Bedroom Pillows – It’s Love, eh

Posted on February 2, 2012 by Jennifer

One of my January goals was to make pillows for my bed.

My biggest hurdle for this project was the fact that I knew I had to change the sewing machine needle before I started this project. Sounds easy but to someone who had never attempted to change the needle I was terrified. I didn’t even look at the manual because I just knew it would be difficult. I bought the fabric to make these pillows way back in September so that was a lot of stalling on my part.

But guess what?

It was easy. I’m talking 10 seconds easy.

So here’s the final look…

In case you don’t know, I’m married to a Canadian and there’s quite a bit of “eh” going on around here. I kept asking him, “Doesn’t it need an exclamation point or a question mark?” My husband insisted it wasn’t necessary since, “We use eh for everything.”

Here’s the run down of the pillows:

3 Large Pillows- Annie Selke Fabric – Seema/Oxford Ivory/Raspberry

(Our bedroom wall is the same light blue/gray in these pillows)

2 white pillows – I bought two king pillowcases – I put them on our wimpy standard pillows and wrapped the remaining fabric in the back – I will need to get the proper king sized pillows for these someday.

2 Pink Swirl Pillows – Annie Selke Fabric – Scramble Raspberry

1 “Love, eh” Burlap Pillow – burlap on front, Annie Selke on the back

I first taped off a section on the burlap and drew my words on with a sharpie.

Next, I went over my letters with black fabric paint.

After humming and hawing for awhile about the next step, I took the extra tape pieces off the sides – in other words, I made a rectangle of tape but didn’t take a picture.

I now had a perfect rectangle shape to follow when I free handed a rectangle with my white embroidery thread. I double the thread so it would be thicker throughout.

Here’s a fuzzy shot of the embroidery thread.

And the final products once again.

Now onto the bedroom lamps!

January Goals Revisited

Posted on January 31, 2012 by Jennifer

Setting goals by the month turned out pretty well for me. While I accomplished a lot of things on and off my list, I will admit I sometimes felt stressed by the list. There were moments when I was sitting on the couch thinking, “I really need to get up and make some pillows.” While I thought this I never actually got off of the couch to work on anything but I still thought it.

Let’s review my January Goals:

*Have a Date Night with Husband – check and check! We actually got babysitters twice during the month.

*Keep downstairs clean & ready for visitors – check! – The upstairs might have looked like a bomb went off but it didn’t matter to me. My floors were vacuumed, counters straightened, and toys were off the floor. My definition of clean would probably not be what someone else’s was but the house always felt clean enough in case someone dropped by. In other words, the mad dash panicked cleaning lady did not have to make an appearance.

*Complete Valentine Bingo game for etsy – check!

*Sew pillows for my bed – check! You will see the results soon.

*Add 20 items to my 143 Acts list – check! – #1, #2, #3 – bought bags of food for homeless at store #4 – gave unopened bottle of champagne to neighbors #5 – complimented stranger on her skirt #6 – gathered carts in grocery store lot and put them away #7 – sent email to teacher I used to work with telling her we still use the baby gift she gave us nine years later #8 – dropped off clothing at Goodwill #9 – sent in supplies to teacher #10 – sent in teacher wish list items #11- complimented mom at Kindermusik #12 – told mom her daughter was well behaved #13, #14, #15, #16 – waited for a moment so could hold door open for mom coming into school with stroller #17 – shared Angry Bird Valentines I created #18 – returned extra grocery carts #19, #20 – complimented a mom on outfit

*Try one new recipe – check and check and check! Three new recipes in one month! Who am I? Julia Child? We tried the Bacon Cornbread Muffins, a Jambalaya recipe, and these very tasty 15 Min. Sticky Buns.

*Complete bathroom redo – check, sort of – the pictures need to be hung tonight

*Knock $100 off monthly food bill – Fail! In a huge way! – completely over budget – spent entirely too much money – remember those 2 times we went out by ourselves? We ate at mighty expensive places and indulged – add 2 girls nights out for me with expensive trips to Costco and it just spelled failure for us – hopefully we’ll do better next month.

