Life at 2222

Emma Grace's Tutu Dress

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 04:06:00 +0000

It is my cousin's daughter's 3rd birthday and she loves everything pink and girly! I found this adorable tutu dress but it is missing the pink! Enter Silhouette.

I used the font My Own Topher from Kevin and Amanda and printed on Silhouette's Heat Transfer in PINK! Just peel off the extra vinyl and then line it up. See the sticky plastic holding the letters?

Place a cloth (or a shirt from the Goodwill pile) on the vinyl. Iron with light pressure for 45 seconds.

Slowly peel back the plastic and give the letters a final press to be sure that they are firmly in place!

Perfect cover up for dance class!

I Heart Faces- Innocent Wonder

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 22:31:00 +0000

I am linking up to I Heart Faces weekly photo challenge. This week's theme is "Innocent Wonder." Here is Samuel quietly listening to his grandpa tell him a bedtime story.

March Madness

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 20:44:00 +0000

My brother is getting married in March and I took some engagement photos this fall. He and his fiance asked if I could make a Save the Date for them and they wanted it to have something to do with March Madness since they are huge basketball fans! I have no experience in design so I had to keep it simple but I came up with this ticket idea. Note: church name and last names have been blocked to avoid wedding crashers.

Jazzin Up the Soap

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 21:35:00 +0000

Have you ever wanted to make washing dishes more fun? I saw a tutorial on House of Hepworths and fell head over heels for her… soap dispenser. I forgot to take a picture of my unpainted Dawn Direct Foam bottle so you can check hers out if you would like.

First, find two bottles of expired food in your refrigerator. These bottles will serve as the holders for the two parts of the bottle. It will make you feel slightly less guilty to throw away an unopened bottle of salad dressing because you put it to good use for this project. I made a little skirt out of a cupcake wrapper so that the white tube that sits inside the bottle wouldn’t get paint on it and discolor my soap.

I spray painted outside when it was 12 degrees. It was one of the worst decisions of my life. My left hand was coated in spray paint after I accidently sprayed the can in the wrong direction and I could not get the paint off for three days. I did not document this because I did not wish to make my camera suffer as a result of this poor decision so just envision me spray painting in 5 inches of snow.

Here is the freshly painted bottle with two coats of Krylon plastic paint in “Textured Shimmer.” I used my Silhouette SD to add the T.

My jazzed up soap bottle has a place to call home and I can ~~look forward~~ dread doing the dishes a little less.

I am hooking up to some link parties--check out my link page.

First Silhouette project -- success

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 18:47:00 +0000

On a whim, I bought a Silhouette on Cyber Monday. After waiting over 3 weeks for it, it finally arrived! I spent an hour or so playing with small projects and then decided to jump all in to my first vinyl project. My brother and his fiancé are getting married in March and I had two showers for her this past weekend. Wedding expenses have been adding up quickly so I wanted to make something that they would love for as little as possible. I bought the frame for $9 at the Teej as I call it… aka T.J. Maxx. (Size is around 10x20) I threw the mat and back away and hot glued the glass into the frame so that they could easily hang it. I totally should have taken pictures on each step with the vinyl but I was worried that I would jinx myself! The letters were placed on the front of the glass but next time I would love to try glass etching the name on the other side of the glass and then layering the Est. 2011 on top of it slightly.

It’s a new year which means a new wrapping style…brown mailing paper and bright ribbon. This roll of paper cost 1/4 of what a roll of wrapping paper would cost and I can use it for any occasion!

P.S. The bride-to-be loved it and wants to hang it in their entry way. Success! On to my next Silhouette project…

I Heart Faces- Silhouette

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 03:55:00 +0000

This photo was taken during my first ever photo shoot last month--- with 5 kids! I told the boys to run up the hill and be tough and this is what I got. I showed the oldest boy the picture (being quite proud of the artistic shot) and he said "I think you need a flash." Hopefully the I Heart Faces crowd will appreciate it more than him.

Tupperware Round Up

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 01:22:00 +0000

I was reading Nester's blog today and other bloggers were sharing ideas their secret of being organized. I am making no claims of being an organized person but I know that when I have a purpose to own an item and a place to store it, it helps me control clutter. Reading the blog made me realize that my tupperware collection was out of control. I am moving in a few weeks and it was overflowing out of the moving container it was in. Don't judge.

