Subtle Superhero Shirt

Thanks for your input last week on what you'd like to see more of here.  I realized it has been a while since I'd posted a boy idea.  I kind of get on kicks, you see, and lately I've been finishing the entryway and craft area, so I've been in home decor mode.  

So, one of you mentioned that you also like the less-in-your-face character tees, which are hard to come by.  So, I designed this subtle superhero tee.  It's superhero enough to keep Rex happy, but less offensive than many of the tees you see in the stores.  It showcases his favorite superheroes from the Avengers (which I am nerdy-excited to see this weekend even though he probably won't get to see till he's a LOT older :)

From left to right it's Captain America, Thor, Hawkeye, and Ironman.  (Hulk didn't make the cut because he doesn't really have an identifiable symbol and the Black Widow is out because Rex is too young to like hot girls in tight clothes.  He thinks girls are yucky - except mom.  Gotta appreciate that for now :)

Sunshine Sunday - our garbageman

A few months ago we got a new garbageman.  We had to break him in so that we could be tight with him like we've been with our other ones.  He's actually the nicest guy ever.  He stops to talk to my boys.  We had cousins over on garbage day this week, so his audience was doubled.

First, there's the anticipation.  This requires a lot of jumping.

Then there's the show.  This requires extreme concentration.

Soapbox Saturday - Paper Coterie

As mother's day is approaching, I figure many of you are trying to think of a gift for your mother just like me.  Well, I thought I'd recommend one of my favorite places for that - Paper Coterie.  I LOVE THIS COMPANY.  Their products are beautiful and really high quality.  Plus, you can use the code "GIFTFAVES" to get $15 off your order right now (and until May 14th).

I have ordered all of the following items there and loved them:

1) I made this book for Rex as a keepsake.

2) I made this book to recap our last year as a family (which I plan to do every year).

Five Finds Friday - from bloggers at Snap

First up, let's announce some winners!

Royal Design Studio winner:

Silhouette Cameo winner:

If you didn't win the Silhouette, remember you can still take advantage of the promo HERE.
__________________________________________________________

As I mentioned before, I'm trying to think of some ways to help out some newer bloggers.  I thought I'd do a Five Finds Friday, showcasing my favorite finds from some bloggers I met at Snap.  (If you didn't go to Snap, I'll still find a way to showcase you.  I'm working out some new ideas.  More info coming later.)

1) Steph from Crafting in the Rain did a really cute chevron wall here.  Her stripes are perfect and impressive.  Find the details HERE.

5 Projects for Spring

Today I wanted to share a few fun spring projects/activities with you guys that you might have forgotten about.  These are oldies but goodies.  Hooray for spring!

1) Spring Scavenger Hunt.  This one was fun to put together and Rex loved it.  Find all the details HERE.

2) Spring Wreath.  Time to spice up the front door?  Here's a wreath a made a while back.  Full tutorial HERE.

3) T-Shirt to Spring Jacket.  This one requires some sewing and patience, but Rex still wears this fun, light jacket.  It was a winner with him.  Find the details HERE.

Wake Up Wednesday

Last week's challenge was to do something for Earth Day.  The boys and I got outside to ride bikes and run.  The weather has been nicer and it's great to be out enjoying it.  I also tried to do some research on homemade cleaning products.  There are a few nice ideas I'm going to try.

[Source]

This week's challenge is to teach a child something.  A lot of you probably do this everyday, but let's think outside the box.  Maybe you could plan a fun science experiment or scavenger hunt.  Maybe you could teach a little child how to tie a shoe.  Maybe you could teach them a song.  There are lots of options.  (Just don't teach them any bad words or habits.  That doesn't count :)

Did any of you do something for Earth Day?  Let's hear about it!  Thanks for reading.

Silhouette Sketch Pens Promo and GIVEAWAY

I recently got to play around with some Silhouette glitter sketch pens.  They are pretty fun.  I used them to make some blog cards.... 

....and some regular cards as well.

