too Blessed to Stress

Updated Scrabble Tiles

2012-01-28T00:30:00.000-08:00

Want to dress up your Scrabble tiles for the holidays? Last year my wonderful hubby gave me a Silhouette for Valentines day.

~He knows the way into a DIY Wife's heart ~

I promptly decided on my first project, adding my own twist to scrabble tiles. {Want to make your own? Instructions below!}

Last year I started out by making this:

A pretty swirly heart and an oversize 2 - for hubby and me. get it? It's been up for a year and I love how it blends in with the tiles.

Well this year I thought I would update it even more by adding a colored letter/number to the tile:

The Silhouette hadn't even finished cutting out the "O" and the 2 before I decided that it needed a little bit more, a single red heart:

I absolutely love having a touch of color to an otherwise neutral display.

And then the real revelation came... why not do a bunch of different shapes for the seasons or to use with different themed parties?

EASTER/SPRING

EASTER:

SPRING/GARDEN

4th of JULY:

THANKSGIVING:

FALL/BACK TO SCHOOL:

CHRISTMAS:

Aren't these fun?

The possibilities are endless! I was really only limited by the color of vinyl on hand.

Ready for the steps? {It's incredibly simple}

1. Design your shape with your favorite die cut program. Size your image to be just under 3/4 of an inch {the height of a tile.}

2. Cut out on vinyl scraps.

3. Using transfer paper apply to the back of a scrabble tile. Use the tiles that are least likely to be used like Z, V, X... you get the picture :)

4. Add it to your scrabble holder. That's it! How simple is that?

If you don't have a Silhouette or Cricut you can have small vinyl cutouts made at craft centers like Ben Franklin. Or simply use small stickers you love.

Or if you are dying for your own set of Scrabble Die Cuts I am thinking about swapping advertising for the set of vinyl die cuts you see in the picture above. What do you think? Want to swap 8 die cuts {scrabble tiles not included} for a small space on your blog that links to too Blessed to Stress? If interested email me and we'll get this thing rolling. No blog is too big or too small!

By the way, you can find this and other too Blessed to Stress projects on my Pinterest board... along with other wonderful ideas I've pinned from other fabulous bloggers. Come follow and join in on the fun!

What little things have you done lately to update existing decor?

All photos taken by yours truly.

Silhouette is not compensating me in any way to mention their name.

Want to Party? Join me at these Linky Parties:

10 Minute Valentine

2012-01-24T17:42:00.000-08:00

Sometimes it's the simple things that make the holiday decor just right. This is one of those projects.

I originally saw this great idea in Country Living's December Issue, which featured this lovely couples farmhouse. Lovely inspiration photos on their site and they have the cutest twins!

So the idea was to take a dry erase marker and fancy up the photos on your wall for a party. That got my wheels turning... why not have a frame that you could change out photos and draw on throughout the seasons?

Dry Erase markers that have an eraser built into the cap.

I did have to make one purchase for this {which was against my "rules" set here. But here's what I have to say about that... rules-schmules! They were made to be broken right? And $1 for markers that you "need" isn't that bad... right?}

Ok so here is all that you need for this super fun, really easy valentine craft that will be usable throughout the year:

~ Frame with glass cover. Any size you want any color... just needs glass.

~ Photos Printed on regular copy paper- No need to have fancy real photo paper that you pay an arm and a leg for to have someone blow up to size. Simply print it out on your color printer. Or use an existing photo. You can use one or more, all in a row or make a fun collage. Anything that floats your boat.

~ Scrapbook Paper - for your background. Again: any color, size, pattern, etc.

~ Painters Tape - {It has great release when you want to switch paper out} Or you can use any other taping/gluing medium.

~ Dry Erase Markers

THAT'S IT!!!

Now you are ready to assemble.

Tape your scrapbook paper down with the painters tape to the backing of your frame. Mine took three 12x12 papers and it filled the space perfectly. I chose blue and chocolate colored paper since it matched the space is was going into, but you could use any holiday colors and even embellish with some large cutouts {hearts, stars, etc.} if wanted.

Then tape your photos on top of your colored paper. I chose a funny one of use trying to catch snow on our tongue, a sweet-kiss, and a cute one of us just smiling.

Insert into frame and use dry erase markers to decorate on top of the glass with Valentine messages and funny drawings.

I chose to leave the white border the printer left

so that I could draw a "frame"

with words and doodles around the picture.

Isn't this just a hoot? I love this idea and it may be a permanent staple in our home. It only took 10 minutes to create and I get such a kick out of it every time I walk by it.

This would be great for a birthday or holiday party, family get together, or to play a joke on your dinner guests. How about framing a photo of only your dinner guests {not anyone in the family} and hanging it in a prominent place of your home. Once they notice it have everyone "decorate" themselves and leave it up for a few days just for laughs. When you are ready for a change, erase and swap out the photo.

What new craft ideas are you trying the Valentines day?

All photos taken by yours truly.

Want to party? Meet me here:

We are THAT family.

Paper Hearts

2012-01-23T16:37:00.000-08:00

There is something so sweet about a garland of something. Anything cute seems to look cuter when there are a bunch of them in a row draping over your mantle.

Since I really don't need a single thing to decorate for valentines day but my little heart really wanted to add something, I issued myself this challenge: anything new is fine as long as it does not cost a cent.

So I started off with my old stand by, copied sheet music. It all belonged to my Grandma and I love to copy it and use it when crafting. Not only does it satisfy my love of vintage sheet music it also holds a special memory of her, seeing as much of it has her handwriting in the margins. The end result was this cute paper heart garland.

Sweet, simple, rustic elegance.

Just what I needed.

Here's how to make it:

Start with three sheets of vintage sheet music or copies of a piece that you already own. I started off with three copies of a song titled "The Wedding Prayer." My Grandma played it at our wedding 8 years ago, and the title seemed fitting for Valentines day.

After folding in half and then in half again, you will be left with this chunky accordion fold.

{Ok so this was the best picture I could get one handed.

Sorry for the flash washout

and the temporary blindness it may have caused.}

While still folded, free hand four hearts out of each folded piece of paper. That will make two identical hearts per cut.

Keep each two together since you will be gluing them back to back later on.

If you like, distress the edges with your favorite distress medium. I chose Rusty Hinge distress ink. {one of 5 different colors my mom gave me for Christmas. Let's just say my little DIY heart skipped a beat when I opened that box!}

Some people use a sponge to get the ink off but I just rub it right on the corners of the paper straight from the ink pad.

Easy Peasy.

Don't forget to open the heart up and distress the other side.

Next, take your glue gun and run a very thin bead of glue along the edge of a folded heart. {note: you could probably use a glue stick or other crafting glue as well if you don't want to work with hot glue in such a small quantity.}

Quickly match up the corresponding heart and press together.

Before the glue completely dries open it up and press your four fingers around the inside to form a sort of 3-d heart.

So pretty!

Once your hearts are all glued together, hold the heart open from below like so.

Take a piece of jute twine {or ribbon, string, etc.} and place a small dab of glue in the top of your opened heart and nestle the twine in that crevice.

It helped to tie the twine to the end of my tray to anchor it down while I glued the hearts.

Keep gluing till you run out of hearts.

Use as a garland or drape over twigs for a romantic-rustic effect. These little ones have lights, but any twigs from your yard would work just fine.

Stand back and admire.

They kind of remind me of Orange Lantern tree blossoms.

{Source}

Have you started your Valentine decorating yet?

All photos taken by yours truly.

Want to party? Join these Valentine Linky Parties! I'll be there :)

The Inspired Housewife

We are THAT family

Snow Day ~ Sausage and Apple Puff Pancake

2012-01-17T19:36:00.000-08:00

The weather man has been playing recklessly with my little snow loving heart.

For several days we were supposed to have record breaking snow. On Sunday it started to snow and we had to take off from church early to avoid being stranded {our church is 50 minutes away.} When we got to our house.... nothing. The little bit that had fallen in the night had all melted, the sun was shining and I had no need for a coat. So disappointed.

Then Monday it threatened to snow the predicted blizzard, but no. Only a 2-3 inch cap that melted at night. Pretty, but nothing like predicted. Really disappointed.

Then it happened. Tuesday morning I work up early to see a winter wonderland quickly forming. Large cornflake style snow was whipping around and dutifully covering every inch.

Ahhhh, perfect!!!

Like a friend of mine said, "If it isn't a foot, it's not snow!"

A day like today is perfect for Sausage-Apple Puff Pancake. This is a recipe that our friend "G" the most awesome-never-makes-a-same-recipe-twice-cook shared with us last time he came to stay out our Bed and Breakfast {that is, guest room.}

The recipe is from Taste of Home, and it is one that you will want to add to the permanent recipe file. Trust me. One pan, sweet and savory, breakfast lunch or dinner, a meal all in one. Add some fresh fruit if you want something on the side. Perfect.

Here is the recipe off of Taste of Homes site:

Ingredients

1 pound bulk pork sausage
2 medium apples, peeled and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter
6 eggs
1-1/2 cups 2% milk
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (4 ounces) extra sharp shredded cheddar cheese
Sour cream and maple syrup, optional

Directions

In a 10-in. ovenproof skillet, cook sausage over medium heat until no longer pink; drain and set aside.
In the same skillet, cook apples and brown sugar in butter over medium heat until apples are tender.
In a blender, combine the eggs, milk, flour, sugar and salt; cover and process for 10 seconds or until smooth. Pour over apple mixture. Sprinkle with sausage and cheese.
Bake, uncovered, at 425° for 18-23 minutes or until pancake is puffy and golden brown. Cut into wedges. Serve with sour cream and syrup if desired. Yield: 6 servings.

While the sausage cooks, slice the apples.

Add apples to butter and brown sugar.

Keep you apples tender but not mushy.

The perfect bite has the crunch of the apple,

sausage crumble and a bit of melted cheese on top.

Oh. My. Goodness. Heavenly!

Pour your batter slowly and evenly

without pushing all the apples over to one side.

Sprinkle sausage crumbles.

Top off with cheese... we always add a little extra.

Just a note: I cook it for 20 minutes at 390°.

That is what works best in my oven.

~ Delicious ~

When our friend served it we had homemade cranberry nut bread...

...fresh fruit and steaming coffee.

What is your favorite snow day recipe?

All photos take by yours truly.

The Prettiest Sight You'll See...

2011-12-06T21:57:00.000-08:00

"And the prettiest sight you'll see

it the holly that will be

on your own front door."

Love that song!

Well it may not exactly be holly on our front door, but it is pretty and it is beginning to look a lot like Christmas at the too Blessed to Stress home.

I think Bing got it right. Yes indeed, a cheery front door may just be one of the most welcoming parts of your Christmas decor. There is just something about it that beckons you in and says

"Welcome Home:

May all who enter find rest."

This past weekend we had friends over for an unexpected party {more on that wonderful day later!}

One of our newer friends commented that we must like country decor and shabby chic because our home had that look and feel. I told her we kind of go for a farmhouse-chic-country-glitz feel. {Yep I'm sure that is the official name.} She said that we had achieved the look we were going for and that she liked it.

What a compliment to have someone recognize the style you strive for... and to notice on the first visit! Let me just say, I was so very flattered.

And while it made me all happy that someone enjoyed the decor of our home, the real compliments came as the party was winding down. I mentioned to our guests what a joy it was to have them in our home, to come any time and I hope they felt like they were at home. On the way they said:

they felt welcome,

they always rest when they are over,

they felt revived,

they needed the fellowship,

they felt at home.

That is the real look I'm going for.

The glitz and fluff of a home has no purpose if it is not a warm and welcome refuge. All the cute stuff in the world does not make a home. Yes it makes it look lovely and a beautiful home is one way to show love and how much you care about those who live there. But it is the connections and fellowship that make up a home:

love shared there,

kind words,

comfort when times are tough,

shared laughter,

making time for someone else,

faith, family and friendship.

