More sneak peak!

Another sneak peak at the other stuff I did this weekend. Let's just say I feel very accomplished :)

Getting my craft on

Here's a little peak at what I did this morning. Tutorial coming.





Sorry for the shadow/pic quality. It was taken with my iPhone instead of my Cannon. I was being lazy because my SD card has a TON of photos that I need to save/file/delete and I didn't feel like looking at them all. Hah.

Upcoming projects

Hey all! Stay tuned for some before/afters. This week I've got an outdoor patio/bistro set I'm painting for a friend. The month of November will bring me three commission pieces...an armoire, buffet, and a side table. All of them will be done in Annie Sloan Chalk Paint with the wax finish. It'll be my first time working with ASCP, so wish me luck!

In other news, we've withdrawn our offer on the house. After 5 months of waiting and Freddie Mac continuing to claim they don't have the paperwork that has been resubmitted time and time again, we're frustrated and frankly ready to be done with the whole thing. After getting our hopes up on yet another short sale (this is the second short sale we've made an offer on), we've vowed to never offer on another one. Unfortunately, most houses in our price range are short sales. So we'll make due with our teensy apartment for a while longer. I've got some ideas for creative storage and lots of plans for redecorating and reorganizing. More on that later!

decorating

I'm in a decoratin' mood. We still don't have an answer on the house we put an offer on 3 1/2 months ago. It's scheduled to foreclose this Friday (it's a short sale...which is why it's taking so long). We requested an extension on the foreclosure, but of course, we don't have an answer on that either. They ('they' being the bank) say our offer is still being reviewed. We're simply requesting that they hold off on foreclosing until the finishing reviewing our offer. If it forecloses, it goes off the market and will go to a cash auction (and we don't have that kind of cash)...so that means no house for us.

anyway


I'm tired of renting and not being able to paint. Although, we can paint where we're at now...they just require that we paint it back white before we move. My hubby isn't a fan of painting, so he would prefer I don't paint. But I am sick of looking at undecorated white walls. Which is why I'm going to start decorating. I just ordered this fabulous print for my kitchen from Rifle Paper Co:

And these assorted cards (I plan to frame them):

Adorable, no? I also love the artwork in this etsy shop. These are my two favorite prints, but I'm waiting for the hubby to concur (or pick something else from the shop):

I have also been collecting thrift store picture frames that I plan to spray paint and random glass bottles. I'm not a beer drinker (I don't like the taste), but they come in some really cool bottles at the market by us. So I buy the beer for the bottle...I either wait until my brother-in-law will be over so I can give him the beer or I dump it! (wasteful, I know, but what else am I going to do with it?) I also love the Fentiman's bottles. And their drinks are delicious. I'm a particular fan of the victorian lemonade and the mandarin and seville orange jigger.

Aren't these cool?

I'm also in the mood to bring out the fall decor! I want to get this wreath for our front door:

And I want to make this wreath for inside (the flowers are made out of dyed coffee filters!):

Ok. I'm done. Sorry for the picture overload. I've been obsessing with crafts and decorating while the hubby is gone for work (gotta keep busy some how!).

craftgawker

Anybody else out there a big fan of craftgawker.com? Oh.em.gee. I find the cutest stuff on there!

My hubby is out of town for two straight weeks for business, and I've got an itch to craft while he's away! I've already made birthday cards for my mom and mom-in-law, customized plain brown bag style gift bags to match the cards, made rolled fabric flowers to put on a headband for Eden, and now I'm finding more reasons to hit up the craft store this evening and get my craft on this weekend!

Check out a couple of the super awesome things I plan to make:

tutorial here

tutorial here

Are those not the cutest ornaments you ever saw?? I'm going with a random homemade theme for our tree this year, so these will be perfect! Plus, it's time to do away with the breakables. We have a baby in the house now. I'll still keep a few of my treasured fragiles for the top half of the tree, but I won't have to worry about little Eden chewing on/batting at/pulling these guys. I think I might go a little felt/embroidery crazy and make a bunch for Christmas gifts.

Yes. I said Christmas. It is only 14 1/2 weeks away, you know.

Maybe I should start thinking about decorating for fall first, eh?

Stained plates or mugs?

Have you ever stained your dinner plates? Usually it happens from red sauce...the acidity in tomatoes seeps in and the next thing you know, your once white plate is stained red!

Or maybe you have a favorite coffee/tea mug but it's looking rather dreary these days. If you're anything like me, it can take you all day to drink that cup of tea you made at 7am when the baby got up (distracted much?). My favorite mug has a permanent tea stain on the inside.

