Big Announcement

Ok, so I know you’re all sitting around thinking:

“Geez…Brittany has really been slacking lately. I check her blog everyday and she has not been posting as much as normal. What’s her problem???”

Well before you each go and do something drastic like stop following me….read on to hear the fabulous reason why.

Drumroll please……

I’m pregnant!

Yep that’s right. I’m busy growing another baby. And wouldn’t you know…that’s really tough work! I can hardly get off the couch. And you would think that since I generally have the computer on my lap I would still be updating, but alas, my brain seems to also be slowing down. I turn most of my attention to trying to keep my daughter happy. Luckily, though, the hubby is home for the summer and has been helping out immensely. Doesn’t mean my house isn’t close to be declared in a “state of emergency.”

So far the pregnancy hasn’t been the most enjoyable but that’s ok. I’m on medication to control the vomiting (TMI?) so that’s wonderful. Anyway, hopefully I can return my brain to normal functionality soon and continue on with regular scheduled programming.

And since every post should have a picture…here’s a picture of my pee stick.

You Know You’re a Mom When…

1. Showers become luxuries.

Let’s face it, there’s a reason I wake up at 6 am, and it’s not because I like being awake at that awful hour. I get up that early because if I don’t wake up and shower before the munchkin gets up I will not get a shower that day. Or if  I do I have to wait until about 2pm. Yuck.

2. There are days when you forget to brush your teeth until lunchtime.

You know, honestly, I don’t think this one needs much explanation. We’ve all been there.

3. You will do anything to avoid waking a napper.

I adore naptime. Now, it’s not that I don’t love spending time with the little one. But I do need a break. Plus that’s when I get the most crafting and blogging done. I’ve gone as far as taking a loaf of French bread into my room to eat because Mackenzie was asleep on the couch and I knew the crinkle of the packaging would wake her.

4. You share half of your food even when you don’t want to.

Mackenzie has the amazing knack of knowing when I am eating. Then she comes up to me with the cutest face on the planet. She opens her mouth like a little bird waiting to be fed! How can I resist that?!

5. You hide in the pantry (or some other small dark place) to enjoy a snack (in my case…chocolate)

See above. Sorry, but there are times when I just do not want to share my chocolate. And so yes, I have been known to stand at the pantry, pretending to be looking for something or throwing something away just so I can enjoy my chocolate. Pathetic.

Homemade Bath Crayons {tutorial}

well…sort of. I’m not completely satisfied with how they turned out but I wanted to post the tutorial so I could tell you how I would do things differently. But I have to tell you that this was really fun to do and Mackenzie thoroughly enjoyed “helping” so that’s what matters, right? Right.

Supplies Needed:

• 1 c (ok we actually had 4 cups) of Ivory soap
• 1/4 c (so we used 1 c) hot water
• food coloring
• plastic cookie cutters or other molds

Step 1: Shred your soap. We used the finest there is.

Step 2: Put the soap in a big bowl and pour the water in. Ok here is where I would do things a little differently. I would put a little less in. I felt like the mixture was too runny and though is did clump up some, the crayons never hardened like they were supposed to and I think this is a big contributing factor. I also would probably make smaller batches then follow our example and make huge ones. So mix the soap and water. If you just want one color of crayons you would add the food coloring here. See, you’re supposed to be able to knead at this point but ours was too mushy to do that. Separate the mixture into smaller bowls to add coloring.

Step 3: Add your food coloring and mix. Remember the more drops of coloring, the darker the end result.

See how the soap didn’t exactly dissolve like it was supposed to? I think smaller batches would aid this problem.

Step 4: Line a cookie sheet with wax paper and place your cookie cutters on it. Press the mixture into the cookie cutters.

Step 5: Place in freezer for 15 minutes. Remove and let dry overnight.

Step 6: See, at this point they should be hardened and ready to pop out. Ours were still mushy inside. Maybe I should have popped them out while they were frozen and then let them harden that way. they are also crumbly which is a result of the soap and water ratio and batch size. But at any rate Mackenzie has some fun soaps for the tub and maybe since they are sitting there and it’s unlikely she’ll get a bath tonight they’ll harden even more!

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Blue Cricket Design

Friday Hops

Welcome to My Decoupaged Life! Make sure to check out the site and follow if you like what you see! I promise to follow back if you leave a comment! Also if you run an Etsy shop or the like make sure you check out the "Sponsor a Tutorial" page. It's great publicity for you. I'm also on Facebook and Twitter!

Easy Matching Game {tutorial}

Ta Da! So what do you think of the new design? I have to say…I love it! I had so much fun designing it. I don’t know though that I’m completely done. I might add a thing or two here or there. Let me know what you think! And now onto today’s tutorial….

During the summer (ok year round with me) it’s easy for our kids to quickly slip into the “I’m bored” mode (in fact my teacher husband just said that to me five minutes ago….) so I try to keep fun and quick games around the house. One that is always a favorite is “Memory”. But let’s face facts..I’m not going to spend money (not even $5) on something that I am perfectly capable of making…for free. And Memory is one of those things.

ps. Sorry for the lack of pictures! I just think this project is fairly easy…..

Supplies Needed:

• Scrapbook paper (it can’t be too distinctive since it will be the back of the cards)
• Pictures (make sure you have 2 of each…I just printed mine from Google images…Disney princesses for us but whatever)
• mod podge
• scissors

Step 1: If you are getting your images on your computer, arrange them in a Word (or whatever you prefer) document so that each image is in the middle of its own 2”x2” square. Print all the pictures on cardstock (helps make it firmer). I think I had 9 pictures (so 18 total since you need two of each) but obviously you could have more for more of a challenge.

Step 2: Before cutting out, mod podge the back of the images papers to the back of the scrapbook paper. Make sure there are no bubbles or the paper will separate when you cut them apart. Cover with mod podge on both sides so all your paper is nice and sealed. Let dry.

Step 3: After you triple check that all the mod podge is dry, cut out your pieces. Arrange them on the floor or table and guess away!

Please Excuse My Dust!

Want to know why I've been MIA this week? (Besides summer, and having a husband home all. the. time., and...well you get the idea) It's because I'm redesigning my blog! I've been doing it all myself (which I'm pretty darn proud of) and it's consuming me. It's actually kind of addicting. Anyway, I'm hoping to have it all done by the end of today but I am also going to a crawfish boil (yum!) so we'll see. No matter what I promise it'll be done tomorrow!

I'm a Posh Site!

That's right! I was featured over on Posh on a Budget...go check it out!

Why You Should Follow Me on Facebook….

besides the fact that I’m awesome of course. But if you’ve ever gone over to my Facebook page you would know that you’re the reason you should follow!! Wait…that doesn’t quite make sense.

Ok so whenever I find something fabulous I love to share it on Facebook. (oh and ps I’m much more likely to share if you have the handy dandy button at the bottom of your post…check that in your blog settings). So you could be featured!

So really, it benefits you two ways…get featured and see all the awesomeness that is out there in creative blogland at the time (ok and mommy blogland as well).

So head on over….come on get a move on!

Oh and because every post should have pictures…here’s the hubs and I in Disney World!

Hoppin on Friday

Welcome to My Decoupaged Life! Make sure to check out the site and follow if you like what you see! I promise to follow back if you leave a comment! Also if you run an Etsy shop or the like make sur eyou check out the "Sponsor a Tutorial" page. It's great publicity for you. I'm also on Facebook and Twitter!