Mommy Monday with Helping Hands Team on Etsy

"...our focus is on compassion through creative collaboration. We are about changing the world through kindness...."

I was asked to feature an entire Etsy team, Etsy Helping Hands. I did a little bit of research and thought it was such a fabulous idea behind the team and I loved what the members are achieving together each month. So may I introduce to you...Etsy Helping Hands started by Elise from Black Ant Beads.

"For me personally this is a way to use my talents to help others. And as a group it shows the power of a few to make a huge difference." - Brenda from Dry Branch Ranch

Something New blog post by Black Ant Beads
*The following post is directly from Black Ant Beads blog*

"Three short weeks ago, I was a nobody, a nothing. I did not have anything really happening in my life that I was excited about. Sure, I have a great family and wonderful friends, yes, I have an Etsy shop and love beading, your right I am an MBA student…but life was a bit boring.

Then something happened. It seemed small and unimportant at first. You know, the kind of thing you think could be big, but normally nothing ever happens?

This time, something happened.

I was reading a textbook for a class and it said that in business today, we need to look at the competition as collaborators instead of as competition. “Huh,” I thought, “that’s interesting.” Etsy, and the world, for that matter, is full of jewelry makers and sellers. Competition right? Then again…an idea was beginning to form.

The next day I started working on another bit of homework. A little paper on some topics from the textbook. One of the questions I was supposed to address in the paper was what had I learned and how was I going to apply it tomorrow. At first, I did not know what to make of the question. I mean, come on. What do you usually do with new learning? File it away until you need it right? But the idea to look at others as collaborators and not competitors was a tad different than most new knowledge."

"I love being able to do something I love and help someone by doing it. It's a great feeling knowing that by donating my creations, I'm helping brighten someone's day!" - Auburn Artisan

More from Black Ant Beads blog post, "I posted my proposal on several different Etsy team forums on Friday night and waited. On Sunday, while I was at church, I could hardly stand it. I just felt so led by the Lord to do this thing. Like it was right. Like it was what I was supposed to be doing right now. I was so filled with excitement that I could barely stop myself from skipping around and shouting “Hurray!”

I got home and started looking at the threads to see if anyone had showed interest. Over 30 people in less than 48 hours had responded. I had Etsy convos (private messages) asking how shops could become involved. I was stunned! The next day, there were about 20 people in the conversation. We had ideas flying everywhere. A blanket, different charities, a scrapbook, a website, a virtual craft fair. All kinds of ideas and they were coming from several different teams. I realized that I had to get everyone together and on the same page.

I started a new team. We did not even have a name yet, but we had about 30 members. At this point, my idea had only been around for about a week.

The first week as a real team…I don’t even know what happened! I mean everyone was talking all at once. A group of 40 some Etsyians – from all over the world – were talking about how we could help others through our crafts. We picked a name – Etsy’s Helping Hands. One member volunteered to start and maintain a website. Another volunteered to do the same for a blog. Yet another started a virtual craft fair. We started a calendar, and three weeks after the idea took shape, we have the rest of the year planned out. We know who is planning the project for each month and we know what charity will gain the benefit."

Charity of the Month for April 2012, Genesis Shelter - they are booked out through November with charities...see the full list of monthly charities here.

April 2012 - Genesis Shelter

"I chose to be a part of this team because it was a way to use my talents to help each other out. Knowing that my crafts will help bring a smile to someone in need is like icing on the cake. The people that have joined this team are incredibly talented and have such a passion for making things happen and I just love being a part of this community of like-minded artists." - Christina's Spot

Black Ant Beads continued blog post - "Our first project is going to be sending our handmade items to a women’s shelter in Texas….and it was not even my idea! I did not come up with it at all. Trey did. And he volunteered to do everything for it. We just send him our items! I am so thrilled to be doing a group project with people who are passionate about the work of the team!

Now we have over 50 members! And we still grow daily. I am still in shock at how amazing this group of people is! I am thrilled with what the Lord is using me for and am so blessed by it all. I cannot wait to see how things go.

My dream for the team is that it will become self-sustaining. That each member can choose to or not to participate in each month’s project. That we become large enough that we can have local chapters. That we can make a real difference in the world. That we can practice compassion in a tangible way. And that we can use our gifts to give others hope."

