My new Upcycled Watch and A Birthday Card with a Gnome on a Cupcake in a Jar

Those things seem to go perfectly well together if you ask me! HA! Anyway, that is what I have for you today!

My New Upcycled Watch

Let me start you out with a little back story here. Not much, don't worry. I have had a fairly simple, decent pair of black boots for a couple of years now....more than a couple, I think. I purchased them at top dollar from a trendy little boutique ($25 at Payless) expecting them to last me a lifetime (a season). SO....the reality of it is...they actually lasted for a few years - I don't remember exactly how many, but considering the price - WAY longer than they were required to last, THAT is for sure. However, you may have noted by now that this entire diatribe has been in passed tense. Yes. They "lasted" for a long time. When did they finally go, you ask? Well, that would be last week. When I REALLY needed them for the outfit that I wanted to wear and I no longer owned ANY backup plan of ANY kind in the black boot category. This was also, incidently, one day after I made the stunning realization that I had given away my brown boots after last season, as they were a little too worn and I just wasn't loving them anymore. Oh....that was dumb. Because you see....now....I didn't have any "normal" boots (I do have a couple cute "trendy" pairs, but they aren't the "wear with anything" type of boot, kwim?) to speak of. THIS was not a good thing! No. Not a good thing at all. I am a SHOE girl! I MUST HAVE BOOTS! Problem: Not exactly room in the budget for the WAY cute boots I saw in the latest Eddie Bauer Catalog. Solution: An unexpected stop at yet another high end trendy boutique (Charlotte Russe) where I managed to procure TWO (count 'em) TWO pairs of boots (one black and one brown) for $50. That I could manage since it was an emergency and all. BUT....alas, that left me with my old Payless boots sitting forlorn and cracked with no hope for donation as they were beyond wearable. What is one to do with such forlorn boots? One must make them feel as though they have done all that was required of them and more, thus. My next story.

I'll keep this one short and to the point. My old watch is driving me nuts. My skin has been reacting with the metal band causing chemical burns on my wrist with tiny blisters and it even made the metal on the underside of the watch band bubble up. NOT a good thing. Must replace watch.

I had an old watch with a decent face, but the band didn't really work as an everyday band because ....well because it just didn't.

Enter: the Boots.

I had planned to do this myself despite the fact that I can't sew and have not even really used the sewing maching that sits in my scrapbook room, but, alas, my wonderful husband did it for me yesterday!!!!

He cut the material from the boots to create this great new band for the watch face that I already had! All he had to add were snaps to attach the face and, obviously, to secure the band around my wrist! I love it! Isn't it great? And it totally repurposed my boots, which I think is WAY cool! Plus, if I want to make other bands with other fabrics, I can switch them out! I love upcycling!!!!!

Here is my new watch!







Now...For the Birthday Card With a Gnome and a Cupcake in a Jar

Isn't that what is on all of YOUR birthday cards? LOL!

This card was inspired by the wonderful Travelocity commercials. My dear and wonderful husband is turning 30 on Saturday and we really aren't "talking" about that. LOL! Hence the gnomes fear of certain death.






This card has SO many supplies! I didn't really realize it until I had to list them all! LOL!

Acrylic Overlay: Hambly Studios
Decorative Tape: Martha Stewart
Stamps: Close To My Heart (frame behind title), Stampn' Up! (jar and lid), NikoArt (gnome - everyone needs this stamp!!!)
Colored Pencils: Prismacolor
Cupcake Punch: Martha Stewart
Cupcake Rub-on: Pink Paislee
Glitter: Pink Paislee
Transparency: Avery (over jar)
Ink: Close To My Heart (black and chocolate) Ranger (pumpkin)
Marker: Marvy Uchida (used to add the color to the dots in the frame)
Chipboard Letters: Heidi Swapp
Silver Pen: Target
Cardstock: Close to My Heart

Feel free to ask any questions. I'd love to know what projects you are working on!!! I always enjoy reading your comments! Thanks for stopping by!

Oh...and one more quick thing....

crowdSPRING, hire Kelly Purkey for your new Community Marketing Manager! Seriously, though folks!

Etsy Wednesday - FOUR shops!!!

Well, first of all, I want to begin with a thank you for the wonderful response to yesterdays post! I'm excited that a few of you took the time to check out the possibilities over at World Vision!

Now, on to the fun stuff!