Home for the holidays.

It sure feels good!

Create a welcoming home this season.

Go ahead! Deck the halls... and be sure take time to enjoy the ones you love, share love, and create a safe place for all who enter.

All photos taken by yours truly.

Unexpected Changes

2011-11-15T22:44:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I shared about all the fun happenings from the last 10 months while I was absent from this blog. {You can see it here.}

And as I mentioned at the end of that post, today I will share about the last two months. Fair warning before you read on: the last two months were hard. There were unexpected events that rocked our world and tested our faith.

So before I jump into this I just want to mention a couple things:

~ I am sharing this and future posts on the subject to encourage others that are going through a similar situation {or any situation that is weighing heavy on your heart.} It was key for us these last two months to have people that surrounded us in prayer, encouraged us and reminded us that joy comes in the morning.

They sang the song in our hearts

when we were exhausted

and felt like we could not go on.

And that is what I hope this post

and future posts will be for you:

A reminder that there is hope,

and there is healing for your broken heart.

Even though it may feel

like there are days you don't want to go on,

Keep Going.

Keep trusting though it hurts.

Keep hoping even when all seems lost.

Also please note: this post chronicles only the beginning of this story: the loss. Please join me later this week for the continuation of the journey. Join me as I share more from my journal entries on the process of healing, tested and refreshed faith, and hope for the future.

~ September ~

~ While on vacation I became suspicious that I was pregnant, all the signs were there. It was a glorious two weeks in the pool, playing in the sand, spending time with my family, and hubby & I dreaming about our new baby.

~ The night we got home I took 2 tests. Positive! I was thrilled, managed to keep the secret till the next morn. Told my handsome hubby and we spent the entire day planning and laughing like little kids over the good news. We could not have been more excited, our years of praying had been answered. He couldn't wait to tell our parents so we burst the secret that night. He can keep a secret, but not if it is a gift... he just has to tell! {so sweet!}

How we had planned to announce the pregnancy -

photo taken on our vacation.

~ The next week and a half were full of making phone calls to relatives and me feeling awful with the normal pregnancy stuff.... and then I started bleeding. Then one night driving home from church I had a painful attack on my right ribcage. It was excruciating pain, and we were close to heading to emergency. But I was finally able to have some relief by morning and we decided to keep our scheduled Dr. apptointment instead of going in that day.

~ At our Dr. appointment later that week everything looked fine, the bleeding was just spotting; but just in case he asked me have external and internal ultrasound that day and have blood drawn too. Hormone levels looked fine and we were encouraged. But at the ultrasound we heard the unexpected: there was no baby in sight. The news knocked the wind out of us. How could this happen?

~ Dr. later explained that it was either a 2 week pregnancy that was too tiny to show {and we had gotten pregnant later than thought} or an ectopic pregnancy. We were asked to wait 3 days, have more blood tests and then come back...

~ Three days turned into 6 days of agonizing wait. By then people from our church knew to pray. There was a huge outpouring of love, support and prayers. Oh the prayers that were lifted in favor of this baby were amazing, we were humbled to know how loved and cared for we were.

~ Day 6 came. We went in for more bloodwork and ultrasound expecting everything to look normal. It was not. It was an 8 week ectopic pregnancy that had ruptured and had been bleeding profusely for several days. It was quite advanced in size and needed to be taken out - immediately. We left the Dr's office, went straight to the hospital. I was wheeled up to my room and was informed that I would be having surgery at around 9:30pm. We were all shocked, upset but through it all God gave us an deep sence of peace. I can't explain it, but I do know that through the agonizing sorrow and the overwhelming tears there was a peace rooted deep in my soul. I knew my Lord had me safe in the palm of His hands. I clung to the promises that His plans were greater than mine.

~ Twenty minutes later my room was swarmed by nurses and the surgeon who told me that I was being bumped up to the 6:30 time slot and had to get ready and be wheeled downstairs NOW. It was hurry up, go downstairs and then the wait... a long wait. Getting IV's in me is not easy. I had to have more blood drawn and then off I went. I remember waving goodbye while the tears silently rolled down my face and telling my family that I loved them as we rolled down the hall... then I remember hollering down the hall at my mom and mom-in-law to make sure that Hubby ate something. {oh the funny things that go through your mind at unexpected moments!}

~ Once in the 1 1/2 hour surgery took 3 1/2 hours. Our family was so worried, but it turns out a last minute emergency came in and I had to wait... at least I was asleep the whole time :)

~ Surgery went well. Dr drained a lot of blood and he had to spend quite a while cleaning it all out. He later said that is what caused the pain in my upper right shoulder/ribcage that night on the way home from church and thereafter.

~ After an overnight stay, arms bruised from my fingers to the elbow, three incisions, and quite a bit of pain I found myself at home... babyless, heart broken and lost. Things changed so quickly in 2 weeks.

~ Yet God has been SO GOOD to me - to all of us. Sorrow comes, but His comfort is amazing. Our families have been so supportive and given of their time to care for me these last few weeks. Our church has loved on us, cried with us and we are so thankful for the extended family God has given us in our friends. It has been a time of joy and peace even in sorrow... and you know what? All Jason and I have ever wanted - no matter what profession our kids chose - was that they would be life long worshippers of Jesus. And through all of this we can say, we are the proud parents of two beautiful babies whose lifetime job is worshiping their Maker. What more could a parent want?
____________________________________________

Thank you for continued prayers for: healing of heart and body and believing with us that God has another miracle ready for us in 2011!

May you be blessed.

All photos taken by yours truly.

10 Months in 10 Minutes

2011-11-14T12:57:00.000-08:00

Last Friday we reconnected. I opened blogger and quickly shared what was on my heart and how much I needed the creative outlet this blog is. I shared how I was hoping it would be like the best friend you had in middle school that you had not seen in years. Then you suddenly run into her one day and you pick up like no time has passed at all. You chat over coffee and realize that times may have changed but your friendship stayed lit deep in your heart.

So it only seemes to be appropriate to share with you what has been going on at the too Blessed to Stress nest for the last 10 months. But how on earth do I do that without borring you for the next few hours of your life with my ramblings.

What to do?

{Cue Dramatic Music}

That's where photos come in.

I decided to let the pictures do {most of} the talking.

So grab a cup of coffee and settle in to see 10 months of happenings in 10 minutes {give or take a few depending how fast you read and parouse photos!}

March
Trip to Arizona with Hubby and Mom in law to surprise Grandma for her 80th birthday. I'll have to do a seperate post on that wonderful trip some other time - the details of the surprise are priceless! {hence the lack of photos from Arizona, gotta save 'em for that post don't 'cha know!}

We toured an Indian village with homes built in the cliffs of the rocks, spent lots of time with family, stopped at California Adventure on the way home and all of this was going on while I had the worst chest-cold/flu-something-or-rather. That part was miserable! Hubby said he has never seen me so sick.

Can you believe people lived in those homes

carved way up in the hills?

April
Celebrated our anniversary - 8 years married to the love of my life!

View from our window of the lovely Bavarian town we stayed in.

Flowers from my love.

Unfortunatly at the end of April I sprained my ankle pretty severly. It was black and blue from my toes up to my knee. Miserable pain. I will spare you the photos of my puffed up, larger than life, bruised ankle/leg - not a pretty sight.

May
Hubby's birthday - which involved an out door hot dog roast, wonderful friends, and a rousing game of Pin the Tail on the Donkey. All ages played and it was a hoot!

June
Garden was in full swing. I said I didn't really want to have any blueberry bushes since they could take up too much room... hubby gave me that look... the big green eyes... sly smile...the look I can't resist... the one that melts my heart... the look that made us end up with not 1, not 2 but {brace yourself} 7 blueberries! And a trellised raspberry.... And 2 thorneless blackberries... And a Kiwi. {Don't even get me started on the Kiwi}

What can I say...

I'm a pushover when it comes to those handsome green eyes.

Blueberries, tomatoes, snow peas, sugar snap peas,

potatoes and one ear of corn we just had to open and take peek at.

Tomatoes.

Cheching on the progress of the corn.

July
Home projects, lots of gardening and sunbathing for the pup. My oh my how she enjoys the outdoors!

Handing blueberries through the kitchen window.

Love it!

August {into September}
Fall harvest from the garden included our first ever patty pan squash and a bowl full of corn.

The last of the tomatoes, potatoes, corn,

the only survivors of the great carrot massacre of 2011...

Ask the pup about that one.

The smallest ear of corn I have ever seen!

It was still delicious.

September
Fabulous trip to Mexico with hubby and my parents. It was 2 glorious weeks of sun, sandcastles, ocean, pool, memories, laughs, water games, sunscreen... well you get the idea. All the wonderful things that a family vacation entails.

Turtles were coming up almost every night to lay their eggs!

View from our room.

Iguana on the way to breakfast.

Thank you so much for letting me share all our adventures with you!

View from back door.

Now it's your turn.

What have you been up to these last 10 months?

I'd love to hear all about your adventures too!

All photos taken by yours truly and my hubby.

PS You might have noticed I skipped October and Novemeber.The last week of September was a tough one. It brought about lots of change for us and I will share all about it tomorrow.

How do I do it?

2011-11-11T17:17:00.000-08:00

Back to blogging... and it feels wonderful. This year has been a tough - one both physically and emotionally. I needed to take a break. But now I need to come back. Yep, need.

I need to read your wonderful blogs, be inspired by your beautiful homes and encouraged by the daily happenings of your life. It blessed my heart and I need this kind of interaction.

I need to share my creative side, my moments of DIY inspiration at midnight, and I need to know I'm not the only one that gets the urge to spray paint at 11:59pm.

I need to share what has been on my heart and what God has been showing me through some difficult times.

I need you back in my life.

But here is the big question:

How do I come back after a 10 month hiatus?

Do I have to have a big whoopti-doo, giveaway, announcement or do I slip in quietly hoping no one will notice the awkward crickets chirping in the background?

Here's what I'm hoping:

I'm hoping it will be like the best friend you had in middle school that you have not seen in years. Then you suddenly run into her one day and you pick up like no time has passed at all. You chat over coffee and realize that times may have changed but your friendship stayed lit deep in your heart.

Let's pick up where we left off...

Fill in the gaps from when we were apart...

And set out to make new memories.

Does that sound good to you?

I know I'm looking forward to it.

All photos taken by yours truly.

For The Love Of A Cookie

2011-02-10T22:53:00.000-08:00

Sometimes you just have to let lose and be like a kid again. Dance in the rain, watch old cartoons in your jammies on Saturday morning, tell corny jokes and laugh at every one of them. Yep hubby and I still do these things every so often… ok fine the corny jokes are like a daily occurrence in this house. But hey that’s just what happens when you are so stinkin’ hilarious. {crickets chirping, awkward silence}

Anyhow, we try to be silly and goofy as often as possible ‘cause this life is too short to take it too seriously all the time. And that means fulfilling childhood dreams now as adults… like the dream my hubby had of making one giant cookie. Doesn’t sound too hard, right? Well here’s the catch: he wanted to make it our of layers of cookie dough so that it would be all big ‘n fat, chewy and crunchy all at the same time and most of all to see if he could use a whole batch of cookie dough on one continuous cookie without it breaking apart or going up into flames from overcooking the first layers.

So last week on a particularly long and rough work day I pulled out a $1.50 bag of Betty Crocker chocolate chip cookie mix and we set out to make a giant layered cookie.

And just too properly chronicle the fun, here’s a little video for you enjoy.

My challenge for you today: be a kid. Dance in the rain {or snow if that’s all you got!}, watch cartoons with the kiddos and make a giant cookie just for kicks… remember to be a good little girl and share the cookie with hubby and the kiddos!

