Blessed on the Net

A new Skirt Make-over

2012-02-13T07:51:00.001-08:00

Blogger WILL not link to the tutorial I used for my inspiration to make this skirt. Please copy this link and paste to your browser.
http://www.makeit-loveit.com/2010/11/re-purposing-long-sleeved-tee-into.html

I made a pair of shorts into a ruffled skirt. How fun for the girls. Little Sister LOVES it. It is still big for her and she has to wear a belt but that is not stopping her. I used a pair of jean shorts from a company called Rubee Jeans. I've never heard of them before but these shorts were SOO cute. They had distressed patches and paint splotches and I just HAD to buy them (on clearance, of course, because I never pay full price for ANYTHING).

Here is a picture of them, I forgot to take the before picture so you will have to imagine them without the ruffles. I also cut out the seams that made them into shorts because my girls do not need the shorts under the skirt but if your girls are very active and need extra coverage, you can keep them intact as shorts.

So, now you are imagining how CUTE these shorts were before and wondering why not leave a good thing alone. Well, the decor was cute but the style was not. We don't wear skinny jeans or fitted shorts so these had to be altered. WEEE! I have not done any ruffles since I was in Home Ec in Highschool because it was a LOT of work. I have been wanting to make ruffled something for my girls but I was seriously not sure that I wanted to work so hard. After this alteration, I remember why I was leary of ruffles and I realize that making them look nice is harder than just making the ruffle.

Always default to MORE fabric for your ruffles rather than less. I had a specific width of fabric to work with and that is what I used but now that I am finished, I would double the fabric if I did it again. It is too flat and needs more POOF!

Here are the working process pictures. The link to the tutorial is at the beginningof this post. I did not follow her plans exactly because I was not re-purposing a T-shirt but I follwed her basic directions for making ruffles. I like her t-shirt dress MUCH better. :} I will have to follow her diretions exactly and make another, better project. Here in GA we do not need long-sleeve t-shirts for much of the year so I will likely just use a short sleeve t-shirt.

Here is the finished product. As you can see, the ruffles are not ruffly enough. Also, they are not straight at all because I did not measure. The simplest way to keep the ruffles straight is to measure and pin. I hate pinning but I also know better.

Enjoy!

Christmas Decor

2011-11-17T21:20:00.000-08:00

Starting NOW!

This idea is designed for Christmas but could easily be for any themed holiday. I had this project all ready to go because of a class I taught so I wanted to share while you had time to plan ahead.:) I just got out all my leftover Christmas goodies from years ago and repurposed them into a new Christmas Decor item.

Christmas Centerpiece Tutorial

You will need:

A book from Goodwill or your granny's bookcase
(I used Reader's Digest Condensed books because they are pretty, they are free at my Salvation Army Store, and I've read all the ones I have)

Hot Glue Gun and Hot Glue Sticks

6' of Ribbon (a little more if you want to make a bigger bow but 6' is enough)

Christmas pretties (non-breakable ornaments make a GREAT addition and you can get them from Christmas Tree Shops CHEAP)

Holly or evergreen from the bushes outside (or pieces of greenery garland)

You can add ANYTHING you can find that is cheap or free and when you are done it still looks awesome. I am going to do some plain nature ones next. :)

1. Wrap Ribbon around your book to measure and cut the rest off for your bow.
2. Re-wrap ribbon and hot glue ends to each other, keeping glue off book.
3. Wrap wire stem of large poinsettia or Christmas present cluster around the crossed center.
4. Make a Bow from other piece of ribbon, attach to center decor on one side.
5. Insert "Snow" (fiber fill) under other side of center decor.
6. Make an indention in the fiberfill to make a nest for ornament.
7. Glue fiberfill down and glue ornament in the nest.
8. Add finishing touches, like garland, tinsel, glitter spray, holly branches or evergreen sprigs, etc.
9. Carefully turn project side to side and upside down to see what needs more hot glue and add. Make sure everything is attached to everything where you can not see it.
10. Fluff up ribbon Bow and give away or place on table!

This was a fun project and with the exception of the hot glue you can do this with any age. They come up with some awesome creations. :)

Get a copy of a GREAT frugal book

2011-11-16T15:50:00.000-08:00

http://www.amazon.com/Money-Saving-Moms-Budget-Streamline/dp/1451646208/ref=zg_bs_4736_2

This is the Money-Saving Mom's Budget. It will help you live more frugally. Money-saving Mom is an AWESOME blog that will help you find great deals on soooo many things, fun freebies, great recipes and SAVE MONEY too!

