Alaska or Bust :: part 1

We recently went on a Road Trip,

{ Some homemade food for the gang to have along the way. }

It was going to be a BIG one,

{Four adult kids/students moving to Alaska, four cars, three parents, one dog and a

full-to-the-brim U-Haul.}

Oh, what a beautiful day!

We were prepared.

Uh-oh, Mountains!

Mackenzie

Big, majestic mountains surrounded by roaring rivers,

We couldn't go under them

We couldn't go over them

Yale Tunnel

We had to go through them!

Honk, Honk, Swoosh

{There were seven tunnels along the Trans-Canada Highway in the Frazier Canyon, British Columbia.}

Uh~oh, What's That! 

Three shiny wet noses, six furry ears and six big goggly eyes!

It was A BISON, some BEARS and some RAMS…

…Oh my!!

Focus~Snap, Focus~Snap, Focus~Snap

{Taking pictures in a moving vehicle typically does not work out too well but when you are trying to keep to a schedule you do what you can to capture the moment.}

This was only the beginning of our Wildlife tally.

It was a long first day however our adventure was off to a good start. We crossed the Canadian border and then reached our first goal and arrived at our hotel in Williams Lake, Canada about 9:30pm. Just enough time to eat and then get some sleep before hitting the road bright and early the next morning. 

More to come about our Alaska Road Trip adventures.

Happy Wednesday!

Peonies

Oh, happy day!

We arrived home from a jaunt out of town just in time to enjoy our peonies in full bloom.

They were so beautiful I could not resist cutting a few for the table in the house, however, as I was trimming the stems and arranging them in a vase, ants began to appear. UGH. Out went the bouquet as fast as it had come in.

It had completely slipped my mind that the ants love peonies too. The flowers weren’t a complete loss though. The patio table turned out to be the next best place for them under the circumstances and they could be viewed from several of the windows at the back of the house. Needless to say, we have been enjoying them in spite of the swift change in plans.

Happy Monday!

White Coat Ceremony :: diy cards & more

We recently attended our very first White Coat Ceremony which is such a special event that I thought it would be fun to make some things to take and give to a few extra special students.   

Cards were at the top of my list and these cute little White Coat cards were easy to make once all the ideas were narrowed down.  As always, that takes the most time however the details are what make it so fun. Eventually the vision all came together and this is how they turned out. 

The stethoscope was hand cut out of card stock and the small heart was made with a punch. For embellishments I glued on 2 black beads for the ear pieces and a black button for the diaphragm. To make the bell I punched a small dot out of a silver glitter foam sheet and then glued it on top of the diaphragm. The buttons on the coats were threaded first and then glued in place.

Once the cards were finished it was on to making HERSHEY'S® Bar treats. The candy bars were also wrapped in White Coats and donned buttons and pockets to match the cards and White Coat bottle covers. More information about the cute bottle cover project can be found by clicking here. It would have been easy to keep making White Coat theme related gifts however there happen to be some other fun projects in the works around here so need to be disciplined and keep on schedule. 

The ceremony was so nice and we were very happy to be there to celebrate with them. 

Happy Friday!

........... HOTST !! { hot off the sewing table } ..........

His & Her WHITE COAT bottle covers!

This was a such a fun project. Little white coats to slip over bottles to give as gifts. 

To get started I made a sample coat using cotton fabric. My intention was not to have any raw seams however it was a bit easier said than done on such small pieces. Even though I was  beginning to change my mind about the fabric I continued until the little coat was sewn closed along the sides and then slipped it over a bottle to see how it looked. It was adorable however I knew right away that a coat made with felt would be much easier and faster so I ditched the cotton and cut the remaining coats from white felt. 

Once I had some White Coats sewn together it was time to choose buttons and accessories. This collection of assorted buttons happen to be from my mother so the little coats were even more special.  The bias tape was some I had made for the cotton coats so that will be saved for another project.

A shirt & tie and a strand of pearls completed the ensembles along with a some bandages for the pockets. 

To be honest, the accessories were changed many times before the deadline because it was so hard to decide and so fun to try different things. While I was finalizing the bottle covers I also had some other DIY White Coat projects in the works which I will be sharing soon. 

Happy Wednesday!

Bananas about cupcakes & bundt cakes!

It has been awhile since I have posted however the kitchen has been open and quite busy recently. All sorts of fun things have been going on so a lot of reasons to bake. 

These Banana Split Cupcakes and Mini Banana Bundt Coffee Cakelettes were hostess gifts last weekend. We had enough perfectly ripe bananas to make a small batch of cupcakes and a full  bundt cake recipe which was made into cute mini bundt cakes instead. I also made a delicious banana mousse filling for the cupcakes, however, at the last minute I changed my mind and did not end up using it. It is great on its own though so thankfully it will not be going to waste.

More fun posts are in the works and hopefully they will be up soon. 

Happy Monday!