All photos taken by yours truly.

Progressive Dinner

2011-02-02T10:15:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday I had the privilege of participating in a progressive dinner for the women’s discipleship group I am a part of. The reason for celebrating – reading through the Bible together in one year. It was the first time we had done it together, and for some it was their first time ever to read the Bible through. What fun to do it as a group and then celebrate together with our Church family at a special Bible Day service. More than 30 people shared verses they had learned in various discipleship classes – even the children got in on the fun. We all danced, sang and celebrated not just the accomplishment but also in thanksgiving to our Heavenly Father for his letter of love to us.

Once the service was over, we all piled into cars decked out with balloons, ribbon and words of celebration…. Things like “You made it! Hooray! Proud of you!” and my personal favorite, “Woo hoo!”

Our first stop on the progressive dinner menu was my parent’s house. There we feasted on a gorgeous veggie tray, homemade dip, butter wafers, and blueberry-grape juice. After that came fresh baked cheesy bread and café con leche, a Colombian staple of coffee and milk.

It was wonderful! And the anticipation of what came next had us all on pins and needles. Although I knew the final destination, I had no idea of all the fun in between.

Well the appetizers were scrumptious and the fellowship was rich. Yet before we knew it the time had come to head out to our second destination: the home of a dear family from the church. This stop was to toast our year together as a group, how much everyone had grown in the Word, and to thank our leader.

Each person received a colorful page with Psalm 148 written on it and a color coordinated toasting glass. How fun is that! With sparkling cider in hand we raised our glasses in celebration. We took turns reading verses from the page in joyous tones and concluded with our hostess sharing her favorite verse and the host reading this verse:

Psalms 119:103

“How sweet are your words to my taste,

sweeter than honey to my mouth!”

We then each had a small piece of baklava that was filled with gooey honey. As we bit into it the honey oozed out and delighted our taste buds. We were told to think of how sweet God’s word is to our lives. It was a moving moment of reflection.

From there we headed out to the final destination – out home. And I must say that I had such a wonderful time preparing the house for such a special group.

All weekend I worked on the little details like labels for the water pitchers and dessert tray, place cards, personalized chocolate bars and even a little pennant banner for the death by chocolate trifle {which I forgot to take a picture of! Can you believe it?!?}

It was so much fun! Hubby was a sweetheart and got a wonderful sound system all set up in the front room that played continuous soft dinner music. Just before we all arrived he went around the house and lit all the candles, turned off all the overhead lights and turned on all the little lamps around the house so that it looked, smelled and sounded heavenly.

The dinner menu was spectacular and our conversation meaningful. No one wanted the evening to end.

This year we began a new tradition and made memories that will last a lifetime.

What special moment or accomplishment could you celebrate with a meaningful and adventurous progressive dinner?

All photos taken by yours truly.

Valentine Treat - Death By Chocolate

2011-01-26T12:54:00.000-08:00

While hubby gets the new computer {yippie!} all set up and I figure out where all my photos are stored, I thought that I would repost this delicious recipe that I shared last year.
Chocolate lovers - enjoy!

A good friend asked me this last weekend if I crave sweet or salty when I want a snack. And the truth is that I usually prefer something salty, like salt and vinegar chips. {to die for} But if I have something sweet, I want it to be super sweet and very rich. I love dark chocolate and creamy toffee. So you can imagine my absolute delight when I got to a scrapbooking weekend and was informed that my good friend had made Death by Chocolate for our dessert that night.

Have you ever had this rediculousely simple yet delicious dessert? It is amazing! And it looks just stunning in a triffle dish set in the center of a table.

The master mind behind the creation in this photo is our good friend "G" - the fantastic cook. Really he should be called the mostest-amazingest-talented-never-makes-the-same-recipe-twice-and-they-all taste-great-cook. Try putting that on a business card :)

He graciousely shared the simple recipe for this delectable wonder and I in turn am sharing it with you. And to show you just how easy it is to make, I am making one just to take photos.

Oh, the sacrifices I make for this blog.

You will need four main ingredients:
~ 1 chocolate cake, 13x9 pan (I just used a mix for convenience. Feel free to use your favorite cake recipe.)
~ 6 Skor bars
~ 1 box of chocolate pudding (hubby chose Chocolate Fudge. His theory: if you're gonna go all out on dessert, go out with a bang!)
~ 1 tub Cool Whip, or fresh whipped cream

While the cake bakes, mix up the pudding and crumble up the Skor bars. Once cool, crumble up the cake. If you don't have a triffle dish {like me), use a clear, deep bowl. Or tall cups for individual servings.

Now the fun part - layering. First comes a layer of cake crumbles. Then pudding, coolwhip and Skor crumbles. See that blob of pudding? Avoid splatters like that so that the layers will be visible and not all mushed together. If it happens, just wipe it off with a paper towel.

Snack on all ingredients while assembling.

That part is essential to the success of the dessert.

Repeat for at least two total layers. Top with cake crumbles. And Skor crumbles. If there are any left after snacking.

Easy Peasy.

This is such a simple dessert to make that it just may be my new "to go" dish for last minute meetings, potlucks, parties and to satisfy hubby's late night sweet tooth. Thanks so much "G" for sharing!

What is your "to go" dish for dessert? How about a dinner dish? Share in the comments below! Have you posted a great recipe lately? Let me know in the comments so I can check it out.

All photos taken by yours truly.
This delicious post is linked to We are That Family WFMW. Link up and join the party!

Thoughts On A Week Of Separation

2011-01-17T11:38:00.000-08:00

One Week.

Seven Days.

One fourth of a month.

{ok maybe that last one was a bit dramatic}

But that's how long hubby and I have been apart...

And every second seemed like days on that plane ride home.

I have been at a conference in Georgia {shout out to all you lovely residents of the south} and the week spent there was wonderful. It was an inspiring and enjoyable time. I loved every moment of the training and ministering done.... but... it always feels so great to come home.

Kiss my hubby.

Snuggle with the pup.

Sleep with my own pillow.

Get back to my nest.

As I walked through the door, I took a deep breath expecting the house to be slightly on the cluttered side.... ok who am I kidding? I really expected it to be overwhelmed with speakers {hubby's hobby}, dirty dishes, clothes taking up permanent residence on the floor, and volcanic eruptions from hubby using the obliterater {that's what he calls the food processor, I love it!}

Disclaimer: Hubby is not an inconsiderate, overly messy person that would leave me a huge mess on purpose. He is just the kind of man who would get really excited about some home improvement project hours before picking me up and then not have time to clean it up. {which I secretly find adorable.}

Ok just had to make sure that was clear.

Well much to my surprise the home was pretty much in tact, all speaker projects had been completed and neatly stacked in the front room, clothes were dutifully placed in the hamper, and.... get ready for this.... all the dishes were done and the sink was empty.

Done.

Empty.

The two most glorious words to a housewife when speaking about a sink full of dishes.

He did it just for me, even though I had told him not to worry about any of that stuff while I was gone. What a fantastic guy!

And while there were several explosions from the obliterater and the floor was so sticky my bare feet stuck to it I could have cared less. He took a moment out of his free time to bless me by cleaning up the mess in the sink.

He took the time to make me feel

welcomed

loved

appreciated.

And that empty sink spoke volumes to my heart that night. It was something small to some, but to me it was selflessness personified in a lack of dishes.

Who would have thought that an empty kitchen sink could be such an expression of love.

What small gesture has someone done that blessed your heart lately? How have you blessed others with a simple act of kindness?

All photos taken by yours truly.

New Year, New Goal

2011-01-03T20:19:00.000-08:00

Happy 2011 everyone!

Hope everyone had a fun and memorable time celebrating the end of one year and the beginning of a new adventure.

I feel so blessed looking back at 2010.... how God has constantly watched over my hubby and I - we lack nothing, have health, our nest is a home full of love, we are surrounded with friends and family who love and support us, and to top it all off we are looking forward to new and exciting changes this year. {no, it's not a baby... but I really would like that!}

The coming year looks like it will be an exciting one, full of new challenges and goals at achieve... and busy. Really busy :) But that's ok! In fact, I am really looking forward to it!

Now that Christmas and New Years have wrapped up, {with a flourish of festivities, I might add!} it's time to get back into a regular routine and that includes some fun additions to blogging.

Over the holiday, I had time to think and refocus my ideas for this blog. And from all that pondering {yes, feel free to insert a joke about how I should not think too hard, lest I blow a fuse} came these ideas for "too Blessed to Stress" :

~ Simple Solutions - Short tips for everyday homemaking, crafting and just life in general. Sometimes I'll share a tip, sometimes I'll be asking for a tip. And if you have a tip you would like to share and be featured for just let me know. I love featuring! My email is under the "Contact" tab up above.{By the way, these Simple Solutions were inspired by a little book that my Grandmother gave me just after I was married. It is filled with quick tips for everyday use - I love books like that!}

~ All About You - A day to feature one of you! Whether you are a blogging power house or just blogging for fun, if you have something you want to share that goes along with what "too Blessed to Stress" is all about I would love to feature you! Maybe you have something crafty to share, a yummy recipe, something inspirational or just want to blog swap for the day, let me know! {remember, contact info is above}

~ Pick a Theme - Ideas for themed parties, dinners and "just because" celebrations. If you have any special requests for themes you would like to see, let me know and I'll see what my little noggin comes up with.

~ In The Quiet Place - Quotes, verses and stories that have touched my life... and that I hope will inspire you as well!

~ And after all the fun I had making this video, I am so excited to get working on a few more videos to post throughout the year. There will be some tutorials, recipes, and probably lots of hubby and I being goofy! What would you like to see on "too Blessed to Stress" videos?

So what do you think? Do these little additions sound like fun?

I sure hope so, because I know that I have had lots of fun getting them all ready for ya!

Before I wrap this up I just want to express my gratitude to all you wonderful followers and readers out there - you bless my heart with your creative blogs and your support of "too Blessed to Stress." Thank you for being a part of my life in 2010, and I am looking forward to another wonderful year with y'all in bloggy land!

All photos taken by yours truly.

I'm Dreaming Of A White {and music themed} Christmas

2010-12-07T07:37:00.000-08:00

This is the first Christmas that I have had a hutch instead of a giant mirror to decorate in the dining room. At first I was kinda missing the nativity scene that usually graces the top of the buffet and the garland that wrapped around the mirror.

But once I got started with other projects around the room {all inspired by the middle of the room Christmas tree} I got all excited for the hutch. I had been using sheet music around the rest of the room when it donned on me: why not line the back of the hutch with sheet music and then have an all white display?

Instead of buying new music and antiquing it, I made several copies of an old music piece that had belonged to my Grandmother. Not only does it have the perfect amount of yellowing and wear, every time I look at the hutch I am reminded of my sweet Grandma.

Plain old scotch tape was used to hold it up. Nothing complicated so that I could mess around with the placement and nothing permanent so that after Christmas I can take it down... that is if I am tired of it by then. I love it so much that it may stay for a while!

After that, all I did was merrily ~~walk~~ run around my house like a kid in a toy store collecting any and everything that was white or slightly off white to display.

Pitchers.

A small church that belonged to my Grandma.

"Joy" angels that were a gift from my mom and the spray painted pedestal {see here}.

Gravy boat and a china plate hand painted by a dear friend.

Tea cup and a rectangular bowl. I use stuff like this even though it has a slight crack... but you can only tell if you are within 2 inches from it.... and if you are that close, I figure you deserve to know my little secret.

Ok so some color snuck in there. But only light, silvery blues and a tiny bit of browns.

Jingle bell wreath from my Hubby 7 years ago.

