My Simple Obsession

WE HAVE MOVED!!!!

2018-09-27T15:37:00.003-07:00

HEY GUYS!!!

Long time no see!! For new post make sure you follow our new blog over at

www.genuinelittles.com

There you will find our blog as well as some sweet stuff to shop for! Hope to see you all there!

Check out where I link up at!

Rustic "String Yarn" Sign

2015-01-13T14:42:00.001-08:00

*BUY THIS SIGN*

Hey guys! How is the new year treating all of you lovely people? Things have been crazy here. "Then Man" Is getting a new job so we might be moving up to Seattle. We are also looking for a new vehicle for him because a drunk driver totaled his in front of our house a few days before Christmas. Insurance is taking…. f o r E V E R…..

.anywho.

Today I want to share with you all my Rustic Yarn sign I made. You can follow along on how I made this. If looking to buy one if you're not that crafty, I do sell them in my store. Below is a link to the shop.

*BUY THIS SIGN*

The List

1 8' molding of your liking. (Home Depot)
1 Large Slat board from The Wood Connection
1 Roll or bundle of Yarn. (JoAnns)
3 boxes of Brass "Gold" Screws (Home Depot)
4 Small Flat corner Braces
2 2" Plate mending Plates (Home Depot)
Paint
Wood glue
Sanding tool
Stain
Brushes
Cardstock

Below is your board from the Wood Connection. You will want to paint that first so that it can dry before you add your wash over it to get the primitive look. You can paint your's any color. I wanted my letters to pop out because I used a pale yarn color so I did White.

Once the paint is dry take some brown and a little bit of black and thin the base out with water. You want it really runny. Apply in the cracks and edges. Then take a towel while still wet and wipe in the middle of each slat like the picture below the "LOVE" template.

*BUY THIS SIGN*

Below is a frame "The Man" made out of molding. We made sure the molding was the same thickness as the slat board. It either had to be thicker or the same thickness. If you have a skinny molding piece your board will stick out. Measure and make the cuts needed to fit around the sign. A great tutorial that I have found for this can be viewed here.

Once the Frame is made you will want to stain it. I used 3 different stains and white acrylic paint wash.

*BUY THIS SIGN*

Once the frame was dry we attached the corner braces. CORNERS ONLY AT THIS TIME!

Below is a template I made in Illustrator for the word I was going to put on my sign. I cut it out on card stock using my Cameo, however, you can use scissors if you don't have a fancy cutting machine. :)

Once its cut you can tape it to your board and take a pencil or pen and mark along the edge about every 1/2 inch. I gave a rough guess doing this. I just made a small circle with a pen.

*** DO NOT TRACE ALL THE WAY AROUND ***

A tracing line will show.

Once your dots are done you can pull the template and get a drill. You want to pre-drill your holes since we are screwing in screws. You don't want any split wood cracks.

*BUY THIS SIGN*

Once your holes are drilled you can start screwing in your screws. Make sure to not screw through the wood. I put a scrap piece under my board just incase because I was working on my dinning room table. :) Once the screws are done and level with each screw, you can start wrapping your yarn.

What's great about yarn is you don't need to attach it to the screws. You just wrap a few times and it stays. There is no wrong way to wrap your yarn. I just wrapped opposite from the screw I was on and did whatever was necessary to fill in around corners. :) I also bought a pretty thick wool yarn and that helped.

*BUY THIS SIGN*

Once the stringing is done you can attach the frame using the mending braces. Refer back to the back of the frame picture above. *BUY THIS SIGN*

*BUY THIS SIGN*

Hope you loved this little tutorial. It was so much fun making this and i'm so in love with how it turned out.

Until next time, keep creating, living, and obsessing.

Check out where I link up at!

Vintage Chanel Bridal Shower

2014-06-20T09:26:00.000-07:00

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Hey guys!! Have you missed me? Today I'm sharing the bridal shower I put together for one of my best friends! She is already married and her wedding was fabulously gorgeous.

Below is the invitation I sent out to all the ladies. Since I'm in the graphic design business, I made them. They are 5x7 chalkboards that I stained. I sanded the chalkboard part to give it a used look and made a custom vinyl invite for the inner part. It turned out fab! They were mailed in white invitation boxes. These will be available in my shop hopefully by the end of summer for my wedding collection.

A few weeks before the shower I took photos of the lovely couple to display at her shower. They turned out amazing. We hung them around with twine and little wooden clothesline clips with doilies in between.

Almost every detail was custom made by myself or a tom of help from my parents. More on that down the post. :)

With the help of my mom and dad we put together these hat boxes the night before. Crazy! I know.. I have time management issues. Haha. I painted the base white and used a antique spray to make them look vintage. My dad and mom helped cut and put the paper on the lids and I mod podged them.

Inside the favor hat boxes:

1.) scarf

2.) small whimsical vintage frame

3. China tea cup and plate turned into a candle. (My dad made them)- I know, he's amazing. And if you all knew him you would be shocked he did that. Let's just say he's stone cold Steve Austin meets your average hunter/fisherman.

4.) chanel perfume. (You can buy samples on ebay!)

5.) nail polish with a file tied with twine.

There might of been something else, but I can't remember. Haha.

The food table was all done by the brides mom. And it was all amazing. I gathered fine china plates in various sizes and my mom had ordered the hardware to have my dad put together the china stands. I just love them. The bride even used them for her wedding. I kept a few. The hardware was $5 I think on ebay and you get 5 sets. That was one of the many cheap projects. I also found with the help of my moms amazing good eye sliver players at a thrift store.

The games table!! I found a lot of my game ideas on Pinterest and you guys can check out my board here.

A few of the games we played were:
-Who Am I?
-The Price is Right
-What's in my Purse?
-How well do you know the bride?

All the printables for the shower were designed by me. (Soon to be added to the shop).

The alcoholic beverage of choice. It's called the dreamer.

.Pink lemonade.

.Whipped volka.

.Whip cream on top.

