In His Grip

Peace Wreath

We were shopping in Pier 1 Imports last week when we saw this great peace sign shaped wreath.  Our daughter Lindsey just loved it, but the Pier 1 wreath was a hefty $99 and way out of a first year teacher's budget. So we decided to make one of our own.  Not only would we make one of our own, for way less but then we could choose the colors to match the rest of Lindsey's Christmas decor.

 
We purchased two large wire wreath frames for $2.99 each.  Using one of the frames to make the peace sign on the inside.  We had to recruit Jeff to help with this part, he was a bit skeptical as to how this was going to work but was a good sport, anything for his daughter.

  

Next Lindsey wrapped the frame with bright pink tinsel garland to help cover up any part of the frame that might show after the balls are placed.

 
Then the fun part begins.  We purchased 10 packages of large shatter proof balls from the $1 spot at Target and 10 packages of the small balls as well.  Using a lot of hot glue, place the large balls onto the frame. Working the middle peace sign first.

 
Once the center is complete begin working around the outside part of the wreath. 

 
Once you have finished the outside ring, use the small balls to fill in the spaces.  Here you have the peace sign wreath for less then $30.  There were losts of both size balls left over for other Christmas decorating.

I am participating in the following link ups:  Its So Very Cheri, Between Naps on The Porch, Showoff Your House, The DIY Showoff, Keeping It Simple, Cottage Instincts, Skip to My Lou, Coastal Charm, Today's Creative Blog, Ladybug Blessings, All Things Heart & Home, Blue Cricket Design, Trendy Treehouse, Nikkis Nifty Knacks, The Thrifty Home, Sew Woodsy, Life as Lori, Tales From Bloggeritaville, Finding Fabulous, Its a Hodgepodge Life, Its Fun to Craft, Simply Sweet Home,The Shabby Nest, Thrifty Tickle, Tidy Mom, Truly Lovely, Antique Texan, Along for the Ride, Centsatinoal Girl, Somewhat Simple, Fine Craft Guild, Creations By Kara

Pink Christmas Ball Wreath -- Repost

This is a re-post from last year.  My pink Christmas ball wreath post has been one of the most visited posts that "In His Grip" has ever had so I am re-posting it today for my new readers that may not have seen how great Christmas can be if you make it pink.

This is the Christmas wreath that Anna made for me this past weekend.  She showed me this really cute wreath on a blog a couple of weeks ago and had me  buy some pink Christmas balls to so she could make one.  This was an easy peasy project.  Here are the steps so you can make one too. 

 
Take a wire hanger and untwist it and then stretch it into a circle.

 
Before stringing the balls onto the hanger you will need to hot glue the tops on.  This is an important step because as the hanger gets full and the balls tighten together they will pop off.  Do not skip this step, believe me!

 
You will need to use several size balls to fill in as much as possible the blank spaces.  Don't worry if the wire shows a bit, once the wreath is complete you can fill in by hot gluing small balls to fill in the gaps.  When the hanger is full twist the two ends of the wire hanger together and then cover it with a large ribbon.

 
I love the way this turned out and I think Anna rocks for making one for me.   Thanks, Anna, I love you!

I am participating in the following link ups: Between Naps on the Porch, Its So Very Cheri, The DIY Showoff, Keeping It Simple, Mad Skills Monday, The Girl Creative, Skip to My Lou, A Silly Little Sparrow, Coastal Charm, New Nostalgia, Today's Creative Blog, Blue Cricket Design, Me and My Bucket, Night Owl Crafting, Nikkis Nifty Knacks, Fireflies and Jellybeans, Paisley Passions, T-Shirt Diaries

My New Favorite Mug

I would like to introduce you to my new favorite coffee mug.  Isn't she pretty?  There are things that I just seem to have a weakness for and a great looking covered beverage container is one of them.  As I work in my studio, I made a rule 20 years ago that no uncovered drinks were allowed.  Needless to say, I always have an eye out for a great covered drink container and it seems to me that Starbucks is hands down the leader in not only functionality but they are totally the leader in the cute factor.  Because I use my cups everyday all day long they do eventually begin to look shabby and get that gross coffee stain look.  So when I saw this new ceramic design, I think the stain problem will be eliminated.  I feel so uptown with ceramic rather than plastic.  It doesn't take much for this midwest gal to feel a bit more sophisticated. 

