LookingGlassJewels

Friday Blog Hops!

2010-06-11T14:49:00.002-05:00

I'm participating in:

Please join us!

Leave a comment that you are a follower

so I can follow you back!

{While you're here, feel free to enter my giveaway!}

Giveaway! No More Doggy Death Breath!

2010-06-11T13:25:00.000-05:00

Don't forget to enter the

Teddy's Pride Oral Care Giveaway!

{ends Friday 6/18}

~ Low entries! Great chance to win! ~

Click HERE to enter!

I'm participating in:

Reason #1,452 to Not Break the Law

2010-06-07T12:35:00.005-05:00

My husband was called for jury duty, and is currently at the courthouse waiting to see if he'll have to serve.

He can't use his cell in the courtroom, but as he's been waiting to be called in, he's been texting me.

Here's the convo so far:

Him: This pic about sums it up:

(View of the intake officer's desk.)

Me: Um, wow. That's not ominous or anything.

Him: At least it's only the intake official and not the judge.

Me: No kidding. I don't even want to think about what's on the judge's desk.

Him: If I had to deal with these people I'd have something like that too.

Him: I just overheard the following: "Honey, if you knew you was gonna see da judge, you shoulda worn your good cap."

Me: Wonder what qualifies as a "good" cap for court.

Me: I'm guessing these belong in the "Not the Good Cap" category:

Him: No, it was probably his Dale Earnhardt cap instead of Jimmy Johnson.

Featured Blogger: Kristi from The Speckled Dog

2010-06-03T12:48:00.003-05:00

I am so excited for my bloggy friend, Kristi from The Speckled Dog! Not only is she an amazingly talented lady, but she is hosting her first CSN Store Giveaway to celebrate reaching 100 followers!

Kristi shares incredible crafts and makeovers which have inspired me time and time again!

Look at this beautiful Memorial Day makeover!
{Don't you love how it pops against her red door?}

Her Bathroom Makeover is outta this world!

The polka dots! The bright colors! That LAMP! {OMG, *drool*}

Kristi's DIY Jewelry Trays are beyond adorable!

I love how she uses color!

Who wouldn't want this incredible side table in their home?

The before and after on this piece is stunning.

Kristi recently revealed her Studio Makeover, and I love it!

I can't wait to see the new projects Kristi makes in her new space!

I highly encourage you to become a follower of The Speckled Dog!

You'll find fantastic inspirations and ideas and get to know a truly wonderful person!

While you're there, be sure to enter Kristi's

CSN Store Giveaway

for a chance to win a $40 gift certificate to any of their over 200 stores!

Kristi, feel free to grab my featured button!

Giveaway Link Party!

2010-06-02T15:45:00.003-05:00

Do you love to enter giveaways?

Do you have a giveaway & want to spread the word?

Head on over to my Giveaway Link Party!

Enter your current giveaways or find some great giveaways to enter!This party is ongoing, so I won't remove a giveaway until it ends! {While you're here, why not enter my giveway?}Click to enter theTeddy's Pride Oral Care Giveaway!Say goodbye to Doggie (or Kitty!) Death Breath!{it really works!}

Teddy's Pride Oral Care Review and GIVEAWAY!

2010-06-01T04:09:00.003-05:00

I am an expert in Stinky Dog Breath. You could say I have a Doggie Death Breath PhD. With three dogs, I've gotten more than my fair share of moist dog breath wuffed in my face. So when I got the chance to try Teddy's Pride Oral Care Probiotics, you can bet I jumped at the chance. And the air quality in my home has never been better.

Here's the low-down:

Daily use of Teddy’s Pride Pet Oral Care provides a quick, simple and effective way to naturally promote fresher breath and whiter teeth without the hassle, stress and poor results of trying to brush your pets’ teeth or investing in costly and potentially dangerous cleaning procedures requiring anesthesia at the veterinarian’s office. Simply sprinkling Teddy’s Pride Pet Oral Care – which has no taste and no odor – on pets’ food once each day ensures that they will have naturally fresher breath and cleaner, whiter teeth.

The key active ingredient in Teddy’s Pride is ProBiora3®, the award-winning science that was researched and developed by Oragenics to combat destructive bacteria, keep teeth white and freshen breath. By binding to the teeth, ProBiora3’s beneficial bacteria leave no room or nutrients for the destructive bacteria to inhabit a healthy oral cavity. The result is a direct reduction in the volatile sulfur compounds responsible for bad breath. As an additional core benefit of ProBiora3, Teddy’s Pride delivers 24-hour teeth-whitening protection for pets.

Biscuits and chew toys are often touted as promoting fresher breath for companion pets, while other products claim to eliminate the bacteria that cause pets to have bad breath. However, while these products may temporarily curb the side effect of unpleasant breath, they represent only short-term, topical solutions. The probiotics in Teddy’s Pride Pet Oral Care fight the bacteria that directly cause bad breath.

But what you really want to know is:

DOES IT WORK?

Simple answer: YES!

Oh my goodness, praise be, it WORKS. To say I am thrilled with the results is a massive understatement.

It couldn't be simpler: Sprinkle one scoop of the tasteless, odorless powder over your dog's food...

...and watch your dog chow down,

happily oblivious to the de-stinkification in process!

By day two, I noticed an improvement in all dogs. By the end of the week, I could hardly believe the transformation.

Specifically, Sammy (pictured above) has always had the WORST breath - I'm talking warm rotten meat breath here, people. Ugh. Before he was our dog, he had distemper, and because of that his teeth and gums are very susceptible to plaque and overall badness. His teeth are permanently stained a pleasant 30-year-smoker brown and his enamel is literally wearing away. (Poor baby.)

With Sammy, I truly did not expect much from Teddy's Pride, simply because his mouth issues are so extreme. But I should have had faith - his breath is VASTLY improved and his teeth are noticeably whiter. (I'd show you pictures... but have you ever tried to hold a camera in one hand and take a usable closeup pic of a wiggly dog's teeth? My attempts turned out... pretty much as you would expect. Take my word for it, the change was staggering.)

I was so excited about the change in all my dogs that, um, I may have asked my neighbors to take a whiff. (I'm pretty sure they agreed to voluntarily smell dog breath simply to make the scary lady go away.) The looks on their faces went from "OMG, I can't believe I am doing this" to "OMG, WOW! That didn't stink at all!". Everyone ~~I've assaulted~~ that has been witness to the non-stinky breath has wanted in on my secret. It's no secret, it's Teddy's Pride Oral Care, and once you get some for your smelly critter you will be hooked!

Oh, and before I forget - Teddy's Pride is great for cats as well as dogs!

Go to Teddy's Pride Oral Care and click on "Buy Now"!

Teddy's Pride has generously offered a Free 60-day supply to one lucky reader!

Visit Teddy's Pride, then come back here and leave a comment sharing something you learned on their website! You must do this for following entries to be valid.
Worth 1 entry, leave 1 comment

You can stop here - you are entered in the giveaway!

But for even better odds of winning, you may also complete the following entries!

Become a follower through Google Friend connect!
Worth 3 entries, leave 3 comments
Subscribe via email! (Make sure you verify your subscription)
Worth 3 entries, leave 3 comments
Blog about this giveaway, linking back to this post!
Worth 5 entries, leave a link to your blog post, leave 5 comments
Follow Teddy's Pride on Facebook!
Worth 1 entry, leave 1 comment
Follow Teddy's Pride on Twitter!
Worth 1 entry, leave 1 comment
Follow me on Twitter!
Worth 2 entries, leave 2 comments
Tweet about this giveaway!
Sample tweet: "Doggie Death Breath? Fix it! Enter the Teddy's Pride Giveaway here: http://tinyurl.com/LGJewels-giveaway2 #giveaway @LGJewels @TeddysPride"
Worth 1 entry per tweet, you may tweet twice per day, leave a comment with a link to your tweet
Buy anything from my Etsy shop, LookingGlassJewels!
Worth 10 entries, leave 10 comments

I want you to have the best chances of winning possible! Please be honest, I don't want to have to delete any invalid entries, it would make me sad.

This giveaway will end Friday June 18, midnight CST.

I will post the winner here and send an email to the winner. Please be sure your email is linked to your comments so I can get in touch with you! The winner will have 48 hours to respond, or I will announce another winner. Winners will be selected via a random number generator. I will email Teddy's Pride with the winner's email address, and they will contact the winner for their shipping info!

I received a 60-day supply of Teddy's Pride Oral Care for review, but was not compensated in any other way. This review is my true and honest opinion of the product.

Tuesday Tag-Along Blog Hop!

2010-06-01T01:12:00.000-05:00

Wow, it's been waaay too long since I posted! Sorry! I'll try to make it up to ya!

Here's this week's Tuesday Tag-Along Blog Hop!

Here's how it works:
Create a new Tuesday Tag-Along blog post. Include the Tuesday Tag-Along button by copying and pasting the code above.
Add your blog name and the URL of your TTA post to the MckLinky below.
If you can, please follow the blogs in the three slots before you (e.g., if you're number 20, follow numbers 19, 18, and 17). This is not mandatory, but it will help ensure that everyone who signs up gets a few new followers!
Follow as many other blogs as you want. The more you follow, the more that will follow you back! Be sure to tell them that you're following from Tuesday Tag-Along! You may also want to leave a link to your blog so they can return your follow more easily.
When you get a new follower through Tuesday Tag-Along, be sure to follow them back! It's just common courtesy.
The weekly Tuesday Tag-Along MckLinky opens every Monday night at 8:59pm Pacific Standard Time (that's 11:59pm Eastern Standard Time), and the TTA blog post will be posted well in advance of that time. The MckLinky will be open to add your blog until 11:59pm Tuesday night. You then have all week long to visit blogs and return follows!
There is a new list every week. The link you enter one week will not carry over to the next week's MckLinky. Please link up again each week to join in the fun!

Please leave me a comment

so I can be sure to follow you back! :)

Tuesday Tag-Along Blog Hop!

2010-05-26T02:51:00.000-05:00

Welcome to this week's Tuesday Tag-Along blog hop! This is a great way to discover new blogs while increasing the number of followers for your own blog.

Here's how it works:

Add your blog name and the URL of your TTA post to the MckLinky below.
If you can, please follow the blogs in the three slots before you (e.g., if you're number 20, follow numbers 19, 18, and 17). This is not mandatory, but it will help ensure that everyone who signs up gets a few new followers!
Follow as many other blogs as you want. The more you follow, the more that will follow you back! Be sure to tell them that you're following from Tuesday Tag-Along! You may also want to leave a link to your blog so they can return your follow more easily.
When you get a new follower through Tuesday Tag-Along, be sure to follow them back! It's just common courtesy. :)

What is a blog hop?
A blog hop is a linky list that is SHARED ON MULTIPLE BLOGS. When several blogs put the same linky list code on their blog, the exact same list appears on each blog. Blog visitors can submit their entries on any blog that contains the list. The entries will appear on each blog where the list resides. Blog readers see the same list on each blog, and can "HOP" from blog to blog seeing the same list of links to follow: BLOG HOP!

CSN Store Giveaway Winner!

2010-05-25T23:21:00.000-05:00

~We have a winner!~

The winner of the $40 CSN Store Giftcard is:

Comment Number 52, Mom Caboodle!

Mom Caboodle said...
I love the Pacific Play Tents Giant Tee-Pee Play House!

