The Magic of Ordinary Things

FEATURED... ONE YEAR LATER

2012-02-17T15:28:00.004-05:00

Remember this....

Who would have ever thought that a simple, no cost project that I did a year ago, would have such staying power.

A great website called AllFreeHolidayCrafts.com is Featuring it for the upcoming Holiday, this year. Please be sure to go check it out, along with all the other Great Ideas!!

"NUGGETS" OF LOVE

2012-02-17T14:52:00.004-05:00

After one of my MANY mini perusing trips to Pinterest, I came across a great little project for Valentine's Day, for my son's Preschool class.

Be sure to go to Gina's Blog to see the how to make these too cute little "Nuggets" of Love.

BURLAP & DENIM WREATH

2012-01-10T15:43:00.004-05:00

At the end of this month, we are moving. Luckily, it is to a home that is in our same neighborhood. So beginning the week between Christmas and New Year, we started the process. I love the fact that we can take things over in multiple little trips, rather than doing EVERYTHING all on the SAME day.

Anyway, the house we are moving into is a Log Cabin. You'll be seeing lots of pics, because I have TONS of projects planned (mostly all inspired from Pinterest). Before I started packing up all my craft supplies, I wanted to make a New Wreath for our New Front Door.

Here's what I came up with...

The wreath form was made using plumbing pipe insulation, and the denim is from a pair of jeans that originally, I was going to turn into a skirt, but when cutting the jeans apart, I didn't realize I was cutting the front and back at the same time - therefore, total screw up. WOW, that was quite the run-on sentence.

Anyway...

I cut little triangles and hot glued them to twine and added white vinyl letters.

The flowers are a combination of rosettes and poof.

I think it adds a little Rustic Charm to a Rustic type home.

I'm linking up here... be sure to go check out all the other great stuff linked up.

Tatertots & Jello

SOMETHING NEW...

2012-01-10T14:59:00.003-05:00

This blog, if you noticed, has changed a little. The reason being you ask... well, I also want to share with my followers my new passion - Portrait Photography. I've posted about it here and there over the last year, but in 2012, I am really going to make a go of it.

So please be sure to visit the tMoOT Photography page to see my first session of the year. It actually happened on New Year's Day.

And Thank You for following me.

Stay tuned for a wreath I made for our New Front Door.

Update 2.17.12... if you've noticed still further, the blog has changed... again. I wanted to share my new adventures in photography here, but the page just wasn't working like I wanted it to. Soooo... I started another blog - tMoOTPhotography.com. Please be sure to visit and see what I've been up to.

PINTEREST... OH HOW I LOVE THEE

2011-12-20T15:28:00.007-05:00

Last night, I was awakened at 3:00am by my oldest, who wanted something to drink. After helping him quench his thirst, I couldn't go back to sleep, soooo...

I got up and decided to do a little crafting. There were two projects that I had recently "Pinned" on Pinterest that I thought I would like to try to make. And since I already had all the supplies, they would be perfect for a little early morning creativity.

First was a Bird's Nest necklace.

The tutorial for this cute and super easy necklace is here.

Then I made a Poinsettia brooch.

The tutorial for this beautiful festive pin is found here. I did modify the design slightly. When she attached the petals to the backing she just laid them flat. I wanted there to be a little more dimension, so I pinched the one end of the petal before attaching.

After getting my creative juices flowing so nicely this morning, I thought I would also share some other things that I have made after being inspired by the Ever So Wonderful World of Pinterest.

Rosette & Ribbon Bracelet...

The tutorial for this fun, chunky piece of jewelry is here.

Here's a self-portrait of myself wearing one of these bracelets.

Pom-Pom Pendant... I made two of these as Christmas Gifts for my son's teachers.

The simple tutorial for this Way Cute necklace is here. I did do mine a little different than she did. I didn't use a charm. My pendant is actually a full sphere. I did two halves, each attached to a circle of felt, and then glued them together.

Trinket Holders... These are going to be found in my boy's stockings come this Sunday morning.

The tutorial for these adorable little trinket holders is here. I Love the carabiner's that I found with the little compass. They were less than $3 at Walmart. I found them in the Camping department.

Initial Gift Tags...

The inspiration for these simplistic tags came from here.

Pretzel Kisses... I made these this afternoon for my son's little Holiday party at school tomorrow.

The instructions for these little bites of yumminess is here.

and finally...

Coffee Filter Wreath...

I posted about this earlier, but to see how I used plumbing pipe insulation for the wreath form, go here. To keep my form from "kinking", I put a wire hanger inside the insulation.

Be sure to check out my Pinterest Boards and follow me if they interest you. I'm always pinning TONS of DIY projects... many many things to get YOUR Creative Juices flowing.

HILLBILLY WINEGLASSES

2011-12-12T17:44:00.006-05:00

It's that time of year again... my neighborhood Christmas Bunco Night. Every year, all of us ladies always have a little something to give to each other at the December Bunco. Last year, I was all about Yumminess (Salted Caramel Cupcakes in a Jar), but this year I wanted to go the Silly but Functional route. Through my adventures on Pinterest, I am currently all about making my own cake stands using a plate, a candlestick and the proper glue. So with those inspirations swirling around in my head, I thought I could use that same concept to create something for my friends. I had seen these on FB a while ago, and decided this is what I would make...

Hillbilly Wineglasses...

Mason Jar glued to a glass candlestick. How hilarious is that?

I already had the proper glue - E6000, so I was off to the Dollar Tree for the candlesticks, then to Walmart for the pint sized Ball Mason Jars.

After following some sound advice that I got from Linda at Craftaholics Anonymous and her Facebook followers, I set about making 12 of these.

Their advice included: 1). be sure jar and candlestick are clean and dry, 2). sanding the top of the candlestick seems to help with adhesion, and 3). a little bit of glue goes a long way.

It really was a very easy process. To complete the gifts, I made these cute little tags with the little mason jar using my Cricut. I added a few sweets, and I placed some Christmas colored paper in the lids.

I hope they all liked them. Normally, before we start playing for the evening, we all open our little goodies. But not this year. So I was a little disappointed to not be able to see their reactions. Hopefully they all got a good little chuckle.

I'm linking up here...

Tatertots & Jello Handmade Gifts

A LITTLE HOLIDAY CHANGE UP

2011-12-08T20:49:00.012-05:00

Last weekend, starting on Friday, I got everything out and decorated for Christmas. Friday mostly consisted of putting together our artificial tree, which went fairly quickly thanks to the assistance of my little helpers.

Since this is to be our last Christmas in this house (more on that later), I thought I would do a little more decorating than normal. Being that I have two small boys (4 & 2), I don't normally put a lot of things out on low lying flat surfaces. Being that our house is small, we don't actually have a whole lot of low lying flat surfaces.

The first place that I started was my Entry table. This is the only place, other than our mantle, that I decorated last year. The Snowman and J O Y artwork are returning favorites, but everything else is a little different from last year's display.

First up, the branches, which I originally used them in my Easter display. For Christmas, I kept it simple with small red bulbs.

Since these branches are right in front of our security panel, every time we would set the alarm, the branches would get knocked and the ornaments would slide around. To remedy this problem, I simply tied a little green ribbon around the hook and branch.

The table scape has two new pieces... the scrapbook paper Countdown blocks, and the Decorative Tray. I made the Countdown blocks last year, they just weren't originally displayed on this table.

I found this adorable little tray at Dollar General for $1, and added the popular "Elf" movie quote...

Then I decided I wanted to add a little something to our Entry mirror. Originally I was going to do some kind of holiday bunting, but then I went this route. And really, it still has the "bunting" feel.

Santa and his Sleigh...

Flying Reindeer with Rudolph leading the way.

Before we put our house on the market at the beginning of the year, these three little frames had pictures of our three boys. Then to "Stage" the house, I put little Fleur-di-Lis' in them. So for the holiday, they needed something "Jolly".

This was a Christmas Card that we got last year. I LOVED it, and saved it. This year, I put it in a frame - one of the frames I used in my Farmer's Market booth. It's actually plastic - I found it at Goodwill and spray painted it.

This was another Goodwill find. This cute little metal bucket was $1. I added the vinyl saying and fabric rosette, and it works perfect to collect all of the Holiday Cards we will get.

In our dining area of our Great Room, I have these three chunky display shelves. This is the first year I've added any holiday decor to them. On the top shelf, I wanted to display all of the Christmas Cards that I have made over the last five years.

Three of them are displayed via these beautiful bejeweled place card holders... again found at Goodwill for $.50 each.

The other two are displayed using something that inspired me on Pinterest.

A cute little easel made out of a fork. There is an Etsy shop that sells them using Sterling Silver. I'm sure these aren't Sterling Silver... they're $.25 forks from Goodwill.

The bottom shelf (which now, 6 days later, I know was a huge mistake - shiny bulbs and curious little fingers DO. NOT. MIX. I know you're all saying you could have told me so) I kept simple. Colorful bulbs in square glass vases, and little red paper trees in these cute IKEA frames - two I actually got at IKEA, the third at Goodwill. Amazingly I paid the same price at both places - $1.

Have y'all seen this great contact paper at the Dollar Tree? I love the shade of green and the paisley/floral print.

The day I took these pics, our Holiday visitor, Peter J. Tinslesparkle (Elf on the Shelf's cousin), was hanging out on the top shelf.

My Cottonball Cone trees made a re-appearance this year, but displayed a little differently. This year they have been placed on one of my display trays from the Farmer's Market. Again, found at Goodwill, spray painted, and then added vinyl scroll work.

On Sunday, I decided to try to make a Coffee Filter Wreath. For the wreath form, I used plumbing pipe insulation wrapped around a circle formed wire hanger.

The Snowflake, Ribbon, and small Red Ornaments were all purchased at the Dollar General.

I think this entire project cost me just under $7.00

Then on Monday, I found these great little red Snowflakes at Target. They were 4 for $1.

I brought them home and using fishing line, tied them to a little 9" wreath that I found at Goodwill. I didn't want to hot glue them on because I want to be able to use this wreath for other things.

And that's my holiday decor for this year. I didn't show my mantle, because it's the same as last year - nothing new.

Did you change up your Holiday Decor this year.

