henry happened: October 2011

1st Trimester Hiatus

So I was wrong on Friday about my mojo being back. I'm sick, I'm tired, and I'm taking a break. Hopefully I'll return in a few weeks (and hopefully that will be the end of morning sickness!).

Miss you guys already :)

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DIY Twig Necklace

I feel like I've lost my blog mojo this week. Whenever I think about writing I end up either taking a nap or watching TV on demand instead (Homeland rocks).

My craft buddy Nikki had inspiration for a twig necklace so I hunted for branches and hauled my jewelry supplies over to her place. It was a miracle I was venturing out of the house at 8:30 instead of going to bed, but I told her without a little moral support I might never post again. (Oh the drama, right?)

I ended up using silver branches from my Halloween mantel. Nikki chose a specimen from my hunting and gathering.

Want to get your nature craft on? Here's what you need:

Twigs. Either au natural, spray painted the color of your choice or bought pre-colored in the floral dept
Chain
Jump rings
Jewelry wire
Wire cutter
Clasp (not pictured because I totally forget to bring those)

The how-to is pretty simple. Wrap the wire around each end of the twig and attach a jump ring. Then attach the chain to the jump ring. In Nikki's version, she created a loop in the wire and attached the jump ring to that. Either way works.

The hardest part is finding a good looking twig. A little curve is good and you want a few small protrusions. Nikki was pretty proud that her twig was brown on one side and red on the other. Reversible, whoa.

We got a little sidetracked spray painting gourds and pumpkins and didn't get around to making a "bundle of twigs" necklace. But thanks Nikki for helping me get my craft mojo back. I'll keep working to get you on board with my DIY dickie idea.

Now it's time for a nap.

Giveaway! $50 to Thirty Six Ten Etsy Shop

Ready to get a jump on your Christmas gift giving? I'm a huge fan of Amy's shop, Thirty Six Ten. Jewelry with silver and turquoise is right up my alley.

A second generation silversmith, Amy makes gorgeous birthstone stacking rings (push present, anyone?) and artisan handcrafted necklaces with gemstones and vintage finds. The designs are simple and perfect to wear every day.

And lucky readers, Amy is giving away a $50 credit to her shop!

Thank you Thirty Six Ten!

In order to win you must:

Visit Thirty Six Ten and tell me your favorite item.

Follow Henry Happened via GFC (publicly please) or RSS.

You can also get extra entries if you:

Follow Thirty Six Ten on Facebook
Follow Thirty Six Ten's Blog
Blog, post on your Facebook page or tweet about this giveaway. Tag your tweet with @henryhappened so I can track it

Example tweet: I just entered the $50 Thirty Six Ten Jewelry #giveaway at @henryhappened http://wp.me/p1BF9z-I6

Leave a separate comment for each entry. Giveaway ends Saturday, October 22 at 11:59PM and the winner will be announced on Facebook. Good luck!

DIY Dip Dyed Scarf

Thank you for all of your kind, supportive comments on yesterday's post. I truly appreciate all of the good wishes. Fingers crossed the nausea doesn't last 5 months this time!

And I've decided the best mom accessory is: the scarf. It dresses up a plain T-shirt, hides spit up, and cleans up spills in a pinch. (Is that TMI?)

In expanding my collection I often get seduced by cheap prices. Take these 2 Target scarves for example. When I got home I realized one was boring and the other looked like a dish towel. Some dye was just the thing to give them some oomph.

Dyeing is a bit like spray painting. Once you realize how easy and fast it is you'll end up searching your house for things to dye. It's so satisfying.

What you'll need:

Scarf
Dye
Bucket
Hot water
Salt & detergent
Gloves

Step 1: Get the dye bath ready according to package directions.

Step 2: Wet the scarf and wring out. Getting it wet before dyeing will give the scarf a nice ombre look.

Step 3: Fold scarf in half and submerge in dye bath up to where you want the color. I didn't measure here - just eyeball it. I colored the ends of one scarf and the middle of the other.

Step 4: Agitate the fabric (this where gloves come in handy) for as long as needed. The yellow scarf stayed in close to 30 minutes while the wine color one took less than 5.

Step 5: Rinse the scarf and dry.

The only thing stressful about scarves is how to tie them. I end up fiddling with them all day. What's your favorite way to wear a scarf?

Get Ready for Zone Defense

So I fell off the map last week. And pretty much spent the weekend sleeping.

