Heart Felt Wreath

A while ago I found the CUTEST idea for a wreath on my good friend Allie Wagstaff's blog, so she gets credit for the fabulous idea. Click here to see her posting of the wreath when she made it!

I decided last week that I was going to make this and set out to buy the stuff. I was able to get everything needed for under $10. Not too bad, but I could have done it for a little cheaper I think if I had made multiple trips or used more coupons. I got everything at Hobby Lobby - the heart shaped styrofoam wreath for $3.49, straight pins for $2.99 and 1 yard of red felt for $2.99.

When I got home from work Thursday, Jake was just barely starting to get some decent sleep so I decided to start my wreath to prevent me from waking him up out of boredom. I was thinking it would take me a few nights, but I pushed through and did it all in one night! It took me nearly 6 hours though haha.

To make this wreath, you will need scissors, 1 yard felt, heart shaped styrofoam wreath, straight pins, a cup and a sharpie.

Some of the supplies - straight pins and wreath not pictured

Start by laying the felt out on a flat surface and tracing the cup with the sharpie onto the felt

WARNING - your cup will get ruined so don't use one that you don't want to dedicate to crafting

Trace the whole yard of felt with the circles - yes you will need to do the entire yard.

The only picture I took of the styrofoam wreath without any felt on it yet

When you are all done tracing the circles on the felt, get your scissors and cut out all the circles. Cut inside the lines so that none of the sharpie is visible on your finished circles.

Once all of your circles are cut out, you are ready to start pinning! You will do each circle one at a time {this is a project for when you have time to kill, in case you didn't pick up on that yet}

Start with the circle laying flat 

Fold the circle in half

Fold the circle in half again {it should be folded into "quarters"}

Take a straight pin and stick it near the bottom corner so that all the pin goes through all 4 folds of the circle. Stick it into the styrofoam & repeat like 200 times. 

I started on the left side and worked my way around the top 

Almost done!

DONE!

I am SO in love with how it turned out, especially since I made a really pretty wreath for less than $10! I  am very proud of myself :) I plan to put a white ribbon at the top and tie it in a bow and hang it on our front door after Christmas until after Valentine's Day. I am also going to make the same type of wreath as our "regular" front door wreath {our non holiday wreath} out of white felt and in a circle shape. That will probably be a project for after Christmas though - we'll see!

I have 2 projects left to finish for Christmas - only 2! And 1 of those is WAY easy - maybe 5 minutes and I would be done, and the other one is nearly done. I can't wait to put up pictures of the things I have made once I give them for Christmas! The first Christmas party where someone will open something I made for them is next Saturday. CAN'T WAIT!!!

DI trip & I love you because

On Wednesday I went to DI in American Fork and was there for over an hour looking at the wood and knick knack sections! Here are some pictures of the things I found - I can't wait to fix these things up and use them for decorating!

Mary & Joseph - $3 for the set

Wooden hearts for the decor ledge at Valentines! $1.50 each 

A birdhouse with awkward colors and a tin watering can - I am planning to use these for the decor ledge in the Spring - $2.50 for the 2 of them!

I don't know what you would call this, but I made it into a manger! $1.50!

I pulled this wooden thing apart, pulled out the wooden dowel, painted it a beige color and then sanded it really good to give it a "loved" feel. Then I hot glued rafia into the bottom to make hay. I also cleaned off Mary & Joseph really well & sanded them down as well (it covered all of the paint discolorations!!) and here they are!!

I think it's really cute, especially considering I spent $4.50 on it!

Wednesday night, after I was done with Mary & Joseph and was sitting on the couch by the Christmas tree, I looked at the Dating Diva's blog and found a super cute idea. It is a black frame with a decorated template underneath it that says "I love you because". Each spouse takes a turn writing something they love about the other person on the glass with expo marker. When the other person wants to write something, you simply erase the previous message with a paper towel {since it is written on the glass} and write a new message! SUCH a cute idea!! Click here to get the printable template from their site. I decided to hurry and "make" it since I already had everything needed - a black frame and a printer!

The finished product!

Its new home - next to the kitchen sink!

I thought it was a cute idea, and wrote a note for Jake on it that night - but to be honest I figured he would think it's a little cheesy and not write anything on it or worse - make fun of me for it haha.

The note I wrote to Jake Wednesday night

The note he wrote back Thursday morning

I have the best husband ever!! And the whole thing was free!!! So many good things happening all at once!! I love crafting - it makes me happy. Almost as happy as my husband makes me :)

Room Re-do

So I have been blog stalking a TON of blogs lately and got so many cute ideas for crafting. I can't wait to start doing them. I am hoping that Santa brings me a whole bunch of gift cards to Hobby Lobby, Wood Connection, Crafty Wood Cutouts, etc so that I can make all the cute things I have seen for our house!

