monthly pic how-to

I have had many people inquire lately how I create the monthly update pics of Adeline.  (You can find those: here, here, here, or here!)  I was so excited when I learned about this trick and found this site, that I'm excited to share!

I use the website, PicMonkey.  It's free (mainly-unless you want to get super, duper fancy)!

First, I just make sure to have a picture of Miss Adeline (that's not hard to come by ;) that has a nice foreground image of her, but also has a lot of background area so that text will fit.

Example:

 

{1}

{2}

{3}

 

{4}

Clear as mud? ;)

This has been such an easy, fun, and creative way for me to keep an update on Adeline each month after she turned 1!  I try to be good and make these as soon as she turns another month old, but that just doesn't always happen.  I can't imagine why! ;)  If I forget what she's been up to when making my photo, I just go back and look at my Instagram pictures or my Facebook pictures from that month to get ideas. 

I like to save these in a special photo "Adeline-Year 2" on Facebook and on my computer under Adeline's file of pictures, in which I have another file titled "Monthly Pictures".  I also update them to the blog each month, of course. :)

I have noticed these do not print correctly from places like Walgreens, etc.  (the text doesn't fit all within the dimensions of the photo).  I would just recommend printing them from your computer on nice stock paper if you want them printed.

Other ideas with PicMonkey:  Text art for blogs, etc, or you can even do collages and make a Facebook timeline photo.

Enjoy!

gettin' crafty

It seems the craft projects just pile up and up while I can find very little time to actually create some of the crafts I so badly want to make.

However, I've had some time lately to actually create!

My first project was inspired by something I saw on Pinterest from this site. I recreated this with Adeline's sweet little hands and feet! I love that I have her handprints and footprints preserved in such a fun way!

I simply used canvases from Wal-Mart, tempera and acrylic paints, and "googly" eyes from Wal-Mart.

So simple and so fun!

My next project was inspired by the painted burlap signs you see. I LOVE the look of those but just couldn't get myself to spend the $30 or so dollars on one!

I've been wanting to create a fun birthday sign for Adeline's upcoming 1st birthday and to have one to hang on our front door each time we celebrate a birthday in our home!

For this project, I recycled an old burlap bag (or you can just use purchased burlap material).

1.  I sketched the outline of my design (a cupcake with icing) twice, in order to have two sides.

2. I cut my design out and pieced it together to make sure it matched.

3. Next, I used tempera (you can also use acrylic) paint to paint the icing white on top for each side of the cupcake. (Make sure to put the burlap over a lot of paper when painting...it leaks through.)

4.  I then painted stripes on each side (I did each side in different colors to have a more "girlie" side and a "boyish" side.)

5. Let the sides dry - this takes about half a day.

6. Use a Sharpie to write on and decorate as you wish.

7. Use a glue gun to glue the two sides together and secure wire for hanging. You will want to stuff the inside with newspaper.

I'm loving how this turned out too!!

A third project I wanted to accomplish was another idea I found on Pinterest.  I love, love having framed pictures in the house...but with as many pictures as I take of our family now and of Adeline by herself, I don't want to commit to placing a picture in a frame.  I would never get around to changing out the pictures! I loved the idea I found of have a clip within a frame to clip a picture and to easily change it out whenever.  I found a couple frames at Homegoods, used some canvas material I purchased at Wal-Mart (this is a textured fabric that we now have in a lot of places throughout our home!) and hung them above our new living room chair (that I adore!).

  I love the way it pulls the little nook all together!

memory keeping

I am guilty for a few things.

One.  I am a memory hoarder.  Seriously.  I try to hang onto every moment and memory.  Having a baby has taken this to a whole new level! ;)

Two.  I am always looking for ways to change and add/update our home.

Three.  Pinterest is an addiction of mine.  I pin and pin and pin.  And then pin some more.  It's like a drug for creative people.  I have a "memory keeping" folder, an "our home" folder, and a "photo ideas" folder that often get filled up with pin ideas for our home.

So, oh my was I happy when I was recently able to make some of my pinning happen in "real life"!

My first project is a silhouette of Adeline.  I so love the whimsy and charm a silhouette adds to the wall.  Not to mention the beauty of having Adeline's sweet little profile captured at 9 months! 

I found the oval frame at a yard sale for $0.50! A little spray paint was all it needed! I simply used a silhouette tutorial online and am so, so pleased with how it turned out!

The silhouette became one of a few things that I added to our hallway.  I added it to a collage of frames.  One frame to go around the thermostat (Pinterest idea), a newborn photo of Adeline, the silhouette, and then a quote I printed that I found on Pinterest that I love..."i wouldn't trade you for the world".

Another memory keeping project I did recently was actually a gift for Father's Day for Justin.  It's a collage of pictures of Adeline that I finally got it hung in our bedroom.  I so adore it (and so does Justin ;)!

The final project I completed recently was corralling two years of cards.  Yes, I save all the cards we receive for birthdays, holidays, etc.  We have a bunch of cards for 2011, one for 2012, and then I have started a bunch for Adeline of all her cards from her first year.  I grouped them to include the Christmas cards from the December right before (so the 2011 bunch has 2012 Christmas cards) and I plan to start a new bunch at each Christmas and collect as the year goes.  I used an automatic whole punch and binder rings you can get at any store with office supplies.  I love having our cards organized and a plan for where they are going.  (I keep a card display on our foyer table of the current cards.  They will now get moved to the ring of cards once a holiday passes.)

Whew! Feels good to get this accomplished and in our home to enjoy for years to come.