Spring Planting

One holiday in January or February we headed out to a nearby preserve.  I'm not really sure what our goal was, other than the weather was nice & it was close & we hadn't been to that preserve yet.  So we loaded up the razor scooters & headed out for a 'nature adventure.'

As exciting as that description was, about sums up the excitement of our 'nature adventure.'  It was lame.

Like going to a park without toys.

why?  not sure.

But there were some serious photographer peeps trying to capture the birds & desert wildlife that my children would continue to scare away.  I'm pretty sure they were thrilled we decided on a 'nature adventure' that day.

But if there is one good thing that came from that little adventure that was not, it was this tree.

 

It may as well be the tree of my childhood dreams. Where the Swiss Family built their tree house. Where Tarzan was raised by gorillas.  You get the idea.

And since we lost our entire backyard in the freeze of 2010 {yes, true story}, we are now replanting & replanting some more.  We had the freeze in January of 2010.  We spent that spring, hoping for it all to come back to life.  Everything in the front yard came back.  Lost 2 trees & an entire hedge along our back wall in the backyard.  So we spent the fall pulling it out, winter looking at the barrenness of our backyard & now...now we are planting.  All over again.

And this tree was first on the list.

I took a lot of pictures of it while we ate our lunch under it {see? We really planned for an adventure that day!} so I could be sure I could find out exactly what it was.

Fast forward 1 week & I am the Depot.  And guess what catches my eye?  A little whipper snapper of a tree that looks just like the ones from the preserve!  I checked my pictures.  I double checked online.  We had a match.

Lucky for Scot I did not leave with it that particular day.

I waited like 3 days, until we landed on a Saturday where there were no soccer games & I was sick {shocker} to let him know that was on his 'honey do' list.

He was less than thrilled.

But I know two people who were beyond thrilled...

 

and were more than willing to change their outfits 5 times until they found the perfect 'tree planting ensemble.'   Don't worry the pink gloves in this picture did not make the final cut in Scoobs' ensemble.  He traded them out for actual mittens.  My black ones to be exact.

 

And while I am not sure either of them was very 'helpful' they have both taken great pride in their little tree.  Watering. Fertilizing & trying with all their might to not terrorize it & yank leaves off of it.

1 tree down.

1 more to go.

as well as an entire hedge...

thank you freeze of 2010.

In Bloom.

 

Remember those little seeds I planted way back here?

they are blooming.

right out my kitchen window.

and it makes my day. everyday.

hello spring.

Nesting: The Kitchen Nook.

 

Back when I was in full-fledge 'nesting mode' this area was one of my projects.  I'm glad I jumped on it when I was in nesting mode, because these days I am more in lazy mode.  As in, if we are fed, sometimes clean & surviving, we will call that day a success.

 

All three of these walls started yellow, then they were all three green & then the two on the side went back to yellow.  Yes...all of that occurred while I was pregnant.  Oh yeah...and the drapes too.  I tell ya, I should get pregnant more often just for the nesting that occurs.

 

The drapes were something that needed to happen for a long time, but it just took me forever to figure out what fabric and/or drapes I wanted...that and the winter sun shift made sunscreen a requirement while eating lunch at this table.   I was actually at the fabric store looking for fabric for the kids' rooms, when I came across this & immediately knew it was to be my kitchen drapes.  It was just what I never knew I wanted.  Okay, I did know I wanted something that kind of looked like burlap & felt more natural...

Originally, I thought about doing a trellis, like these:

 

@Ballard Design

Then I painted my walls green & decided I should do something more natural like these: 

 

@Ballard Design 

 

This was my first time sewing drapes & I did zero research.  Instead I used my tired & true method of winging it & given that they were really just two long rectangles, I'd say it was a success.  There are a few things I'd do differently & the next time I'm pregnant, I'll probably go back & fix a few things that bug me...but until then, sunscreen is no longer required for lunch.

Rocker Re-Cover.

So my second batch of monsters were made because my sewing machine was already out...working on this bad boy.

 

We inherited this rocker from a neighbor & it was not this shabby, but then The Lady took to it & you can see the damage she did in time out one day.  It was destined to be re-covered anyway, but I was just waiting around until I was pregnant again & knew the gender...both of which happened sooner than I anticipated!  I was glad to get this eye sore out of the Lady's room & into a nursery...with a bit of a facelift in between.

