Paper Flowers

I made these amazing paper flowers to hang up at Thanksgiving. I found a wonderful tutorial for them and I will link her blog in the next post. I also want to make my own tutorial for these. I made about 20 of them for a garland with my mom the day before Thanksgiving, so I didn't take the time to snap pictures. I plan to sit down later tonight and make another for the purpose of showing all of you!

This is just a sweet little preview of them. :)

I've also been working on a new end table, which I plan to finish up tonight as well. Look for that soon too!

Hope you all are having a super weekend!

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RECIPE: Ding Dong Cake

It's sort of become a "tradition" to have Ding Dong cake at family functions the last year or so. A girl I used to work with made them a lot and would bring them to work for all of us. It's the most delicious cake I have ever eaten, and I usually hate cake. I finally decided to look up the recipe online and make one for myself. Best decision I ever made. It's my dad's favorite cake now! The first 2 pictures are from Thanksgiving. The quality is poor because I used a cell phone. The banner says "Happy Thanksgiving" and I downloaded it from here. (you can always save for next year!) I didn't get any pictures once it was cut into, but I have some from past birthday's and get together's. This particular cake, I got my icing a little to thick and once the chocolate hardened, it was difficult to cut into. But it still tasted yummy!

Ding Dong Cake (take from All Recipes)

• 1 (18.25 ounce) package devil's food cake mix
• 1 (3.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/4 cups water
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup shortening
• 3 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 2 1/4 tablespoons water

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 10 inch springform pan.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the cake mix and instant pudding. Make a well in the center and pour in the eggs, oil and water. Mix until well blended. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.
3. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool cake completely on a wire rack before removing from pan.
4. Slice a 1 inch thick slice off of the top of the cake and set aside. Scoop out the cake for the center of the bottom part to within 1 inch of the sides. Discard or save for another use. To make the filling, whisk together the flour and milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until thickened. Set aside to cool completely.
5. Once the flour and milk mixture has cooled, beat the 1/2 cup shortening, butter, sugar and vanilla on high speed until light and fluffy. Add the milk mixture and continue to beat for 4 more minutes. Spoon into the center of the cake and replace the layer sliced from the top.
6. Combine the chocolate chips, 1/4 cup shortening, corn syrup and water in the top of a double boiler. Heat, stirring frequently until melted and smooth. Pour warm glaze over the top of the cake and smooth over the sides. Refrigerate until serving.

ENJOY!

Linking up here: Handy Man, Crafty Woman , My Girlish Whims , DIY By Design

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Thankful: 6 Things

It seems appropriate to write up a post about the things that I'm grateful for. Considering it is Thanksgiving and all. Of course I could never put down every single thing that matters to me, but these are definitely the top few.

1. My husband. We have been through some crap over the last (almost) 6 years. But we have always loved each other and that made everything else alright. He works super hard at his 2 jobs to support our little family. He has always been super supportive of what I've wanted to do, although these last couple of months have pushed him. I don't know where I would be if it wasn't for him. So I am definitely thankful that he is in my life for good!

2. My family who is crazy and super embarrassing. But whose isn't, right? They have always been there for me, no matter what. I love them more than anything even tho there are times when I've wanted to kill them. I'm sure that feeling has been mutual though. :) I am also super thankful for my extended family, who can also be crazy and super embarrassing! But I wouldn't trade any of them for the world.

M's family. (mom, dad, sister. niece not pictured)

My family. (everyone, minus a few)

3. My friends. Especially my best friend, Christy. (she has a blog too, but doesn't post much. go encourage her!!) Her and I have really been through some stuff. Some amazing experiences (like falling in love!) and some not so great experiences (like falling out of love.) She lives in Kentucky and I miss her everyday. I can't wait until I can get back up there to visit! But I know that no matter how I screw up or how low I fall, she will always be there for me. And I for her. Secondly, all my old co-workers. I don't get to see them as often as I did when we all worked together, but I consider them some of my best friends. One of those you can say anything at anytime and they just get it. I miss you guys sooo much!!

