31 Days of The Little Things....

It is actually October 2nd, but I'm sure I'll have time to post twice in one day.  As I reflect on "the little things" I realize the little things are really big things that don't have a grand title - like BIRTHDAY, ANNIVERSARY, ..... those times that are supposed to be huge, celebratory milestones.  Growing up, I had Grandparents, but one set was distant (not in miles but in our relationship), one Grandmother who had lots of other grandchildren, and another Grandmother that lived far away.  I loved when she would visit each Summer, but as I got older, we grew apart.

Now that I have my own children, I relish the relationship they have with my parents.  I love sitting at a dinner table and watch them interact.  The love they share is like nothing else.   My parents adore my kids, and I am so grateful to witness this relationship firsthand.  The look in my parent's eyes when the see my kids is priceless.  I just hope that one day, my children really understand how lucky they are to have people in their lives that love them so completely. 

Valentine Photo Collage

In my last post, I introduced you to Nike at Choose to Thrive.  One of her recent projects just blew me away.  I mean it was cool, looked expensive, was personalized and perfect for Valentine's or everyday. It looked complicated, but with her excellent tutorial, I was confident I could do it. So, I decided to give it a try.

What do you think?

Photo Valentine Collage

This is simply a poster frame with vinyl lettering applied to the glass front.  Behind the glass is a heart-shaped collage of family pictures. I used about 40-50 pictures.  It was so fun going through old pictures, looking for the best ones, and it brought back a lot of great memories.  The collage Nike made is really large 20 x 28.  Since I had to buy my frame, I went to Hobby Lobby and bought a smaller version 16 x 20 (they were 50% off).  Because my frame was smaller, I scaled the pictures to be a bit smaller than Nike's as well.  This way, I was still able to use lots of pictures.  I used glue dots to attach some pictures, and adhesive foam squares to attach others.  This gave the heart some dimension, which I thought turned out nice.  

For the tutorial and better pictures of a completed collage, click here.  This will take you to Nike's guest post at Tator Tots and Jello. 

Thanks Nike.  By the way, I gave it to my Mother today, and she LOVED it!  Making one for myself later this week.  I think I'm going to make one for my Mother in Law for Christmas.

How Do I Love Thee....

Oh, have I found a blog that I love, love, love.  Not only are the projects FABULOUS, they are inexpensive.  And by inexpensive, I mean FREE (well, if you have the supplies lying around, which you will see, most people do).  This year her theme is 2011 No Money Remodel.  After seeing some of her posts, you will agree with me that she will meet the challenge and her home will be AMAZING.

Please, please, please visit Nike over at Choose to Thrive.  You'll be glad you did.

If You Choose to Light Up....

please don't do it while simultaneously driving your minivan 80 mph down the highway in a construction zone and talking on your cell phone.  Seriously?

Oh, and also not with your kids in the van.  But, she did have the window cracked for ventilation and it was all of 18 degrees outside. Refreshing.

Oh Happy Day!!!

This week I dug out my sewing machine for the first time in a long time, to create outfits for a couple of cute baby girls.  I had such fun making the outfits, I thought it might be time to hone my sewing skills.  Unfortunately, there aren't any great places to buy fun, funky, contemporary fabrics near my home.

Well, today while driving home from the gym (the workout kicked my a** by the way) I decided to take a different route home.  I noticed in a previously vacant storefront bolts of fabric inside and a sign that read "SEWN - A Sewing Lounge".   SO.EXCITED.FOR.THIS.SHOP.TO.OPEN.

Found their website and they are opening February 14th.  Happy Valentines Day to me!!! I Can't wait.

How cute is their logo??

Click Here to go to the sewn studio website

All Gone...

No sickness and the snow/ice ended up being mainly a rain event for us.  What does this mean, well, it means everyone is back at school today.  Off to the gym, and then home for a little crafting.  Yes, I do have a mountain of laundry, and I will get some of it done today.  I will, I will......

Sick Days, Snow Days.... ugh!

I am on day 3 of having at least one child home sick.  I was very hopeful that they would both be back to school today, but no such luck.  Mr. Meaty looked fine after his shower, but a mere 10 minutes later, he was GREEN.  I decided one more day at home was probably in order.  However, we now have an ice storm headed our way, which means a likely snow day tomorrow.  Will it ever end?  Why is it the days I have nothing to do (i.e. just laundry and cleaning, rather than a coffee date or tennis) are the days they do have school and when I have something fun on the agenda, we have snow or sickness.  UGH!!! 

As you may know my husband is a teacher, so when we have a snow day, we are ALL HOME TOGETHER.  This can be really fun at times, but this winter it has been a bit much.  I love my family, but you know what they say, "too much of a good thing......"  ;)