Yep, I'm pregnant. We found out last week and I think I worried myself right into being sick. It's probably too early to tell people, but I've discovered that I'm terrible at keeping secrets. (So please don't tell me any.)

Anyone have tips on zone defense with 3 kids?

While I'm in denial about how hard 3 will be, the reality of being pregnant is stressing me out already. Five months of morning sickness, too much weight gain, the joy of support hose - thinking about it makes me want a glass of wine. Oh wait, can't have that. Or coffee either.

The best part so far has been the reactions to the news of #3. It's the first time I've made my mother-in-law speechless. :) The first question everyone asks is, "Was it an accident?" The answer is no, but it sure happened faster than we thought it would!

I'm not sure exactly what this will mean for the ol' blog. I guess I'll just have to see how it goes - and how I feel. Wish me luck!

Vanity - a good thing?

For someone who has such short hair, I spend an inordinate amount of time and money at the salon. I know it's vain, but I just feel more like myself when I'm blonde. Really blonde.

A self portrait from yesterday's session under the heat lamps (my hair is apparently difficult to color). I like to think it all balances out since I don't get regular manicures or massages (though I'd like to).

I've decided that a little vanity is a good thing. We all need motivation to put down the fork or tie on the tennis shoes so what's wrong with wanting to look our best?

What is your favorite vanity splurge?

My Style | You Look Grrreat

Can I just say that geraniums are my new favorite flowers? Despite my general lack of care they are still blooming!

I bought this cool animal print pajama top at a thrift store but was too chicken to wear it on its own. A little bit of leopard goes a long way for me.

Somehow the kiddos always end up in the photos. Another 5 minutes and those flowers would have been picked clean.

I'm linking up with Pretty Shiny Sparkly for the latest Bloggers Do It Better.

DIY Missoni Bobby Pins

The one thing I really wanted to find at Target but didn't was the Missoni bobby pins. So I tried to create my own with a package of black bobby pins and a white pen.

Probably not my most successful DIY. Usually things look great in photos and weird in real life, but this one is the reverse I think. Once they are in my hair they will look cool!

Target Missoni Giveaway

Please tell me I'm not the only one who got carried away with Target Missoni purchases? By the time I got around to shopping, my regular store was picked clean. I had a funny conversation with a gal who admitted she was selling stuff on eBay and she told me where to go if I still wanted to find a few things.

The thrill of the hunt took over! I did the only rational thing and packed up the kids for a trip around the city. We got royally lost, of course.

I got a couple of cute things for myself - a serving tray, a pair of flats, a skirt for Caroline - but I couldn't resist these fun office supplies. And to thank all of my awesome readers who make this blogging thing so much fun, I'm giving them away!

Everything is in the original packaging and never opened (which made it really hard to photograph!).

What's included:

3 mini journals. Cost $7.99. Going for $15 - $22 on eBay.
12 blank notecards. Cost 6.99. Going for $10 - $20 on eBay.
6 pads of sticky notes. Cost $6.99. Going for $13 - $20 on eBay.
3 gift tags. Cost $2.99. Going for $2 - $10 on eBay.

So this is a $40 - $72 value! :)

These journals are my fave. They are just the right size to tuck in a purse.

In order to win you must:

Follow Henry Happened via GFC (publicly please) or RSS. Leave me a comment & let me know if you bought anything at Target!

You can also get extra entries if you:

Follow Henry Happened on Facebook
Follow HH on Twitter
Blog, post on your Facebook page or tweet about this giveaway. Tag your tweet with @henryhappened so I can track it

Example tweet: I just entered the Target Missoni giveaway at @henryhappened http://www.henryhappened.com/target-missoni-giveaway.html

Giveaway ends Tuesday, October 11 at 11:59PM and the winner will be announced on Facebook. Good luck!

Happy List | 5 Easy Halloween Crafts

Happy Monday! How was your weekend? We took took our pictures in the park yesterday and I can't wait to share. Henry refused to hold still but I'm hoping we got 1 or 2 decent shots.

We also did a bit of Halloween crafting. I'm sure there are a gazillion fun ideas (please share yours!) and most of these my kiddos have done in school in years past. We had fun recreating them and seeing how they've grown!

Most are pretty self-explanatory so I'm not including instructions. If you have questions, just leave them in the comments!

1. Footprint ghosts