In His Grip

Go Into All the World!

2010-01-05T09:47:53-08:00

I have had this picture hanging above the sofa in my living room for many years. I really wanted to update the look but after looking at artwork, I was not willing to pay what a piece this size would cost. So I decided to make something myself. Over the last couple of years I have been very drawn to globes and world maps. I found a great world map at the Curious Sofa for $5. The only thing I did not like about it was that it looked brand new.

The first thing that I did was to wad up the map to give it some texture. I then brewed a very strong pot of coffee and put the map it to soak for a couple of hours.

I then flattened it out to dry. Once it was dry I used my iron to flatten it out even more. I then used a Q-Tip and my chalks to darken it up even more, taking into consideration where the map would be touched when being used.

I painted the frame a chocolate brown.

And I painted the matting as well. The fun part was putting it all back together and realizing it turned out way better than I expected.

In the small opening I put the verse: Matthew 28:19 ~ Therefore go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

I really like how it turned out. The only thing that I would do differently is make the matting a different color, I think that it is too close to the wall color. Now the next thing I want to do is either get a wall decal or a sign of some kind that says "peace on earth" to put above the frame.

A Different Holiday

2010-01-02T09:35:03-08:00

Our Christmas holidays have been very different than ever before. Our family has been on a journey that was very unexpected. My Dad has been in the hospital since Christmas night with a critical lung disease. We have spent most of our days and nights there too not only to keep him company, but to support Mom as well. Although to look at him, you would never know just how sick his lungs are, but the doctors keep telling us just how bad they have become. My sister, Lori, has been able to be here from Washington, and her daughter Amanda has come from Minneapolis. The rest of the grandkids keep coming by and bringing the party with them. If it is too late in the evening, they take the party to the family waiting room. Our prayers for my Dad are that he can get his oxygen levels below 10 liters, he would stay infection free and strength for both Dad and Mom. You can follow his progress on Caring Bridge.

Happy New Year!

2009-12-31T14:43:58-08:00

Judy @ In His Grip

Merry Christmas to All!

2009-12-24T21:55:08-08:00

Judy @ In His Grip

Wrapping Up A Pink Christmas

2009-12-21T14:33:54-08:00

If you read here often you know that this year has been a pink Christmas for us. The excitement of planning this new Christmas tradition for our family came to a screeching halt when I realized I could not find any pink Christmas wrapping. I always like to wrap my gifts in a theme. Yes, I am one of those people where every gift is in the same wrapping. This made me know I was going to have to get my creative juices flowing so that my packages could be pink yet still look Christmasy. Although I love pink, obviously, I still want the feel of Christmas as well. My search took me on-line to a vendor I use for The Pink Porch and the packaging I do for the items that I sell there. Nashville Wraps was my one stop shop. I was able to find this great metallic silver paper with sparkly snowflakes on it and then I purchased several different shades of pink tulle as well as white. I figured there would be some men that would not appreciate the pink Christmas theme and that way their gift could be in silver and white.

Next came the lack of pink gift tags. Out came my Cricut and I was able to cut out pink tags and then used the shadow feature to cut out the slightly larger white card stock. I then ran a piece of adhesive tape down one side and stuck them together. I then put a bead of glue along the edge.

Then dabbing them in pink glitter to add a little sparkle. Using a piece of pink raffia to go throuhg the hole, you are then able to attach it to your gift.

Here is one of my all white gifts. I used some white pipe cleaners and made a snowflake to jazz it up a bit.

This is the result of an hour or two of wrapping for a pink Christmas. I still have more yet to go, but looking at the pink bits of loveliness makes me so happy. I know this is going to be a merry merry pink Christmas!

Three Word Thursday

2009-12-17T07:04:52-08:00

Live Out Loud!

Pink Snow & Skates

2009-12-14T19:54:36-08:00

These are some of the things that I made to help my Christmas be pink. Not only are they pink but they are glittery, you cannot get any better than that. I found the letters at Michaels, they are white Styrofoam and were only .75 cents each. The skates are from the boat house in Minnesota. All of the girl cousins and some of the boys too wore these double bladed skates at Grandpa and Grandma's lake ice rink. To see the transformation of the sled you can click here.

I started by painting the letters pink and the trim of the skates pink as well.

I then used Mod Podge and painted over the pink and sprinkled with pink glitter. Let them dry and really tried to knock off as much excess glitter as possible and then made touch ups where necessary and sprinkled more glitter. For the skates, when the pink was covered and dry I then painted the white portion with Mod Podge and sprinkled with white crystal glitter.

I laced them with pink check ribbon and stuck a pink poinsettia in them and you get super fun pink glittery Christmas skates!

For my snow sign, I took the wire from an old wire hanger and stuck the letters on it and then added pink craft wire to make a hanger. Oh, how I love pink and when you can have pink snow, I believe I just might be in heaven.

