Confession 45 - You are the MAC to my CHEESE

Hi there! I hope 2014 has started out with a bang, mine sure has! The gal that does my nails (part Vietnamese) says with it being the year of the Horse, it's MY year! Okay, I'm so up for it being "MY" year. Last year started out being that way and ended on a great note, but was so rocky in between, I'm ready, bring it!

I've been crafting and making so many things using my Silhouette, it's been fun. I just have not had the time to post anything. Life has really taken over. Raising two active girls, having a super active social life, a busy corporate job, freelancing, the list can go on and on. But once again, I want to commit to making some posts on here this year.  I have some fun stuff up my sleeve and have made some great partnerships in the the last couple months that I'll be showcasing.

Today, I'm confessing about a cute quick Valentine gift I put together. It all started when a huge box of Kraft Mac & Cheese was delivered to my my doorstep a couple weeks ago... I had it on Subscribe and Save with Amazon and totally forgot to cancel it despite the fact Amazon sent me multiple reminders, ARGH. Sound familiar. So, here they were, 15 boxes of Mac & Cheese and let me tell you, I did not want to eat them, nor did I want the girls too (I did a detox at the beginning of the year and am totally off white flour, pasta and most dairy, more to come on that in another post) so my conundrum ... how can I repackage them for Valentine's day? I started snooping on Pinterest, but really didn't find anything that caught my fancy. Then I started to see a lot of those love sayings... like " you are the peanut butter to my jelly" etc... and a light bulb went off, You are the MAC to my CHEESE! I had these yogurt cups from a BBQ party I did last year, added a pack of napkins and there you go, a super cute, extremely inexpensive gift!

I'm trying to figure out a way to PDF the print and cut file so I can put it here and all my readers can use it. In the meantime, if you have a Silhouette machine and want to email me for the file, I would be happy to send it. The circle stickers are in a PDF file, feel free to email me about them. I will get them to you!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you liked my latest confession!

Confession 44 - Wrap your Crap Christmas Caddy

Hi there! I can't believe I'm actually making a crafting post! Yay, things are settling in with life and I've had time to wrap my head around craft projects. Today I'm confessing about my "Wrap your Crap Caddy". My BFF and I saw a similar idea on Pineterest last year and I actually used a similar concept to house some fabric of mine... and whoa-la! the concept was born. Well it might have taken a little more than that, but basically that's how.

Last year, we strategically purchased items at the end of the holiday season at 70% off or more off to use for our caddy. This way, we could keep cost down and spread the wealth!  Interested in how we made it and what's exactly in it?  Ok, here we go, below is a picture of everything we put inside (some of the caddies we added gift tags, it was omitted from this pic somehow, but use your imagination).

So the container we used is actually a beverage container from In-N-Out, for those of you out of state in a state that does not have an In-N-Out, first off, I'm really sorry, but you can grab a beverage holder from another fast food restaurant.

Next up, we added some embellishments for the sides to jazz it up and make it festive. You could use stickers or even wrapping paper. I used cut outs from my Silhouette Cameo. We used a color scheme that went with the other items in the holder.

Next, tie ribbon to the handle part. This again just makes it festive and whimsical.

Now you can start filling your holder.  We placed items in the holder strategically so you can see all the items, using adhesive or double sided tape to hold things in place.  The scissors being so heavy, kept flopping forward so we actually tied them to the handle of the holder with some twine.

Our last step was to tie on our snarky tag, "Wrap Your Crap Christmas Caddy".  My BFF and I thought long and hard to find a good name, something unique but yet identified what it was... figures we came up with something snarky!  I don't know about you, but this time of year, I really need to lighten things up and laugh!

Our final cost of the caddy came to about $10, with most items being $1. The most expensive item was the scissors at $3, but the holiday themed ones we used from Lowes I'm sure will be getting cleared out at the end of the season, so look out and grab some up for next years gifts and caddies.

We gave these caddies to some of our friends that we thought would get some good use out of them.  I gave one of mine to a friend who had been sick and knew was probably behind in her wrapping.  What a great gift to have all your items in one convenient location!

I can see so many different uses for a beverage holder such as this. Present a baby gift, transport meeting items ... the possibilities are endless.  Leave a comment and let me know what some of your other ideas are!

Happy crafting! Thanks for stopping by and I hope you liked my latest confession!