Because we don't have a dishwasher, I'm sometimes guilty of putting a little warm water in said mug or in my white plate and leaving it in the sink for the next morning (I usually only do this if it's late and I just want to go to bed rather than wash dishes). And sometimes this means I get stains on plates or cups.

I found myself with a gross stain on a plate from the pizza we had eaten. Ok...so I may have left this plate in the sink with warm soapy water in it for 2 days. I forgot to wash it and went to visit one of my best friends 2 1/2 hours away for 2 days. I came back and realized my pizza plate was still in the sink. I washed it after getting the car unloaded (you know, with all the baby stuff you have to take on even a short 2 day trip). Much to my dismay, the darn pizza sauce left a dime-sized mark on my pretty West Elm plate! I knew I had heard somewhere that baking soda was good for stains. So I grabbed it out of the cupboard, poured it directly on the stain and added a little water to form a "paste." I made sure the "paste" was covering the stain and let it sit for about 20 minutes. I came back and re-washed my plate...and like magic, the stain was gone! So then I decided to do the same with my tea mug. It's like new again! Whew!

You all may not be as excited about this as I am, but I thought I'd pass it along in case anyone else without a dishwasher is as lazy as I am :)

Tea Party Bridal Shower

My sister-in-law's bridal shower was this past Saturday. Her best friend and I worked hard to make it special and fun. We made it an "afternoon tea" and incorporated her wedding colors into our decorating. She and her soon-to-be-hubby are extremely untraditional. They're having a Beetlejuice themed wedding, and her wedding dress is black. Totally different from the norm...but who says you have to be normal to have an amazing wedding?? :) Here are some pictures of what we did.


These are "hanging paper flowers," and I got the design from Martha Stewart's website. They are SUPER easy to make. All you need is paper bags (I got mine in various colors from Michael's). Check out her instructions to make your own here.

I wanted to personalize the prizes, so I took the labels off the candles I bought and decoupaged their names and wedding date on!

The finished product :)

Baking some gluten-free black and white chip cookies (regular chocolate chips and white chocolate chips). I adapted this recipe to make it gluten-free for my little sister-in-law and mom-in-law who have Celiac's disease. I also replaced the macadamia nuts with regular chocolate chips because macadamia nuts are so ridiculously expensive, and the black and white matched our colors. This was the first food item I made. By the time I was all done, it was 1am and I just wanted to sleep...so I forgot pictures of all the other baked/cooked goods. 

The finished product. They were an absolute hit and sooo delicious! A little crumbly though, so I'll add more xanthum gum next time (gluten-free baking/cooking can be a little tricky!). 

Food tags

A banner I made. I bought some gorgeous twine from Whisker Graphics in red and white. I hung the paper hearts and wallet-sized pictures using mini clothes pins. 

Some of the hanging paper flowers and gifts.

The food table. A heart garland made by my mom-in-law, more hanging paper flowers, red and white daisies (her fave) in mason jars, heart doilies (make them using these instructions) and all the yummy food! Plus, of course, the tea :). I forgot to get a close-up of the teas and cups and saucers before everyone got there, but they were all a bunch of mismatched teacups and saucers from thrift stores that we collected for a couple weeks before the shower. 

And the invitations I made. I know it looks weird and you're not getting the full effect. I had to blur out last names, addresses, and phone numbers. I tea-stained the invite and let them dry under heavy books to keep them flat. Then my wonderful and talented hubby designed the text layout and I printed them at home. After that, I stamped them and stuck a bag of my sister's favorite tea in the envelope (vanilla chai). I also pulled the tea tag off (the one on the end of the string) and replaced it with a heart that I wrote "C&A 9.10.11" on. The tea bags in the envelopes made the invites smell delicious!

Sorry for some of the poor quality pictures. I don't have time to edit them right now but I wanted to get this posted before I forgot about it. I'm heading out on a mini 2 day vacation to see one of my best friends in the Portland area while my hubby is traveling for work. 

The complete food list included mini tea sandwiches, veggie sandwiches for my vegetarian sister, gluten-free lemon sugar cookies, a gluten-free minted fruit salad (another big hit and SO easy to make), gluten-free almond ricotta lemon cake, and chocolate dipped strawberries (in addition to the gluten-free cookies pictured above). I also brought raw organic sugar, organic half and half, and some blackberry honey from the local farmer's market to use for the tea (I'm kind of all about organic stuff in case you can't tell). 

The favors were candies wrapped in red, white, or black with a coordinating bag of tea. 

I think that about sums it up! It went great, and I think my sister had a wonderful time :)

Nursery

I just realized I never posted this on here...I wrote this post in March!


