Little Corbin Hill

Ana White shelves

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 24 May 2013 14:47:00 +0000

So, remember back in *cough* February when I shared our living room and we were also working on Ana White shelves to go over the piano? No? Well, don’t feel bad, I forgot too, lol!

Once Travis finished the shelves, they sat in our little shed for EONS waiting to be primed and painted and I really wasn’t sure what color I wanted them. Ideally, I liked white but since our walls are cream and I’m not sure when I’ll get around to repainting the living room, I didn’t want to go there. Oh, we used Ana’s tutorial here for the Ten Dollar Ledges. You just need 2 pieces of 1x4 and 1 piece of 1x2 along with a few other supplies like screws. All the pieces are 8 ft. long so we ended up making two shelves at 4 ft. each to go over the piano.

Finally, at the end of April, I was about to leave town for a work conference and got miffed over all the projects that were still laying around. So I primed, painted two coats of a color we had in the shed that I was still unsure about because the paint wasn’t mixing well, and I forced Trav to hang them up 10:00 that night.

Here’s the before pic with better lighting and Roseanne making an appearance.

The 10 PM after.

Added some pictures a week later and tulips from my work conference…

Artwork Display

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 20 May 2013 13:00:00 +0000

Kenna brings home artwork and worksheets all the time now that she is in daycare. Because stuff is falling off the refrigerator, when I seen this picture on Pinterest, I knew I needed to try to make something similar.

I had a piece of scrap board from our faux sofa table, already stained, so I cut out a stencil and used the inside of the stencil, painted over the whole thing in a bright/light yellow Valspar paint sample, and then peeled the stencil up to show that pretty stain. I decorated some clothes pins with scrapbook paper and Mod Podge, then hung it on the wall with Command Strips!

While I was working on that, Kenna crafted!

Then we took a stroll outside, well, not really a stroll, while I peeled the stencil off.

And here we are!

I also hung up some art in the kitchen. I had some prints I was waiting to use, a Corbin Family Rules print I won from Signs by Andrea, and the middle top big print was done by my cousin, artist D. Renee Wilson!

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Painted door!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 17 May 2013 15:01:00 +0000

I’ve been wanting to do a brightly colored door like Young House Love’s yellow door forever now but really had to work up to it, lol, so I decided to start with my back door. I got Travis on board by saying, “Wouldn’t a bright door be so welcome to come home to? We’ll see it and be like “WE”RE HOME!!! Look at that door!!!” He just gave me one of those side glances but, hey, it worked! So I immediately started a Pinterest board aptly named painted doors. After finding DIYShowOff’s chartreuse door in Valspar’s Gilded Pesto, I fell in love.

Here’s some before pics of our very ugly door. Ignore the frame of the door with the chipping paint. We’re replacing the door frame soon!

After priming…

Overspray =/ Forgot to tape the hardware…

Now the color! Isn’t it gorgeous!? We bought Valspar Duramax exterior paint in a semi-gloss finish in Gilded Pesto.

Stopped to Instagram, lol

And now for the end result! I’m completely smitten!

I think the hardware is my favorite part! I had a can of Rustoleum Universal in the shed in hammered bronze I had bought to do a Mother’s Day project and it went on like butt-ah!

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Faux sofa table

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 19:21:00 +0000

A while ago, while trudging through my Google Reader’s 1000+ blog posts, I seen where Jess from East Coast Creative made a faux soda table! I was immediately intrigued and put it on my massive to do list. Now, honestly, a lot of my ideas on my to do list or Pinterest boards never get done. I am too ambitious, lol. However, this project needed to be done so I bought a piece of wood, some L-brackets, short screws to go in the wood, longer screws to go into the wall stud. After staining my board, then trimming it to fit on our short wall, we screwed it in and admired our handiwork.
As you can see below, that’s Travis putting up my work of art =) I have ideas for that interior window that looks into the kitchen but haven’t decided quite yet which direction to take.

About a week went by and I finally decorated it, lol. I’ve been moving very slow here lately. Oh, and those horrible iPhone pics up there, yeah, I know they’re bad =/ Here’s a better after pic! I love that I can add some decor since I don’t have end tables in the new house. Our living room is long and narrow so end tables were a no-go.

This weekend I have my fingers crossed that I can finally paint my Ana White shelves. The temperature is dropping fast though so I have a feeling I might be painting indoors because I’m ready for those babies to be up on the wall!

