One a day challange

You may remember from my "New year, New blog, New me!" post that I had challanged myself to make one thing a day starting January 1st. This includes my crochet, embroidery (which im still learning), knitting, sewing, etc. Im also including making it to a milestone on a larger project (of course, I set my own milestones. Everyone knows what they consider an accomplishment).

I know I personally have a lot of projects that are only about halfway done (thanks to my ADD crafting!) and plenty of things in mind that I WANT to do, so this was the perfect motivation to get things done and challange myself as well.


And then I got to thinking.... if Im working on a challange, why wouldnt my readers want to as well?!

So heres my challange to you!

Make one thing, every day.

Thats it. It doesnt have to be anything specific, or anything huge. Just create. If you do paper, graphic design, crochet, knit, quilt, photography, embroidery, needlepoint, ANYTHING, just make one thing. Super simple and everyone can participate!

You dont have to start jan 1st with me, but if you do decide to take this challange, please email me or comment on my most recent post so that I can make a list of people who are participating (and I'll include a link to your blog/site as well).

I'll be updating once a week so you can see what I've been up to, and also so I'm held accountable for sticking to the challange, and I encourage you to do so as well (again, email me or comment, or send me a link to your online updates).

Im also going to add a button on my sidebar so that you can show that you're participating and link back here.

I am SUPER excited about this, and I hope that I have some people wanting to maximize their creativity with me!!

Go get Creative!!

~~Love~~
~~GG~~

Christmas at our house...

I don't know about any of you, but our Christmas' are normally pretty busy. There is a lot of wrapping presents, baking cookies, tree decorating, and all kinds of other ins and outs. We also have 3 families we have to visit (my mom, my dad and Mikes parents).

Sometimes it seems like we get so caught up in the running around that we sort of forget what this season is all about. It doesn't matter if you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or Festivus, the thought behind the holiday is the same. Love each other, be there for one another, and do everything you can for your fellow man. 


Im not going to go into a long post about the true meaning of Christmas tonight, just a quick reminder to everyone that no matter what you get, its the love of your family and friends thats important. 


I wish I could have found a better version of this, but I think this song says it all... and its my FAVORITE Christmas movie!





Have a beautiful holiday, Count your blessings, and I'll see you in the new year!

~~Love~~
~~GG~~

New Year, New Blog, New me!

Another year is gone, a new one on the way. Whenever Christmas and New years roll around, I tend to find myself not only reflecting on things that have happened in the past year (good and bad), but thinking of ways I can improve for the next. I don't really think of them as resolutions (to me, resolutions always seem so inflexible), but as goals and ideas to improve myself, my life and my family over the next year.

 

I've had plenty of setbacks and unfinished projects this year, and a bunch of things that were never even started. I've not taken care of myself the way that I should, and I've been lazy with housework and with my kids.

I've also had plenty of wonderful things happen as well! We got our first house, I started this blog, I've really dived head first into my crafting and sewing, and have found products that I enjoy making and can sell. I've learned some new tips and tricks, and some new skills that I'm super excited about and cant wait to start some new projects!

So in the vein of starting fresh and trying to improve my life, I'll be making some changes to the blog. Don't worry, all good things!! First, if you haven't already noticed, I've decided to add advertisements to my blog. I'll be doing some things to try and monetize a little bit more, and I'm even considering adding a donations button (seriously though, I'm still debating this one. Its really just to make everything a bit easier on me and make it easier for me to do everything that I do and still support my family).It was a hard decision to make, but my ultimate goal is to be able to blog and craft full time, so I don't have to work a day job and can be home with my kids, so this is my first step in that direction. Please keep in mind though, do NOT click on ads multiple times just to click them (this is a BIG no-no and the people at Google wont let me advertise anymore).

I'm also going to be changing up my writing style a bit, and doing more tutorials and talking about stuff that I know (which is pretty much crafting and finance lol). I want my blog to not just be about me and what I'm doing day to day (which is in fact pretty darn boring), but something that people will actually want to read and will hopefully help them in the long run. If there is anything that you are particularly interested in, or a question you have for me, please feel free to email me or post a comment with it and I'll work something up!

I'll probably also be experimenting with the layout and colors to see what I can come up with, so don't be afraid if you look in and see that the background is neon green!

