Hey Guys...

I need to take a little break from blogging. 
I'm not doing so well mentally and physically.
I'll be back soon. I promise!

To My Pooch...

This is my 9 year old puppy, Charlie.

He's a mutt, and I love him. (not more than I love you Mike)

He's getting up there in dog years and I know that someday soon I'll get a call from Mom telling me that my little bundle of fluffy happiness has gone away. But until then, I still enjoy playing with him and chasing him around the house. My family and fiancée still roll their eyes at me when I dress Charlie up or "dance" with him. I don't mind. 

The poor little guy is getting arthritis in one of his front paws. Sometimes he can't make his way up to my bed so a little whimper let's me know that assistance is needed. 

Some funnies...

"If you want the best seat in the house, move the dog."

"If your dog is fat, you aren't getting enough exercise."

(hmmm...thinking there is some truth to this one)

"There is no snooze button on a dog who wants breakfast."

"When dogs leap onto your bed, it's because they adore being with you. When cats leap onto your bed, it's because they adore your bed."

Do you have pets?

Smile for the camera! diy

This post is all about pictures. 

My friends and family will tell you that I love Love LOVE taking pictures! I must have hundreds on my computer and each one holds a special memory....

Here's a cute way to frame your pictures with paper. 

(click the image for instructions)

Another cute way to display your photos... Use vintage wooden spools!

What You’ll Need:

1. Camera
2. Printer (or have your pictures printed at a copy center)
3. 8.5″ x 11″ labels
4. Scissors
5. A Canvas of your choosing
6. Paint

How-To:

Step 1: Take a picture in profile
Step 2: Print profile picture on an 8.5” x 11” label (Available at office supply stores)
Step 3: Cut out the profile using fine tip scissors. Be sure to catch all of the details!
Step 4: Remove the backing of the label and apply the outer part of the label to a canvas. I had
pre-painted mine with a chocolate brown paint and let dry overnight.
Step 5: Using the label as a stencil, fill in the negative space with paint that contrasts the base
canvas color.
Step 6: Remove the ‘label stencil’ and let dry.
Step 7: Touch up the edges of the profile with base color of paint if needed.

Source

I hope you all have a lovely Friday and great weekend!

No, I'm not dead

It's been a while since I've posted anything and that could be blamed on work, getting sick....again, and my wonderful fiancée coming up for a surprise visit! 

So I'm getting back on track (cross my fingers) with blogging and crafting and wedding planning!

Actually...I need to get to work soon; but I wanted to chit chat a bit about the wedding first.

So I'm pretty sure I've decided on a dress (sorry, you won't see that until the big day), and I'm totally going to wear yellow shoes underneath! Our colors are green, yellow, and dark gray so my feet won't stick out like a sore thumb. 

I got inspired by this picture and thought it would be cute for centerpieces; but after a little more brainstorming, Mike and I decided to use traditional clay pots with yellow flowers and green moss. I'll tie a bow of some sort around the pot and three picture frames will surround the centerpiece. The tables will be round and a white table cloth will be placed on each table with half the tables with a  yellow runner and half with a green one.

That's all that I can write at the moment; work is calling my name!

DIY Valentine Crafts Roundup

Yay it's Friday!

Now you've got a whole weekend in front of you that you can fill with oodles and oodles of Valentine crafts.

Let's start with food shall we? (guys like food anyway)

These cute little cake pops are simple to make and great for just about everyone.

How about a 5 minute cake in a mug for that special somebody? Or...make a bunch of these before watching a chick flick with all the girls!

Source

You don't just have to give away chocolate on Monday. Why not bake some bread of muffins? Don't forget to wrap them up in pretty paper!

Source

This is a popular trend this year with crafter and bloggers. You can either glue together your own candy bag topper with pretty paper and stickers, or create your own using your computer. Just print it out, cut, and either staple or glue your topper to the candy bag.

Now how about some flowers?

Use all those left over fabrics to make a dozen pretty roses and tie them all together with some red ribbon.

Here's another tutorial on how to make a cute felt rose. (and there great thing about felt it that...no hemming!)

You could also use these fabric roses for headbands and decorative pins. Just take the idea and run away with it!

I know I've shared this tutorial before, I just love it so much!

I just Heart these next tutorials!

Here's another idea you could use to clean up all your scraps of fabric. Make some pretty heart pillows!

Here's girl who know what to do with those conversation hearts. I think that they taste like chalk personally...

Paper garland anyone?

I must learn the art of crocheting hearts!

And I saved this one for the last tutorial because I am so in love with this idea!

Don't you just totally heart this love note?????

Click here to see the step by step instructions for making this sweet note. 

So that's it for my little roundup. I hope you all have a relaxing weekend full of whatever it is that you love. For me? That would be sleep...crocheting...and chatting with my handsome fiancée over gmail.

Don't forget to check out my youtube channel for some more tutorials and what not. 

Happy Valentine Weekend! 

Did you get your free printable Valentines???

What?

You did'nt?!?!?!

Well check out the left hand sidebar for some links with some super cute Valentine cards that you can print for free!

My First Product Review

Click here if you would like to order your own!

Also check out...

Matching Measuring Spoons

Matching Cups

What My Valentine Swap Partner Sent Me

Did you sign up for a craft swap?

Surprise Valentine Cupcakes

Inspired by...

A don't forget to see...

These cute cards were inspired by...

Mike Came to Visit Me!

My wonderful fiancée came to visit me this week-end. I was so happy. For those of you who don't know...we've had a long distance relationship from the start so every moment together is precious. 

