Cora Anne Designs

One Year

2012-02-15T08:00:00.000-05:00

This month marks the one year anniversary of my products being available at Rebel.reclaimed! What an incredible year it has been!I feel so fortunate to be a part of such an incredible shop!And I'm not going to lie, I still get giddy when I drive by and see one of my products in the window, or when I walk in and see an entire display of my products!
Thanks so much Dann & Chip for letting me be a part of your store! You two pour your heart into the place, and it's a huge honor for me to have a small part in it!

Fresh Start Sunday

2012-02-12T08:00:00.000-05:00

Source: ohthelovelythings.blogspot.com via Megan on Pinterest

Insta-Friday

2012-02-10T06:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Friday, everyone!

We had a pretty low-key week over here...Super Bowl Sunday.
I didn't pay a ton of attention to the game...or the commercials for that matter. They just didn't impress me this year. This guy though, definitely cuter than the quarterback!
Eric made us guacamole to eat during the game, yum!Claire has been asking for smoothies. Kind of random, but totally okay by me! We just dump all sorts of fruits and yogurt into the blender along with some ice and they always turn out so good!
chubby baby hands
I've owned this book for probably two years now, but finally cracked it this week. I've only made a dent in it, but it's really causing me to be more aware of how I speak to Claire and what things I need to tweak or changesadhappy
~
Have a great weekend, everyone!

fellow Instagram addicts, find me on Instagram at : coraannedesigns

Baked Oatmeal

2012-02-09T13:00:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure about your family, but I would say ours falls into the category of we eat "good" but we could eat "better". We eat good in the sense that if you open our pantry doors, you wont find any cookies, chips, box dinners, or things of that nature. But we could eat "better" in that we could stand to eat more fresh foods including fruits and vegetables during the winter months, and foods made from scratch.

~
I recently committed that I was going to find 10 new, healthy recipes that could be our "standard" recipes that everyone in the family likes (that includes the picky 4 year old, oy!)
~
I found this recipe for Baked Oatmeal with Blueberries and Bananas last week on Skinnytaste and it was an immediate hit with my family. It helps that Eric's love language happens to include blueberries, and Claire could live off of oatmeal alone. And me? I love any fruit-based dessert, and you could seriously convince someone that this is a dessert!pre-oven
~
Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:
2 medium ripe bananas, (the riper the better) sliced into 1/2" pieces
1 1/2 cup blueberries
1/4 cup honey (or agave)
1 cup uncooked quick oats
1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt
1 cup fat free milk (or any milk you desire)
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375° F. Lightly spray a 8 x 8" or 9 x 9" ceramic baking dish with cooking spray; set aside. Arrange the banana slices in a single layer on the bottom of the ceramic dish. Sprinkle half of the blueberries over the bananas, 1/4 tsp of the cinnamon, 1 tbsp of the honey and cover with foil. Bake 15 minutes, until the bananas get soft.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the oats, half of nuts, baking powder, remaining cinnamon, and salt; stir together. In a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining honey, milk, egg, and vanilla extract.

Remove the bananas from the oven, then pour the oat mixture over the bananas and blueberries.

Pour the milk mixture over the oats, making sure to distribute the mixture as evenly as possible over the oats. Sprinkle the remaining blueberries and walnuts over the the top.

Bake the oatmeal for about 30 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the oatmeal has set. Serve warm from the oven.

Fresh Start Sunday

2012-02-05T21:20:00.000-05:00

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Colossians 3:17 (The Message)

Insta-Friday

2012-02-02T20:18:00.009-05:00

Hi all!

Phew, another week has flown by!

Here's a bit about what ours looked like...Friday brought Daddy-Daughter Date Night!

Red Robin for dinner and Barnes & Noble to pick out a new book!Topsy turvy cupcakes left on our front porch by our neighbors.
No, this is not the first time this has happened.

Yes, we do have the best neighbors EVER!Watch out!
There's just something about this time of year,
it always puts me in a mood to get things done around the house.One project included on my list was installing cup hooks for my jewelry inside of our bathroom cabinet. No more digging around for a certain necklace or bracelet, they're all right there in plain sight now!Also on my to do list, fixing some of the dings in our black furniture.

A black sharpie works wonders!Tuesday was 55 degrees and sunny.
As far as I'm concerned, that definitely necessitates a frozen beverage.

3 months old.

