"Let It Snow" Mitten Banner

Oh, Man!  Do I have a great deal for you! You'll have to stay with me until the end of the post to see what my Silhouette Group has done this time! Let me give you a hint... we're giving away TWO machines to TWO lucky winners!! Plus, we've put together a great source of winter projects to spark some creativity in you!

But, first!  Let me show you my latest and greatest creation!  My Sister In-Law moved out to Colorado back in September.  (I swear, I'm in a time warp!  That seriously feels like yesterday!  How is it already December?!)  Anyway, I've been meaning to send out a little care package to her for days, weeks,  months!  Yes.  It has come to that.  Finally, the package was together and I included a winter banner for her to hang in her mountain apartment!

I kept it simple for 2 reasons.  

1: If I made something super complex, it wouldn't have gotten done in the nap times of our three kiddos.  That leaves too many opportunities for me to tuck it away and forget to finish it up (or for it to get destroyed by sticky little fingers!)

2: Best of all, she's like me, and likes things simple! Winner, Winner!

I love how it turned out and I think she's going to love it, too!  I can't wait to see where she hangs it!  Some of my favorite projects I have given as gifts.  How do you feel about handmade gifts?  Personally, they are my favorite!!

Want to Check Out More Silhouette Projects?

My Silhouette Challenge buddies and I are all sharing projects on our blogs today, so peruse the projects below for a wealth of Silhouette inspiration! 1. Pineapples and Pinecones // 2. Simply Kelly Designs // 3. Architecture of a Mom // 4. Just a Girl and Her Blog // 5. Two Purple Couches // 6. Chicken Scratch NY // 7. Creative Ramblings // 8. One Dog Woof // 9. Ginger Snap Crafts // 10. The Thinking Closet // 11. Please Excuse My Craftermath... // 12. Designer Trapped in a Lawyer's Body // 13. weekend craft // 14. Dragonfly & Lily Pads // 15. Practically Functional // 16. Living My Given Life // 17. My Paper Craze // 18. The Kim Six Fix // 19. Home At Eight // 20. Queen of Everything // 21. Tried & True // 22. McCall Manor // 23. unOriginal Mom // 24. Create it. Go! // 25. From Wine to Whine // 26. GetSilvered // 27. It's Always Ruetten // 28. Nearly Handmade // 29. Mama Sonshine // 30. Silhouette School // 31. It Happens in a Blink // 32. Create & Babble // 33. Sowdering About // 34. Where The Smiles Have Been // 35. My Favorite Finds // 36. Lil' Mrs. Tori // 37. Designed Decor

Silhouette Giveaway!

And I've saved the best for last.  My Silhouette Challenge buddies in partnership with Silhouette America are hosting a mega-huge giveaway for not one...but two winners!  The prizes up for grabs? First prize: The NEW Silhouette Cameo Machine and Designer Edition Super Bundle!  $406.93 value.

• Silhouette CAMEO®
• Designer Edition Software
• Dust Cover
• $25 Download Card
• Four Essential Silhouette Tools (hook, spatula, scraper, pick-me-up™)

Second prize: Silhouette Portrait Machine and Rhinestone Starter Kit!  $219.98 value. Pretty sweet, huh?  We want you to have the chance to get that Silhouette machine that might still be on your wish list. To enter: just complete the entries in the Rafflecopter widget below or at this link.  Because of my many blog friends who helped make this giveaway possible, you have 42 potential entries, which means a lot of winning power.  So, hurry up and enter! {This giveaway runs from today through Monday, December 15th at 11:59p eastern and is open to anyone 18 years of age or older with a U.S. or Canada mailing address. You can read the rest of the terms and conditions in the widget below.} a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good Luck!!

Find Your Blog Content on Pinterest

Have you ever wondered if your blog content has been pinned on Pinterest?  There's a really easy way to find out!

First, you'll want to type this into your browser:  http://pinterest.com/source/YOUR BLOG.com

So for me, it's http://pinterest.com/source/nearlyhandmade.blogspot.com

From there, you can see who has pinned what and even how many times it has been repined!  It's such a useful tool to see what content has been popular as well as where some of your blog traffic is coming from!

So, to all of you who have pinned and repined from Nearly Handmade, thank you for helping my little blog grow!

