When I started this little ol’ blog nearly three years ago, my goal was to talk about my adventures in balancing it all—a fulfilling marriage, a successful career, and a happy, well-decorated, craft-filled, warm-cookie-smelling home. I write a fair amount about the home-related items and, now that we’ve added a little bundle of joy, a certain toddler gets a fair amount of air time here on the interwebs. I don’t share a lot about our marriage because, well, that just seems a little bit too personal. But I have some thoughts to share today.
First, let me tell you that Chris’ birthday is coming up on April 4. If your want to mark your calendars and shower him with good wishes through my blog that day, I know he won’t mind. In fact, the bigger the deal about birthdays, the better for Chris. While I never want my birthday to be forgotten, and I always want some special attention, I tend not to make too big of a deal. But my sweet husband never lets me forget that my birthday is coming.
Just like a good reality show, Chris teases my birthday for a good month. He taunts me with hints at what a gift might be, he counts down the days and he hypes my birthday in every sense of the word. He gives well-intentioned gifts that are right on the mark nine times out of ten.
So, when Chris mentioned the other day that “something was flying under the radar here,” and that “something” was his birthday, I realized that I am failing in the hype factor. Yes, I already have a gift in mind. Yes, I’ve already asked him what he wants to do to celebrate and started making plans. But, I am not counting down on a daily basis, giving hints and generally making him feel excited about his big day. I’m acting in a way that I would expect someone to act before my birthday (quietly planning a special day with special surprises), but I’m not acting in the way he would act in the month leading up to my birthday.
I need to step it up.
Here’s where the balancing thing comes in. You see, the last time I remember looking at the calendar, it was February 29. Okay. Not really. I look at my calendar about 100 times a day. But let’s just say that March has gone by in the blink of an eye. The career side of life is heavy right now. My days are filled with meetings, conference calls and interviews for the two vacant positions that I’m hiring for. And, naturally, the toddler side of my life is heavy. But I need to find room for some birthday hype, and stat.
I have successfully figured out a way to keep Chris’ birthday on my mind at least once every day between now and April 4 so that I can shower some birthday hype on my husband. It may not be what I need before my birthday, but it is what he needs. And he’s kind of important. You know, in that husband kind of way.
It’s all about keeping the balance, right?
Normally Monday is the day that I show off whatever big project I had going on over the weekend. But seeing how our house was randomly hit by The Stomach Bug of 2012, the most productive thing I did all weekend was make sure our son was fed. After all he was the only one who could keep anything down; even our dog was sick!
This leads me to tell you how I’ve been feeling lately about major milestones for our little guy. Sitting up? So helpful. Crawling? So cute. First word? To die for. First steps? Hilarious. Being able to give your son ice cold milk in a sippy cup with half of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich? Life changing.
Really, even Ike agrees that it’s the best.thing.ever.
I hope you all had a much more productive weekend than I did! The weather here was amazing and luckily I got a few swipes of spray painting in before the couch and I became BFFs.
Happy Monday!
I know that everyone and their mother is talking about Pinterest these days (including my mother), but this time I’m not. Nope, I’m talking about a good old fashioned straight pin. You know…of the sewing variety. While I was revamping my craft space last weekend, I decided to DIY a little pin cushion to sit beside my sewing machine.
I have one of the standard tomato pin cushions (who decided tomatoes made a good pin cushion, anyway?), but I have realized that I really need two. I need one at the ironing board or cutting table where I am piecing things together and then one right by the sewing machine so that I can keep track of the pins I remove while sewing.
It might be that I discovered this need while finding random pins on the floor beneath the table where my sewing machine was previously used. You know…pins that might hurt if you stepped on one. Not that I would know, or anything.
Anyway, here is how I made my cute little cushion.
I gathered my supplies of a fabric scrap, Mason jar cover, batting/stuffing and some scissors.
Then I cut out a rough circle of fabric that I thought would be big enough to wrap around my ball of stuffing and made a pin cushion sandwich to get all of the pieces together.
Next I squished, pulled and poofed until the jar seal was firmly into the rim and the stuffing was standing pretty on the top.
Then I trimmed the fabric on the bottom to make sure it didn’t interfere with the cushion sitting flat on the table.
As Chris would say when he is imitating an infomercial, “Got that camera guy?”
Yes, he is really that cool.
And if you followed, then you too could have your very own sewing-machine-side pin cushion. It’s true.
Now, let’s be clear, the cheap stuffing that I pulled out of an old pillow isn’t really ideal for holding and sharpening pins, but this functions for the need I have. Plus it is super cute.
Pin it, I dare ya.
Do you have a tomato pin cushion? Or have you DIYed your own? Or is a pin cushion an accessory that just doesn’t fit into your style?
