• About
  • Social Media
  • DIY
  • Holidays
  • Travel
  • Lifestyle

Staying Home Sawyer

Real Life Living on a Real Life Budget

Holidays!

Easter Bunny Jars

4.01.2015

Easter Bunny Jars Treat  Easter Treat  Bunny Jars  Rae of SparklesI don’t get shopper’s remorse too often. I am totally that girl that online shops, fills her shopping cart, and then just as quickly convinces herself that she needs nothing that is inside. One by one the items are removed until I have nothing left. I am the same way at the retail stores. Unless I’m looking for something specific, I typically don’t buy much. My remorse tends to come in the form of, “Oh crap. I really should have bought that.”

In this case, it was a very light teal spray paint. I saw it and thought immediately, “I must do something with that color.” But then my mind got the best of me, and I started wondering what I would tell my husband that I needed a random color of spray paint for; I had no place to store it (because underneath the sink already contains ten other cans of spray paint); I didn’t have a project to use it with; I didn’t need to spend the $3.97 on a random can of spray paint (I mean seriously, four dollars? I am seriously stingy).Easter Bunny Bell Jars // Easter Treats // Easter Bunny // Rae of SparklesThen it hit me. I knew exactly what I could make with the spray paint. I saw a cute Easter gift in a bell jar, and thought I could make it a little more difficult (because who doesn’t like to make more work for themselves). I searched for bunnies left and right until I finally found these three in the floral section at Michael’s (for less than $1 I might add). I took the lids off, laid them out to be painted, and stuck the bunnies right into the ground. I sprayed them all twice, and let them dry.

I used my glue gun to glue the bunnies to the top of the jar, and filled the jar with Easter grass and malted milk balls. They turned out so cute, I wish I had a party to bring them to. But because there’s inevitably a golf tournament on this weekend, my husband and I will be our own Easter party guests. Well, that and our cat Lucy. I’ve already bought her a one pound chocolate bunny. She’ll get through that thing in less than five minutes flat.

I attempted to create my own tags, but I just had zero creativity left in me, so I found these adorable ones on Lia Griffith’s, Handcraft Your Life. Clearly she is amazingly talented, because these tags are so cute.
Easter Bunny Jars  Easter Treats  Bunny Jars  Party Favors  Rae of SparklesWhat are you doing for Easter this weekend? Are you making any Easter treats for your friends?

Share this:

  • Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Print (Opens in new window) Print
  • Tweet

Like this:

Like Loading…
Holidays!

April Fool’s Rush In

3.30.2015

April Fool's Day Treats // Jolly Ranchers to Tootsie Rolls // Harmless PranksI know I’d be a broken record to say that I cannot believe that it’s almost April already. But guess what? It’s almost April already. And while you’re too busy planning for Easter this weekend, you’re forgetting one key holiday: April Fool’s Day. You have exactly two days to prepare for this wonderfully fun holiday. Last year, my husband was quite confused when he came home to a refrigerator staring at him, and all the drawers in the kitchen switched around. It was especially funny because he works nights, and was a little tired when he came home. Too mean? Nahhh. April Fool's Day Treats // Jolly Ranchers to Tootsie Rolls // Harmless PranksMy husband isn’t my only victim on April Fool’s Day. I also like to do some fun things to my co-workers. Fun, harmless jokes are entertaining. Which are hard to come by. Plenty of pranks online are just plain mean, and I would be mortified if someone did them to me. So take note co-workers: be nice! And then stop by my desk for a Tootsie Roll. April Fool's Day Treats // Jolly Ranchers to Tootsie Rolls // Harmless PranksI saw a similar treat on Pinterest, with long Tootsie Rolls covering Smarties. Good luck finding long Tootsie Rolls, because I searched everywhere. So instead, I did small ones with Jolly Ranchers inside. Talk about harmless joke. 😉

If you want to print little tags like I did, you can print them here: April Fool’s Treat Tags

Share this:

  • Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Print (Opens in new window) Print
  • Tweet

Like this:

Like Loading…
Lifestyle

Just a little reminder…

3.26.2015

Rae of Sparkles // San Jose, CAWe all need reminders that life is precious. Sometimes those reminders come in the form of something amazing, something out of this world, something exciting. Other times it comes in the form of an unfortunate event, a devastating loss, a shocking reminder. We all know that life is short, that you need to live life to the fullest in every moment. Sometimes we forget that in our daily lives.

