Bethanyism #8

It's Monday, which means I have another Bethanyism to share with the rest of the world! 

Since it's still February, this Bethanyism is following the theme of the month, which is love.

For those new readers, you can read this post for the explanation on what a Bethanyism is. I post a new one every Monday with the hope that they will inspire, make you think or spark some creativity, either in myself or others.

Those who love you are not fooled by the mistakes you have made or the dark images you hold of yourself. They remember your beauty when you feel ugly; your wholeness when you are broken; your innocence when you feel guilty; and your purpose when you are confused. - Alan Cohen

This quote is one that has really struck a chord with me. In the last six months, my life has been a giant roller coaster, spinning me up, down and every direction in between. I feel like I'm getting to know myself all over again. And yet, there have been constants. The people who love me, truly love me, have supported me through this journey that I've found myself on. They have been my shoulders to cry on, my ears to bend, my sounding boards, and my cheering section. They have challenged me, and trusted me, stood by my side and or let me stand all on my own. All the while, recognizing that I might not be the same person I was six months ago, but loving me all the same.

To each of these people, I feel like I need to say thank you. The beautiful part is that they would all question why I'm thanking them, since all they are doing is loving me. 
 
What do you think about the quote for this week?

Love it? 

Hate it? 

Wish I'd quit posting them?

This One's For The "Girls"

Awhile back I was checking out Pinterest (love Pinterest!) and I ran across this cool idea for a hanging bra storage.

I love this idea because I HATE trying to shove bras into my underwear drawer and technically, it's not good for the wear on them anyway. 

I knew it was fate when I went on a shopping trip to Ikea with my friends, Brandy and Naomi and ran across packs of 8 wooden hangers for $3.99! They weren't notched like the ones that were used in the tutorial, but I knew I could make it work. 

These hangers did have a cross bar to hang pants on, but I pulled them off and took out the nails with pliers. I did that before I decided to share this idea. The cup hooks are 7/8 inch. 

I started by screwing the cup hooks into the bottom of the hangers, all except one hanger, which would be the bottom hanger on the rack. 

 The tutorial I followed suggested pinching the hooks closed to be more like eyelet hooks, but I decided that I was just going to leave the hooks alone. Once all your hooks are screwed in, it's time to hook them all together.

To keep the bras from slipping off the wooden hangers, I used a neat little trick I saw on Pinterest and put hot glue across the ends of the hangers. 

Once the hot glue dried, I linked all the hangers together and hung my bras up! 

 Such an simple idea that I absolutely LOVE!!! 


 

Bethanyism #7

It's Monday, which means it's time for another Bethanyism! 

Since it is still February, this weeks Bethanyism is following the theme of love. 

For those new readers, you can read this post for the explanation on what a Bethanyism is. I post a new one every Monday with the hope that they will inspire, make you think or spark some creativity, either in myself or others.

Dear Human: You've got it all wrong. You didn't come here to master unconditional love. That is where you came from and where you will return. You came here to learn personal love. Universal love. Messy love. Sweaty love. Crazy love. Broken love. Whole love. Infused with divinity. Lived through the grace of stumbling. Demonstrated through the beauty of... messing up. Often. You didn't come here to be perfect. You already are. You came here to be gorgeously human. Flawed and fabulous. And then to rise again into remembering.

Another long quote, I know. But I love it! 

Love is such a powerful emotion. People fight for it, defend it, rebel against it, reject it and accept it. Love is never perfect. It is messy and passionate and crazy. It will make you laugh and make you cry. It will make you do stupid things and make the best decisions of your life.  It transcends time and even death. And in the end, when your time on earth is done, you will look back on your life and know that every time you loved, it was worth it. 

Can I Tell You A Secret?

I have a good friend who is really into mysteries and spy craft. He really likes things like hidden doors and secret messages, which was why when I saw this idea on Pinterest, I knew I had to make a set of these secret message glasses for my friend! 
 

Didn't they turn out awesome?!
 

I used my awesome Silhouette machine to make the stencil, flip the wording backward, and cut the stencil out of vinyl. I used the following phrases: "I spit in that", "this isn't your glass", "you have just been poisoned" and "did it taste funny?" 
 

 I applied the stencils to the bottoms of the glasses I bought, making sure you could read the sayings through the bottom of the glass. 

