Run With Scissors

after.

2012-01-31T23:02:00.000-06:00

I got home from work and decided to run the curling iron through my hair again.

I re-applied my makeup.

Adam and I sat together and said a prayer of thanks.

We asked for strength, peace, and for His will to be done in this situation.

We arrived 15 minutes early to our meeting.

Adam wanted to wait in the car but I couldn't wait another second.

We went inside, and were asked to wait in a small room until our social worker came and got us.

5 minutes later, in walked our social worker.

I was super nervous and Adam was my rock.

The nerves were like "first date" nerves.

The, "I hope she likes me" nerves

and the "I want everything to go perfect" nerves.

Our social worker informed us the "E" was upstairs, and very nervous.

So nervous that she felt like she was going to throw up.

Me too!

That made me feel a little better.

We walked upstairs to our meeting room and my heart was beating out of my chest.

The second I saw her, my body was filled with peace :)

We smiled, we hugged, we admitted our nerves and it began.

The birth mother is lovely.

She's an artist.

She likes Sherlock Holmes

She reads the baby Tennyson and Byron.

She's so sweet and soft spoken and we absolutely loved her.

We talked about music, faith, books, pets, everything.

Our birth mother was an adoptee as well so she knows exactly what a gift adoption is.

We talked about her delivery plans and where we would fit into to all of that.

We talked about how "open" this adoption will be.

After she left, our social worker informed us that "E" loved us so much and is very content knowing that we will be extremely loving parents for her baby; our baby.

After a few questions and answers with the social worker, she explained that the next time we would here from her would be when "E" delivers.

At that point, it hit me, this is FOR REAL.

I hadn't been sure before if we were the only family that "E" was considering or if she was meeting with other families as well.

No, we are the only ones.

The chosen ones.

The blessed ones.

Meeting "E" was a very special gift, one that I will treasure forever.

I am excited that I may be able to tell our baby that she "has her mother's eyes."

I am excited to share with her that I met her birth mother and that she loved her so very much. I can't wait to share with her how smart, and lovely, and courageous, and loving her birth mother is.

"E" is the women who will give us our heart's desire.

"E" is scheduled to be induced on the 29th of February, if she doesn't have the baby before that.

She is already dilated though and can literally go into labor any day.

It's happening :)

In the back of my mind, I know that things aren't done until they are done and that there is still a potential for things to go wrong. Right now though, I am only allowing myself to focus on the positive and the excitement of the moment!!

God is good.

janel

P.S. My sister is having a baby boy!!! She found out yesterday! (This has been an exciting week for baby news).

Double P.S. The reset the votes over at Top Baby Blogs. We would really appreciate your votes to help us get back on top :) We ended the last round at #4 out of over 3,000 blogs which is so amazing and 100% because all of our awesome readers.

All you have to do is click on this link

http://www.topbabyblogs.com/cgi-bin/topblogs/in.cgi?id=jmaclean

and then click on the owl on the left.

That is it, two little clicks.

Also remember that you can vote every single day.

Thank you so much!!!

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

before.

2012-01-31T07:39:00.000-06:00

Well, today is the BIG day, one of the big days at least.

A huge day for us.

Today we meet the woman who may possibly be making our dreams come true.

I'm not as nervous as I thought I would be although it's seriously all I can think about.

I went to bed with a huge headache and woke up with it this morning too.

I curled my hair cute.

I'm wearing my black pants, black sparkle TOMS and a cute shirt.

I have to go to work all day which is good because it will keep my mind off of our meeting.

I really hope everything goes perfectly and by the end of this meeting "E" is sure she wants us to adopt her baby.

This could be it!

Check back later for my after :)

janel

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

meeting

2012-01-30T21:44:00.000-06:00

Tomorrow afternoon, at 4:30 pm CST will be meeting the birth mother of a baby.

I am soooo excited.

I am full of nerves.

I am ready.

I would appreciate any prayers or happy thoughts sent our way tomorrow.

Thank you!

janel

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

week four-project life

2012-01-29T08:49:00.000-06:00

This week was so monumental in our lives!

It was such a perfect example as to why a project like this is so important right now :)

I will always be so blessed to have all of this recorded for the future!!

Here are my pages for this week:

and here is a bit of a closer view for you all...

* I absolutely loved these journal cards that were a free download.

I started the week with just little photos on them for representation but then with all of the excitement during the latter part of the week, i journaled on them.

* I made some instagram photo strips from my photos this week.

* a screen shot of the blog post I wrote as soon as I got THE CALL.

* Lol, Adam is still wearing sunglasses in all photos to hide his red eyes from LASIK :)

* I added a little confetti pocket to symbolize all of the celebrating we have been doing over here.

* I also got my hair done this week so I did a little "before" shoot and an after photo.

* Adam and I have also been having wii tennis tournaments over here lately.

When i purchased all of my Project Life pages, I ordered a pack of these cute 12x12 envelopes to store special treasures in from weeks where I would need them.

This was one of those weeks :)

I have printouts of the blog posts and comments about the "the call." I also took a screen shot of all of the Facebook comments that I received and twitter comments that I received about it.

Also inside is a list of everything I wrote down that I learned about the birth mother and a sweet letter to our baby from a dear friend.

Obviously, this week has been such a blessing to us and I absolutely love how it all folded out in my Project Life album.

Im sure this whole next month will be filled with exciting pages to come.

janel

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

January Sponsor Spotlight

2012-01-28T21:29:00.000-06:00

I am so excited to share my amazing January Partners with you all tonight!

Their blogs and shops are absolutely perfect.

Take some time today to search through the links below :)

Enjoy!

Shop

Blog, Twitter, Facebook

Twitter, Blog, Shop, Pinterest

Olive Bungalow

Blog, Facebook, Twitter

Yay!! Enjoy all of the inspiration and the wonderful deals this month!!!! February ad spaces are already filling up so be sure to email me if you are interested!!! Thanks so much!!

janel

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

cloud nine

2012-01-28T18:31:00.000-06:00

This is Adam and I, pretty much 98% of the time these days :)

The other 2% of the time we are worried that it won't work out.

Lately I have been:

* crocheting a baby blanket

* reading Disengaged

* working on Project Life

* making decorations for my sister's baby shower

* anxiously awaiting Monday when she may find out the gender

* anxiously awaiting Tuesday, when we meet with the birth mother.

* taking walks

* loving life

* making decorations for The Pinterest Party this weekend

* loving my friends and family so much

* praying praying praying.

janel

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

the story.

2012-01-26T21:55:00.000-06:00

I can't believe how long it has taken me to write this post.

On one hand, I want to scream everything across the rooftops and another part of me is too overwhelmed, and another part of me is emotionally exhausted from all of the excitement and another part of me is feeling so completely loved it's unreal.

Yesterday, our secretary called over my intercom to tell me that I had a phone call and could I pick up.

In the 9 years that I have been a teacher I have had maybe two calls at school, everyone calls my cell phone if they need me.

It was Adam.

That freaked me out a little bit :)

He asked if I was sitting down and again, freaking out, it could only be something really bad right?

It was the complete opposite of bad.

It was amazing, it was happiness, it was love, it was answered prayer, and it was my dream come true all wrapped into one little phone call.

I'm going to make a really long story short.

1. Because Im not sure what I am technically able to share just yet.

2. Because if I wrote everything I felt I would be writing forever :)

Here it is:

A birth mother chose us.

She saw our profile book, and loved us.

