A cute little song by Me and Jayden!

The past couple of weeks have been a bit busy for me: Our youngest son is working long hours almost daily so I am picking up chores that he normally does for me; also my hubby has been pretty ill with a severe case of strep throat. So with my own household chores, my son's chores and lately my husband's chores, I am running around like the proverbial "chicken with it's head cut off."

But I am certainly not complaining because I'll tell you, I feel great! I have been doing my physical therapy to keep my back from getting me down and I have been eating right, drinking plenty of water, and I've managed to ward off any germs that my poor sick hubby has. With the added responsibilities I have managed to also lose a few pounds! Yay me!

One of the things I did this past week was to pressure clean the used play set that we bought for our grandson's birthday. Since he spends a lot of time here at Mamaw and Papaw's house, we decided to keep the play set here.

I learned that I really do love using the pressure washer. I find it to be therapeutic in nature! The results are amazing too. I decided that since I had the pressure washer at my disposal, I would wash everything that was in my path: the sidewalks, stepping stones, patio and driveway all got a thorough cleaning too and it feels so good when things are crisp and clean!  I cut the grass, pulled weeds and raked so now I know one 5 year old little boy who is going to be really happy!

I also want to share with you a cute little song that Jayden and I wrote. He was spending the weekend with us and Jayden said "I'm going cuckoo cachoo." I asked him where he had heard that before (I didn't think he'd heard any "Mrs. Robinson" lately and he said that the turtle on Finding Nemo says it. I thought it was cute and we came up with this cute little ditty:

Cuckoo Cachoo

Let’s all go Cuckoo Cachoo

Sounds like a really fun thing to do.

Let’s let our feet go Kooky wild;

Like a willy-nilly silly child!

Let’s throw our hands up in the air,

Like we truly have no cares.

Let’s all dance around the room.

And let’s all go cuckoo cachoo!

Shake yourself like a bowl of jelly,

Tap your nose and rub your belly.

It’s a great day when me and you,

Get on our feet and do the cuckoo cachoo!

Lyrics written by:

Jayden LaDuke

Michelle Laduke aka Mamaw

©2013

Crafty Storage

My son found a spice rack in his new place as they were cleaning and he brought it to me, knowing how much I loved to "repurpose!" So I scrubbed what seemed like years worth of grease and dirt from each piece and now I have awesome storage for my buttons and notions!

I love that it spins!

It looks good with my little vignette too!

Remember my "ribbon board" project? I like it on my wall!

Close up of my lid I covered. I store my paint chips in here that I use for scrapbooking!

I have been extremely busy lately so I'll have lots of great pictures and a couple of tutorials coming soon!

Until then,

May your troubles be few and your blessings be many!

Mel

Mumble Jumble and Another Mug Insert.

Today is one of those days when I just can't seem to focus on any one particular thing so I thought I would write for a while. Writing sooths my soul - extremely therapeutic.

I had one of those phone calls this morning that was two fold in the outcome: I got some not-so-good news that is weighing heavy on my mind and heart; but on the other hand, I had an amazing heart felt conversation with my third born son! I am thankful for the latter.

I am also thankful for my awesome hubby and last born son who are outside cleaning windows and screens; thankful that I don't have that tedious project to do! You go guys! I guess I better bake a yummy dessert for them this evening. Hmm, what to make? Yesterday, I chose a cake made with a boxed Angel food cake mix and a can of crushed pineapple, you can see one here. I added a little dollop of whipped topping to mine while the cake was fresh out of the oven and I must say it was delicious. For me it is one of those desserts best eaten warm.

I'm hoping to self motivate into my crafting studio to finish up a couple more of those mug insert organizers. I finished my first set but then while cutting up some old jeans for crafting, I decided to create a couple of the organizers using the denim. I really like the way they are coming along. You can see them here.

I'll be starting the next project tomorrow which are some cute little carry-all bags for walkers or wheel chairs. As I mentioned before, I am trying to use up all the inventory I have on hand so I really have a lot of sewing to do - because I have a ton of fabric to use up!

My goal is to finally have that yard sale I've been wanting to have and then on to trying my hat at a craft fair. I have been slowly but steadily, working on all this. Maybe that's why my thoughts are scurried: I just have "too many pans on the fire" as my grandma used to say. Oh well, I'll get it all done - eventually.