Chritmas Home Tour

2009-12-14T08:28:42-08:00

I want to welcome you to my 2009 Christmas home tour. I did this last year and wanted to show you some of the different things that I have done with just a couple of additions. If you read here earlier you will know that I have added some pink things to our Christmas and the porch is all decked out in pink from our wreath to the small Christmas trees that are on either side of the door.

I painted this sled that I have had around forever to make it match our porch decor. The sticks oking out of my trees are from my folks woods in Minnesota. I sprayed them with adhesive and sprinkled pink glitter on them and I like how they look in my little trees. I will have a post later about my skates and the snow sign, but they too are all decked out in pink glitter.

This is the tree when you walk in the front door. I love how tall it is but also slim enough to fit in the space nicely. I put it up on a box so that it even has more height and goes clear to the top of the stairs.

These poinsettias are under the tree to fill the empty space from placing the tree on a box. I picked them up at Wal-Mart the for cheap, cheap, cheap. The big one is huge and I have not seen any that nice for the price. Hopefully, I can keep them alive a couple more weeks. Yikes!

Here is the garland going up the stairs. For years it was a simple green garland with lights, until a couple of years ago I was at Hobby Lobby after Christmas and ran into the 90% off Christmas sale and pick up some garland that had a bunch of fancy stuff on it and I just added it to my plain green one and "wa-lah" a big fancy garland.

Here is my last picture of the day. This is on my coffee table in the living room. Again, the trees are a Hobby Lobby 90% off find. You really have to go in Hobby Lobby after Christmas you will find some really great stuff for a steal. If you missed my pink Christmas tour you can check it out here.

A Step Into Africa

2009-12-13T14:38:47-08:00

Today the kids and I stepped into Africa through the World Vision Experience. I had no idea what to expect but I knew that I would leave that place with a fresh heart for the poor and hurting of our world. This brought to my mind the men, women and children that I have met across the world that are in need of a hand up. I thought of the little orphan boy, Jefty, in Haiti that hugged me and crawled up in my lap and clung to me during a church service. The fact that he just could not get close enough to me was almost overwhelming. I remember the little girl I met in the Philippians that would not stop staring at me and finally came over and sat with me and sang worship songs to me while a pastor spoke in a language I did not understand. I am reminded of the children in the orphanages in India that I have met and the house Moms that care for them. My friends Sam and Prati Stepehens, Pastor Benny, Samita, Dony St. Germain and the many others that minister to these people. My heart for the under resourced of this world continues to grow. As I walked through the life of Babirye today not only did the young girl loose her Dad to AIDS but she also tested positive for the disease.

We each followed the story of a different child and had to wait in the clinic area for the test results of that child. Lindsey and Anna's little girl did not test positive, but both Ryan and I had children that are now living with the disease.

All of the children pictured in the prayer chapel have either been diagnosed with AIDS or lost one or both parents to the disease. The impact of AIDS in Africa is staggering and is wiping out an entire generation of people.

I am not sure what touches your heart. But I do know that you need to act on that desire to help. Even though you do not think that your small gift or service can make an impact, if every one of us acts, we can, and will make a difference to the people in this world who are in need. Whatever you do, ACT!

Today my hand is stamped with a + sign as Babirye's was in the clinic where she found out the news. This is a reminder that I can make a difference if only I act no matter how small the gesture. My God can take my act and grow it into a plan that will make a difference in the world. Our family plans to act in the LIVE OUT LOUD offering at Indian Creek Community Church on December 20th knowing our God has a plan.

Three Word Thursday

2009-12-10T01:00:00-08:00

The Christmas elf?

The funniest face looked out at me

From a pink ball on my Christmas tree!

At first I thought it was Santa's elf,

But I looked again and

It was just myself!

Christmas Greetings To All

2009-12-07T20:53:32-08:00

I thought today would be a good day to post my Christmas greeting to all of my closest web friends. I started this last year and decided to make it an annual post. If you would like to see other blog Christmas greetings go on over to The Secrets In The Sauce where they are having a Christmas holiday lovesfest.

May the Christmas season

Fill your home with joy

Your heart with love and your life with laughter.

Wishing you a joyous Christmas

and and New Year with peace and happiness.

From Everyday to Holiday Glitz

2009-12-07T12:35:57-08:00

I have almost completed my Christmas decorations. This process was interrupted when I found out that the carpet I had ordered was in. I did not expect it for another two weeks. Surprise! (This is a total story in and of itself, needless to say, Jeff was none too happy to be in a total mess for about a week.) So my holiday decorating extravaganza has been greatly affected. This process is usually completed the weekend of Thanksgiving, but this year it seems to be dragging on. This wonderful little setting is on my coffee table. The deer I found last year on clearance at Wal-Mart. They were 80% off, so I picked them up for $2 each. Yeah, thats how I like it!

I bought this candle at Wal-Mart this past Saturday for $6. Not happy with it just being your standard white candle, I thought it needed and little holiday glitz. So I got out my handy Mod Podge and painted it on and the sprinkled it with silver glitter.

