too Blessed to Stress

For The Love Of A Cookie

2011-02-10T22:53:00.000-08:00

Sometimes you just have to let lose and be like a kid again. Dance in the rain, watch old cartoons in your jammies on Saturday morning, tell corny jokes and laugh at every one of them. Yep hubby and I still do these things every so often… ok fine the corny jokes are like a daily occurrence in this house. But hey that’s just what happens when you are so stinkin’ hilarious. {crickets chirping, awkward silence}

Anyhow, we try to be silly and goofy as often as possible ‘cause this life is too short to take it too seriously all the time. And that means fulfilling childhood dreams now as adults… like the dream my hubby had of making one giant cookie. Doesn’t sound too hard, right? Well here’s the catch: he wanted to make it our of layers of cookie dough so that it would be all big ‘n fat, chewy and crunchy all at the same time and most of all to see if he could use a whole batch of cookie dough on one continuous cookie without it breaking apart or going up into flames from overcooking the first layers.

So last week on a particularly long and rough work day I pulled out a $1.50 bag of Betty Crocker chocolate chip cookie mix and we set out to make a giant layered cookie.

And just too properly chronicle the fun, here’s a little video for you enjoy.

My challenge for you today: be a kid. Dance in the rain {or snow if that’s all you got!}, watch cartoons with the kiddos and make a giant cookie just for kicks… remember to be a good little girl and share the cookie with hubby and the kiddos!

All photos taken by yours truly.

Progressive Dinner

2011-02-02T10:15:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday I had the privilege of participating in a progressive dinner for the women’s discipleship group I am a part of. The reason for celebrating – reading through the Bible together in one year. It was the first time we had done it together, and for some it was their first time ever to read the Bible through. What fun to do it as a group and then celebrate together with our Church family at a special Bible Day service. More than 30 people shared verses they had learned in various discipleship classes – even the children got in on the fun. We all danced, sang and celebrated not just the accomplishment but also in thanksgiving to our Heavenly Father for his letter of love to us.

Once the service was over, we all piled into cars decked out with balloons, ribbon and words of celebration…. Things like “You made it! Hooray! Proud of you!” and my personal favorite, “Woo hoo!”

Our first stop on the progressive dinner menu was my parent’s house. There we feasted on a gorgeous veggie tray, homemade dip, butter wafers, and blueberry-grape juice. After that came fresh baked cheesy bread and café con leche, a Colombian staple of coffee and milk.

It was wonderful! And the anticipation of what came next had us all on pins and needles. Although I knew the final destination, I had no idea of all the fun in between.

Well the appetizers were scrumptious and the fellowship was rich. Yet before we knew it the time had come to head out to our second destination: the home of a dear family from the church. This stop was to toast our year together as a group, how much everyone had grown in the Word, and to thank our leader.

Each person received a colorful page with Psalm 148 written on it and a color coordinated toasting glass. How fun is that! With sparkling cider in hand we raised our glasses in celebration. We took turns reading verses from the page in joyous tones and concluded with our hostess sharing her favorite verse and the host reading this verse:

Psalms 119:103

“How sweet are your words to my taste,

sweeter than honey to my mouth!”

We then each had a small piece of baklava that was filled with gooey honey. As we bit into it the honey oozed out and delighted our taste buds. We were told to think of how sweet God’s word is to our lives. It was a moving moment of reflection.

From there we headed out to the final destination – out home. And I must say that I had such a wonderful time preparing the house for such a special group.

All weekend I worked on the little details like labels for the water pitchers and dessert tray, place cards, personalized chocolate bars and even a little pennant banner for the death by chocolate trifle {which I forgot to take a picture of! Can you believe it?!?}

It was so much fun! Hubby was a sweetheart and got a wonderful sound system all set up in the front room that played continuous soft dinner music. Just before we all arrived he went around the house and lit all the candles, turned off all the overhead lights and turned on all the little lamps around the house so that it looked, smelled and sounded heavenly.

The dinner menu was spectacular and our conversation meaningful. No one wanted the evening to end.

This year we began a new tradition and made memories that will last a lifetime.

What special moment or accomplishment could you celebrate with a meaningful and adventurous progressive dinner?

All photos taken by yours truly.

Valentine Treat - Death By Chocolate

2011-01-26T12:54:00.000-08:00

While hubby gets the new computer {yippie!} all set up and I figure out where all my photos are stored, I thought that I would repost this delicious recipe that I shared last year.
Chocolate lovers - enjoy!

A good friend asked me this last weekend if I crave sweet or salty when I want a snack. And the truth is that I usually prefer something salty, like salt and vinegar chips. {to die for} But if I have something sweet, I want it to be super sweet and very rich. I love dark chocolate and creamy toffee. So you can imagine my absolute delight when I got to a scrapbooking weekend and was informed that my good friend had made Death by Chocolate for our dessert that night.

Have you ever had this rediculousely simple yet delicious dessert? It is amazing! And it looks just stunning in a triffle dish set in the center of a table.

The master mind behind the creation in this photo is our good friend "G" - the fantastic cook. Really he should be called the mostest-amazingest-talented-never-makes-the-same-recipe-twice-and-they-all taste-great-cook. Try putting that on a business card :)

He graciousely shared the simple recipe for this delectable wonder and I in turn am sharing it with you. And to show you just how easy it is to make, I am making one just to take photos.

Oh, the sacrifices I make for this blog.

You will need four main ingredients:
~ 1 chocolate cake, 13x9 pan (I just used a mix for convenience. Feel free to use your favorite cake recipe.)
~ 6 Skor bars
~ 1 box of chocolate pudding (hubby chose Chocolate Fudge. His theory: if you're gonna go all out on dessert, go out with a bang!)
~ 1 tub Cool Whip, or fresh whipped cream

While the cake bakes, mix up the pudding and crumble up the Skor bars. Once cool, crumble up the cake. If you don't have a triffle dish {like me), use a clear, deep bowl. Or tall cups for individual servings.

Now the fun part - layering. First comes a layer of cake crumbles. Then pudding, coolwhip and Skor crumbles. See that blob of pudding? Avoid splatters like that so that the layers will be visible and not all mushed together. If it happens, just wipe it off with a paper towel.

Snack on all ingredients while assembling.

That part is essential to the success of the dessert.

Repeat for at least two total layers. Top with cake crumbles. And Skor crumbles. If there are any left after snacking.

Easy Peasy.

This is such a simple dessert to make that it just may be my new "to go" dish for last minute meetings, potlucks, parties and to satisfy hubby's late night sweet tooth. Thanks so much "G" for sharing!

What is your "to go" dish for dessert? How about a dinner dish? Share in the comments below! Have you posted a great recipe lately? Let me know in the comments so I can check it out.

All photos taken by yours truly.
This delicious post is linked to We are That Family WFMW. Link up and join the party!

Thoughts On A Week Of Separation

2011-01-17T11:38:00.000-08:00

One Week.

Seven Days.

One fourth of a month.

{ok maybe that last one was a bit dramatic}

But that's how long hubby and I have been apart...

And every second seemed like days on that plane ride home.

I have been at a conference in Georgia {shout out to all you lovely residents of the south} and the week spent there was wonderful. It was an inspiring and enjoyable time. I loved every moment of the training and ministering done.... but... it always feels so great to come home.

Kiss my hubby.

Snuggle with the pup.

Sleep with my own pillow.

Get back to my nest.

