bow frame!

Abigail's "bow frame" was needing a little re-do...

so I thought I'd share!

It's super easy and such a cute way to show/organize them!!

get a cute frame, take out the glass and backing.

pick out your ribbon, whatever you want to use...I used two different styles to make it cuter!

Cut the strips to fit the frame.

using a hot glue gun, glue the ribbon on each side, pulling the ribbon tight.

and there you go!

(cute AND easy breezy right?)

Now that I have Bethany, and she wears her little headbands right now, I was trying to think of a way to be able to hang those on here too.

SO all I had around was some cute colored thumb tacs...and they worked great!

and there ya go!

Yall have a good Monday!! :)

{linking up here and here}

P.S. WINNER of the Blossom & Vine giveaway is.....

Jennifer!!

email me girl!

Valentine's crafts from April!

Today I am having one of my sweet bloggy friends

share some fun Valentine's crafts with us!!

If you don't know April, check her out here!!

THANKS APRIL!

and yay for Heart Day!!

(PS sorry the spacing is off a little on these pics!)

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Hello! My name is April and I blog over at Gingerbread.

I'm so excited that Sarah invited me to share

a few of my Valentines Day crafts here today!

I have to admit that Valentines Day is one of my favorite holidays,

even as a girl I loved making heart paper valentines and

taping little candies to them.

I love being able to tell those around me how much they mean to me.

It also gives me an opportunity to cover my house with

all things pink and red. Ha!

Here are a few of my favorite Valentine creations:

Pipe Cleaner Trees
These little mini trees are my favorite decoration in the house right now.

Its like having a little pink and red forest at your fingertips!

Swoon!

You will need:

* Pipe cleaners

* Wine cork {cut in half}

* Scissors

1. You will need to cut some of your pipe cleaners in half and some in fourths.

2. Take one of your half size pipe cleaners and make a loop at the top,

this will make your heart on the top of your tree.

3. Take your pipe cleaners that are cut in fourths {the smallest ones}

and start wrapping them around your looped pipe cleaner,

this will be the "trunk" of your tree.

Repeat this with your pieces until half of your tree is full.

4. Then take your half sizes and start wrapping those around the trunk.

5. Poke a hole in your wine cork and stick the bottom of the trunk into the trunk.

6. Bend the top loop of your tree into a heart.

Heart Pipe Cleaner Glasses

My boys thought I was super goofy after we made these glasses

and I wore them around the house.

Don't they know me already?

These are super easy and fun!

1. Make two hearts

2. Connect hearts with small piece of pipe cleaner

3. Cut a long piece of pipe cleaner in half and make two ear pieces

{or whatever the real name for them is} ha!

Can you tell that I have some serious love for pipe cleaners?

They are just so fun and easy for little ones to create with.

Loves.

I hope Valentines Day is sweet for all of you friends!

april

xoxo

Post-it Note Frames

need something cute, cheap, and easy to make

for a gift?

I especially think these are great little teacher gifts!:)

or even just a cute way to keep your post-its at home!!

Post-it Note Frames!

I found this idea on Pinterest (where else?!)

but my blogger wont let me embed the orginial image

(you can find it on my Pinterest Boards if you want)

I made them for Abigail's Mother's Day Out teachers,

for Christmas gifts, (just getting around to posting this!)

but I think they'd be fun anytime gifts!! :)

here's what you need:

acrylic frames (5x7 works great)

single stack of post-its

double sided sticky strips (or just hot glue)

scrapbook paper

some cute ribbon

First I took the piece of paper that came inside the frame,

and traced around it on the scrapbook paper.

then put your cute paper in the frame...

Then you tie your ribbon around the top of the frame.

Add the "sticky strips" or glue to the back of the post-its,

and secure it onto the frame.

(I used these Scotch sticky strip things -

sorry not sure what they are actually called! -

because when this stack of post-its runs out,

it could be taken off and changed easily!)

and....

That's it!!

Super cute and easy right?!

Yall have a blessed Monday!!

find some more lovely over here:

lighting up the camera!

SHE lights up my life and my camera...

so I just had to share a few of my favorites from lately!

{I mean, really? I wish I looked this cute in a hat.}

smelling the flowers and sharing paci's with her Lamby,

cant get much sweeter.

Well, maybe it can.

She gets a little extra cuddly when she's tired...

{this is one of my new fav pictures ever, makes my heart melt}

helping mama with the dishes

...and making sure mama was okay after a run (ha, smart girl!)

Need an excuse to open that bottle of wine mama?

Do some cork painting!

Have a happy one...

{I know this made you smile}!!

"BEING" her mommy

"...let your face smile on us, Lord.

You have given me greater joy than those who have 

abundant harvests of grain and new wine."

Psalm 4:7

In the midst of many "adjusting" days to toddlerhood (for her AND me),

today was one that captured my heart and brought me a lot of joy as HER mommy.

Every day does, really.  

But sometimes I think I get caught up in the

"being a Mommy" (and all that goes along with that),

 instead of just being with her.

does that make sense?

I told myself and the Lord today that I want to pursue more times of 

just BEING in the moment with my little girl.

We aren't promised tomorrow, and with loss too familiar to us in this season,

 I don't want to ever regret missing these precious moments.

so today, Im soaking them up...

When did this little baby grow up so big?!

She walks her snacks back to the little table in her play area and sits in the chair

waiting for me to join, but the minute I sit down she pulls me up...

it is clearly HER table.

But she does want me close by, on the floor next to her.

(just not at the table! ha!)

I'm happy to sit wherever next to my little bug.

(thats been her nickname since about 6 wks old)

This bag must have been filled 

and then promptly emptied 

a million and one times with easter eggs.

She is very intense and diligent about whatever she is doing.

I found myself at one point picking up the eggs to put them away, 

because she had moved on to the next thing.

But something in me just stopped and said 

not to worry about picking up right then...

to just go BE and play with my girl.

Im trying to just BE in these moments, remember?

And precious they are.

This afternoon, we did a little "water painting" in the driveway.

She LOVED it!

She loves sticking the paint brush in the water and seeing the stripes she made on the ground.

And when she pulled one shoe off and threw it in the bowl of water,

And when she decided the paint brush was enough like a hair brush to paint her head with it,

And when she tried to drink from the bowl...

I remembered to BE in the moment, just like she was.

That's the face she makes when she's super excited.

"ooooooo"

so stinking cute.  :)

I "painted" a big A for her name and she finished it.

She did not want this to end.

and neither did I.

We used the whole bowl of water until it had all splashed out or been painted away.

My precious Abigail, I am so blessed by the 

joy you bring to my moments.