Fanatical Friday

I've been a little all over the map this week.  I keep starting posts with my projects I'm doing and then don't finish them.  I have a bad habit that if something else interests me in the middle of something I just over to that instead of finishing the current project.  Joe says I have a fear of success - um, no.  I just have a high functioning ability to multitask and change gears easily.  It's what made me really great at my last job - I could move from one building to another in a matter of seconds if a property manager called unexpectedly with questions.  What made me great at work - hinders me at home.  I think it's because I don't have deadlines like I did at work.  Hence - my first purchase:

Courtesy of SincerelyYoursPaper

Bought this 20x20 inch personalized puppy from Etsy.  It just happens to be made by a lovely lady named Amy here locally.  What a surprise!  It's dry erase and just the right size - but doesn't fit on our fridge.  Made the mistake of assuming it would fit on ours as I didn't measure before I purchased.  Naughty Beth.  I also have nowhere to put it right now on the walls because I assumed it would go on the fridge.  I'll let you know what we come up with over the weekend.  It might be going on the pantry door after I frame it and make it pretty.  These come in different colors and patterns - I just ordered the same one as the pic b/c the green matches our kitchen walls perfectly.

Today I WILL finish my last curtain panel for the kitchen/den area.  I just have to blind hem stitch the top and bottom and add the grommets and hang and voila!  Finally that project will be completed.  I promise - pics on Monday.  Actually, I might post over the weekend in an attempt to catch up.

Did I ever mention I'm painting our master bath?  I am.  Got the separate toilet room painted last Sunday and have taken a painting break since then.  There's a lot of taping off to do and it's hard to paint during Evelyn's waking hours.  Joe has been working late too so it's best if I just hold off until he's home over the weekend to tackle the rest of the bathroom.  That post coming next week too - I'll need help with my decision for window treatments over my bathtub.  You readers are always such a big help!

The fabric for Evelyn's window treatments for her big girl bedroom also came in - in up to my ears in window treatments this week.  She and I are going to discuss options today.....should be interesting.  She'll most likely be discussing elephants with me the entire time I'm trying to lead her in this serious conversation. 

I've been distracted from work on the house by blankets for Rita's baby - again, an ongoing project because I then got distracted from that by this on Etsy:

 Courtesy of byrdlegs on Etsy

 

 

Yep, Etsy can eat it - BOOM!  This lil momma made it for half the price they sell it for.  I was actually going to buy it - but I wrote and asked if she preshrunk the fabric before having it monogrammed and she never wrote me back (it's been 2 weeks).  So I found and bought the fabric, preshrunk it, had it monogrammed, and just made it myself. 

 

Perfect for Hogs games. Evelyn thinks it's for her - since we have the same initials.  I had to take it from her room and sneak into the guest bathroom just to do this pic.  Here she is with it on.  She looks pretty cute, so I might have to do another for her.

 

 

 

Well after that I became scarf obsessed, so I went to Hancock's and bought this fabric

 

 

I love the ivory lace and fuschia stripe.  So this time round I made an extra long infinity scarf so I could "tie" it different ways - here's how it turned out.

 

This is it wrapped around 3 times...

 

I call this the high and tight....

 

 and here it is just lose and casual

 

I'm ordering more fabric today - I definitely need a mustard one for my winter wardrobe!

 

 

Last but certainly not least - Rylie loved her new shirt and headband (discussed here) and here is a pic of her wearing them!  She's such a cutie! 

 

 

Next post is about my new obsession (other than scarves) - monogrammed anything!  Be sure to come back and check it out for some great Christmas gift ideas. 



Somebody's Having a Baby! And it's not Me.

I love me some babies.  LOVE! 

I worked in my church's daycare for 7 years - throughout high school and college. So I knew a lot more than the average bear going into this motherhood thing.  Mostly the grossness and noise making abilities. 

When Joe and I found out we were pregnant, I was pretty bummed - for like 5 months.  Evelyn was unplanned, but she's pretty awesome and can't imagine life without her.  Back to being bummed - Once we found out the sex of the baby and could start planning a room and picking a name things really started to come together for me emotionally.  Then the physical pain set in.  I had a ligament that wrapped the right side of my body from ribcage to spine that had me in so much pain I just wanted to scream bloody murder at my desk most days.  Nothing helped.  It was quite simply, awful.  Not to mention we had some personal problems with some immediate family that took over our lives for a few months and added to the emotional and mental strain Joe and I were already suffering.  When I look back on pregnancy, I get the chills.  So it's BIG that getting pregnant again is even a consideration.

But, I'm not there yet.

