Christmas is coming early...

To our household! Today I get to go pick up my Christmas/birthday/valentine's/easter (etc) present.

 

Isn't she beautiful? Yes, that is Anthro's Rosette Quilt. I've been coveting it for the last 6 or 7 months. I have to touch it every time I walk into the store. Well, Anthro was lovely and sent me a 15% off coupon for my birthday, and THIS is what I'm using it on! My hubby is wonderful. Thank you, babe!

Nursery!

I got an ok from our landlords to paint the nursery any color I want...yay!! My hubby isn't crazy about having to paint it back when we leave, but he knows how much I want it painted, so he's letting me do it. We should be finding out this little one's gender in 2 or 3 weeks, so I'll post our colors/theme soon! Stay tuned.

New project...coming soon!

I just bought myself this media stand off Craig's List for cheap. We're currently using our coffee table to house our television, cable box and DVD player. I think it's time for an upgrade. Well, that and I want my coffee table back!

I think this thing is going to get a paint job and maybe a little something on the glass...I have ideas in my head :)
I'll post pictures when I'm done! You'll have to forgive the poor picture quality. I stole it off the Craig's List ad.

Nursery photo inspiration

I know, I know. I just posted on the pom poms, but when I said I can't stop thinking about how to decorate, I really meant it! I think I'm getting obsessive over here! Here are some photos (baby related or not) that I'm finding inspiration from. I hope they inspire you a little too.

I love the vintage feel with the white walls and dark warm wood. It's so cozy.

LOVE the painted spindle cribs. A spindle crib will be a must for this munckin!



A photo mobile...what an awesome idea! It would be so cool to put baby or child pictures of your grandparents, parents and yourself and spouse on there.




I'm in love with this dresser (both color and style) as well as that rug! Ok, and the rocking chair. Um...I guess I just love it all! Bright and cheery without being overwhelming. LOVE. And it's very gender neutral, which is a plus because it saves you money on baby #2 (or 3 or 4, etc).



Love, love, LOVE this wall art idea! I'm a sewer and quilter, so this just screamed at me. And it's such a great way to add color to dull walls. We're in a rental, and we're stuck with stark white walls. This would be the perfect way to add some visual interest.

This is very girly, but I just love the bunting, twinkly lights, and vintage/eclectic feel. Um...I pretty much love everything from knack.

I know, I've got a bit of a mobile obsession here, but these bamboo cut mobiles from petite collage are to die for! My problem is going to be only picking ONE!

Another adroable mobile from petite collage

Ok, can you see what I love these so much??

I love the vintage and very natural feel of this mobile and I really wanted to incorporate birds or owls into my design...but how do I choose just ONE mobile?! Bah! I'm sunk...

Nursery decorating ideas

I've been daydreaming about decorating the baby's room a lot lately. Unfortunately, I can't really act on any of it until we know the gender...which won't be for another 6 to 7 weeks...which seems like forever, but I know it will come faster than I realize. I've decided that if it's a girl (because I think this just might be too girly for a boy), I'm going to decorate with paper pom poms. Have you seen those? I'm in love with them. My best friend used them in her wedding, and I absolutely loved them. The more I thought about it, the more I decided they would be adorable for a baby girl's room. I'm inspired by these pictures. Don't you just love them?

Big news/changes!

Well, with a title like that, I might as well just come right out and say it - we're having a baby! The reason for my lacking in posts and projects lately have been the queasiness, throwing up, and exhaustion that come with growing a baby. And you're not exactly supposed to inhale paint fumes with a baby in your belly. So painting projects are on hold until May or so (due date is April 30th!). I have a BUNCH of sewing projects for the nursery lined up, but alas, my sewing machine is on the fritz and waiting to be serviced at the sewing shop. I'll be posting my ideas/plans soon. I just don't want to get myself too excited before I can actually do anything.

So there you have it. The reason for my silence. Now I'm just anxious to find out what this little munchkin is! We have to wait another 8 weeks for that though... :( Sigh. It'll go quickly, I hope.

