Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Crafty with Posterboard

Sharing my creative pursuits, hope you enjoy or can get some ideas from these things. I know when I'm doing something creative, I love to look things up & get ideas. This is scenery I made for my sisters Dance Recital, made out of posterboard. Oh, it was a movie/stage & screen theme, can you tell? By the way, they're HUGE!!! This is a kind of closeup picture, but these pieces are huge to be seen from the back of the audience.


Sunday, November 27, 2011

Bone Marrow Drive


How cute is this? Like the signs pointing in all directions? ;)
This is a small thing, but something I'm very proud of. A few years ago I had a bone marrow drive at the local church. I feel like everyone should be on the bone marrow list, it's such an important thing & such an easy way to save a life, or extend a life. That day we added sixty something new people to the list. Not a ton, but every bit helps. It's so easy to have a drive, if you want to have one, contact your local church & the Caitlyn Raymond International Bone Marrow Registry. They will walk you through it.

One of the reasons I chose to do this was my friend from High school, her name is Lisa, was a bone marrow donor. It was a pretty simple procedure for her, but something that a family in need never forgot. The person she donated to ended up passing, but with her help, his life was extended. Every moment is precious with someone you love so much and she gave that gift of time. When she told me that she was invited to the person she donated too's kids wedding, I couldn't help have tears in my eyes. What a selfless, awesome friend! Be inspired, have a bone marrow drive! It's very easy! If you have questions, I can help or try to help. Why not try, you never know who you can help?

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Some Decorative accents around our House:





I wanted my stepdaughter's room to look like a garden. I picked out fluffy green carpet, painted the walls a bright yellow, bought them red comforters and the BEST part is the decals of red flowers I stuck to the walls. Doesn't it look like a flower is growing up from the ground? Bright, simple & fun! The girls love it. Also, the White shelf around the whole room & high up, de-clutters their shelves, while being a decorative feature in the room.


My husband is a contractor & it was his awesome idea to add this nook in the bathroom for extra space, since it's a small bathroom. This area could get messy, but we solved that by buying a few baskets that fit perfectly where we store soap, shampoo etc. Instead of folding towels, we roll them (usually in a design not featured in this pic). That makes the plain towels a decoration. Pretty clever, eh? It's the simple things. he he!


You can't see in this picture, but these blocks around the island my Mom designed the look of this for us! I picked out these BEAUTIFUL tiles & we weren't sure how to incorporate. The tiles catch the light & reflect an amber glow in such a beautiful way. I bought amber wine glasses & we have amber hanging lights which are a theme taken from the beautiful glow of these tiles. Great job with the design, Mom!

Some design accents my husband built, a combo of our ideas. Top Picture (below) is some beautiful tile work in bathroom, bottom pic is of our kitchen ceiling which adds interesting architectural detail!:



If you like some of this beautiful design work my husband has done, please like him on facebook at:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kevin-Allen-Carpentry-Inc/188659834505794

BELOW: Great idea for part of shower wall, this really lets in the light! Love it, great job honey. These large glass blocks also really compliment the small tiles of the same opalescent color.


~ BELOW: Our New Curtains! Did pretty well on these by buying on tax free day & using a coupon! (:


You can see some more of his BEAUTIFUL design work! He's an artist too!!! Thank you so much for your support! It's appreciated.

*find him on facebook @:KevinAllenCarpentry,Inc. Please like ~ thank you!

Every dog needs a home; every home needs a dog.

I have 2 adorable dogs that make our house a home. Of course, they have also wrecked their fair amount of things in our home & caused much stress, but the love they give far, far outweighs any damage they do. These are my sweet babies (Daisy & Carly) We snuggle with them all the time! Daisy is a coonhound & almost 1 year old. She is huggy, gets into everything & cries a lot. Know the song "Hound dog" by Elvis? Makes sense to me know, hound dogs do cry all the time! She's the biggest cuddlebug though, & a great watchdog too! She hears everything! Carly is almost 3 & is a whippet retriever mix. She gets cold easily, can run like the wind & licks the kids continuously. They are BOTH RESCUES!!! Don't breed or buy while shelter pets die! On a sad note, shelters across the country euthanize thousands of dogs a day! Healthy, young dogs, puppies, all breeds. 57% of dogs in shelters are euthanized. Please support your local shelter, dogs are Gods innocent creatures & deserve to have a life & a home. NEUTER YOUR DOG OR CAT!!!!! PLEASE!!! :


Some Christmas Decorating ideas ~

Hang Rope & attach Holiday cards using laundry clips.


IDEA: Could change out colors with Blue to make Hanukkah decorations.
String large ornaments from fishwire & hang from chandelier. Use inexpensive glass holders & fill with cranberries & put candle in the center for colorful centerpiece. On other holidays you could fill with candy corns, seashells, ideas are endless! Fill a bowl with ornaments. Just a few simple ideas I like to share with you. Hope you like the pictures. (:






It's all about the Presentation!

These are some goodies I made for bake sales at the kids school. Some idea's that might help you get ideas. Again, the dollar store tins, lined with cut dollar store plastic tablecloths. You can fill a plastic food bag with 2 brownies & tie with pretty ribbons to gain impact at bake sale. It's also great to add vanilla chips or cinnamon chips to the brownies! How easy is that & the kids/adults love them. These sold like hotcakes!

I also made (easy peasy) colorful lollipops on a stick & added 2 to a bag & tied with colorful ribbon. You can find chocolate, sprinkles & molds/sticks at your local craft store. Very fun for kids to help, quick & people love them!!! Check it out:


Enjoy being creative & impressing with these fun, simple & colorful ideas!

Ideas for classroom treats ~

IDEA: Purchase tin containers at dollar store!

Healthy snack idea: Grapes on kabob sticks (cut sharp ends) alternating with colored holiday marshmallows, strawberries, or anything you can think of. Kids get a healthy treat & a little sweetness! Easy to eat & not messy. I also purchase colored tablecloths at the dollar store & cut them to line trays for easy cleanup & a little festivity if you choose.



White frosting with some food coloring & sprinklers always make a festive presentations!

School Holiday Party Ideas for Room Parents or helpers

An idea for Halloween party:
Buy little clay pots (pretty inexpensive) & a few large bottles of acrylic paint in halloween colors. I brought in orange, yellow, green, purple & black. You can have the kids paint their own halloween inspired pots. You can also have them embellish these pots with glitter, chalk paint (& chalk drawing), stickers or any decoration you can glue on. They could even rim the top with glued on pipe cleaners in coordinating or contrasting color.

When the kids go home, fill the pots with tissue paper & inexpensive halloween goodies. Halloween pencils, candies, stickers etc.to surprise them when they come in the next day. DON'T FORGET TO MAKE ONE FOR THE TEACHER! (: A fun & useful craft the kids can actually use at home to store pencils in at their desk, or plant a little plant in.

Idea for a Blog

Have been really wanting to make a new blog. I LOVE to cook, keep a cozy, organized house & raise great kids! I'm a Mom of 2, stepmom of 3, raised a foster child through his teen years, have 2 dogs, a guinea pig & a tortoise. I have online stores where I sell items I design. You can check out my favorite at: Tamathaa

I'm looking for more ways to expand my creativity. I have so far explored my creativity through dance, then creative art & sculpture, then graphic art, now I express through cooking & decorating. My goals are to expand my stores, share through blogs & start expressing through writing. I'd also love to learn more recipes & share ones I have perfected! (: I have many creative friends I've met on the internet & we support each other. Would love to have more creative friends. Through this blog, I thought it would be fun to share some of my recipes & ideas & you could share back. Hope you enjoy, this is a labor of love!