Cosmo Cricket

Spring Mason Jars: The Prettiest

I feel AWESOME!



The spring weather was gorgeous this weekend in Austin. I did a lot of gardening, got back to exercising, meditating and getting my life in order. If that wasn't enough, I made these pretty jars that I can't wait to give to friends.



When I designed our Show Topper lids, I didn't realize I was channeling the Jordan Almonds color pallet! These are my older sister's favorite candies and she would get them everytime we went to the theatre. I'm more of Junior Mint fan myself, but you've got to admit, her candy is prettier.



I poured them out into bowls first so that I could sort and stack them into stripes. 



I had planned to use the clip-top lids, and make cards to go along with them, but that springtime weather was calling. Then I thought maybe I would use rings with fabric, but it would have covered the top stripe of almonds. So, knob tops won the day!



The punched Tiny Text stickers added a sentiment to make up for the missing cards... and took like two seconds. They turned out so cute, I am going to make more just for decorations. Happy springtime my friends!

I'm Back with TMI

I haven't been on social media for a while as you may have noticed. I've never been really great at pretense and pretending not to be scared $h!†|3$$... well, I just couldn't do it. Instead I've been avoiding pretty much everyone!



But, yesterday, after more than 48 hours of not eating, enduring a prep twice as long as "normal colon owners" get I went in for my second ever colonoscopy and came out PERFECT! No tumors and not even a polyp (is it just me, or is there something about that word that makes you cringe?). 

They used general anesthesia that left me sick all day yesterday, but today I feel great! I have a few other scary things to get through, but maybe this is a good omen? I am feeling optimistic that it is.

So, if you have been putting off  your colonoscopy here are the top 10 reasons you should change your mind.

1. During your prep, you get total control of movie/TV choices. Nobody will come into the bathroom and tell you they want to watch something else!

2. You will lose at least 5 pounds in 24 hours... it's the ultimate crash diet.

3. Unless you've been living under a rock, you know March is Colonoscopy Month and what better way to celebrate?

4. If you draw a funny picture on your butt, you can brighten the day of many medical staff. If you're not married to an illustrator, you can write something funny instead. My backside was fully decorated and everyone loved it! (A 48 hour prep is a looooong time to get creative!) Here's a few you can borrow.
"25¢ a peek."
"I'm the only one here not full of crap"
"The rest of you @$$h0le$ can relax, it's my turn."
"I swallowed a nickle as a kid. If you find it, I want it back."
"Please keep in mind, brown nosing and butt kissing will get you nowhere with me."
"Insert coin here."
"We barely just met and you want to do what? OK, but don't let the photos go public."

5. You might get a "free" tattoo. I did on my first time round and am told it still looks great!

6. You get to eat lots of jello and candy. This might sound terrible, and it is until you realize you can torture your children who think it seems delicious. Here's what to do, dish up a plate with jello, then a large serving of Jolly Ranchers and a serving of gummy bears. Add a glass of Crystal Light and sit down to eat dinner with the family. Use utensils and eat right in front of them. Priceless!

7. "Free" hospital socks. I'm sporting them right now. Soft and non-slip!

8. At least one day of no house work. You simply cannot clean the kitchen from the toilet, I don't care how long your arms are.

9. At least one day of no cooking. Trust me, they won't want you to prepare their food.

10. Ummm, there's got to be one more reason. Hmmmm, let's see.... how about potentially saving your life?

In all seriousness, my family has been dramatically impacted by colon cancer. It is one of the most treatable cancers, if found early. It offers no advance notice, warning or indication. Please don't put off your screenings! And, if you have a family history of colon cancer, talk to your doctor even if you think you are too young for a colonoscopy. Not to sound trite, but it really could save your life. 

That is all... I'm off to eat lots of food now!




 

Tissue Bow Gift Bag

I think this is the cutest gift bag I have ever made!



I love the bow effect and it's super simple to make! Just cut a 4" strip of our new She's Got Tissues paper (coming soon), pinch it in the center and wrap a smaller strip around the pinched area to be the center of the bow. The 4" ends just wrapped around to the backside of the bag and glued in place.



Add whatever embellishments you like and then fill it up. I closed mine off with a strip of our adhesive glitter sheets cut to look like a piece of gorgeous sparkly tape.

I seriously don't think it matters what you fill it up with. People are going to love them regardless!

For a fun holiday gift bag idea, see our post over on the eighteen25 blog too.

 

Lucky Charm Earrings

Maybe it's because I have so many red heads and Jack does look a bit like a leprechaun.



But, it's probably because I love chocolate coins and Baileys in my coffee that St Patrick's day has a special place in our family tradition!

So, on that lucky note, gather your supplies to make some cute wood heart shamrocks to wear.




There are lots of ways to combine all the hearts and arrows in this set of wood charms. I decided to use four little hearts, the arrow shown below and the hearts with the hole at the top.



Use hot glue to attach the heart to the arrow as shown.



Then glue the four little hearts on top to make your shamrock. I painted mine with two coats of green nail polish.



Add a couple jump rings and your earring finding. Then get ready to have good luck all day long!