Decoupage Designs

New Goal

2009-09-25T14:42:00.000-07:00

With winter right around the corner, I'm trying to prepare myself for the "Wintertime Blues" that seem to get the best of me every stinkin' year. This year I'll be stuck at home with a 1 year old, so that will make it all the more interesting.
So, in addition to my Etsy shop, I'm trying to come up with things I enjoy doing (and preferably am good at.) Naturally, cooking & baking came to mind. So, in an attempt to spice up my Recipe Box & hone my homemaking skills, I'm going to make a goal of trying 1 new recipe every week. Dessert, main dish, side dish, drink, it doesn't matter. But I'm going to try one new thing each week.
This week I'm attempting a number of new dishes:
Orange Chicken
Pioneer Woman's Enchiladas
I also attempted some Apple Pie Muffins--that, well, didn't turn out so good. I'm not sure if I was having an off day or if it was the recipe. Seems I couldn't get the cooking time right-so we'll try that one again someday. :)
I'll review these recipes after I've given them a go. Have a great weekend!

2009-09-23T14:33:00.000-07:00

This is going to be nice & quick. I hate it when my pillow cases don't match my sheets. It really doesn't matter- no one really sees it. It's functional--but I just find it irritating. And sometimes DH finds the need to change his pillowcase before I do. So I'm left with a mish-mash of bedding.
I've started putting the entire bedding set in it's pillowcase. Makes it super easy to find every piece & prevents mish-mash bedding (typically).
Check out what Works for others @ We are THAT Family

Works For Me Wednesday

2009-09-08T17:52:00.000-07:00

I was so stressed this morning (I'm drafting this Tuesday night). It was extra frustrating because I couldn't put my finger on what it was that was causing this duress. Finances? Possibly. Housework? Probably.
One thing that I have been noticing lately, though, is that I spend a lot of time on the computer. Too much. I mean, some of it is necessary for running my Etsy shop, but most of it...well, its just extra. Time wasting. The other day I was sitting at the computer & turned around to check on Shawn & he was standing at the coffee table & as if it were nothing, started walking away. By himself. Unattended. A good seven steps. I almost missed it. I mean, those are the moments that I'm staying home with him for. And I almost missed it.
So, I'm making an effort to spend less time on the computer & more time doing. Laundry, cooking, playing, reading, studying the bible. You know. The important things.
So, in support of this effort, I downloaded a new gadget. Now, I haven't sung the praises of Firefox (internet browser) yet, but don't worry-its comin'. Here's my newest goody.
TimeTracker It keeps a running total of how much time you spend in FireFox. If there's no activity after 60 seconds, it stops the clock (you can change those settings, though.) You can also set it so that it doesn't count certain websites (Etsy, for example). I set it to disregard my G-mail account since I keep it open so I can see if I've received mail for my Etsy shop when I walk by the computer.
I haven't decided on a limit for myself yet (its hard to do that when I don't know exactly how many hours I was averaging before) but it definitely makes me more aware. That being said--that's enough for now. :)
Head over to We Are That Family for more great tips!

"If I am Missing or Dead" Book Review

2009-09-08T14:19:00.000-07:00

So, I love to read. I'm trying to expand my horizons, and generally speaking, memoirs aren't my thing. I like mystery, suspense. But when my sister left If I am Missing or Dead out & I found myself nursing with nothing to read, I picked it up.
This "New York Times Best Seller" totes being a 'riveting memoir'. I expected it to be about Amy, the author's sister who penned the title in a note that was found after she went missing.
But it isn't about that at all. I mean, Amy is in the book. Janine (the author & sister) talks to her sporadically on the phone. But, the story line is much more important.
As I neared the middle of the book, I found myself more & more put off by the fact that the book was marketed as it was. It rubbed me wrong that Amy's death was the main source of marketing for the book & that isn't what its about at all. Maybe I'm harsh-but it just seems unethical.
However. Now that I have finished the book I can see that it is about so much more than Amy & her life (and death).
Throughout the book, Janine struggles in her relationships with men. The relationship with her husband is truly abusive. It goes beyond physical abuse. Probing into & destroying the emotional stability of Janine. Since the book begins at childhood & continues throughout the girls' lives, you can see how Janine's father contributed (even molded) the woman that Janine (and probably Amy) would become. The kind of woman that allows herself to be treated unworthy of basic compassion.
Amy & Janine were two very different women if you were on the outside looking in. Janine was a prominent, affluent author who had a handsome intelligent husband. She was attractive & sociable. Amy struggled with her weight & self esteem. But she was loved by everyone. She, too, was bubbly & successful in her career. She worked hard to become what she considered successful.
Yet these women found themselves in nearly identical scenarios. Making up excuses for the loved ones who did nothing but bring them down.
This book shows that abuse can happen to anyone, and offers some insight as to why women stay. I'm glad I read it. It certainly opened my eyes.
More about If I am Missing or Dead By Janine Latus here.

