Crystal Pen Valentine DIY

How sweet are these Crystal Pen Valentines! 

I received a sparkly crystal pes in a Christmas gift exchange this year and have been really enjoying writing with it! So I thought some of these pens would make a great Valentine's day gift for my friends and so I came up with a cute way to present them... Below are the supplies you will need to create these adorable valentines to hand out to your Valentines.

• parkly pens ( I used these Eco-Fused ones from Amazon)  or glittery pencils, 
• this printable
• a piece of glitter scrapbook paper
• Pink tissue paper
• hot glue
• scissors
• twist tie or a small piece of wire
• Xacto or craft knife

Valentine DIY Steps 

TaDa! The Final Valentines

Sparkles go great with Bubbles!!

A Happy DIY Decorated Superbowl.....

I will admit I am not the biggest football fan ....but the hubby is for sure. and as a result I find myself hosting a crowd for the big game each year. Over the years I have accumulated a hodge-podge of football themed serving dishes and decorations .. and this year I decided to actually put it all together into a cohesive superbowl theme and I thought I would share my DIY's projects. 

Using a fake grass rug & some masking tape I created a "football field" table cloth for the base of my tablescape. I found a football cookie jar on Amazon which used to arrange flowers in for a centerpiece.  Using some felt, an empty Costco peanut can, and this cute penalty flag printable from HGTV's site I created a penalty flag bucket for napkins... Some homemade football cupcakes added an extra bit of sweetness to the table. 

I also made this adorable tassel garland to help get us in the football spirit-- I am really enjoying making these garlands for events lately!   I just love the festive touch they lend to any event and you can make them in just about any color combination. 

A round of superbowl bingo helped to keep everyone in the spirit and how cute are these DIY coasters. They were really easy to create with a strip off the grass rug, some wide mouth mason jar lids, and green felt on the back.  Check out the DIY instructions here... I found that a standard mason jar lid is just the right size to use as a stencil to get the grass to sit perfectly in the larger lid. 

Even Xander the Great Pyrenees got into the football spirit and wore his "LineBarker" jersey  & enjoyed a beer with the rest of us! 

Faux Panel Front Door DIY

So when we first moved into our new house (new only to us because the house is 100 years old) it desperately needed a new front door. Soon after moving in we went off to the local hardware store in search of a new front door. Only to find out when we got there that our door was an unusual size. In order to replace it we would have to order a special custom door or knock out the frame and widen the doorframe.  We headed home dejected and resolved to go home and think about our options.  Meanwhile a year went by and our sad looking front door languished.

 

After some brainstorming, pinteristing, and internet scouring I finally came up with a plan for our front door... We would redo the existing door with wooden trim and paint creating a faux paneled door. Luckly our door was solid wood making it a good candidate for a makeover. Since the original door was soo ugly and embarrassing you will not get a "before" picture... Just trust me it was the worlds ugliest front door...image a plain boring solid wood door with a peeling off finish.

 

To kick off the project we removed the hardware and peeled off the already peeling laminate finish on the door using a putty knife. We had a heat gun handy to help release  the glue on any resistant pieces but we did not end up needing it.  

 





Door with laminate removed and boxes sketched out



After removing the laminate I sketched out (using a level) 2 boxes onto the door where I wanted the wood trim placed and recorded the measurements of the boxes. We then filled in any uneven areas of the door with wood filler and  left it to dry.

 

While it was drying we headed to the hardware store with our measurements to pick out the wood trim. The local hardware store had miter boxes and saws available for customers to use so we were able to use them to cut our wood at 45 degree angles on each corner so that the pieces would lay flush with eachother.

 

Door with the trim glued into place

 

The next step was to sand down the door and glued the cut pieces of trim onto the door with woodglue checking the position of each piece with a level.  After the trim was glued into place we then tacked in down with tiny little nails.  We then filled in any gaps in the corners with the wood filler and allow it to dry.