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Resolutions in Motion Round 2: Final Results

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 12:36:00 +0000

Well, I’ve made it to the end of Round 2. For a quick refresher on my goals for this round, they were to

Drink at least 64 oz. of water a day and less Mountain Dew
Try to exercise on my “newish” exercise bike 20-30 minutes a day
Read my Bible more

I can proudly say that since Resolutions in Motion Round 1, I have had hardly ANY Mountain Dew! I would say no more than 5 Mt. Dew beverages in the last 12 weeks! I think this go around, I might have two instances where I had a Mountain Dew while out or when I ran into the convenience store as a treat/pick me up. I’ve been sticking to water, PowerAde, and this morning I’m actually drinking Blueberry and Pomegranate Green Tea! Yeah, I know! I feel like a grownup, lol. I have a great accountability partner though. My work friend, Yvonne, has got me taking vitamins and I’m feeling better than I have been here lately.

Now, exercise? I exercised, maybe three days. I went about a mile on the bike which took roughly 5 minutes. My goal was to move up to 2 miles, then 3, etc. Yeap, even though it was only 5-6 minutes a night, I slacked off. Haven’t done it since =/ I did see this nifty idea on Pinterest pinned from Diet Girl and think I want to give it a try. Then pin says it basically takes 21 days to make something a habit. As each day passes, you pull a Post-It off! I think the visual would help me.

(source)

My third goal was to start reading my Bible more. Sadly, I didn’t make this goal either. I’m ashamed to admit that, especially since I’ve been praying more and asking for guidance. My guidance lays in the written Word so I’m starting today during my lunch break. My doctor visits, vitamins, and whatnot haven’t helped tremendously so I feel like the something that is missing is the Lord’s medicine. I’m just sorry that it has taken me the whole six week challenge to realize this.

Cheers to all my fellow participants in the Resolutions in Motion series whether you nailed it, grazed some or one of your goals like myself, or completely forgot, lol! If there’s a round three, maybe I’ll see ya there =)

Our Living Room

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 19:57:00 +0000

Whew, slowly but surely, I've finally been making decisions and decorating. Since moving in, I think my biggest drawback is I think too long about wanting to do something in the house whether it's hanging something on the wall or what to put in that blank corner, in fear I'll end up hating it. So here we go with less words and more pics =)

So here's some before pics...

Lots of toys in this pic ;) We've downgraded to just her box of toys and a stroller she wheels around!

After pics!!!!
YES, I made a faux sofa table! Tutorial soon!

My piano has never been in my house before! When we lived in the old house, we didn't have enough room so it was in my craft shed. I've since moved it in the house because two weekends ago, I HAD to go clean out the rest of my craft shed since we sold it. SO now my new empty craft room looks like a tornado hit. We've been putting up shelves when we have the time so I've been slowly organizing that room but I digress.

The items I put on top of my piano, I'll probably remove because I have plans for a picture display over the piano! I'll give you a hint ;) Macho man using plans from a pretty awesome well-known woman by the name of Ana White!

Until next time!

The beginning of a craft room

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 23:16:00 +0000

Finally a new house post! Although we moved in December 1, it's been a looong process with unpacking and trying to make rooms "ours." We're still not done yet. I haven't wanted to decorate the kitchen, for instance, because I want to paint in there first and I'm not up to tackling that big job yet, lol. However, I have tackled my craft room!

I chose Benjamin Moore's Moonshine (thanks Young House Love for the color inspiration =) color matched to Olympic No VOC paint in satin. I also used Zinnser primer with is high quality, stain blocking and low-VOC! All that and it was less expensive than Kilz. Our look-like-wood linoleum we bought from a small privately owned surplus store a couple of towns over. We scored! And bought it for a mere $3 a yard because it had flaws. We have yet to see any flaws in the 9x13 piece we bought but there was a lot of tape and tape residue where they had it rolled up and secured but that's easily cleaned =) So now a few before and after pics.

This is one of the better 'before' pics I have. The rest are sadly iPhone pics =/ I know, I know!

First, we did have to rip up the carpet and put new sub-flooring down because there were quite a bit of soft spots that made me nervous to even walk around in there =/

Below is my first attempt to get rid of that wallpaper border! The previous owners had left a bottle of Zinnser Wallpaper Removal here and let me tell ya, I LOVE that stuff!

After pics (well, they're really "still in progress" pics)! As you can see, when I took these pics, I hadn't painted around the window yet but that's done. The floors got done although I still haven't cleaned the tape off yet, lol. The closed door is a closet. The open door used to be a bathroom but because a pip broke (hence the soft spots), it was just capped off and made it into a second closet.

