{nursery progress} DIY song lyric prints

One of the easiest ways I knew I could save money in the nursery was by making my own art prints.  We knew there were a couple song lyrics we especially wanted to use, so all I had to do was figure out the right fonts and colors.  I used PowerPoint (it's not just for presentations, people!) to design each print, and framed them in Ikea frames.

(Fonts: Eras Light ITC and Marketing Script)

I've always loved the song Golden Slumbers, which is good because it gets stuck in my head every time I'm in the nursery. I can't wait to play it for our daughter.

(Font: Yesterday Again)

Jared and I first heard Murder in the City at Bumbershoot back in 2007 (you can see that exact performance of it right here), and immediately fell in love with it. Shortly after Scott Avett had his baby girl, he changed one of the lyrics to "make sure my daughter knows I loved her, make sure her mother knows the same" - so when we found out we were having a girl, the song became even more special for us.  The lyric in this print is the last line of the song, and we hope that someday those words mean as much to our daughter as they mean to us.

Here are links to download the prints (for personal use only, please):

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Email or comment if you want the PowerPoint files so you can change the fonts and/or colors.

memorial day desserts

We went over to our neighbors' for a bbq Sunday, which gave me a much needed excuse to make a couple of the yummy desserts I've found on Pinterest.  The first thing I made was S'Mores Cookie Bars, and they were even tastier and gooeyer than I hoped they'd be (my next door neighbor actually described them as "life-changing.") One thing I recommend doing is spraying your spoon or spatula with Pam before spreading out the marshmallow fluff... it made it MUCH easier to spread.

The second thing I made (because one dessert just wasn't enough) was Peanut Butter Cup Brownies. They're pretty much exactly how they sound - like Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, but with the added deliciousness of brownies. These were pretty easy to make, and though my centers didn't fall during cooling, I used the back of a 1/2 teaspoon to depress each one and that worked really well. They might be Jared's new favorite thing I bake, and my sister has made me promise to make them for her when she comes to visit later this month.

Overall, I loved both of these desserts and would definitely make them again. I highly recommend either one for your next get together, baking whim, or pregnancy induced sugar craving.

{maternity series} 37 weeks

link love - 5.27.11

3 day weekend - woohooooooo!!  It's shaping up to be an excellent weekend... I'm finally getting my hair done tomorrow so I won't look like a white trash mama when this kiddo is born, and we're having a little neighborhood bbq on Sunday, which gives me another excuse to bake up some sugary goodness. I may or may not try to organize my sewing space on Monday... still waiting for this nesting thing to hit, but so far my tiredness is trumping everything else. Anywho... here's what I loved from around the web this week:

• Paint chip gift tags on Paper Crave - I feel like there have been an abundance of paint chip projects floating around the web recently, and  I especially love this one...

• Coloba Organic Play Mattress on ohdeedoh - This inventive little mattress would be a great addition to any play room.  Too bad it's apparently only sold in Denmark, so I'll have to hold out hope for an Ikea knock-off.

• Recycled Shirt Dress on three little freckles - There are a lot of tutorials on this idea (making a little girl's dress from a men's shirt), but I really like what Sarah did with the neckline on this one...

{maternity series} 36 weeks

link love - 5.20.11

It's finally starting to feel like Spring here in Portland... the sun is shining, people are out and about, and I no longer have to wear a jacket (none of which zip or button anymore anyway.)  Today is set to be the nicest day of the year so far, AND Jared is coming home after being in Seattle all week for work - soooo, I'm in a pretty fantastic mood. Here are some other things that lifted my spirits this week...

• White Peach Sangria on Celebrations at Home - I've been craving peaches for months now, and as soon as they're in season (and I'm no longer pregnant) I'll be whipping up a pitcher of this sangria.  It looks soooo yummy...

• Crossover Pinafore on Smashed Peas and Carrots - I love pretty much anything made with this Amy Butler fabric combo, but I particularly love this crazy cute pinafore...

• Zig Zag baby quilt on Red Pepper Quilts - This quilt is a perfect use of scrap fabric, and I love the unique quilting.

