Time to Party.....

Because it's my Birthday......

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I'm going to party like this.....

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Eat like this......

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Float away like this.....

while still remembering this....

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I am officially 28 today!!!  I have 2 more years to live out my twenties.....Let the good times roll!!!

Bringing the Outdoors In.....Part 2

Because it's nearing October, and because my front door is screaming for a new "fall look", I have decided to create a wreath.  I did not want the traditional grapevine wreath, and I did not want the "fall leaf" look, therefore I sought Pinterest for inspiration!!  This is what I found......

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Isn't it beautiful!!  I love it's simplicity and rustic appeal!  It doesn't look too intimidating....Let's give it a shot!!

Gather sticks from your back yard....different lengths, widths, and shapes!  Break them up into manageable lengths.  My longest was about 14".

First you need a base....I cut a circle out of a cardboard box, then I wrapped it with twine so it would have more of an "outdoor" feel!

You will have two layers of sticks to create this wreath!  For the bottom layer....

Place your sticks around the base.  Try to use straight sticks for this layer!  I did not want all of them to be the same length, so I placed varying sizes all the way around.  The idea was to make it look more like a starburst!  Once you get a layout that is pleasing, use a hot glue gun to adhere the sticks to the base.  As you can see in the above picture, you can still see a good bit of the twine....we will fix that with the next layer!

For the top layer of sticks you will be using twigs that have more of a bend and shape to them.  You want this layer to project out towards you!  Start gluing those sticks on top of the first layer that you made.  The shape of the wreath really comes to life when you add this second layer.  You no longer have a flat wreath, it is now 3D!

I continued to layer my sticks until the twine base was completely covered!

Because I wanted my wreath to have a little bit of color and bling, I pulled out my handy spray paint and GLITTER!!!  oh yes....my fall decor is full of glitter this year!!!

I lightly sprayed the sticks with an Almond color spray paint!  Then I generously sprinkled white and gold glitter all over the wreath!!  My goal was for it to have a nice glimmer when the sun hits it!!

This is how it looks when the paint and glitter dries!

And here it is on my front door!!  You can't really tell in this picture, but when the sun hits it, it has such a nice sparkle to it!!  

I am very pleased with the results.  Especially since it was practically free.  The only thing I had to purchase was the glitter.....and i'm pretty sure I will be using the remainder of that on other fall projects!!!  

To see the PARTIES I'm linking to go HERE!!

Bringing the Outdoors In.....Part 1

Because it's fall, and because I'm obsessed with holiday decorating...I have decided to devote the next few blog posts to "Bringing the Outdoors In."  I love using elements that you can find right in your backyard to warm up your home for fall!  Decorating this way is simple, cost effective, and has a nice rustic appeal!!

For my first project I will take on simple twig letters!  I have been seeing these images floating around the web for a while now, and have decided it's time to attempt one of my own!!

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This is an image from Pottery Barn!  Look how adorable this is!!

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This is super cool too!!  I love the bright accents of hot pink, and the use of greenery!!

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Again...very cool!  For hanging purposes, it looks like they have attached decorative wire to each letter!  

Now that I have been inspired, it's my turn to create!!

Supplies:  Twigs, Twine, and Scissors!

Break or cut your twigs to spell out your desired word!  I chose FAITH....this was extra easy because there were no curves to deal with!!

Tie together each intersection with twine.  

Because I did not want my twig words to look like they came straight off the set of "The Blair Witch Project," I decided to soften them with floral elements from our backyard!  

I carefully tucked each floral piece under the twine....

If you use artificial floral/greenery elements, I would glue them down to your twigs!  Since mine came straight from the backyard, and will eventually die, I decided to tuck them under the twine!  I like the thought of using "real" floral elements because I can always change them out for a new fresh look!  

I have attached a different floral element to each letter!  

And here is the final look!  I think it turned out fabulous!  It was soo easy, and cost NOTHING!!  You can't beat that!!  Now, as always, I just have to find a place to hang it!!  

To see my link parties go HERE!!!

Serious Cuteness....Round Three!!!

Do you remember a few months back when I made this little beauty??....

If you didn't catch that tutorial you can see it HERE!!  It was my first attempt at 3D decoupaging!! It took a lot of time and a lot of experimenting, but it was well worth every minute!! What you may have forgotten was that this was only ONE of THREE that I made!!    

TA-DAAA!  I not only created the flower, I also did a tree and a sun!  They each turned out fantastic!!!  Just to recap....My friend Angie is reworking her twin girls room!  She wants custom, colorful, large pieces of art!  So this project is for her!!  

I decoupaged the background of this just like the flower!  (Go HERE!! if you need a reminder)  For the actual tree, I tore pieces of paper, then wrinkled them before decoupaging them down!  I wanted to give the tree a more realistic, textured look!  I then added a few birds and flowers to give the art a more colorful appearance!

Here is a better view of the wrinkled paper!  And if you look closely, I added a very special detail to this piece of art.....I took a few twigs and glued them on top of the tree to add more visual interest!

Photo by Angie

Here you can see the twigs more clearly!  I simply hot glued them down and prayed that they would stay! hah   So far so good!!

Here is the sun!  I really loved the idea of mixing orange and pink together, therefore I decoupaged the background with torn pink paper, and the sun with torn orange paper!

This art doesn't have any 3D elements to it.  I did however add a few buttons for extra interest!

Photo by Angie

And here are the 3 final pieces hanging!!  They each turned out perfectly!  Angie, I hope your girls are loving their art!!!  

To see my LINK PARTIES go HERE!!!

Magic in the Fingers.....

When I think of finger painting my mind automatically goes here....

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But who would have thought you could achieve this with ONLY your fingers!!??

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Yes, that's right!!  This is a 100% fingerpainting!!!  I am amazed!!!  (it's okay to stop and stare for a little while...I've been in awe for an hour!!)  I seriously had no idea you could take finger painting to this level!!  WOW!

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Look at the texture here!!  Absolutely stunning!!

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Again, just beautiful and just with the fingers!!!

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I found this beauty floating around on Pinterest and I'm not sure if it was done only with the fingers, but it sure looks like it could be!!  I don't have a lot of painting experience, however I think I could recreate this!!  I have plenty of color knowledge, and seriously, could it be THAT hard to paint with your fingertips??  Well....we are about to find out!!

......To be continued.....

The Journey....

4 years ago today...
 I married the man I met on the side of the road.......

With a broken down car and Kevin to the rescue, I unexpectedly met my future husband....The day was June 16, 1999!  Panama City Beach, Florida!!  I was 15, Kevin was 18!  I was from Alabama, he was from Georgia!  I was vacationing with my family, Kevin was with a friend!  Thank goodness for good samaratins!!

We met on vacation... We never thought we would see each other again!  Little did I know.....We became "Long Distance" Highschool sweethearts!  

Before I knew it...it was Senior Prom!

With the blink of an eye, we were graduating college!  Still long distance!  I went to the University of Alabama, and Kevin went to college in Georgia!

7 years later...still dating!

Day of proposal....7 years after we met....Daytona, Florida 

Showing off the rock to my GREAT Grandmother!!  She is 99 in this picture!

September 8, 2007....The Big Day!

We got married in my hometown, Childersburg, Alabama

Dancing the night away!

And here we are today, 12 years after meeting, 4 years after being married!!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY DADDY K!!