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it’s spring time! (and a little give a way! …sorry giveaway is now closed)

Posted on April 26, 2012 by Heidi

april showers bring may flowers!

spring is almost here, and what better way to bring it in than to celebrate with a bit of gardening! we are excited to get our garden started with much needed pruning and planting…but until the rain lets up…we decided we better create something else for our garden. so…we made the cutest garden stones!!!

here is what we did…

first, pick out a stepping stone kit. ( you can pick one up at any craft store.) be sure to label the bottom of the kit so you know what child did each stone. to do this i cut some plastic out and wrote the girls’ names on it with a sharpie. you will want to read the instructions carefully, as each kit is a bit different. this kit required nothing but water to add to the mixture that came in the kit.

next, you will what to mix the stone cement and water, and poor it into the mold tray. once the entire mixture is pored into the mold, be sure to tap it and flatten it out for the best results.

next you will what to embellish your stone. you have to do this before it sets, so be sure to have everyhing prepared in advance. you can use mosaics, marbles, recoiled glass bits, and buttons. we decided to do our hand prints, and to decorate with sea glass that we found out the beach.

once your stones are decorated, and the bits are in place, you will need to let them set. ours took about 24 hours. then we painted them. be sure to use a permanent paint base such as acrylics. you can sand the edges of your stone, and if you are going to be placing it outside, you will want to spray it with a gloss sealant.

just a couple warnings…first, try not to paint on each other…and second, don’t eat paint!

then, your done! have some fun placing your stone in your garden!

so if you would like to win a garden stone kit all you need to do is respond with your most favorite spring flowers! mine are chamomile daisies! so cute!

Posted in giveaways, kids | 12 Comments

a little locket how to

Posted on April 19, 2012 by Heidi

i am in new orleans for this amazing event called emerge, that i will be talking about later! before i left the kids, i had to make something that would help me keep them close while i was away. i found these cute little lockets on sale at anthropologie a couple weeks ago, and here is what i did with them.

the simple how to:

first…find a locket! then get some paper palette, scissors, adhesive, a poker, and a mini print of the images for your locket. (i just used a index card option to do mine!)

- tear a piece of palette paper and press it into the lock to get the exact shape.

- cut out the shape and use it as a template to trace it on to the front of your photograph.

- cut along the inside edge of your photograph around the traced shape.

- use a small bit of adhesive to hold your photo in place.

i embellished mine with a feather and a bit of silk ribbon. so cute!

here are some really cute lockets i found on etsy!

these amazing and artistic lockets are from: verabel+fox, erm originals, sora desings, manna celebrates, if you want to carry your little gems with you always…check them out!

Posted in inspiration | 4 Comments

i somehow caught that perfect shot!

Posted on April 19, 2012 by Heidi

ever take a photograph that perfectly captures a story, portrays a personality, or evokes emotion. that one magical snap that makes time stand still. a photograph that in just one shot, takes you back to a moment in time that simply will not fade!

here is that photograph for me…

it may not mean much to someone else, and to an expert photographer may seem quite sloppy, but for me it captures the very essence in each of my sweet gems, it reminds me where they are in their lives right now, and celebrates how wonderfully individual they are.

paisley: she LOVES her sisters…she more than loves them…she looks up to them and wants to be just like them. she inspects their every move and eagerly prances her way toward growing up just as they have…and she does it all with a twinkle in her eye.

reagan: her energy, her free spirit, and her spunk is beyond contagious…it’s addicting! she is care free yet sensitive. she skips through life with a magic that reminds me to love and cherish the pretty details in this world.

ireland: she is hilarious! she is one of kind, she marches to the beat of her own drum, and the music she makes is AWESOME! she is deeply intuitive. she is grounded and a firework all at the same time!

Posted in team kilo | 5 Comments

winds of change…

Posted on April 16, 2012 by Heidi

for the last couple days i have been having this feeling like something big is going to change. i’m not not sure exactly what that means…but it just feels like there is something in the wind.

i was looking through this past months pictures tonight, and it was pretty amazed at how this little event paralleled our life right now.

the other day we looked out our window toward the hill by our house and little miss paisley saw this…

now, i must say this picture just does not do it justice. what we saw was a HUGE kite! and when i say huge, i mean like the size of an SUV, huge. it was so cool! i got a surge of spontaneity, rallied the troops, and we went over there to fly our kites too! what i thought would be a fun and free spirited adventure…quickly spiraled into a bit of a mess.

reagan really did not want to be there. kites stress her out because they might fly away forever, and said she would much rather watch a barbie movie…which we have banned until the sassyness lessens…

ireland had an attitude and did not want to follow rules…

and paisley, with no interest in the group, decided that this was her day to become little miss independent and wander off near the dangerous edge!

