Sunday, January 20, 2013

Baby Bunny Photo Prop

I found this on Pinterest:

http://www.sweetlovecreates.bigcartel.com/product/brown-bunny-set

Here's one of the photos if you don't feel like clicking the link:


This is $75. Woooooo. I thought to myself...I can make that.

My sister Megan who lives in TX is a photographer and sometimes takes pictures of babies. I thought it would be a fun little project.

So I set about looking for patterns. I haven't had to pay for a pattern yet, and I'm pretty proud of that. Patterns are usually pretty cheap online, but I don't mind hunting around or modifying something. It's more fun that way.

Here's my finished product:




I put wire in the ears so that they will stand up and you can twist them around different ways. The ears are the only thing I made up myself; the hat is an easy pattern, there are free diaper cover patterns online, there are free tutorials for how to make pom-poms (the tail). But I couldn't find any cute bunny ears. So I looked at the inspiration photo, and thought to myself that those ears actually look like the base of a slipper pattern. So I pulled up a slipper pattern and played around with it. I made two ears that I rejected, but got it right on the third try.

The only thing I did not like about this project is that I had to sew the ears, button, and tail. I stabbed myself four times. I am just not nimble with a needle.

I told J if we ever have a little baby, I'll make a little bear one for our little boy. I have been referring to the imaginary child as "jCub" since J is my jBear. Except it gets a little confusing because it just sounds like Jacob.

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Kitchen Drawer

Remember when I fixed the kitchen drawer?

Joseph's family came to visit for Christmas.

Before they came the drawer was attached.

After they left the drawer was not attached.






I'm not pointing fingers (Carissa)....I'm just stating facts.

Although it was a very crappy particle board drawer.

So I found a place online where you can submit your measurements for a new drawer and ordered one. $27! Sheesh.

They wanted an extra $11 to put it together ($38 for a drawer!! no way did I pay that), but all that was needed was a mallet. It has dovetail joints so it went together nice and easy. And it shouldn't be falling apart again. I don't have a picture of that part because I was anxious to put it together. If it was even a hair off, it would be a problem for our drawer slides. I was really happy when the drawer was the same width.


So I took the drawer slides off the old drawer and put then on the new drawer.

And ran into a problem.

The drawer was too tall and wouldn't slide into the cabinet.

Ah, that's where the problem was hiding.

J asked if my measurements that I sent in had been wrong. I told him the problem was that for the height, you could choose either three or four inches. Our old drawer was three and three-quarter inches. I eyeballed it and thought it could make four inches. I didn't want a weird short drawer. I was off by a sixteenth of an inch.

A frigging sixteenth of an inch.


So we got out the saw.



And I no longer have a ghetto kitchen.

Sunday, January 6, 2013

Haircut

I cut my hair.

I was going to completely chop it but I chickened out. But my sister Danielle definitely took off some length for me.




It was too long. It would get caught under my elbow, or it would get caught under J at night. It was a pain. It looks more cleaned up now. The ends were getting too scraggly.


 It's funny, because it's still pretty long but it feels so short. I had a coworker tell me it looks like I have more hair since the layers are closer together.



I like it.

Friday, January 4, 2013

Christmas Lights Lesson

This was a conversation I had awhile ago. I want it written down so I can remember it.

Deidre: We put our Christmas lights up this weekend.
Deni: Sean was putting our lights up and the neighbor who hates us came over and was hinting that she didn't have anyone to help her put up Christmas lights.
Deidre: That neighbor who yells at you and took you to the HOA for your weeds when you wouldn't pay her son to pull them?
Deni: Yeah.
Deidre: She wanted Sean to put up her Christmas lights after everything she's done to you guys? Seriously?
Deni: She said she couldn't do it because of her back and she didn't have anyone else.
Deidre: Did Sean tell her where she could stick the Christmas lights?
Deni: No, he's going to do it.
Deidre: WHAT?! He's going to do it? Why didn't he laugh in her face?
Deni: Because she's a mean old lady who has had a hard life and she needs some love.

I was really taken back when I heard that. Deni and Sean are two of the nicest, non-judgmental people you will ever meet. They go to church and believe in Christ, and do their best to really learn and grow. After I had this conversation with Deni, it kept coming back to me and I really thought about it. My first reaction was to return meanness with meanness, anger with anger. And that's not what Christ taught. I would like to be one of those people who leaves the world a better place, but I have my work cut out for me.