Wednesday, February 19, 2014

No time no post! - Mixed Media Art Fox

Tonight I was talking to a friend about hummus, then chick peas and then I started telling my friend about a salad I had made with chick peas so I sent her my blog link to the recipe.... then I realized that I haven't posted anything in exactly 1 whole year!!!
How did this happen? Where have I been?
My gosh.
It is time to get my blog back up and running again. I love sharing my recipes, DIY'ers, my mommy and family adventures and the simple bliss's in life that make me smile all in hope it will do the same to someone else or give someone some type of spark they have been searching for.
I have done so many different projects in the past year so I'll probably just post about what I have already done for a little while or until my next project. (Life is so busy, busy, busy!)


In the past 6 or 8 months I have gotten into making Mixed Media Art and I am getting obsessed! 
Here's one that I have recently done that I can't get enough of.




The picture isn't of the greatest quality but my camera is on a hiatus right now so I'm down to only using my phone to take pictures.

I will hopefully have more to come in the very near future if my brain doesn't run away again. 

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

DIY Painted & Stamped Knife Block

I'm still slowly but surely working on my kitchen.
Organizing and decorating it...

Tonight I finally brought myself to get into a craft project so I decided on a small, quick one.

My kitchen colors are varieties of greens, blues, and yellows.  There's already so many yellow tones (ugly walls) in my kitchen so I try to stay closer to greens and blues.
I'm going for a natural look with colors you would typically see on a warm sunny spring day in a garden.

Anyways...

Tonight I worked on my boring o'l knife block.
I love natural wood on just about everything but I've been tired of my knife block and it's boring look so I decided to paint and stamp it!

It was a breeze to start and finish and the paint I used took no time at all to dry, which always makes a project that much more fun to work with.  I'm not a very patient person when it comes to waiting on a project to set.  When I start, I want to get it done right then and there because I can be a terrible procrastinator!!

        






Tools Used:
Wooden Knife Block,
Sandpaper, (Don't know the grade)
Swiffer Cloth and Wet Wipe,
Cheap 1" Acrylic Paint Brush,
Americana Acrylic Paint, (Celery Green)
Paint Tray, (you can also use a piece of smooth plastic, wax paper or glass plate)
Stamps and Black Stampabilties Ink Pad.

1. I started out by sanding the block down on all sides to make sure I didn't have any rough and uneven spots and edges.  I also sanded off the brand name on the front of the block so it wouldn't interfere with my stamping on a later step.

2. I blew off as much sanding dust as possible then I took an off brand of Swiffer Cloth to it and rubbed it down to get the rest of the loose dust off.  After I did that I then wiped the block down with a baby wet wipe (because it was within arms reach).  You can use a damp dish rag or wash cloth.  As long as you get the remaining dust off of it you'll be just fine.

3. I let the block dry and started to paint it.  I highly recommend that you use strokes that go with the grain of the wood.  You'll end up with a better out come.  You'll also need to apply several coats of paint to it.  I applied about 3 coats on each side.  Each coat needs to fully dry before reapplying a new one.  If you keep painting over wet paint you'll (a.) end up with light spots where you'll be able to see the wood underneath, (b.) you'll get paint build up in areas, or (c.) BOTH!  Any or all of those won't be very flattering for your end result.  I used a nontoxic acrylic paint and I would suggest the same for yours as well.  After all, your knifes are going to be rubbing and touching parts of the paint and you wouldn't want toxins to get onto the knifes you'll be cutting and chopping your food with.  Ick!

4. Once you have all of your coats of paint on and it's completely dry you're ready to stamp.
Pick out which stamp you want to go with, test them on a piece of paper to ensure you're going to be happy with the out come, and then plan where you want to stamp it before you cover it with ink.
When you're ready to stamp your piece, lightly dab the stamp onto the ink pad and carefully stamp your piece in the desired area (or as close as you can get it) and let dry.
I used a scrap booking ink brand (Stampabilities) because of the fact it's nontoxic.

5. You'll want to find a nontoxic water proof sealer to cover the whole block in.
I have not sealed mine yet because I'm not sure what to use.
I thought about my off brand of Mod Podge but I'm not sure how well that product will stand up towards water.
My block is located right beside my kitchen sink and gets wet very quite frequently.
If you have any tips and/or suggestions I would love to read about them!

After you complete all 5 steps you'll be finished and ready to show it off as your new decorative kitchen piece.  I hope this was an enjoyable DIY tutorial and was easy to understand and follow.

God Bless and Keep Crafting!

Friday, February 1, 2013

Baby Shower Tutorials Coming Soon!

My sister Danielle at Simple Sapphire is going to bring a sweet bundle of baby girl joy into this world in a few months.  This will be my first niece and I couldn't be more excited for her arrival!
1) A new baby in the family is always an amazing blessing.
2) I LOVE BABIES!
3) It's A Girl!
I have nephews and a son so it's just about time for a little dresses, bows and butterflies!

I am going to be throwing my wonderful sister a baby shower in March so I'll be flaunting fabulous baby shower tutorials and ideas!

Today I went over to her place and we started planning and writing down lists.  I love planning and lists!
We came up with the perfect baby shower theme for the blissful season of Spring, a menu, guest list, gift bags, thank you cards, classic games and we even made up a few ourselves!  They probably have been done before but neither one of us has seen them on baby shower game idea lists or have played them at past showers.  We also thought of some adorable/fun/fantastic prizes for the game winners.

Are you excited yet?  Just wait, keep reading!

