My Christmas Coasters..

 Solid black paint..

 Inside and out..

 Fleur de Lis for Kathy who loves New Orleans,

and who has a daughter attending Tulane University..

Flowers for either Keia or Cyndi..

A dog print for my friend Jeanie who loves

her dogs, including a Boxer / Great Dane mix

named Biscuit that eats everything in sight..

and another beige flowery print

for either Keia or Cyndi.

 

I will let them choose which one they like best.

 

Don't ask me why the pics are sideways again.

I even tried turning the pics on their sides and reloading,

but got the same result.  I've been getting

some kind of an error message on

here lately, so I'm guessing it has something to

do with that?  Hard to tell.

How great is this? : )..

I know what I'm going to be doing for the next

couple days.  I have some great volunteers and donors

who deserve something super special

and what's better than this?

: )..

Just a little somethin, somethin.. : )..

Soo, after making my little To Do list, I realized why I practiced on that.  Lol.  I gathered up my craft supplies that have been patiently waiting for me to figure out what they were going to make, and came up with something pretty neat.  : )..  Here is my little somethin, somethin for DebbieDoo's Newbie Party this week.

That was an old picture that I printed out..

Rub on transfer words..

And voila. A quick, easy deal.
All in all?  A little project for less than $4.

Can't beat that.  : )..

That being said, I am linking up to DebbieDoo's Newbie Party

again this week.  She has some great ideas and some really

great Newbies on her website!

Right Side Up? I am.. For now.. Lol..

Soo, after my little debacle with my pics last night, figured I would give it a go this morning. Here is my item..  Nothing exceptionally special, but it will definitely come in handy.  : )..

 Yay!  Whaddya know.  Right side up.

It's a write on, wipe off board.

Paper.  Frame.  Stenciled letters.

Write on, wipe off marker.

Voila.  Done.

Easy Peasy..

But, I finished it!

And got another idea after thinking

about it and some other craft items

that I have waiting around the house.

: )..

Soo, I'll have a Debbie Doo Newbie

project by tomorrow.  It's been a couple weeks.

Whew.

My To Do List..

My To Do List today was to actually finish one of my crafts, and I actually got it done.  Lol.  Yay!  Not that it's a big deal, but I finally finished one while I was working ooooh so hard at the group home this evening.  That and I got to look around on Pinterest for a while.  Oooh, such hard, hard, hard work.  Actually, staying busy and awake is about the hardest work we have here.  : )..

Lol.  Umm.  Yeah.  Soo.  My iphone is sideways.
Or the pictures are.
I emailed my picture.
It was sideways.
No problem.
Clicked rotate until it was right side up.
Saved it.
No problem.
Opened the file.
Right side up.
No problem.
Went to post the picture here.
Umm.
Yeah.
Soo.
Problem!
It's still sideways.
Ugh.
I am beginning to think my iphone is trying to gaslight me!
Lol.
I'll post pics of my craft item in the morning
when I have access to my home 'puter.

In the meantime, here are some great Pinterest finds
that I found today.  : )..

JessAndMain.com

has a great dresser idea,

black matte paint with

gloss stencils.  Love it..  : )..

 PositivelySplendid.com
has this great chalkboard picket fence
idea.  Guess what?  Love that too!

And finally?  Lol.
DwellingsByDevore.com
has this awesome Fan Head
and Lamp body idea.
Awesome Possum!

Sideways.  Ugh.
Dang Smartphone technology.
Whew.

Sunny Side Up..

I've always been drawn to the celestial sun/moon/stars combo.  I even have a tattoo on my ankle to prove it (ouch!).  : )..  I love some of the celestial items I have found online, but, eh, I always see the same old things.  Soo, I started to doodle and sketch some instead.  I love to free hand draw my suns and moons and stars, and got pretty quick and efficient at it.  Even did a few doodles at work, while waiting for alarms to call on.  Anyway, I wanted to sit down and make a little set.  This is what I came up with this morning.

I'm not quite sure why I went with a silver star, but,

eh, again, something a little different.

Here's a shot of a star I drew on my chalkboard picture frame at work..

It was a little fuzzy on the side though.  I was

teasing one of my former co-workers.

He and another Training Assistant used

to "tap out" and leave the one who was caught unaware

 to listen whenever our supervisor started

long lectures.  He quit abruptly, sooo, I crowned

him the Tap Out Champ..  Lol.

I miss those days, as well as Brandon and Kita..   : )..

Still, it's a pretty neat little frame.  I found it on

the clearance aisle at Target once.  Think I didn't

grab it quick?  Pshh.  In a heartbeat!

Here's a picture of my tattoo as well.

Lol, sorry, if I was more of a contortionist,

I would have been able to get a better shot of it.

That will have to do for now.  : )..

I'm joining up with Debbie Doo's Newbie Party again..

She's got some great things on her website and

she's got some talented Newbies that join in!

Click here for the link!

Modge Podge to the rescue.. : )..

