Did I?

Did I offer peace today? Did I bring a smile to someone's face? Did I say words of healing? Did I let go of my anger and resentment? Did I forgive? Did I love? These are the real questions. I must trust that the little bit of love that I sow now will bear many fruits, here in this world and the life to come.

 

- Henri Nouwen

 

Just My Ponderings!

We may love the wrong person, cry for the wrong person. But one thing is sure,
mistakes help us find the right person. – Author Unknown

Don't take a good woman for granted, someday, someone will come along and
appreciate what you didn't. – Author Unknown

This is directed mainly to my gal pals who read my blog but also to any women who may stumble upon my blog. I’ve decided to put this on here to discuss my fears but also hopes and just thoughts lately. To my gal pals and others I know you have been hurt and are healing in different ways but the quotes above are so true to you all that we may love and cry for the wrong person and make mistakes but we learn and in the end find the right person through all we’ve gone through. As for the second one it is a bit of a wise advice quote for men, lol!

I haven’t been through domestic violence before and this is not my advice or anything just my words to those out there and my own hopes, fears, and thoughts. As I said I haven’t been through it personally but I’ve had those I’m close to go through it and I’ve seen the effects and because of that it’s made me a tad weary of relationships. I used to be a bit of a hopeless romantic but reality set in but a part of me wants to see the world and relationships like I used to but my eyes were opened to the imperfections of others and bad treatment by some. It’s made me scared these 28 years to ever getting in a relationship because I fear the moment a man will snap and it takes a lot for me to trust someone so if it were shattered it would devastate me.

However I know in my heart that Jehovah God will bring the right man to me at the right time and if it is right I hope I won’t be afraid because I know troubles in relationships happen but I’ll know he won’t abuse me and will treat me the way I deserve to be treated, with respect, patience and kindness!

Life isn’t about just finding someone but if your one who is looking for a companion or partner to travel through life with then that right person will show themselves. I know you will find the right man that will treat you like a gem and protect you and be a support system for you and you for him as a true partnership is!

Until that person shows themselves be strong and live as happily as you can and if that person never comes be content with what you do have! Those are words I’m trying every day to live by because I always wanted a family but I’ve left that in Jehovah Gods hands and if he sees fit to bring the right man into my life then that’s great but if not then there must be a reason so I live each day content with what I do have, friends of a lifetime, a crazy family I just got to laugh at and love, pretty good health if these stupid viruses wouldn’t latch on every now and then, lol, hobbies I adore, blogs I can’t live with out ;~) and blog readers I’m very grateful for and a God and religion I wholeheartedly believe is right and true!

So live, dream, laugh, and love each day to the fullest! Keep your eyes peeled for some day that right person may walk into your life but if not then adore and live for what you do have or are striving to have, a beautiful life surrounded by those beautiful people who enter our lives for a reason, a season, and or a lifetime! :~)

I wish you all the very best life has to offer! And my apologies for being all over the place in this post, lol! It started out as one thing and morphed into another!

 

 

Dancing in the Rain!

Life isn’t about waiting for the Rain to pass, it’s about… Dancing in the Rain

 

 

Smoke and Mirrors Cuff Bracelet!

Smoke and mirrors is a metaphor for a deceptive, fraudulent or insubstantial explanation or description. The source of the name is based on magicians' illusions, where magicians make objects appear or disappear by extending or retracting mirrors amid a distracting burst of smoke. The expression may have a connotation of virtuosity or cleverness in carrying out such a deception. A cover up, a disguise.

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So I made this a long time ago but then one of the mirrors fell off and I forgot about it until I was going through my craft bag and saw it. So I fixed it and now its good as new and I’ve even started wearing it again!

I bought a few blank cuff bracelets at Michaels a few years ago to play around with adding things to them. I decided to use the sort of misty dark black one for this project as it gives it a smoke and mirrors vibe, lol! I also bought a 25 pieces bag of assorted size round mirrors at Michaels but other sizes and shapes are available. I basically thought about the way I wanted them arranged and then hot glued them onto the cuff bracelets. It was that simple and when the mirrors occasionally come off just hot glue them back on. They stick pretty well and in the many years I’ve had it only one time has 2 mirrors fallen off. The other day I wanted to remove one and place it closer to the others and I literally couldn’t get it off and had to just leave it there. So the hot glue method worked real well and you can’t really tell the mirrors have been hot glued on there so no worries about it looking cheaply made or anything.

Also be careful when driving or wearing when it’s sunny outside as it will reflect like a disco ball, lol! The edges can be sharp too so be careful with that as well. Another thought I had is this would be great if in a survival bag as man you can use those mirrors to signal for rescue, lol!

It can be worn like any cuff bracelet up high or lower on the wrist but I found after the mirrors were attached it was harder to bend the bracelet a little to fit better so high on the arm was a better fit for me but only because my wrists are smallish and if worn lower it tends to fall off.

