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Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Joan Jetts coffee cup cozy... not really.

Welcome my good pals in blogland! i have had a busy week, hoping yours was super great! i have been thinking about alot of things, not just blogging or crafting or even the bow business, just regular things that go on in my weirdo life. Times,they are achangin. I feel like i repeat this every post, but i have been participating in the iron crafts weekly challenges and this week was to create your own version of a coffee cup cozy. I had a pretty good idea, but that went bad. It seems most of my ideas do, sometimes i get lucky.So my idea number two ended up looking like this...

you have to admit, its kind of rock star, right? That wasnt what i was trying to accomplish, but hey. I am okay with making a Joan jett coffee mug cozy. I dont know how to crochet, so i cut the sleeve off a old sweater that i put in my" sacrificial craft stash". Yep today was the day for this paticular sweater sleeve.Its number was up. I made this from items i had here at the house, that is my new thing, trying to not buy crafting supplies for a while and really use my noggin.So i took the sleeve and I fitted it to the cup, stitched up the ends ,added some rhinestones and some ribbon and shazam... joan jett, your coffee mug cozy is ready.But really, you guys need to check out iron craft and the weekly challenges, it is really fun to see what everyone comes up with.Big time talent out there.

I have been trying to add to my Valentines day rmantle, i am not really impressed with it, but maybe by the time it is all said and done, it will be what i was hoping for . So i listened to all of you lovely people and decided to put a large candle in my twig, birdsnest holder thingy. I will let you all be the judge of the outcome. So i had these black rod iron candleholders and i wanted to valentines them up a tad.But then i was left with not knowing what else to do with them. Heaven forbid i put candles on them right? just didnt wanna do that. i wanted to do something else.I decided on balling up newspaper into a ball and hot glueing red tissue paper to it... i really dont know what to call it.. take a look..

I dont know what to call it,but i like it! This is just one of my candle stick holders.. maybe i will make another one, we will see. Here is the before pic..

I have to have you guys go to my pal www.dragonflysweetnest.com and check out all of the giveaways going on right now, its crazy ! You can find all of the info right there on her blog, makes it super easy. I entered in some myself, we will see if i win!
Oliva has a docters appt on Friday, maybe try to change up her meds a little, i am not 100% sure i want to do that yet. But i do feel better when i talk to her pediatriction, he is awesome.I will keep you updated on all of this.
Its close to Valentineus Day and we are supposed to be alittle mushier and nicer to each other etc. Hope you are happy out there wherever you are and i hope you are able to do something you love. I entered a giveaway and it asked "What is happiness to you?" Its interesting the responses, and i could have typed in anything and it been the truth. I wanted to share with you my response to that super vast and deep question. Happiness is... to hear my kids laugh really really hard. Sounds simple, but at that moment when my kids are laughing so hard that, eyes are shut, mouths open,with huge smiles on their faces, eyes watering due to the laughter, it becomes contagious and all is right with the world. Happy Wednesday.
LITTLE BIT O INFO: So we all pay for electric.really no way to get around it- we have to have it. I am interested in finding ways to cut down on my bills. I ran across this money saving site that mentioned a Energy Audit. I hadnt heard of one, but a proffessional can come into your home and uncover any energy drainers and show you ways to increase energy effeciency. visit the U.S. Dept of energys website for more info. WWW.energysavers.gov








Thursday, January 20, 2011

100 followers????? WOOOOO HOOOO!

