Buffalo Plaid Vintage

I remember the first time I ran a 5k and completed it without stopping, it was exhilarating!  I crossed the finish line, grabbed a few pieces of fruit and sat down to savor my accomplishment. Last year, I ran a quarter marathon .  I completed it without stopping although prior to that day, I had never ran more than 4 miles.  I was ecstatic! But unless you’re a top finisher, you sometimes have nothing to commemorate the experience except a t-shirt.  It was this thought process  that led me to come up with map inspired 5k, 10k, half marathon and marathon necklaces. I love using domino tiles to make upcycled necklaces and I love the way these turned out.   Me and daughter #1 at at the Scioto Mile 5k (me) and 10k (her) These necklaces can be purchased in my Etsy Shop . Happy Running! Monday Link Up Parties http://www.cherishedbliss.com/ http://www.pollywantacrafter.com/ http://www.skiptomylou.org/2012/05/07/made-by-you-monday-99/ http:...

I think before you read this post and to get you in the mood, check out this clip of Gladiator (warning:  this is a battle scene with blood and stabbing).   Or even better, play it as your scrolling down through the pictures and it will make you feel as if your're back in the time of the Romans. This place is crazy old!  Construction of the Colosseum started in AD 72 and was completed in AD 80.  The building is immense, measuring 614 feet by 512 feet and reaching a height of more than 159 feet. The Colosseum could accommodate some 60,000 to 70,000 spectators who could enter the building through 80 entrances .  There are still some original Roman numerals that can be seen on the stone of the building such as this one: Above the ground, there are four story’s.  The upper story contained seating for lower classes and women. with distinct sections for men and women.  The nearer you got to the arena the higher your social stat...

I am walking in the Komen Race for the Cure in Columbus Ohio on May 19 th . Our team will be wearing pink camo t-shirts that say “ Remember the Mammo ” to remind women to get their yearly mammogram. According to www.bjc.org , “mammograms find between 85 and 90 percent of breast cancers. That's why it's so important for a woman to combine an annual mammogram with monthly breast self-examinations and a physical examination of the breasts by her personal physician. And mammography finds cancers up to two years before they can be felt, which means at a very early stage, when the cancer is most curable. The single greatest magnifier of the risk of contracting breast cancer is age. At age 25, your chances are one in 19,608. At age 50, your chances are one in 50. At age 65, your chances are one in 24. And your overall lifetime risk is one in 8. Another strong risk factor is a personal or family history of breast cancer.” Please consider walking in your local area to help raise ...

When in Rome.....do as the Romans do! On my recent trip to Italy , I finally got to try Gelato and it is every bit as good as they say it is! What exactly is Gelato?  It is Italy’s version of ice cream, with three major differences: Gelato has less butterfat than ice cream.  It is served 10 to 15 degrees warmer than ice cream. Not as much air is whipped into the mixture (gelato contains about 25 to 30 percent air, while ice cream can contain as much as 50 percent air) Result – amazing creamy taste that will leave you wanting to try a new flavor each day.  Guess what else?  You get to pick up to two flavors! I think his expression is conveying - don't take another picture of me!

I know I haven’t posted for 10 days, but we just got back from an amazing trip to Rome and London which just happened to fall on 7th wedding anniversary.  I can’t wait to start sharing all the incredible things we saw, but I first wanted to start with the tiny cars in Italy.   Greg is 6’5” tall.  We thought it so was funny to see all the little cars in Rome.  I love these pictures – I just wish I could have seen him inside one!

We have friends that own a local establishment and they sell the best craft beer in town!  I always love the names of the different beers and brew companies.  Some of my favorites are: Hop Bomber Thirsty Dog Brewing Company One night when I was leaving, I noticed they were selling bags of used beer caps.  I picked up a bag and went through it and matched all the catchy names and colored caps.  Since I recently started taking jewelry/metals class, I knew I could probably hammer these caps down, punch a hole in them, and add a wire earring hook – and that’s just what I did.  What do you think?  Pretty cute, huh! Linking up with: LadyBird Ln. My Simple Home Life The Shabby Nest 504 Main Someday Crafts

Another thrift shop find for less than $3.00, woo-hoo!!  I found this cute little framed mirror last week and I wanted to try chalk paint – you know, where you make your own Annie Sloan Chalk Paint – there are tons of tutorials out there.  Which tutorial works best?  The one where you have access to all the ingredients :) Any who – here’s what the original mirror looked like: And here is the finished product: That’s right, you just paint chalkboard paint (I actually used chalkboard spray paint) right over that glass! For the frame, I originally painted it red – you should never send a self professed color blind person to the store looking for a maroonish barn red color – just sayin… So, I did what any DIY’er does when they don’t like what they see.  I painted over it with this pretty turquoise color.  I bought a little $2.99 paint sample from Home Depot (love that they sell these now!) and added one tablespoon of unsanded tile grout and ...