Body armor, heart armor, mind armor... bc it all takes a beating sometimes.

If there's one thing I have learned over the past umpteen weeks of not blogging ((truth be told there's actually A LOT I've learned, but let's highlight this one thing first)) it is that life is incredibly unpredictable.

I mean, there you are... going about your day... and then BAM!  A curve ball.  One you weren't quite prepared for.  One that didn't necessarily knock you down, but certainly made you stumble.

So, you grab a catcher's mitt and get ready for the next one.  Only the next one is not a ball.  It's a friggin 2x4.... and it done hit 'cha square in the gut.... took your breath away even.

But you manage to muster on.... now wearing your catchers mitt, your batters helmet, your nut cup cleats, your umpires chest/body guard pad thing; you know.. all the gear you'll need for curve balls and 2x4's.

Then it happens... again.  Only this time it's the rug that gets pulled out from underneath your feet and you go down haaaard... with a THUD!  Flat on your back.  The wind really gets knocked out of ya this time.  So there you lay.  Looking up.  Reflecting.  Praying.  Realizing....

You have survived.  You have survived it all.


And you are grateful.

Because in that moment, you realize how you survived.

It's stronger than that catcher's mitt, that batters helmet, those nut cup cleats, that umpires chest/body guard pad thing.  It's even stronger than the fibers of the rug that always gets pulled out from beneath your feet.

You survived because you have on you the full armor of God.
Without it...  you also realize, you could not survive a single day with even a morsel of peace.

And you are grateful.

**********************************************************************************

We are standing on our feet now, and getting settled into our new home.  Things are good and are moving a tad faster than a snails pace. So, soon... I'll snap some picts of what I've been up to in our house, what I've decorated and redecorated (and will still redecorate, I am positive) and share them with you all.

Til then....

Ephesians 6:10-18.... Rock on!

¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³ Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
¹⁸ And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

hugs,

k.

Lamp re-vamp

Most of you know, we are in the middle of buying a house, selling our house and moving to another city so, I've not blogged in a good long while... especially a crafty-how-to blog.  Well, today, I got my paint and my Frog tape out and re-vamped my lamp!

I found this funkadelic pendant light on Pinterest... and ohhhh how I want this in our new house!

Source: bellacor.com via Kristy on Pinterest

But this baby ain't cheap!  {$328.00}  And I'd need TWO!

So I started thinking about how I could have this look by re-vamping something I already have.

Welp, I came across a lamp that's just been sitting in a closet and I thought "Hey! I'mma try somethin".

So.. I took this here lamp 

(my sincerest apologies for the super crappy pictures!)

And I started making stripes using my tape. I used the width of the tape to "measure" my widths of the stripes.  

After all... it's Frog tape... the stuff is amazing because it doesn't remove the paint or leave any kind of residue behind. 

 &I used a black dry erase marker to mark my spots.

And I painted my striped black with regular ol' acrylic craft paint.

 I then taped over the black, leaving a teensy bit of the gold to show and painted off white (I just mixed white acrylic with a touch of gold) and got this...

I added some embellishing/personalization and VOILA!

I most definitely need a new shade!  Not diggin the shade!! 

And I'll also spray a glossy sealer over it for added protection. :)

  

((and again.. I am SOO sorry for the super crappy pictures))

But, otherwise..

Wha'cha think?  Not too shabby for a ditto, eh!?!

hugs,

k.


Linkin up @

two yellow birds decor 

Meet Matilda Jane, our Great Dane!

I think it's safe to say, we may have officially quite possibly lost our minds...  You know... because our life isn't crazy enough at the moment.  {our big move is in 27 days!}

We've added to our already "full of life" canine  (2 Australian Shepherds) family and got ourselves a Great Dane puppy!!  

And boy!  Is she ADORABLE!

Meet

 Matilda Jane

 10 weeks; 21 lbs.

And this one just cracks me up!

Apparently, Dane's grow like really, really fast... *shrug* who knew  ;)

I'll keep ya posted 

hugs,

k.

New Year tradition

Can you believe 2012 is only DAYS away from coming to an end?!  

It's baffling to me how fast time can go by.  We get in the mind set of "hurry up, already" and then before we know it.. POOF.. those days are long gone and a mere memory.

Anyway,  that has nothing to do with my post, so I'll move on..

I am starting a new-to-me New Year tradition this year.  

My sweet friend, Terri, from Crafty Workin Mommy told me about this little trick of purging your closet.

