{Im sharing my secret...}

Hey Everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and a Fun Black Friday seeking out amazing deals! Yes, I was one of those crazies! I was up at 4:00 to be at Walmart when they opened at 5:00am!! I went and got everything I had planned on buying. Tomorrow I will be doing my "craft" shopping for my Thrifty under Fifty challenge!

Speaking of Thrifty under Fifty. I have had so many of you wanting to see my "Secret Blog" so guess what....I'm going to let you!!!!
Just leave me a comment on this post, PLEASE LEAVE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS so I can send you the link and you can all keep up with my projects, get inspired, and make some of your own. Plus, I might even feature YOUR projects!!
Just don't send the link to my mom or my sister!! :)

**Photo found here: http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/ah_organizing_storage/article/0,1801,HGTV_3142_5741723_01,00.html isn't that an AWESOME room?!?! WOW! I would love to craft there!

{A Christmas Project}

Have you ever seen something in a catalog and wanted it so bad, but you just couldn't justify the cost?
Well, I saw this in my Ballard Catalog a few weeks ago, and thought just that. I mean, $49????? I don't think so!

So what's a girl to do? Make her own of course!
And that's just what I did...and I'm going to take you along the journey with me so you can make your own too! :)

Step 1: Create your template.
Ok, so I used the same silhouette from their website by searching through istock. Its actually in sections so you will have to look for all three sections! I actually lost the links, otherwise I would share them! :(
Once you have your template, print it out in sections and trace around it onto a piece of white poster board.
**TIP: trace it backwards on the WRONG side of the paper. This way, you can cut it out on the back and not see your cut lines or any pencil lines that you miss.


Step 2: Cut out your pattern
Now you will want to cut out your design with an xacto knife.


Step 3: Make your Frame
Now you want to make your frame. I bought these frame pieces at Hobby Lobby on the isle with the canvas. They are SUPER cheap!
Then I painted them with black craft paint and allow to dry.


Step 4: Cutting the Background
Once your frame is dry, you will want to trace it's size onto a red piece of poster board. This one I am using is like a textured paper, not shiny like regular poster board.
Once you have measured the frame, then cut along that line.


Step 5: Connect the Dots...Glue Dots that is!
I LOVE these! I used glue dots on the back of the silhouette (remember, you cut it out backwards, so make sure you are putting the glue on the correct side for it to be able to flip over and be right!)



Step 6: Stick it to 'um
Once you have all the glue dots on the back, you want to line up the bottom and stick down the silhouette onto the red paper.


Step 7: Prepare the frame
Now you want to put the glue dots all along the back of the frame.


Step 8: Last step
Now you want to stick the entire background onto the frame, making sure to line up the sides and top and bottom. Once the glue sticks, you cant move it around, so try to be as accurate as possible!


Now flip it over and find somewhere awesome to put it for your holiday!




Here is the cost breakdown for you!
(I got EVERYTHING at Hobby Lobby)
White poster board: $0.49
Red poster board: $1.89
Glue Dots: $3.99 (plus 40% off coupon)= $2.39
Frame: 2 long pieces $1.69 ea.
2 short pieces $0.69 each
Total: $9.53

Ballard Design Inspiration:
$49.00 plus shipping= $60.95!!!!


Wow, that's a savings of $51.42!!
Now get to crafting!!!

{I am so thrifty...I got this one in the bag!}

One of my favorite websites, youcanmakethis.com is hosting a really awesome opportunity. They had a contest of sorts to see who could be Thrifty under 50. That is, they chose 50 people to make the vast majority of their Christmas presents for under $50.00 TOTAL in about a months time.

So I thought to myself when I saw the opportunity..."I think I could do that!" So I applied. And guess what? I GOT CHOSEN!!

So now I am part of this ultra secret society of 50 awesome women and we are all currently working on awesome projects for our friends and family. I am having the best time and really getting some great ideas! We have all also started SECRET BLOGS that no one can see so that we can show each other our progress...but not the people receiving the gifts!

I just wanted to say thank you to all the girls over at YCMT that put this together. I am having the best time!
I cant wait to show you all what I made...since I cant show you here. My sister and my mom read my blog and I am doing some projects for both of them! :)

YAY TEAM KRIS!! We are totally going to win!

{Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!}

We have a winner folks!!
Thanks to Random.org the winner of the One Year WOMENS DAY Magazine subscription is.....

DRUM ROLL....

Comment #19, Lacey from Lacey in Love

SUPER CONGRATS LACEY!!! Email me at expressivestylegraphics@yahoo.com to claim your prize!

Thank you to everyone who entered my first ever giveaway! I was BLOWN AWAY by the awesome comments everyone left and people posting in on their blogs! Just sooo cool!
I mean seriously...someone wrote a poem to enter! How cool is that?
Anyway, I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and I will see you Monday!!!

{Seven}

Lagan, today you turn 7 years old. I cant even believe I am saying that. We have had quite a life together already. A life that I did not think would ever happen, but has been the most wonderful blessing God could ever give me.

I remember the night you were born. I had been in labor almost 14 hours. It was cold and rainy. I knew that you would always be a girl who knew how to make an entrance! We were all so captivated by your beauty. And now, I am captivated by your love. Your sweet soul and fun loving spirit are what keep me going through my day.

Your hugs are warm and comforting when I most need them. Nothing makes me happier when you never want to let go!

So here's to you baby girl. I can wait to see what the next 7 years will be like! I love ya boo!!

Love, Mommy

(Here is a journey through the last few years. Thanks for letting me share such a special day with you all!)
Lagan still in my tummy! :)

{cooking the trash}

**WARNING! This post is very wordy, but SUPER helpful with saving you money!!!!!!
LOL! I thought I would get your attention with that title! Let me explain...I have been on a quest to save my family as much money as possible in the food department. So, while I was making a recipe the other day, it donned on me that I waste a TON of food when I cook, and I don't even notice. I also purchase things at the store that I could easily make myself for just pennies, but end up buying them out of sheer laziness. But no more!

Which takes me back to the title, cooking the trash. I decided to dig up some of my old restaurant habits and apply them to my home to save some $$! First up, chicken stock...



Now, a box of chicken stock is about $2.50 here and contains around 4-6 cups depending on the brand. So that's roughly about $0.42 a cup.
That's way too much in my opinion. Especially when I go through 2-3 boxes A WEEK!!
So how did I make 3 GALLONS of stock for FREE? Simple...I cooked the trash!
Whenever I make dinner, if I cut up veggies like onions, carrots, celery, zucchini, bell peppers, etc. I take the part I would normally throw away, like the tops of the carrots and the skin that you shave off, or the top and bottom root ends of the onion (minus the paper and "root" part that I just BARELY slice off, or the center of a heart of celery and the leaves too as well as the ends that you cut off when serving it. All of these things get tossed into a HUGE ziptop freezer bag after every meal I prepare. When the bag gets full, I make stock.

So this week, I had a chicken that I roasted, so I took all the meat off the bones and threw that in a pot along with all of the STILL FROZEN leftover veggies, an entire head of Italian flat leaf parsley that was about to go bad, fill with water to the top, Italian seasoning, and 1 head of garlic, and let it boil to town for a few hours, until all of the veggies were about to fall apart.
Then you just drain all of the liquid into another pot and let it cool. Then, pour the cooled liquid into ice cube trays and allow to freeze. Next, take the cubes (enough to equal 2 cups) and put them in freezer safe bags with a label. The next time you need chicken stock for a recipe, just pop the cubes into a small sauce pan over high heat until it's melted!



I also made breadcrumbs, which I use in SO many dishes! I make Lagan a peanut butter and jelly sandwich EVERY DAY! lol She LOVES them, but I always cut them into fun shapes with my gazillion cookie cutters. So I take the extra bread and throw it in a zipper bag, and freeze it. (I also throw in the leftover bread from all of our meals.) Again, when it fills up, I chop it up into small cubes and toast it in the oven for a few minutes. Then I grind it up the the food processor until its in crumbs, then stick it in a air tight ziptop bag, label it, and throw it into the fridge for safe keeping.

So what do you do to save your family money in the kitchen? I would love for you to share your ideas!!

Oh...and here is a little preview of a project I will be sharing very soon! Any guesses what this humble little frame I built will become?....

***Ohhh...and dont forget to keep entering the Contest below until Thursday to win a 1 year subscription to Womens Day Magazine for FREE!!