First step--- lay out all of the containers and then dump the lids in the middle. I totally should have hired a 5 year old for the next part and they would have loved the matching.

All of my containers matched...

And all of my misfits going to the land of misfit tupperware (aka garbage)

After matching, I stacked the containers to condense them and thought about their purpose and where I would store them. The containers with blue lids are from IKEA and the lids fit multiple size containers so I don't have to try every lid I own to find a match. The pile with the red lids are very substantial-- lids fit tight and I can drop them without them busting open. The green pile has a different size lid for every container-- not working for me-- GONE. The pile on the left are the cheap "disposable" containers. When I thought about what I use those for, I realized that their purpose is generally for being given away during a Soup Swap and I only use the one quart size. Bye bye to the rest.

Here is my newest tupperware collection...
Look at its new home. For the next two weeks anyway...
No more digging to find a match. What is it about an organized cabinet that just lifts my spirits and somehow makes the move feel easier?

Fix-it Friday #74

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 19:23:00 +0000

Every Friday I Heart Faces posts a photo that is SOOC and let’s everyone have fun editing. It is awesome to see the different styles everyone chooses. I went for a warm, hazy look and you can see my edit below.

Original

For my edit, I cropped a little closer and then ran Coffeeshop’s Perfect Portrait 2 which allowed me to adjust levels and work on the little girls skin and eyes. I ran Florabella’s Spring Haze at 50% and PW’s Seventies Action at 20% to the lighten everything and add some warmth to the photo. Finally, I cheated and used Lens Flare to make it look like it was a bright fall day and the sun was hitting her face. Be sure to check out fix it Friday to see all of the different edits!

Pigeon Forge

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 17:14:00 +0000

On the way back from Chattanooga, we stopped to see my cousins and her little boys. She asked if I could bring my camera and I had never done a “photo shoot” before but I did get a few good pictures after lunch.

Tate just learned how to say TACKLE!

Samuel totally knows how to work the camera.

Fall Mantle

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 15:48:00 +0000

I move in two weeks so I was putting off decorating a mantle but its fall and its my favorite season! I broke down and did it but it was completely FREE with things I found around my house. I made my $10 fall wreath a couple weeks ago and threw it up on a nail I managed to wedge into a crack in the mortar. I wanted it up higher but I move in two weeks and I am pretty sure the next tenants will thank me for not mutilating the fireplace.

Piece of twine = instant fall candle. I threw a table runner on the mantle for an extra pop of color.

Twine balls are all the rage. I tried several different techniques will post my scientific findings soon.

I had these candle sticks and threw some pumpkins and leftover leaves on them. And once again—twine makes anything fall.

I promise the new house will have something more elaborate but I had to take advantage of the exposed brick one last time.

I Heart Faces- Smirk

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 04:35:00 +0000

These cousins got caught in the act swiping icing from a birthday cake when they thought no one was looking. Thank goodness for zoom lenses and being able to catch these guilty smirks.

Blue Magic

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 17:28:00 +0000

With Halloween around the corner, Black Magic would be a more appropriate title but I need to take a minute to talk about how great Blue Magic is. I found this 18 inch silver tray at a garage sale for $4. It was sitting in the sun when I spotted it and I nearly dropped it when I picked it up because it was so hot and much heavier than I expected. It was pretty scratched up but I loved the shape and details on the edges so I splurged :) and bought it. The owner mumbled something about “magic” and I assumed he was saying…”It’s gonna take some kinda magic to shine that baby up, sucka.” A quick google search showed rave reviews about a product called “Blue Magic.” Transformation in 3…2…1…

Tarnished tray—yuck!

Enter Blue Magic Metal Polish Cream

Would you look at that? Drab to fab. That was cheesy. Excuse me, it is late.

A little scratched in the middle but it will look great on a shelf or to use for cookies during the holidays!

$10 Fall Wreath

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 19:04:00 +0000

I went shopping for a fall wreath last week and was shocked to see that the cheapest wreath that I could find was $25. I love fall… but not that much. I saw that Allison from House of Hepworths created a wreath of her own. I was off to the dollar store and here is what I picked up.