So first of all , let me just say how super duper happy i am to have 100 followers!! soooooo exciting. Now i just have to make myself believe that you guys are acutally reading this crazy thing. So i have mentioned that i have been participating in the Iron Craft weekly challenges. And i am gonna share with you my contribution for this week.It has come to my realization that i am pretty competitive and i want to really do well, i have a drive for that validation of success. Okay enough with the self discovery thing...So this week was to make your own bunting. You know, i really dont understand buntings. I see what others have made ,and i recognize how cute and crafty it is, i recognize the work that was put into it. I dont know, they just dont blow my hair back. Needless to say i had a hard time with this one , i just didnt have any kind of direction at all. And then i had a pretty good idea and it sucked. Sooo i had to do the old think fast trick to get something to contribute. Here is my poor lil bunting...
So its a bunting made from ribbon, my hubbies brand new handkerchief, other fabric etc. Dont worry he wont mind. I am still determined to make these crafts from my stash i have here at my home, and sometimes a shirt or in this case a hanky is sacrificed. I attempted to make "xoxo" out of fabric.. key word attempted! lol. when i hung it up,my son asked me if we were going to have a cowboy birthday party. No, sweet child, not today. ugh.
So in spite of my bunting efforts, i am still super stoked about the fact that i have 100 followers!! Maybe this calls for a giveaway.. or something fun like that? i will have to think on that.
Our weather is getting bad again here in ohio, probably no school for tomorrow- yay. I will have more to share with you tomorrow regarding my crazy valentines day mantle. i am determined to make this thing work.
i havent really spoken of my personal life too much since i started this blog, i have a really great family, 4 beautiful kids to enjoy. they make me crazy doing "kid stuff" but i love them unconditionally. My oldest, my beautiful oliva is seven years old. She has been diagnosed with ADD and i am not afraid to tell you it hasnt been a pleasant couple of months.School is rough on her... taking steps to lighten her load. That is my goal, with all my kids , to lighten their load.I know god has a plan and she will be great, she is already perfect...... see?
i havent done alot right in my life, but my kids are one of few things i have done right!

LITTLE BIT O INFO: The one thing i always seem to harp on are ways to do it cheaper or save money, and i wanted to share with you two things:seek out a consignment store in your area. Of course look at good will etc , but with a consignment store you have ways of getting rid of items , making a few bucks on it, and really providing a great way for the community to get nice second hand clothes. I frequently go to a local consignment store called "KIDS CLOSET" and it is located in a little town about 30 minutes from me called Wheelersburg. I have items being sold there and i buy from there as well! love it.
Also there is a site i truly am obsessed with and it is called www.dollarstorecrafts.com These women have mad skills at crafting in a really beautiful and affordable way.( i really want to say insane cheap way). The title says it all, but its perfect for gift ideas, home decorating ideas, holiday decorating ideas etc! Go check it out.
Hope you stay warm, hug someone you love and save some cash today. Hey, its possible. HUGS!



Friday, January 14, 2011

Valentines Day Mantel...part deux

Hi ya! So i am busy,busy as i am sure all of you are too! So i have decided to try to decorate my fireplace mantel for Valentines Day, this is kind of a first for me. And i have decided to do it piece by piece.. and you guys are getting to follow right along with me.There are some crafty challenges going on right now , the first one is Iron craft.They list a new challenge weekly. Hold on, i am going to side step for a second. Have you ever made anything, or done anything and thought it was pretty good, and really thought it would grab some positive attention? NO? i am the only one huh? Humph. Well, i will admit, i submitted my tootsie roll door thingy and was pretty pleased with my self. Unfortunately i dont think anyone else was.. I guess i just wanted validation for doing something neat and crafty. Dont get me wrong there were some very nice comments, but not the wow that i was expecting. That was my first mistake right? Cant go around expecting things, i will only get disappointed. Okay, i had my crybaby time. Onto the Valentines Day mantle.....
So i dont if i have told you my fascination of sticks...I was picking up the yard a couple of weeks ago and there were tons of little sticks and branches in my yard . As i was gathering them up i just kept thinking how cool they looked all bundled up . So i piled them up and just kept waiting for the right thing to do with them.I decided i was going to make a candle holder out of them. I had bought something from the all mighty dollar tree and i dont know what they are called,so i am donning them the" fake painted sticks". They were a plum color and a brownish color. So i broke up my sticks and glued them together to make my little candle holder. And in my mind, i could see the candle light glowing and shining through the small slits in between the sticks....
But instead i got this. HMMM. I will say it looks really primitive, but not in a pretty way, just in a ugh way. So then i tried to add something to make it go along in my Valentines Day mantle theme, and to try to hide it a bit.
OKAY! How about now??? better?? no? Well i am still gonna use it on my Valentines Day Mantle! Who knows? Maybe when i get it all put together...
Anyway, i used sticks from the back yard, the fake painted sticks from the dollar tree ( i had those for a while) and a peice of red gingham fabric i had since last christmas. I glued every twig.