The pens are little...

Snap Recap

I told you I would tell you about Snap today.  I will, but I can't promise it'll be the type of recap you were thinking.  If you want to see fun pictures, you can read recaps from a lot of other blogs.  (Ashley has a great one HERE.)  I didn't really take pictures.  (I know!  Shoot me now!)  I was kind of buzzing in and out.  I didn't stay at the hotel and I was trying to get the boys ready and off to a family member each day.  It was a little crazy at times.

So, I got to speak on a panel with Cindy from Skip to My Lou, Amy from Mod Podge Rocks, and Kari from UCreate.  Yeah, talk about lucky.  These ladies are awesome.  They had lots to share and I had never met Cindy or Amy before.  I was truly impressed with the knowledge and kindness of these women.

Sunshine Sunday - Snap, my boys, and normal life

This week was crazy, but good.  I was at the Snap Conference this weekend which was put together really well.  Those ladies must have worked SO hard to get it all together.  Being at a conference like that really pushed me out of my comfort zone - which is great.  I met lots of amazing ladies.  (More on Snap tomorrow.)

And after three days of taking my boys to different family members during the day, I really missed them.  It made me appreciate them more.

Now I just need to catch up on the laundry and normal life.....which really is good stuff.

Thank you for reading my blog.

Sharing Saturday

Alright!  It's time for another Sharing Saturday!  These days are so fun to me because I LOVE reading through your answers.  Here are three questions to share today:

1) Do you guys have any creative ways I could help out newer bloggers and feature them?  I don't want to do a link party, but as I've been attending Snap this week I've met some awesome ladies that I'd love to help out.  Any creative ways how to fit it into the schedule?  I thought you might have some fun ideas.

2) What is the kindest thing anyone has ever done for you.  (I'm really excited to read this answer!)

3) Do you have any questions YOU would like asked on Sharing Saturday?  I love it when you guys submit questions too!

That's all for today.  Thanks for stopping in.

Picnik Funeral

Yesterday Picnik died.  Yup.  It's over, but never fear.  Here's some good news.

A while back I showed you an alternative to Picnik.  However, it seems like a LOT of new options have been popping up everywhere.  You've probably heard of some, but I wanted to give you a personal opinion.  There are TWO options that I am really impressed with.  Let me give you a look at both options.  One might be a better fit for you personally, but both are quite impressive....and even superior to Picnik in some ways.  I plan on using a bit of both.

Here's what I love about it Pic Monkey.

1) It has textures, but you can use the brush tool to remove the texture layer in areas.  That's what I always wanted to do on Picnik, but never could.  That means you can add a cool vintage-looking layer over the top of you picture, but erase it over the face of the person in the picture so it doesn't look weird on their skin.  You can also upload your own textures.  Sweet.

Royal Design Studio - Review and Giveaway

Stencils are pretty popular right now and it's easy to see why.  You can get a beautiful custom look without spending a lot of money.  It's way less expensive than wallpaper and you can paint over it when you change the decor.  I was thrilled to try out a stencil from Royal Design Studio.  I chose the Indian Floral Wall Stencil.  Here's where I used it.  (The faux-armoire will soon be painted pale gray.  I can't wait!)

When I was a little girl, my mom did professional stenciling.  I asked her to help and she brought over her trusty airbrush.  This made the whole project a lot easier.  (NOTE: In the past I tried a stencil from another company and tried to use a foam roller as directed.  It was very frustrating and the results weren't good.)

Wake Up Wednesday

Last week's challenge was to give something that was yours away.  I have a pretty rug in our bedroom that my mom loves.  It happens to match her downstairs area that she's trying to finish, so I sent it her way.  She was excited to have it (and I think my dad was happy that she wouldn't be spending money on one :)  

[Source]

This week's challenge is to do something for Earth Day.  You could pick up trash or plant a tree.  There are lots of options.  Just find a way to celebrate it.