Take all the clothes in your closet and flip the hangers backwards.

As you wear the clothes, turn the hanger the right way.  

Every 3-6 months (I live in Tx so the weather is either hot, kinda hot, or a little cool)
 purge what you're not wearing.
~ I think she may have suggested to purge at the end of the year, but I figure, if I've not worn it in 6 months... chance are, I'm not wearing it. ~

So instead of looking at your clothes like this....

You'll be more like this....

Source: thegoodsdesign.blogspot.com via Rhiannon on Pinterest

I'm thinking I'm going to find out real quick just how little of my clothes I actually wear. 

What comes next?

Well, I can either purge and replace 

(I am a woman after all... it's what we do)

Or

I can purge and be satisfied with what I've got left.

(Nahhhhhh..... shopping sounds sooo much more fun!!)  ;)

SO

Will you join me in this fun little experiment?  Will you have all the members in your house do it too??

hugs,

k. 

Shining a light on Rub 'n Buff

As you know, we are moving.... which for me, means BLANK SLATE!  My, oh my...  To say I am excited about decorating our new digs is quite the understatement!  New walls to adorn, new colors to try... a whole new look for our new life, in a new city, in a new house! {{AHHH}}  

Momma is HAPPY!

It's also quite the undertaking and can get costly, which will make daddy UNhappy...

 so I am re-vamping as many things that we currently have to keep the budget to a minimum.  

In doing so, I'm trying things I've never done.  

Like using Rub n' Buff.  

I've seen several things on Pinterest where it's been used and I love the transformation, so I thought "eh..why not". 

My color palate is quite eclectic and I'm using lots of gold accents so I thought I'd try Rub n Buff's Gold leaf on my lamps.

I'm sure you're thinking I'm crazy.  These lamps are gorgeous the way they are.

I love these lamps.  I love the wood... I love the shape... I love everything about them...

But 

They need to work in my new space, so... I had to change em up a little.

 Let's get started.

 This is the BEST tool you can use for this product!

YOUR FINGER!

My first attempt was somewhat of a flop. I didn't know how to really use the product

... so it was clumpy. 

And let me tell ya.... a little goes a looooong way.

I was afraid of rubbing it off, so I didn't rub it enough. 

Ugh.  

I began rubbing it a little harder to see if I could rub the clumps off.  

And those areas did this...  

Which really looks pretty cool.  Happy accident for a new look..

 but it's distressed, and that's the opposite of what I'm going for. 

SO... What now??  What's a girl to do? 

SAND IT!  

Yup.  

I used 320 grit paper and voila!  

Smooth as a baby's butt and ready for a fresh coat of the Rub n Buff.

{Still... if you like distressed... this looks WAAY cool!}

I added a new coat and guess what?

It's smooth! 

I used a q-tip to get in the crevices.

This is only the first coat.  I will need two.  

You need to wait hourrsssss before you add another coat (another lesson learned).

Patience is golden.  (ba dom domp... pshhh)

Whatcha think?!  Once I get new shades (either black or emerald green), I think they'll be stunning!

  

But you'll have to wait until we're in the new house for that reveal  ;)

So go out and try something new! 

hugs,

k.

Spreadin the love:

seven-alive

Happy hour projects 

The new me... well, sort of.

Today....  

I got a haircut.

As in C.H.O.P.P.E.D!

And guess what?!

I LOVE. L♥VE. LOVE. IT!

And I'm wondering why I waited so long to do it!?!?

BEFORE:

and no, you may not judge my tacky gray roots.. it's simply not allowed  ;)

AFTER

there's tons of texture that the camera (it's from my phone... sorry for the quality) just couldn't pick up

And what's better?? 

The hubs LOVES it too!!

If you've been considering doing something drastic with your hair, what's stopping you?! 

I say.. 

GO FOR IT!

hugs,

k.  

11 Magnolia Lane and a give away!

If you've not yet "found" the blog eleven Magnolia Lane... you really should follow the link below and head over!   It's a fanTAStic blog and has just been recognized by Cottages and Bungalows ~ Jan 2013 issue!  Plus, they're giving away a $50 gift card to Homegoods/TJMaxx!  And who wouldn't want THAT?!  {btw, if you don't want it.. enter any way and I'll happily take it}

Here's a little sneak peek of the article :)

Just click this link... and enjoy!!   11 Magnolia Lane  <<-------  click here ----

hugs,

k.