But for now, it has started to rain and my hubby wants me to sit and watch a recorded episode of CSI; I suppose I can watch that and THEN go into the studio

So until further adieu,

May your blessings be many and your troubles be few.

Mug Insert Organizer

About a year ago (yes, a year ago) I bought a pattern to make these cute little fabric inserts for coffee mugs that are perfect for organizing pens and crafting tools. My sister in law brought me a truck load (yes, a truck load of crafting materials that had belonged to her deceased mother in law. I was going through some of this stuff and found about a dozen of those quilted double sided placemats we used to make. And voila, a project done!! Yay me! I am getting better at finishing what I start.

So this is my hubby's favorite mug, I will be scoping some of those quarter mugs I see at yard sales next time I go yard saling!

And this is the mug cover organizer I made using that old placemat. I wouldn't have chosen those patterns together but that's what was in the box, so I put it to use.

This is what it looks like on the mug and with a few of my crafting tools in it.

I actually made several of these using up most of those placemats.

Here is an inside view.

Now on to the next project!

May your troubles be few and your blessings be many! Mel

NOTE:
I just had to show you the mug inserts I made using some old denim jeans and scrap fabric!

I left the edges raw, I just sewed around the edges to stop the fabric from fraying but I really like the way they turned out. So far I've made two of these and I'm working on a couple more using pink floral print fabric on the denim. I'll post pics when they're finished.

Necklace Display for LeeLee's Jewelry

As I've mentioned in previous posts, my friend Lisa has been creating some really beautiful jewelry. I kind of confiscated a piece of particle board from her during a little visit one day last week; and came up with this display for her necklaces.

This is the back, I prettied it up just to for the fun of it. The whole display was made using only components that I had in my craft room or my husband had in his work shed.

Here is a shot with one of my necklaces on it. I can't wait to see it with one of Lisa's new creations!!

I hope she likes it; I sure do!

You can check out Lisa's jewelry at jewelrybyleelee.blogspot.com

I know you'll love it as much as I do.

Happy Easter everyone. May your troubles be few and your blessings be many.

MEL

Reflections

For several months now I have been in a state of anxiety or unease about turning fifty. It isn't the number per say that I have an issue with so much as what the past fifty years have held for me. As I've been reflecting on this it came to me that it isn't the past fifty years that I'm caught up in but the next fifty or however many God sees fit to give me. Taking stock in my life: where I've been and what I've done; where I'm going and what I still want to do - this has taken a lot of mental energy, but I finally have a grasp on reality: I can't change the past and I can't control the future so I'll just live in the "here and now."

I am truly a very blessed woman. God has been gracious to me, to say the least. He has given me more chances in my life to "get it right" then I can count so I'll go on each day making sure I keep it right!! I have the most amazing man in the world who loves me completely and a hundred percent without condition. I have 6 absolutely beautiful children who have taught me so much about who I am, grandchildren who keep me young and a best friend who really "gets me."

When I was a little girl my mother often listened to a song by Doris Day and I can't help but hear those words now:


When I was just a little girl
I asked my mother, what will I be
Will I be pretty, will I be rich
Here's what she said to me.

Que Sera, Sera,
Whatever will be, will be
The future's not ours, to see
Que Sera, Sera
What will be, will be.

When I grew up, I fell in love
I asked my sweetheart what lies ahead
Will we have rainbows, day after day
Here's what my sweetheart said.

Que Sera, Sera,
Whatever will be, will be
The future's not ours, to see
Que Sera, Sera
What will be, will be.

Now I have children of my own
They ask their mother, what will I be
Will I be handsome, will I be rich
I tell them tenderly.

Que Sera, Sera,
Whatever will be, will be
The future's not ours, to see
Que Sera, Sera
What will be, will be.

So until the next time folks: May your troubles be few and your blessings be many.

Que Sera, Sera.
Mel

Necklace display

My bestie has a birthday coming up and after much brain racking I came up with this hand-crafted gift for her. She has recently gotten into making jewelry and she has mentioned trying her hat at selling her wares at a craft show. So I came up with this necklace display I created out of a plastic quart milk jug and the sides of a half gallon bleach bottle. I really love the end result. I am making several of these for her and I am making displays for her bracelets and earrings as well. I think she's going to like them. I know I do.