Congrats Mom Caboodle! (I will email you - please reply within 48 hours or I will have to pick another winner.)

Thanks to everyone who entered! I wish I could give each and every one of you a prize! Since I can't, I'll send you all my love instead! :) Please stay tuned for my upcoming giveaways!

Country Chic Barn Box Makeover!

2010-05-25T22:12:00.003-05:00

You know how counters are always collecting junk? Keys, receipts, loose change, wallets, sunglasses... random odds and ends that are important, but messy. My mother's lake house has a counter top which always gets cluttered with my her guest's items, so for Mother's Day I decorated a sweet little box that ~~her messy daughter~~ her visitors could leave their ~~crap~~ items in without making a mess.

I found a little "barn box" at Hobby Lobby for around $5.00 (half price - weee!) and knew it would be perfect! I couldn't leave it plain, of course, so I decoupaged a sweet little star on each side:

The bottom of the box had a hole in it...

(I believe it was intended to be a planter)

...so I cut scrapbook paper to fit and mod podged it in!

I love the traditional paper with the rustic box.

It's now "country chic"!

She may end up using it in her home office to organize her desk, but whatever she uses it for, I am very happy with how it turned out!

I love taking something and adding a few simple touches to make it custom! I think I need to make one for myself! What do you think?

I am linking to a ton of great parties, so many that I simply cannot list them all here! Pretty pretty please visit my list of Craft and Tutorial parties HERE to see all the parties I linked to! A wealth of insipration awaits!

Make Homemade Dog Food Tutorial ~ Part Two

2010-05-25T15:52:00.002-05:00

A few days ago, I shared my reasons for making homemade dog food here. Today I will share Make Homemade Dog Food ~ Part Two!

A few points about making homemade dog food:

Talk to your vet first! Your vet knows your dog and his specific needs, I don't.
Go to the ASPCA website for a list of foods that are poisonous to your pet. I cannot stress enough how important this is. Many dog food recipes on the web cannot be trusted to adhere to this list, always check this list against any recipe.
Have fun, and if your pet turns up his nose at your cooking (a serious ego blow, I can tell you) keep trying. Fido may hate broccoli, but love peas. Some experimentation may be necessary.
Homemade dog food should include:
40% meat (protein), 30% veggies, and 30% carbohydrates.
Some websites suggest:
40% meat (protein), 50% veggies, and 10% carbohydrates.
(This is why you need to talk to your vet! Different breeds need different ratios.)

I am still learning and adjusting the ratios of my ingredients. The recipe I am sharing with you is roughly 40% meat (protein), 25% veggies, and 35% carbohydrates. I have since started cutting back the carbs and have increased the protein and veggies. It is an ongoing process, but really not as difficult as it may sound! I know that my food is much healthier than store bought kibble, so I am confident that I am taking good care of my doggies even if I need to adjust my recipe as time goes on. (In fact, I found a new recipe today that I plan to try, I will share it with you at the end of this post.)

My recipe changes almost every time I cook dog food, it all depends on what I have on hand. The most important thing to do is stick to the correct ratio of protein/veggies/carbs and of course to use foods that dogs can eat. I have a printed list of poisonous foods on my fridge that I reference any time I change up the recipe. The recipe I am sharing with you can be changed to fit what you have already or what is on special at the store - for example, I have used ground turkey, chicken, ground beef, bacon, and eggs as my protein source. If I have meat that we planned to use, but didn't, it goes into my dog food instead. I virtually never have wasted food anymore!

Whew! Let's get on with the tutorial, shall we?

Ingredients: brown rice, olive oil, fish oil, canned green beans, canned carrots, ground beef, and bacon:

(the pots I use are vintage, one from my Grandma and one from my Momma. They are well used, so they don't look pristine. I promise they are clean!)

Boil water with 3-4 tablespoons of olive oil, add brown rice, and cook until VERY soft (overcooked, really.) Add more water than you think you need, the rice should be runny and moist. When it's almost done, add 2-3 fish oil capsules (these are good for people too!)

The olive oil and fish oil are good for the eyes, fur, digestion, and heart. The fish oil has the added benefit of flavoring the rice. (When I cooked this meal, I added a piece of bacon to the rice for flavor as well.)

Cook the beef and bacon thoroughly. NEVER give your pets raw or undercooked food.

It's better to overcook than undercook.

Bacon is fatty, so I rarely include it in my dog food. We had about three pieces leftover that wasn't going to be used, so I tossed it in. I made sure to drain the fat and rinse the meat well after it was cooked.

Once your meat is cooked, turn off the heat and add green beans...

and carrots...

Cut them up into the meat.

The remaining heat from the meat will "steam" the veggies. Overcooking the vegetables will reduce their nutritional value. You can use fresh or frozen veggies as well, simply steam them lightly or add them in with the meat and cook until they are soft enough to break up.

All mushed up! YUM!

Spoon in your rice...

and mix it all up!

I then transfer everything into a plastic container that fits well into my fridge.

The extra water from the rice provides plenty of moisture, and after it sets up in the fridge, it will be easy to serve to your dogs! (I used to heat up their bowls of food in the microwave until just warm, but that was tedious and my dogs seem to prefer it cold for some reason.)

My puppies were giving me the "I'm starving" eyes, so I dished it up as soon as it was cool enough to eat. My dogs are all around 25lbs, so I give them about a 3/4 cup or so each.

Prior to serving, I add a scoop of Teddy's Pride Probiotic Oral Care to each bowl.

I will be hosting a giveaway of this FANTASTIC product soon!

It has made a HUGE difference in my pet's breath and dental health - no kidding.

One little scoop...

Sprinkled over the food...

Be sure to count your fingers after you set the bowls down, because your dogs will be gobbling everything up!

nom nom nom

I have three dogs, and I feed them twice a day, so we go through one container of food every 3-4 days. Food can be prepared in larger amounts so you don't have to cook as often, but if you aren't going to use it in 3-4 days, freeze it. This food freezes beautifully! Just pull out the frozen food and leave it in your fridge overnight and it should be ready to serve by the next morning.

Here are some of the other ingredients that I have used in my homemade dog food:

Whole wheat pasta
Eggs
Ground Turkey
Chicken
Broccoli
Peas
Cauliflower
Steak (we froze it and the hubby wasn't too excited about grilling it anymore, so, since it was still good, I used it for the dogs instead.)
Cheese (small amounts)
Spinach
Corn
Beef or chicken broth (this adds great flavor to the rice, but DO NOT use broth that has onion or garlic listed in the label. Make sure to use sodium-free broth as well, as too much salt is harmful. One trick I have used is to add chicken legs, fat and skin removed, into the rice water and boil them with the rice until fully cooked. I then remove the meat from the bone and toss the meat back in. This flavors the rice and cooks meat all in one step. Just be careful to get EVERY bone, as bones are a terrible choking hazard.)

This is not an all-inclusive list by any means! There are so many options to try! In fact, I found this recipe today, and am eager to try it next.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial! If you make your own dog food, or try this recipe, please let me know! I would love to hear any tips or suggestions, and I will be more that happy to answer any questions you may have!

Stay tuned for the

Teddy's Pride Probiotic Oral Care Giveaway!

Frankie Say RELAX Tutorial

2010-05-22T04:00:00.002-05:00

For Mother's Day this year (which we celebrated last weekend as it was the first time we could all gather together) I decided I wanted to make gifts instead of buying them. I saved money, but most importantly I poured love into all my creations for my amazing Momma! Everything was a hit, and I couldn't be happier with how it all came together!

My parents have a little house on the lake where they go to "get away", but sometimes my mom has a hard time allowing herself the rest she deserves. So I thought that I'd make her something to help remember to RELAX!

I started with a wooden sign I got from Goodwill for $3 and some letters from Hobby Lobby, I believe they were under $1 apiece. I primed them:

And then spray painted them black. (With enamel paint by accident. Fortunately the paint adhered to my latex primer. Whoopsie!)

I then cut some pretty green scrapbook paper to cover the board. I contemplated some black scrapbook paper for the letters, but the paper looked gray and "off" against the black letters. It was too busy.

So I just left the letters black.

RELAX!

My scrapbook paper wasn't long enough to run the length of the board...

So I trimmed it so that the seam would be hidden behind the "L"

Pulled out the trusty Mod Podge...

And glued the paper down, pushing out bubbles with a stiff piece of cardboard.

Then I sanded the edges of the all letters...

Okay, that's bugging me.

That's better!

I glued the sanded letters to the board with E600.

Meanwhile, the puppies took the message to heart:

Hmmm... it's a little boring...

It needs some distressing, I think!

I mixed black acrylic paint with a little water and tested it on a scrap piece of paper.

I "washed" the green background with the diluted paint, and then dry-brushed undiluted black paint around the letters.

I wiped away excess paint with a paper towel.

dab dab dab

Much better! I prefer the antiqued look versus the stark black on green.

About this time I discovered that I had glued the letters upside down. The hangers on the back were the wrong way! Um, OOPS.

At least it looks cute...

And everyone got a kick out of the upside-downess. In fact, my mom decided to hang it that way! She said that way she can read it when she's ~~on the floor from too much Patron~~ relaxing.

She didn't have a chance to hang it up, but when she does I will take a pic to share with you!

I hope you enjoyed my RELAX tutorial! Remember to check the back before you glue your letters down... or don't and have a giggle when you look at your sign ~~when you're drunk~~ while you RELAX!

Trendy Blog Award!

2010-05-21T23:16:00.001-05:00

The sweet and wonderful Kristi of The Speckled Dog

has so kindly honored me with the Trendy Blog Award!

To say I am flattered would be an understatement!

Kristi shares fantastic projects, including a recent bathroom makeover that has me drooling! You will be missing out if you don't see it! Kristi is a wonderful writer and I love to see what she's up to! I truly enjoy her blog and she is a wonderful and giving person! She recently topped 100 followers ~ let's get her to 200!

Here’s how the award works:
To receive this award you have to promise to share this with 10 other BLOGS that you think are Trendy too.
Post about your award in your blog.
List your Top 10 Trendy Blogs.
Share with them.
Leave a link to the Trendy Blog Button.
Tell them they need to give this award out to 10 as well.

Here are my picks to receive the Trendy Treehouse Award!

Make Homeade Dog Food! Part One

2010-05-21T20:00:00.004-05:00

You guys may think I'm nutty, but I make homemade dog food for my three doggies. I never ever thought I would ~~be one of those wacko dog people~~ take the time to make dog food, but it has been 100% worth it.

It all started when I read about what goes into store-bought dog food, even the most expensive brands. Prepare to be totally icked out.

What's Really in Pet Food:
What most consumers don’t know is that the pet food industry is an extension of the human food and agriculture industries. Pet food provides a convenient way for slaughterhouse offal, grains considered “unfit for human consumption,” and similar waste products to be turned into profit. This waste includes intestines, udders, heads, hooves, and possibly diseased and cancerous animal parts.

Pet Food Ingredients:
...about 50% of every food animal does not get used in human foods. Whatever remains of the carcass — heads, feet, bones, blood, intestines, lungs, spleens, livers, ligaments, fat trimmings, unborn babies, and other parts not generally consumed by humans — is used in pet food, animal feed, fertilizer, industrial lubricants, soap, rubber, and other products. These “other parts” are known as “by-products.”

Because of persistent rumors that rendered by-products contain dead dogs and cats, the FDA conducted a study looking for pentobarbital, the most common euthanasia drug, in pet foods. They found it.