I hit a little roadblock / snag in my other craft idea but I have not given up yet.  I will succeed!  By gosh!  It may take me a little time and some more head scratching, but by gosh!  I will make it work.  Here is a little something that I had found on a website somewhere in blogland a couple years ago.  Great idea.  I loved the look..  This was back in the days before I knew how to save links, so I do apologize to the website that I won't be able to credit.  Just know, if you see this and it was your work, I really loved it!  : )..

I have always loved the Fleur de lis.

So here is my version.

Voila! 

I do actually have a candle in there,

but it's too small to really put off any light right now.

I will be fixing that as well.  : )..

Here are the updated pics with a little bling for my thing..

Of course, lol, did I pick up a different candle?

Nooo.  Of course not!  Ha!

Another day, another day.

: )..

I am linking up to DebbieDoo's Newbie Party.

She has a lot of great work on her blog,

including a fantastic redo of her son's

bedroom!  And she has a lot of great, crafty

bloggers who join in on the party fun!

Ugh.. It is a Monday.. Well.. Technically my Tuesday? : )..

Soo, technically, I have skipped my "Monday" and am on an extended "Tuesday" since I worked a shift at the group home yesterday.  I looove getting to skip Monday.  Works for me, cause I was all about this a few minutes ago...

Not that I was in a bad mood about Monday, that's just how much energy I could muster.  Lol.

But then I was visited by something like this who gave me a couple puppy kisses and a little bit of momma time and I was feelin a little better. : ).. Click here for the link for that picture..

  I had planned on doing something similar to this as my crafty project this weekend, but am stymied for a minute because the bottle cutting project has hit a few snags and I haven't quite figured them out yet. I lit it on fire like it was supposed to, and surprisingly, lol, my friend and I still have all of our eyebrows. Ha! We (or she at times) were debating whether we would make it through it in tact. : )..

That was what my "touch" item would have been used for. I have an alternate project that I am going to make until I can iron out my snags.

Alrighty.  Time to face the day.  Woot!

This is me today! : )..

Soo.  After our Winner, Winner Chicken Dinner Winery Winner Wine Tasting and Pairing Party in October (which was awesome), I have been looking forward to the Level 6 Missouri Winery Passport Journal winery dinner for four at a location of our choice.

We had the tasting and pairing party at Belvoir Winery in Liberty, MO.

Our dinner is going to be at Fence Stile Winery in Excelsior Springs, MO.

They have delicious wines and after looking at the dinner menu choices,
I really think that this is going to be my favorite reward from the Wine Association!

The dinner will be catered from Ventana Cafe & Coffee House.

Click here to view their menu..  : )..

William and Shriti from Fence Stile suggested some great choices, including buffalo chicken soup.  Ohh yeah.  That sounds sooo good.  I'm really looking forward to the main course as well.  I'm trying to decide between the New Orleans pasta, which has spaghetti, lemon pepper chicken, roasted red peppers, red onions, crushed red pepper, cajun spice with lemon twist and is served with garlic toast or the Tuscany Pasta, which has sundried tomatoes, artichokes, mushrooms, spinach, feta, olive oil and garlic.  They both sound great!

Anyway, after going to Fence Stile today and enjoying the wine, weather (almost 60 degrees) and a picnic, I've been feeling a little "winey".  The wineries had magnets and t-shirts with funny quotes, such as "Screw the cracker, Polly wants wine!".  My favorite though?  I found a t-shirt at Stone Haus that only had one word, but it was my favorite none the less.  It inspired me to create my latest submission for Debbie Doo's Newbie Party.  Please check out her website, you won't be sorry!  There are some great crafters who have joined, especially this one!  .  Without further ado, here it is..

 I have had these marble tiles from Lowe's for a while..

 I bought these crafty little stickers with my White Elephant WalMart Gift Card a while ago..  : )..

 So I stuck the letters on my tile and painted over them..

 Let it dry and then peeled the letters off..

Wineaux.  Lol.  That's me in a nutshell.  : )..

I love the wineries here in Kansas City.

Ladoga in Smithville..  Seriously?  Forward all my mail there, I am home!

Fence Stile in Excelsior?  Friday nights spent sipping wine while watching movies outside around their fire pit?  Count me in!

Belvoir in Liberty, MO?  Ghosts can't scare me away from their Sorelle Dolci!  Ha!

Wineaux.

Lol.
It doesn't get better than that!

My project.. Still a work in progress..

Soo.  I really love these Pottery Barn inspired rocks

that I found here..

I looked for some river rocks but kept finding small ones for a huge price..  Hmm.

Then, one day on Pinterest, I saw this great looking necklace..

 It was made with salt dough..

Looked easy enough, and I

had all of the ingredients on hand..

Soo, I made these

using the steps found here..

 I choose red, black and white because I love those colors together

and they were the best ones out of all the colors I tried..

 Soo, I made a little jar of hearts..

I thought, eh, it was alright, but..

It could be better..

Lightbuulb!

