charge into the new year with the paper antler party cracker - a tutorial

this is it
the very single last final caboose day of 2013
can you believe it

i give one final raised glass to this year
by presenting a tutorial inspired by the symbol of the year
the antler

here is a quick diy to allow your New Year's Eve party to go out with a bang
and to charge into the new year
the paper antler party cracker
designed for the Paper Crepe Company challenge mentioned here in my previous posts
merry and bright christmas and
hipster baby boy's first birthday

SUPPLIES

{all decorative supplies provided by the Paper Crepe}
tp tube
9" crinkle or thin textured paper
glitter paper
high quality patterned paper
twine
adhesive or hot glue
small prizes and candies

FORM

cut your crinkle or thin texture paper to approx 9" x 9" 

place tp tube on the inside centered

apply adhesive

since my cracker was made for a company party display and not to be opened it was not filled with special prizes

to create a functional pop-able cracker add just a couple more steps found here on this tutorial by

make and takes

TIE UP

carefully gather up each end and tie the ends

CRINKLE

here comes the fun part!

remember when you were a kid and you made your own leather by crinkling up paper brown bags until it became so soft

that is the same concept here

this is why you need a high high quality paper so it will crinkle and mold in your hand and not tear

crinkle away

it starts off rough but just keep going

crinkle and crinkle some more until it becomes soft and pliable

CUT CORNER

do not try to flatten the crumpled paper

fold over a corner to form an elongated triangle approx 4" x 2"

and snip

FORM TWO

to form a branched antler cut an 1 1/2 to 2" slit starting at the shortest side of triangle toward the folded side of the triangle at an angle

TWIST

start twisting the paper to form your antler shape

twist and twist

don't be afraid to twist tightly if you have some serious high quality paper

you want it tight to hold its shape

use adhesives or hot glue to finish off your antlers

WRAPPER

cut your wrapper from glitter paper approx 3 1/4" x 6 1/2 "

adhere paper centered on cracker

wrap paper around cracker and then overlap and apply with adhesive or hot glue

MOUNTING 

cut a chevron arrow shape out of patterned paper approx 2 3/4" x 1 1/2"
adhere shape to center of glitter paper
glue antlers in the center of the chevron shape

and there you have it

the paper antler party cracker

enjoy your New Year's Eve friends

look back with gratitude on the blessings of this past year

and charge forward with conviction to make this next year one with no regrets 

as you love more 

find more courage to those things which will bring the greatest joy for yourself and those around you

and dare to dream and act upon it

here's to living life with passion and conviction

merry and bright christmas: simple last minute touches to your holiday table decor

although the countdown to Christmas is nearly over

there is plenty of time to add those final touches to your holiday table decor

here are a few ideas i designed for The Paper Crepe challenge

last month in collaboration with Amy from Commona My House

as we were hired to create displays for their party tour which hit Sacramento, Dallas, and Chicago

read more about the parameters for the challenge here on my 'hipster baby boy's first birthday' post

so here are some simple last minute decor ideas:

antler party cracker {watch for tutorial coming just in time for your New Year's Eve bash}

3D Christmas tree

triangle trees

glitter paper chain

tissue tassel bunting {here's a great tutorial on green wedding shoes}

two tone glitter pine cones

may your days be merry and bright
from a gal who's christmas has become very white

merry merry christmas to you all

my Christmas wish

as the list of things that i should be doing are adding up in my mind
i am drawn at this time to reflect on some quiet moments that have transpired in our life the past little while
i have missed writing
for this is how i truly am able to reflect on the goodness in my life

as many of you know mike has begun treatments for his MS up here in utah where we have moved for a variety of reasons
but mainly to be close to a specialist we feel confident in and have easy access to
due to the nature of the progression of mike’s disease
some days, lots of days are just plain hard
in my mind and i think in the minds of others 
making this huge change in our life must have equated to the lessening of daily difficulty
if not for that
then why would we have moved
well the truth is that we have seen many moments of illumination that have shown us that indeed this is the place we need to be
we have already seen blessings in various aspects of our life
we know that a path of tremendous growth and hope is before us
but the weight of what remains the same and even the weight of what has changed 
lies heavy

