Fabric Uploads

It's been a busy few days.

My trio started pre-k 3 today.

Needless to say, they needed special outfits.

And I might even be inclined to say they were the best dressed.

Yeah, I think so...

but besides that, we have scheduled several fabric uploads.

If you are unfamiliar with this process,

it is quite simple and painless unless we have a very limited supply of fabric.

Then it becomes a problem.

Normally, we announce the date and time of the upload and the theme.

For example, we just did our Halloween upload.

I've been purchasing Halloween fabric for about 6 weeks now.

I take pics and give the available styles for each one.

Sometimes quantities are very limited.

Especially with seasonal fabric because they don't print the fabric

for much longer than the season that is happening.

Sometimes I just pick up random pretty fabrics.

That is my favorite thing to do.

This is sometimes referred to as a "stash" but most of the time

my purpose is to share with others although I have been

known to stash some precious fabric for my trio.

The uploads give you an opportunity to get custom work.

Things no one else will get.

Most of the time, it is a one-of-a-kind deal.

And if you are looking for a pant/shirt set,

don't fret because I have Lily Lou send me designs

and we feature them in the albums.

Actually, we have one stop shopping.

Melbows Place also is featured in the album.

She makes fabulous custom bows to match your fabric choice.

And not only that, Miss Beanies N More also adds her hats in to the mix.

You can get it all, together in 1 place without having to worry

about finding matching accessories because they are right there.

So I had to share the goodies.

And I hope you partake!

Enjoy the rest of your Monday and your week!

Melbows Place Giveaway WINNER

We've got a lucky number 27!

Wanna see if that is you?

Please scroll down just a bit.

Congrats Tammy!

I know you are local so I can pass these along to Andrea

so you can get them in perfect shape!

Melbows Place GIVEAWAY

As promised, a fabulous bow giveaway from Melbows Place!

Melanie, the owner, is the most fabulous of bow makers.

This woman...I'm tellin' ya.

And I don't just brag on someone to brag.

I do it because I believe in it.

She has the most fabulous bows.

They withstand my trio.

And that says a lot.

Not only that, they are beautifully made.

The quality is impeccable.

And the best thing?

She is SOOO AFFORDABLE.

Piggies are $6.

{please forgive the lack of photos...they are on my other hard drive}

And what will you win?

This beautiful basket of 5 5.5" big bows

along with 2 korkers hidden in the middle.

Perfect for back to school!

Wanna know how to win?
Here are the deets...

Please remember to make SEPARATE COMMENTS ON THE BLOG

to get all entries counted!

You have through Saturday, August 27th at midnight CST to enter.

1) Become a follower of the {SIG} Blog & leave a comment to let me know.

2) Get a friend to follow the blog & leave a comment w/ their name.

3) Become a fan of the Melbows Place Facebook page,

leave her some {SIG} love & comment here.

Now, go get it!

This is a great giveaway and I promise you won't be disappointed!

Problems, problems, problems...

Please forgive the absence.

First, my computer decided to blow up on me.

THE.COMPUTER.

Like, the one that has everything on it.

All my pattern writing.

All my photos.

All my ideas.

Every.single.important.thing.

Capute...thank God the hard drive can be recovered.

But it sent me in to a tizzy.

And if that wasn't good enough...

The next day, the AC in our home went out.

If you know anything about Houston,

you know it is sweltering hot here.

Like in the triplet digits for God only knows how many days.

And no AC is no bueno.

I packed up the kids for their first overnight trip

and headed to Huntsville for the week.

Aye...

a little complicated, huh?

Now I am back.

The blog will be updated starting tomorrow.

We've got a cute giveaway from Melbows Place.

You are going to LOVE these bows.

They are fabulous.

Like better than the best.

My girls wear them.

Love them.

And they are perfect for any outfit.

So be ready...

it will happen tomorrow!

It's good to be back!!!

Noodle Art Tutorial

Looking for something to do with the kids?
This is pretty darn easy!
They are sure to have fun.
And it will keep them entertained inside away from the heat.

Noodle Art.

