6 inches of ribbon

A Face Lift

2011-05-25T08:21:00.000-04:00

Today is a very exciting day for me and my business!

An Event to Remember has gotten a face lift on the web. I am proud to announce that my fresh new website is up and running. Its perfect and reflects exactly what I wanted my business to reflect.

I hope you will take a moment and check it out. Click here to visit An Event to Remember, and come back and tell me what you thought. Also, the very talented web designer behind this beautiful site is Cory Mcbee. If you ever need a web designer, please contact her. She's excellent!

Simply Baking

2011-05-11T17:37:00.000-04:00

Hey fellow bloggers. I just wanted to remind you about my baking blog.
Ive been updating with lots of great recipes. Go check it out.
I hope you find something you like!

Simply Baking

Vote for Bentley

2011-04-25T08:51:00.001-04:00

Happy Monday to everyone in blog land.

Please vote for Bentley!!

Bentley is our 9 month old boston terrier. He is the sweetest dog ever and we love him so much.

Bentley made the silliest dog modeling contest for Lowcountry Dog Magazine and we need your votes!

A little back ground. Our community has a "Dog fest" each year for all the dog owners and their dogs. Its like a festival for dogs. Super fun, but it was hot. We took Bentley this year and they had a photo contest for a dog to win cover model for the Lowcountry Dog Magazine. We had Bentley's photo taken, but he looks super scared in his photo, so I didnt think he would make the cut. He ended up not making the cover model cut, but he did make the "silliest dog" cut.

Now its time to get everyone to vote for him.

Click on this link to learn how to vote. If you do have a Facebook account, please take advantage and vote twice.

There are two bentley's so make sure you vote for the boston terrier bentley.

Thanks in advance to everyone who goes to vote. I am very appreciative.

And here are some photos of Bentley just so you know who you are voting for.

He was a very playful puppy!

He loves baskets.

He found a frog late one night. He thought it was a toy to play with. Cute!

He likes to "sun" in the mornings by the front door. Best nap of the day.

Ok. Please go and vote.

Mom's Wedding

2011-04-20T20:42:00.000-04:00

As most of you probably know, Im a wedding planner. I got the chance to help my mom plan her wedding that was this past March. It turned out really nice. Here are some highlights from her wedding.

Brides bouquet and both rings

Ceremony set up

Centerpieces. The flowers are called Billy balls... or billy buttons.

Loads of Cake. Carrot cake, chocolate, coconut, and yellow cake with cherry filling topped with an amaretto buttercream icing.

my boys were the ring bearers. super cute!

Here we are. A mom and her two daughters.

The wedding party.

There was lots of dancing.

and then the goodbye.

Overall it was a very nice wedding. Hope you enjoyed the pictures.

Mommy Sling Giveaway Winner!!

2011-02-20T18:11:00.000-05:00

Hi Guys! So sorry I wasnt able to get the winner announced yesterday.

But today is a new day and I have a winner!!!

The winner is lucky # 18.

Jenn said...

I would love to win this as I am due with my first born in July :)

February 17, 2011 1:46 PM

So Jenn Congrats!!

Thanks to everyone to entered to win.

Hopefully I will have another giveaway soon.

Last day for the Giveaway!

2011-02-18T08:25:00.000-05:00

Today is the last day for the Sling Giveaway!

Go here to enter to win and spread the word if you want an extra entry.

Mommy Giveaway!!

2011-02-15T07:51:00.002-05:00

Time for a giveaway!!

This is a special giveaway for mommies with babies, so if thats you, make sure you enter to win.

This would also be a great gift for an upcoming baby shower or for someone who just had a baby. Anyone can enter to win!

I will be giving away ONE

Seven Everyday Sling

These are great slings that you can wear numerous different ways to keep you and baby comfortable! Go to their site to check out all the different ways.

I will be giving away this cute "Green Vibe" sling.

This is great for girls or boys.

To enter:

1. Leave a comment telling me why you would like to win this giveaway.

Simple... right?

Extra Enteries:

1. Become a follower of 6 Inches of Ribbon or leave a comment telling me you are already.

2. Blog about it on your blog and link back. Then leave another comment telling me you did.

The winner will be selected via random.org.

Good luck!

The giveaway ends February 18th at midnight.

I will announce the winner on Saturday, February 19.

Disclaimer: Seven Everyday Slings has in no way paid me to do this giveaway.

Birthday Party Time

2011-02-14T08:02:00.000-05:00

This weekend we celebrated the boys birthdays by throwing them a joint birthday party.

We had a jump castle for entertainment, burgers, hotdogs, chips, and cupcakes.

It was great.

Here are some highlights.

The food set up

Yes, there was silly string. It was everywhere!

I was relaxing before the party began.

It was a lot of fun, but I was pooped after. I still cant believe my boys are 9 and 6. That makes me feel so old... and im NOT old. Its really a weird feeling, but they are growing up so fast. Austin is becoming a little man and caden is talking so much more like a grown up.

But, this makes me realize I need to slow down and enjoy every minute of raising them. I need to look at them more and study their little faces, really listen to what they have to say and all the funny things that come out of their mouths. So sweet the things I hear from them.

Hope you enjoyed my highlights!

Im Moving... well sorta

2011-02-07T15:18:00.000-05:00

Ok Im finally back! Its been a little over three weeks,

but I have a very important announcement to make!

Ive decided that my passion is baking. I think that most of you already know that, and no.. that wasnt the announcement.

The announcement is...

Ive started a new blog that is strickly my baking journey and all the recipes I have tried.

So, what does that mean for 6 Inches of Ribbon?

Well, honestly, im not really sure. For now, I will keep this blog and update occasionally with crafts I do around the house or life updates. But for the most part you will probably find me over at the new blog, baking my little heart out.

This has been in the works for a little over three weeks now and I havent told anyone except my husband (for imput purposes only) and my mom, but she doesnt really care. I think I just had to tell someone.. I hate secrets and surprises.

Anyway.. this new blog is called

.... drum roll please ....

Simply Baking

Please please please go check it out. Its super cute and has great recipes so far. I will continue to update throughout each week. My goal is to have 2-3 posts each week. And only bringing you recipes that my family likes and would eat again. So become a follower over there and snoop around. Theres not much over there right now, but I promise there will be more.

Oh and thanks to everyone who has been and will be continuing to follow 6 Inches. I probably would never have kept blogging if it werent for followers and the lovely comments people leave me.

Tasty Tuesday

2011-01-18T08:54:00.002-05:00

Well I hope everyone is having a great 2011 so far.

Today, at 6 inches of Ribbon, is Tasty Tuesday.

Ive been busy making lots of cupcakes. Nothing too fancy, just regular flavor cupcakes with a little pizazz.

First Cupcake to share is my

chcolate cupcake with vanilla icing topped with a chocolate covered strawberry. (come of the cupcakes were vanilla cupcakes with vanilla icing.

They were so good. I made them for my sister in laws bridal shower. They were a hit.

The cake mix was a box mix, but the icing was homemade as usual. I dont think i will ever use store bought icing ever again. The homemade stuff is just too good.

The second cupcake to share is a regular vanilla cupcake with regular chocolate icing with a few sprinkles to please the children. They enjoyed them.

Next week, I will be working on a Lemon bar cupcake. Ive been craving lemon bars for a few days now and thought it would be neat to transform the lemon bars in to cupcakes. Ill let you know the outcome.

Also - has anyone else fallen in love with the show Cupcake Wars on food network? I love that show and look forward to seeing all the different ingredients they use. Some of the things sounds great, but some of them sound nasty. If you havent seen the show, I suggest you tune in on Tuesday nights and watch it. Its pretty entertaining, even my husband watches it with me.

Well have a great day and go bake something tasty!

Ready for 2011?

2011-01-03T08:40:00.000-05:00

Who's ready for 2011?

Im not sure I am. I have a hard time just typing 2011.

My fingers dont want to go in that direction.

What a year 2010 was. Lets just hope 2011 is just as good, if not better.

This year, for 6 Inches of Ribbon, you will probably see more baking.

Ive found that baking is truely what I love to do in my spare time. Particularly, cupcakes of any flavor and decor. So get ready to see more of that.

I also will be continuing the renovation of my town house. There are some things that really need to get done around here like our back porch and back "yard" area. I say "yard" because theres not much of it, but I would still like to see a little grass back there, rather than dirt. I might venture out and possible regrout my tile floors. I saw a DIY tutorial on it and it doesnt look that hard.

My P90X is going great. Im entering into my 3rd month. Ive seen progress in my arms and legs the most. I think I need to pick up better eating habits before I see more results in the mid section. I dont think P90X is something I will be giving up this year. Its alot of fun and the results are benefitting enough for me to continue.

Im also going to work on a new look for the blog. Not sure when I can fit that in my schedule, but I would love to update it some and have something fresh for 2011.