The bracelet display is from the heavy duty cardboard tube that my husband's screen comes on (He builds screen rooms and pool enclosures so he always has those tubes) I had him saw just a bit off the round so that it would sit flat and then I covered it in batted fabric. The ends are made from plastic lids covered in batted fabric. I also made a black one to match the necklace displays. I like the way these came out as well.

As I've mentioned in previous posts, I am trying to use up things I've got on hand and use as much recycled materials as possible so this project was especially fun for me because I didn't have to buy a thing! Yay for my wallet!

May your troubles be few and your blessings be many!

MEL

Getting crafty with Grandma's dress

Hello folks, I am extremely pleased with the way everything is going right now. The kids have been moved out for a couple weeks now so I got to take all my craft/sewing/scrapbooking supplies out of the closet and into my new craft studio. It's been a lot like Christmas as I've been upacking things and getting them organized into my new room: I had forgotten about so much of what I had and I feel like a giddy little girl as I find things I haven't seen in such a long time. I love the rediscovery of my creative mind.

My goal has been to create all I can using items I already have on hand. I did buy a rotary cutter from Hobby Lobby because I plan to sew a couple quilts soon. I've never made a quilt before so I'm sure it will be fun learning the ins and outs of quilting. But until then...

...This little jar made the cutest pin cushion I was lucky enough to have received some home canned hot sauce in this little jar, and with a little soaking in some baking soda water it took that smell right out; so I was excited about another recycle. And the best part is that I have been holding on to a dress that my grandmother wore. I always knew I wanted to create some special items for myself with the dress and I made this little pin cushion jar to hold my pins using a small part of the dress. I am also going to make a nice little fabric covered trinket holder using the same fabric and a few other items to send to my sisters and my cousins so that we each have a little part of the dress.

May your troubles be few and your blessings be many,

MEL

Spongebob Valentine Card Holder

It's a rainy day today and I haven't been feeling well so I thought I'd do something simple and make Jayden's Valentines for his classmates.

                                    

The idea for these came from Better Homes and  Gardens. If you are not a member of BHG just sign up and then you can get the labels.

Last week I sat with Jayden and we searched the internet for card holder ideas. I had pinned one to my "Be my Valentine" board on Pinterest and that is the one that Jayden got excited about so that became our inspiration photo. And we set out to make one ourselves. I had all the materials needed already in my craft room.

We used a cereal box and covered it with construction paper and construction paper cutouts. An artist I am not, but I think he turned out really cute anyhow. If I were to make another one, I would make the shirt shorter and the shorts higher but Jayden is super happy with the outcome so that's what matters to me!

Have a blessed day everyone!

Not so "Permanent" Marker.

My son's girlfriend was babysitting for a friend and the little boy she was watching was just learning to write. He decided to take a black permanent marker to several items around my house. One of the things he wrote all over was my deep freezer and I have tried many things to get the marker off. To no avail. Another of the items was a plastic drawer container I use to store my grandson's crayons and such. I figured nail polish remover would probably do the trick but I didn't want the acetone to damage any surfaces so I tried alcohol and voila! No more marker on the freezer and no more marker on any thing else either!

I used repurposed dryer sheets with some alcohol and all the marker came off! It took a bit more alcohol and more elbow grease to remove it from the freezer but it was a success. The next step is to cover the drawers using the inspiration I got from Kinder-Craze.

I'll be sure to post the after pics when I'm finished.

I hope your days are as blessed as mine!

Change is good! and Lisa's Jewelry.

So I have been really concentrating on the change that I wanted to make. I'll be having a birthday in a couple of months: the big five-o. I have come to the conclusion that this a huge factor in my recent need to make so many changes in my life. But I am finding that change is good! I don't think the people in my immediate circle are thinking so but I sure am. I have found I am much happier now that I have clear goals. Another thing I'm finding is that I don't really have to worry about how I'm going to reach my goals because the challenge of figuring that all out has become part of what makes me so giddy! Strange I know but still so very true.