A CLOTHESPIN WREATH

2011-12-01T19:57:00.007-05:00

I've been wanting to make a Clothespin Wreath, ever since I saw one last year around this time, somewhere in Blogland. And since a friend of mine recently opened a Children's Consignment shop, I thought that was the perfect reason to do so. She needed something pretty to hang on the door.

Now, the Inspiration Wreath used an Embroidery Hoop as it's center base. I didn't have an Embroidery Hoop, so I had to improvise. I used a 1/2" piece of poster board with 3/8" grosgrain ribbon glued to it. Being that it was for a children's store, I used four different papers in subtle primary colors.

The Teddy Bear is from the Cricut cartridge "Doodlecharms". The felt four-petal flowers are from a tutorial I found on Pinterest (so addicted).

I adhered the paper to the clothespins using Modge Podge.

Cute and Simple... Perfect for my friend's Shop.

BTW, I haven't forgotten about wanting to do something to Celebrate the fact that I now have 200 followers - actually, Now, I'm up to 206. I think I know what I want to do, but will probably wait until after the first of the year... so stay tuned!

WOO-HOO!!!!!!

2011-11-14T16:42:00.002-05:00

I just opened my Blogger Dashboard (haven't checked in in a couple of days) and WOW, I now have 200 Followers!!!!!!! Thank You Everyone!!

I'm thinking I should do something for Y'all to Celebrate!! Stay tuned for Details.

Happy Monday!!

THE SMURFS

2011-11-03T22:01:00.003-04:00

The Family shot... Papa Smurf, Little Smurf 2, Little Smurf 1, & Smurfette.

Can you tell that it is Absolutely Freezing?

These costumes were pretty easy. The only thing I had to make were the hats. I got some white and red felt, and using a little Smurf figurine that the boys got at McDonalds, I figured out a pattern. The folded over part of the hats are filled with plastic grocery bags and held in place with a straight pin.

I already had the white sundress. I got the boys' and my blue shirts at Target. I ordered the boys' white sweatpants, Marc's shirt and sweatpants, and my blue tights online. Did you know it's nearly impossible to find White Sweatpants for toddlers. I finally found one website that stated their sizes would fit 2T and 4T sizes. Yeah right! When they arrived, they both were HUGE. On both pair, I had to take in the crotch and the leg width. And I cut probably 5" off the length of both.

Papa Smurf and Smurfette

Isn't my husband just the absolute best? In all the years we've been dressing up, he has never even balked at what I cooked up for him to wear (see 2008, 2009, and 2010 - '09 being the craziest yet).

The other thing I had to make, was my absolute favorite part of the costumes...

The Tails! I went to the thrift store and bought a children's royal blue t-shirt - cut out a few circles and stuffed with batting. Aren't they Cute?

Smurfette

I guess Smurfette had some kind of skin disorder, or maybe her legs had gotten tanned. LOL!

I found the white flats at Walmart on clearance for $2. I think I might Modge Podge them now with some fabric.

UNASSUMING...

2011-10-28T05:56:00.006-04:00

Can you recall, if a Simple Everyday Item has ever changed your life? We've all had those "Single Moments" that changed our lives... our Wedding Day, the Birth of our First Child, the Loss of a Loved One.

But what about an everyday item like a piece of Paper? A Simple, Single sheet of 8.5x11 Paper...

This is Mine. This is what Changed my Life! So Unassuming.

Back in March of this year, Luke's pre-school sent home this Order Form for the upcoming School Pictures. I don't recall how long it sat on my kitchen counter before I actually looked at it, but I do remember the day that I finally did. It was Thursday, March 24th, 2011.

Not really reading it, I filled out the information needed for the order. Then, when I went back to double check everything, I noticed that the person, who would be taking the pictures, had a website. Since I was all about craft and photography blogs at the time, I immediately got my laptop and went to her site. I was Blown away and Very Excited. This photographer's work was Amazing and So Beautiful, AND she was from right here in Central Virginia. I think that was what Excited me the most. Of all the blogs I follow (both Craft and Photography), they all seem to originate from out west. Up to that point, I had yet to find anyone on this side of the country. So when I saw she was right here, in my little town, well I just couldn't contain myself. I immediately sent her an email. Here's an excerpt from that first correspondence...

I don't mean to freak you out, but I can't even begin to express to you how Excited I am to find someone, with your talents, local. Your photography is INCREDIBLE. Most of the photography blogs I follow are located on the west coast. SOO excited to have found you!!

Amazingly, she wasn't Freaked out, and she responded...

You have totally made my day! I am sick in bed right now, but will write you back...

From that point on, and over the last seven months, Denise Feagans has become a Mentor and a Friend. She is just such an Inspiration. Not only is her work Incredible, she is also a Mother of Five (4 boys and 1 girl, ranging in age from 5-17), and her Faith in God is Strong. She has been there to answer every crazy question I've had. She met with me when I first got Photoshop and showed me some basics, and she even allowed me to tag along with her on one of her shoots. I will Never be able to Express or put into words, the amount of Gratitude I have for her Kindness and Support. Through her Help and Guidance, which has been Immeasurable, I have been able to start making a Dream of mine come True. Thank You Denise.

Who would have ever thought, that a Single Sheet of 8.5X11 white paper, could change one's life? That Single Sheet of paper found me a new Friend and started me on a journey that is hopefully leading me down a road to a new career as a Portrait Photographer.

So Unassuming...

Be sure to visit Denise's site, to see for yourself, what I am talking about.

FREEZER PAPER STENCIL

2011-10-28T05:22:00.003-04:00

Finally, I used Freezer Paper to make a Stencil. Since I started following craft blogs a little over a year ago, I've been seeing tons of projects using this method. Well, it was about time I tried it.

My husband is from New Orleans and loves NFL Football, so needless to say, he is a HUGE Saints Fan. So every year (since our oldest has been born) he buys each of our boys either a team jersey or a t-shirt for them to wear on Game Day. In our house, during football season (EVERY. SINGLE. WEEKEND.), we ALL (me included) have to sport Team Colors - Purple and Gold on Saturdays for the LSU Tigers, and Black and Gold on Sundays for the Saints. AND, we have to have Multiple options. Why you ask? Because my husband is a STRONG believer in Gris Gris!! If the outcome of a game is not looking good, the Gris Gris MUST be changed!! Shirts either have to be switched or turned inside out. I've witnessed my husband, during the course of one game, go through three or four shirts. Like during the Super Bowl in 2010, we ALL ended the game with our shirts on inside out... and it worked - the SAINTS WON!!

Yeah I know, that's Crazy... but my husband Truly Believes!!

Anyway, back to the craft. That's why you're here, right? So, since the boys have to have Options, and we haven't gotten around to ordering new shirts this season, I thought I would make them one.

I found some Black long sleeved t-shirts at Walmart for $3, and got Gold fabric paint at Hobby Lobby. For the stencil, I took one of the hubby's shirts with the Fleur-de-lis design on it. I stuck it on the copy machine, made a copy, then enlarged the copy, then cut it out, then traced around it on the Freezer Paper (twice), then cut the shape out of the Freezer Paper (twice), then followed basic instructions for doing the stencil (twice).

Whew, that was a lot of "thens"!!

So Quick, So Easy, So Cheap!!

I was able to make two shirts for way less than the price of just one Official Team shirt.

PHOTOSHOP... FINALLY

2011-10-25T06:14:00.004-04:00

As the post title states, I FINALLY got Photoshop... YEAH!!!!! I still have A LOT to learn, but after following a few on-line tutorials at The Pioneer Woman, using my "Photoshop for Dummies" book, and having a little learning session with my photography mentor, Denise Feagans, I felt somewhat confident that I could take on a client. And what better client than my oldest son Luke, who turned 4 last month.

Here's my photo session with him. We started at the Town Hall building, because of the stone and the red doors, and then went to my husband's Hunt Camp for a beautiful nature backdrop.

This next one has been a favorite of everyone who's seen it on FB, and I think it's one of my favs too. Just love the red door with his shirt.

I think this next one is my all time Favorite. I just LOVE his eyes. And don't you just love the band-aid? We had a little argument about it before we left because I wanted him to take it off - I didn't want it in the shots. But he insisted he still needed it for a week old Boo-Boo. I eventually gave in, figuring I could eliminate it during editing. But once I started the editing process, I decided to leave it alone because that's what he is all about at this age.

Luke did really well!! He's a great little Model. However, he is a REAL stinker when it comes to getting him to actually "Look" at the camera. Out of the approximately 150 shots I took, the 8 or 9 above shots were the only ones where he "Looked" at the camera.

A BIRTHDAY CAMP-"IN"

2011-10-24T12:37:00.005-04:00

Last month, my oldest turned 4. To help him Celebrate, we decided we would go Camping. But as the Birthday weekend approached, the weather wasn't looking too promising. So we had to come up with Plan "B"... a Birthday Camp "In"!!

Here's our Indoor Camp Site.

The CampGround Sign

Just in case us campers weren't sure where the tent was located.

HoBo Goody Bags for the Birthday Boy and his brother

The Mini S'mores Station

A Mini S'more is compiled of a Graham Cereal Square, a Mini Marshmallow, and a Chocolate Chip

Also had to have Trail Mix

Seating for around the Camp Fire

The Indoor Camp "Fire"

Made out of rolled Brown Craft Paper and Tissue Paper.

I even added battery operated tea lights so that it glowed when it was dark out.

Twinkling Starlight

The Camp Site

The Birthday Boy

Happy 4th Birthday, Luke!!

SWEET TEA SOCIAL

2011-10-11T15:50:00.006-04:00

This past Saturday, October 8th, I had the day to myself. I love my boys and my hubby to death, but there are just days when I need to be away from them. I'm sure ya'll know what I'm talking about.

Anyway, this particular Saturday was an Extra Special day. I was going to have lunch with a group ladies I had never met before. They, like me, are Bloggers. Most have Craft Blogs, but there was also a DIY Blogger, a true Writer who Blogs, a Painter/Photographer who Blogs, and one who has the inside scoop to all things Frugal. Needless to say, a great group and mix of wonderful girls.

Allison of A Glimpse Inside and Michelle of Dream Home DIY were the two ladies who were responsible for organizing the... "Sweet Tea Social".

We all met for lunch at the Cheesecake Factory in Richmond at Short Pump.