Sorry that this post is not linked, just highlight the link and copy to your browser. Blogspot will NOT post linked links tonight. :(

http:/moneysavingmom.com

COOL online app!

2011-10-05T19:12:00.000-07:00

Accepted on E-zine Articles

2011-09-02T21:47:00.000-07:00

I submitted 2 articles to www.ezinearticles.com and they were accepted! How exciting. I hope this will bring something interesting my way. God is moving and I am excited to see where this will lead.

LEGIT: Earn money from home

2011-08-17T15:09:00.000-07:00

Augusta friends, if you are looking for a way to earn some money for your family while staying at home WITH that family, here is an opportunity for you! It is not a scam. It is local so you can see the teacher in person and you can ask all your questions.

You use the gifts and talents you already have to make an ongoing income. This is not multi-level marketing or a pyramid scheme. There is nothing to sign up for. Just come to the class and learn the facts. If you like the idea, take what you have learned and use it. Copy the link below into your browser address bar to sign up for the class.

http://teachonline-Carol.eventbrite.com

Jocelyn periodically teaches other classes that will help you to find potential options for you and your family to make money from your skills and knowledge. I highly recommend trying a class to see what you think.

Is Facebook Down?

2011-08-10T20:26:00.000-07:00

I guess it is for many people. We've tried every possibility and can not get on. Huffington Post is reporting that it is down for many people, so we will just hang on and hope for the best. :)
Imagine spending an evening home without anyone on Facebook! Sounds like the days of yesteryear, where people talked to one another face-to-face and wrote letters on real paper with real pens.
What fond memories do you have of times past when we did things a little differently and time passed slower?

Blessed to Be a Blessing...

2011-05-25T18:48:00.000-07:00

I have a story to share that is the epitome of why I stated this blog. It is called Blessed on the Net because I wanted to share blessings as they happen in my life.

Tonight I had one of those blessings happen so I want to share it. A girl from our church decided to give away some toys she has outgrown and decided to give them to my girls. She mentioned some Littlest Pet Shop toys and I said sure, my girls would love that. However, in addition to the LPS toys, she also gave DD#1 an American Girl Doll. Now, this is a big deal in itself, as these dolls are expensive and hard to find used. I could never get to the point that I would spend $100 on a doll so this was something my girls would never have unless someone else spent the money. However, this story gets even better.

We recently went to The American Girl Doll Store and Bistro for a field-trip related to our school co-op. Camille did not have a doll to take with her but borrowed one from another girl. She looked at all the dolls there and decided that if she EVER had an opportunity to get one of the character dolls, she would choose Julie from the 1970's (hmmm, that's MY era!! That is NOT history!!!). She was a good sport about it and I explained that MAYBE I could find a doll on the internet that I could get for her some day, or she could save up ALL her birthday and Christmas money until she had enough to buy one herself, if it was important to her.

So, that was a few weeks ago, almost 2 months. She had moved on to other things, looking forward to her birthday coming up in a few weeks and her ballet recital tomorrow. She had no idea about the toys that were coming. Tonight she gets to church and the young lady that offered the toys had them there. She pulls out an American Girl Doll box and tells DD#1 that she wanted to give this special toy to someone that she knew would take care of her. She hands it to my daughter and it is the Julie Doll!

I don't know why I was surprised. God has been sooo good to us over the years. We have been learning and growing in our knowledge and understanding of Him these past 2+ years at Good News Church and the blessings just never end. God promises to give us the desires of our hearts, even when it is not a NEED. My daughter was blessed by this beyond words. She shared with me "Mama, when I prayed tonight I asked that God would bless Lindsey back". Now that is an amazing blessing and I am SOOOOO blessed as her mom to be able to see this opportunity for spiritual growth in my daughter.

Thanks for reading my long story, I hope it has blessed your heart as well.

I made something New!

2011-05-24T19:39:00.001-07:00

I made something new!!! I've been on this really creative kick lately (which means that I need to clean up around here!!!) and I actually havhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gife completed a number of projects. Look at these! Aren't they cute?

I got the directions from here: http://www.dawnsstampingthoughts.net/2011/05/3-x-3-album-video-.html
This was where I started and I am less about glitz and more about homey looks, so I added buttons and not sparkle. :)

I made a Glog!

2011-05-24T19:31:00.001-07:00

I've never heard of a Glog before tonight but it took me a little time and I made one. It is simple and very artistic and very youth oriented. I feel years younger, just having made a Glog. :) Here is a connection to mine, it is just a beginning. I will have to work MUCH harder to make it as artistic as some of the others. I need a theme song, any suggestions?