As I walked through the door, I took a deep breath expecting the house to be slightly on the cluttered side.... ok who am I kidding? I really expected it to be overwhelmed with speakers {hubby's hobby}, dirty dishes, clothes taking up permanent residence on the floor, and volcanic eruptions from hubby using the obliterater {that's what he calls the food processor, I love it!}

Disclaimer: Hubby is not an inconsiderate, overly messy person that would leave me a huge mess on purpose. He is just the kind of man who would get really excited about some home improvement project hours before picking me up and then not have time to clean it up. {which I secretly find adorable.}

Ok just had to make sure that was clear.

Well much to my surprise the home was pretty much in tact, all speaker projects had been completed and neatly stacked in the front room, clothes were dutifully placed in the hamper, and.... get ready for this.... all the dishes were done and the sink was empty.

Done.

Empty.

The two most glorious words to a housewife when speaking about a sink full of dishes.

He did it just for me, even though I had told him not to worry about any of that stuff while I was gone. What a fantastic guy!

And while there were several explosions from the obliterater and the floor was so sticky my bare feet stuck to it I could have cared less. He took a moment out of his free time to bless me by cleaning up the mess in the sink.

He took the time to make me feel

welcomed

loved

appreciated.

And that empty sink spoke volumes to my heart that night. It was something small to some, but to me it was selflessness personified in a lack of dishes.

Who would have thought that an empty kitchen sink could be such an expression of love.

What small gesture has someone done that blessed your heart lately? How have you blessed others with a simple act of kindness?

All photos taken by yours truly.

New Year, New Goal

2011-01-03T20:19:00.000-08:00

Happy 2011 everyone!

Hope everyone had a fun and memorable time celebrating the end of one year and the beginning of a new adventure.

I feel so blessed looking back at 2010.... how God has constantly watched over my hubby and I - we lack nothing, have health, our nest is a home full of love, we are surrounded with friends and family who love and support us, and to top it all off we are looking forward to new and exciting changes this year. {no, it's not a baby... but I really would like that!}

The coming year looks like it will be an exciting one, full of new challenges and goals at achieve... and busy. Really busy :) But that's ok! In fact, I am really looking forward to it!

Now that Christmas and New Years have wrapped up, {with a flourish of festivities, I might add!} it's time to get back into a regular routine and that includes some fun additions to blogging.

Over the holiday, I had time to think and refocus my ideas for this blog. And from all that pondering {yes, feel free to insert a joke about how I should not think too hard, lest I blow a fuse} came these ideas for "too Blessed to Stress" :

~ Simple Solutions - Short tips for everyday homemaking, crafting and just life in general. Sometimes I'll share a tip, sometimes I'll be asking for a tip. And if you have a tip you would like to share and be featured for just let me know. I love featuring! My email is under the "Contact" tab up above.{By the way, these Simple Solutions were inspired by a little book that my Grandmother gave me just after I was married. It is filled with quick tips for everyday use - I love books like that!}

~ All About You - A day to feature one of you! Whether you are a blogging power house or just blogging for fun, if you have something you want to share that goes along with what "too Blessed to Stress" is all about I would love to feature you! Maybe you have something crafty to share, a yummy recipe, something inspirational or just want to blog swap for the day, let me know! {remember, contact info is above}

~ Pick a Theme - Ideas for themed parties, dinners and "just because" celebrations. If you have any special requests for themes you would like to see, let me know and I'll see what my little noggin comes up with.

~ In The Quiet Place - Quotes, verses and stories that have touched my life... and that I hope will inspire you as well!

~ And after all the fun I had making this video, I am so excited to get working on a few more videos to post throughout the year. There will be some tutorials, recipes, and probably lots of hubby and I being goofy! What would you like to see on "too Blessed to Stress" videos?

So what do you think? Do these little additions sound like fun?

I sure hope so, because I know that I have had lots of fun getting them all ready for ya!

Before I wrap this up I just want to express my gratitude to all you wonderful followers and readers out there - you bless my heart with your creative blogs and your support of "too Blessed to Stress." Thank you for being a part of my life in 2010, and I am looking forward to another wonderful year with y'all in bloggy land!

All photos taken by yours truly.

I'm Dreaming Of A White {and music themed} Christmas

2010-12-07T07:37:00.000-08:00

This is the first Christmas that I have had a hutch instead of a giant mirror to decorate in the dining room. At first I was kinda missing the nativity scene that usually graces the top of the buffet and the garland that wrapped around the mirror.

But once I got started with other projects around the room {all inspired by the middle of the room Christmas tree} I got all excited for the hutch. I had been using sheet music around the rest of the room when it donned on me: why not line the back of the hutch with sheet music and then have an all white display?

Instead of buying new music and antiquing it, I made several copies of an old music piece that had belonged to my Grandmother. Not only does it have the perfect amount of yellowing and wear, every time I look at the hutch I am reminded of my sweet Grandma.

Plain old scotch tape was used to hold it up. Nothing complicated so that I could mess around with the placement and nothing permanent so that after Christmas I can take it down... that is if I am tired of it by then. I love it so much that it may stay for a while!

After that, all I did was merrily ~~walk~~ run around my house like a kid in a toy store collecting any and everything that was white or slightly off white to display.

Pitchers.

A small church that belonged to my Grandma.

"Joy" angels that were a gift from my mom and the spray painted pedestal {see here}.

Gravy boat and a china plate hand painted by a dear friend.

Tea cup and a rectangular bowl. I use stuff like this even though it has a slight crack... but you can only tell if you are within 2 inches from it.... and if you are that close, I figure you deserve to know my little secret.

Ok so some color snuck in there. But only light, silvery blues and a tiny bit of browns.

Jingle bell wreath from my Hubby 7 years ago.

This has to be one of my favorite and simplest things in the display. All I did was take a piece of left over sheet music, cut it to size for the candle and taped it in the back. I could have mod podged or used wax to secure it, but if the candle is not all burned away by January I may want to remove it and try something else.

The paper doesn't even meet all the way in the back... but again if you are really gonna be ~~that nosy~~ that close, you deserve to know.

A little piece of twine tied in a bow, a wreath of white berries {from the Boutique, AKA Goodwill} all on a pretty plate, and call it a day. So pretty. I love how it combines elegant and rustic all in one. {Please note, I am SUPER careful when I burn this candle. I will remove the paper and twine when it gets too close to burning point. If you try this idea, please take the same precautions. Just sayin'}

Oh and here's little trick of mine. One thing that always bugs me is when a candle gets too squatty to sit high enough above the berry wreath to look normal and be at a safe height to burn. So to raise it up just enough, I take the lid off of a large jar candle and set in inside the wreath and place the candle on top. Perfect size and since it is glass, it will barely be noticeable.

I must say that I am pretty happy with the end result... alright, who am I kidding? I LOVE it! It is the perfect mix of elegant and country and matched the colors of the middle of the room Christmas tree just right... which is good, since that tree is visible from every room except the bedrooms and bathrooms.

Have you decorated with something in an unexpected way this year?

All photos taken by yours truly.

Doing The Unexpected

2010-11-29T19:30:00.000-08:00

Can you believe that Christmas is only 26 days away? It feels like just yesterday the leaves started to turn colors and now they are almost all on the ground! Thanksgiving weekend just flew by in a hustle and bustle of family, friends, turkey and pumpkin pie bliss and lots of memory making.

Our lovely tree from last year.

