Pinterest Valentines Cards

I'm not even going to claim to be a Pinterest mom (see below if you don't know what I'm talking about….)

With that being said, I do love some of the creative ideas that come from the site.  Especially ones that involve holidays and/or kids!  Last Wednesday was snow day #4 (?!) for us, we were stuck inside, and daddy had to do some work from home.  So, we made homemade Valentines cards.  

I found this idea from Pinterest, went through our paint/craft supplies, and we were set. All you have to do is mold a toilet paper roll (sans the paper), dip the end into paint, and you've got a heart. :)

Hammond LOVED it.

cutie pie.  notice the heart shaped toilet paper 

roll in the bottom-ish right side of the pic

no pics from the heart shaped ones, as I was too involved guiding his hand.

but here he is when I let him have free reign with the paint brush.

the abstract card when to daddy :)

finished product

The Nursery

I am finally getting around to posting photos of our finally finished nursery.  Of course, Hammond loves his room, and is constantly telling me how much he appreciates the time and effort that went into it. :)

Of course, we didn't know whether or not we'd be popping out a little boy or a little girl, so we went with pretty neutral tones.  Which, if I'm being honest, is what I would have gone with regardless of whether or not we had known!  The walls were already green when it was the guest room before.  And despite my strong urge to paint them gray (like every other room in our home), I resisted and just used gray as an accent color.  

My older sister has four kids, and was so gracious to save all of their old baby items.  Other than the rug (from West Elm), the baskets (from World Market), and some of the accessories, we either got creative or already had the furniture.  It just took some creative arranging or painting or recovering, and we had ourselves a nursery!

See below for photos...

the view from the door

I decided to go with baskets under the crib for storage purposes, and so that I didn't have to worry about a pricey adjustable bedskirt.  

view from the other side

We turned an old dresser into a changing table by attaching a changing pad (with velcro strips) to the top of it.  I love the antique look.

nursery window

Got the valance idea from Pinterest, and found the wood at a neighbors while Scout and I were out walking.  You should have seen me...big and pregnant, carrying home a large piece of wood.  Then, my crafty husband put it all together and hung it. Oh,and the bamboo shades were another project, referenced here.

above the crib

These are framed excerpts from this precious book, Guess How Much I Love You.  I had a tough time choosing a book, but not only did I love the words, but I thought the colors of the illustrations would go well.  

Robin Anne's precious mother-in-law had this plate painted by her incredibly 

talented sister.  It goes with the Guess How Much I Love You theme. :)

above the changing table

This is one of my favorite pieces that I own.  Such a random story, but a co-worker's step-sister was selling it (along with a dresser I love), and I bought it asap.  It had previously been a headboard, but I think it goes perfectly above the changing table.  Also, see this post for the story of the amazing blocks.  

The beginning of our book collection.

more shelves

This is my favorite DIY project of the nursery.  Our friends, Gavin + Lindsay found this amazing barn wood and they gave us a piece to use as shelves.  Love the rustic look. Also, the brackets we used to hang it were originally silver and too industrial looking.  Our handy, dandy ACE guy told us to soak it in vinegar....and viola!  It worked.  

Love these photos...especially the one on the far right.  That's 

baby Jamie in his old crib.  Wasn't he adorable?!

guest chair, closet, and bookshelf

This bookshelf was originally purchased at Target about 10 years ago, and used in my dorm room, house, apartment, my sister's apartment, and has been painted over a million times.  But, it worked...and it was free!

This sweet car/toy basket came all the way from Madagascar!  Thanks

to Aunt Betsy and Uncle Andy.  Isn't it precious?  

Finally, as much as I love photos, I knew I needed even more space for them.  

So, I created this bulletin board.  Pretty sure it will fill up fast.

For all my indecision and our DIY'ing, I love the way it all came together.  And I can definitely tell that Mr. Hammond loves it too. :)

tales of paint swatches

I've always had trouble making decisions when it comes to decorating our home.  And the nursery is no exception.  I have ideas, I just struggle visualizing them until they're in place.  The problem is that sometimes it's too late at that point!  

When we first moved into our home, every wall needed repainting.  And that's when I discovered that I don't like working with swatches.  They're way too small to be able to tell what color your entire wall is going to look like!  And does the color ever really go on the same exact shade?!  So, another talented friend of mine, Jessica, helped me pick out colors and did a fabulous job.

