but writing it was a little more complicated than I thought. Let me know if you have questions, but please be kind.</div>
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**Disclaimer** I wrote most of this tutorial as I made my own bookshelves. However, I didn't write the section on putting it together until LONG after I had done it. My memory was a little shaky, but I did the best I could. Good luck, and let me know if you have questions!<br />
<br />
<b>Materials and Tools</b><br />
1x8 boards<br />
Plywood - I used 3/16 thickness, but this just depends on how thick you want your shelves<br />
3/4" wooden dowels<br />
8x2 wood screws<br />
1/2" pipe straps<br />
1/2" corner braces<br />
small screws (I used 3/8" screws so that they wouldn't break through the top of my shelves)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLIoH16i1IY5d9Cwqff11z8ypMMgo2ivaBq3VhsPIN61ChNTGvQ5tEvlIUmfHWFRIyl-apVtuTkMot4m0F4VJAz3_mOpK7efGw7AQQoEpPFBOCuRj42serZPjd03v5jlGl1io8gw5i3kzV/s1600/The+Hardware.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLIoH16i1IY5d9Cwqff11z8ypMMgo2ivaBq3VhsPIN61ChNTGvQ5tEvlIUmfHWFRIyl-apVtuTkMot4m0F4VJAz3_mOpK7efGw7AQQoEpPFBOCuRj42serZPjd03v5jlGl1io8gw5i3kzV/s400/The+Hardware.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Circular saw (or table saw if you're lucky enough to have one)<br />
Sander<br />
Drill(s)<br />
Level<br />
3/4" wood boring bit<br />
Chinese Saw: suggested<br />
Paint/Primer<br />
<br />
<b>Making the Frame</b><br />
<br />
1. Prepare the wood<br />
In my case this meant finding a way to get the packing labels off of the wood. I found what worked best for me was scraping as much off as I could with a paint scraper, then using rough sand paper (a low grit) with my rotary sander. I then sanded my boards with a finer grit sand paper.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDcpQbp8qC4pCCxwL_xk6ZV1C_cS-7R1FTOsYUvJ_1qe1WqwY3kRp7XaGWUfL4FVY6yDyq0KEiPluC3smxJTGMVP6mOgseKucVgztnzeWuEa08jTqsNQ3mb4LSDcdOJ_aZwXxkFDWZnQSK/s1600/sticker+boards.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDcpQbp8qC4pCCxwL_xk6ZV1C_cS-7R1FTOsYUvJ_1qe1WqwY3kRp7XaGWUfL4FVY6yDyq0KEiPluC3smxJTGMVP6mOgseKucVgztnzeWuEa08jTqsNQ3mb4LSDcdOJ_aZwXxkFDWZnQSK/s400/sticker+boards.jpg" width="297" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lovely packaging stickers on my boards. Guess that's<br />
what I get for using boards from a dumpster.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipGKh7s9QqvJ9NEzDM1eS3ZG2-v64bXgaoFt8SwKQHMccL9TQtqIMmekX4XOBQtku0y8dQ296QLBTVJiTA-jNUFKUFwEamk3gM5_UvXHEYr9hlTXbFQTBFqmRj5SCzqXl1thPnYUQeWpHM/s1600/removing+stickers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipGKh7s9QqvJ9NEzDM1eS3ZG2-v64bXgaoFt8SwKQHMccL9TQtqIMmekX4XOBQtku0y8dQ296QLBTVJiTA-jNUFKUFwEamk3gM5_UvXHEYr9hlTXbFQTBFqmRj5SCzqXl1thPnYUQeWpHM/s400/removing+stickers.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scrape those suckers off!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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2. Lay out the two boards that will make one side of the ladder. Play around with the angle, until you find a position you like. Mark the boards and use a circular saw to cut along your marks. You will be cutting off the top of the boards.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA7bhxoAnVs7amPSQo6IIxcHeLtOtCUQ2mK2HyjcKGLK5PO3BAjPGPSpzdcq2umDVPRfOBpGXrOSfgtq4irP_UVrXMh0P5jCUdni846OI3Kc5ExmKKTG2lK6ljRHQEvwqnTb7pSxTsub2q/s1600/Cutting+Tops+Even.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA7bhxoAnVs7amPSQo6IIxcHeLtOtCUQ2mK2HyjcKGLK5PO3BAjPGPSpzdcq2umDVPRfOBpGXrOSfgtq4irP_UVrXMh0P5jCUdni846OI3Kc5ExmKKTG2lK6ljRHQEvwqnTb7pSxTsub2q/s400/Cutting+Tops+Even.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ignore the board the saw is on for now. The other two show what it<br />
looks like after I cut the top of one to even them up.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
These pictures show how I laid my boards out to decide on an angle. I drew a line marking where the boards overlapped. I did not cut at this line, but used it as a reference when clamping my boards together for future steps.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7pR2E5mgW1_bUMdfXW3HCgVjRqwFNc9Re5uJJA4J4xG2YrWCovQub_wFtVlGaijK7NMoQAcw-OjcM2kKd5xZu6RDqRn0zCCrR4Oqcc77YbYhDonrbiENJwAi9i0F3SWhXX4X04lgoLgJw/s1600/lining+up+angle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7pR2E5mgW1_bUMdfXW3HCgVjRqwFNc9Re5uJJA4J4xG2YrWCovQub_wFtVlGaijK7NMoQAcw-OjcM2kKd5xZu6RDqRn0zCCrR4Oqcc77YbYhDonrbiENJwAi9i0F3SWhXX4X04lgoLgJw/s400/lining+up+angle.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Line 'em up!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3cDMXLdTi3TXTCGK3L-YylYx6IHexk7hMIG3A4XOE0MZKh7jlXAay17s7rgvbK8emTsaDuuNYZdAIwuT1V_uSLlLNgGaf7CJfPmqwpNjEeN3pBkuMm_Pn1F19wIX991r8ffuj4i6wBp7U/s1600/angled+pencil+mark.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3cDMXLdTi3TXTCGK3L-YylYx6IHexk7hMIG3A4XOE0MZKh7jlXAay17s7rgvbK8emTsaDuuNYZdAIwuT1V_uSLlLNgGaf7CJfPmqwpNjEeN3pBkuMm_Pn1F19wIX991r8ffuj4i6wBp7U/s400/angled+pencil+mark.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reference line. Don't cut it!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
3. Square up the bottom edge of the back support board by marking and cutting with a circular saw. I had a square that I used to make my mark. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYvNsyGcPAftkoPqzO409hLXmJXia__KYeStQW9pX7g0TsvXqzeez8p4xauq3TmrLuNFCg69xp8DaJbhfmFrdXPRtOh_WFjmfvH1VqmXW0i9u96magRxHZRDek7CzqCqzjVBExfJ_79ku8/s1600/Squaring+Bottome.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYvNsyGcPAftkoPqzO409hLXmJXia__KYeStQW9pX7g0TsvXqzeez8p4xauq3TmrLuNFCg69xp8DaJbhfmFrdXPRtOh_WFjmfvH1VqmXW0i9u96magRxHZRDek7CzqCqzjVBExfJ_79ku8/s400/Squaring+Bottome.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Use a square to mark the bottom cut on the back support board.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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4. Clamp the two boards in place at this point. Take a yard stick or long board and line it up with the bottom you just squared up then use it to draw a line on your angled board. Cut along the line.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsOy4Rf9GH6Hx1MP_UXEkvgZaxOYuXOS6pJpEwYWbKyH7l4U5vPXfP3x1HPrfXtcIPyyfFom5LoiKdkyzv0NRp77kCio2vxjPjI6O6ZBBR-cxRFkJMZyk9edR5nJWB86T7i8zdVvFH70zo/s1600/Marking+top+hole.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsOy4Rf9GH6Hx1MP_UXEkvgZaxOYuXOS6pJpEwYWbKyH7l4U5vPXfP3x1HPrfXtcIPyyfFom5LoiKdkyzv0NRp77kCio2vxjPjI6O6ZBBR-cxRFkJMZyk9edR5nJWB86T7i8zdVvFH70zo/s400/Marking+top+hole.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Top of boards clamped together.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqLFO_dwO4kW3EzGLUhXUpEgyxAQ3sNEgEbZ_WHgkRq_Qvd0pHjP1LXSb5Y8ECUUBhKKwpJML7Bqhdr88lSq0ns989UAWiXNkzDHfPUqChnPh8BshSSwYuBx4GOBE1hGOaWeBrQaSpi-Mr/s1600/Cutting+Bottoms.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqLFO_dwO4kW3EzGLUhXUpEgyxAQ3sNEgEbZ_WHgkRq_Qvd0pHjP1LXSb5Y8ECUUBhKKwpJML7Bqhdr88lSq0ns989UAWiXNkzDHfPUqChnPh8BshSSwYuBx4GOBE1hGOaWeBrQaSpi-Mr/s400/Cutting+Bottoms.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Use a long straight edge, such as another board to mark the bottoms cut for<br />
the front support board.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho6QGk5kK6n0-PnyZVTBMM3bjiIEW7CdOGfNd8kdoJYb0AU9-o1LcZPRIY212Bu4aF22adIgF2XzRF6GIE4u3fBqTA8tqifmwtKBP137ThfHP2FD15v3_d-zVognI7oBn-o2NIC4-dHO5K/s1600/Bottom+Cuts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho6QGk5kK6n0-PnyZVTBMM3bjiIEW7CdOGfNd8kdoJYb0AU9-o1LcZPRIY212Bu4aF22adIgF2XzRF6GIE4u3fBqTA8tqifmwtKBP137ThfHP2FD15v3_d-zVognI7oBn-o2NIC4-dHO5K/s400/Bottom+Cuts.jpg" width="287" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Both support boards of one side with their bottoms cut.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
5. With the boards still clamped mark where you want your top dowel to be. I marked mine 3.25 inches in from the back board (the halfway point). Use a 3/4" wood boring drill bit to to make the whole. To ensure you don't drill too far use a piece of tape to mark on the bit when you should stop drilling. I like to let the tip of my bit just barely break through my outside (bottom) board. It provides a mark that becomes useful later in the process.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN2wN2bWublavEZvzdER_Mnyy1jWs0yc7mF_azZLjV_vnqGjNOOmqSIxm33ouAhT6XNGtX5u1bUc2DYHfY1PDJiRPpMPrznJ_wSgJvoCEd7p0X5OLpHkDh3z9wPyCpx9uvmIqqATflFHDT/s1600/3.25+Mark.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN2wN2bWublavEZvzdER_Mnyy1jWs0yc7mF_azZLjV_vnqGjNOOmqSIxm33ouAhT6XNGtX5u1bUc2DYHfY1PDJiRPpMPrznJ_wSgJvoCEd7p0X5OLpHkDh3z9wPyCpx9uvmIqqATflFHDT/s400/3.25+Mark.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marking the top hole.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6fbRHNLpLbw_nGsfMJVbwv0sDFgA6HI7yg4IBwF8MdrdAv2lcRoanggyZUeSm0anDbyvozVZJllE0vJiX2xEtvAen5oCoAydI5FyWNWfgyPWG1LoIpJ_VxAq_n7o9PlHDoMkpx9RgjuHS/s1600/drilling+Second+Top+hole.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6fbRHNLpLbw_nGsfMJVbwv0sDFgA6HI7yg4IBwF8MdrdAv2lcRoanggyZUeSm0anDbyvozVZJllE0vJiX2xEtvAen5oCoAydI5FyWNWfgyPWG1LoIpJ_VxAq_n7o9PlHDoMkpx9RgjuHS/s400/drilling+Second+Top+hole.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marked top hole.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3ww-i4zY2zFxe9rq2P9FV9so1VtYweJKDOCjTHW9WUnotScAi8fYri12IRnfMEjX0Rb07YwJaD4zqG5ExOropuK_S18HO4P3YTk9PWwMkSCaHTiCHf_JNvZ_yOn_J3RbDLq0ZrqhfB63w/s1600/wood+boring+bit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3ww-i4zY2zFxe9rq2P9FV9so1VtYweJKDOCjTHW9WUnotScAi8fYri12IRnfMEjX0Rb07YwJaD4zqG5ExOropuK_S18HO4P3YTk9PWwMkSCaHTiCHf_JNvZ_yOn_J3RbDLq0ZrqhfB63w/s400/wood+boring+bit.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">3/4" Wood boring bit.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqH8ugBlc9xh1tATvC3KC-doFeqgefpcJAXgAzTmOueOSDVPxj74WsNDSwyt4ocnwOJCjWsXZNpzDNg66J7Tm6Q-2ySPnHNy-0RXwlgfhuWhxlyygfoz250wVtOKJa8jPFfp1bQUSniNNh/s1600/Bored+Hole.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqH8ugBlc9xh1tATvC3KC-doFeqgefpcJAXgAzTmOueOSDVPxj74WsNDSwyt4ocnwOJCjWsXZNpzDNg66J7Tm6Q-2ySPnHNy-0RXwlgfhuWhxlyygfoz250wVtOKJa8jPFfp1bQUSniNNh/s400/Bored+Hole.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First hole for the dowel!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO0DbQP73MkkIciV3BdN5RjksSYgP_YQVF6aJQUg4Cv9j_NntJ3uGqSqoJaFVHsMvI3H6qTc7Lcrt7jwJMvZ8MKpxMaenON2YsHo3E4KD0wI4x1KEXKYcDo6x5scQDvTVkayJFsomMLmEi/s1600/Side+support+cut+and+top+hole+drilled.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO0DbQP73MkkIciV3BdN5RjksSYgP_YQVF6aJQUg4Cv9j_NntJ3uGqSqoJaFVHsMvI3H6qTc7Lcrt7jwJMvZ8MKpxMaenON2YsHo3E4KD0wI4x1KEXKYcDo6x5scQDvTVkayJFsomMLmEi/s400/Side+support+cut+and+top+hole+drilled.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One side clamped into place showing top cuts, bottom cuts,<br />
and top hole for a dowel.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div>
6. Unclamp your boards and use them to mark your top and bottoms cuts on the second side, as well as the hole you made in step 5. Cut along your marks.<br />
<br />
7. Lay out the second side of your boards (the one you just cut) and clamp then into place. Use the mark for the hole in step 6 to bore another hole using your 3/4" boring bit. **NOTE** Make sure you have the correct piece on the bottom. When I first did this I ended up with two left sides of my ladder and no right side because I drilled the whole with the wrong board on top. <br />
<br />
8. Decide how many shelves you want and how far apart you want them. I decided on 5 shelves and marked them 12.5" apart. Make your marks for the shelves on the inside of one back board. I marked them 1.5" from the back side of the board, because I wanted to dowels further back. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimnPtn4HjNOdgSZa9Rcl0pJ54QQ1TXM5SmQDewlxffYrk4UKx2bAxJXklfFVIgw_6Fe-iY-WIKhvQFzH7Wi1RW0_IxG4ilYxnM_Bgm87OVcxdSIEdYINphv0BUmZtk9OOg6nmr5LFpuhKa/s1600/Mark+Holes+for+Dowles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimnPtn4HjNOdgSZa9Rcl0pJ54QQ1TXM5SmQDewlxffYrk4UKx2bAxJXklfFVIgw_6Fe-iY-WIKhvQFzH7Wi1RW0_IxG4ilYxnM_Bgm87OVcxdSIEdYINphv0BUmZtk9OOg6nmr5LFpuhKa/s400/Mark+Holes+for+Dowles.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hard to see, but I promise those arrows are pointing to marks for drilling.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
9. Used the 3/4"boring bit to drill the holes. Again, use tape to mark on the bit when you should stop drilling, and I also let the tip of the bit just break through the other side with these holes.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDfeyrOtvlD2dof37DblvEZ1pPyzL53t8uw61GvhLx9UObJ16HLDmxlFrKf056IjAaTXzbkdaa6MQfUAGH769YQdobzL4gWCWwatFLnVk2iwKLzSPIoTOuWv2GKBxxCZj8VCqOtCBv1Idw/s1600/Drilled+Holes+for+Dowels.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDfeyrOtvlD2dof37DblvEZ1pPyzL53t8uw61GvhLx9UObJ16HLDmxlFrKf056IjAaTXzbkdaa6MQfUAGH769YQdobzL4gWCWwatFLnVk2iwKLzSPIoTOuWv2GKBxxCZj8VCqOtCBv1Idw/s400/Drilled+Holes+for+Dowels.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Several holes drilled.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
10. Flip the board from step 9 onto your other back board. They should be mirroring each other. You should be able to see the small holes from bit on this side of the board. Use a long nail and hammer to puncture through the whole and mark your second board.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFMckN4xZs1cqRL1vkxH99Md4PTsf4yarEtgZhGGl4qxY7uQWXt1oQwpDKJa7P1_t0RBt_t9y3IM750ilqkGGe5DQ937n-_9IWWwcQn3lwBeKfBjO7H9vagWSveRcqFbsM_P5TiJHDhaqD/s1600/Mark+Second+Board.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFMckN4xZs1cqRL1vkxH99Md4PTsf4yarEtgZhGGl4qxY7uQWXt1oQwpDKJa7P1_t0RBt_t9y3IM750ilqkGGe5DQ937n-_9IWWwcQn3lwBeKfBjO7H9vagWSveRcqFbsM_P5TiJHDhaqD/s400/Mark+Second+Board.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marking the second board for drilling. The top board is the one that already<br />
