Adorning Alabama

Fingers Crossed

2011-12-07T18:49:00.001-08:00

Source: weheartit.com via Kaylyn on Pinterest

So, after 4 months, offers on SIX properties, and at the end of our First Time Homeowner timeline, an offer has FINALLY been accepted. We're tentatively excited, it's a short-sale that must be approved by the seller's bank. But lordy, I love that little house.

We'll see.

Kitchen Inspiration via Nate Berkus

2011-11-10T18:51:00.000-08:00

Okay, so here's the deal with me and the Nate Berkus show: I love it. Adore it! But it's "daytime TV". Right? I don't have time in my busy working-mom/first-tim-homebuyer schedule to sit down and watch it. Also, I'm a little ashamed when T is home…he usually wants to catch up on our more "acceptable" shows, like Top Chef or Boardwalk Empire or RHOC. Yeah….

Anyway, today I watched an ENTIRE EPISODE. And it was truly meant to be, because I love love love the kitchen he did for that little family.

First off, Trev and I have come to some consensus that we LOVE this white shaker style cabinet. Classic, will stand the test of time. The marble counter-tops are probably too expensive for our (future) budget, but that amour there is ALL the counter space in the kitchen. So, I guess with a smaller kitchen you can splurge a little. The backsplash is awesome, and could easily be combined with Corian or something cheaper than granite for the same effect. The warm color on the wall keeps it from being washed out, and is the perfect cozy mocha. Porque no gas stove?

Ugh, isn't that banquet amazing?? I have a family friend/design client who has a banquet in their kitchen, and I could sit there and talk logos all day with him. Nate hasd a great idea of using outdoor fabric for durability - there's so many sweet options out there, and this brown stripe is perfect. Great use of storage space with the pantry cabinet - could easily be an armoire or something else for some more character - but I think it works great in this space. The wood table top is to die for, and works with that brown on the wall to keep everything warm, and not too prissy white.

Nate had some more great ideas (gee, they should give that guy a daytime show!) for using 15" cabinets as the base of the banquet - I've always seen DIY shows make a box w/ hinged lid - the drawer/cabinet idea is genius. Watch the full segment here.

File this away under the "If We Ever Buy An F-ing House" file.

MyColor inspired by Pantone

2011-11-02T17:46:00.000-07:00

I've broken my self-inflicted blogging hiatus (the usual excuses…daylight work, moonlighting work, working out, family, home shopping) to come back and gush about the newest, most amazing, perfect-timing product out there.

MyColor inspired by Pantone paint! At Lowe's of all places!

For those not in the know, Pantone is a company that, simply put, organized, categorizes, and standardizes color. Many for printers and designers, but it's quickly starting to dabble in home, and this print-rep-by-day/4th-generation-graphic-designer-by-night couldn't be more excited. ESPECIALLY since they were just announced as our home search is ramping back up thanks to the help of a new mortgage lender.

My favorites

The best thing is that these paints are "grab n' go". No mixing, no worrying about getting the wrong color, they're SELF PRIMING - I mean, seriously? 48 colors, ranging from bright Tomato to moody Cloudburst, in 35oz jars that just beg you to open them and slap some paint on the wall.

Now I just need to find a house to buy, and I'm good to go.

She works hard for it, honey

2011-07-31T08:24:00.000-07:00

Though my posts don't indicate it, I've actually been very busy knocking things off my Big Ass Summer List. I've done the dishes EVERY DAY for the past month (a big deal w/o a dishwasher), Jeni Olsen Design hired me as a Junior Designer (!!), Trevor's weekends off means we're able to spend more much time together as a family, we've been knocking BS items off our credit reports, I've signed up for 3 classes (all online!) in the fall, aaaaand we're back in the house hunt!

Yep. We have to buy this year to take advantage of a bunch of programs, so it's needless to say that I'm hustlin'. In addition to my 30hrs / week at the print shop, I've racked up an additional 15hrs per week between Strong Creative and JOD items. Not getting much sleep, but it's so worth it! I'd rather break up my work day this way, than work 8hrs straight and only have enough time to feed Delaney before getting her ready for bed.

So, some recent projects, fresh from my inspiration board:

Logo and collateral for David Aten Events
Logo and business cards (and brochure and signage!) for Revive Skin Spa
Logo and business cards for Denny Design

Painted pallet for Jeni and her kitty (he's a big fan of my work) photo from JO

With school starting in two weeks, I REALLY need to knock out this last quilt. It's kinda due in 11 days. Luckily, it's pieced in strips, I just need to piece the strips together, then, you know, actually quilt the beast, bind, and deliver. No pressure.

I'll get into how we're buying a house in another post…it's pretty awesome :)

nothing like a fresh press sheet

2011-07-14T11:25:00.000-07:00

Finally, my recent Strong Creative design work went to press this week! I'm working on photos - but here's a press sheet of the business cards I did for a local Napa aesthetician, Katy at Revive Skin Spa. Katy is young, bubbly, pretty, and serious about her work. I was blown away by her professionalism, especially when I found out she was younger than me! So her design had to match her attitude, but also fit within the branding of the salon she's partnered with.

We kept her business cards two-color to cut down on cost, and used a fun metallic purple to add some personality. (Printer Tip of the Day, metallic ink costs the same as flat ink!). She was torn between the green and purple body - and obviously ultimately decided to go with the green as her main card. This will look right at home when displayed at the classy salon downstairs, and she can keep her purple cards for more special potential clients.

I also just printed a gorgeous silver foil + emboss job that I need to take photos of as well. It's nice to have my own designs, printed and tacked up to my inspiration board :)

Kitchen Bling

2011-07-11T12:16:00.000-07:00

I might not be able to do a whole lot in terms of decorating my kitchen (rental, limited wall space, etc) but I do have this to welcome me every time I reheat my coffee in the morning:

Succulents from Home Depot, brass letters from Shabbylull on Etsy

Teamwork!

2011-07-01T18:58:00.000-07:00

I'm back with a quickie little update, as I check things off my Big Ass List of things to do this summer.

Trevor recently switched his schedule around, so he officially has weekends off for the first time since 2007! As you can imagine, my head is spinning with all the things we could do. Dates, yardwork, day trips, dog park, house work, etc etc. However, he of course has his own ideas of what he's going to do, and he's finally going to finish his arcade refab. I mentioned this a MILLION years ago, but for the past year or so, that monstrosity has been sitting in my garage, taking up room from MY neglected projects. Hmph.

Anyway, he needs a place to sand/paint/build, right? Great! Lets clean the garage. Check.. Lets go to Home Depot and buy a palm sander, shop vac, and fertilizer while we're at it! Check, check, check. Guess I can't complain if I get to benefit from his purchases too!

Speaking of fertilizer, I've been working on my backyard for what seems forever (Here's an intervention-ish post froma year ago in …usually in fits and spurts and sunburns, only to get too busy to even go outside some weeks. Well, since it's on my Big Ass List, I have to put some serious effort into it, and it's looking better! Last week I mowed (twice in a month, getting more consistent!) and pruned the lemon tree.

This is what it looks like today, out my kitchen window as I did dishes:

It's definitely getting better…tonight, I'll be spreading some of this stuff on the front lawn, to get it nice and dark green.

Soon, I'll have office updates for you…an IKEA trip is in my very near future!

DIY: Typographic Pallet Art

2011-06-26T22:25:00.000-07:00

I know I've mentioned a million times that I work for a print company. What I haven't embellished on, is that paper is shipped on pallets, so there's a TON of pallets in all shapes and sizes behind our shop. Seriously. And with this whole ReduceReuseRecycle fad officially a "lifestyle movement", I couldn't help but be inspired.

I've always been a lover of typographic art, but since the last month of Strong Creative has been all about graphic design, rather than the tactile arts, I couldn't help but be inspired.

A quick print out of our favorite song lyric in Arial at 150pts, cut out with an Exacto blade, made a perfect stencil. Note, I didn't say the stenciling itself was perfect…all these years of watching HGTV, and I forgot to stipple with a dry brush, rather than paint it on.

I have to say tho, I love the "perfectly-non-perfect" effect, and even better, my Trevor LOVES it. He's always proud of my work, but this is the first decor-y item he's been completely blown away and thrilled by. So, they'll be for sale in my Etsy shop shortly. (Edit: For sale now in my Etsy Shop!) Pick your own meaningful quote, of course ;)

Also, not too shabby, that the blue matches my new-to-me lamps from Napa's newest consignment store, Roost.

Truth Time

2011-06-19T17:48:00.001-07:00

I'm kinda totally in love with brass right now. Last winter there was a post somewhere in BlogLand where some girl had turned an ugly 90's builder grade brass pendant upside down, filled it with sand, and used as a votive holder.

Now, I've looked high and low for that image, so I can credit the inspired gal, but I can't find it! Anyway, my whole point is that I want little bits of tarnish brass sprinkled all over my home, mixing in with the colder silver accents I've grown up with. (No joke, for a 5yr period my mom spray painted EVERYTHING silver. Even the bathtub tiles.)

This whole mixed-metal thang is definitely not a new, or particularly novel, idea, but it's a big deal to the girl who finally bought skinny jeans yesterday, two years into the trend. I've convinced myself that a more eclectic look fits into our ~~messy~~ busy lifestyle and thriftstore budget. After seeing that inspiration image that eludes me now, I went right down to Goodwill, and bought a brass and smoked glass vanity. I took the mirror off, and used it as my mini-Christmas Tree table. I just haven't figured out a way to work it back into the house since then :-/

Source: stylebyemilyhenderson.com via Chelsea on Pinterest

Emily Henderson uses brass A LOT. I'm kinda in love with the girl, and um hi hello, she used to have a blog CALLED The Brass Petal

I'm also totally into the random art wall. Again, fits into our wonderfully un-perfect life.

Source: brides.com via Chelsea on Pinterest

(this one is actually pinned up to my new awesome inspiration board)

Source: 2.bp.blogspot.com via Chelsea on Pinterest

This doesn't mean I'm doing away will all my silver pieces, no no. I think they can absolutely be combined to reinforce that "collected over time" feel.

Source: nskwood.net via Chelsea on Pinterest

Office Progress!

2011-06-18T23:00:00.001-07:00

Well, today I've been able to cross, not one, but TWO things off my Big Ass Summer To-Do List (as it's been referenced to on FB).

You remember the chaos and general ugliness that was my office/dining room before, right? Well, here's a reminder:

Yeah. Not good. Did I mention earlier that that printer has been without black ink, and therefore unusable since before we even moved into this place, 2.5yrs ago? I work at a print shop, so I don't panic when I have Hancock or Michael's coupons to print.

Here we are today, with "inspiration board" and "paint and hang green Ikea LACK shelf" crossed off the BASTDL.

Still a whole lot to do, and items to buy for styling, but I'm heading there. And I promise, decent "after" photos (like, not using my iPhone). Hey, if Emily Henderson can do it, so can I! Getting those hard drives and modem out of my working zone makes the space seem so much bigger already!

Mood board coming soon, as I price and measure out all my options. I DO know I'll be getting one of those $59 IKEA counter tops to cover my existing desk. It'll go all the way to the window, giving us more surface AND storage space (bye bye Booda Dome!)

PS, last week we went to Monterey for some awesome family time. Four generations, from 18mo to 89yrs. Can't resist some motherly bragging! Who's this pretty girl?

Things to do this summer

2011-06-16T21:47:00.000-07:00

Because after all, there's nothing like a list. And just for fun, I've listed 24 things to do (or start) before I turn 24 at the end of September.

Source: etsy.com via Emily on Pinterest

1. Take Delaney to feed the ducks

2. Get the backyard in friends-over-for-BBQ state
- more lawn, less blackberry rambles
- ~~prune lemon tree~~ Done 6/26 while on the phone with Best Friend Kelly
- paint old patio furniture and grill

3. ~~Clean out garage~~ Finished 7/1 with Trev, so he'd have room to finish his arcade machine

4. Pull together our bedroom
- upholstered headboard
- paint nightstands
- retrofit/refinish existing dresser
- reupholster ottoman
- area rug from estate sale
- curtains
- duvet cover and bed styling
- paint walls and ceiling to match the rest of the house

5. Go to the beach once a month with Kelly and our girls

6. Update the office into a functional, inspirational space
- ~~paint existing desk/shelf~~ - Finished 6/18 - not hung because apparently drilling through exterior-now-interior-thanks-to-a-sunroom-addition 1934 stucco is hard. Took 15min and lots of sparks to do ONE hole.
- ikea wood counter top
- ~~inspiration board~~ - Finished 6/18
- litterbox solution
- curtains
- ~~dining room cohesion - effing mouse pad for my spazzy optical mouse~~ - Finished 7/15.

7. Get business license for StrongCreative

8. ~~Establish dish-washing routine~~ - Finished 7/30. It's official, I've done dishes EVERY DAY for the past month. Looking forward to my future dishwasher, ugh.

9. Lose 25lbs by August 17th

10. Finish upholstering couch, add new feet.

11. Get Delaney potty trained

12. Get Delaney in her big-girl bed (and big girl bed out of garage, see item 3)

13. Run an 8min mile

14. Find affordable, reliable daycare so I can work 8hrs a day

15. Boost my credit score to 600 (or higher!)

16. ~~Five new StrongCreative clients~~ - Finished 8/1 Okay, so I've just added 3 Strong Creative clients, but I was hired by Jeni @ Jeni Olsen Design as her Junior Designer! Now I get to work on awesome, big-name-client projects, and have the best mentor/boss lady/friend to learn from.

17. Finish my MIL's quilt (by Aug 11)

18. Go on a date with Trevor once a month (or more!)

19. Take Allie to the dog park once a week

20. ~~Pay down family debts by half~~ - Finished 8/1

21. Refresh living room
- reupholster waiting room chair in something bright
- Bring in teak shelving units
- area rug (estate sale)
- rearrange for optimum comfort/entertaining.
- rotate photo frames (and finally take the provided "fake family portraits" out of a few of them)

22. Limit coffee intake to cups brewed at home or work.

~~Sign up for (and eventually pass) two more classes towards BA degree~~ - Finished 7/15, taking THREE classes!

