Craft project #4 – Part one: Decorating masks purchased from Amazon for Mardi Gras

While I was thinking about the Valentine’s Day decorations for mom’s door, I realized that Mardi Gras would be just around the corner. Whatever I decide to do, I need to decide fast and order whatever I need from Amazon.

Luckily while considering everything, there was only one item that I would need to add some bling to. That item was a package of 12 paper masks. My mom is on the extra side so the more I could do to bling things out, the happier she is. Just look at her sparkly fingernails.

I found these masks on Amazon and they will be perfect to use on her tree that I will deck out for Mardi Gras. The masks are fairly large, but that’s ok. Whenever I start to decorate, I’m sure I can figure out how to place them on the tree along with Mardi Gras beads!!!!

While waited for the masks to arrive, I searched my stash of embellishments to see what I can use. I have a lot of things I have pulled, but who knows if I will actually use any of them. I have had these items for years so it will be fun to actually use these things!!!!

The first container of plastic flat back beads just magically appeared in my stash. I have no idea where they actually came from but hopefully I can find a use for some of them.

These flat back faux pearl beads were found at Dollar tree. I wonder if I have finally found a use for them. I originally purchased them to use on Christmas frames for my daughter. There are a lot of them so I still might be able to use them for some Christmas frames but first I will consider using them on a mask or two.

Rhinestones in several colors and a couple of different sizes, all purchased from Amazon, also to be used on Christmas frames for my daughter.

Glitter paint!!! Oh how much fun I will be having with this!!!! The gold and purple are new and purchased at Hobby Lobby with this project in mind.

And, of course, what would a craft project be without using some stickles. I have had these for some time and I am so happy I have them to use for this project.

Now, it’s time to start decorate the masks!!!!

Craft project #3 – part two: Mardi Gras inspired wreath

Wow! This definitely did not go as I had originally planned but the final outcome is better than I expected.

I started this wreath by using the single knot method. I completed the outer ring and one section of the second ring and then I stopped. It just didn’t look right. So, I decided to put it aside for a couple of days and come back to it.

After three days, I realized that what I had originally planned was not going to have the outcome I was hoping for. So, I decided to use a Larks Head knot for all 4 rings and it worked perfectly. This meant removing all of the strips of fabric I had already attached to the wreath form but it was worth it. I was able to complete the wreath in approximately 4 hours or so.

I showed my mom a picture of the wreath and she loves it!!!! I cannot wait to decorate my mom’s door for Mardi Gras.

The next wreath project will be for St. Patrick’s Day!!!! I hope you enjoyed this short blog.

Craft Project #3 – part one: Mardi Gras inspired wreath

Once Valentine’s is over, it will be time for Mardi Gras. I have decided to decorate mom’s door with a Mardi Gras inspired wreath. It will be a rag wreath similar to the Valentine wreath, but this one will be on a larger wreath frame I purchased at Dollar Tree and, of course, in colors that are a Mardi Gras staple.

My plan is to use the single knot method on the frame with fabric being placed on all four rings. I’m not sure how it will turn out. And there is a possibility I will change my mind while I working on it, but I guess we will see how it ends.

I selected 3 solid color fabrics in green, purple, and gold. I initially selected 6 patterned fabrics but I decided to eliminate one of the purple patterned fabric. The fabrics were found at Walmart and Joann’s.

Once the final decision had been made, I started cutting the fabric in 1″ x 9″ strips using my pinking shears. I’m not looking for a rotary cutter with a pinking shear blade. I currently have one in my Amazon cart, I just hadn’t decided if it is what I really want. In any case, I will be making a decision very soon as I have several more wreaths to make and my hands will strike if I continue to use the pinking shears!

Now that all the strips are ready and are in the order I want to place them in, it is time to start tying them on the frame.

To see how it turned out, please come back tomorrow to see the final product!

Carnival Breeze 2022 – 1 day countdown: We are good to go!

This one picture says it all!!!!

I will be away for this cruise, but while I am gone, I have some craft project blogs that will be published every day at 6 am. I hope you will check them out while I’m away.

