Make It! Monday Bonus: Super Easy Peppermint Mocha

Oh, the weather outside is frightful,
But a hot drink is always delightful!

Here's something that's quick and easy to make up when you need something to warm you up.  All you need is:
- 1 package (35 g) chocolate mint cocoa mix
- 2 tsp. instant coffee (you can add more for a stronger flavour if you want)
- 1/3 cup milk
- boiling water

In a large mug, whisk together the cocoa mix, coffee and milk.  Fill the rest of the mug with boiling water and mix well.  Easy peasy! For a fun variation, try using other flavours of cocoa mix and flavoured coffee creamers and see what you come up with.

Until next time,
J.

Make It! Monday: Poppy ATC

Greetings! After a few weeks of being sick I'm back and ready to share more fun craftiness with you.  In honour of Remembrance Day (Veterans Day for my friends in the US), today's project is my poppy artist trading card, or ATC.  This is a great way to recycle your poppy and make a little piece of art at the same time.  And if you've lost someone who served, you can also use it to commemorate them.  Here's what you'll need:
- small piece of clear 7-count plastic canvas (this is the standard size of plastic canvas, and it's sold in most craft stores - you could also use red or white canvas for this project)
- ruler or tape measure
- scissors
- tapestry needle
- red yarn
- sewing needle and thread
- alphabet beads

1.  A typical ATC is 2 1/2" x 3 1/2" inches, so the first thing you need to do is measure and cut the same size piece of canvas.  Note: Your piece may not be exactly those dimensions (mine was slightly narrower than 2 1/2").  My piece is 23 holes long by 16 holes high; your measurements may vary depending on the brand of canvas.
2.  Now it's time to start stitching.  I use a basic continental stitch to fill in my ATCs and an overcast stitch to cover the edges.  They're both really easy stitches to do.  If you've never worked with plastic canvas before, check out this link http://plasticcanvascountry.com/index.php/stitch-guide for instructions on doing your stitching.
3.  Now it's time to add the poppy.  Figure out where you want it to be and use the sewing needle and thread to attach it.  Tip: Before attaching the poppy, you may want to put some hot glue or something on the end of the pin so you don't stab yourself.
4.  Finally, add the beads.  I went with LEST WE FORGET on my ATC, but you could also put the name of a family member who died.

And that's pretty much all there is to it! Here's a picture of my completed ATC:

Until next time,
J.

A Make It! Monday Follow-Up

So after I posted the Office Survival Kit last week, I thought of a few more things you might want to consider adding to your kit:
 - a travel-sized lin roller (particularly if you have pets that shed)
 - a travel-sized can of Static Guard
 - a stain remover pen like Tide-To-Go
 - a microwaveable bowl and plate
 - instant oatmeal packets (nothing beats a bowl of hot oatmeal on a cold winter's morning)
 - an extra pair of pantyhose (it never fails - the only day your nylons run is the day you're going out with the girls after work; this way you have a back-up available!)
 - an extra cell-phone charger

I've got some great Halloween-themed ideas for the next two Make It! Mondays that you'll want to come check out! Plus, watch for my review of my evening at the dinner theater with my partners-in-crime from work.

Until next time,
J.

Make It! Monday: The Office Survival Kit

Yes, yes...I know it's Wednesday.  I've been sick with the flu for the last couple of days.  But on the plus side, it gace me extra time to prepare this week's Make It! Monday post LOL!

Today, my gift to you is the "Office Survival Kit" (I call mine my "Box o' Wonders").  I got this idea from my mom when I started my second job.  My first job was right downtown, so if I suddenly needed something, I was minutes away from a large shopping center with everything you could want.  My second job was in an industrial area and wasn't as conveniently located.  My wise mama suggested I should put this together for any small emergencies I may encounter.  It's really easy to put together, and really inexpensive as well! Who doesn't love that? All you need is a large, plastic food storage container, like a Ziploc container.  Then, you fill it with things that will make your work life more comfortable.  The list below is by no means all-inclusive - there may things that aren't here that you want to add.  It's also tailored towards the ladies, but by leaving out a few things you could easily make one of these for the special man in your life.

