Fun paper craft

Making flower decorations out of paper bags was a fun treat. The kids really had fun helping me. I first saw these on the Something Old, Something New wedding blog. From there I got the link to the pattern and instructions on the Martha Stewart website.

I made a tutorial showing how to make this paper craft with your own paper.

I used book paper but newspaper, wrapping paper or scrapbook paper would all work great too.

Click the image below to see the tutorial.

I chose brown paper bags for a more neutral tone.

They turned out so nice. I think next time I'm going to use tiny colored bags for a different look.

Enjoy!

New and improved papier mache art

Hello everyone, I am here to introduce my newest friend. She doesn't have a name yet though. She is the first papier mache sculpture I have done with my newly acquired Paper Clay!

Lately I had become interested in making dolls out of Sculpey. I loved looking at the beautiful art doll creations of Black Eyed Suzie, Du buh du designs, Noodle and Lou studio, and Marmee Craft no patience...OK both. I couldn't get the polymer clay to do what I wanted and I couldn't get the details small enough. I got very frustrated and gave up; but not totally. Since I love working with papier mache I thought working with paper clay would be a good experiment. Plus it goes well with papier mache since it is, after all, paper. Paper clay is so much better for me than sculpey! It air dries, which I love (no burning) and after it's dry you can still add clay. Water can also be added to change the consistency of it. The experiment worked out really well and this pretty little girl is the result. I LOVE how she turned out. In fact I love her so much I'm afraid I cannot sell her. If I can get this great of results with the next girl then I may sell this one but you'll have. They inspired me to try my hand at sculpey, but sadly I have no skills at doll making, or I have to bribe me. I have three more girls in the works, with paper clay/papier mache, so be on the look out for more pretties! Let's hope they all turn out as cute and sweet as this girl did. Her dress and hair are papier mache; and her face, arms, and legs are paper clay.

Have a great Thursday!

A little more texture

(I love the body and layers in her hair, I also love the thickness of her bangs.)

Looking in the mirror and getting ready to go out has been the same old thing for too long. I need more body and texture to my STRAIT as dry spaghetti hair. I took the liberty of doing a google image search for hair styles and got a few good images but the search led me to two main web pages that really got my attention.

beauty.about.com

and

rasysa.com, long hairstyles

rasysa.com home

(this one is in Japanese but had the best photos)

After looking through too many pictures I noticed that what I wanted was really specific, very helpful for a girl who usually has too many ideas that she can't make up her mind. I learned that I want layers. And maybe some bangs, either sideswipe or thick and straight.

Pretty much the same hair as the first photo but shorter. Again loving the body.

I like that she swept her bangs to the side.

My hair would not flow as lovely as hers the way mine is cut right now, believe me I tried it yesterday.

Another image of pretty side swipe bangs.

I like her bangs and the "messy" body in her hair.

Links again for those lazy scrollers.

beauty.about.com

and

rasysa.com, long hairstyles

rasya.com home

(this one is in Japanese but had the best photos)

I heart pedestals and platters

(I love that this pedestal plate has a shallow bowl type quality to it.)

While browsing my picture file entitled "My Faves" I noticed a trend. I love cake platers and pedestal plates or bowls. I already knew this about myself but didn't realize I was a little obsessed. At first glance (in my kitchen) you wouldn't know this about me. But once you went through my cupboards you would find quite a few of them. Let me reach into my brain and see if I can remember how many I actually have. well theres the glass cake platter I just got at the thrift store, the playful cake platter I use for birthdays, the colorful cake platter with a scalloped edge (Trent's favorite), the tiny pedestal plate with daisies on it, the pedestal bowl, and lastly the easter one that came with bunny figurines that hold little eggs. So...whats my total? Lets see...it's six. Wow and I still want more? YES!!! I want one with tiers and I want a white ceramic one and I want I want. :) Well lets just look at these pretty ones I really want someday. (Old images again, so no links to sources, I'm a Bad Bad Blogger!)

This simple cake plate is so pretty. That is "the one" I really want. It'll match every table setting.

