This Fresh Fossil

Happy Valentine's Day

2012-02-14T10:30:00.000-06:00

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Life with Baby

2012-02-13T10:30:00.000-06:00

Long time no talk! It's sure been awhile since I've had the time or energy to get on the computer so I could talk to you guys. Let me just say: life with a baby? Completely different. Not bad, but you know all that free time that we used to have to work on the house and blog with? Practically gone. Yep. It's amazing how one tiny little being can take up all your time! (not that I'd have it any other way, mind you.)

So let me just say this - I apologize for our extended absence from the interwebs. I never really meant to take an impromptu bloggie break, but, well, things just sorta happened. Life happened. Once this little guy finally came into the world, we've been going and haven't really stopped, and before we knew it, it'd been a couple months since we've done much with the blog.

Oops.

To catch you up on what's been going on with us lately...

After 2 months of maternity leave and getting to know the newest member of our family, I decided that I just couldn't handle going back to work - leaving the Con-man would totally break my heart. Yep. So I quit (which was pretty rough for me, because I've never been much of a quitter - I like to stick with things once I start 'em). Now I'm proud and happy to say that I'm a stay at home Mom. And (total shock to me, actually), I must say being a parent is much MUCH harder than I expected, but totally worth it. Everytime Connor smiles or laughs, my heart just melts and I forget about the latest crying episode. I guess it's a bit like that little black memory-erasor thing in the movie Men In Black. But, you know, more baby-ish and cute.

As far as my partner in crime goes, Tom has been interviewing all over the country (see? I told you we were busy!) at various anesthesia residency programs. He'll make a list ranking his top choices, and then the programs will rank their top student choices, and eventually he will be matched with one of his picks. Exciting, right? After he graduates this May as an official doctor (oh.my.gosh.), he'll enter into the residency program he was matched to this summer and begin as a resident, where he will spend the next four (count 'em, four) years until he graduates and becomes a real doctor.

Since things have finally calmed down around here with the new addition, we're finding we have some time and energy to devote to house stuff again (yay!). Although our updates won't be everyday like they used to be, you can expect updates when we can. For starters, I'm personally shooting for at least 2 a week, but we'll see if the Con-man will be cooperative with that. The little guy doesn't always take naps anymore, which puts a bit of a cramp on the ole' house project time.

What else has changed around here? Well, anyday of the week you'll find our previously decently-clean house looks a little like this once you walk in the door...

Yep. Gotta love it.

Anyways, it's good to be back!

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Connor's Birth

2011-12-02T10:30:00.000-06:00

Like everything else in this anxiety-ridden high risk pregnancy, our little guy decided that he was going to do things his way - and his birth was no different.

Starting from 25 weeks he had been in a frank breech position - his butt was down, and his legs and feet were up by his face. Most of the time we didn't worry or even care what position he was in, as long as he was still cookin' in there and doing okay we didn't give his position any thought or mind. I guess you could say we had more important things on the brain.

Once we hit 37 weeks with the bun still in the oven we celebrated - it was a HUGE milestone for us. There was a 50% chance that he wouldn't make it that far, so for 37 weeks - full term - to come and go, was a big deal and we could finally breathe easy knowing that he made it to term! No NICU stay for him, thankyouverymuch!

My doctor expected him to come at any time, so I was prepared - I put in my maternity leave notice at work and toted around my hospital bag and "emergency" bag with extra clothes and towels in my car - just in case.

Honestly, we were surprised when I hit the 38 week mark - I mean, wasn't this baby supposed to come at any time? He almost arrived at 21 weeks and it took a whole surgery to keep him in there, not to mention the weeks of bedrest and anxious waiting and hoping for him NOT to come and to keep baking afterwards - and finally now he's term with nothing holding him back, and he still wasn't coming! Ironic, isn't it?

At my 38 week checkup with my doctor, I asked her if he was still breech.

"Wait - what? He's not breech... is he? I thought he was head down?"
"No.. I'm pretty sure he's breech - he's been breech since 25 weeks."
"Oh my... I thought for sure he was head down. Well, we'll just check real quick."

So she wheeled in the portable ultrasound machine, and sure enough the little guy was sitting butt-down - just like he'd been for the past 13 weeks.

"You're right - he is breech. Well, this changes things!"

And so she scheduled me for a c-section in just over a week, on Tuesday November 8th.

Tom and I were scared (and I was freaking out a little bit), but we were both excited to finally have a concrete date that the little guy would be arriving. All that waiting on pins and needles for weeks and weeks for him to arrive had really been wearing on us! While we were super-excited, we were also a little sad that we'd be missing out on the excitement of rushing to the hospital while I'm in labor.

The weekend before the c-section found us excited and giddy while frightened at the same time. We were going to be parents in just a few days! We couldn't believe it. That Saturday we spent getting things ready around the house for the little man, and that night we had dinner with Tom's parents before collapsing into bed. I woke up a couple times throughout the night with contractions, but chalked it up to braxton-hicks (which I'd been having everyday for awhile by that point) and just fell back asleep.

Sunday morning we woke up and had breakfast before heading off to church. I'd had a few more contractions during breakfast, but they weren't painful at all - just my belly tightening up, so I figured they were more braxton-hicks and just ignored them.

We were in the car driving to church when it finally dawned on me that I'd been having fairly regular contractions for awhile.

I asked Tom, "Hey honey, did you bring your iPod?"
Gives me a weird look like I've lost my mind, "No. Why?"
"Oh, for the contraction timer app."
"What?! Are you having contractions?!"
"Yeah, I've been having them since last night, and they seem to be pretty frequent."
"You've been contracting since last night and you didn't tell me?!"