Table settings were simple and fab. A lot of vintage flare mixed with romance.

The Chanel logos were made out of gold vinyl that I designed in illustrator and cut out with my Cameo. These will be available for free if any one wishes to use them. Please send me a message and I will send you the file. :)

The cake/cupcakes was beyond amazing. The brides mom picked out the piece that make this wedding dress the icing on the cupcake! ;)

Well there you have it. Please ask any questions you may have. Keep creating, living, and obsessing.

Check out where I link up at!

Play Bakery

2014-04-18T07:00:00.000-07:00

Hey guys! Today I'm going to show you my final entry for blog wars. I also have the 3rd round coming up too, however, that is a tutorial so I will be posting that in the near future. For the final round I really wanted to give all I could in the short amount of time that I had to give it. ;) We found this entertainment center on craigslist for $30. It was in such great shape! I knew I wanted to turn it into something great for AB. So I turned it into a play bakery complete with pretend cake pops, pretend cookies, and pretend sprinkles.

Below is the before and after picture.

As you can see below the bakery lights up! :) It was hard to get a good picture of it in the daylight outside so we did have this shot of it before it was finished so you guys could get an idea of how it looks all lit. :) I just love it!

I made the cookies from wood circle cuts from Michael's. I bought a small and a large size disc. I painted them and then hot glued them together. and of course, cookies would not be complete in a bakery with out the cookie bags. I picked up the bags and the embellishments as well at Michael's. The cake pops where also wood pieces I found at Michael's. I already had the lolli pop sticks from making real cake pops so I used the left overs for this craft! Aren't they so fun? I just love the stand with the glitter tape from American Crafts.

The sprinkles are made out of tiny beads that I bought at Michael's. I put them in clear salt and pepper shakers from the dollar tree. (To make sure they didn't spill out, on the inside of the lids I put clear tape.)

The menu chalkboard was made from one of those laser cut wood frames from Michael's. I stained the frame using a light gray color. Then, I took the bottom part of the drawer from the entertainment center and used it as the backing for the chalkboard. Then cut out in vinyl the Menu design I designed in illustrator.

"The Man" made the shelves from spice rack molding and a small sheet of wood we had in the garage.

Most of all the accessories for the bakery were found at the dollar tree, (Glasses and baking sheets).

The sign was found at Michael's and I just painted it white and added the details on the side and cut the bakery out of vinyl with my cameo.

There is still a few things I would like to add to it to make it 100% complete. I plan on putting a mirror behind the shelving in the door part. And I also want to add a back part with some cute bakery styling in the main play part of it. We originally thought it would be fun to play behind it like taking orders and stuff, but "The Man" pointed out, "Who is going to put that huge thing out in the middle of a room so kids can play behind it?" haha. He's right! (Don't tell him that) ;) So I will have to come up with something for the inner back part and something on the other side. :) I'm open to ideas!!!

Until next time, keep creating, living, and obsessing!

Check out where I link up at!

It's been TOO long...

2014-04-14T08:30:00.000-07:00

It's been too long people!! I have been so busy since I have last posted on here. I'm not sure you all knew, but during blog wars I was pregnant! And it was an extremely rough pregnancy (more on that later).

.Anywho.

I had a beautiful baby girl! On October 21, 2013 we welcomed Emelia Rose into our family!

We were so indecisive on picking a name. ( In other words, "The man" and I could not agree on any!) No one knew her name until she was born so we announced her arrival with the picture to the left. :) It was a cute way to announce it especially because I didn't do anything fun for when we told people we were expecting number 2! I made the custom sticker to put on her. She is now 5 months old and my world! AB just loves her little sister. She even asked me yesterday is we could figure out a way to get another one in my tummy. haha. ( 4year olds.) What else?….. I have been working like crazy. I am very thankful for how successful my home business has become. I was extremely busy around the holidays selling about 130 Grandkids signs. It was CRAY-ZAY! "The man" helped so much! And I have been also busy with new invitations and all the other fun party designs. I did a lot of crafting and designing for my BFF's wedding. Ashley just got married on 3/22/14. It was a gorgeous vintage/rustic wedding. And AB also just had her 4th birthday (Sofia the First themed) During my time away I have taken tons of photos of potential posts for the blog. It was always a, "Hey! That would be great for the blog!" So I will be able to have some old content but new for you guys. :) We are currently working on so many projects around the house that I'm going to have to focus on one to finish something so I don't have so many uncompleted projects and rooms, one of them being Emelia's room. :) I'm hoping to start that next week.

The Seahawks won the Super Bowl!!! That made "The Man" so happy. Since he's from Washington and we live in Washington, They are his team. I will say they are mine by default. :) Although I do love college football and since I'm from Idaho and went to BSU, they are and forever will be, my team.

That's really all the major things that have happened. Work and two beautiful girls have kept me very busy. :) I have already been writing some posts on the last two entries of blog wars from 2013. :) I still to this day can't believe I won! :) I'm so grateful for everyone that voted! So you will be seeing those here shortly. But…

Until next time keep Creating, Living, and Obsessing!

Check out where I link up at!

Pottery Barn Knockoff Tile Board

2013-06-13T22:15:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone!

Guys!!!! It's been SOOOOooo crazy lately! The contest has kept me Obber busy on top of work and I haven't managed to put together my project posts as Blog wars was going! I'm so thrilled that I made it through the first round and I am able to present my entry for round 2 of Blog wars!