This has to be one of my favorite and simplest things in the display. All I did was take a piece of left over sheet music, cut it to size for the candle and taped it in the back. I could have mod podged or used wax to secure it, but if the candle is not all burned away by January I may want to remove it and try something else.

The paper doesn't even meet all the way in the back... but again if you are really gonna be ~~that nosy~~ that close, you deserve to know.

A little piece of twine tied in a bow, a wreath of white berries {from the Boutique, AKA Goodwill} all on a pretty plate, and call it a day. So pretty. I love how it combines elegant and rustic all in one. {Please note, I am SUPER careful when I burn this candle. I will remove the paper and twine when it gets too close to burning point. If you try this idea, please take the same precautions. Just sayin'}

Oh and here's little trick of mine. One thing that always bugs me is when a candle gets too squatty to sit high enough above the berry wreath to look normal and be at a safe height to burn. So to raise it up just enough, I take the lid off of a large jar candle and set in inside the wreath and place the candle on top. Perfect size and since it is glass, it will barely be noticeable.

I must say that I am pretty happy with the end result... alright, who am I kidding? I LOVE it! It is the perfect mix of elegant and country and matched the colors of the middle of the room Christmas tree just right... which is good, since that tree is visible from every room except the bedrooms and bathrooms.

Have you decorated with something in an unexpected way this year?

All photos taken by yours truly.

Doing The Unexpected

2010-11-29T19:30:00.000-08:00

Can you believe that Christmas is only 26 days away? It feels like just yesterday the leaves started to turn colors and now they are almost all on the ground! Thanksgiving weekend just flew by in a hustle and bustle of family, friends, turkey and pumpkin pie bliss and lots of memory making.

Our lovely tree from last year.

And once the last turkey meal had been eaten, the urge to decorate the tree hit full force. I was so ready... and lucky for me so was hubby... which is great seeing as I could never get the boxes out of the attic without him.

Carolers from my Grandma. Love these!

So we set aside Saturday for just the two of us and it was wonderful! We spent the day running a few errands, listening to Christmas carols and making up our own carols as we drove around town taking in the Christmas sights. After all that inspiration, we headed home and got to work putting up the tree..... and that's when it happened. Someone - that lives in this home, and is not me or the pup {ahem, hubby.}- decided that it would be a good idea to put the tree in the middle of the great room. The middle. To some that may not be a big deal, but we have a big 9 foot tree. Think about it... 9 feet worth of tree in the middle of your living room...

The middle.

Hubby reaching the top of our beautiful tree last year.

Notice the tree is dutifully in the corner...where most normal people would place it.

You see last month in a housewife-crazed-last-minute-decorating-at-10:00pm-inspiration-moments {what? don't you have those too?}I decided to move the living room furniture into the small family room at the front of the house. We had been debating whether or not we wanted couches or reading chairs for our new space, and I thought why wait? Let's just move the existing living room furniture in there, live with it and see how we like it. Well, we LOVED it. So much, in fact, that the furniture stayed in there and our living room only has two recliners and two outdoor chairs... and a great big hole where the couches used to be.

2009

Turns out hubby has always wanted to have a tree in the middle of the room, just for kicks. And since we are just that awesomely cool {or strange, depends how you look at it} we put our tree in the middle of the room.

And you know what?

It's strange,

unexpected,

and after much debating,

questioning,

and being unsure if I could handle this....

....secretly...

I love it!

There, I said it. My secret is out. I actually love the tree in the middle of the room! You can see it from the living room, dining room, kitchen, family room and entryway. Oh and hubby pointed out last night that you can also see it from the hallway. We may just have to eat dinner tonight in the hallway to enjoy the tree from another angle.

At a year round Christmas store.

Every time I walk in the room I crack up at the sight of the tree in the middle of the room. Others may not get it. They may not like it. But here's the deal: we like it. We made a memory. We did something unexpected and it produced an afternoon full of entertainment. And while the tree may not be placed here every year, for this year it is perfect.

So here's to doing the unexpected, throwing caution to the wind, breaking the rules and trying something new. What are you waiting for? Make a new tradition! Try something unepected! You may just find that you love it... and you might make a lasting memory or two in the process.

Want to take a peek at our afternoon of putting up the tree? Check out our first video-post below!

Merry Christmas everyone!

All photos taken by yours truly and my hubby.

Gobble Gobble

2010-11-25T11:41:00.000-08:00

Our little pup ready for turkey.

Happy Thanksgiving to each and every one of you! I hope your day is filled with the love and warmth of family and friends, lots of memory making and of course a delicious dinner.

Turkey cookies I made for Bible study group.

As we enjoy the long weekend, let us not forget to give thanks to the One from whom all blessings flow.

"Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise; be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the Lord is good..." Psalm 100:4, 5a

HAPPY TURKEY DAY!

Favorite Things and Paper Pumpkin Mini Tutorial

2010-11-10T14:02:00.000-08:00

I said it once {or twice... or more} fall is one of my favorite times of year. The colors, scents, tastes *sigh* just thinking about it makes me happy!

So as you can imagine it is one of my favorite seasons to decorate for as well. This year I thought that I would try out some neutral fall decor in the coca-cola room. Seeing as it is decorated in red, black, and white I needed something to stand out while not competing with the riot of colors in there.

Perfect chance to try out the black, white, and brown pumpkins I've been itching to make.

Small random interruption: OK, I just want to say something really quick. If you have not had time to decorate for thanksgiving/fall do not dismay. There is still time! If your little heart longs to see at least a bit of fall decor in your home go for it! It's never to late to make at least an entryway display, a simple centerpiece, or maybe a little touch on top of your mantle or bookcase. Keep it simple, no need to fret - autumn can still make an appearance in your home! Actually, these pumpkins are so ridiculously simple and inexpensive to make that these could be your touch of fall this year. Ok, I'm done. Getting of my soapbox :)

So as I was saying, I really wanted to try out a white pumpkin this year but the faux {and real ones} were just to pricey for me. I had an unspoken budget.... $1.00. Ok not really, but that is all I really wanted to pay for a single pumpkin. And lucky me, I found this one at the Dollar Tree.

After a 3 quick coats of plain old 99 cent glossy spray paint it was ready to decorate.

{By the way, always prop or hang the item you are spray painting. It will help you reach every corner and crevice on each coat. Here I am using a candle holder with a big stake in the center, covered with tissue paper. So easy!}

So all that was left was to decorate my happy white pumpkin. A bit of left over ribbon {which was from the dollar bin last year} covered the "seam" on the pumpkin and a little bow for cuteness. I was a tad bit worried that the glue gun would melt this foam-like pumpkin, but it worked great - score 1 more point for the glue gun!

How simple and CUTE is that?!?!

I loved it so much that I went back and got 3 more. So I guess this project cost me $4.00. A price I am willing to pay for a whole table top of decor!

Pumpkin #2 got a coat of white as well, black ric-rak every 5 inches or so, and two little leaves made out of a scrap of black and white gingham fabric.

Both ribbon and fabric were attached with my trusty glue gun, of course.

Pumpkin #3 was coated in flat black cheap-o spray paint. Then I took a white Chalk Ink marker and free handed the squiggles all around and up the stem. A few rhinestones here and there applied with... you guessed it... the glue gun.. and done!!! Are you seeing a pattern here? Easy, Inexpensive, Satisfying. Oh yea, and glue gun.

The last pumpkin took a bit more time {like 10 minutes more, that's it!} I scanned and color copied some old sheet music that belonged to my darling grandmother. It already had some yellowing to it which copied as a great creamy brown. No photoshop adjustments or any fancy tricks. I just put it in the scanner, pressed color copy and printed it out onto regular old printer paper. How simple is that?

Then I tore it into random strips and chunks{no smaller than 2"x 2"} and mod podged them onto the pumpkin. As I placed each piece, I crumpled it up even more to give it some texture. I also made sure to press the paper really well into each vertical crevice on the pumpkin so that it would retain it's natural pumpkin shape.

After letting it dry, the stem got a coat of black acrylic paint - applied with my finger. I was to lazy to find a brush for only that. The finishing touch was some jute all twisted up in a bow and .... drum roll please... glue gunned on! Bet you didn't see that coming. Yes, my glue gun and I are inseparable.

There you have it! Four of the easiest pumpkins I have ever made... and they make my little heart happy every time I see them.

Have you decorated for fall? If not, are you planning on a few touches for thanksgiving?

All photos taken by yours truly and Mr. "too Blessed to Stress" aka, the hubby.

A Meal Fit For A Porker

2010-11-09T14:41:00.000-08:00

Hello lovelies! wowie it feels so good to be back blogging!!! October was a whirlwind of work. It is truly the busiest month of the year for us. I was gone almost every weekend and it was a mad dash just to get dinner on the table some nights. Thankfully, it was all fun work and very rewarding... but whew! Am I tired!

Even with all the running around and moments of craziness hubby and I did reserve a few nights to hang out. On one of those evenings I decided to host a Pig Dinner For Two.

You see I had this idea for some piggie cupcakes and a themed dinner that I had been wanting to try out for a while... and since there were no kids visiting us in the near future, I decided that the two of us could use a night of laughs and acting like kiddos. So I just want ahead and made a whole pig themed dinner for hubby and me.... and our pup who eats like a pig. oink.

Just for fun I wrote out a dinner menu.

I made sure to include plenty piggie references all over the table.

There were even pigglets on the napkins!

This is so simple: Just print out an image to the desired size, cut out with decorative scissors, punch a hole in the top and use small ribbon to tie on to napkin. ta-da!

There was even a little porker waiting to surprise you when you took a drink of your lemonade.

I only have eyes for you!

These piggie pancakes were so simple to make. All you need is your favorite pancake batter recipe, some red food dye and a squeeze bottle. I used the candy melt squeeze bottles, but you could even use something like a clean left over ketchup bottle.

Just pour some batter in to the bottle, add a few drops of dye and shake/squish it around till you have a dark pink dye. Then squirt out the head, snout, eyes and ears and let them cook for a bit. Fill in with plain batter. When it gets all bubbly, turn over to finish cooking and you'll have a perfect piggie face. How cute is that!

The stars of the evening were these little piggie cupcakes.

These really are so easy to make. They were fudge chocolate with chocolate chips and cream cheese frosting... oh my yummy goodness!

I'll have a tutorial for these and the pancakes later this week... and it will be in video form!!! That's right... video posts will soon be coming to "too Blessed to Stress" and I can't wait to share them with you!

I hope you enjoyed the Piggie Dinner, and that you'll be inspired to try out your own themed meal sometime. If you do, send me photos or a link to your post, because I would love to see!

What animal {or animals} would you chose for a themed dinner?

Partying with Tidy Mom at her linky party. Check it out!
All photos taken by yours truly and Mr."too Blessed to Stress, my hubby!

WINNER WINNER!

2010-10-05T14:48:00.000-07:00

Ok my dear bloggy friends, here are the results from last weeks giveaway!

I used the random generator thingie-majiggy {which I have no idea how to show on screen here, so trust me... I was fair!} and asked it to pick a number between 1-8. That determined what day the winner would be chosen from. The day chosen was day 2.

There were nine comments that day. So random generator chose a number from 1-9 and the comment that was chosen was number seven... Debbi from Diamond Grove!!!!!!!

She is a fantastic card maker and her blog is full of encouraging words! Check her out here :)

This was her comment on fall scents and tastes:

I LOVE pumpkin...well, pumpkin anything! But I especially love Pumpkin cookies...YUM!! The crisp mornings and changing leaves put me in the Fall mood. Fall is my FAVORITE season--LOVE it.

Congrats, dear Debbi! I hope you enjoy all the fun goodies coming your way. Send me your contact info and I'll have your treats off to you in a jiffy.

Thank you everyone for participating. You really made my week with all your great comments and stories. The will be at least one more giveaway by the end of the year {maybe two!} so keep your eyes pealed for some more fun gifts!

