Mother-Daughter Blankets

My mom and I made these matching blankets before she started chemo. I live in a different state, so I am not able to be physically close to her. So, I asked her to make a blanket with me. I snuggle mine to feel close to her and she can snuggle hers and feel close to me. She uses it a lot now because she gets so cold from Chemo. I am glad we made it while she was feeling well. It is priceless for me.

Appliques

This is what I did for my applique onesies.

You will need Wonder Under (found at any fabric store)

Trace the shape of your applique on the Wonder Under and cut it out. Then iron it onto your fabric.

Then cut your fabric.

Pill of the other side of the Wonder Under.

Iron the applique onto the onsie.

I like the frayed look, so I just straight stitched mine on. If you want a more finished look, zig zag it on (make sure the zig zag is really close together)

Small Fry & Co. has a tutorial involving pictures. You can check her's out HERE

Good luck!

An Array of Crafts

I took these photos and never posted them. I did some applique onesies for some friends having baby boys! They turned out really cute! I got the patterns for the guitar and tie from 'Trey and Lucy'. The rocket ship and octopus patterns are from 'Crap I've Made'


If you google bath bombs, there are a million cites that have a recipe for them. I decided to try my hand in making some for a 'Thank you' present. I just used cookie cutters and napkin rings for my molds. (Tip: make sure to take them out of the mold within a few minutes.) I waited and it was really hard to remove the mold and some wouldn't even come out.




I made these flowers for a friend. She wanted some cute hair barrettes for her 3 year old.


Medium: color pencils.
I did this for my nephews. I got some ideas off of Rosenberry Rooms. They turned out really cute.

My Story Part 2.......

After I had my second baby I spiraled out of control. I began getting extremely agitated at my oldest, in my mind he couldn't do anything good enough. Nothing would please me. He began to act out and his behavior got worse. This in turn made me more depressed and I withdrew into myself. I began getting overwhelmed over EVERYTHING. My son would ask for a drink of water, I would start sobbing. My infant would start crying for food, I would start sobbing because the thought of helping her overwhelmed me to the point I became immobilized. Within two weeks of her birth, I began having suicidal thoughts. I thought, "My family deserves someone better. I am not worthy of them. Their life would be so much fuller and happier with out me. I can't continue living like this." etc. Only those who have ever had depression can truly understand how overwhelming the emotions are. I even had my plan, I would cut my wrists. My husband found out and watched my every move. One night while lying in bed, I thought, "I should cut my wrists while he's asleep, then he can't stop me."
Luckily and MIRACULOUSLY, a red flag went off in my head. My fogged mind cleared enough to allow me realize I needed help and I needed it ASAP.
The next morning I was seen by my doctor. It's surprising how a booked doctor can see you ANY TIME if you say you are thinking about killing yourself. I was put on an antidepressant.
I wish I could say my road was easy from then on, but it wasn't. I battled for sanity. I increased my medicine. Then a bomb dropped March 2009, my mom was diagnosed with cancer-the no-curable kind! She was my emotional support while hubby was in school. I am still coming to terms with this. I still cry a lot over it, BUT I found a passion even greater than running. I started reading blogs about crafting and sewing. I thought, "I could totally do that."
I started doing a little here, a little there! Before I knew it, I was happy, I wanted to play with my kids. I decided last month to start this blog to hopefully inspire someone searching for some hope. I find hope in using my hands.
I finally figured out WHY I love creating things. It STAYS done. There will always be cleaned, dishes to do, laundry to be washed and folded, a house to scrub, meals to cook, BUT once I finish sewing or crafting, it stays done. It's all mine, it has nothing to do with school, being a mother or wife, it has nothing to do with house keeping, it's all mine.
Crafting keeps me sane. It keeps me happy, it allows me to be a better mother and wife. It allows me to express my self.

Father's Day gift Idea

Father's Day or Papa's Day frame!!! A girl at my church made frames with vinyl. I didn't really care for the style, but the idea was cute! So, I made my own!

Here are some supplies you will need:
Stickers of your choice, frame, paint, paint brush, and Mod Podge.

I chose 2 different styles of stickers because I wanted to have the first letters in the names to be accented.



I got this frame for $1 at Michael's


I really wanted to paint the frame black and use white stickers, but REALLY, there was ZIP, ZERO, NADA stickers in white that I liked. I only had one to choose from!?! SOOOOOO, I painted mine white instead. BUT you can do yours any color you want.


So, I painted my frame with a matted finish. Then put the stickers on. You can do what ever saying you want or just put a bunch of different words on it. (It doesn't even have to be about Father's Day!)

To make the heart I took a lower case 'v' and put the number 8 on top of it and cut of the extra. Then I painted the middle black to match.


Then I Mod Podged the stickers on it. This gave the frame a glossy finish.

The frame had no glass in it (perfect for mailing) so I Mod Podged the photos to give them some extra protection.
I photo shopped the kid's names and faces out because I want to keep them anonymous!

My story Part 1.....

I guess it's time to share my story. I have suffered from depression for about 4 years.

I had three major life changing events occur in a 3 month span in 2005.

1: I gave birth to my 1st child. It was a very difficult birth and I had been on bed rest for 2 months prior to his birth. I tend to believe that my insanity became in question while on bed rest;) Good thing he HAD to be born 4 1/2 weeks early.

2: I moved to another state. I didn't know ANYONE! I felt so alone and very home-sick I have never lived more than an hour from my parents. I have ALWAYS lived very close to family.

3. My husband started medical school. He was no longer home and he studied ALL THE TIME!

I had a very hard time adjusting. I knew no one, I had a brand new baby that I was learning to take care of, AND I only saw my spouse about 2-3 hours a day. This was including meal times.

An angel came into my life in the shape of a friend. She knew I was suffering and starting calling me every day. She took me places, hung out with me, exercised with me, and most of all, accepted me for just me. I found a new passion through her.... RUNNING. That is seriously therapy in motion. I trained for a 5 mile race and lost all of my baby weight. I found peace in it. My depression was held at bay if I stayed active. It still bothered me sometimes, but I found tools through my ANGEL/ FRIEND to compensate.

Butterfly Lamps

Remember these!?! Just check out the post below! I'm so excited for the way they turned out!

BEFORE:



AFTER:

I just spray painted them white and used acrylic paint to do a tie-dye effect on the butterflies! I LOVE LOVE LOVE how they turned out!