Super Easy Spring DIY Project

If you follow my blog, you know that I don't do a ton of DIY things...mostly because I tend to start them, and never finish!! When I saw this linkup party, I viewed it as a challenge to myself to not only blog consecutively for 5 days, but to also find something I could do to share with you!

I went basic.

Very basic.

I had a babysitter during the day (thanks mama in-law!!) and so while I was out, I decided to stop at Michaels and see what jumped out at me. Of course a million awesome ideas popped out at me, but knowing that the baby takes most of my time, I wanted one fairly easy task.

Enter:

Wooden letter & glitter spray paint.

 

Of course we all love monograms, and I realized while our darling daughter has quite a few all around, we didn't have any letter D's displayed.

I have been sadly staring at our mantle, wishing it were prettier...I thought I'd spruce it up a bit with some Spring-like essence.
 
I found two awesome peach scented candles on clearance for 4.99
Some pretty purple garland half off.
And a pretty green butterfly.

Husband loves that silly frog...

**Note: If you live up North and temperatures are in the 30's and "feel like 14" your pain will probably not dry as wonderfully as it would on a non freezing day.

The paint kind of bubbled and dripped, but I made it work. (I had never tried to paint anything in sub-freezing temps...)

Not my finest project, but hey, I did something!


I can't wait to pick fresh tulips from our garden and place them up there. Now that I have something to work with, I can add "springy" ideas to it.

At least I now know to leave my chalkboard paint project for a warmer day, haha!

So even if you're not crafty, just wait for some warmer weather and this project is for you!

I seriously cannot wait for this crazy cold winter to let up.

Tomorrow: Best Spring Recipe

Wednesday Happenings...

12.12.12

What a fun little date.

I'll just share some random happenings...
Monday night my fabulous mother-in-law and I created this!

I e-mailed her a tutorial,

she printed it off.

I read it to her,

picked my fabrics,

and voila.

She sewed up this little diaper changing pad, with a pocket!

 We used PUL material on one side (pink)

and adorable cotton fabric on the other.

 There's enough room for a diaper and some wipes.
Great for on the go!

 We added velcro, 

so that it can fold up and stay like a clutch.

I'm getting really uncomfortable

and I'm at my wits end with my doggies.

Thank you for your sweet comments about Holly.

The vet seems to think she has a bladder infection...

coincidentally with the trauma she endured?
I don't really buy it, but hopefully the meds will help her.

She's having accidents in the house,

and let's just say, it's not a fun way to start the morning.

So...

 I'm really trying to listen to one of my favorite ornaments on our tree.

Thank goodness for my amazing husband who is putting up with my

{semi-crazy} final weeks of pregnancy hormones.

I love you boo!

I also love love love my dear friend Alison.

Here are the last 6 days of gifts I have received!

Day 7-

Snowflake ornament

 Day 8-

Cozy holiday Tea!!

 Day 9-

Cold and swollen feet.
She couldn't be more on!!

 Day 10-

She knows how much I love Christmas!!

Perfect for the back of our door.

 Day 11-

I was literally 'woo-hooing' when I opened this one!!

 She brought over:
Homemade cheese and meat raviolis.
Meatballs.
Sauce.

Loaf of Italian bread.

All homemade.

All absolutely delicious!!

She made Joe a Key Lime Pie too!

 And today,

Day 12-

Makeup!!!!

Such a pretty shade

"Iced Latte"

I think it will be perfect for that winter glow.

Thank you again Alison!!

You are just too sweet and I love it.

It's so fun opening a little gift every day.

 

I started some light baking...

Just some homemade chocolate chip cookies,

with holiday chips.

Randomly,

I have my last hair appointment today where I won't need a sitter!!

So crazy how you start thinking like that...

Hopefully this day continues to get better.

Have a happy Wednesday!

DIY Cloth Wipes

DIY Cloth Wipes

Even if you've never sewn before, this is something you can do!

In my current 7.5 months preggars state, I have literally lost my mind

over all the adorable baby fabric out there.

Jo-Ann's is my favorite new hangout.

I have a problem!!

I decided since I could sew a pillow,

I could probably sew a few more things...

and my mother-in-law is so encouraging;

she has really helped me so much during these last few months!

My goal is to cloth diaper with Brooke,

and with the research I've done, 

you may as well use cloth wipes if you're gonna cloth diaper.

Here is what we did to make our own cloth wipes.

Materials:

Several 'fat quarters' of fabric.

I chose to make one side regular cotton, one side flannel.

They had precious fat-quarters already cut, so that's what I used in this project.