And once the last turkey meal had been eaten, the urge to decorate the tree hit full force. I was so ready... and lucky for me so was hubby... which is great seeing as I could never get the boxes out of the attic without him.

Carolers from my Grandma. Love these!

So we set aside Saturday for just the two of us and it was wonderful! We spent the day running a few errands, listening to Christmas carols and making up our own carols as we drove around town taking in the Christmas sights. After all that inspiration, we headed home and got to work putting up the tree..... and that's when it happened. Someone - that lives in this home, and is not me or the pup {ahem, hubby.}- decided that it would be a good idea to put the tree in the middle of the great room. The middle. To some that may not be a big deal, but we have a big 9 foot tree. Think about it... 9 feet worth of tree in the middle of your living room...

The middle.

Hubby reaching the top of our beautiful tree last year.

Notice the tree is dutifully in the corner...where most normal people would place it.

You see last month in a housewife-crazed-last-minute-decorating-at-10:00pm-inspiration-moments {what? don't you have those too?}I decided to move the living room furniture into the small family room at the front of the house. We had been debating whether or not we wanted couches or reading chairs for our new space, and I thought why wait? Let's just move the existing living room furniture in there, live with it and see how we like it. Well, we LOVED it. So much, in fact, that the furniture stayed in there and our living room only has two recliners and two outdoor chairs... and a great big hole where the couches used to be.

2009

Turns out hubby has always wanted to have a tree in the middle of the room, just for kicks. And since we are just that awesomely cool {or strange, depends how you look at it} we put our tree in the middle of the room.

And you know what?

It's strange,

unexpected,

and after much debating,

questioning,

and being unsure if I could handle this....

....secretly...

I love it!

There, I said it. My secret is out. I actually love the tree in the middle of the room! You can see it from the living room, dining room, kitchen, family room and entryway. Oh and hubby pointed out last night that you can also see it from the hallway. We may just have to eat dinner tonight in the hallway to enjoy the tree from another angle.

At a year round Christmas store.

Every time I walk in the room I crack up at the sight of the tree in the middle of the room. Others may not get it. They may not like it. But here's the deal: we like it. We made a memory. We did something unexpected and it produced an afternoon full of entertainment. And while the tree may not be placed here every year, for this year it is perfect.

So here's to doing the unexpected, throwing caution to the wind, breaking the rules and trying something new. What are you waiting for? Make a new tradition! Try something unepected! You may just find that you love it... and you might make a lasting memory or two in the process.

Want to take a peek at our afternoon of putting up the tree? Check out our first video-post below!

Merry Christmas everyone!

All photos taken by yours truly and my hubby.

Gobble Gobble

2010-11-25T11:41:00.000-08:00

Our little pup ready for turkey.

Happy Thanksgiving to each and every one of you! I hope your day is filled with the love and warmth of family and friends, lots of memory making and of course a delicious dinner.

Turkey cookies I made for Bible study group.

As we enjoy the long weekend, let us not forget to give thanks to the One from whom all blessings flow.

"Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise; be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the Lord is good..." Psalm 100:4, 5a

HAPPY TURKEY DAY!

Favorite Things and Paper Pumpkin Mini Tutorial

2010-11-10T14:02:00.000-08:00

I said it once {or twice... or more} fall is one of my favorite times of year. The colors, scents, tastes *sigh* just thinking about it makes me happy!

So as you can imagine it is one of my favorite seasons to decorate for as well. This year I thought that I would try out some neutral fall decor in the coca-cola room. Seeing as it is decorated in red, black, and white I needed something to stand out while not competing with the riot of colors in there.

Perfect chance to try out the black, white, and brown pumpkins I've been itching to make.

Small random interruption: OK, I just want to say something really quick. If you have not had time to decorate for thanksgiving/fall do not dismay. There is still time! If your little heart longs to see at least a bit of fall decor in your home go for it! It's never to late to make at least an entryway display, a simple centerpiece, or maybe a little touch on top of your mantle or bookcase. Keep it simple, no need to fret - autumn can still make an appearance in your home! Actually, these pumpkins are so ridiculously simple and inexpensive to make that these could be your touch of fall this year. Ok, I'm done. Getting of my soapbox :)

So as I was saying, I really wanted to try out a white pumpkin this year but the faux {and real ones} were just to pricey for me. I had an unspoken budget.... $1.00. Ok not really, but that is all I really wanted to pay for a single pumpkin. And lucky me, I found this one at the Dollar Tree.

After a 3 quick coats of plain old 99 cent glossy spray paint it was ready to decorate.

{By the way, always prop or hang the item you are spray painting. It will help you reach every corner and crevice on each coat. Here I am using a candle holder with a big stake in the center, covered with tissue paper. So easy!}

So all that was left was to decorate my happy white pumpkin. A bit of left over ribbon {which was from the dollar bin last year} covered the "seam" on the pumpkin and a little bow for cuteness. I was a tad bit worried that the glue gun would melt this foam-like pumpkin, but it worked great - score 1 more point for the glue gun!

How simple and CUTE is that?!?!

I loved it so much that I went back and got 3 more. So I guess this project cost me $4.00. A price I am willing to pay for a whole table top of decor!

Pumpkin #2 got a coat of white as well, black ric-rak every 5 inches or so, and two little leaves made out of a scrap of black and white gingham fabric.

Both ribbon and fabric were attached with my trusty glue gun, of course.

Pumpkin #3 was coated in flat black cheap-o spray paint. Then I took a white Chalk Ink marker and free handed the squiggles all around and up the stem. A few rhinestones here and there applied with... you guessed it... the glue gun.. and done!!! Are you seeing a pattern here? Easy, Inexpensive, Satisfying. Oh yea, and glue gun.

The last pumpkin took a bit more time {like 10 minutes more, that's it!} I scanned and color copied some old sheet music that belonged to my darling grandmother. It already had some yellowing to it which copied as a great creamy brown. No photoshop adjustments or any fancy tricks. I just put it in the scanner, pressed color copy and printed it out onto regular old printer paper. How simple is that?

Then I tore it into random strips and chunks{no smaller than 2"x 2"} and mod podged them onto the pumpkin. As I placed each piece, I crumpled it up even more to give it some texture. I also made sure to press the paper really well into each vertical crevice on the pumpkin so that it would retain it's natural pumpkin shape.

After letting it dry, the stem got a coat of black acrylic paint - applied with my finger. I was to lazy to find a brush for only that. The finishing touch was some jute all twisted up in a bow and .... drum roll please... glue gunned on! Bet you didn't see that coming. Yes, my glue gun and I are inseparable.

There you have it! Four of the easiest pumpkins I have ever made... and they make my little heart happy every time I see them.

Have you decorated for fall? If not, are you planning on a few touches for thanksgiving?

All photos taken by yours truly and Mr. "too Blessed to Stress" aka, the hubby.

A Meal Fit For A Porker

2010-11-09T14:41:00.000-08:00

Hello lovelies! wowie it feels so good to be back blogging!!! October was a whirlwind of work. It is truly the busiest month of the year for us. I was gone almost every weekend and it was a mad dash just to get dinner on the table some nights. Thankfully, it was all fun work and very rewarding... but whew! Am I tired!

Even with all the running around and moments of craziness hubby and I did reserve a few nights to hang out. On one of those evenings I decided to host a Pig Dinner For Two.

