I'm back!

So, it's been a while! Sometimes I think we all go through periods in life where we might feel like we have nothing to say. Or at least nothing to say that other people might want to read. But it's also good to keep writing...I enjoy the process whether or not it's read by the masses. All of that to say, I'm going to be trying to post on here more regularly-hopefully a few times a week but I make no promises.

Today's post is inspired by the upcoming Christmas season...it's coming y'all! Like most of you reading this, we are blessed to consider ourselves the middle class of America. That being said, our kids quite honestly don't NEED another thing. We do enjoy giving them gifts and I love the Christmas season in general but I don't want to just buy then something because I've got a quota to meet. I've been thinking though, about what I can get them this year that won't just be another thing they don't play with once February rolls around. 

Because Pinterest is amazing and not at all a waste of time and energy...I've been browsing that site for a few ideas and here are some great ones that have inspired me a bit...

First Up: Handmade fishing pole and fish! I actually have a friend who made something similar to this last year for her kids and it has been a big hit. I also love the fact that both parents can contribute to this finished product. You can purchase the items pretty inexpensively and the end result with be something very cute and one of a kind. I think it would also be fun to have a few more sea creature options besides just fish...maybe make a few fish, a crab, a shark, etc...

Another good idea is this Hopscotch Mat. I think this one looks easy enough for beginner sewers and the kids will love to jump around on it too!

3.  I love this drum set! So cute and easy. I think I will definitely attempt this one this year. The color and size options are endless!! 

So now you have a few cute ideas to get the wheels turning in that brain of yours. What are some fun gifts you've made for you kids?

Toddler Knit Peasant Dress

I have been wanting some new pajama pants and couldn't find any I liked that weren't like $30. (Whaaat!) so I decided to make some using this fabric from Girl Charlee

I had some fabric left over and so I decided to make a peasant dress for Lilly (who is now 3!!) I used this tutorial to make the dress and used a coordinating coral ribbon as a belt. Love how it turned out...perfect for the early fall days we're having here.

Mountain House Update

Well, we've finished the basement! Here are some before and after pics!

Before:

And After!

What a difference right? Here's what we did

• Painted (Everything)
• Installed maple laminate wood flooring
• Installed baseboard trim
• Refinished the countertops
• Cleaned 

That's it! It took a lot of work but those were the only five things we did. It's amazing what paint can do.

Mountain House Update

Well, we've made it to the final room. And we definitely saved the best (or worst-depending on how you look at it) for last. This is the house's large basement. It's probably about 450 square feet and has a large bar, plus separate sink area.

Originally it had indoor/outdoor carpet on the floor that was curling up on all the sides and had no padding underneath. The walls were painted fire engine red and the ceiling wa black. All the trim was black also. And the doors were red. The room had no baseboards or trim and the bar was tiled with 12 inch black and white tiles on the top. There was also a ton of mold and dirt on the walls and it smelled horrible.

Here are some before pictures to remind you of just how horrible this room was.

During our last trip we (my dad) painted the ceiling and walls. It now has a white ceiling and light green walls. Much. Better. We also painted all the trim and doors white. We've removed the carpet and will be installing maple laminate wood floors next weekend and new baseboards. This weekend we tackled the countertops. I painted the bar a green like the walls instead of the natural wood paneling. We decided to use a the Rustoleum countertop transformation (java stone) on the counters. These cost about $250 at Lowes or Home Depot. We used this on the kitchen counters upstairs and liked the result so we did it again. It was also the easiest thing we could think of in this situation since we didn't want to remove the counters and tiles completely.

So, here are a few pictures so far. Remember we still need to put in the floor and decorate...but for $100 in paint and $250 for the countertops....I feel like this is quite the transformation!

Baby Shower Gift Ideas

I don't know about you but I've got a lot of baby shower's in the future and it's always more fun to make something for a shower than buy something right? Below are some great baby shower gift ideas that I love!

1. Receiving Blankets: I love flannel receiving blankets and have been using them a ton with Miss Charlotte. I really like the ones in this tutorial because they are reversible. Each blanket requires two yards of fabric, you could make a cute set of four for relatively cheap. So adorable!

2. Baby Leg Warmers: These leg warmers were made from knee socks! Such a cute idea!!!

3. DIY Gift wrapping: This is an adorable way to wrap that DIY gift you've done. 

4. Month by Month Onesies: I love this idea! A onesie for each month, these are great for the mom who wants to take a picture every month during that first year.

5. Knit Hats:  This one requires a bit of sewing but so very cute. 

Hopefully this gives you some ideas for upcoming baby shower gifts. Everyone appreciates the time it takes to create a homemade gift and you certainly can't go wrong with any of the lovely ones mentioned in this post.

