When I was in Junior High my dad and I had a ritual of going to get Chinese food and then to a thrift store on his day off, which was every Tuesday. To a lot of people this ritual may seem lame, but to me it is a beautiful memory I share with my dad. Just like me I want my children to have those beautiful memories.
My son is obsessed with wrestling and although I stopped being a fan a while ago, I still watch it with him every day it is on. Not because I'm a fan, but more so because I know he likes it and I want to share that with him. I love the way he gets excited with the story lines and wrestlers, it reminds me of when I did the same as a little girl. In the beginning it was annoying to watch it, I would even lie to him about it not being on, but slowly I began to realize how important it was for me to like and participate with things he likes. It is important for children to feel that bond with their parents, it let's them know we care.
Right now I have the privilege of being at home and this gives me the chance to make great memories with my babies. I want them to look back at their childhood with happiness and fondness. I want them to remember our rituals and make them want to build some with their babies.
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Monday, April 8, 2013
DIY Canvas Pictures
As I have mentioned before I love photography, I'm not an expert but I love taking pictures. One of the things that used to frustrate me the most was taking pictures, but not displaying them. Now thanks to Pinterest I have gotten a lot of ideas of how to do this. One of my favorite is the canvas display. As you may know canvas pictures are pretty expensive, but I have found a cheap and easy idea on how to make these.
Materials needed are the following:
Canvas
Picture
Acrylic Paint (any color you want)
Sponge Brush (2)
Modge Podge (make it yourself 1/2 half glue and 1/2 water)
I got my canvas at Michael's. Most of the time they have awesome coupons and you can get a great deal. I got a 10 pack of 8x10 for $14. First, I painted the edges of the canvas dark brown to match my other picture frames in my living room. This project is so easy that even my 6 year old helped out.
Let it sit for a bit and once it is dry modge podge the top of the canvas. Give it a nice layer, but not too much. Place your picture on top of the modge podge (picture face up). I ironed out the bubbles by touching my picture with a tissue and I was done. I let it dry out overnight and hung it up in the morning.
Here is what the edge looked like after I laid the picture on top.
Here is the finished product.
For now I only have two pictures hung up, but I plan on making the rest of my canvas soon. I will update this post when I'm done with my wall.
Materials needed are the following:
Canvas
Picture
Acrylic Paint (any color you want)
Sponge Brush (2)
Modge Podge (make it yourself 1/2 half glue and 1/2 water)
I got my canvas at Michael's. Most of the time they have awesome coupons and you can get a great deal. I got a 10 pack of 8x10 for $14. First, I painted the edges of the canvas dark brown to match my other picture frames in my living room. This project is so easy that even my 6 year old helped out.
Let it sit for a bit and once it is dry modge podge the top of the canvas. Give it a nice layer, but not too much. Place your picture on top of the modge podge (picture face up). I ironed out the bubbles by touching my picture with a tissue and I was done. I let it dry out overnight and hung it up in the morning.
Here is what the edge looked like after I laid the picture on top.
Here is the finished product.
For now I only have two pictures hung up, but I plan on making the rest of my canvas soon. I will update this post when I'm done with my wall.
Friday, April 5, 2013
Garage Sale
My son and I like to go to garage/yard sales on the weekends. We don't do it every single weekend, but we do it quite often. It is something that I remember doing with my mom when I was a little girl and as it seems my son will continue the tradition with me.
I love it, through out the years of doing it, I have found a lot of great things for cheap. Just a couple of weeks ago I found a great craft desk for only $20, when at the store I haven't been able to find one like that for any less than $100. I have found Scrapbooking stuff, books, knick knacks, and even furniture for cheap. When my hubby and I moved out on our own I furnished our new apartment for for about $150, of course it wasn't the latest in furniture design, but it helped us out a lot.
I understand this is not every ones thing, but if people knew some of the stuff I have gotten from yard sales and the prices I have gotten them for, they would try it for sure. I'm sort of a nerd like that, but to me it's awesome because you never know what you will find. I recommend that everyone tries this at least once and I guarantee that more than one of you will get hooked. Happy Hunting!
I love it, through out the years of doing it, I have found a lot of great things for cheap. Just a couple of weeks ago I found a great craft desk for only $20, when at the store I haven't been able to find one like that for any less than $100. I have found Scrapbooking stuff, books, knick knacks, and even furniture for cheap. When my hubby and I moved out on our own I furnished our new apartment for for about $150, of course it wasn't the latest in furniture design, but it helped us out a lot.
I understand this is not every ones thing, but if people knew some of the stuff I have gotten from yard sales and the prices I have gotten them for, they would try it for sure. I'm sort of a nerd like that, but to me it's awesome because you never know what you will find. I recommend that everyone tries this at least once and I guarantee that more than one of you will get hooked. Happy Hunting!
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Take it Slow
This past weekend I overheard a teenage girl saying she couldn't wait to be married to her boyfriend. I asked myself why do women have such a screwed up way of viewing LOVE. Why do we assume that if we don't hurry up and married the one we love at the moment we won't find happiness. Why can't we just accept things for what they are and enjoy them in their moment.