If you'd like to follow me on Pinterest, you can do so here!

Janice

"Welcome Baby" Wreath

Oh my!  I can't even believe that our newest little man in the house is 2 months old today!  He is the most laid back baby we've had so far and we're just over the moon in love.  His older sister and brother are a little too in love with him.  They hug and kiss him every waking moment of the day.

Before our little man was born, I had the whole house nice and clean and I had all of the laundry continuously caught up.  It was nesting to the max!  Well, I kinda ran out of things to clean and organize so I started to craft!  One of my crafts that I just had to make was some sort of wreath to welcome our little bundle of joy into our family.

This wreath is super easy and very quick to make.  I just cut out a circle from a piece of cardboard that we were going to throw out.  I'm sure it was from an amazon box because we're kinda obsessed over here. Then, I clipped the pins onto the cardboard!  Still with me, here? Pretty complicated, huh? :)

[Scrap Lumber] Daddy Countdown

AH!  We've all been soaking in every spare moment we've had to spend time with the guy who lives here with the kids and I... you know, my husband!!  He's home from another deployment and we couldn't be more excited.  We are so beyond fortunate that his deployments are really short compared to so many other people serving overseas.  There are so many families that count down months instead of days until their loved one returns.  Bryan was gone 38 days this time around.  I'm not sure how long that feels for an (almost) 4 year old and an (almost) 2 year old... but I do know that our little lady loved being able to countdown until daddy's return!

Oh man! Does this countdown look familiar?  Eek... I've been caught.  It's actually the same exact countdown I have been using for our countdown until baby #3 arrives!  I just used the other side of the bottom block to make our daddy count down!  By the way, we're down to just 32 days until baby!

BlogLovin'

If you know me at all outside of the internet... you know, like in real life.  You'd know I don't dabble with social media... at all (unless Pinterest counts!!).  This blog has forced my hand a little to try to be more "involved".  I can't say I enjoy it, but I think it's really important for making sure the people who like to follow your blog are able to easily see when you make a new post!  I recently discovered BlogLovin' and it's a great tool to read all of the blogs you would normally read anyway all in one place!

I joined, people!  So now, you can follow Nearly Handmade on BlogLovin'!  If you have a blog, I'd highly recommend joining!  (It's free) and a great way to stay connected to your readers and to other blogs!

Janice

Mr. Man's Big Boy Room [ideas]

Our youngest needs to move out of the nursery.  And soon!  Although, in reality... Baby #3 would never know it spent the first several weeks without having an official room.  So, while I'm anxious to get his room started (& finished), I know everything will fall into place eventually.

Since my husband is a very visual person, I'm hoping that by putting all of my ideas in one spot, it will help him see what I'm envisioning for his big boy room!

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Truthfully, this kinda looks like a hodgepodge mess... But it looks so beautiful in my head.  I'd like for there to be planes, trains, and cars "tastefully" incorporated without being run over by them as soon as you enter the room.

I'm also really loving the industrial shelving & beds!  My husband and I really enjoy building things but have never ventured into the world of furniture made out of pipes!

The last thing I'll mention here is the dresser (#3 above).  It's actually sold as a piece for your kitchen from Ikea.  Surprisingly, it is so much more sturdy than any dressers they sell and the drawers are nice and roomy!  I really like the natural color of the wood, but it would be so easy to stain it darker or even paint it a bold color!  Unfortunately, my mom and I were just there and I chickened out... I've been kicking myself ever since.  Looks like another Ikea trip may just have to happen!

To see more of what tickles my fancy, check out this entire Pinterest Board I made for his room ideas.

Enjoy your weekend, friends!

Janice

[Scrap Lumber] Baby Countdown

Holy Smokes, Guys!!  49 Days until this baby's due date!  Well, by the time you're reading this, we're down to 46 days... is that possible?  Wait, let me count again... Oh, crap.  Well, it would be 46 days if I've ever made it to my due date (which I haven't)... 7 days early with our first kiddo & 10 days early with our second... Every pregnancy is different, though.  Maybe this one will decide to stay longer and give me an extra week to prepare?!  Either way, NEXT MONTH we'll add a third little mouth to feed to our family and we couldn't be more excited!!