Or you can make Noodle Necklaces.
But if you do, I recommend getting straight noodles.
My kids are still working on those fine motor skills
so the macaroni noodles were a bit of a challenge.

Next time I know better.
And I'll warn you now, you WILL wear a necklace.
No way around it.

Now, back to to Noodle Art.

Here is what you need...

• Noodles (your choice or choose several)
• Construction paper or card stock
• Food coloring
• Rubbing alcohol
• Ziplock bags
• Paper towels
• Wax paper (optional)
• Plastic containers (optional)
  

Now, let's start by dyeing the noodles.
Beware, it can get messy with little hands!

1. Take 1 tbs of rubbing alcohol and put in a bag.
2. Put a few drops of food coloring (just one unless you are up to mixing).
3. Mix together well and add about 1 cup of noodles.
4. Shake the bag well, coating all the noodles, we did it for a few minutes. Each child took a turn with each color and they LOVED it.
5. Lay out wax paper (to protect your table).
6. Place paper towel down and dump the noodles on there. Let dry for about an hour.
7. Repeat for all other colors.
   

After the noodles are all nice & dry,
it is time to get to creating some fancy artwork!
I let the kids pick out their color paper.
And to encourage some learning,
we decided to do first initials and shapes.

Basically, all I did was draw the letter and the shapes
on to the paper in the SAME COLOR marker.
By doing this, you barely see the lines after everything dries.

After this step, I used regular glue and went over the marker lines.
The kids got a bowl of noodles each.
I recommend only doing 1 shape or letter at a time and then
when they finish, put glue on the next shape/letter.
This way, your glue doesn't dry before they get to it.


Don't hang it right away!
I would let it dry for a couple of hours.
Then hang anywhere in the house!

{gotta insert SIG in there somehow}
This activity took all afternoon for us.
A great way to keep little hands busy!

As always, make sure to share!
And don't forget to enter in the {SIG} Back to School Giveaway!

Tuesday Ramblings...Photography

{learning how to use my camera, I got this shot}

Yep, I almost forgot.
What I actually mean is that I woke up this morning,
knew I needed to take some pics of randomness
and then the day got away from me.

So, technically I did not forget.
Right?

Now I am scrambling for photos.
I have 1000 ideas but I didn't get any photos.
What is a girl to do?

Sort through photos.
Gobs & gobs of photos.

And then it dawned on me.
I'll ramble about photography.
I can honestly call it a hobby.

One I enjoy.
I just wish I knew more about my camera.
I seem to have a good eye for it.
But I know I need to learn me some photog skillz.

That, after all, was the purpose of purchasing Mamarazzi.
But like I mentioned before, I'm a hands on kind of girl.
Anyone want to teach me a little?

Until then, I'll have to go on instinct.
There is one important rule I try to follow.
This is probably the only thing I can say for sure.

The Rule of Thirds

I use it as much as possible although not always.
You will see it in much of what I do,
unless I am photographing an outfit on 'the fence'.

These are just a few of my fave all time photos.
I took them all.
Hardly any editing.


{my beautiful girls}



{grandma & grandson}

{i took a lot of this sweet boy}

{loved the pout & the baby}

{this photo won me a contest & I adore it, absolute one of my faves of all times}

{awesome action shot, I got lucky, and I need to frame it}

Believe you me, I had a ton more.
But I won't bore you with them.
Unless you ask for more, haha!

Now, as I learn more, I promise to share.
Everyone wants to know how to take a good photo.

Anything interesting you would like to know?
Leave me a comment!

{SIG} Back to School GIVEAWAY

I was having a hard time deciding the giveaway today.
I was going to do something Halloween.
But it is still a bit early.
And I want to leave that for October.

Then it dawned on me, I'll do it for what ever
specialness is going on.
This month everyone is going back to school.
And I have some cute fabric left over that I would
love to make something with.

So how about this?
For the girl in your life, a Susi Skirt in school fabric.
For the boy in your life, a crayon tie shirt.

There you have it!
Here is the adorable fabric.


And just an example of what we have made.


Time for the entry deets.
You will have until Friday, August 12 at midnight CST to enter.

