A Creative Life

Mod Podge Monday: Treasure Boxes

This year, my nephews and (one of my nieces) got special little treasure boxes as their Christmas gifts from our family.

I always make some kind of handmade gift...so this year, treasure boxes it was! An heirloom they can treasure forever. They were so much fun to make too, once I finally settled on my idea. And of course, Mod Podge all the way!

Gifts for boys always baffle me. I can think of a million things to make for little girls, but these boxes ended up being a real hit with my nephews. Whew! now I need to get my brain in gear for next year!

I transformed simple wooden boxes into something special!

I filled each one with chocolate coin candy along with a little toy.

Since these boxes were such a hit with my nephews...which range from toddler to pre-teen, I thought, other little boys might like to have their own personallized treasure boxes too! Easy enough...these special boxes will be for sale in my Etsy Shoppe as a custom order. I'll let you know as soon as their available.

These special boxes are now available in my Etsy Shoppe as a custom order! 

Linking up with:

Skip to my Lou

 

Mod Podge Monday: Sparkly Winter Gift Box with Matching Necklace

Whew! last week was a whirlwind. I was working on Mod Podge projects for Plaid's booth for the winter CHA show which will be in Anaheim CA this year. I saw the pre set-up booth and WOW! it's going to be awesome...and oh how I wish I were going! I can't show you my projects just yet, but very soon!

Here's a project I created some time ago... and since it's been soooo cold here in Atlanta, I thought this wintery box and snowflake necklace would be great to feature for Mod Podge Moday! 

Have you ever used Sparkle Mod Podge? If not, you've got to give it a try...there's something...well...so...sparkly about it. I know I've said this before, but I love to use it on "girly" projects. 

I designed this cute little Winter box using Sparkle Mod Podge. Snowflakes must have sparkle, right? And, notice the doilies?

Have you ever thought about Mod Podged jewelry? Well, here it is! I created a necklace using wood snowflake cutouts. Drilled some holes, doctored them up with some paint and Mod Podge, added jump rings, beads and chain. Ta-da! Aww, the variations are limitless! 

You can get my complete instructions here:

Download Sparkly Winter Gift Box with Matching Snowflake Necklace

Also, just a reminder, Shannon's fundraiser ends this Wednesday, the 18th. If you don't know what I'm talking about, you can read about it in my last post here.

I think I'm gonna go grab a cup of hot tea and warm up by the fireplace! 

Linking up with:

Skip to my Lou

sumo's sweet stuff

My Heart is Moved...Her Name is Shannon...and there is Hope!

Last week I met a beautiful family, the Shpak family, who's hearts long to bring their little girl home. Shannon is living in an orphanage in Bulgaria. Money is the only thing that stands between her and her family. Sad.   

My heart was moved to help...I donated one of my art prints for a fundraiser, which will run until January 18th, to help bring this precious child home to her family. Myself, along with many others, donated handcrafted items to help raise the remaining money for Shannon's adoption through Reece's Rainbow. 

Isn't she beautiful? I love her bright and beautiful smile. Shannon is a Special Needs little girl with Down Syndrome.

There is more to this family's story! Ethan was adopted a year ago. He has Down's Syndrome and a complicated Esophageal Atresia with no hospital that can repair it. He's been to three so far. They are racing against time to try to get him to Boston where they have the only EA/TEF clinic in the world!  

 He's adorable and enveloped in the loving hands of his siblings; but sadly, Ethan's condition has deteriorated since this photo. It's been a long and hard road.

To follow the Shpak family's adoption journey and to participate in Shannon's fundraiser go to:

Faith Set Free

You can find out more about Ethan's story at:

 Little Wonders. 

 

I have donated a print of my Hope painting mounted on wood towards Shannon's fundraiser. I sell these in my Etsy Shoppe.

ok, I know this is not one of my typical "Mod Podge Monday" posts, but hey, it kinda works since I use Mod Podge to mount my prints on wood :) 

Please pray for this family and if your heart is led, allow God to use you by helping them financially...there is Hope and a Future for this little girl...and her brother!

 

New Painting...Captivated!

I pray each of you had a beautiful and very Merry Christmas celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! 

I can't believe how long it's been since I last wrote a post...yes, the busyness of the season got the best of me, leaving me with no time to tend to blogging about my creative life! But boy, let me tell you, I was like a little elf, working non-stop on so many handmade gifts. As the weeks go by, I'll share what I made. 

