About a month ago, a photographer-friend, Jenn, sent me a link on facebook and said "I saw this on Martha Stewart and thought of you!" I quickly clicked on the link and fell in love with the bib necklaces Martha was making. Then I got an idea. (Don't you love when that happens?!) I have a large amount of costume jewelry from my Grandma's stash. A LARGE AMOUNT! And have been trying to think of something fun I could make out of her old jewels. A bib necklace sounded perfect, because all the pieces would be unique and it would remind me of her when I wore it! So, I loosely followed the easy Martha tutorial. But added my own spin to make it a little more fun and funky...okay, and a little over-the-top!

Here's what I used to make it:
Necklace Template- I didn't actually use this, but it would have probably made things easier!
Buttons, Stones, Gems, Pins, Beads (Whatever you want.)
Super-sharp Scissors
Felt
Fabric glue
Ribbon or chain- I used an old gold necklace
Needle and thread

I just followed the instructions from the tutorial above-there's even a video if you need a little extra help. :)

If you make one, let me know. I'd love to see it!

PS-Style School starts this week. How exciting!!!

Between taking down my fall decorations, replacing them with Christmas ones, buying and wrapping presents and processing print orders I didn't have time for a true OPAM in December, but I did make some fun decor and thought you might enjoy it. Maybe you can save an idea or two for next year!

I love wreathes-and when I saw these yarn ones I was excited to try making one.

It wasn't hard to make, but wrapping the yarn around the foam wreath 5,000 times was NOT my favorite part. Once it was wrapped I added the pom poms, felt leaves and a little fabric yo-yo for accent!

Presents!!!

Paint sample gift tags.

Left: A big tree limb Anderson swiped for me from the little patch of woods in the middle of our neighborhood. I spray-painted it and stuck it in an IKEA flower pot.
Right: Oh, Christmas Tree!

More of the white tree.

I found this old record at the thrift store. Isn't it fun?!

Pom pom garland.

Left: A fun pillow I made out of fabric that has flamingos and motor homes on it-ha!
Right: The stockings hung by the TV with care. :) When we built our house Anderson didn't think we needed a fireplace. I agreed. I mean, it is Florida! But now his ridiculously large TV is the only place for our stockings to hang...sad.

The dining room.

Left: Little pink tree in the kitchen.
Right: A couple of the many crystal trees in the dining room.

I looked for bright green cloth napkins everywhere but couldn't find any. So, I bought these bandanas instead (for $.99).

Left: Crystal trees and a pink feather wreath that I made...on the dining room table.
Right: Some of the cards we got from family and friends. I loved them ALL!

Left: The frequently updated chalk wall!
Right: Merry and Bright

Oh, and can you believe the birthday celebrations are still going on? Anderson and I just can't let it go-ha! We're going out to celebrate his birth with my parents tonight. Of course he requested a buffet...seafood. It seems like a lot of our celebrations involve eating!

I like Maggianos, so we went there for my birthday.

Mom and Dad.

Anderson and Me.

Anderson wanted to see Avatar on his b-day, so we did. In IMAX 3D!

We ate at Gypsy Cab Company in St. Augustine on my actual day of birth. It's my favorite restaurant! Then we had to swing by the Fountain of Youth for some pictures.

Doesn't he look youthful?!

And yet another night of celebration at a Yummy Mexican restaurant. Yeah, I haven't really cooked much lately!!!

I'm going back to school in January. Style School!!! It's a 6-week online class taught by one of my favorite indie artists, Elsie Flannigan. It's all about developing your personal style and making fun goodies! Can't wait to share some of the fun stuff we create.

Okay, so the older I get the more I see myself becoming my Mother. Is this happening to anyone else?! Here's the latest thing: My Mom cannot sit still for longer than 10 minutes. She can't even watch a whole movie without getting up and roaming around doing who knows what. Same thing with dinner-she's the last one to sit down and the first one up. And somewhere in between she's up getting refills for everyone. Well, guess who can't sit still anymore? That's tight. The girl who used to be a couch potato-happy to sit in one spot for an entire 12 hour period and do nothing put stare at the TV can't do it anymore! I ALWAYS have to be doing something. The good part: I get a lot done. The bad part: I never truly relax. It's exhausting! When I watch TV I make stuff. When I ride in the car with Anderson I make stuff. When I go to Anderson's soccer games I'm the weird wife making an embroidered pillow on the sidelines. When I go to church I make lists of stuff I want to make. I know-I'm ashamed. So, the reason I signed up for style school is because, yep-I get to make stuff!

Class doesn't start for about a month, but in the meantime I thought it would be fun to show you a few of the goodies I've made (from the couch, the car, the bed) recently.

A fun necklace made from those fabric flowers I love so much! (Good tutorial here.)

A big pink flower pin with rhinestones. It's a Christmas present!

Another (more mod) flower.

L-Hair clip. R-Ruffles I sewed onto a t-shirt from Target. I cut squares of fabric and stitched them along the neckline. So easy! The fabric came from the same shirt I used to make this necklace.


These next 3 are fun, because they can be worn as a belt or a headband. I didn't take any headband pictures, so use your imagination. :)

The flowers on this one aren't as poofy. I have a friend with much more reserved style than me (think classy) who I had in mind when making this one.

And of course-a pink one!

Pom-Poms are my new favorite crafts to make. You can do anything with them! I also used them to make garland and glued them onto a wreath. Here's a great tutorial. Trust me though-you're going to go a little overboard too.

I'm officially finished with photoshoots for the year and am winding down card designs and print orders. Yay! I get a little stingy with my time during December every year. So, I didn't schedule anything for the rest of the month and am looking forward to a few weeks of down time. :) Whoo hoo! January and February are already filling up with portrait sessions, so contact me if you want to snag a spot!

I got these super cute cupcake toppers from Elsie Flannigan's blog. I didn't want cupcakes though, so I put them on apple cinnamon muffins-yummo! We wrote things we're thankful for on the thought bubbles. And the mustaches are so funny. :)

I couldn't put all my blessings on the cards, so here's a few more:
-Anderson-Husband of the Year
-Family-Encouraging Parents...and Friends
-Good Health-I woke up with an eye infection this morning, and it reminded me how often I take my sight and health for granted.
-Our Church
-Jesus
-A place to call "home"
-Never having to go hungry
-Creativity
-Photography
-Color
-Transportation
-American soldiers and their families. They sacrifice so much for all of us.
-Fun!
-Thrift Stores
-God's Word
-People who live what they say and lead by example

This list could go on and on and on, but I don't want to be late for lunch. :)

Hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving!!!