Check this out!

2011-04-27T10:59:00.000-07:00

Join us at an ETSY meetup Craft Party. If you want to know more, click above or just ask!!!

Cheap Eats that taste good?

2011-04-20T18:32:00.000-07:00

Try this!!!
http://www.livingonadime.com/store/dining-dime-cookbook/

Check out this AWESOME frugal living cookbook. There are no oppossum recipes so no worries. :)

I am always looking for easy ways to save money and there are some good tips here. You can order 3 cheap so get one for you and one for each of your siblings especially if any of them are single men. :)

Two posts in one week!!!

2011-04-09T21:13:00.001-07:00

Wow! I am not usually a prolific poster. However, you can see that I am posting for the second time this week and I am amazed. Tomorrow I am going to post pics of a COOL project I am finishing tonight. I am posting the link to the project for you to enjoy now and I will post some pics of my finished project when it is done. I will be going to the store for elastic and then I can finish it.

This project is re-purposing a men's dress shirt into a girl's dress. I am making a 2XL men's dress shirt into a 4T dress for my youngest girl. I am also planning to make a 2XL into a nice summer tunic for my oldest girl. Here is the link to the original post that inspired me to go to the thrift store today and buy some men's dress shirts.

Shannon is not here right now so I can also raid his closet for those UGLY shirts that keep ending up on MY side of the closet. Watch out!!!

Love ya honey!

Want a new mixer???

2011-04-08T11:11:00.000-07:00

If you do, please click on the link over there---------> It is the box labeled win something! and has "Foodiacs" in the box. Foodiacs is giving away a mixer and some King Arthur flour on their web page and if you win, I will get one too. Hugs for those who try! I already entered to win.

Awesome deals from The Old Schoolhouse

2010-12-29T08:02:00.000-08:00

Check out the AWESOME deals from The Old School House for homeschoolers. If you ahve never seen this pub before, PLEASE try the $7.95 subscription. The publication is a WONDERFUL resource for homeschoolers to help with ideas, resources, and ways to save time and money in your life in all areas to allow you more time with your students. Enjoy!

Here's the Deal!

Shutterfly Christmas Card

2010-12-06T20:23:00.001-08:00

Clicking here will take you to the Shutterfly website but not to my card specifically. I will post another link to my personal share site with Shutterfly so you can view some of my pictures.

Faith Hope Family Religious Christmas Card

Make a statement with Shutterfly Christmas photo cards.

View the entire collection of cards.

Loving Fall Decor!

2010-10-08T11:43:00.000-07:00

I do not celebrate Halloween but Fall is my favorite season. It can be hard to decorate for Fall without getting jack-o-lanterns and other spooky stuff in the mix. This craft idea was SOOOO cute, it literally took me 10 minutes from start to finish and most of that was collecting the stuff I have laying around.

If anyone wants to do this and does not have branches, I'll be happy to share from my abundance.

The Sinamay Ribbon is my touch to the project, please go to Kaysi's Blog to see the tutorial on how to make them and see them with raffia ribbon!

Thanks for checking in with me. Enjoy!!

Store on Etsy.com

2010-08-17T22:36:00.000-07:00

If you like cool, cute, awesome handmade stuff and you have never checked out www.Etsy.com, you should! There are so many wonderfully talented artists there selling their work. I am happy to be sharing webspace with people who get joy from sharing their artistic viewpoint with the world.

If you look over there ----> you will see that I have a little pocket store where you can browse the things I have most recently listed. Please enjoy the shopping and let me know what you think. You can leave a comment here or e-mail me or comment on the store site. My store website is: http://www.etsy.com/shop/CarolOZ

Come back here and to my etsy store soon and often!

Blog Candy

2010-06-07T06:40:00.000-07:00

This is some GREAT blog candy. Check it out! I really hope I win this. It's kind of like playing the lottery but the odds are MUCH better and I LOVE what I win.

http://crystalkbk.blogspot.com/2010/05/my-blogaversary-candy.html

Posole

2010-04-17T20:56:00.000-07:00

Posole is Mexican Stew. You can make it vegetarian/vegan or with meat. It works either way REALLY well. I am going to list all the ingredients for meat and include the vegetarian options in parentheses.

