DIY SUNBURST MIRROR:WITH SPARKLES

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Greetings!!!

Supplies:

Dowels or your choice size

Various sizes of rhinestones

9 inch round mirror

Spray paint

Hot glue gun

(Recently added the supplies to this post)

I discovered such a great tutorial from The Jolly James when creating my sunburst mirror for my room.

The Jolly James

I did the very naughty blogger's thing to do and did NOT takes pics of the process...but I honestly followed this tutorial almost exactly.  The only thing I changed was that I added rhinestones randomly to give some sparkle!  I HEART SPARKLES!

It was a super fun sunburst mirror making party (say that 5 times!)  My little girl actually made one herself for her room along with my friend and crafter in crime, SARAH!

Don't we look dangerous!

(Such an old pic...when I was rockin the brown hair)

Here is the outcome!

(I actually got out of bed and made the bed for this picture...

See America...blogging makes you a neater person!!! )

And my angel's mirror!

She literally did this all by herself (except spray paint it)

NOTE: I wasn't extra careful when pressing the dowels on the back of the mirror and it actually cracked...but all I did was buy a new one and glued that baby right over the other one!

Project cost right around 10 bucks! Can't beat that!!!!

Thanks for stopping by!

 Blogging with my coffee on a glorious morning,

Love, NELLY

LINKED UP

52 mantels



I HEART PRETTY LITTLE THINGS

Pin It Now! Oh happy day! Yes it is!  I am loving my quest to revamp my home on a dime...literally! When the budget is tight and you are craving to shop, well, then desperate times call for creative measures.

I mentioned a while ago about my 5 in 5 mission, when I run into a store and only have 5 minutes to shop for treasures under $5.  I think it is so fun! 

Heres the latest...small trinkets that make me feel warm and fuzzy inside:) 

1.00 for the green ceramic candle holder (or "whatever" holder)

*liked it green but didn't match the room

AHHH! MUCH BETTER! Paired with another 5in5 find, the little bird for only a buck!
Have any ideas as to what I can put in that large apothecary jar??  I am stumped...trying to think of something out of the box!

Or maybe my lil bird will live here under the glass thingy I found for .25!! Im undecided!

Love my lil brass four leaf clover for .25---I never really think about St. Patty's Day decor, but what the heck?! Why not?!
What is your latest find! I heart pretty little things! Its sometimes the little touches that make me smile! I doesn't always have to something BIG!
Hope you have a blessed Day!!

LOVE,

NELLY

A CHARGER CHANGE

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I love the fact that a nice charger can be picked up from Hobby Lobby for just 1.99 in several different  colors. I just wanted something with some pattern and that looked kinda old and worn.
I started out with this

and to me..it just needed a lil something! 

So I bought a stencil from Hobby Lobby, that will actually be used again in a future project, and two shades of sliver, a darker and a lighter shade.  I stenciled the pattern, unafraid of it being a little imperfect, like I said, I want it to look old and worn...

And this is what I ended up with...ehhh...looks good BUT still didn't look "old" enough. So I mixed one part on the lighter silver and one part water and brushed it over the charger. Then I wiped it all with a soft cloth to give it kinda a white-washed affect.

LIke my toes?! haha!

Anyway...after doing this, It needed something MOOOORE! So I used the darker silver only along the outside edges and the inside circle of the charger.  I basically did the same exact thing as I did with the wash affect, just using the darker silver and I didn't mix it with water.  I put it on and wipped it off...and this is the finished product

DRUMROLL.....

I LOVE THEM! Kinda looks like old metal to me! I like that its kinda imperfect and uneven...kinda the "fail" of stenciling...This fail is fabulous to me!

Whatcha think? How have you revamped a basic boring charger??
Blogging while snuggled under a cozy blanket (in a quiet house),

<3, Nelly

Linked up at So Fabulously Flawed, CRAFTY, SCRAPPY, HAPPY

NO LONGER BLAH, BLAH, BLAH...NOW...BANG, BANG, BANG: A PRANK REVEALED!

Pin It Now! Okay so this is the scenario! Imagine it, I am lying on the couch after eating a wonderful dinner including crawfish and friends! Sound asleep am I on a cozy couch with my comfy pillow and blanket!
Enter Visual #1...(Sorry... kinda hard to take a picture of yourself sleeping...so just imagine it..k? k!)

