My Mother's Day

My adorable husband asked me what I wanted for Mother's Day.  

I told him I wanted to organize the basement.  And then he just stared at me like it was a trick.

Then I explained... Our basement is the "Play Room" and as it currently stood, there was no place for the boys to actually PUT their toys away.  I wanted to spend the DAY organizing it so that they had a place to put everything.  

I bought this little black cube unit and the colorful boxes that go in it at Target, and then made a bright little runner for the top out of a scrap of fabric (it's secured in place with Command strips too, so that they can't rip it off and use it as a cape or a scarf or a field bandage for nerf bullet wounds).  I still need to make labels for the boxes, but LOOK how neat and tidy it is!  A HOME for toys!!!

Next I had to tackle the art supply issue.  See, my boys could go through a REAM of paper in 2 seconds flat with their drawing and coloring and painting and paper airplane making.  Evan had STACKS of paper piled on every flat surface of the down stairs.  It was a sure fire hazard.  Oh, not to mention all the crayons, markers and pencils!  so, I picked up some cheap little magazine boxes at HL for a buck, which just so happened to match the small plastic bins I already had AND the new toy home!  I went through every marker in the house and tossed the dead ones too.   Then, HL also had some bright green vinyl that matched what unexpededly became my green/red color scheme, so I grabbed it up with a coupon and added the word "ART" to the new cork board. 

I also moved the LARGE banquet table that had turned into the clutter station rather than the TV stand to the opposite end.  Now we have a DRAWING station and a LEGO station (under the window).  I want to make some cute blocks or something to go on the window sill as soon as I figure out what I actually WANT.  

That left the OTHER end of the room looking rather barren... but hey... barren also looks CLEAN!  

I may have filled my car with donations to DI, and possible took out more trash than I care to admit BUT... 

It's been a week, and it still looks pretty much pulled together... maybe not AS barren, but at least it looks clean! 

The Giant Wall

Well, after hanging everything up, I came to the realization that this wall will always be a work in progress.    I have a few more ideas... but, alas, they are still in my mental "queue".

Here's a reminder of what it looked like before:

And here it is now (excuse the picture quality, I wanted to get them posted quickly!!):

Oh, man it looks so SMALL!!

Here's some close ups, and more info:

I found this window frame at an antique store in Montana... and I got it for just $9. 

It's 24x42... and beautifully weathered.

I need to print a picture of myself to go just to the left of the D... I just haven't found got around to it... so just pretend it's there!

This letter press drawer is from Germany... it's one of my most favorite "finds"... even though I'm not the one who found it... my sister snatched it up for me!

It's approx 21x26. 



I used some scrap ... errrr ... scraps to embellish chipboard tiles with each of our names and the "est" date.

 The rest will slowly fill with time I'm sure.  On Saturday, I put these together:

One for each of us!

And finally, the tin.  It's actually a sheet pan used to make eclairs.  And it's a beautiful rusty green color, and the clean pattern looks really nice against the randomness of the letter press drawer.  Again, I'd love to take credit for finding it, but my sister pointed them out to me, and arranged for one to find it's way into my home!

It's 19x28.

 

The little iron piece I picked up at Hobby Lobby a few months ago thinking it would be a simple piece to move around and add balance as I added to the wall.  It seems really small right now, lol.



Well, like I said... it's a work in progress... ideas are welcome!

Funny story about it... When I first got home from Montana with the window, I hung it and the letter press drawer up, just to get a feel for the size, and what else I needed.  Mark walked in and said he hated it.  However, within a few days, he commented on how much he actually liked it because it made it feel more like home.  Silly boy. 





A little something adorable.

Oh my goodness.  I saw this while perusing pinterest last night.

And I had to do it immediately. 

Part of my oh so close to complete (reveal coming soon) giant living room wall is a letter press drawer.  I need to adjust the threads just a little, but other than that, I am in love with them.  So simple and cute.  They took me about 3 minutes to put together.  The little bottles are Tim Holtz.  One for each of us.  I just keep looking at them and thinking HOW SIMPLY ADORABLE!!!

Sneak Peek of Decor in Process

Remember my post about the HUGE wall in my living room?? (< click if you need a refresher)

Here's the wall:

Well, after a lot of "figuring", some hunting, a little help from my sister, and a lot of thrifting, I've got it figured out. 

It's going to take a little bit of time (there are a few DIY craft projects involved), and so far Mark HATES it, lol.

But while I'm working on it, here's a little sneak peak.

In my yard...

Okay, Utah Readers.... Don't be offended.

Consider that your warning.

I'm about to generalize.

One of my pet peeves about the area of Utah I live in is the BORING yards.  Seriously, one or two trees in the mow strip, a bush by the front door, a few pansies... and a bunch of rocks.

For example:

ALL of those houses are Half a MIL or MORE... and while the landscaping IS nice, and I totally understand, we live in a high mountain desert  WHERE are the pretty flowers??  There are BE-U-TIFUL wildflowers all over in the mountains that surround us, it's part of nature's landscape in this area... why not the homeowners?

