Oh, Boy. Oh, Joy!

"Love In the Same Direction" Free Valentine's Day Printable

2012-02-06T16:49:00.000-08:00

Saw this quote on Pinterest and I knew I just had to make something Valentine's Day related. So of course, what do I love to make? That's right - printables!

So for all of my lovely readers, a free Valentine's Day printable that I hope warms your heart as much as it did mine! Here's the download link.

Thanks for stoppin' by!

Shared here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

Walgreens Prescription Savings Club - What I Wish I'd Known LAST WEEK!

2012-02-03T14:00:00.001-08:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Walgreens. All opinions are 100% mine.

Admittedly, I have not had much time for crafting or creating lately. :( These past two weeks have been very frustrating for me. Between myself and my son I have been to the doctor three times, had three different diagnoses, and 4 different prescriptions. Yea, I'm pretty exhausted. First, I wasn't feeling well at all. I've been having panic attacks, episodes of palpitating heart, and to top it all off I have been extremely tired and sluggish for no apparent reason. My doctor explained that it was probably just severe anxiety and she tried explaining to me that some stressors can just set people over the edge! Well, I couldn't help thinking to myself, "That's not me! I'm happy!".

Anyhow she administered three different blood tests and sent me on my way. Well, the next day I received a call from a phone nurse telling me I needed to start medication IMMEDIATELY because one of the blood tests reveled I now have hypothyroidism. Apparently, it's kind of rare in the general population, but not un-common for women who have just given birth. (Apparently my body was not tuned into that until a year and a half later!) Basically my thyroid isn't producing enough hormones to sustain my day-to-day bodily functions, my hormone levels were approximately 200 times lower than they were supposed to be. Well, I guess at least it's good news that I think I've found out what's been going on with me.

On top of taking all of that in - my son had an ear infection and later had to be prescribed breathing treatments for some severe chest congestion he started having. Yea, I'm pretty EXHAUSTED.

On top of all this chaos, I then had to make four {yes - FOUR!!!} separate trips to Walgreens to fill my prescriptions! Luckily they have a drive-thru, so thankful for that!

But with me being out of work currently and my boyfriend having his own small business (meaning no health insurance coverage) I wish I had known about this:

Walgreens is now offering a special discount on annual membership for its Prescription Savings Club:

For $35 a year, a family membership covers everyone in your immediate family, including a spouse, dependents 22 and younger and pets. If you join, you'll even get discounted prices on your prescriptions. $20 for individuals. Isn't that great?!

Other benefits include:
-Savings on more than 8,000 brand-name and all generic medications
-Discounts on flu shots, pet prescriptions, nebulizers and diabetic supplies
-Bonuses when you purchase Walgreens brand products and photofinishing services

You can find more information about the program here at Walgreens Prescription Savings Club website or you can stay updated by liking them on Walgreens on Facebook and following them by mean of Walgreens on Twitter.

Anyways, hopefully both of us will go through speedy recoveries and I am definitely going to enroll in this prescription club to help with all of our scrip costs! I'm posting this because I know how important saving money (especially on healthcare) is to ANYONE else in a situation similar to ours. May you all have good health and wealth in this new year!

How to Fix Broken Picture Frame Stands

2012-02-01T16:09:00.000-08:00

Grrrr! I hate it when things break! That's why when my 16 month old broke two of the picture frames in his room I was so upset. I love looking at pictures of his cute little chubby-cheeked baby face. Reminds me of when he was first born and SO sweet. Well those days are over - he's now moved on to tearing anything up that he can (a) see, (b) smell, (c) touch, (d) hear, and (e) I hope he's not tasting stuff that's not food. {Yep, that means just about EVERYTHING!!}

Anyhow, the frames wouldn't stand up anymore. I REALLY didn't want to have to get in the car, shell out money I didn't have for new frames, print out new pictures, cut the pictures to size, center them up in the frame, and dispose of the old frames. So much work! So instead I decided to try and find a simpler solution to my broken beauties.

So I pulled out my trusty E-6000 glue {I think this stuff really deserves some sort of award} and decided somehow, some way, I was going to fix these things. I tried Google-ing for solutions to the broken backs of picture frames, but to no avail. :(

I figured trying SOMETHING that wasn't going to work was better than not trying anything at all, so I turned the backs of the frames over and found out what the real problem was. Part of the stand that holds the frame up had partially been torn from the back of the frame. So I used my E-6000 to mend the seam where It had been ripped apart.

Then I turned the frame back over on it's back for the glue to "adhere" and dry overnight. I did this same process with both frames. To my surprise, when I attempted to stand the frames up the next morning, they were totally fixed - like new! YAYYYYY! So There you have it to anyone out there who might have had the same problem I was facing.

Quick, easy, and (relatively) cheap way to fix broken picture frame stands. You can thank me later. ;) Just thought I'd share, hope this comes in handy for someone!

Shared here, here, and here.

"Oh, Mr. Postman!" - Valentine's Day Mailbox Tutorial

2012-01-30T08:24:00.000-08:00

As a kid, I used to love waking up on almost any holiday morning! When my brother and I woke up on holiday mornings, there were usually some sort of cute holiday-themed goodies waiting for us that my parents had set out the night before! Well I want to be one of those types of moms, too. ;) Even though my son probably won't remember this Valentine's Day, I want to start a tradition of making every holiday special for him - so this week I started making a Valentine's Day mailbox for my son to receive all his special Valentine's Day goodies. I'll take you step-by-step through how I made one. Here's what my finished product looks like:

I was became inspired when my son and I were walking through our local Michael's craft store and I saw this cute little red mailbox. He kept reaching out to play with it, so in the cart it went! At only three dollars I figured we couldn't go wrong, even if he just wanted to play with it by opening and closing it (yes, he's at that MECHANICAL stage). I found some rhinestone decals for a dollar each, I bought one for each side of the mailbox. Then I shelled out another whole dollar (whoa, big spender I know!) to get some scrapbook paper and we were on our way home to create our new one-of-a-kind Valentine's Day mailbox.

