i want to make...

i want to make so many things right now.

it's pinterest's fault.  if you pinterest, you probably know exactly where i'm coming from...


i love the ideas i find on pinterest.  but do you ever feel guilty for not making the things you pin?

well, i'm thinking that maybe if i tell you about them, i'll really make them.  it's worked for giving up sweets...


so, here are some things on my list

an insulated lunch tote.  i actually ordered some fabric yesterday for this.  at my new job, i'm taking my lunch everyday, but there is no refrigerator.  i realized yesterday, as i was packing my lunch in C's pink lunch box with butterflies on it, that i might need one of my own.  this will get made, soon...  tutorial found here.

staying on the topic of sewing - i'm going to attempt making a dress for C this year.  i made her a skirt last year.  my sewing skills have gotten a little better, so i'm going to attempt a dress.  this pattern seems pretty basic.  i really would love to do it.  pattern found here.

and why not attempt a dress for myself while i'm at it?  pattern found here.

i would love to make something like this for C's room.  i know i can find an old shutter somewhere, i just need to commit to it.  it's this cute?!?

this would be fun and easy for C's room too.  it's a cookie sheet covered in fabric to make a magnet board.  genius huh??  this would be so easy!!

this picture gets me excited for spring.  i love having fresh flowers around.  these are just soup cans covered in pretty paper.  this would be a fun mother's day present.  or if you were throwing a baby or wedding shower.  just plant some little flowers, cover the cans in cute paper and give them away.  simple and sweet.

smoothies!  random compared to the other things, but it's still something i want to make.  i want to go buy a blender and start making smoothies.  i think C would really enjoy them and they can be so healthy!  doesn't a strawberry-blueberry-orange smoothie sound so refreshing?

what has pinterest inspired you with lately?

it's almost the weekend.  time to get busy!  =)

random wednesday

as usual, i've got a lot of random things going on.  so, i thought i would just be random and share!

last friday, C and i went up to our local ReStore to look around.  i didn't really go looking for anything in particular, so, we were just about to leave when i saw this hanging on the wall.

i loved the sweet needlepoint, and thought it would look great in C's room.  i needed a little more art in there, and this needlepoint at only $10, would work great.

but that matte.  grayish blue?  why?

and the frame.  pretty beat up and bad.

so, i bought it, but wanted to make it work for cheap.

i took it apart and cleaned the glass and the frame.  sprayed the frame white and then found a matte for $3 at hobby lobby.  and now, it looks like this -

so much better, right??  the green matte alone makes a huge difference!  one that actually matches...what a concept, huh??  and glossy white spray paint always makes things better in my opinion.

now, it's hanging in her room with a couple of other prints and frames i already had.

the smaller frames were terrible too, but i just sprayed them white.  the mason jar art was a valentine's day card.  and the smallest print is from katie daisy that i got on Craft Weekend.

all three of these cost me a total of $13.  i mostly just used things around the house.  i love finding old stuff that's not being used anymore and making it cute again.

ok - random train moving on....

this was last saturday.  we were able to get out and ride her bike!  it was so nice to let her run around outside.  it's either been too cold (because it's february!) or too rainy.  i'm not complaining at all about this snowless winter.  it's going to be almost 60 today, and we will be doing this again!  =)

later that night, i had a free night to myself.  why?  because these two went on a little date!

i couldn't love this picture more.  she was so excited!  she calls "dates", "gates".  when she spends the night at her gran jan's, she knows that mommy and daddy are going on a gate.  well, this time, it was her turn to be taken on a gate by daddyboy.  she was beside herself.  running around, getting ready.  i loved seeing her so excited.  and i am beyond thankful for that boy.  to be excited to take his daughter to a dance in a church gym?  thats a keeper right there!  ;)

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on monday i made these

 
low-fat lemon poppy seed muffins.  i found the recipe here.  they are really good.  just the right amount of sweet and a nice change from cold cereal in the morning.

