Oh Canada!

Happy Canada Day to all my canadian friends and all my friends that love canadians! Today Canada turns 144! For a little canadian humor watch the clip below! If you want a few more laughs watch Russell Peters' comedy routine on youtube called How to become a Canadian Citizen.

 

 

http://youtu.be/mWQf13B8epw

 

Happy Birthday Canada!!

Don't Ya Hate

Don't ya hate...

-when some random person you hardly know adds you on facebook. Then like a year later, still has never messaged you, writes a status about cleaning up their friend list. The next day you are still on it.

Shop Love - In Your Little Room

It's time for the first instalment of Shop Love! I'm excited to discover interesting shop and share with you guys!

This week's shop owner is Christianna from The Girl With The Blow Bow has a darling etsy shop and she was kind enough to answer a few questions for me:

What's the name of your shop? In Your Little Room

How did you come up with your shop name? Well, as I was thinking about setting up this shop, I was listening to The White Stripes Pandora station (a must listen, if you ask me), and the brilliant 51 second song "Little Room" came on.  Give it a listen! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGIEEZuXcJA)  Needless to say that is how the name "In Your Little Room" was born.  It's also fitting cause I make and or prepare everything in my own little room.

What kind of items do you sell? Cool vintage stuff with a twist, and handcrafted vintage inspired puppy dogs with mustaches!

Why did you decide to open a shop? I decided to open a shop, cause I had this crazy dream about making these hand embroidered dogs with mustaches, based on this vintage dog pillow my Great-Grandma made.  Needless to say, it then turned into a really good reason (excuse) to also go out and go "junking" with a purpose.  That purpose, to find really awesome vintage stuff to sell the world!

Your favorite thing to make in your shop? The vintage inspired mustache puppies are a lot of fun to make.  I love to do needlepoint, and this gives me a reason!  I also love being able to go out "junking" and find stuff that I love, but don't need.  I still get to buy it, but then it makes someone else happy!  Everything I buy is something I would actually get for myself, so it's like sharing my personality with the world!

Any advice for people thinking of opening one? Honestly, just do it.  Don't think about it too hard, don't over plan, and don't question your gut.  Open your shop, have a vision, but be open to everything.  You never know what your shop will turn into.  You might start it out as one thing, and it could morph into something you never imagined!  It's an adventure!

Framed Vintage Baby Deer Print
Wouldn't this be so adorable in a baby's room?!

 

Vintage Brown Ceramic Teapot with Teacup

I love vintage teapot sets! All I'd need next is a beautiful sunny porch and a girlfriend to share an afternoon tea with!

So head over and see what other vintage items she has for sale in her shop!

Thanks Christianna for participating in this week's Shop Love! If you have a shop or know a shop you'd like to recommend, send me an email!

Currently

Currently:

excited about... Canada Post opened again today! And Canada Day long week-end!

looking forward to... moving in 17 days!

listening to... Summer Hits of 2000 station on Pandora. Oh the memories *I got a pocket got a pocket full of sunshine*

enjoying... a cup of coffee. Still my first of the day. Not bad.

loving... another 2 pound loss The Scale showed me today. Oh and the fact I wore my new 1 size smaller jeans to town today.

frustrated that... Kudjo has figured out how to help himself to the food on the counter. Grr!

procrastinating from... continuing packing, folding laundry, cleaning my office. Seriously, do any of those ever end?

What are you currently doing??

 

Small Snapshots ~ Shadows

****Updated!****

I forgot to put a prompt in this week's post!  Betty from It Takes 2 suggested Patriotism! We have Canada Day tomorrow.... States have July 4th! I'm not sure about where you guys all are... but how about showing your country some love this week too!

 

Small Snapshots time!! This week's prompt was Shadows! Would you believe it's bee horrible weather since! Cloudy and rainy! No chance of shadows! Just when I was about to bust out the flashlight for some good ol' shadow puppets, the sun decided to come out! Here's what I snapped:

I got this idea from a photo I saw on pinterest. I thought I pinned it but I can't find it on my boards right now.