You see I had this idea for some piggie cupcakes and a themed dinner that I had been wanting to try out for a while... and since there were no kids visiting us in the near future, I decided that the two of us could use a night of laughs and acting like kiddos. So I just want ahead and made a whole pig themed dinner for hubby and me.... and our pup who eats like a pig. oink.

Just for fun I wrote out a dinner menu.

I made sure to include plenty piggie references all over the table.

There were even pigglets on the napkins!

This is so simple: Just print out an image to the desired size, cut out with decorative scissors, punch a hole in the top and use small ribbon to tie on to napkin. ta-da!

There was even a little porker waiting to surprise you when you took a drink of your lemonade.

I only have eyes for you!

These piggie pancakes were so simple to make. All you need is your favorite pancake batter recipe, some red food dye and a squeeze bottle. I used the candy melt squeeze bottles, but you could even use something like a clean left over ketchup bottle.

Just pour some batter in to the bottle, add a few drops of dye and shake/squish it around till you have a dark pink dye. Then squirt out the head, snout, eyes and ears and let them cook for a bit. Fill in with plain batter. When it gets all bubbly, turn over to finish cooking and you'll have a perfect piggie face. How cute is that!

The stars of the evening were these little piggie cupcakes.

These really are so easy to make. They were fudge chocolate with chocolate chips and cream cheese frosting... oh my yummy goodness!

I'll have a tutorial for these and the pancakes later this week... and it will be in video form!!! That's right... video posts will soon be coming to "too Blessed to Stress" and I can't wait to share them with you!

I hope you enjoyed the Piggie Dinner, and that you'll be inspired to try out your own themed meal sometime. If you do, send me photos or a link to your post, because I would love to see!

What animal {or animals} would you chose for a themed dinner?

Partying with Tidy Mom at her linky party. Check it out!
All photos taken by yours truly and Mr."too Blessed to Stress, my hubby!

WINNER WINNER!

2010-10-05T14:48:00.000-07:00

Ok my dear bloggy friends, here are the results from last weeks giveaway!

I used the random generator thingie-majiggy {which I have no idea how to show on screen here, so trust me... I was fair!} and asked it to pick a number between 1-8. That determined what day the winner would be chosen from. The day chosen was day 2.

There were nine comments that day. So random generator chose a number from 1-9 and the comment that was chosen was number seven... Debbi from Diamond Grove!!!!!!!

She is a fantastic card maker and her blog is full of encouraging words! Check her out here :)

This was her comment on fall scents and tastes:

I LOVE pumpkin...well, pumpkin anything! But I especially love Pumpkin cookies...YUM!! The crisp mornings and changing leaves put me in the Fall mood. Fall is my FAVORITE season--LOVE it.

Congrats, dear Debbi! I hope you enjoy all the fun goodies coming your way. Send me your contact info and I'll have your treats off to you in a jiffy.

Thank you everyone for participating. You really made my week with all your great comments and stories. The will be at least one more giveaway by the end of the year {maybe two!} so keep your eyes pealed for some more fun gifts!

The Paper Pumpkin That Made Him Smile - Day 7 of GIVEAWAY

2010-09-30T14:22:00.000-07:00

Two nights ago, hubby and I were chatting about anything and everything - goals, blessings, disappointments, encouragement, love, hope. It was a wonderful time to connect and get all caught up on our busy lives. I realized half way through that is had been so long since we talked about some of these things. Important things, silly things, funny things and some of them we needed to talk about. Some were things that we needed to make sure we were on the same page about; we needed to know that we were standing together and that our home was not divided.

Some things were ligthhearted, others brought us -ok fine, me - to tears. But in a good way! Healing tears, ones that needed to be shed. Soon our chat turned from lighthearted talk into a long night of deep sharing. We needed that. It was refreshing to take time to acknowledge the other for making sacrifices, being loving, doing the small things that often get unnoticed.

And that is when hubby said this, "I love to come home and see touches of you everywhere. It makes me feel like I am at home and can relax when I see you injected in everything in my home. I walked in the door and saw the paper pumpkin you made and it really made me smile. I realized that you make a big effort to make our home a nest and I love it."

Yes, feel free to grab a kleenex - is he not the sweetest man ever! And let me just say that I needed to hear that. It came on a perfect day when I needed uplifting and encouragement. One where I felt like my whole day had been an upwards battle and I had made no headway. Those simple words brought life and feeling back into my tired discouraged little body. It was just what I needed to hear.

It has always been a goal of mine to take time to compliment, encourage, uplift and acknowledge those around me. I may not always succeed, but it is a conscious effort I try to make daily.

And sometimes, I need to hear those words too - directed to me. Let's just say that I have been living off of those wonderful words from hubby for three days now and the feeling has not left.

Sometimes those we love the most are the ones who most need to hear words of acceptance... and often times they are the last ones to hear it. They need to hear a simple, heartfelt:

"I love you.

You are important.

Your effort has not gone unnoticed.

I value you.

You are a treasure.

You are a blessing from God.

I can't imagine life without you.

You are just what I need.

I am blessed to have you in my life.

Thank you.

I appreciate you.

You light up my day."

Simple words... but when spoken with sincerity they will breathe life and joy into the ones you love.

Who do you need to speak words of life and love to? Who goes unnoticed in your home? Your work? Your neighborhood? Your church? Who needs to hear your voice say the words "YOU are important to ME!"

To get you jump started with these expressions of love, today I am including a pack of pretty note cards in the giveaway. They simply say "Thank You."

Thank you's aren't just for when someone gives you something. They are for acknowledging something unexpected, encouraging someone to continue going forward in the everyday tasks they do.... like making a house a home with paper pumpkins.

For today's entry in the giveaway, would you share about someone that has touched your life and that you need to thank or acknowledge them for their efforts? Someone who may not realize that they have impacted your life? Who needs to feel your love and acceptance today?

PS. Giveaway winner announced Monday. Tutorial for all those pumpkins on Monday as well.

All photos taken by yours truly.

Confusion and DAY 6 of GIVEAWAY

2010-09-28T16:33:00.000-07:00

Ok, I don't know how it happened but I goofed up the number of days on the giveaway. Those of you who are good with numbers will have noticed that I had two days labeled as Day 3 of the giveaway. So I guess that instead of skipping straight to Day 7 we will extend the drawing by another day. How does that sound? So that is an extra day for you to enter and one more day for me to wonder where my little brain wandered off to!

Actually I know where it is... back at the beach. Listening to the waves crash and churn, smelling caramel corn down the street, enjoying antique stores till my little hearts content. *sigh* Sounds wonderful, right? Well that is exactly where my wonderful, handsome hubby took me for my birthday.

Remember I shared that he took the day off and we hit every Boutique{Goodwill} and Fancy Store {Goodwill Outlet} in town? Well the surprise turned out to be even bigger! After shopping till we dropped, we headed over to the Oregon Coast and stayed there right on the beach for two nights. It was glorious!

Little White Church Antiques - so sweet!

The town was small, full of charm, lots of antique and home decor stores and delicious food from places like the Cow Bell Cafe. Hello! How cute is that!

We laughed so hard at this sign, it says:

This job is a test... It is only a test.

Had it been an actual job, you would have received bonuses, raises and promotions.

Well it was truly a spectacular vacation with my love. Unfortunately, that is why the giveaway days were all messed up! I got on the internet once or twice but most of the time we spent out and about, enjoying each others company.... and maybe an ice cream cone.... or two. Yummmmm.