Confession 42 - Get your Painting On

Hi there! As promised, I'm bringing your more posts and trying to confess more these last couple months of 2013.  Today I'm confessing about one of my all time favorite whimsical self taught painters, Timree Gold.  I've been following stalking Timree for nearly 10 years now.  I first learned about her through a mutual friend and saw her amazing mural work, you can check it out here.   The pictures on her site are amazing, but seeing her murals in person are breathtaking.  So much detail and personal touches! She has painted for many celebrities and famous people and even had an appearance on the OC Housewives show.

This past Sunday, my good friend Diana and I visited her studio to paint.  This is the 3rd painting I have done at Timree's studio, and each time I'm amazed at how well I do. I start out nervous and unsure if I'm going to be able to complete the project, but in the end, I succeed with flying colors.  Painting at Timree's Studio offers me a creative outlet and let's me put something on the calendar that is just for me!

When you arrive at Tiimree's studio in Newport Beach there is a place setting of a palate of paint, a photo copy of the Timree "original" painting you will be painting and a blank white canvas on an easel.  She equips you with 4 brushes, in her technical Timree terms, 1. The Fatty 2. The Medium 3. The Tween and 4. The Baby.  It's her own vocabulary and made up terms for her painting technique that puts you at ease and allows you to relax to become creative and paint.

It's definitely a must for anyone to try once, twice or many times (some of my friends are addicts, I'm not mentioning any names).

Check out some of my pics...

London Calling Portrait

Easter Painting in the Spring

My First Class!  A Gift for my birthday from my BFF! 

Pretty professional looking huh? I know, she's a genius!   So hurry up and stop by Timree's site and sign up for a class and get your Painting On!  Make it a Mommy & Me session, a Girls Night Out or just a creative moment for yourself!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you liked my latest confession!

Confession 41 - Repurposed Pill Box

Hi there! I can't believe it's been over 30 days since my last confession! Yowza! Life has really taken over my creative juices. Lately, I've been doing lots of crafting, so as long as I have time to write a post, you will be hearing a lot from me.  Today's confession is about a gift I put together for the girls.

A couple weeks ago I found out I would be gone the whole First Week of School for the girls. Ya, bad timing. We started school so late this year, normally the dates my company picked would not be a problem.  I was crushed to know that I wasn't going to be in town to pick them up after the first day and hear about their teachers, classrooms and friends. It was torture for me!  We talked nightly and texted, but it was still so hard!

So I saw this idea over on one of my favorite sites, Dating Divas, originally the post was put together for you to use with your hubby, but I altered the idea for my girlies.  It was so fun to put together and think about their little faces when they opened each box every night.

These came from Dollar Tree -
Yes I shop there occasionally, late at night -with hat - with a trenchcoat!

I altered the Hub notes, to kid notes.... email me if you want me to share them.

I couldn't find my normal 7 day Pill Box, but this ended up working out,
Candy/Surprise on one side and note on the other.

There are so many great applications for this idea. I would like to use it for the Hubs sometime, but he's not a candy lover... and well, the pill compartments are too small for anything else he likes... so on I will go, hunting for another solution.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you liked my latest confession!

Confession 26 - Overachievers are Obnoxious!

Hi everyone! Thanks for coming by today to read my latest confession. Today's post is a little touchy, and well, I hope it solicits a lot comments and controversy! There I go again, trying to relive my younger years (ya with the controversy!). Anyways, I ran across this OC gal's blog the other day and well, I can totally relate. So without further ado, read the article below, because I cannot write like this lady does {{swoon}} and she sums it up to a "T".
Let's Bring the Holidays Down a Notch


I mean, yes, I can be the creative overachiever sometimes trying to out do my previous year and trying to do the utmost cutest, most trendy creative thing. But really, I'm not in it to show anyone up.  I honestly enjoy doing creative things, its in my DNA. But, I can totally see Rage Against the Minivan's take on it. And well, I like her snarky article too! Go back and make sure you read some of the comments. They are hilarious!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you liked me latest confession!

Confession 24 - Pinterest Fails = Laughing = Therapy for the Soul

Okay, so today's confession is about a little area of Pinterest that has been popping up in droves. Have you checked it out? Well if you haven't and want a good laugh, and a great escape, check it out.

For those of you that don't know what Pinterest is, it's basically a huge bulletin board.  Remember 5-10 years ago,  when you would read an actually paper magazine, find something you liked, rip it out, and then tack it to your bulletin board? Well, Pinterest took that concept and made it virtual  It also added the social element to it, so you can see what your friends are pinning on their boards, actresses, bloggers, basically anyone.  I'm forewarning you though, if you go on, you will not be able to stop looking! Some of my favorite things to look at are craft items, with home decor coming in second, and those funny and sometimes inspirational quotes third.   Take a peek and let me know your thoughts if you are a novice.  You can quickly connect to me by clicking on the right button at the top of my page.  Comment below and let me know you are following me, and I will follow you!

