Thursday, May 26, 2016

More Graduation Party Decorations


Only a few days left before the graduation party. I thought I would share more of the decorations I have been in my craft room creating.


Continuing from an earlier post of me sharing the design. The above two pictures are showing the labels I created and had printed at Staples. The water bottle labels were printed on water proof paper which allows me to put the bottles in ice.


These two pictures use the paper design I found online that coordinates my vision of this party. I also had this paper printed at Staples.


To help everyone enjoy the food, I made food labels with English and Japanese translations.




I needed to add dimension to the decorations so I made these paper rosettes.


I needed something for one of the backgrounds that seemed boring. Using my Cricut Machine I cut out 2" circles of gold glitter paper to make a garland. I used my sewing machine and clear thread to sew all the circles together.


I needed a banner to pull everything together. I used my Circut to cut the banner pieces then embossed them with my Cuttlebug.




For some outdoor fun I made backyard size Yahtzee and Jenga.


I used acrylic paint to paint the pieces to coordinate the party.



Finally I needed a bucket for the Yahtzee game. I made a quick trip to the dollar store and found this black one. Using my Cricut I cut out some vinyl and applied it to the bucket.






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Sunday, May 8, 2016

Mother's Day 2016




For Mother's Day this year we enjoyed a family style Japanese meal at home.
Shabu shabu is one of Japan’s most popular hot pot dishes. It consists of raw assorted vegetables, tofu, and paper-thin slices of raw beef (or pork) cooked in kombu dashi (broth).
The name “Shabu Shabu” comes from the Japanese sound and action of the thinly sliced meat being swished with chopsticks in the hot pot.






We also went to the movies to Saturday afternoon to see. 





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Saturday, May 7, 2016

Graduation Party Decorations



Graduation day is approaching fast not to mention we will have a party the week before. I was glued to my Mac this past week designing. Over the years I have done projects like this for others so it feels good to finally do it for my own child. My goal is to have most of the decor done a week before the big event. Here are a few of the projects I have completed so far. The theme is "The Places He Will Go!"

 Photo Confetti



Engineering prints of Ben through the years mounted on foam core board. These will be displayed on the walls.


Personalized Hershey Nuggets




Personalized Water Bottles



Chopstick Sleeves to go with the color theme.



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Tuesday, April 26, 2016

Opportunity Knocked


Excited to announce that Ben received the opportunity of a lifetime. He was selected to teach ESL in Japan for 3 months. He will be provided with a plane ticket, housing and a salary. We are so thankful to God for this opportunity for him to pursue his passion while working for the Lord.


He will be traveling to and from Japan the next few years for business and pleasure. We are so thankful for the opportunity that homeschooling has provided for us. Bennett has devoted a lot of time and effort into pursuing his passion of learning all things Japanese. He has volunteered locally teaching ESL to Japanese business men for the last three years. His community service has allowed him to establish many networking connections.  



This is a journey that I did not imagine our family would travel. By allowing God to lead us all things were made possible. Bennett had a desire to learn a language that opened many doors for him. Allowing him to follow his passions and not my own has been very rewarding and eye opening. Our job as parents is to introduce our children to different things. While giving them the opportunity to find their own way.

From homeschooling to world schooling enjoying the journey.

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