Bonnie Eagle Craft Fair

I love craft fairs! And this year I was lucky enough to have one 3 minutes from my house. My husband and I managed to find a couple hours before we both had to work. This is the first time we had been to the local Craft Fair so we had no idea what to expect. If we had any expectations they were surely exceeded.

The Bonnie Eagle High School Craft Fair was amazing. So many beautiful handmade things. Scarves, hats, gloves, felt ornaments, ribbon ornaments, wooden boxes, paintings, pressed flowers, quilts, wreaths, and jewelry.

As soon as you walked into the building tables with hand crafted wood works and hand painted projects filled the hallway. When you finally got through the hallway, you enter the gymnasium now turned into a craft bazaar. After about an hour or so in the gym you make your way back into the hall and realize there is a whole other hallway leading deeper into the school filled with more vendors side by side. They snake around most of the halls lined up against lockers and find your way to the cafeteria where all the tables have been replaced by more vendors and hand made crafts.   

If you are ever in Maine and passing through Buxton or Standish, Maine I strongly suggest visiting when around November to stop in to Craft Fair. 

Have a Sweeter Day than Yesterday

  

Goals

So I'm lost. Not going to lie, I'm not sure where I should go from here. My last blog was about being stressed. This one is about understanding there are things you can't change and things you can. Back to being lost. I'm kinda in a rut with my so called career and sometimes I want something different, however, when it comes to sitting down and trying to find out what that something different is, I draw a blank. So what do you do when you're not sure what the big picture is, start small and set some goals!

Goals: the object of a person's ambition or effort; an aim or desired result. 

synonyms:

objective, aim, end, target, design, intention, intent, plan, purpose

I sat down and tried to think of all the things I wanted to accomplish. I went so far as to write the ones I thought were impossible to see what they looked like on paper. Were they really that impossible? Was there something else on my list that might?

Goals in NO Specific Order:
1) Own a Bed and Breakfast or Event Center
2) Write on my blog once a week - consistently
3) Take Dance lessons with my husband; example Latin Dance
4) Take a Yoga Teaching Training Course
5) Take a Social Media Branding course
6) Start reading novels regularly again
7) Buy a house
8) Start a family
9) Become an enlightenment teacher
10) Be involved in church

So I must admit, I started this list back in November. In fact I started writing this blog posting back in November. Things have changed a little. Life has slowed a bit. For about two months I had 3 part time jobs. I juggled them all through Christmas, mostly for the money and also because I wasn't sure which job was for me. Finally making a decision I found a place that is near wear I live now and I love the people that I work with.

I even managed to reach a couple of my goals. Now in a small book club, I'm reading more and actually have people to talk about the books. I'm involved in a church and help with some of their social media outlets. My husband and I went dancing! I found a Salsa group that meets every 3rd Saturday. My husband actually had fun and we are going to try to go more often.

The more goals I reach the more want to reach my others. They will probably change. I may take some away and add others. But for now here's to moving forward. Trying to reach goals can be difficult. A lot of people get lost when trying to reach the big goals and forget about the little goals that can either lead to great opportunities or just even small victories. For help on goal reaching I found a couple of articles that may help.

6 Ways to Achieve Any Goal

How to Reach Your Goals 11 Steps

Top 10 Reasons Why People Don't Reach Their Goals

One of these tips is telling other people about your goals. Kind of like when trying to lose weight or starting a work out challenge. Having people hold you accountable for your goals and of course having others cheer you on. Hope this post motivates you to to start really thinking about what you want out of your life. I'd love to see your goals!

Thanks for reading. 

Have A Sweeter Day than Yesterday!

Glass Etched Mason Jar - Wedding Center Piece

Do it yourself crafts for everyday decor is pretty popular. I have always liked to make things myself, rather than spend top dollar for something brand new.

My wedding was no different. My husband and I were going through a financial slump around the time we were planning our wedding. But due to a waiting period of six years we were just ready to get the marriage over with. Both of us had lost a grandparent, him a year before and me a month before the wedding. We didn't want to wait till we had enough money for the perfect wedding, but no one able to fly or drive to be there for our special day. So we found the cheapest place that looked decent, bought a wedding dress on the sale rack, and looked into youtube for "how to" tutorials

At the time I didn't know what I was going to do for center pieces. I kind of wanted mirrors with candles laying on top but was a little nervous of little hands wanting to play with them or starting a fire. Then one of my bridesmaids called me and said she was at a yard sale and she found 12 mason for a dollar. It was a no brainer, 12 mason jars for a dollar or glass mirrors $5.00 each. I told her to grab them and I would figure it out. Most brides have the perfect wedding already all planned out. I was lucky enough to have no idea and tons of crafty ideas to decide from. I was ready for cheap and compromise, compromise. 

So I didn't want to spend the money on ribbon or lace because that can add up as well. I do glass etching in my free time and already owned Armour Etch Cream. Once I found sticker I wanted as my stencil I was in business. I found them at Walmart for $1.00 a pack. So a total of $12.00. Also I wanted more than just the mason jar sitting in the middle of a large table, I wanted a candle on the inside so my guests could see the leaf shape so I found candles at the dollar store. 10 tea lights for $1.00. Grabbed 4 packs just in case and then I needed to get to work. 

Step 1: Wash the Jars surface of all dirt or smudges. 

Step 2: Place the stickers on the jar in the arrangement that you want.

Step 3: Apply the etching cream on the surface areas you wish to frost/etch. Be sure to not let the cream touch your skin! The cream has chemicals in it that burn the glass surface, which means it's going to burn your skin. I like to wear rubber yellow gloves when I work with the cream. 

Step 4: Let the cream sit on the surface for 1 minute. 

Step 5: Wash off the cream and peel the stickers off the jar and wash well if it's on something you will be drinking or eating from. 

For a video tutorial [click here]

So after all the jars were done I still wanted some some added width because the mason jar clearly had height but on such a large table, not enough width. So I found Silk Leaves to place on the table. It added color and width to the table. The final touch? My aunt asked me what I was going to do with the screw on lids from the mason jars. I told her nothing, I didn't think I was going to use them at all. My aunt suggested I spray them with Glitter Blast Spray Paint . My uncle sprayed them and I loved the added detail.  

So here is the finished product:

Supplies:

                      



I hope this gave you some inspiration and some ideas for your future Do it Yourself projects.

~~~

Have a Sweeter Day Than Yesterday