Ok my friends. It begins tomorrow. The challenge. The competition. The rest of my life!
A few weeks ago a friend of mine, and fellow blogger, Dan (check out his blog, it's amazing! http://www.danoah.com/) posted that he was going to do a Biggest Loser style competition. Of course I jumped on that! Number one, I don't back down from a challenge. Number two, it seemed like a fantastic way to get me super motivated to stay on track. Number three, it perfectly coincided with my plan to incorporate training and getting healthy into my blog here. Luckily, Dan held a spot for me.
It starts tomorrow. I am SOOOOOOOOOOO excited!! I'm gonna get myself from this:
Back down to THIS!
Look at me! I had collarbones!!! hahaha! I can not wait to get back to that level of fitness and health! And I'm gonna STAY there this time! No more getting lazy, making excuses, psyching myself out or anything negative like that. It's on. It's done. LET'S GO!
(The top picture is from a photoshoot done last Sunday with my friend and design partner Blake. You'll start seeing and hearing a lot more about him in the next few weeks as we get ready to launch all kinds of awesomeness on the world!)
The last week of interacting and chatting with my fellow competitors has been simply amazing. There are no words to express how grateful I am for each of them for the support, kind words and hilarity that has gone down in the group. I already feel so close to each of them, and I know we're gonna be friends for life after this! I HIGHLY recommend getting into a group such as this. I haven't felt so loved, accepted or laughed so hard in a long time! :D So thank you to everyone in the competition. Ya'll are amazing!
So if you missed it, check out my last post that has all my training materials that I will be using to keep me organized and to keep track of my progress. You can click on the pictures and it will take you to where you can download them to your computer.
I'm so excited to get back into shape and get my life and my "physical" confidence back! (I'm plenty confident, personality wise. lol! I gotta get my outside matching! ;)
Is everyone else ready to get this party started?
I thought so.
June 30, 2011
And So It Begins . . .
Posted by
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7:47 PM
And So It Begins . . .
2011-06-30T19:47:00-06:00
Briana
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June 28, 2011
Training Materials
Ok, so I've been working on getting everything organized so I can feel like I have a plan for when I start training. I joined a Biggest Loser style competition, and I'm in it to WIN! And to support everyone else in the competition, because it's really about helping each other and having a group to cheer you on, I think. And having a group to keep one motivated! So while I created these sheets for me, I wanted to share them for anyone to use if they wanted. (Some of the templates I got from www.mommytrackd.com and I filled them out, if you want to see what other template things they have.)
First, I created a calendar, so I could keep track of what workouts I want to do each week. Which muscle group I want to work on what days. (This is a blank sheet that if you download and follow me, you can fill it out as we go. Then you have a written plan for you to go back to.)
I also created a calendar for July, in case anyone preferred that.
Then there are measurement trackers for both men and women.
Here is a blank menu planner:
Then here are the ones I'll be following. Yes, I eat the same thing everyday for a week at a time. It makes it easy to prepare ahead of time and it's SUPER cost effective. I have the first 4 weeks planned. You definitely don't have to follow what I do, by any means. But there might be a meal idea on there for you. :)
Week 1:
Week 2:
Week 3:
Week 4:
For the first 4 weeks I'll be going vegetarian, to help cleanse all the junk that's been building up in my body. I'll be doing strength training but the first few weeks will be MOSTLY cardio, to really help jump start the actual pounds coming off. And to keep me in the competition! ;)
So, to anyone in the competition who is reading this: GOOD LUCK TO US ALL!!! It's going to be amazing and I can't wait to see everyone's "after" pics! And to everyone else reading this, I'm excited to share these things with you and hope someone finds something useful in them. :) I'll have the first video of exercises posted hopefully by next Monday. YAY!
HERE WE GO!
Click on any of the pictures to download them to your computer. It will take you to a different site.
First, I created a calendar, so I could keep track of what workouts I want to do each week. Which muscle group I want to work on what days. (This is a blank sheet that if you download and follow me, you can fill it out as we go. Then you have a written plan for you to go back to.)
I also created a calendar for July, in case anyone preferred that.
Then there are measurement trackers for both men and women.
Here is a blank menu planner:
Then here are the ones I'll be following. Yes, I eat the same thing everyday for a week at a time. It makes it easy to prepare ahead of time and it's SUPER cost effective. I have the first 4 weeks planned. You definitely don't have to follow what I do, by any means. But there might be a meal idea on there for you. :)
Week 1:
Week 2:
Week 3:
Week 4:
For the first 4 weeks I'll be going vegetarian, to help cleanse all the junk that's been building up in my body. I'll be doing strength training but the first few weeks will be MOSTLY cardio, to really help jump start the actual pounds coming off. And to keep me in the competition! ;)
So, to anyone in the competition who is reading this: GOOD LUCK TO US ALL!!! It's going to be amazing and I can't wait to see everyone's "after" pics! And to everyone else reading this, I'm excited to share these things with you and hope someone finds something useful in them. :) I'll have the first video of exercises posted hopefully by next Monday. YAY!
HERE WE GO!
Posted by
Briana
at
8:29 PM
Training Materials
2011-06-28T20:29:00-06:00
Briana
biggest loser competition|calendar|cardio|july|meal plans|measurement tracker|strength training|training|training videos|
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June 21, 2011
Brave Girls Giveaway!
