Put a Banner On It

This project has been finished for over a week now and I've been meaning to post it.

Now I'm finally getting to it :)

You see, awhile ago I had pinned a few banner shirts/triangle patterns to my Pinterest DIY board.

This is one I had pinned for inspiration...which can originally be found here.

I really liked that fun banner sweatshirt and wanted to do something similar, but with minimal to no cost in supplies and with my own twist on it.

So I set out to do just that and this is what I came up with...

I started first with an old shirt I had on hand and an ill-fitting Elise onesie (in case the whole project were to flop).

Everything I used I already owned...

Homemade triangle stamp, fabric paints, cardboard (between shirt layers), and sponge brush.  Then I simply just stamped a banner pattern across the shirt/onesie.  Easy Peezy.

Once the triangles were all dry, I decided it needed a little something else, so I set to work adding small polka dots to different triangles on the banner (as seen in the first pic).

They were super fun and easy to make, not to mention I love how they turned out!

So, of course, I made E pose with me on the balcony for a photo shoot (did your mom ever make you match her?  Mine did...and I have a photo to prove it, but WOW, the bangs and glasses I'm sporting in that pic are far too hilariously embarrassing to post ;)

(we both look squinty in that photo, but I love it all the same.  I'll blame mine on those stinkin' allergies that persist and we'll blame Elise's squinty eyes on her adorably cute big grin)

I sure like that onesie more now, even if it still doesn't fit the best.

Haha.  I'm no good at the whole "pose for a picture" thing.  But there ya have it...a banner shirt and onesie.

Now go get your banner on! :)

It's All in the Details

Yesterday we were prepping and getting ready for a grill-out at our house. I was vacuuming and started looking at all the small things around the house.

You know, the little things.  The details.  The things that make a house a home (other than the people you share it with).

The things that, well, aren't necessary by any means, but the things that make you smile.  Or at least make me smile.

Like that long-necked giraffe Jas brought back from his trip to England (it was tucked in a smoothie he bought) . It makes me laugh every time I see it :)

Or that heart-on-a-stick (lol) that was hidden in a bouquet of flowers Jas brought home for me one day.

What about this smiley spoon given to us by our Slovak teacher?  I'll never forget the word for cooking spoon/ladle in Slovak again!

Maybe these are the things that will go unnoticed by everyone else except for me.  Maybe it's a little silly that I took pictures of them, but after all, it's all in the details, right?

Take this bottle for instance...it's a reminder of our most recent trip to Vienna (not to mention the color is great and it acts as a wonderful vase for my cheap-o Ikea flowers).

Handmade creations by my mama and friend Steph.

Maybe, if nothing else, I'll look back at this post one day during a sentimental moment and think "ahh, those cute little details made me smile..."

And even though at the end of the day HOME is where our family can be together in Christ, I'm still loving me these little details...

Haha.  Please tell me I'm not the only one who thinks about these things... ;)

Insta{FRIDAY}

Happy Friday! How about some Instagram?

Hope YOU have a great weekend!

Eight Months!

Our lil girl turns the big eight months today!

(I'm telling ya, the girl takes her photo shoots very seriously...)

Weight:  She's a solid 18 pounds these days.

Major Milestones:  Oh wow, has she grown and developed.
*She can now crawl (and is getting quicker every day).
*She easily pulls herself up and can stand for awhile.
*The past month her babbles started taking on "real sounds," such as "bbb," "ggg," and "ddd."  She even can make a sound like "dada," but we don't think she's intentionally doing it, though I think her dad just may claim it ;)
*She started eating chicken meat this past week, and well, we're not convinced that she's a big fan.  She is however a very good eater.  I home-make about 90% of her food and she does a GREAT job eating generally.

