Instagram Week 2

This past week has been full of food treats and baby things (those go hand in hand these days) along with a Bulls game and some brief family time in the chilly sun (Busy season for the hubby is almost over).

This was really my first week documenting a full week in instagrams and let me tell you.  It's hard.  I never remember to pause and take a pic - except when it is food or flowers.  I had a billion pics of pretty spring flowers and my little sweet indulgences that I really need to lay off, except the grapefruit, I'll continue with that obsessive habit.

Oh and notice the pink and blue cupcakes?!  We are getting closer to the day when we find out the sex.   So excited.

Desk Space - In Progress

My craft room/office is turning into the nursery which means all my crap has to find a new home before we can paint and decorate.  I'm a bit overwhelmed with the prospect of clearing out my cluttered craft room so I decided to start with just relocating my small desk.  Baby steps.  Unfortunately our other spare bedroom is my husband's office, which I could share with him but I think it is important that he has his own space especially since he works from home most evenings and weekends - accountants never rest.  Someday I dream of finishing the basement with a laundry room, bathroom, guest room, living area and a glorious craft room but until that day I'm moving the desk to the living room.  It won't be a designated craft space but it will be perfect for my daily needs.

The desk is moving to the corner where the chair and small side table reside.

I haven't "styled" it yet mostly because I am still looking through all my options.  I want it to be clean and minimal with NO CLUTTER!  Ha - like that will happen.  

The bulletin board resting on the desk won't be there so I will have a lot of tall wall space to work with.  I am thinking of a large piece of art or mirror or maybe a large clock.  I was going to do a gallery wall since I have one large frame on the other wall but that is just too many photos for me to handle.  Maybe I will do something cute with fabric and embroidery hoops?  Any ideas?

my week in instagrams

I'm doing something new, something I've never done before.  A weekly post every Friday featuring my week in instagrams.  It will be a challenge to actually do something with all those totally random instagram photos and a challenge to be dilligent to post every Friday (aka Thursday night).  Plus it will be totally fun to look back and see the uniqueness of each week.  A little journal/scrapbook for myself.

Since I am doing this kind of spur of the moment I don't have an actual week prepared so here is the past month and a half for you to enjoy to get started.  Next week will be for real!

Baby K: week 16

Week: 16

Baby K: Baby K is the size of an avocado at about 5 inches from bottom to head and weighing about 3.5 ounces.  The baby is starting a massive growth spurt and will double in size in the next weeks.  Baby K can now hear our voices and even though the eyelids are fused shut can see light.  The baby now has finger and toenails and can suck his/her thumb.

Symptoms:  Still feeling the cramping, stretching and pains that come with the shifting and growing belly. 

Cravings: None

Aversions:  None.

Bump: It's arrived.  I officially have a real bump that isn't going anywhere and I judge that by the fact that I no longer fit in my jeans - even with a belly band.  Didn't stop me from wearing them for these pictures though.  They are completely unzipped and only suitable for stationary positions; any movement is not safe.  This weekend my mom took me on my first maternity shopping spree and spoiled me with some cute work outfits and a fun summer dress.  We weren't able to find a replacement pair of jeans though - the search will continue.

Looking forward to:  Feeling the baby's first movements which should be in the next few weeks!

Missing the most: Nothing at the moment.

DIY: tiles transformed into photo coasters

from these:

to these:

The other day I shared one of my favorite Pinterest inspiration projects:  wood photo transfer.

I had been going crazy transferring photos to various wood blocks until I discovered that it also works on tiles!  Thus my new collection of coasters.  Now we need to have a massive party because I don't know how else I am going to use so many coasters.  

 These really are super easy to make - much easier than the wood blocks.  I bought several 4.25"x4.25" tiles from Home Depot for .16 each.  The standard white gloss square tiles are perfect.  Then print your photos to match the size.  Instagram photos are perfect for these square tiles and I know most people have a ton of Instagram photos on their phones they don't know what to do with.  Then just follow the same steps as the wood transfer.  I think the paper removal is even easier on the tiles.

I also tried it on more rustic tiles and it worked really well too so feel free to experiment a bit and have fun.  

 HAPPY CRAFTING!

Baby K: the diaper bag

I just made my first big baby purchase (this is lie - it is my second but I am not ready to post about the other so let's pretend, thanks).

My diaper bag!

I was not yet in the market for a bag.  I haven't even done my research.  The diaper bag is a very important purchase so I am still a little nervous but kind of totally in love.  While I was shopping with my baby sis we popped into the Kate Spade outlet and saw this beauty on sale and 40% off.  How do you say no to that?  Plus I have 30 days to return it which means I have 29 days to do my research and comparative shopping to make sure this is the right fit for us.

