Birthday Project #5: Smash Cake Stand

Another pinterest idea was a cake stand for Brooklyn’s smash cake!  This was a super easy project that cost very little money. I went to Goodwill and looked through all their items. I found a pretty candle holder and crystal plate that matched.  Each was just $0.99.  I found the ribbon at Michael's on sale.

Total Cost:

Approximately $4, + gorilla glue on hand

Supplies:

Candle Holder

Small plate

Gorilla glue

Ribbon

Instructions:

1. First you need to pick out your candle holder and plate.  Don’t choose a candle holder that is super tall.  Ideally one that is 2 or 3 inches tall is perfect for this project.  Pick a plate that coordinates.  Otherwise you could always spray paint them.  I found a crystal candle holder and a crystal plate.
2. Place a line of gorilla glue along the top edges of the candle holder and carefully place the plate on top, as centered as you can get it.
3. Press down and let it sit overnight for the glue to cure.
4. Once the glue is cured, you can add your ribbon.  Roughly measure out how much ribbon you’ll need to rim the outside of your plate and cut it.  It is much easier to manage that way.
5. Place a line in small increments around the rim of the plate and press the edge of the ribbon in to it.  TIP: It took 3 of us to complete this – One of us placed the glue, one of us place the ribbon, and the third held the end of ribbon not glued.  My ribbon kept falling off the glue because it was too heavy. So you will need someone just to hold the ribbon at the same height as the plate.
6. Repeat step 5 all the way around the plate and trim any excess ribbon.
7. Let the glue cure overnight.  You now have a pretty cake stand for your smash cake!
   

Birthday Project #4: Sparkle Sign

Instead of buying a pricey little sign from Etsy, I decided that I could make one myself. Since I was doing a pink and gold theme, I thought the sparkle saying would go well.  Here’s how I did it:

Total Cost:

Approximately $3, + cardstock, glue, and picture frame on hand

Supplies:

White cardstock

Printer

Scissors

Glue / Mod podge

Glitter

Picture frame

Instructions:

1. First you need to type up your sign in Publisher or Word. I used publisher. I set the size at 5x7.
2. Insert a pink 2 horizontal gradient background to the file using two shades of pink.
3. Choose two fonts – I chose a script font and a print font (Edwardian Script IT and DaunPenh).
4. I set the script font size at 90 and the DaunPenh font size at 75.
5. Create a text box for each line and type in the words, setting font, size, and color on each – I chose gold font to match my pink and gold theme.  My text was “she leaves a little Sparkle wherever she goes”.
6. Adjust the location of each. You can overlap the text boxes so the words are closer together.
7. Add small circle shapes around the text in the same color as your text.
8. Save the file as a PDF and then print it on cardstock, ensuring it prints in 5x7 size.
9. Cut out the picture.
10. On each circle, put a dab of glue covering the entire circle.
11. Sprinkle glitter over each circle.  I bought the glitter at Hobby Lobby and used my 40% off coupon.  Shake the extra glitter off.
12. Once the glitter and glue has dried, place the picture in a frame so it can be displayed! I used a picture frame I already had on hand.

Birthday Project #3: DIY Fun to be One Sign

I wanted something that I could put outside that would help people narrow down our house when they arrived for Brooklyn’s party.  About half of the people had not been to our house yet and it’s in a corner by a fire hydrant, so it’s hard to tell by where the cars are parked.

I saw a cute idea on pinterest (shocker!) and decided I could make it at home with supplies I already had!  It was super easy and looked great.  I wish it hadn’t been windy so the balloons could have just floated above it, but it still turned out great anyway.