There are plenty of other things I'm going to be working on in my personal life too. I'm going to post a little list here so not only will I be kept accountable, but so I can update with my accomplishments and hopefully encourage other people in their resolutions!

So here's my list:

1.  To get back into shape. This goal is difficult, so I've made some little mini goals for it too
     a) Stop drinking so much soda. right now, i drink several sodas a day. i want to get down to little or none a day
     b) Start eating better. Less red meat and "white" things (rice, bread, pasta, etc). Things I should be doing because of not having a gallbladder anyways.
     c) Start Exercising. Now, I don't just mean running on a treadmill or hardcore aerobics. I'd really like to get into yoga and some meditative type stuffs too. And maybe Zumba, I've heard that's a BLAST!
     d)Get more sleep. This one is better said then done. I need to sleep more. I'm one of those people who needs more like 10 hours instead of 8. We'll see how well that one goes.

2. Organize my craft supplies. My stuff is in messy piles all over our office. I know it drives my fiance nuts, and Its hard for me to get anything done like this, so organization here I come!

3. Create one thing a day. I've already started working on this one a bit (see that pic of the little tree above? I made that out of some $.25 foam coasters I bought from Ikea). That way I can not only keep up with my craftiness, but I can start working on products for the shop (see #4). A little caveat to that though. If I'm working on some sort of a large project, I want to achieve at least one milestone for the project a day (i.e. get to the next section or part of the project).

4. Start my own Etsy shop. I'd really like to get this started by March if possible. It'll probably be full of crochet stuff, and my hair clips, but I'm working on learning some other things too, like knitting and embroidery. I like to expand my repertoire of old lady hobbies :D

5. Save up an emergency fund by mid year. This is a big one, and partially where the blog and the shop come into play. Its something that is SO important. Everyone should have some kind of emergency fund set aside, in case something unexpected happens (which it always does). Its the #1 thing to do in every finance book, seminar, and class, and its where I need to start.

That's all I'm going to list for now. I'll adjust it as the year goes on and I achieve some goals and adjust others.

Please keep checking back for new tutorials, fun stuff, and stuff you may want to know!
  
Much love, and Happy Holidays!!!

~~Love~~
~~GG~~

Comment, tweet, share and spread the word!

I'll be blogging for Christmas... if only in my dreams...

I know, I've been surprisingly absent the last week or so, and for that, I am very sorry. 

I should be able to catch up on my posting this week, because until friday, 

I really dont have much planned lol

During my absence, I've at least been busy. 

and to be honest, I wouldn't have traded the fun that I've had for anything in the world!

My Uncle (my dads youngest brother) just got back from his last tour in Afghanistan in November, so we decided it was time for us to have a get-together. 

I haven't seen some of my family in over 10 years, and some of my cousins had never met each other!

We all met up in Savannah, GA (which i'd never been, so it was also cool to go some place new)

We drove up with my dad and all the kiddos in tow, 

and stopped at St Augustine on the way there to visit the fort.

Dad and Edward, checking out the view

One of the old mortars. I really loved the face where the fuse goes.

John Lennon, Gone 30 years today

I love the Beatles.

I have since I was little and saw "Yellow Submarine" for the first time (why it was on and why I was watching it, I have no idea, but it was colorful and had music, so I loved it!)

Via

When I got a little older and learned a little more about music,

I started to appreciate the phenomenon that was the Beatles. 

I also learned that John Lennon was killed.

Via

Cold hands, Warm Heart Swap!

I did my first swap this last month, and it was such an awesome experience!

It was called "Cold hands, Warm Hearts", and it was dedicated to... you guessed it... Gloves!

This swap was set up by Sandy over at Sandy a la mode and Ilene from Much Love, illy
(go check out the link party at Much Love to see what everyone else got!)

The limit was $25, and it had to be mailed out by Dec 1st.

My swap partner was Lacretia from Readyheart and let me tell  you, I LOVED my box!!

I got it in the mail on wednesday. I just happened to be home because of my horrible stomach bug

Heres what was in that lovely little box:

Finding Myself: The disease of "Perfection" by Single Dad Laughing

I read this blog post over at Single Dad Laughing 

(I also read this one and cracked up because "the cat came back" was always

one of my favorite songs as a kid)

 after one of my lovely ladies from Punky Moms posted it on her facebook,

and really felt compelled to share my thoughts on it.

