Strawberry Skys

new year , new outlook!

2012-01-04T21:21:00.000-08:00

So if you haven't noticed I haven't noticed, I haven't posted to this blog in some time now, boohoo!Oh how i have missed you. I had some pretty big hiccups in the past few months.

My mother who had a liver transplant four years ago, started rejecting. Big problem! She had been in and out of the hospital since thanksgiving. So needless to say Christmas was really hard, but thank God we made it happen and she was home for Christmas and new years. It was an absolute miracle!

I'm already pretty healthy but Being around so many sick people and hearing about all the health issues, Has put a new passion in me to be more consistent with my families eating habits.

I'm so looking forward to this new year! I feel so much expectancy, and

first on my list is healthy eating!

And get back to blogging!

Sarah

Pumpkin Eats!

2011-10-08T22:08:00.000-07:00

I know I said I would post Pumpkin recipes , but I couldn't resist this one!

Sweet potato and black bean empanada's, They are savory and delish!

Whenever fall comes around, I crave empanada's. My grandma made them from scratch every year and the passion has passed to me.

So I love to try different flavors and textures. I found this one over at

Naturally Ella, it's super healthy too.

Add some rice and beans and your set!

Pumpkin eats!

2011-09-07T13:41:00.000-07:00

Pumpkin season is almost here!You know what that means, We'll all be out to our favorite pumpkin patches soon, yay! I'm a little fanatical about pumpkin patches. I pretty much spend the entire month of October at my local pumpkin farm, hahaha.

Last year A friend of mine asked if I had been to the pumpkin patch yet? To which I replied with a hardy laugh... Are you kidding!?!

She didn't get it.

It's funny to me how people go to pick out a pumpkin and leave it out on the front porch till it rots and then just throw it out.

People were so surprised to find out that I actually Cook my pumpkins and yummy food the whole season long, and if there's a pumpkin that for some reason doesn't get used, like the one we carve... You can throw it out in the yard and let it sit. If you put some compost on it you might just get your own patch next year!

So in honor of pumpkin season, I'll be posting great ideas for that wonderful orange squash we all know and love! Here's my first find.

I found this delish recipe over at Cookies & cups

Fancy Shmancy Krispies !

Can't wait to try these! Head over to cookies and Cups and try these!

Let me know what'cha think.

I heart Estate sales!

2011-08-17T23:34:00.000-07:00

My dear bloggie friend Ali over At My third true love gave me this site, estatesales.net. It tells you about all the estate sales in your area, I am hooked! Thanks Ali, hahaha.

I haven't really bought anything big, just little odds and ends. The best deals are on the last day of the sale, thing's are usually marked down to 50-75%!

Here's a few goodies I picked up on my first trip.

Great vintage napkins

I have a thing for handmade doilies, i can't help it!
Maybe I need an intervention, hahaha.

I picked up these really old, glass herb jars

For my new spice rack.

I found these little pig cut outs, It's just screaming" make me into a chalkboard!"

So I did...

And last but not least...My favorite!

crocheted clothes hanger!

I got two whole boxes for $2! I love them! I love that someone spent so much time, doing something they loved by making them. And now they sit in my closet.

Great buys!

Chalk baord hevan!

2011-07-01T14:08:00.000-07:00

If You know me at all, you know I love, love, love chalkboards! I love making them, giving them away, and making more, hahaha. My house is full of them. If there is a possibility that something can be turned into a chalkboard you better believe I'm doing it!

With that said...I found a new site I wanted to share, You may know about it.

Chalkydoodles

They also carry a lg assortment of oil cloth items, which I also love.

That's all...

Have a blessed weekend and happy 4th!

Pho Dinner!

2011-06-30T21:27:00.000-07:00

Hello Blog land, Have you ever heard of Pho ?

It was a mystery to me too, Until my husband came home and told me about this wonderful little Asian market He found.

Fresh veggies

Love the egg rolls

That's fresh mint and rice noodles

My kids loved it, they kept saying it was like they were in" Kung fu panda " hahah!

We had mochi dessert , it's So good!

Strawberry filling

We had so much fun eating this meal, Great family time. We just laughed and tried new things together. loved it!

Give away!!!!

2011-06-23T14:56:00.000-07:00

Give away!!!

I heart giveaways ! Who doesn't right, Melissa over at Huckleberryprairie

Is having a birthday giveaway and it's a big one!

So check it out

Mr. Man party

2011-06-21T21:02:00.000-07:00

So This party was like months ago, but it was so cute I just had to share!

I helped a friend with her son's first birthday.

Here's my Madie, with the mustache straws I made

These were so much fun

So many cupcakes!

I love Mr. man parties!

Men are like waffles and women are like spaghetti

2011-05-17T14:51:00.000-07:00

So My church made this Hilarious video for a women's conference a few years ago. I thought I would share, That way you can laugh and get your daily core workout over with. hehehe!

Waffles and Spaghetti from Elizabeth Sandell on Vimeo.

This is my good friend Keri and Her hubby. They crack me up!

Easter 2011

2011-05-13T14:25:00.000-07:00

I know it's like way late to post Easter pic.'s but better late then never right?

I made so many goodies! We had so many left over's I took them to church the next day,lol.

Somethings were homemade, some store bought.

Thes are My new favorites! Haystacks! Really... I could eat the whole plate, hahaha. Don't worry I didn't.

I was so happy to use my "Good will " hunting
find, for the dessert table

Marshmallow eggs are a must have for Easter in my house

Chocolate dipped peep's and homemade chocolate covered peanut butter balls!

I wish I could say I made this, but I did reheat it, hahaha!

These are the cutest little cookies! They look like bunny tails.

yum-o!

