ONE OF THE BEST JOBS I WILL EVER HAVE IS BEING AN AUNT

More than anything in this world, I love being a mother.  But running closely, I also love being an aunt. The minute my first niece entered my life I was hooked.  It was also a bonus that she was named after me.  With each new little one that entered our life it made the desire even greater to be the best Aunt that I could.

I am not perfect at it.  I even fail miserably at times but that does not mean that I do not get back up and keep trying.  To be honest, I do not have the best relationship with all of my nieces and nephews. This is something that I am not happy about.  I would be closer to them all if I could, and one day I will be if they like it or not. Of course there are those select ones that I am closer too, there is no use hiding it.  Probably because I see them more. Maybe because they allow me to be all kinds of crazy up in their face (Insert evil grin here) .  It does not change the fact that I love them all the same.  To me they are all so special and I am proud to say I am their Aunt.  Even those that come from my sister's blended family.  Ones that entered our family not by blood but by marriage. It is no different.  I love them just the same and they have accepted me as well.  Referring to me as "Aunt Chelle" when they do not have to. The greatest form of compliment and respect when no matter how old they get they still refer to me as this.  I know they don't realize it, but when they refer to me in this manner all I hear is "I Love You." It warms my heart.

When I was younger I had those amazing kind of Aunts, most of them are gone now and I miss them everyday. In particular, I remember how Aunt Darlene would even make sure the tooth fairy found her house if I there while I lost a tooth.  Her hugs were the best and I miss her smile so much. She never treated me different or made me feel like I was not important.  She was always the first person to hug and kiss us at family gatherings and always made me feel like a million bucks even when her life was kind of crazy. I want to be that kind of aunt. I want to be that safe place if my nieces or nephews ever need it.  I want that for my children as well.  As a mom, I try my hardest to make sure that my children can tell me anything but I think it is equally as important to have that person in your life that make you feel like my Aunt Darlene did.  I want these kind of amazing Aunts and Uncles for my children, and I am blessed to say that I think they do.

So nieces and nephews, if you are reading this.  Know that I love you with all of my heart.  God has placed you in my life for all the love that I can give you and silliness that you can endure.  You are stuck with me and I am not going anywhere.   

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Love my Daughters!

God blessed us with three wonderful daughters!  I know that life was not always easy for my husband with three girls in the house plus myself. I am sure that he wonders what God was thinking!  Or that this was some kind of joke.  Although I know Shawn wanted a boy at one point in time (that is how we ended up with our last daughter), I am not sure if he even thinks about it now.  He may just be content with it. 

When I think back to when I was a young mother and getting ready to have our first child, a part of me wanted a boy, but that feeling subsided soon. When I looked at the face of our beautiful daughters at the time of each birth I started to realize that there was a purpose in this for me.  I still may not know what that is...but I would not change it for the world.

There have been times when I get that look from people when asked about my children.  When I say, "Yes, I have all daughters.", It is kind of like a deer caught in headlights look.  As if it may be some type of curse or affliction, or as if they feel sorry for me.  I really want to laugh every time. Some will say, "Oh, that must be fun." or "Your poor husband."    So to respond to that I must say. YES! It is always fun, and to be quite honest my poor husband loves having daughters. It takes a special kind of man to have lived in this house with all this estrogen! :)

To add even more enjoyment to the story our oldest daughter and our son-in-law blessed us with a baby girl.  So as the girl saga continues, we will continue to raise amazing women who are sure and strong, who are kind and gentle, and love this beautiful life that God has given us.

So here is my question.  Mothers of only daughters?  Mothers of only sons? How do you feel about that?

Just here for the tutorials? Click here for the no sew halter or here for tie dye.

Faux Tie Dye!

Upcycle it with Faux Tie Dye!

Ever wanted to tie dye but did not want the mess or really have the time? Then this tutorial is for you! There are so many possibilities and styles. This tutorial shows a basic spiral pattern but there are so many other things that you can do with it. I Upcycled even further and turned this shirt into a no-sew halter top. Soooo...let your imagination run wild and have fun!!!!

Things you will need for this project:  Plain white or light colored Tshirt, Cans of spray paint, colors of your choice (No particular brand, but I tend to buy Krylon because they have so many different color choices) , Old newspaper, Iron(optional), and some imagination. :)

Step 1:The best place to start your project is in a well ventilated area or outdoors.  I placed my Tshirt on some old newspapers in my front yard. It was a beautiful sunny day so I took advantage of it. After getting yourself set up you will want to start twisting the tshirt from the center until you have it the way you want.  I also like to tuck in the edges a bit. It gives the tshirt a little extra texture once you spray paint it. (You will see what I mean once you untwist it after you complete step 2.) There is no wrong way here.  It is your tshirt and anything will look good.

