As promised...

 I hope you're excited because it's finally CRAFT POST TIME! I know, I know this is way over due but I'm a crazed nursing student with very little free time and a very undependable immune system. I also was just in one of my best friend's wedding (congrats again Kylie and Kevin!!) so any free time I did have went to wedding preparation and then wedding CELEBRATION! WOO! Goodness I love weddings!
Anyways... now that I'm healthy and semi-caught up on school work (and sleep!) I decided it's about time I got around to that post I've been promising.

 I've seen a whole bunch of fun burlap wreaths on pinterest.com but I had yet to find one that I loved... So I decided to get a little creative and throw caution to the wind in order to concoct what is now my new favorite craft! YAY! I really, really like love it. It turned out way better than I had hoped and it cost me less than 10 dollars to make it! (Thank you Michael's for your amazing coupons and sales!)

To start you will need the following (see below for pictures of what I used) : 

Burlap garland (or about 1 yard by 1 yard of burlap)... I bought the burlap with a 50% off coupon so it ended up only costing me $4.00. 

glue gun

glue sticks

wire (optional)

a wooden wreath (I got mine for 99 cents at Michael's)

scissors

ribbon ($2.00 from Michaels)
chop sticks or tongs (optional but highly suggested)

wooden wreath 

I started by cutting the garland into 5 in by 5 in squares (I made about 50 of them). Then I folded it so two opposite of the opposite corners of the square touched and added a dab of hot glue to keep it in place.  (It should look like a triangle.) It doesn't need to be perfect! That's what makes this so easy and fun! I suggest doing this to all of the squares before continuing to the next step. This allows time for the glue to not only harden but COOL which is super important (I still have blisters on my hand that are trying to heel and I made this two weeks ago!)

Like so...

Once the glue is nice and cool, take one of the free corners and glue it on top of the freshly glued corner of the triangle. Add a dab of hot glue. And repeat. (Until every square is done!) Remember to make sure it's cool! I actually used chop sticks to press the burlap onto the glue at this point to avoid any more burns (if only I had thought of this sooner!!)

Now that you have these pretty, little "loops", it is time to get down to business. Add a dab of hot glue onto the wooden wreath and then place a loop on top. (Remember to use your chopsticks, tongs, or whatever else you have on hand so  you don't burn those pretty 4manicured fingers!)  Repeat on the opposite side.

Continue to glue on the loops until the wreath is completely covered.

As you might notice in the picture, there's a big ol' goopy glue mess in the middle. To hide this, I added an entire row of loops directly in the middle of the other two rows. This conceals the goopy mess, and adds some extra fullness to the wreath. Use your own judgment as to how to place the loops so that the wreath will look its prettiest!

Finally, I made a big pretty bow and attached it with some wire. You could hot glue the bow but I wanted to be able to use this wreath again and again, throughout every season and holiday. This can be done simply by changing the bows. Or even adding ornaments or signs! The opportunities are endless! Once the bow was secured, I got to work on puffing up the individual poofs until the wreath looked it's prettiest. And voila, a beautiful and versatile Fall wreath!

Ta Da!!!

Now go display your gorgeous new fall wreath on your front door with pride.

Happy Fall Y'all!!

It's been getting to look a lot like fall.... and I cannot be more excited!! I don't know about y'all but Fall is one my absolute favorite seasons! There are just so many things to do, food and drinks to eat and holidays to celebrate! I am a bit of an overachiever so I created a bucket list of things I want to do this fall... it's a bit extensive but I am so excited to start checking things off. I thought I'd share my top 25 things to do in the fall!

The Blue Ridge Mountains... practically in my backyard. Living in the Foothills has some definite perks!

