Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Turkey Transformation

I couldn't wait until tomorrow to post this. Its fresh in my mind and so eagerly wanting to be shared. As I was asked on Cafe Mom about memorable Thanksgiving's, I forgot one that needs a good laughing to.

When we were younger, my brother, sis, and me, always had Thanksgiving dinner at home. My dad was the one that cooked that luscious piece of meat. Normally it was cooked in the old fashioned 'turkey in a bag' method, but on one Thanksgiving, my dad had spent some time researching and announced early that he was going to try a new technique. My dad was always inquisitive and loved to learn new foods, etc. I just looked at my brother and thought "well this could either be very good or very bad." Remembering the turkey that the Griswold's had, and its bad luck and dryness; I didn't count my lucky stars.

Well, that day had arrived and my dad was walking about, almost prancing at that chance to try his new found recipe. He walked in the kitchen, gave the turkey a bath ( or so we thought at the time) and grabbed a big syringe. He looked over at my brother and said " I am going to make this turkey into a girl turkey." And my brother looking puzzled as he watched my dad from aside, poke and prod at the turkey. With a few grunts and a few jabs, he stepped back and gave a smirk-ish grin. Usually when he gave this grin, you knew he was up to no good; as my dad was the king of all pranksters.
My brother took a couple steps closer and yelled, " Dad!! You really did it!! The turkey has boobies!!" All that poking was just a quick augmentation of butter filled cavities and gave the turkey a new, more feminine appearance.
Yeah it might be quite silly and a tad bit awkward. But to a 7yo boy, that was a masterpiece. I will never forget looking at my brother and seeing his eyes grow to be bigger than silver dollars. And still to this day we ask my dad if he is going to transform the turkey and give it a boob job. Silly to think a bunch of adults sitting around on Thanksgiving talking about such a thing; but why not? Its a great memory and one that we are thankful to share.

Its a stress feeding frenzy out there

I dread every morning. Not because its a rush to wake up and get the kids going but my husband turns on the dreaded news. I used to love the news when I was younger. I found it so fascinating to learn what was happening half a globe away; auto tuning into the good not the bad. However, in today's society that auto tuning has become harder and harder to do.

So as I quickly shut it off while hearing about some shooting, I thought well can't hurt to face book right? Yeah right; I got lured into my local Fox news station post saying "Ouch!" and then this picture:


Looks harmless right? Just a story about the prices going up like they normally would as we get closer to the holidays. But as I happen to scroll down the first thing I notice are the insane posts. Insane meaning some were blaming the president to the mayor to their own dog. For crying out loud, it was ridiculous and a tad bit humorous. I didn't know whether to just burst out laughing or comment back recommending a local psychiatrist.
We have become so consumed in the news and media that we forget the normal passing of rites ( rites meaning normal inflation around the holidays). Then again I would like to say a big thank you to the newscasters. Thanks for keeping a stress-feeding frenzy in our homes. True there are some people that would say " OH Lord they just said that watching Fox News will give us Cancer so I'm gonna unplug the tv and go get a MRI." Someone will always take it above and beyond the reasoning of insanity. However, for grounded people like myself.. ahem.. I just like to Laugh Out Loud at the weak attempts.

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Dont mind me..

Just adding my blog to Digg ( http://www.digg.com/). Please don't think I have lost my mind; although my kids will tell you differently LOL!!!

Share everything but germs this season

As it gets colder and winter swings into full gear we all soon dread that most feared thing about winter; colds and flu. After my 5 year old got sick a few weeks ago he said," Mommy, these bad germs need to go back to hiding under the leaves. If they are cold, I will bring them a blanket cause I don't want them living with us anymore." I gues he imagined that the cold was indeed something that was cold, perhaps like a small cartoon like dust bunny, and it was nestled under the pile of leaves to keep warm.

