Etsy Shop is Now Open!

So excited to announce that my etsy shop is now open!  It'll mainly feature paper goods and painted products.  Here's a sample of some things in there, with lots more in the works!!

www.etsy.com/shop/bigskylullaby

Make a Sensory Learning Box with Stuff You Already Have

If you're like me, you probably have an abundance of craft items that currently make a corner or closet of your home look like an episode of Hoarders.  Well, now is the time to put all that stuff to good use!  My little guy is into EVERYTHING, and he loves to explore different textures.  Thus, the tactile sensory box was born, using items from around our house and my craft stash.   Fire up your hot glue guns girls!  

 To start, you'll need a box to adhere all your items to.  I used this nicer box from an empty Project Life kit that has a magnetic closure.  You could easily use a gift box, shoe box or even a piece of cardboard/foam core.  Just make sure it's sturdy enough to withstand repeated abuse from little hands.

When looking for items, make sure you keep baby's safety in mind.  Even though all of the items I included are rather large, this would something I would only give my little guy while I supervised. I hot glued the beejebus out of ALL of these things, but you never know what little fingers are capable of.   :)

I laid them all out on the top and bottom before I glued anything down so that I could adjust the sizes and spacing.

Here are the items I included:

For items that are clear or blend into the white background, I just added a little doodling to draw baby's eye.

 The woven pleather material is a piece of a makeup bag that came with a free gift from a cosmetics counter.  And the fur, well, comes from my outdoorsman of a husband.  Oddly enough, it's Jack's favorite thing to touch in the box.  Faux fur would totally suffice.

My little guy LOVES this, and keeps him busy for quite some time.  The beauty of this project is that you can customize it to include what you have around your house, and it's FREE!  Here are some other items you could include:

small slice of wood
rocks
pipe cleaners
cotton balls/pom poms
burlap
piece of wash cloth
sandpaper
raffia
velcro
yarn
glitter paper
felt
waxed paper
faux fur
popsicle sticks
sequined/beaded fabric
puff paint dots

Think Pink

Warm spring weather is just around the corner, and I may be guilty of already dressing like it's here. I'm LOVING all things pink, and I admittedly wear it all year round.  Bright, obnoxious pink.  And if that's wrong, I don't wanna be right.

But there is a way to incorporate it into your wardrobe without looking like Barbie's Little Shop of Horrors.  Here's some of my favorite ways to include one of my most loved hues in a good way.

Orly's Beach Cruiser

Best described as a "fluorescent pink cream," this polish is like a highlighter, in the best way possible.  If it's a little too loud for your taste, the other pink I always reach for is Essie's Bachelorette Bash

Still pink and lovely, just a little more toned down.  

Kate Spade Clarice Pump

Uh.mah.gah.  uh.  mah.  gah.  These might be the most perfect shoes the world has ever known.  Ever.
Such a fun pop of color with a little black dress or a wedding gown.  Hell, wear them while you're vacuuming.  LOVE! (Am I the only one that likes to wear new shoes around the house when I first get them?)

A more practical option: RSVP Jutte

At $79, these are a little more in my price range than the Kate Spade beautes, and these are still beautiful.


Kendra Scott Harlow Necklace and Morgan Earrings

It's no secret that I'm a HUGE Kendra Scott fan, and she just released some of my favorite pieces in both magenta and neon pink.  I own these pieces in magenta, and the color is GORGEOUS!  You really can pair this color with so many others for a classy pop of color.  I love it with navy, purple, turquoise, and even a warm pumpkin orange.  Perfection, Ms. Scott. Perfection.

NYX Lip Pencil in Fuchsia

This is a beautiful fuchsia shade that I think would look great on a variety of skin tones.  I believe mine was under $5 at Ulta, makes my teeth look crazy white and stays on pretty well.  What's better than that?  I use it to fill in my entire lip, and use a clear gloss on top when I want the true color, a muted nude shade on top when I don't want it as vibrant, and I use Revlon Color Burst Lip Gloss in Adorned

when I want some seriously pink lips.  The gloss is beautiful on it's own also.  These have been some of my favorite lip products of the last few months.  You wouldn't think bright pink could be as versatile as it really can be.

Featherweight Cardigan 

Am I the only one that longingly looks through the JCrew catalog imagining what my closet would look like if I won the lottery and didn't have to worry about spit up and chewed puffs all over my clothes?  Anyone?  No?

