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Yearly Archives: 2008

Dec 30 2008

DIY {cakestands}

I haven’t disappeared…we just returned from spending time with family for Christmas. I have a ton of pictures, but haven’t even begun to get them off my camera and onto the computer. I thought I’d share one of the Christmas gifts I made this year. I posted a link to this idea before Christmas and I’ve heard several of you made these as well. It is so easy and addicting….they are so fast and it was fun searching for plates I thought people would like….

You will need:

Epoxy

Plate, platter, bowl, etc.

A base that is wide enough to make the stand stable

Books for weight

Step one: Wash and dry the plate and base

Step two: Find the center of the bottom of your plate and mark it

Step three: Mix your epoxy and apply a thin layer to the base

Step four: Attach the two, turn upside down and use books for a little weight

They dry in about 5 minutes and are ready for use. I bought candlestick holders from Hobby Lobby for my base and plates from Southern Hospitality on Main St. in BA.

For those wondering, yes one of the bases is an old coffee can. That is the one I made for myself. No one else likes it, but I do and it is in my house so that is all that matters to me. When I showed my mom she smiled and said it looks like something I would like….:)

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by AshleyAnn

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Mandy - I just noticed that I picked the same flowered plate for two of the stands that I made and paired it with the exact same base. Thanks for the idea, my mom loved it!! In fact the second flowered plate is going to be a gift for one of her friends.

Lesley - very cute! mine has fudge on it right now

jesse - Love it, I am totally going to give that a go! Glad to see a post, I have been missing reading! Happy New Year!

yvonne - I somehow over looked this idea for Christmas…..but it’s great for birthdays & mother’s day as well!!! Thanks for the tip!

Sandy - Thanks for the cake stand, I love it (mine is the flower plate). It looks great on the table and I can’t wait to bake a cake and use it. You come up with the neatest stuff.

Heidi - Just made one after hitting up the after Christmas sales. Thanks for the inspiration!
http://601hicksfamily.blogspot.com/2009/12/after-christmas-sales.html

Dec 24 2008

Merry Christmas!

I’ve always loved Christmas, but so much more now as a mom. It is so fun to watch the boys tell eachother about Jesus’ birth and get excited to give presents…thrills my heart. I’ll be enjoying the week with my family, so no need to check back here…no posts until sometime next week. Yes, this was our Christmas card. Totally random I know – fitting for us! I hope you all have a great week and a very Merry Christmas!

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Lesley - Too fun! Makes me smile every time.

bopha27 - I love it!! Hope that you have a great Christmas and enjoy every moment with your boys.

jesse - Love it! Merry Christmas!

april w - love it!

Merry Christmas Campbells!

Kathy - what a beautiful card, congrats on your upcoming addition to the family.

AshleyAnn - Thanks Kathy! We decided not to make the addition of a puppy to the family this Christmas…maybe next! It is crazy enough around here!

Dec 23 2008

Photo Tip {candlelight services}

This is one of my favorite Christmas 2007 pictures…it is Corbett and Chris at our Christmas Eve Candlelight service. Part of the challenge for candlelight services is you can’t use a flash…for one it is hugely distracting and two it destroys the feel of the moment. So here are some tips depending on your camera and understanding:

If you have a point and shoot or a dslr, but don’t really understand more than automatic shooting you will need to first turn off your flash. If your camera has a night mode, try that. If not use the auto setting and either hold your camera very still or sit it on something sturdy for the shot. Using the self-timer option will also help with keeping it sharp. You will need to be steady and still.

If you have a dslr and understand its manual settings….flash off, use a high ISO (mine was around 600), slow shutter speed (mine was around 1/60), low aperture (mine was f/2.8) and a sturdy hand/lap/tripod.

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Posted in SnapShops & Tips, everything else

by AshleyAnn

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Trinity - Thanks….I get so confused with all of the numbers. Thanks for explaining things where even I can understand! I can’t wait to try it out!

jen - thanks for the tip. the low-light photos (minus the flash) are where i have the most problem. i’ve already started practicing around my house.

Dec 22 2008

Photo Tip {Christmas Present opening}

I know a lot of moms who are getting cameras for Christmas or recently purchased a new one, so I thought I post a little note about Christmas present pictures. I’d encourage you to pick 1-2 presents for each kid that you know they will be overjoyed to open….then do the following:

1. Take a picture of the present before it is opened

2. Take lots while your child is opening it from several angles (lay on the floor, stand over them, close ups of their hands opening it, every possible detail you can get, etc.) You’ll have to move fast for this….

