Thankful Thursday

Since Thanksgiving is just around the corner, I want to spend Thursdays blogging about something I'm thankful for.  I love this season, and I'm so excited to share some of my 'favorite things,' with you.  This Thankful Thursday, I am thankful for my ability write.  I have always loved writing, and sometimes I just get the urge to write about ANYTHING.  Whether it's my joy, my frustrations, my ideas, or my imaginations, I just love to get them on paper.  This past few months, I have loved typing.  I even love to write papers (kinda insane, I know!).  I just love writing!  It may never make a difference in the world, and hey, I know I can count the number of readers of this blog on one hand, but it doesn't even matter to me!  I'm writing.
I was once taught in a 10th grade english class that sometimes the best writing is done in journals, and I tend to agree.  Sometimes when you are so involved in your own feelings, you can describe them better than anything else.  YOU know what to say, because YOU are what you're writing about.  I love writing in journals.  When I was in high school, I would write nearly everyday, and have about 15 journals full from my high school days.  It's funny to read back about all the boys I liked, the days that were tough, and the funny things I liked, but it's a part of me.  Sometimes to know who you are, you have to know who you've been, and reading back does that for me.
Well, that's it for today's Thankful Thursday!  I hope you have a great one!

Christmas Gifts

I have come to a frustration point.  I am working on some super cute things, and so excited to share them with you.  However, the frustrating point is that many of the things are Christmas gifts for my family this year.  My family reads my blog well I hope they read my blog! so I can't post secrets up here!  I'll have to show them to you after Christmas, but meanwhile I am making a way cute bag for myself (yes mom, another one) and hope to have it finished soon to show!  Maybe I'll even do a tutorial of it!

Super Cute Giveaway @ Beneath My Heart

Beneath My Heart has a super cute bulletin board giveaway!  It ends tonight, so hurry on over!

Beaded Napkin Rings

This is a little idea I found at a store and decided that I could make my own.  I am planning on using them for Christmas gifts for some family members.  Here's a sneak peak of a couple types I've made.  I'm planning on 3 sets, and I've got 2 done!  Hooray!

Scrap Can

There are tons of ideas out there for modge podging formula cans, but we don't happen to have formula in our home at the moment, but we do drink lots of Tang!  We recently ran out (sad day for yummy drinks) but I was able to make this (happy day for crafting) to throw my sewing/crafting/paper/everything scraps in.  It sits very nicely on my desk!  I used my handy dandy clear Elmer's glue instead of modge podge for some fast acting drying action.  (Oh, and by the way, I've seen this idea somewhere and I'm not sure where!  If you know, holler and I can link it up!)

And yes, the can says, "So Long Scraps!" (I was in a silly mood that day, but it's cute just the same!)

Wonderful Wednesday Crafts

A couple weeks ago, I went to our relief society meeting and enjoyed their craft night.  They called it Wonderful Wednesday, but it was very much like a Super Saturday that many people are familiar with! :)  We ate yummy treats and made some super cute crafts.

(Oh and GOOD NEWS! I was playing with my camera while taking pictures for this post, and I found a cool setting that makes pictures not so fuzzy!  So hooray for upcoming non-fuzzies!)

I chose two of the crafts and I'm so excited to share them with you!  They are super simple, and are not really new, but I learned some cool tricks so I'm happy!  I made the glass magnets...

I knew that you could use modge podge for this project, but it takes forever to dry, so I was introduced to this stuff:

It's fabulous!  It dries clear, and is FAST!  I have an upcoming project that I also used this friend for. :)

I also learned to make little girl bows at Wonderful Wednesday.  I made one at the meeting, and then went home and finished them up on my self-proclaimed Super Saturday while watching General Conference.

This is the first one I ever made.  This one was SO hard for some reason.  I guess I was just trying to get the hang of it.  A friend told me, "Well just think, by the time you have a little girl at your house, you'll be a pro!"  I said, "Yeah, and I can give all the ugly ones away in the mean time!" :)

Kind of an experiment, but I think it's pretty cute!

Ohh, I have to tell you a trick I learned!  The girls at the meeting were telling us to make the bows by making a loop of ribbon and hot gluing it to make a ring.  Then you take a piece of small ribbon (that'll be covered up by the button) to make the 'bow' look.  Well, that part was way hard for me.  So I improvised.  I got out my hand dandy clear elastics for hair (the itsy bitsy ones) and wrapped it around the bow a few times to get the 'bow' look.  It was clear, and now covered up by a button, so it worked fabulously for me!

This one I made doing a ribbon flower, using  this tutorial from Little Birdie Secrets for inspiration.  For the bottom, I sort of used the same instructions, but I didn't sew on the edge of the ribbon but right down the middle to just gather it cute. 

 

Then I glued both pieces on, and wahlaa (who ever knows how to spell my expressions/sound effects!) we're done!

Thanks for reading, and more fun projects to come!  I promise!

Discovery of Modge Podge

Today, I'm going to share a couple of projects I did with modge podge.  After a few more posts of catching up on old projects I've done, I'll get to share the most recent stuff!  I'm so excited!

~Before~

This is the very first project.  Found the tray at DI, and loved it, but needed it to match my decor.  Some black and red paper cut into squares, and some modge podge, and we have a fabulous place for magazines and mail piles!

~After~

This next project was simply 3 little square pieces of woods with ugly pictures from DI for like 75 cents each, and I modge podged cute paper to them and hung them up!  Way easy, and super fun!

This was another of my first projects, that I really am not fond of anymore, but it's not horrible I guess!  I went to Dollar Tree and found a wreath and some cute flowers, and just went at it.  I didn't use any glue or anything, I just stuck everything into the wreath and it's held up pretty well.  Maybe I should do one for fall! :)

Well there ya go, some of my very first projects!  Stay tuned for the most current stuff, coming as soon as I get caught up on my lovely pile of homework! :)

Sweet CD!

My favorite music artist, Cherie Call, came out with a brand new CD called Grace.  It hasn't hit stores yet, so I ordered it online here on Friday, and it was in my mailbox Saturday afternoon!  What a joy!  I absolutely love it.  She's an LDS artist, and writes all her own music about life, and God, and family values.  Loooove it!

Marvelous Movie!

My husband and I went to see the Movie Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs last weekend and LOVED it!  I am a HUGE fan of movies that are funny and best of all clean.  This one had nothing questionable, and it was incredibly entertaining.  You should go see it too!

A Whole Bunch of Hoopla

This was another idea I found on the web, but I can't remember where, so I can't link it. :( But I remember being so excited to try this myself!

I went to DI and found several hoops for VERY little money, and used some of the material I had on hand.  Some of it was from the 8 center pieces I have from our wedding, and decided to cut one up and put it to work!  I used ribbon and some cute buttons from WalMart I'd been eying for a project for awhile, and just went at it.

I liked the criss-cross look so you can tuck pictures inside, but the small hoop was too small to do that.  But it still looks pretty on my wall I guess! :)

Fabulous Giveaway @ Make it And Love It

Check out this giveaway for $30 to Tiny Seamstress Designs.  She makes ABSOLUTELY adorable bags!

Rain Watching

So we've all heard of bird watching...but have you ever  
Rain Watched?

Yesterday, it started to rain and I looked out my window and saw this...

Yes...I saw leaves.

And when I looked closely, I could see each leave move when the rain hit it.

Kersplat!

Pretty amazing view right outside my window if you ask me!