Read the post. I'll wait.

Seriously.

Go.

Do it NOW!!

Ok, done reading? Then lets proceed, shall we?

It really amazes me that this is something that hasn't been addressed before. The images that we see all day long on the internet and TV do nothing but make us thing we're too fat, too lazy, too poor, and just plain not good enough.

Now, trust me when I say this, I have had serious issues with "perfection", and still do from time to time. Luckily for me, I was raised with a fairly good self image, with a truly loving and caring family, so that was never that much of an issue when I was a child.

But we all feel it.

Everyone gets the "keeping up with the Jones'" syndrome, and I have been known to spend money I didn't have just because I didn't want to tell my friends/family/coworkers that I didn't have any.

I've looked at myself in the mirror and felt ugly.

I've watched my children and felt like I was a bad mother.

I've looked at the wonderful man in my life and felt like I was not good enough for him.

Now, in my heart of hearts, I know that all of that is total crap, but its very difficult to keep it from creeping back into my mind, like the nasty little bugger it is.

Its really difficult to hear stories of people being bullied (including grown adults)
and know that it could easily be avoided or stopped if they had just
had a better self image.

It goes back to the "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me" idea.

Someone can tell you you're ugly, stupid or not good enough all day long,
but if you know that you are wonderful, beautiful and amazing (which EVERYONE is)
then their words can do absolutely NOTHING to you.

Its like Dan says, make someone feel perfect by showing them that NOT being perfect is OK!

We've all been there, we've all done that, felt that, experienced that.

I know that when I first separated from my ex husband, it was very difficult not to fall into the
"what ifs" and the "I should've"'s, but thankfully I had my awesome mom, and eventually my boyfriends mom and family that helped me through it, and helped me realize that it wasn't my fault.

Yes, you did read that right.

It wasn't all my fault. It wasn't all my ex's fault either. It happened, and nothing was going to change that, but all I could do was be the best mom and daughter that I could be.

And it seems like that is the first step, realizing that when things happen to you, you can either let it destroy you, or grow and learn from it. I chose the latter.

This is never easy to admit, and much harder to do on a web based blog that people I don't know will read, but I feel that its important to show that even though I'm working on my "Inner Goddess", I'm not perfect, and just like everyone else, I have my times of weakness.

I hope that you all read this amazing post and start to follow SDL. His posts are alternately amazing and funny (and sometimes amazingly funny), and his message is wonderful.

Be a little more "Real" today, and help cure the disease that's called "perfection".

Much Love!!
GG

My busy weekend.... Christmas-y goodness!

This was a pretty busy weekend for us, and Im sorry I havent posted in a while, 

but I've been trying hard not to die.

Well, not really, but I have been really sick with a nasty stomach bug.

Its been really unpleasant, and my wonderful Honey keeps saying I look like "death warmed over". 

But today, since I'm finally feeling a little better, I decided to show you the things I managed to do this weekend, before the horrible bug struck. 

We (with the help of Mikes parents) hung some christmas lights. 

We only did the one little strand because, since we have a 2 story house, it would be way too much of a pain to put lights around the roof. 

Our small Christmas display this year

Much to Mikes dismay, I found the little, purple candy canes at Target for $3!

When I realize I'm doing something wrong...

Well, not like I'm doing something illegal, like when I'm doing something incorrectly. 

I have a lot of "slapping the forehead" moments.

Take yesterday for example. 

I was mild mannered-ly working on my project for "cold hands, warm heart"

I pulled out a new skein of yarn,

but instead of pulling the end on the outside of the skein like I normally do,

 I pull the one sticking out of the center on the end.

 and now, it works fabulously, and I dont have to fiddle with the yarn flipping around while Im working 

(just FYI in case Lacretia is reading this, this is NOT the yarn that I'm using for your gift,

 this is just an example :D)

I've also learned how to "follow" blogs via google. 

I know, for seasoned bloggers, this is probably a pretty "duh" sort of thing,

but apparently I was doing it wrong, and didnt realize it till my Honey mentioned 

that I was not following his blog. 

"yes I am" I retorted. 

"no, youre not" he said. 

So I checked, and low and behold, I wasnt. 

Again, another slap-the-forehead, duh moment. 

It may sound silly, but I actually kind of like it when stuff like that happens. 

