Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!

I’ve always wanted to use that blog title and now I can! Woot woot! This has been an exciting couple weeks here at Shaped by Grace! If you follow me on Facebook then you may recognize these pictures from some of the recent giveaways going on in blog and Facebook land!

Do you enter giveaways? If you don’t, you should really give it a try! When I first started blogging I thought “I’ll never win.” Or “It must be hard to enter – what do I do?” NOW, however, I sing a different tune! Because, yes, giveaways are all over the place – but they are SO EASY to enter! Some are as simple as leaving one comment on a Facebook page or blog post! And someone has to win – so why not you?

I wanted to give a special thank you to the following ladies for offering up giveaways of their lovely creations! I am so excited to not only share these prizes but share some pretty cool women as well. If you haven’t heard of any of these websites, I suggest you hurry on over and check them out!

One of the first prizes I won was this headband from JandM’s Eye Candy!

Actually, I won credit to shop at her store – and let me tell you, I had such a hard time deciding what to buy! Kristine makes some of the most beautiful headbands, clips and necklaces. It makes me wish I had a little girl to spoil with all her shop’s eye candy! And it IS eye candy! I got several compliments on it the first day I wore this headband! :) I chose yellow because I love the color but don’t have a lot of yellow accessories! I love it!



Yellow is quickly becoming my new favorite color! Aaand this headband goes perfect wiiiith, prize number 2!

Next, I won this SHINE ON t-shirt giveaway from the lovely Ashley at The Shine Project.

What Ashley is doing to change the world will amaze you. She and her blog are so inspiring! Check her out!



I wore this shirt at the Breakfast Together Outreach we serve at on Sunday mornings. I love that no matter when I wear it, I’ll remember to let my light SHINE! Thank you Ashley for being an inspiration in my life. xoxo

And finally…

I JUST found out that I won a jewelry giveaway from Rebecca at The Crafted Sparrow!





I got to pick a flower Cabachon ring and a set of earrings! I think I’m going to go with yellow again. It will complete the outfit above. ;o) And I have entered several giveaways for a ring like this and never won! So, I am so excited to not only win one, but win won from Rebecca!! She is also a woman of faith and is a joy to work with! I also know she makes quality jewelry because I won a necklace from her shop a few months ago!! :o)



I feel so fortunate to have been the recipient of these awesome prizes! I wanted to be sure I sent a special thank you to each of these ladies for sharing their creativity with all of us! Be sure to stop by their pages and say hi! I am so blessed to know you girls! Thanks again ladies!

If you haven’t thought of entering a giveaway – you really should! Have you won a giveaway before or are you having a giveaway right now? Let me know in the comments below! I’d love to check out the site and share in your joy too! Have a great week! God Bless! xo

10 Day YOU Challenge: 7 Wants

1. I want it to be summer! It has been one of the best school years so far, but I am already looking forward to time off work, more time with my kids, hot days, some traveling, my toes in the sand… sigh


2. I want a full time maid and a full time personal chef in my house! {Other than me!} Some days I am just tired. Can anyone else relate?


3. I want my boys to love the Lord, love others and grow up to be men of character that people respect. {Now, is that too much to ask? I think not.} :)

4. I want Google to keep GFC and for technology not to outrun me! {Just when I think I’ve got it all figured out SOMEONE comes along and changes it all! When you know who that someone is, will you please let me know?} ;-)




5. I want to be a better friend. To not just have virtual relationships with them, but actually take the time to send a note, call them and visit them!

6. I want to hold your hand. ;o)

7. I want the world to be a better place because I lived in it. 




Now it's you’re turn! What do YOU want? xo

Clothing Swap Party

A few months before I was immersed in blog land, I threw a clothing swap party with some friends. What is a clothing swap party? Well, I’m so glad you asked!!
It is where you clean out your closet, gather all the clothes, purses, belts, shoes, etc. that you no longer wear and bring them to a swap party! At the swap party you get to exchange each item of clothing for something new {to you} that your friends brought that THEY no longer wear and want to swap! You and your friends score some new items and all left over clothes were donated to charity. It’s a win win!!


Here are some pictures of our fun night! 