The Paper Pumpkin That Made Him Smile - Day 7 of GIVEAWAY

2010-09-30T14:22:00.000-07:00

Two nights ago, hubby and I were chatting about anything and everything - goals, blessings, disappointments, encouragement, love, hope. It was a wonderful time to connect and get all caught up on our busy lives. I realized half way through that is had been so long since we talked about some of these things. Important things, silly things, funny things and some of them we needed to talk about. Some were things that we needed to make sure we were on the same page about; we needed to know that we were standing together and that our home was not divided.

Some things were ligthhearted, others brought us -ok fine, me - to tears. But in a good way! Healing tears, ones that needed to be shed. Soon our chat turned from lighthearted talk into a long night of deep sharing. We needed that. It was refreshing to take time to acknowledge the other for making sacrifices, being loving, doing the small things that often get unnoticed.

And that is when hubby said this, "I love to come home and see touches of you everywhere. It makes me feel like I am at home and can relax when I see you injected in everything in my home. I walked in the door and saw the paper pumpkin you made and it really made me smile. I realized that you make a big effort to make our home a nest and I love it."

Yes, feel free to grab a kleenex - is he not the sweetest man ever! And let me just say that I needed to hear that. It came on a perfect day when I needed uplifting and encouragement. One where I felt like my whole day had been an upwards battle and I had made no headway. Those simple words brought life and feeling back into my tired discouraged little body. It was just what I needed to hear.

It has always been a goal of mine to take time to compliment, encourage, uplift and acknowledge those around me. I may not always succeed, but it is a conscious effort I try to make daily.

And sometimes, I need to hear those words too - directed to me. Let's just say that I have been living off of those wonderful words from hubby for three days now and the feeling has not left.

Sometimes those we love the most are the ones who most need to hear words of acceptance... and often times they are the last ones to hear it. They need to hear a simple, heartfelt:

"I love you.

You are important.

Your effort has not gone unnoticed.

I value you.

You are a treasure.

You are a blessing from God.

I can't imagine life without you.

You are just what I need.

I am blessed to have you in my life.

Thank you.

I appreciate you.

You light up my day."

Simple words... but when spoken with sincerity they will breathe life and joy into the ones you love.

Who do you need to speak words of life and love to? Who goes unnoticed in your home? Your work? Your neighborhood? Your church? Who needs to hear your voice say the words "YOU are important to ME!"

To get you jump started with these expressions of love, today I am including a pack of pretty note cards in the giveaway. They simply say "Thank You."

Thank you's aren't just for when someone gives you something. They are for acknowledging something unexpected, encouraging someone to continue going forward in the everyday tasks they do.... like making a house a home with paper pumpkins.

For today's entry in the giveaway, would you share about someone that has touched your life and that you need to thank or acknowledge them for their efforts? Someone who may not realize that they have impacted your life? Who needs to feel your love and acceptance today?

PS. Giveaway winner announced Monday. Tutorial for all those pumpkins on Monday as well.

All photos taken by yours truly.

Confusion and DAY 6 of GIVEAWAY

2010-09-28T16:33:00.000-07:00

Ok, I don't know how it happened but I goofed up the number of days on the giveaway. Those of you who are good with numbers will have noticed that I had two days labeled as Day 3 of the giveaway. So I guess that instead of skipping straight to Day 7 we will extend the drawing by another day. How does that sound? So that is an extra day for you to enter and one more day for me to wonder where my little brain wandered off to!

Actually I know where it is... back at the beach. Listening to the waves crash and churn, smelling caramel corn down the street, enjoying antique stores till my little hearts content. *sigh* Sounds wonderful, right? Well that is exactly where my wonderful, handsome hubby took me for my birthday.

Remember I shared that he took the day off and we hit every Boutique{Goodwill} and Fancy Store {Goodwill Outlet} in town? Well the surprise turned out to be even bigger! After shopping till we dropped, we headed over to the Oregon Coast and stayed there right on the beach for two nights. It was glorious!

Little White Church Antiques - so sweet!

The town was small, full of charm, lots of antique and home decor stores and delicious food from places like the Cow Bell Cafe. Hello! How cute is that!

We laughed so hard at this sign, it says:

This job is a test... It is only a test.

Had it been an actual job, you would have received bonuses, raises and promotions.

Well it was truly a spectacular vacation with my love. Unfortunately, that is why the giveaway days were all messed up! I got on the internet once or twice but most of the time we spent out and about, enjoying each others company.... and maybe an ice cream cone.... or two. Yummmmm.

Hubbster and I love road trips, and one thing that always seems to come up on any trip we take is how blessed we are. We talk the whole way there and back about anything and everything... and how grateful we are for even the simplest things.

That is what inspired me to have a thankfulness tree in our home this year. It is a simple idea, but has such meaning.

Remember the tags that were included yesterday as part of the giveaway? Well here is how you use them. Find a central place in your home where you can display a vase filled with some branches. Any branches will do. Just grab some from the backyard, give them a good shake and "plant" them in your vase. Anchor with florist foam, rocks, potpourri, etc.

Later at dinner {or whenever you have family time} ask everyone in the family to think of at least one thing that they are thankful for and have them write it down on a tag. Encourage them to thing of something other than the obvious family, friends, and faith. Those are a given, and you may just want to make a tag right from the get-go for those. Try to think of those things that often times are taken for granted. Freedom, abundance, warm cozy bed, a safe vehicle, mentors, neighbors, provision, health. Maybe it is something super simple like the joy of warm muffins fresh out of the oven, the family walks that encourage bonding, a favorite park, a vacation that was special.

Then ask everyone to chose a branch to tie their tag {or tags} on to. Watch as your thankfulness tree begins to blossom. It will be a daily reminder of how much you and your family have been granted. Once the season is over, take the tags off and preserve them in a scrapbook or keepsake box.

Repeat the tradition every year and see how life changes, kids mature in their "thankfulness"and how faithful God has been.

Today, I want to encourage you to be purposeful about your "attitude of gratitude." See the everyday blessings in life... and make a point to acknowledge them.

Here are the 18 tags... waiting for you and your family

to fill them up with things you are thankful for.

While we were on vacation, we stopped in at the most wonderful little shop called The Buttery and they had the yummiest smelling soaps ever! Of course I could not resist picking out one for myself and one for you too! Today's addition to the GIVEAWAY is a darling little bar or Lavender Fig soap. It is heavenly!

For today's entry, leave a comment below sharing one or more things that you are thankful for. Think outside the box... what are the unexpected blessings that you could acknowledge today?

All photos taken by yours truly.

The Power Of Words - DAY 3-5 of GIVEAWAY!

2010-09-27T18:14:00.000-07:00

It constantly amazes me how much power our words carry. Simple phrases spoken, sometimes without a second thought, will impact someones life in a tremendous way. Our words have the power to build up or destroy. They can lift someones spirit as high as the clouds in the sky, or cause it to come crashing to the ground.

One word. That's all it takes to imprint a feeling or emotion. There are simple words and words oh so eloquent.... either way, they will affect both your life and the lives of those around you.

In our home, words are to be spoken in kindness and love. They are to be uplifting, challenging, wholesome, encouraging and sometimes even correcting. And the walls in our home reflect that. We both love to surround ourselves with words and phrases that inspire us to be better individuals, better spouses to one another, and better friends and family to those we love.

There are silly words that make us laugh on a dreary day...

By the way, this one was a gag gift from my mom to hubby several years ago. He thought it was so funny that he hung it up himself. And yes, I do let him express his opinion to the management :)

Words that evoke fond memories of loved ones...

Recipe cards in my Grandma's handwriting.

She put these in my stocking one year for Christmas - so special.

Some are just for fun...

Others display heritage...

And some that help you remember your lunch... while practicing Spanish vocab at the same time! haha!

Others are meant to uplift and challenge us ...

It doesn't matter where we go in this world, we will be bombarded with words... and sometimes they are not the most positive. It is a breath of fresh air to come home and know that it is a safe haven - even the words on the walls are safe, warm and inviting.

What words do you like to surround yourself with.

Are they funny, uplifting, reminders of love and hope?

Take a look at the wall hanging below.

See that empty space in the middle? It is waiting for the words of one lucky winner. The words that the 7 Day GIVEAWAY winner chooses will be printed and placed on that hanging.

For today's entry in the GIVEAWAY, let me know what word or words you would want on the hanging should you win. I can't wait to see what you come up with! {and I think this goes without saying, but please keep them clean :)}

Also, if you have been entering everyday, you will have noticed that I missed the last two days of the giveaway. Well it's a fun, long story that I'll share tomorrow, but let's just say that it involves vacation and the beach!

So here are the other two additions to the loot that one lucky Winner will receive:

Harvest Recipe Cards. Perfect for starting a tradition of documenting family recipes!

And your very own set of 18 "Thankfulness Tags." {made by yours truly!} If you are wondering just what these are be sure to come on back tomorrow to see... I assure you, it is a wonderful addition to your home for this time of year and cute to boot as well!

So comment below to be entered in the giveaway and don't forget to enter the other days as well. Just click below:

Day ONE.

Day TWO And THREE.

All photos taken by yours truly.

Scents of the Season - DAY TWO AND THREE of GIVEAWAY

2010-09-24T20:28:00.000-07:00

Thank you everyone for all the wonderful birthday emails and messages yesterday. You all just made my day!

Yesterday was a wonderful birthday. I turned... well let's just say that I turned one year older than last year. ahem. :)

The sign outside a boutique we went into. LOVE it!

Hubby took the day off and planned a wonderful time doing of one of our favorite activities.... Thrift Store Shopping! It was a blast! We hit 8 boutiques {Goodwill} and even a Fancy Store {Goodwill Outlet}. It was huge! We found some great deals and I just had the time of my life with my sweetheart.

Thank you hubby for a wonderful day...

and for making me laugh so much along the way!

Unfortunately we were gone all day, and I couldn't post Day 2 of the Giveaway. So today I'm giving you two ways to enter and adding two prizes to the Giveaway Gift.

As I've mentioned, fall is truly my favorite time of year. I love all the wonderful tastes: pumpkin spice, warm apple cider, hot coffee on a cool morning. And then there are all scents: the fresh smell after the rain, cinnamon sticks, and my favorite candle scent ever... Warm Apple Pie by Mainstays. It has an amazing scent that fills the whole room. I actually burn this scent year around.

So today I want to know what your favorite scent or taste of the season is. What puts you in the mood for Autumn? Leave a comment below to be entered in the Giveaway!

For second way to enter, become a follower of "too Blessed to Stress." Leave a separate comment below so I'll know. Already a follower? Just let me know in the comments below.

The first gift added to the Giveaway is my favorite scent: a small jar Warm Apple Pie candle. It is too yummy for words!

The second gift is one of my favorite tastes: $5 gift card to Starbucks. Treat yourself to a yummy pumpkin spice latte or a salted caramel cider, or whatever taste makes you feel all warm and cozy.

So let me know, what are your favorite tastes and scents of the season?

Summer to Fall and DAY 1 OF GIVEAWAY

2010-09-22T15:19:00.000-07:00

Fall is truly my favorite season. And although I miss the long summer days, picnics and garage sales.... once the air becomes crisp and leaves start to turn I get all giddy inside.

And while I love decorating for the seasons, for some strange reason I usually wait till last minute to get out my fall decor... Like beginning of November. What's my deal?!? At that point it's almost not even worth it. So this year I resolved to get out my fall pretties as soon as it felt like fall.

