Living In The Future

One of my closest girlfriends, Lindsay and I, along with our children, usually go away together for a week or two during the summer.  This summer the plans to get away just didn't work out, so we created a "Stay-Cation" and did several sleep overs at each others homes and had a calendar of events filled with fun-packed days and a variety of activities that kept us busy all week long.   At the end of the week, her fabulous husband (and my super, duper friend-in-law) Jason kept our five children (well, THEIR three and MY two... this is NOT an episode of "sister wives") all day long on Saturday while Linds and I cropped the day (and night!) away at the local scrapbook store.

During our scrapbook stay-cation day, we had dinner out at a local Asian diner called Pei Wei.  Have you ever been?   It's fabulous!  (And they provide gluten free options for my girl, Linds!)  While waiting for our food we were walking to the soda machine and noticed it was different from the last time we scrapped and dined on Asian cuisine.  Different as in SERIOUSLY COOL!   It looked like it could have been derived directly from a Jetson's episode.   It has a touch screen and about a million options of soda, lemonade and tea.  I might be exaggerating a tad about the million options, but it did have quite the variety.  More than your average 8-option selection.  For example, you have a hankering for Sprite... so you touch the Sprite logo.  Then about 10-12 different flavored Sprite options are available for the choosing... diet Sprite, Sprite Zero, Raspberry Sprite, Strawberry Sprite, Orange Sprite, Grape Sprite, Root Beer Sprite... okay, I'm joking about the Root Beer Sprite, but you get the idea.  Options previously UNKNOWN to us were now available for the choosing.  Right at our fingertips!! 

We played with it for awhile before I decided I MUST take a picture of us with our Jetson-esque discovery.  (For the scrapbook of our Stay-Cation adventures, OF COURSE!)

And with all those choices in front of me, I still decided on which soda???  Any guesses??

Stress Cleaner turned... Stress Crafter??

I admit it, I am a "stress cleaner".   When I am stressed out, I have the ability to transform my home into a museum.  It would pass Mary Poppins' "white glove" test.   Since my home is currently on the market (any takers for a super cute, updated 3 bedroom ranch with finished basement?? Anyone??) it's in a state of perpetual cleanliness.  Just ask my kids - they'll tell you I'm not giving an inch where clutter is concerned.   I've been feeling a bit stressed out the past couple of days - nothing major, just dealing with a few of life's curve balls.  You know the kind I'm talking about... you think you're headed in one direction and WHAM!  Out of nowhere, you're hit with something you didn't put in your day planner.  It's not a comfortable situation for us "type-A" people, but with God's perfect grace and mercy, I'm learning to deal with it. 

Since the house is clean, what is a God-loving, stressed-out, type-A, girl supposed to do?   Movies don't distract - I often find my mind wanders too much and I discover I have no idea what's happening in the plot and all I've accomplished in my mind is borrowing trouble for things that haven't happened.  Yet.  ;-)   Books don't distract (I was shocked, too!) - and I find I'm re-reading the same paragraph over and over.  I trust that Isaiah 26:3 is true, and I have learned to keep myself busy so my mind doesn't wander where it shouldn't.   My house may revolt against me some day now that I have discovered that I am indeed a "stress crafter"... I can see the bathrooms getting less attention and scrapbooking receiving MORE.

After all my Excel planning for homeschooling this fall, it was nearly time to print schedules, attendance sheets, note pages, and curriculum plans.  But these ugly, old, wrinkled binder dividers from long-since-passed financial analysis days looked too sad to use for my super-fun homeschool planner!  All that time I'd spent at the computer deserved something PRETTY to organize it!!

 

But don't these scrapbook papers look super fresh and inviting??

 

 

 

Add some adhesive, and VOILA!!!   Pretty new binder dividers!!  (And all the while I was praying over my stress, praising over my stress - thanks to K-Love, and being productive).   Win-Win-Win!

 



 

If you haven't heard from me in a few days, check under the piles of scrapbook paper and adhesive.  Bring Diet Wild Cherry Pepsi and chocolate - I'll need some bribing to come out. 

