Flashback Friday: Chalkboard Project DIYs

I thought it would be fun to take a peek back at past projects,

so the last Friday of every month will be Flashback Friday

where I'll feature five projects with the same theme.

This month is chalkboard projects.
Who doesn't love chalkboard paint?

I turned this thrift store tray into a chalkboard.

Go here to read more about it.

This is a chalkboard necklace.
Cute, huh?

I painted a chalkboard panel onto a vintage suitcase.

Check it out here.

This cheese dome was another thrifted find.
I thought a chalkboard base would give it a little character.

I love making buntings, so I was tickled to turn chalkboard paper into a banner.

Makes you want to break out some chalk, doesn't it?

I hope you have a fantastic weekend! Thanks for stopping by and God bless.

A new commandment that I give to you,

that you love one another;

as I have loved you, that you also love one another.

John 13:34

 This post is linked to Too Much Time, A Morning Cup of Joe, My Salvaged Treasures,
 Funky Junk, and I Heart Naptime.

Thrifty Thursday #200

It was a light week of thrifting this week.

I got this lovely silver tray for $1.

It's in good shape and is heavy duty.

I got it for a friend who asked me to find some for her.

I also got these four packages of ribbon (actually 3 packs of ribbon and one of twill tape).

They were a quarter apiece.

I can't pass up vintage ribbon. . . however, I have quite a supply of it, so I gave it to the same friend.

I also got these three nice kids' books for a quarter each.

Unfortunately, my boys are too old for such stories, so I'll take them to the nursery at church.

It was a good thing that this is all I found because I didn't have much cash in my wallet.

I paid for half of this purchase in coins.

Have you had any good finds lately?

Thanks for stopping by and God bless.

God is my strength and power

2 Samuel 22:33

This post is linked to Blue Willow House, The Crafted Sparrow, and Life With Lorelai.  

Lovelies That I Love

Valentine's Day is only 19 days away,
so let's look at some darling finds that will get you feeling all prime for the holiday. . .

This Valentine's Ephemera Pack is making me drool!

It could be used for so much- any paper crafting project, a scrapbook page, a banner,

 or even placed in a cute Valentine's centerpiece.

How cute is this shirt?!?

I think this is a fantastic idea.

It's 365 days of love notes.

All you have to do is print them off, cut them, and put them in a jar.

So sweet.

This heart garland is so cute!

I love the mix of flower print with text.

Aren't these wooden love blocks beautiful?

They'd be great not just for Valentine's décor, but would also look cute sitting

 in a family photo arrangement.

Isn't this stuff sweet?

I'm not affiliated with any of these companies; I just like their stuff.

Thanks for stopping by and God bless.

For who is God, except the Lord?

And who is a rock, except our Lord?

2 Samuel 22:32



This post is linked to My Girlish Whims, Embracing Change, and The Dedicated House.

Recipe of the Week #205- Vanilla Shortbread Cookies

Vanilla Shortbread Cookies
2 sticks butter, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix butter, sugar, and vanilla. Add the flour and mix well.
Chill dough for 30-60 minutes in the fridge. Roll dough into balls. Flatten with the bottom of a glass to 1/2". Bake for 10-11 minutes, but don't over bake.

If you're a fan of shortbread, you'll love these. My boys had never eaten shortbread before and weren't impressed, but my hubby loved them. I totally loved them!

Thanks for stopping by and God bless.

The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;

the God of my strength, in whom I will trust

2 Samuel 2-3a

This post is linked to Between Naps on the Porch and Skip to My Lou.

Mini Album Monday #69- Album Made With A Souvenir Map

Do you pick up souvenir maps from day trips or vacations?

Today's album shows how I turned one of those maps into a mini album.

I used a map from the Houston Zoo and added photos and a cover.

I started by folding the map in half lengthwise.

Then I cut two chipboard covers slightly larger than the map.

I covered those covers with zoo themed pattern paper and added a title.



I used the folds that the map already had as my pages.

I adhered the panel on each end and to the backs of the covers using double sided tape.

The remaining accordion folds became the pages for my book.

