Baby Room Progress

I am loving the pinks and oranges in the baby room! And I have had some nap times to get crafty and it feels good. I love being a mom, and I also love time to be creative. 

First and my favorite... My "A" wall art! 

It is not exactly like my original thoughts, but I love the pop that the pink gives to this wall over the crib.

I started by sketching and cutting out my shape from a large piece of cardboard we had kicking around the house. Then, I taped the cardboard up to the wall above the crib and traced it onto the wall using a pencil.

Then, I painted it on with a medium sized foam brush. It was easier than I thought it would be.
I cut out the "A" from one of my coordinating fabrics for the room and stuck it to the wall using spray starch. It's an awesome technique that leaves nothing on the wall when you take it down later. 

And here's how the opposite wall has come together.

Photo board shown here.

Felt flowers canvas art technique shown here.

Decoupage picture frame mat shown here.

You'd never know that our internet modem and router are hiding behind the flower frame on the dresser! 

 And now on to my crazy baby mobile made from a spider photo hanger (gifted to us for Christmas) and fabric and paper shapes and ribbons I created. 

I hung it next to the crib where baby can see it, but not over the crib just in case it ever decides to fall!

Can you tell that I am having lots of fun??? 

~ Chelsea ~

Toy Drum

I gave my little girl a box of musical instruments for Christmas. She, like most toddlers, loves to make noise, and she has always shown a special interest in music. 

As I expected, she loves her music box. 

A few weeks after Christmas, I finally had some time to help her make a simple drum out of a yogurt container to add to her box. It was a fun little project and I enjoyed being creative and making it sparkly and pink just as she requested. 

Our materials: clean yogurt container, drum sticks (dowel pieces), thin paper (we used some awesome wrapping paper from Christmas), paint (for top & bottom of the drum and for the drum sticks), decoupage and scissors. (I mixed my decoupage with some glitter to make the drum sparkly.)

I cut the thin wrapping paper into strips about 3 inches wide and long enough to cover the sides of the drum. Then, I decoupaged the strips on, overlapping them until the sides were covered. 

And the completed sparkly pink drum and drum sticks after waiting not-so-patiently for them to dry!

Now to help the little drummer understand that it's not a good time to drum when baby sister is sleeping! :) 

I brought this upon myself, I guess. 

~ Chelsea ~

House Number

I am excited that I was able to finish a quick project that I started pre-baby. I made a house number plaque to hang near my front door. Our house number is not very visible on our house, so I wanted something large and bold with the number so that people can see it from the street. Also, I don't like all the door-to-door salespeeps we get around here, so just maybe my plea for no soliciting will be noticed and respected. I have hopes, but not high ones! It's worth a shot, and it was a fun little project.

I purchased the wood plaque at Joanns using a 50% off coupon so it was about $5. I painted it with the brown paint we have for the accents on our house. Then I used my silhouette machine to cut out the numbers and letters in white contact paper. I placed them on the painted surface and then painted on a finishing coat of decoupage for durability for being outside. I hammered in a sawtooth hanger on the back to hang it up. 

Even though I didn't get the letters perfectly strait (and because I'm a perfectionist that slightly bothers me), I still love how it turned out and how it looks on my front porch. 

~ Chelsea ~

Decorating Dilemma

As I type this post, my little 5-week-old girl sits staring up at me from my lap, with the hiccups. 

So, I have this problem as of the last few weeks. I have this itch that can't be scratched. I have an adorable newborn in my house now and so I spend a lot of time bouncing and doing laps around the house in the soothing-to-sleep process for this little spazzy bundle. While I walk around my house, I think of fun new decorations that I could make. The two rooms that I am wanting to decorate the most right now are the baby room and the family room. The baby room has been a slow work in progress, and mainly because I haven't loved any of my ideas, until recently. And the family room has been neutral brown, black and white for too long and I'm ready for something more brave and bright. With all my time to think, I have some great ideas now of what I am wanting to make and change, but here's the problem... I have no time to be a creator! So, for now all the ideas are floating around in my head and I imagine them on the walls and shelves as I do my laps around the house or sit rocking my little one. 

Here are some things that I want to do...

Baby Room: 

- Hanging photo and pink/orange shapes mobile in corner of the room using a spider picture hanger.

- Find some interesting wall hanging that can complete the grouping on the futon wall. Preferably something with dimension.
- Bring some color to the window. I have an idea for a colorful valence. 

- Large "A" fabric art above the crib. I have a lot of fabrics that coordinate with the colors in her room that I would like to use for this. Something to this effect, but with more fun patterns. The circles represent twisted flowers made from different fabrics. 

Family Room:

- Turquoise may be the new color to spice up this large front room. I know the husband likes turquoise, and I'm definitely into it these days. Maybe a few different shades of turquoise. 

- Add family photos on entertainment center, I'm trying to think of a creative way to display them other than frames.
- Couch pillows
- Coordinating dining room table center piece to tie the kitchen and family room colors together.

- Quote or art hanging near front door

Hopefully, me writing out some of these ideas is the first step to getting some of them done! I hope to show you some creations soon. But for now, I'll just keep perfecting them in my head as I enjoy my little bundle! :)

~ Chelsea ~

Simple Christmas Tree Ornament

My mom made this beautiful ornament for my tree this year. 

She used the metal top of a frozen juice concentrate container, painted it, drilled a hole and added the ribbon hanger and the silhouette nativity. I used my Silhouette machine (craft cutter) to cut the white contact paper into the detailed nativity shape. 

Contact paper is a great (and cheap) alternative to using vinyl for many projects when using a craft cutter. 

This ornament is simple and a great reminder of who we are celebrating!

Merry Christmas!

