hair (or in our case, headband) clip storage

I knew that having a girl would be different than having boys, but one thing that still kind of floors me is how many more accessories little girls accumulate from day one!  Sweet Pea still doesn't have much hair, but thanks to those soft, stretchy headbands with handy holes that you can clip bows and flowers to, we already have quite a collection of hair (ahem, headband) clips.  After a few months of digging through a small, overflowing basket full of them, I decided that a better storage solution was necessary.

I ended up combining a clever idea I saw on Pinterest with the current trend of kitchy embroidery-hoop wall art to make my very own Christina variation.  It was a super-quick (maybe 5 minutes to assemble each hoop), super-cheap (I picked up the embroidery hoops at the thrift store for a few cents each and used ribbons and laces from my stash), and super-practical.

I started by arranging a variety of ribbons and laces over the inner ring of an embroidery hoop. Then I put a thin line of Elmer's glue around the inside of the outer embroidery hoop ring to make it just a little more secure (I'm sure you could also use craft glue or hot glue instead), and pressed the outer ring over the inner ring.  After tugging on the ribbons to make sure they were nice and smooth and tightening the screw at the top of the hoop, I trimmed all the ribbon ends.

After the glue dried, I was arranged our hair (headband) clips on the ribbons and lace and hung the hoops on the wall.  They would probably be cuter if I had taken the time to spray paint the wooden embroidery hoops, but I didn't feel like waiting.  They have held up remarkably well so far and look pretty cute, unpainted wood and all.

Linking up with Jennifer's In the Studio today.

adult hats

A little over a year ago, I made a wool hat as a gift for my brother-in-law.  I bought vintage wool suits and upcycled the fabric to make them.  The hat turned out nicely, and I even made a couple more, but I was still left with a bulky pile of partially cut up suits.  To save space in my studio (Ha. It sounds so pretentious to call my little crafty space a studio, but I like it.), I cut the remaining usable fabric into hat pieces and discarded the rest.

These hat pieces have been sitting, waiting to be turned into adorable hats for...hm...longer than I want to admit. It turns out that even though I can make a decent hat, millinery is not my passion.  All those picky curved seams that must be pressed open drive me crazy.  I finally buckled down, though, and three berets and six newsboy caps later, I am done with hat making (if not forever, then at least for a long, long time).  Now all that I have left is the somewhat more relaxing task of making the remaining wool scraps into coordinating flower pins.

leaf mobile

The second leafy project I recently completed was

a wax-dipped autumn leaf mobile.

I dipped some of the leaves we collected into melted wax.

(It was parafin not beeswax. Shh...don't tell Martha.)

Then I strung them together

and hung them asymmetrically above my kitchen sink.

They look lovely with my yellow kitchen walls.

(Ahem...uh, why yes, I am a real person.

Those are real dishes untidily heaped in and around my real sink.

And that's my real sink sprayer nozzle thingy to the left of the sink

soaking in real vinegar to remove unfortunately real hard water deposits.

Real crafting takes a real toll on real housework...)

Since these photos were taken

the yellow leaves have turned decidedly brown,

but the red ones are still bright and beautiful.

They sway and turn so gracefully.

I enjoy observing them while I am washing my real dishes.

; )

nursery nook--complete

As you know if you've been reading my blog for a while, I've been steadily working on Sweet Pea's nursery nook (it's not quite a full-blown nursery since it's not quite its own room). I was finally able to put the finishing touches on it last week! The prints Tomorrow No. 4, Oak Reading Room, and Through Cherry Tunnels by Naokosstoop were the inspiration around which I planned all the decor, and I couldn't be more pleased with how everything came together harmoniously.

The cedar chest under the prints was a high school graduation gift from my grandparents years ago. A vintage monogrammed handkerchief protects the surface from scratches from a lamp from Benjamin's bachelor days dressed up with a brand new shade. The vintage sage green chair is a garage sale find from several years ago. On it are the decorative pillows I made just for the nook.

The green and blue bumper pad and sheet go perfectly in the hand-me-down crib which rests underneath my hand made mobile, and the coordinating quilt finishes the ensemble. Late afternoon when the sun streams through the windows and ruffled curtains, tinting everything faintly golden, is my favorite time to be in the Nook, though I'll frequently find myself there dreaming sweet baby-related dreams at other times of the day too.

[finally a good photo of the mobile!]

Hurry up, little Sweet Pea, your own nook is ready, and we're eager to meet you!