*sigh*Do yourself a favor, add this ice cream to your Super Bowl watching junk food fest.
It's soooo good.
You're welcome.
~
and...a few highlights from this week's 365...Day 28
yes, he totally melts my heart.

Day 30
Sitting in his Bumbo already, I'm in total denial
~
So that's our week! And for those of you who read on a regular basis...I had a Mac date with my Mac-savvy neighbor this week, and I'm happy to report that the MacBook was spared becoming a really expensive frisbee. I'm still not in love, but we're at least friends now.
~
Have a great one!

fellow Instagram addicts, find me on Instagram as : coraannedesigns

Fresh Start Sunday

2012-01-29T06:00:00.000-05:00

Source: etsy.com via Tamra on Pinterest

Insta-Friday

2012-01-26T21:35:00.000-05:00

Happy Friday everyone, I hope you all had a great week!

Here's a peek at ours...

we attended a wedding Friday night...
black dress, jewelry, make up and hair done...imagine that!Saturday I got to sneak away for a little shopping ALL BY MYSELF!

I'm loving this song in church these days

Eric snuck over to the Apple store Monday after work and came home with this baby. To say the transition has been smooth would be a major lie. MacBook became a four-letter word in my vocabulary, and I haven't turned it on again. I've been told I'll love it, but I'm just not feeling it yet.

MacBook 1, Jill 0oh how I wish I had time to bake something every day.
it makes the house smell sooo good!

yum.

Thursday is Claire's day off from school which generally means we just lay low at home. This week I pulled out all my jewelry and let her go to town with it...she played jewelry store for HOURS! Sometimes I wonder why we ever buy the girl real toys, she would so much rather tinker with odds and ends!
~
And, because I can't resist, here's a few of my favorites from Zachary's 365...Day 16Day 20
Day 25

And now, we have a wide open weekend and I can't wait!
Hope you all have a great one!

find me on Instagram at : coraannedesigns

Craft Room Art

2012-01-25T16:10:00.000-05:00

Okay, so my new craft room was built a full year ago, and would you believe I still haven't decorated the room? I blame it on being so busy using the room, that I haven't even had a chance to make it pretty yet. (No really, that's a good problem to have!)

~
I have about a million ideas floating around in my mind of what I would like to do,
but here's a peek at two pieces that I've started with....

free printable found on the 30 Handmade Days blog
because it's hilarious...and could be true!
I had this printed at Office Max for a whopping .70

New York Retro-Styled Art Print by Laura Amiss on Etsy
in our pre-kids days, we traveled to NYC quite a few times. I love the city and look forward to when we can take quick trips there again. In the meantime, I'll look at the fabulous colors in this print and dream about being there.
~
I'll keep you posted as I add more items and will be sure to post pictures when it's complete!

Fresh Start Sunday

2012-01-22T22:08:00.001-05:00

Source: littlemissmomma.com via Amanda on Pinterest

Fresh Start Sunday

2012-01-15T16:17:00.002-05:00

Source: prettystuff.tumblr.com via Worldtraveller on Pinterest

Insta-Friday

2012-01-11T21:42:00.010-05:00

Happy Friday! Here's a peek at our week!

I spent Saturday afternoon at GRunveiled serving up lots and lots of hot cocoa with the fabulous Aletha of Pearls Events. Talk about some incredible displays...the show featured two rooms full of well-thought out, beautiful displays by local wedding professionals. So inspiring!

Sunday was the ten year anniversary of the day Eric and I met.
I knew after our first date that I was going to marry him, true story!

Monday brought a much needed haircut and highlight appointment, ahh!

Zachary's two month pictures were supposed to happen on Wednesday, but a little too much screaming was happening instead. Six pictures in and he was clearly not interested. Nice, kid.

so we went home to enjoy the nice 50 degree weather instead.
And Zachary...screamed.
It was one of those good-thing-he's-cute kind of days. SNOW!
~
and finally, this week's 365 pictures...

Have a great (warm) weekend!

Zachary's Nursery

2012-01-09T22:00:00.003-05:00

Okay, so this post is only about 10 weeks late.

I figured the rate at which I get things done would go down with two kids,
but this is a bit ridiculous!

