On Being a Mother

In just a few short weeks, my little guy is going to be 3. THREE! How is that possible? It feels like we just brought him home, completely smitten and yet in total shock that they'd actually let us leave the hospital with this tiny being. And now there isn't a trace of that baby left in this little boy anymore (well, except for that occasional whining session). In these past three years, here are a few things I've learned about being a Mother:

• From the moment he was born, I knew that there is nothing I will achieve in my life that will ever compare to being a Mother and raising my son.
• Spontaneous kisses and hugs from my toddler are more valuable to me than gold.
• It's important to take any opportunity to be playful and join in the game, even if roaring at the top of my lungs in our backyard makes me feel silly.
• I am my son's first teacher, and the way I react to things really make an impression on him.
• Kindness in dealing with tantrums and less than ideal behavior goes a long way.
• Sharing silly moments with my little guy makes both of us happy.
• To watch my little guy jump, run, learn, sing... it all makes my heart soar. 
• You can't understand the depth of a parent's love for their child until you become a parent yourself.
• Quiet moments, when he spontaneously holds my hand for no reason whatsoever, are becoming fewer and farther in between. I want to memorize every second of every moment, because they are pure bliss.
• My life is richer, happier, louder, more challenging, more frustrating, more rewarding, and messier as a Mother than I'd ever expected it would be. And I love it.
• He doesn't expect perfection from me, just unconditional love, protection, and guidance.. so I have to remember to be kind with myself when I fall short.

I'm so looking forward to watching my little guy grow, achieve, and learn. I'm so happy I get to come along for the ride. 

More misting

I'm one of those people that gets a little obsessed when I find something I love (note the two baby sweaters and the two pairs of baby booties recently finished). If I find something I love, be it a pattern, a new craft, or a new recipe, I'm likely to want to do it over and over and over again. So it's no surprise that I'm a misting fool these days. I've been wanting to try the misters I've seen for sale, but I just didn't want to spend the money without knowing whether I'd like it or not. I'm so loving that I'm using stuff I already had on hand to make my own.

My dear friend, Genny, is a talented photographer and has recently taken the plunge to start her own children's photography business. I'm so lucky that she constantly carries her camera with her and photographs my little guy -- so I had these lovely photos, taken by her, that I had recently had printed. As soon as I saw them, they took my breath away. She managed to capture M's personality perfectly. All three of these photos reflect who he is right now. So, of course, I needed to scrapbook them or risk them getting lost in the black hole that is my photo storage "system".

But, since most of my scrapbooking supplies have been slowly making their way into boxes, I had only a handful of supplies to work with. No matter... these pictures are so lovely that they really didn't need much to make them shine. I used my misters (I'm obsessed, I tell you!) and those chipboard stars I used as accents on yesterday's layout to make a subtle background. I added a scrap of some adhesive borders, covered the stars with washi tape to make them stand out, added a title with letter stickers, and some journaling, and... done! Just like that, a new favorite layout, finished!

What have you been obsessed with lately?

Re-discovering old favorites (and make your own mist!!)

As I've been packing up our belongings, I've come face-to-face with the massive amounts of craft supplies I own. It's funny, I've always known I own a lot of scrapbooking, stamping, knitting, and sewing supplies, collected over the last 12 years. But when everything is tucked away neatly (or semi-neatly) it doesn't seem as massive. Or as inspiring, really.

But as I was sorting through paper, stamps, stickers, and photos, I suddenly got an overwhelming urge to scrapbook. That urge has pretty much been gone in the last few months, and I'm not really sure why. Anyway, I remembered seeing this tutorial for making your own glitter mist, and since I'd just found my mini misters and re-inkers, I figured I'd take a break from packing and sorting to play. (As an aside, Balzer Designs is an amazing blog to check out, especially if you're into paper art and art journaling. WOW!).

Anyway, so this is the result of my experimenting with re-inkers, perfect pearls, and mini misters. I used my old Heidi Swapp alphabet masks for the title, and I was immediately reminded why I loved them so much when I first got them.

I love that a little misting goes a long way, letting you put a page together with little more than cardstock, the mask to write out the title, some tape, and letter stickers.

Oh, and those stars? I used them to mask star shapes on another page I used my misters on. I'll share that one tomorrow.

Ah, it felt so good to create something and forget the mess waiting for me in our spare bedroom for just a little bit... Now, back to sorting through that mess!