Monday, November 26, 2012

Thrift Store Score - homecoming edition

I know it's now officially Christmas season but look at my fun score from the thrift store....


HOMECOMING LETTERS! You know, the glittery ones you stick on homecoming mums. I found 2 bags of them for about $5 total. Do you know much fun homecoming letters can be? Just look at 'em!

 
Obviously, they'll make for some fancy Christmas gift tags with everybody getting tags with their initiasl on them. But some of these can be a little more silly.
 
 
Hello? Emoticons! amiright?
 
Of course, I could just use a mess of stickers to cover something and make it all shiny like. They'd make a fun crazy frame around a mirror. No telling, until I get started.
 
 
Bad picture but good intentions. These I's would make some cool stripes!
 
...and to all a good night!
 
 

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Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Hey, Kool-Aid....nice box


Pickles is a sack-luncher and one thing that goes in her lunch every day is a Kool-Aid pouch. We wind up with several leftover boxes. Granted we recycle them, but I just like the shape of the box. Figured I could repurpose them, but I gotta pretty 'em up first.



With some dollar store wrapping paper and ModgePodge, they become a cute matching set. Good for storing crafts supplies, office supplies, maybe stuff in the kitchen cabinets.

I'm using these for storing some product for the shop. They're particularly cute when they're stacked.

Cute, cheap, easy....my favorite!


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Monday, November 19, 2012

Giving Thanks, in writing

A few weeks ago our Ladies' Auxiliary held a vendor's market at the fire station. A few firefighters helped us all day long, setting up, BBQ-ing, helping vendors and more. We we wanted to give a simple token of appreciation and decided on some homemade plaques. Nothing fancy, but sincere.

I just transfered images onto wood plaques. They were prettty simple to make, actually. I searched online for some image transfer tutorials. Most of them required a gel or some medium and a process involving several steps. "Ain't nobody got time for that"  I reduced them down to a few steps and they came out just fine.


I used:
wood plaques - got 'em at Walmart for $.97. You can get them at Hobby Lobby or Michael's too.
Parchment paper - I cut 8.5x11 sheets of it. Word of advice: iron it before using. It makes it uncurl, and a little bit stiff for printing. (I tried wax paper at first, but it messed up pretty bad when printing and it got jammed in my printer.)
credit card - for rubbing your image onto the plaque

This is just a personal preference, but I used a wood burning tool to "age" the edges just a bit.

I worked up an image and reversed it. Then I printed onto the waxy side of the parchment paper.
I only used one sheet at a time. I didn't know how quickly the ink would set so I wanted to get the images onto the wood as soon as I could.


I cut the image to the size I was going to use so that I could be sure to center it on my plaque. Then, I carefully laid the paper down onto the wood and holding it still, I began to rub.



Once I had the imaged transfered, I let it set for a few minutes. The last thing I did was spray it with hair spray. HAIR SPRAY. It is a fixative, after all, and it worked like a charm. It kept the ink from smearing.

The finished products were simple, rustic and pretty nifty if I don't say so myself!



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Thursday, November 15, 2012

Thanksgiving - neices and nephews

I'm thankful for my nieces and nephews! Big ones and little ones, I love EVERY one.



 

I should be closer to them and maybe that's something I can work on in the coming years. But no doubt, they are precious to me as the most prized jewels!

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Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Thanksgiving - Day 14

Although I don't want to seem like I'm tooting my own horn, I'm thankful for creative abilities. I was raised by a crafty, DIY mom and Pickles and I have fun making things for our lives, for our family, and for our friends. My BFF and I used to call it "make-do 101". I just call it fun. Even if my craft area pretty much ALWAYS looks like this:



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Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Thanskgiving - Day 13

I'm thankful that my kids go to school so close! I can watch Pickles and Chief walk to school from our front step and that's is indeed a blessing! Besides the convenience, it affords me a glimpse into their interaction when noone is looking. It's adorable to see them chatting, laughing...I've seen them hold hands! I'm grateful to be able to see those little moments!

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Monday, November 12, 2012

Thanksgiving - Day 12


I'm thankful for bedtime stories. One day she'll be too old for them. Like Chief, she'll just let them fade away until she doesn't want them anymore. So for now, I relish the sweet little moments that let me send her off to sleep with a giggle or a sigh or a wish.

