Mr. Kangaroo

I have been really sick the past few days - like stomach flu sick that required a minor care ER trip. So sick I have been staying in bed sipping on ginger ale since Monday. When Noah left for school on Monday, he knew I was feeling bad and would be going to the doctor. On Monday afternoon when he got home from school, he had a tiny kangaroo in his back pack (from the school store) and J asked him who it was for and he said Momma. So, they brought the little plastic kangaroo, who in my state of sickness I un-originally named Mr. Kangaroo into my room and promptly set him on my bedside table right next to the tissues and there Mr. Kangaroo has sat and watched over me the past few days while Noahie has been at school. He is such a sweet boy.

Walnut Owlie

If you have been reading my blog for long, you know I have an affinity for owls. While visiting back in September my BFF's husband showed me this adorable owl he made out of walnuts. He even has a tutorial on his you tube channel on how to make it. 

Check it out!

Quote of the Week: Next Chapter

"You can't start the next chapter of your life if you keep re-reading the last one." 

- Unknown

Knocking the Dirt Off

"When you're up to bat, the first thing you need to do is make sure you have good footing so you have to knock the dirt of your cleats even if there is no dirt on the field or your feet never actually touch the ground! It's an important part of the game. All baseball players know that."
- Noah and Granddad 

Glittery Candles made with Mod Podge

As I previously mentioned, a couple of weeks ago Plaid Crafts sent me a big box full of different Mod Podge goodies to create something for Halloween! Opening the box was a bit like Christmas morning!  After seeing all the goodies, I had so many ideas floating through my head and it was hard to narrow it down to one. Ultimately I decide to make some glittery candles with charms.

Want to know how to make your own glittery candles? Well, let me show you! 

Supplies needed: 

Black glitter

Battery operated pillar candles (I found mine at the Dollar Tree.)

Foam Brush

Mod Podge Acrylic Shapes (I used a circle charm and rectangle charm.)

Mod Podge Sparkle 

Mod Podge Clear Sealant

Scrapbook paper

Letters (I cut mine out of cardstock using my Silhouette but you could always use sticker letters.)

Ribbon

Instructions:

1. Cover your workspace to protect it. This can be a bit messy! You'll also probably want to pour some of the Mod Podge into a container so you don't get black glitter all in your jar of Mod Podge.

2. Brush the sparkle Mod Podge onto your candle. 

3. Roll your candle in the glitter. If any spots are bare, just add a little more Mod Podge to those spots and then roll the candle in the glitter again. Be sure to do the top of the candle too.
4. Let your candles dry and then spray with the Mod Podge clear sealant. This keeps the glitter from falling off. 

5. To make the charms, trace the clear acrylic shapes onto the back of your scrapbook paper and cut them out. Brush Mod Podge onto the shape and then press down the scrapbook paper onto the shape making sure that it is smooth and there are no bubbles. Brush a tiny amount of Mod Podge onto the front of the shape where you want your letters to go.
6. Tie the ribbon around each of the candles threading the charm through as you tie the bow. 

7. Display your beautiful glitter candles!  

For more inspiration and ideas for Mod Podge projects, visit Plaid Crafts on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest.

Disclosure: This post is part of a paid campaign with Plaid Crafts and Blueprint Social however all opinions in this post are my own.

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Noah's Clemson Quilt

Noah received a big surprise in the mail yesterday! 

He received a beautiful quilt from Love Quilts! 

Love Quilts is a group of cross stitchers who create quilts for children with special needs and life long or life threatening illnesses. Each quilt square is cross stitched by hand by different members of their group from all over the United States. Each quilt has a theme which guides them in what type of squares to create for the quilt. 

When I was asked about a theme for Noah's quilt, I knew that he'd want a Clemson quilt but I wasn't sure if they would know what Clemson was so I suggested football and baseball done in orange and purple with Clemson in parentheses but when I received the email from Noah's Love Quilt contact, she told me she knew all about Clemson, that she too lived in South Carolina and her daughter went to Clemson so she knew of Clemson cross stitch patterns and what not. 

(Collage of close up photos I took of some of the quilt squares)

What resulted is an absolutely beautiful and special baseball and football Clemson themed quilt that Noah LOVES. 

We want to say a very special THANK YOU to all of the lovely ladies from Love Quilts who lovingly made squares for Noah's quilt. It is so special and something Noah (and his parents!) will treasure for years to come. 

Mod Podge Goodies

I recently received a box full of Mod Podge goodies from Plaid. I've made a Halloween project with these goodies and will be sharing it here on Thursday but for now, take a peak at the video below and see what all I received!

Quote of the Week: Desire to Create

"The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human sole." 