The amount needed really depends on how many wipes you want...
{You could & maybe should use flannel both sides,
 but I didn't think of that until after I bought fabric.
OR
Use terry cloth.}

I chose 3 flannel fat quarters

and 3 cotton fat quarters.

Measuring tape

Rotary cutter

Thread

Sewing machine

Scissors

Step One:

Figure out which fabrics you want to sew together

  Step Two:

Measure to see how much you're working with.

I eye-balled it and decided there was enough to divide it into 3 sections.

Step Three:

 Line up & using rotary cutter,

cut a straight line down against the plastic thingy.

{Don't take yourself too seriously}

What's it called?! 

 Step Four:

You should have 3 "even" sections.

Step Five:

Measure the length of these, and cut down the middle.

You should want a square.

Step Six:

Turn them "pretty sides facing each other"
{ugly sides out} & sew.

LEAVE a little opening so you can turn it right-side out!

By this point, if you're pregnant, you'll probably be sweating.

Feel free to strip.

 Step Seven:

Snip the corners before turning inside-out

Step Eight:

With the small opening you left,

flip your fabric through.

Step Nine:

Sew opening shut.

Alternative:

Have an experienced seamstress 

aka awesome MIL

sew a funky stitch all fancy pants style

Notice how she doesn't cut until after she stitched squares?!

And either way,

you'll end up with a finished product much like these...

Life this Week

What's new in my world....let's see: 

I sewed my very item Monday night with my mother-in-law 

unless you count the pillow I sewed in 8th grade Home Ec & barely passed

We have some extra fabric I just love extra pillows for baby girl 

She likes it too.
I must say I am DYING to share with you all that we've been working on,
but I want to do a big dramatic reveal
[maybe even in a video!?]
and show off our nursery when it's all complete.
Tuesday I attempted my best to look like a hot prego wifey,
as it was the love of my life's birthday!!
He worked all day, but I ran him up lunch and then got busy in the kitchen.

Black maternity shirt: Borrowed from a friend, I think it's Kohls though.
Jeans: Motherhood
Scarf: a boutique in LA
Belt: Target
Bracelet: Things Remembered
I showered the love of my life with my cooking skillz

His Gifts:
He bought himself faster internet accessories {to play Madden better}
and a stool to sit one whilst playing Madden.
I gave him a few shirts from Express
and we have tickets to a comedy show featuring Eddie Griffin in a few weeks!

**Candy coating melted in the microwave,
then dip strawberries & set on wax paper or non-stick foil.
I then added a few drops of mint extract to the chocolate & finished it off with some pretzels.
I die.
Cream cheese sugar cookies...
I did frost them, don't worry!!
I took a few shots of the sweet treats,
but once I started my lobster risotto and beef tenderloin with mushroom Merlot sauce,
I stopped taking photos and just concentrated on the cooking.
It had been awhile since I made a baller-ass meal like that
and I must say I was quite proud of how delicious it turned out!
Sorry I could not share with all of you.
I am also sorry that I don't have comfortable shoes, as my feet are still killin me!!
Joe wanted a low key birthday, since he hasn't had a day off in 9 days,
so I tried to give him just that with a restaurant quality meal.
I am not sure who enjoys the cookies more, him, me, or baby!! 
Wednesday I had a Living Social voucher that needed to be used up ASAP,
so I got all dressed up for lunch with my step-mom Tricia.

Maternity top: Kohls 

Jeans: Motherhood Maternity--by far the comfiest pants yet!

{and they have a cute design on the bum}

Shoes: Marshalls

Scarf: Marshalls

Bangle: Premier Jewelry

Leather wrap bracelet: Stella & Dot

Watch: MK
Necklace: Premier

Earrings: F21

I had been wanting to try The Melting Pot for awhile,

and Trish really wanted to go back to one.

It was fun!

You start with a Cheese Fondue:

We chose the traditional Swiss.

 We got a salad in between...

Then our main course.

 And the best part:
Dessert!

We went with the Ying/Yang.

While I wouldn't go back all the time,

[it's pricy, rich and very filling]

I would recommend it for the tasting experience.

 I was surprised how long we were there for!! 

Two + hours

It'd be fun to have a big group of people and try a bunch of flavors.

 We then walked the mall

maybe bought a few more precious baby girl clothes

and called it a day after a few errands.

I then went over to my in-laws to finish up the bumper pads,

or rather my mother-in-law finished and I sat and talked. 

I am so appreciative of all the hard work she's done!!

It's beautiful.

Happy Thursday pretties!!!

Five on Thursday

So excited for today!!

I get to hang out with my girl Alison & find some more nursery items for baby girl

and I hope to find a pair or two of maternity jeans 

[wish me luck, it's not always easy!]

