Archive - November 2016

Tried It Tuesday: DIY Hand-Lettered Wooden Sign

November 22, 2016

Earlier this school year, right about the time we were making plans to move Josiah out of the nursery and into Elijah’s room, I got a text from Elijah’s teacher about his school work for the day. She was very excited about something he had written on one of his papers.

While she had attempted to send me a picture of it, it never came through, so it wasn’t until later in the afternoon, once Elijah got home, that I saw what had made her day and what she’d tried to let me know about.

Each day the students have to use their “Sight Word of the Day” in a sentence on their daily review sheet. That day’s word was “as.” Elijah’s sentence was: “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

I was pleasantly surprised. I didn’t even know that Elijah really knew that verse. I’m sure he’s heard it before, but I didn’t know he’d memorized it. However, I knew immediately where he’d most likely seen it most often: on the wooden sign in our living room over our pocket doors.

When I asked him, he just smiled and nodded.

While I want our boys to be encouraged and know the priority that we place on God’s Word in our lives, I hadn’t really thought about whether or not our boys were really noticing or remembering the scriptures or sayings they see hanging on the walls throughout our home. His schoolwork was a nice little reminder of how much our children notice the things around them every day and how important it is that some of those things speak to their spiritual growth.

With that in mind, I was determined to make sure that as we made “Elijah’s Room” into the “Big Boys’ Room,” that the first big project I completed was a wooden plank sign I’d already saved on Pinterest. It featured a scripture that fit perfectly with the “adventure” theme for their new combined room. It is a verse that will encourage them in their walk with God and His calling on their lives:

“Be alert and on your guard; stand firm in your faith. Act like men and be courageous; grow in strength!” – 1 Corinthians 16:13

Unfortunately pregnancy and life in general pushed this wooden sign project to the back burner for a bit, so I didn’t get to do it as soon as I’d originally hoped.

But over the past couple of weeks or so, I managed to work on it a little at a time, and TAH-DAH! It’s finally done and ready to hang up! (I knew I needed to get it done before Baby #3’s arrival, or it would have to wait even longer.)

So, how did I do it?

Well, it was easy…and it wasn’t. 🙂 Or rather, it was easy, but it was a bit more time-consuming than I’d expected because I had to change my approach a little after I started the project. However, I am still really happy with the results.

SUPPLIES:

Blank Wooden Sign (I got mine from Hobby Lobby with their weekly 40% off coupon)

Print Out of the Verse

Scissors

Tape

Ink Pen

Acrylic Craft Paint (I actually used some from my parents, so that saved money)

Paintbrush

Small plate or container for paint

Sealant (Rust-oleum Matte Clear Ultra Cover)

Hand sanitizer

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. PLAN – The first thing I did was type out the verse on my computer in different fonts and laid it out close to what I wanted it to look like on the board.

2. LAYOUT – Then it was a little bit of trial and error to find the right size that I needed it to be when I printed it out. I would print out the first couple of lines, cut out the words, and arrange them on the board. At first some lines were too big – too long for the board or too tall – so I had to play around with the font sizes and arrangement until everything fit neatly on the wooden sign.

3. TAPE – Once I had the layout as I wanted it, I taped each section to the board so the words wouldn’t move around.

4. TRACE – Using an ink pen, I traced over each letter, FIRMLY, leaving an indent of the word in the wood underneath. This took a little bit of time, especially since I chose a long verse and fonts that were more ornamental. I worked on tracing the words over a few different days, as I could find time to do it. (I made sure to peek at the “tracing” I was leaving on the wood. I didn’t want to be missing a section when I removed the print out)

: Go over EVERY letter FIRMLY with a pen.

: This leaves an indent in the wood.

5. PAINT – With all the words traced onto the wood, I was ready to paint. My original plan was to use a paint marker, which would have saved a lot of time. However, those require a much smoother surface than the wood provided, and the tip was way too wide for fine detail. It just didn’t work. So, I went with a paintbrush and some acrylic craft paint. (Thanks, Mom!)

Starting at the top, I peeled back the first section of words, but left it taped on the far side, just in case I needed to retrace a letter or something. Then, using a very fine-tipped paintbrush, I first traced the outline of the letter, then filled it in. Some parts of the wood were really easy to paint on, but other areas were rougher or had little divots or more obvious grain to them. But that’s part of working with actual wood. A smoother plank or surface would have made the painting easier, but I really wanted that rustic look of real wood.

