Crafty Corner: Festive Felt

Every Christmas, my family gathers for a scrumptious dinner and gift exchange extravaganza. We draw names at Thanksgiving for those who plan to be present for the exchange. It's a grand old time as you cannot share who you have and receive zero help as to what that person may love/not love as a gift. The reveal only comes on the night of the exchange!! This year I drew my Bro-in-law's name (Special K) and got him some AMAZING items that I am certain he totally adored.

A glimpse of the fun:

To keep my 'Super Fun Auntie' status active and thriving, I also crafted a special holiday something to enhance the Christmas experience for my little darlings. A big piece of foam board (30x40 I think...and go to Blick Art Supply. All kinds of sizes for very few dollars), cut and glued a tree (made of felt) to the board, a border of washi tape to keep the cuteness factor running high, and finally some pins stuck into all the corners of the tree branches for future 'garland' stringing purposes:

And then made a whole lotta felt ornaments:

The kids could decorate and redecorate to their little Christmas heart's content:

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night:)

Happy Franque Day!

A shout out to my little (yet much taller) brother on the celebration of his 28th year:

Once a stud muffin, always a stud muffin. Love you and all you are and will become ❤️❤️❤️!

Sequins and Sofas: I'm Blushing

Last week, I needed some new blush so headed to Ulta to pick up some 'Sunkissed'....that's my jam. The lady at the counter asked if I wanted a bag. 'No, that's ok. It's just one little blush container....pretty sure I can handle just carrying it.'

Fast forward one minute later as I was walking to my car...it totally slipped out of my clumsy little hand and landed on the ground! Noooooo! Did it break? I can't look....

I picked it up and it appeared as though there was just a small little crack in the corner. Maybe it was ok. I tossed it into my purse and went along with my day. The next morning, I went to retrieve my dear 'Sunkissed' from the purse....it was not good:

Cracked and crumbled to smithereens. Boo. Ok, I realize that this not a huge disaster in the grand scheme of life but I was still bummed...was there something I could do to save it?

A little Google search told me yes. Here's what I learned:

All you need to fix any pressed powder makeup product (eye shadow, blush, powder) are a few drops of rubbing alcohol, an eye dropper and 5 minutes:

You can take the product out of its container and place in a plastic baggie to crush it up more if it's a little chunky or just keep it right where it is if it falls under the 'smashed to smithereens' category. Add a few drops at a time and start to mix:

It gets a little messy but just keep mixing until it forms a paste...you can clean up the edges later! Smooth it out with a little knife or whatever you have around that can smooth things:

Let it dry for about an hour and then put a little piece of paper towel over it...find a flat round something-or-other to press into the blush to smooth a little more and soak up the excess alcohol:

Set aside to dry overnight and you will be ready to roll by morning! Just like new...Sunkissed is back in the game!

My new favorite thing....Skhoop.

I don't love winter. Being cold is not fun. Wearing snow pants is dumb and bulky. What if I want to wear a dress? Then what am I supposed to do to keep warm?

Well, a few weeks ago, I discovered something that makes me almost think that being outside in the cold, snowy tundra could possibly be survivable.

Skhoop. The original insulated skirt. AN INSULATED SKIRT! Things I do love- being warm and SKIRTS. This is the answer to all of my 'I have to take the toddlers outside on the playground every day but my legs feel cold and now I'm crabby' problems:

But what if a toddler is in need of some help and you have to run over to them? Can you move in that thing? Yes! Zippers on both sides zip up for your more active moments:

But where do you put your Chapstick and handful of tissues for all those runny toddler noses?? Pockets!

My heart feels happy to have been united with my Skhoop insulated skirt. I wear it on the playground every day and it has been a revolution in my attitude towards Old Man Winter. Skhoop for the win!

THE RED DOOR!!

Friends, family, people I don't know: The Red Door sale is coming in just one day! You are not going to want to miss a moment of this spectacular sale...so many talented local artists sharing their craft all in one cute little shop! 

Here's a sneak peek:

Wowza! Sale starts this Thursday and runs through Sunday. More details here:

The Red Door!!

See you there!

Crafty Corner: On the Wall

This past summer, my Small Group (i.e. Bible Study) wanted to get in the practice of memorizing scripture and followed along with a popular memorization plan put together by Bethlehem Baptist. It was (obviously) filled with great verses (ya know...because it's from the Bible) but for some of us hard to stick with and remain diligent.

Personally, it has always been a little challenging to memorize things (I could never be an actor...how do they do that??) but have had success with Bible verse retention when going through various life circumstances or if shared by a friend.

This fall...with that in mind, we shifted from the Fighter Verses to each small group member taking a turn on a monthly basis to share a verse that has been meaningful to them. Love.

Ok, here's where the 'Crafty Corner' comes into play. We needed (or I just wanted) a cute way to display these monthly verses for all to see and read. Since my home is the location of Small Group, and I have some walls, my brain started turning.

I'm thinking wood. Old wood. Some kind of hook or clip system to hold a big piece of tag board (where the person of the month would scribe their verse...with fun markers and stuff).

My pal B just happened to have some old wood from a fence that was taken down and she so graciously constructed a wall hanging to my exact specifications. And her son helped too...so many thanks:

Wowza, perfect. Now I needed to find the clip or something like a hook?? I took a little trip to Hobby Lobby for the first time with a friend to see what I could find. 

Also, pause. Hobby Lobby is AWESOME. Like really awesome. How did I not know of this magical land of everything you could ever want or dream of that you never knew you needed?

So I found this:

I attached it to the top/center of the wood piece along with some brackets on the back for hanging:

I also scored some twine from 'The Hob Lob' (that's what I call it now...cause we are best friends) and some little clips and made this:

Rope/clips hanging around the cool red knob, poster board slipped into a plastic poster holder attached to clips and done:

I'm liking this display a whole bunch. And I have the pleasure of reading the verse every time I sit down on my couch to take a load off...perfect time to reflect and meditate on the verse of the month and pray a prayer of thanks for the friend who shared it!

ZZZZZZZZZZ......

I'm tired. And busy. So this week I offer you the latest installment of "Mosby Sleeps"....as I long for the life that he lives....what a dude:

Happiest of Wednesdays to you...go take a nap.