4. My home. I feel super blessed to have my own home to live in. M and I went through some rough times when we still lived in Michigan. Moving back home has really worked out for us. It's all due to my dad of course since we both blew our credit to pieces. But we live in an amazing place. In the woods, with a pond and horses and it's so peaceful. I really need to learn to enjoy it more.

 5. My furbabies. They are my world and I would feel so lost without them. Zoey in particular. She has been with me for 6 years (longer than M!) and I refuse to think of the day when she will no longer be here. I notice every day that she's getting older. She's slowing down and sometimes she struggles with the simplest of things. I know she's only 6 but her legs have given her some problems in the past and it's evident that her joints are starting to act up. All of my critters see me at my worst, lowest moments and they still love me. Nothing has touched me more than to be crying my eyes out and Hershey comes to lick my face. They know and it is such a precious thing.

6. Having the opportunity to follow my dreams. This one is touchy though. In a recent post I made, I explained why I haven't gone farther in my quest to complete self-employment. I have alot of issues that I need to work on with myself in order to make my dreams come true. But my family supports me and even though I have pushed there limits here lately, they are still on board with me. I'm for sure going to work on this, I may never have another chance to do something so amazing.

I chose 6 because 5 just wasn't enough. :) I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving. I've spent the whole day crafting and cooking. (posts coming soon!) Back at it in the morning!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

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Upcoming Projects!

I mentioned in a previous post that I had purchased 3 new furniture pieces to refinish. As of this moment, I have not started any of them. (Shame!) But I'm planning to get started on the desk tomorrow. They are all pretty dirty in these pictures. We don't have a lot of room to store the pieces I work on, so I usually try to just incorporate them into our decor. That way they don't look so out of place or make the house look junky. We pretty much just unloaded these right inside the front door until I could figure out where to put them. We've been climbing around them for almost a week now..

I love this piece. 20$ for the set. It is pretty scratched up but that doesn't matter when you're painting! Also, the front leg on the left side is broken, so we will have to replace it. Probably all four legs so that they'll match. This would be perfect for our little nook of a dining room, so I may end up keeping this one.

I think this piece is my favorite and it was only $5! It's actually a sewing machine stand. The top lifts and folds down the back side to reveal the storage for your machine. But if you aren't a sewer then it would still make a super cute desk with a hidden little secret. I loved the gray color I used on my cedar chest so much, I'm thinking of doing this piece the same color.

Ignore the halloween decorations on top. I have no idea how I will do this little desk but for $5, I couldn't pass it up. I've seen some really cute creations of school desks, so maybe after some searching I'll find some inspiration.

Those green totes store all my halloween decorations. They are the reason I haven't started any of these projects yet. I've gathered all my decorations into a pile next to the boxes but haven't actually packed them up yet. The boxes are mostly blocking my hallway and because of that I can't get any of the furniture down the hall and into my craft room. Until I get my craft room set up for my sewing machine and all my supplies, I've been using it to do my furniture in. So tomorrow my main goal is get rid of the green totes!

This last picture just kind of shows my point of making things blend in. M got this chair from the church he works at. They were going to throw it in the trash! I'm planning on it being my first upholstering experiment. When I work up the guts to tackle it. The nightstand I am painting gray to use in our bedroom. Since we don't have a dining table at the moment, I used the space to make a sort of "sitting area". It stores the two pieces without it looking like storage. I think. Hopefully. :)

The picture of Roxy is just for cuteness. Maybe I'll share her story one day. She's the latest (and last) of our fur babies.

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Cedar Chest Project

I've had this chest sitting in my craft room for months. I couldn't decide how I wanted to re do it. The top was cracked half way down the middle, so I knew I would have to paint it instead of just restaining. Because of this, I used it as a stand to paint multiple other items, so the before ended up looking something like this.