He came in late on Friday night and had to leave early Sunday afternoon, so the visit was short but terribly precious to me. 

We didn't really do anything special since I was still getting over a cold; but we did enjoy each others company very much. Mom made an awesome dinner for us followed by a chocolate fondue dessert!

Mmmm....So good!

This picture is just me showing off my gorgeous engagement ring. I love it so much and I know that it will warm my heart every time I look down at it for the rest of my life. 

Dear Sleep,

Dear Sleep,

I miss you. I remember back when I was younger and I thought you were the worst thing in the world cause you wouldn't let me play. I remember how I would pretend I was with you and then sneak away to play with my war toy buddies.
Sleep, I have matured though! I no longer hang with the wild crowd of my toys anymore. I have joined a new crowd. This one guy, His name is themes. He scares me because all he does is talk, and talk,and talk....AND NOBODY UNDERSTANDS HIM!!!! But people still think he is rather intelligent. Oh and get this, There is this girl whose name is English, we call her 102 for short, and all she wants is me writing about random stuff just so that she can show me that I can never meet up to her standards.

Sleep, I have been thinking about you a lot lately.While Im sitting in chapel, while im working, ESPECIALLY when im hanging with Themes and 102. Sleep, I just never realized just how much you mean to me. Your precious, I can never get enough of you. I get mad when Im taken away from you. Sleep, please come back to me. I promise I will cherish each moment we spend together and I'll even spend the afternoons with you! Sleep, please just come back to me and be mine.

Sign,

CRAZY COLLEGE STUDENT!!!!!!! (aka...my little brother)

Self Improvement Plan: Written in 2011

If you remember my goals for this year post, I said I wanted to be healthier and lose a little weight before my wedding (yay). I haven't been toooo bad since that goal was made. I haven't been working out EVERY morning but I have been eating better. 

Anyway, as I was browsing around the internet looking at things from the past (1950s) I found a youtube video with a 10 point plan to follow for one week involving self improvement. Yes, diet and exercise are on the list but there is so much more. Things that we all should be working on every day...but a journey begins with a single step so will you take this weeks challenge with me? I know it's Wednesday but let's take these 10 points and work on them until next Wednesday. Let's see what we can do!

Take it away Jack!

And for your happiness... I've made the 10 point plan ready for you to print out and stick to your mirror!

Just right click and "save image".

DIY Valentine Cards

Source

Yay! It's the first of February, and I'm so excited to send out my valentine craft to my craft swap buddy.

Today was my day off at work so I made some pretty little Valentine cards. I would love to show you how to make them, but first...a little history...

"Valentine's Day started in the time of the Roman Empire. In ancient Rome, February 14th was a holiday to honour Juno. Juno was the Queen of the Roman Gods and Goddesses. The Romans also knew her as the Goddess of women and marriage. The following day, February 15th, began the Feast of Lupercalia.

The lives of young boys and girls were strictly separate. However, one of the customs of the young people was name drawing. On the eve of the festival of Lupercalia the names of Roman girls were written on slips of paper and placed into jars. Each young man would draw a girl's name from the jar and would then be partners for the duration of the festival with the girl whom he chose. Sometimes the pairing of the children lasted an entire year, and often, they would fall in love and would later marry.

Under the rule of Emperor Claudius II Rome was involved in many bloody and unpopular campaigns. Claudius the Cruel was having a difficult time getting soldiers to join his military leagues. He believed that the reason was that roman men did not want to leave their loves or families. As a result, Claudius cancelled all marriages and engagements in Rome. The good Saint Valentine was a priest at Rome in the days of Claudius II. 
He and Saint 
Marius aided the Christian martyrs and secretly married couples, and for this kind deed Saint Valentine was apprehended and dragged before the Prefect of Rome, who condemned him to be beaten to death with clubs and to have his head cut off. He suffered martyrdom on the 14th day of February, about the year 270. At that time it was the custom in Rome, a very ancient custom, indeed, to celebrate in the month of February the Lupercalia, feasts in honour of a heathen god. On these occasions, amidst a variety of pagan ceremonies, the names of young women were placed in a box, from which they were drawn by the men as chance directed.

The pastors of the early Christian Church in Rome endeavoured to do away with the pagan element in these feasts by substituting the names of saints for those of maidens. And as the Lupercalia began about the middle of February, the pastors appear to have chosen Saint Valentine's Day for the celebration of this new feaSt. So it seems that the custom of young men choosing maidens for valentines, or saints as patrons for the coming year, arose in this way."

 Did you know...

In Wales wooden love spoons were carved and given as gifts on February 14th. Hearts, keys and keyholes were favourite decorations on the spoons. The decoration meant, "You unlock my heart!"

A love seat is a wide chair. It was first made to seat one woman and her wide dress. Later, the love seat or courting seat had two sections, often in an S-shape. In this way, a couple could sit together -- but not too closely!

If you cut an apple in half and count how many seeds are inside, you will also know how many children you will have.

Think of five or six names of boys or girls you might marry, As you twist the stem of an apple, recite the names until the stem comes off. You will marry the person whose name you were saying when the stem fell off.

Some people used to believe that if a woman saw a robin flying overhead on Valentine's Day, it meant she would marry a sailor. If she saw a sparrow, she would marry a poor man and be very happy. If she saw a goldfinch, she would marry a millionaire.

Click on the card above to watch me make a cute little valentine.

Pssst! Click on St.Valentines picture so read his personal story!