This weekend I found an adorable three-shelf side table (we've got minimal room beside the glider!), but it needed a new paint job.  It worked out well because the bookshelf for the nursery needed repainting, too.  I had decided on a darkish gray color (similar to the darker gray in our rug), considering we had so much white (crib, dresser, lamp, glider cushion), and we've got some gray throughout. 

This weekend, I learned that I hate paint swatches.  I know that's a strong word, but I do.  I made my first trip to ACE by myself to pick out the color.  I went back and forth, between ones that were more blue and ones that had green tones, all the while thinking...why don't they just have one called "gray?!"  And then I found "Medium Gray!"  An answer to a prayer?  At first I thought so.  Until I completed two coats on both the bookshelf and the side table...and let them dry...and put the side table in the nursery.  Totally wasn't going to work (and Jamie agreed).  

So, Jamie went with me for the 2nd trip to ACE.  After going through more swatches and narrowing them down, we picked one that we knew had some blue tones...but it was definitely a gray.  

Two more coats of paint down, on both the bookshelf and the side table, and I think it's too blue.  In other words, I've wasted two quarts of paint, $$$, and my precious time painting two pieces the wrong color.  But the thing is...I think this second color is here to stay.  Until my younger sister comes in town this weekend, and convinces me that we need to try one more time.  Are there bigger troubles in life?  Absolutely.  Just telling the tales of a woman who's scheduled to have a baby in three weeks and still can't finish her nursery!

bamboo shades

Back when the nursery was just a guest room, I had been looking for some dark brown bamboo shades for the window.  But, I had the toughest time finding the right shade that actually fit our window (there are plenty that are 72" long...when our window is only 46" long!).  When we began working on the nursery, rather than use a typical black out shade, I decided it was time to find the right bamboo shades.

No luck.  Did I mention that part of the problem is how economical I'm trying to be?!  

I found some shades at Home Depot for a great price...but wrong color...just too light of a brown color.

So I decided that I should take on a little DIY project.  Originally, I had thought about spray painting them a dark brown (cause spray painting is safe and all).  But I consulted my friend and uber-talented painter, decorator, all things DIY-er Kristen.  And she suggested a stain.  

While I don't know that I've stained anything in my life, if there's a safe place to start, it was with these bamboo shades.  

the original color, with a peek of the stain at the bottom 

almost finished...notice the difference?

(i used a JAVA colored stain)

very, very happy with the final color!

 drapes are coming soon

projects

The month of December was a busy one for us, for all the obvious reasons and for the list of projects that we had to tackle.  

The first was a fun, random commission project.  A co-worker of mine had a friend who was looking to gift a custom-made corn hole set to her husband.  My co-worker knew that Jamie and I had made a set last year for my sister, and asked if we were up for it.  We figured a little extra cash was always a good thing, so we took it on!  That being said, I'm not sure we'll ever do it again. :)  It was a lot of work!!  And I made the mistake of letting her request whatever design she'd like on the front.  Oh well...at least it was a fun, time-consuming project! 

If you know me well, you know how meticulous I can be when it comes to 

free-hand projects.  So, this AU was a pain in my rear!!  Especially given that I

needed to make two of them.  But, it all worked out...after way too much time!

the final result

(we'll probably end up doing another one next year :)

Between Christmas and New Years I set out to tackle a large to do list.  Most of that list was organizing and cleaning...two things that don't make a huge impression to the outside world, but make such a difference in our home!  

But two projects that I have visuals for are below.  The first was redoing our countertop in the guest bathroom.  The top layer is some type of varnish or clear coat that had begun chipping long before we bought the house.  It has bothered me so much over the past two years that it was time to finally do something about it!  

With little to no knowledge on this kind of stuff (Kristen Davis, where is your full tutorial? :)  What, you can't give all your secrets away?!), I did my fair share of google research, and came up with a plan of action.  

see the spots

here's why i tried to use sandpaper and elbow grease after we moved in

I wish I'd gotten a picture of the sanding process.  Thanks to Gavin and Lindsay, we had an electric sander.  But, because the piece was attached to the wall, I had to sand inside.  Talk about a huge mess!  Oh well, gave me a good excuse to thoroughly clean the bathroom, I guess!  

starting the priming process...pregnant ppl have to wear masks

after the first coat of paint

and we're done!

it is by no means perfect, but it is so much better to me...

and that's what counts :)

The other big project was getting started in the nursery.

furniture moved: check

walls patched up and painted: check

cleaning out the closet: check

installing closet door: check

husband was such a good sport...he was put to work!
and of course, scout was a good sport too...wondering
what the heck was going on!

