To making the most of my 27th year.

It has been a really long time since I have blogged. I became disillusioned with the idea of people just taking what I submitted on here. It probably shouldn't have, but it rubbed me the wrong way. I walked away. 

Well I am ready to start again... 

I am now 27 years old. I own a home and have a really great, steady, secure job. I cannot believe I am 27 years old. I really do not know where the time has gone. My 27th birthday was probably the hardest birthday for me. 26 held so much hope and promise, and then let me down. 

In order to have a great year I have made a 27th year Bucket list. 27 things to do before I turn 28.
The purpose of these goals is to step out of my comfort zone. Explore, create, learn, grow and above all... LIVE.


In no particular order: 

1.      Write a letter to myself to be read on my 28^th Birthday, complete with instructions to create my next list. Include this list and see if I completed everything on the list.

2.      Start and finish my Mission Scrapbook.

3.      Take a Pottery Class

4.      Finish all the books on my personal Book list

5.      Ride in a Hot air balloon

6.      Sleep in a Tepee

7.      Visit 5 temples that I have never been to before

8.      Kiss, be kissed, and really enjoy it

9.      Host 2 different people from Couch surfing.

10.  Float the Provo River

11.  Pay off my student loan

12.  Swim near a waterfall

13.  Go on a Church History Road Trip

14.  Take a time lapse photo

15.  Do a creative marathon. Do 27 works of art or execute 27 ideas off of pinterest.

16.  Write, finish, edit my childrens book

17.  Finish the Live for each moment Journal. Record each experience on this list. What I learned, insights gained, what I will do next.

18.  Go Camping. Real camping, tent and campfire.

19.  Grow my own watermelon.

20.  Have a picnic at the Great Salt Lake

21.  Sunrise hike up Ensign Peak by myself

22.  Do the Dirty Dash

23.  Volunteer at least 3 times. (Habitat for Humanity, Big Brother/Big Sister, etc.)

24.  Learn how to swim and hold breath underwater without plugging my nose. 

25. Take a Sushi Class

26. Book the cheapest flight I can find and go by myself for a weekend. Couch surf! Even if it is only to Montpelier Vermont.

27.  Go to a live taping of a Game show. Like The Price is Right or Wheel of Fortune.

This list makes me giddy!!! I am so excited to get started. 

Some play-around pics of the pups

So I was playing around with my camera last night! Love it! I was taking pictures of my the three cute little pups that live at my house.

KapriTobey

He is a very photogenic dog. Levi She has a sweet little profile Oh, look at those eyes!Me and my sweet Kapri! She just lays with me like a little baby and has let me hold her like one from day one.     

Best friends for Life 

Now that I have a camera, I will get busy and show you my line of earrings for sale. I am starting up my own little “company” called Dandelion Designs. I make earrings and am even considering going on Etsy. When I have time of course!

My new Camera!!!

So my deepest and most sincere apologies. I have been long absent from my blog. I have been long absent from crafting in general. Life sneaks up on you and the next thing you know you blink and it is April 30th. I have been so busy with work and getting ready for the Cosmetology program this fall. My church calling has become front and center in my life as well. I love serving in the Young Women's. We are getting ready for our road show coming up on May 12th. I will have to post a video on here when it is over. It is going to be so much fun.

I bought a new camera today and I am SOO excited! Let me tell you! I love photography and it really makes me happy. I took photography for 6 years during my formative years in school. I love it! I as of recently have had little point and shoot cameras but am now ready to “grow up” to a more mature and serious camera. I have been freshening up on my camera education, especially the digital side. I graduated High School almost 6 years ago and Digital was around but not booming like it is these days. I love Digital Photography! LOVE IT! It has completely change the art of Photography!

I bought the Nikon D5000! I am so excited to play around with it and get to know it.

I love this camera! One of my favorite features is that you can switch out the lenses and do a telephoto lens or a macro lens, or a wide-angle lens. This will ensure Great, crisp, clear photos!

My two main events for this camera is the Trek for the youth on June 16th-19th. And my friend Leland is getting married in August and I am going to be the photographer for him. I am looking around and researching great wedding shots. Hopefully they will turn out beautifully!

So more awesomeness to come!!! Especially now that I have a camera that will take pictures, and good ones at that!

Thanks so much for being patient with me!

Holly 

Oh, How I missed you so...

I have been MIA and it feels like I haven't posted a project in forever! I went up to Utah to visit family and then my Mom came from Idaho for a week to visit me and help me ring in my 24th Birthday. I loved having her here! I now know where I get my creativity and desire for all things crafty. While she was here, she made little homemade bath fizzies and boxes to put them in. she is too cute!

I have been busy crafting still, I don't think I will ever stop... So I have a lot of Good Posts coming your way!

I am back!

More to come!

Thank you so much to all who follow and read my blog on a regular basis. I appreciate it so much! You have no idea how grateful I am for YOU!

You are the Best!

Yes, Yes... Mod Podge does Rock!

I won a giveaway! Yes! My first win EVER! I just had to give a public shout out and thank you to Amy with Mod Podge Rocks!

I got this sweet booty in the mail yesterday!