Queen of the "Last Minute"

I am becoming the Queen of the last minute projects.  This is not ever how I've approached anything in life... but lately, it's just the way things seem to flow.   I hope I grow out of it.  And soon.  It truly shows a lack of planning and preparing, which has not ever been my character, and nor do I want it to be.  But in my lack of planning, God blessed my night anyway.  Isn't He great???  (Amen!)

My church's children's ministry's Wednesday night program features a theme night once per month.  And tonight's the night.   It's been marked on my calendar for literally months.  (You know... because of the preparing and planning trait I try to implement??  Yeah...  it requires follow through of actually LOOKING at the calendar I plan things on.  But I digress).   Guess when I noticed it.  At 4:15 pm, after spending an entire day away from home (on a field trip - so the time away was worthwhile) and I'm prepping dinner to leave the house at 6pm.  YIKES! 

The theme tonight is "Holiday Night" - and I took the easy-way-out suggestion and pulled out Santa hats (perfect for a Christian holiday, no???)  and the CHRISTmas sweaters.   My kids looked at me like I had perfectly lost my mind.  Were we not wearing shorts, devouring fudge bars,  and playing with the hose in 80 degree weather just yesterday???   "Um, I don't prefer that idea, Mommy" - to quote one of my polite children verbatim.   The other child...  (air-i-ly)  "Mommy, I want to be a ballerina" as she twirls and whirls so elegantly around me.  Hmm.... ballerina.... holiday.... NUTCRACKER BALLET!   PERFECT!!!    Have I ever mentioned that "I'm not just another pretty face" lately??    Hold on... I'll prove it further.

So Polite Child desires to be something other than a sweater.  Thinking cap... tired Momma... oh, so very tired... this is hurting my head....  LIGHT BULB!!   Empty box, wrapping paper, packing tape, scissors.  

He's a Christmas Gift!   (I told you I was genius!) 

Cut the holes for the head and arms.  Then wrap packing tape around the edges so no scratching occurs.  Comfort is a very important factor in a gift.

Wrap the gift.  When opening the holes I cut a "pie" shape with a knife and folded the ends in.

Then I re-wrapped the edges with more packing tape so it didn't tear so easily. 

VOILA!  (I think I'll keep this gift)!!! 

Happy crafting!! 

Modge Podge - 101

So what do you with old artwork that is so sad it's begging to be retired??? When it's Christmas, you cover it in wrapping paper and ribbon and hang it back up on the wall. But when February rolls around and the wrapping paper 'artwork' begins to mock you, it's time for a craft project: adult style! This isn't your elementary school Modge Podge lesson - but it IS just as simple. I promise!

BEFORE: OLD ARTWORK

SUPPLIES:  PAINT, SPONGE BRUSH, SCRAPBOOK PAPER, RULER, PAPER CUTTER, and MODGE PODGE

I chose the outdoor paint because it says it is 'water resistant'. My art will be hanging in my dining room, thus immune to the outside elements, however I wasn't sure how the regular non-water resistant paint would hold up against the Modge Podge application, so I wanted to safe. It needs to dry for 72 hours.

During this time I designed the way I wanted my papers to lay on the boards and chose my bible verse and printed it out. The paint was truly dry to the touch even though the required time hadn't fully passed yet, so I was able to lay everything out flat on the boards and move it around until I was satisfied with my design.

For those who haven't used Modge Podge before, it's very similar to glue, just a bit more watered down.  It comes in a variety of finishes - glossy, matte, or  if you're feeling particulary bold, you can choose one with glitter sprinkled in.  I poured out my Modge Podge into a throw-away take out container and a simple painters/crafters sponge-on-a-stick worked great for application.  It washes out with soap and water, too!  (This excites me the most because I am a messy crafter and cook.  The bigger mess I make, the better my project (food) turns out.  I've proven it to be a scientific fact.) 

Brush on your Modge Podge pretty thick, and this is key - BOTH SIDES!!  But not to the point of weighing your paper down too heavily.  You should "SEE" it on your project.  Smooth out all air bubbles.  Wait for it to dry.  Apply more Modge Podge on top.  Dry and repeat.  I was able to make three applications in one evening between folding loads of laundry. 

The next day it was hung and ready to be admired!  I LOVE IT!  For a couple of bucks I revived some tired, old artwork!

AFTER: NEW ARTWORK