Nifty Apple

I pinned it AND I did it!

2012-01-06T19:59:00.000-08:00

Whoops! 6 months since my last post....slackkkker!

I am glad to see 2012, I see lots of good things happening this year. It's already been off to a great start with the birth of my new niece. I am overjoyed and can't wait to snuggle her!

I'm always sewing and creating new things but seldom remember to document them, so I am going to try to do that. Or not...we will see what happens!

One of my newest addictions in the last 6 months has been a little ol' website called Pinterest. Heard of it? Yeah I thought so! Best website ever invented! You can follow me on there and see what kind of goodies I pin.

Here are a few things that I have pinned and GASP...actually made! Go me! Woot!

Here's a little round up:

I am getting ready to do a 22 mile with the Young Women's group at church and well, I figured we needed some of these little babies to carry our water bottles. They whip up really quick and I have TONS of strapping on hand so that made it even better.

Source: thelongthread.com via Amy on Pinterest

I am in the progress of making one of these. It's going to be a little different but this was my inspiration. I will post pics of it when I am done...if I ever finish;) Oh...and funny story. I got an email on Freecycle about free pallets, replied right away and sure enough it was one of our favorite teachers from the girl's school...the pallets were at school. Total score!

Source: designfinch.com via Amy on Pinterest

April (my 12 year old) found these on Pinterest and made them for a Christmas cookie exchange she had with some of her friends. They didn't quite turn out looking like that but they were still yummy and she did them all by herself!

Source: creativekitchenadventures.com via Amy on Pinterest

Ok, so a certain 12 year old in my house sometimes doesn't get her hair washed as well as a certain mom in this house would like and well, it looks greasy sometimes. (certain people will remain nameless...) Anywho, didn't want to spend a mint on store bought dry shampoos because I am cheap like that. Whipped some of this up with ingredients I had at home. Used it one time...it worked wonders and ever since then she is washing her hair better. (maybe it was actually just a magic potion?!?!?)

Source: hookabledesigns.blogspot.com via Amy on Pinterest

hehehe, did this one to one of our favorite friends/neighbors. The joy of teaching my girls the art of ringing the bell and running as fast as they can back to the car so we can take off before getting spotted was a delight!

Source: poppiesatplay.blogspot.com via Amy on Pinterest

Yummmmmo! Made this, loved it!

Source: stamps4fun.blogspot.com via Amy on Pinterest

I've made quite a few batches of these amazing chocolate chip cookies using my sweet cousin Stephanie's recipe...it's my fave go to chocolate chip one for sure!

Source: homegrownhospitality.typepad.com via Amy on Pinterest

Made a few of these and totally forgot about them. Where did I put them?

Source: thecottagehome.blogspot.com via Amy on Pinterest

I worked on this and wish more people would....

Source: etsy.com via Amy on Pinterest

Unfortunately, I did a bit of this....

Source: gracieava.tumblr.com via Amy on Pinterest

This couldn't be truer...

Source: georgeandlola.tumblr.com via Amy on Pinterest

VERY important!

Source: mylifeinwords-m.blogspot.com via Amy on Pinterest

And another wonderful, inspiring doodle from my cousin Stephanie...(does she realize how amazing she is???)

Source: homegrownhospitality.typepad.com via Amy on Pinterest

And lastly, this one needs to hang in my house! And the reason I don't usually blog pictures of my creations is....

Source: patinawhite.typepad.com via Amy on Pinterest

Oops, that was a lot! Did I mention I love me some Pinterest??

Something new EVERY day in June!

2011-06-02T22:44:00.000-07:00

Yep, I set myself a goal and if I don't keep it...I give you all permission to kick me! I am planning to post a new item in my Etsy shop every day for the month of June. I am ready to really build my business back up again and I thought this would get me a little jump start.

With today being the 2nd day of June I have already put 3 new things up...yep, I am one ahead already!
This is one of my new faves....

Go to Nifty Apple on Etsy to see more!

My Banner as a Photo Prop

2011-05-31T15:41:00.000-07:00

Sigh! How cute is this??

Shanda of ShandaLeighDesign on Etsy used my Sweet Romance fabric banner in one of her newborn sessions! Squeal! Thanks for sharing the picture Shanda....

be sure to check out her shop, she has some really cute crocheted hats and photo props!

Getting my Earth Day on.

2011-04-22T17:09:00.000-07:00

Remember our little starter seeds from last week?

They are growing up fast!

The only dilemma...what do I do with them now? We have a big backyard but most of it is "desert-scape" which means lots and lots of rocks and dirt that is hard as a rock!

I decided to check out the raised bed option. I went to Home Depot first and they had a really cool kit for $34. Not bad and it looked really nice. But then I realized that the soil would be the expensive part so I thought I better check for other options. (seriously, I didn't want to end up spending $100 to get 3 cucumbers...I am still not sure what color my thumb really is.)

I checked out our wood scraps and saw that we have a few pieces that I could use to make my own bed...but first thought I would check WalMart to see if they had one. (I had to get frosting and makeup remover anyway...seriously where else can you shop for a garden bed and frosting in one stop? Ok, probably Target but that's about 2 miles farther and you know how gas is right now....)