Hubbster and I love road trips, and one thing that always seems to come up on any trip we take is how blessed we are. We talk the whole way there and back about anything and everything... and how grateful we are for even the simplest things.

That is what inspired me to have a thankfulness tree in our home this year. It is a simple idea, but has such meaning.

Remember the tags that were included yesterday as part of the giveaway? Well here is how you use them. Find a central place in your home where you can display a vase filled with some branches. Any branches will do. Just grab some from the backyard, give them a good shake and "plant" them in your vase. Anchor with florist foam, rocks, potpourri, etc.

Later at dinner {or whenever you have family time} ask everyone in the family to think of at least one thing that they are thankful for and have them write it down on a tag. Encourage them to thing of something other than the obvious family, friends, and faith. Those are a given, and you may just want to make a tag right from the get-go for those. Try to think of those things that often times are taken for granted. Freedom, abundance, warm cozy bed, a safe vehicle, mentors, neighbors, provision, health. Maybe it is something super simple like the joy of warm muffins fresh out of the oven, the family walks that encourage bonding, a favorite park, a vacation that was special.

Then ask everyone to chose a branch to tie their tag {or tags} on to. Watch as your thankfulness tree begins to blossom. It will be a daily reminder of how much you and your family have been granted. Once the season is over, take the tags off and preserve them in a scrapbook or keepsake box.

Repeat the tradition every year and see how life changes, kids mature in their "thankfulness"and how faithful God has been.

Today, I want to encourage you to be purposeful about your "attitude of gratitude." See the everyday blessings in life... and make a point to acknowledge them.

Here are the 18 tags... waiting for you and your family

to fill them up with things you are thankful for.

While we were on vacation, we stopped in at the most wonderful little shop called The Buttery and they had the yummiest smelling soaps ever! Of course I could not resist picking out one for myself and one for you too! Today's addition to the GIVEAWAY is a darling little bar or Lavender Fig soap. It is heavenly!

For today's entry, leave a comment below sharing one or more things that you are thankful for. Think outside the box... what are the unexpected blessings that you could acknowledge today?

All photos taken by yours truly.

The Power Of Words - DAY 3-5 of GIVEAWAY!

2010-09-27T18:14:00.000-07:00

It constantly amazes me how much power our words carry. Simple phrases spoken, sometimes without a second thought, will impact someones life in a tremendous way. Our words have the power to build up or destroy. They can lift someones spirit as high as the clouds in the sky, or cause it to come crashing to the ground.

One word. That's all it takes to imprint a feeling or emotion. There are simple words and words oh so eloquent.... either way, they will affect both your life and the lives of those around you.

In our home, words are to be spoken in kindness and love. They are to be uplifting, challenging, wholesome, encouraging and sometimes even correcting. And the walls in our home reflect that. We both love to surround ourselves with words and phrases that inspire us to be better individuals, better spouses to one another, and better friends and family to those we love.

There are silly words that make us laugh on a dreary day...

By the way, this one was a gag gift from my mom to hubby several years ago. He thought it was so funny that he hung it up himself. And yes, I do let him express his opinion to the management :)

Words that evoke fond memories of loved ones...

Recipe cards in my Grandma's handwriting.

She put these in my stocking one year for Christmas - so special.

Some are just for fun...

Others display heritage...

And some that help you remember your lunch... while practicing Spanish vocab at the same time! haha!

Others are meant to uplift and challenge us ...

It doesn't matter where we go in this world, we will be bombarded with words... and sometimes they are not the most positive. It is a breath of fresh air to come home and know that it is a safe haven - even the words on the walls are safe, warm and inviting.

What words do you like to surround yourself with.

Are they funny, uplifting, reminders of love and hope?

Take a look at the wall hanging below.

See that empty space in the middle? It is waiting for the words of one lucky winner. The words that the 7 Day GIVEAWAY winner chooses will be printed and placed on that hanging.

For today's entry in the GIVEAWAY, let me know what word or words you would want on the hanging should you win. I can't wait to see what you come up with! {and I think this goes without saying, but please keep them clean :)}

Also, if you have been entering everyday, you will have noticed that I missed the last two days of the giveaway. Well it's a fun, long story that I'll share tomorrow, but let's just say that it involves vacation and the beach!

So here are the other two additions to the loot that one lucky Winner will receive:

Harvest Recipe Cards. Perfect for starting a tradition of documenting family recipes!

And your very own set of 18 "Thankfulness Tags." {made by yours truly!} If you are wondering just what these are be sure to come on back tomorrow to see... I assure you, it is a wonderful addition to your home for this time of year and cute to boot as well!

So comment below to be entered in the giveaway and don't forget to enter the other days as well. Just click below:

Day ONE.

Day TWO And THREE.

All photos taken by yours truly.

Scents of the Season - DAY TWO AND THREE of GIVEAWAY

2010-09-24T20:28:00.000-07:00

Thank you everyone for all the wonderful birthday emails and messages yesterday. You all just made my day!

Yesterday was a wonderful birthday. I turned... well let's just say that I turned one year older than last year. ahem. :)

The sign outside a boutique we went into. LOVE it!

Hubby took the day off and planned a wonderful time doing of one of our favorite activities.... Thrift Store Shopping! It was a blast! We hit 8 boutiques {Goodwill} and even a Fancy Store {Goodwill Outlet}. It was huge! We found some great deals and I just had the time of my life with my sweetheart.

Thank you hubby for a wonderful day...

and for making me laugh so much along the way!

Unfortunately we were gone all day, and I couldn't post Day 2 of the Giveaway. So today I'm giving you two ways to enter and adding two prizes to the Giveaway Gift.

As I've mentioned, fall is truly my favorite time of year. I love all the wonderful tastes: pumpkin spice, warm apple cider, hot coffee on a cool morning. And then there are all scents: the fresh smell after the rain, cinnamon sticks, and my favorite candle scent ever... Warm Apple Pie by Mainstays. It has an amazing scent that fills the whole room. I actually burn this scent year around.

So today I want to know what your favorite scent or taste of the season is. What puts you in the mood for Autumn? Leave a comment below to be entered in the Giveaway!

For second way to enter, become a follower of "too Blessed to Stress." Leave a separate comment below so I'll know. Already a follower? Just let me know in the comments below.

The first gift added to the Giveaway is my favorite scent: a small jar Warm Apple Pie candle. It is too yummy for words!

The second gift is one of my favorite tastes: $5 gift card to Starbucks. Treat yourself to a yummy pumpkin spice latte or a salted caramel cider, or whatever taste makes you feel all warm and cozy.

So let me know, what are your favorite tastes and scents of the season?

Summer to Fall and DAY 1 OF GIVEAWAY

2010-09-22T15:19:00.000-07:00

Fall is truly my favorite season. And although I miss the long summer days, picnics and garage sales.... once the air becomes crisp and leaves start to turn I get all giddy inside.

And while I love decorating for the seasons, for some strange reason I usually wait till last minute to get out my fall decor... Like beginning of November. What's my deal?!? At that point it's almost not even worth it. So this year I resolved to get out my fall pretties as soon as it felt like fall.

Once I opened the 2 bins of fall decor, I realized that there was one problem - although I was ready for the warm cozy feeling of fall I was not ready to have turkeys and pilgrims everywhere. It wasn't that fall yet. That meant that I need to mix the summer items with fall to create what I now call "The Summer Easing Into Fall But Not Quite Turkey Day Look." Catchy, huh? I'm thinking of marketing the name to Pottery Barn :)

If you have been wanting a touch of fall in your home, but like me you're not ready for all out Turkey Day here are some simple tips for cozy-ing up your home:

Remove all Spring/Summer accessories. Anything that is bright... or that you are just plain ready to change out till next year.

