I may not be the "ornament lady" but my kids think I'm super cool! #gluenglitter #elmersholiday

I was given a challenge.  I was up for the challenge.  And dang nabbit I was going to succeed at the challenge.

Remember the ornaments I was talking about?  The ornaments that all the children in my life can decorate their first tree with when they move out on their own?  Well, 'twas a week before Christmas and I was feeling the pressure.

So I went to to Walmart and checked out the Elmer's Memory Keeping aisle and after much back and forth between plain Christmas tree bulbs that I could jazz up, and foam creations I could make three dimensional I came up with something that make my youngest say, "Mom, that is super cool!"  So, it has to be.  Right?

I found that the Elmer's and X-ACTO section at Walmart has some mighty fine tools to use to make my holiday ornaments "super cool." I also discovered that X-ACTO has come a long way since I was in high school and was given a plain silver weapon to cut out and place format when we laid out the school newspaper.

I perused items I don't need this time, but ones that I definitely will have in the future including these templates.

And this Spot Stamper!  Wow!  Santa are you listening!  If I am to finish scrapbooking the eight trillion gazillion photos I have this would certainly help!

In the end, these were the items I decided on to make my 3-D Snowflake ornament. No, you don't need special glasses to watch, but here is a list of what you will need. 

 Supplies Needed:

• Elmer's CraftBond™ Foam Mounting Tape
• Elmer's CraftBond Sparkle Glue in Basic Shimmer
•  Elmer's CraftBond Sparkle Glue in Shimmer
• X-ACTO Designers Series #1 Craft Knife
• X-ACTO Designers Series Precision Tip Scissors
• Elmer's Paint Marker in Silver
• 35 Count Foam Snowflakes
• Thin ribbon for hanging

 My pack of 35 foam snowflakes contained white and light blue snowflakes.  I had to experiment to see which configuration looked best.  In the end I went with whatever struck me.

 I used the X-ACTO Designers Series #1 Craft Knife to make a notch in the two snowflakes for adding the ribbon hanger when I am done decorating.

The ornaments I give have to be personalized and dated.  It's a must.  I used the Elmer's Sparkle Glue to do just that.  I did find that my letters should have used less Sparkle Glue.  Keep your designs thin as it states on the package.  I had to let mine dry overnight.

 I had SO much fun adding dots and squiggles.  My eight-year-old thought it was so cool and wanted to join in.  It was her bed time but I will definitely let her help with the other 15 or so I have to make this week.

I bought ribbon in white and dark blue and cut the strips about 8 inches long to hang the ornaments.

After an overnight drying period I used the Elmer's CraftBond™ Foam Mounting Tape to adhere the two snowflakes together.  This is where the 3-D look came into play.  The two flakes were not flat against each other.  Then I tied each with a ribbon to hang it by.  Voila!

 This was a very simple project, but the kids love it.  Added bonus it was very inexpensive.  If you can't find your "ornament lady" then getting creative and DIYing it is the next best thing.

You can follow Elmer's on Facebook and Twitter and X-ACTO on Facebook for more awesome Do-It-Yourself ideas.

This project has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for #ElmersHoliday #gluenglitter #collectivebias #CBias.  All opinions are my own.

It was a great idea at the time

Twelve years ago I had a brilliant idea.  It was my last one.

Twelve years ago I decided that I would start a tradition of providing my nieces, nephews, children of friends, and eventually my own children, with yearly Christmas ornaments.  For some, this yearly sentimental act was in lieu of a gift.  No more dolls, books, or stuff their Mom's didn't want, just a nice ornament signed and dated by yours truly.

That was 1999.  I had one niece.  My close friends had three daughters among them.  I could swing the whole endeavor for less than 20 bucks.  That was 1999.

It is now 2011.  I have three nieces, four nephews, and my closest, dearest friends now have 18 kids between them.  I have developed friendships with new families too and could easily add in about eight more kids.  That would total 33 ornaments.  And once there was four.

