The 15 Minute Project Girl

Hello friends!  It is a quiet evening here, and we are waiting on a storm to arrive.  I love storms during the day, but at night they can be a bit scary for both man and beast.  Our little poodle/Italian greyhound mix dog is 13 and she gets scared when we even mention the word 'rain' or 'boom booms' (our silly talk for thunder.)  So I hope they come and go before bedtime or I will have a little friend in my bed tonight.  :)

This post is about a little trick I'm using to help me get big projects started and sometimes even finished.  A big project looms large to me...I'm really a quick project person.  I like to see results right away and not spend hours on one thing.  The trick I have learned is to spend 15 minutes at a time on something, unless I really want to spend more.

For instance, gardening.  I LOVE flowers.  All the color and cheer and the little bouquets to bring in and the butterflies and...you get the picture.  But by late July I am pretty much 'over' working on them in the humidity.  I hate to sweat.  That's a problem in the summer isn't it?  Ha!  But if I go outside and work on the garden and flower beds for just 15 minutes, I can get some things done and not get too hot. Tonight I tackled the spent Black Eyed Susans.  In 15 minutes I got them cut back and thrown away, plus pulled weeds in another small bed.  Ta Da!  Then I came inside without feeling like I needed a shower, plus knowing that I got another part of the yard back into shape.

My little friend Gracie kept me company.

Another big project on my summer list was to clean the tile grout in our bathroom.  Oh how I dreaded it.  But one day I mixed up the potion (see the recipe above) and gave it 15 minutes.  The success was unbelievable!  This recipe really works!  Leave it on for 5 minutes in each grout line before you scrub with a toothbrush and you'll be amazed at the difference as you can see in my photo above.  I worked on this project 3 different times for 15 minutes, and it was all done.  

I make handmade cards for my Perfect Darlings business (on Etsy and on Facebook HERE.)  Sometimes getting myself started on a new set of cards feels like a big job.  But if I take 15 minutes to choose a design (here I was using vintage book pages) and papers to coordinate, then lay it all out on my ironing board (such a fancy work space!) then I feel like the job is 1/3 done!  It's easy to come back later and get started with the fun part...creating!  PS..if you 'like' my Perfect Darlings Facebook page, you'll be eligible to enter a drawing for free product very soon!

In 15 minutes you can take a couple of photos of something you want to sell, list it on Facebook or Neighborhood Next Door, and wait for your sale.  This sweet girl sold in 24 hours.  

Redecorate your fireplace mantle for the season in 15 minutes.  Especially if you took a photo of how you did it last year at this time and can refer back to it for quick inspiration.  I have started a private Facebook photo album of my mantlescapes so I can quickly locate the pictures of previous designs and do them again.

Write a letter to your grandchild in 15 minutes.  We have 2 little grands going back to school this week, so it was a good occasion for sending them a real letter in the mail.  :)

And even start decluttering your home in 15 minutes.  This little pile came together on Sunday, and I plan to add to it before I take it all to the Evansville Rescue Mission Thrift Store for donating in a few days.  I purge our house 2-4 times a year, but can always find more 'stuff' that we don't need or use any more.

So there you have it!  Are you a 15 minute project girl too?  What kinds of things do you work on for 15 minutes at a time?  Organize a drawer?  Wipe down baseboards?  Read a magazine?  Dust the house?  Order photos online?  I am creating a Summer 2018 photo book online, just a few minutes at time so I don't go crazy.  Those things are so tedious.  :)

Thanks for stopping by!  I have more posts planned...come back soon!

Blessings,
Donna

Tip Toe-ing Back Into My Blog...

Hello Friends!

I've been gone from my blog for 2 years.  I've been teaching preschool, and that took most of my time and creative energy.  :)  It was fun, rewarding, and exhausting.  I love children.  But since I've decided to just substitute teach at preschool next year, I'm having fun getting back into the creative pursuits I enjoyed before.

I have no idea if anyone will still see this and read it...if you do, I would soooo appreciate a tiny comment of "I'm here!" or something like that.  :)

The pursuit I am enjoying most right now, is that I've re-opened my Etsy shop, Perfect Darlings.  Instead of foraying back into the world of sewing travel organizers, I am creating with my first love...pretty papers and old books.  Here are a few photos of the cards I've been making:

There are more, involving darling old books, but I'll save them for another time.

In other news, we have 5 GrandDarlings now with a 6th on the way!  Isn't our little 6 month old Emmett just darling?!

He will have a sweet little boy cousin joining the family in July.  Such adventures they will have!

Thank you for stopping by!  I'll be back with flowers, crafts, recipes, cards, and life.

Summer Blessings,

Donna 

Two Sweet Things

1. ~ Michigan Beach Town Vacation ~ We took our family vacation in early June to southwest Michigan.  We beat the crowds and heat (loved that part!)  It was such a wonderful, pleasant trip...you can come along via some photos.

This cottage near Coloma, MI was our home for 3 days.  It was clean, clean, clean...that means alot to me.  You can find information on it at this link, if you are interested.  Scott and Dawn were good hosts of this rental cottage.  We had plenty of room and a full kitchen.  We ate breakfast and dinner here, with a fun lunch out every day.  The laundry room was a big help, with all those sandy clothes.  :)  And it was huge...you could easily sleep a couple of kids on air mattresses in there.

Just a 10-15 minute walk through a wooded area to get to our own little beach ~ Hagar Shores, MI

We enjoyed walking down to it our first night there, just after a rain shower moved through.  Beautiful clouds with a sunset peeking through.

