Thursday, May 31, 2012

craftaholics anonymous:::how i pinned it and did it:::silhouette necklace



or...this post could easily be called, "the day i cried over spilled milk a necklace."

but first things first.
good morning, lovelies!
how was your memorial day weekend?
our was.....well, a little sketchy at first.
let's just say that even though i'm a grown-up, i act like a child sometimes when i don't get my way, and things are less than fun around here. :/  boo to me.
thankfully, i have an amazing husband, who loves the Lord, and God intervened and rescued the day.
yay!
i woke up to...

army men on the kitchen floor:::beautiful skies:::i dug out my flags for decor:::and we went for a run at the track as a family

{also in there was a grad party and a cookout at my besties, but i kept my camera phone away for fear of being called a 'paparazzi'.  AHEM...sophie!  :D  love you, girl!}




now onto the REAL reason that i have you all here today.


i'm not even going to ask for a raise of hands and ask who likes to craft.
i'm pretty sure that all of you have an inner love and desire to create.
to make something beautiful.
to have the satisfaction of a job well done.
for a project to turn out.
i happen to love to craft and create, but hadn't really done a whole lot of it for the past few years because of
general busyness and raising my kiddos.
i tend to get off in my own little world when i create, and with four kiddos always being hungry or needing something, i just set aside my craftiness for a while.
well, it turns out that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, and my girlies love to craft like their mama.
with pinterest at your fingertips and beautiful things swirling around the whole DIY world, what's us girls to do?
MAKE SOMETHING!
or several somethings.
honestly, my girls are a huge drive to our creations.
they have the fair coming up, and they also sell their seasonal creations at a local shop in a nearby town.

anywho, this leads me to this pin that had my heart all a flutter.
i mean, like, i really, really loved this necklace, but seeing as it would cost over $200 for my four kiddos, it was out.of.the.question.
i started perusing the internet for options and found this tutorial.
thus began my adventure in silhouette making.
and my love hate relationship with ICE RESIN.




how i made a silhouette necklace

first, i took pictures with my camera phone of my children's profiles in front of a sunny window.
then, i edited them in picmonkey{HELLO! new collages!}.
i simply adjusted the contrast and exposure to make them as dark as i could without losing detail.
then i pasted them all in a word document and made them all the same size.  i am old school here, folks.
i printed them off and then glued the images to a piece of black construction paper and cut them out carefully.
VOILA!
i had my template. 
all i had to do what to shrink them down to the pendant size.



once i had them printed the correct size{see left  pic above}, i used the template from the bezels that i bought from hobby lobby to cut them the correct shape of the bezel{pendant}.
this gets tricky because you need to cut your picture as neatly as possible smaller than the actual size of the bezel, BECAUSE, the picture has to be taped with clear tape and sealed so that the resin doesn't sink into the paper.  i realized at this point that i cut like a kindergartener.  not for the faint of heart, i tell ya.
the nester does a much better job at this tutorial, so go there and watch the video she has posted, too.




fyi.
the above ad is a lie.  they claim you can 'make one ounce of resin withOUT measuring, just push and stir???'
i beg to differ, peeps, but maybe i'm just plain 'ol crazy.
moving on...


if you are wondering why the one pendant of my eldest looks different, it's because while i was at michaels, i spotted this, and really liked it.
it sure made it easier to do elly's.  no gluing, or resining, and i like the 'collected' non-matchy look of the pendants all together.

so while the above picture looks grand, after i poured the resin and painstakingly waited the three days for it to dry.
it didn't.  they were a sticky, non hardened mess.
:/
not sure what happened there, but it must have been the fact that the resin doesn't always come out in equal parts{hence my accusation above}.
OR...maybe i didn't stir it enough, although i followed the instructions perfectly.
needless to say, i cried.
like a big 'ol baby, i was so disappointed that they didn't turn out, so i put them away and vowed to never even look in the direction of the resin again.

but first,  i gouged them out like a real grown up would do.


on memorial day, nathan offered to help give the resin a go one.more.time.
i hesitantly agreed, and re-cut all the pictures, taped them all back up, and lovingly eased them into their bezels...again.
he carefully mixed the remaining resin and poured it into the bezels.
i was covering my eyes and praying the whole time.  :)



after we he poured, he poked out any air bubbles and covered them with a glass bowl so nothing would settle in the wet resin{live and learn}.
six hours later, they had begun to harden.
and today, the third day{needed for curing}, they are beauuuutiful and they look even better than the first ones that i did.

