Every Single Moment

Ever have one of those weeks? The week that everything that could go wrong or not according to plan, happens? Hopefully I'm not the only one.

It's been one of those weeks for me.

This week I've been focusing on trying to get my iPhone that fell in the bathtub (don't ask) working...without any luck. It's been somewhat freeing not to be tied to it - no emails, texts or phone calls. However, we only have cell phones. No home phone. So if I need to get a hold of someone quick, I'm out of luck. Thank goodness for Facebook. :)

So with the unfortunate accident with my iPhone (Those things are expensive...not cool.) combined with work, trying to keep my house in a somewhat controlled cleanliness space, and everything else that comes with day-to-day living, I didn't get to work on my dining room. It's still how it was last week.

This morning though, I hung up some word art in my kitchen. While I am stirring Gavin's oatmeal, preparing our dinner, washing the dishes, and sweeping the floor, I can now look up on our wall and be encouraged.

The holders are old pant hangers that I bought a while ago at Value Village. I love that it is easy to change up the quotes and Scripture. 

Just do a quick search on Pinterest or google and you will be amazed at all the free printables that people make available for your home. My favourite of this grouping is this one: 

 Enjoy every single moment. 

Even when my iPhone slips out of my hands and into the bathtub full of bubble-filled water. 

    Even when I have no idea what to make for dinner and Gavin is holding onto my legs crying. 

      Even when I am cleaning the bathroom, folding the laundry, taking a virus off of my computer (not the best time ever)

         Even when I crawl into bed at the end of a long day, lie down, and then remember that I still have laundry hanging on the line...and it starts to rain...

...Enjoy every single moment. 

AND Thank God through it all. 

Those moments are what make up my beautiful and not very glamorous life. 

Enjoy the moments this weekend. 

If you are looking for the "Enjoying every moment" free printable, click here. 



 

A burst of mirror

Once again I'm bringing you something from our gallery wall that travels up the stairs. Hopefully you don't mind. It's just that it is so easy to switch up and add new little treasures (like this hoop of memories). 

If you have been traveling through the blog world for a while now, you know that DIY starburst mirrors are a hot commodity. Even Melody made one for her living room.

I had seen this one that peaked my interest again in trying my hand at making one. 

{IHeart Organizing}

 (Please remember that if you would like to pin anything, go to the original source. We want to give the original websites all the credit.)

I had a little mirror from Dollarama (a pack of three for $2), an almost full package of barbeque skewers, black paint and a hot glue gun. 

I'm not going to give you the play by play on how I made it, because there are millions of tutorials out there, but it was easy. Really easy.

I said that I had almost a full pack of barbeque skewers. Notice that I didn't say full. Hence the reason why the mirror looks a little sparse in some places. I didn't want to get out of my sweatpants and go to the dollar store for more, but I probably will get more later if I feel it needs it.

It's exactly what that little landing at the top of the stairs needed. 

Happy weekend! 

 

 

Hoop of memories

I love my gallery wall. Every time I walk up the stairs with Gavin, we stop and look at the pictures. He breaks out into a huge smile as he looks at pictures of himself and mommy and daddy.  

 I have everything on the walls from framed pictures to a piece of flooring in a shadow box, a special CD to pretty scrapbook paper. I had seen this idea for custom embroidered heart samplers a while back and thought it was too cute to pass up. 

  Instead of a heart, I decided to embroider three special dates: the year Jesse and I met, the year we got married, and the year that Gavin was born. 

I had the hoop from a long ago trip to the thrift store. You can pick them up for as low as $.69 each. I put some fabric in the hoop, chose some embroidery thread, wrote the dates with a white gel pen and then used my past cross stitch skills and embroidered the dates. 

 

It's a simple craft that can be done as you sit on the couch and watch an episode (or two) of Up All Night, pretending that you are back in the days of Jane Austen. :) 

Happy Weekend! 

Linked up with C.R.A.F.T.

Not Just a Pretty Picture

A little while ago, you had a peek at our moulding that we've been working on in our entrance and staircase walls (you can read that post here). 

 Today I'm going to highlight the gallery of pictures that travel up the staircase walls. 

 

 There are many tutorials and ideas on Pinterest on how to make a gallery wall. Mine wasn't created in a fancy way. In fact, it may make some people cringe on how I hung up my frames. 

  I didn't use the toothpaste trick (which I've heard really works)...

 via: the industrial cottage inc.

 

...or the paper template tip (I'm too impatient). 

via: 320 * Sycamore 

 

  My trick was eye-balling the frame on the wall, feeling the back of the frame to see where the hook was, moving my finger to the wall where the nail should go, taking the nail and hammering it onto the wall. Up went the frame. Sometimes it was bang on (get it? Bang on?) and other times I had to take out the nail and try again. But it would be okay, because the extra hole would be hidden by the frame. :) 

 But all's well that ends well, because I love the result. 

  
Every time I walk up the stairs, I stop and look at the pictures and it makes me smile. 

Some of the pictures are from our wedding day, others from when we were dating, stamped feet of my little boy (you can see above), trinkets from memorable days or places, a little bit of map art, family pictures, and of course, pictures of our handsome little boy. 
 
   If you decide to make a gallery wall, remember, this is for you! Hang up things that you love. Small mirrors and initials are great to add to your gallery wall. I framed a CD that that my husband and his brothers recorded. The CD is meaningful, so instead of it hiding on a shelf, we can look at it every day.

  I decided to keep all the frames black, to give a cohesive look, even though the frames are all different. Some were spray painted and others were purchased black. 

Keep your eyes open for frames at your local thrift stores, dollar stores, Winners or HomeSense. If it doesn't match your colour scheme, break out the spray paint!

  
  What special things or pictures do you like framing on the wall? 
Anybody else hang pictures like me? :)