i {heart} vacation.

July 1, 2015 Raising up Rubies10 Comments

every year when school ends we hit the road and head to the Carolinas.

we love it here. (here as in we’re here now 🙂

i dream of moving to Charlotte one day. but we have deep roots in NY so i dunno how that’s gonna play out, but hey a girl can dream right?

maryland is so lovely. we stopped in frederick for breakfast … so much shopping and their wegmans is huge!

coloring pages from my bestie AmyJ. kept me busy in the car … rainbow sharpies and cupcakes. cause what else is there? these coloring pages are so so cute, Amy just opened a new extension of her digital download shop and it’s all just for kids! paper dolls, coloring pages, play kits … you have to go see everything. she’s just so talented i’m always oooohing & aaaahing everything she makes.
look look look

we made the paper doll binder house!
i’ll post more about that later…

ok back to chickfila and other food related items

if you’ve been around for a while you know i’ve mentioned there’s no ChickFilA in NY … well in NYC there’s one. but that’s 8 hours from me sooo yeah.

it’s our lunch stop along the way (unless we’re driving on a sunday which we try to avoid intentionally cause i’m clearly obsessed)

peach milkshakes for the win. and the hubs is a die hard coffee man.

(he could care less about chickfila)

(i think he’ll be glad i clarified that)

tired & grumpy travelers. but i got some smiles anyways

the other day we ran out to get a few things and went into Lowe’s.

um. where has this place been all my life.

it’s the most awesome store!

these rocking chairs … i want them all

we went inside and i started taking pictures much to my husbands dismay.

he likes to shop like a ninja.

get in. and get out.

that’s his philosophy. for real. ask him.

he should start a hashtag #shopninjastyle

i love it almost as much (maybe more) than wegmans

but you didn’t actually hear me say that

next to chickfila. this is my 2nd most favorite place.

there’s no krispy kreme in NY either

#nyisnotcool

the light was on so we had to get a dozen. only 10 made it home though.

ha.

this is my in-laws front porch.

it says come on in. we have food here.

and a free place to stay.

and wifi.

oh and the beach. they have the beach.

i think they’re having fun.

and goggles for dayzz.

my girlfriend told me we look like teenagers in this picture

we kinda sorta do huh?!

but we’re not.

we’re really old

why is shopping always better on vacation?

this was a brand new hobby lobby they just built right down the road from my mil’s house

can you imagine. i’d be in trouble.

i have a bunch of projects to share with you soon.
my shop is closed for the summer so it’s my hope to spend lots of crafting time with my girls
get some projects done around the house and make a little time just for me. to create.
this creative full of color girl needs some of that ya know?
be back soon and much love.

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sickness snow and rejoicing.

April 26, 2015 Raising up Rubies9 Comments

being a grown up and being really sick is no joke

i’ve been in bed since wednesday

one of the days i felt like i was dying

and i’m no sissie.

i’d like to say i’m a rough & tough girl

i’m independant. ambitious.

i like to get stuff done. a lot of stuff.

so maybe getting sick is just what i needed

(even though i really didn’t see it that way the day i felt like i was dying)
and then three days this week it snowed.
yeeeeeah. it snowed.
april twenty something.
and then i got some really disappointing news. i was really bummed. something i had worked really super hard on. and was really super excited about it. and then it fell through.
so basically the week sucked.
#firstworldprobs

i know He’s putting something on my heart today to share here. my family is at church and i’m still in bed. and i sometimes feel a rush. like a surge to write things down that all of sudden seem like were spoken into my heart. little revelations maybe? i’m not sure.

the other day i thought what the heck is the purpose of being ‘under the weather’ God?

i mean really. i went to the dr. got the meds and now i’m on the mend. but really whats the point?

just that we live in a fallen world, that comes with death, disease, and other horrible things? so if i get this little virus i should probably just be thankful it wasn’t death or one of said horrible other things?

i guess. that’s probably what i should take away from this week.

one whole week wasted. orders from my etsy shop are backed up. my house was a wreck. laundry was piling up and my girls watched 27.3 hours of mindless tv while my husband struggled to take on a ridiculously busy week at work, a renovation project at church, homework, taking care of me and a head cold…

all because sometimes we just have to take the good with the bad??

i guess.

what i waste i kept thinking.

until this morning.

when i read this.

it hit me. like a ton of bricks.

