because fabric makes everything better

okay, first things first, thank you so much for all the sweet comments reassuring me that i am not the only one who second guesses myself when i am making a gift for someone else!

when making gifts for others, my first rule is it has to be something i would want. and, well, some would say i am finicky. (and, some might say picky, but i prefer the former as it sounds nicer ;) this year, i just couldn't find any inspiration in catalogs or the blog world, so i turned to my stash. i found several magnet strips from ikea i bought a couple of years ago with good intentions to make cute for my kids artwork. then, i found two big ikea boards (similar to this). but, i had 5 teachers and 4 co-workers who needed gifts. so, i searched for a similar board and found nothing. then, while wandering through hobby lobby, i stumbled upon this:

they call it wall decor. it met all my requirements: metal, substantial in size and weight, and 50% off. really, no one should pay full price for anything from there.

i bought 5. one for 4 of the teachers and one for myself because i was starting to get excited about the project. and, collected my supplies.

now, if you own this and it hangs on your wall as is, please do not be offended because that is not the intention. but, the next thing i did was paint a thin coat of acrylic paint over the print.

then, after it dried, i flipped it over and trimmed my fabric so i had about an inch border all the way around. i used a simple linen colored cotton, but it would also be cute in a fun print.

i painted it with a coat of mod podge.

and flipped it face down making sure to smooth out any wrinkles.

 then, i cut the corners like so  . . .

 and mod podged all around the edges tucking the fabric under the already attached hooks.


for the finished product, i added some cute ribbon, 4 magnets and our christmas card.

for the magnets: i used 7/8" covered buttons and fabric scraps like you see in the back ground above (i may have a fabric addiction). i added magnets with hot glue because e6000 is not my friend (or maybe i am impatient, or maybe it was already 2 a.m.). and, made some adorable-y cute, mismatched magnets which may or may not be the entire reason i made this gift.

i thought this would be a cute way to display notes or photos or bits of inspiration or whatever. what would you do with it?

a confession or two

in the last few years, i have discovered something about myself. i like to make things. and, i like to make things for other people. both of these are confessions. why?

well, when you make something, it is like wearing your heart on your sleeve. (or, at least i think it is . . . i am very bad at understanding old phrasing.) a compliment or criticism can make or break you. example: as a girl, if you buy a shirt on sale and while wearing it, someone comments on how cute it is, then it validates that you got a steal and almost makes the shirt even cuter than it was just minutes before. when i make something, if someone comments that they like it, it tells me maybe it is possible to make something and make it cute. it gives me a little more confidence to try something else. am i the only one who feels this way??

then, i see something i think someone would like. even better, i think i can make this something. at first, i get really excited. i collect all my supplies. i start creating and, another confession, i start to doubt that what i am making would be appreciated by someone else. i start to wonder if they will be sad that they received it. i think, will they want this gift or will they throw it away wondering why i didn't just buy them something . . .

but, when you make something for someone and they like it . . . or they even love it . . . words cannot express how much it makes my heart smile. and, if they find out i made it, and still like it and don't feel like i gipped them out of a real gift . . . well, then i might just make another gift because it feels good to create something for someone else. really good.

so, i confess. and, i wonder am i the only one who feels this way? (oh, good night, people. i really just put myself out there. if you know me, you know i am not so lay-it-all-out about my feelings. abusive punctuation-yes, sharing my fears-no.)

i hope not. and, i hope to share a quick and easy gift tutorial, too.

i'm back and ready to craft!

random photo friday

our little kicker

we let the kids pick one activity to participate in when they turn 3. sometimes, it is something necessary but disliked, like swim lessons, and sometimes, it is something they would like to try like ballet. 

this year, miller chose soccer.

 it began in september. september in memphis is constantly a uv code red or whatever indicating that children and the elderly and pets and anyone with common sense should not be outside.

 and, soccer was on sundays from 2-3 p.m. nice.

 on day one, miller was so excited to be at soccer.

 so excited, he randomly gave thumbs up to strangers.

 he ran and ran.

 while his personal cheerleader . . .

 cheered and cheered.

 he appeared to have some moves. we saw promise.

 then, the leaves began to fall . . .

 and the weather began to cool . . .

