How how I love you...

GooGone. <3

You save my sanity time and time again.

But I swear if it takes my 3 years to find you again.... I will cry.

- Brit

Sunday Snaps #5 {Photography}

10 Little Fingers, 10 Little Toes.

All images copyright © B.Erin Photography/Sugar and Snaps Blog 2011

Do not use for your personal use or claim photography as your own.

Moving. {InstaFriday}

How is it Friday already?
I really cant believe it  D:

So I am putting the last 2 weeks into this post since these past 2 weeks have been packing and moving.

I baby sat The Boy twice last week. Sunday the 11th and then again on Friday
Sunday he was an angel. The Hubby came with me and the two of them played a few games while I crafted.
We went for a little shopping, and believe me when I say this kid HATE shopping.
He was perfect in the store, we then went over to Gamestop to spend his very late birthday money from us.
4 games for $20 and I was even happier and proud at the games he picked out. I didn't have to do a lot of nudging either, none really just telling him to watch the prices.

Friday we sat around and did nothing really. It was chilly out and Herbert didn't want him outside.
So he pulled out the laser and played with D and B.
We laughed for about am hour at B's lady-likeness (so not a word)
And then Herbert came home, we talked for a little, said Bye for now since its the last time I will see her till we visit back home. I went and picked up my glasses then went home to get ready for the first trip of the 3 to Pittsburgh in the next 5 days.

The Hubby and I packed an over night bag and left to pick up his Mom.
After that we were on the road yet again.
We arrived early Friday evening and went to do a little shopping. Quick trip to Ikea since the MIL has never been there.
Then a trip to one of the pet stores.
My MIL has been in search of a bull Mastiff for about a year and a half to 2 years. We found puppies the last time we were up and she wanted to take a look.
She found her little boy and we made plans to pick him up Saturday when we left to head home.

It was a puppy filled weekend for my family.
Early Monday morning, early like we left at 3am, I rode out with my sister to pick up her baby girl.
I am so smitten with her. <3
So now we have a little(not really) Bull Mastiff and a Tiny Husky in our beautiful family.

Monday afternoon we made a "quick" trip to Pitt to pay for our lease and drop a load off at the house.
Ran and bought our bed and a few other things at Ikea before we left.
One good thing I have to say about Pitt at night. The lights are gorgeous and the road are ok when no one is on them.
This is the time I can enjoy the city.

Wednesday was the move.Well it was 12am when we left.
Some would say that is still Tuesday, its Wednesday to me.
We unpacked my car, left the truck for later... built the bed and it was 6am before we got to sleep.
A few hours later we were up and unpacking the truck. Then made a run to get some cleaning supplies.

This tiny little shop made everything better for me. <3
I have not had or even seen a Rita's in about 10 years.
So we got our amazing fuel and came home.

Its just been unpacking ever since.

InstaChallenge for last week was something you love.
Right now that is my Alpaca plushie from pre-ordering the new game in my favorite game line.
I needed something to play and keep me sane while we were taking breaks from the move.
Harvest Moon: Grand Bazaar I am still working on. But Two Cites is pretty cool. its going to take some getting use too.

InstaChallenge this week was something you dislike.
One word.
Moving.

I hate it so much, I swear we are hiring movers next time. Half these boxes we were not even there to watch them pack when they left japan. We don't know what a lot of it is. And its just a cluster-mess in half the boxes. -_-
Whoever the air force hires to do this crap really needs fired.

Well I have to get back to cleaning and junk.
Hope everyone's week has been a great one.
See you later!

-Brit

We are moved!

Well kinda...

Everything is in boxes and in the basement. Some things are put away, and the only furniture that is here is our bed, 2 books cases, coffee table, kitchen table, and an end table. ):

I found one of my favorite candles, just in time for fall!
It has been in a box in my parents garage for almost a year now.

As you can see I burned it so much its pretty much gone.
The wick is gone. (that black wick looking thing is a piece of a burnt match from trying to light it.)
I searched and searched for a candle warmer so I could still smell it.
I couldn't find any in japan, but I found one I loved online.