Total Cost:

Approximately $0, (cardboard, paint, wood stake all on hand)

Supplies:

Cardboard

White paint

Pink paint

paintbrush

stencils

pencil

wood stake

staple gun

Instructions:

1. First you need to cut out your piece of cardboard.  I used one side of the Evenflo carseat we had just bought Brooklyn.  It was the perfect size.
2. Using the cardboard colored side, paint the piece of cardboard white.  It took 2 -3 coats of white paint to cover so that no cardboard color showed through.
3. Let the paint dry.  The cardboard warped a little on me as it dried, but don’t worry, it won’t matter once you staple it to the wooden stake.
4. Next, I created stencils by just printing them at home using cardstock.  I picked a font I liked and made the letters for “fun” and “one” size 450.  I printed them out on cardstock.
5. Then I made the letters for “to be” in size 360. You don’t want it to be too small to see, but I wanted it to be enough that you eye noticed the size difference. You want “Fun” and “One” to stand out.  I also printed them on cardstock.
6. Cut out the letters so that you have a stencil for each letter.
7. Eyeball (or measure if you’re OCD) where to place your letters on the sign.  Then use your stencil and trace the letter using a pencil.
8. Remove your stencil and look at the placement of your words.  If they look good, move on to step 9.  If you need to adjust spacing or location, erase the pencil and repeat step 7.
9. Using a small paintbrush and pink paint, fill in the letters.
10. Let the paint dry.
11. Once the paint has dried, use a staple gun to attach the sign to a wooden stake.  Stake the sign in the yard.

NOTE:  For added decoration I blew up some pink and gold balloons (though in the picture they look yellow) and attached them to the sign as well using a staple gun.

Birthday Project #2: DIY First Birthday Monthly Banner

This was the second project I wanted to tackle for Brooklyn’s birthday. This is similar to my previous blog for the Happy Birthday and ONE banner, but the sizes were different.  I ran in to a few snags with my Cricut machine tearing the paper as well. I ended up having to buy a new mat and a new blade.  It ended up cutting better, but I still had trouble with it cutting the numbers out.

Total Cost:

Approximately $3, + mod podge, ribbon, and paper clips on hand; in addition to the $20 for the font cartridge. If you already have a cartridge or you don’t mind the basic font, then it is really just $3.

Supplies:

Light pink textured Cardstock

White textured Cardstock

Gold Glitter Cardstock

Cricut Machine

Cartridge with your preferred font/shapes

Mod Podge or Glue

Light pink ribbon

Paperclips

Packing tape (or scotch tape)

Instructions:

NOTE: I didn’t take any pictures while doing this project because I finished it last minute a day before her party due to my struggle with the paper tearing.  Reference my Happy Birthday blog for pictures on putting it all together.

