Feature Friday: All a Twitter...

So.

I finally jumped on the Twitter bandwagon.
And?
I'm clueless.
But I'm working on figuring it all out.
(#ihavenoideahowtousethesehashtagsforexample)
Got any fantastic suggestions or tips?
(#cluemein)
Come follow me and let me in on your little Twitter secrets!  I'd love to hear from you!
Click the button below to go to my Twitter page! (#orwhatevertheheckyoucallit!)

@Sarahndipities1

Things to Make: 5 Minute No Sew Fabric Pumpkins!

In case you missed it earlier this month, I guest posted over at Rhinestone Beagle with this quick and easy home decor project!  Thought I'd share it here for ya'll!

Materials Needed:
A large scrap of fabric...at least 12 inches An empty toilet paper tube A little batting Some jute Hot glue gun and glue Scissors A roll of toilet paper...yup, you read that right!

First off, Place a little batting around the toilet paper.  

Then center your roll of toilet paper on the square of fabric....and gather the fabric around the toilet paper...and tuck the ends of the fabric into the hole at the top of the roll.

Cut the empty roll in half, and squish it flat.  Then roll it up.

With a little dab of hot glue, attach the end of the jute to the empty roll.  

Continue winding jute around the empty roll until it is completely covered.  Look!  A stem!

Add a little hot glue to the end of the stem....and stick into the hole in the top of the pumpkin!
Lastly, squash the roll a little to round out the corners, and make it look more pumpkin shaped!
And there you go!!

After the fall holidays you can save on storage space by gently unwrapping the roll of toilet paper, and storing the folded up fabric in your holiday bin for next year!  As for the toilet paper, just put it in your kids' bathroom...they won't mind that it's kinda squashed...
Happy Halloween!!

Great Idea: The Parable of the Toys

In our home we read from the scriptures every morning before my children and hubby go off to school (my hubby teaches 5th grade).  This week we were reading in the Book of Mormon a parable in Jacob Chapter 5, referred to as "The Parable of the Olive Tree."  (You can learn more about that HERE.)
It's been great to be able to teach the kids about parables, and how to apply them to our own lives.  After our family scripture study we have a family prayer to start the morning off right.  I'd love to say that this is always super spiritual, and that things always go smoothly, but let's be honest.  I'm the mother of five kids under 10...and my husband teaches elementary school.  Nothing ever goes smoothly.  But we do it anyway, and I feel good about that, at least! As we were finishing up Jacob Chapter 5, I inevitably found some toys and dress-ups that hadn't been put away.  Again.  Oy.

the playroom

Because we'd just been discussing parables with the kids, i decided to put it work for us.   I gave the kids "The Parable of the Toys." Yes.  I made it up on the spot.  And you know what?  After I got done, not only were the kids laughing so hard there were tears running down their faces...they actually asked me to tell it again....and they cleaned up the toys! I'm not so sure laughter is what I was going for at that moment...but, hey, if I can make scripture reading fun...and get them to clean up their stuff...Why not? Here it is in all it's glory, "The Parable of the Toys."

"Therefore, let me write somewhat concerning the parable of the toys.  

Yea, it came to pass there lived in a pleasant valley a father and a mother and their children.

Yea, and the mother loved her children; and they brought her much joy, and she was well pleased with them.

And the children did have many toys, and they did go forth and did play much in the home, for that is what children do.

Yea, and as the night drew near the mother came unto them and spake unto them, saying,

“Oh, my children!  Thou dost bring me much gladness and joy!  Yea, and thou art good children, therefore, go ye throughout the house and gather all thy toys, and put them away herewith that ye may come and partake of thy dinner which I hath prepared for thee.”

And the children went forth, and as they began to gather to themselves the toys strewn about, the one saith to the others,

“Let us play a little longer, and our mother will not mind.”

And it came to pass that they didst continue to play, and did not gather their toys.

