Pillow

I made another pillow.  It made me happy.  The end.

Valentine's Banner

I found this idea and said to myself, "Ashley, that looks easy."  I agreed, so I made it.

Disney Quiet Book Part 2

It's official.  It's done.  It's officially done!

 

My Disney Quiet Book is TOTALLY completely officially done!!

 

To be reminded of Part 1, follow this link:

http://saltandpepper321.blogspot.com/2012/10/disney-quiet-book-part-1.html

 

And now, for part 2...

 

The Princess and the Frog - Fishing

This idea came straight from my sister-in-law, Julie.  The only difference is that her fish are much cuter and I added a frog to make it work for Princess and the Frog.

Minnie Mouse - Weaving & Paper Doll

I love how these two pages turned out!  I was really nervous about drawing Minnie's face.  I was ESPECIALLY nervous about drawing Minnie's face using paint!  But, it turned out to be just fine.  My favorite part about this page is that the weaving doubles as a hidden pocket.  What do I need a hidden pocket for???  Minnie's clothes!

 



 Okay, so making all these clothes may have been my absolute favorite part of the quiet book.  Period.  I think I may have gotten a little carried away.

 

(And there's still more.  Yep.  Completely carried away.)

 

Beauty and the Beast - ABC's & Telling Time



 

 I looked and looked for cute ABC beads that were FLAT, but had no such luck. So, I had to go for some chunky beads, but that's okay because they're cute.  I really wanted the letters to slide across a straight line, but I couldn't figure out how to get the ribbon to be tight.  No matter how much I tried, they kept being loose.  Oh well.

Up - Colors & Buttons

Get it?  From the movie Up?  I love it!  This is such a classic quite book page, so I was excited to have an easy idea to start with, but still make it my own.  The only NOT easy part?  The buttonholes!  No matter how hard I try, I CANNOT get my machine to make buttonholes.  I finally had to send these pieces away in the mail to have my sister complete them.  Lame.  I know.  Thanks Charisse!



 

Oh yeah, and the house is the pocket.

Monster's Inc - Paper Doll & Zipper

This is probably the most exciting page of all because...

Luis made it!

That's right.  He came up with the idea, drew out the pieces, and cut them all out.  I did sew them, but the rest?  HIM!

Can anyone say A-DOR-A-BLE???

 

All the pieces fit into this pocket, which includes my very first zipper ever!  (Okay, not ever because I have a vague memory of sewing a zipper in home ec...but still, it's been so long that I don't really think that counts.) 

 

Luis made the Monster's Inc logo too.  Best daddy ever!





 

So there you have it.  My Raquel's Disney Quiet Book...once she gets it for Christmas.



Californian Thanksgiving x 3

One day, while browsing through some Thanksgiving crafts, Raquel got an idea.  Her idea required crayons.  It started out great...

 

...but quickly turned to this...

...which then evolved into this (note who is and who is NOT using the crayons).  What was this craft, you may ask?  Keep reading and you'll find out!

But first, on to our Thanksgiving!  This was our 3rd Thanksgiving here in California.  Last year, we got together with some fellow Utah-transplants and had a Thanksgiving feast.  We decided to go ahead with that same plan this year and have a Moreno-Mohlman-McGary feast! 

 

We were in charge of the turkey this year, which meant basting every 15 minutes for a couple hours.  Thankfully, we only had a few other dishes to worry about since the other families were doing the rest, so it wasn't too bad.  Luis played some football in the morning this year which I actually supported (I know right?  Usually I'm too clingy-especially on holidays.)  After that, it was parade time, which I LOVED!  Then it was the dog show, which Luis LOVED!  (Snooze.)  Although this year, I admit that I did get into the action and soon found myself taking a few trots around the apartment with my little puppy.  

During another moment of non-basting, Raquel insisted that we look through the Black Friday (aka Black Thanksgiving) ads so she could point out a few toys with which she might be amused.

 

387 bastes later, we were carving our turkey with the best of them with the use of our NEW (okay, slightly pre-owned) electric knives... thanks Medicos!

And then, our feast commenced.

 

 

Remember the craft I mentioned at the beginning of my post?  (If not, then your memory is slightly worse than mine.)  Well, it's time for the big reveal...

 

Ta-da!  Luis got his very own turkey hat with Raquel-hand feathers!

I think he loved it.  Can you say, "Thanksgiving tradition?"  (he he he)

 

We have so much to be Thankful for this year.  Obviously, having Raquel with us all year long has made this year the best yet!  We are also grateful for amazing friends that help fill the void of not having family close to us.  They take care of us and we love them so much.  It's humbling to realize we would never have met these (and many other) wonderful friends if it had not been for the gospel.  We're especially grateful to have the truths of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in our lives.  It is true and we know it!  We love our dear, loving, brother and Savior, Jesus Christ.  The more we realize how hard it is sometimes to be good, the more we come to admire His perfect life.  We're grateful for our knowledge of our Heavenly Father.  Life would sure be different if we didn't know we had such a loving Father.  Goodness, our list (like yours) could go on and on about all we are thankful for this year.  We are very blessed.

Disney Quiet Book - Part 1

I'm SOOOO excited to share this post!  This project has been months in the making, and after lots of pinterest browsing, internet searches, and discussion, I am finally almost done. 

I made a quiet book!  A DISNEY-themed quiet book!!!

Actually, I made two.  It has consumed my spare time while Raquel naps for many moons now and let me just say, I feel rather free to be so close to the end.  It has been one of the hardest projects I've embarked on because I am N.O.T a very creative person.

 

This will actually be a Christmas present, but since you all know (or should know), I am very impatient!  Plus, I realize with so many things to blog about at that time of the year, I probably wouldn't get to it.  Today you will see book 1 since it is completely finished, and later, I'll show you book 2.

 

p.s. Thanks to Mom, Charisse, Amber, Julie, Jody (Julie's mom), Jen, and Luis for all your help!

 

And here we go... 

 

This is both books together.  Don't you love the fabric?

 

 

The Lion King - Counting

Luis had to help me count to ten on this one, but other than that, I came up with the idea and made it all on my own.

 

Tangled - Braiding and accessorizing

What girl shouldn't learn to accessorize at a young age? 



 

Assorted Movies - Shapes

This idea came straight from Julie's book.  Let me show you just a few things you can make.

Rose - Beauty & the Beast

Mickey Mouse - Fantasia

Magic Carpet - Aladdin

Wand - Cinderella & Pinnocchio (though I've always greatly disliked Pinnocchio)

 

Apple - Snow White

Finding Nemo - Velcro, Snaps, and Following a Path

I think you've all seen the car version of this.  I COULD have used the movie Cars, but thought I would try something a little different.

The Little Mermaid - Tic Tac Toe, Sorting
This was the first page I started making so I think everything was harder than it really needed to be.  I learned a lot from making this page.


Mary Poppins - Opening a clasp, Playing

Inside the purse there are keys, a little mirror, and a tiny comb. I wanted to somehow make the umbrella open and close, but I couldn't figure out how to do that without it looking wierd.

Cinderella - Tying a Bow
I originally envisioned having a dress that you fancied up, like the mice, but opted for something cute and simple instead.



 

Well, that's it for book 1.  The second installment of my Disney quiet book will probably come in a month or so.