Pinterest Addicton for Good. Time to Get Crafty.



Pete wants me to note I only drink an occasional glass of wine for its health benefits and antioxidants. As a responsible mom and potential adoptive mom, I LOVE water.

The first step is to admit the problem: I'm addicted to crafting, and since finding Pinterest, my need to get crafty is through the roof.

 

I first realized I had this problem at Kylie's last birthday party. I walked out onto our deck behind some of Pete's guy pals as they arrived and formed a protective circle amongst themselves. The conversation, which obviously was meant to take place without me there, went something like this:

Steve: (looking around the backyard): Wow! Holy cow!
Gary: I know!
I beamed with pride as I listened in to what I thought was an expression of appreciation for the hard work we'd done preparing for the party.
Ward: This is just so....
Pete: Yep, my life has been taken over by Pinterest. She had me hanging that homemade football toss game between those trees. I told her, 'I have no rope long enough.' But she says, "You can figure it out. I believe in you," and moves on to changing all those popcorn holders over there from saying "Popcorn" to "PUPcorn" because this is an animal themed party. **sigh**

The men go on to share how Pinterest has intruded on their lives. I pop my head into the circle of them saying something like, "Are the kids having fun? Is Kylie happy? Will she remember this party?... then I'm happy and Pinterest prevails! Besides, the PUPcorn thing came from my brain!"

 

So I find I am unmoved by the naysayers. I love it and I won't let it go. :) This addiction isn't harmful unless you're piece of wood (then it might hurt) and pretty things can be made out of what you have around the house.

Granted, not all ideas from Pinterest turn out fantabulous. I, like many Pinterest users before me, have failed to follow simple instructions to recreate what I see.

 

BUT this gives me an idea! I'm going to turn this addiction into something good for our family!

Love of crafting + love of making things for people + Need to keep fundraising for our adoption=  Making Things for Good, Creating for My Child!

 

So here's the plan:

1. Each week I will have fun making things for people I love as gifts.
2. I will post pictures of the crafts I make.
3. If they are fails, hopefully you'll get a good laugh out of them along with me. If you like them, I can make one personalized for you for a donation to our adoption fund.
4.  I'll share what it costs to make each item (just the supplies)
5. I will donate the time and labor to make the crafts for anyone who wants their own version in return for a donation of any amount (in addition to the cost of supplies) to our adoption fund. 
6. Those interested in any of the crafts can give me specific instructions (colors, patterns, sizes, etc.) and I'll either hand deliver or mail out the items to you.

I have no idea if this will work, but I'll have fun giving it a try!

 

Here are the first of the creations... gifts I made for my friend Tracy's baby shower this past weekend.

 

Item #1: Personalized frame to fit with your nursery theme.

Tracy's having a boy, and after seeing a pic of her nursery and talking to her about colors, I made this for her using a frame I found at homegoods, specialty papers and my printer. Cost for supplies $14.

I personalized this using a play on their last name...

 

 

I can make a personalized frame for any occasion: give me your colors, send me your pictures, tell me what wording you want (birthdate? anniversary? message?), and I'll send you "proofs" until I get it right.

 

Item #2: Personalized Initial, Letter or Monogram Wood Plaque



Tracy's little boy's name will start with the letter E, so I used her nursery colors (light blue and white/cream) to create this distressed/crackled wood plaque using the letter E. This one is layered with light blue, cracked with cloud white, sanded here and there and the letter E is hand painted on to the plaque in blue. I made this using a wood plaque, gesso, crackle paint, two paint colors, sand paper and a stencil with some hand painted touches. Cost for supplies: $19.

 

There is a shadow on the right. The background is white crackled and distressed paint on top of a light blue.

 

Please keep in mind that these are all "firsts" for me, so as I'm creating them for friends, I'm learning what works and doesn't work. I can layer this with any two colors of your choosing, using crackling, distressing or just plain paint. I have several letter stencil patterns but can also make some if you like a certain font, print, etc..

 

Item #3: Matching "hand and foot print" pot.

While experimenting with the crackle paint, I decided to make Tracy a pot that matched the wood plaque -- one that she could put her son's handprint and footprint on when he's born. To make this I used a pot, gesso, crackle paint, cloud white and light blue paints, letter stickers, and I included the rest of the blue paint with it so she can match his handprint/footprint when she's ready. Cost for supplies: $5

 

I can make a pot any color or combination of colors for you, and I have tons of letter stickers and stencils to personalize one just for you or a gift.

 

Item #4: A diaper cake to match a theme or colors. This is actually something I made for another friend's baby shower. The theme was "nesting" with blues and earthy colors, and their last name is Quail. For this particular diaper cake I used 4 different types of ribbon, a wood wreath, a little nest, the letter q, decorate flowers, decorative bird and over 100 diapers. Cost for supplies (for this particular one): $112 but I can make diaper cakes of any theme to fit any budget.