So that's sorta how our little conversation in the car on the way to church went! Tom was all for calling the doctor or racing to the hospital, but I didn't want to be that-pregnant-lady-who-shows-up-at-the-hospital-thinking-she's-in-labor-when-she's-really-not, so I wanted to be positive that they were real before calling or heading down there.

So I insisted that we just continue and go to church.

Once we got there, we found seats in the back and Tom grabbed a flyer and found a pen and we started keeping track of my contractions the old-fashioned way - with a regular wristwatch. To my utter astonishment, we found that I was having contractions 6 minutes apart! They definitely didn't seem that close together, and still weren't painful at all.

40 minutes into the sermon my contractions were consistent and coming 4 minutes apart, and were finally starting to get a little painful. It was at this point that we looked at each other and decided that it was time to take some action - I could really be in labor!

So we got up and left in the middle of the sermon (we felt super-bad about it!), and I called my doctor on our way to our house (thankfully she was on call that weekend). She told me to head up the hospital to be evaluated.

We rushed home and gathered up our hospital bags and packed a few last-minute items. We threw everything into the car and headed down to the hospital. Tom was speeding like crazy, and I laughed and told him that the doctor said we didn't need to rush, that we had some time. But he said that he had really been wanting to speed to the hospital when I go into labor, so I let him have his way. I gotta admit - it was kinda fun! And we almost (almost- but not quite!) wanted to get pulled over by a cop so I could yell and scream that I was in labor like in the movies! But of course that didn't happen - it was probably a good thing, anyways!

On our way to the hospital I called my parents, who were currently driving up from Florida so they could be here for the birth of their grandson. When she answered, my mom said, "Now Chelsea, you're not having that baby yet are you?", which is what she'd been asking me for weeks. And instead of the usual "No, Mom, he's still in the oven", this time I said, "Well actually, I think I'm in labor." "What?! You're kidding right?!" "Hahaha, nope! We're on our way to the hospital right now!". Unfortunately, my parents were still hours out of Omaha, and wouldn't get in until that evening. I'm pretty sure they started speeding after getting that phone call, though!

Once we arrived at the hospital and checked into Labor and Delivery, I changed into one of those beautiful hospital gowns and the nurses hooked me up to some contraction monitors. Sure enough, it was official - I was in labor!

At this point it was about 1pm on Sunday, and my contractions were still about 4 minutes apart but had progressively gotten more painful, but not too bad. They were like mild menstrual cramps, and weren't bad at all.

My doctor came in and told me that when she got my phone call she just knew that it was the real deal, and that this baby wasn't going to wait until Tuesday! She told me that I was scheduled for a c-section at 3:00 that day. We were going to be parents in just 2 hours!

I don't remember much of those 2 hours - my contractions continued getting more painful, but thankfully my friend texted me and reminded me about birthing balls. I asked a nurse for one, and let me tell you it made a huge difference - all of a sudden it was much easier to deal with the contractions. So we spent those couple hours just anxiously hanging out in the room and halfway watching Extreme Trucking (how intense is that show? I'll never look at truckers the same again!) while I bounced through the contractions.

Finally, it was time! Tom and I scrubbed in and walked to the Operating Room (I opted to walk since moving helped with the pain). Once in the OR they told me that they would be giving me a spinal, which really scared me - I'm not a fan of needles, especially big ones that will be going into my spine! The spinal was one of the things I was really nervous about, but thankfully I had a good support group with me - my husband, nurse, and doctor were all there holding my hands, rubbing my back and talking me through it. It took longer than I expected to get it in, but once it was done I could feel the effects of the spinal almost immediately - my legs started tingling. The OR nurses quickly helped me lay down on the table as my legs and belly (and even some of my arms) became completely numb. All of a sudden I was really thankful for the spinal, because since I couldn't feel half of my body I couldn't feel the contractions anymore, either!

For the first part of the surgery I just focused on breathing and looking at Tom's face - I was a Nervous Nelly and scared out of my wits, and it helped to focus on something. As a rule, I tend to freak out if I'm awake during some sort of medical procedure, so I always prefer to be knocked out with some general anesthesia. However, there was no way I was going to miss the birth of our son, so I just had to deal. And I'm so glad I did!

All of a sudden I heard my doctor saying, "I see a foot! And here comes a leg! And... ahhhh! He's peeing... oooh and pooping, too!"

Apparently as soon as the little guy was out, he just let loose! Tom was laughing as the nurses carried Connor over to the warming station. I was a nervous wreck as I anxiously waited to hear his cry.

The nurses seemed concerned because he wasn't breathing right away as they hovered over him with a oxygen mask, but just as they were about to put it on him he started crying.

It was the most beautiful sound.

I asked Tom if he was healthy, and when he said yes I started bawling. I couldn't even see much of Connor because I was crying so hard. All that anxious worrying that I'd been carrying on my shoulders was gone. He was full-term and healthy! All our prayers for the past months had been answered.

He scored a 7 and a 9 on his Apgar tests, and weighed in at 6 pounds 14 ounces and 20.5 inches long.

Afterwards they wheeled us into a recovery room for a bit, and then into our own hospital room. About 10 minutes after we were finally ready for visitors, who walks in but my parents - who managed to make it to the hospital just in time. The timing couldn't have been more perfect!

As soon as I saw them I smiled and said, "Hey there! Meet Connor Steven Magruder." We had kept Connor's name a secret from everyone, and Steven is my father's name, so they were completely surprised. I know I'll never forget the look on their faces when I told them.

Soon after, Tom's family showed up to welcome and meet our son, too.

After such a worrisome and risky pregnancy, we couldn't be happier that Connor is finally here and - most importantly, is perfectly healthy.

Welcome to the world, Connor. We love you.

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He's Arrived!