Keep out the neutrals - white, creams, browns, blacks.

Keep out meaningful pieces - your grandfather's Bible, a family photo, a saying that is meaningful, your grandmothers tea set, etc. As we approach the winter months there will be more and more family coming to our homes for the holidays. How wonderful to have a piece of meaningful history surrounding you as you pass on family stories to the next generation.

Shop the house for other items that aren't necessarily "fall" but that will tie in seamlessly: typeset letters, dishes, baskets, candles, etc.

Take a cue from nature and gather some twigs, leaves, pine cones, acorns, etc. Things that are already in your back yard and best of all they are free!

Gather up any accessories that make you feel all warm and cozy. To some that means dark colors like garnet, golden wheat, chocolate, pumpkin spice and cinnamon. To others is may be gray, charcoal, whites, and blacks. What ever floats your boat. If it makes you feel like fall has arrives, use it.

Personally I fall in the garnet, pumpkin spice color group. So out come the leaves, mums, and sugared fruit.

Cozy-ing up your house does not mean a whole revamp and dozens of tubs for one season stored away in the garage. It is just a few simple touches. Ok ready to see how easy this is?

This table is the first thing you see when you walk in the house.

Before - simple, uncluttered for summer.

Remove the summery fluff and items you you are ready to rotate.

Get ready to add and layer. After shopping the house all I added in was the white N.

From the seasonal group, all I used was this basket of faux sugared fruit and a mum/leaf garland. That's it! And inexpensive: the fruit was collected over the years from the Boutique {Goodwill} and much of it was brand new. The garland was a gift from my Mom... but I know she got it at a 75% off sale years ago.

First I added in the mum garland with the existing ivy leaf garland. The green added some poof and filled in the gaps of the Autumn strand.

Then it was time to start layering the fruit. Start with larger ones in the back and size down towards the front. Find color combos that look pleasing to the eye.

For the square dish I kept the lantern, jute ball and ribbon ball {which, by the way, were made with a wiffle ball like this one here}. They added texture and filled in the bowl. The smaller sugared fruit just filled in the gaps.

Once again Before:

After:

Ta-da! Instant fall!

And I love that this is the first thing that I see when I walk in - it just makes me smile!

So today I am wanting to know, have you started to decorate for fall? Is this your first year tackling fall decor or is it a tradition? Are you trying out any new fall decor ideas this year?

Tell me in the comments below what your plans are and your name will be entered in the first day of the GIVEAWAY! That's right all you have to do is comment on your fall decor and you have one entry.

Want another entry? Here you go!

Blog about this giveaway = 1 more entry
Follow "too Blessed to Stress" on Facebook = 1 more entry
Follow "too Blessed to Stress" on Twitter = 1 more entry
{Click on the Facebook and Twitter buttons on the right hand side}

That's 4 ways to enter. You can do as many or as few of these as you want, but please leave a separate comment for each one so that I know how many time to enter your name.

Just like last time this will be a 7 day giveaway. Every day there will be a new way to enter and one more item will be added to the giveaway. In the end one lucky winner will get all the loot! So check back often for new ways to get your name in.

Today's prize:

Your very own Flower Poof, made by yours truly! See more about them here.

Choose one of these three colors pictured above.

Whew! That was a lot of info all in one post... thanks for joining in on the fun of the GIVEAWAY. I'm excited to read your fall ideas.

All photos taken by yours truly.

What We've Been Up To and A Tutorial

2010-09-21T15:43:00.000-07:00

First of all, I just want to thank you all for the wonderful comments about our newly revamped laundry room . You all bless my heart so much! It really was a blast to put together and we have been enjoying the clean fresh look so much. I actually {dare I say it} kinda sorta almost maybe enjoy doing laundry a bit more now! If you missed the laundry room reveal click here.

Also just thought I would give you a heads up... A GIVEAWAY STARTS TOMORROW right here at "too Blessed to Stress." So get ready for a great gift and lots of fun ways to enter!

Just thought I would give you a quick glance at what we have been up to at the "too Blessed to Stress" nest.

Hubby built me an awesome crate style coffee table. It is the best! All it needs is a little distress ink, an emblem, and a bit of roughing up with sandpaper and it will be ready to go. I can't wait to show it to you!!!

There has been plenty of Fall Fluffing {and by fluffing I do mean decorating, in case you were wondering. ahem.} going on. So get ready for Easy Summer to Fall Decor Tips starting tomorrow.

September seems to be party month around here - including my own! I have already received some fantastic gifts and much love this week... and it's still three days till the actual day! Oh the joy!!! By the way, thank you all for your lovely birthday emails and Facebook messages. Along with my upcoming birthday, there were several other parties which I had the privilege to help decorate at. Looking forward to sharing a simple tutorial for felt banners and cupcake toppers.

And lastly I though I would share a simple tutorial for these lovely flower pins:

I just LOVE the ruffled look.

This was inspired from a photo in a magazine my mom was reading on the way to vacation earlier this year. She saw it, knew I would want to try and make one, so she ripped out the page and tucked it away to bring home to me. My mom is awesome!

Ok ready to learn how to make a Flower Poof? {yes that is what I call them, original I know.}

You'll need the following:
~ 1" striped grosgrain ribbon. Make sure it is printed on both sides.
~ sewing machine or a needle and thread in a coordinating color
~ small piece of coordinating felt { about 5"x2"}
~ brooch pin
~ hot glue gun
~ lighter

Cut around 30" of ribbon, trim the ends diagonally, and seal the ends by lightly touching the ends to the flame of your lighter.

Then decide which stripes you want to face outwards on your flower. I chose to have the lighter greens and browns showing and to place the end with the dark green stripe on the inside of the flower.

Using a wide stitch, sew about 1/8" from the edge of the ribbon. Do not finish the ends by sewing backwards, you'll need those to gather the ribbon with.

Once you've sewn all the way down the ribbon, take the back thread and hold it in one hand.

With the other, gently push the ribbon down creating a ruffly gather.

Once it is all gathered to the tightness you desire, trim the excess thread and seal with a dab of hot glue.

Trim your felt into two circles at least 1 1/2" in diameter.

Take one end of the ribbon and glue it down in the center of a felt circle.

Then twist and turn the ribbon abound the center, fanning out as you go. Make sure the side that is gathered is always facing down, toward the center of the flower. As you shape the flower, glue the sewn edge to the felt.

Take your second piece of felt, fold in two, and snip two small cuts about 1/4"apart.

That will be the opening for the brooch pin.

Slip the pin through, close and secure on either side with a dab of hot glue. Turn your flower over and cover the felt circle with hot glue.

Place the second circle over the glue, making sure to secure tightly.

Seal any seams that seem have not closed the first time around.

Enjoy! Mix and match, wear on shirts, coats, hats, purses, etc.

Well, I do believe that is all for now... be sure to stop by tomorrow and enter the GIVEAWAY!

What have you been crafting over that last few weeks?

I'd love to see!

All photos taken by yours truly.

Laundry Room REVEAL

2010-09-07T23:04:00.000-07:00

WOOOOHOOOO!!!!!

Can you tell I am super excited to reveal the transformed laundry room? heehee!

