a gift to myself

Some of you may know my birthday is coming up...(in 13 days, to be exact).  

I've been looking around for fun ideas for my 40th Fiesta - here's my Pinterest board. 

I wanted something special to wear, like jewelry.  

I'm not a flashy jewelry person.  I like simple, classic & unique.

  I'm loving hand stamped, washer-style pendants. 

In fact, I made some for Mother's Day a few years ago.* 

While searching online for my own hand stamped cutie, I decided to try making one (again).  

*my first attempt left me frustrated & needing to wash out my mouth with soap.

This time went much better. 

Here's what I started with.

I got my stamp set here.  The washers came from Lowes (~$1.20/3) 

Oh, grab a Sharpie too!

I picked 9/16th size washers because I liked the size 

(and I had lots of letters to add)

 I kind of eyeballed the placement of the letters, that's why they are a little wonky.

After I filled in the letters using the Sharpie..it looked like this

Dampen a paper towel with rubbing alcohol to remove the 'extra' marker 

I plan on trying it again, to see if I can even out the names.  

And to make better impressions of all the letters.  

But you get the idea.  

I'll probably hang it on a simple ribbon 

(maybe with a bead) and give it to myself as a gift :)

Have a great Tuesday!

and don't forget to enter the O.R.E Originals giveaway HERE

Mother's Day Monday

I hope you all had a great weekend & Mother's Day.  

I thought I'd share a little of my Mother's Day get-together.  

I expected a few more people but 

due to uncontrollable circumstances, we had a much smaller celebration.

Here is some of the way too much food for the amount of people we had :)

cookies, of course.

m&m bites (pretzels, candy melts & m&m's)

 

fruit salsa with cinnamon 'chips'

cake, decorated by the lizard & ladybug

My Mother's Day Relaxation Kits.

They included :

A clear mug

Mother's Day blend coffee (my mix of reg and French Vanilla)

A candle

A bookmark (from here)

A HUGE coffee filter flower (here's the tutorial)

The tags are chalkboard tags I made (here's the tutorial)

It was a fun day. 

I'm getting my mani/pedi today...so Mother's Day continues :)

Have a great Monday!

a peek at Mother's Day gifts

As you know, Mother's Day is coming up.  

This year I decided to make 'relaxation kits' as gifts. 

I haven't gotten all the goodies yet - but I have started on some of them.  

Candles!

A simple candle 'fancied' up with twine suddenly becomes more spa-like.  

This is the exact feeling I was hoping for. 

 I need to come up with some clever tags - 

Take a 'MOM'ent for yourself?!  

Too corny?

What fun things would you like to see in your relaxation kit?

for all you DIYers.....a free Mother's Day printable

There are several cute Mother's Day freebies around..but here's a great set of freebie printables

I found at The Celebration Shoppe.  

These can really be used for lots of occasions (totally love it) 

Scented Sugars = sweet little gifts

Scented sugar adds a subtle perfume and flavor to coffee, fruit desserts, and baked goods. Layer granulated sugar with aromatic edibles like scented geranium leaves, rose petals, orange and lemon peel (first set out for a day to dry), or vanilla beans. Mix small batches, and let them sit for a few days in tightly sealed jars while the scents infuse the sugar. One jar or a trio serves makes an unusual present for whomever you think could use a little sweetness.

Courtesy of  Martha Stewart