I started this project with the mailbox, an extra glass candlestick holder I had laying around {probably from one of my various Goodwill sprees}, 2 rhinestone decals, one piece of scrapbook paper, some E-6000 glue, and my trusty Modge Podge.

After I had gathered all of my materials, the first thing I did was spray paint the glass candlestick holder black. While the paint was drying, I stuck my rhinestone decals onto each side of my mailbox.

Once the spray paint was dry, I glued my mailbox down to the candlestick with my E-6000 glue. Now if you haven't tried this stuff - it's addicting! You can glue almost any type of material to any type of surface you'd like. It works on paper, wood, metal, glass, you name it! Then I waited overnight for the glue to dry, although I believe the packaging says you only need to wait 10 minutes.

When browsing the web last week, I noticed Silhouette's free shape of the week. It was going to be a perfect embellishment for my project, so I re-sized the shapes using Silhouette studio to my liking and cut them out using my new Silhouette Cameo.

Once I had my shapes cut out, I Modge Podged (can that be a verb?) them together and waited for them to dry. Then I simply glued them on to my mailbox, and voila! Beautiful, new Valentin'es Day mailbox for my son!

He wants to let everyone know now that he has a mailbox, that he's officially accepting (and hopes Mr. Postman will bring him) Valentines! ;) What kind of Valentine's Day goodies did you create this week? What do you think I should make to go inside of the mailbox for him to open of Valentine's Day morning?

Project was shared here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

"Catch of a Lifetime" Free Valentine's Day Printable

2012-01-24T07:12:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day is quickly approaching! I thought I'd release a free printable in honor of the holiday so that everyone could get in that loving spirit just a little early this year.

We all know the expression, "There are plenty of fish in the sea," right? Well, once you've found that one person you're madly, deeply, passionately in love with and who makes you happy it seems like all the other fish in that sea become obsolete! So here's my new printable for Valentine's Day 2012 to represent that only one special person can truly be the "Catch of a Lifetime." Here's the download link. Enjoy!

Printable shared here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

Basic Image Import and Text Design in Silhouette Studio

2012-01-17T08:04:00.000-08:00

So yesterday I had an overwhelming response to my post Ballard Designs Dog Food Container Knockoff - All for Around $5! Thank you all so much for leaving your wonderful feedback - I love getting comments! So anyhow, some of you were asking how I actually made the design for my dog food tin, so here's a tutorial on how to design and import basic images and text in Silhouette Studio. I'm going to show you exactly how I made the "Dog Food" design from yesterday's post.

First I started by opening up my Silhouette Studio program and opening the image I wanted to use. I started with a puppy paw image which I had made and saved on my computer. You can open an image by going up to FILE and the OPEN and selecting your image from your hard-drive. Then I had my puppy paw image ready to edit.

I used the green arrow at the top of the selected image to rotate my paw to where I'd like it adjusted. I used the corner of the square around the selected image to size the entire image down to where I liked it.

Then I clicked the OPEN THE TRACE WINDOW button in the top right hand corner of my menu and selected a trace area around my pappy paw. After I had my selection made by clicking the SELECT TRACE AREA button, I selected the TRACE AND DETACH feature. By selecting the TRACE AND DETACH feature I eliminated the square border like the picture at the top around the entire puppy paw and allowed each individual section of the puppy paw to be selected at once.

Once I had all the separate parts of my paw detached, I clicked on each section of the paw and filled it with black color by clicking on the OPEN THE FILL COLOR WINDOW button on the top of my menu.

Whew! Okay that was the hard part. Then I simply Clicked on the TEXT button at the left menu of my screen and placed my cursor on the page. I typed "DOG" in all caps.

Then I deselected my "DOG" type and placed another cursor on the page and wrote "food."

Then I selected the "DOG" type, selected Georgia font, and adjusted the font to the size and placement I wanted next to the puppy paw. Then I did the same with the "food" text only I used Freebooter Script. I also used the same fill technique as I had with the puppy paw to make both of the fonts black. (You don't actually have to make the font a color, but since I was using black vinyl it was easier for me to see what the finished product would look like on the screen.)

I was now ready to send my image to the Silhouette (i.e. actually cut the image), so I clicked on the SEND TO SILHOUETTE button at the top of my menu, loaded my vinyl on my cutting mat, skipped printing (because I was cutting on vinyl), skipped the registration mark detection (because I was cutting a blank sheet of vinyl), chose the vinyl settings, and cut my page!

That's how I made my basic design in Silhouette Studio! :)

If you're wondering where I got my vinyl, I got it from here.

They really do have the most reasonable prices, and I love the fact that I don't have to buy it in super huge rolls so I won't be wasting any precious material!

Disclaimer: I did not actually READ the instructional manual. SHHH! Secret. Anywhow, you could possibly learn a lot more and the correct way to do things there. LOL

Tutorial shared here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

Ballard Designs Dog Food Container Knockoff - All for Around $5!

2012-01-16T07:47:00.000-08:00

Today I am so excited to bring everyone a new tutorial that is not only super functional, but I think it looks pretty snazzy as well - a dog food canister! I am so thrilled with the way it came out! Here's the finished product:

You see, I'm a little bit OCD in the house cleanliness department and this mess of a dog food set-up has been bothering me for the longest time! How many of you have this problem? My 16 month old is constantly getting into the bag to "feed the doggie" and lets just say, it's NOT working anymore!

