Halloween "wreath"

This is the "wreath" I made for my door for Halloween. I originally found the idea on Pinterest, my new favorite website! The blog with the original idea is Made. This idea can be used for all kinds of things. The author of the blog even made a giant one for her wall. I think next year I will make one in between the columns on my porch. It was very easy and actually quite fun! You could also use all kinds of different colors and styles of yarn and frames. I see an obsession coming on!! :)

Great giveaway for the kiddos...

This is from The Meanest Mom blog. Very funny. I love to read and feel like I may not be the only slightly crazy parent from time to time. Check out her blog for the great giveaway or click the picture to go to the exact post. :)

A vacation from my vacation...

We had a truly wonderful vacation. Really. But I have never been so tired!! You need to be a professional athelete to handle all the walking (and sweating) that goes on at Disney World! My DS had the advantage of riding in a stroller. I can't lie. After a couple of days I thought about giving that thing the weight limit test of it's life!! :)

Here are a few pictures from the trip. We also spent two days in Cocoa Beach so that my DS could see the ocean for the first time. As soon as I take out a loan for all the pictures I need to print I will start scrapbooking and posting the results here. :)

To the happiest place on earth...

So, in one day we will be on a plane flying to Florida for our first real vacation in 11 years. It will be Colson's first real vacation ever! :) We are going to spend two days at Coco beach and seven days in Disneyland. We are SO excited!! I can't even begin to imagine how many pictures I will be taking...(and posting!)

We are a little nervous for Colson to fly. He has some sensory issues with his ears and I am concerned that the popping may be painful for him. I'm am praying it won't be and he'll barely even notice it happening. We are taking suckers and a sippy cup to help with it though. I am just hoping that it doesn't hurt him. I don't think he fully grasps the concept of us flying and then being somewhere other than home. Especially for an extended time. It should all be very intertesting, but I hope tremendously fun. :)

Please pray with me that we will have a safe and wonderful time. Be prepared for lots of photos next post(s). :)

God bless!

Wedding gift - Ornament...

I saw the idea for this ornament on Pinterest. I don't have the original link, sorry. It was very easy to make and I think it is a wonderfully sentimental gift. I took the wedding invitation and cut it into thin stips. (I cut out each line.) Then I rolled them into curls. I used a poking tool and wrapped it loosely.

Next I pushed the rolled paper into the ornament and filled it up.
The sentiment I stamped onto vellum and layed it over the little flourish that was at the top of the invitation. I then added a large chipboard H and grey ribbon.

Supplies:

-Large plastic or glass ornament. (I used plastic).

-Ribbon

-Embellishments

-Wedding, shower, or other invitation


I also sprinkled a little glitter into the ornament and rolled it around to give it a little bling.

Very easy and lots of fun. There are so many possiblities for how to customize this and different events it could be used for. I'm a huge fan of personalized gifts and using a wedding invitation is a great way to really add a sentimental touch to any gift.

Working on it...

So my plans to get back to blogging have been interruped by dental drama.

As my friends and family well know I am terrifed of the dentist. It's not just a pain thing. It's a brain thing too. I had some pretty rough experiences with the dentist growing up and I guess I've never really gotten over it. So, the only time I go to the dentist is if I am in horrendous pain. Even then I try to avoid it. :)

So last week one of my wisdom teeth abscessed. Or at least it hurt like an abscess. So I decided I better go and get stuff taken care of. I'll spare everyone the details but 3 hours, 3 pulled teeth, and a filling later I am laying on the couch praying the pain doesn't get too bad. I'm ok right now. I'm still very numb but I'm feeling a few "tingles". My appoinment wasn't painful, but it was rough. Again, I'll spare everyone the details and just say that I may actually be changing my views on nitrous oxide. I may not be that big of a fan anymore. Shoo Lord.

The point of all this is to explain why I haven't gotten anything together to post. I just haven't been up to it. I have lots of ideas jumbled up in my head and I will work on getting some loose and onto my blog. Soon. :)

In the meantime, enjoy a few funny posters I've found online lately. I know I could use a good laugh about now. :)

Let's try this again...