(cause i need a ton of them to get my attention when my focus is distored)

the initial blow was like an “uh helllooo” moment

and then my heart instatly softened to take in what God wanted to show me.

i was certain He was showing me this. right then.

we can rejoice.

rejoice?

that was the farthest thing from my mind this past week laying in bed feeling like i wanted to stick a needle in my eye. ok, so i’m not saying i should have been laying in bed strumming a harp and singing the psalms in between fevers & rounds of ibuprofen. but rejoicing? in my heart maybe in the quiet of the day when i was just laying there? not even close. snapping at my kids, complaining to my friends and crying like a baby when my husband had to leave again was more like it.

why? why don’t i know this already. i should have rejoiced

a quiet heart rejoice.

not like enjoy being sick.

but rejoice.

i hate it when there’s one bad thing in life.

that wipes out fourteen thousand other good things i got goin on. and that’s all i can focus on.

well that’s how the enemy likes to set us up right? now i have to take some of the responsibility here. the enemy can only sneak into places where i’ve already cracked the door open a little bit. and all he needs is a hairline fracture. so if i’m already stewing on the things i don’t like in life and my heart is not tapping into the source of Joy that is Jesus. well then i’ve already opened the door. so that’s that.

we run into problems and trials. we know that they help us develop endurance.

so being sick for me wasn’t just this ok take it and be happy it isn’t something worse kind of experience. it was a problem. a problem to help me develop endurance.

maybe it was just the flat on my back kind of week i needed to expose some of those ugly things about myself that God wants to change. that He wants to gently work on with me.

maybe He was trying to get my attention all along… i just wasn’t listening.

He wants to build my endurance.

endurance: the ability to do something difficult for a long time

relationships are hard.

He wants me to love people and use the gifts He’s given me to bless them

marriage is hard sometimes.

He wants me to love & love fierce.

like He loved me on that cross when He took my place, died and set me free.

parenting is hard sometimes (ok all the time).

He wants me to guide my children towards a life with Him

not yell & scold and criticize them constantly

and endurance develops strength of character. and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. and THIS HOPE will not lead to disappointment.

i dunno about you. but i’ll take any strengthening of character that i can get. i need it alot.

in fact i do notice in my quiet times. i’m always asking God for that specifically. please Father help me be a better mother to my girls. the wife my husband needs. a better daughter to my parents. a better daughter in law to my husbands parents. a better friend… help me to choose friends carefully. a better sister. and then i love that last line. its the best part. because after all that.

after all that refining

after all that character strengthening

all that laying sick in bed for a week doing NOTHING

it will lead us to a stronger confident hope.

not just any hope. the best hope. hope of salvation.

and if all else in life does not go as we thought it would.

we can have salvation through Christ.

and that hope.

THAT HOPE

-even if everything else does-

will not disappoint.

so i guess this is a lot of info.

it was on my heart so i knew i had to share in case it’s on any of yours ♥

i often overwhelm myself with things i want to change. i make the to-do list of where to start too long and too big that i look at it and give up. because i know i’ll never be able to do all of it. so i do none of it.

i’m a go big or go home kinda girl and sometimes that’s good. sometimes it’s drives me to do good things. but sometimes i think i just need to go small and go Jesus. because i really believe He wants me to make progress, not attain perfection, towards having a heart like His.

so i chose a few things i want to start with this week. not too much. just two or three things i want to make sure i remember to do … in areas where i feel really need some attention. and i hope this spurs you on to do the same. maybe it’s a card you don’t forget to send for mothers day. maybe it’s that batch of cookies you keep thinking you’ll make for the neighbors but never do. maybe it’s just taking time to listen to your child and hear their heart. i don’t know. but whatever it is i’m right there with ya.

and guess what?!?!

