Hey lovelies! I'm so sorry I haven't posted in a while. I've been working on a lot of things. I'm down 55 pounds as of today! I've got a lot to go, but I'm getting there!!

I'm working on getting journals done for the October craft fair season. I've been invited to 2 on the same day. Not sure which, if either, that I'll choose.  I've bought a new set of stamps. I've sold one of the decoupage necklaces that I shared a mini tutorial for. I bought a lot of stickers from the Dollar Tree. They're beautiful, and look pretty vintage.

 

I have also started reading Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. I have started working on a journal for my bestie. I've been trying to catch up on housework before we start homeschool after we get back from vacation. I need to get all of my stuff together for vacation too.  There aren't enough hours in the day. LOL I am never bored though that's for sure.

 

Oh a friend of mine over at Junk Journal Junkies on Facebook has opened an Etsy Shop. https://www.etsy.com/shop/SoulSearchinJournals Go check it out. She just opened and already sold the first journal she posted. How awesome is that!  Anyway have a great week everyone! I'll post again soon. I want to show how I print on tissue paper and then decoupage it onto what ever I want. I may do a "printed" candle tutorial soon also.

Happy Crafting and take care everyone!

Keto Diet update.

Well it's been about 16 weeks, or 4 months, since I started the Keto way of eating. As of Monday, August, 8th, 2016, I've lost 51.5 lbs! I get frustrated some times because I'll see fluctuations of about a pound here and there, but I know it's water retention because I'm not keeping myself as hydrated as I should.  The point is, it's working. I feel great, and I'm getting healthier.
In September my family is going to go stay in some cabins with my In-Laws. There will be 14 of us in 3 cabins and tons of fun. Fishing, and swimming, grilling, games, etc. I can't wait. I have less than a month, and I would really like to hit 55 lbs lost by then. So keep me in your thoughts and prayers as I try to reach this goal.
I've been looking up some recipes for easily made foods while we're there, because let's be honest, no one wants to spend their entire vacation cooking! My Sister-In-Law and I will be doing the majority of the cooking. I plan on doing Keto waffles for me, her and my Mom-In-Law since we're all doing low carb. I will make and freeze some homemade waffles for the rest of the group. We'll also be doing spaghetti one night for dinner, so I'm thinking we'll have zoodles! I'm so excited. I haven't been "camping" since I was a teenager!!  I really hope my kids enjoy this. I've been wanting to take them camping for a long time but my hubby isn't a fan of camping in tents, so maybe this will change his mind some.
Well that's all I have for now. I have to get back to mommy duties, and getting my journals and jewelry done for the craft fairs this fall. Wish me luck!

Quick Mini Tutorial

I know I've been busy and haven't been posting much lately. I've had some back trouble, and had VBS last Saturday. That was an awesome time!

So I figure I should share something with you guys. I am trying to prep for Christmas afghans I'm working on for clients, and also get some inventory built up in my etsy shop and for my Fall Craft booth.  One of the things I'm working on is pendants.

I rolled out polymer clay about 1/8 of an inch thick and cut it into 1 1/2 inch squares, and baked per the package directions.

While those were baking I chose a collage page to use as my background. I chose to do some in black and white so I copied my vintage brown paper in the copy machine.

Then I chose my background and cut it out slightly bigger than my clay tile. I applied a liberal amount of white glue to the tile, pressed the image onto the tile and when dry I cut the excess paper from the tile. I also tried to decopage a rose onto it, but the black tiles were too dark. *duh, I know lol*

 

Next I took my finger and patted a bit of white paint over the background, and when it dried I glued on this lovely lady, also in black and white. Then when it was all dried I inked around the edges in black to match the tile.

 

I ended up putting a jewel on this one in the corner then sealing with Glossy mod podge, and then I went over that with an acrylic sealer to avoid the sticky feel. You could use Glossy Accents, or resin epoxy, or any number of gloss sealers.

You can do pretty much anything you want with these. Here's a shot of the few I've finished and sealed. I still have to put the bails on. I really like the way they have turned out. Oh, and yes, they are different sizes. Mostly because I used two different cutters, but these are hand made not assembly line and are supposed to original. That just adds to their charm. ;)

 

There you go. Easy polymer clay pendants. Happy Crafting Lovlies!