Pin It
Welcome to my guest room closet craft and sewing room. Sorry, guests, I’m not exactly sure where you’ll hang your clothes, but surely it won’t be here…
But, if I’m being honest, our guests have never really had a place to hang there clothes. Why is that? Well, behind these standard bifold doors…
…was my craft storage space that slowly became a complete clutter cluster over the past three years. It started out that I had my fabric and sewing machine stored there. Then I started adding random cans of spray paint, decor items that I thought I would use again, and then curtain rods, lamp shades, extra furniture…you name it; I had it.
I blame it on the fact that this closet originally had just one big long wire shelf about 6 feet up. It’s so hard to create organized storage space when that’s all you have. So, I took the wire shelf out and replaced it with horizontal shelves across the two deep sides of the closet.
Then I filled the shelves with everything that had been cluttered away…paint, vases, fabric, craft items, wrapping paper, gift boxes and bags…
It was such a relief!
The table is in test mode right now. I bought a smooth, unfinished board at Home Depot and balanced it across two ClosetMaid storage pieces that I already had (and wasn’t really using). If this height works out, I’ll secure the whole thing to the wall, and probably finish the wood somehow.
Then I had the ingenious idea of using the pegboard that’s been sitting in our basement for a few years. I made my way back to Home Depot and purchased a $10 pegboard kit (with all the metal hooks, shelf brackets, etc.) and a $10 set of extra-strength magnets to hold my selection of scissors (pinking shears, paper shears and fabric shears).
Using a tin can from the recycling bin, I whipped up this pencil/pen/screwdriver holder. I simply wrapped the fabric around and held it tight with some ribbon and a few pins. I figured since it was a sewing closet, it could look a little rough.
And here is my thread storage solution that I shared last week. After a week, it’s still going strong.
But I did add a little something special. I accidentally realized that the metal bobbins are attracted to magnets, so I looked in the craft section of our local big box store and found strips of adhesive magnet. Then I just lined them all up!
The ribbon spools from Ike’s Easter basket got their own peg piece.
And the shelf got a line up of jars with push pins, safety pins and buttons.
I splurged another $10 and picked out an ironing board cover at TJ Maxx. They always have fun covers. And it is much better than the hunter green plaid that is hiding underneath!
The ironing board holder was in the closet with our washer and dryer when we moved in. I just took it down and moved it to this location where it will actually get used.
And since I haven’t found a better place to store wreaths, I added a short tension rod near the ceiling and hung my small collection of wreaths that are currently on break.
In the end, I even had room for some of my crafting books in the storage pieces below the desk. I feel SO organized.
So, that is the story of how I saved our guest room closet from disaster by transforming it into a functional space in a matter of several hours. The best part is that everything (including the chair) can be closed behind the closet doors when we have guests
And now I need to have a yard sale with all of the things I pulled out of the closet that will never be used in our house! It is amazing what can accumulate in just a few years…
I’m happily linking up to to Thrifty Decor Chick’s Before and After Par-tay because I think she’ll love what I’ve done with the space!
Do you have a closet that you could transform into a craft space?
I have two things to tell you. First, these cookies are dangerous. Second, I had to get a new camera because mine died for no apparent reason, but I am secretly pleased because I love, love, love how my pictures are coming out.
Like practically everything in my post-2011 life, I found these cookies on Pinterest. I found them, I pinned them, I made them, and then I ate way too many of them. I hate it when that happens.
But you know what I love? I love when a recipe works perfectly so that I don’t have to recommend tweaks and re-write the whole recipe here on my blog. This one was absolutely parfait, so let me direct you to the full recipe right here.
Of course, you know I love play-by-play, so here’s the details to help you along the way. (I didn’t realize that this line rhymed until I was proofing the post. And then I left it anyway because I’m cool like that.)
First up for this recipe, you combine butter, peanut butter, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla and an egg.
You mix those items until they are super smooth and creamy, then add in flour, baking soda and salt. The dough will be a little rough, but it will work. Next, you “drizzle” nutella over the top…
…then spread it through the doug using a butter knife to swirl it.
The.dough.was.so.good. I kind of didn’t want to bake it. But after chilling it for 15 minutes, I rolled the dough into balls and flattened them with the tines of a fork.
Seriously. How rad are the pictures from my new camera?
I don’t blame you if you head to your kitchen right this minute. It’s worth it.
Pin It
I’m having major project schizophrenia over here. The entryway gallery wall is still unfinished, the living room is still in process and yet I thought I should really dig into organizing my “craft closet” this past weekend. I use the term craft closet loosely, seeing how the contents of that space ranged far beyond crafts in the normal sense of the world. Let’s suffice it to say that when I emptied the closet and spread the contents across the guest room, I thought Chris was going to call Hoarders to sign me up for the next season. True story.