Well it was sure a challenge to figure out how to make a big impact in a small space, but I do believe that I'm in love with the result: color, function, whimsy, and bright. Seriously, it was like a cave in that little windowless room. But with just a few tweaks and some great DIY projects later, we have a space that is relaxing to be in. Now if only the laundry would wash itself... :)

Ok, ready? here we go!

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After

What a change!

My most treasured piece:

A thank you note from my hubby from 7 years ago. I was a new bride learning the ropes of housekeeping. He wrote me this note after a particularly long day of cleaning and washing clothes late into the night. I woke up the next morning, exhausted and found this note on the laundry machine. It has hung inside the cabinet door ever since, a reminder of why I do the things I do in this home: to make an inviting nest for the ones I love.

It's all in the details!

It's the little things that make all the difference.

Hope you enjoyed the tour!

There will be a few more posts later on with short tutorials showing how to make some of these projects. In the meantime, if you would like to catch up on the past projects for the laundry room just click on the titles below:

Thrift Store Chandelier Transformation

All photos taken by yours truly.

Will be linking up to parties with these great blogs:

Tater Tots and Jello

Sumo's Sweet Stuff

Simpsonized Crafts

The Girl Creative

Life as Lori

Crystals Craft Spot

The Shabby Chic Cottage

Laundry Room Projects

2010-09-02T12:29:00.000-07:00

Last day before the reveal of the laundry room. Yes, I am squealing with delight. Tonight the whole this gets put together and I am so excited to show you. Before the reveal, I wanted to show you a couple more simple projects made for that space. As all the other projects in the laundry room they were simple, easy on the pocketbook, and took no time at all to make.

This cute little lamp was a Fancy Store purchase - base, shade and all. Can you believe it? And there was not a single scratch on it. Yes, I happy danced right there in the store :)

When I spotted it, I just knew that it would be perfect in the laundry room. It serves as little ambiance in that passing spot between the garage and main house... not to mention that it reminds me to put the clothes in the dryer when I turn it off at night.

As much as I like feathered/fur trim, this one was looking a bit sad. There were fluffies missing and it was just too dark for the space.

That's when I remembered this delicious pink fabric from my stash. And wouldn't you know, there was just enough to recover the lamp shade!

After removing the fluffies, I traced the shade by rolling it across the fabric while marking it lightly with a pencil. Also, I made sure to leave at least a 1/2 inch allowance on the top and about 1 inch on the bottom. That way the "seams" would be nice and clean.

Once cut, I hot glued the fabric along the top leaving a 1/2 inch of excess fabric.

Why do I always have paint on my hands?

Note to self: wash hands before taking pictures :)

That then I carefully wrapped the excess over and glued it down on the inside, making sure to glue only on the white, thicker portion - not the black shade itself.

Then I met the seams on the side {up and down} and folded over the side that would be visible.

That way it made a clean seam. A dab of glue sealed it to the opposing fabric. Again, I avoided gluing directly to the shade.

With the excess fabric on the bottom, I folded it over once till it met the base of the shade...

... and then folded it over again to create a clean seam and glued it down.

So simple, but what a change!

Now I need to decide if I should keep the base black or go with a chocolate brown. Thoughts?

On to craft number 2.

I really wanted to use this tissue paper to make a small decor ball for the laundry room shelf. But I knew that it needed to be smaller since the tissue paper I had in this color was limited. After searching the house I came up with this:

Now you have proof that I will make a decor ball out of anything! haha!!! These are just perfect for mini decor balls.

After cutting the paper into 3/4 inch strips, I placed a line of hot glue down one side...

... and then quickly rolled it up to make a little flower puff.

Then a dab of hot glue attached it to the ball.

Several more, and voila! Instant pretty.

Who would have ever thought that this was originally a fast food prize? Love it!

What items have you repurposed for the sake of home decor?

All photos taken by yours truly and Mr. too Blessed to Stress.

Laundry Tips Board

2010-09-01T15:38:00.000-07:00

Can I even tell you how excited I am to show you the Laundry room reveal in two days? It is coming together so nicely. Who would have ever thought that such a tiny space could be so bright and cheery? Major Happy dancing going on right now :)

This is another project that has found it's way into the laundry room remodel and I have to tell you I am THRILLED with the result. It was so simple but totally makes my day every time I walk in there... which is often. This family of 2 + pup goes through a lot of laundry! Are we just more piggy than others? huh, must be :)

I found this chalkboard in the bins at the Fancy Store {aka Goodwill Outlet} and I may or may not have let out a little squeal when I found it and madly ran across the store to snatch it up. I love the big chalkboard and chunky frame! What I was not loving was the scratched paint and these weird staple things that were sticking out of the bottom. Maybe it used to have a little shelf or something? I merrily ~~pranced~~ walked calmly through the store with my purchase, not fully knowing where it would end up.

Anyhow, once home I realized that it was just perfect for the laundry room - ironic since it was originally for a laundry room and painted lavender, the old color of my laundry room.

First things first, I set up an uber professional painting station... in the living room... on a card table covered in newspaper... so that I could watch HGTV. Classy, I know :)

I found these oops paint samples in the garage paint cupboard and decide on a creamy white {left side}. Sorry but I have no idea what color the sample was, there is no tag on it.

The seams needed some help, which gave me a perfect excuse to try out this cool stuff:

It is spackling that goes on pink and dries white. That way you know when it is ready to sand. How awesome is that? Totally what this haphazard crafter needs!

I the meantime, I set out to remove the big ole staples which turned out to be big ole nails!

Hello, no wonder they hurt so much when I accidentally smooshed my hand into them.

Once all nasty nails were removed, puttied and dried I used a sanding block and a toothpick to get all the excess off and gave it 3 coats of yummy, creamy white.

While it dried, I headed over to one of my favorite craft stores, Ben Franklin, and had the words "Laundry Tip" printed out in a favorite font, Coventry Gardens. It's kinda hard to tell, but the letters are a deep chocolate brown.

Once everything was dry, it was time to apply the vinyl, have studdly hubby hang it up and stand back to admire.

I love it! The "tip" was written in Chalk Ink Markers which I absolutely am in love with. Want to get me something for my birthday this month? Colored Chalk Ink Markers are on my wish list. {Hubby, are you reading this?}

How have you been using chalk boards lately?

Joining a Laundry Room themed party over here:

And a "Wrap Up" Over here :)

All photos taken by yours truly.

Fabric Art

2010-08-31T17:06:00.000-07:00

Ok so this is so simple I feel almost silly posting a "how to" for it. Nevertheless I wish to prove a point with this mini tutorial:

You don't have to spend mucho-bucks to have fabulous customized wall art... not only that but it is so simple to make anyone could do this. I made mine while eating lunch!

Remember the recovered ironing board from this post in all it's yummy fabric glory? Well I had a bit of fabric left over that I know would be just perfect for something, I just didn't know what yet.

Save the scraps! You never know when they'll come in handy.

So today as I sat at the dining room table eating my quesadilla it dawned on me: why not take a few portions of this fantastic fabric and frame them. Instant color plus it helps carry the pattern from the ironing board up to the walls without being too overwhelming.

See, I really was eating lunch!

My first thought was, "I need to buy a few frames, Dollar Tree here I come!" Then I remembered a gorgeous frame my sister-in-law had given me for Christmas several years ago. It was a deep chocolate {perfect!} with a cuter than life bow. I have always loved the frame, but had grown tired of the photos I had placed in them. This was the perfect chance to spruce the inside up and hang once again.