 

After I mentioned how a trampoline might be the makings of a fun shadow picture, Jon hopped up and tried jumping despite two large dogs trying to play too!

 

Want to play along? Link up your shadow pictures below!

Front Page!!

Guess who's photograph made it on the front page of etsy!!



It's my Standing Tall photo of grain in a prairie field. I've never had an item on the front page before! Needless to say I'm a little excited! And see that barnwood frame that's beside my photo? Jon actually bought me an adorable wood box from them for Christmas last year. They're a local shop! I just recently discovered them on etsy!

Shop Love

For the past couple weeks Canada Post has had a lock out. Meaning no mail. Anyone who knows me, knows how utterly disappointing (and frustrating) this is. Plus not to mention it kind of puts a halt on the shop happenings, so I have a stack of packages waiting to go out. And am waiting for a stack to make it here! I've had a bit more time lately to browse and discover new shops. With so many out there sometimes it's harder to discover really great ones that I'd love! I thought it might be fun to start blogging a weekly post about a neat shop you should discover. Sound like fun? If you have one you'd like to recommend, either your own or someone's you love... send me an email at kissedafrogblog @ gmail.com

DIY Screen Printing

A couple years ago when I was taking Business in college (have I mentioned that before?) I had to do a demonstration of something in my Business Communications class. I spent weeks trying to decide what I could teach or demonstrate. Back then I didn't have much for hobbies or crafts. I loved screen printing in high school and taught it for 2 years as a tutor for Visual Arts class. So I found a DIY tutorial and "taught" my college class how to do it. Lately I thought it would be fun to pull it out and create some more; and what's more fun than to share it with others!

What You'll Need:



-image to transfer (computer printout or hand drawn)
-item to transfer it too (material, clothing, paper)
-embroidery hoop (size depends on image)
-nylons (you can also use thinly woven fabric like curtain sheer material or tulle)
-scissors
-writing utensil (pen, marker, sharpie)
-various sized paint brushes
-fabric ink
-newspapers and heavy books
-wear clothing you don't mind getting glue or ink on

 

Step 1: Decide what image you want to use and what you want to put it on

-keep it simple and not too many intricate details.
-print/draw it the same size you want on your material
-when choosing fabric to print on try to make sure it's not too thin of material or the ink might bleed through.
-if printing words make sure when you go to add ink that they are in mirror image so they read properly

 

Step 2: Stretch nylons across the hoop and tighten



-stretch and tighten but don't make too tight or the nylons might rip/snag
-trim excess nylons. Leave a little bit so you have a bit to grab if you need to tighten it more.

 

Step 3: Transfer image to nylons



-with marker or pen carefully draw a light outline of the image you want to print

 

Step 4: Apply Modpodge to negative areas






-with paint brushes apply modpodge to all the areas you don't want ink.
-make sure you hold the hoop while you're doing this. If you lay it down on the table you may glue it to it!
-I use a smaller paint brush to do all the areas close to the lines and small areas. And a big brush for the outer areas.
-wait for it to dry and reapply. It will take more than one layer. If you're like me and worried then do several coats.
-if you're really concerned then do a test print on something else before you use it on your chosen material

 

Step 6: Time to screen print!

[caption id="attachment_1142" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption="thanks ol' Martha girl for the help holding the material still! "][/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_1143" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption="that turned out to be a bit too much ink"][/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_1145" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption="I went a bit too far when spreading it. The ink went where I hadn't modpodged it! opps!"][/caption]

 



 

[caption id="attachment_1148" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption="poor picture quality but... I used blue and purple ink"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1147" align="aligncenter" width="384" caption="I had this template from the last time. So I stretched it out and tried it again. Not sure exactly where but this image was from google somewhere"][/caption]

-once the modpodge is dried and you're satisfied it's thick enough it's time to try it out!
-lay some newspaper down and lay your material out. Use something heavy like textbooks to anchor the shirt and hold it still
-double check where you want the image to go and make sure it's exactly right.
-use one hand to hold the hoop still and place a bit of ink on the screen. Use a piece of cardboard or something stiff like it to spread the ink across the screen.
-Add more ink if it doesn't cover your image.