*Scrapbook 10 pages for Caroline – check – I actually completed 19 pages so this is a huge weight lifted off my back. I kept stalling on working on Caroline’s baby book but always felt guilty since the boys have several books. Now I can proudly say Caroline has a scrapbook now and she’s already 5 months old in it. Hey, if I hadn’t started she still wouldn’t have anything so I figure this is a great start.

Alright, this wraps up a pretty good month for me in terms of accomplishing goals. While I felt some mild panic set in around January 20th , I persevered and finished many projects. Did you accomplish anything your excited about this month?

Jedi Art

Posted on January 17, 2012 by Jennifer

My boys have a bedroom which is dominated by Star Wars.

When we moved into our new house, my mom bought the boys Star Wars comforters for their bed, so in their eyes, the rest of the room had to follow suit.

I told them I would try.

They turned to me and said, “Try not. Do or do not, there is no try.”

“I’m just worried you won’t like it.”

To which they said, “Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.”

OK, so maybe they didn’t say it in so many words.

They didn’t have to. They’re Jedis and I read their mind 🙂

For the art work above their bed, I used 6 IKEA frames, a printer, and some material.

Four of the frames are simply Lego Star Wars minifigures printed out.

We goggled their favorite characters and found pictures which would enlarge clearly. Each minifigure had their own space thanks to the picture divider included with the frame.

The other two frames have, “Jedi Alex,” and “Jedi Andrew,” made out of left over material from their window covering.

First, I wrapped the frame in burlap. Next I used the Star Wars font to print out their names on card stock. Next, I cut out the cardstock letters and placed them over some thin denim. I held each letter in place while I cut the denim around the letter. For the space inside the letters I glued different material on top of the denim.

Across from the beds are the chicken wire frames I shared last year.

The Lego minifigure containers sit next to the frames.

Here’s one more look at the art.

May the crafting force be with you!

She Wins

Posted on January 12, 2012 by Jennifer

I put my daughter down to sleep in our bedroom over Christmas due to family staying in her room.

I put her to bed at 8:30.

At 8:45 she opened the door and I told her to go back to bed.

I didn’t hear from her again.

Roughly 12 feet away from my bedroom, my family and I continued to watch the Saints football game on tv.

At 10:20 I got up to go to bed and discovered this….

So at 10:30 all three of us ended up doing this.

At that point, why fight it?

Caroline 1, Mommy 0

It’s a Giveaway from Graphic Anthology!

Posted on September 9, 2011 by Jennifer

Do you remember this print from my kitchen art wall?

This print was the first piece I bought for my art wall and it set the standard with its vibrant color scheme and bold look.

Well, guess what?

This print can be yours!

Genesis from Graphic Anthology is giving away one of her prints on Big D & Me!

I am beyond excited because I love so many of her prints.

In fact, I want all of these prints in my house and know exactly where I would put them.

For my master bedroom:

For my daughter’s room:

For a family wall of inspiration I am beginning soon:

Graphic Anthology is giving away one A3 size print which is a $20 value to one winner.

The winner of the giveaway can pick any item in the Graphic Anthology shop which is an A3.

What if I don’t win? What if I can’t wait for such a fun print for my house?

Genesis has graciously offered Big D & Me readers a 20% coupon to use in her shop for any item(s) of their choosing. Simply use the coupon code CBKISSES when you check out.

How do you win?

Each person may enter up to 2 times in the giveaway.

Please leave a separate comment for each entry.

1. Visit Graphic Anthology and leave a comment here about your favorite print.

2. Be or become a follower of Big D & Me and leave me a comment stating you’re a follower.

This giveaway closes Thursday September 15th at 10 pm.

The winner will be announced Friday September 16th.

Good luck to each of you and remember…

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED!

A Thought…

Posted on September 7, 2011 by Jennifer

Have you ever stopped to ponder the following?

It was easier to get sleep while sharing a twin bed with your boyfriend in college than it is to share a king bed with your toddler?

I’m tired…be back tomorrow.

Lego Minifigure Wall Storage

Posted on July 12, 2011 by Jennifer

I am sure those of you with girls are saying “Yeah, another Lego post!”

But even if you don’t share that same enthusiasm, this project may still be useful to you.