DIFFERENT WAYS TO PARTICIPATE

1. For individual items going directly to the charity, the charity leader will provide an address and we all mail it to them by the 15th of the next month so they can gather it together and take to the charity.

- Clothes and pillowcases for the women's shelter will be handled this way.

2. Joint items, each person will mail it to the next person and the final person will mail it to the purchaser or charity if the item itself will be donated. If the assembly requires additional supplies that are costly like the backing for the quilt, the assembler needs to figure out that cost in advance and each person can send their share of that cost with their piece of the item or send it to that persons PayPal at the choice of the assembler.

- This is for things like the quilt and scrapbook projects.

3. Items sold through individual shops,the shop owner will send it to the purchaser and collect the money from the purchaser. The shop owner will tally it up and send the money via PayPal to the address provided by the charity leader by the 15th of the next month.

4. Auction items, Each person is responsible for sending their items to the purchaser. (I'm still trying to figure out whether to do this in a blog or use an auction site.) Money will depend on how we do it. If it goes to the individual, they will be responsible to send it via PayPal to the charity leader by the 15th of the next month. If it is on the blog, I'll collect the money and send it to the charity leader via PayPal by the 15th of the next month.

Here are a few places to find Etsy Helping Hands:

Website
Virtual Craft Fair
Etsy Team
Etsy Treasury *portion of sales from items in the treasury will go towards charities
Facebook
Twitter

Now please show Etsy Helping Hands some love! I would love to hear your thoughts on this fabulous group of individuals who are helping out together. If you would be interested in helping out...please contact team leader Elise here.

Mommy Monday with Super Cooper

One of my questions I ask my fellow Etsy shops for their feature is: "What inspires you?" For me it's my sons toys, images on clothing, coloring books, colors, bright patterns, sillyness etc...Well as of Friday, April 20th I have something new to add to my list of what inspires me. Cooper. Or as his family calls him, Super Cooper.

I was contacted by Cooper's mother through Etsy to see if I would be willing to make her son one of my monster totes, but she had some specifications about not wanting to put his name on the back. She wanted the superman logo with a "C" instead of an "S" and angel wings on either side of the logo. Initially I thought "cool...I love making my creations custom and one of a kind for my customers." As I read on through the message and she was explaining to me why and she needed it for the Angelman Syndrome walk in May to hold all of his goodies, I became very intrigued. Angelman Syndrome? Never heard of it.

She also sent this picture for me to get an idea of the logo she is talking about.

I will admit...I hesitated looking it up for a minute like his mother was going to be ashamed that I was so naive and had never heard of it. It seriously took me a few minutes to summon up the courage to type the words "angelman syndrome" into my search browser. As I began to read about it...I became inspired. As a mother. As a human being. As a healthy adult. This 4 year old boy whom I have never met...has inspired me. A soon to be 30 year old stay at home mom. My eyes welled up with tears. As they are now as I type. Have you ever been so inspired that it overcomes you and overwhelms you? I have. On Friday, April 20th, 2012.

I knew instantly I wanted to feature Cooper on my blog. Just to share is resilance and to inform about Angelman Syndrome. I was scared to ask his mom if I could do a write up. I opened our conversation many times in Etsy and began typing...but soon would delete it and close out of it. I thought..."well if she writes back and still wants me to create the bag, then I will ask her then."

She did message back and thanked me many times for accomodating her requests and getting it to her in time for the walk. It's then I told her I looked up Angelman Syndrome because I had never heard of it. This was her response:

Thanks for looking up Angelman Syndrome -don't worry we had never heard of either nor has 98% of the people who we encounter;) He is actually doing remarkable & has proved so many of the physicians wrong already. Life with Cooper though not always easy, has taught us not to sweat the small stuff & not to take anything for granted. He teaches us all something new everyday & EVERY single accomplishment he makes is monumental to us! The saying, enjoy the little things in life as one day you will look back & realize they were not so little means a lot more to us now since Cooper has come into our lives. The joy he brings into our lives on a daily basis far outweighs any of the negatives that accompany him having Angelman Syndrome. We could not possibly imagine a life without our Super Cooper. To know him is to LOVE & adore him. We are so very proud of Cooper & admire his determination. We have a dream that Cooper is going to prove everyone wrong & excel in areas we were told he would never be able to. He amazes us everyday & already has proven Dr’s wrong as he is now a walker! They told us he most likely would never walk. He is fiesty & determinded ;)

Now the tears are flowing like crazy and I am so moved I feel like I have the strength to move a house! Or atleast the strength to ask her if I could feature their story. The rest of this post was written by Super Cooper's mom. So please enjoy meeting this amazing little boy and discovering his story.

