Just a minute of my time...

I never met a pumpkin I didn't like

Pumpkin spice and everything nice, that is what fall is made of!

Its true... The fall colors, the crisp air and of course pumpkins are my favorite parts of fall! So why not enjoy those pumpkins throughout the season!

Starting with a couple of pie pumpkins I created this sweet fall decoration

First cut off tops and clean out pumpkins

after I cleaned and washed them they were ready for the next step

 

glue a small piece of foil in the bottom of pumpkin

added my wicks and supported by wrapping around pencil

filling the pumpkins with a yummy candle refill from Swan Creek Candles

 

ready to burn within a few hours

life lessons

Things we should practice daily, not making excuses for where we are in life. Dealing with  a few people recently reminded me of this. I sometimes wonder, what happened to people taking responsibility for their actions? Here are a few life lessons to lead you to enlightenment.

 

1. No One is Perfect. The quicker this is realized the faster you can get on with being excellent.

2. Start every morning ready to fight harder than you did the day before and run further than you ever imagine.

3. Avoid over explaining yourself.  Be confident with who you are.

4. Keep balance in your life. Write down what’s most important to you and show up. Sometimes we tend to do the things that are most important to us when it’s written down.

5. Play the hand you were dealt. Have the courage to face challenges head on it builds character. Start looking for a way through instead of a way out.

6. Be a student of life. Learn something new every day. The day you stop learning is the day you become obsolete so keep learning.

7. No Excuses. Stop making excuses replace them with ways to do better. Excuses are a waste of time and energy.

8. Let others know where you Stand. Be uncompromising and be up front when someone steps on your core values.

9. Never be afraid of a challenge. You put on your shoes like every other man. Now it comes down to who wants it more.

10. Service to others. Small, simple or important be a volunteer and give the very best of you.

11. Work like hell. Everyone has a job to do so do it. Cross every “T” and dot every “I”.

12. Discover You. Find your passion, life purpose, and take action.

13. Don’t take it Personal. Don’t be afraid to laugh at yourself self confidence shows that you’re comfortable in your own skin.

14. Manage your time. Our situation and environment is ever changing so be careful not to confuse the things that are urgent with the things that are important. Look for time wasters and eliminate them.

15. Ask for help. Life can be tough remember you never have to do it alone.

16. Do your homework. Know what you getting into before you start. Doing your homework reduces uncertainty and fear.

17. Day Dream Often. On the weekend when you are relaxing embrace a day dream. During the week take action to preserve your dreams.

18. Be A HERO. Cultivate a healthy dose of forgiveness and set someone free. Learn to forgive others and stop carrying those bags of hate, guilt or regret.

19. Stay One Step Ahead. Be proactive, Take the initiative, Brainstorm with the big picture in mind.

20. Self Love. Become your own priority. Strive to be the you, you want to be.

21. Finish what you started. Avoid the urge to stray to new projects

Peace and Progress,

Tina

Have you ever been inspired by a picture?

That's what happened when Val showed me a picture of the holiday decoration she was going to make.

Since I was already out for the day shopping with my mom, I decided a trip to Hobby Lobby would be included in our destinations to visit.

Althought I couldnt' find a paper mache' Z I did find a wood one and when it rang up 50% off, I thought even better!  I found the ornaments at Target and once I arrived home I painted the letter with silver paint.  

 

Once dry I began hot gluing ornaments to the letter...

Starting at one end, I began covering the Z with the different bulbs

my finished project!

Wedding shower

My cousin's wedding shower was this past weekend and we decided to put together a mini album with the help of all the guests.

I picked up some chalk board signs on etsy and we had each guest write some advice or wisdom for them.  I then printed all the pictures and filled a flip photo album that was completed for Stephanie to take home at the end of the party.

Everyone had a blast coming up with their advice.... Here are just a few

my cousin and his adorable wife

my brother in law and sister

this couple was adorable and funny!

my dad's cousin's that we grew up and continue to call Dr. Zhivago

these two who are always adorable

Joel and I

such a fun project and great gift!

Simply Ohio

We are blessed with a visit from my Aunt and cousin who came in from California for a week! We wanted to send them home with a little "Ohio", since they are originally from here.

My sister and I came up with a gift basket that included things ONLY made in Ohio and learned a lot while doing it.

we found coffee, candles, honey, hot pepper peach spread, maple syrup, malleys candies and so much more!

The coffee, from West Chester Ohio with names like Group therapy and blah blah blah, had us cracking up!

filling a Longaberger basket with all the goods and typed up a list identifying each of the items and where they are from.

Needless to say, they LOVED the basket full of Ohio goodness!

Bird's nest cookies

I did it! I saw an idea on Pinterest and I just had to try it...

They were actually pretty easy to do, although a bit sticky to work with...

the ingredients

putting it together

the nests

So fun and easy to make and I'm so eggcited that I made them!

Got flowers?

Going to visit my aunt again and I like to take something for her when I go.  I've ordered flowers and we've brought snacks, so I thought why not bring the flowers and the snacks in one.

 

 I picked up some candy kisses and put together some roses.  You can see how to here.

 

 I put these together in less than an hour, in between baking my Amish friendship bread that Lisa sent over. 

Bind-It-All Note Book

via www.youtube.com

Cute video for making a mini album!  I'm on a roll with mini's and my bind it all right now!

Getting ready for the big day

I found these place cards on Paper source and just started working on them last night. They are a fun way to make the holiday special.

 

They start out like this

I also started bleaching Christmas trees.  My sister and I found a giant pack of trees and decided to split them.  Here are some of mine before and after.  

 

Just mixing approx. 1 part bleach to 3 parts water

 

hoping to find the rest of the supplies to decorate the trees today...

Crafting again...

Yesterday I made a couple of note pad holders from directions I found here and I can't wait to make some for Christmas gifts.  The folder I used was one I had picked up from Staples, but the Stampin Up ones look adorable.

I still want to embellish the outside some more

It holds a 5 X 8 note pad and the pocket goes across.

 it has a velcro closure

 

Here is one of the cards we made last week in stamp club

and the other!