You need to put a pretty heavy coat on and sprinkle the glitter on quickly after that because the Mod Podge will tend to separate like you would expect when painting on wax. But with a thick coat this takes longer and you will have time to get the glitter on it before it starts to separate.

Pat the glitter into place and do this all the way around the candle until it is completely covered.

Easy, peasy, from everyday candle to holiday glitz. Because I already had all of the supplies, this cost me all of $6 and about 5 minutes of my time. I love an instant gratification craft with such great results. I put the candle down in the top part of a Pampered Chef Trifle B owl and then dropped in some of those fun little glittery snow balls. Light the candle you have instant, cozy, holiday cheer.

Christmas in Gardner

2009-12-04T10:20:30-08:00

Earlier this week the Indian Creek Community Church, Gardner campus passed out hot chocolate at the community Christmas lighting at Cornerstone Park, in Gardner. Now being a small town, I thought how big of a deal can this be? Well, was I taken by surprise, this little town goes all out for Christmas. We arrived in the park around 5:45pm to set up our tent and it was completely dark, the kind of dark that you have to use a flash light to see anything. As the crowds gathered, we were ready with hot chocolate, whipped cream, and candy canes for all. The mayor said the word and the park lit up with all of its light as well as a firework display. About that time, Santa arrived on a fire truck with its lights and sirens on and all was well with the world. The children from the Gardner schools sang Christmas songs and then all got in line to go through Santa's workshop. Now, we are not talking just Santa sitting in a chair passing out candy canes, he has a full workshop with elves and everything. He doesn't only give you a candy cane but you get a Gardner Christmas ornament. I should have known this little town would be the real deal, after all I have been to one of their football games and that should have given me a clue. Gardner is kind of a big deal when it comes to community fun!

Here is the ornament that Santa was passing out. No I did not tackle a kid in the parking lot to get one. I did what any other gal would do who wants something for Christmas.

I sat next to Santa, no not on his lap, and let him know what I wanted. Yeah! I am not too proud. Besides, I wanted a Gardner ornament and you do what you need to do.

Three Word Thursday

2009-12-03T01:00:00-08:00

It's Called Christmas!

Pink Christmas Ball Wreath

2009-11-30T19:41:31-08:00

This is the Christmas wreath that Anna made for me this past weekend. She showed me this really cute wreath on a blog a couple of weeks ago and had me buy some pink Christmas balls to so she could make one. This was an easy peasy project. Here are the steps so you can make one too.

Take a wire hanger and untwist it and then stretch it into a circle.

Before stringing the balls onto the hanger you will need to hot glue the tops on. This is an important step because as the hanger gets full and the balls tighten together they will pop off. Do not skip this step, believe me!

You will need to use several size balls to fill in as much as possible the blank spaces. Don't worry if the wire shows a bit, once the wreath is complete you can fill in by hot gluing small balls to fill in the gaps. When the hanger is full twist the two ends of the wire hanger together and then cover it with a large ribbon.

I love the way this turned out and I think Anna rocks for making one for me. Thanks, Anna, I love you!

Its Beginning to be a Pink Christmas

2009-11-29T19:21:15-08:00

Our pink Christmas is beginning to really shape up. I am done with the pink decorating and I have to say that Jeff is relieved that it is finally finished. There is only so much pink one man can take. Now you need to realize that the only pink Christmas that is going on is confined to the dinning room and oh yeah, the front porch. This is the tree that I have been planning for several years now. I truly love it. The contrast between the white tree and the pink ornaments just sets the whole thing off. The tree skirt is a saree that I purchased in India. It is six yards of pink beaded silk loveliness, and boy, do I feel like a real princess when I wear it. While in Delhi, last September I purchased pink beaded shoes that go perfect with it and I only paid $2.50. Really, how can you pass up such a bargain? Here are some more picture of the pink Christmas.

These cute little pink wreaths I picked up at the Target dollar spot. Score! I added some ribbon and hot glued some silver balls to jazz them up a bit.

This is my table center piece. I have no idea where all of this came from. I am sure they were part of my after Christmas sale purchases of the past, as they were amongst the things in my "one day I will have a pink Christmas" box. The table runner was a scrape of fabric I found in my work room. Who would ever throw away a piece of such pink loveliness?

Another Target dollar spot find. You really need to stop by the dollar spot at Target, there are so many fun things that you can find.

I think you get the picture of our pink Christmas here at our house. Thank you for allowing me to give you the tour. I keep finding myself sitting in the dinning room and enjoying this part of the house like I have never done before. Soon I will give you a look at the porch that has a pink Christmas going on as well.

Christmas Carnival Giveway

2009-11-28T04:39:13-08:00

There is a Christmas Carnival going on over at The Shabby Chic Cottage. She is hosting a giveaway from over 10 different vendors and The Pink Porch is one of them. Go on over and sign up for all of the fun prizes. It might just be your lucky day. This is the item that The Pink Porch is giving.

Three Word Thursday

2009-11-26T05:40:50-08:00

I am thankful!

Size 15 and "Skinny?"