Baby's got a brand new trick.

2009-09-08T13:28:00.000-07:00

I call it "Pants off Dance Off". Now that the weather is cooling, but it is not yet cold enough to have the furnace running, it just doesn't seem fair to have baby running around in nothing but a onesie (even with the addition of shorts). So Shawn's been wearing jeans & pants of different varieties.
Or so I think. Recently he's been coming over to me with pants in hand. I *think* he ends up walking on the bottoms of his pants & they slowly creep off . Of course, this all happens within a time frame of 3 minutes. I don't think (genius that he is, however) that he grabs the pants at the hips and whips them off. Although if that is the case, I certainly need to get it on tape (digital?? camera? How would one say that now?)
Needless to say, I find myself wondering which is more responsible: letting the kid run around sans pants or wrestling him 50 times (in vain) to get pants on his chubby little legs.

My First Public Menu Plan

2009-09-07T08:46:00.001-07:00

Alright! Here is my very own menu plan for the next week. You'll notice that I don't have days assigned--too often I find myself not in the mood for whats on the menu, so I'll do a different day but that chafes at me, hence I'm giving myself freedom with my menu plan. Cuz I'm a wild child like that. Ha!!

Teriyaki Chicken, fried rice & Potstickers
Chili Baked Potatos
Meat Loaf & Jo Jos
Spaghetti & Meatballs
Enchiladas & Spanish rice
Fried chicken & mashed potatos
Breakfast (I'm going to try making crepes!)

And for goodies I'll be making Banana Bread & Brownies. Possibly cookies, too. :)
So that is it. As you can see, we're a meat & potoatos kind of family. I have a few rules as far as what kind of recipes I'm willing to try. Here's a few, off the top of my head.

Maximum prep/cook time is usually one hour. This correlates with my sons nap/happy time & that way my husband comes home to a yummy dinner & happy wife.
If I can't pronounce it, I don't try to make it. What good is it if you can't say, "And tonight, we're having __________!" (Everyday with Rachel Ray Magazine does this to me too often.)
If the recipe calls for something "found in the Asian/Hispanic/ethnic" aisle, I don't even bother. (Again-darn it Rachel Ray!)See, I live in a very, very small town that has no such aisles. And I'll be darned if my family falls in love with a recipe that I need to drive 45 minutes to get a main player of said recipe. I can't even get pitas here for gosh sake. (I make my own)

That is all I can think of for now. Follow me over to Org Junkie for some great menus! Some over achievers even put recipe links! Just kidding-I hope to be one of those over achievers some day & typically, they are the ones I click on. :)

"Family" Frame

2009-09-05T16:26:00.000-07:00

I "helped" my sister make this picture frame for her boyfriend & I gotta admit, I never would have chosen this paper & color scheme. Don't get me wrong, I love black & red, in fact, I have a red focal wall that features black & white pictures of Paris, but this just wasn't the direction I was going for things in my shop. But I just may re-think that. I'll definitely be looking for papers with a more open mind from here on out. Anyway, here it is!

The Irony of Motherhood

2009-09-02T08:32:00.000-07:00

I had an interesting, blog-worthy (I thought, anyway) revelation the other day. I was giving Shawn a much needed bath and I have a red plastic cup in there to rinse him off with and for playing purposes. Well, I'm sitting there watching him & as if he's done it 100 times before (he hadn't!) he reaches for the cup, picks it up, brings it to his mouth and takes a nice, big drink!
As a mommy, my first thought was (obviously) "Wow! What a big boy! Good job! You can drink out of a cup!!!!"
Quickly (as in a nanosecond later) followed by, "Oh no. No no no no no no no no. That is ICKY. We do not drink the water that is currently being used to cleanse our bodies. "
And it dawned on me. Nearly every milestone is bittersweet. When Shawn started to crawl, it was "Yay! My baby can move! He's so independent!" Followed by (again--nanoseconds--) "Oh No. Where could he possibly be?"
Solid foods- "What a big boy! MMMM...blueberries"....."Are you choking? Yeah? Ok. Here we go. That's better."
Pulling himself up: "Look at you! Atta boy!" then, "Shawn, honey, we LAY DOWN in our crib. We can't sleep standing up."
The list goes on & on. And it's going to continue for years to come. Pre-School, Kindergarten, his wedding (oh, no. We so don't even need to go there, I can feel the tears welling up).....

