Happy New Year!

Taking a bit of a blog break until Monday, so we can enjoy these moments with family. Happy New Year, Bloggers! xo

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

The P5 would like to wish you all a safe, happy, healthy and prosperous New Year.

Happy New Year's Eve

From ABBA and I. :0)

Princess Cinderella with Romantic Moment Coloring Pages

Princess Cinderella with Romantic Moment Coloring Pages

Pink and dipped in hundreds and thousands

Just before getting injured, I was crazy busy at the deli. Functions here, fruit cakes there and one fabulous little party to cater cupcakes for. Jemma asked me to make some mini cupcakes for her little girl who loves pink and some adult cupcakes for the parents!


I jumped at the chance to use our Cupcake Wrapper Co wrappers and go wild with the pink. I want to share with you how cute

time out

I am taking a break from blogging for a while. Hope to be back sooner than later.

Cheers, Moi

(had to post this pic, chocolate all over your face is a sign of a good New Years) ;)

...to keep posted on the life of the Bartholomew clan you can go here .

Barbie with Beautiful Crown like Princess Coloring Pages

Barbie with Beautiful Crown like Princess Coloring Pages

The Third One's a Charm...

Three Dollar Store Crafts this week. A new record for me! And this one is also fun and affordable...go figure!
I got 6 of the tall glass candles at the Dollar Tree last week, along with one package of twine. I also picked up 2 plain glass candle holders, knowing that I had oversized tealights at home to use. I simply used hot glue and wrapped the twine around the glass, and that is IT. Could not be any more simple! The whole thing took about 2 hours for all six, and it cost me less than $10. I love the way the natural elements blended in with the glitter and glitz. I intend on keeping this tablescape up through January! I also added birch bark candle covers from Pottery Barn, rolled balls of yarn, and a few twig trees for good measure.

Enjoy your Thursday!

Musicians We Lost in 2010

Another Dollar Store Craft!

I know Christmas is over. But this one is too good to not share!

I got these gems at a local Dollar General store two days after Chrismas--so the set of 6 cost me a whopping $3 (because they were marked down to fifty cents each!) I love a bargain!

I covered each house with glue, and sprinkled them with the glitter that I thought would best match my decor. Now, I'll be the first one to tell you that I am not a fan of glitter. I like the shimmer--but I'm not a fan of having it on my skin. Drives me kind of bonkers. But I sacraficed myself and took a long hot shower after finishing these. So worth it, don't you think?

Go forth and create, people! :)

these never get old

I never get tired of seeing how people take old chairs with good "bones" and reupholster them. Here are a couple of the most recent transformations found on Design Sponge.

Below is a chair my husband's cousin's wife Melinda reupholstered. She did it all on her own with no classes or previous tutoring. I am seriously impressed! Looks great!

before & after

Santa Claus Coloring Page and Gift Sharing

Santa Claus Coloring Page and Gift Sharing

The Mum and the Chef - Strawberries

Strawberries are just screaming out summer and during the week with all this gorgeous food going into our bellies I don't think one more little dessert is going to hurt is it? Fellow food blogger Mish from Mish Delish and I have decided to join forces over the next month or so, and each devise a recipe with a seasonal fresh ingredient.


It will be a little like cook and the chef where Mish a

Scarves. Or Garlands?

I made a ton of these last week. Enough for one of our children's classrooms, and several as gifts. And I can't wait to make more...

Originally, I marketed these as scarves to our son's classroom as a craft (using school colors, so everyone would carry that school spirit with them, of course!) When my husband saw me with the finished product, he said, "Wow--neat garland!" Hello! Never occurred to me! So of course you know I had to go get more fleece and create a garland for a special friend who has the most beautiful snowman tree...