I found these plate and bowls at my local $ store, yeah I bought them all!

Drink station, hi!

Love my bunting!

If you haven't tried mint water... You need to!

I love Easter and everything it means to me, I can't wait for next year!

free comic book day 2011

2011-05-10T14:26:00.000-07:00

My Husband Is amazing!

He has started a comic & multimedia company with another nerdy friend of His, and this was their first event. I was so proud of Him. I almost cried as I watched Him sitting and encouraging others to not give up on their dreams to become an artist, because there were so many times He almost did.

God has blessed Him with a gift like I've never seen and Louis has chosen to not give glory to Himself but to God.

It was so amazing to meet all the artist and feel the love. No one was competing, They were all there for the love of it. I must say , I think I'm turning into a nerd! lol!

He was feature on a really cool blog, I was honored when Monica Briano ( who is an incredibility talented photographer and video editor ) featured Louis. check Her out at monicabriano.com, to see the post on the event.

Here's some picture that I took..

Lou asked Me to make some bows, like the one his Character London Day ware's.

This Was Our model " The Beautiful Rosee " she Was gracious Enough to pose with fans for a picture, And she was a perfect pin up.

This is My favorite little guy Henry, He couldn't decided weather He wanted to be batman or spider man! lol!

We had a great time with our New friends Rosee and Abniel,they were so much fun and we were so happy to have them be a part of this. Sorry about Lou's face. He apparently thinks it's funny to NOT smile in pictures, lol

Here are the partners, Shane & Lou. So different yet so alike, lol

So excited to see what God will do through this!

Up cycled Newspaper frame!

2011-05-09T20:37:00.000-07:00

I don't really consider Myself to be an artist, But I love to be creative! I think artist create things with deeper meaning behind them.

I don't really feel artistic when I make over a new find from a thrift store or make a new bow.

But the other day I was having lunch with My family at our favorite little place and the news was on, let's just say... I wanted to dig a hole and never come out by the time it was all over!

It was one depressing store after the next , seriously! The world is crazy right now. I kept thinking about it all day. It bugged me and kinda got under my skin.

I thought there is still hope!

So I decided to create!!!

I love it!

I gave this one to My friend for mothers day, I almost kept it ,hahaha! it was so pretty!

There's always hope!

Here's where I'm linked up!

Spring window seal and lavender water

2011-04-07T16:06:00.000-07:00

I heat lavender! My lavender bushes are in full bloom and they are breathtaking. So I decided to bring the spring inside.

I love soaking lavender in water for an hour or so. You can make your own lavender water ! Just make sure you clean the lavender when you bring it in, and don't use it if it has been sprayed with any kind of pesticides, and make sure there are no bugs on them. Then soak the leaves in some filtered water .

It's so refreshing! I'll have to do a tutorial on it.

This is just a random shot of a little nook in My kitchen, I'm pretty proud of it.

It was a complete mess, before I clean it up.( I won't show you pictures because it's kinda embarrassing, lol! )

My aprons were thrown over the side of my fridge, my old broom was always falling down.

It's amazing what a new pretty broom and some $ store hooks can do.

I hated My old broom. This one is colorful and I feel pretty when I use it!

I think you should always try to surround your self with pretty things. I think it makes your day run better.

Here's a picture Madie made when she was 5, I love That She made sure to add a Mr. Sun shine! I heard some where that if Kids draw a sun in their pictures, It means that they are in in a happy and healthy life style.

I don't think I'll ever take this off My fridge, not even after the girls are married and gone. Madison made it last year for fathers day and I think It inspires their father and it's just precious!

Ice art !

2011-04-04T13:15:00.000-07:00

I Have recently found a butt load of great home schooling resource, Which has been most welcomed. Some of the blogs are design for homeschooling, some not. But that's the great thing about homeschooling, you get to pick and choose and find inspiration any where!

I was lucky enough to stumble on to this great little blog, the playing house .

I found a wonderful outside activity for those hot California days. Ice painting and My kiddo's loved!

It cost next to nothing, The only thing you might need to buy is the craft sticks, but they have those at any $ store.

So first....

You take four bowls with water.

Next you'll add regular 'ol food coloring to each bowl.

Here's the yellow

Then you pour the color water into ice cube trays and put them into the freezer. Check the tray in about an hour and add a craft stick ( Popsicle stick ) into the middle of each cube.

I forgot to do this, I can't remember what kept me from remembering to check the ice trays... Ah yes! I was trying to kept My kids from eating sand, hahaha!

So I had to jam them in with what little upper arm strength I have. ( note: DON'T forget to put the sticks in)

So after the stick fiasco, we sat on our patio and let the fun begin!

And I enjoyed some lemon aid after My work out! hahaha!

Thanks to Stephanie over at the playing House!

Home made compost bin

2011-03-29T11:48:00.000-07:00

I Started my Home made organic garden a few weeks ago and it has been such a joy! There is just something amazingly fulfilling about working something with your own two hands.

You take more pride in your work and put more value and tlc in it. It is a great why to teach your family to work together and what the fruits of your labor grow ( Literally)

I want to keep My garden Organic to save money, So I decided to make my own compost bin.

It was sooooo Easy and It's great if you want to teach you kids about Earth science and recycling (home school moment)

So Here's what you'll will need:

One plastic bin

I had this one sitting in My garage

Make sure To wash it out

You'll need a drill, I guess you could use a hammer and nail but that would take Forever and you will probably get frustrated and give up. So try to use a drill.

Drill in lots of holes because compost needs air.

The easiest rule of thumb is to mix in equal parts green stuff and brown stuff

Green stuff could be grass clipping or green leafs . Brown stuff could be dead leafs

You can add newspaper too. You'll want to add a layer of dirt as well. You throw in a few worms if you want to help out the process.