“I thought I would have to teach my son about the world, it turns out I have to teach the world about my son. They see a boy who can not speak, I see a miracle who doesn't need words.”

My son Cooper Owensby - Super Cooper as we call him, was born premature by 2 months on March 14, 2008. So we knew & were told he would have some delays due to this. But at about 6 months we noticed him not reaching major milestones & became increasingly concerned. We brought Cooper back up there to University of Chicago in Spring 2009 & it was suggested that he should see a Neurologist to rule out any other complications we may not know about. So we began that that process & numerous tests were run on Cooper. Everything came back negative, which was great, but still did not explain why or what was causing Coopers delays . At this point in Cooper’s life, we enrolled him in the Illinois Early Intervention Program. He was receiving Physical Therapy. After his year evaluation we were able to increase his services on Physical Therapy & also begin Developmental, Occupational & Speech Therapy. In addition, Cooper has been in Aqua Therapy with Easter Seals as he responds the best in water & first would bare weight on his legs much more effectively in the water.

His Neuroologist suggested Genetic Testing in August 2009,which we did right away. At the time he indicated it was primarily to rule out Angelman Syndrome.

On September 24, 2009 Cooper was diagnosed with Angelman Syndrome. Angelman Syndrome is a rare Neurgenetic Disorder. It’s a little known and often misunderstood disorder, which doctors frequently misdiagnose as autism or cerebral palsy. Normally 1 in 15,000 are diagnosed annually with this syndrome. Some of the characteristic features of AS include developmental delays, intellectual disability, lack of speech or speech impairment, seizures, problems with movement & balance (ataxia), sever sleep disorders. Cooper will require life long care. He has been & will continue to receive Physical, Occupational, Developmental, Aqua & Speech Therapy and is getting stronger & learning new skills with the help of his amazing & supportive therapists everyday.

Cooper turned 3 in March 2011 & started pre-K school March 2011, he has made huge strides with the help of his amazing therapists & teachers . As of April 2011 he started to stand with support & pull himself up independently. With the help of a gait trainer & a lot of hard work & determination I am happy to report as of December 4, 2011 Cooper is officially an independent walker! This was a huge milestone for Cooper.

Coopers inability to speak is one of the toughest parts for us. Our next step is getting him to better comprehend & utilize his communication devices with more success. Hopefully he will continue to excel with his communication skills. All tough the odds are he will remain non verbal, Cooper still finds way to communicate & get his point across to others. Just because he is unable to speak do not underestimate him. He can definitely understand what people are saying to him. We just have to work with him to find alternate ways to help him better express himself. Cooper is extremely resourceful ,calculated, charming & sneaky.

Life with Super Cooper though not always easy, has taught us not to sweat the small stuff & not to take anything for granted. He teaches us all something new everyday & EVERY single accomplishment he makes is monumental to us! The saying, enjoy the little things in life as one day you will look back & realize they were not so little means a lot more to us now since Cooper has come into our lives. The joy he brings into our lives on a daily basis far outweighs any of the negatives that accompany him having Angelman Syndrome. We could not possibly imagine a life without our Super Cooper. To know him is to LOVE & adore him. We are so very proud of him & admire his determination. We have a dream that Cooper is going to prove everyone wrong & excel in areas we were told he would never be able to. If we are "down" & upset about what he has not or yet to accomplish we just have to look at him & his smile changes our mood instantly. He continues to amaze us everyday. " All we could ask for in Coopers life, is that he be included.

I have been so moved by Super Cooper, that I will be introducing a line of cute little stuffed monsters that will all have angel wings and on my crafters tag it will say "Inspired by Super Cooper." Sales from these little monsters I will be donating directly to a fund set up for Cooper to help out anyway that I can.

The Angelman Syndrome Walk is on May 19th, and Cooper and his family do have a team page set up where you can donate to his team if you would like to. The link is here.

Here is a list of other organization links to learn more about Angelman Syndrome.