Okay, so onto the subject at hand... now that you know what Pinterest is.  For you Pinterest experts, go on and type Pinterest Fails into the search box and see what you find.  OMG, I can't stop laughing when I do this. My BFF and I spent an hour or so over lunch a week ago pulling up the funniest ones and laughing our butts off! Laughing is such good therapy for the soul.

Here are some of my favorites.  I see I need to get out of my comfort zone and try a "Pin" or two I know I'm going to fail at and then blog about it and pin it... !  My problem is that I won't try a pin that I think I will fail at... I know lame right? I need to change that and give back to the community!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you liked my latest confession!

Confession 17 - DIY Keepsake Bracelets

Good afternoon! It's been a crazy week leading up to President's weekend and Valentine's Day. I'm looking forward to having some days off of school to get some R&R in on a little family vacay. Today I'm confessing about some cute Keepsake Bracelets I made for a dinner that I hosted for my friend's Sue's Memorial Dinner, I wrote about it here.  I'm making the dinner an annual tradition and with that, I love to give out a favor. Last year I did a cute plaque that had a beautiful saying on it :
                If I listen closely, I can hear the rustle of Angel wings, and I know Sue you are still with us.

This year, I decided to change up the favor with this really cute charm bracelet. Sue loved this look too, and I know it would remind us of her when we wore it.

All the items to make these I got at either Hobby Lobby or Walmart. These super cool bracelets that we added the beads to came from Hobby Lobby. Who knew these even existed.  I sent my BFF to scope out the supply section and when she came back with these, I was {{swooning}}.  How cool are these stretch bracelets! These would be great for a Girl Scout activity.

These are some of the beads I used. The Silkies stretch bracelets need a bead with a pretty large opening, that is the only thing that is tricky. [update: these are only found at Hobby Lobby] But there are many beads out there that work. You might have to do some trial and error.  Below are some of the ones I used:

The top beads I got at Hobby Lobby and the bottom at Walmart. Walmart prices are the bomb! and these beads can be rather pricey!

Here's the final favor and what it looked like in the box. I got these boxes off of Pick Your Plum a couple of months ago. I wasn't quite sure what I was going to use them for, it was a great way to display the bracelet.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you liked me latest confession!

Confession 10 - Monday Inspiration

With a sick kid and a migraine, I'm still managing to get Confession 10 out to you guys! I know, I rock right? I was in San Diego for the weekend and have some killer photos to share, but those will have to wait till tomorrow when I am feeling better now. Today, I'm confessing that I love inspirational quotes and poems! Sometimes, they immerse in the blogsphere at such opportune times, more times than not, they are just meant to be!

I read this one this morning on Becky Higgins blog, here, and had to repost it on my blog. It's so perfect for today. I might even break out my Silhouette and make a sign with it. I'm {{crushing}} that much over it!

This is a poem that was on one of the walls in Mother Teresa's home in Calcutta, India. It seems like they aren't all her original words, but some are. I hope they inspire and {{crush}} you like they did me...

People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies. Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you. Be honest and sincere anyway.
What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight. Create anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, will often be forgotten. Do good anyway.
Give the best you have, and it will never be enough. Give your best anyway.
In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you liked my latest confession!

Confession Eight - My Favorite Craft Machine

Today I am confessing about my favorite craft machine. It has honestly changed my life and I couldn't imagine living with out it now.  It's the Silhouette Cameo. So what is this machine? Well, it can cut paper, vinyl, fabric, adhesive sticky paper, magnetic paper ... and many other mediums that are constantly being added. This machine is unlike it's popular competitive predecessor, the Cricut.  The main difference between the Cricut and the Silhouette is that the Silhouette connects to your computer using software that comes with the machine instead of cartridges. This is so convenient. Not only are you using a system that let's you "simplify" and keep you from having to buy yet another product to store (the cartridges) but it let's you use fonts and images that you already own. It's a no brainer.

I urge you to check out the Silhouette site and take a peak. 

Take a look at the quick video to see how it works. It's wild to see the Silhouette in action. 

Here are a couple projects I've done. One using vinyl and one using heat transfer iron ons.

So ask me any questions you have about this cutter and I'll promptly answer! It's one of my favorite all time purchases ever! It's up there with my iPad and my Canon DSLR! I know right!