Last but not least... Food! You can add any can of organic matter to your compost bin. Any kind of fruit or veggie pealing. Any fruits or veggies that have rotted in your fridge any whole wheat bread or oatmeal. Egg shells, coffee grounds. Just so long as there is no meat, oil, or dairy in your pile. If you've added milk to you oatmeal , Your not going to want to use it. Meat and dairy will smell really bad when it decomposes.

You'll want to turn your bin every few weeks.

Most people think that compost piles smell and that you need lots of land to make one, well let me bust that myth. No they don't smell as long as you put the right things in them.

No you Don't need a lot of land at all. I have a little garden and this bin is just the right size for My yard .

Make sure to keep your bin moist and keep the lid on at night so you can keep city critters out of the bin.

Now this was just a starter lesson, If you want to know what to do next there are plenty of great tutorials on you tube! Here's a good one !

So I hope composting isn't intimidating anymore, and remember compost is not just for veggie gardens, it's great for your flowers too ! Use what you have laying around your yard and kitchen instead of spending money on stinky fertilizers.

I'm linked up here!

Mr. Man party tie tutorial

2011-03-25T13:15:00.000-07:00

"Whatch'a doing Mr.Man" is such a cute theme for a little Boy's first Birthday!

One of My creative Besties decided on a Mr.Man party for Her little Guy.

I was all over it! You couldn't keep me away with a ten foot pole, LOL! I love planning parties form start to finish.

So I decided to Make Carter some "Man" Ties, to go with his new mustache

J /K.

I love these prints, I wish I had a boy....Maybe someday.

I started out with a template that my husband made for me, Then doubled the fabric and traced on the back side of the print.

Then you'll need to stitch along the outline.

Make sure to leave the top of the tie open, That is where you will turn it right side out. Then cut off the excess fabric.

Then turn right sideout

Use a pencil or something to poke all the edges out and iron for a more finished look.

To finish in off I sewed on elastic to go round the neck, this way Carter can ware His ties with any shirt and not lose them. Okay I know this might not seem safe, but If your child is waring one of these, Your obviously not going to let him hook him self up to anything, make sure to use a soft elastic for this project too.

Anyhoo, These were so much fun to make! I think I'm gonna make some for my girls, How cute would pink poke-a-dot ties be for girl!

Loves It!

P.s. I'll be posting pictures from the party next!

Fun kiddy Lunch

2011-03-23T15:15:00.000-07:00

Ever since Target sold those Adorable little birdie cafeteria style plates, I have been inspired to make lunch time fun! I make sure to fill every spot on the plate with something yummy and Healthy.

My Girls are vegetarian and I had ran out of veggie dog's that day ( Yeah I know they Don't look eatable, but my kids love them! hahaha! ) so I used what I had.

Pb & J Banana Dog's!

They were Soooo Good! I had one too.

They can be messy, But so fun!

You could try to put the Pb & J into squirt bottles and make in look more like

" ketchup and mustard " that would be so cute. You might want to cut them in half for smaller hands , my two year old

had a hard time holding it.

They made a mess! but it was too much Fun!!!

They were so grateful, They kept saying " Thank you mommy, your the best mommy!" hahaha!

It made my heart smile.

Happy Spring!!!!

2011-03-22T14:54:00.000-07:00

Happy Spring Everyone!!!!

In honor of spring I will be writing this post in pretty springy colors.

Yes I don't know what it is about spring and Easter but I go nuts planning for all the get together's, BBQ, summer camp outs, mother's and fathers day etc.

And Easter! Don't even get me started! I am grateful everyday that Jesus Christ Died on the cross for me. But The whole month of Easter, I'm filled with joy! It's just a wonderful time to reflected and be amazed at how much We are loved by Heaven!

Anyhoo, I've started my small garden and I 'm getting the yard ready for all the fun we are going to have in Our back yard this year now that we are homeschooling full time. We just got a sand box and next we are putting in a tree swing!

Here's some of our spring time projects

Bird Feeder

Egg Carton planter

What Are some of your Spring projects?

I wanna See picture, Pretty please!

Mini chalk board frame

2011-03-21T15:48:00.000-07:00

So if You know anything about me, you know I HEART Chalk boards! I have 7 in my house ( just a Little obsessed ) I love that I can write the random thought that fly through My head down in what ever room of my house I'm standing in. That is very valuable to a mom that home schools.

Chalk board 1. Kitchen( all my household task's, what I'm cooking, shopping list, etc. )

Chalk board 2. The kids easel( usually in the kitchen to assist with school work or in the playroom for circle time )

chalk board 3. play room ( this one is in the shape of a giant butterfly on the wall. I use it to post our daily routine )

Chalk board 4. living room coffee table( I love to write little welcome messages to guest, love notes to my family, count downs to a holiday, keep score for games we play or just let the kids go for it)

Chalk board 5. My Girl's bedroom door ( I like to write prayers for them on it or encouraging things about them or any kind of reminders )

Chalk board 6. My craft room ( I painted the side of my filing cabinet with chalk board paint and because it already metal it's magnetic too! I like to write down bible verses that inspire me )

Chalk board 7. In My bedroom ( Okay I think this is the newest addition to the bunch and it's sooooo cute! I write love notes to my hubby, it's okay you can say it, everyone together....Awwwwe! I know it's sweet )

Just so He won't forget....

My next chalk board creation will be for outside, I need one for all My gardening thoughts.

Craft night!

2011-03-18T17:48:00.000-07:00

I'm very blessed to have my very own craft room and I love to share it with my friends. I love inviting over some of the girls and create till we fall asleep.

