Monday, June 27, 2011

Tips to Manage Your Time

I've taken a little leave of absence from this blog as I've been swamped with family life, starting up a new business helping others work from home, the start of summer, adjusting to being a semi-single mom again (my husband has been doing a LOT of traveling)! So unfortunately I haven't been giving much attention to my crafts! 

I've had to figure out how to get all the above accomplished in a day.
Here are a few tips I've learned to help me stay organized and on track:

1) Make Lists.  I've found that making lists of what I need to accomplish in a day/week helps me to stay on track throughout the day.  I am easily sucked into social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, and before you know it, an hour has passed and all I've accomplished is reading up on how everyone ELSE has spent their day!  For me, it helps to have my lists written down, and visible... as a constant reminder.

2) Break down the big TO-DOs into smaller tasks.. That way you won't keep avoiding it because of its size. For example... clean up the basement. (one of my personal dreads)  Break it down to. Organize paints, sweep floor, wash the windows, hang curtains... that way you will also be motivated each time you can check off a small task! Woo Hoo!

3) Get a Daily Planner.  This has helped me keep track of whats going on during the week with my kids activities, dinner plans, meetings, etc.  It also helps you see how you can organize the remaining free hours into productive time slots.

4) Schedule your more difficult tasks for when you can be the most productive. Example: If you have a to-do that involves organizing your bills or stack of paperwork that has taken over your desk, you may want to tackle that puppy when the kids are napping, of after they've gone to bed. Nothing is more unproductive them having to chase the little one who took off with your Bills to be Paid pile every 2 minutes!

5)If you have kids, schedule time for them.   If you give them time where they have your undivided attention, then they won't be constantly be asking for you throughout the day (results may vary) :) But then you can hopefully take more lengthy slots of time to work on that project.

6) Do the things you NEED to do before you do the things you WANT to do! Trust me, doing it this way will make the things you want to do much more enjoyable. You won't have that dark cloud over your head saying "don't forget... you still have to do ____ "

7) Don't be a slave to your emails.  Turn off your email or email notifications during certain times.  I know I can get distracted by the "You've Got Mail" sound... and want to immediately check it!  Check your email at certain times during the day.  Set time aside to check them and answer them. Then shut it off.

I hope you've found these helpful! For more helpful tips and information, check out my blog, Kimberly Turner Online!

Monday, May 9, 2011

Dancing Rainbows!

I purchased some sun prisms from an awesome shop on Zibbet a while back and am FINALLY getting around to posting some pictures! The shop is called Dancing Rainbows!  If you think the photos are amazing... you should see these things in real life! I was so happy with mine!

I got one for myself and sent another on to a friend of mine... to remind us of our time together in Hawaii .... rainbows.... awesome!

The kids had a blast with all the baby rainbows on the breakfast table...

 (pardon the grape juice mustache)

I discovered this amazing shop because I purchased a SAMPLE Z BOX on Zibbet that had amazing samples from several shops!  If you like trying things out before you buy them, check out Sample Z Box to see a great variety of handmade items from one of the greatest handmade sites there is... ZIBBET!

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Cake Spinner Remodel

When my grandmother passed away 5 years ago, I got to keep some of her cake pans and supplies.  I now have a pantry FULL of character pans, icing tips, and... her cake spinner.
One of the most memorable things about going to my grandparents house, was walking in and immediately being taken over by the smell of cake. (My grandma was THEE Cake Lady in our area)  She was always baking and frosting cakes whether it was for a birthday, graduations, or weddings.

The second most memorable thing...
She always used this old wooden cake spinner as she spun the cakes around as she frosted them.  I loved how it sounded. The sound of the ball bearings rolling around the ring... Sometimes I will just spin it around to hear the sound! Takes me back.

Anyways... I can't even tell you how many years she used it.  And when I brought it home, I covered it with foil each time to keep it 'clean', and because it was a bit 'aged'.

I decided to give it a makeover. It needed a 'fresh look'.  So...

I removed the hardware off the bottom...

I washed it up as best as I could.  Sanded down the edges a little to give it a softer finish... and then slapped on a couple coats of black paint. I painted around the edge, the bottom, and in a couple inches or so on the top.

Next, I found some scrapbook paper and cut out a circle that would fit on the top of the spinner.
I used my compass to draw the biggest circle possible on a 12x12 paper. Cut it out. Used my handy dandy mod podge to cover the bottom of the paper and place it in position on the spinner.

