life in general

spring break // day 2

Day 2 and we were going, going, going.

What I love about these school breaks is that we finally have the time to do the baking, outings, and playing that we just don't have time for during the school week.  And if it seems like we are running like crazy and doing SO much this spring break . . . it's because I know that during our next break (summer) it will be just too hot to do a lot of things so we have to squeeze it in now!

Today we needed to bake.  Oh my, I found the cutest idea for spring cupcakes over at Our Best Bites and we copied their cuteness in it's entirety -- right down to the packaging!

Everyone was assigned a job - crush oreos, color the coconut, make carrots (from Starburst!)

and paint egg cartons

 Then we set up a nice assembly nice -- Anna frosted the mini cupcakes and the boys decorated.

Anna: "It's like we are a cupcake shop!"

This is where the cuteness reaches epic proportions -- mini spring cupcakes packaged in an egg carton!

You can't look at this and not smile.

Then we hopped into the van and drove around delivering these little cuties to a few people from church (visiting teaching friends, primary teachers . . . ).

And because we did not get in enough bouncing at the trampoline center yesterday, we made our way to an indoor bounce activity center.  (Really, I just had another groupon we needed to use).

Everyone had a great time and got very, very sweaty.  And Anna may have peed her pants, just a little.  They were all in desperate need of showers when we got home.

The sister missionaries joined us for dinner.  We had sweet and sour chicken (click on the link for the recipe - so so so good!), rice, fruit salad, broccoli, and fortune cookies.

Later, around 7pm, the kids jumped on the trampoline.  They love going out for an early evening jump.  But we usually have to go out there and end it when the noise level gets out of control.  Both of our neighbors are retired and I'm not sure they appreciate the commotion!

friday five {valentine's day}

1.  Food passport (write down local restaurants you want to try and then cross them off your list as you go out on dates).  If I hadn't already put together Scott's Valentine's Day gift I would totally do this.  And I still might.

Source: thespottedfox.com via Shannon on Pinterest

 

 

2.  Kiss Me Countdown -- I made these one night and quietly hung them on the kids' bedroom doors. It was a fun little surprise when they woke up on February 1st.  The idea & tag download came from the girls at eighteen25.

3.  Notes of love -- On Monday we had a family home evening lesson on love.  For the activity we cut hearts from cardstock and wrote what we love about each member of our family.  Then we taped them all over the kitchen cupboards.  The best part of the activity was going around the table and reading our messages out loud.  There were lots of feel-good smiles.  This, I think, has to be my favorite one . . . 

4.  For the Family Home Evening lesson we watched these videos and then talked about how we can show Christ-like love.

5.  A Date Card -- Scott already received his Valentine's Day gift.  It was a basket full of coupons to enjoy leading up to the holiday, and peanut M&M's (his favorite).  One coupon is for a date planned by me.  And because we've been watching The Bachelor together, no date is complete without a cheesy date card!

new ornaments this year

After admiring this ornament on 2 separate visits and continually thinking about it at home, I knew I had to have it.  (Sigh)  It's just so delicate and magical.

I discovered that I am a sucker for all things Oregon.  Hello to the Beaver state!

This handsome nutcracker came from Jenn and he fits perfectly into my Christmas tree motif.

The other night the kids and I sat down to make our own ornaments.  I got this idea from eighteen25.  Instead of doing snowman handprints we painted trees.  I think they turned out prettty darn cute!

2.5 x 3.5 mini canvas
paint
yarn or ribbon to hot glue on the back

apple turkey

Or possibly an apple alien?

This was the kids' activity on Thanksgiving Day.  While watching the National Dog Show we poked apples with toothpicks and decorated them with marshmallows, grapes, raisins, gum drops, and edible candy eyes.

I love activities like this -- provide the supplies, basic directions, and let 'em loose.

 

He gives this project two thumbs up.

birthday celebration kit

Earlier this summer, one of the ladies that I am assigned to visit at church had a birthday.  I wanted to put together a little something cute for her but I had only met & talked to her once, so I didn't really know her that well.  