We had a great time, laughing, eating delish cupcakes in our P.J's and making bows and head bands. Seriously, it was sooooo much fun !

Chrisy and Nicole, My two favorite cheese ball's! love those Girls!

Yes I look crazy here, but It was like one in the morning!

I made some amazing cupcakes for Krista's birthday

Happy Birthday!

She was pretty happy.

Name wall art

2011-03-12T11:41:00.000-08:00

I've been growing bored with my daughters room.

It needed a change and fast. Every Spring I try to add a little something new to every room in the house. Just to encourage change and the newness of Spring without spending a lot of money.

So I decided to cover their name art with new scrapbook paper.

I just traced the old letters, this was done in the wee hours of the morning when everyone was still asleep. So I had my giant craft light on.

All cut out

Then I slapped on some modge podge

Finished product!
Simple...

Makenna's wall

Madison's wall

The colors worked well with the color of the wall, even though you can't tell from the picture that the wall is a light lime green. I love pink and green!

up cycle your old shoes!

2011-03-08T16:18:00.000-08:00

I really liked this pair of brown flats I had, they were so warm a cozy. They almost felt like slippers inside.

The only problem....

They Were too blah!

Soooo....

And then!

Voila!!!

Not blah anymore!

This has been the shortest tutorial ever.

Antique furniture refurbished

2011-03-06T13:43:00.000-08:00

I was blessed with this beautiful pink antique love seat a few months ago and I love it! I knew just where to put the old girl. She had been well taken care of, to my surprise it didn't smell of cat fur or smoke. It was just sitting in someone garage.

I knew it would go perfectly in my craft room where I needed a place to sit and sew or read a good book ( lol, like I ever have time to do that!) or let my creative juices flow and plan my next projects.

I just had to change one thing...

the wood was a little too dark to go with my vision for my craft room

So I fixed that!

Bin Primer!

Here is My beautiful love seat, I finished it with antique white.

I had these random pillows around so I used them. I want to cover them soon.

I love sitting and hand stitching things, it's so relaxing.

And My newest hobby, Tea time! I can't help it if I Love Jane Austen Movies. It's such a wonderful invention, hahaha!

I put Makenna down for a nap and Madie does some silent reading, then I grab my tea pot and a small treat.

I just sit and think, read, rest, pray, plan, rest, etc.

It's amazing!

Thank you England and Jane Austen!

I'm linked here!

I heart the Good Will!

2011-03-03T17:03:00.000-08:00

I did It!!! I found it! It was just sitting there and I almost passed it by. I think I heard music in my head when i saw it! I know I uttered some kind of nonsense to myself (which was unconsciously done) and then I grabbed it!

Isn't it beautiful... My friend Ali over at My Third true love
Found one at a flea market and I thought " Well since I never go to flea markets I probably won't find one " Very negative! I must have been having a bad day, hehehe...

Well I found this beautiful Three tiered platter at the goodwill, you know the new one I was raving about the other day.

I know It's not really silver but who cares? I love it!

I picked up this tray too, well let's just say it's not my style.
I WILL be painting it soon. Not sure what color yet, I think it'll look great on my coffee table.

upcycle Cheesy accessories

2011-03-02T13:42:00.000-08:00

Recently I found these Cheesy Bracelets at my local $ store

I thought What can I do to cover them?

I found this Lovely Fabric on sale at Joann's the other day and thought "why not?"

First I hot glued a long strip of the fabric to the

back of the bracelet

I used Modge Podge to glue the fabric, I just wrapped it then glued a little

more, then wrapped more. It's okay if you get some glue on the fabric because it will dry clear

This is what it looks like before I seal it, The print doesn't match up

But that's okay with this pattern. Make sure to hot glue the end piece or you'll be sitting there holding it for an hour.

Here it is with a top coat of Modge Podge to seal it and keep the fabric from fraying.

All done drying and ready to go on my wrist!

I love this one! It came out perfect and cost me like $1.50 to make!

I made one for Drea too!

Friendship Bracelets Hahaha!

That's so fifth grade...

Here's where I'm linked up at

Coffee cutness Tutorial !

2011-02-28T12:49:00.000-08:00

So I have seen some different knitted coffee cup sleeves here and there in blog land. I thought they were so cute but I'm not much of a knitter. One of My bff's Birthdays was coming up and I know she would appreciate this as a gift because she's a big coffee and tea drinker.

So I thought I'd try...

First I Measured my felt around a coffee cup I had.

Then cut out my bird.

I Sewed on the eye and beak.Well I glued on the beak and the body It was just faster that way.

I hand stitched the edges for a more finished look. Hand stitching is so relaxing... It reminds me of my Grandmother.

Then sewed on my button on one end.

I sewed on a small piece of elastic on the back side, I had to cover up the stitch. So I used some twine I had.

This is what i looks like from the back, The elastic catches the button.

The finished product! Loves It!!!

More importantly Drea Loved it!

And She had a great Birthday!!!

Love you Dre!

I'm linked here!

Give Away!!!!

2011-02-28T10:44:00.000-08:00

Woo hoo!!!

I'm so happy for my fellow blogging friend Ali over at " My third true love" She has hit 100 followers and gone through the roof! In celebration of this Joyful event we our giving stuff away!

I'm so happy to be giving away one of my handmade Strawberry tee's and a sweet pea baby Beanie.

Ali will be giving more goodies away through out the week so head over and see who you can win HERE !

Good Luck!

Feature Friday!

2011-02-25T22:30:00.000-08:00

Hello Every one! It's FRIDAY!!! I had Big plans for my garden this weekend but according to the rain poring down my window that's not going to happen, hahaha Oh well.

My feature this week isn't a blog, but a party. A friend of mine is having Her first baby boy. I thought the set up was stunning so here it is!

