EPIC ROOM MAKEOVER entry!

This is my shameless attempt to get an awesome makeover! Before I moved into my first house almost a year ago, I spent the week between closing on the house and moving in at the new house super late every night. I was cleaning, shampooing carpets, and most importantly, painting! Sadly, I only took the time to paint the two kids' rooms. They look great (check them out here and here), but I didn't have time to do my room. I figured I'd tackle it soon...

But then I was sick with my pregnancy and the meds wiped me out. Too tired to do any of that, I still haven't done anything to make my room awesome. It would be SA-WEET to have Mandi and Hailee come to my house and make this room EPIC! I'm officially entering the contest to win a new room!!

My room is awesome, but it needs color! And style! Let me walk you through it (um, sorry in advance about the bathroom over-share...)


To make sure you caught it all, check out these still photos. And since I know someone will wonder, I've got awesome family to help me with the kids if I were lucky enough to win!

possibly included master bath?

Please vote for me! I would really love this space to be awesome, and I know this makeover would be just the thing!

My little Dragon

Wow. Am I the meanest blogger ever? I tell you a week ago that I will be having my baby the next day and then nothing....

Well, sorry to make you wait, but meet my newest little guy, Dragon. His "code name" for the blog is the English translation of his Chinese middle name, just like the other kids.

Look at all that hair!! All of my kids have come out with hair, but his is by far the thickest.

This little guy came into the world fast! The time line went something like this:

11:30 am: check into the hospital for induction.

12:00 pm: IV placed after 3 tries, resulting in some of the prettiest bruising I've ever had.

12:30 pm: Doctor tells me he will check my progress and break my water. I ask for an epidural before he breaks the water, because I know I go fast once that happens (Hero was just under 3 hours, Pretty was just under 2). He doesn't think I'll progress fast enough to miss getting one, and before I know it, he's broken the water and started a slow drip of Pitocin. (see where this is going?)

12:45 pm: Intense contractions with major pain in my lower back making me scream. Beg for the epidural. All anesthesiologists are occupied in surgeries.

12:55 pm: Nurse says, "You're a 9" and runs to get a doctor, since mine was currently involved in a surgery next door. I look at Jake and tell him in a panic, "He's coming! He's coming without an epidural! I can do this. I can do this." (I was totally trying to convince myself of this...)

1:07 pm: Amid the deepest, throatiest, manliest screams I've ever made, my baby is here in two pushes. BAM. and OUCH!

Good thing he's cute, eh?

To Do List Update!

 Ok everyone. I have been busy growing and growing. These pictures were taken one week ago by my good friend. Since I am scheduled for an induction tomorrow, I figured I should hurry up and post about all the stuff I've been making for this little guy.

I'll do the list in the same number order, and check them off as we go!

1. Make new baby bedding: CHECK!

2. Finish crochet blanket and hat: CHECK! (but no pictures yet because they are packed away in my hospital bag in the back of my van in the garage, and I'm too lazy to go get them. This means the first time you will get to see them is wrapped around my sweet new baby!)

3. Unpack and rewash baby clothes: CHECK! Pinterest comes through again! This washing trick (pin here) got out quite a bit and I will be using it with every size he moves in to.

4. Make a Straight Jacket Swaddler, and maybe a few burp cloths: CHECK! and CHECK! I love these monsters I found for the straight jacket.

And a "few" burp cloths turned into 20! I decided to make a whole new set, so I raided my stash of flannel from when I stocked up last Black Friday. My loving sister did all the cutting out for me, since she felt bad for the amount of groaning I did cutting out other stuff!

5. Make a sock monkey: um, not yet. I'll get it done before the 1 month picture, I promise.
6. Sew Pretty's curtains: CHECK!
7. Sew a new quilt for Hero: HA! I knew that one wasn't going to happen. Christmas? :)

That was the end of my official list. 5 out of 7 isn't too bad! Especially because I added two more to the list without telling you.

First, I decided that I really wanted to make a faux chenille blanket from Dana's tutorial. It was a lot of tedious work, but turned out so great! I love it with crazy amounts of love! I used a 100% cotton that was in the wrong place at JoAnns, so I didn't realize it was supposed to be next to the outdoor canvas stuff... It's heavy and perfect. I'm glad I ran across it accidentally! The colors of flannel are yellow, grey and green. I also spent the extra time to bind the blanket the right way, with hand stitching. LOVE!!

And finally, I needed to make a new changing pad. I used the tutorial from Homemade by Jill to make one just after Pretty came along. It was girly with flowers, but I planned to use it for my boy anyway. Then I thought I would wash it, and the stuff I laminated on pulled of and ripped apart! I learned later that you only hand wash or delicate wash that stuff. Oops.

So a new one was needed. Yes, that is a Cheese patch. And yes, I love him.


