A Mommy's Life... with a touch of YELLOW

 Hi, My Yellow Sandbox Readers My name is Whitney and 

I am the momma behind the blog
A Mommy's life...with a touch of YELLOW
I feel so honored and am so excited to be guest posting today

I LOVE Abby
Love her blog
I Love her hair ideas and know they are to die for right?!
and I love our friendship
I hope we can all get to know each other a little better

I am a mommy to this crazy little 18 month old adorable little man

and a wife to the love of my life

 I live in Salt Lake City, Utah
I change my hair probably more than anyone you know
and get asked if I do hair all the time
(I guess just cuz it is always different...maybe I should)
I have my bachelors in Physical Education and Health Education
 and will one day be out there teaching your teenagers
For now I love to keep myself busy with PROJECTS of all sorts
while the hubby is at law school and the babe in napping
everything I do is on a tight budget and when it is cheap but amazing, it is even more exciting

Over at my blog you will find DIY projects, knock offs, Holiday, redoing, chic n' fresh tips,
a little about health, fitness, pinterest loves, recipes, a little about my family,
learning new things and this is all rolled up in my mommy adventures

Now on with the fun tutorial

I have been loving the Keep Calm and Carry on plaques 

that I have been seeing everywhere

especially on some fun etsy shops

But...I thought instead of buying one I would take a stab at it 

and make one for cheaper

I made one...as a trial for FREE

I had everything on hand 

then when I decided to make some more
to sell and give as gifts it was about $20 for 12 of them
Sweet deal right!

These are the supplies you will need:

-A roll of vinyl (or already cute vinyl if you don't have a silhouette)

-A silhouette or cricut or access to one

-Paint (colors of your choice)

-Sponge brushes

-Sand paper

-the MDF board

And anything else your cute, creative self wants to put on it

Make it yours

Make it fit you and your home and the room you want it to go in

Don't be scared to try something new

Here is what I did....

First I got myself a piece of wood

I had this one on hand from another project 

for the rest I went to home depot and got
a slab of 3/4 inch thick MDF board
and it cut to 12 inches high and 7 1/2 inches wide
so I got 12 out of one slab
Thanks hubby for cutting the boards for me
I love having a handy hubby it helps a lot

Then I painted it white

This is the color I want the letters 

"Keep Calm and Carry On" to be

so I paint that color first

Then you let that completely dry

I know I know I hate waiting to let the paint dry too

I am so impatient when it comes to painting projects

because I just want them to be done!

I just want to see how much I am going to love it

But we all have struggles

and mine is patience 

Once the white was completely dry it was time to do the crown

I decided to add a little YELLOW here

So I just painted a small area big enough for the crown to fit

Then you let that completely dry 

While the paint was drying I hoped onto my computer 

and cut myself come vinyl and a crown

I  used the font Arial Bold Size 144 

Since I wanted all of this to be painted 

with no vinyl 

I am only using the vinyl as a stencil

So once it is dry I placed all the vinyl on using transfer tape 

to keep it all strait

The next step is to paint over all the other paint and vinyl 

the main color that you want your sign to be

I chose Green

 for my first one
Then again you put your patience cap on 

and wait for the paint to completely dry

I probably put 2 coats of paint on

and then

I let this dry over night

Then ya know what is next!

It is time to peel off the vinyl leaving the white exposed for the lettering

and the crown yellow

Isn't it kinda cool how that works

And the very last step 

is to sand the edges, corners and lightly sand the top

I wanted a kind of shabby chic worn look 

and sanded the top so the green bled into the white letters a little bit

So all you FAB My Yellow Sandbox Readers

KEEP CALM and CARRY ON!