I love the Height of the tiers, it's such a massive table.

It all works so well.

My wonderfully creative Friend Michelle over at My cupcakery Made this amazing cake! Check out Her blog to find out more on How she created this beauty.

Love the mini airplanes!

Love this shower!

Feature Friday!

2011-02-18T16:38:00.000-08:00

Ahhhh... Friday!!! I always try to make Friday evenings fun for the Family, Whether we play a game, get take out, watch a movie or eat ice cream. Nothing big just a small celebration that our family made it through another week without killing each other hahaha! JUST KIDDING!

No Really it's exciting for all of us that Daddy will be home all weekend and we can eat breakfast together and we can take a break from homeschooling.

Anyhoo, Let me stop my rambling and introduce A very talented Blogging friend of mine.

I'm Proud to introduce Ali from My Third ture love , But you've probably already heard of Her because She is incredibly creative and has been featured on many Blogs.

She Has a Love for Antiquing where ever she can find a flea Market, and Has Her own etsy Shop Where She makes the cutest Jewelry!

So stop by and Give Ali some love! Ali and I will Be holding a Giveaway When she hit 100 Followers! So Don't be Scerred to be a follower !

All Tangled up party!

2011-02-18T15:18:00.000-08:00

Last month Madie and I were invited a friend of ours birthday party. I was really surprised to see that the theme was " tangled " Since it was so new. My friend Robyn had to improvise a little but she did such a great job on this party, I just had to share it!

First the Girls Got pampered In this beautiful enchanted garden living room.

I love the Kissing balls

Each girl got Her hair, nails, and make up done

And Look Who showed up!

Candy Necklace's

The girls got to dip their own strawberries and decorate them.

More games

We finished the party off with Cake and sparkling Raspberry cream punch!

Thank you Robyn and Kylie for the best princess party ever!

80's Party!!!

2011-02-18T12:13:00.000-08:00

Who doesn't love the 80's!?! Well I guess those of you who had really bad hair cuts back then would, hahaha! Okay,okay just kidding.

I Mean really! Pretty in pink, Punky Brewster,Sixteen candles,The rubic cube, The Go Go's, Nintendo, Saturday morning cartoons! the list go's on and on!

So why not throw a 80's party for my niece's 8th birthday!

It was really just an excuse for them to play dress up and act silly , Cute!

We had Strawberry lemon-aid cupcakes, Delish!

I was getting the table ready when I thought to myself..."This looks kinda Cheesy." Then I remembered that the 80's were cheesy!

I decorated the cupcakes with nerds! I forgot how good those little guys are.

It's not a party without gum ball!

The gum that keeps on giving... I love the little jokes!
Yes, Michelle this is your platter sorry I haven't given it back yet, Hahaha.

I was so glad that my local $ store had a bunch of Lisa frank party favors, That's what inside the boxes.

The pompom's came out great!

Here's the tank top and headband I made for her present!

So we had a blast!

I heart the Good Will!

2011-02-16T16:17:00.000-08:00

I have Great News! Well, I think it's great news. I have to drive through three cities to get to a deceit Good Will store, so I don't go very much because I hate to drive. It's probably because there's always a child screaming and yelling in my car, Hahaha!

So the other day I see that there is a huge, giant, new Good Will store opening five minutes away from me!!!

Could this have been better valentines gift from God? I think not! Really no one knows how much I love thrifting more then God. It was a kiss from Heaven! That might sound weird, hahaha!

Secondly, I finished my Jewelry hanger!

This Is how I found it at the Good will a few months ago.

It looked like something someone made in wood shop in high school, It didn't really have a purpose.

It was this gold-ish color and it had this ugly crush velvet on it, but it was like $5.

I decided to paint it white and switch out the fabric...

I just traced and cut on to new heavy card stock. the original was done!

Once I spray painted the wood part and hot glued the fabric back on I thought to my self this would make a great jewelry hanger in my room!So I added some hooks.

And so It did! I can hang up my bows and headbands too, I just made sure to NOT Glue along the edges of the fabric piece so that I could clip my bows on to the edge.

I must say I'm very pleased with the results! (Why I'm I talking this way? I must be watching way to much Jane Austin these days,hahaha!)

I love it when a plan comes together!

P.s I'm linked up here!

V-day!

2011-02-07T22:54:00.000-08:00

Okay So L-O-V-E Day is just around the corner! My amazing Husband Who works so hard has the whole day off! So I have big plans, I was thinking Chocolate waffles for breakfast with the kids and then... Well I don't have it all planned out yet. I better get going!

I just started decorating for Valentines, Sad I know. Better late then never. Here's the frame I made. I heart buttons!

I Feel So lovley when I ware this!

2011-02-05T20:23:00.000-08:00

I have noticed that I am lacking in the accessory part of my wardrobe these days. I feel Guilty buying a necklace when I could buy the kids an outfit or something. So I decided to start Making My own. So I did!

It's a little big, but It can dress up a gray tee in seconds and your ready to go!

I love the lace! I got it for Free! On free cycle.

The printed fabric I've had forever and the the other was painters drop cloth!

Forever 21, Eat your heart out! Hahaha!

I have a few more projects I will be posting soon

Love ya!

P.s I linked up here

Consequence Jar

2011-01-31T14:45:00.000-08:00

Hello Blog world!!! I've missed you! My computer got sick but it's much better now.

I Wanted to share this Great idea with all of you. My wonderful friend Christian Thought of this one all on her own or that's what she told me. She was having some trouble making a point with her oldest daughter who was 10 at the time. You know that age, tween's!!!

You can't treat them like toddlers ( even though they are acting like one ! ) and you can't treat them like a teen yet either.