After drying completely, I covered the entire thing in a couple coats of clear coat.

Reattached the hardware.

Cake spinner renewed... Fresh New Look...with same memorable spinning noise!

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Nesting Doll by Numbers

I snuck down to my craft room last night and painted up a new nesting doll last night while the kids were settling into bed.


This is currently the only set available in my Zibbet shop! Check it out HERE!

Monday, February 21, 2011

Sample Z Box

I purchased a Sample Z Box on Zibbet to check out all the awesome samples and products that the Zibbet artists have provided in 'Z' box this month (including some products from Yummy Cuppy Crafts!)

If you are interested in getting a Sample Z Box, I highly recommend it! It's a great way to check out a lot of handmade artists who sell on Zibbet! They would also be fun gifts to give to your friends and co-workers! Each month has different shops and samples, so it's fun to see what surprises are in store each month!

**The package arrived very quickly! A sleek black box sat on my doorstep the other day waiting to be ripped opened! The cute tissue paper and bright ribbon made it that much more fun!

Inside, a package FULL of coupon codes from various Zibbet shops awaited:

Sarah Schism Photography 35% OFF
Rebecca's Jewelry 25% OFF
Denim & Pearls 30% OFF
A Stitch And A Prayer 50% OFF
Dancing Rainbows $10 OFF **I placed my order already!
LUCID by Leya 10% OFF

Then, it was time to scope out all the super samples:

Delightful Scents
Candle Sample that I could smell as soon as I opened the box! Mmmm!


Breath of the Dragon
Wood Burned Key chain


ABC Birdhouses
*Because I was one of the first 4 purchasers this month, I received a bonus item, ABC's flower stake  + a bag of bird feed!
My kids will have so much fun moving this pretty little thing all over the yard this summer, I'm sure!


Tin Can Quilter
Luggage Tag


Jilly's Stuff
Crocheted Wine Glass slip on coaster (so cute!)


It's My Thing Designs
Gorgeous Green & Silver Earrings! (Can't wait to wear these!)


Xquisitely Lady M
Earrings


LOC Design Studio
Memory Wire Necklace


Spanky Luvs Vintage
Vintage Ring


Mimi & Colette
Sparkly Hair Scrunchie


Bead Casita
Gold Chain


All About the Buttons
Handy little matchbook notebook
(perfect for my kids to doodle on while out running errands with them, to keep them busy)


Custom Candy Creations
Little hard candy samples


Faith Dreams
Adorable Heart Pendant


Body & Soul
Perfume Sample


Texas Eagle Gallery
Fabric Flower Pin


Treasures From Nature

In addition to all the fabulous samples these stores provided for the sample box, most of them also offered discounts to their shops on your next purchase!

I loved Sample Z Box this month!
There are still boxes available!
Stop on over and get one!

Thursday, February 17, 2011

U.S. Navy Nesting Doll




There has been a peak in requests for Nesting Dolls this month!

I recently was asked to make a Navy set.  Here is how that one turned out:

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Post-Valentine's Day

The kids came home with their valentine boxes full of special valentines and candy yesterday! I sat with them and went through each one and put all their candy in a bag for later.

Here is the final product of the Valentine's I made for the kids to take to school.  I was thrilled with how they turned out and they got TONS of compliments on them! Click here for a quick tutorial on how to make your own!

I hope you all had a lovely Valentine's Day filled with lots of hugs and kisses... and chocolate!

Stop on over to Melissa's Blog: The Joys of Home Educating to see a little feature she did on a set of cupcake wrappers she received from my Cupcake Wrapper of the Month Club!

If you'd like to give someone, or yourself, a membership to my Cupcake Wrapper of the Month Club, you can get them at my Zibbet Shop & my Etsy Shop!

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Easy Last MInute Valentine Ideas

I have seen these ALL OVER the blogosphere so forgive me for not giving credit to one blog or another.

These are great EASY last minute Valentine Ideas for your kids.  I am actually ahead of things here for once and am getting these done today, rather than the night before they need to be taken to school! Ha Ha!

All you need is a cute kid (check), and a camera (check)...

Have your child stand with their arm extended toward your camera and fist tight as if they are holding a sucker! (Make sure their thumb is up so that it will look right when you insert the sucker in the picture)

Edit your photo in any software (optional). I used Picnic through Picasa.. so fun!
Add borders and text.

Have these printed off at your nearest CVS, WalMart, etc... (or from your home printer)

Grab a bag of suckers, cut little slits in the photo where the sucker would go in the hand.  Then insert the sucker through the two slits in the photo and you are done!