I have seen many women fall in love and automatically throw caution to the wind. As soon as a woman falls in love it narrows her mind to just that person and the entire world fades away. It's as if we loose all common sense and stupidity kicks in. In my opinion we are more emotional than men, which makes us fall faster and harder. If we took things slow like men tend to want to do, I think we would enjoy our relationships more.
Once upon a time I remember my relationship with the Hubbs was pure bliss. We were young, in love and all was just perfect. Then we got this crazy idea of getting married and of course I lost my head and dove in. I don't regret getting married, much less to my husband, but I do wish we could have waited a little bit longer. I wish I could have thought with my head then and not my emotions, which is what I wanted to tell that teenage girl last Sunday. I wanted to shake her and tell her to enjoy this moment in her relationship and take it slow. I wanted to let her know that marriage is beautiful when it is not forced and on its own time. What is meant to be will happen regardless of how many hours, days, years or decades pass.
I have seen many women fall in love and automatically throw caution to the wind. As soon as a woman falls in love it narrows her mind to just that person and the entire world fades away. It's as if we loose all common sense and stupidity kicks in. In my opinion we are more emotional than men, which makes us fall faster and harder. If we took things slow like men tend to want to do, I think we would enjoy our relationships more.
Once upon a time I remember my relationship with the Hubbs was pure bliss. We were young, in love and all was just perfect. Then we got this crazy idea of getting married and of course I lost my head and dove in. I don't regret getting married, much less to my husband, but I do wish we could have waited a little bit longer. I wish I could have thought with my head then and not my emotions, which is what I wanted to tell that teenage girl last Sunday. I wanted to shake her and tell her to enjoy this moment in her relationship and take it slow. I wanted to let her know that marriage is beautiful when it is not forced and on its own time. What is meant to be will happen regardless of how many hours, days, years or decades pass.
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Organizing My Mess
With children it is very easy to have clutter. The Hubbs and I moved into our current residence because it was bigger than our old apartment. At our old apartment we had things on top of things due to our baby girl being born, but I think we could have made it work if we were a bit more organized. I was determined not to let that happen here, therefore I have follow a few simple rules to help myself.
First rule, is to "declutter" for 15 minutes every day and only 15 minutes. Each day I do a different area like my make-up station, garage aka the toy room, the closets, under the sinks, and especially the kitchen table. I make sure and do this with the areas that really need to be clean. This has helped me a lot to keep my house looking clean and you be surprised how great it feels.
Second rule, is to organize myself with simple tips I find on Pinterest or other blogs. For example, I purchased shower curtain rods to hang all of my handbags in my closet instead of having them scattered all over my closet. Another thing I did was to purchase a large plastic bin to put toys my kids don't play with. Little by little I sort out the toys and once it is full I donate them to my church. I'll make sure and take pictures once I get more done.
The last, but probably most important rule I created for myself was to make a to-do list. Some of the things on my list don't get done for a while, but having them on there is a reminder that they still need to get done. As a stay at home mom people automatically assume you have a lot of time on your hands, but that's not always the case with cooking, cleaning and running around after the kids. Therefore, we always need to find new ways to make it work and make life simpler. Every once in a while I will share new tips with you and if you have any share them with me.
First rule, is to "declutter" for 15 minutes every day and only 15 minutes. Each day I do a different area like my make-up station, garage aka the toy room, the closets, under the sinks, and especially the kitchen table. I make sure and do this with the areas that really need to be clean. This has helped me a lot to keep my house looking clean and you be surprised how great it feels.
Second rule, is to organize myself with simple tips I find on Pinterest or other blogs. For example, I purchased shower curtain rods to hang all of my handbags in my closet instead of having them scattered all over my closet. Another thing I did was to purchase a large plastic bin to put toys my kids don't play with. Little by little I sort out the toys and once it is full I donate them to my church. I'll make sure and take pictures once I get more done.
The last, but probably most important rule I created for myself was to make a to-do list. Some of the things on my list don't get done for a while, but having them on there is a reminder that they still need to get done. As a stay at home mom people automatically assume you have a lot of time on your hands, but that's not always the case with cooking, cleaning and running around after the kids. Therefore, we always need to find new ways to make it work and make life simpler. Every once in a while I will share new tips with you and if you have any share them with me.
Monday, April 1, 2013
DIY Tutu Tutorial
Our Easter was awesome. I went to church with my babies and celebrated the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is a very important celebration for me and I always like to make sure we are on our Sunday best. This year I got a bit inspired and I decided to make my baby girl a tutu for our Easter service. It was easier than I thought it would be, here's how I did it.
The materials I used were:
6 yards of Tulle. I bought 3 yards of pink and 3 yards of white tulle, but I didn't use it all.
1" non-roll elastic band
Glue gun or if you don't have one you can sow the ends of your elastic band
Scissors
Tape measure or ruler
First, I measured my daughter's waist to size the elastic band. A lot of websites say to subtract two inches from the size of your kids waist for a good fit, but I only subtracted 1 and it was perfect. I then used my glue gun to attach the ends of the elastic band together (If you don't have a glue gun you can sow them together).
