Week 1- Ceramic Jewelry Dishes

Welcome to Week 1!! I actually did it, recorded, edited and posted! I’m realizing the videos have to be sped up a little bit to make them under 3 minutes… but I will work on that.

This week we are making Ceramic Jewelry Dishes! These are so fun and easy, make GREAT gifts and our perfect week one craft!

Supplies:

• Ceramic Dipping bowls

• Waterproof ModPodge

• Paper Napkins (with cute designs)

• An Old paintbrush

• Gold Paint Pen

• Nail File

• Scissors

Amazon List

I’ve linked everything in my Amazon storefront for this craft. I’m still figuring out all the inner workings of how I want to share these crafts… Not sure if I want to break them down on here in blog format, or just keep them to only videos. What do you guys think?

Can’t believe I bought these bowls 4 years ago, and am just NOW getting around to using them. I think I should start mentioning how long I’ve held onto the craft supplies before using them… so we can all laugh at how crazy I am.

Let me know, did you make this one??

Why Not Start Another Project?

I’m sitting out here on our deck, coffee in hand, box of tissues by my side as I finish the last little bit of this allergy/cold/whatever is assaulting my sinuses at the current moment. As I stare out at the yard, full of projects to finish, ignoring my house that is in shambles and desperately needs my attention, because in true Jordanne fashion, I have decided to start YET ANOTHER project.

15 Crafts in 15 Weeks.

Dance is just about to finish up, baseball is in full swing, summer is starting, we have many projects, trips, birthdays and I’ve decided to add another thing for my brain to focus on.

Are you asking yourself, “WHY? WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?” To which I would respond, “Haven’t you learned ANYTHING about me yet? I’m a glutton for punishment. And apparently THRIVE in the chaos.”

So here’s the deal. I have an EXCESS of craft supplies. Maybe not as much as some people, but I pretty decent amount… and they are for all random sorts of crafts, art projects, etc.

SIDE NOTE: I used to hate the word “Craft”. It was like nails on a chalkboard when someone would tell me “You’re so crafty” It honestly felt like such a dig as an Art Major, holding a BA in Art & Graphic Design. After studying all mediums; watercolor, sculpture, drawing, ceramics, fine art photography, design and more. Heck, I even used to wear turtlenecks and berets in college. HA. (but this was 2008… and I wouldn’t survive around art students of today) But as I’ve gotten older, I’m realizing being a crafter isn’t all that bad. If I actually find the time to do it, it’s quite therapeutic.

Which is the WHOLE REASON FOR THIS. Immersion Therapy. I’m FORCING myself to make the crafts, or do the projects I have bought all the supplies for, or pinned on Pinterest, or saved on Instagram… because my brain NEEDS this. The joy I feel after accomplishing the project, well, honestly, it doesn’t do much for me, because I’m pretty sure I have ADHD and don’t get fulfillment from completing it. But the satisfaction of using the supplies I bought, knowing I didn’t waste all our money for nothing… Starting the project, sharing the project with other people… that’s where I find joy.

Are you going to join me? Each week, I’ll post a video of us doing the craft, I'll give you a supplies list and instructions and you can do it as well!! Okay! Let’s do this.

I Can't Stop Eating Cheese...

I’ve tried my fair share of “diets”. Paleo, Gluten-Free, Dairy Free, Ketogenic. I found that cutting Gluten & Dairy was the easiest way for me to lose weight, 5-6 years ago. Here’s the thing… I would like to lose weight. There is a number on the scale, that when I hit it, I start to notice I don’t feel the greatest… Let me preface this by saying… I’m NOT large by any means, no I don’t have body dysmorphia, I’m not trying to lose 20-30 lbs… I mostly would like to tone up and feel better about myself.

Now at the ripe old age of 38… I’m realizing that losing weight is not as easy as it once was. For the past 2 months, I’ve been trying to do some form of intermittent fasting, and just being more aware of what I’m eating. Not so much snacking, waiting to eat, cutting out a lot of extra sugar. And the scale? It’s gone UP.

WHAT IN THE ACTUAL HELL? It’s almost like the harder I try, the more the weight hangs on. I’ve started riding my Peloton more, trying to do more strength training, getting good sleep, no alcohol, upping my water intake. Nothing. I know people try to tell you to trust the process, you’ll gain muscle and that might make the scale go up… The common lie is that “muscle weighs more than fat”. That’s not true. They weigh the same, but muscle is denser, so don’t worry about the scale, go off of measurements. I keep repeating this to myself… BUT I REALLY WANT TO SEE THE SCALE CHANGE!!!

In December, I asked Ryan for a HUME scale. Being the smart man he is, he told me he would not be buying me that for Christmas, because he would feel like a horrible husband. (He’s bought me a peloton bike for our anniversary in 2020, and the Peloton tread for my birthday in 2024. I promise I asked for both)

Not thinking that I was ridiculously out of shape, I stepped on the Hume scale a few weeks before Christmas and was sucker punched in the gut. If you’re unfamiliar with this scale, it sends electro pulses through your body measuring bone density, muscle mass, BMI, fat percentages, metabolic health, metabolic age and more, thus calculating out an “overall health score”. The number I saw was jarring. Metabolic age was way older than my actual age, all of my numbers were considered “HIGH”. It basically told me I was fat and ugly and sucked all the joy out of life. Clearly, this is not an ad for the scale… because I’m not quite 100% happy with it. Even though it does give good information.