has holes in it. The bottom is the board we are marking.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
11. Remove the top board. You should see small holes from the nail. These holes mark where you will drill your holes using the 3/4" bore bit.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWWFK9sE63s2HnkjPDrqlBdyVebwnJBSm2eUqT0r7RWQzpLGPen8lTzJzm-jLf-nGLXQlW-qyJvHDDxq-DGjPcNFWPRQksgKgT_CuSiXQSiggVQQw4PXimljn3g7UP5eM2WyTZT9_tELEf/s1600/Holes+in+both+boards.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWWFK9sE63s2HnkjPDrqlBdyVebwnJBSm2eUqT0r7RWQzpLGPen8lTzJzm-jLf-nGLXQlW-qyJvHDDxq-DGjPcNFWPRQksgKgT_CuSiXQSiggVQQw4PXimljn3g7UP5eM2WyTZT9_tELEf/s400/Holes+in+both+boards.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boards with holes drilled so that they mirror each other.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
12. Cut your dowels. Decide how wide you want your shelf and then cut the dowels approximately 2 inches larger than that. This compensates for the part of the dowels that will be in the holes you have bored. I wanted my bookshelf about 18" wide so I cut my dowels to 20" length. I used a reciprocating saw to cut my dowels, but I've used a hand saw before. If you are making five shelves like mine you will need 6 dowels. Five for the shelves and one for the top joint.<br />
<br />
13. You're now ready to attach your dowels to one side of your ladder. Put the top dowel through the inside board (angled board) and place the outside board (back board) on top of it. Saw horses were very helpful for this step. Then hold the dowel in place while drill a guide hole. **NOTE** DO NOT SKIP THE GUIDE HOLE! This hole makes screwing the dowels into place MUCH easier.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi-HqsTMtrCRivmRVLYu7YbfGcN2XYjQ5gR-eNcqEFI1ETBgxs1emx1zPkVCiYb4TAM-UXiv-LwXs1D2RCCh6hDHe4G0uGamHyCOj142Rwc11g26U_7aNENsv1Dzgf1uLEzjJyx_zZyv-v/s1600/Attaching+Dowels+side+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi-HqsTMtrCRivmRVLYu7YbfGcN2XYjQ5gR-eNcqEFI1ETBgxs1emx1zPkVCiYb4TAM-UXiv-LwXs1D2RCCh6hDHe4G0uGamHyCOj142Rwc11g26U_7aNENsv1Dzgf1uLEzjJyx_zZyv-v/s400/Attaching+Dowels+side+2.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pre-drill that hole!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsVedIt9mS4rlDuw6WXBJH2vgIc_THyAmO2UQKvDKET4cgcoXfBfcjGrwa5XST9JkzCQZRKhr358JJe7KdWS1fkwJ7fmR1XvGYpxnCLgvWfAcnvx3eIeyBiNcObgILllS79UY-GwcdmaUC/s1600/Attaching+Dowels+to+Side+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsVedIt9mS4rlDuw6WXBJH2vgIc_THyAmO2UQKvDKET4cgcoXfBfcjGrwa5XST9JkzCQZRKhr358JJe7KdWS1fkwJ7fmR1XvGYpxnCLgvWfAcnvx3eIeyBiNcObgILllS79UY-GwcdmaUC/s400/Attaching+Dowels+to+Side+1.jpg" width="308" /></a></div>
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14. Immediately drill a screw into the hole. I strongly suggest drilling one hole, then putting the screw in, drilling a hole, putting the screw in. This ensures your holes are still lined up. I used two drills while doing this and it made life much easier. Repeat this for all six dowels.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_w_iQG0sa_1oF2fDiCEavVUntt1p9u8SO49K-oyXZ5vhnHWSukgLglbgYPuGmq4yRjmfI6kdmfTLJu7cQvGNnWShRbc3aOYTUGGpOVg6O4I4Z6ZaXAv27q1mbuDhqmxvi2-reExSasyGB/s1600/Dowels+in+one+side.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_w_iQG0sa_1oF2fDiCEavVUntt1p9u8SO49K-oyXZ5vhnHWSukgLglbgYPuGmq4yRjmfI6kdmfTLJu7cQvGNnWShRbc3aOYTUGGpOVg6O4I4Z6ZaXAv27q1mbuDhqmxvi2-reExSasyGB/s400/Dowels+in+one+side.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dowels attached to one side. Notice the two drills in the top right of the<br />
picture. Very helpful to have in this step!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
15. Lay the piece down on the ground with the dowels pointing up. Find something about the width of the ladder to help support the inside board (angled board). I used one of my tool cases. Place the inside board in place - top hole through the top dowel and angled out. Place the outside board (back board) on top of the angled board and resting on the dowels. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsKbF8BSEZl7LJatsK28rPvnIalU4n98vtM9xkw3QivP3Q_P8v3V4L07JzgnPnMWzk_6RJQ4RX0VsxM4PsJLfdR1iA_zehcRCNxYbE8xE_FhPxrbdn1kFLoTN8kCOjB9IYhCa3PvuNC-p9/s1600/Attaching+Dowels+Side+2+Lining+Up.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsKbF8BSEZl7LJatsK28rPvnIalU4n98vtM9xkw3QivP3Q_P8v3V4L07JzgnPnMWzk_6RJQ4RX0VsxM4PsJLfdR1iA_zehcRCNxYbE8xE_FhPxrbdn1kFLoTN8kCOjB9IYhCa3PvuNC-p9/s400/Attaching+Dowels+Side+2+Lining+Up.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See the tool box helping support the front legs? You can also see that<br />
I am only lining up a few dowels at a time as suggesting in step 16.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
16. Start at the top and work your way down. Only worry about lining up the dowel you are working on and the one after it. Hold the board in place while you drill your guide hole, and place the screw. Line up another dowel (two should be lined up) and drill and place the screw for the second hole. Keep repeating till all six dowels are secured to the second side. <br />
<br />
I suggest only lining up two dowels at a time as you will drive yourself crazy if you try to keep all of them in the holes before screwing any of them into place.<br />
<br />
<b>Cutting Out The Shelves</b><br />
1. Looking at your frame you'll see that there are two widths. A more narrow part by the front angled supports and a wider part between the back boards. You can make your shelves one of two ways. A. All the same width using the distance between the two front boards. B. Each board has a section of two widths so it fits between the front boards and gets wider at the back boards. I made mine using B, but it would be easy to adjust for A.<br />
<br />
2. Measure the distance between the two front boards and between the two back boards. Mine measurements were:<br />
Front Boards: 17.5"<br />
Back Boards: 19.5"<br />
<br />
3. Cut your plywood into strips 1/4" less than your widest measurement if you are making shelves using Option B, or 1/4" less than your narrowest measurement if you are making shelves using Option A. So I cut mine 19.25" wide.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDs7tkOGvBvWv-tfudAhOLIGIn6SvCgIURnAMeduUB50MAX-QcNPoQP3Hn7il2ZloaUBA0VSdLC5j_tGHOeQOYu1hw5NVzSjLKhxJrDKkIZhCi3DhjfyMNFRqVfmbyKxgotmSCfVxQo49G/s1600/DSC05466.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDs7tkOGvBvWv-tfudAhOLIGIn6SvCgIURnAMeduUB50MAX-QcNPoQP3Hn7il2ZloaUBA0VSdLC5j_tGHOeQOYu1hw5NVzSjLKhxJrDKkIZhCi3DhjfyMNFRqVfmbyKxgotmSCfVxQo49G/s400/DSC05466.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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4. For each shelf measure the distance from the back of the ladder, to where the front and back boards meet and subract 1/4" (measurement #1), then from the back of the ladder to the front of the ladder (measurement #2).<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp7HFDoAOLuQd3T5hJf51wCDJqrYFzIV-FIgHt-ZF_qJE5yAR1pXw87TG6fXvyI-LdmoghUyvrOOjYE9ceg6tzs6qlpaU-fKbhR9aKo5gzs5Xhyphenhyphen7Qgfn42sJzRz-Tc0fX4FiFv-bhve9Fb/s1600/measuring+for+the+Shelf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp7HFDoAOLuQd3T5hJf51wCDJqrYFzIV-FIgHt-ZF_qJE5yAR1pXw87TG6fXvyI-LdmoghUyvrOOjYE9ceg6tzs6qlpaU-fKbhR9aKo5gzs5Xhyphenhyphen7Qgfn42sJzRz-Tc0fX4FiFv-bhve9Fb/s400/measuring+for+the+Shelf.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Showing both measurements.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
5. For Option A cut the strip of plywood using measurement #2 only.<br />
Option B: Using a yard stick mark you board at measurement #1 & #2. I make about 5 marks so I can draw an accurate line using all of the marks.<br />
<br />
For example for my second shelf from the top measurement #1 was <b>5.25" and measurement #2 was 12.25".</b><br />
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6. On the width, mark a line 1" in from each side.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYKzeGXvwG4WRR2fWh6bodzkvFqbtoQqwTYyklVWcq3y7DfiFprzh7cFbgeszqYWG8aeIc2otMdH1tUQzCOrqI7XBsS3kO_Z-Gy9pWiZ6c5aCtltLt-4BoZk0S_gIm7PApNcOQYybsIsq9/s1600/Measuring+a+Shelf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYKzeGXvwG4WRR2fWh6bodzkvFqbtoQqwTYyklVWcq3y7DfiFprzh7cFbgeszqYWG8aeIc2otMdH1tUQzCOrqI7XBsS3kO_Z-Gy9pWiZ6c5aCtltLt-4BoZk0S_gIm7PApNcOQYybsIsq9/s400/Measuring+a+Shelf.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This shows all of my marks for steps 5-7. I exaggerated them with a photo<br />
editing program so you could see them.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
7. X out the section that is between the 1" line and the section between measurement #1 and #2. This is the section you will cut out. **<b>NOTE**</b> <b>When you are actually cutting it can be easy to make mistakes and cut out the wrong section. Marking X's on the cutout section help make sure you are making correct cuts and not wasting wood.</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: -webkit-auto;">
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8. When cutting out the sections, stop just prior to the point where the two lines will meet. If you cut all of the way with the circular saw, you will actually make cuts into your board.<br />
<br />
9. Finish the cuts with some type of small hand saw. I used the saw below. My mom calls it a chinese saw, but I'm not sure if that is it's actual name.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDw9X4baj3UlSBA3wj9Mh4CnbMvQKWcU9ARMnCdvf6Eo1qlI78AGphCC3wVxjaaZArQqHLMAhPhtY87RILxHmYJCe3BF6aBcgBuTjxW9r_1M8crb2zw13EIRD2aKT7Ccwn2dmKsEIum5rA/s1600/Cutting+out+Notches.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDw9X4baj3UlSBA3wj9Mh4CnbMvQKWcU9ARMnCdvf6Eo1qlI78AGphCC3wVxjaaZArQqHLMAhPhtY87RILxHmYJCe3BF6aBcgBuTjxW9r_1M8crb2zw13EIRD2aKT7Ccwn2dmKsEIum5rA/s400/Cutting+out+Notches.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This shows the partial cuts made with the circular saw. I used that little<br />
hand saw on top to finish the cut.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
10. Option A: repeat steps #4 and #5 for each shelf.<br />
Option B: repeat steps #4-#9 for each shelf.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH-EC8l_Mg9LnOYCWtPKmCDQW8YW631yMwUeO0NNCQpTFHOU2Bl-_Vvxoq_MmdFNUukX_vY26YkkeIsTY2lDkv0h6FRHBngFbLpC0vPBfXlHB9uEYZt4ddxBvvgkO_Ah1NOTy74bCx9YEJ/s1600/Cut+out+Shelf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH-EC8l_Mg9LnOYCWtPKmCDQW8YW631yMwUeO0NNCQpTFHOU2Bl-_Vvxoq_MmdFNUukX_vY26YkkeIsTY2lDkv0h6FRHBngFbLpC0vPBfXlHB9uEYZt4ddxBvvgkO_Ah1NOTy74bCx9YEJ/s400/Cut+out+Shelf.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One shelf cut out using Option B!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
11. Sand down your shelves using fine sand paper.<br />
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<b>Priming and Painting/Staining</b><br />
1. You are now ready to prime/stain your wood! <br />
<br />
2. I took my top dowel out and removed my angle boards for painting and priming. It made it easier to get all of the areas. I had to loosen the screws on the second from the top dowel to be able to remove them. It made painting much easier though!<br />
<br />
I would love to see this stained. My wood was too flawed for staining so I had to paint mine.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Putting it Together</b><br />
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1. If you've followed me up to this point, then your back support is already put together. Remove the top dowel and reattach the angle boards.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2-BM2SNZYlg3cgb2jkeK89Gxe9ppa_AspQq0o-DoYzalv8VJrA6nGBflPd9qPYpMrT8Vw_bysqliaBLnvFULKhPCgNB7LbxFkFQGdKl4SuyXAVLepKL3Sf-xJihyphenhyphenF6nIz9q6XMLbjIP8M/s1600/Ready+for+Assembly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2-BM2SNZYlg3cgb2jkeK89Gxe9ppa_AspQq0o-DoYzalv8VJrA6nGBflPd9qPYpMrT8Vw_bysqliaBLnvFULKhPCgNB7LbxFkFQGdKl4SuyXAVLepKL3Sf-xJihyphenhyphenF6nIz9q6XMLbjIP8M/s400/Ready+for+Assembly.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready to assemble!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
2. Before proceeding to attach your shelves <b>make sure your frame is setting exactly how you want it!</b> I had several shelves installed before I realized the frame wasn't completely extended out and so the legs weren't setting completely flat on the ground.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj778_mWvPLQjmbjzcI9hvm29fed2IddQqydlFGRYNZXIRCFVKEv44GFKd6x5GTH3OVh0mxB4lVlTQZGvS9BFTh5ejFUrWOY9gueU2SCCVE6M0dcBCJ6SnNhuYADp_DE57ljcjMOioWaAL7/s1600/Assemble+Frame+First.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj778_mWvPLQjmbjzcI9hvm29fed2IddQqydlFGRYNZXIRCFVKEv44GFKd6x5GTH3OVh0mxB4lVlTQZGvS9BFTh5ejFUrWOY9gueU2SCCVE6M0dcBCJ6SnNhuYADp_DE57ljcjMOioWaAL7/s400/Assemble+Frame+First.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frame ready for shelves.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
3. Set your shelf in place, partially supported by the dowel. I suggest working top down as you will be working under the shelves, and this way the other shelves aren't in your way.<br />
<br />
4. Take one of you pipe straps and place it where you want it. You will have two per shelf. Mark where to drill your holes; repeat for the second pipe strap.<br />
<br />
**Now is a time when it's handy to have two drills. Have one set up with the drill bit, and one with the driver bit. No switching bits back and forth. Brilliant!**<br />
<br />
