Redecorating, Repurposing and the Cutest Little Feet EVER!!

Sigh...I know, it's been a long time. I'm starting to see that I am not really cut out for the "every day blogger" lifestyle. The days just keep flying by and before I know it, it's been TWO WEEKS since my last post! We've been pretty busy here: painting the bedroom, getting carpet, repurposing old decor into new decor, getting one-year-old photos done, crafting a bit AND the wheels are still turning for all of my NEXT projects (much to the chagrin of my husband). I haven't forgotten you, I HOPE you haven't forgotten me. Here are a couple of pictures of some of what has been keeping me busy. ENJOY!

First, I apologize for the poor picture quality - it really doesn't do the finished product justice. I think I forgot to use the flash and what's that they say about love growing best in small homes? Well, the room is TINY, so I was butted up against the dresser as far as I could go!! Because we were getting carpet, I figured I had better get some painting done so there would be NO WAY I could ruin our new investment! As you can see, the entire room was a camel color before, which made the book page collage blend in to the wall (not to mention it was super blah). I wanted an accent wall and something to make the collage POP. I thought about a nice orange marmalade color, but decided on the marine blue and then just to do orange accents in the room (I will find a place for our wedding silhouette very soon). Notice the lampshades in the "before" picture? I have always hated those boring things so I decided to jazz them up a bit. For the one on the left, I did a ruffled burlap technique (girlie for "my side") and on the right, I simply wrapped the shade in jute, YAY for hot glue!!

 

And here is a little crafty goodness I did JUST.FOR.ME. My sweet boys' footprints, shrunk down to a teeny tiny tootsie size and saved in epoxy for posterity. Close to my heart, even when I am not near them. XOXO

And the Dreams that you DARE to Dream Really Do Come True.....

Some time ago, I made a gift for a friend of mine, but I was unable to share it for fear that she had not yet received it. My Friend is the mother of two precious baby girls, two beautiful sisters.  Tragically, Big Sis arrived too early and her moments on Earth were too few. This summer, Little Sis entered the world and was enveloped by the love of her Sweet Mama, her Proud Papa, her Big Sis and her Aunties around the world. When a new baby is born to a family after the loss of a child, that new baby is often referred to as a "rainbow baby". Here is one of the best explainations of why "rainbow baby" is such an appropriate term:

"In some circles, babies born to families after the loss of a child are referred to as "Rainbow Babies." The idea is that the baby is like a rainbow after a storm. "Rainbow Babies" are the understanding that the beauty of a rainbow does not negate the ravages of the storm. When a rainbow appears, it doesn't mean the storm never happened or that the family is not still dealing with its aftermath. What it means is that something beautiful and full of light has appeared in the midst of the darkness and clouds. Storm clouds may still hover but the rainbow provides a counterbalance of color, energy and hope."

After seeing this beautiful definition, I knew I needed to do something with it. So I scoured the interwebs for ideas and came across some lines from the song, "Somewhere Over the Rainbow". The words were perfect. They were drenched with meaning and with hope. I knew I had to use them.  This one is for My Friend and her perfect daughters. ENJOY!

 

And the Moon up Above and This Thing Called LOVE.

Today's design inspiration is brought to you by my love for my awesome husband, Matthew, and my love for silhouettes (see more of my silhouette designs here). While frequenting one of my favorite sites this morning, I came across an idea for a design made from a picture of a couple, complete with their names and wedding date, which immediately made me CRAVE one of the designs for myself! I thought, "I must try this!" (I imagine kind of the way a sailor yells, LAND HO!). So I began rummaging through our wedding pictures to find the perfect silhouette ready photo. I found it. It was taken just minutes before our ceremony, right before it got a bit too chilly to be outside on that GORGEOUS November day. Matt was smirking at me as I gave him "the pouty face"; I'm somewhat of a master when it comes to this face, topped only by our dear sweet Emmett. The photo captured a sweet yet silly moment and that's exactly what I wanted for our silhouette. If I must say so myself, I think this turned out brilliantly! ENJOY!

PS - If you think this is brilliant too, feel free to order a custom silhouette of your own by clicking on the ETSY link in the right sidebar or by contacting me directly. Sorry for pimping myself here, but this Mama is saving all her "Wordy Bird Monies" for a really cool toy! Again, ENJOY!

The Final Result

The Original Photo

Let Me Tell You About the Birds and the Bees and the FLOWERS and the Trees...

You may (or may not) have noticed yet another lack of posts over the weekend. Last week, my excuse was the 1st birthday of my sweet boys and this week, the excuse is the birthdays of my dad, brother, and sister-in-law as well as a couples wedding shower for one of the most awesome-est couples I know. Needless to say, we were busy, busy, busy! One of the things that kept me busy was creating a couple of homemade gifts, the first of which was a pair of singed flower shoe clips to dress up the MANY pairs of flats owned by my sister-in-law. These are not really a Wordy Bird Design, in that they don't contain any actual words, BUT they are flowers and I LOVE flowers!!! What goes better with sweet little birds and a cherry tree than some flowers right? Not only are they flowers, but they are flowers for your SHOES!! And as we all know Flowers + Shoes = A Happy Mama!!! ENJOY!

Flower Clips - A Photo Tutorial (Sort Of)