Most of us were pretty local, but Jennifer form An Apple for the Crafter drove down from the DC area, and Linda from Craftaholics Anonymous drove in from the Norfolk area. I'm sure they thought that by the end of the afternoon, all the horrible traffic they endured getting there, was totally worth it.

Like the total Dork that I am, I made sure to print out my "Ticket" to be presented upon my arrival. No one actually ever asked for it, but I did ask if they needed to collect it - that got a few chuckles. Allison made the cutest Name Tags for everyone.

It was even cuter before I lost it's little Lemon slice... BOO :(

Michelle had put together these Adorable Party Favors... a nice drinking glass with tea-bags and a recipe for Sweet Tea.

The Too Cute Pin Wheels were stolen from the Centerpieces that Allison had made for the table.

After a wonderful 3 hour lunch, where we ate delicious food and enjoyed great conversation, five of us headed off to the Greatest Craft store EVER... Hobby Lobby!

Now I'm sure most of you know, Linda of Craftaholics Anonymous. In my mind, she is one of the Rock Stars of the Crafting Blog World. Well this was a HUGE day for her. She had NEVER. BEEN. to Hobby Lobby. I made sure to document her arrival for her Virgin Voyage on the Mother Ship.

I think we were there for about 90 minutes, which in Hobby Lobby time is short, but we all had to get back to our real lives. Jennifer's husband was kind enough to come in and take a photo of the five of us.

L to R: Jennifer (An Apple for the Crafter), Me, Allison (A Glimpse Inside), Michelle (Dream Home DIY) and Linda (Craftaholics Anonymous)

We are ALL looking forward to getting together again real soon. But sadly, it will have to be without Allison. She and her husband will be leaving Virginia at the end of this month and heading for the mountains of Colorado. She will be missed, but we will all always be Grateful to her and Michelle for bringing us all together and allowing us to meet each other in person and make new friends.

Thanks Guys!!

Here is a list of all the Attendees:

Allison - A Glimpse Inside

Michelle - Dream Home DIY

Jennifer - An Apple for the Crafter

Linda - Craftaholics Anonymous

Becky - Farmgirl Paints

Patty and Cheryl - Friends of of Becky's

Brandee - Smooth Stones

Anjie - The Frugal Freelancer

SWEET TEA SOCIAL

2011-09-30T14:36:00.002-04:00

I am so excited to be attending this very special event next weekend. I have been craft blogging for a little over a year now, and can't wait to meet some other fellow crafters who live in the area. I've already met one of the hosts, Allison. We met back in May right after she moved to VA from KY. Can't wait to see her again.

If you follow me and live in the Richmond, VA area, please try to come join us. It should be a lot of fun!!

SUPER HERO CAPES

2011-08-26T16:13:00.008-04:00

This morning, as my husband was leaving for work, he handed me a stack of his white undershirts and asked me to cut them up into rags. I said okay, but then had a better idea. I would use them to make Super Hero Capes for the boys.

I had recently seen this Super Easy Tutorial using large t-shirts for the Cape, and knew I wanted to give it a try - figuring I'd get to it before my oldest's birthday next month.

But in "Kristol Tunnel Vision" fashion, once I get something into my head, I have to do it right away... and so I did.

I gathered everything I would need: t-shirts, felt, and velcro

I made the capes following the tutorial, and then set about personalizing them. Using my Cricut and some Freezer paper, I cut out a Star Shape and three Initials as templates. I then pinned the star and an initial to a piece of felt, and cut around them.

The "M" is for my cousin's little boy who is a couple months younger than my oldest.

Then I straight stitched the Initial to the Star and then the Star to the Cape... Easy Peasy!!

I think they turned out WAY CUTE!!

Super Luke LOVES his!!

Super Grey isn't as thrilled.

So LOVE when projects like this take such little time and best of all, are FREE!!

I'm linking up to the following parties. Be sure to go visit, and see all the other awesome ideas.

Tatertots & Jello

KENDALL FAMILY

2011-08-17T16:00:00.006-04:00

As I've been "practicing" my portrait photography, I've been posting the pics on Facebook. At some point, a childhood friend commented on a particular picture saying... "I wish you could practice here". "Here" being my home town. When I knew I would be going home for my class reunion, I contacted her to see if she would be interested in doing a family session with me. And boy was she!!!

This is my friend, Sharri. We've known each other since I was in the first grade and she in the third.

Funny story on how we first met... our mothers arranged a play date (did they even call it that back in the mid-seventies?). All Sharri had to do was walk up the street to our house - maybe 100 yds. But on the way... she got attacked by a dog. So she shows up at our house, having never met me or my mother, pounding on the door, crying and bleeding. Poor little thing. Regardless of that horrific first meeting, we still became fast friends.

I'm sure you're wondering about the "tunnel". This drainage culvert runs under the road behind Sharri's house. When we were kids, we LIVED in that tunnel, catching crawdads and tadpoles. The most fun thing to do in there, was run up and down the length of the tunnel, trying not to slip and fall in the creek and get wet. As soon as I scheduled this session, I knew I wanted to take a picture of her family in the tunnel. Little did I know her family are "City" folks. Getting them into the tunnel was HIL.AR.I.OUS!!!

But I was able to capture this great shot of Sharri's children, Kassie and Tyler. I'm sure every time she looks at this picture, it will bring back great memories from her childhood.

Now on to the rest of the session....

Another great shot of the kiddos.

Sharri and her husband of 23 years, Matt.

And of course some Great family shots...

I So need to get more creative with my group posing.

With all my clients, I provide a CD of about 15-25 edited photos from their session. Tomorrow, I will be mailing Sharri hers.

Thank You Sharri, Matt, Kassie and Tyler for a Fun night and a Great family session.

TWENTY... COUNT THEM... 20!!

2011-08-17T15:06:00.010-04:00

This past weekend was my High School 25 Year Class Reunion (yes, now you know how young I am). Since I've been crafting crazy this past year, and sharing my projects on Facebook, the planning committee for the reunion asked me if I would make the Centerpieces. I happily said yes, and started thinking up a design back in March.

I had been loving all the pennant bunting I had seen all over Blogland, so that was the basis for the project. Even though I knew I had to make 20 of them, I still proceeded with this somewhat elaborate design.

The biggest challenge was finding a reasonably priced container. Finally, after spending WAY to much time on-line researching this dilemma, I found the perfect little tin pail at IKEA for $.79 each.

From participating in our local farmer's market, I have met a fellow Cricut-teer, Becky Vigon (she actually runs the Market). She was kind enough to help me, and using the "Make the Cut" software, was able to cut out all the little Spartan heads from an image I found for her on the internet. I SO need to learn more about that software.

The letters were from the Plantin cartridge, and the pennants from the Calligraphy cartridge. I used crochet thread for the "rope" and wood shish kabob skewers for the "poles".

The neatest thing I discovered while working on these, was Car Pin Striping. I went to Advanced Auto and picked up 40' of silver 1/8" pin striping for about $4. What a GREAT crafting tool! I used it on the white pennants to hide staples, and on the red band, that wrapped around the pail, for just an extra little detailing. Seriously, who knew craft supplies could be had at an auto parts store?

I purchased green floral foam and the shredded paper at the Dollar Tree. All in all, for 20 Custom Centerpieces, I spent less than $40... less than $2 a piece. Not too shabby.

So, like I said above, I started contriving this design back in March, and I think I had all the supplies by the end of June. However, I did not start working on them until about 10 days before I was to leave. On the first day, all I did was cut everything out on the Cricut. It pretty much ran non stop for about 8 hours. I'm totally surprised there wasn't smoke coming out of it by the time I was done. Then, to create all the pennants and bunting, it took about 45 minutes per centerpiece. Why did it take that long you ask? Well, I'll tell you (this is where the "elaborate-ness" comes in)... it's because all the pennants and banners were Double Sided. I wanted to be sure that no matter where you were sitting at the table, everyone was seeing the same thing. Crazy, Huh??

Needless to say, I was working like a fiend up until I left. But it was all worth it. They were a big hit, and I got lots of compliments on them. Thank You '86 classmates!!

I'm linking up to these parties. Be sure to check them out to see all the other great ideas!

Tatertots & Jello

A Glimpse Inside

NEGLECT

2011-07-19T15:19:00.005-04:00

I know, I know, I know, my poor little blog has been very neglected as of late. After my family was here back at the beginning of June, I just have not been able to get back into my normal swing of things. And now, the summer is almost over. My oldest starts preschool in four weeks... Yikes!!

But apart from what I just stated above, I've been working on other passions lately, so my crafting has taken a backseat. I've been trying my hand at portrait photography, hoping to start a little business. Here are a few shots from a couple of my recent sessions. Tell me what ya'll think.

Thanks for still following me, and I hope to become a little more diligent with my posts.

WREATH?

2011-06-21T16:17:00.004-04:00

Sooo... my family was coming to visit... I had to have something new for my front door.

I actually made this back in January using twine, sticks from the yard, and mini clothes pins. But, it was pretty boring. At that time, it just said "Welcome" - I didn't have any embellishments on it. Then a couple of weeks ago, I saw this tutorial for the 5 point star, so I made a couple.

My favorite part of this is how I used the twine to create the letters.

Sooo... family's coming... need something for the door... whipped something up for free.

I'm linking up here...

Tatertots & Jello

A LITTLE FAMILY REUNION

2011-06-21T15:36:00.005-04:00

The weekend before last, I hosted a little Family Reunion. Including my family of four, there were a total of 20 family members - 10 adults and 10 kids - ages ranging from 2 to 16. My parents flew in from New Mexico, but everyone else drove here from Indiana (that's where I grew up).

Because of the great neighborhood we live in, and the awesome friends we have, we were able to "borrow" two homes for all of my family to stay in. Since I needed to be able to direct everyone to what beds they would be sleeping in, I created a little something for each of them when they arrived.

Located on each family member's bed was a t-shirt (more on that in a minute) and a little goody snack bag.

These two were for my cousin and her husband.

No, my last name is not Flick. T.H.E. F.L.I.C.K. is actually an acronym using the first letter of all of our last names, including my Grandparents, Gene and Maxine Edwards. They've long since passed, but without them, none of us would be here. That's them in the picture on the goody bag label. Every label had the letter "E" in a light green, and then based on whatever your last name happened to be, then that letter was in a darker green - my cousin's family's last name is Koons.