And their mother came unto them again saying,

“Wherefore art my children, that they have left their toys strewn about, and gathereth them not?  Wherefore, I hath prepared thy dinner and I say unto thee, unless thou shalt gather thy toys and putteth them away, thou shalt not have thy dinner.

“Yea and I also say unto thee, that if thy toys are not gathered, my wrath shalt be brought down against thee, and thy toys shalt be numbered, and great shall be the fall thereof.  Yea, and I say unto thee, if I must gather thy toys for thee, thou shalt have them no more.

“Therefore, go to and gather thy toys; and I shall stay thy dinner a little while longer.”

And it came to pass that the children went forth once more to gather their toys.  And as they began to put them away, they letteth a few fall by the wayside, and one saith to the others,

“Our mother will not mind that we let a few of the toys be left on the floor, therefore, let us hurry to dinner!”

And it came to pass the children came to dinner.

And their mother, seeing them draw nigh, saith unto them, “Oh, my children!  Hast thou done all that I have asked of thee, and hast thou gathered thy toys, that they cumber the ground no more?”

And the children saith unto her, “Yea.”

And their mother saith unto them, “Show me, my children, all that thou hast done.”

And the children began to tremble, for behold they had left some their toys by the wayside, and hadst not put them away.

And the Mother saw that all the toys had not been put away, and that some of the toys did lie on the floor still; and her wrath began to be kindled.

And it came to pass that the mother came unto them, and she spake unto them in a loud voice, saying,

“Oh my children!  Thou hath been untruthful, and thou hast not gathered thy toys, that they cumber the ground no more.  Therefore, said I, that if I must gather thy toys for thee, thou shalt have them no more.  Yea, and I will verily toss them aside into the pit of refuse, that they be not left to create stumbling blocks for thy father and myself.  Yea, and thou hast been warned against such things, but thou heedest not.  Therefore, I shall gather thy toys and they shall not be left upon my floor any longer.”

And the children cried out with much weeping, and wailing and gnashing of teeth; but the mother heeded not the plea’s of the children, and the toys which remained were swept aside, and were tossed into the pit of refuse, and their days upon the floor were numbered.

Therefore my children, when thy Mother calleth unto thee, and asketh that thou shalt gathereth thy toys up, see that ye doeth these things quickly that thy Mother’s wrath be not kindled against ye, and that thy toys may be long upon the land. "

Things to Make: Pumpkin Blocks Revisited!

Hey!

So I'm cheating a little this week on my "how-to."
During the holiday season I'll be revisiting some of my favorite projects from days gone by...rather than reinventing the wheel...
This week I'm featuring...
EASY 2X4 PUMPKINS

CLICK HERE to see all the details and instructions!!

Feature Friday: OneLoopShy Designs

I'm so pleased to introduce you to my newest sponsor, Janet, of OneLoopShy Designs!
Janet works for a yarn shop in Marietta, Georgia, called Lovin' Knit....(they also love crochet there, too!!)  She teaches classes there to beginning and advanced crocheters.  She's always had a knack for writing patterns for personal use, but has recently started writing patterns for others, too!
She has a sweet little collection of crochet patterns available on Ravelry HERE...
Like this fun cowl pattern...

Nine to Five Cowl

And this lovely shawl...

Aunt Jo's Prayer Shawl

Or...if you are not a member of Ravelry you can download many of her FREE patterns on her blog, One Loop Shy!
You can purchase her darling 13 Stitches Headband by clicking on her ad button in my Sponsors section to the right...or through Ravelry!

13 Stitches Headband

Be sure to go check out Janet's lovely designs!!

Great Idea: Vampire Yourself!

My sisters and I are weirdos.  Really.
We love to get together and dress up in costumes and take crazy pictures of each other. 
I give you exhibit A:

Me as the Delphic Sibyl on the Sistine chapel ceiling...really.  Here's a source pic for you to compare it to.

 And for exhibit B here's a couple from another photo shoot...these ones were based on our favorite fairy tales:

Me as Cinderella...

