Pop Art Meets Victorian

This weekend we celebrated with my friend Tracy on the impending arrival of her second baby girl! The baby shower is a whole separate post for later, but for now let's talk about diying some pretty rad wall art. I combined two popular ideas floating around the crafting blog world right now of graphic prints and silhouettes, layering them into some graphic awesomeness with a personal touch.

The coral one is of Tracy round with this pregnancy. The pink one is of their family now. And the green one is with the promise of having baby girl's initials or profile on it once she makes her debut.

This project was shockingly simple, it just takes a little time. Here's how I did it. I'm sure there are other ways to go about it, but this made sense to me. Sorry for the lack of step-by-step pictures, the camera battery was dead the night I made these.

Materials Needed:
Canvas
Paint
Paintbrush
Stencil - I used this quatrefoil stencil. But you could do any assortment of graphic design/stencil in the background!
Picture of Subject
Scanner/Printer
Black Sharpie
Ribbon (Optional)

Step 1: Print and cut out stencil. (For multiple paintings, I scanned the stencil and reduced and enlarged the size before printing to end up with different sizes of stencils.)

Step 2: Use stencil to trace quatrefoil design onto canvas with a light pencil. (I actually even used a gummy eraser and erased the pencil immediately after I traced it for the pink and green paintings. The lines were still visible to the eye, but weren't as visible through the paint that way. This must be a technique I have reserved from middle school when I would secretly put make-up on in the mornings before school and then wash it off. The essence was vaguely left, but wasn't technically there so I couldn't get in trouble...sorry for being sneaky mom! )

Step 3: Paint in stencil. Let dry.

Step 4: Reduce or enlarge photo on computer as needed to fit canvas proportion. We don't have a fancy photo shop program so I just pasted the pictures in Word and fiddled with size.

Step 5: Print picture and cut out around figures. (No need to print for detail. Just a fast draft, gray tones will do since you're just using it to get an outline.)

Step 6: Use picture cut-out as stencil and trace with pencil on painted quatrefoil canvas.

Step 7: Color inside traced figures with a "wet" black Sharpie. (By "wet" I mean one with lots of ink.)

Step 8: (Optional Ribbon) If you notice the pink canvas has a gray ribbon under the silhouette of Tracy's family. That's because the picture I had to use cut them off at their trunks and putting them flush at the bottom of the canvas was not in a happy rule of third's place for the eye. So, instead of just having them floating in space, I threw a little bit of ribbon under them to anchor them into the canvas by dabbing a little hot glue on the back of the canvas.


Now you have yourself a memory to treasure with style! Easy project, low-skill, medium time, big pay-off. The litmus test of crafting projects is if I actually want to keep it once I'm finished instead of chucking the product and re-chiming how creating is mostly "about the process". Yes, but it's nice to make something awesome every once in a while too! I think I'm going to make some of my family and kiddos for our home!

Flood's New Early Childhood Coordinator!

 It's official. I am Flood Church's newest employee! My job title is the early childhood coordinator for Flood Kids 0-5yrs and I'll be working under the direction of the Kids Pastor.

 Our Church Website/ My New Employer

I love when all the circumstances come together in such a seamless, easy way that it is impossible to ignore the God design in it all. Nate and I decided that I should get a part time job on a Sunday last month. The following Sunday I was approached about this one. All of the things in the job description were specifically the areas I am already involved in at our church. All of the responsibilities are things I already have experience in through my past while working at USD during college and the Academy in Malawi. The hours are flexible so that won't be an additional hardship on our family schedule and best of all it is a job that I want to do. Really, this is the best possible scenario all around. One application, one interview, and one very long week later I heard back that the job is mine! I am so excited for this!

So, why go from SAHM to getting a job? 

Don't get me wrong, the stay at home mom gig is pretty awesome! However:

1. Our expenses have gone up in the past year and we could use the money. It would be nice to be able to save more and to get to a point where it feels like we control our finances and not the other way around.

2. I like working. (GASP!) Mostly I like working in a job that I know my gifts are being fully used to the benefit of others. Being a stay at home mom is an honor and I value it. I love being here to raise our kiddos, especially in these early years. But I just feel like a part of me has been lying dormant the past few years and I'm ready to tap into this again and to use all of my heart, mind, soul. Working for the church still allows me to be a SAHM and to fulfill this desire.

When things work out so easily sometimes it's not too good to be true, but just too good to not be God. Here's to a new adventure in our family!

The Hug-N-Roll

 Happy ten months to our little man! In the past month Josiah has accomplished: growing two teeth, expanding his solid food diet, walking, waving, signing daddy, answering questions with smiles and laughter, full-body bouncing to music, and making everyone he meets fall in love with him. Chalk it up to his flirty smile and always-happy personality.

They say to start the way you want to end up. We definitely don't want Josiah to end up sleeping in our bed for the next five years, but we think it might happen. This is where he likes to be the best. Right on our foam mattress, wedged in between the body pillow and mama. I sub in the pillow for me once I need to get up. Thank you to that old Friend's episode for teaching me the "Hug-N-Roll"!

"Normal baby. Treat as such." These are the words Josiah's cardiologist keeps telling us. And we do...except for this sleeping in our bed thing. I'm shocked that this is happening myself, but we're just so thankful for Josiah's vitality. After so much uncertainty about his heart, I'm just so thankful to have a warm, healthy little bundle of baby breath that I don't care that his comfy spot is in our bed in between my pillows!

We love you Josiah! Happy 10 Months!