How to stuff too many things into a tiny room...aka finished baby room

     So, I sorta, kinda, finished up the little girls' room...as much as I'm going to do with it right now anyway. I'm not entirely satisfied, but until I get some better ideas, here is what it looks like now. As I've explained before, their room is an open loft. It's sloping roof makes it extremely difficult to fit furniture and it also has no closet. Here is what is looks like from the stairs looking in.

      Do you remember this awful painting I found at the thrift store?

      Here is what is looks like now. Just as a side note, never try to make a chalkboard out of a painting that has really thick paint strokes on it. Even after about five coats of chalkboard paint, I can still see the outline of those awful geese! My two year old doesn't care though, she thinks its great that she can color anytime she want now.

      Books and toys go here. If all the toys don't fit, they get chucked out or donated. I know, I'm a mean momma. You can see how I made the book shelves in this post. My mister made the toy shelves for me.

      I showed you in the last post how to make a rocking chair cushion. The rocking chair was a garage sale find.

      This is the baby's crib. You can see how I made the quilts, sheets, and bed skirts for both beds in this post and this post.

     I made the embroidery hoop mobile and show you how in this post.

      The shelves just have a few random things on them. The pink frame used to be gold colored and I painted it and then dry brushed with white. The black and white picture of the two little girls in it came from The Graphics Fairy. (Love LOVE that site!)

     Here is the clothes situation which I explained here. This is the part I'm not entirely happy about...it still looks cluttered to me. Its also pretty annoying when a certain little someone decides to "help momma" and empty out a shelf of clothes into the dirty clothes hamper! It would really be lovely to have it all put away out of site. I don't have a better solution at the moment though...I would love any suggestions! The dresser is going to get a pretty paint job at some point in the future.

      I added some sticky mirrors to the wall around the ABC art I made here. I've never met a little girl who didn't like to look at themselves...needless to say this was a huge hit! Yes, the "Z" on the canvas is still backwards...I'll fix it...someday.

      And last is the toddler bed which was also a garage sale find and repainted by me.  My mom made the super cute polka dot crocheted blanket at the foot of the bed.

     So there you have it...a little crowded, but just right for the little girls at this stage. Funny, I started out thinking I was going to have a bird theme in this room. I don't think there is a single bird in it! Oh well, I guess the moral of the story is to just go with what works!

" Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you." James 4:8

Linking to:
TaterTots and Jello

Rocking Chair Cushion

      I finished my last project I wanted to sew for the girls' room. This rocking chair is super cute, but not so comfy to sit in. It definitely needed a cushion of some kind.

     My mom kindly did all the hard part and cut everything out for me. I just sewed it together. This is basically how you make a cushion like this. Cut out some foam to fit your particular chair.

      Use the foam as a pattern to cut out your fabric.

       Sew fabric around cording to make your piping.

      Sew the piping and whatever your ties are (I just used ribbon) to one layer of the fabric.

       Sew the second layer of fabric to this, right sides together. Flip right side out and stuff the in the foam.

      Hand sew the opening shut. I would not leave the opening in the front like I did, because then your hand sewing is in the front. My hand sewing is not super lovely so that wasn't the smartest thing to do for me.
     I was going to add fabric covered buttons to make a tuffed cushion. I don't know if I just bought cheap buttons or what, but they kept coming apart while I was sewing them on so I gave up on it. I think it looks just fine without them.

      I'll show you the finished room in my next post. Well, as "finished" as anything ever gets in my house that is!
      
"Wherefore, my beloved brethern, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:"
James 1:19

Linking to:
Freckled Laundry

Quick Headband Tip

      Well I realize things have been a little slow here on the old blog lately, and it probably will continue to be for at least a few more weeks...or until I can convince the new little lady that night time is a wonderful time to sleep! In the mean time, I'll have to be happy with a post here and there.
      I discovered this little idea for baby headbands and thought I'd share it with those of you that have smaller kiddos. I don't know about you, but I hate it when headbands leave a nasty red mark on little heads because of rough, too tight elastic. You can make your own super soft headbands by cutting up an old pair of toddler tights. Just cut off the foot area, then cut the leg portion into rings. The rings will roll up when you stretch them out.

      They expand quite a bit larger than they look. I could easily fit one on my two year old's head.

     These make a nice snug fit, without being rough on baby's head. I just clip bows or whatever on them to make them cute. You can't get any easier than that!