Industry insiders admit that rendered pets and roadkill were used in pet food some years ago. Although there are still no laws or regulations against it, the practice is uncommon today [...]. However, so-called “4D” animals (dead, dying, diseased, disabled) were only recently banned for human consumption and are still legitimate ingredients for pet food.

To make pet food nutritious, pet food manufacturers must “fortify” it with vitamins and minerals. Why? Because the ingredients they are using are not wholesome, their quality may be extremely variable, and the harsh manufacturing practices destroy many of the nutrients the food had to begin with.

There’s a unique, pungent odor to a new bag of dry pet food — what is the source of that smell? It is most often rendered animal fat, or vegetable fats and oils deemed inedible for humans.

Potential Contaminants:
Given the types of things manufacturers put in pet food, it is not surprising that bad things sometimes happen. Ingredients used in pet food are often highly contaminated with a wide variety of toxic substances. Some of these are destroyed by processing, but others are not.

Nutrition-Related Diseases:
The idea that one pet food provides all the nutrition a companion animal will ever need for its entire life is a dangerous myth. Today, the diets of cats and dogs are a far cry from the variable meat-based diets that their ancestors ate. The unpleasant results of grain-based, processed, year-in and year-out diets are common.

Animal Testing:
Another unpleasant practice exposed by this recall is pet food testing on live animals. Videotapes reveal the animals’ lives in barren metal cages; callous treatment; invasive experiments; and careless cruelty.

Marketing Magic:
A lot of pet foods claim they contain “human grade” ingredients. This is a completely meaningless term — which is why the pet food companies get away with using it. The same applies to “USDA inspected” or similar phrases. The implication is that the food is made using ingredients that are passed by the USDA for human consumption, but there are many ways around this. For instance, a facility might be USDA-inspected during the day, but the pet food is made at night after the inspector goes home. The use of such terms should be viewed as a “Hype Alert.”

What Consumers Can Do:
Stop buying commercial pet food; or at least stop buying dry food. Dry foods have been the subject of many more recalls, and have many adverse health effects. If that is not possible, reduce the quantity of commercial pet food and supplement with fresh, organic foods, especially meat. Purchase one or more of the many books available on pet nutrition and make your own food. Be sure that a veterinarian or a nutritionist has checked the recipes to ensure that they are balanced for long-term use.

source: http://www.bornfreeusa.org/facts.php?more=1&p=359

Are you shocked? I was. Shocked, horrified, disgusted... The above excerpt is only the tip of the iceberg. Read the entire article to for more detailed information.

After I learned about what goes into pet food, I knew I could never buy it again. There are many articles that support what I've shared here, just google "pet food ingredients" to see a plethora of information.

Once I started feeding my dogs homemade food, I saw very noticeable differences in their health. My Scottish terrier had always been very "itchy" and would constantly scratch and lick her fur. (She'd lick her paws so much that she'd leave slobber spots on the sofa... yuck.) She had joint pain and would limp after laying down for too long. After few weeks of homemade food, both issues were virtually gone. (She is 12 years old, so sometimes she still walks stiffly, but nothing like before.) All three of my dogs have softer, shinier fur, healthier ears and eyes, and more energy. Sammy, my Cocker Spaniel mix, used to vomit once or twice a week, and we could never figure out why. Now it never happens. Liam, my West Highland terrier, would also get sick and vomit occasionally. Again, gone. None of the dogs have had diarrhea since I started feeding them homemade food. They are less gassy and burpy (which we are MOST thankful for) and just all-around happier dogs.

In case you are wondering, the brands of packaged dog food I bought before the switch were everything from specialty food from my vet to the "quality" food from the grocery store. (You know, the ones that are $28.99 for a 20lb bag and claim to be the "best" for your dogs.) I always thought that avoiding the "cheap" stuff meant I was doing the right thing. After my research, I know I was in the dark.

Pet food companies are a multi-billion dollar industry, with little to no oversight, horrible production processes, and questionable integrity. Then cheaper the ingredients, the more profit. Perhaps I am making a blanket statement, perhaps there is a company out there that doesn't use by-products, doesn't have poor quality nutrition, and isn't full of chemicals. I just haven't found one. And frankly, I don't know that I'd trust their claims to quality, since I know that they can spin their slogans around weak laws. When I make my own food, I KNOW what goes into it. I KNOW it doesn't contain rendered bones and diseased meats. I control the quality, and my dogs benefit from that control.

I know this has been a long post, but I hope it hasn't been preachy. That is certainly not my intention. I believe that knowledge is power, and I share this with you because I feel strongly about it. I love my dogs, and want to take care of them the best I can. I am by no means perfect; I don't walk my dogs like I should, they bark and jump on the couch and have been known to pee pee where they shouldn't. But I take care of them, (try to) train them a bit, don't let them eat the cat, and don't shoot them when they dig up (all) my rosebushes. Feeding them homemade food, and seeing noticeable differences in their health, lets me know that at least I've done one thing right.

They certainly line up every morning and evening for momma's homemade yummies. And scarf it all down.

nom nom nom nom nom

Are you interested in a tutorial on how I make my homemade dog food? Since this post is already a mile long, I will share it with you in "Make Homemade Dog Food! Part Two".

I'd truly love to hear your thoughts on this issue!

Giveaway Ending Soon!

2010-05-21T14:42:00.000-05:00

~ Just a reminder ~

Hurry to enter my giveaway for a

$40 CSN Store Giftcard!

Giveaway ends this Sunday, 5/23.

{Enter while you still can!}

The Versatile Blogger Award

2010-05-17T23:06:00.004-05:00

I am so very flattered and excited and weeeeeeee!

The darling Kate of Webster's Updates has honored me

with my very first blogging award!

The Rules for the award are:

Thank the person who gave you this award
Share 7 things about yourself
Pass the award along to 15 bloggers who you have recently discovered and who you think are fantastic! (in no particular order...)
Contact the bloggers you've picked and let them know about the award.

The first rule is the easiest!

A honest and heartfelt thank you to lovely Kate!

Seven things about myself...

I have way too many pets, but I love them all like they were my kids. (Except for that damn cat. I love her, but she is truly obnoxiously annoying. I love her like the neighbor's kid who comes over and rubs Play-Doh in your carpet and eats his boogers.)
My husband is 10 1/2 years older than me. We met when he was 33 and I was 22. His friends kept asking if our first date was at Chucky Cheese.
I can, and have, eaten an entire can of Pringles in one sitting. I can cut a scandalous swath through a bag of Oreos. It is vitally important that neither of these evil things ever come into my home.
I have a massive amount of beads and still want more. I have spent way more than I care to admit on jewelry supplies. This is why I know to avoid scrapbooking. My marriage and bank account would not survive it.
I adore traditional clocks and have quite a few throughout my home. None of them display the correct time. My husband sets all the digital clocks, but I'm in charge of the analogs. {Don't trust them, they will make you late.}
If I could, I would never wear shoes. I love shoes, have way too many, and adore shoe shopping, but going barefoot is always my preference. (Fuzzy slippers are the next best thing to barefoot, of course.) (Oh, and ~~stealing~~ wearing my husband's socks.)
Vodka martini, extra dry, extra dirty. The only person who can make a martini exactly right is my husband, who doesn't drink vodka.

I would like to pass this award to:

Even More Fun Freebies!

2010-05-14T11:40:00.002-05:00

~ I love freebies! ~
Here are the fun freebies I signed up for today!
Of course, I had to share them with my wonderful readers!
Enjoy!

Free Canned Tuna

Free sample of Playtex Gentle Guide

Free Sample of Purex Complete 3-in-1

Free OneTouch Diabetes Meter

Free Neti Pot (hurry! they go fast!)

Free Vegetable Garden Guide

Free sample of John Frieda Sheer Blonde Shampoo and Conditioner

Free Pedometer from Nature's Bounty

Many thanks to today's freebies sources:

Who Doesn't Love Coupons

Shelly's Swag

Mommy's "Free" Time

'Deal'icious Mom

~ p.s. ~

If you would like me to share more freebies,

please leave a comment to let me know!

~ p.p.s. ~

Don't forget to enter my

CSN Stores Giveaway!

Blog Hop Friday!

2010-05-14T08:30:00.000-05:00

I'm participating in Blog Hop Friday!

Care to join me?

Click on the froggy!

What I don't get...

2010-05-14T01:57:00.000-05:00

Kate at Webster's Updates shared this great link party she found, and I have to join in!

Da Mainiacs hosts the "What I Don't Get Thursdays" party and I have to agree with what she says:

"Have you ever said to yourself, "What I don't get..." and then run on an tangent about that subject that you don't get? Well, I find myself doing the same thing. Often. Actually quite often. This world holds a lot to be curious about."

Yup. I am nodding to that! Without further ado, here is my addition to What I Don't Get Thursdays:

Why is it that every time I sit down to eat, the phone rings? It's always someone important, I'm not talking about telemarketers. Same thing happens when I go to the bathroom, or when I sit down to watch a TV show I've looked forward to watching... RING! RING! I just don't get it.
I don't get why I can't sleep more than 4 hours at a time without interruption. I don't even have kids! It's my pets, the phone (grrr), my husband (who tries not to wake me, but still), or the doorbell. I am a night owl, so my schedule is abnormal... I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised. But even when I sleep during "normal" night hours, the cat decides to jump on my head or the dogs think they hear something and bark. Why?
I don't get why my neighbors are so interested in my comings and goings. They know more about my life than I do! Sometimes I don't go in the front yard simply because they are all outside and would mob me the moment I opened the front door. Sad, but true.
Why can I never remember to move the last load of laundry from the washer to the dryer before it gets stinky? I hate having to re-wash - so wasteful! - but I forget almost every single time. I don't get why I do that.
Golf. I don't get golf. I agree with Mark Twain: "Golf is a good walk spoiled."
I don't get people who leave hateful comments on blogs. (Never happened to me, all my commenters are bundles of sunshine, sweetness, and encouragement, and I love them!) I see blog comments on other sites which are downright nasty, and it makes no sense to me. If you don't agree with the writer, fine! Say so in a constructive and kind way. If you are violently opposed to the writer's viewpoint, quit reading that blog. Why people decide to become mean trolls is beyond me.
I don't get spending the same amount of money on a car as you would a nice house. I see a $200,000 car driving down the road and I think of what just half that money would provide for Habitats for Humanity. I know it's none of my business how people choose to (legally) spend their money, but seeing those cars always makes me a little sad.
I don't get why it is so hard to throw trash in the trash can instead of leaving it on the kitchen counter. Why? Throw it in the can, IT IS RIGHT THERE.
I am always losing socks. I know everyone has this problem, but I still don't get it. Where did they go? Are my dogs eating them? If the washing machine is the culprit, why aren't washing machine manufactures creating non-sock-eating washers? We got to the moon how many years ago? Seriously, what's the deal?
Why are all the grocery lines always empty when you walk in and a mile long when you're ready to check out? Time of day seems to make no difference. I don't get it.

Want to join in? Add your thoughts to the party!

Wednesday is Tip Day: How to Make Perfect Boiled Eggs!

2010-05-12T05:04:00.000-05:00

I just made up "Wednesday is Tip Day". Ha. I'm just gonna roll with it.

Who doesn't love Eggs?

I was inspired by a great post over at C.R.A.F.T.

