Fabulous Weekend

I hope that you all had a wonderful weekend...we sure did. Our anniversary is tomorrow, so we spent the weekend in Pigeon Forge and made our way up to The Biltmore in Asheville, N.C. The weather was perfect! And the company wasn't all that bad either;o) We were definitely inspired by all of the beautiful gardens, even though most of the plants and trees were dormant. 

The hubs is ready for spring to get here b/c we have a massive back yard that needs some attention.

We stayed at the Inn at Christmas Place. It was reeeeally nice:o)

We definitely want to take the kids there. They have milk and cookies with Santa every night, and on Saturday nights Santa performs:o) So cute!

On our way back home, we stopped by the knife shop. The hubs has to stop by there every time we go up there. While he was perusing the knife cases, I headed to a small little corner where they were selling dulcimers.

Just so you know...I am going to be purchasing one of these in the VERY near future. The little man who was behind the counter was so sweet and he played for me:o) I love the sound that a dulcimer makes. He said that they harmonize beautifully with a guitar. It just so happens that my handsome hubby plays the guitar:o)

Ebay, here I come!!

So anyway, today will be a day of recovery from the long weekend. Doing a little laundry using my NEW washer and dryer..WUURD! And then just sitting in front of the tv with my babies. I'm so glad that E has pre-school on Tuesdays:o)

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Make sure to head over to SEW DANG CUTE for round 2 of Crafting with the Stars. This round's challenge is Decoupage.  Vote for your FAVORITE 3!

Happy Monday!!! 

Budgeting and Financial Management

Budget is one of the very first topics in Personal Finance.

Many may think budget is about control expenses but the true meaning of budget is to PLAN AHEAD. Although they may mean the same thing but actually it will leave a very different psychological effect.

At one hand, one is focusing on 'expenses'. Controlling implicitly mean NOT to over spend it. This creates an internal conflict of "I want it but I can't have it". Whenever a control fails, its due to lack of discipline. The resolution is to control it better which is enforcing discipline. Enforcing discipline on a person who naturally does not have discipline is the internal conflict mentioned earlier.

On the other hand, PLAN AHEAD would simply imply "I want it and I will get it". This is more target oriented and positive minded. Whenever a plan didn't materialize, one would have to plan better; as in "how else can I get what I want". This may further enhance one's creativity.

To control or to plan ahead,

its your choice of words.

If budgeting is the beginning of personal finance, the other end would be Financial Management; as in fine tuning her very own portfolio.

At a personal finance level, financial management would typically focus on increasing cash flow and net worth. However, there are 1001 finance tools out there. So there is really no one single portfolio that suits all. Everyone will have his own skills and preferences.

Gray Hutch Makeover

I made it through to the next round! Woo-hoo!!! 

even though it was by the skin of my teeth:o)

A Big Thank you to those of you who showed your support and voted. There were some GREAT entries out there!

My favorite was the Pottery Barn Inspired Mirror. I have that on my to do list. 

The next round is Decoupage, and I have already started on that project.

I am beginning to learn that I don't know as much as I thought I knew when it comes to crafting. This has definitely been a humbling experience.

So anywho, here is the before picture of the hutch that I transformed. It's seen better days don't ya think?

 I purchased some "oops" paint for $3 at Lowes. This was the most frustrating paint. It took 3 full days to dry. I have had problems with this brand before, but at the time of purchase, I was only paying attention to the price tag and the color. 

 Here is the contrast between the old color and the new.

 The doors are my favorite part of this piece. The tree branch silhouette is just some swirly brush strokes. Very easy. The bird took a little more concentration. I was terrified that this poor little bird would be disproportionate and that I would have to repaint the door with the base color that wouldn't dry. THANKFULLY, I got it right the first time:o)

 I purchased this stencil from Hobby Lobby for around $1. I closed the store down that night. I had just finished a client's hair(7:30 p.m.) and raced out my driveway to get to H.L. before they closed which is at 8 p.m. 

Stenciling is time consuming, but I think adds a little something.