2009-11-25T09:43:46-08:00

"Skinny jeans" have been in for about a year now. I like it when they call them Audrey (Hepburn) jeans, like that is supposed to make one feel better about the fact that jeans are skin tight and you need toothpicks for legs to wear them. I have to say, that I do admire the look of long legs and these jeans certainly accentuate this. I have several friends that are a lot younger than me. They have been wearing skinny jeans and I do say that they look great on them. So the other morning at our body boot camp they were talking about these great "skinny" jeans at Target on sale for $12.99. They were talking about how they needed to buy a size bigger then they normally buy. So I asked if they thought they might come in my size. I wanted to buy a pair to wear with my boots so that I don't have a wad of denim around my ankles when I want to tuck my jeans in. I have never had the confidence to even try a pair on, but they assured me that they did come in my size even though they were in junior section. How bad could it be? So as I needed to go to Target anyway for some other purchases, I decided to swallow my pride and try to squeeze into these jeans that they call skinny. Remembering the gals from boot camp having to buy a bigger size I grabbed the size bigger than I normally wear as well as the next size up. It's crazy! They are called "skinny" for a reason because I could not get these stupid jeans on. Feeling absolutely ridiculous that I even thought I could possible wear something that my "young" friends could wear I left the dressing room determined to put this humiliating experience behind me. I shopped for my other items but kept thinking there were a couple more sizes I could try and after all they were only $12.99. I went back over to the jeans and tried a couple more sizes and found one that they did actually fit, but they were not only a muffin top, I had a full out cake top going on. Knowing no one wanted to see a 40 something behind in jeans that tight, I once again swallowed my pride and tried the next size up. Shocker, I did like them. If I wear them with a longer type blouse this could work. Now here is the question, can you really call them "skinny" jeans if you have to wear a size 15?

From Old Broken Sled to Pink Flyer

2009-11-23T19:56:21-08:00

This is the old sled that used to sit on our front porch from December through March. I would decorate it with a wreath for Christmas, I have some old skates that I'd hang from it, and used it in various ways to decorate our front porch in the winter. Well, seems as we are going with a pink theme this year, I thought that this old sled needed a little pink loveliness added to it so that it would fit in better with our new fun pink Christmas and winter decorations this year. So I got out my handy dandy pink paint and went to town.

I let the paint dry and then used a white paint pen and added some stripes, snowflakes and the word "Pink Flyer" just for fun. I allowed that to dry and then went to town with some sand paper to rough it up a bit.

Because I thought the rail needed a little something and I love sparkle I add silver glitter to the rails.

I cannot wait to put this outside on the front porch with the other pink loveliness I have been creating. Check back, as I will be bringing you more and more of our pink Christmas.

Getting My Pink on for Christmas

2009-11-21T17:20:41-08:00

For the last several years I have been accumulating pink Christmas ornaments. It all started when my Mom brought me a gift of pink vintage beaded ornaments that my Grandparents had made back in the 70's. Every year I go to the after Christmas sales and find all kinds of the pink stuff 75% to 90% off. Shocker, I may be one of the only people to think that a Christmas could be pink. Anyway, this is the year. I think I have enough to cover a whole tree! Not only do I have enough to cover the whole tree, our outside wreath got a redo in pink loveliness! Okay, I hear your questions already, what does Jeff think of all of this pink? Does he care that there is a pink Christmas going on the outside of the house? All I can say is, I think my love of pink is growing on him after 27 years, because he even helped me hang that pretty pink wreath. I am sure he would prefer a more traditional Christmas color, but if you know me at all, "when in doubt ,pink is always the right choice!" Here is all of the pink things I have to work with for the creativity to begin. I will post pictures of the first pink Christmas here at the Sturman's.

New Designs on The Pink Porch

2009-11-20T01:42:00-08:00

I have put some new designs up on The Pink Porch. There are several everyday pendants and I plan on finishing up some holiday designs soon. On Friday, November 28th, I will be participating in a giveaway at The Shabby Chic Cottage. Check back here on Friday the 28th to get the details on how you can participate in the Christmas Carnival giveaway.

This "Child of the King" pendant will be the item that I have donated for the giveaway. Below are some more of the new designs. Each one of my designs are unique and a one-of-a-kind as they are made using vintage buttons, hand colored papers, glass beads etc. ensuring no two are exactly the alike. If you see something that you love, don't miss out, go on over to The Pink Porch and place your order.

Three Word Thrusday

2009-11-19T06:03:01-08:00

Plaza lighting preparation

Bergfalk Babes Weekend

2009-11-17T05:07:59-08:00

This past weekend was our annual Bergfalk Babes weekend. My mom, sisters and I have been getting together for a weekend together once a year for going on 22 years now. If I remember right, the first year was the year Lindsey was born and she will be 22 in January. Wow! And to think we are all still so young, ha,ha. We usually go to one of our homes but have had some years where we all meet somewhere fun. This year we stayed here in Kansas City and our sister Lori came in from Seattle. The weekend was filled with shopping, eating good food and great conversation. We all realized how blessed we are to have these family relationships.