Here are the great tips she shared about EGGS!

1: Boiling eggs? Don't throw out the water! It contains minerals that can be beneficial for your plants. Cool to room temps & water away!
2: If you aren’t sure how fresh your eggs are, place them in about four inches of water. Eggs that stay on the bottom are fresh. If only one end tips up, the egg is less fresh and should be used soon. If it floats, it’s past the fresh stage.
3: After eggs are boiled--put them under cold water as soon as possible and leave them like that for a few minutes. That will make cleaning the shell off a lot easier.
4: Adding a little salt to the water will prevent boiling eggs from cracking.
5: The color of the egg shell has nothing to do with the quality of an egg. Buy brown or white eggs, whichever are cheaper. Old ones are smooth and shiny while fresh eggs are rough and chalky in appearance.

I love these great tips! It reminded me of something I shouldn't be keeping to myself.

Have you ever seen one of these?

It's an electric kettle, and worth every penny.

Seriously, we use ours every. single. day. A good electric kettle has the following features:

Turns off automatically when water reaches the boiling point (a MUST)
A wide opening
Anti-scale mesh filter at the pour spout
Dry-boil and overheat protection
External water level indicator
Separate kettle and base
Powerful concealed heating element for rapid boiling
Stainless steel (highly recommended, plastic kettles can give your water a yucky flavor)

What makes me so enthusiastic about something that boils water, and what on earth does it have to do with eggs?

First lemme tell you about eggs, specifically the best boiled eggs you have ever had. (This is how my husband sold me on buying one, because at first I thought it was beyond ridiculous to pay for something to boil water, for cryin' out loud. I have never ever regretted the decision, I promise you.)

To boil the world's most perfect eggs, simply:

Put your eggs in the kettle. (This is why a wide mouth is important, you need to be able to reach into the pot to set your eggs inside.)
Cover with water and click the button to boil
When the kettle turns off after reaching a boil (ours "dings" when it turns off) leave your eggs in the water and set a timer for 15 minutes.
Remove your eggs and peel! (Toss them in cold ice water to speed up the peeling process)

Your eggs will be PERFECT every single time. The yolks aren't runny or hard, they are creamy and wonderful. Idiot-proof and Delicious! The deviled eggs my hubby makes with our boiled eggs are divine.

But that's not all the kettle can do! It is an excellent multitasker!

I use it to:

Boil water for faster pasta, rice, etc. (I don't recommend cooking your pasta in the kettle. You can, but it can be tricky to clean.) Boil water and add it to your cooking pot! No more waiting forever for a pot of water to boil before you can start cooking. I can make pasta noodles in at least half the time it takes normally.
Boil water for tea
Boil water for coffee (We use a French press for the yummiest coffee on earth, I will post about that later if you're interested.)
Boil broth for soups
Boil water for hot cocoa
Boil milk (it won't scald!)

Personally, I am really lazy about handwashing, so I don't boil food items (other than eggs) in my kettle very often. Still we use the kettle every day. If you aren't lazy like me, there's no reason that you can't cook more in your kettle than I have listed.

I can't recommend an electric water kettle enough. (No one asked me to review them, I just wanted to share with you!)

Most quality kettles range from $30-$50. You can go here for a great selection, but you can get one just about anywhere that sells kitchen appliances. (Ours came from Bed Bath and Beyond for $30ish after a 20% off coupon.)

Now, of course I can't help put point out that you can enter my CSN Store Giveaway for a $40 gift certificate and use it to get your own electric kettle for free. Just sayin'. ;)

More Fun Freebies!

2010-05-11T21:05:00.002-05:00

~ I love Freebies! ~

Here are some great freebies I signed up for!

{Thanks to Lenny's Crazy FreeBie's}

Get a Free Sample of

Frantoio Olerio Olive Oil

Get a Free Herbal Candle

from Beauty Herbal Spa

Get a Free

Meauring Tape

Get a Free Sample of

AgriMarks Plant Markers

Get a Free Sample of

Get a Free Sample of

Get a Free Sample of

Get a Free Sample of

Get a Free

Vegetarian Starter Pack

Get a $30 certificate for

Benihana Birthday Dinner

Get a Free Sample of

Cl9ud Salon Spa Handmade Soap

Get a Free

Spider ID Chart

Get a coupon for a Free Bottle of

Country Bob's Steak Sauce

P.S.
If you would like me to share more freebies,
please leave a comment to let me know!

P.P.S.
Don't forget to enter my
CSN Stores Giveaway!

Tuesday Tag-Along Blog Hop!

2010-05-11T05:01:00.005-05:00

It's time for another Tuesday Tag-Along Blog Hop,
a great way to find new blogs and to get more followers!
A happy win for all!

What is a blog hop?
A blog hop is a linky list that is SHARED ON MULTIPLE BLOGS. When several blogs put the same linky list code on their blog, the exact same list appears on each blog. Blog visitors can submit their entries on any blog that contains the list.
The entries will appear on each blog where the list resides. Blog readers see the same list on each blog, and can "HOP" from blog to blog seeing the same list of links to follow: BLOG HOP!

How to participate:

Create a new Tuesday Tag-Along blog post.
Add your blog name and the URL of your TTA post to the MckLinky below.
Follow the blogs in the three slots before you (e.g., if you're number 20, follow numbers 19, 18, and 17). This is not mandatory, but it will ensure that everyone who signs up gets a few new followers!
Follow as many other blogs as you want. The more you follow, the more that will follow you back! Be sure to tell them that you're following from Tuesday Tag-Along! You may also want to leave a link to your blog so they can return your follow more easily.
When you get a new follower through Tuesday Tag-Along, be sure to follow them back! It's just common courtesy. :)

Leave a comment on this post that you followed me so I can be sure to follow you back! :)

If you are viewing this in a reader,

you will need to click through to my blog to see the Link list!

Fun Freebies!

2010-05-11T03:18:00.001-05:00

~I love freebies!~

Here are some great freebies I signed up for
and wanted to share with you!

Get a Free Sample of

Old Spice Odor Blocker

Get a Free Sample of

Secret Clinical Strength

Get a Free Sample of

Prilosec OTC

Get a Free Sample of

John Frieda Root Awakening

Get a Free Sample of

Parent's Choice Infant Formula

Get a Free Sample of

Dove Deodorant

Get a Free Sample of

Eucerin Daily Skin Balance Body Lotion

Get a Free Cacique Panty

at Lane Bryant!

p.s.
If you would like me to share more freebies, please leave a comment to let me know!

My Not-So-Secret Admirer

2010-05-10T17:40:00.003-05:00

This is the view beneath my desk:

This is Sammy Pickles, and he is my faithful shadow - anywhere I go, he goes, even if it means he wakes himself out of a nap to trot along after me. If I sit down, he is in my lap. If I am sad, he puts his nose right in my face and looks lovingly into my eyes as if to tell me everything will be all right. If I am in the kitchen, he has true doggy faith that I will give him a treat. If he is scared, he comes to me for comfort. If he is naughty, he knows I can't be mad at him for any real length of time.

Sammy thinks that with a little bacon and a good cuddle, the world would be a perfect place.

Most of the time, he is right.

p.s. Don't forget to enter my $40 CSN Stores giveaway!

Phone Caddy Tutorial - Dollar Store Makeover!

2010-05-08T06:05:00.012-05:00

Don't forget to enter my
CSN STORES GIFTCARD giveaway!

Click here to enter to win!

In case you missed my guest post on Miss Crafty Pants, here it is for ya!

Make a fun, easy, and cheap Phone Caddy!

Sometimes when I'm ~~frantically digging through goodies~~ shopping at Dollar Stores, I buy stuff that I'm pretty sure I'll use in a craft project... someday. And then there are the finds that I know exactly what I want to do with them and can't wait another moment to transform them.
This is one of those finds:

Ain't she a beauty?

In all honesty, the pictures make it look better than it does in person. It's not painted well and the image on the front is washed-out and cheap looking. Which, well, it WAS cheap. But who cares if it's ugly, we're gonna fix that right now!

Time to head out to the garage to spray paint! One last pic before the transformation begins:

Pull out that black spray paint and start spraying!

Better already. Ahhhh.

Now here's the part where I realize I forgot to take a pic of the box after it was painted. I hope the plethora of pictures to follow will make up for that.

Now that the ugly garden print is gone, let's put something pretty in it's place!

Grab some fun scrapbook paper and cut it to size!

I am in love with turquoise lately. It's everywhere these days, and I can't resist peer pressure. I am weak to the turquoise. Unfortunately there is almost no turquoise in my house. Until now! Hooray!

Another fun trend is the use of letters in decor. Again, I cannot resist. I am on the monogram bandwagon and lovin' it! So to add a letter, I found a typeface I liked and printed it on plain ol' printer paper with plain ol' ink.

Grab these tools: cutting mat, straight edge, scissors, razor blade, and a black sharpie! Cut that letter out!

While in Graphic Design school, we had to cut eleventy billion things with our razor blades. We cut out letters, shapes, mats, everything. It took a while, but eventually I became a razor blade pro! There are simple tricks to making your finished piece clean and crisp:

When cutting, don't apply too much pressure. You'll have a tendency to tense up and press down much harder than is needed for a thin sheet of paper. Light and steady is the key.

Never ever drag your blade through the paper. Cut straight down or at a slight angle. Dragging the blade even slightly from side to side will almost always cause tearing or ragged edges. Be dedicated to your cuts!
When cutting a curve, let all the motion come from your wrist, and press down a little harder, just enough to bend the blade just a little bit. That may sound crazy, but the metal of the blade is actually very flexible and will do a lot of the work for you. Let the blade slice around the curve. This may take practice, but trust me, it works.
If you need to cut a straight line, use a straight edge. Even on the itsy-bitsy straight lines. If there is a straight line that approaches a curve, cut right to the edge of the curve using that ruler! It will make all the difference in the cleanliness of your project.
Don't cut away too much of your background paper all at once. Leave some paper to help you hold the piece steady as you cut the small or tricky areas. Cut the easy stuff last, but always be gentle to avoid ripping that perfect curlicue that you just spent 15 minutes cutting.
Move your piece around! Find the best angle before you cut. Keep your arm, wrist, and hand relaxed - tensing up leads to trouble.
Use scissors to clean up any wiggles or bloopers. I like to turn my piece over - often you will see things on the backside that you won't notice right away on the front.
Cheat! Absolutely cheat! When I cut out the letter for this project, there were places you could still see the white paper around the edges of the black letter. Instead of trying to re-cut a minuscule sliver of paper off of my fragile letter, I pulled out my trusty black Sharpie and just touched up the edges. This trick SAVED MY SANITY in college.

I hope those tips help you on your next cutting project! Sorry I was long winded there.

Whew! Let's get back to our Phone Caddy!

This will be so pretty! Pull out that elixir of the crafting gods, Mod Podge!

Mod Podge the surface where your scrapbook paper will go.

Stick your paper on and Mod Podge over the surface, squishing those pesky bubbles out as best you can.

Now wait it for it to dry.

Ha.

Who are we kidding? Fidget for about 15 seconds, and stick your letter on.

Throw on another layer of Mod Podge.

Now you'll have to wait for it to dry for real, because the next step involves drilling a hole into the back of the caddy for the charger cord to go through.

Unless you planned ahead and cut it before you painted it. Which, yeah... notsomuch.

