DIY Paper Heart Garland
I saw pretty paper heart garlands on sale on etsy and decided to give them a try myself. It love how they turned out and the fact that they don’t have to just be Valentine’s decor!
Below is how I made them;
Choose paper. I chose pretty paper from Hobby Lobby (this pink houndstooth one always reminds me of Eisley). You could use plain white paper or even newspaper! I made one with newspaper just to see, and it totally works! So you could just use what you have if you want.
Cut paper into stripes. You can choose the width :) I like the almost 1″ width.
For the layered effect you’ll need to cut the stripes different heights.
Starting from the left side first, lay each piece on top of the other until you reach the middle piece and then do the same starting from the right side.
Staple the pieces together carefully. I honestly think glue would work the best so maybe try that.
I would also maybe buy or use paper that is double-sided. This was my first attempt and I love it but it would be more time effective to have double-sided paper. Although I gotta say, I love how it turned out!!
Chase crushed one beyond fixin’ but oh well, he had fun “helping” momma create.
I also had this sweet girl (my bebe sister) helping me out and a little Mum & Sons playing in the background.
Punch a hole through the middle piece, string fishing line through and hang them!
and you’re done!
Hope you’re inspired to create them. Like I said, it doesn’t have to be a Valentine thing, mine is staying up for a while!
More DIYs coming tonight :)
my response ‘i wasn’t prepared’
Tonight, I wish I could take back what I wrote and what over 221 people have already read in my ‘I wasn’t prepared’ post….It is true, I wasn’t prepared for those things but a lot of my reason for posting was based on lies I am believing and because of how hurt I feel, maybe solely from those lies I believe.
And somewhere along the way, I slowly let my comfort be found in the words of others instead of Him. I think a part of me wanted to feel something tangibly, to know that we aren’t alone, but I relied on it far too much which is another reason I crashed so hard lately. As the comments begin to dwindle, so did I.
I began believing a lot of lies. I’ve slowly collected and believed them since, I think, before we lost Eisley. Lies of what others think of Ted and I, of what people think about the raw blogs or when I talk of Eisley or grief, lies that others don’t see her as a life lost, lies that others are talking behind out back about us and how much I write, lies that others think we should be over this by now, lies that people are being intentionally insensitive, lies that people no longer care, and on and on.
The truth is, the lines are blurred right now for me. I feel like I can’t see or think straight right now. I believe a lot of lies and I focus on the negative far more than I do the positive when ironically, the positive out weighs the negative by a lot.
I mean, obviously, I’m not talking about the death of our sweet girl. I’m talking about the positive encouragement outweighing the negative (loss of friends, lack of response, etc)…
My heart is overwhelmed right now as I remember all of those who’ve pursued us, stood with us, grieved with us, and even though most have been silent, or stood by and grieved quietly, I do know and feel this in my heart right now, the support and love. I feel like God gave me a really clear picture of that tonight as I sat talking with Ted.
Tonight, I gave up my fear of man and the lies I’ve been believing. I’m giving it up everyday and every second of the day if that’s what it takes. I feel as though a thick blanket of burden has been lifted from my shoulders and now, I can grieve freely without all of this extra stuff I’ve been carrying around.
Tonight, I sit with a full and thankful heart. Truly God has opened my eyes to see, that we are indeed surrounded by loved ones who stand with us.
For those of you who silently stand with us, maybe as you read the story of our daughter and follow our journey through grief now and just whisper a prayer… let me just say, I so strongly feel your love tonight. Thank you.
For those of you who’ve walked this path before us, and shared your words of encouragement and your love, thank you.
For those of you who’ve said the simplest but powerful words or even just a heart or an I love you, thank you.
For those of you who’ve sent us gifts that remind you of Eisley or for us as we walk through this valley, thank you.
For those of you who’ve consistently stood with us vocally (comments, texts, messages, etc) and let us know we are not alone or forgotten, thank you.
For those of you who’ve walked through the darkest times in this valley with us, whew… thank you for sticking by our sides and not letting us falter. Thank you for listening, for speaking truth when we need to hear it, for your tears when there are no words… thank you.
You may have never said a word or maybe you’ve said many and you’re wondering if I’ve forgotten your love and encouragement, I can honestly say, God’s opened my eyes to what is before me, who is standing with me. I see and to feel your love and prayers. Thank you, from the deepest part of my heart, thank you.
A friend tweeted this me this amazing verse to me tonight;
The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.” – Exodus 14:14
I read a few versions of this very verse and this one might just say in the most fitting way for me tonight;
God will fight the battle for you.