Thanks again for stopping by and I hope you liked my latest confession!

Confession Seven - Nashville Photo Shoot

Today I'm confessing that I absolutely loved Nashville, TN. Not only did we get to play in downtown Nashville and listen to awesome live music, I got to do a quick photo shoot. I'm just getting back into photography after nearly an 18 year hiatus. 18 years ago, there were no digital cameras, so photo shoots are so different now, with so much flexibility. I love it!

Below is a picture of our friend's home where we stayed while we were visiting, incredible right? You have no idea how ultra cool their house is. We were so blessed to be able to stay there and partake in some great memories.

The pictures to the right were taken in the surrounding areas. I was in heaven... {{swooning}} right?

I hope these pictures inspire you to get out and see some natural beauty in your city.

And these are from downtown Nashville... all taken exclusively from my iPhone. I've used 3 different photo apps. Stay tuned in the coming weeks to see which are my favorites. There are so many neat apps now to use. The hubs and I had fun goofing off as you can see. We truly were able to cut loose!
I absolutely loved downtown Nashville, all about country music, boots and good ole southern food and fun!

Thanks again for stopping by and I hope you liked my latest confession!

Confession Four - Guru's of Scrapbooking

I'm confessing about scrapbooking {{crushing}} and my favorite all time blogger today! I started scrapbooking back in the late 90's officially, but in my early teens as an old school scrapbooker. I've been at it for awhile. I'm in no means an expert, I just love doing it, I value it and I'm committed to it. My dear friend Sue and I would scrapbook together and scrapbooking, some could say, was the foundation of our friendship. You'll hear more about that later. Today I'd like to confess about my all time favorite "guru" of scrapbooking. I've followed  this super talented lady for years, meeting her over the years at CHA and at other local scrapbooking events. Ok, so who is she... ? Hold on there overachiever.... over the course of January, I'll be showcasing my top three! I encourage you to go to their websites and look around. I'll be featuring many of the things they do on their sites here on mine, so if you get overwhelmed (it's a lot to look at and digest) come back here and check out my ongoing features.

#1 Becky Higgins 

Why Becky? Well I have met her in person many times and she is very down to earth. I also relate to her the most. Most importantly because of her tagline above that she is so passionate and committed to. She has also started a whole new approach to scrapbooking called Project Life.
Check out this video below ... which takes me to another point! I love her use of still photos AND video through her site and blog. Seeing her very inspirational videos keeps reminding me what a deficit of videos I have of my kids. I need more!


Take a look at her site:

Then go and take a look at the 12 Christmas Videos she posted this year. Here's the first one. I guarantee you will laugh, smile, cry and giggle a lot! It's good therapy for the soul.

http://www.beckyhiggins.com/blog/2012/12/12-videos-of-christmas-no-1-2/

Convinced yet? Ok, now go to the site and click under "Free Stuff" see all the cool rescources she has on her site! She even posts Holiday Card Templates every year!  You'll also find two very cool custom handwriting fonts (are you a font hoarder like me?).

I'm committed to doing some "Project Life" this year and actually completing some projects! It's a goal worth keeping for my family to show them how much I love and value them.

If you are still unsure how great Becky Higgins is, take a look at this video:




And then for your final assignment, if you are a DIE HARD and want to commit like me, carve out 30 minutes in your day and watch this. If you watch this video, please please post your comments on what you think?  I'm up for the challenge this year to get my "Kid's Stuff" organized once and for all!



Okay, I think that is all for today... phew, I'm tired from all that! It was more than I envisioned, but so inspiring!

Thanks again for stopping by and I hope you liked my latest confession!

Back to School - Post #3 School Lunches

So my dear friend Sue and I had many obsessions together but one that stands out is our love for cute lunches. Sue and I spent countless hours reading blogs, buying supplies, hunting down just the right type of food items and chatting about it.  And I'll have to say, I just swoon when I make a lunch that is cheery and cute! Here are some things that I try to do with every lunch:

1. Write a sweet lunch note. Just another opportunity to tell our kids that they are special and mean the world to us. My older daughter likes to collect the notes, that is why you see 2 in the picture below. We have many plastered on her box by the end of the week.
2. A balanced meal. I try to give a vegetable, protein and a fruit in every meal. As my 8 year old becomes more and more picky with how she will eat vegetables, I have to become more and more creative. Lately, I've been doing vegetables in the form of a V8 Fusion Drink. She thinks it's a treat!
3. Organize the lunch in a fun way. I add stickers and you'll see with other posts, sometimes I organize by color or by theme like a holiday.

