Found this fabulous FREE printable by falala designs. It’s perfect for today.
And for your entertainment pleasure…hubby & I made a video just for you!
Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!
Happy Valentine’s Day,
Grandparent’s LOVE – A Valentine’s Day Mantel
February 13, 2013 By 3 Comments
As usual it’s been a work in progress. Meaning I finally added the finishing touch yesterday.
I’d like to call this “Grandparent’s LOVE.” I decided to add photos of our grandparents in the window frames to feature them. This is a great opportunity for family history discussion within our family. Two couples represented are my grandparents. One couple is my husband’s grandparents. The other two couples are my great grandparents. {Just for the record, I’m not playing favorites. 
I found these photos quickly and they were the right size to fit on the heart doily} The legacy of enduring love exudes from these grandparents.
I am blessed to have one of these grandmother’s living in Arkansas looking and acting as young as ever. I am grateful our children are able to spend time with her. There’s nothing like the love of a grandma. We love you so much Oma!
I also wanted to feature some of my kids previous handmade gifts of love. My son made the clay heart with the arrow going through it years ago. My youngest daughter made the clay heart inside the small lantern. I think it’s important to display items our kids have made us. This shows them how grateful we are for their works of art, but also encourages their creativity. I’d much rather have a handmade gift than a store bought gift from them.
I found the 2 free printables on Pinterest. You can find them on my Valentine’s Day Pinterest board. I added them to frames I had on hand. The heart photo album is the one I have blogged about in the past. And of course you can see my Stringed Heart Sculpture I just blogged about in the previous post.
I added the wood “You are the…” board I gave my husband as an anniversary gift one year. The Generosity board I purchased in the past and felt it went with the theme. {I’m also trying to teach this concept to my family. } Last, but certainly not least, is the Christus I glazed at a church activity around 18 years ago. Christ is the epitome of LOVE. He almost always is on my mantel, if not there, then somewhere in our living room where I can see him. The only money spent on this mantel was for the heart doilies and supplies for the Stringed Heart Sculpture. It’s so much fun shopping from home and using what I already have. You should try it.
Celebrating enduring love,
Stringed Heart Sculpture
February 11, 2013 By 1 Comment
Today I am ecstatic to share with you my latest creation. I call it a Stringed Heart Sculpture. I was blessed with the opportunity to teach this craft at a local boutique on Saturday.
Supplies you’ll need:
- wood. I used 16″ x 16″
- paint.
- string. I used hot pink braided mason line from Lowe’s.
- nails. I used box nails size 4D x 1 1/2
- painters tape.
Instructions:
1. Paint the board. On the second heart I added a border by mixing pink paint and Annie Sloan’s Clear Wax.
2. Cut out a heart the size you want.
3. Tape it where you want it on the board.
4. Add dots onto the paper heart where you want your nails to go.
5. Hammer nails onto dots.
6. Gently tear off paper and tape.
7. Tie a knot with the string on the bottom nail. Wrap the string around each nail to outline the heart.
8. Cross over to other nails however you want. Wrap around each nail again until all nails have been wrapped around at least once or as much as you want. Be creative, there is no pattern.
Here are some photos from the class:
Some class members did smaller hearts. There were a few who placed the hearts at an angle as well.
The long haired blonde you see above was very creative and strung hers in a striped fashion. I was glad to find out she was an art teacher AFTER the class was over. Not one sculpture looked like another. That’s what I love about this. Everyone’s was unique!
The short haired blonde you see above with me is the very sweet lady who invited me to teach this class at her boutique. She is also my professional photographer who has taken our family’s portraits for 6 years. We are planning on holding one adult and one kids craft class every month. I am so grateful for this opportunity. I look forward to meeting and making new friends while creating together.
Idea credit: Green Wedding Shoes
Crafts bring joy,
Large Wood Heart for My Front Door
January 26, 2013 By 10 Comments
Last week I looked at our undecorated entry way and thought to myself, “I need a heart.”
No, I’m not quoting from the Tin Man (Wizard of Oz)…lol
I envisioned in my mind a simple big rustic wooden heart to go on my front door for Valentine’s Day.
Normally, when I get something in my head like this, the first thing I do is go searching online for it. Invariably, every time I spend way too much time looking for ‘it’ and never find it. So instead, I decided to make one!
4. I painted and added a little of Annie Sloan’s Dark (Brown) wax to give dimension and have a subtle rustic look to it.
To add to the rustic look I took keys and banged them on the painted heart.
I decided to sand the heart again after I got my frustrations out by throwing the keys over & over on the heart. I wanted a little of the original light wood to show through around the edges. I ran into a slight hiccup when I decided to sand over the top of the heart as well. I explained and showed on the following videos {very amateur videos} what happened and how I was to remedy the problem without repainting it all over again:
My Son says it’s “tacky.” What do you think?