And you? You keep your mouths shut!
Haha. I know I sound pretty crazy tonight, blogging like a crazy-emotional maniac and well… the truth is, I am. Thanks for loving me, crazy emotions and all ;)
reminds me of her.
i wasn’t prepared.
Disclaimer; this post is really raw.
I wasn’t prepared to lose Eisley. You might argue that the time I had in the hospital might have prepared me, but honestly, all the time in the world couldn’t prepare you to lose a child. Nothing could, because even if you guard your heart sometimes and try to prepare, you still hope fervently and with {everything} inside you. You could never prepare, ever.
I wasn’t prepared for the {infinite} shattered dreams.
I wasn’t prepared for the constant shattering and the effect thereof.
I wasn’t prepare for how it feels when you lose someone you love so deeply.
I wasn’t prepared for how often grief is revisited. How quickly it surfaces when I read or see or hear things that reminds me of Eisley.
I wasn’t prepared for the insensitivity towards us.
I wasn’t prepared for the lack of response/encouragement to our loss of Eisley from ones we once called friends. Or even those who knew of what we walked through and never once said a word to us.
The flip side- We are so grateful for the friendships we’ve made and those that have deepened since we lost her. We are so grateful for the encouragement, love, care and letting us know that you are standing with us. That means the world to us right now. More than I can express.
I wasn’t prepared for those, even those who are pro-life, who never considered our loss a loss. I was 3 days away from 7 months pregnant. Our beautiful baby girl was a life lost, a beating heart gone. I wasn’t prepared for how people would treat us as though we never lost a child.
I wasn’t prepared for how quickly people think we should be moving forward.
I wasn’t prepared for how comforting and encouraging I find words like; “I haven’t forgotten Eisley or you guys”, “you are not forgotten”, anything I hear about Eisley’s life and her impact on others, etc. The messages, comments, texts, calls… whew. They comfort our hearts a lot.
I wasn’t prepared for the deep ache I’d feel when watching others do the very thing I longed to do with her. The very things I had talked about, hope for, dreamt of, etc.
I wasn’t prepared for feeling so wounded.
I wasn’t prepared for the array of emotions or sudden force of them.
I wasn’t prepared for the overwhelming realizations that hit frequently.
I wasn’t prepared for so much more.
I sometimes lie in bed feeling so overwhelmed I don’t know what to do, I just weep into my pillow and even that sometimes isn’t enough…
The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart,
And saves such as have a contrite spirit. Psalm 34:18
I also love this version too;
If your heart is broken, you’ll find God right there;
if you’re kicked in the gut, he’ll help you catch your breath.
I am sitting here crying as I write this. We will not be overcome because it’s not by our strength that we’re getting through this. I believe that with my whole heart.
Jesus, give us the courage to face what we do everyday. As we face our reality. Please give us courage and be our everything for we cannot.
Edit: Please understand I know that (esp if you’re reading this) you’ve probably been one who has been there for us throughout everything. I am so very grateful for your love, encouragement , etc, etc! The above just sometimes overwhelms me more than it should and I focus on the negative too much sometimes.
Thrifted Treasures {4}
I’m pretty excited to share my thrifted finds with you this week! I always hope you’re inspired to go thrifting when you see these posts! And before you tell me there aren’t any good thrift stores near you, spend at least one hour in it, sifting through everything and if it’s still awful, then I have a few other ideas for ya. Write me :)
Friday we ventured up to Cheyenne, Wyoming (40 min drive) to have lunch with my Aunt Cynth and to hit up the thrift stores there. So most of these finds are from their thrift stores. Here are my finds, most of which are for home decor;
Remember this wall with the embroidery hoops? Well I’ve added to my collection of hoops in hope to someday have a wall similar to that. I love how some of them are oval too! Price: $.10-1.00
Yes, it’s true, I have a love for picture frames. Most of these will be painted and used for wall decor. Price: $.25-1.00
I have an even bigger love for the gaudy frames! These will be painted as well. price: $.25-2.00
I love these little vintage ceramics. These will be decor for our kid’s room, ‘The Sunshine Room’. Price: .50
Fabrics! Price: $.25-.100 Below are the up close photos of my favourite fabrics;
Remember this wall? I plan on putting these in one of the embroidery hoops I bought to create a similar look.
This will be made into some kind of decor in the kid’s room.
I absolutely love this piece! I was planning on using this as decor in embroidery hoops, but honestly, I don’t know if I can cut it up!