24. Spend as much time outside with my family as our schedules and daylight allow.

25. Go on IKEA (and Urban Ore??) field trip with BCE Jeni Olsen - added 6/17 because she basically demanded it.

Completely Uninspired

2011-05-30T22:36:00.000-07:00

Yep, I discovered Pinterest, just like everyone else recently. (follow me?) While the photos are totally inspiring, when I sit down to create (bags, quilts, logos), I'm just completely devoid of any creativity. Hi, Strong Creative not-so-much.

However, tonight in a cleaning frenzy, I think I figured it out. Welcome to my office(slash-diningroom-slash-cat bathroom):

Some things seriously need to change. That broken Dell, the pile of bills to file, the excess of wires, the hidden chaos behind the curtain, the exposed litter box (DIY suggestions?) I need places to stash papers and crap, with labels, so things aren't arbitrarily shoved in boxes when guests come over. I LOVE the wood art piece, it's actually a coffee table my grandpa (graphic artist and jewelry designer) designed and built. I need color, calm, a mouse pad, and a place to jot notes to myself. Also, while we're at it, maybe I should replace the print cartridges in my printer? It's been two years, but I work for a print shop, so it isn't exactly first priority. I also have a old, HUGE cork board in the garage, just waiting for spray paint and a fabric background.

Luckily, our dear Pinterest (no, really, follow me) has some awesome work spaces.

Source: None via Rachel on Pinterest

Source: None via Ariel on Pinterest

Source: google.com via eqart on Pinterest

Love the frames, and the bookshelf, carving out a little colorful workspace.

Source: 26.media.tumblr.com via Rachel on Pinterest

LOVE that yellow fireplace in the background! Colorful spaces like this blend well into my kid-toy cluttered life.

Source: designspongeonline.com via Stefanie on Pinterest

Small, but functional.

Source: madebygirl.blogspot.com via Ally on Pinterest

Source: lamaisondannag.blogspot.com via Valentina on Pinterest

Source: designspongeonline.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: flickr.com via Mel on Pinterest

Source: olofjakobina.blogspot.com via Bobbi on Pinterest

Source: designspongeonline.com via Mia on Pinterest

Love the elastic memo board!

Source: matchbookmag.tumblr.com via Megan on Pinterest

Clearly, I'm not into "fussy". More controlled, colorful chaos. (say that 3x fast). White background, with pops of color…I love the idea of keeping the organizational tools (shelves, boxes, etc) the same color as the wall, to let everything that's hidden in the boxes just disappear into thin air. Yep, I like that.

Mo' projects, mo' problems!

2011-05-18T22:53:00.001-07:00

I guess the more I create, the less I blog! Sorry about that…I'm in the midst of a million things right now. Tell people you're making your Creative company legit, and requests come from all over the place!

First and foremost, I've come up with my logo! Drum roll please……

Oh yeah, totally legit. As my awesome-designer-friend-slash-best-client Jeni and I agreed, the sketched "SC" evokes the handmade quality of the craftier side of my business, while the black+grey, text only logo keeps everything serious enough for the design and marketing consulting aspect of the business (while yet still to come).

Being a print rep in my real life, I designed the business card first, then decided on my logo….keep things 2-color or less, people! Mo' colors, mo' money!! Use fewer colors, and you'll be able to get more expensive paper…if you're doing a short business card run, the super fancy, expensive paper is SUPER affordable, since you only need a few sheets. Aaaand that was my Printer Tip of The Day.

Next most awesome thing, is that I finished the prototype tote bag to sell at Pilates Napa Valley, my mom's Pilates studio. I was able to whip it up in one Saturday, while Delaney learned how to climb on top of the coffee table. Hey, I have my priorities in check, people. I showed her how to get down on her own ;)

Prototype Tote in the window of Pilates Napa Valley!

Anyway, back to the bag. It's awesome. And I'm selling this smaller size for $45. After I emailed Jeni an iPhone picture at midnight after I finished it, she ordered TWO tote bags (laptop tote, and general toting) in the same fabric as her yoga bag. This is not a week after I finished her Bed Suite (duvet, shams, accent pillows). We're kinda obsessed with finding what else I can come up with for her.

THEN! After seeing my bag at Pilates Napa Valley, one of the pilatistas ordered a custom tote! I also did some other throw pillows for a coworker last weekend, and another friend has ordered a business card holder. Time to set up my Etsy store, and a biz checking account, don't you think? My biggest issue now is finding the time to get everything done….

Mom's Quilt

2011-05-08T19:36:00.001-07:00

Sorry if this is a bit redundant, but I haven't posted a full picture of this quilt yet! Now that my sissy is home safe and sound, it's perfectly appropriate to get back to the more superficial Mother's Day presents. :)

This quilt was based off of Fabric Worm's 5-Points Quilt, made from the excessive fabric bundles I bought a few months ago (from who else? FabricWorm. Duh.)

I used a light blue flannel from Hancock, and Kona Snow for the white bits. Now I'm working on a similar quilt for my mother-in-law, using Trevor's old dress shirts! Stay tuned....

A Quilt to Comfort

2011-05-03T22:17:00.000-07:00

So, as I've become better at this quilting/sewing/creative thing, of course my mind starts to move towards the commercial benefits of my talents. In fact, the past two weeks I've been pulling together paper work to make Strong Creative legit, and start making some extra cash for the family (or, at least be able to write off my fabric purchases!)

However, Thursday night put everything into perspective. My sister, my Hannie, Aunty Ha, watched Delaney during the day while I was at work. When I got home, the two lazy butts were sleeping on the couch. I woke them up, and rushed out of the house so I could avoid traffic and get home. Hanna mentioned going to the ER for a doctors note for work (she had called off with headache the day before), but I wasn't the least bit concerned. She doesn't have a primary doctor, and has come to know the local ER docs quite well over the past couple years.

This time was different. The doctor that saw her remembered her, and didn't like her headache symptoms one bit. So, they ordered a CT scan and spinal tap, and discovered a mass in her brain. After 5+ hours in the ER, they ordered a medical transport to take her to UCSF for an MRI and further monitoring. I found out at 12:30am as my mom followed the ambulance into the city, and I couldn't sleep. I was still awake when Trevor's alarm went off at 3am, and still awake when he went back to bed after calling off of work to be with us. Because the Royal Wedding wasn't distracting enough, I got to finishing my mom's Mother's Day quilt. It was a project, I had to focus, and not cry. As the night wore on, I kept thinking of my little sister in a cold hospital; of my divorced parents sitting in a waiting room for hours without answers. I wanted to rush out of the house and be with them, but with the baby here, and no news until morning, I had few options. Each row of quilting brought me 15min closer to my sister, to some answers.

After 6 hours of sewing, the quilt was done. I sat in the dark at my machine from 4:30am-10:30am, and Han's MRI had been rescheduled until 12:45. Trevor drove up to my mom's house to gather items she needed, giving me time to quilt and bind. I so badly wanted to be there, to hug my sister, to hug my mom. Tears poured when Kate Middleton's sister and maid-of-honor picked up her gown train, when my bobbin tangled, when I found the receipt from the lunch I bought Hanna in exchange for her babysitting on Thursday. When we got to the hospital, she was sleeping, and my mom found some comfort in the quilt for a few hours. When Hanna woke up, I brought it in to her, and it's been on her bed (and on her "personal items" claim sheet) ever since.

Monday she had surgery, and today we finally found out that her tumor is benign! It was a neurocytoma, a ventricle tumor that usually appears in young people. The doctor said it was calcified, so it had likely been in there since she was a child. While the quilt was a Mother's Day present for my mom, I think having all her babies safe at home is even better. Besides, I don't know if she's getting that quilt back now, Hanna has bonded with it!

But this is why we quilt. Yes, the quilts can be works of art, the can be sold, or awarded fabulous prizes. But ultimately, it's a gift of warmth, comfort, and protection. I know that quilt was with my sister at all times when we weren't able to be, a constant reminder of the family who loved her and wanted her well. Now, it will come home, be washed of the hospital smell, and be folded next to other blankets, but this one will always be a little bit more special.

quilt is based on Fabric Worm's 5-Point Quilt Tutorial...full post to come soon!

the truth about talent

2011-04-30T22:24:00.000-07:00

I just recently stumbled upon Before&After, a super awesome resource for designers, and all those creative, really. This week's Design Talk is a quote from Ira Glass…

“What nobody tells people who are beginners — and I really wish someone had told this to me . . . is that all of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, and it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase. They quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know it’s normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story. It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met. It’s gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile. You’ve just gotta fight your way through.”

Couldn't read this at a more opportune time, as I start the process of making Strong Creative legit.

Dru's Quilt - Finished!

2011-04-24T19:03:00.000-07:00

Okay, so the truth is that this thing has been finished for over a month now. I'm not going to give excuses, or promise that I'll be more reliable with my posts...because we all know how that works out!

Just know, I'm currently finished piecing another quilt, and cutting into another, along with launching Strong Creative, my own business to fully encompass all the aesthetic things I do.

Oh, right, DruBuddy's quilt. (Nope, don't know why the baby insisted on being nekkid for this shoot...too damn cute!)

As you'll remember, I modeled it after Purl Bee's wedding quilt, except with a sunset-ish color vibe. With robots and owls, of course.

Back to reality...

2011-03-16T22:36:00.000-07:00

Please pardon my absence!

I wish I was exaggerating when I say our life has been crazy, but, no, really, it's been CRAZY. We've had an unusually emotional week, and I've done absolutely NOTHING creative since finishing Dru's quilt. (Which I'm taking pictures of tomorrow, if it doesn't rain!!) The baby threw up one day driving into work, my mom spontaneously ripped up her carpet in a cat-pee induced rage (that's Laney helping pick our potential carpet), and my grandpa died. :( BUT, work at the print shop has been busy for me, we're working on the new website for Pilates Napa Valley, and I got to have a long-overdue lunch with a great friend today.

Also, we've abandoned the rental-home search. After a marathon of My First Place, I checked out our credit scores against the FHA requirements. While our credit isn't awesome, we're right at the cusp of being eligible for a FHA loan. Like, 30 points away. So, after talking to a mortgage broker today, we're going the buckle down, repair our credit, and actually buy a home in the summer/fall! This is huge huge news, and will definitely take some hard work and sacrifice to clean up years of neglect of our financial resume, but it's nothing unmanageable.

The idea of owning my home before I'm 25 is something I never really considered as an option. But, I'm a hardworking mama, with a great hardworking man at my side, who's to say we can't have that American Dream as our own? City of / County of Napa has some incredible Homebuyer Assistance Programs to help us along the way, and prices in Napa are low low low right now. We could buy a larger home, and have our total monthly payment (mortgage, insurance, taxes) be $400-$700 LESS than we're paying to someone else's mortgage.

So, we're taking the money we set aside to move, and putting it towards a secured credit card for each of us. Then, paying off the smaller debts (stupid, utility type bills of $100ish), to encourage positive credit reporting. We're resetting our budget, based on our new incomes and gas prices (boo), and following some of John and Sherry's advice.

More good news is that now I have time to finish Mom and Randy's quilts before their May due-dates, without worrying about a move in the meantime. True adulthood awaits! Stay tuned for the inevitable trials and tribulations.

Crinkly Goodness

2011-03-07T18:46:00.000-08:00

Well, the monster PurlBee inspired birthday quilt is finished, and it survived the washing process! Now I just need to trim up some final strings, and deliver to the birthday girl herself.

Nope. Haven't found a place to rent in Napa yet. There were some serious contenders, but nothing has fallen into place just yet. Stay tuned.

Almost there!

2011-02-27T16:09:00.003-08:00

Dru's quilt top is finished!

Now, all I need to do is wait for a batting sale and Hancock Fabrics, and I can quilt this baby.

Can you spot the robots?

In the name of process….

2011-02-26T08:45:00.000-08:00

Wow, it's been a busy week. With the house hunting (don't get excited, we're just looking for another rental), craziness at work, Dru's quilt, and our walking, talking, head-bonking 14mo old, I can barely keep my head on straight!

To maintain some sense of sanity, I spend my precious late-night hours sewing. I'm almost done with the front of Dru's PurlBee-inspired quilt! Forgive the late night photos…

Apparently, I'm running out of room in my kitchen to display things. I have 7 rows still to attach, and I just don't think they're going to fit! I guess you'll have to wait until the entire thing is done until you get another "full body".

PS: I'm posting this in the name of Rossie's Process Pledge. The journey makes the destination, or some crap like that. Also, makes for more blog posts ;)

It's here!!

2011-02-19T18:35:00.000-08:00

This, people, is $250 (at 20% discount) worth of fabric.

Ahhh I can't wait to jump into it. We have a ironing/cutting party tomorrow afternoon at my mom's house. I want this to look SO good, so I don't know yet if I'll let anyone else cut. I guess I can relinquish ironing duties.

Tonight I'll be picking out the fabrics for Dru's quilt... which is half Smokey Owls, 1/4 Bots and Dots, and 1/4 stash fabric (I've had a request for the dinos I used on her Christmas present). Super excited!

Fabric Madness!

2011-02-17T10:26:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, while finishing up laundry and website updates with my mom, my youngest sister asked the thing every budding crafter wants to hear: "So, what are you making me for my birthday?"

Love that kid. The three of us quickly decided on a quilt, and my mom offered (well, agreed to) pay for the fabric if I sewed it. Really? Someone wants to ~~enable~~ finance my sewing habit? Heck yes! We decided the quilt would be a joint birthday present from me and Mom, and then Dru will take it off to college with her. Seriously, I was a little verklempt.

