The Challenge - Guest Post by Shanda Neighbors

Yesterday I did NOT want to go to church, which is precisely why I went. I've found that on the days I don't feel like going, it does me the most good to go. I was not wrong. The message was interesting. I haven't been able to get it out of my head. It was about the power of complaining. We were challenged to go one month-no complaints! I have to admit my first thought was, "this is no challenge for me." I tend to be more internal with my junk, so the whining/complaining thing didn't phase me, well not until later. I got to thinking more about it and realized, I'm more of a baby than I acknowledge. Maybe I don't whine, but I do critique, correct and....ahem...nag. Apparently my family knows it well. Too well. The hubby and kiddo were smiling, giggling and throwing knowing glances my way. After NOT much thought, I concluded that they were absolutely right. 

I'm going to do this. Challenge on! In the month when we celebrate being grateful, this seems a fitting undertaking. The preacher's point: "it's hard be thankful one day of the year, when you spend the whole year complaining." He wasn't talking solely about imposing self control on the tongue. He was encouraging a change of focus. It was a call to turn from self, and all the ways I'm offended (not getting my way) to the only one great enough to put me in my place, God. Yesterday I barely made it out of church before I noticed that I was doing it again, complaining.  Hmmm... one month huh? This is gonna be a long, rough one.

Done And Done!

http://static.tmag.tas.gov.au/tayenebe/workshops/bicheno.html

A few weeks ago in my post Are You Ready For This! I shared with you how I had won the opportunity to showcase some of my work in a design challenge.  I had entered the contest on a whim so when I got confirmation that I had made the cut I was really surprised and so excited.

The challenge was to create original pieces/Art from indigenous plant fibers.  I did just that with palm leaves, sisal, burlap and hemp.  I also accented my pieces with feathers, shells and seeds.

Well, today I am happy to report that my work is completed and presently being viewed in the prestigious New Providence Art gallery in Nassau, Bahamas. It has come a long way from this conceptual sketch.  Many thanks to all of you for your support and encouragement.  It means a lot to me.

Hmmmm, I wonder what I should I do next............

Cherio!

Drab To Fab - Old Dresser Makeover

Top pic: pennypincherfashion  Bottom pic: designsponge

Maybe it's my penchant to pull for the underdog or maybe I just like the challenge of fixing broken things. ....whatever it is .....it makes me gravitate to old dressers like a moth to a flame.  I mean seriously.  The more messed up the better, I aint scared!  My only criteria is, the piece has to have good bones or a solid structure. Once I have a good base to work from, the sky is the limit.

Here are a few ways to put new life into old beat up dressers. 

PAINT IT!
As a artist, whenever I get a chance to use my creativity for something practical it makes me all sorts of happy.  So, when I saw this gorgeous redone dresser by go.tipjunkie I just knew I had make one of my own.  It is hand painted, the dresser was painted white then the branches was added in acrylic.  The birds however were cut out images that was decoupaged unto the dresser. How smart is that...hand painted furniture like this cost thousands.

I adore the color on this piece from migonishome So fresh, romantic and glamorous.  All that from a can of paint.  

su-casa.casasugar

Who wouldn't want a piece like this, the color is delicious!

gingerandgold

And check out this stunning piece, could you believe it once looked like the picture below? 

Dark brown paint and metal studs from Walmart transformed this ugly duckling into a swan. 

 A-m-a-z-i-n-g.

WALLPAPER IT!

pika-peeks

By far the easiest technique to do, wall paper is instant gratification.  Find a tutorial here on this process.

radcrafter

curbly

boxhouseblog

ADD SOME BLING!

blissfullydomestic

In the decorating world, mirrors and crystal chandeliers = BLING.  If you are a little more adventurous like I am, add mirrors to your dresser.  Just measure and have them cut for you.  After that, all you have to do is glue them on and have your husband/hubby or some one handy to drill holes for your draw pulls......and viola!  Not bad for a piece of furniture that you are gonna love! It sure beats spending $2,000 on a ready made mirrored dresser.  This one looks fantastic for less than $50.00.  Cha- ching!

Well, there you have it.  I hope this post makes you think twice before you toss that old dresser to the curb.  It may be a diamond in the rough.

Cherio!

Age Defying Divas - Weight Loss & Fitness Inspiration

About a week ago, my sister sent this video to me and it totally blew me away.  If there is a fountain of youth, Annette Larkin has taken more than a sip from it.  She looks fabulous!  I was so inspired by her story that 70% of my diet is now raw vegetables, fruits and grains too. I am not 100% raw like she is (hey, baby steps) but the health benefits of my new diet regimen is nothing short of incredible. This is only week one for me and I know there will be meat craving bumps along the way but am up for the challenge.  Bring it on!