Welcome to my blog, fellow Brave Girls!! I am so happy and excited to have you here! And to my current followers, if you haven't heard about the Brave Girls Club, you DEFINITELY need to check it out. It's an amazing place full of love, hope and encouragement. They have a class called Soul Restoration, which I've been wanting to take since I saw them debut it. I can't believe I haven't taken it yet, because it looks like a truly incredible experience. If you want more information on it, click the image below:
They also have a Brave Girls Camp, that I would seriously consider trading one of my kids to go to. Just sayin'. ;) hahaha!! I'm kidding, of course. But you get the gist of how badly I want to go. lol
And even though I haven't taken the SOUL Restoration classes yet, I still feel such a connection to the Brave Girls and to pretty much everything they do over there, that I wanted to be a part of it even if I'm just doing a giveaway on their page. I would love nothing more than to send this:
to one lucky Brave Girl! This, I think, by far is one of my most favorite pieces that I have created. I love all the colors, working together, shining and sparkling in the light. There are so many yummy beads in here, it's like having a different necklace every time you move with how they move around and shift.
Here's some close ups:
And, if you'd like instructions on how to make it, so you can make one for yourself, check out this blog post I did a few weeks ago: http://vintage53.blogspot.com/2011/05/blingity-bling-ribbon-rhinestones-blog.html
Also, while I have your attention here, check out the purple box on the lower right hand side of my blog. I was involved in an amazing blog hop earlier this month, and we're working to raise money to send to a women's shelter to help families who have been victims of domestic violence. There are some really amazing prizes you can be entered to win by sending cards with messages of hope to our sisters out there. To count for entry, cards need to be postmarked by June 30, but if you can, please send a card. It'd be amazing to be able to share messages of hope and strength to as many women as we can. :D
Ok, back to the giveaway here! To enter:
Leave a comment on this post. Tell me one amazing thing that you love about yourself that you have learned from being a Brave Girl. Let's get some positive mojo going!! I'll start: One thing I love about me is I know that no matter what life throws in front of me, I can and WILL make things work out. :) I'm definitely an "it doesn't matter if the cup is half full or half empty, because I know how to fill it up" kind of person.
Your turn!
For EXTRA entries you can do the following, and please leave a separate comment for each thing you do. If you lump it all together into one comment, it will just count for one entry unfortunately. So be sure you get your extra entries!!
So that's SIX entries you could have! Entries must be in by midnight on Tuesday June 28th. I will post the winner on Wednesday June 29th.
Good luck everyone!! And thank you for taking the time to visit my blog, I am so grateful to have you here.
Have an amazing day! -Brie
They also have a Brave Girls Camp, that I would seriously consider trading one of my kids to go to. Just sayin'. ;) hahaha!! I'm kidding, of course. But you get the gist of how badly I want to go. lol
And even though I haven't taken the SOUL Restoration classes yet, I still feel such a connection to the Brave Girls and to pretty much everything they do over there, that I wanted to be a part of it even if I'm just doing a giveaway on their page. I would love nothing more than to send this:
to one lucky Brave Girl! This, I think, by far is one of my most favorite pieces that I have created. I love all the colors, working together, shining and sparkling in the light. There are so many yummy beads in here, it's like having a different necklace every time you move with how they move around and shift.
Here's some close ups:
And, if you'd like instructions on how to make it, so you can make one for yourself, check out this blog post I did a few weeks ago: http://vintage53.blogspot.com/2011/05/blingity-bling-ribbon-rhinestones-blog.html
Also, while I have your attention here, check out the purple box on the lower right hand side of my blog. I was involved in an amazing blog hop earlier this month, and we're working to raise money to send to a women's shelter to help families who have been victims of domestic violence. There are some really amazing prizes you can be entered to win by sending cards with messages of hope to our sisters out there. To count for entry, cards need to be postmarked by June 30, but if you can, please send a card. It'd be amazing to be able to share messages of hope and strength to as many women as we can. :D
Ok, back to the giveaway here! To enter:
Leave a comment on this post. Tell me one amazing thing that you love about yourself that you have learned from being a Brave Girl. Let's get some positive mojo going!! I'll start: One thing I love about me is I know that no matter what life throws in front of me, I can and WILL make things work out. :) I'm definitely an "it doesn't matter if the cup is half full or half empty, because I know how to fill it up" kind of person.
Your turn!
For EXTRA entries you can do the following, and please leave a separate comment for each thing you do. If you lump it all together into one comment, it will just count for one entry unfortunately. So be sure you get your extra entries!!
• Be a follower of my facebook page HERE
• Be a follower of the blog
• Share the giveaway by posting it to your own facebook
• Share the giveaway by posting a link in your own blog
• Tweet about the giveawaySo that's SIX entries you could have! Entries must be in by midnight on Tuesday June 28th. I will post the winner on Wednesday June 29th.
Good luck everyone!! And thank you for taking the time to visit my blog, I am so grateful to have you here.
Have an amazing day! -Brie
Posted by
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at
7:00 AM
Brave Girls Giveaway!