As for couponing, that will always be something I will be doing. That is part of my life now. I saw a show on TLC the other day, Extreme Couponing. If you havent seen it, its really motivating. Im going to get back in the groove of things and start getting my grocery bill back to $60.00 a week.

Thats all for now.

See you tomorrow for Tasty Tuesday!

Mint Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies

2010-12-10T10:12:00.000-05:00

Normally I would post this on my "Tasty Tuesday" segment, but I want to link up with the cookie party over at My Insanity. I couldnt pass up a baking linky party.

The other day, I whipped up some oh so delicious chocolate cookies.

They are offically called:

Mint Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies

Oh my goodness, they are DEVINE! You must try them.

They are great alone or made into an Ice Cream Sandwich.

(Please note, this is not on the p90x diet, by any means.)

So here are the results in pictures, but pictures can not descibe how good they really are.

The recipe is below.

Mint Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

16 Ounces Semi-Sweet Chocolate

2 Cups All-Purpose Flour

½ Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

2 Teaspoon Baking Powder

¾ Teaspoon Salt

4 Large Eggs

2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract

10 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, room temperature

1½ Cups Brown Sugar

½ Cup Granulated Sugar

1½ Cups Andes Mints, Chopped

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F

In a medium bowl, melt semi-sweet chocolate. This can be done by placing the bowl over a pot of simmering water (for a make-shift double-boiler) or in the microwave at 50% power. Stir and set aside to cool.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl, using a hand electric mixer), beat butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar at medium at speed until the mixture is light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add one egg a time to the butter mixture, beating after each addition. Add vanilla extract and beat until combined. Add the cooled melted chocolate and beat until well combined.

Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually add the flour mixture. Mix until just combined. Stir in mint-chocolate baking bits. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the mixture sit at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes,

or until the mixture is easy to scoop and fudge-like.

Using an ice cream scoop, scoop a good amount and roll the dough into balls and place on the prepared baking sheets, 2 inches apart. Place the baking sheets in the oven and bake for 10 to 12 minutes.

The cookies are baked when the edges are set, but the center are still soft.

The cookies will still look a little raw in between the cracks, but are done.

Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes, then remove to a wire rack.

Repeat with the rest of the dough, using cooled cookie sheets.

I will say that this recipe has a ton of ingredients, but its well worth it. I ended up with about 40 cookies and decided to give some to the boys teachers.

They turned out cute and delicious!

Tasty Tuesday - Chocolate Ganache Christmas Cupcakes

2010-12-07T09:00:00.002-05:00

It's Tasty Tuesday time!!

Today I want to share with you a simple Chocolate Ganache Cupcake recipe.

First you will want to start with a simple chocolate cake recipe. Any will do, or you can use the good old Duncan Hines or Betty Crocker mix. Which ever floats your boat.

While the cupcakes are baking, you will want to make your Ganache.

Simple Ganache Recipe

1/2 - 1 cup of heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup of chocolate chips (you can use semi sweet, dark, or anything that you prefer)

2 tablespoons of sugar

Melt in a pot over medium to high heat. Do not boil. Stir constantly. Once chocolate is melted, let Ganache cool. I put mine in the freezer to cool faster. You dont want it to be a soup consitancy, but more like an icing consistancy.

Once the cupcakes are finished baking, let them cool completely.

Then you will want to use a spoon, knife, or whatever you have laying around, to get out the centers of the cupcakes. Then fill with the cooled Ganache and place the center of the cupcakes back on top.

Next, ice however you please. I used colored Icing since it's Christmas.

Aren't they super cute!

And even better once you take a huge bite. YUM!

Enjoy

Miscellany Monday

2010-12-06T09:46:00.000-05:00

Im linking up with Carissa over at Lowercase Letters for her Miscellany Monday party.

1. i LOVE this season!! - Christmas time is the best time of year for me. I put up my tres the day before Thanksgiving. I know its a little early, but I go black friday shopping so I dont have the energy to put it up the day after. Heres a pic of our chrismas tree this year. Its full of homemade ornaments from the boys. those are my favorite!

2. Bentley is getting fixed today. I had to take him first thing this morning. It was so sad. He was looking at me with this look like I was abandoning him. So sad. This a picture of him in is favorite basket. He likes to get in it and chew his toys.

3. P90X is going well. Ive been doing it for 3 weeks straight now. Im not sure the correct number of pounds lost, just because I didnt want to weigh when I first started. I didnt want to be disappointed before I even started the work outs. But All is good now. Im 129.1 lbs and very happy with the progress.

4. There's another reason this is my favorite time of year. I love to bake christmas goodies. There no better time than december to bake all the yummy chocolate goodies. My favorite is the puppy chow I make every year. That might set me back a few pounds with the p90x. But it is well worth it. You can find the recipe here.

Awesome Christmas Cards

2010-12-04T21:31:00.000-05:00

Each year its customary to send out lovely Christmas cards to the ones you love. We always send out at least 40 cards to friends and family.

Usually you see the traditional Christmas pose with everyone in the family smiling big, but last year we couldn't seem to get it right. We used to go into a studio to get our family portraits taken, but last year I thought it would be cheaper to take it on our own and use Shutterfly's Christmas cards instead.

Ours turned out hilarious!!

These were the best Christmas cards we had ever sent out. We even had a friend of ours tell us that he left his on his fridge all year long, just because it was so funny.

We basically tried to take the photo, what seemed like, a hundred times. Still nothing was coming out right. So finally I decided I would take the seperate. One with my hubby and I and then one with just the boys. But when I went back to view the ones already taken of the four of us, I came across one that just had to be worked into the card.

Here's what we ended up with.

Notice the funny picture in the middle. Couldn't get anymore original than that.

So head on over to Shutterfly and pick out some cute Christmas cards. They have tons to choose from. They also have tons of other neat things to choose from like Calendars and Invitations. Ive always wanted to do a calendar with different pictures of the boys throughout the year. They would make great Christmas gifts.

We havent taken our Christmas pictures yet this year, but I wonder what the session will hold. I dont know if we can top the ones from last year.

Tasty Tuesday - Chocolate Mousse

2010-11-16T07:56:00.001-05:00

I heart Tasty Tuesday!

This week I want to share a great delicious dessert I made a few weeks back.

Chocolate Mousse with homemade whipped topping.

First for the

Mousse

1 Cup Chocolate Morsels

1/2 cup of whole milk

3 Egg Whites

3 tbsp of Sugar

Heat the milk and sugar together. Do not let boil. Remove from heat and let sit for a minute or two. Place the chocolate morsels in a blender and blend until they are tiny pieces. Pour milk mixture over chocolate in the blender. Blend well together. Add egg whites and blend for about a minute. Let sit in fridge for 3 hours. Then serve.

Whipped Topping

1 Cup of heavy whipping cream

1/3 sugar

1 tsp of vanilla extract

Place ingredients in a bowl and blend until the mixture can form a peak.

Enjoy!

Im linking up with these parties!

Tasty Tuesday

2010-11-09T09:23:00.000-05:00

Time for another Tasty Tuesday.

I was super busy last week, as we had a special guest come to our home for dinner. I decided to make a delicious appetizer to serve before our main course, Roast. Yum!

Goat Cheese with Apple Cinnamon Jelly.

This go around, I used half apple cinnamon jelly and half apple butter. My husband like the apple butter and I like the jelly, so we compromised.

Check it out. I could eat this all day long.

I hope you guys can try it some time. So yummy!

Things to do on a rainy day

2010-11-04T09:46:00.000-04:00

I love rainy days.

These are the days that you get to catch up on alot of things that are pushed to the side during the week or weekend.

Sunny days tend to make me want to run errnads or work outside. But on those rainy days, noone wants to run errands in the rain or lug groceries from your car to your house when its pouring outside.

Ive complied a list of things to keep you busy during those rainy days.

Hopefully it will keep you motivated and moving, rather than roaming around the house trying to figure out something to do.

Photo from Popfi

1. Catch up on house chores - I know, I know, noone likes to clean, but these are the perfect days to spruce up your house and get that clean feeling back.

2. Bake something - anything... Pull out those recipes and make something you havent made before or in a long time. Im sure your hubby will be please when he comes home to a great smelling meal or fresh baked goodies.

3. Pamper yourself - give yourself an at home manicure and pedicure. Theres nothing like having soft hands and feet with a little color on your nails.

4. Clean out something you've been putting off - like your pantry, a closet, or your drawers. I try to keep up with those chores, but sometimes they get cluttered and need a good sorting.

5. Catch up on a book you've been wanting to finish - or even start. Ha! I have lots of trouble when it comes to starting a book and not finish it.

6. Catch up on your blogs - we all follow many many blogs. I often dont get to read all the postings, but love to take the time to catch up on all the great ideas out in blog land.