2011-11-21T10:30:00.000-06:00

If you guessed that there was a darn good reason for my unexplained absence, you'd be right!

Connor Magruder has arrived!

He made an early entrance on November 6th at 4:25 PM. He weighed 6 pounds 14 ounces and was 20.5 inches long.

We've been busy getting to know each other and settling into a new "normal" around here ever since. I'll be sharing the story of his birth soon, as well.

We're so happy that he's finally arrived safe and sound (and perfectly healthy)! Welcome home, Connor!

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Nursery Update

2011-11-03T11:45:00.000-05:00

Howdy, folks! First, please let me apologize for my lack of updates recently on the blog. People aren't lying when they say that the closer a baby's due date gets, the busier you get! But we're finally getting around to all those little things that we've been putting off forever, and I gotta say that it feels pretty good to finally be crossing some of those things off our huge to-do list (that never seems to end).

So - are you ready for a nursery progress/update on this room? Just like the last few posts about this room, we're not 100% done, but we're getting super-close now! It's almost done - just a couple more projects and we'll be calling this room finished - hopefully just in time for the little guy's arrival!

Here is our baby boy's whimsical nursery thus far:

Lookin' pretty good, right? Once we get completely done in here, I'll go into more details on our DIY projects, the total cost of the room, as well as telling you the story of some of the heirloom items in here and why they are so special - so stay tuned!

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Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T17:00:00.000-05:00

{via}

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DIY Tissue Paper Poms Poms

2011-10-27T10:30:00.000-05:00

I've seen these floating around the blogosphere, and I couldn't help but think of how perfect they would be in a nursery! Cheap, easy, and they would fit our "whimsical" theme perfectly!

First I gathered up some supplies. I bought some packs of tissue paper in different colors (although in the end I just ended up using the white ones - the others all went back to the store), some white floral wire, and some clear fishing-line type stuff.

I gathered about 10 sheets of tissue paper and rolled them accordion-style into about 1 inch sections.

Then I tied a piece of floral wire around the middle.

And then I used some sturdy scissors to make the ends more rounded - you can make them pointy or any shape you want for different looks, though. I liked the rounded edges because I thought it made them look more like clouds and less like flowers, which was my goal (since this is for a little boys' nursery).

Then while holding the middle, slowly and gently start separating the layers of tissue paper.

Keep going and eventually you'll end up with a pom-pom!

To hang it, we simply make a little hook out of the floral wire and used the clear fishing-line stuff to hang it from the ceiling (we used little hooks in the ceiling).

Easy, cheap and fun! We decided to hang them above the changing table, to hopefully distract the little guy during diaper changes (we're crossing our fingers that they end up actually mesmerizing him instead of becoming little targets for him to aim for, haha!). We love how well they go with the room, and really add a fun but whimsical element to the whole thing.

And as a total-accident-but-bonus that we love, when the air kicks on or we walk by or we turn the little guys' room fan on, they spin around! How sweet is that? It's like a mobile... but without all the winding and batteries. Score.

Stay tuned for a full-room progress update soon!

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Autumn Inspiration

2011-10-24T10:30:00.000-05:00

{via make merry events on pinterest}

{via alisa burke on pinterest}

{via real simple on pinterest}

{via good housekeeping on pinterest}

{via the party dress on pinterest}

{via une-deux senses on pinterest}

{via the nerd's wife on pinterest}

{via better homes and gardens on pinterest}

{via lovestruck on pinterest}

{via design seeds on pinterest}

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Freebie Friday: Spooky Black Cat Silhouettes

2011-10-21T10:30:00.000-05:00

** This is a freebie that I dug up from our Freebie Gallery archive. Enjoy!**

Happy Friday!

Who doesn't love Friday? Especially when you get something for free? Freebie Fridays is a series on This Fresh Fossil in which I unleash a bit of my extra-creativity: for you. I'm a professional graphic designer who loves to design and wants to help you organize your life, have fun with your hobby, connect with friends and decorate your digs, by giving you a free design every Friday. Whether it's in the form of labels for organizing, cool artwork that you can print and frame, printable greeting cards, photographs, patterns, scrapbooking art, or more - every Friday there will be a custom free design for you.

Halloween is just around the corner, so I whipped up some spooky black cat silhouettes for your decorating pleasure! These guys are simple, fun and versatile - you could print them out on colored paper for a little extra color-punch, or cut them out and glue them overtop of a fun background - I think this Orange Mod pattern or this Gray Chevron pattern would be fantastic - for some fab and festive art on the cheap! Are you thirstin' for a little spookiness to add to your adobe? Cut out the silhouettes and tape the cat shapes on the inside of your windows for some creepy but fun (and cheap!) decor for those little trick-or-treaters!

Click Here to Download

To download click the link above, then right-click on the image and select "Save Picture As" and save it to your computer. They are 8.5 x 11 inches each, but you have the option (using the Windows printing system) to print it any size you wish - 8x10, 5x7, 4x6, etc.

Have you used one of our Freebies for anything? Take a photo and send it in - I'd love to see what creative things you've done with my designs! You might even be featured in a future Freebie Friday post!

Have a fantastic weekend and happy Friday!

(Oh, and while all my work is custom, if you'd like something more personalized, like a blog header, logo, photo manipulation, etc, please feel free to contact me to discuss your project and custom pricing. Thanks!)

Disclaimer: As far as I am aware, this file does not contain any viruses, however, you download at your own risk. By downloading this file, you are agreeing to the terms of use. This file is for personal use only - any profit and any editing of the digital file or any elements within is prohibited. You are free to use the design any way you like once the design is printed. Also, the design is my work - please be respectful of copyright laws. Thank you!

