Anna is turning one // Nursery Art Prints

My baby is turning one next week.  Where did the year go?  I'm spending a lot of time reflecting over it these past few days.  Its been a whirlwind of happiness, laughter, challenges, new relationships, and love.  It seems like only yesterday I was folding all her newborn clothes and putting arranging her stuffed animals on the shelves.  I'm finally posting the artwork I created for her nursery.  It hangs over her crib complimenting the whimsical animal prints by Trafalgar's Square.  Check out more of Anna's nursery here.

all prints by sixteen sunbuckles.  please visit the shop for more detail.

knits {newborn fuzzy blend}

The best thing about traveling around all the time is meeting all these people.  I met Katie while we were still in Corpus Christi.  Her husband has since then found another job and moved them both back to Michigan.  Katie and I have remained friends (thank goodness for social media!).  She is expecting their first child here in May and I couldn't be happier for them.  She asked me to make them a little knit for a newborn shoot.  They aren't sure what they are having so I used a blended yarn of pastel colors.  I can't wait to see it on baby b!

{shanks household} cold all the way around

It hasn't been the greatest of weeks here at the Shanks household.  Only one word to describe it - cold.
We had the best weekend full of giggles.  Anna really is getting to a fun age where her little personality is shining through.  However, Monday morning I woke up to her not holding anything down and a fever of 100.4.  Our first stomach bug!  As any new mom knows, I panicked and worried all day long.  I of course rushed her to our doctor.  Our doctor just reassured me she would be fine and kids bounce back rather quickly.  I know I was just having "new mom anxiety" but it never hurts to go, right? All we have been doing is snuggling and I so wish I could tell her it'll be over soon and everything will be ok.  I am enjoying all these snuggles even if it is with a whimpering and fussy 8 month old. 

^ I walked in to find her STANDING up in her crib Monday morning - that's a first! *proud momma* ^

 ^ But then I noticed she wasn't feeling that great. Thought maybe she was just hungry? ^

 (Definitely not the answer)

 ^ and then the day just got more and more miserable... poor baby ^

 ^ thank God for technology and getting our mind off our fever for a few minutes ^

 ^ mickey mouse clubhouse definitely saved the day ... along with sesame street ^

^ Kind of amazing how our furry friends sense we don't feel good.  Maximus has been staying extra close. ^

And then I looked outside and realized it has finally stopped snowing after three days straight.  (these pictures I took this weekend) I am so looking forward to warmer weather and getting over colds and being able to finally embrace sunshine and long walks at the park.  I know Maximus is too.  He is so over being couped up inside.

{all pictures taken by sixteen sunbuckles / Anna at 8 months / Anna's monkey onesie is by Carters, past season}

knits {pink and white and a little bit of glitter}

Can I say again how much fun these little hats are?  I got the basic pattern from Tricky Knits and I usually rework the design a little to fit my taste and yarn style.  I whipped up this little gem for my new friend Andie and her little girl, Scarlett.  The yarn has just enough glitter and a little bit of sequin to say "yes i'm girly" without being too prissy.  I did a little photo shoot with Anna the other afternoon.  I couldn't resist.

{photos by sixteen sunbuckles / Anna at 8 months / duvet cover by IKEA / white knitted blanket shower gift by The Turquoise Penguin's mom / knitted hat by sixteen sunbuckles

am i mom enough {a motherhood wish list i just had to share}

I saw this a few months ago and while I'm all for creating my own content, I just had to share this.  Please visit the original article on Boston.com.  Thank you Karen for letting me share this.

an excerpt from "Am I Mom Enough? A Motherhood Wish List"

I hope I raise a child who says “thank you” to the bus driver when he gets off the bus, “please” to the waiter taking his order at the restaurant, and holds the elevator doors when someone’s rushing to get in.

I hope I raise a child who loses graciously and wins without bragging. I hope he learns that disappointments are fleeting and so are triumphs, and if he comes home at night to people who love him, neither one matter. Nobody is keeping score, except sometimes on Facebook.

I hope I raise a child who is kind to old people.