Ok, the pictures aren't the greatest because I took them with my iPhone, and it's not done...but here's Eden's nursery without the crib. Need to get a few things hung on the walls and add some other stuff (like a lamp).


Mini bunting above her dresser made by my sis-in-law. The framed artwork needs to be hung, but we have plaster walls and have to use Ooks...so I have to go get some at Home Depot before I can put that up. It's hard to see in the picture, but there's also an "E" sitting on the dresser with a bunch of cute vintage buttons glued to it. The little green thing is an "owl bank" (you know, instead of a piggy bank), and the pinkish poofs are cute little yarn balls! All decorations are courtesy of my sis-in-law! And the dresser is the one I redid this summer!

We have this built-in shelving unit in her room, which is perfect. Without it, I have no idea how we'd fit all her stuff in this room! As you can see, it's pretty packed with diapers, stuffed animals, books and decorations, towels, grooming/bathing items, etc!

Here's a better view of this side of the room. That's wall-to-wall...so as you can see, it's tiny! Perfect for a baby, but we won't have room for anything other than a dresser and crib!

And some of the paper pom poms my sis made for my baby shower. I didn't have clear string, so I used what I had to hang them for now, but I'll replace the white string with clear so it's not so visible. And I plan to replace two of the light purple poofs with some plum colored ones...just waiting for my plum-colored tissue paper to come in the mail (couldn't find it anywhere but online!).

I have a couple more art projects to hang and need to get the crib when it's done. I'll post more pictures when it's finished!

Copy cats

I know this is a hot issue: copy cats.

Let's say that someone asks for your advice on something you kind of specialize in and wants to know how to do it (for the purpose of making this easier, we'll just say it's sewing). You have a friend who has never touched a sewing machine. You happen to know your way around one, have completed several successful projects, might even do a little for money, and have a blog dedicated to your hobby. You give this friend some tips and advice, answer their frantic texts when they don't know what to do, and become their go-to person. And then one day they create a blog about sewing and start posting all the stuff that they're making (which happens to be awfully similar to the things you do) and don't ever give you credit for the ideas or advice or help.

What do you do in this scenario? It's not like the projects you do are original. You weren't the first person to make a pillowcase or apron or curtains. It's fair game. But now they're going crazy publicizing their blog and projects to all your mutual friends (who may not be as familiar with the fact that you've been doing it a while)...still never giving you any credit or saying you helped them get started. And now you hesitate to say anything or post anything on Facebook because it looks like you're copying or being a jerk by trying to out-do them...when really...you started this sewing frenzy first.

Are you following me? What would you do in this scenario? Would you say something to this person and express your frustration and let them know you're a little hurt or do you just keep doing your thing hoping people notice that you've been doing it much longer and quit offering advice and tips to your friend?

**I may or may not be in a situation like this. I may or may not be asking for your help because I don't want to screw up a friendship if I'm just being ridiculous and arrogant for wanting credit.**

Can you help a sista out? I'm not sure where to draw the line sometimes. I'd love to hear your thoughts and suggestions.

Young Love

I don't usually review music or albums...but I can't help myself on this one. Mat Kearney's newest album Young Love is seriously ridiculous. I love his old pre-record deal day rap stuff and have every album he's ever put out...but this reaches a whole new level. If you haven't heard him, you are missing out. I've had Young Love on repeat all night (got it a little early through iTunes) and all morning. I can't even begin to describe the amazingness that graces my ears as I type this. Now go buy it!

**I haven't received any compensation of any sort nor have I been asked to write this. This is just my honest opinion, and I wanted to share it!

grocery list

have you seen these great grocery list notepads from knock knock stuff?

I had one for a while a loved it. I ran out yesterday though and didn't feel like paying another $8 for it plus $9 in shipping...$17 for a grocery list? No thanks. I made my own!

Couldn't decide if I liked the white title or charcoal title better, so I made both :)...I obviously can't take credit for the design idea because I completely copied it from knock knock stuff. But I didn't want to pay that much. Plus, I like mine better anyway. I also personalized the items on my list a bit. I removed some things they had on theirs that I don't use or buy and added things I buy regularly that weren't on the list. I also added a "baby" section. I know it looks off-center on the seafoam background. It's not actually that way when I print it. My printer is fickle, so I have to do odd things (like make stuff off-center) for it to look right when it prints. Don't ask me why or how...

What I'm loving

First off, I have to give a shout out to Pottery Barn for these hydro cotton towels. Oh.Em.Gee.  Drying off after a shower is like wrapping your body in a cloud. That's what my husband says anyway! Seriously though...they are the softest towels to have ever graced my skin. For whatever reason, the white is softer than any of the colored ones. I have the porcelain blue for hand towels and white for the bath towels.