Rae of Sparkles // San Jose, CAUntil something happens. Something major. Something that just pulls at your heart strings and tears you apart. But the reality is that life will always go on. How you choose to deal with it determines what type of person you are. You can let bad things bring you down, or you can let them build you up. You can become a stronger person.

Rae of Sparkles // San Jose, CA

Rae of Sparkles // San Jose, CA

When life hands you one of these reminders, good or bad, take some time to appreciate it for what it is. It may be a gentle reminder, or may be a shove in the right direction. Either way, realize that you’ve been given an opportunity to reevaluate your life.

Rae of Sparkles // San Jose, CA

 Rae of Sparkles // San Jose, CAOur whole community recently experienced one of these tragic reminders. While it hit very close to home for us, it also devastated many families in our area. Because we never want to get to the end of our lives and look back thinking we missed out, we need to live. Now.

Rae of Sparkles // San Jose, CAThere is so much beauty in this life, and you’ll only experience it when you’re open to it. You may never actually see anything unless you open your eyes to it, to your surroundings.

Rae of Sparkles // San Jose, CADon’t let this life pass you by. Don’t get to the end of your life and wish you would have done things differently. Let this serve as a reminder to you that life is short. You should live each day to its fullest, you should be the best you possible, today.

Rae of Sparkles // San Jose, CAThe day pictured serves as my reminder. It will always remind me how amazing life is. How beautiful the world can be. How even though it is filled with yellow weeds, those weeds can be gorgeous. How you can look at something with a better perspective, and it’s a beautiful thing.

Rae of Sparkles // San Jose, CA

Rae of Sparkles // San Jose, CADon’t waste another second thinking you can put something off until tomorrow. Tell your loved ones how much they mean to you, tell your friends how important they are. Say hi to strangers, greet them with a smile. Be a little nicer to the people you work with. Take each breath in full, and exhale with a purpose. Remind yourself that you’re alive. Don’t waste any more moments.

Rae of Sparkles // San Jose, CA

(All pictures taken by me, please request use via email)

Share this:

  • Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Print (Opens in new window) Print
  • Tweet

Like this:

Like Loading…
DIY

Meet Lion, the Stuffed Lion

3.23.2015

DIY Stuffed Felt Lion // Handsewn Felt Lion // Rae of SparklesI’d like you all to meet my friend, Lion. I know, I know, real original name right? Well no one is making fun of your name, so let’s give him a little break. Unless your name is funny, in which case you should share so we can all get a good laugh. Kidding, kidding.

When I made my felt stuffed animals, I asked my cousin’s five year old daughter (we shall call her E) what her favorite animal was so I could make her one. She informed me that her favorite animal was a lion. Great. Couldn’t I have just gotten lucky with another owl? They were so easy!

I went to work on this lion. It had to be perfect, as E is amazing herself. I did everything by hand after I found a website with cute animal templates. Mine wasn’t exactly the same, as I just did it by sight, but I think he turned out really cute.

DIY Stuffed Felt Lion // Handsewn Felt Lion // Rae of SparklesE decided to name him, appropriately, Lion. She decided that she wanted to sleep with him every night, which prompted my cousin to hate me. As you cannot tell from the photo, Lion is very small, and can fit in the palm of my hand. You may imagine this creates for a sleepless night when E loses Lion in the middle of the night (three times). My cousin is not happy. I am now working on a larger, less losable stuffed animal for E.

What do you think of Lion?

Share this:

  • Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Print (Opens in new window) Print
  • Tweet

Like this:

Like Loading…
« Previous Page
Next Page »
About Me

About Me

Hi Mamas! My name is Shauna, a 30-something (big emphasis on the 'something') new mama and wife living in Southern California. I've become a Stay At Home Mom to Sawyer, and I would do it forever if I could! I'm originally from Wisconsin and am a total Cheesehead! I'm here to share DIY's, travel tips, and baby stuff I'm sure!

Follow Us on Instagram!

stayinghomesawyer

Save for later. PS: This is my husbands rendition Save for later.