We all know my pics are super stinky. i ran across this chica who gave some really great insights to picture taking, and i am hoping that if i take her advice my pics will look a little better.Here is her site:
http://shannonsews.blogspot.com/ Go over and check her out!

And i about to do something i said i wouldnt do.. Yep. i am gonna show some of our newest products from Diva babies. My friend Stephanie and i run a hairbow boutique and we do okay on etsy,and we do really well at a local craft mall, but we do great on personal orders sent to us in emails etc. I kind of told myself the blog and the boutique would be seperate, but i have had a change of heart because of Valentines Day ( get it?)
Stephanie just recently made some outstanding bows for Valentines day i just want to share them.

Okay enough sharing! They are cute though!



LITTLE BIT O INFO: I cant really post without trying to spread some news of how to save a little money. And some of the tips i find suprise me,but hey, its worth a shot right? Here is my latest tip. Make sure your tires are aired up correctly! Did you know this?? i sure didnt. here is facts- for every 2PSI (have no idea) that your tires are below recommended level, you lose 1% on gas mileage. Most car tires are 5-10PSI below normal level.So just by airing up your tires you boost your mileage 5%!! And the cost of gas is so high- go air up your tires ladies!!
Got any big plans for Valentines Day?? I would love to hear them, leave me a comment and spill it! take care , hugs!!

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Tootsie Roll = candy, door drafter... who knew??

Hey guys! i just have a super quick post to share with you today. i have entered the Iron craft challenges. Its a super cool site. they have a different craft challenge every week! Love it! So the first weeks challenge was do anything with light... still working on that one. Its not great, i can already warn you of that. But the second weeks challenge was to make your own unique door drafter. You know the thingy you can put along the bottom of your door to keep the cold draft from sneaking in?? Well i had many ideas, but decided to go with this one..

i was really happy with the outcome. Sure its not exact.. but i was pleased!I used a white dress shirt of my husbands and a silky pillowcase that we have had forever.(beautiful but it gives my hair super static. so glad i finally found a use for it.. tootsie roll!!)My goal with crafting lately is trying to craft without buying items for that paticular craft and just using things i have here at home. Well eventually i will have to buy some stash , but until then i am having fun doing it this way.
So run over and check out Iron craft and join in the fun!!http://theironcraft.blogspot.com/
Until next time, take care blog readers and stay warm!!

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Valentines Day Frame.... looked different in my mind.

Hello my favirote people in blogland.. its been a while since i posted, i have been really busy. well busy in my mind. I have enlisted myself in some craft challenges with no idea what i was going to use to compete with...not the best idea. So i used something i already made... just doesnt feel the same. But i am participating in Iron Crafts weekly craft challenge. And i have been working on my craft and i must say, its coming together nicely. My fear is that someone will list the exact same thing. awkward.There is crazy talent out here in blogland and it humbles me. So until thursday, i cannot post a pic of my crafty thing.. you will have to wait.
I have noticed that alot of folks arent really listing resolutions for the new year, but almost like a bucket list for 2011. So i have decided to do my own, maybe it might be interesting.. you know to list what i wish to accomplish and then actually do it and tell all of you lovely folks about it. The problem with me is i will keep on adding to it, i just know it.
So here it is so far. keep in mind, i will add to it.
1.grow a garden
2.go to a waterpark
3.lose a few (duh)
4.be featured on someone elses blog
5.really understand the coupon world
6.start a craft ring
7.have a mom group
8.learn how to not sweat the small stuff
9.go on a game show(not really for 2011, just sometime)
10. work towards the bow business growing even more.
I think that is it for now... i think i need to add some excitement to my life. That is kind of a sorry list.
I have a lot of ideas swirling in my head and one thing i have been wanting to do is Valentines Day crafts. I would like to decorate my mantel for fun holidays and i started to work on the first piece of my valentines day decor. In my mind i saw it clearly.. very cute and the fabric was different. So i lightly spraypainted my gold frame, stictched and ruffled my fabric. Attached it to my canvas...