1. drive up to the mountains and go for a hike
2. go to a pumpkin patch
3. have a bonfire and enjoy some s'mores
4. go on a hayride (maybe even jump in the haystack this year!)
5. APPLE PICKING (LOVE THIS!!)
6. bake apple pie (DUH! see above!)
7. make caramel apples (AGAIN, obvious right??)
8. decorate some pumpkins (carve, paint, glitter-fy!)
9. drink lots of fancy fall tasting coffee drinks
10. go on a picnic.... under the fall trees, of course!
11. bake some fall cookies (the decorating is the best part!)
12. jump in a leaf pile (bring the camera!)
13. CORN MAZE, PUHLEASE! (it's corn-mazing! haha how corny! whoops did it again!)
14. eat pumpkin pie, ham, sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole... etc etc until I pop
15. enjoy some Thanksgiving leftovers **ESPECIALLY THE POST HOLIDAY TURKEY SAMMIES... yum! I drool!
16. take some photos in the fall amazingness
17. wear some adorable fall outfits with my amazing new boots! oh, how I love a good pair of boots!
18. watch lots of Clemson football (and see them beat Carolina in November!)
19. try a new fall trend... especially the cute nail polishes
20. decorate the house in fall decor
21. make a fall craft, or 2 or 3 or....
22. have the best fall break yet ever!!!!
23. go to Denver with the boyfriend to see where we might be living in a few years (CRAZY!!)
24. FALL CRAWL! South Carolina's biggest bar crawl and a day of absolute fun! Plus it falls on one of my best friends, Monique's, birthday this year! Even better!
and last but not least....
25. drink lots and lots of spiced apple cider (maybe even drink the hard stuff this year!)

That's it y'all!! Is there anything I'm forgetting?? There's so many things I want to must do@ I can already  cross of make a fall craft (get excited for a craft tutorial post next week!), drink fall tasting coffee and go on a hike off the list! Now to get cracking on all the rest.... Happy Fall Y'all!




P.S. Daniel and I went on a hike two weeks ago and it was insanity! What was supposed to be a very easy and simple 1 hour, mile and a half hike turned into a 6 hour, 15 mile hike ending with both of us being dehydrated and exhausted! Luckily we eventually found a random dirt road in the middle of the woods and managed to make it back to the main road and our car! I get tired just remembering it!  Next time, time I'm making like a boy scout and be PREPARED. I am definitely going to bring a survival kit, compass, map, extra food and PLENTY of water! Word to the wise, never, ever, venture off trail. Even if you are an experienced hiker!

What's good?

I know I know... it's been awhile since I've last posted and I know I promised a new craft post but it's been so crazy busy I just haven't had the time... plus I mysteriously misplaced my camera charger so it's kinda silly of me to post a craft how to without PICTURES! I mean seriously... I don't even order off a menu without pictures... I doubt you'd want to read on how to make a craft without the pictures of the final product! I promise to get a new charger soon  tomorrow and you can expect a new post on one of my favorite new crafts next week!

Any who... a lot of good things have been going on in my life and I thought I should share them with you. As most of you know I recently started a nursing program that I love. love. My aced my first round of tests which was a major achievement! Then it was on to clinical check-offs. Check offs are a series of skills you must be able to perform prior to being allowed to go to clinicals this included: how to insert a nasogastric tube, tracheostomy care, wet and dry wound care, sterile gloving and field, how to give insert a male and female catheter, enemas, parenteral drug administration and transferring and ambulation. It was a lot of work learning all of that but I rocked it! My first clinical rotation began last week and it was AH-MAZING! I have the best instructor who is so helpful and encouraging! My first patient was such a sweetheart. She told me and my partner Mary that we were going to be the best two nurses ever and gave us a huge hug before we left. She had just been in surgery the day before and was such a trooper. I can't wait for my next round this week.