ASF Angelman Syndrome Foundation
FAST Foundation for Angelman Syndrome Thereputics

This past year with his help & people voting daily FAST was granted $250,000 from a company called VIVANT which was the amount needed to begin the trials! It was huge for our AS community. FAST is who is funding the clinical trials for a cure. Actually Colin Farrels son has AS & he has been a huge support for spreading the word about AS & a cure. He went on Ellen, Jimmy Kimmel etc & gave shouts out to vote for a cure & FAST WON! Here is a link from the FAST archives in which was played prior to winning the $250k.

Also here is a related site for many of the news events abouts AS & the trials.

Another AS mom has created a line of bibs for those with special needs...check out her line here.

So I again I will ask you, WHAT INSPIRES YOU?

Mommy Monday with Our Love Story

Tomorrow, April 17th marks five amazing years with my husband John...well 3 years married and 5 together. We planned our wedding date to be the same day as the day we recognized as our first day as a couple. It has made it sooooo much easier to remember both dates :) Smart planning on our part!

We have a unique love story and I would love to share it with you all today...welcome to the crazy love story of John and Amy! The shortened version. And just a WARNING...we rarely take serious photos together. There...you have been warned.

Single, crazy, drunken nights with my college bestie(let's call her Jack)...and one of those nights she mentioned to me that she knew someone I would be perfect with. BUT...he lived in California and I lived in Colorado at the time. John was in the Air Force with her brother and she had met him a few times. She told me we would be perfect for each other because we are both so crazy!

I scoped John out on her Myspace page and thought he was pretty darn cute...but I didn't expect anything at all to happen. How would it with us being so far apart? But Jack was consistent and kept telling me John and I needed to somehow meet...well why not call him while we are drinking? That's always a great idea right? She handed me her phone and I waited...not sure what to say. Well I got John's voice mail and the only thing that came to my mind to say was, "Your third nipple is in the mail!" WTH was that? Remember though...I am a little crazy.

Well that silly voicemail started us off to texting each other just random things. I still wasn't planning on this going anywhere but just friends from far away places that never meet. And come to find out he had moved from California to Tennessee. We soon started talking...and it was amazing to get to know John strictly through conversation. Those many, many, many long talks I hold so dear...we learned so much about each other.

We talked for a few months...how strange to be falling in love with someone you have never seen or met in person. Well John said those dreadful words that I feared: "How about I come out to Colorado for a visit so we can meet and see where this is going?" I was terrified!!!

So I am waiting for him at the Denver airport...scared that he will think I'm ugly...scared he maybe backed out and didn't get on his flight...scared. Nervous. Excited. When we saw each other it was like he had just been gone for a weekend trip. We hugged and I knew I was hugging my best friend.

His visit was supposed to only be a week. The long 4 hour car trip to the airport for him to fly back to Tennessee was emotional and confusing. We had discussed trying out the long distant relationship with him in Tennessee and me in Colorado...and see where we were in 6 months. It was the first week in June and snowing! Well snowing in the Rocky Mountains in June isn't too rare. Every flight was cancelled but his...so I took that as a sign that he needed to go back to TN and we would figure this out. We had joked about him staying. Joked. His flight never got cancelled but was delayed. I had already left for my drive back.

He kept calling me everytime it would get delayed...and then all of sudden he said, "Turn around. Come get me. I am staying." I had no doubts in my gut that I needed to turn around and go get my soul mate. The funny thing is his bag already was on the plane so poor John was left with the clothes he had on.

Friends, family, co-workers, college classmates etc...thought we were so crazy!!! John stayed in Colorado for me and left everything behind in Tennessee. They all thought we were crazy until they saw us together and then it all made sense. So many times I have heard your story is so unique and you two are perfect for eachother.

Well I say after 5 years...we still are perfect for eachother. I love you John and I am looking towards the next 100 years together.

Mommy Monday with How Creativity Works by Jonah Lehrer

I came across this book on Pinterest...and I actually think this is one I would find time to read! You see...I am so busy with my business, toddler son, keeping up the house and being a wife; the only books I end up reading consist of the ABC's and colors these days :)

I am going to post highlights from an interview with Jonah Lehrer, but you can listen to the entire interview on NPR.

What makes people creative? What gives some of us the ability to create work that captivates the eyes, minds and hearts of others? Jonah Lehrer, a writer specializing in neuroscience, addresses that question in his new book, Imagine: How Creativity Works.