PS: This is my husbands rendition of a “Sexy Willy Wonka.” You know, because being Aladdin, Flynn Ryder, Prince Charming…he couldn’t just be a regular guy for one year. 🤣🤣
Don’t spend today wishing for tomorrow. Find five Don’t spend today wishing for tomorrow. Find five things every night that you’re thankful for, and BE thankful for them. So much of our lives are spent waiting for the next best thing when in reality, it’s sitting right in front of us.
If there’s anything I’ve learned in this life, it’ If there’s anything I’ve learned in this life, it’s to SLOW DOWN.

So much of life is spent going, going, going. Waiting for the next stage. Telling ourselves, “Once we get through this, things will be easier.” Once the kids are older. Once life settles down. Once we have more time. But what if we’re missing the whole point? Because the moments we’re so eager to get through ARE the moments.

Today is the important stuff. The ordinary days. The messy days. The little conversations, the giggles, the routines, the chaos, the moments that don’t feel significant while we’re living them. We spend so much time wishing for the next chapter that we forget we’re already living one we’ll someday wish we could go back to.

So slow down.

Be here.
Pay attention.
Let the moment take as long as it needs to.

Because someday, these will be the days we miss.

**And if you know us personally, you know why I had to jump on this social media trend**
This is your permission slip to let the crafts be This is your permission slip to let the crafts be messy. 

They don’t need to match your house. They don’t need to be Pinterest-worthy. They don’t need to be made with a neutral color palette and a Cricut. They just need to be theirs.

Because someday I’m probably going to miss the paper scraps, the glue everywhere, the questionable color combinations, and the little masterpieces I had no idea what to do with. Let them make the ugly craft. Let them make a mess. Let them create something that looks nothing like what you had in mind.

Childhood doesn’t have to be aesthetically pleasing to be beautiful.
When you stop to think about the fact that one day When you stop to think about the fact that one day all of her toys will be someone else’s toys, she’ll be heading off to college, and all I’ll be left with are these videos…
This is NOT a post to bash moms that are happy the This is NOT a post to bash moms that are happy their kids are going back to school. My neighbors and I commiserate all summer long about how long the days are, how frustrating the kids can be, how much they’re fighting, etc. 

But my days are always like that, and even though it’s exhausting and overwhelming at times, I wouldn’t trade it for the world. Even if I only have ONE moment like this a day, it’s one moment a day I could miss out on if they were in a traditional school. 

So here’s to whatever choice you are making in regards to your kids education. What’s best for YOU is most important. And what’s best for us is this.
I honestly never thought I’d be the mom saying yes I honestly never thought I’d be the mom saying yes
 to slime... but here we are.

The difference? This isn’t just a container of slime
 to squish around. The Slime Prank Lab by @CrunchLabs
turns it into an activity. We spent the afternoon mixing the slime, experimenting with different textures, and (of course) testing out the ridiculously funny booger and fart pranks. 🤣

My girls were completely entertained, and I loved watching them create, experiment, and laugh together. It feels like pure fun for the kids, but there’s actually some pretty cool science and engineering behind it all, plus Mark Rober walks you through even more with the QR code inside the kit.

Who in your family would be the first prank target? 
#sponsored #crunchlabs @moosetoys_
I’m about as outdoorsy as an overwater bungalow in I’m about as outdoorsy as an overwater bungalow in Tahiti can be.

#tahiti
A core memory I didn’t know I’d be making… This w A core memory I didn’t know I’d be making…

This weekend at church, my daughter got to light the candles for the first time. At the end of the service, when she went up on her own to extinguish them, proud tears dropped from my eyes. And as I looked around at others, I noticed I wasn’t the only one. 

If you had asked me in my early to mid twenties, I wouldn’t have imagined how much this community, this faith, and these little traditions would come to mean to our family. There was a season of my life, long before I became a mom, where I drifted away from actively going to church. Now, getting to watch my girls grow up surrounded by faith, love, and a church family who knows them and celebrates them feels like such a gift.
Follow on Instagram

 

Whatcha Looking For?

Recent Posts

  • Baby on Board Baby Shower
  • Dalmatian Party
  • 14 Things I Love About You
  • Purple Minnie Mouse
  • Surfing Into 6

Categories

  • Birthday's
  • DIY
  • Holidays!
  • Home Decor
  • Lifestyle
  • Parenting
  • Party Planning
  • Products I Love
  • Travel
  • Uncategorized
  • Wedding
2026 StayingHomeSawyer. All Rights Reserved. Design by SkyandStars.co
Back Top

Copyright © 2026 · YOON Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

Loading Comments...
%d