Its not only nice because I've learned something new (yay!)

but it also makes me feel a little more human and fallible. 

What has given you a "duh" moment lately?

Still Learning,

GG

Finding myself....

Hello all! 

I've decided to rename my series. Instead of "Finding myself on a friday", its just "finding myself"

Unfortunately, fridays are apparently rough days for me to post on.

I've had all kinds of craziness going on.

Between Thanksgiving, crafting, and my possible new business venture, I've been running around like crazy.

I've also been working on my gift for the "Cold hands, Warm Heart" swap!

Im super excited about it, and I hope Lacretia from over at Readyheart will like what I'm whipping up!

Not too much else to update for today, but stay tuned! I've got good things coming up!

Much love!!

GG

This Thursday...

Its Turkey Day!!

Time to eat ourselves stupid, and give thanks for all of the wonderful friends and family we have.

Via

I know for us, Thanksgiving is a very busy holiday. 

We have 3 families to visit (and eat with), so we have to plan our day out well in advance.

Via

This year, its early lunch with my dad, early dinner with my mom, and late dinner/dessert with Mikes parents.

So with all of the Thanksgiving-y goodness going on, I
 thought I'd set the mood with some lovely handmade turkeys!

Via
This one reflects my love of yarn

Via

And last but not least, a little craft the boys and I did based on a post over at Easie Peasie

Zach's is on the left, Edward's on the right


This is just regular, washable paint on poster board.

 I cut them out and put yarn through them so we can use them as decorations.

We made 3 of each, so that way we have one for each grandma, and one for me :D

And of course the boys insisted I do one as well. They love to see mommy get messy.

I hope you all have a wonderful, fun and love filled Thanksgiving

I am thankful for YOU!!

GG

Spinning a Yarn

I love yarn. 

Via

Seriously, its a sick obsession, and I should probably get some help.

but i wont :D

Via

Finding myself on a Friday (monday edition)

Hello all!

Sorry I missed my Finding myself on a Friday post,

(how sad is that? its my second post in a series and I'm late for it!)

but Friday evening was full of wonderful gifted goodness, and this weekend was SUPER busy!

A quick update on how my first goal is going:

I've been trying really hard to spend a least one full, uninterrupted
(i.e. TV,Computer, Video game free time)
hour to devote to the kids.

Bestest buds
So far, we've done a couple of crafts (which I'll post pics of later)
and had a couple of serious heart-to-heart discussions

I'm really hoping that spending more "totally devoted" time with the boys will help with their behavior.
(I know. Some of you moms out there are going "uh, duh!",
but hey, I'm still learning how to do this whole "mom" thing, and frankly, I'm a little slow lol!)

Safe!

On a side note, I brought some of my little crochet and fabric flower clips to a local children's-only hair salon, and the wonderful owner said she'd sell them for me!

she has a board for local moms (right now there are only 3 others besides me), and she only takes 15% to cover the taxes, so I may actually be able to make an ok profit!

I'm super excited, and I'm hoping that everything starts selling well.

Who knows, maybe I'll even open my own Etsy shop!

Well darlings, that's it for now for my Monday/ Friday update! Stay tuned for more!!

GG

P.S.- any tips for selling your handmade products that would be helpful?
Leave me a comment to help me out!

This mom rocks!!

This is a lovely little post thats been going around the inter-nets lately ( I read about it when one of my Punky Moms posted it on Facebook), and I just had to weigh in.

Nerdyapplebottom

The post is entitled "My son is gay"

And then it shows an adorable photo of a little boy dressed up as Daphne from Scooby Doo.

She was also on the Today show a few days ago.

Frankly, I think this is FANTASTIC!

Cudos to you mom, because you have the strength to support your little boy no matter what he decideds to do! I only hope that I could do the same for my little guys.

What do you think? Would you let your little boy dress as a girl or vice versa?

GG

Its a Beautiful Day!

Quick recap of the weekend:

Got some cleaning done, Yay!!

Via

All 3 boys (mike and the kids) got their hair cut, which may lead into a new business venture for me... but I'll post more about that later.

Via

Made out like a BANDIT at a local multi-family yard sale. I got 2 wooden knick-knack shelves and a whole bag of clothes that I'm going to use as fabric for $4!!