Start off at your local fabric store. Here in Ohio, I use Jo Ann's. No need for a coupon--fleece is 50% off this time of year! Gotta love that! Select 3 colors of fleece for your project--you'll need about half a yard of each for this project. (Note: The fleece I used was 54" in length. Your store might have options.)
Cut the fleece into 4" wide strips. I got fat quarters at Jo Ann's--and those were an additional half off--and it gave me enough to make five of these bad boys! I used scissors--but feel free to use a rotary cutter and mat if you have one.

Sandwich three of the fleece pieces together (one of each color)--and sew a straight seem up the middle. No need to be neat about this--just take my word for it. Next, start making half-inch cuts on both sides, being careful to NOT CUT THE SEAM. When you've made your half-inch cuts on both sides of the fabric, shake the scarf/garland, and this is what you'll have...

Now, a few items to mention. Don't use the tip of your scissors--especially when working with children--get that fleece in the scissor well so it will cut through all three pieces of the fabric at once. The possibilities here are endless! I think my Valentine tree will need one, no? And what about St. Patrick's Day? And of course, I didn't even touch on the possibilities with felt.

Like I said--the possibilities!! I hope you give it a try and enjoy the process!

ETA: Look for the fleece blankets that go on sale this time of year, and don't be afraid to use those for the class projects (I got 4 blankets for a dollar last year in our school colors of blue and gold--so I only had to purchase the white fleece...which made this project really affordable, too!)

Also, with the boys in the classroom--my second grade son said the same thing--and opted for a straight scarf with fringes only at the edges (so I sewed the blue and gold together, and then turned the fabric inside out. We tied the ends, and he cut fringes on those.) Out of 12 boys in the class, only TWO opted for the straight scarves. The rest wanted fringes (I was a bit surprised by that! I think the school colors thing won them over.) Hope that helps!
Oh, and one more thing while you're at the dollar store...the socks are also half off for the sock wreaths! :) Love the bargains!

random, but clever

My brother in law was tipped the other week in origami dollar bills.

So cool, Max begged me to take a picture

Max made this little man out of the pieces.

Snowman and Elmo Coloring Page for Christmas Day

Snowman and Elmo Coloring Page for Christmas Day

December 27 is ~ Make Cutout Snowflakes Day

I love snow. I love to sit at my front window, with a cup of hot chocolate, and watch the snowflakes fall. I love the way the snow flocks the pine trees in our neighbors yard, and there's something magical on a still night, when the blanket of freshly fallen snow on our front lawn sparkles in the glow of the streetlight. 

One day, a few winters ago, I went to pick up my kids from school. It was fairly early so I was the first mom there. There were no cars on the street. It was quiet and peaceful, and it was snowing. As I sat bundled up in my car waiting for the heater to finally warm up, I turned and looked at my window. I noticed that as each snowflake fell and lit on the cold window, it lingered there for a moment, just long enough for me to see each one's beautiful, intricate pattern, like tiny ice doilies dotting the window, and then each one would quickly melt into a drop of water. I was filled with such awe at the beauty of these tiny creations and I felt like I had been given a special gift that day.  

Today, why not sit down with some paper and scissors and create a winter wonderland for your home. Here at Snowflakes.info you'll find some nice, basic instructions on how to make a six sided snowflake. And here at PaperSnowflakes.com you'll find patterns that you can actually print out and cut out to make beautiful snowflakes. Following, there is a video that demonstrates one of the snowflake patterns from PaperSnowflakes.com. You can also go here and here to make virtual snowflakes. Let your creativity shine today and have lots of fun making cut out paper snowflakes!

Image: MarthaStewart.com

this is not goodbye

I have had the honor of being a part of the Work In Progress Design Team since August 2008. Month after month I got to design pages with those amazing kits and be a part of this dynamic team. Contributing to the blog and being a part of the team inspired me and helped me to grow as a designer. The best part of being on the team though was becoming good friends with Trish. She is truly remarkable. Caring, honest, creative and the most giving person I have ever had the privilege of calling friend. If you have met her, I am sure you would agree.