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We've Hit 400! + Inspiration

2011-10-17T11:00:00.000-05:00

Normally I'm not one to share every little blogging milestone with you guys (I figure you read this blog because you find what we do/have to say is interesting, and I think that me bragging about blogging stuff just probably wouldn't be that interesting to you!), but I kinda wanted to share this one.

On Friday, we published our 400th post. 400! Just thinking of that number makes my head spin. How did we ever manage to write 400 posts about our DIY adventures in our little house in just 2 years? Craziness.

So, I just thought I would share that little factoid with ya'll today, because, man - that's a huge number!

Anyways, now back to our regular ~~programming~~ blogging... enjoy the lovely inspiration pics below!

{via martha stewart}

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Freebie Friday: Halloween Tags

2011-10-14T10:00:00.000-05:00

** This is a freebie that I dug up from our Freebie Gallery archive. Enjoy!**

Happy Friday!

Who doesn't love Friday? Especially when you get something for free? Freebie Fridays is a series on This Fresh Fossil in which I unleash a bit of my extra-creativity: for you. I'm a professional graphic designer who loves to design and wants to help you organize your life, have fun with your hobby, connect with friends and decorate your digs, by giving you a free design every Friday. Whether it's in the form of labels for organizing, cool artwork that you can print and frame, printable greeting cards, photographs, patterns, scrapbooking art, or more - every Friday there will be a custom free design for you.

I wanted to continue the Halloween theme for this week, since it really is just around the corner. So I created this set of fun Halloween tags! Print them, cut them, fold them, and use them for anything - gifts, name cards, scrapbooking, etc etc. Whatever you can think of! Just have fun with them, mkay?

Click Here to Download

To download click the link above, then save the JPG file it to your computer. Just download the file, then you can print it out, cut it up, and use it for all your tagging needs. You can even make gift tags, use the design for scrapbooking, modge podge it onto something - the possibilities are endless! Oh, and best of all? It's free.

Have you used one of our Freebies for anything? Take a photo and send it in - I'd love to see what creative things you've done with my designs! You might even be featured in a future Freebie Friday post!

Have a fantastic weekend and happy Friday!

(Oh, and while all my work is custom, if you'd like something more personalized, like a blog header, logo, photo manipulation, etc, please feel free to contact me to discuss your project and custom pricing. Thanks!)

Disclaimer: As far as I am aware, this file does not contain any viruses, however, you download at your own risk. By downloading this file, you are agreeing to the terms of use. This file is for personal use only - any profit and any editing of the digital file or any elements within is prohibited. You are free to use the design any way you like once the design is printed. Also, the design is my work - please be respectful of copyright laws. Thank you!

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Nursery Progress: Cheap DIY Art

2011-10-13T10:30:00.000-05:00

What's the easiest and fastest way to add some dazzle to any room?

Some cheap, DIY art. Oh, how I love thee.

I'm talking real simple here, folks: like typing up a phrase on the computer, printing it out, slapping it into a frame, and hanging it on a nail in the wall. Seriously. It doesn't get much simpler (or cheaper) than that!

"Over the Rainbow" by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole is one of my favorite songs. I LOVE it. I love it so much that it was nearly our wedding song - it was the top contender until, a few measly weeks before the big day, we realized that while it was a beautiful and very whimsical song, it wasn't really about two people falling in love, and that there were other much more appropriate love songs out there that we also really liked (we eventually went with our second choice, "God Bless the Broken Road" by Rascal Flatts).

And? I was only able to make that last-minute First Dance song switch-up by mentally telling myself that one day, one day, the "Over the Rainbow" song would be the inspiration for our first baby's room.

And so it is.

Of course, we couldn't really have a song-inspired room without displaying some of the lyrics in it, now could we?

So I simply googled the lyrics, picked out two of my favorite phrases, and got all graphic-designery on them using Adobe Illustrator (but you could, of course, use a word processor to achieve a similar setup).

It was an easy task of printing them out, cutting them to size, and then popping them in a couple $5 frames.

And two nails later, we have some custom art!

They fit in perfectly above the bookcase my father built, and the colors work wonderfully, too. Incase you missed it, the colors in here are sky blue with lots of white, and some orange for a nice pop of contrast.

All-in-all? We're loving it. Especially when it only cost us 10 minutes and 10 dollars to get-er-done. Holla.

Anyone else a big fan of cheapo inexpensive art? Are you more a fan of framing text or photos, or maybe even painting a mural? (I figure that's probably the cheapest - albeit most time-consuming - way to add art to a space!).

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Nursery Progress: Dresser Refresh

2011-10-12T09:30:00.000-05:00

Kids are expensive. Yep, that's a fact (apparently raising a kid born in 2010 until they're 18 costs the average middle-income family roughly $227,000 - not including college). And when you're just starting out and have absolutely nothing baby-related - like us - let's not forget all those lovely (but totally fun) first-time baby costs.

Yikes.

So we're doing what we always do - pinching pennies where we can and getting creative with our DIY skills in the process.

Designing a nursery on a budget? Bring on the challenge!

I mean, we've already done pretty well in there - we scored a pretty slick upholstered glider off Craigslist for cheap, revamped a wooden bookshelf my Dad built, scored a top-notch crib on clearance, and created our own woven hemp light fixture.

But the dresser/changing table totally bogged us down.

I looked and looked - hit up garage sales and Craigslist like crazy trying to find something that was small enough to fit in the space, was built like a tank (because they just don't make things like they used to, and we want this thing to last through anything the kid can throw at it), was proper changing-table height, and was $50 or less - oh, and it had to be in good condition.

The results were pretty depressing.

Since the dresser we were searching for had to have such specific dimensions (thanks to the super-tiny room), surprise-surprise - we weren't finding much.

So the months dragged by as the search continued and we got more discouraged, until suddenly a simple text message totally turned things around.