Via

Almost fell down the stairs. That sucked. Luckily for me I only ended up slipping down 2 or 3 stairs before I caught myself, but I did twist my ankle a bit.

Got some more work done on my Geisha tattoo! I'll make sure to post pics when its totally done :D

Finding Myself on a Friday

Hello all!

I wanted to take the opportunity to talk to everyone about something that is very important to me.

Me.

No, seriously. This isnt going to be some rant on how awesome and fab I am. Frankly, its the opposite.

I've been working really hard on several aspects of my life, and havent really gotten very far with it,

so i've decided to start this new series of posts entitiled

"Finding myself on a Friday" to be able to be held more accountable. 

Now, I know you're probably thinking, this blog is mainly about crafty and DIY stuff,

why the sudden need to share?

Because, its my blog and I can.

LOL! Just kidding!

Its because I want a way to vent, rant, and update on my progress with the things that are important and necessary for me to do, and this is the best way I have.

Plus, it gives you, as my reader, a chance to get to know me a little better!

Win/Win, am I right?!

Whooooo loves retro owls?! I DO!

I had shown a pic in my last post of a little pumpkin owl that i'd made for halloween.

For some reason lately, I have had a certain affinity for little retro looking owls, and I found this pic and just had to try my hand at it!

Via

and here was my result!

Granted, I used a much smaller pumpkin, and I went for a more "horned owl" look,

but I thought he turned out Adorable!!

Frankly, all I did was cut circles for the eyes, a triangle for the nose, and hot glued the pumpkin seeds on (after i'd dried them and gave them a little dusting with some black spraypaint)

So in honor of my little pumpkin experiment, I thought i'd share some more photos of fun retro owls!

Halloween!!

As I've said before, I LOVE Halloween!

So, of course, when it came to costumes, we went all out this year.

House decorations, not so much, but we ended up not being home anyway, so it wasnt that big of a deal.

We ended up taking the kids over to Mikes parents house again (they always have a TON of kids, and a lot of the houses participate, which I think is way more fun)

Here are some pics of the costume-y fun!!

Ed-Luigi and Zach the Koopa Troopa.

Happy Halloween!! 80s and pumpkins!

I LOVE Halloween! I've spent most of the week this week doing things to get ready for it (which is why i've fallen behind in my blogging.... sorry!)

(also this week, we've had a field trip, a concert, and parent teacher conferrance!
we were busy bees this week)

We've had costumes to finish, pumpkins to carve, and plans to ready for the big night. So far we have 3 houses to visit (family and friends) before we meet up at my fiances parents to actually start the candy-fest!

This year at work, they decided to do a 70s and 80s themed party, telling everyone to wear their best 70s and 80s costume, or just a regular halloween costume.

I was channeling Cyndi this morning

I didnt wear my regular costume because my sewing machine decided to crap out on me
before I was able to finish it :(

DIY: Refurbished table

Well, I was planning on posting this yesterday, but blogger was being lame and wouldnt let me upload the pics, so here goes!

I've had a little side table floating around the house for a few years now (well,at least one year was spent in storage). My mom brought it home from my step-dads fathers house. 

It was wobbly, the top layer of wood was coming apart, and it was just generally ugly.

 I'd been meaning to do something with it, but I've just never had the time. Finally, this past weekend we found some time! The boys were with their paternal grandmother, so we took advantage of some "no helper" time to do some big projects.

I have been a naughty blogger.....

I know I've been absent, and
"I promise to make more frequent updates to this site"

Unfortunately for me, life has gotten in the way of my blogging-ly pursuits, and I havent been able to update as often as I like.

But Im going to do my best to change that!

A sucessful blog is a frequently updated blog from what I've learned, and I know for me personally, I get bored checking back on a blog when it hasnt been updated in a week (or a month, or longer sometimes).

So I am now bound and determind to update more frequently, and hopfully post more crafty-type stuff in the process. I've got a lot of super cool ideas going right now, and will be making most of them a reality (or at least a proto-type) within the near future.

So STAY TUNED!

Heres a virtual High Five.... for moral.

GG

How do your loved ones live with your hobby?

So yesterday, after we get home from doing a Joanns run, my fiance starts to tell me about this blog that he follows.

 Granted, hes a nerd, and he typically follows nerd blogs about his "little man" game (i.e. Warhammer*), but this was a post by one of the nerd bloggers Wives. He said she does it from time to time, and he thinks its cute and nice to get her perspective.