I had explained that a cold was germs that we could not see and leaving a blanket outside will not lessen our chances of getting sick. Instead, I helped him thoroughly wash his hands and gave him some Clear Defense Hand Gel.  This handy gel has only 2 ingredients; Ethenyl Alcohol and T36-C5 Melaleuca oil which is tea tree oil. Most antibacteria gels have tons more chemical products with are very caustic and harmful if you inhale enough of it.

http://www.melaleuca.com/ProductStore/Product.aspx?sku=5040


So while you're out and about this season; remember to grab some and keep it in your pocket or purse. We will all gladly accept hugs; we just don't want the germs.

Monday, October 25, 2010

claim token

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For all of you readers wondering what is going on.. don't worry; I haven't lost my marbles just yet.

Friday, October 15, 2010

Fabulous Friday

I just got my rhinestones last night and they are oh so cute!! I am not sure whether to sell them seperately or as a lot. I have newborn sets and toddler/girl sets. Hmm, what to do. I still have a bunch more to do so I think for now I will do them as lots, and then as they dwindle, list them seperately.












Thursday, October 14, 2010

Things to do Thursday

So much to do!! Finally having normal flow in my house I can finally get caught up on some cleaning without worry. Two years ago the city repaved the street and new curb. The new curb is what crushed our sewer line, so, they came out in full force and fixed it in two days. I was happy to see it fixed, not to mention the very handsome men that work sweating away.

I should also be received my rhinestone buttons today so that means 20 new zebra and cheetah flower headbands to be made, YAY!! I have tons of crotchet headbands and have been patiently waiting to get all of my product to assemble these beauts.

Another to do is see if I can still send in my vendor application for a local craft show that is coming up. I haven't got nearly as much product as I would like. However, I think once I get that approval, I will shift into Go mode. Until then its unto baking more korker piggies.

Monday, October 11, 2010

Manic Monday has a whole new meaning today.

I am literally knee high in dodo today. Over the weekend we realized that our clean outs ( vents coming up to the surface from sewer line) was spewing, yes spewing, every time we ran water. I had never seen it happen and from the ground seepage, it looked like it been doing that for a couple of days. So we call our home warranty and think that everything is hokey dory. Yeah right

The plumber comes out on Sunday and informs us that we have a line break. I thought to myself, okay not bad that is something the warranty will cover. However, on Monday/today, I found that to be totally wrong. They only cover line breaks inside the home not outside. So grabbing a shovel I dig my little heart out. After 4 hours and not finding the line I call the gentleman that came out. " Oh no hun, the break is under the curb or the street. You wont find it there." I hung up, grabbed a pillow, and screamed my lungs out in it. My worst nightmare was now a reality. How in the world would I be able to afford that??? And now I will have to get the city involved; which I hate to say is never an easy task. I don't have weeks for them to casually come when they feel and fix it; I need it done quick. I cannot sit here smelling the revolting smell of human heap from my living room and watch it spew into my yard any longer.

Hopefully tomorrow will be promising, with plenty of delicious smelling candles lighting the way.

Friday, October 8, 2010

Food For Thought Friday

Last night I came across a really cool site called WalletPop. I has alot of various info and is a really good read. From Halloween tidbits to most dangerous cities; this site had it all. I really like the freebie section and has something for everyone.
So go check it out here

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Thoughtful Thursday

Every morning after the kids get on the bus, and little miss is still asleep; I head over to my Cafe Mom Groups and talk for a few or vent out that past nights events. On my 30 Somethings group, I noticed a post called Thoughtful Thursday. I immediated smacked my forehead and thought, " uhm.... yeah remember those sticky notes you have; you forgot... again."
Only in the second day and I was already forgetting my new blog schedule, tisk tisk. Thank Goodness for my friends on my group to remind me today was supposed to be thoughtful, not thoughtless.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Wishful Wednesday

To keep myself in a daily routine of blogging I have started some themes for each day.
So as for my title lets wishfully hope that I can keep on this plan.

To keep my wishful thinking alive; Im gonna add some post-its around my screen to remind myself. Whenever I'm bored or cant sleep it will remind me and say: Hey you!! Remember me?
Hopefully that will keep me in check and only time will tell.

So what do you do to keep on a normal blogging routine???