Hmmm

So, while brainstorming I came up with the idea to give her a birthday celebration kit.  It's pretty basic, but cute, so it can work for just about anyone.  I just hope she liked the color yellow!

These are the contents:

• yellow sanding sugar
• yellow chevron cookie bags
• mini cupcake liners
• toothpick flags
• ruffled streamers

To cute-ify your toothpicks, simply wrap the top with washi tape and snip with scissors

I found a tutorial for ruffled streamers HERE.  They were so easy to make.  And so incredibly cute!!!

I put it all together in a kraft box, added a cute pinwheel, and delivered it on her birthday.  I hope she liked it.

we made t-shirts

"Make t-shirts" was on our summer fun list this year.  And Payton was not going to let me forget it!

So on that rainy day last week we picked up supplies at Hobby Lobby (love that place), spread plastic garbage bags across the table, and began to create.

I think they turned out awesome!

Here's what we used:

2" vinyl letter stickers

SEI Tie Dye Tumble-Dye (fabric dye in a spray)

plain t-shirts

And here's what we did:

Add stickers.

Spray some color.  (We put a piece of cardboard inside the t-shirt because the dye bleeds through)

Let it dry completely and remove the stickers.

Then we tossed the shirts in the dryer for 20 minutes to set the color.

Done!

The kids love their shirts.  I think Payton has decided to change his bowling name from Monkey to Striker.

Anyone who watches Big Bang Theory should be very familiar with the word "Bazinga."  Conner's t-shirt design is meant to represent the scene with Sheldon in the ball pit.  What a funny kid. It cracks him up everytime.

crayons on the wall

So here it is!

Here's what I did with the melted crayon art from last week.

* 14x18 melted crayon art on canvas

* 10 - 8x8 instagram photos - convert to black and white and print at Costco (1.49 each)

* chipboard "love" from Hobby Lobby with some aqua paint

* glittery "JOY" - purchased at Fred Meyer several years ago

Originally I planned to go with 12x12 photos around the canvas.  But I was cheap and didn't want to pay 2.99 per print.

And I kept the swimming photo in color just because it looked better that way.

Hanging materials:  2 nails, 3M Velcro Strips, and Scotch tape

And now our apartment has some color on the walls.  Some life.  I can't tell you how good it feel to have family photos -- photos of us -- on the walls again.  Makes it feel a little more like home.

melted crayon art

This week has been H. O. T. Hot.

113

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Tuesday was the worst of all and with the pool being closed we determined early on that it would be an inside day.  The kids also decided that it would be a pajama day (something from our summer fun list).  Here they are still in pajamas at 4pm.

While they were battling Pokemon and racing Mario I decided to dive into a project that has been on my list for a long time.  Maybe you've seen it around pinterest -- melted crayon art.

I used a 14x18 canvas and about 2.5 boxes of crayons (the 24 pack).  First I arranged the crayons in the order I wanted and then hot glued them to the canvas, one by one.

Now here's where my project differs from those you might have seen on Pinterest.  They use a hair dryer to apply heat to the crayons and make them melt.

But . . . . we don't need to stinkin' hair dryer!  We've got the sun!

At 8:40 am I set the canvas on the porch in direct sunlight.  35 minutes later it was doing this:

Success!

The sun was shifting so I moved it to the stairs.  At noon and 108 degrees it was looking like this:

Ohhhhh, good stuff!

I went inside to clean up lunch and came back 20 minutes later to find a huge puddle of melted wax! Seriously it happened so fast.  But it looked awesome!

Once out of the sun, it only took a moment for the wax to harden.  That also included the wax on my hands and the wax on the cement steps.  Oops.

My pajama-clad, bed-headed boy models the finished product for me

I love it!

I'm working on a little wall display featuring this art. I'll show you once I get it all put together. 

