Pinterest canvas project

So I attempted a Pinterest project last night.  I was feeling very ambitious and thought "this is going to be awesome and I can not wait".   Then I entered Hobby Lobby and went on a crafters over load, my Pinterest would not load on my phone and realized I was in way over my head. 

I wandered around the store for a little over an hour with my girlfriend while we gathered supplies for her project and then I said "I think I will just wing it".  

I was wanting to do a large canvas, with vinyl stickers and paint the canvas in a teal.  After much realization of the possible cost of all the craft supplies and was having crafters remorse before it was even purchased.  The vinyl bird stickers were $24.99, the canvas was $22.99 and I still had to buy paint. Then we stumbled upon the 2 pack canvases for $3.99, they were significantly smaller than I wanted, but it would be a good practice.  But what to do about the vinyl birds?  I found an awesome stencil and figured it would work out well.  

Here is what I wanted....

Here is what I made...

Simple steps 

1. Paint canvas to desired color

2. let dry and then apply stencil and paint stencil

3. let dry and hang where you want. 

I will be on the look out for Hobby Lobby to have the vinyl birds and canvases on sale, that way I can try the actual canvas project I wanted. 

I am very pleased with the results and it is currently hanging in my bedroom.

Check out other Pinterest projects here

My hubby is 32!!

Happy Birthday to my husband Bill, he turned 32 today.  It is hard to believe that I knew and dated him when he was 19 years old and that this is the 3rd birthday since we have been together.  Makes me think how quickly time flies, when you're having fun, in love and enjoying life.

I made him a coffee mug, you know one of the Pinterest mugs that you draw on with Sharpies, then bake?  It looked great, then...I baked it and my colors faded.  My purple turned to grey and my red to a burnt orange.  It is still pretty neat, just not as bright as it was before it was baked.

After it was baked

I bought him a funny card ( I am known for the sappy cards, so I think he was pleasantly surprised by my funny card), some Starburst candy and....

....I made him a homemade, from scratch birthday cake.  

I lit the candles and sang him "happy birthday"

Here is a fun, younger picture of my husband.

It looks like it is a picture of a picture, but he still has those dimples!

The boys behind the blog #5

I am so behind on blogging, there has been so much going on here and my broken laptop makes things very difficult.

I decided to participate in my first Boys behind the blog  link up.  I am actually pretty excited about this, I get to take this moment and share a bit about Bill.

There were 5 questions that were asked and Bill needed to answer them...I now leave the "floor" to Billy.

1.  Describe yourself in 5 words.
Loyal, truthful, stubborn, happy, in love

2. What is your biggest fear? Not being able to provide for my wife.

3.  What is your favorite candy?Starburst

4.  What is your favorite Halloween costume that you remember? In 7th or 8th grade I dressed as a girl.

5.  Who is your favorite sports team? Chicago Bears

My hubby Bill on our 1 year wedding anniversary trip to Atlantic City.  This is one of my FAVORITE pictures, I love his smile!  

Goals, dreams and a bucket list

October Daily  asks us to write about  goals and dreams for the future? You can share to us your dream house, dream workplace, or even your bucketlist before you turn 25!
Well since I just turned 29 3 days ago, I am out for the bucket list for "under 25", but I did do my "30 before 30" list.  It is a good list that is very attainable, I look forward to completing it.   Goals and dreams; start my photography business!  I want this more than anything, well almost, I want babies more than anything. I want to be able to come to my husband and say "I'm pregnant"!  Until then, photography business.  I think it will be mostly out door family shoots, at least until I can come up with a suitable studio place to lease.  I am very motivated and excited about this upcoming adventure!  

A friend took a picture of me! 

Favorite word...LOVE

Today's October Daily day 15. Post your favorite word and describe it in photos.   "LOVE"

My husband with our niece and nephews! 

My nephew

Our one year anniversary. 

More of our wedding. 

Right after our vows.

Our first vacation together also known as our honeymoon

Our wedding day

Our furbabies

30 Before 30

So here it goes my "30 before 30" list, in no particular order. As I complete them I will cross them off and also link it to the post with photos (I hope, still trying to get a hang of all of this).   I hope to have it completed by October 13, 2014  1. Buy the Nikon D5200 kit with extra lens and accessories 2. Host a holiday 3.  Run a half marathon 4. Get at least 10 clients, that are not family to start off my photography business 5. Go to NYC 6. Get Prego 7. Continue to blog 8. Bring my husband to a Chicago Bears game, it would be my first Bears game 9. Start paying off student loans 10. Make a scrapbook of our anniversary notes from our wedding guests 11. Host a dinner party for some of my girlfriends 12. Organize my pantry; labels and containers for flour, sugar etc.  13. Organize my craft supplies and.... 14. ...make a craft area in the basement 15.  Go unplugged for at least 2 days 16.  Have a 2nd anniversary photo shoot 17.  Get another tattoo 18. Catch a fish or two  19. Do something awesome for stranger 20. Find and attend a murder mystery with my husband 21. Go to a pumpkin patch 22. Volunteer somewhere 23. Go ice skating down town Chicago 24. Attend an event where I have to dress up in a fancy dress 25.  Complete a full photo a day monthly challenge through instagram 26.  Print, organize and make photo albums of a lot of the photos I have taken 27.  Write a love note to my husband in "our book" at least once a week for a month 28.  Go camping 29.  Read at least 5 books 30.  Send a random note to at least 2 friends a month

It's my birthday!