I added one or two photos to each "layout."

To make some of the photos fit across the layout, I had to cut them in half, then butt up the edges.

I added simple embellishments like stickers, shaped paper clips, and paper arrows.

The front side of the book has three "layouts" or six folds.
Then you flip the back over to see the rest of the pages.

I kept my journaling very simple.

I used line stamps on vellum, then wrote on them.

I love how the map peeks through around all the photos.

Because the book is accordion folded, the pages pull out like this

 (this is the view of all the front pages spread out).

The back matches the front.
I had my hubby draw different paw/hoof prints across the cover.

What do you think? Does it make you want to try turning a map into a mini album?

Thanks for stopping by and God bless.

Then Jesus spoke to them again saying,

 "I am the light of the world. 

He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, 

but have the light of life."

John 8:12

This post is linked to Plucky's Second Thought, Funky Junk, Lil' Luna, and Tip Junkie.

Easy Necklace DIY

Today I've got an easy necklace DIY.

Here's the necklace we'll be making.

To make one, you'll need:

Tim Holtz Typed Tokens
small resin flowers
small circle blanks
ball chain

jump rings
E-6000 glue
two pairs of jewelry pliers

First, you need to glue a flower to the circle blank using E-6000 glue.

Allow to dry for 24 hours

Using two pairs of jewelry pliers, open a jump ring.

Don't pull it apart; instead twist it to open it.

This way it will close properly without leaving a gap.

Place a jump ring on the flower piece.

Close the jump ring.

Apply a jump ring to a Tim Holtz token as well.

Cut a length of ball chain to 20".

Place both the flower and the token onto the chain.

Attach a ball chain closure at the end.

Ta-da!

I made twenty of them to take to work and give to my co-workers as Christmas gifts.

I think they're pretty cute!

If you like this, but don't want to make one, you can get one here.

Thanks for stopping by and God bless.

Come and hear, all you who fear God, 

and I will declare what He has done for my soul.

Psalm 66:16

This post is linked to I Heart Naptime, Simple Nature Décor, The Crafted Sparrow,
and Life With Lorelai.

Thrifty Thursday #199

Today's treasures are brought to you by my neighbor lady. :)
She's been cleaning out her garage and had some goodies for me.

She gave me this box full of vintage patterns.

I've been coming up with ideas of what I can do with them. . . stay tuned for that!

Yes, she just recently gave me two smaller boxes of patterns,

so I now have a plethora of them!

She also gave me these two old piano books.
I love vintage sheet music.
I've already started using one in a crafting project.

Not too bad for a free haul, huh?

Thanks so much for stopping by and God bless.

He only is my rock and my salvation;

He is my defense; I shall not be moved.

Psalm 62:6

This post is linked to Embracing Change, I Heart Naptime, and Too Much Time. 

Layout of the Week #124

For today's Layout of the Week, we're going to use one 8 1/2"x 10" photo.

Feel free to grab one that you took years ago and haven't had in a frame for awhile.

Here's the layout we'll be creating.

 

To make it, you'll need:

one horizontal 8 1/2"x 10" photo

one 12"x 12" piece of pattern paper

seven to eight pieces of pattern papers measuring all different sizes between 1-1 1/4" x 1-2 1/2" 

pre-printed title or letter stickers for the title

journaling card (I used four shipping tags placed in two small decorative sacks)

1-2 pieces of decorative tape

 paper trimmer

adhesive

Center your photo along the top of the pattern paper.

(I used a border punch along the top of my photo.)

Using your letter stickers or pre-printed title, place your title in the upper right corner of the layout

overlapping the photo.

Place your journaling card in the lower left corner.

A notecard will work for this.

Here's what I did for my journaling. 

I ran my tags through the printer and wrote questions for my family to fill in.

What I ate for lunch today,

Something I just learned,

My favorite song this year,

The last book I read,

What I'm wearing right now,

The last phone call I made,

The last restaurant I ate at,

My favorite tv show

Questions are such an easy way to add journaling to a page. 

