Day 2- Gift Bows

Day two was another simple craft. We've all had this scenario- you've wrapped a present only to find you either didn't have the right sized gift bow or the wrong color. I never thought that I could make my own gift bow. Sure, I have been creative with the wrapping paper itself. I've used everything from newspaper, fabric & brown packaging paper to wrap my presents. My sister uses plain white paper and has her children finger paint designs on it. Talk about another really creative idea.

But this post is all about the bow.

Here's the Pinterest link with the tutorial. (Click the picture for the how-to instructions)

Source: wholeliving.com via Friskywink on Pinterest

I'm always trying to figure out creative ways to recycle my old magazines (since I have so many subscriptions!) This one just made me excited to give it a shot.

Here's my gift bow:

No more paying money for pretty gift bows! Now I can just get creative with what type of paper I use to make the bows. I'm thinking of all the scrapbook paper scraps I have left over. The possibilities are endless!

"Pin it and Do it" Day one

Craft made on August 1, 2012.

It's the first day of my Pinterest challenge. I started with something simple, but yet one of those, "I-can't-believe-I-didn't-think-of-that-myself" crafts.

The first project was making a custom post-it holder out of a cheap plastic 4x6 frame. This would make the perfect back-to-school teacher's gift! I will have to share this idea with my sister for all her kids' teachers. It was so simple to make. The best part about it? I didn't have to spend a dime to make it! I had the frame, a pack of post-its and a ton of scrapbook paper already. What I like even more about this project is that you can change the colors whenever you want! Just slide out the scrapbook paper and replace to change with your room decor!

The pin:

Source: jkkarges.blogspot.com via Friskywink on Pinterest

And now for my version:

I wrote the words, "Notes" on with a dry erase marker. The perk of it being on a plastic frame. It can be a dry erase board as well!

"Pin it and Do it" Creativity Challenge

I'll admit, I'm probably the last person to jump on the whole Pinterest phase. I recently started pinning and was overwhelmed with all the DIY tutorials out there. I'm addicted just looking at all the creative crafts, holiday gift ideas, recipes & decor ideas!

I've been repinning and pinning on some of my craft ideas that I really want to do someday. I've been in an artistic hault lately. Between caring for my animals, keeping my house clean, etc. I haven't been spending the time doing what I enjoy the most...crafting! So then it hit me... I was looking at the Pinterest boards and thought, "Stop viewing and start doing!"

I challenge myself to one month of creativity.

The Challenge:

Make/Do something each day that I found posted on Pinterest or pinned on my boards myself for the entire month of August.

This can be a new craft, DIY idea, decor, recipe, etc. but it has to be done each day and posted on my blog the next.

This is a challenge to kick me back into my creative spirit! Challenge yourself to a month of "Pin it and do it!"

Letting Go

I came across this quote, and seeing it made me freeze in my tracks:

"We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us." ~ Joseph Campbell"

Wow. Isn't that something? Just yesterday, I was sitting at a restaurant with my husband talking about my days in college. Yes, I fell into the "I'm-21-let's-party" phase. I used to look back at the opportunity that I wasted with regret. It wasn't until my senior year that I finally snapped back into reality, started going to class, and worked my behind off to pull up my GPA. I was proud of my graduation, but then I was disappointed in everything I wasted. However, I learned so much from those mistakes. I learned what was important to me, developed responsibility, and a determination to succeed.

Flashing forward 7 years later, and I fell off the career path again. I didn't even work in the field of my degree, and wasted my college education on an office management job, not the big Public Relations Director I so desperately wanted to be. That was another way I looked back with regret. However, it was while working in my corporate job that I realized this "office setting" wasn't me. I wanted to work in art, be creative, and express myself beyond letter writing. I wasn't going to find this creative expression in PR either.

It's interesting how you sit at graduation time and predict what the future will hold for you. I always looked back at myself in that moment as, "I really messed up my career/life plan." But I didn't. I'm learning to let go at what I expected my life to be, and looking forward to what my life will be.
I have so much opportunity in front of me...

I'm letting go.

Cason's Duck Cupcakes

It was my nephew Cason's first birthday! Splish splash fun pool party for all the older kids and rubber duckies for Cason!

My sister goes all out in parties. I mean seriously the girl should be a professional party planner. I remember when children birthday parties was a homemade sheet cake and a few crepe paper streamers. Well, not for my sis! I've never seen so many rubber ducks in one room! The attention to detail for this ducky theme was insane. We had handmade (purchased on ETSY) birthday banners, cut out duck confetti, a duck pinata, and a kid swag bag full of duck theme toys (duck whistles, handmade duck shape chocolate candy, she even found duck shaped crayons!) 

Birthday sign- custom made on ETSY

So I decided to jump on board with the duck theme mania. I volunteered to make the cupcakes. But I know that not just any ordinary plainly decorated cupcakes would do for this party. I had to bring out the big guns (or ducks in this case!)

My fondant ducks all in a row

So I made 30 chocolate chip and 30 vanilla cupcakes. I used a cookie cutter and cut ducks out of rolled fondant. Blue nonpareils for the eyes, and I tinted my icing blue. I made the icing choppy to look like little waves, and topped it off with white nonpareils for the "bubble" look.

I was pretty proud how they turned out. And they were just the icing on the cake (pun intended) for my nephew's rubber duck themed extravaganza!

Would You Quit?

I'm sure this happens to everyone- you have something you're extremely excited about. When you tell someone about it, you're surprised that they don't give you the reaction you were anticipating. After the initial shock wears off, you can be really hurt by this. How quickly do you bounce back from the disappointment, or do you just roll over and cry?

Recently, I've been working on a new business venture. When thinking of ways to expand my business, I shared a crazy idea with my family. I guess I was truly taken by surprise when the sudden support & encouragement from my business idea that they previously had came to a screeching halt when I mentioned the idea of storefront. It's not like I was running out the next day and signing a store lease and opening doors that second. It was an idea in planning. When suddenly I'm told that my idea of a business isn't that great after all. I wasn't expecting the conversation of, "No one will come to the store," "you're not smart enough," "too many stores are closing down."

If a perfect stranger told me this opinion then I would have just called them crazy and set out to prove them wrong. But I mean c'mom..this is family. Isn't your family supposed to be supportive and let you live your dream & just be there to catch you if you fall? I felt like I was back in that corporate office at my old job during the moment I was being laid off. Feeling that you're not good enough. Am I just insane? Have I been spending the time & money on this business to be told that it has no future? Should this just be fuel to my fire to seek out to prove them wrong?

Does it make a difference if the people you love hurt you? Is it tough love? Would you quit or work harder?

How many successful people have been called crazy...

Drawer Pull for Jewelry

I love going to antique stores! Some of my favorite finds are actually pieces that belong to something else. I've taken crystals for chandeliers, locks, keyholes, keys, and drawer pulls to redesign into some great jewelry.

One of my favorite jewelry creations is this antique drawer pull that I found at Mary's Antiques downtown Greensboro. I like to call this store "Wonderland." I can get lost into the possibilities of old items. There's a whole section of printing press equipment that I could just buy up the entire store! I found this great drawer pull that I think literally asked me to take it home! Call it a dragon's face or a lion, but it's big, bold and beautiful! You can buy it here in my Etsy Shop! More antique finds & hardware pieces will be coming to my shop soon.