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

DIY: Freestanding Display For Craft Shows

If you're like me and have spent countless hours searching the net and coming up short on how to build a display; then look no further. This one is very simple to do and can be customized to however it suits your needs.

Here is what will be making:

It is 2' Wide and 5' Tall.

Supplies:

1-2'x4' Peg Board ( They come in 1/8" or 1/4" thickness, so that is up to you. However, I suggest the 1/4" as it seems to be more sturdier overall.)
2- 1"x2"x5' (sides)
2-1"x2"x20"
2-1"x2"x16"(legs)

4- L Brackets Preferably the heavier duty brackets that are 1" wide. (or just use what you already have)

Box of Roofing Nails


Now I will warn you that I am not a handyman or liscensed in any way so if there is something that I forget or doesn't seem right, feel free to comment. I wanted to make this with ease and for any skill level.

Before starting:
Clear an area of debris and give yourself plenty of room for this project. I had to rip or cut all of my existing wood so make sure you have an area for cutting if you haven't already. I used wood from a pallet that was left in the garage from the previous owner. So just use your imagination and recycle if you can.

Step One: Building a frame

Lay the 1"x2" x 5' boards (2) parallel to each other and lay the pegboard right side up, on top of it. The right side is the smooth side. Make sure that both the tops of the lumber and the top of the board are on the ends running down the 4' side. Hammer a nail in the top corners first making sure that the ends of the board are all flush and straight, then on the outer bottom end of the pegboard. Doing the top first allows you to move the bottom around if its not straight. Then nail 2 more along the middle and again on the ends.










Using the 1"x2" x 20" place them along side the top ends like shown. Again nailing 2 on each side of the lumber and 2 in the middle. Please remember this is face up still!! If you do it face down you will not grab the peg board or the nail will be poking through, ouch!




Step 2:Applying the legs

Stand your display up so that it is standing on the 2, 5' ends. Take your 1x2x16" and mark a line at 8". Place each leg on that mark. ( I am using this for hairbows and dont have to worry too much about counterweight. Depending on how heavy of a product you want to use, you might need to make the legs longer. Just play around with this part untill you get it at the right formula)

Next, take one of the L brackets and center it in the middle of the bottom board ( 1x2x16) and flush against the leg. You might want to have some help on this step as you will need to keep the display perfectly straight. Hammer in the nails in the bracket slots, preferably bottoms first.Or you can put an L bracket, one on each side of the leg that way when you hammer in the nail it will not hit the nail on the opposite end.

That is it!! Now you can paint it or leave it in its natural color. Also if you have some casters you can apply those to the bottom making your display very portable.

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Lesson Learned

Today I learned the hard way to never talk about politics on facebook. It didn't neccesarily start up as politics but it very well ended that way. So here's the scoop:

A friend of mine today had said that she had seen an Islamic man wearing a shirt with an Bin Laden picture and was outraged that he would be allowed into a public place wearing it. I asked, " Did you get a good look at the shirt?" and she kinda threw back almost in disgust and merely stated that she had just seen the image although it may have had writing on it. Now I am not one to take things quite litterally. To me she also seemed that she had pre-judged him and placed him into the normal stereotype as if she was filing books upon a shelf. I thought, it could possibly be one of those t-shirts that say Wanted and have his mug shut; more or less demeaning Bin Laden, not condoning him.

This little scenario got me to boldly ask my face-friends ( facebook friends) what their first reaction was. I did leave out the Warning tee part so I would not taint the answer. Only a handful of people responded and it was mix emotion. However none of them really asked what else was on the shirt or if it was a mockery, etc. So I had explained my answer and the reason for asking. I more or less wanted to see if we, as Americans, do tend to prejudge before we know the whole truth or story.

Somehow out of this debate; it got led into abortion and the mosque. Now how on earth these two can be comparable; you have me. I warned to please tread softly and that I don't want flames coming out of anyones ears. Did they listen; oh no. What was once a simple question of judgement fell into bad judgement on my part. It had turned into a full blown debate on abortion. Yikes!