5. Drill holes. (Don't you love simple steps like this!)<br />
<br />
6. Place shelf and one pipe strap in place. Insert screws. I like to start the screw with a screw driver, then finish it off with the drill when I'm working with such small screws. Do the same for the second pipe strap.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTUI3LVkRp_wASsxgpwBI5XjdTj-4qVf-IkTCGDVCSll_m1i8cDeZp9FTXxOI3JHyfQs2FdIrS_he7BLUWJS-kMLYb3hZ23JxUe7t2QbhKAUp90J5poFTVeSb_hGduIIPbXJEmeuF69962/s1600/Attaching+Dowel+Brace.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTUI3LVkRp_wASsxgpwBI5XjdTj-4qVf-IkTCGDVCSll_m1i8cDeZp9FTXxOI3JHyfQs2FdIrS_he7BLUWJS-kMLYb3hZ23JxUe7t2QbhKAUp90J5poFTVeSb_hGduIIPbXJEmeuF69962/s400/Attaching+Dowel+Brace.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Screwing pipe strap in place around the dowel.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
7. Place a level on the shelf and straighten it out. Take one of your corner braces and place it where you would like it between the angle board and shelf. Mark holes. Repeat for the second side.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnQ3BD0XYySVLv_WWrIucaTQd9hyphenhyphenPBOVgTV4F1WfBQA3RfAFao4DI2Gl1ymuGXCZFaqEXG7IIAW-p5sInHRJPYa_k_tXk2DuR6p4IqGPwazdHBPbwqd-Sd8Amd10ZGuO73-uY2rVC8Jb1d/s1600/Leveling+the+Shelf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnQ3BD0XYySVLv_WWrIucaTQd9hyphenhyphenPBOVgTV4F1WfBQA3RfAFao4DI2Gl1ymuGXCZFaqEXG7IIAW-p5sInHRJPYa_k_tXk2DuR6p4IqGPwazdHBPbwqd-Sd8Amd10ZGuO73-uY2rVC8Jb1d/s400/Leveling+the+Shelf.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pipe straps in place and making sure the shelf is level before marking<br />
holes for the corner braces.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
8. Drill your holes, then attach the corner braces. Again, I found it helpful to start the screw driver.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilFrA2QFAwQtFB5vG6hohBIfsGSP-uA8w64Ssml7u03Y7DXax4f_TbjU9F0N1LTMD5if4zKkkioQ7M4c7QSmCHxvMZBwfeRzQaC672mO7lHdhr5VC0HIWemRspXV-pVTuB2di0YeS-mpaR/s1600/Attaching+Corner+Brace.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilFrA2QFAwQtFB5vG6hohBIfsGSP-uA8w64Ssml7u03Y7DXax4f_TbjU9F0N1LTMD5if4zKkkioQ7M4c7QSmCHxvMZBwfeRzQaC672mO7lHdhr5VC0HIWemRspXV-pVTuB2di0YeS-mpaR/s400/Attaching+Corner+Brace.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Attaching the front corner brace. You can also see the pipe strap in back.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdwRpkp0GgY3iSldXnoeT4Tt50_ijzgQA_F0E8d1euTK9u5K7LVMxqqWXmJ86Yog3gJxAi0xSW33HnfqOjPSlTLt68k-kAX4SvRhJy4nUoPnaL85AJI5tA3sIh8qvQQ1PRBOs9c1CJgZA8/s1600/Helpers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdwRpkp0GgY3iSldXnoeT4Tt50_ijzgQA_F0E8d1euTK9u5K7LVMxqqWXmJ86Yog3gJxAi0xSW33HnfqOjPSlTLt68k-kAX4SvRhJy4nUoPnaL85AJI5tA3sIh8qvQQ1PRBOs9c1CJgZA8/s400/Helpers.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I had lots of "help" on this project. From my little one<br />
and the dog...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
9. Repeat steps #3-#8 for each shelf.<br />
<br />
Voila! You're own ladder shelf that you can brag you made yourself!<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Britthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101262476606430931noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-277954145264683546.post-36721608206752642792012-11-27T16:31:00.001-07:002012-12-06T09:17:57.268-07:00Newborn Stocking Cap Tutorial (Crochet)<center>
<a href="http://www.seven-alive.com/"><img src="http://i1117.photobucket.com/albums/k591/loulou711/NewFeaturedButton-1.jpg" /></a></center>
<center>
<br /></center>
<center>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjImCxkksOb70y858y5HyvfVZJuk7Wbe4MPPuCCJtCT3TCr8W0uI00LdzS9La_Fn53dWtlK6LksMV8YunmhZIwzXB9REqfa5JbND3ZruOxT_Q404rTz7IAfQo87b2pwTFzgGe20KIVKEJ3B/s1600/NCSCT+3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjImCxkksOb70y858y5HyvfVZJuk7Wbe4MPPuCCJtCT3TCr8W0uI00LdzS9La_Fn53dWtlK6LksMV8YunmhZIwzXB9REqfa5JbND3ZruOxT_Q404rTz7IAfQo87b2pwTFzgGe20KIVKEJ3B/s400/NCSCT+3.png" width="300" /></a></div>
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Here it is! A crochet tutorial for a newborn stocking cap. This is similar to my <a href="http://diythirdtimesacharm.blogspot.com/p/tutorials.html">Crochet Long Stocking Cap Tutorial</a>, but I've made some adjustments, and this one is sized for a newborn. <br />
<br />
There are two options below. One with a ribbed band and one with a rolled band.<br />
<br />
<b><i>Disclaimer</i></b><br />
**I am definitely not a professional when it comes to writing patterns. I am simply sharing this for your enjoyment. If you find mistakes, or have questions, please let me know but be polite. If you post projects online from this pattern, please just link back to my site and give me credit for the pattern. Thanks!**<br />
<br />
Fits Approx 13"-14" head<br />
Approx 21" long with pom pom<br />
<br />
For <b>Option 1</b> I did three rows of each color. For <b>Option 2 </b>I did 2 red and 1 white. Be wild and crazy and have fun with the pattern! However, I find it works best if the number of rows of the overall color pattern adds up to a multiple of three. i.e. 3 blue + 3 grey = 6, or 2 red + 1 white = 3, and so forth.<br />
<br />
Also, I've tried several different ways of changing between colors. I've cut and tied each section, and I've cut and wove in ends of each section. But the best method I've found so far is to carry each color through the whole project and cut just once at the end. You get something that looks like this inside. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7q4ZrkTblwKE38oNP5TFBlnoBLE6T2PeOpG2U4JZlsLxbuDVqJWDPGEb4xI6u2rqe298bQbE5fh80wYr3hsCn5NchGHG8spuT9yNfbXx18VcTCHo6-seavGuOkEBiBlfqOruiMizU5Rr0/s1600/Yarn+Carry+Over+Collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7q4ZrkTblwKE38oNP5TFBlnoBLE6T2PeOpG2U4JZlsLxbuDVqJWDPGEb4xI6u2rqe298bQbE5fh80wYr3hsCn5NchGHG8spuT9yNfbXx18VcTCHo6-seavGuOkEBiBlfqOruiMizU5Rr0/s400/Yarn+Carry+Over+Collage.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Very few ends to weave in, a nice clean inside, and you probably use less yarn when all is said and done.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjImCxkksOb70y858y5HyvfVZJuk7Wbe4MPPuCCJtCT3TCr8W0uI00LdzS9La_Fn53dWtlK6LksMV8YunmhZIwzXB9REqfa5JbND3ZruOxT_Q404rTz7IAfQo87b2pwTFzgGe20KIVKEJ3B/s1600/NCSCT+3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjImCxkksOb70y858y5HyvfVZJuk7Wbe4MPPuCCJtCT3TCr8W0uI00LdzS9La_Fn53dWtlK6LksMV8YunmhZIwzXB9REqfa5JbND3ZruOxT_Q404rTz7IAfQo87b2pwTFzgGe20KIVKEJ3B/s400/NCSCT+3.png" width="300" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNVGF_XnDdGXAB9WDnb0b0e_Cu-vXqaeU1t0g7BElA4FleWnd-yJWWgAah6LowGlbryhLqR-ueA6mYxF5ugFmoAfA1wGyY3ArkmMJoZPzFFBpSmX5YWlHNQbS4vpAThbnQfDW8mNa4v6c2/s1600/NCSCT++4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNVGF_XnDdGXAB9WDnb0b0e_Cu-vXqaeU1t0g7BElA4FleWnd-yJWWgAah6LowGlbryhLqR-ueA6mYxF5ugFmoAfA1wGyY3ArkmMJoZPzFFBpSmX5YWlHNQbS4vpAThbnQfDW8mNa4v6c2/s400/NCSCT++4.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />
<b>Option 1</b><br />
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<!--StartFragment-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Size H Hook – Yarn Bee Andes Alpaca Yarn, Medium (4) Weight</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Chain 3’s at the beginning of each round count as one double
crochet</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At the end of each round join with a slip stitch</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Abbreviations</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
ch – chain</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
dc – double crochet</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
sl st – slip stitch</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
st - stitch</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
fpdc - front post double crochet</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
bpdc - back post double crochet</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0in;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">ch 4,
5 dc in 3<sup>rd</sup> ch from hook, sl st in top of ch to join</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">ch 3,
dc in each dc (6)</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">ch 3,
dc in each dc (6)</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">ch 3,
dc in each dc (6)</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">ch 3,
dc in each dc (6)</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">ch 3,
dc in each dc (6)</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">ch 3,
dc in same st, dc in next st, *2 dc, 1 dc* repeat * section to end (9)</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">ch 3,
dc in each dc (9)</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">ch 3,
dc in each dc (9)</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">ch 3,
dc in each dc (9)</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">ch 3,
dc in each dc (9)</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">ch 3,
dc in each dc (9)</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">ch 3,
dc in same st, dc in next 2 st, *2 dc, 1 dc, 1 dc* repeat * section to end
(12)</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">ch 3,
dc in each dc (12)</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">ch 3,
dc in each dc (12)</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">ch 3,
dc in each dc (12)</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">ch 3,
dc in each dc (12)</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">ch 3,
dc in each dc (12)</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">ch 3,
dc in same st, dc in next 3 st, *2 dc, 1 dc in next 3 st,* repeat *
section to end (15)</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>ch 3, dc in each dc (15)</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">ch 3,
dc in each dc (15)</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">ch 3,
dc in same st, dc in next 4 st, *2 dc, 1 dc in next 4 st,* repeat *
section to end (18)</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">ch 3,
dc in each dc (18)</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">ch 3,
dc in each dc (18)</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">ch 3,
dc in same st, dc in next 5 st, *2 dc, 1 dc in next 5 st,* repeat *
section to end (21)</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">ch 3,
dc in each dc (21)</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">ch 3,
dc in each dc (21)</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">ch 3,
dc in same st, dc in next 6 st, *2 dc, 1 dc in next 6 st,* repeat *
section to end (24)</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">ch 3,
dc in same st, dc in next 7 st, *2 dc, 1 dc in next 7 st,* repeat *
section to end (27)</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">ch 3,
dc in same st, dc in next 8 st, *2 dc, 1 dc in next 8 st,* repeat *
section to end (30)</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">ch 3,
dc in same st, dc in next 9 st, *2 dc, 1 dc in next 9 st,* repeat *
section to end (33)</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">ch 3,
dc in same st, dc in next 10 st, *2 dc, 1 dc in next 10 st,* repeat *
section to end (36)</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">ch 3,
dc in same st, dc in next 11 st, *2 dc, 1 dc in next 11 st,* repeat *
section to end (39)</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">ch 3,
dc in same st, dc in next 12 st, *2 dc, 1 dc in next 12 st,* repeat *
section to end (42)</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">ch 3,
dc in same st, dc in next 13 st, *2 dc, 1 dc in next 13 st,* repeat *
section to end (45)</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">ch 3,
dc in same st, dc in next 14 st, *2 dc, 1 dc in next 14 st,* repeat *
section to end (48)</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">ch 3,
dc in same st, dc in next 15 st, *2 dc, 1 dc in next 15 st,* repeat *
section to end (51)</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">ch 3,
dc in same st, dc in next 16 st, *2 dc, 1 dc in next 16 st,* repeat * section
to end (54)</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">ch 3,
dc in same st, dc in next 17 st, *2 dc, 1 dc in next 17 st,* repeat *
section to end (57)</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">ch 3,
dc in same st, dc in next 18 st, *2 dc, 1 dc in next 18 st,* repeat *
section to end (60)</li>
</ol>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At this point I sometimes do a few rows of *ch 3, dc in each dc*
to finish a color pattern.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is
up to you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I do like to finish on
the color that I will be doing the rib in.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Ribbed Band</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ch 3, fpdc, bpdc, bpdc, *fpdc in next 2
stitches, bpdc in next 2 stitches* repeat * section around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Join with a sl st in the top of the
beginning ch.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Repeat the above round until the rib section is the desired
length.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I typically do 2 or 3