Heres her post

So how do you balance your family and your hobby/business? Do you have specific "work time" and "family time"? Or like this family, do you have a specific place and time for your hobby, and the rest of the week is devoted to spending time with the ones you love?

I've been finding this is a difficult balance to strike.

I really cant get much sewing done while the kids are up and around (they are such good helpers), and frankly, with all of the housework, schoolwork, and general exhaustion, its hard to get anything done at all!

The only thing that seems to work for me is the hour right after the kids go to bed is reserved for my wandering attentions.

Sometimes I crochet

Sometimes I sew

Sometimes I just sit and play on Facebook (yes, its a sad addiction)

But its just a little time for me to do the stuff that helps keep me going.

To create, and relax. And luckily for me, while im doing my thing, my honey is painting his little men :D

*For those who dont know, the "little men" game, called Warhammer, or sometimes 40k (its a sub-type of the game), is kind of like Risk with figurines

Organizing.... or "stuff i dont do"

Let me start off by making a little admission. Ive never been organized. Never. Ever. I've always had some amount of disorganized clutter just hanging around in the corners of my room and under the bed, hiding in the dark and making little clutter babies... 

via

Ok, so maybe its not THAT bad, but it's always there, nagging at me in the back of my mind. Like and itch you cant scratch.

Unfortunately for me though, having 2 little guys and a very busy lifestyle makes being unorganized not an option. That leads to leaving the house without the kid essentials (which I've done, numerous times), forgetting important dates and appointments, and running out of clean underwear.

Tutorial: Crochet Baby Blanket

Finally!! i've been working on this blanket literally for months, but i've finally finished it up and delivered it!

Lovely little baby blanket in white and "Her blue jeans" bernat verrigated

This was made for alittle lady named Anna Victoria, so I stitched her initials in the corner. This was my first real time trying to stitch on crochet, and while i think it could look a little better,

I think it turned out pretty well, and her mommy LOVED it!!

It was a really easy pattern that I pretty much just made up lol!

For my crochet ladies who might be interested:

sc 150 chains, chain 3 to turn

hdc 150 back down the row, 3 sc to turn, change colors

dc 150 down the row, 3 sc to turn, change colors

and thats it! just keep changing colors and stitches as you go until its the size you want.

~~Love~~

~~GG~~

My (Belated) Birthday post: Leu Gardens

With things being as crazy as they've been 'round our lovely little home the past few weeks, I have very severely been neglecting my blogging-ly duties, so first, let me apologize....IM SORRY!!

But Im back now and I plan on being a little better about posting. 

Just a quick little post (but slightly picture heavy) about my birthday :D The day before I had a lovely party with my family, where I got lots of fab things (my mom bought me the entire "twilight" series, and my uncle got me an Alton Brown cookbook :D)

Heres my little guy with my Grandma. She looks pretty good for 80, huh?!

The super fab chocolate chip cheesecake my mom made me in lieu of a cake

I had taken the day of my birthday (monday) off, so I dropped the boys off at daycare, and took myself on a much needed walk through Leu gardens, a lovely little garden hideaway in between Winter Park and Orlando. 

Potholders!!

Sorry ive been so absent lately! with myself and my oldest starting school on monday, and me being sick for the past 2 days, i havent had much time or energy to do much of anything, and my blogging has fallen by the wayside. Thankfully, ive had a new little project to keep me busy. Another of my grandma (and my lovely 89yr old Aunt Betty's) special crochet patterns......

A quick update and some fun pictures!

Hello all! Just thought I'd give a quick update on how things are going in my little world.

 First, I have an admission to make..... I LOVE BLOGGING! Ive not only had so much fun writing my own blog, but I have found so many interesting and inspiring blogs to follow!

Placed on the edge of one of my co-workers desks :D

 So many in fact, that I had to move them from the main screen of my blog to its own little separate link. Check out the blogs I follow here.

Other then that, life has been pretty normal here in FL.

Coral Creations

For some reason the past couple of weeks, I've been totally in love with coral and teal. Separate or together, these two colors have just been screaming summer to me (probably because every beach-side city here in Florida uses those colors as their primary color schemes lol). Because of my adoration for the lovely pinky-orange that is coral, I thought I'd share the love with you!