2011-06-21T07:00:00-06:00
Briana
bling|brave girls|brave girls camp|brave girls club|giveaway|jewelry idea|jewelry tutorial|necklace|necklace idea|necklace tutorial|project idea|soul restoration|
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June 19, 2011
Father's Day Fun!
Ok, so since there's no "dad" around our house, we always make Papa's Day things for my dad. (My kids and I live at home with my parents.) I made this coupon book for the kids to give to Papa.
The kids helped me come up with different coupon ideas:
We have a total of 14 coupons, 6 of them being fill in the blank. Other ones we did are:
• Game night
• Snuggle time
• Help with yardwork
Squish hugs are something my 5 year old came up with. It where you squeeze each other really, really, REALLY tightly and you don't let go. He also does squish kisses, but those are rare. ;) lol
I simply cut 3"x6" rectangles out of patterned paper and scored them all along one side about 1/4" in. Then I typed out the coupons and printed them on lined paper. I LOVE the look that creates, it looks just like a stamp. I cut those out and just adhered them to the patterned paper. I just used American Crafts adhesives. Then I just applied a line of adhesive on the 1/4" section and stuck them all together. The scoring makes it so the pages turn easier. Then I just wrapped a length of floss around the side and tied a bow. Done and done. :D
I made this card as well, using the downloaded template from Lifestyle Crafts. You can find that HERE. I made mine look like the cheesy fun things my dad would wear "back in the day." :D
I used my trusty Pilot Permaball pen to outline the tie, make it stand out a bit. I had the kids each write a little message on a sheet of paper that I folded up and tucked into the card. (If you follow the pattern from the download, it folds in half. I just tucked it in there.)
The kids were so excited to give these things to their Papa! It was fun seeing their faces as he looked through his coupon book and read his little messages. :)
The kids helped me come up with different coupon ideas:
We have a total of 14 coupons, 6 of them being fill in the blank. Other ones we did are:
• Game night
• Snuggle time
• Help with yardwork
Squish hugs are something my 5 year old came up with. It where you squeeze each other really, really, REALLY tightly and you don't let go. He also does squish kisses, but those are rare. ;) lol
I simply cut 3"x6" rectangles out of patterned paper and scored them all along one side about 1/4" in. Then I typed out the coupons and printed them on lined paper. I LOVE the look that creates, it looks just like a stamp. I cut those out and just adhered them to the patterned paper. I just used American Crafts adhesives. Then I just applied a line of adhesive on the 1/4" section and stuck them all together. The scoring makes it so the pages turn easier. Then I just wrapped a length of floss around the side and tied a bow. Done and done. :D
I made this card as well, using the downloaded template from Lifestyle Crafts. You can find that HERE. I made mine look like the cheesy fun things my dad would wear "back in the day." :D
I used my trusty Pilot Permaball pen to outline the tie, make it stand out a bit. I had the kids each write a little message on a sheet of paper that I folded up and tucked into the card. (If you follow the pattern from the download, it folds in half. I just tucked it in there.)
The kids were so excited to give these things to their Papa! It was fun seeing their faces as he looked through his coupon book and read his little messages. :)
June 18, 2011
Holder of Endless Possibilities!
I've seen this project done in several places. The Crafting Chicks have done it. Brett Lund, my partner in crime at Roberts Crafts, did it. Here's my take on it:
A few of my things from my April Gilded Girls Society Stash look amazing in it!! (The Gilded Girls is a "kit club" kind of thing, but instead of being sent scrapbook kits, they send out the most amazing and delicious vintage finds like fabrics and rhinestones and custom mixed German glass glitter . . . . I've told them I want to be a member for life!! lol)
But really . . . . the possibilities are endless when it comes to things I could put in there. Scrapbook embellishments . . . jewelry . . . beads . . . flowers . . . I need to make more! :D
(*waving my hand in a Jedi motion* You do not see the electrical cord in the background.) All I did was take two brass candlesticks and two silver mini mixing bowls that I found at the local thrift store and glued them together with the magical substance, E6000. I let it dry over night, then I spray painted it this amazing blue color! The bowls were $1.00 each, the candlesticks were 75¢ each. Spray paint was the most expensive thing coming in at $3.99. Ya just can't beat that. :D
True love.
A few of my things from my April Gilded Girls Society Stash look amazing in it!! (The Gilded Girls is a "kit club" kind of thing, but instead of being sent scrapbook kits, they send out the most amazing and delicious vintage finds like fabrics and rhinestones and custom mixed German glass glitter . . . . I've told them I want to be a member for life!! lol)
But really . . . . the possibilities are endless when it comes to things I could put in there. Scrapbook embellishments . . . jewelry . . . beads . . . flowers . . . I need to make more! :D
(*waving my hand in a Jedi motion* You do not see the electrical cord in the background.) All I did was take two brass candlesticks and two silver mini mixing bowls that I found at the local thrift store and glued them together with the magical substance, E6000. I let it dry over night, then I spray painted it this amazing blue color! The bowls were $1.00 each, the candlesticks were 75¢ each. Spray paint was the most expensive thing coming in at $3.99. Ya just can't beat that. :D
True love.
Posted by
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at
2:42 PM
Holder of Endless Possibilities!
2011-06-18T14:42:00-06:00
Briana
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June 16, 2011
It's My Birthday!
Congratulations Heather!! I've sent you an email. Reply back to it with your address and I'll get your prize sent out to you.
