12 DIYs of Christmas : : 1

Throughout the next few weeks, I'll be posting some nifty (and thrifty) little DIY ideas for getting your home North-Pole worthy before Santa (and the family) comes to visit. To start with is the easiest idea ever and it's super cute. It's a kissing ball. Now, where I'm from, my uncles used to go out in December with their shot guns and actually shoot some mistletoe out of trees to use for decoration. Yes... that's how country I am. lol. But evidently, a kissing ball has been used for centuries interchangeably with mistletoe. Probably, because lots of kissing balls actually had sprigs of mistletoe on them. If you're the curious type, like me, you can read more about this and the legends HERE.

But, enough of that... on to that crafting! I pulled the pictures and instructions directly from the Good Housekeeping website and I'm sure if you went over there, you could browse around and find lots of different DIY Christmas Crafts, but this Kissing Ball is the one I wanted to share with you today:

Instructions: 

*Wrap a 4-inch Styrofoam ball in a 14-inch fabric square; secure with a rubber band.

*Thread the end of 1 1/2 yards of ribbon down through the band, around the ball, and up through the band's other side so ribbon ends match up (knot them to hang the ball).

*Wrap 14 inches of ribbon around the ball's other side (crossing first ribbon, as shown); tuck ends into band.

*Hide band with a shimmery bow and festive sprigs.

Isn't that just darling? And to think of all the color combinations and fun you could have with this idea! Gosh, I just love GH, don't you? ♥

Thankfulness Part 2

Here's part 2 of things that I'm thankful for. Don't forget, if you're doing something similar, please post the link to your post as a comment so we can share in our thanksgivings. :)

I'm thankful for our health. We may not be on the cover of any Health or Fitness magazines, but I'm very thankful that we can see, hear, breathe, eat, walk, talk, sit, stand, and move about normally without any problems. I'm also thankful that we're still alive and do not have any apparent health problems like cancers or diseases. I pray that we remain in good health throughout our lives and that if we do face a life-changing illness, we rely on God to see us through the storm.

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I'm thankful for the good times we have with good friends. Although they most certainly do not happen nearly as often as they should anymore. That is the thing about growing up... usually moving on actually involves moving and that creates a challenge for social get-togethers.

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I'm thankful for the family I married in to. There was never a moment where they treated me like an outsider. From the moment I met them, I was part of the family and I couldn't ask for better in-laws. ♥

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I'm thankful that 5 years ago (I can hardly believe it's only 5 years, it feels like I've known her my whole life) I met this wonderful person who has seen me at my best, and my worst and has loved me the same through it all. She makes me laugh and reminds me to enjoy the little moments of life. Rainbows and kittens to Amanda.

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I'm thankful for this team that I'm on via Etsy. I'm glad that I've formed friendships with people that I never would have known if it werent' for this team. I'm thankful that I have a place to go and talk about my problems and praises and am always well received.

So... what are YOU thankful for? Blog about it and post the link to your blog below as a comment.  

Expanding the shop...

Lately, I've been wanting to expand the shop a bit. I have realized that on Etsy there are 1,680,123 items in Jewelry. Which means if people want to buy anything jewelry related, there's a very, VERY slim chance that they will actually stumble upon my shop and purchase my jewelry.

I've also taken into account the fact that jewelry making isn't the only hobby of mine and I also like to sew, paint, and make other things. So... this passed summer I started working on Children's Mobiles and I've finally added some to my shop. You can see them all HERE.

But mobiles aren't the only thing I've been wanting to add. Off and on, during my time on Etsy, I've added paintings to my shop, then taken them out, then added them again, then deleted them again. The thing is, I really love painting, but I burned myself out on it about a year and a half ago. Then there's the problem with storage. It takes a lot more room to store several paintings than to store several pieces of jewelry. And finally, there's the problem with shipping. How to ship, how to package, on the frame, off the frame, rolled, unrolled, etc. It boggled my mind and I wasn't sure what to do.

Until now.

Now, I've completed a series of paintings that I absolutely, 100% ADORE! They're small, and easy to do quickly so I don't have to worry so much about storage. They're small so I don't have to worry about shipping. And they're Pride & Prejudice-themed so they're exceptionally lovely. So now, I'm expanding my shop a bit more to include these small paintings that you can purchase individually or as a group. They are painted on 8X8 canvases and are sprayed with a sealer.

Miss Elizabeth - $12

Mr. Darcy - $12

Miss Charlotte - $12

Mr. Bingley - $12

The Collection - $40

The collection is not listed in my shop as an item for purchase, but feel free to contact me and we will work out the arrangement. 

So... what do you think?

Thankfulness Part 1

For the month of November, each week I plan to post a new blog about things I'm thankful for. I would love to do a little Link Love with anyone out there doing similar posts. Just include a link to your Thankfulness post (not your entire blog) in a comment below. Let's count our blessings and see what God has done... anyone else love that song? I know it's an old hymn, but it's one of my favorites. :)

For Part 1, I'm doing the BIG things in life. So here goes:

For my husband and our marriage. We aren't perfect, our marriage isn't perfect. But I'm thankful that four years ago, we were encouraged by friends to start talking and that 3 months later we got married. It was hard in the beginning, but now, I wouldn't trade anything for my time with him. We'll be together, even in Heaven.

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 Our home. This is our first home we bought (for either of us). I love that it's an old home (built in the late 30s, early 40s) that has been remodeled by previous owners and I'm looking forward to doing some remodeling myself. I have such plans for the landscaping next year... :)

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 His job. He has a great job and we work for a great congregation of people. I'm so thankful that this job came along when it did because it definitely saved us in so many ways. I love being here and would love to be here for years and years and for Joey to be one of those Youth Ministers that get to stay at a place for like 10 years.

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My job. I'm thankful that almost 4 years ago, after getting married with netiher of us having jobs, I was able to get a job with a wonderful company that has continued to provide ample opportunities to me. I love that I get to work remotely from home and that I have a supervisor that is absolutely a pleasure to work with.

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Well, stay tuned for Part 2 next week. And don't forget to post a link to your post in a comment below so we can all Count Blessings together.

♥Regina♥