Burp Cloth

Well, I've actually made something recently.  Surprise, surprise!  I noticed while going through baby things and preparing for the arrival of baby #5 that all of our little accessories are in pink.  Understandable since there are 4 little girls running around this house.  I don't think my husband would be too cool with us using these on his little boy out in public, though.

When perusing my friends new blog Fussy Monkey Business, I came upon this solution.  Looked easy enough and I had some minky fabric on hand just waiting to be used.

I LOVE the results!  The minky is a mint green color and SO soft.  The dark brown is just half of a hand towel I picked up somewhere.  I think it took longer to sew the decorative  stitches on the towel than it took to actually sew the thing together.  Such an easy project and a great gift idea.  I know of several ladies having babies in the next 7 months.  Guess what all of them are going to be getting......

Window Blahs.....

Isn't this just sad?  I mean S.A.D - SAD!

This window has needed to have some sort of treatment put on it since we moved in, but I have yet to figure it out.  There are beautiful views - well not in the middle of winter, but the rest of the year - so I don't want anything that will cover them up completely.  Plus, that funky little angle of the bay really throws me off.
My lovely fabric, below, has just been sitting in my sewing room waiting to have the perfect something made out of it.

SOOOOO ......... any ideas out there?

Home Decorating

Maybe it's the hormones or maybe it's the time ticking down; but, I've been on a serious mission lately to get some things done around the house.  Two big things that have been bothering me are the lack of color on my walls and the missing necessary furniture/accessories in our home.  In the past 8 years we have moved multiple (6) times, so in someways I'm relieved that I don't have extra furniture that doesn't work in our current home.  I'll start gathering items such as end tables, decorative accessories and wall art soon enough.  That is a task easily completed with kids in tow.  Well, relatively easy.

The other problem, lack of color, has a limit in opportunities when you have several 'helpers' around during the day.  So, I've been snatching those infrequent moments to do different painting projects around the house.  I'm QUITE pleased with the way my kitchen and 1/2 bath have turned out and thought I would share some before and after pics.

First up - the kitchen.  The color is called Sly Fox and is a BEHR paint from Home Depot.  I had this color in our kitchen in Georgia and absolutely loved it.  It went on in two coats (very unusual for a red) and has wonderful warmth to it.

Before:

After:

The most recent painting project has been our little 1/2 bath off the kitchen.  The color is called Grasshopper Wing and is also a BEHR paint.  (When you find something that works, gotta stick with it.)  I was a bit worried about the dark color in a small space, but it works and really brings out the picture on the wall.

Before:

After:

One of my little helpers:

I have 2 more painting projects I would LOVE to get done before the new baby gets here, but we'll have to see how my body holds up.  (You know me - If I can do it myself, I'm not going to hire it out.)  One is the second kids' bedroom.  I already have a happy light blue color on hand just waiting to be slathered on the walls.  The next on my list is getting a neutral up on the rest of the walls on the first floor.  Still haven't completely settled on that color, but I'm looking at one called Churchill (something or ruther) from Valspar.  Poor planning on my part to run out of rollers and not be able to get the sample color up on several of the walls to see how I like it overall.   Has to play nice with the kitchen color, right?

Flannel

Who would have thought that finding 'quality' flannel fabric would be so difficult?  Especially this time of year?!  Now, I haven't been able to get to all the local stores in the St. Louis area, but I really don't have the time to do all that driving or calling around.  Plus, when I get there, there is no guarantee that they will have a good print that will work.


Here is the deal....... Remember that warm, cozy, flannel blanket I made for the newly weds?  My mother also made one for me when I was in college.  I love it and so does my husband.  That's the problem. :)  Anytime we sit down to watch a movie or show and want a blanket, we seem to have a race to see who can get the blanket first.  Yes, we do like to share and cuddle, but sometimes it is nice to lay down on the couch with it by one's self, too.


Since making the previously mentioned blanket, Hubs has been pestering me to make one for him.  GREAT!  I mean, how often does a husband ask his busy wife to sew?  (Usually he is asking when I'm going to be done or why I started yet another project with so many other things on my figurative plate!)  The mission to find fabric and get a blanket out of production before Christmas was my challenge.  It would have been such a wonderful surprise for him, too!  The hold up was lack of fabric choices.  No one carries flannels! Such a disappointment!


I now have a solution after a month or more of looking.  HOORAY!!!!


Craft Town Fabrics to the rescue!!  A cute little fabric store located in Salem, IN and only about 45 minutes away from my parent's home.  Great excuse to go 'home' for a visit and even better excuse to leave the kids with the guys and have some girl time with my mom!


Check out this beautiful new flannel collection called Creekside Trail they are carrying by MODA.  The prints are perfect for a masculine blanket and are such amazing quality and feel!  I've already put in my order with my mother of which prints and what yardage I need.  I'll be seeing her on the 23rd when we meet up at the Woodworking Show in Indy for some male bonding time for the guys and project ideas for us ladies.  Equal opportunity, right?

Kids' Headboards

Remember that Room Revamp I was attempting last March and June? I didn't get too far on it before I changed my mind and made it into the guest room. SO TYPICAL! I seem to have trouble sticking with an idea or having way too many of them.

Anyway. While out searching for the perfect full size headboard, I came across a set of these beautiful (heavy sarcasm) twin headboards at a local thrift store.

They weren't horrible, but they did need some work. The best part about it was the price - $5 each! How could I pass that up?!

So, off to work...... I even schnoockered, er, enlisted my husband into helping with the process.

The end product come out better than even I hoped! I decided to have Hubby take the front sliding thingy off to avoid little fingers getting pinched. (Like the sledding polar bear sheets?)

So, for $10, a bit of elbow grease and a small can of paint the girls have some pretty cute matching headboards in their room. Even a little extra storage space for their special trinkets.

I'm hoping to get more decorating done in the next few weeks. Let's see if my pregnant body will keep up with my over ambitious mind.

Bedspreads are found here.

Where to start........?

I think I need more containers.......

Happy New Year!!

Hope 2010 is treating everyone well so far! The new year has started off just as hectic as the last year ended. I'm busy playing catch-up around the house and getting a new schedule implemented around here since my oldest is now in 'real' school (according to her).

I have several projects to share, but I'm waiting on my camera to follow me home from IN. Hard to take pictures when your camera is M.I.A.. Amazing that more of our belongings are not in the hands of the USPS due to 'pregnancy brain'!

So here's to a new year! May your creative crafting muse appear often and may all your projects find completion. :)