I heart Valentine’s Day,
Great Organizing Tips
January 17, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Yesterday, after tripping over shoe upon shoe I decided it was time.
Time to organize my closet once and for all.
I never truly organized it when we moved in to this house about 3 years ago. It has also become a dumping ground for stuff around the house. For example, I might have company coming so I grab a container and throw all the clutter in it. That container ends up in my closet. For some reason I have linens and all kinds of non-closet items. I always justify that the rest of the house {the part everyone sees} deserves my attention more. However it is completely out of control and beginning to wreak havoc when trying to find clothing I need or want.
I have a nice size walk in closet with built ins. It is plenty big for my needs yet most of the time I can’t walk in. Isn’t that awful!? It is. Sigh…
This is where I am in my organizing {no I did not finish}:
-Took all the shoes out of the closet. Purged shoes (1 bag)
-Vacuumed the floor I could see. {I love vacuuming because of the instant gratification it brings!}
-Purged dresses and shirts. (1bag) Threw away old hangers and used new wooden hangers I scored for only $6 for a box of 20 at Wal Mart. {Sure hope when I go back to Wal Mart they’ll have more of those hangers}
-Grouped my dresses in colors. Ahhh…if it only looked like this all the time.
Anyway, so a beautiful person I met at Blissdom last year is a professional organizer. Her name is Amy Volk from amyvolk.com She saw me whining about how grueling this closet organizing process is for me on Instagram with the photo above. She left me this comment of hope:
“Tomorrow my segment is on closet organizing 
)))”
I visited her site first thing this morning and found a video of Amy on a TV news segment and had to share it with you:
I’m off to work some more on my closet.
P.S.: When I updated my blog it took away my pages {Home, About Me, Blogs Bring Joy, Affiliates Bring joy, Books Bring Joy} I’m currently waiting to hear back from WordPress to see how this can be corrected. Sorry for the technical difficulties
Wish me luck,
LOTS of Change
January 15, 2013 By 7 Comments
“No blog worthy posts right now?” Hubby asks.
I have a list compiled of blog worthy posts, yet it’s not happening.
There was Christmas.
There was sickness.
Hopefully, I’m on the tail end of this obnoxious sinus infection. I feel way better than I have been, just not back to normal.
The New Year…2013…what has she brought our family so far:
Let’s see…if you’ve been following me on Instagram, you are aware that during my sickness phase my Daughter had oral surgery.
Boy was that a doozy! I really should write a post about how to prepare for having your teen’s impacted wisdom teeth removed. Ugh! Fortunately, she has recovered and no suffering of dry socket, thank heavens! {Photos above show my Daughter with one of her BFFs who came & help nurse…THANK YOU AGAIN C!}
Two days ago, Sunday, DH was released from his volunteer calling of Bishop for our local church congregation. He served without pay and in addition to his full time career for almost 3 years. This is a HUGE change for our family. The Bishop has many responsibilities as leader of the congregation. I am grateful for his service, time, dedication and devotion to that special calling. I am also grateful it is only for a few years. I look forward to a new beginning for our family…more time with my husband and more time for the kids with their dad. I took a photo of hubby & I after church to document this milestone in our lives.
Last but not least, I realized I haven’t blogged about my haircut which happened 6 weeks ago.
I really love it! It feels like me. LOTS easier to do and I feel lighter. {My hair is extremely thick!} Thank you for all the kind feedback from everyone online about me going very short again. The family was extremely shocked about my decision, but now they say I look weird when they look at photos of me before. lol They are used to it now. Sometimes, I look back at photos of me before and have a teensy bit of regret, but not for long. My husband was right when he said, “it was time for a change.” So glad he agreed.
Before I sign off, I just want to take a minute to say something. If you read this whole post and you are not related to me, I am grateful.
I have been reevaluating my blog. As I have mentioned in the past, I struggle from ADD & depression. Sometimes, when I am feeling low I wonder why anyone would want to read about me who is not a good friend or family member. Heck, I know many friends and family members who don’t visit consistently or at all. Yet, even though you may not comment, I see you coming back here. How? Well, there’s this little website in the blog world called Google Analytics. Occasionally, I go there to see what people are reading or if there are any people at all visiting. Last year 20% of my visitors are returning visitors. That’s you! Thank you. Even though I’m not always consistent with my blog writing you still return. Thank you for caring about me and my family. Otherwise, why else would you be coming back? Sure, I have a few good ideas here and there, but not enough for you to check back to see those. So, again, thank you. I appreciate each and every one of you. You help this silly, eccentric and sometimes lonely Momma feel as though I matter. I know I matter to my family, at least I hope/think I do, but it’s not the same. I am indeed grateful to know I matter to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, which is most important. I just hope the talents He has blessed me with can help bless others lives. YOU matter to me and to Him. For it is through others that He meets our needs.
I appreciate YOU,
connect