The Blind Date

Just thought I'd share a snapshot of today's 'hot dates' bod to make you jealous :-)

I had never met him before - one of my brother's friends knew him & kind of got it started. So, after a few myspace messages, txt messages, and phone calls we finally met face to face!

I was SO nervous. I haven't been on a blind date in a long time. We had a blast - ate lunch & then hit the trails...4 miles. It was beautiful, but my body is paying for it now.

We have decided to do it again.

BONUS: Firefighter....rawr.

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

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!

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!

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!

Positive!

I've come to a point where I realize that being positive *in every area* is changing the way I perceive my life. It is helping me grow as a person, accept the inevitable, and find joy in the small things that make life special. Having the glass half full heals the soul and allows others to feed off of the newfound energy. Metaperceptions are lifted, and smiles can not be stopped! It is amazing how just telling yourself {silently, in a whisper, or in a yell} that you WILL have a good day - or that you are thankful for your blessings is an instant attitude ajustment.

Absorb the day - really take the time to observe details....the smell of your morning coffee (or in my case...morning, afternoon, and night coffee!!!!), pick a few leaves native to your surrounding and put them on display in a cute frame, become a tourist in your hometown and discover a little hole in the wall full of brilliance, thank a Soldier or thank a cop, introduce yourself to someone new, change up the daily routine, pick out a funky new toenail polish *you know, electric blue just because you've always wanted to* pick up a piece of trash and put it in the trashcan, use perfumes and lotions that compliment your mood, catch fireflies and put them in a jar like you did as a kid, hug your family and tell them you love them every day, pray hard, give, become selfless, exercise patience, exercise your mind, exercise your body, curl up with a good book by a pumpkin & spice candle *because it feels good*, BE who you've always wanted to be!!!

Bye Bye Blazing Heat

Farewell summer...It's fall y'all! This cool, crisp air has gotten me frisky. It sounds silly, but I feel so alive, so good, so excited about each day. The summer's here in Alabama are so harsh and misreable. So...ciao baby!~* {for now at least}

Back from the Work Trip

I have returned from a LONG week of working in Orlando at an Army National Guard conference. Wow. Lots of good stuff happened; but I am EXHAUSED. My feet are callused and blistered, I worked 12-15 hour days, met a bunch of wonderful Soldiers & Officers - a lot of which I have been working with but have never met. I was able to thank them face to face; and they were able to thank me. Although, my contributions do not even come close to these men and women who are fighting for my freedom. The courage, strength, heart, and sacrafice is beyond belief are what these people do for us. I was only able to take a few pictures of the week...take a peek...

Packing up and ready to go. *sorry, excuse the undies please*

We've made it! The hotel was in Downtown where all the magic happens, certainly not the best, but at least a place to lay my head.

Downtown disney. Fuzzy picture - you must physically go see this to believe how beautiful and truly magical this place is...

End of first day. The group must find something to fill our bellies.

Yay! We found foooood. Steak atop mashed potatos with onion ring strips on top. Yum.

Ye 'ole Irish Pub to end the night.

Hanging out with the group was fun...and interesting. What happens in Orlando, stays in Orlando.

Irish Pub had a talented clogger that clunked and clanked in the middle of the restaurant every 30 minutes. I even got a dance lesson myself :)

The company President struck up a deal with the clogger to embarass one of our co-workers for a personal lesson in front of everyone.

We only had a chance to look in one of the wonderful stores in disney! This place is HUGE!

Time to eat again! BONGOS Cuban cuisine! Garlic Shrimp, fried bananas, & rice.

Conga line baby!

OK, OK...enough play...here is a few shots of work. I promise there was more working than playing. Look at this cool ice sculpture.

The feast before the auction....what you can see is a totally cool rockin' band who played with a painter who got wild with it on stage.

Oh, there's more - just can't figure out how to transfer them from my phone to my sd card yet :)