Second, I cut 20" strips of tulle for the length of my tutu, I went with the recommendations of the chart below. It all depends on how long you want it.
Waist Size-these are very general
Preemie (under 7 pounds)-14 inches
0-3 months: 17/18 inches
6-12 months: 18/19inches
1-2 years: 20 inches
2-3: 21 inches
3-4: 22 inches
4-5: 23 inches
I then began wrapping the tulle on the elastic waist band. So the elastic band wouldn't slide I wrapped it around a paper towel roll. You have to fold your strips of tutu in half, like so:
Place the tulle in front of the elastic band and pull back at the fold. The keyhole should come out at the bottom of the elastic slip the two ends inside the keyhole and pull. It should look like this once you pull:
I cut 30 pink strips of tulle and 15 of the white tulle you of course can use more. The more tulle you add the puffier it will be. I only used two colors, but you can use as many colors as you want. I made a pattern with my two colors of 1 white, 2 pinks, and 1 white. Here is the end result:
It was a fun project and needless to say I can't wait to do other tutus for my baby girl. Let me know if you have any questions.
The materials I used were:
6 yards of Tulle. I bought 3 yards of pink and 3 yards of white tulle, but I didn't use it all.
1" non-roll elastic band
Glue gun or if you don't have one you can sow the ends of your elastic band
Scissors
Tape measure or ruler
First, I measured my daughter's waist to size the elastic band. A lot of websites say to subtract two inches from the size of your kids waist for a good fit, but I only subtracted 1 and it was perfect. I then used my glue gun to attach the ends of the elastic band together (If you don't have a glue gun you can sow them together).
Second, I cut 20" strips of tulle for the length of my tutu, I went with the recommendations of the chart below. It all depends on how long you want it.
Waist Size-these are very general
Preemie (under 7 pounds)-14 inches
0-3 months: 17/18 inches
6-12 months: 18/19inches
1-2 years: 20 inches
2-3: 21 inches
3-4: 22 inches
4-5: 23 inches
I then began wrapping the tulle on the elastic waist band. So the elastic band wouldn't slide I wrapped it around a paper towel roll. You have to fold your strips of tutu in half, like so:
Place the tulle in front of the elastic band and pull back at the fold. The keyhole should come out at the bottom of the elastic slip the two ends inside the keyhole and pull. It should look like this once you pull:
I cut 30 pink strips of tulle and 15 of the white tulle you of course can use more. The more tulle you add the puffier it will be. I only used two colors, but you can use as many colors as you want. I made a pattern with my two colors of 1 white, 2 pinks, and 1 white. Here is the end result:
It was a fun project and needless to say I can't wait to do other tutus for my baby girl. Let me know if you have any questions.
Friday, March 29, 2013
DIY Pen & Pencil Holder
I'm excited because next week is spring break for my son, therefore life will be a bit less hectic, hopefully. I will have more time to do some of my projects, which I'm sure my son will love to help out with. I'm on a mission to get my little craft station organized. Right now I have things all over the place and it bugs me.
I needed something to keep my pens, pencils, markers, scissors and brushes sorted out. I also wanted to make some sort of container(s) to my liking, like I did here for my Scrapbooking paper. I came up with a super cheap idea that was incredibly easy to make. All I used were a few cans of Pringles chips, which I had already collected for another project, Modge Podge, Scrapbooking Paper, and scissors.
I first cut the Pringles cans to the size that I wanted (You can make them as tall or as short as you want).
Select the color of scrapbook paper that you want and measure according to your can size. Paste around your can with your modge podge using a brush or sponge brush.
I left a little extra paper at the top, so that I could cover the rough edges where I cut the can. I then added modge podge to the extra little bit of paper and I folded the edge towards the inside of the can. It gives it a better look. Once you do this you're pretty much done.
Now my son has requested some for his desk, so it's a project I plan on doing with him during spring break. You can also use these as make-up brush holders or add a magnet to your can an pin it on your refrigerator to hold pens for quick notes. It was a cheap project that gives my craft station some much needed organization and great personal touch. My station is looking up if I do say so myself.
I needed something to keep my pens, pencils, markers, scissors and brushes sorted out. I also wanted to make some sort of container(s) to my liking, like I did here for my Scrapbooking paper. I came up with a super cheap idea that was incredibly easy to make. All I used were a few cans of Pringles chips, which I had already collected for another project, Modge Podge, Scrapbooking Paper, and scissors.
I first cut the Pringles cans to the size that I wanted (You can make them as tall or as short as you want).
Select the color of scrapbook paper that you want and measure according to your can size. Paste around your can with your modge podge using a brush or sponge brush.
I left a little extra paper at the top, so that I could cover the rough edges where I cut the can. I then added modge podge to the extra little bit of paper and I folded the edge towards the inside of the can. It gives it a better look. Once you do this you're pretty much done.
Now my son has requested some for his desk, so it's a project I plan on doing with him during spring break. You can also use these as make-up brush holders or add a magnet to your can an pin it on your refrigerator to hold pens for quick notes. It was a cheap project that gives my craft station some much needed organization and great personal touch. My station is looking up if I do say so myself.
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