Glitter Keys

Hey all! Have you ever wanted to replace your house keys with a fun designed key. I know that my keys get confusing cause they all look the same. So I found this idea on pinterest and wanted to try it out to see if it really worked...an it DID!

Craft Materials:
A key of your choice
Elmer's Glue
Glitter of your choice
Clear nail polish
And some Patience...

Step 1: wash & dry your key.
Step 2: put a thin layer of Elmer's glue on one side of key.
Step 3: pour desired amount of glitter on and shake excess off.
Step 4: let dry for one hour.

Step 5: return to your key and repeat steps 2-4 on back side.

Step 6: return to first side and seal with a medium-thick, layer of clear nail polish. (It helps if u drip a glob on and then spread around)
Step 7: let dry one hour.

Step 8: repeat step 6&7 for the other side.
Step 9: let dry one hour.

Step 10: When you return to your key again it should be sealed and dry. You can take some nail polish remover and dip a q-tip, to clean out the grooves of the key part. Just to make sure you don't get glitter stuck in any locks.

Step 11: Enjoy!

Glitter your life :D

Button Bobby Pins

You know how every time u get a new shirt or jacket u get eXtRa bUTtOns?? Well I have been wracking up the extras and I wanted to put them to good use!

SoooooOoo.

Button Bobby Pins!

What you need:
1. Buttons whatever you've got.
2. Hot glue gun and glue
3. Patience and some music!!
4. Bobby pins


How to: it's Easier than pie

Step one: choose button
Step two: dab small amount of glue on the back of a pin
Step three: stick pin to button
- let them dry button face down

Voila!

IMPORTANT!!!!: make sure that you glue the bumpy side of the pin to the button...so you can slide the correct side into your hair.

You can use other stuff too. The button at the top of the picture has some extra string from a bridesmaid dress I didn't need. Used it to create a sorta flower look.

Just be creative and have fun!

Happy "pinning",
<3 Shadia

DIY Christmas Wreath!

This year I wanted to make an addition to my christmas decorations. My friend Allie brought me this idea and I fell in love! 

DIY Yarn Wreath! (sorry about the poor quality of this picture, it's from my iPhone...the cannon was uber dead and I was just too excited to post!)

Things you need: 

(that can all be purchased at your local hobby lobby or walmart)

One 12-inch foam wreath

A giant roll of yarn: you choose your colors

roughly 3-5 Sheets of "felt paper" - two for the roses...in case you want to try different styles of petals

and then variations of green for leaves. 

Bells, pearls etc: any small accent feature you like. gems work too!

glue gun and glue

HOW TO: 

Wrap your foam wreath with the yarn...let it look jumbled. imperfections are ok! (im a perfectionist and i had a hard time with this. but it turned out great! 

I wrapped mine twice to make it look thicker. its a preference thing.

Then tie off the end of the yarn and glue it in the back to make sure it doesn't unravel. 

Take a piece of felt about 10 inches in length and make a loop, this will be the hanging piece, so glue WELL! 

For the rosettes, take a plastic cup and trace the bottom circle so that you have some the same size. you can wrap them tighter for smaller ones and loosely for bigger roses. 

-- cut out the circle, then cut into the circle in a spiral pattern. Once you have done this you can start to wrap the spiral tight and you will see the rosette effect appear. 

Then cut leave shapes out of the green.

Then start gluing: attach leaves and rosettes in a fun pattern all together or in a row like i did. It makes for a fun project and something you can reuse over and over again! 

Feel free to make it your own and take any creative liberty you like. I had fun and I'm sure you will too!

love,

the craftaholic,  

~shadia

Our Personal Baker

H & H Bakes and Cakes

by David Hammer

Today I'm featuring a local baker, David Hammer. He creates all the wonderful goodies we sell at 'The Foundry'. He makes fresh cakes, flavored breads, ghiradelli brownies, lemon squares and the best apricot bars you ever tasted! 

We have very loyal customers that happen to buy coffee when they come by because they want his creations so intensely! 

Come by or give him a call @(210)-834-6177 and get something made just for you! 

Enjoy your treats!

Shadia 

Funny Halloween :-)

So my best friends are just the most amazing people and they are always sending me the most hilarious pictures!....

Not only do they crack me up, they show people that Halloween doesn't have to be scary! It can be fun and more about the autumn season than costumes and skeletons.

Hope everyone is enjoying the gorgeous weather and beginning of the holiday season.

~ Shadia ~

Lately...

It's been quite a while since I last blogged and I'm happy to say I am ready to get back and make some great contributions to the world of bloggers. This past few months have been a change to say the least. My husband and I moved to san Antonio and finally feel like we can enjoy ourselves but we have a major draw back. Unemployment. It's a tough thing to deal with but we are trying our hardest to find what we can.

I recently started working at a coffee shop called The Foundry. It is a non profit that supports Christianity and loves to help the world around them. I'm loving the people and the coffee!