{Christmas come early!}

Wow! My very first giveaway! This is so exciting!!
We all know how hard the economy is and its hard to afford the "luxuries" that we are used to getting. And this Holiday season is defiantly harder for most of us! So I thought, "Why not give away something that every woman likes and she can either keep it for herself, or give it to someone she loves?"

So, I am giving away...

A 1 YEAR SUBSCRIPTION TO WOMAN'S DAY MAGAZINE!!!

This is one of my most favorite magazines and I buy it EVERY single month! I never miss an issue. This magazine gives me inspiration for Home decorating, parenting advice, recipes, and tons of eye candy!

Would you like to win a year for FREE? I mean, who wouldn't right?
So here is what you have to do.
Just leave a comment here with your email address so I know how to get in contact with you! That will get you one entry!
If you post about my giveaway on your blog, that gives you an ADDITIONAL 2 entries!! So that could be three entries total.

I will be drawing a winner on Thursday the 20Th at MIDNIGHT (CST)!
So get your entries in, spread the word to your friends and let the gift giving begin!

{"Excuse me...Are you Jesus?"}

My sister Brittany just sent me an email that I HAD to share with you all. This is truly how I want to live my life, to Glorify Him!

EXCUSE ME.
ARE YOU JESUS?...

A few years ago a group of salesmen went to a regional
sales convention in Chicago. They had assured their
wives that they would be home in plenty of time for Friday night's dinner. In their rush through the terminal, with tickets and briefcases, one of these salesmen inadvertently kicked over a table which held a display of apples. Apples flew everywhere. Without stopping or looking back, they all managed to reach the plane in time for their nearly missed boarding.

ALL BUT ONE !!! He paused, took a deep breath, got in
touch with his feelings, and experienced a twinge of
compassion for the girl whose apple stand had been
overturned.
He told his buddies to go on without him, waved good-bye, told one of them to call his wife when they arrived at their home destination and explain his taking a later flight.
Then he returned to the terminal where the apples were all over the terminal floor. He was glad he did.
The 16 year old girl was totally blind! She was softly crying,tears running down her cheeks in frustration, and at the same time helplessly groping for her spilled produce as the crowd swirled about her, no one stopping and no one to care for her plight.
The salesman knelt on the floor with her, gathered up the apples, put them back on the table and helped organize her display. As he did this, he noticed that many of them had become battered and bruised; these he set aside in another basket. When he had finished, he pulled out his wallet and
said to the girl, "Here, please take this $40 for the damage we did. Are you okay?" She nodded through her tears. He continued on with, "I hope we didn't spoil your day too badly."

As the salesman started to walk away, the bewildered blind girl called out to him, 'Mister....' He paused and turned to look back into those blind eyes. She continued, 'Are you Jesus?'...

He stopped in mid-stride, and he wondered. Then slowly he made his way to catch the later flight with that question burning and bouncing about in his soul: "Are you Jesus?"

Do people mistake you for Jesus? That's our destiny, is it not? To be so much like Jesus that people cannot tell the difference as we live and interact with a world that is blind to His love, life and grace. If we claim to know Him, we should live, walk and act as He would.

Knowing Him is more than simply quoting Scripture and going to church. It's actually living the Word as life unfolds day to day. You are the apple of His eye even though we, too, have been bruised by a fall. He stopped what He was doing and picked you and me up on a hill called Calvary and paid in full for our damaged fruit.

Sometimes we just take things for granted, when we really need to be sharing what we know.

{Im trying...}

I am trying to get all caught up on my life and this poor blog has been neglected for a few days! But no fear my faithful blog friends, both of you will be hearing from me soon! :) hehe
No, I'm just kidding. I have some amazing readers, and I love all of you!!!!
I haven't been around because Lagan has been very sick. She was diagnosed with Asthma when she was 2, but it hasn't acted up in 3 years! So this past week she was having severe attacks of dry coughs and she couldn't breath. So I took her to the doctor and got her a new inhaler and some new nebulizer meds, and now she is taking it slow, but is doing much better. But, as fate would have it, its getting colder in the morning, then it's blazing hot later in the day, then freezing all night, so its not doing much to help her! I pray over her every night and I know that God will bring her through this so she can return to her normal life and not have to be on these treatments 24/7!