3. Take some of your child playing with the gift…and you or your spouse joining in the fun.

Then after you have fully captured a few presents being opened, set your camera down and be fully present with your kids as you finish up the rest. Too often parents, myself included, get so wrapped up in taking pictures that we aren’t fully involved and a part of the moment. I will enjoy having pictures in the future, but my kids want me in the present. And really…what are you going to do with tons of pictures of every present being opened? Enjoy your kids and breathe in those moments with them….

Tomorrow I’ll post on getting great Christmas Eve candlelight service pics…

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by AshleyAnn

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jesse - Great tips, I usually get so excited I forget my camera all together! Hopefully not this year! Thanks, again! Merry Christmas!

Dec 22 2008

server issues

Well I had a couple of things to post early this week, but I am having server issues. Don’t be surprised if in the next two weeks this blog disappears for a couple of days. I’ll work to get it back up asap. If I get the server stuff taken care of today, I’ll try to post later today….the joys of technology!

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by AshleyAnn

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Dec 19 2008

Nativity Scenes in the Campbell household

There are the moments as a mom when I know I am getting through to my boy’s beautiful little minds. Then there are those other moments…

Upstairs in Everett’s room I hear Corbett on the staircase…

Then I hear a golf ball rolling down the stairs

It hits the hardwood floors and keeps rolling

Now Corbett is running down the stairs to see where it lands

“CRASH” – the kind of crash a golf ball makes when hitting a ceramic nativity scene

“Woah. I just took out Joseph. That is awesome!”

Upon my running down the stairs to insure that Joseph is still in one ceramic piece, I notice an odd arrangement in the other nativity scene….I ask Corbett to explain.

“Mary was tired, so Jesus is holding her while she sleeps.”

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by AshleyAnn

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megan - that is HILARIOUS!! LOVE IT!

melanie - I love your family of boys!

bopha27 - That is too funny, your boys are very creative. Nativity bowling, what a concept!

jesse - I proud you can even have something that breakable in reach. I know I sure couldn’t! It would have been broken as soon as I got it out.

Jeannette Swan - Too funny – your brave to have the nativities out – I guess you don’t have a choice if you want to try to enjoy them!!

cindy - AWESOME! I can so picture this with your play-by-play… I love how boys can turn any kind of distruction into a game.

Dec 18 2008

Toys for Tots 2008

I don’t have the exact numbers, but this year my church hosted about 16,000 people on campus last Sunday and gave away toys for 5,700 kids. We have hosted the local Toys for Tots event for several years now and I think it is safe to say this was the biggest year thus far. The families were entertained by a great show then the kids headed off to a party while the parents did a little shopping. It is an amazing event to be a part of…

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by AshleyAnn

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meg duerksen - very cool.
it looks HUGE! what an awesome event. it looks overwhelming to me.

Jeannette Swan - I love the pictures! I saw Chris Hyslop taking pictures and he told me he asked your permission to take pictures – I thought that was cute. I didn’t see any pictures of crazy ladies making taco soup for 450 people!!

Mandy - These pictures make me smile…a true picture of what TCABC is all about. And in response to Jeanette….those pictures would have been frightening. By 1 o clock Cindy had a least three taco soup stains on her shirt…delicious food, not so great pictures.

Jeannette Swan - Denise’s shirt looked worse than Cindy’s – she put an apron on to cover it!!

Dec 16 2008

because he knows I HATE winter

Chris brightened my cold, dreary day. Really I guess I should say I hate winter in this area of the country. I lived in Hawaii for a bit…I liked winter there. I hate cold weather. I hate brown trees and dead grass. I hate dressing in layers. I would trade playing in the snow for swimming in a pool any day. I would also trade hot chocolate for and iced latte…snow boots for flipflops…cuddling under a blanket for playing under the sun. Really anything you can name about winter – I can give you a summer counterpart I prefer. And that was before I had kids…now throw 3 boys age 4 and under to the mix and I AM DONE WITH THIS WEATHER. I think it is time to move back to Hawaii…I was meant to live walking distance from a warm, sunny beach.

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jesse - I feel the exact same way! Winter weather and I don’t get along very well!

Shanalea - that is why you need to live inSouthern California. I think I wear socks for about 2 months and the rest of the time is in flip flops. Although we have had our cold days (high of 50 degrees which means it is time to pull out the winter coat) I like the fact that I just wear a sweater and I am good.

Carol - I think that you would miss your boys so much if you moved back to Hawaii. But I would bring them to visit you every other month or so!!!

Lesley - What a sweet hubby! I totally agree, I’m sick of the cold already. I didn’t mind it when I was younger and snow days meant no school but now that I’m a working girl, they don’t cancel work for snow. Now there are no benefits from the cold.

