{diy: felt ball ornament} & ANOTHER giveaway!

hello friends, i have been on a roll these days :) i think it's all of the christmas shopping and busy errand running i have been doing! anyways- i am doing a wonderful & easy tutorial on a felt ball ornament, which looks adorable on your tree! so here we go! 

here is what you will need:

felt

yarn

hot glue

fabric sheers

sharpie & a circle to trace

here is what you will need: 

step 1: trace circles

step 2 : trace a total of 9 circles

step 3: cut out the circles

step 4: cut one smaller for the center

step 5: fold circle in half

step 6 : add a dab of hot glue to hold

step 7: fold in half

step 8: repeat eight times (last circle is used in middle)

step 9: hot glue four folded felt pieces to middle circle

step 10 : tie a string of yarn or rope in a knot

step 11: glue to center circle

step 12: repeat step 9 & glue to other side

final step: put on your christmas tree! how gorgeous do these look and they are so unique! if you're looking for a affordable small gift for a teacher or friend--here you go! 

and because i love my followers so much...

milliemorganmedia is giving THREE away! 1 in each color.

here are the rules:

1. follow my blog

2. leave a comment on what you like about this tutorial

giveaway will end DECEMBER 8th at midnight

winner will be announced on friday dec 9th! 

christmas card design giveaway

it's that time of year again. time to send out christmas cards! why don't do something different and unique? how about a photo card! milliemorganmedia is doing a giveaway! you will win this cute design. it's simple- if you win, you will email me your vertical family photo and i will change the photo and words to fit your family. i will then email you the final, high resolution design and you can print these almost anywhere-- online, walmart, walgreens, etc. all you do is upload it just like you would a photo <3 so pass it on & comment

here are the rules: 

1. follow milliemorganmedia

2. leave a comment on why you love the holiday season

** bonus entry-- follow avery & anderson

{giveway ends on her birthday}

giveaway ends: 

december 4th at midnight

happy birthday sis!

headband giveaway winner

congrats to paulette & thank you all for stopping by! another christmas themed giveaway is coming up so please keep checking back! paulette- email me at mandiestarkey@gmail.com

thrift store finds

what a successful thrift week. i've been to a few stores over the past few days and found some great finds at goodwill and thrift king {only in westmoreland county} not only is so much fun but you get so much for your money :) and i didn't even look at furniture which may be my mission this next week. anyways- i only spent about $15.00 so here is the breakdown: {i am proud of myself on this one} also scroll for photos of these beauties. 

pyrex bowl- 1.99

pyrex bowl- 2.99

vintage polaroid rainbow camera- 4.99

vintage camera- .88

polaroid camera- 1.20

4 pyrex mugs- .88

3 pyrex mugs- .88

tiny mason jar mug- .88

grand total: 14.69

thanksgiving

just a little peak into our day. madison and her cousin gabe played for hours behind an old doll house and here is my table runner in action. a wonderful, blessed, day. 

thanksgiving : diy acorn treats

happy thanksgiving. this morning madison & i made special acorn treats to take to mema's & grandpa's {madison's grandparents house} they were a lot of fun and super easy. all you need to do is purchase the products below, melt some of the chocolate chips to use as glue and put them together! easy as 1, 2, 3 and simple enough for madison to help--although her acorns didn't turn out as good--she had fun and they are still edible ;) 

i'm thankful...giveaway

with thanksgiving right around the corner, i want to thank you to all of you for supporting my blog and leaving such beautiful comments and messages during my time of struggle and sorrow. i have been overwhelmed with messages on facebook and emails but it makes me feel so good inside knowing that so many people care about my family & my self. you are all such caring individuals--so with that said, i'm doing a giveaway! win this gorgeous vintage inspired flower headband. adorable for you, your daughter, or for a gift. the embellishment is a vintage button from my grandmother's collection {how neat is that!} 

here are the rules:

1. follow my blog

2. leave a comment

extra entry- follow me on facebook

giveaway ends 11/27 

{winner will be announced after thanksgiving weekend, monday 11/28}

erin & derek

these are just a few of my favorites captured during the day. you can view more photos at the milliemorganmedia website. i am starting to book for SPRING 2012 so please email me if you're interested for available dates. 

"you can't choose what stays & what fades away..."

i have been listening to florence and the machine for days. so much that madison has learned almost all of the words to shake it out. it was nice enough to go for a little walk today. so we did- after madison begged me to straighten her hair so it would look longer. i also made my mother in law a table runner for thanksgiving dinner. she picked out the fabric but i must say- it makes a great gift! don't be mad if any of you receive table runners this year for x-mas from the starkey family. tight budget ;) anyways- this little peanut just lights up my day with her gorgeous smile & awkward yet hilarious personality. just a few photos from earlier today. now i am off to shoot a wedding reception/cocktail party. it should be a lot of fun and just what i need right now. 

our turkey family

this morning we cuddled & madison made a turkey family {a rainbow turkey family}
that's about it for today. we may to do some painting. anything to get my mind off of things.
i love how she made our turkey's to match our favorite colors. i am holding her extra tight today.

give thanks {through grief}

it's not easier today & it's written all over my face. my husband and i still have moments of grief but we choose to give thanks. thankfully god blessed us with a wonderful daughter to guide us through this. it's hard to be sad or feel ungrateful when you have such joy running around your house--begging to make her turkey craft, praying to god at dinner, asking what we are thankful for {as she says, "i'm thankful for mommy, daddy, and our angel baby}--she truly is a sweetheart. 
so my house is trashed with toys by my feet. i need to do laundry and i haven't. instead- i've been cuddling my sweet little girl & watching movies, making crafts, eating halloween candy. i've organized a small portion of my kitchen for this post. we needed a small tribute to the thanksgiving holiday. madison was so excited to make her turkey craft that aunt heidi bought her--it made me smile, even for a brief moment.
as reality sets in- the tears fall.