Thrift Store Haul

Hey, everyone!

School is officially out here in my local school district. My children have grown up so much and it's been a really tough year for all of us with losing my dad. I am so very proud of my little guy graduating Kindergarten! He just brightens up my life!

He was given some money for graduation from his mamaw and papaw. He chose a Lego set from the Lego Movie. He will do a YouTube Lego review video later on. He loves to be in front of the camera. I wonder why? It must be all the videos and photographs I have taken of him since he was born! You know, when I was growing up we had those Kodak instant cameras or the 110 film and 35 mm film. You had to take the pictures and then drop them off at the store, wait a week or so and then pick them up. You never knew if any of the pictures were going to turn out or not! It's so different now with digital cameras!

My mom (Javan's Nana) took us to eat at McDonald's (Javan's favorite) and then on to Walmart to buy Javan's toy and pick up Mother's medication. Then the real fun began...we went thrifting! We have a store here called St. Vincent de Paul and it's wonderful! The prices are pretty good for the most part and they are always putting new things out so it makes it a fun place to shop. Javan wanted a bag of toys for $3 and here is what was inside: 

I have my make-up brushes in a small glass container but it isn't really working out that well for me. So when I saw this pretty milk glass dish for only $1 I knew I had to have it! Today I went back with my mom to see if they had anything new and they had this really nice milk glass dish that I am going to add my make up, too. I really don't wear a lot of make-up so it would easily fit into this dish.

I thought it would be fun to create another YouTube video with Javan. He is so sweet! Hope you will check it out:

I hope you enjoyed the video! It was a lot of fun to make. The house is quiet as I sit here and write this blog post. I miss my kiddos but I know they are having a lot of fun with their grandparents on their way to fun in the sun! I am so proud of my two beautiful blessings from God. Kadesia is going to be a seventh grader this fall and Javan will be a first grader. Time just continues to pass me by and I just hope and pray that I am doing everything I can do to give my two children the tools and skills they need to succeed in life. They both love the LORD with all of their heart so I can't ask for much more than that!

Mother's Day 2014

Thanks for hanging out with me today! Leave me a comment below letting me know about your fun thrift store finds!

Hugs,

How much is a box of cereal worth to you?

Hey everyone!

Today is a really special day...it's Mother's Day! For today's post on:

I want to ask you how much a box of cereal is worth to you.

My mother is a wonderful lady! I am not just saying that because she is my mother but she really is. She gives until it hurts. She is one of the most giving people I have ever known.

Money has never been in abundance but through the years somehow (with God's help, of course) we always got by. There is a grocery chain here in southern Indiana called Aldi.

You can get a lot of great food for very little money. I love it. Trying to feed a family of four is difficult but stores like Aldi sure does help. This is my Starfish story about my mom.

My mom was in the store one day behind an elderly gentleman. He was dressed in worn clothes. They were clean but well worn. He had carefully laid out the few food items he was purchasing. There were some vegetables and fruit and some milk and one box of cereal. He counted the money in his pocket and found he did not have enough. He looked at the cereal and then at the vegetables. He was weighing in his mind what he should put back. He sadly told the cashier to put back the cereal. He paid for his food and pushed his cart quietly out to the parking lot. My mom told the cashier to hurry and ring up the cereal. She ran to the parking lot to find him and he was no where to be found. Her heart sank as she thought of the poor little man that wanted the cereal. Suddenly she saw a man leaned over placing groceries into the seat. Mom walked over to the man and said, "Here, I bought this cereal for you. I want you to have it." He had tears in his eyes. He thanked her over and over. He lifted the cereal box into the air and shook it. He thanked God for that box of cereal. He wanted to pay Mother but she refused. He said he was going to church and tell his Sunday school what happened.

How much does one box of cereal cost? It may not mean much to you. Maybe you don't ever have to give up things you frequently indulge in. But if you have ever had to do without, you would understand the value of a box of cereal. This man might not have earthly possessions to brag about but that cereal was a blessing to him. He told mom that he had not had that cereal in a long time. It was his favorite and he hated putting it back but he knew he needed vegetables more. What an awesome message. How many times do we leave the grocery store with only the necessities?

I challenge you to find your Starfish. Look around you and take the time to see if someone is need around you. My mom does not want others to know she did this. She doesn't want recognition but I think she deserves to shine. It's Mother's Day and I am so grateful to have my Mother.

Hugs,

Purple Flowers For Christina

Hey everyone!

Today is Saturday and that means:

 

I have the Fun Flowers Stampin' Up! die and Big Shot machine.

I love the beautiful flowers I can create with it. I have made several flowers from paper but it's even more fun using felt! My sweet friend, Christina reads my blog and I know she will see this post before she gets her package from me but I just had to share this cute little magnet I made her! Her favorite color is purple so she will love it I am sure!

Here's a close-up of the button magnet I attached to the back. It's self-adhesive so it was very simple to assemble.

I have made these fun flower magnets in so many different colors. The floral die and Big Shot machine make creating these flowers a breeze. You can cut through several layers of fabric at a time and they are perfect for layering multiple colors. I have used these to make headbands and barrettes in my daughter's school colors, too. It's so much fun! These make wonderful tuck-ins for gifts on any occasion. Mother's Day is tomorrow so why not create these for the wonderful mothers in your life.

