Change - my 2013 word for the year

If you are stopping by and thinking to yourself, "huh?...why is she posting this now?" Well, it's because I hadn't settled on a word for my year until around the end of February. By then I felt it was too late to post. Well May is even LATER than that but I just wanted to share a few things on a more personal level. If you want to stick around I'll tell you the story...

Many bloggers do it. You pick one word to guide your whole year. To be your focus. To mold and shape what you do. I started thinking about my word in December so come January 1st could kick off the New Year with my word and join in the blogger fun. Last year my word was Adventure! And last year truly was! It really did shape and mold how I approached things. It bought new adventures into my life that weren't even on my radar. I loved my "adventurous" year.

So I felt that I had settled on a word by January after about 3 weeks of tossing it around....Then come January I felt a strong pull towards another word. That one just felt right!!! So I mulled it around for a few weeks and another really GREAT word just stuck with me. Oh this is the one I thought! ....Well, you get my point here right? I stepped back and looked at what 2013 had already brought me, what I was involved with, what we could see coming on the horizon/working towards and the words I had shuffled through. I just kept changing my mind! um....HELLO!!! CHANGE!!! maybe that was my word!!! Maybe all the other words trying to be my attention were telling me, "your word is CHANGE!"

I have felt in constant change since the year turned over. Good changes, hard changes, exciting changes, confusing changes and just the minor everyday changes or twists and turns in my journey. I don't mind change. Well, let me rephrase that. I don't mind change if I don't mind it. LOL.....change isn't always easy. Change isn't always fun. What types of change I like - you may not. Some types of change that bother me, you make take in stride and not think much of it. I like the type of change that moves me forward in life. Or better said, moves me in a positive direction down my journey. I don't like staying still. I'm not one to just sit around on my "path" waiting for something AMAZING to come along. I like the feeling of moving onward and upward and to do that or obtain that feeling I've got to change and move. No sitting on the sidelines of my own life or sinking in the "quick sand" (wow am I getting a little "deep" here? are you still following all this babble?) .

 My point in sharing all of this is sometimes you just need to say "it" out loud. Sometimes your own thoughts can help someone else. Or can give you clarity on something that's been bouncing around in your head. The hardest thing about change can be the feeling of "loosing your footing". Have you ever felt that? There's so much change or the change is so severe that you feel like you've lost yourself or part of yourself..? Then there's fear attached to that because how will you find those pieces? Will you come out the other side of this change the same person? Will you be better or worse? Will you make it through at all?

So CHANGE it is! (big smile on my face). There are things in the works I hope to be able to continue to share little bits about with you as I can.

Did you pick a word this year? 
What is it and how is it going now that we are almost halfway through the year!?

DIY Teacher Thank you gift - BIG APPLE

I recently found The BIG APPLE fabric line. It is bright, fun and has so many options for use! I decided on an "apple for the teacher" approach! It's a great way to say THANK YOU at the end of the year or HELLO at the beginning of the year!

1) Container:
Supplies: 
Paper Mache/cardboard book container
fabric - The Big Apple fabric line
scissors
fabric marker
mod podge
sponge brush

Lay your fabric flat with the wrong side up, trace around the book with your fabric marker and cut out fabric to cover the outside of the book.

Apply a layer of Mod Podge in a small section and place your fabric over the top. Repeat on all the outside surfaces of the book until it is covered. Then apply a layer of Mod Podge on top of the fabric to seal it all together.

Let dry and it's ready to be filled!

You could fill it with small cookies, candies, etc or make up some fun useful gadgets for the teacher to use.
Like making some coordinating magnets!

2) Magnets
Supplies:
Large clear crafting bubbles
magnets
E6000 glue
scissors

Place the craft bubbles on top of the fabric. Trace around them and cut out. Cover the back of the craft bubbles with E6000 glue and place the fabric on the underside right side up. Use the glue to attach the magnet to the back. Let dry.

3) Apple hot/cold pack
Supplies:
The Big Apple fabric line - 1/4 yard 
scissors
sewing machine
rice/wheat (raw & uncooked)
straight pins

Fold your fabric lengthwise in half about 5 inches wide. Cut a half shape of an apple on the fold. Think about cutting a heart shape but with more of a flat bottom to it. If you want to draw it out use a fabric marker. Open it up to see if you like the shape. Then fold, trace and cut another apple out using the one you just cut as a template.