Now for the t-shirts. Before Memorial Day, I started thinking about designing a t-shirt for our little reunion. I scoured the internet looking for the least expensive way to possibly do this for 20 people. Then I went to CustomInk.com to check out their prices. I have used this website three times before, and have always been very pleased with their product. Their prices were pretty reasonable (about $9.50/shirt)- reasonable enough that I felt comfortable asking everyone if they would be interested in purchasing the shirts for their each individual family. BUT THEN, my amazing father, offered to BUY the shirts for EVERYONE. WOW!! Thank You Again, Dad!!!

Here's all of my family, sporting the custom designed t-shirts from Custom Ink.

T.H.E. F.L.I.C.K. Family Weekend

So wish they were all still here. We had an absolute blast!!

I'm linking up here...

Tatertots & Jello

GROWTH CHART

2011-05-31T13:04:00.017-04:00

I don't mean to offend anyone when I ask this question, but seriously, why are most all the Growth Charts that are out there for sale, so babyish / cheesy / too colorful / tacky - whatever? You know what I mean, right?

I have been looking for one since my first son was born almost four years ago, but everything I'd seen made me want to puke. So early last summer (before I started my serious craft blog surfing obsession), I started to formulate this idea in my head. I went to a craft store and bought some wood numbers and some 1/8" balsa wood. I knew I wanted a board with numbers running up the middle and little tick marks every 2" using the balsa wood. But I had NO idea how I wanted to decorate the board, only that it couldn't be "babyish / cheese / too colorful or tacky".

Then a few months back, while visiting a Linky Party (sorry, I don't remember which one), I saw this sign someone had made for their potting shed... all it said was "grow" - so simple, so telling. I thought I had bookmarked that project, but I didn't, so I'm sorry that I can't link you to the original inspiration for this...

My Growth Chart.

One of our friends had given me the 1X10 pine board last summer when the plan was first starting to percolate. Even though this past holiday weekend should have been spent replenishing my stock for the Farmer's Market or preparing for my family's big visit next weekend (I have 16 people coming), but no, I whipped up this bad boy.

I painted the board using leftover white interior trim paint. Then using my Cricut, I printed out the letters on Freezer Paper. I know Freezer Paper is great for making stencils, but I used the actual letter shape to trace around. I painted the letters using orange craft paint. I taped off the 1/4" wide line up the middle, and used leftover grey paint from my husband's office to paint it, the numbers and the little tick marks, which are 2" long. I then made a little template to help me equally space the tick marks, and glued them down, along with the numbers, using E600 glue.

This morning, when I took the above pictures, I wasn't sure how I was going to hang it, but then I had an idea based on something I had seen once over at Tatertots & Jello.

I knew I didn't have any wire that would be strong enough, but I did have plenty of wire hangers from my husband's dry cleaning. So I took one apart, and straightened it out before I bent it at the center.

I then drilled two tiny holes in the board and threaded the wire through. Then I just bent the wire into an interesting shape.

I chose to hang the Growth Chart in my husband's office, not because it matches the decor, but because my boys don't go in there that often, so less chance for the numbers and tick marks to get "accidentally" knocked off.

I plan to record my oldest son's growth on the left and my youngest son's growth on the right.

I REALLY LOVE how it turned out!!! Definitely (at least in my eyes) not "babyish / cheesy / too colorful or tacky". What do you think?

I'm linking up at these Linky Parties, so be sure to go there to check out all the other fabulous ideas...

A Glimpse Inside

Tatertots & Jello

Under the Table & Dreaming

Flamingo Toes

C.R.A.F.T.

Embellishing Life

A LITTLE BIT OF AMERICANA

2011-05-22T19:40:00.003-04:00

I was walking past my front door the other day, and this is what I saw...

... it stopped me in my tracks.

Something about the red of the tricycle and the green of the fern, with the warm morning sun shining down on them... all visible through my new screen door.

Talk about "The Magic of Ordinary Things".

A SEWING FIEND...

2011-05-20T13:34:00.004-04:00

This is why I haven't been posting much lately. My first weekend at the Farmer's Market was quite successful, so I had to replenish my selection of Quilted Tote Bags.

TEACHER GIFTS

2011-05-11T18:15:00.000-04:00

Well, I totally missed Teacher Appreciation Week - actually, I didn't even know it was Teacher Appreciation week, until the end of the week. At that point, it finally clicked after seeing all the cute projects while visiting linky parties... DUH!!

Anywhoo...

I knew I wanted to do something for Luke's teachers, and when I saw this project by Christian over at Tolen Family Fun, I knew I had found the perfect thing (I seem to be using that particular phrasing quite often - sorry)!

I just love thow they look like they're made out of sheets of paper.

They have a snappy top closure which is made possible by using 6" pieces of a 3/4" metal tape measure - totally ingenious.

I thought these were going to be Easy Peasy until I got to the very last step - closing up the ends at the top where the tape measure pieces have been slid in. What a PAIN IN THE PATUKIS!! If I'm ever going to make any more of these, I've. got. to. come. up. with a different way.

So to Miss Angie, Miss Irene, and Miss Susan - sorry I missed Teacher Appreciation Week, but I'm giving you these, on the last day of school next week, as a much deserved Thank You for being Luke's teachers.

FARMER'S MARKET

2011-05-08T20:50:00.004-04:00

This past Saturday, I participated in my first Farmer's Market. Our little rural town holds a Farmer's Market every Saturday from 8:00 to 1:00 that runs from the beginning of May through the end of October.

This is my booth.

I took my St. Patrick's Day wreath, and modified it a little so it could be used as part of my display. I added the burlap bunting and the paper dragonfly.

All of the items I used for displaying purposes, I found at local thrift stores. This tray I found for $1.29. I spray painted it and added the little white vinyl scroll embellishments. I am using it to hold some wood bead / fabric bracelets and felt Dahlia brooches.

I'm selling Cookie Sheet Perpetual Calendars. They're lined up in a file organizer.

I'm also selling Mod Podge Frames and my Purses.

This green plastic tray was also found at the thrift store... I just added the white vinyl polka dots.

I spray painted this thrift store bowl.

Other than the wreath, I wanted to showcase my company's acronym one other way, so using black vinyl, I put it on a Target white melamine plate, and then added some rolled fabric flowers.

And of course, there's the White Paper Flower Bouquet that I had posted about previously.

So this is why, as of late, my posts have been so few and far between. I was getting everything ready for my Farmer's Market Debut.

SINFULLY DELICIOUS

2011-04-30T15:35:00.002-04:00

If you want to be TOTALLY BAD and Indulge in a completely Decadent Treat, then you have to bake up some of these...

Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

OH. MY. GOODNESS!!!!

Go visit Becky Bakes for the recipe. It is VERY easy, and to be honest, even if it was Hard, they would be Totally worth it!!!

PAPER FLOWER BOUQUET

2011-04-30T14:39:00.010-04:00

What do you think of my Beautiful Shades of White Paper Flower Bouquet?

The idea kind of all came about when I found the Gorgeous Green Glass Vase at the thrift store. Then, I saw the Q-Tips Flowers at Homemade Ginger. I thought they kind of looked like Dandelions, which is the floral mascot of my Blog and Etsy shop.

She was inspired by "Display" flowers she had seen at Anthropologie, and pretty much copied them exactly. My "Dandelions" are different, in that I didn't colorized them.

Then, a few months ago, the "Kissing Balls" were all over Blogland. I knew right away, when I first saw them, that I wanted to make some, but didn't know for what purpose. When my bouquet started to "formulate" in my head, I knew these Pomanders from Whipperberry would be perfect.

I went on the total cheap for these flowers, in that I used heavy weight computer paper, and used my Cricut to cut all the flowers rather than using a punch.

I now had two great flowers to work with, so my first thoughts were that my entire bouquet would be made up of just them... but then, I saw these Amazing Daisies over at Thrive.

She made hers using dried up baby wipes and burlap for the center. I used paper towels and rolled felt that I had cut with pinking shears.

Even though I really liked the basically monochromatic white scheme, I wanted to add a little more color to the overall arrangement. A few weeks ago, I had seen this darling Pinwheel garland at Peppermint Plum, and knew Pinwheels would be the perfect little touch of whimsy that my bouquet needed.

Using some left over scrapbook paper in green and white polka dots and little white pom-poms for the centers, I made three small Pinwheels.

Now, be sure to check back next weekend to see why exactly I created this bouquet...

and why my blogging posts have been so few and far between as of late.

I'm linking up here... be sure to go visit these linky parties to see a bunch of really awesome projects.

C.R.A.F.T.

A Glimpse Inside

Tatertots & Jello

This project was Featured here...

EASTER WEEKEND

2011-04-26T23:14:00.003-04:00

Thanks to my wonderful Husband, this is where our family spent the Easter Weekend...

The Homestead. This is a Beautiful old resort, dating back to 1766, and is located right here in Virginia - it's in the western part of the state, in Bath County.

Weeks and weeks ago, LONG before the hubbs booked this trip, I found this wonderful tutorial by Erin at Lemon Tree Creations, for T-Shirt Tie Appliques. When I saw it, I knew immediately that I wanted to make them for my boys to wear Easter Sunday - thinking they would be wearing them to our little country Baptist church. Once the trip was planned, I have to admit, I was a little nervous about them wearing "T-shirts" on Easter morning at a Fancy Schmancy "Southern" Resort. But then I thought, "hey, I worked really hard on these, and they're going to wear them, no matter what".

And I'm so glad they did...

I cannot even begin to tell you how many kind Comments and Compliments we got on them. The boys were definitely unique, in that NO other little boy was as stylish as my two handsome little men.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME....

2011-04-26T09:56:00.005-04:00

AND to my Husband Marc. Yup, that's right, my husband and I share the same Birthday. However, we do not share the same year. I am totally... "Cukoo, Cachoo, Mrs. Robinson", or in another word - a "Cougar". My hubby is a young 35 today, while I'm an even younger 43.

Anyway, enough about how young I am (NOT).

I wanted to share with you the present I got for my hubby. I finally took advantage of the AMAZING offer from the Canvas People, and got a Free photo printed on Canvas. The promo that they run is for a free 8x10, but I upgraded for $10.00 to the 11x14.