So as soon as life slows down, hopefully in a couple of days, I will be back with some AWESOME projects I have been working on, a couple of tutorials and lots of holiday decorating DEALS!!!!
Until then, oh faithful readers of mine, enjoy a photo of poor sick Lagan doing her "bweeving tweetment" as she used to call them!

Milking it for all it's worth.....

{...and everything in it's place}

I found somewhere to put it!! :) On the top of an armoire!

{FALLing for Autumn...}

This really isn't a "project" that is original or creative, but it was cheap and fun to do! I have TONS of projects coming throughout the holiday season though! So keep your eyes peeled for that!! :)

But before I share, I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who posted a comment on my previous post. We had communion at church last night and 4 people that are members of our congregation all prayed for President Elect Obama in their native tongue, then we sang some of the most beautiful worship songs ever! One being "My Nation Healed" and the other was "He Reigns".
I truly believe that God's people will come together in every tribe, every tongue, and every nation to say that HE REIGNS, no matter what the situation!

Now, on to what I was talking about! :)
I was in Hobby Lobby the other day getting some materials for some upcoming projects, and I happened to spot this little wood sign and the fall colored paints in the "Fall Decor" section. They were both $2.99, but were on 50% off sale! So I got them BOTH for $2.99!
Now THAT'S a deal!! So I came home and painted the sign! I LOVE it! Its so "fall" and warm! I cant wait to find a spot for it! hehe



Oh, and did you spot my dollar store candle holder there behind it?! I LOVE those!!

Well, it has been a long hard road. And now we have a new President.
First I want to say congratulations to President elect Barack Obama. Also a congratulations is in order for his wife, Michelle, and his daughters, as well as the entire Democratic party. They truly ran a solid campaign and won fairly. His campaign manager really needs a raise because he truly ran one hell of a campaign!

I was sitting here last night and watching the TV when Obama's win was announced. I have to admit, the first thing I thought was sadness. I shed a few tears. I prayed for Obama and the US. I prayed for my family. I prayed for our futures. Not because I think Obama is going to rip all of that apart, but because I think prayer is our most powerful weapon against the enemy, and I know that Obama is going to have to fight off the enemy in his job day in and day out. I might not have voted him into office, but I will stand behind this country. The election is over and people can either get on board or jump ship. I love living here and would never leave just because of the president.

Now, I have to say, when Sen. McCain came on the TV to concede his run in this race, I was so disappointed. Not in John McCain, but in the people in the crowd. When he mentioned Barack Obama's name, people booed. I was so ashamed to call myself a republican at that point. I could not believe that these people were booing a man that won not only the popular vote but the electoral vote fair and square. We may not agree with his topics or his values, but that doesn't mean that we stand up against him by demeaning both him and ourselves by booing. I pray that the hearts in all of those people are softened. The Lord says, love thy neighbor. I am choosing to take the higher road here, and I can only hope that everyone else will.

Lets see what the next 4 years hold...

{Get out and VOTE!}

Its Election day 2008. The most influential day in our time thus far. This day decides how our children live for the next 4 years. It determines what constitutes a marriage, or life, or "change".

I am not here to push my beliefs on anyone. But after seeing my friend, Melissa's post on her blog last night, I too feel the need to say my beliefs, because they are at the core of who I am.

I too, believe that God mad Man, and then he made Woman so that man would never be lonely. He knew that relationships were so important to us as humans, so he gave Adam someone to love. And I believe that marriage should stay just that, a man and a woman, joined together by God.

I also believe that life begins at conception. I have personally seen life inside of me! Its a beautiful thing. Anyone who is pregnant should see that. You feel the baby kick and have the hiccups. You can see it suck it's thumb and wiggle around. If that isn't life, I don't know what is. I know that it's hard to be in a place where you think you have no where to turn. But if you made a "mistake", killing the most innocent party doesn't make it better! A baby truly does change a life. If your not ready for that change, there are plenty of other options. Death, however, should not be one of them.

I hope these matters don't make you hate me, I don't hate anyone who sees things from a different perspective. I believe that it is the true beauty of being an American, that we are allowed to have, and share, our views with others.

No matter who wins today, I will stand behind my country. My church will be having a prayer ceremony tomorrow for the winning Candidate, no matter who it is. I believe that either candidate will need a good amount of prayer to run this country, so that is exactly what I am going to do. Will you pray with me for the next president and our country?

GOD BLESS AMERICA!