: I used craft paint and paintbrushes.

: Only peel back where you are painting…just in case.

: Trace the outline, then fill in.

Once I got a section painted, I removed the print out completely. Then I went on to the next section. The painting takes time and not having little boys bumping into the table constantly, so I could only work on it off and on. But a little here and a little there, and I managed to finish it all. 🙂

*FIXING MISTAKES – As I went along, a few slips of the paintbrush were inevitable, especially when the boys were running around in the kitchen as I worked on the sign at our table. However, thanks to all my work with various stains on the laundry, I knew that rubbing alcohol and hand sanitizer both work to get most paints out of things. So I kept a small bottle of hand sanitizer right by my paint. If a letter got uneven or I dropped my brush on the wood (it happened more than once), I used another paint brush with a little hand sanitizer on it to dissolve the mistake, carefully wiping it away with a paper towel.

6. SEAL IT – After the whole verse was painted on, and I was happy with it, I covered the whole sign with a matte clear sealing spray to protect all my work (spraying it outside, of course). I’m not sure that it’s entirely necessary, but since it’s going into the boys’ room, it can’t hurt to have a little extra protection against damage. 🙂

Is my wooden plank sign perfect? No. But it really wasn’t meant to be. It was hand-lettered, so imperfections are to be expected.

Will I be making more scripture or word art signs for our home? Probably. But not until after Baby #3 is here and a bit older (leaning over a baby bump as I traced and painted did NOT make the project easier). And next time, I think I’ll choose a shorter phrase and larger fonts. Haha.

Overall, this was a fun project, and I’m proud of it. Our boys were ecstatic when they saw the finished sign, and they can’t wait for it to be hung on their wall. Hopefully, the message on the wooden sign will find its way into their little warrior hearts and stay with them throughout all the adventures God has ahead of them.

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:

How to Easily Create Beautiful Chalkboard Lettering

The Most Important Thing My Child Learned from His 1st Grade Teacher

Inexpensive Crafts that Make Great Christmas Gifts for Grandparents

November 18, 2016

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Life in Lape Haven: Inexpensive Crafts that Make Great Christmas Gifts for Grandparents. We've made it a holiday tradition for our boys to make something special for their grandparents' Christmas gifts each year. These are some of our favorite DIY craft ideas.

Ever since Elijah’s second Christmas, when he was old enough to “help” a little, we’ve made it a holiday tradition to have the boys make something special for their grandparents’ Christmas gifts each year. We want our children to take an active part in giving, using their own talents and creativity and thinking about ways to bless someone else during the holidays. (We do give our parents additional gifts. These homemade items are just part of their Christmas.)

Thankfully both our boys enjoy crafty things and drawing, so they are usually pretty excited to help out and work on their “projects.” Of course, since they are children, Mommy has to be ready for lots of supervising, some mess (or a lot), and stepping back to give them room to actually do it themselves (as much as they can). Their vision of the finished product might not always match mine, but if the Christmas gift is to be from THEM, it needs to be THEIRS. (And sometimes, younger kids, like Josiah, are more interested in the process than actually finishing the craft, which can try a parent’s patience.)

Over the last few years, we’ve made a number of different items, so I thought I’d share with you some of our favorite inexpensive, homemade Christmas gift ideas. (The title of each project has the link to more instructions.)

(This post may contain affiliate links, which means that at no additional cost to you, I may receive a small commission if you use the links.)

ORNAMENTS

Our boys love all the decorations at Christmastime, so making keepsake ornaments is one of their favorite things. They love seeing the ones they’ve made in the past on their grandparents’ Christmas trees and ours each year.

Salt Dough Ornaments: These were one of our first DIY gifts from Elijah. It was a relatively easy dough to mix up, if I remember correctly (it HAS been about 5 or 6 years). We rolled it out, then used a portion of it to make a couple prints of Elijah’s hand (because baby handprints are always adorable). We also cut out circle shapes for smaller ornaments and gift tags. Once the ornaments were baked, I had Elijah paint his handprint and draw designs on the circle ornaments, too. Then we added a nice ribbon to hang them with. (Note: The bigger the ornament, the heavier they will be, so roll them out as thinly as possible and keep them small).

Popsicle Stick Snowmen: Elijah has always loved snowmen, especially Frosty, so this was a really fun Christmas gift for him to make, and they turned out so adorable. I had the boys paint the sticks and help me glue them together, as well as adding the googly eyes. Then I painted the rest of the faces, including the noses.