and it stinks.well, its just really plain. i have tried adding things to the frame, adding things things to the heart. i will figure it out.. or maybe i wont. anyway, if you have any suggestions... just be gentle. I just have been trying to craft with items i have on hand.It really makes me have to use the old noggin.. and plus it saves on the pocketbook. This was a scarf i had and the frame as well. This craft definetely didnt blow my hair back at all.But all is not lost! I have more ideas i want to work on, and they may also look different in my mind than in real life.
We are getting a decent amount of snow here in ohio, i bet we will have another snow tomorrow! Where ever you are , i hope you are staying warm and cozy!
LITTLE BIT O INFO: Just because Christmas is over , doesnt mean that we have to stop doing nice things for our friends , family and neighbors etc. There are still going to be birthdays, anniversarys,(valentines Day is approaching) and it is hard to buy gifts now, either due to being hit hard from christmas shopping or just not knowing what to buy.What about a gift of service? If you have someone whos bday is coming, and they have young children, offer to babysit for a evening as their bday gift from you.(That is worth its weight in gold to alot of couples!!) Your grandparents or parents anniversary is coming, offer to do lawn care for a week as a gift of service from you .Wouldnt it be nice to get back to the real idea of giving a gift? Please dont misunderstand...I LOVE ME SOME PRESENTS! But i also want to learn to be thankful for the small things in life and the small oppurtunities i am given. I want to learn to be happy with less.How about you?

Thursday, January 6, 2011

I heart snowmen!

Hello again, hope you are all healthy and happy today! Ok so i know that christmas is over, and we have put our decorations away ... yada,yada.But i think that snowmen are ok throught the winter, they dont have to be just christmas decor, right? The last time i hit the all mighty Dollar Tree, i found some wreaths in different sizes. This is what i decided to do with them!
They were very plain, so i spray painted them white, but not completely. this picture doesnt do it justice. Its become clear to me that my picture taking skills are really bad. So i just blame my camera and the lighting in my house etc.Back to the wreath snowman... so i wanted him to be white, just kind of a dirty white. so then i wired all three together, gave him some cozy stuff to wear, found some twigs in the back yard.. presto! Snowman!! although i will tell you my kids have concerns that he doesnt have any facial features..
I dont know if i have shared with you the fact that i am a terrible cook.. not something you broadcast to the world normally, but hey, it is what it is, right? I can follow recipes, but most things never turn out the way i think it should, or it doesnt taste like someone elses that i have sampled or it doesnt look like the picture.I could go on and on, i think you get my drift. Like i said, i cannot cook, but my partner in crime Stephanie can.She made what her family call "homemade donoughts". This is soooo simple, its silly! And not to mention it is a super cheap,unique treat for the family. So i made them, and i do mine a little different than Stephanie, but thats what is so great about this treat, you can come up with all different kinds of ways to make it! This is what i use:
1.canned biscuits( i like these,choose whatever type you like)
2.brown sugar
3.stick of butter
Thats it!! Okay let me tell you how stephanie makes hers, first she frys them in a pan with oil, melts her butter, when the biscuits are done, she dips them in the melted butter, and then rolls them in granulated sugar.
This way is delish!
Here is the way i make them: I bake them according to the baking instructions on the label, after they are done and still hot i dip them completely in melted butter, and we roll them a couple of times in brown sugar. And let me just say, they are the best when they are still hot! YUM! So my kids have named these yummy morsels "sugar donouts".And you can see why..
We have also used a granulated sugar and cinnamon combo which is really good too. My husband suggested last night that we make our own cream cheese icing to dip them in too, i vote for chocolate chips to be added. Chocolate chip make everything better, dont you think? And these little guys dont hang around long,they are gobbled up quick with a big glass of milk by my 4 monkies!
We love us some sugar donouts at the Mcgraw household!!
I dont know what the weather is like in your area, but its super cold here in ohio.. if you have any gently used coats that are taking up space,i am going to ask you to take them to a shelter or salvation army. There are people with nothing who are not as blessed as most of us,and they are cold. And alot of these people have children who are cold,and that is unacceptable to me. So if you can, help someone out today, it feels really good. I realize a coat to one individual wont solve all the worlds problems, but its a start.