(read the next few lines)

🙂

we can make our plans.

but the Lord determines our steps

proverbs sixteen. nine

my plans sound great most of the time.

but His plans have never failed me. any of the time

and that’s coming from this hot mess.

much love

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ahhh spring …. finally

April 20, 2015 Raising up Rubies4 Comments

can you believe i’ve never had a top knot before?

i’ve always loved seeing them on women’s heads everywhere, but just never tried it.

well it certainly helps to have an almost teenage daughter who knows ALL about top knots

cause she’s cool

and i’m getting old

it feels weird to say that

so last sunday she said mom i’ll do a top knot for you

lemme show you

🙂

mkay.

so i’ve been on pinterest lately looking at pretty things for spring

since the weather here in upstate is just NOW turning springish

here’s a few things i’m crushing on and want to try…

i just bought gold bobby pins at target to do this in my hair! so simple but so cute.

(source)

i wanna try any of these up-do’s on my next day 3 of greasy hair

(sources 1 / 2 / 3 )

i try to only wash my hair 2-3 times a week

i went 2 months last year, shampoo free … yeah that didn’t work so much.

i used baking soda & water for the shampoo & vinegar for the conditioner … it fried my hair. it took a long time to get it back to normal. i’m sure i was doing something wrong, but it really got me used to not washing my hair so much which i think is really all i needed to do. wash less.

(my hair that is. i’m a huge component of washing everthing else.

i’m actually a nut case about it)

i tried the bouffant bun on the right a couple weeks ago … it was easy! and turned out so so cute! sometimes i get a head ache though when my hair is up. does that happen to you? or am i just weird … i dunno. it’s probably me.

(source)

and this one too. it’s called a dragon braid.

not sure if i like it more because it’s called a dragon braid or because it’s so perfectly messy & pretty

so i had a jamberry party last week at my house … it was so fun. if you know someone who sells jamberry, have a party! you get to hang with your girls and do your nails! it’s so low key and no pressure like normal in home parties. and the nail wraps?! i’m officially addicted to them.

they’re easy to put on, and take off. and mine lasted just about 2 weeks! here’s some really cool combinations i pinned to my board

gold and mint green? yes please.

(source)

hearts?? navy? these too. yes.

(source)

i love this combo for summer … so soft, so sweet and pretty

(source)

if you’re wanting to purchase some of your own go here and you can order under my name (in the drop down menu during check out) and the wraps are buy 3 get 1 free! i’m so excited to have these on alllllllll summer.

i pinned this to my board too … it’s got lots of good tricks & tips for applying the wraps.

the cool thing is that each sheet of wraps has enough for 3-5 manicures depending on how you use them. as accent nails or as a full set. and they last for a couple weeks. i work with my hands so much that ordinary polish just doesn’t cut it, it chips right away and i get crazy when i know my right hand isn’t looking as neatly polished as my left so i usually don’t even go to the trouble of painting my nails anymore

(source)

moving on to hair 🙂

i once had mermaid hair … purple, teal and blue streaks. yup 🙂

i loved it so much … but it was just too much to keep up with and it faded super fast

so i’m thinking of just doing something similar, but just more simple

loving purple in dark hair right now!

(sources 1 / 2 / 3 )

leggings are my jam. i mean really… can we ever go back to regular pants after this legging trend hits rock bottom? they’re so comfortable that everytime i have to wear jeans i feel tortured.

#leggingsforlife

anyways. these are leggings. and they’re cute leggings.

my only beef about leggings is that it’s hard to find long shirts that cover my tush.

cause covering my tush is a must with leggings. just sayin.

(these were for sale on etsy but i can’t find the shop anymore)

when it comes to makeup and clothes, i’m really a neutral girl.

i love love love color (obvs) but neutrals are my go to for any kind of lip product or eyeshadows.

love this nude lip tutorial

(source)

just got this shadow at target this weekend! it’s so so pretty!

love this makeup & hair

i’m thinking about a tatoo here too. i’m picky about tattoos. what they are, where they are.

i’m kinda set on only using scripture for something as permanent as a tattoo

but that’s just me … that’s my thing about tattoos

i like this one. but with a different verse… i have a couple in mind.

(source)

cute outfits for warmer weather!

(source)

this hair. dress. and Italy. what else is there? really

cept heaven of course. 🙂

someday i’ll get to Italy. and sit at this fountain in a dress like this. yup. bucket list.

(pinned here)

these shoes. navy is my fav right now. all the navy. and tassles?!

bless.

(these are from here but i don’t think they’re available anymore. boo.)

and this skirt. well because hello.