Mom had set up a little photo gallery to help us all remember back when.

This happens to be one of my favorite pictures of the three of us girls. And look, even back then I was posing myself sideways in the picture to help make myself look skinnier. I guess vanity begins early

I Got A Pioneer Woman Cooks Book!!! Yeah!

2009-11-13T01:02:00-08:00

The other day I was pleasantly surprised when a friend of mine gave me The Pioneer Woman Cooks,cookbook. I have been following the Pioneer Woman blog for over two years. I love her quirky posts about her life on a ranch in Oklahoma. Since I read her everyday, I feel like I know her. She has invited her readers into her family and home. I feel like I have helped her make design decisions on the lodge that she recently renovated, helped her brother, Mike, stay on the wagon, and shared her great anxiety as she appeared on the Bonnie Hunt show. Now, I am pretty sure she has no idea who Judy @ In His Grip is, but I know that if I saw her in person I might just embarrass myself by running up to her and huggng like she was one of my Panera tribe gals. Okay, that is weird. This is the best step-by-step cookbook I have ever seen. To be honest I don't like cookbooks that do not have a picture of every recipe. I want to see what I am making. Not only does she have pictures of the finished product, she has pictures of how things look as you follow the recipe. You have gotta love that!

Three Word Thursday

2009-11-12T01:12:00-08:00

Global Orphan Project

Our Small Group Can Cook, What Can Your Small Group Do?

2009-11-10T20:30:54-08:00

Tonight our ladies small group from Indian Creek, Gardner had a super time of cooking fun. Instead of doing our normal Bible study, we got together and had a cooking demonstration. My friend Debra came and showed us how to make some delicious hors doeuvres just in time for our holiday party planning. We made a Chili-Lime Pecans (these are the best!!!!), Savory Cheese Cake, and Spanikopita. I will definitely be making these for the holidays. Its amazing how well our small group has gotten to know each other in such a short time and how much each of our lives have been changed by being a part of this group. Just last Spring we did not even know one another's names. I love these gals and look forward to continuing on our journeys together in the future.

TV Can Inspire Creativity

2009-11-09T07:32:39-08:00

I don't watch TV during the day, but for some reason I had it on this morning and it was tuned into the Rachel Ray show. First off, can I say, I just love her. Her peppy personality can pick up anyone's spirit. Today, I am not even sure what was going on because I was so taken in my the pillows that were on the sofa she was sitting on. They are to die for!!! I hurried and got my camera and snapped a quick picture so that I could remember them. You just wait I am going to make those pillows and you will see them on the site some time in the future. Does anyone else check out the accessories on the set of TV shows, or is it just me?

Choosing to Believe!!!!

2009-11-06T08:09:59-08:00

This morning I read a devotional and the key verse was:

Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. Hebrew 11:6

I understood something today that I had never noticed before, not only do we have to believe that he exists but he is also asking us to believe that he will reward those who are seeking him. Hmmmm, I had never noticed that I am suppose to "believe", really "believe" that he does reward us for seeking him. I don't know that I "really" believe that, I know that this verse states that, and I know in my heart that the Bible is the word of God, but do I truly believe? Today I am choosing to believe that the reward I have been waiting on will be mine today!

Funfetti Cake Mix Cookies

2009-11-04T11:47:13-08:00

Funfetti Cookies are just the best. We made these this past weekend not only are they easy peasy, they are absolutely delicious. Lindsey made these for a meeting that she was having, where nobody showed up, but that is another story. So being my daughter, she "had" to eat the cookies herself. But because they were soooo good she was willing to make the sacrifice. Funfetti Cake mixes are out all year long and there are different ones for each holiday. Here is the recipe:

1	(18.9-oz.) pkg. Pillsbury® Moist Supreme® Funfetti® Cake Mix
1/3	cup oil
2	eggs
1/2	(15.6-oz.) can Pillsbury® Creamy Supreme® Funfetti® Vanilla Frosting

Heat oven to 375°F. In large bowl, combine cake mix, oil and eggs; stir with spoon until thoroughly moistened. Shape dough into 1-inch balls; place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. With bottom of glass dipped in flour, flatten to 1/4-inch thickness.

Bake at 375°F. for 6 to 8 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets.

Spread frosting over warm cookies. Immediately sprinkle each with candy bits from frosting. Let frosting set before storing. Store in tightly covered container.

Dollar Store Pumpkins~Made Snazy!

2009-11-02T18:32:58-08:00

I bought these cute little pumpkins and gourds from our local dollar store a couple of weeks ago. They are great and everything, but I wanted to snaz them up a bit. So after thinking about this for some time and being inspired by my recent ironing board project, I decided to use some of the leftover dictionary pages and my handy Mod Podge and give these little guys a makeover. I had some black glitter that I had used for a Halloween costume and put glitter on the stems and then glittered some leaves too. Here is how they turned out. I love them! I think they could work at any black tie affair! Okay, so I am not sure how black tie and pumpkins go together, but who knows.