Cut a hole in the back before you spray paint your caddy.

Or do what I did, and force yourself to wait for the Mod Podge to truly dry, then wake your husband up late at night and ask him oh-so-sweetly to please come help your poor little self.

Mark the size of the hole, big enough to thread the end of your charger.

Admire your husband's sexy arms and thank him profusely for helping you.

My husband used his fancy drill press, but you could use a regular drill as well. I'm sure I could have used one of our several hand drills all by myself... but I didn't want to. Just don't mention that to him, 'kay?

Check to make sure your charger will fit.

Success!

Handily, the iPhone charger is bigger at one end than the other, so the part that plugs into the phone itself will not fall out of the caddy every time you unplug your phone. I'm betting that almost all chargers are similar, so just make sure that the hole is sized appropriately.

Perfect! Good job, husband, love ya, now you can go back to sleep.

Here's the part where I almost ruined the whole piece. I decided that the scrapbook paper was a little harsh and needed some distressing. My spray paint was almost gone and was just spraying fuzzy little splatters. "Perfect!" I thought. "I'll just spray a little around the edges of my scrapbook paper, wow, this looks great, I love how this is turning out... OH NO!" The spray paint came back to life with a vengeance. Sprayed a huge solid streak across the top of the paper. ACK! I ran to the kitchen and wiped it off with a paper towel as best I could.

Fortunately, this mistake made the look SO much better! Don't you love when that happens?

UN fortunately, I was all freaked out and forgot to take pictures. Sorry.

What saved this piece was the Mod Podge. (Gotta love it.) There were several layers of Mod Podge between the paper and the spray paint, so I sanded the mess until it looked aged, instead of blobby. As I was sanding the paper, the black letter started showing the white underneath the black printer ink. It looked great, and it's something that never would have happened had I not had the spray paint blob accident. Win!

I also distressed the edges of the caddy so that white peeped through the black paint. I then gave it another coating of Mod Podge, this time over the entire caddy.

Finally, a picture!

Here is is, all finished!

Can you see the still-wet Mod Podge in the corners?

I was too eager to take pics for you! I couldn't wait anymore!

I will love having this on my nightstand! Now I won't have to worry so much about the pesky cat knocking a glass of water onto my phone. Also, with something this cute, I will (probably) remember to charge my phone more often. (Maybe)

Here's a before and after:

Much better!

I am so happy with how it turned out!

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial as much as I enjoyed making and sharing it with you!

There are so many other possibilities for a caddy like this - I am planning on making another one, but next time lining it with felt to hold a pair of glasses! It would also be great for leaving on the entry table for my husband to drop his wallet and keys into when he walks in the front door. So many crafty options for a one dollar investment!

Thank you for sticking with me to the end!

Don't forget:

I am giving away a $40 gift card to CSN Stores!

Click here to go to my giveaway post and enter to win! Good luck!

Check out all the parties I linked to here!

My Phone Caddy Tutorial was featured on these wonderful blogs:

See my Phone Caddy Tutorial at Miss Crafty Pants!

2010-05-06T14:17:00.003-05:00

Today I am guest blogging at

Miss Crafty Pants!

Please head on over to see my

Phone Caddy Tutorial

You won't be disappointed!

Don't forget to enter my

$40 CSN Store Giftcard Giveaway!

(If you visit my guest blog post you earn another chance to win!)

Win a CSN Store GIVEAWAY!

2010-05-06T06:20:00.014-05:00

~Giveaway now closed~
~Winner is comment #52, Mom Caboodle!~

ENTER to WIN a

$40 GIFTCARD to CSN Stores!
{Giveaway ended Sunday 5/23}

I hope your speakers are turned up and your speaker stands are secure because this is a great giveaway and I'm shouting it to the rooftops! Enter to win a $40 gift card good for anything at CSN Stores! CSN Stores is a massive online resource with just about anything you could imagine! With over 200 stores, you can't help but to find something you have to have!

Let's get right to it! Here is only a tiny example of what they have to offer!

LOOK at this pillow! Don't you just love it? It is adorable and wonderful and I WANT IT.

This pillow, like thousands of their items, comes with FREE shipping! Free is one of my favorite words.

I've been wanting Rachael Ray stoneware for, I dunno, forever. This green set is luscious.

Turquoise is one of my new favorite colors, and this amazing clock makes my heart go pitter-pat!

But what you really want to know:

HOW CAN I WIN THIS $40 GIFTCARD?

To enter: complete the following, leaving a comment for each entry.

If an entry is worth 2 chances to win, leave 2 comments.

Email me with any questions:

lookingglassjewels(AT)gmail(DOT)com

PLEASE make sure your email address is linked to your comments so I can reach you if you win!

Mandatory: go to CSN Stores and come back here to tell me something you love!
You must do this for following entries to be valid.
Worth 1 entry, leave one comment

You can stop here - you are entered in the giveaway!
But for even better odds of winning, you may also complete the following entries!

Become a follower through Google Friend connect!
Worth 3 entries, leave 3 comments
Subscribe to my emails and/or RSS feed!
Worth 1 entry for each, leave a comment for each.
Blog about my giveaway, linking back to this post!
Worth 5 entries, leave a link to your blog post, leave 5 comments
Add my button to your blog sidebar!
Worth 3 entries, leave a link where I can find the button, leave 3 comments
Follow me on Twitter!
Worth 2 entries, leave your Twitter user name in the comments, leave 2 comments
Tweet about this giveaway!
Sample tweet: "Win a FREE $40 Giftcard here: http://tinyurl.com/LGJewels-giveaway @CSNStores @LGJewels"
Worth 1 entry per tweet, you may tweet twice per day, leave a comment with your tweet
Follow CSN Stores on Twitter!
Worth 1 entry, leave 1 comment
Buy anything from my Etsy shop, LookingGlassJewels!
Worth 10 entries, leave 10 comments
Comment on my guest post Phone Caddy Tutorial!
Come back here and tell me you did! Worth 1 entry, leave one comment

I want you to have the best chances of winning possible! Please be honest, I don't want to have to delete any invalid entries, it would make me sad.

This giveaway will end Sunday May 23rd at midnight CST.

I will post the winner here and send an email to the winner. Please be sure your email is linked to your comments so I can get in touch with you! The winner will have 48 hours to respond, or I will announce another winner. Winners will be selected via a random number generator. I will tell CSN Stores who the winner is, and they will contact the winner with the gift card code!

I have not been reimbursed or compensated in any way for this giveaway. The gift card is solely for one lucky winner! Hooray!

{This Giveaway is now closed}

Tuesday Tag-Along Blog Hop!

2010-05-03T23:45:00.011-05:00

Twee Poppets is hosting a blog hop - a great way to find new blogs and to get more followers! A happy win for all!

"Blog Hop" definition via McLinky:

What is a blog hop?
A blog hop is a linky list that is SHARED ON MULTIPLE BLOGS. When several blogs put the same linky list code on their blog, the exact same list appears on each blog. Blog visitors can submit their entries on any blog that contains the list.
The entries will appear on each blog where the list resides. Blog readers see the same list on each blog, and can "HOP" from blog to blog seeing the same list of links to follow: BLOG HOP!

Instructions on how to participate from Twee Poppets website:

Create a new Tuesday Tag-Along blog post.
Add your blog name and the URL of your TTA post to the MckLinky below.
Follow Twee Poppets, the hostess blog listed in the first slot. Leave a comment asaying you've followed, and Twee Poppets will follow you back!
If you can, please follow the blogs in the three slots before you (e.g., if you're number 20, follow numbers 19, 18, and 17). This is not mandatory, but it will help ensure that everyone who signs up gets a few new followers!
Follow as many other blogs as you want. The more you follow, the more that will follow you back! Be sure to tell them that you're following from Tuesday Tag-Along! You may also want to leave a link to your blog so they can return your follow more easily.
When you get a new follower through Tuesday Tag-Along, be sure to follow them back! It's just common courtesy. :)

Leave a comment on this post that you followed me

so I can be sure to follow you back! :)

Photo Improvement Contest

2010-05-03T20:39:00.006-05:00

Photo improvement contest? Sign me up!

Brent Riggs, the owner of McLinky Tools, has a wonderful site with lots of helpful tips on building better blogs. I know my ears perked up at that! His latest post is about photo improvement, and he has issued a fun challenge:

Take this picture:

And improve it however you want!

Aw yeah, I wanna try!

So I played with it a bit!

Here is the final result:

BEFORE:

AFTER:

What do you think?

It's not perfect, but I had fun playing with it. I am going to enter it in his contest and see what happens!

Don't you want to give it a try? I can't wait to see the different ways people edit the same picture!

Thanks to Hope Studios for sharing the contest info!

Just wait 'til you see what I have for you! (shhh, it's a GIVEAWAY!)

2010-05-03T16:37:00.005-05:00

Max out your speakers and strap down those speaker stands because I have something so exciting to share, I'm singin' out loud! (I know I'm off-key, but it's the message that counts, right?)

Before I share my news, I gotta ask - you've shopped at CSN Stores, right?

If you haven't, duuuuude, you are missing out.

Here are just a few itsy-bitsy examples of why CSN Stores are so awesome:

Just look at that hardwood! I have to say, this is the prettiest speaker stand I have ever seen. All that extra space for decorating! (Or as my husband would call it, "blocking his electronic wire access".)

Oh my gosh, these pillows are so adorable I just wanna snuggle with 'em. I'm so tired of the drab winter colors in my house. I need a splash of bright sunshine, and these pillows would do the trick without having to spend a fortune. Sweet!

I am so hungry I could eat this picture. But the better choice would be to just buy this Cuisinart Waffle Maker, because the price is beyond amazing. (And eating digital images is hard on the equipment and bad for the digestion. Just sayin'.) I am a tried-and-tested Pancake Burner, so the red and green "ready to bake/ready to eat" indicator lights feature would go a long way to helping me regain my Breakfast Queen status. Besides, waffles RULE with all those little golden syrup-storage squares. Yum.

Finding a great resource for awesome shopping deals is enough to get me all worked up, but what really got me dancing around the room (for real, I danced, scared the dogs and everything) is this:

CSN Stores has given me the chance to offer my wonderful, pretty, talented, and smart readers a gift certificate to any of their over 200 stores! I about fell out of my chair when I got the news. I am thrilled and excited and wait, I gotta go dance around again...

Okay, back. That was fun!

Now, I know you read all the way down here and all, but you'll have to wait just a few more days for the official giveaway. I know I know, you're all "Hmph!", but I just couldn't wait to share the news. I am impatient like that. You should see how many times I mess up projects because I can't wait for the paint to dry. (I never learn.)

Come back this Thursday to enter the official giveaway! It's worth the wait, I promise!

Make sure you to follow me or subscribe via email so you don't miss out!

Time to dance!

Sunday Inspirations and a Link Party!

2010-05-02T15:29:00.010-05:00

I may be the last person on the interwebs to hear about this site, but my husband told me about dornob.com this morning and lemme tell ya, I was impressed with what I found! So much inspiration! My mind is spinning with ideas of how to incorporate dornob's DIY projects into my home.

Of course I'm going to share those projects with you! Did you really think you had to ask?

(Click on pictures to biggify)

Using an old book as a planter.

You don't get much greener than this, peeps! Imagine this on a mantle or tablescape, anywhere really.

