Save A Little Bit Of Summer With Pressed Flowers

Where has the Summer gone? Yeah, I know everyone says this every year but seriously, I feel like it has literally passed me by. My 5 year old is heading off to kindergarten and I am filled with trepidation. Perhaps this feeling explains where my summer has taken off to. Along with this momentous event comes all the joys that can only accompany the back-to-school season. The 12 year old is involved in a grueling soccer program and various other middle school activities, while my 5 year old has just began the tight rope act of balancing ballet lessons and soccer along with school. At least little Emi, only just turning 3 has one more year before she starts the rat race. With this impending schedule shift quickly approaching everything that is a part of Summertime is rapidly fading. Flowers in full bloom, swimming pools, kids riding their bikes, evening walks and lemonade on the porch. County fairs, corn on the cob, ice cream trucks, nature hikes and family vacations are all soon to be replaced by snow, cold weather, mittens, sled riding and hot cocoa.

Thankfully you can save a bit of summer with a project that I did with pressed flowers. Pressing flowers is easy and very gratifying. You simply pick your favorite blooms and grab a large, heavy, hardcover book. Flat facing flowers work best for pressing as opposed to tulips or daffodils but it can still be done so don't be discouraged if these are your favorites.

Instructions For Pressing

1. Open your book to the middle somewhere and place your flower.
2. Place your flower or leaves flat and spread out evenly.
3. Take care to close the book with the pages and flowers laying flat and not shifting together.
4. Allow the flowers to press for 1-2 days for small flowers and 3-6 days for large flowers.
5. When the flowers are finished pressing carefully remove them from the pages.

Now that you have your lovely pressed flowers you are ready to create something unique and special that will remind you of summer through the long winter months to come. You could enhance your stationary, make unique gift tags, create greeting cards or make beautiful framed works of art. I took an old cork board with picture frames that was laying around begging to be spruced up and put the pressed flowers inside the frames. I encourage you to try this out with the flowers left in your garden and have fun creating your own little bit of summer!

24 Day Challenge

Today a good friend of mine, Courtney, that I haven't seen in a while stopped by for a visit. I was surprised she looked so great. I could see from the last time I'd seen her she had lost weight, and I had to ask her what her secret was. Well, Courtney, had done a 24 day challenge and was proud to report she lost 10.6 lbs and 10.75 inches in 30 days on the program! She told me all about the program, it is very healthy and you still get to eat!!

I was definitely interested and decided to sign on for the challenge! I start the cleanse tomorrow and will post before pics and stats. I am so excited to start this program and lose those additional baby pounds and have some extra energy...yea! If you are interested in joining me in the challenge visit Advocare's website to sign up. Also while you are there you can find out how to save 20% on the products or just ask me how:)

Finding Balance

Sometimes the hardest thing to do in life is know when to say when. Often it is easier for everyone else in our lives to see when we need a break or have a problem. So far I haven't mentioned my family life in this blog because I feared if I opened the floodgates they would never close. But, I have decided that the original purpose for this "whole thing" in the first place was to talk about my business, and what was on my mind. At this point, and for the last few weeks, I have been battling myself and my husband about balance.
It sounds simple in theory, this balance thing. You create a schedule, follow it, and everyone is happy! Wrong! At least for me it is wrong. I have to admit I feel like a pretty big failure when I am a grown adult and I can't figure out how to run my life smoothly. My husband seems to have it figured out for me just fine...of course he is an ex-marine, and runs his life in a very regimented fashion. On the other hand I am a bit of a dreamer...we often argue about the amount of time I spend with my "head" in the clouds. I can spend hours pleasantly thinking about design ideas and new crafts I want to try and I resent the intrusion...I sort of wonder, does he ever "think". I laugh when certain people say "You are always thinking". Yes I am, as opposed to what exactly? Not thinking? Anyways my point is, I am passionate about things and whatever I am dedicated to at the time I throw my all into. This can be seen as an attribute or a negative if I can't figure out the balance thing! I have tried organization, and keeping a day planner with a strict list but I am running out of ideas.
Unfortunately I am not offering any advice on balancing your home life and your work life. Instead I am asking if anyone out their has figured out a creative solution to this problem in their life? I can't be the only one out there that is a type B personality living with a type A. I have struggled with this my entire life and know if I can figure out a system that works for me, my productivity will increase and my happiness!