Ok, so I've not blogged in quite a while. Since the end of January actually. I've had so much going on that my blog was a very low priority. Along with the good I've had my share of bad. This past July 4th we lost our beautiful 5 year old nephew to a tragic car accident. His mother was driving and his older brother was in the car as well. My sister-in-law was thrown out the back window and my older nephew had mild injuries. My dear SIL has understandably suffered so much worse than just physically. Their family is devastated beyond the capacity for words to describe. My brother asked me to speak at the funeral. It didn't work out for me to speak, but I wrote something and I'd like to share it here.
There are things that we don’t want to happen but have to
accept, things we don’t want to know but we have to learn, and people we can’t
live without but have to let go.

Trenton Jaxon Carmack was born on January 27, 2006. A 7 pound
7 ounce bundle of cuteness who completed his family and brought so much
love into this world. A second son for Ricky and Mary, a little brother for
Ashton, and a joy for all the rest of us.

When we found out Monday that his joy would no longer be a
part of our lives, words wouldn’t come. Only tears. We cried for the loss of
such a sweet and loving boy. We cried for a life cut way too short. We cried
for a mother, father, and brother who will always carry the pain of this loss.
Whose hearts will never fully heal.

It’s hard not to question God during times like these. It’s
hard not to be angry, to not cry out that this isn’t fair. That it is
absolutely unacceptable. We want to know why God would take this precious boy
from all of us? How could He allow us to suffer so much? The only answer I have
is:

I don’t know. And until the day I see Trenton again in
heaven I may not know. But here’s what I do know:
God loves us. He loves each and every one of us. And even
though right now our hearts are shattered; He’s standing right beside us
holding the pieces. We have to trust Him and accept the peace that only He can
give. And while we may not understand why He would choose to bring Trenton to
His side, we can always be grateful that He gave us 5 ½ amazing years with an
incredible boy. Trenton Jaxon Carmack touched each of our lives and has left an
imprint that can NEVER be erased. He may have only been with us a short time,
but we are so blessed by every second we had. Most importantly,
if we believe in Jesus Christ and His finished work
on the cross, if we trust Him to take away our sins and give us eternal life,
we have hope that we will see Trenton again.

The bible says; Can anything separate us from Christ’s love?
Does it mean He no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are
persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with
death?....No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through
Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from
God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels or demons, neither our fears
for today nor our worries about tomorrow – not even the powers of hell can
separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below –
indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love
of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:35-39.

Rick and Mary: There are still so many tears to be shed, so
many memories to be recalled, so many condolences to hear….All I know to say to
you is that in any way that we are able, we hope to walk beside you during this
heartbreaking time and maybe even help you carry your grief for just a little
while if we can. I pray every moment that God will wrap you in His peace and
give you comfort, now and for the rest of your lives. I know that no matter how
much time passes your hearts will always carry a wound that can’t be healed on
this earth. But God loves you and He wants to hold you. While your world is
crumbling around you never forget that God still stands and you never leave His
hands.

I’d like to close by sharing two poems. I didn’t write them,
but they express so much of what I am feeling and I’m sure that most of you are
feeling as well.

Master Weaver
My life is but a weaving between the Lord and me,
I may not choose the colors,
He knows what they should be,
For He can view the pattern upon the upper side,
While I can see it only on this, the underside.

Sometimes He weaves sorrow, which seems so strange to me,
But I will trust His judgement, and work on faithfully,
‘Tis He who fills the shuttle, and He knows what is best,
So I shall weave in earnest, leaving to Him the rest.

Not till the loom is silent and the shuttle ceases to fly
Shall God unroll the canvas and explain the reason why –
The dark threads are as needed in the Weaver’s skillful hand
As the threads of gold and silver in the pattern He has planned.


The Broken Chain
We little knew that day that God was going to call your name,
In life we loved you dearly, in death we do the same.
It broke our hearts to lose you, you did not go alone,
For part of us went with you, the day God called you home.

