Staying Home Sawyer

Real Life Living on a Real Life Budget

DIY

Printable Police Officer Badges

The past two weeks have been a very tough time for most Americans. We understand that there are bad human beings in this world, but we are seeing a lot of them showcased on the nightly news and social media. It’s disheartening to watch our country being so divided, its discouraging to watch places burn. So let me start by saying that I’ve always hoped to be a place of positivity, a place to continue to spread messages of hope and love. During a very divisive time in history, I don’t want to further the spread of hate and negativity, so I will be here to lighten spirits and hopefully spread some love.

My husband is in law enforcement, I’ve made no secret of that. We are extremely proud of him every day for protecting our city and for standing up for people that may not have a voice. It’s not an easy job, and for men and women to put their lives on the line for strangers is an incredibly brave thing to do.

Four years ago, when we were going through a similar time in our country, I designed these printables to hand out to officers if we came in contact with them. It was something small we could do to show them we are supporting them. I never posted them because I just wasn’t sure how to express how we felt.

Make no mistake. We do not condone violence in any way in our home. Not of human beings of any color, not of police officers that are there to protect and serve. In our house, we teach kindness and love, period. We simply want to spread a message of hope to other police officers that may be feeling like it isn’t worth it right about now. We support you and we stand behind you.

If you’d like to print some of these for your community, download the pdf below:

Printable Police Badge Thank You Cards

DIY

Toddler Mother’s Day Crafts

I bet if you poll a bunch of mothers, a lot of them will tell you they just want something homemade for Mother’s Day. I mean, don’t get me wrong, something homemade would be nice. Right next to sleeping in, coffee and donuts in bed, not cooking a single meal, and hey if a pedicure was thrown in I wouldn’t hate it.

The problem this year is not only can we not get a pedicure, we also don’t have elementary school teachers or preschool teachers helping our kids make our gifts. So it’s all up to us. Have fun making your own gifts ladies.

To make your lives a little easier, I’ve got some easy gifts you can have the kids make you. Or their grandmas. Or heck, the neighbor might even like one. There are no limits here.

We started with paint handprints in various colors, and added a few footprints as well. Then we taped each one onto a paper straw (you could use cardstock if you don’t have them on hand), and taped leaf cutouts to the straws. For the single flower we just tied a little “Happy Mother’s Day” note to the stem.

For the potted flowers, I cut out a “pot” freehand, and then lined it with a Sharpie. Tape a few of the flower stems onto the back of the pot and voila.

For the bouquet, I taped a set of the same color flowers together first, and then wrapped them in brown wrap. I made a pull tab because we were mailing this to someone special, and it had to fit in the package.

Overall, I’m clearly killing it in the Mother’s Day gifts category. I’ll be sure to act surprised when I open my cute flower bouquets. Who even needs a pedicure?

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Easter Countdown

You know how you never have enough time to do craft projects? Yeah, same here. But guess what? We’re officially stuck inside for the foreseeable future, so now is the time to get started. No more excuses.

Sawyer had so much fun with a Valentine fairy ‘countdown’ we did, that I thought it would be fun to make her an Easter countdown as well. I built the ladder before Christmas in the hopes of putting together an advent calendar but as I mentioned before, I can’t ever find the time to finish what I start. But now I have this fancy ladder all ready to go. I knew it would serve a purpose eventually (I told you so, husband!).

I found these sacks at the Dollar Tree (4/$1) pre-COVID19 – although I do think the store is still open in most areas. I stuffed them each with an Easter egg, and in each egg is a little present (think stamps, stickers, candy, etc). Each day she’ll get to open one sack until Easter Sunday. If she understood money, I’d put a quarter or a few coins in each one too (in case you don’t have any little treats on hand).

I used my Cricut to cut out bunny shapes, then numbers. I used hot glue to attach the numbers to the bunnies, and then I used one cottonball and pulled apart tiny pieces of cotton that I hot glued onto the bunnies for cottontails.

If you weren’t lucky enough to have sacks like this on hand, this would work just as well with brown paper lunch bags. You can cut bunny ears out of the top and draw bunny faces on each one. And if you don’t have a ladder, it could be strung up anywhere you have the space. Don’t let a little home quarantine pass without some fun crafts! (Says the woman who finally found the time to finish one!)

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Mermaid Easter Basket

You know how you do something once and then next time it has to be even better? Yeah, that’s how I was feeling when I put together Sawyer’s Easter basket. Her St. Patrick’s basket was SO cool that I had a hard time topping it.

I decided to go with a few larger items that she’d love versus a bunch of small stuff she’d play with once and move on. I came up with a Mermaid theme (I’m a sucker for themed everything) and off I went.

I found most of my stuff at Marshall’s and Ross, but I’ve found links for you to the exact items at other stores. I scored the Sperry’s for $12 at Marshall’s but couldn’t find the exact pair for you, so I linked a similar option.

After looking at her face, I think it’s safe to say that she loved it all! Too bad she doesn’t get to play with any of it for a few more weeks!

In case you’re looking for any of these items, here’s a list for you!

  1. Mermaid Doll (Cuddle & Kind)
  2. Swimsuit
  3. Sperry Shoes (not the exact shoe we have in our basket)
  4. Mermaid Tutu
  5. Mermaid Sunglasses
  6. How to Catch a Mermaid
  7. Bunny Tee (had to throw something inside that was Easter related)
  8. Sawyer Name Bracelet (Blueberry Blooms)
  9. Mermaid Tee