I love reading what my boys write:)

Place 2 strips of decorative tape across your journaling card.
Use the small scraps of pattern paper to make a border along the bottom edge of your photo.

Wasn't that easy?
Stop by every other Wednesday and do a new layout with me.

Thanks so much for stopping by and God bless.

Say to God, "How awesome are Your works!"

Psalm 66:3

This post is linked to Ivy and Elephants, Skip to My Lou, A Morning Cup of Joe,
and Between Naps on the Porch.

Recipe of the Week #204- Crock Pot Beef Tips

Crock Pot Beef Tips
2 lbs stew meat
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 packet onion soup mix
1 packet brown gravy
1 small can of mushrooms
1 cup water

Mix together all the ingredients. Place meat in the Crock Pot and cover with soup mixture. Set on low all day. Serve over mashed potatoes.

We are a big meat and potatoes family, so this recipe went over great at our house. I love any recipe that I can put in the Crock Pot in the morning and have ready for dinner with minimal fuss.

Thanks for stopping by and God bless.

A man's heart plans his way, 

but the Lord directs his steps.

Proverbs 16:9

This post is linked to My Girlish Whims, The Dedicated House, and Tip Junkie

Trash to Treasure: Attic Turbine Turned Light Fixture

Last year, my neighbor had an old attic turbine sitting outside her garage.

I asked if I could have it because I thought it would make 

the most awesome light fixture.

And holy cow! It sure did!

After sitting at my neighbor's for sometime, it sat at my house waiting to be hung.

Then one day, my hubby made it work.

And I totally love it!

It allows light to come through, although not enough to be a main light fixture in a room.

But it's perfect for a front entry, and it casts a cool shadow on the walls.

If you're wondering what is on the right side of the hallway, it's an old door with clipboards displaying photos. You can go here to see it.

Thanks for stopping by and God bless.

Sing out the honor of His name; 

make His praise glorious.

Psalm 66:2

This post is linked to Tip Junkie, Embracing Change, Today's Creative Life, Funky Junk,
My Salvaged Treasures, and Plucky's Second Thought.       

6 Ways to Document Your Year

I frequently mention how important it is to make memories.
An important part of making memories is taking pictures.
Instead of letting those pictures sit on your computer, print them off.

Here are six ways that you can keep memories from this year.
Follow the links to see tutorials on how to make them.

 

1. month by month scrapbook
You can put together a scrapbook or buy a pre-made one. You just need one layout per month.
Add photos and other tokens from the month.

At the beginning of every year, I put together a simple album that I use throughout the year.
At the end of the month, I list the things we did that month and try to add a picture for each event.
It actually makes me take more photos.
This picture shows all of them that I've done.
I love going back through the old ones.
It's surprising how much I forget until I'm reminded by these pictures:)
 

2. memory jars

This is a super simple idea. Get a cute jar and add mementos throughout the year.

I do this every year. You'd think it would overlap with the album, but it doesn't.
I add things like business cards from places we've gone, small souvenirs from trips (like smashed pennies), used gift cards, movie stubs-that sort of thing.

 

3. memory shadowbox

This is the same idea as the jar, you'd just use a shadowbox instead.
 

 

4. index cards and office rings
Buy a set of the index card organizers, and add holes and office rings.
Then just add pictures and mementos throughout the year.

 

5. ring of memories

Use a large office ring and keep your birthday cards and other important keepsakes.
A simple cover will do. This one shows a large index card divider as a cover.

I have one of these for each member of my family.
This is mostly to keep up with cards and certificates from the year.
I made a cute cover for each of ours.

 

6. photo albums

A plain and simple photo album is so easy to keep up with.
Just print off your photos each month and slip them into the pages.

I keep one of these for each year. I can't fit all my photos into my month by month scrapbook,
so I have a photo album for all the good pictures I take.

See how easy it can be to document your life?
Give one of these ideas a try.
I promise you'll be creating a treasure.

Thanks for stopping by and God bless.

Make a joyful shout to God, all the earth!

Psalm 66:1

 This post is linked to Life With Lorelai, Too Much Time,
Tatertots and Jello, and My Salvaged Treasures.