The wonderful Jan, founder of Scoutie Girl ran a fabulous contest offering TONS of prizes from independent artists on Etsy. Well, I was fortunate enough to win one of the four packages offered and it came over the weekend!!! I am so excited to share these goodies with you today!

Here we go...in no particular order:

This amazing "i {heart} paris" necklace came from Pulp Sushi! The quality is fantastic and the cuteness factor is through the roof! I love this thing! I have really been wanting some longer, fun necklaces and this is just the start of what may become quite the collection! Check out this shop! Seriously! We are talking TOTALLY cute stuff here, folks! Great for you or for gifts! (I decided to keep this one for me! It's just too perfect!) Plus, it came in the most adorable little kraft jewelry box with the shop name simply stamped on the top. I love that! And, her business card came with a little tiny Pulp Such button pin! Love that, too!!!



Now, the next item came from a wonderful little shop called Cake & Milk Paperie. Oh, MY cuteness! This little Gocco moleskine journal is fabulous and will be landing directly in my husband's stocking! He lives out of moleskins and I know he will give this one a special purpose just because it is so adorably fantastic (although, I'm guessing he won't be using those words, exactly....LOL!) The Shimmer flats are made from a really heavy weight shimmer stock that is just brilliant! The envelopes are a wonderful bright pink and have the Cake & Milk info embossed on the flap so perfectly, that I have now decided that I need an embosser because it looks so wonderful! These will be embellished very soon, as I plan to use them for holiday cards! Loving these!



And there is more!

This lovely Fabric Eyeglass Case came from Studio Cherie. It is beautifully made and I love the coordinating print hiding on the inside! It is so much fun! The magnetic closure is hidden keeping the design clean and simple. It absolutely amazes me that people can just "make" this stuff! I don't sew - I would love to, but as of now, I don't. So a BIG thank you to those of you who do and who do it this well! Wow! You MUST check out her shop! She has the cutest Hobo bag that matches this case! I may be in trouble! LOL! OH! And for those of you who are gifted enough to be able to sew - she has great patterns available, too! AND...I almost forgot to tell you this part! Do you see that cute little matchbook with her site address on it? It's totally filled with tiny notebook sheets! Does that make me very happy? You totally know it does!!!!





And, finally....YUP! There was one more item! Can you believe this???!!! From Shauneil came this absolutely adorable Lollipop Rack! Holy cow, I am loving this thing! The craftsmanship is stunning! I mean STUNNING! This rack is beautifully assembled, beautifully painted, beautifully designed! It is wonderful! I just love the whimsical fun design that seeps of sophistication. There are so many more designs in the shop, too! Check out the "Dots" Rack! And the Large Lollipop rack! I love that one!!!! Simply fabulous!



So there you have it! Due to the awesomeness of Jan over at Scoutie Girl I have a couple of wonderful holiday gifts, some pretties for me, and lots to share with you!

On a similar note: I like to highlight at least one (maybe more, as I grow) Etsy shop or independent artist shop each week. If you are just starting out and would like to be featured on JustJingle please shoot me an email or leave a comment and I will get in touch with you! I love finding great new shops!

Would You Like To Buy a Goat?

....Or perhaps a few chickens? Ducks, maybe? Personally, I have my eye on an alpaca!



Okay, so why would I be asking if you would like to buy farm animals? It's simple, really.

One Goat nourishes a family with protein-rich milk, cheese, and yogurt, and can offer a much-needed income boost by providing offspring and extra dairy products for sale at the market. It even provides fertilizer that can dramatically increase crop yields!

A chicken will provide a family with a lasting source of nutrition and income. Fresh eggs raise the levels of protein and other nutrients in a family’s diet, and the sale of extra eggs provides money for other household needs.

Give two ducks to a hungry family today and they’ll benefit from hundreds of large, protein-rich eggs throughout the year. Extra eggs and hatched ducklings can be sold to buy medicine or help pay for children’s school tuition.

With a lifespan of up to 25 years, alpacas are hardy animals. Their soft, highly prized wool — up to 12 pounds a year per animal — fetches high prices and can be woven into essential items like blankets and rugs. Plus, they help combat deforestation — while grazing, these gentle animals "mow" grass rather than uprooting it, and their soft, padded feet protect pastures rather than trampling them.