"Of old hast Thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the Heavens are the work of Thy hands." Psalm 102:25

My Idea Book

      Despite my fuzzy, foggy, sleep deprived brain, I actually managed to accomplish one small task today. I realize this is nothing new, and also a slightly outdated idea now that things like Pinterest are so popular. Magazines can provide great inspiration and information...however, they do tend to clutter and take up space. My way of keeping the inspiration without the clutter is to rip out the pages that I like, slide them into page protectors, and put them into a three ring binder.
     I keep pages that have unique collections of color...

      ...pictures of rooms that make me want to step into the picture and relax in them...

     ...A decor style that I like...

      ...Interesting uses for fabric...

      ...Great storage ideas...

     Over time, I have collected a nice little book that defines my tastes, and provides me with lots of visual inspiration for my own little projects.

     I like having a tangible collection of ideas, however archaic and un-technologically advanced that may be. And besides, its a great way to keep yourself awake when feeding a baby for the zillionth time! =)

Baby girl has arrived!!

      
     Well this is one "project" I am more than thrilled to have completed! My new little lady decided she wanted to join us two and a half weeks early! I am beyond grateful she arrived healthy and just as cute as can be! God is so good!

     I'll be taking a short break from blogging while we all get adjusted to each other. I'll be back soon, so do please check back in!

"Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered." Psalm 40:5

Pantry "feed sack" curtains

     I only have a few more weeks until baby #2 is set to arrive...preferably sooner than later. I am trying to finish up a few things that I know will bug the life out of me if I don't fix now, as they won't be a priority once baby comes. One of those things, I mentioned in this post, is my pantry. Its a few built in shelves that have nothing in front, and it's an eyesore in my opinion. No matter how tidy I may try to make it, it still looks cluttered.

     Lets face it, canned corn is not cute. I've had my eye out for ages at garage sales and such for old shutters or something to hang in front. Once, I found the most adorable set of old salon type doors at a rummage shop, but they were wanting way too much money for them so I didn't buy them. I'll still keep an eye out, but for the mean time I decided to try making a curtain for the bottom half. I wanted it to keep with the country, vintage look I already have going on the kitchen.
     I picked up some cheap, unbleached muslin at the fabric store and cut it into two panels. Next using strips of masking tape to keep me straight, I stenciled on words to look like old feed sacks.

      Using fabric paint, I painted on the letters, being very careful to use as little paint as possible. I didn't even bother to hem the edges, because I'm lazy I wanted to keep it rustic looking. Here's what it looked like when I finished.

       And.....I didn't like it. They looked too loud or something.

     They looked too new. So, I didn't heat set the letters and threw them in the wash.

     I know, I know, you can barely read it now...but I like it! It looks old and worn.

     It hides my mess, so I don't have to look at it....I'm satisfied.

      Well, for now anyway. I have a bit of extra muslin...I thought about making a few pillows. That fabric is really soft after washing it, and the unbleached color is quite pretty.

"Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing." Psalm 145:16

Linking to:
Freckled Laundry

Pig Pickin' Cake

     As I've mentioned before, I am not a cook. If it takes more than thirty minutes to fix, I loose my interest super quickly.I don't share recipes on here too much, because there aren't too many I actually use, much less like.  But, as my mister so eloquently says, "Even a blind squirrel finds a nut every now and then." That's deep huh. I don't know exactly how this cake got its name, I'm assuming it must have been a favorite to take to pig pickings. The nicer name is Mandarin Orange cake. At any rate, it is easy to make, and very light and yummy to eat. It's about the only dessert that doesn't involve chocolate that I'd recommend. =) Here's how to make it.

1 (18.5 oz) yellow cake mix
1 (11 oz) can Mandarin oranges, juice reserved
4 eggs
1/4 C vegetable oil
1 (16 oz) package frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 (15oz) can crushed pineapple, drained
1 (3.5 oz) instant vanilla pudding mix

1. Mix together cake mix, canned oranges with juice, eggs, and oil. (I like to reserve a few oranges to garnish the top) Pour batter into three greased and floured 8inch round pans. Layers will be thin.

2. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes, or until cake tests done, Cool layers.

3. Mix together whipped topping, drained pineapple, and instant pudding mix. Fill and frost the cooled cake. Refrigerate until ready to eat.

      I always have some of the topping left over...it makes a great dip for gram crackers, pretzels or fruit. Enjoy!

"And having food and rainment, let us be therewith content." I Tim 6:8