I also have been blessed with the ability to go visit my parents' new home in Florida for the first time this weekend! Not only do I get to see my amazingly supportive parents but all FOUR daughters will be there, my precious nephews, and the  husband and boyfriends. This is a rare moment in the Mason family. It's hard for us all to be in one place with our various busy schedules. As if that wasn't enough, I get to see my sweet grandparents and lots and lots of aunts, uncles and COUSINS!! (GET READY MONDO GIRLS!! I can't wait to see yall!!) I'm hoping to see my Staats/Rogers family too (HINT HINT). The moment I land I'll be greeted by my sweet boyfriend who is making the trip with me and then heading straight to Munchies to see one of oldest and dearest friends Emily. I'm just bursting at the seams with excitement!!

Did I mention that my football teams (well, most of them) both college and NFL are doing awesomely?! I'm hoping for my Clemson Tigers and Wisconsin Badgers will both win their conferences this year (and maybe then some!)  and that my Packers will bring home another Super Bowl win! (FINGERS CROSSED XX)

Seriously, how did I get so blessed? It might have something to do with hard work and good energy and all of that but I think the one I really should be pointing fingers at is the One who gave me all of these many blessings and that's the man upstairs. So I would just like to say thank you God, for giving me a loving family, a wonderful boyfriend, great friends, a career that makes me happy and feel fulfilled, a roof over my head, clothes on my back and food in my belly, among all the other things I have to be grateful for (like this gorgeous fall weather!). May you all have a blessed week and I will put up a new craft post ASAP. That's a promise!

All my love,
Jess

In God's hands

So in my very first post I mentioned some of the trials I have had to endure over the past year or so and I wanted to share with you a little about the amazing person that was my best friend, Devon and how I have managed to get through the horrific tragedy that was her death as well as the further loss of my God father and God brother and the loss of my incredibly beautiful Uncle Pat. This is going to be more personal than most of you want to get so if this is too raw for you, I warn you now to not go any further. But I am not writing this to be sad or to gain sympathy but to inspire each one of you so that if you are having a hard time in your life that you will know that this too shall pass.

Devon was born 23 years ago and immediately had to face her first challenge in life. When she arrived, she had troubles breathing, and had necrotic fingers and leg. The doctors and nurses weren't sure if she would make it. In fact, they said they would be surprised if she made it through the night. She immediately had to have the dead fingers and limb removed and went into surgery. Not only did she survive that first night, but she survived the next night and the next until one day she was allowed to be taken home and eventually to be taken off the respirator. But the battle didn't end there. For the rest of her life Devon would have to make countless trips to Shriner's Hospital for treatment and to be fitted with different prostheses for her leg. She would face the ridicule of classmates and neighborhood kids who picked on her for being different. As many of us know, a lot of us have a hard time embracing the abnormal and our fear of the unknown can cause us to be cruel and cold hearted while those means words would hurt her immensely, Devon learned to be strong because she was born a fighter. 

I met Devon my freshmen year of college. It wasn't the most normal of first encounters but it definitely was the most memorable. As my mama and I were moving things into my dorm room, a woman passed carrying a leg on her shoulder. My mama kind of just looked at her with this puzzled look on her face when the woman said "I bet you've never seen this before!" And Devon, being the spunky, outgoing woman she was, marched right up to me and my mother and introduced herself and said "Hi, I'm Devon! It looks like we're going to get close this year", little did we both know that close was an understatement. I ended up transferring at the end of that school year but the friendship Devon and I had formed together was the type that could last the distance. 

One day I got a call from Devon and she had this rather serious tone, which was very different from the usual. She had called to tell me that the doctor's had found a spot on her skin and they thought it might be cancer. They had performed a biopsy and she would know in a couple of days. At this point in time, Devon had formed a very strong relationship with God, she always had a good one but it went from good to on fire. She told me she knew that God had a plan for her and whatever that plan might be, she was ready to face it. When she called me a little while later, I knew right away what the news was going to be. Devon had cancer. "Cancer is just another bump in the road", Dev said, always the strong one as she comforted me while I broke down about her having cancer. And it was, just another bump in the road for Devon because to Devon nothing was impossible. She faced the cancer head on and with such strength and grace, it was truly awe inspiring. And when she learned the cancer had come back, she was willing to tackle it all over again with the same determination and courage as she always tackled any obstacle that stood in her way. Devon was always positive through all of life's adversities. She was the perpetual fighter, never, ever giving up when there was the opportunity to fight back. So she beat her cancer again. Because it was not in Devon's nature to give up.

