A Stencilling We Will Go....

"The Teen" is really into gaming and geekery and being on a pretty tight budget this past Christmas I was trying to come up with some cool gift ideas for him. I have seen all these wonderful licensed tees for things he is interested in but the price tag for said tees are way out of my price range so I turned to the net and found some different sites on making your own t-shirts. Didn't look too hard to do and I am a fairly crafty person. I needed to buy some supplies but I was able to make three t-shirts and a hoodie for the price of 1-2 of the licensed tees in the stores. 

I made stencils by printing some pics off the internet and tracing them on plastic sheets I had floating around the house. Using a craft knife I cut out all the pieces that I wanted to have paint on the tees and after cramping my hand, more than a few times while cutting them all out, I started to paint. 

I went the fabric medium for acrylic paint route then purchasing straight fabric paint. More variety that way. Fabric paint doesn't seem to have much selection compared to acrylic paint. I made use of coupons when buying craft supplies with helped out greatly with the cost. 

It took me about 2 days total to complete all 4 items. I had to wash all the items prior to stencilling, then stencilling time, drying time and rewashing, so definitely consider this if making more than one at a time. I made them while watching Christmas movies so the time went pretty quickly. I had a blast once I got into it. I had to send "the teen" off to his Dad's to make sure I wouldn't be interrupted while I was making them. Nothing worse than trying to make something for someone and them walking in on you when you have everything out. 

This is what I ended up with: 

Creeper from Minecraft

Assassin's Creed shirt. I made two stencils for this, this one is my fave one.

Doctor Who Logo

The teen giving his best Ezio impression while wearing his Assassin's Creed Hoodie

I am pretty proud of the results. "The teen" was pretty impressed with all of them. Heard a lot of "Sweet" and "Cool" when he was opening them. Best part is they are made with love which you just don't get from shirts bought in a store. 

Downside to this is that now I want to stencil everything I own. This could be trouble *lol* 

Happy stencilling and of course Hugs and Smoochies.

<3 Arawynn <3

365 Bust....

In fitting Madhouse style my 365 photo project has failed again. I just haven't had the urge to touch my camera lately. Nothing really has inspired me to take photos lately and I don't want to just take pics for the sake of taking pics since all that seems to do is leave me feeling unhappy about my photos. I still carry my camera on me in case I see something that is photo worthy. Maybe I will come out of this photo dry spell I am having. It can happen right? 

To be honest I am really struggling with motivation lately. I have all these ideas and things I want to do but just can't find the time, motivation or finances in order to set them in motion. It is quite discouraging, in fact. 

I have described myself as Tinker Bell on crack to several of my friends and that is pretty much what I have been lately. Nothing seems to hold my attention for long. I am up, I am down, I am doing spirals and twists and turns in every aspect of my life it seems. I really need to focus and try to find some balance before I totally crash and burn. 

Of course every time I think of the words crash and burn together I picture the scene from Hackers and want to be looking as hot as Angelina Jolie was in that movie and swimming with a hot guy. Love that movie gotta watch that again soon. 

There is no real theme to this post other than to let you all know I am still alive and kicking, albeit feeling very much like Tinker Bell on crack. I hopefully will have time soon to get some photos of the shirts I made "the teen" for Christmas. I am very proud of them and totally wanting to stencil everything now. 

Going to go and snuggle up under five blankets right now to try and get some sleep in this ridiculous cold we have been hit with here. Mother Nature certainly has been frosty lately. Maybe she needs a little attention? 

Hugs and Smoochies

<3 Arawynn 

Happy New Year

I am a day late in posting this. Lost track of time. Typical of life in the madhouse. 

I have decided to attempt the 365 day project again this year. Hopefully I can keep it going for longer, hopefully the entire year this time :)

Was an interesting year in the Madhouse. Lots of ups and downs, lots of mistakes and lessons learned. I wouldn't take back any of it. Everything shapes me into the person I am and the person I am to become. Hope 2013 is a great one for all of you. Looking forward to what it has to teach me. 

I will leave you with my photo and a quote from someone I admire. 

Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it's better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring.

