Loaded Halloween Gift Bag

It's been awhile since I have posted something creative. I showed some goodies that I had made to a friend and she told me I needed to put them on my blog. I've been busy canning, so today is the first time I've had a break where I could photo and edit to get something up.

I've actually made several items, so my blog will be a bit busy showing what I've created over the next few days rather than post everything here at once.

Last year when I was laid up for months with an ankle that wouldn't heal correctly, I watched a lot of YouTube videos and came across something called A Loaded Envelope. I had some sacks in my stash from many years ago and decided to take that idea and use the sacks. There were also some fun ideas on Pinterest, so this is just a accumulation of all those ideas that I saw last year and put my spin to it.

This started out as a regular sized lunch bag. Walmart has single sacks this size and I had bought a few black ones years ago to make a paper bag album and never used them.

I covered the front and back with cardstock and then folded up the bottom gusset piece and added adhesive to the sides to make a pocket. In the back pocket is a notepad and pen and cocoa packet and straw. The notepad and pen are from Walmart a couple of years ago after Halloween and marked down. I think the straws were also from Walmart. I've had them for awhile so not sure. They could have come from the Target Dollar Spot.

On the front pocket I covered one side of a clothespin with washi tape I got at the Target $ Spot and some orange gems from Dollar Tree. The sparkly ribbon is also from Target $ Spot. On the back is a magnet, so you can put it on your refrigerator and It can hold notes, etc.

close-up of the rosette, the 2 ribbons are from Target Dollar Spot and the black tulle is from May Arts ribbon

In the front pocket is a wrapped candy bar. You pull up on the bow and the candy appears. I learned how to make this push/pull project many many years ago. Orange ribbon is from May Arts Ribbon.

The bat is from Silhouette Design Store , Happy Halloween ticket stamp set, candy sticker, and rosette die are all from Tim Holtz. Designer paper was a Halloween paper pad I got at Hobby Lobby about 4 years ago. I don't know if they still carry it or not.

bat cut file: https://www.silhouettedesignstore.com/view-shape/12283
rosette die: https://www.amazon.com/Sizzix-Sizzlits-Decorative-Strip-Rosette/dp/B0044JMOIO
Happy Halloween stamp: https://www.amazon.com/Stampers-Holtz-Large-Cling-Rubber/dp/B0048IC2HY/ref=sr_1_1?s=arts-crafts&ie=UTF8&qid=1507998503&sr=1-1&keywords=tim+holtz+odds+and+ends
candy sticker: https://www.scrapbook.com/store/pp-av-th93050.html
black tulle: https://www.mayarts.com/ribbons/3-inch-tulle/

BFB Bringing Maggie Home

Bringing Maggie Home 

I was excited to receive another book by author Kim Vogel Sawyer to review. I have enjoyed every book I've read of hers and I've read most if not all of them.

This book was quite different from her other books and still very well written. The kind that you don't want to put down.

It's 1943 and Hazel was 10 years old, when she and her 3 year old sister Maggie were picking berries and when Hazel had turned her back, Maggie disappears. 

The story continues 70 years later and tells the story of 3 generations of women and the effect on their lives from that day so long ago.

Hazel, her daughter Diane and granddaughter Meghan all end up under the same roof as Meghan recovers from an accident. The secret of that day so long ago is revealed and the mystery of what happened to Maggie is weaved into the story.

I definitely recommend this book.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

Book Review:"The Proving"

The Proving by Beverly Lewis is an Amish story about Amanda. Amanda left the Amish 5 years ago and has come back after her mother passed away. She learns that her mother left to her the B & B, but with stipulations she has to follow for 1 year.

Amanda has a twin sister that she doesn't get along with and the story is about forgiveness through the testing of her faith.

Beverly did not disappoint in this story. I have read almost all if not all of her books and enjoy her writing.

**I received this book for free from Bethany House in exchange for my honest review.**

BFB Gathering the Threads

Gathering the Threads by Cindy Woodsmall is the last book in the Summer Grove series. It had been so long since I had read the second book, I had to refresh myself with the story.

This story did not disappoint. Ariana is back in her Amish home after finding out that she was switched at birth and being forced to spend time with her biological family.

Having lived in the "Englisch" world for 3 months has changed her. She learned to find out what she believes and to stand up for what is right.