Of course as always, I'm asleep while others are awake (enter regret here)! My dear sweet crawfish eating friends have left for the night and alone are we in the house just me, my husband and wonderful children.
Now before I go any further, I must  preface this blog entry by saying this was all my nine-year-old son's idea! The only problem, is that his five-year-old sister ratted him out before he could ever accomplish this prank! So, my husband being the prankster he is, decides to take my nine-year-old son's prank idea and use it on me...how rude suhweet!!
Now back to the story.
Unsuspectingly, as I  laid my head to sleep drifting off into dreamworld, I'm awakened by gun shots going off behind my head! Can you imagine how I responded?
You see, my nine-year-old got an iPod for Christmas and one of his very first apps that he added was an app with all kinds of noises and sounds! Among those  sounds are gunshots. Not only gunshots might I add, but several guns shooting! No only several guns shooting BUT it is coming through two EXTRA speakers plugged into the ipod!!
Let's look a little closer, shall we!
Insert Visual #2

Oh my goodness! I was so freaked out I jumped off the couch walked away my heart was beating hundred million miles an hour and all  I could think of was my nine-year-old! Then I turn around and see that it was NOT my nine-year-old son! It was my 38-year-old husband! Gee... thanks honey! To top it all off, one of his very first things he says to me is "Man, I wish I would've videotaped this! And then the second thing he said, was "Ummm... are you gonna put this in your blog!?"
Wow! Where is the pity? Not even an "I'm sorry?" It's good to know that I am confident that he loves me! Don't you think?
So honey....To answer your question, yes, I have put this into my blog! I have uncovered your plot therefore hoping that you will not be successful in using this prank on anyone else!(Warning: Evin and to anyone else to falls asleep at my house)
Blogging when I shouldn't be (shhhhh!) while using my handy-dandy voice recognition on my iPhone 4S,

Nelly

ALWAYS LOOKING FOR A DEAL

Pin It Now! I am always ALWAYS searching out a deal and with the explosion of pinterest and DIY blog mania, I am even more excited to be on the hunt for treasures.

I have made a little "deal" with myself, or with my wallet, that I can redo the house but only with goodwill and garage sale finds, flea market goodies and clearance rack deals or of course the all time fave...FREE STUFF!!!

Sooooo randomly, in between work, church, dancing, jui jitzu, boxing, working out (always last priority but still on the to-do list), cooking, cleaning yada yada yada... I will do the occasion "5 In 5". What is this you might ask? Well it's when I run into a store (usually goodwill) and only have 5 minutes and can only buy stuff $5 and under. I have learned that for me, if I spend toooooo much time in thrift stores I usually end up buying stuff that ends up in a garage sale or back at goodwill. For me, if it takes more than 30 seconds to decide, I walk away. Its really actually kinda fun and I don't always find stuff but its fun to see what can happen in five minutes.

So I will share my latest 5 in 5 finds...





The lamp was $4.99 and the double orchid silk plant was only $3.99, both from Goodwill. The orchid is pretty large and a find that I am really happy about! I had been looking for a glass lamp...and am STILL looking for more...and that lamp is $30 at Target. Go me!!! Go me!!! Go me!!!





The glass horse is a special keepsake of my husbands but I bought the glass canister to put q-tips in and they all fit nicely on the countertop together.

There was also a few baskets for $1.08 each (strange pricing at goodwill, I know!) I am using one basket for a pot plant outside and the other is housing toilet tissue for now. That'll prolly change in the near future as I have commitment issues when it comes to baskets. Lol





The glass dish thingy on top of the books was $4.99 also at Goodwill and it is very pretty and HEAVY. Wasn't sure if I was willing to spend that on something with only the purpose of looking good but when I picked it up it was so heavy and I knew it was worth it. I have plans for this later but til then, it has found a home on a lil table at the foot of our bed.

I'll keep sharing my 5 in 5 finds. Maybe you will be inspired to do the 5 in 5 challenge!

Blogging in the vehicle while waiting for my kiddo...

Hugs and fish kisses,





NELLY

MY FALL CONFESSION

Pin It Now! Greetings and Happy Fall!!

Yep, the moment the first brisk, cool breeze swept through my hair and at the sign of the very first goose-bumps running up my leg, I was in the Fantastic Fall Mood!!  Do you know what I am talking about??  Its like all of a sudden you are talking about Christmas and thinking about pulling out your cinnamon and sugar cookie candles.  You are deciding how you will decorate differently this year for Christmas and preparing your "Honey-Do" list to be SURE it all gets accomplished according to plan!! Well...just in case that is not you...I must confess...It is I!

Yes, just like every year, I completely by-pass every holiday and go directly to thinking about Christmas! I love Christmas time for every reason...the shopping, food, family, giving and receiving gifts (we all love to receive a good gift, you know its true!)and of course...BLACK FRIDAY!!!!!