But, one of my best friends Rita is!  She is pregnant with her first baby and we already know that it's a boy!  Just because I don't want to be preggers - doesn't mean I don't want everyone else around me to not be.  Pretty much since the day she told me I've been sending 20 texts and emails a day with name suggestions, baby bedding, craft ideas for the rooms, and yesterday it culminated because I couldn't stand it any longer and just had to make that future bundle of joy something tangible.

I have a stock pile of white onesies at the house for baby gifts - usually I just get them embroidered with their names, but I wanted to do something else personal as a gift.  Rita's husband, Bryan, is really proud to be a Texan.  He loves Houston so much he told Lauren and I when we were visiting a few weeks ago "It's the greatest place on earth."  I beg to disagree (THE HEAT).  Anyway, I'm also painting this week a Home is Where the Heart Is painting and thought I could definitely apply this to clothing.  So I hit Joann and grabbed some fabric and thread and a button and VOILA!  Insta-gift.

I think Bryan was more excited than Rita!  But I think I was more excited than them both.  After sending out pictures of my proud accomplishment I was encouraged to put them in my Etsy store.  So I did.  You can view my store over on the right hand side of the blog menu bar at any time and I included a link here as well.  Next up, I'm doing an Oklahoma one for a special little lady I know! (not E) And an Arkansas one for the cutest most adorable little girl in the whole world! (I'm talking about Evelyn this time) ;)

Hearth Room Decision Made

Alright loyal readers - decision was made about the hearth room curtain fabric.  The winner is the Robert Allen Fret in Raspberry:

Image courtesy of www.fabric.com

The decision was made after A) I could tell Joe was a little pouty about the other one and B) because I found a picture of the other (Mercury from Lewis and Sheron) and it looked like a map of the female reproductive system.  Here's the pic:

Image courtesy of Chinoiserie Chic

I do still like the fabric, but I think I might use it in the living room instead. Something about that pink didn't look "right" next to the olive.  I also found a fabulous matching fabric to potentially use with it too - also from Lewis and Sheron...

Image courtesy of Lewis and Sheron

Back to the room I'm currently working on.....So I went with the raspberry, but still have no clue what window treatments to create.  I'm going to flip through my magazines and books tonight to come up with some options.  I'm still open to suggestions - so bring it.

Another thing that really helped me decide on the raspberry was a complimentary fabric I found in my pile of samples from when I first moved to Arkansas (circa last August).  It's got olive green in it which helps pull in the wall color and I could use this fabric to reupholster chairs, bar stools, make pillows, cover a couch in it.  It's a great fabric and here it is:

 Image courtesy of interiormall.com

It's Taraz Berry by Swavelle - Mill Creek.  It's actually a coordinate of the Crazy Ole Bird fabric I used in my dining room.  The raspberry in this matches the raspberry of the Robert Allen perfectly.  We've got the ball rolling!!!!

K.  I'm jumping off here to start reupholstering stuff for E's new room.  I painted two pieces of furniture this weekend - but you really need to see the chair reupholstered and not in it's current outdated state.  I'll be showing off the room tomorrow!  See you then.

Hearth Room Help Needed!

I'm beat; both figuratively and literally. What I thought would be a 4 hour painting job turned into an all day misadventure.

I did all the taping off for the room yesterday except for the window. I saved that for today bc I also needed to take down the blinds. So I get the blinds ready to take down, climb up on the step stool and the blinds attack me. They came right out of their brackets and went straight for my head - the temple to be exact.  They also on the way down got my shoulder and forearm pretty good before the grand finale on my shin.  So far I have no bruises but I'm not sure how.  I have a little lump on my forehead but that's about it.  I was the most worried during the 3 second incident that it would break the glass on the window.  Luckily it didn't.  It did scratch the glass and take a chunk off the wood window sill and a chunk of drywall but that was it!

On top of those new sore spots are general all over soreness from yesterday's workout (one of the first of the new year.  Remember my New Year's Resolutions?  I'm finally getting around to those).  I did an intense arm workout and then did a speed walk on an incline for 30 minutes.  I was tired, I'm sore, but I'm motivated and feel great.  I can't wait until I start seeing results!  I had a "come to Jesus" with my fatness when I had to don a bikini for the first time this season last weekend.  Yeesh.  Someone should have told me I looked like that.....JOE. 

Anyway, I have 2/3rds of 1 wall of the room left to paint and then I'll be done - other than touch ups here and there.  I'm trying to muster up the energy to knock it all out tonight and then be able to move onto fabric decisions tomorrow.  Can't wait!!!  I'm chugging a Cherry Coke Zero currently to help me realize that goal.

Yesterday I told you I needed some help.  And I still do.  I wish you could all just come to my house and see in person what I'm dealing with.  Let me give you a little background on how I make decisions.....

