4 Free, Simple New Years Resolutions That Everyone Needs to Stick To - Time to Get Motivated!

Today I'm feeling extremely motivated, therefore I've been thinking about ways to improve my life and all around well-being. Just like my need use use to-do lists, if I just break down my large goals into smaller, more manageable tasks I know I can accomplish anything!!!

So, as the New Year has just passed, as many of you are doing (and heeding my own advice) I'm going to physically write down my goals and planned accomplishments for this year (because i really do get more done this way):

(1) Get off the computer and get something done! I know you've been there, too! By simply reading the news, browsing Facebook, or pouring over my Pinterest boards I find myself engrossed in the wonders and accomplishments of other people. The problem is I often forget about what, I, myself am doing! I feel like I've lost sooo much time over the last few years by just sitting and not DOING. One of my most important goals for this year is to get out and DO, not just WATCH from the sidelines. Nothing in life is accomplished by just sitting idle. 

(2) Keep a regular schedule. It is not good for me, my family, or my son for me to make spur of the moment decisions like, "Oooo! I love this lamp, let me go out to Target right now to buy it!" or "I think I'll stay up just an hour longer..." I need to keep my tasks, health, and budget in order this year. The best way to do that for me is going to be to set a schedule and stick to it! (Yes, that includes gym visits, Miranda. -Oops!)

(3) Number one and number two now brings me to number three: GET OFF YOUR BUTT AND GO TO THE GYM! When I was going to the gym regularly, I felt I had more energy, my body didn't ache as much, and I really did notice results. Then there were those few days in there where I actually had appointments I had to go to where my regularly scheduled gym time would usually be and then the whole routine went out the window. No more excuses for me. Like Nike, I'm going to JUST DO IT! I will see results if I stick to it!

(4)Spend less money. My boyfriend says it over, and over, and over, and over, and over again (Jeez, you'd think I'd get it by now!), "Spending less money is like making more money." {light bulb going off!} Well, since he has always spent less AND made more money than me, maybe there's some truth to that. I mean if I make a million dollars a year, but I spend a million dollars a year I'm still going to be broke! I'm deciding once and for all that I'm going to put a stop to my impulse buying and start SAVING more. Budgeting will be key for me this year!

By writing my goals down I now have PROOF that I made these resolutions and I no longer have any excuses not to follow them, and I challenge you to do the same. These resolutions are going to make my life better and I'm all about that! What are some of your New Year's resolutions? How are you going to be improving your life in 2012? These are all serious, but exciting questions we all need to be asking ourselves. May 2012 be a stellar year for all of us by simply sticking to our standards!

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Why You Can't Ever Get to EVERYTHING In Your Day

Do you ever feel like that? I do! All. The. Time. Today I was running around, trying to get my son dressed to meet up with my mom for a lunch date, attempting to pack a gym bag, make and clean bottles, get the car running in this wintery cold, and get dressed (myself) ALL at the same time! Ah! Crazy. {and the worst part was I didn't even make it to the gym :( }

Anyhow, in the car on the way to lunch I thought to myself: What can I do that would really help me get more done in my day? I pondered everything from a strictly followed, rigid schedule to possibly even getting a babysitter so that I could get more things done around the house. I mean, a babysitter? Really? Stay at home moms are supposed to have all the free time in the world, right? Or so I once thought..

Then during my son's nap I started browsing my Pinterest boards (yea, really following a strict schedule now - oops) and I came upon something so simple, that we've all been taught since we were just wee tiny ones. Duh! Write down a to-do list! I always think up all the tasks I have to do during the day, but I never end up writing them down. Well I think all that is about to change, because I found these:

Isn't this one of the most adorable to-do lists you've ever seen? I really was one excited mom nerd.

I LOVE this one because it even has a reminder to exercise and drink the daily recommended amount of water. Genius! I never drink enough water. Maybe now I can remember I still need to visit the gym ;).  

This dry-erase board is so adorable!

And if you want to take it to extremes, you could even go with this board which includes to-do lists, day planner, calendar, and even a family message center!

These lists/board have everything you could possibly think of to remember to incorporate into your day, week, month, or even your year! They have thought of everything busy moms like me need to get done like laundry, dishes, working out, kids' activities, e-mails and calls, and even drinking the right amount of water! Props to everyone who made these lists. Now if I could just choose ONE to start using, there are so many great ones it's going to be hard! You can find the sources to all of these lists by simply clicking on the picture, or find even more cute to-do lists and organization idea on this Pinterest board.

Happy To-Doing everyone. :)

The Christmas Goodies I Received!

So I know, I know, Christmas was last week..and today is the start of the new year - Yippee! I have a feeling this year will be very crafty {and wonderful} because I just happened to get some of the greatest Christmas presents ever!!!