Initials for the Nursery

Charlotte arrived last Friday, on the 31st. I took last week off and am now back and ready to blog! I had one thing left to do to her room, and that is to add her initials. Yesterday Michael's had a coupon for 30% off your purchase so I went and picked up three letters and three sheets of coral scrapbook paper.

I traced the letters onto the paper and then cut them out. I used Mod  Podge to attach the paper to the letters and then I covered the top with Mod Podge as well. 

Total project time: 30 minutes

Total cost: $10

Newborn DIY dress

Remember the fabric I bought at the thrift store over the weekend? I paid $.50 for some cute pink knit fabric with blue sailboats on it.

I found an old onesie I had laying around (9 month size) and cut the bottom off of it.

Next, I cut two rectangles from the knit fabric, they measured about 3 inches wider than the width of the onesie. I sewed the two triangles together, front to front, creating a tube.

Then I sewed the "tube" to the oneside and hemmed the bottom.

For the "necklace" I ironed on some heat n bond to a piece of the knit fabric and then cut out the circles. Then I removed the backing and ironed them onto the top of the onesie. Finally, I sewed through the middle of each circle with a decorative stitch.

Now Miss Charlotte has a dress that was made just for her :)

Little Girl's Room...on a budget

Since the new baby is coming, she will be getting Lilly's old room. We decided to put two twin beds into Lilly's new room because eventually Charlotte will move in with her...and it will also work well as a guest room when we have guests in the future.

In case you forgot, here is the link to what this room looked like before (it was our guest room)

I started by painting the walls white and painting the two green stripes. THIS TOOK FOREVER. It took three coats of paint to get the walls to be a consistent white and the measuring, marking and taping portion of the stripes was very tedious...(this is why there are only two stripes)

I made the curtains using material I got on sale at JoAnns. Total cost per panel was $6. We found the metal bed frames at two thrift stores, $11 each. The comforters were from TJ Maxx and they were $19.99 each. The sheets were from Walmart ($10) and I made the throws at the end of the beds from some fabric I picked up about a year ago at the thrift store for $1! I also made the throw pillows with scraps of fabric that I had left over so no cost there.

We found the dresser at the Habitat for Humanity Restore for $60. It was a light wood color and looked like it was from the 70's. I painted it white and sprayed the hardware with some rustic bronze spray paint we had on hand.

  I spotted this piece of artwork on the wall (the butterfly) this week at the thrift store for $3. It matched the room perfectly and I couldn't pass it up

The lamp and accessories on the dresser and the letters on the wall were all from Lilly's old room. Fortunately they matched perfectly with the new room!

I would still like to get some book shelves (actually spice racks...see the idea here) to put on the walls (I'll probably paint them green). But other than that, the room is finished. I'm really happy with the way it turned out and also with some of the great deals we were able to find.

Here are the pins that inspired the look.

Easy Maternity DIY Dress

I found some knit fabric the other day at Hancock Fabrics that I absolutely loved. I used 1 yard and an old long sleeve t-shirt and made a comfy dress for my oh-so-pregnant-self.

To make this dress I used the same technique as when I made the Tank Top Maxi Dress

This is a very easy dress to make and because it's all knit, it's extremely comfortable. I'm sure it will still be wearable post-baby as well!

Mountain House Update

We just returned from another weekend at the mountain house. This time we got smart and brought some enforcement...my parents! Together we accomplished so much!!!

Here is what the living room looked like when we moved in. The wall color was pretty dark and everything was filthy.

We painted the walls a light green, tore out the carpet, pulled up all the staples from below the carpet padding, and fixed some rotten wood by the double door going out to the deck. I like how the green looks with the stone around the fireplace.

Next, the kitchen. Below are the before pictures. The original kitchen had old and dated cabinet hardware, an ugly green counter top, a disgusting dishwasher and fridge and no oven or microwave. Also it was beyond filthy.

We updated it by adding new hardware, new appliances, refinishing the counter tops and doing some major cleaning. The total transformation came to $2050. Including all the appliances. (The biggest money saver was the stainless steel Kitchen Aid Fridge which we found at Habitat for Humanity Restore for $425. The other appliances were all on sale at Lowes...plus that military discount comes in pretty handy when purchasing large appliances!

We were also able to finish the bathroom this trip (Well, the mirror still needs to be hung but other than that, it's done) Originally the bathroom was nothing special and super dirty.

We added a nice vanity and mirror, light fixture, shower curtain, shower curtain rod, towel rods, new toilet and new shower head, trashcan, rugs and fan. The bones of the bathroom were good (floor and tub surround were great), it just needed some serious cleaning, a splash of color, and a few upgrades. Total cost: $825.00. While we know that the vanity didn't NEED to be replaced, we felt like it as worth the cost. There are a few things worth splurging on in order to make the room look more than just builder grade.

All in all it was a productive weekend and the house is really coming together. There are only a few rooms left to paint, and once the carpet is installed we can begin moving in furniture and decorating! Stay Tuned!!