Stitch Fix!

It was that time again....the pretty box with the teal circle showed up at my door.

Carly Multi-Stone Layering $36

Here is a close up of the necklace that came. I liked the color, length, and style. I just didn't like the price tag. Not to mention I already own 3 that look almost exactly like this one.....

Eames Gathered Waist Shirt $58
Kristina Leopard Pencil Skirt $64

I am not a big animal print fan as a general rule, but I did kind of like this one. Too bad the zipper is not up all the way in the back. Not the best way to feel about a skirt. And the material for the top was super soft, I liked the loose sleeves, the length and that they sent me an actual outfit. The problem with the shirt was that about mid torso it had an elastic that made it feel like I was wearing a tight belt around my torso. Try as I might I just couldn't get it to sit comfortably.

Colibri Plaid Shirt $48
Emer High Waist Trouser $98

This outfit I loved. This picture doesn't do it justice, but in all fairness my photographer was a kid with a cell phone so....I am not normally a legging kind of gal, but these were super soft and looked great. The shirt was soft, and was a little longer in the back to cover just a bit more. LOVED this outfit. That being said, $48 for a plaid shirt and $98 for leggings was just too much for my piggy bank. (Sniffle)

End result....this time they all went back. I was sad to see that second outfit go, but it had to be done. Hopefully next time will be more affordable.

Send a Little Love

Wow, it has been a long time since I have posted anything. In all fairness, I have a ton of half written posts in draft. Maybe I can actually get this one done and posted in a single day......ahh, dreams.

If we are Facebook friends, you probably know that last June my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. Then, in December her mom was also diagnosed. THANKFULLY they are both now done with treatments and are cancer free.

Not being there while my mom was having treatments was a very hard thing. I am sure she was ok, since she is one of the toughest people I know but it was still hard being far away. I wanted to do something for her, but I wasn't sure what would be most helpful. Finally I decided on this:

I can't remember where I got this little plastic box, but I think it might have once been full of rubber bands from Staples. 

I lined the inside with the pretty green paper in order to be able to make the words on the cover. I wanted them protected inside the box when it was closed.

I wanted the insert to be able to stand up all on it's own, so that she could set it next to her chair during chemo, on her desk at work, where ever. The plastic box made it possible for her to fold it and take it in her tote bag or purse. 

Yes, she is really that short.

Two of my favorite photo panels were my wedding day and our photo from our 60 mile Komen 

3-Day event a few years ago. We did that event because this was actually Gram's second go-round with breast cancer. There were photos on both sides of the accordion and I made sure I got all her kids & grand-kids on there, as well as both of her parents. 

The Presents

Did I mention there will soon be a teenager (GASP!) in the house? Well, since we have had a rough year (worst ever) we decided to do something a little different in the present department this year. We are doing countdown to Birthday presents. One gift, some small & some not, each day until THE day. Here is what she saw on November 1st.

The Loot Pile

Most of the gifts are from us, but a couple are not. We recruited the family if they wanted to participate.

Here is the list so far:

1. Purple Glitter Nail Polish

2. Journal Boxes for her Smashbook

3. Purple Tank Top (thank you Aero clearance!)

4. Movie Passes 

5. A Light in the Attic - She got so excited opening this one that she ripped the dust jacket a little and I thought she might cry. 

6. An empty box to fill at the old fashioned candy store.

7. Hand painted shell ornaments from Gummy with the Mad Hatter & Red Queen (Johnny and Helena style)

8. Archeological museum tickets

9. Zero candy bar

10. Phase 10 card game 

11. Socks with cats on them 

12. Brady jersey - he is number 12 after all 

13. Year subscription to Seventeen magazine 

14. Alice in Wonderland- of course! It was slumber party time!

15. Family secret.... Sorry ;)

16. Passes to the Phoenix Art Museum

To be continued.......

The Invitation

In our family, Birthday Parties went away at about age 8. Instead we have spent the past few years going out to nice dinners and shows or activities. This year is different. This year kiddo will be a (GASP!!!!!!) teenager. Yup, lucky number 13 has arrived my friends. And in honor of this (still gasping!) milestone year, we agreed to a party. Heck, we even said she could invite as many people as she wanted. She came up with a whopping 8. (whew!!)

Step one to any good party - the invitation. Our theme is the Mad Hatter's tea party - but more Johnny Depp and less Disney. I wanted to come up with a fabulous invite, and I think I did pretty well.....

These have screw on bottoms

She liked the vintage feel of these.

First we got these at our local Hobby Lobby. She liked that they were all different (mom liked that they weren't expensive). 

