makelifesweet

What To Do With An Old Window

Remember the post about my mom falling off a table while hanging an old window a few weeks ago?  Well, I decided to do something a little less dangerous with another window she received from a friend (although I have yet to hang it up).    I saw this idea in a photography book and I have been wanting to do it for awhile- I just didn't have the perfect window.  Yesterday, I finally finished it!  Sorry about the awful glare from the glass in the photo.

The concept is pretty simple- just cut a piece of foam core the size of the opening in your window and fill it with photos.  However, it is a little harder than it looks.  Making everything fit was like a puzzle. The first 3/4 of the project took about 1/2 hour, while the last corner took me at least 3 hours.  If you want to try this, make sure you have a variety of sizes- 4" x 6", 3" x 5", 5" x 7".  It also helps to lay out all your photos first before adhering them to the foam core. 

Now for the hanging part.  I think I will just ask my husband!

Oh- for those of you wanting to know where my sister got her red dot wrapping paper, it was at Michael's.  Hope you can find some!

-posted by Lisa

I am Happy!

I am so happy with my purchase that I made last week and of all things it is wrapping paper!

I found this wrapping paper and I just wanted to start jumping up and down!  I am in love with polka dots, especially red and white ones.  This wrapping paper is just PERFECT.  I even decorated my Christmas tree with just red and white and tried to find as many polka dotted things as I could!  So when I found this wrapping paper that matches the tree - DOUBLE BONUS! 

We are late - please forgive me!  I know I said that on Monday we were going to announce the winner of our last contest.  Monday came and went and no contest winner was announced!  Sorry!!!!!  I really enjoyed reading all of the comments on how to deal with the cold - I am thinking that Hot Cocoa may be a good market to get into!

Anyway here is the winner - Jenny who wrote:

Cold winters...ugh, not looking forward to it either. Last year we put on our bathing suits and took a bath/swim in the middle of the afternoon...that was fun. My other suggestion would be to change your kitchen curtains to bright yellow! Merry Christmas.

Congrats to Jenny - very creative answer!!  Send us an e-mail info@sweetwaterscrapbook.com  with your mailing address and we will send the Half Square Triangles out to you!

posted by Susan

Some Silly Things To Be Thankful For + A New Kit

I know tomorrow is Thanksgiving and I will remember all the big things I'm thankful for (family, God, our military, health, etc.), but this Thanksgiving Eve, I thought I would think about the little things in life that make me happy.

• My sports teams.  All from Denver- you know the Broncos, Nuggets, Rockies.  They are my escape and I would be one sad girl if I didn't have a game to look forward to.  Even when they are awful, I still love them.
• Bread.  I would rather be hung upside down by my toenails than be on the Atkins diet.  I love my carbs.  I actually made bread yesterday because I had a headache.  And yes, it cured my headache.  (Okay, maybe it was the Tylenol, but I've convinced myself it was the bread).
• Talk Radio.  My poor little boy.  He has listened to way more talk radio than the Disney Kid's Channel (is there one?).  But I have decided when he is old enough to ask me to turn the station, I will.  But for now, it is my happy time. 
• Kenny Chesney.  I do love country music.  Always have.  And he is my favorite.  Right after my husband, of course. 
• Summer.  I dream of summer.  I live for summer.  I adore all things summer.  Which means I'm not too fond of the current season- but I'll stay positive.  I love summer.
• The Bachelor.  I know it's stupid.  I know they will never stay together.  I know that no girl should think that this one guy is the last guy on earth and she should do anything to get him.  So- I really don't know why I like it.  I just can't quit watching it.

It is getting late, and I have a kit to show you, but I could go on and on.  So, why don't you let us know the silliest thing in your life you are thankful for?

Okay, so about that kit.  I told you we had more ideas than our 12 Days of Christmas had days, so here is our next holiday project.

 
 
Our Holiday Gift Tag Kit includes fabric, buttons, crochet thread and the iron on fabric labels to create 6 tags.  There are three tags that have a "to" and "from" section that can be filled in using a pigma pen.  The labels can also be purchased separately.  To view and purchase the kit, click here.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!  See you on Friday.