Now, you know I mentioned in my monster post that I did not use a pattern.  Well, much to my mother's chagrin, I again, did not use a pattern or too much fore thought, but instead, used my tried & true method which is: wing it.  And then fix what you inevitably screw up.

 

So this is how I start.  Spread it out.  Think about it for 2 minutes & then start cutting.

I really just tried to allow myself enough for a seam allowance {of which I couldn't even tell you the measurement} and then I will also try to err on the side of 'too big' so I can take more out when I screw it up.

 

Happy to report, this seemed about the perfect amount.  What can I say?  My winging it method is getting better & better with each wing.

 

I sewed around all three sides of each of the cushions & then had to pin and hand sew the backsides {where the top & bottom cushions meet on the chair}.  In my first wing it, I tried to actually sew that seam with my sewing machine.  I broke a needle & had a really crooked & crappy stitch that I then had to un-pick & re-do.  Turns out it is really hard to sew something that already has the cushion in it...unless you have a 2 inch seam allowance, which was a no.  

My mom was really impressed with my handi-work & dare might I say, the speed with which I wing these little projects into existence.  Although she laughed really hard when I showed her my initial stitch on the back -- it was bad peeps.  I do not claim perfection & I did fix it, but this little diddy only took me an afternoon...which is all I am really willing to give.

 

The fabric was something I had on hand from a random night at Joanne's where I found it on clearance & bought the whole bolt...knowing it had a place somewhere in my house...Scot was less than thrilled with my thought process.  It took about 9 months before it found a home on this chair, but I kind of love it & now my husband realizes what I a genius I am.

As for the foot rocker -- that fabric came from another project & just required a staple gun.  My kind of re-covering.  And yes, I realize the stripe should probably go the opposite way, but I didn't have enough to do it that way...and now I kind of like it going the way it does.

The pillow?  A quick envelope cover out of 1930's reproduction prints & I am kind of obsessed with them & steal them from my mom on a regular basis.

oh and the pics?  Sorry, not the best quality...they are all from my phone.

Monsters.

  

{source}

If you are anything like me, you have 387 things pinned on your pinned boards, 'to do.'  right?  Organize this closet, like this.  Bake this fantastic cake.  Build this 'easy' locker.  On & on my list gets longer before it gets shorter.  And frankly, there are only a few of those things I might actually do.  These monsters were one of them.  On a random Sunday morning my kids were up at the crack of dawn & it was my turn to take the early morning.  And so, as I sat bleary eyed, I thought, you know, maybe I should actually do one of those 'mother of the year' type activities.  My sewing machine was already out, working on drapes & so these little guys were born...

The Lady's

And the cute backside!

My kids were really thrilled with the idea.  Beyond excited.  And they were really good about dumping out every piece of fabric, buttons, bows or ribbon they could drum up.  And then, they were done 'helping' & just wanted their monster done.  They did pick most of their own fabrics, but after the first 30 minutes they were ready to move on & I spent the next 3 hours, cutting, trimming, sewing & tweaking my made-up pattern.  Only to find myself running late for church & yelling at my kids to hurry up!  Didn't they know I had spent good time getting their monsters finished for them & now that meant they had to hurry like the dickens to make it to church on time?  Oh.  They didn't?  Well just call me 'mother of the year' then.   

 

Because I did that not just one Sunday, but two.  The first Sunday, I did them for the Lady & Scoobs & they actually USE them.  And sooo, I thought the baby shouldn't be left out.  He needed one too & my sewing machine was out again, recovering a chair this time, so why not? 

 

Scoobs actually took his job of choosing fabric for the baby very seriously & it might just be my favorite one.  I am happy to say, I even made these from my 'scraps!'  If you know my mom, you know she has about 679 different 'scraps' of fabric {And I have a lot of quilts to show for them!}.  But really people, I am talking drawers & drawers & tucked into every nook & cranny of her house.  If it wasn't cute, it might be called hoarding.  But I love it & I love looking at their cute monsters & seeing bits of old Halloween costumes...and okay, a lot of pieces I've 'borrowed' from my mom!  Why would I ever go to a fabric store when I have her stash?!? 