Your turn.  Did any of you give something of yours away?  I would love to hear about it!  Thanks for reading.

Cool Fonts and How to Get Them

I've had some questions asked about how to install fonts and which ones I've used on my signs.  Well, today I though we could do an overview on all that.  First I'll show you some fonts I love, then we'll talk about downloading and installing them, and then I'll show you Mac users how to add text to pictures in Preview.

Here are some fonts I've been enjoying lately.  These are the ones I use if I'm making a sign with a vintage look.  Click on the font to see where I downloaded it for free.

(This one creates the lines above and below the letters when you use the lower case letters.)

Painted Glass Art

I was given the following products by Plaid.  These products rocked my crafting world.  

Let's begin.  I opened this box and it felt like Christmas.  All these Martha Stewart products are high-quality and really clever as well.  I used a lot of them for the project today, but there are a lot I am still excited to try out.  Also, the child pictured below was not included in the package.  I made him myself :)

So, let me sum up the stuff in the box.  There were Martha Stewart paints in satin and pearl finish, which can be used on virtually any surface (glass, metal, fabric, you name it).  There were brushes, foam pouncers that screw onto the paint bottles, sponges, stencils, stencil film to make your own stencils, Stencil adhesive and cleaner, a heating tool that has many uses, and even a tool that makes all the paint work like a spray paint.  Impressive stuff.  

We were challenged to make a Mother's Day gift.  (Personally, I think my mom would like me to wrap up all the products and give it to her....but I made something anyhow :)

So, I wanted to try painting on glass, to test out the paints.  Here's what I made.

Sunshine Sunday - haircuts and carpet

I gave the boys haircuts this week.  I think Baden lost a few pounds with his.  They are both ready for warm weather now.  They are actually getting old enough that they are pretty good for their haircuts.  There is now minimal bribing occurring to make it happen :)  I never got a chance to get a good picture of them this week.  Here's a weird phone picture.

When my husband and I got married and moved into our first home, the carpet was pretty gross.  I begged him to let me change it, but it wasn't really in the budget and we didn't think we'd live there forever.  When we moved into this home three and a half years ago I begged him to change the dirty carpet, but it also wasn't in the budget.

Everyone says new carpet makes a home feel like it's really yours.  It's been my dream for many years.  Well, tomorrow is the day!  We're finally getting carpet and I could not be more excited.  Our house is a wreck right now because we spent a big portion of the day yesterday moving everything to the hard wood floor area.  Remember how I showed you the front room reveal last week?  Ha!  It looks like this now.

This week is going to be a crazy, busy week.  You know how sometimes you're not sure how it can all possibly get done?  Yeah, it's one of those.  So, please be patient if you email me and I don't get right back to you.  I'm trying and I'm a bit stressed :)  

Thanks for stopping by.

Sharing Saturday

I thought it might be fun to have a light, fun Sharing Saturday today.  Here are three simple questions.  I think it will be really fun to share our answers.

1) What's the best book you've ever read?

[Source]

2) What's the best movie you've ever seen?

3) What's the worst movie you've ever seen?

We accidentally rented horrible movies two weekends in a row.  You know, the kind of movie you realize is dumb shortly into it, but you still want to see how it ends because you think it has to get better?  Then when the end credits finally come you think, "Man, that's two hours of my life I'm never going to get back!"  Ha!  Maybe we can help each other prevent that :)

Alright.  Let's hear your recommendations.  Thanks for stopping by.

Feature Friday - Straw Beads

I was looking on Pinterest one day and I saw THIS idea from Inner Child Fun.  She cut up straws to make beads for her little girl to string.  My boys were on my lap at the time and they begged me to let them try it!

So, we cut some up and let them make necklaces for their cousins.  

"Have I Done Any Good in the World Today" Sign

I admired this Ikea frame for a long, long time and finally purchased it several months ago.  It was a bit pricey at $29, but I loved the ornate look of it.