This past year has been a remarkable year for me. I have been given some incredible opportunities as a designer and as a result my plate has become too full. As my design career has grown, it has become necessary to lessen my responsibilities. With a heavy heart I decided to leave the WIP Design Team. Although I will not be contributing on a regular basis any more, I will still be stopping by the blog daily for inspiration and those amazing recipes.

Thank you Trish for having me on the team. Knowing you and working with your team has been a great adventure and I wish you the best of luck in 2011.

Thank you also dear blog readers for your loyalty and comments. Your interaction makes this blog a wonderful place to be.

Green Vegetable and Tuna Salad

I was feeling very lathargic and could feel that I needed some vegetables. It is always good to go green and so I went on a green theme for dinner!
Green Tuna Salad
Ingredients
1 bunch broccolini200g broad beans200g green beans
1 bunch asparagus2 tins tuna in oil2tbs mayonnaisesalt, pepper1/2 bunch parsleysqueeze lemon juicepoached egg (optional)
Method
1. Bring a bit pot of water to the boil.

Hello Kitty Presents and Santa Stockings Coloring Pages

Hello Kitty Presents and Santa Stockings Coloring Pages

Happy Kwanzaa!

Several years ago when I heard that Patti Labelle was coming to perform in Salt Lake City, I begged my husband to take me to her concert. He bought the tickets and I anxiously awaited the date to arrive. The night of the concert came, and when we walked into the concert hall we quickly realized that we were probably the only two white people in the entire place, until a black gentleman walked in late with his white girlfriend, at which time Ms. Labelle put him on the spot and jokingly razzed him about picking a white woman over a black woman. The concert was awesome, Patti Labelle was fabulous, the people in the audience were on their feet dancing and singing and having so much fun and we had a ball!

Now, when I first read about Kwanzaa and the Nguzo Saba, or seven principles of Kwanzaa, I thought: "Wow, this is a great holiday. Every family and community should strive to follow these seven principles. I wonder if anyone would care if this fluffy old white lady joined in the celebration." and then I continued to read that Kwanzaa was developed as a holiday exclusively for African American people to celebrate their African American heritage rather than "simply imitate the practice of the dominate society" and I thought: "Oh, darn! I can't horn in on that." But then I read that over the years things have become more relaxed, and even non-African Americans celebrate Kwanzaa. Oh yay!

I respect African American people, their culture, the struggles they have endured, and the strengths they have developed because of those struggles and I truly do not wish to steal their holiday. But what a wonderful world this would be if all people adopted the seven principles of Kwanzaa and strive to be better family members, better neighbors, better people. Happy Kwanzaa to all!

Even little red monsters celebrate Kwanzaa. :0)

Kwanzaa Begins

Kwanzaa is a week long celebration observed by African-American and Pan-African communities. It begins on December 26 and ends on January 1st. It is a celebration of family, community, and culture.

Kwanzaa was created in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga, professor of African Studies at California State University. It was created as a means to help African Americans reconnect with their African culture and historical heritage. It is based upon ancient African "first fruits of the harvest" celebrations and incorporates the strong work ethics, values and practices established within the African culture. The name Kwanzaa is derived from the Swahili phrase matunda ya kwanza, meaning first fruits of the harvest. 

Each of the seven days of Kwanzaa focuses on one of the seven principles (or values) of Kwanzaa as established by Dr. Karenga. These seven principles are:

1. Umoja (Unity): To strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, nation, and race.
2. Kujichagulia (Self-Determination): To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves, and speak for ourselves.
3. Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility): To build and maintain our community together and make our brothers' and sisters' problems our problems, and to solve them together.
4. Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics): To build and maintain our own stores, shops, and other businesses and to profit from them together.
5. Nia (Purpose): To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.
6. Kuumba (Creativity): To do as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and  beneficial than we inherited it.
7. Imani (Faith): To believe with all our heart in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders, and the righteousness and victory of our struggle. 