(source)

and those shoes with that skirt too.

now you know i’m really a crafty girl at heart, but i love clothes, hair & makeup too

it’s another fun way to express your creativity on yourself!

do you follow me on pinterest??

there’s lots on my boards. so make a cup of tea and settle in for a while and browse.

have you tried jamberry? do you love them? tell me please.

♥ much love

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insta ♥ friday

March 27, 2015 Raising up Rubies5 Comments

hey everyone!

thought i’d play catch up here with my insta photos

you can follow me on instagram for daily stuff

i’m an ig junkie

holy happy mail! what was inside these packages?!

see below …

lots n lots of goodies … spring grab boxes

remember the Christmas ones i did?

these were for spring. even though it’s not spring here. at all.

it’s freezing and snowing. sad. i want to live in Cali. ♥

do you know Lisa Leonard? she makes beautiful jewlery

i got this stamped pendant from her shop with the word steadfast.

it’s my hubby’s OLW for the year so i thought i’d keep it close as well.

want to keep my mind steadfast on Him

He is the Rock Eternal.

where better to be?

donut date.

tulips from a small group friend

do you have a small group?

rearranging in the studio. always.

free coloring page! get it here

need to organize your life?? tell me about it.

go here. and buy all the things.

smoothies for days. cup is from here

donuts for days. with sprinkles.

a donut without sprinkles is a waste.

i take dance classes at the gym. it’s so fun. this is my new bag.

crocheted rainbow bunting was listed in the shop THIS MORNING.

hurry.

i’m gonna have a huge lot of my little pony necklaces for sale in my etsy shop

hopefully tomorrow or Monday … maybe they’ll get to everyone by Easter for all the baskets 🙂

guess what!? these flowers came from France!

and they were brought into my studio by a stylist for Room to Create Magazine

for a photo shoot! isn’t that crazy? i’ll share more with you soon.

i can’t wait.

made some changes in my craft room had to document. nothing major

just little stuff.

pendant necklaces are coming to the shop soon too! it’s my first time making these

so i’m really having fun with them

ever tried making your own laundry soap? go here.

try it.

packed an after church lunch for the afternoon

vintage style. found these at a garage sale for a few dollars each

sunday breakfast. i love sundays

beads beads beads (and rainbows) (always)

i sold these last week on instagram … they went fast!

there might be more in the future 🙂

my birthday was last week and the kitchen was full of flowers

i love flowers … they brighten up a room instantly!

i was hoping they would hurry spring along, but yeah no. that’s not happening.

it’s supposed to snow here today

sigh.

what are you up to this weekend??

happy friday!

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little shop update

February 27, 2015 Raising up Rubies7 Comments

etsy shop update this morning!

last night i listed a bunch of fun wrapping supply kits – bits n pieces of crafty goodness

yarns, twines, ribbons, lace, papers (mostly vintage) all packed nice & neat into boxes and bags

i love to scour rummage sales during the warmer months

(which aren’t very long here) (this winter has just about killed me) (SanDiego here i come)

i look for awesome supplies, fabrics, papers…

really just about anything that’s vintage or just plain pretty.

i have a few secret places i like to visit regularly, where i find lots of good stuff too.

some of the supplies i find gets used as packaging for my shop …

the rest gets put into pretty milk glass or baskets waiting to be put in grab boxes

like the ones listed in my shop now

i have family that comes to my rescue

when the washing ironing folding stuffing packing winding and wrapping

all gets to be too much for just me 🙂

my craft room becomes a sunny place where we eat lunch, laugh, do homework or play trivia crack.

it’s my happy place ♥

each one of these boxes comes with small amounts of mostly what you see here in these photos

but you can read the listing description for the specifics…

there are a few left if you love bits & pieces of little pretty things

craft, wrap and create to your little hearts content ♥

happy friday!

