Baby Wolloff Nursery is Completed!

After months of brainstorming, collecting, and shopping, our newest addition's room is finally completed. With my due date only four days away, we are ready to bring this little lady home!

 

Nursery purchases: Graco Lauren Convertible Crib from Target; Mamas and Papas mobile from Babies 'R' US; Hopen dresser from Ikea; pink metal frames from Michaels (with original Shel Silverstein poems from Where the Sidewalk Ends); glider discontinued from Babies 'R' Us; small pillow on glider from Etsy, artist unknown; Eivor bird curtains from Ikea.

Homemade and family finds: Tom Thumb and Snow Drop EPs (passed down from my husband's family; 3 cardboard animals and lighting bolt (handmade props from our interns at our previous youth ministry); Baby Girl banner (handmade from my mom from my baby shower); blanket on glider (handmade from friend).

DIY - Making a Light Box

Last year I opened my Etsy shop, Today is a Sunny Day. I experimented with photography and natural light to get photos to show off my products. The result was taking photos against my wooden coffee table on the back porch during sunset.

While they came out quite nice, I wanted that plain white backdrop that I was seeing so many sellers have. After Googling "how to make a lightbox" I created this. It's not actually a light box, but more like a light diffuser, creating soft shadows on a seamless white background.

The supplies I used:

• Cardboard box
• Scissors
• White tissue paper
• Duct tape
• White poster board
• Desk lamp

Step 1

Cut three sides out of the box, not including the open side and the original box bottom. Think about it like this: your new bottom will be one of the sides and the previous bottom will be your backdrop. Bonus: You will work on your forearm strength for sure!

Step 2

Tape the white tissue paper to the open box sides. Essentially, you are replacing the sides you just cut out with the tissue paper.

Step 3

Cut the white poster board to fit the width of the box. Slide it in to fit. Leaving extra poster board in hang out the opening can be beneficial for certain depth of field shots. Note: Since I didn't have poster board on hand, I used the back of a poster. It's not as study as a poster board and gives more of a shine in photos than I would like, but it works for now. Here's an very unglamorous shot of the inside of light diffuser box.

Step 4

Finally position a light on the outside of the box to create the brightness you desire. You'll want an exposed bulb pointing at the box. You can create different shadow effects by where you place the bulb and how strong it is. If you don't want any shadows, put lamps on either side of the box. It worked best for me in the closest corner to me.

Finally, I snapped some photos using my newly created box. I tried to take some of Twitch, my parrot, and I only got one good shot of him in the box. He kept running to the edge. Ha!

Here are some shots I took of my Etsy items. Before, I used to count of natural light for my photos, which limits when I can take them. I was able to add these items to my Etsy shop at 10 p.m.!

Learn more about Today is a Sunny Day or check out other photos I've taken at www.todayisasunnyday.etsy.com.

Making Life Beautiful - DIY Home Calendar

Now that my husband and I are working for separate companies, I realized it was tricky for us to stay updated with each others schedule. I decided it would be a good idea for us to have a family calendar.

There were a few challenges:

1) It needed to be centralized in our home.
2) It needed to be cute. 


Here's the supplies I used:
-- Poster frame / picture frames
-- Colored cardstock and patterned paper
-- Ruler
-- Straight-cut / scissor


First, I choose 4 different kinds of paper - white, sea green, pale purple, and a striped pattern. Then I cut them into 2 inch squares. I have a straight-cut so this made the process very simple and each cut was perfectly straight. If you don't have a straight-cut, you can use scissors.

Next, I arranged the square in the pattern that looked best to me and used a ruler to tape them down in straight lines across my picture frame backing. Previously, I covered the photo frame backing with kraft paper gift wrap. It's very inexpensive and can be found in your local craft store. It's great for gift wrapping and can add a sophisticated, yet homemade touch to presents.

Next, I arranged everything I was going to hang on my dining room table so I could find the perfect arrangement. You'll also see some wooden frames that I tucked ribbon into and I later attached clothespins to hang loose photos, invites, and to-do lists. 

Here's the finished product!