Kwanzaa decorations include seven specific items along with two supplemental items which hold symbolic meanings, they are:

• The Mat (Mkeka) - The foundation. Symbolic of tradition and history.
• The Crops (Mazao) - Symbolic of African harvest celebrations and the rewards of productive and collective labor.
• The Candle Holder (Kinara) - Symbolic of African American roots, their parent people - continental Africans.
• The Corn (Muhindi) - Symbolic of the children and the future which they embody.
• The Seven Candles (Mishumaa Saba) - Symbolic of Nguzo Saba, or the seven Kwanzaa principles. The black candle, placed in the center represents the first principle, Umoja (Unity). The three red candles represent the second, third, and fourth principles and are placed to the left of the black candle. The three green candles represent the fifth, sixth, and seventh principles and are placed to the right of the black candle. The black candle is lit on the first day of the celebration, and the remaining candles are lit afterwards from left to right on the following days. This procedure is to indicate that the people come first, then the struggle, and then the hope that comes from the struggle. 
• The Unity Cup (Kikombe cha Umoja) - Symbolic of the foundational principle and practice of unity which makes all else possible.
• The Gifts (Zawadi) - These are symbolic of the labor of love of parents and the commitments made and kept by the children.

The two supplemental symbols are:

• The Flag (Bendera) - The colors of the Kwanzaa flag are the colors of the Organization Us (an organization founded by Dr. Karenga), black, red, and green: black for the people, red for their struggle, and green for the future and hope that comes from their struggle.
• Poster of the Seven Principles (Nguzo Saba Poster).

Kwanzaa was originally created as an alternative to the Christmas holiday, but now, many African Americans choose to celebrate both Christmas and Kwanzaa.

Almost everything you need to know you'll learn from Sesame Street.


Sources: The Official Kwanzaa Website, Wikipedia
Image: Cultured Expressions.com

Christmas Coloring Sheets and Coloring Pages

Christmas Coloring Sheets and Coloring Pages

Coasting around

What do you do when friends invite you over for a Christmas Eve drink and you want to take a small gift for the lady of the house?

Whip up some coasters of course!

I got the basic idea from this talented lady and then added my own creative slant on them!

I made 6 per pack. 4 is just never enough for coasters and I made sure they were strong enough to be thrown in the bra bags and into the

The Amazing Screw-On Head

Plot
Screw-On Head worked for President Lincoln, who wants him to stop Emperor Zombie (undead occultist) and his goons (Dr. Snap & the vampire, Madam). The terror trio stole a manuscript that allows the owner to acess the temple of Gung. Gung was a warlord, who gained supernatural powers from a "melon-sized jewel". Screw-On (with of his manservant Mr. Groin and his dog, Mr. Dog) hunted down Zombie, but Zombie found the treasure of the temple: it wasn't a jewel, but "a small parallel universe" inside a turnip. So, Zombie freed the demigod inside, only to have SH defeated it in combat.
Characters

• Screw-On Head- He is a robot that is literally a screw head. His head can be removed and place into other bodies somewith superpowers. He is Lincoln's top agent in occult matters.


• Emperor Zombie- He is a highly intellgent zombie with a lust for power. He turned himself undead using forbidden knowledge.


• Mr. Groin- Screw-On's ninth manservant.


• Madam- Vampire lover of Emperor Zombie.

References:

The Wikipedia Page

Merry Christmas!

From me and my family, and on behalf of all the designers at Work in Progress Kits, we wish you the most memorable and joyous Christmas ever...

Table Runner

For Christmas I was sent a big pile of already cut, square shaped material. All different colours and patterns and some were Christmas themed. So I seperated them with the idea of making a table runner, ready for Christmas day.


So I knew the basic idea. Sew all the squares together in a 4x12 rectangle. But I got stuck on the quilting part. No book that I had showed how to do it

Merry Christmas To One and All!

Have a happy Christmas eve!




And a very merry Christmas!