And that's what I've been up to part of the time, lol! Today though, I've moved my table in there because I'm itching to get my sewing machine out to finish a few gifts so there's been some progress today =) So there will definitely be more official after pics soon!

Resolutions in Motion ROUND TWO

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 16:37:00 +0000

Yeap, I'm at it again. I've been trying to make a lifestyle change and although I've fell off the wagon a few times, I haven't let that get me down. So here I am again participating in Resolutions in Motion for a six week blogger challenge. My goals are pretty much the same from round 1 but I've added one very important goal =)

My goals are:
Drink at least the recommended 8 oz. of water a day and less Mountain Dew
Try to exercise at least 20-30 minutes a day
Read my Bible daily!

I actually started eating better last Saturday, more water drinking, and with the use of myfitnesspal (which is awesome, btw) on my iPhone, it is easy to count calories! By Monday morning, I had lost 4 pounds but after a baby shower Tuesday night, I had gained 2 back but hey, it was a fun baby shower =) And I'm anxious to start exercising with my new exercise bike thingie I bought. We'll see how that goes, lol. I know it won't be easy so I have to just accept that and stick to it!

I just know I want to go from my before pics to my after that I mentioned in round 1!

Now:

Before pics:

What I am really excited about though is to start reading my Bible daily. It's something I've always wanted to do more of but never had dedicated enough time to. With everyday stresses of life and work, I think it would be good for me.

So once again, wish me luck and say a little prayer for me.

If you want to join Resolutions in Motion there is till time, click the link and join in!

Resolutions in Motion: end of six weeks

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 12:45:00 +0000

So, guys, you remember this post where I was excited to start a lifestyle change? Yeah, I barely remember too, lol.

My goals were:
Drink at least the recommended 8 oz. of water a day
Cut out the every day Mountain Dew drinking
Try to exercise at least 20-30 minutes a day

For the first three weeks I did pretty well. I drank waaayy more water than I have in a long time. Mountain Dew consumption was cut down dramatically. Exercise? No, that didn’t happen, lol, but Thanksgiving happened. We went to my granny’s who always has a surplus of Coke. I drank a lot. Too much. Then, when we returned from my granny’s, we were moving from our home we had been in for 6 years to our first home bought by us =) When I had a chance, I would eat and drank whatever was on hand. We had six packs of Pepsi and Mountain Dew in the fridge that my husband bought. Since the move, I’ve been a bit better. I’ve been drinking more water and have substituted my Dews for Powerades or Gatorades. They’re still sugary drinks but I feel they’re a bit better than a caffeine and sugar induced high that MD’s gave me. I have no one to blame but myself though. I need to be more determined and strict on myself so I’m going to forge ahead and continue to cut out Mountain Dews and Cokes too!

Thanks Covered in Grace, Shaping up to be a Mom, and Ramblings of A Southern Belle for motivating me to try to set goals for myself and even if I fail to keep trying!

Homemade Laundry Detergent

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 12:52:00 +0000

I made this months ago but didn’t want to blog about it until I seen first what all the Pinterest fuss was about, lol. I had been seeing homemade tutorials like this forever but I’m always late on the bandwagon. It wasn’t until my banker that was helping us buy the house gave me a sample and the recipe that made me fall in love (I’m not sure where she got her source but I’m sharing it with you and there are plenty of Pinterest sources if you click the link above). Oh, and the smell “had me from hello!” Love that clean smell!

Ingredients:
1 (4 lb 12 oz) box of Borax
1 (3 lb 7 oz) box of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
1 (3 lb) container of OxyClean
3 bars of Fels Naptha soap (or you can use Zote soap)
1 (4 lb) box of Arm & Hammer baking soda (or you can get two 2 lb boxes from the cooking section because our store was completely out of the bigger boxes in the laundry section)
1 bottle of Purex Crystals (next time I definitely think I want to add another bottle of this magical smelly good stuff)

You mix the Borax, Super Washing Soda, OxyClean, and baking soda together. This was tricky because I had just bought a Rubbermaid container, one of the smaller ones, and it was hard mixing everything together in that. So I highly recommend doing this all in a bucket or tub, then adding it to your storage container of choice. I added the Purex Crystals. Now comes the aggravating part, lol. You have to grate the ~~cheese~~ soap. It only took about 15-20 minutes to grate but it was the most time consuming step. You pour the soap in and mix everything really well and VOILA, you have enough laundry detergent to last a year (so my banker says =) You do not have to use much at all so I believe it will last a year. I only use about 2 tbsp. and it works great. It even does well with my cold water washes.