Later (after Delaney and Trevor were in bed), I called my mom to show her the bundles I had picked out for Dru on FabricWorm. Somehow, it turned into a marathon conference call; me on one end, and Mom, Dru, and my step-dad, Randy (requesting a 50's bowling "Pins and Fins" quilt). Lets just say we got a little out of hand.

Now, instead of one birthday quilt, I have a birthday quilt for youngest sister Dru, 20yr Camping Trip Anniversary quilt, a birthday quilt for my mom, and a birthday quilt for 2nd oldest sister Blair. Gotta love FabricWorm for their bundles! Now I just have to get busy....

This is why I'm hot.

2011-02-15T11:13:00.000-08:00

This is where I live, this is where I live. Be jealous, cuz this is where I live.

Okay, well, this is 45min away from where I currently live, at the GORGEOUS Wine Country Inn. Thanks to my best friend Kelly (of tufted headboard fame), and her dad who owns the place, Trevor and I got a relaxing Valentine's night away with absolutely no responsibilities. Woke up this morning to some drizzle, and the view was STILL spectacular.

Napa will always be my home, these views will always be considered "where I live". Funny how we take it for granted, this amazing place where tourists flock to. Guess it takes a night away from the norm to appreciate it.

So very excited.

2011-02-12T08:42:00.000-08:00

This weekend is bound to be very fun, and VERY productive. Today, I'm purging, Goodwilling, and FreeCycling. I can't get out into the yard just yet (need two adults in the house), so I'm instead directing my energy at the forgotten storage zones in our house. Our closet, Delaney's closet, the garage. I will, however, need a certain baby (who is currently sorting dog food into bowls) to take a nap before I head down to take care of that last part.

TOMORROW (dun dun dun) is a play date with my friend Kelly. While our babies are probably too young to care about one another, Kel and I will be fashioning an upholstered headboard for her master bedroom. Her husband is getting in on the bedroom action too, apparently he's absolutely giddy to break out his jigsaw.

There's about a bajillion tutorials out there, and this is actually the second upholstery project Kel and I will have done together (she helped with the Rocker Re-Do: Part Two). So really, dear internet, I just need you to provide inspiration.

(Click above pictures for individual tutorials from the amazing, and NorCal, Centsational Girl)

via decorator.girl

via CasaSugar

via Project Pretty

via A Dad A Mom and A Little Lady

Kel is thinking something in grey/silvery tones, to compliment her purple and green accents. Stay tuned to see what we come up with!

DIY: Quilted Potholders

2011-02-06T12:00:00.000-08:00

Remember the peek at my Handmade 2011 present for Elizabeth?

Here's a full gander!

Adorable, right? Elizabeth's kitchen has red accents (not to mention she's SO into holiday-decorating). I did all the quilting on my sewing machine, which is unable to drop the feed dogs. Soooo it's slow going, but the hearts are so damn cute, I can't even stand it. Now, to enter them in Prudent Baby's contest.

PS. I broke it.

2011-02-05T23:37:00.000-08:00

So, in the middle of some late-night blog rehab, I accidentally deleted my header image. I've been meaning to re-do it, but the original was created on a work computer, long long ago. Crap.

Please bear (bare?) with me!

DIY: Business Card Holder

2011-02-05T21:41:00.001-08:00

I don't talk about work much, for a number of reasons. Mainly, I'm trying to keep up the illusion that I'm much more professional than my 23-year-old brain feels it should be. Also, there's none of the extra mind-game crap I dealt with at my previous job, so usually I just go along my merry way.

I work for a print-shop in Napa. The company has been around for a gadzillion years, and has been staffed by family (or might-as-well-be-family) for the entire time. We do everything from business cards to banners, and I have the lucky position of seeing a job from its inception to the final product. I do sales, I do customer service, I do project management, I tap around the building in my pointy gold shoes and jeans, kindly asking "could I have this done yesterday, please?". I love it. Love love love it.

I've been carrying my super fancy business cards around the standard 250-count box since I started last April, and I don't think it's doing any justice to the foiled-embossed-glued back greatness I hand out to future clients. So, after seeing Schlosser Design's tutorial, I whipped up a cute little carry-case.

I used a 1/8" seam allowance (rather than the suggested 1/4") to accommodate for my quadruple thick cards, and yes, I did mick fabric to match the blue of our logo. (finally cut into Joel Dewberry's Modern Meadow 1/2 yd I've been hoarding for almost a year thankyouverymuch.)

A link to our website is over there to the right, under "Shop Local". Maybe you've got a great photo you want printed on canvas? Or fancy shmancy business cards of your own? You know who to call.

Just a peek.

2011-02-02T17:02:00.000-08:00

Has anybody seen my digital camera? The iPhone isn't capturing this quite right. Hmph.

Oh well. I can't post pictures until I give this to Elizabeth anyway :)

Blogger's Pillow Party!

2011-02-01T11:54:00.000-08:00

Remember my Fresh-Quilting inspired pillow? Yeah you do, it's the most sewing I've done this past month. No? C'mon...

Yeah, you remember. Anyway, Stitched in Color is hosting a Blogger's Pillow Party for the first 6 months of the year, and this baby is getting entered! Keep your fingers crossed...I've entered so many give-a-ways recently, I'm dying to get my pin-pricked fingers on some loot.

Inspiration: Cross-stitch Valentine Card

2011-01-30T12:15:00.001-08:00

Cute! I've been waiting to see Jeni's finished result!

Jeni's cross-stitched truffle card

Trev isn't really a "card saver" type guy, so someone else who get to be my Valentine (if I found any time to do this)!

No fear, however. There's a project in the works for Mr. Man. Tutorial to come?

FreeCycle strikes again!

2011-01-22T13:10:00.000-08:00

So, Trevor and I have an agreement: I can't bring anything FreeCycle into the house without first asking him.

Today, I broke that covenant.

Isn't it just RIPE for a redo? I've been wanting a chandy for the bathroom (or maybe even the kitchen!), and the nicest guy posted this on FreeCycle yesterday. He was SO nice, one of those art-sculptures-on-the-front-lawn-of-his-bright-yellow-house type guys. I should have stuck around and asked what else he was giving away, but I had a sick babeleen on my hands.

So, the big question now is what color to paint it, since that brass tone is obviously not going to work out. White and blank are kinda out...how blah. If it's free, I don't mind painting it a couple times to get the right look!

Vickie Howell used fabric paint.

Found The Bon on Flickr

DIY Tute from CraftZine

What do you think? What color should I go with? Everything in our house is shades of grey or blue (save the baby's purple and pink room).

It's a pretty good day!

2011-01-22T10:40:00.000-08:00

Apparently, repping Nor*Cal with my classic black hoodie is paying off....The sun is out, the baby is napping, and I just found out there are not one, but TWO quilters on my short 20-home street. And one of them has a long arm that she rents out!

Now, I just need to decide which quilt I'm going to do first....

Purl Bee Wedding Quilt

Bayou Quilt by Red Pepper Quilts

Color Wheel Quilt(Also from PurlBee, and that awesome Last Minute Patchwork and Quilted Gifts book that sparked this whole sewing nonsense for me)

Plus Quilt (this one done by Ashley over on Film in The Fridge

Malka's Wedding Quilt (No, I'm not getting married...yet.)

So, here's my problem. I'm absolutely in LOVE with all these quilts made up of (mostly) solid fabrics. So why, why am I only able to purchase prints when I have the cash? I need to get over that whole "bang for your buck" idea.

PS, did you see the article on Yahoo about grocery shelf life? Apparently mayonnaise can be stored indefinitely.

Inspiration : Laundry Rooms!

2011-01-21T12:12:00.000-08:00

Why does Apartment Therapy seem to always coordinate their morning posts with what I was dreaming about the night before?

My tax refund is coming back, and while the majority of it is going to catch us up on bills, we're also looking to finally move away from renting our washer and dryer, and purchase our own! (I know, we're putting our big kid pants on now.)

Anyway, Apartment Therapy today posted a bunch of inspirational laundry rooms. The biggest issue down in our laundry room is that we're not able to drywall. We'd love to, but honestly it might be too much work to put into a rental.

This one is actually a great example of how an unfinished room can still look clean and fresh.

The framed walls eat up a TON of the natural light that we get from a big (altho dirty window), so even if we can't drywall, some sort of covering is ideal. Maybe stapled fabric? Ooh, or pegboard!

Here's some other inspirational photos...These make me want to do laundry everyday, rather than let it pile it up like I currently do!

Now we just need to pick out our washer set

Like I need more inspiration...

2011-01-17T13:17:00.001-08:00

Okay world, I get it. I need to make a beautiful blue/grey/green quilt for our bedroom. Quit putting amazing inspiration right under my nose! I'm working on it!

The most recent nudge came from Design*Sponge, and Christina Weber's Sneak Peek.

Don't you just LOVE that painting! I even like how the apartments are on a diagonal, but wouldn't that be a pain in the butt to recreate in fabric form?

2011-01-13T17:44:00.000-08:00

Why don't I bring a camera with me everywhere?? This must be added to my NewYear resolution list... "iPhone does NOT count as legit camera."

Boo. Anyway, I stepped into Vallejo's YesterYear Antiques today, checking out this baby. While I LOVE the highboy and dresser, he's not interested in separating the set (yet). I would paint the pieces slate grey, and spray paint the brassy bits a matte chrome.

However, while I was there I found this AMAZING counter type thing. Looks like it's from an old bar, as it's taller than typical counter height, but it had incredible patina-ed cabinet doors, and longer than my couch...for $425!! I would totally use it as a breakfast bar or something...but that's in my other life, with a big opened breezy house where I can do funky things like that.

Again, pictures would be amazing.... I'm heading in there again soon to see if he wants to buy any of the antiques I've accumulated recently, maybe I could trade for my amazing bar. Pictures then, definitely.

PS, I've recently reposted that facebook status thing, where you pledge to make 5 people handmade gifts by the end of the year. This weekend, I'll be working on something for a coworker, and entering PrudentBaby's Best.Contest.Yet. How's that for multitasking?

Productive Weekend!

2011-01-10T12:42:00.001-08:00

This weekend had the potential to be rather lame. The last week was busy busy, with delayed Christmas gatherings and a day-trip to DisneyLand. Then, when Trevor called and said he was spending the night away from the house, Delaney and I could have just hunkered down and watched movies all weekend (hmm, actually, not a bad idea!)

Instead, I whipped up a couple pretty pillows. :)

I'd been itching to sew, after taking advantage of a killer fat quarter sale at Quiltmaker in downtown Napa. I bought TEN fat quarters, and a 2yd piece of Robert Kaufman on clearance. Did I take a picture? Nope, because early Tuesday morning (EARLY. Like, leave the house at 3:30 early) we set off for a day at DisneyLand. Gotta love Daddy's flight benies ;)

As I mentioned, since then it's been a whirlwind week, and we just needed some downtime. I recently read Malka Dubrwasky's Fresh Quilting and it gave me the inspiration and liberation to bust into the pretty fabric I've begun to hoard. I've been so afraid of quilting since the QFH, and her book (especially the close up shots of stitching) gave me the encouragement to just freaking do it! The pillows (I made two, even tho I only showed one) was based off of her zigzag pillow. I added the Kona medium grey around the border (the 4 blocks were too small) and then did an envelope back (my first!) to be able to fit it over existing faded Walmart pillows.

I love love LOVE them on my newly recovered couch (ugh, I know, need to post about it), they really brighten up my cave like living room. I have more to say about this, but always, another day :)

What did you do this weekend?

PS, the bigger photos are actually taken with a real digital camera (versus my iPhone). I want to take better pictures this year!!

New Year Resolutions!

2011-01-03T09:16:00.001-08:00

I, like pretty much everyone else in the world, have a number of things I'd like to change for the upcoming year. Nothing big and drastic, but changes none-the-less. And nothing's better for motivation than telling the big, wide blogosphere every single one!

- paint the bedroom. With Trevor now working out of SFO, we won't be moving into Napa anytime soon. Our two-year lease is up in Feb, and our room is still a dark, sage green cave.

-continue going to the gym 4x week. It feels too good to not keep doing it!

- clean out my car. There's stuff in the trunk from a YEAR (or more) ago! Once it's clean, I have more room for picking up Craigslist or Freecycle finds ;)

- Speaking of Craigslist finds, I need to find a dresser for Trevor. His is old and antique, and BEAUTIFUL! But the drawers suck, and he's yanked off two knobs already. It's better suited to holding infrequently used linens or candles or other such items.

- Disconnect a bit from the iPhone. It's bad when your 1yr old knows how to push the menu button, and swipe the lock across to open the phone. I resolve to keep it in my pocket a bit longer, and help Delaney learn about the world around her!

- Eat fruits and veggies at EVERY meal. I make Delaney do it, no reason for me not to!

- Finish a queen-sized quilt for our bed. I just bought some Kona medium-grey, and I'm a bit obsessed with neutrals. I also need to find a wide-arm quilter machine thing, I'm sure there's somewhere I can rent some time on.

- Clean up the back yard so Delaney can actually play back there! I've addressed the backyard here and here, and while it's better, it's still not the lush green space I've wished for.

- Clean out the garage. We've become keepers of the furniture graveyard, while waiting for my sisters to get their own places. Trevor needs a place to finish his arcade machine, and I need room to spray paint!

Overall, 2011, is the year to focus on the aesthetics. Health, beauty, and comfort. We have the money thing pretty well figured out, and now we have the luxury of refocusing on home and our family, and the things that truly matter in life.

What about you? What are your resolutions for the new year?

Gifts: Carly's Laptop Sleeve

2010-12-28T12:00:00.000-08:00

Yesterday's post was about a picky customer, and today's is yet another gift for a discerning family member.

As one sister (out of 5!) told me, I needed to make it "trendayyy". Carly is a hard-working, FIDM attending, 2-hr commuting fashionista, and luckily, HATED her current laptop cover.