It is a cross-body bag (which is what I wanted) with 6 outside pockets, two for bottles and lots of practical storage inside.  Aesthetically I really like the bag.  It looks like an adult bag that I could use as a purse.  A simple pattern that is also complex enough to hide the dirt.  But I know that it is not just about how the bag looks but how it works.

The bag came with your standard changing pad in red, the same color as the interior.

The inside has several small pockets of various shapes and sizes on the inside and one large zipper pocket separating the interior into two sections, which I like.  I have a purse with this feature and find it helps me stay organized.  Hopefully it will be the same way with a diaper bag but I guess I won't really now how I use my diaper bag until Baby K gets here.  That is what makes diaper bag shopping so hard.  No matter how much research I do I can't be confident of what I want now.  

























So help me.  What diaper bag do you have?  What features do you love and what features do you hate?  The other bags I have been looking at are Petunia Pickle, JJ Cole, Dwell, Oi Oi.......any input?

Thanks ladies, you're the best!!

Baby K: week 14

Now for the stats....

Week: 14 - 2nd Trimester!!

Baby K: Baby K is the size of lemon at just about 3.5 inches from bottom to head and weighs about 1.5 ounces.  The baby's hands and feet are about half an inch long and are flexible and active.  Baby K is squinting, frowning, grimacing (hopefully not too much), peeing (what?), and even sucking his/her thumb.  

Symptoms:  Definitely feeling the cramping, stretching and pains that come with the shifting and growing belly. 

Cravings: I would like to say chocolate but that is just an excuse to eat it.  No cravings.

Aversions:  Haven't really noticed any lately.

Bump: It's starting to peek out.  It definitely is always changing sizes.  Sometimes it is freakily large and sometimes its just a little mound.  Of course this is due to eating.....it kind of pushes it out more.  But it is still a bump.

Looking forward to:  The continuing growth of baby and bump.

Missing the most: Wine and soft cheeses - my girlfriends are  not helping in this department (Susan and Maria)

Here is a weekly comparison.

  

Pinspiration: Wood Photo Transfer

Like all of you I am completely obsessed with Pinterest.  I would call this a sickness but for all the time I spend on Pinterest, I get just as much out of it.  Countless recipes, DIY ideas and great inspiration for my home, knitting and of course all things baby and maternity.  I really go back to my pins to try things: like this amazing tutorial on how to transfer a photo onto a wood block.

Seriously check this talented lady's video out if you want to make this.  She does a great job explaining it and it is a super cute, super quick video.

 Here is how mine turned out.

I had the hardware store cut the boards in 81/2 x 11 pieces and then I sanded them so the corners were soft yet still rustic.

One thing I learned the hard way is that you have to print your photos on a good quality laserjet printer.  Your typical inkjet won't hold the image like it should.  It turns out really blurry and really faded.  It is not a cool effect - trust me.  

Here is a close-up of the mod podge and gel medium needed for this project.

Next I coated my board in gel medium.  Give it a good coat so the entire image holds.  Seriously a nice, thick coat.

Then carefully place your image upside down on the gel.  Make sure there are no bubbles or wrinkles.  Remember that your image will come out reversed so if you don't want that than reverse your image before your print.  Especially if there is lettering.  I want to make a bunch of these with verses for my nursery - I haven't tried it with lettering yet so I'll let you know how it turns out.

After you let the wood block set overnight or 6-8 hrs.  Then gather your materials for removing the paper.  I use water, a rag and gloves.  The gloves are to protect your fingers from burns.  I made a ton of these for family as Christmas presents (they loved them).  However, scraping and rubbing the paper off gave me burns on all my fingers.  I couldn't touch anything for days.  It hurts so bad.  This time I used the rubber gloves and they made all the difference.

Soak the image in water using the rag.  I just dabbed the whole board with water until it was absorbed.  You really cannot use to much or ruin the image by using too much water.  The water is your friend.

Then rub the paper off and watch your image come to life.  Don't worry you will scrape the image off in some areas....that is because your gel medium was not as thick and so it didn't adhere but I personally love that look.  Especially around the corners.  It takes several coats of rubbing to get all the paper off.   Some fuzz left on is okay too since you will coat the whole board with mod podge to secure and protect  the image.

This is one of my final pieces.  I like how it isn't perfect.  This is a color image which turns out well but black and white and sepia tones are my favorites.  I also do an image on both sides of my board so I can easily swap photos if I get tired of one.  Also, I am toying with the idea of staining the wood around the edges or even whitewashing it or painting it.  We'll see how that turns out.

I haven't hung mine on the wall.  I just rest them on shelves but if you wanted to hang it you could use this cool trick from pinterest for a cheap fix.  Only one image per side though.

Hope this project turns out as great for you.  I'm going to be trying some other surfaces to try this photo transfer project on so I'll be back with the outcomes for you.  Let me know if you have any great ideas!