Pilgrim Pacer Fun!

Lindsey, Anna, Sheri and I ran in the Pilgrim Pacer this morning.  It was a great day for a race.  The weather was crisp, okay, it was downright cold and the route was pretty fun as it went through a golf course.  My time stunk, but you know I am really running for the fun of it and never plan to win, but I do like to improve my time.  Today was not one of those improvement opportunities. The most enjoyable part of the whole running thing is to do it with people you really care about.  I love having friends who are willing to get up at 5:30 am and do a workout with me.  That accountability thing is what gets me out of bed on those cold mornings.  Barn boot camp is the best!

 
Anna and I ran the 5K and Lindsey and Sheri ran the 10K together, so we were able to get some pictures of them as they finished.

 
They are looking like they were having a great time running together, side by side unitl...

 
...the finish line came into view and then a girl has got to do what a girl has got to do and give it that last burst of speed and if that leaves the 20 something in the dust then so be it.  Lindsey, you are going to have to work on that final race to the finish if you are ever going to beat Sheri.  Seriouly, she is like 17 years older than you. Ha, ha.

 
She still looks pretty cute after running 6.2 miles.  What a great day.

Owls Everywhere

Owls seem to be everywhere lately.  My daughters just love them.  Lindsey even has a bathroom in her home with an owl theme, she was an owl for Halloween, and she has owl jewelry.  As I was shopping earlier this week I came across this cute little owl find and thought I want to be "in" too so I purchased it.  Yes, Lindsey is jealous.  I think that it is pretty cute and not only that it was on sale for $7.  I love a stylish bargin. 

Trunk or Treat Invite

 

Halloween Treat Pizza

I have always sent care packages to our kids when they are away at college.  As Anna is the our third college student she does get the short end of the stick and care packages just don't seem to make it her way as frequently as with the other kids.  As I had not sent one to her yet this school year, (I know bad very bad) I had to come up with something extra special to maintain my favorite Mom status.  As I was browsing blogs last week, I came upon Singing with the Birds.  This is a great blog with all kinds of fun things to eat as well as creative ideas.  When I read her Special Delivery post on how to make this great Halloween pizza I knew that I had found the perfect thing for Anna's Halloween care package.  Not only could she enjoy this tasty treat, but she could share it with all of her Pi Phi sisters.  From all reports the gals at Pi Phi cheered when Anna brought it out to share.  Happy Halloween!

Craft Faux Pas'

Over a month ago Jeff and I entered into the world of "smart phones" when we picked up our new Garminfones.  Although it took some getting used to for me, I now love my new phone. However, the only cover I have been able to find for it is a black rubber skin.  I now can say that I hate the rubber skin.  Not only does it make the phone thicker it is sticky and I cannot get it out of the pocket of my purse or my jeans.  Besides it collects stuff, lint, threads, and other junk.  I began my search for a snap on type phone cover.  This is the type of phone cover I have always had. I like that they make my phone look more like me, and protects it from a little spill now and then.

 
I found one snap-on cover on the internet.  Seriously, I wanted something fun and cute and pink.  But for $2.99 how could I go wrong at least it would not be sticky anymore.  When it came in the mail I tried in on my phone and it fit great, however, there is no cut out on the back to allow it to fit onto my car mount so that I can use the GPS feature.

 
Using my handy, dandy dremel tool Jeff made the cuts to accomidate the mount in the car.  I tried the cover back on my phone and it fit great and now could also be mounted in my car.  Yeah, problem solved right?  Wrong, I was not satisfied with a clear cover I want fun, cute, and pink.  So my creative brain took over and I designed what I though would be a great solution.

 
I used my Cricket machine and cut some vinyl stickers and put them on the inside of the cover.   

 
The sticker not being enough, I wanted some glitter so I got out some glittery pink paint and put a coat or two.  Now mind you, Jeff is in the background saying, "That is not going to work, the cover is not going fit."  Yeah right, whatever. Like he has said that before and was right about the sofa not fitting down the stairs. When that paint dried I put a final coat of bright pink paint so that none of the black phone could be seen through.

 
I love how it turned out all fun, cute, and not only pink but sparkly as well.  Only, Jeff was right.  After putting the stickers on and adding several coats of paint the darn thing will not snap together.  Are you kidding me, after all of that trouble and it turning out so great, the freakin' thing will not snap shut.  So this is one craft that turned out great, but is unusable, sure glad that it only cost $2.99.  I guess I will have to go back to the black sticky thing.  Dang!