Happy washing! Because I know I’ll not only be starting to move into the new house this week but I’ll be washing too, lol.

Kenna’s room finally started

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 23:23:00 +0000

Well, we’re getting closer and closer to moving into our new house. We’re going to start officially moving stuff in this weekend so in the meantime, I’m packing AND I’ve went over to start painting Kenna’s room! Remember my inspiration and mood board?

(Inspiration source)

The more and more I thought about a pink room, the less I was gung-ho about it. Clara’s room in my inspiration board up top looks lighter and just pretty-in-pink but my mood board looks more mauve. I am not a fan of mauve =/ Buuut, I went ahead and bought Olympic ONE paint + primer and had it color matched to Benjamin Moore’s Proposal. The cool thing about Lowe’s is even though my store doesn’t sell BM paints, they have the color’s in their computer =)

So now a few before and afters of a pre-teen’s room being transformed SLOWLY to a toddler’s room.

Those corner shelves? Yeah, there’s a set in two of the corners and there’s also shelves lying on that bed that I pulled off the walls. I‘m going to keep the straight shelves, paint them white and maybe rehang in a group but the corner shelves I want to take out. They were screwed in with wood screws and VERY sturdy and I didn’t have any tools with me. Taking those out means filling holes and repainting too. Sigh.

Oh, and the bed was left for us but we’re gifting it to my niece who needs a big girl bed =) See where there’s paint missing in some spots like above the window? The pre-teen, who’s also my husband’s cousin, had mirrored peace signs around the room. Oh, I remember those days but I didn’t have a cool room like this!

And that door knob and the light switch/outlet plates need to be switched out. So there’s a few things that need to be done but it’s on it’s way and I am very excited.

More after pictures soon!

Ruffled tank top

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 17:09:00 +0000

I’ve been wanting one of those cute ruffled tank tops that everyone seems to have. Something kind of like this…

(source)
But more like Tea Rose Home’s tank…

So I got a wild hair last week and just started cutting up a white t-shirt because I knew I envisioned a cute shirt under a cardigan for our Christmas pictures. It was definitely trial-and-error since I didn’t use a tutorial but just started cutting 2 1/2” strips from a white shirt and pinning it to an old white tank top I had lying around. Here’s some horrible iPhone pictures, lol.
Here’s my old tank (please ignore my very messy unfinished craft shed =)

T-shirt.

I started cutting my shirt into ~~very blurry~~ strips.

I eyeballed my starting position and started pinning away.

Here’s where I had a hiccup!

My starting point should have been the top of my shirt so it would go all the way across and not break up the shirt any. See what I mean? So I ended up taking those first two short pieces out and replaced it with a long piece and turned the extra in and sewed around the neckline.

Here’s my finished work. I also want to note that when I put this on the ruffles on the top were puckering up. You could probably avoid this by making longer strips width-wise. Because I was desperate, I just used hem tape and ironed down the 5-6 ruffles to make sure they did not curl up to reveal my tank top underneath.

And I did wear it for our Christmas pictures along with my Vintage Rose Wrap belt and Kenna’s headband =) This photo shoot is the fourth shoot we’ve done with Melody Coarsey Photography and we love her =)

And I snapped this picture this morning to show off my tank top once more =)

Now I want to try to make this pretty thing! I love the color! Couldn’t find the original link but it’s from J. Crew.

(source)
Once again, everyone have a great Thanksgiving! We’ll be headed downstate to see my granny and dad and I can’t wait =)

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Thanksgiving turkey shirt

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 17:15:00 +0000

I knew I wanted to make a cute shirt for Kenna for Thanksgiving this year! After playing around in Photoshop and Paint.net and trying to make my own pattern, I found My Cottage Home’s caaaa-ute Gobble Gobble shirt and whaddayaknow? She has a template =) Woot woot!
Okay, so here we go, for the template, GO HERE
Supplies:
1 shirt
6 different scraps of fabric
fusible interfacing
turkey template
sewing machine
iron
Tutorial:
I gathered my supplies and fawned over my pretty fabric.

Awww, I love fabric. I actually had some other scraps picked out that I already had at home but after seeing all the fat quarters in the big box store, I just had to buy some, of course!

I borrowed these next two pics from Lindsay at My Cottage Home since I got caught up in crafting and didn’t get enough pics. I ironed all my scraps on my interfacing, then flipped it over to trace my feathers. I then cut my feathers out. You do this also for your turkey’s body. I ran out to my craft shed to scrounge up some canvas like material for my turkey body.

