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Thinking of You 5x7 printable card

Do you ever have those days where you just want to help everyone, and put a smile on everyone's face? Or you just seem to cry at anything and everything? No, i'm not pregnant, and i'm not talking about that (although i do know my hormones go a little whack when i am preggo. hah).

There are times like today where my heart feels full of love for those around me. three things have made me feel this way today:

1. I had to make an emergency visit to my local hospital this morning (nothing major-i'm totally fine), and in a somewhat un-ideal circumstance, i ended up feeling loved because of the awesome nurses and doctors i came in contact with. they totally brightened my day (A+ bedside manor for the win)! their attitudes seriously turned my day around.
2. I read this post. Jason was one of Kevin's best friends in high school, and has been such a positive influence in his life. Jason and Geri really are gems of gold.
3. I have a neighbor friend, whos newborn is in the hospital for rsv. and it breaks my heart.

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so during naptime this afternoon i drew this up and created a printable 5x7 card you can print out and take to a friend in need, or just someone you've been thinking about who needs some love!

Gift Tags (a free printable!)

here we go again Monday! a new week and time to bust out some new projects and goals! over the weekend you may have seen this little package that made an appearance on my Instagram account. i get to deliver this cute surprise to a friend this afternoon, and i am SO excited about it.

while i am all about simple and clean, i couldn't help but think of how much cuter it would be to have a tag on it....so i jumped on my computer and made one (in between tractor-tipping, diaper changes, and snack time of course. hah!). and then one turned into six, and before i knew it, i had made a new freebie to share with you all today!  i hope you use them to brighten someone else's day!

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Here's the download link:

Mother's Day and Father's Day Card Printables

If you have been following along with me on Instagram, or if you happen to follow Ashley (@thesullengers) then you may have noticed that I've been creating some little art pieces for her #wecandohardthings posts each Thursday. Last fall Ashley contacted me with an idea she had been thinking about for a while:
Over the past few years, I’ve learned from many of you that God hears our prayers and His answers usually come from ordinary people who choose to listen to His promptings. One of the most common e-mails I receive is people asking for ideas on how to help others. I’ve learned most people want to help, they just don’t know the best way to go about it.

After struggling to respond to every single e-mail, I realized there must be a better way to respond to a greater amount and people, and this is how the service index was born. I collaborate with people who have experienced the different trials listed below and create a post with what I learn from their experience. It's been eye opening, life changing, and made me a believer that no matter what the situation is, We Can Do Hard Things.
I LOVE this idea! it's brilliant. And of course I felt pretty humbled that she came to me for help. So we set up this service index, and now along with reading these inspiring (and insightful) stories, I get to create beautiful designs for you to enjoy and hopefully bless the lives of others with. that seriously fills my heart with joy!

Today Ashley is featuring a post about losing a spouse (you can read it here). Besides being extremely touching (and making me sob-have your tissues ready!), it opened my eyes to ways that I wish I had helped one of my close girlfriends, when she went through something similar a few years ago. In the interview, Lisa mentions that she loved getting cards on particularly hard holidays such as Father's Day:
I also have wonderful friends who would remember that Father’s Day (and also  Mother’s Day) is now particularly hard and would send us a card to let us know they were thinking about Aaron and what a great Dad he was.
so Ashley thought it would be great to have two cards (one for Father's Day, one for Mother's Day), that you can print out and give to someone who may be needing it on those special days.

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these are the quotes i came up with. they were special for me to design (all hand drawn), and i really hope they bring a smile to someone's face, and warm the hearts of your loved ones when they read your personal message inside.

go to Ashley's page here to download these 4x6 card freebies!

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update 1/27: I've placed these as 8x10 prints in my shop if you'd like a bigger version of these special sayings!
Father's Day print: CLICK HERE
Mother's Day print: CLICK HERE

My Favorite Beanie For Winter

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something that I am not? a hat person. but this last fall/winter i decided to change that. i think i have about 5 beanies stuffed into a box, that i've had from when i was 12. and i usually just wear them to play in the snow or go (the 3 times i've gone) snowboarding.

well i really really wanted a beanie to wear not just for snow, but during the i-don't-have-time-to-do-my-hair-today-but-we-need-to-run-errands days. so i jumped on Amazon and ordered a couple of the "CC" ones to try that i had been seeing around (found here). i'm sure you've seen them too. how could you not? they are like the "it" beanie right now. well those or the cute "Love Your Melon" ones. i like the looks of those a lot too.

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TEE-Target || LEGGINGS-Jane(old) (similar here) || SHOES-Gordmans(old) || BEANIE-Amazon

here's a mom uniform i've been throwing on lately. The best part? I feel put together even though I've literally done zero with my hair. yessssssss. all thanks to the beanie. haha.

want to hear something nuts? when i ordered my first two beanies they were about $6. that was a week or two before Thanksgiving. and now you can't find them for under $9! just sayin. like anything i guess, stalk up on the off season.  here's my little collection as of late...

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Friday Faves - January

We just got dumped on with snow last night...waaa! It was almost all melted and gone too. Now everything is under a blanket of white. I am all for snow in December (bring it on! blizzards, snow drifts, i want it all!), but anytime after and I'm done. But let's turn the mood around! This morning I thought I'd share with you some little things that have caught my eye, that I am totally crushing on this week.