Linking up with Studio Sneak Peek today even though this wasn't a Friday post...

nursery nook--quilt

My last piece of hand made decor for Sweet Pea's nursery-nook has been a small quilt (about 40 inches square) made from scraps left from the pillows, curtains, and bumper. Stress and time management made it imperative that I keep the design simple. It was so hard to keep myself from getting carried away, but in the end I stuck to simple, six-inch squares arranged randomly to accommodate the uneven number of squares in each print. Oh, and I couldn't resist one little bunny applique. : )

I'm pleased that I stuck to a simple design. Not only was it a wise, time-efficient choice, but it also really makes the most of the richness of the prints and the texture of the squiggly quilting.

It truly is a scrap quilt. I pieced the back from wide leftover strips and six inch wide pieces left over from cutting the squares. The binding is made from pieces of three different prints since there was simply not enough red to bind it entirely in red like I originally planned. Even the batting inside is in four different pieces! I can't help but feel pleased with the efficient way I'm using up my materials.

nursery nook--bedding

I always thought that when I had a girl I'd decorate her room in green and pink since I love that combination. The art I fell in love with, though, mandated something more original. At first I thought I'd try to piece together a nursery set as I found items that coordinated with the colors I wanted. As I searched, however, it soon became obvious that if I was going to get what I really wanted I'd either have to spend hundreds of dollars or make it myself.

And so make it I did. One of my friends says that it's a very sweet thing for me to do for Sweet Pea. I don't know, though, if it's sweetness or merely stubborn determination to get what I want.

Over the last few weeks I have made a white crib skirt out of the same white fabric as the curtains, two flannel crib sheets, and a bumper. The crib skirt and sheets were pretty basic, but the bumper required a bit of planning. I ended up using a second-hand breathable bumper as a base which I covered with my preferred fabric.

I love how well the pretty green and blue prints work together. I'll truly enjoy decking Sweet Pea out in little pink outfits, but I'm so glad that her room is decorated in cool, soothing greens and blues. I'll enjoy being in it much better than I would have enjoyed being in a riotously pink room.

nursery nook--decorative pillows

Sweet Pea's nursery-nook is so close to being all together and ready for her arrival! I'm very excited. One of my recent additions to it was two fun throw pillows. I love to make throw pillows, and when you're short (like I am) they come in handy for propping behind your back in tall-friendly chairs so that your feet can reach the ground.

The rectangular one is my pretty and practical behind-the-back pillow, while the little round one is just pretty. I'm foreseeing it being used as a toy (wouldn't it make a lovely, squishy ball?) more than as a pillow. I suppose that's one way of being practical as well. : )

I free-handed the rabbit applique on the rectangle pillow. It's based on the rabbit in one of the prints hanging above the chair where the pillows reside. I love how the reds and whites of the applique, buttons, and fabrics look so crisp together.

I'm very pleased with how these pillows turned out. They fit perfectly with the rest of the nook.

nursery nook-curtains

I've been in a whirl of activity lately. I photographed another wedding on the 18th of June and am still working on editing the photos from it. Then we traveled to Utah for a long weekend of visiting Benjamin's family and for him to play music for another wedding on the 25th. The trip involved the usual amount of flurry, packing, schedule disruption, unpacking, and recovery. The day after we arrived home I was seized with the urge to organize and clean and generally be in a crazy, exhausting, nesting flutter.

All this to say that while I'm making lots of progress, I haven't exactly been accomplishing the kind of photo-worthy projects dear to my heart. ; ) A couple of weeks ago, though, I did make and photograph new valances for Sweet Pea's nursery-nook. Due my self-made whirlwind described above, I haven't written about them yet, though. So here goes...

I wanted something that was feminine and frilly without being too over the top. Something that she'll be able to appreciate as she grows. Oh, and they had to be something with ruffles.

I think I succeeded in meeting all of my goals quite well.

The only thing, in fact, that I don't love about them is how red-white-and-blue they turned out. Hopefully when I incorporate these prints with the other colors and prints I plan on using in the rest of the their red-white-and-blueness will be toned down.

Hopefully I'll be back soon with more progress on Sweet Pea's nursery-nook. After all, she's due to arrive in about a month...

pretties

Almost from the moment I joined Etsy, I knew it was only a matter of time until I found art prints that I just had to purchase (earrings are different since the ones I choose are usually quite a small investment). Last week the time came. I made the plunge and purchased three of Naokosstoop's charming art prints (wow, was it hard to choose just three!) to hang in Sweet Pea's nursery nook. There was simply no way I could resist...

