New Year's Resolutions Divided by Twelve

I cannot believe another year has come and gone.  Ever since Kason was born it just seems like time is flying by.

How are your resolutions coming along?  Do you have your list yet?  Do you make a list?

This year I want to be successful so I'm trying something different.  I'm calling it One Year to Be a Better Me.  Essentially I'm taking all of my "normal" resolutions and dividing them up throughout the year.  Then instead of trying to focus on all of them at the same time and failing (I usually don't make it past January), I'll focus on one thing every month.  They (I'm not sure who, but they) say it only takes twenty-one days to make something a habit, so the goal is to make the resolution a habit before I move on to the next one (fingers crossed).

By focusing on one resolution each month, I won't spread myself too thin.  Every month is an opportunity for success!  If I falter one month, I can redo that resolution later in the year.  Months are small, achievable goals and with the first of every one, I have a clean slate.

In an effort to keep me motivated before I even begin, I made this:

babm - Be A Better Me

It's framed and sits on my nightstand so when I wake up in the morning, I'm reminded to try to be a better me everyday.

If you are inspired to be a better (you) me too, then print this baby out! :)  To print, click on the image, right click and select Save Image As, and then print it.  It's perfect for up to a 5"x7" frame.

I hope you will take this journey with me!  We are setting ourselves up for success!  Swing by tomorrow to see what I'm tackling first!

Linking up to these super great parties!

Three Fantastic Opportunities to Win a Silhouette

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas filled with family, friends, and love!  I loved every ounce of my time with my family and seeing the monkey light up when he opened gifts. 

Silhouette is being mighty generous this season!  Three of my favorite blogs have Silhouette giveaways going on right now!  Think of all the wonderful things you could craft in the upcoming year if you won one of these babies! :)  Be sure to stop by these blogs for your chance to win:

Good luck! I hope we win! :)

A Very Merry Christmas to You

Here is a fun pic to bring you all a little Christmas cheer! :)  Don't you love Kason's beard?!  Ha!

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! :)

Sutch an Inspiration {delicious} Edition

Hi, All!  How are your holiday preparations coming along?  I have all of my presents bought.  I think that is a first for me.  I'm usually running up and down the aisles of Target on Christmas Eve grabbing last minute gifts.

Well, it might be a little late to make something new to decorate your home for the holidays or give as a gift, but it's not too late to make dessert!  :)  Here is a quick round up of some holiday yumminess!  Feast your eyes on these delightful desserts:

Hello, Sinfully Delicious!  The hubs would flip, FLIP for these brownie covered Oreos that Michelle from Polka Dots & Pizza made.

I love trifle!  It's so super duper easy to make and is always a crowd pleaser.   I'm pretty sure I could dive into this cappuccino mousse trifle that Jillian made over at Heart of a Country Home.

One of my favorite desserts is apple pie, and this one looks divine!  Katy from Crafty Mama shares this tasty recipe.

This festive popcorn would make a perfect last minute gift!  It's fun and affordable! :)  Abbi from My Garden of Eden shares the super simple recipe.

Madigan from madigan made might be my new best friend for introducing me to these peanut butter cookies stuffed with Reese's peanut butter cups!  Holy WOW!

What dessert(s) will you make for the holidays?  I've had a sweet tooth lately so cookies, pie, and cake are in order.  :)

Let Them Eat Cake

Hello and happy Monday!  I hope you had a wonderful weekend!  I was busy, busy!  I finished, yes FINISHED Christmas shopping, baked and decorated two cakes, and celebrated our first Christmas of the year with my in laws!  It was spectacular!

The hubs had a birthday on Friday so I made him this super duper MINI Cooper cake!  Isn't it the coolest?  He has worked for MINI for almost seven years so it was the perfect cake for him.  My favorite part are the Oreo wheels!

Then I made this ornament cake for Christmas with my in laws.  I was inspired by this cake over at KraftRecipes.com.  Betty Crocker I am not so I used a box mix but to give it my own little twist, I added half a bag of chocolate chips to the cake batter before baking it.  I decorated it with a combination of icing, gel, sprinkles, and candies.  I topped it off with an ice cream cone and red licorice lace ornament hanger.

Since I'm showing off some cakes, here is one I made a couple of years ago.  It's a mint chocolate chip cake.  I added chocolate chips to the batter before baking it and added a little peppermint extract to the icing.  It's absolutely delicious.  I even topped it off with peppermint treats!  This one is always a huge crowd pleaser!

What are your go to Christmas/holiday treats?

I'll be linking up to these wonderfully fantastic parties!

Along for the Ride: Designs WINNER

A big, giant thank you to everyone that entered the Along for the Ride: Designs giveaway! :) 

Random.org chose comment number 37, so our winner is STEPHANIE who said, "And here I shared it on FB."

Congratulations to Stephanie!  Please expect an email from me this evening!

I wish you all a very happy weekend!

Last Day to Enter Along for the Ride: Designs {GIVEAWAY}

Today is the last day to enter the Along for the Ride: Designs Giveaway!!!  I'll be selecting and announcing the lucky winner tomorrow!  :)

Click HERE to enter!

Have a happy Thursday!

Sweater Snowman

Hi Happy Friends!  Here is one of my favorite crafts of all time!  I created this little guy last week for The Scrap Shoppe's Homemade Christmas event!  I think he is just the cutest!  Here is the post in case you missed it over at Michele's. :)

Hello Scrap Shoppers!  I'm so happy to be back for another week of Homemade Christmas!  I'm Erin from Crafts & Sutch.  