So why am I writing about this? Lets just say let this be a true lessoned learned for anyone. If you want to fire up a debate that is fine; but do not underestimate people's opinions and think that someone will not get hurt in the end. We all feel passionate about our feelings and what we think is right and most of us will feel threatened if others feel otherwise. Abortion is definately not an easy subject to talk about and has too many unspecifics or not a cut-throat answer. If you want to debate; make it about something positive like ways you can save on energy or maybe local govermental issues. But head my warning; if you open a can of worms, you might get a little more than you bargained for.

Friday, August 27, 2010

Let the Planning Begin Muah Ha Ha


Almost 2 months till the 2nd best holiday of the year, Halloween. And now that I have a home of my own, you bet your bones I am going to ghoulify it and turn my garage into a haunted house. There is only one problem; can I keep on a budget.


Now I do know how to scare those pesky kids that always complain that I am not giving out the BIG candy bars. I just don't know if I can control my fascaious appetite of those wonderfully scary animitronics that are plentiful in the internet world. For now, I will just stick to the important pieces.
First and foremost, I need to design a layout and do an actual walk through to make sure there is adequate room. Since I am using my garage, and it is only a 1 car, I have to also consider moving things around or putting things such as the bikes, etc outside for that week.( my husband is going to pull the kids on the tractor and fill the cart with hay) I could also just see if my neighbor would hold them inside his garage as well. Use my puppy-eyed charm for that purpose LOL!
Secondly, and almost as important, is a theme. You can't very well have alien props in a medieval scene now can you. I was thinking more along the lines of a chop shop. I have gadzooks of tools, so why not let them be carelessly thrown into the mix. My work bench is also just the right height and width, oddly, to create it into a surgical table.Who knows later on I could have an actor play as a doctor while cutting up another actor or patient and them come after those pesky kids.
Lighting and plumbing of the fog machine will also have to be considered. I will be using duck cloths for my walls and ceiling. It is much more thicker than muslin and with my coupons from JoAnns, it will be the same price. Why ceiling also, you ask? Because it adds to the fun house feel, a sense of distortion which creates uneasiness. If they feel they are in a box room they can already sense where the actors will be to jump out at them or where the scare tactic will lie. But if you make your walls at a 45 degree angle and drape the ceiling a little, it will throw their perception off enough so that they might not see someone lurking in the shadows.
I wont have but a few lights since the garage is small enough. I was thinking about just using the main garage door light but added a flickering light bulb to it. I know I dread going down a hall that the lick is flickering, hoping that I get to the end before it goes completely out. So that is the image that I want to create. No strobe lights for health reasons.
Plumbing for the fog machine is going to be the easy part; or atleast sounds easy enough. I will just get enough PVC piping to cover the floor plan. Cut holes into the top of the pvc piping for ventilation. When that night comes, place dry ice in each pipe ( just slide it down if that is easier), cap the ends and link it to the fog machine. Dry ice gives the fog more weight and creates that graveyard mist effect. I don't want anyone choking on fog so keeping it low lined will not only help that but also distort their sense of flooring as well.
So still alot to chew and loads of work so far but I am going to enjoy every bit of this. I will keep posting more as I continue and throw some snap shots in the mix as well. Wish me luck and hopefully luck will only be needed to those who dare enter my chop shop. Muah ha ha!!

Monday, August 23, 2010

Pigs in a Blanket, has a whole new meaning

I was thinking last night while sitting around our fire pit, eating marshmellows, about what I missed about summer the most. I mainly miss family gatherings and the big cookouts that my folks would have at their house during July. Thinking back on that it only brought one thought "Pig ( well technically a hog) in a blanket".