 I really like how it turned out. Thankfully there were enough of you voters out there who felt the same way, lol.

Now, to finish my next 2 projects. One will be for the competition and one is a "just because" project. I think you'll like it;o)

Have a great Wednesday!!

Barbie Birthday Party Inspiration

S.R.'s 3rd Birthday is quickly approaching, early March to be exact. I started planning her party as soon as Christmas said AMEN:o) 

S.R. loves Barbie. So do I for that matter, what girl doesn't??

Anywho, she is finally grasping the concept of birthday parties and is super psyched about this year. I LOVE IT! 

For those of you who know me, birthdays and party planning are a big to-do in our household. The hubs is never that pumped about it, but I L-O-V-E to plan parties.

I started searching for Barbie themed parties and ran across 

 THIS over at The Party Dress.

This site has TONS of fabulous ideas for any kind of party. This is definitely the "go-to" place for party ideas.

 This is exactly what I was looking for. More of a vintage theme than a modern day Barbie. I have already started buying some great decorations and such for this party and there are going to be  A LOT of similarities.

Why mess with perfect?:o) 

I found Barbies on sale at Walmart the other day for $5.50 each. They came with tons of accessories. Those will be some of the party favors. 

I am really excited about it if you can't tell;o)

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Make sure to cast your vote HERE for Crafting with the Stars. Voting ends tonight. Keeping my fingers crossed that I move on to the next round!!

Happy Tuesday!

Time to Vote!!

It's time to vote! I have had the jitters all weekend waiting for today to get here. Now that it's here, I am a nervous wreck! I have already seen everyone's entries, and there are some AWESOME  projects! Please head over to Sew Dang Cute and vote for your THREE favorite projects. I'm hoping that mine fits into your three faves;o) But I can't tell you which one is mine until the voting has closed:o)

I couldn't have been paired with a better "Star" for this competition. Beckie from Infarrantly Creative is my star. She has been GREAT to work with. If you haven't visited her site, you need to do so. She has so many great ideas. VERY inspiring.

Today, I get a special delivery. A new washer and dryer!! Yeah baby!!  I am off to do some cleaning before the guys from Lowes show up:o) Happy (Voting) Monday!!

I'M A CONTESTANT ON CRAFTING WITH THE STARS!!

Yes, you read the title correctly....I am one of 12 contestants participating in Crafting With the Stars over at Sew Dang Cute.

I entered the Nesting Tables (that were inspired by a set from Ballard Designs) and thought I had absolutely no chance of winning a spot as one of the contestants. I mean, did you see the other entries?? There were so many great projects that were entered.

 There are some awesome crafters I am going up against, but it's going to be so much fun!!

I'm a little overwhelmed right now...well A LOT overwhelmed, can you tell I'm a little scatterbrained?
The star that I am paired up with is Beckie over at Infarrantly Creative. You really need to check out her site. There are some B-Awesome crafts on her site.
(A little "Bolt" Humor for you Disney fans out there)

January 24th(that's Monday...ahhh!) is when the competition will start, and you can vote for your fave project. 

Thank You to the judges for picking me! I feel so honored! 

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On a much more serious note, I want to solicit your prayers for some dear friends of mine. Just mention "Crystal's friends" to Him, and He'll know who you are speaking of. They need the kind of comfort that only He can give. Thank you so much!

Better late than never...

The announcement from Flaherty on home mortgages:

• Mortgage amortization periods will be reduced from 35 years to 30 years.
• The maximum amount Canadians can borrow to refinance their mortgages will be lowered from 90 per cent to 85 per cent of the value of their homes.
• The government will withdraw its insurance backing on lines of credit secured on homes, such as home equity lines of credit

You have to wonder why in God's name the government (ie us suckers) even got into insuring HELOCs (number 3)

These will not take effect until March 18th so bank loan officers can squeeze a few more people over the line.

BTW the last changes in lowered max amortization from 40 to 35 and max refinance to 90 from 95%. It really didn't have much of an effect on housing prices, so I don't have much hope for this either. Now shuttering the CMHC or taxing 'empty homes' would have a bigger effect, but I wont hold out hope for that.