After I stopped blog stalking Monday night, I went to bed and woke up Tuesday morning with an idea to rearrange the furniture in our bedroom. Apparently I had some of the blog ideas rolling around in my head while I slept! I tried to rearrange furniture in our living room a few weeks ago and it didn't work out so much {Jake told me all along I wouldn't like the furniture and I didn't listen and he was right - sorry babe!}. So when I decided to rearrange the furniture in our bedroom, I decided to hurry and do it before Jake got home so that I could move it back in case it looked bad. I measured the bed and night stands first to make sure they would fit in the new spot, and then I started moving stuff.

Before - standing at the door to the bedroom from the hallway looking left

Before - standing at the door looking straight

Before - standing at the door looking right {the big blue thing is Max's crate}

Max was in his crate and his expression was something along the lines of "It is 7 AM - why are you making so much noise when I am trying to sleep?" haha. I got it all moved, and liked the way it looked, so I made the bed, put all the pictures and decor back on our night stands, plugged in the lamps and clocks and took some pictures!

After!! Standing at the door of the bedroom looking straight

After - standing at the door looking left

After - standing at the door looking straight/right ish {that door leads to the master suiteness bathroom!}

After - standing in the left corner of the room {not a whole lot changed on that side of the room}

I love how it turned out, and Jake doesn't mind it either! Now I just need to get to decorating the walls in the bedroom! I have no idea how I want to decorate in here, and I have so many ideas for the rest of the house so this room has been seriously neglected decoration wise but I plan to change that as soon as I get some ideas haha.

I love our house, just in case you didn't know that already ;)

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Christmas is without ANY competition my favorite time of the year - even more than the start of BYU football {that is REALLY saying something}. I have been prepping for presents since early July and listening to Christmas music off and on since October. It is tradition to decorate for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving, but due to me being sick and our "Lost" marathon, that didn't happen until a few days ago! I finally got our Christmas decor up! Yay!! 

The tree with the recently added vinyl & pictures

Better view of the decor on the ledge

A few weeks ago, we also had our first snow in our house!!

The backyard as the snow was falling

Our house after the first snow :)

Yay for Christmas! Only 18 more days!!!!! 

Gift of Giving

As mentioned in other posts, I absolutely love Christmas. And I always have. Like so many other American children, I barely slept as a kid because I was so excited to see what Santa had brought me, and what my parents and siblings had got me. I usually didn't get anything for anyone else {my mom would buy a gift for my sisters and say it was from me, but she did all the work - I just got the credit} and just enjoyed the chance to get things! That all changed a while ago - Christmas of 2000 - with the Legend of Bagger Vance. 

We had just moved back to Utah from California and were living in our cute house in Payson on Saddlebrook Drive. My parents had just separated, but things were still really good in our lives. My parents have always had a very good relationship {for which I am SO grateful} and we were looking forward to Christmas, like every year previous. But then my mom went to go see "The Legend of Bagger Vance" in theaters and came home and could NOT stop talking about it. She loved the movie, but REALLY loved the soundtrack. So I got the idea - hey I can get that for her for Christmas. So my mom & I went to the mall to do some Christmas shopping and we go to FYE or Media Play or whatever the CD stores in 2000 were called and looked for the CD. They didn't have it and the sales associate told us that it hadn't been released yet. My mom was way bummed and we continued our shopping and then left. 

I somehow found out that the sales associate was wrong - the CD had come out and they were just out of it. So I called a few stores, found a mall that had one, reserved it under my name, and then told my mom I needed to go to the mall to do some shopping for friends for Christmas. She was really busy that day, so either she took me to the mall and came back for me or she went to the mall with me but went to other stores while I shopped. Either way, I bought the CD by myself and then hid it in my purse. I got back in the car, told her I hadn't found anything I wanted for my friends and we went home. I wrapped it and put it under the tree - and then the excitement started to build. 

My mom was looking at things under the tree before Christmas and found the CD and asked me what it was. Like I was going to tell her! And then she got all excited and said "Oh did you find the Legend of Bagger Vance CD?????". It's ok to lie at Christmas, right? So I said "No mom you were there when they said it hasn't been released yet. I really do want to get it for you, but it isn't out yet." So she was content with that answer and said she was excited to open it Christmas morning. 

Christmas Eve night, we did the traditional reading of the Night Before Christmas, left out the cookies & milk for Santa, and then the little kiddo's went to bed. I stayed up and helped my mom finish wrapping last minute presents and then went to my room. I was so excited to open my presents - I had asked for a few things that I thought there was a good chance I would get and was so anxious for 6 AM to come. But in the back of my mind, I kept thinking I was also really excited to see my mom open her present. The more time that passed, the more I thought about it. I started getting nervous - thinking maybe she wouldn't like it as much as I thought or that she would have bought it for herself or something but it was too late to back out so I just tried to reassure my worries. I don't think I slept at all {I never sleep on Christmas Eve. Like ever} and when it was time to open presents, I was running around the house banging on all the doors to wake everyone. We came downstairs and opened presents, one at a time {family tradition started by my mom - it is so much more fun and lasts longer when you watch each person open their gift rather than have everyone rip into everything all at once}. When my mom picked up the CD to open it, I got really nervous again but was smiling and told her to hurry and open it. 