I taped off the edges around the stencil, just to make sure I didn't get any etching cream where I didn't want it to go. 

Then I applied the etching cream. I use Armour Etch, which you can buy at Michael's or your local craft store.

 The directions say to leave the etching cream on for 5 minutes, but I like to leave it on a little longer, usually about 20 -30 minutes. Then you just wash it off in the sink, and I have a soft sponge I use for etching projects to make sure all the cream comes off. 
 

 Once all the cream is washed off, peel off the stencil and see your pretty design. 

 I'm so excited with how these turned out, even though a few of the stencils bled in a few spots, but you can still read them so I'm calling it a success. 

What do you think?

I'm sharing this project at the following link parties: 

~ What's In The Gunny Sack @ The Gunny Sack ~ Tutorials & Tips @ Home Stories From A to Z ~  Take-A-Look Tuesday @ Sugar Bee Crafts ~ Too Cute Tuesday @ Funky Polkadot Giraffe ~ Teach Me Tuesday @ Some Day I'll Learn ~  Time To Shine @ A Diamond In The Stuff ~ Tell Me Tuesday @ Him & Her ~ Show Me Whatcha Got @ Not Just A Housewife ~ Hoo's Got Talent @ Night Owl Crafting ~ Lil Luna Linky Party @ Lil Luna ~ Your Whims Wednesday @ My Girlish Whims ~ Wow Me Wednesday @ Ginger Snap Crafts ~ Wicked Awesome Wednesday @ Handy Man, Crafty Woman ~ Show & Share @ Southern Lovely ~ Wildly Original Link Party @ I Gotta Create ~ Transformation Thursday @ The Shabby Creek Cottage ~ Creative Juice Thursday @ Momnivore's Dilemma ~ Link Party @ The 36th Ave ~ BFF Open House Link Party @ The Answer Is Chocolate ~ Delicately Constructed @ Delicate Construction ~ Anything Goes Linky @ Bacon Time ~ Weekend Bloggy Reading @ Serenity Now ~ Free for All @ Young & Crafty ~  Weekend Wrap Up @ Tatertots & Jello ~ Strut Your Stuff Saturday @ Six Sisters' Stuff ~  Show & Tell Saturday @ Be Different Act Normal ~ Think Pink Sunday @ Flamingo Toes ~ Sunday Show Off Link Party @ Twigg Studios ~ Sundae Scoop Link Party @ I Heart Nap Time ~



Thank you for featuring me!!!

Oh, Baby, Baby!!!

I just had to share with everyone my latest knitting project! 

 

My cousin, Janice, is having twins! My Mom always knits baby blankets as a shower gift, and I offered to knit one blanket while she knits the other. So Mom knit a matching blanket, but in pink. (Sorry, I don't have a picture for both.) 

I also made a cute card to go with our blankets. 

I saw a cute baby card on Pinterest that used tiny clothespins for the letters and used that as my inspiration for this card. I cut out the letters using my Silhouette machine and used an edge punch on the patterned paper. 

Do you give handmade gifts for baby showers? 

What's your favorite thing to make for babies? 

 

Bethanyism #6

It's Monday! 

Which means it's time for another Bethanyism. 

This week's Bethanyism is following the same theme as last weeks, which is a statement on love. 

For those new readers, you can read this post for the explanation on what a Bethanyism is. I post a new one every Monday with the hope that they will inspire, make you think or spark some creativity, either in myself or others.

 

Being someone's first love may be great, but to be their last is beyond perfect.

 Yes, that is a picture of me! My 18 year old self, that is. 

Matthew's best friend, Dan (you remember Dan, right?) took this picture the night that Matthew came home from Coast Guard boot camp in September 2001. I still look at this picture and I can't believe how young we looked! 

Matthew was not my first love, and I was not his first love. We had both had our hearts broken, but absence makes the heart grow fonder. The night that this picture was taken, I saw Matthew in a totally new light. He was the same guy who had been my best friend for the past four years, but at the same time he wasn't. He was so much more. 

Matthew and I had 11 wonderful years together, before he lost his battle with cancer last October. It's amazing to realize that I may not have been his first love, but I was his love until he drew his final breath. What I special gift that is, something I will treasure always. 

Sorry if my story made you sad, that wasn't my intention. I just wanted to share a little piece of myself, and a part of my beautiful love story. 

What do you think about this weeks quote? 