All of this information came directly from World Vision. And do you know what? I'm really excited! I want to help! My Kindergarten Sunday school class has committed to collecting enough to buy 5 ducks! Our youth group will be working together to buy a farm, and I haven't even decided yet what we are going to do personally. However, we have come to the realization that the world is in need. Our neighbors are in need. And it is our responsibility, as those who are, indeed, not in need (or at least not as much as they are) to take care of them. I want to encourage you to take a look at the World Vision
Gift Catalog and choose something to give. The way I see it....I don't really NEED that new Cuttlebug, but they do need food and clean water. Check it out! Discuss it with your families! What holiday gift are you willing to give up so that someone else can live another day? It's so simple! Together, we can make a difference.

I am so excited about this and I really wanted to share it with all of you! Please, let me know what your thoughts are. I even considered adding a Paypal button to my blog so that we could contribute together. If you think you'd be interested in this let me know, as I'd be happy to set it up! Thanks for taking the time to read this post! It means the world to me and to the world!

Matthew 22:27-29

"He said to him, "You should love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all of your soul, and with all of your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it. "Love Your Neighbor As Yourself."

Have a wonderful day!

A Creative Evening with Butterflies!

First off, this is a layout I did for the Method Playground Paper Pleating Challenge! It also fits in really well with Heather's challenge over at AMR to use decorative borders! I love that!

And best of all...it shows off my wonderful husband! I love that man!



This is the other project I have to share with you! I am so excited about it!!! I got this Martha Stewart specimen box on clearance several months ago and I've had this vision for it ever since. Well, tonight the pieces came together and my vision has come to fruition! I used Pink Paislee for the background paper, Cosmo Cricket for the butterflies misted with Glimmer mist for a gorgeous shimmer, and American Crafts Thickers for the title! Popped up the butterflies (Martha Stewart punch that I just got this weekend!) with some foam dots and VOILA! It is PERFECT! I love it!




I have projects to share with you! I'm pretty excited about that! LOL!


Now...the confession. I was so supposed to be working on my Christmas cards tonight and I SO didn't do that at all! But this is where the inspiration led me, so that is where I went! Hmmm....I'm looking at this specimen box wondering if I could find a really pretty 1.5 inch satin ribbon in a deep orange rust color like the one in the paper to go around the outside of the box....hmmmm....that might be REALLY pretty!

Well, that's all for now, folks! We can chat more later! Have an awesome Friday!!!

Etsy Love Day! - Haute Boutique for Today's Mom

First of all, isn't that just a fun shop name? I love it! Haute Bouique for Today's Mom! So fun! And....it gets even more fun! You should just SEE the adorable stuff that is in this shop. Now, I don't have any children, but I can live vicariously through all of you who do and dress all of YOUR kids in adorable tutus can't I? LOL!

Well, Let me tell you what caught my eye at HBTM first! It was these absolutely stinking fantastic knit cupcakes!!!! Seriously, though, folks....are these not the CUTEST? I want all of my gifts to come in knit cupcakes! LOL!



But... the shop isn't filled with just cupcakes, mind you! It is loaded with wonderful holiday gift ideas, fun everyday items, and just plain goodness! Check out the gorgeous tutus! I don't know of many little girls who wouldn't just LOVE twittering around the house in these!



There is a lot more to look at, too! You should totally go check it out! Come back and tell me what you think! I love to hear your thoughts!

Melody Ross is my Hero!

At least for this week. As we all know that my heroes change often! LOL!

Just in case you don't know who Melody is....go here. Melody truly is a remarkable woman who has been through challenges that most of us never even come close to experiencing. She has shown ever growing strength, incredible loyalty, and an unarguable genuine, unconditional love for her family. She has been put up against challenges that most of us could not handle and she has walked through them with grace. She is truly amazing. Not only has Melody done all of this, but she, even after suffering the loss of one dream, has lived another. She has stepped up as a fantastic designer in the scrapbook community doing design work for Chatterbox.

And now...she has done it again. She has made a dream come alive and I got to be one of the first to see it in person!

Melody designed this amazing kit for Sam's club. It has SO many awesome elements to it and the price is simply amazing for all that you get! The papers are great quality "real" scrapbook papers. The ribbons are satin and, again, excellent quality with wonderful designs! The die cuts, chipboard pieces, and embellishments are all top notch and so amazingly versatile! The stamp designs are amazing!!! There is even a chandelier in there and a wonderful bird stamp! I can't wait to use them!

