Yum Yum Bubblegum Boutique {Review}

Who isn't a sucker for unique, handmade jewelry pieces? You may be wearing the standard, but deep down you want to show off your creativity and not know where to start. Yum Yum Bubblegum Boutique is a little etsy shop where it can begin. It is a great place to pick up something special for yourself or a gift for any occasion.

Yum Yum Bubblegum prides itself in working with metals and textures {copper, beads, oxidized metals, & charms}.

You can find just about any hand stamped beauty at this boutique- rings, earrings, necklaces, you name it!

I was lucky enough to receive the Handstamped Washer necklace. This piece allows you to be as creative as you can get! You can have names, phrases, dates, etc. added for personality. You can also add beads, pearls & birthstones - so your imagination can really run wild! This is my newfound love and I haven't taken it off yet. It's a great conversation piece that has had all of my friends asking "Where did you find this?!"

Yours will never look like another because each is hand stamped & crafted so stamping, spacing, design, & color vary.

The Holidays are getting here fast! I recommend shopping over at Yum Yum Bubblegum for that authentic gift that you have always wanted to give.

Halloween

Happy Halloween everyone! We had a dress up day at work, so it was a lot of fun. Here's me as a cavegirl...

and here was my super-easy treat I decided to bring...

Yum. Why waste time making caramel apples for an office full of folks when you can just let them dip it themselves :) Cute pumpkin bowl huh? Already on sale in stores as the holiday is coming to a close. Get 'em while there hot!

Have a safe & fun night!

 

Love.Hope.Faith

These beautiful fall shaded leaves were found today on my walking trip. Oh, and for the record...it's hard to write on a leaf with a white out pen! I want to leave you with some inspiration:

• Mother Teresa - If you judge people, you have not time to love them.
• Xena -Hope has been and always will be safe. It's inside every one of us.
• Edith Hamilton - Faith is not belief. Belief is passive. Faith is active.

Fall for me Frame

Just for fun I wanted to fill my other old frame with something Fallish. Joanna inspired me with her wonderful FALL blocks! You have to go over to her blog to see what a cute and easy craft she has going on.

Scrapbook paper, ribbons, cut-out letters, feathers, and one of my favorite combos...blue and chocolate... stuffed in a frame is a unique way to bring in the season.

* Forgive the drab cast my camera decided to do today. It makes it hard to see! & make sure you don't make the mistake I did; measure your lettering to match the size of the matting!

Maybe you want to use it as part of your centerpiece. Pumpkins - candles - moss - raffia - feathers - acorns can also be sprinkled around on top of the frame to finish it off. You could also make mini versions and stuff into small frames to use as coasters for any season!

OR maybe you want to have it standing up as a backdrop!

Technorati Tags: Crafts,decorating

Confessions - Car Ride

 Confession...I like to be really {REALLY} silly during car rides. I like the window down, the radio up, funky music blaring, singing like I wrote the song, taking silly pictures, laughing, dancing, honking at random strangers just to get a honk or wave back, giving thumbs up out my sunroof, yelling at people who go below the speed limit, rolling my eyes at rubber-neckers, and doing the 'Roast' of my car...which of course involves making fun of the squeaky breaks, cracked seats, windows that don't roll down, back doors that will not open, & that it only has a cassette player. 

*Disclaimer- It took a lot of guts for me to put such a silly pic of myself on this post! However, I think it is a fun way to express myself & let others know that they are not the only ones who do embarrassing things when no one else is looking :-)

Frame Makeover

I found this old frame in the give-a-way pile and had an idea.

Blech. This needs a lift!

Woops! I accidentally broke the glass trying to take the old prints out. Thankfully, I didn't get hurt & there were two of these badgirls.

Aaahhh. Remember the lettering that made me so proud? I cut it out and glued to a scrapbook paper background & put it into the old frame.

Cute!

The original frame looked to new - so I scraped the edges to give it an aged look.

The final product!

She is so cutsie and easy to make. Don't give away old frames...you never know when you might need 'em!

Little A

Little A looks like this...

and I have found her a happy home.

This is my bedside...and the mirror is looking sad and drab.

I cut out Little A and stuck her to the mirror and gave a mini facelift by changing up the hanging ribbon.

HOME SWEET HOME!

Monogrammin' in Paint

Forgive my I-insist-on-doing-it-the-hard-way...way. I was using my Friday night fever playing around with fonts in Microsoft word - then transferring the images to Microsoft paint for some love time. I made a little monogram using the program wanna see?

See how the A on the right is reversed? FUN! This was a small 'win' in my book - since I couldn't figure it out in Word.

For those of you in the same boat I will share the (shhhh!) secret:

1. Go to Microsoft word and pick out your fav font
2. Make sure the middle initial is larger than the others
3. Copy and paste into Microsoft Paint (my Paint program was found under Programs -> Accessories)
4. Click on draw icon (first icon on top-left) and draw around the last initial in the monogram
5. From the top toolbar select image ->reverse -> horizontal
6. Save as JPEG if you would like use as a graphic in the future

AND coming soon to a blog near you:

a little fun surprise using this...

Frizzled Messy Book

How about a little inspiration to get your inner warm fuzzies going? I have crafted my very own pick-me-up out of crazy items found around the house. These are the individual pages which will be bound up by ribbons in the near future. Enjoy!

Nature is the art of God.

Our life is frittered away by detail...SIMPLIFY, SIMPLIFY.

WHO IS RICH? He who rejoices in his portion.

Color in a picture is like enthusiasm in life.

All life is an experiment.

WHAT IS LIFE? It is the flash of a firefly in the night. It is the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime. It is the little shadow that runs across the grass & loses itself in the sunset.

Peace. It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart.

May you have warmth in your igloo, oil in your lamp, & peace in your heart.

Write it on your heart that EVERYDAY is the best day of the year.

The world belongs to the enthusiastic.

WANT TO MAKE YOUR OWN?!

Go ahead...grad some cardstock, inspirational transparencies, glitter, mini closepins, safety pins, colorful paperclips, buttons, ribbons, magazine scraps, frilly fru-fru beaded fringe, colorful wire and beads, raffia, stickers, articles, newspaper clippings, leaves, shells, paper sacks, cheese cloth, aluminum foil, wax paper, white out pens, feathers, sticks - flowers - and leaves from outside, tie-dyed paper towels.. and your creative brain.

Get to rearin' tearin' and having fun. There are no rules here. Well..there is just one...HAVE A BALL!

Oh. And about the tie-dyed paper towels...you can do this easy peasy. You know that box of paaz egg dye that didn't get used this Easter? Set it up. Crinkle, twist, fold, swirl, & dip your paper towels into the colors and pull out a masterpiece. Let dry first before crafting. Grab your kids & get to it!

Messy 'Rats Nest' Fall Wreath

It's true. I know you can't believe that I was bored the other day. I decided to totally demolish our spring wreath *since is it Fall & all* Again, true the outcome is not the most magnificent of all - but it did fill my boredom woes. Nothing a little mini punkin' & gords, sunflowers, pinecones, balls of wood, and raffia couldn't fix.

Before

After

Lifting Spirits

I have been away due to my Grandmother's passing. She had been diagnosed with Myasthenia Gravis - a degenerative disease that had taken her over. The last few years has been hard on her, and it was finally time for her to go home. The past few days have been really tough - but thankfully, our family was around to provide support for each other.

I had some get-a-way time to enjoy my favorite girlies, Kayla & Kelsie {my cousins} for some picture time!