Handmade Charlotte? The entire thing?  BEAUTIFUL

Adore this one hour sundress from From an Igloo.  (and, as an aside, I am so stinking ready for spring and summer.  Seriously snow.  DONE WITH YOU!)

The Written Word has new uses for old books.  Some of them are quite stunning.

I love the upcycling possibilities with the Place Mat purse from Little Birdie secrets.

Thinking about whipping up a batch of homemade sugar scrub from petit elefant

This little Refashioned ruffle skirt from Sew Much Ado is to die for.

Caramel Turgle Sugar “Brookies”. ZOMG.  I can say no more.  That says enough.

The Flat Emelie and Matt dolls from Moda Bake Shop are going right onto my to-make list.  LIttlebit would love them to pieces.  Of course, we’ll call them Flat LIttlebit or something instead.

I’m using this shirring tutorial from Pretty Ditty to make sundresses this summer.  Yes summer.  GO AWAY SNOW!

And, last but really REALLY not least Knock Off Wood serioulsy blew my mind.  Love Pottery barn, but you don’t love the prices OR the MDF.  Knock off wood shows you how to make it yourself. Let that sink in, people.  Because WOW.

Be more healthy?

Try actually USING your Wii.  It works.

Cook from the seminal healthy cooking magazine Cooking Light.

Visit Spark People and log your exercise minutes and food.

Go Green?

Craft green with tons of Green Crafting ideas from Craft magazing.

Start planning your square foot garden for this coming spring and summer (plus, it might pull you out of the winter doldrums if you’re someplace where it’s below zero with ten feet of snow)

Wonder how long those green resolutions will take to pay for themselves?

Learn something new?

Want to learn to knit?  Knittinghelp.com is full of helpful tips AND videos to get you started.

Instructables.com offers some helpful information to help you learn to sew

Boo! Blocks '05

Since i love it so much, I’m always on the look out for things I can add.

I love the glowing jack-0 lanterns at Not So Idle Hands.  In fact, I’m saving jars because I am SO making it.

I also liked the Creepy Halloween Apothecary from the Idea Room.  It would make a great center piece for a Halloween party, don’t you think?

Really like these spooky ghosts from Not2Crafty.

I admit it. I like Disney.  I LOVE that Family Fun has a selection of FREE Disney character pumpkin carving templates.

How about making your own White Chocolate Ghost Suckers with Roots and Wings?

Or, Mummy dogs with the Idea Room?

I love these mummy treat cups from The Celebration Shoppe

Adore these fondant ghost cupcakes from Not So Idle Hands.  Wondering if I can make those work for the Princess’s halloween party…

Witch Hats-2008

Martha Stewart and Family Fun Magazine always have huge Halloween features with tons of fun ideas that are well worth checking out too.

But first, the preschool scramble has begun. I know, I’m probbly late and if I had been more on the ball I’d not be scrambling now. I’d be scrambling in July. I hated this so much with the Princess. Trying to decide which of dozens of local schools were the right choice. I picked one for the Princess based on location and nothing else and loved the program. I wanted Littlebit to go there as well, but I was too late to get her into their 2-year program (Littlebit has a September birthday and will be in a two year program this year due to cut offs) so then the scramble was on again.

I loved the idea of a local Montessori option, but the tuition for Littlebit’s twice a week, two hour a day program cost nearly as much as the Princess’s elementary education and I just. couldn’t. do. it. I have one school I’m hoping to tour that’s accredited, has a good program and a more reasonable monthly price tag. I hope I love it so I can be done with the preschool scramble. Until 2011. When I’ll do it all over again.

But….enough. It’s time for some love

Well, we’re Geeks, so it makes sense that I would enjoy 100 Geeky Places to Take Your Kids This Summer from Wired Magazine. Lots of national and international options and some places I want to check out.

I’m sure I’m the last one to discover it, but I LOVE the Simply Recipes Food and Cooking Blog. It’s beautiful and well organized with tons of recipes. Well photographed too.

Have you seen The Tasty Kitchen? It’s a foodie community fronted by The Pioneer Woman.

So many great ideas and beautiful pictures at The Idea Room.

Make and Takws featured a cool post on One Chicken, Two Meals
which appeals to me from a time and money saving aspect. Googling for more, similar ideas took me to Cheap, Healthy Good and making 17 meals from one chicken and $30.

I am so making these adorable lady bug slippers for my girls. I love them! And while I have my needles out, i’m making this awesome circle cloth too.

This time last year, it was bathing suits and rosy cheeks

Don’t get me wrong. I don’t mind the cooler weather. I’m not a sun worshiper. I don’t like to sweat. I don’t like sitting outside in the hot stagnant air, so I actually don’t have any personal complaints about the weather, but it kind of sucks from the kids standpoint. However it is fun Friday so we have something to look forward to.

And now without further ado….Link Love Friday! YAY!

Preschool Playbook is chock full of ideas for the under five set. I’m sure there’s a thing or three there that would entice the Princess as well

The design concept on this milk cartons featured at Lovely Package nearly made me giddy. The bold colors and great use of type as design is what done me in. In fact, the entire site is pretty cool with lots of great pictures.

I really liked this coffee cup cookie cutter at Cool Shit You Can Buy and like Lovely Package, lots of other great items as well. I like the USB classic Nintendo controller. Even though I have no actual use for one.

I don’t care what you think about Martha Stewart. I’m making this table runner. At least once. Possibly more.

These adorable hedgehogs at dollar store crafts might have to make it into a Fun Friday rotation.
People are suggesting using them for dusting, but I’m thinking over how to use them as bath mitts.
Ooooh. Back to the Future trivia. I’ve heard a horrible rumor that they want to remake Back to the Future with Zac Effron as Marty. I don’t have to tell you how horrible this is, right?

we’ve played in the pool

and enjoyed the weather at our local community band concert (but not the kids behavior. Ugh. Demons!)