Recycled Garden Hose chair

I know you crafty folks could make something like this, probably much cuter! Imagine this with a black hose and turquoise-painted wood, or yellow hose and sunny orange paint... And you know, people throw out leaky hoses all the time... this may be an excellent item to watch for on trash day!

Garden path/patio from sawn log ends

My father, ~~cheap~~ thrifty and inspired man that he is, actually made something like this years ago for my parent's home in Houston. He just sawed some firewood logs roughly 3 inches thick and plopped them on the ground (he probably dug out the soil a bit first to level it, but really nothing fancy.) He needed a path, he had some logs, problem solved. Houston is a VERY damp and muggy place, and even sitting right on top of dirt, the untreated logs held up beautifully. This would be a great way to make a path or patio on the super cheap, using up the last of the winter firewood!

Concrete Light Bulb Coat Hook

This is a super cool DIY project! This makes me wonder how many other items could be used as a concrete mold to make hooks, pulls, knobs, etc. Cheap glass vases from the Dollar Store? The funky shaped jar your olives came in? I'm sure there are so many things that I can't even imagine. I have a feeling that I will be waking up in the middle of the night thinking about this one... What ways can you think of to use this technique?

Green Landscape in a Bottle

I'm fairly certain I have seen this before, but it either slipped my mind or I am making things up again. Either way, I love this take on a terrarium. Yet another great way to upcycle old bottles, vases, jars, whatever. I don't have kids, but I bet it would be a blast to make this with your children. I love that it can be as small or as large as you want, and I think this would be a great way to add some green to those damp, virtually sunless bathrooms most of us seem to have. (Just me?)

Recycled Cardboard Laptop Stand

This DIY tutorial is pretty darn cool, and so simple. I want to make one for my cookbooks. I don't have space to have a dedicated cookbook stand on my counter, so this would be a perfect solution. Set it up when I need to follow a recipe, and disassemble and store flat when I am done. It would probably need one more supporting leg for the center, but that wouldn't be difficult at all, just cut three legs instead of two. Or use a flat piece of cardboard to use as a base for the book. Besides, when I spill that melted butter all over the counter, I'd rather it get on the cheap cardboard stand than my nice cookbook. Just throw the stand out and make a new one!

Birds on a Laundry Wire: Clever Outdoor Clothesline Design
Aren't these the cutest clothespins you have ever seen? I'm thinking you could cut these out of chipboard with a jigsaw(?). I'm not sure, but I love them. There has got to be a way you could incorporate them into house decor as well, I just haven't thought of it yet. What are your ideas?

Cheap Metal Hooks Turn Sticks to DIY Wooden Coat Hangers
I love this! It has got to be the coolest hanger I have ever seen. Maybe because I need to get out more, but I don't think so. A hanger like this could be on display all the time - hang it on a door hook in the guest bathroom or make a bunch for your hall closet. Or add it to that cute shirt you're giving your mom for a Mother's Day present. Just be sure to clean the stick, obviously. I'd probably seal it with some clear spray paint just to be certain that it wouldn't cause any staining. I can't imagine a nicer looking hanger for anywhere near as cheap!

Hide Cords in Plain Sight
Oh how I LOATHE wires all over my house. LOATHE. If they are on the floor, I trip on them, no matter how "safely" they are tucked against a wall or under a rug. If they are hanging down the back of a table, you can bet they are peeking out and making my brain hurt. I live with a geek who loves his geeky toys (to be honest, I love his geeky toys to, we have pretty wicked electronic thing-a-ma-jigs that I can never operate but make for great movie watching and so forth) but with all those electronic toys we have CORDS everywhere. Argh! I have to admit, when I saw this fun way to "hide" cords in plain sight, I sighed a little, because I could so do this right now with the phone cord in my living room. At least I'd be less likely to vacuum them up (again), right?

Declutter a Workspace

Speaking of wires everywhere...This is so simple, I feel kinda dumb for not thinking of it. Maybe everyone already knows about this, but I sure didn't. Pegboard. Under your desk/workspace. Hide all the ugliness, yet still be able to unplug something without first having to untangle eleventy billion wires, which means you don't frighten the dogs with all your loud swearing. Genius.

DIY Area Rug + LED Floor Lamp = Bright White Carpet Light

Whoa. Is this not a wickedly awesome idea? Can you imagine having a glowing rug? You could make this in just about any color, I've seen these LED rope lights in tons of colors. You could even make them blink or sparkle, or use the strands that change colors. Groovy.

Imagine this as wall art. I bet this gives the most amazing ambient light - it could even be used outside. Ooo, or hung on the ceiling! Over a bed perhaps? How about using it as a holiday "wreath"?

SO many possibilities for this project! (Now if I just knew how to crochet.)

Vintage Leather Belts Recycled into Rugs, Mats & Floor Tiles

This may easily be my favorite inspiration yet. According to the linked post, buying these lovelies can run $70 per square foot or more. I don't think so, ladies! I know we can make this for MUCH less. On your next garage sale/thrift store/closet cleaning expedition, keep your eyes open for leather belts and start stocking up. Imagine what you can create with belts, some canvas backing, glue, and a sharp box cutter. Not only the previously mentioned rugs, mats, and floor tiles, but placemats, seat covers, tabletop inlays, desk blotters. covered headboards, upholstered trunks... oh my gosh, so many ideas!

I hope that this inspired you as much as it did me!

What has inspired you lately?

Don't forget to visit my Giveaway Link Party! Add your giveaway or enter to win giveaways!

Giveaway Link Party!

2010-05-02T03:39:00.003-05:00

Click to list your giveaways in my Giveaway Link Party

or to find great giveaways!

This is a month-long party and will be a recurring feature every month! Weee!

Looky what I did today!

2010-04-30T21:15:00.002-05:00

I created some new buttons today! If you would like to add my new button to your blog, here's how!

To add a button (in Blogger):

Copy the code below (choose larger or smaller button)
Go to Layout
Select " Add a Gadget"
Select "HTML/Javascript"
Paste the code you copied

Larger button:

Smaller Button:

Please leave a comment or email me

{lookingglassjewels(AT)gmail(DOT)com}

if you have any questions!

Want to create your own button to share on your blog? I used this great tutorial from A Heart For Home to create mine! It was a huge help to me, I hope it helps you as well! Of course, if I can answer any questions about how I created mine, I am happy to do so!

Thank you! :)

P.S. Here is another extremely helpful tutorial with great blog tips & tidbits from My Repurposed Life that really helped me! It is truly worth the read!

Brain Makeover

2010-04-28T14:57:00.005-05:00

I have to admit something.

I am a messy person. I procrastinate. My house is usually messy, my laundry is almost never put away, and pretty much 100% of the time, I have dirty dishes in my sink. I never have clean socks, so I steal my husbands, and then he never has clean socks. I never make my bed in the morning. Or any other time of day, for that matter. My carpet always needs to be vacuumed and the glass shower is frightful.

The worst part? The very worst I cannot believe I am telling you this part?

*takes deep breath*

I don't have a job, and I don't have children. It's just me and my husband (and our pets). That's it.

I have plenty of time to take care of my home. It should be beautiful - always, not just on special occasions or when someone comes to visit. And I am so angry with myself for allowing us to live this way. It is embarrassing and depressing, and I don't know what is wrong with me! I truly don't understand why I do such a horrible job at such a simple thing.

The most confusing part is that I want to be the person who takes care of my home. When I had a job, I fantasized about not having to work, making breakfast for my husband every morning, keeping my home beautiful, about how, if it wasn't for the pesky 8-5 job, my house would be perfect. After losing my position to downsizing, and because of my husband's job, I was able to stay home. And... nothing changed. If anything, it is worse because now we are both in the house, messing it up, all day long. (My husband works from home.)

I don't get it. It should be simple, right? Just clean already!

I'm truly not lazy by nature. At least not any lazier than your average person. When I have a craft project, or fixate on something I want to get done, watch out! I am all energy and effectiveness! Life is beautiful! Look at me go! But then.... boom. I hit bottom again, and everything comes to a standstill.

Now, if this isn't getting real enough for you, I will get even "realer". (I know, not a word, but whatever.)

I suffer from depression (which I imagine you could have guessed) and I am super sensitive to criticism, which my completely frustrated husband has every reason to dole out. The whole reason that he agreed to letting me stay home was because I painted this picture of how wonderful our life would be if I could stay home and take care of everything. I believed in that picture, I could see it, sometimes thinking about it was what got me through the day. I simply have never made it happen with any consistency. And my inner bully tells me every single day how much I suck, how severely I have failed, and how I will never ever make that picture a reality.

It hurts. It hurts me, it hurts my husband, it hurts our marriage (which has all it's own problems without the addition of this one).

I have to stop listening to all the negative. I have to replace it with something better, something positive, something that doesn't pull me to pieces.

I am trying.

I am trying to believe in myself.

I will believe in myself.

I would never talk to anyone -ANYONE- they way I talk to myself. I don't care how rotten a person is, I would never ever say (or think) the mean and damaging things about them that I think about me. It's NOT RIGHT that I do that, it's evil and wrong and I WILL stop!

I am praying for help, and I believe that God hears me. I ask Him to clean my mind and heal my heart and to guide me. The obstacles I face are not that I hide from housework. The real obstacle is I have sold myself on the idea that I cannot succeed. I must overcome and find my faith in myself again. And that means that negativity and criticism HAS TO STOP. It breaks me, and I cannot allow it in my life anymore.

I don't know why I am sharing this here. I meant for this to be a safe place, with happiness and crafts and pretty things. Don't worry, it will be - for me it is! But the words are just spilling out of me today, and perhaps it is for reasons which are beyond my knowledge. I believe that God works through us in ways we may never know, and I truly believe deep in my heart that He will teach me a way through this destructive jungle I am lost within. And most of all, I believe He loves me, even when I don't know how to love myself.

Thank you for sticking with me. It matters more than you know.

Speaking of God's work, I read a wonderful idea at Spying on the Swinney's (I can't find the actual post to link to, grrr) about making a chore list with planned breaks. I created one for myself and am using it today to great success! Hooray! I ROCK! (See that positive affirmation? Aw yeah.)

Here is my list:

It is long, yes, but I am not pressuring myself to get everything done All At Once (which has been one of my stumbling blocks, instead of cleaning methodically, I get myself all worked up in a cleaning frenzy which scares the dogs and wears me out for days afterwords. No more!)

I don't have to think when I use this list. I'm not planning what to conquer next, worrying about the most effective way to clean the wholelivingroom now it's timetovaccumeverywhere bright shiny object hurry hurry this is such a mess, I suck.

Nope. Just nice and simple. Follow the list. Mark it off. TAKE A BREAK AND BE PROUD OF WHAT I ACHIEVED.

Thank you, Lord, for guiding me to a blog that had just the right idea for me. Thank you, Connie Lynn, for writing it! (Sorry that I can't find the actual post, if I do I will add it here, but she has a wonderful site that is truly worth reading, so it's okay.)

* UPDATE: I found the post!

Maybe someone out there needed to hear my thoughts. I know I needed to share them.

Thank you.

*takes deep breath, hits publish*

Mantle Makover - Part One

2010-04-26T16:59:00.047-05:00

Are you ready for a transformation?

A mantle transformation, that is.

Okay, I am fibbing. More like a partial mantle transformation. Step one of many.