You left us peaceful memories, your love is still our guide,
And though we cannot see you, you are always at our side.
Our family chain is broken, and nothing seems the same,
But as God calls us one by one, the chain will link again.

-Ron Tranmer

I share all this because I feel like the more places I put it the more Trenton will be remembered. He was only here a short time and I want to believe that his memory will live on through us and with those we share it with.

Thanks for taking the time to read all of this. It means so much to me. I will be back to regular blog posts this week. I hope to share my scrapbooking and so much more. While my blog is about crafting I am going to incorporate other things as well, including personal things.

God bless!

One last time...

This is my last post for the StampInsanity Design Team. :( It's been a lot of fun and I've been able to work with some beautiful art and ladies. Thanks to everyone over at the asylum! It's been great!

This week's challenge at StampInsanity is "Find Your Zen". Make something soothing. :) I could sure use that this week. So, I played up the "chocolate" factor of the new stamp set "Zen Morgan" and made a hot cocoa jar.

I colored the image with my Bic markers.

Well, my leaving can mean only one thing. There is a new DT call out. If you love the stamps you've seen here (and you must) then check out the DT call and give it a shot! You'll be so glad you did!

Party Favors

Here's a pic of the party favor holders I made for Colson's party.

I don't have the exact measurements on hand but I took a large piece of white CS and then 3 strips of red CS and adhered them. Then I wrapped that into a cylinder shape and taped it together. The brim is a 2 1/2" circle that I fastened to the cyliner. The little star "favor" I made using a large lollipop stick, scallop and circle punch. I'll try to post a demo later.

Colson's Day of all Days

We decided to do a Dr. Seuss theme for my son's 4th birthday party this year. I had a rough time finding any hand-made ideas for invitations, favors and such. Finally I just sat down with a bunch of Colson's Dr. Seuss books and put a few ideas together. Here is the invitation I came up with.Practically everything was done by hand. I drew the hat and colored it with my Bic markers. I used a ruler and drew the stripes on the base of the card. The sentiment is a stamp I picked up at Hobby Lobby several years ago. It was actually pretty easy and quick to make. I was so glad for that! I also made favor holders. They are the hats, but upside down to hold the goodies. I will post a pic tomorrow.

Now to figure out how on earth I am going to make a Cat in the Hat cake! Wish me luck. :)

Shades of You - Thursday Challenge at StampInsanity

The challenge at StampInsanity this week is to use your favorite color and it's shades along with white (if you must). :)

As you can tell, my favorite color is red. I figured this week's challenge would be a nice opportunity to make a Valentine's card since it's a prominent color for the holiday.

The image is from "Holiday Princesses".

I'm not the best with color. I like what I like and it's hard for me to think outside that box. So, I love color challenges. Bust out your favorite shades and head on over to the StampInsanity blog to join in the fun.

Thursday challenge at StampInsanity

This week's StampInsanity challenge is "Let it all hang out". Which I do all the time! ;)

The flower, butterfly and circle are punch out die-cuts I've been hoarding for years. I drew the lines on the edges of the card and dotted them with silver stickles. The image and sentiment are from StampInsanity. I colored the image with Bic and Copic markers.

Thanks for stopping by. Check out all the other "Groovy Gurls" (listed on the right side of my blog) for their amazing projects!

This week's challenge at StampInsanity

Sorry I've not been very active lately. The last few weeks have been very busy. Holidays, kid stuff, life stuff....:)

So I joined in with ward 2 over at StampInsanity for this week's challenge.

The challenge this week is Hardcore Hardware. I used a metal ribbon holder and some brads for my metal. I drew the white lines around the base with my gel pen. The image is from the Holiday Princess set and I colored it with Bic markers.

I hope this challenge gives you inspiration to break out some of that scrapbook hardware you've got in your stock. Check out the StampInsanity blog for some more amazing ideas or the store to get this super cute stamp!