Party panic turned success!

May 17, 2013 12:37 pm / Leave a Comment / Renee

My son Vinny celebrates his birthday on May 7th. For both his 1st and second birthday party we had a big back yard BBQ.

Once we invite our immediate family we are already up to 20 people so at that point figure the more the marrier! Close friends, neighbors and 3rd cousins twice removed usually get an invite as well.

The last couple years we have been really lucky with weather! It’s been fabulous! 60+ and sunny.

For the 1st party we had a theme of BUBBLES! Tons and tons of BUBBLES! The kids had a gas!

Last year we rented a Lighting McQueen jumper, had do it your self snack mix and checkered flags. It was just as enjoyable.

This year’s party planning had me in the stall position for quite a while. The “Spring” has been refusing to show it’s self. It snowed another 6″ inches the week before the party. So even if the snow melted, it wasn’t going to warm enough to be outside

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So now I was worried about packing 15 adults and 5 kids into our house for the party – deciding to limit it to just family due to space. We have a big pole barn that works well for parties but it’s kind of a pain in the bootie to tote all my kitchen gear out there.

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I was having a really hard time getting the party mojo going…. The weather certainly didn’t help! I just kept thinking, I wish there was a place we could have the party near by…. Jealous of my sister’s apartment complex party room.

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And then WAH-LAH….. Facebook solved my problem! A friend posted a picture of his new church and community gathering space – and it was available to rent for private parties.

Just with all creative process’… All you need is a SPARK for the idea to catch. Once I had the space in mind I knew what we would do.

MOVIE THEME B-DAY PARTY!

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Oh, and I should mention this also solved a little conundrum we were having with the cake topper…. Vinny wanted a princess! That, Dora or a Ballerina. There wasn’t any reason he couldn’t have them.. But his also gave us the opportunity to add in Mickey & Cars!

Take a peak at the pictures. We didn’t do too much.. A few snacks & Pizza. Played movies on the big screen and let the kids run.

They were having so much fun Vinny didn’t even want to take a break from chasing his cousins to have cake or open gifts. I think that goes to show the party was a success.

And since my boy is like me (prefers chips over cake) we saved his entire cake, gave it a little make over, and used it on his actual bday a few days later.

This weekend Vin will have his 1st “friend” party. He and 2 friends at school have bdays in May so we are having a big play date adding some balloons and calling it a party! HA! Should be fun!

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Have any last minute party themes you’ve created? Please share! I LOVE party planning :-)

Posted in: Uncategorized

cre·a·tive

March 18, 2013 2:13 pm / Leave a Comment / Renee

Incase you were saddened by the lack of posts since Christmas, I apologize. I’ve had a shift of priorities since the new year and crafting didn’t make it to the top.

But last week I had a realization; being CREATIVE doesn’t mean “being crafty.”

I don’t have to be sewing or painting or designing wedding invitations to be creative. We are all creative, EVERYDAY! Yes, ALL of us….even those who say they aren’t “creative.” I bet I could prove you all wrong! Did you get your toddler to eat his veggies? Did you make your pay check stretch farther than you did last week? Did you talk officer friendly OUT of giving you a speeding ticket? YOU ARE CREATIVE!

cre·a·tive

adj.

1. Having the ability or power to create.

2. characterized by originality of thought; having or showing imagination

3. designed to or tending to stimulate the imagination

4. characterized by sophisticated bending of the rules or conventions

1. One who displays productive originality:

Creativity is also about pushing against that box of limitations we have in set in minds. I started this blog to share my creative projects and inspire others but now I think that might have been too narrow of an idea. That isn’t CATCHING ALL that is creative! That is catching all that is crafty!

So, it’s been just about a year since my initial post and I’ve only done about a dozen more since.. BUT today I’m going to make a little title change.

I am no longer going to limit my creative discussions to just crafty thing but also include all the crazy creative things life brings.