- Elder Uchtdorf

Weekend Wonders: Fall Stuff

Fall is officially here and I have been seeing cute fall decor items all over the blogosphere lately. Some of my faves are below. 

Patterned Pumpkins

These patterned pumpkins at Lolly Jane are absolutely adorable. 

Book Page Leaves

I am a sucker for anything newsprint so I adore these leaves made from vintage book pages at The Ivy Cottage Blog.

Pine Cone Candle Holders

I love these pine cone candle holders made from pine cones and empty soda cans at Crissy's Crafts.

Leaf Pillows

Check out these cute leaf pillows made from placemats at Home is Where my Story Begins. 

No Sew Fabric Pumpkins

These cute little fabric pumpkins at Tater Tots and Jello look easy to make.

Framed Book Page Pumpkins

The Scrap Shoppe Blog shows us how to make these cute book page pumpkins. 

My Sweet Boy

I have recently found it easier and less strain on my back to put Noah's braces on each morning by sitting him on the edge of the bed with his feet hanging off the side and then I sit down on the floor to put his braces on. All of the sudden recently when getting up, Noah started extending his hand to me to help me up. He really isn't strong enough to help me up but I said thank you and took his hand anyway and could feel him actually pulling and trying hard to help me up. It made my heart swell with pride and love for him. He is so tender and kind hearted. He now extends his hand to me (without prompting) every single morning and even though it's not actually helping, it's the thought that counts. He tries to help and more importantly to me as a Mother, he wants to help. Such a sweet, sweet boy!

Easy Card Making System

In today's technical era of texting and emailing, handmade cards mean so much to me. I know that the person who made the card put extra time and energy into making that card. I like making homemade cards so that the people I give the cards to will know the same.

But sometimes card making can be overwhelming! The new David Tutera Celebrate Card Making System makes card making as easy as 1-2-3!

Let me explain............

Step 1 is to choose a blank card. 

The cards come in a variety of sizes and colors. 

Step 2 is to choose a layer.

The layers are probably my favorite part of this line! They are amazing! Some of the layers are embossed, die cut, glittered, etc. 

Step 3 is to choose an embellishment or multiple embellishments. 

There are various color coordinated stickers, die cut, rhinestones, tags, etc. that compliment the layers and cards beautifully. 

So let me show you how I made my beautiful congratulations card.

I started with a blank card that has a little bit of shimmer and sheen to it. I chose to use 2 layers; the congratulations layer and then a sheen pink layer. I really love the shape of the congratulations layer. 

I cut the pink layer so that I would just have a little bit to show behind the word congratulations and then I adhered it to the congratulations layer using glue dots. 

I then centered the congratulations layer onto my card and adhered it to the card using glue dots. 

Next, I chose to use the "you're engaged" sticker and wanted to make the sticker pop by backing it with the same cardstock from the pink layer.

 So I cut a piece of cardstock from the layer that was slightly bigger than the sticker, stuck the sticker on the cut cardstock, and adhered it to the card using glue dots.

Lastly, I added two rhinestones to just to give it a little bling. 

And it's finished! Beautiful yet simple and classy! 

And making that card got me in the mood to do a little more card making! Here are a couple of more cards I made. 

Bundle of Joy Card

Fall Card

This card features a favorite fall photo of mine. I added the lacy layer on top of the photo.

I really enjoyed using the new David Tutera Celebrate Card Line. The quality of the cards, layers, and embellishments is outstanding.  While I focused solely on making cards in this post, you could also make a variety of paper crafts using items from this line like cupcake picks, bookmarks, tags, etc. 

This card line will be available for purchase at Jo-ann's Craft Stores very soon! 

For more information, you can follow the David Tutera Paper Crafts line on Facebook,Twitter and YouTube.

Would you like to win some of these goodies? Three lucky winners will receive a $250 grand prize pack of supplies from David Tutera’s Celebrate cardmaking line AND a personally signed book from David. Twenty additional winners will receive a $50 Celebrate prize pack! 

Sign up here for a chance to win.

This post was sponsored by the David Tutera Celebrate Card Line and Blueprint Social however all opinions are my own. 

David Tutera Celebrate Card Line Goodies

I recently received a big box of goodies from the new David Tutera Celebrate Card Line. It was filled with blank cards, die cut and embossed card stock layers, embellishments, and other card making necessities. Next week, I'll be sharing some cards I made with the new line and I'll show you how easy the line is to use so stay tuned! But for now I leave you with a sneak peak of all these fabulous products!

For more information, you can follow the David Tutera Paper Crafts line on Facebook,Twitter and YouTube.

Disclaimer: I received free products and will be compensated for my post but all my opinions are my own.