Other:  *It's safe to say we have a sleep fighter.  She generally takes one morning nap and one afternoon nap...anywhere between 45 minutes and 1.5 hours.  We put her in her crib for about 30 minutes leading up to the time she actually will go to sleep, and she will eventually fall asleep (because after all she IS tired).  Whew.  It's been our biggest challenge with her to date.  The girl is ENERGETIC and sleeping just isn't her best friend.
*She continues to love bath time
*She really has fun laughing at her dad :)
*We're also going through some separation anxiety right now...she's needing her mama lately (I love being with my girl, but it has proven difficult to leave her with others, of course).

Happy eight months, you lil sleep-fighting, chicken-disliking, crawling, babbling, standing, smiling, cutie, you!

Hiding Out

Sometimes you just want to hide out under a table...ya know?

(If that means you have to taste the table too, then so be it ;)

Color Much?

It's no secret that I like a good pop of color.

And it's no secret that I like art...of all kinds.

So over the past three months I've been getting my paint on.  That's right...this painting took three months to complete.  We'll just attribute that to large canvas + baby + lil chunks of time here and there.

But it's complete.  And I'm (mostly) happy with the turnout.

During the day.  (It looks crooked...but it's really not).

At night.

And I thought I'd just throw in a real life shot.  This is typically how the couch looks...baby nearby, books stacked/being used, pillows all over.  And wow, somehow the painting looks quite small on our big white wall.

How about a close up?

All in all, I think it turned out pretty close to how I envisioned it.  It's definitely bright, bold, and well, I think it's fun! We'll see how long it stays there...I've always got my creative wheels turning ;)

Insta{FRIDAY}

Wednesday and Thursday flew by (they were full days)...and here we are again at Friday! Whew.

Jas was in England all last week...so we partied it up (you know, big things...like taking naps, eating carrots, and going to the grocery store, oh and we definitely missed dad).  That's a pic we sent him one day.

Random fireworks for no reason? Yep, we got 'em. (though sometimes they do shoot them when Slovan, our soccer/futbal team, wins).

Jas brought me back some English tea deliciousness from his trip.  I was pretty pumped to say the least.

Thankful that this lil blue eyes made me a mama almost 8 months ago.

Since Jas missed Mother's Day, he decided to make me this breakfast a few mornings later.  See that bacon?  That's right, he knows I could eat my weight in that stuff.

Used these for some journaling this week and realized that I may just have a bit of an obsession.

Wednesday was a packed day.  One stop was for Elise's 8 month check-up.  The doc said her gums are swollen and teeth are on their way.  Three cheers for teething toys!

How was YOUR week!?

Hey, Lil Monkey

Elise really likes bananas.  She eats them a lot...but usually mashed up.

Until this morning.  Jas was eating his morning breakfast banana and E (who just today started crawling...well, pretty much...she's still hesitant) eyed his banana from across the room.

So she crawled (with a few scoots and pushes) to the "naner," where her dad willingly shared...

So then we decided it would be appropriate to get some video footage of our girl gumming down her first banana.  (We've skimped on getting video of E lately for some reason).

*This video may appeal to the grandparents more than anyone else, so no harm done if you just want to go on back up and look at that cute banana-covered face!*

Usually Jas is the resident videographer and not I, so pardon the occasional shaky shot (and the random leg shot haha).



And that's our lil monkey.  Gooey, covered in banana, and all :)

To The Mamas

To our mamas...

Diapers. Hugs. Love. Feedings. Boo-boos. Sacrifices. Tears. Laughs. Smiles. Joys. Triumphs. Faith. Graduations. Teen years. Big events. Everyday life. Friendships. Trips. Relationships. Hugs. School. Dances. Sports. Small events. Projects. Travels. Marriage. Sickness. Childhood. And the list goes on...

Thanks for loving us and seeing us through it all...even when it wasn't all pleasant.  Thanks for the hard work, love, and support.

We love you today and every day :)

And to lil bit...I'm ever so thankful to be your mama.

Finally, a quote that spoke to me today:

"The Shepherd leads those with young not to be Hallmark versions of perfection - but rather persevering versions of humility."
~ Ann Voskamp

Happy Mother's Day!