Trunk-Or-Treat Success!!!!

2009-11-01T05:00:23-08:00

The first Indian Creek Gardner Trunk-or-Treat was more than I could have ever imagined. Jesi, our Kid Alive director, and I had been planning this but quite frankly had no idea how this event would turn out. We thought we had all of our "i"s dotted and "t"s crossed but when it is a first time event, you just never know. As the trunkers started showing up with their trunks all decorated with lights and in costume I knew that something was up. Now I don't want to over spiritualize it but I had been praying for the success of this event all week and it turns out God does care about reaching out to a community through something like a Trunk-or-Treat event. Because we served over 500 children and there had to have been double that in adults. The newspaper even showed up to take pictures. Thank you to all of the people that helped out and especially to those "trunker missionaries" from the Olathe campus that came and trunked with us. And most of all, thank you Jesus for caring about our small Live Out event and making it more than we could have ever hoped for! I know, it's just the kind of God that you are and help me remember that.

Three Word Thrusday

2009-10-29T06:32:41-07:00

Leaves of Fall!!!!

Sewing Pattern Lamp Shade

2009-10-26T19:22:40-07:00

This is a lamp shade that I have had around for a couple of years. I have two of these lamps with this pink shade and they have been very happy in Ryan's room. Okay, I know that it is not Ryan's room because he does not live with us anymore but I just cannot bring myself to call it a guest room. So I think I will always call bed rooms by the name of the child that occupied it, perhaps Ryan's Retreat, Lindsey's Lounge, and Anna's Escape. I don't know just a thought. Anyway, I decided that the shade need a redo.

I took the fabric off of the frame and this is what I started with. The first time I went into Urban Arts and Crafts, I fell in love with the lamp shades they have hanging above their cash register. They had made them using sewing pattern pieces. I knew that someday I would make one of my own and decided this was a great lamp shade frame to try it on. I began with sewing pattern pieces and Mod Podge.

I started delicately painting the Mod Podge over the pattern pieces and overlapping the pattern pieces as I went. I folded the tissue over the top and bottom wires and carefully Mod Podge the back side. Once the tissue is covered in the Mod Podge it tears very easily as it is wet. So I tried to get a coat on and then not go over again.

Once the first coat had dried completely I put a coat of Mod Podge on the inside and then when that dried, I coated the outside with a second coat. The result makes the shade feel like plastic. It was not nearly as fragile as I had imagined.

I added trim along the top and bottom edges just to snaz it up a bit. Besides the edges were a bit rough and I needed to cover them up, and you can never go wrong with a great beaded trim. Trim scrapes in my studio are a perk of my job and you can bet I save every little bit. You never know when you will need a dab of trim.

Here is where the lamp now lives, in the Stitches by Sturman studio. I love the golden light that it gives off. I have not deceided what to do with the pink bubbles, you can see the one at the top and there is also one on the bottom. But that is for another day. I think I will put it on a timer so that I can leave it on all the time and will not have to worry about turning it off and on.

Summer to Cozy Winter Bed

2009-10-26T11:37:22-07:00

This is our master bed the way it looks from March-ish through October-ish. We have a wide variety of pillows and if it were up to me we would add some Euro shams behind the shams you see here but Jeff has put his foot down and says there are too many pillows as it is. (Like he makes the bed and arranges those pillows on a daily basis.) But being the compliant wife that I am (ha, ha), I have let the Euro shams go for now. (I do have some fabric set aside in my"fabric closet" that will do very nicely as Euros someday, shhh, don't tell Jeff.)

When the weather starts to turn chilly I want a more cozy look to our bed. So I just make a couple of changes. I add another down comforter with a velvet duvet cover and the shams are change out to match as well. The matelasse cotton throw is folded up on the end for an extra blanket if we need it. And wal lah, a cozy bed for winter cold nights. When the temperatures get even colder I have some fun brown and blue snowflake flannel sheets that will help take the chill off of those cold sheets.

Holiday Mart Fun!

2009-10-24T08:17:35-07:00

Last night the girls and I along with our friend Sheri went to the Junior League Holiday Mart. If you take all of the small boutiques for women, children and home decor and put them all in one place this is the Holiday Mart. I had not been in several years and this event has moved from a "craft" show to a shopping extravaganza. We had so much fun and as we were shopping, we kept seeing this one mannequin in all of the different booths to display jewelry, scarves, hats, etc. Every time we saw it Lindsey and Anna would turn around an make the same face as the mannequin. I think they got it down pretty good by the end of the night..

Three Word Thursday

2009-10-22T06:48:39-07:00

Trunk or Treat!!!!!

My Sister is Creative Inspiration!

2009-10-21T08:41:36-07:00

This is picture from my sister Lori's shop. She has space in a store in Chehalis, Washington where she resells junk that she had taken from trash to treasure. She is a good part of my inspiration when it comes to my trash to treasure projects. In fact, I have a project in process right now that was idea that she gave me last week when we were talking on the phone. I will post this project here soon. You can go over to her blog CinnabarBlue and see some of the other fun things that she comes up with. See, right there is a sweater pumpkin, black and white, who would have thought it would be so cute.

