Getting My Craft On

I think I mentioned a few posts back how crafting is lifeblood to me. I constantly have ideas swirling around in my head and many rooms in this home I want to tweak. I keep having to remind myself one room at a time or better yet project.

These are a few of my latest projects. Mother's Day gifts for the grandmas. I asked Lo make a picture of her favorite memory of each grandma and then we traced it onto tea towels.

       

Then I made the grandmas and myself {of course!} silhouette pendants. I was so proud of these and I love mine. 

I found 3 pendants at Hobby Lobby on clearance. Let me just say I spent 30 minutes in the jewelry aisle scouring high and low looking for the perfect pendant. All the while my kids are bouncing around and telling me how bored and hungry they are. {Happy Mother's Day!} Then after all was said and done and I finally found pendants, I walked by the end cap and there lo and behold was every pendant they had! MY LIFE! At that point I decided to not second guess myself and get the heck out of HL!  They were black. Which was nice, but if you know me you know my love affair of spray paint.

I painted the Gmas pendants gold (use krylon gold--it's the only lovely one and I am slightly addicted to that color!) And I painted mine lime green.

I asked my hubby what color I should paint mine---I was think a Hot color.

Chad responds with "Well, I don't come in a color."

Guys it took me 5 minutes to get his joke. 5 minutes!

After I painted them I printed off their silhouette photo. 

This proved to be the trickiest part. I used photoshop elements to size down their photo. Added some scrapbook paper and mod podged it all together. 

Then add a chain which apparently is only found at JoAnns.

The end.

My final project this week was my instagram wall. 

I have all these cute random photos of my kids that I want to see outside my phone.

I found a tutorial on pintrest on sizing them down to 4x4 in PSE and printing at Walgreens as 4x6s. 

Of course I had to add some flair to a few of the photos.

The frame is from a broken full length mirror. Spray painted in my favorite krylon gold. Add string by hot gluing it and burning your fingers at least 3 times even though I have special silcone hot glue tools. ;) Add photos and viola. And instagram wall! LOVE!

Basement one step closer to awesomeness. 

Now if I could only get motivated to catch up on my scrapbooking.

Mother's Day

5 years and 3 months ago I became a mother.



A mother. A world forever changed.



I think about how I love my kids with the fiercest kind of love.

Being a mom is the hardest, most fantastic, challenging, rewarding, over-whelming, powerful thing I have ever done.

I think about my mom and all she has done for us.
Protecting me from some ginormous {I am just sure} toddler eating bug when I was 4ish.
Staying up late to talk.
Taking long walks on the river to McDonalds for an ice-cream.
Being the "fall guy" when I didn't have the courage to say "no" to my friends.
Being my biggest cheerleader in life.
Listening to me shout at her how she "screwed up" as a mom and still loving me anyway.
Sacrificing her desires to fulfill ours.
Loving my kids with the fiercest kind of love.
And teaching me how to be mom.



As mom we get to see and experience the highs and lows of life in such an intense and beautiful way. I feel beyond bless to be a mom to two beautiful, crazy kids. They make me a better person.

And thank-you to my wonderful mother in law for loving me as the daughter she never had and always being there for me and my kids whenever we call.



Happy Mother's Day.
It's our day off so take a load off and enjoy.

{my favorite mother's day picture}

Throwback Cartoons

My kids love cartoons as much as the next kid. We don't have cable or cartoon network or anything, but we find some jewels on Netflix. Such as the lovable and hug-able care bears.
Here's the thing about these cartoons; the ones from yester-year at first glance seem sort of dark and "violent" compared to their new and improved?! versions for today's kid.

I will say this is MY favorite series of Care Bears! Grumpy Bear is HILARIOUS!

At first I couldn't believe my parents let me watch such shows, but upon further thoughtful contemplation I realize that I have been re-programmed to see the cartoons from my childhood as "evil" and "bad." Who wouldn't compared to today's lesson filled, everyone wins, unicorn pooping sprinkles and marshmallows all over the place episodes. I like the "lessons" learned in the yester-year cartoons they deal in more real world scenarios---wait for it GASP!! NOT EVERYONE WINS! {and you will NOT believe this...the "loser" learns life goes on and it is okay---their world did not collapse.} WHOA! Today's kids are not taught such life lessons. Sad.

So now instead of viewing the Throwback cartoons as scary and evil, I see them as valuable ways to talk to my kids about life. In fairness I still like some of the new versions and their happy go-lucky attitudes, but overall that usually isn't how the real world works.

I even found daddy's old pound puppy "cooler" to watch with.

Today's spin on an old classic.

What are your favorite cartoons from your childhood?! I can still sing most of the songs!