She loved Catalina's suitcase bed a lot.

We have heard a lot about the birth mother and from what we know of her, we already love her so much too.

We get to meet her next Thursday!!

She is due in February which is so crazy.

The pregnancy is considered high risk due to the birth mother having a pulmonary embolism right now and being on blood thinners.

With that being said, she can go into labor ANY DAY NOW.

Our case worker is almost positive the baby is a girl, but since she didn't write it down, she wants to double check :)

In a perfect world, Adam and I will have a baby next month. We can start our little family and live happily ever after.

In reality, this adoption is "a legal risk"

There are some issues pending with the birth father that need to get resolved before things can legally move forward.

The birth mother has 48 hours after the baby is born to change her mind.

Anything can happen.

In the meantime all we can do is pray and love this baby and her birth mother.

Prayers and happy thoughts are very much appreciated right now.

You all have been beyond amazing throughout this entire journey with us and I truly feel like you are all part of our little family.

Your texts, calls, emails, and comments this past couple of days has been such a blessing for us and something that I am quietly treasuring during this time.

I love you

Adam loves you

and this baby is going to love you all too.

Thanks for sharing in our excitement.

janel

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

THE CALL!!!

2012-01-25T14:40:00.000-06:00

It came!!!

We got THE call.

I will share more details tonight but this girl might be a mama soon!!!!

If you pray, please pray for everything to go well

because in adoption situations, a million things can go wrong.

Eeeeek!!!!

janel

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

insta-life

2012-01-24T21:06:00.000-06:00

Here are a few peeks into my week so far via instagram.

I love Instagram because the photos are just of every day random things but it's a perfect little glance to into the realness :)

1. I tried out those Sally Hansen nail decals out of pure curiosity. Not only do they work really well, they make my usually weak nails feel super strong. I'm a fan.

2. Although my sisters baby shower isn't until March, I have jumped in, full force, into getting ready for it. I am almost done making all of the decorations, invitations, and other fun things.

3. I got some cute new paper goodies for my Project Life.

4. I began painting some of my drift wood pieces to create a mobile.

5. Ive fallen more in love with this project.

6. My honey got Lasik.

7. I added some sparkle to my house key :)

8. I sent in my sketchbook for The Sketchbook Project.

This is, hands down, my most favorite iPhone app ever. I love it.

I'm also participating in the #janphotoaday challenge using instagram too.

I'll post a recap of that at the end of the month :)

Have a great night!!

janel

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

harajuku mini

2012-01-23T06:11:00.000-06:00

So, I know that Gwen Stefani's Mini line for Target is old news but I have to talk about it real quick :)

Since it's old news, it is also finally on clearance over here which means, time for me to stock up a bit.

My sister totally hooked me up with the CUTEST little outfits for our soon to be from the Harajuku Mini collection at her Target. None of the outfits were over $6.00 when she bought them.

Here the cuties that are part of the little wardrobe now...

And here are a couple from the more current collection that I am adding to my baby registry ASAP...

Dear Gwen,

Keep up the good work.

My kiddo will be extra stylin because of you.

Thanks so much,

janel and baby.

I better start hanging them up!!

Now, we just need a baby :)

janel

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

week three-project life

2012-01-22T06:17:00.000-06:00

Still.in.love.

There is not one negative thing that I can say about this project.

I am having so much fun with it.

Here is my week three:

And here is a little bit of a closer view with explanations for each piece:

If you are participating in Project Life, please leave me a comment and link your pages so that I can see it!!

On to week four.

janel

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

Things I "Pin"

2012-01-21T11:09:00.000-06:00

Usually I like to share all of my "little love" pins with you all. Lately though, I have been "pinning" so many lovely ideas in my "For the Home" pinboard. I know we will be living in our tiny home for at least another year, but a girl can dream of a bigger space and more room to decorate right?

All of these things are elements that I would LOVE to have in our home some day. They all seem easy enough to make happen too, which is a plus.

1. The polaroid wall paired with the house plants is perfection.

2. This is so much what I want my future kitchen to based around.

3. Upcycling old lightbulbs into vases is so fresh and lovely and I will have to make some this summer for our balcony.

4. As if this needs an explanation...adorable!

5. I need another collection like I need a hole in the head but I just ADORE the look of all of these bouncy balls in this jar. My goal is to have a lot of gorgeous, unique containers to showcase all of my little collections around our home.

6. this door...*swoon*

7. The Native American/southwest motif of this room is lovely and I would love a bedroom based around my Hudson Bay Blanket.

8. And finally, this little reading nook is something that I would love to have so so much. In fact, I don't think it would be hard to do, if I had the space to build it. This is a must have for our next home.

Dreaming is fun.

In the meantime, I'll just continue to work on making our little home a cozy, and meaningful place to live.

janel

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

the nursery

2012-01-20T12:50:00.000-06:00

I know I show little shots of the nursery all of the time, but today I thought I would give you a little nursery tour, of what we have going on so far. Now, this isn't the "Full blown" tour that I will hopefully have a photographer friend do (so that it looks perfect), but it's good enough for now :)

Are you ready?

Here is a view from the door...

the crib area...

the reading nook...

The changing table with the cutest pair of shoes that were .50 at Babies R Us...

a little DIY project I made...

another view of the crib area...

this is the part of the tour where Picasso becomes a camera hog :)

This is the carpet....

Inside the fort...

The cutest hat ever from Blabla...

a little corner and the book shelf...

Picasso, anxiously waiting to meet the baby.... (Don't worry Picasso, so are we!!)

Obviously there is more, and when I share the complete tour I will talk about the significance of certain pieces and how and why we chose certain things. It was really important to us that we create this room with a handmade vision. Almost everything in here was made by me or friends. The other items are mostly vintage, with a story, which makes them all perfect as well.

What do you all think?

janel

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

change.

2012-01-18T22:05:00.000-06:00

Tonight I added a few portraits above my work space :)

These are just a few of the people who have really influenced my life.

(The more well known people I should say).

The "Just Pray." photo is a representation of Jesus (my numero uno influence).

I just want an extra visual reminder in my daily life.

Life is supposed to be about love, peace, equality, empathy, beauty, and happiness.

Sometimes you just have to be reminded of that.

janel

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

as of late.

2012-01-17T22:54:00.000-06:00

I have been quite the busy bee lately over here.

My days and nights have been jam packed and I love it.

Here is a little overview.

1. I sorted through all of the clothing I have for baby. There are sooooo many!! We have been blessed by so many people sending us cute little vintage numbers and hitting a lot of garage sale jackpots and mega sales at stores. I had them sorted by size and hung them all in the bottom half of my side of the closet.

piles...

and more piles...

Thankfully, my mom was there to help me go through it all and suggest better ways to organize it all. Moms are the best yeah?

2. Sewing headband and hair bows for some of my fellow art teacher friends. We fell in love with this crazy fabric during our professional development day and I wanted to make little presents out of it for us :) I have also been sewing curtains for my mom this week too.

3. Creating a little Project Life station. My mom's friend is cleaning out her mother's home and is bringing me a lot of wonderful treasures; including this cart. It's lovely and perfect and has an electrical plug-in and wheels.

4. Being blessed by my amazing Pastor and his amazing wife. (Our church family is so important to us).

5. Preparing more and more for the little ones arrival, whenever that may happen.

6. Listening to Martin Luther King speeches like they are going out of style!! (Which they never will be :D). This one is my all time favorite; The Drum Major's Instinct. In fact from like 29 minutes on is my most favorite part. I challenge you to listen to it.