The Burlap has a paper backing

Jewelry Boxes were the perfect size. 

After cutting the burlap in to strips that were small enough to fit in the boxes, I wrote out the invite information on the paper backing. 

I tried to keep the language in theme. 

Rolling up the burlap was pretty easy and it gave me enough space to write all the information and still fit in the box. 

The "high tech" tool (rubber band) kept it rolled while I tied my fabulous little twine around it to keep it from unraveling in the box. Now it's time for assembly. Remember those cute little trinkets from the first photo? Well.......

Turns out, they look just like little door knobs. Don't forget those keys either.....

Ready to Deliver!

This key was one of the bigger ones. I like the smaller ones better, but all in all I think these were some great little invites. She was most pleased that they didn't look like the whimsy ones that she saw on the net while browsing. She wanted something more Victorian. I also think these would be great, maybe without the key, for a Monsters Inc party. 

Ready to Deliver!

As a side note, the two that I did have to mail, I used a padded envelope just in case. It cost me $1.10 to mail each of them.

4 in 14

Ok, so I started off the year with the best of intentions regarding my grand 4 in 14 idea. FAIL. It has gone off the rails, as life has just been crazy. In fact, hubby and I now literally refer to this as the worst year of our lives. Anyone who is privy to all we have been through this year agrees.

Regardless, we are still here plugging along one day at a time.

So, this month I got at least a little back on track and set up my pretty shelf.

The only new item I purchased this year was the pumpkin. The wood was left over from a decorating project at work, so I covered it in chalkboard paint (LOVE!) and decided this was the perfect thing to use it for. The orange tea light with the dancing skeleton design we have had forever and is one of my favorites. We use battery operated candles for safety.

Box Card Project

As I mentioned in a previous post, I was touring through blog-land the other day and discovered so many fabulous crafty people. I stumbled upon Cardz TV and their challenge to create a Halloween card that was not a traditional fold. One of the options they gave was a box card. Never in all my crafty years had I attempted one. Not sure why. Just hadn't. So, I gave it a shot.....

Inside

Outside

I wanted to stay with all one piece so it is a simple 12x12 cardstock with the corners cut away and scored to fold. I used some scrap pieces to mat the outside. The 3-D embellishments were some I picked up on a recent trip to Michaels. 

I also scrounged around in my sticker drawer and found these word tiles. 

I think the entire project took me maybe 20 minutes. It went a lot faster than I thought. Now I just need to find a little treat to put inside before I give it to my munchkin next week. 

Challenge Accepted

A couple of days ago I was lost in blog fabulous-ness following links from one to the next to the next. I discovered some very crafty ladies. Among them was a challenge to create a card using Purple, Orange, Lime, Black, and any sort of Die-Cut. I do love my Cricut machine....I know a lot of my crafty friends have moved on. I just can't let go. Anyway, I cut out a few different things, played with some ideas, used only scrap paper in the assigned colors and here we are.......

The words are a layered Die-Cut from my Cricut machine, and the squares were also cut with the machine, but happened to be left over from a previous project. Although it look more yellow in the photo, the paper behind the yarn is actually lime. Now I just need someone to mail this to......

Any takers?

Fun with Letters

Although I am not quite up to an entire 31 day challenge, Randi has certainly inspired me to get some of my wood project done.

Sale Letters!

I got these on sale at Hobby Lobby a while back, and although I knew pretty much what I was going to do with them they have been sitting longer than I will admit. 

Shiny!

I didn't need all of the smaller letters, so I will need to think of something to do with those later. 

All Done!

The base coat of black is actually chalkboard paint (my new obsession) so I can draw on the "G". I put a nail above my door bell, and right now it says "Trick or Treat" and is hung up with a Happy Halloween ribbon that I just wrapped around the top and tied in an bow. I am super happy with how it turned out, and it really only took me a few minutes outside of drying time.

Wedding Day Kit

Recently I attended a destination wedding in fabulous San Diego. I don't know about you, but I hate traveling and realizing I forgot something. Especially for events. And because I didn't want my friend's special day to have any hiccups, I came up with my own version of a Bridal Emergency Kit.

The Bag

This is the bag I decided on. It is pretty heavy duty, and as you can see I had her name put on it. I ordered it well in advance from my fabulous friend Laura. And as anyone who knows me can attest, the next thing I did was scour Pinterest for ideas of what to put in this kit. 

Idea List

This was the list I originally came up with. Some were suggestions from Pinterest, others were things that I thought of from past disasters, spills, awkward moments, etc. Once I realized that not all the items on my list would fit, I prioritized them to make sure I had the most crucial covered. 