the girls had eaten nothing but easter candy all day, ryan was pretty maxed out trying to manage the kids, (none of which were heading in the same direction)…and i was hopping around on one leg, trying to get kites up while wondering if i am ever going to get this stupid foot brace off. (really, i am only touching on the surface of the stressfullness.)

but within all of that chaos, and even though there was opposition at first…there was this…

little moments of bliss.

as is life i guess…seems to me that often we fight the winds of change (at least i know i do). but through it all there are moments of joy, of clarity, and of peace…reminding us of what really matters, even if the winds are changing…and for me, what matters…it is them! and don’t you ever forget that miss grace!!!

Posted in team kilo | 7 Comments

i ♥ pinterest!

Posted on April 12, 2012 by Heidi

i mean really! this may just be both the best and worst use of my time right now. i love how easy it is for me to categorize all of my random inspirations, yet…it leads me to more…random inspirations…either way it is A LOT of fun! here are just a few of the random things that i ♥ on pinterest!

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

i’ve got an idea!!!

Posted on April 8, 2012 by Heidi

ok…ok…what is this? no give away??? it is monday heidi? well, we are going to be doing the give aways kinda sparatic for a bit…it will be fun! it will keep us on our toes!

actually, here is the real reason why…

i have an idea, and what to get it done and out there! so i need to focus a bit more energy to it. some things had to give a bit. there will still be give aways, just more spontaneous! so keep checking back!

in the mean time, i am will be busy,busy, busy…and i think it will be worth it for you!

Posted in giveaways | 1 Comment

painting eggs…on the beach!

Posted on April 7, 2012 by Heidi

one of my favorite parts of easter has always been, and still is, dyeing easter eggs! but…our little family found a couple years ago that we are allergic to eggs, so we’ve had to get a bit creative. this year we painted rocks!

first we went to the beach and collected egg shaped rocks.

then we painted them.

while the big girls were painting eggs, paisley was so cute…my little earth child just took off her shoes and socks and gazed out at the water…she is SO sweet!

typhoon played in the water…

next, we hid the eggs we created…

and then we had a little hunt.

this was super fun!

we are so blessed to live so close to the water! the girls love it. it always brings us such peace. even at this age the girls are so drawn to the beach. it was so fun to hang out, create some easter eggs, and be together. happy easter gang! i love you…my sweet little gems!

Posted in kids, team kilo | 7 Comments

my first guest blogger…annette allen

Posted on April 4, 2012 by Heidi

i could not be more thrill to introduce my first guest blogger annette allen! i first met her a couple years back, and was instantly attracted to her beautiful personality and inspired by her amazing creativity. oh, and, aside from all that…just a few weeks before my cha debut, i got the sweetest message from her telling me that she would love to come and help me at the show. she invested her time and energy and was absolutely a gem to work with! annette, i just love you! really, i feel so blessed to have you in my life!

where to find annette…

Blog: myclevercreations.blogspot.com
Design Team Member: http://www.thealleywaystamps.blogspot.com/
Design Team Member http://www.someoddgirlblog.com/

Hi my name is Annette Allen, I am a housewife and I love the Lord. I have been married for 17 years to a wonderful man. I am from Colorado but have had the opportunity to travel the world. I am now a California girl and my favorite shoes are flip flops and flip flops. I have two dogs that are like my children and they totally rule the house. I would like to think of myself as a fun person. I try and enjoy each day and live it to the fullest. My pleasures are crafting, camping and traveling. I started making cards back in 1997 and have not paused for a minute. I am and forever will be a crafter. I like to explore new places and try new things.

I would like to thank Heidi for choosing me to be the very first Guest Blogger. I am so honored and excited to share what inspires me. When I first met Heidi it was at the CHA in 2010, she was seriously so amazing and fun. I can know say that I have made a new friend and have have had the honor of celebrating with Heidi her new company and fun new designs. When I first laid eyes on her new collection I knew exactly what I wanted to make and that is a little Clever Town on canvas. So today I am sharing with you…what I like to call Clever Town. I hope that you enjoy. Heidi’s designs just make me happy…They are cheerful and fun to create with.

Happy Crafting.

Posted in guest blogger | 6 Comments

embroidery pattern-how to.

