Update #2 - Bathroom Mirror

What you need:

Floor boards - Size and color up to you. I chose to use a wider cut since my mirror was so big.
Liquid Nails - Look for the one that says "Mirror" on it.
Gun - for Liquid Nails and Caulking
Caulk
Painters tape
Paint

Before.

(Tips before you start: Get out of work clothes. Hubby luckily didn't ruin any of his nice digs, but I got paint and caulk on my shirt and pants before the project was through. Good thing I wore scrubs! Don't worry fans, I didn't mess up my Beatles shirt.)

Steps we used to frame our mirror:

1. Measure mirror and cut floor boards at 45 degrees. My Home Depot has a "Cut it Yourself" station with a miter saw and board.

2. Line back of frame (start with the bottom piece) and place onto mirror using tape to hold it in place. Board may be a little warped so do your best to tape it as close to the mirror as possible. Wait about 15-20 minutes for glue to set.

3. Place side pieces gluing the backs and the corners of boards so that it attaches to the mirror and the bottom board. Tape in place.

4. Wait about 20 minutes for glue to set and then finish gluing the frame together by adding the top piece. Tape in place.

5. Let glue set for at least 1 hour. Check often if boards have shifted or become unglued. Use tape to fix any issues.

6. Caulk corners and cracks between mirror. Let dry.

7. Let glue and caulk set and dry. We waited over night before removing the tape.

8. Remove tape and paint frame. The paint I chose was an indoor/outdoor paint to keep it from peeling or cracking in the humidity of the bathroom.

9. Admire!!

After

Shadow Boxes

I get complimented on our wedding shadow boxes a lot so I thought I would do a little DIY. These are super simple. The hardest part is finding an image that works for the background.

These glass door shadow boxes were found at a local craft store and are 8.5"X11" and 1.5" deep. I believe they were each about $15.

If using a boutonniere in your shadow box, dry it upside down for at least 30 days. This will give it a good "fresh" look.

After you have picked out the perfect picture (hopefully your photographer got a good shot of your neck and his chest) crop and cut the image to fit the back of your shadow box. The original picture that I used was a much bigger pic but I cropped it down so that the jewelry and boutonniere were closer to the same size.

If you are using your wedding necklace, puncture 2 holes near the neck and lace through the jewelry. Clip in the back and tape in place if needs be.
Now glue or pin the image in place and put jewelry and boutonniere in the desired location. I also added the earring that I wore by just poking it through the paper.

I pinned my husbands flowers to the shadow box, but I'm sure a glue gun would also do the job. I also included little print outs that give our wedding date. I used some hot glue behind those to make them stand out a little from the image.

Now, close the shadow box door and hang! Again, we get comments on these all the time. They are a great way to display pieces from your big day!

(Other wedding ideas: Cake cutting knife with image of cake in the back, dried flowers glued onto image of bouquet, bracelet placed around picture of your arm, etc.)

The Artist

I had this grand idea that I would give Sam an empty canvas and some selectively chosen paint colors so that he could create a masterpiece for a bare spot on one of our walls.

But it may have been too grand of an idea.

He started out loving the project. I had taped a few designs on the canvas and as he painted, I pulled off strips of it to give the painting a little "modern edge".

He carefully used his fingers to place paint blobs on the canvas and just as he was about to finish he noticed the mess that had been made on his hands and arms.

He was NOT too happy about that.

So I cleaned him up, cursed Matt for passing on the OCD cleanliness gene and prayed that this event wouldn't scare him away from ever painting again.

But you know what, I think it turned out pretty cool anyway. (Look at the little finger prints!)



Next time, to save ourselves from the drama,  we'll invest in some paintbrushes for our little Picasso.

Quilt

Newborn clothes hold so many memories for us mommies. Which is why it is so hard for us to pack up or hand down the tiny outfits.

So I had an idea.

To make a quilt using all of Sam's memorable baby clothes.

Let me start off by stating, I don't quilt. This was my FIRST time ever attempting anything of this sort. I looked up a few projects online and figured out how to go about it as basically as possible.

First, I picked out a few of my favorite outfits, burp cloths, fabric from Sam's room and receiving blankets. The hardest part was cutting up the pieces that I wanted on the quilt. Luckily everything Sam owns is the same color scheme.

Then I pieced everything together and sewed it all up. It took a few days, but it was so worth it for me.

Its not perfect. In fact its not even close. But I will forever have these little squares to remind me of when Sammy was a baby. Not that I will ever forget.

This is the shirt that Sam came home from the hospital in. Honestly it still brings tears to my eyes. We were not always sure that we were going to get to bring him home. So it was an amazing feeling to pack our little boy up in his car seat and take him with us. Matt and I held hands the whole way home. Then we carried him into the house and introduced him to the dogs. Its a crystal clear memory that floods back especially when I look at this little doggy shirt.

The brown and white lion pattern on the right is a hoodie that I bought from Old Navy when we started trying to get pregnant. For 2 years it hung on the door handle of our extra bedroom. It was so cool to finally put a little baby in it!

This is Sam's blessing shirt, buttons and all.

The importance of this is obvious. It was so great to have all of our family and friends at church this day to support us. I especially remember thinking to myself how lucky I was to have Sam and Matty.

Owls. Of course. When I was pregnant I knew I had to decorate the nursery with owls. Some may think I even went a little overboard, but I don't think so :)

Now whenever I see owls, I think of Sam. And, we hear a lot from other people, that when they see anything with owls, they think of us too.

The owl was a napkin that Auntie Shauna found for Sam and I couldn't figure out what to do with it until I made the quilt. There are other owls on the quilt from some burp rags my mom made for me and a onesie a friend found with little owls on it.

I love it all. Every square has a story. I hope that it means as much to Sam one day, as it means to his mommy every day.

Sara's Tea Party

My friend Heather and I had the honor of hosting a baby shower in honor of Sarah and her soon to arrive baby girl, Grace.

We had a little too much fun putting on the tea party themed shower. I mean, we went ALL out. Heather made AMAZING sandwiches and helped so much with getting the Clubhouse ready and preparing the tea. I planned the decorations and desserts as well as sending out the invitations. We could not have been happier with how things came together.

My mom let us borrow all of her tea cups and plates along with some beautiful laces and table cloths. The room was so girly and frilly by the time we had finished. It was perfect.

This is my partner in planning, Heather. She is great. (and shhh, she's also pregnant! I cant keep a secret :)

The banner reads,"Sugar & Spice."My pictures just don't do this room justice.You have to drink tea with your pinky finger raised. That's just how it is.Everyone had a great time.After tea time Sarah opened her many gifts.

This is the nursing cover that I made for her. Its one of my favorites. I also made her a diaper bag because she has been having trouble finding one that she likes. It was a lot of work, but it turned out really cute. I also made Gracie a quilt and a polka dot outfit and put them inside of the bag. For Thank You favors I wrapped up some pomegranate teas and made a little take home packet for all the ladies. These were a last minute idea, and I am so happy that they turned out.

The party was a success and a huge thank you to Heather for joining me, Shannon for helping with set up and clean up, my mom for loaning out her antiques and Sarah for having a baby girl! We cant wait to meet her! Thank you to everyone that came and spoiled Sarah and Grace.