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ok - here's my last random rambling...

see these?

part of my valentine's present.  yummy.

but, today is ash wednesday.  the beginning of lent.  and i've decided to give up sweets for lent.  not sugar.  sweets. stuff like ice cream, chocolate, cake, cookies.  all things i love.  but, all things that i've started to realize, have a hold over me.  i can make up a hundred excuses and always justify a little sweet treat.  but just because i can justify it, doesn't mean it's good for me.  and worse than the physical health reasons, i realized i don't have much will-power against these things.  i don't like that.

so, i'm making it public.  i'm sharing it with the world!  uh-oh....  NO MORE SWEETS UNTIL EASTER.

uh.  i think my uterus just yelled at me....

have a good wednesday friends!!

a little love day party

hey friends!  hope you all had a fun valentine's day.

the hubs and i have never gone out on v-day.  we always get a little something for each other, but we never go out on the actual day.  too many people and too expensive.

so, last night we had a little love day party at our house.  basically, we all just wanted to get together and hang out, and tuesday was a free day.  but, the girls exchanged little valentine's and we heard all about what they did at school that day.

we attempted to get a quick family photo, but this is what we saw when we looked at my phone...

hmmm...  not really a keeper....;)

i did have few decorations around.  mostly because C is at a really fun age right now and she loves to "help" me with crafts.  when i sewed the little heart banner together, she really wanted to sit on my lap.  instead, i pulled up a chair for her and she watched with excitement the whole time.

we had such a fun night!

and remember those meltaway cookies i talked about making in my last post?

well, i couldn't get a picture quick enough!

they were super yummy!  and they really did just melt in your mouth.

it was a quick little party, but things don't tend to last too long on school nights once you have kids.  but it was a perfect little catch up and a great way to spend the evening.  i love our friends and their kids so much.  and i'm so thankful for their friendship and love.

this was my valentine's present this morning

it's not so bad to drive to work and see a sky like this in front of you.

especially when this sweet thing is sitting behind you

she got a new sock monkey for v-day.  now she has a boy and a little girl.  both named "dee-doe".....=)

happy belated love day friends!

craft weekend!!!

friends.  dear friends.  let me just start out by saying that craft weekend was amazing.  you knew i would say that, so i'm just getting the obvious out of the way.  it was everything that you would think it would be and way more.

meg and ashley (she goes by ashley, not ashley ann) and kimberlee and everyone else involved were so fun!  so cool and so beautiful and so normal.  seriously, just normal gals, raising families and being creative.

i took a lot of pictures, but they were all taken on my phone, so not the most amazing quality.  but i think you'll get the picture.  ha, picture...  sorry - still tired....  plus, you can always head over to meg's blog and see pictures that actually make the weekend look as wonderful as it was.

as soon as we got there on friday night, we started crafting.  it was something like a dream.  little stations set up with our 'swag'.  paint, fabric, ribbon, buttons, stamps, canvas, trim, skittles.  yes - she even had a snack bar set up for us.  perfect sugar pick-me-ups for when i was up past 2am!

i actually met up with a lovely lady on my layover in atlanta, and when we arrived at meg's house, it was glowing.  i'm not kidding.  meg's house is amazing.  gorgeous.  her pictures don't do it justice.  it's big and comfy and homey and colorful.  it's everything you would think it is, and more.

 and yes, i found her craft room!

it was small, but perfect.  just stuffed full of craft goodness.

on saturday morning, we go to sleep in a little.  i love so much that meg and kimberlee knew that we were a group of hard working ladies and mom's who loved to stay up and sleep in!  i didn't get any pictures of the food, but i should have.  kimberlee was an awesome chef.  amazing breakfasts and dinners and desserts.  someone bringing you cheesecake while your sewing at 11pm is amazing.  bad for my waistline, but amazing!

we headed out antiquing after breakfast.  we went to meg's two favorite places where she scores so much vintage goodness for herself.  and let me tell you, this place did not disappoint.  i went in looking for a quilt for C's bed, and bearly makin it antiques delivered!  they had so much fun stuff, it was overwhelming and amazing.  i walked away with my an awesome quilt (that even meg was jealous of) and a little blue vase for the kitchen.  i could have gone home with so much more, but i was flying, so i had to shop in moderation.

after the shop, we headed to the barn!  owned by the same people as the shop, this place was dusty and cold and awesome.  so many things i wish i could have walked out with.

