Lately I've been...

Lately I've been...

-Looking forward to the day when Baby M. makes an appearance. Whether we have a little he or she to love on, this little one has already filled a special place in our hearts. Some days the thought of parenting seems oh, so overwhelming and scary, but other days (like today), I'm just really excited. Of course, most-things-baby are on my mind these days so I've been working on a registry, prepping the nursery and doing that thing they call nesting. Hello, thorough cleaning and organizing. I can only imagine how much worse it will get in the next 3 months! But my house & hubby might thank me. :)

24 weeks, my most recent picture :)

-Loving that springtime is finally here (some days!) That means planting flowers, decorating with bright & springy decor, and sitting out on the front porch again. Oh, and garage sales. I've been out most Saturday mornings recently trying to snag some deals for baby and the house. It's always fun because you never know what you're going to find.

Most recent DIY project- a boxwood wreath. Loved how it turned out!

Porch decor

-Enjoying some good books again. Recent favorites have been Hands Free Mama: A Guide to Putting Down the Phone, Burning the To-Do List, and Letting Go of Perfection to Grasp What Really Matters! by Rachel Macy Stafford.

You can read more about it here. I was so challenged by this book and would highly recommend it to anyone who desires to live a more intentional, people-focused life. It's written from a mother's perspective, but can certainly be applicable to anyone.

Another fun book has been DIY Succulents: From Placecards to Wreaths, 35+ Ideas for Creative Projects with Succulents by Tawni Daigle.

Succulents have often intrigued me and this book provides some great info on caring for such plants (for someone like me who needs a little help) as well as adorable craft and decor ideas for the home.

What have been some of your favorite spring activities lately?

Pillows & Grace

Ever have one of those moments where all you want to do is grab the nearest pillow, stuff your face into it and scream? Yeah, so have I. As a matter of fact, I had one of those moments today.

Even as it happened, I thought, "Hmm, can I get a blog post out of this?" And then it hit me.

Grace.

It has many definitions, but the one fitting for this occasion is this: generosity of spirit- a capacity to tolerate, accomodate, or forgive people.

That's what I needed to do today.

The concept of grace has been on my heart so much lately. I even made the following burlap banner to 'grace' my walls. Pardon the pun; I couldn't help myself!

GRACE <3 FULL

 

I love it and can't wait to hang it up in my own home some sweet day.

James 4:5 says, "But he gives us more grace."

More grace. We are always lacking, yet He never hesitates to lavish His grace on us.

How grateful I am.

My prayer is that the God who is Grace Full would continue to fill my life and yours with His generous grace, day by day, moment by moment.

Recent crafts and happenings

It's been far too long since I've last written.  I've had so many inspirations for posts, but not nearly enough time to write!  So today I'll be sharing some photos from the past few months:

I made this birthday card for my cousin last month.  I've had this fascination with birds lately so I incorporated it into her card.  :)

This is a bulletin board display that I created at school for the months of March and April.  Thank goodness for a Cricut machine!  I know the seed packets are too hard to read, but the labels on them say love, sharing, joy, patience, peace, and listening.

Pig cookies we made with our students after the 8th Grade students performed the play, Charlotte's Web. It was lots of fun for everyone!

Just 2 dozen of the approximately 24 dozen coconut and peanut butter eggs that my mom and I made for my fundraiser to raise money for my time as a volunteer at camp this summer.  It took 3 evenings and almost 2 full days to make all of these, but we sure had some happy recipients!

And last, but not least, a sneak peak of my room which I've been working on for the past few months.  However, I've run into a slight problem and I'm hoping you might have some cute and clever solutions for me!  I spent my Easter vacation repainting the border section in my room after removing the previous border over Christmas.  But when I finished, I realized (much to my dismay!) the new paint and my walls were 2 different shades of white.  What to do now is the question.  I really do not want to put up another border or repaint everything all over again.  So judge for yourselves and if you have ANY ideas, I'd be grateful if you'd share them!  Thanks so much.

Blessings,

Janelle

How to make a burlap covered cork board

I received these cork boards as a birthday gift over a year ago, but they were a little too boring for me.

So I decided to spice them up with none other than burlap!

To make some for yourself, you will need:

• a square cork board, which can be found at Wal-mart (a 4 pack sells for under $10), Target, or at most office supply stores.
• a large piece of burlap
• newspaper to cover your work area
• a fabric scissors
• a metal ruler
• a hot glue gun
• glue sticks (I'd recommend low temp ones.  They save your fingers...trust me!)
• mounting squares (are often included with your cork board)

Step 1:
Cover your work area with newspaper.

Step 2:
Place your cork board on top of your piece of burlap.  Measure an inch extra on all 4 sides and cut the burlap using your fabric scissors.  It should end up looking something like this-

Step 3:

After your hot glue gun is plugged in, warmed up and ready to go, begin by squeezing a strip of glue either directly near the edge of your cork board or on the burlap. 

Step 4:
Then place your metal ruler underneath the burlap and flip it over so that it is sticking on top of the board like this-

Try to glue the burlap as tightly to the cork board as possible. 

Step 5:

When you come to a corner, put a dab of glue on the burlap and flip the edge of the next side on top of it like this-

Step 6:

The finished product should look like this...

and this...

Step 7:

Now you just have to decide where to mount your finished product.  This is how mine looks on my bedroom door...

Happy crafting!

Christmas reflections

It's hard to believe that the Christmas season is over.  If you blink, you just might miss it or so it seems!  I'm so thankful for the moments I was able to spend with my precious family members over the past month.  That's what makes Christmas so special for me- being with those that I love!  Just wanted to share a few pictures from my Christmas~

You have to love Christmas babies, especially one as sweet as Hannah!  :)

Christmas dinner at our house...

I had fun helping to decorate!

And coming up with table favors and name tags.  Thanks to some friends for your great ideas!

I was crafty in {some!} gift giving this year.  Peppermint sugar scrub, head bands and hair clips, and felt flower pins.  What fun!

Also made these clutches.  I couldn't resist keeping one for myself!  :)

Oh, and by the way, over my Christmas break from school, I worked quite heartily on my room makeover.  It's not completely finished, but it's come a long way.  Before and after pictures coming after a bit!