This was a completely different view in an Amish story and I really enjoyed it.

There were so many plots and twists and turns that it kept this story interesting. One of the main points was to not believe something just because someone says it's true, esp when what is being told/preached to believe is harmful to others. 

**I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review

Book Review: The Two of Us

The Two of Us by by Victoria Bylin is about Mia Robinson. Mia is done with the dating scene after two broken engagements. She is a nurse and decides to focus all her energy and time into her 18 yr old sister and patients. Then her sister get pregnant and runs off with her boyfriend to get married right when Mia is planning to work on the mission field.

Mia goes chasing after her sister Lucy and ends up meeting Jake who has his own issues healing from injuries from his police officer job and losing his partner in the tragedy.

This book was hard to put down. It was so well written and you just want more. The story filled with what it means to trust and rediscover your faith was inspiring.

**I received this book for free from Bethany House in exchange for my honest review.**

Sunshine Basket

I really wish I would have taken pictures of all the baskets I've made so that I could remember all the things I've put in each one. This basket was for the "mom" that I talked about in this post.

I've really been into pom poms lately and love how these little pom poms I made make this basket even more fun. I forgot to take a photo of it, but you can see a hand crocheted dishcloth tucked in on the right side of the basket. It looks like I also missed Gold Bond lotion and chapstick. 

To start off, I created 6 thank you cards and added envelops and tied them all together. I know when I've been in the hospital, there are always people you want to send a thank you to.

 This is a post it note holder with pen. This is the first time I've made one of these and I liked it so much, I've decided I need to make one to have sitting by the computer.

 One of my mini notepad holders.

 Again, a straw taped onto a drink with washi, because drinks are just more fun with a straw.

 fun snack and polka dot napkins, they had planned to be in the hospital for several days, so I thought the napkins would come in handy. As it turned out, they were miraculously out of the hospital 4 days later! But fun napkins can always be used.

 This is the other notepad holder I made with the other 1/2 of the yellow pocket holder.

 This time I made a hand crocheted flower to attach to a yellow paperclip

Teenager Sunshine Basket

A week ago, I made a couple of "sunshine" baskets. If you are new to my blog, a Sunshine Basket is a basket filled with lots of yellow goodies to bring cheer to someone for whatever reason. This basket was for a teenager in our church who was having major surgery. I tried to find fun things I thought a teenage girl would like and hope she enjoyed all the goodies. The yellow was really hard to photo for some reason, but you get the idea from the following pictures.

 

This is a notepad holder I made with a yellow pocket folder. You can get two holders out of one folder. I will show the other one I made for her mom in the next post.

   I made the pom pom paperclip and show it inside the folder to show that there is a pocket.

 fun yellow goodies I found to add to the basket:

  

a yellow straw because....drink are just more fun with a straw

I found these at Dollar General and they were just too cute and how could they not cheer someone

  

This was really hard to photo, but this is a rubber band bracelet.

Girl's Day Out

Recently I had a girl's day out with a friend. She has been wanting me to teach her to make biscuits for over a year! Our schedule's finally worked to meet. We made biscuits, had lunch together, had time to do this fun craft.

This hangs on the wall and can hold jewelry, notes, pictures, etc. And yes....I know this isn't what piano keys look like, we were going by a photo we had seen online.

Thank you Naomi for a great day! It was just what I needed.

Book Review: "The Promise of Breeze Hill"

"The Promise of Breeze Hill" by Pam Hillman is the first book I have received from Tyndale House Publishers to read and write a review. This story was very slow for me. If you like very detailed stories, you would like this, but for me it was so much so, that it lost me part of the time.

The story is set in Natchez, MS in 1791. Connor O'Shea is wanting to bring his younger brothers to America, so he puts himself to be sold as a carpenter in return for passage for his brothers. Isabella Bartholomew of Breeze Hill Plantation buys him.

The plantation is having all kinds of problems. Isabella's brother was killed, her father badly burned when someone burned their field and part of the house. That is just the beginning. Connor realizes someone is out to hurt the Bartholomew family and works to get to the bottom of it.

The story has lots of plots to make it interesting, it just took a long time to read through all the adjectives.

Tyndale House Publishers provided me with a complimentary copy of this book

Ready to Pop!

