link love - 4.22.11

Happy Earth Day, everyone!  In honor of this wonderful day, I'm going to share three things I loved this week - none of which have anything to do with the environment or conservation.  (But if you happen to be looking for things you can do to make the world a little greener today, check out this link.)

  • Photo Stats by Miz Booshay on The Pioneer Woman - As someone who's still learning her way around the Manual mode on our camera, I've found photo stats to be immensely helpful in learning how to achieve the perfect balance between aperture, ISO, and exposure.  I love Miz Booshay's photos, so it's great to see what settings she uses... it's like a cheat sheet for getting better shots.  If you're struggling (like me) to learn how to use your fancy camera, I highly recommend checking out Miz Booshay's posts.

  • DIY Bunny Garland on Twig & Thistle - If you're still looking for some last minute Easter crafts, look no further than this super cute and easy bunny garland.

  • Record Player Wedding Invitation on Design*Sponge - This is easily the most awesome and impressive wedding invite I've seen in a long time.  You have to check it out.

{nursery progress} a tale of two mobiles

IMG_54411.jpg

Yes, you read that correctly... I ended up making not one, but two mobiles for the nursery. If you'll remember, I started out with the idea to DIY a mobile like the one I had in my mood board:

But then my friend, Rachael, sent me the link for this bird mobile tutorial and I decided to make that one instead.  Here's how it turned out:

I was so so happy with how it looked, especially once I hung it over the crib - but the idea of that original mobile kept nagging at me.  I love a good challenge, and finding a way to DIY something I saw selling on Etsy for $80 was just my kind of challenge.  So... much to my husband's dismay, I decided to make a second mobile for the nursery.  I had no idea where I'd put this one - if it would replace the bird one, if I'd end up with two mobiles, if I'd junk it altogether after punching out a gazillion little circles.  Luckily, by the time I finished it late one Sunday night, I was completely smitten.  It was so fun and cheery... just looking at it made me smile.  I knew I had to find a home for it in the nursery.  So over the changing table it went...

Here's a close up:

I used 3 shades of yellow paper to get a gradient effect, fishing line, clear beads, wooden dowels, and jump rings.  The whole thing cost me maybe $15.  I'm hoping to get a tutorial posted for it next week so stay tuned!

link love - 4.8.11

TGIF!!!  I'm still not quite sure how I survived this week, but I sure am glad to see it come to an end.  In my flu-y state I didn't keep up with my Google Reader as much as I would have liked, but here are a couple things that caught my eye...

  • Muralette stickers on Project Nursery - Wall decals have become pretty standard nursery fare in recent years, but I've never seen ones like these.  I still can't believe they're decals... simply stunning.

  • Lovemaestore on Etsy - Apparently I was on a bit of a decal kick this week (which is kinda strange since I have no plans to use decals in the baby's nursery.) I completely fell in love with the fabric decals at this shop... especially the Dress Up collection.  They're like awesome paper dolls or Colorforms (remember those?) you can play with on your wall.  Brilliant.

Have a great weekend, everyone!!  :-D

monogram ruffle butt onesies

There are few things I love making more than gifts for my friend's babies, so when I found out that one of my oldest friends in the world, Stephanie, was coming to my baby shower I got to work on brainstorming something for her beautiful new baby girl.  Applique onesies are always a solid choice (quick, easy, and a great use of scrap fabric) but I wanted to jazz them up a bit this time.  I started out with a basic monogram applique using Steam-a-steam fusible web and a zig-zag stitch around the letters...

And then things got crazy...

RUFFLE BUTTS!  Seriously... these ruffle butt onesies are pretty much the cutest things I've ever made.  I take no credit for this brilliant creation - as far as I can tell that credit goes to Char from Crap I've Made.  I followed her tutorial to a T and it turned out even better than I hoped.  I used the serger approach, since I've been waiting for an excuse to practice using my new serger.  Here's a close-up...

As fun as it was to make these onesies, it was even better getting to catch up with Steph (we hadn't seen each other in about 9 years)... it's amazing to think about how far we've come since we first became friends in the 2nd grade. It seems like just yesterday our biggest concern was making sure our Trapper Keepers were organized just-so, and now we're approaching 30 and our lives are consumed by babies.  Ba-na-nas.  But good bananas. :)

 

{maternity series} 29 weeks

You might notice that this week's photo is a bit different... I had to pull one from the shower pics because the stomach flu prevented me from being in even halfway decent shape to take one of my regular belly photos.  Having the stomach flu at 7 months pregnant is pretty much as miserable as it sounds, but thankfully I'm finally starting to feel better.

link love - 4.1.11

Happy April!! (Is it just me, or is 2011 flying by?) Here's what I loved from around the web this week:

  • Paint Chip Easter Garland on Modern Parents Messy Kids - I sure do love me some Easter crafts (okay, and candy) and this one caught my eye for being both super cute and a great recycling project.