Amazing coral fringed bag.

 Via

I really dig this huge (dare I say gaudy?) coral and teal ring. I would totally rock that lol 

Via

Happy Anniversary!!

Its been a year today since my fiance and I started dating again, and what a wonderful, crazy, stressful, amazing and inspiring year it has been!

This time last year I was on a plane flying to Austin, tx, where my fiance was living at the time. I spent a week there, and had the best time of my life! I loved the culture and the fun spirit of Austin, and all the FAB food!!

But the best part was spending time with Mike (check out his blog here) , meeting all of his friends and seeing where he worked, lived, and hung out :D

Now a year later, hes moved back here to Florida, and pretty much spent every waking minute (besides our time at work) with me and my kids. We've just bought a house, and are working on getting settled.

So what do you give to the most awesome man ever, who has everything? Unfortunately this year, not much. I decided to make him a little something, and sneak it in his laptop bag while he was showering :D This was my first real attempt at hand-sewn felt, and I think he turned out pretty cute!

Home hair cuts :D

So last night, my oldest son came to me and told me he wanted a Mohawk. His hair was getting long again, and its to think he was super hot all the time (yay for Florida summers.).

So after a squeal of delight from me, I propped him up on the bathroom counter, got out the fiances beard trimmer, and started trimming.

It took forever! His hair is so thick that just trimming it was a total ordeal. We were both very happy with how it turned out though :D

Tutorial: Wearing your baby, a DIY Baby Sling

I finally made my sling! I've had the fabric sitting around since I found out I was pregnant with my youngest, and now that hes 2, I figured it was time to make it (while he was still small enough to use it! lol)

For me personally, it not only lets me be more hands free, but it helps my back, posture and my oh-so-tired arms when I have to carry around my little Zach (AKA the Pit).

Now granted, my little guy is now a big 2 yr old, but there are those occasions when we're walking around a lot and dont have the stroller, these things are an absolute life saver.

Cleaning jewelry with toothpaste

No, you didnt read the title wrong. I said you can clean your lovelies with regular old toothpaste (and I normally use an old toothbrush as well!).

I decided the other day to (finally!) clean out and organize my jewelry box. Its huge, has lots of drawers, and frankly, was so jam packed with stuff that it wouldnt even close!

So as I was going through, I noticed that some of my lovely silver jewelry was starting to turn (i.e. oxidize or turn black). It reminded me of a trick that my mom and grandma swore by. Take regular old toothpaste (I used colgate :D) and smear it on the blackened surface, then rub vigorously! I used one of my sons old toothbrushes that we'd replaced (and for some reason was still floating around the house lol)

Do you ever wonder if you're TOO crafty?

As I look around our new home, I have nothing but potential design ideas running through my head. But occasionally I sit and wonder.... am I trying to do too much?

I can't help it!

Everywhere I look I think..."I could paint X on that" or "I could add Y to that and make it AWESOME!", But when does it get to be too much?

For me, it's when I find several half-finished little projects laying around.

I try to finish one before I start the next, but if an idea is just too tempting, i cant help but want to jump right on it while the creative juices are flowing!

I guess you could call it the "Ooh, Shiny!" syndrome. Or maybe I have ADD or something. I find something that's new and exciting, and the things that I'm working on suddenly lose interest.

Feeling Royal... Purple that is

Im just in a purple kind of mood today. Of course, if you havent already noticed, im in a purple kind of mood almost every day, but today its a little more then normal. 

Im feeling it from the top of my head:

(super sparkley purple headband)

To the soles of my feet:

(My fab purple plaid heels. and yes, those really are my legs, and that is a real tattoo,

 one of many)

So ive decided to share some of the purple love. Here are a couple of purple drenched pics that i totally loved:

I love the mix of shades, and the flowers are gorgeous! via

I totally dig the textured wall coverings, the the way the yellow plate pops via

 

Great idea for leftover bottle tops! (its an earring holder) via

I love anything to do with round paper lanterns via

Arent these just to die for?! via

Super detailed crochet (maybe i'll get this good someday) via

What colors inspire you? 

GG

For Zach... (how far I've come...)

Wow. Today my littlest-little guy turns 2. For our family, today is a day of celebration (and loud, annoying gifts), but for me personally, it’s a day of reflection.