Another lady who inspires me is Ernestine Shepard. She is a 74 year old body builder and athlete who currently holds the Guinness book of world records for being the oldest female body builder.  And, for all of us late bloomers, she started her fitness journey in her 50's. Yep, it is NEVER too late. 
Ernestine starts her day at 4am in the morning and diligently runs 10 miles...every day.  She is also a fitness instructor, personal trainer and avid marathon competitor.  Whew!....am tired just thinking about all this stuff.  This lady is no joke.  She and Annette are solid proof that you can be healthy and look fierce at any age.  It's up to you though, so go get it!   


Cherio!

Are You Ready For This!

About a month ago I on a whim entered a major gallery showing.  It was competition based so my sketches/ideas had to beat out numerous competitors to qualify. I sent the sketches and forgot about....that is until I got an email saying I had made the cut!  O. M. G!!!!  

And so, just like that I had a life changing opportunity in my hands.  I was so happy to finally have a major platform to express my heart through something that I love so much.  Art.   But then, I starting looking at the formidable competitors and envisioning what they might be bringing to the table and the more I did that, the more nervous and apprehensive I got.  My ideas were not coming together properly and the ones I did like soon became "not good enough".  I was second guessing myself and it was getting me nowhere.

The back and forth and vacillation between excited and overwhelmed continued until my son put an end to it.  He looked me dead in the eye and informed me "you gat this mom!".......gave me a big hug and and walked off.  Well, turns out that was all I needed.  After that I had fire in my eyes.   No matter what happened I was going to create something amazing. Something I can be proud of. 

 The first piece I made took a whole day to make but it was a little off so I scrapped it and started over from scratch.  I did not let it get me down, I just knew I could do better....... and I will.  At the moment I am working on two of the three pieces required for the show and everything is coming together quite nicely.  I am started to get excited now because I can envision/see the final product......the finish line.  I will probably have a Steve Urkel moment at the end, like "Did I do that???!" but in a really good way.  I am going to make sure of that.  

Well, back to work I go but I will be posting the pictures here when everything is finished.  Have a beautiful weekend everyone.

Cherio!

A Three Tier Cake and A Bucket...List

Yesterday while I was doing my most hated and detested chore.....sorting miscellaneous paper, somewhere in the chaos I found an old version of my bucket list.  I mean really old....like seventeen years ago.   Everything on it was familiar to me except one thing.  I wanted to bake a three tier professional wedding cake by myself and decorate it.  Say what now?....   For a novice like me, I might as well be building the Taj Mahal.   Wedding cakes are no joke.

Almost immediately I understood exactly why I had dropped it from my list.  I also understood exactly why I had to put it back.  I am not going to let a little old cake get the best of me.  And to show you how serious I am, I will post this cake in whatever state it comes out when am done with it.  I think my birthday on the first of July this year would be a great day for my cake's debut.  Ha ha, lord help me.   I do love to bake though so one thing I am not lacking is the passion to do this.  Whatever the outcome, it will be exciting, educational......and possibly hilarious. Either way, it's on like donkey kong!

So lovelies, as I venture into the world of butter cream and fondant, I would love to hear any feed back from you talented bakers out there. I want my cake to be beautiful and tasty.....non leaning and more than anything else, topple free.
Pretty please.

Here are a few inspiration cakes am in love with at the moment....lol, if I can do something similar to one of these, I would need to have my head deflated.  Seriously, I would be pretty proud of me. You would be too!

Cherio!
All pictures in this
post are courtesy of
www.marthastewart.com

My 100th Post! Woo hoooo!

So technically this is post 101, but hey the fact is, I reached my 100th post mark!  Woo hooo!!!!!

Wow, imagine that. Originally when I started this blog, I was practically nagging and bribing family members to join my blog, lol.  Seriously, the poor souls. I didn't realize at the time how my blog would evolve, I just wanted to have at least 1 follower. P-l-e-a-s-e.

I remember the day I finally got my first follower.  I called my sister and you would have sworn I had won the lottery. Man, I was all kinds of excited! That was all the encouragement I needed to keep going.  Someone out there had read my blog post and was giving me the thumbs up. Oh happy day! Thanks Charmaine, it meant so much to me. 

In the last year, I have met so many interesting and caring people. You all have been so supportive and non-judgmental, which made it easy for me to share a piece of my life with you.  I have been challenged, inspired but most of all I have grown through this blog.  More than I ever imagined I would when I began this journey.  So, today I say thank you to all 245 of you, my friends, I love you all. I am looking forward to 2012 with great expectations and excitement.  We're going to have a blast.  You betcha!.

Cherio!