Works For Me Wednesday!

2009-09-02T08:21:00.000-07:00

This weeks theme on WFMW is organizing tips. This was a hard one for me because, alas, I am not very organized. I am working on it however, and I can't wait to read some of the other tips!
My biggest challenge was recipes because I use them nearly every day. I had cookbooks, boxes, loose scrap recipes, magazine clippings, you name it.
So, I took a 3 ring binder I had laying around, bought some sheet protectors & used my adhesive tabs to create categories.
The categories I have right now are: Beef, Chicken, Pork, Side dishes, Bread, Desserts, Drinks & Resources (Tips & tricks)
It has been critical (and I pat myself on the back every day for thinking of it) to have recipes sorted by the meat needed. A lot of the time I just thaw whatever I grab & then find a recipes to use it in. I know, shame on me for not Menu planning. I'm working on this-really. I am. I promise to post a Menu on Monday. :)
Anyway, back to my recipe binder, if it is a recipe I haven't used, I just put it in the front pocket or in the page protector of whichever category it belongs in. After It has been approved (or edited to approval) I place it in my fancy recipe box (which has a few more categories). Thats it! I know, its not the most unique thing out there but it works for me!
Check out We are THAT Family for other fantastic ideas!!

The Newest Addition to my Diaper Bag

2009-08-29T13:43:00.000-07:00

It all started when I was pregnant. My memory started slipping away from me. I hoped against hope it would get better once the baby arrived only to find the exact opposite occurring. My child is 10 months old and I find myself leaving the house sans shoes at least once a week. Thankfully it is summer and flip flops will suffice for another month or two.
I was a bit of a list-maker before. The typical, Career Woman lists. Just the standard to do, to call, grocery lists and the like. Difference is I could easily do without my lists. If I found myself at the store without a list it was no big deal. I rarely forgot anything. Now, it's a safer bet to just return home, find the list, re-pack the kid, and head out all over again. Being without a list is a big darn deal.
Then I started my Etsy shop. And ideas were constantly throwing themselves at me. I had a to do, to buy, to create, to post, to list, to mention in announcements, to ask, policy to add...the list of lists goes on and on. So I carried around those little yellow steno notebooks. The first filled up fast & I started using a second one. But then I still needed to carry the first one. I have an entire diaper bag of stuff, to need one more notebook seemed truly ridiculous.
Enter one more brilliant idea. A mini binder. Yes! Then I can take out lists I've finished, rearrange as I see fit...it would solve all my problems! Now, to find a baby binder.
Wouldn't you know I shopped all over Spokane & could not find anything that would meet my needs. Sure they had smaller binders. But not baby binders. Not ones that wouldn't look ridiculous to whip out at the Craft store.
On a whim I searched Etsy. I honestly have no idea why I didn't look there first, but that point is moot now. Because I found a wonderful seller with a wonderful product . Heidi @ Fat Face Creations offers a variety of binders with inserts! I convo'd her, told her what I was looking for and she was quick to help me. She even custom made inserts just for little ol' me. . One thing led to another and....TA DA! And get this...I contacted her on August 23rd, and had my beautiful, custom made binder in my hot little hands on August 28th. How's that for turn-around time? :) Here's my little lifesaver!
In addition to arriving in a super-fast manner, my little binder was packaged beautifully. (I'm a sucker for cute packaging) I wish now that I would've taken a picture, but I was just too darn excited. Heidi offers binders in 3 different sizes & offers various inserts for them (and her announcement says she's got more goodies coming out soon). You should check out her shop Here.

This Just In....

2009-08-29T08:29:00.001-07:00

I'm currently uploading photos for the newest addition to my shop! I decided to start doing "Room Sets". Coordinating frame/box sets. In upcoming sets there will also be a matching light switch plate. I ran out of paper for this set because due to the pattern of it I had to take bits & pieces for the box but I'm really pleased with the way they turned out. Very exciting! I'm also working on a few more wall plaques & I've got a little girl's set coming up too!
Here's a Preview of the Train Set

You can see it in my shop HERE

Works for Me Wednesday!