Day 1 ~ Saugatuck, MI
The historic chain ferry is a fun way to get to the town from the beach side of Saugatuck.  It is a hand cranked ferry across the Kalamazoo River.  The town is small enough that it is fun to walk and visit shops and sites.

An excellent lunch at The Mermaid Bar and Grill along the riverfront.  Our son Tanner enjoyed his shrimp.

I had read about Uncommon Roasters on TripAdvisor.com.  And its charm and Carmel Latte lived up to the reviews.   Trip Advisor is a great way to find good places to eat while traveling.

Oval Beach, an award winning beach in Saugatuck, was our first real beach adventure of the trip.  Feet are so happy in sand and water.

Day 2 ~ St. Joseph, MI
Our daughter and grandboys drove an hour from their home and met us here for the day.  Sweet Carson must have thought the beach was the world's best sandbox.

And baby Sawyer was all eyes and ears during his first beach visit.  So fun to make this memory with them.

We ended the evening with a fire in our cottage's fire pit, roasting hot dogs, making S'mores, and toasting our toes.

Day 3 ~ South Haven, MI
This might have been my favorite place.  The white sands were clean, the light house was gorgeous, and the town was charming.

Walking out on the pier to the lighthouse was a treat.

The shops were fun, Clementines made us a tasty lunch, and the Lord was kind to make it only rain for a few minutes while we were warm and dry indoors at lunch.  Murphy's Antique Mall was a huge treat...possibly the best/cutest antique mall I've ever visited.  We all found a treasure to buy...even our 17 year old son.  :)

The marina was a fun place to sit and relax...cool breezes and cool boats.

North Beach in South Haven, one of seven beaches in this town.  So clean.  So peaceful.  So beautiful.  My favorite beach of the trip.

And they served Sherman's Ice Cream (a Trip Advisor favorite) at this beach.  Completely delish.  Who wouldn't want to eat ice cream perched atop these adorable vintage stools?
It was a wonderful, peaceful, relaxing trip...I'd highly recommend a Michigan Beach Town vacation.

2. ~ A Handmade Card for our favorite new Medical School Graduate.

Our friend Jacob has wanted to be a doctor ever since we met him at age 9.  And this past month, he achieved that dream at the early age of 24.  I enjoyed making a card for his celebration, using the page of an old hymnal.  Don't you think this song title is perfect?

I didn't have room for the 'refrain' on the front of the card, so added it inside the cover.

Jacob loves the Lord, and will be relying on Him as he begins his residency in Chicago.  So proud of this fine, young man. 

Thanks for stopping by!
Always enjoy your comments!

Blessings,
Donna

DIY Apron Mother's Day Card

My mother's birthday was in early April, and as I flipped through one of my paper craft books, I found a darling idea for a card.

Putting my own twist on it, I created a little handmade apron for the front of her card, pictured above, and she was delighted with it.  So were my friends.  :)  And so began my journey in making variations of these cards for sale to friends and in my Etsy shop.  However, I won't keep all the fun to myself...so here is a DIY tutorial in case you want to make your own.  :)

Make a little cardstock pattern for your apron...4" x 3 1/4" and cut out your fabric.

Iron a 1/4" hem on the two short sides and one long side.

Sew those 3 little ironed down hems.

Along the unhemmed long edge, sew a basting stitch about 1/4" from the edge, for gathering.  Leave long thread ends for pulling, as show.

Gently pull the basting thread on top of the right side, to gather.  And pull the basting thread underneath on the left side, to finish gathering.  If you pull the top threads on both side or the bottom threads on both sides, your thread will lock up and not gather.  Spread your gathers out evenly.

Next take a coordinating piece of ribbon, about 5" long (give or take) and either pin it or spot glue it to the top of your apron, covering the basting thread and the top edge of the fabric.  If either the top edge of the fabric or the basting shows after you stitch on your ribbon, you can trim them/remove the basting thread til it looks clean.  I like to use a zig zag stitch to attach the ribbon to the top of the apron, to create it's waist band.  The pinning or spot gluing just helps hold it in place while you sew.

Hope you can see the zig zag stitching which attached the ribbon to the apron's waist.

Next you want to adorn the hemline of the apron with rick rack or some decorative stitching.  I have fallen in love with the vintage look of the decorative stitching.  #13 is my favorite pattern for this.  

For best results, have your thread be a coordinating color that will show up well.  I sew that stitch about 1/4" from the hem stitching at the bottom of the apron.

Ta Daaa!  Doesn't it just make you want to get out your childhood Barbies and try it on her?!

Next, clip miniature clothespins to the top of your apron.  Prepare your card with a pretty cardstock mat on the front and use a glue gun to attach the clothespins to the card.  Angle your apron as seen in the finished photo.

Type out some different sayings to go on the front of your card, and print them.

I glued my sentiment to a pretty coordinating cardstock, then matted that with a piece of a vintage book page.  I attached it to the card with a foam block, to add dimension.

Are you in love yet?  Want to wear the apron yourself?

Add caption

Finish it off with a coordinating punched heart or flower attached to the back flap of the envelope.  Pretty.  Special.  One of a kind.

And you are finished!  If you do not sew or have time to make these, please visit my Etsy shop called Perfect Darlings to purchase one from me.  :)  Or make your own and have a great time!  As a courtesy, I would greatly appreciate it, however, if you would refrain from selling yours on Etsy...I'm sure you can appreciate that.  :)

Happy Mother's Day!
Your comments always brighten my day!

Be Blessed,
Donna

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