How To Make Gold Bar Beads With Polymer Clay

The boys both woke up yesterday with little colds, which meant it was going to be a sucky day for sure haha just kidding (sort of)... it meant that we were staying home and relaxing and not doing much.  I decided to get out my clay stuff and try to recreate the gold bar look, which I have wanted to do for the longest time.  I love how this turned out and the ways you can wear these are endless.

What you will need:

• Translucent polymer clay 
• Gold powdered pigment 
• Razor blade
• Waxed cotton cord for either bracelets or necklaces  
• Bead making tool or toothpick

Directions:

1. Rip off a little chunk of clay and condition it in between your hands so that it is soft and pliable. 
2. Pour a small amount of gold pigment into a dish.  Place the ball of clay in the dish and roll it around thoroughly coating it.  Then mash up the little ball and repeat.  Do this until the translucent clay is evenly a rich and vibrant shade of gold. 
3. Roll the piece of clay into a ball and then using your hand roll it into a tube bead (see picture instructions here)
4. Place the tube of clay onto the bead making tool, use the palm of your hand to roll out any imperfections and to make it smooth. Wiggle the metal tool around until you have a nice size hole.
5. Take a tiny bit of gold pigment and gently rub it onto your bead on last time to give it a little extra boost of gold color. 
6. Place your beads on a designated craft baking sheet and bake according to your clay directions.
7. Before beads completely cool, use the razor to slice off each end of your beads to give them a more finished look.
8. Attach the beads into the waxed cotton cord and wear them as a necklace or bracelet!

I love how these turned out.  You can make one and keep it simple or make multiple beads and layer them up! 

See also:

DIY Ombre Polymer Clay Beaded Necklace

DIY Half Circle Polymer Clay Necklace

DIY Braided Polymer Clay Bracelet 

Roasted Apple & Butternut Squash Soup

Okay ladies and gentlemen this is one hell of a soup...and it is one of the most delicious things that I have made for dinner in quite a long time.  It was gobbled up by all the boys in my house big and small before I could barely get a bowl of it myself.  And a bonus was it made my house smell like fall was truly in the air...well in my kitchen at least.  This is a recipe keeper for sure!

What you will need:

• 1 large butternut squash, peeled and chopped into cubes
• 2 green apples, cored, sliced and chopped 
• 1 large white onion, chopped
• 4 large carrots, peeled and chopped
• 3 tbs of olive oil
• 1 1/2 tsp of cinnamon
• 1 tsp of garlic salt
• 1 tsp of salt 
• 1 1/2 tsp of chili powder
• 1/2 tsp of nutmeg
• 3 tbs of grass fed butter or ghee
• 4 cups of chicken broth 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 
2. In a large bowl combine the butternut squash, apples, onion and carrots.  Add in the olive oil, cinnamon, garlic salt, chili powder and nutmeg.  Mix throughly and make sure to evenly coat all the veggies. 
3. Place the seasoned veggies onto a cookie sheet, spreading them out evenly. 
4. Roast veggies for 40 minutes. 
5. In a large saucepan, heat up the butter with 1 tsp of salt.  Add in the roasted veggies and chicken broth.  Simmer for about 20 minutes. 
6. Place all of the ingredients in a high powered blender or food processor.  Blend until you have a nice smooth soup consistency. 
7. Serve with whatever topping you like (I used roasted almonds)
8. Enjoy! 

*Recipe slightly adapted from here, with a few tweaks based on personal preference. 

I would love to chat more about this bomb diggity soup but mom business has been on high demand as of lately so gotta run but please make sure to come back and let me know how much you loved this :)

Weekly Happenings + Pictures Are Better Than Long Wordy Posts Sometimes

I am feeling super ADD lately so instead of fighting it I am just going to post like my mind is feeling...so here ya go!

Pumpkin pancakes, which I have added a touch of turmeric to for added color effect. These have been a regular morning routine must-have around my house with the boys.

Lorikeet feeding at the Safari Park...and I think we have all concluded the giraffes are our favorite.

An after school frozen yogurt date with friends.  And why the heck is it still so hot here in California?!

The fact that this still happens...ahhhhh love it.

Feeding the chicken's at my Dad's house.

Picking up fresh eggs.

Ronin has been asking for a "doooogiiie" for the longest time and after seeing how he was with my Dad's chicken I think I may need to make that happen ha!

A text between my mom and I about her wraps.  See the post here if you have no idea what I am talking about.

Firefighter visiting day at Max's Pre-K.  I have never seen him so attentive to something! He loved every minute of this.

Seriously how cute is my friend's daughter?! I mean really.  She was having way too much fun at our pumpkin painting play date.

Ronin is happiest when he is concentrating and making magic happen with a paint brush.

So if you feel dizzy after reading this post just imagine how it is inside of my brain everyday :) Hope you have an awesome day!