I am linking up to:

Hugs,

Time for a tutorial!!!

Hey everyone!

Today is the end of my first full week of blogging. Other than the "technical" difficulties I had yesterday I have been able to post every day so far and I am so excited about the different themes. Do you like them?

I really like to make lots of craft projects, handmade cards, gifts, scrapbook pages, and I love showing other people how to make these items, too. I haven't filmed a video tutorial in a while. My craft room/laundry room is being remodeled so it's been really challenging to get anything created and posted. However, for today's post I am going to create and post a video tutorial for you all. I hope you will enjoy visiting each week for




I hope you enjoy the tutorial. Please let me know if you would like a particular tutorial and I will do my best to provide that for you! Thanks for hanging out with me today!

Hugs,

Happy Mother's Day!

Hey, everyone!

I want to wish all you mothers a very happy day! If you can, call your mom or mother-figure in your life to wish them a great day if you don't get the chance to visit. If you cannot do any of those things then I pray the good memories and feelings will envelope you and hold you close!

We're having a barbecue at my mom and dad's house today. It will be great! I am making the dessert...a Gelatin Poke Cake because it reminds me of the cakes my mom always made. I am putting fresh strawberries on top of my cake and using strawberry gelatin to pour over the cake before I frost it with Cool Whip! YUM!!!

For Mother's Day, Paul bought me a really cute sun dress and 4 copic markers! I am so happy!! Of course the real gift is my two beautiful children that the LORD blessed me with!

I am sorry that I didn't get a chance to post everything I wanted to but check back tomorrow. This weekend has been so busy for me but I will make sure I get everything posted for tomorrow and this week will be a fun one! Enjoy your day!

Hugs,

Mother's Day Blog Hop!

Hey, everyone!

I just love blog hopping with my Angel friends! The theme is Mother's Day since it will be coming up this weekend and so I am sharing a card I made for my mother! I used the Winterberry paper, Premium white cardstock, Willoughby cardstock, Gerbera Daisy stamp and Trendy Greetings stamp set all from The Angel Company! I added a little bit of shimmer with my stardust glitter gel pen and sponged in a sky and grassy area with my Palette ink spots!

You'll find more fun Mother's Day projects to inspire you when you click on these Angel names:
Laurie
Carol
Melisa
Rita
Jamie
Jany
Stacy

Thanks for hopping along with us! I will see you tomorrow!!

Hugs,

Gifts for Mother's Day!

Hey, everyone!

Today's StampTACular Tuesday Challenge is a little different than usual. Today, Christina and I are making mini albums for our mothers-in-law. I know they will enjoy receiving these on Mother's Day! Here is the mini album I made.

The stamps are from The Angel Company: Sprigs and You Are. Be sure you go to Christina's blog to check out her mini-album!

My mom told me she wanted me to make her a dishwasher magnet that said CLEAN and DIRTY. I thought OKAY! So here it is...

Gotta love those Stardust Glitter Gel Pens! The pig stamp is from a former TAC Stamp of the Month. I sponged him in Burnt Umber for a dirty look. I used my Chestnut Memory Marker for coloring in the word DIRTY and the "mud" beneath the pig. I used my Pink Brights Tombow marker to color in the pig and my Stardust Glitter Gel Pens to create some shimmer. I hope she likes this magnet! Tomorrow is my Scripture Challenge and Christina will be sharing her page on her blog, too. I have a few more things to share with you, too, so be sure to hang out with me again tomorrow!

Hugs,

THIS JUST IN!!

Hey, everyone!!!

Welcome back! I am SO excited to show you what my friend Amber has donated to our prize table for the STAMP OUT CANCER and CROP FOR A CURE fundraiser!!!

Do you not LOVE these? You should see these in person! They are adorable and a really great size, too! Just add your photos, decorate the pages as you like, and you have an instant scrapbook! Each one is SO cute with coordinating papers inside, and all with a fun summer theme!! I asked her if she would like to make one accordion album but she made THREE!!! And they are all awesome! Thanks, Amber!! I am definitely looking forward to next Saturday!! It's going to be a really FUN day!

For all you mothers out there, HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!! I have a really, really wonderful mother. We are really close...like best friends and always have been! I look up to my mother and wish I could be just like her!!!

Here's a Mother's Day Card I made for my husband's grandma! She is really great and always loves playing with her great-grands!! She likes birds and so I used the Basic Birds stamp set (T-2636), Swoops & Swirls Hostess A stamp set (TA-2857), and Trendy Greetings (T-2144) to stamp Happy Mother's Day on the inside. I stamped the bird in Noir Palette Hybrid Ink (TT-220) and the sentiment in Claret (TT-194). I stamped the bird image three times to piece it together. I stamped the tail feathers on a patterned pink paper, and the body of the bird was stamped on a sheet of cardstock that I used the shaving cream technique on. I made my own grass with a sheet of green cardstock and my Kai scissors (C-1220) and mounted it to a sheet of blue cardstock. I punched a circle out of some gold scrap paper and mounted it for a sun. I stamped the bird image onto the cardstock and then I mounted the bird body and tail feathers on top using foam tape. Thanks, Hannah, for the use of your stamps and Claret ink!! Thank you ALL for looking!! Have a great day!

Hugs,
Bridgett