Happy December!!

Happy December!!

I find it harder and harder to keep up with this blog. I love it, don't get me wrong but trying to keep up with it…well, I just seem to suck at it.

I'm trying to start to post on my Facebook & Instagram pages more. If you don't follow me on there…...go do that now and at least you'll be able to see what I'm up to, what is happening around me and new little projects! Like this adorable Winter Scene my Sister and Niece made over Thanksgiving weekend.



Adorable!!!

Just click on Like next to the Facebook on the right hand side of my blog. I'm on Instagram as HappyLittleArt Pop over there and hit follow!

Really the truth is…….is that someday I'll try to be better again on here but for now…….I'm just keeping it real!!

Hope your Holidays are wonderful!!! Big Blessings for health and happiness!

Easy Halloween Treat Bags!!

I dusted off the cobwebs in my studio and made a couple of Halloween treat bags to give out! I love this time of year!! It makes me feel closer to my Family and want to be home cooking, decorating, crafting and hanging out more! Like nesting but without the pending pregnancy, thank goodness! LOL. I am hoping for lots of rainy, blistery days this fall season!!

All these Halloween treat bags are super easy to make! Some of them I just used pre-made bags or sacks and just altered them to make them a little more homemade! How easy is that???

This first one was super simple… A kraft treat bag, ribbon, metal tag and an adorable owl charm. "Owl" always love giving these treats out!! harharhehe.

Next is a Martha Stewart treat bag. I buy her bags every Holiday…they are normal really cute and with just a little homemade touch they always make the cutest bags. For this one, I just added the doily, ribbon, glittered clothespin and my favorite little spider too.

I found these pre-made Jolee's Boutique bags this year too…I just added rhinestones to the bag and tied it up with pretty ribbon and a vintage flower stem! I love that treat giving can be simple, fast and fun!!!

I made a few more but my camera battery died so this is the last one I'll be showing you today. (I love it when Im prepared to blog and then I'm really not….) This little treat bag took a little more effort but still easy to do and I think it turned out super cute! (Kinda bummed that the feathers blocked my bat but unfortunately, I didn't notice it until I put in on here!!!)

Do you get a lot of trick or treaters at your house?? Did you make any treats this year for Halloween??

I'm off to walk our doggies, Thor and Celia and make a quick stop at the dog park. Speaking of Halloween, we got them a shark costume a couple of weeks ago to try on…they didn't seem to like it. We will probably find them a t-shirt or something to wear…They are so cute dressed up!!! Do you dress your animals up??? (and I'm not talking about the Husband or Kids! Heehee)

(P.S. My studio really didn't have that many cobwebs…I just have found it harder to keep up with the blog)

Hope you're creating something fabulous!!

Little Pink Glitter House…..

Hello… Just thought I'd pop in and share a WIP (Work in Progress)…



I know its been forever….Exciting new things are planned for next year….

Hope you're enjoying the season….

xoxo

Back to School!!

Hello, Hello!!! I know it's been forever...wish I could say, I'll be more regular here...but it just doesn't happen...family, work...fun...real life...it all gets in the way and I'm not one of those super Mom types....I'm lazy, tired and half the time unmotivated. I think if I could make the stuff and someone else would photograph it to get a blog post together...well, then there would be way more going on here!! As it is...I make stuff and don't photograph it and sell it or give it away.....then I think...Man...I should have taken pictures of that....Oh, well....I'll be here when I can and I hope you'll come stop by every once in a while to say Hello!!

Its hard to believe the summer came and the summer went and now another school year is starting....4 of our Kids are still in school. Two in College (One taking classes at night school and one going full time), one in Jr. High and one in High School. I never need classroom treats anymore....its really kinda sad...I so enjoyed when they were younger and coming up with fun ideas for them to take to their classmates for all the holidays. Now I make treats just for them and if I'm lucky they sometimes ask for treats for their friends and I'm happy I get to do that!!

This year I really wanted to make something sweet using apples for the first day of school.



We were at the Mall, school clothes shopping and I picked up some pre-made apples from the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, thinking how convenient that was...quick and easy...turns out I probably would never go there again since I thought their Customer Service was AwFuL and I'm sure I could have made them as yummy at home without the attitude!!! However, since I did buy a few, I wasn't going to waste them!!