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not mainstream ♥

February 23, 2015 Raising up Rubies17 Comments

shared in my instagram feed about something that was hard on my heart yesterday … in church our pastor talked about being brokenhearted
over our sin. about going into mourning mode when we do something that grieves
our loving merciful perfect Holy God.

as believers we are set apart.

chosen for a specific
purpose.

we aren’t supposed to look mainstream.

late talks with my hubby the night before led me to tell him i often
feel like an outsider.

like i don’t fit in. don’t belong.

even sometimes in
circles of other believers.

but i think when we feel that way it’s to serve the
purpose of reminding us that we are strangers here. for only our short lives
and that everything we do everyday, every minute, even every second counts. and
i don’t want to waste it. i want to look different. i want to speak different.
act different. do others see Jesus in me even in brief encounters? i
desperately want them to… Father help us to stand out. help us to not fall in
with the rest of the crowd. help us to use the precious time You’ve so
graciously given us as if we only had that moment to spend it. and when the
line starts to blur help us to remember Your Words…

Do not love this world
nor the things it offers you,

for when you love the world, you do not have the
love of the Father in you.

{first john two fifteen}

then i saw this post from here this morning

had to screenshot it

i’m determined to be devoted. no matter the cost.

no matter what.

and that’s scary to say… but i think i need to say it.

i think we need to say it. maybe you need to say it?

i hope you are encouraged today

♥ much love to you

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a little insta update

January 13, 2015 Raising up Rubies55 Comments

i just barely got used to writing 2014 on everything

then it went and switched to 2015

yikes.

i really am not sure where the year went. it kinda flew by.

it was a hard year for us. but a good one too.

Christmas came & went sorta like i just snapped my fingers

there’s definitely things i want to do different next year as far as Christmas goes.

playing a little catch up here in photographs…

i post almost everyday on instagram. it’s just so easy to keep up with everything there

it makes blogging seem like a lot of really hard work. yeah there’s that.

you can follow me there my user name is @raisinguprubies

i got a new phone after thanksgiving so a lot of my pictures are still on my old phone but this pic was snapped the night of my Christmas cookie exchange/craft night. my craft besties and i have been doing this every year for a lot of years … maybe like 8 or 9? i dunno. a lot. we do gifts, cookies and food. lot of food. and this is what my craft table looks like by the time everyone sets there stuff up. crazy.

i suprised my hubby a few years ago and redecorated out master bedroom while he was out of town … there are still things in that room that i haven’t finished … minor things, but things.

so i’m bound & determined to do them this month .. or next. but i’m doin’ em. you can take that statement to the bank. this little ledge above our bed is one of those things. my ideas of what to put up there have changed since i first did the room, but when i found a few of these pretty things (mercury jars from target – picture frame from hobby lobby) i had a few visions, and a new place to start.

my hubby maaaaaybe. just maaaaaybe let me get a white Christmas tree.

i love it so so much. thanks babe. i really love it

so much.

this is what we do when grandparents have the kids and we have a free sunday afternoon

we rummage throught the 2×4 pile at home depot. ha.

one of the best decorations i put out this year. a color-it-yo-self paper tablecloth from the tarjet

a bucket of markers, some candy and boom. my kitchen table was kid friendly holiday-ified

(thanks to my bestie for the tablecloth tip)

new slippers. yes

wood trees. yes.

cuppa tea. uh huh.

just what the blizzard that day called for.

the next day it was 58

ny is weird

happy mail. my stitching the states project was on hold until i got some new thread colors

was super excited to lay them out and finish up the east coast with them. i sell the pattern in my shop here. and i get most of my thread here. (which is not the same thread that is in included in the kits i’ve been selling but similar) oh and that cute stationary stuff?? from here.

a few travel pillows went out the first few weeks of December…

the charlie brown one in the middle really came with the book! i found it at a thrift store and had to put it in the pocket 🙂

yeah this was my studio. full of kits waiting to be sent out 2 weeks before Christmas

and that was only the second half of all the kits i mailed out since black friday! whew.

early Christmas present from my hubby. i bake a lot. which if you follow me on instagram, you already know.

the 6 qt. bowl can hold two batches of anything i make at once! saves me so much time when i’m meal planning or making breakfast/baked goods to store in the freezer

shameless bathroom selfie at van maur. have you ever been in their bathroom?!?

it’s like a mini spa. i could hang out in there for a while.

wrapping my gifts actually happened the night before Christmas eve… which is when i’m usually scrambling to get it all done. so even though everything else i did was late, my wrapping was early.

go figure.