Making Room for Baby

Over the last 3 or 4 months this ol' house of mine {which really isn't old at all} has seen plenty of change.  I've painted 2 rooms, moved 3 rooms, hung multiple picture walls {wait, I made my sister do that}, sewn drapes, hung drapery curtain rods, not once, but twice, recovered a chair & a myriad of other things...all for baby number 3.  He should already feel so loved, right?  And how will he show it?  By keeping me up all night, I'm sure.  But I think I will be happy with my sleepless accommodations & I'm sure he'll be cute with a head full of hair, so I'll take it.

Back to my room renovations...I had quite the time trying to figure out just where I wanted each little person in my life.  I had the baby pretty well locked onto a room, but there were 2 other rooms & 2 other people & the playroom?  Where to put all those dang toys.  I did not want to part with my play room & I was unsure of a room sharing possibility with a boy & a girl.  Is that even legal?  Not sure, but Scoobs & the Lady are bunking up...all so I can keep a door shut on the toys.

I figure this is the only time they will be able to share & it will probably only last 2 years before they are too old for such nonsense inflicted by their mother.  But until then this was Nesting Project No.1.  This room had to be done, so I could move the play room, so I could set up the babies room, etc, etc.

Here is the room 'in progress'

 

I spent a couple days prepping the walls for paint.  Seriously, I spent days prepping.  This room used to be the Lady's & I had a picket fence along that window wall, so I had lots to putty, sand, wipe down & prime.  It was a complete pain in the butt, but it was worth it.  Once I had that done & then taped, I banged out the painting in one night after Scot got home from work...maybe 3 hours?  I was pretty impressed with myself.  I used a paint with the primer already in it & it was worth the extra $10 to not have to do a double coat on the whole thing {there were a few spots I double touched}. 

For beds, we decided to go the bunk route, since I wanted to keep as much floor space as I could with two in there.  And it may have been the only I way I was able to sell Scoobs on the idea of sharing a room with his sister.  According to him, 'She bugs me.'  Shocker.  I bet when she is 16 he will feel a bit different about her...and her friends.

 

For the bedding, inspiration struck on the clearance aisle of Target.  I've never found so much, so randomly & so just what I needed on clearance at Target.  To be honest, I wasn't totally sure on the shared space idea, until I saw the bedding for the Lady.  The orange damask comforter? $19.98.  When I saw that, I thought, 'okay, she can do orange floral, he can do navy...I already have navy dressers...yes.  They are sharing.'  And that is how thought out my plan was.  Then that same trip I stumbled on that navy floral rug.  It is 5x7 & wool & I paid $39 for it.  sold again.  Scoobs sheets were $9.98.  His quilt almost broke the bank at a whopping $39 {not on sale} and the accent pillows were about $20 each...I figured I deserved a splurge there with all my other savings.  The only other thing I had to pick up were the baskets under the Lady's bed.  I got them at Hobby Lobby for about $30 for both & they house all their shoes.  And so, just like that, they were sharing a room...and I kinda love it.

Just this morning Scoobs informed me that his sister woke him up this morning with her 'heavy breathing.'  He actually imitated it & even in my own bed at 6 am I had to laugh.  My sister & I shared a room for 12 or 13 years & it took me right back.

Framed Book Art

 

 I am a lover of books.  I love to read & somehow hope to instill that in my kids.  I want them to love a great book.  And so...I tend to buy books, especially hardback children's books.  And then I get them home & take off their beautiful book jackets because I certainly don't want them ruined!  And then think...now what?  What do I do with the book jackets?  I can't bring myself to throw them away, but again, don't want them ruined...and so, I decided to frame them & hang them in the reading corner of their new playroom.  Did I mention I managed to move every room in this house to accommodate this baby?  Yeah more on that later...

First, I bought me some 8x10 frames at HomeGoods or Hobby Lobby...or somewhere, I can't remember now.

 

Then I pulled the glass out & used that as my template for where to cut on the book jackets.  Traced.

 

Cut.

 

Framed & hung.

I love all 3 of these books because they actually have some significant meaning.  The first, Dr. Suess' The Place You'll Go, was a gift my husband received when he graduated high school.