rounds, and in the pictured hat I did 2.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibfDIV7dWzUrJf-c6nHaVnQeqajJJySdluarFfOd0yZrRbrlXi1AZoQJi1MdHMBiVOoFqi0lR7QYhF-7SABORZo-Eky3wYL9JpapkBK32e1MFAzziWIYigSw92w8farxGGq6m3Wti0l0WH/s1600/NCSCT+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibfDIV7dWzUrJf-c6nHaVnQeqajJJySdluarFfOd0yZrRbrlXi1AZoQJi1MdHMBiVOoFqi0lR7QYhF-7SABORZo-Eky3wYL9JpapkBK32e1MFAzziWIYigSw92w8farxGGq6m3Wti0l0WH/s400/NCSCT+1.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBWz0XxVgeIpgRmTPa5NcrNL83uUWMcbdSWRDB_WMEXNneoktpnnH-icXaW5AELZ3pYI4dVLDb1wAE8b07dl4X4aqNLzJFQ3YYfa0oBfEsazM711niomKz7s_5Bwm7wr9B5YmFDcrcgniD/s1600/NCSCT+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBWz0XxVgeIpgRmTPa5NcrNL83uUWMcbdSWRDB_WMEXNneoktpnnH-icXaW5AELZ3pYI4dVLDb1wAE8b07dl4X4aqNLzJFQ3YYfa0oBfEsazM711niomKz7s_5Bwm7wr9B5YmFDcrcgniD/s400/NCSCT+2.png" width="233" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Option 2</b></div>
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Size H Hook – Red Heart Super Sport Yarn</div>
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Chain 3’s at the beginning of each round count as a double
crochet</div>
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At the end of each round join with a slip stitch</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Follow the steps for Option 1 up to Round 40, then continue below.</div>
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<ol start="41" style="margin-top: 0in;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">ch 3,
dc in same st, dc in next 19 st, *2 dc, 1 dc in next 19 st,* repeat *
section to end (63)</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">ch 3,
dc in same st, dc in next 20 st, *2 dc, 1 dc in next 20 st,* repeat *
section to end (66)</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">ch 3,
dc in dc (66)</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">ch 3,
dc in dc (66)</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">ch 3,
dc in dc (66)</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">ch 3,
dc in dc (66)</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">Roll
brim over last 4 rows.</li>
</ol>
<!--EndFragment-->Britthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101262476606430931noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-277954145264683546.post-79606939603183926652012-11-21T08:44:00.000-07:002012-11-21T08:44:02.178-07:00Works in Progress - 11.21Here's a little sneak peek at a quilt I'm working on. It will be for one of my twin baby girls. Several months ago I finished a <a href="http://diythirdtimesacharm.blogspot.com/2012/06/zig-zag-quilt.html">Zig Zag Quilt</a> in the same color scheme. When I found out I was having twins I decided I wanted to make a complimentary quilt to go along with the Zig Zag. You know, complimentary, but not the same. It's all about making sure the twins have their own identity, right?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikjg8TmxHtzvRUsZCA86BZN54SBVLoSMELcUh78TSNfqSH24fygH7kRCjxtXWfq-7IvdtM4mdKf8O2jtC9hMqgQlCtW0DldHMXVBfjZrj5z8w9GKO968VeBF0gbF1K28NYRSbYhfGwHiXP/s1600/diamond+quilt+top.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikjg8TmxHtzvRUsZCA86BZN54SBVLoSMELcUh78TSNfqSH24fygH7kRCjxtXWfq-7IvdtM4mdKf8O2jtC9hMqgQlCtW0DldHMXVBfjZrj5z8w9GKO968VeBF0gbF1K28NYRSbYhfGwHiXP/s400/diamond+quilt+top.jpg" width="356" /></a></div>
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Now to find a flannel backing and put this puppy together!Britthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101262476606430931noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-277954145264683546.post-89721619728178497192012-11-14T15:41:00.000-07:002012-11-28T21:42:02.394-07:00Newborn Stocking Caps x 2<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">**The Tutorial for this pattern is now up! Check it out <a href="http://diythirdtimesacharm.blogspot.com/2012/11/newborn-stocking-cap-tutorial-crochet.html">here</a>!**</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Featured on</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.pincushioncreations.com/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Pincushion Creations"><img alt="Pincushion Creations" src="http://i1075.photobucket.com/albums/w426/OlMotherHyder/1-GrabMyButton-Katie.jpg" style="border: medium none;" /></a></div>
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Lately my <a href="http://diythirdtimesacharm.blogspot.com/2012/01/crochetedlong-stocking-cap-tutorial-if.html">tutorial on crocheted long stocking caps</a> has been getting a lot of interest thanks to Pinterest. {Thank you Pinterest!} Which is exciting, but also a little scary. I was still fairly new to crocheting when I wrote it and it was one of the first things I ever figured out on my own and wrote a tute for. Yikes!!<br />
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I've made several newborn versions of these hats recently for my <a href="http://www.aftonsfloral.com/">sister's new floral shop</a>, and have made some improvements to my pattern. Here's a favorite...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP6CAvQE-7PEh1sSH7qdtsRhWXU5r2TMAvYkCtB12L9jve8up_asQu95yCMRb4FYLTKUPpmekBnjCh7HocQALuOk3ueL3swuCZ-YYe22320ooKUh_1ZJSaJ-RKzgMULBuV85Cvz4gLqSi4/s1600/P&B+Stocking+6.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="337" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP6CAvQE-7PEh1sSH7qdtsRhWXU5r2TMAvYkCtB12L9jve8up_asQu95yCMRb4FYLTKUPpmekBnjCh7HocQALuOk3ueL3swuCZ-YYe22320ooKUh_1ZJSaJ-RKzgMULBuV85Cvz4gLqSi4/s400/P&B+Stocking+6.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Notice anything? Like there are two of the same hat? There's a reason for that. I'm expecting, not one, but TWO bundles of joy! This has been one of the main reasons for my hiatus from my blog this summer. We found out the beginning of June that I was pregnant {YAY!}. However, the end of the month brought a miscarriage scare. Imagine our relief/shock when the doctor told us that not only was everything fine, but that there were two little ones baking in my belly.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVUcDBqNIil2iNs49OoW21t4oSuMNkSeSI_PVTE3EWNf3RMKOBMWnPGRrl0po5CJattRjZGubPAkzRt8N1dlT6QPQYkdykSoP5y7hcsCjuDbadM9zNjTPu9QKr7lDvLQ9TBt8iv0jYGCwV/s1600/P&B+Stocking+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVUcDBqNIil2iNs49OoW21t4oSuMNkSeSI_PVTE3EWNf3RMKOBMWnPGRrl0po5CJattRjZGubPAkzRt8N1dlT6QPQYkdykSoP5y7hcsCjuDbadM9zNjTPu9QKr7lDvLQ9TBt8iv0jYGCwV/s400/P&B+Stocking+2.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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And you can guess by the pink and brown theme of the hats that they are both girls. My poor husband. He's about as "male" as you can get, and now he's going to be raising three girls. As he says, the problem with having girls is that you don't have just one boy to worry about, but ALL of the boys to worry about.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0TovwpEYJcypMrwZynAduStXnqz9FJcjl9zFjdQmp77sMhfWkKspBNMALeBDkKWmqWzkQ-su-mnj7y9qRBFuuThStCW0F3Hxye6seeFscb82RacbY4Q4ejwc3S_WFTZFR_2tPsFthSDK1/s1600/P&B+Stocking+4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0TovwpEYJcypMrwZynAduStXnqz9FJcjl9zFjdQmp77sMhfWkKspBNMALeBDkKWmqWzkQ-su-mnj7y9qRBFuuThStCW0F3Hxye6seeFscb82RacbY4Q4ejwc3S_WFTZFR_2tPsFthSDK1/s400/P&B+Stocking+4.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi46zLYMAtUVHFoTCDy7GFa_G0arbvbeqo99DFujFcKK8jMqSqxkaEA8uXd0V1p9KfttHRDQjuqq7t-4fZpqvyX5Ld2S8LstlOJcd4GB_ersTBOgCMjTe3CNiIk0Z1M_VddSa1fKUDqUT5e/s1600/P&B+Stocking+5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi46zLYMAtUVHFoTCDy7GFa_G0arbvbeqo99DFujFcKK8jMqSqxkaEA8uXd0V1p9KfttHRDQjuqq7t-4fZpqvyX5Ld2S8LstlOJcd4GB_ersTBOgCMjTe3CNiIk0Z1M_VddSa1fKUDqUT5e/s400/P&B+Stocking+5.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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I can't wait to put these little hats on them for some newborn pictures. But, wait...yes I can...I'm not ready for them to be here yet!! There's still so much to do. I'm 28 weeks along and already huge and uncomfortable {note that I'm 5 foot nothing, so there's not much room for these babies}. You would think that would make me want them here sooner rather than later. But I have quilts, dresses, car seat covers, and so many other things to make!! I also have Christmas gifts to make for my two year old. Then there's the fact that I don't want them here before their little bodies are good and able to function without machines.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkv1_ht5IazoaDlqV2RT08GGdnNA-MpM5lYQpSHyk1WxGWwNsZMuw7BcRiD2GvR_GHHSzfoS3eyHiLQ79eqEm_d4TcZlPNWZrcmHhKxnMg-YkWgwVkJpQMOMPRr_0fSFRBBXhGyt5GXxkB/s1600/P&B+Stocking+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkv1_ht5IazoaDlqV2RT08GGdnNA-MpM5lYQpSHyk1WxGWwNsZMuw7BcRiD2GvR_GHHSzfoS3eyHiLQ79eqEm_d4TcZlPNWZrcmHhKxnMg-YkWgwVkJpQMOMPRr_0fSFRBBXhGyt5GXxkB/s400/P&B+Stocking+1.png" width="293" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj34oT9M96qvmrGHGpZDqzkyG1OqY_VRtmFEP0BThRzFsUh1erRlV8ToIJIzEp07Y5Jk5zeWgkw6v0uG04hef7DCJAUQgW2rl8MEhIuuDLDwa9em3PHPc4UwuzuqmrsaW1yJfe54jS3TAYj/s1600/P&B+Stocking+7.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj34oT9M96qvmrGHGpZDqzkyG1OqY_VRtmFEP0BThRzFsUh1erRlV8ToIJIzEp07Y5Jk5zeWgkw6v0uG04hef7DCJAUQgW2rl8MEhIuuDLDwa9em3PHPc4UwuzuqmrsaW1yJfe54jS3TAYj/s400/P&B+Stocking+7.png" width="292" /></a></div>
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So keep watching for a revised tutorial of crocheted long stocking caps, as well as some cute baby photos.Britthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101262476606430931noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-277954145264683546.post-6162493781513832502012-11-07T08:12:00.003-07:002012-11-07T08:12:47.770-07:00Easy Paper Pendant Bunting<div>
{Say that post title 3 times fast!}</div>
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One thing that occupied my time this summer and kept me away from the computer was I had my first niece get married. We tied several quilts for her, threw her a shower, and spent quite a bit of time helping my sister get ready for the wedding and deal with the craziness.<div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhilMN0mRNHSKqEoJgJ04EhOp5q_O3JY74F1iVFCMO5l41p5__xCLrM0jV9WHdJuHb40vVZurPJWeBIlBcESGVowY71Off1WXKOx_xs3n6gA6TeDb1jmTkQbg1WZZSZXtlfZQTT7ofmmouZ/s1600/Rachelle+Blanket.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhilMN0mRNHSKqEoJgJ04EhOp5q_O3JY74F1iVFCMO5l41p5__xCLrM0jV9WHdJuHb40vVZurPJWeBIlBcESGVowY71Off1WXKOx_xs3n6gA6TeDb1jmTkQbg1WZZSZXtlfZQTT7ofmmouZ/s400/Rachelle+Blanket.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just one of the many quilts we tied for her.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
For the shower I offered to make a pendant bunting with the lovely couples name on it. At first I thought I'd make a material one like I did <a href="http://diythirdtimesacharm.blogspot.com/2012/03/spring-bunting.html">here</a>, but then I decided I didn't want to put all of that time and money into something that would just be used once or twice. So I set about coming up with a cheap and easy way to make one.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSCg5gsFlhjuEm6EnisslQOMQYVIvwdi_bQRa7yUX2ch-nuIfysmmMhP-E_XXheOykcQeGLxP30jqc4jxdXWjKZD1ULaq7zevR2D7PEDzcbe-cHQ8K1DnCfOJLhPXdX34ZSXOx0KRsV6JE/s1600/RM+Bunting+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="104" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSCg5gsFlhjuEm6EnisslQOMQYVIvwdi_bQRa7yUX2ch-nuIfysmmMhP-E_XXheOykcQeGLxP30jqc4jxdXWjKZD1ULaq7zevR2D7PEDzcbe-cHQ8K1DnCfOJLhPXdX34ZSXOx0KRsV6JE/s640/RM+Bunting+1.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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I'm sure some of you are just thinking, "Why doesn't she just get out her Cricut or Silhouette to make the letters?" Well, I'm in the .0001% of DIY ladies who does not own one of those machines.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTtYajJTt7qJSlvW7dqcIegPm8PTF0yYH1OgS8aLFU-z-W41DbP1xKKvdQ8pbmRFEwus13qMitPMdxEwB9TDA4NV6bNZIKlg8cHB2-VLVc4S26eOY4QeJ_KNHZn9qFHZzc2DONw8oY_6dG/s1600/RM+Bunting+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTtYajJTt7qJSlvW7dqcIegPm8PTF0yYH1OgS8aLFU-z-W41DbP1xKKvdQ8pbmRFEwus13qMitPMdxEwB9TDA4NV6bNZIKlg8cHB2-VLVc4S26eOY4QeJ_KNHZn9qFHZzc2DONw8oY_6dG/s400/RM+Bunting+2.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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So I bought some scrapbook paper that would feed through my printer, created the triangle shapes of the pendants in my word processing program, chose a font I liked, and typed up their names. Then all I had to do was print them out, cut along my triangle shapes, and I had my pendants. Then I used some matching bakers twine to join them together and embellished the whole thing with some cute paper flowers I picked up at the scrapbook store. Not too bad huh?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC0jbKibLE34j-Fz9KfcEAtRgh41T7QuaZfKOjBq-crklfD8Uf7sb5uVwoj2kRr-fDMqtc6q5wwKYgnV-zv8fW3ilGqvQEO32JH-XDcD0tybEPgIQSrmjX4K8o5YtLGgyKAxHPhbGr01u6/s1600/RM+Bunting+3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC0jbKibLE34j-Fz9KfcEAtRgh41T7QuaZfKOjBq-crklfD8Uf7sb5uVwoj2kRr-fDMqtc6q5wwKYgnV-zv8fW3ilGqvQEO32JH-XDcD0tybEPgIQSrmjX4K8o5YtLGgyKAxHPhbGr01u6/s400/RM+Bunting+3.png" width="298" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinqud1aU0VbRgbmxHA9g3t7KqVAJSsBTneIML-HmhIIpRYyHmtAM_pPg5250sfS4yaK3jhNiS5fdJSEaihJljj4M5keoKZIyIMWRlsbQ0yvn4Hd_HU3aPThfBSdJpC0b5zYr-GFDOubTFW/s1600/RM+Bunting+4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinqud1aU0VbRgbmxHA9g3t7KqVAJSsBTneIML-HmhIIpRYyHmtAM_pPg5250sfS4yaK3jhNiS5fdJSEaihJljj4M5keoKZIyIMWRlsbQ0yvn4Hd_HU3aPThfBSdJpC0b5zYr-GFDOubTFW/s400/RM+Bunting+4.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<div>
Hmmm...looking at these pictures is making me think I should make a Thanksgiving one for my mantle. My house is seriously lacking Thanksgiving/Fall decorations...</div>