Loving the chevron print trend that's popping up all over the place...

via UO

via West Elm

via

via

via 

via

via

LOVE the subtleness of those painted zigzags on the wall in the last one. It makes a normally busy pattern very easy on the eyes.

Last of all...
How cute is this salt and pepper shaker set?! And so affordable too!

via

Cloth Diapers

Any moms out there use cloth diapers? I'm considering making the switch just for the purpose of saving money. The idea of cleaning poo off a diaper doesn't exactly thrill me, but it's something I might be willing to do if it makes sense. I just had no idea there was so much to cloth diapers! So many brands, types, etc. My poor girl inherited my extremely sensitive skin. The only diapers that don't give her little bum a rash is the chlorine-free, all natural diapers. So we use Seventh Generation exclusively. It gets pricey. Not to mention the idea of all those diapers going in the landfill...I've changed over 700 diapers since she was born. Yikes!

I'd love any advice/tips/suggestions cloth diaper mamas have to offer on brands, types, how you made the switch, etc. Thanks friends...sorry to use this as a mommy blog, but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.

As a quick side note...I'm getting ready to do my first commission piece. I plan to use Annie Sloan's Old White with some dark wax for the project because the look this client is going for is perfect for chalk paint. I'm kind of waiting to find out if we get this house to start it because I'll either be painting it in my own basement, or I'll be painting it at my client's home (she only lives a mile away and is a good friend). Hopefully we'll have an answer on the house by the end of next week. I'll be sure to post a before/after when the armoire is done!

daydreaming

We still haven't heard back on the house yet. 

This is the house we made an offer on at the beginning of June:

It's an old craftsman style house that was built in 1918. It needs a little TLC and some major yard work, but we're really hoping it works out! As I said before, it's a short sale, so it takes forever to get an answer. We should know within the next 2 weeks or so. 

I'm trying hard not to get my hopes up or to get too excited about it. I just can't help but daydream about the way I'd decorate the inside. 

I saw this color palette on decor8blog.com, and I love it! I'd love to do this in my sewing/craft room (because I will have one if we get said house). It would be adorable in Eden's room too. The funny thing is that I loathed the color pink until I gave birth to a baby girl in April. I think I was traumatized as a child. My mom decorated everything in my room pink. Walls=pink, bedding=pink, dresser=white w/pink stenciled hearts, decorations and artwork=pink. I'm not kidding. And because of that, I think I just got "pinked out" or something. I love the variations of pinks in this palette and the hues of green and blue. So happy and cheery. A room in this palette would do me some good, I think! 

 

Inspired by paint

Have any of you ever heard of Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint?? I'm reading a bunch of tutorials on it and doing some research...and let me just tell you...I cannot wait to get my hands on this stuff! Yes, it's pricey at $35 a quart, but from what I can tell, it seems to last a long time. You don't have to use as much to cover your piece as you would with regular latex or oil-based paint. And you don't have to prime or sand (you'd want to sand if you were going to use it to paint over something super shiny or laminate, but that would probably be the only time, from what I've heard). I've heard nothing but marvelous things about it.

Now if only I just had a place to paint and get my hands on some furniture!! The one downside to our quaint little apartment...no garage for painting. I will say that we put an offer in on a fabulous craftsman-style house and are waiting to hear back. It's a short sale, so it will be a long process, but our agent is pretty sure we can get it (as long as the inspection doesn't bring up any major repairs or serious issues that we can't afford to fix). And it has a huge basement for all my painting...which was a must in our house hunt! So as soon as we get in there (or get into a different house if this one doesn't work out), you can bet I'll be going crazy with the painting!

Any of you used the chalk paint? I'd love to see your pieces or hear about your experiences! I'm seriously dying to use it. If we don't get this house, I might have to make my living room into a makeshift studio. This paint doesn't have that toxic odor, so I wouldn't have to worry about that in the house and having it around the little one. Eeek! I'm excited :)

Where I've been...

It's been over two months since I've posted! Wow! Where does the time go...

Well, to my credit, I've been a little busy with this:

My little bundle of joy! Those are her newborn photos. She's actually a whole month old now...

Yes, I'm totally baby bragging. She's pretty stinking adorable, in my opinion :). Anyway, she came 4 weeks early (April 7th), so things have just been crazy. I'm starting to get the hang of this mom thing, but she consumes my time. Blogging is on the back burner for now. Loving on her and giving her attention is what's important right now. 

So that's my life. Because she came so early, we weren't exactly prepared and done with the nursery. I'm slowly working on finishing that. I'll get pictures up when I'm done. Just thought I'd let you all know that I'm still alive. I'm just a mom now :)