This round in blog wars we had to use some fabulous fabric that Riley Blake Designs sent us and I decided to do a organization board for our family command center. Our house is in need of one since we are growing and have more and more appointments and notices that need to be left in plain site. I'm in love with the one from Pottery Barn that you can find here. But no way would I ever pay $500 dollars or even close to that for a command center that I could make myself. So I did! and for a Fraction of that price!! :)

The List

Your going to need 9 tile boards I made 2 of mine and the rest you can get at (JoAnn's, Michael's, Or any other craft store that may carry them)

4 Cork Tile boards
Calendar Tile board
Chalk tile board
White Dry Erase Tile board
2 Wood boards cut to size
Fabric
Buttons
Thumb tacks
Mini Clothes Pins
Magnetic adhesive Buttons (Walmart)
Natural polished Hemp Twine
10 Eyelet Screws
2 8ft Natural Wood Molding
4x4ft plywood sheet
corner braces
Hot glue
Liquid Nail Glue
Brads Nail gun or a finish nail gun (We used Brads)
Paint
Screws

The first thing I did was make a "Pin it" (Pinterest) cork tile! One of my favorites of the whole board. I enjoy puns! ;) I designed the template in Illustrator and then saved it as an SVG. file to cut out with my Silhouette Cameo. I pined it to the board and then traced it with a gelled white pen. My paint color was a light color so I wanted it to disappear. It took 2 coats to get a solid finish because the cork sucks up the paint. But I love it!! :) I then took the other 3 tile boards and covered them with fabric. I used the Grey color that Riley Blake had sent me for Blog Wars and the other was just some that I had left over.

I then cut strips of the other fabric that Riley blake sent and some that I had and made Rosette flowers out of them. You can find a great tutorial for that here. ( I used hot glue to make the rosettes ) I then took some thumb tacks and Magnetic buttons and hot glued them to my rosettes to make Thumb tacks and magnets out of them. I also use the buttons that came in the Riley blake package and some others that I had in my studio and made thumb tacks and magnets out of those.

I took some of the fabric that was given to me and some that I had and made a fabric banner using one of the cute ribbons sent by Riley Blake. LOVE THOSE CARS!! :) This was simply for decor. I love to spruce up simple things.

If you don't have 2 wood boards you can skip this step! You will want to cut two boards to measure the length of your store bought boards. Paint them however you want! thats the fun part! :) You can see I went for a whimsical rustic look. If you want to know how I did my painting technique, leave a comment and I will respond! :)

Next is the frame around the boards! You will want to lay all your boards out and measure from top to bottom on vertical and horizontal sides. this will be the inner part of your frame! I had my handy man (The Man) do all the dirty work for me since I'm pregnant. But here is a fabulous tutorial of how to build a frame from molding. and beside is a picture of my doodle I laid out for "The man" to follow. Hopefully you understand what I was trying to tell him. and it should make your frame building and measuring easier. :) Once your frame is built you will want to paint it or stain it to your liking and then you will take your screws and screw in your plywood backing to your frame. This will create your layout to hot glue your tiles to. Before you hot glue make sure you have your layout all figured out. where you want to place the tiles and what not. Then apply a large dot of hot glue in each corner of your tile boards and stick in place. Start in the corners, then the middle sides, and finally the very middle board. I can't tell you enough to make sure you measure and double measure. if something is wrong or off then your tiles won't fit in your frame! So double check the double checking. :)

The very last step is to measure out the placement of your eyelet screws for your wood tiles. If you did not use wood tiles you can skip this and enjoy the final pictures! ;) For those of you that did, You will want to screw them in according to the spacing you see fit. I did 3 clothes lines on my top tile board and 2 on my bottom. However you can do as much or less as you like. Once your screws are in, take your twine and tie a knot and pull tight and tie a knot on the other side. Cut away the extra twine and then you can repeat for all the lines you wish to create. Then just add your mini clothes pins.

There you have it! Now you can decorate your board with all the tacks and magnets you have created and add pictures to your clothes lines and such. :) If you have any questions regarding this tutorial or project please send me a message, email, or comment below!

Until Next time.. Keep creating, living, and obsessing!

Check out the parties we link to!

DIY Super Hero Costume

2013-05-21T19:20:00.002-07:00

Hey Everyone!

Round one results came in and I made into round two! I want to thank everyone who voted, even if you didn't happen to vote for mine, I'm so thankful for your votes for the other tough competitors! For a look at the results you can hit up this link here! I know I don't post pictures of my daughter on my blog, but I kind of had to take a picture of the costume I made with her in it so you guys could see it from head to toe! The Mask is by far my favorite part! I fell in love with those pink eyelashes! On to the project! :)

The List

2 yards of fabric, or 1 yard of one color and another yard of another.

Duct tape

Eyelets

Glitter Iron-on Heat transfer

Glitter Foam sheets ( 1 black, 1 pink, and 1 purple)

1 Spool of Black Rope

1 Spool of Sliver ribbon

1 Pair of knee high socks

Ribbon trim for mask

Hot glue

Iron

Hole punch

Sewing pins and Machine

5/8in Heat n Bond (ultrahold) roll

This tutorial is a bit different then my others. I will be linking to one other blog for a tutorial on the boots. :) I only changed one thing on that and it was not including the top flap. So for Step One on making the boots Please follow the link here. **(Tip) Make sure you tape up the boot while your little one is standing. Not while sitting. It could misshape the boot and they won't be able to stand on their own when not being worn.**

Step Two :

Making the Cape….. used the following picture to help me make my pattern for the cape. The top is a bit different because you want to cut straight across so you can use your heat bond room to fold the fabric over. You can sew it if you like, I just didn't want the stitching to show, so this was my solution. Use the pattern for both yards of fabric. Then place them so the fronts of both fabrics are facing each other and pin all sides to sew. Sew all sides except the top neck part. Once all sides are sewn, pull it inside out to make it the right side out. :) Then sew the neck line. Once all the sewing is done you can add your Heat bond to the neck line. I placed mine about 3 1/2 inches down. Fold the neck line to create a loop. Make sure there is enough of a loop for your rope. and iron down the fabric to the heat bond to create a loop. Weed the rope through the loop.