 

Step 7: Let it dry

-slowly pull from material. Leave the material there flat and to dry. Read the instructions on your ink bottle to know how long to expect.

 

Tips:

-Sometimes not all areas get enough ink and some areas get too much. In that case, I take my small paint brush and spread it out.
-You can use the template more than once. Carefully rinse, let dry and use again. You may need to reapply modpodge to a few places, but make sure to check first.

And there ya have it! Not too complicated! You can use this for so many projects! Let me know if you try it out!

Small Snapshots: Summer

So I'm a day late on this! Couldn't get my act together yesterday! Between packing and many other things everything is a little crazy here! But here it is! Small Snapshots time!! The prompt this week was Summer!




I had a hard time thinking of something for this one! Then I thought maybe I could get some neat pictures of ice cubes melting in the gorgeous sun we had today!

It almost looks like an animal eh? Bear?

 

This one I just liked how it looked. You can't really see it in the picture but there's water drops sitting up top and rolling down the side. My fingers were getting a little cold!

 

Next week's prompt: Shadows

What did you guys come up with this week??

 

Dress Shopping

I've mentioned before that I only wear one dress a year. I never wear dresses. I'm a pants girl. Because I only wear one dress a year, I also buy one new dress a year. I always hate the old ones. My closet is littered with once worn dresses. I used to wear dresses more often, back when I was really unhealthy skinny. It was much easier to go shopping for them then! Just grab the smallest size they had! But I digress...

I've been looking for the past few months for a dress for my sister's upcoming wedding. It has sort of crept up on me! I thought I had a few more months to procrastinate look but surprise! It's in just over a month! I'm not all that great with fashion, I usually go with something that's popular if I can. It's an outdoor ceremony and I am taking some pictures on that day so I need something semi-appropriate for that!

So I had a post all ready to get your guys' help! Because I sure need it! But then, before it was ready for me to hit publish, I panicked and bought a dress! I decided to post a few dress pictures of ones I was thinking of, and then at the end show you the one I ordered. Let me know what you think! (click on the pictures to head to the websites!)

 

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="360" caption="from Shabby Apple"][/caption]

This one might be a bit warm for the day! Otherwise fairly appropriate for moving around taking pictures!

 

 

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="450" caption="from Ruche"][/caption]

This one would be nice because in the evening once it got colder out I could through a sweater on top.

 

 

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="from Libby Story"][/caption]

I usually don't wear anything with prints but lately I've been liking them more!

 

 

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="342" caption="from RiverofRomansk etsy shop"][/caption]

Classy enough for a summer wedding?

 

The one I bought is this one...

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="350" caption="from Modcloth"][/caption]

It's very different for my typical clothing choices. I have only lately started wearing brighter colored clothes. I stay away from patterns. And it's a dress! But for some reason I LOVE this dress! It should be getting here tomorrow! So if it doesn't fit or if I hate it I might need to keep looking.

But what about you guys... Do you love or hate dresses? Where's your favorite store for dress shopping? What's the best kind of dress for outdoor summer weddings?

Letter to The Mirror and My Body

via weheartit.com

 

Dear Dresser Mirror,

Do you know what word they have for things like you? Tease. That's right. I said it. Tease.

Some days you're all like "Hey Carissa! You lost weight? Cuz damn girl you're lookin good!"

and other days you're like "Oh, so you bought stock in Ben and Jerry's eh? Because it sure looks like you're supporting them."

You can go from telling me my workouts are paying off -- to denying any evidence of working out and reminding me to hit the trails.

I mean come on! What did I ever do to you?! I've been saving my dance parties and pep talks for The Bathroom Mirror! I appreciate your honesty but really. Don't play with me! Just tell me like it is ok?