Now I'm working to fill the nursery with all that we need!  I'll keep you posted as we make progress!

DIY: Pallet Shelves

This was my inspiration for an empty wall space in our bedroom...

Shipping Pallet Shelves

I won't take you through the whole tutorial on here, but you can find a basic one that I followed loosely here.

what I started with (thank you husband for grabbing the pallet!)

Too much time and too much sweat and soreness later, I discovered we had one of these ---->>>>

Made my life, and this project so much easier!

about half way through

The only significant difference b/t the way I did my shelves and the

tutorial I linked to is that I didn't nail the bottom of the shelves into place.

It was just going to be too much. Instead, I measured the bottom pieces

of wood (from the leftover pallet) to exactly match the width of the

opening. Then I used wood glue and a hot glue gun to set in place!

I'd say we're satisfied with the final product!

DIY: Fabric Headboard

Another project that we've had in mind for a long time was to make a head board for our master bedroom. My mom had generously offered to give us yards and yards of some burlap fabric that she had bought, but didn't need. So, we used some for our bed skirt (huge shout out to my amazingly talented Aunt Kathy who made it), and had plenty left over.

While it took us a while to complete, I think the headboard totally makes the room!

BEFORE

AFTER

Making our own headboard saved us at least $300 (more, if we had decided to purchase from somewhere like Ballards), and it was a fun project.

Step 1: We had the folks at Home Depot cut out a piece of plywood to the measurements that we wanted.

Step 2: We started with foam (from JoAnn's), to provide some cushion, rolled it out, and cut it into strips. (We measured the foam to the exact size of the plywood, then wrapped it in batting. We also doubled up on the foam to make it hardier.)

Step 3: We used some spray adhesive to help keep the foam in place, before wrapping it with batting.

Step 4: (This is when we took the project outside!) Wrap the foam in batting, pulling tightly while keeping everything lined up, and staple the batting to the back side of the plywood.

Note: We used a professional grade staple gun (powered by an air compressor...thank you, Gavin!), which made the process bearable. I don't know that we would have completed it with a regular staple gun, as I imagine we used over 1,000 staples total.

Step 5: Wrap the fabric around the batting, pull tightly, and staple away...again.

Step 5: Hang! This was one of the more complicated parts, because we wanted to be thorough. We used a track and slide wall hanger. Measuring, leveling, measuring, leveling...but we only had to do it once!

Below is a close-up side shot. We actually had to have a seamstress add fabric, because our project was too wide. But I like the seam it created on both sides.

Now I just need to invest in some bigger pillows. :)

DIY: moss-covered letter

As I've mentioned before, Jamie and I have an on-going list of projects that we're working to complete (and then we keep adding to the list!). We love our home, it's just the nature of being a homeowner, I guess!

One area that was further down our list for completion is the back porch. We love it and use it a lot, but being that it's not covered and it's seasonal, we've taken our time with it.

A few months ago, I spotted these moss-covered letters in the Pottery Barn catalogue. I love most all things moss-related, but the price tag ($79!) was way more than I would ever imagine spending on a letter (or even a pair of shoes, if we're being honest)! So, I figured I could totally do this myself. See below...

Step 1: I knew I wanted a large "H", so I bought two sheets of green styrofoam from Michaels. I had been tipped on the green color, so that you didn't have to layer the moss on quite as heavy. Hot glue the two sheets together.

Step 2: Draw the letter first. Then cut out, using a serrated knife.

(This took me forever, but that's because I'm a perfectionist. And I free-handed. If you don't feel comfortable free-handing, you can print out and use that as a stencil.)

Step 3: Lay down a generous layer of hot glue, and then lay down a layer of moss. I bought the sheet moss, and it worked wonders, so that I could do a big chunk at a time and so that it didn't turn out too stringy. Keep in mind, this is a patient process!

The completed look!

Below is an updated photo of where we hung it. The only bummer of the project is that it's been sun stained, and it has gone through all of the storms (and WIND!) of the past two months. I need to patch it up in a few spots, and I might try spray painting it if I can find a color that won't look like it's been spray painted. We'll see!