Instead of Lego mini figures insert – barbie accessories, strawberry shortcake paraphernalia, or porcelain figures

Just trust me and keep reading

Started off with wooden boxes which previously held a stamp set and a puzzle

Painted them white – two or three coats

Anchored them into the wall

Placed a small collection of Lego mini figures into the boxes

The boxes were placed next to the red display boxes we made a few months ago.

We added shelves I bought almost two years ago when a Container Store was going out of business (75% off baby!)

I need to add something above the boxes to finish out the space but for now it’s done.

The desk has papers covering it, the floor is covered in paper, and there are Mardi Gras beads in the shot. Just keeping it real. Many bloggers would have cleaned up their space before taking the pictures.

I did not….. Why?……. #1. I hate cleaning #2. It’s their room #3. I wanted the boys in bed so I could run downstairs and enjoy a bowl full of ice cream and magic shell.

Worked on any house projects lately?

Little Bity Organizing

Posted on June 15, 2011 by Jennifer

Caroline doesn’t have a dresser in her room so I needed a place to put her socks, hair bows, tights, and diaper covers. Leaving everything in a pile on the closet floor worked well for several months but was a tad embarrassing when people would come over.

Since I had great success in the past with a clear shoe organizer, I decided to try one again.

In our old house I used a clear shoe organizer for toys and general house supplies (tape, scissors, pens, batteries – loved always being able to find these things).

Do you have any simple but effective organizing tips?

Not Your Typical Party

Posted on May 19, 2011 by Jennifer

I have been to a few home parties in my time – scrapbook parties, stamp parties, and candle parties to name a few. But never a Pure Romance party.

Where should I find out about this party you ask? Why naturally at Caroline’s preschool!

The school has a circle drive for drop offs and pick ups as well as a larger parking lot. One day as I was walking from the larger parking lot to the school’s entrance, I noticed a truck parked immediately in front of the preschool door.

It was a simple brown truck but the sign on it is what grabbed my attention.

Pure Romance Party: Not Your Typical Party – Call Meme for details

Hmmm. Who is Meme and what’s this party all about?

Well, I met Meme.

Okay, I didn’t actually meet her. I stalked her.

Just as I noticed the sign on the door, a couple got out of the truck.

I slowed my pace down in order to get a good look at them. They both appeared to be around 50 years old and didn’t stand out one way or another. The gentleman was balding while the woman wore sensible shoes.

I followed them into the preschool where they just happened to go down the same hallway I needed to go down. They stopped at the 2 year old classroom, greeted the teacher, and asked for a boy. That’s pretty much all I got. I had to move on or it would have been obvious I am made of stalker material.

I continued on to pick up Caroline but I have so many lingering questions:

1. How do you get into that party business? “Hey Herb, I think we could spice things up. How ’bout I become a romance party planner?”

2. Do all the guests know what you purchase at the party?

3. Are there product demonstrations? Is the hostess required to have a fruit bowl lying around? (okay that one was unnecessary…but kind of implied don’t you think?)

Thoughts? Questions? Ever Been to this Type of Party?

Display Board for Kids Room

Posted on April 25, 2011 by Jennifer

Do you have a large frame you haven’t used in years? We have several and I decided to turn two of them into something useful for the boys’ room. Since our marathon displays have been in a closet for probably five years I decided it was time to change them up.

After taking the back off of the frames, I sprayed them with red paint. The boys have red beds in their room so I decided the frames would coordinate nicely with those.

I had some chicken wire lying around and decided to use it. Yes, I know. We do not live on a farm and I just happened to have some chicken wire lying around. Last summer I was going to make a jewelry holder using a frame and the chicken wire but I never got around to it. So, yes…I had the chicken wire just sitting around.

The frames were 22 x 26 inches so we cut out a piece of wire that was 24 x 28 inches. This gave an extra inch on each side for bending and stapling.

I declined to include pictures of our bloody hands from the wire. This was for the benefit of everyone with a weak stomach.

Derek bent the wire edges roughly 90 degrees using pliers. The bent section was the extra one inch of wire initially added on.

He then stapled the wire in place.

We hung the boards on the wall using the same wire that was originally on the frame.

The boys were able to each place their special papers (drawings of their imaginary soccer teams) and ribbons on their own board using clothespins. (We didn’t make a cork board for the boys since having the push pins around would have been dangerous for Caroline.)