(source)

(source)
So, after cutting out my feathers, I peeled off the backing and started to arrange my feathers. Like Lindsay said, this is a trial and error process until you get them like you want them. So, I arranged feathers like 50 times, lol.

Once, they were semi-perfect because, hey, you can never get something exactly like you want it, lol, I peeled the backing off my turkey and placed him over the feathers. With my iron VERY hot, I slowly ironed everything down.

And TAAA-DAHHHH! I love it and Kenna does too. She wanted to carry it around in her purse.

I did sew around my turkey because I bought the light weight interfacing that is “sewable.” It made it look a bit messy since I’m not the greatest at sewing around things and sewing on a curve =/ There has to be a trick for that! Also, I did not add eyes, nose, feet, etc. but I’ve seen tutorials that did the extras and they looked great. Honestly, I just got lazy and didn’t want to mess it up, lol.

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving! With lots of yummy food, pies and many blessings =)

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Resolutions in Motion

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 17:42:00 +0000

I have signed up for Resolutions in Motion for the next six weeks! I’ve picked a goal for myself and I have six weeks to meet it. Hopefully, since I’m actually blogging about my goal and there are other bloggers working towards their goals, I will feel motivated and actually make a lifestyle change.

So, here’s my story. Ever since I moved away from home after high school, my 135 lb. weight has been steadily increasing. I moved in with my granny and, let me tell ya, granny cooked differently than my stepmother did. We had gravy with dinner, cornbread every night, green beans cooked with a bit of bacon grease. See?! No wonder the weight started piling on, right, lol. Well, I eventually met my husband, so I ate because I was in love and loved food. I was happy. Then, I had a significant weight loss about five years ago but that was only because I had the help of a dietician that everyone was flocking to in Southern Georgia. I felt healthier, had more energy, looked great, my hair even felt different. Yeah, that got expensive fast so when I quit going, I slowly gained the weight back.

When I struggled to become pregnant, no doctor could tell me why I was infertile but they were pretty sure it was because I was obese. I was about 170 lbs. then which was large for my stature but definitely not unheard of. About 6 months later, I found out I was pregnant and was overjoyed! I actually lost 17 lbs. while pregnant and when I started gaining, I only gained about 7 lbs. over my first pregnancy weigh-in but was still considered obese by my doctors. After I had Kenna, I quickly lost some weight but, of course, it returned, because I was still craving citrus. To relieve that craving, I started drinking Mountain Dew and although I don’t eat entirely unhealthy, I am still inactive.

After seeing this completely unflattering picture a while back, I couldn’t stop thinking about how people see me at 200+ lbs. I was disgusted, I still am, that I let myself get this way and how could I have not noticed. I had no one to blame but myself. I haven’t wore that blouse since, lol.

My goals are:
Drink at least the recommended 8 oz. of water a day
Cut out the every day Mountain Dew drinking
Try to exercise at least 20-30 minutes a day

I want to look happier and healthier like these before pics!

This was the latest picture from June 2008

Easter 2008 (look how little my neck is?! And no double chin =)

This was a weekend I went down to see some of my family in central Florida. I don’t even recognize myself in this picture! But hey, I look happy and I’m with one of my favorite cousins ever!

So wish me luck and a prayer or two =)

If you want to join Resolutions in Motion there is still time, click the link or picture below and join in!

Not getting much done….

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 12:56:00 +0000

Hey there, guys! Whew weee, it’s been a crazy couple of weeks. We’re still battling with the underwriters from the bank and trying to buy our house. They are like little investigators! Want to know EVERYTHING! They don’t care if something is paid off, they want to know how you paid it. It’s becoming very stressful and I’m trying not to let it get to me but it’s hard. On a different, much happier note, still trying to craft here and there and definitely have some clothing refashions I want to do before we get our Christmas pictures done in two weeks. I’ve also been thinking of alternatives to this pallet craft so I can get it out of the way. Thinking I might have a solution that involves an old standby. Anywho, I celebrated a birthday in mid-October and found some awesome flea market finds with birthday money!

My pretty necklace from a co-worker!

My department pitched in and bought me this milk glass basket! I’m still drooling over it =) It’s housing ~~momma’s~~ Kenna’s Halloween candy on the kitchen table right now!

Bought some more vintage Pyrex and do believe it has become an addiction, lol. That milk glass platter under the pink Pyrex dish I scored for $5!