Once I opened the 2 bins of fall decor, I realized that there was one problem - although I was ready for the warm cozy feeling of fall I was not ready to have turkeys and pilgrims everywhere. It wasn't that fall yet. That meant that I need to mix the summer items with fall to create what I now call "The Summer Easing Into Fall But Not Quite Turkey Day Look." Catchy, huh? I'm thinking of marketing the name to Pottery Barn :)

If you have been wanting a touch of fall in your home, but like me you're not ready for all out Turkey Day here are some simple tips for cozy-ing up your home:

Remove all Spring/Summer accessories. Anything that is bright... or that you are just plain ready to change out till next year.

Keep out the neutrals - white, creams, browns, blacks.

Keep out meaningful pieces - your grandfather's Bible, a family photo, a saying that is meaningful, your grandmothers tea set, etc. As we approach the winter months there will be more and more family coming to our homes for the holidays. How wonderful to have a piece of meaningful history surrounding you as you pass on family stories to the next generation.

Shop the house for other items that aren't necessarily "fall" but that will tie in seamlessly: typeset letters, dishes, baskets, candles, etc.

Take a cue from nature and gather some twigs, leaves, pine cones, acorns, etc. Things that are already in your back yard and best of all they are free!

Gather up any accessories that make you feel all warm and cozy. To some that means dark colors like garnet, golden wheat, chocolate, pumpkin spice and cinnamon. To others is may be gray, charcoal, whites, and blacks. What ever floats your boat. If it makes you feel like fall has arrives, use it.

Personally I fall in the garnet, pumpkin spice color group. So out come the leaves, mums, and sugared fruit.

Cozy-ing up your house does not mean a whole revamp and dozens of tubs for one season stored away in the garage. It is just a few simple touches. Ok ready to see how easy this is?

This table is the first thing you see when you walk in the house.

Before - simple, uncluttered for summer.

Remove the summery fluff and items you you are ready to rotate.

Get ready to add and layer. After shopping the house all I added in was the white N.

From the seasonal group, all I used was this basket of faux sugared fruit and a mum/leaf garland. That's it! And inexpensive: the fruit was collected over the years from the Boutique {Goodwill} and much of it was brand new. The garland was a gift from my Mom... but I know she got it at a 75% off sale years ago.

First I added in the mum garland with the existing ivy leaf garland. The green added some poof and filled in the gaps of the Autumn strand.

Then it was time to start layering the fruit. Start with larger ones in the back and size down towards the front. Find color combos that look pleasing to the eye.

For the square dish I kept the lantern, jute ball and ribbon ball {which, by the way, were made with a wiffle ball like this one here}. They added texture and filled in the bowl. The smaller sugared fruit just filled in the gaps.

Once again Before:

After:

Ta-da! Instant fall!

And I love that this is the first thing that I see when I walk in - it just makes me smile!

So today I am wanting to know, have you started to decorate for fall? Is this your first year tackling fall decor or is it a tradition? Are you trying out any new fall decor ideas this year?

Tell me in the comments below what your plans are and your name will be entered in the first day of the GIVEAWAY! That's right all you have to do is comment on your fall decor and you have one entry.

Want another entry? Here you go!

Blog about this giveaway = 1 more entry
Follow "too Blessed to Stress" on Facebook = 1 more entry
Follow "too Blessed to Stress" on Twitter = 1 more entry
{Click on the Facebook and Twitter buttons on the right hand side}

That's 4 ways to enter. You can do as many or as few of these as you want, but please leave a separate comment for each one so that I know how many time to enter your name.

Just like last time this will be a 7 day giveaway. Every day there will be a new way to enter and one more item will be added to the giveaway. In the end one lucky winner will get all the loot! So check back often for new ways to get your name in.

Today's prize:

Your very own Flower Poof, made by yours truly! See more about them here.

Choose one of these three colors pictured above.

Whew! That was a lot of info all in one post... thanks for joining in on the fun of the GIVEAWAY. I'm excited to read your fall ideas.

All photos taken by yours truly.

What We've Been Up To and A Tutorial

2010-09-21T15:43:00.000-07:00

First of all, I just want to thank you all for the wonderful comments about our newly revamped laundry room . You all bless my heart so much! It really was a blast to put together and we have been enjoying the clean fresh look so much. I actually {dare I say it} kinda sorta almost maybe enjoy doing laundry a bit more now! If you missed the laundry room reveal click here.

Also just thought I would give you a heads up... A GIVEAWAY STARTS TOMORROW right here at "too Blessed to Stress." So get ready for a great gift and lots of fun ways to enter!

Just thought I would give you a quick glance at what we have been up to at the "too Blessed to Stress" nest.

Hubby built me an awesome crate style coffee table. It is the best! All it needs is a little distress ink, an emblem, and a bit of roughing up with sandpaper and it will be ready to go. I can't wait to show it to you!!!

There has been plenty of Fall Fluffing {and by fluffing I do mean decorating, in case you were wondering. ahem.} going on. So get ready for Easy Summer to Fall Decor Tips starting tomorrow.

September seems to be party month around here - including my own! I have already received some fantastic gifts and much love this week... and it's still three days till the actual day! Oh the joy!!! By the way, thank you all for your lovely birthday emails and Facebook messages. Along with my upcoming birthday, there were several other parties which I had the privilege to help decorate at. Looking forward to sharing a simple tutorial for felt banners and cupcake toppers.

And lastly I though I would share a simple tutorial for these lovely flower pins:

I just LOVE the ruffled look.

This was inspired from a photo in a magazine my mom was reading on the way to vacation earlier this year. She saw it, knew I would want to try and make one, so she ripped out the page and tucked it away to bring home to me. My mom is awesome!

Ok ready to learn how to make a Flower Poof? {yes that is what I call them, original I know.}

You'll need the following:
~ 1" striped grosgrain ribbon. Make sure it is printed on both sides.
~ sewing machine or a needle and thread in a coordinating color
~ small piece of coordinating felt { about 5"x2"}
~ brooch pin
~ hot glue gun
~ lighter

Cut around 30" of ribbon, trim the ends diagonally, and seal the ends by lightly touching the ends to the flame of your lighter.

Then decide which stripes you want to face outwards on your flower. I chose to have the lighter greens and browns showing and to place the end with the dark green stripe on the inside of the flower.

Using a wide stitch, sew about 1/8" from the edge of the ribbon. Do not finish the ends by sewing backwards, you'll need those to gather the ribbon with.

Once you've sewn all the way down the ribbon, take the back thread and hold it in one hand.

With the other, gently push the ribbon down creating a ruffly gather.

Once it is all gathered to the tightness you desire, trim the excess thread and seal with a dab of hot glue.

Trim your felt into two circles at least 1 1/2" in diameter.

Take one end of the ribbon and glue it down in the center of a felt circle.

Then twist and turn the ribbon abound the center, fanning out as you go. Make sure the side that is gathered is always facing down, toward the center of the flower. As you shape the flower, glue the sewn edge to the felt.

Take your second piece of felt, fold in two, and snip two small cuts about 1/4"apart.

That will be the opening for the brooch pin.

Slip the pin through, close and secure on either side with a dab of hot glue. Turn your flower over and cover the felt circle with hot glue.

Place the second circle over the glue, making sure to secure tightly.

Seal any seams that seem have not closed the first time around.

Enjoy! Mix and match, wear on shirts, coats, hats, purses, etc.

Well, I do believe that is all for now... be sure to stop by tomorrow and enter the GIVEAWAY!

What have you been crafting over that last few weeks?

I'd love to see!

All photos taken by yours truly.

Laundry Room REVEAL

2010-09-07T23:04:00.000-07:00

WOOOOHOOOO!!!!!

Can you tell I am super excited to reveal the transformed laundry room? heehee!

Well it was sure a challenge to figure out how to make a big impact in a small space, but I do believe that I'm in love with the result: color, function, whimsy, and bright. Seriously, it was like a cave in that little windowless room. But with just a few tweaks and some great DIY projects later, we have a space that is relaxing to be in. Now if only the laundry would wash itself... :)

Ok, ready? here we go!

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After

What a change!

My most treasured piece:

A thank you note from my hubby from 7 years ago. I was a new bride learning the ropes of housekeeping. He wrote me this note after a particularly long day of cleaning and washing clothes late into the night. I woke up the next morning, exhausted and found this note on the laundry machine. It has hung inside the cabinet door ever since, a reminder of why I do the things I do in this home: to make an inviting nest for the ones I love.

It's all in the details!

It's the little things that make all the difference.

Hope you enjoyed the tour!

There will be a few more posts later on with short tutorials showing how to make some of these projects. In the meantime, if you would like to catch up on the past projects for the laundry room just click on the titles below:

Thrift Store Chandelier Transformation

All photos taken by yours truly.

Will be linking up to parties with these great blogs:

Tater Tots and Jello

Sumo's Sweet Stuff

Simpsonized Crafts

The Girl Creative

Life as Lori

Crystals Craft Spot

The Shabby Chic Cottage

Laundry Room Projects

2010-09-02T12:29:00.000-07:00

Last day before the reveal of the laundry room. Yes, I am squealing with delight. Tonight the whole this gets put together and I am so excited to show you. Before the reveal, I wanted to show you a couple more simple projects made for that space. As all the other projects in the laundry room they were simple, easy on the pocketbook, and took no time at all to make.

This cute little lamp was a Fancy Store purchase - base, shade and all. Can you believe it? And there was not a single scratch on it. Yes, I happy danced right there in the store :)

When I spotted it, I just knew that it would be perfect in the laundry room. It serves as little ambiance in that passing spot between the garage and main house... not to mention that it reminds me to put the clothes in the dryer when I turn it off at night.

As much as I like feathered/fur trim, this one was looking a bit sad. There were fluffies missing and it was just too dark for the space.

That's when I remembered this delicious pink fabric from my stash. And wouldn't you know, there was just enough to recover the lamp shade!

After removing the fluffies, I traced the shade by rolling it across the fabric while marking it lightly with a pencil. Also, I made sure to leave at least a 1/2 inch allowance on the top and about 1 inch on the bottom. That way the "seams" would be nice and clean.

Once cut, I hot glued the fabric along the top leaving a 1/2 inch of excess fabric.

Why do I always have paint on my hands?

Note to self: wash hands before taking pictures :)

That then I carefully wrapped the excess over and glued it down on the inside, making sure to glue only on the white, thicker portion - not the black shade itself.

Then I met the seams on the side {up and down} and folded over the side that would be visible.

That way it made a clean seam. A dab of glue sealed it to the opposing fabric. Again, I avoided gluing directly to the shade.

With the excess fabric on the bottom, I folded it over once till it met the base of the shade...

... and then folded it over again to create a clean seam and glued it down.

So simple, but what a change!

Now I need to decide if I should keep the base black or go with a chocolate brown. Thoughts?

On to craft number 2.

I really wanted to use this tissue paper to make a small decor ball for the laundry room shelf. But I knew that it needed to be smaller since the tissue paper I had in this color was limited. After searching the house I came up with this:

Now you have proof that I will make a decor ball out of anything! haha!!! These are just perfect for mini decor balls.

After cutting the paper into 3/4 inch strips, I placed a line of hot glue down one side...

... and then quickly rolled it up to make a little flower puff.

Then a dab of hot glue attached it to the ball.

Several more, and voila! Instant pretty.

Who would have ever thought that this was originally a fast food prize? Love it!

What items have you repurposed for the sake of home decor?

All photos taken by yours truly and Mr. too Blessed to Stress.

Laundry Tips Board

2010-09-01T15:38:00.000-07:00

Can I even tell you how excited I am to show you the Laundry room reveal in two days? It is coming together so nicely. Who would have ever thought that such a tiny space could be so bright and cheery? Major Happy dancing going on right now :)

This is another project that has found it's way into the laundry room remodel and I have to tell you I am THRILLED with the result. It was so simple but totally makes my day every time I walk in there... which is often. This family of 2 + pup goes through a lot of laundry! Are we just more piggy than others? huh, must be :)

I found this chalkboard in the bins at the Fancy Store {aka Goodwill Outlet} and I may or may not have let out a little squeal when I found it and madly ran across the store to snatch it up. I love the big chalkboard and chunky frame! What I was not loving was the scratched paint and these weird staple things that were sticking out of the bottom. Maybe it used to have a little shelf or something? I merrily ~~pranced~~ walked calmly through the store with my purchase, not fully knowing where it would end up.