One summer when I was 10, my family was getting ready for our annual hog roast. I was sitting with my best friend playing when all of a sudden my dad runs in my room, sweating as if he had just been chased. He shuts the door quietly and says " You two, whatever you do, do not go into the bathroom. I killed a man and I put him in the tub." Now knowing my dad, he is the ultimate prankster and will do anything for a good laugh. We just shrugged it off and decided to see for ourselves.
After he left our room, me and my best friend gave each other the " lets go look" nod, and tip toed out to the hallway. When we got into the bathroom, I instantly noticed that my old sleeping blanket was in the tub and looked as if there was indeed something hidden under there. With a gulp and a big breathe, I peered slowly under the blanket only to see pink flesh underneath. We screamed with all of our might and ran back to our room. Bursting into tears all I could think of was that I was going to jail for a very long time. I even pondered in seeing if I could run away to my grandmothers so that I could atleast stay out of jail.
And in that last thought and loud 'oh my god, what'll we do,' I heard the faint laughter of my dad and my best friends dad outside my bedroom window. I quickly opened it to harp at them for laughing at a time like this. They had finally got us quiet enough to explain that it was only a hog that they had no where else to thaw.

I had never seen an actual hog; only when it had been cooked in a roaster and on my plate. All I knew is that my reaction went from being to scared out of mind to revenge. I eventually started talking to my dad after I realized that I could not outsmart a prankster ( besides I could never keep a straight face when I tried to pull a prank). And every summer from then on out; whenever someone says 'pig in a blanket' we tell the tale and reminesce of the good ole days.

Monday, August 9, 2010

A quick how to on making your own photo shoot

For some reason my camera does best with hallogen lighting vs natural sunlight. I think this could be due to my yard is either 100% shade or 100% sunlight. I have 9 trees in my backyard and then a " no mans land" that is just a solid patch of open area. Althought that is a great area for volleyball and teeball; it is not great for pictures. So what to do?


I figured since my garage is a perfect little area for making my photo shoot ( it also easily contains the little ones so you are not chasing them all over gods creation ); I figured I better have a looksie and see what I have laying around before I even attempt it.

In my garage we had an old wooden pallet about 4' x 6' which was perfect to hold a backdrop. Now if you don't have one of these laying around, that is okay. You can either look around to see if you have something of that size, maybe a closet door, Or you can use pvc piping to make your own like this one:





It will cost you approx
bucks and you can find the info on parts here.


Then you will need to something for a backdrop. Sure you can go to the fabric store and purchase some muslin, however a sheet will do just fine. You need to pick one that has a higher thread count though. The more thicker it is the better. You dont want to be able to see through it. It will also give your camera a break as well. Cameras will see that there is a mix color if the backdrop is see through, and give the background a very pixelated look. Here is just an example of what I came up with:

My husband had an old hunting chair that is armless that was perfect to sit underneath. However you can use anything you prefer.

So that is basically it! Youre next step is just to find a good angle to shoot and take loads of pictures.














Back to School Time.. Yay for parents, Boo for kids

Its that time of year when parents get excited that they can finally have some peace.. school time. Back to homework, meeting new teachers, and most importantly back to normal sleep schedules.

In this house atleast, my kids have not stayed on a normal sleep schedule all summer long. It might have started out with good intentions but it ended with my children trying to sneak around at 1am. Most of all this little toot, Hannah:

So hopefully now that either school is starting soon or your kids are already back; you are getting some much deserved sleep.

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Spirit Bow Giveaway!!!!

I finally broke down and decided to do a give away. With everyone else doing cool stuff; I thought I would join in on the fun. I will make this extremely simple. All you have to do is just reply to either here, my blog; or you can go to my fb page here and click under the discussion tab.
This giveaway will run today through July 17th. Then at midnight ( EST) I will select a winner from random.org and announce the winner. The winner will have 12 hrs to respond back.

Now for the fun part... The winner will get a totally customizeable spirit bow. You choose the colors and choose the image you would like for the bottlecap. Whether its for your daughter school or your favorite team, it is totally up to you. I am pretty good with photoshop so don't let creativity slip out the door. I will work one on one with you untill you are totally satisfied with it.

Easy enough?? Then what are you waiting for.. start replying!!

Saturday, June 19, 2010

Tearful..