2009-08-26T09:39:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited to join the ranks in adding a WFMW post! I've always enjoyed reading them & now to participate is very exciting!! So, what's working for me right now is Baby Sign Language.
My son is 9 months old & very, uhm, stubborn? Anyway, he knows what he wants and if you don't know what he wants it can cause problems (full on hysteria, more like it.)
When I was pregnant with him, I somehow came across the idea of Baby Sign Language. Having always wanted to learn sign language myself, I was really interested in the idea of teaching my baby. So upon doing further research, I came across this video on You Tube. Wow! How cute is that?! Not only is it cute, but also very functional. I could see that my family could benefit this in innumerable ways. So, I set out to learn a few signs.
I started signing to Shawn when he was about 6 months old. I must admit, I wasn't very consistent. Every once in awhile I'd sign "milk" to him when he was nursing. But then I discovered what a fantstic opporuinity solid foods offered for signing. We introduced more, and all gone along with a few others. He signed more on & off at about 7 months.
Now, however, he is waving bye bye (of course), signing more, and also cheerios. The other day I was so confused becuase he just kept waving bye bye. We weren't going anywhere, no one had mentioned "bye bye" (the usual prompt), so what did he mean? Well, it didn't take long before I realized it was nap time. He was tired. He needed me to go bye bye!!! Sure enough, I put him in his crib, he waved, rolled over and went straight to sleep. Amazing!! He isnt signing milk, in fact, when I sign it to him he seems to get frustrated that I'm 'doing the hand thing again' instead of just getting down to nursing him. We're working on that. Since he's picking the signs up now, I'm starting to add a few more. Ball, book, water, all done/all gone, shoes (he loves playing with them) & mommy & daddy are a few. Here's some great resources on Baby Sign Language
Babytalk By Monica Beyer
My Smart Hands (this is the website of the woman on the You Tube Video)
Flash Cards We don't use these right now, but may in the future

Check out more WFMW posts at We are THAT Family

Simple Writings Bring Simple Pleasures

2009-08-25T17:27:00.000-07:00

I can across a link to this blog post (thanks Laura from Org Junkie!) and it just warmed my heart. Enjoy!
Simple Writings Bring Simple Pleasures @ Mom advice

Another Trinket Box

2009-08-25T15:25:00.000-07:00

I have to admit, I've been a little shy about telling those I know about my shop. However, after telling my sisters-in-law about it & showing them my products, I will be much less hesitant to tell people about my business.
I'm not sure who was more excited about the prospect of my business, me or my SILs. It was such a boost to hear their excitement & support! (I must add here that DH has been more than supportive-even trying his hand at Decoupage himself)
Anyway, one of my SIL's knows a girl that is graduating this week & thought a trinket box would be a great gift so she came over & we looked through my paper selection together (which in and of its self is quite the feat!!) We picked a paper and off to work I went.
To be honest, I wasn't crazy about this box at first. For one, I wasn't sure about the paper. And, I was a little intimidated because we wanted a very distressed look. So I needed to hand distress it with ink. However, now that it is said and done...I really like this little box! Take a look.

Monday Morning Plans

2009-08-24T09:05:00.000-07:00

Big plans for today! I'm hoping to list my first 2 wall plaques & finish up my first trinket box. I also need to order shipping supplies, since I've had 2 orders & really had to scrounge to find something to send them in. :) I'm ordering from Royalmailers and also possibly Uline.
My husband, Austin is going to finish up making my foldable, portable light box. I'm really excited about that & will have to post pictures of it once its done. That's all for now!
~Jenna

What I've been up to

2009-08-21T11:25:00.000-07:00

Well, my shop has been open for less than a month & I just made my second sale! Pretty exciting! This whole blog thing is a little out of my league, but I'm going to try it out. Bear with me!
Upcoming: I'm currently working on the most adorable little trinket box I have ever seen. :) Hopefully I'll be able to list it next week.
I also have 2 new frames that I'm going to list today or tomorrow. I'm very pleased with how they turned out, and they're a little different style than I've done before.
Also, I have a wall plaque nearly ready. Just need to drill the holes, attatch a ribbon, and take pictures. Its pretty cute. **Sneak preview** It reads: Happiness is Homemade. And there's another wall plaque that is currently a work in progress. :) Back to work!
~Jenna