I am participating in the following link ups:  Its So Very Creative, The Girl Creative, Between Naps on the Porch, The DIY Showoff, Keeping It Simple, Skip to My Lou, Coastal Charm, New Nostalgia, Blue Cricket Design, Nikki's Nifty Knacks, The Thrifty Home, Life As Lori, Paisley Passions, Tales from Blogaritville

My Fall Home Tour

I have always loved the changing seasons of the Midwest.  Since growing up on the West Coast I did not experience a real season change until I was a senior in high school when our family moved to rural Kansas.  Having come from the Portland, Oregon metro area, my sister and I not only had the culture shock of small town life in rural Kansas, but the added surprise of living in a climate that had real seasons.  My favorite seasonal change has to be from Summer to Fall.  The colors of the changing trees and brisk Autumn morning air is something that I cannot get enough of.  So is it any wonder that I want to bring the beauty of the season right into our home where our family can enjoy it from September through Thanksgiving.

 
This is the entryway of our home and the first thing you see as you come in.  The gold vines and leaves with beaded acorns on them came from Big Lots several years ago for next to nothing.  Yeah, their great right?

 
This is a little grouping that sits behind "my" chair.  See the computer cord in the background.  I hate how these kinds of mordern conveniences (electricity) have to be so obvious.

 
Our hearth is always a fun thing to decorate.  I love the family picture of the kids taken years ago when they were still kiddos.  Maybe its time to update it? Nah, I like to remember them just like this.  Notice my new lighted sticks, aren't they cool?

 
Here you can see both my sweater pumkins and birch pumpkins, that I made. You guessed it I really like pumpkins and have a bunch of different kinds.

This little cement angle hangs out on our hearth year round.  She is always holding something of the season.  Here she has a little pumpkin, but can be seen holding a christmas ball, easter egg, or flower depending on the time of year.

 
My apothecary jar, filled with gourds and pine cones, idea came from the current Eddie Bauer Home fall catalog.  You can be assured mine was much cheaper then you see there.

 
This little black and white scene is on the sofa table behind, you guessed it, our sofa.  I have admired the black and white fall decor for sometime and only have a few things.  Check out the great black birds, $1 at the dollar store.

 
Our coffee table is a bit worn, as you can see, but if you just cover it up with a runner no one will ever know.  But notice how there is a wide open space in the middle, for resting ones feet, no wonder my table is getting worn people.  This is why we cannot have nice things!  Believe it or not there is more, but I will keep that for another time, until then have a great Fall day!

Winterizing In Minnesota

We have spent the last couple of days in Northern Minnesota helping my Mom winterize her house as well as getting the boats ready for their long winters nap.  Our plan is to do the work for her, but she is no "old" helpless lady.  She gets right in there and works just as hard if not harder than the rest of us and if we are not careful, she just might not "need" us at all.  Jeff has been in training for this winterizing process for the last couple of years under the supervision of my Dad, and this being the first year of getting it done as he supervises from his heavenly home. 

 
When working with Mom, you have to be careful because she is liable to leave you behind when your not looking.  She has her little work chart and when she loads is up you had better be ready to follow or the work will be done before you get there.

 
Our trek up north also included delivering Mom's new car.  What fun to drive a new car and knowing we were delivering the car my Dad chose for her.  During my Dad's final day he talked to us kids about getting Mom a new car and after searching on the internet from his hospital bed, he thought the Buick Enclave would be the car for her. He liked that it had all wheel drive and heated seats for those cold Minnesota winters.  We were finally able to make good on Dad's wish and Mom is now driving the car of his choosing.  Yeah!

 
With the work all done, we get to enjoy the next two days in this Northern Minneasota indian summer.  It has been in the high 70's with no wind, and we even saw some crazy person water skiing this evening.  You just never know what to expect from northerners?

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.
 
 

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?