Thanks, everyone, for entering and sharing your stories and birthday wishes!! I just posted another giveaway today, if you'd like to enter that one. :) Good luck!!
http://vintage53.blogspot.com/2011/06/brave-girls-giveaway.html
UPDATE!!
I won a Cricut cartridge today at work, but since I don't own a Cricut, I thought I'd pass it on to the winner of this giveaway! YAY!
I wanted to take the opportunity while I had y'all's attention with a GIVEAWAY!!! to introduce a new thing I will be incorporating to this blog. In my "About Me" page, I mention that I had been really into training and healthy living. And if you've followed my blog for a while, you'll know I've done things like post weekly meal plans and fitness tips. WELL. I'm going to expand upon that! I've been supremely slacking the last two years and my waistline is hating me for it. :( I came across a picture of me from back then, and while I still had a good 30-40lbs to lose at the point the picture was taken, I looked GOOD! I'm going to work hard to get back to that, and I'd love for anyone who wants to join me to follow along! My goal is to get back to where I was by Christmas this year, and down to my original goal for my birthday next year!
I met with the man who helped me get started on my weight loss journey two years ago, my old trainer and good friend Raleigh Campbell, and he's going to help me with this new feature on the blog. He and I are going to film different exercises and show how you can adapt them for either a gym setting or for at home. I know not everyone can make it to the gym. I know not everyone has time for extensive workouts. BUT We do all have time for being healthy and we owe it to ourselves to be so! :) So we'll have weekly videos and blog posts with exercise and healthy living tips, advice and whatever else we can think of to help us all out. And I'm going to start up my weekly meal plan posts again. I know how I do it isn't going to work for everyone. But I hope that someone can find something within what I post that can help them. You don't have to follow my meal plans, but maybe they'll give you an idea for dinner one night. :) Or something like that. lol
NOW ON TO THE GIVEAWAY!!!
Since it's my birthday, I'm going to celebrate by giving YOU the opportunity to win this:
Rhinestone charm necklace, made with a gear from 7Gypsies. |
• Enter a comment to be counted for your first entry. Tell me what your fitness goals are, and what you'd like to see in the videos and posts we do. I'd love your feedback, and I want it to be something beneficial for all! :D
For additional entries:
• Be a follower of this blog - leave a comment on this post telling me you are a follower.
• Go and "Like" Vintage 53 on facbook. Click HERE to go to the facebook page. Leave a comment on this blog post, letting me know you are following me there.
• Share this giveaway on your own facebook pages. Leave a comment on this post letting me know you shared.
• Share this giveaway on your blog. Leave a comment on this post letting me know you shared. I'd love to see your own blogs as well! :)
• Tweet about this giveaway. Leave a comment on this post letting me know you tweeted.
So you'll have 6 chances to enter! Remember to leave a SEPARATE comment for each entry. I'll pick a winner on Tuesday of next week, which is June 21.
Thank you all for the support and for sharing the page! I really appreciate it and am grateful for each of you. :) Have an amazing day everyone! And good luck!
June 11, 2011
The Goal Project
As I was driving home from work last night, a sudden thought hit me. And it overwhelmed me.
I have a lot of goals. SOOO many things I want to do in my life. I need to write them down. I don't want to call it a bucket list. That sounds so morbid. lol! So I'm calling it my Goal Project.
I've really loved the idea of an art journal, but I'm horrible at journal keeping. Even an artsy one. So I kind of took a twist on the art journal, and am making a goal journal. Of course, I had to make it all cute and fun! And it's not finished yet, but I wanted to show you what I started. I wanted it to be made of fabric. I thought being able to use different fabrics would make such a fun background! I'm going to include pockets for pictures and journal cards and things like that. I'm so excited!!!
Here's what it looks like(ish):
Here's how I did it:
Take 2 rectangles of fabric and a slightly smaller rectangle of the heavy duty white stuff that's not interfacing, but you find it in the same spot in the fabric store. (If you haven't figured out this about me, I am SOOO not technical or precise when I craft. LOL) If anyone knows the name of that stuff, I'd love to hear it. haha!
I wanted a lot of fun texture on my cover, so I took a strip of netting and sewed down one side of it and gathered it. (It does not have to be cut straight. In fact, having a completely uneven cut only adds to the fun look of it at the end. You'll see what I mean.)
See how the uneven cut gives it different levels of dimension? LOVE IT! So pin your gathered netting about 3" from the bottom. And sew it on.
I sewed it so far over to make sure I got it all sewn. With it gathered so much, I didn't want to miss any spots.
I cut a strip of lace and fan folded it to "gather" it. Then I laid it over the netting and pinned it down.
I sewed it across the top, then along the bottom in two spots to make sure it was tacked down well. I intend to use this for a LONG time, and don't want the lace falling off.
Then I did a zig zag stitch around the whole thing, leaving about 3/4" of space on the edge.
I left that much space so I could go around with pinking shears.
I found some cute ribbon from my stash, and used Glossy Accents to glue it down.
I love ribbon!!! I'll post more pictures as I add to it and get it "finished." :)
I repeated that for my inside pages, minus all the trims and ribbon. I will sew things like pockets onto those pages, to hold photos and things like that.