{maternity series} 35 weeks

link love - 5.13.11

Happy Friday the 13th!  I was born on Friday the 13th, so I've never bought into the whole unlucky day business.  A Friday is a Friday and that has to be a good thing.  :-) Here's what I loved from around the web this week:

• Photography Cheat Sheet on Pinterest - This cheat sheet is a little piece of genius as far as I'm concerned.

• DIY Fold Away Drying Rack on Centsational Girl - Your average drying rack is neither aesthetically pleasing nor space saving, so I was quite delighted when I saw this DIY drying rack.  It would greatly perk up the laundry space in our drab, unfinished basement.

• Make Ahead Freezer Smoothies on The Tidy Nest - Where has this idea been my whole pregnancy!?  Delicious, healthy, easy, quick... I will definitely be making these this weekend.

PS... I finally discovered Pinterest this week (I know, a little late to the game) and holy moly - I'm hooked.  It's an endless source of eye candy and inspiration.  If you haven't checked it out yet I highly recommend it!  (You can see what I've been pinning by clicking on the new "Follow Me on Pinterest" button on the right.)

{maternity series} 34 weeks

link love - 5.6.11

Happy Friday!  I hope everyone is recovering nicely from Cinco de Mayo.  I spent last night getting my water aerobics on with a bunch of other pregnant ladies... a stark contrast to my Cinco de Mayos of yore.  :-)  Anyway, here are a few of my highlights from blogland the past couple weeks:

• Bolefloor on Twig & Thistle - Ohhh, these floors.  I've never seen anything like them.  I'm a sucker for wide plank hardwoods but these might be my new favorites.

• Railroad Plate and Saucer Set on ohdeedoh - I seem to have a lot of friends with train-obsessed little boys, so I had to share this adorable plate and saucer set.  Cute design, fun for kids, what's not to love?

• Mall Pretzels on elephantine - Yummmmm.  I've tried to make homemade soft pretzels a few times, but they always end up too dense and not nearly Auntie Annie's-like enough for my tastes.  So when I saw these my hope for making delicious homemade soft pretzels was renewed.  I'll let you know how they turn out!

Have a great weekend!  Jared and I are off to Cannon Beach for a little weekend babymoon.  Amazing food, a jacuzzi tub, and a prenatal massage are just what the doctor ordered.

{maternity series} 33 weeks

Peep strawberry cupcakes

My block had a potluck Easter dinner this year, so - naturally - I signed up to bring dessert.  And, as with most things, I went a bit overboard.  (Hey, I gotta take advantage of having time to take on crazy baking adventures before the baby comes!)

I'd been wanting to make Sprinkles strawberry cupcakes for a while now, and they seemed a bit Easter-ish, so that's where I started. You apparently have to follow the recipe from this YouTube video (click on "show more"), because the recipe posted on MarthaStewart.com and elsewhere is wrong.  Overall, I really liked the taste of these cupcakes - though I probably could have taken them out a minute or two earlier.  The frosting, on the other hand, was aaaaa-mazing.  I doubled the recipe for both the cupcakes and frosting, and instead of 7 cups of confectioners sugar I only used 6.  There, it's in writing... one time in my life I used less sugar than I was supposed to.  Any more and I felt like the sweetness would have overwhelmed the strawberry flavor.

Once everything was baked and mixed, it was time to decorate.  My mom has always made a Peep cake for Easter, so I decided to carry on the tradition - with a twist.  I smeared a bit of frosting on the bottom of a Peep, stuck it to the cupcake, piped drops of frosting around the Peep using an Ateco #32 piping tip, and finished with a pinch of sprinkles.

Since not everyone is a fan of Peeps, I made half with fresh strawberries on top instead of Peeps.  (While I may never understand these Peep-haters, I still want them to eat my cupcakes.)

I used the same basic approach to decorating the strawberry version...

I'm not going to lie, I took a break in the middle of writing this post to eat the very last Peep cupcake.  So sad to see them go.  Until next year my Peep friends...

{maternity series} 32 weeks

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

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!

{maternity series} 31 weeks

{maternity series} 30 weeks

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. :)