In His Grip

Three Word Thursday

We will overcome!!!!!

Plaza Art Fair

I have never been to the Plaza Art fair before, so I was very excited about going this past weekend.  The Plaza is one of my favorite places in Kansas City.  We have a lot of memories there starting way back when we had no money and would just walk around pushing Ryan in the stroller for our entertainment.  There were many years we have ventured to the Plaza for the big turning on of the Christmas lights on Thanksgiving Night, and our all time favorite tradition of going to Winstead's (the only restaurant we could afford back in the day) for Jeff's birthday in December.  The Plaza has great shopping but also has the midwestern feel to it and I like that.  To see so many true artist in one stop is nothing more than inspiring.  It always makes me feel like "I can do that".  Now, I am not delusional enough to really believe "I can do that", but it is those fancy artists that always give me ideas for the down to earth things that I really "can" do. 

Look at these dresses.  I absolutely loved them, the red one is made out of bottle caps, and the other is metal as well.  How fun are they?  $3000 worth of fun that is.

Here is another one.  I think of all the things we saw this artist was by far my fave.

These whimsy statues made out of re-purposed things were a big hit and there were a lot artist with their own style on them.  I love how interesting they are and fun to see everyday things in a different way.

I highly recommend the Plaza Art Fair, the food was from any restaurant you can imagine, the people watching ranks right up there with the art, and the creativity of artists from all over the country makes  this a great Fall outing.
 
 

IKEA Magazine Organizer Fix Up

It is no surprise to anyone who reads this blog that I like things to look pretty.  It does matter if the item is functional or not, if I have anything to say about it, my choice is always make it look good.  So when it came to organizing some of my magazines, or "books", Where Women Create, after all, they cost $15.00 each, I wanted something functional, that looks nice, and works in the decor of my studio. This left me with no other choice then to redo something that would be perfect for my use and let me be a little creative at the same time.

This is an IKEA cardboard magazine organizer for cheap, cheap, cheap.  If I remember right they come in a package of four for like $5.  You can't beat that, but they are a bit flimsy, so why not use some Mod Podge and tissue paper to give them a little bit more substance?

 
I found the wonderful toile tissue paper at Hobby Lobby that matches my studio perfectly.  After tearing the tissue into smaller pieces, I use a large brush and Mod Podge and cover the whole organizer.  Wrapping the tissue over the edges not only to give the piece a finished look, but this helps with stability as well.

The finished organizers helps keep my "books" from getting bent and they look great on the shelf of my studio as well.  Making something cheap look good always gives me a sense of accomplishment.  You just can't beat satisfaction!

Participating in the following link ups:  Between Naps on the Porch, Its So Very Creative, The DIY Showoff, Keeping It Simple, Skip to my Lou, Sew Can Do, A Silly Little Sparrow, Today's Creative Blog, New Nostalgia, Blue Cricket Desgin, Its a Hodgepodge Life, Finding Fabulous, Its a Blog Party, Its Fun to Craft, Vintage Suitcase, The Shabby Nest, Trash to Treasure

Three Word Thursday

Junk, flowers & boots:)

 

"Smart" Phone Makes Me Dumb

Its been a week now since I picked up my new "smart" phone.  I have never had anything that is so "smart" make me feel so dumb.  Yes, the first day I was that person with a new phone who could not figure out how to answer a phone call and not only that the volume was screaming loud and I had no idea how to change it.  I hate being "that" person.  I like to appear all together and techy on top of it.  But, this "smart" phone has taken all of that away from me.  I spent one whole day getting my calendar from Outlook to sync with my phone calendar.  And, no, I have not yet figured out how to get my, emails, contacts, and tasks to sync yet either.  So until my techy self shows up and can take care of that for me, I am still carrying around my Blackberry too.  I am not holding my breath on my techy self showing up anytime soon and I think she died when she saw the cool, new "smart" phone make its way into my purse. Heavy sigh!

Plumpy Lips. . .

I am here to tell you that I love lip plumpers.  Okay, I know that there are some of you out there that think that I am crazy, but as soon as lip plumpers hit the market a couple of years ago I was a fan.  I have tried a number of brands, and there is definitely a big difference from one brand to the next.  Just to give you a brief run down on how these products work, most lip plumpers contain ingredients such as cinnamon, ginger, or chilies that irritate the surface of the lips that causes a temporary swelling, okay I know, basically an allergic reaction.  I guess the more you are allergic the bigger your lips will grow.  I bought one plumper once called Lip Injection, that actually hurts for about 30 minutes after you put it on, and caused the skin around my mouth to get red as well.  Not good.  Needless to say, I don't use that one anymore.  The expensive types contain ingredients that dilate the blood vessels with "big word" ingredients that I am sure took all kinds of research, hence the expensive pricing.  Whatever the ingredients, I like these products and my favorite happens to be Buxom.  I pick it up at my local Ulta store.  Buxom just gives your lips a little tingle, comes in a variety of colors, and smells good too.  I don't know if there really is a difference between the before lips and the lip plumper lips, but this girl is hooked anyway.  Besides who wouldn't want to look like one of the pin up girls on the packaging?

A Sparkly Start to Fall Decorating

When I began my Fall decorating this year, I realized that there was no sparkle in my fall decor.  I knew that I needed to change that because who wants anything without a little sparkle to make it that much better.  Searching through my craft supplies I found an large jar of gold glitter and my creative, sparkly, ideas started flowing.

Here is a bowl of some artificial pumpkins and gourds that I found in my fall decoration tubs.

Using some Elmer's glue that I watered down a little, I painted the top of the pumpkins and gourds allowing some of the glue to run down the sides.

This is the part that I love, sprinkling the glitter over the glue. I put a plastic container under where I am working to catch the excess glitter so that I can collect it and use it again.