~ Marilyn Monroe 

Hugs and Smoochies

<3 Arawynn <3 

Rose Petal Candle Holder

Like so many others I seem to be addicted to Pinterest. I love things that I can do where I don't have a mess of papers lying around and that get misplaced. Pinterest is amazing for organizing stuff and being able to find it again. I wanted to actually make some stuff I have come across on Pinterest and I thought I would give this a try. 

Being the crafty (read frugal) person I am I wanted to use things I already had on hand instead of purchasing new items just to make it. I still have thousands of red rose petals left over from when I got married seven years ago (wow has it been that long) and a glass vase that I didn't mind destroying remodelling. So I grabbed my petals, vase and my trusty glue gun and set to work. I ended up with this 

I kind of like how it turned out. I am a sucker for red and for using stuff on hand it cost me absolutely zip so that is a BIG happy dance moment for me. 

I have other projects in the works and I will be sharing them soon, right now I am off to get breakfast because I am a hungry girl. Happy Sunday all. 

Hugs and Smoochies

Arawynn <3 

How Fast Time Flies....

.....when you are having fun?

I know, I haven't been keeping up with the posts recently. Life has gotten in the way, like it tends to do. Some things that have happened in and around the Madhouse as of late include a wedding, a relationship and a birthday and well just random craziness.

My brother was married to a wonderful, sweet lady. I was the photographer for their wedding and I have been doing my best to get the editing done. I want them to have the best photos to remember their day. I am so happy for the two of them. They make me believe it is possible to find love and be happy, but I digress. The wedding was beautiful and simple. It suited them and they were both so relaxed. It was nice to photograph a wedding again, well the couple only parts. There is nothing worse then family that think they know better and get in the way of you trying to get "the shot". I know I am family but I was there to capture their day and I was having a difficult time doing so. I was their photographer so I am the one they should be concentrating on. At one point I had to get the family shooed away because I wanted to be able to work without my head spinning in irritation. I can get a little testy when I am working. I admit it.

Once the family were shooed away and I had breathing space I was able to capture some amazing shots and I had "the teen" as an assistant which helped dramatically. He even snapped tonnes of his own photos. He has much to learn but I think I have a budding photographer on my hands. Momma is proud.

Here is one of the pics I snapped of the happy couple.

"The Teen" also had a birthday recently in the Madhouse. I was actually pretty excited about it and made plans to make a cake and be all domestic like normal moms for birthdays. But like everything in the Madhouse plans fell apart. I bought materials to make a cake for him but of course the night I went to make the cake I realize I had no vegetable oil and it was too late to go get any. I ended up having to run after work to track down a cake I could use that would fit the cake topper I made.

I had a brilliant moment of craftocity and came up with an idea for a birthday cake for "the teen" I combined two of his favourite things My Little Ponies and Doctor Who. The Doctor Who thing I can totally get, who doesn't love Doctor Who? The My Little Pony thing is not so making of the sense to me. Seems there is a thing known as Bronies and my son and his friends consider themselves Bronies. "The Teen" resisted for the longest while, making fun of his friends for liking My Little Ponies but they eventually wore him down and assimilated him into their fold. So I pondered and came up with this...

The TARDIS is made out of a wooden box purchased at a local dollar store. It is covered in felt and is actually useable. I glued the felt on in such a way as there is a flap over the latch so it just needs to be lifted up and he can put stuff inside, if he so chooses. This is the first time I have attempted something like this and have to say I am very proud of my finished product. The ponies are not authentic My Little Ponies, as my son was quick to point out but I wasn't going to spend $10 plus on real versions to stick in icing. So dollar store ponies it was :)

If you are a Doctor Who fan you should know the quote. When "the teen" saw the cake his comment was "well done mom, very clever". He loved it. The burned fingers and many stabbings of my fingers as I made the TARDIS was well worth it. It is now on display in our entertainment unit. The TARDIS, not the cake *lol*

Lastly before I depart tonight is to comment on the relationship I mentioned above. I did meet a wonderful man in September, on the bus of all places. He commented on my foam board (long story) and it lead to him asking me out. He gave me his number so I could contact him. I took a few days to think about it and did eventually contact him. We met for coffee and had a pretty good chat. We have a lot in common and we did start dating. Unfortunately I had to end things because I don't think I am really ready to get into another long term relationship and I felt it was unfair to him to remain. It makes me sad because he is such a warm, fun, supportive person but I live in the Madhouse and I honestly don't think he is prepared for the madness that is me. I often say I am like Tinkerbell on crack. I am up and down and sideways on a daily basis and I have never really been alone before. I really want to enjoy the single life for a bit longer before I surrender myself to coupledom again.

