Creating a dazzling dress from Target's Deal of the Day (August 26, 2010)

One of Target's Deal of the Day is a simple sleeveless, cross over neck dress in black, red, Spanish Brown and Honest Purple. Taking a tip from this month's InStyle magazine you can take this $24.00 deal and make it a simple unique cocktail dress or just a fun blinged out dress for us girls who love the bling factor. You can apply Swarovski hot-fix rhinestones to the neck of the dress and the only other supplies needed is a pair of tweezers and an iron. Below are the steps to follow to embellish your dress.


SUPPLIES
Dress
Iron
Swarovski hot-fix rhinestones* - suggest using the 10ss crystals so that they don't get pulled off
Tweezers - suggest purchasing the ones with rubber handles

Lay your dress out flat so that you can lay out your crystals along the neck line. Once you are happy with your design, turn your iron on to the lowest setting and let it heat up. Once it is heated up then pick up a crystal with the tweezers and place the glue side to the iron for approximately 3 seconds, just long enough for the glue to melt, then place the crystal back on the dress where you took it from and then press the crystal down to firmly adhere to the dress.

Viola you now have a distinctly you unique dress for under $35.00, if you were able to secure the bargains I have described in the blog.


*You can search for the Swarovski hot-fix rhinestones online to purchase them as well as check your local crafts stores. I found the following web site that sales them for $6.95 plus $2.99 shipping for 144 10ss crystals.


From InStyle Magazine
A picture of the dress that they did.

Mother of a 4th grader

So it is the second day of school today. William and I have parked down the street from the school each day and walked to school. Each day he has made sure to walk a little in front of me to show me his independence. Today as we were walking to school I took a picture of him and then started to think back. Just the other day I was telling someone about his birth. A difficult birth and then a difficult first 6 months, but then just the pure pleasure of raising a wonderful, beautiful child. He truly has been the joy of mine and David's life. I know all parents say it, but I really can not imagine life without him. So as I reflected today on that walk to school, random memories flickered through my mind's eye. His first steps, which he conveniently waited until both sides of the grandparents were present and uncle and aunt too. In front of us all he took those first steps on Christmas day. Then an image of him in a bunny suit that my mother insisted he weMar. A vision of him crawling up in my lap and looking up at me and smiling. Hugging his dad's neck on the first day of kindergarten. William running on the beach in Hawaii, the look of achievement after walking through a lava tube, and the shear look of panic when he got into the shark cage to view the shark's off the coast of the North Shore. A crooked smile when showing the pizza creation he made when staying with Poppa and Grandma in England. The pure laughter as he road his four wheeler next to Grandma in Louisiana in her power chair. William and his friends in a hummer limo clowning around, giving me a future glimpse of them at homecoming and prom, as they rode back from his 9 year old birthday, that was on 9-9-09. The sense of satisfaction as he overcame his fear of heights, because his goal of spitting off the top of the Eiffel tower was greater. His wonderment as we road the Metro everywhere instead of climbing in and out of a car in Paris. William and Patrick sitting alone in Twisted Root Burger talking to each other and enjoying their meal as their mothers looked at them in amazement that they had grown up so fast. How quickly 10 years have passed. For all you mother's of younger children, cherish every moment and realize that one of the most important things in life is that little one and you sharing as much time and yourself that is humanly possible with them. Before you know it you are staring at a 4th grader who is walking ahead of you to show his independence and who in very subtle ways and sometimes not so subtle ways informs you that he can do it himself, thus reminding you that you are needed less and
less in his everyday life, but secure in the fact that he loves you and in some form or another will always need you.

Like Mother like Son

So from the time William was able to go out in public in a stroller, which understand in our case that was around 7 months old, as William was a preemie. Anyway the point is from that time, he has hated going shopping. Normally I have to bribe him to get him to try on clothes when I'm not sure what size he is wearing. So today I became a very, very happy mother. A potential breakthrough in the "I HATE SHOPPING, MOM" responses I hear. We met a friend for lunch and then I took him over to Grapevine Mills Mall to check out a few restaurants in there that we are considering for his birthday. Well at least that was the excuse to get him in the mall. One of the restaurants was closed and we checked out the other. Then my sister had called a few days ago telling me to to think of some places that her and some friends could check out to find formal wear for a ball they will be attending for Mardi Gras. So I knew there were a few shops in the mall that carried the formal wear, so I told William we had to check the stores out for his aunt. Although not completely on board, he agreed that we needed to help his aunt. We went in the first shop and found a clearance rack with a dress that was her size and had been marked down to $35.00. So that was on the list of course. Then we went to another and found some suitable dresses at reasonable prices, then we passed a store that had a window design that had a blinged out fleur de lis design on the shirt. Well I love fleur de lis, so we had to go in and look at it. As we went into the store William took control and said "Just follow me mom". So I did, and as we went to the back of the store there was a rack of formal gowns on clearance. And boy were they on clearance. All of them were between $20.00 and $15.00. My son had hit the mother load!!!! I was sooooo proud. Of course he tells me (and by the way I do believe him) "It was just an accident, I was just trying to find out the price of the shirt you like." But I will store that little bit of hope that says, maybe I'm rubbing off on him and one day he won't give me such a hassle when we are shopping. :) I love William, even if he doesn't like to shop!!!