I scored those cute ballet slippers {above}! They are so comfortable! I also made these signs and glued them onto those little stands I got from Michaels for $1! I added some ribbon and rhinestones {on the sides} for a little girly glam.

{Ugh! I’m bummed some of these came out so blurry! I only had a phone camera at the time so these are my only pictures of the event!} 

We actually had a ton of jewelry! My friend was a consultant for Cookie Lee and brought some pieces to share and even raffled off a piece of jewelry just for fun!!

These belts and scarves hung from what used to be an over the door towel rack.




I also had a double clothing rack {purchased from Target} to hang up all the clothes.




I used my stairway landing as an additional area to try on clothes. The white drapery is actually my white lace shower curtain hung on hooks! I had other spaces for trying on clothes as well and another full length mirror in the living room for people to look at and try on clothes!



{Can you tell what I made this pom pom out of? A few of these were hung around my living room just for some added fun!}






Swap ‘Til you Drop!




As each guest came in they received a recyclable shopping bag to take home their new clothes in and a little goodie bag which included a pen and a list pad to write down some of the items they liked as they ‘shopped’!




Other than getting to scope out our friend’s wardrobes, our favorite part was shopping and trying on all the clothes, shoes and jewelry!



Here’s the general concept for how a swap party works:
For every item of clothing brought, you receive a ticket. Each ticket, in turn, could be exchanged for another item of clothing. As guests arrived, they wrote their name on a list. We used that list as the order in which we took turns choosing clothing swap items. Guests were given some time to shop and try on clothes before the actual shopping portion took place.

And the shopping was SO much fun! It was so neat to see my friends encouraging each other and hearing “That looks SO good on you! Here – try it with this top!” and so on. Sometimes we felt like the girls in that book “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.” Even thought we were all different heights and sizes, the clothes just seemed to work out! And because we had belts, scarves, shoes and purses anyone of ANY size and height could join the party!!

What was also cool was that most people wanted to GET RID OF clothes – SO they may have brought in 30 items of clothing but only wanted to take 5 home! That meant some people got to take extras if they wanted and it also meant that we had a bunch left over! {**Give your friends PLENTY of notice you’re planning a swap party so they have time to save clothes! I recommend at least 6-8 weeks, more if you can, so there are plenty of clothes!}


All extra clothes were donated to charity! {I put that in the invite so guests would know ahead of  time where we were donating.}




Ready for your own swap party? Right click the image below to print out your own directions for swap party fun!



Thanks so much for reading! Let me know if you plan your own swap party!



Linking up to:
Home Stories AtoZ; The Gunny Sack; tatertots and jello; Homemaker in Heels;Tip Junkie;Today's Creative Blog; C.R.A.F.T.

10 Day YOU Challenge: 8 Fears

8 FEARS
 
1. Failure. I am a perfectionist and an overachiever. I don’t like to make mistakes and when I do, I’m really hard on myself. I was much worse when I was younger, and have since worked on this as an adult, but it’s something I need to remind myself daily: I don’t need to be perfect. In fact, it is our imperfections that make us beautiful…


2. Being home alone. When I was a little girl my mom, sisters and I were home alone when someone came up to our window and tried to get in. We immediately called my dad and started praying. Amazingly (and totally a move by God to scare him away I’m sure) he ran off as fast as he could and never came back. However, I still get scared when I’m home alone sometimes-- I neurotically lock all windows and doors, the whole bit. But you know, it is also a reminder that God was protecting us that day – and still is. xo

3. Coulrophobia ;o)


4. Spiders. I once paid my son to kill a spider for me. :)

5. Flying. Mostly the take-off and landing. Honestly, it's not a crippling fear; it doesn’t keep me from traveling, it just makes the process a little more nerve racking!

6. Horror movies. And their trailers. Seriously can. not. watch. them. before I go to bed or else I can’t sleep! So – what do I do? I watch a funny movie afterward to make my mind forget about it!

7. If one of my kids were to get really sick or hurt. I can’t stand it when they have the slightest cold or scratch. I physically hurt when they hurt. I can’t imagine seeing them in any serious pain or battling any serious illness.

