{tears are falling}

This week our country mourns alongside the city of Newtown, Connecticut.

This week I am reminded of this Christmas song:

Tears are falling, hearts are breaking, 

How we need to hear from God

You've been promised, we've been waiting

Welcome Holy Child

Welcome Holy Child

Hope that you don't mind our manger

How I wish we would have known

But long awaited Holy Stranger

Make yourself at home

Please make yourself at home

Bring your peace into our violence

Bid our hungry souls be filled

World now breaking Heaven's silence

Welcome to our world

Welcome to our world

Fragile finger sent to heal us

Tender brow prepared for thorn

Tiny heart whose blood will save us

Unto us is born

Unto us is born

So wrap our injured flesh around You

Breathe our air and walk our sod

Rob our sin and make us holy

Perfect Son of God

Perfect Son of God

~ Chris Rice

Each child who was killed on Friday matters. Each name matters. We are blessed to know Emmanuel, God With Us, this Christmas season. 

{oh geez}

Oh geez, Friends...

It's almost November! I had planned on writing up a summer recap to see if I had done anything on my summer list. I guess it's never too late...


6. Meet our new son at the end of summer - This was definitely the highlight of my summer. Our sweet boy arrived early on August 22. What a treat for this mama to get to know him over the past two months. And his arrival was just the perfect example of God's faithfulness - my husband flew in from across the country 4 hours before we went to the hospital!

8. Improve my photography skills - I have been trying to take more photos and edit them right away. Here is one of my faves from the summer: 

I did accomplish much more than this, so I will be coming back to my list in a bit. 

{tiny toes}

He's Here!

I am so excited to announce the arrival of our second son: 

William James

8.22.2012|7 lb, 5 oz|21 in.

Aren't those just the sweetest toes?

{farmer's market}

Oh my goodness...I was doing so well keeping up with this blog, and then...summer hit! I have been busy with life...I hope to do a post at the end of summer showing how I have been working on my summer list. {I have been working on it}.

One of our favorite things to do this summer has been to go the Bellevue Farmer's Market. It is a delightful way to spend a Saturday morning.

Here are some of the delicious vegetables we found! 

 

{washi tape}

I have been seeing a product around in scrapbooking and crafting circles for a while now: Washi Tape. I don't know if you have seen it, but it is a very thin decorative tape that comes in lots of different colors and designs and is super cute....and super expensive. The least expensive I have seen online has been around $4 a roll {and they are not super big rolls!} That is just a little bit out of my price range for something like that. BUT! A couple days ago I was at Target {one of my favorite stores}, and was looking around their office supply section {SUPER cute, by the way...I will definitely be adding to my office supply collection this summer!}, and saw some of Target's version of Washi Tape! Obviously, it is not Japanese {I don't think "Made in China" counts for that....}, but it looks the same, and....it was $4 for 4 rolls! Now that's a price I can do! I have used it on some scrapbook pages - and it is brilliant! I highly recommend it as good bang for your buck!

{in the good ol' summertime}

Whenever my husband and I are separated by the Marine Corps, I like to create a list of projects and goals for myself so that I can keep busy and not focus on the separation. Here is my list for this summer:

1. Work on JackJack's first birthday party! {theme: life is a beach}
2. Make a King-size quilt for my bed {pattern: chevrons}
3. Complete my scrapbooks!! {obviously this has been on the list for a while....}
4. Spend lots of time with my wonderful family {we're staying with them, so that shouldn't be a problem}
5. Design my line of Christmas decor and get it ready to sell come fall {think modern Christ-centered Christmas that isn't kitschy!}
6. Meet our new son at the end of summer {obviously this is the most exciting thing to happen this summer!}
7. Write a book? {something I have been toying with...we'll see, though}
8. Improve my photography skills {both taking shots and editing} 
9. Create photobooks using online companies to send to my husband {Paper Coterie is my favorite so far}
10. Meaningfully invest into others' lives through face-to-face encounters or handwritten notes or gifts {definitely need to work on this!}

{project 6}

Well, Friends, we are winding down with our lofty-crafty goal. We are moving out of our apartment this weekend, and that was my deadline! So, I would like to share with you Project 6!

This is a little quilt that I made from a kit I was given 2 Christmases ago. It was supposed to be a queen-size quilt where you supply your own back, but I decided to use the fabric to make a smaller quilt where I wouldn't have to buy any fabric for the back.

This was a lot of fun as it was a bit of a step out of my comfort zone {I struggle with the crazy quilt part!}

 All I had to buy for this project was the batting {because that is a bit of a pricey item that is very specific to each project, I don't keep this on hand}. 