Anyway it is a start- but of course it is always better NOT to start a fire than to try and put it out. Remember that for next time Mr F.

Few quick things

1) Things have really ground to a halt in Whistler. How's 350 weeks of inventory...OK so it's only based on one week's sales, but we bears rarely get to gloat.

2) Egghead..how about reading about how Saint Reagan set the stage for the S and L debacle, and how he blew a huge hole in the US debt.

As to the current situation here's a well known well money manager who clearly states how current policies are helping the wealthy (stock-holders, CEO's, Wall Street types) get richer, while the Middle Class is getting squeezed by commodity speculation (probably Goldman again) and will soon face reduced services and less jobs due to municipal bankruptcies. You know all those unnecessary jobs like firemen and cops and garbage collectors..I am sure we will see it come here too.

Ok folks we should see listings start rising as we head into Feb. The list/sales will be our first hint that the trend is chnaging here as it has in the Ok and Whistler.

Ballard Inspired Nesting Tables

I hope that you all are staying warm in this frigid weather. We have had so much fun in the snow! Living in the moment, we are:o)

 I told you guys that I had started on some projects before the snow hit, and that I had one more to complete.

Well it is finished...YAY!! And I LOVE how it turned out.

Here is the inspiration for my project today.

Courtesy of Ballard Designs  

These tables are from Ballard Designs and run about $250 for the set. They are beautiful, but are waaaay out of my price range. I have wanted some sort of game table to go in front of the window by the fireplace for quite a while now, but had never found exactly what I was looking for. After seeing Ballard's nesting tables, I knew that those were IT. I had a vision and a mission to find similar tables. 

And here we have them. Given to us. The hubs helped a sweet woman move into her new house and she had these tables that wouldn't fit into her new home. I was very, very excited about these. They just needed a good sanding was all.

And here is my version of the nesting game tables.

They are more cottage-y and fit my decor better.

The taping of the two smaller pieces was very labor intensive, but well worth the effort put into it, I believe.

Are you feelin' it? 

I am really happy with how these turned out and the total cost for me was $7(spray paint and primer)

Now I just need some checkers and chess pieces and we will be set. 

Thanks for stopping by!
Participating in these parties:

Oh yeah, and I entered this:

crazy, I know;o)

Participating in these parties:

More Snow and a New Addition to the Office

This is what we woke up to this morning...another gorgeous snowy morning. Ya'll we live in the deep South, and this is just unheard of....and I LOVE IT!!

 We took the kids sledding with some others in the neighborhood. Just so you guys know, we have the best neighbors....EV-UH! They are so much fun!!

 This right here was hysterical. Here in the South, we don't own sleds...what's the point? We won't see another snow like this for 15 more years:o) So we use what we have...in our case, we have laundry baskets. 

Watch our little dare devil:

 Weeeeeeeeee.....

 Ker-plunk!

And yes, I waited to pick her up AFTER I took the picture:o)

 We have had a blast today. I even made snow cream, which is so yummy!! A big shout out goes to the mom-in-law for providing her recipe. Definitely a keeper(mom-in-law and recipe;o)HA!)

Anyway, we knew that this line of snow was coming, so I made sure to knock out a few projects that required working outdoors before the really cold air hit.

The one I am sharing with you today started out like this:

Well, actually, this is after sanding...with our NEW orbital sander!!

(It's totally awesome!!!)

 This was another roadside find that my friend Sharon found while walking her dog. She is the one who found S.R.'s chair on the side of the road. 

You guys keep her in your prayers right now. 

She just had knee surgery and recovery is really painful. I know she would appreciate them!!!

 There were a few things that needed to be fixed with this find.

1)Remove the icky gunk that was on the top of the table

Goo Gone works wonders!!

2)Sand the devil out of it...the poor thing had been varnished to death

3)Tighten up all the loose boards. 

Once all of that was done, it was ready for spray paint. 

