All you need is 20 Seconds of Insane Courage!

A few weeks ago I saw the movie, "We Bought A Zoo".

I was struck by the following quote, and felt like it was so applicable to Adam and I

If you haven't read my blog for long, you might not know how we met! We met at IHOP!

You can read the story by clicking here

It was 7 years ago today, that our dear friend had "20 seconds of insane courage" ...

& I can't even describe how much good has come from it!

Lets just say, it was a LIFE CHANGING 20 Seconds!

Happy Anniversary Adam ... I love you!

For a download of the quote, click here

(Be sure to not click the Ad download, click the download from sendspace)

Loving these PANTS!!

Okay, I promise this is the last one about my segment! Here is the outfit Seasons / Pananche dressed me in for my segment! I will tell you, I am LOVING these mint pants! This outfit was so fun to wear on Studio 5! You can always find it on http://www.wearpanache.com/!
Here are the links:
Mint Skinny's
Blouse

What do you think??

More Details on Segment!

I got quite a few emails from Studio 5 viewers about my segment on Friday, so I thought I would post a few more details to help all of you out!

Antique Hangers – I ordered the hangers from http://www.rubyplaza.com/shop/itsnotaboutneed. (Also a new sponsor on my blog, so be sure to check out all their great antiques!) They have lots of great items to display in your home. I thought of using some of those beautiful antique pictures of my ancestors to place in my office. A great way to remind me of my heritage, and to use photos that might just be sitting in a box collecting dust.

Clipboards – Make a collage of clipboards on your wall to show miscellaneous pictures. I chose to take clipboards and display pictures of my son. One clipboard / picture for every year of his life. Then decorated it with some cute accordion circles made out of scrapbook paper. Click here for a turtorial on YouTube for how to make these cute circle accordion circles!

Curtains – Often we take pictures of us eating our favorite food, a cuisine we were proud to say we made, or enjoying food together. Create a small window curtain collage using small pictures (2” x 2”) and stacks of paper cut out in circles then folded to create a 3-D effect. Use your sewing machine to sew them all together. (Watch the video segment to see more how to do this!) I did sew in the middle of each picture. Then simply attach each string of pictures and paper circles with curtain hangers to a rod.  All the pictures are of us either enjoying food together, or some pictures of food we love! Perfect curtains for any kitchen!

Coloring Book Pages There are two ways of doing this. You can go to Crayola.com  (http://www.crayola.com/play-zone/play.cfm?siteID=1&appID=1 - /COL) and create coloring pages using their automatic uploader. Simply upload a photo of your choice and let them do the creating. You will need a code inside a box of 48 crayons or more to create you picture. (Watch the segment to see how to do this as well!)

The second way is in Photoshop. Go to this link to see instructions of how to do this!

http://content.photojojo.com/diy/how-to-create-coloring-book-using-photos/

Games – Many ideas online have been shown to do memory games, playing cards, etc using photos which make your games more personal. This game was one that was unique to me that I found online and just thought was so fun. I loved the game Guess Who growing up, so I just replaced those silly pictures with 24 pictures of cousins, grandma, & grandpa in my family. What a great way to learn more things about cousins you might not know so well! I did have questions of how big the pictures needed to be. 

My photos were 1 2/8" x 1 3/8". However, I would suggest taking a ruler and measuring your game just in case. There has been many "versions" throughout the years. I resized the photos in photoshop and printed them out on my photo printer. Hopefully a little tutorial of how to do this in the future!

Quiet book – There are thousands of ideas for quiet books online, however I have found that many of them tend to be pretty bulky to put into my purse. This quiet book I made from a simple jewelry gift box. I made an accordion with scrapbook paper, then attached my pictures to it. I adhered each side of the accordion to the base and lid. My inspiration was "Brown paper packages tied up with string, these are a few of my favorite things"! So it is a brown box and all the things inside are of my son’s favorite things.

Again, if you have any questions in regard to any of these projects, please feel free to email me, or leave a comment!

Thanks

M

Studio 5 - Great ways to use your photos!

Here is the segment for today! Such a busy day, I just haven't had a chance you give you an inside look at all the fun projects (including my cute mint skinny's that I got at http://www.wearpanache.com ... Stay tuned for more fun stuff ... but in the meantime, here is the actual segment! Feel free to leave a note for any questions, or even better ... email me!

A Season to SHOP!!

This week has been a busy one to say the least! We have some fun things we are preparing for at our home (revealing beginning of May), and it has taken a lot of preparation work! (& no I am not pregnant!)

On the upside, I did get a chance to stop by one of my favorite clothing stores in Sandy, Utah.

I am telling you, (this is really my opinion, and no one is asking me to write this) but every time I walk into this store, I always find something fabulous. You can visit their store at 10489 South State Street in Sandy, Utah. (Same parking lot as Nordstrom Rack)

Tomorrow is Studio 5 again! My segment is all about making your photos more useable and enjoyable! Seasons / Panache did a great job in helping me find some great cloths for my segment! All I have to say is Mint skinny's and a TO DIE FOR blouse!

 If you're in Utah, watch KSL channel 5 at 11:00 am ... if you don't live in Utah, you can catch the segment on my blog around noon tomorrow. 

For those of you that don't live in Utah, you're in luck! They have a great website called http://www.wearpanache.com

(Be sure to put in MANDY for your coupon code through May 5th. You will receive 20% off your order!)

Here we go again!

Wish me luck! Try #2 and hoping he just catches on this time!

Easter Fun

We love Easter, and love everything that comes along with it! This morning we enjoyed a really fun Easter egg hunt with the neighborhood. It was a bit chilly, but we enjoyed every minute of it!

Next was dying Easter Eggs. I have this terrified vision every year that something is going to happen and we are going to have Easter Egg Dye all over the house, & the boys cloths ... so I found this at Walmart and figured it was worth a shot!

Although I was a little leery, I can tell you that there was not one drop ANYWHERE other than the sink when I dumped it out! It worked, it ACTUALLY worked! I call it a small miracle with a 2 & 4 year old.  

They had fun, and I wasn't stressed at all! It changed my life baby! I will be saving these for many years to come! (Great buy for those of you who shop the after Easter sales!)

As much as I love the small little activities that come along with Easter, the most important part for me is to teach my kids about the Resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ!

Although I know they don't understand it all, trying to explain it in the most simple way that I can has helped me strengthen my conviction of the Savior. 

I KNOW HE LIVES!

and I am so glad that he is a part of my life.

Happy Easter to you all!

To see wonderful testimonies of people who also believe in Jesus Christ

click here!

My Fresh Water Pearls

I wanted to introduce my newest sponsor to you today!

http://myfreshwaterpearls.com

They have a great variety of Pearl Earrings, Bracelets, Bridal Jewelry, Children's jewelry, Anklets, Pearl Sets, Bridal Jewelry. 

They sent me these Peach Pearls, 

and they are BEAUTIFUL! 

The prices are just as Beautiful as the jewelry! Be sure to visit their website to see the details!

US Based company and shipping was super fast!