Wooden Ornaments with Photos: This Christmas gift project was a bit more tedious than I expected, so the boys didn’t get to help as much. However, I was really pleased with how they turned out. The idea is to take a picture printed out on a laser printer and after coating a small piece of wood with gel medium, you glue the picture onto the wood, smoothing out all the bubbles. Once it has dried overnight, you use a sponge and water to remove the paper (the TEDIOUS part), leaving behind the print. I had to do the sponge and water step several times to get all the paper off (you can see it as little white specs and lines when the project dries). For our ornaments, we used differently shaped pieces of wood – rectangular, round, and heart-shaped (maybe 2”x 3”). Two of the pictures were ones that I took of the boys playing with the Christmas lights, and then I used a photo editor on my phone to add fun word art. Also, I used some pictures of them in the snow. I did some in color and some in black and white, and they all turned out nicely. (By the way, the link above is only to the Pinterest pin because the site is no longer active.)

: Adding the word art made this a magical picture for the ornament.

: Even the black and white works well.

: Make sure you use a laser jet, not an ink jet to print your pictures.

: Now we get to see this smile each year on Grandma’s tree.

While we didn’t make these for gifts, these homemade drum ornaments are super adorable.

PAINT SOMETHING

If we aren’t making ornaments, our projects tend to involve painting or drawing on something else. 🙂

Oven Gloves: Another “handprint” project was the “Grandma’s Helper” oven gloves that we did. I basically just bought some plain oven gloves, had the boys add their handprints on the front, and then wrote “Grandma’s Little Helper” or “Grandma’s Helping Hands” (something like that – haha.). They were really cute, though, and both grandmas were delighted with them.

Mugs: Since the grandmas got oven gloves, we wanted to do something for just the grandpas, too, so that year I had the boys paint on plain white mugs. There are tons of ways you do this, and I think the most popular seems to be to use Sharpie Markers. However, we didn’t. We did paint with a clear coat. I’m not sure how well they’ve held up through a dishwasher, but from what I’ve seen on other sites, there are ways to make them last a long time. (Note: We made sure to keep the paint and clear coat more toward the bottom half of the mugs. Also, the link above it NOT to the tutorial we used. Again, that tutorial is no longer available.)

Picture Frames: Another thing that the boys have painted as Christmas gifts was picture frames. We bought some plain black 4×6 frames, removed the glass, and let the boys paint designs on them. Then we put a nice family photo in it. Simple.

Blank Canvas: Elijah always wanted to do finger painting when he was little-little, so one Christmas, I simply bought a pack of blank canvases, and let him do his thing. They actually are quite neat. He made paintings for his grandparents and great-grandparents. He even had one left over for us, which is still hanging in our bedroom.

PICTURES

Okay, technically this isn’t a “craft,” but it’s always a good gift idea. I don’t know about your family, but my parents and in-laws always enjoy getting actual printed pictures of their grandchildren. While I try to get prints to them throughout the year, I know that many of the photo-printing sites offer coupons and great deals on not only prints, but other fun Christmas gifts around the holidays.

I always watch Shutterfly for their coupon codes for free 4×6 prints, but my two favorite coupon codes to get are either for free photo books or calendars. In the last couple of years, I’ve gotten at least two calendars each season for just the price of shipping. 🙂 You can personalize the calendars with multiple photo layouts and add important family dates, such as birthdays and anniversaries. This way the grandparents get to spend the whole year adoring their grandbabies.

I like to make the photo books into stories. 🙂

THIS YEAR

As of right now, I don’t know what project our boys will be working on for their grandparents’ Christmas gifts. Of course, even if I did, I couldn’t write about it, yet. 😉 With Baby #3 due mid-December, it will definitely have to be something simple that doesn’t require as much supervision from Mommy. Thankfully, they’ve had several years of practice at being crafty and creative for Christmas, and no matter what they do, as long as it’s from them, I’m pretty sure their grandparents will love it.

DO YOUR KIDS MAKE HOMEMADE CHRISTMAS GIFTS? WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR FAVORITE?

The Best Thing I’ve Gotten for Myself This Pregnancy: BabyBellyBand Maternity Support Belt

November 8, 2016

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Life in Lape Haven: The Best Thing I've Gotten for Myself This Pregnancy: BabyBellyBand Maternity Support Belt. After a month of wearing a BabyBellyBand maternity support belt, here's a review of my experience wearing it, how it has helped with varicose veins, swelling, and other pregnancy discomforts, and a coupon code for you.