Things That Make Me Say Yeay

The softest new bedding for Ronin.  It is handmade and hand printed on knitted sweatshirt fleece.  I love it and so does Ronin!

Sunday brunch and mimosas at our house this last weekend.  This is way too fancy to do every weekend (hey I didn't even have 4 champagne glasses ha) but I definitely would not mind it being a regular thing.

The best thin crust, gluten-free (and organic woo hoo) pizza from our favorite local little pizzeria.

A pottery painting date with my boys.  Ronin is now at the stage where he has to do everything Max is doing or he has a complete melt down.  So they both decided to paint Ninja Turtle Piggy banks :)

A chilly day that I took full advantage of and dressed the part.  Now if only it would staaaayyy chilly I would be one happy camper!
(shirt, boots, sweater, purse)

Have a wonderful weekend!

7 Must Make Fall Recipes

1) "Cheesy" Baked Cauliflower Poppers: Perfect for snacking on while watching football and even your non healthy food loving friends will love these!

2) Baked Apple Chips: These are one of my family's favorite fall treats! Plus they make your whole house smell heavenly as they bake.

3) Flourless Snickerdoodle Cookies: These are soft, moist and delicious.  If you have little cookie monsters living at your house like I do, these will not last long.

4) The Two Minute Pumpkin Pie: This Paleo treat will blow your freaking mind, promise.  Sometimes you just need a little treat NOW and you do not have to wait an hour for it to be ready...so when that happens make this.

5) Flourless Pumpkin Brownies: These super moist, cake like brownies are another family favorite with the boys.  The pumpkin is not overwhelming and they are juuuuuust right.

6) Pumpkin Pie Sugar Cookies (Paleo): You need to make these.  That is all there is to say about these. You will not be disappointed.

7) Baked Parsnip Fries: These are sweet, salty and the perfect healthy alternative to french fries.

Have you made any of these treats yet? I would love to hear your feedback if so!

Have You Heard of That Crazy Body Wrap Thing Yet?! I Tried it and This is What I Thought...

Trying to take a normal looking selfie with one of these things on is nearly impossible ;)

Unless you have been living under a rock (hey it's totally possible) you have probably heard of body wraps and wondered to yourself if they really do work.  Until I recently tried one I was skeptical but I am here to tell you that they do in fact "work" and I am beyond excited about a new product I am on board with, but first a little back story...

If you are a long time reader you are probably already aware that I have been a licensed esthetician for over 8 years.  I have worked for doctors, plastic surgeons, cosmetic dentists and at one point I ran my own esthetics business out of my home.  So I have seen it all as far as skin treatments go.  For the longest time I have been intrigued by the whole body wrap treatment thing but the reality is I just do not have the luxury of actually going to a salon on a regular basis (hey I can barely make it to my hair appointment on time) to try it out.

So long story short, one of my good friends recently started selling body wraps.  The hook line and sinker for me was that you could apply the wraps by yourself to specific targeted areas in your own home...what what!! I am a big ingredient whore (yes I am) so I sat there in her kitchen reading all the ingredients before applying and I was sold.  I bought one and took it home to try.

I have used two wraps so far and you guys I was blown away.  My tummy area feels super tight, does not feel bloated (like it always does ughhh) and my jeans in the belly area are actually loose.  To say I am happy is an understatement.

So the number one question that you might be asking yourself is, "Well isn't this just water loss?"
The answer is no. The special blend of botanical ingredients actually works to lighten, tone, and detoxify your fatty tissue below the surface of the skin, leaving you with amazing slimming results that is not related to water loss.

If you would like to try this out for yourself you can find every thing you need here.  If you have any additional questions about how you can get started or how you can get the wraps at my cost you can leave them below or email me at wrapsbylinds@yahoo.com

This is a before and after of a close family friend who has done 2 wraps....she is pretty excited about her results so far!

** Update: some of you did not believe this was a real picture but guyssss this is my mom. (secrets out) It's as real as can get because I took these pictures.

Can't wait to hear from you and if you do end up wrapping make sure to take before pics!

Things That Make Me Say Yeay!

Fall-ifying my mantel with a few little things including an owl that Max picked out.

A quote I spotted on a little notepad that I just loved. So true.

Lemonade sweetened only with Stevia that was sent to us to try from Leaf & Love.  It is USDA organic and all natural...woo hoo for that!  The boys loved this and it was so nice to give them a juice box that I knew was actually good for them and not loaded with sugar.  We will be ordering more for sure.  You can use the coupon code MTJVVKFL to receive $2 off your purchase.

Free paint swatch samples = our favorite way to learn colors.

Backyard hangin with my two favorite little guys who lit up when they spotted this grasshopper, which they named and watched for a whole half hour.  There is seriously nothing better than hanging and chatting with these two little guys.  They make you realize that joy can be found in the simplest of things.

Have a wonderful weekend!