Do you remember me complaining about how incredibly boooring my mantle is? If you met my mantle at a party, it would discuss the weather. For an hour. In detail. And you'd have to listen because my mantle is the boss's wife and you can't be rude to the boss's wife, right? And then she'd start to talk about her varicose veins. And you are all, "No! I can't see anything! You look great!" even though her veins are, like, POPPING OUT and about to EAT YOUR FACE and she keeps making you lean over to look really really close and now you wish she's go back to talking about the weather, because, ARGH, this lady is giving you HIVES and you are going to SHOOT your husband for abandoning you and please someone bring me a vodka.

That is what my mantle is like.

It needs a change, is what I am sayin'.

Look:

(click on pictures to biggify)

Ergh. Blah. Annoying.

The first things I wanted to fix were the golden candlesticks. See how they do nothing for the mantle? The color is washed out and the symmetry is so tedious.

Here they are about to get some cosmetic surgery. Begone varicose veins!

BEFORE:

The primer is, er, primed and ready to go!

So much better already!

Ooo, flat black spray paint, I love you so.

You are the olive in my martini.

And...

Darn it!

I forgot to take a picture of the candlesticks with their coat of black paint before I distressed them! Argh!

Anyhoo. Sorry about that.

SO - imagine them solid black.

Can you see them?

Now picture me sanding just the edges to make some of the primer show through.

...

Okay, quit imagining.

Because here they are!

AFTER:

(click on pictures to biggify)

See how the slight distressing just "breaks up" the black a bit?

Don't they look expensive? I loooooove how they turned out!

I love taking angled pictures. Sorry if it makes you a little seasick.

I'm an artist and I WON'T COMPROMISE!

Um, yeah. Or not.

Anyway.

I think they look a thousand times better! The deep red of the candles really pop - and I adore my little turquoise birdy! I think he looks so cute with the candles all clustered around him!

So that was Mantle Makeover, Step One. Yay!

The next target is the mirror you see in the upper left corner of the above picture.

I love this mirror, it is solid wood, and I spent $80 on it from Pier One years ago... and at a time that I really did not have $80 to spend. I just fell in love with it and knew I would have it forever. The raised carvings are all distressed, showing the wood grain underneath. I think I want to paint it black, like the candlesticks, but I am so nervous about not being happy with the results. But as it is, it is almost invisble against the builder-white wall color. So, if I can keep my courage up, I'm 99% certain that it is next in line for the black spray paint!

Unless you talk me out of it.

(Please talk me out of it.)

Unless you think I should do it.

(Please talk me into it.)

BEFORE:

AFTER:

BEFORE: AFTER:

(click on pictures to biggify)

See all the parties I linked to here!

I would list their buttons here individually, but there are too many!

Many thanks to the hostesses for all their time and effort!

You can be sure that, if my post fit their category, I linked to it!

Giveaways from around the Blogosphere!

2010-04-23T00:03:00.061-05:00

Here are great giveaways I couldn't resist sharing!

(I try to remove the giveaways that have ended)

Enter to win a 20lb box of Organic Grass Fed Lean Beef at Only Natural Food!

Ends 5/15

Enter to win your choice of 4 items at Comfy Cook!

Ends 5/4 at 11pm EST

Enter to win a Hana Professional Flat Iron fom Who Doesn't Love Coupons!

Ends 5/10 at 11:59 EST

Win a Healthy Home Starter Kit from I'm Just Your Average Mom!

Ends 5/22, midnight

Enter to win a $60 CSN Store giftcard at Keeping it Simple!

Ends 5/9 at 8pm CST

Enter to win a Canvas Press canvas at Making the World Cuter!

Ends 4/29 at midnight

UPDATE: I won! Hooray!

Enter to win Vintage Art Supplies at Tatertots and Jello!

Ends 4/30 at midnight MST

Enter to win a Xtrema 10 inch skillet at The Ahotaeiloa Family!
Ends 5/13 at 10pm MST

Enter to win a Daisy Patch Watch at The Ahotaeiloa Family!

Ends 5/10 at 10pm MST

Enter to win a $30 gift certificate to KAMsnaps at The Ahotaeiloa Family!

Ends 5/19 at 10pm MST

Enter to win a $100 gift certificate to ATGStores at Survey Junkie!

Ends 5/8 at 9pm EST

Enter to win a $20 CSN giftcard at Frugal Home Designs!

Ends 4/30 evening

Horray! I WON!

Enter to win a $100 giftcard to ATGStores at Let's Just Give It Away!

Ends 5/20

Enter to win a $100 giftcard to ATGStores at Coupon Clippin' Mommy!

Ends 5/3 at 11:59PM EST

Enter to win a Jewelry Armoire from Hayneedle at J. Leigh Designz!

Ends 5/31 at 11:59PM

Enter to win a Scotch-Brite spring cleaning set at Mom Start!

Ends 5/6 at 11:59pm PST

Enter to win a $60 gift certificate to CSN Stores at WAHM Resource Site!

Ends 5/6 at 11pm CST

Enter to win a $75 gift certificate to CSN Stores at Struggling to be Stylish!

Ends 5/5

Enter to win a Lipo in a Box $50 gift certificate at Born 2 Impress!

Ends 5/8 at midnight EST

Enter the Calphelon Skillet Set Giveaway worth $60 at Seven Clown Circus!
Ends 5/2 at 11:59PM PDT

Enter to win 2 Contempo Candles at Nuestrasa Venturas en Texas!

Ends 5/6 at midnight

YAHOO! I WON!

Enter to win an $100 gift cerificate to ATGStores at Toronto Teacher Mom!
Ends 5/6 at midnight EST

Have a giveaway you want me to add?

Leave a comment with a direct link to your giveaway!

Or share your giveaway link party!

Good Luck everyone!

Tick Tock...

2010-04-22T22:04:00.006-05:00

I can't help it.

Really, I can't.

I am excited.

Night-before-Christmas excited.

It's kinda sad.

But.

Like I said...

I can't help it.

Tomorrow...

Just hours away from today...

GOING

SHOPPING.

And not just any ol' shopping...

THRIFTING!

awwwwwwwwww yeah!

Goodwill - check! Dollar stores - you betcha! Random thrift stores that I've passed dozens of times and never gone into for some crazy reason - HERE I COME, baby!

I have my addresses all printed out and ready for the GPS! ATM stop is scheduled so I'll have cash in hand! I am giddy! (As if you couldn't tell). My husband can't stop rolling his eyes at me, but I don't care. I want me some deals! I keep telling him how much money I'm gonna save him, but for some reason he just shakes his head. Ha!

AND

AND!

Saturday morning there is a HUGE neighborhood garage sale nearby in a fancy-pants area. You bet your booty I'll be there too! And my ~~eye rolling head shaking soon to be cash-poor long suffering~~ sweet and understanding husband is going with me! He will be there to ~~keep me from buying too much~~ help me load my sweet finds! I love that man!

And I LOVE ME SOME SWEET DEALS!

I can't wait to show you what I get!

[insert big goofy grin here] Eeeee!

A wee bit o' braggin

2010-04-21T20:34:00.003-05:00

I was flattered to have my Betty Punker Button Rings featured in a fun and cheerful treasury today! A big thank-you to StormFlightDesigns for including me!

MAKEOVER time!

2010-04-21T12:43:00.017-05:00

True Mantle Confessions:

The Boredom Files

Here, in all it's non-glory, is my fireplace: Ugh. Blah. Ick.
I'm SO over it.

The Details:

Builder-white walls. Can't paint because I rent and don't want to invest in painting 20 foot high walls that don't belong to me. Also, am lazy.
White fireplace. See above.
White mirror. Scared to commit to another color... but ready for a change.
Cream scrolly iron candlesticks. Disappear into wall color, time to paint.
Gold-y candlesticks. Yawn. Need new paint.
Red candles. Never burned. Also yawn. Wrap in pretty paper maybe?
Red votive holders. (One somehow moved to wrong side of clock, grrr.) Glow prettily when lit, but kinda bored with them. Re-vamp?
Valentine's heart decorations. Oh, so lazy! Take them down!
Little blue birdy. LOVE! Keep in new mantle-scape!
Grandma's antique clock. LOVE! MUST stay where it is.
Almost perfectly symmetrical set-up. Yuck. I want excitement, and this is not it.

(click photos to biggify)

The bottom of the fireplace... hmmm. I love the screen, the fireplace itself isn't working right now, so I light the tealights in the fireplace screen instead (pretty!). Definite keep. Fireplace tools are clearly not needed, but I like pretending. The little basket holds scented pine cones, but I think I can do better.

The Challenge:

Spend as little money as possible.
Repurposing and re-vamping are a must.
Use what I have on hand: books, paper, paint, decorations that have no home

Think I can do it?

I'll share my progress with you here- I plan to start playing with elements today. Spray painting and rummaging through my house are on the immediate agenda! I can't wait to show you what I come up with!

Have you re-made a mantel lately? Have one you CANNOT STAND like I do? I'd love to hear from you! Leave a comment, and if you've blogged about it, link it baby!

And, as always, I'm happy for any tips you lovelies wish to share. Trust me, I need the help.

Free Ad Space up for grabs!

2010-04-19T18:22:00.013-05:00

Advertising is $expensive$, and if you're like me, you don't have extra cash just lying around. (If you do, feel free to send some my way.) So, while time and space permits, I will help you promote your shop here, for free!

It's simple: just send me a 150 x 100 pixel jpg, and I will display your ad on my sidebar and link it to your shop. No strings attached, no weirdy-weirdness, no jumping through hoops. While I have the space and can manage to keep up, I will be happy to add ya! This may not be a "forever offer", so send me your ad as soon as you can!

Requirements:

150 x 100 pixels in size
.jpg file format
provide the link to your shop
email your ad to me: lookingglassjewels(at)gmail.com

Please leave me a comment here, so I know to check my email for your ad! If you have questions, just post them here and I will answer you in the comments.

Happiness is a free graphic *UPDATED

2010-04-19T02:30:00.026-05:00

I found a fantastically wonderful website - two of them actually - that saved my sanity as well as my (formerly) AWFUL blog design. My heart went pitter-pat when I stumbled on the beautiful and FREE! graphics from The Graphics Fairy. Oh how I swooned! And dug for hours through all her clip art. Her FREE clip art. *fans self with handkerchief*

And then. AND THEN. I tore my eyes away from the graphics long enough to see that she also has a blog for free blog goodies!

And I passed out with a mighty *thunk*.

When I came to, I clicked the link to The Background Fairy. Fortunately I had my smelling salts to hand, because this site is as fantastical as the former. I fell in love all over again, and after playing around for longer than I should admit, I finally picked the background your pretty little eyeballs are looking at right now. Isn't it lurvely?

So many graphics I that found I just had to have, even though I don't know what I'll create with them yet. Lemme sho you dem:

As you can see, I have a thing for birds. Which worked out fine, since The Graphics Fairy has so many lovelies to collect and cuddle with! (Mental cuddles, but only because I can't find my printer paper.)
~
In other related-ish news, I was contacted a few days ago with an offer for a free ad spot on Craftcount. At first I was all suspicious-like, wondering who was pulling my leg and how hard I should kick them. But it seems my cranky doubtfulness was misplaced! So I jumped about for a while and made my husband come and look at the email (while he was watching some dudes beat each other up for a shiny belt, no less) (he was happy for me, but swift to depart) and then I started to worrrrrrry.
What if my ad is ugggggly?
What if nobody viiiiiiiisits my shoooooop?
Why is my hair so friiiiiiiiiizzy?
(If I had smoother hair I could make a prettier ad. That's just how I roll, peeps.)