Oh and while we're at it... mind having a chat with The Camera? She lies to me all the time! Jon takes a bunch of pictures of me and says "these are turning out so good! You look so cute!" Then we look at them on the computer and he goes "ah!! That's not you! What happened! You didn't look like that when I took the picture!" (he doesn't say that first... I say it then he agrees. he never tells me I look bad!) Anyways, I don't know what I did to The Camera but she's out to get me. So talk to her will ya?

Sincerely,

C

 

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="via weheartit.com"][/caption]

 

 

Dear Body,

Can I be frank? I don't get this obsession with holding on to the past. Whatever issues you have you need to work it out! How many times do we need to lose the same pounds only for you to snatch them right back! This is getting old and has got to end.

If you haven't noticed already this summer is going to kick your ass. You better call your mama and tell her how much you love her because it's going to be  b-r-u-t-a-l. You thought you've had it bad before, you wait my friend. Come winter you'll thank me when you're wearing new jeans and cute cozy sweaters all sizes smaller. And maybe this Christmas I'll actually let you eat a bite of the 11 hours of baking you do, unlike last year.

Cuz hun? you're goin' down!

Sincerely,

Carissa aka the-butt-kicker

p.s. you might want to invest in some new shoes. You're gonna need 'em!

 

Small Snapshots--Movement

 

Yay! Small Snapshots time!! This week's prompt was Movement! I had an idea in mind but ran out of time to try to get it! So perhaps for a different challenge I will get the picture I want!

The second idea I had when I thought of movement was my dogs playing. I've been able to get some fun shots of that in the past so I went out the other afternoon with that goal in mind.

Our dog Butch is much much smaller than our large dog Kudjo and my brother's dog. We almost every day take them to this grassy field a 5 minute walk from out house. It one day will be an expanded part of the town cemetery but for now it's a beautiful park for the dogs. We rarely ever see anyone else out there so it's nice and private. They sometimes mow the grass but right now it's getting pretty tall. Here's a picture to give you an idea.


He's a mutt... half shih tzu and the other half is chihuahua and miniature pinscher. So we often can't see him in the grass as he's pretty short.

He thinks he's a large dog though so he runs (and sometimes gets trampled) by the big guys. Don't even try to tell him he's little. He won't listen.

 

This is what made me think of movement! He has to leap over the grass to get through quickly! It's really funny to watch! He does the same thing when he's playing fetch in the shallow part of the river!

And I have one picture from the archives... ok bear with me! I don't often post a lot of pictures of my pets on here... just twitter!
This is my brother's dog and our dog playing.


Ok! Now it's your turn! Let's see your movement pictures!! I'll leave the linky up for like a month or something that way if you're busy this week you can still post when you get to it! Also... I'm kinda loving all your guy's archive pictures! So let's adjust the guidelines to this photo thing shall we? The goal of Small Snapshots is to go out and take NEW pictures. But if an old one ends up in the post sometimes that's ok too! Alright! get posting! And I haven't forgotten to check out last week's! I'm getting around to catching up on blogs!

Next week's prompt: Summer! I thought we'd do something a little different. It's been gorgeous here all sunny like! So what does summer mean to you in pictures! If it's not summer there... alter it to fit you! :)

Just A Lil' Chat

One of my FAVORITE things to do is grab a good friend and go out for coffee. It seems after moving so many times over the past 6 years my coffee going friends have either moved away themselves or we've drifted ways. So I haven't had a coffee date for a while. I thought that this morning I'd love to sit down with each and every one of you and chat over some java. I'm enjoying myself a delicious cup, let's chat!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="440" caption="via ChelseaVictoria on etsy"][/caption]

 

I really enjoy blogging with some great music playing in the background. Thursday I discovered Pandora! I love it! It reminds me of years ago when I used to listen to yahoo radio all the time. Have you guys enjoyed Pandora yet? What's a great station I should find?