So I hope anyone that likes this tries this out and maybe they can do a different interesting design with the mirrors then I did! And have fun wearing your own little disco ball on your arm! Though the phrase smoke and mirrors isn’t so great I think it has a connotation of mysterious means and a bit of fun like a disguise worn at a masked ball, so in that sense I say when you wear this I hope you feel mysterious and very much a lady of smoke and mirrors, lol! Leave a dazzling array of loveliness in your wake!

• A 25 piece assortment of round mirrors- At Michaels for $1.99, though if you have a coupon found in your paper or if you get their emails you find out when deals are or they send coupons that way too, so if you use a coupon you can get one of these items for cheaper. Or you can locate similar items in any craft or home decorations store.
• Blank Cuff Bracelet- Black or copper like ones at Michaels for a few dollars I think $2.99 or $ 3.99 but that was a few years ago, though if you have a coupon found in your paper or if you get their emails you find out when deals are or they send coupons that way too, so if you use a coupon you can get one of these items for cheaper. Or you can locate similar items in any craft store or perhaps refurbish a cuff bracelet or any other type of bracelet you already have and haven’t used in quite some time.

Spray on Deodorant!

A few weeks ago I decided to make my own deodorant because I bought some that smells like baby powder and it’s too strong a scent plus it has Talc in it which freaks me out but my mom picked it up for me as she was at the store and I was out of deodorant so I just said over the phone go ahead and get it. Though I’m thinking of buying a different solid deodorant I am still going to use this spray on deodorant from time to time as it does work really well.

 

I have Hyperhydrosis which is a condition where I sweat more than normal people because the glands over produce sweat. My hands and feet are usually where it sweats worse but I usually use a lot of deodorant under my arms so I was curious if this spray on deodorant would work and I found it did hold up pretty well! I haven’t tried it under extreme stress yet but it’s done pretty well and I like how it hasn’t left white stains on my shirts like regular solid deodorant does.

 

**However before anyone tries it I say do what I did and do a test on just a little section of your underarm and see if it gets irritated and if it does stop use. Be cautious when trying any made at home products as you may be allergic to an ingredient and not know it. So make at home products such as this with caution. **

I found it did well under my arms and made the skin feel smoother and softer. I tried before and after a shave. It did well even on freshly shaved skin except once I did cut a little area on accident and when the spray hit it, it did burn for a few seconds but then it stopped burning. I like these ingredients as they are everything you normally already use and are things that sooth burns and cuts already so the only 2 ingredients that can cause stinging are the baking soda and essential oils.

I made only a little batch about less then half of the container I used which is a small plastic 2 oz. finger spritzer spray bottle I bought at Wal Mart for $0.97. Glass finger spritzer bottles are what is suggested as plastic leaches into products and can hardly be re-used as it still holds the scent of the product with essential oils in it. I already re-used the bottle when I decided to make the spray on deodorant but it didn’t have essential oils in it before. So I’m only going to use this bottle for my deodorant spray from now on and I’m not too worried about the bad stuff in plastic leaching into the spray on deodorant.

The site I found this on I will link up here at the end of the post but I only made a small amount by just eye balling it so I can’t remember the amount I added of each product. I say make a small batch and just try it first to see if there is irritation before making a large amount.

• Witch Hazel Extract- I can’t remember the price but it was only a few dollars at Wal Mart but again you can get it somewhere else if you like
• Aloe Vera Gel- A few dollars at any store that sells stuff like sun screen and stuff kind of like Wal Mart
• Vitamin E Oil (My Additive: Not Found in Online Version)- $3.97 at Wal Mart but I can’t remember if that is the right price but of course you can pick this up at anywhere Vitamin E Oils are sold at just like the Essential oils
• Baking Soda- A few dollars at any grocery store
• Jasmine Essential Blended Oil (My choice of Blended Essential Oil but you can choose which ever you assume is best for your body and which ever is not bad for your health) - $5.97 at Wal Mart but you can pick them up anywhere that Essential Oils are sold. The Wal Mart one Natures Bounty Earthly Elements as I’ve mentioned before I tried to see if it was a good kind because of the price and where I got it at and it did turn out really good and I’ve used them in a few different products
• 2 oz. Finger Spritzer Spray Bottle- $0.97 at Wal Mart in the travel section by the body products

Link to the site for recipe of Spray on Deodorant- http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2012/10/make-your-own-all-natural-deodorant-stick-or-spray.html

Something Old + Something New = Something Beautiful.... Flower & Bejeweled Button Headband!

I bought a metal bookmark some years ago at Dollar Tree and loved it but I leant it to my mom and well somehow it got broken but the metal flower was still intact but not attached to the metal end and I am no welder and have no idea how to reattached metals and know no one that does so I was stuck with a really pretty red flower with little clear crystals. So for a while I didn’t know what to do with it and then I thought it would look so pretty and regal like on a headband. So I was stumped with how to attach it to the said headband and also wondered would it be too heavy.