When I started to make the office my craft area I thought it would look pretty right above my computer at the desk.  First, I spray painted it an almond color.  Then I created this art for it.  It comes from a hymn we sing in our church.

Wake Up Wednesday

Last week's challenge was to leave comments on blogs you love.  I definitely tried to pop out of my reader more often to leave some comments.  There is so much good stuff to comment on!  It's so fun to be able to have a way to interact and share so many ideas in this age.  And thank you for all the kind comments you leave here.  It's always nice to read a thoughtful comment - especially when you're having a hard day.  Thank you!

[Source]

This week's challenge is to give someone something that belongs to you.  (That doesn't mean letting someone take your kids for a while :)  I think some of the most precious gifts are ones that have sentimental meaning to the giver.  I'm not sure what I'm going to do for this challenge, but I'm excited to brainstorm about it.  I once heard about a family who did their Christmas exchange that way.  I thought it was such a cool idea.  So, let your wheels start turning.  I'm excited to see what you come up with!

Now let's hear about how last week's challenge went for you.  Did you try and leave comments?  I bet you made a lot of bloggers happy :)  Thanks for stopping by.

No Sew Headbands

While I love to sew, I also like to throw in a project that doesn't require sewing because it reaches a lot of people who might not have a sewing machine.  These little headbands literally took 2 minutes to make and I used old t-shirts to make them.  You can make them for any age person.

Just gather some old t-shirts and get out your scissors.  I used Aleene's Peel and Stick Tape, but you could also use fabric fusion as well.  (I just like the no mess of dry adhesives.)  

Front Room Reveal

The front room that used to be a dining area is now done.  I'm really excited about the fresh, clean look of it now.  I kept everything pretty simple in the room.  Here's a look.

Sunshine Sunday - hope, number two, and Easter

I'd love to say that this week was wonderful, but that wouldn't be the truth.  It was a tough one for a lot of different reasons, but I'm trying to focus on the good.  Sometimes, when things seem pretty tough I am so grateful for hope and faith.  I am thankful to really know that things will get better.  While challenges make me painfully conscious of my faults and failures, am I grateful that I have the desire to improve and to change.  Hope, faith, and love are great anchors.

On a totally different note and mood, I was ridiculously excited that Baden did #2 on the potty.  He's been perfectly potty trained with #1 for 2 months now, but we couldn't ever convince him to do #2.  Well, he did and I screamed and danced with joy.  It's the little things, you know.  I don't have a picture - nor would you want one :)

Lastly, I am thankful for Easter.....new life, new beginnings, new hope.  I hope you have a beautiful day.

Thanks for reading.

Soapbox Saturday - Snap, wallpaper, and Costco

Alright.  Today's soapbox is about a whole lot of random things.  Here we go.

1) In a couple of weeks I'll be attending my first blog conference - Snap.  I get to speak on a panel with some awesome other ladies and I'm really thrilled to attend.

Are any of you readers going?  Will you leave me a comment here if you are?  I'd love to meet you!

AND, if you're not coming I'll try to do a fun recap and take notes so you can feel like you were there too.  (I always felt a little bummed reading about all the fun conferences that I had never attended.)

2) Want the prettiest desktop wallpaper with a calendar?  Click HERE to get this from Virginia and Charlie - a super cute blog with beautiful pictures.  I just put it on my computer and I smile every time I see it.  She offers different pictures an has them without the calendar as well as regular screen size or wide.  Yeah, she thought of it all.

3) I think I find almost as much good stuff at Costco as I do on Pinterest.  My favorites are the uncooked tortillas, Dave's Killer Bread, the alfredo sauce in the fridge section, the Hurley 3-piece clothing sets for my boys, the memory foam bath mats, and the taste testers :)  I'm not being paid by Costco to endorse their store, but I wish I could.  I'd take a free membership for life....please?  What's your favorite thing there?

Okay.  That's all I've got got now.  I hope you're having a wonderful Easter weekend.  See you tomorrow.  Thanks for dropping in.