So, enter my Victoria's Secret-inspired laptop sleeve.

I used the same Dixie Mango tutorial as Trevor's iPad cover (her formula is perfect!), and everything but the lace is actually repurposed flat sheets.

We hate flat sheets.

Gifts: Trevor's iPad case

2010-12-27T15:00:00.000-08:00

First up, of my many Christmas gifts, was Trevor's iPad case.

Trev LOVES his iPad. It's perfect for his 2hr BART commute to and from SFO, and the case that came with it was just not up to the task.

Trev is however dubious of my crafting skills. While he's proud of everything I've done, he is skeptical until it's completed. While this is great motivation (like telling me reupholstering the couch in a week before the baby's birthday is "a bit ambitious") it's daunting when making a present for him, knowing it will find its way into a hidden drawer somewhere if he's not thrilled with it.

Truth be told, this is the first item I've made him. Luckily, he WAS thrilled at how manly it was! Then, of course, he found a link on NBCBayArea.com about how handcrafted tech accessories are all the rage.

I found Dixie Mango's tutorial, made it a bit more manly and boxy, and bought the Ni-co Camera fabric during a 10% off all Japanese import fabric sale at FabricWorm.com.

The day after....

2010-12-26T21:42:00.000-08:00

Christmas has come and gone, and so has ended my late-night sewing sessions. (Mm, well, for now.)

The living room bore the brunt of the chaos, and we didn't even host the holiday! No, I've just been crafting wildly, and have barely had time to sleep, let alone fold up the ironing board. It seems as if every spare piece of fabric exploded from the various secret hiding spaces, and landed willy-nilly in the common areas. Add to this copious amounts of packaging from baby birthday gifts, and a pile of scored Christmas presents, and well...it wasn't a pretty sight.

So, before revisiting any Christmas presents from the day before, or even THINKING about posting pictures of the presents I handed out, it was important the baby and I cleaned up.

She wasn't much help.

However, we finished within a few hours. I purged ugly fabric I'd been holding on to, color coordinated everything, and even lint-rolled the couch (recently recovered in time for the baby's birthday! Pictures soon.)

Now, a week of showing off, and bad iPhone pictures can begin!

Late nights and tree skirts

2010-12-15T10:35:00.000-08:00

My man is in Dallas for the next few days, so I've been using those lonely nights to get things off my Christmas list!

So far the past few nights have been very productive, but mostly cleaning and organizing before the baby's birthday party. I've rearranged some artwork, finished my lovely little forest banner from Purl Bee, and worked on a few Christmas surprises that obviously won't be made public until they're seen by the recipient ;)

I do have something to show for myself the past few days, however. We finally pulled out the Christmas tree at work, and I guess the tree-skirt was lost in storage somewhere. So, what's a crafty girl to do? Ask for petty cash to whip up a new one over night :)

It was SUPER easy! I used this tutorial from Design*Sponge. I did all my cutting while the baby was happily pulling DVDs out of the entertainment unit, and finished the whole thing in probably 45min total. What a difference a properly working machine makes!

I fixed my tension!

2010-12-12T22:03:00.000-08:00

No, not my shoulders. They still need some help.

My sewing machine has been the bane of my existence recently...and by recently I mean the last, oh, year. The tension was all messed up, with the top thread way tighter than the bottom thread. It made for ugly top stitching, and scrunching fabrics, and flimsy seams. I've loved sewing, but I always had to accommodate for that.

My issue was the bottom right one.

This awesome instructional article on Threads Magazine, however, finally saved me! There IS a Singer shop literally across the street from my house, but the thought of lugging the baby and my machine over there was just not working for me. Turns out my bobbin was loose...and I'd been adjusting the top like I was looking for my favorite song on the radio.

To think of all the projects I've done recently... (including finishing THIS!) How much better would they be if my damn machine actually worked right?

Oh well. Back to work!

Who wants to buy this for me?

2010-12-10T22:44:00.000-08:00

I found this beaut on Craiglist (I'm somewhat obsessed with a chancy for my bathroom.) it's colorful, and simple, and kinda looks like grandpa would have made it. And its in my hometown! Merry Christmas to me? (click image for post.)

Felt flower embellishments

2010-12-09T21:37:00.001-08:00

Love this girl! Linda over at Craftaholics Anonymous posted a cute tutorial of how to add felt flowers to, well, anything! With the multitude of christmas gifts I need to do....this could be an easy addition to a Goodwill find, perhaps?

Ps. I reeeaallly need to start taking better pictures. Linda's simple shot makes my iphone photos below look that much crappier. :(

Creating a forest!

2010-12-04T12:01:00.001-08:00

Oh my goodness. My sweet baby is actually sleeping in her own bed after actually "putting her down" for a nap. (Recognize the QFH she's snuggling with?) So, it's back to trees! Hoping to get the front entirely pieced today... I still have 3 more of these to get done by Christmas!

After today, I have exactly two weeks to get everything else done! Before her birthday party, I need to recover the couch, get the house decorated for holiday/birthday, clean up the front yard, make that centerpiece that Goodwill inspired ...etc etc. The list never ends!

And, once her birthday party is over, it's back to work on Christmas gifts. Ai yi yi, hope people appreciate their homemade goods!

...and so it begins.

2010-12-01T08:55:00.002-08:00

Hannie's Purse and Jeni's Horsey Bag!

2010-11-24T15:16:00.001-08:00

Well, I promised I'd at least *try* not to disappoint! The past week I've been quite productive - even figured out the best way to photograph my stuff! Now, if I could only loosen the leash on my iPhone, and use our point and shoot every once in a while....

Anyway. First up, Jeni's bag. Now, Jeni's bought a yoga bag from me previously, for her own uses.She came back for a Christmas gift, for a family member who will stretch out on her yoga map after a long horse ride. This thing will be thrown around in a horse trailer, so I had to figure out a way to make it durable, but pretty.

Voila. Some burlappy canvas I had on hand, and Pink Bandana from Moda's new line, Rawhide. Perfect for a stretchy cowgirl! (Notice, this picture is before I realized the perfect lighting situation I could create.) I didn't get a shot, but there's a bright red lining inside, to match bits of red in the bandana fabric.

Then, this weekend I HAD to finish my sister's purse. She's been a dream lately with babysitting detail, and I needed to make something for her a priority. Did I mention she watches the baby for free, multiple times a week? Seriously. She's a dream. We had gone to Hancock Fabrics weeks earlier, when she picked out what she wanted - this beauty was WAY over due!

This is easily the hardest, and BEST purse I've made...I found the tutorial online, and while I have it printed out here, of course I don't remember where it's from. I've been holding onto it so long!

Next up is a yoga bag for my mom, some sort of commuter/clothes drawstring bag for Trevor, the same purse with different fabric for Hanna, mug rugs for coworkers, and christmas tree banners. Lots and lots of Christmas tree banners. (Okay, maybe 4).

Back to work!

PS, this blog is getting a HUGE makeover soon - with all the Christmas gifts I'm making, I'll be printing up some calling cards, and it all needs to sync. Maybe even a URL change! We'll see.....

Inspiration : Rainy Day at Work

2010-11-19T16:22:00.000-08:00

Yep, I'm still at work. Normally I'm gone by now, but we're down to a skeleton crew this afternoon, and honestly, I can use the hours!

However, either the rain or the holidays are keeping folks away, so I've been killing the last half an hour of my day searching for inspiration.

I mentioned in the last post that I have plenty to do for the next month or so, here's some of the things that just might make it onto my list....

It's getting serious now.

2010-11-17T13:30:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone - pardon my absence. Our life has been so crazy, I barely have time to think, let alone craft and blog!

However, the winter is upon us now, and "The Holidays" start in just a week. With no extra cash, it's time to get to serious.

That's right, I've finally carved out a niche for myself, instead of sewing on the coffee table. I'm currently working on a yoga bag, which is actually a commissioned project for my best client, Ms. Jeni O. While "best client" really means she's the only one who has paid me for items, she is a graphic artist herself and it's extremely flattering that she keeps coming back.

Still to come is recovering that couch that put my blog on hiatus earlier this year. I finally got some fabric, during a killer sale at Sorelle Eleganti. Originally easily over $20/yd, it was marked down on clearance to $5/yd. Then, I was able to use the 40% from the sale they were running, which brought the grand total for 12 yards to $39. And I had a $40 gift certificate! Nothing like "free" to motivate you.

The baby's birthday is a mere month away, and we're having the party here. At our house. I know, insane. But, when balancing families, I decided it's just easier to have it at our place, and whoever wants to come can. So, I need to have the couch recovered by then, the house spotless and attractive, and about a million pom poms for garland. This is on top of all the Christmas gifts I'm going to end up creating because I can't afford to buy anyone anything.

Needless to say, I needed a space away from the crawling/almost walking mischievous little one. So, I took this gorgeous, sunny day to stay inside while playing hooky from work (no babysitter!!) and knock out some items.

Stay tuned, there'll be plenty to show.

Why HELLO!

2010-09-26T22:49:00.000-07:00

Hi crafty blogging world! It's been a little bit, hasn't it? Well, to recap on the past few months : I've been working more. I joined a bootcamp! I have not recovered the couch, or completely transformed the backyard.

Not a whole lot of crafting going on right now. No time, energy or cash, really. (The latter of course is just an excuse, as I have a ton of fabric and notions downstairs, I'm just too swamped to even attempt much.)

However, I did whip up a little something for a team run I did with my mom this weekend. It was a "family fun run", so I brought the baby in the stroller. The three team members were all wearing Pilates Napa Valley logo gear, and I figured Delaney needed something too!

This was the initial version, whipped up in about ten minutes while waiting for participants in a chat for my online management class to make a group decision. Isn't the whole POINT of online classes to do everything on your own? Anyway, I digress. I used a Garanimals white onesie (size 12 mo!!!), $1 black felt and no-sew fabric adhesive. Printed out the logo, reversed it, and traced onto the adhesive paper.

Pretty good, huh? I thought I could get away without anything representing the ropes, but my mother/art director/brand manager insisted that it looked unfinished. She was right, I was just getting lazy.

So, I took some all-purpose black thread and tied two "rope" strings from the feet to the brackets on the end.

Et voila! Happy little baby in her fancy Pilates Napa Valley onesie. All the pilates grandmas are going to want one :)

So much for no more projects....

2010-05-31T18:38:00.000-07:00

Transformation coming soon :)

Check It Out: Local radio DJ gets living room makeover

2010-05-30T23:08:00.000-07:00

Not just ANY radio DJ, mind you. This is Vinnie, from Sarah and Vinnie, of RadioAlice fame. You NorCal people know what I'm talking about. My mom started listing to Alice way at the beginning, when it was catering to women's music taste. Alanis and the like.

Well, I've been listening to them ever since. When Vinnie was fired, when NoName joined the crew, when Vinnie came back. Vinnie now has a new lady friend, and Sarah nominated him for a room makeover from local talk show, The View From The Bay.

Most of the furniture and tchotchkes were sourced from IKEA, something you know I'm a BIG fan of. Check out the video!

Inspiration: Film in the Fridge

2010-05-28T23:19:00.001-07:00

Inspiration comes from many places, and today it comes from Ashley of Film In The Fridge. I always read her blog during my late-night "mommy time", and am constantly inspired by her mix of colors, patterns, and solids. Makes me want to quilt again, but better. (and after the yard is done, of course.)

Today, I'm not just inspired by her quilting, but by her home! She recently set up a space in the family room for her sewing, and I was able to peek into the rest of her home. I LOVE the personalization of the neutral walls and couches with the quilting... but it's done in such a fun way it hardly seems stuffy or old fashioned!

See the bright bursts of color against her beige and white couches? Nummy. Makes basic, classic furniture look so personalized and welcoming! (Also, I'm pretty sure my BFF Emmalie has that dining room table. Pottery Barn?)

We're looking into a new couch (aren't we always?), and definitely think a white slipcovered couch is the way to go for this messy family. Can't be boring with pillows like Ashley's!

Inspiration: Etsy Window Shopping

2010-05-27T21:39:00.000-07:00

Lets be honest: We're in no position for me to purchase any sort of fabric or crafty items at the moment. New parents, super limited income, lots of hospital bills.

Fine. But it's free to window shop on Etsy!

Linen Newspaper

LOVEing this. It might be my previous career in high-school journalism, or my current career in printing, but I love love love this print. I might just leave it folded up neatly (like the picture) rather than actually DOING anything with it. How can you cut into that anyway?

Canvas Cute Bird

Actually, I know EXACTLY what I'd do with this fabric... make wide ribbons (we're talking maybe 6-inchers here) and use them as tiebacks for the hot pink thermal curtains in Delaney's room. They currently hang loose, and make the room super dark. Except, when the sun comes thru, they shine red like some brothel mixed with a teenage boy's dark room. Just perfect for a baby, hmm?

Blue Bird Canvas

How can a Japanese fabric look so Swedish, and well, Ikea-ish? Love loving this, would be great in a quilt or throw pillow even, as an accent stripe or something.

Custom Fingerprint Wedding Band

With our baby around, I find myself stumbling when referring to Trevor. "Baby Daddy" is a little too ghetto for my taste, "husband" or "fiance" is just lying (and feels akin to tatooing someone's name on you before being together 50+yrs), "boyfriend" is far too causal, and since I live in California, using "partner" would give a different impression all together.
Either way, we WILL get married, and it's kinda on my mind. A lot. I found these the other day and fell in love. It's an affordable, and perfectly quirky option for Trevor and I. Something so unique and personal, without being the before mentioned tattoo.

Dreams and Pearls Pillow

Speaking of romance, our bedroom is still lacking it. I want something light and airy, but glimmery and pretty. Like a Candance Olsen design. C'mon, if you watch as much HGTV as I do, you know what I'm talking about. I love the texture and the shine on this...almost enough to actually make the bed after I drag Trevor out of in before I go to work. The seller is The Home Centric and actually has 304 items of equal or more beauty!