I'm going to use the Crop-A-Dile to "three hole punch" it, then I'm going to use binder rings to hold it together. I want to be able to add more pages to it as I go. I'm sure I'll find more goals to reach for in life! I want to have a page for each goal, and as I achieve them I can add things to my pages like photos or journal cards, memorabilia from whatever the goal was.
Here's my list of goals. So far.
• Travel the world!
• Get back in to theater/film. London or New York. I'm good with either option. ;)
• Volunteer on an archeological dig. (My dream from when I was 11 was to be an Egyptologist. lol)
• Swim with dolphins. (My other dream was to be a killer whale/dolphin trainer at Sea World. I love me! haha I'm so random!)
• Get back into a shape that is NOT round. (In progress - more on that in my next post!)
• Do a triathlon (I was SOOO close before! GAH!)
• Design a scrapbook line. (In progress!)
• Own my own craft company. (Also in progress! YAY!)
• Travel all over teaching crafting.
• Start a scholarship for single moms.
• Write a book.
• Write a screenplay. (In progress.)
• Write a song. (Also in progress. Working on a lullaby for my kids.)
I think that's a pretty good list for now. lol! What are some of your goals?
I have a lot of goals. SOOO many things I want to do in my life. I need to write them down. I don't want to call it a bucket list. That sounds so morbid. lol! So I'm calling it my Goal Project.
I've really loved the idea of an art journal, but I'm horrible at journal keeping. Even an artsy one. So I kind of took a twist on the art journal, and am making a goal journal. Of course, I had to make it all cute and fun! And it's not finished yet, but I wanted to show you what I started. I wanted it to be made of fabric. I thought being able to use different fabrics would make such a fun background! I'm going to include pockets for pictures and journal cards and things like that. I'm so excited!!!
Here's what it looks like(ish):
Here's how I did it:
Take 2 rectangles of fabric and a slightly smaller rectangle of the heavy duty white stuff that's not interfacing, but you find it in the same spot in the fabric store. (If you haven't figured out this about me, I am SOOO not technical or precise when I craft. LOL) If anyone knows the name of that stuff, I'd love to hear it. haha!
I wanted a lot of fun texture on my cover, so I took a strip of netting and sewed down one side of it and gathered it. (It does not have to be cut straight. In fact, having a completely uneven cut only adds to the fun look of it at the end. You'll see what I mean.)
See how the uneven cut gives it different levels of dimension? LOVE IT! So pin your gathered netting about 3" from the bottom. And sew it on.
I sewed it so far over to make sure I got it all sewn. With it gathered so much, I didn't want to miss any spots.
I cut a strip of lace and fan folded it to "gather" it. Then I laid it over the netting and pinned it down.
I sewed it across the top, then along the bottom in two spots to make sure it was tacked down well. I intend to use this for a LONG time, and don't want the lace falling off.
Then I did a zig zag stitch around the whole thing, leaving about 3/4" of space on the edge.
I left that much space so I could go around with pinking shears.
I found some cute ribbon from my stash, and used Glossy Accents to glue it down.
I love ribbon!!! I'll post more pictures as I add to it and get it "finished." :)
I repeated that for my inside pages, minus all the trims and ribbon. I will sew things like pockets onto those pages, to hold photos and things like that.
I'm going to use the Crop-A-Dile to "three hole punch" it, then I'm going to use binder rings to hold it together. I want to be able to add more pages to it as I go. I'm sure I'll find more goals to reach for in life! I want to have a page for each goal, and as I achieve them I can add things to my pages like photos or journal cards, memorabilia from whatever the goal was.
Here's my list of goals. So far.
• Travel the world!
• Get back in to theater/film. London or New York. I'm good with either option. ;)
• Volunteer on an archeological dig. (My dream from when I was 11 was to be an Egyptologist. lol)
• Swim with dolphins. (My other dream was to be a killer whale/dolphin trainer at Sea World. I love me! haha I'm so random!)
• Get back into a shape that is NOT round. (In progress - more on that in my next post!)
• Do a triathlon (I was SOOO close before! GAH!)
• Design a scrapbook line. (In progress!)
• Own my own craft company. (Also in progress! YAY!)
• Travel all over teaching crafting.
• Start a scholarship for single moms.
• Write a book.
• Write a screenplay. (In progress.)
• Write a song. (Also in progress. Working on a lullaby for my kids.)
I think that's a pretty good list for now. lol! What are some of your goals?
Posted by
Briana
at
11:19 AM
The Goal Project
2011-06-11T11:19:00-06:00
Briana
art journal|craft idea|craft tutorial|fabric book|goals|project idea|project tutorial|the goal project|
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June 10, 2011
Royal Purple Blog Hop
I am so honored to be a part of this blog hop! This is definitely a worthwhile cause, and I'm happy to support it in any way possible. As Vintage 53, I donated some fun jewelry and products from my Etsy store to be part of the grand prize giveaway on Faith's blog. And as Roberts Crafts, I was thrilled to be able to donate scrapbooking supplies to Faith as well. (Including the purple 12x12 leather WeR Memory Keepers album, 4 Cricut cartridges and a ton of other fun scrapbook supplies!) We had a stash of kids art supplies in the Roberts office that I was able to send to pass along to the Bradley House.