Lehrer defines creativity broadly, considering everything from the invention of masking tape to breakthroughs in mathematics; from memorable ad campaigns to Shakespearean tragedies. He finds that the conditions that favor creativity — our brains, our times, our buildings, our cities — are equally broad.

Lehrer joins NPR's Robert Siegel to talk about the creative process — where great ideas come from, how to foster them, and what to do when you inevitably get stuck.

On comparing Shakespeare with the inventor of masking tape

"I think we absolutely can lump them all together. I think one of the mistakes we've made in talking about creativity is we've assumed it's a single verb — that when people are creative they're just doing one particular kind of thinking. But looking at creativity from the perspective of the brain, we can see that creativity is actually a bundle of distinct mental processes.

"... Whether you're writing a Shakespearean tragedy, or trying to come up with a new graphic design or writing a piece of software, how we think about the problem should depend on the problem itself. Creativity is really a catch-all term for a variety of very different kinds of thinking."

On how Steve Jobs redesigned Pixar studios to maximize collaboration and creativity

"The original design for the Pixar studios consisted of three separate buildings, where they'd put the computer scientists in one building, and the animators in a second building and the third building would contain everybody else: the directors, the editors and so on. Steve realized that that was a terrible idea; that the real challenge of Pixar was getting people from these different cultures — these computer scientists and these cartoonists — to work together, to really collaborate. And so he insisted that Pixar studios just be one vast, cavernous space."

On forcing people to meet and mingle ... even if it's in the bathroom

"[Jobs] insisted there be only two bathrooms in the entire Pixar studios, and that these would be in the central space. And of course this is very inconvenient. No one wants to have to walk 15 minutes to go to the bathroom. And yet Steve insisted that this is the one place everyone has to go every day. And now you can talk to people at Pixar and they all have their 'bathroom story.' They all talk about the great conversation they had while washing their hands.

" ... He wanted there to be mixing. He knew that the human friction makes the sparks, and that when you're talking about a creative endeavor that requires people from different cultures to come together, you have to force them to mix; that our natural tendency is to stay isolated, to talk to people who are just like us, who speak our private languages, who understand our problems. But that's a big mistake. And so his design was to force people to come together even if it was just going to be in the bathroom."

On why you should stop trying to harness your brain, and instead help your brain get out of its harness

"The question becomes, what happens if you hit the wall? Because we've all got experience with this. You're working on a creative problem, and then all of a sudden that feeling of progress disappears ... What you should do then — when you hit the wall — is get away from your desk. Step away from the office. Take a long walk. Daydream. Find some way to relax. Get those alpha waves. Alpha waves are a signal in the brain that's closely correlated with states of relaxation. And what scientists have found is that when people are relaxed, they're much more likely to have those big 'A ha!' moments, those moments of insight where these seemingly impossible problems get solved. So when you hit the wall, the best thing you can do is probably take a very long, warm shower. The answer will only arrive once you stop looking for it."

On the relationship between creativity and originality — and being triggered by other people's ideas

"The brain is just an endless knot of connections. And a creative thought is simply ... a network that's connecting itself in a new way. Sometimes it's triggered by a misreading of an old novel. Sometimes it's triggered by a random thought walking down the street, or bumping into someone in the bathroom of the studio. There are all sorts of ways seemingly old ideas can get reassembled in a new way."

On the creative processes that resulted in Nike's "Just Do It" campaign

"This is a great story from Dan Wieden at Wieden+Kennedy, the very honored Portland ad firm. ... He'd come up with seven videos for the new Nike ad campaign. ... He knew these different videos which featured different sports needed a shared slogan. But he just couldn't think of the slogan. ... At some point during the day, somebody must've mentioned Norman Mailer to him. And so Norman Mailer was in the back of his head somewhere.

"It's near midnight. His deadline's approaching. He's really, really frustrated at this point because he can't come up with this damn slogan. And then suddenly he thinks of Norman Mailer. He remembers Norman Mailer wrote this book called The Executioner's Song about Gary Gilmore. And he remembers Gary Gilmore's last words right before he's executed by a firing squad in Utah. His last words were, 'Let's do it.'

"And Dan Wieden thinks to himself, Geez, that's pretty brave. That's a pretty brave sentiment to have right before you die — to just get it over with. But he realizes 'Let's Do It' isn't quite right, so he tweaks one word. And there you get 'Just Do It.' ... But that's a perfect example of how, in a sense, that's an old idea. It was a line in a Norman Mailer book, and he tweaked it ever so slightly. He substituted one word and came up with one of the most influential advertising slogans of the second half of the 20th century."

