Mandisa

On Friday night, my Mom and I went to see Mandisa in concert. I became a Mandisa fan when she was on American Idol during season 5. After becoming eliminated on Idol, she went onto become a popular contemporary Christian singer. 


Her newest single, Stronger, really speaks to me. In fact, it kind of reminds me of my little "You Were Made for This" mantra. To quickly summarize the lyrics of Stronger, it basically says that even though you might be going through a rough spot at the moment, things will get better and this rough spot is going to make you a stronger person. That has been true for many of the obstacles in my life. 


I leave you with the video of Mandisa's Stronger. Enjoy! 

Quote of the Week: Looking at Life

"Look at life through the windshield and 

not the rear view mirror."

- Byrd Baggett

Another Quote Frame

 Remember my quote frame? I love making these - so easy and fun. My niece saw that quote frame here on my blog and said she wanted one so for her birthday I made her one. This time, I wrapped the pen in matching scrapbook paper and then added a little piece of velcro to the frame and the other piece to the pen so it sticks to the frame! 

Light Lemon Pie

Whenever we have company over, I feel like I need to serve some type of desert for dinner. Since on my healthy eating quest that started in January, I have been looking for lighter desert recipes. I really should try these ahead of time in case they don't turn out well because you just never know but luckily our guests don't mind being my guinea pigs! 


So I came across a Light Lemon Pie recipe (but forgot to save the site for the original - oops!). Like always I made a few changes to it. It turned out DELICIOUS! My Mom even said that it tasted like my Grandmother's Lemon Ice Box Pie. Wow, what a compliment! Seriously, you'd never guess this was a light recipe by tasting it!


Ok, let's get cooking..... 


You will need:
1 Light, Fat Free Graham Cracker Pie Crust
9 oz can of fat free condensed milk
1 egg
1/2 cup of lemon juice
1 TBSP of lemon zest
1 tsp of vanilla extract


Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In your food processor, combine the condensed milk, egg, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla and process until combined and smooth and creamy. 
3. Pour mixture into your pie crust and bake for 15 minutes. 
4. Let it cool completely then refrigerate overnight. 


Yum-o! 


Nutritional Info:
10 servings
calories 200
carbohydrates 28
fat 6


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Spring Definition Tile (With printable!)

It certainly felt like spring here recently! Although I'm bracing myself for one more cold spell before it is truly spring. 


So, I decided to make a Spring Definition Tile. The writer in me loves anything with quotes, definitions, or words really so thanks to Mr. Webster I used the definition of spring on this tile. 


Here's what I came up with after playing around a little bit in PSP. 

Items Needed:
6 x 6 inch Ceramic Tile (You can find these pretty inexpensive at home improvement stores.)
Spring definition file (I'm sharing mine here.) 
Mod Podge
Foam brush
Scrapbook paper of your choosing
1-2 Decorative flowers 
Rhinestone or pearl (for the center of your flower)
Sanding block or fine sandpaper
Glue gun
Acrylic sealer (optional)


1. Print out the definition on the scrapbook paper of your choosing. 
2. Center the definition on the tile and then using the tile as your guide, cut it out. I always leave a little extra which we will take care of in a later step. 
3. Brush a thin layer of Mod Podge over the tile. Smooth your paper down on the tile and press down firmly with your fingers to get rid of any air bubbles. Let dry for awhile.
4. Using the sanding block or sand paper, sand off any excess paper. You could omit the sanding step but I just like the more finished, adhered look that it gives to it. 
5. Glue on your flower and the rhinestone center with hot glue. I used two flowers to give it more fullness and a pink pearl center. 
6. Spray with acrylic sealer for added durability. (You also use additional coats of Mod Podge instead.)
7. Sit it on a stand (or add ribbon and hang it somewhere) and admire your pretty work! 

Want one, but don't have time to make it? I made two and have the extra one in my Etsy store. 

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and

Quote of the Week: Looking Upward

"I try to avoid looking backward or forward 

and try to keep looking upward." 

- Charlotte Bronte

Paisley's Note

Yesterday while Noah was at school, his puppy Paisley wrote him a little note. Yep, I know she's a smart doggie! He's been behaving exceptionally well at school lately and Paisley just wanted to let him know she was proud of him too. 

He loved it. I think she'll have to write him more notes in the future!

Cute Little Birdie House

While I know there is still snow in some parts of the United States, I've decided to start working on my spring decor. Don't worry, I'm not putting it out yet, but I thought I'd get a jump start on it by creating it now and putting it aside until it's time to decorate for spring and honestly, it won't be that for away!


So, my spring decor crafting started off with a little birdhouse. My Momma gave me a craft basket for Christmas that was full of crafting supplies like Mod Podge and foam brushes and some wooden items for decoupaging. One of those wooden items was a little wooden bird house. In the past I probably wouldn't have paid much attention to a birdhouse, but I think as I grow older my style is changing and growing and I could instantly see the potential in this little birdhouse. 


The birdhouse will eventually sit on my mantle. I don't think it would hold up for the use of actual birds as I used scrapbook paper, Mod Podge, acrylic paint, and ribbon to create it. 


But I am in love with the end result..... 

Close up of the sign 

Side view

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and 

Wordless Wednesday: His Smile

I just love seeing him smile.
He has such a beautiful smile.
It makes me smile.


For more Wordless Wednesday check out 5 Minutes for Moms and Special Exposure Wednesday at 5 Minutes for Special Needs

CREATE Letters

As I mentioned yesterday, I've been working on making my office/studio more pleasing to the eye. I knew that I wanted to spell out a word with chipboard letters and place it above the doorway but the question was: what word? I wanted a word that worked for the multiple uses of this room. While brainstorming, I kept coming back to the word "create" and ultimately decided that would be the perfect word. When I'm on the computer, I'm often being creative by writing, when I'm crafting I am creating, and when I'm taking pictures, I'm creating. It works. 


I base coated the letters pink and then used Mod Podge and scrapbook paper to dress up   the chipboard letters. Since these are hanging above the door and will be up high, I didn't add ribbon or other embellishments. 

 

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Dollar Store Bulletin Board Makeover

I'm working on getting my studio/office more organized and pleasing to the eye and every office space needs a bulletin board. 

I picked up this plain and drab bulletin board at The Dollar Store. 

Boring and drab, right? 


I toyed with the idea of covering the cork board with fabric or painting it too but ultimately decided that since it was going in the office area of my studio it wouldn't bother me if it looked like it belonged in an office as long as it was dressed up and cuter than it is now. So, I covered the cork board with scrap paper and painter's tape and painted the frame of the bulletin board a pretty pink. 


While it was drying, I made a rosette out of a bit of pink and white printed fabric. There are a bazillion different tutorials out there for rolled rosettes, but my favorite one is here.


I couldn't just use boring old thumbtacks so I grabbed some assorted buttons and jewels from my stash and glued boring thumbtacks to the backs of my buttons and jewels. 


Here's my finished bulletin board. Much better than before! 

I love the buttons and jewels as thumbtacks! So much better than a plain and drab thumbtack and when they are not in use, they add additional decoration. 

Now, I just need to add hanging it to J's "honey-do list." 

Total cost for this project = $1.00!

The only thing I bought was the bulletin board - everything else I already had in my supplies. 

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Quote of the Week: Life is like a Mirror

"Life is like a mirror;

if you frown at it, it frowns back, 

if you smile, it returns the greeting." 

- WM Thackeray