  • Oh, What a Busy Day! on No Big Dill - Still loving this Once Upon a Thread series, and I really wish this adorable top came with a tutorial!  So stinking cute.
photo courtesy of No Big Dill

I hope everyone has a great weekend!  I'm off to DC for my baby shower, which I could not be more excited about.  Family, friends, food... what more could a girl ask for? Oh, yes - a Phillies win on Opening Day. That would also be lovely. :-)

link love - 3.25.11

What a week!  Did anyone else wake up this morning relieved to no end that it was finally Friday?!?  I have more than enough projects to keep me busy right now, so this week's posts are mostly just stuff that inspired me:

  • A is For Asher illustrated letters on Twig and Thistle - There's an endless supply of custom letter prints on Etsy, but these custom prints by Wallace Design House really caught my eye.  I love the colors and the typography, but the tiny little animals steal the show...

  • Hello Sunshine hat by Kate Spade - Ohhhh, this hat.  If this isn't purely fabulous summery goodness I don't know what is.  Everything about it makes me want to escape to Capri and sunbathe on the Mediterranean in a cute little vintage suit (I have my pre-baby body in this fantasy) with big sunglasses, perfectly pedicured toes, and of course - my Hello Sunshine hat.  Ahh, a girl can dream.

    Hello Sunshine is also the name of a fantastic song by one my faves - Langhorne Slim.  So here's even more Hello Sunshiny goodness for ya:

     

  • Cupcakes in a Jar on The Kitchn - Because it's Friday, and because I'm pregnant... and because who doesn't love cupcakes in a freakin' jar?!?

{nursery progress} gum drop ottoman

I'm happy to report that I reached my goal of having the quilt and ottoman done before the end of my 2nd trimester.  Woohoo!  I'm not sure I want to know how much worse my back would have felt if I'd left all this sewing for my 3rd trimester.

The Gum Drop Pillow/Ottoman pattern was pretty easy to follow (for an Amy Butler pattern), but I think my choice of flannel is going to come back to haunt me.  I'm not sure how it'll hold up over time, and it was stretchier than regular cotton so I ended up needing way more batting than the pattern called for (11 1/4 lbs!!!).  So why did I go with flannel?  It was the exact color I was looking for.  Sometimes color trumps common sense.

I'm also not sure how I feel about it being slip-stitched closed.  I've become slightly anal about making sure every bit of fabric in the nursery is removable and washable, so it makes me nervous that this ottoman doesn't meet those criteria.  I'm thinking the first time I have to rip those stitches open, take out all the batting, and wash out whatever unpleasantness got all over it, I'm going to sew in an invisible zipper.

Since the ottoman is pretty big (though it's the perfect size for supporting my feet while nursing or reading to the baby) it'll spend most of the time living under the window to clear up floor space.

You'll also notice that we finished painting the Poang!  It took 3 coats of semi-gloss (using a foam brush) after sanding down the varnish, but it was worth it.  It fits much better in the room than the natural wood did.

Up next... I've been working away on the mobile and I'm hoping to get it done this week.  I didn't realize until I had everything cut that the birds need to be hand sewn.  Yuck.  But I have 4 done, and they look super cute, so hopefully it'll be worth all that extra time.  In case you're wondering, it does occasionally cross my mind that my daughter will never remember all this stuff I'm doing for her room, but then I stand in there and see how everything's coming together and it makes me happy enough to no longer care.  :)

link love - 3.18.11

Here are my favorites from the blogosphere this week:

  • Marshmallow Bunny Plushies from Dandelions and Lace - I've mentioned my intense love of marshmallows before, so it should come as no surprise that Easter is a particularly excellent season for my taste buds.  People either love or hate Peeps, and I fall firmly in the love column.  My mom made us a Peep cake every Easter - yellow cake, Fluffy White icing, coconut dyed with green food coloring to look like grass, and a little Easter-scape on top with Peeps and jelly beans - and I plan to carry on the tradition with my own kiddos.  Anyway, when I saw this insanely cute tutorial my Peep-loving heart went all a-flutter.  Seriously, how cute are these?  They're like the Peeps that keep on - uhh - peeping?  Yeah, I don't know.  But I know they're awesome and I can't wait to add one to our little girl's Easter basket next year.