1 Can 15 oz Crushed tomatoes
1 can chopped tomatoes with green chilis, hot or mild
1 QT chicken stock (vegetable stock)
1 can black beans, rinsed
1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed
1 can golden hominy, drained
1 small chopped onion
2 cloves garlic
1 lb sausage, browned or any leftover meat (just leave out meat, beans are a GREAT protein source)
1 tsp. chili power
2 tsp. cumin

You just dump it all in a stock pot or crock pot. 2 hours simmering in stock pot. In crockpot, 8 hours low/4 hours high You can even brown the sausage and add it at the end.

Serve over any carbs, rice, diced and roasted potatoes, quinoa, couscous, orzo or any other noodles.

Blog candy to check out

2009-08-01T08:05:00.000-07:00

This is some GREAT blog candy. Check it out! I really hope I win this. It's kind of like winning the lotery but the odds are MUCH better and I LOVE what I win.

http://crystalkbk.blogspot.com/2010/05/my-blogaversary-candy.html

This was editted on June 7, 2010.
:)

Altering clothes is fun and profitable

2009-07-15T12:34:00.000-07:00

The profitable part is not from selling them, but it profits me by making old items new again which thrills my girls and saves cash because I can buy at thrift shops and goodwill/Salvation Army and still have "cool" clothes. Also, I can adjust the clothes to my taste for length and appearances. (ie. no prostitute style clothes for my little girls). Here are 2 pictures of the front and back of a skirt I made from a pair of adjustable-waist denim capris. My daughter loves them and it is COOL in my opinion.

2009-06-30T03:55:00.000-07:00

Click here:

http://www.nbcaugusta.com/features/adoptapet/49090396.html

To see me on TV. I am on every 3 months or so with new dogs for adoption. They have archives if you want to watch more than one episode with me. I really enjoy doing these spots to highlight our dogs.

Carol O.

More Blog Candy

2009-06-22T07:51:00.000-07:00

It's funny, some people just don't get it. If you announce the contest, you are just asking more people to enter the drawing which means that my chances to win go down for every person who enters. That is kind of funny for the person who is giving something away to require you to help lower your chances of winning. Irony, eh? Well, here is the link to some blog candy around the net, hope you enjoy the blog content but do not enter!!! haha

www.technostamper.blogspot.com
www.basementstamper.blogspot.com

Making friends is easy :)

2009-06-17T22:16:00.000-07:00

I made these all by myself. I made all 4 in an afternoon and the girls and I decorated our friends together. They had so much fun. These friends are just hanging out in the bedroom with all the other sad and lonely stuffed animals but it made for a fun day. :) The last one on the right is Zach's friend. He wanted to draw his own and have me sew it (sew I did) and he did not decorate it. He can not decide whether to make it a skinny rabbit or a dolphin. I did not make one for Shannon yet.

Redneck Public Transportation

2009-06-16T07:31:00.000-07:00

This is sooo funny. We got a huge chuckle out of it. We called it "Redneck Public Transportation". I hope you find it humerous, too. This is not a setup, this is actual people on the interstate in GA. :)

Money!

2009-05-28T05:38:00.001-07:00

I know it has been a while between posts. I am happy to report that something happened today that is relevant to the topic and original intent of this blog. I was blessed today by an unusual event and I wanted to share.

I had a 100 dollar bill in my pants pocket. I know, "duh, bad place for it!" but someone handed it to me when my hands were full and I did not have my purse on me, so I put it in the pocket temporarily as a safe place. You can see where this story is leading already, can't you? So, I left it in the pocket and went about doing my business. After a few hours I reached into my pocket to retrieve said 100 dollar bill and, as you already guessed, it was gone.

Well, I thought really hard about what could have happened to it. I was working, so it obviously fell out while I was doing something else. I knew I had only taken my keys out of my pocket twice, once at the paper office and once at the gas station. I started praying that I would find it and drove back to the gas station. It was not there, the folks inside thought I was insane for expecting it to still be there (or for someone to have turned it in). I then went back to the office. I knew the chances were slim, if someone had found it they were as likely to keep it as turn it in, but again, I HAD to try. I can not afford to lose $100, that is why I am working. I NEEDED that money.

When I drove into the parking lot, there it was. Still laying in my parking space, folded in half. It could have blown away, up under the ramp/decking, anywhere, but it was still there. I was sooooo very happy, I just wanted to sing and shout. I was blessed beyond words to find my money where I dropped it. I've learned my lessons from this event. First, it is not my money, it is God's money and He can take care of it. Second, put the money in the wallet, ASAP!!!

God does take care of us. Many blessings,
Carol O.

2009-04-24T09:35:00.000-07:00

We had so much fun at the goat farm. Here are some pics, Camille holding a baby goat and our friend Eric petting his first ever baby goat.