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Britthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101262476606430931noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-277954145264683546.post-45348463494646444042012-10-31T06:51:00.000-06:002012-11-08T07:41:08.195-07:00Ladder Bookshelf: A Dedicated Post<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://weliketolearnaswego.blogspot.com/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://i822.photobucket.com/albums/zz144/atanner1120/FeaturedButton.jpg" /></a></div>
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This post is dedicated to all of you with a house/garage full of unfinished projects. I feel your pain.<br />
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A long, long time ago, I had a sleepless night where plans to make my own ladder bookshelf filled the long wakeful hours. For those of you who have been a part of my blog for a while you may remember several <a href="http://diythirdtimesacharm.blogspot.com/2012/05/works-in-progress.html">Works in Progress posts</a> in May that showed the beginnings of this project. In fact, I was so close to finishing it back then. I had it all put together except the last shelf. Then, life happened. I know you all understand what I mean by that. And the shelves sat unfinished in the garage, until LAST WEEK!!!<br />
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Me and my little one were outside playing, and I looked at the shelves and thought, "Really?! How much could it take to wrap this one up?" Well, about an hour. I had to do some tweaking to it, then I put on the last shelf, and voila! It was done!<br />
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I initially planned on it going some place inside. I just wasn't sure where. But it is made up of almost all repurposed wood that my husband pulled out of the dumpster at work. The only thing I bought for this one was the wooden dowels, the hardware, and the paint. So needless to say the wood is not the best quality. So between that and the fact that our house is overflowing with furniture, I decided it would make an excellent decoration for our front stoop.<br />
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Do you like our limited Halloween decorations? I did have something on my door, but it was clanging in the wind during the middle of the night so I took it down. I have to admit, I have very few seasonal decorations except for Christmas. Maybe someday!</div>
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I actually started typing up directions on how to make one of these back in May. Maybe I'll actually finish them as well and get them up in the tutorial section...</div>
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So this post can be called a "Dedicated Post" for two reasons. 1. Because of my dedication in finishing this project {nevermind it took MONTHS}. and 2. I dedicate it to all of you out there who, like me, have MANY unfinished projects tucked around your house.</div>
<br />Britthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101262476606430931noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-277954145264683546.post-79012514919920748732012-10-24T15:07:00.004-06:002013-01-10T19:14:44.534-07:00Knit Toddler Pom Pom HatWhat's this?!! Could it be?!! Yes! I'm actually posting a finished project! Summer was full of gardening, family fun, and other projects that kept me away from the computer. One project was a transforming a small sitting room into a library. More on that to come. <br />
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For now I want to share this adorable hat with you all!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Poor kid is sick, but she still managed a smile.</td></tr>
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I thought my little one needed a new winter hat with the cold weather approaching. I found this pattern in a book and thought it fit her fun little personality to a "t"!<br />
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She loves it, and looks pretty dang cute in it!Britthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101262476606430931noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-277954145264683546.post-84161122737265525822012-09-01T07:45:00.000-06:002012-09-01T07:45:02.383-06:00When Your Soldier Comes HomeI can't believe it's been over two months since my last blog post. I knew summer would get busy, but I had no idea it would be to this extent! I do have a good reason though. A really good reason. But more on that later (hopefully not too much later).<br />
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My mind is racing with memories this morning of the times I've said goodbye and welcomed my soldier home. I say soldier, but when you're in the military community you have to be careful in using that term. You see, people in the Air Force and Navy aren't soldiers. They're airmen, or sailors, or who knows what other terms! When I give presentations at military events I have to be careful with which term I use and the safest, most PC term to use is "service-member." That way no matter the branch of the military or the gender, you're covered. But my hubby's Army, so he is a soldier.<br />
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We're so blessed right now. It's been over 4 years since he returned from his last deployment. And during that time he's only had to leave for a few weeks here and there. But we know the next deployment will come eventually.<br />
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I'm thinking about all of this because I have a dear friend whose hubby will be coming home for two weeks of leave in about 24 hours. This is his second deployment in their short marriage. During the first she was pregnant and had their son without her husband there. He was able to come home to visit shortly after the birth, but had to go back and didn't return until their little guy was 6 months old. Now he's gone again and their little one is a busy two-year old. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's our cute kiddos together.</td></tr>
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My little girl and me spent the day with them a few days ago and I got to talk to her about the excitement she couldn't contain. Oh that feeling! That feeling of being separated for so long and anxiously looking forward to their return, even if it is for just a few weeks!<br />
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My hubby and I were friends for several years, dated for about a year, then started talking about getting married late in the summer after his younger brother returned from serving a mission for our church (the LDS church). However one evening in the Spring he came to me very somber look on his face and broke the news to me that a deployment would be happening before that. We thought that we had till the beginning of the next year before he would be leaving, but the time table was being moved forward. So we held each other, I cried, (and he may have cried a little too), and talked about what this meant for us. <br />
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When most people ask me how he proposed, I don't usually don't tell them the real story. The real story is it happened on this night. As he held me, he said to me with tears in his eyes, "Would you be willing to marry me before I go?" YES!! Some friends and family thought I was crazy, but I knew it was the right thing. "What if something happens to him?" they'd ask. I didn't listen. So we picked the soonest date we could. It just happened to be 6 weeks away. Luckily I never wanted a big wedding. <br />
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Throughout the weeks of rushed planning we were also talking about what would happen with him gone. We didn't know the exact date yet he would be leaving yet, just that it would be soon. The rumor-mill produced days throughout the whole summer. One date that was talked about was two days before our wedding!! Can you imagine?! "Sorry Love, but I won't be able to make it to OUR wedding." Luckily my hubby was smart enough not to tell me that date until AFTER the rumor was something different. Something after our wedding day.<br />
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Fast forward to our wedding party. We were enjoying the company of family and friends when one of his military buddies walked up, slapped him on the back, and said, "Well, we finally have a concrete date." First my insides dropped. Then I had to fight the urge to strangle his buddy. Not today, nor on our wedding date. Couldn't you have waited to tell us tomorrow?! Let us enjoy this day! But there it was. It had been spoken and I wouldn't forget it. The date was for about 3 1/2 weeks out. That meant a week long honeymoon, then 2 1/2 weeks of preparation and he would be gone. Happy Honeymoon!<br />
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We tried our best to not focus on it and enjoy the time we had left. When we returned home and I went back to work, they could see the stress and sadness in my eyes, so they graciously only asked me to work a few half days here and there and let me spend the rest of the time with my new husband. I remember one night during this time I had a HUGE meltdown! I cried, and wept, and wailed, "Why are you leaving?! Please don't leave!! I don't want you to go!!" My new husband was beside himself. He hadn't realized just how much it was tearing me apart inside.<br />
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But the day came. It went something like this: Wake up early in the morning and get ready. Load his larger duffle bags into the car. Drop your soldier off at the local armory so he could be transported to the air slab with his unit. Family and friends drive separately to the air slab to say their final goodbyes. It was a m.i.s.e.r.a.b.l.e. morning.<br />
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I drove to the air slab by myself trying to control my crying. We limited the amount of family that we invited to the air slab so our goodbyes could be more intimate and personal. But still, nothing can truly prepare you for that moment when you watch your soldier line up for that last time and board the plane. I still remember as the crowd gathered to watch them all board a little girl about 4 years-old broke free and ran to the line of soldiers saying, "Daddy, don't go!" It still breaks my heart thinking about it.<br />
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But they did go, and we all pushed forward. Fast forward to my husband coming home for his two weeks of leave in the middle of his deployment. What a blessing!! You're not always guaranteed that two weeks, so if you get it you savor every moment! As you prepare there are feelings of excitement, joy, and nervousness. Not everyone understands the nervous part. But you've been apart for so long you can't help but wonder, "How have I changed? How has he changed? What kind of experiences has he had and has war changed him extremely? Will we still get along?" And sometimes you even wonder "Does he still really love me?" Sadly for some couples war has changed them and they face more challenges than their marriage can handle. You hear about these stories as a military spouse and all of this adds to the nervousness you feel before they come home.<br />
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Another thing many people don't understand is you don't get an exact date and time of when they will be getting home. It usually goes something like this: You get a phone call from them saying they're leaving their deployment area in a few hours and they'll call you once they get back into the States. From their deployment zone they'll take a series of military and commercial flights hopping their way across several countries. For my husband it was from Iraq, to Kuwait, to Germany, to Texas, and finally Salt Lake City. So I anxiously awaited that call from Texas letting me know when he would be getting into SLC.<br />
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Even though I didn't know how many days it would take him to get from Iraq to Texas, I was still calculating what I thought it would be. One particular morning I felt certain I would be getting a call from Texas. I was so certain that as I went to go to work that morning I almost headed north on the interstate to the airport instead of south to my work. Oh how I wished I would have! I was at work for only an hour or so when my cell rang. I anxiously looked at the number, but it was a Utah number not a Texas one. I answered and heard his voice on the other line. He was in SLC!!! They managed to get him on an earlier flight in Texas so he didn't have time to call as he changed planes. I'm sure I startled the whole office as I yelled out in excitement. I rambled off a few quick instructions to my assistant and flew out the door. I literally flew to the airport as well. My foot was lead on the pedal and the usual 45 minute drive took me under a half hour.<br />
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We enjoyed two wonderful weeks together. We stayed at a resort, went to movies, locked ourselves in our apartment, visited family and friends. I still remember laying next to him in bed the first night. He was sound asleep, because of the time difference and jet lag, but I couldn't contain my excitement. I got out of bed and jumped around the living room!<br />
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Of course, it was a quick two weeks and we had to say goodbye again. But then came the real homecoming. The one where he was home for more than just two weeks. This time we invited any family to the air slab who wanted to be there to greet him. Again, you never know exactly when they're flying in, so we ended up spending several hours waiting. During that time one of the other military spouses sent a member of the media my way. He interviewed me, and after hearing our story decided he wanted to follow our reunion. The next thing I knew his cameraman was clipping a mic to my shirt! Oh how I wish I would have handed it back to him and said, "Look, I know you want a story, but we just want to be together. No thank you!" Especially because my husband is a private person who HATES special attention. <br />
