Thursday, April 28, 2011

Little Mamma Lilee...

This is one of those moments...moments I won't ever forgot.  And I'm so thrilled to have captured it on video.


Braxton had just woke up from his nap fussing and wanting to be picked up right away.  I was just finishing up a load of laundry when Lilee said,  "Mommy, Braxton is VERY upset!!!" (she can't stand to hear her baby brother cry) .  Now, knowing I was about to have TWO kids crying, I quickly folded the last few towels.  That's when I heard "Shhhh, shhhh, shhhh...it's ok...please don't cry."  I glanced at the video monitor and saw her, climbing in his bed.  I grabbed my phone and started recording.
**There are two videos.  Just click on the slide show below and you should be redirected to my Picasa Web Album.  (...and make sure the volume is turned up!)

Mamma Lilee...

(...sigh) I love my kids.

Sunday, April 24, 2011

It's About Time!...

Yea...I know...it's about time I got around to posting the pics of the stuff I've been working on.
So...........
After many, many, many, nap-times...I'm finally done (at least with this room).

Just in case you'd forgotten how the room looked before...
...plain, boring, blah.  In desperate need of some texture and flow.  And I knew I wanted to add something that would soften the room. 

And here's the end result...

View from the kitchen...

These chair covers are made from painters drop cloth.  My mom sewed them...and I did the "No. 1, 2, 3, and 4 transfers. 


This was by far, the most time consuming.  I've always loved the Subway Signs you see in Pottery Barn Catalogs.  But their always printed with words that have no meaning.  I wanted mine to have a purpose...and eventually decided to spell out our "Family Rules".
So I spray painted a large canvas black, which were originally 3 separate smaller pieces that I ended up putting together using 2 screws in the back.    

I marked my guidelines with a level, and using an X-acto Knife, I cut out each letter or word from white contact paper.  Then arranged the "family rules" in the way that best fit.  After I had all the words completed, I sanded and roughed up the edges, and finished up by applying a dark glaze mixture.  I just kind-of smeared it wherever I thought it looked best. 


I love the crisp white Ikea plate and bowl paired with the texture of the burlap ribbon and jute rope. 

Burlap and drop cloth flowers on a grapevine wreath...

The window panels are actually an outdoor fabric that I found at Jo Ann's Fabric.  I measured, then measured again, and then measured once more.  Then Mom and I sewed (well, mostly mom cause I am soooo not a person that knows how to sew) the rod-pocket tabs at the top. 

After hanging them, they just didn't look quite right as straight panels...seemed a little harsh and stiff.  So, a burlap flower worked great to help bunch and billow.  Looks much softer now.

Vintage feed sack's that I found on e-bay...
As I unfolded each one, I realized there were a few Colombian coffee beans still in the bags!!
(Yes...I get excited by the simplest things.)  Haven't had time to really do anything special with them, so for now, they'll stay safely tucked inside this little wire basket. 

View from the front door...
And by the way...I can't figure out why the walls look like their a funky green color.  There actually a neutral khaki color.  Must have had some bad lighting the day I took these pics.
So... there's one room down!


Since I'm on a roll, and since daddy is occupying the kids...here are a few small changes made to the den.

This is what happens when you move into a new house at 7 months pregnant.
"Must get unpacked and ready for baby" mentality takes over and stuff gets randomly scattered about.  
And since I was more interested in getting the place cleaned and organized, making everything look good wasn't really a big priority.  
Before...
(ummm, what the heck was up with the ugly scrawny plant on the right? 
I must have had weirdo pregnant hormones going on, and was blind to the fact that I needed to tell that poor thing to let go.)    

After...
...new floors, rug, and a few of my favorite things around the fireplace.
(Oh...and just so everyone knows...I've been nagging  telling my husband that I'm not going to be truly happy with this room until the fireplace wall has custom built-in's.  I mean, isn't it obvious?  Both sides, AND around that stupid TV that "someone" just haaaad to mount directly over the largest focal point in the entire house (*eye roll).  Any way's, until my husband decides to break out the tools and get it done...I guess I'll just have to make it work. 
(*In the mean time...don't think I won't be secretly learning how to build custom built-in's myself!!!)
(...again, walls look like their painted that funky green color...but they are really painted a neutral khaki.)




Burlap pillow (made by my mom) and white Ikea pillow with our wedding date.

My new fav!
Vintage milk crate...already distressed and roughed up.

...and perfect for holding rolled up Pottery Barn and Ballard Design magazines.


My favorite picture ever. 
(Look at those guns on my husband...perfect for building built-in's, don't ya think!!! (((hehehe!!))))

There's my Lilee Boo curled up on the couch taking a little nap, after playing at Nana and Papa's house. 
She didn't care that I was trying to take pictures...she was totally pooped!

So there ya go!  I'd love to hear what everyone thinks...good or bad!