--5 For Thursday--

1. This girl has been doing so well lately!

Despite her licking of the air, that meds did not seem to help,

I just want to say how much I enjoy her being my "normal dog" I remember as a puppy.

It's been awhile since she's had seizures, so I fear she may be due for some soon...

but I wanted to celebrate how great she is as of right now!

Plus I just got the Furminator (shedding tool) so I cannot wait to see if it helps

with the massive amounts of fur she leaves around the house!

2.  I've been laying my clothes out & feeling way more creative doing so!

It gives me a chance to play fashion designer with my limited wardrobe.

I don' think it looks too bad at all!

*note my disappearing toes*

and ignore the rootage

Shirt: Motherhood Maternity

Leggings: Gap Maternity

Sweater: My friend Alison's when she was prego with the twins 4 years ago!

Necklace: Charlotte Russe

Boots: Online buy a few years back...Amazon maybe?

3.  I opted to try something other than the PSL

and enjoyed this tasty lil treat!

I can only drink 1/2 of a Tall and I just save the rest for the next day.

Crazy how caffeine affects me now!!

It was kind of dessert like, and bordered more of hot chocolate, but I liked!! 

{google images}

4. I got my hair diddddddddd

Don't ya always feel extra special when someone else does your hair?

I just love leaving the salon feeling all prettified. 

Hi/Lo lights!!

5.  Mama-in-law and I have been working our craft on with our
DIY baby girl bedding!

Our curtains are complete and we started the crib skirt last night!

sneak peak

We ruffled the old fashioned way, cuz that's how we roll.

Thanks again for all the sewing magic ma!!

I cannot wait to show off everything when we're all done.

I am having so much decorating and designing this nursery!

Have a great day!

Are you a Dirty Girl?

And by that I mean, ahem, gardening, ladies. 

My mother-in-law refers to a club in which her friends and her shared gardening tips,

and they call themselves Dirty Girls.

Love it.

I have faint memories of helping my mother and grandmothers in their gardens when I was little.

I also have many memories of me killing plants throughout my life.

I do not have a green thumb.

However, like most things I'm not great at, I try not to give up.

My ability to bake and cook did not develop on the first batch of cookies, or the first time I made pasta.

Practice makes perfect, and small victories build confidence.

It also helps to have really good gardeners in my life!
My friend Jill helped me pick out flowers that would work best in part sun/shade,

since we don't get a lot of sun on the back deck, which is where I wanted to put the pots.

I also had her come over and give me some tips on how to keep the front gardens looking better.

My mother-in-law is the greenest person I know {in more ways that one!}

She has huge gardens with all fresh veggies and lots of pretty flowers and plants.

She's very good at it.

So this was me yesterday...

I am still working on the front gardens and they are not ready for viewing;

once I pull all the creeping Myrtle out and finish weeding, we're mulching, and then I can share.

My six pots came out pretty darn nice if I may say so!
As I put them together, I think of it as styling an outfit.

Which colors look best together?

You don't want too much filler, but you need enough to look put together well.

Don't pair all big fluffy plants all together, but rather  mix and match.

It really is like clothing/jewelry, but they're flowers!

Here are the looks--errr--potted flowers, I came up with!

[Note: You're getting a sneak peak of our deck, since we don't have patio furniture yet,

I haven't unveiled what it looks like. Also, the spindles are in the process of being painted]

This one is my favorite!

 Joe said this is his favorite;

it reminds him of fireworks shooting out.?

So it probably took me two hours, to plant/figure out how I wanted it to look.

I am so, so happy with them!
So, if you're still not plant savvy, just get a pot, some dirt and pick out some flowers/fillers

and play around!
The worst that can happen?

They die.

The best?
Beautiful flowers to smile at over a cup of tea, and a sense of accomplishment.

If you use Miracle Grow potting soil, water them, give them sunlight, and love them, 

you'll make a fabulous dirty girl.

My neon mani may be a bit ruined, but that's OK.

My pretty new flowers are worth it!

My other new mini project:
Decorating the Mantle

I love changing up the looks of things around here.

So, with the help of photos, I put away/pull out from storage

and a quick trip to the Dollar Tree,

a fun & festive mantle to last up through early July!

Bird: Gift from my MIL

Star: $1 store

Garland: $1 store

 Sun: $1 store

Flip Flop photo frames: My sister's bridal shower favors I bought

 Frame: a gift from my step-mom

Photo: Vegas--summer 2008

So there's my Suzie Homemaker update for the week!
What are some fun things you're doing around your home?
I love inspiration.

Happy Digging!!