Last night I got home and made a bird house out of a shoe box and a pencil for Sean.  He has a parrot toy that can go on his wrist, and he was convinced that he needed a house for the bird.  He wanted something made of wood.  I thought, there is your new shoe box.  It’s the perfect size for a bird to sleep in.  I used my exacto knife to make a window, then poked holes into the sides with my crop-o-dile.  I stuck the pencils through the holes, and there you have it.  Bird House for a bird toy.  Sean decorated the box with stickers that I had in my stash.  He was so happy.  The bird went to bed in the box, and slept next to him in bed.  He took the bird, and the bird house to Andrea’s this morning.  Since he is three and fickle, I doubt it will last long.  But it is cute for now.

This week on the Mother Load we are thinking about our process.  I always, always pick pictures first.  Then, I pick paper.  Depending on my mood, I pick patterned paper or cardstock.  Then I pull out a journaling tag.  I always journal, and I want to make sure that I have something I can journal on, just in case I forget to leave room to journal.  Then I embellish.  It’s hard, sometimes I pick out something I really want to work with, and it just doesn’t work.  Other times, everything just comes together and I’m happy as a clam.

I’ve been, well, bored with the photos in my box.  So, I’ve been using recent pictures, or going back and pulling things off of a disk.  So, here we have John and I, the night before we got married.  To be honest, things are a bit tough right now.  I look at this picture and I think about all the hopes and dreams I had then, and how so many have crashed and burned.  Being sick, not being on the same page about things when you thought you were, a three year old pulling at you constantly…  It’s all draining and well just hard.  Marriage is hard.  Being a Mom is hard.  I wouldn’t change being married, or being a mom, but I would change how I voiced my opinion.  I would be more forceful, and not back down, give up, as I have been doing.  So here we are, the three of us, John, Sean and I.  Sean is there, under my dress, as he would say…  right before everything changed.  There was no turning back.

PP: Studio Calico.  Border: Bazzil.  Cardstock: Bazzil.  Letters: October Afternoon, American Crafts.  Tag: Amy Tangerine.  Embellies: Websters Pages, Studio Calico, Jillibean Soup, Heidi Swapp, Tim Holtz, Little Yellow Bicycle.  Ink: Tim Holtz.  MIst: Tattered Angels

This will change tonight.  I added the journaling digitally.  I’ll be handwriting it in tonight, now that I know where I want to put it. 

With all that is going on in the house right now, one would think I wouldn’t have time to make a LO.  Lucky me has the Mother Load over at Big Picture Classes, and assignments to do.  So, I was supposed to use old stuff.  I didn’t.  Most of this is from my last Studio Calico kit.

So, I loved those pictures I took of Sean in his new cape I made him, so that is what I went with.  I also bought him some super hero pajamas, which he loves.  He really wants a mask, but masks are so hard.  I think I bought the wrong type of fabric.  I’m going to try with some plain red fabric and see how it goes.  We shall see.

Anyway…  I love it.  I tried some techniques I’ve never used before…  That was fun.  I used an acrylic paint dauber to paint the wood star, and then used some glimmer mist to make the stars shimmer a bit…  you can’t see it here, but it does a bit in person.  That’s what I’m working for. 

Cardstock: Bazzil. PP: October Afternoon, Crate Paper, Sassafras.  Embellies: Studio Calico, Crate Paper, Making Memories, October Afternoon.  Letter Stickers: October Afternoon, American Crafts.  Acrylic Paint: Jenni Bowlin. Mist: Tattered Angels

Sean asked me for a Batman cape yesterday.  He went wondering around, looking for cape, asking Nana to help him.  So, I suggested that we should go to the fabric store and buy the fabric to make a cape.  Of course, Sean was ecstatic.  So, after dinner, we drove over to Beverley’s and bought some pretty blue fabric, then some yellow fabric to line the cape with.  I also bought some thread and bias tape to help complete the cape.

So, easy peasy mac and cheesey.

materials:
1 1/4 yards of blue fabric
1 1/4 yards of yellow fabric
thread
3 yards of bias tape

Step 1: wash the fabric, dry it on high
Step 2: iron fabric
Step 3: cut the fabric down the middle (between the selvage ends)
Step 4: put the front sides of the yellow and blue fabrics together, line it up as best you can
Step 5: fold the fabric in half, long ways
Step 6: cut a quarter circle in the fabric on the fold (I used my creating memories circle cutter as a guide)
Step 7: sew around the edges (5/8 inch seam allowance), but don’t sew the now 1/2 circle in your fabric
Step 8: trim the edges, and cut on the diagonal at the corners for crisper corners
Step 9: turn the right side out
Step 10: iron the edges
Step 11: top stitch around the edges, keeping that 1/2 open
Step 12: pin the bias tape around the 1/2 circle
Step 13: zig zag stitch the bias tape closed, while stitching around the 1/2 circle.

