Lucky Bits

I am so incredibly ridiculously excited to have reached the 100 follower milestone and seriously want to thank all of you for taking the time to read and comment.  It means so much to everyone to feel like someone cares, especially me.  I never thought anyone would even care what I made but you guys have given me so much motivation to do bigger and better projects.  SO why not have a giveaway to celebrate, right?  I will be posting tomorrow about this but I just couldn't wait to let you know I noticed. :)

Allie from What Allie's Making Now has came up with the cutest idea!  She might seriously be the cutest mom ever. She has made a jar of personalized Lucky Bits to carry around for some extra luck that I am sure we all could use!  Forget using a plain old penny!  I know I want some extra luck right about now!  So if you haven't already, check her out because her blog is packed tight with awesome projects like this and she also hosts a Linky Party that has no limit to the amount of projects you can share.  Yup, she is cool like that!  

P.S.  Did I also tell you that she might be the nicest, most helpful blogger I have met to date?  I am so thankful to have met such an awesome friend through blogging.  So make sure you find some time to share the love :)

Birthday Wishes

Olivia's handprint was later added right before we gave this to her :)

Today is my sister's birthday so a big hug and HAPPY BIRTHDAY to her!!  I handmade her gifts this year...a little of this

 a little of that

and a whole lot of this

and we ended up with a couple cute handmade gifts for her.  She loved it!

I Won?!?

I cannot believe I won something!! YAY!  I won these awesome retro tea towels from Swizzlestix over at Finding Fabulous at her Frugalicious Friday Link Party!!  Thank you so much!!

Go Packers!!

Just thought I would officially let everyone know...I am a Cheesehead :)  I am SOOO excited about my team playing in the Super Bowl!!! Wish us Luck!

Pinterest...Gorgeous Pics

I found this amazing site and wanted to share with all of you.

Pinterest is a place to catalog the things you love.

Pinterest is a place to visually catalog all the things you love. Join Pinterest to discover new things hand-picked by people you find interesting.

Olivia Benay Turns 5 Today :)

I cannot believe she is 5.  How fast time flies!  I remember bringing her home from the hospital like it was yesterday.  My sweet baby girl. She is turning into such a beautiful person too.  She is caring, generous and most of all... nurturing.  She will cover me up when I am cold or hurry and grab my shoes for me if we are leaving...or take my plate to the sink as soon as I finish.  She is such an awesome little girl and today she is 5 years old. ( I do this everytime of my children's birthdays come up. Reminisce.  Or I like to look at it....cherish my memories.) I am so proud of who she is becoming and am posting this to wish my Shug-a-Shug a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY!  (she loves to look at mama's blog)

Make Your Own Chalkboard Paint

I found this awesome recipe over at http://curbly.com/diy-maven/posts/9291-how-to-make-your-own-chalkboard-paint-in-any-color  and thought I should share it with all you lovely people!!

USING A SPONGE BRUSH, apply 3 OR MORE coats on your painting surface. Sand with 400 (or more) grit sandpaper between coats, however, if you're careful and use a sponge brush, sanding might not be necessary. 

Recipe of Chalkboard Paint:

• 3 teaspoons acrylic paint (color of choice), PLAIN OLD ACRYLIC CRAFT PAINT WORKS FINE
• 1 1/2 teaspoons glazing medium (water based)
• 1/2 teaspoon powder UNSANDED tile grout

LOVE it

I am so crazy in love with Leo Reynold's collections on Flickr.  There I said it. I cannot stop spelling out different words with different letters and they ALL look awesome!  I have done so many but I wanted to show you my version of the alphabet. Oh yeah...and you can do it too!  All I did was save the pictures and edit in PAINT.  How crazy simple is that?  Simple yet stunning ;)

Have You Heard?

There is an AWESOME contest going on now over at Nap Time Crafters!  It ends TOMORROW so make sure you enter to win some awesome prizes...over $300 worth!

My First Feature

Omg, guess what?  I got my very first feature!  YAY!!!!  I feel like a little kid who finally got to be the line leader :)  Well a big shout out to Amie over at Pinkapotamus for the awesome feature on my Paint Chip Love Banner! Thanks a million!

Kiddos Getting Crafty

It's so cute watching my kids create...just look at Tre's face while he paints, just hilarious.  We just made a few simple salt dough decorations and painted them for our craft.  Such a nice way to enjoy your evening :)  Also let's not forget Olivia's school project, Mr. Snowman!

No Shame In My Game {self portrait linky}

This post is to show you...me...Ashley over at Little Miss Momma has this awesome linky party showcasing self portraits. You should check it out. Lots of fun!