Step 2:  
Once you have your tshirt twisted you can now start to spray your tshirt. I added a couple different colors. but you can choose just one color to start with and then use another color later. I was only using purple and blue but you can also use as many colors as your heart desires.
Once you are done you may now untwist your shirt.  If you like it like this you can leave it as it is. I wanted mine a little more colorful So I continued on.


Step 3:
Basically, you are repeating step 2 by twisting your tshirt into a spiral again.  This exposes more unpainted or white area and allows you to put paint in new areas.  I used only the blue color on this step, but like I said before, there is no wrong way.  Use any or all colors you want. Once you are finished painting you may untwist your shirt and check out the results. Again, I wanted more color. 


Step 4: 
Twist Your shirt again.  I decided to not twist as tightly on this round.  I also only used the purple color for this step. (You are almost a pro by now. :) )  Once I untwisted I was very happy with the results. If you are not then keep twisting and spraying!  Easy as that.  Let the front dry for a couple of minutes and you will be ready to do the back using the same steps that you used to do the front.  After the shirt completely dries you may now use your iron to heat set the tshirt.  You could easily leave this step out but I feel that it helps keep your color more vibrant for a longer period of time. 

How awesome is that?!!  I have been tie dying this way for many years and decided it was time to share my secret!  I don't waste money on fancy kits or have tie dyed hands when I am done. The spray paint goes a long ways and I can use it on other projects when I am done.  I have also used this technique to renew that old tshirt that I have gotten stains all over. BOOM!!! It is new again.  So have fun! Remember if you want to turn your tie dyed T into a halter then click here!

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No Sew Halter Top from Tshirt

 No Sew Halter Top! Upcycle that Old Tshirt!

Let's face it!!! Clothing can be expensive and not all clothing is even flattering or comfortable.  I am a woman of the fluffy persuasion. :)  So I tend to just opt for an oversize Tshirt and call it quits.

So in my quest to come up with some alternative answers I decided to change up my old tshirts for a cuter version. Just because I am fluffy does not mean that I cannot be cute.  I also have recently overcome my hatred of showing my arms.  Maybe because I am over 40 and really just do not care what people think anymore.  Regardless, I think that you will love this no sew version.

I recently saw a version of this tuturial but some sewing was required.  I wanted to do a completely NO SEW version and I think this is even cuter than the one I saw. Please let me know if you loved making it and leave any comments or suggestions.

Supplies Needed:  Old Tshirt, Sharp Scissors, Ruler, Pen, and a smile (Hopefully).

1. Start with your basic Tshirt.

2. Cut off sleeves and top portion of the shirt as shown.

3. Turn the top portion over that you just cut off.  Cut where the dotted lines show in the picture in order to form the drawstrings that you will use for the halter.

4. Once you have cut out your drawstrings. Pull on them tightly to form longer and thinner bands. 

(this is the beauty of knit. It is non fray and it allows you to stretch it without coming apart)

5. At the top of the tshirt area that you have left after cutting off all sections, Come in 1/2 inch from top and side and mark your starting point.

6. Continue to mark 1/2 inch marks all across the top of the shirt. (These will be the marks for you to cut your holes to bring the drawstring through.)  Once you have completed the front repeat step 5 and 6 for the back of the shirt.  After you have marked the holes you may now go through with your scissors and cut each hole being careful not to cut to far up the shirt. Remember the hole will stretch and you only need a small opening to get your drawstring through.

7.  Once you have your holes cut, you may now start to weave the drawstring through the openings.  The drawstring will go through the hole easily with just a little help from the end of your scissors or pushing it with your finger tip.

8.  Adjust the gathering the way that you would like it to be. I found that it was easiest if you put it on and adjusted it on your body. Everyone has a different comfort level and what works best for them.

9. Here is where you can play around a little.  You can either tie the drawstrings in a double knot and cut or you may also tie them in a bow. That is completely up to you. I really like the bow. I thought it added a cuteness factor. My daughters loved it to and I plan to make one for my granddaughter as well. :)

10. Wear and Enjoy!  Who says you cannot look cute in hot weather?!  Upcycle your favorite Tshirt now and give it new life!!!!

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Really Nana?!

I take photos of my granddaughter all the time.  I don't think she was feeling it on this day.  This little girl is my heart and soul.  Love her so much.  When Briella came along she reminded everyone in our family how wonderful life can be.  I must admit that she even renewed a creative spark in me that I had forgotten that I had.

In three short months she will be turning two. Time does fly when you are having fun. :) I will savor the moments that I get to watch her grow.

But, to the point!  I will be posting creative ways to revamp...upcycle...or just plain old create common household items.

Just wanted to start off with a pic of this cutie though because you are going to have to put up with awesome pics of her cute little face from time to time. I don't think that you will mind though.