Quick Post...

The weeks are flying by, but why does it seem like forever until my husband comes home? To be honest, I am having a hard time doing this on my own. I know this is the life of an army wife, I get that. It just is a little different for our family. We have 2 wonderfully amazing boys who need extra love and attention. Without sharing too many details both of our kids are on the autism spectrum. This past year since their diagnosis has really tested my patience. I was never a patient person, I still am not, but I am learning. Anyways, thought I would just share a bit.

Xavier is a little afraid of new things, who isn't? It takes a lot of prepping to encourage him to step outside of his box. We talked a lot about the zoo and riding the carousel leading up to our adventure. I was surprised at how excited and willing he was to try something new. He did amazing and I am so proud. 

It probably looks like all I scrap is Xavier... This is kind of true. Marc moves a little too fast for me to get pictures of him, unless if they are together. They are exact opposites. Xavier is sensitive, takes his time (soooo sloooow), likes to be alone, and is super into learning things. He can tell you all the dinosaurs names, speak some korean, and knows his planets. All these things he learned on his own via iPad. Marc is energetic, loves to clean, hops everywhere, is loud, and loves to be with people. They are both special in their own ways and while their differences make them unique they give mom a hard time =). 

If you read this all the way through thank you. Sometimes I need to vent a bit, but this was a happier venting. AND I know I posted this last time, but if you have a family member on the spectrum check out Sevenly's cause for the week. I can't wait to get my shirt!  

https://www.sevenly.org/

Some home DIY's... Just for fun

I had a major obsession with Pinterest for a while. I would spend hours just browsing projects which really did spark my creativity. I thought I would just share two things I have made this year. 

 The first project is a globe I decorated for the kids. Funny how it ended up in my room =). My parents had this old globe laying around and I knew I wanted to be able to show the boys where their dad was going to be living for the next year. I took that idea and ran with it. I used Tokidoki, Bampop, and some other bits I had laying around. Gave it a final coat of clear spray paint and it was finished. I just LOVE the way it turned out. 

 The next project is one I did as soon as my husband left. It is a instagram "wall". I purchased a large canvas from Joanns that was 40% off. I then printed all my instagram pictures at home. To attach the pictures I just used a glue runner (I wanted to be able to move them around). I then added washi tape to the top of all the photos to make it look like they were attached with the washi. The final step was to use mod podge over the top to seal it all in. The sides are painted in a neon yellow to give it a pop.

 I hope to make another soon and while I love it I will do it a bit differently next time. Here are some tips if you plan to try this out. If you are a little obsessed with straight lines or a perfect grid use a ruler (I didn't but I don't mind). Use mod podge to adhere the photos (front & back). I saw a similar project on pinterest that used photos around the house. I remember it saying that they used regular adhesive and mod podge over the top. In hindsight I should have known that my pictures would bubble because they are thin. The last thing I would do is order my pictures vs printing them at home. My ink smeared a bit with the mod podge so I had to go around the edges with white paint.

One last thing before I go. Sevenly.org's cause this week is near and dear to my heart. Maybe I will share more in the future but if you have never visited the site you should! They offer weekly apparel that supports a cause. This week charity is Autism Speaks.

http://sevenly.org/

Hopefully you enjoyed =)

A Busy Week Ahead...

I had the greatest intentions for the weekend. Clean the house, finish some homework, and spend time with the kids but that didn't happen. We spent Saturday at the zoo in Seattle. Xavier & I had so much fun while Marc stayed back with my family. I was so proud of Xavier for trying some new things at the zoo and I am hopeful that we will be able to go again soon. Sunday was spend relaxing at home, trying to finish homework, and a bit of cleaning. 

I managed to finish one layout this weekend. I am the type the takes forever to finish a page. I tend to get ideas throughout the day and work bit by bit when I get the chance. 

I really enjoy how this one turned out. One day while cleaning my stamps I decided to try out stamping a bunch of them at once. I loved the way it looked and knew I wanted to try it on a layout. I did that a bit on the main part of the page as well as around the border. The speech bubbles are from the top ten smash journaling cards. I just cut out the bubbles and added cute things Xavier said/ says.

Here is a layout I finished sometime last week. It looks pretty simple but again, I really like it. Its an image of painted rocks on Fort Irwin RD. I used my cameo to cut out the army men on the photo and used dimensional adhesive to pop them up. 

Hopefully everyone had a good weekend!

Things in my home are pretty routine and uneventful at the moment. I am consumed with studying, more studying, and the kids. In order to make sure I complete my assignments and reading for school I make a plan that has quickly fell into routine. I allow myself 2 days off from school work which happens to be every Wednesday and either Thursday or Tuesday. If I finish early I will allow myself 3 days off *yippie*. I try to do homework when the kids are occupied so while they are at school, taking a nap, or in therapy. When they go to sleep I chose to do something I enjoy every single night. I can't spend everyday cleaning and doing homework, I must have a break. I find this schedule works best for me and so far I have yet to burn out. I am excited to graduate in January, finally! 

And... I will leave you with a layout. This one was done using my cameo which I cut out the stars, made the title with sketch pens, and cut the frame with washi. The bubble tea stickers are from an Elsie kit I got a few years ago that I hoarded. I just love the way it turned out. 

Happy week! 

Washi + Silhouette Cameo

This is not my favorite of layouts but I can say I do love the die cut "hello" in it, so much so that I have used it on 3 layouts. I thought I would share how I made this as well as other shapes in my recent layouts. 

I used transparencies, the printable ones. I layered on washi tapes on the rough side of them and then put them in my silhouette to cut. I found that I need to cut on a high setting like 4 or 5 and do a double cut to insure it went through. On some of my shapes I flipped the transparencies, washi side down which gave a more subtle effect. Make sure to clean your blade after using as there were a lot of bits of washi in my blade.

Below are some more examples of what I cut. 

Washi polaroid frames, arrows, stars, and hearts! I am obsessed!

Anyone there?

I just got bored and decided to post something on my blog to bring it up to date =) Nothing important, just something.

Random Things....

Decided to switch things up and go back to school (actually drive there everyday and sit in a class room)... Its kind of scary because I have never had to leave my kids in daycare and its difficult because since my hubby is in the military I only have 2 years until we move to the next location. That means I have to find something I can finish in 2 years or less. I decided to do respiratory therapy totally different from advertising right... I know the medical world will offer me job security and thats important... ANYWAY if I get accecpted in the program a new backpack please =)

I'm planning a baby shower for a friend from high school (one of my bests)... Shes having a little girl and I am so excited for her! Going for a hello kitty theme without being too cheesy. Sanrio Pez dispensers will be the party favor...

One of our most recent purchases, the LG playmat. It is spendy but so far so good. The mat is double sided and the print is so fun (a bit overwhenlimg for our living room but its for the boys). Xavier just loves all the characters on it. Its like a memory foam, super comfortable... and there is a lot of other cool things about it... I started looking it up a few months back and found a place in the US that has them (they are from Korea). Anyway, great for babies, especially Marc that started rolling over at 4 weeks (no joke).

When I had Xavier of course I bought one of those cheesy baby books. Now looking back I feel guilty because there is missing bits of information since those books seem so structured. This Diary by SUCK UK is so awesome... it can be used as a diary and a place to store pictures and memories of my kiddos/ life... totally want one but its a bit expesive, around $60. I guess it would be worth it since its supposed to last a lifetime!

Love the iPod and my iPhone but I download a lot of music.... kind of expensive. I like that with zune its unlimited downloads... Oh and I love how you can customize them. But I dont know if I could give up my iPhone/iPod.

Told you that was random!