Rest in peace

Marian Lane

February 1, 1932 - September 23, 2010

A grandmother, mother, wife, sister and aunt...she will be missed so much. I am taking comfort in the fact that I know she's in heaven now singing praises to Jesus with a whole and cancer-free body.

 

 

Lots of hairspray and getting her hair "teased" at the salon
Sweatshirts with the fake collars and embroidered designs
Flowery perfume
Onyx ring
Clip on earrings (she never had pierced ears)
Gospel hymns
Making up songs to silly things just because she loved singing so much
Silly sayings
Idioms
A small giraffe figurine used for scratching backs
Anne of Green Gables and grilled cheese sandwiches
Trader Joe’s
Snuggling in the chair next to the fire
Her naturally long nails always painted with clear polish or a French manicure
Lots of jewelry
Always matching/coordinating her clothing and accessories from her rings down to her socks
Being cold and sipping coffee or hot cocoa during their winter visits to Washington
A silver spoon ring and spoon bracelet that she passed down to me
Money for sleeping in my bed on visits
Running from Grandpa while he chases her trying to tickle her
Gardening and flowers
Thanksgiving meals around the big wooden table

These are all things that remind me of my Grandma. I’ll miss all these things. I’m so looking forward to going down there and being in her house and smelling her smell. I know it will be different and so strange without her there. I’m not looking forward to that part of it. I can’t tell you how many memories I have with her or how much she meant to me despite being two states away. She was a very different person the past year with the effects of cancer and chemo and radiation, but she still had the same heart. She will be missed so very much.

Grandma, I love you. I’m sorry I couldn’t be there with you more. I’m going to miss you so much, but I know I’ll see you again. I’m so glad you’re free of cancer now and in a place of eternal peace and joy.

I'm alive!

Hi friends,
Sorry it's been a couple weeks since my last update. This whole moving thing has been a lot of work! Downsizing (going from 1050 square feet to 700 square feet) is proving to be more difficult that I had imagined. We're still working on arranging, organizing, and getting rid of things. So that is my excuse for the lack of blogging. And there are some other exciting things going on...and you'll just have to wait a bit to find out what it is! :) But I'm very excited to share with you.

Happy Wednesday all!

I'll leave you with a pretty picture from Plover Organic. I'm officially in love...

I'm famous!

Ok, not really :) But one can dream, right? I actually did have my grey dresser re-do featured on another blog though! And she has a TON (as in thousands) of followers, so it was a great way to get some exposure! I was so excited to see it on there for Furniture Feature Friday. Check it out right here. Check out her other stuff too! She's pretty amazing!

I'm back from our ocean camping trip and it was amazing. The weather was beautiful and the sunsets were breathtaking. I love the west coast. Here are a couple good pictures I got while we were down there.

Packing and moving continues...I'll be better about posting once it's all done and we're all settled!

Haystack Rock at Cannon Beach

Sunset on Del Ray beach (Seaside, OR)

Just the boy and I :)

Projects update

Ok, so you know that hutch I mentioned last post? I decided to nix it. I’m reselling it as-is. It’s a bigger project than I realized, and I have to have it done before we move next week (which won’t happen). I will be refinishing a kitchen table and turning it into a desk though next week (also has to be done before our move!), so stay tuned for that. I’ll be hunting for another hutch soon, but I need to get settled and situated first. Plus, we’ll be adding a new addition to our family (a dog!), and we need to get him arranged and comfortable before I start spending my time on another project. I’ll just have to make due temporarily with what we have, but that’s ok! You do what you have to do, right? :)


I’ll be gone on the Oregon coast camping with my in-laws for the rest of the week and weekend, so I won’t be able to post again until next week. Happy Tuesday!

New place!

Here are a few pictures of our (empty) new place...we'll start moving in the next couple of weeks. I'm so excited to make this home! I love all the fun architectural details of the place (it was built in 1947). You can see the great window moldings (inside) and archways in my pictures below...

Hutch!

