Celebrate

Posted on by CourageInStone
There's always a reason to celebrate!

cel·e·brate

v. cel·e·brat·ed, cel·e·brat·ing, cel·e·brates

1. To observe (a day or event) with ceremonies of respect, festivity, or rejoicing.

2. To perform (a religious ceremony).

3. To extol or praise.

4. To make widely known.

I started thinking about the word ‘Celebrate’ the other day.  We throw parties to celebrate so many events in our lives; impending births and  birthdays, engagements and weddings, anniversaries and retirements.  We get wrapped up in the big celebrations ,  but what about the “praise” meaning of the word celebrate?

Here is my personal list of things that people should be celebrated for more often…

– A great report card

– Getting a fantastic new job or promotion

– Hugging your grandmother no matter how old you are

– Finally passing your driving test

– Potty training a small child (mom or dad gets the praise here)

– Cleaning the bathroom after potty training a small child

– Being a good friend

There are many more things that could be added to this list, these are just off the top of my head.   I think the word celebrate should be used often, and in many forms.  Make sure to never  forget the small stuff!

~Suzi

Do Less

Posted on by CourageInStone

I can’t take credit for this poem, but I was inspired by it.  Thought you may enjoy it too.  ~Suzi

DO LESS THINKING,
and pay more attention to your heart.

DO LESS ACQUIRING,
and pay more attention to what you already have.

DO LESS COMPLAINING,
and pay more attention to giving.

DO LESS CONTROLLING,
and pay more attention to letting go.

DO LESS CRITICIZING,
and pay more attention to complementing.

DO LESS ARGUING,
and pay more attention to forgiveness.

DO LESS RUNNING AROUND,
and pay more attention to stillness.

DO LESS TALKING,
and pay more attention to silence.

(Author Unknown)

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

Posted on by CourageInStone

Redesign a plain mirror into a conversation piece in a matter of minutes!

Items you will need:

– Mirror (any size, any shape, mine is from my beloved dollar store!)

– Glass Spirit Stones (item # 8400 from www.CourageInStone.com )

– Hot Glue Gun or Craft Glue

This is as simple as arranging the stones in any pattern or spacing that feels right to you and then adhering them with your glue of choice.

I chose a few different words for my mirror but you could use all of one word like “Love” to make a statement in a master bedroom or “Laugh” for a child’s room.   Let your imagination run wild and have fun!  ~Suzi

Scrapbooking has gone to the dogs

Posted on by CourageInStone

Scrapbooking is one of my great passions and many people run away from it because pages can look very complex and hard to recreate.   Not true!

For this adorable page I wanted to really focus on the picture of the dogs but added a few tokens from www.CourageInStone.com to make the page really “talk” to you.  I chose the 3 inspiration coins (Frog-Smile #6471, Bee-Happy #6475, & Flower-Joy #6534) and used only the word side of the coin to add some interesting emotions to this page.  Then I used the Friendship Blessing Coin (# 3628mm ) which has “Friends Forever” on the reverse side as a final touch.

This page, as well as these dogs, will bring smiles for years to come!    ~Suzi

Upgrade traditional planter rocks with inspiring word stones

Posted on by CourageInStone

Lucky Bamboo can make a great gift for anyone in your life or you can build this simple project to help with your own good fortunes.

Items needed:

I used about 20 River Rocks to fill my planter using inspirational word such as “Wisdom”, “Strength” and “Success”.  After arranging the words facing out and adding 3 Lucky Bamboo plants, I filled the planter with water.  Project finished!  This simple upgrade from traditional planter stones give so much more meaning to anyone admiring this elegant arrangement.
~Suzi

How to give your fish bowl a make-over

Posted on by CourageInStone

They say that plants are good for the soul.  OK, maybe that isn’t what they say at all, but around here we love to have greenery and something easy to take care of.

I had an unused fish bowl at home (previous occupants have gone on to fish heaven) and decided to liven it up a bit.  And here’s how!

Items you will need

  • Fish Bowl
  • Aquatic Plant (purchased from local pet shop)
  • Glass Engraved Spirit Stones from CourageInStone.com (Item #8400)
  • Fish (optional)**
This how-to is simple.  I placed 50 glass stones with different inspirational words on them in the bottom of the fish bowl, filled the bowl with water, and then placed my aquatic plants into the stones.
**As noted, fish are optional with this project!  No one here at the office has jumped at the chance to clean the fish bowl if a fish inhabits it, so for now we are enjoying the red glow of our Swedish Fish (with the help of a sewing needle, thread and clear tape…)!  ~Suzi

Fun With Plaster!

Posted on by CourageInStone

So I decided to see what I could create using our stones and tokens and some store bought plaster.  My plaster was actually a large stepping stone kit that I portioned into smaller amounts so I could make multiple items.

If you have never used plaster before (which I hadn’t) let me tell you it dries fast!  Before you begin mixing it make sure you know what design you are creating on the stones.    I ended up making 4 small stones which can be used as paperweights or markers for your garden.

As far as the how to on this one, I basically just followed the directions for mixing the plaster and then as soon as I had my forms molded I placed the different items into the plaster before it had any chance to dry.  I did pour some of the mix into large cookie cutters to help with a couple of the shapes, the others were formed by hand.

After I let all the stones dry I used paint to add a little more color to the stones.

These easy to create pieces can make great gifts, wonderful memorials, or just a nice project for a rainy day!

Have fun and use your imagination…the possibilities are endless!  ~Suzi

Simple Wedding Keepsake

Posted on by CourageInStone

Items you will need:

What to do:
  1. Make sure your frame is clean and dry.
  2. Insert a favorite picture or poem.  I am using a photo from a recent wedding I attended.  You could also use the cover or inside of a greeting card.
  3. Apply hot glue directly to the back of the kanji stones and quickly place on the frame.  Press firmly.  Glue will dry rapidly.
  4. Repeat with other tokens.  Your finished product will be a simple and elegant keepsake for years to come!

Simple and Inexpensive Mother’s Day Craft

Posted on by CourageInStone

Items you will need:

  • Picture frame (mine is from the local dollar store)
  • Craft glue or hot glue gun
  • Stones or tokens from http://www.CourageInStone.com (I used Glass Engraved Spirit Stones…item #8400)
Directions:
  1. Make sure your frame is clean and dry before attaching items.
  2. Insert pictures or artwork into the frame.
  3. Apply glue directly to the back of the stones and place on the frame.  Press firmly.
  4. I have created a couple of looks so you can see the frame can be simple or really colorful and still bring a smile to the recipient.
Step 1: $1 store frame
Step 2: Insert fabulous family photos.
Step 3: Apply glue.
Step 4: Firmly press stones on frame.
Step 5: Add stones...
Step 6: More stones...
Step 7: Voila! Finished product!

This is a perfect gift for mom and grandma this Mother’s Day season!

Continue reading Simple and Inexpensive Mother’s Day Craft

B-E-F-O-R-E & A-F-T-E-R

Posted on by CourageInStone

Wondering how to use your new river rocks?

We recently had a customer love and purchase different product, most being river rocks. After receiving them she then actually called us back to ask how to use them! So besides thinking our product is just beautiful, we are coming up with new and different ways to use our gorgeous stones!

Flower/Tree pot With River Rocks

Got a plant that needs a little sprucing up?!
B...O...R...I...N...G...
We added 60 stones to this large pot.
Voila! And the stones even help with drainage!

And speaking of River Rocks, if you’re feeling creative you can design your own! The promotions just started so don’t miss out!  We’ve lowered our minimum purchase requirement to just 50 for each custom design (down from 100)!  Come visit us soon!

~Brittany