Next you cut out your design using your glitter iron-on heat transfer. You can create just about anything in the cricut craft room with a lot of welding and reshaping. I recommend using the Superman or Batman cartridges. Once your design is cut out, iron it on to the back of your cape. ** Make sure to follow the directions on how to use and cut the Glitter Iron-on Transfer or any iron-on transfer. **

Step Four:

Making the cuffs! Take your Black foam sheet and cut it in half along the 11in. side. Take one half and measure around your little ones arm and mark where you need to make a cut and how long you think the cuffs should be. You will use your first one and a tracing pattern for your second. You can even use the same method of the cape and make a cone shape. Once all your cuffs are cut, punch 3 holes on each side and apply the Eyelets. I like to use my Croc-a-dile for stuff like this. I used silver eyelets to go with all my ribbon and trims. Take your pink glitter foam and trace out 2 stars. I used my cricut to create a star pattern to trace around. Hot glue the stars to the center of cuffs. One star for each cuff. Cut two evenly pieces of ribbon and lace each cuff. (TIP) Use a white pen to make your markings and tracings.

Step Five:

The Mask. The Mask was pretty easy to make because we had bought one at target in the kids clothing area that was by superhero t-shirts. **If you can't find the mask at target there are plenty of patterns on the internet if you type in Super Hero Mask Pattern in your search.** All I did was trace the mask on top of the glitter vinyl and cut it out. Then I iron on the vinyl on top of the mask. I cut out eyelashes in pink glitter iron on vinyl and ironed them on top of the black glitter. Then I took my glitter purple foam sheet and cut out a lighting bolt. And to make it opposite I traced the first one backwards to I would have a left and right side bolt. Once your iron-on is cooled down you can add the trim around the mask using a small amount of hot glue. (Tip) Start at the side where it will be covered up with a lighting bolt. Once your trim is on, you can hot glue the bolts on each side of the mask.

And there you have it! I am absolutely in love with it and give myself a pat on the back because I am by far from a seamstress! I'm new to sewing and have so much to learn. Hopefully my mom will be able to teach me a thing or two, but for right now I will stick to easy stuff. :) Check back later this week for a link to round two voting! I can't wait to show you guys my project I am working on! I am totally obsessed with it.

Until next time, Keep creating, living, and obsessing!

Round One Voting and NEWS!

2013-05-17T11:51:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone!

I submitted my project to Jonie at http://just-between-friends.com to the round one of Blog Wars. I'm so terrified. All the projects are so amazing. It will be hard for everyone to pick their top 3. I can't even decide! Hopefully you guys like mine. Even though I can't tell you which one is mine or offer any hints. All in all, it was so much fun creating my project and hopefully I am able to move on and keep processing out my ideas using all the amazing products the lovely sponsors have sent us to use.

In other words… If you follow along on our Facebook page most of you already know this. But for those that just subscribe by email or other ways…….

Yes, I am pregnant! Yay for babies! ;)

I'm 16 weeks along and finally feeling wonderful! I've been so sick the first trimester I wasn't able to do much of anything, even CRAFT!- I know right! I even had to shut down my shop for the time being, a whole 3 months! But now, I'm able to keep food down and my weight is going back up. Hard to believe I lost 10lbs the first trimester, but it's common with me. With AB I lost 14lbs. I will be giving updates on my pregnancy as time goes by. Later this weekend I will start my first ever pregnancy post! YAY! You will get to hear all my cravings, clothes shopping for maternity, and each week I will ask AB what she feels about baby becoming apart of our family. I'm also a high risk pregnancy and will get into that all on the post. I'm sure tons of ladies can relate!

Well that's all the news I have for now! But get out there and vote! Just follow the link below or click the picture above!

I'm Going to VOTE for my Top 3!

Until next time, keep creating, living, and obsessing!

Blog Wars!

2013-05-06T17:01:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone!

Right around this time of the year there are all these amazing blog contests. For crafty lovers like myself. Most of you know I entered into one last year that was my very first. The "One Crafty Contest" And made it all the way to round 3. This year I entered into Blog wars over at the "Just Between Friends" blog. I am so excited because I love her blog! And not only is every contest different but I just love coming up with ideas and completing them to show you all. Now that I am in my second trimester and feel GREAT. I get to get back to what I love doing. :) So I entered into the contest and found out I made top 12! How exciting is that! The contest starts next monday so make sure you all follow along if you don't already. You can click the link above and it will direct you to Jonie's lovely blog. Also, on her blog it goes over the contest so you all know what to expect every week. If you would love to go check out all the lovely contest sponsors, just head on over to this link here.

Lamps.Com Contest and Giveaway!

2013-05-02T23:17:00.001-07:00

Hey Everyone!

So I have some very exciting news for not only My Simple Obsession, but for our readers TOO! Recently we were contacted by Lamps.com to enter into their DIY Chandelier Face Off.

HOW COOL! Right?

I don't know about you all but I love lamps.com. I am always on there looking for new lights when it comes to upgrading my standard builder grade lights. My 3 year old and "the man" call them "Boobie Lights"- I know Right. You know you all have thought it too.

.So Anyways.

Here is the cool part. If we win, My simple obsession gets a $100 Gift card to Lamps.com and one of our lucky READERS will get a chance to win a $100 Gift card as well! Awesome Right! So here is what we have to do. Go to this Link HERE and vote for the White beaded Chandelier. There can only be one vote per email address. If you have multiple address GREAT! The more the merrier! Also, Share, Share, Share.

The more that we get this out the better chance that we will be able to share the lucky prize with one of you!

Voting ends May 17th!

Currently I have my eye on one these beauties for my living room.

Which fixture from Lamps.com would you get if you won the $100 gift card?

Until next time keep creating, living, and obsessing.

So get out there and Vote!

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Buffalo Chicken Ranch Pasta

2013-02-07T23:36:00.000-08:00

Hey Everyone.

So, today I want to share with you a recipe I found online and Love! However I changed it up to suite my family's needs. Here is the link to the Original recipe.

. Here is Mine .