I have been a little down in the dumps today. With next Saturday being my first craft show, you would think I would be excited; think again. I am just not feeling my perky self today; feeling like I am alone in my creative world. My husband showed today how much he is a non supporter of my shop, and that made me loose all hope.
I was talking today about what I still needed for the show or farmers market. I have tables, tent, and product but nothing to put or display them on. Franticly I went online seeing if there was a how to on a display that I could do. I found a couple of ideas but nothing that really caught my eye. Well I finally found something that did, mesh crate cubes at Walmart. They were only 19 bucks and I could use them for other things later on; good deal. But by my husbands sour smirk and huff; it suddenly turned from exciting to shattered dreams. I wont ramble on much more about this; lets just say I'm still a little teary eyed about the ordeal.
I just feel like I am trying soo hard but hitting a brick wall at every corner. I soo would love my real first sale; that I would go beg and plea a stranger off the street to buy one. I want people to love my things just as much as I do. What am I doing wrong or heck, what am I doing right for that matter??? For now I will just keep chucking away. I still have alot more things to make before next Saturday. Who knows; I might have a good day. But I feel if I have a bad turnout; it will break me.

Friday, June 18, 2010

T-Minus 8 days and counting to first show!!!



8 more days and I can officially say I know the feeling of my first craft show. With trying to stock up on items and planning, it has left me excited but fearful at the same time. I don't know whether to jump for joy or puke, LOL!!
I should really know what to expect but since my prior experience was an epic fail I have shut it out from my mind and decided to start from scratch. So going through a checklist; I have gotten most bases covered.
Now I am just praying that the good ole Indiana weather is nice to me and lets the rays shine throughout the day.

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Another Stormy day in Greenwood, IN

Does this photo make you cringe or your heart start racing?? Maybe you are like me and have Lilapsophobia: fear of tornados or hurricanes. Its not fun especially trying to drive when you know a storm is afoot. When you look at this, I bet you can guess that there is no way you would drive in a storm like that.

Well today; I did and it was about as stressful as having a knife held to your throat or like a cat in water, pawing for the safety of an edge. My oldest son had his final tournament game tonight for baseball. His younger brother had a game 2 hours prior so we decided that we would just stay at the diamonds after his game was over and practice some before the tournament game. As I started the car there I saw that it looked like some dark clouds were approaching, but they were mearly low grade rain clouds; nothing to be frightened of. ( In my past I have found myself ranking clouds and knowing their intensity just by their upflow or front clouds.)
We got there and as my youngest son, Nicholas, was playing one of the other moms said loudly; " Oh my, there's a tornado warning in ..... county and it looks like its heading towards us." My heart instantly sank. Knowing that we will be here for awhile I knew there was no escaping and no where to hide. My heart started to race but I kept reminded myself that it could decipitate as it gets nearer.
After Nicks game we headed over to AJ's, my oldest sons, field and waited out for his turn to play. The players on the field were waiting for the current storm to subside and the lightening dectors were blaring. ( Each of the diamonds have lightening dectors on home plate. If there is any lightening within a 10 miles radius, it will let off a siren to warn the teams.) So as we wait it begins to get worse. We head in the car and again I hear (loud high pitch beep)"The national weather forcast has issued a tornado warning for the following counties..." Instantly my heart goes into rabbit mode and tries to race out of my chest. Here we are sitting in an open field with hardly anything to protect us. I feel cold and naked against the storm. AJ's coach runs to us and says the game has been rescheduled. okay I have 10 minutes to get home and get to safety.
As normal my grandmother wants to sit and blab and ask the same question 50 times. I holler at the kids to get in the car and quickly put them in there seatbelts, carseats. At this point I am almost at the brink of half commen sense/half flight or fight. What that means is my perception is starting to be confused, I will drive a little faster not realizing it or I may make a turn in front of a car when I would usually wait.