This Old Ironing Board

2009-10-19T15:11:15-07:00

This is the old ironing board that I found a couple of weeks ago and paid $5 for. The legs were broken and it did not really stand up very well. But with some wood glue and a couple of screws, ta da, it stands up just great and I decided it would make a perfect table in my studio. And look, the legs were already red so no spray painting needed. After looking at it for some time, I felt it needed a little spiffying up. I took an old dictionary and decided to decoupage some of the pages on the top of the ironing board.

If you look closely, the edge of the pages of the dictionary were red and the Mod Podge made the red bleed slightly. I ended up putting several coats of Mod Podge on the top so that it would be smooth. I need all the help I can get on cutting down on the dust bunny collection. I love how it turn out!

Its a Halloween Party!

2009-10-17T01:42:00-07:00

Thank you for coming to my Halloween party! As you can see by the pictures above we are decked out for the season. I have to say that Fall is one of my favorite times of year and I so love all of the colors, the candy and treats that go along with this holiday are not so bad either. If you want to check out other Halloween parties, go on over to A Fanciful Twist where there is a huge party going on.

Chocolate Chex® Caramel Crunch Recipe

2009-10-16T09:19:34-07:00

This is a recipe that has come highly recommended by a couple of my friends. Last week during the Pumpkin Run Sheri was telling me about this Chocolate Chex carmel stuff that she had made the day before and could not stop eating it. She had tried it when our friend Cathie had brought it to a party that they had attended a couple weeks before. She said it was easy and yes, she was right, easy peasy, and super good. ~WARNING~I am not responsible for how much you eat of this recipe. If you tend to be like me, you won't stop eating until you are sick.

8	cups Chocolate Chex® cereal
3/4	cup packed brown sugar
6	tablespoons butter or margarine
3	tablespoons light corn syrup
1/4	teaspoon baking soda
1/4	cup white vanilla baking chips

Into large microwavable bowl, measure cereal; set aside. Line cookie sheet with waxed paper.

In 2-cup microwavable measuring cup, microwave brown sugar, butter and corn syrup uncovered on High 1 to 2 minutes, stirring after 1 minute, until melted and smooth. Stir in baking soda until dissolved. Pour over cereal, stirring until evenly coated. Microwave on High 3 minutes, stirring every minute. Spread on cookie sheet. Cool 10 minutes. Break into bite-size pieces.

In small microwavable bowl, microwave vanilla baking chips uncovered on High about 1 minute 30 seconds or until chips can be stirred smooth (bowl will be hot). Drizzle over snack. Refrigerate until set. Store in tightly covered container.

Three Word Thursday

2009-10-15T07:37:30-07:00

Repay with kindness!!!!!!

Element 8 is my Hero!

2009-10-14T06:41:45-07:00

The last week or so I have had some computer technical difficulties. I hate it when my laptopstops working, it makes me realize just how dependent I have become to this cute little pink box. I also now know just how much time I spend reading and sending emails, blogging, and just plain waisting time on this piece of technology. But it is a necessary tool for me, after all, I am running a business here. A couple of weeks ago I took my computer to Jason at Element 8, my computer was running slow and I knew that there was a virus involved. A day later he delivered my computer running great. But then this week my computer kept turning off. I could not keep it on long enough to check email or do any of my "business". Because Element 8 did a great job for a reasonable price last time I gave them a call again. The next day Ed from Element 8 called and said that my laptop was ready for pick up and that they had to do surgery and removed two large dust bunnies from the inside of my laptop. He then proceeded to tell me that I really should not set my laptop on any fabric. Really, fabric is my life, that is what Stitches By Sturman is all about. I have dust bunnies cohabitating in my studio with me all the time. They multiply like rabbits, ha,ha! So the fact that they found their way into my laptop is no surprise. My computer is running great once again! Thanks Element 8 for rescuing me once again.

Creepy!

2009-10-12T01:25:00-07:00

Last week while I was in Minnesota, my Mom and I gathered some moss. I use this in my baskets in the spring that I plant flowers in. I also have a couple of ideas in my head to use it for some things I want to make for Christmas decorations. We gathered quite a bit and laid it on my Mom's living room floor to dry. We sprayed it with bug spray just in case there were some unwanted bugs that may have come along for the ride. After laying in Mom's house for two days we wrapped it in newspaper and then put it in two large trash bags and I then loaded it in my car. We brought it home and I put the bags of moss in my studio to unload latter. Well this weekend I started to unload the moss, because it was still a little moist and I wanted it to dry out before storing it for use in the future. As I was laying the moss out in my basement, I had unloaded one bag and went to get the other bag and what did I find on the floor by the other bag . . .

this creepy half dead salamander. Okay, so now I am a little creeped out that I have a basement floor full of moss that is drying out and wondering if there were any other stowaways with my moss. Creepy, creepy, creepy!!!!!!!!!