8. My car breaking down. Again – when I was growing up, and also as a new driver, my family always had horrible broken down cars. I’ve been stuck alone on the side of the road so many times with no cell phone I’ve lost count. So, when I got my jobby job, I vowed I would always have a working car. (It doesn’t always work out that way even with a new car, but at least now I have a cell phone to call for help and don’t have to walk to the call box on the side of the road!)

I know God says “do not fear.” In fact, did you know it is his most repeated command in the Bible? My mind knows this, so I need to remember that in my heart. Maybe I should change this title to “8 reminders to pray.” What do you think?

Thanks for reading my list. I think it was harder to write about my fears than my secrets. Can you identify with any of my fears? How about you? What are some of your fears?



Looking back:
10 Day YOU Challenge: 10 secrets
10 Day YOU Challenge: 9 loves

10 day YOU Challenge: 9 Loves

I hope you don’t mind if I forego some of the obvious loves like friends and family. {And food and places for that matter since they’re coming up in days 6 and 5 in this challenge anyways.} I actually found it hard to pick only 9. There are so many things in this world that I love, so I tried to pick some things that encompassed multiple parts of my life. Yes, wine, made the list. ;o)


9 LOVES

1. Simplicity. Because so often, life is not simple, and when we can be happy with the simple things in life – that is where we find JOY.

2. Dancing. It used to be a HUGE part of my life, and now it is just a hobby. But I hold on to it. It’s great exercise, and when I dance at church it makes me feel closer to God and it feeds another creative part of my soul.

{Private photo taken via my church; website omitted for privacy reasons.}

3. Which brings me to - God. And no, I’m not the Oscar winner who gives the shout out and the superficial finger point in the air to thank God. I really actually mean it. I’ve seen glimpses of my life without God and definitely with Him is much, much better!

4. Wine. {I do not discriminate on the type or bouquet.}

5. Anyone who has a heart for service. It is close to my heart and when I see it in someone else, I am naturally drawn to them. And when I have the opportunity to serve someone, my heart feels full. It’s hard to explain. {See my Girl on a Mission page for a couple places I love.}

6. You! Yes, you reading this post! In the short 9 months I've been here, I've really grown to love my blog and her sweet followers. Seriously. I never would have thought that it would grow into what it has become. I never thought I would meet such friendly, loving, fellow bloggers; I never thought I’d get featured anywhere and I never thought anyone would read it other than my sister. Now, it has become an extension of my love for my boys, my crafting, my thoughts and my life. I hope that in some small ways it even provides some inspiration and encouragement for even one person.

7. Anything OUTDOORS: the beach, snowboarding, going on a walk, bike ride, hike or run. One of the benefits of living in Southern California is that I can technically do all of these things in one single day! {Have I ever? No, but the opportunity’s there if I need it!}



8. Chocolate (When combined with #4 = BLISS}

9. My boys. I tried, but you know I couldn’t leave those two guys off this list! And it is only appropriate because I am writing this post on Little Man’s 8^th birthday! Love you kiddo!



And just so you know, I also wanted to add: friends, family, books, Adele, summer, PRESENTS!, the scent of vanilla sugar and strawberries, Starbucks Caramel Light Frappucinos, laughter, baseball {Go Angels!}, football {Go Chargers!}, cheesecake, board games, any games, spa days and a massage, but, well, this post would just be way too long!;o)

How about you? What do you love? 
 

Remodelaholic Feature!

2012 is starting off with a BANG! Wow! Thank you SO much to the lovely Cassity at Remodelaholic for choosing to feature my Budget Kitchen Makeover on her blog!! I am honored and thrilled to be on one of my favorite DIY remodeling sites today! Woot woot! If you are stopping by from Remodelaholic – welcome!! Be sure to say hi! I love making new blog friends! :o)



To see the original post on Remodelaholic click here: Remodelaholic Two Toned Kitchen Makeover.

If you would like to read about how I kept the cost under $500 and the entire “how to” breakdown of this makeover, please click here: Budget Kitchen Makover.