Edging the Garden: A Necessary Evil

Edging the Garden: A necessary evil?  Uh, no... Let me rephrase this... completely unnecessary.  But evil, for sure!  However, it's definitely beautiful if you have the time & energy to tackle this kind of project.

For the last couple years, I've been eyeing my next door neighbor's edging. It's something I notice and admire every single time I'm outside.  Is that weird?  Yes... I think so, too.  (I know many of my neighbors have beautiful edging... I'm just forced to look at theirs, next door, all the time.)

Turns out, this was a very good example of why I love blogging.  2 days into this project or about 5 hours, I was really beginning to wonder why I was doing this and if it was worth it.  Seriously.  Am I wasting my time?  This can't be making that big of a difference!  

My Desperate Plea: Blogger Comment Advice Needed

*Update:  I'm beyond thankful for all of the suggestions I received from so many of you!  I think after looking at the options, my best course of action for now will be to reply directly through email to comments.  I will reply through my comment form only if it's a comment that doesn't need a specific answer or if the commenter is not attached to an email address.  As always, feel free to email me directly, as well.  If you're interested in a couple of good blogs that cover this topic a little more in-depth, feel free to check out The Blogger Tutor and Threading My Way.  

If you're a regular around this blog, you may have noticed a little bit of confusion on my part lately.

I've been slowly working to tidy up the place a little by making fancier tabs to organize the projects.  This will hopefully make it easier for you to find projects that were posted in the past.

I feel like this transition went pretty smoothly.



I even, finally, got onto the Google+ boat!  That link will take you to my Google+ page!  Or, you can find it over with my new, fancy social media buttons on the right side, there. I also feel like that jump went really well.  I'm having a lot of fun with Google+.  It seems to be way more "blogger friendly" than my FaceBook page.  Although, I'm still not sure the most efficient way to share other's posts with Google+...

So, where's all the confusion?  Oy!  It's the comments!!

I have gone from the usual "Blogger" setup for comments: It works well, I like that I can get an email update each time someone leaves a comment.  The problem is, when I reply to that comment on my blog, unless they check back to read it, they'll never see it!  Boo....

So, I noticed there was a quick and easy click of the mouse to switch my comments over to Google+. This seemed amazing until I received an email from a lovely reader explaining that she couldn't leave a comment because she hadn't set up her Google+, yet.  Sigh... She's not the only one!  I mean, I JUST signed up myself.  I definitely don't want make it so someone who wants to get in touch, can't!

I think at this point I went back to regular blogger comments, again.

Then, I realized I was getting these awesome emails from bloggers who I had left comments with.  They were using a plug-in called Disqus!  So I installed this plug-in and I felt satisfied with it... except all of my comments were appearing in my inbox as if I left them myself.  That was frustrating.  But at least it still looked okay on the blog... Then, I found out that it was too much of a process to be able to leave a comment.  People saw the Disqus plug-in and they'd rather not deal with it.  I don't blame them!  Time is precious!  Oh, and now that I've deleted Disqus... It looks like I'm leaving myself comments! hahah ohhh the joy of blogging.

So I've deleted that and I'm back to the regular blogger comments, again.  I don't want to appear as a "no-reply blogger" because I really do appreciate each and every comment that is left and I do respond.  But why would you go back to a post you've already read just to see if I've responded...?  Sigh...

I need help!  What do you use for a comment form?  Are you happy with it?  Are you able to sufficiently interact with your readers?  I've googled and googled and I need to rely on those who really know!!  (That's you!)

Thank you so much in advance!
Janice

[B] is for Bloom: Scrap Lumber Flower Vases

We have a TON of scrap wood laying around from framing out our basement.  Like my dad says, "We're busy making little pieces out of big pieces."  Those little pieces won't all go to waste.  I have a few project ideas up my sleeves and even the hubby has one that he's itching to complete!

