wrapping up the Holidays...

Well, the Christmas chaos has finally settled down and things are back to normal....right?
I've spent the last 2 days un-decorating my house. Blah. Now all I need to do is find the strength to tackle the big box stores for some ornament storage containers.

Besides that, I have been enjoying my time off from work [though my paycheck-or lack of- is going to kill me next week]. I've spent my days sleeping late and doing 'wife' stuff.... which isn't so bad when I actually have time for it. Hey, I fixed hubbs lunch 2 days in a row.....don't tell me I'm not domestic!

I've also been spending my time playing with one of my Christmas presents- my new camera!!  As if hubbs didn't outdo himself with the new car, he also got me a super fantastic SLR camera.

So I've been experimenting with various techniques and trying to figure out what everything is-- so much fun!  In just 2 days, I had already taken over 600 pics. Hubbs has been playing around too. Here are just a few shots we've taken:

Not bad, right? I'd like to learn some techniques like these [all from Pinterest]

Any suggestions? Tell me what you think!!

xoxo,
Mrs. V!ck

I made the 'nice' list this year!!

Who would have 'thunk' it, right?

Apparently, Santa's been keeping notes....That, or he knows the condition of my widdle Altima...Yes, it rattled like an old washing machine, had a missing driver side door handle and windows with minds of their own....guess he noticed ;)

Well, when I got home from work on Monday, LO-AND-BEHOLD the beauty that was sitting in my driveway:

Yep, that's right... a brand new 2012 Kia Soul!!

My hubbs actually drove around and waited in the parking lot across the street from our house, until I got home from work, so he could surprise me with it.

He's so great! Sneaky....but great! Not to mention my parents were a little sneaky too..

I am so happy. LOVE IT!! 

Thanks so much, y'all! Merry Christmas to me.

xoxo, Mrs. V!ck

DIY: mercury glass chargers

Hello friends and fellow crafters!  Today I want to share with you a super easy technique for DIYing your own mercury glass items.

I had attempted this method in the past and found it difficult to accomplish with certain items (i.e. vases).  See, because vases are tubular objects and I could not fit my hand in , it made spraying a challenge.  But no worries, this time I tried with a flatter/wider/open object.... a plate.

The idea came to me when I was browsing online for some Christmas dishes and chargers. World Market has chargers as does Z Gallerie [here], but I couldn't find exactly what I was looking for and they were a little over budget anyway.

So I carried my budget-friendly behind over to the Dollar Tree where I found these clear glass dinner plates. They were perfect for my project @ a buck a piece!!

Besides the plates themselves, I needed:

• looking glass mirror spray (Hobby Lobby)
• a squirt bottle with water and 
• a sponge 
• clear gloss sealant spray (Hobby Lobby)

[all of which I already had from my first mercury glass project attempt]

1] First off, make sure you plates [or whatever items you choose] has a clean BACK surface-- I say this because with LGS [looking glass spray], the back of the object is sprayed so the reflective side shows on front side [get it?]

2] Next, put each plate face down on the table;
spray a thin coat of LGS, covering the entire surface.

Repeat this step a few times [letting each coat dry in between] until you've reached your desired darkness or lightness.











3] After applying [your] desired number of coats, squirt a light coat of water to where it makes tiny water beads on the surface.

With your sponge, begin dabbing all around the surface- which will cause the paint to sort of smudge.

 

Once you've dabbed the surface with your sponge, flip the plate over and inspect your work. You may want to dab more [in order for more light to show thru] or add more LGS if you've dabbed too much.  It's all about preference at this point.  If you're satisfied with the outcome, spray a light coat of clear gloss to seal it.

Your finished product should look something like this:

I layered my 'chargers' with smaller decorative salad plates that compliment my holiday dining table decor:

TADAAA! There you have your own custom made mercury glass chargers. 

If you wanted to take this project a step farther, you could spray or paint the back [over the LGS] so that  color [like gold or black, for example] would show through the smudge spots...