HOLY SMOKES, 29 years old today!!  Where has the last few years of my life gone?  I feel like I have accomplished so much and still have so many un-accomplished dreams.  I decided on Thursday of this week that today I will do my 30 by 30 list.  It will be another post for today as I continue to work on it throughout the day.  
Some fun facts for October 13th... -October 13, 1984 was a Saturday -October 13 is the 286th day of the year (287th in leap years) source -There are 79 days remaining until the end of the year. source -1958 – Paddington Bear, a classic character from English children's literature, makes his debut. -1983 – Ameritech Mobile Communications (now AT&T Inc.) launched the first US cellular network in Chicago, Illinois. -October 13, 1792 Washington lays cornerstone of the Executive Mansion (White House)source -October 13, 1971 1971 World Series: The first night game in World Series history is played at Pittsburgh's Three Rivers Stadium between the Baltimore Orioles and Pittsburgh Pirates. Source  -October 13, 2010 "33 miners rescued after being trapped for 10 weeks 2,000 feet underground - Chile" source
My birthday so far today has been nice and relaxing, just my husband and myself.  We woke up and went to breakfast and then to the pet store to look at birds, I am trying to decide if I am ready to have birds as of yet.  I am still trying to get over the emotional attachment that I had with them and the fact that they are gone. 
Be on the look out for my "30 by 30" list. 

Photographer, maybe one day

Have you ever wanted something so badly that it literally hurts some days?   That is where I am with pursuing my photography.  I borrowed Bill's aunts Nikon D3100 and have not put it down since I have had it in my hands.  It has been great practice for me and I can not wait for the day I go and purchase my Nikon D5200! Here are some of the recent photos that I have taken this week with the camera.  I am loving this opportunity to learn more about the camera and try to figure out what kind of photography I want to do.  I know I want to have a studio and take photos of kids and families.  A lot of my pictures that I have been taking are of the neighborhood birds, I let my sparrows, that I raised go 2 weeks ago and I know they are still around, in the mix of birds that are here. After I raised the birds, I realized I have quite the love affair with birds.   

Our niece Brooklynn

Our niece and nephew 

To be 5 again...

As my nephew and I set out on a bike ride through our small town Coal City, IL to go to Dollar General and pick up AA batteries, I bet he never thought he would be sitting in a combine, on a farm, helping plow some corn.   We took another water break, probably our 5th one in 5 minutes and it was at a corn field where a combine was plowing the corn field.  We stood and watched as the farmer plowed the field and then spit all the kernals into the little bins.  Then the farmer drove the tractor over to us, opened his door "do you want to ride with me and plow the corn"?  I wish I had my camera to have captured his face at that very moment when he looked up at me and said "can I Ti-Ti"?  There he went, he got to ride and plow 8 rows in the combine.  When he was done and the farmer helped him out he came running down to me and said "that was the coolest ever".  He shook the farmers hand, said "thank you" and we rode off.  

  Collin and I do tons of stuff, tons of 5 year old stuff.  He is my best little friend.  

here we are at the park

A quick recap of  C and I, he turned 5 on the 29th of August, this was my picture tribute to the best aunt and nephew relationship ever. 

Birthdays all weekend

Phew!  What a weekend and it was amazing, it was a nice reminder how amazing my family is especially the family I married into.  We had a couple birthday parties to attend this weekend, one of the parties was my husbands cousins son, he turned 3.   I am a picture whore, I love to take them, print them, hang them and give them as gifts.  So I thought to myself  "what if we could get all the grand kids and great grand kids together for a group photo for Grandma Darlene (my husbands gram) and give it to her for Christmas"?  I messaged all the cousins a week ago and we figured that the day of "LJ's" party would be the best time, everyone will be together.   I set the self timer and we took several photos; one large group photo and then each family by themselves.  This is going to be an amazing gift for gram.  

Group shot of all the grand and great grand kids.

My husband Bill and myself.

From LtoR: Sister in law with our niece and nephew Center: Bill's cousin Randy and his family R: Bill's cousin Shelia and her family.

This is going to be an AWESOME gift for gram and I can not wait for Christmas!  We also celebrated our nephew's 1st birthday this weekend, his birthday was on Friday and he had his BIG 1 year old party today(Sunday).  

Brandon on his new 4 wheeler.

SMASH cake!!

We had a great weekend with family celebrating birthdays.   ...and for a quick apology; my laptop screen has gone out, then the laptop completely died, it will be getting a tune up at some point, until then I am sharing a laptop with my husband, but I promise I will do my best to post.