1. First you need to decide what shape you want your banner to be in. I chose a shape that was in the basic cartridge to save money. Also I actually really liked the shape – so it worked out.  TIP: I think perhaps my blade dulled when cutting the glitter cardstock, so I suggest saving the glitter cardstock cutting for the end, just in case!
2. Once you have your shaped picked out, decide what size you want. I did 3” x 3”.
3. Fit as many of that size shape on one page.
4. Place the color paper that you want the large size cut in to on the mat. I used the glitter cardstock. Then load the mat in the machine.
5. Click cut, and adjust any settings to cut on the glitter cardstock. I used a depth of 5, pressure of 4 and cut speed of 5. This is a simple shape, so the speed worked just fine.
6. Once cutting is done, remove the mat and punch out your shape.  You now have your base! Repeat cutting steps to obtain the amount of banners you need to spell out your saying.
7. Decide what size you want your next layer to be. I did 2” x 2” so there is about a ½” on all sides, and I think it turned out great.
8. Fit as many of that size shape on one page. 
9. Place the next color paper on the mat.  I used the light pink cardstock.  Load the mat in the machine.
10. Click cut and adjust any setting to cut on the pink textured cardstock. I used a depth of 4, pressure of 4, and speed of 5.
11. Once cutting is done, remove the mat and punch out your shapes.
12. Using the cartridge which has the font you would like to use, choose all the numbers you need. I choose from 0 (newborn) through 12.
13. Adjust the size of your numbers so they fit within the shape, I ended up having each number be 1.5” tall.
14. Fit as many of your numbers on one page.  I was able to fit all of them on one sheet – and even had room to run some of them again when the first ones tore.
15. Place your next color of paper on the mat. I used white textured cardstock. Load the mat in the machine.
16. Click cut and adjust any settings.  In theory you should be able to use the same settings as step 10 for the textured cardstock, but slow the speed down a bit because these are more intricate.  My cricut kept tearing at the angles in some of my numbers – I specifically had trouble with the number 1 (go figure). I just cleaned them up a bit with scissors and most of them ended up looking okay.
17. Once cutting is done, remove the mat and punch out your letters.  TIP: I think perhaps my blade dulled when cutting the glitter cardstock, so I suggest saving the glitter cardstock cutting for the end, just in case!
18. Now that you have everything cut, it’s time to put it all together!  Grab your mod podge or glue!
19. I used a paintbrush to brush a thick layer of mod podge on the back of my light pink cardstock shape. 
20. I eyeballed the center of the glitter cardstock and pressed down.  It is hard to get the glue to stick to the glitter, so I had to press down firmly with my palm for several seconds, and then I placed something heavy on top of it to help hold it down while the glue dried. CAUTION: Some of the glue or mod podge may squeeze out the side, so make sure you’ve dabbed it all off before placing something on top of it so it doesn’t stick to your pretty banner!
21. Repeat step 20 for all banners.
22. Next, brush some mod podge or glue on the backs of your numbers and eyeball the center – remember to offset for the ones that will have two digits (10, 11, 12). Press down firmly. I found it was much easier to glue textured cardstock to textured cardstock, so just a few second hold with my palm was all it needed.
23. The next step is to hole punch the top of your banner so you can hang it.  I punched two holes in the top of each banner.
24. Pick a ribbon to string through the banner, leaving room to hang it on the sides.  I left about 10 -12 inches (I just eyeballed how much I thought I’d need) on each side to tie a bow to hang the banner.
25. I then taped a paperclip to the back side of the cardstock so that I could attach a picture below it using packing tape (because it’s sturdier than scotch tape).
26. Attach all your pictures in order and then hand it on the wall.  I used a nail and then tightened the bow around the nail.
    
    
    
    
27. Voila! Your project is complete!

Birthday Project #1: DIY Pink and Gold Happy Birthday and "ONE" Banner

This was the first project that I used my Cricut for, even though I received it as a Christmas present about 1.5 years ago.  It’s been a great help in creating customized decorations for Brooklyn’s party!  I can make things much cheaper than buying of Etsy…and I can make it personal than buying generic decorations at a party store.

The first thing I wanted to make were some banners: 1) A “ONE” banner that would be strung across her high chair, basically for the cake smash pictures, and 2) A “Happy Birthday” banner that would be strung as decoration on the wall.

I bought the cardstock all 50% off at Hobby Lobby during their scrapbooking sale in August!  The glitter cardstock is expensive, so definitely look for a sale!

I will also post a separate blog about the 12 month picture banner I created as well. Stay tuned!

I ran in to a bit of trouble with my Cricut machine when I was cutting the thinner paper. I still haven’t solved my problem, but I was able to get enough usable letters after many, many attempts. I have almost come to the conclusion that my blade may be a little dull after cutting the thick glitter cardstock.

Total Cost:

Approximately $15, + mod podge and ribbon on hand; in addition to the $20 for the font cartridge. If you already have a cartridge or you don’t mind the basic font, then it is really just $15.

