Love is All You Need Art

I needed something Valentine-y to go above my mantel so I decided to break out of my crafting slump, get out my Silhouette machine and make some canvas art. 

I love how it turned out!

I started off with a canvas, some music themed scrapbook paper to match the song lyrics I chose to use, some red and black cardstock, Mod Podge, and a glue stick

I used the Mod Podge to adhere the paper to the canvas then I simply cut out the heart and the text with the Silhouette machine. I adhered the heart and text to the canvas with a glue stick. 

The font for "love" is one of my all time favorite fonts, Missed Your Exit. 

The font for "is all you need" is Lucida Calligraphy. 

I added some ribbon to the back of the canvas so it could hang above the mantel. 

Then I used my favorite trick to make it pop by framing the canvas art with my red frame. 

I love how it turned out! 

This post is part of a monthly Silhouette challenge created by Lauren at The Thinking Closet. Check out the links below for more projects by some talented crafty ladies using their Silhouette machines. 

Burlap Love Banner & Free Cut File - (The Thinking Closet)

Valentine's Day Mantle and Banner - (Daily Dwelling)

"We're Better Together" Valentine's Day Card - (Tried & True)

Silhouette Heat Transfer Onesie - (Crafty Jac)

Interested in joining us for our group posting event next month?  We'd love to have you.  Simply contact Lauren from The Thinking Closet by email.

Our Version of the Fish Bowl Valentine

I have seen the "fish bowl Valentine" pinned many times this year. You can find printable versions at The Cards We Drew and I Heart Naptime but Noah and I decided to make our own version...... 

Cute, isn't it?

Because goldfish crackers have been a long time favorite of Noah's we opted to use those inside instead of gummy fish. And he insisted on orange hearts instead of red. Very un-traditional and very Noah at the same time.

I left the insides of them blank and let Noah paint them in blue with his beloved dot markers. 

I think when we do the rest, I might use a little less goldfish crackers so you can see his beautiful dots better. Either way, he's proud of them! 

He Loves his Pictures

Noah loves pictures and recently I was looking around his room and noticed there weren't enough pictures around. The crafty girl in me wanted to make him some picture frames but he's been known to take them off shelves or where ever they are and hold them so I didn't want to use glass frames. I opted to just use plain old plastic frames and just let the pictures speak from themselves. 

So I gathered up some pictures and framed them while he was at school. When he came home they were in various different spots of his room; a couple spaced out on the bookshelves, two on the dresser, and one on the bed side table. My the time he went to bed, I walked in his room and found this........

Yep, he moved all the pictures in a little pile on his bedside table so he could see them better! 

(PS. I moved them back the next day and he did it again. Too cute!) 

You Rock my Socks Valentine's Day Gift

This is a little gift I made for Noah's PCAs's, teachers, and aides last year. 
It turned out soooo cute!

I started out with these:

little heart shaped boxes and socks from the Dollar Spot at Target. 

Then I got creative with my Silhouette machine and scrapbook paper. I used a basic heart shape and the sock monkey image from the Silhouette store and decorated the top of the heart shaped box. I simply adhered the heart on to the box, paper pieced the sock monkey and adhered it to the heart, and then added the vinyl letters. Easy peasy! 

Roll up the socks and stick them in the heart shaped box.

And now you have a cute little gift!

Love it! 


(Linking up to the parties listed in my sidebar)

Because he's My Child

People often tell me what a great Mom I am and how they don’t know how I do it. But the truth is I often don’t feel like a great Mom at all. The truth is most of the time I feel like I am barely scraping by. I make mistakes and lots of them, I call my Mom or BFF late at night having a mini breakdown about something I’m worried about, and I worry – A LOT – about the future. I stress that I’m not doing enough, that I’m not good enough, and that the mistakes I’m making are huge mistakes that will scar him for life. 

But I’ve learned that I’m not that different from Mom’s of typical children. While I’m struggling with wheelchairs, IEPs, and what not, they are struggling with teen and tween attitudes, homework, teaching their children to keep their rooms clean and do chores. We're all struggling to get our kids up and out the door on time, to care for them when they are sick, and to provide them with a good childhood full of unconditional love. And why do we all do it? Because they are our children and we love them to the moon and back.  The struggles are different but they are struggles just the same. We all do it because they are our children – it’s that simple. 

My version of a great Mom is someone who puts her child’s need above her own. She accepts the struggles and challenges and does what she has to do for her kids even when she’s exhausted and would much rather be sleeping, soaking in a hot tub, or doing something for herself. Most of us are good Moms because they are our beloved children and it’s just what we do; it’s just hard for us to see that. 