7. Start planning your Thanksgiving dinner plans - its often left for the last minute, but go ahead and plan for your Thanksgiving meal. Write a list of what you need to get and who will be invited/coming to dinner.

8. Start writing your christmas list - include your families need and wants. Then decide what you will really be purchasing.

So, there are eight things to choose from to keep you busy on a rainy day.

Its rainy here and im not sure what I will pick to do. Im not feeling well and I have a wedding this weekend, so I might just lay around a read that book ive been putting off for a few months now.

Have a great Thrusday!

Tasty Tuesday

2010-11-02T09:41:00.000-04:00

Today is Tasty Tuesday!

I wanted to try something new with the blog. I love to bake and I love chocolate.

Those two things go great together.

Today Im introducing Tasty Tuesday.

For my hubby's birthday back in October (I talk like October was like 3 months ago or something and in all reality it was two days ago. ha!) I tried a new recipe for his birthday dessert.

It was a brownie truffel pie and it was so good.

Ok so heres the recipe I found via Food Gawker. (Love that site!)

Brownie Truffle Pie

•1 deep dish pie crust

•7 eggs

•1 cup high-quality cocoa powder

•1 1/2 cups sugar

•1 teaspoon of vanilla

Crack the eggs into a large bowl. With an electric mixer, beat in the cocoa powder, sugar,

and vanilla until well mixed. Pour into pie crust. Bake in an oven preheated to 400 degrees

for 40-45 minutes, or just until the center of the pie is set.

Cool before serving topped with vanilla bean ice cream and Quick Hot Fudge.

Recipe from The Family Kitchen

Doesnt this pie look delish? It was so good.
I hope you guys can try it one day.

Have a great tasty tuesday!!

Man it feels good to be back

2010-10-25T19:34:00.000-04:00

Im Baaaacckkkk!!

My deepest appologizes for not posting for so long. I sorta dropped off the face of the earth for a while. Things got a little hectic in my world so blogging to a back seat, more like a trunk seat.

What have I been up to, you ask?

Oh man, lots.

A few months back I mentioned that my hubby and I decided for me to work part time for a little while. Well that lasted about a month and a half. It proved to be too much for me with there only being 24 hours in one day. Ha! By the time I would lay down in bed at night, I was already dreading the next morning. Since I wake up at 6:30 every morning anyways, there just wasnt enough time in the day to get everything done. My husband said I had all the emotions of a pregnant woman and wasnt even pregnant. So, I quit today. No hard feeling with the company at all, which is great. They have been great to me and they said I could come back anytime I wanted.

Plus, if you can remember, right before I stopped blogging, I had a brand new puppy come into the picture. That was a rough first month with him. He was peeing and pooping all over the place. I think I had a little seperation anxiety too.

Here are some pictures of us over the past two months.

My postings should be a little more often now that I have more time on my hands.

It feels great to be back!!

This was us at the park a few weeks back

A family trip to the pumpkin patch

Some pictures of Bentley

Guest post from Handy Man, Crafty Woman

2010-10-05T21:49:00.000-04:00

Hello, I'm Laurie from Handy Man, Crafty Woman. My husband Rob is the Handy Man around here. We do lots of home renovations. Our first two homes were built in the 1800s, and we gutted them and fixed them up. We always tried to keep our renovations "true" to the period of the homes. Our current house is newish (1995), but still needed a lot of work! While this house is about 90% complete, we still have plenty of home and yard projects to keep us busy.

We have a nine year old boy (aka Handy Boy) who also keeps us very busy. I am an avid scrapbooker as well; I used to teach scrapbook classes, and I still attend scrapbook workshops. Some of the other crafts I do are simple ones that Handy Boy can do with me. Many of my crafts involve scrapbook papers and/or tools.

Handy Boy has been hounding me lately, asking "When's Halloween?!?!" He is 9 and has a better sense of time than younger kids, but a month still seems like ages to him.

I decided to make him a Halloween Countdown chain. I have made Christmas countdown chains for him in the past, so why not Halloween? This was very easy to do. You could also make a countdown chain for a birthday, or a big trip, using different paper.

I used 12x12" scrapbook paper. I chose Halloween colors, and cut them into 1 inch wide strips, using my Making Memories trimmer. You can buy this trimmer at craft stores. I LOVE THIS TRIMMER! I highly recommend it for any kind of scrapbooking or paper crafting.

Here are all of the Halloween colors I used. Different shades of orange, gray, brown, black, etc.

I stapled all of the rings together. After, I noticed that some of my scrapbook paper was white on one side, but Handy Boy won't care. He'll take one ring off every night before he goes to bed.

Here it is! I decided to make enough rings for the rest of September. Why not? Handy Boy loved it. I was going to work on this when he came home from school today, but I couldn't wait. ;-)

Thanks Laurie for Guest Posting!!

Guest Post from Straight Stitches

2010-09-29T08:36:00.002-04:00

Hi guys! I'm Heather from Straight Stitches, and when Ashley said that she'd like to have some guest bloggers I was all over that!

So let me introduce myself first! I stay at home watching my two boys, which is an adventure. My youngest is almost a year old and my big guy will be 5 at the end of December. No, I'm not home-schooling him, I'm actually trying to avoid it because I am not a teacher, but the school district we live in is quite strict, and does not allow any testing in early (even tho I tested in early 25 years ago), so in my adventures to keep him entertained with not just schooling I try to come up with crafts that he and I can do for the house together. Enter our craft today.

Long before I started my blog, I was crafting for the house, and in my searches for ~~cheap~~ inexpensive decor projects I came across Styrofoam's website. I found this Faux Leather Ball project, but I'm all for keeping it simple, so I changed it a touch. Here's what I did:

Materials:

smooth Styrofoam balls

Brown construction paper (I used one sheet for all 6 balls)

Elmer's glue

water

Shoe polish (natural, brown and black)

What to do:

Tear your construction paper into small rectangles. I did 1" - 1-1/2" strips then tore again from there, about every inch.

Pour a bit of glue into a container, and then add water, until it's soupy. Not Campbell's chicken noodle soupy but more like stew or a chowder. Mix is well.

Dip your construction paper pieces into the glue then squeegee the glue off of the paper with your fingers, and smooth it onto one of the balls. Repeat this step until all your balls are covered. Smooth periodically throughout the covering process. Let the balls dry.

These are still a little wet, but you can see how they're going to shape up.

After the balls are dry, take your shoe polish and polish the balls just as you would your shoes. Let the polish dry then shine them. I added two coats of polish to the balls then shined them up.

Here is a ball polished up with brown wax. You can see the difference between the polished one from the plain ball.

Here's the same brown polished ball after it's dried some.

Here are all the colors of polish from right to left; brown, black and natural.

Here's a polished ball after the two coats of polish. Its got a nice sheen to it.

Display however you please! Please don't mind the smudge or the dust in the pictures below. I was going to take new ones, but for our anniversary the hubs decided to share his stomach flu, so yea, not much is getting cleaned. Isn't the hubby so nice? :)

Well I hope that you guys enjoyed this little tutorial, and have a great week! Its been a blast visiting Ashley!

Busy Weekend Recap

2010-09-20T21:06:00.000-04:00

I know its been a while since ive posted anything.

This past week and weekend was so busy for me.

Thursday - wedding rehearsal

Friday - wedding all day

Saturday - another wedding rehearsal

-Our 6th year wedding anniversary

Sunday - another wedding

Ive never done two weddings in one weekend before and I now vow to you that I will NEVER do that again. Im so pooped and worn out.

But I wanted to share with you what made the weekend so much more bearable for me.

Meet Bentley!

Isnt he the cutest thing! He's an 8 week old Boston Terrier. My hubby gave him to me for our 6th year anniversary. So sweet!

Here he is getting his first bath with us!

He is the sweetest thing ever. Love him.

Hope you guys had a great weekend too!

NOOMA® 008 | Dust | Preview

2010-09-16T08:46:00.000-04:00

I attend a weekly bible study on Wednesdays at my church. We are discussing how to truly follow christ. This is a great video that was shown yesterday. I wish it were longer. If you want to see the full video go here.

This is the first video I've seen of Rob Bell and I think I really like his way of speaking.

He can explain things very well.

I hope you enjoy!

Wanna guest post?

2010-09-14T09:00:00.002-04:00

Happy Tuesday!

I wanted to invite any of my fellow followers to guest post on

6 Inches of Ribbon.

I would love to have at least one guest post a week, maybe more depending on the response.

If you are interested, email me and let me know.

Please note, this is not a blog swap, just guest posting.

I would love for you guys to tell me a little bit about your blog and what you like to do in your spare time. Also, if your crafty, maybe do a tutorial.

Email if you are interested and Ill give you a date.

6inchesofribbon@gmail.com

Fabulous Finds Friday

2010-09-09T20:36:00.000-04:00

Its Friday!!! Yea!