Stuck in traffic for 5 minutes, 5 minutes to get home; crunchtime. My stomache starts churning as I see the dark front clouds coming. I now realize that I am going to have to drive through part of the storm in order to get home. I sink, try to swallow and my back tenses up. For the first time I turn off my radio. Usually I will listen to it like a hawk, flipping through the station to hear if a tornado has touched down or how far the storm is away from me. I already could see where it was and I did not want to be reminded of its damage. It was hard enough not to try and run the red lights nor run people off the road to get home.
One more turn and I'm home and its the longest. You know on scary movies how they make a hallway extended?? That is how I saw this. I was feeling like I was going to pass out, heart racing, and shaking like a leaf as I watched the road seem to get longer and longer; snarling under the vast dark clouds. I turn and start to cry; the trees were dancing but in a scary ghostly way as they would bend to the ground and twirl. I kept watch of my speed cause I noticed that at first I was doing 55 in a 30mph zone and almost rear ending the car in front of me. I start deep breathing and making myself breath, I can do it ; youre safe. I finally whip the corner of my drive pull my kids out of the car and run in. Just as I was lowering the garage door the wind started its 60mph ghusts; but I no longer cared. I was home and safe with my children. I ran to my room turned on the weather radar and cried. So sick and tired of being controlled of fear; I had no other option than to sceram it out in my pillow.

Monday, June 14, 2010

Buy and Donating for a great cause!!

One of my dear etsian friends, Jojosart, is spreading the word about helping to fight the oil in the Gulf. We all know how ugly the BP Oil Crisis is; we see it everyday through print and television.
However, Jojosart, is the first I have seen to step up and make an outreach to contribute or donate.

For every Save The Coast Print sold, he will donate $10.00 to http://www.audubon.org which is the wonderful people that are their right now helping to preserve and clean our beautiful coasts.

Please check out his work; and donate: http://www.etsy.com/listing/49229429/save-the-coast-8x10-print

Sunday, June 13, 2010

How to make recycled Bow Cards!!

Im always looking for a way to use what I have at home and with craft fairs coming up; I really didn't want to spend anymore money than I already had to. So I thought there had to be a way to make bow holders/cards and use what I already have at home. After pondering; I found a cool solution to recycle and have a unique look.




What you need:
  • Cereal boxes, shipping boxes, or any sturdy cardboard box or paper.
  • E600 glue, Tacky glue, double sticky tape. Anything that you already have at home that will bond well and hold strong.
  • Pen
  • Ruler or bow card template ( I used 2 square templates from my scrapbook pack)
  • Scrapbook paper or any kind of paper that you would like to decorate the outside of your card.
  • knife or hole puncher ( my hole punch was broken so I found that a steak knife still did the trick)
  • hair bows
First things first; make sure your box is clean and free of scrap cereal or dirt. If you are using a cereal box, open it all the way up by opening the tabs and the flap on the side of the box like pictured.






Cut off all the tabs of the box, just using the front and the back of the box. Be sure when you are cutting that you are cutting inside the seam not in the middle of the seam. If you cut in the middle then the sides will not bond well when you glue the paper to the cardboard.



Next, place and mark your lines of your templates. I used 2 different sizes; a smaller one for aligator clips and a larger one for boutique bows. You can use your best judgement and make them any size you wish. I find it much easier to mark the board before you put on the paper. You can let it sit for longer without disturbing it.

Now if you are wanting some of the print to show on the back side; I suggest going ahead and cutting it out.



Make sure to glue the end that will not be showing. Apply the glue side to the back of the paper, NOT THE PRINT SIDE. I folded over the paper to show you that I have my template showing on one side and the print side on another.





I then took the pieces that I cut out, where I wanted to see the front of the cereal box. I put glue on the back side and applied them to the remaining edge of my scrapbook paper.
Now take something heavy like a phone book or novel and set it on top of your work while it dries. You can even take the book and with a little bit of pressure, gently push it back and forth on top of your work, almost like your sanding it with the book. This will help remove any air bubbles and also help seal the edges better. Give it the proper amount of time to dry please.




So when you cut them out it should look like this. The far left is the top, the middle is what it looks like with the cereal print showing, and the right is just a blank back. You can add whatever you wish to these. Whether adding more paper to the back or just adding your business card; that is up to you.



To add your bow, simply use the prongs as a guide to where you need to cut the card. Make 2 lines and either use a hole puncher or some sharp scissors and cut your circle. I did not have a hole punch so I decided to try cutting them. Precision doesn't matter on this step because your holes will be covered by the hair bow.