I hope you’ll keep reading and chime in with your own creative adventures, wild or dull as they may be. Because something that is old hat or a dailey routine for you may be the answe someone else was looking for.

Incase you didn’t notice the logo bar at the top, check out the banner change

OLD header

NEW header

and with that Creative Catch All is reenergized and ready to go!!

PS. the pages are a getting a little attention to them as well, please excuse the formatting for the time being.

~Renee

Posted in: Uncategorized

Handmade Gift Exchange

December 1, 2012 2:00 pm / Leave a Comment / Renee

Didn’t you love doing a secret santa gift exchange when you were younger? I DID! I’ve even tried as an adult to get others into it, but no luck. So when i saw that Linda at Craftaholics Anonymous was doing a HANDMADE GIFT EXCHANGE again this November i was excited to join!

Using a site called ELFSTER, crafters were randomly matched up. I was paired with a lovely lady from my neighboring state, Wisconsin. Thru Elfster emails i learned that Gail collects angels, bears, butterflies and Tinkerbell. Favorite color is purple and blue. I loves to crochet and do plastic canvas.

And so began the hard part of any project – deciding exactly what to do. I decided to first combine my preference for vintage with her love of tinkerbell.

VINTAGE TINKERBELL COASTERS complete with sparkly wings

Next was to do something with a little bit of Christmas reference, so i made this little NOTEBOOK in Gail’s favorite color with a vintage Angel print & more glitter!! ’Tis the season for glitter!

and to round it off i wanted to add a little something more. SO – back to my newest obsession (like i mentioned here)

Fabric Flowers as magnet clips

I had a really good time participating in the gift exchange and will most definitely do it again this summer.

To see what others have made and received as part of this exchange check out the blog

I hope Gail enjoys the secret santa package coming here way!

Posted in: Uncategorized

Holiday Crafts!!

November 30, 2012 3:58 pm / Leave a Comment / Renee

eeks! i just noticed the date on my last post. Oct, 30th. it seems that instead of posting weekly, it has turned into a monthly thing. sigh… for now that will have to do and if i can do more, i certainly will…

anyhoo… on to the fun…

HOLIDAY CRAFTS!!!!

i love all crafts (ok, mayne not ALL – but ALOT of crafts!) Now that it’s getting close to christmas my kitchen table has become craft centeral. Luckily we aren’t hosting anything this year and the HUB has agreed to let me keep it that way for the time being.

Today i wanted to share a few quick pick of some recent holiday crafts. Maybe it will spark a little inspiration or just serve as a little Friday distration. In either case, enjoy!

THANKS BANNER

FABRIC FLOWER NECKLACE

*ok, this isn’t really a holiday decoration, but i am obsessed with these little fabric flowers lately. While i was crafting away the night before Thanksgiving i realized i didn’t have any new Thanksgiving appropriate accessories (sob story i know!!!) I quickly fixed that with some fabric, lace & hot glue! it’s my new favorite!!

and this week i started moving towards Christmas with some GIFT CARD TINS

and this JOY BANNER

As always, i’m happy to share HOW-TO’s on anything should you like!

Have a GREAT weekend!!

Posted in: Uncategorized

Oh beautiful modge podge!

October 31, 2012 2:33 pm / Leave a Comment / Renee

Oh beautiful modge podge! The creative possibilities are endless with this process.

When I was selected to help Linda at Craftaholics Anonymous do some modge podge testing I was overjoyed! But when my testing mediums arrived I was at a stand still. What should I make? The list of possible crafts that ran thru my head was a little over whelming. I contemplated doing a classic application like paper on wood blocks, picture frames and coasters.

The holidays are always inspiring so I debated covering faux pumpkins in paper al la pottery barn.

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or doing some old school metal trays in vintage paper for memo boards. I almost decided to do a super fun application on some ballet flats.

But in order to answer the questions Linda was looking for, I chose crafts I had done before and that weren’t too crazy.