Love the hight in these two platters. And I love that they have the glass cover. (I have a plethora of cake plates and not one cover...hmm thats weird.)

i love the alternative use this one is being put to.

Sleek and modern but still a cake platter always has that classic feeling to me.

A cupcake platter with three levels! "sigh" I LOVE it!

This image just makes me want to have tea party.

Quiz time

Your Fashion Style is Classic

You like what's stood the test of time... Simple, well styled clothes that don't scream trendy You stay updated and modern, but your clothes stay in style for a while You wouldn't be caught in animal prints, fake fur, or super bright colors

What Kind of Fashionable Woman Are You?

You Are 55% Indie

You're pretty indie, but you don't make a fuss letting everyone know. You just do what you like. You enjoy many types of things - from trendy to bizarre.

How Indie Are You?

Our prophet for 13 years

The longtime prophet of my church, Gordon B Hinckley, died last night of old age. I will miss him as will the rest of the church. He always reminded me of my grandpa. He truly was an amazing person and an inspiring leader. Here is an article that tells it better than I could.

This is the article from Todays local newspaper.

Breaking news: Gordon B. Hinckley dies at 97

By JENNIFER DOBNER

Published:

Sunday, January 27, 2008 11:18 PM CST

Associated Press Writer

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Gordon B. Hinckley, the Mormon church’s oldest president who presided over one of the greatest periods of expansion in its history, died Sunday. He was 97.

Hinckley, the 15th president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, died of complications arising from old age, church spokesman Mike Otterson said.

“His life was a true testament of service, and he had an abiding love for others,” said U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch, a Utah Republican and fellow Mormon. “His wit, wisdom, and exemplary leadership will be missed by not only members of our faith, but by people of all faiths throughout the world.”

Hinckley had been diagnosed with diabetes and was hospitalized in January 2006 for the removal of a cancerous growth in his large intestine. In April 2006, he told a church conference he was in the “sunset of my life” and “totally in the hands of the Lord.”

By unfailing tradition, at a church president’s death, the church’s most senior apostle is ordained within days on a unanimous vote of the Council of the Twelve Apostles. The most long-serving apostle now is Thomas S. Monson, 80.

The church presidency is a lifetime position. Before Hinckley, the oldest church president was David O. McKay who was 96 when he died in 1970.

Hinckley, a grandson of Mormon pioneers, was president for nearly 13 years. He took over as president and prophet on March 12, 1995 and oversaw one of the greatest periods of expansion in church history. The number of temples worldwide more than doubled, from 49 to more than 120 and church membership grew from about 9 million to more than 12 million.

Like his contemporary, Pope John Paul II, he became by far his church’s most traveled leader in history. And the number of Mormons outside the United States surpassed that of American Mormons for the first time since the church, the most successful faith born in the United States, was founded in 1830.

“His leadership in humanitarian efforts around the world was matched only by his efforts in his own beloved state and community as a committed citizen,” said Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, a Mormon. “He has stood as a remarkable example of selflessness, charity and humility and he will be greatly missed by all.”

Hinckley began his leadership role in 1995 by holding a rare news conference, citing growth and spreading the Mormon message as the church’s main challenge heading into the 21st century.

“We are dedicated ... to teaching the gospel of peace, to the promotion of civility and mutual respect among people everywhere, to bearing witness to the living reality of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the practice of his teachings in our daily lives,” Hinckley said.

Over the years, Hinckley labored long to burnish the faith’s image as a world religion far removed from its peculiar and polygamous roots. Still, during his tenure the Roman Catholic Church, Southern Baptist Convention and United Methodist Church — the three largest U.S. denominations — each declared that Mormon doctrines depart from mainstream Christianity.

“We are not a weird people,” Hinckley told Mike Wallace on “60 Minutes” in 1996.

“The more people come to know us, the better they will understand us,” Hinckley said in an interview with The Associated Press in late 2005. “We’re a little different. We don’t smoke. We don’t drink. We do things in a little different way. That’s not dishonorable. I believe that’s to our credit.”