Over Looked Uses Of The Rubber Band

Recently while reading some awesome sites I came across posts using rubber bands in very practical ways we all overlook.  Here is a magical list of reminders that I composed from around the web that I deem helpful.

1. A hair tie (Granted it may take a few hairs with it as it's pulled out!)

2. An Eraser (With enough bands wrapped together you can erase pencil.)

3. Handle Grip (Why pay for one when all you have to do is wrap one around the lid?)

4. A Mail Sorter System (Hammer two parallel rows of nails in the side of a cabinet or the back of a door, and stretch rubber bands between them to hold mail. You can also stretch bands over a piece of plywood for a cheaper version of the French ribbon board.)

5. A Remote Control "Saver"  (Wrap a big rubber band around the top and bottom of a remote. It will protect it from a fall, and it will stop it scratching up the coffee table.)

6. Create Stripes when Painting (Wrap a band around the object to create the stripe, great for Easter egg dying)

7. Liquid Control (Wasting precious soap, detergent or lotion? Wrap a rubber band tightly around the neck of the dispensing pump to limit how each “squirt.”)

8. A Flower Arranger (For simple organization of your blooms, use a rubber band to keep flower heads together. Cut the stems to just above the height of the vase for best effect.)

9. A Liquid Marker  (You can use rubber bands around the outside of the cans/bottles as guides, and move them down the can as you use more.)

10. A Toddler Lock  (Young kids love to explore in those cabinets under the sink, and everywhere else. Stretch strong rubber bands tightly between cabinet knobs to lock them in place.)

11. A Broom Reviver (If the broom's bristles are looking worn, tighten them up by wrapping thick rubber bands halfway up the bristles.)

12. A Quick Tagging System (Color-coded rubber bands can help you sort out objects quickly and easily. Or try a color coded DOT -something my grandfather always did, marked all his belongings with a red dot)

  

13. A Wax Catcher (Wrap a large rubber band around a candle and it will stop the wax from dripping onto the table.)

14. A Stress Reliever (Make a ball from lots of rubber bands. You can squeeze them when you're feeling stressed, and it's cheaper than the store bought ball.)

15. Stretch "Button" (Wrap a band around your button and loop through hole to create a stretched comfort)

So can you think of any I missed? It's funny how the most practical solutions are usually just lying around the house :)

 

Photo Overload

I have a confession to make...I  L-O-V-E  roosters and antiques!  I started off with the theme in my kitchen and it has progressed into the dining and living rooms as well, yea, oops.  I have also fell deeply in love with the color red. I love white too, don't get it wrong but there is something gorgeous about red decor.  Oh and it is not just a Valentine thing. I am talking I have squeezed it into wall decor, place mats, table toppers and so on. I also have been reading up on photography and have been practicing (ALOT)  That being said I figured why let all those pictures go to waste?  Well here it is... let me know what you think :)

Vday @ My House

I figured I would show you all a few pics of my Vday decor ...

Paper Heart :)

    

Linking To:

                      http://whilehewasnapping.blogspot.com/2011/01/love-linky.html

You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar

Have you ever heard someone say, "You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar"? For some reason this really irks me. Okay, first things first, who in the world is trying to catch flies and why do people still say this?  (Not literally, I get the point behind it but seriously?) Even if I deserve to hear this, spare me, please and thank you.  Are there any sayings that just "rub you the wrong way" or just don't "float your boat"? heehee 

Lots of Thanx & New Ideas

I don't know about you but anything D.I.Y. intrigues me. I am just starting to realize how big of an industry this really is. I have always been "crafty" but just starting this blog has opened my eyes up to a whole new world. For that alone, I thank all of you. Every blog I visit is so awesome and jam packed with creative ideas...I am in awe of all you. I have become obsessed  fascinated with up-cycling and wood/window projects.  I was on someones blog which lead me to someone else's and so on and so forth when I came across this site http://ana-white.com/category/plans/skilllevel/starterprojects and have found SOOO many awesome D.I.Y.  projects that I just had to share with all of you.  I have some old windows I am working on and about 5 pallets that are just laying around and now I am so pumped that I am stopping just to tell you guys/gals about it!! Here are some pics of what I am working on with plain old scrap wood and old windows...and these are the before pics, LOL. My husband told me yesterday,as he was toting around the pallets, "I really don't see what you see.  All I see is garbage and then I come home from work and it's gorgeous."  Aww....


It really DID look rough...




Oh the possibilities...