I hope I raise a child who realizes that life is unfair: Some people are born rich or gorgeous. Some people really are handed things that they don’t deserve. Some people luck into jobs or wealth that they don’t earn. Tough.

I hope I raise a child who gets what he wants just often enough to keep him optimistic but not enough to make him spoiled.

I hope I raise a child who knows that he’s loved and special but that he’s not the center of the universe and never, ever will be.

I hope I raise a child who will stick up for a kid who’s being bullied on the playground. I also hope I raise a child who, if he’s the one being bullied, fights back. Hard. Oh, and if he’s the bully? I hope he realizes that his mother, who once wore brown plastic glasses and read the phonebook on the school bus, will cause him more pain than a bully ever could.

I hope I raise a child who relishes life’s tiny pleasures—whether it’s a piece of music, or the color of a gorgeous flower, or Chinese takeout on a rainy Sunday night.

I hope I raise a child who is open-minded and curious about the world without being reckless.

I hope I raise a child who doesn’t need to affirm his self-worth through bigotry, snobbery, materialism, or violence.

I hope I raise a child who likes to read.

I hope I raise a child who is courageous when sick and grateful when healthy.

I hope I raise a child who begins and ends all relationships straightforwardly and honorably.
 
I hope I raise a child who can spot superficiality and artifice from a mile away and spends his time with people and things that feel authentic to him.

I hope I raise a child who makes quality friends and keeps them.

I hope I raise a child who realizes that his parents are flawed but loves them anyway.

I started Anna a journal with all my thoughts, wishes, dreams, and comments from daily life events.  I added this in to the pages.  **

10 favorite things {cloth diaper essentials}

I have had so many friends and family members ask "how do I do it?" with cloth diapers.  Well ladies and gents, this world has come a long way since your mom diapered your bum.  So long are the pins and hanging it out on the line to dry.  Its actually a breeze to cloth diaper once you get the hang of it.

The benefits of cloth diapering.
Anna's bum has less diaper rashes
They are environmentally better for the earth
They cost less ... way less.

If you are going to start cloth diapering however its a bit of a headache.  There are literally thousands of options and how do you even start?  Well, here's what I've been doing and it works.

My top 10 favorite cloth diapering essentials.

one. The Bambino Mio cloth diapering bucket.  Keep this handy in a bathroom or in the nursery closet.  After rinsing (get to that in a second) dump the diapers in here until wash.  I usually wash every other day.

two. Bummis fleece liners. For the days Anna does have a diaper rash and CJ's butter just won't cut it.  I'll use zincofax (the best diaper rash cream there is out there).  However, zincofax does a number on cloth diapers.  It actually makes them start repelling urine (a huge headache!).  So, place a fleece liner between diaper and bum.  The fleece feels nice next to the bum and it creates a barrier between the cream and the diaper.

three. Prince Lionheart cloth diaper warmier.  I debated getting this since it is seen as a luxury item.  However, my cloth wipes come out warm and Anna honestly likes them better than a cold one.  Who could blame her?  To keep my wipes wet I make up my own potion of witch hazel, water, and Kissluvs diaper lotion potion concentrate.

four. Bum Genius 4.0 diaper cover with velcro enclosures.  The velcro is better than the snap (in my opinion) because you get a more custom fit.  The BG diapers are a cover + insert system.  Which means you'll need an insert (see ten) inside each of the covers.  These BGs can fit 7-35lb babies with its adjustable snaps and stretchy tabs.

five. Bum Genius diaper sprayer is a must for cloth diapering.  This is why cloth diapering is so easy.  You install this to your toilet.  Now you can spray your diapers off.  When you are done spraying just hook the sprayer back onto the side of the toilet.  Throw the diaper in the bucket and you are done.  You can even do this at 3am with your eyes closed.

six. rockin' green detergent has some fun and deliciously smelling scents.  Between this detergent and the occasional sun bleaching (yes, i do hang my diapers out on the line when its nice outside) I haven't had any trouble with smells or staining.