and THAT is how i we made a silhouette necklace.  and cried about it.

if you want to make one of these, but you are too scared to try the resin, you can also purchase these.
the glass cabochons fit the bezels perfectly, and look very nice.
the glass magnifies the image a little and all you need is the bezel, the cabochon, and glue! :)








the end.


oh!  and because i had the silhouettes on hand, i framed them{home goods...GO!} for my bedroom that is in the process of being 'freshened up'. 
i am SO happy to have these done.
it is so very special to me to have my children captured like this at this very moment of our lives.




i'm linking up with alicia, and her happy day project of pinned it and did it.
we didn't know it at first, but we were both doing this at the same time.  #GreatMindsThinkAlike
she made a simply amazing necklace, and hers turned out on the first try.  #Jealous
blessings to you all!
i'm on laundry lock down for the rest of the day.

:::this verse blessed me last night at church:::
"My goodness, and my fortress; my high tower, and my deliverer; my shield, and [he] in whom I trust; who subdueth my people under me."
Psalm 144:2


xo,
mary









five days five ways  feature friday free for all





Friday, May 25, 2012

friday faves


happppy friday!!!
and you know what friday means, right?
it's time to take a peek into my life this last week via the best grainy photo app around! 

i've picked out my favorites from the week...some of you may have seen these already.  :)
some highs.
some lows.
a little bit of everything.
and a LOT of grace.  :)

getting ready to have a gourmet lunch at my besties is my fave.
asparagus, prosciutto, and smoked mozzerella pasta?  yes, please!
oh! and toasted coconut pineapple upside down cake, too. 
#WhatRawFoodDiet???  :)

making this necklace was my fave...until it wasn't.
doesn't it look puuuurdy?
yeah, well, after waiting three days for the resin to dry...it didn't.
ensue crying and overall bad attitude for a day and a half.
so, i'm over my hissy fit and there will be a post for this.
unless i screw up the second attempt...
...then i will just probably cry again and run it over with the van.


these eyes are my fave.
i think you can see why.
hello, sunshine!



flowers blooming are my fave.



homemade guacamole is my fave.
is it bad to be addicted to this stuff?
i make it at least 4 times a week,
1 avocado.
3 cherry tomatoes
onion chopped 
garlic salt
lime juice
magic!



sweet felt feel better cards are my fave.
this came as a result of me falling into a deep depression after the necklace fail.  
#SoSweet


healthy donuts made in my kitchen are my fave.
these are the buckwheat pancake version with strawberry jam.
i'm soon going to do a whole post on our new favorite kitchen gadget.  :)


this view from the hammock is my fave.
but i think you already knew that.  :)


post run breakfast smoothies are my fave.
bananas
oatmeal
peanut butter
rice/almond/coconut milk
danielle gave me the brilliant idea{minus the protein}  :)


crafty reminders are my fave.


kid made tree forts at grandma's are my fave.
and so are those big brown eyes!


and last but not least,
days filled with grace and God's gentle reminders are my all time fave.
do you ever need this reminder?
i need it so much that this now resides right next to my bed. :)



i'm thanking the Lord for His goodness throughout the ups and downs of my week.
He reminded me that there are things that are really important, and things that just don't really matter.  


i hope you have a blessing filled weekend with your loved ones!
i'm thankful for the many men and women who have served, fought, and died so that we can have the many wonderful freedoms that we claim today.


xo,
mary



life rearranged

friday favorite things | finding joy

Thursday, May 24, 2012

embracing a girly day:::5.24.12


i'm sitting here, in my air conditioned home, watching the trees sway and dance in circles all around our house.
we've been under a severe wind advisory all day and now there is a tornado watch for us until late into the night.
i remember the days when we lived in homes that didn't have basements.
i used to panic when we had severe weather and we had no where to go.
we have lived in two homes where a tornado came through and our house was untouched, while many others suffered lots of damage.
God is so faithful.
i don't know why having a basement makes me feel better, but it just does.
i know that God's hand cradles us, even in the midst of storms, and He is in control of absolutely everything all the time.
His power is so great, i cannot even understand.
today i am thankful for His protection, my home, and my basement{among many other things}.  ;)

today was a rare day for me because my husband took the boys with him to work at his parents'.
the girls and i did a few things around the house this morning{and some school}, and then we were off for a girly day....NO BOYS ALLOWED.  ;)

here's what we did...