Lately, my BFF convinced me into making the lunches at night. This is working out well as I have more time to "embellish" the lunch!  I hope you enjoy making lunches for the kids a little more.
If you have a neat tip, comment and let me know!

Until Later.... !

Practical Halloween Teacher Gift

So, I'm sorta of an addict when it comes to giving gifts for the holidays. And for teachers, it's no different. I love giving the kid's teachers gifts for the holidays... I'm ever so grateful to teachers for taking on my crazy kids and teaching them, day in day out.

I'm perusing "Tarjay" on a Sunday night with my BFF (my favorite time to shop there) and we ran across these awesome tissue boxes on an end cap.  Could they be any cuter? I love this little owl, he looks like he is sneezing when the holographic picture changes! I couldn't resist. I came home and added a tag with some Halloween Twine and a glue dot to attach it... and there you go! A practical teacher gift to get in the Halloween Spirit!

Until Later....

Back to School - Post #1 - Back to School Gift for the Teachers

Ok, so I'm going to make a series of posts on how to make your life easier and better now that school is back in session! My first post, it's really about brown nosing. This is usually not how I roll, but I really like to to start out the school year being crafty. It makes me feel good, let's my daughters know I value their teachers and gives the teachers a little goody.

My first tip in doing these is to find a friend to do them with. It's always easier and more fun to craft with friends. I do many of my holiday crafts with my BFF. Only one of us has to shop for the items and then we get together for wine and assemble... sounds like a good deal right? Then, put a price tag to your craft or gift. This ensures you don't spend too much.  This gift probably cost less then $5 per box.

Here's the details on the craft:

Back to School Survival Kit items:
Tackle Box
Gum
Hand Sanitizer
Paper Clips
Advil
True Lemon
Twine
A Cute Sign

The Girls over at Eighteen 25 gave me inspiration.  Have you seen their blog? Check it out... I'm a true addict!

http://www.eighteen25.blogspot.com/

OCD Sign

I whipped this up for a client recently. I absolutely loved how it came out... and yes, I'm on the band wagon with the chevron's... I mean, how can you not right?

40 Blows

Seeing a pattern yet? I made this one for another one of my bootcamp friends.  I don't think these are part of our diet, but hey could be worse!

Hit me up if you want the printable, I'd be happy to send it!  Let me know who you want me to customize it to.

40 Sucks

I loved making this for my friend from bootcamp, especially when she said those words to me "I'm turning 40 and it's really not a big deal" Bingo! that told me I really needed to make an effort to make it "big".... so here it is. {{giggle}}
As always, you can reach out to me if you would like the printable, I'd be happy to share it with you!

Belated Post on a Father's Day Craft

I absolutely love this craft! Men love beer and this dresses up the bottles so cute! Thank you to Shindig Parties to Go for these printables!

Back to School Survival Kit

Wow, it sure has been a long time since I've posted any new crafts. Not that I haven't been crafting, I've just haven't been taking the time to post, (bad Junkie).  I promise this one is worth it. And if you beg, okay, just if you email me, I'll send you a jpg of the sign that goes on the outside of these boxes.  Now here are the "deets":

1 Tackle box (mine is from WalMart, about $2.50)

2 Packs of old fashion gum packs (not the fold over, slip in weird ones we deal with now)

1 handful of cute striped paper clips (good ole fashion silver will do too!)

2 mini pads of Post-Its

1 small Bath and Body Works Hand Sanitizer (you can see it's sorta bulging, but it works)

3 Doggy clips (Staples)

3 Sleeves of colored staples (Wal-Mart)

4 Animal Print Band - Aids (It's hard to tell their animal print, but cute zebra ones)

The sign and some colored bakers twine... all set!  Just under $5 and you have a cute AND memorable Back to School Teacher Gift!

Thank you to the girls over at Eighteen25 for the inspiration.

Nothing like getting on the teacher's good side from day one! It never hurt!

Now, get crafting!

Teacher Appreciation {Bar None}

This is such a cute simple gift :-) Isabella's school was doing Teacher Appreciation and they asked all the kids to bring in Chocolate. Of course, ours couldn't be like everyone's else's! Not only was this Godiva {squeal}, but it had a cute saying on it and a place to write Isabella's name. Loving it!  Message me if you want the template. 

seemachiodo{@}gmail.com. Print, cut and wrap it around your candy bar!