~ Chelsea ~

Merry Christmas To All

I really love the Christmas season! Everything about it is joyous!We have had this nativity profile for many years. Rod, my Handy Honey, simply cut it out of plywood, made some legs on the back to hold it up and I painted it white. It has it's own spotlight, because after all, Christ's birth is the best part of Christmas. Above is Chelsea's lovely Christmas tree. Her awesome little helper rearranges it once in awhile! The beaded pears & apples are some items that we used at her wedding reception so, they are extra special.

Our Christmas tree has so many ornaments that I don't even put them all on. Years ago I used to have 2 trees, one for the kids to decorate (which I always loved) and a fancy one that coordinated with the living room colors. Almost every year I buy or make an ornament that has the nativity on it. I make sure to place them on the lower half of the tree so our Grandcuties can see them and remember what Christmas is really all about.

Living in this smaller home I don't have as many places to decorate, but our antique buffet is a great place for all kinds of arrangements.

I love clear glazed ceramics with their off-white color. I have made some years ago with the help of Rod's Grandmother, but this pretty piece of Joseph, Mary, and Jesus came from a thrift store!

One more picture of the front of our home with the beautiful white lights!

With Love, Lynda

Baby Room

Slowly I am getting decorations gathered and made for my new little baby girl's room.

This fabric inspired the colors and theme of the room. I got this little piece of flannel fabric in the remnant section at Joann's a long time ago and unfortunately, it is no longer available. With the help and instruction of a good friend, I crocheted the edging around the fabric to make it a little blanket.
I love the deep and bright colors.

So, all the colors in this blanket will be included in the decorations for the room.

My mom, Lynda, made a vibrant picture frame mat and gave it to us with a beautiful white frame to include in the baby room decor. 

I love how it looks! And it is incredible to note that all the great pinks and oranges came from a variety of ads that my mom collected. She cut them out to perfectly cover the mat and then mod-podged over it all for a smooth final coat. 

I made the simple "I am a Child of God" center.

Once I get all the wall decorations made and up, I'll be sure to post how it all comes together.

~ Chelsea ~

Wood Christmas Decorations

I love Christmas. I love decorating for Christmas and having those decorations all around for at least a month to remind me that it is Christmas time.

I don't have a fireplace with a beautiful mantel to display our family's stockings, but I have always desired a cute way to hang them so I can see them throughout the season.

With some inspiration from Crystal's awesome wooden signs that she sold at the boutique, I created a wooden stocking hanger.

I am very pleased with the simplicity of my creation and how well it looks with our mis-matched stockings. I actually really like the fact that none of our stockings are the same. Mine and my husbands are from our growing up years and I made my two daughters stockings. (The most recently made one shown here.)

It's amazing what some scrap lumber, paint and small screw-in hooks can create.

While I was at it, I made a few decorative signs in the same wonderful red color.

I used my Silhouette machine to cut out white contact paper to create the letters and shapes.

Easy, cheap and beautiful. Just how I love it.

I hope you are enjoying decorating for Christmas too!

~ Chelsea ~

The Boutique Was So Fun!

Last Friday evening the girls & I shared in the fun at a Holiday Boutique hosted at a friends gorgeous home.We set up in a space along with 2 other awesome gals, which added to the fun!
Most of my items where done in the French Country/Cottage style along with some antique & vintage decor.

The ever so adorable Chelsea & Crystal with baby "M"

Chelsea made these creative magnet boards with super cute magnets. She also made some awesome chalkboards, but I didn't get a picture of them.

Crystal made the wonderful wood placques with sayings on them that get you thinking! She should have made a lot more of the one with the big heart that says love on the bottom. It sold before the boutique even started.

I had a ton of fun making home decor out of random and sometimes unique materials. My Handy Honey was a huge help for me. He made the white table that I displayed all of our goodies on, the 2 black corner shelves, 2 small table display risers, the spindle decor, cut beadboard & concrete board for me & etc.

We didn't really make a ton of money for all of the time & work that we put into it,

but it was a ton fun!
I wish you could hear the laughter that Jess was getting "M" to make!

~*~ Lynda ~*~

Cardboard Easels

There are many times when I am in need of several easels for various displays that I create for church or other projects. This time, I was in need of easels for my boutique display and I wasn't interested in spending money on them. I have a few nice easels around my house, but I needed several. 

So, that's where the newly purchased fire pit comes in... at least the box it came in. 

I used the thick sturdy cardboard corners to cut out (very carefully with a box/exacto knife) 5 easels. 

The first one, I sketched on with a pencil and just guessed the size and shape. Then, when that one amazingly worked, I used it as a template to trace and cut out the others.

Then, I painted the cardboard with 2 light coats of spray paint. 

Wah-lah! 5 perfectly stable and completely FREE easels to help me display my magnetboards and chalkboards on Friday. 

~ Chelsea ~

Some more awesome Home Decor!

I love how this mirror painted up! Creamy white w/gray glaze. Still French provincial looking in shape, but French Country style with the new colors. You can tell that this mirror is very old. We picked it up at an antique store in Utah.

This framed metal hook looks better in person. I still have a very hard time taking pictures of black items.

I like it when home decor also serves a purpose, such as this great 3 pronged hook.

This is a really wonderful repurpose of an old fireplace screen! It can be used sitting on a desk or table (I hung some jewelry on it) and/or it looks really great hanging on the wall as a headboard for a double or twin size bed!
All of these items will be for sale at the Holiday Boutique this Friday
~*~Lynda~*~

Adorable Rocking Chair

Here is an awesome solid wood, beat up little rocking chair! And here it is after some white paint and pale pinkish glaze! Doesn't it look great all distressed & glazed?

The side view is adorable too!

By the way, I painted those 3 flower wall dowels with the same finish.

Yes, they will be available for purchase at the boutique on Friday, Nov. 18th!

~*~Lynda~*~