Hair Today....

gone tomorrow!?! Okay, enough with the lame play on clichés. 

So, here is the low down in mow town. I have been thinking about this long and hard and I decided I am only going to be posting once or twice a week from now on. My sis will still be doing her posts twice a week so you will get a total of 3-4 posts. I decided most people probably don't notice whether I post every day because they are following several blogs. I just am feeling like right now I need to focus on myself and my family. This blog and you as followers have really helped me through some very difficult times in my life and I just wanted to give you a HUGE hug and thank you! This is not a good bye! Just a change in the time I feel I can devote to this blog has changed as well as my priorities. This decision just feels right for me. Especially considering, I will be taking nutrition courses AGAIN!!! I dropped out when I was struggling with post partum depression (3 yrs ago), but I have been craving learning lately and this is one thing I am ferociously interested in:) Probably because I am working towards my bachelors in Dietetics, but you know, what ever;)

With that said, I have been browsing great hair and this is what I found. Click on the picture to be taken to the cite.

I love the easiness of this tutorial. I actually just started my braid higher and didn't use a curling iron the next day. I used some moose and my fingers to shape the waves a little better. Super easy!

The cutest messy bun! I love the head band. You can find one on Amazon HERE. Or any local department store (Wal-mart, Kmart, Target, etc)

Quick little update, Kristen Duke's "Say No to Auto" e-book has been updated. I purchased this handy little book after I made the jump to an SLR. I was struggling with learning to use my camera, but this little book straightened it all out for me. The size is perfect is to keep in a camera bag.

Printables

Have you ever noticed you can find free printable thank you cards all over the internet? BUT no envelope templates? Or after spending time to make beautiful cards you have to try and find envelopes to fit them? Well, I solved that problem by making my own template. This template can fit cards all of the cards in  THIS post from Tip Junkie.

The final folded product measures
5  3/4 inches  X  4  3/8 inches.

Download HERE

Won't You Be....

Please won't you be, my neighbor mine? I made some cute little valentine's day decor for my mom and 3 sisters. I got the idea from The Idea Room. The one on the left I made 2 of.

So, to my sis that reads this blog, SURPRISE! Act surprised when you get yours from mom;)

Cardigan Make Over

Using THIS tutorial from "ruffles and stuff" I made over a black cardigan.

Before:

After:



















Differences:

I used satin ribbon that is 1 1/2 inches wide and went around the entire neck.















My cardigan was not rounded neck, it is a v-neck, but it still turned out great;) I just went down the "v" until 1/2 inch away from the button and button hole. LOVE IT!

Pottery Barn Kids

Have you seen the AMAZING costumes and decorations from Pottery Barn Kids?
Here are a few of my favorite costumes. They have adorable matching bags too!

Here us my favorite decorations! I love the decals on the picture frames.

 

Well, I loved these decals on the frames so much that I did a small collage of my own:)

Why hello there little crow

These are my pumpkins on candle sticks from last year.

Cute Hocus Pocus Blocks

Mantel Complete for Halloween. Except, I am not really loving the twigs and flowers. I think I am going to take it apart and put a clean jar with some candy corns in it. Then stick the sticks in it without the flowers. Then slap the crow onto one of the sticks.

Wreath

When we were eating at a restaurant in San Diego I saw this wreath. I figured it would inspire someone to make something similar:) It is just made out of old wine bottle corks. Then plastic grapes hot glued onto it. Sorry about the picture quality, I only had my phone.

Halloween Board

Well, I was paroosing some of my favorite blogs and I came across THIS post on Poppies at Play. I shamelessly copied her! LOVE it!

It was soooo easy. Just paint, distress, and add vinyl. Done.

Sewing Party

 Well, I had a sewing party at my house. Not really a party, just 3 friends who have been wanting to make a grocery bag holder. These are nothing new, I actually used a tutorial off of Make it and Love it. You can find it HERE. I have been meaning to make one for well over a year now;) I just now got around to making it!

Here is the before:

Here is the after:

We had a lot of fun. I just let the girls go through my scrap bins because I have got to get some of these scraps used up:)

Frock by Friday

I started participating in A Frock by Friday that Grosgrain is hosting. It started Monday and everyday you were suppose to do a little more. By Friday you should have had new frock to wear. I started yesterday:) I added sleeves to mine. Here is a close up of the material I chose.

I did however run into a little problem. It doesn't fit my arm pits. WHAT!?! Well, here is what I have so far.

There will be a blue sash and the skirt will be navy blue. I just haven't sewn that part yet.