~
When we found out we were expecting a baby boy, I was worried thinking of how I would decorate a boy's nursery. I knew I didn't want a typical baby blue nursery, and I also just didn't believe there would be great "boy" options out there. In the end though, I so enjoyed pulling this room together and am so happy with how it turned out.
~
Here's a peek!we built our house when I was pregnant with Claire, and since we didn't know if we were having a boy or a girl, we went very gender-neutral with the room. This time around, knowing that we were having a boy, I knew I wanted to make the room all-boy.
~
I tried several grays on the walls, and just couldn't be completely comfortable with any one. I normally pride myself in my paint-selecting skills, but grays are hard!
so we had the walls painted a very neutral color instead that's found in several other rooms in our house.and because I'm a little obsessed with chevron stripes, I found and used this fabric on Etsy to make a skirt for the crib.I love this fabric so much, there's a good chance once we're done using it as a crib skirt, I'll be taking it apart and seeing what else I can make with it!I then took our existing nursery dresser and side table, and had the very talented Dann of Rebel.Reclaimed paint them a dark gray. (Don't ask me the name of the paint color, he doesn't share!) The metal bucket was a $5 pick up at the Allegan Antiques Market last summer. The rocking chair is an antique that we had reupholstered in a red canvas-like fabric. Just look at the distressing he does...the furniture turned out so great!oak changing table : made by my dad
baskets : Pottery Barn
oversized diaper pin : Pottery Barn Kids
I struggled through several different combinations of different pieces of art for the nursery. One day, this combination of two unframed prints that I had plus two pieces of scrapbook paper just came together and clicked!upper left : scrapbook paper, frame from JoAnns
upper right : scrapbook paper, frame from Hobby Lobby
lower left : print from Lucius Art, frame from Hobby Lobby
lower right : print from Creative Thursday, custom metal frameon Zachary's rocking chair is a sweet little bird pillow by K Studio and a whale pillow by Rebel.Reclaimed on his dresser is a framed picture of Zachary in the hospital (frame from Hobby Lobby) and a glass jar from Target filled with blocks by Sincerely Abi.
~
So there are all the details, now here's a few full-room shots...the room turned out even better than I could have imagined. I love that it's simple, clean and most of all that it's a sweet little boy room.

linking up with Made by You Mondays

Fresh Start Sunday

2012-01-08T17:25:00.001-05:00

Source: etsy.com via Mique on Pinterest

Insta-Friday

2012-01-06T22:17:00.004-05:00

Happy Friday! Here's a peek at our week!

~
We kicked off last weekend with dinner and bowling with friends......and yes, I did do my hair and make up to go bowling.
(I don't get out much these days, people!)
Bowling was hilarious, we had such a blast!
and a late night run through the McDonalds drive thru for McFlurries???
Yes!and since we went out Friday night, we stayed in for NYE.
Just me and Ryan Seacrest ringing in the new year in my craft room.Late nights = Chai mornings
and out of nowhere, this guy turned two months old
*sigh*
~
so to make sure I don't miss a thing with him, I've started a 365 for Zachary.
Here's the first 6 days...heart.be.stillI somehow managed to be extra-productive in my craft room this week...
more pillows to Rebel + a custom order completed too!
Thursday started out real sweet.
I caught Claire on our bed "reading" the story of
Joseph, Mary & Baby Jesus to Zachary.......but somewhere along the way, Thursday turned into day 2 of Zachary thinking that 10 minute naps were okay, and a feisty four year old. So I loaded us up and off we went to Target to do some aisle wandering......and finding a chevron striped kid's teepee on clearance made it so worth it.
~
Happy Weekend, everyone!

GRunveiled

2012-01-06T11:06:00.006-05:00

If you're a bride to be, or just someone looking to throw a fab party this year, be sure to stop by GRunveiled this Saturday to check out some amazing vendors!

A few of my favorites will be there including a pop up shop by Rebel.reclaimedand lucky me, I get to spend the afternoon with the fabulous Aletha of Pearls Events, helping with her hot chocolate bar! (Remember, Aletha is who Eric hired to plan my surprise 30th birthday party this fall!)See the full line up of vendors here.
~
So come on down, enjoy an afternoon of taking in one lovely display after another,
and be sure to say hello too!

My Craft Room : One Year Ago

2012-01-03T10:56:00.004-05:00

It was one year ago this week that construction began on my new craft room! I knew I would love my room before we started, but I had no idea just how much I would actually use it...I have certainly worked this room to it's capacity this year!
~
Here's the post I wrote when it was completed last year....

So while I've already been busy using my new craft room, it occurred to me that I left all of you hanging on some final post-move in pictures, oops!