Silver Love Necklace

Clearly the one glass of wine I've allowed myself tonight has gone to my head, and I'm all sappy. LOVE the font, love the size, love the sentiment. I miss my signature ETSY necklaces...they all need to be re-strung on stronger chains. I'm not a big jewelery person, but having a statement piece that nobody else would ever have was fun there for a while :)

That's it for my rainy, late-night post. Mr. Weatherman says sunshine is on the way, and with my first paid day-off on Monday, I've got a weekend full of yardwork. Looking to make some serious project, and a nice tan at the same time :)

The Jungle: Machete time

2010-05-23T18:51:00.000-07:00

You know, if Machete = WeedWhacker. And in this case, it does.

Remember how overgrown my backyard was a few months ago? Here's a reminder:

Well, being that I took those pictures exactly two months ago today, the yard had grown a bit more. So add a good two feet onto everything. I meant to take a picture this morning, but forgot because I only had a limited amount of time to be outside (but I'm sure shame played a small part in that oversight).

In an hour, I yanked out a bunch of weeds, and weedwacked the entire lawn. Since everything had pretty much turned into a nature preserve, at times I was concerned about a possible attack by a snake, possum, or particularly violent mama bird. But, I made it through unscathed, and have now defined where the lawn previously existed.

Isn't she helpful? Thought she'd do some digging to remove some weeds.

I left all the tall weeds in the lawn area for another day. Reason 1: The pansy .065 trim line I bought couldn't handle 1/2" stems (trunks?) Reason 2: Even if I did hack them down, our mower couldn't handle the leftovers.

So, here's the plan of attack to get this yard in BBQ party shape:
1. Pull out ALL the weedtrees. On the side of the house (behind my garden patch), within the lemon tree, in the "lanscaped" area behind everything, and on the right side of the deck.
2. Mow lawn progressively shorter and treat with turfbuilder w/ weed control and water the heck out of it.
3. Prune back lemon tree, monster lavender and palms.

After that, I should be left with a clean slate to "decorate". We'll talk flowers and groundcover and sun shades then.

Catching up

2010-05-21T20:49:00.001-07:00

It's been a while, hasn't it? Time flies when you're working/mommying/cleaning/cooking/scrambling for cash. I feel like I'm always doing SOMETHING, and yet nothing ever gets done. I can't tell you the last time my sink wasn't filled with dishes, let alone whipped out my sewing machine.

I've been trying to spend as much quality time with baby girl as possible. With working in the morning, and Trevor leaving a mere 4hrs before her bedtime, I feel like I don't get enough quality time with the munchkin. So, while she's awake I don't clean, don't exercise, try not to watch TV, don't blog or craft. I just hang out with baby girl.

Tonight was a rough one, where she needed to be in my arms the entire time, not a single nap her entire day. I couldn't seem to provide enough milk for her, which is easily the MOST frustrating thing for a mom. At least, for this mom.

I desperately want to get in the backyard and fix it... I ran across a picture from when we first saw the rental on Craigslist, and it's laughable to think they're the same yard. But, I just don't have the time. I get crap from my family for not going back up to town, when I just desperately need someone here to help me. Someone else to hold my precious one so I can get outside and fix up my yard, or do 17 loads of laundry. Trevor and I hardly have anytime together with him picking up doubles, and the last thing I want to do is chores the few hours we have.

Sigh. It's just been a rough night, and I need a creative outlet. I'm slowly clearing out and reorganizing the office for our new desk (which I need another able body to help me lift into the house, of course). I moved all the books into the living room, into the bookshelf that still needs to be put back on top of the TV like it was before the Epic Leak of 2010. For now, this rainbow will do it for me. (Oh, notice the new paint color, and white curtains in the living room? Very nice.)

Oh, I also made this cool washable fabric basket I found from HowAboutOrange, who found it on JezzePrints. So, I didn't iron the fabric in the first place, but it's not bad for a first try! Jezze's instructions were super clear, and easy to follow. It now resides in my linen closet holding baby medicines (and nail polish). I'm going to make two bigger ones to hold all the bottles underneath my sink.

All in all, I guess I haven't been completely neglecting the home (as I promised in the last post), I just don't have time to blog about it! I work on the dining room while I can, but pretty much any other projects (quilts, gifts, bedroom, etc) have had a kibosh put on them until I can get the yard under control. I want to have a BBQ at the house for my birthday at the end of the summer, which gives me 4mo to get it under control.

Attention, neglected home.

2010-04-23T23:40:00.001-07:00

Dear Alabama,

Don't think I've neglected you. These past few weeks have been a challenge. First, I started work. Then the Minnesota cousins came. Then, Dad almost died from food poisoning (almost=not really, but I'm being dramatic) and was unable to tackle your 6ft weeds on his day off.

But, don't fret little home. Saturday is the end of our sabbatical, and with Sunday's sun comes a new cleanliness and order you've never experienced since we've rented your tiny floorplan. And yes, we'll deal with the litter strewn about the house. We're grossed out too.

<3
Mama

The plus side... this quilt looks easy!

2010-04-15T16:32:00.000-07:00

How can I list the ways I love this quilt?

A. Colors are beautiful.
B. Fabrics are sassy.
C. Pattern is unexpected.
D. is for Ducks. LOVE them!
E. Actually piecing it looks EASY. Simple patchwork squares.
F. THIS is definitely my next quilt. :D

I found it on Sew Mama, Sew, in a Quilt of the Day post. It's by Ara Jane, for her nephew. Very very lucky boy.

Inspiration: Riley Blake

2010-04-14T17:59:00.001-07:00

I was my making my blog rounds this evening (when I should have been updating my mom's website, oops!) and I ended up on Homemade by Jill, where she was praising Riley Blake's fabric patterns. This led to some more clicking, and I ended up at Cutting Corners College, Riley's tutorial central.

The first tute is for a notebook/binder/folder type thing, called Writey Tidy. The fabrics are adorable, and the concept is fabulous! (Plus, it looks super easy).

It looks like there are only a few tutorials up there, but I'll definitely be checking back for new ones, as what's there now is certainly quality!

where do you find your favorite tutorials?

My man is a crafter.

2010-04-12T18:49:00.000-07:00

Oops, I mean gamer. Crafty gamer.

Except he doesn't play video games THAT often.

Um. Shoot. Why don't you just read his blog and let him explain why this monstrosity has taken over our garage.

Retro Refab

Getting Organized

2010-04-02T23:05:00.000-07:00

I know everyone's on a Spring Cleaning kick right now, to clear the house of clutter. For me though, I need to clear my head of clutter.

I've started already, by finally taking the plunge and deciding NOT to return to my previous employer. There was a lot of things learned, and lot of experience gained, but also a lot of time and energy wasted. But, whatevs, I've moved on.

Next, I need to seriously cut TV out of my life. Our living room is really the room we LIVE in, and the television is always on. I find myself hoping the baby sleeps so I can watch a show. How lame is that? We have OnDemand, fercry. We go upstairs to sleep and clean, and go into the kitchen for sustenance, but mostly we sit in front of the TV when we have some down time. It's just learned habits, but those can be broken. I'm starting that change with creating a real dining room, where we can actually sit and enjoy meals together as a family. Delaney is almost ready to get in a high-chair and have applesauce smeared all over her face! I don't want to miss that for a crappy season of American Idol.

I have way too many things to do to keep watching TV like I do. Like, working out, or cleaning, or working, or enriching the baby's mind, or crafting, or gardening, etc etc. In fact, I just turned it off. You'll be there in the morning, Real Housewives.

The BIGGEST reason for this revelation is that I start work on Tuesday. It's just part time, but I'm already feeling like I've fallen behind on house work. Add 4hrs taken away from my day, and nothing would get done if I didn't nip this in the bud.

I have a million excuses for why I'm so lazy. Baby nurses for 20min every two hours. Trevor is gone all afternoon and all night. I worked my ass of the past few years, who says I can't spend a couple months lazy? TV is background noise. Blah blah blah.

So, I have some scheduling to keep me in check:

- Pilates in the morning before work. I'll have to get up earlier, but it's important I take care of myself. (So far, I've lost 15lbs this month! But that's another story for my other blog)
- Do laundry Monday night, so Trevor has his Tuesday-Wednesday "weekend" to put away his share. (HUGE pet peeve of mine)
- Dishes done, kitchen cleaned, house swept before bed. Always.
- Clean the bathroom once a week. . Gross I know, don't judge, but I haven't been doing this. Lets say Thursday for this, after said "weekend".
- Get in the yard twice a week. Pull clovers in the front yard, attack various parts of the backyard. This will be easier as it gets warmer, and the baby gets older.

How do you other mommies keep it all together?

Why, hello beautiful.

2010-03-31T18:21:00.000-07:00

Yeah, be jealous. This mid-century modern beauty is headed into my dining room in about a week. The woman selling it is a friend of my grandma's, as she's had to move into a home. Her realtor wants to keep it staged as long as possible, and I need to clean out our office/dining room/storage/cat play pen to properly house this piece of art.

I think I'll reupholster the cushions, just because as funky as the fabric is, it's not exactly our style, and looks like it would collect a TON of cat hair.

What do you think of this buffet? Kinda ugly, but it has to come with the table. So, I'm thinking about selling it, or painting it. Then selling it. Maybe. Bright blue, perhaps?

New Gap Kids line!

2010-03-26T22:20:00.001-07:00

Oh my jeez. Why would I even CONSIDER making my own clothes for Delaney, when GapKids has these things around??

Photos via CocoPerez, obvs.

Welcome to the Jungle.

2010-03-23T16:31:00.000-07:00

AKA, my backyard.

When we first moved to Alabama, the backyard (and the bathroom) were the only pictures on Craigslist. The yard sold us! Dreams of AllieDog running freely, barbecue parties and veggie gardens danced in our heads. We moved in in February when everything was dormant and manageable...I quickly got to work carving out a piece of the sideyard for my tomatoes and zucchini, and potting fruits and flowers.

Then, April came, and I got pregnant. We both started working overtime, the summer heat rolled in, and found ourselves with a huge yard with no energy to tend it. I mean, we did our best: I'd occasionally spray weed killer (killing lawn patches along with weeds), and Trevor would mow every two weeks. But then winter rain came, with the baby following close behind, and we completely neglected our favorite asset of our rental.

So, for the purposes of honesty and motivation, is our current state of affairs:

Don't let the greenery fool you, that's all weed.

Long ago, a hydrangea lived here.

The meadow. There is a paved path leading to the deck (with more potted weeds)... can you find it?

More meadow, with overgrown lavender and some sort of palmy/ferny/spiky thing out there.

Far overgrown and deceased veggie garden, and yep, more weeds.

Excessive amounts of concrete, and general chaos. We DID buy that patio set for $100 on craigslist, custom made.

We really aren't bad people. Swear. It's just the circumstances listed above, the incredible amount of rain, and this being our first yard to take care of... the excuses go on and on. We tackled the front yard this week, which we have not let get as bad as the back. I still have some clovers to pull, and would like to add come colorful flowers in, but it's passable.

Inspiration: Mustard Festival

2010-03-14T22:58:00.000-07:00

photo via AhZut

It's that time of year in the Napa Valley, when the locals come out to celebrate the mustard flowers growing between the rows of vines, and along the highways. It's no surprise, then, that I'm currently obsessed with pops of yellow.

I already purchased Heather Bailey's Pocketbook in Tangerine, I just need to come up with the gumption to cut into it. I purchased a yard, so I think a pillow cover, and then a quilted wallet, so I can carry sunshine around in my purse at all times.

photo via Rachel Whiting
Yellow and other citrus colors against grey directly reminds me of winter turning into spring.

Our little house is yellow.

photo via Chiots Run
My lemon tree has a TON of teeny tiny lemons on it...soon enough they'll be big sweet Meyer lemons, perfect for lemonade.

photo via Tasi Fashion
I'm making an effort to be more fashionable as I lose this weight, and a yellow dress is perfect for spring/summer

Delaney looks good in yellow, yes?

photo via Poppyseed Living
While I love the shabby look, it doesn't work in my house (shappy paint+copious amounts of pet fur = MESS). However, I have my side dresser, and Trevor's side dresser to paint, and since I paid exactly $0.00 for each, why not paint them yellow? Guess I'd need bedding to coordinate.

photo via Past Enchantments
Cute cute cute! On a dark grey cardigan? Yes.

DIY: Ironing Board Cover

2010-03-14T13:04:00.000-07:00

My ironing board was in desperate need for a facelift. It's nothing fancy, just a cheapo package deal from Walmart, something like $10 for the board and pad. This in itself was not too ugly (I mean, it's only an ironing board), but one day I found out just how sharp my rotary blade was, and ruined it for life. I continued using it, with some frustration, but too cheap to buy a new cover, or use pretty fabric to recover it.

But then, when decorating onesies with my sister, we completely destroyed the thing with iron on transfers. Oops.

Hot mess, hmm?

Luckily, Sew4Home JUST had a tutorial of how to make an ironing board cover. That, paired with common sense, and a discarded body pillow case, helped me create my new (if plain) ironing board!

I'm not so great with rolled hems and curves yet, so I sorta just made pockets at the challenging parts. But, its works fine for my purposes, and sure looks a whole lot better that the previous. Lesson learned about the rotary.

To-Do: Make pretty stuff.

2010-03-09T00:06:00.001-08:00

I guess it's good the baby doesn't sleep much during the day, or I might get in more trouble. I purchased three different fabrics yesterday, from three different Etsy sellers, with three different shipping costs. Blah. Good thing everything is cute (and fat quarters. Yay cheap.)

This, as I mentioned, is a potential bedroom color inspiration. I'm thinking pillow shams? I love the almost citrus green against that light blue!