I always search Google for free printables, I typed in "Back to School, free printables" and TONS of options come up!! I choose a couple that I liked and printed them on cardstock paper. For this one I used, Bloom Designs Online for I Heart Nap Time. I did alter the tag a bit but you don't need to because the tag is super cute! I just wanted to add the black ribbon so I needed a little black on the tag to make it work for me. The M&M's on this apple remind me of school supplies!!!



Searching again, I printed this cute tag from Our Best Bites, So easy to work with! I love making things out of felt and this little heart works with this and I think the ruler button is perfect....it matches the little sprinkled nuts all over the apple!!



Next I used....a cute little printable from Parties for Pennies on the Living Locurto blog. This printable was for a really cute, get to know you, game but I cut it in half, added a sticker, rounded the corners and used it for a tag.



So I'm thinking these would be adorable 1st day of school treats but the truth of the matter is.... my Girls have been begging me to eat these.....they can't wait any longer so by the time I post this they will have eaten them and I will have to make something different for them for the first day of school!! These really are an easy, fun treat!! Hope you enjoyed them!!



I hope you had a wonderful summer and did something exciting. I have been off work for two weeks for a little surgery I had to have, it kinda put a cramp on the end of summer fun activities but whats a girl to do??!!

Hope to see you soon!
xoxo

Happy Valentine's Day!!!!

Just a quick post to say Hello!!!

I had so many ideas this year for adorable Valentines.....I bought the supplies...and unfortunately...here they sit in my studio...in bags....waiting...Such is life these days...I did take time out tonight to create some cute little Valentines to give out tomorrow...of course they needed to be quick, inexpensive and cute...Here's what I came up with....all created while watching American Idol....



Pretty Cute....All packaged and ready to go.....I love Valentines. Little envelopes...Hearts...Ribbon...all fun.



Do you have any special plans? Romantic Dinner? Dancing? Movies? Boycotting the whole thing? My Honey sent me a big bouquet of fruit today...a little pre-valentines....I loved it....Pineapple hearts...Chocolate covered strawberries...oh my!!! It was lovely!! Whatever you do tomorrow/today...I hope your day is special...

Happy Valentines Day!!
XOXO,

A Sweet Thing...

Wow...it's been so long since I've been here...I'm always thinking about being here...so many ideas fill my head and then it seems I never have the time to to do them and if I do get to them...afterwards...I say dang...I should have taken pictures of that...such is life and I can't worry about it...so when I post, its a treat for me...and well, hopefully for you!

I woke up this morning and said, I am making a treat. I didnt know what treat yet but as the Kids slept I looked around for something to make. Having supplies EVERYWHERE, I knew I could come up with something. When I saw the bags of Rolos and a bag of pretzels...I thought well that will get me in the crafty mood...and it did......We've all seen them, we've probably all made them but they are tasty little buggers and I decided to Rolo with it...hahaha...it started like this...

They quickly went into the 350 degree oven for 4 minutes....when they came out, I plopped a peanut butter M&M on top of each one....everything tastes better with peanut butter on it! They COULD have been done at that point...

But when you have a DRAWERS full of sprinkles....I'm thinking nothing is really done until you use some of them....Right?????

So....my sweet little treats turned out like this....which was promptly snagged by my Daughter who said she wanted to take it with her to her friend's house...glad I got a picture first!

These are my favorite kinds of treats...easy to make and can look so cute...Hope your doing something fun this Saturday...I guess after eating all the mis-haps treats, I better go walk the dogs....or sit on the couch...or something....

Cheers...

Trio of Treats.....

I went into my studio and played around this past weekend...I forgot how happy that is....and Halloween is such a good reason to create, not that you need a reason! Since I already know I'm truly addicted to sugar, candy and sweets...Halloween treat making is right up my alley! However, we've already gone thru buckets of sweets around here and Im having to work harder at the gym, I've noticed!