So she came up with the consequence Jar. She put all kinds of different consequence's in a plastic jar, Anything from cleaning the bathroom, wash the car, playing with your little sister outside for 30 min. without complaining!

My favorite one is " Go out side and dig a 2ft by 1ft hole in the ground and then fill it back up again." This might seem pointless and a little curl, But there is a good point and lesson. The point is ... It is pointless! Just like the tantrum they are throwing!

It shows your child that there is no point to wasting time getting in trouble so don't do it again.
I guarantee they wont do it again. hahaha!

Remember to have age appropriate consequences in each child's jar. This is a great alternative to timeout as they get older.

Now before some of you start sending me hate mail, hahaha!
Let me just say I am NOT a child psychologist. I'm just going to try this out on my kids and thought it might help some of you.
It's all about creativity!

Let me know if any of you try this.

homemade Play dough

2011-01-18T14:19:00.000-08:00

Ahhh... Play-dough, Didn't you just love the smell of play- dough as a ~~kid~~. Well let's be real I still love the smell of Play-dough, hahaha!

I thought it would be fun to make some with the kiddo's. My mother always made it from scratch when I was a kid.

Right About now your saying to your self "why would I ever make play dough when I can buy it for like 99 cent?"

I'm SO glad you asked! Here's The answer, You ready... Because It's FUN!!!
I Know, I know... Simplify and all that, but It makes you spend time with your kids and laugh. That's hard for me sometime ( Please don't judge me, lol )

It's pretty Easy it just calls for a lot of salt.

Make sure you have everything set up before hand if you're making it with your kids, It just make's life a little easier.

You can find the recipe here, But if you don't like it there are video tutorials on you tube also.

Here are all my ingredients

The kids helped

Once we mixed the ingredients, we added color

Patty Cakes, patty cakes!

All in all it was fun, I would do it again. Even if it is easier to just go buy some, hahaha!

Amazing Give away!!!

2011-01-18T13:41:00.000-08:00

People!!!

Listen up!!!

Design Dazzle is having an AMAZING giveaway right now. They are giving away a Silhouette Machine! It's a $400 value. For those of you who don't know what a Silhouette Machine is, Here's a link to check out the awesomeness.

Then take you little cutie putootie over to Disign Dazzel to Enter this Once in a life time opportunity!!!

Okay that was a little dramatic,hahaha!

Feature Friday!

2011-01-15T00:04:00.000-08:00

Okay so I know I'm late for Feature Friday, But it's technically still Friday. 11:53 pm still counts! hahaha!

I'll Just be fashionably late tonight, Because I'm featuring one of my Bff's post. Our very own fashion guru. Drea from Making styling simple.

Drea loves to interview different people that inspire Her and find out what they're waring , why they ware it and where you can get it!

On this post She talks with Erica another amazing young lady That is creative in Her very own way.

She also talks about where to get this great style!

Check It out, Drea is truly Inspiring!

Freecycle Find!!!

2011-01-12T17:21:00.000-08:00

I heard about free-cycle on another blog ( can't remember the name of it, sorry )

It's a yahoo group page for what ever area you live it. People just pretty much give things away. Anything really, books, t.V's, Baby items, Furniture etc.

So I picked up these!

Hand made decorative books!They are so cute and they go perfectly with my little side table in my entry way.

I just had to pick them up! Not bad at all.

I'm linked up at Trendy pokets

New finds!

2011-01-12T11:28:00.000-08:00

I finally Got To the new salvation army store that opened near me!

Every time I passed by it, I just knew there was rows of goodies for me to take home and up-cycle!

It was half off day , so I got an even better deal!

Why am I using so many exclamation points in this post? hahah!

Anyway this is what I brought back from My successful hunting's.

I love The beautiful green color, This should be filled with wild flowers this spring. It was only $1.55

Not sure what to do with this candle stick holder, maybe I'll paint it. It was 75 cents

This was the big Buy, isn't it beautiful! It's the thing you grab like there was 100 people behind you racing to grab it too, but there really isn't anyone else there. Yeah I might have looked a little crazy but again no one was there to see, hahaha! It was only $1.50

I think I'll hang it up, I was tempted to paint it but it's too perfect the way it is.

So what have you found at the good will, salvation army or your favorite thrift store lately?

I would love to see your finds!

Winter Head Band

2011-01-07T21:20:00.000-08:00

look What I did...

I love it! I got the band and gloves at Joann fabric's for $1. They Made a cute gift for a friend daughter.

I added my sweet pea bow and a little fabric rose. I love the color combo!

Here i just added some extra fabric, my Daughter took these for Herself, hahaha!

Feature Friday!

2011-01-07T11:22:00.000-08:00

This year I Will be featuring some kind of DIY's on the cheap or up-cycle or whatever I find that makes me take a double look.

So this first Friday Of the year I am proud to share Rachel's Design on a dime over at Memories and mayhem , She has turned Her daughters room into an adorable little getaway for any little girl.

Most of the items were free or cost very little

I especially heart Her paint job on this chair!

Before...

After...

Super cute!

This crafty Gal gives you a rundown on how much everything cost and it's mind blowing how she did all of this for so little.

So go check it out!

Creative Bff's

2011-01-05T14:34:00.000-08:00

Okay I'm so excited to announce My next Bff!

Let me introduce Andrea, She is another one of my creative hero's.

The Girl is ~~Obsessed~~ no... Loves fashion!

Really anytime I look the least bit fashionable it's because of Drea.

Anyhoo Drea is super talented, she is a designer at heart and creates amazing Set designs for large events as well as event displays. She just has an eye for great design!