Fear - Fuck Christmas

Fear's second single, "Fuck Christmas" was backed by "(Beep) Christmas". Neither track appeared on an album though the A side was added to their debut album, The Record, when it was re-released on CD. "(Beep) Christmas" is identical to "Fuck Christmas" but with censored profanity, done as a way to promote the single on radio.



Wikipedia: Fear

Video: Fear - Fuck Christmas - live - date unknown - youtube

Blogload: Fear - The Record - http://punknotprofit.blogspot.com

Christmas pictures

Are you the photographer for all the Christmas pictures?

I love taking the pictures and always try to come up with different ways to put all the kids together during Christmas. Sometimes we get them in a row, sometimes stacked in a pyramid. Whatever we do, it always makes it more fun for the kids, which makes them more cooperative!

last year my sister in law made them all scarves, so we got them together for this picture.

In my search for photo ideas I came across this site and this site with helpful tips on shooting everything at Christmas

Trying to squeeze it all in...

And enjoying every moment. Above, you'll see we hit Breakfast with Santa. And below, working on last minute Christmas gifts. Tutorial to follow next week...promise!

Here's to hoping you're better prepared than me...Cheers!

Happy Holidays!

I think this will be my last post until after the Holidays. Hope you all have a wonderful Christmas!

Much Love, The Bartholomews

Festivus ~December 23rd

Festivus is celebrated every year on December 23. However, one element of this holiday is that it can be celebrated on various days in December and even at various times throughout the year, according to the celebrant's discretion.

Festivus is a holiday that was introduced on an episode of the television sitcom "Seinfeld" on December 18, 1997 and over the years it has become increasingly more popular. In the episode "The Strike," Frank Castanza describes to Cosmo Kramer how and why he came up with the Festivus holiday several years earlier. Frank explains that during an encounter where he and another father were fighting over the last of a certain doll, upon which time Frank inflicted several blows upon the man, destroying the doll in the process, Frank decides he doesn't like the commercialism of Christmas and figures there must be a better way to celebrate the holidays. And thus Festivus was created.

Origins of Festivus
In reality, Festivus was created in 1966 by a writer named Dan O'Keefe. O'Keefe had read about a similar event in a book, made a few tweaks to the idea, and, after the named popped into his head, decided to call it Festivus. The original Festivus took place in February 1966, as a celebration of O'Keefe's first date with his future wife Deborah, but is now celebrated on December 23.

So how did Festivus turn up on the Seinfeld show? Well, Dan O'Keefe is the father of Daniel O'Keefe, a screenwriter for the Seinfeld show. The younger O'Keefe wrote the comical storyline into an episode of the show, adding a few new elements, and the rest is history.

Elements of Festivus (from festivusweb.com)

• Slogan ~ "A Festivus for the rest of us!"
• The Festivus Pole ~ The Costanza's tradition begins with an aluminum pole, which Frank praises for it's "very high strength-to-weight ratio". During Festivus, the unadorned Festivus pole is displayed. The pole was chosen apparently in opposition to the commercialization of highly decorated Christmas trees, because it is very "low-maintenance", and also because the holiday's patron, Frank Costanza, "find[s] tinsel distracting." (Don't we all?)  (The Festivus Pole was not part of the original observance, it was added for the Seinfeld show.)
• The Airing of Grievances ~ At the beginning of the Festivus dinner, each participant tells friends and family of all the instances where they disappointed him or her that year. As quoted from Frank Costanza: "I've got a lot of problems with you people, and now you're going to hear about it." (Go to kwillis.com to download a grievance worksheet.) 
• Festivus Dinner ~ In "The Strike," a celebratory dinner is shown on the evening of Festivus prior to the feats of strength. The on-air meal appeared to be meatloaf or spaghetti in a red sauce. The original holiday dinner at the O'Keefe household featured turkey or ham followed by a Pepperidge Farm cake decorated with M&M's.
• The Feats of Strength ~ After the dinner, the head of the family tests his or her strength against one participant of the head's choosing. Festivus is not considered over until the head of the family has been pinned to the ground. A participant is allowed to decline to attempt to pin the head of the family only if they have something better to do instead.
• Festivus Miracles ~ Another growing tradition, although not used by all celebrants of the holiday, is the phenomenon of the Festivus Miracle. (This is when fairly non-extraordinary coincidences are referred to as Festivus Miracles.)     

