I'm Telling

Last time I waited to share fun news with you all "in case something happened"...and it did happen...and in the end I didn't feel any better about keeping the secret to myself.

So...here goes!

I'm pregnant!

I am 7 weeks along, we got to see the most beautiful little heartbeat on Wednesday, and I'm happy. I'm VERY happy:)

My due date is 11-11-11! I think that is just so awesome;)

It's been an emotional roller coaster since we found out three weeks ago. I had a wonderful counseling session on Wednesday after my appointment (seriously...counseling is uh-mazing...everyone should go) and my counselor just really helped me sort through a lot of the different feelings that I have. At the end of the meeting, she encouraged me to let myself be happy...so I am:)

I have no idea what will happen... all I know is I can't spend every day thinking up solutions to a "what if I miscarry again?" scenario. All I have is today. God has give me that and for that I feel incredibly grateful and blessed.

Thank you to everyone who has emailed or commented on my miscarriage. I really can not believe how much support I got and how much I was able to help others through this little craft blog. It means so much to me;)

What I'm Loving: Dwell for Target

There hasn't been much crafting in my house lately. I have to admit I have taken a little break from that crafty/obsessive side of my brain lately...and the vacation has been kind of nice:) Just because I haven't been making anything doesn't mean I haven't been scheming. That part of my brain is always on.

So, where do I go for inspiration? I look online a lot. I love Apartment Therapy and Young House Love. Those are my first "go to" places online, but when I want something in the physical to pine after...then I take a trip to Target:)

I have professed my love for Target before. I really don't know how they manage to read my style mind with each new design they put out...but each one makes me want to whip out my credit card!

One of my favorite things about Target is their Dwell line. I love Dwell. LOVE them.

So here are a few patterns I wouldn't mind owning:

Mandala

You can get this 5 piece set for $19.99!

Sevilla

Dwell has made this pattern in different colors before, but I'm really liking the all green version.

Pansy

If I lived all alone...this is the girly kitchen set that I would own.

Moroccan

I'm not normally a blue fan...but I just love this pattern.

SO, if I were to buy all the sets...that would be about $80 before tax. Since that's not going to happen...I at least have enough inspiration to create many knock offs:)

What are some places you go for inspiration? I am always looking for more online places to stalk:)

Pillows with Personality

I originally found this "his and hers" pillow idea at Freshly Picked and I knew I had to make my own versions. This idea has been saved in my "to do" folder so I am so excited to finally have them done!

I know I don't post photos of myself or my family on here (sorry...too many crazies out there for my liking)...but these are pretty darn close to how we actually look. They bring personality into our room with some humor too...which is good because we don't like to take ourselves too seriously:)

For the pillow, I used a tan home decor weight fabric. I cut out four squares for my pillow pieces. Then I took some brown material (it has a really nice grainy texture up close) and made appliques for our hair and my husband's glasses. To learn how to make an applique...check out my previous post HERE.

I ironed on my appliques and then stitched around them with black thread. Finally, I placed right sides of my pillow panels together and sewed around (leaving an opening to turn right side out). I turned them right side out, stuffed them, and sewed the opening closed.

I love how they are personal but make us laugh:) I'm thinking of a yellow striped pillow behind them maybe? We'll see.

Price:

tan material: $.99

brown material: $.50

stuffing: from another pillow

Total: $1.49

I'm linked to:

Sugar and Dots

Tatertots and Jello

DIY Sunburst Mirror

Wow...I've been really slacking in the blogging department lately, huh? Our computer lost the Wifi function...so it has to be plugged in upstairs directly with the modem. What does that mean? Well, it just means I'm not on the computer nearly as much anymore...which I think my family is very happy about:) Plus I have been a busy little bee with getting projects done...you know those photos you save in the "I really want to do that someday" folder? I am actually getting those done! Yay me!

One of the projects I wanted to do was a sunburst mirror. I have seen a ton of examples online for DIY versions and thought I would give it a try myself.

Materials:

round mirror

bamboo skewers

hot glue

paint

First, I found a pack of round mirrors at Goodwill. I got 6 mirrors in different sizes for $4...but I had a giftcard so it was free! You can also get mirrors like this at a craft store.

So, I took the largest mirror (8" in diameter) and glued down some skewers in some symmetrical spots. I glued them with the pointy side facing in because I wanted the flat edge to be showing on the outside.

Note: When buying bamboo skewers, do not buy them at the dollar store...they are thinner and more of them are bent. I got mine at Walmart for $.94 a pack (of 100) and they were a lot thicker and very few were duds...plus it was cheaper than the dollar store!

I divided each of my previous sections with more skewers. I thought this would be the best way to get them the most even all the way around. You could measure all the way around and mark where they go...I'm just lazy:)

So, I continued with that method until I had the fullness that I wanted. I used almost a whole bag of 100 skewers.

I went through and painted the back of the skewers with black acrylic paint. Next, I flipped it over, covered the mirror with a circle piece of paper, and spray painted the front with black spray paint. The paper kept the mirror clean and the spray paint made it so that I didn't have to apply a top coat.

I hung it in our bedroom and I love it! I originally wanted it over our bed...but I didn't think to measure the small wall before making the mirror...so the mirror was bigger than the small wall space between our windows. Luckily it fits perfectly on the opposite wall and fills the space nicely.

I feel great getting one of my long time projects accomplished. I have finished a few others for our room that I can't wait to share:)

Price:

mirrors (pack of 6): $4.00

bamboo skewers (pack of 100): $.94

paint: already had

Total: $4.94

(plus I still have 5 more mirrors to play with!)

I'm linked to:

Sugar and Dots

Tatertots and Jello