Back in the day I had a great "Ornament Lady", which is what I really called her.  I could find her at a variety of craft shows in Jackson or Ann Arbor. 

She is responsible for this...

 

And this and this...

And then she fell off the Earth.  Leaving me and my ornaments...hanging... with no idea where to turn to continue the tradition.

I tried to continue the craft show tradition for a bit, but everything that met my "standards" which were based on the "Ornament Lady" cost an arm and a leg, and my siblings and friends kept reproducing.

One year I found these lovely gems...

Not cheap and I had to pay to have them shipped because when I gave the crafter my list of names she passed out on the floor.

Another year I got these for girls, and heaven only knows what everyone else got...

 

And as the numbers grew, and my money shrank- not in size, just in volume, I tried my luck at boxed ornaments that I could personalize myself.  Thanks to Target and my love of Snowmen/SnowSantas I had a couple of more great years...

and my favorite...

 

So now here we are in 2011 and Christmas is 15 days away and I have yet to find this year's ornament that I need a gazillion of.  OK, not a gazillion, but even if I only bought for my girls, nieces and nephews I would need 9.  But of course I will buy more than that.  I will probably even buy them for my dogs.  And yes, the ornament has to "speak" to me, and when I see it I will just know that it's the one.  I will drive my husband crazy with my process, but I will be proud of the outcome.  When I deliver them to their recipients some of whom have 12 from me already they will love what I choose.  And for awhile it will seem like a great idea all over again.  Until next December anyway.

How I Spent My Summer (Vacation)

I did some pretty fun stuff this summer.  Because I did so much, and because my Fall is always complete chaos I am just now finding the time to write about it all. 

Back in May I attended my first ever blogging conference- Gleek Retreat which is right here in Michigan.  It was held in Holland and I got to connect with some new bloggy friends and reconnect with some old ones and a great friend from my highschool (and younger) days.

I felt like I learned a great deal and I hope to attend next year too!

From April until September I freelanced at an ad agency and my blogging got skimpy but I still had a chance to participate in the Shout Out to Eat Out promotion with Chili's! Hubby and I got to try out the Chili's Triple Dipper appetizer and then I got to share one with you!  What a yummy date night that was!

Date nights are great but I also had fun celebrating Father's Day at Wendy's with Cory and the girls (plus one) with free Frostys.  Another great opportunity for a blogger.  A blogger who will never have other opportunities if she doesn't blog more often ;)

Cory and Jayden enjoy a Frosty and French Fries.  The perfect combination of sweet and salty.

 

It was the perfect treat after a hot day in and out of the pool.  Jayden, Ryann and Ryann's friend Lauren (in the middle) completely agree!

So, as you can see I've had some fun.  As of early September the freelance job at the ad agency came to an end.  I still bill an hour here and there, and am slowly picking up more "jobs" in addition to the unpaid work I do for soccer, girl scouts, church, school, etc.  But hey, I'm happy.  And that's all that really matters.  Right?

Old Lady Crush Reborn

Wednesday night I helped chaperon 15 tweens to the Drive-In for our Girl Scout fun day.  The girls worked really hard to earn their Journey badges this year and have concluded the process by volunteering at Recycle Livingston this past week. (Which is really hard work, let me tell you!)

So they voted and off to the Drive-In we went.  To see Nanny McFee Returns and Charlie St. Cloud.

The new Nanny McFee was great, as expected.  Very cute, great cast, good message, lots of humor.  Charlie St. Cloud caused me a little concern because it was PG-13, but it starred Zac Efron, and well... he's Troy.  And he's dreeeeaaaaammmmmmyyyyyyyy.  OK, so no one really says dreamy anymore.  They say yummy.  Yes, he's yummy.  Call me a cougar.  Hear me RAWR!!!!

My cause for concern was limited to a few cuss words that mean poop, and the common insult of calling someone Richard, or well... you know what I mean.  Of course there is a scene with Yummy's shirt being removed from his body, but hey I'm not complaining about that.