Does anyone else have a beautiful/tragic love story to share? 




 

Our Song

I found the cutest idea here on Pinterest forever ago where you take a photo mat and write out the lyrics to your wedding first dance song, then frame one of your first dance pictures with it. 

I loved the idea and since I have been told on several occasions that I have pretty good handwriting, I decided to make one for my favorite wedding photos. 

Adorable, right?

Wanna see how I did it?

Supplies: 
white picture mat
pencil
pen ( I used a fine point sharpie) 
ruler/straight edge

 I started off by measuring across the sides of the photo mat. I made light pencil marks at every half inch mark on both sides of the photo mat. 

*note: photo was edited to show marks better

 Once I had my measured marks on both sides of my photo mat, I used a straight edge to connect the lines lightly with a pencil across the mat.

Once the pencil lines are in place, it's time to start adding the lyrics. Our wedding song was Stand By Me by Ben E. King. 

 Found out that all the lyrics to our wedding song only took up half the mat, so I just started over from the beginning. 

When I had finished writing out all the lyrics, I went back and erased all the pencil lines. 

I also added our names and wedding date to the bottom, although once I framed the picture I realized that you couldn't even see it. 

Five months later, I finally have this project finished and hanging on the wall with a few other things from our wedding. 

Just in time for Valentine's Day. 

What a nice little Valentine's gift to myself! 

 (And I know Matthew would have loved it too!) 



I'm sharing this project at the following link parties: 

~ What's In The Gunny Sack @ The Gunny Sack ~ Tutorials & Tips @ Home Stories From A to Z ~  Take-A-Look Tuesday @ Sugar Bee Crafts ~ Too Cute Tuesday @ Funky Polkadot Giraffe ~ Time To Shine @ A Diamond In The Stuff ~ Tell Me Tuesday @ Him & Her ~ Show Me Whatcha Got @ Not Just A Housewife ~ Hoo's Got Talent @ Night Owl Crafting ~ Lil Luna Linky Party @ Lil Luna ~ Your Whims Wednesday @ My Girlish Whims ~ Wow Me Wednesday @ Ginger Snap Crafts ~ Wicked Awesome Wednesday @ Handy Man, Crafty Woman ~ Show & Share @ Southern Lovely ~ Wildly Original Link Party @ I Gotta Create ~ Transformation Thursday @ The Shabby Creek Cottage ~ Creative Juice Thursday @ Momnivore's Dilemma ~ Link Party @ The 36th Ave ~ BFF Open House Link Party @ The Answer Is Chocolate ~ Delicately Constructed @ Delicate Construction ~ Anything Goes Linky @ Bacon Time ~ Weekend Bloggy Reading @ Serenity Now ~ Free for All @ Young & Crafty ~  Weekend Wrap Up @ Tatertots & Jello ~ Strut Your Stuff Saturday @ Six Sisters' Stuff ~  Show & Tell Saturday @ Be Different Act Normal ~ Think Pink Sunday @ Flamingo Toes ~ Sunday Show Off Link Party @ Twigg Studios ~ Sundae Scoop Link Party @ I Heart Nap Time ~


Thank you for featuring me!!!

The Worst Day Of My Life

Can you look back and pinpoint the worst day of your life? 

February 7, 2011 was the worst day of my life. 

It was the day that Matthew and I sat in a Doctor's office and calmly had the nice young doctor rip to shreds every dream I've ever had. It was the day that Matthew looked at me and jokingly said, "I'd always hoped you'd live longer then me." through the tears both of us were shedding. It was the day that we had to break the heart wrenching news to our entire family, in person.

It was the day that cancer became the most hated word in my vocabulary.

I've had a lot of bad/hard days and moments since. Matthew got so sick sometimes during treatment and near the end he was in a lot of pain that was hard to get under control. I had to make the hard decisions when it came to deciding to let him go. Being handed the flag for his military honors on the day of his celebration of life. 

I might not always show it, but I miss him every day. 

  Two years later, I can still say that February 7th, 2011 was the worst day of my life. 

 That day was the prediction of this time that I'm living now, without my best friend.

Bethanyism #5

Can you believe that it's February? 

I feel like the year just started. 

Since it's the first Monday in February, a month that is dedicated to love, you might notice a theme... that lasts all month! 