 

After first coat of paint

  

Finally our door was ready for a  coat of paint!!! We painted our door a nice brick red, let it dry, and replaced the hardware and finally we had a real front door. Lastly to top it off we hung a beautiful knocker a good friend had gifted us. 

 

With the hardware replaced & a beautiful knocker

 

I can't put into words how delighted I am to finally have a nice looking front door.

 

A decent looking door at last!!!!

Book Review ...... A Year of No Sugar

I just finished reading A Year of No Sugar which is a book that will make you double think nearly every item that passes your lips- (with the exception of  whole fruits and veggies.)  In this book the author Eve Schaub guides us through her 365 days of abstaining from 'no added sugar.' She writes in an  airy, informal, and amusing tone keeping her audience engaged with a topic that could have easily become mundane and preachy.  Every so often the other members of Eve's family interject into her narrative allowing their perspectives to shine through. These insights from her daughter's and husband allow Ms. Schaub's readers to connect with the whole family as they undertook their no sugar project. 

Year of No Sugar Cover 

In the first part of the book Ms.Schaub does an impressive job at explaining to how sugar (which is really glucose + fructose) is processed by the body in terms that are simple for readers without any scientific background to understand.  She also provides supplemental information on her website, has made recipes available, and references several other authors from whom she has drawn inspiration.

The book then goes onto follow Ms.Schaub and her family as the year progresses in a mostly chronological sequence. We watch her learn to identify sugar ( or fructose) at the store and at restaurants, we witness her struggles along with her successes as she learns to cook without sugar, and we see her family evolve as they embrace the no sugar project. I particularly enjoyed the scenes in the book where she goes into great detail about her kitchen exploits. I yearned to taste her banana "dirt" cookies, try her grape spread on my own toast, and found myself throwing out my bottle of organic agave syrup due to ridiculously high fructose content.

The Many Faces of Sugar

This book is reminiscent of Barbara Kingsolver's book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life.. (a book which I found a true joy to read)  At one point I believe Ms.Schaub even references  Kingsolver's book as her family concocts a plan for their year long no sugar project.  I enjoyed reading this book and it has inspired me to purchase my very own a bag of Dextarose off of Amazon for my own no fructose baking adventures! I would have liked it if Ms.Schaub had elaborated more on her experiences so that while reading I truly felt "there" with her and her family at their table. I also feel that the book was more about avoiding fructose than avoiding sugar as a whole, yet overall this is a well written informative memoir that I would recommend to anyone interested in learning more about sugar, health, and the western diet.

So pick yourself up a copy, make yourself a cup of tea (sugar free),and settle in for a good read. Then maybe, just maybe, try going with out any added sugar yourself for a day. 

Try no sugar for yourself!

My Fav All Natural ... All Purpose Cleaner

I was cleaning the house earlier and ran out of all purpose cleaner. Since I needed to whip up a new batch I thought it was a good moment to share this recipe for a safe, effective, all purpose cleaning solution.

 

You only need 3 ingredients  Castile Soap ( I like the lavender scented), white vinegar, and water.  You will also need an  empty spray bottle.

 

 All Purpose Cleaner:

1/4 cup Castile Soap

3 cups water

1  cup vinegar

 

 

Add the 1/4 cup castile soap to the spray bottle, add water, and mix.

add 1/4 cup castile soap

 

NOTE it is important to add the water BEFORE adding the vinegar. If you add the vinegar first if will  react with the soap and cause the soap to curdle as in the below picture:

 

we don't want to add an acid directly to a base!

 

Add the 1 cup of vinegar to the soap/ water solution  and qs with water to fill the rest of your spray bottle.

add 1 cup white vinegar

That's it! A simple, all natural, & effective all natural cleaning solution for your home.

Preparing the Garden for planting

Now that it is spring it is time to plant the garden. Creating a bountiful garden starts by preparing the garden from the ground up! It took a bunch of  weeding and pulling out the last of the crops from the year before...