Hinckley’s grandfather knew church founder Joseph Smith and followed Brigham Young west to the Great Salt Lake Basin. He often spoke of the Mormon heritage of pioneer sacrifice and its importance as a model for the modern church.

“I think as long as history lasts there will be an interest in the roots of this work, a very deep interest,” Hinckley said in a 1994 interview with the AP.

“Because insofar as the people of the church are concerned, without a knowledge of those roots and faith in the validity of those roots, we don’t have anything,” he said.

In 1997, Hinckley seemed to drive that point home in his orchestration of the lavish sesquicentennial celebration of the Mormons’ arrival in the Salt Lake Valley. The yearlong festivities featured a TV-friendly reenactment of the dramatic Mormon exodus from the Midwest by handcart and covered wagon.

Born June 23, 1910, in Salt Lake City, Hinckley graduated from the University of Utah with a degree in arts and planned to attend graduate school in journalism. Instead, a church mission took him to the British Isles.

Upon his return, he became executive director of the newly formed Church Radio, Publicity, and Mission Literature Committee at $60 a month. Hinckley always worked for the church, except for a brief stint during World War II as a railroad agent.

Hinckley was preceded in death by his wife, Marjorie Pay Hinckley, whom he married in 1937. She died April 6, 2004.
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Link to this online articles' web page at HJ news

"new" furniture + sleeping children = redecorating the living room and eating truffles

MMMMMMmmmmmm Chocolate truffles! Last night Trent and I made chocolate truffles from scratch. They are so yummy! I found the recipe video once while browsing around at food.about.com

Here is how the night played out.While at the thrift store yesterday we saw one of the employees wheeling in a couch set that was in really nice condition. We nabbed them before they even finished putting them on the floor. The other customers weren't so happy about that. I could see people eying them while we were figuring out how to get them home. once we got them into the house we noticed the walls were bare and it led to a night filled with fun.

The kids went to bed on time so we sat down feeling bored and wondering what to do with ourselves. We wanted some sort of dessert and decided chocolate truffles would be good. While the chocolate ganache was in the freezer chilling we decided to rearrange the "new" furniture and figure out the best places for them to go. After we found the best places for both couches we played around with the walls. Moving the wreath and paintings around. we ended up with a pretty arrangement I had been wishing and dreaming up for a long time. I absolutely love it! I feel like we've moved up a class now that our furniture doesn't look like a tiger took a bite out of the cushion.

Here are some images I have collected of ways to hang small paintings and photos. (sorry I don't have any links to the sources, I saved these a while ago and didn't think to save the source address)


Here is our little wall arrangement.

Trent was really excited to have my art being showcased in our home now too. Before, it was only his art on the walls.
Surprisingly, one of my favorite parts of the wall arrangement ended up being the spontaneous idea we had to hang the set of antique keys and the over sized wrought iron key in there with everything else.


Of course I had to play around with arranging little groupings like this glass bottle and vase next to the glass lamp. Note the cute valentine my mother made for me. :) I love it.

And lastly there are the glitter L-O-V-E letters I just hung up. I love how they echo the silver pot the tree is in. And that concludes the events that took place yesterday.
Today, on the other hand, we are having an icky day. Trent is feeling dizzy and nauseated, and "Buddy Boy" hasn't been able to keep anything down. It feels like a thanksgiving sequel. (some of us will never forget that family get together. Almost everyone in the family threw up at least once) Sorry, that may have been too much information. I was just explaining for those who did not attend. Needless to say we are not attending church today. I couldn't leave "Buddy Boy" sick at home with Trent not feeling well also. And I definitely couldn't stay home and send a sickly Trent to church with our daughter. So here we are, and all of us still in our PJ's at 12 noon. Watching church movies and reading scriptures to keep the day spiritual. I really hate missing church, and I always look forward to the moral uplift it provides. I greatly anticipate next Sunday when we are all well and at church again.
Thanks for listening and sorry this ended up being so long. But I really enjoyed writing it.
I hope you all enjoyed reading this little story, I plan on posting fun stuff like this more often in the future.