On another note: my friend Lisa has been crafting jewelry lately and I wanted to share some of her creations.

Lisa is new at the art of jewelry making but I think she's doing a fabulous job! She has also started to get requests for custom made pieces. If anyone is interested let me know!

"Is there life out there?"

Have you ever gotten stuck on a song or part of one that invades every other thought inside your brain? For me today is one of those days when my thoughts are rambling - can't seem to focus on just one thing - And then to top it all off, there is a song that insists on invading my thought territory.

"I've got friends in low places, where the whiskey drowns and the beer chases my blues away, well, I'll be ok..."

I get a little further into the song than that and then off to another thinking tangent I go. So many things that I need and want to do, yet so many things that keep getting in the way, or should I say, so many thoughts getting in the way. My own thoughts, which I believe can sometimes do more good or damage than the random spoken thoughts of those around me. Anyhow, bare with me, because I'm afraid my writing today might be as jumbled and misguided as the jibberish in my head.

I'm pretty sure the rambling mess that is my thought process today is because of the many decisions I'm trying to make. It seems I've decided to make some changes in my life, actually several changes, but maybe - just maybe - I'm guilty of a little "self destructive behaviour." Allow me to explain: I want to shed my old skin, so to speak. I want to lose all the dead garbage that has been my past, and without losing the soul beneath, I want to create a stronger, healthier, more attractive me. I want to go into the next chapter of my life with a strong mind, a strong body and an even stronger happier soul!

So here's where the self destruction comes in: I keep sabotaging my own efforts at change. So I ask myself, "Have I become such a creature of habit that I am willing to stay in this bubble for the rest of my life?" It's not as dramatic as it may sound, I love the people around me: my husband, my children, grandchildren, friends and family... My issue is that I want to enhance the experience!

The thing is though that my children are grown and while they were growing up I loved being at home with them, getting them off to school, being there to pick them up and doing all the things that come with loving my awesome children. But I no longer have anyone to wake at the crack of dawn so I'm not as motivated to start my mornings that early anymore either. I don't have to make sure that my little ones are fed a healthy breakfast or make sure that they are sleeping by nine. I don't have to look over their shoulders to check their homework... And with the economy on such a downslope, my husband who has worked for himself since before we met, has become more laid back about his hours of operation; my point being that now I don't have to get up and make his coffee or get him off to work so like I mentioned: I really have no pressing reason to get up early now either. I use to get up and make his coffee and if he wanted it I'd cook his breakfast, I packed his lunches... Wd get the idea.

I did those things and much more for my husband and children because it was what I wanted to do! I enjoyed ever minute of being a wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend...

But now, I want more. That's the really the main point of all these distorted thought waves: I want more!

It's funny because the song that should be going through my head today is an awsome Reba song: "Is there life out there? So much she hasn't done. Is there life beyond her family and her home?"

Yes, I believe there is!

I am confident that along with being a strong wife and mother, I can be an even stronger motivator of me! And so to answer the question, "Is there life out there?" Yes.

Am I afraid of change? Yes. I am. I am afraid of what's outside my bubble. I've seen some of what's outside my bubble and quite frankly it scares the ever living bejeezes out of me! But I've also seen things outside my bubble that are exciting and wonderful and intriguing and...

...I read a book several years ago and I read it or parts of it several times. "Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway" by Susan Jeffers;

"Feel the fear and do it anyway." I adopted that mantra for myself. I truly have repeated those words to not only myself but people I care about. I have repeated them over and again throughout the course of my life since the first time I read the book. And I know that I'll continue to repeat them as I figure out what I'm doing and where my life's adventures take me from this point forward!

And as far as that stupid song that keeps popping in: Well I think I may go and sing some karaoke; maybe some Garth Brooks.

Have a wonderful and blessed day everyone! And please excuse me while I go make some changes!

Bird feeder from upcycled glass.

I was going through some old pictures trying to clear out my hard drive of unwanted junk. It amazes me how many photos we take thinking at the time that they are sure to be a perfect source of memory preservation. When in reality, about half my photos lay in a box stored away somewhere (especially the ones taken pre-digital and SD cards.) And when I find them - usually years later - I can't remember where or why I took the picture. I have been horrible, to say the least, at logging the time or place a picture was taken. My boys will ask me quite often how old they are in a particular photo and with a wince I'll give them a 'round about age: "Oh you were 5 when I took that." I leave out the "I think so anyhow. You might be six but I can't remember."