Thanks to Tom's sister having moved out, his parents were happily willing to give us her old dresser. Score!

We headed over to there to get things measured to make sure it would fit, and came home with the perfect dresser for the nursery.

It just needed a little facelift. It was already painted white, but the off-white tended to clash with the ultra-white hue we had painted the trim, bookshelf, and even the brighter white of the crib. Plus, after surviving one childhood experience, the dresser needed a bit of refreshing.

So Tom broke out the power sander and lightly scuffed up the existing paint and filled in the hardware holes, and then followed with a coat of primer and then a fresh coat of bright white paint. It was looking fresher already!

We made a trip to Lowe's and picked out some hardware pulls that were on clearance ($1.60 each!), and after drilling in some new holes, we had ourselves a new dresser!

The best part? The total cost was approximately 5 bucks. Sweet.

It fits great into the nursery - sure it has some interesting lines, but we like it! It's different and unique, and adds a splash of vintage to the contemporary space. Not to mention, it fits the changing pad perfectly. Yep, we'll be changing lots of diapers on top of that ole' dresser, and the drawers underneath are perfect for storing changing supplies and diapers, and even some crib sheets. And we love the heirloom-type quality and story that it has - it was Tom's sister's dresser, and now will be our son's dresser - and who knows where it will end up after he's done with it.

Anyone else prefer refinishing an old piece of furniture to buying new? What's the best bargain you've found?

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Autumn Pinspiration

2011-10-11T10:30:00.000-05:00

Happy Tuesday! Hope you enjoyed Columbus Day yesterday - I sure did. Any day I get a holiday off from work is a fantastic day for me!

The weather around here in Nebraska is finally starting to feel more like Autumn, to the thankfulness of this very pregnant lady. Bring on the boots, sweaters, and apple cider!

Here's a little roundup of some fun Fall things from pinterest. Enjoy!

{via Vintage House}

{via Krokotak}

{via Laura's Lovely Fibers}

{via West Elm}

{via Better Homes and Gardens}

{caramel apple cups to go via Shirley Nemesh}

{via Better Homes and Gardens}

{via la maison d'Anna G}

{via Good Housekeeping}

{via Dictator of Taste}

{via Good Housekeeping}

{apple slices via Jewels of a Child}

{via West Elm}

{via Birch & Lily}

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Freebie Friday: Easy Free DIY Halloween Bunting

2011-10-07T11:00:00.000-05:00

*I dug this up from our Free Art Archive! Enjoy!*

Happy Friday!

Who doesn't love Friday? Especially when you get something for free? Freebie Fridays is a series on This Fresh Fossil in which I unleash a bit of my extra-creativity: for you. I'm a professional graphic designer who loves to design and wants to help you organize your life, have fun with your hobby, connect with friends and decorate your digs, by giving you a free design every Friday. Whether it's in the form of labels for organizing, cool artwork that you can print and frame, printable greeting cards, photographs, patterns, scrapbooking art, or more - every Friday there will be a custom free design for you.

If you're like me, then you've probably been procrastinating on some of the fabulous Halloween decor and projects you've been wanting to do. Or you're just lazy (like me). Or on a budget (like me). Anyhow, I decided that one easy, fast, and FREE way to put a little life into any room of the house is with a cheerful bunting!

I whipped up this easy bunting to put a little spice in our family room. See how fun and cheerful it makes our fireplace look? And for $0 and 10 minutes, no less? (Okay, yes, I KNOW the fireplace is ugly... but hey, at least it's festive, right?)

How to Make a DIY Bunting

Supplies:
4 sheets cardstock paper (& a printer)
Scissors
Adjustable 3-hole punch or single hole-punch
Yarn or hemp (or something stringy)

1) First, download the PDF file by clicking on the image or the link below it and saving the file to your computer (File>Save As).

Click Here to Download

2) Print out the file onto 4 sheets of cardstock paper (File>Print>Page Scaling>Fit to Printable Area>Print).

3) Cut out the squares.

4) Punch holes in the corners of the squares - I adjusted a 3-hole punch so it would fit, but a one-hole punch would work, as well (or any other wacky shapes, I'm sure).

5) Find something to string the bunting on (I debated between gray yarn or hemp... the hemp won).

6) Decorate!

Have you used one of our Freebies for anything? Take a photo and send it in - I'd love to see what creative things you've done with my designs! You might even be featured in a future Freebie Friday post!

Have a fantastic weekend and happy Friday!

(Oh, and while all my work is custom, if you'd like something more personalized, like a blog header, logo, photo manipulation, etc, please feel free to contact me to discuss your project and custom pricing. Thanks!)

Disclaimer: As far as I am aware, this file does not contain any viruses, however, you download at your own risk. By downloading this file, you are agreeing to the terms of use. This file is for personal use only - any profit and any editing of the digital file or any elements within is prohibited. You are free to use the design any way you like once the design is printed. Also, the design is my work - please be respectful of copyright laws. Thank you!

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Surprise!

2011-10-06T10:30:00.000-05:00

Nope... the baby hasn't made his appearance yet (although it won't be too much longer until he's here!).

The surprise is that my Mom flew in all the way from Florida to spend some time with us last week! So we had a fabulous time shopping, attending my baby shower, watching football, and spending time together - and of course tackling a project (what can I say? DIY runs in the family!).

Tom and I and y parents at a Nebraska Huskers football game last year.

So if you were wondering where this blogger has been for the past few days - well, now ya know. Gotta love such a sweet surprise like that.

Stay tuned next week for some cheap and easy nursery projects (and updates on where we are in that room - the clock's a ticking!), as well as the fun-and-should've-been-easy-but-wasn't project that my Mom and I tackled.

