Inspiration

in·spi·ra·tion

n.

1. a. Stimulation of the mind or emotions to a high level of feeling or activity.

    b. The condition of being so stimulated.

2. An agency, such as a person or work of art, that moves the intellect or emotions or prompts action or invention.

3. Something, such as a sudden creative act or idea, that is inspired.

4. The quality of inspiring or exalting: a painting full of inspiration.

5. Divine guidance or influence exerted directly on the mind and soul of humankind.

6. The act of drawing in, especially the inhalation of air into the lungs

Where do you get your inspiration from?
I've been scouring the blogs, various websites and magazines trying to find something to create. I've had no luck...I tried making a yarn wreath (success) and rosettes (horrible). I've tried making a St. Patrick's Day Banner since I'm so over Valentine's Day and Easter is so far away...(April 24th to be exact) and it looked like a kid made it.

I love to craft, but I'm just not feeling "it" the past few days...So, I want to know where you get your inspiration from?  Any help would be appreciated!

Harry Potter isn't COOL anymore?

This past weekend was birthday party time in our house. The twins actual birthday is in early January, but we always delay the party until February since everyone is on holiday overload. Each year I let the twins pick their "theme". Usually they pick something they think is cool. Princess picked the adorable Hippie Chick party theme...

Buddy B. decided he wanted a Harry Potter theme.  I thought to myself, this is going to be easy!  I should have no problem finding everything I need to make my little wizard's party super cool.  So, I headed out to my local Party City store.  I searched high and low and finally asked a very grumpy sales person where the Harry Potter supplies were.  He laughed and said HP wasn't "in" anymore...WHAT?  Harry Potter isn't cool anymore?  So I headed to Target, Walmart, KMart, ToysRUs and got the same answers at each place.  I was told to check online, maybe they had some stuff for me there.  Luckily, I found what I needed online and received it in time for the party.  I should say I found almost everything I needed, everything but the wand.  There was no way I was going to pay 5 bucks or more for a plastic wand.  I mean, there were 15 boys coming and that was a lot of $$. So, Buddy B. and I decided that we would give out glow sticks.  Not exactly what I wanted, but I went on the search for them anyway.  No Luck!  I don't know if everyone else had the same idea to give out glow sticks for various reasons or what, but I couldn't find any and it was to close to the party to have them ordered and delivered.  So, in my best Winnie the Pooh impersonation, I sat down to 'think, think, think' and had a brilliant idea!
And here it is...

That's right Dowel Rods!  These babies seem to be great for everything!

Now for the tutorial...

Super Easy Homemade Harry Potter Wands

Step 1 - Take serrated knife and "ding" up the dowel rod.  *Note - this step is for adults only

Step 2 - Using an electric pencil sharpener, sharpen dinged up dowel rod to a slightly tapered point

Step 3 - Paint rod with various brown colors

Step 4 - Allow the dinged up, slightly sharpened, haphazardly painted dowel rods to dry.

I could have stopped here and just stuck our homemade dowel rod wand in a bag and been done with it.  However, I thought that was a bit boring so I did another Winnie the Pooh impersonation and remembered a Martha Stewart craft from Halloween that would work perfectly.  Remember the Witch's Broom Favor?  I used this as my inspiration, removed a few steps since I was running out of time, and ended up with this...

Not bad if I do say so myself.  They were a big hit and Buddy B. loved them, which is the most important thing.
Buddy B. is still enjoying every moment of being a wizard and eating his Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans.

Thanks for visiting!


I'm linking up to:

Meet the TWINS!

Since I'm now up to 6 followers, I thought I would do introduce you all to the TWINS!  These two children are the reason I wake up in the morning, and not just because the Princess shows up at the side of the bed every morning, but because they are the light of my life.  They bring me so much joy and happiness along with the "every mother" stuff like frustration and exhaustion.  Mr. G and I tried for over 5 years to conceive even one child, and were blessed by 2 thanks to the technology and perseverance of Dr. Jimmy Gill at Houston Fertility Institute.
The twins were born in January, 2005 near our home here in Pennsylvania (and for those wondering if they read that right, yes we traveled from PA to TX for 3 rounds of IVF).  Princess was born first and Buddy B. arrived 17 minutes later.

So fast forward 6 years, and these guys keep me on my toes.  They are attached to each other and if one is away, the other is looking for him/her.  It's actually quite sweet. 

Princess is, well, a princess and is obsessed with anything pink, glittery and girly.  She loves Squinkies, Polly Pockets, Barbies, nail polish, roller blading and crafts.  She is a girl that definitely takes after her Momma!
Here are a few pictures of her.

Buddy B. on the other hand is a very literal kid.  He likes things on his own terms, and done his way.  He is a very analytical, straight forward, orderly boy.  His favorite things are Legos, Harry Potter, Beyblades, Legos, Super Hero Squad, Legos...did I mention Legos?  oh and just so you know, he has his Legos organized by color!
And here are a few pictures of Buddy B.

I hope you have enjoyed learning a bit more about the twins.  I promise to have another craft for you all soon.  The twins are having their birthday party this weekend, so that is my main focus right now.

And here is a classic twin portrait to close with tonight...

Let's Get Organized, Organized...

So, I have been wanting to organize our home since Christmas time when I couldn't find one of Princess' gifts.  I still haven't found it, but I have gotten the organizing bug because of that one lost gift.  So, while cruising the craft blogs, I clicked over to A bowl full of lemons : 21 days to get organized challenge.  I looked around the site for a while and decided, this is exactly what I've been looking for!  My muse, my motivation.
I have officially begun the 21 day organization challenge!  I'm so excited to work every day at having a more organized home where I can hopefully find the missing gift!

Day 1 : The Junk Drawer

This was an easy one for me!  I have an entire piece of furniture that has nothing but junk in it.  Here is the culprit...

isn't she pretty?  Well behind those doors and in those drawers is chaos.

See, lots and lots of JUNK!  So I emptied everything out and separated the items into 3 boxes (keep, trash, donate).  I then left this cabinet empty,

took out two bags of trash and moved the "keep" items to this desk.

but first I had to take everything out and separate the stuff into my 3 boxes.  After organizing the items that would go into the desk I ended up with a much better set of  "junk" drawers.  Here is a look after the final item was put away.

I'm proud to say I still have 5 drawers left to not  fill with more junk!

Until next time,