life-ography: mothers day.

I had a wonderful Mother's Day this year. Every year has been really great but this was really special. This is the first year I was a mother of two and all of my family made it special. My husband, Marc, out did himself too. I felt really special and we really didn't do anything all that crazy. We went to the local farms peach festival and picked our own peaches, Marc made use a delicious dinner, and we just relaxed the rest of the evening. Aurora even made me a card and a necklace. I'm so lucky I have such a wonderful family.



I hope everyone had a wonderful day either as a mother, with your mother, or in remembrance of a great mother.

the smell of burning wood... yum...

I am so thankful for a wonderful mother’s day, really the whole weekend. It started out with me being able to head out on my own and attended First Friday, which is always fun thanks for the wonderful ladies of Butter Toast Boutique. Saturday morning I got what I wanted for mother’s day. The only thing I asked for was to go out for waffles! Aurora and I spent the rest of the day running errands and hitting the pool. Sunday was pretty quiet and typical. I enjoy just hanging out with my family; I really don’t need anything special. I did get to play with my new toy!



I finally got myself a wood burning tool! I’ve wanted to try this forever. I don’t really know why. I just think it’s so different and could be really fun. It’s not as easy as it looks though! It was weird to hold the tool so far away from the point. I didn’t screw the tip in tight enough the first round so it kept wiggling too. Also, every time I hit a part of the grain my point would get stuck, I need to work on that. I’m happy to say I didn’t burn myself too badly either. I touched the tip to check if it was cool yet and well, it wasn’t! Ouch! I learned my lesson pretty quick. Piston, our crazy dog, also tried to lick it one point. Thankfully I grabbed him in time; he’s not the brightest boxer in the world.



I’m excited to work on more projects with my wood burner. I love the smell! I can’t help myself. It reminds me of a camp fire, yum! I want to go out right now and buy more wood to doodle on! The best part is I used stamps to create the designs. That was probably the easiest part. I plan on branching out but I need a lot of practice first!

Do you have any new craft endeavors you’re working on perfecting?

blog love weekly v5.0 mothers day edition.

This is a very special mom addition of blog love weekly. First, I want to say thank you to all the moms out there for doing what you do. You love so hard and work so hard. There is no one like a mom. I hope each of you get lots of love from your family and friends and hopefully get to relax and enjoy your special day.


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You may recognize this lady from a night like this well, she’s reinvented herself and her blog You’re my heart, kid and I love it even more now. As a single mom of a beautiful little girl, Asia, I’m constantly impressed and inspired by her wiliness to work and love her family. It totally shows that her daughter is her world and I love that about her. She’s a sweet lady and you should get to know her too.


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Chrissy from Whimsical Poppysmic is just plan adorable. She is a wonderful mom and also a great crafter! I love all of her felt creations in her Etsy shop. Her blog is really unique. I love her inventive way of writing a blog posts. She has some great series going on as well. Some of my favorite posts of her are her “Awkward and Awesome” series. They are funny and clever and so true to life. I love bloggers who are just real, she totally is.



WAITING FOR BEAN
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Brandi from Waiting for Bean is so sweet and caring. I first got to meet her at the Art Detour a little while ago. She has a wonderful collection of vintage clothing in her Etsy shop Linen Lovelies. She’s a family lady and a creative soul. Brandi also has the most adorable daughter! I was impressed at how good her little one was all day at the Art Detour! A sign of good parenting I’d say. On her blog she shares come wonderful finds as well as creative ideas.


If you are a Mother, a Grandmother, an Animal Mother, or anything inbetween...



Happy Mothers Day!

Adventures in Craftiness: Mother's Day Floral Mug Arrangment DIY

I’m so excited to share this tutorial with you. This projected did double duty for me. Not only was I able to create a really fun and easy Mother’s Day DIY but I knocked out one of my class assignments as well! I realized that I might not be the best photographer in the world and maybe it’s not my “calling” but I feel like I do a pretty good job of depicting steps, like these. I don’t know you tell me.

How to create a Mother’s Day Floral Mug Arrangement.

Materials.-Faux flowers of your picking.-A pretty mug.-Floral foam, or stuffing and tissue paper.-Scissors or wire cutters. (I highly recommend wire cutters, trust me, I know from experience.)


Step One.Fill your mug with stuffing (or floral foam.) Make sure that it is pushed in very tight and compact.


If you are using stuffing over it with one or two layers of tissue paper. The tissue paper will help keep the flowers in place.


Step Two.Cut a flower steam to the appropriate length. Use your mug as a guide.*NOTE: It is best to cut your flower steam long at first and test it in the mug o make sure you get the proper position for your flowers.


Step Three.Use your first cut flower as a guide to create the length of your other flower steams.


Step Four.Arrange your flowers in your mug to your liking. Push them through the tissue paper and make sure they are in a secure location. Make sure they are packed tightly together so that they don’t move.


Step Five.Use small filler flowers and some leaves or greens to fill out and complete your piece.


Your done! Take it to mom and let her enjoy!


I hope you enjoyed this really easy tutorial. There is no real right or wrong way for creating this piece. Your mom will love it knowing that you put the time and effort into creating it yourself. I think the best gifts are handmade. Don’t you agree?

If you make one of these little darlings, I’d love to see your creation. Please share!