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Sunday, November 11, 2012

Thanksgiving - Day 11

It's Veteran's Day! Today I'm thankful for the men and women who volunteered to serve this country (including my dear Daddy McD). We take for granted just walking around without worrying about the ugly stuff because somebody else is doing that for us. Someone else is on watch while we take kids to school, go to the grocery store, attend high school football games.  They're a blessing to this country, thanks y'all!!
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Saturday, November 10, 2012

Thanksgiving - Day 10

Today is our 5th anniversary. I'm thankful for the best and happiest five years EVER! Five years ago, our families joined together. We formed our own little haven, where we're safe to be our nerdy, quirky, weirdo selves with the people who most share our nerdy, weirdo quirks. It's pretty awesome.


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Bringin' Poly Back

 I don't know what came over me, but on a trip to the thrift store I ran into a cache of polyester pants and a switch went off inside me. Now, supposedly I was just there to drop stuff off but of course, I just had to do a turn about the store to see what was "new". There, in the "oldies" section, was a cache of polyester. I know, it's been there the whole time, right? I just never "saw" it!



First I liked some of the shirts,
 
then I found a pair of shorts

then the pants started looking good and before I knew it, I was in need of a cart.
 

 
All of a sudden I could see myself looking like tv moms from the 70's...and I liked it.

I need these pants. Besides, several seasons ago fashion magazines began touting the return of high-waisted pants...I'm still waiting for them to trickle down to the bargain basements.
In the meantime, I'm bringing Poly back.

OH!...did I mention the wedges?


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Friday, November 9, 2012

Thanksgiving - Day 9

Sweet Dreams!! It may be kinda kooky but, I'm thankful for my bed. Soft pillows, a down comforter, several extra blankets. It's a blessing that can't be overlooked! During some lean years (childhood and young adult), I went without a bed a time or two (ok, four). There are people in the world sleeping on dirt floors, or without ample cover in the cold or both. By comparison, I'm sleeping like a king!

Sometimes at night, when I can't sleep, I just thank God that I'm in a big, warm, fluffy bed with my pillows and my covers and suddenly, I'm out like a light!

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Thursday, November 8, 2012

Thanksgiving - Day 8


Today, I'm thankful that I live in the U.S.. Folks here enjoy basic freedoms that in other countries would be luxuries! Freedom to believe the way you want, freedom to choose your mate, freedom to express your views and opinions. We have the right to live where we choose, dress as we wish, defend ourselves. ALL of us can vote, be educated, be free. Some of us even excercise our right to speak against this nation. If only Americans knew how good they have it, they'd be thankful too!

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Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Thanksgiving - Day 7

I'm so very thankful for the roof over my head. It's not the Biltmore Estate, but it's our own little corner of the world and I'm working on making it a little haven.

I've seen little wooden shacks literally built from discarded wood. I've seen houses the size of my kitchen. I'm not describing the tiny house movement. I'm talking about folks who would look at my house and consider me rich. My blessings are not lost on me.

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Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Thanksgiving - Day 6

The McD clan. Salt of the earth, heartlanders with big hearts. I don't just love them...I really really like them! I'm thankful to marry into a family of warm people who are caring and generous. They made my kids and me feel at home right from the start. It's too bad that we live far away. But you know what they say; absence makes the heart grow fonder!

Some people can barely get along with their own family, much less the in-laws. I'm thankful that I have a family I enjoy being in and being with!


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Monday, November 5, 2012

Thanksgiving - Day 5

We are Family! Yes oh yes. I'm thankful for ALL of my family foreign and domestic. Today however, I want to focus on the four ladies who make up the "inner-sanctum". That's my mom and three sisters.
 
Teresa VillafaƱa
It's been a long hard road. Together we've faced poverty, abuse, abandonment and fear. But we've also shared our joys, accomplishments, dreams and our futures. Yes, trust me we've got enough drama for yo' mama...and her llama. But each one of us will always find four hands stretched out when the going gets tough.
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Sunday, November 4, 2012

Thanksgiving - Day 4

You always have your health. I'm thankful for it. So many people are suffering from pain, disease, deformity. What can I complain about? Back pain? Puh-leeez.

Yeah, the wrinkles are showin and it's not as easy to lose those pounds anymore but, c'mon. I have all my limbs, and MOST of my original parts (sorry, appendix and baby teeth, you just didn't make the cut...). my eyes still see and everybody knows this loud mouth of mine works just fine. So yeah, I'm thankful.

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