As a mom of two, when I found out I was pregnant with our third child, I figured I knew what I was getting into. For the most part, I was right. My experiences with my previous two pregnancies were pretty good preparation for what I was going to face over the next 40 weeks.

However, as every mom learns, just like no two children are alike, each pregnancy is different and comes with its own set of adjustments and symptoms.

And this pregnancy, while similar enough to my last two, has still been introducing me to a few new issues that I’d never faced before.

The biggest and most difficult to manage was how quickly my baby bump grew, causing my weight to accumulate sooner than I was used to, and how low this baby has stayed the entire pregnancy. (And I didn’t eat differently or do more or less exercise than my previous pregnancies).

My bigger and lower belly so early on meant that I was dealing with lots of discomfort, pressure, and soreness through my belly, pelvic floor, legs, and feet earlier than I was used to. I remember telling my doctor that I was feeling late-pregnancy symptoms already, and it was only the middle of my pregnancy.

Nearly 26 weeks pregnant.

It actually became difficult for me to be up on my feet for too long, even just the time it took to vacuum the house or do the dishes, and I was only in my second trimester. So I started looking for solutions because there was no way I was going to spend the next 15 weeks with this kind of pain slowing me down.

I needed something to help support this ever-growing baby bump.

Having heard of maternity support belts through various different sites, I began looking at the prices and reviews of various brands that offered everything from light support to compression to postpartum hip and belly shrinking.

I also talked to my doctor again as I was experiencing more pressure and a bruise-y, burning pain…um…down below…that was not ligament or muscle-related. Her diagnosis was something I suspected from my online research – varicose veins in that area (vulvar varicosity), which was something I’d never heard of before this pregnancy.

With that diagnosis, I asked her opinion about a maternity support belt, especially one with groin compression straps. Since I still had nearly 10 weeks to go at that point, she said that a belt would definitely be worth it.

So, I went back to the options I had researched, and decided to go with BabyBellyBand by Cabea Orthopedic Designs, which offered not only an abdominal support band that could be used both during and after pregnancy, but also had optional compression therapy groin bands to help with the varicose veins. Their bands were also less expensive than other brands I’d seen, but they still had great reviews.

The final selling point was the quick response I got from their customer service when I had a question about what size band to order. Caroline, the CEO and designer, replied and offered her suggestion and let me know that I would be able to exchange it if necessary.

I chose the 2-3 day shipping because I was ready for some relief (even moving my legs to turn over in bed was painful).

I was seriously excited when my maternity support belt arrived.

The instructions for putting on the belt were easy to follow, even if I did look like a sumo wrestler once I had it on (the pregnant belly only adds to the effect). 🙂

: Abdominal Support Band. Picture courtesy of Babybellyband by Cabea Orthopedic Designs.

: Compression Therapy Groin Straps. Picture courtesy of Babybellyband by Cabea Orthopedic Designs.

I’m not exaggerating when I say that the support belt made an IMMEDIATE difference. It was almost like magic!

In the first week I had it, I really put it to the test, too. I went with Elijah on his class field trip to the pumpkin patch, where I kept up with first graders all day as we walked around the farm, through a sunflower maze, all over the barn with its straw-strewn floors (VERY uneven, slippery footing), and out into the pumpkin fields via a rather bumpy hayride (in a wagon with a very high step to get in and out of). Then a couple of days later, my family and I enjoyed a day at a local fall festival, which meant walking around for several hours without sitting down once.

: Chasing first graders through the sunflower maze.

: Pumpkin patch prize.

: “Pumpkin smuggler” belly – 31 weeks pregnant.

Through all of that, I was able to move around comfortably and with very minimal pain, especially compared to what I had been experiencing on even my easiest days of just doing basic housekeeping.

Out of curiosity, I did try going without the band one evening while I was working in the kitchen, cleaning and making dinner, which would mean that I was up on my feet for a couple of hours. In less than 30 minutes, I felt the support belt’s absence. In another half hour or so, I was putting it back on.

When I first got it, I was worried that the maternity support belt would be uncomfortable or that it would show through under my clothing. Neither one of those worries were necessary.

