DIY Engineer Print

So I've been in this DIY craze lately. I'm borderline obsessed with decorating our cute little apartment on the pennies. I've seen numerous posts on the "engineer print" so I thought I would give it a go! 

Here is a little step by step of how to make this project work! First, here is a little glimpse of the end result. 

Materials: 

-Engineer Print 

-Plywood, cork board, or foam board to mount photo on. 

-Spray Adhesive

-Some type of medium to cover the sides of the mounting material such as paint, spray paint, duct tape, etc.

-2 sets of hands because it makes this project way easier! 

1. Find a photo & blow that sucker up! 

This was easy because I already knew which photo I wanted to use for months. This was from our engagement shoot. I fell in love with this from the second I saw it! I took a copy of this on a cd to FEDEX to be printed. I know Staples offers the option for an engineer print as well. The great thing about engineer prints is they are dirt CHEAP. It only cost me $3 and some change to get a 36x48! Granted, you get what you pay for, black and white only, and the paper that it is printed on is equivalent to copy paper. So, if you can't stand to sneak a peak until you get home, be very careful as the thin paper wrinkles easy. 

2. Find something to mount that bad boy on. 

Lucky for me, I had my assistant, Mr. Handyman Husband to help me with this part of the project. We headed to Home Depot to decide what would work best. We decided on a thin piece of plywood which we had to get cut down (Home Depot does that for free!) to the exact size of the photo since I did not want a "border" around the picture. I've also read that people have mounted this on foam board. However, with my cat being the little rambunctious thing that he is, if we used the foam board, I guarantee it would have been knocked down and destroyed within the day. 

3. Prepare plywood. 

I had some left over white spray paint which I thought would be enough. Ummmm, nope, and I was too cheap (lazy) to buy anymore. So for any of you that ever see this in person, don't look at the bottom edge. 

Here is what our board looked like! Please note the white blotch on the siding...whoops. Don't spray paint your entire apartment complex while attempting this. 

4.  Attach photo to plywood.

This was the only slightly tricky part and where it was so nice to have T's assistance. We rolled up the picture as you can see below. It was the best way we found this to work. T would hold the picture while I used the spray adhesive. We did about 6 inches at a time. Spray, roll out the picture, spray, roll out the picture until the entire picture was down. Being the impatient woman I am I wanted to slap that thing on there, but trust me, do a little at a time to ensure the picture goes on even and smooth. 

I'm positive the only way this worked was because I had a good lookin' man in uniform helping me! 

Here is a shot before I attempted to paint modge podge over the top...grrrr

Not sure what I'm looking at...probably the stripes of spray paint I left all over the ground. #imgoingtogetfined 

I've read some people have used modge podge over their print successfully, however, it absolutely did not work for me. It made the picture bubble up! I tried as best as I could to fix it and thankfully you can't really tell from afar, but it still makes me grumpy when I walk by and see those tiny bubbles. 

Last but not least, put the finished product on display! We considered hanging ours, but I set it up on top of our dresser and like it just fine. It's directly in front of our bed so it's the first thing I see in the morning. It's make me haaaaapppyyyyyy! 

How stinkin' cute is that!? And so ridiculously affordable! Everyone should go do this DIY now. Right now! What are you waiting for?? 

Until Next Time, 

Always 

Little Reminders

You know, as much as the military impacts my daily life, sometimes I forget that T is actually in the Army. Well, not forget, but don't always think about what it actually means to serve in the armed forces.  I forget that he does not hold a 9-5 job like many others.  Maybe I have just become accustomed to it, the stereotypes, the misunderstandings, the constant change that comes along with this lifestyle. I forget that this is not what people think is "normal."  

Sometimes, life gives you little reminders.  

First, some back story....

T and I went on a quick get-a-way last weekend to visit Asheville, North Carolina, the quirkiest, art-filled, free-spirited town I've ever visited!  It is home to the Biltmore Estate, the largest home in America as well as to some tasty food joints and active nightlife.  Seriously, the Biltmore was gigantic.  In case "the largest home in America" doesn't describe how large it is, let me show you (sorry for the weird crop angle):

 It was truly remarkable! I highly recommend visiting if you every have the opportunity.  

Anyway, I rode with T to his last formation of the day, and we headed out right after. It only took us about 4 1/2 hours to arrive in Asheville, but we made a pit stop about halfway to get a snack.  Being two hours away from Fort Bragg, we were definitely out of the military town atmosphere.  Since T didn't have an opportunity to change, he was still in full uniform, which to me is completely normal, obviously.  I don't think anything of it considering I see dozens and dozens of people in uniform everyday! I actually can't think of one time he has worn his uniform out in public when he doesn't have to.  If he has the opportunity to change into "civilian clothes" he does!  He has never liked drawing attention to him in that way, which I have always respected.  We end up walking to get ice cream, and you would have thought he had 4 eyes and 10 arms.  Everyone was staring at T.  EVERYONE.  At first I thought I was imagining things, but the more people we passed, the more looks he got.  Then I realized, these people probably very rarely see someone in uniform!  

That is when I was reminded of what wearing that uniform actually means.  How this is not the "normal" for most. The men and women that give their service to the country that we love is something to be extremely proud of.  Seeing these boots on our floor this week has meant something more, something deeper.

America is the land of the free because of the brave.  I'm sending a huge thank you to all our service members, currently serving, retired, and of course, the ones that have given the ultimate sacrifice.

God Bless the USA and the tremendous ones who protect her.  


Until Next Time, 
Always         

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Handsome Husband & Big News

After my second leave of absence from the blogging world, I hope the third time is actually the charm. I was overly inspired to get writing thanks to some recent news T and I received. First, let's play the catch up game...again.

1.  I am a married woman! WOW! What a magical day. Full of more love, happiness, and joy than I have ever experience. T and I felt beyond blessed to have such a magical day.  We have been married for almost 4 months now, and it feels like we were just walking down the aisle! 

2. We have 2 pets! A sassy kitty named Dobby (after Harry Potter of course-"DOBBY IS A FREE ELF!") and a handsome Husky named, Rocky.  Considering the only pet I've ever had was a Beta fish, this has been a major highlight for me.

...the one and only time they've snuggled...

3.  So here is the big news, after some unexpected twists and turns in Army life, T and I will be moving in the very near future.  Keep in mind, I just got settled here at Fort Bragg, NC.  But, hey! Change comes with the territory.  You think we would know by now to expect the unexpected, right?  Well let me tell y'all, we did NOT expect this new duty station.  Heck, we had no idea there was even a chance of us moving so quickly! So if the fact of moving wasn't surprising enough, when we found out exactly where, we almost passed out!  We are extremely thrilled to be starting a new chapter of our lives in.......Vicenza, Italy!! That's right, ITALY!! 

Below shows exactly where Vicenza is located! From the beginning of our relationship, T and I dreamed of being able to travel and see the world together.  We feel so blessed to have been given this opportunity and truly look forward to being immersed in the Italian culture.  The beauty (and wine) that awaits us is almost too much to handle!

I hope this blog will offer a glimpse into our travels and life in general for our family and friends who we are wanting to stay closely connected with.  I also hope other military families stumble across this blog as I will also be posting about our process of PCSing OCONUS (moving overseas) which may be of some use! 

Until Next Time, 

Always