Fakin' It

Mother's Day Herb Jar Vases

So, this is a poorly photographed project. It was like 9pm Saturday night and the Grandma's were coming over Sunday morning for brunch and I still hadn't decorated the vases.

 
 
Here are the two vases left over. I made 4 completely different ones and had them on the breakfast table as centerpieces. When it was time for my mom and mother-in-law to go, they each got to pick their favorite to take with them. Wouldn't you know it, they picked my favorites and I didn't get a picture of them before they were gone.

 
I had 3 glass jars and 1 plastic (not pictured). As you can see all the glass jars are from orange rind. I go through a lot of orange peel around here because one of the family's favorite recipes is called Treasure Filled Coffee cake and it called for 2 tablespoons of the stuff. I had planned on making this for Mother's Day but was too tired after finishing the vases. The fam got monkey bread instead. The labels were difficult to get off so I soaked the jars in warm soapy water for a couple of hours and then they were easily removed.

 
I call this first one The Disco Vase. It is the plastic spice jar, coated with purple spray paint and then topped with green glitter spray paint. I wrapped some gauzy ribbon in shades of blue, purple and green around the top and then threaded two pink beads on the end for accent.

 
This second one is called The Ballerina Vase. This one was designed my middle child J who was up past his bedtime. We hot glued the wide floral ribbon in the center and then the pink fringe ribbon on the top and bottom.

 
Not sure if our cat was more interested in the vase or the jelly bean flower inside. Either way, I thought it was cute enough to include. The third vase which is not pictured and was my favorite was The Hippie Vase. I wrapped it in a natural colored hemp which was affixed with Aileen's craft glue. Then I put a few rust colored beads through a bendy beading wire and wrapped that around the center. The last one was the Classical Vase. For this one I again beaded a metal wire with pretty green stones and wrapped that in a wide spiral down the jar. I hot glued the last bead to the jar to make it all stay .

This post is linked up with:

Sumo's Sweet Stuff

Craftomaniac

Sugar Bee Crafts

SomeDay Crafts (button in side bar)

LambAround

Creative Jewish Mom

My Mother's Day Etsy Wish List

Mother's Day is tomorrow. What does that mean at my house? It means an afternoon nap and some quiet reading time. Oh how I treasure my quiet reading time, quiet being the essential word here.

I told my DH to save our his money and not buy me anything. But, if he would happen to be walking down the street and stumble upon a $50 or a $100 bill, these are what I would ask for first.

 
I have been longing for this Tempest in a Tea Cup photographic art from Courage My Love for well over a year. I have my grandmother's antique tea cup collection displayed in my kitchen and I just think this would look so perfect framed on the wall in there. For now I will just have to pull the picture up my my laptop and let that sit in kitchen.

  

OMG this OMG Peapod Fail Necklace from asphyxivix cracks me up! This is one of those accessories you reach for on a blah day when you need a little pick me up. I can just imagine the smiles and attention it will draw, and let's face it I tend to be one of those attention seeking kinda people.

 
I HATE my camera case! It is grey and dirty and awkward. This Messenger Sparrow Camera Bag from Martilena would look so much cuter slung over my shoulder. I especially like the owl and brown leather one in the middle. I was a Chi Omega for like half a second in college. While I didn't come away with a great love of sororities, I did come away with a love of our mascot the owl and these ones are just too cute.

My birthstone is Topaz, blechk! It is rare that I find something I really love that is either Topaz and or its knock-off sister Citrine. However, I think these Citrine Bubble earrings from Fiza Designs are just adorable and would go great with my bubbly personality. OK my personality is not quite what you'd call bubbly, maybe fizzy is better. Anyway, I want 'em!

 

I have been interested in pottery ever since seeing the movie Ghost. Not that I've ever actually tried it but I've thought about it. Mostly what I've thought about was the whole  Patrick Swayze pottery wheel scene. I would venture to say that as many women have fantasized about that as men have about rescuing Princess Leia from Jabba the Hut. I'm just saying...  So if I get this Kazuko Harmony Tea Set from OC Pottery , I will invite you over for a cup of tea and we can stare off into space together and
fantasize about.................. all the other great stuff on this list.

Happy Mother's Day!

Birth Mother's Day

Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west.

Isaiah 43:5                     

The Saturday before Mother's Day is Birth Mother's Day. I thought I would take this opportunity to share a little of our adoption story and then a craft.

We have two beautiful healthy little boys that survived two complicated and miserable pregnancies. After the second was born, the doctor suggested, and I wholeheartedly agreed, not to have more. When my youngest was three months and I was putting away his 0-3 months clothes, I was overcome with grief that no more little ones would be wiggling around in those cute puppy dog onsies.