With modern technology and all the really cool photoshop programs out there, I have gotten a bit better at documenting when a photo was taken. Social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook have made it much easier for me because when I upload a picture, I take advantage of that nifty little space to write a "description." And I tag everyone, whether they want to be tagged or not. If you're in my picture, I let the internet world know it. Also, my digital camera has a date stamp on it which I have not been able to figure out how to get rid of. Probably should leave it on there anyhow, case in point, I'll remember when the picture was taken.

So with all this purging of old unwanted pictures I came across several that my friend Lisa and I took back in 2011 when we were on our kick of using up vintage and recycled glass. We made bird feeders, birdbaths and plantstands that we thought were going to bring us boocoo bucks which in reality put us in the hole. We ended up giving most of our wares away and I have at least half a dozen birdbaths sitting about my yard. The problem was that we had to charge enough money to recoup our losses and in our little town in the middle of the national forest; buckled together with the downward spiralling (or should I say downward spiralled) economy, most people just don't want to spend what we call "extra" money on someone elses handcrafted items. I suppose a lot of people out there are like me and would rather go home and make it themselves to save some of that hard earned money.

Now that I've taken a breath, let me show you a couple of those birdfeeders I was talking about.

Hey look at that, we finished these two birdfeeders on May 20th of 2011. I know that because of that little date stamp on my digital camera! Lol

Rose and Calla Lilies bouquet

After putting the flowers and decorations together for my nephew and his beautiful bride's wedding last month, I was inspired to use up some of my silk florals to create this bouquet.

The pink roses and the calla lilies are "real touch" florals. They really do look and feel like live florals. I have added a touch of bling to accent this beautiful bouquet.

If you are interested in purchasing this bouquet or should you want a custom bouquet with your chosen florals and colors please email me at meladuke33@outlook.com to make arrangements for payment and delivery. I can create bouquets for the bride and your entire wedding party as well as boutonnieres for the groom and his groomsmen, corsages for the mothers, centerpieces, garlands, pew bows, etc... Whatever the need to enhance your big day!

Have a blessed day everyone!

Jayden's school projects

Our Jayden is in pre-k and he has come home so far this year with three different "family projects" to do. The latest one was a snow-man. Living in central Florida, Jayden has never seen snow let alone a snow man but we had a blast with this project anyhow. The fun part is always to see who can get the most creative. Our goal (and successfully so far) has been to use only items on hand or found in nature.

I had rolls of tulle so we bunched it up to cover the snowman. We put acorn caps as his buttons, sticks for his arms, a stick wrapped in part of the orange wrap off a Ramen Noodle box for the nose, those little plastic ceramic tree bulbs I had from my Christmas Tree Crafts for his mouth. For his hat, I cut the bottom off a plastic container and cut the lid from the same container to glue together forming his hat. Then we spray painted it black and hot glued it to the board. Some snowflakes cut from scrap paper and some star stickers left from my preschool teaching days and voila, Jayden has the coolest snowman in town! Oh yes, the eyes are recycled vintage eyes that I salvaged a few years back from an old stuffed animal.

Christmas Tree Craft #2

I haven't felt up to par today: this makes flu bug number 3 already this season. So I kept busy today with some light crafting. I managed to finish another of my trees.

I found all these pegs at a yard sale for $3.00! About 5lbs in a small tub. My Aunt Tony used to make ceramic Christmas trees that lit up, and these were same kind of pegs she used in the ceramic trees. I don't make ceramic trees, but I knew I would find a great use for them. I had ordered some Styrofoam cones for a different project, but decided to change direction.

I started at the bottom, hot gluing the pegs around the cone evenly.

I glued each layer...

...until the cone was full. I filled in the tiny open spots with the smallest pegs in the batch.

I am very pleased with how they turned out!

I think I like the larger one better. I am working on the third one now and should have it finished by the end of the day. I still have lots of the plastic bulbs left so I invite any suggestions on possible crafts to use them up on.

*****

~May your blessings be many and your troubles be few!

*****

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