And Mom, if you're reading this, feel free to drop in for a surprise visit anytime!

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Inspiration

2011-10-05T10:30:00.000-05:00

{via bhg.com}

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DIY Hemp Pendant Light

2011-09-29T10:30:00.000-05:00

There's already a few of these tutorials floating around the interwebs, and the one I mostly followed is located here. I picked this one because the big difference was this tutorial used a bouncy toy ball instead of a balloon to get the sphere shape (the ball just seemed a bit more sturdy for a klutz like me, if ya know what I mean). While the existing tutorial is an excellent one, we deviated a bit when it came right down to how we did things - especially when it came to actually hanging the light fixture - which was a whole 'nother project in itself.

So, after a fun run to Walmart (and Lowe's), here's the supplies we gathered:

- 15" diameter bouncy ball
- 5 rolls (or 375 yards) of medium-thickness hemp (we only used 4 - or 300 yards, though)
- ball inflater/deflater thing
- 2 big tubes of Aimee's Sticky Glue
- rubber gloves (you'll definitely want these!)
- pendant light hanging kit (which we didn't end up using)
- newspapers (or a tarp or something to cover your workspace with)
- Sharpie pen
- (we later used) paper bowls, old tiles, and DIY our own pendant light hanging fixture

First I marked the ball with the Sharpie where I wanted the top and the bottom holes to be. I made sure that the bottom hole had the little plug thingy (what is that actually called?) in it, and that it would be big enough for me to fit my hand(s) through to screw in/unscrew any light bulbs.

Then it was time to begin! I snapped on my gloves, covered my workspace, and got to work.

I began gluing the hemp string to the ball, careful to avoid the hole(s) I'd marked (I marked one for the top, too, but if you aren't using a specific pendant light kit - which we didn't end up using - you won't need the top hole).

I found that the best and easiest way for me to get glue on the whole hemp string was to just pour the glue into a paper bowl and dip my glove-covered fingers into it, and then running a length of string through my glued-up fingers and stick it onto the ball.

Something I didn't anticipate was that the ball (as it accumulated more sticky, gluey hemp strings) would begin sticking to the newspaper covering I'd laid out to protect my work surface (I tried holding the ball with one hand while using the other to apply the gluey hemp, but that didn't work out - the ball was just too big!). I first tried using tools to hold down the newspaper, which worked but soon bits of newspaper started ripping off and sticking to the hemp. Rats.

Then Tom had an ingenious idea (seriously, what would I do without him?). He grabbed a paper bowl and threw a couple of old heavy tiles into it that we didn't care about to weigh it down. And lo-and-behold, it worked like a charm. I was able to rest the ball on it without the paper bowl sticking to the ball when it was time to pick up the ball and turn it (which I was constantly doing). While we used tiles, you could probably use almost anything heavy (water or tools maybe?) to help hold down the paper bowl. Just make sure that whatever you use, you don't care if it gets any glue on it!

As I went along, I first tried to just fill in any less-dense gaps with the hemp, not paying much attention to any patterns I was making. After a while, I noticed that the hemp was looking a little too... perfect. So then I switched it up and started applying the hemp string more randomly, and that achieved the no-so-perfect look I was after (I realized later it specifically mentions this in the tutorial I was following - doh!).

After 4 rolls of hemp (or about 300 yards) and literally most of my weekend - like 6 hours! - I decided that I was done. Besides the fact that if I had to spend anymore time on sticking gluey hemp to that ball I might just explode from monotony-induced brain damage - or go crazy and start gluing the hemp string to everything I see - I decided that the ball looked great. I was pleased with the spacing and gaps, and worried that if I added any more hemp to it that the light wouldn't shine through enough to actually light up a space.

I let it dry for about a day, and after testing to make sure the ball was sturdy, it was time to deflate the ball and make a pendant!

We just inserted the ball inflater/deflater thing into the hole and the ball started slowly deflating. The hemp strings and glue made all sorts of funny and hilarious noises as they were slowly unstuck from the deflating ball. It was definitely one of the most exciting parts of the project!

Once the ball was completely deflated (towards the end we got impatient and just stuck a knife in it, haha), we carefully removed the ball and were left with a totally awesome hemp pendant light.

Hallelujah!, I thought. The hard part is over!

You'd think I'd have learned by now.

Here's where we ran into problems: the pendant light hanging kit we'd purchased from Lowe's would require that the light bulb hang at the top of the pendant light - and we wanted it to hang in the middle of the pendant light. Drat.

So we returned the pendant kit to Lowe's and instead headed over to the lamp-building supply section, and found a: light socket, universal mounting kit-thingy, a white cover plate, and white electrical tape (we had some white electrical wire on hand). And this is where things got hard.

What we should have done: wired the light socket to the electrical wire and inserted into hemp pendant, then wound the electrical tape around the electrical wire at the top of the pendant to hold the top in place. That would make the light bulb hang around the middle of the pendant. Then we could have installed the light fixture on the ceiling and wired it in.

What we did: we mounted the hanging kit to the ceiling first. Bad idea. We basically had a bare bulb hanging from the ceiling (electrical wire and the light socket all installed), and then we had to figure out some way to thread the large light socket with wiring through the top of the pendant, and then somehow close up that opening a little and hold up the top of the pendant, putting the light in the middle. Yikes.

Let's just say this was a huge pain-in-the-you-know-what. We thought of all sorts of ideas - clear discs that we drilled holes in, a TON of electrical tape, twisty ties, fishing wire, you name it. In the end, though, we ended up using white floral wire that we wound around the top of the pendant and also around the main wire, holding the pendant in place (and backing it up with a little white electrical tape, for extra security) - which keeps the light bulb suspended in the middle of the pendant.

