to tell you the honest truth

sweet things

New Lollies for Ava's room!

Remember this:

 

Now, it's also an embroidery pattern!

 

Not exactly what this will turn in to, but I like it.  Pete said her shoes look like they are floating, so I probably need a better skin color thread next time. (I was using what I had on hand).  This is also my first attempt at doing a log cabin quilt block, and I like it too.  If you notice any un-even-ness, that is because it is suppose to be "wonky"....that's what the quilting world calls it....the wonky log cabin.  My wonky-ness is very slight compared to some.  I was able to use some fabrics I swapped for too, so that was a highlight for me.  Anyway, that's what I've been up to lately.

Have a great day!

the nursery...

....or should I just say it?!  AVA's ROOM!!!  It's so totally cute that I go sit in there daily.  I've had some good excuses though, like putting away all my wonderful baby shower gifts and hanging up a few things, moving things around and just staring and more staring.  We all just LOVE IT!  We have a few odds and ends to still take care of, like the baseboard trim and another coat of paint on one wall, hemming the curtains and sewing the ends of the crib bumper together.  I'm sure it will be a work in progress too as I add new little things and move things around.  It will be essentially, Ava's Room and my PLAYroom.  The girly-ness will now be pouring out of me folks!  But what do you expect?  So, on with the pic's! 

First off, the view from the doorway. (above)

Crib bumper made by me and crib quilt made by my sister-in-law, Kerri.  She knew what colors I was doing for the room and also knew which fabrics I loved because of my Etsy Favorites, that is how she was able to coordinate it so well.  Not to mention the fact that she can't keep a secret so I knew she was making it.  A couple times she asked me about different fabrics for the quilt.  It got me off the hook for making one myself for Ava at the moment.  I still plan to make one too, but at least I can take my time.  I have a lot of the same fabrics that Kerri used so everything will coordinate, but still be different.  I am also so happy to finally have a place to hang the peg rack from our old house in Tacoma.

AVA letters painted, distressed and glittered by me!  Letters from Joann's for cheap.

I had a berry garland that wasn't being used so I bought a super cheap grapevine wreath at Joann's and added some pretty glittery butterfly's that were actually sold at Target in the Christmas tree decorations.  I didn't know what I would do with them at the time, but I think they found a perfect home!

Closer view of the bumper and quilt!  I LOVE this beautiful quilt!  As you can see, I am still waiting on my crib skirt I bought off e bay.

I am so happy I decided to paint the dresser a light aqua instead of pink.  We still have the little nightstand to paint as well.  And I need to find some cute pink "glass" knobs for the middle drawer. 

A little closer view of the dresser.  Remember this was a $40 Craig's List find!  I sanded it first to rough it up, then Pete did the first couple coats of painting.  I did the final touch ups and then sanded the edges.  It's so cute!  I am happy that one of my drawings matches perfectly and I love the little doll that Kerri made. 

I love this adorable lamp the Kerri found at an antique store...it's perfect!  I made the round box from a paper mache box from Joann's and some vintage wallpaper I bought off e bay.  The trim is vintage from my mom's old stash.  Kerri also made the sweet little booties in some of my favorite fabrics. 

How sweet are THEY?!! 

I am thrilled to finally have a chair for one of my baby's rooms!  I found another Ikea Ektorp chair on Craig's List for just $90.  (I did put in a wanted add and got several replies!)  The chair we bought was in MUCH nicer condition than the chair we already had so we ended putting the old chair in the baby's room and the Craig's List chair in the living room.  The CL chair had a very nice sagey green slipcover, but of course I am using my white one here.  Kerri made the doll quilt on the back of the chair and I made the small quilt on the arm of the chair.  Sorry I didn't straighten out the wrinkles before I took the picture!  oops.  :)

Here is a closer view of the doll quilt from Kerri.  I may end up hanging it on the wall, but for now I think it looks cute here!  Each center square is a "forest friend".  Austin likes finding the different animals. 

Little dishes I saw at Target....they were an instant must have item!  Some of the silverware has been misplaced by Austin.  I love my little shelf that runs around the room so I can set things on it.  Something I have always loved when looking at magazines.