Supplies:

Light pink textured Cardstock

White textured Cardstock

Gold Glitter Cardstock

Cricut Machine

Cartridge with your preferred font/shapes

Mod Podge or Glue

Light pink ribbon

Instructions:

1. First you need to decide what shape you want your banner to be in. I chose a shape that was in the basic cartridge to save money. Also I actually really liked the shape – so it worked out!  TIP: I think perhaps my blade dulled when cutting the glitter cardstock, so I suggest saving the glitter cardstock cutting for the end, just in case!
2. Once you have your shaped picked out, decide what size you want. I did 5” x 6”.  Three of this size will fit perfectly across her highchair.
3. Fit as many of that size shape on one page.  I was able to only get 2 of the large size on my paper no matter how I tried to juxtapose them.
4. Place the color paper that you want the large size cut in to on the mat. I used the glitter cardstock. Then load the mat in the machine.
5. Click cut, and adjust any settings to cut on the glitter cardstock. I used a depth of 5, pressure of 4 and cut speed of 5. This is a simple shape, so the speed worked just fine.
6. Once cutting is done, remove the mat and punch out your shape.  You now have your base! Repeat cutting steps to obtain the amount of banners you need to spell out your saying.
   
7. Decide what size you want your next layer to be. I did 4” x 5” so there is about a ½” on all sides, and I think it turned out great.
8. Fit as many of that size shape on one page.  I was able to get 4 of the smaller size to fit on a page with some of them turned in odd angles – but who cares because you’re just punching them out.
9. Place the next color paper on the mat.  I used the light pink cardstock.  Load the mat in the machine.
10. Click cut and adjust any setting to cut on the pink textured cardstock. I used a depth of 4, pressure of 4, and speed of 5.
11. Once cutting is done, remove the mat and punch out your shapes.
    
12. Using the cartridge which has the font you would like to use, spell out your saying. In my case I spelled “happy birthday” and “one”.
13. Adjust the size of your letters so they fit well in your smaller (4” x 5”) shape.  TIP: I created the letter in a different layer from my shape so I could layer it on top of the shape to see what it would look like. Once I got a good size, I deleted the shape. You could also just choose not to cut that layer.
14. Fit as many letters of that size on one page.  I was able to fit quite a few letters on the page, but I ended up using a lot of paper because this was where I encountered my issue.
15. Place your next color of paper on the mat. I used white textured cardstock. Load the mat in the machine.
16. Click cut and adjust any settings.  I had to play with my settings in order to get good cuts on some of the letters with the tight angles (such as y, b, d). In theory you should be able to use the same settings as step 10 for the textured cardstock, but slow the speed down a bit because these are more intricate.  My cricut kept tearing at the angles in some of my letters. I just cleaned them up a bit with scissors and most of them ended up looking okay.
17. Once cutting is done, remove the mat and punch out your letters.  TIP: I think perhaps my blade dulled when cutting the glitter cardstock, so I suggest saving the glitter cardstock cutting for the end, just in case!
18. Now that you have everything cut, it’s time to put it all together!  Grab your mod podge or glue!
19. I used a paintbrush to brush a thick layer of mod podge on the back of my light pink cardstock shape. 
    
20. I eyeballed the center of the glitter cardstock and pressed down.  It is hard to get the glue to stick to the glitter, so I had to press down firmly with my palm for several seconds, and then I placed something heavy on top of it to help hold it down while the glue dried. CAUTION: Some of the glue or mod podge may squeeze out the side, so make sure you’ve dabbed it all off before placing something on top of it so it doesn’t stick to your pretty banner!
21. Repeat step 20 for all banners.
22. Next, brush some mod podge or glue on the backs of your letters and eyeball the center. Press down firmly. I found it was much easier to glue textured cardstock to textured cardstock, so just a few second hold with my palm was all it needed.
23. The next step is to hole punch the top of your banner so you can hang it.  I punched two holes in the top of each banner.
    
24. Pick a ribbon to string through the banner, leaving room to hang it on the sides.  I left about 10 -12 inches (I just eyeballed how much I thought I’d need) on each side to tie a bow to hang the banner.
    
25. Voila! Your project is complete!  NOTE: I taped the banners to the highchair and to the window valence. They held pretty well, you just need to make sure the tape has a good grip on the ribbon.
      