A few years ago I bought my first car with my own money.  To make a long story short - I test drove cars in 3 different states and pretty much every single mid-size SUV and mid-size sedan on the market (I'm not overexaggerating).  I'm the type that wants to try EVERY possible option before making a decision so that I'm absolutely confident. 

Guess how many paint samples I went through before I decided on the Fresh Olive for the den?  I'll go count........8.  That's a lot of olive green people.  So choosing fabric is no different.  On Monday I received sample number 33 and 34 from Lewis and Sheron fabrics.  This is after I decided that #28 was the one I was for sure going to use for window treatments.  I had totally forgotten I ordered 2 more and I like #33 a lot and don't know what the heck I'm going to do now!!!!

Not only do I need which-one-to-pick advice - I also need advice on what window treatments to do with the fabric.  I need treatments that will let as much light as possible into the room to help brighten it up. 

Our inspiration for our color palette is from the May 2012 edition of Southern Living.  Right on the cover was the solution to our "What are our accent colors going to be?"  Answer:  Hot pink.  I literally took one look at it, flipped to the article and started googling the fabrics.  All were too expensive (ex: $120 a yard).  So I decided to fabric.com some options plus visit some local stores for options. 

Inspiration Photos from SouthernLiving.com:

 There's the olive green that immediately caught my eye.  Joe and I both thought the hot pink would be a great way to brighten the room up!

So now that you've seen the inspiration - here are the two options we have for window treatments:

Option A - Robert Allen Woven Jacquard Ikat Fret in Raspberry

Robert Allen Ikat Fret in Raspberry

Image courtesy of fabric.com

Option B -  Mercury Ikat in Orange and Pink

Image courtesy of Lewis and Sheron Fabrics

Those are the fabrics.  I have samples hanging of both.  I'm having trouble finding pics of the full print of the Mercury to see what it actually looks like.  If you find one - let me know.  I have a running Pros and Cons list so if you want to add your two cents on them - go right ahead.  The rest of this post will be pics of the hearth room and the windows that will be "treated".  I need ideas my loves - help me!!!

So here is the main part of the room.  The "den" area.  It's got the windows on either side of the fireplace and then double windows on the side. 

A peek at the fabric samples

A far away look at the fabrics

Windows in the kitchen area - whatever the window treatment is for here - it will need to close.  The sun gets really intense through that window first thing in the morning. 

Sneak Peek at Evelyn's New Room

There is a sneak peek at the fabric and color palette for Evelyn's room.  You can see some of the paint samples I have on the walls, but those aren't the only 2.  I also put up some blue, pink and a darker green. Can you guess which color I went with?

The tape is going up today and tomorrow while E's at school I'm painting the whole thing!  Paint is already mixed and sitting in the garage.  I also had a chair painted last week to go in the room and the bedding is on the bed!  I can't wait to show you how it's all coming together - hopefully by Friday I can get some things permanently placed in the room and update you again!

I'm going to need some help with the den and living room - I'm having a hard time picking between 2 fabrics for window treatments AND I have no clue what kind of treatments to do.  I need input!  I'll post about that tomorrow - hope to hear your opinions soon!!

Evelyn's Big Girl Room

Not only is Evelyn getting a big girl bedroom redesign - she's moving to a different room of the house and it's upstairs!  I'm totally nervous and keep asking Joe to install video cameras so I can watch her every move and find her in case she escapes from her room in the night. *Biting my nails.*  I fully plan on sleeping upstairs in the guest room for a month after to make sure she's okay.  I'm not looking forward to walking across the house and up the stairs when she cries in the night, but I will do it - cause I'm the Mommy.

To sidetrack for a moment, Joe and I got a Temper-pedic bed this weekend.  Do it - it's worth it.

So my Mom is currently handling the making of the new bedding.  She's working on the bedskirt and the comforter.  The bedskirt is completely made of hot pink satin taffeta rosette fabric like this:

Photo courtesy of Fabric Empire

Mom is going to gather the fabric at the top when she's sewing so that it's fluffy and has some movement to it.  I can't wait to see it!  I've seen this used for a crib skirt before so I'm hoping it turns out just as cute for a twin size bed. 

The comforter fabric I'm the most excited about.  It's really what started it all.  Evelyn told me she wanted "pink flowers" so I went from there.  I found a beautiful fabric by Michael Miller that I loved, but unfortunately they are no longer producing it.  After a week of pouting I decided to start looking again and that's when I came upon this awesome print from Amy Butler's Love collection:

Photo courtesy of fabric.com

I immediately ordered a sample and was so pleased I turned around and ordered 7 yards!  I like pink, but I can't handle a pink walled room.  This fabric gives me choices for bringing in other colors for the walls and furniture. 

