Another Amazing Woman Gone

So recently I wrote a blog about my amazing Nana's passing. It's been a little over 3 months. Well, early Thursday morning we lost another amzing persn in our lives.

My Grandmother. Wanda Jean Fietz.

She left us at about 5 AM that morning. This was so sudden for us. She had been taken to the hospitalbfor nausea and weakness and turns out she had had a heart attack. No one knew. She had had no pain at all. But this just shows you how strong of a woman she was. She even knew that she woukd be leaving us and going to join the Lord. She had a Guardian Angel she had told us about on many occassions. I believe she had told her she would be leaving us and making sure she got to see as much of her family as she could and saying goodbye to her friend.

She was amazing in that aspect. I always loved her stories of incidences of her Angel or other stories of her life. Even though I'd heard them many times, I nevermind hearing them. My favorite was of when she was younger, she hadbeen in downtown OKC to do some kind of testing for the IRS and hr and a frind had gone to eat in an undergroun mall there when apipe had bursted. They had to run to escae the flooding water, when the escelators flattened out for emergency reasons ti avoid shock from the water. She told me of a man that helped to lift her and her friend up iut of the area. I loved that story, even though I'd heard it many times. I still have not visited this underground mall. We always talked of going together. I still plan to find it and witness the setting of one oof my favorite stories.

One of the greatest women in my life

About three months ago, I lost yet another wonderful person in my life. But this time, it was the closest person I have ever lost in my life.

My Nana.

LaVonne Lake

She was an amazing person. She was strong and independent and everything I strive to be. She raised 4 children almost alone while my Papa was in the Army. They moved to Lawton, OK finally from Rockford, IL.

We were so close since she used to babysit my brother and I all the time when we were younger and lived closer. She wasn't that typical grandmother, that I didn't really know and just shied away from. Although, she lived 4 hours away from me pretty much all my life, I was extremely close to her. I could talk to her about anything. She always made an attempt to come see my dance recitals when she could, which meant the world to me since dance was a huge part of my life growing up. She was always sure to send me cards for every occasion, newspaper clippings of articles she thought I'd like, recipes, religious books, health tips she'd cut out from magazines and much much more. Even though I'd only see her a few times each year, its like we'd never skipped a beat.

Flippy Floppies

I have been making these flip flops for years, since I played soccer. They are great for teams, fundraisers, gifts, or just for yourself.

You will need a set of flip flops. You can do a plain or patterned like I did.

The thinner the band across the foot the easier this will be. These particualr ones were a little thick.

Then you will need some fabrics. You can mix solids, use one pattern, or several like I did for this post.

I got these, 5 pieces of 18" x 21" pieces from Hobby Lobby for $9.99. Pretty much anywhere that sells fabrics will sell scrap pieces which are great for this, but don't feel bad to go pick some fabrics from a bolt.

A pretty place for the birds

I found this little birdhouse at the thrift store right by my house for a $1.98. I have been wanting to get one and always love a fixer-upper chalenge.

I took out the fake bird that was glued in the hole.

I then painted the house using acryllic paints (I love the Folk Art brand the best). I did the body turquoise and the roof red. it took several coats to cover since the original was pretty slick and I couldn't find my sand paper to rough it up.

After I painted it, I sealed it with Krylon's spray clear coat. Since its going to go outside, I wanted the paint to be protected from the elements.

Then, I just added some little details from Hobby Lobby. I drilled a hole in front for a knob (added a little glue to help secure it). Then I glued on a rusty metal cross on back and butterfly on the top.

It turned out so cute. I love and and so do the birds.

Wedding Card Keeper

So I needed a creative little gift to give one of my best friends growing up for  her wedding. Yes I will also get the traditional pots or pans but I am a crafty person and jsut crave making something special for people.

So, I decided on a card holder for her to put all of her wedding cards in.

You will need:

Cardboard or Model board

At least 3 different kinds of paper

Glue

Ruler or Measuring board (you can see in my photos)

Scissors or an X-Acto knife

Ribbon or Lace

2 Brads

Metal Ring that opens

Any kind of details you want to add

*I found all these at Hobby Lobby 

but you can go to any kind of craft & hobby store

 Typically, if you are making this for yourself, then use your cards to measure out how big to make it, since I am making it for someone, I tried to find one of the largest cards I had and used that. You will want to make it about a 1/4" bigger on each side.

From a Sewing Cabinet to Desk

So for Christmas, I decided to make my younger cousin Josie a little desk. She fell in love with one at my work but I was not about to spend $400 on a desk. So I went on the hunt for a small desk and chair, scouring thrift stores and little antique shops. I came across an old sewing cabinet and an old piano chair (one where the seat lifts up for storage) at this great little place in OKC The Feathered Nest. The desk cost me $30 and the chair $24.

I went to Walmart to get some Glidden paint. I bought 2 pints in a soft ivory satin. These cost a total of about $26. Feel free to choose any color. I chose a white to match the furniture in her room. I also wanted it to be a piece she could grow in to.

You'll first want to wipe down the furniture if its a little old and then lightly sand it. It took me about 2 coats to cover it well. Also, if it is in parts like mine was, I suggest taking everything apart and all the hardware off.

To go below the opening in the desk where the sewing machine would typically go (I wanted her to be able to lift the top and have a little built in drawer that she could store her supplies) I bought a simple tray for about $25 and some modge podge for $5 at Hobby Lobby. (Just so you know, most the time they have half the store 1/2 off or you can get a 40% one item coupon on their website every other week.) I then bought some fabric and lining at Interior Fabrics for about $16 total for a yard of each.

I folded it to fit the inside of the tray bottom and used a little spray glue (I recommend using another type of glue if you plan to do this for a tray that you can see every detail because its very messy and stuck to the sides.) I then used a modge podge to make a clear sealant. When doing this over fabric it may take 2 or more coats to get a smooth finish. It took 3 for this tray. (I love it so much I want to make one for my living room.)

A Diaper Cake That Looks So Good You'll Wish It Was Real

So for my friends baby shower I took my first attempt at creating a diaper cake out of the gifts I bought. In my cake I have:

Diapers (I bought a 76 pack, you'll want a larger quantity if you want to make a larger cake)

4 pack of receiving blankets

A small stuffed plush

2 pack of caps

5 pack of onsies

2 pack of pacifiers

Rubber bands

Foam core board

For the "candles":

Paper

Scrap booking letters
Toothpicks

The first step is to roll your diapers and wrap a rubber band around them. After a few tries, I found it was easier to roll about five (1 for the center and 4 on either side) then wrap a rubber ban around. I had about 8 on the top tier, about 24 on the middle, and about 45 on the bottom. I put 2 rubber bands around each tier and spaced them out so they looked more even. Otherwise, it was really tight in the center and flared out on the top and bottom.