End of 2012

What do I wish for 2013?  I want to be fearless of taking risks.  I wish for more fun moments with my husband, daughter, family, and friends.  I leave you with this picture of this boy I find completely inspiring.  I'll tell you more about that picture later.  For now, he reminds me of hope and fearlessness.  

Happy new year!

Starry eyed surprise

I saw some unexpected bling when we visited the Palm Springs Art Museum a few years ago.  I just came across these pictures that I took of their chandelier.  I reminded me of the New York Time Square ball.  If I had to do a New Year's party, I think I would make the ball drop like this one.  

                                                      It's a starry eyed surprise. 

                                                 Did this chandelier inspire you?

Thank you videos, project #8

Hello! I love watching our daughter open up Christmas presents. There is such excitement and wonder with tearing out the paper and see what's inside.  I thought it would be nice to share that with our friends and family who have been giving gifts for the baby. I have been recording her experiences with the presents and sending them to our friends and family to be a part of that moment and to say thank you.

Gratitude gifts for Christmas, project #7

My friends and I have been trying to express more gratitude, especially since there have been lots of changes in our lives recently.  I started to make a happiness jar to remind myself visually that I need to be grateful for every day.  I saw the idea from Elizabeth Gilbert, the author of Eat, Pray, Love, on her Facebook account.  I decided to take that idea to my dearest friend's present.  I found a photo ornament from Michael's craft store.  I printed out some of my friend's Facebook status updates in which she was thankful for something.  I figured this could be my tradition for her every year for her tree.  This was her gift for 2012.

Update on project#2 secret admirer package

It was exciting to see my secret admirer package come in the mail for my husband.  He had no clue who it was from and it surprised him when he opened up the envelope to find pictures of us. Initially, he thought he had a stalker...hehe.  He said it was cute and definitely unexpected.  I loved that it was something new for him.

Horrible news from Connecticut

There are 20 sets of parents in Connecticut tonight who are mourning the loss of their children. I cannot imagine what they're going through. It saddens me to hear that there are people out there who can get their hands on a gun and will not see children as the miracles and little angels, but instead as objects to be shot at.  My prayers go out to those parents and the rest of that community. I know I've been hugging my baby tighter today.

Our home Christmas decor

My mom made all the bows herself when I was 8 or 9.

I added my little sister's old homemade ornaments on the fireplace screen so that they don't get lost in the tree with the other ornaments. 

I made paper snowflakes and ornaments for our baby to look at as we carry her in the hallway.

Nail polish to the rescue, project #6

So I went to Michael's craft store and searched for little ornaments with our friend's kids names and they ran out of personalized ones for Noah and Joshua.  Boo!  I improvised and found some inspiration with the blog, The Cheese Thief, to use nail polish to paint on ornaments.  I bought some bells and painted their names on them.  I hope the kids like them. I think we'll spring the bells on them tonight.

Life of the party, project to do

Again, I love this book by Jeffrey Yamaguchi (http://www.amazon.com/52-Projects-Everyday-Creativity-Perigee/dp/0399532064).  I find it inspirational for me to continue this side project of mine (the blog and trying to have a distraction that is all my own).  I like his project about documenting the life of the party.  He suggests to have a picture of the main room before, during, and after the end of the party.  Afterwards, he says to frame them in sequence.  I think I want to do this for our Christmas family gathering this year.  I want to put this series of photos in our baby's album to show her first Christmas party.  The life of our party this year has really been our beautiful baby girl.  Just a quick note this week, she rolled from her belly to her back with ease.  I was so thrilled to have caught it on video to share with my family.  She reminds me of how much there is to be curious about in the world.  I love how she looks at something new with such wonder and pure delight.

New use for nail polish, project #5

Our baby is very aware of her surroundings.  I think she is getting bored of seeing the same things every day.  I thought she needed more stimulation with our home decor, especially with Christmas coming up.  I made paper snowflakes and ornaments to hang from our chandelier since she likes to look at the mirror next to it.  I wanted to add glitter, but I didn't have any available and was too lazy to go to the craft store with a screaming kid.  I found some old nail polish with glitter pieces and applied it onto the construction paper.  I felt that it was less messy than adding glue and glitter.

Tennis balls DIY

My husband and I love tennis.  In fact, we bonded over the idea of tennis and were thinking of having our first date as a tennis game.  So when I saw this article on Lifehacker, I thought it was creative especially for old worn out tennis balls.  

I love the idea of reusing them for a new silly purpose.  I just makes me laugh when I see them.  I think I will have to search our garage for some old balls to try this one day.   

Finished project - baby handprint & fist print

I hope my husband will like how it turned out.  I think it was so fun to make.  I want to make another one at 1 year.  What do you think?

Recording Mommy - project #4

This project isn't really creative, but I argue that it's one of the most important for my family.  I love how wonderful of a storyteller my mother is and with her stories comes our heritage, her strength, and her beautiful soul.  I want to capture all of that for myself, my sister, and my daughter to remember.  I decided to record my mother's conversations with us without her knowing so that I can have her candid remarks immortalized and how we all interact on file.  Today, I asked her about my grandparents and their siblings.  My mom makes excuses and delays writing down a family tree, so I thought the first recording should be of the history and people she remembers whom my sister and I have never met.  What other ways have you made a family tree?  What was the experience like for you to do it?