 I gave this baby to my mom as a gift
It matches her room perfect
 I also made another for my room in White, yellow and turquoise
and made a bunch as gifts and to sell at a Boutique this weekend

 I seriously can't wait to have one up in my room

I want to see it everyday

be reminded to enjoy life

count my blessings

Calm down and just be happy

Remember you can totally make these
and the holidays are coming up
so these would make awesome and unique gifts 

If you have any questions never hesitate to email or comment

I hope I have given you the tools and confidence

to be able to make these fun signs

Mix up the color, the sayings and just have fun with it

It really is so much fun and you will love them when you are done

Make sure to check out my blog for more of what I do

You can also follow me on facebook, Twitter and Pinterest

Lets be friends :)

Thank you so much Abby for this opportunity!

i believe in unicorns

Hello, I'm Ashley from i believe in unicorns. 

Over on my blog I like to do a feature called {Top Five} on Friday. 

I list my 'whatever i feel like' favorites, and then I ask for my readers input.

It's a great way to share ideas and get to know everyone a little better. 

So I'd love to hear some of your ideas as well!

Without further ado, my

{Top Five} Date Ideas on a Budget:

Learning the Argentine Tango with my German friends, Christian.

 1. Learn to Dance.

In almost every city there are places that teach partner dancing lessons. 

Decide if you'd like Latin, Swing, or Ballroom and try out a class. 

They're usually only about $5-7 a person. 

It's a great way to have fun, be active, and observe patience and perseverance skills ;)

2. Movie At Home, But Make It A Little More Interesting.

Hit up your local movie store, redbox, or netflix, pop some popcorn, build a fort, and snuggle up while you watch your favorite flick. (This is fun to do with kids as well!)

Total cost around $5.

source

3. Get a Couples Massage.

Go to a massage school sometimes they have 2 for $20 deals!

Or perhaps give each other massages for free :)

4. Paint!

Stop in at your favorite art supplier a pick up some super cheap canvases, paints and brushes. 

Turn on some good tunes and paint what you feel. You can learn all sorts of things on this date.

(I had no idea my husband, Marcus, was artistic until we did this.)

Total cost around $20.

5. Watch Planes come in at the Tarmac.

Get some deliciously refreshing glass bottle sodas, borrow a friends truck (if you don't have one), fill the back up with pads and pillows and enjoy your time watching the planes come in and talking.

I hope you got some fun ideas. 

Now let's hear some of your favorite dates!

My Angels From God

I've known Abby for a long time actually. We went to the same elementary school, Jr. High, and High school. We didn't get to really know each other 'til high school and then my life took a different turn and took me to a completely different school. Thanks to social media (FB) we've been able to reconnect and share our love of crafting, being a mother, music and adoption.

Adoption touched my life at a young age when my aunt and uncle adopted a beautiful baby girl. However at the time I had NO idea how much a part of my life the adoption world would become. The summer after I graduated from high school in 2006 I was dealing with a nasty break up and wasn't as strong in the gospel as I had been raised to be. I met a guy named Branden on myspace. He messaged me and asked if I had been the girl in the white mustang he'd helped the other day along the side of the road. I let him know that I didn't drive a mustang so it coudn't have been me. We kept talking though and met up for dinner about a week later. We hit it off. He was sweet, caring, generous, and very kind to me. We dated about a month before he deployed to Iraq. Watching him leave was the second... no third hardest thing I've ever done. The second came 4 short weeks later when I had to tell my mom and dad I was pregnant. And the first came 8 long months later when I placed my daughter into her mother's arms.

 When I found out I was pregnant I was scared and alone. Branden (the birth father) had left the morning after I got pregnant and other than emails and a few brief phone calls wouldn't be the support I needed. I was determined to make things work and raise my baby even if it meant doing it alone. That was until Branden told me he wanted nothing to do with a child. My mom and I had a talk and she let me know she thought it was best that I talk to LDS family services.  At first I had NO desire. I didn't understand why she would want me to. However I was that the point in my life where I knew I needed to listen to my mother.  I went to see a case worker after much thought.  Then things started to change for what I thought was the best.  Branden emailed me and was willing to step up. I was going to do what my heart was wanting me to do all along.  HOWEVER my head had other plans.  After meeting with my case worker again I knew I needed to come up with a "list of demands" for potentional adoptive parents.  I decided that if my case worker could find a couple that matched everything on my list I would have no other option but to place my baby with them.  I felt like I had set my case worker up for failure and would be free and clear to parent like my heart was screaming at me to do.  I soon found out that all my demands could be met... in Lori and Barton.