    
    
    
    
    
    
    

2 Year Anniversary of Miscarriage

I can’t believe it is has been 2 years since the day we lost our baby boy.  So much has changed since that heartbreaking day.  I always like to reflect back to my feeling of hope and happiness and then the loss that I felt that day.  It helps keep things in perspective and is a continuous reminder that “Tomorrow is never promised”.

Two years have passed and this day is not much easier.  This year we will be spending it with Brooklyn also.  As she grows up, we will continue our tradition of dinner at Rubios, having a white flower sit on my desk, and lighting a candle in the evening.  We want her to understand that she has an older brother in Heaven looking down on her and protecting her.  Although, at 1 year old, she still does not understand, within the next year or two she will.

I still look back on the hopes and dreams I had for our baby boy.  I still wonder what he would have enjoyed doing, what he would have grown up to become.  I wish I would have gotten to hold him, but I also understand that no time with your child is ever enough.  Children should always live longer than their parents.  Parents should never have to say goodbye to their children.  I think of my friend Allison and her son Max at A Mother's Hope for a Child often and my heart breaks for her.

Since having Brooklyn, I’ve noticed that I worry a lot more about something happening to one of the three of us.  I wasn’t sure what was causing it and just assumed it was part of motherhood.  While writing this blog post, I realized that I think it’s the experiences I’ve had the last 2 years that has made me such a worry wart.  Within the span of 3 months in 2013, a co-worker was killed in a motorcycle accident, we lost our baby boy, and my husband’s aunt passed away in a motorcycle accident. Now in 2015 a friend’s son was diagnosed with a degenerative disease that only gives him a life expectancy of 3-5 years.  While I want to follow her posts and Max’s journey, it is so heartbreaking to see all the posts she likes of other families going through the same thing she is going through.   So I think this has all taught me that Tomorrow is Never Promised, but at the same time, has me fearing when there is no tomorrow.  How am I supposed to balance this?

I know God will never give you more than you can handle, but I found myself worried I wouldn’t make it through 2 years ago.  I’ve now seen how much I’ve grown and the strength I’ve gained from my experience.  Our baby boy brought a lot of happiness and hope to others, and also helped the world be more open and informed regarding the feelings and loss through miscarriages.  I was able to see my family and friends come together as an amazing support team.  I was able to share my story to not only help others who were grieving through the same loss, but to make others who’ve never experienced it understand the emotions.

I was asked last year when the anniversary of losing our baby and the due date of the new baby were coinciding, whether I wanted Brooklyn to be born on this day.  I vehemently said NO.    Did she need to wait another 6 days? No, but I’m really glad that we have these days separate.  We can mourn the loss of our baby boy and then the next week rejoice the birth of our baby girl.  We are able to feel our emotions both days without feeling guilty about taking away from either one.

This year makes this day a little bit brighter because we get to share it with Brooklyn.  She has brought so much sunshine and happiness to our family.  She truly is our Rainbow baby.  I will forever regret the time I didn’t get with my baby boy, but I will always be thankful for my beautiful daughter.  And I know that our baby boy is looking down on us and wishing us every happiness.  We will get to meet him someday and in the meantime, I will light my candle and look at my flower to remember my sweet baby boy.

(I have no idea why it imports portrait pics horizontally! UGH)

“Healing doesn’t mean forgetting or making the memories insignificant. It just means refocusing.”

The above quote was one of the sayings I really latched on to when I was dealing with my pain.  Now, 2 years later, I reflect on it and see that it is absolutely true. I struggled with worrying about forgetting my baby.  But I’ve come to truly see that just because I’ve healed from my pain, it doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten him. I’ve refocused my life. I will forever have a scar and a missing piece in my heart. But I’m focused on making the most of every day and loving my little girl with everything I have. But I will never forget my baby boy.

“Take our million teardrops, wrap them up in love, then ask the wind to carry them, to you in Heaven above.”