Total out-of-pocket expense: $12. And I spend approximately 4 hours on it. 

I think we will stick this with our picnic blanket for windy days at the beach or park!

{inspiration}

“You can’t wait for inspiration, you have to go after it with a club.” — Jack London

Doesn't that quote just make you laugh? While I don't exactly go after inspiration with a club, I do like to always be thinking about that next project, or that next party, or a new touch of personality for my home. It is easy to get lots of inspiration at once {and forget some of it} and then all of a sudden be stuck in a doldrums and feel like you have no original ideas. Today I would like to share my inspiration box with you!

This is just such a fun thing to look through and I hope you will be encouraged to start one! {It is kind of like my "real-life" version of Pinterest, which I don't do}. 

My box is from a lovely company called Paper Coterie...check out their May special on Memory Keepers {which is what this box is}! These are just the best boxes, and I wish all of our belongings were not going into storage, because I would order a couple more!

I keep all of my Pottery Barn paint swatch books in here {Pottery Barn has a new paint selection every season, and their swatch books are free in stores}. I love to not only look at the colors, but read the names - I think that is lovely inspiration! 

I also keep swatch books {made at Paper Coterie} of my favorite palettes from my own pictures. These are a lot of fun to create, and are a good way to notice color pairings! 

This is also a helpful tool if you are struggling with what colors you personally enjoy. I can pick out my favorites very quickly just by looking at the colors! Maybe it would be fun to take pictures of things around your home to carry with you for color-matching when shopping!

Whenever I go to Pottery Barn classes {and a lot of times they have them around the store}, they hand out lovely handbills of different techniques, some are for decorating, entertaining, gift-giving - just a lot of fun etiquette in one little pamphlet!

I keep a set of markers in my box - just for kicks! You never know when you might need a beautiful marker!

And lastly, I keep this little set in there. My dear friend, Glenda, has a lovely blog, and one of her series was what to do in a rough patch. I added my own pictures to it - and it is just a wonderful reminder when I get stuck. 

Thanks for joining me and taking a look through my inspiration box! I hope you create one, too!

{sneak peek}

I have been so busy packing and finishing up all of the projects that I have sitting around my house. Oh my goodness!!! I do have a sneak peek of a new project that I will be working on this summer! I cannot wait to begin!!

This will be something special to work on just for me while my husband is on the other side of the country...

{happy may day}

"Spring's last-born darling, clear-eyed, sweet, Pauses a moment, with white twinkling feet, And golden locks in breezy play, Half teasing and half tender, to repeat Her song of "May."” 

~ Susan Coolidge

{happy weekend!!}

Wishing you all a blessed and relaxing weekend with your dear ones!

{memory}

Well, I think we are on Project 5 now...I have been so busy with so many non-crafts. Mostly sorting and packing (less than a month now, SCARY!!).

When I was making Jack's baby quilt, I came across this post from Purl Bee, and knew that I just had to make a memory game with the scraps! So I did!

Now that I am making William's quilt (pictures coming somewhat soon!), I have a lot more scraps. So I bought some more of the same felt and got to work! This is what I made this time:

Added to what we had from last time:

And we are all ready for my little guys to be old enough to play a memory game.

All I had to purchase was the felt - so I sprung for some high quality wool felt. Six sheets at $2 each...out of pocket expense: $12 (and I still have 2 sheets left for when I accumulate more scraps)!

{sweet baby boy}

In case you hadn't heard - it's another baby boy!!

Meet our son: William James, expected September 5th!

{Christmas in April, project 4}

This project has been sitting on my dresser to be completed since before Christmas!! And it is finally done!

I wanted to create a nativity that would be friendly for little hands to touch without looking necessarily childish. The 2011 Christmas issue of Life:Beautiful magazine {I just love this magazine!} had a pattern in it for a cookie nativity. A cookie nativity is decidedly not a little hand friendly type of thing, so I modified it to be my own.

I copied the cookie pattern onto cross-stitch linen, and embroidered it with DMC floss and DMC metallic thread for some extra sparkle. 

I did end up lining it with fusible interfacing, just so that the stitching would be a little bit more secure, and also so the stabilizing plastic canvas would not show through.

My wonderful Dad made me a beautiful walnut stand for it. I am so excited with the way it all turned out and I think it will make a lovely nativity for my little guys.

It was a bit hard to photograph, it is so 3D in person. Total out of pocket costs: $3 for more interfacing. Hours spent working on it (this week!): around 10, but so worth it. 

The Bethlehem buildings are my absolute favorite.

{my Redeemer lives}

"On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright, the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, 'Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; He has risen!' " 


Luke 24: 1-6

What a wonderful thing! My Redeemer is victorious in death!

