word to the wise

be careful where you step. that's about all i can say. except. oww. oww. owwwwww. oww. oww.

my story......meet devin

a short intro about yourself….


My name is Devin Prather. I will be 25 this year in June. I come from a very supportive family that has always told me to follow my dreams and I am doing just that. I am married to my High school Sweetheart, my soul mate and the love of my life . We have been together for 9 years but have been Married for 4 years in April . My Husband is so supportive and loves helping me create and come up with new themes and ideas for my shop.
My husband and I are in the process of trying to adopt our first child.

We have an awesome dog named Lovie who is 6 years old.

What kind of house do you live in? 
We live is cozy ranch style house in a small town. I've got my own working studio in the house now after a couple of years in our out building.

Do you like to spend time on decorating your home and the children’s rooms?
I love Decorating our house. I am currently working on a room for our future little one

Where do you look for interior inspiration, favorite magazines, websites, blogs?
I get a lot of inspiration from magazines but mostly etsy and seeing the creativity that floats around there.

What places in your neighborhood do you like to go to for shopping?
I love shopping everywhere and for everything . I probably visit Hobby Lobby for supplies at least 3 times a week.

How did you get started as a crafter?
I have been crafting all my life .When I was little I always remember my mom crafting . She would always let us help her work on what she was doing. If we would have an idea on a craft project she would be very supportive and teach us how to make the item. She always had little craft projects for us to do. Now, I returned the favor and helped her open an ETSY shop.

How did your hobby become a business?
It started with a greeting card. I started making greeting cards for friends and family and it took off. Someone asked me about party supplies and that was it. My inspiration was the parties my Mom used to plan for me as a little girl. My husband helped me create my business and was supportive in me leaving my job and going for it. It couldn't have worked out better.

 Are you a crafter or DIY person? Crafter

How do you like to celebrate birthdays and other special days in your house?
I love having birthday bbqs and making decorations for the event. It's always a small family gathering but it has to be fun and theme has to go with that person's personality


What are favorite games in your home?
My husband and I love playing Disney scene it , clue, skipbo and any board games we use to play as kids


What are nice activities you can do with your family in your place ? My husband and I love taking days trips to local Restaurants like the ones you see on Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives. We love trying new things and going to new places. We have found some really awesome spots .


What is your Favorite Movie? I have tons of Favorite movies. I love 80's Brat pack Movies like The Breakfast club , Pretty in Pink but I love Disney and Pixar movies. My Favorite movie from childhood and still is....... The Little Mermaid.


How do they prefer to spend their leisure time?
I love taking walks with my husband and being out side when the weather is nice. I love reading , painting and drawing in my spare time.

What was your favorite thing to do as a kid?
When I was kid my sister and I were always out side riding bikes , drawing with side walk chalk, having tea parties, Camping out in the backyard and Playing dress up


What do you do to refresh?
To refresh and relax I spend time with my family and make new memories


Are you a ‘cook’ or ‘food’ lover or are you the one answering the question “carry-out or delivery”?
I am a Food lover. I especially like to bake. I leave the big meals to my husband who loves to cook a large meal for the two of us.


What kind of place do you like to go to on vacation with and or without the children?
I am a Disney girl at heart. Disney World is definitely my Happy place. My husband and I went to Disney for our Honey moon and I can't wait to take our kids someday. Hopefully soon.


Where is the one place you would like to visit—vacation, tourist trap, off the beaten path—in the future? I would love to go to Paris and to see all the beautiful buildings , art museums and Try different kind of foods.

you can follow my blog at www.ExpressionsByDevin.Blogspot.com

my etsy address is DevinPrather.ETSY.com

you can also fan my shop on facebook @ www.facebook.com/expressionsbydevin

10 things i ((love)) sunday

gimme some sugar, baby!

it is soon to be easter!! gotta love reese's peanut butter eggs and rainbow jelly beans and the little gum that comes in a tiny egg carton.....do you remember those? here are some of my favorite easter basket finds mostly of the noncandy type because, well, that would be too easy to pick favorites or too hard to narrow down the choices.