For those new readers you can read this post for the explanation on what a Bethanyism is. I post a new one every Monday with the hope that they will inspire or spark some creativity, either in myself or others.

Here's the first Bethayism for February!

Soulmates? I think they exist. Just not always romantically. I think there are certain people you will meet in your life who you just connect with more then anyone else and you just know it isn't a typical thing and you understand each other perfectly. And this person won't always be your "significant other." I mean, it would be your friend or sibling or parent or teacher or the person that you're dating or whoever, it could be just about anyone you've ever interacted with. 

 

 

Okay, I know that this quote is a long one, but it's something that I've been recognizing lately. Life is all about connections. Connecting to other people, and keeping those connections alive is what makes us feel human. Those connections are what make us feel love, and sympathy, and pride, and anger, and hurt. Sometimes you meet people that you just feel an instant connection with. You can't explain it, sometimes not even to yourself, but that connection is something that you hold the most dear. I've found these connections in a few of my closest friends, which none of those are a romantic relationship. 

What do you think? 

Is is possible to have a soulmate that isn't a romantic relationship?




 

Valentines... With A Mean Streak

Let me start this post off by saying that I love my co-workers. 

Seriously. I work with two of the coolest girls in the whole world, April & Sarah. We all work well together, we get each others weird sense of humor and have many inside jokes. 

 That being said, I knew that they would find these Valentine cards that I found on Pinterest just as hilarious as I did. 

Although being the "budgetly creative" person that I am, I knew that I could make them myself. 

So I did!

I used my Silhouette software to design the sayings, just resizing the different lines to the right sizes to make the mean phrases much bigger. 

I used the following phrases: 
i would GO TO HELL and back to see you
I'D KILL to be with YOU
I HATE when YOU are not here with me
YOU'RE NOT just MY FRIEND you're my best friend
without LOVE life STINKS
when YOU'RE not with me A PAIN runs through my heart

I printed out the designs

 Then cut them down with my new paper cutter that I got for Christmas. (Thanks, Mom.) I cut them 5x7 inches to make 5x3.5 inch cards.

I scored them before folding them to make them easier to fold. Yes, you can score paper with a butter knife. (budgetly creative, remember?) 

And that was it. Some of the easiest Valentine cards I've ever made!

Since we're on the subject of being budgetly creative, I was going to make envelopes with my Silhouette machine, since I have several envelope shapes, but then I was walking through Michael's and realized that I could buy one of their little note card packs and just use the cute little pink envelope.

6 envelopes for $1.50. Sounds like a deal to me. 

 I think my co-workers are going to love my snarky little Valentine cards. 

( I know I think they're hilarious!) 


I'm sharing this project at the following link parties: 

~ What's In The Gunny Sack @ The Gunny Sack ~ Tutorials & Tips @ Home Stories From A to Z ~  Take-A-Look Tuesday @ Sugar Bee Crafts ~ Too Cute Tuesday @ Funky Polkadot Giraffe ~ Time To Shine @ A Diamond In The Stuff ~ Tell Me Tuesday @ Him & Her ~ Show Me Whatcha Got @ Not Just A Housewife ~ Hoo's Got Talent @ Night Owl Crafting ~ Lil Luna Linky Party @ Lil Luna ~ Your Whims Wednesday @ My Girlish Whims ~ Wow Me Wednesday @ Ginger Snap Crafts ~ Wicked Awesome Wednesday @ Handy Man, Crafty Woman ~ Show & Share @ Southern Lovely ~ Wildly Original Link Party @ I Gotta Create ~ Transformation Thursday @ The Shabby Creek Cottage ~ Creative Juice Thursday @ Momnivore's Dilemma ~ Link Party @ The 36th Ave ~ BFF Open House Link Party @ The Answer Is Chocolate ~ Delicately Constructed @ Delicate Construction ~ Anything Goes Linky @ Bacon Time ~ Weekend Bloggy Reading @ Serenity Now ~ Free for All @ Young & Crafty ~  Weekend Wrap Up @ Tatertots & Jello ~ Strut Your Stuff Saturday @ Six Sisters' Stuff ~  Show & Tell Saturday @ Be Different Act Normal ~ Sunday Show Off Link Party @ Twigg Studios ~ Sundae Scoop Link Party @ I Heart Nap Time ~ Man Up Link Up @ So I Married A Craft Blogger ~


Thank you for featuring this project!!!