DIY *GLITTER* canvas painting

So we've all seen the "paint over alphabet stickers on a canvas" DIY project that is literally all over Pinterest. And really, I think it's great--everybody can create original artwork for their living room! And I have to admit, I have made several of these projects, and always been pretty happy with the result. 

Buuuuut I kept seeing other random projects on Pinterest that involved glitter, and I got this thought.

Why not do this stickers-on-canvas idea, but instead of painting over it with paint, use modpodge and GLITTER!

Clearly, this needed to happen. So here's a handy little tutorial so you all can make an awesome GLITTER CANVAS PAINTING.

Here are the materials I used:

blank canvas, Remarks "Mumbo Jumbo" alphabet stickers, ModPodge, black acrylic paint, a paintbrush and of course... GLITTER!

 First, paint the canvas whatever color you want the lettering to be. In this case, I wanted the letters to be black, so that it would show up against my light colored glitter.

 Allow the canvas to dry completely (usually at least 2 hours, maybe more depending on how thick you paint the bottom coat). Then arrange the letter stickers on the canvas. I like to cut the letters out individually so I can move them around before I stick them on for real. As you can see, I had some white and some black letters--the white were definitely easier to see under the glitter!

I divided the canvas into 9 parts, to give it a sort of star burst feel, and also to make it easier to do the glitter in sections. Going one section at a time, coat the canvas with modpodge--the more the better! Then shake the glitter onto the glue.

Then I shook off the excess glitter into a tub. I went one color at a time so that I could rescue the excess glitter without mixing it all up. 

Make sure you remove the stickers soon after you've sprinkled the glitter, instead of waiting until the glue has completely dried!! Otherwise, the modpodge glues the stickers to the canvas, and it's much more difficult to peel the letters off. I gave it maybe a minute or two, so the glue had time to set a little, and then I removed the stickers.

And voila! Glitter canvas painting! I'm planning to find some sort of adhesive spray to spray over top of the canvas, so that the glitter doesn't end up all over my house.

Because let's be real... glitter tends to get EVERYWHERE. 

"Why, I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast!" 

Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking Glass, and What Alice Found There

P.S. Shameless advertising..... I am willing to make one of these for anyone, custom quote and colors.... if you will pay me.... ;) But seriously, they make great gifts.

"The Man Test"

So my dad has this test that he has been threatening to make all potential husbands pass. He claims these questions involve the Really Important Things that all men should know something about. Now. My dad has made it very clear that failing this test does not mean you can't marry one of his daughters. It simply means that we shouldn't let you do any home repairs.
And simple Google-acquired answers are not acceptable, apparently. He's looking for great detail, because our basic household functions are on the line. My dad drives a hard bargain.

The Man Test

1. What is the relationship between the pistons and the crankshaft? ("If he can answer this question, then he knows about cars.")

2. In an outlet, what color is the hot wire, the neutral wire, and the ground wire? ("And if he knows this one, then he won't get shocked if he tries to do some electrical work.")

3. What is the purpose of the pressure tank? ("Also, if he thinks PVC is a college, DON'T LET HIM NEAR THE PLUMBING!!")

So good luck, boys!

But of course, we all know that to really Be a Man, you must be swift as a coursing river, with all the force of a great typhoon, with all the strength of a raging fire, mysterious as the dark side of the moon!

Mom's Party Mix

Okay, so I've had my share of party mixes. Between youth group, slumber parties, and receptions with h'or h'ouer hors d'oeuvres, I've tried many, many different kinds. Sweet and salty, the jalapeño-y kind, double cheese, cool ranch, Italian-seasoned (which my dad affectionately calls "dragon breath seasoning").... I think I've probably tried them all. Or at least most.

But my mom's party mix outshines them all.

Now, I'm not just saying this be cause she's my mom (though don't get me wrong, my mom is THE BEST and it would totally be a legitimate reason). And actually, she's pretty sure she just took the original recipe from like a cereal box or something, and then tweaked it over the years to make it better... it dates all the way back to the recipe box she made in a Home Ec class she took in high school! But it is seriously the best party mix ever. I'll make three pans of it, and it won't last through the weekend at my house.

But today's your lucky day, because I'm going to share this not-so-top-secret recipe so that YOU too can enjoy the best party mix in the world!

Mom's Party Mix

Prep time: 10-15 minutes
Bake time: 1 hour
Bake @ 250°

Dry Ingredients:
1 c. pretzel sticks
1 c. salted peanuts
2 c. Cheerios
2 c. wheat Chex
3 c. corn Chex
**Here's the thing. It doesn't matter exactly what you put into the mix, as long as it equals 9 cups of dry ingredients. You can use Honey Nut Cheerios if you like a little more sweet with your salty. You can use Crispix or Kix instead of Chex. My college roommate and I used to joke about making this with 9 cups of Chex, because that's our favorite part. Mom tends to use whatever is left over in the pantry. In fact: you can even use stale cereal or pretzels! Since it's being baked, you can't even tell that anything used to be stale.

Wet Ingredients: 
1/2 c. melted butter (equals 1 stick)
1-1/2 T. Worcestershire sauce
1-1/4 t. Season-All season salt

Put all the dry ingredients in a bowl. Mix the wet ingredients together, then pour over the dry ingredients. If your bowl has a lid, then put it on, turn up the music and DANCE while you shake the bowl. This coats the dry ingredients with the melted buttery goodness. If you are unfortunate enough to have a lid-less bowl, then use a spoon or spatula to make sure that the mixture is coated evenly. Then pour everything into a 9x13 baking pan.

Bake at 250° for 1 hour, stirring thoroughly every 15 minutes.
After baking, Mom often lines the bottom of the pan with a paper towel, and lets it soak up the excess grease. Definitely not a mandatory step, but an option if you want something a little less greasy.

I decided to make two batches this evening while I was typing this up, and it's making the whole house smell SO GOOD. Can't wait til it's done! And here's hoping it lasts til lunchtime tomorrow....

Top 5 songs to beat the "Monday Blues"

Nobody likes Mondays.

Okay, maybe a small percentage of people like Mondays. Or don't care about Mondays. Like when we were at NTI and worked all through the weekend, Mondays didn't matter because it was just another day.

But lots of people don't like Mondays, myself included. Once I've woken up and gotten my day started, it's not too bad. But still, that Monday morning drive to work can really be a drag, especially if I stayed up late the night before, or if I don't have something exciting in my lunch to look forward to. So I came up with a list of my top 5 favorite songs to listen to on the way to work. Now, my drive to work takes about 12 minutes, so I can't quite get them all in, and sometimes they're just so fun that I listen to them more than once, but it also doubles as a list to listen to on the way home from work.

1. "Be a Man" from Mulan. I mean, come on, this is like the greatest Mulan song ever!

2. "I Just Can't Wait to be King" from Lion King. Because who doesn't want to be king??

3. "Sadie Hawkins Dance" by RelientK. Ahh, the 90s. Also, this is back before bands regularly made music videos of their songs.

4. "Good Morning George" from VeggieTales. Umm, duh, best wake-up song ever. When I went to summer camp in 4th grade, our counselor used to blast this song every morning at like 7am to wake us up.

5. "Love Today" by MIKA. Ohhhh, yes. Shout-out to Lyss, Rach and Maddie for introducing me to MIKA in like 9th grade.

Bonus song (in case you have extra time in your morning commute). "Step Up to the Microphone" by Newsboys. Oldie (no music video) but goodie :)

Obviously this list is subject to change at any moment. We all know how these things go.