Making it 3-D

My first two ventures with recreating Dr. Seuss books to put on the nursery walls turned out wonderfully! While discussing the project with a co-worker he recommended that I make a couple of them 3-D. Thinking it was a great idea I decided that 2:4 would have a few 3-D elements.

The ham and eggs on the tray and tree puffs are 3-D:
Green Eggs and Ham

I think it's almost impossible to see what's 3-D and what's not in pictures but none the less there are 3-D elements in the artwork that can be seen really well in person. They've added a nice and subtle touch to each piece and really turned out nicely!

At first I thought I brought the wrong glue to work; thinking I needed tacky or hot glue, but in the end of I tried out a scrapbooking pop-square and it worked GREAT! Each picture was printed and gessoed in the same fashion of the other two canvas' so that the entire picture was on the canvas. I then printed what I wanted to become 3-D on card stock and cut it out; using scrapbooking pop-squares I adhered the card stock to the canvas and presto I had a 3-D effect. It took me less than 10 minutes to do both pictures! If the scrapbooking squares loose their adhesive over time I will try tacky glue but for now it's working.

The clocks are 3-D: Fox in Socks

Although the cost of all the supplies was $30 I still have 3 unused canvas' and plenty of paint, some of which I have yet to open and may return. When you calculate it all out each piece of art cost about $3.50 to make and took about 1-2 hours of work each. In my opinion you can't beat that! I still have the clock to do but that will be done for free because we already had the clock!

Homemade Nursery

As I've said I have plans to make all the artwork for the nursery. I've chosen 4 books to display on canvas': One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish, Green Eggs and Ham, The Lorax, and either Fox in Socks or Oh! The Places You Will Go!. The clock will be Cat in the Hat and I found a HUGE floor puzzle (22"x 36") of Yertle the Turtle at 1/2 Price Books for $4 that will be framed in a poster frame we already own!

Here is the first piece of art:

Instead of gessoing a canvas, turns out the gesso was not as cheap as I thought, I bought a pack of 7 blank canvas' on sale for $14.99. I hit the jackpot at Michaels getting acrylic paint on sale for $0.33 a bottle, a set of 14 sponge brushes for $0.99, and a small tub of Satin Finish Mod Podge for $5.00. A little more than planned but well worth the extra $5; I actually saved $10 by buying my canvas' and not using gesso, go figure!

The art was SO simple to make! First I scanned the front of the book and blew up the images I wanted: the 4 fish and the lettering, then I cut them out. I painted the canvas yellow and used mod podge to glue each image down where I wanted it. Once everything was glued down I used 2 coats mod podge over the entire canvas to seal everything. Presto! I'm done!

On my next canvas I want to try to make some of it 3-D. A co-worker explained I can do this by using scrapbooking pop-dot/ squares just like you would on a scrapbook page. I just have to make sure that the image that becomes 3-D is on thicker paper so it doesn't curl over time; he recommended I use card stock.

Since the first piece turned out so well I have high hopes for my 3-D venture, but we'll see. Either way I'm having an absolute blast with this! Ü

Artwork #2 (The Lorax)

Let's Be Honest...

*DISCLAIMER: Content may be considered too personal for some people*

When it comes to pregnancy everyone has a wise word of advice; it doesn't matter if they have 10 kids or no kids at all everyone has something to say about pregnancy. Most will tell you it's the greatest experience in your life and to treasure every moment, some will be brave enough share a few unpleasant moments, but very few are out right honest about what's going to happen to your body and what you're really going to go through.

Please don't misunderstand me, I have dreamed about being pregnant and have wanted to be pregnant my entire life. The fact that I am growing life inside of me astounds me in ways I've never imagined and I am completely grateful for the blessing that has been given to me. Hearing my baby's heartbeat for the first time was amazing and I wouldn't trade any of what I've gone through and will go through to take it back. God is incredible and the fact that as a woman He created me to carry and grow this little being to life has created a new foundation of faith I never knew I could have.