I am definitely going to purchase this book...I love the part about Steve Jobs wanting all of the employees of Pixar together and only having two bathrooms to "force" them all together and to share stories while washing their hands...brilliant! I am a true believer that we all "borrow" our creativity from others. I personally look to my sons t-shirts, toys, coloring books, my husbands brain and other Etsy creations for many of my inspirations.

Purchase the book at amazon.com

I would love to hear any thoughts you have on this and Happy Monday and Happy Creating!!!

Mommy Monday with Uses for Fruit Rinds

At our house...my kids eat a lot of fruit, I mean A LOT! Fruit for every meal plus for snack time. We fortunately live out in the country with birds and squirrels so I usually throw the cut up rinds out to them to enjoy for a snack. It got me thinking...what other uses are there for fruit rinds? So I did some lookin' and this is what I found...some of these ideas are very interesting and I will be trying them! Happy Monday ya'll :)

USES FOR WATERMELON RINDS

Here are a few uses for the rind instead of just tossing it out in the trash.

- using the rind for Thai Gaeng Leang Soup, the rind is one of the main ingredients, recipe here
- candying the rind to make a sweet treat with granulated sugar, recipe here from watermelonrind.com
- pickling the rind...such as you would pickle cucumbers, recipe here
- mmmmmmmmmm...watermelon rind preserves from Amazon
- cut up the rind and toss it in a salad

DIY PUMPKIN AND LEMON CANDLES from momtastic

CITRUS VOTIVE CANDLES from Divine Party Concepts

MAKE A CLEMENTINE CANDLE from Apartment Therapy

I would love to hear any of your ideas for uses of left over rinds...I didn't even get to uses for apple and pear rinds or banana peels...another post for me in the future!

Mommy Monday with Easy Tips Around the Home

Today's Mommy Monday will be a handful of ideas for some easy tips around the home to take care of some everyday household problems or chores.

I love this weekly calendar idea from Next to Heavan with a $10 frame from Walmart. It could also be a great decoration for the different holidays and seasons by changing out the paper. Here is a link to the frame.

This next idea I love! Add a few drops of scented oil to the cardboard roll of a new roll of toilet paper. Now with every use and spin from toddlers or cats will release the fragrance...from ekwetzel.com(which is great site with many green ideas for your home.)

Now my trash can is not hidden under a cupboard or in a pantry in my kitchen. It just hangs out stark white naked...and I will be doing this makeover(when I get a minute to breathe)...I love it! A garbage can makeover from kimboscrafts/girl and a glue gun. Oh the endless possibilities!

Let's face it...every one's refridgerator's get dirty! This is such an ingenious idea...so clever from The Virtious Wife. Simply line your shelves with saran wrap or Press'n Seal, and when a spill occurs simply peel it up! So simple and easy...and again if you felt festive enough, you could change it to match the current holiday or season.

So there are a few helpful tips for your home this week...and they could even be fun too! Especially that garbage can makeover!

Mommy Monday with Lace

I love lace...whether it is on pillows, scarves, clothing, curtains...where ever, when ever or what ever it is on...I LOVE LACE! There is something so beautiful in the patterns. Something a little bit sexy with the peek a boo holes in the patterns. Something soft in the scalloped edges. Something vintage looking in the patterns.

Here are a few AWEmazing finds with lace...

A simple lace belt added to a fabulous linen dress from Bayou Salvage on Etsy adds a lovely finish to a beautiful dress. Lace belts...so simple. We all could make our own!

I am loving this backpack! It helps create such a tender and girly feel.

And holy moly spicy guacomole...these are ADORABLE and a little bit sexy too! Every girl that loves wearing heels needs these lace socks!

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo lace graffiti! AWESOME! Apartment Therapy has a wonderful article for many lace doily projects...check it out!

I love the elegant look of these pumpkins using lace stencils from Better Homes and Gardens!

I could go on and on and on and on and on and on with cute lace pics...but this will be my final one. Add an elegant look by spray painting lamp shades, using lace as a stencil from Add Some Paint!

I would love to hear if you have any favorite lace items or crafts!