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As the plane landed the crowd anxiously gathered to watch their soldier come down the stairs. As I made my way to my hubby and we embraced for the first time I could feel his body tense up as he noticed the TV camera in his face and the reporter hovering over us. One of the first things I whispered in his ear was, "They've got a mic on me, so be careful what you say." Seriously! You would have thought we were spies or something!<br />
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But even the news reporter and the mics and cameras in our faces couldn't dampen the excitement of being together again. There is such a feeling of relief knowing that they will be there in the morning, and the next, and the next, and that at least for a little while you don't have to say goodbye again.<br />
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The joy of when your soldier comes home is immeasurable. And so on this rainy morning as I think of my friend preparing to greet her hubby, I pray that every service-member has someone anxiously awaiting their return. I pray that they will all be greeted by hugs, kisses, excitement, and loved ones who are relieved they are back.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZNYJO55nF5uLhqgH15CggkZHutWYA_uozRBq8tk0Gq3NezRMNxpNAxxi1VRqaMxchuew-GZriH-lgGgGeR21ysGXuLX3YuXMdPVWiZ_tlZ7ROeMyfxAFnMXgi3DDv_tu_ltfn6131itoa/s1600/DSCN6214.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZNYJO55nF5uLhqgH15CggkZHutWYA_uozRBq8tk0Gq3NezRMNxpNAxxi1VRqaMxchuew-GZriH-lgGgGeR21ysGXuLX3YuXMdPVWiZ_tlZ7ROeMyfxAFnMXgi3DDv_tu_ltfn6131itoa/s640/DSCN6214.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br />Britthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101262476606430931noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-277954145264683546.post-31368526767736326372012-06-18T15:35:00.000-06:002013-01-10T19:15:04.593-07:00Toddler Flared T-Shirt<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxvIQV1f-64X4UikmOtXGTrFf9gkiMRe2UzgCEQUixWCuUEBW3gXbCqTEwk4_LNxzURj6fSA0qeLSoxQwkwplIly_4m_0xdxvCYXGp0ZPLXDTl5N39r-h9HL66Ll3AK2mFCVEr9b8jSDOx/s1600/Indy's+Floral+Shirt+Front.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxvIQV1f-64X4UikmOtXGTrFf9gkiMRe2UzgCEQUixWCuUEBW3gXbCqTEwk4_LNxzURj6fSA0qeLSoxQwkwplIly_4m_0xdxvCYXGp0ZPLXDTl5N39r-h9HL66Ll3AK2mFCVEr9b8jSDOx/s400/Indy's+Floral+Shirt+Front.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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As the weather begins to heat up I've been searching for more t-shirts for my little girl. As I open her drawers, I find there aren't that many in there! So in the true DIY attitude I decided to make some instead of buy them!<br />
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I took one of her basic shirts and set to work making a pattern from it. I don't have pattern paper so I used old wrapping paper. It works great except for the fact it keeps wanting to roll up!<br />
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I traced the front, back and sleeve of the shirt onto the paper the best I could and added a quarter inch seam allowance.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQB6zJDRWdh7BDadH_F7Hxf8m-g4JY7A9af4DlzXlFDDZmmGcpnXyIa11Lb0xZzcWG2ulQQ9b3V8Q-uK-hgXKe9hY_A2bi2nT_zJ0QH_d2CSk3Q6JUel9NjYyohZXunA8OOU2E3w5hzxG9/s1600/Indy's+Floral+Shirt+Back.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQB6zJDRWdh7BDadH_F7Hxf8m-g4JY7A9af4DlzXlFDDZmmGcpnXyIa11Lb0xZzcWG2ulQQ9b3V8Q-uK-hgXKe9hY_A2bi2nT_zJ0QH_d2CSk3Q6JUel9NjYyohZXunA8OOU2E3w5hzxG9/s400/Indy's+Floral+Shirt+Back.png" width="321" /></a></div>
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My mom's been cleaning out her fabric stash, and lots of it is finding it's way to my house. I picked out some of the cute cotton she brought over and started tracing and cutting away.<br />
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As I started to sew the bodice together I was encouraged and excited. Then I put it over my little ones head to test it. Uh-oh. It went on okay, but it was a stinker to get off of her! The material I chose had no stretch to it. And as many of you know, that's a VERY undesirable trait for a toddler shirt. Especially for my little girl. She has a big head! Seriously!! We're talking in the 90th percentile!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWppRFCcUuSvg3b15VJcEPJttdSI0nzcXUkKBJIbwBT9I08MT24aEzolm_xlcQWK3zBJyqDXyyG2gzdLTPJjnoimBzjaPP3q1sxiqt4dEfolzM6dLIknDxKPCH-R50EPJinrriFurnYtbS/s1600/Indy's+Floral+Shirt+Angled+View.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWppRFCcUuSvg3b15VJcEPJttdSI0nzcXUkKBJIbwBT9I08MT24aEzolm_xlcQWK3zBJyqDXyyG2gzdLTPJjnoimBzjaPP3q1sxiqt4dEfolzM6dLIknDxKPCH-R50EPJinrriFurnYtbS/s400/Indy's+Floral+Shirt+Angled+View.png" width="321" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can see some of that stretchy material on the side in this photo.</td></tr>
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So after thinking about the problem for a day or so, and talking to my mom about it I came up with a solution. My mom had also brought me some white gathered elastic material that's meant to be used at the top of skirts. Perfect! I had to sew two strips together to make it long enough, but it worked great. I added it to each side seam and it gave the shirt just the right amount of stretchiness so that it easily goes on and off.<br />
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I made my own bias tape from the same material to go around the neck. I know I could have used some white bias tape, but I liked the matching look better. I attached a button on one side, then rolled up a small piece of fabric to create the loop that attaches to the button. A simple way to create a clasp for a shirt.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe5gB7qAxrZuE4aYkfaqlcVPxnIYxRK86u95-9JN_XTBsWqjc6rNxMmvxiQwtYSIlsSsOmBCmuuhzBLqo0eW0VUAGjXTGfleCtMRmjME0GNmqsZ28rBTVRZKtvEbhoOMARTruDqM26pfBH/s1600/Indy's+Floral+Shirt+Button.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="321" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe5gB7qAxrZuE4aYkfaqlcVPxnIYxRK86u95-9JN_XTBsWqjc6rNxMmvxiQwtYSIlsSsOmBCmuuhzBLqo0eW0VUAGjXTGfleCtMRmjME0GNmqsZ28rBTVRZKtvEbhoOMARTruDqM26pfBH/s400/Indy's+Floral+Shirt+Button.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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And now for the fun part. You know, the part where I try to get a picture of the two year old wearing the shirt. Ya right! Here were some of the first attempts....</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGUvf0dGiUxpJmqHqrQJWV-p0NYUzwQ53nqNzIF4QVfy03SK2wokhu-e8jLq0wsqbjDH1P5RXoev0gfnzT-SZYWd8J6zRk81hjVqCf8koFYi8ZklPtzVWXaTCBKQWI8Ov7Sn6t4hZPNA7o/s1600/Indy's+Floral+Shirt+Collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGUvf0dGiUxpJmqHqrQJWV-p0NYUzwQ53nqNzIF4QVfy03SK2wokhu-e8jLq0wsqbjDH1P5RXoev0gfnzT-SZYWd8J6zRk81hjVqCf8koFYi8ZklPtzVWXaTCBKQWI8Ov7Sn6t4hZPNA7o/s400/Indy's+Floral+Shirt+Collage.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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And finally the money shot. Phew!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNB-iuAA8LydJuWRq1FpY1xotBSthlLfZoQvZL3Um6KCsXvK7tKfG_M07p8wVt45SS-pbVri5GiFEanEvjM9IYgbdZYBFN6Jt70gnZb9ZQJfpaU5OC9zxUf_INyn7AxHU-wNFWzLdAmzjr/s1600/Indy+in+Floral+Shirt.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNB-iuAA8LydJuWRq1FpY1xotBSthlLfZoQvZL3Um6KCsXvK7tKfG_M07p8wVt45SS-pbVri5GiFEanEvjM9IYgbdZYBFN6Jt70gnZb9ZQJfpaU5OC9zxUf_INyn7AxHU-wNFWzLdAmzjr/s400/Indy+in+Floral+Shirt.png" width="321" /></a></div>
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I haven't had a chance to make another one yet, but if I do maybe I'll try to come up with a tutorial...Britthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101262476606430931noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-277954145264683546.post-61710125543409125002012-06-07T08:34:00.002-06:002012-06-22T10:12:57.545-06:00Zig Zag Quilt<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg3lZ-fXzFeE6uvHZkjmrHQRWbgsCuasOTszMoLcKfToq8jttonf9tHwWfwipWbkTAtCKRTD33aynmeylZ_OAL-mRbkxsgt11tlqFSl1M5A1aLstZvXFATlQFNtDeGCgY3t7AMxGIwdLH6/s1600/Zig+Zag+Quilt+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg3lZ-fXzFeE6uvHZkjmrHQRWbgsCuasOTszMoLcKfToq8jttonf9tHwWfwipWbkTAtCKRTD33aynmeylZ_OAL-mRbkxsgt11tlqFSl1M5A1aLstZvXFATlQFNtDeGCgY3t7AMxGIwdLH6/s400/Zig+Zag+Quilt+1.jpg" width="346" /></a></div>
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Finally a finished project!! It feels like it's been forever! It's a pretty dang cute one too, if I might say so.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVL1EXeinUeDnCHpUZ0y_wCP5kFls6uf3i1F94pqEzlSq5n9dm_uWcGzH1tFks1wDy4U_CZNlAfpodKyhZwG9PkoJm6ZFxyXDPmbkVlD-ky6pjyjKn2o9sj5KAuVNQDP-PhUzY7cCbG8Fl/s1600/Zig+Zag+Quilt+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVL1EXeinUeDnCHpUZ0y_wCP5kFls6uf3i1F94pqEzlSq5n9dm_uWcGzH1tFks1wDy4U_CZNlAfpodKyhZwG9PkoJm6ZFxyXDPmbkVlD-ky6pjyjKn2o9sj5KAuVNQDP-PhUzY7cCbG8Fl/s400/Zig+Zag+Quilt+3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The pattern is from Cluck Cluck Sew. Love that site. And I decided to go with the scrappy look. I'm tempted to make me one of these with just polka dot patterns...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-EzVqXzkdgaO6FmFSH_O_cyN_rn9S4ZM46TpoHyAMFaa-FcSaN07gN4AH4_15CKT4OdoyuYEBjk2D5eFCiZXTkHnuL-6FiWXuTVos0myhkC743kM_ZFN63adyWQ4AaXL1z6Jo2LGlNqjs/s1600/Zig+Zag+Quilt+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-EzVqXzkdgaO6FmFSH_O_cyN_rn9S4ZM46TpoHyAMFaa-FcSaN07gN4AH4_15CKT4OdoyuYEBjk2D5eFCiZXTkHnuL-6FiWXuTVos0myhkC743kM_ZFN63adyWQ4AaXL1z6Jo2LGlNqjs/s400/Zig+Zag+Quilt+2.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The little one wanted to get in on the action.</td></tr>
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This is a fairly simple pattern to put together, and it's a great pay off. I decided to quilt five lines in the white, following the zig zag pattern. It made for a cute back!! It was also pretty quick to quilt. Of course all of the lines aren't perfectly straight, but you'd have to stare close to see that. So, stop staring!!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgplRnkz89zJGGS9xW3qCdBOWeT2B86adFHHxSSDy2FrX2dJ-hQ2IFy7Pd_8JvntXhAgi1N2Z9-02oNs4YcnH64wNq0rTWYRAbMyYlSrNXM1KXs7jO3ikfxoCyqs5wNSw3oVhVKB2rBo9cG/s1600/Zig+Zag+Quilt+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgplRnkz89zJGGS9xW3qCdBOWeT2B86adFHHxSSDy2FrX2dJ-hQ2IFy7Pd_8JvntXhAgi1N2Z9-02oNs4YcnH64wNq0rTWYRAbMyYlSrNXM1KXs7jO3ikfxoCyqs5wNSw3oVhVKB2rBo9cG/s400/Zig+Zag+Quilt+4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I wanted this to be extra cozy as it's going to a little one so I backed it with flannel. So snuggly!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglIENA76mwZqVgnUraSeyHXxMEVOImqUCAVWbihi9h-O8wRz1LgepOD5soN5Y_cktqUvyybnoUNogT6K43-6QE2xr4OoFpvNpUqZTdXPyzXioAgIkI3Bf7hNHVD00R1PjVMCD3z4C4sBCm/s1600/Zig+Zag+Quilt+Material.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglIENA76mwZqVgnUraSeyHXxMEVOImqUCAVWbihi9h-O8wRz1LgepOD5soN5Y_cktqUvyybnoUNogT6K43-6QE2xr4OoFpvNpUqZTdXPyzXioAgIkI3Bf7hNHVD00R1PjVMCD3z4C4sBCm/s400/Zig+Zag+Quilt+Material.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
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Remember the start of this one. This picture is a pile of the materials I started with. I was playing with different patterns, hues, etc. This one is going to a family who aren't finding out the gender of their baby so I to steer clear of flower patterns and anything too girlie. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR3mpGvojXDNQAtVLnrT5nJK6f2iBQy6saIItXt2fusCIumogVe2CbtchBIn8Rr3w6soKomWl4LYWeU0PJkdhBdqYeASwtj6NhTYFu3OYeXDZQ2M6VsGtw_kefzH1Fm8WmkS7PqzFd5cIF/s1600/Zig+Zag+Quilt+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR3mpGvojXDNQAtVLnrT5nJK6f2iBQy6saIItXt2fusCIumogVe2CbtchBIn8Rr3w6soKomWl4LYWeU0PJkdhBdqYeASwtj6NhTYFu3OYeXDZQ2M6VsGtw_kefzH1Fm8WmkS7PqzFd5cIF/s400/Zig+Zag+Quilt+5.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gotta add my label!!</td></tr>
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It will be hard to say good bye to this one, but hopefully they'll cherish is and their little babe will get plenty of play time on it!</div>
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</center>Britthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101262476606430931noreply@blogger.com37tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-277954145264683546.post-23252580741101305142012-06-03T20:47:00.000-06:002013-01-10T19:15:26.820-07:00Elmo Cake - Tutorial<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My little one just turned two yesterday. Two!! I can't believe it! <br />
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I have a little cake book with instructions on how to make different shaped cakes. I picked two out I thought she's like and asked my husband which one he thought would be best. He said, "Elmo." That wasn't one of the options. :) But he was right. She would really like an Elmo cake. Elmo's World is her favorite part of Sesame Street.<br />
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So I looked online for ideas of how to make an Elmo cake. Know what I found? That most people bought and Elmo shaped cake pan. I was NOT about to by a special cake pan for one cake. So here's what I did. Sorry, I don't have many pictures. I didn't think to take them as I was making it. I'm not an expert on cake making; this is only the second shaped cake I made but I'm happy to share what I did.<br />