I plan on putting up photos on my Instagram and Facebook while we are gone so if you would like to be one of my friends on either site, let me know and I will be happy to add you.

I plan on starting a cruise recap series on the 22nd!!!

Until them, have a happy Valentine’s Day.

Carnival Breeze 2022 – 2 day countdown: bank, gas, laundry, and one other necessity

Normally I would immediately start on my to-do list first thing, but not today. Why? Because today is the day I have to complete our Health Assessment for the cruise. It is very quick and easy! Plus I feel like I have accomplished something major before starting my to-do list.

The first item on today’s to-do list had me going to Amazing Lash Studios to have my lashes filled in. I love coming to the place. It is so relaxing.

After that, I just knocked out all of the remaining things on my to do list like doing some shopping for our son who will be watching our house and taking care of our furbabies. Luckily it was an easy trip to Walmart Neighborhood Market as we already had everything he would need with the exception of milk. He can really put away the milk!!!!

Of course, I had to go to the bank to have a travel notice put on our accounts. This is something I always do.

Now all I need to do is laundry and some packing for my husband. That is, if he ever figures out what he wants to take!!!!

Of course, we need to have a COVID test before we leave town so that is definitely the last thing on the to-do list. And it is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon. So, keep your fingers crossed that everything goes well for us!

Carnival Breeze 2022 – 3 day countdown: car maintenance, mani’s with mom, and a quick stop at Target

Before we go on a cruise, or travel anywhere for that matter, I always take my car to have the oil & filter changed. Once Dawson was up and ready to go, we headed out.

First stop was the oil & filter change. Quick. Easy. Plus it comes with a free car wash!!!! I have been using this place for several years and will continue to do so.

Costco has the best price for gas in my area so I might as well go ahead and fill up my car now. I do not see myself doing much driving between now and when we leave for Galveston. Especially since I work from home.

Carnival Cruise Lines allows the guests to bring one 12-pack of soda per person on the cruise. It just so happens that Target has the Coke products on sale this week, 3 for $14. Definitely the best price I have found. So, I purchased 1 12-pack of Coke, and 2 12-packs for Sprite. One for us to take on the cruise, and one for Dawson to enjoy.

We were a little hungry after all the running around we have done including a couple of stops that were not related to this cruise. So, we did what we thought was the best decision for us at the time. We went to Sonic. Love their burgers and tater tots!!!!

The last to-do item on today’s list is for my mom and I to have our nails done. My mother loves bright, sparkly colors. As far as she is concerned, the more glitter a color has, the better it is. So, I helped her select a nice shade of pink with plenty of glitter. I decided to also select a color with lots of glitter yet still remain basic. So I chose white. It is definitely something that will coordinate with anything I will be wearing on the cruise.

Now that the list is almost complete, tomorrow’s list will be smallish.

Carnival Breeze 2022 – 4 day countdown: What is in my backpack and how I bring wine on-board

I know it is close to cruise time when I pack my backpack and the bag I plan on bringing our wine in. I have done it so many times at this point it is second nature.

In my backpack I have:

fan for stateroom and the cord for it.

my jewelry in the container

travel documents folder

misting fan

metal straws

face masks

small umbrella

rain pancho’s

small notebook but this may end up in my purse. Only time will tell.

fan necklace (yes a battery operated fan you wear as a necklace and it came in hand on embarkation day for the Vista cruise we were on in August).

Uno cards

And this is how it looks packed!!!

Our “wine” bag is actually a weekender bag I purchased on Amazon. It works great as a way to bring our wine on board. On this trip, it will also double as our beach bag! This bag contains:

wine (to be purchased in the next day or two)

2 beach towels (to wrap the wine in and to use on our excursion we have booked in Cozumel).

plastic reusable wine glasses and champagne flutes (both are stemless, LOL).

In a container, I have our corkscrew, napkins, dish soap, and a sponge so I can wash our glasses and our metal straws.

2 Coozies for our canned beverages.

Now I am really ready to go, but there is still some things that need to be completed. For instance, I still need to purchased some wine or champagne.

Carnival Breeze 2022 – 5 day countdown: First-aid kit and hair care products.