Baby's handprint & fist print- project #3

This December is special because our baby, Sophia, turned 5 months. I have been wanting to make an impression of her handprint ever since my husband saw a set of our godson's.  I got the inspiration from Gummychild and her own project for her daughters with salt dough.  I saw this kit from Babies R Us and thought I would see if it really was "No mess, no baking, no mixing".  I was rather impressed with it.  I took a handprint and then a "fist bump" impression.  My husband likes to "fist bump" the baby. I thought it would make a nice reminder for him.  P.S. I love her hands.

Then, I carved in the number 5 for 5 months with the sharp edge of a LED candle.  I thought a cute little bird would be fun and added it with a bird stamp I had.  The leftover impression material was used to make a name tag in the shape of a heart.  I used an existing tag as a template.  Then, I carved in her name with a black ballpoint pen.  I figured the black would stand out against the white.  I may trace it again with a black permanent marker once it has completely dried.  I'll post the final product once it dries.  What do you think?

Organizing cute baby stuff- old project

Ever since I read The EveryGirl's Guide to Life by Maria Menounos, it has opened my mind to how I need to be organized to not be as wasteful with my time and use it where it really matters to me.  It was mindblasting! Hehe.  Anyway, with our first baby on the way, I was so confused with all the lingo for all the baby clothes.  I knew there were going to be a lot of supplies for one tiny body, but I hoped it would be less chaotic storing it all.  I hope this post helps some new mom or dad. 

Problem: baby clothes and supplies.  So many components.  Babies outgrow clothes & diapers quickly. 
Goal (the idea of the goals came from that book's general organizing tips, although there was no such baby nursery section): 
1) keep all the diapers, wipes, etc supply in check before we run out...and there's a bare butt on the changing table without a diaper to cover it. 
2) organized so that any babysitter can figure out where things are without us needing to explain every time.
3) cute & easy enough that I won't stop using the system
4) hide the supply in case guests come over & use that room

Game Plan:
1) Clothes organized all those based on size/date, ex. Newborn to 3 months, 3-6 months, 6-9 months. All those clothes were placed in 1 pink shoe organizer.  I used the shoe organizer for the multiple compartments and that it was cheap to find...and could be stowed away under the bed.  Every 3 months, I pull out the needed clothes and use them in the baby closet. 
2) In the closet, clothes to be used in the 3 months span were sorted by type, ex. Short sleeved Onesies, long sleeved Onesies, dresses. I don't fold the clothes because I think it wastes time and is unnecessary since kids mess them up moving around away.  After 3 months are done, I take all those clothes and dump them into a storage bin to be moved into the garage. 
3) A set of plastic cubbies (cheap at Target) were used to hold groups of wipes, nursing pads, etc. At one glance, I can see how many wipes or diapers are left.  
4) Shoes were arranged by size on top of butcher paper.  I wrote out the size in front of the shoe, so there would be no confusion what size shoe the baby had available.  Also, it's cute to see all the baby girl shoes lined up. 
5) I made labels for all the categories. I didn't want to spend much, so I used notecards with buttons or staples to secure them.  
6) We took out the heavy, broken white sliding doors and replaced them with Martha Stewart curtains from Home Depot, so that when guests are over I can quickly close the closet.  Plus, I loved the love of the curtains. 

Footprints on the wall, old project

We have this long hallway that seemed to need a little decoration.  Initially, my husband and I wanted to do a photo wall collage, but then we thought we wouldn't get to see it well as we breeze down the hall to the rooms.  I found an old set of decals with a quote that I love.

Quote: Life is not about the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

I started with applying the decals.  It was quick and easy.  The next day, I felt like something was lacking from the wall.  I thought about why I liked the quote.  The moments that have taken our breath away most recently have been with our baby girl.  After all the things I learned in school that could go wrong, any change could disrupt the correct migration of all the cells to come together, I feel like babies are miracles and little angels on earth.  

I surprised my husband by adding a black & white photo of him with our baby on her second day of life on one side.  I love that photo because you can tell he is in bliss that his little girl was in his arms.  Every time I see that picture, I think how lucky she is to have him as a father.  Anyway, I digressed. Since I put it in a silver frame, I thought the other side needed another silver frame to balance the look.  I decided to add one with our baby's footprints and a photo of her feet.  I love pictures of baby feet with their parents holding them in the same of a heart.  I hope this wall arrangement reminds me every day what is important even when things, like a job, can be aggravating.

Song jam session, addition to project #2

I went to visit my friend, Kathryn, yesterday.  She loves music and made a little recording studio for herself to experiment.  If you ever want to take a listen, she and her friend had a band for some time called Katsquared. (Check out the link to their video).