It is also special that this makeover was featured TODAY in particular, because today is my Little Man’s 8th birthday! Yay! {I hope he never gets too old to be my Little Man.}

I also wanted to say thank you so much to my followers for all your support as it has been a week full of lots of love here at Shaped by Grace! I truly appreciate each and every one of you and all your kind words! Thanks for the love! Be sure to stop by Remodelaholic and say hi to Cassity too! God Bless! xo

10 Day YOU Challenge: {Day 1} 10 secrets

Are you up for a challenge? I challenge you in 2012 to think about your life. Where are you going? What do you want? Many of us are making New Years Resolutions. I thought this 10 day challenge would be a fun way for me to look at my life in a reflective way {See days 10, 9 and 8} and my life going forward {See days 7 and 6}! So here you are. Feel free to grab this pic if you’d like to start your own 10 day challenge!



Preface: Right away I am going to break the rules. I probably won't post these 10 days in a row. But I do plan on getting these completed by the end of January. :) I also want to say – WHOSE idea was it to put 10 secrets FIRST? I mean really, shouldn’t secrets be like, 3 or 4? Couldn’t songs be 10? That one’s easy. BUT, I’m a rule follower. I really had to think of some of these. Some of the secrets are REAL, some of them are funny, and some well, might be lame. Sorry, folks. I don’t have a ton of secrets. :):)

Here you are:

1. I have never seen “The Godfather” movies and I just saw “The Help” for the first time a couple days ago. {I FINALLY get what everyone is talking about! And yes, I find myself repeating “You is smart, You is kind, You is important.”}

2. I would secretly love my job to be writing and blogging by day and moonlighting as a singer and piano player in a piano bar by night. No, I don’t sing, and I probably can’t play the piano well enough anymore for that job. But how fun would that be? And well, honestly, if we’re making job wishes here, I wish I won the lottery. Lol

3. I used to be a certified scuba diver. I went all the time until I got pregnant with my first son. Apparently diving and pregnancy don’t agree. :o)

4. When I was younger, I had my belly button pierced. Okay, and my tongue. A lot of people don’t know that because I’m not proud of it. Today I think the belly button was cute, but can’t believe I ever had my tongue pierced! {Seriously, what was I trying to prove?}

5. I secretly hide candy from my kids and eat it after they go to bed. It’s gotten so bad I now have it in a jar with a cute label and everything:



6. When my son was a baby, I once {or twice} gave him a wipe down with a wet wipe and called it a bath. And a day.

7. When I was a kid, I wanted to know FOR SURE if God was real, so I put a dry towel next to my bed and I said, “God, if you’re real, the dish towel will be wet in the morning.” The dish towel was dry, but thankfully I didn’t let that stop me and today I still believe He’s real. :o)

8. I throw food away. Perfectly good food. More specifically: sugar. It usually happens if people ask me to take desserts home from a party or event. I’m too polite. If saying ‘No’ doesn’t work once, I take it and throw it away when I get home. I sometimes feel guilty, because I know how many people in this world go hungry. But I don’t need the sugar, and my boys don’t need to be all hypered up, so in the trash it goes. Even as I am writing this, I am thinking I am going to try to give the food to someone in need. {Or, of course the really easy one: don’t even take it in the first place!} You might think this totally negates #5, but a little piece of chocolate after dinner is way different than eating half a left over chocolate cake. {Right?} :)  If you want some tips on how to eat healthy the right way – check out this new series “Bringing Sexy Back” by the super cute Mommas Like Me. 

9. After I gave birth to my second son, the nurse asked if I would like a drink, and I said, “Yes, a strawberry margarita please.” And I was serious. {But, no, I didn't get one.} :o)

{Photo via foodnetwork.com}

10. I like someone. {And no, I’m not telling you who, because it’s A SECRET.}

And finally, it is NO secret that Michelle from The Momma Bird designed by new blog button! {Thanks again Michelle!} So please, please, please grab a button! Let me know if you do so I can stop by and visit it you too! :) Also, let me know if you would like to do a button swap! I’d secretly like to add a few more buttons to my site! Message me at shapedbygracelife{at}yahoo{dot}com. Woohoo! It feels good to have the bloggity blog so tech saavy now!

Thanks so much for reading this post! Are you up for the 10 day Challenge? Post your link in the comments below so we can visit you! Have a great week!