Feature Friday - Celebrate Banner

A while back I saw this banner from the girls at Eighteen25.  Isn't it cute?  The great thing about it is it works for every event.  Celebrate.  So smart.  I love it.

When we had an upcoming party I decided to make one myself.  I took a different spin on it, using paper instead of fabric.  

Embellished Roller Shades

First off, THANK YOU so much for your kind comments yesterday.  I am so lucky to have such kind readers.  You guys really brightened my day, so thank you.

_________________________________________________

In my new crafting area there is one huge window and then two little windows on a different wall.  The big window has long curtains with a pattern on them.  I didn't want to do full long curtains on the other windows because it would just be too much print and too much fabric.  So, I decided to do something more simple on those two windows.  I added a little fabric to the bottom of these roller shades, to coordinate with the curtains on the other window.

They were really inexpensive and they give me full privacy.  I purchased thin ones, so even if they are down I still get a lot of light in.

Let me show you how it went down, in case you have a window that needs a little treatment.  Roller shades are very inexpensive ($7-9) and fairly easy to install.  I picked up these at the Depot.  You're looking for this area:

Wake Up Wednesday

Last week's challenge was to do something you've put off.  Git 'er done week definitely helped me with that one.  While there's still a list, it's shorter and that feels great.  It was so fun to see you guys join in during the link party, too.  A lot of you completed huge projects.  Way to go AND thank you for sharing them with me!

Now on to this week's challenge.

[Source]

This week's challenge is to leave comments on the blogs you love.  After our talk about Pinterest, it seems like so many people are bummed that people now pin without commenting.  I'm not asking you to comment here, but go out and find those blogs you love and let them know.  It's a fast, easy way to show someone you care and appreciate their efforts.  I often get lazy about commenting myself.  I use Google reader and things get busy.  However, I'm going to try to stretch a little more this week.  Let's make the world a little friendlier.

And just so you know....comments really can impact people.  I got a not-so-nice one on Saturday and then several of you left supportive comments, defending me.  I can't tell you how much that meant to me.  Thank you so much.  And thank you for reading.

10 Great Projects that use Puffy Paint

When you think of Puffy Paint, you might think back to the eighties or early nineties and recall making your own t-shirt.  While, puffy paint has made quite a crafting comeback and the uses for it have branched out quite a bit.  

While the type of puffy paint might vary from project to project (3D paint, Beads in a Bottle, paint pens) all these cool projects make use of some sort of puffy paint.

1) Easter eggs.  I just made these yesterday.  I got out my white 3D paint and wrote the letters on the eggs.  It's simple and pretty Easter decor that you can do in just a few minutes.  I even tried Beads in a Bottle for one of the eggs.

10 Way to Keep Kids Happy in the Car

A while back when we did that Sharing Saturday about keeping kids happy in the car, you all gave some awesome suggestions.  They were so helpful on our road trip.  A few of you asked if I'd compile the list into a post so you could use it for reference.  So, here it is.  Here are 10 things you all suggested that help a road trip run smoothly (and help keep your sanity).

1) Books.  Our library has a section of children's books with audio CDs in the back flap.  They are picture books and they tell you when to turn the page.  These worked well on our trip because my boys can't read yet, but they can turn the page and listen.  They thought they were pretty fun.  If you have the Tag Reading System, a few of you mentioned that it was a real hit in the car.

Sunshine Sunday - free burgers, mannerisms, and smart boys

You know how certain weeks seem like they are really two weeks long?  This week was a bit like that.  We had some fun moments to help break it up though.  

Our library had this In and Out program.  If you read a certain amount of books you got a free cheeseburger.  I helped Rex read a lot of books, so he ended up with 3 free cheeseburger coupons.  He was so excited to cash one in the other day.  I was actually pretty excited myself.  I remember doing that with Pizza Hut and the Book It program when I was young.  It just tastes better when you earn it.

When it came down to it, the boys were really more into the shake than the burger.  Can you blame them?