Yikes! Just when I was beginning to think that I would have to let the whole issue go {dogs will be dogs, they're messy, yadda yadda yadda}, I found this picture on Pinterest!

Genius! The whole apparatus even has a lid (at least it'll stall the baby for a few minutes). But me, being the frugal momma that I am, just could not justify spending the $54 dollars they wanted for this beauty. So I guess I'll have to make one myself and put my new Silhouette Cameo I got as a Christmas present to good use. ;)

All you will need for this project is an old popcorn tin, some spray paint, and some vinyl.

I started with the old popcorn tin (which my mom acquired for free through a lady at her work - score!) and popped the top off. The tin was already the color I wanted, so I only had to spray paint the lid. If you have some sort of funky design, though, you may want to spray the entire tin. I used this Rust-oleum Metallic Spray paint.

Then I designed a cute little "Dog Food" design on my Silhouette Studio software and cut it out on some black vinyl using my Silhouette Cameo. I set the blade at 2 and used a speed setting of 8 and a thickness setting of 9.

After my design was cut, I carefully peeled back the excess vinyl off of the paper backing, like so.

It then looked like this:

Once I had all the excess vinyl off, I cut a piece of transfer tape to the same size as my vinyl dsegn and backing paper that was left. I then peeled the backing paper off of the transfer tape and laid it sticky side down onto the top of my cut vinyl and vinyl backing paper.

I like to use the transfer tape because I feel the it helps me place my design onto my tin more accurately and so that it's not totally crooked! See how there are some wrinkles on the transfer tape? If you get some at this point don't worry too much, I'll show you how to smooth it out in the next step.

Then I slowly and carefully started at the corner of the transfer paper and peeled the backing away from the design which is now stuck onto the transfer tape. Then I tried to get my design as straight and smooth onto my tin as possible.

Now I used this cool vinyl scraper/smoother tool and smooth out all of the vinyl on my tin. I scraped over the entire design multiple times. This should get most of the wrinkles out, if you have any.

Then simply peel away the transfer tape and reveal your vinyl on your tin! Then add the lid, ta-da! New, beautiful dog food canister!

So for a simple breakdown of cost: the popcorn tin was free, the spray paint was approximately $3, and $1/each for the vinyl sheet and the transfer tape sheet! $5 ain't bad for this beauty!

If you'd like a detailed tutorial on how to import and edit images and text in Silhouette Studio you can find one here! :)

If you are wondering where I got my vinyl, I purchased from here:

They really do have the most reasonable prices and I love that I don't have to buy it in huge rolls, so I won't be wasting any precious material!

Project was shared here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

4 Free, Simple New Years Resolutions That Everyone Needs to Stick To - Time to Get Motivated!

2012-01-09T08:48:00.000-08:00

Today I'm feeling extremely motivated, therefore I've been thinking about ways to improve my life and all around well-being. Just like my need use use to-do lists, if I just break down my large goals into smaller, more manageable tasks I know I can accomplish anything!!!

So, as the New Year has just passed, as many of you are doing (and heeding my own advice) I'm going to physically write down my goals and planned accomplishments for this year (because i really do get more done this way):

(1) Get off the computer and get something done! I know you've been there, too! By simply reading the news, browsing Facebook, or pouring over my Pinterest boards I find myself engrossed in the wonders and accomplishments of other people. The problem is I often forget about what, I, myself am doing! I feel like I've lost sooo much time over the last few years by just sitting and not DOING. One of my most important goals for this year is to get out and DO, not just WATCH from the sidelines. Nothing in life is accomplished by just sitting idle.

(2) Keep a regular schedule. It is not good for me, my family, or my son for me to make spur of the moment decisions like, "Oooo! I love this lamp, let me go out to Target right now to buy it!" or "I think I'll stay up just an hour longer..." I need to keep my tasks, health, and budget in order this year. The best way to do that for me is going to be to set a schedule and stick to it! (Yes, that includes gym visits, Miranda. -Oops!)

(3) Number one and number two now brings me to number three: GET OFF YOUR BUTT AND GO TO THE GYM! When I was going to the gym regularly, I felt I had more energy, my body didn't ache as much, and I really did notice results. Then there were those few days in there where I actually had appointments I had to go to where my regularly scheduled gym time would usually be and then the whole routine went out the window. No more excuses for me. Like Nike, I'm going to JUST DO IT! I will see results if I stick to it!

(4)Spend less money. My boyfriend says it over, and over, and over, and over, and over again (Jeez, you'd think I'd get it by now!), "Spending less money is like making more money." {light bulb going off!} Well, since he has always spent less AND made more money than me, maybe there's some truth to that. I mean if I make a million dollars a year, but I spend a million dollars a year I'm still going to be broke! I'm deciding once and for all that I'm going to put a stop to my impulse buying and start SAVING more. Budgeting will be key for me this year!

By writing my goals down I now have PROOF that I made these resolutions and I no longer have any excuses not to follow them, and I challenge you to do the same. These resolutions are going to make my life better and I'm all about that! What are some of your New Year's resolutions? How are you going to be improving your life in 2012? These are all serious, but exciting questions we all need to be asking ourselves. May 2012 be a stellar year for all of us by simply sticking to our standards!

Shared this post here, here, here, here, and here.