-posted by Lisa

Holiday Cards Plus Win Some Fabric! (Make Life...)

It has been a couple of days since our 12 Days of Christmas has ended, but our holiday features have just begun!  Today, we are debuting our 2009 set of Holiday Cards on our website www.sweetwaterstreet.com. 

Here are a few of my favorites:

  
  



Each also has a coordinating address label.  Here are some samples:

 

If you haven't ordered our cards before, here is a little information.  They are printed on a high quality, heavy weight cardstock with a linen finish.  Any wording can be changed, such as "Merry Christmas" can be switched to "Happy Holidays".  They come in sets of 25 and envelopes are included.  Orders generally take a week from the time you order until the time you receive your cards.  If you have any questions at all about our cards, please don't hesitate to e-mail us at info@sweetwaterstreet.com

If you are looking to save a little money on postage (who isn't?), we also have holiday postcards where the card is printed on the front, with your address on the back.  Here is a postcard sample:

Now, for the fun part.  If you order your Holiday Cards before December 1st, we will send you this cute kitchen towel for you to give as a gift, or adorn your own kitchen.

To view the entire holiday collection, please click here.

Now, for the most fun part- win a Moda pre-cut of our "Make Life.." collection!

Here is how you enter.  Simply view our Holiday Card collection here and leave a comment letting us know which card is your favorite design.  We will pick the winner next Friday.  Good luck and have a great weekend! 

-posted by Lisa

Our Quilt Market Experience #1

I finally got my camera back and downloaded my pictures from Houston.  First up, the biggest reason to go to Houston- Josephine's.  Seriously one of my favorite restaurants. Yum!

I hadn't been to Houston for a few years and there were a lot of changes to downtown.  Here was my favorite addition. 

 
 
 I don't know if they call them "globes" or "balls". Whatever they call them, I think they are just plain cool.  They are lined up just across the street from the convention center.  Here are a few of my favorites:

And my most favorite, (probably because I was in a baseball kind of mood- not so much anymore since my beloved Colorado Rockies are now out of the playoffs):

 
 Tomorrow I will actually get into the convention center and show you our booth!

 

Our Sweet Little Necklaces for Quilt Market- You could win one, too!

She made it!  My mom finally came out of the basement with all her new quilt patterns designed and made. I promise to have full images of the new patterns soon, but in the mean time, I thought we could have a little contest.

I know most of you won't get to go to Quilt Market in Houston this weekend, but we didn't want to leave you out.  To promote our new "Make Life..." fabric collection, we are giving away these sweet little necklaces in our booth.

 

Of course, each has a different "Make Life..." phrase. Here is how to enter.  Leave us a comment telling how you would finish the phrase "make life...".   If you are the winner, we will put your phrase on a necklace in your choice of color.  You have till next Monday.  Good Luck! 

By the way, my mom made all the necklaces, so if you are going to Houston, stop by early.  She refused to make one for every attendee!

-posted by Lisa  
 

It's here! It's here! It's here! (And You Could Win Some!)

About 11 a.m. this morning I was getting very anxious for our trusty UPS man to get here.  At 11:15- no UPS.  At 11:30 no UPS.  At 11:45 no UPS.  I was about to give up and just go have lunch at 11:55.  Then I heard the truck!  Hooray!  It's here. 

Don't get me wrong.  I love Authentic.  But after a whole summer of seeing anything and everything that could be made with it, I was ready for Make Life...

Maybe it's because I love happy, bright colors.  Maybe it's because it is about 35 degrees here today (when it should be 75).  Maybe it's because we have 2 weeks until Quilt Market and my mom needs to design and make about 8 different quilts with it.  Whatever it is, it arrived and I love it!