You can see the huge crack that I wood filled and filled and filled. M rigged up the inside with some extra support so it isn't pulling apart any time soon! I used Rustoleum Spray Paint in Winter's Gray and a bright White. I had every intention of selling this piece but after I was finished I talked myself into keeping it. It was the perfect size to fit at the end of our bed. In these after pictures, ignore the mess of a bed behind it. Today was laundry day and my bed stayed covered with clothes the whole time. Actually it still is..

I can't decide if I should distress it or not. I still haven't put a protective coat on it, so I keep a blanket over it to keep the dogs from scratching it up. What do you think? Distress or no?


LINKING UP @ The DIY Home Sweet Home Project, Three Boys, DIY by Design, Primitive & Proper, Miss Mustard Seed, Designer Garden

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FAIL: fantabulous friday!

So, yeah. I forgot to update on Friday. Well, I didn't forget. Mostly I just didn't put forth the effort. Anywho, this is just a quick little (pictureless!) post to say that it's coming.

I am actually quite proud of myself for this past week. I finished my cedar chest project. I completely re-arranged the living room. I re-hung all the art in the living room. I got some of the laundry done. I straightened up the bedroom. (not cleaned, just straightened.) I purchased 3 new furniture pieces for upcoming projects. I spent some time with my husband. I spent some time with my family.

I've taken lots of pictures which I haven't transferred onto the computer yet. I'm hoping to make a post tomorrow with my cedar chest. I've also been wanting to do a House Tour. You may have noticed I added a button/page but it has no content yet. Since I changed our living room around, I figured I should just start there.  My plan is to make a video tour and have some pictures. I've never made a video tour before though so we'll see how that goes.

I feel like I did better this week, but I could have done more. It's a step in the right direction though. Hope you all had a great weekend! See you tomorrow :)

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I lost 12 inches! of hair..

About a week ago I got my hair cut. Normally, not a big deal. Except this time I got 12 inches chopped off! Kind of a big deal. (yes, I donated it!) For the past, uh forever, I've had really bad headaches. My mom insisted if I cut my hair it would help. I always thought since my hair is so thin and fine that it wouldn't. Well it's been over a week and I haven't had one headache. I hate admitting my mother was right! I figured I'd show a little before and after. The best before picture I could find was from my wedding. And the new ones I snapped with my phone so they aren't the best quality, but it shows what it needs to show.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

With a little curl!

Without a little curl!

I have no idea what kind of disease is under my eye in this one. 

I love it. It's so much easier to brush, wash, style. And going from having a borderline migraine about 4 days a week to having none is amazing! Also, the sweater came from Belk and I wear it with everything. Seriously.

HAPPY MONDAY!

A sneak peek of a project I started today.

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Sunday Confessions

Once again, (like so many times before) I apologize for my lack of posting. I apparently suck at life. But before anyone tries to make me think otherwise, let me explain myself. (NOTE: I started writing this out on paper and it got kinda long and my hand started to cramp.. So if you don't want to read a long rambling post, I completely understand!)

I've debated for several months now about doing a post disclosing my "secret". One minute, I'm determined to write it all out and the next I change my mind. But more recently, it's really been on my mind to share this with all of you. (ok, all 11 of you) I have decided that I'm not gonna hide behind closed doors (or closed computers!) anymore and actually do something about it. So, here goes...

For most of my life, I have struggled with depression.

A shortened version of my long, wrote on paper history would be this. My mom struggles with depression and I believe my grandmother did as well. It kinda runs in my genes I guess. And nothing against my mom or grandmother! They are/were the most amazing women in my life and I thank God everyday for them both. But it didn't help growing up with a mother who didn't think very highly of herself. It reflected a bad image onto myself. I've always had body issues, beauty issues, social issues. I've never considered myself good enough.