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I've set a goal to complete 101 tasks in 1001 days.  This is #43 -- Make a project from pinterest

getting 4th of July crafty

So at this point you can pretty much count on me posting any and all holiday related crafts after the holiday! This slower-paced, transitional, temporary, housing-up-in-the-air situation is affecting all parts of our life, I think.  But hey, if you like you can always "pin" the ideas and save them for next year.

On Tuesday I decided it was time to take down the spring banner and put up some 4th of July decor.   

After a run to Michael's we were ready to go.

cardstock, glitter paper, tissue paper, ribbon, cupcake wrappers, star garland, yarn, red ribbon, paint . . . 

First up, the kids made some toilet paper tube firecrackers.  I think they turned out great, and the kids really enjoyed the project.

And I worked on a new 4th of July banner

The circles, USA letters (on glitter paper), and USA map were all cut on my Silhouette Cameo.  Loving that thing.

Then I just strung it on some white yarn with red & blue cupcake wrappers.  Easy peasy!

See that stack of stars in the above photo?  I had the boys paint the edges with red and blue paint.  The plan was to then write a bunch of stuff about America on the stars (freedoms, things we love, etc.) and add them to the wall right below the USA banner.  But that hasn't happened quite yet.

Lastly, I've been itching to make some paper accordions and this holiday was the perfect opportunity.  I love them!  

paper accordion + cupcake wrapper + glitter paper = festive 4th of july decor

chicks & doilies

Living in an apartment with all of your possessions in storage has it's pros and cons

pro: living with less stuff is actually liberating.  Less stuff to clean, organize, and worry about.

con: when you need something it is buried 15 feet deep in a storage unit.  Like, Easter decorations.

But really, I am embracing this new-found life of simplicity and just forgetting about all that other stuff.  Out of sight, out of mind.  If it's not in the apartment already I don't need it!

And to maintain our simple lifestyle I have made a commitment to refrain from purchasing new stuff -- decor, knick knacks, etc.  We are comfortable with what we have, the basics, and I really really do not want to bring anything else into our space.

So back to the Easter decorations.  And every other holiday going forward.

My plan is to go homemade, on the cheap, disposable.  Perfect.

I pinned a few Easter craft ideas and chose this one to do with the kids -- Spring Chicks

A bath sponge for painting the body

Markers for beak & legs

And googly eyes for . . . eyes.

Conner got a little creative with his chicks.

This is "Robin Egg".  He steals eggs from the rich chickens to give to the poor chickens.

The second chick he made is holding a stick of dynamite.

Later I punched holes to the cards and strung them on yarn, stapled a few doilies, and wah-la!

A spring chick banner to adorn our dining area for Easter weekend.

The tablecloth came here with us.  Do you recognize it from here?  I trimmed the fabric and hemmed it (the sewing machine is not in storage) so it would fit our 40" square table.  I think the remnants will be turned into a pennant banner.

I think it turned out pretty cute.  And the kids loved seeing their artwork displayed this way.

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I had my heart set on picking up some yellow daffodils at the grocery store for our Easter table.  This time of year I can usually get 3 bunches for $5 at our local Safeway back in Oregon.

But sadly, there are no daffodils at the grocery store here.

The mums and daisies worked out beautifully (and cost a pretty penny)

But they just aren't daffodils.  {sigh}  

I guess we traded color on the ground (tulips, daffodils, peonies, hydrangeas, roses, rhododendrons, giant hanging flower baskets) . . . . for color in the sky (blue!).

sharing a piece of christmas

I know everyone has taken down the tree, packed up the decorations, and said goodbye to another Christmas season . . . but wait!  I have one more thing I want to share before I forget.

Several months ago we discussed plans for my in-laws to join us for Christmas after the move.  But the move never happened ;) so we've post-poned our Christmas gathering for a year.  In lieu of being together for Christmas I decided that I would share a piece of our Christmas with them each day.

It begins with 25 cards and 25 envelopes

At the end of each day in December I printed a photo, wrote a little note (or recruited one of the kids to write a note) about something that happened that day, and mailed it off.  Simple and, I think, very meaningful.  