Her reaction was everything I could have wanted and more. She was screaming and jumping up and down and I think she may have even cried. She gave me a huge hug and I just got the best feeling ever - I was so proud of myself for giving something that someone liked so much! But more than that, I felt good for being excited about giving rather than receiving. 

The next Christmas, I did a similar trickery to get to the mall and bought her the DVD of "The Legend of Bagger Vance". The difference was, though, that on Christmas Eve, I was so excited to see her reaction {hoping it would be somewhat like the year before} that I REALLY didn't sleep. Her reaction was just as good as the year before, and from then on I have been hooked. 

As we get closer to Christmas, I keep imagining Christmas with my parents and their reactions at the things we got them. I made almost everything for my mom and am SO excited for a few of the gifts, and found something that I think my dad will love. And the things we found for Jake's parents I am SO excited about - especially the gift for Jake's mom! And the things for my secret sibling! And for Blake & Brynne! And the things for Jake! And for my grandpa! And for my best friend Cassie & her family! And I am just so excited for Christmas so that I can see everybody's reaction. And then as an after thought it occurs to me that I am going to get presents too and then I get even more excited. It sounds cliche but I really think the best part of Christmas for me is watching other people's reactions to what I give them. I love knowing that the thought and effort I put into a gift ended up being worth it. Here are a few shots of Christmas reactions in the past. 

Christmas 2008 - Jake's iHome {I lied so many times about that gift!}

Christmas 2008 - WillowTree Nativity Scene {she cried! bonus points!!}

Christmas 2008 - Poppa's license plate frame for his new car

Christmas 2008 - My reaction to the Max Hall jersey Jake surprised me with {I love his face!!}

Christmas 2009 - Jake's Celtics Pilsner cup {I had to buy 2 because the first broke in transit!}

Christmas 2009 - the animals for Mom's WillowTree nativity scene

Christmas 2009 - WillowTree called "Tenderness" of a mother holding her baby {my parents had lost a baby that year and found out they wouldn't be able to have any more children}

Christmas 2010 - my reaction to the Cabela's chaise lounge chairs for camping!! {LOVE these chairs!}

Christmas 2010 - Mom in law opening her picture collage

Christmas 2010 - Jake opening the braided leather rope that his grandpa had made before he passed away

Christmas 2010 - Love my boys!! 

Only 19 more days until Christmas!!! YAY!!!!!!!

Filling the void ~ with PICTURES!

When we bought our house, I had originally decided to put the TV on the long wall in the family room

It didn't take long before I decided that I didn't like that - it felt too cramped and like there was no walking space. And it made the room seem SO small. So we mounted the TV and got rid of the entertainment center. 

And THAT created the void - that huge beautiful wall had nothing but a clock on it. And I have had a lot of trouble deciding what I wanted to add to it, until a few weeks ago! I decided to put family pictures on the wall, and we recently had family pictures taken so I had recent pictures I could use! The only downside that I could think of was that I was worried about the wall being too bare with only pictures, so I have been looking for a phrase to put on the wall. And when I say look, I really have looked. From blogs to google to scriptures to Ensign articles - I have really scoured the recesses of my brain and every resource I could think of to find a phrase to put above our pictures. And then, it just kinda hit me - Life is Beautiful.

If you haven't seen "Life is Beautiful" you should! I was introduced to this movie in history class with Mr. Perkins my junior year of high school and it is just amazing. It is about a jewish family during World War II. The movie is in Italian and has English subtitles or you can listen to it dubbed in English. Listen to it in Italian - it is so beautiful and totally worth reading the subtitles the whole movie. One of my very favorite movies!

So once I had decided on a saying, I invited myself to my friend and co worker Tessa's house - she has a super amazing vinyl cutter! I bought the vinyl and transfer paper at Robert's and went over there yesterday. 8 hours later, I had my vinyl (I did a few sayings - as I hang them up I will make sure to post pictures). Thank you SO much Spencer & Tessa for letting me take your ENTIRE Saturday and for using your vinyl cutter!

Meanwhile, I debated for a while on which pictures to use, how many to have printed, etc. and finally made my decision last weekend. I ordered the pictures from Walmart.com and they arrived yesterday! I got them all framed and hung up today!

I LOVE how it turned out - the wall looks so good now! I also hung up another vinyl saying, in the same room, to the left, above the windows and door to the back yard. 

My mom has that saying in her dining room and I have always loved it - I am so happy I found a place to put it up! 

While I was ordering pictures from Wal Mart, I decided to order 6 4x6 prints to update the pictures on our shelf (also in the same room, opposite wall). We have the blocks that say "Family" and 6 different frames with pictures in them. Before, they all had pictures of us - mostly engagement pictures. Now they have pictures of our family in them! 

Left to right: Jake & I with his family, Jake & I with my family {Charlie's Angels baby!} & Jake & I at the Celtics game 

Left to right: Jake & I with my dad and sisters, Jake & I with his family & Jake & I with my family

I love having pictures in our house - I think they are the best way to decorate, and they are easy to keep up to date because you can just change the picture in them. Yay for doing some redecorating! Pictures to come soon of our house decorated for Christmas!!