So glad Friday is here.

Today my Fabulous find is going to be this

cute new addition to our extended family...

Meet Ewan Russell. He's my newest nephew. And hes as sweet as can be.

the proud auntie

And then there were 4...

If anyone was wondering, the dad in this pic is Evan, my hubbys brother.

So thats my fab find this week.

Show me whatcha got!

The Rules

If you think its Fabulous, then be proud and show it off!

2. Become a follower of 6 inches of Ribbon!

We all liked to be followed.

3. Post my new Fabulous Finds button somewhere on your blog. Sidebar, underneath the post, or on your link party page. Any will do. However, if it is on a link page, make sure you have somthing at the bottom of your blog post stating that you are linking up with this blog. Ive seen a few without the button and a few without a link back. How are more people supposed to find out fun party with out bottons or link backs?

4. Invite others to join and visit the others that join the link party.

We all like comment love!

5. Please no Etsy shops or anything that you are wanting to sell. Your post will be removed. Sorry.

Dont forget to grab the button!

Guest Posting today

2010-09-09T08:14:00.000-04:00

Im guest posting today over at

Making the World Cuter.

Tiffany is on maturnity leave and I volunteered to help out while she is recovering.

Go check out the post and poke around her blog a little.

Its super cute.

P90X

2010-09-07T08:30:00.000-04:00

Jon and I have successfully completed a week of the grueling P90X program. If you have been following me for a while, my sweet hubby bought it for me last year. (he wasnt calling me fat or anything, I actually wanted it so he bought it for me)

I used it for about a month and saw little results, but I did not follow a great eating plan. So the little results that I did see were all my fault.

Jon approached me a few weeks back and asked me what P90X was all about and if he thought it was worth it. I told him yes and that I would love to work out with him. So we agreed to start the program and after a grueling week, we are going to continue doing it.

We couldnt hardly walk for 3 days. We hurt so bad. It was a good hurt though.

I have been very motivated now that Jon is doing it with me. I acutally look forward to working out with him. I think this time around I will acutally see great results! Plus our boys get all into it with us. Sometimes I look back and I see Austin and Caden doing the excersises with us. Its cute.

Ill keep you posted on how we are doing.

Oh and if anyone is looking for a good workout to do at home, I totally recommend P90X.

Its worth the money!

photo courtesy of timtim.com.

Blah Waffles

2010-09-06T08:30:00.000-04:00

My Fabulous Find was a bust.

That beautiful clearanced waffle griddle didnt work worth a tute!

I researched a waffle recipe and then went to work on making my mini waffles.

They turned out aweful!!

The taste was fine but the waffles, no so much. It was like this mini waffle thing only cooked one side of the waffle and that was it. I flipped them, but they never cooked on the other side. I was a little mad on Saturday as I tried to cook our breakfast for dinner meal.

So, needless to say, I wont be using that thing again!

School Supply Reminder

2010-09-05T22:50:00.000-04:00

Just a quick note!

Target has marked down a ton of their school supplies.

If you didnt get a chance to read my school supply shopping tips, go here.

Its amazing the amount of money you can save by just shopping a little early.

Ive already started shopping for next year. Plus I got the boys brand new lunch boxes for $2.50 at Target. Cant beat that price!

Id' like to hear some feed back from anyone who has followed my tips.

I hope it has helped at least one person!

Fabulous Finds Friday

2010-09-02T21:26:00.000-04:00

Time for another great Friday linky party.

This week my Faboulous Find is this great mini waffle griddle I found at Target.

Of course it was on clearance for only $4.00 and some change.

Cant remember exactly.

Here it is.

I cant wait to make my hubby homemade mini waffles.

Ill have to research some waffle recipes and post next week.

Your Turn! Show me whatcha got!

The Rules

If you think its Fabulous, then be proud and show it off!

2. Become a follower of 6 inches of Ribbon!

We all liked to be followed.

4. Invite others to join and visit the others that join the link party.

We all like comment love!

5. Please no Etsy shops or anything that you are wanting to sell. Your post will be removed. Sorry.

Dont forget to grab the button!

Mud Room Bench

2010-09-01T16:45:00.001-04:00

Hey Guys!

I know Ive been kind of off the radar and posting here and there.

I decided to go back to work while the boys are in school at least 4 days a week. I wanted to take Wednesday off to do a bible study at my church and also to have a little me time to catch up on errands and blogging.

So I'll be around here and there still posting.

Today I want to show off a little something my hubby made for me.

This is our laundry room before

I know I know, its a mess. But, Jon made me this cute little baby

and now I have much more room for storage.

He added two hooks so the boys could hang their book bags on them. The books bags would end up in random places throughout the house. They now have a nice home.

oh and look at the storage this thing offers.

I am thinking about a cushion. I might have one made or I might just find one on sale/clearance and recover it with the fabric of my choice.

Blog Swap with A Little Tipsy

2010-09-01T08:30:00.001-04:00

Happy Thursday everyone. Im blog swaping with A Little Tipsy, except I will be posting on her blog tomorrow instead of today. So make sure you go back and check out my post and check out her blog too.

Ok Michelle, take it away!

Hi There! I am so excited to be here on Six inches of Ribbon today! Ashley is great and I loved the Polka dot supply caddy she did recently.

Michelle, from A Little Tipsy here, taking the wheel for the day!

Nope not drunk (what a relief you will not be taking your tour with a drunk driver), I may or may not be a bit clumsy though.

A little about me, I am a SAHM with one crazy 2 1/2 year old boy, a baby boy coming in November, and a big geek for a husband (don't worry, he calls himself a geek). I love keeping busy and sharing all my projects and adventures whether they be Home decor, holiday projects, or discovering how to get permanent marker off granite counter tops.

So, enough about me...here are a few of my favorite projects.

DIY Key Hanger

I kept with the key theme using Typewriter keys, music keys, and car keys.

With school starting this week, I am getting in the mood for fall!

Easy Caramel Apple Recipe

Fall Handprint Tree

Pumpkin Topiary

Well, I guess that about wraps things up. Thanks to Ashley for swappin' it up and thanks to you for letting me be your tour guide today. Watch your step on the way out and don't forget to come visit soon!

Thanks Michelle! Those apples look amazing!

Mocha Chocolate Cupcakes

2010-08-30T08:00:00.001-04:00

I tried this new icing recipe this past week. It was one of the best icings ive ever made.

Take a look at them and see for yourself. They tasted even better than they looked, and I think the presentation was pretty good.

Dont they look so good!

Ok, I used a regular box devils food cake mix. I had it so why not use it. Then I used a basic buttercream icing recipe and added instant coffee to the mix to make it have that mocha taste.

Here's the recipe so you guys can make it and taste how good it is.

Mocha Icing

1 Box of Confectioners Sugar

1 Stick of Butter

3-4 Tablespoons of Milk

2 Tablespoons of Instant Coffee

1 Tablespoon of Vanilla Extract

Next time I make it I will probably use less milk just because it was a little hard to work with when icing the cupcakes. I like to ice my cupcakes with pretty swirls and I noticed that the icing started sliding down then side of the cupcake. So, I will try less next time.

Oh yeah and take a look at those cute cupcake liners. I bought them off and Etsy shop called Sweet Estelle's Baking Supply. Go check out her shop. She has a lot of neat stuff!

Today is a very important day

2010-08-24T09:17:00.000-04:00

Today is a very important day!!

Today I am meeting with a real estate agent to find

out if it is worth selling our townhouse.

Our mortage went up this month due to there not being enough escrow alloted for insurance. Jon and I were not to pleased with that. We started discussing the possibility of selling last week. Of course we started picking apart the house almost instantly. Its never been up to our standards from the moment we moved it. This townhouse was supposed to be a flip for us. We were supposed to come in, renovate, and sell two years later. But here we sit three and a half years later with an economy drop.

So I contacted a real estate agent last week and she is coming today to check out the house. Hopefully we will hear good news, but we are prepared if not.

If we do hear good news, we have ALOT of work ahead of us. Painting, landscaping, moving out extra stuff to "stage" the house, and getting the carpet cleaned are just to name a few of the things that need to be done.

Sy a prayer for us today! I'll let you know the outcome!

Messy Closet?? Not anymore!

2010-08-23T16:20:00.000-04:00

Please don't forget to link up with Fabulous Finds Friday.
This week is a specific link up
Cupcakes! I know you guys have cupcakes to link up, so go now!

Our office closet has always been THAT closet. You know the one that has everything in it, from an over flow of clothes that are not in season, to the craft things, old tax stuff, printer paper, even extra pillows.

Well with us only have so much space in our 1300 sqft townhouse, I have to be creative and find space to store things nicely.

Here is a picture of our office closet before.

Yes I know, its not THAT bad, but it is to me. I hate opening the door and having everything just thrown in there. Im all about organization and labels.