First of all, I got this awesome new sewing machine! It's a Brother CS6000i computerized sewing machine and it is the bomb! It has an automatic needle threader, 8 button hole functions, 60 stitches (including decorative ones), and it is really, really easy to understand for a beginner like myself.

(Mmm. K. Side Note: Why did they just put a picture of some random lady on the side of the box? Yea, I don't know either.)

Why is it so great? Well for dummies like me who have never sewn before (except for those two weeks in Home Ec. in sixth grade), it makes sewing so easy. Not kidding! I have only had this machine for a week now and I've already made two pillow covers, several pacifier clips, and an entire large tote bag with pockets. I mean, me, SEWING? Wow, who would've thunk. This machine makes me think I could really start sewing some great stuff! ;) Here are some pics of the projects I've made thus far:

two gray pillow covers

pacifier clips (some for my son, some for baby gifts)

and this awesome tote bag (you can find the tutorial here)

I can honestly say I think I'm doing prettttty well for my first week sewing. :)

Then, I got the granddaddy of all Christmas gifts. Yes, ladies and gentleman, I got a Silhouette Cameo!

This machine is unbelievable. It cuts, draws, and perforates pretty much everything I could ever think of (except cutting felt...oh well). If you haven't had a chance to see one of these machines in action, though, you should really look up some videos on YouTube. Seeing what this little guy is capable of really is believing! 

Just a note to beginners with the Cameo: The first few times you use your cutting mat it will be VERY sticky, sticky enough that it may even rip your media after you try and pull it off the cutting mat. I would start with a heavier media like chipboard or fabric and move to the more delicate surfaces like paper until after the cutting mat is a little less sticky. It will get less sticky after the first 5 or so cuts. I had to learn this lesson the hard way!

I ended up having to figure out a way to easily remove stuck on paper from my Cameo from my first use (because my paper was too delicate for the EXTREMELY sticky, new mat). I have, however, found a shortcut to get the unwanted scraps off! Like these:

Can you see those icky little stuck on bits? I simply used a baby wipe, after I had to scrape up almost the entire surface of the mat with my FINGERNAIL {yea that was fun}, and the scraps came right off within 2 seconds! See?

I am so impressed with the amount of projects and possibilities Cameo can produce. Here's my first one. I created a onesie for my son, "Mr. Charming." 

(I know the elephant is random, but cutting on the Cameo can become addicting and I only had one onesie on hand! The more the merrier, right? LOL)

This project was suddenly became extremely easy after I acquired the Cameo. Before I would have had to cut all this stuff by hand. Yikes! I simply used some Heat N' Bond to bond the decorative fabrics that were cut from the Silhouette to my onesie, and ta-da! New, beautiful onesie!

These two Christmas gifts were by far my favorite this year! However, there's still more to come. I got gift cards, too! I was pretty lucky this Christmas, and I can't wait to use these machine can drum up in the future. More projects to come, you can be sure!

My onesie project was shared here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

New Year 2012 - Year of the Dragon

Christmas has now passed and my family and I are eagerly looking forward to the new year!  Can you believe that it's less than a week away? Admittedly 2011 was not the best of year for many people, myself included, but no longer will we have to think about that! 2012 is now upon us! Hopefully this next year will be full of prosperity and happiness.

I'm looking forward to leaving all my troubles in the past and embracing the new year and the new opportunities it may bring! So in preparation for the new year I have created a 2012 calendar. According to the Chinese zodiac, 2012 is the year of the dragon. This new year especially means a lot to me because I was born in the year of the dragon {so it has to be great, right?!}.  So with that being said, this new annual calendar was designed with a dragon motif in mind.

Wikipedia claims that, "In contrast to European dragons, which are considered evil, Chinese dragons traditionally symbolize potent and auspicious powers, particularly control over water, rainfall, hurricane, and floods. The dragon is also a symbol of power, strength, and good luck. With this, the Emperor of China usually uses the dragon as a symbol of his imperial power."


That has to be a good sign, right? 

What do you think of the calendar? Pretty snazzy of you ask me! Lately, I've been pretty much obsessed with gray, yellow, and turquoise (if you couldn't tell from my blog) and I wanted to incorporate these beautiful colors into my new calendar. You can download it here to print or even to use digitally. Please use it and love it! Here's to hoping the new year and the new dragon are successful, peaceful, and cheerful!

Happy New Year everyone!

Project was shared here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

Gourmet Chocolate Spoons Knockoff!

I've been busy crafting up a storm for Christmas! I am so excited to see the reactions on everyone's face when I give them their personalized gifts! Since some of them might be reading, though, I'll probably have to share those projects after Christmas.