Anyway, I showed up just in time for when she and her friends started to play with recording covers of their favorite songs.  They tried to get me to join in and sing.  I don't like my voice but they convinced me it would be super sweet to sing our wedding song and record it for my husband.  CRINGE... So I did... And that will be part 2 to project #2 of sending my husband a package of our memories.  I think I'll burn the song onto a CD and write "Listen at your own risk!" Hehe.  There are lots of off-key notes and pitch issues, but all well.  Oh, if you see Bill, don't tell him since it's a surprise.

It was interesting to go outside my comfort zone and do something I know I'm not good at in front of others.  It was a little scary...and strangely liberating afterwards.  What have you done lately which has made you cringe in a good way?

Guitar diaper cake - old project

Today I am going to visit my friend, Kathryn, who just had a baby boy.  I just remembered one of the gifts I got for her.  She loves music and all these years I remembered she was strapped to a guitar.  I wanted to make her something a little different than a diaper cake, so I made her a diaper guitar.  I bet her baby boy will be rocking a guitar like his mom one day. 

Have you ever wondered what the use of a ribbon holder could be after all the ribbons have been used? Here's one suggestion.



Add the ribbon holder in the middle over the blanket, in between the 2 crescent groupings of diapers.  I split this circle of diapers into 2 crescent halves, but stacked like this. 

Then, cover it with a baby blanket. 

I placed the ribbon holder over the blanket and squished it so it would be on the same plane as the rest of the guitar.  Rubber bands were the "strings" and held the 2 crescent groups together to give the guitar base shape. I used yellow ribbon to make the ends of the string attachment and the sides to give it more definition.  I liked the yellow because it pulls from one of the yellow seen on the blanket and gives a more cohesive look.

For the final touches, I used the same used cardboard paper for the music notes.  What do you think?

52 projects book of inspiration, project #2

I found this book a creative artist friend of mine gave me years ago. The book is called "52 projects random acts of everyday creativity". I always wanted to try a few, but of course we all have busy schedules and I always had a good excuse.  Now is the time to crack the spine of this book.  The premise is to have something to look forward to in terms of a project.  It could be as simple as writing a story of a childhood memory to making a poster art piece.

My 3 year wedding anniversary is coming up. I want to make a nice gift for my husband who has been so supportive all these years.  It's rough to be on call, but the person waiting for you is also suffering as well. Anyway, one of the projects from Jeffrey Yamaguchi's book is to get a regular sized envelope, address it to someone special, and then stuff it with clippings or other keepsakes of your memories together.  I think I'll address the envelope to him from his secret admirer. I hope he'll be surprised.

Last year's Christmas gifts

This is what my husband and I were obsessed with this past Christmas season.  We wanted to make a few special and surprising gifts for our family, especially since his parents like very practical things. 

I saw this craft project from the amazing Martha Stewart team (http://www.marthastewart.com/article/baby-face-clock)... and decided to modify it.  We wanted to make the faces of all of my husband and his siblings when they were kids.  I think I love the bowl cuts...and my husband's expression on the bottom one.  What is it with Asian people and these hair dos?  I had one from my grandfather when I was a kid, too.

I know his parents loved it!

I think I'm going to make another version this year for one of the sisters, since she's moving to the East Coast soon.  I want it to remind her to call us California time.  In addition, since we have our first little girl, I thought it would be fun to put her picture in the clock too.  What do you think?  I'll try to make it soon and then post a final product picture.

Seattle public library

The rain today made me think of when I traveled to Seattle for a work conference and it poured out there.  I love libraries and I think Seattle has one of the coolest ones.  There is so much eye candy there.  I revisited some pictures I took of that place.  What do you think?  I could picture engagement pictures for couples in some of these rooms.  Maybe a playful spy theme? Or a time for the couple to read together captured on film?

Whenever it rains, I just want to cozy up with a good book, a warm blanket, and a nice cup of peppermint hot chocolate.  I hope our baby girl will enjoying reading as much as I do...and that we can read together.

Bubbles - project #1

Our friends were coming to visit us this weekend.  I wanted to make them a gift they would keep.  I have been rather turned off with all the Black Friday buzz on the television and internet.  I miss having homemade items. 

Here's my gift to them.  I love bubbles and pink, so I thought their little girl might like this too.  After all, she is a cute 2 year old girl. 

First, I found a photo snow globe.  The look of it reminds me of bubbles.  I had our friend's pictures of this little girl's birthday party.  I wanted to show off the wonder of having a big birthday celebration with cake and bubbles for her to see when she is older.  She and her mom are blowing bubbles in the backyard in the first picture.  Then, I printed the pictures and added a headband as decoration. (By the way, the headband was from the new Heidi Klum line at Babies R Us.)

Voila!

The beginning

We just finished Thanksgiving.  I have been very thankful for many aspects of my life.  I just can't shake the feeling that there is more out there to challenge me.  I just finished a long and arduous training program and am now adjusting to balancing life with our first baby girl.  My husband recently told me that he thinks I am "trapped" now being a primarily stay-at-home mom until the work situation picks up for me.  I don't want to feel trapped.  I want to do more with my time and energy than just obsessing about work.  I want to have an outlet that is my own, so I decided tonight to start this blog. 

My goal is to do something crafty or creative each month and post them.  I think this blog will keep me accountable that I am continuing this journey.