Monday, January 31, 2011

"Just Married" Wood Block

 By special request, I've added a new item that can be displayed with your duty station blocks!

"Just Married" Block
Many spouses married their Marine, or Sailor, etc after they had already began their career in the military, myself included.   My husband started out in Quantico, then went to Pensacola, Corpus Christie, and back to Pensacola before he flew home for the weekend for our wedding!
 
If you want to mark your special day within your line of duty stations, don't forget to add the Just Married block to your cart!

Also available: Pine trees and Palm trees!

Available in my Etsy shop and Zibbet shop!

Friday, January 21, 2011

Giveaway Alert!

There is a giveaway going on over at Raige Creations for YOUR CHOICE of toekinis!!

Check it out here.

Saturday, January 15, 2011

My hubby the struggling carpenter

My hubby had his knee scoped last week and it wasn't long before he got antsy and needed to do something other than sit and elevate his knee.  So he decided to go build a table for me that he had been planning on making for a while now.  He had most of the wood waiting for him in the garage...
This is what he got done on day one...
 I asked him to cut me some blocks to make some duty station blocks. And of course he did!
Day 2 he made the drawers and bottom shelf... then stained it a dark cherry stain. (It looks a little red in this picture)
 Another coat of stain and then a couple coats of clear coat, some hardware, and voila! I asked one of the kiddos to stand next to it so you can see how big it is... and got 3!
Yesterday I went shopping for some baskets to put underneath.  I didn't have much luck at Hobby Lobby. There wasn't anything big enough or sturdy enough there... even at 50% off!  So I tried my luck at Michaels and found a couple baskets there (40% off) that I love! They were pretty much what I had in mind! LOVE THEM! I did, however, find the lamp at Hobby Lobby (50% OFF)!
(more decorating to be done on the tabletop... I was just excited to post this!)

Friday, January 14, 2011

I've Been Everywhere....

For those of you who have been following me for a while, you may already know that I am a Proud Marine Wife... I've been married to my Marine for 7 1/2 years, and we've been fortunate to have been stationed at places for decent lengths of time.  Here's our 'story':

My husband started his military career in Quantico, VA at OCS (officer candidate school).  From there he went to Pensacola, FL and Corpus Christie, TX for flight school. {Insert new wife here} After receiving his wings and finishing top of his class, he chose Kaneohe Bay, HI as our next duty station.  We were there for 6 years with 3 deployments to Okinawa, Iraq & Afghanistan.  Currently, we are stationed back at Quantico, VA.

On my mantle, I now display my wood block village of each duty station and deployment location that my husband has been stationed/deployed.  I think it's a fun way to show people as well as remind our family of our journey.  It's been full of memories, and what a great way to reminisce!
If you want to display your own personalized military village, you can get them in my Etsy shop, as well as my Zibbet shop! The hand painted trees are also available! These will also make a great gift for your friends and family who are in the military!
Each block is a different color and I can create any duty station you need. Or if you would like something else on the sign, I would be glad to accommodate!

Linked to:
Fingerprints on the Fridge
The Shabby Nest
Chic On A Shoestring Decorating
Simply Sweet Home
Fun to Craft
A Few of My Favorite Things 
The Trendy Treehouse 
Home is Where My Story Begins 
Iron Violet Designs 
Embellishing Life

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Christmas Candy on Clearance


I just bought up  a few big bags of Christmas M&Ms (the red and green ones) for 75% off!!!  Now I know most people don't care what color their chocolate candy is... just as long as it's chocolate!!  But... if you do care.... you can separate the Christmas colors.




Red for Valentines Day
Green for St. Patrick's Day!  

All for 75% off, and a few minutes of sorting!

Sunday, January 2, 2011

When you didn't have time to make teacher's gifts for Christmas...

...you make New Year treats!!! I am serious when I say I don't know where December went!  Christmas came way too quickly, and I just didn't get a chance to make some teacher treats for my son to take to his teachers.

So, to make up for it, I'm sending him back to school tomorrow with New Year treats!
I found the recipe for the cookie mix in a jar here. However, even with using a quart jar as called for in the recipe, I wasn't able to get all the flour in the top!  So I just made a side note in the recipe to add more flour if needed!

To dress them up, I cut fabric circles with my pinking sheers large enough so that I could close over it with the screw top lid.  Then I tied matching ribbon around that and tied on the recipe and note with raffia!

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