The first project that I was so excited to make were these wooden flower vases using test tubes!  Let me show you how to make them:

Snickerdoodle Sunday Link-Up Party

Good Sunday Evening, everyone!  I have some exciting news to share with you!  I was asked by the fabulous ladies over at 2 Crochet Hooks to co-host a link-up party with them!  So, if you're a blogger, be sure to share your best projects & if you're not... no worries!  You'll have a bunch of inspiration to click through at the bottom of this post!  Not only did they ask me to co-host, they are featuring me!  Sheesh!  I really am blushing! Enough of my babbling... let's let them babble and get on to the party:

Welcome everyone to Snickerdoodle Sunday!! We are so glad you made it and brought your fab posts to share :)  You may have noticed we posted this a day later than usual. Starting this week we are running Snickerdoodle from 8pm ET Sunday to 8pm ET Tuesday.  We announced another change last week about how we were switching to one featured blogger. The plan is to showcase their blog, social media and a few of their latest and greatest posts. Kristina and I hope you will take the time to connect with this featured blogger as well as connect with those that have linked up to the party!  We will also give the featured blogger the option to co-host the next week's party and pick that weeks feature!

Our Featured Blogger & Co-host this week is: Janice from Nearly Handmade!

“I’m Janice from Nearly Handmade! I’m a stay at home momma of two with another little mouth to feed coming in June! I’m married to the most wonderful man in the world who puts up with my crazy ideas on how I want to make our home nearly handmade on a budget. I’m not afraid to pick up a saw, drill, or a paint roller to make my day dreams a reality and with a little help, I know you can do it, too!”

You can follow Janice here: Facebook, Pinterest, G+, Bloglovin'

Last week she linked up her So Simple Pinwheel Wreath

Liebster Award

Exciting news over here in blog land.  This little blog of mine has been nominated not once, but twice for the Liebster Award!  Ah, you have no idea what the Liebster Award is, do you?  (Neither did I!) It's an award given to new, up & coming blogs to help network with other newbies!  It really is quite an honor because it's now like I have a built in bloggy buddy!  And since I was put in charge of nominating 11 more for this award, I have a whole slew of bloggy buddies now!  Score!!

I'm so thankful to have gotten to know Ashley from 3 Little Greenwoods over the past 5 months since she contacted me for the first time back in October... blush... You have to remember, though, that basically right after I was nominated, I ended up taking a long, unannounced absence because I was plagued with morning sickness like nobody's business!  That's right, I'm blaming baby #3 on my procrastination!  Sorry, Ashley!  Hope you're a big believe in "better late than never", like I do!

So here are the rules:

11 Facts About Me:
1. I have a St. Patrick's Day Birthday...There's always a party!
2. I have jumped out of a perfectly good airplane.  On purpose.
3. I have run 3 full marathons with my husband. Each with a faster time than the last. I was pregnant for the last two we ran.
4. We planned our wedding in 6 weeks (3 of those weeks we spent on vacation at the beach together).
5. I'd rather hike up-hill than down-hill any day of the week.
6. My parents taught me how to drive a manual transmission and I taught my husband while we were dating.
7. I learned how to surf while in Waikiki, Hawaii.
8. I could nap all day and still sleep perfectly fine at night.
9. I could eat an entire bag of Salt & Vinegar chips and not feel guilty about it. (Okay... I feel guilty, but not enough to stop because they are SOO darn good!)
10. I rarely bake.  I'd much rather cook eat a meal.
11. I have played the piano since I was 3.  I hate playing in front of people.  Consequently, my kids and husband just started hearing me play for the first time recently.

Ombre Flower Pot Gift

My wonderful mom celebrated her "25th" birthday again last month. (I'm not allowed to say how many times she's turned 25, now.)  She really is young at heart.  I'm lucky to have a mom that's able to keep up with our two toddlers.  For her birthday, I made her an Ombre Flower Pot stuffed with a few goodies.  

Mom's aren't tough to buy for since you can just get them something you like! (I'm sure most mom's would say a year worth of house cleaning, meal cooking or lots and lots of diamonds are always on their list). However, this year I decided I wanted to make her a handmade gift.  I started with painting the terra cotta flower pot. I used a tube of acrylic purple paint that I had on hand and just added some darker purple and black to darken and white to lighten.  

"Baby Moon" Trip to Canada

Well, I'm officially in my third trimester.  Just before we hit that milestone, the hubs and I decided to take a "Baby Moon".  We kind of hate calling it that but, if it gives us an excuse to get away from our kiddos for a couple nights, we'll take it!  (A million thanks to you, Gigi). We didn't go on any sort of baby moon before our first born for a few reasons.  Now, looking back, I'm so glad we didn't.  It's something that changes inside of you once you have a kiddo to look after.  Before that first one comes along, there's a long list of things you take for granted (as do most couples, I'd assume).