God, I hope that makes sense.  Then, about an hour later you get this…  a Batman cape.

Technically, you have enough fabric to make 2 capes.  But now, he wants a mask.  Should have looked for a pattern.  Back to the fabric store for me.  I bet I’m going to need facing.

Hope you were crafty today!

I’ve been a bit behind on my Mother LOAD at BPC.  I still need to take a picture of my scrap space, but I’ve completed the first assignment…  Create a LO of why you scrap.  Honestly, I scrap because I want to remember everything about Sean.  I’m just starting to remember stories about myself and my family.  But, I want to remember these little things, and hopefully help Sean remember.  As always Lain gives a great challenge.

This is a memory of eating frozen yogurt at Tutti Frutti.  It had just opened, and we decided to give it a try.  It was so cold that we ate in the car.  We thought it would be fun to stick out our tongues and take a family shot…  It was.  And these shots were perfect for the sentiment of my title.  I love when I finish and I say, “I love it”.  I do, and I love scrapping. 

Cardstock: Bazzill.  Mists: Studio Calico, Tattered Angels.  Letter Stickers: American Crafts, Sassafras, Basic Gray, Jillibean Soup.  Hearts: Jillibean Soup, Studio Calico.  Stars: unknown.

It never seems like we are gone long enough.  Lately we have been taking mini breaks.  A long weekend here, 5 days off there.  Never a week at the same time.  I so need a week.

This time it was 4 days, 3 days at Disneyland and 1 day at home, just being at home.  Sean really seems to need that.

The skinny on the trip…  3 times on Star Tours.  2 times on Little Mermaid.  3 times on Astro Blasters.  1 time: It’s A Small World, Autopia, Souring over California, Jungle Cruz, Pirates, Haunted Mansion, Toy Story Mania, California Zephyr and Francis…  I’m sure I have forgotten something, but lots of rides to say the least.

We had a great time at the Paradise Pier.  I was disappointed that they don’t do turn down service anymore.  I wanted more rice krispy treats.  Sean did too.  We tried they new restaurants at California Adventure, the skewer place was better than the pizza and pasta. John thought they were equally good. 

It was weird that Stephen didn’t join us, but it was very nice not having to worry about what anyone else wanted to do.  Not a bunch of pin trading.  I just wasn’t feeling it.  It’s hard when you don’t know if you are getting a real pin or not. 

Sean didn’t ever melt.  He never cried.  He sucked at meal time, but was perfect otherwise.  There is even a video of me dancing with Goofy.  Sean was not happy about it, and almost took out Goofy.  I’m his mommy, you know.

It still wasn’t long enough.  Hopefully a video will be added tomorrow, and I will craft tonight.  I’m doing the Mother Load.  I don’t want to fall behind.

Since we are going to Disneyland this weekend, I decided that I had better get a LO out before I left.  I leave you with a LO from our trip to Disney in November 2010.  We went for Uncle Stevies 40th birthday.  We had dinner one night at the pizza place at Downtown Disney.  The kids really wanted balloon hats.  Uncle Stevie got one too…  Chris said it should be “the epic battle of good versus evil”  This is what he got.  And he wore it.  It was awesome!

Patterned paper: Sassafrass.  Card stock: Tim Holtz for Core’dinations.  Letter stickers: Cosmo Cricket, Sassafrass, My Minds Eye, American Crafts, Prima.  Banner: Pink Pasilee.  Tape: American Crafts

Thanks again to May Flaum for such great kits from this weekends class at Scrapbook Island.  Her paper got me started!

See you Monday!  Wish me sleep at Disney!

This is the first LO that I’ve done since May’s LOAD challenge.  I’m always this way.  I work really hard on LOAD, then I pass out for a month.  I actually did this one last week, but I really do love how it turned out.  It’s got some hidden journaling, some memorabilia from the trip, not much…  But honestly, it is the story that matters most here. 

Andrea and I took Sean and Jack to Disneyland for Mickey’s Happy Halloween.  For breakfast, I made reservations at Storytellers Cafe.  Jack was thrilled to see all the characters, Sean not so much.  The only picture I have of him from the day is this one with the napkin on his head.  Yep, that’s my kid.  Napkin head.

patterned paper: Studio Calico.  letter stickers:  Jenni Bowlin, sei, Bo Bunny.  cardstock: Bazzill.  bakerstwine: unknown

Tomorrow we are off to Disneyland again.  I love it.  Sean has been asking for it for 2 weeks.  Let’s hope it is restful.