 Not only was she a fighter though, but an amazing person. She had the a beautiful heart and the most amazing soul. She was always the first to come running when you needed a friend, always quick with a kind word or a comforting phrase even when she was the one who needed the comforting. She cherished all of her friends and family like they were gold and knew how to make each one of us feel so special and loved. Devon never realized just how special she truly was. That's part about what was so great about her. She didn't let her utter awesomeness get to her head, whether it was her beauty, her personality, or her incredible smarts, it's like she was unaware of it all. The one thing Devon was openly proud of though was her voice, man could she sing. She had that type of passion for music and singing that you could just see. It was dumbfounding that such an amazing voice could come out of such a little woman. When she would get on that stage, she would just light up the whole room. Every thing about her was just full of such a zest and passion for life, from her outstanding attitude to her academic drive to her passion for singing, Devon didn't just dream, she dreamed big and she wasn't afraid to get out there and chase them. 

Devon was and is my hero. She inspired me to chase my own dreams and to let myself be passionate about something. She helped bring me out of my own world that I had become so wrapped up in and showed me the beauty in life and what being a good person is all about. Life isn't about the trials we have to face but it is how we face those trials that really matters. Life isn't about the people who hurt us but about how we rise above the cruelty that's in this world, never letting them drag us down, so that we might show the world what love and compassion is all about. 

So now, when I could easily allow myself to sink into this hole that has been left on this earth from the loss of so many dear, dear friends and family members this past 18 months, I have to be strong, to live my life to the fullest possible and to always remember the lessons that Devon taught me: to always put my faith in God even when I don't understand his plan, to never let anything bring me down because I always have the control to change it, to never give up even when it seems to be too hard to fight, to never hold back when it comes to helping others and most importantly, to always put myself out there in all facets of life but most importantly, in love and friendship because without having friends and people to love, where else would we be in this world? I was so blessed to have had the opportunity to know Devon, some people leave footprints, but Devon, she left a crater.

The next time you are feeling down or like your life is too much too handle or just isn't going anywhere, remember you have the power to change your circumstances. You can put on an attitude of gratitude, count the blessings you do have and go tackle whatever problems the world throws at you. If Devon can survive being born prematurely and surviving off a respirator her first weeks of life, having countless amounts of surgery, learning to walk with a prosthetic leg, facing a life time of ridicule and having cancer TWICE, you can handle whatever life throws your way too. It's all about how we approach life. So never give up hope, and when all seems dark, don't be afraid to put it all in God's hands.

Where were you when the world stopped turning?

I am having a hard time believing that it has been 10 years from that horrific September morning. It's been a whole decade but the memory of that day still remains so fresh in my mind. I remember how the teachers were all in a daze and were trying to shield us students from any images until they knew what was really going on. They gathered my whole grade of about 60 students into the room above the church and told us that there had been an attack and explained that planes had been hijacked and two of them had flown into the World Trade Centers. We all sat there in shock, waiting for the meaning of those words to sink in. It wasn't until they pulled aside a friend of mine who's dad was a pilot to explain to her that he was okay, that the reality of the absolute magnitude of loss we as a nation were about to endure together hit and we all started to cry. Most of the students went on with their school day but when my mama showed up in the middle of the day with this look of total fear on her face, my sisters and I knew something was seriously wrong. My mama pulled us out of school to tell us that my sister's Godfather, Mike, was supposed to have boarded a plane at the Dulles Airport to fly to California that morning. That same plane later crashed into the Pentagon where all its passengers and the 5 men who hijacked it were killed, as well as 125 people that were in the building. We had not heard from him and weren't sure if he was alive. Miraculously though, Mike had not boarded the plane that morning. Instead he had taken a different flight and was forced to land in Texas after an alert for all inbound flights to be grounded. The phone lines were jammed because of the millions of phone calls being placed that day so when Mike finally got through to his wife Jo we were all so relieved. I truly believe God had a hand in protecting Mike that day. On a day full of such tragedy that left such a crater of loss and pain, having this small but wonderful moment of hope was such a blessing.