Although the Festivus celebration is based on creating a non-commercialized holiday, you can go to Festivuspoles.com to purchase an aluminum Festivus pole and the book Festivus, A Holiday For The Rest of Us by author Allen Salkin.



Sources: festivusweb.com, wikipedia.org

Rest In Peace Joe

On this date in 2002, Joe Strummer died suddenly in his home at Broomfield in Somerset, the victim of an undiagnosed congenital heart defect.

Wikipedia: Joe Strummer

Official Website: strummerville.com

"Strummerville is a registered charity that aims to create new opportunities for aspiring musicians.

Set up by the friends and family of Joe Strummer in the year after his death, the charity seeks to reflect Joe's unique contribution to the music world by offering support, resources and performance opportunities to artists who would not normally have access to them."

Blogload: Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros discography - yovengodelhoyo.blogspot.com

Blogload: The 101ers : Elgin Avenue Breakdown (1975) - urbanaspirines.blogspot.com

Blogload: The Clash - The Essential Clash (2003) - rockermusical.blogspot.com

Christmas Morning Love.

Do these look heavenly, or what?



And here's a great tutorial on how to make new ornaments look vintage. How COOL!

Almond Crunch Bar

I made these delicious treats a few years back & haven't made them since. Now that I have started working on my grocery list for Christmas weekend, I am eager to get started on these treats. They are so yum! Thanks for a former co-workers mother for sharing the recipe with me & now I will share with all the wonderful crafty friends of WIP :)

Almond Butter Crunch

Toffee ingredients

1 2/3 cup of sugar

2 sticks of butter

3 tbls of water

1 tbls of light corn syrup

.....

1 cup of silvered toasted almonds

1 8oz of milk chocolate (I used 1 1/2 bags of chocolate instead)

1 bag of sliced toasted almonds

.....

Combine all the toffee ingredients, stirring occasionally until mixture reaches 300 degrees (you will need a candy thermometer for this).

Remove from heat and quickly stir in one cup of silvered toasted almonds (as I am stirring the toffee mixture, I actually toast the almonds in the oven, I couldn't find any already toasted).

Spread mixture thinly on a cookie sheet. allow to cool, then melt the milk/dark chocolate and spread onto the cooled toffee. (I recommend using a long spatula when spreading. I found it easier to spread than using your normal type of spatula).

Sprinkle on sliced toasted almonds (again, I toasted these in the oven while melting the milk/dark chocolate). Allow it to cool/harden.

Flip it, then spread last layer of chocolate and sprinkle w/ sliced toasted almonds.

Once it is all cool, break it up into mini chocolate pieces. I actually cut mine up with a sharp knife. these make for great party treats or to give away. Happy Baking :)

my cookies arrived!

The cookies I won here at lovetheday arrived in the mail. They were delicious bite-sized cookies all beautifully decorated. They asked what cookies I would like and I told them to surprise me. Today we found a package on our back porch and inside were these darling shades of blue winter mitten cookies. Needless to say they are all gone and we loved every bite.

Thank you Clara's Cookies and lovetheday!

What Think Ye of Christ?

In the wee hours of the morning on Friday, December 17, 2010, the historic Provo Tabernacle, an LDS church house in Provo, Utah caught on fire and burned for more than a day before firefighters were able to put out the blaze. The structure was completely gutted by fire and everything was destroyed, but take a close look at the second picture:

Firefighters recovered a painting of Christ that was burned in the fire. The fire burned the entire painting except the image of Christ near the center. Amazing!

Photos by Scott G. Winterton from the Deseret News, accessed from KSL.com.