Apologies

I've said it before and I'll say it again: I'm horrible at keeping up to date with my blog.

My tendonitis has subsided (thank God!) but I haven't really found too much time to craft just yet. One main reason is that most of my craft stuff is no longer in one spot. When we were preparing for my son to arrive we had to turn our spare bedroom in to his nursery. This required us to move almost all items out of that room. Almost all of my craft supplies was moved out. I say almost because I kept half of the closet. I have my paper rack nestled in there and a few other things but the bulk of my supplies is now in other parts of the house. My Cricut Explore Air also remained in the nursery.

My craft desk for example is now in our bedroom and hubby is using it. It's smaller as it has a lift side so it was the better choice for him to use while the crib is in our room. That being said, his desk was left in the nursery and I have to use that one if I want to craft. My desk holds most of my cardstock as well as glue, stamps, Tim Holtz embellishments, etc. Since my desk can't hold all of my cardstock and some patterned papers those are in our linen closet along with some other stamps, embellishments and my Bind-It-All. To finish off the supplies the last of it is in our closet stacked on some shelves. This includes: flowers, die cut pieces, chipboard, bling, and most of my scraps.

So for me to get any decent scrapbooking done I really have to sit and think about what I want to create, gather as much of the supplies I need, then go into the nursery to work on it. FYI, baby doesn't sleep in his nursery yet since the crib is still in our room. That's fine since we will eventually transfer him. Most of the time by the time I gather the items it is getting too late to create. So I will start something then have to clean it all up and put it away until I can get in there again. I can't leave the items out as my son is now tall enough to reach up to the desk and pull things off it.

So that's why you haven't seen me that much. I told you at the beginning this would be hard for me. And I will try to keep posting as much as I can but I may have to change the direction of my posting. As much as I love crafting at this time since I have a baby/toddler (he's not a toddler in my eyes yet!) I want to start posting maybe a few reviews on products or suggestions for baby items. We shall see. Again no promises because I can't always find time to sit and type.

Well that's all for now as I can hear baby stirring and will most likely wake up to nurse again soon. Until next time.

Commencing Party Decor

So it's coming down to my son's first birthday. I have about 8 weeks before the big day and it is bringing me both tears and a smile to my face. As I'm overly ecstatic my son is turning one I can't help but be saddened that my baby is no longer going to be a baby anymore. Where did the year go?

With that though I am enjoying planning his birthday party. We aren't breaking the bank on this but I could not pass up an opportunity to create something for my little guy. The theme is pool party/beach balls so I will be creating a few banners and some decor for it. It is an outside event so I can't do too much. The one item I am most excited to create though is the high chair banner. It will be the centerpiece of everything.

Pinterest has given me a few ideas but I always like to give my own twist to everything I see. Also, I have TONS of paper so I really don't want to go out and buy more but try and use what I have. That's going to be the challenge for me: use what you have. I have lots of color and always tend to stock up on cardstock when it is on sale so I don't think I will have a problem. I'm also focusing on primary colors so it should be easy peasy!

With his first birthday coming there is going to be a few more firsts we will cross before we get to the actual event. One is his first haircut. Baby boy was born with a head full of hair and some did fall but he kept most of it. The top part has gotten so long it covers his eyes and ears. We also may see some first steps by the time he turns one. He's been trying to stand all by himself and loves to use his standing walker. We also might get a first word (besides mama and dada) since he has been a vocal machine lately.

I'm loving everything that has happened leading up to this and honestly I'm an excited mama to celebrate his birthday. But if I'm really being honest, I might cry a little. And who can blame me?

Seeking my passion again

It has happened. After 9 months I have finally found the time to craft again! Cue the confetti canons and make some noise! I have been trying to get to this point since my little guy was born and because of constant feedings, sleep regressions, teething and trying to get housework done I had not had the time to create. And I mean really create. I might have done a quick card here or made a quick cut out but nothing big. Now I"m finally getting stuff done!