what remains the same

mike continues to struggle in a very big way
physically, emotionally, and mentally
it is a daily battle
hearing him laugh and seeing the relaxation of his face when the pain has lessened are two of my favorite things right now
the humility and gratitude i see in him makes me love him more and more
i feel a tremendous honor to be his wife

what has changed

mike is no longer able to work due to a dramatic decline in his cognition
we have been sustained by the benevolent generosity of family
and i have been giving all i’ve got to my Nerium business
with full confidence that soon it will be able to put us on a path of independence
mike is my biggest champion
as i am my own worst enemy some days
i admire moms who have worked while raising their children
i admire men and women who have the fire of confidence with the skills of communication and the ability to inspire
i admire those who work with laser focus on what they want for the good of their family and don’t let rejection or obstacles get in their way

i tell you i am being stretched and molded into a woman i never knew i could become
one that never would have been uncovered had the need for me to rise not have been there
one who has had to rely heavily on the Lord
as well as newly acquired knowledge though good books of all varieties
and persons of great influence and motivation
all lending to the building up of a woman of greater courage and drive
but along this path of digging for deeper conviction and leadership capabilities
those qualities that need to be attended to most have been widely exposed
and sometimes for a vast public to see
those deeply rooted insecurities or inadequacies are paraded in front of my eyes and in front of so many others
a long line of them
i have put myself out there for all to witness not only my successes but my struggles
but as you see me pick myself up over and over and over
i hope that above all you will see that as i lift my head up again and again 
that my gaze 
my step 
my direction 
continues to be drawn toward what it is i must do and who i must do it for
at times i hope i will glance down to see who it is that is carrying me and give much thanks

two such moments i would like to share with you

a few nights ago
was one of those moments when the weight just seemed so great
one of those times in which the heaviness of what you carry causes the strength in your legs to give out
i found myself flat on my knees alone in our front room 
only the light of the Christmas tree to illuminate the tears running down my cheeks
no one else to hear the gasping cries escaping my lips in bursts of sound
so i thought
i looked up to see Owen standing in the doorway gazing down on me
without word he quickly came to my side 
knelt down next to me
not as i had, flat to my knees
but kneeling tall so that when he wrapped his arm around me at my side he was taller than i
he simply asked me, ‘are you missing grandpa?’ 
to which i replied ‘yes’...i kept the array of other looming thoughts to myself
i looked over at my son and felt his arm around me
not as a child but as a man who had come to comfort and rescue his mother
i felt of his strength
i felt of his faith
and i felt of the love he had for me
and indeed i felt rescued

i knew i had to write this down 
for i never want to forget that moment of tenderness between us

then last night as i came home late
i looked upon our counter to find a lovely basket of food and something peculiar in the center
a mason jar
at first i didn’t comprehend what was inside
could it be, no
a jar full of change and bills
there was a note accompanying it and i quickly reached for it looking to discover the bearer of such a gift
waves of tears overcame me as i read the sweet poem attached 
which in part reads:

we collected all year our dollars and dimes
and hoped we could save enough just in time
we prayed to know who to give this jar to
Heavenly Father’s answer said it was you
we hope you will feel the Savior’s Love
and know that this gift is from Heaven above

this family whoever they are filled their year with the intent to bless the lives of others at just this moment
and God himself knew of our need and directed their sweet hearts to our doorstep
i shook with gratitude and felt the warmth of my Savior’s love

in church this past week
i had the opportunity to address our congregation on a topic that i have been thinking much about
not only believing in Christ, in who He is, but believe Christ, believe His words
believing He will do what He said He would do
to not merely be an advisor or a champion or a counselor
but be our actual Savior, our Redeemer
to trust in His care and heeding His simple admonitions

‘let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid’ *
‘doubt not, fear not’ *
‘be of good cheer, for I will lead you along’ *

when i truly understand what He has done for me
i am happy
i shine forth
i carry myself with a perfect brightness of hope
i let the promises i have made to Him shine through my face 
even in times of difficulty and distress

this is my Christmas wish
to let this Child who was Born unto Us
enter as the Prince of Peace into my heart and life
that with the lifting of my heart and the lightening of my step
the joy returns to my countenance 
and my soul is filled with His redeeming love