When I was around 14/15, I started taking Paxil. My world changed. I no longer had panic attacks. I started becoming a little more outgoing. I even moved out of state when I turned 18, all by myself! I believe I was around 20 when I stopped taking Paxil. My insurance company messed up the order (we got the 90day supplies through the mail) and it ended up being 2 weeks late. I had horrible withdrawals and crazy headaches. When my pills finally did arrive, I wasn't going to make myself go through all that again by starting out with such a high dosage. I just stopped. I was fine. Nothing changed back to they way it was. Life was ok.

Fast forward to about a year ago. My job began to get worse and worse. I honestly feel as tho my job affected my relapse. I worked retail for Kirkland's Home stores for almost 9 years and in two different states. I loved my job. Until a little before christmas this past year. I simply got fed up and burnt out. Being a manager during the holiday season isn't easy by itself. You throw in being burnt out on top of that and well, it wasn't pretty. I have some wonderful memories from my days at Kirkland's. Most of my best friends to this day were my co-workers. The company itself began to just expect to much. Not to mention our insane District Manager. (you know who you are!) And if by some odd reason you happen to stumble upon this little ole blog post, I just have a few words to share. You, my friend, are a horrible DM. You expect entirely to much from your managers and staff. Nobody is perfect, especially you. Perfection is an impossible task to ask for. And most importantly, every single one of your employees are over the age of 18. You should treat them as such. None of us, and I repeat, NONE of us appreciated being talked to like a 5 year old. Respect is earned. In my opinion, you never really earned mine.

Whew! I know how petty that must sound, but I have wanted to vent that out for a long time now. And naturally, this is my own personal opinion from being on the inside. I ask that no one base any judgements on them based on my opinion. Kirkland's is a great store, with great employees and I encourage you to continue shopping with them. And if you've never visited one, you need to! You won't be disappointed!

Anyways, I got waaaaay off track there. Sorry. So fast forward up until June. I quit. I had reached a point where I would come home in a bad mood almost every day. I would take it out on M and my family and that wasn't fair to them. I had completely lost my patience with ignorant, rude customers. I actually cringed when someone would ask me for help. Obviously, that's a sign to make a change. So I did. I decided to focus on starting my own business. Hence, Holly in Wonderland. It's been a slow start, but that's mostly my fault and what I'm getting to with all this jibber jabber!

Since I have been home, I have slipped back into my depression. I never leave the house. I've driven my car only once since June. I spend all day alone with my animals and I wallow. I have let my self hate affect me to the point that I do nothing. My house is a wreck, the laundry is mountainous, no projects are getting done. I hate to admit this, but I've even gone days without showering. (gross! tell me about it.) I know that I need to break this slump before it completely ruins me. It may help if I'd see someone and maybe start another form of medication, but I've been happy without pills before. I feel as if I really try that I can be again. Baby steps, I guess.

Soooooo, what this all boils down to is that I have decided that I will start doing a "feature" on my blog called Fantabulous Fridays. Every friday I will give a weekly recap of the things I accomplished or did not accomplish. I will constructively criticize myself and I will also praise myself. I will post goals for the upcoming week, so that it can be made known (through pictures if I have to!) what I got done and what I did not. It makes it even better by having you out there reading what I post. Because now I have people to hold me accountable for my actions and naturally I won't want to post that I've done nothing. I'm hoping that by recognizing once again that I have a problem and choosing to act on it in such a public way that I can make some changes.

If you are still reading this, Bless your heart! Thank you to those who do read my blog, even though there are few of you. I know that I'm just starting out in this grand blog world and I'm hoping that one day I can make my own little mark on it.

I hope that all you have had an amazing weekend and HAVE A SPOOKTACULAR HALLOWEEN!!

Zoey in her Devil hat!