7. Rollerskating with some of my best friends for my sister's birthday party.

8. Most of my time has been spent on planning and making decor and invites, and all of that fun stuff, for my sister's baby shower!! It's not for awhile but I like being ahead of the game. It's how I roll :)

So yeah, it's been busy, but it has been great.

I love being able to fit in so many things that I love doing you know?

I also picked up all of the supplies that I need for my Pinterest Party project!!

So exciting!!

Ok, I am off to finish the book I am reading. It's unputdownable.

night friends!

janel

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

Happy Birthday Nicole!

2012-01-17T11:13:00.000-06:00

Happy birthday to my best gal, and sister, Nicole!!

You are amazing.

I love you so much.

janel

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

week two-project life

2012-01-15T09:06:00.000-06:00

Week two of this new year is over, and documented :)

I seriously can'y say enough about how much I LOVE this project.

So, here are my week two pages for you all to check out.

1. I am teaching about Charley Harper to my fourth and fifth graders

2. the message from our sermon on Sunday

3. My weekly header photo

4. this is a folded card so my journaling is actually on the inside, that is why there is a tab at the top to pull out :) My parents had some trees removed, and one was my childhood face tree (sad face). It needed to be done and my mom brought me these cuttings so I could have a little piece of them here at my home. I'm either going to do little paintings on them or I may make coasters.

5. A quilt the art teachers in my district are making together

6. A cool quote and a little memory of a great conversation

7. Another little inspiring quote. This one came from a video my mom sent me. It got me "moving" more :)

8. Journaling card and a little tag from a Thief and Bandit headband.

9. My sister and I from her rollerskating birthday party.

10. All of the skaters

11. Me and my honey, I did the journaling on the back of this card so there is an arrow :)

1. My mom literally has HUNDREDS of Little Golden Books that she has saved from our childhood and collected. I was cleaning her basement and organizing and scored a few for our soon to be little one :)

2. We had my mom's puppy and ours for a night while they were getting their trees cut down. A night with two dogs is perfection!

3. My week in review on a photo

4. A crafty day where I painted spoon puppets, journaled, and did some other little projects.

5. My two favorite loves; Adam and Catalina

6. A photo from my balcony of our first snow of the season.

My fabulous Weight Watcher leader, and friend was in W.W. magazine this month!! So cool! I wanted to preserve this article so I used one of my 6x12 pocket sheets and slipped it right in. It was perfect.

I also clipped this fun article from our local newspaper from this week. A few of my colleagues and I were in the paper from when we met with Faith Ringgold. There was this HUGE photo of Faith and I so I had to put this article in as well. It fit perfectly on the other side of my page protector. It was perfect!!

That is my week 2. I love this way of documenting. It forces me to even document the little things. When I feel like my day was too boring to mention, I can find at least one little detail that in essence make my life mine and I can document it.

love love love it.

janel

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

a pinterest party

2012-01-13T22:10:00.000-06:00

In a few weeks, my sister and I are throwing a "Pinterest Party!"

I seriously have no idea why it took me so long to even hear of a Pinterest Party.

I was having lunch with two of my favorite co-workers when one of them told me about a Pinterest Party that she was attending.

I knew immediately that I had to plan one asap.

I mean, come on, a PINTEREST PARTY!

Does it get better than that? I think not.

So, if you are like me, and you are just hearing about this, here is what happens:

Everyone who is invited will bring either of these or both:

1. bring all of the supplies that you will need to create a project/DIY that you have "pinned" on Pinterest

2. Make a food or drink from a Pinterest recipe that you have pinned (it can be an appetizer, meal, dessert, snack, drink, whatever).

And some cute decor, and lovely friends

and I seriously

can.not.wait.

If you are local, you should email me and come by!!

I am awesome at "pinning" creative projects but I have been on Pinterest for like a year and a half and have only pinned two recipes. I am stuck as to what to bring food wise. Any suggestions on things that you have tried and loved (and were easy) would be awesome please!!

Here is the project that I am pretty sure I will be bringing to make:

or maybe this:

Is there a place to buy drift wood from online?

I'm excited!

janel

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

snow

2012-01-12T17:21:00.000-06:00

Last night (or early morning) marked our very first snow of the year. It's technically the first "real" snow of the season. Man how I was hoping for a snow day :) It all worked out.

Also, your comments on my last post were SO encouraging and helpful and they all made me smile too. Thank you so much!

Anyway, this week has been really nice so far.

This week has consisted of:

* project life (obsessed)

* reading

* painting spoons

* sewing curtains

* cutting quilt squares

* organizing books

* snuggling chihuahuas

* teaching about Charley Harper

* clay projects with fifth graders

* stuffy noses

* lots of kleenex

* The Bachelor

* Project Runway Allstars (tonight)

* the cutting down of my FAVORITE tree :(

* and wonderful conversations with friends

Praise God for it all.

Alright I need to make food and get ready for Project Runway Allstars!! Does anyone else feel like it's just not the same without Tim Gunn?

Goodnight!

janel

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

help!

2012-01-10T09:53:00.000-06:00

**

Adam and I are in full prepping and planning mode for our soon to be baby.

We were told that we could get "THE CALL" any day. Obviously any day can mean tomorrow, or next year. We are hoping more for tomorrow but reality is showing us that any day may be longer than we hope for :)

So far we have most of the basics - a crib, car seat, stroller, changing table, a few pacifiers, a diaper bag, a ton of wipes, bibs, and burp cloths, a bassinet, tub, and a lot of baby clothes ranging from newborn to 2T.
Like as I am writing this I realize:
* I will need diapers (duh!) But diapers are so hard to pre-buy since we won't know how big our baby will be. Can you buy like a variety pack?
* and bottles (like how many should I get to just start with and what kind)?

Is there anything else that you'd recommend as essentials??
Anything that we need in the first few weeks when we all we will want to do is snuggle and love on our baby, and not run out to Babies R Us?

I feel like the more prepared we are, maybe the sooner God will send us our baby :)

Thank you for your help!!
xo
janel

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

week one-project life

2012-01-08T18:19:00.000-06:00

Hopefully, every Sunday I will be able to do a little "showing" of my Project Life pages for that week :)

Week One is complete and I am totally in love with this style of documentation. I can't even call it Scrapbooking or art journaling because it's something so different.

Project Life totally works for me and my life right now and I am so excited to continue on with this project.

Welcome to my week one:

I have had a few questions about Project Life and I will answer them the best I can (for only having done this for 2 weeks so far).

Q: Where do you get the materials for Project Life?

A: I bought my page protectors and Clementine "core kit" from Amazon. To be honest, if I do this again, I probably won't even purchase a core kit. I have enough paper around and photos to use up all of the space. However, for a first timer the core kit is really helpful and helped me understand Project Life better. I have bought some little extra things like a date stamp and other 2x4 papers from Etsy. There are a lot of cute printables and ideas on Pinterest. You can check out my PL pinboard for some ideas.

Q: Is this project time consuming?

A: I have had no troubles at all trying to fit this project into my schedule. I am a "right now" type of person so I like to work on it my pages each day. I usually do this at night, and it may just be editing a photo or doing some quick journaling as a reminder. Last night, Saturday, I looked at everything I had done throughout the week and then I worked on tweaking few things to make it more cohesive and a bit more "blinged out." I have spent maybe 15-20 minutes on it each night. I have read on other people's blogs that they like to save everything and dedicate one day a week to put it all together. Whatever works for you, do it!!