the girls made donuts out of a buckwheat pancake mix and embellished them with homemade strawberry jam.



we stopped at the thrift store and found some cute clothes.



we went to our favorite local crafting haunt.
#LoveThisStore
all of the really fancy, expensive scrapbooking supplies are majorly discounted.

the wind was insane!

we had lunch together and chatted about 'girly' things.  
like things that i'm in denial about talking to with them.
#StopGrowingUp




and it was just so nice to spend time with my girls.
i embraced them today, and it was wonderful.

now i'm going to go and stalk the weather bug.
heehee.

xo,
mary





Monday, May 21, 2012

ups and downs of the weekend



well, well, well!
another weekend has flown by again and there was certainly no lack of action happening around here. 
from breaking out the good 'ol sewing machine{she behaved}, to kid parties, an ER visit, church potluck and back to the pharmacy on sunday, we covered a lot of bases.
how about you? did you have a relaxing weekend?
mine was, ummm, not so relaxing, but blessed in so many ways.

friday was a free for all for us.  
we i worked around the house,  the kids did a little school work, and a LOT of watching myth busters.
i was able to go for a {very hot} run, but then i was rewarded by uninterrupted hammock time.

#FavoriteThingOfAllTime.




on friday night, elly and i plugged in our old faithful{actually my mama's} sewing machine and got to work!  
saturday was a double birthday party for my sweet nephews and i wanted to make them an adventure bag.
my awesome friend, sandi, gave me the idea from this book, and hers turned out so awesome, 
i wanted to give it a try.
i didn't have the pattern or the book, so i sort of made up my own.
they were definitely not perfect, especially for my first try, but i think they came out okay.
i just used a hodge podge of vintage fabrics, new fabrics, and recycled clothes that i had on hand.
budget was the issue here, and i really couldn't go spend money on fabric.
here's a peek at what was inside.
i forgot about the compass. :/
the total for one bag's contents was $5.00.




for Lucas




the backside with a pocket


 


for Ethan




honestly, i was a little nervous about the boys liking these, but it turns out they LOVED them!
i was so blessed by that, and a few of my other nieces and nephews requested one, too.
that just did my heart good!
i have some more sewing to do, i guess.  ;)







here's a few highlights of the super fun kid party.
it was held at my in-laws beautiful 14 acre, set off on a long driveway, country abode.


 
 


now for the 'down' part of the weekend.
my husband has been battling a bad tooth for a while now and it decided to act up this weekend.
on saturday, he made a late night trip to the ER for antibiotics and pain killers until we could find a dentist to take care of it.
he endured looooong nights of intense pain, no sleep, and lots of vicodin.
i totally cringe to think of what those meds do to you, but the Lord knew what He needed at that time.
i made a trip after church on sunday for more meds and he waited it out, 
pacing and literally holding his jaw in complete pain.




i prayed and prayed and prayed as i lay in bed alone{he had to sleep on the couch}
that the Lord would just heal him and take the pain away.
i asked him to provide a dentist in the morning that would take him in and have mercy upon his poor mouth.

guess what?

he wasn't down for long, because the Lord is plentiful in mercy and compassionate to His own.
nathan was able to go without an appointment this morning and they took care of him right then.
yay!  
God is so good! 
 i did a little happy dance and lots of giving praise to our awesome God today!
like i even need a reason to praise God.  #Guilty
i did not like seeing my man in pain so i was super relieved.
below is literal proof of my happy dance and my happy man when he showed up early from work to 
get some much needed rest...pain free.




 how was your weekend?
i am so excited to wrap up homeschooling for the year!
we have a few weeks left and then we are DONE with the bulk of it.
my motto:
#KeepMovingForwardPeeps
i cannot wait to assemble and plant our raised bed gardens and spend time outside with the kiddos swinging in the hammock and enjoying fresh garden goodness.

it's going to be a wonderful week!


xo,
mary




heading over to the sweet carissa's place today
miscellany monday at lowercase letters