8 Things I Did This Week

1. I used Mod Podge and food coloring to tint some mason jars. Some turned out okay, but a few of them had lumps that dried in place that were very noticeable. I'm still trying to figure a way to make them less noticeable. Arts and crafts are hard. 

2. I sold a bunch of stuff, and still trying to sell more. Almost every cent is going into our wedding savings. I'm determined to come out of this with as little debt as possible. 

3. I went to a work friend's birthday party and drank on a roof-top patio. It was pretty sweet. Then we had some Chinese food and I slept most of the day away Sunday while Eric worked. Oh, except I walked hungover to Eric's work to get the car. I needed McDonald's breakfast. 

4. Our fridge broke. We discovered the freezer wasn't freezing on Saturday afternoon, so we moved stuff to the deep freeze. When we got home at 1am Sunday, we realized the fridge also wasn't working. We threw out a nice amount of food. Someone is supposed to look at it today, but that's still 48 hours with no fridge. And I wanted to do groceries yesterday. I'm hungry and were lacking in food options. 

5. I was super sad about the passing of Robin Williams. He's always been a favorite of mine. We finally had the time last night to watch Patch Adams - also one of my favorite movies. So good. RIP, Robin Williams. 

6. I've stopped drinking caffeine on a regular basis. I still drink it somedays, just not all. I find it makes me feel icky some days. Other days it makes me feel great. It's saving me money though. 

7. I've also noticed that eating greasy/unhealthy foods makes me feel icky too. I guess I'm just not that young anymore. I've been trying to have more smoothies and opt for something a little healthier when given the option (banana whole grain muffins vs. chocolate donut). I think it's helping a bit. 

8. I've been trying to arrange to get the wedding girls together at the end of the month. It's hard. But maybe we can at least get a few of us together. Everyone will be in the area on August 30/31, but all with different plans. We have a wedding on the 30th. 

Valentine's Day Cards

I picked Chloe up from daycare on Tuesday afternoon to find a note with her things. It was the list of babies in her class at daycare. For Valentine's Day. That's when it hit me - I have a kid who spends Monday to Friday in a social setting and therefore I'm expected to take part in these kinds of holidays. I felt a mixture or excitement and dread. 

I've always loved these kinds of holidays as a kid. Getting and giving Valentines and treats was always so much fun. That excitement still lives on in me a little bit, but I'm also lazy. I knew I wasn't spending money on Valentine's, as there are only 6 kids in Chloe's group, with her included, so that left me with the option of making something. I knew I wasn't making treats, as these are all babies under the age of two. 

I love card making, and I have all the supplies I'd ever need, but I didn't want to go all-out on Valentines for babies. I wanted to save the special ones for later years, when someone might appreciate them. 

I was super excited when boyfriend got home from work and he was the one to suggest the we break out my craft supplies and make cards. There's nothing like help to motivate me to get something done. 

So we dragged some supplies up to the kitchen table, all stuff I already had on hand:

- Two pieces of cardstock - red and white

- Valentine's Day stamp ($1.50 at Michaels) & ink ($4 at Wal-Mart)

- Edge punch (Around $25, but used coupon at Michael's)

- Rounded corner punch (Forget the price, from Michael's)

- Heart punch ($3 at Wal-Mart) 

- Paper slicer

- Glue tape ($1 at the Dollarama)

- Black pen

I cut cards and rounded corners while boyfriend edge-punched. He looked so sad and serious doing it that you'd never guess that it was his idea. 

He suggested we just do a flat card that doesn't open, since they're babies anyway. 

Then I stamped 'Happy Valentine's Day' and wrote out the 'To' and 'From' portions, while he punched out some hearts then glued them on. 

Punching hearts and edges? At least it sounds manly. 

While he was heart punching and gluing, I was hard at work taking photos of him, our work, and myself making horrible faces. 

And this is the final result:

Happy Valentine's Day to the little daycare kids, and you too!

4 Christmas Crafts I Wish I Would've Done This Year

This is my second Christmas with a child. Last year I had a baby who was under three months old. Life was busy. Now I have a 15 month old, plus boyfriend, plus a step-child, along with a full-time job. Surprisingly, life is less busy, but there still just isn't enough time for all the fun things I want to do. 

People everywhere are blogging about the fun crafts and keepsakes and gifts they're making, and I'm so jealous. I'd love to make something with a handprint or a fingerprint as a keepsake, and maybe I will, but right now there just doesn't seem to be enough time to pull it off. 

Here are a bunch of things other bloggers have been doing, that I absolutely love and want to try. If not this year, then hopefully next. 

1. Thumbprint ornament

[ via ]

You can barely tell they're fingerprints. That makes it cute, and incredibly special, without being overly obvious. If I knew I could pull off this exact ornament, I'd try it this year, but I think it would be a huge fail for me. Better start with something smaller. 

2. Thumbprint Card

[ via: Meet the Dubiens ]

I'm a huge fan of card making myself, so next year I'd love to make all my own cards to send out, and this one would be so easy.

3. Child-Friendly - Felt - Christmas Tree

[ via ]

A great idea to keep the kids away from the real tree. I'm not sure how well it would work with our young ones (15 months and 23 months), but I wish I would've remembered it sooner and tried it. I don't think I'd have the time to make one before Christmas now even if I wanted to. 

4. DIY Handprint Gift

[ via: Our Tiny Place ]

We're kind of cheap, so this would've been the perfect present for someone who a) loves our kids, and b) doesn't really need/want anything for Christmas anyway. Or I'd just make it for myself and display it every year. 

Am I missing any other good ideas for next year? Help a girl out.

For more awesome ideas, you can stalk me on Pinterest. 

Chloe's Circus Birthday Party Invitations

The invitations are finally complete. The inside of the card is simple with the what, where, when. On the inside at the top I used two elephant cut-outs to hold an 'Admit One' ticket with their trunks. 

Please excuse the horrible photo. With the loss of my computer, I also lost my photo editing software and didn't want to go out of my way to blur out my address, so I did a bad crop job. Also excuse my horrible handwriting. 

Exactly two weeks left until the big day!

This post is linked up here:
 

Silent Sunday: Chloe's Party Invitations

I've finally gotten started on her birthday invitations. I'm getting way behind schedule. They should be in the mail by now, but they're not.