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 

Vintage Hankie Scarf

I have a collection of vintage hankies that have been folded up neatly in a cupboard for years.    Every so often I would take them out and admire them and think of the stylish ladies that once carried these in their pocketbook. Some of these old hankies I remember both of my Grandmas carrying.  I love the floral patterns and scalloped edges and have never understood how someone could blow their nose into something so fancy. Not only that, but then nicely folding it back up again and putting back into a purse or pocket, yewh.  I prefer to use a tissue that I can immediately dispose of.  Anyway, I decided to make a scarf out of them after being inspired by the latest copy of "Where Women Create". 

I arranged the hankies end to end moving from pinks on one end to blues on the other end.  The final measurement should be around 72" to 74".  This will vary as the hankies are not all the same size.

Overlapping the edges, I topstiched the hankies together. Because the sizes vary, I centered the hankies so that both edges would be similar.

The finished project is this fun, lightweight scarf that can be worn with all kinds of things and match most any color.  I get to wear this great accessory and be reminded of my Grandmas all at the same time, how fun is that?

I am participating in these link ups:  Its So Very Cheri, Between Naps on the Porch, The DIY Showoff, Keeping It Simple, Mad Skills Monday, The Girl Creative, Making The World Cutier, Skip to My Lou, The Graphics Fairy, Coastal Charm, A Silly Little Sparrow, Today's Creative Blog, Blue Cricket Design, Nikki's Nifty Knacks, Tales from Bloggeritaville

Magazine Brings On Creative Enthusiasm

A couple of weeks ago I picked up the latest issue of Where Women Create.  This has got to be my all time favorite magazine.  The fact that it does cost $14.99 really puts it in the book category for me, but since I discovered this publication two years ago I have not missed an issue. The pages are filled with artist and the spaces in which they create their loveliness.  The cover story this quarter is on Amy Butler, the best fabric designer in my book.  Her fabrics and pattern designs are not only inspiring, they are so happy and I scream "let's have fun."  Now that is my kind of fabric.  Also in the pages of this issue, is the owner of Curious Sofa.  If you have never been to her store you are missing out on some vintage curiosity.  I have followed her blog and haunted her store whenever I can get over in the Prairie Village neighborhood.  There are so many more artists within the pages of this magazine that I find so much creative enthusiasm that I can hardly contain myself. 

The Little Red Truck

Jeff and my Dad came home with this little red truck over 20 years.  It did not start out looking like this but it did run.  They had BIG plans for this truck and it took what seemed like forever.  There were times through the transformation that I wondered if it would ever be done and running again.  The whole process took about 13 years.  The real bummer is that we do not have a picture of what it looked like before the rebuild began.  But here are some of the changes that took place.  First of all, it was a long bed, and is now a short bed.  The top was chopped just slightly so it looks cool but no one can figure out why.  It started out two tone red and white.  Over the years there have been many a late night and long weekends of Jeff and Dad, and then later when Ryan was old enough, working on this little red beauty. 

 
They total stripped it down and built it back up again.

This was the original engine that they rebuilt was from my Grandpa Nelson's 1970 Nova, but was only there until Ryan was driving it on I-35 on a prom date when the engine blew.  Then we had to save up for a new crate motor.

Jeff and Dad were like two kids in a candy shop when the new crate motor came in.  They could not wait to drop it in the truck.

So this is now the new engine, I have no idea what kind or how big, all I know is that it was new and it runs.  Now mind you, it only runs on a nice day with no rain in the forecast and where there is room to park very, very far away from any one else.

You know a truck is for show only when the bed looks better than my dinning room table.  We can't haul anything in that, are you kidding me?

This little red truck has become something of a treasure to us in that it was with my Dad's knowledge and love for trucks that he and Jeff finished this project together and then passed on the knowledge and love to Jeff and Ryan.

Not only is our truck fun to ride in, but apparently there are others that appreciate a great truck when they see one. Now that I have made this post and let everyone know how great a little red truck that we have maybe next time the announcer calls out the winning truck he will say Jeff "and Judy" Sturman owns the winning truck.
   

100,000 ~ YEAH!

Today my blog reached the 100,000 views. Now I know that there are blogs out there that have that many views in a day.  But I am very excited that my little ole blog made that mark.  It has taken over three years to reach that milestone, but my traffic has picked up a bunch in that last couple of months and I thank each of you that take time to stop by and make comments.  Blogging has become something I enjoy and have met new people and am certainly inspired by other blogs that I visit frequently.  Once again, thanks for being a part of those 100,000 views.  I plan on having a great day and taking time to bask in the 100,000 glory!