Wine and chocolate

You know you have a nice husband when he brings you these two things and sits through The Bachelor for two hours.

Who am I kidding? He loves The Bachelor as much as I do.

So I decided to share the ever-growing list of projects that I'm working on or will begin to work on sometime soon. This is partially because I need somewhere to write them all down so that I don't forget. It's also for the benefit of anyone who would like to see how they go and if they're worth trying (since I'm pretending people besides my mom occasionally read this). 

One:

Found this sweet poem and it brought tears to my eyes. Having a baby has turned me into a complete sap. So, I'd like to display it somewhere in my home by doing this...

Wrap some fabric with your favorite pattern around a canvas and staple in the back. Put letter stickers on there and spray paint over the letters. Peel the stickers off and...

voila! Beautiful and easy.

Two:

Recently found this idea on Pinterest and it sounds like a "must do". You can get a black and white version of one of your favorite photos blown up this size at places like OfficeMax for around $8. Then just stick it on a huge foam board from Home Depot and hang it on your wall for a fun addition to a kid's room or pretty much anywhere. Total cost is about $13. You can find the whole tutorial here.

Three:

This is such a simple and adorable gift idea. I've never used resin before, but it sounds pretty simple. Get your favorite pictures, stick them on some tiles you can pick up at Home Depot for 19 cents each. Throw some resin on there (the girl who originally did this recommended Envirotex Lite and instructions for that particular brand can be found here). Wait for it to dry and tie it with a bow for some neat looking, personal coasters!

Full Tutorial

Four:

This might be my favorite idea. My mom actually did this years ago and I didn't even remember until I saw it on Pinterest. Grab some old cans, spray paint, hammer, nail, leaves, sand, candles and some wire and you can make these sweet lanterns for your garden or porch. Awesome way to light up a summer evening and create a rustic look in your backyard. Easy peasy and inexpensive. Here are the instructions. 

Five:

Oh wait, I already did this! My version does not look near as cute, but I used fish punches to go with our Navy theme and put them in the shape of a heart. Go to my first post to see the result. I skipped putting them on the foam squares, which seemed to work better since I made a shape out of them. I think I would want the squares to add dimension if I were to place them in rows for a simpler look. Either way, such an easy and fun project that I might just make another. 

Six:

So I'll need a glue gun and a little boy old enough to enjoy this first, but this no-sew felt car mat looks so cute and fun to make. Brought to you by the same person who made the coasters! 

Seven:

These are currently sold in the UK for what would convert to around $150, but can easily be made at a fraction of the cost. Either buy four or five matching pillowcases or make some of your own. Sew them all together and stuff some pillows in there. Sew the cases shut and you've got a comfy place for your kids to lay while they watch TV, read, nap, have sleepovers - whatever they want! They might not turn out quite as high-quality as above, but even if you got completely new products (pillowcases and pillows) it would still cost less than 50 buckeroos. That's 1/3 of the cost and completely worth it to me!

Eight:

I'm actually trying this as we speak. It's called the sock bun curl. Incredibly easy, but can't comment on whether it's effective or not. If I like it I'll include my own instructions (even though the link above shows you how to do it as well) and pictures. It's described as perfect for moms with long hair that have little time to spend on their hair. Someone must have seen me out shopping yesterday and rushed home to create this styling technique. Thank you (if it works, that is)! 

Nine:

Haven't even read the full instructions on this, but I have some smaller versions of wooden boxes that I would like to turn into something pretty. I'm thinking of getting two of my boxes that are the same size and placing them vertically on the wall so that I can put little decorative trinkets as shown above. I'll get around to that eventually.

Ten:

Another project that I'm super excited about. A hanging jewelry box is just what I need. Most of the time when I decide to put on a necklace I start to rummage through my old jewelry box and find that I no longer own a necklace, but a large ball of many necklaces. The idea of keeping all of my jewelry out, easy to see and tangle-free has always been something I've wanted to do, but never known how. I have a wooden box that's actually a drawer to a small organization box I've owned for years that's just waiting to be dolled up. There were a bunch of styles of hanging jewelry boxes on this website, but this one was my favorite. Place a couple containers on the bottom of the box for your earrings and you're good to go.  

.............

There are quite a few other projects waiting in the wings, but I think ten is a good start. Looks like I've got some work to do. Not only that, but I have to convince my husband all these trips to Michael's and JoAnn are completely worth it. Ideas?

It's raining. Shocker.

It doesn't feel like a Saturday

Six months ago today I popped this cutie out.

25 Clever Ideas To Make Life Easier

Seriously, you'll wonder why you never thought of some of these things. From how to get scratches off furniture to genius ways to organize your linen closet.

TIP:

Did you know nail polish remover works well to get sticky adhesive residue off of jars and other surfaces? There are other methods people swear by, but this has been the one that has worked best for me. Next time you want to recycle a jar or can remember that!

The tree outside my window must be the equivalent of a Starbucks to all of the naval base creatures because it is always hopping. I like to catch some of them in action whenever I can. I don't know why I haven't gotten a hummingbird feeder yet since the place is crawling with them. I might even make one - whichever is cheaper. I'm sure the likelihood of catching a clear picture of one of them is nonexistent with this camera, though.

I found Woody Woodpecker!

No Heat Curl

So, I recently saw a hairstyling technique that seemed neat, so I gave it a try. It's perfect for curling/waving your hair and adding a little volume without any heat if that's what you're looking for. I didn't follow the instructions exactly and I think you need to in order to get the desired result. But I thought I'd share in case anyone is interested. Here's a link to the No Heat Curl tutorial:

No Heat Curl Video

My tips:

Put some product in your hair before you wrap it around the headband and wait until your hair is barely damp to do so. I did it when my hair was still pretty wet and left it in half of the day instead of all night. It was still pretty wet when I took it out and weighed my hair down, so the curls weren't quite what I was hoping for. Next time I'll do it over night with barely damp hair and add a little mousse beforehand.

However, it still gave my hair a nice no-frizz curl/wave look. I clipped my bangs back because they always seem to have a mind of their own and I wasn't in the mood to get the straightener out.

                                          

Just a sleepy mommy with nothing better to do

A very fun craft to make using poster board, scrapbook paper, any shape punch and glue! I was able to emphasize the Navy/patriotic theme I have going on in my house.

It's going to take a little work to get this technique right, but by wrapping yarn around jars and spray painting over it you can create a neat candle holder. Just tie a ribbon around the top and you have an elegant source of light from an old jelly jar.

What once was a basket is now a blue basket, which will eventually match my blue hanging jewelry box and blue make-up box that I have yet to make.

This little thing was sitting outside our window for quite a while the other day and was only too pleased to get his very own photo shoot. I think he just liked teasing the cats on the other side of the glass.

Just when you think you've forgotten what the sun looks like, God reminds you to see the beauty even in the rainy days.

Is it ridiculous that I'm already dreading the day he leaves for college?

Bubba's first snow!

Dear Lord, grant me the greatness of heart to see,

The difference in duty and his love for me.

Give me the understanding to know,

That when duty calls he must go.

Give me a task to do each day,

to fill the time when he is away.

And Lord when duty is in the field,

Please protect him and be his shield.

Having fun with focus... and dangling dog tags off of my toe.

The reason this blog is being created is because I'm currently pulling somewhat of an all-nighter in order to sleep-train my six month old little boy. These two critters are keeping me company. At least somebody's sleeping.