Now, here is a little background about the collection.  We actually got our inspiration from an HGTV commercial that ran several years ago.  By the way, HGTV is on our television about 95% of the time.  My husband is sick of it, but he is now kind of hooked on House Hunters.  Anyway, in the commercial, several of the HGTV stars promoted their show by saying Make Life_____ and then they would fill in the blank with a different word.  I can't remember exactly what they said, but it went something like this:  Make Life Simple, Make Life Colorful, Make Life Fun, etc. 

Well, we came up with our favorite Make Life... phrases and put them into a collection.  Here it is!

There are 5 different colors:  red, green, yellow, blue and chocolate brown:

To celebrate, we thought we would have a contest.  To enter, just leave a comment letting us know what color from the collection is your favorite.  The prize?  Well, we don't have it yet- but when we get our Moda pre-cuts, you will be the winner of one of them (could be a Jelly Roll, maybe a Layer Cake or Charm Pack).  If you do win, you will be one of the very first to have this fabric in your hands- the fabric won't be in stores until after the first of the year.

I will show you my mom's pattern designs when she gets them done.  She is sewing in her basement, and we may not see her for the next two weeks.

Thank you, thank you Moda for letting us design another collection.  We are incredibly happy with it!

The contest winner will be announced next Wednesday.  Good Luck!

posted by Lisa

More Authentic Decor And A Sweet Sale

Another weekend- another project.  Here is a great idea for $10.  We found this lamp with the shade included at Wal-Mart (yes Wal-Mart) for only $10!  The shade was plain and kind of boring, so this is an easy way to jazz it up.  Besides the lamp, the only other materials you need are a small bottle of decoupage, fabric and some fusible web.  Here are the directions:

• Place a piece of paper over one section of the lamp shade and trace the curved lines with a pencil.  Cut out on the traced lines.
• Lay the pattern on your desired fabric and trace around the pattern.  Repeat this for each section in your shade.
• Cut out the fabric on the traced lines.
• Decoupage the pieces of fabric to the lampshade right over the original fabric.
• Cover the edges of each piece by ironing 3/4" wide fusible web to strips of 1" fabric.
• Cut the strips to 1/2" wide.
• Decoupage the strips over the edges that meet on the sections. The fusible web will keep the edges from fraying and gives it a finished look.
• For the top and bottom- iron fusible web to lengths of fabric that fit the circumference of the top and bottom edges, making the strips 1/4" wide.
• Decoupage the strips to the top and bottom of the shade.
• You can give the entire shade a final coat of decoupage if desired.

This week we are featuring our personalized stationery in our store.  Until September 7, our blog readers can take 15% off any custom stationery order.  To view all the styles, click here.  Each set includes 25 folded note cards and envelopes and are printed on a heavy weight linen card stock.  Please enter the code sweet123 at checkout to receive the discount.  Here are just a few examples:

 

By the way, the stationery makes a great gift for someone you love- or even for yourself!  Have a great Monday!

-posted by Lisa

What To Do With An Old Baseboard

Two years ago we renovated a 100 year old house for a retreat facility and called it Sweetwater House.  A lot of changes were made in the process of tearing out and putting the house back together.  There were also a lot of materials left over that we saved to use someday.

Well- this weekend I decided to make a shelf above a sideboard that I inherited.  I already had a pair of iron brackets that I had been saving for something.  All I needed was the wood to put on top of them.  I didn't want to make a trip to the lumber yard, so I searched in the shed, and sure enough, found leftover baseboards from Sweetwater House. 

Baseboards 100 years ago were much wider than they are now.  All I had to do was cut it the right length, paint and distress.  I'm sure I'll rearrange items on the shelf many times.  Hopefully, I can come up with more ideas for all the rest of the boards I have!

The baseboard before:

And after:

-posted by Karla

Cutest Little Charms

I just got done ordering 3 of these cute, cute charms and just had to share them with you! (Not to mention that they are made out of fabric from our authentic line)

We can't wait to get them in!  Amanda Herring from The Quilted Fish (fun cute patterns and website!) posted information about these charms on her blog.  Her friend Missy makes them and can do custom orders.  If interested you can contact her at vintagebutterfly.missy@gmail.com

Have a great weekend!!!