after the barn, in true meg form, we stopped at sonic happy hour!  =)

saturday evening was more crafting and a lot of laughter.  i can't emphasize enough how wonderful all the ladies were from this weekend.  it's still amazes me how well we all got a long.  ladies from all over the country (every lady flew in) who i won't soon forget.  connections were made quickly, and tears were shed when goodbyes finally came.  it was like summer camp for grown-ups.  staying up past 2 (that 3am our time!), laughing so hard my cheeks hurt, sharing stories of heartache and fun, and extending prayers for future endeavors.  it was awesome.  i spent less that 72 hours with some of these ladies, and i have truly missed them these last couple of days that i've been home.

and that's waffle up there.  we are buds now too!

it was a perfect weekend. i know that sounds extreme, but it lived up to my expectations 150%!  if you're thinking that putting your name on the craft weekend waiting list is pointless, think again.  you never know.  and if you get the opportunity to do this, take it!  meg and ashley and kimberlee really are just as beautiful and normal as they seem on their blogs.

check out my new friends!  =)

kimberlee, amy, shannan, jessica

and if you didn't catch them earlier - meg, ashley and kimberlee

a chair for C

we still don't have C in a big girl bed yet...  i wanted to share this little chair makeover with you then, but i'm not exactly sure when that will be.

so, it get's its own post!

i found this chair at my local ReStore.

they are kind of hit and miss, but i've had some success up there lately.  like my lamp.

this little desk is child sized, and was only $15!  i couldn't pass it up.

i wish i had found it unpainted, but since it came white, i decided to paint it again.  the white is sweet, but C is getting a white bed and a white dresser, so i decided to do something kind of bold and bright.  plus, it took less than 2 cans of spray paint, so it will be cheap to change if i ever want to.

it's called raspberry pink from Krylon.  C thinks it's red, but it actually works really well with the pillows and bunting i made for her room.

after i sprayed the entire thing, i knew i wanted to add more.  a little something on the top board of the back rest.

i thought about initials, or her name, but then i decided i would do something more generic.

so, i went with bunting

simple and sweet.

but after walking by it a few times, i felt like it needed a little more.

i was originally only going to trace the little flags and connect them.  but then i got gutsy and decided to add the little polka dots.

i definitely don't have the most steady hand, and i pretty much never paint.  except walls.  but i think it turned out pretty cute.  especially for a 2 years old!  =)

and C loves it.  she loves the little cubby area underneath the seat, and she loves that it's just her size.

we have it sitting in the kitchen right now, and she sits and colors at it just about every day.

i can't wait to put it in her room, whenever it's all finished.

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so, i'm leaving for craft weekend tomorrow morning!!  i mean, really?  it is really tomorrow??  it's been very interesting trying to explain to people where i'm going and why.  isn't a weekend FULL of crafting a good enough reason?  i mean, look here and here at what she has teased us with already??

so, my weekend starts tomorrow!  have a good one friends. i promise to take lots of pictures to make you jealous!!  ;)

InstaFriday & a trip

well, i had great plans to blog earlier in the week, but time got away from me.  so, i'm doing a little combo post.

let's start with my Instagram pics...

i'm linking up with jeannette @ life rearranged.

we had a really nice laid back weekend, and saturday morning started out with my coffee in my new favorite mug!  the hubs surprised me with this.  i love it!  it's big and simple, yet very cute.  shaun said it was so me.  hmmm....big, simple, yet very cute?  uh....thanks.

the rest of the day i was busy sewing.  i instragrammed my new fabric last week and i couldn't wait to get started.  i had never worked with ball fringe before, but was ready to give it a try.  i used some around the pillow for C's big girl bed, then had enough left over to add a little fun to the bunting i'll be hanging in her little reading area.  LOVE it all!

monday morning we ventured off to IKEA.  the hubs was out of school for MLK day, so we went to get C a dresser.  we had a very eventful trip up.  for the majority of the time it was fine.  then, about 10 miles away, in the middle of nowhere (i seriously felt like i was in another country) C got sick.  like puke sick.  poor thing.  it was terrible.  i was completely helpless and shaun had nowhere, repeat NOWHERE to pull off.  poor thing just had to sit in it for almost 10 min.  but, once we got her and everything salvageable cleaned up, she was 100% fine.  no fever, had an appetite, totally fine.  so, we pushed through.  she fell asleep about an hour after we go there and woke up fine.  strange.  and stinky....