The "laminated" side is the PUL stuff that you would buy if you were making cloth diapers. I was pointed to it when I asked where laminated fabric was at JoAnn's and told the woman what I was planning for it. I don't do cloth diapers, but I figured that would keep it protected enough! The only thing I worry about is whether it will wipe clean easily or stain, especially with it being white. But at very least, it should be able to go into the washing machine. (Oh, and hey, it looks like it's on sale right now at joann.com.) And if you plan on using this stuff, know that it stretches... a lot! I used my walking foot to keep it from going everywhere!

 Well, that's it! I have packed the bags for these two cuties to go to their grandparents for the night (Hero is thrilled about his sleep-over!) I can't wait to see if the new baby has the darker or lighter coloring... or if he will come up with his own unique combo!

I'm about to have 3 kids! They will outnumber us!! Wish me luck. :)

Baby Boy Bedding

It's getting closer, and the items on my to-do list are slowly getting marked off! Wahoo! This was taken earlier this week. That's right, I had my birthday! And I'm getting so big...

I was able to finish the baby bedding set! I started with the bed skirt and when it was done, I set up the crib so I wouldn't have to fold the skirt, then iron it later before putting it on. Yes, it seemed easier to me to haul the stored crib from the basement, up two flights of stairs, and assemble it all by myself rather than have to iron the skirt again!

The fabrics look so good together and having it all set up is making me feel like I'm almost ready.

Hero was so excited when I told him the baby's bed was in his room! One funny comment he made: when he asked what the orange circles were for, I told him I was going to make a skirt for the baby's bed. He said, "But boys don't like skirts on their beds. Skirts are for girls." I really couldn't argue with him... HA!

The spare sheet is folded in the corner, so you can see how it will look with the bumpers. I have enough extra of each fabric to make a quilt to match! While it's not technically on my list, I've cut it out and I can't wait to finish it!

Pretty has started asking me "Baby tummy out?" She's going to be a helpful big sister... or a jealous nightmare... or both...

I'm doing good! 6 more weeks and only 3 more things on my list (I've finished a few more projects, just need to take pictures and blog about it).

Pattern links: Amy Butler's Little Stitches for Little Ones book for the bumpers and the crib skirt, (anna from noodlehead used it here), but I left out the pockets in the bumpers. For the sheets I used MADE's tutorial.

Pretty's Girly Room

One of the fun things about buying a home was getting to create a boy room and a girl room. While there is still decorating to do in both, the two kid rooms were a priority for me to paint before we moved in. And they are still the only rooms I've painted so far.

Hero was old enough to pick his own wall color, but since Pretty was only 19 months when we moved, I decided the colors for her. My favorite colors are blue and yellow. They don't scream "girl", but it turned out just the way I wanted. I decided that when Pretty is about 12 years old, I'll let her pick her own colors if she wants...

Here's my sister, Audrey, helping me make stripes (she also helped me with Hero's green stripes).

Pretty's room has a funny angled corner, so instead of only doing one wall, we did more that half the room with these light and dark yellow stripes.

Here's the finished product, taken just this morning. You can see the blue reflecting in the mirror. So pretty!

Since I picked two not-so-very-girly colors for the walls, I knew I wanted to add flowers and pink into the decor. I carried around the paint chip cards with me everywhere and one day, while randomly deciding to walk through the fabric section at WalMart, I found this beautiful pink roses with a blue background fabric! I was ecstatic that it matched well with the paint! I found a yellow to match, because I knew the design I wanted to create. It's girly, while still staying with the colors of the room.

The problem I created for myself was not having measured the window when I found the perfect fabric. I then guessed at the amount I would need. Never a very good idea... While I had enough to make it work, I was hoping to have the curtains hang past the bottom edge of the window by about 6 inches. Instead, it brushes the window sill... and that's with adding the yellow  piece at the top I wasn't planning on. Oh well, they are still beautiful!

 I have a lot more ideas for making Pretty's room girly (check out my Pinterest board on it). My vision includes a lot more of the dark pink, butterflies and flowers.

It may be blue and yellow, but it is definitely a girly room!

Check this one off the list! I hope to check off more soon!

Easter Outfits 2012

Happy (late) Easter! It was a great Easter for us, filled with candy, church and family. I love all the fun that comes with holidays, but Christmas and Easter are my favorites because of the spiritual events they celebrate.

New Easter outfits are also good fun! I had planned on making new ties for the men, in addition to the dress I wanted to make for Pretty. But when I found myself at the mall 2 days before Easter, and I hadn't done any sewing yet... I took Hero over to the Tie One On store and let him pick out his own tie. I knew he would pick green, because it's his favorite color, but I loved the nice bright spring green he chose! We bought a matching for Jake and went home. I'm the only one who didn't get new anything. I just used the tattered chic skirt I made about 2 years ago. It's turned out to be a super comfy maternity skirt.

For Pretty's dress, I used the project from V and Co's new book. The instructions were very clear, and she included an easy method to adjust the dress to your own girl's size. I was lucky to have this green fabric in my stash. $3 for a queen sheet in the as-is section at IKEA and I've now made 3 dresses and 1 skirt from it, (see the other projects here and here). What a great buy!