This is some of the stuff that was stuffed in the closet.

So this was the solution.

I found these cute photo boxes from Michaels.

They were on sale, 5 boxes for $5.00. Can't beat that!

Off I went. Organizing the closet. It was fun, aggervating, and tiresome, but now its done. All I have to worry about is keeping everything in its place and teaching the kids to but things back where they go.
Here is the end result!

I love my new ribbon holder and craft paper holder.

I found them on sale at Michaels.

It worked out perfect!

Fabulous Finds Friday #9

2010-08-19T20:09:00.000-04:00

Welcome back to another Fabulous Finds Friday.

Today I'm making this link party a specific party.

I want to see your Cupcake recipes or, if you dont mess with recipes, then I want to see the best decorated cupcakes. I know there are so many great recipes and decorating ideas out there, so this shouldnt be too hard to find something in your archives to link up.

At the end of the link party, I will pick my favorite recipe and/or my favorite decorated cupcakes and try it out. That means that if I find a recipe I really like, but also find a really well decorated cupcake, then I will put the two together and hope that the outcome was a good as the winners.

Once I choose the winner, I will then try out the recipe and the decorating, track my progress via pictures and post so you can see how I did.

I was going to attempt to bake some cupcakes today, but ran out of time.
So here is an oldie but goodie decorated cupcake. Its not the best in the world but its cute.

Its a regular box cake with regular chocolate icing. I made these last Thanksgiving so I wasnt trying any new recipes then.

On to the rules

The Rules

1. Link up below with a Fabulous find. It could be something you bought that you love, something you found on the side of the road and made into something fabulous, a Fab recipe, or whatever. It could be something you found last week or last year. Im not picky.
If you think its Fabulous, then be proud and show it off!

2. Become a follower of 6 inches of Ribbon!
We all liked to be followed.

3. Post my new Fabulous Finds button somewhere on your blog. Sidebar, underneath the post, or on your link party page. Any will do. However, if it is on a link page, make sure you have somthing at the bottom of your blog post stating that you are linking up with this blog. Ive seen a few without the button and a few without a link back. How are more people supposed to find out fun party with out bottons or link backs?

4. Invite others to join and visit the others that join the link party.
We all like comment love!

5. Please no Etsy shops or anything that you are wanting to sell. Your post will be removed. Sorry.
Dont forget to grab the button!

Fab Favs Recap

2010-08-19T08:00:00.001-04:00

So, im sorta back. Still dont have a desk top, so im working off the ever so slow lap top, but its working right now so I'll take what I can get.

I wanted to feature a few of my favs from this past friday's party.

Check out these delicious looking cupcakes from Stephanie at Still Waters.

Im sure they taste as good as they looks.

I love this idea for reusing shutter Inside the house. Check out how Lindsay at Welcome to the Village House made them.

And this idea is so practical. Lori at Paisley Passions created this neat way of organizing sprinkles for decorating cupcakes.

Don't forget to grab your button if you were featured.

Come back tomorrow for our Fabulous Finds Friday Link Party.
Im going to switch things up a bit and make tomorrow Topic specific.

I want to see all those Fabulous Cupcake Recipes. They can be either a great recipe or just an awesome decorated cupcake. I see so many amazing cupcakes out there so I know you have at least one to link up.

My sister and I love making cupcakes and trying new recipes. So link up your favorite and I'll pick one that sounds amazing and try out the recipe myself.
Ill track my progress through the recipe and decorating process then post pictures of the outcome.

Im excited to see what you guys have out there!
See you tomorrow!

We interupt this program...

2010-08-17T10:40:00.000-04:00

We interupt this regularly scheduled program for a very important message...

Our computer is broken... AGAIN!!

UGH!!

Jon, my lovely husband, has tainted hands. He was cruisin' the internet Saturday night and all of the sudden the computer screen turned green. Green... it seems like those things only happen to us.

That means that we only have a very slow running laptop that doesnt like working with my photo editing program. I had a few good posts for this week and now that the computer is broken Im not sure what I will be able to get up. So, please be patient with me as we get another one.

Blog Swap with Keeping It Simple

2010-08-16T08:27:00.000-04:00

Hey Guys, today Kaysi from Keeping it Simple is guest posting. I love her blog. She was one of the first blogs I ever followed. Enjoy reading her post and go check out her blog.
......

Hello everyone! I am super excited to be here with you today!!

Let me introduce myself, I'm Kaysi

from Keeping It Simple.

Here are a few things about me:

I am the mother of three boys, ages 5, 3 and 1.

I have been married to an amazing man for 6 years

I love chocolate!!

I love color, green is my favorite but brown and blue are up there

I like to keep things simple, not overdo them

When I get a spare moment, I love to craft or look at crafts

Each day of the week, I have something different.

Motivate me Monday, that's where I have link party and you get to show me all the cute things that you have done.

Tutorial Tuesday, I give a tutorial of a craft that I have done

Whatever Wednesday, this is my day that I put anything up.

Scrapbook Thursday, this is the day that I post a scrapbook idea or give a scrapbook tip

Fridays are the days that I do Blog swaps with other bloggers.

Here are a few things that you can see at my blog:

Ruffle Shirt

Chalkboard

Dying Leather

Basket Lining

Reversible Skirt

Scrapbook ideas

You should stop on by and see what else I have!!

Thanks Ashley for doing this swap with me, it's been fun!

Fabulous Finds Friday

2010-08-12T20:43:00.001-04:00

So its Friday again.

Fabulous Finds Friday is back on!

I dont have anything to show you for my Fabulous Finds Friday. I know, I know, I should have been able to do something.. But I wasnt. And now time for the excuses...

1. This was the last full week before school starts and I stayed home to clean house (im a clean freak!) and basically relax before the 6:30am alarm clock fun begins.

2. I filled in a few days this week at my old job and will also be there the majority of next week as well. Makin' a little extra dough plus helping them out a little too.

ok so, nothing here, but I want to see whats been going on in your world. So show off what you have and be proud.

The Rules

If you think its Fabulous, then be proud and show it off!

2. Become a follower of 6 inches of Ribbon!

We all liked to be followed.

4. Invite others to join and visit the others that join the link party.

We all like comment love!

5. Please no Etsy shops or anything that you are wanting to sell. Your post will be removed. Sorry.

Dont forget to grab the button!

Im also guest posting at Keeping it Simple today!

Go check it out!

100 Followers!!

2010-08-11T08:52:00.000-04:00

Im so excited to announce that we have reached over 100 followers!!

Never would I have thought I would have had 100

.. well acutally 101 followers.

Im so glad that so many of you enjoy reading what

6 Inches of Ribbon brings to the table.

Since we have reached over 100 followers, I would like to do some kind of a giveaway to all my devoted ones. I have been trying to work on a giveaway but havent had much luck so far. So, if anyone out there has an Etsy shop or something they want to giveaway, I would love to host it. Just email me (you can find my email addresss on the "about ashley" page) and let me know. I would be honored! But I will still work on the giveaway from my end as well.

Also - Since the school year has started, I will have a little more time to do some crafts and baking. So in the near future I will be bringing you more ideas for all sorts of things. School party ideas, christmas crafts and baking, teacher gifts, and even some organizing ideas are just to name a few.

An last but not least - My year blog-aversary is coming up August 22nd. Keep an eye out for that special post!

Stay tuned and keep reading 6 Inches of Ribbon!!

Lemon Honey Vinaigrette Dressing

2010-08-10T07:33:00.000-04:00

I love trying new recipes.

I also had been craving a good healthy salad.

So I dug into my recipe binder and found this yummy recipe for a homemade Lemon Honey Vinaigrette dressing.

My first thought was that the lemon might not taste right, but it really surprised me plus my hubby LOVED it!! Another plus, its semi-homemade so it doesnt call for too many ingredients.

Ingredients needed:

2/3 Cups of your fav brand of balsamic vinaigrette

1/4 cup of fresh lemon juice

2 tbl spoons of honey

Wisk it all together and drizzle it on your tasty salad. Enjoy!

Store the leftover dressing (if you have any left.. it is soo good) in a jar or container in the fridge.

Back to School Bash

2010-08-09T18:13:00.000-04:00

Check it out guys...

Someday Crafts featured my blog post on School Supply shopping tips.

She is having a great back to school bash over at her blog.

Check it out and take some notes!

Monday Monday

2010-08-09T07:17:00.001-04:00

So sorry guys for not having the link party up this past Friday. Life happened. Its getting close to school starting, the house needed cleaning, there was a lot on my mind, so this friday there will be a link party for sure.

Just wanted to update you on a few things that have been happening around my world and my blog...s.

Im also participating in the Miscellany Monday. Here is the Miscellany..