The company wouldn't ship to APO boxes.
I gave up.
Planned on ordering it when we got a place.


Right before Christmas the hubby and I went to Unkel Joe's woodshed, my favorite store, and there sits the candle warmer I wanted!
He let me buy it as an early Christmas gift.
It has warmed many different candles over the past few months.

But now my favorite candle has a new home in my (still) favorite candle warmer.

My new living room now smells like spiced pumpkin pie, just in time for fall too!
And even though we have no couch here yet to enjoy it, I still couldn't be happier.


- Brit

Sunday Snaps #4 {Photography}

Phipps Conservatory

All images copyright © B.Erin Photography/Sugar and Snaps Blog 2011

Do not use for your personal use or claim photography as your own.

http://phipps.conservatory.org/

I love visiting Phipps. I had known the conservatory was in the heart of Pittsburgh since I was small, it wasn't until I had my Botany class that I actually go to visit it. I have wanted to go back and finally I dragged the hubby along a few months back. Perfect timing if I must also add. :) The Butterfly Gardens were there and it was something different. I have never seen so many in one place in all my life before. I got a lot of picture and I might share more later on, but I hope you enjoy these few.

This week has been crazy, the weekend even crazier. We move tomorrow, back to Pitt after we just came home from a trip for orientation at the school last night. I am excited but scared, worried, and stressed. We will see how this works out. Next weekend we have to come back home and rent a truck to take our furniture up. So if I don't post this week its because our internet didn't get hooked up. I hope to have it by Wednesday.

In other news, my family welcomed 2 new pups today :) I have a new "brother-in-law" and "niece." My mother-in-law found her new baby boy with us on friday. We had seen the puppies the other week when we were up searching for houses. She was so smitten with the little boy, he is beautiful. My sister has to take a hour trip to pick up her pup at about 3am in the morning. 

Have a wonderful day!

-Brit

Home: Bathroom Ideas

So with moving on the horizon, if everything goes to plan it will be next Monday, I have had ideas and things running though my mind. Normally I would print pictures out and stick them in a notebook with clippings from magazines and paint chips. My printer isn't set up so I have hundreds of bookmarks. Though I am a member of pinterest it came along to late, like 2 days ago. I am swimming in bookmarks and notes but I need to lay out what I want and see it together before I decide.

The bathroom was pretty fast and simple. I always hated going into a store and seeing the collections for rooms. I like unique things and I feel these do the job for people. Granted some people might not like to do things like that or just can't. But I like too so I never found a bathroom set I liked.
Well, I found one. At target, of course. <3 So my bathroom as in design and colors is done. It was like fate, I had been talking to my mom as we were walking telling her my ideas for when we finally found a place. Every other room I wanted to be kinda rustic and neutral. But I wanted fun for the bathroom. Not like cartoons on the wall and paint splatters. Fun colors on a neutral backing.
"Like that?" she pointed down the aisle she was standing at the top of. I had been looking at the solid color towels. I almost screamed with joy when I looked at it. Perfect!

Thank you olioboard, for being an AWESOME tool!

I love this collection, I really do and its exactly what I wanted for the bathroom. The colors are not crazy like florescent or anything but its fun and adult kinda at the same time. Its me :)
However now that we have a house picked out and are just waiting for the relitor's response if we have it or not, I look at the bathroom in the house and feel like this collection will be to much.

Its small and of course we pick the only house we looked at that doesn't have a tub/shower. But I have plans for the shower curtains. So many stripes in this small room might make someone go a little crazy, I think I know how I will fix this.

The rug stays, period. I love that rug and the other option they have with the set isn't an option to me.

I mean maybe, I will have to look at the set together in the store again before I purchase. I just wish all the colors were in those poka-dots. As much as I love the stripped rug it might be a little much under the striped curtain. I do plan on getting both and switching out now and then.

Striped towels out while the tree curtain is up. When I have the striped curtain up I will have solid towels out. I think it sounds like a plan. The trash can of course will not change and the toothbrush holder, at this point I don't know if we will get. I know the soap dish I will probably not purchase. I have plans for my own soap holder.