Merry Christmas to you my sweet friends
may this Prince of Peace enter into your heart and life
this Christmas season and throughout your coming year

blue christmas blog hop: moments frozen in time

i am so happy to have been able to participate in this year's 

blue christmas blog hop 

with some fabulous bloggers

krista @ The Happy Housie

sarah @ Life on Virginia Street

amy @ The Blissful Bee

amber @ Averie Lane

rachel @ Maison de Pax

amy @ Commona My House

this week's feature is trees

be sure to check out previous weeks posts

mantles

wreaths/wall decor {my diy for radiator grate Christmas ornament holder}

ornaments {my diy for spray plasti dip pine cones}

since our tree has yet to be purchased

{can Christmas really be coming so soon}

i decided to highlight some of my favorite Christmas moments from last year

i am so happy that these are frozen in time

since our lives have changed so drastically since then

the giddiness of gifts received

my decision to wrap pretty with homemade touches so that opening presents was pretty too 

it was so worth it

the awe of Legos

the gift from a friend of our tree

homemade cards and presents exchanged amongst the boys

homeruns on mike's gifts

love my little family of six

the attention and careful protection of brothers to sister

little toes venturing on her own

wishing you all a Christmas full of moments worthy of being frozen in time
it was a delight to meet you new readers
i hope you will venture back soon

a tale of two boys: the arrival of abigail's twin brothers

tonight has been an evening of great reflection
tonight Jani and Jesse
champion parents to our sweet miracle baby Abigail
were once again brought to that moment of greatest anticipation
the birth of their child
and this time the anticipation was doubled
with the birth of twins
twin boys

i know they have been beyond elated to have two new additions to their family
but i can only imagine what entering that hospital felt like to them
did that overwhelming feeling of anticipation become dimmed by a rush of fear
i dare say that it may have
i know i would have let it creep in uninvited

for those of you who have joined our little community within the past two years
you may not be familiar with the story of little Abigail and the fight for her life
born with part of her heart missing
her heart backwards
and on the wrong side
to be then reconstructed several times within such a short period of time
the waiting
the wondering
the holding of ones breath for great lengths of time
i know so many of you journeyed with me
and like me lived from moment to moment on updates regarding her surgeries, setbacks, and recoveries

hers is a story of courage and miracles
fought not only within her own little soul but within that of her valiant father and mother
for many long months

to watch a video i made of the beginnings of her life including that heart wrenching life flight
come visit here
to read more of her journey over those months click here or on the 'abigail' link in the sidebar

this is a family of warriors
tonight two strong boys joined Abigail as children to my fine brother and his superhuman wife
enduring nearly two days of intense labor
jani fought hard to deliver both of her boys naturally
extreme back labor caused an epidural to be necessary at the end of day one
the position of both of the boys allowed for the need for a c-section to be kept at bay
long did she labor
finally help was given for her labor to progress
but it did not
at least not at all in a manner i would deem real progress
slowly it continued
despite the strong contractions

at last this afternoon baby boy one arrived into this world
nicknamed Flex by his grandpa
with his brother baby boy two, nicknamed Blaze, still rather high up
Flex and Blaze
that's how we have known them
little Flex weighed a healthy 5 lbs 1 oz
and looks so much like my brother Jesse i just love it
he arrived doing well
no surprises
he would soon be named
Thomas Russell Dix
a fine name don't you think

i have never experienced a double birth

but i can imagine the sort of mix of emotions

having delivered pure joy after such tribulation

only to have to continue to push and toil once again

for jani this pushing and laboring lasted hours more

to the point where jani just didn't know if she could last much longer

as i am sure you may surmise this woman is one of absolute stamina, faith, and courage

unfortunately Blaze was larger than Thomas and got stuck in the efforts to be delivered

so a c-section was needed

much to jani's dismay

but i know her heart was only directed toward doing what was best for her babies

a time of communication darkness ensued between those there at the hospital and myself

it is ever so difficult to be so far away from my family during moments such as these

during Abigail's birth, surgeries, and fights for her life

i was in california while they were in utah

this time i am the one in utah and they are in california

the next text message i received told me that Blaze was born but was whisked away due to breathing difficulties

my brother was beside himself

i have no doubt that the memories of Abigail's birth flooded his mind

emotions mixed with experiences mixed with logic mixed with faith

all whirling around inside

i could visualize his facial expressions and his stance in my mind

i will say of my brother that he feels the pain of others like no one i have ever known