THE LIST:

1 Box of penne pasta

1 Bag of Tyson Crispy Chicken Strips

7 stalks of celery, diced

2 carrot stalks, diced

1/2 cup Frank’s buffalo wing sauce

1 cup of Walmart's Light buttermilk ranch dressing

2 tsp. onion powder

INSTRUCTIONS:

In a large pot, bring water to a boil and cook pasta according to the package instructions and drain well when done.
In the meantime, cook your chicken strips in the oven according to the directions on the bag. ( I cooked mine @ 400 for 19 Minutes )
While the chicken is baking, combine Buffalo sauce, ranch dressing, and onion powder in a small bowl and set aside.
Once chicken is done baking, remove from the oven and set aside on a cutting board. In the same pot as the pasta, throw in the celery and carrot and cook until tender. ( I used 1/4 cup of butter to sauté the veggies. ) While that is simmering, Chop up the chicken. Then place the chicken back in the pot along with the sauce mixture.
Let sauce simmer for 3-4 minutes then stir until well coated and all is combined. Once done, grab some pasta and place on a plate with the Sauce/chicken mixture on top.
Serve hot and drizzle more ranch sauce on top.

There you have it! It's so yummy. Even "The Man" approves. He says, (And I quote) "That is M F ing A Mazing!" - Letters and all. ;) I served ours with some Pepperidge Farm 5 cheese crispy bread. Enjoy! And I hope you all try it out for your family.

Until next time… Keep Creating, Living, And Obsessing!

Hot New App.

2013-02-06T16:20:00.000-08:00

Hey Everyone!

Have you all had a chance to check out the amazing new website that is user friendly? It's called The Inspiration Board. Basically you can take all those ideas that you pin on pinterest and create a little inspiration board. I know, your thinking, "But I already do that with pinterest!" Well, What's great is the Inspiration board gives you a visual. You can put them in a group to get a better look with color schemes, Design features, Shapes, and patterns. Below are two boards I have created since it launched on Monday. I would love to see your boards, Leave a comment with a link to your board.

Also, the creator of The Inspiration Board.com is hosting a little giveaway for the launch of her website. You all will want in on it because it has some awesome prizes up for grabs. Below is a picture on how to create your inspiration board.

Need a better how to? Check out the video on the website here.

To check out the giveaway and enter your inspiration board go to this link.

Until next time.. Keep creating, Living, and obsessing!!

Giveaway and Visuals...

2013-02-02T17:30:00.001-08:00

Hey Everyone!

So, Many of you might already know and have entered, I posted this on my Business Facebook page and the Blog Facebook page, but there is only one day left to enter and I wanted to make sure you all got your chance. There are some amazing prizes to be won, Including yours truly. :) Just click the picture above and it will take you there. Good Luck!

It has been an exciting last couple of weeks. Guess who is getting MARRIED???!!! That's right. My fellow co-author Ashley! How exciting. We are going to be making a lot of the stuff for her wedding so It will be nice to share it all with you guys. Today, I took her on a hunt for some cool vintage nic-nacs and Mis-matched China. She is doing a Antique/ Rustic Theme.

.LOVE.

We also went to JoAnns so I could put a visual together so she could make a final decision on her color choice…. Up next is Making her Save the dates! I can't wait to show you all what she has in mind. They will be handmade. ;)

Here is a look into the visual I laid out for Ashley. :) This is all stuff we found at JoAnns. We won't be using fake flowers, but I wanted her to see what her vision could look like. :) Love that store.

Which is your fave if you had to pick? Can you guess which one Ashley likes? :) I would love to hear what you all think! I know, But you will have to find out once we post about putting all of it together.

Ive been so, SO, So busy with work the last 2 weeks. Some how I over booked myself. But I am all caught up and I now have set Business hours so I can get some stuff done around the house. And also work on all those craft projects I miss doing…. Today, I am doing Laundry, which I hate, and putting some vinyl on the wood sign I made forever ago. It's time That thing gets hung and featured on the blog…. Now, I just need a cute/personal/romantic quote to add to it…. Any Ideas?

Free SVG Fridays?

2013-01-12T12:59:00.003-08:00

Hey Everyone!

So, I've been seriously thinking about this Free SVG Friday. Would you all be interested in getting a free SVG that I design in illustrator? You would be able to use it with any craft cutter that accepts SVG files. ;) Let me know in the comments below.

The Pinterest Follower giveaway is coming! I'm slowly adding to that box. So once its full I will post what's in it and start the giveaway! ;)

I've been so busy ya'll! I feel like everyone is having a birthday in February! haha To say the least I will be slowing down on over booking orders for sure. I've already had to turn so many of you down. Thank you all for the great comments on my work! Once that slows down I will hopefully be back with some tutorials. "The Man" and I are working on my Office/Studio right now. Getting the plans all in order to get this organized. Its a chaotic mess!

How was everyone's holiday? Mine was very busy. I think I made almost 100 of those Grandkids signs in the shop. Lots of lucky grannies out there! :) Didn't leave much time to actually enjoy it. Well that is my update for now. boring.. I know. But that's my life right now. haha. Work, AB, Work, "The Man", Oh and AB's 3rd birthday is coming up. YIKES! I think we are doing the Chuck e' Cheese thing this year. :) We Shall see….

Giveaway news and Project Update!!

2012-11-29T16:19:00.000-08:00

HEY EVERYONE!!!

It's been so long. I've been so busy with the shop and all my lovely new clients. I can't thank you all enough for how successful the shop has turned out because of all of you. So thank you.

And another way of saying thank you to all the followers we have not only here on the blog, Facebook, and pinterest, We are hosting our first giveaway! A few months back I said that if we reached 500 followers on Pinterest I would do a Pin It to Win It Giveaway. With a box full of mine and Ashley's favorite things. Later next week I will let you all know what those favorite things are! You won't want to miss it.

Above is one of the many pictures I took on our family vacation in October to Kona, Hawaii. So pretty! And the weather was fab!! If I could retire anywhere, Hawaii would be it! But they don't have a Michael's! And that's just a must! ;)

On other news. Some of you may be wondering what I've been up to craft wise. Well, let me show you whats in the works and completed.