This picture is from our first Crawfish Boil last year. The "Dinner" was putting up quite the fight.

Marc is going to hang it in his office. Right now, it's just sitting on the dresser.

The Canvas People aren't running that particular Promo right now, but they run it quite often, so keep checking back to their website so you can get one of your own.

I also wanted to share with you the creativity of my Husband. I don't know what it is with him, but he does not like to buy cards. I think it's mostly that he just doesn't have the time, but instead, he ALWAYS gives me something from the heart that he writes himself.

This is the "Card" he gave me last night. Love the "Ducks Unlimited" sticker.

Love that he took the time to think about the overall design.

But most of all, I LOVE what he wrote.

He told me when he gave it to me, that it was different from what he was originally going to write. But that after surprising him with a Birthday cake and the Amazing Canvas photo, I had inspired him.

THRIFT STORE SCORE!!!

2011-04-10T09:04:00.008-04:00

I FINALLY DID IT!!! I found something REALLY AWESOME at a Thrift Store. All over Blogland, I'm always seeing posts about Incredibly Cool things that people find while they're thrifting, and I'm so jealous. Well yesterday, I got my first SCORE!!!

And here she is...

Isn't she Beautiful? And she was only...

wait for it...

$6.99!!!!

(I don't know why I'm calling it a "she")

She has hanging brackets so I can hang her on a wall if I want.

She is perfectly Distressed and has adorable little wood knobs.

She has a shelf behind the doors...

and the drawers are cedar boxes.

Love the molding details at the top and bottom...

and I love the little scroll design on the sides.

I'm really not sure what I'm going to with her, but for seven bucks, how could I pass her up.

My boys think she should be a Car Garage.

Well maybe.....

but I think she will find a nice little home in my Craft Space.

SHOE UPDATE...

2011-04-08T20:09:00.014-04:00

I decided to add a little somethin-somethin to my spray painted shoes...

little white vinyl polka dots.

Can't wait to wear them while on our Easter weekend Getaway!!

I'm linking up here... be sure to go there to check out all the other awesome ideas.

Tatertots & Jello

Designer Garden

Under the Table and Dreaming

This Updated Project was Featured Here...

NOT HANDMADE, BUT CUTE NONE THE LESS

2011-04-03T16:00:00.002-04:00

Yesterday, just to get out of the house, we took the boys to Bass Pro Shop to have lunch and see the fish. But of course, we also had to do a little shopping.

This is what we got...

A Stuffed Animal Deer Head.

We got it for the boys room so that they could have a Deer Head just like Daddy's.

There was also a Moose Head, and if it weren't for the price ($30) I would have liked to have both of them.

Isn't it great?

I think it's the perfect addition to their room.

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW... WHAT HAPPENED?

2011-03-27T11:13:00.000-04:00

It's the END of March...

It SNOWED...

Outside my window...

Looks DIFFERENT

My little Spring Blossoms blend into the background.

BROTHERS

2011-03-25T21:47:00.002-04:00

I posted this pic of my boys on Facebook, and got lots of comments about it, so I thought I would share it with you.

They're watching "Horton Hears a Who".

... OUTSIDE MY WINDOW

2011-03-24T19:30:00.000-04:00

Spring is blooming right outside my bedroom window.

EASTER DECOR

2011-03-21T11:01:00.013-04:00

YEAH, it's time again for some fun Holiday Decorating. I didn't really do much for St. Patricks Day, so I was really looking forward to doing something for Easter.

If you've followed my blog for awhile, you know about my little 3' table. I've you're a new follower, I have this small table that sits at our entry, and it's 3' surface is pretty much the only surface I have in my house that allows me to do any kind of decorating upon. To catch you up, this is what I did for Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.

And now... this is what I've created for Easter.

I'm loving my little Easter Egg Tree.

I spray painted branches from my yard (and as you can see from the photo above - I missed a few spots). I got these fabulous sequined Easter Eggs at Target for $2.50.

The vase and ribbon are from the Dollar Tree, and I used Easter colored jelly beans (that actually taste like Sweet-Tarts) as the stability filler.

My Bunny's Pedestal in it's place of honor.

I'm totally luvin my Bunny Specimen Art. I used Easter Bunny Confetti that I got at Hobby Lobby on sale for $.50. I only used 9 out of a pack of about 50. Need to think about what to do with the rest of them.

The three little wood Bunnies in the back are from Joanne's, and of course my bird from the Dollar General.

I think my wall art is very unique.

This has got to be my favorite part of the whole display. I already had the white frame and mat, and I got the filigreed cut felt Easter Egg at Joanne's in the Dollar Bin section. So the item that makes the biggest impact in the whole vignette only cost me a $1.00.

This Happy Easter pillow is something I cross-stitched and made about 15 years ago. I hung it using a push pin.

If you noticed above, I added another little bunny to my Bunny Pedestal. He's from one of my miniature gardens.

Happy Easter!!!

I'm linking up here... be sure to go there to see all the other awesome projects.

Tatertots & Jello

a href="http://www.bystephanielynn.com/search/label/Link%20Parties" target="_blank">

EASTER WREATH

2011-03-21T10:50:00.013-04:00

Well, I raided my fabric scraps again, and made this Rag Wreath for Easter.

Just like my St. Pat's wreath, I used a wire hanger, only this time I shaped it into a square...

and cut the fabric to 1" x 7" strips.

I thought it looked more interesting hanging on the diagonal.

Happy Easter!!!

I'm linking up here... be sure to go there to see all the other awesome projects.

Tatertots & Jello

a href="http://www.bystephanielynn.com/search/label/Link%20Parties" target="_blank">

This project was Featured here...

NEW SHOES... ALA SPRAY PAINT

2011-03-19T14:55:00.012-04:00

What do you think of my new shoes?

Aren't they really pretty in the sunlight?

A couple of different times, while cruising through BlogLand, I've seen where ladies have spray painted their shoes. And I thought... "ooooooh, I want to do that too." And so I did.

I got a pair of $10 white flats at Walmart, and a can of Krylon Blue Ocean Breeze (Gloss) spray paint. I cut off the little ties that were there, and added the bias tape bows.

Don't they look like something Snow White would have worn? Or better yet... Little Bow Peep?

I'm linking up here... be sure to go there and check out all the other awesome ideas.

Tatertots & Jello

This project was FEATURED here...

A BUNNY'S PEDESTAL

2011-03-19T11:25:00.018-04:00

And what exactly is a "Bunny's Pedestal", you ask? Well I'll show...

but first let me introduce you to the bunnies.

Are these not the cutest little bunny rabbits you've ever seen?

I found them at Joann's, and thought they were just too adorable to pass up.

I knew I wanted to make them part of my Easter decor, but because of their miniature stature, they would need something to help them have more presence.

I had recently made a custom purse for a customer from my Etsy shop, and used this beautiful quatrefoil patterned fabric. So that was my jumping off point. I rifled through my other craft supplies and came up with these components...

fabric, chipboard, 1" wood beads, and some pom-pom trim I pulled off an old gift bag.

The first thing I did, was to glue the wood beads together.

Then I cut out six circles from the chip board.

I cut the two largest circles the same size - they would become the top of the pedestal. The other four were progressively smaller - they would become the base of the pedestal. I made the initial cut with my Fiskars cutting tool, but due to the thickness of the chipboard, I had to finish the cuts with a pair of scissors. ( I could have done this much easier with my Cricut, but I have yet to purchase a deep-cutting blade).

Because I didn't have a clean edge from the scissors' cut, I sanded down the edges a little.

Then I glued the four smaller circles together to create a little dimension to the pedestal's base.

Then I glued the wood bead stack to the base.

After gluing the two larger circles together, I glued them to the top of the stack.

I traced around the top circles onto the fabric, and cut it out.

Now, all the steps above were done about a week ago. Then, my poor little unfinished pedestal, had to sit around and wait for the weather to get warmer, so the next step could be completed.

Finally, yesterday, the temperature got above 65, and my little pedestal got a couple coats of white spray paint.

Then today, I completed the final steps. First I got out the Mod Podge...

and glued the fabric to the top...

then applied a coat of Mod Podge on top of the fabric to act as a sealant.

Once that dried, it was time to add the pom-pom trim.

Using fabric glue, I ran a bead of glue around the thin

edge of the chipboard and attached the trim.

Tah-Dah... A Bunny's Pedestal!

Don't they look cute and happy up on their little perch?

I can't wait to put together my Easter decor and set them in a Place of Honor.

I think after the holiday, this will also make a perfect little Cupcake Stand.

I'm linking up here... be sure to there and visit and see all the other awesome ideas.

Tatertots & Jello

This Project was Featured here...

LAST MINUTE ST. PAT'S T-SHIRTS

2011-03-17T10:52:00.010-04:00

So yesterday, around lunchtime, I decided that my little boys needed something to wear today for St. Patrick's Day. I know, I know, nothing like waiting 'til the last minute. But seriously, if they're only going to wear one day, does it matter when it's made as long as it's ready for the occasion?

Over the weekend, I discovered the Cricut "Lite" cartridges that Walmart carries for only $39. I found one that has images for pretty much ALL the holidays. YAY!!

Anyway, there were a few images for St. Pat's Day, so while the boys napped, I cut one of them out on copy paper. Modified it a little (because it was actually two shamrocks together), used it as a template, and then cut the shape out of green craft felt.

I used fabric glue to hold them in place on the white under-shirts while I loosely stitched around the perimeters with embroidery floss in a contrasting color.

I don't know how well the craft felt will wash, but again, it's only for one day, so if it fades or the color runs... oh well, they looked cute for these pics.

Of course, today was the day that my oldest decided to have an opinion about what he wanted to wear, and he did not want to wear this shirt. Therefore, bribing ensued.

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!!!!!!

I'm linking up here... be sure to go there and check out all the other great ideas!!

DOLLAR STORE FIND

2011-03-16T13:55:00.003-04:00

Today, during my weekly trip to my local Dollar General, (I had to go to get a new hair dryer, because my old one blew up yesterday [literally - it shot a line of fire up my right arm... amazingly, neither my clothes or my hair caught fire] TMI?) I came upon this Amazing Find... for $6!

Isn't she cute? I love her color and distressed features.