Once I look at the bathroom in person again and go to purchase the set I will decide, and or course share the bathroom when finished.
Would anyone else pick this for the only bathroom in the house? I know it would probably be picked for a kids bathroom, but I really enjoy it.

And this jar will sit somewhere in that room!

And I did find 2 color pallets over at Design seeds that almost go.

The pepper hues I love just by itself. They are a little darker then the bathroom set and missing the blue of course but its a beautiful pallet to look at. I think this would look lovely in a kitchen with the warm colors. Still bright pops if you did everything in the 2 brown tones.

This is almost spot on, but of course you are missing the green here. These would be fun for a vintage nursery or even a bathroom. Actually I would use this in any room, but I love those blocks. Nursery was my first thought when I saw this. Its a beautiful blend of colors.

And I feel this is the best one that matches the collection. Just tweak that first green-ish tone to a yellow and its perfect.
Luckily if I ever need paint I will just be able to take something with me to get a match. Which is nice I must add. :)


What does your bathroom look like?

- Brit

Petal(ed) Flower: Tutorial

I have made these flowers, and others, for a long time. I am not very good at explaining myself so if you have any questions you are more then welcome to message me with them!

Petal Flower

These are pretty easy. The hardest part is the folding, if you are good at origami then this will be pie. You need the following.

• Fabric
• Thread
• Needle
• Scissors
• Straight Pins

Cut your fabric into squares, for this flower I used 3x3inch squares. I used 12, but 10 is the best and a little easier to work with. You can play and will have to play with size and amount depending on the type of fabric.

Fold the fabric in half, corner to opposite corner.

Fold the triangle in half on the longest side again.

Separate the fold and bring the corner to the opposite corner. Flip over so you fold is facing down and repeat on the other side.

With your folds now grab the middle corner, should only have 2 (folded) pieces of fabric on this side. Fold it so the flat part in align with the other (where you can see in between my middle and pointer finger.)

Put a straight pin though to hold. Now if you have folded everything right you will see 5 folds on one side and 2 on the other. Once all are folded, gather together.

Take you scissors and cut off the pointed tip along the straight line the folds create.

Next you are going to string you petals on to your tread. Make sure they are all facing the same way for you will have backwards petals. It doesn't matter if you have the 2 fold side or the 5 fold side facing you, just make sure they are all threaded on the same.

Once all the petals are strung you are going to take your two thread ends and tie them so your petals pull into a circle. I pull the petals into a circle and use a pin to hold it while I tie. It helps... believe me.

Your finished! Just add a button or something to the center and glue or sew onto you project!



Sorry about the change in size and color at the end there. My camera battery went out on me and I had to use my phone. I should really use my good camera for these things, but again I don't have the space and taking pictures with one hand on a big DSLR and trying to hold/sew things together isn't fun.
If you have issues with your petals flipping while you are trying to tie you can use a small dab of fabric or hot glue in between the petals to keep them in place.

These are one of the flowers I showed Herbert how to make. I don't know if she remembers but we made a few.  The blue and white striped was mine made with a textured fabric for another project you will see soon. The blue with the brown button was the first one she made. It was made with denim which was NOT the right fabric with her to start with. There was a lot of cursing and me helping but she liked it in the end. The red (hers) and the purple (mine) you see were made with felt. It was a little more difficult,we only used 2x2 squares and 6 petals because it was thicker fabric. Just to show that you need to play a little with different fabrics. The more petals and larger the squares, the bigger the flower and can be different to tie.


Have fun! Hope you make some for your cute projects!


- Brit

I linked up at the following...
{The Creative Spark}
{What I Made Wednesday}

Do you remember?

I sit here an hour till midnight posting this because everyone has said it. Its been on every media today and we have watch, listened, and read it today.
I don't want to talk long about it just a short on how I feel.


I remember where I sat 10 years ago when the first plane hit.
I remember the exact seat and room.