One - if you notice on my ~~right~~ left side bar, there is a new area for upcoming posts. So if you want to know whats coming, just check out over there and you will know. Now this is not 100% the order that the post will go in, but this is what ive been working on and want to get up on my blog.

Two - I was featured today or yesterday, which ever it was. But I was featured for my Billiards Baby shower. Super stoked about that. Go check it out. You can see the feature here and the original post here. PS.. I love Bird Craft's blog. Shes great.

Three - I just got the photos from a wedding i did back in May. They turned out great. I will be posting those up probably on my Wedding blog, but maybe on this blog as well. We shall see.

Four - Jon - not so secretly - wants to get a dog. We have been looking at Boston Terriers. I think they are adorable and would love to have a little pup around the house all the time. I dog sit my moms dogs all the time and love every minute of it. I think i just really love animals. But if we find one, for a good price, Ill def post pics asap.

Five - Football has offically started. I started to ~~like~~ LOVE the sport last fall. I havent offically "picked" my favorite team yet, but hopefully this season I will. I needed to watch two seasons to see which one was worth routing for.

Six - We.. when i say we, I mean jon and I, are throwing around the idea of me going back to work for a few months. I might have the oppurtunity to go back to work while the boys are in school, like from 9-2. It would be great because we could sock away all that income and possibly pay off our cars, or we could take the income and invest it in my wedding business for advertising costs. Im pretty sure I will work some, but just not sure what we will do with the income.

What do you think? Pay off our cars or invest in building the wedding business more?

How Many More Days...???

2010-08-04T08:21:00.000-04:00

How many more days...???

Is the Question I get almost every day from my soon to be kindergartner. He must be excited about starting "big boy" school because he asks me every day, "how many more days til school starts?"

So, earlier this week, I decided he needed a little visual help with that answer.

I made him one of those super easy paper links out of some of my not so favorite scrab booking paper. (why waste good paper on something that will juse get ripped off and recycled?)

Once I finished the links, I made this cute sign to go along with it, and of course, tied a cute yellow ribbon on it!

Now I dont have to have that nagging question every morning.

He can go and count them!

Blog Swap with Seven Thirty Three... A creative blog

2010-08-03T07:56:00.000-04:00

Hey Everyone, I want to introduce Kim from Seven Thirty Three... A Creative Blog. We are doing a blog swap today so you can see me over there.

Ok Kim, Take it away...

Hello to all of your fabulous 6 Inches of Ribbon readers! My name is Kim and I blog over at seven thirty three - - - a creative blog.

That's ME and my youngest, OLIVIA.

If you are in need of a little crafting therapy, head on over because you will find lots of fun (and creative) things. I love to offer FREEBIES, like these

RECIPE CARDS and TUTORIALS for things like

Woodland Creatures Felt Masks Every Wedesday is full of GIRL POWER with the Sugar and Spice Weekly Link Party and since I find it hard to find cool boy projects every Thursday is dedicated to the special little (AND BIG) men in our lives with the What are little boys made of? Weekly Link Party. Is your blog in need of some spiffying up? I do that! Stop over for a visit to seven thirty three - - - custom blog design. I would love for you to check out my portfolio! Speaking of making your blog look nice, I offer BLOG TIPS every Sunday on things like how to add a signature, menu bar and more! I love to party plan and share all the details on my blog! I also have an Etsy Shop, reallyCRAFTYstudio, where I offer personalized printables and more! So if you are looking for a customized Sweet Shoppe party or another unique theme, give me a shout! I know we can work something out. Custom orders make my day. I want to share one of my most recent projects with you today: MONSTER BE GONE spray! When I was 12 and my little brother was 3, monsters entered our home. You know, the monsters with one eye, a snaggle tooth and wiry hair. The kind that hide in childrens closets and under their beds. Yea. That type. So being the older sister that needed to protect her little brother at all costs, I emptied out my Suave hairspray bottle, wrapped a piece of paper around it, wrote "Monster Be Gone" and added some water to the bottle. I told him it was Monster Spray to keep the Monsters away.
Well, now I'm 28 and it's my son that is 3... and Monster Teddy Bears have taken over our home. Fortunately my Monster Be Gone has matured a little since I have grown and here is the result: I did use a Suave bottle, but it was my daughters detangler spray bottle this time around. I added water and a little lavendar oil (which is perfect for relaxation). We do two squirts each night before bed. He thinks its fun to spray it up into the fan and watch it blow away AND he loves the smell. I don't know how much he thinks it repels those Monsters, but it is a feel good thing for him. He enjoys doing it and it is routine now so adds to the stability of his environment, making him feel safe (there's my Psych major coming into play).

For all of you that have a monster invasion, you can download the file to label your own BOY monster spray HERE!
Click HERE if you little girl is being harrassed by the big and scaries.
Print onto a full page label or regular paper and attach to your monster spray bottle.

Happy Monster Hunting!
Thanks for letting me take over today Ashley!

Hope you guys enjoyed Kim as much as I did!

Thanks again for visiting Kim!!

Crinkle Cookies

2010-08-02T08:57:00.000-04:00

I love me some cookies!! Yum Yum

And I decided to try a new recipe I found

over at One Lovely Life's blog.

Here are the ingredients needed:

3/4c oil
3/4c cocoa

2 c sugar

4 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp salt

2c flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 c powdered sugar

Directions:

One - Mix oil, cocoa, and sugar until it’s about the texture of wet sand.

Two - Stir in one egg at a time, making sure to incorporate each egg. Stir in vanilla, salt, and baking powder. Sift in flour and stir to combine.

Three - Refrigerate 2-3 hours or overnight. Form into 1″ balls. Roll each in powdered sugar to coat well. Place on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper.

Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

This is them baking in the oven! Yum!

Four - Cookies will still look slightly dough-y. Don’t overbake them! Leave them on the warm pan 1-2 minutes and the heat will continue to set the cookies. When cookies are set enough to move, transfer to a cooling rack.

Dont they look d'lish???

Let me know if you try the recipe out.

I think I will be baking these come Christmas!

Fabulous Finds Friday

2010-07-29T21:30:00.002-04:00

Time for our Fabulous Finds Link Party!!

This week I want to show you what I found that was so fab!

I found this great beer bottle caddy from Stein Mart. It was on clearance, plus I got an extra 33% off while at the register. Doesnt get any better than that.

So here it is! I added a little sign on the front and filled it nice and neat
with all my supplies needed to do any craft.

Now I can just grab this baby and take it where I need it. No more tape falling out of my hands because Im holding to much. Its so much easier now!
Isn't cute?

Your Turn! Show me watcha got!

The Rules
1. Link up below with a Fabulous find. It could be something you bought that you love, something you found on the side of the road and made into something fabulous, a Fab recipe, or whatever. It could be something you found last week or last year. Im not picky.

If you think its Fabulous, then be proud and show it off!

2. Become a follower of 6 inches of Ribbon!

We all liked to be followed.

3. Post my new Fabulous Finds button somewhere on your blog. Sidebar, underneath the post, or on your link party page. Any will do. However, if it is on a link page, make sure you have somthing at the bottom of your blog post stating that you are linking up with this blog. Ive seen a few without the button and a few without a link back. How are more people supposed to find out fun party with out bottons or link backs?

4. Invite others to join and visit the others that join the link party.

We all like comment love!

Fab Finds Recap

2010-07-29T08:45:00.000-04:00

WOW guys, our party is growing!! I was super excited to see all the links this week!

you guys are really creative and have some great talent.

Here are a few of the Favs

Check out this precious purse from Creative Passage.

Its made out of a tea towel!

Check out how Brandi over at Tales of a Domestic Goddess made this Book Wreath.

And I have to give a shout out to my sister over at Julie's Jotter for linking up this delish Chicken Pot Pie! Ive tasted it and its is so yummy. Go check out her blog!

Dont forget to grab your featured button!

School Supply Shopping Tips

2010-07-28T09:21:00.002-04:00

Dont forget today is the last day to link up with Fabulous Finds Firday!
Go link up now!

As you may already know, I have two boys and both will be in elementary school next year. Austin will be in 3rd grade, *tear*, and Caden will be in Kindergarten, *alligator tear*. Ive gotten used to Austin going to school, but with Caden starting, its a huge thing. Hes my baby, my last child, this is it, no more children under 5. Crazy!!

Anyway, with two children being in public school, the supply list can get a little out of hand. Where I live, it seems like the schools would love it if you bought everything, even down to the toilet paper. No, just kidding, its not that bad, yet! But here are the supply lists for my children.