I love the little metal sign that she is holding in her beak.

They also had them in a sage green and a mustard yellow.

She is supposed to be for the outside, but I think I'll keep her inside and make her part of my Easter / Spring display.

So, if you likey... run on over to your Dollar General and pick yourself up one.

LUNCHTIME CRAFT

2011-03-15T13:00:00.004-04:00

I think I have a new sure fire way to lose weight... do a Craft rather than Eat lunch.

I whipped up this Awesome No-Sew Scarf in like twenty minutes. I know winter is almost over, but this scarf is lightweight and would look great in spring colors. I was too excited to take pictures along the way, so go Here to see a quick tutorial. This link also has Another link to a Video on how to do it.

So Ladies, raid your husbands t-shirt drawer tonight and make your own Fabulous New Spring Scarf.

OK... now I'm Starving. Maybe not a weight loss plan after all.

CUSTOM ORDERS

2011-03-15T07:57:00.004-04:00

Last month, my Etsy shop had a little sale, which got me Five Custom Orders. And they all came at the end of the month, so needless to say, I've been a busy little bee.

I wanted to share with you what I created for my wonderful customers.

This first one was for Krystal over at Sassy Sanctuary. She needed a bag for Church. She teaches Sunday School, so she has a lot to carry along with her Bible. Along with being a Church Tote, it also doubles as a Diaber Bag. So now every Sunday, she can load it up with Everything she needs and go in Style.

Krystal selected the two main fabrics and sent them to me.

I added the third fabric to be used for this cute Ruffle embellishment...

and for a little trim detail on the inside pockets.

I think the size turned out great, and I will probably be making more of these to add to my shop.

These next three are for a High School classmate of mine you wanted bags for herself and her two daughters - one being 15 and the other being 21. My only instructions were that they needed to be black and white, and all different.

LOVE the Bling Button on this one.

Can you guess who got which one?

And this last one is for another High School classmate. She told me she likes black and whites, but that she also likes green. When I saw this fabric, I got so excited. I knew it would be the perfect one.

LOVE the little Rosette Button... so much so, I also used it on one of the bags above...

and, I added the little Ruffle detail.

What do you think of the little ruffle? It's new for me, but I might start doing it more.

Hopefully, these inspired you to come visit me at my Etsy shop, and maybe have me whip something beautiful up for you.

A GIVEAWAY - BY PROXY

2011-03-10T13:59:00.002-05:00

Krystal over at Sassy Sanctuary is giving my Blog and Etsy shop a VERY Kind and Generous Shout Out today.

Be sure to head over there and check it out.

And oh yeah, BTW, she's doing a Giveaway from my shop. Become one of her followers and get in on the Giveaway.

THE "FARRAH" FEATHER

2011-03-09T21:52:00.002-05:00

This is a TOTALLY RANDOM post about... of all things, my hair. Two weeks ago, I got a new haircut. I thought I would try something a little Different, and up until today, I really was Hating it. I don't know what I altered in my hair styling routine, but today, I Love my hair.

I accomplished this Amazing "Farrah" feather (which I'm SURE, I won't be able to duplicate). This picture really doesn't do it justice. I couldn't turn my head enough (and still take the picture) to really show it off.

And what about those earrings? They're Vintage - my Mom's - circa 60's / 70's. Not sure how I came to own them... probably just took them from her jewelry box. She'll probably see this post and think... "I was wondering whatever happened to those".

Like I said... Totally Random

UNSOLICITED HELP

2011-03-09T06:29:00.000-05:00

I have a big custom order that I'm working on for my Etsy shop, so I have a lot of sewing to do. In order to do it without staying up to all hours of the night, I've had to bring my sewing machine downstairs and work during the day.

Could be a big mistake!?! It seems I have acquired some unsolicited help.

Yup, he climbed right up on the table.

Making sure it's threaded correctly...

Of course, big brother couldn't be left out... so more help ensued.

At least its "Cute" Unsolicited Help.

These pics were taken with an old Point and Shoot I have. It was the closest camera. Sorry for the poor quality.

SOMETHING TASTY

2011-03-09T05:32:00.003-05:00

A year and a half ago, after seeing the movie, "Julie & Julia", I was inspired to really start making the effort to cook. Up until then, my husband (who is an AMAZING cook), usually did all the cooking. Even though I was home all day with our two children, he would come home after a long day at work and get dinner on the table. It really was sad how I took such advantage of him. I mean really? I was home all day... couldn't I whip something up?

Anyway... this dish was one of the first things I prepared. I also fixed it the other night, so I thought I would share the yumminess with you. The recipe originally came from "Family Fun" magazine.

Cauliflower Au Gratin

INGREDIENTS

(for cauliflower and sauce)

1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided

1 small head cauliflower( about 1.25 lbs.), cut into florets

2 tablespoons unsalted butter (I usually use salted)

2 tablespoons flour

1.5 cups whole milk

1.5 teaspoons horseradish

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg (I have yet to use this ingredient being that it is not a staple in my pantry)

3 oz. (3/4 cup) grated Gruyere cheese (or Swiss)

(for topping)

8 Ritz crackers, crushed (the recipe actually calls for reduced fat - yeah right!)

1/2 cup of Panko

1 tablespoon butter

1 oz. (1/4 cup) grated Gruyere cheese

1). Heat oven to 450. In medium saucepan, bring 6 cups of water to a boil. Add 1/2 teaspoon of the Kosher salt and the cauliflower. Partly cover the saucepan and let the cauliflower simmer until just tender - about 6 minutes. Drain the cauliflower and rinse it under cold water. Drain it well again.

2). Melt the butter over moderate heat in a large heavy saucepan. Add the flour and whisk for 2 minutes. Gradually add the milk, whisking to combine. Bring the sauce to a boil, whisking often, for about 1 minute, then simmer for 1 minute more, still whisking, to thicken it.

3). Remove the sauce from the heat and whisk in the horseradish and mustard, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt, and the nutmeg. Stir in the cheese, then the cauliflower. Pour the mixture into a 2.5 qt. casserole dish.

4). To make the topping, combine the crushed crackers and panko in a small bowl. Melt the butter and stir it into the mixture.

5). Sprinkle the once of cheese over the cauliflower, then top with the crumb mixture. Bake the gratin on the bottom oven rack until it's bubbling and golden, about 15 minutes. Allow it to rest for 5 minutes before serving. Serves 6.

NOTE** When I made it the other night, I used the unsalted butter for the first time. I don't know if this was the reason, but the horseradish flavor was definitely more prominent. So if you're not a fan of horseradish, I suggest using salted butter.

EVERY DAY IS A CELEBRATION

2011-03-07T22:16:00.004-05:00

There is this Great New Blog that I found recently that specializes in "Celebrations".

Actually, I didn't find it, it found me. Kelsey saw a project of mine at Tatertots & Jello, and sent me a note asking if she could feature it. When I went to visit her New blog, I instantly fell in love. She scours the internet for awesome Holiday and Party ideas and features them to Inspire her readers.

Go Here to see what project of mine she Featured, and be sure to check out all that she has to offer.

A PROJECT OF FIRSTS

2011-03-02T15:57:00.009-05:00

Last week over at Somewhat Simple's Linky Party I saw a post by Autie at iCandy Handmade, where she was sharing her Cookie Sheet Calendar. I have been seeing these since last fall, especially around Christmas when they were done as Advent Calendars. I don't know what it was about her's, but I was Totally Inspired to run right out and get the supplies to make one.

Here's my version...

Like stated in the Title of this Post - this was a Project of Firsts. This was my FIRST Modge Podge Project!! Can you believe that? I know - what the heck took me SOO LONG? And, this was my first time to use the glue E600. I think I'm a fan.

I got the 13" X 9" cookie sheet at the Dollar Tree for... wait for it... $1.00. Well, that's not suprising - EVERYTHING at that store is a Dollar. LOVE that store.

I used seven coordinating papers in Black and White, and cut out the Chartruese numbers and letters on my Cricut.

I used velcro rather than magnets - mostly due to cost - velcro... WAY cheaper!

I LOVE that it can be used year after year, you just have to switch up the numbers.

Thanks Autie for answering all my questions, and helping me make this Fabulously Stunning Cookie Sheet Calendar. Go Here to see Autie's Inspiration!

I think I'm going to whip up a few and sell them this summer at our local Farmer's Market.

I'm linking up here...

Tatertots & Jello

MEAL PLANNER

2011-02-26T14:39:00.010-05:00

I saw this idea somewhere in BlogLand, and I apologize for not remembering where, but I thought it would be perfect for my kitchen.

We are trying VERY HARD to determine weekly menus in advance and stick to them. The goal in doing this, is to keep our grocery bill down. So far, it seems to be working. Rather than referring to a scrap piece of paper where I originally wrote down the options, this fabulous idea is easily accessed and so much more stylish!

I got an 8"x10" frame and some dry-erase markers at the dollar store - all for $4.50. Came home, found a piece of scrapbook paper that coordinated with my kitchen colors, and cut out the letters on my Cricut.

And Voila...

Easy Weekly Meal Planner!!

I'm Linking up here...

SHAMROCK MINI SPECIMEN ART

2011-02-26T14:23:00.013-05:00

Other than the Green Rag Wreath on my front door, I wanted to do a little bit of "Irish" decorating. I'm not Irish or Catholic, but it is a holiday non-the-less, therefore Holiday Decor is in order.

I've been wanting to find a square frame that I can use for projects just like this one, that I can change out whatever is in it for all the different holidays. I found this 5"x5" one at a thrift store for $.75.

Eventually, I plan to spray paint it white, but the tacky gold trim actually works for St. Patrick's Day.

The Glitter Shamrock stickers, I got at JoAnne's in the Dollar Bins. You know, the bins that are by the check-out?

Then I picked out three different green papers from my paper scrap supply, and cut them into equal squares.

Don't you love the Gorgeous Ceramic Shamrock? I got that also at JoAnne's. It was 50% off, so it was only $3.50.

So, I now have a little touch of "The Luck of the Irish".

I'm linking up here...

This Project was Featured here...

SALE ENDING SOON!!!!!

2011-02-24T15:44:00.003-05:00

My Etsy Shop Sale is ending SOON.
It will be over on Monday, February 28th.