I know that was all probably very confusing. Honestly, it confused us, too. If we had just waited and installed the fixture on the ceiling last we could have avoided all that. Oh well, live and learn, right? So if you guys tackle this project, please learn from our painful mistake! It will make us feel a little better to know that at least someone benefited from this huge mishap of ours (and you won't have the "rig" the thing with floral wire, either).

But in the end, all the pain and endless hours of hemp-gluing were totally worth it. Yep, we LOVE it.

And now for everyone's favorite part - the budget breakdown!

Cost Breakdown:

Ball - 2.50
Inflater/delfater things - 1.00
Hemp - 4 @ 5.00/ea = 20.00
Glue - 2 @ 2.50/ea = 5.00 (and we still have alot leftover)
Gloves - 2.00
Light socket - 4.00
Electrical wire - Free (on hand)
Universal Mounting Kit - 1.50
Ceiling plate cover - 1.50

TOTAL: $37.50

Not bad, right? We're totally loving it. Especially since we couldn't find any other light fixtures in our price range that we liked at the store. Gotta love DIY for those extra options!

Have you ever DIY a light fixture? Are you planning on tackling any in the future (maybe even this one)? Do you love ours as much as we do?

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Our DIY Modern Hemp Pendant Light

2011-09-28T10:30:00.000-05:00

To say we've been busy lately would be an understatement! What with all of Tom's medical residency application stuff going on and the baby's arrival looming closer and closer, we've really kicked things into overdrive around here! ... either that or we're both nesting like crazy, hah!

So, can you guess what I spent the majority (no joke) of my weekend doing?

Yep, I made that light fixture - and Tom made the wiring. Both weren't the easiest tasks to accomplish - but hey, we're okay with that. Live and learn, right?

Oh, and did I mention that we LOVE the new light fixture?

Because we totally do. And we hope that our little guy will love staring at it, too!

It adds so much warmth, texture and a little modern-earthy vibe to the nursery, which is a perfect balance to all those cool grays, blues and whites that we had going on in there.

And check out what it looks like at night!

Sorta like a woodsy disco ball. And we heart the pattern it throws on the ceiling, too.

Stay tuned for a step-by-step tutorial on creating and hanging this light fixture tomorrow, along with a cost breakdown (and how much we saved by DIY! Gotta love a little extra change in those pockets).

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Inspiration

2011-09-26T10:30:00.000-05:00

Here's a little pinterest inspiration to start off your week!

{via greige design}

{via amber interiors}

{via centsational girl}

{via delight by design}

{via simplified bee}

{via this fresh fossil}

{via decor pad}

{via houzz}

{via brooklyn bride}

{via design sponge}

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Freebie Friday: Happy Fall Bunting

2011-09-23T10:30:00.000-05:00

Happy Friday!

Who doesn't love Friday? Especially when you get something for free? Freebie Fridays is a series on This Fresh Fossil in which I unleash a bit of my extra-creativity: for you. I'm a professional graphic designer who loves to design and wants to help you organize your life, have fun with your hobby, connect with friends and decorate your digs, by giving you a free design every Friday. Whether it's in the form of labels for organizing, cool artwork that you can print and frame, printable greeting cards, photographs, patterns, scrapbooking art, or more - every Friday there will be a custom free design for you.

Fall is here! Fall is here! My most favorite season. There's just something about the crispness in the air and the colors of the leaves that I love. So I thought I'd whip up this festive and seasonal bunting for you to decorate your mantel or walls with.

It's easy - just print it out onto cardstock, punch some holes in the sides, and run some twine or ribbon or yarn or whatever you have lying around, through the holes (for a complete tutorial, click here). Then fix it to your wall for instant free decor.

Click Here to Download

Have a fantastic weekend and happy Friday!

(Oh, and while all my work is custom, if you'd like something more personalized, like a blog header, logo, photo manipulation, etc, please feel free to contact me to discuss your project and custom pricing. Thanks!)

Disclaimer: As far as I am aware, this file does not contain any viruses, however, you download at your own risk. By downloading this file, you are agreeing to the terms of use. This file is for personal use only - any profit and any editing of the digital file or any elements within is prohibited. You are free to use the design any way you like once the design is printed. Also, the design is my work - please be respectful of copyright laws. Thank you!

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What's Up, Doc?

2011-09-22T10:30:00.000-05:00

Oh, the times are a-changing.

We've got some pretty big changes happening in our lives right now, and I just thought I would let ya'll in on what exactly is going on (and why we've been a bit behind in our projects lately).

First off - I'm officially 32 weeks along, folks! Hows that for exciting news, huh? Yep, I'll be starting my 9th month of being pregnant in less than a week, and we couldn't be more thrilled. What with all the drama that's been going on in this pregnancy, there were many weeks in which we doubted that we'd make it this far. But I guess all the hoping and praying that friends, family, and us, have been doing has been working - because here we are! This is a big milestone because if Baby M. ended up coming now, he'd most likely be perfectly fine. And THAT, my friends, is a huge relief!

So, yes, being in the "safe zone" has me walking around being my usual happy self again, humming random songs with a smile on my face. And even with all the aches and pains and annoyances of pregnancy - I'm just thrilled that I'm still pregnant and this baby's still cookin'. It's funny how one near-disastrous experience can really put everything into perspective, isn't it?

Moving onto other news, my partner-in-crime and the dad-to-be, Tom, is in his last year of medical school! (which is why his contributions to this blog are pretty slim - he's a busy guy!). Yep, he's been working hard for the past few years and he's finally almost a real doctor. Or a resident, anyways. This summer, after 4 years of medical school, he'll graduate and get his official white coat, and then he'll go into a residency program where he'll finally be practicing medicine as a resident. Residents are sorta like interns - they're actually doctors, but they're still learning some things. After a few years as resident, he'll graduate and finally, FINALLY be a real 100% bona-fide doctor! Craziness, huh? I can't believe he's almost done with medical school - time's just been flying by!