First Aid

Aches, Pains and Ailments

Beauty Essentials

Respect the Gown

I added some little notes, and grouped things in plastic sandwich baggies. I felt it important to mention I hadn't tried the powder trick, just to make sure I wasn't giving her advice that could potentially ruin her dress! (Gasp!) I also added a granola bar and some small bottles of liquid courage for good measure. 

Have you ever made a kit? If so, what did you put in yours?

Stampy Storage Solutions

I have struggled for years to find the best way to store my stamp collection. Yes, I am old school like that and still have wooden block rubber stamps.

My collection

I could never decide or find the right bin or box to keep them in - until now!! I honestly can't remember where I saw this idea (Becky perhaps?) or in what application it was used but this little thing is my new BFF!

From Home Depot

I put some thought in to the fact that I didn't want a repeat of a previous problem - that if I can't see them I don't know what I have. So first I grouped similar stamps together to see what I was working with. Then I started dividing them in to drawers to make sure I maximized space and made sure the bigger stamps had a home. Then I did something that took forever.....ok, like 3 days but still....

Prints

I once bought out an entire Michael's bin of these chipboard albums. At ten cents each you would have done it too and you know it, so don't judge. Because I have so many of them, they were perfect. So I stamped. 

And I stamped.......

It took me several of these little albums to stamp them all but I finally got there. The images on a single page correspond to a single drawer in the little "dresser". And the cute tape? Identifies which drawer to go to!

Almost there..

So now I have these handy little flip books of images to peruse when I am looking for a stamp. And since they are grouped, deciding which "Happy Birthday" one to use is a snap! Then to make sure that the books were kept within quick reach I grabbed some Command Hooks. 

Ummm.....yes that would be the dresser full and my clear stamps waiting their turn to make reference books. You know what that means! Back to Home Depot (thanks Adam!) 

Fabulous!! I even had some of the smaller drawers still empty at the top so I added a few stickers to the front. 

Star Brads

The stickers help me remember which type of fun tidbit I have tucked in there. And finally, Adam the Amazing hung my organizers on the wall next to my book shelf. 

All Hung

Now I can find my stamps and inks quick! I love this new wall system! The rest of my craft room is under reorganization too, so who knows what else I might come up with! How do you organize your crafty corner?

Mother's Day Totes

My mom, the avid Pinterest and Facebook user, decided to "hint" at what she wanted for Mother's Day by posting the Pin on my Wall. Subtle, right? It worked. She got what she wanted, although it was a couple of weeks late because on the first try, my daughter was unhappy with the results. (Not too unhappy since she kept it for herself) So, handy (ha ha!) tote bags it was.

Dad

Mom

Part one of this process was that Adam and I had to stamp our hands on the totes. After that came the kiddo and a couple of details. Sadly I didn't get a finished picture of them, but I used yellow fabric paint to make a swirl in the center, and green to do the outline of a leaf in the corner of each.

Drying

When I mailed them I was a little nervous about the paint sticking to itself in the envelope (it's over 100 degrees here) so I made sure to fold them design out and they made it to their respective locations just fine.

4 in 14 May

As the month was turning yet again, I was trying to think of a cute theme for my May "pretty shelf". May brings to mind Mother's Day, but somehow decorating a shelf saying I was great seemed a little too far. (Although perhaps the kiddo gets a guest starring role next year!) So, I went a little on the lame side with the whole "April Showers, May Flowers" route and tried to find things I already had that reminded me of Spring and flowers.

May Flowers

Here is the shelf as a whole. If you have seen my other months, the bird and rabbit are March recycles, and the vase is a February recycle. This was a bit of a harder month for me, since I was really trying not to spend money on anything new.

February Recycle

 Next to the vase, I added this colorful little bucket that I picked up in the Target Special Finds bin for a dollar around Easter time either last year or the year before. They have them all the time in different designs at different holidays / seasons.

Kid Creations

If you have ever celebrated even one holiday with a kid in Pre-School or Elementary school, you know what these are. Yes, mine are now about 8 years old. No, I have never lit the candle inside. Yes, they did melt in the moving boxes at one point. Don't care. Still keeping them. In fact, hoping to get more when I get grand-babies ( a LONG time from now).

Silliness

The last little fun flower I added was this chipboard album I made a couple years ago. Since it is sturdy and on a ring, it stands up like an easel all on it's own. This is one of my favorite pictures of her - we are at the World's Largest Gift Shop in Las Vegas and the giant hat is made of foam, the poker chips are pillows. We were there waiting on family to gift shop, so we decided to get silly with some of the SWAG.