Before I get to my card that I created, I wanted to include the text from the other blogs in the hop, for you to see the statistics, and to see what we are doing as part of this hop. The goal is to raise money to send to the Bradley house to help the families there.
About 4.8 million intimate partner-related physical assaults and rapes occur every year while many more assaults and rapes go unreported entirely. Over 3 million children witness violence in their home each year and those who see and hear violence in the home suffer physically and emotionally. These statistics are sad and overwhelming, but help IS out there for those that choose to break the silence.
Together we can make a difference! Help us instill some hope where very little probably exists and give 24 families a chance at recovery when we are able to donate $1000 dollars to the Bradley Angle House. Your purple themed card(s) with a hope filled message inside could make all the difference, not to mention give YOU a chance to win the grand prize for this hop.
Want more chances to win the grand prize? Additional entries will be given for each $1 donation you include with your card. Cards must be postmarked by June 30th for inclusion in basket drawings and can be mailed to the following address:
Royal Purple Hop
c/o Vicki Smith
P.O. Box 1496
Millbrook, NY 12545
To start at the beginning of the hop, or see all the blog candy being offered be sure to check out Faith's Blog. Next in the lineup is Erin.
For my card, I wanted to include not only a handwritten note inside from me, but a strong message of hope on the front, as part of the design. I was walking through the Roberts Crafts store where my office is, and I found this paper with raindrops on it and a saying came to me:
"Through the storm hope will grow"
I thought it was the perfect message that I wanted to convey. That no matter what any of us goes through, no matter what trial, it will only make us stronger and more beautiful at the end of it. Stars shine brighter in the clear sky after a storm. Flowers grow after the rains fall. A candle flame shines brighter through the darkness. There is hope following trials. There is strength in overcoming obstacles. And there is love no matter what.
(Forgive the bad lighting in the pictures. Normally I photograph in natural light, but I wasn't able to get the pictures done until after dark. The lighting in my room is horrible!)
"Through the storm hope will grow"
I thought it was the perfect message that I wanted to convey. That no matter what any of us goes through, no matter what trial, it will only make us stronger and more beautiful at the end of it. Stars shine brighter in the clear sky after a storm. Flowers grow after the rains fall. A candle flame shines brighter through the darkness. There is hope following trials. There is strength in overcoming obstacles. And there is love no matter what.
(Forgive the bad lighting in the pictures. Normally I photograph in natural light, but I wasn't able to get the pictures done until after dark. The lighting in my room is horrible!)
Thank you for stopping by my blog. I hope you are able to send in a card, not only to enter the seriously incredible giveaways going on at Faith's blog, but to send a message of hope to one of our sisters. And if you have a blog of your own, please use the button on the right sidebar that has all the information about the fundraiser we have going on. (Scroll down a little bit, and you'll see it.) Have an amazing day everyone!
In case you get lost along the way, here is the complete lineup:
Faith: http://faithfulecreations.com/
Raven: http://love4stamps.blogspot.com/
Linda: www.thefruitofmyhands.blogspot.com
Brie: http://vintage53.blogspot.com/ <-----YOU ARE HERE
Erin: http://www.spantastikreations.blogspot.com/
Tanya: http://www.ScrappyScavenger.blogspot.com/
Amanda: http://www.scrapanddash.com/
Kimmare: http://kimmarieskorner.blogspot.com/
Jackie: http://jackrabbitscrappin.blogspot.com/
Lori A: http://www.scrappinmystressaway.blogspot.com/
Gina: http://californiascrappin-gcinderella21.blogspot.com/
Monica: http://scraps2treasure.blogspot.com/
Anita: http://anitaandbugs.blogspot.com/
Sue: http://susanascorner.blogspot.com/
Gaby: www.gabycreates.com
Debbie W: http://craftydeb-ddscrafts.blogspot.com/
Jen R. http:/www.memorieswithjen.blogspot.com/
Deborah http://www.scrappingmamma.net/
Ellen: http://www.cardmonkey-business.blogspot.com/
Gill: http://creationsbygillm.blogspot.com/
Lori: http://lorisartsyobsession.blogspot.com/
Krista: http://www.kristaspapercafe.com/
Carol: http://www.cardstockscissorsandglue.blogspot.com/
Nancy: http://fancywithnancy.blogspot.com/
Vicki: http://paperandprims.blogspot.com/
Emily: http://www.createserendipity.net/
Kristal: http://gettingcricky.com/
Amy: http://amychomas.blogspot.com/
Raven: http://love4stamps.blogspot.com/
Linda: www.thefruitofmyhands.blogspot.com
Brie: http://vintage53.blogspot.com/ <-----YOU ARE HERE
Erin: http://www.spantastikreations.blogspot.com/
Tanya: http://www.ScrappyScavenger.blogspot.com/
Amanda: http://www.scrapanddash.com/
Kimmare: http://kimmarieskorner.blogspot.com/
Jackie: http://jackrabbitscrappin.blogspot.com/
Lori A: http://www.scrappinmystressaway.blogspot.com/
Gina: http://californiascrappin-gcinderella21.blogspot.com/
Monica: http://scraps2treasure.blogspot.com/
Anita: http://anitaandbugs.blogspot.com/
Sue: http://susanascorner.blogspot.com/
Gaby: www.gabycreates.com
Debbie W: http://craftydeb-ddscrafts.blogspot.com/
Jen R. http:/www.memorieswithjen.blogspot.com/
Deborah http://www.scrappingmamma.net/
Ellen: http://www.cardmonkey-business.blogspot.com/
Gill: http://creationsbygillm.blogspot.com/
Lori: http://lorisartsyobsession.blogspot.com/
Krista: http://www.kristaspapercafe.com/
Carol: http://www.cardstockscissorsandglue.blogspot.com/
Nancy: http://fancywithnancy.blogspot.com/
Vicki: http://paperandprims.blogspot.com/
Emily: http://www.createserendipity.net/
Kristal: http://gettingcricky.com/
Amy: http://amychomas.blogspot.com/
Posted by
Briana
at
1:00 AM
Royal Purple Blog Hop
2011-06-10T01:00:00-06:00
Briana
blog hop|card idea|domestic violence|fabric flowers|fundraiser|giveaway|inspiration|inspirational quote|purple|rain|
Comments
Labels:
blog hop,
card idea,
domestic violence,
fabric flowers,
fundraiser,
giveaway,
inspiration,
inspirational quote,
purple,
rain
June 5, 2011
Birthday Party FUN!