Okay, this just SCREAMS spring to me. It's been rather gloomy here, and I'm ready for some sunshine. I bought a whole yard of this, so I have some options. Use for a springy quilt? Make some sort of bag tote? Staple to a canvas frame for instant color gratification? The possibilities are endless.

This is a linen/cotton blend. I'm thinking a new wallet? Or maybe a skirt for Delaney.

Any suggestions?

QFH: Finally finished, and moving on.

2010-03-06T22:16:00.000-08:00

Well, the Quilt From Hell is finally finished, without any help from this guy:

As much as I'm still in love with the color and texture combination, I'm now fully aware that I should have combined them in, say, a collection of throw pillows, rather than trying to create a cohesive unit out of four totally incompatible fabrics. Originally I was just planning on creating a pocket and turning it inside out, then doing simple line quilting over the top, but no. Boyfriend insisted it was too light, just as I was about to finish the last side. So, because I'm so over this thing, and really just wanted to get it done, I pieced together two lightweight fleece blankets and tacked them to the inside.

Then I finished sewing around the edges, flipped it right side out, and quilted straight lines down the middle of the squares. Only one direction, however, because despite being as careful as possible with this clunky, awkward thing, certain fabrics stretched more than others, and I was left with a bubble in the middle. Awesome. Needless to say, no pictures, and it's a great blanket to throw on the floor for baby. Enrich her mind, and crap like that.

Eventually, somewhere down the road I'll tear it apart and quilt it properly, but only after I've beefed up my skill set. You know, using quilting weight fabrics only for a while. Maybe trying a smaller size as well. I'm apparently not a big fan of baby steps.

As I mentioned, my best best friend is pregnant, and I'd LOVE to do a quilt for her baby. She's using my favorite Mendocino line as inspiration for the baby's room, after some not so subtle hints from me. I decided it was too romantic for me, but it works perfectly for her. So maybe I'll finally use that in a baby quilt for her. Precut, yes :)

Alexander Henry Zoo Primary

Tanya Whelan Dolce Grey
*actually, this is where I want to go with our bedroom color scheme.

Joel Dewberry Meadow, Lake
*mm, scratch that, maybe this. Hah, all over the place, much?

Tanya Whelan, Dolce Pink
*perfect for Delaney's room!

Then of course, you have Moda to make things even easier. The strip width makes me a little nervous, with 2.5" ea, and a 1/4" seam allowance, it doesn't leave much room for error. But this one is sooo pretty. And on sale!

I think someone told me ebay is a good place to find pre-cut fabric, squares even! But I don't see anything that strikes my fancy. I want to make inspired beautiful quilts like Christina and use gorgeous fabrics like Jeni. The Joann's and Hancock's around here are just not doing it for me. What's your favorite fabric source?

Loving: Urban Outfitters

2010-02-26T00:55:00.000-08:00

I used to go to Urban Outfitters every week when I lived in Florida. While there is one in SF, they're way too expensive for my means right now, and I even stopped looking at their website. Oh, silly me. How could I forget the awesome that is UO?

For example, a solution to my jewelry storage crisis:

Birdcage Jewelry Stand, available in 4 colors

Hand Quilted Velvet Pillow. DIY idea much?

Owl Couple Printed Cotton Rug. Our bathroom needs some personality, why not some purple owls?

Strawberry Roots Wall Art. How cute would this be in a little girl's room? (Yeah, I know. Baby room pictures. Soon, friends.)

Enough said, really.

DIY idea: Ruffley Goodness Duvet Cover

2010-02-21T10:44:00.000-08:00

The more and more I think about yesterday's post, the more I HAVE to make a duvet cover.

It's between the two Urban Outfitter knock offs I mentioned, Waterfall Ruffle, and Tuxedo Ruffle. Both look deceptively easy, but so so cozy. Technically, the Tuxedo version is a quilt, but I'm sure it'd look fine as a duvet cover, right? And if not, I can always rip out the seams, and insert a batting.

Either way, I need to bone up on my ruffle skills. I love either version in a grey, ooh, or maybe a light turquoise. Something muted, almost neutral, so I don't get sick of it so fast.

Does anybody know of a great tutorial on how to make a duvet cover? I've considered putting two flat sheets together (I've already mentioned my family's aversion to them), but I'll easily need more than 2 sheets if I want all the ruffles to be the same color.

PS. I need to redesign this blog page. It's boring the heck out of me.

To-Do: Master Bedroom

2010-02-19T21:20:00.001-08:00

My bedroom depresses me.

Okay, not TERRIBLY, but its definitely one of the most sparse rooms in the house, and since it's not pretty, it often becomes a 15x12" laundry hamper. So then, I have nights like tonight, when I spend hours picking up dirty clothes with a baby strapped to my chest. (Let me tell you, my thighs are KILLING from the careful squats to pick things up without waking her!)

As you may know, I work best off of lists. So, a list of design ideas for our bedroom, to be bought when I have the money, or to to be recreated with crafty flair when I don't. (The latter is more frequent.)

Jewelry Storage

Gorgeous, hmm? I've been spending a lot of time up in my bedroom this evening, purging and organizing, and I came to the realization that I definitely need some sort of jewelry display. Too often necklaces end up in my undie drawer, and become tangled and broken. The picture above is from Design*Sponge. Who wants to buy me a jigsaw for my birthday?

I've seen variations on the framed jewelry board too, and if I found a particularly special frame, this might do. But, it does seem somewhat busy if you have a TON of jewelry, which I do not.

Then of course there is the ultimate lazy DIY version.

Bedding
Since we've lived together, our bedding has been cheap Tarjay/Walmart separates combined with retired duvet covers from my mom. Once, we stood in front of the wall of duvet covers at Ikea, and picked the most neutral one up there, because everything I wanted was too girly, and everything he wanted was too masculine. Ooh, grey tonal blocks. Exciting.

Ultimately, bedding is what truly makes a bedroom. It's the visual centerpiece that beckons for you to come spend more time between the sheets. Ooh, look how cozy I am. Come cuddle.

We currently have a dark cherry four poster bed, that's super high. Another mom handmedown, but it's a grown up step up from our previous Craigslist Ikea Malm bed. It's pretty similar to the photo, but the headboard is round. And it's up against our big window facing the street.

This ruffle duvet cover from Urban Outfitters looks like a great base to a cozy, dreamy bed. But for $128? Mmm, not so much. Broke, remember? This could be a great DIY project, however. My first sewing project was a bag similar to this. Same thing for their tuxedo ruffle set. Something textural and neutral, with awesome throw bright pillows. Yes please.

I'm also thinking I need to rearrange the room. With the bed in front of the window, we pretty much always need to keep the curtains drawn, which even with white curtains, makes our dark room even darker. I think I should finish Trevor's nightstand too. That thing has been sitting stripped in the garage for months now. Now if only I had the time to do any one of these things!

The end is near!

2010-02-18T16:02:00.000-08:00

The hole is patched up, and the plaster is resurfaced. Now we just need to paint!

Paint is going to completely change this room. First, we're going with a flat paint, duh. The walls are super textured, and any sort of sheen makes it look cheap. And then, see how dark it was in previous pictures? The plain plaster on the wall makes it instantly so much brighter in here!

So, I'm going with a lighter slate grey, in a blue tone still. That way, I don't have to buy new accessories, and it will go with the cream color currently on the walls, and the wood floors and furniture. It should also be close to the same color as the couch on the opposite wall, making it all come together.

Then, I just need to get some white curtains in here, and I think I'm going to go the drop cloth + grommet route. Even at Ikea a two-panel white curtain with big grommets is $40. Champagne taste on a beer budget here.

The title of this post also refers to my hiatus... I'm getting the swing of this mommy deal, and my best best friend is expecting! (Funny story, would belong on TLC if she didn't find out sooner.) She's super crafty like me, and is good at the imagination aspect. She's a painter, and made these little guys all on her own, or without knowing about Etsy really. (she's on Etsy now, click the image for a link). I'm a workhorse, and good about big picture stuff. We have big plans of starting our own interior decorating company. So, I'm really looking forward to getting back into baby decorating (which reminds me, I've never done a finished product post about Delaney's room. I'll get to that soon.)

Hope all is well, and that I may have a few readers left. Maybe?

No mold, but cold.

2010-01-29T18:56:00.000-08:00

So, my living room is still torn up.

>
My landlords are waiting on a construction bid, and then we'll be waiting on an insurance agent to come take a look-see, so it might be like this for longer than expected.

The good news is, I'm told there's no mold, but that's not to say it's not musty. Cold too! All the living room heat is escaping right up through that hole. If squint, you can pretend it's a cool exposed brick section of some chic urban loft. But only if you squint all day long. Otherwise, its a black hole, making my living room darker than it already is during the winter. Boo.

The only shining light in all of this is how accommodating and efficient my landlords have been. The day after I reported it, we had someone looking at it, and fixing the roof. Two days after that, it's torn up and drying (and smelly, unfortunately). Now, with more work expected than originally planned, they're making sure were okay and happy., and letting us know every step of the way. What more can I ask for, really, in this situation?

And so it begins....

2010-01-27T09:43:00.000-08:00

(what were we thinking using semi-gloss paint for that wall?)

Its definitely interesting the thing you hear when the contractors think you're out of earshot.... "You see what that is? Termite dust."

Great. Glad I'm renting.

To be continued.....

Rain, rain go away

2010-01-22T10:44:00.001-08:00

Well, I never thought I'd restart this blog before my maternity leave was up, especially not in these 2wks that Trevor is in Boston for training. However, Mother Nature had another idea.

The torrential downpours found a hole in the roof, and finally broke thru the original plaster, and who-knows-how-many layers of paint. Clearly, this is not a issue specific to this storm, as this house and roof tiles are from 1934. I'm sure water has been leaking down for years, and finally was no match for El Niño.

Thank god I'm a renter.

So, the contractor came today and took a look, and is sending a roofer over to patch up the roof and replace cracked tiles. It's only a quick fix, as it's still raining today, and is supposed to rain all of next week. Once it finally dries out, the real work begins.

The original hardwood in that corner is warping, and the subfloor underneath it is soaked. That wall section and ceiling section has to be ripped out and replaced. Once they tear it out, I'm sure they're going to find black mold. I watch enough HGTV to know, hah.

This is all happening just a few weeks before our one-year anniversary here, and even with the problems, I'm still looking forward to the remaining year in our lease, if not adding another year on. Maybe this will be good, and the landlords will let us help make some cosmetic decisions. We'll see. We do know we'll have to spend a week or so at my mom's place when the work's being done, I'm sure as hell not sticking around with my newborn and a tarp over the front of our house.
They're going to have to rip out and replace that wall section, if not more.

Hiatus

2010-01-01T17:12:00.001-08:00

We're a little busy.

Photography is clearly not my strong point.

2009-12-20T22:52:00.000-08:00

So I finally got back on our iMac today - we've had bad internet issues. Apparently I unplugged the wrong thing?

Anyway, I just looked back at my seemingly ingenious iPhone updates. Here, I thought I was soooo smart, taking pictures with the iPhone, resizing on the computer, reloading the the iPhone, uploading on Photobucket app, then placing on Blogger. But now when I look at them full size, they're TERRIBLE!

Ugh. How am I supposed to garner any sort of following with bad pictures and lazy tutorials?

Anyway. I took some pictures of the 98% finished nursery, even some artsy, OhDeeDoh worthy shots. So I should get a nice tour up here soon. The weather has been grey, and my CyberShot is no SLR, but it's definitely better than that iPhone.

Ruffles gone wrong.

2009-12-18T22:45:00.000-08:00

Well, I attempted this ruffle necklace from Happy Together. Super easy, super cute (at least on her tan collarbones), and I actually perfected it.

The only problem? I did it in the closest fabric to me, which happened to be the hot pink from the crib skirt. And oh right, I've gained almost 50lbs with this pregnancy, and I haven't been tan in months. So, instead of the hipster, dreamy necklace I was aiming for, it's more Fat Kid on a Luau. Not cute.

It's still something I'd like to perfect, as a baby friendly accessory. I have big plans to lose weight and get back to cute me after this baby finally makes her way out (as seen here at SkinnyChels). Maybe I'll post pictures once I wash my hair or something, and kind a grass skirt to coordinate with my lei-ish disaster from tonight.

I'm no Grinch.

2009-12-13T16:41:00.000-08:00

I decided on no Christmas tree this year. With the baby coming, our tiny living room, and relative staying with us in that tiny living room after that baby is born, it just seemed like far too much of an undertaking. I do all the day-to-day maintenance cleaning in the house, and my tired 39wk pregnancy body was not looking forward to sweeping pine needles every day.

Well, I fear I broke my boyfriend's heart. He's a big kid, really. His normal tough-guy bravado melts at the sight of Disney Christmas specials, the taste of peppermint ice cream, or the smell of pine. So when I laid down the Christmas tree law, any enthusiasm for the season seemed to fizzle out of him.

Personally, I left work two days early for mat leave, and am now 4 days into my indefinitely long 'weekend.' Last week we had what we thought were progressive contractions, and expected a baby by the weekend. (Doc's exact words, 'we'll make an appointment for next week, but I don't think we'll make it.') Well, no baby, and I'm starting to slowly lose my mind. The rainy weather probably has something to do with it.

Either way, this little house needed some cheer. And, just because we don't have a tree, who's to say we can't be merry? So, I took a cue from store front windows, and made a nice little Christmas display out of ornaments we bought 3 yrs ago.

I'm planning on recreating the same thing in our street-side bedroom window, then hanging some lights outside (once it dries a bit, and my chances of electrocution or falling lessen.) Also planning a holiday card display like CensationalGirl in our stairwell. But for now, those can wait. I know Santa Trev will be so excited when he drives up late tonight to a festive, glowing home. Even if there isn't a newborn in it yet. :)

Rocker Re-Do: Part Two

2009-12-11T20:56:00.000-08:00

After two makeovers, and a whole lot of Gorilla Glue and staples, I think we finally have a keeper. Let's take a trip through this rocker's short, but colorful history.