So hurry up and come visit my Etsy shop tMoOT and buy yourself a new purse for Spring. I'm offering 30% off any of the nine Totes that are in stock, or any Custom Order. Just enter code SPRING30 at checkout.

Hope to see you there before the end of the day on Monday!!

ST. PATTY'S RAG WREATH

2011-02-22T15:50:00.021-05:00

So this past Saturday, I was ITCHING to do something crafty. I was actually having crafting withdrawls... I hadn't made something in such a LONG TIME. However, I didn't feel like going out to buy any supplies I might need to make something, so I had to work with what I had.

I've been wanting to make a rag wreath since last fall, when I really starting following all of these crafty blogs. So I got out my fabric scrap bin, and was amazed at how much green fabric I had left over from all the purses I made last summer - Green is my favorite color, but I didn't realize I had used so much of it when making all those purses. Since St. Patrick's Day is right around the corner - Green was the perfect color.

I used a wire hanger that I shaped into a circle for the wreath form. It ended up being about a 12" diameter.

I think there are about 15 different patterns - only one being a solid.

I love the combination of all the different shades - from kelly to olive to chartruese, and everything in between.

I Love it and think it looks really good on my newly painted front door.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

2012 Update: A little tutorial - like stated above, I used a wire hanger for the form. I snipped off the hook part of the hanger and then using pliers, I straightened it the best I could and then shaped it into a 12" diameter circle. I then held the ends together with duct tape.

The fabric strips are 1" x 6", which I cut with a rotary tool. Then I tied them all to the wire. There are probably 150 strips. I have no idea how much fabric I used because it was all scrap.

I'm Linking up here...

This project was Featured here...

A HUGE THANK YOU IS IN ORDER....

2011-02-22T15:36:00.003-05:00

Yes, believe it or not, I'm back. I'm sure you all have been wondering where I've been, so I'll tell you. I've been no where. I've been sitting here every single day staring at my computer trying to WILL it to be cooperative - with NO SUCH LUCK. Today, however, I SEEM to be having some LUCK. So you see, I live kind of out in the middle of nowhere - I live near a lake - and I have a MAC... three strikes against my Verizon Air Card working most efficiently - so this is the explanation Verizon gives me every time I call to complain about my lack of internet connection.

Anyway, that's not what I wanted to blog about today.

What I wanted to blog about today, is something I'm sure you all have noticed if you've visited this blog over the last week or so... MY BRAND NEW, FABULOUS, BLOG DESIGN!!!!!

Isn't it Beautiful? I LOVE IT!!!!!!!! And I want to thank Krystal Winn at Sassy Sanctuary for Creating it for me.

Krystal was SO WONDERFUL to work with. She was very patient with me, especially at the beginning when I really had no idea what I wanted other than Dandelions. Somehow, through all our e-mails, she was able to read my mind, and design something that, if I knew how - or had the time, would have done myself.

Krystal, I want to Thank You, yet again, for the Amazing job you did creating my new Blog Design.

"JOY OF LOVE" - DAY ELEVEN

2011-02-11T11:32:00.003-05:00

Day Eleven of the "Joy of Love" Photography class was to capture...

"Dreams"

This is a photo that I actually took a couple of weeks ago, but it fits this assignment perfectly.

The week before Christmas, my husband and I made the mistake of "Just Looking" for a new house, and this is what we found....

A 250 year old farmhouse. We immediately fell in love, and have been doing everything possible to make it our own. But for now, it's just a Dream.

"JOY OF LOVE" - DAY TEN

2011-02-10T12:25:00.003-05:00

Day Ten of the "Joy of Love" Photography class was to capture...

"Space - Where They are Comfortable"

My husband doesn't have a favorite chair, and I know there was no way he would allow me to capture him on the toilet (LOL!!). And, his truly most comfortable space is not attainable for photographing... a Deer Stand, so I had to go with where I think he is most comfortable - the Kitchen. My husband loves to cook, and he is very good at it. At the end of a long day, working on dinner helps him unwind. He also loves cooking for our friends and sharing with them dishes from his hometown of New Orleans.

Since he's at work and, truth be told, it would be hard to capture him whipping something up because our kitchen is so small, I decided to just take pics of the space. I wanted to work on the tips that Kelly presented in her video about how to shoot in "Manual" mode.

I focused on ISO, and shutter speed. I had my kit lens on the camera for these shots, so the aperature was somewhere around 5.

I took this shot from up in our loft, which overlooks our first floor.

It's amazing, with just those few little easy tips Kelly taught me, how much better my photos look.

Here's some of the Yumminess my husband loves to prepare... Fried Shrimp Po'Boys. I took this picture a year ago. Even though I didn't really know what I was doing, I think it's a pretty good shot.

"JOY OF LOVE" - DAY NINE

2011-02-09T13:13:00.005-05:00

Day Nine of the "Joy of Love" Photography class was to capture...

"Passions & Hobbies"

My Husband is definitely a "Fall"... and I don't mean his "Colors". He lives for two things that cooler weather brings - Football and Hunting. As soon as the Super Bowl was over Sunday night, he said... "I can't wait to next season!" Well not really, because his Pro-Football season ended once the reigning Super Bowl Champs, the New Orlean Saints, didn't make it to the NFC Championship. But anyway, I digress. Basically he LOVES Football and Hunting. So I decided to focus on the Hunting Passion, since there is a prime example of it hanging over my fireplace.

Don't you love how I captured the "Catch-Light" in it's beautiful brown glass eye?

I took these pictures yesterday afternoon around 4:30 and the lighting in this part of our great room was perfect.... so... I also took these way cute pics of the boys.

They thought it was hilarious to be sitting way up there.

A FIRST.... BEFORE & AFTER

2011-02-09T12:57:00.003-05:00

Yesterday, I attempted something for the first time... and accomplished success. I modified a piece of clothing - a shirt.

I got this shirt last summer at Wal-Mart. I bought it because it was very full through the mid-section, which I felt I needed to conceal a post-pregnancy belly (sadly a year old).

Thankfully, that belly bump is finally gone, so I can now wear my shirts a little more fitted. I still loved the shirt, but didn't like the elastic it had at the bottom, which gave it the billowy effect.

So, I did a little modifying. I got my seam ripper out and removed the elastic at the bottom and I opened up the side seams....

And Voila...

I added a little hem at the bottom and took in the sides giving them more definition at the waist.

I'm really liking the fact that I'm not afraid of my sewing machine anymore.

"JOY OF LOVE" - DAY EIGHT

2011-02-08T16:56:00.001-05:00

I know, I know, you're asking what happened to Days Six and Seven. Well, I've tucked those assignments away for later. Day Six was to capture "Who They Love" and Day Seven was to capture "Generations". Since we have no family nearby, those two will have to wait

Now on to Day Eight...

"Gift from the Heart"

Well, my husband has given me Many wonderful gifts, including the most precious - the gift of becoming a Mother, but for this prompt, I decided to feature the first gift he ever gave me.

When we first met, almost eight years ago, I was living in Tucson, and he was here in Virginia. We actually met in Iowa at a business training seminar, and basically, it was Love at First Sight. Just like out of a movie. The first time I flew to the East Coast to see him, was 4th of July Weekend, and we planned to spend it walking around DC and visiting all the Museums. I guess he wanted me to be comfortable for our two days of sightseeing, because he gave me these...

Last year ('09) for Christmas, he gave me a new pair and told me I could get rid of those old ratty ones. I told him "NO WAY". First of all, they're not ratty, and second of all, I will never part with the first gift he ever gave me. Out of the kindness and generosity of his heart, we wanted to ensure my comfort.

VALENTINES

2011-02-07T14:44:00.004-05:00

Week before last, I spent a couple of minutes one day, trying to capture a picture of Luke holding a particular pose...

Grey was not to be left out. I got his shot with one take.

And why do you ask, was I trying to capture this pose?

Well, I guess these Valentines were all over Blog-land last year, but I didn't see them until this year... and as soon as I did, I knew that I wanted to make them for Luke's Pre-School class.

Are those not the cutest things you've ever seen? Of course, Grey doesn't have any classmates to give them too, but because his picture was so cute, I made a couple of them for him to give to some of our neighbors.

Happy Valentine's Day!!

"JOY OF LOVE" - DAY FIVE

2011-02-05T20:22:00.006-05:00

Day Five of the "Joy of Love" Photography class was to capture...

"What You LOVE to HATE about them"

Well let me tell you, as soon as I saw this topic, I knew EXACTLY what my "HATE" would be - even though it wouldn't make for very exciting photography.

There are Two things that my Husband does, that absolutely DRIVE. ME. CRAZY!!

I LOVE to HATE this about him...

1. He NEVER re-hangs the dish towel - he always throws it on the counter.

... but more importantly

2. When using the microwave, he ALWAYS opens the door before the set time runs out, therefore, the "Clear" button needs to be pushed to reset the Message Screen. He NEVER. PUSHES. the "Clear" button. When I go to use the microwave, there is the never ending scrolling message, and "I" have to push the "Clear" button.

Trying to capture that scrolling message was a little difficult.

How hard is it to push that button? Or better yet, wait 'til the time runs out? However, if that would cause your food item to burn, then maybe a more appropriate time should be selected.

Do I sound bitter? I don't mean to. In all actuality, my Wonderful Husband does MOST of the cooking, so I will forgive him of this one minor flaw... and well the towel thing too. LOL!!

"JOY OF LOVE" - DAY FOUR

2011-02-04T13:14:00.004-05:00

Day Four of the "Joy of Love" Photography class was to capture...

"What They Wear"

When I saw this upcoming prompt yesterday, I immediately knew what picture I wanted to take. I wanted to show what my Husband wears around his neck, as a Memorial to two very special people we have lost.

He wears two Crosses. The smaller Cross is for our son Max, Luke's twin, who passed away at the age of three weeks on October 2, 2007. The other Cross is for his Mother, Yvette, who passed away last March 4th after a ten year fight with ALS. He NEVER takes them off.

Now, since I haven't really shown the "Love" for my youngest so far, I thought I would feature him today.

What Grey "Wears" are Hats...

and he likes to wear them low. Usually covering his eyes.

This one is my favorite. I wish it was more in focus. Hard to capture sharp images of a little being always in motion.

And now just for FUN...

What They Wear...