i love serving together with my husband at out church

he’s so good at what he does. but it brings us closer together when we’re serving, helping others as a team. this was the stage we put together with friends at church for Christmas eve services … at was awesome. it was fun.

clementine wreaths = neighbor gifts

found the idea here

all i did was add ribbon, jingle bells & a pretty little tag

that 2×4 pile we were rummaging though up there? was for these nativity sets i wanted to make for some of our besties kids … the nativity images were a printable kit from here

and the trees were a tutorial from here

put it all in a basket and brought it over … i think they loved it!

i loved it ha. i made another set for our house too.

here’s the original caption from this picture when i posted it on ig … this was exactly what was on my heart that night:

“props to all my mamas who are up at this hour. i know there’s alot of us…wrapping baking decorating all the things. for our spouses, littles, families…we. are. tired. we are worn out. but we do it because we love. the Creator built a driving force inside of us that loves nurtures and serves…all of these little meaningless petty things we’re doing that no one notices while running ourselves into the ground ….they are not missed by Him. they are not forgotten by Him. He sees, He knows… and we love because He first loved us.

for God so loved the world

He gave His only Son

that whoever believes in Him

will not perish

they will have everlasting life.

#johnthreesixteen

#thatsenoughformetocelebratewithacookie

#nowgodoallthethings

#orgotosleep

#sleepisnotoverrated”

that about summed it up.

a little bit of our living room decked for the holidays

joy to the world printable from here

breakfast in bed from my littlest little (a toaster strudel & applesauce on a paper plate 🙂

my journal & jesus calling. just what i needed that morning

this was the Christmas view upon entering our casa

a year in review … rainbowtized edition

boxwood forever

(new anthropologie goodies help too)

i mentioned that one of my new years resolutions would be to NOT not eat more crackers with nutella.

so there.

late night stitching sesh with my old person glasses

i don’t wear glasses but the readers help me see better at night!

are you working on the pattern? you can share your progress in the #stitchingthestates hashtag on ig!

go take a peek and see how many people are making their maps beautiful!! it makes me so happy and all warm & fuzzy inside!! seriously guys it does. and i show my husband all the pictures.

sunday-funday partner in crime. love this girl.

so this is what my map looks like right now…. actually i think i finished SC & NC since this progress pic… getting there! almost done!

blueberries in the freezer from a warm summer berry picking day …

turned into muffins for a cold snowy morning breakfast.

i love how God provides for us in all seasons. blueberries n all.

how do you start your morning?

i try to stay disciplined with my planner (though doesn’t always happen)

my journaling or some type of quiet reading/ relecting with Jesus

and breakfast. yum.

oh recipe for the muffins is here.

craft room diaries.

big suitcase full of vintage strips. mainly used for garlands i sell in the shop

or for whatever else you’d want to use vintage sheet strips for … i can think of lotsa things 🙂

my car thermostat read -11 that day. without windchill

brrrr.

aren’t these supa cuuuuute?

you can purchase them here.

they store all your stitching the states goodies & projects supplies ever so nicely.

it’s january. that means #throwawayallthethings

finally got around to cleaning out these two big drawers

you can see my kitchen here or more kitchen organization ideas here

muddy buddies. nuf said.

and this was yesterday …. this is what was goin on in my brain

kinda feels the same today….

“started my day immediately feeling bogged down & overwhelmed with the things i had put on myself to accomplish today. my husband texted me a short sentance and it caused me to stop. i just stopped. long enough to hear thoughts of#ephesiansthreetwenty running through my head

now all glory to God. who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.

so stop for a minute girls. lock yourself in the bathroom, turn off the radio or just close your eyes…and let that soak in. now look through ephesians three twenty lenses at what you want to get done today and what might have to wait until tomorrow. cause tomorrow’s a new day. aaaaand bonus: new mercies will be right there with it.