Metcalfs - Nothing can beat feel of the wind hitting your face as you fly down the slopes, or the joy of making a big snow fort and having a huge snowball fight! Nothing is better than curling up by a fire in a blizzard and having hot chocolate and a good book. And you can’t beat extreme sledding; feeling the rush and wondering when you’re going to crash. You’ve got to admit, winter is pretty great – at least in WY!

Michele V. - I feel the same way. A day by the pool or at the beach is a g-r-e-a-t day. I haven’t been to Hawaii yet but I’m afraid I wouldn’t want to come back ever.

Emily - Beautiful flowers! I agree… I’m tired of this cold weather and ready for some warmer days. I would rather be on a beach, too.

Angie - I’m with you…I HATE winter, too! I was meant to live by the beach so I’m not sure how I ended up in Oklahohma

Dec 15 2008

DIY {picture & artwork displays}

A couple of posts back Charissa left a comment asking for some ideas on how to display pictures and kid’s artwork. Well the weekend got away from me, but I was able to photograph a couple from my house. I have a few others to share, but I have to finish painting some walls before I get them hung so that will have to wait. I am constantly changing what is on my walls and my kids are constantly coming up with great artwork I want to display. Traditional frames don’t work to good for me…and the constant change. Both of these are pretty simple, don’t cost much and are super easy to change out.

The first is in the boy’s room. I took simple wood clipboards and nailed them to the walls. The boys pick what pictures they want and they can display their artwork or letters from friends. In our old house I covered a hallway wall from top to bottom with clipboards…fun for a hallway.

The second is in Rett’s room. I bought wood pant hangers from Walmart and hung the pictures using those. I mounted my pictures on syrene board, but you can do something similar at home by using spray adhesive and matboard. You don’t need a peg rail to do this, you could nail decorative knobs, nails, hooks, etc. to the wall and hang from those. This could also look really fun in a long hallway. I actually have the onesie Rett wore home from the hospital also hanging by this type of hanger in his room…endless possibilities. Just to answer the questions now…that is me one week before I had Rett and again when he was 1 week old.

And finally here is a collection of more ideas for ways to display artwork or pictures. The examples use both art and pictures, but I think all of them could go either way…

Cork Lamp by Something’s Hiding in Here

DominoMag has an entire online gallery of ideas – love these

Photojojo Re-stickable Wall Decal Photo Frames

Photojojo Magnetic Photo Rope

Photojoj Fotoclips

UrbanOutfitters Picture Window

Camp Creek Blog’s Plexi Glass room divider – this link also links to several other great ideas

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by AshleyAnn

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Charissa - Thank you Ashley! The funny thing, I was thinking about clipboards, but I had never seen it done before and worried it might look cheesy. Thanks for confirming that I’m not cheesy after all!

By the way, love mommy/baby photos. I always wondered who takes photos of YOU. And how did you squeeze into your jeans so quick??!!!

AshleyAnn - Chris took both of those photos….I try not to ask him too often because I can be a pain about it. Those are the same pair of jeans…maternity stretch

Jamie - What great ideas! So simple, yet so creative!

Shannon Phillips - Thanks for the tips Ash! I actually have the photojojo wall decal frames and I love them! They are very affordable for as many as you get.

Mandy - Okay, so a little off subject, but I couldn’t help but notice how neatly your top bunk was made. I’m wondering how you accomplish that?? Would you recommend bunk beds??

AshleyAnn - Mandy, I am a fan of the bunkbeds. The boys really enjoy them. The orange blanket is only fixed neatly for pictures or company…usually it is hanging from a side to make a fort for the boys. Our rooms aren’t very big, so it saves space. It does get old climbing into the top bunk every night to pray and cuddle with Corbett….but worth it!

meg duerksen - these are such good ideas! love the clip boards. so easy. and guess what i kept that my grandma was trying to throw out? old hangers like yours! i loved them and knew i could use them somewhere somehow. now i know.
great links too.
of course.

Lori - love the pants hangers!!

Dec 12 2008

DIY {Christmas Stuff}

I haven’t had time to do one of these posts in a while. I have not made or bought one Christmas gift!!!!! I am so behind! I fully intend to make a lot of my gifts, looks like I need to get busy. Here are some fun ideas for gifts or gift related things:

“Recycled” Cake Stands by Kate via Design*Sponge

Pom Pom gift toppers by Creature Comforts

Flower Pinwheel free download by Heather Bailey – cute for girls

Candy Coins by Martha Stewart – fun stocking stuffer for kids learning about money

Handmade Ornaments using capice shells by Spagat (found via Bloesem)

There was a comment asking for some ideas on different ways to display pictures and kids artwork. I am working on that post and will hopefully share it on Monday…

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by AshleyAnn

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yvonne - thanks for all the great tips!

Ari - I’ve made 2 pompoms so far and i love them on my Christmas packages! Thanks for the idea!
Ari

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