Work like you dont need the money
Dance like no one is watching
Sing like no one is listening
Love like you have never been hurt
Live like its Heaven on earth
LITTLE BIT O INFO: I always try to give some useful info to you, and saving a buck is always on my mind.. so that tends to be what i offer up. i hope some of these tips are helpful to you. I have found this really cool website called www.Paperbackswap.com . Its this wonderful place where you swap with someone else your books that you dont read, cds you dont listen you anymore and even DVD's. How neat is this? The best part? You get new books , dvd's,cd's ( new to you ) mailed right to you for FREE!! WHAT? FREE? outstanding! Let me know what you think , i love comments, you know? it lets me know somone is reading.... you are reading right? someone? anyone?
Also i have enterd the Crafting with the Stars 2 challenge! There is some insane talent out there people! go over and view my candle holder and check out some great crafts! Hugs!!

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Easy Peasy Headband Holder!!!

Sooo glad to have you ! Hoping your New Years was safe and satisfying! I am getting really excited about 2011. So many things i want to work towards... not really resolutions, just hopes and dreams! We all have em right?Well as i have said before, this blog is tons of fun for me, and i really hope its fun for someone else. I have great ideas for this blog, my bow business ( Diva baby bows=sorry, had to leave a plug) , great and fun changes i want to do to our home etc, etc, etc. So lets get started, shall we?? Some of you may know that i run a hairbow business with my great friend Stephanie and we have picked up some really creative and interesting ways of doing things.Well lets face it, we are just starting out.. didnt have alot of revenue to work with, and i am a cheapskate. sad , but true.I make it my mission to find different ways and cheaper ways of doing things... hence the beginning of this blog. And i about to share with you a handy dandy secret steph and i picked up . Cute and easy headband holders!!!
First of all, its too easy i cant really call it a tutorial.. its so fast , i cant really take pics of the steps so ... here is what you need.
Yes, its a roll of paper towels and some handkerchief scarves i got at my fav store The Dollar Tree. You will only need one.(they are 2 for 1.00)
All you have to do is lay out your hanky , lay your paper towel on it on one edge, but in the middle, and roll it to the other side ( your paper towel should be covered completely.) Now you will see that you have some excess on each end of the roll, or else you should. all you have to do is tuck the excess in the whole of the paper towel tube. You will be suprised at how tight you can get it to stay.
If you have a little one and have headbands in a basket that you have to dig through and your totally sick of that- just do this!
cute right? Plus you get to see what hair accessories you have to choose from. You can do any handkercheif color pattern you choose, these were some i stumbles upon at the Dollar Tree. Enjoy! Ahem, if you love the headbands you see... you know who to contact.
I saw something today that i loved and i couldnt wait to share. Do you ever stumble upon some craft or info that makes sooo much sense? Well that is what happened to me. I know we all may have our new calendars for the new year and maybe have already thrown the 2010 calendar out. If you still have it DONT THROW IT OUT! Do this!
Make your own envelopes out of them. This is super easy, i had to try it out myself. I have a wildlife calendar, so i pulled out a page and got to it. Just need tape and scissors, thats it. Well you do need to make sure its perfectly square, so you will need a ruler. After measuring the height cut it to be that measurement in the width. for example, mine was 8.5 inches in height, so i cut it to be 8.5 inches in width. Put the decorated side down on the table, take the two bottom corners and fold in till the sides touch in the middle. Tape the seams to hold. All you have to do now is put in your letter and fold down the top.(just like any envelope). I think it turned out perfect. This is the other side of my envelope..
Hope you can see the bald eagle .. soo pretty. Well i hope you enjoyed the things i had to share with you, please let me know if you do any of these at home. I would love to see what different things you do.
LITTLE BIT O INFO: Need to cut back a little in 2011, here is a start. If you lower your thermostat 10% for 8 hours a day can shave 10% off of your bill? Also if you lower the temp on your water heater from 140 degrees to 120 degrees you can save almost 50.00 over a years time? I know, i know, 50.00 isnt a big deal... but hey, 50 bucks is 50 bucks right?
Take care and be safe! MWAH!!