I hope this Mercury Glass tutorial was easy and informative. Now go out and create your own!!

xoxo,

Mrs. V!ck

Christmas decor...Part Deux!

Here's a sneak peek at the rest of my Christmas decor...

I just can't.get.enough reindeer and glitter!

HAPPY WEDNESDAY, LOVELIES!

xoxo,

Mrs. V!ck

12 . 12 . 11 !!

Today I just want to send a shout out to my bestie on her birthday!! 

Happy dirty thirty, friend! Hope your day is wonderful!

xoxo, Mrs. V!ck

Deck the Halls with shiny balls!

I've been a busy bee, decorating my home for the Holidays. This year my parents are hosting our family Christmas party at my house, so I want it all to be in tip top shape for our guests.

That means mucho festive decor.

Since I've always lived in matchbox apartments, I had to have a matchbox-sized tree. Now that we are in our house, my widdle tree looks so out of scale. Unfortunately, it's all I have to work with. {next year, I'm getting a big girl tree!}

But I've improvised...

• Exhibit A- my lime green Grinch tree
• Exhibit B- hubb's old drum set
• Exhibit C- my DIY ornies

So far it's come down to this:

I am not completely satisfied with it yet, but it'll all come together...eventually

Stayed tuned for more...

xoxo,
Mrs. V!ck

let's try this again, shall we? Merry Christmas to ME!

Haha! It sounds so selfish, I know! I just wanted to test my skillz using picasa. I am a {leetle} envious of all those fabulous blogs out there, that are capable of creating photo collages. So this is my practice run, and an opportunity to get the word out to Ol' Saint Nich..

{starting from top left box, clockwise} 

1] Ferrero Rocher chocolates...MMMM!

2] Levi's Women's Denim Western shirt 

3] TJMaxx/Marshall's giftcards!! 

4] Dolce & Gabana Guilty for women 

5] Nikon CoolPix L120 in bronze 

6] Gucci II parume pour femme 

Let me know what you think of my new photo layout!! 

xoxo, Mrs. V!ck

oh, the joys of giving...

As the holiday season approaches, I always have mixed emotions… I get super excited about decorating (you already knew that) and family gatherings and good food. But my hang up is always gift giving.

Why? Because I love giving gifts! To EVERYONE!  

This is why I am so into making gifts.  As a self-proclaimed avid DIYer, I usually come up with a brilliant project idea (or at least I think it is) that’s affordable.

It’s like this, I have a wide array of personality types to give to during the holidays.  From the Diva, to the techy, to the outdoorsy, young and old, guy or gal (mostly gals), and I feel I’ve been pretty successful at pleasing…or at least that’s what folks lead me to believe

Ex: In the past I’ve made aprons, bath salts, dehydrated fruit (sounds weird, but soooo good, and good for you), personalized anything (ornaments, wreaths, doormats).

I feel like there’s no way I can possibly get everything on a person’s list. Nor do I want to. It just seems so superficial. And I hate holiday crowds. For this reason, I think a homemade gift is, not only, thoughtful but let’s my creativity flow and comes from the heart. 

Here are just a few DIY ideas that I think would make a perfect gift for just about anyone this season:

1. Bring it back "old school" with a friendship bracelet

your Bestie is sure to love and appreciate the playfulness!

2. For the one who loves to accessorize

 make an earring holder from a beautiful (open) frame
with lace strung behind it

3. For the one who loves to get pampered:
homemade body scrub

 recipe here

4. For the chef in the family

 get an inexpensive set of cookie cutters, spray paint them any color, glue together and add a bow. Voila!

5. For the fun/trendy personal on your list: a necktie cuff bracelet

 take dad's old neck ties, cut to desired length, 

use velcro to fasten and embellish with a funky button

6. For the newly married couple:

cut [their invitation], line by line, scroll and stuff into a beautiful glass ornament

It makes for the perfect sentimental gift.

I really hope this inspires some of you to throw out that 'list' and to create something brilliant for that special person. I promise they won't be disappointed!

Happy Holidays!!

xoxo, Mrs. V!ck