#canigetanamen

#nowgomakeachickenpotpieortwofordinner

#raisinguprubiesinthekitchen”

i’m not sure what happened to me being all gung-ho about getting back to blogging

i think about it all the time

that’s just the problem

i have a lot more time to “think” than i do to “do”

what about you girls? what are you busy “doing” lately? organizing, purging, catching up on sleep that was non existent over the holidays?

check check check all of the above.

tell me! and i’ll email the PDF file of the stitching the states pattern in my shop to the first twenty people who leave a comment, and hopefully if you’re on instagram you’ll share your progress in the hashtag! mkay?! kay 🙂

much love ♥

Uncategorized

Christmas card caddy ♥

December 9, 2014 Raising up Rubies2 Comments

i’m determined to get Christmas cards out this year.

de. ter. mined.

so when i saw this idea while reading one of my favorite blogs

i knew this would be the cute project incentive to get me going and keep me focused on getting those envelopes addressed. sounds so sad i know.

i got the silverware tray at target and the pulls & screws at Lowes (like she did i think)

the instructions are all on Jen’s blog … except i think a glue gun was used to attach the handles… but i had the hubs drill two holes on each end for the drawer pulls and used the screw size pictured to secure them. all screws have different thread sizes, so just make sure you buy the right thread size for whichever drawer pulls you pick out. (the nice man at Lowe’s helped me figure that part out)

i haven’t decided if i want to paint it yet.

(i know my husband will have to pick himself up off the floor after reading that)

(#paintallthethings)

or maybe decorate it? hmmm…

or maybe just leave it alone for pete’s sakes.

just leave something alone for once jaime.

it’s not like there’s tons of cute stuff in it anyways …

that it would make it overkill or anything

🙂

are all your decs up already?? only our tree is up … which is not good

i’m very very behind.

and i have a long list of projects, crafts and baking to do

and gifts to buy … sigh. gifts … yes lots of things to do

go to target today and get the stuff to make this caddy

it’ll make you smile.

♥

oh and check out my previous years Christmas projects!

i forgot about some of these! cute!

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a little shop update ♥

November 13, 2014 Raising up Rubies6 Comments

hello 🙂 just dropping in for a minute … i’m excited

so many of you were asking about my Stitching the States map pattern that i sell in my etsy shop, and i’ve gotten such great feedback, and lots of peeps are sharing their progress on instagram by using the hashtag #stitchingthestates

it’s been so fun to see everyone’s work!

don’t forget to use the hash if you are on instagram, and if you purchased my pattern

i got a bunch of requests for some type of project kit …

something that would have everything you’d need to complete the project,

all together in one box, wrapped up and delivered right to a doorstep.

so here it is! listed in my shop here

i’ll be putting these together over the next few weeks and shipping them out no later than december 12th … so hurry on over if you’re dying to get one of these in your mailbox…

not sure how long they’ll last!

would be an awesome Christmas gift too … for grandma, mom or your best crafty girl.

just sayin.

i shared this project at whatever craft weekend last month

i have pictures to share with you from that too …

hopefully i’ll be back in a couple days with a little insta-friday to get you up to speed.

much love ♥

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pumpkin candy pretzel treats … and a free printable ♥

October 22, 2014 Raising up Rubies4 Comments

a few weeks ago i found these on pinterest

my girls and i put them together last weekend.

packaged them up to give as teacher & neighbor gifts. it was fun!

the instructions were very simple but we hit a couple of road bumps along the way …

three things you’ll need:

waffle pretzels

HUGS hershey kisses

and mellowcreme pumpkins

(the same as candy corn just in pumpkin form 🙂

line your cookie sheets with parchment paper

spreadthe waffle pretzels out on the cookie sheets

then put an unwrapped kiss on top of each pretzel

(space the pretzels out a little bit… the pictures of ours here i’d say were a little too close together. when you press the kiss down it spreads and you don’t want them to touch each other)

bake them in a 350 degree oven for about 2 minutes.

really no more than that.

here’s the bumps in the road i was talking about.

we waited 20 minutes for them to cool, but the pumpkins were so heavy it really wasn’t enough time … we waited another 20. still not ready. and another 20. nope.

each time the pumpkin crushed the kiss and turned it into a puddle of chocolate all over the parchment paper (wish i took a picture of it)

so i tried another cookie sheet and started a new batch from the beginning while we waited for the others to cool…. here’s the little trick i discovered that worked:

take them out of the oven, let them cool for the first 20 minutes and then pop them into the freezer, the whole sheet – everything, for maaaaaybe a minute – no more!

and that stiffened them up enough to withstand the ginormous weight of the pumpkin 🙂

it worked! try it and lemme know how it goes for ya.