1. things in stuff catapult how much fun would you have in your yard with this?
2. imagination kids bunny family
3. ahmelie vintage sweetness handbag clutch
4. bit of whimsy prims doll dress pattern clothes for the kids?? not so cool to the littles always but for baby. cool.
5. mahalo wolf mask we are all about pretend play here
6. while searching for a picture of reese's, i came accross this recipe...reese's peanut butter bars. yum! go check out designs by gollum's blog.
7. stay awake princess and her knight finger puppets
8. lilian eve designs sweet nella hair bow
9. those great house women i spy stegosaurus bag quiet way to keep busy
10. dreamspun kids extra large playsilks

books also top my list of things to add to the basket and silly putty or playdough. what kind of ideas do you have?

and, don't forget to add a few of these!!! i am bound to find a few hidden by the rabbit.

happy st. patty's day.

those sneaky little leprechauns were all over the place today. they left quite a mess in ava's room looking for gold and they left a note on her pillow.

 we followed the treasure clues down the stairs where we found a trail of marshmallows. what a mouth full.

they sent us on quite a journey. here, there and everywhere. until.....ta da! gold! ava really enjoyed this. i am thinking we should do a few more treasure hunts. my two have really gotten into the whole pretend stage and love to act out any and every scene or what if.
to get the printable for the treasure hunt go to momtastic. i added a few clues just to make it a little more challenging because our shoes and mittens are stashed in the same place.

enjoy.

3.14 day

a little late on this post and a little out of season but, well there was some pie baking and eating to be done. no math in this house. and no worries. pie fixes everything. so have yourself a slice.

this is a favorite recipe and healthy:)....it contains pumpkins and nuts!! and sugar and goodness!

Mommy's Pumpkin Cheesecake Praline Pie

this recipe comes from Linda Hundt, owner of Sweetie-licious Bakery Cafe in DeWitt, Michigan. I clipped it from a newspaper article.

1 9-inch deep-dish pie crust, frozen

Praline Pecans
3/4 cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 tablespoon brown sugar


Filling
1 (8-ounce) package cream chheese, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 1/4 cups canned pure pumpkin
1 cup half-and-half
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 eggs, slightly beaten
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon finely grated orange rind
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Grated nutmeg

To prepare pecans: place pecans, butter and brown sugar in a nonstick skillet. Cook over medium heat until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and scrape onto aluminum foil to cool.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

To prepare filling: combine cream cheese, 1/3 cup sugar and vanilla, mixing until well blended. Blend in 1 egg. Pour into pastry crust. Combine pumpkin, half-and-half, all-purpose flour, remaining sugar, 2 slightly beaten eggs, pumpkin pie spice, cloves, orange rind, salt and cinnamon. Carefully pour pumpkin mixture into a spiral pattern over cream cheese mixture. (Pumpkin mixture will sink to the bottom.)

Bake 1 hour or until almost set in middle. Let cool. Sprinkle Praline Pecans over top of pie. Dust with grated nutmeg.
Serves 8.

happy pie day. what is your favorite pie to bake and eat?

one mom's world...meet lisa siebert

my name is lisa marie siebert. i will be 45 this may. i am married for 22 years to a very supportive husband {paul} that is also a creative...this helps me move forward in my business!

we have 3 children born in 3 different states.
morgan is 20 in august...born in chicago, ill...goes to xavier university in cincinnati ohio.
erica is 17 in april...born in grand rapids, mi...is a junior at catholic central high school.
troy is 14 in april...born in san francisco, ca...will be in high school next year...yikes!

we live in a 100+ year old cape cod style home 2 blocks from reeds lake in east grand rapids, michigan...we located here for the walking community...restaurants, shops, library, yacht club + walking trails around the lake yet we are less than 10 minutes from downtown grand rapids.

grand rapids is a perfect city to raise a family...we also have a cottage on beaver island...makes for the perfect summer! i love shopping at small one-of-a-kind retailers local to my area. if i shop at a big name store it is j crew, urban outfitters, anthropology and i love t shirts from american apparel!

