Creativity

I've always been a creative person. It's something that I've always been proud of, and I make a considerable effort to encourage my daughter's creativity and give her plenty of opportunities. It makes me sad that modern society is taking emphasis away from creative endeavors in an effort to get everyone to conform to the standard ideal of "success." If being creative makes you happy, be creative! It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks.

I found this picture on Facebook and decided to share it with you all:

While we are on the subject of creativity, I have quite a few half-finished projects in the works, and even more ideas buzzing around in my head, so expect a flood of new posts coming very soon!

Until next time,

Happy (Belated) New Year!

Wow! So this last couple months have been crazy for me, and I have been neglecting the blog (sorry!), but I have a LOT of new projects and ideas in the works at the moment. Unfortunately, I have so many things going on at once it is hard to get any of them finished! (I'm sure at least some of you can relate)

A little snapshot of what is going on in my life right now:

• Realizing that school is such a time suck! What happened to the days when I didn't have to study for hours on end to understand the material? BUT, I'm getting good grades, which is the important thing, right?
• I just started working from home, which is a welcome change from all of the pointless, dead-end jobs I've been working my ENTIRE adult life. I will give you guys some more information about that later, but for now let's just say I'm very excited!!
• I have sooo many friends that are expecting babies this year, so don't be surprised if I post a lot of baby-related projects in the coming months. (No, I'm not pregnant... yet)
• I may not have been blogging, but I'm still very active on Pinterest, so make sure you follow me there to get all the inspiration you can handle!
• Putting the wedding planning on hold for now. I'm still madly in love with my fiance but we decided to focus on other areas of our lives that need attention first (which is totally understandable). I'm just going with the flow and letting God show me when it is the right time to finally tie that knot. =]

NOW, here is where I need you, my followers, to give some input.
What kinds of projects/topics would you like to see me cover in the coming months?

This blog is built for you and around you, so any and all opinions are necessary! Post in the comments, or hit me up on Google+ (you can add me to your circles over in the sidebar).

Until next time,

Thanksgiving Prayer

I'm usually not very good at coming up with prayers, especially for holidays, but this one just came to me, and I decided to share it with all of you. Many members of my family do not practice religion, and therefore do not pray at holidays, but this year my goal is to at least change one person's mind. Opening myself up to the Lord is one of the most fulfilling things I've done in my life. If you are a Christian, or religious, please feel free to pin this, share it on Facebook, whatever, and let's spread the joy during the holidays this year =]

PS: Sorry I haven't been posting much lately, I promise I'm working on a ton of new projects that I will be able to share with you very soon!

Until next time,







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20-Minute DIY: Happy Fall Pumpkin

Hey everyone! Sorry for the lack of posts recently, I've been super busy with work and getting my daughter ready to start preschool! (She is sooo excited about it, her first day was actually last week)

As you may or may not know, we live in an apartment, so we are sort of limited as to what we can do to spruce up our outdoor space (I think my landlord would pitch a fit if I painted my front door or something like that). But nevertheless, I do like to do a little something to make the outside of my house look as cheerful as the inside. And this particular project happens to be easy, fast, cheap, and adorable!

 Happy Fall Pumpkin!

What you need:

• A Pumpkin (you could do several in different sizes and with different messages/pictures-the possibilities are endless!)
• Paint or a Paint Marker (I used a paint marker for more precision, if you have a steady hand, traditional acrylic paints and paintbrush would work great)
• Ribbon/Bow of some kind. (I made my bow using this tutorial - you just have to play with the dimensions until you get the right size)
• A design of some kind (I used a stencil for the leaves and free-handed the lettering, but you can do what ever you feel comfortable with)

Here's my plain ol' pumpkin in the beginning

Step 1: Wash your pumpkin (sometimes they come with dirt and grime on them from the pumpkin patch), and decide which side you want your design to appear on (mine had some nicks in it, so I chose to make the better-looking side the front).

Step 2: Transfer your design to the pumpkin in pencil first, in case you make a mistake. Then, start to go over the pencil with your paint/paint marker.

Here it is with the lettering. Doesn't it look like it needs something extra?

Step 3: Fill out the design with some embellishments.

Leaves and a little swirl add just the right touch!

Step 4: Add your bow/ribbon/other decoration.

Top view. Gotta have a little sparkle! 

(Yes, my bow is attached with a hair elastic, don't judge)

Step 5: Place outside your front door and admire your handiwork!

Can you believe those leaves? That's just from the last 24 hours. It's impossible to keep up with it.

This pumpkin should last a few weeks, and is a great way to transition from Halloween into Thanksgiving. (Really, if I could get away with it, I would decorate with pumpkins year-round, but that's just me.)

If you try this project, be sure to post your pics in the comments!

Until next time,

Linking up to:

Happy November!

I thought I would give you all a laugh today, because I sure needed one. My boyfriend always participates in "No-Shave November" and I presented the idea of females also taking part. Obviously, he was against it, but I sent him this pic anyway. =]

[image credit]
I added the text

My boyfriend was not amused.

Happy No Shave November ladies!

Until next time,

Fall Project: Thankful Garland!

It's officially November! Is everyone as excited as I am? I'm already starting to count down to my favorite holiday of the year: Thanksgiving! So, naturally, I decided to do a little fun art project with my daughter to try and teach her a little about the meaning of Thanksgiving.

A Thankful Garland!

First, I printed out one of the fall coloring pages I mentioned in an earlier post, and had her help me color it. While we were coloring, I talked to her about what it means to be thankful for something. Then, we made a list of the things we are thankful for and I wrote them in sharpie on each shape. (We had pumpkins, leaves, corn cobs, and acorns) Then, we cut out the shapes, I made a cute little banner-shaped WordArt on the computer, and we attached everything to a piece of yarn (with paper clips) and hung it on the wall! It looks very cute next to my dining room table, and I plan on revisiting the concept with her throughout the month leading up to Thanksgiving.

All in all, the project took about an hour to complete, and I got to teach my 4 year old about one of my favorite (and in my mind, one of the most important) holidays of the year. Win-win! =]

I have a few more fall-themed projects in the works, so stay tuned!
Until next time,

       (and Lea!)

Update: I almost forgot! I got the idea for this awesome craft from Carina Gardner, through a pin on Pinterest. I adapted it to fit my own needs but I need to credit her with the idea nonetheless! [And I'm usually so good about that too! Where is my brain today?]

Also: make sure you enter this great giveaway co-hosted by my friend Angel of Sew Crafty Angel!

Happy Halloween!

I hope everyone has a safe and happy night tonight!