My last church shower to help host theme was She's Ready to Pop! Several things had a "pop" theme to it, starting with this tag invite with a Tootsie "pop" on the front.

As you walked in to the sign in table, there were some flowers in a vase with "pop"corn.

Message board with balloons that can be "pop"ped.

to eat: cake "pops"

yummy gooey "pop"corn

rice krispie treats (think; snap, crackle, "pop"

plates and napkins with pretty "pops" of color

 and not pictured was a punch made with sherbet and 7-Up (aka: soda "pop")

This was a very bittersweet shower for me as it was my last church shower as shower coordinator/hostess/helper/etc. I put in many hours of love and designing for each shower and hope and pray that each of the new mommies and/or brides-to-be felt special and loved with each and every shower.

Note: This blog may be quiet (even more so than it's been lately) for awhile as I figure out "my place in this world" and what to do next with my life. 3 weeks before this shower I was in a car accident and totaled the car. I'm okay (just had a concussion, bruises and messed up ribs), but it really messed with my mind. The accident as well as circumstances that led to my stepping down as shower coordinator (I do have peace about that decision though), have left me "wandering", trying to figure out what to do next, be involved in, etc.

BFB Road Food

• More Info
• Author Bio

It's been a long time since I had a book from Blogging for Books to review. I was excited to get this next book. I was expecting it to be filled with fun "mom and pop" type places to eat in off the beaten path places. I couldn't have been more wrong and was very disappointed.

Here is the sub title: 

An Eater's Guide to More Than 1,000 of the Best Local Hot Spots and Hidden Gems Across America 

I felt that it was very misleading. I don't know about other states that I'm not familiar with, but for Nebraska, it was places in the largest cities. Now these may be "hidden gems", but that wasn't at all what I thought it meant. And even those didn't have descriptions to entice me to travel and try them out.

So, all in all, not a book I would recommend.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this honest review.

"Orange you glad..."

I have a fun idea to share that I made recently for a birthday. The theme I created was "orange you glad it's your birthday". The recipient had told me that she likes the color orange and I had a lot of fun creating different items using the color orange.

To start off, I painted a large peat pot pumpkin orange, then I just looked through all my stash of goodies to see what I could find that was orange to create and/or fill the pot. I had a vintage doily with orange and white crocheted edging, so added that and let it hang out a little.

I created these two notepads-the first one I crocheted a tiny flower with embroidery floss and attached it to an orange paper clip. I also altered a couple of regular sized clothes pins and one large clothespin and glued orange designer paper to the backs of 3 clear cabochons and put magnets on the back to hang on the refrigerator.

 I also altered a couple of regular sized clothes pins and one large clothespin and glued orange designer paper to the backs of 3 clear cabochons and put magnets on the back to hang on the refrigerator.

I picked all the orange pieces of Resees Pieces and put them in this fun clear tube from Michaels. I stamped the word "sweet" on a tag and tied it to the tube with orange/white twine.

The last thing I created for this basket was a fun plant poke using a skewer.

Oh yeah, I also crocheted a dishcloth that was added to the goodies given. Seen in the photo below are 2 tea lights. One that I added orange washi tape to and the other a glittered one that was in my Halloween stash. Missing is the card I made. I got it done just in time to add to the pot of goodies and get to the birthday party and forgot to take a picture first.

It still needed some fillers, so I bought some orange goodies to add inside...mango drink, orange pen (I actually had the pen in my goody stash), orange candies, Reeses, and mango orange Brach candies, and a carrot Lara bar. 

The recipient loved it and said she WAS glad it was her birthday. 

Book Review "True to You"

Set in Washington state, "True to You" by Becky Wade is a story about Nora and John. Nora had her heart broken 3 years ago and decided she has had it with romance and buries herself in her work as a genealogist and owner of a historical village. John is a retired Navy SEAL and is diagnosed with an inherited illness, but because he is adopted, he needs help looking into his family ancestry. He asks Nora for help and the story is filled with love, humor, with a serious note and written in such a way that you don't want to put the book down.

This is my first time reading a book from Becky Wade and I love how she captures your attention from the very first page and writes in a way that keeps your attention to the very last page. I will be looking for other books written by her as this is the first book in the Bradford Sisters series.

**I received this book for free from Bethany House in exchange for my honest review.**