 and soccer became not so exciting. maybe it was the lack of naps. it was on sundays, so we were all making that sacrifice.

 miller followed through--a life lesson we all have to learn. he finished the six (turned eight) week sport, but he just doesn't seem to have the skills to be the next david beckham.

even if he does look adorable sitting on a soccer ball.

falling for fall

i love holidays. it could possibly be considered an obsession, an unhealthy obsession at that. it starts in september/october with halloween. halloween has become one of my favorite holidays. to me, it is more of a child's holiday, a holiday that celebrates imagination and creativity and self confidence. those things are much better than the halloweens of the past, right??

i love halloween so much i have a tree. a small black wire-y tree that we decorate with handmade paper ornaments each year.

and, i definitely think i could create an advent-type calendar for this time, too. we have several yearly traditions, like the pumpkin patch.

we go to the same one every year. this year, because josh works from home, we were able to go during the day. interestingly enough, the sun shines right through all the trees leaving bright sun spots and weird shadows that you have to watch when taking pictures. note to self: next year, go in the afternoon even if it is fall break ;)

someone kept dropping all the pumpkins we were trying to show her and hand to her. sometimes, it is overwhelming when you are the youngest.

we picked out 6 pie size pumpkins for school projects and carving and one really cool green/gray pumpkin that we never took a picture of. too bad because it was the most perfect pumpkin even if its friend was housing a black widow spider-yikes!

the next day, we headed to do something i have been wanting to do for years. this was definitely a good year to start.

the maze!

we spent lots of time walking in the dusty dustiness. yes, it was so dusty it needed to be reiterated. it was so fun . . . even if we didn't always agree.

but, somehow, we made it out even with so many opinions.

then, just a few days before halloween, we had our annual pumpkin carving night with our friends, the tillmans.

i was inspired by martha's october magazine cover to use pie pumpkins instead of regular pumpkins. it was so much easier! each child had their own pumpkin and there wasn't so much work for us when they decided after the second scoop they were done cleaning it out.

and, they looked adorable in my kitchen window!

happy halloween from neverland

sugar high

each year we go to the fall festival at the preschool where i work. it is huge and the kids have so much fun and collect more candy than they can eat and we finish it off at perkins eating brinner with friends.

this year, spencer wanted some candy, too. since candy is awarded as prizes, she had to play a few games. 

 it is a good thing she is cute because she didn't exactly understand all the rules.

 to balance out her lack of ability due to age, she helped with clean up, too.

 then, it was off to choose her prize.

it was a difficult decision.

 a decision that required much thought . . .

 and a little sacrifice . . . even if it was partially eaten.


wrangling three in the crowd made for little photos, but i did make josh take the picture below because many of you know my children, especially carter, have a fear of animals. but, she asked to do this . . .

and, i let her even though there was a girl holding a chicken standing feet away from her and screaming, "cool kids want to hold a chicken!"

no. i did not make this up.

halloween always brings out the crazies.

for the first time

october has been full of firsts, some may be common, but i am sure some are not so common to all.

the first one happened twice . . . carter lost her first tooth and two weeks later, she lost her second.

this is her tooth fairy pillow i made. it is pictured with the dollar and response letter she received. carter has asked both times to keep her tooth and the second time she asked what was done with the teeth she did collect.

one day, we went to the zoo with friends. it was not a normal day at the zoo  . . .

because those sweet friends took my children to see the bird exhibit . . .

and it was spencer's first time. 

and, because this day was the first time this little boy wore jeans!

carter had animal day . . .

and chose to be a poodle, specifically poodlena.

the next day, she went to a birthday party dressed as her favorite rock star . . . 

taylor swift.

her first time to wear cowboy boots and curl her hair with sponge rollers.

then, it was farm day at preschool:

this is the first time miller enthusiastically dressed up for any day other than pajama day.

. . . and it was spencer's first time to dress up. she was not quite as enthusiastic as she had only been awake for 15 minutes.

and, finally, carter had her first field trip and her first . . .

ride on a school bus. in case you were curious, the field trip was also to the zoo.

while just a few of the highlights of october, these firsts were definitely something worth documenting . . . even if i am backdating it in december ;)