And other exciting news? Tom's picked what sort of doctor he wants to be, which is a big deal! You see, the first 2 years of medical school are spent mostly learning in the classroom, and the last 2 years of medical school are spent out in the field (aka, hospitals, offices and clinics) working alongside doctors and treating real patients, thus gaining real-world experience. During those 2 years, students rotate through tons of different types of practices - family medicine, surgery, pediatrics, OBGYN, to name just a few. But the big decision during medical school is that each student picks what sort of doctor they want to be, which is huge, people! (let's not forget all the money, and years, they've already spent just to get to this point - it's definitely not a decision to be taken lightly!).

After lots of thought and time spent in his rotations trying to figure out where his niche was, Tom found it in anesthesiology. Yep, he's gonna be "that guy" that puts people to sleep when they head off for surgery! Or at least that's what I used to think. After hearing him talk about what really goes on in anesthesiology, I know now that it's a lot more complicated than that - anesthesiologists are more like the doctors who work behind the scenes (aka, the "spotlight" of the surgeons and nurses) to keep the patient alive during surgery. Patients are always hovering on the line between life and death during surgery, and it's their job to keep those patients more on the "life" side of that line while serious surgery is being performed. It's a very serious job, and many patients don't always appreciate their anesthesiologist as much as they probably should, because most people don't really know what's going on in the operating room once they've been knocked out! Since hearing Tom's stories of what life is like in the operating room and what anesthesiologists actually do, though, I know I've definitely got much more appreciation for the tough and intense job they tackle everyday.

Tom absolutely loves anesthesiology, and I couldn't be more thrilled that he's finally found his "calling"!

The next step is applying to residency programs, which also requires that Tom (and sometimes me and Baby M), travel to all sorts of places around the country for interviews and to see what the residency program and city/town is like. While we'd love to stay here in Nebraska, we'll go wherever we think is best. It would be sad to leave our little home that we've worked so hard on for the past few years, but I can't deny that I love a good adventure and experiencing new places! So you can expect to see some posts about our travels in the next few months.

And lastly, an update on the Barley-meister.

In short, he has no earthly idea of what is in store for him, lurking just around the corner. He's gonna be a big brother to new little person soon - and he doesn't even know it yet! We've heard of some pets who can "sense" what is happening and know that their owner is pregnant somehow, but we're pretty sure that Barley is absolutely clueless.

To help prepare him for the shock of a new family member, we've been using a baby doll as a stand-in "baby". We'll wrap it up in a blanket and coo at it, and carry it around the house, and even push it around in the stroller, to help get him used to the idea that there's going to be another little guy soon that we'll be paying lots of attention to, too. We probably look like a couple of crazies doing it, haha! But it seems to be working pretty well. We're using lots of positive reinforcement to ensure that he doesn't get jealous of the new baby, while also trying to limit some of Barley's more dangerous tendencies, like jumping. We're pretty hopeful that Barley will make a great big brother, though!

So that's our lives in a wrap, and what changes are gonna be coming our way (and on the blog) shortly. Gotta love this crazy life!

That leaves me wondering - what's up with you lately? Any big changes you're going through, or are there any looming on the horizon?

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Decisions, Decisions

2011-09-20T10:30:00.000-05:00

I've pretty much gotten most of the nursery look and feel decided on, and the wall art is all just hanging around, well, waiting to be hanged.

But one thing I just can't decide on?

The light fixture.

After perusing the lighting section at Lowe's and nothing was calling our name - and with the nearest Ikea being hours away - I figured that we'd just have to get our hands dirty and DIY some sort of lighting fixture if we want something fun and unique for the little guy's room.

And I immediately thought of this DIY string pendant light found here on the Crafty Nest.

It's a West Elm Abaca pendant lamp knockoff (see below), but it's fun, customizeable, and pretty sweet looking. Oh, and I love West Elm's stuff, so of course I'm totally in love with it - especially the price tag, which looks to be about $35.

What do you think? Yay? Nay? Would you hang a light fixture like this in the room?

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Inspiration

2011-09-19T10:30:00.000-05:00

{via ohdeedoh}

{via pbk}

{via the elegant abode}

{via jesykaditri}

{via everything i love}

{via little green notebook}

{via decor pad}

{via project nursery}

{via decor pad}

{via parenting.com}

{via woonideeen}

{via apartment therapy}

{via decor pad}

{via dvira}

{via 6th street design school}

{via me and wee}

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Falling into Fall

2011-09-15T10:30:00.000-05:00

It's official - the Fall bug has bitten me. Thanks to this wonderfully cool weather we've been having (not to mention last night's low of 37 degrees here in Nebraska!), I can't get thoughts of Autumn out of my head: crisp cool weather, apple cider, the colors of the leaves as they turn, the warmer clothing, the bright colors, hot chocolate, fires, football games and cookouts, candy corn and of course pumpkin pie.

So I thought I would share how I was feeling through photos from Pinterest. To me - these photos represent my favorite season: the Fall.

{via bhg}

{via inspiration for decoration}

{via}

{via kittydune on etsy}

{via bhg}

{via thegoldeneagles}

{via bhg}

{via eat drink pretty}

{via bhg}

{via martha stewart}

{via bhg}

{via the thrifty abode}

{via sunset}

{via woman's day}

{via bhg}

Are you ready for Fall to make it's appearance? Any Autumn projects you're planning on tackling this season? Personally, I'm really in love with that initial wreath above by the thrifty abode - I might just have to try my hand at that one!

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