 
Then I found some large leaves that had started to look bad, as they were tearing and probably 15 years old, but I figured a little glitter couldn't hurt them.

There were also a couple of these sad pumpkins, also very old and starting to crack.  See the  large dent in the side. I figured they could use a makeover as well.

Because this pumpkin was so bad, I decided to cover the entire thing with glitter and wow, it turned out smashing.

As you can see, I also had some grapevine pumpkins that I added a little sparkle to as well.  I found some other old, very sad looking things, like some ears of corn, and other gourds that were not worth keeping until I totally covered them in gold glitter and now they too can proudly take their place amongst the other fall decor in my home.  I will post more of my finished fall decorations later this week.

I am participating in these link up parties:  The DIY Show Off, Its So Very Cheri, Between Naps on the Porch, Keeping It Simple, Mad Skills Monday, Skip to My Lou, Today's Creative Blog, Fireflies and Jellybeans , Finding Fabulous, Its a Blog Party, Its a Hodgepodge Life, It's Fun to Craft,  The Shabby Nest, Thrifty Tickle

Three Word Thursday

ICCC celebration tonight!

Group Leader Appreciation

Last Friday night we spent the evening thanking the community group leaders here at Indian Creek Community Church.  Our leaders were greeted with a walk of fame, where each leader was honored with a star of their own.  We honored 104 group leaders over the past year.  (Insert big applause here).  Community groups are where the truth of God's word and the realities of life meet here at Indian Creek.  We heard some great stories of life change and inspiration that were attributed to being part of a group.   

 

 
If you live the in the Kansas City area, it is not too late to sign up for the Fall Semester of community groups here at Indian Creek Community Church.  Click here to find a full listing of the groups available at both the Olathe and Gardner Campuses this semester where you are sure to find something that will fit your needs and season of life. 

Flower Ring with Purpose

This weekend  I just happen to be out and close to my favorite and most inspiring craft store in the Kansas City area, Urban Arts & Crafts.  Whenever, I am anywhere close to this store, I do all that I can to stop in.  I was really on a quest for some fabric, but was taken in by the pin cushion rings the gal at the counter was making.  That is when I knew that I just had to have one of my own.

 
First, I picked out a bag of felted wool beads.  I have admired these beads for a long time, but not knowing exactly what to do with them, I  have managed to pass them by.  The colors and texture are so yummy, I knew that whatever I made out of these babies had to be good.

 
Next I picked out a bag of small felted wool circles.  They come in a variety of colors and tend to be in a color scheme with five circles of each color.

 
My flower ring will have a chocolate brown center with melon pink petals.  The ring that I chose was a little large and after completing this I would choose a ring with a narrow band next time, just a little tip for free. 

To begin making the flower you pinch the circle together and sew it to the center bead.  Repeating this with all five circles.

Secure the petals well to the back.  Don't worry about making it pretty as this will be all covered up.

Using another felted wool circle secure the ring base by sewing the circle over the ring base and stitch well.  This is where, if my ring base were more narrow, I think this would have worked better, and maybe even more secure.

And there you have it, the cutest flower ring ever.  I think this is going to make my day fun just because I am wearing it.

To top it off, this little piece of loveliness has a purpose too.  I can use it as a pin cushion at work.  I love it when I can make work more fun and pretty at the same time.  Double bonus!  Man, as I look at this picture, my hand looks so old.  I am glad I feel a lot younger than that hand looks, seriously.

I am participating in the following link up parties:  Between Naps On the Porch, Its So Very Creative, The DIY Showoff, Keeing It Simple, Mad Skills Monday, Skip to My Lou, Coastal Charm, Today's Creative Blog, Me and My Bucket, Blue Cricket Design,Nikki's Nifty Knacks, Fireflies and Jellybeans, It's Sew Stinkin Cute, Life as Lori, Paisley Passions, Tales from Bloggeritaville

Farmer's Market Field Trip

Our Saturday morning my Panera coffee group took a field trip today to the Overland Park Farmer's Market.  Who doesn't love to look at all of the beautiful vegetables that we just don't see in the grocery store?  Here is where I am inspired to do some cooking with fresh vegetable, the problem is that I never know what to make.  So I have decided to do some Farmer's Market recipe research before my next field trip.  I am just sure that I could do something so pretty and tasty with these colorful bell pepper.  I did not even know that they came in purple and white.

 
The best part of a Saturday morning field trip is doing it with friends.  My Saturday morning coffee group are my "go to" friends.  I know that they will be there in the good times and the hard times not only for the support of a good girl friend but that extra little nudge into a better direction when that is what I need too.  Let me tell you, you cannot get away with too much craziness in this group. I want to thank each and every one of you for being a part of my life.  Thanks, I wouldn't want to try to do this life without you. 

 
 
 

Working, Working, Working

With this being a short week, I have been so busy not only at work but planning an event for small group leaders at Indian Creek Community Church (this will be a post for later).  But who can complain when you get to work with such great fabric and design.  The girl that gets to have this in her bedroom is one lucky girl.  The colors and wonderful touch of retro is out of this world.  I can image, a mirror ball sparkling and teenage girls in mini skirts and go go boots dancing around with the songs from the 70's playing on a record player. 

 Linking up to: Paisley Passions, Finding Fabulous, It's A Blog Party, Its Fun to Craft, A Visision to Remeber 

Featured Friday

Once again, In His Grip is being featured on another blog.  Go on over and check it out at Five Sixteenths.  I love it when people show my stuff off on their blog.  I have to say it kind of gives me a little boost and I think in my head, "Wow, people out there in blog land like the things that I do!"  Okay, now that is not only in my head I have said it out loud on the world wide web.  It makes me wonder if there is something more I can do with this little blog that I started there years ago.  Hmmmmm......