Saturday, October 22, 2011

Cruelty at Its Finest!

So folks I was late this month (and still am)... My hopes were so high. But much to no avail it is still a negative. I decided to go for the old fashion pregnancy test this time- 1 line not pregnant, 2 lines pregnant. The results were quick and immediate. It kinda felt like the pain you feel when you quickly rip off a band-aid. Unlike the digital test which is more like taking a band-aid of slowly. I don't know which I prefer because in the end the pain in my heart was still the same. I gave myself a 5 minute ugly cry moment. (Have you ever stood in front of a mirror during an ugly cry? It actually isn't a bad idea because when you see just how ugly you look you will probably stop crying sooner!) I must admit that I felt a little lingering anger as I drove to work. But for the most part, I felt I handled it somewhat well.

I find this to be the "cruelist" (which is not a word outside of my world) joke mother nature has ever played on me!!!! In fact the joke is continuing on.... since I still haven't started. The craziest part of all is this lingering hope that I have that maybe just maybe I actually could be pregnant. But when I actually think about it I know I am not, and so another month begins. Please just let this vicious and depressing cycle break sometime soon!!!

Monday, October 10, 2011

31 Wreath

I totally took the easy way out on this one and copied a wreath I did for Christmas last year! This is super easy. It took me a little less than 2 hours from start to finish! (Perfect craft while your baby naps!) All you need is a foam or straw wreath foam, sewing pins, about six 12x12 scrapbook pages, a paper slicer, and a bone folder. Take your 12x12 papers and cut them into 1/2 " x 12" pieces. Once you have a whole bundle of strips in all different patterns take the bone folder and curl the paper. Once you have a ton a curly papers stick a pin through the middle and stick it into your wreath form. Continue until the whole wreath is full. I worked on one section at a time. Add embellishments as desired. I remembered a ribbon wreath that Jen from Tatertots and Jello did for Halloween one year and she added the numbers 31 to it and I just loved it, so that is who I copied it from!!! Enjoy.

And just in case you are wondering why I am taking a picture of the wreath on a rocking chair it's because I have the worst lighting on my front door where my wreath is currently hanging. I chose to keep this one inside since it is a paper wreath.

Sunday, October 9, 2011

BOO Blocks

These are for my mom. I love them! I want to make a set for myself!!! I decided to make a Halloween Wreath too! I don't know why I do this to myself so stay tuned!

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Halloween Advent Calendar

Since I am back working again I haven't been able to do as many crafts as I would like to. But I was committed to getting at least one thing done for Halloween. I knew I wanted it to be a good one and I am so happy with the way it turned out. I decided to do an advent calendar for Halloween. I LOVED my Christmas one, but wanted to do something different for Halloween. Instead of using a cookie sheet I decided to use wood. I bought an 11x14 piece of wood from JoAnns. It was $9.99 but I used a coupon and got it for 5 bucks! I painted the board black and then picked two coordinating scrapbook papers and mod podged them on the wood. My orange paper at the top and bottom are both 3 inches wide. The black designed paper in the the middle is 7 inches. I inked the edges of the paper and then used mod podge to adhere them to the wood. During the twenty minute wait time I used my Cricut to cut the letters for the words: Countdown to Candy. I added Martha Stewart glitter to the letters using mod podge. When I applied the mod podge on top of the paper I added the letters. Then I added a black and orange polka dot ribbon to cover both seams - top and bottom. Now that the board was done I gathered the following materials:

Glitter, Scrapbook Paper, Embellishments, Ribbons, Ric Rac, Tulle, Stamp Pad, Mod Podge, Elmer's Spray Adhesive Glue, sponge paintbrush, and Velcro.
Once I had all my supplies I made numbers 1-30. Here is how I did it: (This takes a while, a long while!)
1. Cut 12x12 papers into 6x6 squares.
2. Ink Edges.
3. Use cricut, silhouette, or buy pre-made chipboard numbers for countdown pieces.
4. Add glitter to numbers using Mod Podge (Martha Stewart Onyx is what I used)
5. Use spray adhesive to attach numbers to 6x6 squares.
6. Embellish each square with ribbons, ric rac, etc.
7. Adhere Velcro to the back of each square and to the actual board.

The best part is I have a ton of stuff left over that I can use for other Halloween crafts for years to come!!


Put it on display and change the numbers each day!!! I hope Jackson (and hopefully more future babies) will enjoy doing this for years to come!!!!!!