I went to my husband, who always wanted a big family, and shared my desire to continue to grow our family. I think it only took about 5 minutes for us to decide that we wanted to adopt. It was so strange. Adoption was not anything we had ever discussed before, it just immediately felt right. I am sure it was Divine intervention.

It took us a little longer to decide where we wanted to adopt from. Again, I think God lead us to our final destination, China. Now let me fast forward 2 1/2 years to the referral. When we received L's picture, the feeling was overwhelming. I felt like I knew her, recognized her, like her image had already been ingrained in my heart. I knew immediately that she was MY daughter and my heart swelled with pride and love.

 
Three months later, our precious child, was in our arms. L now 4 1/2 tells me that she cried in the orphanage because she wanted  her "forever mommy" but that she cried when she first met me because she didn't know yet, it was me.

 
We discuss L's unknown birth mother, "China Mommy" regularly. L asks where she is or what she is doing or when she can see her again. We pray for her and all the orphans in China nightly. L knows that she is extra lucky and extra special because she has two mommies and that it was God's plan for her to be born in China to touch others' lives there before coming home to her forever family in the United States.

 
 I am so thankful for my family, for my three amazing children and my wonderful husband and I am thankful to L's China Mommy for giving her life in a country where abortion and infanticide is so prevalent.

And so, to celebrate Birth Mother's Day this year we made a necklace keepsake.

 
I have no idea how I accumulated so many puffy paints and I haven't used these in years but they work well for little hands. We used the squirt and stir method. L squirted different colors on the pasta and then stirred with the skewer. Our mixing plate is a lone lid to an old cookie tin.

It took a couple of hours for the beads to air dry on the parchment paper. Many stuck together but broke apart easily when it was time to bead them.

Here is the finished product. We used rainbow hemp thread to string the beads. In between the two big blue beads are 9 pasta beads for each month L's China Mommy carried her in her tummy. Each additional pasta bead represents every month they have been apart (4yrs 9mos). We divided the years with more plastic beads.  And the angel represents God watching over all of us, L and both her mommies.

 

 When we were done L put on the necklace and said "Mommy, I know this is very very special and I will not lose it." What a sweetheart my darling baby girl is!

May God bless all the mothers of the world this weekend, birth mothers, adoptive mothers, step mothers, grandmothers...

Happy Mother's Day

This post linked to

Sassy Sites

Fun to Craft

The Trendy Treehouse

Inspiring Creations

Mommas Kinda Crafty

Can We Get a Little Appreciation Please?

Did you know that teacher appreciation week is just around the corner? Did you know that today is Etsy Saturday here on Fakin It? Did you know that 1 + 1 = 4? How you ask? Well you see, when you add teacher appreciation day (1) with the featured Etsy shop, Beautiful Twists (1), you won't be able to resist buying at least 4 wonderful gifts, or more.

As I have mentioned before, my kids go to Catholic School. Our teachers aren't cranky old nuns as I have heard some described from others' childhood Catholic experiences. No, our teachers are mostly young (or at least young at heart), fun and have a great sense of humor. Which make this the perfect gift:

 
Yes it really says "Hot For Teacher." And we can't forget about the librarian, the Sexy Librarian.

 
Va Va Vavoom!!

Ella of Beautful Twists is so amazing to work with. One time I emailed her and asked if she had ever created anything for bus drivers. She said no. Then do you know what she did? Yup! She created a special bus driver lip conditioner. How awesome is that?

 
Inspired by me :)

Ella's Beautiful Twists products are all natural, vegan, smell amazing and feel great. I love that each character on her lip conditioner or body mist comes with it's own personal story. It creates a gift both personalized and unique.

Now, let's get back to appreciating others!

How about the next time you take a flight, you show your stewardess some appreciation with one of these:

 
This will definitely get you an extra bag of pretzels.

Don't forget Mother's day is coming up. Can we get a little love for the mom's please, just a little, just a small token of your appreciation, something, anything?! PLEASE!

 

 Sometimes we don't stop to appreciate someone until they or we are faced with a serious illness. I think this Pink Ribbon Lip Conditioner is a sweet simple way to show a special friend that you care.

 

Ella Dean has so many wonderful products in her Beautiful Twists shop inspired by so many wonderful women, I am finding it hard to not show them all. Let's do just one more and then you'll have to check out the rest for yourself.

 
I have known a few military wives and I have to be honest, I don't know how they do it. It's like being a single mom, with the worry of a husband over seas. While I have always supported and appreciated our military, I think it's time to support the women behind the men, too.

Now, hurry up and visit Ella at Beautiful Twists so you can start giving people the appreciation they deserve. And just so you know, I appreciate you, so pick out a little something for yourself too. Have a great weekend and a Blessed Easter.