Photography Challenge!!

Laura Beth over at A Step in the Journey has offered up a photo challenge for those who think they are up for it. You may be asking, "Is that a dare, Tracy??" My reply would be, "Heck yeah, it is!! DO IT!!"

Erin, from A Bird and A Bean, and I are excited to jump right in and give it a go! I completed a 365 photo project for the year 2008 ( check it out here.) Although it was tough getting in a pic everyday of the ENTIRE year, it was rewarding. Now, three years ( and another baby) later, I really really don't think I would be able to do a 365, but I think I COULD do this challenge. And I need a challenge to get my booty in gear. Don't you? It is a fantastic way to get to know your camera, and stretch yourself artistically. Won't you join us?

Check out the weekly challenges below, and click on the button on the right side of my blog for more info.... Good luck and I can't wait to see what you all come up with!

Portrait smiles-
Tracy

Embellished Sandals here at Paper Wings

In case you missed it over at A Bird and A Bean yesterday....

I wanted to show you an easy way to take plain jane sandals and make them your new favorite "Shaaazam!" Sandals. :)

What you need:
sandals
needle, thread
beads
hot glue (optional)

I did this to another pair of sandals using bigger beads, too. You can check them out here.

I thought of this before school even got out (I am a teacher), but haven't had time to get to it until now. I have had these gold sandals for probably close to two years now, and even though they are ok....I always thought they could use a little som'em som'em to spice them up. They are from Payless, so not expensive (aka...if I screw them up, not a huge deal.)
BEFORE:

The beads were found at Hobby Lobby, and were half off, so I got all I needed for about $3. Can't beat that kind of up-grade.

First, I played around with the beads to decide the pattern I wanted them to flow in, and then took the shoe into consideration to determine the path of the beads. I decided to work in a 'T' shape, took my needle and thread, and simply threaded right through the sandal. Once I had the needle through, I just threaded the beads onto the needle . (seen below)
Since these were small beads, using hot glue to help secure wasn't really an option, so I threaded the needle back through the sandal every couple of beads. This helped to keep them secure on the sandal, so they weren't too loose.
(If you check out the link to see my black sandals, you will see that they are bigger beads. For those, I just used a little hot glue under every couple of beads to keep secure.)

When I got to where the lines meet in my 'T', I just tied the thread off as you normally would.
I continued doing the same thing for the other line in my "T" shape. When I finished up, I dabbed a wee bit of hot glue to the thread knots on the underside. This was just another added measure of security.

There you go! WaaaahhhLLLaaa! Fancy fancy.

Honestly, after I worked on my black sandals, I was a little nervous that they would break. HOWEVER...I wore them on Girls Night Out, and they held up perfectly! If they can make it through that, then they are ok in my book. :)

Go ahead, razzle dazzle those sandals up!!

It's been fun, and hope you pop in over at

Paper Wings!

- Tracy :)

Linking up with....

WE ARE THAT FAMILY

Easy Embellishment

Hey everyone! Remember those black sandals I embellished? Remember I said I would show you how I did it??? Weeeelllll....I am guest posting over at A Bird and A Bean today. Skip on over there and check out how I did it! :)


Loving this summer season-
Tracy

Flip Flop Fun~ guest post

I am super psyched to bring you Paper Wings' first guest post! To top it off, I am excited to bring you one of my besties! Meet Erin from A Bird and A Bean. Erin and I have been friends since college, and have traveled this blog journey together. We joke that she is the KY chapter of me, and I am the TN chapter of her. hee hee. Needless to say, she is an awesome mom, super artistic, fun, and an awesome blogger! It really is kind of weird how we are always thinking alike. For instance, today she is going to show you how to create some freak'n cute flip flops. (I know, she sent me a pair, and I {heart} them BIG TIME!) Tomorrow, I will be guest posting over at A Bird and A Bean, and I will be sharing how I embellished my sandals. (That's a plug for my guest post, if you didn't catch it...)
Anyhoo- point being...we didn't plan it...just worked out that we were both thinking "FEET." :)
Ok, so check her out over on her site, and check out my post over there tomorrow!

