Tag Archives: mother’s day

Napkin Notes & Lunch Totes | Who Will You Inspire?

12 May

one of my absolute favorite photos of my mom

This is a hard time of year for me when it comes to “all things mom”.

My mom passed away 11 years ago in April and her birthday is in the beginning of May, with Mother’s Day always close in tow. As one might imagine, the passing years don’t necessarily make me miss her any less. There are every day things I want to pick up the phone & share with her and bigger life things I want her to be a part of. I miss her.

My mom was a very special lady & she inspired others. I thought it was appropriate, with Mother’s Day tomorrow, to share that she was the inspiration for the title of this very blog.

So…what the heck is a sippet anyway?

It’s a strange little word that defines a small piece of toast or fried bread typically eaten with soup or gravy.

My mom used to cut buttered toast into little strips and serve them to me and my brother with soup. These little bits of toast hit the spot & washed away sickies, brightened hard days of school, magically healed knee scrapes, etc. For a few minutes, the world disappeared in freshly dunked soup soaked sippets. To this day, these memories are like a warm hug from my mom.

So…what do Sharpies have to do with all of this?

I think all of my fellow artist friends keep at least one Sharpie marker in their arsenal of supplies. They are an essential part of daily life (& not just for artists & taggers!), as demonstrated by Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman when she used a black permanent marker to color a rip in the heel of her boot.

I’ve used them to write on everything from paper to glass…& everything in between.

My mom was creative with her use of Sharpies, too. She once repaired a favorite colorful jungle themed sweater (ah, the 80’s!), that she’d spilled bleach on, using a rainbow of Sharpies. But my favorite thing my mom created with Sharpies were the amazing lunch bags she sent me & my brother to school with every single day of our school days (from kindergarten through high school!). Plain brown paper lunch bags were transformed into a colorful pictures of the day, labeled with our name & homeroom. Seasons & daily weather, school projects & events – you name it — they all provided inspiration for my mom’s lunch bag artwork.

The best things in life…

Just like my mom’s decorated lunch bags, Jess and I believe that the best things in life are the little everyday delightful things – homemade/hand crafted little treats that spread smiles. We started this blog to share those delightful things with you — from our little home & the very bottom of our big hearts, to yours.

So, give your mom an extra hug tomorrow & take time to remember (out-loud!) all of your favorite memories that she shaped. Tell her you love her again & again & again. If your mom is beyond this Earth’s atmosphere, honor a good friend who’s a new mom or tell a mentor/woman who inspires you just how much she’s touched your life.

To all the awesome moms out there — know that you are loved & that all of the packed lunches, baked treats, kisses, band-aids, hugs, home cooked meals, napkin notes, good advice, laughs & handmade goodies are appreciated and will live on forever in the warmest of memories & traditions.

Hug the ones you love!

xo
Maker

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Easy Peasy! | Stencil project

9 May

I’m sharing a quick & easy mid-week project because it’s perfect for a last minute Mother’s Day treat (who doesn’t keep some sort of project, to do, grocery, or inspiration list?!). My dad used to keep folded pieces of lined paper in his shirt pocket for on-the-job lists & notes but we’ve recently gotten him jazzed about these little gems (how cool that you can customize them, too?).

So…I wanted to make him my own version to put in his Easter basket. While I couldn’t find a notebook in the exact same size, Moleskine’s Cahier size notebook is close enough (and who doesn’t love Moleskine?!). I prefer the kraft brown but a word of caution: it can be a little tricky to stencil on if you’re using a sticky stencil because you might peel some of the kraft paper up when you lift the stencil. It’s possible, just be careful.

Supplies

Stencil (steps for making your own included below)

  • Pen or extra fine point permanent marker
  • Frisket (wide masking tape or contact paper, etc. – I used transfer paper commonly used with adhesive vinyl because it comes in a large roll & has a printed grid pattern that makes it easy to align)
  • Craft knife or tiny scissors

Sponge or piece of foam (I used a shoe shine sponge – hotel freebie!!!!)
Paint (I used liquid acrylic but regular acrylic or screen printing ink would be fine, too)
Notebook (or any object you’d like to stencil)

 Making the stencil

  1. If you don’t have anything sticky to use for your stencil, you could use a piece of heavy paper, freezer paper or card stock & just tape it down. I like using something sticky because I like knowing my edges are sealed, just in case.
  2. Draw the image of your stencil on the frisket (or whatever you’re using). The negative space will be what gets painted so keep that in mind as you create. Start with something simple.
  3. Using your craft knife cut out the parts of the image that you want to appear in paint.

Stencil time!

  1. Position & stick your stencil on the notebook – lightly but enough so the edges of the stencil stay in place. If you created a stencil you need to tape down, use a couple small pieces of masking tape or painters tape to anchor it down. I left one of the bottom corners lifted up a little in the photo below to show you just how lightly I stuck my stencil down.
  2. Squirt/dab a little bit of paint on a scrap piece of paper. Dab the sponge in it and then tap it lightly a few times on the scrap paper to remove any globby bits.  Then dab your stencil with it (you want to lightly tap, overlapping each time, vs. rubbing). If you need to use a little bit more paint, go for it. It’s best to start light & add a little more (so the paint doesn’t bleed under your stencil).
  3. Remove your stencil & let the paint dry. Lifting the stencil is my favorite part!

I know I made these instructions a bit thorough! But don’t worry, this project honestly only took me less than 10 minutes to complete.

It’s a simple project for any maker level.

Happy making!

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