Kerri mentioned that she saw some curtains in Pottery Barn that had a bunch of colorful ribbons at the top, so that's where I got the idea to do this.  I loved how it made the project fast to do instead of making ties from fabric.  I think I have mentioned before that I am not always the most patient sewer/crafter.....so the faster, the better.  I actually did use some skinny fabric strips and didn't worry about the unfinished edges.  I love the shabby look it gives.  Oh, I also painted the rod.

And of course, this darling banner was made by Kerri also.  She called me one night because she couldn't decide what fabrics to use since there is just a limited amount of triangles.  Since we are both a little obsessed with fabrics right now, we actually know them by designer and name so she went through her fabrics over the phone and I chose the ones for the banner.  I think there were a couple extras that she was able to fit and so they were surprises!  These are very popular on Etsy right now and on Flickr!

So, here's a good beginning and ending comparison:

I would also like to add that Pete is amazing and this would never look so stinkin cute if it wasn't for him and all his hard work.  We both did the painting of the beadboard, mostly me, but he installed everything to absolute perfection!  Even when I would say, "Oh, don't worry, that's no big deal, no one will notice...", he insisted on getting it all perfect!  He also has not once peeped about how much I was spending or fussing over the room or if I came home with another little outfit.  I think he has understood and I couldn't be more appreciative. 

Also, thanks to Ben, Pete's brother who helped out when he was visiting during Christmas break.  Can you believe it actually got finished?

And to Kerri, who's "cuter than ever", handmade items, have added so much to the room! 

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!  It's the cutest room ever!  Come see for yourself!  :)

art time

We recently pulled out our new art set and did some exploring and experimenting of it's contents.  Haven't tried out the paints yet, but we'll get to that.  Caleb definitely has an art love so he stayed at the table with me the longest.  In the book, The Creative Family, she talks about how her family has a regular art time.  She says it is interesting to watch what each kid enjoys doing....that they each have "their thing".  She reminds us not to get discouraged if one isn't interested or if the art time isn't going as well as we would like.  If this is the case, just try again another time.  Reading that really helped me not get frustrated that some of my kids didn't want to stay for very long.  Maybe it just wasn't the right kind of creating for that child at the moment.  I taught Caleb how to do the "tie dye" picture that I learned how to do at school when I was in about 5th/6th grade.  Did anybody else do these?  Caleb thought it was pretty cool and stuck with it even though you need a bit of patience for the project.  Sort of tedious work.   Everyone did have fun for at least a bit, and that was the point.

insightful book purchase

For a long time I have been reading the blog, Soule Mama...(it's in my sidebar, I hate doing links).  Amanda Soule is the author of a book called The Creative Family.  And for a little while I have been curious about what's inside this book!  I finally ordered it and have already read most of it.  I am so drawn to her approach about art and creating in the home with your family.  Some of it is reminder things, simple things, but still very much needed to be read!   One thing she emphasizes is that everyone can create.  That this isn't something we need to teach our children.  It's more a matter of keeping them believing that their creations are valuable.  Even people who think "I can't draw"...there is so much more to creating art than just a pencil on a paper and doing it the way that the world sees as art.  We all have our own style and are capable of creating.  Whether it be drawing, painting, woodworking, graphics, photography, playing instruments, putting on a show, making up stories, sewing, gardening, planning parties, or even creating business software like my husband does!  (I have now convinced him he is also capable of creating.)  She also talks about creating art for the experience and enjoyment of it, not for making something perfect or something that others would look at as "art". 

The author has 3 young children and 1 on the way, and pretty much lives and breathes this "creative life"  with her children and I think it is amazing and such a good example to me.  However, I am only taking baby steps right now, in redirecting my thinking and providing more opportunities for me and my family to create.  I will probably never be quite like Amanda, but so far the book has definitely made an impression on me.  Here are a few things we have been doing lately.

Amanda suggests not only using quality art supplies even for your children, but also not forgetting to look inside your own pantry.  (Like I said, some nice reminders!)  I had macaroni, split peas, white beans, and used parsley like a "glitter".  We also used some sticks and dried leaves.  My kids liked using paint brushes and q-tips to apply the glue....q-tips were perfect for Austin.  Isaac really got imaginative with his supplies...making "little nests" with the sticks and parsley and using the beans for "eggs".

I purchased a stamp set that is fun and easy for the kids and I make sure it is out and available often if their creative mood should strike....another of Amanda's suggestions.  I've had a little fun with it myself!