I know I've been absent around here for some time now...I find balancing craftying time a little hard since I started working, full time. I often find myself thinking of things to create during my days and realize that having the time to actual do them, a bit difficult. There are always chores to do, that before, I had all day to work on, not so much anymore. I intend to work a little harder to get in here more. I've decided creating its definately a deep rooted need. I now realize why my Mum painted and crafted, till all hours of the night...

Lately, I seem to create a lot of things with these little brown bags....they make so many adorable projects....if you're not already working with them...start...they make it so easy to create an adorable treat or gift. I use them for most of my Gift Card giving already, but do love to stuff them full of small items too!! On this bag I used a big chipboard star that I painted and glittered....I found them at a local craft store. They came in sets of three called Snippets...Oh, Im in love....and they were only a dollar! They have hearts and other shapes too! Yeah...you know I bought a bunch...how easy!! Love them!!

What crafty things have you been creating? Are you making Halloween costumes? Classroom treats? I need to start both of those REAL soon....I see some late nights in my near future!! Cooking? Baking? I made my first fall soup last week, potato, chedder and bacon, it was delightful...then the weather decided to be in the 90s again....Where is fall? Oh, how I miss you!

I hope your October is full of all the beautiful fall colors, warm lattes, crisp air, and sweet treats....

Until next time....

Hello!!!!!!

How have you been? Wow it's been so long since I've been here!! I've been so busy! The summer came and there were baseball games and county fairs. CornFests and $1.00 movie tuesdays. Weddings and interviews.

Friends in town and a 50th birthday. Cooling off in the pool and working up a sweat at the gym. Concerts and crafting. Sleep overs and staying up late.

There were BBQs and summer foods too. Many lazy mornings, wearing pjs all day and shopping trips. I think we managed to get quite a lot in even if we didnt travel out of the area this year.

In addition to the fun we've been having around here, (which has definately impacted how much I've been crafting lately).... I also got a full time job!! I can see how full time work may impact how much time I spend in my studio!! Oh, I havent stopped crafting...I'm just even slower at getting my projects done than I was before!!

I have a really fun mini album that I've been working on for weeks a little here and a little there. I really like it...some of the pages are so fun!!! Creams, whites, teals and pinks...yum! I hope to have it finished in the next week or so. Hopefully I'll manage to get a few in the shop too!!

I still want to show you the message board I was working on. We sanded it down and repainted it again. A leaf fell on it and stuck. We sanded it down again and repainted. It has turned out super pretty....I just need to finish it (story of my life!) and hang it before I show you! It is also that time of year to start finding some fun treats for the Girls...the new school year is coming up fast....Hard to believe how much my babies are growing up!!! One of them is even off to High School in a few short weeks!!

So I just wanted to pop in and say Hello...to tell you...I'll be back with some cute things soon.....and that I hope you're enjoying your summer and the weather and all that is good and right.
XOXO,

Happy Summer!!

It officially the first day of Summer!! Unfortunately, I already feel its going to be a super long summer indeed! The Kids have been out of school since last week and so far I've heard..."I'm Bored" 4018 times. "There is nothing to do!", 2947 times. "What are we going to do?" 1567 times and a whole lot of other "Boring" things!! I wonder when it suddenly became MY job to entertain the cackle of my children? The funny thing about all this is that they've been to a graduation party, two pool parties, the movies, swimming almost daily, the mall, had two sleep overs....really?! You're bored??? Clean your room, do your chores, read a book.....because if all those things before are boring, it surely will be a super long summer indeed!!!

I myself have been enjoying the begining of the warmer weather and bright sunshine! Yes, indeed....sleeping in, not getting dressed until noon, going to the pool for the first time this season! Watermellon, corn on the cob, a cold, cold beer on a hot afternoon.....oh yes....I do like the summertime!!! I even started working in the office....I think my creative juices are flowing again with bright bold summer colors. I've spent the last couple of days spray painting cute little picture frames in happy vibrant colors....I was trying to go slow and make them perfect.....but today when I went to spray paint the back sides...I got a little carried away...I sprayed too much, too fast, too thick....now I have to wait until they completely dry and sand them down and do it again!! Its sad, really. Its because I rushed. I wanted to decorate them. I went to fast....I forgot...Its summertime and everything should be, a little slower....