As incredible and awesome as this miracle is please allow me to be slightly cynical for a moment while I completely agree with Joanne Kimmes and Sanford A. Tisherman and say "Pregnancy Sucks". Their book Pregnancy Sucks: What to Do When Your Miracle Makes You Miserable gets down to the nitty gritty honest truth of pregnancy that no one tells you about and they do it with such humor.

In my opinion every woman should know what's she getting into no matter how great the outcome will be in the end so here are just a few things that people don't tell you you're going to experience or feel while pregnant:

*Exhaustion- Get ready because you will never sleep or feel completely rested ever again. You'll fall asleep at work or find yourself looking at the floor and pining for it's company in a nap.
*Constipation- Get out the Metamucil and prunes ladies because nothing will stop you up quicker and longer than a baby.
*Smell Aversions- If you thought the guy at your office wore a lot of cologne before you got pregnant, just wait... he seems to really pour it on once you're pregnant. You're favorite foods cause you to gag and you'll eat nothing but cold cereal for months because it's the only unscented bland food that doesn't make you want to puke.
*Morning Sickness- Shouldn't this really just be called nausea. A lot of woman don't get it in just the morning... Nothing can kick start the day like feeling the need to puke and forcing yourself to choke down food just to get some nutrients in your system. That feeling, for some, lasts ALL day. (Thank goodness for drugs, Sofran will become your best friend)
*Itching- As you stomach, backside, thighs, and chest begin to grow in size your skin is stretched. In the end this results in stretch marks but before the stretch marks even make an appearance you will begin to itch like a bad case of the chicken pox. Unfortunately it's not an itch you can throw some cream on and forget about, the anti-stretch mark lotion works for about 30 minutes and then you're back to scratching like your life depended on it.
*Muscle Cramps/ Pain- Sharp pains in your abdomen that cause you to FREAK out because you have no idea what's going on and fear there may be something wrong with the baby. In reality it's just the two muscles that hold the uterus in place getting stretched as the uterus and baby grow. Nothing to worry about, in the mean time just try not to twist or bend over until they're stretched out enough that it won't hurt before taking part in such actions again.
*Loss of Sex Drive- No matter who you are or how much you enjoyed it before getting pregnant your desire for it will cut back 75% at least. With everything else going on and the stress of actually being pregnant it's just no longer a fun activity you want to take part in; how sad!
*Nightmares- Some doctors say that the stress of having and raising a child increases adrenaline in the body and thus your dreams become more vivid and often times more violent. You'll dream about your baby dying, you killing your baby, or horrible things happening to you and your loved ones...to make matter worse you'll remember these dreams. I'm sure that this adds to the exhaustion factor.
*Thirst- You'll drink fluids like a fish, have to pee every hour and still NOT feel that the thirst was quenched!
*Weight Gain- Sure it's great to put on the pounds for the baby and I'm sure your husband loves it but no one mentioned how quick or how much you'd put on. All of a sudden you'll find yourself staring at your closet with nothing that fits over your now giant butt and thighs or anything that will hold your now bigger chest. (also see Emotional Breakdowns)
*Memory Loss- You will find yourself asking the same questions over and over again and forgetting where you put your keys even though they are in the same place you always put them and have been putting them there for over a year now.
*Clumsiness- Even the most graceful of people find themselves tripping over there own feet and not really understanding how or why. Even before the baby gets to be the size of a pumpkin your sense of balance is just thrown out of whack. Hopefully for most this does not cause to many incidents of running into walls and doors or moments of things being thrown into the air as you fall on your face.
*Emotional Breakdowns- You'll cry at the Ford commercial when the daughter gives her father a hug for getting a new car... because it's just... so... sweet...

...and all this in just the first trimester. ;)

POWER!!!

Last night we got a brutal storm blow through the area. The day started out fairly decent with a nice breeze and only a little humidity but by 3 the air was so thick it was hard to breathe. At 4 you could hear the rain clouds begin to roll in and by 5:30pm it was pouring down rain. As it got closer to 6 you could hear how close to the middle of the storm we were as the thunder got louder and louder and the lightning got brighter and brighter; the dog began to creep closer and closer to my leg and small whimpers began to escape his lips.