Well I hope everyone is as excited about this as I am!! So ready to get back in the game!

Bean Sprout Stir Fry

Today I was roaming the pantry for dinner possibilities when I came across the Water Chestnuts I bought last trip to HEB. I decided that I could whip up a simple and quick stir fry recipe.

Bean Sprout Stir Fry 

Ingredients:

One can of water chestnuts - chopped 

One can of baby corn - cut in 1/4 inch pieces

Fully Cooked Medium size Shrimp - about 15 

2 Handfuls Fresh Bean Sprouts

1/4 brocoli head

1/4 cauliflower head - 

1/2 medium sized Yelow Onion - chopped

1/4 cup of soy sauce

4 tbl spns extra virgin olive oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions: 
* Start by heating up a wok or deep frying pan w/ 2 tbl spoons of extra virgin olive oil
* Add the Chopped onion and bean sprouts when pan is hot ( they can cook longer b/c the are kind of bitter and hard)
* Drain water chestnuts and baby corn - then add to pan
* Chope the stems off the broccoli and cauliflower then tear into small pieces and add to mixture in pan.
* add your last 2 tbl spns of olive oil and mix well.
* add Salt and Pepper to taste
* lastly add the Soy sauce of your choice - La Choy is naturally gluten free!
** I used fully cooked frozen shrimp since i was in a hurry but you can grill chicken or use sausage too. its up to you! - add now.
**let fry for about 5 minutes or until the veggies are slightly tender.

You probably shouldn't add the shrimp until the end if it is already cooked. you just want to warm it up enough because if it cooks too long it gets tough.

This recipe can be changed to match your own personal preference of taste and texture but this one really hit the spot. Veggies can be swapped out or traded as you like. Have fun cookin'! 

treat yourself to something different once in a while. 

Shadia <+><

# 33 Complete!

This year was a great time of holidays and celebration. I have some wonderful opportunities to create lovely meals for family and friends and we decided to put our family strength to the test. 

Thanksgiving 2010 was held at the Phillips Home here in Good 'Ol Uvalde, Tx. 

We had both sides of our families present, including my dad who flew in from Missouri just for the weekend! It was beautiful. We had our Christmas Tree put up, lovely paisely table cloths and gorgeous centerpieces to add a touch of holiday charm.  

Technically we all brought different things to eat but Brent and I were loving the Hosting. We Deep-Fried the turkey and had a yummy Greek Salad and much more. We had so much leftovers from what everyone brought, we had to redistribute and send it home with family. :-) 

I know it says cook thanksgiving all by myself. But let's face it. Thats never going to happen because i love spending holidays with family. We wont probably ever be just the two of us on thanksgiving...Christmas is a Totally Different Story. Alone time. yes. 

Well i guess thats one more thing down in this roller-coaster we call life. 

Bucket List #33 Complete.

What's on your Bucket List? 

Shadia <+><

CrossWall Decor

CrossWall decor can seem like a simple art but everyone needs to know some basics and where to start. 

  Start with large crosses in the center and continue to work outward. 

Keep your materials similar to maintain a style/look. 

Here is my dining room CrossWall. I tend to stick with wooden and rod iron crosses. I like the rustic look that you can bring to any home with out being over the top. 

Keep in mind that you don't have to use all the crosses you own on your CrossWall. It will grow as you receive gifts and find/make them over the years. I love seeing this beautiful wall that was fun and easy to create. Have fun! 

Shadia <+><

Jars Jars Jars

I don't know about y'all but I love jars. They come in all shapes and sizes for all sorts of reasons!
For saving fruit, for storing crafts, for decorations, candles, etc. etc.

I have decided that  I want to do personal Christmas Jars for my family and close friends this year. I haven't often had the extra time on my hands to make each person their own unique gift. This gift idea can be used for so many different options.

you can jar, cookie mixes or drink mixes. what about s'mores!! yup, those too!
if you have a family member who likes buttons...go to your local craft store and get a bag (cheap) and fill up a jar. they will be so excited to have all sorts of colors and combinations.

Decorate them with embossing, sketching, tape/glue leaves on the outside for a autumn look, use ribbon and small pieces of fabric,

some jars even have bubble lids...these you can fill the lid with a decor or food also. Glitter is fun. or red hots!!

I'll add pictures soon so that everyone can share.

Jackolanterns

Here are some really fun ideas for carving pumpkins on/before halloween!! The best thing about these is that they are creative and unique. You will have the best Jackolantern on the Block!!

So Good Luck and have lots of fun! 

Happy Halloween Folks!

Beginnings

Colleen & Dustin's Wedding Shower

I built and decorated a Cupcake Stand to hold their precious cupcakes and added a decorative touch to the wheel barrel as a focal point.

Or build your own cupcake stand with stuff you have lying around the house! check out the link for more details.