I know they looked forward to checking the mailbox each day for a new card.  Maybe even competing to be the first one to find it?  ;)

I also put together this gift of letters for my parents 2 years ago . . . the first year that they were empty-nesters (4 kids married and one on a mission).  I know that Christmas is extra magical when there are small children involved.  By sharing pieces of our Christmas all month long (sitting on santa's lap, christmas piano recitals, cub scout service projects, etc.) I hope that they got a taste of that kind of magic as well.

(I promise there were 25 envelopes to begin with . . . I just took this picture 10 days into the project.)

To do the project . . . . 

• Gather 25 envelopes and 25 note-cards
• Stamp the numbers 1-25 on the note-card AND the outside of the envelope.  This is important because sometimes a few cards might show up in the mail at once (after a weekend) so they need to know which card to open first.

I stamped my numbers with red paint and while it was still wet I sprinkled glitter over the top.  This is definitely an assembly line kind of project.  And it is so helpful to just take an hour and prep the cards ahead of time so they are ready to grab when you need them.  Once my cards were done I placed them in a picture frame stand and set it on my kitchen counter.  It was good to have them sitting out as a visual reminder each day.

I always enjoy this project -- it is something meaningful, thoughtful, and from the heart.  Plus, who doesn't love receiving something in the mail?

I can see myself doing it again in the future.  The same idea would work for a missionary, cousins, long-distance friend, college student, etc . . . . whoever you are missing at Christmastime and might appreciate some extra holiday cheer. 

on the 3rd day of christmas break

day one - clean the house day

day two - drive mom to the brink so she decides to take you swimming to get your energy out day

day three - project day

day four - chillin' day and pick up dad day

and here we are on day five - sugar cookie day.  I need to get started on those.

Just wanted to share a few quick pictures from day three - project day.

Some candy cane reindeer that turned out a little freaky.  That's how my kids roll.

Felt christmas trees.  The stand didn't work out, but we were okay with that.

The boys attended to a few science experiments that involved luminol, copper sulfate, hydrogen peroxide, baking soda . . . you know, all those harmless household chemicals and solvents.

I was the cutter and Anna was the painter . . . 

so that we could create these jingle bell flowers.

And I played with all this . . . 

so I could create this . . . 

Note to self: Clean your windows.  And do not look directly into the sun.  I nearly burned out my retinas trying to get a photo from this angle.

I quite like the pom-poms.  They are attached to the bottom of the blinds so they go up and down as sun protection is needed in the kitchen.  

Okay, now I really need to get to the sugar cookies.  Have a great day!

jewelry organizer

For the longest time the art of accessorizing has alluded me.  I always like the look on other people, but couldn't figure out how to do it on me.  Slowly I've figured out what I like and in the process I've amassed a large (for me) collection of jewelry.  But in that process I have not figured out a way to organize or store it all!  For a while my dresser has looked like this . . . 

and that's just scratching the surface of what resides in various boxes here and there.

Using inspiration from online I decided to make a wall organizer for some of my necklaces.  I bought the basic materials months ago, and last week I decided to finally make it happen.

Nothing fancy, but it works.

Here's how I did it.  And believe me, there is really nothing fancy going on here with the assembly.  Duct tape was involved.  Lots of it.

I couldn't find hooks in silver, so I was stuck with brass.  I used some spray primer and metallic paint that I already had in the garage to pretty them up.  (I only used the primer because the metallic paint was running super low and I wasn't sure how much coverage I was going to get out of it.)

I envisioned using a piece of plywood or MDF as the backing for this project.  But I had neither.  What I did have was a foam core poster-board.  So with my trusty xacto knife I cut it down to 12x16.  This was after using the poster-board as my painting surface.

Then I laid it down on a piece of burlap, snipped the corners, and proceeded to affix the burlap with duct tape.

The burlap-covered foam board fit perfectly inside the picture frame.  But there was no way I was getting the frame backing to pop back in.  Enter more duct tape.

And thanks to my beautiful prop assistant.  As you can see, the foam board is help in entirely by duct tape.  I considered gluing it in there, but I didn't want it to be so permanent.