When I throw a party . . . . there's no slowing me down! This was the first party I'd done for one of my kids where we invited friends instead of just family. So I wanted to make it super fun for her! We originally were planning to do a "Puppy Party", featured on the Crafting Chicks blog. (Seen HERE) But when she gave me her guest list, I just kept thinking about how expensive it could get. Fast. And it stresses me out not knowing how many will actually show up and not knowing how many to plan for. (I hate NOT KNOWING things. lol! I'm the type that likes to have a plan and two back up plans.) Which, to do a party like that, there's really just no knowing what to plan on. And I hated making my daughter choose x number of friends, she was having such a hard time and didn't want anyone to feel bad. :(
A few weeks ago we went to a baby/kids fair in Salt Lake City, and this company was there with all their bounce houses. The lady I talked to was the event coordinator for the company and she was SO nice! And when I saw the prices for an entire day's rental, I was convinced that was the route to go. Because it didn't matter how many kids came, the cost would be the same. (If you're in Utah, check them out for sure! http://goosejumps.com/rentals.htm) They rent by the day, instead of in hour blocks. Which I loved, cause that gave ME time to play on it once the kids left! LOL
And, being me, I couldn't stop at just the bounce house. I had the bright idea to make it into a whole carnival!
I made some carnival games from things I had lying around the house anyway.
I also found a little plastic golf game at WalMart for $5 that we set out. And a hula hoop. The kids went crazy!
I set up a facepainting/tattoo station. Fortunately, I had some extremely talented artist friends there who helped me run this station! I was so completely occupied making cotton candy, popcorn & hot dogs and making sure everyone had what they needed that it was hard to do much else.
I made these fun decorations and hung them from the facepainting station. I just cut 2" strips of paper from the Animal Crackers paper and hot glued the ends together to make different lengths. Then I hot glued those ends together and creased one point in them to make the tear drop shape. Then I just tied them together with colored embroidery floss. They looked so fun twisting and twirling in the breeze!
These are so fun, easy and addicting to make! And they look amazing for so many different settings. It was super late when I made them, so I didn't get any good pictures of the steps to make them. :S I followed this tutorial: http://www.marthastewart.com/how-to/tissue-paper-pom-poms-how-to
I rented the cotton candy machine from the same company that had the bounce house. Their popcorn machine was already reserved, so I found another one through another local company. I went to a party supply store and stocked up on a bunch of the bulk prizes for our prize jar.
My sister had this tube thing for her baby to crawl through, but it quickly became a source of entertainment for the big kids!
My 5 year old informed me he wanted to paint my face. Who am I to deny his creative expression? A couple of my friends who were there decided I needed a goatee and a Hitler mustache. I was lookin' good!! ;) hahaha
Now, I'm no cake decorator. My idea of decorating a cake is slathering on the frosting and shaking on the canned sprinkles. But I had an idea in my head of how I wanted this carnival cake, and I'm pretty happy with how it turned out!
Again, I made the pinwheels late at night, and the lighting in my room is horrible for pictures. So here's the tutorial I followed: http://createstudio.blogspot.com/2010/03/how-to-make-pinwheel.html
I made my squares 2", 1.75" & 1.5". Since they were so small, I just hot glued them together, and hot glued a brad to them, instead of holding it all together with a brad. I didn't want to risk ripping the paper. (I used my jewelry wire cutters to get the prong things off the brads so I could glue them down.) Then I just made triangle flags, and rectangle flags with a notch cut out. I used the iRock to decorate the flags with some gems.
The pennant banner is probably my most favorite thing that I made for this whole party! I just cut triangles out of different Animal Crackers papers for the flags. Then I cut 1 3/8" strips of paper from some Doodlebug paper. Fan fold the strips, then hot glue the ends together. (Make sure on the ends one fold goes up, the other goes down.) Once the glue dries, lay it out flat and hot glue it to the flags. Then hot glue a circle of paper to the top. I printed my daughter's name ALAYNA using a fun carnival looking font onto regular lined paper. The porous quality of the paper made it look like I had stamped the letters on! It was fantastic! And the lined paper just looked good layered with the other papers. Then I just glued the flags to a piece of embroidery floss and tied it to skewers and stuck it in the cake.