I have loved Naokosstoop's images since the first time I saw them, because when I look at them I am transported back to the days when I was small, lost in a lovely and happy world of imagination, always in motion, and always accompanied by my faithful Bobbie Bunny, one of the few constants in a childhood full of change. It is as if I am looking at myself. Feeling like my childhood, a piece of me, is being expressed so poignantly and clearly by someone I have never met is a rather eerie experience. I guess it's all part of the beauty of communication through art.

As I deliberated about which prints I was going to choose, it became clear to me that I should theme Sweet Pea's nursery-nook around the art I loved so much. I have many ideas fermenting in my brain, but so far the only one I have acted on is purchasing three pieces of fabric for making pillows and curtain accents.

I still can't believe that I chose a paisley print, but somehow it just seemed to fit, and I just love how these three fabrics and the art work together. I have a few more projects that I need to finish before working on the nursery-nook. I'm eager to start, but until that time comes I'm quite content with looking at and enjoying the unassembled pretties.

organizing

Last week I did some much needed organizing in my craft area. It felt so good to organize my fabric, get rid of pieces and scraps I will most likely never use, and put away the miscellaneous tools and left over bits of projects that had accumulated. Between cutting out bibs from my collection of old pants (I cut out 34 bib fronts from them!) and getting rid of the excess denim, removing and saving only the usable sections of wool from my collection of old suit coats, and getting rid of that big bag of fabric, my fabric now all fits in six medium boxes and on a small shelf!

I'm very pleased with my tidy work area and have already been putting it to good use. (Project photos to come!) Hopefully my zeal for cleaning, organizing and downsizing will not stop with my project area, though I suspect it will stall for a little while as I do some more enjoying of the cleanliness of this part of my house.

not what I had planned

on Wednesday our washing machine broke

flooding 2/3-3/4 of our basement

and so we have spent

quite a lot of time since then

getting the basement dry

rescuing things and

cleaning up

yet I'm thankful

thankful, very thankful

that it was clean water

(not sewage)

thankful that our area rug

soaked up much water

that would have done more damage

if it had been unchecked

thankful that all of Benjamin's musical instruments

were out of harm's way

thankful that my wedding dress dried out

thankful that Benjamin

dropped his evening's activities

to run home and help me

thankful that dinner wasn't

too badly overcooked

thankful that we'll be able

to use my parents' washing machine

that would otherwise have sat in storage

while they are transitioning

On a much happier note:

Benjamin installed

the last of the cabinets

last night!

I'm so excited to be

finding new homes

for my kitchen things today

unpacking, organizing,

making it mine

(more on that soon)

Delayed Project Spring Clean: Boys' Room

Project Spring Clean went by the wayside after I was unwell for about a month and had a couple more months full of extenuating circumstances. By that time we were in the middle of remodeling the kitchen and it was pointless to try to clean because of the construction dust. However, I'm finally picking up this loose life-thread and continuing on with a much delayed Project Spring Clean.

Last week I tackled the boys' room. Little Man had been sleeping in the living room since sharing a room with an infant who woke up three times a night just wasn't working for him. The boys' sleep schedules are getting closer and closer to being the same, though, so it was time for him to move back.

Both boys have recently changed clothes sizes, so the clothes were already organized. All I had to do was a bit of dusting, hanging up already clean curtains (I should have ironed them too, but I was lazy), and rearranging the toys and beds.

No matter how many time I rearrange (which is frequently--the boys' room is the most rearranged room in the entire house) or how many clever new storage solutions I come up with, their room always seems so cluttered and shouts with a cacophony of colors. I think it's about as good as it's ever going to get right now, though, so I'm going to be content.

(Little Man was such a good help with lining up the shoes and picking up and sorting toys while I was cleaning their room. He's becoming such a good big boy helper!)

Kitchen Work

Benjamin has been working hard to transform my kitchen into a place of convenience and beauty. As I type he is braving the horrible insulation in the ceiling, doing the prep work for installing the new recessed lighting. I'm more than a little proud of his beautiful and careful work. These photos are a little old, but I still wanted to show off the process!

seamless sheetrock repairs and new texture

Little Man is so eager to help.

Among other things, Benjamin let him help with some sanding.

priming

preparing to take out the sink

"This is a wrench thing!"

thrilling demolition

checking out the new wall and trim colors

Since these photos, Benjamin has done a lot of work moving outlets, removed the hideous old light fixtures, and done more painstaking repair on the ceiling. He has also painted our walls a fresh, pale yellow and all the trim and ceiling a crisp white. And of course, right now he's working on installing the new lights. I'm beyond eager to see it all finished, and you know I'll be showing it off here too!

Weekend Date

Last Saturday Benjamin and I asked my mom to babysit and went on a fun date together.