Why You Can't Ever Get to EVERYTHING In Your Day

2012-01-05T16:40:00.000-08:00

Do you ever feel like that? I do! All. The. Time. Today I was running around, trying to get my son dressed to meet up with my mom for a lunch date, attempting to pack a gym bag, make and clean bottles, get the car running in this wintery cold, and get dressed (myself) ALL at the same time! Ah! Crazy. {and the worst part was I didn't even make it to the gym :( }

Anyhow, in the car on the way to lunch I thought to myself: What can I do that would really help me get more done in my day? I pondered everything from a strictly followed, rigid schedule to possibly even getting a babysitter so that I could get more things done around the house. I mean, a babysitter? Really? Stay at home moms are supposed to have all the free time in the world, right? Or so I once thought..

Then during my son's nap I started browsing my Pinterest boards (yea, really following a strict schedule now - oops) and I came upon something so simple, that we've all been taught since we were just wee tiny ones. Duh! Write down a to-do list! I always think up all the tasks I have to do during the day, but I never end up writing them down. Well I think all that is about to change, because I found these:

Isn't this one of the most adorable to-do lists you've ever seen? I really was one excited ~~mom~~ nerd.

I LOVE this one because it even has a reminder to exercise and drink the daily recommended amount of water. Genius! I never drink enough water. Maybe now I can remember I still need to visit the gym ;).

This dry-erase board is so adorable!

And if you want to take it to extremes, you could even go with this board which includes to-do lists, day planner, calendar, and even a family message center!

These lists/board have everything you could possibly think of to remember to incorporate into your day, week, month, or even your year! They have thought of everything busy moms like me need to get done like laundry, dishes, working out, kids' activities, e-mails and calls, and even drinking the right amount of water! Props to everyone who made these lists. Now if I could just choose ONE to start using, there are so many great ones it's going to be hard! You can find the sources to all of these lists by simply clicking on the picture, or find even more cute to-do lists and organization idea on this Pinterest board.

Happy To-Doing everyone. :)

The Christmas Goodies I Received!

2012-01-02T05:01:00.000-08:00

So I know, I know, Christmas was last week..and today is the start of the new year - Yippee! I have a feeling this year will be very crafty {and wonderful} because I just happened to get some of the greatest Christmas presents ever!!!

First of all, I got this awesome new sewing machine! It's a Brother CS6000i computerized sewing machine and it is the bomb! It has an automatic needle threader, 8 button hole functions, 60 stitches (including decorative ones), and it is really, really easy to understand for a beginner like myself.

(Mmm. K. Side Note: Why did they just put a picture of some random lady on the side of the box? Yea, I don't know either.)

Why is it so great? Well for dummies like me who have never sewn before (except for those two weeks in Home Ec. in sixth grade), it makes sewing so easy. Not kidding! I have only had this machine for a week now and I've already made two pillow covers, several pacifier clips, and an entire large tote bag with pockets. I mean, me, SEWING? Wow, who would've thunk. This machine makes me think I could really start sewing some great stuff! ;) Here are some pics of the projects I've made thus far:

two gray pillow covers

pacifier clips (some for my son, some for baby gifts)

and this awesome tote bag (you can find the tutorial here)

I can honestly say I think I'm doing prettttty well for my first week sewing. :)

Then, I got the granddaddy of all Christmas gifts. Yes, ladies and gentleman, I got a Silhouette Cameo!

This machine is unbelievable. It cuts, draws, and perforates pretty much everything I could ever think of (except cutting felt...oh well). If you haven't had a chance to see one of these machines in action, though, you should really look up some videos on YouTube. Seeing what this little guy is capable of really is believing!

Just a note to beginners with the Cameo: The first few times you use your cutting mat it will be VERY sticky, sticky enough that it may even rip your media after you try and pull it off the cutting mat. I would start with a heavier media like chipboard or fabric and move to the more delicate surfaces like paper until after the cutting mat is a little less sticky. It will get less sticky after the first 5 or so cuts. I had to learn this lesson the hard way!

I ended up having to figure out a way to easily remove stuck on paper from my Cameo from my first use (because my paper was too delicate for the EXTREMELY sticky, new mat). I have, however, found a shortcut to get the unwanted scraps off! Like these:

Can you see those icky little stuck on bits? I simply used a baby wipe, after I had to scrape up almost the entire surface of the mat with my FINGERNAIL {yea that was fun}, and the scraps came right off within 2 seconds! See?

I am so impressed with the amount of projects and possibilities Cameo can produce. Here's my first one. I created a onesie for my son, "Mr. Charming."

(I know the elephant is random, but cutting on the Cameo can become addicting and I only had one onesie on hand! The more the merrier, right? LOL)

This project was suddenly became extremely easy after I acquired the Cameo. Before I would have had to cut all this stuff by hand. Yikes! I simply used some Heat N' Bond to bond the decorative fabrics that were cut from the Silhouette to my onesie, and ta-da! New, beautiful onesie!

These two Christmas gifts were by far my favorite this year! However, there's still more to come. I got gift cards, too! I was pretty lucky this Christmas, and I can't wait to use these machine can drum up in the future. More projects to come, you can be sure!

My onesie project was shared here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

New Year 2012 - Year of the Dragon

2011-12-27T18:38:00.000-08:00

Christmas has now passed and my family and I are eagerly looking forward to the new year! Can you believe that it's less than a week away? Admittedly 2011 was not the best of year for many people, myself included, but no longer will we have to think about that! 2012 is now upon us! Hopefully this next year will be full of prosperity and happiness.

I'm looking forward to leaving all my troubles in the past and embracing the new year and the new opportunities it may bring! So in preparation for the new year I have created a 2012 calendar. According to the Chinese zodiac, 2012 is the year of the dragon. This new year especially means a lot to me because I was born in the year of the dragon {so it has to be great, right?!}. So with that being said, this new annual calendar was designed with a dragon motif in mind.