The rest of the carrots & 1 last beet from last years garden

 Then we had to take a shopping trip to get some good soil. Ideal soil drains well and is full of organic material to give nutrients to baby plants aka not our natural soil so we picked up several bags of organic gardening soil  to amend our natural soil in the back yard with. We choose to go with an organic soil to avoid pesticides. 

 

Luckily we had Xander with us to give us a hand with all those bags of soil!

 



Xander doing the heavy lifting of soil bags



 First step when getting home was to rototill the garden area and soften the compacted ground from last year. We tried to get ~6 inches deep with the rototiller. We then spread out the garden soil from the store overtop and tilled it in as well giving us a great base of natural & nutrient rich soil.

 

Prepping the soil... What happened with my Camera!!

 

After we finished preparing the soil a fence had to go up to keep the pup out, we put weed barrier down to help prevent weeds, and into the ground went our little plantlings. We even planted some marigolds because they are rumored to help prevent insects.. (but if the marigolds don't work they will still look pretty!)

The plants are in!



loving the end results

Happy Earth Day 2014

Happy Earth Day 2014... 

In honor of earth day please enjoy a 20% discount in my Etsy shop! 

Use coupon code EARTH2014

Hoppy Easter!!

This is Xander's first Easter with us & I am dog sitting my sis's dog Mocha right now so I decided to go a little crazy & have a doggie Easter for the pups!  Xander donned some bunny ears & we did an easter egg hunt for the pups and it didn't take them long to realize that the plastic eggs had pieces of yummy Stella & Chewy's inside ( if you haven't tried this food for your dog they will LOVE it. )  I wish I had my camera for it... however my hands were  busy cracking open the eggs for the dogs once they located an egg.

 

Xander the Great Pyrenees with his Easter Basket

The spoiled pups Easter baskets! The neighbor's dog Emi even got one too.

Easter Baskets for Xander, Mocha, & Emi  +  the eggs for the egg hunt in the grass.

My sister's dog Mocha the Great Bernese

Oxidizing Jewelry.... The Gentle Way

Oxidation, a blackened antiqued finish, looks absolutely beautiful on silver jewelry. The proper application of an oxidized finish can highlight the intricate details in your metal piece and create a lovely contrast with the stones in the piece. 

An example of an Oxidized Silver Piece

I really love an oxidized finish on the silver jewelry that I create... however, the most common ways to create this look involve the use of a toxic acid solution that will reduce the silver.  Examples of these products are Liver of Sulfur and Silver Black.  These chemicals can cause burns and  you should avoid breathing the fumes.


I prefer a simpler method that  uses a hard boiled egg to oxidize my jewelry creations. It eliminates the use of the harsh chemical and is a gentler alternative for both you and the environment.

1. Hard Boil your egg.. or eggs. I tend to use 1 or 2 eggs.
   
2. While still warm place eggs in in a baggie or Tupperware
3. No need to peel your eggs :) simply mash them
   
4. Quickly place your jewelry piece into the container and shut the lid
5. After 15 minutes or so rotate the piece in the container to oxidize all sides equally
6. Remove piece once it has achieved the desired level of oxidation
   
7. Rinse the piece off
   
   
   
   
   
8. With a steel brush  & burnishing solution shine the piece leaving the oxidation in the crevices to highlight the details... if you don't have these steel wool & dish soap will do the trick.
   
9. Enjoy the new finish on your piece!!

A vintage bridal shower tea

My brother in law is getting hitched soon and we just had a lovely bridal shower tea party for the beautiful blushing bride.  The bride and her Groom have planned a wedding filled with vintage touches, gold and blush accents, and lush lacey peonies. So when planning the shower we  just knew we had to incorporate these details into the shower décor.


peonies in a teapot created a beautiful  centerpiece

A vintage afternoon tea party theme was quickly settled on and peonies in a teapot made the perfect centerpiece. I was lucky enough (aka relieved!) to find beautiful pink  peonies at the local flower mart & with the addition of blush garden roses, lavender, and gypsohila a beautiful lacey floral feel was achieved.  I made sure to only pick out  earth friendly flowers labeled with rainforest alliance or fair trade emblem.

