Southern Grace Photography

I've heard it said that when you recieve great service, you will tell one person; however, when you receive poor service, you will tell ten.

I am the complete opposite... Yes, I still let you know when I receive poor service, BUT I want to shout it to the world when I recieve great service and/or stumble across something/someone that I think is absolutely FABULOUS!

Today is no different...



We had family photos taken a while back (Click HERE to view photos) with Sabrina at Southern Grace Photography & I must say that she is ABSOLUTELY SPECTACULAR! The priceless moments she captures are like non-other & the friendly uplifting spirit she brings is just so comforting.

She definitely had her challenges with us (I just might be the most insecure person I know), but she did a beautiful job & I am so grateful that I've met her.

If you live in the Houston or surrounding areas, PLEASE, PLEASE take time to have Sabrina capture these priceless moments, you will be forever grateful!

You can find Sabrina's Blog here:
http://southerngracephotog.blogspot.com/

Her latest blog post will really get you thinking:
http://southerngracephotog.blogspot.com/2010/05/whats-holding-you-back-from-capturing.html

Check out her portfolio on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30640046&id=1492265901#!/southerngracephoto

Thank you again Sabrina for sharing your beautiful work with us, for inspiring me & for capturing moments that we will never get back. You are simply amazing!

If you are a blogger, I encourage you to add Sabrina's button to your blog & check back often for updates & specials.



"Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever. It remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything." -Aaron Siskund

Monogrammed Burlap Yard Flag

Monogrammed Burlap Yard Flag

This project is SUPER easy and SUPER inexpensive to make.

Supplies:

Burlap, Scrap of Fabric, Ribbon, Letter of Your Choice, Outdoor Mod Podge, Foam Brush, Hot Glue Gun & Clear Spray Sealer

Decide how big you want your flag. I used the flag that I already had as a guide. My flag is 12 ½ inches wide by 18 inches long. Double the burlap over lengthwise, plus add about 4 extra inches on the front piece for the hanger. So my burlap was a total of 40 inches long.

Fold your burlap to the correct length, making sure to leave the extra four inches at the top of the front panel. Then I ironed my burlap to make sure that all the wrinkles were our and to make the bottom crease lay down flat.

Use your hot glue gun and glue the bottom crease so that it lays down flat. Then hot glue up both sides of the flag. This doesn’t have to be perfect because the edges will be covered with ribbon later.

Fold over and hot glue about ¼ of an inch of the burlap at the top of front panel. This makes a clean edge. Then. Fold over the rest of the extra four inches from the front panel to make a loop at the top of the flag. Hot glue into place.

Lay your fabric out on the flag, and decide how big your want it to be. Take into account that you will be adding a ribbon border around all four sides of the flag. I cut my fabric approximately 8 inches wide by 11 inches tall.

Attach your fabric to the burlap using Outdoor Mod Podge. Then layer your paper or fabric letter on top of the fabric. Apply a coat of Outdoor Mod Podge to the top of the letter and the fabric. Let the Mod Podge dry and then reapply two more coats.

Add a border of ribbon to the bottom and sides of the flag. Do this by applying a line of hot glue to your ribbon and laying the burlap on it, then fold the ribbon over and glue it down on the other side.

As a finishing touch, I added a strip of ribbon across the top of the flag using my hot glue gun. I also sprayed my flag with clear spray sealer just to make sure that the ribbon and all the burlap were protected.

Then proudly display your SUPER cute Monogrammed Burlap Yard Flag!

Hop on over to Tatertots & Jello (Link under "Blogs I Love") and check out this project and some of the SUPER crafty things that Jen has made!

I've Linked Up to the following Blog Parties... Check them Out!

Wordless Wednesday - West Palm Beach

It's only been 2 weeks since I left the PGA Resort in West Palm Beach & I already want to go back.

Waking up to this view every morning, was Simply Spectacular!

Tiffany's Tuesday Tip #4

Mini Monkey Bread

I've been working on a few breakfast recipes, since it IS the most important meal of the day!!

Here is the first of the many that I've tried... Enjoy!!

Mini Monkey Bread

Ingredients:
1 Granny Smith apple
1 bag "Salad Pizazz"
(Salad Pizazz Contains Walnuts, Dried Cherries & Dried Cranberries... Pure Bliss)
1/2 cup brown sugar
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 (8-count) refrigerated cinnamon rolls

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Spray or Butter a 12-count muffin tin generously.