And some more =) I just love looking at the pretty colors =)

Fall Wreath

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 11:49:00 +0000

Managed to whip up two wreaths this weekend and I’m sharing with you one of them. The wreath I’m calling my Fall Wreath (creative, I know, hehe), I’ve decided to put up in the house instead of on the door for now. All you’ll need is a wire clothes hanger, material for your wreath (I used burlap and fabric from a jellyroll), and the usual supplies like hot glue, scissors, a band-aid for the hot glue burn that leaves a whopper of a blister. Yeah, that was just for me. I always have one casualty while using that thing!
I had my husband unwrap the clothes hanger for me because I tried and couldn’t. After cutting my burlap into 2 1/2 in. strips, I started weaving it onto the clothes hanger. I believe I used about 2 yards of burlap but the more, the better because it will look full and fluffy and not show the clothes hanger. I think I needed about another 1/2 or whole yard because I kept rearranging so no silver metal was peaking through, then I’d dab some hot glue here and there to make some of the folds lay right. So, after I finished with weaving, I had my husband twist the wire, then I cut off the extra wire with wire cutters. Now you’re ready to decorate it!

TA-DAH! I’m pretty smitten with it! I’m also smitten with Classy Clutter’s pretty burlap wreath too I came across! Love the ribbon and monogram! Check out Mallory and Savannah’s blog by clicking the link or picture below! =)

I’m also adding the finishing touches to my Halloween wreath. More on that soon!

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Excitement building & Kenna's Room Inspiration

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 16:15:00 +0000

Well, it’s official. Our paperwork is in to the underwriters and we will soon be first-time homebuyers =) So exciting. My Pinterest boards have been building up but now that our big move is getting closer, I feel like I need to start compiling some crafts that I have had my eye on for awhile.

I’ve decided to start on Kenna’s room first so she’ll be settled in. The current wall color in her soon-to-be room is a striped theme of teal, lime green and white! Perfect for a preteen but I have a while before that, thank goodness. Here’s my inspiration for her room that I have ~~shamelessly copied~~ drawn inspiration from one of my fave blogs of all time, Young House Love. Hopefully the old adage of “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery” is true.

I have never been a huge pink person but I love the subtle pink walls with the pops of green and blue, which are some of my favorite colors. Kenna’s nursery is in blues and greens now but I want to highlight her diva-ness because she is ALL girl, lol. Loves her necklaces (“neck-necks”) and rings!

Here are her colors that I started with and made my own crib bumpers and yo-yo mobile when we first found out we were expecting.

And here’s the “amateur” mood board I’ve created! Same green theme pulled over but with a different shade of teal.

We are still using her crib and dresser/changing table. We already own the Ikea Gislev rug and the mirror above the dresser that I want paint. So I just need to buy her paint, the Amy Butler fabric to make her curtains. And she has to have a gallery wall =)

Instead of buying a capiz chandelier like this one from Amazon, I’m going to make one! I also want to make one for the kitchen but in the natural color. Amazon’s capiz chandy is really not a bad price at $54 but I think it’ll be more fun to make one.

Here’s the mirror we have now in her bedroom that I’m planning on spray painting.

So tomorrow on my lunch break, I’ll be headed to get the wall paint and spray paint! I figure if I get a couple of things a week, when we close on the house, I’ll be ready! But first, what do y’all think? Any suggestions?

Minnie Mouse Car

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 13:42:00 +0000

Update: At the request of many, I've opened up an Etsy shop so I can help people with their Cozy Coupes =) As of right now, I only offer the polka dots and the name to put on the back of the car. To view my shop, check it out HERE

As you know from this post here, we had a pretty nifty Minnie Mouse birthday party for our KennaBoo. One of our greatest achievements (yes, we’re proud, lol) was her Minnie Mouse car! I originally got the idea from Kristin over at the Hunted Interior blog. Check her blog out. She’s amazing!

So here we go. Be prepared for lots of pictures =)
So, this is a pic of the hubby finding our free car at the garbage dump (yes, I know, we were essentially dumpster diving minus the dumpster, lol). He assessed the car’s value, then stuffed it in my truck. Then it stayed in my yard for months, lol, until I realized what I wanted to do with it.

After creativity struck, Travis dismantled the car for me which was surprisingly easy. However there were some washers and those little cap things that pretty much disintegrated when he pulled them off with the pliers but our local hardware store had some pretty silver ones =) We spent $6 on the hardware.

I didn’t get a picture of us Trav spraying the bottom part red since I ran inside because Kenna woke from her nap. Thank goodness for baby monitors or we would have never got this done! Then we put it back together and stuffed it in my craft shed.