19 inch wreath- $1

3 picks of leaves- $3

Picks of pumpkins/gourds- $2

Cattails, red flowers, and yellow flowers-- $3 (ignore the wheat--- I didn’t use it because that would be an $11 wreath and would require and separate post).

Ribbon- $1

Please take note of the glue gun in the upper right corner. It was a new purchase this weekend and I had a huge smile on my face when I checked out of Lowe’s with it. The guy at the counter probably thought the love in my eyes was for him, but alas, it was for the glue gun that ~~may~~ will change my life.

I picked up some pizza, turned on Swiss Family Robinson and started gluing away and tada… my $10 fall wreath was born.

I don’t have a traditional front door and I wanted to be able to enjoy it so it is hanging on the fireplace until I move.

I am working on a $20 fall mantle which includes this wreath. It will be posted soon!

Have a great FALL weekend!

T-shirt quilt---finally

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 14:07:00 +0000

Ta-da!!! After 8 years of saving t-shirts and 2 years of cutting, arranging, and sewing, it is finally done! The perfect football watching blanket!

Things I love:

1) Awesome fabric. The lady at the store tried to deter me but I don’t think it takes away from the shirts at all!

2) Minky fabric on the back. So perfect for the staying warm while watching football in the fall!

3) The clean look of the shirts and color coordination without looking like it was just thrown together. A little known fact--- I chose a college based on the fact that it matched my high school colors and thus would make a great t-shirt quilt. Ditto for the job and its colors.

No tutorial on this one but in case you are wondering, the squares are 12 inches and it comfortably fits on a twin size bed and fits even better on a couch!

The necklace that made me famous

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 13:53:00 +0000

I work for a celebrity’s non-profit foundation and we were at an event this morning with inner city kids. A little girl asked for my autograph and after trying to redirect her to the 6’7” guy in the room who is actually famous, I asked why she wanted it and she replied, "Because I like yo necklace." Signing the first resulted in a line of 10 more girls wanting autographs... being famous is hard work.

I Heart Faces- My Summer in Review

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 05:23:00 +0000

Click on photo for a closer look

I traveled to Alaska with my family this summer. It was one of those last minute deals so 2 weeks before the trip we found a 7 day cruise for $300 per person. My mom paid for the 3 kids to go so to thank her for taking us, I created a photo collage for her. Be creative when you look at the letters (it is her last name)... each of the photos reminds us of something from the trip.

T- boat anchor from an excursion

E- Eagles-- we saw 86 bald eagles one day and each one was breathtaking

D- yummy food on the cruise

F- dolphin statue in the pool area of the ship

O- life ring from the Aleutian Ballad-- one of the ship's from Deadliest Catch

R- a park we visited while in Vancouver

D- crab measuring table from a crab boat in Ketchikan

It was an amazing trip-- I hope that everyone enjoys getting a quick glimpse!

Beautiful Asheville!

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 20:17:00 +0000

I just returned from Asheville over the long weekend. What an amazing trip! I was amazed by the unique architecture that we saw on our historic trolley tour. Here are a few snapshots of my favorites:

Reason #72- Why I love my Mac…

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 19:48:00 +0000

This morning, my power adapter looked like this. Not safe…

It now looks like this and I didn’t have to pay anything! My Macbook is 4 years old and out of the Apple care warranty. I googled “broken Magsafe adapter” and the result was lots of tutorials of how to fix it. Most of the tutorials started like this… grab a blow torch, a file, 4 sets of pliers, and 3 knives.

I am not trying to break out of prison—just trying to get a little juice to my laptop. I stumbled upon an article about a faulty design and that some models were being replaced for free! I set an appointment and while I was there, the Genius (what a great job title!) realigned my laptop after a little mishap involving a flight of stairs and concrete which left my CD player smooshed.

This concludes my story on why I love my Mac.

Big Plans

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 02:06:00 +0000

I have yet to close but still, I have big plans for this house. I visit her often (good thing its only a mile) and each time, I think of new things that I want to do. It's going to be a busy fall! Now if the bank can just get down to business and give me the keys so I can get to work...