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1. mama bear sweatshirt. have you guys seen these freaking cute things around? i love them! and totally want one!
2. gatsby nail wrap - white and gold. can't go wrong there, and the cool geometric patterns? definitely a fan.
3. edgy nail wrap - gold + white for the win again, but this time in a messy chevron pattern. i'm all over it.
4. dusty floral - i know, more floral. but hello i swoon over a good floral arrangement, and it makes me sad to hear that some peeps are over it? never!
5. kate spade windowpane iphone case - slightly obsessed with this pattern. it's just so clean and cool! also, i'm completely sad i can't find a direct link for this case! they all end up taking me to the Kate Spade sight. so out of stock? i guess this must be my next iphone case diy(did you see my last one?).
6. icy taupe polka nail wrap - i love the more muted tones for winter right now. but then it's jazzed up with some sparkly polka dots?! yes please!
7. gel effect by nina ultra pro - the color pictured is "dusty rose", but i picked up the "beige creme" color earlier in the week (found here!) and it is becoming a fast favorite. i love that smooth creamy-white look on my nails!

happy friday friends! let's make it a good one!

Everyday Style - January

Okay so you might be thinking: What is she doing posting "fashion" pics on her blog?! Well, for one, it's my blog right? haha. And for two, I don't really consider these "fashion" posts because....that just sounds weird to me! I do however, really enjoy seeing outfits that others have styled -especially other moms on a budget (hello renter status + trying to pay off debt like mad + running around everyday after a 3 and 1 year old over here...raise your hands if you can relate!!)- and so i thought i'd give you an idea of what my everyday style is like around here.

Here are some of the outfits I've been wearing this winter:

January-1

SWEATER-Maurices(old)(similar here) || LEGGINGS-Jane(old) (similar here) || SHOES-Target(old)(similar here)

January-2
HOODIE-Forever21 || TANK-Rue21 || JEANS-Gordmans(similar here)
January-3
SWEATSHIRT-Walmart(old)(and yes, i said it. yes, i sometimes do buy clothes there. no shame) || TANK-Rue21 || LEGGINGS-BodyCentral
January-4
SWEATER-Target || SHEER TOP-The Jean Girl || LEGGINGS-Forever21 || BOOTS-Target(old)(similar here) || EARRINGS-N&S Charcoal shimmer meduim
January-5
SWEATER-ASOS(old)(used to be a maternity dress, recently cut it up and turned it into this!) || LEGGINGS-Forever21 || BOOTS-Walmart(yep. there i go again. don't judge)(similar here and here) || EARRINGS-N&S Signature Silver medium
January-6
DRESS-Forever21(i was sooo excited when i found this!) || SLIP EXTENDER-Downeastbasics || BOOTS-Target(similar here) || EARRINGS-N&S Charcoal shimmer meduim
January-7
SWEATER CARDIGAN-(old)(i'm sorry I can't even remember!!) || SHIRT-Gordmans || LEGGINGS-BodyCentral || BOOTS-Gordmans(old)
January-8
SHIRT-CharlotteRusse(new in stores! but i can't find it online yet! it is seriously the comfiest, and they have different colors) || JOGGERS-Ross (similar here)
Holy torture. I don't know how fashion bloggers do it. That took fooooreeeevvveeeerr to link what I wanted for you guys! haha you're welcome. Hmm. I think it's safe to say that I have a very casual/comfy vibe going on, on the daily...and yep I really do love my leggings. I also can't get enough of that burgundy color. Anyone with me?

If there's anything to take away from this post, I hope it's that you see I am as normal as can be, and shop at some pretty basic stores. Is that a bad thing? Um, heck no. I get what I like, and what I can afford at this time in my life.

Okay and hold up. If you haven't tried them for yourself already, go buy yourself some of these amazing Nickel & Suede earrings. They are the bomb. I can't tell you that enough! (and no that was not a paid review. i just really love these earrings, and love Kilee, and like supporting what she does!)

Watercolor Projects Make Great Gifts

In my husband's family, there are 10 kids. So to simplify (and make it manageable!) we have a rotation of who gives gifts to who each year. The stipulation is that it has to be handmade. In the past I have been really bad about putting these things off, and typically we've broken the rule and bought gifts last minute. For whatever reason, I knew I absolutely did NOT want that happening again this year. So I racked my brain on what our family liked and what was personable and what was not. Thanks to Instagram, I had been seeing a lot of cute watercolor families being made....and everyone loves those right?!

I've always had a thing for watercolors. In my high school art class I was officially introduced to them, but it wasn't until college that I felt that I loved them the most (second is pen+ink for me). I picked up my watercolor paper at Hobby Lobby. I could not find any gummed art paper tape anywhere, and that was driving me nuts, so I just ordered it online through Amazon here. Then ended up at Michael's to grab something else, when I spotted this cute little watercolor set! You guys it ended up being like $2 with a coupon I had. There was no way I was not getting it.

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Now would you like to see where I worked my magic? Dun da da daaaaa.....

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Okay so you can't really tell, but this is my bathroom counter. Yup, the bathroom is where I paint. It's so super. And contrary to what the picture's lovely lighting is telling you, it actually is the best lighting in the house at 10pm...which is sad and depressing actually (we're renting right now and haaate the lighting in this place...but that's another story for another time).

I started out by sketching their family onto plain printer paper, and then transferred it to the watercolor paper when I was ready (with graphite paper like this). I was so happy about how it turned out, and totally felt proud of myself for getting their gift done before Thanksgiving. Major victory there folks. Here's what I did for the rest of the gift:

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I think I'm going to need to make a large one for myself of the "i love you"s. Also, I keep throwing around the idea to start offering these watercolor families or homes-like i showed you on my Instagram a few days ago-in my Etsy shop, but just keep talking myself out of it. I've had peeps tell me I should. What do you think? yay or nay? Would you want one? Would you buy one?