I was fortunate enough, with the help of many of my readers, to win this kit and Melody went WAY above and beyond! She was not only kind enough to send me the kit, but she also included an extra collection of Chatterbox papers, a TON of Artsy.Liscious papers and embellishments, and just so much more! I was amazed when I dove into this box of goodies! Creating my Christmas cards is going to be SO much fun this year! Now, if only time had come in those beautiful flocked boxes! LOL!

Check it out!

Melody, thank you so very much!





















Have a Great Day!

Two New Cards and 1/2 a Layout!

I got to play a little on Friday night! I made two new cards and 1/2 a layout. I won't share the layout quite yet, but I hope to get it finished up soon so I can share it with you! Here are my cards!

This one is a thank you card for a wonderful person who did a wonderful thing! It hasn't left my hands yet, so I'm not tell'n who! LOL!



And this one is an over the top Thanksgiving card for a challenge over at AMR! It will be going out to my Nana, I think. Mostly because she will love it!



Beneath the cards...you see a wonderful background! That is a big of a sneak peak at my next post! Here is another sneak in case you are really curious!!!



More to come!!!!

Etsy Love and some Pay It Forward Fun!

Hello! This has been an exciting week! Lots going on!

I want to share with you an Etsy Shop that I just pounced on and discovered today!

Moon Of Glass is a very cool shop that uses fused glass to create pendants and other jewelry. This shop just opened on October 30th, so we need to help get the ball rolling!

Here is one of the pendants in the shop that I just LOVED! It is called "Ocean On a Chain" and I think that name captures the spirit of this piece brilliantly! I love the ocean and this necklace brings me there just looking at it! I also really loved the "Surface of Mars" pendant, as well. With reasonable prices and wonderful shipping rates, these would make great gifts for friends and family who love unique jewelry! Just beautiful! Check out Moon Of Glass and let me know which piece you love!




Also! I wanted to share something a little fun with you! Harley over at Koala Fuzz
posted this great Pay It Forward post! I jumped in and now I would like to pass it on to all of you! Here is the deal - I will send something handmade (just a small gift) to the first three people who tell me that they are interested. The catch is that you then have to grab this picture and Pay It Forward on your blog! You can send anything you wish, I just think handmade is fun, so that's what I want to do! If you are not interested you can still comment on this post, as I will only choose the first three people who express interest in Paying It Forward! Let's spread the love through blogland!




Have a Great Day!!! I'm wearing cute boots today so that just makes me feel good!

Randomness For Today

First of all, HAPPY ELECTION DAY!!!!! I am so stinking excited, I can't even tell you! Go vote! Have fun! You even get a sticker!!!

Okay...so, now that I have done that....

Here is some randomness for you today:

This Cupcake Punch is eluding me and it is driving me insane!



As you have probably figured out, I'm a cupcake fanatic and I still do not own this punch. Why, you ask? Well, because it seems this punch does not wish to be owned by me. For a portion of time after discovering the punch I lacked the spending money to go purchase the punch. The, due to a wonderful Close To My Heart gathering, I was able to make a few dollars and thusly, I grabbed my coupon and stopped at AC Moore on my way home from work to treat myself to this wonderful little cupcake! But...alas...despite the entire section of wall devoted to Martha Stewart products, ACM did not have my elusive little cupcake punch. Sad day. Therefore, I have come to the conclusion that this punch must only be available at Mike's. Bummer. I have a really hard time getting to Mike's, as there just isn't one in a convenient location for me. Sad day, again! And just to make matters worse...the very day of the afore mentioned CTMH gathering I was near a Mike's, so I strolled and gazed longingly at my cupcake punch, but..alas...I had not yet made any money, therefore, I was not able to purchase it. SO....I still don't have my Martha Stewart Cupcake Punch. But I will, my friends....I assure you, I will own THAT punch!!!


In other news....

I am working on getting people together to be the dancers for the Christmas Musical at church. You have NO idea how many people appear to suffer from severe stage fright! Seriously, this is challenging!

Oh, and I thought I would share this random photo with you. It was taken a couple of months ago at a youth event, but there is just something about it that I love. It almost looks like we were photoshopped into it, but we totally weren't. Weird.



So, tell me about your randomness for today! I'd love to hear all about it! BUT...only after you vote!