Mommy Monday with Mason Jars

Mason jars...we all have them. Or even empty pickle or jelly jars. What do you do with them when they are empty? Recycle? Reuse? Here are a few ideas I love...and will be trying.

I absolutely adore this craft idea from Annaboo's House! Simple. Wrap your empty jars with lace, garden twine, old doilies...and light. So classy and beautiful.

These cute glitter mason jars from tatertots & jello are perfect for holidays - make a themed one for each holiday!

And who would have know painted mason jars could look so cute?! Great home or wedding decor...Oh Lovely Day provides you with a great tutorial.

Ooooooooooooooooo...Mason Jar Meals!!!! from katearends.com

And finally...a mason jar soap dispenser from Blissfully Content!

There are so many fabulous mason jar ideas out there...what are a few of your favorites?

Mommy Monday

Here it is...my first Mommy Monday blog post. Mommy Time Out...even if you do not have kids you still need a Me Time Out

I struggle with this daily and often times I do not sleep well because I did not take the time for MYSELF. I did not give myself a "mommy time out" because I was busy with my toddler son: playing, feeding, diapers, bathing, playing, reading, diapers, feeding, playing, singing, dancing, feeding, diapers etc...I was busy with housework and busy with my stay at home business making sure my orders get sent out on time. At the end of the day I look back and realized I missed lunch because I was so busy or I missed a shower or didn't get out of my pj's until after noon. This is truly something I struggle with and I have to make myself relax and take a time out. Here are a few things I enjoy for a "mommy time out."

Creative Outlets
My business does allow me to delve into my creative outlets and I am very fortunate to have a job that I can say I absolutely love. I am my own boss and I am spreading my joy of colors, patterns and silly and inviting creations with the world. After the gloating of my wonderful job...I find myself yearning for creative outlets that do not involve the custom orders I have lined up for the week.

1. I love, love, love triple stamp LOVE to just doodle and write and scribble even in my sketchbook(s). I have four that are just filled with creative images that have leaked to the front of my brain and flow from my fingertips. My husband called my first art journal my "Brain Vomit Book"...simply because if you were to flip through the pages it would make hardly any sense to you. I am now on Volume IV of my brain vomit. Most thoughts come to me at the most random times. From missing out on creative opportunities because I did not jot down the idea...I have learned to just write it down before I forget it. Many ideas come home from the grocery store with on the back of the grocery list or the receipt.

2. This may seem a little silly to most, but my second creative mommy time out is reorganizing my fabrics. This allows me to be reminded of many pieces that may have been tucked away and would help out a current creation. Some evenings after my son is in bed, I will pull out my fabric drawers and spread them all over my table and coordinate fabrics together with colors and patterns.

A little piece of heaven for me is being surrounded by beautiful fabrics...thusly why I also take one night a week by myself to go
to the three different fabric stores near me. Which brings me to my third creative outlet...

3. My husband takes over the nightly mommy duties with my son and I travel the 15 miles to the nearest fabric stores to let the creative monster in my brain play. Even if I am not purchasing fabric I still love to let my eyes dance as they jump from one bolt of fabric to the next. I always say..."if I had enough money I would buy at least a 1/4 yard of fabric from every bolt in every

store." This season is my favorite at the stores because they are introducing their new spring fabrics...and they are all so colorful and cheery!

Plain Old Brain Mush Outlets

1. This would first include for me just browsing through the wonderful finds on Etsy and pinning on Pinterest. I have to remind myself to not make it too work related and just dream about all of the products you would love to buy or home projects you would love to do(or add to my husbands honey-do list).

2. Snuggle up under my favorite blanket and watch episodes of "The Office" on Netflix. I have probably watched seasons 1 - 6 at least 7 times now. Cracks me up! I would love to work at Dunder Mifflin to partake in the daily shenanigins.

3. Baking. Enough said.

4. Sitting outside on our back deck and watching the squirrels and red cardinals...simply breathtaking!

Now I do love spending time with my husband: we play video games together, watch movies, play with our kids, play sports outside etc...but this post was to focus on ONLY me. Since I have became a wife and mother I have found that more often than not I tend to forget about ME and focus on everyone else. I leave me out and put myself on the bottom of the list...and frankly neglect myself.

I would love for you all to leave me your Mommy Time Out or Me Time Out moments and ideas in the comments...happy Mommy Monday!