Well, a hot pink cardigan is always a beautiful addition to a wardrobe, and can be worn to work or utilized on a casual day.  If my wallet was bottomless and my clothes stayed pristine, I'd pair this bad boy with a pattered cotton shirt.  (Polka dots would be at the top of my list).

Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Amused

If you aren't familiar with the amazingness that is Tarte's Amazonian clay blushes, get one or two of these in your life.  You deserve it.  Blush will last you forever, and these colors/formulas are beautiful. Easy to apply, awesome color payoff, and they stay put for hours.  This color in particular gives you that "just in out of the snow" look like Jack Frost has been doing some nippin' (wait...that sounded like something altogether different than what I meant...)  You get the idea.  Natural, youthful color.  There. No more nippin' references.  

Even if you're not the biggest fan of pink, try it.  Just try.  It's a great color for your complexion, and it's fun and girly.  What are your favorite pink items?

Project Life 2014

As part of my resolution to simplify and get things done, I've started doing Project Life digitally.  If you aren't familiar with Project Life, google your little heart out.  It's amazing.

I have been doing it for the last two years, and it was wonderful to do last year during my pregnancy. (It's amazing what you can get done with nine months of insomnia.) The problem is, I've started both years but haven't finished either.  I LOVE toying with physical scrapbook items (can we say hoarder anyone?), but it's not the most time efficient process for me.  I start with big plans, and end up sitting on the floor pawing through a box of paper or stickers, and not actually getting a whole lot done.  With my teeny man around, I have even less free time that I did before to get things done.

Insert digital scrapbooking.  It's time efficient, cost efficient (no more Hobby Lobby shopping raids. Who am I kidding?  For scrapbook stuff anyway), and I LOVE that I can print an entire year in a single, sleek bound book at the end of the year.  It does mean that I'm scanning all my ephemera/momentos and not sticking it in pockets pages.  I'm scanning and then throwing the stuff out.  I know.  I had to breathe into a paper bag the first few times.  But honestly, getting rid of the clutter can be quite liberating. I can save the memories, but not the junk.  (I'm even selling quite a bit of my old stash if anyone is interested).

So far, I've kept pretty close to updated for 2014.  I'm going to try to go back in between and finish 2013 (ahem, and 2012).  Here's what it's looking like so far:

Week 1:

For this week, I used the "style A" design, and chose text and embellishment colors from hues in my photos.  I love packing in the pics, so I've used quite a few collages (mostly from Cathy Zielske).

She also made the calendar card, and the cute little label.  The main font I used for text is Bebas Neue, with a smidge of Chunk 5.


Week 2:

Since I had so many photos this week that I just couldn't leave out, I did the format a little different.  I ended up with several pictures/cards/text for each day of the week, and I kinda like it this way.  This may be the new norm.

Again, I chose colors from photos in the layout, and made my own embellishment cards from favorite quotes (and a heart .png from a Spendid Fiins 2013 calendar card set).

 Since my sweet baby turned seven months old during week 2, I added an extra two pages for his monthly stats and photo shoot.

I answer the same questions each month (which I found circulating the blog world), and take Jack's picture in a birthday sticker and white onesie.  It's not always on the 8th of each month, but it's close enough.  

The empty white box is for a QR code for the video of his 7th month.  I haven't made it yet, but will add the code in when I do.  I like that adding these codes makes the scrapbook a little more interactive. 

Week 3

Still loving this format, which lets me incorporate more photos and journaling and less decorative fluff.  

I switched the main font to my personal favorite, Ostrich Sans, but made embellishment cards using Miserably Lose (because I love the handwritten look of it).  I think this particular font compliments the Ali Edwards Photoshop brushes, so I can see it becoming a new favorite.

I tried to get my DSLR out more this week, and I think it makes a huge difference in the overall look of the pages.  

Since I had a lot of pictures and a card that I wanted to scan from my sweet hubby, I added a second set of pages.  

When I'm searching for items to fill up spaces in a layout, I always love to include QR codes for videos,  text messages that I want to save, pictures of what I'm currently loving, and lists of all kinds (beauty items I'm using at the moment, what I'm reading/watching, books we checked out from the library, blogs I'm loving, etc.  You get the gist).

This was too sweet not to include.  I scanned the outside of the envelope, front of the card, and the inside.  Now I can keep this card forever without keeping it forever.  Know what I mean?  Simplify.  Less clutter = more happy.