The way the American people rallied around one another is incredible and fills me with such a sense of pride and honor to call this great country my home. My thoughts and prayers are with all those who lost someone. May we never forget the lives lost, the courage and bravery of those men and women who risked it all to saves the lives of others and those who continue to serve and protect our country to this day. God bless the USA.

You can find so many tributes to September 11th but the above two videos really touch me all the way to the core of my soul. Please watch and remember that we are all in this together, united as one nation under God. 

Budget Friendly Baby Shower Gift

 If you are one of my friends and family members (or even my poor, unsuspecting boyfriend), you have probably fallen victim to my "thrifty" (read college budget friendly) ideas of gift giving and have received some form of craft as a present for whatever occasion allows me to get those creative juices flowing and give you some gift you will probably never use but that I had tons of fun making and put way too much thought into (and that's really what counts right? or so my Mama always told me).

Which leads me to the next series of posts. I have completed numerous projects over the past few years and have decided to do a little back tracking (since my super busy nursing student schedule leaves me very little free time) and post some already finished projects along with some how-to's and of course, pictures! YAY VISUALS! This first project was a gift I gave my amazing friend Jessica (and her hubby) at her baby shower for Peyton (who is not so little anymore.... She's crawling!! I still can't believe it!). Jessica and I have been friends for a few years now and she is such a genuinely kind and caring person that I wanted to give her something that meant more than the standard onesies and baby blanket (unless you have time to make a baby blanket which I didn't so....) I decided to find out what the colors and theme of the nursery were going to be and after finding out pink and green (which my inner Lilly lover adores) and tulips (which happens to be my favorite flower) I decided to take a trip to the local craft store (read: hobby lobby).

I came out armed with the following supplies:

1 Unfinished Wood shadow box

1 Unfinished Wood Letter P (in the girliest style I could find)

2 Unfinished Wood Tulips

3 small bottles of acrylic paint in pink, green and white

1 piece of sand paper (if desired)

1 beautiful, pink polka dot pressed paper (found in the scrapbook section)

Extra glue sticks (just in case I didn't already have a million of these at home)

The total cost for all my supplies was $5.00. Everything I needed was 1/2  off that day! Gotta love a bargain!

Other supplies needed:

Glue gun

scissors

paint brush of choice (I used a foam brush and a smaller synthetic hair brush for the details)

Ribbon (if desired)

When I got home, I lay out some plastic sheeting on the kitchen table and went to town. 

Step 1: Remove the back and the glass from the shadow box (as seen above). You could buy any shadow box to do this but I wanted mine to be more homemade and I didn't want to take the extra time to sand down an already finished box.

Step 2: Using  the back of the box, trace the exact size of the box on the back of the scrapbook paper and cut it out. Then using your glue gun (or any other craft glue), adhere the paper to the back of the shadow box backing (Where the baby angels are in the picture above)

Step 3: Paint the entire box white making sure to not over fill the area the glass should be in. You could also tape the glass off with painter's tape if you prefer but I'm a mess 99.9% of the time so it was in my best interest to just remove the whole thing. Let dry completely. Add 2-3 more coats, waiting for each coat to dry, until the paint is even and no spots show through. 

Step 4 (optional): I wanted to make the frame look loved, so next I sanded down some of the edges and applied a wash of green paint. A wash is when you dilute the paint with water and apply over the area you want the color. Then take a rag and wipe the area down to leave a vintage feel. Allow to dry completely

Step 5: While the paint is drying on the shadow box, gather your wooden letter and tulips and paint the first coat. Allow to dry between coats). I painted the letter and the stem of the flowers green and the actual tulip pink. 