Diaper cake I made for baby Q's shower with the theme "nesting"

I can create a decorative diaper cake or one that is filled with baby items. I can match your theme, budget, colors, size.

 

If you have ideas or would like to put me to work making a craft you've been eyeing for your home, party or as a gift, please email me at farnumpc@gmail.com. I will do whatever it takes to create something you love while also creating ways to fundraise for my future child.

 

 

 

 



Luke (or Mountain or Peaches)... I AM your SISTER!

 

Kids say the "darndest" things! Or... in our family they SING the "darndest" things!

We sing everything in our house. For instance, this morning's breakfast sounded a little like this:

Me: (to the tune of Elmer Fudd's "Kill the Wabbit" ie Wagner's opera)
 Eat your breakfast, eat your break-fast, eat your BREAKfast, eat your breakFAST!
Ky: (about the honey peanut butter I put on her toast to the tune of T.Swift's "Shake it Off")
I'm just going to take it off, take it off, uh huh, take it off...cuz I don't like the way it tastes, tastes, tastes...

So I guess it comes as no surprise (to those who have witnessed our mad singing skills to communicate) that we often react to big moments with song.

Two weeks ago, I sat Kylie down and said, "This is it! This is the day we are going to let our friends and family know we're going to try to adopt!" She gasped with joy, so I continued saying, "Yes, we are finally going to work on getting you that baby brother or sister you've been praying about for years!"

What was her reaction?
DUM DUM DUM DA DE DUM  DA DE DUM! To the tune of DARTH VADER's IMPERIAL MARCH!

I'm not going to lie. I was dumfounded. Pete, who was in the next room, leaned back on his chair through the doorway with a look of disbelief and started laughing.

Me: Was that... was that....?
Pete: Yes, Darth Vader's theme song.
Kylie: From LEGOS!

Me: You let her watch star wars?
Kylie: YES!
Me to Pete: Talk, we must. (about watching star wars)
Me to Kylie: Kylie, amazing how you picked up that tune so quickly! What about the adoption made you think of that song?
Kylie: It's big. It's important. He's a father! I'm a sister... get it?


I guess I do. To Kylie this is BIG. It's IMPORTANT. And she relates the song to "I am your SISTER!" For as long as Kylie has said heartfelt prayers and been able to express her greatest wishes, she has wanted a baby sister... then brother... then either... now both!

I just love her sense of humor, the way her mind works, and I can't wait to watch her bloom into the best big sister anyone could ask for.

The force is strong with this one.

The Beginning of a New Adventure: Our Adoption Journey

I've written and erased this journal entry a dozen times. Each time completely different.

I began to shape the details of our special announcement, but then a lot of questions came to mind. WHAT should I share? Do I tell about the heartbreak that led us to this point so people know how serious we are about this choice and share in our excitement? HOW do I share something so exciting and precious to our family? Do I tell them how vulnerable and nervous we feel? WHEN is it appropriate to share that we've begun this journey? WHY is how we decide to share the news with family and friends so important to us?

Then the teacher in me kicked in; teach about our journey in a fun and creative way.  The advertising major in me wanted to create an awesome visual to share the good news. The effect of a decade of non-profit work took over, and I envisioned a strategic plan to make the vision a reality. The writer in me grasped to tell our story without sounding depressing.  The Christian in me struggled to express God's hand in this decision.  The wife in me wrestled with how much to share while respecting Pete's privacy and career.  In other words, every part of me was competing to express the importance of our new adventure... our adoption journey.

I took a step away from the computer for a few days, and then it dawned on me.  I was getting tugged in all sorts of different directions, and I needed to just speak from the part of me that wanted to jump for joy and scream our news from the rooftops-- the mother in me. There is no greater influence over me than motherhood. There is no part of me stronger, no voice in me louder, no piece of me more treasured than the mother in me.

So, with no special graphics, no short story, no lesson plan, but admittedly with prayer...
As a mother of one with a dream for many, I am so happy to share ...

We are adopting!

We are beginning the process of finding our "somewhere child" through adoption.  The dream of having more children has been alive and well in my heart for over 15 years, but in the past few months, the song of a child I am meant to raise and love through adoption has been whispered into my heart and most importantly into the hearts of our whole family.

We have great hope that the adoption process will work for us, and at the end of this journey, we will hold our "somewhere child" tightly in our arms and forever in our hearts as a family.

There you have it. The journey to find our child has begun. I invite you to make my journey yours and follow along as we post updates and share this new adventure through this blog.