And now, without further ado, some link love.

I love carrot cake. I really REALLY love carrot cake. I’ve been told it’s an old person’s desert but maybe I’m old then because I love it. These Carrot Muffins with Cream Cheese filling make my heart go pitter-patter.

I’m not sure if I have the patience to make them, but these coffee filter roses are so beautiful and really look real.

This little tute has been featured all over but I still love it. Cheap dress up clothes just can’t be beat and when we hit the dollar store I’ll be on the look out for cheapie fleece blankets.

This potato salad makes my gall bladder spasm, but it looks freaking fantastic.

Food porn? Yes please!

Adorable embroidery patterns at LollyChops.

2) I go to Wal-Mart about three times a year. Our local Wal-Mart still has fabric and notions and if I need something small I tend to run in there instead of driving 20 minutes to our nearest fabric store. I hate shopping at Wal-Mart. It makes me feel dirty. Back in “the day” Wal-Mart would advertised all of it’s Made in America products, which I thought was awesome, but they don’t mention that much these days and cheap flip-flops and t-shirts seem to be their new MO.

Part of my motivation behind this trip to Wal-Mart was a small sewing notion and the hope of *ahem* cheap hanging baskets. I know it’s awful to be all holier than though about how you won’t shop at Wal-Mart and how it’s all evil and they don’t treat their employees well and the low cost at any price mentality is why American job are disappearing over seas and then cross your fingers that Wal-Mart has hanging baskets for under $10 becuase you just kill the damn things anyhow and would rather spend $10 on something you’re going to shamelessly murder than $15 or $20.

They’re so stinking pretty . I’m not sure what it says that I’m willing to compromise my morals and ethics for $7 hanging baskets though.

3) Google Reader is saving a million hours of my time.

And now, without further ado from the lovely world of Stumble Upon it’s Link Love FRIDAY!!

I LOVE these Kimono’s from Habitual. I’ve already printed out the pattern. The Princess is moping that they don’t “come” in her in size. I’m a little daunted by the 75 inches of bias tape I have to make though…

The Princess is totally into playing Cat’s Cradle lately and after she exhausted the small book of patterns she had, we found this site which is full of string figures to make.

These easy layered parfaits are going to be on summer breakfast rotation.

And for summer lunches, I’m thinking the adorable bento without a bento inspired fair at Little Nummies will be a HUGE hit.

I’m a ridiculous sucker for soft pretzels.

and lastly, this photo tile tute at Splitcoast Stampers is sparking lots of ideas in my head for affordable, awesome wall decor.

ANYHOW, it’s time for an other edition of Friday Link Love, where I share the fabulousness that Stumble Upon has brought into my life for this week. If you’re not stumbling yourself, I really don’t know what to say to you. ;o)

I know it’s for a wedding site, but this DIY bird garland is very pretty and I can see it being used all over the house. In fact, I’m kind of feeling sorry we walled up that hole in the dining room wall. It would have been a great place for it. Perhaps an option for Littlebit and Baby Bee’s room to be?

I’m certain by now EVERYONE knows about making toddler crayons out of used crayons and muffin tins, but the pictures and directions on Simply Blessed were very good and the crayons looks so pretty that it’s almost enough to make me “undress” by new box of sharp 120s to make this (Yes. MY box of new crayons. Which I might share with the children).

Love this recipe for Cookies and Cream Rice Krispie Treats from Picky Palate. I bet the Princess and Littlebit would go crazy for them.

Skip to my Lou featured links to pages where you can make things with nothing but your scissors, some paper and a printer. I might suggest the paper rocket as a fun Daddy/Daughter project for the Princess and Big Daddy.

Who needs to pay for a Topsy Turvy when you can do the same thing at home with a 2-liter pop bottle?

More paper awesomeness at Folding Trees. I might have to make a gaggle of those mario mushrooms.

Love the ideas and eye candy at the On the Dot Creations Blog

For fun, Paul’s Ponderings plays Funky Cold Medina and Wild Thing together and proves they’re the SAME song!!

Also, if you have a toddler that takes a late nap how does that work out with bedtime??

Anyhow, the week has been all messed up and confused with Monday and Tuesday spent in the hospital. I’m walking around in kind of a messed up daze, but Big Daddy is down with helping get things back on track. Which is good. I’m feeling crafty, but I get guilt when I crafty before the work is done.

Anyhow, here’s some Link Love for the week.

I love this shell edge hem stitch featured at Threads and I can think of about a million ways to use it.

Found these self stick magnetic strips featured in Real Simple some time ago and think they would make a great place to display art or be more organized and at only $4 for three…..

Great collection of sewing Tutes at The Princess & Monkey

Love the Mom Advice blog

Adorable free patterns for Japanese baby clothes!!

I love the possibilities of using fabric shapes on the wall.

Non-toxic make your own fingerpaint? Awesome!

I’ve loved some of the pin dolls I’ve seen around the Internet and was happy to find a link to Pin Doll Supplies

Loving Balancing Everything

The food porn at Joy the Baker is fantastic and I’ve seen a ton of recipes I need to try. Maybe after I’m done being pregnant as I feel like the only pregnant lady on the planet not indulging in yummy food.

I LOVE these chalkboard wall shapes from Wall Candy Arts. Super creative, super cute and I bet the kids would love them.

I love birds. I love cute scrap projects. Therefore, I love cute bird scrap projects.

I’m thinking felt flowers could be another fun mom/Princess craft. Best part is, it would be cheap to make a ton.

And for fun, hide the fart. I guess it’s only fun if you find farts funny, but I do so…there you go.