• Sleep
• Sleeping in... Staying up late... Sleeping uninterrupted...
• Flexibility
• Being about to spur-of-the-moment decide to do something or go somewhere
• Communication
• Simply being able to hold a conversation with each other is HUGE
• Privacy
• There's nobody banging down the bathroom door if you disappear for 15.5 seconds
• Clarity
• Just being able to think without someone tugging on your shirt and changing the subject to something completely unrelated

I know the list could go on and on... but, those were our favorite reasons to get away :)  Plus, after not seeing our babies for a few nights, their hugs and kisses are just so much sweeter.  After coming home to them completely refreshed, we were so happy to have them ruining all of our sleep, flexibility, communication, privacy and clarity.  Without a doubt.

So where'd we go?!  Niagara Falls, Canada! With a day trip to Toronto!

Our drive from Ohio to Canada started off with a little bit of a snow storm which made our drive a little slow, but the further North we headed, the better the weather turned out!  Since it was such a beautiful day, we were able to take advantage of our newfound flexibility and pulled off at a National Park that we had seen signs for on the highway.  We only spent 30 minutes there, but we were able to take a short walk to see a waterfall completely frozen over.  It was very beautiful but it was too chilly to really enjoy the scenery more than a few pictures worth.

We were fortunate enough to be able to stay in the Hilton by Niagara Falls which gave us a beautiful view of both the American and Horseshoe Falls from our room.

[So Simple] Pinwheel Wreath

We have been knee deep in framing out our basement to finish it so I've been a little preoccupied with measuring and cutting 2x4s while Bryan nails them into place.  We're in the final steps of that mess so we've been tackling the soffits.  If anybody has ever had the pleasure of building a soffit, you know that it's a pain in the rear!  However, that doesn't mean in any spare minute I have I'm not trying to get our home ready for Spring!

I was able to put this Pinwheel Wreath together in about 45 minutes with the help of my Silhouette Machine.  This project could easily be done with scissors though, instead.  

Hello Spring [Wall Art]

I have had these frames hanging in our dining room for a while and for a long time, they had a map of the United States split up into the 6 of them.  I was never really crazy about it, but I was too lazy preoccupied to find something better to do with the frames.  I have finally gotten around to updating everything and I gave it a little touch of Spring!

We live in Ohio... So, a couple of days ago, it was beautiful, sunny and in the 60s.  Today, there's still just a few snow flakes still on the ground from a recent snowfall.  I may have been a little too early with welcoming Spring, but I can't help it.  It's mid-March.  It's time! :)

Super Simple Green Mantle

I wanted to share with you my very simple Green Mantle with you today, but first:

Today is my mom's "25th" birthday... again.  I've lost track of how many times she has turned 25 but I'm now officially 3 years older than my mother.  It kinda sounds like one of those brain teasers... but really, my mom is still young at heart.   

A Simple Improvement For Any Closet

Everybody has a space in their house that could use a little organization.  In my case, there are several... in fact, I think every single closet has become a dumping ground this winter.  I decided to tackle one of our closets.

Several weeks ago, I attempted to organize this closet a little better by simply removing a dozen pairs of shoes.  Some got thrown away because they were so worn, they would never get any use again.  Others, made their way upstairs since they were out of season and wouldn't be used with the snow on the ground anyway.  The shoes stayed neat and lined up for about 14 hours...

Our Baby News & A Baby Card!

Have you ever missed a large chunk of school?  Then, when it's time to go back to school, it's terrifying because of how much time you've missed?  How many assignments that may have gone by... or maybe it's just easier to crawl in bed and pretend it'll all just go away.

I'm so ashamed to say, that I've had this feeling about blogging lately.  I have officially taken the longest unannounced, unofficial vacation in blogging history.  That might be a tad dramatic... but it has been quite the process to just sit back down at the computer again to type out these few sentences.

So, hello!  I'm here! Remember me?

Why the long absence, though?  