But for now, I want to share a mixed-media painting that I recently finished. It's titled "Captivated" and that is my heart's desire for 2012...To be Captivated more and more by the amazing love of Jesus! and I long for His love to spill out into every area of my life with more and more fervency! Oh yes Jesus! sanctify me in Your truth, Your word is truth...John 17:17. This is my heart's prayer for 2012, what's yours?

I created a background with hand written prayers, printed scripture. hymnal pages, and even a few Bible pages.

I added color and used lots of different techniques to create the mood I wanted, then I painted over that with the figure of a women on her knees, worshipping and reaching for more of what her heart longs for...she is captivated! 

My heart longs to be completely captivated by His love - I hope yours does too? 

Happy New Year!

Ps...One of my Christmas gifts this year was a flatbed scanner and also a photo printer! Yea!! I'm so excited. Now I will be able to offer prints of my larger paintings in my Etsy Shoppe. I'll let you know as soon as they're available! : ) 

Linking up with my friend Jennifer at:

 and

Artists in Blogland

Mod Podge Monday: Cookie Swap Party

If you've ever been to a Cookie Party Swap, you know just how much fun they can be! It's awesome to actually try so many different kinds of cookies especially when you hear special stories behind some of the recipes...like, grandma has been making this one for years or what about an old favorite with a new twist? I have so many great cookie recipes, some my mom used to make every year when I was a kid. Yes, our neighbors always got a cookie plate from our house. 

Well, recently, Plaid asked me to design several Cookie Party Swap theme ideas using Mod Podge! Last week my projects were featured on their Great Gift Ideas webpage.

These projects are very economical! I got most of the main supplies from the Dollar Store and used one of my favorite go-to supplies...empty cereal boxes, for the little tags.

My friend Kia over at Plaid wrote an article about how to Host a Cookie Party! It has lots of great ideas. 

Here's a cute Christmas Cookie Swap Party Invitation. You can find my complete instructions here.

How about some tins for all those Christmas Cookies? You can get my complete instructions here.

Or maybe a really cool plate to display all those beautiful cookies? You can find my complete instructions here.

"Cookies in a Jar" is a fun gift idea! You can find my complete instructions here.

I love this one...a Chalkboard Tray! It's even magnetic! I didn't use Mod Podge for this one, but if you haven't tried Plaid's Chalkboard Paint or Extreme Glitter, this is the perfect little project to get you started! You can find my complete instructions here.

 Have fun making your Cookie Swap Party special!

If you're like me, you still haven't finished your Christmas shopping. Check out my Etsy Shoppe for handmade gifts!

Mod Podge Monday: Glittered Dove Ornament

At our house, the Christmas bins are out of storage, the tree is in it's place waiting for it's final touches, and Christmas music is drifting through the air. Oh yes! It's looking a lot like Christmas around here. I love this time of the year. My hubby calls me Mrs. Christmas. However, I always wish I could be just  a bit more organized to be able to pull off getting all of our Christmas preparations done before Thanksgiving...including decorating and shopping! Oh, maybe one year. 

Here's a fun & quick project for your tree...even little hands can help with this one! 

I made about 30 of these glittered doves to decorate our church Christmas tree. We added white lights, gold berries, glass pearlized Christmas ball ornaments, draped the tree in white tulle then adorned the top with a beautiful angel. So so pretty! 

 

Make only one or a whole flock...All you need are a few basic supplies and a little time. 

• Mod Podge
• Cardboard from empty cereal boxes
• Bird Template (below) 
• White craft paint
• White glitter (I used Diamond Dust)
• Eyelets (Optional)
• Silver cording
• Scissors
• Paint brush
• Hole punch
• Download Template for Glittered Dove Ornament

You can get several birds out of one cereal box if you lay it out right. Simply use the provided template to draw the birds on the back of the opened up box and cut out the birds. Paint with white paint; let dry. Apply a coat of Mod Podge over paint and pour on the glitter; gently shake off excess. Allow to dry then punch hole, add eyelet (not necessary) and cording. Done! How easy is that?

Just another way to use Mod Podge along with empty cereal boxes! 