Kindergarten
(Verbatim)
1 Cans Playdough brand - 4 Pack
2 Boxes 24-count Crayola crayons
1 4-pack Chisel Tip Expo dry erase markers
1 Package #2 pencils - Ticonderoga brand
1 4oz bottle Elmers white school glue
1 wide ruled spiral notebook - 180+pages
1 Pair 5" Fiskars Sissors
1 Box Kleenex
1 Red & Blue vinyl "Kindergarten" rest mat (these are thin!)
1 180-page Marble composition book
1 Box Ziploc Bags - gallon size
1 -8 count Crayola Classic broad Markers
1 Pack 9x12 Construction Paper - 50 Pages

3rd Grade
(Verbatim)
2 Packs 200 Sheet Wide-ruled Notebook paper
6 Pocket folders with brads (1each: red, blue, green, purple, yellow, orange)
4 Boxes 12-count #2 yellow pencils (sharpened)
1 box 24-count Crayola crayons
1 box - 12count Crayola Markers
1 Pair sissors
1 Bottle glue
4 black & white marble composition books
1 Yellow highlighter pens
1 box Kleenex
1 black sharpie
4 glue sticks
1 pack construction paper
1 box Ziploc bags - gallon size
1 - hard art box or sturdy pencil pouch

Now - I dont know about you or what your childs school supply list looks like, but thats a whole lot of stuff for children to have at school. I can understand the 3rd grade list. I dont mind his list at all, just because I know he will have all those supplies in his desk for his use.

But the kindergarten list is rediculous!
I forgot to mention that at the end of the school year last year, you had the chance to purchase a box with all the school supplies in it for a small fee of $40.00!!
Forty dollars, I think, is a lot of money for one childs school supply list.
So let me give you a few tips on keeping the budget low while having to purchase all these supplies.

Tip One - Start Early! I mean early! I started shopping for supplies at the end of supply season last year. Shop when stores are trying to clean out their last little bit of supply inventory. We bought clearance glue, pens, pencils... etc. Then sock it away until the next year comes around.

Tip Two - Keep your supply list with those supplies. My school has all of the grades list on one page, so its easy to see what they will need for that next grade level. But make sure you pick up a fresh one sometime during the summer to make sure they didnt add something to the list.

Tip Three - Shop weekly, up until school starts. I shop on a weekly basis and only pick up the items that are on sale. Example, Target has markers on sale for $1.00 one week, and the next week they mark them back up to $2.48. I saved a whole $1.48 just by getting it on sale. Some weeks I only get a pack of pencils or the construction paper. But thats ok because I know they will have more things on sale that next week.

Tip Four - Save the oldest childs items that are still in good shape. I saved Austins nap mat for two years. Not one thing was wrong with it, so I stuff it away in our closet for Cadens turn to use it. Ill just scratch out his name and put Cadens name on it. Those mats are way over priced and they only use it for about 15 minutes per day for about half the school year. Crazy!

Tip five - Buy a little extra. In the past, at different times during the year, the teachers requested extra glue sticks or pencil erasers. So I like to pick up a few extra just in case they need more during the year. Plus if its not used, you can always use it at home for art projects and homework.

I hope these tips will help you this year and in the future. They have saved me so much money.

Im proud to say that Im completely done with supply shopping.
Now for the grand total I have spent on school supplies this year... for both children combined...

$22.96!!

Now if you remember earlier in the post, they wanted me to spend $40.00 per child on pre purchased supplies. That would have cost me $80.00. I saved a total of $57.04 using this method of supply shopping. I hope this has motivated you to start early and start saving some money!

Happy Shopping!!

Its My birthday!!

2010-07-26T08:21:00.000-04:00

Happy Monday to all my followers!!

Today is a good day... no... a GREAT day! Today is my birthday!

26 Years ago, today, my family was blessed with ME!

Its hard to believe that I am 26. But Im sure it will be a great year for me and my family!

Here are a few pictures.

They are pictures of pictures so the quality isnt that great.

hahaha, my pants look enormous in this pic.

Getting my permit.

In action!

me, my sis and my mom

On our wedding day! So cute!

Fabulous Finds Friday #6

2010-07-22T20:20:00.001-04:00

Welcome back to Fabulous Finds Friday!

Last week we took a little break due to technical difficulties. But we are back and strong as ever so its time to show off those Fabulous Finds you worked on this week.

My Find is a business near and dear to my heart.

Harry Barker

Harry Barker is a company specializing in high-End Pet products.

**I actually used to work for them as their International Import Specialist. - A little history - I used to work for Import / Export Companies. For those who dont know what that is, in a nut shell, basically I used to oversee a companies product from the time it was made in China to the time it gets to the USA port of choice. It was a really interesting job and I really loved the challenge the job brought, but having small children was a much better job for me. So - on the side I still help Harry Barker with their shipping needs and get great perks for helping out.**

Harry Barker has so many products to choose from. From leashes, collars, toys, and beds. The choices are endless. They are also a very eco-friendly company which is awesome!

Here are a few of my Favorite choices

These are just some of their dog bone squeaker toys.

Here are some comfy beds for the cute pups.

They also have the cool food storage cans. They hold up to different amounts of food for your pets. These cans help keep the area your keep your dog food nice and straight plus they keep it fresh.

Ok so go check them out and order some precious stuff for your animals.

They will love you for it.

Now its time to show me what you found this week.

The Rules

If you think its Fabulous, then be proud and show it off!

2. Become a follower of 6 inches of Ribbon! We all liked to be followed.

3. Post my new Fabulous Finds button somewhere on your blog. Sidebar, underneath the post, or on your link party page. Any will do. Ive seen a few without the button. Come on guys, its super cute!

4. Invite others to join and visit the others that join the link party.

We all like comment love!

Fab Favs Recap

2010-07-21T09:26:00.000-04:00

Thanks to everyone who linked up the Friday before last. I love reading all the great ideas and recipes.

Here are a few of my Favs. Dont for get to grab your "featured" button!

Wear it proud!

My first fav is from Its always Craft Time. This was a very creative way to reuse a travel wipes container.

This Fav comes from Mrs. Bettie Rocker. You NEED to go check out her blog. She has some great recipes.

I love this menu sign made by Erin at The Phillips Fam.

Super cute and creative!

Come back friday to link up again!

Christmas in July

2010-07-20T08:48:00.000-04:00

Im not sure if all of my followers have heard of Tip Junkie's Blog.

This is a blog about everything!!

Right now Laurie is hosting a Christmas in July celebration.

She has gathered ideas from many blogs around blog land and collaborted them to bring you ideas about Christmas crafts, gifts, stockings, decor, and the list goes on.

Go check out her blog here. I will be featured soon, for my gift tags post found here. On top of all the Christmas stuff, Laurie is giving away hand fulls of stuff. Who doesnt like free stuff??

So go check out her blog and enter to win free stuff!

Billiards Baby Shower

2010-07-19T09:16:00.003-04:00

Ill start off by saying "sorry". I know there was no linky party on Friday. Both of our computers, laptop and desktop, having been giving us a hard time. Of course they both decided not to work on a friday. So anyway, there will be a link party on friday so get your fab finds ready. Plus I will highlight a few of my favs later in the week. So check back to grab your "featured" button.

Yesterday I threw a baby shower for my sister in law, my husbands brother's wife. Her hubby loves to play pool, so they wanted it to be a billiard theme party. At first I didnt think I would be able to pull it off,

but it turned out really nice.

I used lots of fabulous scrabbooking paper, found at Michaels and AC Moore. Then of course with a little ribbon thrown in, it turned out super cute.

Here are some highlights.

This is a copy of the invite, designed by my very own sis, Julie. She also designed the cupcake toppers below.

This is the over all display of the party and me of course.

The baby's name is Ewan Kai, pronounced - U Win Ki - Like Ewan Mcgregor, the actor. Cute name!

The Menu

Pimento Cheese Sandwiches (at momma to-be's request. Her hubby made it.)

Fresh Fruit

Cupcakes

Peanut M&Ms (Her fav again)

Apple Cheese Snacks

Party Mix

Spinach Dip

Punch (see here for the recipe)

Sweet Tea

Fresh Lemonade

The Favors were Homemade Rice Krispie Treats. YUM!

Her special chair was marked with this cute sign.

This is the momma to be and their daughter, Leona.

And last but not least, a shout out to my two helpers.

My hubby's sister, amanda, and my mom, Lisa.

Hope you liked the party.

Leave some comment love and tell me what you think.

**A little side note, the numbers 6, 2, and 1, have no significance other than the fact that those are the number on the billiard balls.**

** Im linking this post up with some of these parties. **

Brand New Bookshelf

2010-07-14T10:37:00.001-04:00

Im back home now and ready to finish all the projects I started but didnt finish before I left.

But first, this is the last day to link up with Fabulous Finds Fridays party. Go Link up now with your fabulous projects, recipes, or buys!!

Now on to my great bookshelf. Im so excited to share this with you guys. Jon and I bought this bookshelf at our local Habitat for Humanity store. It was $18.00. I know it was a little pricey, but It was just the right size and I figured it would go well in the office.

Here is a before pic

Now of course there was some sanding involved. Then priming.

