Life Lately with some Links to love.

Life lately with Miss R has been changing. What I mean is…. she’s turning into a kid! A human. She listens sometimes listens when I ask her to do something…. I can cross the street holding her hand while she walks (we used to have to carry her since she would run into the street)… she puts things back at stores (with some hesitation) when I tell her we can’t take it home… She sits at the table and eats her treat. Says thank you! She still doesn’t like to share…. especially that cinnamon roll. But, I wouldn’t want to share that either. Hee. She always says, “Bye, thank you! Have a nice day!” to most everyone we meet. She’s just growing! So fast. And, it doesn’t make me sad. I’m so happy to be here witnessing it! I love it. I love her curiosity. She’s a sweetie. 

On to some links I’ve been collecting for you guys this week!!!

I talk about truly loving what you do…. over at Just Lovely Things!

A letter to dead beat dads.

Stop it stop it stop it! This little handmade shop is full of too much adorable!!!

I’m definitely a brooch kinda girl. I love them. And, I’ll even wear them on a t-shirt (I’m neat-o). I usually wear vintage/antique pieces….. but, I do LOVE this little wooden brooch. A lot.

Cool! CMYK Easter eggs!

Have you seen the knotted bedding at Anthropologie? The bedding there is just a bit a lot out of my price range…. So, I love this little knotted bed tutorial! I think even I could do it!

I love this sweet drawing of a daddy and his daughter. She’s a talented lady.

A little thank you to these lovely lovely people that are helping to support my trip to BlogHer…. Thanks to you, you, and you!

For the adults on St. Patty’s…. a little drink.

And, this little St. Patty’s Day lunch is adorable for the kiddos.

So, Ashley from the Shine Project is doing a very cool Pay It Forward project. I read about Spread the Shine here on Karly’s blog. Go check it out. I bought my cards. 10 for $2.50 and the $ goes to the Shine Project. <3 Off to spread the love.

P.S. I have no idea what’s the deal with the Google Friend Connect… but, I think it’s supposed to be ending for non-blogger blogs. Just in case you still want to keep up with the bloggy blog…. you can follow my rss feed here.

Happy happy Friday to you all! Enjoy your weekend!!!


Paper Flower Frame: with free printables to make your own

I was wandering a local antique shop the other day…. and, I saw a sweet little image of a child framed by some pressed flowers. It looked like it was very very old. The flowers were long gone and very brown…. but, so very sweet. Someone loved this child and took the time to press and create this image.

When I was younger I did the whole pressed flowers/clovers/whatever experiment…. and, I probably have some of those old flowers in some old books somewhere I’m sure. But, I wasn’t really into doing that this time around. How about something new…. from old inspiration?

So, here’s my Paper Flower Frame! The paper flowers are new… the image is new… but, the frame is very old. My mom bought this frame from and antique shop when I was little. It used to hold the creepiest photo of a baby…. you know… the old photos of babies where the eyes followed you. Yup. So creepy. But, I safely removed the poor baby and have transformed the frame.

I’ve added one of my favorite photos of Ruari…. added a paper flower frame…. and, there it is! I am absolutely in love with this.

The how-to:

– Choose your frame. I completely recommend checking out thrift shops for an old frame. You might not be able to find a frame like mine…. My frame has bubble glass! It’s so lovely. Do you see? Yes…. it pops right out there! I love it… but, that’s ok! You can always take the glass out of the frame you choose if you’d like to add volume/bend the flowers like I did.

– Print out the image you’d like to frame! The photo I chose is an absolute favorite of mine from when Ruari was 4-months-old. I just used a Florabella Action in Photoshop to turn it black and white…. with a vintage feel. If you would like some free actions I recommend The CoffeeShop….. lots of free actions to download. Or, if you don’t have PS… there are many free programs online that will turn your photo black and white. When I had a black and white photo I just erased the edges of my image to give a faded look. PLUS: I had my image printed at a print shop on just plain old card stock. I feel like that gave  it more of a vintage look.

– Next up: print out your paper flowers! You can download the flower printouts herehere, and here. Cut them out.

– When everything is all cut out…. do a test set up with your flower frame. Arrange them all the way you’d like them to look. That way you’re already for gluing!