Happy Decorating

Mod Podge Monday: Elegant Christmas Box

With Christmas just around the corner (I still can't believe it!), here's an idea for a homemade gift...and, of course, made with Mod Podge! I don't know about you, but I always like to make homemade gifts for my family. I've done this ever since I was a little girl. I remember gluing magnets to little sea shells I collected at the beach. I wrapped them up and gave them to my family as my  special little gifts.  Oh so many memories!

This was a Christmas project I designed for Plaid. You can find my complete instructions here.

 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Just a Note...

(In case you want to suppliment your craftiness xo)

I have been busy adding more items in my Etsy shoppe. If you are not already a fan of my facebook page, you can find  the code for a 20% discount on everything in my store...simply "like" A Creative Life by Debbie Saenz here. Hurry hurry! Sale ends tonight, 11/28, at midnight (EST). 

I'm so happy you stopped by & I hope you give yourself some time to reflect on what Christmas really means! 

Mod Podge Monday: Thanksgiving Wall Hanging

I made this Thanksgiving wall hanging last year as a gift exchange for a blog retreat I went to. Since I shared it at the end of a rather long post, I thought I'd share it again. 

I cut out a piece of illustration board for the back and used layers of paper napkins and scrapbook papers to cover the board. Of course, I applied all of this with Mod Podge.

I wanted the scripture to be the focal point, so glittered up a small frame I cut from a cereal box. Yup, as I mentioned before, those cereal boxes do come in handy!

I created a small bouquet of fall embellishments which I added to give it some interest.  The beaded heart dangle and chain hanger completes it! 

Give Thanks to the LORD,

for he is good;

His love endures forever.

1 Chronicles 16:34

I'm so thankful for Jesus! It's His love for us that's better than life and bigger than we realize. He became everything that we needed when He died on the old rugged cross and now, offers us life-giving hope everyday and forever! Thank you Jesus, my faithful and loving Savior!

With a heart full of thankfulness,

Ham and Pasta Casserole...Yum!

This Ham and Pasta Casserole is really easy to whip up. Nothing beats a homemade sauce! I like to make this recipe when I have leftover ham and especially since I normally have most of the other ingredients on hand already. That means no trip to the grocery store for this one...

Cheesy goodness! 

 I made this dish last weekend and served it with stir-fried yellow squash and fresh baked crescent rolls....Yummy!!

 

Ham and Pasta Casserole

6 to 8 ounces spaghetti, broken in half

2 cups diced ham

3 tablespoons butter

8 ounces mushrooms, sliced

6 green onions, sliced

4 tablespoons flour

1 cup chicken broth

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon seasoned salt

1/4 teaspoon garlic seasoned pepper or other pepper blend

dash cayenne

1 1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

 

1. Preheat oven to 325°. Cook spaghetti in boiling salted water until al dente. Drain and set aside.

2. Dice ham and set aside.

3. Melt butter in large sauce pan. Add sliced mushrooms and cook several minutes,  stirring often, until mushrooms are tender; add green onions.

4. Stir in flour and blend well; cook a few minutes until flour begins to brown slightly. 

5. Gradually stir in chicken broth and milk. Add seasoned salt, pepper, and cayenne and cook and stir until bubbly and thickened. 

6. Taste, add more salt and pepper if needed. Stir cooked spaghetti and diced ham, and 1 cup of cheese into sauce until blended well.

7. Transfer into a 2 quart baking dish and bake uncovered for 25 minutes or until bubbly. Add 1/4 cup of cheese and cook for 3 more minutes or until cheese is melted. 

Makes 4 very generous servings. 

Enjoy! xoxo

Mod Podge Monday: Thanksgiving Cone

It's hard to believe Thanksgiving is less than two weeks away. Wow! where, oh where has this year gone? Even though it seemed to have whizzed by, one thing is for sure, we do have so much to be thankful for. 

I made this cute little Thanksgiving Cone out of the cardboard from a cereal box. I have a 17 year old son who lives off of cereal, which means I always have a generous supply of cereal boxes on hand for my creative endeavors. I'm sure you can easilly get your hands on a cereal box too. There is so much you can do with this lightweight cardboard! 

This would make a sweet gift. Simply fill it with candies and slip it into a clear cellophane bag and tie with a pretty bow! 

You can get the complete instructions, including a template, to create this project...

Here: Download Thanksgiving Cone Instructions.