Once I wiggle into it and get it in place in the morning (it IS a very strong elastic band – kind of like getting on a pair of Spanx), I can forget that I have it on, and no one else can tell. The only inconvenience is when I have to go to the bathroom (since I have the groin straps), because then I am wiggling it down and back up. But again, no worse than other things we women put ourselves through, and the relief is worth it.

The belt does get a little sweaty when I’ve been very active or it’s a warm day, but I won’t feel it until I take it off, so it’s not that big of a deal. Plus, it is machine washable and dryable, so it’s easy to keep it clean.

I’ve been wearing this maternity support band every day for about a month. The only time I take it off is when I’m sleeping or taking a shower, or it’s being washed.

Before I got it, I would have to take frequent rests throughout the day, and I still had pain, discomfort, and swelling.

With it, I’ve noticed significantly less pain, not only from the varicose veins, but also from my belly stretching in general, less aching in my legs, and less swelling and pain in my feet. I’ve been able to continue doing things or get back to doing things around the house or out and about that were getting difficult for me without it.

It has seriously been the best thing I’ve gotten for myself this pregnancy, and I wish I’d had it for my previous two.

Since I’ve seen such a difference with this maternity support band, I wanted to share my experience with you. I contacted Caroline at BabyBellyBand again and asked her if I could use pictures from her site (because you don’t want to see me in my pregnant sumo wrestler get-up…trust me. The band works amazingly, but it’s not for looks. 🙂 ).

I also asked her if there was anything special I could offer my readers who might be interested in her products, too, because I know so many mommies who are expecting right now who could benefit from a BabyBellyBand Abdominal Support belt.

Caroline was very happy to hear how much the product helped me, and she graciously offered a special coupon code for you all to use! 🙂

By entering the coupon code lapehaven , you’ll get 10% off your purchase from BabyBellyBand.

(In the checkout/shopping cart area, above where you enter you billing and shipping info, is a gray box that says, “Have a Coupon ? Click Here to Enter Your Code.”)

Roasted Cinnamon-Spiced Butternut Squash with Sweet Potatoes & Apples

November 1, 2016

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Roasted Cinnamon-Spiced Butternut Squash with Sweet Potatoes & Apples. This delicious roasted butternut squash side dish spiced with cinnamon and sweetened with sweet potatoes and apples is a great healthy addition to any meal or holiday table throughout the fall and winter.

As much as I love summer, there is something to be said about all the crisp weather, cozy clothes, fall fun, and tasty treats that come with autumn. While I love all the apple and pumpkin goodies to be made (Apple pie? YUM! Pumpkin cookies? Yes, please!), I also get really excited when I start seeing butternut squash in the stores.

I’m not sure when I first tried cooking butternut squash for my family, but it quickly became a staple of our autumn pantry. I love making this Winter Squash soup (Pumpkin-Butternut Squash Soup) by the Food Network’s Ina Garten. However, I think my absolute favorite way to enjoy this seasonal veggie is to simply dice it up and roast it, usually along with some sweet potatoes and apples.

The other night I was ready to make this sweet combination as a side for our dinner, but I couldn’t remember at what temperature I usually roasted it. So, I searched online for “roasted butternut squash.”

The first recipe I checked out was one for cinnamon roasted butternut squash from Chew Out Loud. Suddenly, I was ready to spice up my usual recipe a little bit. 🙂

: Butternut squash, sweet potatoes, & apples

: Mix salt, pepper, and cinnamon

: Toss veggies & apples in olive oil

While their recipe calls for adding brown sugar to their squash, I didn’t since I already add sweet potatoes and apples to the mix. I didn’t want to make my dish into too much of a dessert. I also had to adjust the oil and seasoning a bit since I had more to roast overall.

The resulting Roasted Cinnamon-Spiced Butternut Squash with Sweet Potatoes and Apples was delicious! (Even my little picky eater Josiah ate it well.) Not only is it a tasty side, but it is simple and healthy! This is a perfect dish for any meal throughout the fall and winter and would be a great new addition to your Thanksgiving table.

: Stir in the seasoning, toss to coat evenly.

: Spread out on prepped baking sheets

: Bake at 425 for 35-40 mins.

Note: Don’t let the prepping of the butternut squash intimidate you. It seems tricky, but it’s not that bad. I’ve learned that if you microwave it for a few minutes, that will make peeling it much easier. It will even help make it easier to cut up (butternut squash is a hard squash). Of course, be careful, as it will be hot! For more info on prepping your squash, you can check out this How-to from Simply Recipes.

Here’s how I make this yummy fall dish.

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