seven. CJ's butter is one of the best creams for cloth diapers.  Its not super greasy or thick.  It also has a lot of different purposes.  It treats eczema, rashes, dry/chapped skin, rub burns, mechanics hands/cuticles, hang nails, leave in conditioner, a good barrier/relief for circumcision, therapeutic in the bath water, etc.

eight. Bio-Kleen bac-out for those super stinky, big blow out kind of days.  After a good rinse with the sprayer this will aid as a "pretreatment" before washinging.  Just spray and leave in the bucket until wash day.

nine. Green Mountain cloth-eeze are terry on one side and flannel on the other. I can fold and make two sections in my warmie of these.  The terry is nice for more of a "scrub" on the bum and the flannel is nice for a gentle wipe.

ten. Thirsties hemp inserts are the most absorbent inserts I have found.  They work much better than a microfleece insert.  You may start with microfleece and work up to a hemp insert.  My baby is a heavy wetter especially at night and I can place three of these inside her diaper cover.  She'll sleep 13 hours and still be dry in the morning.  I have heard charcoal bamboo inserts are also excellent but I have yet to try.

Please email me if you have any questions!  Once you get the hang of it I promise it is so easy! Happy diapering!

festive card {a little belated christmas}

First of February and I'm just now getting my Christmas card up.  Can I blame it on having a 7 month old?  Or does that excuse get old?

Anyway, hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas and a (soon to be) Happy Valentine's Day!

diy of the week: "hand" painted ornaments

so i'm taking a little break from the eucharisteo.  why you ask?  well have you tried to write 1,000 things that make you feel joyful?  easier said than done!  seriously try it... especially after a long frustrating day.  it'll definitely make you realize you don't need to sweat the small stuff (and yes, just like the book says its all small stuff).  I'm postponing the rest until next month.  I'm still writing them down but as the list gets longer I am finding its a bigger challenge!

i wanted to FINALLY blog about Anna's first craft project.  ok yes, she is only a few months old and i doubt she'll have any fond memories of doing it but it sure was fun for me! this would be great to do every year and see how much she grows.

"hand" painted ornaments
{the goods}
a child's hand
clear plastic ornaments (plastic is perfect so you never have to worry about it breaking)
embossing clear stamp pad
glitter or embossing powder
embossing gun
ribbon
hot glue gun
plastic or paper towel (just to lay out so you don't get glitter everywhere)

{get to crafting}
take the child's hand and stamp it on the stamp pad.  place child's hand on ornament.  sprinkle a fine amount of glitter over the stamped hand print.  shake off excess glitter.  heat print with embossing gun (but don't overheat and melt the ornament!).  let cool.  take ribbon and make bow.  hot glue bow to top of ornament.  hang and enjoy!

hello again!

A huge heartfelt apology to all my dedicated viewers.  As you can see my blog has acquired a certain number of cobwebs recently.  We are definitely in need of some dusting around here!  Here is the reason behind the lack of conversation ...

{the turquoise penguin}

Baby Nursery

Finally we have put the finishing touches on the nursery.  We are officially READY for her arrival.  So, as of next week we are considered full term (37 weeks) ... so you are welcome to come anytime baby shanks!

 

we are officially "canadians"

I put canadians in quotations due to the fact that I can't ever really call myself a full canadian. Even though I did say eh the other day.  Oh, and it got up to 70 deg. here today and it was uncomfortably hot!  I was out for an hour and came in pink.  The joys of living this far north.

Brandon flew home last week to pick up my car from my grandma's.  He also picked up an entire car load of baby supplies from our baby showers.  This little girl sure is spoiled!  She already has more clothes than me.  (I'll post pictures of the nursery soon)  We had to buy a skybox in order to get all these little things up here to Canada.  The car looks pretty good don't you think, eh?

to be continued...

So I haven't been posting much this week or last.  I've been busy preparing this house for baby.  I've also been knitting.  Here's a sneak peak at my next fun project.  I can't wait to get it finished.

DIY seat cushion and back

Our nursery is coming together.  I've taken a two week sabbatical from this blog to get things in order.  I spent quite a bit of time visiting family for baby showers then this week was busy washing and hanging up baby clothes.  We sure do have a lot of pink!

