C.R.E.A.T.E.

Oh, how I LOVE this word! It just brings a smile to my face! This was the theme of our ward's Relief Society Enrichment night last week (drawn from Pres. Uchtdorf's RS broadcast address last October). The enrichment night was "advertised" for weeks leading up to it and I could hardly contain my excitement. Remember the "Evening of Excellence" nights in Young Womens? This was the same concept for Relief Society Sisters. We all brought something we had created to display - we had everything from scrapbooks, blankets, music, poetry, food, pictures of Forever Families, etc, etc, etc. A few of us had previously been asked to share a few words regarding our creations - I was one of those lucky few... :)

I shared an insight that I recieved a month ago. First, think of something you are really good at... got it? Okay, do you enjoy doing that thing? You're probably saying to yourself, YES! Now think of something that you're really pretty horrible at... do you enjoy doing that? Probably not! No real revelations yet, right? Here's where it gets good... there are things in life that we simply have to do (dishes, cleaning, cooking, yardwork, taking care of unruly children, etc.) The revelation is this: "You may not like doing what you have to do, but you can still learn to do it well." When I first got married I was a pretty terrible cook - and I didn't like doing it (shocker!). This lasted for pretty close to 5 years. I would try new recipes every now and then but most often it ended up a nightmare... a nightmare that ended in the trashcan shortly after getting plated on the table. Suddenly I got this drive to learn how to be a better cook. I don't know that I'd call myself a chef or anything, but I can make some pretty tasty dishes. And you know what? I LOVE cooking now! That was my revelation... those things that I'm not very good at that I have to do can be changed into things that I am good at and that I enjoy doing. That'll bring some joy into your life!

My other thought that I shared was simply an echo from someone else. You know that skill you've been wanting to learn so badly? Just start! Yeah, it might not turn out as fabulously as you first invisioned, but keep at it, it will get better! (That's what I keep telling myself about my garden - even though it's not perfectly thriving greenhouse-style garden and I might have to tear out even more diseased plants, I'm going to try again and I'm learning along the way).

Hearing from everyone was SO inspiring. This is what some of them said...

Sister Karen Young (one of the sweetest people I've met) in our ward is an AMAZING quilter - spending months and months on just one quilt. She must've brought a dozen quilts both large and small that she had made. When her granddaughters get baptized they are given a beautifully made white quilt with CTR quilted in the middle (words really don't give any of these justice). The grandsons get a quilt when they receive their Eagle Scout awards with a patriotic border and a "wow-ing" eagle in the center. When a granddaughter was visiting once she came to Sister Young with a picture of a quilt she'd drawn - it was purple and pink with a striped border and hearts scatter throughout the middle. They went to the fabric store and worked on it together, the granddaughter placing all of the hearts right where she wanted them. What wonderful memories and what works of beauty she has created.

Sister Mariah Pehl has a gift for cross-stitching and does one for each of her nieces and nephews as they are born (along with a handmade quilt). She also makes the cutest dresses and halloween costumes for her kids.

Sister CJ Peters is quite the poet (and I didn't even know it) - sorry, I just had to :). It was fun to hear some of her poems and how they come to her... how she can't produce one on command. She didn't take many poetry classes because she wanted her poetry to remain pure and free from her heart. It's a way for her to express herself and escape at times.

Sister Becky Windsor LOVES A BARGAIN! Can I hear an AMEN? YES! She mentioned how the Target clearance stickers make her so happy - along with thriftstore shopping, garage sales, etc! Again, AMEN! I love that when she gets home from a particularly successful day the whole family knows that they are to gather in the kitchen for a "WOO HOO Party!" As she unveils each item the family says in unison "WooHoo!" It makes her feel great to create a dollar into a very stretchy dollar - making her husband's well-earned money go as far as it can go in providing for their family of 7. Great job!

Sister Milli Packard has such a gift for writing music. She's introduced me to some of it, but I'd have to guess that she has hundreds more. She recited a poem she wrote about the Book of Mormon (which was later put to music, of course) and I LOVED it - I've asked for a copy and if it's okay with her I might just post it. It spoke to me... She is a dear lady.

Sister Deena Westover spoke of the struggle she and her husband had with getting pregnant for their first 7 years of marriage and how something always seemed to be missing from their lives. After many fertilization treatments, they finally had some hope. Months later little Landon joined them. She ended with "I guess that's it... just a family." I know I was thinking (and I'm sure many others were too) "just a family? That's not just a family - that's amazing! That's the best thing we can create!"

Sister Micheline Alldredge spoke of how her mother created positive cooking experiences in the kitchen with her grandchildren. She has started doing the same with her little boy that is just 1 or 2. It's okay if the kitchen gets a bit messy or if the flour doesn't make it all in the bowl - the food will still turn out fine. And all the while, your children are making happy memories of being with you in the kitchen and they're probably learning a thing or two!