Q: Where do you print all of your photos?

A: Like I mentioned previously, there are a lot of coupon codes for Snapfish and Walgreens where I can get my photos in an hour. I use them only if I can get my prints for free :) I started out by going through my iPhoto and finding filler photos that I may want to use throughout the year to journal on or to use as a header photo. Since that is a bigger order, that is what I used Walgreens for with my free coupon code. I just got ink for my printer yesterday and it was heavenly to be able to print my photos right here at home. Other than that, I have my Instax which works PERFECTLY for all of the 2x4 sections on my pages :)

Q: How do you type your journaling onto your photos?

A: I use Photo Shop Elements. I definitely don't use it to it's full potential but it was a great investment and takes my photos to the next level. Highly recommend it :)

Ok, that's all I got right now :) Again, I have only just started on this little Project Life adventure, and I am sure I will learn more cool things as the year goes on.

I love it.

Thanks for checking out my pages!!

janel

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

love letters.

2012-01-07T09:52:00.001-06:00

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

Project Life- 2012

2012-01-05T17:34:00.002-06:00

As I mentioned before, I am looooving Project Life so far :)

I am thinking that I may post my layouts here every Sunday for the past week.

I hope that you all will like seeing the pages that I create.

I know that the week isn't over yet, but I was really excited to share with you what I have so far.

Here is my cover page:

After my cover page, I wanted to do an entire spread of my "one little word."

This is my word for 2012, so I wanted to document it in my book...

I did a lot of documenting right on my photos in PSE and I also made the cute "Peace" photo.

Some of the others were photos that I found on Pinterest that inspire me.

Other than that, I am using the Clementine kit.

And here is the beginnings of this week so far :)

Again, having a blast. I would love to hear how you all will be documenting your memories this year!!
xo
janel

Also, I wanted to announce the winner of the JSL planner...

email me your shipping info so we can get your planner out to you!!

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

nostalgia

2012-01-04T20:34:00.001-06:00

A couple of weeks ago, my parents and I looked through a bunch of old photographs and albums from my grandpa. He was quite the memory keeper :)

Amongst these photos, were a lot of old slides that I wanted to get developed.

Yesterday, we got the photos back from the slides and had another great day reminiscing.

Here are a few things that I learned from these photos:

1. Contrary to popular belief, I apparently get my craftiness from my MOM not my dad. My dad is super artistic and creative but my mom has some hidden secret talents that she has kept from me all these years!!

* She made that huge macrame hanging!! (and then apparently sold it at a garage sale sometime in the past)

crewel embroidery! umm hmmm!
And my dad tells me that she was quite the cross-sticher as well.
My crafty soul...I get it from my mamma :)

2. My dad is the cutest hippie I know.

3. My mom looks so much like my sister and my cousin Kelly and so many of these photos.

4. I started blinking in photos from an early age :)

well, only sometimes...

I loooove looking at old photos, don't you? I would love to have a little flashback post every once awhile just for the nostalgia of it all :)

xo
janel

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back to work

2012-01-03T10:03:00.000-06:00

Winter Break is over :(

It was so hard today to get out of bed and get ready for a full day of teaching kiddos the wonderful word of art :)

Fortunately, I love my job.

I've been pretty obsessed with my Project Life book already, which is good, because I can definitely tell it is something that I am going to stick with. It is really nice to have a little bit of quiet, creating time to myself each night to document the day.

Here is a photo of my first page, just a little introductory...

In other news, I just checked my Goodreads page and it looks like I read 85 books in 2011. My goal was to read 100 books but then I got hooked on this Mary Russell series and those books were looooong (but totally worth it).
I set my 2012 goal, and I hope to read at least 50 books this year!
You can check out what I am reading and create your own goal right here.
Alright, I have so much to do today so I better run off.
Have a blessed day!

xo
janel

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little pins.

2012-01-02T08:00:00.002-06:00

Well, good morning to you and welcome to another edition of "Little Pins."

I'm pretty sure after today's dose of cuteness, you will have a case of Baby fever :)

I am so in love with finding cute little things for the little ones in our lives.

Here are some of the latest little pins...

I will take one of everything please!!

I hope you enjoyed the cuteness this week.

Also, if I am not following you on Pinterest yet, let me know!! Leave me your username in the comments so I can find you :)

Happy Monday!

janel

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

just sweet love giveaway

2012-01-01T17:16:00.000-06:00

Today I am going to share with you one of my most favorite Christmas presents that I received this year...

My new just sweet love planner!!

I am obsessed with planners, and more importantly, the perfect planner.

My adorable friend Jenny and her sister, collaborated to makes the cutest, and most perfect planner out there!!

This planner is durable, the perfect size, and has the most perfect features:

December 2011 - January 2013

Monthly View (1 month per page + next 3 month mini calendar view)
5 Weekly pages (space for notes)
2 note pages per month
2012 Holidays and celebrations list ( towards the end of the booklet)
Calendar for 2013 (towards the end of the booklet)
4 blank sheets (for notes, etc)

I am also really happy to say that Jenny and her sister are offering up one of their lovely planners to one very lucky RWS reader :)

All you have to do is

* leave me a comment, on this post, telling me one of your New Year's resolutions/goals for 2012!!

This giveaway will end on Wednesday, January 4th!

Good Luck friends!!

janel

P.S. The winner of the Isaboo Design giveaway is...

Shoot me an email so we can get your banner out to you asap :)

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one little word-2012

2011-12-31T07:14:00.012-06:00

Peace is my "one little word" for 2012.
For those of you who haven't heard of "one little word" be sure to read this.
Basically, one little word is the word that you would like to sum up your new year.
It took me awhile to find the perfect word.
Last year, my word came to me quickly. This year I had to ruminate on it for awhile
A few months ago, I came across this on Pinterest..

I am a huge Gandhi fan, and when I read this, it was so

"moving" to me.

Gandhi was so incredibly wise, and brilliant, and stood for so many things that I truly believe in.

Some of my favorite quotes and mantras of all time have been from Gandhi, such as:

Live simply

The weak can never forgive. forgiveness is an attribute only for the strong.

Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from a indomitable will.

Be the change you wish to see in the world.

Where there is love, there is life.

A nation's culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of its people.

Hate the sin, love the sinner.

Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.

I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent.

When I despair, I remember that all through history the ways of truth and love have always won.

Those are the types of things that I want to focus on this year.
These are the traits that I want to meditate on and surround myself with.

Unfortunately, I am looking for ONE little word; not alot of words :)

So, I thought hmmmm could my word be Gandhi?

To me that is a name, not a word. I wasn't feeling it.

Then I made a list of adjectives that I thought described Gandhi.

Again, I let these sink in and "peace" was the one that stuck with me.

So for me, the word Peace means so much more than that.

It's a symbolic word that stands for the person I want to be this year:

* A person who can be the change.

* A person who loves everyone

* A forgiving person

* A strong person

* A happy person

* A harmonious person

* A peaceful person

So this my friends, is what I leave you with :)

I offer you peace.

I offer you love.

I offer you friendship.

I hear you cry

I see your beauty

I feel your pain

My wisdom flows from my spirit within

I salute that spirit in you

Let us work together for peace.

-Gandhi (and Janel)

janel

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2011 in review

2011-12-30T08:00:00.000-06:00

I just had the best time going over all of my blog posts this past year and reminiscing on the wonderful times and memories.

