California trip, week 2

And...our second week of vacation in California for Christmas: 

When we were in California we were lucky enough to go to the baby blessing for one of the four great-grand babies born into the family this year. We got three of the four babies together, too! It was so fun to see the newest generation of the family together in one place. 

Grandma Corine Hurst at the party after the blessing, rocking baby Brody, sitting next to napping Mercedes. I have the most beautiful grandma, do I not?!

2013: Highlights

For me, 2013 was a year of many ups and downs. There were a few heartbreaks and also a handful of triumphs. Read on for a recap of my last twelve months.

January:
The year started off with a bang when I found out I was pregnant. I was shocked, thrilled and absolutely terrified.

February:
February started off without a hitch, and I felt incredibly lucky on Valentine's Day to be celebrating a new chapter in our lives — I even made a card themed around how big our baby was supposed to be that week: an olive. Unfortunately, a few days later, I was devastated when I was blindsided by the beginning of a miscarriage.

Halloween

We were invited a friend's Halloween party this year. We literally agonized over what to dress up as, seeing as how the host wanted all couples attending to be coordinating. We first joked about going as Miley Cyrus and Robin Thicke, considering my hair is short and blonde now. But we ditched it. I then landed on a puppet and puppetmaster, quite simply because the costume was going to be cheap and so easy to execute. And comfortable. We knew we were going to be doing a scavenger hunt so we needed costumes we could easily run around in. Our costumes were definitely a hit — something we'll have to revisit in the future.

You can't really tell, but Nathaniel is even wearing black eyeliner!

Girls' Night Art Night

I had the girls over tonight for some snacks and art. We had a blast visiting and being creative.

Here's what I came up with:

Detail shot

I wanted something that reminded me of how I felt shortly after my miscarriage in February. I chose the word "peace" to remind me of the scripture D&C 6:23 that sustained me through that time: "Did I not speak peace to your mind concerning the matter? What greater witness can you have then from God?" I liked the laurel wreath as a symbol of victory and triumph — over death, over sorrow — but also as a reminder to "not rest on my laurels." Or not let my faith rest on one experience. 

The other girls did various phrases, some with color, some without. I should have taken photos!

Always,

Girl's Night: Henna Tattoos

Girl's night this month we tracked down a henna artist and had a henna party! We chowed down on treats, turned on the music and had a relaxing evening visiting and receiving henna tattoos. Our artist was adorable and easy to work with — we only paid for gas and each of us paid for our own tattoo, which ranged between $5-15. It's a great deal and such a blast! If you're interested in hosting a henna tattoo party in Oklahoma, check her out here.

Having my design done. She was speedy!

In Skip Hill's Studio

In early March I had the chance to visit Norman artist Skip Hill in his studio. I went expecting I'd only be there for maybe 30 minutes — get my basic questions answered and leave. I don't think I left for two hours. 

I had a blast visiting with Skip about art, dreams, life and love — it was truly a pleasure. I admire Skip for his whimsical, romantic artwork as well as his zeal for life! Thanks for giving me a peak into your life, Skip!

Read my story for more:

Always,

A Flair for the Dramatic

I've been friends with Dana since fifth grade, and since then one thing has always held true — Dana's flair for the dramatic. So when I made this onesie...

2012: Highlights

Honestly, 2012 has largely been a blur for me. Let's recap it, shall we, before I lose track of 2013, too.

January:

I wrote story after story and enjoyed a visit from two sets of friends! I got my first real taste of Oklahoma weather, and was deeply touched by a group of local students and their teacher.

February:

We headed to Lubbock to celebrate my only nephew's first birthday, watched my brother jam out with his band, and laughed at the weird books I get in the mail at work. I got a double-dose of Disney, both at work and in Orlando.

Star Wars Origami

For some reason, people send me Star Wars books at work. And frequently. I already had two, one of them teaching me how to knit my very own Princess Leia costume. I didn't think it could get any better than that. Then it did — Star Wars Origami came in the mail.

The only thing is...Star Wars origami is hard. My Yoda ended up looking like a Christmas tree. I was totally disappointed, I wanted him to join my cast of odds and ends on my desk.