Who knows maybe we will find each other again if it is meant to be. They do have that saying after all. "What is meant to be will find a way" or something to that effect. For now though I need to get myself straightened out before I can even think about being in a relationship. I think that is the smartest thing to do for the moment. Of course tomorrow is another day. We never know what will happen. Ah the joys of life. The madness of it all.

That is it for now, thanks for reading and sharing in the madness.

Hugs and Smoochies

Arawynn <3

Think before you speak...

I am sure many of you have heard by now, the story of Amanda Todd. It has been a week now since she took her young life because of bullying. It is such a tragic loss of a young life, and for what? It is completely senseless and the whole situation fills me with a plethora of emotions.

 Since I have heard of Amanda's story I have been wanting to blog about it and make a plea to the adults out there, parents and non-parents. It is all well and good to teach children that bullying is wrong but we have to remember that children take their behaviour from what they see around them. So next time you see someone doing or wearing something you may not agree with, stop, take a look around and see what little ears and eyes may be observing you, and think before you speak.

 I honestly believe that children learn how to treat others from watching the people closest to them. What message are we sending to our children if we are making comments about another person's behaviour and/or appearance in a cruel fashion. Or by trying to use fear and intimidation to get people to do what we want. Children will think that it is ok to treat their classmates and peers the same way and it becomes a vicious cycle.

 I have been the victim of bullying. It tears you down and makes you feel worthless and that is not a great feeling to have, especially at such an impressionable age. I have been called names, have had lies spread about me, my life threatened and honestly I still have no idea what I did to these people to make them dislike me so much and to think I deserved to be treated this way. No one deserves to be made to feel worthless. Everyone has worth, even if someone else might not appreciate that worth or it doesn't fit in with their views.

As a parents I worry on a daily basis about my son and if he is being picked on at school or otherwise. I have always taught him that if someone is putting him down or threatening him in anyway to go and tell someone he trusts, a teacher, principal or his father or myself. In grade one he was bullied by another boy in his class and when he tried to talk to the teacher about it he was told to stop tattling. This enraged me since I had told him that his teacher could be trusted and then she let him down. Eventually my son took matters into his own hands and he ended up being the one in the principal's office for defending himself and another classmate. While I was upset at his being in the principal's office I was proud that he stood up for himself and his classmate, showing that he wasn't going to stand for it.

 It is so much worse for children today when it comes to bullying. When I was in school there wasn't the level of internet usage as there is now and cyberbullying was non existant. Nowadays kids hide behind their computer screens and tear down each other online. Some of it might be in just playful jest but so often it isn't and what is that doing to our children. I scares me to know what is out there online and how cruel people can be.

 No one is perfect, everyone makes mistakes. So what gives someone the right to judge someone else for their mistakes or vice versa. So often I come across adults that are very judgemental and it worries me. Do they realize they are being observed by their children? I am definitely not perfect and I don't pretend to be. I have my faults but I try and be the best person I can be. I have been guilty in the past of being critical of others and voicing that but I am trying to change that and think before I speak because once words are spoken they can't be taken back, especially in the case of Amanda Todd. She is no longer with us because of cruel words.

 It starts with us, we influence our children, our children look up to us and we need to be concious of that and think before we speak. To the teenagers out there, it does get better. I know when in the situation it doesn't seem that way (trust me, I have been there)but high school does end and you won't be with those people forever. Keep faith and hang in there. Find something you enjoy doing and be you.

 My thoughts and prayers go out to Amanda Todd's family and friends. Such a sad, tragic loss of a young life. :(


 Arawynn <3 

I am still alive...

I know I am bad at keeping regular posts lately. Life has just been so darn hectic for me. I have lots in the works at the moment. Several projects I am trying to complete in among the typical madhouse life. I hopefully will get some up and posted soon. Just wanted to post that I am still alive and actually doing pretty good. Hoping once summer comes to an end I will have a little more time to sit down and form a thought. Hugs and Smoochies Arawynn <3