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Duncan Phyfe Buffet

This project has caused many a fit over the last few weeks! I sanded, I primed, I painted. Then I ran out of paint. I had to wait over a week before we could afford to buy some more. Then we nicked it all up moving into the house because this thing is a beast. Fixed all that. Found drawer liner that I loved, didn't have enough. Couldn't find another roll in any store to save my life. Decided to go with a different liner. Finally finished and spraying on a clear, protective coat. I grab the "matte" finish, which was fine for the body of this guy. Not fine for the restained, shiny top piece. Luckily, I still had a small can of poly. So after a few more coats, I think I am finally done. Or as done as I'm going to get it. I have a bazillion projects to get going and this one has consumed to much of my time! I absolutely love how it turned out tho.

A little history on this buffet. It belonged to my grandparents. They bought it (along with a whole dining set that I wish they had kept!) when my mom was a little girl. That puts this piece somewhere between 50-60 years old! I love antiques. Especially great ones like this. This guy had gotten pretty beat up over the years, but is still a solid, heavy piece of furniture. I didn't attempt to fix many of the dings and chips. I think it would take away from it's history to cover all those up! I just simply gave him a new coat of paint.

HAPPY MONDAY!!


Linking up @ Primitive & Proper
The Shabby Nest
Pefectly Imperfect
Fingerprints on the Fridge
Dittle Dattle
Miss Mustard Seed

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A - Z ME!

I do have a few upcoming blog posts planned and the launch of a new blog! But in the meantime, I thought this little survey was cute. So I'm sharing!


A. Age: 28
B. Bed size: Queen. But it still isn't big enough for us and 3 dogs.
C. Chore that you hate: All of them! No, but really dishes! I hate hate hate doing dishes.
D. Dogs: 3! A chihuahua named Zoey, a lab mix named Hershey and a Min Pin named Roxy.
E. Essential start to your day: As of right now, I don't really have a "routine". My days are kinda haphazard. I just do whatever, whenever. I'm working on that tho! But I can't start my day until I pee. I even make the dogs dance around waiting on me so I can let them go pee. 
F. Favorite color: I don't really have a favorite. I love all colors. Bright colors. Ok, Pink. Definitely pink.
G. Gold or Silver: Silver. I have always hated gold, but I'm trying to ease myself into wearing it a little bit now.
H. Height: 5'1" 
I. Instruments you play: None, although I did take piano lessons my whole childhood. And I played the clarinet in the 6th grade band for 6 months.
J. Job title:  Stay at home Dreamer! Blogger/crafty person.
K. Kids: none for now, my furry ones are enough work for me!
L. Live: Um, yes I do live. Thanks for asking. (In Mississippi .. if that's what this means.)
M. Mother’s name: Terry
N. Nicknames: I don't really have any nicknames. Holly is kinda short on its own. I have been called Hol a few times tho.
O. Overnight hospital stays: nope! A few outpatients but no overnights.
P. Pet peeves: People who speak! Really, I am not a people person.
Q. Quote from a movie: It's not a movie, but I like it! “High school. A small world unto itself, combining all the warmest elements of a federal work camp with those of a Third World poultry farm. It’s a miracle I graduated without killing anyone.” – Dexter
R. Right or left handed: right handed.
S. Siblings: Just me! I'm your typical, spoiled only child. Kidding, I'm not typical.
U. Underwear:  Whatever's comfortable. I haven't reached granny panty comfortable yet tho.
V. Vegetable you hate: There's a few of them. Asparagus, Eggplant, Cauliflower.
W. What makes you run late: Nothing, if anything I'm always early. Like sit in your car for 20 minutes kinda early.
X. X-Rays you’ve had: Oh wow, my butt in 3rd grade after falling off the monkey bars. My wrist in 4th grade after slamming it in the car door. Do my teeth count? I've had that done lots of times.
Y. Yummy food that you make: Fiesta Lime Chicken (just like Applebee's!) and um, anything else I made. I'm an excellent cook, most of the time. I do burn the bread occasionally.
Z. Zoo animal: I haven't been to a zoo since I was like, 12. I'm sure they have newer cooler animals now, but monkeys! Monkeys are just to dang cute.

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