Posted on April 3, 2012 by Heidi

i really do LOVE these rub-on embroidery patterns!!!

let’s have a look at how to use them! first, cut out the desired pattern that you wish to use.

place it on the desired substrate, and rub on the waxy side of the transfer.

peel away just a small part of the liner to be sure that it was all transferred, once sure, peel away the entire liner. using a paper piercer, poke holes in the center of the lines and space them whatever distance from each other that suits you.

start to stitch.

use different colors and threads to add more dimension to the embroidered piece.

then use it to embellish scrapbook pages, cards, and any other projects. you can stitch on a sperate paper and cut it out and add it to your projects like i showed here, but you can also add the stitching directly to photos, pages, and cards.

remember you can use the embroidery board on these…you will notice that the thickness (it’s thicker than chipboard, but thinner than cardstock.) really helps the pattern to stay put. i have noticed that if i pull to hard while using these on cardstock that they sometimes pull through. also, the thickness of the embroidery board makes if possible to use the pattens with a filler stitch. there is really no way you could have this many pokes on ordinary paper, they would just rip through.

also…i have been playing with these and watercolor…i have to be honest, i did not create these with this in mind…but now that i have discovered it…i love this technique. here is how i do it. rub the transfer on any desired substrate. for this card i chose to use water color paper. then use water color paints to color in the lines of the pattern.

enjoy!

Posted in art, scrapbooking | 4 Comments

so i am turning 34 today…and i need to make a change!

Posted on March 31, 2012 by Heidi

this is going to be kinda long…and sorry no pictures….but hopefully you will get something out of it…even though it is really more for me.

like i said a couple days ago, i teach this pretty amazing group of women at the YMCA. we do this…wait…they do my INSANE and TOTALLY HARD workouts! i hobble around (6 more weeks in this thing…URGH!) and hopefully motivate them!!

about every quarter we start a challenge where we assess our strength, card, body composition, and over all health. and every time i give the class my best effort at a “let’s all commit to this!” speech. and let me tell you, i have seen some amazing changes in these women. they have become stronger, faster, leaner, and more confident!

then i look at myself…for some reason i am like a total yo-yo…loosing here, but then gaining more there. i go two weeks with no sugar…only to turn around and eat 80 cadbury cream eggs. feeling strong and fit, lifting myself over that pull up bar again..again…again…only to be discouraged when just a few days later, my body aches just hanging from that bar. i can go from fluid moving days with restful sleep…to stiff joints, aches when i walk and lay in bed staring at the clock???

what on earth…how can i be super woman one day, and barley surviving the next. and this is not just in my strength, it is in my everyday life. some days i can go all day with the girls playing and laughing bouncing from errand to errand, other days…it is a struggle to get out of bed, and i find every thing seems to annoy me…

recently i took a good hard look at the last few weeks..months actually…and here is what i have discovered. i am either really good at taking care of myself…or really bad. really nice to my body…or really mean! further more, i can see a DIRECT correlation in my mood, focus, energy, strength, and over all well being by how i treat my body.

so…SO, i am only going to share what i have learned in my own experience…and hope that it helps in some way…

in short:

i am nicer, happier, more foccused, more in control, and a better wife and mother when i…

-take sugar out of my diet…COMPLETELY!

-take grains and dairy out of my diet…COMPLETELY!

-eat lots of organic vegetables.

-eat some whole, organic, and fairly treated game, poultry and fish.

-eat a little organic fruit.

-take fish oil.

-eat a little bit of seeds and nuts.

-drink plenty of water.

- move my body a lot…every day!

-make time to clear my mind.

-and…sleep.

when i do not follow this plan, i am more depressed, more irritable, and…i get bigger!

so…it sounds easy right…well, i am not going to say that. i usually can go about 2-4 weeks, and then start to fizzle out…

BUT NOT THIS TIME! seriously heidi!!!!

i am 34, i have three amazing, confident, talented and beautiful children, and the bottom line is…i want to be a good example to them, and i want to be nicer, calmer, more understanding, more mentally clear, present, full of energy and fun!

for me…this is easier when i choose to live a healthy lifestyle.

man this is hard to write…because if i write it…i will do it! april 1- june 1…ok, YIKES! i am committing to 12 full weeks, and hoping that in the process, it will not longer be a diet, but change the way i choose to eat, think, and live.

here are some sites that i visit often to stay on track…

or these are some documentaries that i have enjoyed watching, if this is something you want to investigate.

fat, sick and nearly dead

fresh

hungry for change

i am writing some things that i have come to be pretty passionate about, and like i said, i am using this as a way to keep me true to my commitment. i would love the encouragement, and if you are interested in joining me…let me know, and let’s connect so we can champion each other along the way!

ps…for what it’s worth…my other goal is to be able to go back to crossfit, and start working out with my own class with in 6 weeks! AHHHHH…with this surgery and being on and off my foot for nearly a year, this is a goal i HAVE to reach!

Posted in Healthy Living | 8 Comments

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