Guest were sent home with vintage tea cups as favors that the brides Aunt to be found. A lovely favor that is also eco-friendly!... To make the favors even more special the Bride to be received a cherished family heirloom teacup which had belonged to her Groom's late grandmother.

Nicole G. over at Sweets by Design ....( a soon to be cousin!!!)  created this beautiful masterpiece of a cake. With gold lace accents and sugar peonies the cake was almost to beautiful to eat.... but once we cut into the cake  it tasted just as divine as it looked. Yum!!!


A beautiful vintage inspired cake by Sweets by Design

For a gift I created this Mrs. Hanger with blush ribbon  perfectly matched in color to the wedding invite topped with an ivory peony. A perfect accessory for the Bride to hang her wedding dress on for all those photos on the big day..



Personalized Mrs. Hanger by Rock Affair Jewelry

In all it was a wonderful day and I really enjoyed getting to know the Bride better.... Cant wait the next 64 days to celebrate the wedding!

Happy Birthday Pup!

Our cute little puppy is turning 1 year and to celebrate we had to have some good friends over for a puppy paw-party.....

 

Yum! Birthday Cake

 

 

I saw the cutest cupcakes for a Pyr Pup over at I heart Cuppy Cakes  & my sis helped me create these adorable vegan Great Pyr cupcakes....

 

 

The dogs were having a blast with all of the yummy doggie treats...& Xander's cousin Mocha Bear the Great Bernese  had no problem helping gobble them down!

Xander & Mocha Bear share some doggie birthday cake!

 

 I can't believe my sweet little pup is a 100lb dog now! It was too fast.... I still remember his as a little pup.

Xander at  4 months right after we brought him home....
it didn't take him long to dig up all those flowers!!

 

Musings on buying clothing & the factory collapse in Bangladesh

Yesterday, as I was listening to the radio and heard that there was  a factory that collapsed with many people trapped inside.. possibly killed in the collapse.

Collapsed factory  image from Fox news article here

This morning fox news reports that more than 200 factory workers were killed in the collapse.  According to the news police had given instructions to evacuate the factory the day prior however the order was ignored and employees were kept working.

Relatives morning a victim.. Image from Fox news article

A BBC news article states that "Bangladesh has one of the largest garment industries in the world, providing competitively priced clothes for major Western retailers which benefit from its widespread low-cost labour." 

This sad event is only 5 months after another factory in Bangaldesh's garment industry caught on fire killing 112 people.

The Tazreen Fashions factory after the fire image from NY times article here
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These 2 events are deeply saddening and bring to attention the unsafe working conditions that garment workers must face in many parts of the world. The clothing produced in these garment factories are often for large western and European retailers looking to produce their ready to wear clothing at a very low cost. One  news 7 article states that Wal-Mart was one retailer who was having clothing produced in the collapsed factory

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So what can we do about this as an average citizen living in the US? We can tell the clothing companies what we want through what we buy... we can vote with our dollars. We should not buy the clothes produced in factories with unsafe working conditions and instead buy clothing that is fair trade or produced in a location we know adheres to good working standards.
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By doing this we tell the companies what we want, what values we support... and the companies can put pressure on factories to raise their safety standards & improve working conditions making a positive impact on the lives of workers... and this can be done. For example Apple has been putting pressure on Foxconn in China to improve their working conditions...
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Apple & Foxconn working to improve conditions. Image from Reuters

 

So please when shopping  take a moment to  look at the tag.. look for words such as fair trade, made in the US, handmade, organic,  or even buy vintage... pull out your phone and google the company what does the brand website say their practices are??

www.CleanClothesCampaign.org

To read more about ethically buying clothes visit the Clean Clothes Campaign website.