The Mysterious Benedict Society--Book Review

I decided to make a grading system for the books I review.  Let me know what you think :)  I might change it around a little, but for right now I will see how it works.

   As a substitute teacher it is fun to be in different classrooms and see what kids are reading.  I happened to be in the same classroom 3 times while the read aloud book was The Mysterious Benedict Society.  I couldn't wait to read what happened next!  I knew that I had to read the whole book for myself.   I am not sure what the reading level  is for the book, but the teacher read this book to a 5th grade class.  I think it would be great for a 6th or 7th grader to read on their own.
   In the book, there are 4 kids who become a team of spies that  infiltrate a school to stop a principal from trying to rule the world by sending hidden messages to people through tv and radio.  They need to find out how he is doing it and stop him before time runs out.  Along the way the kids have to learn to trust each other and work together as a team even when working alone sounds so much easier.
   The book has humor and suspense and is an all around great read.  It definitely gets five stars.

If you like the book, I heard that it is the first in a series.

Lime Green Zippered Clutch

    I made this clutch as a gift for someone graduating from high school this week.  I thought it would be perfect for an ID, cell phone, keys, and some money while roaming around campus, to throw in a backpack on the way to class, or for a night out. :) The recipient said her favorite colors are lime green and aqua so I thought this was the perfect fabric for a little purse!  (the aqua looks very blue on my screen, but it really isn't)

This was my first time sewing something with a zipper so I was a little bit nervous.  I checked out these 2 zipper tutorials:  Make it and love it and See Kate Sew  Both have great instructions!

Here is the finished product:

And a view of the inside with a cute little pocket for a license or credit card.

Congrats S. on graduating from high school!   Woohoo!

Linking up to these parties:
Someday Crafts
Sew Much Ado
Sugar and Dots
Tatertots and Jello
I {heart} Naptime
Spunky Junky

My First Silhouette Project

    After pulling my Silhouette out of the box I had to wait to use it because I had real work to get done.  I finally got to play around with the machine a bit and here are my first thoughts about it.  First of all I LOVE IT!  I can't wait to try out all sorts of things with it.  With that said, I think that in order to like the machine you have to like to try things out and work to figure things out.   I found the tutorials and instructions from Silhouette average to poor (I really wish they would work to improve them).  Thankfully other kind people have posted tips, tricks, and tutorials.   For example, to use the t-shirt vinyl you needed to flip the image backwards.  It clearly said this needed to be done, just not HOW to do it.  I searched the program for a button or something, but couldn't figure it out.   I had to search online to find out how.

So here is my first creation with the Silhouette:

For those that aren't into geography, that is a picture of the state of California :)

The Silhouette store sells the states, but I used a graphic that I already had. I would love to give credit, but don't remember where I got it from.   I like the little heart near the city I live in.  The font is off my computer and called Aharoni.

I linked to these parties:

House of Hepworths

Tatertots and Jello

Delicate Construction

Under the Table and Dreaming

My New Best Friend aka the Silhouette SD

I have been working on a lot of different stuff lately and have a few graduation gifts I am making, but can't share yet. In the meantime, I wanted to come share my exciting news...


Look what came to my door today!!!

Remember my excitement about the Silhouette from this post?  I can't wait to start using this great machine.  I have a whole list of projects to try out.

Beaded Necklace

I think I have said this before, but I am a little bit of an eclectic crafter.  I sew a bit, stamp some, make cards and scrapbook pages, paint things, I have tried quilting...and my newest crafty thing is jewelry making.  I really started back in November, but I am pretty sure I haven't shared any of the jewelry I have made here on my blog yet.  My favorite is a red and cream necklace...the first piece I ever made, but I will have to show that one in a different post.  Today I am going to show you just a simple necklace that I made this week.

My mom gave me the medallion (is that the right word?) for this.  Isn't it cute?! It is a little bit larger than I am used to so I wanted just a simple chain to go with it.  I used brown seed beads and strung them on jewelry wire.  At the top is the clasp and a crimp bead on each side to keep the beads from falling off.

Simple and inexpensive!

Linked up at these parties:
A Little Tipsy

Music Review--Robert Pierre

   If you know me, you probably know that I am a big fan of Christian music.  I am always interested in finding new Christian artists/bands so I was very excited for the recent opportunity to listen to 4 new songs from singer and songwriter, Robert Pierre.  Robert is an 18 year old senior in high school...he is actually graduating this week! 
   After listening to these songs many times over I would say I give them 2 thumbs up.  I really like the peppy beats of his music.  This would be great music to listen to in the car in traffic because it would make me smile and keep me awake :).   I also really like the message in these songs.  They aren't shallow, they have a deepness to them that I am shocked comes from a high schooler!  In one song it says, "Any desperate day, one word I can pray, all I know to say JESUS.  Screaming from my soul, I am giving up control, the only hope I know JESUS"  Love that.
   This 4 song sneak peak isn't just for me though, you can listen too!  Click on this link https://www.noisetrade.com/robertpierre  When you get there click the Robert Pierre EP image to open the
online player.  If you like the songs you can actually download them onto your computer or ipod for free by entering your e-mail address and zip code.  I was going to share which on is my favorite, but I can't decide between "Jesus" and "Identity."  So go check them out and tell me which one you like better. :)
   And if you are interested in seeing what Robert is like in real life check out his facebook page http://www.facebook.com/RobertPierreMusic or this rad video of him and his friends doing trick basketball shots (I just have to say that I want a backyard like that!) http://www.youtube.com/robertpierre#p/u/0/Q-MH_2YVbLE

I did not get compensated for this review.  I got the same opportunity as my readers to listen to and download 4 songs.  All opinions are my own.