You can see more over at her blog

Making Style Simple

Name: Andrea Ceballos

Age: 20

Occupation: 2^nd year Youth Intern at The Rock Church and World Outreach Center San Bernardino CA

Hobbies: Creating, Reading, Writing, and Style, and blogging

My name is Andrea Ceballos. I’m 20, I have an amazing boyfriend who’s a man of God. I serve at an incredible church; I started going to The Rock 10 years ago. Going to church has been a huge part in my life, not only going to church but being the church. That’s why I've chosen to be a intern for these past two years. With that said, I feel I’m massively creative as well. I live, eat and breathe creativity! I want to inspire, I think that would be one of my main goals in life. I love, love, love styling! I have a blog as well; I share not only my styling tips, but the people who inspire me also. I talk about my inspiration and a little about what they do in life. As well as give handy tips about fashion and where to get that specific look. My main reason for my blog is to give hope to those who feel hopeless about their fashion senses, hehehe... Or as you would put it, putting guidelines to “Making Styling Simple.”

Omg! She is too Funny!

Thanks Drea, We look forward to the new trends of 2011.

Create something for nothing!

2011-01-05T13:43:00.000-08:00

This is why I love old frames, this is why I love up-cycling!

It's a new lease on something most people wouldn't look twice at.

Megan over at Brassy Apple Has taken Her post Christmas mantel and turned it into something that looks like it came straight out of a top home decorating magazine for next to nothing.

Before...

Look at it, It's screaming " decorate me!"

After...

This Frame is a perfect display for that beautiful Silver platter and frame.

She even made these super cute sweater pillows,you can find the tutorial on Her blog and again it cost her a grand total of... nothing!

Great Job Megan!

Fresh Start

2011-01-04T11:28:00.000-08:00

Ahhh... I love a fresh start, I love Mondays, the 1st of the month, the start of a season or holiday.

It's just a chance to start over, be better, and try harder.

So with that said I'm happy to announce some changes to Strawberry Sky's!

I have some amazingly talented and creative Friends, some of them have blogs some of them are just to lazy to start a blog...You know who you are

( Christina Gortan) hahaha! Just kidding! I know your busy : )

Never the less they have great ideas and projects to share, so I've asked them to join forces with me! From this point on we shall be known as...

"The league of extraordinary Creative Bff's!"

Hahaha! No I 'm not gonna turn this into a comic book,although that would be AWESOME!

I just thought we are better together, This way we can bring you ton's more creative ideas, fashion tip, recipes,tutorials, Home decor projects, painting tips, Gardening, Healthy living, Homeschooling ideas, Design on a dime, up-cycling, cake decorating, and much much more!

So all this week I will be introducing my Bff's, Starting with...

Name: Michelle Villanueva

Age: 28
Occupation: Mother of 2, wife of 8 years, youth pastor at The Rock Church and World Outreach Center is San Bernardino, CA and amateur baker.
Hobbies: running, baking, cake decorating, preaching, creating, set design and going to Disneyland!

My name is Michelle Villanueva. I'm 28, I have 2 kids gorgeous kids and an amazing husband. My husband and I are the youth pastors at The Rock Church and World Outreach Center is San Bernardino, CA. In between the titles of mom, wife, sister, pastor and friend I'm also an amateur baker. I have tons of fun with flour, sugar and fondant. I found my love for baking almost a year ago when I had my second child and I was getting a little stir crazy at home. I took some cake classes at a craft store and viola, I'm the cake boss!
Other hobbies I have are running, going to Disneyland with my cute little family, preaching, set design, drinking coffee (I'm not sure if that's a hobby but I sure do like it).
I am a very hyper active person, I don't know who labeled that a disorder, it's a gift! Without us hyper-hypos nothing would get done in this world! Jk. I love dreaming and creating things, that's most of what I do at church as a youth pastor. We do set design, while preaching we'll have illustrations, plan parties. It's the best job on the planet.

I love this Girl! She is one of My hero's, she's the best and I think You guy's Deserve the best!

We look forward to hearing from you soon Mich!

2011-01-03T17:42:00.000-08:00

This Is My amazing church and a recap of 2010, I am so blessed to be a part of the move of God at the Rock church and world outreach center.

Crative Inspiration

2011-01-03T00:16:00.000-08:00

I just watched an oldie but goody, blast from the past western. Do you remember Calamity Jane? It stared Doris day and I watched it everyday when I was a little girl,hahaha...

She was a doll face!

There was one part of the movie that changed my whole world at the tender age of 5, I think it really made an impression on me. To this day I believe that a woman's touch can make everything better! hahaha!

I love it!!!

2010-12-10T09:49:00.001-08:00

Hello christmas

Harvest wrap up

2010-11-02T15:42:00.000-07:00

Okay, Okay...I know October is over but i still have more to show you and technically harvest time

is not over yet. I know this is the month to get all excited over Christmas and don't get me wrong, I totally get the whole get an early start thing but let's just enjoy Thanksgiving!

November is really the only month that California feels like fall, so I wanna savor every moment .

So here is my recap, well more like all the pictures I haven't posted yet hahaha!

time fly's...

We went to the Green spot farm pumpkin patch . It was so much better then the over priced, giant, commercialized pumpkin patches around these days.

It's so cozy!

They had some great produce

I love it! they had beautiful Peacock walking around the farm,

I so want one for my back yard...

I love them too much!

We found chickens!

Next we went to the honey house where our tour guide " Tony "

Showed us house they make their very own honey.

There's a queen in there somewhere...

Then we fed some adorable animals

Pumpkins!

Hayrides!

We had a snack before we went home, it was a great little pumpkin patch!

