Regret

A couple of days ago my family went to Red Rocks Amphitheater in Colorado.  I am not ashamed to admit that I am scared of heights. I am overly cautious.  When we got there the snow was still fresh from the day before.  I yelled at my husband a couple of times to keep his eyes on the road instead of looking at the beautiful landscape ahead or down below the road.
My love for Red Rocks started when I started watching Extreme Weight Loss with Chris and Heidi Powell.  They are like angels/life savors.  The show makes me cry every time I watch it.  I love when they take their clients to Red Rocks.  I love seeing the clients push and fight to finish climbing the stairs at the amphitheater.  They have such endurance.
So when we got there, we were at the very top of the steps or balcony.  My husband asked If I wanted to climb down.  I quickly said "No".  My excuse was because the snow was still on the steps, I might fall, my son might fall, what if it was too slippery, ... way to many excuses.  I stood there at the top and looked down at all these people that were already down.  I started to get mad and sad.  Mad because I am so scared to do anything and sad because I  was keeping my son and husband from
enjoying our day at Red Rocks.

I looked at the mountains ahead and asked God to help me just relax and enjoy the day.  I knew that if I didn't go down I was going to regret it as soon as we left and I would have to live with that regret for the rest of my life.  Theres already enough regret in my life adding another one would just...

Red Rocks Amphitheater

Gods Glory

On stage at Red Rocks Amphitheater.  The climb down and up left me quite winded but totally worth it.

Too Faced-Melted Ruby

First off I would like to wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving.  Hope you had  blessed day today and many more blessed days ahead.  I am thankful for being together safely as a family.

Too Faced
Melted Ruby

Gently squeeze tube to release product

I asked a my dearest friend to pick this color up for me since she was going to do an ULTA run.  I looked at it on-line only.  I was hesitant to get this color because I don't usually buy red lip color.  I prefer pink lips rather than red.  I decided to take a leap of faith and hope for the best with this color.  I am so glad I went with this color.  I love it.  This is the second MELTED color I own.  I believe there are 10 in the collection. Each one is $21.00.  Sometimes I feel that too expensive but once I open it and put it on the price is totally justified.  I use them more than I would my Loreal or Rimmel brand lip colors.  I can definitely see me wearing this more in December.  I have a small give away coming up real soon that will be posted on my YouTube channel.  It will be a Real Techniques Miracle Sponge and a Blush Brush.  I want to add a few more items and I will post a video as soon as I get the things I want to giveaway.  So go ahead and subscribe to my channel if you haven't already.
Thanks for stopping by, Christina M.

DIY: How To Make Birthday Centerpieces

Today at work, I had the task to recreate a My Little Pony Centerpiece using the items we had in the store.  I really thought it was going to be impossible.  We already printed out the pony that we needed but I had to cut out foam paper to stick it to and syrofoam to use as a base.  Here are some pictures to show you what I used and how I used it.

I cut out a piece of styrofoam from a block that we had in the store.   The easiest way for me was just to saw it off with scissors.

I used this aqua color border to wrap around the block.

Since the border was scalloped it showed some of the white edges of the foam.  I wrapped the border around the foam 3 times to hide the top white edges

This was the result. I liked the finished look of doing that.

I used a total of 6 sheets of each color to complete 2 centerpieces.  I  folded the tissue paper about 4 times and traced a circle using the border that was still in the roll.

As you can see, the circles are as wide as the base, which is what you want  because it makes it look more fluffier.

I used pink and yellow tissue paper.

Before you start gluing the tissue paper, poke a hole in the center of the foam.  This is where your character will be placed.

I used a Sharpie to give me a bigger fluff. You can use a pencil but the fluff will be much tighter.

Add hot glue to the bottom tip of the paper and stick it to the base

Just follow around the edge of the foam until you are back to the beginning . The first few pieces might look weird but that's normal.  It will look pretty once you finish.

This is the finished result

I had to use adhesived foam paper, so there was no room to make mistakes. We only had 2 prints of the pony and we needed 2 centerpieces.

I wrapped a plastic balloon stick with ribbon to make it look cuter

I then hot glued the stick to the pony 

I put hot glue in the hole that I made earlier and stuck the stick in there.  I put more hot glue around the base of the straw and held it in place until it dried to avoid a crooked centerpiece

After the glue is dry, simply glue about 4-6 more tissue paper to cover up the center.

And...this is the finished result.  

The one in the right was the one I used to copy from.  The person who made that one used a piece of  wood as the base.  She also had wider unscalloped border which she wrapped only once around the wood.  Instead of using foam paper she used Styrofoam.

You can use any character you want to use and any color.  For example you can use black border and red and blue tissue paper for a Spiderman theme. These are cute to use at birthday centerpieces for the  tables. If time allows make enough for each guest to take home as a small thank you for coming to the party.

Vera Bradley Pleated Tote

Vera Bradley Pleated Tote
African Violet

Top zipper closure for extra protection

one big side zippered pocket

My tablet fits in perfectly

The side pocket is pretty deep as well

3 side pockets.  They are all the same size but unlike the Get Carried Away Tote. The pockets are not mirrored. So one zippered pocket on one side and 3 open side pockets on the other side.

Whats in my purse?
crochet hook
3 different colors of yarns
2 incomplete crochet projects
family size trail mix
kotex envelope
sanitizer
protein bar
gum
pen
personal size filofax
toilet paper

each side has a pocket 

I can fit 2 meal replacement shakes on one side

On the other side I can fit a  refillable water bottle and a small water bottle

This is so much better than the Get Carried Away Tote.  I think that one was more for travel.  Even though this bag is full, it does not feel heavy. I love it.

My husband was so kind enough to exchange my Get Carried Away Tote today.  I gave him the name of the tote that I wanted and the top 5 choices that I wanted him to get. My first choice was African Violet which the one he got.  This one is less expensive that the Get Carried Away Tote.  This was $68.00.  I love that it is full but not as heavy.  I think this is perfect for work and to take to my sons practice to carry my crochet stuff.  

Get Carried Away

My bag finally came in today.  I ordered to last Sunday and received it today which is Monday.  I love the color and pattern of the bag but it is way too big.  I think I would look ridiculous to use this as my everyday work bag.  This tote would be much better to use as a travel bag.

Huge box was left at my front door step

Nicely packaged with tissue and bubble wrap

Canterberry Magenta

 Get Carried Away Tote

Double straps with cushioned  adjustable pad

retail price $92.00

Pocket in the front and back

This is the envelop my invoice came in.  I used it to measure the length of  the pocket.  As you can see it is very deep. My tablet is easily  swallowed by it.

There is also side pockets on each side.  It is not as long as the front pocket but you can easily fit a  water bottle or even a Special K drink and a Red Bull in one pocket.

Zipper top closure

small gaps on each ends after it is zipped.

Vera Bradley tag

I just used the envelope and 2 cards that where inside the box to show how many pocket it has.  As you can see it has 3 pockets and 2 pen slots in each side of the tote.  So total 6 pockets and 4 pen slots in the tote.

I tried to get a good picture of the inside side pockets.  There is one on each end.  They also have a plastic lining to wipe it clean if it gets dirty.

This tote is so big I can easily fit my sons backpack and laptop.  I could probably fit our PS4 in it as well.

The bottom of the tote seems sturdy.  It feels like a thick cardboard,


Sadly to say I am definintly going to return this bag.  The color and pattern is perfect but just way to big for what I intended it to be used.