My "one little word" for this year was Better.

My goal was to just be a better me.

That includes, being a better friend, no more fears and anxieties, being healthier, being more creative, being more outgoing...

just being better.

Reflecting on this past year, I can definitely say, with 100% certainty, that I accomplished that.

Here is a little, photo filled, re-cap of "Janel's better life via 2011."

What a lovely lovely year.

Full of blessings.

I am beyond thankful.

I am still working on my "one little word" for 2012.

I have a few words in mind, and I have my "concept" in my head, I am just not sure how to sum it all up in one word.

We shall see.

Have a blessed day my friends.

janel

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

new blog design!

2011-12-29T22:45:00.000-06:00

I thought it was only appropriate to start a brand new year with a fresh new blog design.

What do you think?

I, for one, am in love with it :)

I have seen so many blog banners that I love and then when I really started checking them out, I realized that they were all created by the same lovely girl!

So, I found her blog.

Checked out her shop.

and fell in love.

$25 dollars later, my blog is perfection.

Yes, TWENTY FIVE DOLLARS!!!!

Contact her, get a fresh start with your blog this 2012. Tell her I sent you :)

She also has a ton of cute FREE "blog bling" downloads too.

Seriously she rocks!

Love love love,

Thank you Jess.

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

the present.

2011-12-28T20:17:00.000-06:00

Last year, my friend Katie posted her Christmas gift to her husband.

I was so inspired!! I knew that this was something that I wanted to do for Adam.

I immediately hopped on etsy and ordered a HUGE handmade journal.

The concept was this, I would write love letters to Adam all year from January 1, 2011 all the way until Christmas 2011. I literally carried the book around with me EVERYWHERE. Which is crazy because after I gave it to Adam, he said he had never seen it before.

I guess I was sneakier than I thought :)

I tried to document as much as possible. I taped in ticket stubs, movie stubs, tons of photos, cards, postcards, and I even made a couple of mixed CD's throughout the year and a couple of DVD's too.

Here is a little sampling...

I tried to make sure that I wrote at least once a week but a lot of times I wrote even more than that. It was addicting :)

Adam says it's the best present he has ever gotten. He loves handmade gifts and I can tell that it really meant a lot to him. He read the whole thing, cover to cover, in a couple of hours. It was awesome.

2011 was a wonderful year full of milestones for us, especially with our adoption. I loved documenting it, I loved being sneaky.

I will admit at the beginning I wasn't sure that I would stick with it, but I did, and I loved it.

I think this was a great project to get me amped up for Project Life this year too! Another year of documenting things the way that works for me :)

What is the best gift you gave this Christmas?

janel

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Isaboo Designs Giveaway

2011-12-27T21:38:00.000-06:00

Let's give a big Hello to one of our lovely partners this month, Isaboo Designs. As soon as she emailed me, and I checked out her shop and blog, I knew that she would be a perfect fit for Run With Scissors this month :) Her designs and creations are stunning and unique.

You can see for yourself by checking them out:

Blog
Etsy Shop
Twitter
Facebook

Isaboo Designs is also offering up one of their gorgeous crocheted banners for one lucky Run With Scissors Reader this month :)

Isn't it lovely?

For a chance to win, all you can do any and ALL of the following:

1. Visit the Isaboo Designs Etsy shop, and leave a comment on this blog post telling me which item is your fave :)

2. "Like" Isaboo Designs on Facebook

3. Be a follower of Run With Scissors.

4. Tweet the following @janelrws is hosting an awesome giveaway from Isaboo Desings on her blog!

There you go! You have four ways to enter this giveaway!

You can enter every day too! Just make sure to leave separate comments for each entry.

This giveaway will end on New Year's Eve December 31.

Good Luck!

janel

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

December Sponsor Spotlight

2011-12-27T19:43:00.002-06:00

I am so excited to share the rest of my December Sponsors with you all!

Their blogs and shops are absolutely adorable!

Take some time today to search through the links below :)

Enjoy!

Blog, Twitter, Facebook

Twitter, Blog, Shop, Pinterest

Olive Bungalow

Blog, Facebook, Twitter

Blog , Etsy Shop, Twitter, Facebook

Blog, Facebook, Twitter

Yay!! Enjoy all of the inspiration and the wonderful deals this month!!!! January ad spaces are already filling up so be sure to email me if you are interested!!! Thanks so much!!

janel

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

project #9

2011-12-27T14:00:00.000-06:00

As I mentioned before my wonderful Aunt and Uncle made me this A-Frame tent, for the nursery, for Christmas.

We used this tutorial.

For Project #9 I made the fabric covering for it :)

I had to wait until I was gifted the tent before I could photograph it and get it up here.

I used the same tutorial but readjusted my measurements for the smaller size.

I found a pretty vintage sheet from my stash and sewed.

The covering was so easy to make and the directions were perfect!

Now we have the perfect little reading nook happening in the nursery :)

I scored that awesome wood grain floor pillow from Target's after Christmas sales and the quilt is hand-made.

I am happy to say that I completed all 10 of my projects in 10 days and I have been on a full-on creativity kick ever since.

I hope you all are relaxed and refreshed after the holiday.

On a side note: Please pray for the family of one of my past students who was killed last night in a car accident :( My heart is breaking for her and her lovely family. Thank you.

janel

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

like a bandit.

2011-12-25T22:40:00.000-06:00

So, although this little one has yet to make an appearance, or even give us any type of timeline, she sure made out like a bandit this Christmas!!

Out of everyone in our little family, the soon to be, scored the most gifts.

and...

Adam made an hour trip to the Eric Carle Museum while he was in Massachusetts to score tons of Eric Carle goodies for the baby (and me). He is so sweet for surprising me with that :) He knows that Eric Carle is my fave. My aunt and uncle made us the A-frame tent for a little reading nook in the nursery. (project #9 is the fabric cover for it and now that I have it, I can finish taking photos of it all together to post tomorrow).

We had such a wonderful Christmas with our wonderful family.
We are blessed.

Dear Baby,

As you can see, we think about you and wish for you every single day. I hope that you are feeling all of our blessings pouring over you wherever you are.

We love you,

M&D

Dear CHS,

We are soooo ready for The call.

Thanks,

J&;A

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Merry Christmas 2011

2011-12-25T05:00:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas from our home to yours...

Have a blessed day everyone.

love you.

janel

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Project #10

2011-12-24T09:56:00.000-06:00

I didn't forget Project #9, I just haven't finished editing those photos yet and since they are late anyway, I felt I should go ahead and post 10.

So, project #10 may be my favorite one :)

My parent's and I spent a day looking through my grandpa's old photos a couple of weeks ago. I found so many great vintage Christmas photos and knew that I wanted to incorporate them into my Christmas decor this year.

I affixed some of my sparkle deer to clothes pins, hung up a crocheted garland and clipped on the photos.

I adore this little display and I am sure a lot of people will enjoy seeing themselves on there, as children, when they come over tonight for Christmas Eve.

Enjoy!

Merry Christmas Eve ya'll.

janel

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

Project Life 2012

2011-12-23T19:22:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas Eve Eve!!

Tonight I thought I would share with you one of my 2012 goals.

Next year, I plan on completing a Project Life Binder.

I am "hoping" to take a photo a day, each day in 2012, and then documenting it with Project Life.

For those of you who aren't familiar with Project Life, here is a little video about if from Becky Higgin's site.