A very blessed Easter to you and your dear ones!

{an Easter gift}

I am so excited to share this post with you and with the Dear Lillie Easter Link Party!

Every Monday I meet with a fabulous group of ladies for some girl time. I thought this week I would bring a little Easter gift (that did not involve candy!).  

I had everything for the boxes already: pre-fabricated boxes from Paper Source, little brads, a black ink pad, Martha Stewart stamps, a stamp block, and Bic markers (I ended up not using the markers). 

Because I did not want to use any sort of grass or filler, I stamped the inside of the boxes for a little extra sweetness. I had some leftover tea lights in glass holders (all from Ikea), from a bridal shower I had given for a friend. They were tied with some perle cotton.

I made the white linen flower pins using an article from my favorite magazine, Life:Beautiful. This particular tutorial is from the Spring 2010 issue. (This is the only magazine I keep every issue of, and I would highly encourage you to look it up!!)

I love the results and think they would be darling as a place setting for an Easter get-together!!

This is a continuation of my  previous series, and is Project 3 in the lofty crafty goal. The only thing I purchased was one-half yard of white linen for the flowers: out-of-pocket expense: $5. Total time on this project: about 2 hours.

I am also linking up with the lovely Dear Lille and their Easter Link Party!!!

{project 1 and project 2 from my lofty crafty goal}

I promise I have not spent all my time (or even most of my time) working on these two projects. But, working an hour here and an hour there on ten other projects does not produce a lot of instantaneous results. I am pretty excited with how my other projects are coming, but I thought I would give you an update on my lofty crafty goal.

project 1: lavender sachets

For this project, I did have to purchase the dried lavender. I had on hand all of the felted wool, and just used matching embroidery floss from my collection. I only spent around 3-4 hours total, and have 12 lovely smelling sachets! Total out-of-pocket expense: $10.

project 2: tags and labels

This isn't exactly the most glamorous or creative project, but sometimes it is the little things that make all the difference. I already had the Avery name tags, the stamps, and the ink on hand. I did purchase the hang tags for a special need that I will feature below. I spent around a 1/2 hour on these and have 20 hang tags, and 16 labels. Total out-of-pocket expense: $3.

 Both of these crafty projects were used to complete another project: prepare our linens for moving. I have been spending the majority of this week attempting to go through all of our closets and nooks and crannies (I still have tons more to go through!). I tackled our linens this week and washed and dried them all. Tonight I folded them, added a few of the sachets, slipped them in a pillowcase and tied them with some ribbon I found in the closet and labeled everything with one of my new hang tags.

I love the way they came out and know it will be a welcome present to open later!

{a lofty crafty goal}

I have a lot of lofty crafty goals. 1. To be completely caught up on scrapbooking/memory keeping before our big move in the middle of May (probably not going to happen, but I can still plan.) 2. To use up the craft supplies I own instead of buying anything new for projects. A few things will be allowed, like photos for goal 1. and things that I never keep on hand, like quilt batting and stuffing, but I feel I should be able to make a significant number of wonderful things without spending a significant amount of money. 3. Actually stick to 1. and 2.! I'll keep you updated. P.S. My husband has already written this off as impossible for me..I'll show him!

{memory keeping}

One of my million goals the next few weeks is to find someway to do memory keeping for our little family. I just cannot decide how!! I used to scrapbook all the time, but I want something a little less delicate than the elaborate scrapbooks of my past. I want something my young kids can pull out and look at. Maybe I just need to use sheet protectors for my pages (gee, what a thought). I love everything to match. I love the years to all be in the same sort of album. Maybe I'll switch to a standard 8 1/2 x 11 3-ring binder. I just know whatever I do, I just gotta do it. The pictures and paraphernalia is piling up. And I figure I'll never have as much time as I have now. Today is the day of decisions!!!

{such sweetness}

Yesterday we heard the heartbeat of our second baby for the first time. What a precious sound. What a sweet way to calm a mama's nervousness. This baby, like all babies, I suppose, is a game-changer. Old plans are being laid aside and new plans are being made. My biggest excitement though, is the lives my sweet new baby will change. A life-changer is the best thing possible when it starts with a timy heart...beating fast and strong.

{hey howdy hey}

Hey, Howdy, Hey, friends! Goodness.

Time passes too quickly sometimes...and the amount of time in between posts is just embarrassing. I have just been so busy with my little guy. For someone so little, he sure demands a lot of time. But it is such sweet time. I just love seeing him learn new things and explore new worlds. Our newest world to explore was Disney World!

I know I say this everytime, but I will be posting more!! But for now, I have to go, I have little fingers reaching desperately for the keyboard.