Anywho...I ended up finding a good option for only $10!! woot!

I waited until my little garden helper was home from school.

And there it is. Looks a little wonky in this picture but I am sure my veggies won't mind!

(side notes....Abby is growing out her bangs and totally needs to put a clip in her hair and I need to finish painting my chairs red.)

Wordless Wednesday- Smiling Jam

2011-04-20T08:37:00.000-07:00

Not only is homemade jam delicious, but it smiles at you too!

Spring Bags

2011-04-19T12:07:00.000-07:00

I had an order for some personalized bags...haven't made them for quite awhile and I had lots of fun!

My super sweet customer just told me to make them fun and girly...hope she likes them! They were fun to make and the colors are bright and springy.

I am picturing lots of fun Easter goodies stuffed in these bags...wouldn't that be a treat?

Cucumbers and Carrots

2011-04-16T15:11:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we started our little veggie garden. We haven't had much luck growing things in our backyard lately so I decided to use the starter pods to get the plants going before we put them in the ground.

We planted cucumbers and carrots.

I am hoping the cucumbers do well because I REALLY want to make some bread and butter pickles! Yum!

Conquered Canning!

2011-03-15T07:21:00.000-07:00

Today I tried something I have never done but have always wanted to try...canning!

{pinto beans getting ready to go in the canner}

I have a good friend that has a pressure canner {just like this one and I totallllly want one now!} and she was sweet enough to take her day today to show me and another friend how to do it.

{pic from Amazon...this is on my wish list!}

I canned pinto beans, black beans and chicken. I guess the chicken is all flaky like tuna would be and I am sooo excited! It was totally fun and really pretty easy. And of course it was especially fun to do with friends because we got to chitchat all day! {And our kids played so good all day too!}

It's So Saturday

2011-03-12T06:50:00.000-08:00

{Nifty Apple Display at a recent show}

Happy Saturday! Today is also our first day of Spring Break, woot woot! I am pretty sure we are the earliest Spring Breaks out there.

Not a whole lot new on the crafty front for me lately. My oldest daughter is off at camp this weekend and I made a super fun (at least we think so) Bible cover...other than that the poor sewing machine has been a little bit quiet.

I need to start sewing...maybe some pillows? I am thinking of tackling the zippered pillow cover after seeing this tutorial from Prudent Baby. Looks simple enough and I have a billion zippers...ok, maybe only like 300 but I think that qualifies for an over exaggeration.

Oh, exciting news...my BFF finally started a blog. Yeah Heather! Check it out, I know you will love it!

Extra Frosting

Have a super weekend!

{Psst...I think there are still 2 $5 Friday items in the Etsy shop if you want to grab a super good deal on a fun fabric banner!}

Working that Etsy shop!

2011-02-20T12:06:00.000-08:00

I am finally getting rolling on the Nifty Apple Etsy shop. I just realized I opened it in oh...2009...so I guess it's about time and something I have been wanting to do for awhile! (and even worse the woven labels I have {and just now started using} were bought in 2008! eek.)

I even started a fan page on Facebook..teehee. I am excited that I got my 1st 25 fans and was able to get a vanity url for it. Woot! www.facebook.com/niftyapple
When I get to 50 fans I am going to give away $5 towards a Nifty Apple purchase. (baby steps....)

A peek at something I posted today....

Make it, Eat it and Buy it

2011-01-21T08:52:00.000-08:00

Hi! Taking a quick coffee break at my computer. I am feverishly (mixed with PTA things, a trip to California to help my mom with a bedroom redo, school volunteering and just life in general) working on finishing my last orders from Tote and Tee. I had a big ol' going out of business sale and (woah!) got lots of orders so I am trying to get through those as quick as a can. I do a big assembly line with them and each step is taking me WAY longer than I am used to. (Thanks Granny for coming home to help me!!!)

Wanted to take a quick moment to share a few things I found on the web that I love.

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I want to MAKE this.....
Ok, This Menu is WAY cute! I don't have enough wall space in my kitchen but thinking something like this in a smaller scale would work for me. Jump over to Funky Monkey Business to see how she made it.

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I want to EAT this.....

I really (REALLY) want a bowl of this right now!

Rice Pudding posted by MADE. (also one of my fave blogs!)

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I want to BUY this.....

Getting ready to do a bedroom redo in my 11 year olds bedroom, I LOVE this rug from Pottery Barn Teen and she loves it to. I am a little worried about the one review that says it's really stinky. (wish it had more than 1 review!) I keep clicking on it hoping it will go to a super duper low price.

Ok....back to making tees...if you need me, I will be tied to my sewing machine!

Introducing Disco Ruffles

2011-01-07T09:42:00.000-08:00

You need to know something about me...I like things bright, I like color, I would wear the rainbow if I thought I could get away with it. I will probably be the old lady with the purple hair because really the older I get, the less I care what people think. (my kids would dieeee....)

So, this New Year I am working on making fun things that really make me smile because honestly if the things you surround yourself with aren't making you happy then how can you be happy?

Introducing my first batch of things that really make me smile....featuring my favorite new thing....Disco Ruffles!