Using my Cricut, I cut the polka dots out with vinyl and I added her name on the back. The font I used is called Waltograph.

In the meantime, I pondered on what I was going to make the bow and ears out of. I settled on 1/2” plywood and used craft foam for the ears. If you’re going to keep the car outside, I would definitely use something other than craft foam. We keep her toys like this in the shed so I’m not too worried about it. Oh, and the extra one was for a coworker. Her husband had cut the bow for me and while he was cutting, his 3-year-old grandson wanted one to give to his little girlfriend at school so I painted it for him. UPDATE: He ended up not giving it to his “girlfriend” but kept it for himself, lol.

I ended up gluing the ears to the back of the bow with some E-6000 glue. Then Trav affixed the whole shebang to the car by screwing from the underside of the roof into the bow.
And here we are! Ta-dah!

It was fun and easy and Kenna LOVED it. Mission accomplished =)
And for the details, I used Universal Rustoleum that has paint + primer for the black and used Rustoleum Plastic spray paint for the red (spent $14 at Lowes). The white dots and black outlines on the bow were from a Valspar paint sample and craft paint that I had on hand. So with the spray paint and hardware mentioned above, we spent about $20! To check out the rest of the birthday party, head over here!

Updated 2/16/2013: I've had a lot of requests and questions asking if I make these cars for people to order. Unfortunately, I do not. We found this car in a very "thrifty" way ;) and went from there. I highly encourage everyone to try to make one. It would mean so much more as a gift and it was so much fun! It was the first big project my husband and I did together and was so much fun! Feel free to email me pictures if you decide to make one. I've had a few pictures sent and have loved that you all are sharing with me =)

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Guest posting today! Yaayy!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 17:11:00 +0000

Guess what guys?! I’m guest posting over at Blissful & Domestic today! This is my first guest post so I am so excited! Thank you, Danielle, and be sure to check out the rest of her blog. If you’ve seen this floating around Pinterest, it’s from Danielle’s blog!

And she also hosts the Feature Friday Link Party which is how I discovered her awesomeness =)

And I’ve poured over her Menu Plans and her money-saving tips and tricks!

So, send her some bloggy love! You won’t regret it =)

Minnie Mouse Birthday Party

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 17 Sep 2012 01:12:00 +0000

What a weekend we had! My little one turned two on Saturday and we had a small Minnie Mouse themed birthday party and it was a hit! I have to give Kristin credit from Hunted Interior who had some fabulous ideas and yes, I copied her...alot, lol.

My invitations I made with the computer and my Cricut. I made the bows with ribbon and a hot glue gun.

My mom made the cupcakes and they were delicious! The chocolate cupcakes had a cream filling, topped with homemade cream cheese icing and Oreos. We also had homemade red velvet cupcakes topped with the same cream cheese icing, mini Oreos, and a Fruit Roll-Up bow. I made the bows =)

Simple Mason jars filled with utensils.

I bought the Mouse ears headbands but added the bows on.

The banner I made below I actually found somewhere online and can NOT remember where for the life of me but I used it as inspiration and made one in red and black instead of the typical pink and black. If anyone recognizes my inspiration, please let me know and I'll add it in =)

And this CAR was the funnest craft my husband and I have ever worked on! More on it soon and it was also inspired by the car on Kristin's blog (Hunted Interior blog). Update: to see car tutorial, head on over here.

And there's our princess =)

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Crock Pot Chicken Parmesan

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 11:51:00 +0000

I got inspired by Pinterest once again! I came across Nikki’s recipe over at Chef in Training and her chicken parm she whipped up! I tweaked it here and there but it’s a great and easy recipe!

Crock Pot Chicken Parmesan
2-4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1/2 cup Italian Seasoned Bread Crumbs
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1 TBSP olive oil
1 egg, beaten
sliced or shredded mozzarella cheese
favorite jarred marinara or spaghetti sauce
Spread the 1 TBSP of olive oil into the bottom of your crockpot.
Beat the egg with a fork in a separate bowl.
Mix the bread crumbs with the seasonings and the Parmesan cheese in another separate dish.
Dip the chicken into the egg, then into the bread crumb mixture, coating both sides with crumbs, cheese and seasonings.
Place the chicken breast pieces in the bottom of the crockpot.
Layer 2-3 slices or 1-2 cups of mozzarella cheese on top, depending on how much cheese you like.
Cover chicken and cheese with entire jar of sauce.
Close lid and cook on low for 5-6 hours or high for 3.
Serve with your favorite pasta and ENJOY!
This was so yummy! It would be great without the breadcrumbs as well so next time I am going to try it with just the chicken, cheese, and sauce. I also didn’t have any Italian crumbs but just used my plain crumbs and tossed in some oregano and Italian sounding spices, lol.