Ceramic that I will paint for the kid’s room. Price: .25
vintage avon pitcher and dish. So amazing because I had this picked out on the treasury list I made of inspiration from Etsy for our living room, ‘The Hope Room’. Price: $2
Vintage snoopy thermas for decor in the kid’s room. $.25
This was an Avon lotion bottle. I love the colours and well it goes with the plan I have the kid’s room! $.75
Chase’s favourite thrifted treasure was this little vintage horse my grandma found for $5. A steal!
This was a suuuuuper awesome find! We recently added plumb to our colour scheme in our kitchen and this pitcher was $.50 and this tea-pot was a $4.50!
All of this matches our living room decor {perfectly}. $.50 for the coral pieces, $.25 for all the rest! Almost a steal!
These were also on my Hope Room treasury. I would like to hang lace curtains inside of our main living room curtains (which I hope to make/thrift!) My grandma found this set for me!
I know this looks coral-coloured (ish) but it’s actually red. I plan to paint it coral pink. $.50
Another “set” of oddly shaped jars. I did something super awesome with these yesterday and will share soon!! If you need home decor, vases, things to store things in, etc, go buy some and I’ll show ya something very easy to do to transform theses! Price: $.25-.75
And finally, my favourite thrifted find this time around;
I fell in love with this giant (50″ x 30.5″) vintage frame a while ago and said if it was there next time, I would get it. I assumed someone snagged this treasure and I was so glad to see it still hanging there a little over a month later! A whopping $12!! This was my largest and favourite purchase of the day. Thankfully we somehow managed to fit it in my grandma’s Buick and now it sits in the garage until Ted and I find a home!
As we left our last home (a year ago this April), I promised myself that when we had our own place again, I would immediately make it our home and an expression of us. I’ve slowly collected, revamped, restyled and made items for our home and I am so very excited to piece it all together when we find a place to call home (we’re currently searching)! I can’t wait! I might do a fun little series on our decor ideas, colour and inspiration. I keep calling it our “hopeful home”. Each room has specific inspiration behind it. I’ve even named each room, can you tell that I’ve been dreaming of our home for far too long?! :)
Stay tuned tomorrow as I plan on posting DIY “Valentine’s” decor that could be used as regular decor too, if you aren’t into Valentine’s day :)
Favourite Finds
When Chase falls asleep at night, I cozy up in bed and first, read -currently it’s either a chapter from Wings of Mourning or a passage from Streams in the Desert or Through a Season of Grief- and then I grab Ted’s iPad and head to to be inspired. I heard of pinterest from Rachel of Smile & Wave and even found my inspirational booklet on there, but then again, most anyone can “pin” anything, but it was a nice surprise to see it on there.
Most of these finds below I first found on Pinterest or Etsy but I linked most of them to their direct source.
I would love something like this little crafting nook. {}
Or this Kitchen cart transformed into a crafting cart. I LOVE this and friday I will be searching for one at thrift stores!! {Better Homes & Gardens} So practical and super smart! I have a crafting room, but usually end up pulling out a table into the living room because it’s better for me, esp since Chase isn’t napping twice a day anymore. This would make things so much easier!
Below is currently my favourite Etsy store for clothing. I could never afford her incredible stuff but I hope to someday know how to make things as beautiful as this!!
Amazing. Love this. Beautiful! {Little Houses Etsy shop}
I want to make these and wear them around the house. Added to my list of things to sew (or try to ;))! {I Think Sew}
Very cute. Chase would have a blast with this cute little handmade “bowling” set! {Mazska Etsy shop}
First, If you know me, you know I love the colour teal. I know turquoise is a little off from my love of teal, but it is pretty similar. This week via Pinterest I found House of Turquoise. Amazing and suuuper inspirational in home decor!
And remember my 25 by 25 List well, this is almost exactly the style crib I envisioned when I said I wanted to revamp a crib and paint it an awesome colour! Love!!
For creating. I really, really want these! You could use it for so many things! Some girls would buy shoes, I would buy this hahaha. {Cinderella Gift Shop on Etsy}
For home decor. I have a plan to do a small wall kind of similar to this. Love it! {The Purl Bee}
For the kiddo room. Vintage camera. Sad it sold. Hope to find one! {found on Etsy}
Pretty vintage pyrex. I hope to find some in this colour while thrifting! {Modern Findings}
I like everything about this, the owl, colours, the cuteness, etc! {Anthropologie }
This is just amazing! I would change the colour, but other than that, I love it!