One thing that is really helping me is that Cricut finally released their Design Space app for android! More confetti! We android users have been waiting for this day for a long time. Now it is till in Beta form but some of the recent updates have made it easier to create. And I have been a designing while I'm nursing or laying in bed with hubby and baby. I've even cut a few things straight from my phone! Completely ecstatic about this. I can't wait for the full version where I can expand my designs even more but until then I can at least start a project on my phone and finish it on the computer after baby goes to bed. So much easier and quicker this way.

So let me tell you what I've been working on. I started an Instagram page solely for my crafts. You can see a preview on the right side of this blog. And if you'd like, you can follow me! My new obsession has been vinyl. I LOVE making wall clings or even personalizing some items for my son and nephew. Now that doesn't mean I've completely abandoned traditional scrapbooking I just haven't had the time. Until now! My first project is going to be my son's scrapbook. I have been taking his hand and footprint every month (which reminds me that I have to do this month) and took advantage recently of Shutterfly's free prints. I had previously printed out a few photos when he was 2 months but needed more photos. So on nights like tonight I will be scrapbooking my little heart out. Oh and writing a blog post here and there too.

So I'm off! The adhesive and cardstock is calling! I'll write to you all later!

My Return

I knew I wouldn't be able to handle a blog. I even said that in my very first post. BUT now that I have gotten the little one on a semi routine I think I can handle writing more consistently. Now I'm not guaranteeing a daily post but at least 1 or 2 a week. I think that's pretty good for a mama. So let me bring you up to speed.

My luvbug is almost 9 months old and I'm planning his first birthday. I can't believe it's been almost a year since I gave birth to him. It makes me sad and happy all at once. He is refusing to crawl as he prefers to stand and will most likely walk before he crawls. He's not sleeping through the night and honestly I'm not rushing him. I love the cuddles we get and enjoy nursing him. He's got 4 teeth with 2 more on the way. Teething is a bitch. Sorry for the swear word but it's been hard on all of us. We took family photos and although I have horrible post partum hair loss and growth they came out pretty damn good. Photoshop really made me look presentable. Hubby and I are planning a trip to visit family in the summer as well. So that's about it

On the crafty side I have really been loving using vinyl. I've been personalizing anything I can! Cricut also finally launched and updated their android app so I can design while my love naps. Only downside to the app is it's still very limited so I'm only using basic images or text. Which for vinyl is not a problem for me. I also have established an Instagram account dedicated solely to my crafting. I used to post on my personal but since I love posting photos of my sweet angel I didn't want to have it mixed in with my crafts. So give me a follow if you like. You can find it at @hmwlbynatalie.

So that's about it for now. I will do my best to include more mommy posts and crafts are coming as I can't throw a party without making something for it. I'll update soon!

To sleep or not to sleep?

That really is the question. I wanted to post last night but decided I wanted to go to bed. I've realized that seems to be my choice a lot these days. Eat or sleep? Clean the house or sleep? Bathe or sleep? 9 time out of 10 sleep is the answer (I do bathe so don't think I'm some unhygienic person!). Just with a baby who is exclusively breastfed and doesn't sleep through the night you have to get all the sleep you can.

When I was pregnant a lot of people told me "sleep while you can!" and I did my best to listen to them but with horrible heartburn and a squished bladder it was hard. And the bigger my belly got the harder it was to get comfortable. So let me put it this way, if you're not pregnant and don't have any children get as much sleep while you can! Seriously. My little guy gets up quite a few times a night and has this habit of every few days being wide awake from 4am to 5am. It's hard but I push through for my son. We are normally always up by 7:30 am so our day begins early.

But back to the choice of sleeping. I had always wondered how my parents did it. How they took care of me with so little sleep. I remember my dad staying up until past midnight but then getting up for work at 5am. Or my mom having to take care of me through the night when I was sick and still manage a household the next day. I think it is our minds telling us to push through. I've gone days were I maybe had 5 broken hours of sleep and took no naps the whole day. And do nap when baby naps if you can. I was also told to "sleep when baby sleeps" but you can't always do that. That's a story for another post though.

So bottom line, even if you have a sink full of dishes, laundry needs to be done, and you didn't bathe in the last 24 hours, sleep is more important. The dishes and laundry will still be there in the morning and a morning shower will help perk you up but you can't get back those hours of missed sleep.