Taylor lead a fort building project with his younger brothers and a neighbor over a few day time period.  Normally I would have had some reservations about this mess and probable accidents, etc...but I let him go at it, while still keeping an eye out, and they had a great time.  They actually squeeze themselves happily inside and play in it often!  :)

Pete has a project going with the boys to build some ramps for skateboarding, biking and rollerblading.  He's taken the boys out to Lowe's a couple times and has given Caleb some "hands-on" table saw experience. 

So, like I said, we are taking baby steps around here, trying to implement more of this type of activity in our family.  I was in quite a rut for awhile, so it's not an overnight fix, but I keeping my mind more aware!

Happy creating!

more girl stuff

So even though I am still crossing my fingers about this baby girl, I can't help but think about girl things and plan some things out.  For example, her room.  Oh me, oh my, I think it's going to end up pretty darn cute if I ever get out what's in my head.  Definitely going for a vintage, shabby chic look.  Nothing too matchy-matchy, but just coordinating colors and style.  I want to find some fun items at antique stores and thrift stores.  And definitely getting one of those cute shaded chandeliers.  Anyway,  this past week I was itching to do something, make something.  I only used what I already had, no shopping involved, and I ended up loving what came about. 

The Quilt


I machine stitched around all the little figures to get a quilted look and I am happy with how it worked.  Took a little longer than I thought it would, so I wasn't too picky about perfection here....I'm not THAT patient of a sewer.  I would rather get something done and not worry about every little stitch, than to not ever get it done because of worrying too much!  After washing it, it even took on more of that vintage style puckered look.  I debated about the binding.  Of course, I worried that it would look stupid and tacky.  I thought something pink would be so safe and predictable.  But how boring would that have been!??  So, I stopped worrying and analyzing and just went for it.  I am SO glad I did the red and aqua patchy binding.  Much more my style and I am in LOVE with this color combo.  To me, it adds some extra cuteness to the quilt.  The darker aqua actually came from a favorite vintage pillowcase that I used up when selling my quilt kits on Etsy.  I do still have a tiny bit left for another quilt....I did keep it ON purpose....just in case I ever needed it.  :)  I pieced the backing of the quilt for more color fun and because I didn't have enough of one kind of fabric to do the whole backing.  I definitely like the pieced backing, especially in this case where I didn't have a fabric on hand that I really loved by itself. 

 

The Hearts

I also made these little stuffed hearts...well I still have to stitch up the sides where I stuffed them at.  These too, I just used what fabrics I already had and didn't stop very long to analyze, just grabbed what first came to mind.  If I start thinking too much, I just drive myself crazy and sometimes don't ever get it done!  I think they are pretty cute though, even though I couldn't get them perfectly shaped.

The Artwork

I am also looking forward to using some of my artwork in her room.  You can see how much I have loved this color combo for a while now, since I did this art at least 8-9 months ago (can't remember) and the colors are perfect!  Yeah!

One last thing...I have to thank everyone who has left the nicest comments with all this news of us having a girl.  It has been so fun to have friends and family be so excited along with us.  Seriously, it has meant a lot to me.  I have also gotten emails and tons of hugs and happy comments at church and it has made it very fun for me to know so many people care and are excited for us!  Thank you Thank you Thank you!  Now just please continue to cross your fingers (praying is good too) with me that it really is a GIRL!  ;)  (Not that boys aren't precious too)

P.S  Did you see?  I'm  HALF WAY!  :)

paper and pencil.....and lots of erasing!

Here are a few things I have been working on lately.  I just do the drawing when I feel like it, although I guess I need to get moving on the coloring now.  I have plenty others besides these, some still need work, actually some of these still need a little.  As you can see, I do lots and lots of erasing...mostly the faces give me grief, but oh well, right?  I did get some nicer erasers that don't ruin the paper as much as the cheapies do.  And unfortunately my sharpeners disappear quite often so I am stuck with a dull pencil, which doesn't ever turn out to be very helpful.  But when the mood strikes, I just carry on! 

One of the girls was inspired by a friends darling photo of her daughter, Ella...doesn't look like her much,but it gave me a cute idea!  I have ended up drawing several girls lately because I have seen great bits of inspiration here and there.  Anyway, that's all folks!  Have a great day!