Hey everyone! I'm Erin from A Bird and A Bean.I ran across this cool idea a while back here at The Mother Huddle. I LOVE flip flops and wear them all summer (and most of spring and fall too... even though my mom constantly reminds me how terrible they are for backs, feet and posture.....I just can't help it. Sorry Mom)

Anyway, we're going on family vacation next week and I decided it would be fun to make a little gift for all the girls (myself, my mom, sister, sister-in-law and of course ....the bird). I made a few extras for some friends, too. I just couldn't stop. They are so easy. Instant gratification. I think they turned out really cute. They're super comfy....like you aren't even wearing shoes. You could even make them with old flip flops and scrap fabric. You don't have to leave your house for this project!

Here's what you need.....

fabric (1/4 of a yard off the bolt...or scraps)

flip flops

scissors

hot glue (optional)

Here's what you do.....

* Cut your fabric into four 4 1/2 X 24 inch strips. (two for each shoe) I actually made mine a little thinner because my fabric was kind of heavy and I couldn't get the knot to hide in the divot on the bottom of the shoe at 4 1/2 wide. So, you can use less fabric. Mine ended up being more like 3 X 20. They still look good, just less bunchy. I also left the edges raw, cuz I rock the funky tattered look....OK - it's because I can't sew. But, if you feel the need, go ahead and sew your little heart out, but just know that they look fine with a raw edge....maybe even better.

* Cut the original straps off of the flip flops.

* Cut your fabric strips into points.

* Thread both strips through the top hole at the same time.

* Make a good double knot on the bottom and push it into the divot under the shoe. You can use hot glue at this point if you desire. I did.

* Turn back over to the top of the shoe and tie a knot about one inch from the hole, this is the part that will go between your toes. Hold both straps together to tie it. Tie a tight second knot right behind the first knot. You can put it through your toes at this point and adjust a bit if you need to.

* Pull the two straps through the side holes and put the flip flop on. Tighten it to the top of your foot. Carefully take it off and tie knots on the bottom of each side. Tighter is probably better since fabric stretches and you don't want them to be too loose after a few wears. This is where it was a little tricky to make them for someone else, since I tightened them to my foot and not the intended wearer....but I'm sure it worked out.

* Hot glue the knots on the bottom and cut the tails.

* Be cute in your rocking new summery flip flops.

YUM YUM YUM Recipes!!

So there's just something about summer that makes me WANT to cook. Maybe it's the fact that I haven't worked all day (being a teacher, I get summers off), or maybe it's all the fresh produce that's around...it's just a time of year when I really want to try new things and experiment!

I have been trying out new dishes so often, it's too hard to post them all individually. BUT! I have loved them, and want to share this goodness with you all!!

Below you will find links and pics (on some) to the yummiest of the yummiest thus far....
dig in.

Balsamic Pasta
by Lauren @ The Elephant's Trunk
This one is awesome. My twist was to use three cheese ravioli instead of spaghetti.

BLT Pasta Salad
by Erin @ A Bird and A Bean
My dear old friend and I certainly have the same taste!

Asian Noodle Salad
By Kraft

Slow Grilled Country-Style Brisket
by Weight Watchers
Holy Smokes...Y. U.M. I cooked mine in the crock pot, and it still was fabulous!

Baked Ziti with Summer Squash
by Weight Watchers

Breaded Pork Cutlet
by Weight Watchers
I am loving WW this summer!!

Lettuce Wraps
By Junk in their Trunk

Mexican Rice Bowls
By The Coupon Counselor

Quick and Easy Steak Salad
By Kraft

I will keep you all updated on the new recipes I am trying out in the next few weeks....

Embellished Sandals

These sandals were cute, but nothing to write home about. I wanted some sandals that were a little more flashy, but didn't want to spend money. I decided to go for it on these. They were from Payless, so not expensive either. I figured it was worth a shot....luckily, I think they turned out SMASHINGLY!!!

Will be posting a tutorial on how I vamped them up, soon. I have another pair of plain janes that are crying out for a little Shhhzzzzamm!

BEFORE:
Don't laugh at my fat toes. Not nice.

AFTER:
Cute, right???? :)

Happy Gift!

My dear friend, Corbett, (we go by last names at work) had a birthday...she turned...um...23, I think (cough cough35coughcough) :) She is a fantastic teammate, we taught 5th grade together this past year, and a super awesome friend. Anyhoo, I made her this cute little door accessory...can I call this a wreath? I love the summery colors, and almost kept it for our house since I am a Crosby....C would be fitting!