Wikipedia claims that, "In contrast to European dragons, which are considered evil, Chinese dragons traditionally symbolize potent and auspicious powers, particularly control over water, rainfall, hurricane, and floods. The dragon is also a symbol of power, strength, and good luck. With this, the Emperor of China usually uses the dragon as a symbol of his imperial power."

That has to be a good sign, right?

What do you think of the calendar? Pretty snazzy of you ask me! Lately, I've been pretty much obsessed with gray, yellow, and turquoise (if you couldn't tell from my blog) and I wanted to incorporate these beautiful colors into my new calendar. You can download it here to print or even to use digitally. Please use it and love it! Here's to hoping the new year and the new dragon are successful, peaceful, and cheerful!

Happy New Year everyone!

Project was shared here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

Gourmet Chocolate Spoons Knockoff!

2011-12-21T08:01:00.000-08:00

I've been busy crafting up a storm for Christmas! I am so excited to see the reactions on everyone's face when I give them their personalized gifts! Since some of them might be reading, though, I'll probably have to share those projects after Christmas.

Most of the day yesterday I was shopping for groceries and making chocolate covered spoons to go with some other gifts that I made. I've always seen these spoons in gourmet cafes or little gift shops and thought they looked so cute {and yummy!}, but I had never made them. After I made these spoons,. I wish I had known sooner how easy they really are to make! My head is reeling with possibilities now; birthday favors, weddings, winter get-togethers, coffee time, the list could go on and on!

First, I had to gather all of my ingredients.

Chocolate Chips
Toppings (this could be anything: peppermint, sprinkles, coconut, chopped nuts, etc.)
Shortening
Spoons (most any kind will do!)
Wax Paper
Cookie Sheet

Optional"

Small Plastic Treat Bags
Twist Ties

*Note: I used milk chocolate chips for these spoons. I tried the below recipes with white chocolate chips, and it didn't turn out so hot. There must be some other *secret* recipe for making these with white chocolate. If someone knows the secret to getting the white chocolate right, let me in on it!

Once your ingredients are together, make sure they are in appropriate sized pieces to fit on each spoon. I used candy canes for my peppermint spoons. Well, turns out that candy cane crushing business was a bit more involved than I had anticipated. I actually used a pizza cutter {hey, it's what was on hand} to cut the candy canes into the pieces you see in the bowl above. Those pieces weren't small enough, though. So what does a woman resort to when she's frustrated? That's right, a hammer!

I went out in my garage and laid down an old bath towel. Then I placed the candy canes into a plastic baggie and laid it in between the two sides of the towel and went at it with a hammer! See? Much better. :)

I started by melting 2 teaspoons of shortening and 1/2 cup chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl until it was nice and runny, but didn't wait too long for fear that the chocolate would burn = not fun! This much chocolate should yield at least a dozen spoons.

Then I dipped each spoons in the chocolate mixture and waited until all of the excess chocolate dripped off.

Once I got rid of the excess, I laid each spoon down onto my cookie sheet covered with wax paper.

When the chocolate was not yet "dry," I sprinkled my toppings over all of my chocolate covered spoons.

Then I got impatient. [Me, impatient? Never!...Yea. Right.] So instead of waiting 20 minutes or so for the spoons to dry, I placed some of mine in the freezer. It's your choice on how you decide yours should dry, either way works.

Once I made sure that each spoon was totally dry and hardened, I used small plastic treat bags and twist ties to cover each spoon.

Don't they look lovely? I hope my family enjoys stirring their hot cocoa with them this Christmas!

Project was shared here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

Oh, Deer! Reindeer Inspiration is Prancing in My Head

2011-12-18T11:35:00.000-08:00

I am so in the Christmas spirit today! I just feel it everywhere. There's snow on the ground, today we're going to go shopping for some last minute Christmas toys for little man, and I'm putting the finishing touches on all of my handmade gifts and Christmas home decor!

Anyways I was surfing the net and found these pillows! I WANT THEM SO BAD!! I'll have to make something like this next year. Aren't they aewsome?! You can find them over in SewEnglish's Etsy shop.

In the process of decorating my house, I just can't get enough Christmas printables either! So getting inspiration from the above ~~pillows~~ masterpieces, I decided to make {yet another} Christmas printable for my home. I really love this one because it's a little more funky, little more modern, a little more ME!

'Oh, DEER Printable'

Ocean Breeze

Charcoal

Celery

Brunette

Bubblegum

I mean, you CAN'T have a Christmas with kids without Rudolph! I created five color choices {really because I couldn't make up my mind about which color I loved more}! You can find the download link here. Hope you loooove them as much as I do! What's your favorite 'Oh, Deer' color?

Shared here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

One Stellar Thrift Store Find and Christmas For Myself!

2011-12-16T06:19:00.000-08:00

This week has flown by!

My son made his first attempt at decorating a cake at 15 months old.

Ok, so admittedly he was only into it for about 2 seconds, then he decided that banging everything with his plastic toddler bat was more fun - I tried.

Yesterday I went on a little shopping trip to Goodwill and Michael's, secretly {well not anymore} two of my favorite places. First, I stopped at Goodwill. Look at this beauty!

For two dollars I knew it was coming home with me! Look at the detail in this piece! I kind of get a patriotic/porthole/navy/nautical feel from this, I'm thinking inspiration for little man's big boy room? When the time is right that is..

That's a pretty manly eagle right there if you ask me.

Not sure what color I want to paint it yet, but the details are screaming, "Glaze me! Glaze me!" What do you think?

Then it was on to Michael's. Now I try not to buy everything in the store when I go in there, and I was doing really well until a saw a 50% off sale on this little dandy.