... and Prince Charming.  Yes.  That's really me.

So last year we decided it would be fun to dress up like vampires and take pictures of each other in the cemetary...'cause ya' know...that's just the natural progression of things, right?  Ahem.
I give you exhibit C: 
Here's a picture of me in all my Vampiric glory.  (This photo hasn't been messed with...but I am wearing colored contacts...my eyes are actually grey...)

But...
Here it is after playing around with the fun Vampire effects available on Picnik.com right now!

Cool. eh?
Her's what you have to do:
1.  Go to Picnik.com. 2.  Click "Get Started Now". 2.  Upload a picture of yourself. 3.  Using basic edits adjust the saturation, brightness, and crop your picture if desired. 4.  Using the Featured Effects do the following: a.  Draculan Dermis: use this tool to make your skin pale (and sorta sparkley...) b.  Vampire Eyes:  use this tool to change the color of your eyes (I used red obviously...) 5.  Go to the Effects tab and scroll down to the Focal B&W effect.  Move it around until it looks right to you! 6.  Click the Save & Share tab at the top to save your scary picture to your computer!!
Have fun with this!!

Pinterest Inspiration: Customizable Crochet Poncho

Hey, Everyone!
This week's 

was inspired by this...

Customizable Crochet Poncho

...found on my Things to Crochet Board. I loved the way this looked...so I thought I'd give it a try!   Following the pattern linked here, I created my own!

I used Red Heart Soft yarn in Leaf, and embellished with some cool repurposed branch button I had purchased on Etsy, here.  I  LOVE the color; and it has lovely drape.

It was really simple to work up...it's soft and warm...but not too bulky!  Perfect for Fall!  The only thing I would have changed was the width of the neck opening...I love it! What do you think?

EtsyMom Color Palette Challenge!

I'm a member of the EstyMom Team.  Right now they are hosting a COLOR PALETTE CHALLENGE!  A few weeks ago they issued a challenge to members of the team to create items in their shops that used colors from the current Pantone Fall 2011 Fashion Color Palette!

It was such a fun challenge!  I loved being able to use current colors to create something beautiful and unique to sell in my shop! Wanna see what I made? Here's my Crochet Granny Square Scarf!

What do you think?

I didn't know how I felt about using these colors together...but I love the way it turned out!  So fun and fresh, but still has a funky retro feel!  I really love the way this turned out!  It's soft and warm...It's cozy and retro...and soooo cute!!  I will definitely be making more of these!  Let me know if you want one in a custom color scheme!

You can purchase this item in my Sarahndipities Etsy Shop, HERE. Come take a look at all the other fabulous creations made by the team, and VOTE in the EtsyMom Team Color Palette Challenge! Click HERE to VOTE!!  Go check it out and remember to vote for your favorite items!!!

It's a Sign...

October is officially here, and Halloween is coming....

This was the foam floating in my daughter's Grape-Apple juice last night at dinner!
Seriously.
This photo has not been retouched.
Pretty awesome, huh?

Things to Make: Time Out Cowl ~ Maybe Matilda's CAL

Hey, Everybody! For the past couple of week's my bloggy-buddy, Rachel from Maybe Matilda, has been hosting a fantastic Crochet Along!  You may remember that I guest posted HERE about yarn selection tips! Well... I thought I'd share my finished creation for the event with all of you today!  

So soft and feminine...and versatile!  You can wear it long...wrapped around your neck twice...around your shoulders...even as a hood!  Check it out!

I love it!!  Definitely a pattern I'll use again!  You can find the pattern for Lion Brand's Time Out Cowl HERE for FREE!

You can purchase this cowl in my Sarahndipities Etsy Shop, here!

And...here's the best part!   The fun of the Crochet Along doesn't end here!!  Head over to Maybe Matilda to check out all the other wonderful creations...and vote for my creation if you feel like it!!  Happy Wednesday!!