Come on, even if you are a neutral girl, imagine how fun it would be to pull one of these out of your purse?
I just added the bigger ones to Etsy and will add the smaller ones in a bit:)

Click here for Disco Zippys!

HALF Birthday Celebration

2011-01-05T07:26:00.000-08:00

It's really no secret that my family likes to celebrate things. My friend Heather is always teasing me because the Trusler's can find any reason to celebrate...I don't see a problem with that, do you? ;)

Today's celebration is brought to you by Miss Abby. Today is her big HALF Birthday! (yes, we totally celebrate HALF birthdays...it's not HALF bad you should try it!)

She is officially the big 7.5!

Today I woke up HALF an hour early and made some Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins. Of course you have to cut them in HALF and how about HALF a cup of Chocolate Milk (only stirred HALF way) with that?

The only "whole" thing you get is a wish....unless you want to make 2 HALF wishes...that's up to you;)

And what's a HALF birthday without HALF a birthday song?

Happy Birthday to You

Yep, just 2 verses:)

And here is April when she turned the big 11.5! We had HALF Cinnamon Rolls and HALF a cup of milk.

Hope HALF your day is great and the other HALF is even better!

Pillow from a Tee

2011-01-03T07:53:00.000-08:00

When it comes to gift giving, I always have super fun ideas that I want to make people but I never seem to get them done in time. Hate when that happens! Anyway, this Christmas I was able to get a couple special gifts done and here is one of them. My 2 year old niece is a super duper big fan of Jessie and Woody from Toy Story. I wanted to get her something with them on it but I am always seriously afraid I am going to give a duplicate because everyone knows she loves Toy Story!

Anywho, I was out doing a little Christmas shopping at Old Navy and I spyed this Toy Story tee shirt in the baby clearance section for $4. It's way too small for her but I knew I could do something with it...just wasn't sure what yet.

I went through my fabric drawers and found a few coordinating fabrics, layed them all out and decided that I would make her a fun pillow. I cut up the shirt and made the front design into a square and then made some red squares to finish off the front panel. The back was a cute western stars fabric that goes perfect with Jessie and Woody (gotta love when that perfect fabric is in the stash!) I finished it off with some blue rick rack and there we have a fun pillow!

And a happy Toy Story fan!

And for only $4, I was able to make a gift that I knew she would love and I absolutely knew no one else would get her:) Love that!

Participating in:

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T11:54:00.000-08:00

We started the year off with some sewing in our jammies. My 7 year old wanted to do some sewing and one of the best beginner projects is a pillow. 2 pieces of fabric, sew together leaving a hole to flip, flip inside out, stuff and stitch it up...easy peasy!

She did a great job sewing her straight lines!

And then she stuffed it until it was just right. I helped sew up the opening because that's always a little tricky...and I think she was anxious to get it done:)

And it passed the cozy test!

Shared on:

Apron Day

2010-12-31T13:42:00.000-08:00

I am so lucky that my kids go to a school that is full of amazing teachers! One of our very favorite teachers asked if I would teach her how to sew a full apron as a special Christmas gift. Well, of course!

As luck would have it, shortly after she asked me I met up with the wonderful Jona of Stop Staring and Start Sewing and Fabritopia. She gifted me with a set of her totally fun new sewing patterns. Lucky me! (Thanks Jona!! Next time I am bringing them for an autograph!)

We used her Shopgirl Apron. I made up a sample apron so I would look like I knew what I was doing when the teachers came over. Whew, glad I did because the one thing that I have always been a little confused about in the sewing world is bias tape...if something called for it I would totally skip the pattern. I just couldn't wrap my head around it. Thankfully Jona included a suuuuppper easy way to make No Waste Bias Tape. It's a cinch and I feel like a pro now! (and have even made more just for fun!)

We ended up having 2 teachers over to make aprons and another friend that was working on a different project. I have to say it was way fun and the day was full of giggles!

And I am so proud of my super talented students...here they are with their finished projects!

Make your room smile...

2010-12-30T12:15:00.000-08:00

with a new fabric banner! I use these all over my house. The girls both have one in their bedrooms. I rotate new banners in my kitchen area to coordinate with holidays or parties. And now you can have one too....

Fun Bright Flower Fabric Banner -totally cute in a sun room, don't you think? (does anyone have a sun room or are those just in magazines??)

And the Sweet Romance Fabric Banner - how about for a nursery?

There are a few more in the shop too!

Pinkalicious-Buy it & DIY it

2010-12-29T07:37:00.000-08:00

When you buy the world's cutest 2 year old niece the Pinkalicious book, the Pinkalicious Pikerrific Fairy Dress Up and the Pinkalicious Cupcake Purse & Gloves.....

You really have to make her a matching crown and wand, don't you think?

And then she will be happy like this:

Patterned used for the crown was from the super fun Skip to My Lou blog.
Wand designed by Amy of Nifty Apple (oh wait, that's me!)

hello friends.

2010-12-28T21:40:00.000-08:00

Welcome to my newest adventure. 2011 is going to be another fun crafty year for me and this is where I plan to document it. I am going to share crafty things I do as well as some of my crafty-ness that I have for sale.