Items for your survival kit:
Health:
 - Tylenol/aspirin/ibuprofen
 - Midol/Pamprin
 - allergy pills
 - cough drops
 - antacids
 - pocket-sized hand sanitizer
 - band-aids

Hygiene:
 - toothbrush/toothpaste
 - pocket/purse-sized hairbrush or comb
 - deodorant (this comes in very handy when you're going out after work)
 - trial-sized perfume (see above)
 - small manicure set
 - feminine hygiene products

Miscellaneous:
 - set of inexpensive utensils (great for those days when you forget to bring a spoon for your Chunky soup)
 - can opener
 - change for the vending machine (for your "Gimme chocolate before I hurt someone" moments)
 - small sewing kit

If you have additional space to store supplies, you may want to consider the following items as well:
 - tea bags and/or instant coffee (especially if your office has coffee like mine LOL!)
 - snacks for the afternoon munchies (granola bars, cereal bars, individually packaged crackers and snacks, etc.)
 - jar of peanut butter (saves you having to bring small portions of it for your bagel)
 - box of crackers (add this to the above item and you have an instant lunch, especially if you forgot the one you made last night - yes, I have done this)
 - cleaning supplies (I have a canister of cleaning wipes, a swiffer and a dustcloth - I work in a very dry, dusty office and these things come in very handy)

Take my advice: make yourself one of these kits, and you'll be prepared for anything life throws at you! Or at least, some of it!

Until next time,
J.

Ever wonder what happens...

...when artists get bored at work? The results may look something like this:

This is an 8"x8"  digital layout I did using the words of the Lady Antebellum song "I Was Here" (you can find it on the "Act of Valor" soundtrack or iTunes).  I'd been listening to the song a LOT and when I thought about the words I just kept seeing a sign somewhere that read "I was here".  I did an online seach in Microsoft Word and I found this picture, and it was perfect!  Once I had my picture all I had to do was add the title to the sign and put in a text box for the lyrics.  The hardest part was finding a font colour that would show up well against all the different background colours.

I love the message in this song about leaving something of yourself behind so that future generations will know who you were that you were here.  That's the very reason that I scrapbook!

Until next time,
J.

Welcome to Make It! Monday!

I'm going to *try* to make this a regular weekly feature here at This Beautiful Life.  I'll be sharing recipes and directions to make some of my favourite foods, crafts and activities

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, today's activity is "The Blessing Tree".  I often do this with my Sunday School classes to help illustrate just how much we have to thank God for.  The best part is, all of the materials are things you probably already have around your home, and if there's anything you do need to buy, they're inexpensive items.  Here's what you'll need:
 - a large dead branch with no leaves - try to find one with lots of smaller branches and twigs on it
 - a large bucket or pot filled with dirt
 - construction paper
 - large apple or leaf paper punches (you can also draw and cut these by hand if you choose - since I'm basically lazy and can't draw to save my life, I use the punches)
 - pens/pencils/markers/coloured pencils/crayons
 - scissors
 - hole punch
 - yarn or string

1.  Punch out apples and/or leaves from construction paper.  Punch holes in the top of each one and thread a short piece of yarn/string through and hole.  Knot the end to make a hanging loop.
2.  Give your kids some writing implements and encourage them to think of as many things as they can that they can be thankful for.  Encourage them to be creative! Nothing is too small or insignificant to be thankful for.
3.  While they're doing that,  "plant" your branch in your pot or bucket.  Then make some apples and leaves of your own!
4.  Hang your apples and leaves on the tree. 

And voila! You now have a visual reminder of all the blessings God has showered upon your family!

Tip: If you have enough different shapes you can use, consider making a different set of shapes for each child.  Alternately, you could use one shape and make it in different colours for each child.

Until next time,
J.

Weekend art fun!

These are a few of the supplies I'm going to be using for my weekend art project.  Just look at all this yummy goodness!

I'm making a mini album around the theme "Things I've Learned".  The covers are from a set of Cram Cards (basically a ring-bound index card stack from Staples) and they'll be backed with white cardstock to show off the patterns.  The pages are made from Bazzill cardstock and index cards that I trimmed down (they aren't the ones that came with the covers).  All the rest of what you see pictured is embellishment.  The journalling is going to be hamdwritten.  Stay tuned for more pictures!

And I found the greatest thing for altered art! There's a store in Southgate Mall called The Science Shop - mostly they sell Playmobil and other toys.  But when I was at the mall the other day I saw something called "Create Your Own Puzzle" in their window.  It's a blank board puzzle (kind of like the ones you buy for little kids when they're first learning how to do puzzles) that comes with a set of pencil crayons to draw your own picture with.  I was just about drooling when I saw these! I've been wanting to make an altered puzzle, but I haven't been able to find just quite what I wanted.  That is, until now!

Until next time,
J.