I will be throwing this shower on a budget, therefore I'll be sharing a thick spread of advice and tips on how to create a beautifully decorated shower that will be fun for the mommy to be and all guests attending for nickles and dimes!
Also, Danielle and I are both very creative and crafty gals, so I'll be sharing some incredible DIY projects!

What about now...  Are you excited?  You are aren't you!?!
If not then you need to go bungee jumping or sky diving to get that unamused heart racing. tehehe

I won't be leaking any of the inside scoop until March.  You'll just have to check back then.

If you have any side effects from your prolonged excitement, you can always check out my pins here and follow me on pinterest, keep reading past, present and future entries here at My Discovered Thoughts (be sure to follow my entries so you don't miss out) and don't forget to check out and follow my lovely sister Danielle at Simple Sapphire.

Stay tuned and have a blessed day!

Sunday, January 6, 2013

My very own Mediterranean Salad

I was on Pinterest and found 2 recipes that sounded good but had some ingredients that I'm not a huge fan of so I took the 2 recipes, combined some of them together and added a few of my own touches to it.

I have had a request for the recipe so this is for you Samantha!



Mediterranean Salad

1 15oz can of garbanzo Beans (Chickpeas) - drained and rinsed,
1/2 large Red Pepper - chopped,
1/4 large Red Onion - chopped,
large handful of Yellow Grape Tomatoes - halved,
handful of Kalamata Olives - sliced,
1 small/medium Cucumber - chopped,
handful of Traditional Feta Cheese,
handful of Almonds - chopped/lightly minced,
1 tablespoon of Mint - minced,
1 tablespoon of Basil - minced,
Extra Virgin Olive Oil - medium drizzle all over,
Red Wine Vinegar - heavy shake all over,
Sea Salt and Ground Black Peppercorn to season.

Combine vegetables and almonds into a medium bowl and drizzle with oil and vinegar, sprinkle with sea salt and ground black peppercorns and feta cheese, toss together and serve at room temperature or chilled, by it's self or over spinach and arugula leaves.
If you serve it with spinach and arugula I would recommend drizzling a little more oil and vinegar to moisten the leaves.

This recipe would be perfect to make for a spring or summer picnic or take to any type of get together.
I truly love making "clean food" for my family.  It's not only healthy but it's delicious!
It makes me feel so good eating it and serving it to my family.
I hope you and your family enjoy this recipe.  I know my family and I did!


Saturday, January 5, 2013

Today is my debut of turning 25!

Yep, today is my birthday and I am now 25.
My birthday finally falls on the weekend and I have NO idea how to celebrate it.
Honestly I kind of just want to stay home and chill but I do that every day so I feel like I should get my booty out of the house.  I would love to get a pedicure but not many salons are opened on the weekends here in my area which I find to be insane!  Who has the time during the week unless you work at night or not at all?  Just silly if you ask me.  I have contacted one salon and hopefully they'll get back to me with good news.  ::geee::  I'm not excited to be turning 25 but getting a pedi would put me into the celebration spirit.
And no, not excited to be 25.  I'm getting crows feet in the corners of my eyes and my over all skin isn't as youthful as it use to be and it's not only harder to lose weight but it takes longer to feel fit.
Oh goodness...  I know I'm 25 and not 50 but I just want to feel 21 again.  I suppose I have a long road ahead of me so let's think positive here.

My car insurance is going to go down now.  Saving money is always awesome!
I now have 25 years of wisdom and more to come.
I have been given the chance to be 25 which I know some that were not.
That one is a bit grim and gloomy but, it's true.
I have fine lines around my eyes but with the money I'll be saving on my car insurance I'll be able to get some fantastic Clinique products!  Oh, how I LOVE Clinique!  They were one of the best companies to work for because of all the free goodies!  I miss those goodies. :( haha
And...  I am...  ???...  I can...  ???...
Okay, I can't think of anything else at this time but I have a lot of be thankful for and I know I'm not truly as old as I feel.

Hmm...  Writing this posting has given me the idea of how to celebrate my birthday today.
Obviously I need some pampering so I'm going to see about getting a pedicure and having David go to the mall with me so he can buy me some Clinique products for my gift.  Yep, I think that's what my plan is going to be.  Okay, now I'm exciting!!!

Monday, December 31, 2012

Good-Bye 2012, Welcome 2013!

I've had me ups and downs this year but I have to say it was a pretty great one!
I have so much to be thankful for and I am truly blessed!

I have enjoyed watching my little one learn as he discovers and explores as he grows.
I've enjoyed growing even closer with the love of my life.
My family and I have made mistakes from which we have learned from.
We have made new memories which will now turn into old memories as we start this new year of 2013 and start making new ones.
Here's to looking forward with no regrets.
Opening new doors and closing old ones and
staying positive for a happy and bright year! 

I've been on a positivity kick lately and I have the goal of sticking to it.
I don't find the need to make resolutions if I stay positive because I believe when you give good actions, thoughts and words.  You will receive good actions, thoughts and words in return.

I hope you all have a very safe and Happy New Year!

DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE!


Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Pre Christmas Post...

So Sorry for the lack of updates.
I will post shortly.

This Christmas has sure given me a dizzy head, lack of breath and many, many set backs.

That all sounds very negative so I would like to clarify that I had the best Christmas of my life!
I cannot wait to post pictures and possibly videos....  I'm not sure about that one yet...  And also talk about the amazing joy of Christmas with an adorable 1 1/2 year old boy.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

God Bless!