The original:
Dusty, ricketty mess. Free, but Trevor deems it 'fugly' and refuses to even help me carry it into the house.

The sequel:
Sanded down, white paint, and blue fabric. We didn't know the sex of the baby yet, and I tried to convince Trev the flowers made it neutral. However, once we found out it was a girl, and started the baby's room, it failed to fit in. Luckily, I was able to salvage the fabric.

The finale (until baby #2):
Thanks to an afternoon with my amazingly talented friend Kelly, I recovered the chair in the same (free) fabric we did the changing pad in. While this fabric was obnoxiously bright, and I figured Trevor would hate it, he actually was the one who requested it!

I couldn't help but include the photo with my ham of a dog, Allie. She seems to keep slipping into these nursery photos. I think she might think it's HER room. Official nursery tour coming very soon, I'm just waiting for the final piece to come from my new favorite Etsy seller. Any clue on how I can get it on OhDeeDoh?

DIY: felt birdy mobile

2009-12-07T20:00:00.000-08:00

No baby yet, but I've been plenty busy getting ready for her. We haven't had any extra cash (do we ever?) so I've been super creative with what I have around the house. Personally I think it makes everything better. I'm careful with the supplies I do have, with precise cutting and a 'slow and steady wins the race' mentality.

First up, that mobile I've been talking about for weeks. Some bright felt, and a couple mock-ups later, I came up with something sweet and simple that I couldn't be happier with. Trevor absolutely loves it as well :) As an extra bonus, I now have a pattern to make some cheap and meaningful Christmas ornaments for family/friends. Giving is something I love most about the season, and now I don't have to worry about showing up Christmas morning empty-handed.

Wait, what's that? Is that a different fabric on the rocking chair? I think it is.... That'll wait for the next post, because my iPhone doesn't take great pictures at night.

*edit* Ugh, sorry about that. This is my first blogger update via iPhone, and first time using my photobucket app. I know those images are size massive. I'll fix @ work tomorrow. -C

DIY: Simple Crib Skirt

2009-11-22T23:49:00.000-08:00

This was ridiculously simple, and I made it a two-evening long project. Pathetic? No. I think my over meticulousness on something as easy as this was good practice for the more challenging sewing projects I have on deck.

Last night I measured the crib, and did a mock up with some $0.50/yard white cotton. I just turned the seams once, left strings hanging, etc etc. Trevor liked it and the dimensions were right. Can't ask for much more!

So today, I busted out a flat sheet from Target. My family has an aversion to flat sheets, so we have plenty to go around. This one was hot pink, from my middle sister. I checked sizing last night, and I have plenty to do the sheet and the outside panels of the bumpers.

Today I slowed down, and took a long time measuring and ironing. I promised Trevor that I'm going to do things to the best of my ability from now on. Former projects were done haphazardly... not half assed, but once I hit the point of less than 100% confidence, I'd just rush to get the job finished.

Not tonight tho! I cut 5 panels:

2 of 19x29
2 of 19x53
1 of 29x53

I used the big panel as the anchor, so to speak, of the entire skirt. Basically, its the piece pinched in between the mattress and the springs, keeping the skirt in place. The four other panels were sewed to it, making a big cross, or "t". I left an inch on every side, and made some fancy, professional looking seams. Turned and pressed once, then turned again and did a simple straight stitch.

It wasn't until I was putting the skirt in the crib that I realized you only see one sewn hem, and one other panel, since the crib is place in the corner - but again, the meticulousness will pay off later. And I promised :)

The bumpers will have the same pinks on the outside, and a still-to-be-decided contrasting/coordinating fabric on the inside. I'm going to go thru all the fabric I have and see if anything works with the other fabric/colors in the room - if not, I need to wait for a big sale at Hancock fabrics.

Oh, in other news, I finished the changing pad cover last night! The elastic was ridiculously easy to sew in. I owe a BIG thanks to the girls at Prudent Baby for giving me the confidence to jump in. And, of course, the Free Cycler from a few months ago that gave me enough notions to last a lifetime.

Now it's 1am, and I have heartburn, and work in the morning. I think it's time for bed.

:-)

Overstimulated.

2009-11-18T18:38:00.000-08:00

I haven't been around in a while, and I don't have a good excuse. (Nope, baby's still safely tucked away in my tummy.)

I realized tonight while driving, checking facebook on my phone, listening to the radio, and stuffing my face with Gardettos Honey Mustard and Onion pretzels, that I was bored. Bored! How could I be doing all of these things, and still be bored? My drive home is a mere 30 minutes long on a bad day, and I had even taken a 15min break to do some shopping at Walmart halfway thru. I think I've developed some form of situational adult ADD.

At work, I'm constantly in motion, both mentally and physically. Rush jobs, micromanaging bosses, emails, orders... all day long I'm thinking, blinking, clicking. I get in the car, and I can't just sit in silence. If I don't have someone to call on the way home (either my mom or a friend) I get anxious, and dangerously fool around on my iPhone. I get home, and turn on the TV. Watch the news, checking email or Facebook on my phone during the commercials, get up to make dinner, and then sit back down for the rest of the night, because I'm so mentally wiped. Watching shit TV just to have something to do.

The truth is, I have a million things to do. I could do the dishes, I could take out the garbage, I could play with my dog, I could do some laundry, I could take a bath and read a book, I could work on the family tree for Delaney's room, I could feed the animals... the list goes on and on. And when Trevor is home, I DO do all these things! But when he's gone, I turn into a big couch potato.

I do find it ironic that I'm blogging about an addiction to electronics, but at least I'm not suffering thru a bad Drew Barrymore movie because it's the best thing on.

My BabyCenter email told me to slow down this week, and do less. Enjoy the time. I think my problem is I'm not doing enough of the stuff that will truly satiate me. I need to put the phone away, turn off the TV, turn on some music, and truly do the things that I say I love to do. I mean, when you introduce yourself to someone, you don't say your favorite hobby is watching mindless TV, do you?

Starting tonight. I'll put some comfy clothes on and do the dishes. Then take out the garbage. Then sweep the floor, pull out the sewing machine, and get elastic on that unfinished changing pad cover. I gotta start somewhere, right?

Baby's Room : Finishing Touches

2009-11-09T18:17:00.000-08:00

Anybody know where I can get a good tutorial for making a changing pad cover? Mine has contoured sides, and the cover that's on their currently has elastic along the bottom. I suppose I could do it without the elastic, and just use some velcroed straps or something.

BUT I've promised Trevor that everything I make for the room will look as finished and professional as possible. So any help is appreciated :) I know I can tear apart the current one, and use it as a template for the majority of the piece, its just that finishing fitted touch that only our dear friend elastic can bring.

I'm going to use the same fabric from that first baby blanket for the cover, and then for the rocking chair as well.

They're across the room from one another, and separated by lots of white furniture, so I think we'll be okay. And then, I'll use the remaining bits of it as the piping along the edges of the bumpers (using my favorite tutorial from Sew4Home), and maybe some scraps in the crib quilt as well. That way it's cohesive, but not too overwhelming. It is a pretty stinkin' bright fabric. The rest of the fabric used in the room is going to be pretty simple pimple. Maybe some sort of graphic floral for one side of the bumper, but a chill polka dot on the other. Or chill polka dot on both sides. Who knows. We'll see.

This reader-submitted version from the Sew4Home site is more up my alley:

Also! I've decided on the window treatments. Instead of curtains (which I'll have to hang new hardware for), I got some suede roman shades from FreeCycle, that I'm going to just put new fabric right on top of. That way, the suede acts as a black out when we need to have her go nappy, and I can still have something fancy and pretty facing into the room.

Baby's Room: Work in Progress

2009-11-07T17:15:00.000-08:00

Tuesday is 35 weeks, so we're starting to feel the pressure. Delaney's room is our favorite in the house right now! It gets the best light, is the only one without cat hair, and everything is just fresh and light and beautiful. Seriously, Trevor spends his days off up there building furniture, or painting, I'm up there on my evenings organizing clothes and all the other crap that comes with a baby. Then when Trevor gets home from work late at night, we hang out up there for 30min to and hour, recapping what we did that day, and what we still want to do.

Some pictures :)

These were first thing in the morning, with just the sunlight and our tired digital camera. Once we're done, we'll take better shots of it.

Still to do:
- Get the mattress, hah, and make the bed. Still deciding if we're going to buy a crib set, or if I'm going to make one.
- Change the knobs on the dresser, and touch up the paint.
- Make an entire changing pad cover from that same fabric.
- Get artwork up on the wall, we got some super cute (and cheap!) hot pink frames from Ikea.
- Re-recover the rocking chair. The blue Joel Dewberry fabric I have on there currently isn't working with everything else.
- Get a cube shelving unit like this one from Target as another storage/bookshelf piece. Except in white. :)

Aaaand then some staging, and we're done! The hard work right now is getting the rest of our house ready for her. Well, our bedroom, mostly. It's not glamorous in the slightest, our bedroom is like the boyfriend we don't want anyone to know about. Reliable, but treat it like crap. We have good pieces in there, our bed is gorgeous, I got Trevor this amazing antique dresser when we first moved back from Florida, its actually the only room in the house with window treatments we like, lol. But, it just gets used and abused. Piles of dirty laundry on the floor, the bed is never made, piles of clean laundry on the flat surfaces. I mean, it's real life, but with the baby coming into our room for a few months, I need to make sure we don't break an ankle in the middle of the night .

Baby's Room: It's coming together.

2009-10-31T21:06:00.000-07:00

*disclosure* I haven't figure out how to add a "click thru for more!" link. So, you're just going to have to read all the way thru. :D

Okay, well. I might have embellished a *little* bit. Today we were PLANNING on painting. We went to Home Depot, got the paint, cleared out the room, and Trevor taped off the room. But, just as we were about to get brushes and rollers out of the plastic, Trevor got called into work.

I mean, work is good, especially with me having faux-swine flu all week. Any, he normally works Saturdays, so meh. We'll paint tomorrow morning and let it dry the rest of the day after he leaves.

We are sticking with purple, as I talked about here and here. Except, instead of keeping the cream on the bottom, we're going to do the whole wall in purple, and do a wide white stripe across the middle of the room. Somewhat like this:

But reversed, obviously, and with purple not green. C'mon, you're imaginative people, right?

We've also purchased (and are anxiously awaiting) our crib and bassinet. They're different than what we were originally considering, but after getting the rocking chair and dresser/changer for free, we changed our plan a bit, and are just as happy about it :)

Crib:

Baby Mod - Roxanne

Bassinet:

Angel Line Gliding Cradle and LoveSeat (in white, not the wood tone)

Dresser and rocking chair (and camera hog AllieDog running in for the shot):

The dresser is a handmedown from my good friend. We're going to change the knobs into some brushed aluminum square ones like these:

The rocking chair you've seen before, after I recovered it in that Joel Dewberry fabric. I admit, I did it in the blue when I was hoping that it was a boy... now with our colors the light purple and hot pink, we're going to recover it again. I only need a little bit, so maybe some fancy stuff from Etsy?

Oh, and we've figured out our "theme". I put it in quotations, because it's just a super lose theme. It's "air and sky". Sorta. Hah. Like, we're incorporating it more in the decorative details than in her bedding and stuffed animals. And we're obviously not painting a huge blue sky mural on the wall or anything! Some items we want to use:

Papillon Butterfly Wall Art

Hip in a Hurry - 13" Clouds

18" Custom Name Decal

Sweet Dreams Letterpress Poster

Inspiration: Hanging quilt

2009-10-27T21:25:00.000-07:00

Oh yes, I'm going to do two posts in one day. That's my little gift to all 3 of my followers who have been patiently waiting for a new post (or, who just forgot about me in my personal chaos.)

I was reading thru Prudent Advice for my Baby Daughter today, after stumbling on the sister blog, Prudent Baby. (Like the plug, ladies?) In between #202 and #201, I found this picture:

I like the idea of scattered colorful letters appliqued on white, with a little love note to replace the emo sentiment on the right. Something like "I love you" or "You are my sunshine" or "mommy's scared to death, but she's going to do her damnedest to raise you right."

I've been wanting a hanging quilt for her room, and this one brings in the alphabet aspect I wanted, along with the typography print I've been looking for. I think it's perfect. AND, I really don't have to do any QUILTING, persay. No patchwork, just appliquing the letters on, but if I sew thru the quilt sandwich, it'll hold together.

Yes. Pretty much feeling like a genius right now.

Bassinet Bitterness

2009-10-27T15:11:00.000-07:00

So, I've got a modern/contemporary style, right? Clean lines, IKEA fan... I mean, hello, when we first found out we were having a girl, I automatically put a kibosh on light pink frilly crap. Bassinets and all their accouterment usually fall into this category. However, we do need one for a few reasons:

A - I have a very cuddly fat cat, and having the baby 20ft away in her own crib, I'd be worried that Boner would be in there with her before she's ready.

B - It's very chilly in our 1934 rental during the winter, and rather than leave a baby in her own room with a space heater, we can just heat our bedroom for the 3 of us. (okay, the 5 of us when you consider the dog and the previously mentioned fat cat.)

Luckily, we found a PERFECT one at Babies R Us, and promptly put it on our registry.

It's from Kidsline, part of the Jungle Pop collection. It like the clean lines, the lack of frill, and the neutrality of it. We are planning on another baby eventually, and this stuff isn't cheap! Okay great, perfect, and it goes with our modern crib, scan the item, walk away.

Yeah. All peachy keen until we get an email from Babies, saying it's been discontinued. Angry! Our local one doesn't have it in store (I have a feeling the father that bought the floor model of our Amy Coe crib the first time we were there also bought this from under our noses.) There are about 20 in the Bay Area, even if Modesto is REALLY Central Valley.