Before the rain had started Brandon had went out to light the grill and get dinner cooking. With plans to be out there for only a short while he didn't let the rain deter him from cooking his dinner. Around 6 lightning struck a tree about 30 feet from the house. Never having experienced a lightning strike so closely before I jumped as the house flooded with light and sound. The windows and doors shook in there place and the ground vibrated from the sheer power of the strike. The sound and vibrations only lasted probably a second but felt like 10 minutes. I probably came about 2 inches off the ground with my head ducked and my arms tucked close to my chest. Tiko instantly took off running for the hills and the look of sheer terror on his face as his eyes became the size of dinner plates caused a laugh to billow up out of me almost as loud as the thunder.

Once it calmed, I asked Brandon if anything had been hit both of us praying it wasn't the house. Two houses down a tree stood completely up right but had been split right down the middle. The top of tree was laying on our neighbors roof but at least no one was hurt. As we gawked and thanked God for the blessing that it hadn't hit anyone's house a second strike hit with in 50 feet of the house. It hit a tree on the street behind us and this time I got to see it. Again the house was flooded with sound and light and the dog took off running, hehe. The light was so bright I found myself turning away shielding my eyes from the power of it. Brandon had stepped outside and was at the grill for the second strike. He grabbed the food off the grill, turned it off, and quickly made his way inside. Immediately I unplugged the TV and turned off the computer and any unnecessary lights. Almost at once I began to pray for safety and began thanking God for the blessing that Jagoe had cleared all the trees in the lot next to us the day before.

After the second close lightning strike the storm calmed and we sat and ate our dinner while watching it rain wondering what would happen next. We simply sat in silence and in awe of what had just happened.

I Need Your Clothes

It being a Friday I was feeling quite lazy this morning. The laundry in our house desperately needs to be done so I was really low on work clothes. Not caring much to search for something and thinking that I would spend the day on the floor going through boxes anyway, I opted for jeans and tennis shoes.

At 9:20 my boss called to let me know that the company was coming over for a meeting and although I had not been requested for minutes she wanted to keep me on standby, just in case. Panic immediately set it, I was not dressed for a meeting with the company. Meetings with the company require professional dress and I don't think jeans and tennis shoes qualify. My wonderful husband recommended I take my lunch early and run out to get something. I could then leave the clothes in my office should such an occasion happen again. I calmly called my boss back and asked what time the meeting was: "9:30" she replied. OF COURSE!

I made my way up to the front desk and calmly asked Laura what she was wearing today. With her looking at me as though I had three heads I explained that I was not kidding and asked again. Slowly she slide her chair out from under her desk and I saw that she had on dress pants. I smiled and asked her if I could possibly trade her outfits. I could see the look of confusion on her face so I explained that I might be needed in a meeting with the company. I was lazy, didn't have any work clothes clean, and expected to spend the day on the floor and was in jeans and tennis shoes. At once she started cracking up laughing. I explained I didn't have time to go get anything because the meeting started like... now! I wasn't sure if I was going to be needed but if I was would she be willing to trade me clothes? Still laughing she agreed. We'll see whether or not we'll have to trade outfits but at least I have options. :)

I never thought being as small as I am that I would have a co-worker that could trade me clothes. God bless Laura and her short and slender frame, she's a lifesaver!

Nursery Fun

I have scowered the stores for neutral bedding and in the end chose a nursery theme based off a childrens book, go figure. Dr. Seuss will soon fill the walls and spirit of our child's room no matter what gender that child may be.

Trend Lab has the cutest Dr. Seuss ABC's bedding and I'm in LOVE with all the color! Once the bedding was Brandon approved I began my search for ideas. I've spent hours pursuing nursery pictures online and Dr. Seuss products. I've looked in Teacher stores, department stores, E-bay, Craigslist, and Amazon. There are plenty of fun products out there but when it came to doing something with the walls I was at a loss. I found everything from huge elaborate painted murals to removable decals. Initially I thought of doing a couple decals; however, they are expensive and I could easily spend over $100 on them.