Scrapbooking

Yesterday we took a trip to the local Craft store and instead of heading straight to the jewelry section I strolled the scrap booking section. First of all let me say, I knew that scrap booking was huge, but I wasn't prepared for the amount of the store dedicated to the craft! Amazing is the word for it. There is aisle upon aisle of paper, stickers, albums and tools for the craft, and the store I was in is a mega store. Frankly, I don't know how it couldn't inspire you to overhaul all your family albums. Of course when I tried to explain this to my husband he wasn't quite so passionate...I said "there are stickers for everything, and they aren't just stickers, they're like stickers on steroids"! He just looked at me the same way he does when I talk about my jewelry designs...the please let this end soon look.
Anyways, I have a point about all this scrap booking, so I will quit rambling and
get to it. Many of you are crafters yourselves and I thought this would be of interest to you. Lately I have been thinking about creating some kind of catalog to showcase all of my designs thus far, a sort of portfolio if you will, and with all the scrap booking tools the design would be a fun craft project. Maybe some of you have already done this and if so I would love to hear your comments!

August Giveaway

For this month's giveaway there will be multiple items in the giveaway with multiple winners! The first item is pictured above, it is a sterling silver 2mm french rope chain, at 24 inches in length. There will be 3 winners of this lovely sterling silver chain!

The second item in the giveaway is the above pictured sterling silver and gray, rectangular, glass earrings, with bali spacers. There will be one lucky winner of these awesome earrings!

To enter the August giveaway you have to:

1. Be a follower of Tidbits & Glitz
2. Sign up for Sunset & Vine Jewelry's Newsletter
3. Visit Sunset & Vine Jewelry and pick your favorite item and post the link here in the comments section of this post for the August giveaway.

3 Easy steps and you are entered for this month's great giveaways! I hope you enter and I wish you all luck!!

Griselda of Spirit Dolls & Assemblage Art

Recently I had the great pleasure of meeting Griselda Tello. Griselda introduced herself to me during The Citrine Earring Giveaway, and we have built a natural friendship since then. She has a shop on Etsy, Awesome Art, where she sells the most beautiful spirit dolls and she also has a store on 1000 Markets. You can also follow Griselda and her design process on her blog Original Art by Griselda. If you don't know what a spirit doll is visit Griselda's store where she has many beautiful dolls on display, all with a different story and all charged with an energy to protect!
Griselda is a very special person, from always being there to offer advice and encouragement to writing a very moving post on her blog about myself and Tidbits & Glitz. To read the post please scan down to the section titled In The Flow Of Abundance And Creativity. The fact that Griselda mentioned me and my jewelry made my day! I just wanted to let her know that she has in turn touched my life and I am excited to get my spirit doll. The doll is blessed with creative energy and I can't wait for the boost! Thanks for being a friend Griselda. I am glad I met you:)

Citrine Earring Giveaway- We have a winner

After partnering with Tools Are For Women Too! for The Citrine Earring Giveaway, I gained so much and I am sad to see the giveaway end. I met some pretty amazing friends and I really wish that I had a pair of earrings to give to each and every one of you!
I am pleased to announce the winner is Sue from Rabbit Hollow Prims. Congratulations Sue! Please take a minute and visit Sue's store and blog, which is beautifully done.
Thank you to everyone who entered and please enter in Tidbits & Glitz's monthly giveaways!

Winner of the July Giveaway!!

I am very happy to announce that Jenny's Quilts is the lucky winner of the July giveaway! She will soon be wearing the freshwater, button pearl and iolite, sterling silver, bracelet.

Tomorrow I will be posting the August giveaway, make sure you take a look and enter. This time there will be multiple winners and multiple items!

Thanks you so much for being a follower of Tidbits & Glitz-xoxoxo

Grandma's Jewelry Box

When I was little I loved going to my grandmother's house and playing dress-up in her closet! There was nothing better than putting on her high heels and layering on the costume jewelry. After my grandmother passed, my mother was entrusted with her most prized pieces of jewelry. The costume jewelry that I cherished as a child was boxed up and forgotten until just a year back. Together my mother and I decided to go through some of my grandparent's items and reminisce. The experience proved bittersweet, but it was also a very worthwhile and healing experience.
So, let me get to the point. Upon discovering the outdated jewels I decided to up-cycle most of the pieces. This way my mother and could honor my grandmother's memory by wearing baubles that otherwise would have been old memories, stuffed in boxes. For sentimental purposes I saved all the original pieces that were not used. If you have older pieces like this, stored away, you should pull them out and consider the best way for you to honor your loved one's memories.
Have fun and browse flea markets, antique shops and auctions. You may find a treasure! A pin, or brooch can be used in a necklace or bracelet design. If you have a broken pearl or crystal necklace, it can easily be restrung. The possibilities to make your vintage jewelry fresh again are endless. If you are interested in fixing or recreating an older piece of jewelry please contact me.