Next comes hook placement,

Now that I see it on the wall, with necklaces, I wish that I had put my top row up a little higher.  There's just a smidge too much white space.  But I can deal with it.

I knew the hooks would screw easily into the foam board, but I wasn't sure if they would hold over time with the weight of the jewelry.  Only time will tell.  To give me some insurance I added a few drops of E-6000 glue (the best, strongest, all-purpose glue ever) around the screw before installing it.

Everything is lining up well . . . 

And now it's time to hang it on the wall!  But wait, the thickness of the foam board wouldn't allow me to get the frame backing (with hardware) to pop back into place.  How will we hang it on the wall?  Don't worry, I have a little secret.

BEHOLD!! . . . 3M Velcro picture hanging strips!

They are awesome.

And now I have a pretty jewelry organizer hanging in my bathroom!

I really like it.  And I especially like that I have enough necklaces to display that coordinate with my bathroom color scheme.  Coincidence?  :)  Silver and aqua/turquoise are my favorite colors for accessorizing.

from a little spark

Beauty.  Inspiration.  Creativity.  Friendship.  Shared passion.  Art.  Warm smiles.  Open minds.  Spark.

I just had the most unique and wonderful opportunity this weekend to be a part of an event that encompasses all of these things.

Spark No. 3

In a word it was . . . . amazing.  And I’m not using that word lightly.  Every aspect from the decorations, to the classes, to the talented instructors, to the gifts & swag, to the warmth & love & humor from the wonderful event coordinator Margie, to the gorgeous fall sunshine . . . all amazing.

Imagine 200 creative women gathered together for 2 days, learning from each other, challenging themselves, keeping their minds open with new art/craft media placed in front of them and creating space for creativity to come in, sharing the things they love . . . . 

I found myself over and over again tearing up as I thought on all the beauty and inspiration that I got to be a part of. I felt so so blessed and lucky.  It was an amazing thing to be surrounded by creatively minded women who were willing and happy to share their Spark.  The teachers shared their hearts and passion with us -- 

• a cute single woman who tried out a simple idea, people (and celebrities) loved it, and it turned into a successful business
• a beautiful mom from Hurricane, UT who just loves to create and beautify everything around her without a blog / FB / or any type of social media to promote herself
• a mother of 7 who, after the tragic death of her father (major goosebumps just thinking about it), was inspired to get back into art and is seriously rocking it
• an Aussie mother  with dreads (a.k.a. Mother Earth) who shared her soothing style of creativity

Such a diverse group, women from literally all across the country, and even a group that made their way from Japan.  Margie let us know that we were all Spark Sisters now.  And it’s true -- there was definitely a sense of connection and camaraderie there.  It almost felt like girls camp!  (I half expected there to be a testimony meeting on saturday night!)  The love was flowing and it was good.

From the moment we pulled into the parking lot we knew this was going to be something special.

And I say "we" because I was accompanied by my dear friend, Jenn.

You can't tell, but her top sparkles.  She got lots of compliments on that, even getting called out of the crowd by Margie during the morning announcements.

The main hall was chock full of whimsical, vintage, creative awesome-ness.

Those floating orbs?  Paper lanterns covered with sewing pattern tissue paper, and plumbers tubing wrapped in fabric.

Ribbon and yarn and pom poms strung from the rafters, tickets and die cut papers sewn into garlands . . . 

And then the tables - a large jar decopauged with paper doilies & the number 3, tissue paper flowers, a roll of tickets, a small cake stand with a ball of yarn, and a stack of books stamped with "spark."

Waiting at our tables were special journals and memory keepers from Paper Coterie.  Two or 3 times a day we were gifted with products from sponsors and yummy treats (the cake bites from Sweet Tooth Fairy are to die for!).  Talk about spoiled.