i am happily beyond where i thought i would be...i always figured i would work for someone else ‘when i grew up’! i have been a stay-at-home-mom since the birth of morgan doing ‘hobbies’

on the side along the way...my latest, repurposed fiber arts, loop loft started in 2008 + grew into a business in 2009...perfect timing because before i know it paul + i will be feathering an ‘empty nest’

i am blessed with a medium sized home...4 tiny bedrooms + 2 full baths...but the best part is that i am able to have my very own super awesome studio space above our detached garage...i can be in the middle of a huge order, leave the mess, shut the door and walk 30 feet to my clean {usually}home!

our catholic elementary school had the best art teacher, until she retired last year...she did the most amazing projects with the kids...she had specific projects for each grade so i have wonderful ceramic doves from each of my kids from the 5 grade that i affixed into shadow box frames from target.

when we lived in california almost 10 years ago i turned our garage into a play/art room for the kids. i draped yards + yards of bright pink cotton fabric on the walls, put down sisal area rugs, added a giant chalk board, easel, and lots of pretend and dress up boxes...i also carved out a tiny niche for myself so that we could all hang out together doing our thing...it was the best time ever! the side door to the garage entered our enclosed yard and you could enter the kitchen from the yard...they could get a snack + ride a cozy coupe + paint all in one contained area. we needed that because our family of 4 + a newborn baby lived in a 900 sq ft home at the time! our bedroom was so small that when i needed to add the crib it would not fit so we came up with the idea of buying a really nice radio flyer wagon with the wooden sides, had a custom mattress made and i made custom bumpers and bedding and viola...troy's first bed :)

i LOVE reading blogs...especially party related blogs more than fashion or home blogs. i LOVE making desserts...i made the ‘cupcakes in a jar’

diy: cupcakes in a jar

for valentines day and i just saw a recipe for ‘cake suckers on a stick’ that i am going to try next...you would think i still have toddlers :) i go all out for birthdays...we dont buy our kids things whenever they want them...we pretty much save the wants for birthdays + christmas. i also decorate and make a cake or fun dessert + we go to their favorite restaurant...i used to do ‘birthday dresses’ or ‘birthday t-shirts’ and crowns..those days are long gone!

LOOP LOFT
repurposed fiber arts with a bit of whimsy

a sampling of the blog roll she follows:)
[ simple song ]
100 layer cake
hip hip hooray
oh happy day
oh joy!
desserts for breakfast
poppytalk
Bright.Bazaar
Wiley Valentine

Loop Loft is part of the PoppyTalk Handmade Market all of March!

links to looploft.....
Poppytalk Handmade
looploft.etsy.com
looploft
Yellow Door Art Market

looploft Facebook

happy birthday, grampa!

birthdays are all around fun. the kids picked out presents for grampa including some candy and well as fun as it would be to have grampa open one piece after another of wrapped candy we decided to stash the candy inside a diaper box stuffed with paper. grampa played right along. he was pretty sure the diapers were the wrong size!! and that we truly wouldn't give him just paper!!

i am still recovering from the shopping experience and ALL the tape! when oh when did shopping become such a chore. going into a store just to pick up milk, i'd rather have daddy stop on the way home. forget about actually going somewhere with kids in tow to try on clothes. that's what the internet is for. although in some respects this backfires because i don't devote time to shopping and then i end up shopping late at night instead of during 'normal' business hours. so my days seem a little longer.

gramma decorated the cake. lots of wriggley wiggley worms got loose and had to be eaten!

happy birthday, grampa! there were not quite 65 candles on the cake but, there were 2 trick ones. you can guess that the kids were the ones blowing them out again and again. we asked them to please preserve their spit for other uses:)

dear grampa, these kids adore you. rest up because they have boundless energy and they can make you feel really young or really old very fast!

this guy is also dreaming of the day he can drive a real one. from early morning to late late he always seems to have a motor running, working hard just as you always do.