– Grab your hot glue gun*. Start gluing your flowers onto the photo you’ve printed out! Creating a little floral frame! I bent all my flowers before I glued them to make them a little 3D. *Tip: keep a little cup of water nearby for when you get hot glue on your poor little fingers… seriously. It helps!!! Put your beautiful creation back in the frame…. and, you’re all done! Hang and enjoy! <3

{You can download these flower printouts here, here, and here.}

Please let me know if you try this out! I’d love to see what you create! I think it would be a wonderful gift. <3

{Related Posts: //Paper Terrarium//Vintage Style Silhouette Tutorial//Diy Sewing Kit…. in a jar.//}

Linking up with Harper’s Happening for High On Thrifting!

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Categories: diy, For The Home


Wordless{ish} Wednesday: Skype Date

Yup. Saturday night I had a hot date. With 4 other beautiful ladies (Jess, Stephanie, Jessica, and Mandey). It wasn’t planned. Very last minute. And, it was so fun. I’ve been reading all these blogs since Miss R was a wee babe. So, it’s crazy we already know quite a bit about each other…. but, throw in some Skype…. 4 girls…. and alcohol…. you learn a bit more. Ha! I’ve met Mandey, Jess, and Stephanie in person before. But, not Jessica yet. So, that was a treat! Love that girl. If you guys haven’t seen their blogs, go give them a little visit. Say “hi”! They are all way too nice.

It was like going out for a girls night without leaving the house! I haven’t had too much of a chance to use Skype…. but, now that I’m a Mac girl…. I can! We ended up chatting till 1 am (Which means Jess was up till 4 am!!!). <3

How was your Saturday night?

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{If you have a Wordless{ish} Wednesday, please feel free to link it up below. And, feel free to link up to these blogs too… Parenting by DummiesProject Alicia,And Then She SnappedJenni from the Blog, and Live and Love Outloud.}


11 Things

Miss Jessica from Tart tagged me for an 11 things post….

There are five rules:
1. Post these rules
2. Post a photo of yourself and 11 random things
3. Answer the questions set for you in the original post
4. Create 11 new questions and tag people to answer them
5. Go to their blog/twitter and tell them that you’ve tagged them.

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11 Random Things ’bout me

– I have an extreme fear of speaking in public. Eww. There was a time I liked it in college. BUT, now I’m back to hating it. I need to work on that fear.

– Even though I’m terrified of public speaking…. I absolutely love meeting all the bloggers I have been chatting with online. Plus, we all mostly share the same interests and we can really nerd out and talk about blogging nonstop without boring anyone. Yes!

– I loooooooove fried chicken so much that I think the coolest road trip ever would be a tour of america’s best fried chicken restaurants! Yes please. With some thrift shopping of course…. I think I just died.

– I’ve been sick like 15 times this last year! What is going on? I’ve never had so many colds/flus in such a short time…. in my life. I blame my kiddo. ::sigh:: I’m fighting a cold right this minute. Dang it all! She’s not sick though. That’s good.

– I swear my mind never stops wandering. That’s why I usually have some sort of notepad with me to brain-vomit (that sounds gross) my thoughts into a safe place to reference later. Yay!

– My absolute favorite movie is the Pride and Prejudice with Keira Knightly. I love it and cry every time. If Joseph Gordon Levitt played Mr. Darcy: I would die.

– I really want to join a craft night club or something in Portland. But, I don’t know of any. And, I’m super busy already…. I probably shouldn’t add one more thing… even though I’d LOVE it.

– I’ve been drawing like a maniac lately. Not just for custom orders. I have goals I’m trying to meet/get to before April! I will do it!

– I’m really nervous/excited about the work my hubs and I are doing on the home. It’s slow going… but, it’s going. We pretty much have  $0 budget… soooo, you know. It’s all done by us. Ha!

– I’ve been listening to the Hunger Games series in audio book. I’ve already read the whole series… but, I really wanted to read (listen) to it again. I kind of like audio books! This is my first time going the audio book route. I like it.

– I absolutely love watching Antiques Roadshow. Husband does too. It’s what we do 8 pm on Monday nights. Just in case you were wondering.