It's all the little touches that made this so special.  Like . . . 200 nametags, each one a totally unique handmade collage of flowers, buttons, ticket stubs, and ephemera.  And . . . class supplies packaged in brown paper bags with a paper doily.  Just because.  And little tote bags filled with a few goodies, cute on its own, but they took the time to sew a length of ruffled fabric across the top and embellish with funky ribbons & fibers.  These are my kind of people.

And I haven't even gotten to the classes!  This is where coming with an open mind, willing to go with the flow, and as Donna Downey taught us "keeping forward motion" really pays off toward having a good, stress-free experience.  Come, enjoy, and just soak it all in.

I have to admit I was a little worried about the art classes.  I'm not an art person.  My brain likes structure & rules but I tried to keep myself open.  After a serious mental block for the first chunk of class I finally let go and was able to create this with pan pastels.

One of my favorite classes was a mixed media art project -- I loved the end result that came from this creative mess.

{ she had a creative soul }

I also learned how carve my own stamps (so fun!), I used reverse applique to create a cute spark t-shirt, we embellished and tore apart old books to make a junk journal, I learned how to make felted soap with merino wool, and I made bird nest jewelry.

7 highly creative projects in just 2 days.  That's a winner.

Oh, and I can't forget the concert saturday night by Sarah Sample.  I'm loving listening to her mellow folk music.

On Friday morning we had a creative workshop taught by Mindy Gledhill.  She asked us to answer this question in our journals:  What do you want to get out of this weekend?

I wrote:  rejuvenation.  creative morsels.  see how others create.  test myself.  practice being open to opportunities & experiences.

I think I was able to accomplish just that.  And spend some pre-move de-stressing time with a good friend (but we are not "kiss on the lips kind of friends" -- Margie has one of those).  ;)  I am more than ready to jump back into my creative life and family life fueled with motivation, desire, and purpose.

Thank you Spark.  I hope that we will meet again.

pajama glam party - details

The 6th birthday is a party year for us (we throw parties for ages 6, 9, 12 or 13, and 16) so Anna needed a party!

And I had a lot going on in our lives so I needed help!  Enter One Charming Party and Pinterest!  One Charming Party was perfect for me . . . I purchased their Pajama Glam party guide (a 50 page PDF) and I was good to go.  It includes beautiful photography with ideas, recipes, & instructions for decorations, party games, food, party favors, photo ops, etc.  Everything you would need to put together an awesome party.  And it also included printable invitations, cupcake toppers, thank you cards, place cards, and a cute note/poem for the favor.  I was able to throw together a great party without thinking too hard which is exactly what I needed.

The theme for this party was Pajama Glam.  Basically it's a mock pajama party where you have all the fun of a sleepover (games, pajamas, breakfast, etc.), but everyone goes home for the night.  It was very girly and fun.  I think it would work for almost all ages of girls.  

To get things started on the right foot I made a tissue flower wreath to put on the front door.  I always love hanging something special on the door for parties.  It helps to set the tone.

The table set-up . . . roses picked from my yard, white feathers, and acrylic jewels garnished the table.

The place-setting . . . a white doily placed beneath a glass plate (idea via pinterest) to give the meal a delicate and special feeling.  The name cards came from the OCP (I added the jewel).  See the cup of blueberries on the left -- later we topped those off with whipped cream.  I found these cups in a 6-pack at the the Dollar Tree.  They were so cute!

Cupcake toppers from OCP - again, I added a jewel.  I baked yellow cupcakes with a cream cheese frosting and finally pulled out my Pampered Chef Easy Accent Decorator to make the frosting look pretty.  Both the pink and polka dot cupcake liners came from Bake It Pretty.  Such a fun shop.

I also served mini powdered donut in cupcake liners -- a super cute and simple idea I found on pinterest.

In the family room I made and hung tissue paper pom poms and a balloon garland from the ceiling.  Relatively easy, super cheap, and it gives a great impact.  I got the balloon garland idea from pinterest -- in this pin they threaded a needle with thread through the nubbies of the balloon.  I simply got some twine and tied it around each one, trying to evenly space them out.  It didn't take very long at all.

That's all for now . . . a post on the party festivities coming next!