Just add the hair bow and your done!! Now you can either attach your business card to the top or add another hole punch to hang it. If you have nice handwritting, you can even just print your web addy on the top. Either way, create it to your liking. Enjoy!!!

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Todays Forcast.. Frightening!!


This was taken outisde my work around 9 pm today. I went into work knowing there was severe thunderstorms but I thought nothing of it. Well, I guess I should have known better. I work in the kitchen so its extremely loud with the buzzing of the ovens and ice machine evaporator. I didn't know that the tornado siren had went off. The cashier came around and said," Where's JeanAnne, its bad outside and she needs to check the radar." So ofcourse we had a tornado warning south of us. We are right on the countyline mark so if you go accross that street you see in the picture, that would be the county that is under the warning. So we closed off the play tubes and kept an eye on the radar. Thankfully everything went okay and there were enough customers in there that we could have grabbed them quickly if need be.
Now as far as I go.... I was freaking out. I have lilapsophobia which is a fear of tornados or hurricanes. Just looking at this picture makes my heart race. I am fine if I am indoors in a home or store. When I am driving; that is another story. If I had to drive somewhere and saw clouds like above, no way would I go near them. Infact, I have drove 2 counties out of my way just to steer clear of a storm. I wont go on about it but I will say that this has been an interesting and above all stressful, day. OY!!

Friday, June 11, 2010

Forum about the BP Oil Crisis...

A dear etsy chatter, Jojosart, started a forum thread about the BP Oil Crisis that I wanted to share with everyone. This is something that I think that is all dear to our hearts and just a little more closer to the fact of how much we have created this heavy polluted world.

So with out further babbling.. click the link and share your views please. Thanks Bunches!!
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?page=1&thread_id=6545285

Here is also a link to the drawing created by Jojo as well...http://www.etsy.com/listing/49212674/save-the-coast-8x10

How it got started...





My oldest daughter, Kimmie, and her softball team Medieval Monkeys is what truly inspired me to start creating. When I saw her yellow, polka dotted socks I knew there was much more to bloom in this industry but wasn't sure really which direction to take. I can't very well make those kind of socks and buying them from a manufacturer specifically for softball or soccer was a little too pricey. So I kept with the basics. They had to keep the hair out of their faces so why not incorporate bows and sports together. Interweave the two.



Now from my daughters view along with her other team mates, french barretts hurt when they wear them under their helmet. But alligator clips are "perrrrfect!" When its time for batting, they just take it out and clip it to either their cleats or their glove. "Its my lucky bow; I'm not taking it off," exclaimed Bri when Coach Jim looked at her puzzled. He just looked at me as smiled. They day I gave them their Monkey Charm bow ( yellow, black and white bow with a monkey face charn in the center); they had won 18-15. They proudly wore them every game afterwards, ( sadly the charm wore off since they had a 1-9 record this year). Eventhough they didn't win; it gave them courage to try and try harder.

Who am I??


Yeppers, that is me; crazed and held to a dare by my 10 yo daughter, Kimmie. I'm a mom of 4, who well.. acts just as much like a child as they do. Now I am not saying I throw temper tantrums and throw my diaper when I get mad. LOL! Im just saying that my imagination is as vivid as it was 30 years ago. Im not afraid to get dirty nor am I afraid to stand up for what I think is right. Afterall, thats what a mom does best, right?






Here's my crew. This was taken last year and looking back at this I have noticed how much this year has made a difference. These guys right here are my life; what I wake up for and what I go to bed dreaming about. Now sometimes that might mean dreaming about a Hannah Monster wreaking havoc on the city because she doesn't want to pee in the potty. However, most of the time its joyous. There is nothing better than waking up to snickering when there are little ones at the end of the bed, just waiting for you to tickle them.

Welcome!!!

Thank you times infinity for taking a look at my blog. I just started(duh!) but am not new to blogging. Anywho, I hope you stop by often to take a peek at what I ramble on about my days. Soo, with out further ado.. welcome and let the good times roll.