Honestly, I am having a HEART CHECK this season and decided to dial back a little on the Christmas hoorah.  Why is it that, as much as I love Thanksgiving, it is like a drive through rush to get to the Christmas season??

You see, I feel like really, time just goes by too fast and as much as we TRY AND TRY to make time stop, there is nothing we can do about this. No matter how much of a control freak we are, we can't control time! Ugh, I know, totally stinks!! I mean, before you know it, the kids are grown up and one Christmas turns into 10 Christmases.  I am choosing to stop this fall and celebrate each holiday and really want to embrace every moment that it brings.  I am so thankful for so many things that God has granted me, all of which I am so undeserving of it all, and so often, I find myself complaining or wishing for more, neglecting to see what is right before my very own eyes as a huge blessing!  For example, my central a/c & heating has been broken for like six months now and through the summer, IT FELT LIKE NOTHING MORE THAN A CURSE..not at all a BLESSING! lol  But when I got my electricity bill, and it was cut in half, my husband and I were quite happy about that. (NOTE: I still want central air and heat and will fix it eventually...just trying to make a point):))

I can't say that I am spoiled or a "selfish" kinda girl...but most of us are not this way either. We are all just normal people living day to day, trying to pay the bills and make this life a "good" life, while in the process, we often fail to really invest and give ourselves the occasional HEART CHECK to determine if we have lost sight of all the great blessings that we have been given.

It is funny, but I really don't do much fall decorating, never really did much, but this fall, I am making every effort to add punches of orange and yellow and to include projects for the kids to embrace the season.  Its funny, but since I have decided to do this, I am on a fall craft rush!!  I keep researching fun (cheap) ideas to spruce up for fall and JUST CANT STOP! HAHA! I haven't thought about Christmas all that much and totally by-pass the Christmas section at the craft store and head over to the fall stuff!

I am making lists this Thanksgiving season of everything I am thankful for in different areas of my life! Sounds alot easier said than done! Try to find 50 things, YEP 50, that you are thankful for!  There are certainly 50 things that all of us can be thankful for, its just a matter of pushing aside the struggles that EVERY life encounters and dig in and scoop out each blessing one at a time and place it in the forefront of our heart and mind!

Off to my list-making,
Nelly

PS-Christmas is STILL my favorite season, just gonna slow down a little and let it come to me and not run to it!!

WHEN A WORKOUT JUST WON'T...WORK OUT!

Pin It Now! Yeah ok so I am ready and determined to get this workout thing up and running.  I have attempted to get up at 4:30 am to tackle this thing head on at the beginning of my day.  While I LOVE when the outcome of this attempt is successful, it seems that it is more of a "crash and burn" attempt than a "Bravo" moment.  Soooooo, new strategy!!!!!  Late night workouts...yeah! So hi-ho-hi-ho...off to the gym we go, me and my girl, Sarah, to the gym at 9:oo p.m.  As you previously read...that time of the night is usually a hit or miss time for me. I am either wired from too much late night coffee...or a very intense episode of HGTV Design Star, Project Runway or Hell's Kitchen (Those episodes can get so ruthless and nerve racking *insert sarcasm here*)...or I am crashed-out in an upright position on the chair with one child's homework in one hand and oreos and milk in the other....hense the need to workout...lol.

So the point of this blog entry,in case you were wondering, is while hitting the gym at the late and unconventional hour, I am determined to burn 500 calories! Heck yeah! So Sarah and I choose the "cardio" option.  As you may know, this option keeps a constant monitor of your heart rate so that you can stay on the maximum target rate for the maximum amount of burn! Yeah so slowly, AND I MEAN SLOOOOOOWLY, my heart rate goes up along with the incline of the treadmill.  I am thinking, "Yeah...that's what I am talking about! I am gonna get my sweat on!!" Well, the heart monitor thing will not read my pulse rate.  Weird! So I move to another treadmill...And begin the process all over again....and finally my heart rate is read and slowly inclines, along with the machine...Meanwhile Sarah is going at 175 heart rate when her target rate is 158...GRRR!! I am walking at a 10.2 incline and my rate is only 98...OH EM GEE! What the heck.... so I finally manage to get to 144, which my target rate is 148...almost there!!  So I decide to run...Thats gonna get the ticker pumping....NOT! I am running at an 8 incline, trying not to fall and holding on for dear life, and my HEART RATE GOES DOWN!!! What in the heck is that!??!!  Whose heart rate goes DOWN when they RUN!

So my work out didnt really "Work Out"...so I moved on to circuit training where there is no wacked out heart monitor and I can simply rely on the good old fashioned burning pain of my muscles!!!

Technology can be so unreliable...

JUST KIDDING! :)

Running along,
Nelly<3