Fun and Mental Changes

Well, I got a special request from someone to post how I made my wonderful sparkly ornaments. So here you go folks, it's a snap. I'll start with the pictured items you'll need for this project (click on pictures to enlarge). Pledge Floor Finish with Future Shine Craft Glass Ornaments Fine Glitter Mod Podge (optional) Hot Glue w/Gun (optional) Embellishments (optional) Funnel (not pictured) Bowl for trash/excess liquid (not pictured) Carefully remove the metal top from the ornament. Don't pull too quickly or roughly as you can chip the glass. Squeeze about a tablespoon of the Pledge Floor Finish inside the ornament, cover the top with your thumb and gently shake until the entire inside of the globe has been covered with the floor finish. Empty excess floor finish into trash bowl. Place the funnel in the top of the ornament and pour another tablespoon of glitter into the ornament. Cover with your thumb again and shake until the entire inside of the ornament is covered in ...

There are so many people who make "deposits" into our lives. Things that are said that we literally take to heart and make part of who we are. These people can be our programmers if we aren't careful. It starts with our parents and fortunately or unfortunately, THEY install our operating systems. What our parents and family tell us as children lays the groundwork for who we become down the road and what we believe about ourselves. Being so young, we have no reasoning skills and therefore no control of our mainframes. But there IS a point where WE decide what programs will be integrated and WHO influences our internal connections. In some cases (like in my case) the problem lies with needing to RE-wire the mainframe and upgrade that operating system. If you're like me, because of bad wiring, it can be a struggle believing that you're good and strong and capable and deserving. But if you are struggling, it's important to understand that the struggle itself is a...

"He who wrestles with us strengthens our nerves and sharpens our skill. Our antagonist is our helper." What a wonderful quote from Mr. Burke. Me thinks Mr. Burke read his Bible... either that or he was married to my ex husband... HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I am so very lucky for all the lessons I learned at a very young age. Those lessons were, in fact, the prelude that would make the stories of the Bible JUMP out at me. I was blessed with bad decisions and bad behavior right from the beginning which lead to a tough run too young.... and too soon after being baptized a Christian. But, I was in effect wrestling... a picture that became crystal clear years later reading Genesis 32:24-28. This is the scripture that came to mind when I read Mr. Burke's quote earlier today. Genesis 32:24-28 - "And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob's hip was ...

I just volunteered to make cards for our soldiers overseas (click on pics to enlarge). I love volunteering and I love crafting, so when the opportunity to combine the two presented itself... well, of course I was on-board! But I COULD NOT have done it without my Cricut and my Xyron 900. It would have taken me forever! I spent the day working an assembly line to make these pretty cards inspired by Abby (thanx Abby!). First was the stamping, then the coloring with the water color pencils, then the blending with water, then the drying and embellishing all before cutting out each image.... twenty... 2.... 0.... But it just so happens that while I was doing all those steps, I was also cutting out my card fronts and mats on my cricut. See, the beauty of the Cricut is you can load and cut your paper and walk away while it's cutting. On top of that, I was able to plan out all of my cuts with my Gypsy which saved even more time and certainly more paper. Twenty cards were made in all and I ...

I FINALLY finished the stitch ribbon Gypsy cut file! It has taken me forever to get those "stitches" just right. My first attempt ended up with "stitches" that were just too far apart, but I'm really pleased with how this turned out. I used a little "hello" butterfly stamp and then colored it in with a green glaze pen. Other than the glazed butterfly and the flower, the "ribbon" is the only other thing to make this card pop. I used the Plantin Schoolbook Cricut cartridge to make the "ribbon"... I'm hoping that most everyone has that cart (didn't it come with the expression?). Anyhow, I hope everyone likes this. You can find the file for this download at the top right margin of my blog along with instructions to download. And just for fun... here's a card made with the "ribbon" I nixed. Can't waist those mistakes!