Pumkin Run with Friends

2009-10-10T11:33:31-07:00

So it was freezing cold this morning but we had all made a commitment to our friend Haley to run in the 11th Annual Pumpkin Run. We were at the very first pumpkin run eleven years ago and I cannot believe how big it has gotten. What is really fun about it, is that a good number of the elementary schools in town have running clubs just to train for this event. There were over 3,000 runners out on this cold morning.

Today was not about what time we got but just to have fun with Hayley and make her first 5K an experience to remember.

We were all about taking time to take pictures along the way.

Hayley set our pace and decided to how fast we would run, when we would walk, and if we would run again.

Had to stop and get a picture of this fan because Hayley was sure he was rooting her on.

Hayley heading for the finish line.

The joy of being able to say, "I ran 3.1 miles today, what did you do?"

So Sheri is a sucker for a cute cow any day.

Three Word Thrusday

2009-10-08T07:22:13-07:00

Beauty of Autumn

Even Work @ the Lake Can Be Fun!

2009-10-07T01:31:00-07:00

One of the tasks that we needed to accomplish this week at the lake was getting the docks ready for winter, and up north that means lifting them out of the water. First we have to take all of the dock boards up. These are in sections which isn't too bad. But then you need to realize there are three docks needing the boards taken off and stacked in order so they can be easily replaced next Spring when the operation is reversed. Once the boards have been taken off the "A" frames need to be raised and then the wench attached. For the two small docks we use a hand wench. Which does not seem that big a deal but believe me, it is a lot of work when you are raising the dock one small chain link at a time.

Okay, so I totally posed for the camera here. But I did click it a couple of times for maybe two minutes, it is really hard!!!!

This is how high the docks have to come out of the water. The frozen lake is really not the problem for the docks, it is when it comes time to thaw in the spring when the damage happens. As the ice beings to thaw it moves back and forth across the bay with the wind and can wreck havoc on anything in its way. Although Jeff did most of the work, Dad was there to supervise, and Mom and I for all of that moral support.

We also took time for a photo on top of those dock boards we just removed. I am not sure how it is that work just doesn't seem as much work when you are at the lake, or Jeff is around to do most of it for you.

Sweater Pumpkins

2009-10-05T18:55:47-07:00

This is my newest project. I was inspired by sister Lori who told me she was making some pumpkins from old sweaters. So I kept my eyes open for some pumpkin looking sweaters at our local Salvation Army and Goodwill stores. I do frequent these two stores often as I regularly find unexpected treasures or something that can be made into a treasure. I picked up two sweaters, the orange one was a ladies small that I was able to make one large and two small pumpkins out of and the amber colored one was a mens large that I was able to get two large and three small pumpkins. Here is a quick how to: I went out to sewing.about.com and found this pattern and instructions.

Cutting out the pattern pieces.

Sewing the eight sections together to form a circle.

Sewing the ends together after all eight pieces had been sewn together.

After filling the form with stuffing, I used a piece of a stick that I had found out in the backyard and cut to about 5". Sticking it through the opening and closed the top around it by gathering with thread and secured with hot glue.

Using very strong thread, I used an orange cotton yarn, to go up through the top and through the bottom along the seam lines all the way around to create the ribs.

I then added some brown wire and leaves and there you have it, sweater pumpkins.

Fall~Up in the North Woods

2009-10-04T17:23:54-07:00

Fall up in the north woods is so pretty. I never realized until this trip that I have never been up north in the Fall. You cannot help but recognize what a creative God we have. The colors are so vibrate and the contrast from the deep greens of the pine trees, golden leaves of burch, and the brilliant reds of the maples are more than I expected and the people are saying that this year's colors have not yet hit their peak. This is the back porch and what welcomes you when you arrive at the lake house.

This is the scene across the lake from my folks' house.

Giving His Heart Away!

2009-10-03T17:47:46-07:00

We are up in the north woods this weekend visiting my folks. Amongst all of my Mom's other fall decorations sat two bud vases one with a yellow rose addressed to my Mom and an orange one for my Dad. The note card on my Mom's explained how it would be a little strange for another women to be sending my Dad a love letter but she had to do it anyway. The letter to my Dad was from a gal in town that my parents have become friends with she and her husband and two girls. She told him how much he meant to her and how much impact he had on her life since they had moved to Cook, MN. She went on to say that it has been because of my Dad and his guidance that she and her husband had made decisions regarding their business, as well as getting their life where it needed to be spiritually as well. She said she had a very short list of people that she could say have truly made a difference in her life and she wanted my Dad to know that he was one of them. She is sure that my Dad's heart condition is because he has given so much of his heart away that he forgot to keep enough of it to run his body. Wow! It is such a blessing to have my Dad and Mom for parents and to know that others love and care for them too. But to actually have someone take the time to let my Dad just how much he has meant to her and her family, was something a lot of people don't often get to hear. Makes me know I need to let those influencers in my life know how much I appreciate the part of their heart they have given to away me.