Dice the apple into 1/2-inch cubes. In a medium bowl stir together the diced apples with the Salad Pizazz and brown sugar.

Divide the apple mixture evenly into the muffin tin, along with 1/4 tsp of diced butter in each muffin cup. Put 8 cinnamon buns, cinnamon side up, on top of the apple mixture. Put the muffin tin on a baking sheet and bake until the tops are golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Remove the muffin tin from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Flip onto parchment paper to remove the Mini Monkey Bread.

Drizzle the frosting (provided with cinnamon rolls) over Mini Monkey Bread and serve.

Food For Thought:
Why is it called Monkey Bread? I'm not sure what the real answer is, but i’ve always assumed it had something to do with the bread being easy to pull apart to eat by little hands – for instance the hands of monkeys or small children.

Have a WONDERFUL Monday!!

Tiffany's Tuesday Tip #3 - Jump Start Your Morning!

Happy, Happy Mother's Day!

Today is Mother's Day & this year I decided to make Mom something special!

Here's what you need:

Large wooden letters. You need 1 "M" and 1 "O". They can be prepainted if you want them to be. I bought my letters from Hobby Lobby pre-painted for a steal!

Buy a frame that holds three photos (They can be horizontal or verticle).

Take the photos holding one letter for each frame. I included the spouses as well, except for my baby brother... he is only 12!! ;-)

I decided to spell "Mom", but you can spell "Mother" if there are more children in the family that need to be included. Also, keep in mind that you can do this for Father's Day as well. Just buy the letters to spell "Dad" and/or "Father".

(Click on photo for a larger view)

I photoshopped the pics and printed the final products at Walgreens (for a steal as well).

I just LOVE how the "mom" picture turned out!!

HINT: If you do this, just make sure NO ONE is wearing white!

Now... Some Mother's Day Thoughts...

For many reasons I have been thinking about what being a "good mom" truly means. Does it mean sacrificing your own needs to devote yourself solely to raising your kids? Does it mean trying to live a life that is your own so you don't lose yourself in the process of mothering? In the last 8 years that I've been a Mom, I have found that women have very strong opinions about what a "good mom" truly is. I believe most of the Moms that I know give birth to guilt the same moment they give birth to a child. They struggle with trying to meet some sort of unachievable standard and often fall victim to the same expectations for their kids. Each of these Moms, in my eyes, are great Moms regardless of the expectations they have set for themselves. They are great Moms, because they give all of themselves to each person in their life and shower them with an unconditional love.

Children are a gift from the Lord; a Child is a reward from Him. Psalm 127:3

I am beyond grateful for my Mother and the "other mothers" that have strategically been placed in my life. I pray that they each help me to be an encouragement, a loving shoulder and a voice of truth to other females in my life pointing them only to our Heavenly Father.

“Of all the rights of women, the greatest is to be a mother.” – Lin Yutang

I pray that I can live the life of a Proverbs 31 woman.

Happy Mother's Day to all of you wonderful Mom's out there!! You are all great Moms and deserve all of God's blessings. "She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he p...raises her: Many woman do noble things, but you surpass them all." ~ Proverbs 31:26-31

Have a SPECTACULAR week!!

Hugs,

Tiffany

Find this idea & other fun ideas here...

I'm ALIVE! I'm ALIVE!

I CAN'T believe how long it's been since I've blogged! There has been SO much going on and I am SO very excited the weekend is here. I'm going to the spend the weekend doing whatever I want... I'm sure it will consist of baking, crafting, time with my sweet boys and time in the yard. HOW PERFECT!!

Last Friday I took my TREC (Texas Real Estate Commission) test. WOWSERS... it was a booger!! I passed the hard part (National) with flying colors, but failed the easy part (State) by ONE question... KILLER!! However, there is a positive... I only have to retake the State part, which is 35 questions & much less material to study! I will take it again next week... FINGERS CROSSED!!

Sunday through Thursday, I was forced to spend the week in West Palm Beach, Florida at the PGA Resort & Spa for a work conference. The resort was gorgeous, the weather was spectacular and the people were wonderful! Even though I had a blast, I am so grateful to be home with my sweet boys... I just love them SO much!!

Sunday is Mother's Day & I can't wait to see what's in store... Hopefully some RELAXATION time!! That would make *this* Momma very, very happy!!

Daily updates next week... Fun, Fun ideas!!

Happy Friday!

*Tiffany