Sister Rebecca Leavitt, a young new mother, has learned the value of creating time for yourself - whether it be reading a book, taking an unhurried shower/bath, sewing, etc. I think that is the root of creating - doing something you love to do for you and for others. Because let's face it, taking some "me" time is really good for everybody :).


We ended the night with a movie clip that kind of made this whole evening come about. I LOVED it! It gives me chills just thinking about it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhLlnq5yY7k

President Uchtdorf: "The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul. You dont need money, position, or influence in order to create something of substance or beauty."

Thriftstore Makeover

It's strange how your views in life sometimes change. Until recently I would never think of going to a Thrift Store as being "fun" - digging through piles of unorganized mess for one or two gems wasn't appealing to me... and the smell of those places kinda gets to me. But after seeing through blogland some of the fun things you can find to fix up and give new life to, I decided to give it a try. They always say that to be successful you really have to go frequently but is just too much of a headache to navigate with a double stroller. I went with my mom a while back and what do ya know? I found something. This not-so-cute little topiary was just calling my name, begging for a makeover.



So, I stripped it down, gave it some new moss, put it in a clearance container from Hobby Lobby (went there for the first time and it's HUGE!), and for a total of $12 here it is in all its glory. I'd say she likes her newly resurrected state :) I'm still trying to decide on whether I want to paint the container and put a little decorative flair on it... we'll have to see.

Creativity Strikes Again...

See this floral arrangment? You wanna know how much it cost? A whopping $30, maybe even a little less. I'd say it's a big improvement since my first attempt back in October of last year. All it took was a container that I bought for doing this project 5 years ago (it takes me a while to catch the rest of my vision), a bunch of fall bushes 85% off after Halloween, and some green foam. I LOVE creating things and adding a splash of color and beauty to my home all with such a small cost. This arrangement has already had a few resting places in our home, but for now it is happy in this little nook.

From Drab to Fab...

I'm into the "spray painting" age, are you? Once you see the transformations I've done you just might want to join in!

First there's this 4ft by 6 ft-ish mirror that I found on Craigslist (shocker, I know) for only $85. What was once gold and red became black and gold with a little spray paint and then gold "dry brushing." I can hardly wait to hang it on the wall in my front room!





Then there's this little dresser that my mother-in-law gave us (which was given to her by another friend). Anyway, it came to us in a county blue. My original plan was to spray paint it black and change the hardware, but then I saw a refinishing project on 320 Sycamore and I just had to try it out. So I used paint stripper to get off all the layers of paint on the top part of the dresser - it just bubbles right up and wipes off! The only problem was that the original finish was not just normal latex/oil paint so the stripper wouldn't take it off so I resorted to sanding which took more time, but still effective.





After getting off all the paint from the top, I taped off the sides and applied a few coats of Dark Walnut stain.



I had decided to spray paint the sides cream initially but after painting it cream, it wasn't achieving the look I wanted. It was too light. So back to Home Depot (that's the store we go to most often now; sometimes multiple times a day). This time I came back with an Oregano green. Much better!



I wanted to highlight (or darklight :) the details on the door. So I tried to q-tip some stain in the grooves of the doors, but of course it blurbed everywhere. When I tried to wipe it off I couldn't wipe it off clean. Lucky for me I unexpectedly liked the look of the stain distressed on there so I did it to all of the green surface. I LOVE IT! The final step is adding a polyurethane coat to the top to make it look more finished and more durable... I haven't got that far yet, but I hope to soon. The weather is so favorable to doing these re-vamping projects!



Go breathe new life into some furniture that you're not crazy over anymore. With a fresh coat of paint you can get the look of FAB with something that was quite DRAB!

A first attempt...

I've been wanting to have a nice floral arrangement to go in our bedroom on our dresser. I thought it would be fun to make one, but was afraid it would turn out hideously since I haven't the slightest clue as to how to do it. I kept my eyes open for ideas and any steals (since buying one would be considerably easier). But I was completely unaware as to how expensive arrangements could be. If I liked an arrangement it was usually at least $150. Yikes! So I bought some flowers at JoAnns and Michaels when they were 50% off. Then at my favorite home decor store I found the best tin flower planter box for only $5! So, I took a leap of faith and tried to make an arrangement all by myself. It was SO MUCH FUN! I'm pretty sure I've found my #1 hobby -- doing crafty things makes me happy! Here are the results. I'm pretty pleased considering it was my first attempt. I think this just might be too cute to keep in the bedroom... maybe it'll stay on the kitchen table. Total cost = $35. Not too shabby!