Where the Grass is Greener

I'm at it again and made another one! On the same note as the last post: if you are unhappy with life, you have the power to change it. Just because you look at others' lives and then back at your own with distaste, does not mean you have to stay where you are. In fact, if we didn't change and adapt to life we would not grow and become who we were meant to be. Don't get up and leave your life because it isn't good enough, take the steps to change it!

Decisions Determine Destiny

Here's another one! I have seen people who are happy with their lives, and those who are not. The thing is, those who are not happy with their lives feel like it is not their fault, that other people have molded and shaped their life circumstances somehow. In reality, we as the individual are the common factor in all of our life's experiences. We are where we are in life because we chose to be. Whether it was a left turn when the right was the better option or the lack of a decision that propelled us in a different direction. We all control the reins of life.

Unique Mission

I am LDS and have a firm belief that we are all here at this time on purpose. We live where we do and are here in regards to the chronology of the earth to fulfill what we are meant to fulfill. I take this belief as an inspiration to be better and follow "my gut" when I feel the promptings to do so. A friend of mine posted this quote on Facebook, to which I immediately looked for on Pinterest, but I couldn't find it! So I made one. This was said by one of our General Young Women leaders. This struck me and is a good reminder:

"Work for Hire" Chore Chart

My daughters are getting busy now that they come home with more and more homework each day since they're in the older grades of school, they're 11 and 13 years old. I decided it was time to simplify their chores and give them a chance to earn some money in the process...

First,  I typed up a list of jobs specific to my home to cut out and hang as Work for Hire, including "Parent Request" and "You Choose" to use as needed. These jobs will have dollar bills attached to them that they can earn once they have completed the job and it has been checked off by me. I also typed up a "Wanted" poster that describes in detail what I expect from each job, whether it is a routine job or a Work for Hire job. I did this because I found that, even though they have been doing these jobs for a long time, they find it hard to know when the job is actually fully completed. My daughters each have four "routine" jobs a week, and we rotate these monthly; so I typed up the rotation schedule on another small piece of paper.

The original idea for this chore chart came from this website:  http://thechicsite.com/2014/02/24/work-for-hire-chores/ They also have the free printables (see below). 

Now, to the board itself. I gathered some simple supplies: a plain cork board, some colorful hanging clips, clear push pins, and decorating tape. It all cost me less than $10.00. You'll see some butterflies here in the picture that I thought to embellish with, but ultimately decided against it. 

I started off by applying the glittery green decorative tape to the plain wood border of the cork board. I thought to use bright colors for my color scheme in the hopes that it will make the jobs more enticing.

Next, I used an orange Sharpie marker and drew a design on the cork board. Again, this is to add visual interest. Even if it does end up behind paper, the open spaces won't look so boring.

Finally, I put it all together! I used the clear push pins to hang the colorful hanging clips, which in turn are holding the visually stimulating orange Work for Hire jobs. I also made a small pocket to hold the Work for Hire jobs that I will rotate through depending on needs. No bills are shown in the picture, but they have been clipped in with the jobs now and are waiting for someone to earn that cash.

Here are the free printables from the website listed above. Hopefully this isn't a problem for me to post it. 

I'm BORED

I saw this on Facebook, and I HAD to make one of my own. This word has been banned from my house because, without fail, within three minutes of finishing something my daughter would plop herself on the couch, flop her hands on the cushions and sigh, "I'm BORED."

What? Do you even know what it is like to actually have nothing to do and have to figure out what to do with yourself? She hated it every time we told her she hadn't even had time yet to be bored... So, like I said, when I saw this written on somebody's whiteboard, I had to make one for my own fridge:

I designed this using picmonkey.com (an awesome graphic design website for someone with no training and no software), printed this off and found a place for it on my fridge. Just to be funny, I placed the magnet with my daughter's name on it in from of the "Have you..." I expected some sort of verbal disgruntling or gnashing of teeth, but what did my now-eleven-year-old-daughter actually do? Along with her older sister, she went down the list one by one and did it all! -with a smile on her face! -actually having a good time! I didn't even know she knew how to do the Can-Can...

Wow. Who knew?

Now if only I could find something to do because I'm bored...

What's in a Name?

What a great way to display your family name, first name, nickname - you name it! This was a fun project I put together for my step-daughter who is getting married in a few months. I chose the colors by using her wedding colors - a great way to be able to keep this displayed on the wall even if the colors become outdated.

I found the wood letters at a JoAnn Fabric and Craft store. I selected a variety of items to include on the letters: ribbon, velum, scrapbook paper, hair bows, string of pearls, gemstones, and other appliques. Remember to get different textures and styles, but keep in mind that subtlety adds character without being too busy (i.e., not every letter is its own design - I have two letters of each).

I painted the letters first with wood paint and let them dry per instruction. I traced the letters on the back side of the paper and cut them by hand. I used Antique Matte Mod Podge to glue the paper to the letters and let them dry. (You could also apply this Mod Podge to the paint to give it a cracked/antique look.) I glued all the accessories on the letters using a hot glue gun (my favorite tool!).

Here is a closer look at the letters:

Finally, a few ideas to display your name:

1) Place pegs in the bottom of each letter and insert them in a block of wood for a tabletop display.
2) Place picture hangers on the back of each letter and hang on the wall with a nail.
3) Attach a ribbon on the back of each letter (so the letter dangles from the ribbon) and hang on the wall using the ribbon.

Voila! You have a beautiful name display!

Welcome to Two Crafty Twins!

Welcome, welcome! We're just a couple of twin sisters that get hit with the crafty bug every once in a while, and decided it was time to keep track of our projects. It sure is fun to show off your work! Hopefully we can help you get your creative juices flowing, too. Have fun!!