My questions from Jessica:

1. Who’s your #1 celebrity crush?
Hee hee hee…. Joseph Gordon Levitt.

2. What’s your zodiac sign?
Aquarius (you have to sing the song when you say it)!

3. Do you feel your age?
Well… yes. Maybe older sometimes. My kid keeps me busy! Plus my work.

4. If you already have a kid(s)- do you want more? If you don’t- do you want to have kids?
I do have a kid. Miss R. I can’t have any more kids due to safety issues. BUT, we would like more somehow. Surrogacy and/or adoption.

5. Which movie character (not the star playing them!) do you think you’re most like?
Elf.

6. What’s your favorite cocktail ever?
Well… I’m mostly a wine drinker. Sooo… red wine. But, if I had to choose I’d go with a mojito.

7. If you could trade places with any blogger for a week, who would it be?
Hmmm… I don’t know. i don’t think I would. I’d only trade places with a blogger for the 2 weeks they are on vacation in Spain or something. Hee.

8. Could you have ever been a contestant on Fear Factor?
Nope. Nope Nope. Never. I can’t even watch the show. Gah. It freaks me out.

9. Are you a morning or night person?
Night person. Well… if I could do everything the way I wanted (my daughter needs to read this): I would wake up at 9 am and go to bed at 9 pm. Ha! I’m old.

10. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Living in Oregon with my wee family. Possibly with a new baby? Who knows. Bloggin’ away.

11. If you had to live in a reality tv show, which would it be?
Soo…. I get really excited during the auction/thrifting reality shows. So… those. Ha!

My questions for the tagged people to answer:

1. What would your dream profession be? Or, are you already working the best job ever?
2. Share something that your readers may not know about you…. and, you’d like to share.
3. Favorite band/song, movie, and book from the past couple of years…
4. What are your 3 favorite blogs/websites you always visit. (excluding me…. hee).
5. Do you have a favorite routine? Something you just do each and every day for yourself and enjoy?
6. What would you tell your 15-year-old self today?
7. Why did you start blogging? And/Or, why do you continue to blog?
8. What is a perfect day in your mind?
9. What’s your perfect date night?
10. Do you have a secret/hidden talent? Share a video if needed… just kidding. But, really…. Ha!
11. Finally: Please share your favorite cell phone photo you’ve taken in the past 2 months.

The sweet bloggers I tag and are welcome to join me are: Mandy, Abi, Rachel, Maryam, Charlie and Andy, Adriana, and Moorea.

AND, of course anyone is welcome to do this! Enjoy!

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Categories: about me


Ruari Vlog. Questions Answered.

SO. The other day I was making a little vlog… and, Miss R asked if she could make one too! So, of course we had to make one! I tweeted and facebooked and instagramed asking if any of my readers had a question for my sweet girl. And, you all did! She loved making this video. She just sat there and kept asking, “What’s next?”

Thank you for the questions everyone! And, if you missed my tweets…. etc. You can follow me on twitter here, Facebook here, and my instagram name is: thepapermama

Enjoy!

<3 Miss R


The Paper Mama “Black and White” Photo Challenge

The challengeAll my photo challenges should be based around your children (pets are always welcome). Black and white.

My example of “Black and White”:

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  • First time joining the Paper Mama photo challenge? Start here for rules and upcoming challenges.
  • My photo challenges do require you to have either your children or one of your furry children (pets) in the photo (unless it’s a self portrait week). It could be just one finger… or a toe… but, they must be there.

2010 winners . 2011 winners . 2012 winners .

Favorite photo from February.

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The Paper Mama


The winner of the “Family” photo challenge is…

This weeks challenge was: Family (click on photos to go to websites)!

First:

Congrats! You can grab your first place button here!

Second:

Third:

Fourth:

Fifth:

Congrats! You can grab your top 5 button here!

Favorites:
Congrats! You can grab your favorite button here!
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  • First time joining the Paper Mama photo challenge? Start here for rules and upcoming challenges.
  • My photo challenges do require you to have either your children or one of your furry children (pets) in the photo (unless it’s a self portrait week). It could be just one finger… or a toe… but, they must be there.

2010 winners . 2011 winners . 2012 winners .

Black and White!

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