Anyhow, once home I realized that it was just perfect for the laundry room - ironic since it was originally for a laundry room and painted lavender, the old color of my laundry room.

First things first, I set up an uber professional painting station... in the living room... on a card table covered in newspaper... so that I could watch HGTV. Classy, I know :)

I found these oops paint samples in the garage paint cupboard and decide on a creamy white {left side}. Sorry but I have no idea what color the sample was, there is no tag on it.

The seams needed some help, which gave me a perfect excuse to try out this cool stuff:

It is spackling that goes on pink and dries white. That way you know when it is ready to sand. How awesome is that? Totally what this haphazard crafter needs!

I the meantime, I set out to remove the big ole staples which turned out to be big ole nails!

Hello, no wonder they hurt so much when I accidentally smooshed my hand into them.

Once all nasty nails were removed, puttied and dried I used a sanding block and a toothpick to get all the excess off and gave it 3 coats of yummy, creamy white.

While it dried, I headed over to one of my favorite craft stores, Ben Franklin, and had the words "Laundry Tip" printed out in a favorite font, Coventry Gardens. It's kinda hard to tell, but the letters are a deep chocolate brown.

Once everything was dry, it was time to apply the vinyl, have studdly hubby hang it up and stand back to admire.

I love it! The "tip" was written in Chalk Ink Markers which I absolutely am in love with. Want to get me something for my birthday this month? Colored Chalk Ink Markers are on my wish list. {Hubby, are you reading this?}

How have you been using chalk boards lately?

Joining a Laundry Room themed party over here:

And a "Wrap Up" Over here :)

All photos taken by yours truly.

Fabric Art

2010-08-31T17:06:00.000-07:00

Ok so this is so simple I feel almost silly posting a "how to" for it. Nevertheless I wish to prove a point with this mini tutorial:

You don't have to spend mucho-bucks to have fabulous customized wall art... not only that but it is so simple to make anyone could do this. I made mine while eating lunch!

Remember the recovered ironing board from this post in all it's yummy fabric glory? Well I had a bit of fabric left over that I know would be just perfect for something, I just didn't know what yet.

Save the scraps! You never know when they'll come in handy.

So today as I sat at the dining room table eating my quesadilla it dawned on me: why not take a few portions of this fantastic fabric and frame them. Instant color plus it helps carry the pattern from the ironing board up to the walls without being too overwhelming.

See, I really was eating lunch!

My first thought was, "I need to buy a few frames, Dollar Tree here I come!" Then I remembered a gorgeous frame my sister-in-law had given me for Christmas several years ago. It was a deep chocolate {perfect!} with a cuter than life bow. I have always loved the frame, but had grown tired of the photos I had placed in them. This was the perfect chance to spruce the inside up and hang once again.

I laid the fabric out on the table and played around with the placement of the frame in between munches of quesadilla. Here are some of my faves:

Here's the one I decided on:

Now came the tricky part - cutting this piece out while making minimal damage to the remaining fabric. I want to do at least one more frame and am not sure which portion of the pattern I will choose.

So I got some painters tape and put a bit on each of the four sides on the inside of the mat. That way when I cut it out, I would remember where I had placed my mat and get it centered.

Once taped off, I cut 1/2 inch away from the tape, leaving plenty of room to attach to the back of the mat and not damaging a nearby flower that might make it into the next frame.

Then I took one more piece of painters tape, placed it sticky side up, and laid the top portion of the fabric on it.

Using the tape to center fabric in mat.

That way when I used the other pieces of tape as my centering guide all I had to do was press down from the front and the top portion was adhered.

All that was left to do was remove the tape from the front and use it to secure the other sides on the back.

Stepped back, admired my work, washed down the quesadilla with fruit punch {nutritious, I know} and put the frame back together.

Easy-Peasy!

Place in frame, clean glass {wow there were a lot of finger prints!} and enjoy my instant art!

Have you used fabric scraps to fill your frames?

EDITED TO ADD: I have had a few inquires as to where the fabric came from . It was from Walmart and I spent all of $1.49 to recover an ironing board and make some art.. and there is still more left! Can I get a happy dance? :)

All photos taken by yours truly.

Iron Away

2010-08-30T12:50:00.000-07:00

So there was a major bummer with the awesome chandelier from this previous post… It was painted and looking all snazzy when dark clouds started to roll in. It really looked like a sudden down pour was on its way. So I moved it under the canopy and that’s when it happened…. The swing bumped up against it taking off a whole chunk of paint. I probably would have left it but it was a really noticeable spot. So I touched it up. Waited….. and then the bag it was drying on top of somehow got pushed up against it and tore off a BIG chunk of paint. Grrrrrr. I was not a happy camper. So there is currently no light fixture in that room and I now need to sand and repaint several spots. Bummer.

But on a happier DIY note, I have a fun project to show you. I recently decided that my ironing board cover needed an update from faded/stained stripes. There were no ready made covers that really matched the new colors in the laundry room, so I decided to make one myself.

Now before I jump into this mini tutorial please note:

~I am not a champion seam seamstress. Basic strait lines on a machine are a challenge for me. If you can sew for real – you may just want to look away. :)

Here is the yummy fabric I chose. Dark chocolate background, light and hot pinks, and creams. Isn’t it just lovely? I love it!

My ironing board is just over 2 ½ long, a little table top kind. Under the cover it had a thin but sturdy piece of foam and then just a piece of plywood. Fancy schmancy… oh, and it was from the Boutique. $3.99, yippee!

Here’s evidence of it’s tiny size - yep, that’s my kitchen counter. All full of junk… hmmm…..Guess I know what my next project is!

After ironing my fabric, I took the old cover and stretched it out flat on top of the fabric. Both were face down.

Then I cut out the basic shape of the cover leaving about 3 inches on every side.

The spray paint on my hands did not come off for several days!

Now here comes the not so technical part that I just made up as I want along. After folding the fabric within ¼ inch of the original cover I pinned it all the way around.

{Other side}

The ¼ inch became the pocket to feed the elastic through.

At the corners, I made sure to fold over one side flat and then the other on top of it.

That way when the pocket was sewn it would still be open to push the elastic through.

At this point I was ready to sew all the way around, making sure to leave a 1 inch gap at the bottom {short end}. That became the entrance and exit point for the elastic.

Once sewn, all I needed to do was attach a tiny safety pin to one end of the elastic and feed it through the little pocket all the way around. I did this, of course, while watching a previous episode of Design Star. hee hee!

All that was left was to trim the excess fabric and put it on. Tada!

By the way, there will be a laundry room reveal by the end of the week… I am just bursting at the seams, ready to show you! Stay tuned!

All photos taken by yours truly.

why?

2010-08-26T20:08:00.000-07:00

Blogger, oh blogger why won't you let me post? Hang in there everyone. Several awesome reveals that won't load pics! Will post as soon as blogger decides to cooperate... anyone else struggling this week?

Watch Out

2010-08-19T14:25:00.000-07:00

When this crazed housewife get this in her hands:

And has a cuter than life crafting companion by her side:

{one of several photos trying to get her to hold still!}

That's better! Look at that CUTE face :)

WATCH OUT! You may just get a brand new coat of paint.

It all started this morning when I gave the front door a second coat of paint. {Hopefully it will dry soon so that it can get a coat or two more and then a reveal - squeal!} So I figured since I was already covered in paint {yes, I really am the worlds messiest painter}, why not tackle a chandelier project that has been sitting on the entryway floor for about 2 weeks now.

So it's not the most attractive but not that bad either. The brown was kinda a deep-reddish-like-copper color - fine, just not the look I was going for in this room. And since it was $3.50 at the Boutique {Goodwill}, I felt no remorse attacking it with a coat of cheapo paint from the cabinet of mystery paint in the garage.

So it was off to the garage to get the necessary tools to set up an outdoor chandelier painting station:
~flat white paint
~ladder
~sturdy dowel
~stool {cause I am a wimp crouching/kneeling.}

After taping up the sockets,

I needed to tape off the wires sticking out on the top{which someone had clipped off! thank goodness hubby is handy.}

All I needed to do was unscrew the circle-hook thing on top, tape and then screw back on.

Then I strung it on the dowel across the ladder. This is really the way to go when painting something hanging. I could see all the nooks and crannies as I rotated around the ladder.

Even strokes, a bit of patience and what do ya get?

A totally new {to you} chandelier that will look fantastic in....

oh my goodness, I am dying to show you, but it is still not quite dry... and hubby has to hang it for me. I am a total chicken up a ladder. Stay tuned, reveal coming real soon!

All photos taken by yours truly.

Swirly-Circle-Decor-Ball

2010-08-16T17:35:00.000-07:00

Ok. So that may be a silly title, but it accomplishes two things:
1. Informs you of the craft to come
2. It's best I can think of in this heat. My goodness, even the outdoors is miserable... So ready for the AC to be fixed... *sigh*

Anyhow, despite the stickyness of a sauna that is now our home, I was able to muster up the energy for a few crafts this weekend. I know, what a sacrifice :)

Isn't that little black and white beauty too cute?

I made it using the same technique described in this post.

Only this time instead of using baseballs, I used a wiffle ball... wait...is that what this is? It was from a set at the dollar store...

The paper I chose was two sided.

Don't ya just LOVE that pattern!

Anyhow, for full instructions click on the link above. And if you are going to use a wiffle ball for the circle punches technique here are a few tips.

Use a candle holder with a stake/poker thing still on it to keep the ball upright.

Much easier than having to pick it up every time it rolls off the table. Ask me how I know. :)

When you get to a hole, just place some glue on the top two circles already glued on and place one circle right between them, like this:

Don't worry about the empty spot below the circle you are about to place. When you come around on the next row, the next two circles will overlap the one over the hole and that will keep it in place. Does that make sense? Hope so! If not message me and I will try to explain better.

It is really just a mater of patience with these. No perfection needed. And it's super easy to make. One episode of Design Star and ta-da! All done!

Have you made any new decor balls? I'd love to see!

All photos taken by yours truly.

Radio Gifts

2010-08-12T12:55:00.000-07:00

Remember this frame that I had made to giveaway on the radio program I co-host? Well on that same post I shared that I would be making 4 more to giveaway on that same program. This last Sunday we hosted another giveaway and here is what the winner received:

I am so pleased with how it turned out!

Last time I made these little flowers I found round objects to trace around and cut the circles out with scissors. This time I wised up and used my scrapbooking templates with little blades. {Is there an official name for those?}

And just to prove that I am pretty much always a crazy-haphazard-crafting-housewife, here is where I worked:

on the floor, in a dimly lit bedroom, next to the clean laundry pile.

It was 12:30 at night and I had been reading my scripture to finish preparing what I wanted to say on the radio the next day. The theme was " Establish." {Psalm 90:17} Asking God to make the work of our hands fruitful for His kingdom and for future generations. It is a word that has been such an encouragement to me for several weeks now. And as I shared on the radio, it has become the word for our home. One which we have been praying for and He was faithful to give. I'll be sharing more on that later on... along with a beautiful reveal of home decor that reflects that.

That cream paper is textured with little polka dots. So Pretty!

Since the the majority of our audience is Spanish speaking, the words on any frame I make are in Spanish.

This one says, "Confirm the work of our hands." It's the second part of Psalm 90:17 Spanish NIV.