1) Become a follower of the {SIG} Blog & leave a comment.
2) Get a friend to follow the blog & leave a comment w/ their name.
3) Become a fan of the {SIG} Facebook page & leave a comment.
4) Blog about the {SIG} Giveaway & leave a comment
WITH A LINK to your blog post!

Go spread the {SIG} love!
Bring some love back to {SIG}.
Enjoy and good luck!



PS ~ If you are interested in sponsoring a giveaway,
please contact me at signature.creations at hotmail dot com.

Just something to think about...

Quick question.
Would you like to see these quotes made in to
printables such as the ones I did on Friday?

Leave me a comment & let me know!

Miss Beanies n More Giveaway WINNER

We have a winner for that awesome crochet newsboy hat!
This gal is going to LOVE it as much as I love mine.
And especially since the winner is in CANADA.

Yep, the perfect place.
And I'm jealous b/c that means she can start wearing it now.
BOO!
I wanna wear mine!

So, who is our lucky Canadian?


That would be lucky #14!
{it is the reverse of how many entries, cool huh?}

And what comment is #14?


Amy, you lucky gal!
Now, we need to get you in touch with Shelly.

Thank you all who entered!
Be on the lookout for something from {SIG} next week!

Love me some polka dots...

One of my fave blogs is Thirty Handmade Days.
Andrea turned me on to it.
And then Andrea was kind enough to print me this...


We all know I am a fabric hoarder.
A lover of anything fabric.
The fabric whisperer.
So this sign fit perfectly.

But then I found a second love.
Polka dots.
Not sure if you knew that but if you didn't, you do now.

I'm ok using Photoshop.
Self taught, like everything else I do.
And I decided to tinker with making my own sign.

This is what I came up with.
Feel free to steal it.
I cannot take the credit though.
Thirty Handmade Days blogged about it HERE.

Here is my version on "I could rule the world"





And my remix...


{click for the big version & save to your computer for printing}

This was fun.
I may have to come up with some more fun printables.
Maybe my Sunday quotes?

I'd love to hear thoughts from you!

Chocolate Peanut Clusters

I look for easy stuff to make for the kids.
So this fit the bill exactly.
I can't wait to use pretzels in the mix.
Or even the Chinese noodle thingies...YUM!

Either way, the kids and I had fun making this.
Super easy and a fantastic activity for the triplets.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups (12 oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 cups (12 oz) vanilla bark
2 cups Cheerios or cheaper store brand
1 cup dry roasted peanuts (no salt)
Wax paper
Cookie sheet

TOPPING:
2-3 oz vanilla bark
1 tsp vegetable oil


It already sounds delish, doesn't it?
Don't lie.
I know you are trying to talk yourself out of making it.
I promise, you.will.not.regret.this.

1) Take your 12 oz of bark & 12 oz of chips and mix together.


2) Place in the microwave on high, stopping every minute to mix.
You will do this for 4-5 minutes. DON'T overcook! It will burn.

3) While your sweet goodies are melting, you will take your
3 cups of Cheerios (or substitute) & 1 cup peanuts, mix together.

{little hands LOVE to help}


{um, they love to taste it as well}

4) Once the bark & chips are melted, you will pour in
your Cheerios and peanuts, then you will mix it all together.


Ah, looks delish already!
Try keeping the kids out it, ha!

5) Place wax paper on the cookie sheet and scoop
out the mixture on to the wax paper.
6) Take about 2-3 oz of bark and put it in the microwave to melt,
approximately 30 seconds. Then mix in the vegetable oil, and
heat another 30 seconds. Mix together and then pour on clusters.
7) Place those yummy clusters in the fridge to cool, about 30-45 minutes.


After the cooling, your clusters are ready to eat!


Yummy, huh?
And if you like the serving plate, that would be
2 99 cent finds at the dollar store, spray painted
and then glued together for a pretty presentation.

All I can say is everyone I know is getting clusters
for Christmas this year.
I mean, I don't think anyone is going to complain.

Have you taken a bite yet?
Enjoy and share your experience!