(I luv, luv, luv "Despicable Me")

 I had plenty salt dough left over

from my other project..

I kept it stored in an air tight container

until today when I made my own "river rocks"

And painted them..

Now I just need to make some chalkboard paint..

I think these will do for now..

Best yet?  I didn't have to buy anything for

this project.  I had every thing on hand.  Yay!

Now that's a project that I can work with!

: )..

I'm linking up with Debbie Doo's Newbie Party

again.  : )..  I love her website and she is such

a great host for us newbies!

Click here for her link.

Last day of my vacation.. : )..

I start my new schedule tomorrow, 10am to 6:30pm.  The only downside to working an earlier shift?  My dh has gotten accustomed to having control over the remote.  Lol.  Great.  Hmm.  Hopefully we can agree on something to watch.  So far, this last couple weeks?  Eh.  I get control over the remote when he falls asleep on the couch.  Ha!  : )..

Spent the day working on a little project.  I have a few little tweaks planned, like personalizing and stamping them.  Here's what I have so far.

I started with:

One cup of salt..

 Two cups of flour..

 One cup of luke warm water.. 

Mixed it together until it

was a doughy consistency..

 Kneaded it for five minutes..
(and yes, that is a stylish little tomato timer..  lol)

 Spread out a little flour on the counter..

Rolled out the salt dough..

Cut out my shapes..

Used a straw to cut holes in

case I wanted to hang them..

 Painted my hearts..

Used red, black and white

because I love contrasting

colors..

And created a little jar

of hearts for now..

I'm not quite sure how much I like it yet.
I'm still kicking around a few other ideas..

Today is Wednesday.. Soo.. That means..

I have less than a week of "vacation" left.  Didn't work yesterday, but put some time in today.  Got up super early, got in, got a lot done, got finished for the day (can't work overtime during my regular shift because I'm already being paid vacation for it), hit Wal-Mart and picked up some crafty little items for a few projects that I have in mind.  All in all..  It was a pretty productive day.  Until now..  Lol.  However, once I am done here, I'm starting on housework..  Yay..  Yay for me!  : )..

 Here is my second white elephant prize from the other night.  Luckily, we took two presents so we both got to draw.  I won a Wal-Mart gift card but then someone stole it.  Lol.  Guess who stole it from them?  : )..  Ha!  My dh!  He had my back.  He loves these bowls because we are forever trying to find something to put diced veggies in when he makes homemade pizza (Yummy!  We have a bread machine so he makes his own delicious crust.), fajitas, tacos, etc.  I gave him the bowls and he gave me the card.  Works for me!

 Umm.  My favorite crafty little "project"?  Smirnoff Ice for the grenadine that I already had waiting at home.  I wish that I could have bought some of the nice weather that was in that picture!  But, unfortunately, Wal-Mart refuses to sell that.  I know.  I've asked.  Repeatedly.  Even told them that it wouldn't matter how much they charged for warm weather, I could find enough people to pitch in!  Lol.  The closest answer I ever gotten?  They can sell me a ticket to someplace warm.  Sigh.  It's not the same.  Lol.  Although, it is pretty mild outside, temps in the mid 50's with upper 60's tomorrow.  Woot!  Bring it on!

 I'm looking forward to this project.  : )..  I bought some of the floral tape, now I just have to stock pile some of the little sample size bottles.  Should be fun!  I love patio lights and this idea is just too great to pass up!

And I couldn't forget my babies.  I got them a couple squeaky alligators.  One of them already lost a leg when Emmy and Milo were playing tug.  Aye Carumba.  They don't make puppy toys like they used to.  Thankfully, they were only 94 cents.  We had a couple other alligators in the past and Milo loved them.  He tore them up as well and it took me forever to find them again.  But!  I finally did.

Housework time.  Yay.  Unless there's something on Pinterest.  Lol.

Addendum:  Beware!  Lol!  Spritz!  Not spray!  Cough!  Hack!  Cough!

Cough..  Hack..  Cough..

Hmm.. Lessons Learned.. : )..

Mm..  K..  Sooo..  Found a great project idea on Pinterest (which I love and am addicted to), so I decided to try it.  It's still a learning process.  Here's what the project should look like..  Lol..

 Thought this was a really neat idea..

 Sooo, I bought this at a thrift store...

 Placed my stickers on there..

  Painted over them..

And peeled them off..

The things that I've learned from this..

1. Pick a regular canvas picture..

2. Use bigger letters..

3. Use a roller paintbrush..

4. Hope that it turns out well..

And of course, I had to go with a Cairn Terrier / Toto theme because of these..

 That's one of my favorite pics from CafePress.com.

 Our sweet little Toto puppies..  : )..

They really do look sweet and innocent..

Don't they?  Lol..

Don't be fooled though..  Lol..  It's just a disguise..

Oooh, whatta sweet little puppy!

: )..

Think I'm linking up to Debbie Doo's Newbie Party again this week.

Click HERE for her link, check her page out!  She's got a lot of great ideas!