Simplify

I've decided to simplify my life. This isn't a small change, it is actually a really big change. I'm taking it one step at a time though. I want to live more simply. I want my sons to live more simply. I want our family to be more focused on, well, family.

I've started with decluttering our home. I want to surround myself with things that I love, and will be loved by and bless my family. I don't want to be controlled by the clutter in my home.

I'm also decluttering my online life. All of my blogs have been neglected lately, and since I don't actually have any readers, I don't feel to badly about it. I will be retiring Du Willie Design, or at least putting it on an extended sabbatical. Many Small Changes will be my blog. I'll continue to post about my weight-loss journey. But I'll also post about my life, my family, my hobbies, and what ever else I find interesting.

Shamrock Shirt

The boys are going to daycare on Tuesday -- which also happens to be St. Patrick's Day. I really wanted them to have something festive to wear, seeing how they missed every single Boise State Friday during the football season. So I made them each a Shamrock T-Shirt. I had hoped to find white t-shirts for them at a thrift store. After not having any luck, I figured that not many little boys' white t-shirts end up at thrift stores. At least not if they look anything like my boys' white shirts by time they outgrow them (which is why I think we don't have any that fit right now.) I ended up going to Walmart, and buying a 5 pack of 18 month onsies. We need more onsies any ways -- our biggest right now are 9 monthers.

What you need:

• White T-Shirt
• Green Fabric Paint
• Old Sponge
• Heavy Duty Scissors
• Card stock
• Big Safety Pin

First, using your heavy duty scissors, cut your sponge into the shape of a heart. Optional: Put the safety pin on the back of your heart, this provides a handle for your stamp, and helps keep fingers clean.Practice using your heart stamp to make a shamrock on a piece of paper. I used a piece of the remnant sponge for the stem. This is a good time to check that the shamrock created with your heart will fit on your t-shirt. This was a recommendation from my very smart husband -- my first shamrock was too big for my little boys' shirts.

Next, place the card stock into the shirt. This will prevent the paint from soaking through to the backside of the shirt.
Finally, stamp a shamrock onto the shirt and let dry.

Saturday Snapshot: Icy Berries

We went to the McCall Winter Carnival a couple of weekends ago. I think my boys froze, but they had fun. The snow and ice sculptures were amazing. I snapped this shot of some frozen berries.

Freebie: Be Mine Element Pack

Here is an element pack to go along with the Be Mine Paper Pack.

Freebie: Be Mine Paper Pack

In honor of Valentine's Day and American Heart Month I've created this Valentine Themed Paper Pack.



Commercial Use Okay -- Please see my Terms of Use.

Please leave me a note if you download the kit.

A Character Flaw

I have a flaw, of course it is not my only flaw. But it is one that bothers me a lot.

I like to learn new things. Which is good. So I start projects, lots of projects. Once I figure out what I need to know, I don't finish my project. Which is bad.

Here is a list of some of my unfinished projects:

• Halloween quilt, lap sized. Just needs to be bound
• Flower quilt, twin size. One more row, tied & bound. I 'gave' this to my sister for Christmas about 8 years ago.
• Sampler Quilt -- only have like 5 squares done
• Rag quilt -- the edges need to be cut so that it is 'raggy'
• Rag quilt that still needs to be assembled
• Crocheted throw that I have been working on since high school
• Blue & Orange scarf still on the 'long loom'. I made several scarves, but now I can't remember how to finish.
• A stack of homemade paper, which are supposed to be cards. Along with these are rolls of window screen and hardware cloth to make screens, and several pieces of felt.
• A roll of cording to make rag baskets.
• Several paper scrapbook pages
• Several digital scrapbook kits

I don't seem to have the attention span to finish projects, which is partly why DuWillie Design has been neglected for so long. I'm working on it.

I'm also spending some time working on myself. You can see what I'm working on at my new blog Many Small Changes.

In the mean time, please be patient with me. I'll post some new digital creations, or maybe some real life ones, soon.

Blog Backgrounds

I've made a couple of blog backgrounds. They work the best with Blogger's Minima template.

Please credit my blog if you use them.

Flower brush by Obsidian Dawn