Child of God artwork

A friend recently had a baby shower and I abandoned my go-to onesie gift for something a little different. This is what I came up with:

I used color ink on watercolor paper.

 The frame is from Hobby Lobby.

And the good news — it was a hit! Looks like I found a new favorite go-to gift! Maybe one of these days I'll make them for sell.

Always,

Onesies...

More onesies!

Always,

Crayon art: LDS Young Women mutual activity

We had an arts and crafts night a few weeks ago at mutual. The girls hot-glued pieces of broken crayons to canvases, then used a hairdryer to melt the crayons. The girls then hot-glued on felt flowers — to make the melted crayon look like flower stems.

 crayons!

One of the girls working on her project.

 Using a hairdryer to melt the crayons.

Picking their flowers

My project.

Always,

LDS Young Women Birthday Card

One of the young women in our ward had a birthday. This is the card I came up with — the Young Women logo.

Colored ink on watercolor paper.

"The Young Women logo is a torch surrounded by the Young Women motto. The torch represents the light of Christ, inviting all to “come unto Christ” (Moroni 10:32). It invites all young women to hold up the light of Christ by keeping His commandments."

Always,

Photo Ornaments

 photo ornaments for two of my friends

If I was a good blogger, I would have posted this a few weeks ago. I made a few ornaments for family and friends this year, and it is literally the easiest ornament you could imagine.

Halloween Costumes

I've always loved Halloween and/or a good excuse to dress up. Growing up I had a costume box in my room, and when I say growing up I really mean when I was a teenager. There were many evenings that looked a little something like this:

BTW, if you're in this photo...there's a good chance nobody can recognize you anyways. No worries.

Halloweens past:

80's girl for "80's prom" at church; butterfly...classic, right?; pregnant white trash (definitely one of my favorites); and a little kid complete with stuffed animal and cape.

'Bout Time for a GIVEAWAY -- CLOSED

As of late I've been musing starting an Etsy shop. My only problem is that my mind goes in a million directions. I can't decide if I want to do onesies, accessories, fine art, stationary, or something else totally different. I should probably start somewhere, but as of one right now I'm just sitting in neutral.

But because I've had this blog for quite some time now, and I love all you loyal readers and the friendship I feel we share...I decided to host a little giveaway of something I would sell in a shop if I had one. Hopefully, this will be the first of many Hannah-made giveaways!

I want to giveaway some baby onesies. And not just any onesies...onesies personally designed by me! These make wonderful gifts or you can of course, keep them for your own precious babies!

You can see others I've made here, here and here.

Alright, my dears, here's the deal...

1. There will be two winners. The 1st winner will win three designs. The 2nd will win one.

2. The winner gets to pick their designs. You can choose from one I've already made, or give me some fresh ideas!

3. I'll use random.org to pick a winner.

4. The contest will end next Monday (10/24) at 7:59 AM.

Here's how to enter (please leave a comment for each):

1. Leave a comment on what kind of onesie design you would like.

OR...

2. Follow me and leave a separate comment to let me know you are.

OR...

3. Blog about the giveaway and leave a separate comment with the link to let me know.

OR...

4. Tweet, Facebook or Pin about the giveaway and leave a separate comment for each (include a link) to let me know.

Let the giveaway begin!

Always,

Onesies, onesies

Look what I can do!:

I made these onesies for a friend's newborn.

And these for my nephew.

Who wants one?

Always,

A House or a Home

I wrapped our books and DVDs with saran wrap to save on boxes. Plus a box full of books justs gets so darn heavy. Thank you, Mom, for the brilliant idea!

Bird Cage Silhouettes

Kourt's reception will be all about birds -- love birds, bird cages, bird houses, bird baths, bird seed, nature-y things, etc. The only problem is some of those things (like metal bird cages) can be a tiny bit pricey. So for her shower, I came up with the cheaper version: paper silhouettes.

The bird cage silhouettes hanging above the dessert table.

Love Letters

Because going to camp was going to be the first time I spent a substantial amount of time away from Nathaniel, I left some hidden notes around the house for every day I was gone. I had no cell phone reception at camp, so my cousin, Kourtney, forwarded my text messages to Nathaniel every day telling him where my cards were. Here they are:

Day one.