I laid the fabric out on the table and played around with the placement of the frame in between munches of quesadilla. Here are some of my faves:

Here's the one I decided on:

Now came the tricky part - cutting this piece out while making minimal damage to the remaining fabric. I want to do at least one more frame and am not sure which portion of the pattern I will choose.

So I got some painters tape and put a bit on each of the four sides on the inside of the mat. That way when I cut it out, I would remember where I had placed my mat and get it centered.

Once taped off, I cut 1/2 inch away from the tape, leaving plenty of room to attach to the back of the mat and not damaging a nearby flower that might make it into the next frame.

Then I took one more piece of painters tape, placed it sticky side up, and laid the top portion of the fabric on it.

Using the tape to center fabric in mat.

That way when I used the other pieces of tape as my centering guide all I had to do was press down from the front and the top portion was adhered.

All that was left to do was remove the tape from the front and use it to secure the other sides on the back.

Stepped back, admired my work, washed down the quesadilla with fruit punch {nutritious, I know} and put the frame back together.

Easy-Peasy!

Place in frame, clean glass {wow there were a lot of finger prints!} and enjoy my instant art!

Have you used fabric scraps to fill your frames?

EDITED TO ADD: I have had a few inquires as to where the fabric came from . It was from Walmart and I spent all of $1.49 to recover an ironing board and make some art.. and there is still more left! Can I get a happy dance? :)

All photos taken by yours truly.

Iron Away

2010-08-30T12:50:00.000-07:00

So there was a major bummer with the awesome chandelier from this previous post… It was painted and looking all snazzy when dark clouds started to roll in. It really looked like a sudden down pour was on its way. So I moved it under the canopy and that’s when it happened…. The swing bumped up against it taking off a whole chunk of paint. I probably would have left it but it was a really noticeable spot. So I touched it up. Waited….. and then the bag it was drying on top of somehow got pushed up against it and tore off a BIG chunk of paint. Grrrrrr. I was not a happy camper. So there is currently no light fixture in that room and I now need to sand and repaint several spots. Bummer.

But on a happier DIY note, I have a fun project to show you. I recently decided that my ironing board cover needed an update from faded/stained stripes. There were no ready made covers that really matched the new colors in the laundry room, so I decided to make one myself.

Now before I jump into this mini tutorial please note:

~I am not a champion seam seamstress. Basic strait lines on a machine are a challenge for me. If you can sew for real – you may just want to look away. :)

Here is the yummy fabric I chose. Dark chocolate background, light and hot pinks, and creams. Isn’t it just lovely? I love it!

My ironing board is just over 2 ½ long, a little table top kind. Under the cover it had a thin but sturdy piece of foam and then just a piece of plywood. Fancy schmancy… oh, and it was from the Boutique. $3.99, yippee!

Here’s evidence of it’s tiny size - yep, that’s my kitchen counter. All full of junk… hmmm…..Guess I know what my next project is!

After ironing my fabric, I took the old cover and stretched it out flat on top of the fabric. Both were face down.

Then I cut out the basic shape of the cover leaving about 3 inches on every side.

The spray paint on my hands did not come off for several days!

Now here comes the not so technical part that I just made up as I want along. After folding the fabric within ¼ inch of the original cover I pinned it all the way around.

{Other side}

The ¼ inch became the pocket to feed the elastic through.

At the corners, I made sure to fold over one side flat and then the other on top of it.

That way when the pocket was sewn it would still be open to push the elastic through.

At this point I was ready to sew all the way around, making sure to leave a 1 inch gap at the bottom {short end}. That became the entrance and exit point for the elastic.

Once sewn, all I needed to do was attach a tiny safety pin to one end of the elastic and feed it through the little pocket all the way around. I did this, of course, while watching a previous episode of Design Star. hee hee!

All that was left was to trim the excess fabric and put it on. Tada!

By the way, there will be a laundry room reveal by the end of the week… I am just bursting at the seams, ready to show you! Stay tuned!

All photos taken by yours truly.

why?

2010-08-26T20:08:00.000-07:00

Blogger, oh blogger why won't you let me post? Hang in there everyone. Several awesome reveals that won't load pics! Will post as soon as blogger decides to cooperate... anyone else struggling this week?

Watch Out

2010-08-19T14:25:00.000-07:00

When this crazed housewife get this in her hands:

And has a cuter than life crafting companion by her side:

{one of several photos trying to get her to hold still!}

That's better! Look at that CUTE face :)

WATCH OUT! You may just get a brand new coat of paint.

It all started this morning when I gave the front door a second coat of paint. {Hopefully it will dry soon so that it can get a coat or two more and then a reveal - squeal!} So I figured since I was already covered in paint {yes, I really am the worlds messiest painter}, why not tackle a chandelier project that has been sitting on the entryway floor for about 2 weeks now.

So it's not the most attractive but not that bad either. The brown was kinda a deep-reddish-like-copper color - fine, just not the look I was going for in this room. And since it was $3.50 at the Boutique {Goodwill}, I felt no remorse attacking it with a coat of cheapo paint from the cabinet of mystery paint in the garage.

So it was off to the garage to get the necessary tools to set up an outdoor chandelier painting station:
~flat white paint
~ladder
~sturdy dowel
~stool {cause I am a wimp crouching/kneeling.}

After taping up the sockets,

I needed to tape off the wires sticking out on the top{which someone had clipped off! thank goodness hubby is handy.}

All I needed to do was unscrew the circle-hook thing on top, tape and then screw back on.

Then I strung it on the dowel across the ladder. This is really the way to go when painting something hanging. I could see all the nooks and crannies as I rotated around the ladder.

Even strokes, a bit of patience and what do ya get?

A totally new {to you} chandelier that will look fantastic in....

oh my goodness, I am dying to show you, but it is still not quite dry... and hubby has to hang it for me. I am a total chicken up a ladder. Stay tuned, reveal coming real soon!

All photos taken by yours truly.

Swirly-Circle-Decor-Ball

2010-08-16T17:35:00.000-07:00

Ok. So that may be a silly title, but it accomplishes two things:
1. Informs you of the craft to come
2. It's best I can think of in this heat. My goodness, even the outdoors is miserable... So ready for the AC to be fixed... *sigh*

Anyhow, despite the stickyness of a sauna that is now our home, I was able to muster up the energy for a few crafts this weekend. I know, what a sacrifice :)

Isn't that little black and white beauty too cute?

I made it using the same technique described in this post.

Only this time instead of using baseballs, I used a wiffle ball... wait...is that what this is? It was from a set at the dollar store...

The paper I chose was two sided.

Don't ya just LOVE that pattern!

Anyhow, for full instructions click on the link above. And if you are going to use a wiffle ball for the circle punches technique here are a few tips.

Use a candle holder with a stake/poker thing still on it to keep the ball upright.

Much easier than having to pick it up every time it rolls off the table. Ask me how I know. :)

When you get to a hole, just place some glue on the top two circles already glued on and place one circle right between them, like this:

Don't worry about the empty spot below the circle you are about to place. When you come around on the next row, the next two circles will overlap the one over the hole and that will keep it in place. Does that make sense? Hope so! If not message me and I will try to explain better.

It is really just a mater of patience with these. No perfection needed. And it's super easy to make. One episode of Design Star and ta-da! All done!

Have you made any new decor balls? I'd love to see!

All photos taken by yours truly.