 The moment I saw their picture my heart and head combined and I realized that the child I was carrying was meant to be part of their family.  I told Lori and Barton that I would be placing my baby with them the day before thanksgiving.  Meeting Lori and Barton only further convinced my how right adoption was for me and my situation.  Through out my pregnancy having Lori and Barton there was SO amazing.  Bonding with them and their family made the tough times in my pregnancy a little bit easier.

No matter how much I knew the child I was carrying was meant to be there I couldn't deny that I was hurting.  My pain was only compounded when Branden (and his family) would say and do hurtful things.  I never imagined that I'd be in the situation I was in but being in it all alone was even harder.  Branden was adamant that "our baby" was not going to be "given away".  I found out after I had told Lori and Barton I would be placing with them that he actually had a ton of control over the placement.  After a meeting with Branden he signed the papers and I was able to feel complete relief that I would be placing my daughter for adoption.

Ally was born on May 10, 2007 with her mother and father watching in joyous awe.

I had planned to stay in the hospital for 2 days with her and spend as much time as possible cuddling her.  My plans didn't work out because Ally was sick when she was born and was rushed to the NICU.

I had moments of doubt while in the hospital but knew that I was doing the right thing.  My very first mother's day and first birth mother's day were spent in the hospital with my daughter.

Placement was the hardest day of my life.  I was surrounded by family and friends.

Over the following years there would be some moments harder than others.  Her 3rd birthday was very hard for me.  My heart was healed when I adopted my oldest son Cayden.

I never dreamed I would be a birth mother and an adoptive mother.  Through the years Branden has come around and has realized that the hard decision I made almost 5 year ago (this thanksgiving will be 5 years since I told Lori and Barton I'd be placing with them) was the right one.

I share my adoption experiences and those of friends on a blog called My Angels From God

This is a video that was made for me and LDSFS to help birth mothers and adoptive couples get a better understanding of what adoption is really like.

My family now

Thank you so much Abby for letting me share my story with your readers.  I hope that the things I've lived through can open people's minds to the miracle that is adoption.

Kristyn, from Lil' Luna

Hi there My Yellow Sandbox Readers!

My name is Kristyn, and I blog over a Lil' Luna.Come on over and say hi and you will find lots of fun and easy tutorials, recipes, crafts, printables and more!
I'm so happy to be here on Abby's blog today.The girl is adorable, and I just love her!!
Let me begin by saying I love bunting banners! I think they are the easiest and cutest way to spruce up any space.
Recently, I added some board and batten and added a "mantel" for me to decorate for every holiday.The first one up - Halloween.

I decorated it with all sorts of decor but decided it was missing one thing - a bunting banner, sooo...Today I wanted to show you an easy peasy, but adorable tutorial on how to make a Paper Bunting Banner.

HALLOWEEN PAPER BUNTING BANNER

SUPPLIES:-Scrapbook Paper {Cardstock scrapbook paper works best}-Hole Punch-Tulle/Ribbon-Stamp Pad
DIRECTIONS:
1. Make a small triangle pattern from cardstock. {My triangles are about 3 inches tall.}

2. Trace triangles on to your cardstock. Make sure you trace it on the right way if you have a patterned paper that goes up and does.
3. Cut out your triangles. {Distress the sides of each triangle with an ink pad for an added touch}.

4. Hole punch the top corners of your triangle. Lace ribbon or tulle through and hang. 

Voila.A super easy but adorable banner!
What's great is I plan to change it out for each holiday, and I can reuse some of the triangles that already match the other holiday colors.{Sweeeet!}
Thanks again for having me Abby!If you are looking for even more Halloween Tutorials come on over and check them out.These are some of my most recent Halloween creations...

{Just click on the pics above to go to that tutorial}
ENJOY!