Most of the day yesterday I was shopping for groceries and making chocolate covered spoons to go with some other gifts that I made. I've always seen these spoons in gourmet cafes or little gift shops and thought they looked so cute {and yummy!}, but I had never made them. After I made these spoons,. I wish I had known sooner how easy they really are to make! My head is reeling with possibilities now; birthday favors, weddings, winter get-togethers, coffee time, the list could go on and on!

First, I had to gather all of my ingredients.

Chocolate Chips
Toppings (this could be anything: peppermint, sprinkles, coconut, chopped nuts, etc.)
Shortening
Spoons (most any kind will do!)
Wax Paper
Cookie Sheet

Optional"

Small Plastic Treat Bags
Twist Ties

*Note: I used milk chocolate chips for these spoons. I tried the below recipes with white chocolate chips, and it didn't turn out so hot. There must be some other *secret* recipe for making these with white chocolate. If someone knows the secret to getting the white chocolate right, let me in on it!


Once your ingredients are together, make sure they are in appropriate sized pieces to fit on each spoon. I used candy canes for my peppermint spoons. Well, turns out that candy cane crushing business was a bit more involved than I had anticipated. I actually used a pizza cutter {hey, it's what was on hand} to cut the candy canes into the pieces you see in the bowl above. Those pieces weren't small enough, though. So what does a woman resort to when she's frustrated? That's right, a hammer!

 I went out in my garage and laid down an old bath towel. Then I placed the candy canes into a plastic baggie and laid it in between the two sides of the towel and went at it with a hammer! See? Much better. :)

I started by melting 2 teaspoons of shortening and 1/2 cup chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl until it was nice and runny, but didn't wait too long for fear that the chocolate would burn = not fun! This much chocolate should yield at least a dozen spoons.

Then I dipped each spoons in the chocolate mixture and waited until all of the excess chocolate dripped off.

Once I got rid of the excess, I laid each spoon down onto my cookie sheet covered with wax paper.

When the chocolate was not yet "dry," I sprinkled my toppings over all of my chocolate covered spoons.

Then I got impatient. [Me, impatient? Never!...Yea. Right.] So instead of waiting 20 minutes or so for the spoons to dry, I placed some of mine in the freezer. It's your choice on how you decide yours should dry, either way works.

Once I made sure that each spoon was totally dry and hardened, I used small plastic treat bags and twist ties to cover each spoon.

Don't they look lovely? I hope my family enjoys stirring their hot cocoa with them this Christmas!

Project was shared here, here, here, here, here, here,  here, here, here, here, and here.

Oh, Deer! Reindeer Inspiration is Prancing in My Head

I am so in the Christmas spirit today! I just feel it everywhere. There's snow on the ground, today we're going to go shopping for some last minute Christmas toys for little man, and I'm putting the finishing touches on all of my handmade gifts and Christmas home decor!

Anyways I was surfing the net and found these pillows! I WANT THEM SO BAD!! I'll have to make something like this next year. Aren't they aewsome?! You can find them over in SewEnglish's Etsy shop.

In the process of decorating my house, I just can't get enough Christmas printables either! So getting inspiration from the above pillows masterpieces, I decided to make {yet another} Christmas printable for my home. I really love this one because it's a little more funky, little more modern, a little more ME! 

'Oh, DEER Printable'

Ocean Breeze

Charcoal

Celery

Brunette

Bubblegum

I mean, you CAN'T have a Christmas with kids without Rudolph! I created five color choices {really because I couldn't make up my mind about which color I loved more}! You can find the download link here. Hope you loooove them as much as I do! What's your favorite 'Oh, Deer' color?


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One Stellar Thrift Store Find and Christmas For Myself!

This week has flown by!

My son made his first attempt at decorating a cake at 15 months old.

Ok, so admittedly he was only into it for about 2 seconds, then he decided that banging everything with his plastic toddler bat was more fun - I tried. 

Yesterday I went on a little shopping trip to Goodwill and Michael's, secretly {well not anymore} two of my favorite places. First, I stopped at Goodwill. Look at this beauty!

For two dollars I knew it was coming home with me! Look at the detail in this piece! I kind of get a patriotic/porthole/navy/nautical feel from this, I'm thinking inspiration for little man's big boy room? When the time is right that is..

That's a pretty manly eagle right there if you ask me.

Not sure what color I want to paint it yet, but the details are screaming, "Glaze me! Glaze me!" What do you think?

Then it was on to Michael's. Now I try not to buy everything in the store when I go in there, and I was doing really well until a saw a 50% off sale on this little dandy.

A rotating, organizational crafters' carousel - I broke down and bought it, but for only $20 bucks I walked away feeling like I stole it. Look how much storage it has AND it rotates! :)

Looks like after the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season is over, it's gonna be very extremely crafty around here!