~
Here it is!ahh, my little crafty haven!I took a big hit on square footage compared to what I had, but in this room everything has a specific place where it belongs which makes it work just fineone of my favorite pieces of furniture
read about how it came to be hereahh, organizational Heaven!
~
there's a few elements still missing including a cork back splash above the counter top, plus some art I have planned for the walls, but it'll get there with time.

it's come a long way, wouldn't you say??

Fresh Start Sunday

2012-01-01T20:28:00.002-05:00

Happy New Year everyone!

Insta-Friday

2011-12-29T20:56:00.007-05:00

Happy Friday, everyone!

~
I hope you all had a nice Christmas!
Ours was great...Christmas Eve with my family, Christmas Day was church and time at home just us, and the day after was spent with Eric's family. Since then Eric headed back to work, and the kids and I have stayed home and been ultra l.a.z.y.
~
here's a peek...

if there be Peace there be Joy
artwork by Rebel.reclaimedchubby, wrinkly hands two very tired elves on their way home from Papa & Grandma's house Christmas Eve
my favorite Christmas gift : a canvas of Zachary laughing
behind it is my favorite gift from last year : a custom piece from Red Letter Words
(Eric is so good in the gift-giving department!)

Our one big outing of the week was to the pediatrician (see, I told you we were lazy this week!) Poor Little Guy had to get his two month shots and they just took it out of him...later that day he went from screaming to sleeping during his bath!
~
Have an awesome, safe New Year's!

find me on Instagram : coraannedesigns

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T12:00:00.000-05:00

Fresh Start Sunday

2011-12-25T06:00:00.000-05:00

For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
~
Isaiah 9:6 (NIV)

Insta-Friday

2011-12-23T13:00:00.001-05:00

Happy Friday, everyone!

~
Claire has been off from school and Eric has been off from work this week,
so we've had lots of family time which has been great!
~
Here's a peek...

this is what Zachary looked like for a good portion of Monday
and I'm still not sure what was causing it...

...but then he goes and looks like this when he's sleeping and totally makes up for it

Tuesday we headed to the public museum here in Grand Rapids

followed by lunch at the Dog Pit.
One Chicago dog, please!

we also headed over to gardens and sculpture park near our house.

yes, our city is so cool!

Claire spent several hours at her Grandma and Grandpas one day, so Eric and I could work on installing two massive vinyl trees on her bedroom walls. (To the tune of 158 individual pieces!) Girlfriend went crazy when she got home and saw them, and we figure that had to have won us a parents of the year award, right?!? Maybe for a day?!?

still in our pajamas past noon, sure!

and this is turning into how Zachary and Eric end most days,
extra sweet if you ask me!
~
Have a great weekend, everyone!
Merry Christmas!

Fresh Start Sunday

2011-12-18T14:58:00.000-05:00

Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,
because he has come to his people and redeemed them.
~
Luke 1:68

Insta-Friday

2011-12-15T21:13:00.007-05:00

Happy Friday!

~
Here's a bit about our week...writing her letter to Santa...she asked for :
new bike
strawberries
camera
snack stand (for selling snacks)
~
It's so random! If only I could have captured the look on her face when I suggested we put the letter in the mailbox for the mailman to deliver to Santa, it blew her mind! (and thank you to the mailman for catching on and actually taking it!)I'm working on a major closet clean out.
It's time to be real about what I actually wear and what I don't.
maternity clothes are outta here!
They're heading to a great organization here in
Grand Rapids called the Pregnancy Resource Center.he melts.my.heart.spoiler alert : here's a peek at our Christmas cards!Finally, a picture where it doesn't look like he's being strangled by his sister,
pictures that include newborns are tricky!
~
Have a great weekend everyone!

Monday's 10 Things

2011-12-12T21:46:00.003-05:00

Here's what I'm most thankful for, right now!

~
1. The years I had with my Grandma. I can hardly believe it's now been 5 years since we said goodbye to her.
2. Six weeks with Zachary already, wow time is flying.
3. Tons of baby smiles and coos. I can't get enough of my sweet boy!
4. Big Sister Claire - we couldn't have asked for better out of her as we welcomed Zachary into our family.
5. Semi-decent stretches of sleep.
6. Continued help from family.
7. Learning so much during our Advent series at church.
8. Lots of sunshine today, it was so refreshing!
9. Almost all of my Christmas shopping is done, phew!
10. Looking forward to Eric's days off from work and lots family time coming up.
~
What are you most thankful for today?