Present time!! My sister found this crown for her. It took her a while to find one that fit over my daughter's hair. She had to get the extra large KING crown. hahaha!
Happy birthday Alayna!!!! Seeing her beautiful smile made it all completely worth it! :D
A few weeks ago we went to a baby/kids fair in Salt Lake City, and this company was there with all their bounce houses. The lady I talked to was the event coordinator for the company and she was SO nice! And when I saw the prices for an entire day's rental, I was convinced that was the route to go. Because it didn't matter how many kids came, the cost would be the same. (If you're in Utah, check them out for sure! http://goosejumps.com/rentals.htm) They rent by the day, instead of in hour blocks. Which I loved, cause that gave ME time to play on it once the kids left! LOL
This was the 5-in-1 combo bounce house. It had an obstacle course and a slide inside, as well as an area for bouncing. |
And, being me, I couldn't stop at just the bounce house. I had the bright idea to make it into a whole carnival!
I made some carnival games from things I had lying around the house anyway.
I just used water bottles and pool toys for a ring toss game. |
I also found a little plastic golf game at WalMart for $5 that we set out. And a hula hoop. The kids went crazy!
I set up a facepainting/tattoo station. Fortunately, I had some extremely talented artist friends there who helped me run this station! I was so completely occupied making cotton candy, popcorn & hot dogs and making sure everyone had what they needed that it was hard to do much else.
I made these fun decorations and hung them from the facepainting station. I just cut 2" strips of paper from the Animal Crackers paper and hot glued the ends together to make different lengths. Then I hot glued those ends together and creased one point in them to make the tear drop shape. Then I just tied them together with colored embroidery floss. They looked so fun twisting and twirling in the breeze!
I made these fun ribbon decorations and hot glued them to paper bags for the kids to use to hold their prizes. It was so easy, just take 4 strips of ribbon. Put a dab of hot glue in the center of one ribbon, lay another on top of it. Repeat until the 4 strips are glued together. Then just bring the ends to the center and hot glue down. Done and done. :)
These are so fun, easy and addicting to make! And they look amazing for so many different settings. It was super late when I made them, so I didn't get any good pictures of the steps to make them. :S I followed this tutorial: http://www.marthastewart.com/how-to/tissue-paper-pom-poms-how-to
Cotton candy gets EVERYWHERE when you make it. Fair warning. ;) |
The popcorn machine was my favorite part! The prize jar was the kids favorite. lol |
What's a carnival without hot dogs? |
My sister had this tube thing for her baby to crawl through, but it quickly became a source of entertainment for the big kids!
My 5 year old informed me he wanted to paint my face. Who am I to deny his creative expression? A couple of my friends who were there decided I needed a goatee and a Hitler mustache. I was lookin' good!! ;) hahaha
Now, I'm no cake decorator. My idea of decorating a cake is slathering on the frosting and shaking on the canned sprinkles. But I had an idea in my head of how I wanted this carnival cake, and I'm pretty happy with how it turned out!
Again, I made the pinwheels late at night, and the lighting in my room is horrible for pictures. So here's the tutorial I followed: http://createstudio.blogspot.com/2010/03/how-to-make-pinwheel.html
I made my squares 2", 1.75" & 1.5". Since they were so small, I just hot glued them together, and hot glued a brad to them, instead of holding it all together with a brad. I didn't want to risk ripping the paper. (I used my jewelry wire cutters to get the prong things off the brads so I could glue them down.) Then I just made triangle flags, and rectangle flags with a notch cut out. I used the iRock to decorate the flags with some gems.
The pennant banner is probably my most favorite thing that I made for this whole party! I just cut triangles out of different Animal Crackers papers for the flags. Then I cut 1 3/8" strips of paper from some Doodlebug paper. Fan fold the strips, then hot glue the ends together. (Make sure on the ends one fold goes up, the other goes down.) Once the glue dries, lay it out flat and hot glue it to the flags. Then hot glue a circle of paper to the top. I printed my daughter's name ALAYNA using a fun carnival looking font onto regular lined paper. The porous quality of the paper made it look like I had stamped the letters on! It was fantastic! And the lined paper just looked good layered with the other papers. Then I just glued the flags to a piece of embroidery floss and tied it to skewers and stuck it in the cake.
Present time!! My sister found this crown for her. It took her a while to find one that fit over my daughter's hair. She had to get the extra large KING crown. hahaha!
Happy birthday Alayna!!!! Seeing her beautiful smile made it all completely worth it! :D
Posted by
Briana
at
8:12 PM
Birthday Party FUN!
2011-06-05T20:12:00-06:00
Briana
cake decorating|cake ideas|carnival games|doodlebug|imaginisce|paper crafting|paper flowers|tissue paper|tissue paper pom pom how to|tissue paper pom pom tutorial|tissue paper pom poms|
Comments
Labels:
cake decorating,
cake ideas,
carnival games,
doodlebug,
imaginisce,
paper crafting,
paper flowers,
tissue paper,
tissue paper pom pom how to,
tissue paper pom pom tutorial,
tissue paper pom poms
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