have you ever had these?  they are dangerously wonderful.  seriously.  they are kind of hard to find and i'm glad.  i bought them with the intention of just having a few and then saving them for later.  ate the whole bag before i got home.  dang.

love, love, love, totally obsessed with this little serious of pictures.  this is one of the reasons i don't think i could ever give up my iphone.  i love being able to capture stuff like this, quickly.  C is really into pretending she's asleep these days.  it's kind of my fault.  we like to "trick" daddy sometimes.  that 1st picture is pretty believable.  but i love the 2nd one the most.  she just couldn't hold that smile in any longer.  then "i'm awake!"  love this age, a lot.

more sewing for C's room!  when i cut the fabric for the 1/2 circle bunting, it left me with a lot of strips.  i didn't want to waste them and had an extra pillow form, so i went with this.  and i appliqued a little C on it.  love personalized stuff.

ok - so there's my instafriday.

so, what up with the trip?

well..... 

do you read whatever?  if you don't, you should.  meg duerksen is pretty awesome.  mom of 5, loves god, loves crafts and is totally funny and relate-able. 

well, have you ever heard of craft weekend?  it's an amazing weekend that she hosts, where all you do is craft.  yep, just craft.  her 1st craft weekend was back in september.  i was beyond jealous when i started seeing pictures on her blog documenting the fun they had.  so, when she mentioned she was having another one and the way to get to come was by putting your name on a waiting list, i thought, why not?  so many people read her blog and will be adding their name too, it's not like i'll ever have a chance.

and then, right before thanksgiving i got an email with the subject "Happy News!".  huh?

and then i almost ran off the road!  (just kidding, i never text/read emails while driving, serious.)  i read the email right after i left bible study and i couldn't get home quick enough!  I WAS INVITED TO CRAFT WEEKEND!!!

so, this time next week, i'll be on a plane, headed to wichita, ks!!!!  i've never been there, but from what meg says, it's cold.  but i can't wait.  seriously.  i'm going to meet 11 other ladies who will be complete strangers, so i'm a little nervous about that, but only a little.  i feel like i know meg, and ashley ann (eek!), and i know that the other ladies coming on this weekend feel the same way.  we all love to craft, so it doesn't matter if they are complete strangers or best friends!

so, there you go! 

we are working on putting together's C's big girl room this weekend.  saturday night will be her first night. and...we've been talking about giving up her paci.  she only uses it at night, we we've been talking about how she won't need it when she sleeps in a big girl bed.  wish me luck!  it might be a long weekend.

have a good one blog friends!

DONE!

let the weekend begin! i'm READY!!!

i'm not working tomorrow, so i have a extra long weekend in front of me and i can't wait.

and...i've got everything finished for the wedding.

i finished C's tu-tu last night.

yeah - how about the fact that she HATES it. like, she didn't even want to put it on. when she saw it she started fighting. once it was on she just pulled at it. uh-oh. my girl might be that flower girl that causes a scene. oh i hope not. hopefully she will look so cute, no one will care....

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the picture frame chalkboards are finished and turned out great!

i think they are such a great idea and i'm really pleased with how easy they were and how great they turned out.

i love the colors. (i guess i would since i just used paint i already had from rooms around the house).

and i hope darcy has another bridemaid that has fun artistic hand writing. my chicken-strach-boy-handwriting will not do these little gems justice!

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i've got the hair clips finished too. i'm a little worried they might be too heavy for our little girls fine hair, but i've got another idea for them.

i think she would look super cute with her hair back in a low bun and the clip stuck in the side. we'll see.

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so - now i've got to figure out what to do with my hair. i've got a friend coming over to do it for me and i think i want this.

what do you think? it's fun, will stay out of my face, and looks so cool.

again - we'll see.

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are you guys tired of hearing about wedding stuff? this week my posts have been full of it!

well, the next post i will be will probably be it. and hopefully it will be full of pictures of my little C dancing in her tu-tu. and full of pictures of my new sister and little bro.

maybe i'll throw a picture of me and hubs in there too.

have a good weekend friends! summer is almost here and so far the weekend is looking sunny and rain free!