  • S'more Bites from Fix Me a Snack - Hmm, I'm noticing a theme here.  Yep, definitely pregnant!  These little balls of goodness caught my eye not only because they have marshmallow centers (okay, mostly because they have marshmallow centers) but because the ingredients seem, well, kinda healthy.  Almond butter?  Wheat germ?  Is this lady crazy?  She may be crazy, but that's just enough healthy stuff to allow me to justify making these this weekend.  And then eat all 20 of them in one sitting.  Okay, maybe just 18.  Jared can have a couple, too.

  • Fundraiser for Japan by Oh, Fransson! - I wanted to post this one in case you're thinking about donating to the Red Cross to help with the Japan relief effort.  I've always loved Oh, Fransson!'s Tokyo Subway Map quilt, and now she's giving it away to one lucky and charitable reader.  If you like this quilt, too, please consider donating for a chance to win.  Great cause, great quilt, everybody wins.

new in the Etsy shop: nursing covers!

I'm so excited to announce that the nursing covers I mentioned earlier this year are finally up for sale in my Etsy shop.  Each nursing cover features 100% cotton Amy Butler fabric, and has a corner pocket made from a prefold cloth diaper - perfect for storing breast pads or using as a facial wipe for baby.  There's an adjustable strap and the boning at the neck enables mom to maintain eye contact while breast feeding and allows for ventilation, which helps keep baby nice and cool.

 

 

 

link love - 3.11.11

Here are a few of my favorite things from around the web this week:

  • The Two Minute T-Shirt Dress from Prudent Baby... There's a slew of upcycled baby clothes tutorials out there, but this caught my eye for being particularly cute and easy.  I used to love wearing my dad's t-shirts around the house when I was a little girl, and I'd be lying if I said there wasn't a part of me hoping our little one wants to help me downsize her dad's t-shirt collection by adopting a few as her own.

  • Oh, Fransson!'s Mod Blue Mosaic Quilt... Oh, Fransson! is one of my quilting heroes (and a fellow Portlander!)  Her quilts are always so modern and unexpected - and this one is no exception.  My brain has a hard time with asymmetry, so while I'm not sure I'll ever be able to adopt her style of quilting, I still love to swoon over her creations.

  • My friend Rachael sent me this DIY Bird Mobile tutorial last night, and I'm pretty much obsessed with it... Sarah was going to help me DIY a mobile similar to the one in the mood board I put together, but this tutorial has me totally inspired.  I'll have more than enough scrap fabric left over from the various nursery projects - plus, hello!, they're birds!  Tiny little perched birds in coordinated fabrics keeping watch over my baby girl.  It's all too much.  I kind of HAVE to do this, right??

 

{nursery progress} paint!

It took us 1 coat of primer, 3 coats of wall paint, and 2 coats of ceiling paint - but the painting is finally done!  As a reminder, here's how it looked before:

And here's how it looks now!

We covered every inch of that room with paint - the walls, the built-ins, the trim, the window, the ceiling, and even that old door.  Before we started I had tested some pretty big patches of a couple different colors on each wall, so I was pretty sure the color we picked would work out - but there's always that moment of panic after you get the first coat on when it's too late to turn back and you're still a couple coats away from being able to see the finished product.  But thankfully it's exactly what I'd envisioned - a rarity in the life of a DIYer.  (PS... the paint is Acro Pure No-VOC from Miller Paint in "Teal Treat" #0712.  The white paint is also No-VOC in a semi-gloss finish... they apparently don't recommend water-based paint for trim because it doesn't spread as well, but we used a soft bristled brush and it worked out great.)

You'll notice that the old door is still there... we realized that a new door would also need a new frame and that was just way more than we were ready to take on.  So we sanded the old door so that it actually closes, and I even managed to fix the mortise lock so we don't have to replace that either.  We're going to leave the glass uncovered for now, but I'll probably add a little curtain for it down the road.

Oh, and here's a close-up of the new hardware on the built-ins:

I'm kind of obsessed.

I can't even tell you how happy I am to have the painting done... not only because it means we can get the furniture, but because having to scoot around on the floor painting baseboards while you're nearly 6 months pregnant really really sucks.  Not exactly painless, but totally worth it.