I've been so lazy about showing you guys my newly renovated pantry!! A few months ago it was completed. Well Almost. I still need to make a few labels in vinyl for some jars! But Above is a picture that kind of shows you what I was going for. Vintage pieces to store things and keep it nice and organized. You all should see the before picture. It's kind of embarrassing, but it is what is was.. I will be posting that very soon hopefully.

The next picture is some nursery artwork I made for my cousin that is having her first baby! I found the frame at a thrift store with glass for 10.00. It's quite large. She is very big on green and repurpose so I knew it would be a great way to make something old into new. I painted the frame white and took a black sharpie and made a thick black boarder on the mat it came with. Then I designed the trumpet in Illustrator and cut out a pattern to trace on some scrap wood. I used a jigsaw to cut the trumpet out and then stained it. Then added some great typography crafting skills to complete the poem. One of the cutest things I have made. And she loved it!! ;)

I have been so busy guys!! Crafting my little heart out! but I love it. I sold AB's Lemonade stand that I had made for her first birthday online to a photographer who wanted it as a prop. She loved it so much that she asked if I could do another prop for her. She wanted a Huckleberry Finn Raft done for a shoot she has been wanting to do. So I made one for her along with 2 sails. A girl one and a boy one. The girl one is my favorite one! I made custom flowers for it and I adore LACE!

This little project has been in the works since this summer, but I'm kind of at a crafters block! I originally planned on putting a person quote on it for our bedroom but the layout isn't working. Then I found a quote online that I love but everyone seems to be making signs with it. So, now all I have is the word Love done with cable wire and wrapped with yarn that matches our room, but I still want it to mean more!! So I'm at a loss right now with it. Any Ideas or suggestions would much be appreciated!

Well, That is what I have been up to. along with all the things I have been making for my business. If you want to check out more on those projects just click on over to the Facebook page! I update that as soon as a new product is listed. You can find that here.

And check back next week for the giveaway! So excited for that!

Until next time Keep creating, living, and obsessing!

Pumpkin Flowers & Traveling Workout

2012-10-15T10:32:00.000-07:00

In the last blog I promised a healthy made over Oreo pie, but my weekend was bogged down with getting ready to travel for work and other plans...but I did happen to create a flower arrangement in a pumpkin and sucessfully made my first bow (thanks YouTube)!

I took a large pumpkin and cut the top off...much larger than you would do if you are carving it.

Cleaned out all the guts and then sprayed the inside with bleach

I took a round tin and put two pots of mums inside. Make sure you don't put the flowers directly into the pumpkin as you will still need to water them.

I picked up some artificial flowers at Wal-Mart and filled the pumpkin around the sides with them.

Took my brown ribbon hot glues it to my pumpkin and then took my first ever created bow (can you tell I'm super excited about creating my first bow) and glued it to my ribbon.

TAA-DAA! There you have it! Flower arrangement in a pumpkin! So even if you aren't as crafty as Sarah (like me) you can create this easy peasy! :)

The birthday girl loved it! I'm thinking I may need to make one for my Thanksgiving centerpiece...with a white pumpkin because I'm overly obsessed with them for some reason...

So after my crafting I got to business getting ready for my accounting conference...sounds boring, right?! But it is in sunny Vegas and with the weather here in Seattle I'm sure it will be nice to have 85 degree weather.

I like to stay on track even though I'm not going to be home. That means eating healthy and exercising. The room where I'm staying doesn't have a microwave or refrigerator so my eating will be limited. I'm packing slim fast (i usually don’t buy these because they are high in sugar), bananas, apples, peanut butter, canned chicken, crackers, and protein bars. I read online that the place I'm staying has an awesome salad bar in their buffet..So I’ll be hitting that up for dinner. Pair it with some protein and call it good! :)

Sadly, the hotel also charges for their gym. So instead of paying the $15 a day..I decided I could totally make my own regime up and still get a good workout. I did it last Friday and I was sore the next day and felt like I got an awesome workout.

I have 3lbs dumbbells that I'm going to bring with me. It only takes 30 mins and believe me...I was sweating like crazy!

You do each exercise for one minute. Each set consist of cardio, strength, and abs. Here are the exercises I did below:

Set 1

Jumping Jacks
Bicep curls
Planks

Set 2

Burpee
Lateral Raises
bicycle crunch

Set 3

Mountain Climbers
Shoulder presses
Crunches

Set 4

Suicides
Front raises
Side planks (30 sec each side)

Set 5

Jump rope (if you don’t have one just pretend)
Wall sits
oblique crunches

Set 6

In place sprints
pushups
reverse crunches

Set 7

Skipping
bent over flies
scissors

Set 8

Squat jumps
Hammer Curls
Leg Lifts

Set 9

Butt Kickers
Calf Raises
Oblique Twist

Set 10

High Knees
Lunges (30 sec each leg)
long arm crunch

I tried to take minimal rest between sets..but i must admit I did take them. 20 secs here and there...but never for an extended period of time.

Do you have any traveling tips? Pack your own lunches and snacks to cut down on eating out? I'd love to hear them!

On the go Breakfast Burrito

2012-10-08T18:42:00.001-07:00

After many many many months here I am finally writing again! Sorry that it has been so long...I wish I could give you excuses, but I don't have any! :) I promise I'll be better on posting...

So onto the blog...

If you are anything like me I'm the type that rolls out of bed in the exact amount of time needed to get ready. Most of the time I have to chose between makeup and breakfast...and we all know what is more important in a girls world, but I also know how very important breakfast is!

At the grocery store I've looked at those pre-bought foods in the freezer section and turn the box around look at the nutrition information--and I go into shock. From the fat to the sodium. It is frankly rather horrible for you!

For months I've been trying out different things for breakfast. From cottage cheese with fruit to home made McMuffin type sandwiches (but that took too much time)..so I thought...I can make breakfast burritos in bulk for the week and that will be perfect! And that is exactly what I did! For about 312 calories a burrito...you have a protein packed yummy filled breakfast burrito.