The second, The Ugly Duckling, was actually read to me at my wedding dinner -- and that was the actual book my sister bought to read from...and yes, my family is brutal.

And the third, well let's just say we love Olivia.

Spring Planting

  {Scoobs & I are reading Super Fudge...and they catch worms to sell to a neighbor.  He thinks he's in business!}

I know in the rest of the world it is winter.  Here in the desert though, it feels a lot more like spring.  At the start of my nesting phase was this little project, that I drummed up on & whim & an 80 degree Saturday.  Flower planting.  You should know my mother & grandmother are expert flower planters.  Me?  Not so much.  Scot rolls his eyes whenever thoughts turn to flower planting.  But eye rolling aside, I am starting to figure out the ins & outs of flowers at my house.  Growing up, we lived on the 'sunny' or north side of the street.  My house now, sits on the 'shady' side, or south side of the street, which I have learned can really make a difference in your flowers.

So I have one area, that screams for beautiful flowers.  It leads right up to my front door & is perfectly contained for a flower garden.  Problem #1:  It receives a couple hours of very harsh afternoon sun in the summer & just about zero sun in the winter...which is our prime flower season.  Problem #2: Above this little plot my roof line converges as such to produce massive run-off when it rains.  Pleting & pounding any poor unsuspecting flower into submission.  I've looked into gutters to protect this one little spot...the price tag? $900.  Um, no thanks.  And so, I've killed plenty of flowers in this little plot.

 

Here are the first ones to bite the dust.

 

And here she is this winter.  In her barren glory.

 

On this particular day & Home Depot trip, I wasn't even going to tackle planting anything here.  I had yet to devise a plan & so I was just going to leave it dirty & lackluster.  But of course, when I am actually at Home Depot, something shiny catches my eye & ends up coming home with me.  This time, it was bulbs.  yes. Bulbs.  I don't think my mom has ever even planted blubs, but I thought, what the heck, they are marked for shade.  So I came home with bulbs for 2 different varieties of Lily of the Valley.  I wish you could have seen Scot & I looking at these things trying to figure out which way was up.  I'm still not sure I've planted one variety correctly.  But the other?

 

Is growing.  And I couldn't be more happy.  I've actually surprised myself with this whole process, as this planting has actually required some patience & effort without the encouragement of one green thing for weeks.  Not something I am known for.

The second area I planted was in my backyard, which receives an abundance of winter sun...it just required me moving mounds of gravel.  No big whup when your 7 months pregnant and longing for a work out.

 

Here she is, all prepped & ready to be planted. 

 

For this area, I planted a variety of different sun-loving seeds.  My mom had done this last season & the flowers were amazing.  This plot sits right outside my kitchen table window & so I thought the height would be fun & the flowers can actually be cut & put into vases.  And so Scoobs & I prepped & prepped & then planted.

 

Only to come out the next day to a huge water leak.  And by huge I mean I was literally shoveling water out of my freshly planted plot, that I had just shoveled gravel from for 2 days.

I may of wanted to curl up in my bed & cry.  Instead, I headed for the Depot & got the part I needed for free & fixed the dang thing.  And yes, there was some serious eye rolling going on from the spousal unit.

And then I waited.  And watered. And hoped I had disturbed my seeds too much with my sprinkler fix. Then I checked with my mom to see how long before something would pop up.  She was not very encouraging with her raised eyebrows & response of, 'oh, it took a long time.'

crap.

 

Until I was watering on Sunday & saw these little guys. 

Eye rolling husband pointed out that they were probably weeds.  I tell you, some times his support of such projects can be under-whelming.

 

But I knew better.  Because see?  These leaves are a little different & I planted three different seeds.

So weeds?  I think not. thankyouverymuch.

I can't hardly wait to see what these babies drum up.

More pictures to come.

Happy Spring. er. I mean winter?

The Project...of the Project Table.

Last week found me without a husband for 4 days...and it was over the weekend. drab. drab. kill me. drab.

I was not excited about it.

So instead of telling husband how UNexcited I was, I found me a project to keep me nice & busy & well worn out, so that I could just fall into bed each night & go to sleep without all the tossing & turning that happens when you find yourself sleeping alone.