The next step was to set a budget and make it work. Since I was thinking decals and wanted to keep the option of painting open I set a budget of $100. I have resources at work that would allow me to make my own decals if I wanted but after some researching I decided to keep it simple in hopes of doing everything for under $50; that includes paint. Now that we've finally decided to put the baby in what is currently the office, or front bedroom, I purchased some washcloths that match the bedding to get an idea of the color scheme. Turns out I may not even have to paint since the brown paint in there might work, possibly another $25 saved!

That just left the walls. Yet again, to save money I decided to scan and frame characters from the books, instead of decals, and went in search of some cheap frames at the Dollar Tree. While there I noticed some ugly oil paintings that were the size I was looking for. Crafty inspiration peaked, I could gesso ($2-5) the canvas and modge podge ($2-5) the characters onto the it and would give me the opportunity to be a little more creative with the artwork; I could make even make them 3-D. For only $1 a canvas I decided to do a small collage of 4-6 Dr. Seuss books.

At my last scrapbooking retreat I won a clock that is made to be scrapbooked as a door prize. I've never known what to do with it until now! Using the Cat in the Hat as my inspiration I've decided scrapbook my own clock instead of buying the $20 one. :)

To finish everything off I found cheap bulletin board letters for $6, but I have a 30% off coupon, to do a cute Dr. Seuss quote over the crib: "A Person is a Person no matter how small."

I'm still in search of what to do for curtains but I'm sure I'll figure something cheap out. :) All thoughts and ideas for curtains are welcome.

Who's Taking Care of Who?

Many experts say that dogs are some of the smartest animals and that certain breeds show a higher intelligence than humans; most claim it's their sixth sense. Their natural ability to sense things way beyond human capabilities has always astounded me and this morning was no different.

For weeks Tiko has been acting a little... off. He's acted more clingy and in need of attention, he's been following me around the house as if he's afraid of losing sight of me, and has developed a weird and sudden fascination with getting under things. He's gotten under the bed more than once, he will lay with his head under the ottoman, the kitchen table, or even a kitchen chair. Our home has not exactly been at peace emotionally with all the death we've experienced in the past two months but this morning was something completely different.

As usual I woke up around 2: AM for my morning bathroom break, one of the many joys of being pregnant. Having taken a Benedryl sinus, I felt in no condition to really get up and walk to the bathroom no matter how close it may be or how badly I had to go. I stirred, looked at the clock, groaned, and rolled over. Tiko, who was laying on the bed with me since Brandon was out of town, got up and moved closer to me and laid his head on my chest. When I didn't respond he began to nose at me. When I gave him the command to quit he stood up and walked a few circles and laid back down; when he got up to do this for a third time I firmly commanded him to lay down. He abruptly huffed and collapsed on the bed landing half on top of me and began to nose at me again. By this point I was awake enough to use the restroom and decided to get up.

Like every other night when I get up Tiko followed me to the restroom and sat down next to to the toilet while I took care of business. We both walked back to the bed together and he patiently waited for me to give the ok for him to join me. Once on the bed he quickly got comfortable on Brandon's side and left me alone.

At 4:30 I woke up again feeling the need to use the restroom; I groaned and again rolled over to ignore the urge and go back to sleep. As if one cue Tiko took position up close to me and began to nose at me again! With out a fight I got up and went to the bathroom with my dog happily trotting behind me with his tongue hanging out contently.

At 7:15 when my alarm went off for the third time, yet again, Tiko began the process of getting me out of bed and even went as far as to lick my face, hands, and arms. I was so shocked I couldn't help but smile and rub his ears.

It wasn't until I was half way to work did I really put together what happened with Tiko. I still don't understand it but while Brandon is out of town I know that I have someone, or something, that will take care of me. Crazy dog!