First I did a couple cute fall bracelets using thrift shop bangles and fabric scraps.

And as a second project I applied tissue to glass vases for a new look.

Below are quick snap shots on these projects. Pretty much you glue, smooth, dry and glue again – nearly impossible to fail!

Fabric bangles:

**after my bracelets were finished and i went to wear them, i noticed how rough the texture was on the inside. I recommend using a strip of felt to line the inside.

This is shown in the finished image, but not the steps above

Glass Vase:

You see that with limited supplies, a little time and not much required talent a new use was given to both dull items.

With the holidays coming up and the modge podge fire being lit by the lovely Linda – I’ll be posting some more examples in the coming weeks – Possibly even the ballet flats!

Do you have the modge podge bug?

A new creative use? Lets see it!!!! Please feel free to leave a link below!

Posted in: Quickie, tutorial, Uncategorized

Back to School Title Picture

August 28, 2012 11:00 am / 2 Comments / Renee

While my boy is a few years away from partaking in the BACK TO SCHOOL rituals, there are lots of tikes around gearing up for that big day!

Backpacks are being packed, 1st day outfits are being prepared and camera batteries charged. That last point is my topic for today:

How about this cute little frame with a chalkboard name plate. It’s SO easy and you can add any caption you’d like. It’s a great way to capture all the details of any important day (or just be silly!)

Back to school was my inspiration for this little craft – wanting to log the date & grade (and outfit of course) but the options are endless:

LOST A TOOTH!

NO MORE DIAPERS!

WON THE BIG GAME!

or how about a special photo instead of an off-the-rack greating card:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDMA!

GOOD LUCK!

MISS YOU!

It’s a snap to make and really inexpensive! here are the details:

1 frame – any size & shape will do.

Paint – spray paint usually works best but use what you have on hand!

1 wood piece – i purchased a few pieces from the craft store so they were cut and ready to go. They come in all shapes and sizes so i suggesting having your frame first. I even got one in the shape of a heart – very cute!

Chalkboard Paint

Velcro, Glue or Nails

SIMPLE STEPS

1 – give your frame a couple coats of paint AND your wood piece a couple coats of chalkboard paint.

2 – decide on how you want to attach the chalkboard piece to your frame; GLUE or NAIL for a permanent bond or place VELCO to the both the fame & wood piece. I prefer the velcro so I can take the plate off to write/clean it or to swap chalkboard shapes.

This prop makes photo op’s a bit more fun so the kids tend to grin a little bigger and participle with a bit less hesitation! GOOD LUCK!

If you make one for yourself I’d love to see!! Share pics on the face book page > here!

Posted in: Uncategorized

A little too deep for my floaties

August 23, 2012 12:00 pm / 2 Comments / Renee

FYI – This post is copy heavy as I want to fill you on some recent realizations & changes. But don’t worry – the fun & crafty posts are following close behind!

I am ALWAYS busy. I enjoy it. I don’t try and be busy, the busy just finds me. Usually I don’t even realize how busy things were until I look back at the week. I don’t intend to schedule something for every day but by Sunday its no wonder the house is a mess – it was busy week!

When trying to find time to meet with a friend I usually hear, “you let me know when your free, you are always so busy.” But from my point of view that isn’t the case. My ‘free’ days may fill with petty errands or projects & if i have a spare moment – I’ll use it – but nothing is more important than time with my friends and family.

That was my NORMAL until this summer. It had been that way forever and it worked for me (hopefully for my friends and family would agree)

This summer however I realized that I may have gone out a little too deep into the pool of busyness. I felt it coming but thought it was maybe that one week got out of hand and that my usual “busy” would return. It didn’t…. the strong – yet enjoyable – busyness tide was sweeping me deeper little by little.

I was driving home from a busy day at work one day and realized exactly what I felt like. It was like my swim floating were just a little too deflated to support my weight. I was just keeping up with all my projects. Each should have been fun and enjoyable yet I felt pressure to finish them and none were as fabulous as I had hoped. Nothing was getting the attention it needed including my family, household and friends.