It worked. Everyone was happy when dad got home {me especially!} and my project table got a major makeover & I love it.

This picture was taken 75% into the project. The chairs {3 of them} were done & the legs of the table are done. The sanding is halfway, so you can see the original color of the table top. The legs were originally a buttery yellow with a glaze on them, which weren't hideous by any means, but just didn't go with my room.

Can you see the absolute mess it made of my garage?!? I don't know that I will ever get all the dust out of there. On Saturday, I cleared out the garage & used the blower twice, swept about 6 times & finally used the hose, followed by more sweeping...twice. And it is still dusty. oh well. it is the garage I suppose & it isn't dusty enough that it is being tracked in, so we'll call it good.
I spray painted the legs & the chairs in Krylon's ivory satin. It is a favorite of mine. I have a couple end tables & frames I've used it on as well. It sprays well & you can get it at Wal-Mart for under $3. Then I put a glaze over them, which is really really really easy as well. My neighbor taught me how to do it & I love it.

Then I sanded & sanded & sanded on the top. I don't think I will ever take on a project that requires staining again. It is a LOT of sanding. But once I got it all sanded it was smooth sailing. I applied the stain, moved it back into my house & let it dry for a couple days. And this morning, I applied the sealing. I got the top nice & good & then spilled the whole can onto my carpet. yep, you read that right. If you hear a 4-letter word out of Scoobs in the near future, you'll know where he heard it! I think I got the mess under control, but even if not, I love my new project table.
just in time to start sewing Halloween costumes!

yeah!

POST EDIT: Look close & you can see the spill on the floor! That is the baby powder soaking up the last bits! Cross your fingers for me that it works! Scot is going to kill me {he doesn't even know yet!}.

Refinished.

continuing in project mode...this one kept me busy for awhile. i started first with the hutch.

sanded.
primed.
spray-painted...

and spray painted...

and spray painted some more.

i think i went through 8 bottles of spray paint on just the hutch. it was so so so bothersome, but it would not cover the white primer. even more bothersome, was i didn't love the turn out of the color.

so i re sanded it and went to the depot to choose my perfect blue. i took scoobs pillow shams along so i wouldn't be confused once i got there and was faced with 481 'navy' blues. how can there really be that many? regardless, my little trick worked. i picked the blue in under 2 minutes {don't tell my mom...she would like that decision to be agonized over for 2 days}.

then i painted again. and sealed it with a polyurethane & moved it back in. i have hardware that needs to be added, but that is scot's job.

i've had a few people ask how to do it & there are so many ways.

sometimes i sand, sometimes i don't. sometimes i prime, sometimes i don't. sometimes i spray paint and sometimes i use a roller.

the main thing is this: just do it.

if it is a piece of furniture you dislike enough to want to refinish who cares if you make a few mistakes along the way? i mean, i refinished this hutch twice because i didn't like it the first time.

and another thing...it takes time. i started the hutch 4 months ago. finished it the first time 2 months ago & then the dresser & hutch took me about 5-7 days of working on it...because the 'unfinishedness' of things was bugging me. but that being said, i worked about an hour, maybe two each day during the lady's morning nap and within a week it was done.

but here is my formula for the dresser...i didn't screw this one up first.

1. sand. i use an electric sander that i've borrowed from my sister. i sand it with a grittier sand paper first. and i don't sand until all the finish is off...i just do a general sand to rough it up a bit, so the paint sticks better.

2. paint. i bought a gallon of paint {usually you don't need this much, but there is another dresser i need to do & i thought i might use some of the color on his walls down the road} & i use a little foam roller. make sure your roller is foam...the other ones leave little fibers in your paint. this dresser took about 3 coats & there was no sanding between coats...if you spray paint you typically have to sand between coats with a very fine grained paper.

3. coat with polyurethane. i use a low shimmer one, but for sure use it on everyday use furniture, or stuff you glaze. it makes it so you can wipe it down easy & i like the bit of gloss it adds. you have to use a paint brush specific for oil based material...just ask the paint department & they will hook you up.

then move it in your house & enjoy...even with the few inevitable mistakes you made! no one knows they are there but you. in fact, look at scoobs dresser & see if you can see mine.