So I made the headband like I do all the other headbands shown on this blog. I took out some satin purple ribbon (you can choose which ever color ribbon you fancy) and measured it to my head. I cut that off the roll of ribbon and took some broken pony-tail holders of mine and hot glued the pony tails to each end of the ribbon. However I wasn’t thinking right that day and cut the pony-tail holder too short and had to resize it a few times by adding more pony-tail holder fragments to extend the length so it wasn’t too tight or too loose. The ends are a little tattered and over hot glued and doesn’t look so great but that never matters as the headband ends are covered by hair and unless you take the headband off and show someone they will never know the difference.

Also in the picture the excess purple ribbon in the center of the pony-tail holders is to cover the pony-tail holder extensions, I had to add, so that the excess dried hot glue particles doesn’t irritate my scalp and neck if it touches or rubs that area.

So I decided to attach the red metal bookmark flower to the side of the headband so it would not be center but off to the side. I couldn’t get underneath the back to sew it on so I decide to try and hot glue it and by golly it hot glued on and stuck real well. I did the hot glue at the back center of the flower and pressed it to the ribbon but then added more hot glue to each of the back petals that touch the ribbon as well.

It seemed beautiful like that but as time went by I realized that it could use something more to make it pop and create more of a wow that’s beautiful reaction. So I went to Wal Mart and looked at all the pretty buttons they have there and I brought a picture of the headband and placed them next to a few buttons until I came to just the right one.

Meanwhile one of the worker ladies there had been watching me and when she came over to do some scanning she asked if I was finding everything alright and I said yes. Then she saw the picture on my phone and asked if I was trying to make that and I said I already did. She looked closer as I put the phone closer to her and she saw it was me and she said that is pretty and really creative. I told her what I was doing and she looked at the picture again and then at the buttons and said she thinks the buttons will go great as well. So I decided to get the buttons after I looked a bit further and realized those button are perfect and I couldn’t find anymore like them so I got them in case the others were sold out.

So I waited a few days until I had some free time and then I decided to sew the buttons one on each side of the main center red flower. I used grey / silver thread to match the buttons but when you flip the headband over you can see it contrast to the vibrant purple ribbon but if you’re like me it doesn’t matter as I won’t be flipping it over for anyone and they can’t tell how I attached it anyway but if you do care then you can get thread the same color as your ribbon and sew it on with that color thread.

I sewed the buttons on by hand and it held real well because I could barely get each off when I decided to move them to readjust their location, it was torture trying to cut them off slowly but I managed to. Once they were on where I wanted them I tested them and they are on real nice and tight.

So I put it on to see if it would be too heavy for my head and it really wasn’t. I did have to readjust as I pointed out earlier to make it tighter but not too tight. All in all it turned out really quite beautiful and I got complements the first time I wore it a few days later. I wore it with the purple shirt with a beautiful reddish pink flower on it as pictured below and it matches to perfection. When I was making the headband I thought of that shirt as I was finishing up with the headband and so I dug the shirt out of my closet and held them up together and was like oh that is gorgeous!

It is now my favorite headband! I love the colors and the look and feel of it too! So I hope others find this to be of interest and decide to try and play around and make their own! Maybe you can make them in a rainbow of colors, one to match everything in your closet, well maybe that’s a bit much but at least one that when you wear it you feel a bit like a regal Princess or Queen as I did, lol!

• 6 Yards of Satin Ribbon- $1 at Dollar Tree, it gives you plenty to play around with for headbands, gifts and more.
• Metal Bookmark- $1 at Dollar Tree, but any flower of any kind will work, so use what you have and refurbish it like me or buy something new if you like, play around with it and have fun.
• 2 Silver Crystal Bejeweled Buttons- $1.97 at Wal Mart, again mix and / or match the buttons to fit your color of ribbon and color of main center flower

 

Pint Jar Soap Dispenser!

I was in Michaels sometime last year and picked up one of those free take one tags that have a really cool crafting idea on it. Well it was on how to make a pint jar soap dispenser. However the one thing I could never find in stock was the actual soap dispenser lid they were supposed to have for the pint jars, the area on the rack was labeled but no merchandise was ever there every time I looked.

So I went to the internet on how to make my own and everyone’s oh here is an easy diy idea seemed like if I tried it I would wind up with one less finger or maybe two in the end, lol! So since I like having all ten fingers I gave up on the idea for a while.

Then a few months ago I found a small plastic pint jar soap dispenser at Dollar Tree and bought it. Once the liquid was used up I kept the lid and bought a glass pint jar at Dollar Tree and filled it with liquid soap and attached the plastic pint jar lid to it and voila, perfection! It is the cutest little soap dispenser I’ve ever had!

So if you can’t find the soap jar lid for pint jars at Michaels like me then try Dollar Tree and if all else fails you might want to make your own but just be so very careful! And remember I am not responsible should you try and something happen.

 

• Pint Jar- $1 at Dollar Tree
• Pint Jar Lid- $1 at Dollar Tree, well it was a lid and plastic pint jar but I only reused the lid part with my new glass pint jar
• Liquid Refill Soap- $1 at Dollar Tree