So I fretted for a while, pulled my hair into a ponytail, and set to work! But. My images were all on my laptop, which is cantankerous. *sigh* My life is hard. (If only I had good hair!) Some swearing and stressing and picture locating commenced, and then magical finding of previously mentioned websites-of-awesome happened, and now I present you with my completed 150x100 pixel ad!

taa-daaa!
I'm pretty proud of myself, I must admit. Especially since I am a dork and can only use Paint to create and edit graphics. I would love love love your feedback - even negative feedback... I've stared at it for so long I've lost perspective. And my hair is messy. So. You know. I need all the help I can get. Or a hairstylist.

(Both. I need both.)

(And a nap.)

In the meantime, my ad has been sent off and I will be informed as to when it will be up at Craftcount! I'll let you know as soon as I find out when it will be on the site, and you can join me in my happy dance! (Watch out though, I am a terrible dancer and have no rhythm whatsoever. True story.)

Oh, I almost forgot! I also created a new banner for my shop! Pop on over to check it out!

*UPDATE*
My add will be running on Craftcount from April 27th through April 30th! Weeee!

tap tap tap Is this thing on?

2010-04-18T14:36:00.004-05:00

Hello since forever ago! Don't look at the date of my last post, it is depressing. Well, it's depressing to me, anyway.

I have to share a new blog I found! I am so inspired by this lovely lady, I am planning on using so many of her ideas and craft tutorials to make-over my house! I have so many plans already, and I will share my projects with you here!

Please hop on over to Remodelaholic! You will find a plethora of ideas and inspirations that will get your crafty juices flowing! Tell her I said hi and make sure to sign up for her AWESOME giveaway, which is open until April 19th. Which is tomorrow, so ya'll better hurry! :)

Here is an example of the type of custom artwork you could win!:

Wet spots and other irritations

2008-11-18T10:54:00.008-06:00

I hate sleeping in the wet spot. And no, it's not what you think.

I woke up this morning to the bed shaking in time to rhythmic sluurrp sluuurp sluuuuuuurping of one of the demon dogs licking a paw so vigorously that I'm surprised there is any fur left on that foot. I could feel cold clammy dampness on my calf. Ugh! I flew out of bed, or tried to, because I was trapped by dog bodies pinning the covers over my legs. Much flailing ensued, followed by two cranky and muttering dogs being unceremoniously ushered outside. Back in the bedroom, a large wet slobber spot greeted me from my newly laundered comforter. Damn dogs! Covers were dragged off the bed and stuffed into the washer. AGAIN. Argh.

I didn't get to go to my appointment for college admissions yesterday. About an hour before I was going to head out, I sent Mrs. Smith an email to confirm our appointment and, get this, got her OUT OF OFFICE reply stating that she will be gone from Nov 17th (yesterday, the day of our appointment) until Dec 1st. Um, WHAT? I called and got her voicemail, which said the same thing. I don't really know what made me contact her to confirm, usually when I have an appointment I just head out the door and expect everything to go as SCHEDULED. (gettit? ha.) Some sixth-gas-and-time-saving-sense did me a positive there.

But seriously, WTF, Mrs. Fancy-Pants Counselor? Was it some sort of emergency, or just crappy planning? I am frustrated. At some point today I'll call the school's main line and see what happens next. But at the moment, I am a little turned off. Also, I am not feeling like getting out of my pajamas. But that's normal.

A break from the whining

Check out the new Iddy Biddy Blog, written by Mir of Woulda Coulda Shoulda fame. In her words:

"It’s a blog about going green for those of us “regular” folks who either cannot or will not immediately give up everything less-than-ideal."

Mir is awesome, I have been reading her blog for years, and I love her take on going green - very realistic and inspiring.

Whining recommenced

Of course, washing my king-sized comforter twice in less than 24 hours isn't very green of me. But I doubt Mir would sleep in dog drool either, and that's one of the many reasons I love her so.

Well, hello there stranger!

2008-11-13T09:51:00.003-06:00

So, I've been absent, for.... a while. A loooooooong while. I've been in sort of a creative slump - deny the existence of the interwebs - wow time flies - mode. Dunno why, but it happens to me periodically. Sorry 'bout that. It's just the way I roll, apparently.

So, let's see... I've moved into the new house. And um... I've read a lot of books. And... become proficient at ignoring the house work. Not very interesting. I feel like the last few months have just slipped past without my notice. Weird, yes? This cannot be normal.

But now I am gearing up to go back to school and I am TERRIFIED. Also, excited, nervous, scared, and worried about money. The mister has been very encouraging and for the most part very patient with my whining about how sceered I am.

My current "plan" is to get at least an associates degree in graphic design. My last soiree into college was 10 - almost 11! - years ago and I went with a full honors scholarship and ZERO motivation. I went straight from high school to college and was SICK TO DEATH of school. Now I am looking forward to it (mostly). I hope I can remember how to write papers and do algebra and so on. Yikes.

Of course, I need to pick a school first, and that has been presenting it's own challenges. And then applying for scholarships and the dreaded student loans. SCEERY! I do have an appointment with a counselor* on Monday, so hopefully that will help me get started.

*(Side story: This counselor always refers to herself as "Mrs. Smith". Not her full name, not ever. Clearly she expects me to call her "Mrs." Which, okay, I guess I forgot about that particular schoolish thing**, but it kinda bugs me a little. Since, you know, I am now an ADULT with a house payment and a (teensy) retirement account and all. I guess it would be less weird if she didn't keep calling me by my first name. Look, I'm 28 and married, which you know from my info I submitted, so either return the courtesy and call me "Mrs." or skip the formality all together. I think when my hubby and I go to the appointment, I'll introduce us as "Mr. and Mrs." and see how that flies.)

**(I have no problem with calling people by their titles, such as "Professor" or "Doctor" or just being respectful to my elders, etc. But for some reason, this lady just bugs me. I mean, this school is going to cost me THOUSANDS of dollars, doesn't that earn me the right to call the admissions counselor by her first name? Or at least for her to return the courtesy and call me "Mrs."? After all, I am a CUSTOMER and deserve to be treated as one, yes?***)

***(Despite above rant, I know this isn't really THAT big of a deal. It's just weird and kinda... annoying.)

My Mantra: I can do this, I can do this, also: quit being a weenie.

So that's my news, such as it is. Riveting, huh?

It's getting deep in here...

2008-07-25T19:28:00.003-05:00

So, I've been thinking... and man, are my synapses tired.

This is a blog I created to talk about my handmade jewelry, great etsy finds, and maybe a little bit about me thrown in.

And that's all well and good... but really damn boring.

REALLY

DAMN

BORING

So my question to you, how much more do you wanna know about me, the real me? The me that swears too much, that laughs at farts, that has "issues", that needs to clean the house more often?

Truth is, I am running a business, and this blog reflects my business. I don't want to muddy up the water with too many naughty words and stories about how I can't seem to get out of my pajamas. But, that is just a part of who I am, and the jewelry I make (and sell) is a part of me too. It may not be the same part that laughs at fart jokes... or is it?

Are you interested?

My money is on the Ninja Zombies

2008-07-25T14:52:00.002-05:00

So I'm sitting outside in the lovely (read: STIFLING) 90 degree-at-10pm-heat, drinking a large cosmopolitan (note: ice melted almost immediately) watching my dogs eat bugs attracted to the outside light (annoyance: small insects buzzing around my face) while waiting for them to barf all the creepy-crawlies back up before I let them inside again. WHY AM I DOING THIS, you ask?

Answer: the back yard is clean. Obviously this is where I need to be to preserve my sanity.

My house is a disaster. As in, Call FEMA and For The Love Of All That Is Holy Don't Let My Mother Come Over, disaster.

We are moving into a new, slightly larger house in 10 days. For two people and a small menagerie of animals, we have stuffed this house FAR beyond it's max capacity. Where did we get all this SHIT? What's with all the knick-knacks and hand-me-down furniture and odd collections of mismatched pillowcases and towels? I have serving dishes that I don't even recognize hanging out and smoking dope in my cabinets and putrid-smelling hand lotions from 1998 in my bathroom. There are clothes hanging up in my closet mocking me with their size-six-smugness while the clothes I ACTUALLY wear lie in heaps because there is no room to put them away properly. Shoes from my sophomore year are lurking morosely in corners waiting for the grunge movement to come back in style. The dust bunnies are forming malicious gangs and tagging my walls with spray paint I didn't know I owned.

My theories? Goodwill has been dumping their leftover items at my house. Or grumpy neighbors are getting revenge for our yard that isn't watered enough by sneaking their junk in while I sleep. Or! There is a black-hole-time-warp-thingy in my hall closet that keeps regurgitating crap I SWEAR I got rid of years ago back into my house.

Maybe zombies? Ninja zombies?

One thing I know FOR CERTAIN: It cannot POSSIBLY be my husband's theory that I am a pack rat that attaches sentimental value to anything ever given to me by a loved one/ bought for a rilly rilly good deal/ could maybe kinda be used again in the future. I don't know where he comes up with these wild and crazy ideas.

Poor delusional man. Maybe I should get him some counseling.

But only after he helps me shut down that black hole thingy. The man does have a physics degree, after all. Time to put that fancy college edumacation to use.

In the meantime, I am busy hiding outside in the heat with my laptop. It's just too scary to go inside. Crafting has taken a backseat to waiting for the house to pack itself in preparation for our move. There's a LOT of work to do in there, and if it doesn't have a few boxes packed up by the time I finish my watery drink, I am totally gonna cut it's allowance.

Excitement and Excuses

2008-07-24T02:20:00.006-05:00

I am very VERY excited as I am working non-stop on getting boat loads of jewelry made for a consignment order! Eeeee! Many thanks for the opportunity from BecharmedStudio, who totally hooked me up with a bead shop in her area! Woot!

My hands are sore from working with beads and wire and pliers and more beads, but I am loving it! I'm so inspired to make new creations to send and I am making extras to list in my shop! Listings coming soon!

I totally just pulled out my camera to take a picture of the massive amounts of beads and stray findings on my desk, but the battery is dead. I will post some pics when the battery has charged up, if I manage to conjure up some willpower to find my charger.

Instead, may I appease you with some pictures of my sweet doggies?

Sammy:

Poppy:

(I have no clue what that white stuff is on Poppy's nose. I'm sure she rubbed it off on the carpet later.)

Alternate pics

2008-06-27T20:14:00.003-05:00

Edited to add an explanation for posting random photos for no apparent reason:

I couldn't decide which was my best pic, so I lazily posted them here and took a survey in an Etsy forum thread. Thanks to all who let me borrow their brains while mine was on vacation drinking martini's and flirting with the bartender. Stupid brain never takes me anywhere. You can see this bracelet in my shop here.

Edited yet again:

The bracelet sold! But never fear, if you want one, I can make it for ya! Just contact me through my etsy shop: LookingGlassJewels!

Alt 1:

Alt 2:

Alt 3:

Alt 4:

LookingGlassJewels

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*tap tap tap* Is this thing on?

Wet spots and other irritations

Well, hello there stranger!

It's getting deep in here...

My money is on the Ninja Zombies

Excitement and Excuses

Alternate pics

tap tap tap Is this thing on?