I'm a crafty girl at heart and love Christmastime!  I especially love decorating my home for the holidays!  Today we are making a super duper cutie pie snowman out of an upcycled sweater!  Are you ready?

 

To get started, you will need the sleeve of an old sweater, fiberfill, a glue gun and glue, a wooden spool painted black, two small black buttons, two small holly leaves cut from green felt, a small red button, an orange triangle cut from felt, ribbon, and scissors.  Not pictured:  black felt circle and a scrap of fabric.  Disregard the needle and thread...I made this cutie no sew!

Turn the sleeve inside out and tie a knot around the wrist end of the sweater.

Turn the sleeve right side out and begin to fill with the fiberfill.  This is the snowman's head.  Once it is filled to your desired size, tie a knot directly under the filling.

Fill the body with the fiberfill.

After the body is stuffed, turn your snowman on his head and fold and glue the opening closed. 

I folded it like a present.

This is what you should have so far.

I wanted my snowman to appear a little more "schmooshed," so I glued the head down to the body.

See?  Definitely more "schmooshed" and cuter!  :)  Glue on the black, button eyes and orange, felt nose.

 To create the top hat, glue the wooden spool to the top of the black felt circle.

Add a holly embellishment to the top hat by gluing on the green leaves and the red button.

Glue the top hat on his head.

For the finishing touch, tie a scrap piece of fabric around his neck.  I cut little slits on each end of the scarf to look like tassels.

Isn't he adorable?  I just love him sitting in the little winter wonderland on top of my fridge!  He might need a girlfriend. :)  It would be super easy to change this little guy up by adding different embellishments...perhaps twig arms, a crocheted scarf, or a tiny little pipe?

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a happy holiday!  I hope you'll stop by Crafts & Sutch to say hi!  Michele, thanks so much for letting me come visit again!  I had too much fun!

I'm linking up to these spectacular parties!

Sutch an Inspiration

Hi there!  Happy Tuesday!  I cannot believe how fast Christmas is sneaking up on me.  I feel like I'm on track to have all our presents bought by the end of the week...at least that is the goal.  How's your shopping coming along?

I'm loving all of the holiday inspired projects I'm seeing everywhere!  It kind of makes me want to redecorate my house.  However, I know that the hubs would not be on board with that.  Hey, a girl can dream. :)  Here are just a few of the many things that are inspiring me this week:

I love me a beautiful banner, but I haven't made one for Christmas yet.  I love this burlap banner that Haley from The Autocrat shared.  The little sprigs of holly and red backed letters are the perfect finishing touches.

How cute are these ice skate brownies?  Foxy Fawni knows my idea of the perfect treat!  All you need is a cup of hot cocoa and you are all set.  I would use the candy cane "blade" as my stirrer.  :)

I'm over the moon about these trees that Cyndy from The Exchange made!  Can you believe she used poster board?  She dressed them up with fabric and other embellishments and they truly look like she snagged them from a designer boutique!  She made a TON more than just these three so be sure to pop over and take a peek!

Amy from H is for Handmade shares how she made this darling scrap fabric tree!  What a resourceful and affordable way to use up some left over fabric and decorate your home!  Too cute!

Kason will definitely be rocking this snowman shirt ASAP!!!  Sarah over at Harrigan Howdy shows off her super duper cutie kids and their matching jammies!  :)  I love this Frosty shirt because it can be worn even after Christmas. :)

Ladies, you are rock stars in my book!  Thank you so much for sharing these fabulous projects! You are SUTCH an inspiration!  :)

Giveaway {Along for the Ride: Designs}

EDIT:  This giveaway is now closed.

Do you know Laura from Along for the Ride: Designs?  If you do, then you know about her greatness.   If not, then please allow me to introduce you!  :)  Along for the Ride: Designs offers unique jewelry and accessories at an incredible price (and FREE shipping until December 25th).  I love the vintagey vibe of all of her pieces because it gives each of them a unique and one of a kind feel.

Here are a few of my favs from Along for the Ride: Designs:

I'm not a coffee drinker, but I love hot tea!  I think if I owned this adorable coffee cozie I would become a regular at Starbucks just so I could drop my venti refresh tea into this cutie.  :)

You know I'm a jewelry kind of gal, so I fell in love with these lemon lime earrings!  I love this zesty color combo!

How cute are these little, bias tape rosette earrings?  I think I would like a pair in every color!

These rosette hair pins would look adorable tucked into everyone's hair!  I can't believe all of the color choices and that you can pick any two for $5.00!!!

Isn't this taupe pearl necklace just lovely?  It's simple and sleek.  A classic piece that is sure to be a favorite in your jewelry box.

Laura is offering one lucky Crafts & Sutch reader a $25 credit in her shop!  Here is how to enter:

Mandatory Entry:
Visit Along for the Ride: Designs and leave me a comment with your favorite item(s)!

Bonus Entries:
1. Follow Laura's blog, Along for the Ride.
2. Like Along for the Ride on Facebook.
3. Blog, tweet, or Facebook about this giveaway and leave a link to your post.
4. Follow Crafts & Sutch.
5. Like Crafts & Sutch on Facebook. (just click the Like button on the sidebar).

Please leave one comment for each entry (up to six) and include your email address so that I can contact you if you win.  The giveaway will close at midnight on December 16th and the winner will be chosen via Random.org on Friday, December 17th.  The winner will have 24 hours to respond before another winner is selected.