Borrowed Blogging Tips

I stumbled into this blogging world

by accident. 

I was designing multiple centerpieces at the time

and was using Google Image for inspiration.

Thrifty Decor Chick made

this amazing centerpiece for her dining room.  It was "lurve" at first sight :)

So, in celebration of reaching over 1000 page views yesterday,

I thought it would be nice to give a shout out 

to the fabulous blogger who inspired it all for me :)

Check out Thrifty Decor Chick's blogging tips.  These have been super helpful to this baby blogger :)

Thank you Thrifty Decor Chick! 

Sweet Love Notes from 2 Little Boys

Ever since the boys brought their candy bags home

I have been finding these:

 This one was left on my pillow last night.

And when I was blogging tonight

I found one on my desk.

The boys know that they are my favorite

so they leave them out

for me to find.

They just make me smile!  I love those boys!!!

Spiritual Emergency Room Statistics

I have been at "school" for the last couple of days here.

This is Dr. Dean Radtke

who empowered us with

specific mindsets,

skills, and

organizational structures  that will enable us 

to accomplish more

AND

have a better quality of life.

Now who wouldn't say yes to that? 

This course was specifically geared toward 

churches and ministries,

but some good friends of ours came to glean information for their businesses.

We learned a lot of specific information that I am excited to implement and see the rewards of.  

One thing that I am thinking about:

Dr. Radtke compared churches

to spiritual emergency rooms. 

How well are we meeting the needs of those individuals coming through the doors?

What percentage of people get help

and what percentage of people leave

and never come back? 

What do those statistics look like?

I'm calculating and facing the facts.

I'm thinking

and praying for wisdom

to do a better job so that we can

help a lot more precious people find

healing, help, restoration, and hope

through Jesus.  

Cupcake Costume Recipe

November 10, 2010 UPDATE:  I've been featured for this post at Crystal's Craft Spot!!!
Thank you Crystal.  I hope that you have time to check out her great link up parties.

We always have a super fun

party for the kids at church

on October 31.

The boys are not into the cute costumes I made for them when they were little any more,

so we are going store bought again this year.

I figured I would skip a costume for myself this time.

But when I saw this feature on Cityline I reconsidered.

Here is my take on the cupcake costume that they featured:

Cupcake Costume Recipe:

INGREDIENTS:

dollar store laundry basket (mine was round and cost $3)

pink shirt (from my closet and free)

glitter felt (I bought 4 pieces for $2 and had lots left over)

scrap cardboard (from my recycling bin and free)

safety pins (on hand and I don't know how much I paid for them)

twine (dollar store special from my stash)

pink wig (Shopper's Drug Mart for $5)

2 headbands (stash)

artificial pumpkin (stash)

red craft paint (left over from my Sports Theme Bulletin Board)

Hot Glue

Aluminum Foil (kitchen)

Gorilla Tape

METHOD:

Cut felt into rectangular strips that resemble sprinkles. 

Safety pin them to a pink shirt.

(I tried not to put too many on the "chestal" region but that wouldn't matter for a kid).  

Cut the bottom out of the laundry basket.  If you are fortunate enough to be skinny enough to fit into that round opening, rejoice and move on to covering the basket with aluminum foil. If your hips are more than enough for that opening, cut the basket in half and gorilla tape the cardboard in to widen the basket.  It will make the cupcake base oval instead of round.  I suppose I could have used an oval laundry basket, but our dollar stores didn't have any of those and I didn't want to cut up the laundry baskets that I actually use for laundry. 

Cover the shape with aluminum foil.

Cut two lengths of twine and attach to top of basket to make straps that will go over your shoulders.

Paint the pumpkin red.

Pull out the tiny stem and replace with part of a headband in order to make a cherry like stem.

Attach to another headband with hot glue. 

Put on your sprinkle shirt, step into cupcake laundry basket base and slip twine straps over your shoulders.  Slip on the pink wig and pop on your "cherry on top" headband. 

Out of pocket cost: $10

OK,  I did feel kinda silly wearing it,

but it was a kids party. 

The little ones thought I was looking pretty "sweet". 

Linked here to Crystal's Craft Spot

This Idea Just Makes Me Wish I Were Pregnant

I've got costumes on the brain.

Look what Ashley created 

at Make it And Love It.

If I could rig it right, this is how I would tell the world that I was expecting :)

I won

It has been a busy week. 

After finishing my costume for our party on Sunday,

I was scrolling through

Google reader and came upon

this. 
I hope that you take time to check out some of her recent projects like her kitchen island, button art on her craft wall, and her Christmas hoodies that are available at her etsy store.
She's a very creative lady (and an Ikea lover).

She is sending me this cutie owl:

 

The garland is bea-u-ti-ful!

The kids are downright precious (and grown now I understand).

Thank you!

  

Vintage Pop Crate

I have been looking for a Dr. Pepper crate...

but so far this is what I found within my budget.

  I popped into the dollar store and grabbed some paint and paintbrushes.

 I tried touching up the original Coca-Cola stamp with white paint... but I wasn't liking the look.  The paint was running beyond the stamp imprint, so I outlined the letters with a Sharpie.

 I used a damp paper towel to lighten up the white paint.

Ta-da!

Crate: $3

Paint & Brushes: $2

Total Cost: $5

So far the crate is living outside, but it is looking kind of lonely out there.  I'm on the hunt for some things to pair it with.  I'll post it when I find it :)