So what's a girl to do? There is seriously NOTHING comparable in price and design on the market. Whatsoever. I've looked for hours on end. If I had an extra grand lying around, I might buy the Offi Nest:

But seriously, if I had a grand lying around I would, you know, pay my rent?

So the search continues. It's not like we have a baby due in 49 days or anything.

Busy Bee

2009-10-22T19:24:00.000-07:00

I swear I'm about to explode! I have so so so much to do in the next two days, then it's the baby shower, and on Sunday I can breathe!! My house is clean, at least.

Hah. I know I'm lying to myself. There's no time to breathe with the baby due in 7 wks. But at least after the shower I can start working on Delaney's room. I've decided on going on Mat Leave 2wks before she's due, which is like December 4th ish...even that long of a time is freaking me out, but better safe than sorry! I have this weird feeling she's going to come early, since the whole pregnancy has been so freaking easy so far.

Now I should get of this poor, neglected blog, and get to the graphic design work I have to do tonight...so much.

Nesting panic.

2009-10-10T23:44:00.000-07:00

Well, it's started.

We have 9 weeks left to go, and I feel 100% unprepared. Hah, new mom much?

I'm not quite at the "down on the floor with a toothbrush" panic, and I think that's simply only because I refuse to clean around clutter. So, this week I've really tackled the projects I've been procrastinating: Delaney's closer (formerly electronic chaos), the office (former post-move storage/staging area) and the garage (former dark dungeon of doom.)

Most of these projects aren't picture worthy, because it's mostly just clearing out a messy space into a blank one. There's been little to no actually "decorating" happening, just doing all the ground work. Money has been really really stinkin' tight around here, and I know Delaney will love us more with a roof over her head, than a 100% perfectly decorated home. (I mean, baby eyesight SUCKS right out of the gate, she won't be able to tell for a couple weeks).

While I've been bettering our home by cleaning and organizing, nothing's been very visually or creatively stimulating. In fact, this week two of my picture frames broke :( . So, I took some time this afternoon to make a super simple baby blanket out of some of the fabric I got from FreeCycle this week. It's blue flannel on one side, and a blue tiny floral on the other, so I added an applique pink heart in the corner. Too bad my sewing machine kept acting up, or my stitched border would have been better. But, it's adorable, and satisfied my creativity for the next couple days.

Completely MIA

2009-10-03T18:15:00.000-07:00

Oh my jeez, am I the worst person ever? The last two weeks have been CRAZY! I haven't been blogging about my home-improvements, because I've barely had time to do the dishes. Like, I'm out of clean forks and spoons right now. These couple minutes I'm writing this apology blog is my procrastination in action - there's SO much to do around the house, and getting started is the hardest part.

Monday was my birthday! 22 years old, and 7mo pregnant - where does the time go? My amazing boyfriend schemed the two weeks before hand, and on Friday he whisked me off for a whirlwind trip to NYC. He got both our moms involved, and even my grandma, to help out with the celebrations. Such a good boy :)

That night we caught a redeye (courtesy of Jet Blue flight benefits, of course) to JFK. Landed at 5:30am, navigated the subway bleary-eyed, and got to our hotel (The Wyndham Chelsea West, appropriately) at 7am. I crashed for 2 hrs while Trevor planned out our day.

Started in line for Broadway tickets, and ended up buying West Side Story tixs from a scalper (if we had gone to Mary Poppins, we might have caught a glimpse of Brad and Maddox!). Then we went to Ground Zero, walked thru the Memorial Preview Site, and watched some street vendors get busted by a NYPD officer wearing a Fresno State sweatshirt. After a breakfast of Dunkin' Donuts, we went to the Empire State building and did the typical touristy things. The lines were short, and the day was clear - what more could we ask?

Then, we were determined to find Tom Collichio's 'WichCraft, and after walking about 20 blocks, finding two closed for the weekend, we finally ended up at 30 Rock. We were too late for a tour of NBC Studios, but we found an open 'WichCraft, which was simply amazing. I decided I deserved a DietCoke!

Then, we walked around Times Square for an hour, and Trevor noticed I was fading fast - all our trips are usually this fast-paced, I just haven't done one since I've been pregnant! After another nap for him, and another 1/3 of the new Dan Brown book for me, we went down to Broadway.

West Side Story was AMAZING - Trev knew the story line, but had never seen the movie, let alone a play. Our seats were pretty decent, the cast was amazing, and when we left the theatre, it was raining. What's more romantic than wet city streets in Times Square?

The next day we slept in, went to lunch with a local friend, and found Yogurt Land in Greenwich Village. It was so nice to be part of a local's area for a few minutes, after the tourist over-load from the day before. Next time we come to the city, we need to stay there - there's enough food options to eat somewhere different 4x a day, for a month!

Then Monday it was back to work - and we've been busy recently (thank god!). Today is my first moment really to look around and say "yeaahhh my house is a mess." My sister is coming over for dinner tomorrow, and while she never judges, I just like to look like I have all my crap together. I'm also 100% overwhelmed with the lack of storage solutions and the amount of baby stuff about to infiltrate this tiny house. This weekend I need to purge, clean, and plan - the baby shower is in 3 wks, and we need to have everything set up to just put everything away!

I guess I've wasted enough time here for today - I picked up an incredible amount of sewing supplies (thread, notions, fabric, patterns, etc etc etc) via FreeCycle, so I'm sure I'll be back soon.

Pantry Cookies

2009-09-20T21:01:00.001-07:00

I was planning a big day of housecleaning today, without realizing that there isn't really anything to do! I've gotten so good about daily de-cluttering that there isn't a whole lot to do! So, what's a 22yr old playing house wife supposed to do before her man gets home? Bake cookies of course!

Problem #1: No vanilla extract. I have everything else in my pantry, including rolled oats. But, without the vanilla, how am I going to make oatmeal cookies? Bummer.

So, after researching for sugar cookies and googling "oatmeal cookies without vanilla extract" (bad results, fyi) I finally resigned to some boring sugar cookies, w/o frosting. Homemade cookies are still homemade cookies, right? I poured out my flour, then went into the pantry for the rest. Lo and behold, right above my sight-line, exactly one teaspoon of vanilla extract. Genius. Oatmeal cookies it is.

Ignore those couple of dishes in the sink, I've done 2 loads already.

So, I whip out our dusty trusty Kitchenaid, and start mixing. Problem #2: Get everything in and combined, get to the last ingredient before the oats, and realized that I didn't have any baking powder. Baking soda, salt, everything else, yeah. But at this point, far too along to turn around. So, I poured in the oats and hoped for the best.

Turned out pretty amazing! A little bit cakey versus chewy, but the flavor is there. The best part is I didn't need go to go the store and buy anything, everything was out of my pantry.

I guess I'll finish those last couple dishes now, so I look SUPER spectacular when Trevor gets home from work :)

DIY idea: Faux fur rug

2009-09-20T14:47:00.000-07:00

I know I haven't been around recently. Luckily, work's been CRAZY busy, which is a HUGE weight off of my shoulders. This summer has been one of ridiculous ups and downs, and while Trevor and I are happier than ever, the last "down" has left us playing catch up for the last two months.

Safe to say I haven't had any extra cash around to go buy fabric, much less the time to do anything!

Anyway, after Trevor left yesterday, I was watching Design on a Dime, and they had a GREAT idea for a custom rug. This was for a living room, but I've been tryin to find the perfect cozy rug for Delaney's room, and I think this option was amazing!

The original idea was something like this:

Using faux fur from the fabric store (here's some from Hancock Fabrics), and that nubby rug liner, to get a similar look for a fraction of the price.

Normally, I'm not super into high-loft rugs, since they can be difficult to vacuum, but one in a really low-traffic area like Delaney's room before, and while, she learns to crawl, I think it would be just perfect :)

Design Star: Antonio!

2009-09-13T20:00:00.000-07:00

I think I was going to cry if they called Dan's name. I am SO thrilled Antonio won! Yayyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!

QFH, revisited.

2009-09-12T21:05:00.000-07:00

Oh dear. Remember my quilt from hell? I blamed all my problems on the beautiful stretchy floral fabric, and after buckling down and piecing another 1/4 of it together last night, I realized the lady is not my problem.

It's that oh-so-soft micro suede. If you get something lined up perfectly, it slides, even WITH 5pins per 7" square. Bitter. From now on, I will only use REAL upholstery fabric to upholster things, cover pillows, or make dog beds. Pinky swear.

Today was the perfectly grey, rainy day I've been waiting for to work on the quilt. It's still NOT done, since piecing takes 4x longer than it should thanks to my obsession with texture. I have a hot-pink flat sheet from a step sister, that matches the hot pink on the inside of the flowers. I don't even know what the finished size is I'm planning on, but it's basically just something for Trevor and I to cuddle under. I was more than happy to sit with piles of fabric on my lap today to keep me warm!

I haven't gotten the laundry room set up yet, so my workzone is currently the living room floor.

Isn't this gorgeous? It's the color inspiration behind Delaney's room, so I'm going to use it to make her bumpers, and maybe some other decorative items around the room (sparingly, of course. No fabric covered lamp bases for me, thx). My only concern is that I bought it from Hancock Fabrics, and I can't find it online. I'm worried it might be gone forever. :(

Hey, hey girl.

2009-09-11T19:54:00.000-07:00

I didn't realize these things made it around blogs, too!

Making : plans for Delaney's crib set, homemade.
Cooking : Eggplant parm. Anybody know a good recipe?
Drinking : ice cold water
Reading: Trashy gossip mags left on the plane, that my darling boyfriend brings home every week.
Wanting: A shirt dress and leggings from American Apparel.
Looking: at the sunset thru the big living room window.
Playing: dress up with old clothes.
Wasting: energy worrying about work drama.
Sewing: the quilt-from-hell for Trevor and I
Wishing: I could take off work now, and just focus on my little family.
Enjoying: my unscheduled weekend.
Waiting: for Trevor James to come home from work.
Liking: how clean the house is this week!
Wondering: when we'll ever paint LaneyBaby's room.
Loving: the strength of my relationship with Trevor in the face of chaos.
Hoping: that I can get better hours this week.
Marvelling: at the miracle of baby making. How is there something 13in long in there?
Needing: to get out and move this weekend.
Smelling: the spray starch I use for ironing.
Wearing: short dress I wore to work. Too hot to put on anything else!
Following: that new show Hoarders. Makes me feel like a perfect house wife.
Noticing: that my favorite colors are "in" again. Teals, purples, blues and greens. Yummmm.
Knowing: we will eventually come out of this financial hole we're in, and we'll laugh about how broke we were.
Thinking: of how many times I've said the above statement, and seen it come true.
Bookmarking: more tutorials to get around to.
Opening: my sewing basket for the first time in weeks.
Giggling: over Chelsea Lately's round table.
Feeling: like I might have heartburn later tonight. Oh pregnancy. You made me eat the jambalaya and melon jello.

I swear there'll be a ton of posts this weekend, as Trevor found our charger for the digi camera. I've been without it for about 6mo, and believe me, as a child of the MySpace generation, it was a huge challenge for me. Also, it's supposed to rain, which is of course, when I'm the most productive.

Coming up:
Delaney's fabulous new organized closet
Dining room chair recovery
Finished quilt top
Bread box revamp
Baby shower invites
Trevor's bedside table
Eggplant Parmesan
Office/dining room re-do

Inspiration: Stick it to me.

2009-09-08T21:15:00.000-07:00

So, the yardwork turned into a bigger project then planned... lets just say, when I got a little gungho with the power trimmer, I found out whoever painted the house last didn't do a thorough job. I've got some more to do out there to getting it looking nice.

Tonight, I'm obsessing about applique. More specifically, cute applique on baby clothes, like, perhaps a zip hoodie. I'm also particularly enamored with making one to coordinate with one I'll make for myself. Is that so wrong?

Anybody know where I can get plain zip hoodies for cheapy cheap?

Chelsea fall down, go boom.

2009-09-06T11:51:00.001-07:00

Ow.

Yesterday I learned a really great lesson. Apparently water + painted concrete doesn't make for the most stable surface. Ugh...I had left something in the car, and the sprinklers had just turned off, so I was prepared to run out to the car. WHAM, legs in the air, landed hard on my butt, banging my back on the steps. My first reaction was concern about Delaney of course, but she's just fine, been kicking like a little soccer player.

So, I hobbled to Home Depot today, and spent a whopping $12.97 on peel-and-stick treads. Considering a trip to the ER for falling COULD cost 100x that amt, I think it was a very good investment. But, I'm sure they'd give me some pretty amazing pain killers at the ER. I can't sit today, so I'll probably get more cleaning done. Don't I have all the fun?

Fall Cleaning?

2009-09-05T12:16:00.000-07:00

I've decided I need to ditch my broom, and get a Swiffer. Or, at least, shave the animals.

Having hardwood is SO nice, because I hate vacumming. but, even more so now that I see ALL the dirt and dust and hair that ends up all over the place. I know there's no way I was getting all that up with my trusty Kirby. So, for my birthday, I've asked for a normal Swiffer (the WetJet is pathetic), and a steam mop. I'm surprised Trevor and I haven't developed allergies with all the dust bunnies, but I can't expect the same of Delaney!

Speaking of the baby daddy, he's been gone in Rochester since Wednesday, and won't be back until Monday. I'm missing him so much. Normally, I'd just lay in bed, on the lap top, watching pathetic shows... but I have things to do! So far, I've completely dusted and swept our bedroom, decluttering and making the bed as I go. It took me 30min, unfortunately this is the easiest room in the house. Oops. Next is purging Delaney's room of anything not baby-related, and sweeping/dusting in there as well. Then cleaning the bathroom which is my 100% last favorite thing to do. We have beautiful white octagon tile in there, but it's only like 2in wide, so there's LOTS of grout, and I really don't have the patience. See, this is where a steam mop will help me :)

Later this week I'll have DIY posts of dining chair recovery, and Delaney's closet shelving. Stay tuned!