This is a Neatnix bucket! These are so cool!

I love all the little compartments and the inside has even more compartments and pockets!

I love the bright color and I am so excited to put it to use!

Oh and all the lovely Mod Podge... I didn't even know they had outdoor Mod Podge. I cannot wait to show you what I use all these goodies on! More to come!

MOD PODGE ROCKS!

Inspired by another Blogger!

Sandra with Stone Creek Market made this adorable wood sign.

I absolutely love this sign... so simple and so adorable!

I love the colors and the ribbon is too cute!

This became inspiration for my next Valentine's Day project...

I made this sign... I love it! I think they are both just so cute!!!

This flower was inspired by the flower I used on my throw pillows!!!

Love the polka Dots! I made the flower, the same way as I made them for my pillows.

Go Here for the Tutorial!

Thank you Sandra for the inspiration!!!

Throw Pillow REWind!!

Remember this post...

I was talking about these cute little red pillow covers that I got at Target for $4.00 a piece. I said I was going to add something to them and now they are finished!!!

I LOVE HOW THEY TURNED OUT!

Here is the Before...

* After *

I love when your former "After" becomes the Before!! haha

I love Love LOVE how they turned out! I couldn't be happier with them!

Did you know that you could paint on acrylic flowers???

I used white acrylic paint and the end of the paintbrush.

How I made the flowers...

I took a bushel of flowers that I got at Hobby Lobby at 50% off!

I took apart the flowers

Restacked them on top of each other in the order I Love!

Even added my painted flower!

And a button of course!!!

I used a needle and thread and sewed the layers together first.

This is the back of the flower... I know it is not professional looking AT ALL! But no one sees the back anyway, so I always have a mess on the backside of the flowers.

I then took these sweet little pearls and sewed them in a swirly whimsical pattern by hand. I think this is by far my favorite part of the pillow!

The completed pillow up close and personal!!!

OOohh!! La La!

I still have these three pillows that need some recovering! I told you I am really trying to PHASE out that PURPLE!! I had a ton of it! I love what I am working on for these!! You will too!!!

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Funky Junk's

Yummy Valentine's Day cookie Bouquet

At one of my former jobs, one of my co-workers always brought in these DELICIOUS Cookies...

They are so yummy! I love them. I have not made them until now! I get some of my best inspiration at night as I am laying my head on the pillow to go to sleep! So, as I was falling asleep this little bitty was born...

My Take on a Cookie Bouquet...

Ingredients:

* Ritz Crackers (I know crazy, but they are so yummy as this cookie, I promise)

* Creamy Peanut Butter

*White Chocolate

*Sprinkles (Optional) I added sprinkles to them to give the cute factor, but they do not need them.

They actually taste better without sprinkles on them.

*Bamboo Sticks

Lay out your Ritz Crackers on wax paper and spread the peanut butter on each cracker. I put the bamboo skewer in the center and added a little extra peanut butter to the center to compensate for the stick.

Mmmm.... Peanut buttery goodness!

*Put your ritz crackers with the peanut butter in the fridge*

This is a very important step. Let them chill for about 20 minutes.

This keeps the peanut butter firm while dipping in the white chocolate

 so you don't have a peanut buttery mess!

*While you are waiting you can work on the tin holder!!*

Melt your white chocolate on a medium heat. Once the chocolate has melted, remove it from burner. I use a saucepan with water and a stainless steel bowl that I set on top. This works great! You don't need a special pan to melt the chocolate in.

I just spoon the chocolate onto the cookie. The bamboo skewers are super handy for this step.

 

Now you can sprinkle the sprinkles onto your cookie... I really wanted to use Ritz in the shape of hearts for Valentine's Day, but they do not have them. All I could find was football shaped Ritz. Darnit! So the sprinkles give it that same cutesy Valentine's Day Flair.

I tried using a stencil for the hearts and that just didn't work with the melted chocolate so I just used my fingers and put the sprinkles on in a -V- and it worked! *Sigh*

Oh aren't they just cute??? Don't worry about the big blob of a cookie to the right, while it is still soft just trace around the shape of the cookie with a toothpick and it will not be a ginormous blob when it hardens!

These Cookies really are so yummy! You should try them! You will love them. They are SO Easy!

After you make them, E-mail me at holly-aitken@gmail.com and let me know how they turned out!

Now that the cookies are ready, let's make the container they are going into...

I started with a craft ball... Hard foam

I cut it in thirds with a saw. This way it will fit into the container and I can do this bouquet 3 times!!

Insert your foam in the top of the container.

I made mine flush with the top rim of the vase.

I took squares of tissue paper and folded them around the end of a paint brush.

I put dabs of craft glue in sporatic places and using the same paintbrush end, I put the tissue paper on the glue. I pushed them into the foam with the brush as well to make them really secure.

Add Ribbon (of course) and Voila... you have a cute little Valentine bucket!!!

You are now ready to insert your cookies and go!!!

  

 So Pretty and so EASY!!!

Your kids will love it!

I will be posting in the summer, my idea for a Summer Fruit Bouquet...

Stay tuned!!!

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The DIY Showoff