10 things i ((love)) sunday

march is a tricky month. there is always a lot going on. 5 immediate family members have birthdays to celebrate...including me!!! the weather is also warm, cool, blustery, snowy, rainy, sunny. a little bit of everything. today was gorgeous. lots of mud to find but, i am already dreaming of white sandy beaches to stroll on and refreshing drinks to sip on.

1. teardrop sterling silver pearl necklace by island shop grl
2. blowing bubbles by melon dot
3. dark blue and turquoise towel by turkish bath
4. pleated messanger bag by ikabags
5. ruffle tank dress by dyanhar
6. cities of europe bus scroll by transit design
7. elsa dress by marta klinker
8. it's a party by sweetpea baby
9. photo puzzle wedding guest book by custom dog bandanas
10. upcycled glass jar candle by bragging bags
11. bed and breakfast vinyl decal by expressive designs

i had to throw the last one in there. as queen for the day on my imaginary vacation, i would like for someone else to make breakfast and the bed. or....i could just stay in bed...ummm.

what are your favorite things when the weather turns warm?

cheesy sunday

i finally let the kids make their own pizzas. there was a lot of cheese eating and a lot of cheese everywhere. sunday is almost always pizza day (and, pancakes for lunch day) and the kids like plain cheese so these little english muffin pizzas were perfect for them. and having 3 cute little bums crowding one little chair is just too sweet. we finished the meal with strawberries and grapefruit slices and apple pie....very much out of season but, i had some frozen slices from the apples in the orchard still in the freezer. so yummy when it is still warm and served with a scoop of ice cream to cool it down. i am thinking of making another out of season pie for PI day.

anyone have plans for these holidays? there is always a reason to clebrate and a reason for cake or pie or ...

March Calendar

Music in our Schools Month

National Craft Month

National Women's History Month

3/1 Peace Corps' 50th Anniversary & National Pancake Day

3/2 Dr. Seuss Day

3/4 March Forth (Do Something Day)

3/6 Read an E-Book Week begins

3/7 National Procrastination Week begins (or maybe next week. . .)

3/8 Mardi Gras and International Women's Day

3/13 Daylight Savings Begins

3/14 Pi Day

3/17 St. Patrick's Day

3/18 Forgive Mom and Dad Day

3/21 American Chocolate Week begins

3/26 Make Up Your Own Holiday Day

3/29 National Mom & Pop Business Owner's Day

just another manic friday...

it is friday. i am beat. but, weekends around here do not mean days off and relaxation. hmmmm.... i think that will have to change once the kids are in school full time because seriously, who can stand being on the go everyday all the time.  around here, it seems as if we do just keep going and going because daddy works weekends and then his days off are days that we plan appointments and pick up on the other things that we have been slacking on...i.e. laundry. 

isn't it crazy fun to climb mounds of snow.

we also feed our feathered friends a tasty treat that ava made at school. we picked pinecones just for this project ages ago....glad her teacher got around to it first. izzy, our dog, was desperate for a taste!

hudson shopped around the yard. he had some great finds!

we also went to an actual store to shop for uncle's birthday. i swear it took that boy less than 2 seconds to climb in with the balls. shopping with the 2 is always an adventure especially the grocery store. it is an amusement park to them. i will have to share photos of that soon.

note to self. my man is cute in a suit and tie but, all this laundry and ironing must go!!!

surprise!! just as the sun ends its day in the sky, 40 of these littles come out to eat. so amazing and kind of humbling.
 
hope you had a great end to your week.

the teacher in me...a semi-tutorial

 not the greatest looking thing, right? but, just watch.

 a little spray paint.....

a little more paint.....

 4 days of waiting....and waaahhh laaaaa! a really big chalkboard for cheap!

the board was free. uncle had a glass package delivered in it (score!) and the paint around $10. that girl is totally me. i can already see the teacher in her. i have some leftover paint so i am thinking of typing off a square on the wall and outlining it with molding or even making a row of house shapes ......what do you think?