I know I've been a little um...not around lately. You'll have to excuse me...lots going on with the Hansen clan. We're moving in 2 weeks, and we'll be gone camping for 5 days next week, so I have a lot of packing and organizing/decluttering to do! We're not moving far, just 15 miles or so away, but we love the area we're moving to. And we're getting...a dog!!

His name is Huck...isn't he just the cutest thing ever?! He's a one year old pocket beagle, and he's already housetrained...and I am ecstatic to get him! He'll be joining us in late August!

Ok, now for the whole reason I got on here...I have a hutch I'm getting ready to redo for our place. I'll post pictures a little later. I just wanted to let you all know that I'm actually working on something, not slacking!

Here's to change and new adventures!

First Client!

I promise to update this sometime this week. I know I've been slacking big time! I just wanted to share a quick piece of exciting news...I got my first paying client!! Yay!! A lovely lady from my church saw my dresser pictures on Facebook and asked me to redo her outdoor bistro set. And she has friends that she's going to pass my info along to as well...yay! I'm so excited! I need to get crackin' on my business cards, logo, business license, etc...eek! So that's what I'll be working on this week. Thanks for reading, and hang in there. I promise to be back soon!

Small hiatus

I apologize for the little hiatus the past week or so. We had a rather busy weekend, and I've been dealing with a nasty case of either food poisoning or an allergic reaction...we have yet to figure out which. At first, we both immediately thought food poisoning, but we realized that we ate all the same things. And Corey isn't sick...with the exception of some yogurt. We both ate the exact same flavor bought from the same place on the same day, but two different yogurt cups. We believe that yogurt to be culprit, so either I got food poisoning from my yogurt while Corey didn't get it from his...or I'm severely allergic to that yogurt. Either way, throwing up literally every half hour to an hour for about two days straight is absolutely no fun. I think I threw up more times in two days than I have in my entire life (I lost count around the 20th time). And my stomach is STILL in knots. I'm going back to work today, but I'll be relying on jello, chicken soup, saltine crackers, and ginger ale to get me through the day. Ugh...

Grey dresser reveal!

I am soooo excited to share my before/after with you of this dresser. I am in love with this thing. Seriously. I just stand there and stare at it sometimes. :)

You can see in the "before" that this piece is quite chipped. Someone before me had painted cream on top of white without using primer, so the top cream coat was just chipping off.

If you look closely, you can see that the front part of the top was actually ripped off and then nailed back on. I like the nails because I think it adds something, but I had to use some wood filler in the crack and the corner on the right side. 

The finished (light gray) distressed piece with new knobs!

I just love the way the distressing turned out on this...some of the wood and primer are visible here.

You don't see that right corner here, but the top is clearly MUCH smoother. If look closely, you can still see a couple of the nails coming through (love that!). 

Love this candle from West Elm.

Hydrangeas freshly cut from my garden, and a succulent we lovingly call "Judith" in a teacup shaped cement pot.

 One more view of the top sans the huge crack.

I want it!

 Fujifilm Instax MINI 25 Instant Film Camera (White)

I want one. Is that not the cutest thing you've ever seen?? And check out those tiny prints! It's a newer version of the old polaroids. And yes, I had one. My best friend and I (remember, Kay?) took tons of pictures with that thing! Oh how I miss thee... I'm putting this on my Christmas list!

A sneak peek and pretty flowers

My mom cut these for me from her garden, and I couldn't resist sharing...

And a little teaser for you on dresser #2...stay tuned for the full reveal early next week!

Dresser #1 Before&After

I know you've all just been DYING to see this reveal. Hah. One can dream, right? :)

Without further ado...


Sorry, I was lame and forgot to take a "before" picture of it all put together. And I was too lazy to put all the drawers back in. It's a little hard to tell, but it was a cream/ivory color before. I painted it Antique White (Glidden brand from Home Depot). I got the knobs from Anthro...where else would I get them?? ;) Isn't she purdy? I'm in love.

Coming soon!

The dressers are done and the curtains are up! I just need to get the pictures loaded up on my Mac...

whitney martin

I photographed a friend's lovely apartment this week (you'll have to bear with my novice photography skills). I just love the way she decorates and puts her space together. Check it!