Using a coordinating fabric cut 2 hexagon shaped pieces (or just 2 rectangles) to use as a stem for the apple.

Sew the sides and top of the stem piece. The bottom edge will be inside the apple piece so you don't need to sew it. Place the 2 apple pieces on top of each other, wrong sides together. Tuck the stem piece in the top, pin into place, and sew around all the edges leaving a 2-3" opening one 1 side so you can fill the apple.

Need a cute poem to go along with the Apple? There's one on my blog HERE!

Getting skin Summer Ready - #NaturalBeauty

This post brought to you by Tree Hut. All opinions are 100% mine.

Fashion, style, self esteem. Those are all topics I talk a lot about here. Feeling good about the way you look affects how you feel about yourself. It's a process right? One thing I have always "struggled" with is Natural Beauty. Some women just have that look! I'm not one of those! LOL....I can't get up in the morning and have the perfect bedhead look. My face doesn't glow or have cute freckles. 

BUT just because I don't consider myself an overall Natural Beauty by the standards in my head....doesn't mean I can't love smaller portions of myself that are or could be considered Natural beauties. And one of those areas can be your skin! Now don't just limit that to your face. Often as women that's right what we think about. What about your hands, your feets, your calves or maybe your shoulders? Summertime brings about the showing of more "skin" so find that Natural Beauty "part" of your skin you LOVE and nuture it to shine even more! 

My feet and legs are always more exposed in the Summer. And my hands always take a "beating" year round. Those babies can always used moisturized and pampered. In treating myself and wanting to enhance some Natural Beauty I tried some Tree Hut products. 

Now I'm a girl of convience you know. My time is limited and I usually have my little 4 year in tow so browsing isn't always an option. Luckily you can find Tree Hut products at Walmart in the lotion and self pampering/bath products section. That aisle just makes you want to stop and sigh for a minute. It's calling out for relaxation. 

I tried the Renewing hand cream. My hands are always on the go like most of us! And when I meet someone or shake someone's hand or am taking pictures for a tutorial I want my hands to be soft and not dry. I don't want to someone to remember my handshake because my hands were dry! LOL! 

Oh and feet! The Summer struggle of overly dry skin on my feet. Do you get that too? They can get rough and dried out. A little Tree Hut foot scrub a few times a week (love peppermint?! The foot scrub smells divine!) followed up with some Tree Hut foot cream and I can more confidently bare them with less worry. They have certainly stayed more moisturized through the day than before. 

So now that my skin is "feeling the love" I can dress myself to show off my Natural Beauty and confidently be me! It's the little things right!?

GIVEAWAY!!!!
 
And it's a PIN - it to WIN - it giveaway! Tree Hut wants you to bring out your Natural Beauty too and give youself some everyday pampering. Create a look (via Polyvore.com or another site) of what you would wear to enhance your Natural Beauty just like I did above. Include #NaturalBeauty in the description and then leave your PIN link in the comments! 

Tree Hut wants to give you the same Tree Hut hand cream, foot cream and scrub that I have used. like Tree Hut on Facebook? You can find out about giveaways, new products, coupons and more! You can find Tree Hut on Twitter too! 

10 pieces that Flatter any Figure

Ashley from FlatsToFlipFlops.com has your style post today! It's amazing!

 Be sure to LIKE her Facebook page for more great advice!

 

Contributor - Flats to Flip Flops

 What to wear with.....??

How do I build my wardrobe? 

How do I find my style? 

If you've asked yourself these questions lately then you are going to love ASHLEY! I introduced you to Stephanie last week who I am bring on as a kids/family activity contributor. 

Well TODAY - I'm excited to introduce you to Ashley of Flats to Flip Flops.

 Ashley is one of the fashion bloggers with a relatable style that I mentioned in my

Superhero - Refashion your life - wk 19

What's your favorite superhero?
What superhero or character would you like to be like?
Have you ever stopped to think about WHY you like them so much?
What is it really about them that attracts your attention? That draws you in?
Did you know that we all have a little bit of "superhero" inside of us?

Without a magical serum can we really compare ourselves to superheroes? Chalyce and I talk about some favorite characters and make some fun comparisons in todays video. So grab your cape and mask and join us!