It’s been an eventful 2 years. Frankly, I’ve lost a lot. A father figure (cancer), a husband (divorce), and an internal organ (emergency gallbladder removal). I’ve had to move back in with my mother (which was awesome, cause she’s awesome. But it still wasn’t "fun", none the less). I’ve had to deal with the court system and debt collectors. I’ve even had a mini-nervous breakdown.

But everything I’ve gained through the past 2 years have been so amazing, so wonderful, that all of the bad things don’t seem that bad. I’ve reclaimed my life. I’ve found the freedom and support that I was missing for so many years. I’ve been able to hang out with my mom, brother, uncle and grandma as much as I want. I’ve learned new things, and rekindled old loves. And with my new-found love I’ve been able to settle down into a new home, and a life style that suits us and our family. I’ve got the creative juices flowing again, and now I not only have an outlet to BE creative, but I’ve got a partner to be creative WITH! He really has been my inspiration.

DIY: Decorating my bathroom- The idea phase

Now that we've been in our new house for a few months, I’m trying to start working on decorating. I’ve done a little in a couple of rooms, and my oldest sons room is pretty much done, and now I’m turning towards the master bathroom. I LOVE this bathroom. It was the clincher for me when we chose our house. I spend a lot of time there, it’s my place to close the door and relax with minimal interruption. I decided on a purple and green color scheme (my 2 favorite color), and now I’m working on getting pieces that fit into the design (I do mainly thrift stores and Salvation Army. I like to reuse :D).

Tutorial: DIY Light Box

Yesterday, my darling fiancé and I took on a little DIY project. He paints miniatures (his "little men" as I call them) for a game called Warhammer (check out his blog!: http://mikedthreeb.blogspot.com/ ), but he needed a light box to be able to photograph them (find out about light boxes here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light_box and here http://www.studiolighting.net/homemade-light-box-for-product-photography/ ). So he whipped together a quick frame (just some 1/2 inch dowel rods, nailed together to make 3 sides. Bottom measurement is approx. 18", height was 13"), and I attached some light, white muslin to the sides, and one full piece for the bottom, back and top (just quickly straight stitched on my singer, nothing super complicated, honestly).

Au Natural facial cleanser

http://oilcleansingmethod.googlepages.com/home

I’m typically down for anything that’s organic, natural, chemical free, etc., but even I was skeptical of the "clean your oily face with oil" facial cleansing method. I first read about this on my favorite forum, Punky Moms , and they typically don’t steer me wrong, so I figured I’d give it a shot.

I’ve been using this for several days now, and frankly, it’s AWESOME! I normally do it at night when I’m showering before bed, and it makes my skin feel super clean (cleaner then when I use facial cleansers or soap), and tight (and my darling fiancé says it makes me smell "like a hippy").

I started off with the 50/50 method of EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) and castor oil for the first time, then added a tad more castor oil because my skin still felt a little "oily" after I’d wiped it off and rinsed. I also threw in a little tea tree oil because of the antibacterial properties it has (hence the "hippy" smell).

If you have trouble skin like I do, think about this next time you're shopping the super-expenisve facial cleanser eisle, and maybe grab some EVOO and castor oil instead!

GG

Happy National Flip Flop Day!!

I couldnt let this most wonderful of holidays pass me by without a quick note. I spend a majority of my time in flip flops. Im not sure if its my lovely florida lifestyle, or that my feet need their freedom, but i cant live without them in some way, shape, or form. I even wore them at my [first] wedding.

Read about the history of flip flops here: http://www.pecheblu.com/history.php

Tutorial: Learned something new!- Blind Hem

I got to spend some time Sunday with my mentor/sewing inspiration/all around coolest lady ever, my grandma. I had brought my bag of sewing projects (things I was fixing/altering for my "paying" customers lol) so I could get her advice on a certain pair of pants that were giving me some trouble. So she jumps on her (no lie) 50 year old singer sewing machine that still works like a dream, and proceeds to show me something called a blind hem. I'd seen the stitch on my machine before and had no clue what it did or what it was for (on the machine, it looks something like this: __/\__/\__). Once she showed me how to use it, it was a little bit of an "oh crap" moment for me. I'd seen her do stitches like that on my pants before, but never knew how she'd done it (I thought it was some sort of grandma magic).