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I cooked a 8" round cake, and let it cool over night. The next morning I took a long serrated knife (I used my long bread knife) and cut off the rounded top and made it flat. Next I put it in the freezer for about 45 minutes. This helps firm up the cake for the shaping process.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHGndXjO_Gq1dj77LTR5c61Jb5NeymSB_wASUzeqrrzjWbL9x__ng5ZZzXGzKPXqjzJcD1WzK5mG_lzYveQRcuu2Q3LeXj6rte4CheG4lhhNQsZ2G3f1LfSaJClPyI8h0QVsC1rvI9SOo1/s1600/Elmo+Print+Out.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="341" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHGndXjO_Gq1dj77LTR5c61Jb5NeymSB_wASUzeqrrzjWbL9x__ng5ZZzXGzKPXqjzJcD1WzK5mG_lzYveQRcuu2Q3LeXj6rte4CheG4lhhNQsZ2G3f1LfSaJClPyI8h0QVsC1rvI9SOo1/s400/Elmo+Print+Out.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can see some of the holes from the toothpicks in this picture.</td></tr>
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I printed out a face picture of Elmo just a little smaller than the cake, and cut it out. Then I placed it over the cake and put toothpicks in some of the outlines of the eyes, nose and mouth. This served two purposes. It held the picture in place, and started to make an outline of those features.<br />
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Then I used a serrated knife (this time I used a steak knife) to cut around the shape to make the basic outline. I cut some of the jags of the fur, but found as I was frosting it this wasn't necessary. The frosting helped make the appearance of fur, so I could have just cut the bottom outline rounded, not jagged.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipSj39ncZIgSd1HeV7JsmCl_6sKKMIeEC_8uHSkKXpomHnrWjuK7FED7feTDjxKrq6dBEgY48XUCPF090blmcwvF8-YnS8XhV6BOB1of6VlwuQ7_fMWdCSbJHRThvSFyD4iKrOCWoUto-5/s1600/Unfrosted+Elmo+Face.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="325" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipSj39ncZIgSd1HeV7JsmCl_6sKKMIeEC_8uHSkKXpomHnrWjuK7FED7feTDjxKrq6dBEgY48XUCPF090blmcwvF8-YnS8XhV6BOB1of6VlwuQ7_fMWdCSbJHRThvSFyD4iKrOCWoUto-5/s400/Unfrosted+Elmo+Face.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In this picture you can see some of the scored outlines I made for his facial features.</td></tr>
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Next I took the paper off by sliding it over the toothpicks and leaving them in place. I then used my knife to score the outline of his features. They weren't all visible, but it helped.<br />
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I then made my buttercream frosting and but a several spoonfuls in a separate bowl. I thinned this portion out a little more with milk for a base frosting.<br />
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A word on base frosting. I'd never used a base frosting before, but decided to give it a try. The idea is you put a thin layer of frosting on before the decorating layer. It is supposed to help hold in the crumbs so they do not show through your decorated layer. I wasn't sure if it worked until I tried doing my decorating frosting on some of the edges that I missed with base frosting. It DEFINITELY made a huge difference. The areas I missed with the base frosting were crumbling and falling apart. Also, my little cake book has a separate recipe for base frosting, but I didn't want to make two kinds of frosting so I just thinned out some of my buttercream and it worked okay. {Call me lazy.}<br />
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Let the base frosting dry for 20 or more minutes. During this time I started to make some of my colored frosting. For the each color I put the amount I would need (guesstimated) in a separate bowl to mix it. <br />
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For orange I used liquid food coloring: one part red, three parts yellow.<br />
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For black I bought a tube of decorating black. I cheated. :)<br />
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For red I bought some red food coloring paste. I've tried the liquid and gels before and they just create a dark pink no matter how much I put in. With the paste I was actually able to get a nice red. It did take quite a bit though. It helped that I was only doing a small amount rather than the whole batch of frosting.<br />
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Because I only put a thin layer of base frosting on I was able to still see a lot of my scored outlines of his features. The rest I was able to fill in by looking at the picture.<br />
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First I frosted the orange nose, then the white eyes. When doing this parts I started by putting the majority of the frosting in the center of the area and carefully spreading it to the edges. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTRA0fxgvI2N9A6s1pQOPEWfCb4-sxC6BIcsdwCgE3MJ6V85bhbt96vXlWDR_Uo_ZYt-s7qKhpSySssyoMJ20ECYExBQrfkxeyjnZp_HJdbIrKgmt5O-L5b_CHkwWLsGQaNyCF83iap5mU/s1600/Base+Frosting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="337" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTRA0fxgvI2N9A6s1pQOPEWfCb4-sxC6BIcsdwCgE3MJ6V85bhbt96vXlWDR_Uo_ZYt-s7qKhpSySssyoMJ20ECYExBQrfkxeyjnZp_HJdbIrKgmt5O-L5b_CHkwWLsGQaNyCF83iap5mU/s400/Base+Frosting.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This shows the base frosting with just the nose with colored frosting.</td></tr>
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I used my black tube to do the pupils. I only made the outline and it came out thick enough that I was able to carefully spread the line inward to fill in the circle.<br />
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Next I made the outline of the mouth, but I suggest NOT DOING THIS YET! I wish I would have frosted the whole area below the nose and eyes red and then frost the mouth on top of it. The way I did it I kept getting black frosting smeared in my red.<br />
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When spreading the red frosting, make sure it's a little thicker. This allows you to put it on textured so that it looks like fur. It's nice that you don't have to worry about putting it on smooth in this instance.<br />
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I filled in the mouth similar to how I filled in the pupils. I made extra lines with the black tube inside of the mouth outline then carefully spread them around to fill it in.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN18gqi3cXXvuvLsSbwFYJLIXKWoDOilx0QfgsNTlYcOw7fr6veyNjIPnqy751kCWUl8iGAkH1CWINKE3SiuQhxUioEQsMoJnKpeYfup4fUUnphcrfA26htGvB-Yx99a7Tf0NCQXJ38dZd/s1600/Elmo+Face+Cake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN18gqi3cXXvuvLsSbwFYJLIXKWoDOilx0QfgsNTlYcOw7fr6veyNjIPnqy751kCWUl8iGAkH1CWINKE3SiuQhxUioEQsMoJnKpeYfup4fUUnphcrfA26htGvB-Yx99a7Tf0NCQXJ38dZd/s400/Elmo+Face+Cake.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Wahlah! An Elmo Cake!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL-68zjtAPBSf0minipyPArInOjYGKc7NKV9RvOdVYBt6ArvJsLKRZk0Eh17QR7DLxfHiNhXaOS2cRjS6whnxL0Imp4kkN7ycgBx0wyZcs6UO-ptCKM1NUQYBIB6QRCLgx2xVYubhTGCZi/s1600/Indy+and+Elmo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL-68zjtAPBSf0minipyPArInOjYGKc7NKV9RvOdVYBt6ArvJsLKRZk0Eh17QR7DLxfHiNhXaOS2cRjS6whnxL0Imp4kkN7ycgBx0wyZcs6UO-ptCKM1NUQYBIB6QRCLgx2xVYubhTGCZi/s400/Indy+and+Elmo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />Britthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101262476606430931noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-277954145264683546.post-26523822705344033362012-05-30T06:00:00.000-06:002012-05-30T06:00:13.328-06:00Works in Progress - 5.30<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Another week, and no projects completed. I'm SO close on some though.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXCQPVpf8LGGEOLxluGansYAgOSSVHLgbEJyMfeAVaTFs6aNftNyZvlsnj4sIEcgWK0b7o81IfKpJvkYLWGzVI5BFsf1ygPCGriGygK0mjUUA2mbrMSu-kpWAhiPm6N6eHxraQgdX7aVJe/s1600/Bear+Cocoon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXCQPVpf8LGGEOLxluGansYAgOSSVHLgbEJyMfeAVaTFs6aNftNyZvlsnj4sIEcgWK0b7o81IfKpJvkYLWGzVI5BFsf1ygPCGriGygK0mjUUA2mbrMSu-kpWAhiPm6N6eHxraQgdX7aVJe/s400/Bear+Cocoon.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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Nothing new on my baby bear cocoon. Maybe I'll work on it tonight...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkOizIFMjzTGA3rGAQcforRoy41xq8j-_KV-e48QcXhrXd5j3DakPKR-Kr5JLArqHoQG2jSF5beU9JU2qVVx7ZeVRuaOm6x5iYBazGial6kx0SbTxgA74p8AKVAfRegehuiGZDS64AZ3-3/s1600/WIP+Collage+5.30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkOizIFMjzTGA3rGAQcforRoy41xq8j-_KV-e48QcXhrXd5j3DakPKR-Kr5JLArqHoQG2jSF5beU9JU2qVVx7ZeVRuaOm6x5iYBazGial6kx0SbTxgA74p8AKVAfRegehuiGZDS64AZ3-3/s400/WIP+Collage+5.30.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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1. I was hoping to finish putting together my ladder book shelf today, but found I didn't quite have enough hardware. I was able to get all but one shelf on. SO CLOSE!! The wood I used was trash wood (literally, my husband took it out of the trash at work) so it's not the best quality. I think I might want to distress it, since it already has a used look to it. What methods of distressing do you like to use?</div>
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2. I don't have pictures of my progress on the children's bench. But I did manage to get two of the three metal pieces sand blasted. One more to go, and then I'll need to paint/seal them.</div>
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3. And I finished one more block for my Retro Flowers Quilt.</div>
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I thought I was going to be able to move my Zig Zag Quilt over to the finished column today, BUT, when I went to sew the binding I didn't have a color of thread that I liked for it.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisy_-CPn56kgxhHKhqfHUI5t6MePGmYYbXJnU44Z7hMOw-WDN4jTeZqvT6jflnoFjv7rwv5kK8gKYl8TSzbfgDu6hrhpJM5hCuwldGFFNlVhyphenhyphenm_ZXTAm1XtlQqlQeSRAZwlqXcEcwtp0wF/s1600/DSC05824.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisy_-CPn56kgxhHKhqfHUI5t6MePGmYYbXJnU44Z7hMOw-WDN4jTeZqvT6jflnoFjv7rwv5kK8gKYl8TSzbfgDu6hrhpJM5hCuwldGFFNlVhyphenhyphenm_ZXTAm1XtlQqlQeSRAZwlqXcEcwtp0wF/s320/DSC05824.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I did get it quilted and the binding sewed on one side.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4CAVHhe6qWE5d3oBX9rx5QemAKQkQshF3KkxfamVrhibgtkI_92iYLFlNDK98P_KG4rii4KearsUKazfixrUX0ckn9fNsTvbk4vRbkccc3shcbjy3vpu5KGoA2LZzwugJnr816oYWFIPV/s1600/Quilted+Zig+Zag+Quilt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4CAVHhe6qWE5d3oBX9rx5QemAKQkQshF3KkxfamVrhibgtkI_92iYLFlNDK98P_KG4rii4KearsUKazfixrUX0ckn9fNsTvbk4vRbkccc3shcbjy3vpu5KGoA2LZzwugJnr816oYWFIPV/s320/Quilted+Zig+Zag+Quilt.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>
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Again, SO CLOSE!!</div>
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<br />Britthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101262476606430931noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-277954145264683546.post-25540005529461672792012-05-28T18:27:00.001-06:002012-05-28T18:27:15.084-06:00Happy Memorial Day!I'd be remiss if I didn't take a moment to show gratitude to all those who have served and still serve our country. Here in the United States it is Memorial Day. A day first established to remember those who have served our country in the armed forces, especially those who have given the ultimate sacrifice. We also take to the time to remember our loved ones who have passed.<br />
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I truly feel blessed to live in the country that I do. There are many other places that I would love to visit and explore, but ultimately this will always be where I feel I belong. We enjoy many freedoms and conveniences here that other countries can only dream about. We are able to enjoy those freedoms because of all those who have fought to keep this country free.<br />
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I'm blessed to be surrounded by those who have served or are currently serving. To name just a few:<br />
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My Grandpa Marrone was in the Air Corps in WWII.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHHwSj-CKNKTNExoE4FV9-4vNW5zH8EADsWfGHmxAUqaBncLfmQWLduGEdYyxalH2kpk6y8H8D4uooPmRIt02dlywPTOPXQMuCvA_HFf-ca2WTIrbVdxrTn9ngRVEMhO_28toXWCb3ptvL/s1600/Grandpa+in+Uniform.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHHwSj-CKNKTNExoE4FV9-4vNW5zH8EADsWfGHmxAUqaBncLfmQWLduGEdYyxalH2kpk6y8H8D4uooPmRIt02dlywPTOPXQMuCvA_HFf-ca2WTIrbVdxrTn9ngRVEMhO_28toXWCb3ptvL/s400/Grandpa+in+Uniform.jpg" width="316" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He was quite the Italian Stallion. No wonder he won my grandma's heart.</td></tr>