What you need:

Egg beaters (I use southwestern style, but any kind will work)

Pre cooked Jimmy Dean Turkey Susasge

2 whole eggs

3 egg whites

2 cups shredded potatoes

3 huge handfuls of spinach (optional)

1/2 onion (optional)

1 zucchini shredded

Low Carb tortilla

Directions:

Spray a non-stick pan and put your 2 cups of shredded potatoes and shredded zucchini in pan and cook until done
In a bowl put whole carton of egg beaters, 2 whole eggs, and your 3 egg whites and beat well
In a non stick pan put eggs, 3 huge handfuls of spinach, whole bag of turkey sausage and cook until done
Mix cooked potatoes and eggs in a big bowl
Take 10 snack sized zip-lock bags and portion out egg mixture (you can also pre roll them and then roll in tin foil, but my very whiny boyfriend didn't like it that way)
In the morning take out zip-lock bag and your tortilla wrap it up and warm it for a minute and half ( at this time i like to put salsa on it)Enjoy a stress free Breakfast!

Makes 10 2/3 cups filling---312 calories, 8g fat, 13gcarbs, 21g protein (these calories include the low carb
tortilla).

I often pair it with a fruit, but you can eat it alone and feel completely satifisied.

Now I have time for breakfast and makeup! Win-Win in my eyes!

Do you have any breakfast to go ideas that you would like to share? I'm always looking for new things!

Next on my list...to make a reduced delicious Oreo pie (my bf has this love affair for Oreo and has requested it) Look for the recipe next week!

What Would You Do?

2012-10-01T12:35:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone!

Guess what I saw while searching the web today! A chandelier that looks almost like the one I had made! Crazy price though!

So there is mine! But check out this $4,200.00 Ro Sham Beaux Malibu Up Chandelier!

I think I like mine better, but I love how they used different style of beads. What do you guys think? Would you spend 4 G's on a chandelier? Or just make one yourself using my tutorial for not even 5% of that cost! It actually cost less than that. rounding around 2.5% of that cost!

What would you do?

Get creative! Until next time keep creating, living, and obsessing!

Talk Like A What?...

2012-09-19T15:21:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone!

Did you know today is national "Talk Like a Pirate Day"! Well, shiver me timbers! ;)

If you go into your local Krispy Kremes and talk like a pirate they will give you a free donut! If you go in dressed like a pirate and talk like one too you get a dozen free!!! So put on those eye patches and boots and get your R's rolling off that tongue! Here is the info for all you daring souls!

Shop now OPEN

2012-09-13T20:19:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!!

Some of you may have noticed and others might not have, but.....

I finally got my shop up and running! I'm very excited. I was nervous at first but I really think this will be good for me. I already have tons of orders I'm currently fulfilling and I couldn't be more excited.

I really hope you all enjoy my creations and take a look! To view the shop check out my etsy tab. I'm slowly adding items as I create them for clients, but I can create custom orders as well! ;). You can also check out the shop by clicking this link.

Easy DIY Lemonade Stand

2012-09-09T00:26:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone!

If you all didnt get a chance to checkout my tutorial on one artsy mama im posting it here for you all. I wanted to do something that I think every parent would enjoy making while the kids get to reap the benefits! ;) As it is the end of summer for most of us and school is just beginning, it's time for us to clean out our houses and garages for those end of the summer yard sales! Whats not a better way then to have your kids join in and sale a little lemonade and treats? It gives your kids something to do and will also spike interest in garage sale hunters!

....So today I bring you...

First things first,

The List

2 Wooden "Drawer" Crates (JoAnns)
1 2'X4' 1/4" board (Lowes)
2 1"X2"X4' Side posts (Lowes)
Elmer's Wood Filler "Natural" (Walmart)
2 Bags of 3/4" screws "#6" (Walmart)
Jigsaw
Drill
Clamps
Miscellaneous decor

BTW!!! Did you know that if you find a ding or a crack in any wood or craft items at JoAnns, they will give you a discount! I got 40% off just for this little crack on one of my crates! And it was already 25%! So on top of that I practically walked out of there with a free crate drawer unit! Plus, JoAnns lets you use as many coupons you have all in one checkout! I <3 that store!

Step One:

Your going to measure the side of the crates. ( I cheated. I took out my drawers and laid one crate down on my 2'X4' board and traced it.) ~~Don't~~ do what I did unless your good with eyeball dimensions.

Once you measure and trace out your measurements on the board, cut it out with a jigsaw. *Tip* Slow and steady wins the race.... "Just saying.."

Step two:

Then take your clamps and place the newly cut board in between your crates and place a clamp at the top and bottom. This will hold them in place when you screw into the wood. Look below for reference to clamps.

*Tip* Lay the crates down so your screwing down instead of up right. It helps the screws go in deep. review picture to the right for further tips......

Step Three:

Measure the top of the crates where the table will be. It should come out to 9 1/2" X 24". Draw it out on the 2'X4' board and cut it out with a jigsaw. (BTW, I should mention that you will be cutting 3 pieces out of this board so make sure your measurements count. If you have to make all the measurements before hand and draw them out before you do any cutting) Once again, slow and steady with the jigsaw! After your board is cut, sand the edges down. "We don't want our kids coming up to us with splinters!" Screw in the top board. I went in from the outside with this one because the top piece is skinnier than the top of the crate. (Make sure you inset the screws.)

Step Four:

Take your 2 Long posts and screw them into the side of the crates. (Screw from the inside) It's nice to have someone to hold it for you while you screw the screws in. I was not so lucky since "The Man" is now on night shift. *Sad face* But it worked out great anyways because, "I have mad skills yo!" Use picture to the left for reference.