A Few Things

Well, I had one of the most difficult counseling sessions in my life! It was grueling, stressful, anxiety inducing, and CRAPPY! But, I feel better now. So, here's the low down. I still have more to work through and I have another session on Monday. My mind is a little wound up right now with dealing with myself. I have this amazing way of coping with things by pretending they don't exist and pushing them away. All that stuff, 26 1/2 years to be exact, has caught up with me. Drat! It has reared it's ugly head in the form of severe depression. It has affected my physical body as well as my mental state. My councilor's name is Helen Bair. She is seriously a life saver. I can't express to you how much she has changed my life.  Any who, she has patiently lead me through this and really helped me. I remember years ago when I when I had so much turmoil inside and I would break things in our home to get it out.  We went through some nautical decorations, 4 potted plants, and one telephone that year;) It feels like a battle that will never end, but I just keep fighting.
My real point is, I have to let go of something because right now I am really emotionally drained. So, you are going to get a bunch of easy, low maintenance crafts (that means they are easy,  dirt cheap, and don't require my brain) that are helping me wind down and get ready for round 2 of another session. Hopefully, when I am done on Monday I will be a new woman!

If you would like to do a guest post this week, I would gladly take it. Do a tutorial or just tell the readers about yourself. If you are interested email me at brenbren13 (at) ymail (dot) com


Here is the beginning of my low maintenance crafts.
I saw THIS post from  House of Hepworths: HoH and was inspired.

I got my balls from Hobby Lobby and my hemp for $1 at target

I am not finished, but here are the two I have done.

Lantern Bloom

I have been eying the lantern bloom fabric for quite sometime. I purchased the line months ago, but never made anything with it, until now! Using THIS pattern from Oh So Sassy, I made my lil' woman this little Easter dress.


I added a flower pin for a little extra sas.

I made a little flower pin for me too! We took family photos and Natalie and I matched perfectly:)

If you want to sew your own, Oh So Sassy has graciously offered to give 10% your 1st 2 items if you say Therapeutic Crafting sent you! Enjoy!

Oh So Sassy

My friend, Michelle, from Oh So Sassy sales some really great patterns. They are easy to make and look adorable on. Check her out HERE.
These are 2 of the awesome dresses I made for my little missy from Michelle's pattern. Looks pretty cute (speaking of my little missy she REFUSED to let me take any pictures of her in her dresses. She cried the whole time, so I gave up. DRAT! So, I used a glamorous hanger instead:)

Michelle had a dress making party for friends when she came into town for a visit. We picked out the fabric we wanted and she cut it out for us. All we had to do was sew it together. LOVE it! BUT after taking the picture, I am going to be taking out the brown thread and using an orange. What was I thinking!?!

You can either buy the fabric pre-cut and just sew it together or buy the pattern and use your own fabric.  I have this pre-cute dress, but I have been too lazy busy to make it:)

Here are a few of my favorites:) She has soooooo much to choose from, but here are few to wet your taste buds. I also think she could be a photographer. Can you believe she took these photos herself!?!

Check her out and tell her Therapeutic Crafting sent you:) She has graciously agreed to give my readers 10% off their first 2 purchases! YEAH! Check her etsy shop out at Ohsosassy. You won't regret it;)

Ties

A good friend of mine came over and we made the little men our lives a tie:) Yes Becca, it can be done for less than $8.
We used THIS pattern from Very Home Made. I found some great fabric that looked like a blue tie you would buy on sale at Joann's for $3 a yard. I used some fabric for the lining that was left over from a blanket I made. It was easy and they turned out really cute! Here we are modeling our adorable ties.

P.S. it was a no shower, throw your hair in a bun type of day for us so be kind:)

Car Seat Cover

Remember THIS post!?! Well, I finally gave the blanket to my friend, so I can show you how cute it turned out! My sister in law is using my infant car seat, so I don't have one to model the blanket with:)

Here it is!  I used a fancy stitch from my sewing machine to top stitch all the way around the blanket. It looks really cute. I tried to take a photo, but it doesn't show up. Sorry.

Here is a close up of the handels! I added a button for some character.

Step Up

So, I love "One Pretty Thing". She had a feature of THIS amazing step stool cover made by Dainty Couture.

Here is my version. This project completed the decor for my guest bathroom! YIPPEE!
I wanted mine removable so I could wash it so I left off the buttons and batting.

Here is my little woman modeling it for you;

A vase of flowers...

The tray make over can be found HERE.

Red shower hooks...

 I don't think I ever posted these. I used a tray and place-mat to make those. I just cut the mat down and hot glued it into the tray. I got the candle holders 75% off at Pier One.

Here it is all put together.

Here is the other side that I didn't get in the picture above. The mirror make over is HERE.