So, I'll be sanding down the picture frames and then re-painting them. Which I can't wait to show you! I'll do a few chores, go to the grocery store and run a few errands and then I'll hit the gym and shuttle the Kids to their "boring" activities and that will be what I do today on this sunny first day of summer! What will you do today? Will you work and come home and put your feet up? Will you craft the day away? Will you lay out and soak up some sun rays? What will you do on this beautiful first day of summer!!??

Only One S'more Day!!

There is only one s'more day to go till its officially summer around here!!

Hard to believe but Ms. M is officially leaving Jr. High for High School and Ms. H will be heading into 7th grade!! WOW! Just Crazy!!

I thought the Kids needed a little treat today when they came home from school. Looking around the web for something...I found Golden Graham S'mores...yum...easy, with chocolate and marshmellows....my kind of snack!!



I wrapped them up all cute so that I could give them to their Friends that ride in the carpool!! Did you know that you cant put tape on parchment paper? I tried...I was going to put some cute tape on them....but it wouldnt stick! Bakers Twine to the rescue!!



I used this recipe from this adorable blog, Cookies and Cups, which has some super yummy things on it that I'll be trying this summer!!!

Speaking of Summer....What are your summer plans? Do you have anything special to do this summer? I'm not sure what we will be up too but I hope it will be fun!!

Thanks for swinging by!

Giving Gift Cards!

I often give gift cards out as gifts. I love gift cards myself. Its like having a little something in your wallet that says...Hey...lets go shopping, even when you can't afford to go!! I don't however like just giving a gift card in an envelope. I have put GCs in tins, in boxes...reusable bottles, ect. and ever since the little brown bag craze started...I have been giving GCs in them....simple, easy, pretty and makes the GC seem much more personal!! Love that!!

Several weekends ago my Daughters both had Birthday parties to go to and I scrambled to make bags perfect for the GCs. I realized then, I should, probablly, have a stash ready made...it would be so much easier! So thats what I did....I made some for me and a couple to put in the shop!!

They are so fun to make...I made them all day!!

I made some for every occasion, that way, I'd have some ready when I needed them!!

Then I made some for Boys too....because I never seem to make things for Boys!!

Then I remembered Father's Day was coming....so I made some for that too...

Then I realized I probably had made enough for right now and stopped.....but now I want to make some more, because they are fun to make....so I stamped some more bags......I think Im addicted to the little brown bags!

What is your favorite way to give a GC?? Do you wrap it up? Put it in a box? Or do you love the ease of an envelope?

Little Shop Update!!

Well I finally added a couple of new things to the etsy shop...something I hope to do more of in the near future! My favorite is this red and teal kit....using some of the stuff included in it...you can make this happy little gift bag.....

What an easy way to make any gift look pretty!! Heres a peek at the Kit...

I also finally took out my button maker that I'm pretty sure I've had sitting in the cupboard for 2 or 3 years now and have never used and finally made some! I made flatback buttons of the days of the week...they turned out so cute....easy to put into your project life or mini album or onto scrapbook pages...

I hope to start adding several things each week from now on....need to start working harder instead of hardly working =;o)
Thanks for popping in....Hope you have a GREAT weekend!!!

Wednesday...Words....

Wow...Hard to believe its been over a whole month on here without me! I've been chugging along. Doing what I need to do and sometimes that leaves no energy or creativity for crafting and Im trying to juggle it and find a happy balance!!

What I have been doing....trying to get my life and house in better order including doing Weight Watchers and cooking better for the family..{trust me...I still like and crave all the bad stuff!}. I also go to the gym pretty much 6 days a week.....I never thought I'd be a gym person....but turns out I like it! Yay!! Losing weight is the hardest thing I think I've ever done...specially since I am an emotional eater but I've lost 40lbs now and that feels pretty happy! Still have more to lose but I can honestly say...I'm working on that!
I have also been working on a few fun things to put into the shop later on this week...been working with things red and teal! I love that color combination! Don't you? Here is a sneak peek I posted on Facebook last week....

I hope you've been having a great month!! Be back soon!!!