Meanwhile, my husband, who is in the BEST SHAPE OF HIS LIFE, had the BMI and metabolic age of a MUCH YOUNGER MAN. Just call me a cougar, because I’m married to a 19 year old apparently.

All this to say, I want to lose weight, but I’m not willing to give up my reason for living. And that reason is bread and cheese. Gluten & Dairy. I don’t know how to function without it. It’s just so good.

I was going through an old sketch book from 2018 and this one made me laugh. I used to be able to grate cheese and not eat it. HOW? I just love cheese too much to give it up. I know it’s easier these days with all the “dairy free alternatives” but sooo much of that is processed beyond belief and makes you go… hmmm… should I really be eating this?

I can’t confirm this was the cause, but in 2023 I had an upper endoscopy that discovered stomach polyps and bleeding. Once I cut out the oat milk creamer and coffee, then added fermented foods I notice a difference and actually HEAL my stomach. So what’s worse? Dairy or fake dairy products.

I think I’m just trying to convince myself now that I can eat dairy and gluten, just in moderation. Everything in moderation. I’m praying that once this bathroom renovation is done, I’ll chill out a little, my cortisol will lower and maybe I’ll start seeing some changes.

Okay, until next time.

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie...

I’ve talked about this at length over the years about my “if you give a mouse a cookie” situation with Ryan. If you give Ryan a house project, he’s going to want to do more projects before you can accomplish the one initial project.

Back in 2013, we moved into a 1950s, Mid-Century Modern home. It needed a lot of love and attention… but as newly weds in our mid 20’s we knew we had all the time and energy to get it done. I adored this little 1800 sq ft bi-level. I saw all the potential, loved its unique exterior, and wanted desperately to have the outside personality match the inside. (Even if the previous owner, decided it should be “tuscan villa inspired”.)

We took the keys in June, in the thick of Wedding season. Right away we got to work making my home office what we wanted. Ikea Cabinets, tantalizing teal walls, new lighting. As a Wedding photographer, I needed a nice, happy space to spend the majority of my days as I edited thousands of photos. By August, I was begging him to let me paint the living room. I had enough of the butter yellow walls… Something needed to change. “I just want to paint the Living room,” I told him, holding back tears. “Please, it’s killing my soul after living in apartments with white walls for the past 3 years… I need color.”

He stared at me for a few minutes, watching him process through all the things that need to be done before he gave me the green light to start painting.

“If we’re going to paint the walls, we should paint the ceiling first. If we are going to paint the ceiling, we should add the recessed lighting we want first, so we will need to cut a long strip across the ceiling in order to run the wiring. While we have the ceiling open, we should also run the lighting into the kitchen too. If we are going to do the lighting in the kitchen, we should fix the drain in the upstairs bathroom, while the ceiling is open. And If we are going to have all this stuff ripped up, we might as well rip up the carpet and change the flooring to hardwood like we wanted.”

Trusting the man I married, I said okay… Let’s do it. His brain works very different than mine, so I trusted that he knew what would be best. (Spoiler alert: he did, and usually does)

So on our first wedding anniversary, that’s what we did. We started by cutting a massive hole in our ceiling. In between photographing weddings, Ryan doing 3 home inspections per day, and the many trips to Traverse City… we tried to do the work necessary to make our vision a reality. While also not making ourselves broke in the process. Materials cost money, flooring is expensive, and new furniture to match our “mid-mod vibe” wasn’t cheap.

Doubt started to creep in, and somewhere around that time, we sold our old couch and other furniture while we paid cash for our new pieces and waited for their delivery.

We cut the hole. We fixed the drain. We added the lighting in the kitchen. We covered everything in plastic, making our house look like a Dexter Kill room. We ordered take out, grilled our dinners outside, always wore shoes in the house, as it was ripped up like this for MONTHS.

Somewhere around November, we discovered I was pregnant. That lit a fire for sure, especially because I was so sick those first few months of pregnancy, I was ZERO HELP. We starting paying my youngest brother to come over and help with the work, in order to expedite the process. Almost 4 months to the date, the Aquatint, by Sherwin Williams wall paint I had picked out for the living room finally went on the walls. While we waited for our new couch to be delivered, a queen size air mattress was how we watched TV in our living room.

By Christmas, we were feeling a little more normal, and could see the light at the end of the tunnel, at least at the end of the living/kitchen lighting and painting renovation tunnel. The custom couch we had picked out from a local furniture store and the Crate & Barrel entertainment center & coffee table had all been delivered. The lights were all in, the hole in the ceiling was closed up, the ceiling was painted, the drain in our upstairs shower was finally draining better. We felt like we could rest for a second, before we had to start the next project… A baby Nursery!

This was our FIRST big house renovation as a married couple. It tried us in many ways, but in the end, I learned to trust my husband and his beautiful mind. Where I see all the bright colors and fun decor choices, he sees the logistics and all the work that goes into that. Even if the process makes us both crazy, we are both so appreciative of each other and how well we work as a team. (even as I type this, he’s texting me photos of faucets and fixtures he likes and needs my stamp of artistic approval on).

Lesson: If you give a mouse a cookie, he’s going to ask for a glass of milk to go with it. If you give Ryan a house project, he’s going to give you a coordinating project that needs to get done prior to the completion of the initial project… but it will all be worth it.