I received my kit today and I have already begun putting it all together and getting so excited about starting!!

I have been gathering inspiration over on Pinterest of course. Here is the link to my Project Life pin board, it's where you can find the sources for all of these photos and many more.

I decided to go with the "Clementine" kit (side note: I loooove the name Clementine) which you can find here.

Although the Project Life binder is cute, I decided I wanted to go with something a little more plain since this will be something that will be sitting out all year. Instead, I picked up this binder; a Cloth D-Ring Album 12x12 by American Crafts at WalMart.

and, I also added a couple of supplemental pages into the mix as well which you can find in Becky Higgin's shop on Amazon.

I am really excited to work on this throughout the year. I have a feeling that 2012 is going to be HUGE for us and I am hoping to have all of it documented in one place :)

Have any of you done a Project Life album before? Are you any of you planning on doing one in 2012?

janel

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

Advertise on RWS!

2011-12-21T23:21:00.001-06:00

We are now accepting Ad Spaces for January!!

January is going to be an exciting month here at Run With Scissors with a new blog design launching!!

If you would like to advertise on RWS, please check out the sponsorship link for ad sizes and pricing!

Happy Holidays!

janel

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

Project #8

2011-12-20T17:33:00.000-06:00

Hello there!

I finally got around to photographing last night's project :)

I can't believe that I am already on Project #8 and I feel like I have a list of so many more projects I want to do. This was definitely a great kick start for me to get back into my creating groove.

Okay, project 8...

Last year, at Renegade, I bought this adorable cut and sew dog toy from June Craft.

Ok, I bought this and pretty much everything else in their booth :) Their product is adorable and well-priced, and perfection.

So, with a little bit of cutting, and little bit of sewing and stuffing, I have this adorable little soft dog toy to add to the crib 'o toys!!

I love how the backing of all of their stuff is made from vintage fabric.

Like I said, perfection.

And you can see a little peek at tonight's project underneath the little puppy :)

Tonight I am hoping to finish up the binding!!

janel

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

giveaway winners...

2011-12-19T10:06:00.001-06:00

Let's give a big CONGRATULATIONS to our two giveaway winners this month :)

The first giveaway was for the adorable hat from...

and the winner was...

Next up was the $50 gift certificate from...

which goes to...

Yay for both of you!!! Send me an email with your contact info and we can get both of you your prizes as soon as possible!!!

Thanks!!

janel

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

Project #7

2011-12-18T19:13:00.000-06:00

Tonight's little project was a cute little photo display for my desk :)

I found a piece of scrap molding at my parent's house last night, painted it and used a rotary cutter to cut a line across the top of the wood. I only made the groove about a few centimeters deep. It was just enough for the bottom of a photo to slip in and be held snuggly!!

This was a very quick and very easy project.

Plus I think it turned out rather cute. Not too mention, it's totally functional!! I have lots of business cards and photos stuck in it now :)

janel

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Project #6

2011-12-17T21:24:00.002-06:00

I had all intention to make a cute book tonight with photos of everyone in our family with their names for the baby. I even got it started see...

But then, the opportunity to hang out with my dad presented itself :)

I was at my parent's house tonight when my dad came in and told me that he had his telescope out and that you could see Jupiter and it's moons really cleary tonight!

I am a TOTAL stargazer thanks to my dad and his telescope. We spent many nights looking at the stars and planets and him teaching me about nebulas and constellations.

Clearly I was excited, and decided to do some "Planet Gazing" instead of book making.

We saw so many cool things and my dad showed me how to play with the F stop and ISO of my camera to get some pretty shots of the stars. Living in St. Louis, doesn't really allow beautiful starry skies (too many lights) so it was cool to capture what we did.

In no way am I a professional photographer, AT ALL, and I know these photos aren't the greatest. To me though, they are perfection and a captured memory of a night hanging out with my dad.

I learned a lot about my camera!! It does so much more than I ever knew it did!

Oh and here are some shots of Jupiter...

The coolest thing about it is if everyone goes outside and looks for the brightest "star" in the sky, we would all be looking at Jupiter no matter where we live.
Crazy!!
This next one I took with my iPhone, shooting through a pair of binoculars :) It's really cool though because you can see the moons of Jupiter and I captured the Dopplar Effect too!

I'll have to finish my little book project another night. Tonight's project was all about learning new photography tricks and spending great time with my dad in the backyard, with a telescope, camera, and binoculars.

good times.

janel

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

Project #5

2011-12-16T23:27:00.000-06:00

I didn't get home until 9:00 tonight.

Adam and I are both feeling sick.

Date night got cancelled.

Adam leaves tomorrow for 7 days and still hasn't packed.

We have soooooo much laundry to do.

Needless to say, a crafty project was the last thing on my mind tonight.

I thought about just skipping it or even posting a project I had done before.

Then I realized that I would only be cheating myself and that is NOT how I roll.

Thus...project number five was created

I have had this stash of vintage teeny tiny plastic deer for awhile and was never sure what to do with them. They are too cute, and I wanted to find the perfect project for them.

I had seen this post awhile back and for some reason it popped into my head tonight and it was perfect!

I busted out my materials...

and got busy painting ( I didn't have any glue so I used my sparkly gold paint for adhesive) and dipped my little deer in the glitter!

That last photo is a reference photo, so that you can see how cute and tiny these deer really are!!

Oh my gosh I love them so much!!

I think I'm either going to make:

1. cute festive hair pins

2. a little garland of these

3. use them on my gift tags

4. or all of the above.

I painted a ton so I am sure I can use them for more than one thing.

Also I want it noted, for future reference, doing this little project made me feel a lot better. Plus, what else is there to do while the laundry is cycling through?

Good night friends.

janel

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

Project #4

2011-12-15T21:23:00.000-06:00

I'm sure you have seen something along these lines over on Pinterest right? I loved this project the first time I had saw it and knew that I had to make my honey a Massachusetts...

300 nails and three different paint colors...I love it.

More importantly, he loves it.

The heart is where his city, Worcester, is. He loves Massachusetts so much and all of his family up there. I love to make little Massachusetts projects for our house. They are a lovely symbol of our amazing family up there.

I'm super jealous that Adam gets to fly up there in a couple of days to spend a week with them while I'm at work!

Dear Massachusetts,

I miss you.

Love, me

janel

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

Project #3

2011-12-14T20:17:00.000-06:00

I'm going to apologize ahead of time for the poor lighting in the photos from today's project. It has been dark and stormy almost all day. But, the weather did make it a perfect day for painting.

Tonight I decided to paint.

I wanted something southwest inspired and simple and I think I succeeded :)

I thought about filling the entire thing with patterns but I really really loved the simplicity and the repetitiveness of it.

I can't wait to fill the rest of this little space with other prints and stuff!

Fun fun!

I am super excited about the project I hope to do tomorrow.

Check back.

Also, don't forget to sign up for these two awesome giveaways from earlier this week.

Melondipity.com

Urbanwalls

janel

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

Project #2

2011-12-13T16:30:00.000-06:00

I know I mentioned this before, but I couldn't think of anything I really wanted for Christmas this year so I asked for things on my baby wish list. The more staple pieces we have, the more prepared we are when the day comes. I don't want to have to leave the house to get stuff when this baby comes. All I want to do is snuggle and love on the baby.

So, my parent's got me the moses basket that I wanted. Actually, they got me one way better than the one I had originally asked for plus the stand!