he feels what they feel

he takes them upon himself

once again a stretch of a communication void
but then there appeared across my phone screen the most beautiful words and photos
the babies were both breathing on their own
both on their own
and daddy and grandma were holding them
jani was in the recovery room resting peacefully

here is jesse with Thomas Russell
and our first glimpse at Blaze...to be named soon

i think i breathed for the first time

and now i am happy to present the first moments Jani was able to see and hold her babies
Jani is the champion of the world
Movember Jesse looks much more worry free
i am so grateful for the miracles that continue to happen in this family
we are continually blessed with watchful heavenly care
and i have no doubt that daddy is able to be close by for occasions such as these
how i wish these little ones could pass on messages from him

photos below:
Jani and Jes with Thomas Russell {baby one}
with Baby Blaze {baby two}
Baby Blaze
Baby Blaze
Thomas Russell whom I can see a lot of Jani in him now
Thomas Russell

i can not wait to see the whole family together
thank you family and friends once again for lifting us up in your prayers
it is an incredible feeling to be surrounded by an army of prayers from those who care for and love you
it is nearly tangible
as it has been many times before
thank you
thank you

blue christmas blog hop: mantles

awww life has a habit of throwing things in the mix that you just didn't plan on

like all four of my children coming down with a nasty bug the week of Thanksgiving

thankfully we recovered and most notably without mike or i coming down with it

knock on wood

mike has his second treatment for his new MS medication next week

so being bugfree for him is an absolute necessity

but alas i was not able to contribute myself this week to the wonderful

Blue Christmas Blog Hop

for decorating mantles

above is my darling friend Amy from Commona My House's contribution

be sure to check out all the other bloggers this week

for their fabulous ideas on incorporating blue into your Christmas decor

The Happy Housie 

 The Blissul Bee  

Life on Virginia Street  

Averie Lane  

Maison de Pax  

Commona-My House  

radiator grate ornament holder diy tutorial: a blue christmas blog hop

hello again from the Blue Christmas Blog Hop

welcome to all my new readers from around the blogosphere

to see week#1 ornament collection from our lovely bloggers, visit here

this week is wreaths and wall decor

i was inspired by my favorite globe ornament to find a way to highlight it in a non-traditional display

an so the idea of the radiator grate ornament holder began

combined with a fabulous lesson on how to use the welding option on my silhouette cameo

SUPPLIES

high quality glitter paper

a few of your favorite ornaments

jewelry chain

jump rings

jewelry pliers

ornament hangers

tiny hole punch

adhesive dots

radiator grate {i found mine at home depot}

metal sheers

painted frame

metal picture back holders {i found mine in the framing section of michael's}

CUT

using your metal sheers, cut your radiator grate to fit perfectly inside your frame

it feels pretty powerful slicing through metal like its nobody's business

SECURE

secure your radiator inside of your frame using metal picture back holders

i placed mine about every 4 inches or so using a putty knife

SILHOUETTE WELDING MAGIC

i followed this amazing tutorial on welding letters on your Silhouette by findingnana

my mind was blown at how many uses i could have now for welding letters

you will be floored at how easy it is

i chose to but the reason back into Christmas and typed the words

rejoice He is King

i had to use a little spray adhesive on the back of the glitter paper to get it to secure to the Silhouette cutting mat

i put my blade on the highest setting and it did beautifully

be sure and do a test cut first

ATTACH

measure how long you want your wording to hang on your radiator grate and then cut accordingly with your metal sheers

using your tiny hole punch place two holes on opposite sides of your wording

with your jewelry pliers open your jump rings and place inside the hole

attach one end of the chain inside the ring and close

repeat for the other end

place an ornament hanger at the center of the chain

HANG

hang your wording in the center of your framed radiator grate
i applied a few adhesive dots behind the wording to provide extra stability
hang your ornaments
and drape your Christmas lights over the top corners

LIGHT UP

plug in your lights for that added holiday cheer

simple and fun

early Merry Christmas everyone

don't forget to hop on over and see these other fabulous ladies' 

blue christmas wreaths and wall decor

Krista @ The Happy Housie

Sarah @ Life on Virginia Street

Amy @ The Blissful Bee

Amber @ Averie Lane

Rachel @ Maison de Pax

Amy @ Commona My House