Today my challenge for you is to take any and every task that you may face - no matter how small and insignificant - and see it as an opportunity to impact someones life with love and service. Ask God to Establish the work of your hands, so that any task you do will have a positive impact on someone.

Maybe you are crafting/decorating your home. As you do, pray for the people who will enter your home and be blessed by the peaceful and lovely surroundings. That they would feel comfortable in the nest you have so lovingly made.

What everyday task could you change

into a blessing for someone today?

All photos taken by yours truly.

The Crazy Housewife

2010-08-11T12:00:00.000-07:00

Yup, that would be me.

The crazy housewife.

The one who jumps up from the couch at 10:15 last night and announces to her hubby, "I feel like spray painting something!"

To which he laughs hysterically, says I am the cutest ever and that he loves my spontaneity... Somehow he did not seemed surprised, though... as if this were a regular occurrence in our home. ahem.

The spray paint victim this time:

A light pink and white spattered pedestal/holder found earlier that day at goodwill for $2.99. Love me a good deal!

Although the pink and white motif could have worked for valentines, I wanted to be able to use this year around. So it was off to the garage to tackle the pedestal with two light coats of fast drying left over spray paint from the cupboard.

I think the color is called almond. and it is a lovely creamy white... just like the inside of an almond. It was left over from painting some little frames and we've had the leftovers for 7 years. Yea, paint gets used down to the last drop before it is allowed to leave these premises :)

I had to paint here:

Because the rest of the garage looked like this:

Don't freak out on me now. All that is for the garage sale.

Yea for us!

Anyhow, this morning I walked out to get my newly transformed beauty... and loved it!

Don't you just love that shape?

Just for fun I used the decor balls from this post so that I could put the pedestal on display in the entryway.

Isn't it great how a simple coat of paint can totally change the look and feel of an item? *sigh* I'm really diggin' it!

What have you ~~attacked~~ lovingly changed with spray paint lately?

All photos taken by yours truly.
Linked to "the Girl Creative" and also Linking to "so very cheri." head on over and party with us!

Corner Bookmark

2010-08-10T15:56:00.000-07:00

These are two sweet little girls that a dear part of our lives right now. Whenever we see them we share many giggles, have adventures playing games and read books together. It's great fun! The older of the two is now reading her first chapter books and along with that came a love for bookmarks. She doesn't need anything fancy, just a piece of paper to "keep her place." So cute! So when I saw a corner bookmark here, I just knew that I needed to try one out for her.

Isn't this just the cutest corner bookmark? It's handy to have around and is a great use for all those left over pieces of scrapbook paper.

To make one, cut one 4"x4" piece of scrapbook paper and another 2 3/4"x 2 3/4".

Find the center on the 4"x4" piece and fold down the tips to make two little flaps.

It kinda looks like a little house. {don't ya just love the precise "house explanation? heehee!} Then cut the smaller square from one point to another so that you have two triangles.

{front}

Use a strong scrapbooking adhesive to attach one triangle across the back of the larger piece where the little flaps are to create a pocket and anther across the front to embellish.

{back}

Make sure you can slip your fingers inside the little pocket on the back and that it is not glued shut! {This is where you will slide the page of the book into.}

Then use punches, colored pens and corner punches to embellish.

Isn't this punch great? I got it a Craft Mart {it's usually available at Michaels as well.} It makes a darling heart pattern and leaves a little corner to slip another piece of paper into.

So sweet!

What little projects have you been working on?

All photos taken by yours truly.

I'm Getting My Craft on today here... are you? :)

Do We Have Glue Sticks In The House?

2010-08-09T13:40:00.000-07:00

Since it rained all day Saturday, we had to postpone the garage sale. So then the question became, What to do with all the time that had just been freed up?

Clean and sort some more for garage sale next weekend?

Of course not!

It was off lunch with my love and then....

off to the thrift stores!

What?!?!

For real?!?!

We just cleared out the house and now we're filling it up again?

I know - shameless!

But in our defense, we went in with a specific list and a very limited budget. no crazy, impulse shopping allowed! And we shopped at the uber-extra affordable Fancy Store {AKA Goodwill Outlet.} Hubby scored a speaker-woofer-tweeting-box-sub-thing that has been on his wish list for a while. Price? $3.99! Love a good deal! He took it apart {as in tore it to pieces!}, removed the damages parts, and rebuilt it. Such a handy man! {and cute to boot, too!}

Apparently there were several holes that needed to be filled on the back, so here is conversation that went down:

Hubby: Do you have any glue sticks in the house?
Me: {Shocked and in disbelief at the question} Do I have any glue sticks?
Hubby: yeaaaa...
Me: {still shocked} for real?!?!
Hubby: {confused}
Me: oh-ho my little pigeon, do I have glue sticks? Is the sky blue? I am a crafting, repurposing housewife who lives in an ever changing DIY space. {laughing now} Do I have glue sticks... heehee! You know this house is never low on glue sticks... or glue guns for that matter! In fact there is one right here:

See who's awesome blog I was reading at the time? :)

See that white bag? See how close I am to it - 5 feet away at the most. That is where my mini glue gun is. With me. Almost everywhere I go. It's a sickness I know.

There is even a designated drawer in my desk for glue guns and glue sticks.

So hubbster glue gunned the evening away, while I tried out my new Fancy Store purchase:

A Vortex Steamer for..... get ready for it.... $3.99!!!!!!

HELOOOOOO AWESOME DEAL!

Since there were no microfiber pads included, Hubby just tied a clean rag diaper style around the base, and I got to cleanin'!

It worked great. {squeal with joy!}

Did you find any great deals this weekend?

All photos taken by yours truly.

Head on over to see other great finds with Souther hospitality readers :)

In the Meantime...

2010-08-06T12:22:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: It has been found! the charger was... in the misc. clothing drawer. You know, swim suits, gloves, winter socks, tights, etc. And I even looked there two times last week. This time I dumped out several drawers, bags, etc and FOUND it!!!! Back to regular blogging with photos SOON!!!!

Two things are on my mind today...

1. Where is the camera charger? {If you were a camera charger, where would you hide? Any ideas? Please!}

2. Garage sale has been postponed. Major bummer. But the forecast for tomorrow is looking dreadful. Silver lining though, this way we can host a two day sale next week - Friday and Saturday {since I have to be here anyway waiting for the AC/heat pump guy to come fix our wacky air flow system.}

With that said, I have WAY to many awesome projects all done and ready to show you but no camera to take photos with! So since I will be continuing the Major Overhaul of cleaning for another week around here, just thought I would redirect you to a post from earlier this summer with tips and ideas for major decluttering. Fitting, huh?

Click here to read my tips, some AWESOME tips from readers and to add a few of your own.

Another! oh my I'm blushing!

2010-08-04T10:20:00.000-07:00

Guess who gave me another award? Sweeter than life Sarah from Crafting and Creativity. She just did two of the cutest baby girl headbands... of course it's just extra icing on the cake that she has the most darling little model! Be sure to check it out.

So, I am to share 7 things about myself before passing it on... so here we go:

1. I can {and often will} listen to the same CD or playlist over and over.... and I love it. Although I love all kinds of music, it kinda gets me in a groove when I work to listen to the same thing over and over.... and somehow more work gets done. Strange, I know.

2. Apparently {according to the most handsome husband ever} my excitement can sometimes be worse than a caffinated Chihuahua! haha! I love it :) And to be totally honest, when I am excited about something home or craft related, there is no stopping me! {woof}

3. I had to look up how to spell Chihuahua. I am ashamed to say that my lame attempt in Google was "Chiawawa." Yes, I Googled. For shame....

4. I get a thrill out of decluttering, organizing, and labeling.... oh my little DYMO labeler has a special place in my heart.

5. If I find a good deal at a Boutique {Goodwill} or the Fancy Store {Goodwill Outlet} I will more often than not do a little jig, and may or may not let out a squeal. I'm just expressive about a good deal, I guess :)

6. I really don't like to iron. I will throw something in the dryer with a damp washcloth for a few minutes and try to get the wrinkles out that way first before breaking out the iron. But I do have a secret ironing love - Napkins. I L.O.V.E ironing linen napkins. It gives me joy and is relaxing. weird I know...

7. And lastly, I am a list maker. Like OCD list maker of the ages... but I often forget my grocery list or lose the "to do" list... but at least I wrote it down... right?

Whew! That's a lot of talking about me... and now that I read them over I really do sound kinda like a caffinated chihuahua! Please don't leave me now that you know my crazy habits....

In fact would you share one of your own?

Please?

It would make me feel better :) haha!

It is a pleasure to pass on this award to:

The Painted Parsonage. One word for you about this blog - SWOON.

A Place for us 5. Check out the baby nursery. You will be in sweet little girl heaven!

And House of Smiths. I know she probably has a bagillion awards, but she inspires me day after day. If I am in a decorating/cleaning funk I just take a quick 5 minutes to re-browse her blog and Presto! I am revived.

Congrats ladies! And feel free to pass on the award if you like.

Garage Sale-ing

2010-08-03T22:03:00.000-07:00

Oh how I wish that this title meant that I was merrily skipping up and down other people's driveway hunting for treasures.... instead it means that I am currently knee deep in stuff in our garage sorting to host a garage sale.

Crummy camera phone pic, sorry but camera battery is LOST! ahhhh!

***sigh***

On the one hand:

I am tired, sweaty, covered in dirt and while the finish line is near.... I'm still not done.. and it feels as thought it may never get done!

On the other hand, I can look at the bright side:

My house and garage will be clutter free, I may make a few bucks at the sale and I have learned that in a case of extreme emergency I can kill a spider on my own.... if I absolutely have to and there is no one else around to save me from the heart palpitations and girly screams. No, I am not afraid of spiders... I just really really really don't like being near them and may or may not have a slight aversion to them.

So, all that to say that this week we will be gearing up for this sale with lots of sorting, clutter control, and the best part of letting stuff go.... moving furniture around and redecorating spaces! Our bedroom furniture got shuffled around last night and we are LOVING the change. More on that later... when I find my camera charger... that's a whole other story.

Any time we have a garage sale, there are a few little things that help make the day easier:

~ Make sure we have plenty of change. Dimes, quarters and ones and fives are what we usually get. And we don't wait till the day of the sale to get the change either... no matter how much time we may think we have, it is never enough. So someone always make the change run the night before.

~ Super clear, easy to read signs. It really makes all the difference. Same goes for prices too. It is so annoying to go to a garage sale and have to keep asking over and over how much things cost.

~ Plenty of bags, left over bubble wrap and newspaper to bag up and wrap purchases. Some people want it wrapped up others won't - either way it is a friendly gesture :)

~ Windex or wipes to shine up glassware such as candle holders, lamps, vases, etc. Basically anything that will not be used for eating.

~ Lunch in the slow cooker - soup, stew, picnic roast, chili for hot dogs, etc. Every garage sale, we'll be going along just fine... then we sit down for a break and it hits us just how tired and hungry we are. With lunch all made in the slow cooker, there is no need to wait for takeout. Just serve up some soup, add a piece of french bread and grab some fresh drinks.

~ Make our bed. Even if no one is going to see it and if it is so messy a biohazzard team wouldn't approach it with a ten foot pole - make the bed. That way after a long day all we have to do is wipe off the dirt and climb into a freshly made nest. ahhhhh, heaven!

~ Have a plan for hauling off all the stuff that didn't sell. For us, that means extra boxes, bags and a securing the little trailer from hubby's work. Goodwill is only a few minutes from our house, so as soon as the signs are down and it's packed up we take it all to the donation center....

......................and then we pull around to the front

and take a quick run through the store

to see if there is anything we just absolutly can't live without!

oh wait , did I just admit that out loud?

oops!

Shameless I know :)

What are your best garage sale tips?

Linking to WFMW with "We Are that Family"