I didn't get a good before shot but I found one online to show you what the before fabric looked like:

I love all of the cute goodies that came with it but I just wasn't feeling the brown polka-dotted mattress cover.

All i did was take apart the original cover, used it as a template, found a vintage sheet I had been saving for a cute project like this, and got to pinning and sewing.

I really like how it turned out :)

What do you think? I guess I should also make a more boy friendly one (just in case).

xo
janel

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

Urbanwalls Giveaway!!

2011-12-13T07:35:00.000-06:00

Today I am super excited to be offering you another amazing giveaway!!

Urbanwalls is an amazing company, owned by a very talented husband and wife.

They create LARGE mural-type vinyl decals for your walls.

I was super blessed to receive one of their amazing decals for our home and I HAD to share it because it is so perfect!

Here is the one I chose:

I love this because seriously, if our family had a mantra, this would be it.

This is who we are!

I love how it's larger than life and it makes such a bold statement.

Not only is it perfect, it was so easy to put up!

Plus, you get to choose your color and finish!!

As I browsing their shops, I found so many other cute decals that I had to add to the wish list :)

Here are some of my favorites.

Amazing right?!

They also have chalkboard decals and they do custom orders!!

The best part about it, is that Urbanwalls wanted to share the love with you as well.

They are offering up a $50 gift certificate to one lucky Run With Scissors reader.

I am going to give you a couple of different ways to enter :)

You can do one of these or all of them for more chances to win.

1. Visit the Urbanwalls shop, and leave a comment on this blog post telling me which decal you would choose if you won.

2. "Like" Urbanwalls on Facebook

3. Be a follower of Run With Scissors.

4. Tweet the following @janelrws is hosting an awesome giveaway from Urbanwalls on her blog!

There you go! You have four ways to enter this giveaway!

You can enter every day too! Just make sure to leave separate comments for each entry.

This giveaway will end December 19!!!

Good Luck!

janel

These would make a wonderful gift for the holiday season too!!

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

Project #1

2011-12-12T18:26:00.000-06:00

So for day one of my "making" challenge, I decided to tackle a little DIY present for my aunt (who I hope won't read my blog until after Christmas...)

I used one of my old vintage cameras from the collection, and turned it into a photo frame. I guess technically you could use it as any sort of paper holder :)

Camera + cut metal hanger + blow torch = adorable and easy DIY frame!

I am super excited to give this to her this year.

Also, I am not sure you can see the photo very well but it's my aunt as a baby, with the creepiest baby doll in the world :) It's so creepy that I secretly LOVE it!!

Yay for Day 1!! I already feel better.

janel

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

Melondipity.com Giveaway!!

2011-12-12T05:00:00.001-06:00

If you want to see ADORABLE, you need to check out Melondipity.com!

Melondipity.com features a lot of handmade and very unique items for baby from newborn-toddler.

We were sent the most adorable little sock monkey hat for our soon to be baby and I can't get over how cute it is!!! Not only that, the quality of the hat, and the detail, and the obvious hard work that went into it, is unreal!!

Precious!!!

Our little one will be coming home to us, in this hat!!!

That is how much I love it :)

Here are some other hats that I instantly fell in love with:

Eeek! So much cuteness!

What's even better, is the price. These hats are so affordable for being so wonderfully hand-crafted!!

**Melondipity.com has generously offered one lucky Run With Scissors reader their very own

Holiday Pom-Pom hat for the adorable little boy or girl in your life!!**

To enter the giveaway, all you have to do is

**Go to this link

http://www.melondipity.com/products/holiday-pom-poms

scroll to the bottom

and leave a comment about cute this hat is, how much you want to win, etc.

**Be a fan of Melondipity on Facebook

We will be choosing the winner from the comments on the product page, not this blog post:)

I can't wait to see all of your comments!!

While you are there, make sure to check out all of the other adorable products!!

janel

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

a challenge

2011-12-11T19:12:00.000-06:00

One challenge I am facing these days is my lack of motivation to create. Don't get me wrong, thanks to Pinterest, I am on inspiration overload!!

Moving all of my art stuff out of the nursery and putting it into storage has been a hinderance for my creative drive totally.

I still have some supplies, and seriously, the storage unit is like 3 minutes from our home, so I really shouldn't have all of these excuses right?

To get myself out of this rut, I am challenging myself to create a new project every single day for the next ten days. "10 Days of Making."

I will also be posting all of my creations on the le blog each night to share :)

On a side note: My DSLR has been broken since August :( I told Adam that all I want for Christmas is for it to be fixed. I feel like I am less likely to do DIY's and cute stuff when I don't have my camera to photograph with. I also feel like my blog has lacked a little bit with only posting iPhone photos too :) So yeah, this project is also going to motivate me to get my camera fixed.

I am so excited to get this creative party started!!

Be excited for a fun week :) I also have two really rad giveaways coming this week!

Check back.

Alright, I am off to dig out tooooons of supplies.

janel

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

surviving

2011-12-10T18:55:00.001-06:00

Adam and I have been really good about trusting in the Lord and His timing with our adoption. Some days it's really easy to think that "we will get our baby when it's the right time." Other days, it's really easy to think, "I want a baby NOW."

There are many things that I do, to keep my mind off of the wait.

For example:

1. I shop for baby things (not a good alternative but it's true). MOST of the time, they only end up on my amazon wish list though.

2. I make things for the baby (i.e. bibs, burp cloths, crib sheets, bassinet sheets, toys, dolls, etc.)

3. I work.

4. I focus on the excitement of my sister's pregnancy.

5. I tackle other huge projects (i.e. reupholstering furniture, rearranging our house, re-painting rooms, quilts, etc.)

So, I never get "feelings." Adam will get the feeling I want ice cream and go and get me ice cream. That is the kind of "feeling" I am talking about. Last week, I had this really strong feeling that we would be getting a call this week. I don't know why I had that feeling, but I did, and a part of me really grasped on to that feeling. I was crazy about checking my phone and my email.

Needless to say, we didn't get a call.

Today was a little hard.

Today, to survive the wait, I made a quilt, cleaned the entire house, shopped online, organized all of my parent's old photos, made a Christmas present for my aunt, and made a ton of bracelets for my etsy shop.

I am surviving.

We are surviving the wait.

As I mentioned, I made a ton of bracelets today. I am dubbing them survivor bracelets. The meaning is two-fold.

1. These bracelets are a representation of how I am surviving the wait for our child. The wait is a struggle but "I can do anything through Christ who gives me strength" (Phil 4:13). It's my adoption mantra these days :)

2. The construction of the bracelet is perfection for survival application. The survivor bracelet enables you to carry several feet of Para-Cord that can be used in an emergency for countless survival applications. The way that it is woven makes it so that every inch of your wrist diameter equals approximately one foot of Para-Cord.

Rad right?

They are cute, serve a purpose, and have a special meaning.

All the more reason to purchase one for yourself or someone you are shopping for this season!!!

All of the proceeds from the bracelets go directly into our adoption fund (which needs to grow considerably by the time we do get "the call")

If you would like one of your own, visit the shop and grab it!!!

Thank you for listening to my ramblings :) Your comments, kind words, and emails are a constant source of inspiration and another way to help me survive the wait :)

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

janel

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

little pins.

2011-12-08T20:11:00.000-06:00

Welcome to another edition of "Little Pins."

Here is your weekly dose of cuteness for the littles in your life. These photos are great

sources of inspiration for me and I hope that they are for you too!