A dear friend asked when we could have dinner and I honestly had to look out 2 weeks. I couldn’t tell you the last time I cooked a full dinner for my family or really cleaned the house. Not one to get stressed too often, I was really feeling out of sorts. I didn’t like that one bit.

So by now I knew something had to change, but wasn’t sure what or how or when. Then came time for Mama’s Happy set up. I had to take a day and a half vacation to get my space set up but it looked pretty cute and I had more inventory than in the past ! YAY!! YET it wasn’t as complete as I had seen it in my mind and I was a little disappointed in myself. BOO!

Then I got one more ‘sign’ from the Berenstain Bears (kids shows are good at getting messages to adults too!!) I was watching an episode with my sweet boy and the Berenstain family was over scheduled. At one point, Mama breaks down in tears and they realize the need to give some thing up. Their words of wisdom were fully received: “Doing is something, but overdoing is something else.” By reevaluating their schedule they were able to enjoy things more “now we have time to do what most families do; play together, visit friends and sometimes do nothing at all!”

WATCH IT: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDlijFMvvLA

But what was I going to do? I love everything I do. I don’t want to give anything up!

So if I’m not giving things up how about cutting back. After lots of thinking (the only reason I am thankful for my 40 min commute to/from work each day – well that and my reading list is much shorter from listening to audio books) AND after chatting with the my inspiring friend and Head Mama I decided:

My role at Mama’s Happy would change. I LOVE that store, the projects and most of all the MAMA’s – there is no way I wanted to leave. Thankfully I was told I wan’t ALLOWED to leave :-) So, I am still a Mama! You will still see me there every 2^nd Wednesday of the month. You will still see pictures of new items and hear of exciting things at the store. Only difference is that I won’t be stocking a space each month. I will be helping with things behind the scenes or wherever another pair of hands are needed.

Seems to be a little change but the weight that has been lifted can already be felt. I don’t even need floaties anymore.

So here we go – back at it again with a new energy and less pressure. GET READY!!

**Thank you to my friends and family for always being patient with my new projects & crazy schedule! You are always my priority & I hope you know that.

*** A SPECIAL thank you to my friend Sarah. Without seeing much of each other or even talking often, she noticed something was a little off and reached out to check on me. THANK YOU!!! your little voice mail mean allot to me!

I hope you are all finding the balance that is right for you. Days go too quick my friends; we need to remember to take a breath every now and again.

~Renee

Posted in: catch up, Mamas Happy, Uncategorized

Zucchini Wave

July 31, 2012 9:33 pm / Leave a Comment / Renee

ummmm…. Zucchini Bread! I Love zucchini bread and wanted to share my favorite recipe with you!

A few years ago i got a bug in my bootie to make sure all the recipes in my little Campbell’s Soup receipt tin were hand written. It looks nice and tidy (the lone area of the kitchen to look that way) but unfortunately i didn’t have the forethought to take note of where i got the original recipe. Because i have a habit of using the web search engine for my answers, it could have come from anywhere. Or anyone! I’ve made some slight alterations but if you are the original creator of this yummy bread – THANK YOU, it’s a crowd pleaser.

Now i hope all of you enjoy it too.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F

prepare a 9 x 5 foil loaf pan with cooking spray (i prefer these foil pans because they work great for giving a loaf to a friend or freezing)

ingredients:

1/3 C shortening *i use good ol’ Cricso in the baking sticks!

1 1/3 C sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 C grated zucchini

1/3 C + 2 T. water

1 tsp. vanilla

1 2/3 C flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

3 T unsweetened cocoa powder

1/3 C mini semi-sweet ch. chips

1st – measure out dry ingredients and sift together – set to the side

2nd – Cream shortening, sugar & IF USING CRISCO - 2 T water. Add eggs. Beat together. Next add Zucchini and 1/3 C water. ps. the batter looks kind of gross and separated at this point! don’t worry – it will come back together.