Our first aid kit is kept in a tri-fold travel organizer bag I purchased from Thirty One several years ago. Unfortunately, they no longer have this style but they have some that are similar. Once we are on board, I hang it on the bathroom door using a command strip. Basic necessities that I take on a cruise are:

Tylenol

Advis

Tylenol PM

Aspirin

Excedrin Migraine

Band Aids

Hydrocortisone cream

A & D ointment

Athletes foot clotrimazole creame

Absorbine jr back patch pain relief

Cold Hot extra strength medicated patch

Biofreeze

Daytime and Night time cold & flu

Nasal allergy spray

Vitamin C drops

Cough drops

Pepto Bismol

Laxative

Antacid

Uriinary pain relief

Sore throat oral anesthetic spray

Cough syrum

Our prescribed medications are kept separately.

I also have a small first aid kit I keep in my purse that contains band aids, hydrocortisone cream, and my inhaler.

Now for the necessities of life, toiletries and cosmetics. There is a lot to take into consideration when I start gathering all the things. I do my best to keep things separate according to they type. For example, hair products are separate from face products and suntan lotions. Some lotions are in large bottles and will be put into smaller containers in an attempt to save space. I tend to keep the suntan lotions and after sun lotions in their own bag along with the towel holders and our waterproof cases for our phones.

The bag I have designated for hair care contains the normal stuff. The bag I use is large enough to fit a curling iron and/or flat iron in. Since I do not use those tools, this bag will also double for some other bathroom products to be determined later.

Now if you will excuse me, I have more things to wash, pack, and lists to make!!! Not to mention craft projects to start and complete.

Carnival Breeze 2022 – 6 day countdown: Checking stuff off the to-do list!!!

I have checked off a lot of my to-do list which is a good thing!

But first, I want to get my mom a White Chocolate Mocha from Starbucks. We talked about my upcoming cruise and I reassured her we would be stopping by to see her on our way out of town. I made a note on her calendar showing her when Jim and I will be gone. I also told her that I would be changing her door decorations when we return.

Since I’m at mom’s, I have given the front desk her emergency contact info for them to use while we are out of town. I have also spoke with the nursing staff to check her meds so I can order any refills and make sure they have them before we leave.

I have made my way to the bank to take care of some business for my mother.

The rest of the day is ordering refills for mom and myself, schedule our nail appointments for Thursday afternoon, schedule an appointment to get my eyebrows tamed, and probably make more to-do lists and shopping lists.

It’s going to be a busy week and I am so happy about it!!!!

Now it is time to check off some more things on my to-do list and work on craft projects that will be published the week of February 14th.

Carnival Breeze 2022 – 7 day countdown: Organizing travel binder

When it comes to organizing all the paperwork for travel, I am definitely a little bit extra. You may wonder what makes me so extra. Well, I have 3 separate places I keep our paperwork: a binder, a folder, and our passport holder. Let me explain further.

I use a zippered binder for copies of everything. And I do mean EVERYTHING. I have dividers in the binder for driving directions, hotel reservations, parking reservations, boarding pass, and everything else I have purchased or directly applies to this cruise. When we board the ship, the binder will be one of our carry-on bags.

After using this binder for several cruises, I finally made labels for the dividers. All documents have a specific place they can be found. This will make things much easier should I ask Jim to get something.

Then there is a folder that also has driving directions, hotel reservations, parking reservation, and boarding pass. Basically anything that I would need on travel day and embarkation day. If I can’t find something I think I need for the folder, there is likely a copy in the binder. I also have a reminder list paper clipped to the front just in case I forget something that is likely to be written down in one hundred other places!!!

Finally, the last thing I use is our passport holder. Obviously this holds our passports but it also contains our vaccine cards, boarding pass, lanyards, and a magnetic card we use for keeping the lights on in our stateroom. At this time, it also has our appointment information for our rapid COVID test we have scheduled for later this week.

So, this is how over-the-top I am when it comes to travel documents. I have a fear that I will forget something. By having things in multiple places, I feel it lessens that possibility. At least for me and my anxiety it does!