Peppermint Goodness

So a couple of years ago I was asked to participate in our school's Holiday Craft Fair. I had to come up with items that I could sell to both adults and kids. (Kids accompanied their parents and bought items for their friends and siblings). I love peppermint and the holidays. The only other taste I love as much is my mom's non-alcoholic wassail. (And it smells good too).

At the time I had a very little one at home, and so did a few of my friends. I came up with this cute easy project to do for the fair. The most complicated part was spray painting the white lids, and making sure the peppermint swirls didn't fly away when I picked the vinyl.

Last post I talked about traditions--I have to tell you about another one of my favorite traditions which ties into this post--Each year when we put up the Christmas tree, we drink peppermint punch. My husband generally does not like peppermint, but this is the one time of year he looks forward to having it. We've been doing this since before I can remember, and I've carried it on with my family.

I'm going to share this long-time family recipe with you. Perhaps you'll enjoy it as much as we do.

Peppermint punch:
1 part vanilla ice cream
2 parts peppermint ice cream
Milk and Ginger Ale

The let ice cream soften a little, then mix together in a large bowl. Slowly add in milk and ginger ale until the concoction is soupy and frothy. Yum! (And seriously easy).

Do you have any family traditions you want to share?

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

Christmastime is here! I love this time of year--the snow, the red, green and gold everywhere, the songs about family and friends--I just love it. Every year I try to buy my presents a little early so I can enjoy the holidays to the fullest without having to worry about running around. (Nothing beats having all the essential stuff done and being able to enjoy your family with some downtime).

Last year I was still trying to get things sent off--this year I'm doing a little better. My kids are growing too fast and I want to focus on their enjoyment of the holidays.

Decorating is an essential tradition. This pictures above show a window decorated with vinyl. You can apply it from the inside or outside--just remember if you want it to show from inside the window, you need to order it reversed or mirrored so it looks correct when seen from the outside.

Hearth and Home (Happy Thanksgiving!)

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you all have a wonderful holiday and that you don't overindulge on the great food.

I thought this sign was an appropriate one to post today since one of the things I'm most grateful for is my family. To me a home can be anywhere in the world as long as you have family. I've moved several times (I think 10 at last count), and we've been able to create a happy home wherever we've lived.

So Happy Thanksgiving! Let's all be grateful for the ones we love.

Race Results

I ran my first 5K! I didn't come anywhere near placing, but I was proud of myself for my accomplishment. I came in just under 40 minutes--which was my goal. (I haven't been running all that long). I know I will do better next year.

It's always fun to decorate for Halloween, but sometimes storing the decorations can be a bit of a pain. And if you like to change things up from time to time, it's can be tricky using the same thing each year. An easy solution to all this is buying a premade phrase to place on your walls, door or windows. When the holiday is over, just peel the letters off.

Halloween will be a bit interesting for my family this year. My oldest is at the stage where he doesn't really want to dress up. In fact last year, we hit so many parties none of the kids was interested in going to Trick or Treat.

Go figure!

I can still have fun decorating though.

Shooting for a Goal

So this spring I decided I would work my way from couch potato to running a 5k race. I know--it's not a big race, but it's one I thought I could reach. The race is in a couple of days. I'll let you know my time.

Liven your Laundry

This sign hangs in my mom's laundry room. Laundry can generally be dull and uninteresting, (unless you missed a crayon in your child's pocket--then real fun ensues in the drying cycle!). So why not liven up the laundry room with a fun sign or two?

Simplicity

I find myself trying to simplify my life in as many ways as I can. I'm decluttering--a slow and occasionally painful process--which is somehow liberating at the same time. As I write I this, I have spent most of the day working on a backlog of projects trying to get them out of my hair. It feels good to either let go or get it done and over.

I find that though the trends in scrapbooking and card making are often cyclical (I've seen decorative scissors at least twice as well as crowded backgrounds, simple backgrounds, diecuts, etc.), I tend to gravitate to clean, simple designs.

I've become this way in many areas of my life. I've simplified my taste in my dishware (plain white is a classic), home decor (as much as I love the elegance of Queen Anne furniture, I love the simplicity of Shaker and Scandinavian designs even more). And in my home I have a somewhat unifying color scheme that is manifest in each room. The overall effect is calming to me. (Greens, Yellows, Browns and Reds--all earth tones that I love in nature).

This is a very simple card, but it speaks to my need for simplicity right now.

I love it, and I hope you do to.

Every Girl Should Take Edward's advice

One of the things I love about Twilight is Edward telling Bella that she doesn't see herself clearly. The implication here is that she has more to give and more value as a person than she knows. I remember life as a teenager and being unsure about a good many things about myself.

So we created the locker mirrors stickers. I believe all girls should see themselves clearly. They should see the magnificent creatures they are and the strong women they can become.

If you're interested in purchasing one, they are just $1.00 plus the cost of a stamp.

Girl Power!

Sweet Tidings

Crystal Effects has many uses, (I'll tell you my favorite one in a minute). I love how it creates a smooth shiny surface. It was the perfect accent for the glass in the gumball machine for this card.
I tried to get a close up of the crystal effects here. It wasn't the best light, but it was the best shot I could get.

Now my favorite use for crystal effects...

I had a cabinet door where the screw had come loose. We had tried putting the screw back in a few times, but it always worked its way out again. Eventually it stripped the wood inside a little. I remembered a tip from a SU! convention when I had a similar problem with the rolling suitcase/backpack they gave us. So I pulled out my crystal effects, filled in the hole a little, let it set up just a tiny bit and then screwed the hinge back on.

It hasn't budged since.

:D

Let me know if you have another unusual use for crystal effects.

My Twilight Family

We did these in a high-tack vinyl, but we apparently need a clear cover to go over them as well so we don't lose eyes and noses. Look for these to be available in the future.

Fresh Start

I looked at my blog yesterday and realized I had just a handful of posts for last year. It was kind of a testament to the year my family had. We dealt with health issues (mostly mine), multiple miscarriages, challenges with kids (I now have 2 diagnosed ADHD), 2 surgeries, etc. I could go on, but it would probably bore you.

And you may have had a year as tough as mine.

If I learned anything at all this last year it is 1) Trust in God, and 2) Get on with life.

So I'm moving past last year and I'm going to work on being more regular in my posting on this blog. Right now I'm shooting for about every 2 weeks. I may on occasion post more frequently than that, but I think 1 post every 2 weeks is doable for me. I know I lost a few readers last year because I was so infrequent in posting, and I hope if you were one of them and you found me again, that you'll forgive my lapse.

I look forward to sharing ideas with you in the future.

Another Twilight Party idea.

It's been a while since I've posted any ideas (personal and family issues), but here's another one. This time we put Twilight on the backside of the plate (using a reverse cut) so your guests can still eat off the plate and you don't have to worry about the vinyl being food grade or not.