The next time someone says “I just don’t know how you do it,” I’m memorizing the chorus of this amazing song by Jennifer Shaw and I’ll respond by saying:
"When those eyes are looking up at mine,
Every trial, every fear in that moment disappears
And you realize that it's all worthwhile,
When it's your child." 

Quote of the Week: Next Chapter

"You can't start the next chapter of life if you keep re-reading the last one."

- Unknown 

Weekend Wonders: Valentine's Decor

Do you decorate for Valentine's Day? I do a little bit and since it's right around the corner for this weekend's post, I am featuring cute Love Day Decor. 

Valentine's Hurricane Candle

My Heart's Desire shares how to create this cute conversation candy filled hurricane candle. 

Love Story Free Printable

Pop this cute printable from the girls at Eighteen 25 into a frame and you have instant and easy decor.

Valentine Mailboxes

These little Valentine Mailboxes from Gigi's Creative Designs actually hold Hershey Nuggets. So cute!

Tree of Love

How cute is this "Tree of Love" featuring photos of loved ones shared at Tater Tots and Jello.

Candy Bouquet

I love this candy bouquet (that has a coordinating poem) from Pattie Wack.

XOXO Candles

Lemon Tree Dwelling shares a simple way to dress up everyday candles for Valentine's Day.

Button Heart Art

Mama's Crafty Space shares this cute button heart art idea.

Quote of the Week: Light and Love

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.

Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." 

- Martin Luther King Jr.

A New Type of Seizures?

It seems Noah may be having more seizures......

They started about two weeks ago and are a different type of seizure from what he usually has (he usually has myclonic seizures). The newer episodes are like those of a temporal seizure - he stares off into space. When his name is called he doesn't move. If a hand is run in front of his face, he doesn't blink.

We took him to the neurologist just a few days after they started. The neurologist confirmed that they may indeed be temporal seizures and ordered an EEG. The EEG is scheduled for the end of January. 

Since previous EEGs they have found that sedating children alters the brain waves, so Noah will not be sedated when he has the EEG. This is going to be an adventure, folks. I'm skeptical that he will even go to sleep at all during the EEG but trying to not be a negative Nelly about the whole thing so I'd appreciate prayers and positive thoughts.

I'll keep y'all posted! 

Weekend Wonders: Organization

I'm not sure what it is about a new year that makes me want to get organized but it does. There are lots of great DIY projects out there to help you get organized. Below are some of my faves. 

Fabric Boxes

I Heart Organizing shows us how to take a cardboard box, cover it with fabric, and turn it into an attractive place to store stuff. 

No Sew Fabric Covered Bins

I love how great these no sew fabric covered bins from Sweet C's Design  look. 

Shutter Magazine Rack

My Re-Purposed Life shares how to re-purpose a window shutter into a magazine rack.

Craft Closet

My Fancy Frugal Life shows us how she turned a closet into an organized craft space.

Desk Drawer Organization

Using old cereal boxes, The Stony Brook House shows us how to create a desk organizer.

Cord Organization

I Heart Organizing shows us how to organize all those cords we all have nowadays. 

This Boy

This boy amazes me. 

This boy also aggravates me at times.

This boy has forced me to have patience

But like me at that age, this boy has no patience.

This boy has been through so much in his life. 

This boy also still has a lot to go through in his life. 

This boy may not talk with words

But this boy has so much to say. 

This boy is loved by many beyond words. 

This boy also loves many beyond words. 

I'm so blessed and lucky that God made this boy 

MY boy. 

One Little Word 2013

My word for 2012 was breathe. It was a great word for the year. When I decided on breathe, Noah had just had his first ever (and only!) grand mal seizure and my world had been rocked so breathe felt like a perfect word. And it was a very good word. I repeated it to myself, reflected on it, and used it all through out the entire year.

But in some ways I feel like I just breathed and got through the year. This year, I want to enjoy the year and all the little moments. So my word for 2013 is............

I want to find the joy in the all the moments - good and bad. I do think there are small spots of joy to be found in bad times, you just have to look harder to find them. I also think sometimes joy is a choice - you can choose to see the negative in a situation or you can choose to find the positive, the joyful so I am choosing joy. I'm also reading the 1,000 Gifts Devotional book so I think that will help me find the everyday joy.

And I want to build off of what I learned in 2012. I want to breathe in the situation, breathe in the moments, breathe in my life and then I want to find the joy and breathe in the joy.

Have you chosen a word for 2013? What is it?