We began by getting breakfast (Frappuccinos and bagels) which we ate outside to take full advantage of the exquisite weather.

Next up was a trip to a local hardware store to look at paint swatches and crown molding for our "new" kitchen. Our top three color combinations are pictured here. We will probably go with the one on the top with green being the main color.

Then we went to the golf course where Benjamin gave me some chipping and putting lessons. I am not a golfer, but after the Saturday lessons, I think I could become one. (As if I didn't have enough expensive hobbies...) : )
Then Benjamin actually played (that's him down there, chipping onto the green).
While he played golf, I played with my camera, took photos, and drove him half crazy with my chatter about about the birds, insects, plants, and turtle I observed.
We even got to hang out and talk uninterrupted in the club house for a while during a quick but dramatic Montana thunder storm.
It was a fabulous date.

hopes and [kitcheny] dreams

True, my kitchen has come a long, long way from where it began. We are firmly convinced that the dreadful state of the kitchen was the primary reason our house stayed on the market for years, allowing us to get such a good deal on it. It was awful. However, thanks to Benjamin's hard work, it became quite usable, and I have worked quite happily in it for a little over two years.

The open cabinets that house our dishes even look quite stylish trimmed in antique linens and showing off the various greens of the dishes.

The cabinets housing our food, however, leave something to be desired. As do the cabinets beneath the sink that do not really close. And so does the non-functioning and clogged garbage disposal in one side of the sink. These inconveniences in addition to other aesthetic problems, have led us to dream of a modest kitchen remodel. It looks like that dream will be able to be made reality this year.

We received glowing reports of the same company from two different friends, so last week we had a representative of that company measure our kitchen. Soon we will get a call from the kitchen designer and can work out further details. In the meantime, we've been enjoying pouring over the books and pamphlets left for us to peruse.

This simple yet elegant style is my personal favorite. I even like the color on the sample photo and think cabinets like these would look beautiful in my kitchen.

[Little Man takes his helping responsibilities very seriously.]

I can't wait to see what both the next step as well as the finished project will be.

Project Spring Clean: Bathroom

Yesterday I cleaned and organized our upstairs bathroom. I thought it was going to be an easy and quick project since it is quite a small room. I didn't take into account of all the stuff that we had stashed in the medicine cabinet and the cabinet underneath the sink that needed to be sorted and organized, though, and it took longer than I expected. It's worth worth it; I find it so satisfying to walk into a sparkling room and to open up a perfectly organized drawer. : )

I am especially delighted with this Martha Stewart-worthy organization scheme for one of my drawers. I used several small glass dishes that I don't use frequently in my kitchen to sort pony-tail holders, clips, earrings, bracelets/anklets, and frequently used necklaces. I like the pretty (and orderly!) touch they add.
I think I'm going to take a break from spring cleaning today for several reasons. First, I need to wash the dishes because, well, they need to be washed. Plus we have a guy coming to measure our kitchen for the new cabinets we hope to get this year, and it would be nice to have a sanitary if not perfectly orderly kitchen. Second, I have a mountain of clean laundry to fold and put away. Third, I'm getting sore and whiny from all the extra scrubbing I've been doing, and my knee hurts. Anyway, all that to say that I'm taking a break.

More will come soon.

Project Spring Clean: Master Bedroom

Well, as I anticipated, my spring cleaning plan was a bit too ambitious. I am planning on stretching it out over two weeks now. I have, however, completed the thorough cleaning and organizing in the master bedroom and the large master bedroom closet area. The curtains are all clean, and the bathroom is underway, so I'm making satisfying progress even though I'm not going as quickly as I hoped I would.

Our house was remodeled before we bought it to have an almost-master-suite. The bedroom connects to a large closet area by a short private hallway. The closet area then connects to the upstairs bathroom by a second bathroom door. The layout it a little odd, but we like it most of the time.

Here is the master bedroom from our doorway. (The lighting in the room makes it impossible to photograph well; I finally gave up on good and settled for reasonable.)

Here is our room from another angle. My parents-in-law gave us the dresser set they purchased early in their marriage, and I like it's substantial, vintage feel. I also like our bold, red accent wall. The red combines nicely with the rest of the walls which are painted "toasted oat" color to make a room that is perhaps the darkest in our house but that isn't drab.
These little shelves are on the wall across from our bed.
In this photo you can see the mirrored doors to our closets on the left and right, and straight ahead is what I call my "baby nook." Even though Brother has outgrown the cradle, I don't feel ready to put it all away yet; after all, it's not really in the way were it is, and I like being able to see it.

I must go and continue to conquer the bathroom. Hopefully there will be more pictures tomorrow.