I've been going NUTS with the sweets! It's right before the Christmas holiday, and too soon after all that pumpkin and apple pie, we are well on our way to cookie season. HOW to stay on track during a time when there's bad (but oh so good) food everywhere? The protein shake can stay those cravings and satisfy that sweet tooth. I thought I would take a second and post my favorite Christmas protein shake recipes. Each of them uses the same vanilla protein shake base (I personally use Myoplex Lite, but you can use your favorite brand). Also, since I prefer a thicker shake, I have included the optional vanilla yogurt and ice cubes. Here's to staying good... the BEST way I know! psssst... I heard a rumor that Santa requested my Gingerbread Shake instead of the high fat milk and cookies. Mochee Mint Shake 1 serving vanilla protein shake powder 1 tablespoon raw cacao powder 1/2 tablespoon raw mesquite powder 1/4 tsp decaffeinated instant coffee 5 drops peppermint extract 8 oz....

A couple of nights ago I had the pleasure of going to a Joel Osteen event. His wife and kids were there, his brother Paul was there along with local ministers. I did not pay for my ticket and believe it or not, I was picked up in a white hummer with black tinted windows... "my limo", I called it. This event was literally given to me. I got to spend the evening with two of the most amazing women and we had a BLAST. With all of that to be so grateful for, I find that my sights are set on the greatest gift given to me that night.... Philemon 1:6 . I really hate admitting this, but I have never read Philemon and I don't know why (it's 1.5 pages for crying out loud!!!). I want to say that it's so small and easily missed, but that isn't a reason.... made even less of a reason since I have tabs that extend from my Bible that don't know 50 pages from 1.... no excuses. Honestly, BECAUSE it's so small, it really should not have gone unread. Could ANY book of the...

I finally figured out how to use those markers in my dang cricut machine!!! I HAD to figure it out soon because one of the markers from the set that I got FOREVER ago went dry. That's how long it's taken me to figure out! So the key to using them is to not remove your mat from the machine. THE "LOAD PAPER" BUTTON TAKES YOU BACK TO THE TOP RIGHT CORNER OF YOUR MAT SO YOUR PAPER STAYS ON THE SAME X/Y AXIS.... Nice! That is it! That is the secret to use the markers! If you look closely, you can see where I messed up the blue marker lines because I removed the paper to change out the marker and insert the blade. When it didn't work out, I ended up leaving it because it added a nice dimensional layer to this little koi fish... (oh and also so I could show you what my goof looks like). Only after I cut the image did I see that the outline didn't work. So instead of removing the mat and paper again, I hit "load paper" and redid the outline with a ...

This special gift took minutes to make and is a wonderful presentation for any special person on your gift list. The glass bowl, the cellophane, the ribbon and even the candy came from the dollar store. I simply spent 10 minutes stamping the side of the bowl with these precious candy canes. You can find these candy canes at THIS Konad nail art stamping retailer on image plate M12 (the Christmas plate). I could have done these in red or gold... even green. That's the beauty of using this nail art stamp on your nails.... you can change things up over and over. Heck, that's the beauty of using this nail art stamping set on ANYTHING!!!! So now, not only can you use the Konad nail stamping for your nails, but you can also use it for your craft projects too.... those mini details add the perfect touch to so many projects (click on the pic on the right to enlarge see the detail)! For more information on the different types of nail art kits that are available (my recommendations and p...

So I was watching the Thanksgiving specials on Food Network last week and saw Ms. Rachel Ray make " Stuffin Muffins ". Ok, let me just say, "BRILLIANT!" This isn't your ordinary, run of the mill brilliant either. This is the "I just discovered that you can put anything on a stick, deep fry it, serve it at a fair and make a mint" brilliant. A brief shot appears on my TV screen showing the end result of these "Stuffin Muffins" and I'm glued to the set. It's so simple.... instead of preparing a whole casserole dish of stuffing, or even trying to figure out what to do with the left overs from the stuffed turkey, squash them into balls and press them into a muffin pan. Now she made this apple stuffing that she put into a muffin pan, but this was for Thanksgiving and our house DOES NOT waste a perfectly good eat-till-you-wanna-puke day on anything as healthy as apples. Oh no, for us it's bread crumbs, butter, sausage, butter and butter....