I’ll show you the total transformation from ridiculous clutter to an organized craft space some other time (surprise, I haven’t quite finished this project yet either), I’m going to celebrate the fact that my fabric and thread is organized!
Don’t you agree that the stacked look is much more effective than the over-stuffed, under-the-bed storage container?
After seeing Kim’s use of comic book boards to organize fabric, I dropped about $14 at Amazon to have my very own collection of comic book boards. Now I can actually see what prints I have on hand…you know, before I head out to the fabric store to buy something that I.just.have.to.have.
Next I got serious about my thread, which was strewn in about 10 different locations with several tangled messes. I had a random cork board on hand, so I measured and stuck in some nails to hold all the spools. It may not be perfect but it was F-R-E-E.
I’ll have more details about the pegboard later, but for now you can enjoy my rainbow of thread. I’m actually kind of shocked that I didn’t have more, considering all the fabric scraps I have!
So, what did you do this weekend? Has anyone else had a near-Horders experience lately!?
I mentioned yesterday that I was spending the last (and extra) day of February painting our living room. I actually took the day off from work (and sent Ike to daycare) to accomplish the task, which is otherwise impossible to get done with wandering little 14-month-old hands. (It’s true, by the way. Ike is officially 14 months old, which is entirely crazy.)
Anyway.
The paint job is part of the living room makeover that I launched forever ago, but it’s not that exciting because it’s just white. It’s Elegant White, to be exact (a Behr color matched in Glidden paint just because I like to make things a little complicated. I opted for white because this room doesn’t get a lot of sunlight and can end up looking cave-like by evening. I’m hoping the white makes it brighter, and serves as a super neutral base for whatever colors and patterns we bring into the room.
But this post isn’t so much about the paint itself; it’s about the process.
As I set out to paint on Wednesday morning, I was committed to going around the room to cut in around all the windows, door frames and the ceiling. That lasted about 10 minutes and then I couldn’t take it any longer. I just had to get real paint up on the wall! It was looking like one hot mess.
That’s when I wondered what my painting style explains about my personality. Clearly I have a patience problem. Or perhaps my attention span is too small. After all, I think my attention span has been severely compromised since becoming a mother. A two-hour nap session is rarely enough time to see a project through from start to finish, so I am always accomplishing things in pieces—whether it’s laundry, sewing or cooking. I digress.
Anyway, I went on this way the whole day. Cutting in when I absolutely had to, then rolling away whenever I could. Back and forth from brush to roller. It took forever. To make matters a little worse, I actually ran out of paint with one quarter of the room left to do. Despite using Glidden’s paint+primer, I had to use three coats to cover the old paint. So now I still have to find a way to finish this project another day!
But, I did manage to get three coats on a few of the first walls, so I can now enjoy the less-tan look of our living room.
And if you can identify the smudge of food on our couch in the above picture, you get a gold star. I’m guessing it’s soggy graham cracker smeared on and dried. Awesome.
So, what kind of painter are you? Do you meticulously go around taping, cutting in and carefully painting? Or do you throw caution to the wind and just slap some paint up on the wall? And do you think your painting style matches your personality?
Oh, and does anyone want to psychoanalyze me based on my painting style?
How in the heck did it get to be Wednesday already? Plus it’s a weird Wednesday because it’s February 29. It’s kind of like daylight savings time when you get an extra hour of sleep, except in this case you get a whole extra day. I’m spending my extra day by taking a “vacation day” to paint our living room (more on that tomorrow), which just means that I have my work laptop close by to listen for the beep of a new email so that I can keep a few projects moving while I am “vacationing.”
But for today, I hope you’ll join me over on the Goodwill of Northern New England Blog where I am sharing some of my recent Goodwill finds along with inspiration photos to show how we can make old, ugly things new and beautiful again. Just wait until you see what I have in mind for some scary items like these:
Just click on over to see what it’s all about!
What are you doing on your “extra day?”
It seems that my idea to paint someone’s old dresser a bright shade of yellow and turn it into a changing table was more than just crazy pregnancy hormones in action. It seems like maybe it was a good idea. How do I know?
Well more than a year after the nursery reveal, our brightly painted yellow nursery dresser/changing table continues to be one of the most popular items on the blog, generating many questions and pins on a regular basis (seriously, just look at all of the photos that have been pinned from my blog and see how many are of the dresser!).
So, in attempt to answer some of the many looming questions about this sunny piece of furniture, I offer you a Nursery Dresser FAQ.
(What, isn’t that what you wanted to spend your Friday reading!?)