A rotating, organizational crafters' carousel - I broke down and bought it, but for only $20 bucks I walked away feeling like I stole it. Look how much storage it has AND it rotates! :)

Looks like after the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season is over, it's gonna be ~~very~~ extremely crafty around here!

The Lost Thanksgiving Printable Set

2011-12-14T15:23:00.000-08:00

I've been so busy with Christmas decorating lately that I just realized I still haven't taken down my decor from THANKSGIVING in the dining room! In the process, I re-found this set of printables I made for the holiday:

Thought I'd share them with everyone! You can download here. Hope you enjoy.

Just another reminder that it doesn't have to be a holiday to be a good time to give thanks!

Much love,

Holiday Wishes From My Family To Yours

2011-12-12T12:57:00.000-08:00

So, since the Christmas photo shoot for little man went awry, I've decided that I will be using photos of my own to send out this holiday season. I'm low on funds after all of the great Christmas gifts I bought my family, so I think I'll be sending this one out by e-mail rather than via standard postal mail. I ended up editing his photo a little here and there (mostly background, because there was a pole sticking out of his head), and this is what I came up with to send out for Christmas this year!

I love it! Again, I used Picnik for most of my editing, but I think it came out really nicely for something I chopped myself out of! LOL

Happy Holidays from my family to yours!

Easy Yarn Wreath Tutorial

2011-12-11T14:54:00.000-08:00

Today I'm going to show your how I made all the beautiful yarn wreaths I featured in my post, How to Do Christmas for Little or No Money - Gifts Made With Heart! The best part about the whole project is that's it's truly very simple. This project also doesn't require any special equipment or skills so it's perfect for beginning crafters!

First you will need these materials:

Wreath Form (I prefer straw wreaths wrapped in cellophane, but foam works too!)
Yarn
Glue Gun
Glue Sticks
Straight Pins (optional)
Felt Flowers or Other Embellishments of Your Choice (optional)

Note: Please disregard the fact that there are multiple wreaths and different colors in this tutorial, as I was making several at a time when I took these pictures!

Once you have gathered all your materials, it's time to start making your yarn wreath! If you are using a wreath wrapped in cellophane, I wouldn't take the wrapping off because the straw will poke through your yarn and the texture of the finished product won't be the same. I start by tying a knot with the beginning amount of yarn around my wreath form, as shown below. You can also pin or glue the start of your yarn onto your wreath form, it's your choice.

The next step is to start wrapping the yarn as closely together as possible around the entire form of your wreath. Now this step will seem as if it takes FOREVER. Don't worry, the wrapping will eventually end! If you have a multi-colored yarn or a thinner yarn, it is much more important to try and get each new wrap as tightly and closely together as possible. If they are not close, you will end up with holes showing through to your form at the end of your project. If this is your first wreath {or you simply don't want the wrapping to be too tedious}, I would suggest a heavier, thicker, and possibly textured yarn to start, as imperfections are more easily hidden behind the thicker strands.

After you have wrapped your entire form, secure the yarn the same way you began. If you began the wreath with a knot, end it with a knot, and so on. *Before you complete this step, make sure that you have thoroughly covered the entire form to your liking, most likely with no holes in between yarn strands.* Once you have secured the end of your yarn, cut off any extra yarn and tuck the loose ends from the knot, pin, or glue under your tightly wrapped yarn strands.

You have now completed your actual yarn wreath!

Next, you will want to gather any sort of embellishment you have chosen to your wreath. I like felt flowers, so that's what I have chosen to add to my wreath. You can glue them with a hot glue gun, or pin them onto your wreath form using straight pins. Continue until you like what you've made!

You can check out my Pinterest to see how I made the felt flowers!

Tip: I usually add embellishments by placing them on my wreath and then pinning them there with straight pins until I'm sure I like the placement of everything on my wreath.

Congratulations! You've now made a gorgeous yarn wreath!

Once you've perfected your yarn wreaths, start adding new yarn textures, multi-colored yarn, new colors, and embellishments you might not have ever thought of {such as buttons, flowers, balloons, twine, lace, and rhinestones} - Go wild! I'd love to see what you end up with!

Pin It

Tutorial shared here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

How to Do Christmas for Little or No Money - Gifts Made With Heart

2011-12-09T20:29:00.000-08:00

I wasn't always a stay at home mom. This year I lost my job at a national Fortune 500 company. I had hoped that this large company would lead me toward a career and a better life for my family, yet at every turn in my career I felt corruption and mismanagement. For a long time after I lost my job I was confused, hurt, sad, and in despair about what to do with my life and in the future.

The only thing I did know for sure was that I never wanted to become a failure, I had to be strong for my son, for my family. So I started turning all my negative thoughts into positive goals. Like, "How am I going to support myself?," into "I have tangible skills and abilities, if others aren't able to or don't see the value in ME, I'll make value in myself. I will DO for myself." Those kind of thoughts led me to where I am today: a happier, more positive woman and mother.

Many, like me, have had to make adjustments in their lifestyle in the past few years. People are now turning to crafting, renovation, and upcycling to make old things new again or to make something new out of raw materials. Being low on funds this holiday season, I decided to opt for making something wonderful that my family would know was made out of love. My hope is that every time they see one of these handmade gifts they think of me and the sentiment I felt when making their personal gift. Sure, I could have gone out and bought the latest, trendiest gift of 2011 {that they'll probably forget that they even have when Christmas 2012 rolls around}, but knowing that my family will see that I took the time to craft something with my own hands - to dream up and build something just for them - I hope they will find to be priceless.