3rd – slowly add dry ingredients. Mix Well

Next – Divide batter in half. In 1 part add cocoa and mix well. In the remaining part add ch. chips

Fill bread pan 3/4 of the way to the top by alternating cocoa batter and ch. chip batter. Using a knife (or a bamboo shish-kabob skewer like me) to swirl the batter in the pan.

Bake on the top shelf of the oven for 6o minutes. At 30 minutes i usually turn and rotate the pan. At 60 minutes test bread by piercing with a knife or skewer – if it comes out clean it’s DONE! If not, bake for up to 10 minutes longer.

Let cool slightly and enjoy warm (my fave!) or let cool and wrap to store. But heads up – it won’t last long sitting on your kitchen counter – it is YUMMY STUFF!!

So yummy in fact that i usually make TONS during the late summer – doubling the recipe above and doing about 3 batches at a time. Next post will be about my BULK baking system! makes prep & clean up a one time process for quick future baking.

Let me know if your family loves this recipe as much as mine! OR please share if you have an equally yummy suggestion :-)

Posted in: recipe, tutorial

Busy Busy!

July 18, 2012 9:35 am / Leave a Comment / Renee

Good Morning Friends!!

Man alive things are CRAZY in my little world lately! (not that that is anything new!) Last weekend Mama’s Happy was open and it was the busiest weekend in the stores history! Lots of happy customers ~ Hopefully you were one of them!

You would think that with the store being so busy, and new items being added as things sold that it would have been a frantic place. But it wasn’t! It was a truly enjoyable place to be all weekend. I personally had such a great time talking with so many different people while i was there. I love hearing what they are working on, where they hope to redecorate or just chatting!!

So now it’s time to regroup and get ready for next month! Only problem is that i am traveling the next 2 weeks and then have just 5 days to get my Mama’s inventory ready and set up. It will be alot to do that’s for sure and I’m a little bit nervous about getting it all done but I’m very excited about the plan for August and can’t wait to show you!

With having a BUSY couple weeks ahead and traveling here and there i thought i’d switch up the blog format for the time being. Instead of my LENGTHY gab sessions I’ll be giving you sprinkles of little posts. Small projects that can be accomplished with just a little time and few supplies, thoughts and images that are keeping me going and inspired during this hectic month and who knows what else!

I hope you don’t mind the switch up and enjoy the snippets that are to come!

Have a GREAT day!

“If you find yourself asking yourself (and your friends), “Am I really a writer? Am I really an artist?” chances are you are. The counterfeit innovator is wildly self-confident. The real one is scared to death.”
― Steven Pressfield, The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks & Win Your Inner Creative Battles

Posted in: Mamas Happy

Mama’s Happy is “THE BEST!”

July 10, 2012 4:58 pm / Leave a Comment / Renee

Have you been to Mama’s Happy? Do you LOVE it like I do? If my rants and raves about this crafty store haven’t persuaded you to check it out maybe LAKE MINNETONKA MAGAZINE can! Mama’s Happy was vote the BEST NEW SHOP and BEST BOUTIQUE by the magazine readers for 2012.

“Since bursting on the scene in June 2010 with their first-ever occasional sale, Mama’s Happy has been the go-to spot for all the handcrafted, upcycled and repurposed items you’ll ever need and love to have.” Lake Minnetonka Magazine

A few of us Mamas joined Amanda at the awards banquet to hear our name announced not once but TWICE. You like us! You REALLY like us! We were ecstatic to say the least. To know that the time and effort put toward hunting & gathering, painting, sewing and creating is appreciated by is so encouraging. Of course every business wants to do well, but to be VOTED the BEST by our shoppers is truly touching. So THANK YOU to all those who voted – it means SO MUCH to all of us!