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My Father-in-Law served during Vietnam.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6UGr4zND4ewwRa_qLP7lfhyphenhyphenBW7R0BOchr1KB10REXeZ4BX3tPpxId86CBdwmxz5GBykrBweLKR7UnGwXwbCFzE33PLHTqZy4Ze3DZ5tqKjkMpK3GnZufC-FpNdgdow4mj8WGFfBkh7NCd/s1600/PTDC0131.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="347" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6UGr4zND4ewwRa_qLP7lfhyphenhyphenBW7R0BOchr1KB10REXeZ4BX3tPpxId86CBdwmxz5GBykrBweLKR7UnGwXwbCFzE33PLHTqZy4Ze3DZ5tqKjkMpK3GnZufC-FpNdgdow4mj8WGFfBkh7NCd/s400/PTDC0131.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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One of my brother-in-law's just commissioned in the Air Force.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaNoFN2SEkU-dvgSIz9j0lRMDrzqSN_138c5YcywoCRfh32nN7X89_B8c1dAd6AhF9ajbS0NtKoGLz-vJaKG8UysUcTSoj6Cz-nRwJWufZXZqxmlV3hBY39xx096SY3jcb_YAgrek4dRRv/s1600/DSC05351.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaNoFN2SEkU-dvgSIz9j0lRMDrzqSN_138c5YcywoCRfh32nN7X89_B8c1dAd6AhF9ajbS0NtKoGLz-vJaKG8UysUcTSoj6Cz-nRwJWufZXZqxmlV3hBY39xx096SY3jcb_YAgrek4dRRv/s400/DSC05351.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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When they commission they get to choose someone to give them their first salute. He chose my hubby.</div>
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And my husband currently serves full-time in the National Guard.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBeywFjjxZM-rnWrE4f49Z9LD2SiHP5GCv9tGmGtG4f87LadtJVIYpbH7JU5M0USjvctccFAqy_bLih2rUrY2BRjth0HvZuLB9EL-AQo7LCal-BRlcbWQQ9W8QeyMmzGvSgO6aVcMBzOyy/s1600/DSC05355.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBeywFjjxZM-rnWrE4f49Z9LD2SiHP5GCv9tGmGtG4f87LadtJVIYpbH7JU5M0USjvctccFAqy_bLih2rUrY2BRjth0HvZuLB9EL-AQo7LCal-BRlcbWQQ9W8QeyMmzGvSgO6aVcMBzOyy/s400/DSC05355.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgybbCKCwu9xhkaVtdwoMw-c9QsT31aQfFL5HknyfzKw5sao6ixON8Ve0b8vgpOy9tftcow-DxA2ADsupZ6SlFSAKZvYRkx4zBFvPFhS-m8T9lF1H9byQRelm2iwVLKq6thjJLfipjVzE2l/s1600/DSC05372.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgybbCKCwu9xhkaVtdwoMw-c9QsT31aQfFL5HknyfzKw5sao6ixON8Ve0b8vgpOy9tftcow-DxA2ADsupZ6SlFSAKZvYRkx4zBFvPFhS-m8T9lF1H9byQRelm2iwVLKq6thjJLfipjVzE2l/s400/DSC05372.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All of us on the Howitzer he is Chief over.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">His Battalion recently hosted a Family Day where we got to see them shoot their Howitzers. It was fun to actually get to see them in action and see what they do.</span></div>
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Today my husband and I spent a simple Memorial Day by going to a memorial honoring some of those who have served in our small community. My husband's name, his dad's, and one of his brother's are all included on the monument. It's only about 10 miles away from us, but I had never gone to see it.<br />
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She found a puddle near the monument and was in HEAVEN!!<br />
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HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!!<br />
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{PS - If my husband knew I posted all these pictures of him I'd be in trouble. So ssshhhh!}Britthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101262476606430931noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-277954145264683546.post-1140882504953487562012-05-23T14:50:00.001-06:002012-05-23T14:50:04.914-06:00Works in Progress - 5.23<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Here goes again! Many projects started, none completed. :) I know I'm not alone in this!</div>
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I did make some progress on my bear cocoon. I'm working on the oval that will be then belly. Then on to the hat!!</div>
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Nothing to report on refinishing this children's bench. I still need to take the metal pieces to my father-in-law to clean them up with the sand blaster.</div>
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I haven't done anything else with my Zig Zag Quilt Top either. I'm debating whether to use quilting cotton or flannel for the back...</div>
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I have however, made lots of progress on my bookshelf ladder.</div>
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I cut out the shelves...</div>
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Primed everything...</div>
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And added the first coat of light blue paint to it today. One more coat and then I can do the final assembly. Yay!!</div>
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Painting today was somewhat frustrating though as I had 2-year-old hands helping and feet walking on my project. It's what I get for trying to paint with my little one awake! Lesson learned.</div>
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And that one petal of my Retro Flower quilt block from last week has now become a whole flower! Yay!</div>
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And look! I even got a second one done today! More frustration though as my sewing machine and I were not getting along. In 40 minutes I only managed to sew two 3 1/2 inch long seams successfully. ARGH! :) It's okay though. I'm in the market for a new machine. Any suggestions?</div>
<br />Britthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101262476606430931noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-277954145264683546.post-54983815691744502202012-05-23T05:30:00.000-06:002012-05-23T05:30:04.416-06:00Blue Baby Booties!That's right! More booties! There's a couple in my church ward that had a sweet little boy in February. They found out toward the end of the pregnancy that he had some heart problems and was going to need surgery shortly after being born. This little guys a fighter though and is doing FANTASTIC!! I wanted to do something for them so I whipped out another pair knit booties.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU4X2N_-BXmixK_L5vbFcAe9ER9tpafnu0KPLTD_UB0icXjZIY8BOzMeQldWRwPJUzs2FQ5EM9F8BFC778B2N6t5mABGauftXJvL0N4eH5hCfS9PbesXKX_7My9sQgBLNNSCpYYk9lT1wR/s1600/Blue+Booties+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU4X2N_-BXmixK_L5vbFcAe9ER9tpafnu0KPLTD_UB0icXjZIY8BOzMeQldWRwPJUzs2FQ5EM9F8BFC778B2N6t5mABGauftXJvL0N4eH5hCfS9PbesXKX_7My9sQgBLNNSCpYYk9lT1wR/s400/Blue+Booties+3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Lucky for me he's a tiny guy still, so even though I just gave them to him they'll fit. I threw in the <a href="http://diythirdtimesacharm.blogspot.com/2012/02/bibs.html">bibs</a> I made a few months ago and had a cute little gift for them.Britthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101262476606430931noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-277954145264683546.post-23302696098620871592012-05-20T15:01:00.001-06:002012-05-20T15:02:06.487-06:00Blog Hop!It's Blog Hop time!!!<script type="text/javascript">
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<br /></div>Britthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101262476606430931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-277954145264683546.post-75624749859045559682012-05-16T10:51:00.002-06:002012-05-16T10:51:57.386-06:00Works in Progress<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Here are some of my projects I am currently working on. Maybe one day I learn to finish a few before I start 10 more...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYrcaV3BxgHLQu8oIuv1cFt58fubCModGSysTH0z7oVR7aBJgNRnZMhEQFAAnbFRefnOD1PHZe3PVTa26x7CZwooKkxgS9AONx2g294MV4NBjcYSqVejf0vrSaI-FxvF90dEBs646Hkwb7/s1600/DSC05401.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYrcaV3BxgHLQu8oIuv1cFt58fubCModGSysTH0z7oVR7aBJgNRnZMhEQFAAnbFRefnOD1PHZe3PVTa26x7CZwooKkxgS9AONx2g294MV4NBjcYSqVejf0vrSaI-FxvF90dEBs646Hkwb7/s400/DSC05401.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd75IQzBaTjNRsHTPmtpWsE-xU8yijzAC8kqXbArvVZh2UTuGDGZhfniHqqaw1Dfxzj3VpIsafrooBXIW3IeJ_d5rrHdFww0X1wdxugIG6DpxvuEBbtXn6GMzwIro81bi19rfCW49EIOo8/s1600/DSC05405.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd75IQzBaTjNRsHTPmtpWsE-xU8yijzAC8kqXbArvVZh2UTuGDGZhfniHqqaw1Dfxzj3VpIsafrooBXIW3IeJ_d5rrHdFww0X1wdxugIG6DpxvuEBbtXn6GMzwIro81bi19rfCW49EIOo8/s400/DSC05405.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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These first two are of a children's bench my mom gave me. I've taken it apart, and sanded and stained the wood slats. I just need to take the medal parts over to my father-in-laws so I can sand blast them to clean them up. Then I'll put it back together and it will no longer be a work in progress!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPF2EhrJ1tLDfFIVbZ7s2T0-lCEqT6FH_wWTn8XmfXqxMJ8SWG1BVuZlwDGacO8W2oKHCnNLoGtQ7PM8yHRuNB5vMB_ScDAmu-4VVBdOyMUVxJFAXt267xpbzsIRyNkEVRaBrtNz1WEYtr/s1600/DSC05446.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPF2EhrJ1tLDfFIVbZ7s2T0-lCEqT6FH_wWTn8XmfXqxMJ8SWG1BVuZlwDGacO8W2oKHCnNLoGtQ7PM8yHRuNB5vMB_ScDAmu-4VVBdOyMUVxJFAXt267xpbzsIRyNkEVRaBrtNz1WEYtr/s400/DSC05446.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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This will be a ladder bookshelf. It's my own design and if all goes well I'll create a tutorial for it. I need to make the shelves, paint and prime everything, and then I can finish putting it together.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwAiCc1JmEWwsPnYpcOu-eINGYt1NalU_3vsTEVfwNpP7qlFWB4KmY_Y06ZyYd_AnsYqIOKlAukEFTuJWg2ywYq7W9HJOTtrFuXYgpPZc56BYEQfnHBKKGTwLCG9SJv2lVI6QCRjFHt5VE/s1600/DSC05449.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwAiCc1JmEWwsPnYpcOu-eINGYt1NalU_3vsTEVfwNpP7qlFWB4KmY_Y06ZyYd_AnsYqIOKlAukEFTuJWg2ywYq7W9HJOTtrFuXYgpPZc56BYEQfnHBKKGTwLCG9SJv2lVI6QCRjFHt5VE/s400/DSC05449.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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I have had a bunch of fabric from the Dandelion Daydream line forever. When I say the Retro Flowers Quilt pattern I finally knew what I wanted to do with the fabric! Sadly, this is all I have done. Only one petal. Just 63 petals to go! I also used Dandelion Daydream for this <a href="http://diythirdtimesacharm.blogspot.com/2012/01/dandelion-daydream-apron.html">apron</a>.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4XI2LTVA5JBX1N9bpsPvfGRbzE_1nqh136qnGjZ-CI1lzC_ixmpxQR6JsvNJZ830gIGJS8nZ2zT3-NExtmoUPQk0nUoPeoaIWDakZhQlk3mW9WJIgYqyZdb8Wo0ItEZsj3vrJ7dW0sBi8/s1600/DSC05454.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4XI2LTVA5JBX1N9bpsPvfGRbzE_1nqh136qnGjZ-CI1lzC_ixmpxQR6JsvNJZ830gIGJS8nZ2zT3-NExtmoUPQk0nUoPeoaIWDakZhQlk3mW9WJIgYqyZdb8Wo0ItEZsj3vrJ7dW0sBi8/s400/DSC05454.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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This is my current crochet project. I almost always have a crochet or knitting project going. This will be a baby bear cocoon and will have a matching hat.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCqLLNOWt3x8lYkvp5X8xece-mHhqmf0fijwQcnv18s48o1z2SH6AsXQucpVz3-SfrLQi6Hzed2cUCmwEh7-h7tGApL_QoElGoHW6wsWVNUlKQlSR8KQWNh3bZI4S0LkPCjt2xT4V7bfaU/s1600/Zig+Zag+Quilt+Top.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCqLLNOWt3x8lYkvp5X8xece-mHhqmf0fijwQcnv18s48o1z2SH6AsXQucpVz3-SfrLQi6Hzed2cUCmwEh7-h7tGApL_QoElGoHW6wsWVNUlKQlSR8KQWNh3bZI4S0LkPCjt2xT4V7bfaU/s400/Zig+Zag+Quilt+Top.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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And finally, my zig zag quilt top. This is going to be a gift for some friends who are not finding out the gender of their baby. Love this design as it works for a boy or girl! I may have to make me one...</div>
<br />Britthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101262476606430931noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-277954145264683546.post-61700536863317009462012-05-16T08:29:00.000-06:002012-05-16T08:29:06.451-06:00Striped Newborn Stocking Cap Sue over at <a href="http://crochetaddictcfs.blogspot.com/">Crochet Addict</a> just hit 7000 members in her flikr group. So in celebration she is having a lot of giveaways! I created this newborn stocking cap for one of her giveaways, so hop on over, check 'em out and sign up to win some prizes! My little hat pales in comparison to the other prizes.<br />
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I used a pattern from <a href="http://www.snappy-tots.com/">Snappy Tots</a> {the same one I used for this <a href="http://diythirdtimesacharm.blogspot.com/2012/04/newborn-cap-and-booties.html">hat</a>} and went to town with some yarn I already had in my stash. I hope the lucky winner enjoys their prize!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQN0TEifuumw098oRDlVXk8DdXA48hvY70gekydFebpoWBToXnzFlK4dPqhB-k6k5XpEmrrl3aFHyMUlxr6Q08TEvEl6EcyU1WHNCriAQNjaMGUfXkDJiBsmVCRvvGd7Z1TZq0-FahtLW1/s1600/Blue+&+White+Stocking+Cap+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQN0TEifuumw098oRDlVXk8DdXA48hvY70gekydFebpoWBToXnzFlK4dPqhB-k6k5XpEmrrl3aFHyMUlxr6Q08TEvEl6EcyU1WHNCriAQNjaMGUfXkDJiBsmVCRvvGd7Z1TZq0-FahtLW1/s400/Blue+&+White+Stocking+Cap+3.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlLLxQukIef7faIbWh04gSbeMepRJMBdBcMo3zGn_4Sm0Iv7q2iJe7PzDtxno0IIZRIF-WTA4SKW5NWVjZdEHWaxuHWLAX5Ys0KSrX6RMhbrTpsWi0AVRNq5m_PYnmmLYpflbJjptmvMji/s1600/Blue+&+White+Stocking+Cap+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlLLxQukIef7faIbWh04gSbeMepRJMBdBcMo3zGn_4Sm0Iv7q2iJe7PzDtxno0IIZRIF-WTA4SKW5NWVjZdEHWaxuHWLAX5Ys0KSrX6RMhbrTpsWi0AVRNq5m_PYnmmLYpflbJjptmvMji/s400/Blue+&+White+Stocking+Cap+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2K7AL3E6N4PirR3hLBH0w55r2suEsq-mBZ8Kdh5htX6GgvCloqZRf37RcJko8wIwXu9Q8_EGXo_kONLPwGl7XvutbO9tNFWeQ4bjKC-5WylhxJlRUmSk4liP6HyVsWED2fHyCE5DWn4_E/s1600/Blue+&+White+Stocking+Cap+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2K7AL3E6N4PirR3hLBH0w55r2suEsq-mBZ8Kdh5htX6GgvCloqZRf37RcJko8wIwXu9Q8_EGXo_kONLPwGl7XvutbO9tNFWeQ4bjKC-5WylhxJlRUmSk4liP6HyVsWED2fHyCE5DWn4_E/s400/Blue+&+White+Stocking+Cap+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Britthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101262476606430931noreply@blogger.com12