Weekly menu printable

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 11:54:00 +0000

UPDATE 9/10/13: I've had many write me here lately that they were not able to get into Scribd to download my printables without paying for membership. I have changed from Scribd to Google Docs for an easier download process =) Thank you for stopping by and enjoy!

We’ve started writing our menu out every weekend of what we want to do for supper each night. It has made it somewhat easier since we get home about 6:30 and there’s no, “What do you wanna do for supper?” spiel…well, actually we still do that, lol, because we always lose the menu traveling from the store back home. Anywho, my husband and I have found that it has cut down on our grocery bill as well. We go Sunday to the store, buy just what we need for supper, our lunches, and Kenna’s lunches. Works for us =) Trav has been writing out the menu on a weekly menu pad that I picked up at Joann’s but I wanted to go a little cuter and make one to put in a frame so I can use it as a dry erase calendar board! That way there won’t be any question at the end of the day when we’re home.
So here’s what I came up with for our hungry home!

Aren’t they beautimous! I love them. Of course, I only need one but I got on a roll and now I want to try a couple of other colors too =) I think I’m just getting tired of teal though. Still love grey, of course!
Anywho, here’s a selection for my lovely readers! Just click on the picture to download!

Also, here is the link for the herringbone menu as well!

I hope you all enjoy =) What other colors do you think I should try? I was thinking an apple green next time. Something brighter!
And for more of my printable, go here!

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Pallet fail…for now! Mwah Ha Ha Ha!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 28 Aug 2012 16:07:00 +0000

Besides the fun in inserting a maniacal laugh in my title, this weekend was a dud in the craft department! I got so excited about my pallet project I had in mind so I was crushed when it didn’t pan out right =(

Here we are pulling out nails and whatnot, preparing it for staining at 9 pm Friday night!

Saturday staining and sanding! <—loving that alliteration there, hehe

Isn’t it amazing what stain will do? I can’t even tell it’s a pallet. Note: after this picture, I did flip it over and stain everything else so there was not any natural wood color showing through.

Okay, this is where it all went wrong. After cutting out my design, my ~~cheap~~ contact paper would NOT stick to the wood =(

Soooo, I am going to head over to the store and buy some contact paper for transfer paper because I am completely out now and I’m going to try WHITE contact paper too. Maybe it’s a bit thicker and I’ll be able to SEE it, lol

Open to any suggestions, of course =)

A masterpiece in the making (I hope)…

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 16:30:00 +0000

Squuueeeeaaaal! Look at what my husband FINALLY picked up for me today! A pallet/crate thingie! You know? One of those, lol. He definitely knows how to make my day =) I have big plans for this baby and I hope it turns out as well as it looks in my mind, lol.

Making blue Mason jars

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 11:38:00 +0000

I know, I know! You’ve been seeing these everywhere but I had to try it. I love the look of old antique Mason jars but I have not had any luck finding any on thrift stores or flea markets. Well, I take that back, I’m still regretting buying the old jar I seen a completely full of buttons at the flea market! I bypassed it because it was $20 and ended up getting three vintage Pyrex dishes complete with lids instead. Ahhh, love my Pyrex =)
Anywho, all you need is Mason jars, ModPodge, water, and food coloring. I used this tutorial from Six Sister’s Stuff that I found on uCreate.
Then you preheat your oven to 200 degrees. Mix 2 tbs. of water and 4 tbs. of Mod Podge. Next, add your food coloring until you reach your desired shade. At first I only used 5 drops but after I popped it out of the oven and seen how light it was, I added more. Make sure you coat the entire inside of you jar, including the mouth.

Then, you poke it in the oven for a couple of minutes upside down. Take it out, wipe the rim off, then place in the oven right side up for the and bake for about 30-40 minutes or until color starts clearing. And voila! You get prettiness =)
Update: Forgot to mention this! My favorite jar that turned out the bluest, I actually let it cool and then repeated the process again--recoat, oven for 2, wipe, oven for 30. The bluer the better, I think =)

Speaking of prettiness, see my milk glass finds over yonder? Picked them up for $3 at a little auction house down the road.

Can’t wait to collect more. Love the look of the white.

Thanks for stopping by!