That's the beginnings for the rooms.  I went and picked up a ton of samples the other day and have some in the mail headed our way right now and I can't wait to get them and really plan out the room!  I've been moving furniture around to try to configure the layout - I wish everything would just click into place easily!

 

Fabric Backed Bookshelf

This was a super quick DIY, try it out this weekend!

On a whim, I decided that the bookshelf in my den needed some brightening up. So I measured my bookcase twice (measure twice, cut once), went to my new favorite fabric store in Bentonville, M. Grace, and got the proper yardage of Premier Prints' Zig Zag fabric in Village Green and Natural.  The green matched my walls and the natural matched my trim.  Perfect fit!!

After I got home I trimmed off the 1.5 inches of natural fabric from the sides and made sure the top and bottom were cut perfectly straight.  Then I spent about the next half hour starching and ironing and steaming the fabric to get the wrinkles out. 

Next I busted out my staple gun, lined up the fabric, and got going!  The dogs were in a panic from the staple gun noise, but I was giggling from excitement!  I started by stapling and securing the fabric all the way across the top first.  Then I went down the middle of the bookshelf and made sure the fabric was lined up and secured that.   Then I did the left side and bottom left and right side and bottom right.  It was super easy and fast - and then I had an accomplished project and felt like a million bucks.  I love Thursdays!

This will be the last of my chevron infusion into my home for awhile.  A little goes a long way, and I don't have many more rooms to put it in.  Guess I'll have to move on to greek key!

Recycling/Updating Corkboards

I have been on a mission to better myself the past 3 weeks.  I've started a regular cleaning schedule (still tweaking) and am wrapping up little projects left and right. 

You might remember my first post about corkboards (here).  In summary, I took a corkboard that was too big, cut it in half, covered it with fabric, and added decorative upholstery nails to jazz it up.  That was in October I think and it took no time at all.  Well, now it's April and I'm just now getting around to doing the other one.  (This goes back to my New Years resolution of not procrastination.  I'm getting better!)

I did the other one and have both hanging side by side in my laundry room and they are great!  I was running out of room to pin stuff up with just the one.

I just love the nailhead accent.  I could put nailhead on just about everything and adore it. 

The fabric I used is Waverly Groovy Grille in Licorice.  You can buy it here.

I cannot stress how helpful using chalk was to draw the lines and punch the upholstery nails in.  The best part of using chalk is that just a little bit of water removes it from the fabric! 

I've been ordering fabric for Evelyn's "big girl" room.  Samples are on the way so hopefully I can have a post about it soon!

Mercury by Collier Campbell Fabric

Found a new fabric I had to have for throw pillows for the bedroom.........

Isn't it fun?  I grabbed 3 yards at Sew Chic before it closed.  It's called Mercury and part of Collier Campbell's Exotic Inspiration collection for Fabricut.  I needed something that was fun and a punch of color to go in my semi-bland room.  Here is a pic from the old house in Dallas of what the room looks like:

All the same stuff in a different bedroom essentially.  Same bedding, same furniture, same curtains.  We even have the same paint color at the new house (Lenox Tan by Benjamin Moore).  It was staged without our bench we have at the foot of the bed which is red also.  That is where one of the pillows will be located. 

So back to the fabric....to truly understand what a fabric (for lack of a better word) "whore" I am, I liked the fabric so much............I bought it twice!

I know, I'm a crazy person, but it was 75% off!!!! I figure it I don't use all of it, surely someone else will want it.  The purple is called the Peacock color scheme. See the link for fabric details. I found it on good ole interiormall.com too for purchase if you are interested.  I've been searching the internet for awhile and I cannot find the orange color scheme for purchase anywhere. Nor is it on the Fabricut website so maybe it's been discontinued.

Update (7/19/2012):  I'm selling my yardage of the peacock color scheme.  We decided to do raspberry instead of purple in the den/hearthroom as an accent color.  You can purchase all of my 4.5 yards here for $7.99 per half yard.    

I got curious and found that Collier Campbell created another color of the Mercury pattern too. Here it is in Black and Bright.

I plan on knocking out a pillow tonight so I'll upload a pic tomorrow.  I'm also finishing up another Razorback pumpkin so I'll post that too.  I've got tons of little stuff to get done before Evelyn's birthday party next week.  I cannot believe she's going to be 2!  I wish I could just freeze her growth and keep her this size forever....except potty trained.  Here's a little E to look at and make your evening complete. We were wedding dress shopping for my friend we call "Sis" and to keep E busy we found some things to dress her up!  Come back tomorrow!