We've been looking for a place to rent for the past week. This town has nothing! There is a month waiting list for most buildings so the pickings are slim. And to make matters worse we have pets. And not just "pets" we have a large dog whom we love and don't want to get rid of. It's made the search a bit more difficult. All week we've been emailing back and forth with someone with an amazing place! Along a lake, has a garden and large yard, way out of town. Perfect. They asked if we wanted to come see it tomorrow! So fingers crossed and happy thoughts! She said they are looking forward to meeting us so I hope that's a good sign!

Before I met Jon I LOVED shoes! What girl doesn't right? I had a lot of shoes. It was almost ridiculous. Since I started dating Jon I hardly ever buy shoes. Not sure if those two facts are related or just a coincidence. My shoe collection has diminished so yesterday Jon insisted (I LOVE this boy!) that I buy some new shoes. If you've read this blog for a while you'll know I have buyer's remorse over buying the simplest thing. So we compromised and I bought 1 pair. Hello self control! They are adorable! I can't wait to wear them somewhere. I wore them around the house last night... you know to uh.. break them in.

We also bought Just Go With It yesterday. Have you seen it yet? I'm usually not a huge fan of Adam Sandler movies or the ones Jennifer Aniston has been in lately but I really like this one. Lots of funny parts.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="229" caption="via"][/caption]

 

 

I am SO obsessed with the color teal right now. It's not even funny how much I love it! These are all the things I can think of off the top of my head that are teal:

-my shop packaging

-my water bottle

-my bathroom

-numerous clothing items

-yarn

Ok so that doesn't look like a lot but I think there's more. Plus I've saved a bunch of things on my computer to buy in the future that are teal. Do you like teal or dislike it? Favorite color?

This week on the  blog I'll be posting about:

Spring Fever Challenge update. We're almost at the finish line!

Dress Shopping. I have to buy a dress!

Small Snapshots: Movement pictures! Any suggestions for the next prompt?

Letter to my mirror and body.

And whatever else comes to mind!

Do you guys like having an idea of what's coming up? Or like to be surprised?

 

Thanks for our chat! Maybe we'll do it again sometime!

 

Someone Thinks I'm Amazing!

I'm not ashamed to admit that often I call myself amazing.

Sometimes it's more of a sarcastic or tongue-in-cheek type thing.

You know... "gosh I am SOOO amazing."

Or it's in front of the mirror during my daily pep talk

"No, Carissa. YOU are amazing. Today is the day to show the world all your amazingness. Because you. are. amazing."

 

But today I didn't have to do any of those things! Someone else did for me! And when someone else does it, it makes me all blushy and embarrassed. What do bloggers do when they're embarrassed? They write a post about it. So here's my blushy post to tell you to head over to  Jello's Kitchen read about how amazing I am.

Button Wall Hangings

I've been pinning a lot of projects I want to try, onto by boards on pinterest. One neat one I saw was a button initial in a frame. We got a great deal on a bag full of random buttons at walmart yesterday! So this afternoon I sat at my desk with a delightful cup of coffee, the sun streaming through the window, and I organized my buttons into piles. Then I got to work!

 

I drew the letter I wanted onto the paper in pencil then erased it so there was only a faint line where the lead used to be. (The paper is totally upside down in this picture. It was part of my creative process :p )

 

Then after a long disagreement with my glue gun, I finally made amends. I got to work gluing the buttons down to the paper. The colors aren't really showing up right in the pictures. I don't think it looks as random shades as the picture makes it out to be but maybe!

 

It didn't turn out quite how I had imagined in my head. But I still like it.

 

Then I made one for Jon using more "manly" colors. I tried a different method of randomly gluing the larger buttons on all over the page and then adding the smaller ones in. It seems to have worked a bit better. Jon claims this one is waaayyy nicer than the "C" one. I think he's biased.

 

 

Now I just need to get some frames for them and they're ready to go in our room.

 

I made one more. It'll probably go in the doorway or office.

 

So now I'm in love! Seriously! I need to scour all the garage sales I can this summer to acquire a lot more buttons! Do you have a favorite button craft? I'd love some more ideas!