The pattern only called for a small opening, and one button, but I measured and made it a bit snug. So I had to make it open farther down and add a second button to make it easier to put on and off. My husband loves the wooden toggle buttons for one reason.

"Squire. Tell her. What color will my tunic be tonight?"
"Uh. . . it's green. . . trimmed in a sort of pale green. . . with wooden toggles."

I think I might make another dress with this pattern soon. I was able to sew it up in a few hours and Pretty loves it!

Pre-Baby To Do List

I'm into the 3rd trimester with baby #3. This picture was taken 2 weeks ago, so now it's 10 weeks away.

While I haven't actually done much, I've been making a list in my head of all the things I need to get done before this little guy comes. Maybe writing it down will help motivate me.

1. Make new baby bedding. I have boy bedding that my mom made for me when Hero was a baby. But I wanted a new set that matched the new boy room I am creating in our new home. I wanted geometric patterns, and I wanted them to not be really "baby". I also wanted several different patterns to mix together.

 I search through 3 stores with my paint cards, yarn and curtain fabric, taking pictures and looking for a perfect match.

Finally, I found these! All the right colors and 5 of them! Enough for multi colored bumpers, the skirt and 2 sheets. Woohoo!

I will be using the pattern from Amy Butler's Little Stitches for Little Ones book for the bumpers and the crib skirt, (anna from noodlehead used it here), but I'm going to leave out the pockets in the bumpers. For the sheets I'm going to use MADE's tutorial.

2. Finish the crochet blanket and hat set. I like to crochet a blanket for each of my babies. I used this same pattern for my sister's last little boy (here) and loved it. I picked the colors to match the boy room I'm putting together. I also will make the same hat I did for my nephew, too.

3. Unpack and re-wash the little baby clothes. When Pretty was a baby, I pulled out the white onesies and pajamas from Hero. When I went through the boxes, I was surprised at how yucky dirty all the clothes seemed! I swear I washed them before packing them away! Well, I found this pin on Pinterest and knew I had to do that before the new baby came.

4. Make a Straight Jacket Swaddler, and maybe a few burp cloths. All I have for me is the "prototype" of the swaddler I made for Pretty, with felt for the Velcro to stick to. It's not as good and ripped holes... plus it's pink. I'm going to make a new awesome one from my tutorial. Burp cloths will depend on what I find when I wash all the clothes. I can't remember how many I had, or what size they were...

5. Make a sock monkey. This one could be an after-the-baby-comes project, since I don't need it until the baby is one month old (like the other kids).


6. Sew Pretty's curtains. I know this isn't really baby related... that's why lower on the list. I want to get the curtains for Pretty's room sewn and hung before the baby comes because I've had the fabric FOREVER and haven't made them yet. Maybe this deadline will make sure it gets done?

7. Sew a new quilt for Hero. I bought the Houndstooth quilt pattern from V and Co. back in October. The plan was to make it for Christmas. Then I couldn't function as a human being with the infection and all. I now have the fabric, and I hope I can make it before his birthday in July (when I will have 1 month old)... This one might not happen, let's be honest.

Wish me luck. I'll check in with the projects as I complete them. 10 weeks until my new baby boy comes I hope I at least get half this list done before then!

Hero's New Room

When we moved to our new home, I asked Hero what color he wanted his room and he didn't even hesitate to say, "Green. Dark green." After some persuading I got him to get excited to about these stripes. We both won with him getting dark green, and me getting to do stripes!

The other 3 walls are a light grey.

I also just finished these curtains for the room. I decided that I wanted to introduce more colors into the room, and this orange is great!

I like the way they look with the sun shinning through.

I did three rows of stitching on the top and bottom of the orange cuff.

 I love the way the room is coming together. I've got more coming with getting ready for the new baby. I can't wait to show you!

More to come!

Pretty's New Birthday Toy

My little Pretty turned 2 a couple weeks ago! I can't believe it, but then don't we moms say that about every birthday our kids have?

On the day of their birthday, Jake and I like to have a large bag of balloons blown up with a new toy in the middle of it all for the kids (like Hero's birthday pig). For Pretty this year, it was this new set up.

Last summer, I found a listing for these three wooden toys for $5. Total score! I'll share the make overs of the other two later, but today it's about the ironing board.

It was in rough shape. It looked like it had never been painted, just primed, and not even all over... And the previous owner had colored on the top with pencils.

So, I sanded it down,

and spray painted the whole thing white with a combo primer/paint spray.

It sat in our play room like that for the past six months. Then, one day while I was ironing a ton of fabric for curtains, Hero told me we needed an iron for the toy ironing board. I considered making one, but found this awesome homemade wooden iron on Etsy for a good price! (She's got a ton of cool wooden toys, you should check it out.)

I decided last minute to make this simple cover for the board out of flannel I had hanging around because the thought of the wood rubbing on the wood made me worry about it scratching.

Man, she is adorable! But she was so busy jumping with the balloons that this fuzzy picture was all I could get of her with the iron before the hopped off again!

Happy Birthday, Pretty!