One of the most special elements in baby's room is a rocking chair from Brandon's grandparents.  Brandon's grandpa has a special talent for canning.  He has canned thousands of rocking chair seats and backs.  I love this rocking chair because of its sentimental reasons.  However, I know I'll be spending a lot of time in this chair and its a bit hard.  So I decided we need to make a seat cushion and while we were at it... a back.

I am a huge fan of Eric Carle and Leo Lionni sketches.  And when I found this fabric at IKEA I thought "BINGO!"  So I bought 2 meters at $6.99/meter.

Basically, to begin you will need to make a pattern.  I used drafting paper because that is what I had on hand.  You can use parchment paper, tracing paper or anything else translucent.  Just draw out your the shape of the seat and cut out.  It was easiest for me to draw one side.  Fold the paper in half and cut out the pattern.  This way the sides were completely equal.

Next lay out the pattern over the fabric.  Pin the pattern to the fabric.  Before cutting, you'll need to leave 5/6" extra around the outside.  This will be enough space so you can get that nice "poof" to your seat.  You'll need to cut out a bottom and a top for the seat.  Next, place the right sides of the fabric together and sew the outer edge.  (I recommend a sewing machine for this)  Leave enough of an opening so you can get your hand in and stuff.  Next, bring the fabric right side out.  You can now stuff and sew up the hole by hand.

If you want to add ties you'll need to cut out a large strip and sew up the one side.  You'll also need to pin this to the wrong side of the fabric before you sew the top and bottom together.  If you forget, you can always just sew the ties to the bottom of the seat.

{before}

{after}

DIY bird crib mobile

I have all kinds of craft ideas now that I'm not working and have ample time on my hands.  I know this time will come to a close when baby shanks arrives so I'm trying to soak in my last weeks of freedom.  This week's project.. making a crib mobile for my sweet baby girl.  Thank you to Pinterest for continually flooding my right brain with motivating and inspirational craft ideas.  It is because of you that I continually have a project going.

So I started looking at crib mobiles.  I saw this and fell in love with how colorful it was.  However, there is no way I'm paying $150 for a mobile. 

{puka puka design}

And then I found this adorable fabric bird mobile on Etsy.  However, I didn't want to pay $85 plus shipping to Canada. 

{annie's mobile boutique}

I also really liked a simple tissue pom mobile.  But I had already fallen in love with the birds so I couldn't let them go.  I also thought $40 for a pom mobile was a bit expensive.  (I'm sure you are beginning to think I'm a penny pincher!)

{little nest box}

Then on Pinterest last week I found a blog that had a free pattern for the birds.  BINGO!  To get the full instructions you'll need to click on over to Spool Sewing.  So this is really easy to do everyone.  I used scrap fabric I already had.  (I did buy a few small swatches from Walmart in their craft section.  Each was $2.  I think I used about 6 different swatches).  You will also need different size sewing hoops (I used 3), thread, needle, batting, pipe cleaners or fake flower wire, and hot glue.  I cut out the fabric using the pattern from Spool Sewing. Then I sewed (by hand... on the machine would be much easier but I don't have one) and stuffed the birds.  Then I glued them on to the hoops.  I also glued on these paper flowers from Paper Source ($15) that I already had in my scrapbooking box.  Next I made poms out of colorful tissue (I bought a pack from Walmart for $4).  For a pom tissue tuitorial visit Natsprat.  (I made them half the size she makes them in her blog).  Next I hung up the hoops with the thread and attached to the ceiling with a small screw hook.

look what i painted

While we were in Houston in January for Brandon's work conference I was able to attend a Mad Potter workshop with the girls.  What to paint, what to paint?  So many choices!  I finally decided on a cute little piggy bank.  However, the color was also a hard decision.  We hadn't found out for sure if it was a girl or not in January.  You can never go wrong with turqoise, right?

Well, got a knock on my front door this morning from Fed Ex.  The bank arrived!  I think baby will love it.  What do you think?

Baby Update ... 23 Weeks

And the verdict is ..... GIRL!!!  Time to start planning the nursery.... and names!