Lost Treasures

As I sat in the wee morning hours of Korea deleting photos from my computer, I stumbled upon these priceless gems.

Gibson and Elliott being Gibson and Elliott.  Creating fun with Gibson{the name of the flying dog}, the string to the blinds, and each other.

I the time span of just over a month we will have spent twenty days away from our boys.  My heart aches for them, and longs to create our new family normal when Finley comes home.

The type of normal where the days are filled with laughter and three kids inventing their own special memories.... *clothes and slippers optional.

Girl's Night. Orange Pebble Studio Style.

Before I had ever heard of The Orange Pebble Studio, I had fallen in love.

I wandered in two Christmases ago and was enamored.  

I looked at each item, and my soul seemed to sing.  

As I wandered, I touched each piece and took in the stories that each told. 

Words upon art were calling my attention as if I were reading them for the first time.

Soar, Dance, Sing, Loved, Twirl, Cherished, Worthy

They were touching a part of my heart that I had long ignored.

I walked out of the studio that Christmas with an ornament that said, Be You.

For some reason it was calling my name, but I had yet to know why.

The following January, the dots began to connect.

I began a journey to my heart to find my true self.  In order to Be You, I needed to find out who that You was.

This journey led me to Kim, the creativity behind The Orange Pebble Studio. 

Tonight, Kim graciously hosted us in her studio for one last girl's night before Finley comes home.

Kim's studio is filled with all things creative.  

There are no rules.

There are no expectations.

.... just the invitation to create, 

to find the beauty in the mistakes.

As the night went on, we found ourselves worrying less and playing more.

...allowing our hands to work, and our hearts to sing.

We made room for grace and found great freedom in letting go.

Thank you, Kim.... for a night that really wasn't about creation, but the creating.

Butterfly Kisses

It has been a few months now, but I think it is safe to say that craft night is around to stay.

Last month, craft night was all about ornaments. 

This month's theme was, Just Do It January. We were charged to take on the craft we had always wanted to do, and with the referral of the newest member of our family, I knew exactly what project
 I wanted to work on. {Inspiration}

Materials Needed

Martha Stewart butterfly punch

 {$6 at Michael's with 50% off coupon}

An assortment of different scrapbook paper

Glue dots

{which I did not know existed until tonight, thanks kt }
11 x 14 frame with mat
White card stock

How To
The how to is simple.....
1. Punch out as many butterflies as your heart desires.
{I used 49 butterflies for 7 rows of 7}
2. On card stock, measure out desired spacing of butterflies
and mark a dot with a pencil.
{My butterflies are 1 in apart and my columns are spaced 1 1/4 in}

3. Place glue dots, one at a time on card stock and place butterflies on glue dot.

4. When you are finished, place in frame {minus the glass} and enjoy.

I linked up to The Terpblog

Mama's Losin' It!

Creative Blog

Delightful Order

Mood Board: Finley's Room

Franklin D. Roosevelt once said, "Keep your eyes on the stars and your feet on the ground."

For the so many days, months and years that we waited to meet our Finley Grace, I did not allow myself to dream of the day she would be forever in our family.

I protected my heart for fear that it would be broken.

But, with one look of her sweet little face, I couldn't help but to let myself

 look up to the stars and dream.

Inspiration...
1. Pom poms
2. Quilt
3. Lamp shade
4. Bookshelf
5. You are Loved
6. She knew she was...
7. Handmade pom poms
8. Butterflies

I linked to...

Lollipops   

Just because...

Gibson's birthday party was nearly a month ago and as life often does, time slipped away before I could post any pictures.

And, because Gibson's birthday falls smack dab in the middle of an over abundance of holiday parties and holiday pictures, we thought we'd spice it up a bit. 

With a few simple cuts of black construction paper, some scotch tape and a shishkabob skewer we had the perfect props for some one-of-a-kind pictures.

And, we had some one-of-a-kind guests who played right along.  

The Great Ice Dig

A few weeks ago while searching for kid friendly activities on pinterest, I stumbled
upon this clever idea.

It looked right up the boys alley, and it was something we could do without having to 

run out to get supplies. 

So, with a quick hunt in for a bin and random, small toys in the toy box, {to freeze in three different layers} I was on my way to having the boys entertained with some
good 'ole ice mining.

The adventure started with a hammer, a nail and ice flying everywhere.
The uncooperative ice proved to be frustrating,

until the boys solved their problem and pulled out their shades.

It was smooth sailing now that they were sporting their shades....

However as the duration of their ice mining adventure increased, 

so did the coldness on their little hands.

So, out came the gloves.
Now, it was time to get down to business.

With each slam of the hammer, ice sprayed all over the kitchen,

{Note: Common sense should have told me that this should be a summer activity}

and the boys retrieved one more treasure that was buried within the ice,

proudly pulling out each rescued toy as if it was the first one.

Which made the ice catapulting all over the kitchen and the massive amounts
of water covering the floor totally worth it.

Ornament-y Fun

Things are getting crafty in this neck of the woods.  In October Katie kicked off our first craft night with clipboard crafty-ness.  November brought a wreath making marathon at Kmac's house, and last night we got creative and whipped us up some mighty fine ornaments on Goldnerod.

What we have discovered in our latest crafting adventures is that women are craving community and cannot get enough when it comes to crafts. And, lets face it, they can't say no to a couple of hours laughing with friends.

There is something so raw and rewarding about creating something with your own hands, adding personal creative touches, and ending up with a finished product that looks drastically different from what you started with.


And there is also something raw and rewarding about hosting craft night.  For the first time since I left the classroom, I was able to create something for others to enjoy.  And, with the help of Pinterest, I had a plethora of ideas I was dying to try out, all of which involved my favorite decorating medium: chalkboard paint.

My inspiration started here and led me to my basement, with the windows wide open, {chilling the house with crisp forty degree air},  a roll of contact paper, and my all time favorite: a can of chalkboard spray paint.  And, with one quick coat, that took a total of 5 minutes I ended up with this very rewarding chalkboard runner. As each guest arrived they described the dish they brought in chalk. {For the record, I HATE contact paper, and this was fool proof}

As an added bonus, after the girls had left, the boys got their turn to chalk it up on the chalkboard runner.  It was the highlight of their morning and evening and morning again and occupied them for quite some time.

After I realized how easy the runner was to make, I decided to try my luck and use even more spray paint for the Hot Chocolate Bar {inspiration found here}.  With the plastic planters I found at the dollars store for $0.50 a pop, I couldn't lose.  

When they were done, I added some fabric squares and voila we now had the option to add some mallows,

a hazelnut wafer {or two},

an extra shot of dark chocolate or a hint of mint,

some creamy caramel,

or a classic candy cane to our warm hot chocolate.

And, with a few last minute touches,

craft night #3 was a success thanks to these wonderful women,

and a few ornaments I never thought I was capable of making.

Give some women a night away, a cup of hot chocolate and some yarn and they can change the world.

I linked to....