How tall is the dresser? Our dresser is 31″ high. I am about 5′ 4″ and Chris is 6′ tall, and neither one of us has ever noticed or commented on whether the dresser is too high or too low, so it must be just right.
Where can I find the number pulls and did you paint them? The number pulls were originally from Pottery Barn Kids and they were a glossy red. I did treat them with spray paint (which is holding up just fine). Unfortunately PBK is no longer selling this product, but if you look hard enough, you can find them on eBay (like here).
How is the paint holding up? Other than a spot on the top where a sticker from a piece of clothing took off some paint, the rest of the piece is holding up really well. You can read more about the painting process here.
What do you store in the drawers? We store disposable diapers in drawer number one, our cloth diapers in drawer number 2, wipes in drawer number 3, and then a selection of clothes, socks, and gear in 4, 5 and 6. It seems to work for us.
Did you drawers smell musty and, if so, how did you get rid of the smell? We were lucky that the drawers on our dresser weren’t too musty. Other than giving the drawers a good washing before we filled them, I haven’t done much. However, I’ve heard that wiping the wood with vinegar helps. Other people have suggested putting some kitty litter or baking soda in the drawers to absorb any scents.
Are you still using your changing pad? Our little man Ike is pretty well behaved on his changing table. He sits relatively still and even helps assist in dressing by putting his arms up or holding up his legs for socks, so this is our sole location for diaper changes and dressing. In fact, it’s when we try to change Ike on the floor or bed that he really misbehaves and thinks its time to play. It’s almost as if the changing table signals him that it’s time to get undressed or dressed. It’s amazing that he is now as long as the changing pad, so it won’t be long before he outgrows it!
Do you use the shelves and hooks above the dresser? The hooks are a home run for us. I hang pajamas there, or put out clothing for Chris to use when he’s dressing the baby. The shelves? Well, they look nice, but I’m not using them for much right now. And now that Ike is bigger, I do run a small risk of bumping his head on them when I get him up off the changing pad, but there have only been close calls; no real incidents for his serious injury notebook.
And I think that rounds out all of the normal dresser questions. Isn’t amazing how a single piece of furniture can elicit questions the whole year through? Did I miss any questions that you’re dying to have answered?
Happy weekend!
Pin It
By the end of this post you will learn two things: 1) any ugly thing from Goodwill can be made new again; and 2) I’m not quite as clever as I think I am OR my husband is not as quick as I think he is (you can choose your own ending to that story).
By way of explanation, let me take you back a couple of weeks to one of the new featured pieces in my entryway gallery wall (I am slowly making progress on this project, I promise!):
I call this masterpiece House Number Art. Why? Well, 318 is our house number and it is hung on our wall—so it must be art?
I was inspired when I was at Goodwill picking up a selection of old frames for the gallery wall. Hiding off to the side, I saw a series of hideous wall hangings and decided that everything except the images was perfect. I liked the wood base, the shape and even the brass circle hanging thingy. It made me think of some of my inspiration photos where the chaos of a gallery wall is controlled slightly by pairing like or matching items side by side, as seen in here.
Oh, but the existing images had to go. Here is an example of one:
And seriously, people, now is not the time to tell me that these are some famous and important prints that are valuable in some way shape or form. Don’t even tell me. Why? Because I Mod Podged the to death.
I liked the rustic, cozy look of art made from old book pages. So I pulled a book from our shelves that was being used purely for decorative reasons and pulled out a few pages. (In case you were wondering, the victim pages were from the prologue section of Cleaving, the less-than-impressive sequel to Julie & Julia.) I found a stencil font that I liked and printed the three numbers out on three separate pages.
Here’s where things get crafty. I pulled out my exacto knife (which I am pretty sure I bought for some wedding related project five years ago) and traced the black numbers to cut them out.
Next I took a random piece of brown packing paper and Mod Podged that onto the wood base, followed by number stencil and a top-coat layer of Mod Podge. Once things were nice and soggy, I cut/tore around the edges to trim the paper down to the right size. It’s not exactly perfect, which is good, because I wanted this to look a little imperfect.
The glue wasn’t even dry before I hung the three pieces on the wall.
So, I’ve clearly explained how an ugly Goodwill find can be made pretty, but what about the other thing I promised you would learn? Well, I thought that putting our house number up on the wall was clever, but also kind of obvious. But when Chris saw my handiwork he kept repeating the numbers 3, 1 and 8, trying to figure out the significance. It took him way too long to put two and two together, which left me wondering if my idea was a good one, or if he was just a little slow.
Sometimes dreaming up a project and creating a project leaves you a little biased…
Would you use your house number as art? What do you think of my wrinkled book pages approach?
Pin It