Book Review: The Field Guide (The Spiderwick Chronicles #1)

The Field Guide (#1)
by  Holly Black, Tony DiTerlizzi
Date Read:  9/14/15
Rating: ★ ★ ★

This was an easy read. It’s about on the same level as the A Series of Unfortunate Events series by Lemony Snicket, but is not as sad (so far anyway)! 

Not a whole lot happened in this book. It mostly introduces you to the characters and gives a very brief back story on them. The family moves in to a new house and strange things start happening. They investigate and find a secret room which will start opening their eyes to the “fantastical world around them”.

The end reminded me of the Lemony Snicket books in that the author warns the reader to put the book down and not read anymore.  In this story, the brownie (boggart) warns the children to throw the book away.  I obviously do not believe that they will do that.

I carpool with my husband for half of my drive to work every day. We listen to audiobooks during that half of the drive which I really like – right now we are finishing off the Lemony Snicket series (we’re in the middle of book 12)!  But I’ve been thinking I want to listen to something for the second half of my drive too since I don’t get much time to myself to read anymore with a 1 year old at home.  I think these will be good to listen to for my second half of the drive.

Looking forward to what else is in store for the Grace children in the future.  I watched the movie a long time ago, but don’t remember much about the story – though it’s probably pretty different from the books anyway.  I own it on DVD though, so I will go back and watch it once I’ve read the series.

Book Review: Escape from the Carnivale

Escape from the Carnivale (Never Land #1)
by  Dave Barry, Ridley Pearson, Greg Call (Illustrator)
Date Read:  9/9/15
Rating: ★ ★ ★ 

I accidentally read these books out of order. I picked up two in the series at the big booksale in downtown Phoenix in February and when I went to read them, there was no indication that there was an order.  In its defense, you don’t really need to read them in order.

These books are spin-off books to the Peter and the Starcatcher series.  These stories are what happen while Peter is gone. It follows the Lost Boys and Shining Pearl and Little Scallop. I suggest reading the Starcatcher books first so you understand how things came to be on that island. These are great little additions to the series though. Enough to get you back in that world, but also super-fast, easy reads.

The mermaids are more involved in this one and I liked that the kids basically had to figure this one out on their own.  The new ship was super weird.  I have no idea where all those strange creatures came from.  I liked that there was also a sub-plot of Captain Hook planning to take over the Carnivale.  Overall, this was a fun and entertaining book in the world of the Starcatchers.  If you enjoyed the Starcatcher series, you’ll enjoy these short books.

Book Review: The Grim Grotto (A Series of Unfortunate Events #11)

The Grim Grotto (#11)
by  Lemony Snicket
Date Read:  9/8/15
Rating: ★ ★ ★ 

The Grim Grotto brought the Baudelaire’s to a submarine in which they had some new adventures and brushes with death and also met some new people.

BEWARE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS!

The captain’s voice is my favorite voice that Tim Curry has done so far.  I found myself quoting him while we finished watching the series of Chuck: “He who hesitates is lost”.  This is now the second time I’ve seen something from this series pop up in Chuck!

The story itself didn’t move a whole lot in this book. Mostly Sunny is in peril – she’s had a rough two books – and the kids have to figure out how to save her while figuring out how to get away from Count Olaf.

The kids meet a new person in this book, Fiona, who you hoped was going to be another new friend for them since we haven’t seen the Quagmires in a long time. There’s a twist towards the end of this book that I was not expecting. While it gives a good lessen, that people are neither evil nor noble, I hope it comes around in the end to help the Baudelaire’s as this series comes to a close.

A little more information is revealed, but not enough. Mostly just more questions were posed  - did Quigley really send that telegram? Who is J.S.?  I thought it was fun that Mr. Poe popped back up though!  We haven’t seen him in a long time.

I’m really interested to see how this all pans out with only two books left in the series.  I hope the Quagmires show back up soon – and I want to make sure Quigley made it out of the river and gets the reunite with his siblings!  There hasn’t been very many Beatrice references lately, so there are still a lot of questions about that. Only two books left with a LOT of questions to be answered.