Teacher and girlfriend gift finds

I was in Target today and foundthat they have at least 50% of their candles on clearance. These are for some really good prices and they smell good too. Would make some really great teacher gifts or girlfriend gifts, if you want to pick some up for your gift closet. Then I went to Michaels and found some really amazing deals. It is that time of year, they are getting ready to promote Halloween and Fall, so they need to clear out the spring and summer merchandise they have left. At the Michaels in Southlake, Texas I found little ceramic watering pots and matching planters or tea cups. They are going to make the most fabulous adorable gifts. I took pictures in the store of a couple of the different ones that they have. These would be so cute to put with herbs or pansies. You could also fill them with different knick knacks or small desk supplies or even their favorite candy. So let me know what you think or share any great deals you find. These items are 70% off. So the watering pots come out to $1.20 each and the tea cup is a $1.20 and the pots are $.89 each. A great find for the gift closet. Endless possibilities for these cute items.

Who knows where the next great deal will come from.

PS. For any of you who use Speedstick deodorant both Women's and Men's it is on sell at Kogers this week for 88 cents and Michaels also had their flip flops women's and children's for 60 cents.

Here is one of the candles that was

on clearance at Target. It is a 20 oz

candle for $4.98.

Here is what I did with mine once I

got it home.

One of the sets that is on clearance at Michaels

the total cost of these 3 items is $2.98.

Here is another of the sets. The total cost of this

set is $2.40.

Ok a new beginning

Well my original start didn't go so well. I only blogged three times and nothing since. Here's hoping I do better this time. Goal is to blog at least once a week. If I do more great, but at least once a week.

So as of late I have decided I should blog about things that really make me happy. Some of those things are crafts, decorating and styles/shopping. I am currently on a quest to become one of those crazy fanatical coupon shoppers. I want to experience the thrill of walking into the grocery store and walking out with a basket full of items for close to nothing. The ultimate thrill will be to walk out and not to have paid anything for the items in my cart. So I am going to keep you up to date on my journey to those ultimate goals. The next thing along the same lines is to share the great deals I do find.

This past week I found some great clearance deals at Target. I found a really cute white and black sleeveless dress for $7.48. They also had some really cute peasant dresses with t-shirt ropes and cotton skirts for $6.98. Several different colors and patterns on these dresses. Then awwwwwww in the shoe department the wonderful brown platform shoes with the leather flowers running up the center of the shoe for ...... Get ready for it ...... $4.98. That is right $4.98 not a typo. There were several different styles for the same price, but these were the shoes I loved the most.

Top view of my favorite shoe

Side view of my favorite shoes

Close up view of the flowers running

up the center of the shoe

One proud mom

So as a proud mom, I stand before you to let you know that I just watched the most amazing human spider in a play ever. He was wonderful!!! Very funny and engaging with the audience.



He came to me about a month ago saying he was going to be a human spider and he needed a costume with 8 arms and he wanted 6 eyes. So my brain kicks into gear about how I can deliver such a costume. Couple of days later I got the vision and then I had to set about executing the vision. I needed a black long sleeve t-shirt, 3 pairs of women's plain black trouser socks, fiber fill and some fishing line. OK so go ahead I'll give you minute to try and visualize the costume at this point.



OK enough time for you to, I'm sure, think up all kinds of visions. So I started by stuffing the socks with the fiber fill. Then I connected the first one underneath the arm, the next one about 3 inches beneath it and a 3rd about 3 inches below that. Did the same for the other side. Then I threaded fish line from underneath the middle of the sleeve down to the first leg and through it to the second leg and through that one to the third leg. Repeat process at the end of the sleeve and on the other side. Stuffed 3 pairs of gloves with fiber fill and put on the end of each sock and viola!!! you have a spider shirt. Did I mention he looked every bit the spider when he put on the shirt? Anyway and then I used face clown makeup and drew the additional 4 eyes on his head.



The play was wonderful and I sat in the audience with a big grin on my face as I watched my amazing son perform his lines and play his part. He pointed out on the way home that this was his 7th play that he has performed in. He has been a shark, dinosaur, turkey, just a regular boy, red Starburst and a spider. I guess we can take heart that so far he has shown versatility in his roles. :) No type casting yet.



So from a beaming WAF mom here is a picture of my star..

And in the beginning......

So here it is my first official blog. I am a wife, mother and friend. I have one very handsome and charming son as well as one very handsome and charming husband. I feel very fortunate to have a great group of girlfriends that support me through thick and thin. For many years I felt I had to be everything to everyone and never thought that one of the people that I needed to be everything for was myself.

January 29, 2008 I went in and had the Gastric Sleeve procedure performed. To date I have lost 139 pounds. Yeah me!!!! The surgery is only one step to the process of getting the weight off. The other part, and the part that I think is the most important, is figuring out you and what drives you. This is the really hard part!!!!! You have to really open up and examine why you turn to certain behaviors. Why do I reach for food when I get stressed? What does it make me feel like when I do? By eating the food does it actually relieve the stress? I have to be honest and say at times the answer to that last question is 'YES', but does it mean that it is the right place to turn to relieve the stress. Obviously not. There are other coping mechanisms that you can use besides food, you just have to find it. Maybe blogging will be my new stress reliever. At one time in my life it was playing the piano. I'm wondering if I should get another piano. I can only ever play for myself, because I will never be good enough to play for anyone else. I barely made it through my piano recitals. (very big grin) I definitely haven't found all the answers yet, I'm still on my journey.

I've decided that sharing this blog with you it will help me discover me and help me learn how to be everything to me by sharing my thoughts and seeing them in print. (I have discovered it makes it more real for me). I hope to share my ups and downs and my joy as a mother, wife and friend. So welcome to my blog and I hope you stop back often to visit and find out what is going on.