It's kind of tricky in cold weather, but I got it done. I made sure the paint was warm and that the table was warm. Then I would run out to the garage with the door slightly open for ventilation purposes, spray really quickly and then run the table back inside to dry. It actually worked really well. 

And this is how it turned out.

 Nothing too spectacular, but it looks so much better and serves a great purpose. It's like it was made for this spot:o) We already had the little basket and it's perfect for holding the extra printer paper.

Here's a peek at what I am currently working on.

I can't wait to reveal what I am doing with them!! 

Have a great rest of the day!!

A Little Rearranging

First off, I want you guys to check out my new stools...the white ones. I REEEEALLY like these!! I got them from AllBarstools.com. They are apart of CSNStores.com  I had the BEST experience with their customer service!

It's really nice to know that there are still people in the service industry who take the time to work with their customers...There was a mix up in the delivery, and they were so friendly and fixed things right away. Can you ask for a better experience? I think not. I will definitely be visiting them again, especially since I like the white stools better than the wood toned stools. Guess I will be posting the old ones on craigslist soon;o)

I have been extremely unmotivated to do anything here lately. I did, however, rearrange some furniture in the living room.

This is the third time that I have changed this area. I just can't seem to make up my mind. But I think I like this arrangement best. This table fits the space better. I plan on stripping the paint off and fixing it up a bit, but it's too cold outside right now, so there it sits:o)

 The table also needs a new handle. 

Now for a little Family Night action. This is my fave night of the week!! Here's a little quote to leave you with...

When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, “I used everything you gave me.

– ~Erma Bombeck 

Spiritual Subway Art

This is the time of year when we all reflect on who we are as a person. We look at who we have become, for better or for worse, and think about how we arrived at our current state. If for worse, we usually make a New Year's resolution to better ourselves in the coming year...lose weight, make more money, be a nicer person, etc. Resolutions are great in theory, but they usually are only carried out in the first 2 weeks of the year. 

I chose not to make any resolutions this year. We have jumped on the weight loss train, but only b/c we are too cheap and too stubborn to go out and buy bigger clothes. That's a good thing, right?

Anyway, in my last post I talked of a few changes that would be made on this blog. Things that I hope you will find beneficial.

 I feel like the abilities that have been given to me are a gift. A wonderful blessing from God. I have invited you all into my home(virtually, that is) and shared my ideas on crafting, home decor, and everyday life. The one thing I haven't shared with you all is my undying love for our God. He is the reason that I have these abilities, and I have failed miserably in giving Him the glory. 

I am only able to reach a few thru this blog, but I want to use this opportunity to share the good news of the Lord. This will still remain a "crafty mommy blog." However, there will be a lot more mention of our Heavenly Father. I make no apologies for this, whatsoever.

I love all the Subway Art that is out in blog land right now. I have seen a lot that had to do with all the holidays, but I hadn't seen one that was spiritual. Well now there is:o)

weird coloring, bad lighting, I know....sorry!

I have needed this verse desperately, which is found in Galatians 5:22-23. I have been a bear here lately and I blame it on the holidays...they have been WONDERFUL, but I am so ready for normalcy. (I put self-inflicted stress and pressure on myself to have the perfect gift for everyone. Crazy, I know. So, that is why I am glad that it is January  and not December:o)

This frame was purchased from Hobby Lobby. This is what it looked like before:

I found it in the clearance section forever ago. I think I paid around $6 for it?? Anyway, I gave it the same treatment that I did to THIS old picture frame.

The hubs helped me get all the lettering just right (thanks, MY LOVE) and now I can share it with you all!

(I have changed it to a jpeg file, so hopefully it will be easier for you guys!!)

To download, just go HERE.

I hope that you enjoy it and that it helps put your day into perspective:o) 

Happy Monday!

Participating in:

Going to be out of town for a couple of weeks.

Larry Yatter has the December average prices, which are skewed by the low volume.

See you for some dissection of numbers in mid-January.

BTW- I am really getting to like Ben's site. We share the same economic outlook- and of course we could both be very wrong :)

Meanwhile wan't to read some good old angst and anger?