My lovely husband painted this for me while I was grocery shopping.

He's so sweet!

And I added some beautiful fabric to give it a little more fabulousness!

And here is the finished product.

I love it!!

So what do you think?

** Im linking up with these parties **

Joey's Moo Point!

2010-07-13T08:30:00.000-04:00

A peak at our Vacation

2010-07-12T08:30:00.001-04:00

We have been on vacation since last Tuesday. We go to a little town called Yulee. Its in Florida. My grandparents live there so we try to come visit them every summer. I just wanted to share a few pictures with you before we take off for home tomorrow.

My Sweet boys with Papa

This is the bunny the boys found in myrandparents backyard. It was actually a house bunny that got loose somehow. My sis and I caught it and took it to the local animal rescue. We are suckers for lost animals. We named it Phoebe, even though we didnt know if it was a boy or a girl.

Our trip to the beach. You can drive on the beach in Florida.

This is my Papa's jeep.

An here we are at Downtown Fernadina. Of course, I was shopping!!

So, We have had a nice time here, but I am ready to be home. I miss my husband so much! Im sure he misses me as well.

Fabulous Finds Friday #5

2010-07-08T20:00:00.001-04:00

Yea its Friday! Thanks everyone for linking up last friday. It was another small party. But thats ok, it takes time to grow parties!

I dont have a fab fav of my own this week. I packed the family up and went to Florida to visit my grandparents and have been out of town since Tuesday. So with packing and traveling, I havent had a chance to do much blogging and looking around to find a fab fav. With that said, I will show you a few of my fab fav link ups from last weeks party.

I heart this idea from Give me the Simple Life.

This is another great dresser makeover at 4Monkeys.

Lets see what you guys have going this week! Can't wait!

The Rules

2. Become a follower of 6 inches of Ribbon! We all liked to be followed.

3. Post my new Fabulous Finds button somewhere on your blog. Sidebar, underneath the post, or on your link party page. Any will do. Ive seen a few without the button. Come on guys, its super cute!

4. Invite others to join and visit the others that join the link party.
We all like comment love!

A peak at my Recipes

2010-07-07T08:30:00.001-04:00

Yesterday I talked about how I love to be organized and love the binder system. I told you today I would show you my recipe binder. Its so full, that I think I need to go up a binder size.

Here's what it looks like

When I printed out the "recipes" at the top, it just wasnt enough. So I googled some funny food comments and added them to the page. It makes me smile when I go to grab the binder. Now its very thick and full.

Here are my tab names: (if you interested in making one for yourself)

Cupcakes

Cakes

Appetizers

Dinner

Dessert

Drinks

Kid Foods

Soups/Chili

I seperated cupcakes from cakes, because I like to do alot of baking and its easier to find the two when they are divided.

I hope this has inspired you to do a little recipe book or binder. I love the system, try it, I bet you will too!

Now for the recipe.

Jon and I tried an Oreo Milkshake. It was soo good!!

2 Cups of Chocolate Icecream

3 Oreos

1?4 - 1/2 Cup of Milk

Take the three oreos and place them in a small ziploc bag. Crush them into small pieces. Not crumbs.

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend to your liking.

Enjoy!!

The Craft / Idea Binder

2010-07-06T08:30:00.000-04:00

If anyone knows me well, they know I love binders. It makes everything so much more organized and neat. For my weddings, I have each wedding filed nicely in a binder with tabs. I also have a recipe binder with tabs. It makes things easy to find... at least for me. Sometimes my filing isnt always current.

Anyway, I went to a garage sale last month and purchased 12 or 13 used Family Fun magazines. Usually I wouldnt by used magazines just because they have other peoples germs on them. (I dont really like germs) But I think it was ok, one because I sort of knew them from around town, and two because they were ideas for kids to do. So, I purchased all of them for $1.00! Thats a steal in my book.

Off I went to my home and started flipping through them. They were full of millions of ideas!!

Side note - I gut ALL my magazines. I get 3 or 4 subscriptions to different magazines and once I read them, I gut them to keep the good ideas and recycle the rest. So I guted all of those magazines.

It went from this

To this

Once I was done gutting all of them, I decided to make a craft / idea binder to file all the pages into sheet protectors. This will keep them nice and safe for a good long while. I can keep coming back to the ideas and keep adding to them as I see something of interest.

I glued a little strip of my favorite ribbon to the end of it.

It turned out super cute.

Making this binder, made me realize how much I needed to redo my recipe binder. It was way over stuff and all the new recipes I wanted to keep were just thrown in the front pocket.

Come back tomorrow to see my recipe binder. Plus I'll share a new recipe that jon and I tried over the weekend!

Fabulous Finds Friday #4

2010-07-01T20:00:00.003-04:00

Its Friday and you know what that means... time for another linky party with all the Fabulous Finds!

I kind of took the week to get some much needed house work finished. However, I did do one project this week. That was the boys dresser and TV stand. So this is my Fab find for the week.

Here are the before pictures.

Here are the after pictures.

It looks sooo much better than before.

What I did:

I went to Hancock fabric and found some cute Fabric to put on the drawer fronts. I bought some spray adhesive and just slapped that fabric right on there. Of course I precut the fabric to size just to make it much easier. But I love it now. It matches the boys stuff so well now.
I am debating putting on some white knobs, or maybe painting the knobs the wall color. I havent decided. What are your thoughts?

Now its your turn to show off your stuff!

The Rules

2. Become a follower of 6 inches of Ribbon! We all liked to be followed.

3. Post my new Fabulous Finds button somewhere on your blog. Sidebar, underneath the post, or on your link party page. Any will do. Ive seen a few without the button. Come on guys, its super cute!

4. Invite others to join and visit the others that join the link party.
We all like comment love!

Fab Finds Recap

2010-07-01T08:00:00.000-04:00

Hey Guys. I havent been around much this week, just been busy with house work and playing catch up. Plus playing at little at the pool with the boys. Hehehe. Anyway, Here are a few of the Fab finds that linked up this past friday. It was a small link up party, but thats ok. I enjoy reading all of them and finding new blogs to read and follow. Thanks again everyone for linking up. Come back tomorrow to link up again.

Look at these cute plates over at Completely Claire. Love them!

This lovely nursery is so nice.

Ashley over at Give me the simple life created a beautiful room for her son to enjoy.

Now this is a creative idea I havent seen before. These are just super cute blocks to keep your little ones busy while out and about.

Creative blocks by My Magic Mom

If you were featured, grab my button!

See you tomorrow for another link party.

2010-06-28T15:14:00.000-04:00

Very busy weekend for the family and I. We attended a New Wine conference at our church all weekend. So didnt get much of anything done crafting wise or house cleaning wise. Now Im taking the day to play catch up and get some things done around here.

But, Check me out over at Twelve Crafts till Christmas' blog. My beautiful button was featured. Go on over and read about.

Fabulous Finds Friday #3

2010-06-24T21:35:00.002-04:00

Welcome back guys. Time for another linky party!!

I really love all of the entries. It gives me a lot of inspiration to do more things around the house and in the kitchen.

This is my Fab Find for the week.

I bought this at a garage sale for $5.00. Had no idea what I would use it for and it sat in the living room for about a week or so. Originally it is supposed to be a coat rack, but we have no place for one in our living room.

So i turned it into a towel rack instead. I put it right in a corner of the bathroom where the scale (that was never used) was sitting. It fits perfect in that corner and I dont have any more towels on the floor or flung over the curtain rod.

I even put these cute letters on the top so we know which hook is ours.

Time for you guys to show off what you found / made this week.

The Rules

1. Link up below with a Fabulous find. It could be something you bought that you love, something you found on the side of the road and made into something fabulous, a Fab recipe, or whatever. It could be something you found last week or last year. Im not picky.
If you think its Fabulous, then be proud and show it off!
2. Become a follower of 6 inches of Ribbon! We all liked to be followed.

3. Post my new Fabulous Finds button somewhere on your blog. Sidebar, underneath the post, or on your link party page. Any will do. Ive seen a few without the button. Come on guys, its super cute!

4. Invite others to join and visit the others that join the link party.
We all like comment love!

Fabulous Features

2010-06-24T08:42:00.000-04:00

We had some great link ups this week with the Fabulous Finds Friday.

Thanks to everyone who linked up.

These are a few on my favorites.

These cute homemade cards from Inside BruCrew Life

I lvoe making homemade cards and arent these just the cutest.

Here is a cute Fab Find wristlest from Just a thought-by Alex Twigg.

I think I need to head to the store to find one of these. Except, where will I put all my stuff? I guess these are good for a night on the town.

And look at these oh so yummy Peanut Butter Cups from Still Waters.

They look amazing!

If you were featured, dont forget to grab my Featured button.

Thanks again everyone for linking up with me.

Come back tomorrow and link up again!