My new favorite pastime

2010-11-01T16:24:00.000-07:00

My new favorite pastime is roadkill rescues!
Beckie over at infarrenty creative got me started, She's my roadkill hero! hahaha...
Really she is so creative and has a great eye. Most people will see a piece of junk on the side of the road and pass right by. A road killer will see a project!
Anyhoo you should really check out her blog she has some inspiring project.

It's funny I use to wish I had tons of money to blow on furniture, now I just take solid older furniture that someone threw out and make it beautiful!
Thanks Beckie!

So This is My first trash to treasure project, enjoy!

So my Husband brought this home for me, It was getting dumped and he called to see if I wanted it. Isn't He amazing... I love that man! He knows me so well, my hero!

It was in really good condition, nice light wood.

I decided to use bin primer and then bulls eye red, the red was kinda bright but I planed on using a glaze to tone it down. .

It was a little dirty, but a little elbow grease never hurt anyone.

So after some minimal sanding, two coats of primer and three coats of bulls eye red paint here is my beautiful "new to me" bookcase!

I love the way this little set up looks!

I made these lanterns out of coffee and soup cans.

So earlier I said I was going to use a glaze, well I lied. Hahaha, I did distress it a bit, then I just used some brown paint I had, a dry paint brush and a damp rag.

I would paint some brown over a spot then wipe with the rag. It's not perfect but I like it

it looks really good in all the little groves

ahhhh... I feel so accomplished

My mom cave

2010-11-01T12:56:00.000-07:00

I just checked out some of the beautiful mom caves over at Between naps on the porch and their Home Goods give away. I must say they put my cave to shame! hahaha!

That's why I need to win this give away!

Here it is...

Okay so It's more like a work room then a mom cave,

It just needs a little love.

Let's take the grand tour, shall we?

We begin with my work space. Here I do everything from sewing, scrap booking, and any other random craft.

This is the pile of fabric, bows, buttons etc that is forever on my desk

Here is my very uncomfortable chair

This is supposed to be my reading corner , I would love a comfy chair here in stead of this old dorm room folding chair.

Storage needs to be pretty in a mom cave...

I need help here

This is the next stop

I Hate this file cabinet, i tried to make it better by painting it with chalkboard but i still hate it

This is my other storage, an old changing table. I would love a pretty book case.

It would be nice to have a place to show off picture.

This is the only light I have at night so a pretty lamp would be nice!

Maybe something like this....

I hope I win!!!!!!!

Time to Revamp my mom cave!

2010-10-29T23:27:00.000-07:00

I am sooooo excited about home goods new Mom cave giveaway!!!

Really I'm beaming with joy!

I heard about this over at Between Naps on the porch and I have been dreaming about winning ever since.

This is like my favorite store, imagine winning a shopping spree!

So what would i buy....

Homemade Harvest Goody bags

2010-10-29T15:39:00.000-07:00

My Little Madie had her costume party at school this week.

She looked adorable as always...
I love to send her to school with things that not every other child is going to bring from target or wal-mart, but I understand that I would throw away anything "homemade" looking if I didn't know the person that made it.

So I Made these cute and very simple goody bags for her to pass out as I enjoyed a cup of cider, that usually doesn't happen. There is usually a kid or two hanging from my back when i try to do anything, hahaha!

But that day my hubby was home...

Hot cider makes everything more enjoyable, even laundry!

Here they are! I just used sandwich baggies from the $ store ,fall scrapbook paper,and my sewing machine to make the zigzag stitch.

BTW... If you didn't know that you can sew paper, you can!

It really adds a great detail to any paper craft!

Kinda blurry, sorry! I so need a new camera, but thank you Jesus for the one I have!

Mommies Night Out!

2010-10-26T22:59:00.000-07:00

About a year ago I started hanging out with some amazing girls from church. We are all married and mommies, so we get together once a month to just hang out, eat, and talk, talk, talk!!!

This was my month to host and I was thrilled because I love fall and that's just what the theme was!

So we started with the food!

Sweet potato and corn muffins

Hot cider

Honey butter for the muffins

My favorite Baker Michelle over at My cupcakery made these amazing cheesecake caramel apples !

I had the best time decorating for our mommy night, One of my friends said " I never knew people decorated for harvest..." LOL! That was shocking and hilarious! That made me happy though, at least I could change one life this fall... LOL!

Here are some little lanterns I made out of recycled jelly gars

More lanterns made out of coffee and tomato cans, I love the way they turned out!

We all ate, laugh, cried, and talked some more!

Yeah we're total Girls...lol!

Ahhhhhh! Bad lighting, my bad, sorry girls!

So glad everyone made It!

Thanks to all the girls who came out and we missed the ones who couldn't be there!

Remix!

2010-10-26T22:27:00.000-07:00

I am so blessed to be able to work in the youth ministry at my amazing Church.

Every three months or when there is something special coming up, we put on these huge outreach events. They are crazy! We go all out with dancing, skits, food, dancing, candy, and most importantly...The word! that's right Jesus!

Over 500 youth showed up to our last remix, people were sitting on the ground because we ran out of seats! Now that's a good problem to have in a church,lol!

We had a sock hop!

Our next Remix is tomorrow and it gonna be so much fun! The theme is " Don't be scaarred!" It's a Pirate theme.

So I'll be sure to post those pictures but till then here's what we did for our last remix

We transformed our youth cafe into a diner

We served milk shakes at different stations

We hung up vintage pictures everywhere

I love happy days!

This was my favorite

We sold in-out burgers

Yummo!

Our Wonderful interns! They make this all happen

So cute! Christina and Tory Are going steady!

We had a super cool car show out side

And the kid got all dressed up!

Next...Dancing!!!

Some of our wonderful youth leaders

Our truly amazing youth Pastors! Aren't they the cutest!

So the whole point is to tell people about Jesus! I can't wait to see how the next one go's!