We were so glad that Chris and Eric and DJ could join us on our field trip.

Here is Ruby sitting on a turtle. She was not big on cuddling with the goats. This is more her "speed". Don't rush her!

Check out blog candy on other blogs

2009-03-08T14:32:00.000-07:00

Blog Candy is a GREAT thing! I am trying to win it so I am announcing it here on my blog. :)

http://inkydoodle.blogspot.com/

http://createdbycourtney.blogspot.com/2009/03/spring-break-blog-candy.html

http://scrap-creations1.blogspot.com/2009/03/celebrating-10000-hits-with-blog-candy.html

I hope you have fun!

Carol

Writing Challenge

2009-02-21T21:42:00.000-08:00

On Open salon, a writer there challenged other writers to expand on the Hemmingway one-liner that reads: For Sale, baby shoes, never worn. This was Hemmingway's attempt to tell a story in less than 10 words. Pithy and heart-touching. The writer wanted us to add to the story, so here are 2 attempts at that challenge.
I read all the entries of other writers and I wanted to try something that wasn't depressing and wasn't tied up in babies dying. While I can write depressive stuff, so many of the responses were in this vein that I wanted to offer up something a little less bleak or dark.

For sale: baby shoes, never worn.
They trudged through Babies R Us looking at everything and registering for nothing. They were both so disappointed to find out that they were having a boy. Not that they weren’t happy, just that they both wanted a girl SOOOOO bad! They are both glad he is healthy but they really wanted a girl. Now they had to change everything from pink to boy colors and all the little things they had bought had to be returned or sold.

At home, she sits in front of the computer and types:
For Sale: Baby shoes. Never worn.
Baby is a boy and the pink weeboks are just not gonna cut it.

She hopes that some mom out there will love them as much as she did.

Challenge respone #2
For sale: baby shoes, never worn.

Why on earth had she picked up the stupid things?!?!? She had no baby, she was never going to have a baby. She didn’t know any one to give them too. She is thinking hard and her heart is beating too fast. She can not take them out of her pocket because someone will see her and figure out that she is shoplifting. She walks out the door as calmly as she can and goes home to her quiet suburban home with her sweet husband.

She sits at the computer and types:
For Sale: Baby shoes, never worn.

2008-11-06T14:08:00.000-08:00

Here are some pics of our new foster dogs and Ruby at almost 2 years old. I love this outfit that Ruby is wearing so I had to take some pics. The dogs are Suzie Q (brown), Pete (grey) and Eddie (black).

Loving Life

2008-09-14T10:36:00.000-07:00

We are enjoying a busy weekend. This weekend is adopt-a-thon for our rescue organization, Molly's Militia. We are working hard to get our two foster dogs adopted as we are getting 2 puppies on Monday. Here are the pics of our current monsters. If anyone knows anyone who is interested in adopting a GREAT dog, let me know. These two are SUPER!

2008-06-04T05:26:00.000-07:00

This picture is of Ruby at 18 months old. We bought Camille a Hibiscus bush to add to our foliage in the front of the house since she is obsessed with Hawaii and all things Hawaiian. :) Shannon has since planted the bush in the ground.

This puppy was a temporary foster puppy we had for a couple weeks. She has a new home now and we are so glad for her. She was a sweet girl.

Next picture is our current foster dog, Catherine. She is a sweetheart. We are REALLY enojoying her. Even Ruby can walk her on the leash, she is so gentle.

Finally, the kids are going to the dogs. :) We did not put Ruby in the dog crate, she was sitting in there with the door pulled closed when I came into the kitchen. The door is not latched, she is holding it closed.

We also got video of her doing "tricks". When we were trying to get Catherine to sit and lay down, Ruby was doing the tricks. It was hysterical! Zach started giving her goldfish pretzel crackers for "treats", haha!

Kids are a blessing from God and even though we have days that are stressful and frustrating, at the end of the day there is always something that reminds me what a blessing my kids are. They make me laugh and give me great joy. They are truly my most awesome blessings.

My first post to my blog

2008-04-19T09:09:00.000-07:00

Wow! I am joining the multitudes of millions of people who are already blogging and are light years ahead of me in the net world. I am blessed to be here and I hope that this blog will bless other people as well.

Please feel free to post your blessings in a comment and I will randomly post some for other people to see. We need to COUNT OUR BLESSINGS! This helps to keep us focused on God and what He is doing in our life. We need to remember to be thankful for our blessings.

I hope you enjoy reading the blog.

All the Best,
Carol O.