I was 12, just cleaning up from math. Laughing, talking and waiting for the bell to ring to release us out for our next period. A kid (9th grader) ran into the room and told Mr. Sullivan to turn on the TV a helicopter hit a building in New York. He did and we watched the smoke poor out of the Tower. We sat and listened in silence as we found out it was a plane, a passenger plane, hit the North Tower of the world trade center.
Most 7th graders at that time didn't know that the World Trade centers were.. but we knew people were working in that building, we knew people were on that plane, we knew something was wrong.
We watched the second plane hit the other tower, the bell rang. I remember every teacher standing in the hallway that day, having to push the kids to their next class.

Mrs. Lang didn't have her TV on. We talked a little about what we saw, did a journal entry, and then did the normal work for the day. We didn't know the pentagon had been hit until our next class. I am my classmate had sat down in our 3rd period class to look up at the TV and see a 4th plane had crashed in Somerset. We all knew that was an hour from us, most of us had been there many times.

The rest of the day was discussions and tv. Maybe not the best thing for kids that age, a lot of parents were angry. But when I look at it now, I am happy they did. Not happy that I saw some of those images as they happened. The Towers falling, the horror in peoples eyes, the people jumping to escape the building, everything we saw that day. But happy because, because of those images I know I will never forget where I was. What happened that day and how strong we grew together that day.

I don't like the images, I don't like to sit and think about everything, but we need to. We need to never forget and we need to remember all those people that day.

Pay the respect where it is do. Just remember and send your wishes for those family's who were affected. Who still are.
Remember the impact of the events that unfolded this day ten years ago.
Remember the people who still are fighting this day for our Freedom we could have lost.
Remember those lost.
Remember the man and women who risked and lost their lives to save others.


Do you remember where you were ten years ago today?

-Brit

Sunday Snaps #3 {Photography}

Your Own Backyard.

All images copyright © B.Erin Photography/Sugar and Snaps Blog 2011

Do not use for your personal use or claim photography as your own.

Late! ): I know sorry it was a crazy day.


I wanted to have different pictures today, in honor of 9/11 but I didn't get to them sadly.

Remember.

- Brit

Crafty Things

I have been working on a few different things. 

But my work space is low. Typically only the 12x12 space on the corner of my computer desk.

My sewing machine needs a belt we can 't find. The only other sewing machine I have access too is at my Grandmother's house.

The rain and other weather has made it impossible for me to paint the furniture I want to paint.

I figured I would post a few things I have finished, though I am not to happy with them.

My rag wreath didn't turn out. She is very thin and not very attractive. But I do love her flowers <3
The other was for Herbert. She wanted a autumn wreath and its not that but she likes it and that makes me happy. I like it too, didn't turn out the way I imagined but I will be making another for myself and will post a tutorial.



Since my work space is so small when I have it I have been making jewelry a lot. here are just 2 I have finished. I have a few more and will get pictures later.

 This ribbon and pearl necklace was a pain. But I finished it and I really need to get a beading needle that will work correctly because I am not making this again the way I did this one. I do love it though!

Everyone has seen, owns, or made these birds nests. I have made them for years and sold them at craft shows. This one was a surprise for Miss. Herbert. One little fresh water pearl for The Boy. She loved it <3
I gave it to her the day before I had one of those days, with her belated birthday gift and card. (She is wearing it in the picture of her and the donkey dog.

Like I said I have a few other necklaces and charms to take pictures of. I have been working on some cards too. My relationship with my cricut has turned into a love hate one. Sometimes I want to throw him and sometimes I want to hug him.
No craft day with Herbert this week sadly, I am watching the Boy tomorrow so hopefully when she gets home we might have an hour or two. The Boy started his first day of school on Tuesday and I wanted to be there but we were on our way to Pittsburgh.

Its been raining all week, floods are everywhere. Hersey Park is underwater. They just closed roads around home here. Thankfully my family hasn't had any flooding this time around. Grandma's basement is still damp from the other week. ):
Weather is crazy sometimes. Texas and other places out west are having bad fires because its do dry and we are almost drowning here on the east coast. Just down the road from me a friend of my sisters was saying he was watching things float down the road.
Hope everyone is safe if you are having the rain or fires!

- Brit

Oh, P.S. Herbert has some things for sale online if anyone is interested. She makes felties and jewelry.
MEANT4YOU on Etsy or Ebay.