June 2016Occasionally Crafty: June 2016

Friday, June 24

When It's Time To Move On: Saying Goodbye to Blogging





Have you ever felt something drifting away from you?

I consider it a blessing to experience this feeling often in my life.

Once in college, my boyfriend told me that he loved me (over the phone, but that's beside the point).
I knew when he said it that I didn't feel the same way, but I was scared to let go of the one real relationship I had ever had.  But then, things started changing.  Being with him just didn't "feel right" any more.  

It's hard to explain- but I knew it was time to move on.

When I graduated college, I became a high school band teacher.  It was sincerely fulfilling a dream!  For five years I taught high school and loved it.  Shortly after I began teaching, I met my future husband, and we were married.  After he finished school, we decided the time was right for us to start our family.  As I became pregnant, I began to look forward to being a mom the same way I had dreamed of being a teacher.  I knew it was time to move on to the next phase of my life and become a stay-at-home mom.  

It's hard to define- but it was time to move on.

I could name many such experiences throughout my life.  I am a religious person, so I believe that it is a little bit of personal inspiration, or feeling the Holy Spirit guide me along my path in life to what I'm supposed to be doing.  Call it that or women's intuition or what have you, I know each of us can feel something that guides us to where we need to be.

All that to say- I'm starting to feel blogging drifting away from me.  I started this blog six years ago, and I've enjoyed doing it.  I put in many hours to create, photograph, edit, and promote blog posts for you.

I thought that this last year, now that all of my kids were in school, I would dedicate myself full time to the blog and bring about some serious growth and great projects.  Instead, I felt drawn to do other things, like work on family history, beautify my home (without having to take pictures of it), and volunteer at the school with my kids.  

We have also decided to move.  We are moving out of our home in a week, renting a vacation home for a few weeks, then moving across the country to Iowa.   We have been so, so busy getting ready that I've hardly had time to do anything else.

I feel myself pulled in another direction.  I'm not sure what that direction is.  Perhaps I will renew my teaching certificate and go back to the classroom.  Maybe I will spend more time volunteering in the school and community.  I just know that blogging is not where I need to be spending my time right now.

I don't know if this is a permanent break, or a temporary one.  So, I will be keeping my blog up for you to find inspiration from.  I want you to be able to find my old projects and recipes again.  But I won't be posting for awhile.  Or longer. 

 It's hard to explain why.  It's just time.  It just feels right. 

Thank you for being my loyal readers over the years, however long you've been with me.  Check out my very first project here!  (So fun and yikes! I've learned a lot since then!)

Everything I've made here has been not only for me and my family, but for you and yours.  

Keep making beautiful things!  

Wednesday, June 15

Dr. Seuss Kids Craft: Paper Plate Fish Bowl


Hi everyone!

I'm thrilled to be a guest today for the Mother Hen Series over on Crafting Chicks, featuring Dr. Seuss books this week!

My kids love to paint, and honestly, I usually don't want them to because it makes a big mess.  Summer is the perfect time to do things I otherwise wouldn't let them do, so we put together a fun idea for the book One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish.

Click over to Crafting Chicks for the full tutorial.

Have a great week!

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Friday, June 10

When Life Gives You Lemonade Wooden Sign

Fun Summer Sign - When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Lemonade!! Its a perfect Silhouette Project! | The Love Nerds Contributor
I love these three-dimensional wood plaques you see at stores everywhere with cute designs on them.  I’ve asked around a ton of times where to get blank ones to make.  Everyone would tell me they just buy them from stores on clearance and paint over them.  But finally, I found what I was looking for at Hobby Lobby.  They have “wood painting plaques” and “gesso boards” – both of which will serve for this purpose nicely.  
I painted my background with chalk paint, then let it dry over night.
I made the design for my sign in Silhouette Studio – I love all things Silhouette! – and then just cut my vinyl with my Cameo.

Fun Summer Sign - When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Lemonade!! Its a perfect Silhouette Project! | The Love Nerds Contributor In case you’ve never worked with vinyl before, it’s really easy.  I wrote a tutorial using a charger here– check it out if you need some help.

Having a multicolored design means you either have to apply your design a section at a time, or you can layer your vinyl for application using the method I learned here.

Fun Summer Sign - When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Lemonade!! Its a perfect Silhouette Project! | The Love Nerds Contributor I finished it off with a cute lemon.  I bought a blank wooden circle and cut another lemon shape from my design to cover it.  Then I just hot glued it onto a wooden skewer.  You could either glue it to the back of your sign, or do what I did and drill a hole through the top of the board.
I thought it kind of made the sign look like a glass…..of lemonade of course :)
I love the bright and fun colors for summer!  Thanks for stopping by today and happy summer!
Note: This post may contain affiliate links. By clicking on them and purchasing products through my links, I receive a small commission. That's what helps fund this blog so I can keep bringing you fun new craft projects to try at home!
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Thursday, June 2

New Home Comparison Printable Worksheet

Moving? Searching for a new home?  You need this Home Comparison Worksheet to take with house shopping with you!


Well, it's time to let the cat out of the bag.

We're moving!  We are leaving Phoenix and heading across the country to......Iowa!  Any of my readers live in Iowa?

Most people who hear where we are going think we are crazy.  "Iowa- what is in Iowa?  Corn?!"

"Why would you leave PHOENIX for IOWA?"

The truth is, I was raised in the Midwest, and it kind of feels like coming home!  As much as I have enjoyed living here (except in July and August), it's never felt like "home" to me.  I'm excited but also apprehensive to make such a big change!

We sold our house in record time and are on the lookout for a home in Iowa.  Recently we took a trip out to tour some houses.  I made a sheet for each house on our list to keep track of the things I liked and didn't like about each home and area.

I even filled in the box with a picture of each home we were considering.

Then..... I forgot to bring it with me.

Well, I thought maybe you could use it the next time you are shopping for a home.  When you walk through 12 homes in a day or two, they all start to blur together.  Write down some notes about each one so you'll be able to make a better decision.

Download yours here:

So, who wants to give me moving tips???  I need help!





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