My challenge this year was to essentially make something out of nothing, and I've applied the same sentiment to my holiday gift giving.

So out of nothing, I made these:

With just yarn, felt, ribbon, chip board, and some hot glue I made these beauties!

It's really amazing how "something" can come from "nothing."

My son calls one of his grandmas "mam-ma."

Oh, how I love them all! I'm sure like any other crafter, I consider each project my "baby" that I can't quite justify giving away (but will anyway as Christmas gifts). My heart and soul has really gone into these beautiful 18" yarn wreaths complete with hand-crafted felt flowers, ribbon for embellishment, and glittering chip board letters. Just a year ago I would never have believed that I could make things this beautiful or this intricate with my own hands! [As you can tell I haven't quite finished all of them yet.]

Projects like these have helped me to renew the passion in my life. Because, after all, that's what we're supposed to be living for, right?

I think I might start this as a new tradition, making handmade {from the heart} gifts instead of GUESSING what old Great Aunt Margaret might want or could possibly need. What kind of handmade or homemade things are you creating this year for the holidays? Did you make something for your home? Did you make something to give as a present as I did? I'd love to get some ideas for next year!

I guess the moral of the story is: You don't have to be rich, or powerful, or genius to be happy or to make others happy. It's the things that come from the heart that really count.

This holiday I'm counting my blessings, and I hope you will too!

Project was shared here and here.

Some Christmas Tree Magic

2011-12-09T08:02:00.000-08:00

I finally got my tree up! Over the course of this past week I've been bogged down with all sorts of Christmas activities from crafting homemade gifts to decorating the tree to wrapping presents. Don't you love this time of year? So exciting and so busy all the the same time, there's hardly ever any boredom around the Christmas season!

Here's what the tree looks like:

I don't feel like it's too shabby. The fireplace makes our tree look tiny - it really is 7 feet. This picture was taken before I got some of the finishing touches on it.

Later I added these:

And it ended up looking like this:

I know it's kind of hard to compare a night photo a to day picture, but I added tons of sparkly green, gold, and brown branches. I love them. I feel like you can't really have a "professionally decorated tree" {I say that in quotations because in no way am I a professional} without these branches, or ribbon, or feathers, or some type or adornment other than just lights and ornaments.

So have you put your tree up yet? Does it have a theme? I wanna see pictures people! Let me know what you've done with your trees this year and I'd love some feedback on mine!

Free Winter Wonderland Christmas Cupcake Toppers

2011-12-07T14:14:00.000-08:00

The holiday season is now in full swing!

I know many of you will be hosting Christmas parties in the next few weeks here, so I've decided to share some cupcake toppers that I've made - for FREE! These toppers can also double as gift tags or embellishments if you wish, too. Kinda like getting a two-for-one! OR You could use some as cupcake toppers and print a second sheet as favor/gift tags. Let your imagination run wild!

If you are downloading this, please like Oh, Boy. Oh, Joy! on Facebook. Thanks!

Simply like download here and print out on cardstock or heavy weight paper,

cut out with tool of your choice, and

for cupcake toppers: glue top 1/3 of toothpick to back of cut circles

for gift tags: punch hole in outer layer of cut circles and add twine, string, or ribbon to attach to {well just about ANYTHING}

If you use these this holiday, I would love to see pictures!

Pin It

This post was shared here, here, here, here, and here.

Zucchini Night! - 2 Healthy and Delicious Ways to Incorporate Squash

2011-12-06T08:13:00.000-08:00

Let me start off by saying I love zucchini. I could eat it in almost any form, but for those of you who aren't so fond of it I'll share some great recipes that might make you change your mind.

The first comes from Gina at Skinnytaste.com. {If you haven't checked her page out she has TONS of mouth-watering/health conscious recipes and tips.} She also allows provides Weight Watchers numbers for each recipe, so if you're watching your figure this is the lady to go to. Last night I made her Cream of Zucchini Soup and my taste buds are still craving more.

Here's how you make it:

Chop up all vegetables. (I prefer to do all the chopping first)

Combine 1/2 small onion chopped, 2 cloves of garlic, 3 small zucchini (I like mine quartered), and 32 oz. of chicken stock in a large pot and set to medium heat.

Gradually bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes.

Then add 2 tablespoons of reduced fat sour cream (I used fat free) to your mixture and pour in a blender. Puree until smooth. Then add salt and pepper to taste.

And voila! A perfect delicious winter warm up, and healthy too!

The second recipe is partly my own. I love to cook chicken breast for my family. It's lean, it's inexpensive, and there are so many ways to cook it. I prefer to cook my chicken in a pan.

I add 1-2 tsp of olive oil. Add my chicken breasts and lightly sprinkle each side with dry mustard, garlic salt, oregano, basil, and parsley and cook chicken until done. [To me the dry mustard really makes the chicken flavor pop, but if you prefer you can leave it out.]

This is the part of the recipe that's NOT mine. I love this quick and simple marinara, again from skinnytaste.com. I followed her recipe exactly.

Next, I ladled the marinara on top of my chicken breasts and added chopped zucchini. Check this dish out!

I think it would also be divine with some freshly grated mozzarella on top!

This entire meal for 2 (and a half), the soup and the zucchini dish, only cost me $7! Who says you can't eat healthy on the cheap?

Photo Shoot Style for Little Man

2011-12-05T07:39:00.000-08:00

So I had my son's holiday photos taken at a studio on Wednesday. They were not at all what I had in mind. I've had his pictures taken at this studio 5 or 6 times since he's been born and have always been extremely happy, except for this time. It's the holiday season, they were training new staff, the place was a zoo, we were feeling rushed, and on top of that I got the newest photographer. Great. So needless to say the pictures didn't come out to either mine nor my mother's liking. :(

Here's one of them that I actually like.