It's a sad story but a good one, and Zac Efron cries which only made him that much more yummy.  Oh and Kim Basinger plays his mom (where has she been?) but that didn't decrease his yumminess, and she seemed sober, so it's all good.  Again good message, trust your instincts, we are all here for a reason, yada, yada, yada, blue eyes, cute nose, great teeth.  RAAAWWWWRRRRRR. 

Win tickets to a Day Out with Thomas at Greenfield Village!

I know many of you have children that love them some Thomas!  I've seen the train tables and other paraphernalia in your homes.  I've seen you enjoy the program with the help of George Carlin, Alec Baldwin and even Ringo Starr.  So now with my help you can take your lovely little offspring to see the real thing at Greenfield Village...

All aboard for the best birthday party ever! Thomas the Tank Engine™ is coming to town to celebrate with all of his fans. Thomas, the beloved and courageous storybook engine, is set to roll into Greenfield Village for the Day Out With Thomas™: The Celebration Tour 2010, presented by HIT Entertainment, a worldwide leader in children’s entertainment, and sponsored by MEGA Brands, a leading toy company.

This fun-filled event offers preschoolers and their families the opportunity to take a ride with a 15-ton replica of Thomas the Tank Engine, star of the popular Thomas & Friends™ series. Children will ride along with their favorite hero on his latest adventure. The tour, now in its 15th year, will make stops in more than 45 US cities and is expected to welcome more than one million passengers in 2010. This year also marks Thomas the Tank Engine’s 65th publishing anniversary and fans are invited to partake in some choo choo-riffic celebratory activities!

WHO: Thomas the Tank Engine

WHAT:

• A 25-minute (approximate) ride with Thomas the Tank Engine
• An opportunity to meet Sir Topham Hatt, Controller of The Railway 
• Activities for the whole family, including arts & crafts, storytelling, video viewing, live music, a magician, puppet shows and much more
• A special display at every DOWT location celebrating 65 years of Thomas the Tank Engine
• 2010 commemorative merchandise and giveaways, including a mini-view finder giveaway that tells the story of Thomas’ upcoming adventure, Misty Island Rescue

WHEN: April 23-25, April 30, May 1-2 and May 8-9, 2010

TIME: 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m.

WHERE: Greenfield Village, 20900 Oakwood Boulevard, Dearborn, MI

Tickets for Day Out With Thomas: The Celebration Tour 2010 are on sale now and available by calling Ticketweb toll-free 866-468-7630, or by visiting http://events.hitentertainment.com or thehenryford.org. Ticket prices are $18 for members of The Henry Ford, ages 2 and up. Non-member tickets – which include admission to Greenfield Village – are $40 for adults, $39 for seniors (ages 62 and up), $34 for youth (ages 5-12) and $18 for children (ages 1-4).

For more information and directions contact The Henry Ford at (313) 982-6001 or visit thehenryford.org. For information on Thomas & Friends, visit http://www.thomasandfriends.com/.

OR TRY TO WIN THEM HERE!!!!

One lucky winner will receive 4 free tickets to attend a Day Out With Thomas™: The Celebration Tour 2010 at Greenfield Village! The winner will be notified via email and will need to respond within 24 hours or a new winner will be chosen.

To enter for a chance to win, you are required to do the following two things. Make sure to leave a comment for each entry requirement:

1. Become a follower of My Life of What Ifs either by RSS, Facebook Networked Blogs, Google Connect, Blogger Follow, or any other way and leave me a post telling me how you follow!
2. Leave a comment on this post telling us who you would take to see Day Out With Thomas™: The Celebration Tour 2010 and why they would love to attend!

No purchase necessary to enter. Winners will be selected randomly through http://random.org/. Entries that do not follow all of the entry requirements will not be considered. Open to participants in the US and Canada 18 years and older. Contest ends April 20, 2010 at 11:59:59 p.m. EST.

Disclosure: I was provided with complimentary tickets to Day Out With Thomas™: The Celebration Tour 2010 to give away and to attend. The opinions expressed in this post are mine and mine alone and are not influenced in any way by anyone.