Step 6: Decorate the letter with whatever pattern suits your fancy. I have a thing for polka dots so I painted white polka dots on top of the green with a thin brush.

Step 7: As you can see in the picture above, the stems on the tulips are very long. Cut the stems down on the tulips to the size desired. I played around with how I wanted to the finished product to look before I made the final cut. The stems are pretty thin and cut easily with a pair of scissors. Tie a ribbon around the stems if desired. I used a 1/8 inch pink satin ribbon and tied it in a neat bow.

Step 8: Touch ups! Make sure all the separate pieces are finished and that no spots are showing! Touch up any goofs with paint.

Step 9: The fun part! Assemble all the pieces together using hot glue. I glued the painted letter on top of the scrapbook paper frame back that we had set aside to cool earlier. Then I cleaned up the glass to make sure there weren't any finger prints inside and put the glass in and  the back on. After that I glued the two now dry tulips onto the predetermined locations.

And, voila... a custom made piece of art for the baby's nursery. 

I took the time  to write a message to sweet Peyton on the back letting her know how much I looked forward to meeting her and watching her two amazing parents raise her. She's too little to realize this yet but she is in such good hands. I am truly blessed just to know Jess and Greg and I love watching their family grow! 

And finally... the moment you have all been waiting for... I have moved a grand total of 26 times! That's more moves than years I've been alive! Insanity right? Grant it, 3 of those moves were our cabins in Wisconsin but all the rest were houses my parents have owned (aka my permanent residence) and the places I have lived in college (aka my mailing address) which varies from dorms, to my sorority house to numerous apartment complexes! I'm surprised I don't have instability issues. Which means... the winner is... CAROLYN! Expect your gold star in the mail! I'll  have to come up with another craft idea and mail it to you!

My next craft related post will be two-fold... a baby boy version of the shadow box idea from above and a surprise craft! Get excited! I know I am! 

Confessions of a Craftaholic

Hi, my name is Jessica and I'm a craftaholic (YIKES, that was scary to admit!). Is there some 12 step program for craft addicts? If so I need to enter one, IMMEDIATELY! I live in a town home with three other fabulously wonderful and beautiful roommates and my craft projects have taken over the apartment. I spend most of my free time either doing crafts or searching for new craft ideas. Speaking of which...  Have y'all heard of craftgawker.com or pinterest.com? If you answered yes, you are welcome to join my craftaholic therapy group held monthly at michael's and hobby lobby (and sometimes even those adorable thrift stores and antique shops in the little town square! OH MY GOLLY I get excited just thinking about them!!) Ok, breathe. If you have not heard of them... we are no longer friends... ok, not really but you need to go check them out when you have time RIGHT NOW. What are friends for but to pass along their secrets to procrastination success? :) I practically drool all over my keyboard just browsing these sites for my craft ambitions and inspirations. I spend hours of my life wasting away in front of a computer screen just in awe of all these incredible craft ideas. Pinterest.com doesn't just have crafts though. It also has decor, fashion, accessories, beauty tips, organization methods, recipes, quotes, anything you could ever want and more! And it doesn't end there, you can create different boards to pin your new found ideas, inspirations or beauty know-hows onto and keep them forever! Plus, if you happen to be browsing the internet on your own, say with Google, your favorite blogs or even Stumbleupon, you can literally pin what you come across right onto your pinterest boards from the safety of your own toolbar! GENIUS! I am obsessed in L.O.V.E! As if they couldn't get more clever, you have to be invited to it. You can either submit an invitation request or have a friend invite you, but until then the site is exclusive to members only. Talk about a great marketing ploy, everyone wants to be apart of an exclusive, members-only club! (Especially, when there's no membership fees!).