Step Five:

Measure the length from post to post and the length of how wide you want your sign. I measured mine based on AB's height. (Yes, I'm that mom that makes their two year old come out in the garage so I can have her stand behind the lemonade stand to get the right height for the sign!) Draw it out on the board if you haven't already and cut it out with the jigsaw. Sand all the edges! And clamp it the the posts, one on each side. Place one screw at the top and one on the bottom on each side. (make sure to sink the screw a bit, this will help with the next step)

Step Six:

Take your wood filler and fill all screw holes. Let them dry for 15 minutes and then lightly sand them smooth. Once that is done take one screw and Screw into one of the posts leaving the screw sticking out slightly to hang a sign on. See picture below for reference.

And there you have it! A lemonade stand to decorate as you please!

I have some very cool things to add to this to put all those other lemonade stands to shame! To see how this bad boy turns out check out our blog next week! Hope to see you all there.

Below are some awesome pictures of AB's First Lemonade Stand that I had made for her 1st Birthday Party. Hope this gives you all some ideas for decorating your lemonade stands!

Until next time keep creating, living, and obsessing! ;)

How to Build a Lemonade Stand

2012-08-20T17:33:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone!

On Saturday I posted over at the One Artsy Mama blog! I did a little tutorial on how to build a lemonade stand! So if you guys haven't had a chance to go check it out here is the link to do so.

..How To Build a Lemonade Stand..

I also shared the lemonade stand I had made over a year ago for AB's first birthday party "Lemonade Stand theme" Here are some pictures I shared! Make sure you come back next week to see how the Lemonade stand I created in the tutorial turns out!

So until next time keep creating, living, and obsessing!

Welcome BACK!

2012-08-17T15:45:00.001-07:00

Hey guys!! I know i've been MIA all summer but i've been so busy with work and AB. But I totally have some great stuff coming up to show you. If you guys aren't subscribers on my Facebook page you haven't seen the sneak peaks. I'm always updating on Facebook so I recommend you all check it out. Ashley has been MIA for I don't know how long!!! She needs a kick in the "Get on it" pants! Tomorrow I will be posting at One Artsy Mama blog. I'm a guest post for her fun in the sun series. So make sure you all check it out! It's a pretty cool blog! It will be a part 2 post. The first being posted on One Artsy mama and the second to be posted on here later next week! So stay tuned! I haven't left the blogging world! :)

Busy... Busy... Busy

2012-06-12T14:02:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone!!

I've been super busy lately that I haven't had much time to post anything! I had to take a step back from a few things to get back on track. During my little break you may have noticed I was unable to keep up with all the talented ladies in the One Crafty Contest and didn't make it through to the next round!

However

I'm very proud to of made it as far as I did and I thank each and everyone of you that may have voted for my creations! Here is a peak at what did me in for the fabric round.

I will have a tutorial up on this in the next coming weeks. I also have some other fabulous projects coming up that I can't wait to show you guys. The summer is among us!

Until Then... Keep creating, living, and Obsessing!

DIY Chalkboard

2012-05-30T01:00:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone!

Today the round 2 results came in and I made it to round 3! I'm so excited and can't tell you how thankful I am for everyone that voted! There were some amazing projects out there and I was a bit nervous! These ladies have some serious talent and I'm very grateful to be apart of the contest with them. If you haven't got a chance to check out all the round two projects please visit this link here. And if you want to see how everyone did with the results of round two please check this link here!

.ANYWHO.

So now that the voting has closed I get to share my entry that was submitted. This week was a hard one for me because I never have used mod podge other than for gluing purposes or as a sealer for burlap. I really wanted to recreate a Anthropologie mirror,but it was a bit harder then I had originally thought and I had messed up the mirror part too late in the competition to get another mirror and redo it. So I turned my mirror project into a chalkboard project! That was the bad news... The good news is, I can do a tutorial on the mirror later on and you all get another great tutorial to look forward to! ;) Now on to how I created this beauty!

The List

Cheap Plastic poster board frame
1 Yard of fabric of your choice
Large Mod Podge bottle
Sponge brush
Chalkboard paint
Sanding block
Fabric scissors

Step One:

Remove the contents from the frame leaving you with just the frame. Lay your fabric over the side you are going to start with and cut a strip about 6"-6 1/2" wide. Please refer to the picture below. *You want to make sure you have enough coverage so you can wrap your fabric around the frame to the back side*

Step Two:
Take your mod podge and apply it to the frame along the side you are going to lay your fabric. Make sure you get in all the cracks and groves. Then lay your fabric over the glue and press it down so it molds to the frame. *Helpful Tip* I cut in the corners where I would be wrapping my fabric in a later step to make it easy to mold my fabric to the groves of the frame. You will then take the mod podge and apply a heavy amount over the top of the fabric. *This can get messy* I like to use a wooden skewer to make sure my fabric molds well. Refer to the picture below on step two.

You will repeat steps 1 & 2 on all sides before moving on to step 3.

Step Three:

After all four sides dry, flip your frame over and apply mod podge on the frame to wrap your fabric. Press down and then apply more mod podge on top of your fabric like you did on the other side of the frame.

*Important*

Make sure your front is dry before you wrap or you might pull too tight and create bubbles and the frame will lose its form. Also don't worry if the back doesn't look perfect... "No one can see that part!"

REPEAT step three for all back side wrapping.

Step Four:

Take your cardboard frame backing that you would use to keep a picture in place and paint the front with chalkboard paint. If you use the paint that I used below you will need to sand it after it dries. If you prefer to use spray chalkboard paint, you may not have to sand it, but you will need to take your chalk after the paint is dry and completely cover it in chalk and then wipe it off before use. I like the paint in the can because I like my chalkboards to be thick so it doesn't chip. I sand to get a smooth finish and I also get to skip the chalk covering because the sanding sets my board up for me.

And there you have it! A beautiful chalkboard that can be customized for any room or office you want! I currently have mine in my office because it matches the color scheme I'm Leaning on for a office makeover! More on that in the future! I really hope you all enjoyed this little tutorial on how I made my round two entry! It may have been stressful because it wasn't what I wanted to do in the first place, but the end result turned out better then I had expected! Please let me see all your fabulous creations you create using this tutorial!

Until next time.... Keep creating, living, and obsessing!