This week I have a double dose of cuteness for you :)

Now I am off to make some of my own cute little baby things over here :)

janel

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

voting.

2011-12-08T12:17:00.000-06:00

Dear Friends,

I promise that this is going to be the last time I ask you during this TBB cycle to hop over and vote :)

We are at number 6 because of YOU!!!

What an accomplishment considering their are over 2500 blogs on their site.

7 and 8 are only about 5 votes behind so we would love to have a nice little surge of votes today from all of our lovely supporters!!!

All you have to do is click on this link:

http://www.topbabyblogs.com/cgi-bin/topblogs/in.cgi?id=jmaclean

and then click on the owl on the LEFT!!!

That's it!! Two little clicks.

We love you and appreciate it so much!!

Thank you so much.

Love,

Janel, Adam, and soon to be baby :)

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

Faith Ringgold...

2011-12-07T10:52:00.000-06:00

As I have mentioned before, I was chosen to attend a quilt workshop with THE Faith Ringgold, story quilt extraordinaire. I have finally got some photos from the workshop, and although I talked about it before on here, I wanted to document the memory for my own sake :)

Faith Ringgold is the author and illustrator of many award winning children's books like:

As a second grade teacher and now art teacher, I have loved using her books in my classroom.

She is amazing.

So, obviously, when I was presented with an opportunity to create a quilt with her, I jumped on the chance :) (read: screaming at the top of my lungs and doing a little dance)

Another cool thing, was that many of the other art teachers in my district were chosen as well.

Here are some photos from the day:

She even took time out to sign any books that we had brought :)

They finished the quilt and it is now hanging up in The Foundry, an art gallery here in St. Louis.

It was such an amazing day and I will treasure these photos and my memories of it.

Thank you for let me share :)
AND, I found out that I was in a magazine from that day as well. One of the teachers brought me in a copy! So stoked.

xo
janel

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

new loves.

2011-12-05T21:08:00.000-06:00

my newest favorite corner...

in my newest favorite room...

and my newest favorite piece of furniture...

janel

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

Holiday Project Roundup

2011-12-04T11:54:00.000-06:00

I have seen so many cute things that I want to make this holiday season all over the web.

Tons of cute wrapping ideas, DIY decor projects, hand-made gifts...they are everywhere!

I thought I would put a little list together of some of my favorite projects thus far...

1. I have already printed these holiday gift-tags and used them on my gifts. Click on the link for even more :)

2. Every year, Adam and I spend one night cutting paper snowflakes to decorate our walls and windows :) I love this site with all of the cute templates.

3. Holiday tags. buntings, cards, and so many more printables for the season right HERE!

4. I adore this vintage inspired holiday wreath!

5. This looks easy and Adorable!! Love them.

6. This frame idea is adorable! I am thinking about making something like this with vintage flash cards and polaroids for the nursery.

7. This live tree is amazing and soooo something that I would do if we ever have a live tree :)

8. This post has tons of cute ornament DIYs! I love them all and I wish I had the time to make all of them!

9. I love little Putz inspired Christmas villages and here is a little DIY you can do to create your own :)

10. And these will be getting made this week. I love them so much!

So much inspiration around there and it's always nice to have it all in one place :)

Are there any cool projects that you are doing this year that you could link us to?

Have a blessed day!!

janel

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

love letters.

2011-12-02T10:04:00.000-06:00

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

Happy December

2011-12-01T21:44:00.000-06:00

Happy December 1!!

I am so excited for December.

I am also excited about all of the Christmas Card swappers that emailed me!!

Today was the first day of Advent (it's my year to do it for Adam). Love it!!

Also, let's say a big Hello to all of the wonderful new sponsors this month.

Yay.

Have an awesome night friends.

janel

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

today...

2011-11-30T10:28:00.000-06:00

1. I made a cute photo to put into our Christmas cards this year with Instagrams.

2. I like the "love" stamps more than the "Holiday" stamps this year.

3. Presents are all wrapped and taking over our living room (we have all of my parent's presents at our house too)

4. Baby fever is consuming all of my thoughts.

5. We took a little re-upholstery hiatus until the foam went on sale at JoAnn's and I will hopefully be finishing up the chair this weekend :)

6. Our quilt that we made with Faith Ringgold is hanging at a local gallery and I got to see it finished yesterday.

It's Wednesday! I get to hang with my sister tonight.

life is good :)

janel

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

Christmas Cards!

2011-11-29T23:04:00.002-06:00

Would you like to swap Christmas Cards this year?

I am filling mine out and would love to send one to YOU :)

If you would like to swap cards this year, shoot me an email!

I can't wait to hear from you.

janel

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

pretty packaging.

2011-11-29T08:42:00.000-06:00

I am happy to say that it isn't even December yet, and all of our Christmas present have been purchased and wrapped.

I am a firm believer that the packaging of a present should be just as lovely as the gift inside. I haven't taken a photo of the way I wrapped ours this year but I have found some amazing packaging inspiration online.

Here are some of my favorites...

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

Hopefully those images get you as inspired to make pretty packages this year as it did for me! How are you doing your packages this year?
xo
janel

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

the best fortune ever.

2011-11-27T19:32:00.000-06:00

My sister is having a BABY!!!!

Oh my golly I am the happiest, most excited girl in the world :)

This weekend my sister and her husband, Matt, invited my parents and I out dinner at Pei Wei. After we ate, the waitress came by with a plate of fortune cookies. My dad was the first person finished with his meal and he grabbed his fortune cookie first. When he opened the cookie, he had the most confused look on his face when he read the fortune. My mom leaned over and read it as well, and it said:

"Congratulations Grammy and Grampy! Lucky Numbers 06-27-12"

My mom was also stunned and when they looked at my sister she shook her head yes and the tears started flowing.

My dad and mom were so excited and adorable!

Although I have known for a couple of months, it was so cool to be there for the special moment where they told my parents.

Seriously, I feel so blessed that I was able to see it and see my parent's reactions and the smiles on Matt and Nicole's faces.

Join me in congratulating the parents to be!!
I am so excited!!
I have already gone crazy buying Christmas presents for this baby :)
I love you so much Nicole and I can NOT wait to be the best auntie ever!!!!

xo
janel

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

waiting for the ring

2011-11-27T10:14:00.000-06:00

All I can think about these days, is getting "THE phone call."

I didn't really think I would obsess about it, but yeah, I am.

A healthy obsession though. Like I don't drive myself crazy about it but I am now answering every call I get instead of screening any unknown numbers. Like if I see a

number from Ohio, I assume our case worker is on vacation in Ohio, so I answer it. If I see a 1-800 number, she may be calling me from a Snuggie factory.

So, in honor of "watching my phone like a hawk," I thought I would do a little post, featuring lovely iPhone cases that would make my constant watch, more aesthetically pleasing...

1. I am, and always will be, a fan of bling. The gaudier the better in my book. This gold, glitzy case from JCrew is tops in my book.

2. I love all things crafty and original so I love love love this DIY cross stitch case.

3. This print makes my heart go pitter patter just looking at looking at it. It's probably one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen really.

4. Instagram iPhone case? Yes please.

5. Finally, this is my current iPhone case. It costs a whole whopping $3.00 on Amazon and it makes me smile every time I see it. I know it's a bear but I like to pretend it's a chihuahua. Also, if you work at an elementary school, you will be an instant hit :)

So, pray for the phone to ring with good news of a little baby needing a loving family. OK?

It's all I want for Christmas!!!

janel

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.