Thanks to their Grandparents who live in New Mexico, the boys always have Cowboy Boots just like Daddy.

"JOY OF LOVE" - DAY THREE

2011-02-03T14:36:00.005-05:00

Day Three of the "Joy of Love" Photography class was to capture...

"Then and Now"

I've only know my husband for about eight years, so we haven't changed that much - other than us both gaining weight. Since I don't think he would appreciate me taking pics of his love handles, for this assignment, I will focus on my children.

My oldest, Luke, arrived almost 3.5 years ago, Seven weeks early. It was a Tuesday... September 11th @ 12:33pm. He weighed 4lbs., 6oz. and was 15" long. He was SOO small. His head was about the size of a medium orange. I thought for the "Then and Now", I would capture the comparison of the Size of his Feet Now to how tiny they were Then.

We took this picture a few days after bringing him home from being in the NICU for three weeks. He was about the same size as his Mother's Heartbeat Teddy Bear.

He's now obviously much larger than that Teddy Bear, but still small for his age, and Totally Healthy!!

Another great thing about this particular photo, is that it documents his love of his brother's crib. We cannot keep him out of it. He thinks it is his own personal trampoline.

My youngest, Grey, arrived 21 months ago, after an easy full term pregnancy. It was a Thursday... May 14th @ 7:58am. He weighed 8lbs. even and was 21" long. We were shocked that he was as big as he was, and it took us awhile to get used to him being a "normal" sized newborn.

It's comical to me to see his footprints compared to his brothers. Plus, his "Now" feet aren't all that much bigger than his "Then" feet.

"JOY OF LOVE" - DAY TWO

2011-02-02T16:32:00.004-05:00

Day Two of the "Joy of Love" Photography class was to capture...

"How They Look"

I was excited to do this particular assignment so that I could photograph my husband. He's not one for having his picture taken, but he happily obliged for the sake of "homework".

I wanted to capture some of his distinct features...

like his eyes - a piercing shade of blue-ish, gray-ish, green...

and his Fabulous Gray hair. He's not called "Silver Fox" for nothin'!

And most distinct feature of all, his Cleft Chin, which he has generously passed on to our two boys. I think he looks SO HOT in this shot.

However, even though I LOVE all those sexy distinct features of his, this is usually "How He Looks"...

Almost ALWAYS with sunglasses on. Whenever we're having our picture taken outside, I ALWAYS have to plead with him to take them off.

Then there's my first born - Lucien. He gets his Green Eyes from his PaPa Faucheux.

I just LOVE that single. tiny. Freckle. on his right check. I just want to eat it.

And of course, the Cleft Chin.

Then, there's my baby, Grey. He was napping when I was taking the above shots, and by the time he woke up, my DSLR camera battery had died. So his One shot was done with my Point & Shoot.

He has the Cleft Chin, though not as prominent as his brother. He also has a dimple in his left cheek - don't know where he gets that from. But the one feature he has that defines "How He Looks", is his head of blonde curls. Actually, it's more of a Mullet of blonde curls. He's going to need his First Haircut soon... I will be so sad to cut his "Babyness".

PUPPY LOVE

2011-02-01T14:06:00.004-05:00

Today, February 1st, is Luke's girlfriend's, Laci, Birthday. Now really, he's only three - I know he's too young to have a girlfriend, but the first time I witnessed this "friendship" was back in October during their pre-school field trip to the Pumpkin Patch.

Then again a few weeks ago on the night of their pre-school Christmas program.

How could he not "love" this cute little redhead he calls "Weezy" ('cause he can't pronounce "Laci")?

Anyway, because I don't have any little girls to make cute little hair things for, I thought this "Birthday" would be the perfect opportunity for me to make a "cute little hair thing".

And so I did...

A little felt, a little hot glue, a few little rhinestones, and Ta-Da...

A Cute Little Hair Thing!

I've also been wanting to try to make little tissue paper rosettes, so I made a few to adorn the gift bag.

Aren't they sweet?

I hope the weather doesn't keep Luke from going to school tomorrow to give his little lady her present.

"JOY OF LOVE" - DAY ONE

2011-02-01T11:57:00.005-05:00

For the month of February, I have signed up for a FREE online photography class called...

Day One - "What They Do"...

Today's Prompt was to capture a loved one doing "What They Do".

My Hubby getting ready to head out for the day. He's an outside salesperson for a flooring distributor. Really HARD job to have and keep due to the current economy, but he KICKS ASS!!!

Nothing really special about this pic, but the lighting is great, and I LOVE the color of his hair. He's been gray since his teen years, and it helps people think he's older than me, when in actuality, I'm 8 years old than him. Sorry, if that was TMI. LOL!!

Now, for my other Loves, well...

they climb!! And yes, the bookshelf is bolted to the wall. They have a huge sliding glass door in their room, so there is wonderful natural lighting.

And, they also play.

This is actually a rare moment of them playing "Well" together. About 10 minutes after this picture was taken, I missed photographing another RARE moment, when they actually PICKED UP the blocks. That NEVER happens!!

ETSY SHOP SALE

2011-01-31T20:10:00.010-05:00

Starting tomorrow,

February 1st, 2011,

I'm having a SALE.

Come visit my Etsy shop tMoOT and buy yourself a new purse for Spring. I'm offering 30% off any of the nine Totes that are in stock, or any Custom Order. Just enter code SPRING30 at checkout.

Hope to see you there!!

FREE ONLINE PHOTOGRAPHY CLASS

2011-01-30T09:38:00.003-05:00

I discovered this Free Online Photography Class from a friend on Facebook.

It starts on Tuesday, February 1st.

Hope you all sign up to take it. It should be a lot of fun.

For some reason the Blog Button isn't working. Here's the link to The Joy Of Love.

OLD SCHOOL VALENTINE

2011-01-21T16:14:00.008-05:00

Even though our house is Staged for Selling, I figured it wouldn't hurt to do a "little" bit of Valentine Decor. I mean, Holiday Decorating isn't personal... it applies to everyone, right? I guess if someone walks through our house, in the next couple of weeks, who is going through a divorce, then Valentine Decor may not be something they want to see. Oh well, I'll take that chance.

This "little" bit of decor cost me absolutely nothing, because I already had everything. I found a cute little metal frame in my stash, not realizing at first, that the metal was bent into the shape of four hearts... perfect for this Holiday. And, I already had red tissue paper - who doesn't?

The square opening of the frame is only 2" x 2", so I cut an 1.5" heart out of an index card. I then cut the tissue paper into 3/8" squares (not precisely, just eye-balling it). Then using the technique we ALL learned back in Elementary School, I adhered the tissue paper to the heart with Tacky glue and a small stylis.

To add a little bit more dimension, I elevated the heart off the background with a small piece of craft foam.

So, doing it "Old School", I was able to add a "little" bit of Valentine Decor.

Happy Valentines Day everyone.

I'm linking up here... be sure to go visit to see all the other incredible projects

SELF PORTRAIT

2011-01-20T20:53:00.013-05:00

One of the newest blogs I follow is Little Miss Momma. The little Miss Momma is Ashley, and she always has great little projects and incredible photography. Recently, she posted about how to do "Self-Portraits". I've been wanting to do this, so I got out my camera and full length mirror this morning and gave it a try.

Here are a few of what I captured.... and Ashley was right, you need to take about 100 shots just to get a few good ones.

This first one is probably my Favorite. I e-mailed it to my husband, and he thought it was "Weird" - "your head's cut off, you're looking up, your mouth is open, you look like you're lost." I told him it wasn't Weird, it's "Artistic". He then told me that even though it's Weird, I'm still beautiful. Gotta love my Hubby.

My boy's bedroom seems to have the best lighting for photography, so after moving the crib out of the way (for most of the shots) I got to work.

The above two were before Makeup.

This one really highlights the beginnings of my second chin.... FAB-U-LOUS!!

After the boy's room, I moved to the Master Bedroom... and tamed my frizz.

Not all pics were just "Self"...

Porkchop and Mommy

Luke and Mommy

Mommy and Porkchop again(his real name is Grey). This was the only "Silly" face I could muster.

Go visit Ashley's Link Party to see all the other great "Self-Portraits".

FAMILY FUN FAMOUS

2011-01-16T14:41:00.006-05:00

Who'd a thought a skein of brown yarn would give me 15 minutes of Fame?

Remember this from Halloween?

Well, this yarn wig made it into the pages of a magazine.

The February issue of Family Fun.

The October issue of the Family Fun magazine is where I got the tutorial for the basics on how to make yarn wigs. The wig for Princess Leia wasn't actually one they showed how to do, nor were they being shown to be made for adults. But I figured if I followed the basics, I could modify it for an adult, and whip up the Cinnamon Bun hairstyle made famous by the Star Wars Heroine.

The magazine always has a section where they feature photos sent in by readers, that show something that was made from one of the magazines how-to projects.

I didn't actually send in a photo, but instead, was contacted by the editor of this "Feature" section, who had found my earlier post about our Halloween costumes while surfing the internet. How freakin' cool is that?

So the Faucheux Family is Family Fun Famous!!!!

May the Force (still) Be With You!!

CONCEALMENT ART

2011-01-08T16:37:00.007-05:00

If you follow my blog, you know we have put our house up for sale. I thought I would share with you one of the transformations I did in order to de-personalize our space.

On the large wall in the living room, is our wall mounted television. When we purchased it five years ago, we were too cheap to go to the expense to have an electrician come out and do what would be necessary in order for it to hang and not have any of the wiring show. This was my solution.

Normally, before "staging" had to be done, the little frames held photos of our three boys

Luke is on the left and is Three months old in this shot. Grey is on the right and is also Three months old. In the middle is our sweet Angel Max, Luke's twin. This photo was taken the day before he passed away at Three weeks old.

Now they have some colorful scrapbook paper and are embellished with brown Fleur-de-lis' - subliminally still personalized, symbolizing my husband's home town of New Orleans.

When I originally created these, I painted three canvases (without staples on the sides) that I got, probably, at Michaels.

I got the grass cloth square frames at Ikea. I then used carpet tacks (hammering them into the wood frame through the canvas) and twine to hang the frames.

So simple, so inexpensive, so cute... and they (mostly) hide the wiring.

I'm Linking up here... be sure to go there to check out all the other awesome ideas.