Quilt

Ashley asked me to make a queen size quilt for Kaitlin's new bedroom. I told her I was up for the challenge, but made it clear that I had never made anything bigger than a baby blanket! We went shopping for fabric. Kaitlin wanted something that looked vintage, and it must have peace signs.

I cut a lot of squares....a lot!

Laying out all the pieces.

Ready to basted together, and then it was ready to be quilted.

I had a lot of fabric scraps, so I decided to make matching pillows.

The finished front side.

Close up of the front side

A view of the back of the quilt.

Two matching pillows

I think it looks great in Kait's new room!

So colorful!

Not to shabby for my first quilt! For now I'll stick to making baby blankets...they are much easier. I hope you like it!

Weekend Photos

Hello! I just wanted to share some snapshots from my weekend. On Saturday I did a little thrifting. Since Ashley is on bed rest, I've been picking up some things for Baby Brynn's nursery. I got this painting, and we have a special project in mind for it.

Later in the afternoon we went to a birthday celebration. Meg's sweet baby girl turned one!

 
Look at all those presents!

On Sunday I went shopping for my bridesmaid dress. My brother is getting married in February!! While I waited on the other girls to select their dresses, I tried on this little number. I felt like a cupcake.

Don't worry this is not the dress I selected, but I just wanted to play dress up!

Hope you all have a lovely week!

Shine Love

Crystal



Bye Bye Year 1.... Hello, Lakin's TWO!

We just celebrated the 2nd birthday of the fun and exciting little guy in our lives, Lakin! We went with a semi-Dr Seuss theme for the party along the lines of "Thing 1, Thing 2." It was certainly fun and it was his first party where he invited more than just family... his little friends too! How exciting! Here are some snap shots of the day. We can't wait to see what year 2 of this little guy's life holds for us and we can't wait to see how much he grows in the process!



Shine love!!

- Ashley

God Blessed Me with Kait!!

Hi there!! Ashley here... And this is my first official blog post, and I know Crystal is SO proud! I wanted to take a walk back in time and share a little about my family history.... I've often joked, even since I became pregnant with my son and now that I am pregnant again, that God knew I wanted 3 babies but He knew I could only handle 2 pregnancies. (Because the first 16-20 weeks, I am SICK SICK SICK. And now I am on total bed rest at 30 weeks pregnant) So God blessed me with a sweet little "pre-made" family back in 2004, and our little family became official in 2007. Kaitlin is my husband, Kevin's, biological daughter, as his wife and Kaitlin's mom passed away with breast cancer when Kaitlin was just 2. We have been family friends since about 1998 and I was there when Kaitlin was born and watched her grow into a little toddler. God threw a curve ball and now Kevin and I are happily married and the best of friends and I am blessed beyond words to be Kaitlin's mom here on earth. I was also blessed to have been close to Kaitlin's mom as she was like a "big sister" to not only me, but to Crystal also.  So Kevin and I have been together since Kaitlin was 2 1/2 years old, and I often times have to literally remind myself that I didn't physically give birth to this precious child because she is so much like my own! I love her to pieces, and she is my girl.... She is growing up so fast as she is entering the 4th grade here in 1 week and changing EVERYDAY! I am so thankful for God's love story that He blessed me with and that our family is growing and we couldn't be happier. Here are a few pictures from the past couple years of Kaitlin...

Kaitlin holding her brother, Lakin, for the first time (2009)

Kaitlin, Winter 2010, courtesy Ashlee Cooper Photography

Lakin kissing Sis, which isn't often :) Courtesy Ashlee Cooper Photography

Daddy and Kait, Courtesy Ashlee Cooper Photography

Me and Kait, Courtesy Ashlee Cooper Photography

Kaitlin, 2011

Shine Love!!

Wreath

Hello! Sorry it's been so long since my last blog post. Confession...I'm not the best at blogging! Today Ashley and I had a little crafting party. In case you don't know Ashley is seven months pregnant, and the doctor has ordered her to strict bed rest. I brought all my crafting supplies, and we worked on a little project for her baby girl's new nursery. Check out this cute wreath!

Shine Love!

DIY Welcome Mat

Hello! I wanted to share a little DIY post with you.

Supplies:
Blank Door Mat (I found this one at Ikea for around $10)
Spray Paint
Masking Tape
Stencils

I started by spray painting the entire mat a solid color.

Allow paint to dry thoroughly. Then you can be creative and use the tape and stencils to make your own design. (I tried to use the blue painters tape, but it would not stick down. I found some masking tape, and it worked much better.)

Then take your other color, and spray paint over the top of your tape. Spray until you can't see the bottom color anymore. Wait until it's dry, and then remove the tape. Removing the tape is always my favorite part! I usually can't wait for it to dry, and end up with paint all over my hands!

Ta-Da! You have a new door mat!

The Lovely MRS Photography

We would like to give a special shout-out to our super talented friend, Megan. Meg, is a dear friend of ours, and we love her to pieces! Also, she is probably the cutest dresser I know! She was so kind to do our Shine Love photoshoot.

Here are a few of my favorite shots from the day...

Here is Meg in action, and I'm just standing there making people laugh!

Here are a few others samples of Meg's work that I love..

Thanks again Meg! Please check out the MRS Photography! Also, a special thank you to our beautiful models Michaela and Haley!

Check 1, Check 2...is this thing on?

Hello World!

       Today begins our Shine Love journey! We are excited to see what God has in store for us. Shine Love is made up of two friends that had an interest in starting a t-shirt line. On here you'll find glimpses into our daily lives, things that we love, DIY projects, and things that are inspiring us. Thanks for stopping by!

Shine Love,

Crystal & Ashley