Simple Chest Freezer Organizational Board

Today I'm posting with an amazing group of ladies who #1) love their Silhouette Machine and #2) Just want to get organized this month!  So be sure to check out some of the other projects!  They are ALL pin worthy!

We have a chest freezer to keep all of our bulk items that we go through often.  The problem with chest freezers, is things tend to go into a far off land and forgotten about in there unless you know for sure what's in there and what you need.

We Like This Freezer

I've made several written lists and tried keeping it in the kitchen where I could update it each time I took something out.  This worked okay for about the first week until my helpful husband would take a large batch of items out with out me knowing or without marking the list.  He can't be all to blame, either.  I was just as guilty.  I was especially guilty of misplacing, throwing away, or hiding that list out of view.

My solution?  A huge dry erase board that would be located right on top of the freezer door.  Using command strips, I was able to attach the board to the freezer semi-permanently.  Now, out of sight, out of mind is no longer an acceptable excuse!

I made the grids using fine tip permanent markers.  Then, used my amazing Silhouette machine to cut out the letters.  I used just a classic black vinyl for the contents and a silver vinyl for the titles of each category.  The best part is, if we ever stop buying an item, I can easily peel off the letters to make room for something else.  I also left some extra spaces at the far left to be able to write in items (with a dry erase marker) that we don't typically keep, but happen to have in the freezer at the time.  I used a fine tip dry erase marker to easily write in the numbers as well as easily wipe them off in a hurry.

Have you been using January to get organized once in and for all?  I have a confession to make... this is the only thing I've done to become a little more organized.  But I'll tell you all about that big announcement later ;)  Can you guess would it could be?  I've taken a pretty long blogging vacation ;) 

Want to see a blast from the past (or this summer?) Check it out:

Garage Car Maintenance Board

Well, please visit my dear friends and see what sort of organizing they have been up to!  (They have far more energy than I do, that's for sure!!)  Be sure to hop around and leave some blogging love comments!

Until next time,

Janice

DIY Window Shutter Mail Organizer by Weekend Craft

Kids' Art Wall by Tried & True

Organizing Silhouette and Craft Supplies by The Happier Homemaker

Simple Recipe Organization by It's Always Craft Time

Put a Label on it! Herb Names for Plant Stakes by Get Silvered

Super Simple Linen Closet Labels by Two Purple Couches

Beware of the Animals Vinyl Toy Box by A Tossed Salad Life

Child desk accessories by Architecture of a Mom

Organizing & the Important of Labels by The Turquoise Home

Index Card Organizer for Easier Meal Planning by Chicken Scratch NY

Create Craft Room Labels by Dragonfly & Lilypads

Simple Storage Solution for your Christmas Ornaments by Vintage News Junkie

Organize this: DIY Planner Covers, Tags & Dividers (made with Cereal Boxes) by Black and White Obsession

How to Make a Cut File into a Print & Cut by Create & Babble

Simple Chest Freezer Organizational Board by Nearly Handmade

Vinyl Your Kitchen Canisters! by From Wine to Whine

Nursery Closet Dividers & Silhouette Cut File by Creative Ramblings

Make Custom Box Templates with a Silhouette for Drawer Organization by One Dog Woof

Organizing the Craft Room by What's Next Ma

Vinyl Wall Calendar by Crafts Cakes and Cats

Personalized Toy Storage Bins by Lil' Mrs. Tori

Personalized Routine Chart by Work in Progress

Blog Planner Sheet Dividers + Free Cut Files by TitiCrafty by Camila

Simple Project Calendar by Little Blue's Room

Dry Erase Photo Frame Menu Board + Free Cut File by Essentially Eclectic

Receipt Organization with Free Cut File by The Thinking Closet

Cute and Easy Labels by Life After Laundry

"What's For Dinner?" Menu Planning Board by unOriginal Mom

Mixing Organization and Function: An Easy Conversion Chart by My Paper Craze

Why do my cookies taste so bad? A lesson in baking. by The Life and Times of a TAP

Custom Drawer Dividers by Please Excuse My Craftermath...

The evolution of my labeling system by feto soap

Ikea Drawer labels by McCall Manor

Glass Etched Vinegar  & Oil bottles by Terri Johnson Creates

Organize It: Bathroom Closet by The House on Hillbrook

Ombre Butterfly Magnet Board by Sowdering About