Anthropologie Inspired Necklace Tutorial

I got this idea from littlemissmomma.blogspot.com. If you LOVE blogs like I do you got to check out this one. She is as cute as a button and has some really cute ideas too. BTW my camera is in for repair so I have to use my iPhone, so please forgive the poor picture quality.

Here is what you will need, felt, cotton (tee shirt) fabric, glue gun and glue, chain and scissors.

Cut out 5 round pieces out of felt. They do not need to be perfect either.

Then stack the fabric and cut like a million rounds the same size as your felt rounds.

Put a drop of glue in the center of your round and pinch like this.

Do about a million. And I am totally addicted to Hansen's cherry vanilla soda, so YUM.

Then glue your pinched rounds on your felt round till it looks like this.

Line them up on your felt like this.

Start by glueing the middle one the when you get to the last one glue on the chain.  The chain should be glued between the felt and your flower.

Then cut around your flowers. And the back should look like this.

Wha La! Whatcha think? I am in love!

Memorial weekend. Giving back.

Happy Memorial Day! I am beyond grateful for those who serve our county so I can be free. Free to even write this blog post. I am thankful for all the sacrifices our soldiers make for our freedom.

If you wonder what you can do to help serve them. Let me tell you about Soldiers Angels. A friend of mine told me about this and I immediately wanted to sign up. It is a commitment to adopt a soldier and send one letter a week and at least one care package a month till their term is up. Our soldiers name is Irene and it has been our pleasure to send her letters, drawings, cards and goodies. It is really the least we can do to give back and serve the ones who serve us. Have a wonderful weekend!

www.soldiersangels.org

My favorite NOT drug store beauty items

I wear this every day. It is so light and gives just the perfect touch of moisture and it is one of very few skin care items that does not break me out. And it has an SPF and antioxidants, doesn't get much better than that girls! It lasts forever for the price too by the way.

I have been using Bare Minerals for almost 9 years. LOVE it and cant live with out it!

Wow comes to mind when I think of Wen hair care. It is a big splurge for me but it has transformed my color damaged hair. If you splurge on one item make it Wen!

I love the Body Shop body butters ALL of them!

I really favor this cleanser by Bare Minerals. It leaves my skin cleansed and not the least bit dry.

This is really fun. It is Clinique's Almost Lipstick in Black Honey. I am not confident enough to wear lip stick but I love how it looks on other women. This is the perfect compromise for me, it feels like a cross between gloss and lip stick. It comes in a universally flattering color. It is just beautiful and I feel confident when I wear it.

That wraps it up. What are your favorite beauty items?

My favorite drug store beauty items

I love this color  Commander in Chic. Its a greyish purple color that is to die for and I find it lasts for a really long time.

Love this stuff! It in so way makes your hair oily. It makes you hair soft and protects it from UV ray and heat damage.  I see it go on sale every once and a while. It is amazing.

Don't forget to stop and smell the flowers!

Some beautiful things are happening on our yard.

Oh, how I love lavender!

Our first bountiful fruit tree! Deacon checks to see if these are ready every day.

Wild mint. I love chopped mint with strawberries.

Remember the flowers Deacon and I planted? Arent they lovely!

They remind me of my Mom, because she plants these every year. 

knockin' boots

Look what I found today! I was shopping at the Goodwill outlet store and I found these really cute Tony Lama boots. I looked up similar styles and they retail from $175-200! I got them for $2!! I think they will be adorable with a blue floral dress I have. Plus someone was nice enough to break them in for me!

The BEST snack, ever!

I love mangos! I live in a very hispanic populated area. At every park or school you will see little ice cream carts filled with Mexican goodies. At the park one day I saw someone get some fresh mango and the ice cream man sprayed it with lime and chile salt. I had to try it and once I did I was hooked! It is the perfect sweet and spicy balance of flavors. I found the chile salt at a local Mexican market. When mangos go on sale I will eat a couple every day. Y-U-M-M-Y!

think thankful thoughts

It has been a really hard year for me and I seem to be stuck in a "poor me" attitude lately. I am more focused on negatives rather than positives. I was reading a very motivating blog post last night and I thought it was just the remedy to help me crawl out of my "poor me" hole. THANKFULNESS....... And lets read what the scripture says about thankfulness.

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1Thessalonians 5:18

Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. 

Colossians 4:2

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!

Psalms 107:1

God doesn't want us to be thankful when life is going great, but ALL the time! So, I will share 50 things I am most thankful for. I encourage you to do the same.

I am thankful for......

Knowing my Lord and savior

My wonderful and loving husband

My two little rugrats

My pets

My home sweet home

Sunny weather

Dreams

Chai tea

Family

Cute purses

Big belly laughs

Sleeping in

Chocolate

Retail therapy

Taking walks

Stars

Friends

Homemade Mothers Day cards

My artistic ability

My Mom

Rainy nights

Flowers

Coffee

A wonderful church

Giving to others

Baby toes

Music

Living in a free country

Pedicures

Compassion

Someone else doing the dishes

Mercy

Smiles

Hugs and kisses from my Boys

Massages

My husband telling me I am beautiful

Alone time

Girly movies

Bright colors

The ocean

My children's health

Tears of joy

Love

Cuddling just before I fall asleep

Finding my soul mate

Brownies

Wine

Creating new things from old

Family pictures

Being home

Thank you God for all you give me!

coupons without clipping

I have come across a pretty cool site and I wanted to share it with you all. It's called www.couponchief.com and it is a serious way to save some money on online purchases. You can actually make money on this site and even donate to you favorite charity. All just by shopping! And if you are a follower of my blog, or my husband, you know shopping and saving money is a huge hobby for me. 

couponchief makes it easy to use coupon codes at your favorite stores like Target or Old Navy. You can simply search for a store and it will give you all available codes. With only one click of your mouse you can copy the code and open the site, which is super convenient. You can also rate how that particular code worked for you. I am kind of bummed out I didn't hear of this site sooner. I just purchased some beauty items from Sephora and I found a ton of codes for "free samples with purchase" and "15% OFF any order." And I paid full price! I know strange for me, right? Oh well....

So how do you make money? You can upload coupon codes you find and you receive 2% of sales when someone uses that code. You can get a check via Paypal. How cool is that? I am really excited to try it! 

And of course I am always trying to think of ways to give more. You can sign up and donate to a cause of your choice. Simply shop, save money with coupon codes, and 20% will be donated to your cause! It is a win win!

I really think couponchief is a very unique coupon site with a ton to offer. I found it really easy to use and really fun.

encouragment

i can do ANYTHING through christ who strengthens me. philippians 4:13

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1:2-4

God...is the blessed controller of all things, king of all kings

and the masters of all masters. 1 Timothy 6:15

Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall. Psalm 55:22

They took away what should have been eyes, but I remember Milton's Paradise. They took away what should have been my ears, Beethoven came and wiped away my tears. They took away what should have been my tongue, but I have talked to God when I was young. He would not let them take away my soul, possessing that I still possess the whole. Helen Keller

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:6-7

I hope you find encouragement through these verses and poem like I have.

Batman and Bella

The Science Kid

With a lot of daddy help Caleb made this cool solar system project for school.