Leah Stirewalt

Out of Deep Waters

DIY: Letter S Wreath

by Leave a Comment

And the winner from Monday’s giveaway post is… Allison Morrison (Date/time stamp – June 24, 3:51 pm)! Congratulations! Be sure to send me an email at [email protected] or on Facebook with your mailing address, and I’ll get your “prize” sent right out to you! Stay tuned for more giveaways during this 40 days series. The next one begins on Monday!

Yes, once again, I’ve been inspired by the creative genius of DIY giants I’ve discovered on Pinterest. I’ve “pinned” more ideas than I’ll ever get to in my lifetime, but a gal can dream right?

I saw something similar to this “Letter S Wreath” from another Pinterest crafter, and I simply tweaked it to make it my own.

Supplies needed:

  • Letter of your choosing
  • Twine
  • Hot glue and glue gun
  • Scissors
  • Embellishments of your choosing (I used silk and burlap flowers, gemstones, and plastic butterflies)
A sampling of my supplies
A sampling of my supplies

IMG_5748

 

IMG_5753
I found various packs of these in the $1 bin at Michael’s!

 

Another $1 bin find at Michael's!
Another $1 bin find at Michael’s!

 

Leftover twine from a previous project
Leftover twine from a previous project

I started by wrapping the twine around the letter and hot-glued in places, as needed. I will say – the letter “S” was a difficult one to wrap, with all the curves. Had to get a little creative, even in the process of wrapping.

Not perfect, but embellishments are great for hiding imperfections!
Not perfect, but embellishments are great for hiding imperfections!

After finishing up the twine portion, I chose which embellishments I wanted to use to help jazz it up. I ended up selecting ones that would work well with my kitchen color scheme, because it’s going to be hung on the door in our kitchen leading out to the deck.

This was actually a flower that I pulled off the stem just to use the bud. Another big find at Michael's 70% off $1.99!
This was actually a flower that I pulled off the stem just to use the bud. Another big find at Michael’s 70% off $1.99!

 

And the nearly finished product…

IMG_5767

 

Now hanging on the door…

IMG_5769

 

Can’t wait to see you back here tomorrow! Have a blessed Thursday blog friends!

 

Weight Loss Update

by 4 Comments

Before today’s post, I wanted to remind you that today is the LAST day to enter Monday’s giveaway, which you can do by clicking HERE. The winning odds are very good, so I would definitely encourage you to enter. The winner will be chosen tonight and announced tomorrow! Now…onto today’s post…

Oh…this is a hard one for me to write. I don’t know where to begin.

I can’t be anymore disappointed in myself than I am in this area in particular. After bringing all of you into my “secret world” (or what used to be a secret world) of weight loss…after giving you weekly weight loss SUCCESS updates for several weeks (that is, until I stopped)…after being my own biggest cheerleader (well, second to my husband)…I stopped.

I could give you excuse after excuse after excuse, and many of you would agree that several of them are valid, but I’ll spare you the details and simply admit I messed up.

Currently, I’m staying within 10 pounds of the 33.5 pounds I’ve lost so far. Some weeks, I’m closer to that number than others. My time in the gym has been slim to none. My water intake has been minimal, at best. My calorie counting has been, well, non-existent. I’ve just been “getting by”.

However, I have learned a great deal about myself during this drought.

  • While I know the technical details of how to lose weight…taking in less than I’m putting out…I still have a long way to go on the emotional journey of weight loss.
  • I still battle stress eating.
  • Consistency is still not my friend.
  • Spiritually, God is doing a mighty work in me in this area, and I still have a lot of growing to do.

It’s funny how small successes can send us into a state of feeling like we’re masters at something can’t it? I was on such a weight loss/fitness “high” that I thought nothing could shake me. Guess what…I got knocked down several knotches.

So, where am I now?

I’m a woman, deeply in love with God, who still struggles with her weight.

I’m a woman that refuses to quit on this journey.

I’m a woman still in need of lots of prayer love in this area.

I’m a woman who knows in my “knower” that I WILL reach my weight loss goal.

I truly do covet your encouragement and prayers in this area. I know I’ll never get there on my own. Thank you for being there for me to this point. I can’t wait to celebrate with you at the finish line!