Although, somewhat reminiscent of ones we've had taken before, like these:

Anyhow, we might go back and have them redone. {Hopefully} We still have to talk to the manager of the studio again before that can happen. But again, I've been browsing the net for inspiration to style my little one and here are some great options that I've found, many of them you can make yourself and personalize [which has to be one of the greatest parts]!

This look, which I found at Green Wedding Shoes, was originally intended for a ring bearer. How could anyone resist this classic 30's look complete with suspenders, bow tie, and saddle shoes? ADORABLE. I love the idea of just black and white for the Christmas photos, too, because I felt it would be a classic look I would always love.

Although not a bow tie, lucky for me (and now you) I found a great free tutorial on how to make a tie for your own little guy. Ashley at Lil Blue Boo did a great job with this free PDF downloadable pattern!

This free pattern for toddler suspenders from Courtenay at Days Like This would make the whole look complete.

If you don't have time for making several different pieces, this tie and vest onesie from Rock n Rags' Etsy shop would be perfect.

Unfortunately for me, my little one won't wear a hat (at least most of the time). But if he would, something like this look{only not as summery} would be an awesome casual laid back look! This one is compliments of The Gap.

Oh, how I wished I owned all of these outfits for him, but then again making them for him would be so much fun! Maybe I'll have time to whip something up before the next scheduled shoot. ;) Fingers crossed!

It Can Officially Be Winter Now!

2011-12-04T05:27:00.000-08:00

I'm enjoying my first cup of hot chocolate for the year {also in a mug I got at the after-Christmas clearance from Pier 1 last year;)} to warm my frigid hands. Have a feeling this winter's going to be extremely cold, we already got about 6 inches of snow here on Tuesday.

Also, if you haven't checked out Better Homes and Garden's version of Yankee candle [available at Walmart] they're not to shabby either. Here I've lit one of their new holiday scents Spiced Apple Wreath, and I'm not even a bit disappointed.

Pier 1 Imports Holiday 2011

2011-12-03T12:26:00.000-08:00

I have to admit, Pier 1 Imports is one of my favorite stores. I swoon over almost everything in there. I just have one tiny problem when attempting to purchase from there - I wouldn't know where to put all of it!

My other problem when it comes to Pier 1? I want all the BIG expensive stuff. Like the custom upholstered chairs, or the extremely large and tall entryway mirrors. There's always so many things that catch my eye when I'm in there, I can't even pick one thing to take home for fear that I should've gotten some other great thing later. Sad, and curiously puzzling, but that's just me.

Another thing, Christmas time at Pier 1 is my favorite. Everything seems to just have the *bling* factor that other times of the year don't seem to attract as much. So I stopped into one of my local Pier 1 stores today to check out their holiday merchandise.

Here are some things I found that I think are just peachy:

Beaded Reindeer Pillow

Alpine Sparkle Dining Set

Um, hello. Look at that silverware!

How cute is this "Santa Stop Here" Lighted Sign?

My son would definitely be amazed by this one.

I want this Purple Damask Dining Chair, mostly just for the back.

I love the bling on this Velvet Snowflake Pillow.

This Christmas spatulas bring new meaning to whipping up some Christmas cheer.

These mercury glass candle stands would make staying warm

on cold winters nights look so elegant.

Yep! You can tell that nothing with bright lights or shiny accents is getting past me! I went in hoping to spend the gift card from LAST CHRISTMAS that I've been saving for that "perfect" purchase, but again walked away with nothing because I couldn't make up my mind. Shhh! Don't tell my boyfriend I still have credit left on it or else I might not get another one this year. ;)

Or better yet, I might just wait until the after Christmas clearance to snatch some of these things up. Because yes, I am that frugal.

My Photo Editing Secret - And It's Free!

2011-12-02T09:53:00.000-08:00

I love taking pictures of my little boy. I love taking pictures of my family. These are moments to treasure and the great thing about photos is they'll be around forever {or at least as long as you're around!}, so it's very important to me that I get quality photos of my family at each of our different life stages. My little boy will only be little once!

Here are some pictures I took of my little one just over a month ago.

Being a TOTALLY amateur photographer myself, I was pretty impressed with the way my little fall photo shoot came out. However, I have a dirty little secret. It's ALL editing. As I'm sure every professional photographer will tell you, editing is the key to a successful and B-E-A-utiful picture. I'm sure many of you could capture wonderful images through your wonderful cameras alone, but unfortunately I don't have a fancy schmancy camera or a fancy photoshop program. I simply used my three year old little dinky point and shoot for these. Yep, that little crappy thing made these awesome images!

Don't believe me? Here are some of the raw originals. Eeek!

Not too bad, but the edited ones *pop* so much more!

Luckily, it's your lucky day! LOL I'm going to share my suppppeeeer inexpensive editing secret with you. It's called Picnik and I think I'm in love with it. Picnik.com is a free photo editing software online, however many of it's features are not available if you do not pay the yearly fee to access all of it's content. So me, being the frugal one that I am, broke down and paid the $24.95 a year to join. But let me tell you it's been one of the best investments I've ever made!

It doubles as an awesome graphic design aid. I was even able to make my son's first birthday party invitations and decorations with it.

here's a sample of his invitations (he LOVES Super Why!)

and water bottle labels

and cupcake toppers

They ended up looking like this:

I mean you can make soooo much stuff very easily with Picnik!

So now that I've shared my editing secret with you, hopefully now you can go out and make some great stuff of your own with it. Later, I'll show you how I actually edit each photo and my favorite actions in Picnik. Happy editing!