I don't understand why people don't splurge on a $3 pack of wildflower seeds... because if you do that one year.... three years later, you will still be enjoying these lovelies...

Seriously, we bought a pack of wildflowers several years ago, and that's it. 

And, oh, how I love them.

They make me smile.



The SKY IS FALLING!

Or, the HORSEMEN ARE APPROACHING!!

Or some other random "The end of the world is near" phrase.

This incredibly handsome man:

Spent ALL DAY yesterday scrubbing the bathrooms. 

ALL DAY.

SCRUBBING.

WITH A TOOTHBRUSH.

SCRUBBING.

USED UP EVERY OUNCE OF BATHROOM CLEANER I HAD.

ALL DAY.

Now, my husband is a very good provider and caretaker.  And he will occasionally do the dishes or make dinner. 

He almost always takes out the trash.  And he keeps a mighty spiffy yard. 

He can even fold laundry (even if I sometimes refold the towels and sheets).

But, he gags at the thought of cleaning a bathroom. 

I think maybe it was my anniversary gift.  Or maybe he just decided that I wasn't keeping the grout spiffy enough.

Who cares. 

It translated into AMAZINGLY shiny bathrooms. 

And I decluttered and cleaned elsewhere, and we ended up with a shiny clean house by the end of the day. 

He is sooooo my favorite right now!

Big Boy

Friday night, Ryan spent his first night in his new bed in his new room.

He inherited Evan's twin bunk beds.

Evan has moved up ... errr down... to a full sized bed.

In his new room!

Which, if you've been following along means:

The basement is done.

Well, mostly done. 

There are a few little things we need to finish up.

A full tour coming soon!

My NEXT BIG Project

Yeah... I like projects. 

I'm on the last legs of two BIG ones.  Okay, one, I'm on the last legs of time wise.... the other I'm past the 1/2 mark of the "List of Steps", but the second to last step is a BIG STEP.

BUT, I'm not focusing on that! 

Silly. 

Why would I think logically when planning out what I want to accomplish NEXT???

So, hmmm... what should I do??

My current projects are fabric/yarn based... and I think it's time to bust out more power tools!

I saw THIS and THIS and REALLY want to tackle it.  I think if my Dad comes to visit this summer, I might ask him to help me.  (It's listed as beginner... and I understand all the directions... ummm... I just need my dad for moral support!)

And I REALLY love this, however, I think that I can piece it together with Ikea furniture for less $$ and more importantly, less swearing. 

And I've been eyeing a table just like this at Pottery Barn, but didn't want to spend $500 on it! 

And oh my good grief, I should have never started looking at that site!

Make Over

Okay, so it was just on my dining room chairs... but MAN, is it dramatic.  First... a before picture:

EWWWWWWWW!!!  Disclaimer:  Mark and I bought this dining room set before we were married.  That means that there is 10 years worth of yuck on that cushion.  It resides in a house with 3 boys!!  AND IT'S WHITE (or used to be). 

I have put off redoing the seats because I thought that the more horrible they looked, the more leverage I would have to sell my "We need a new kitchen set" argument. 

And by golly if that didn't work!  I have been shopping for a table that we could both agree on for ummm... 2 years??  I was pregnant with Ryan when I got the "go ahead" to start looking seriously for one.  We just haven't found one we love.  And if I'm going to spend THAT much money on a table, I'm going to do it right.

And well, then we started out growing the "finished" part of our home.  And I switched from convincing Mark we needed new furniture to "WE NEED MORE ROOMS!"

And now we're one week into Operation Finish the Basement, and that means that table shopping gets put on hold.  (Which also means that last weekend, I found one that I LOVE, and meets the criteria Mark gave me, and I would soooooo take him over to show him, but I know it's not in the cards right now. So I'm so not going there.  Damn you Dave Ramsey!!!).

So, since we are not planning on buying a table and chairs anytime soon, I pulled out a few yards of fabric I bought on sale 3 or 4 years ago for a Thanksgiving dinner we had at the house, and ...

It's so not the fabric I would pick to go with the cherry finish of the chairs... but, hey, it was a zero dollar make over!  And the dark brown is soooo much better than cream stained designer ones we had going on. 

Friday Thrifting

Well, it just so happened that after the car was done at the car doctor this morning, Ryan and I ended up with some time to blow before picking up Evan at school.

So... hmmm.... What to do?? 

First we went to my favorite little consignment shop.  They sell mostly reclaimed furniture.  I drooled a lot.

A beautiful desk.... an amazing farm table... GORGEOUS wood dining chairs... wooden boxes, wire crates, old doors... A bright red console table that I WOULD LOVE to put in my living room... and the cutest little green set of drawers. 

All told, the wish list from that little stop was more than I add up in my head.  But it was worth drooling over.  And Ryan was SOOOOOO well behaved.  He would mimic me when I said "OOOO PRETTY!!" and then lay his head on my shoulder and tell me he loved me.  He didn't attempt to break ANYTHING (other than my heart).

So, then we had a little more time... so I thought a trip to the DI was in store.  Mostly because it's the type of place that Ryan can run the aisle and touch just about anything he wants. Of course, after we walk out of the store, I slather him in hand sanitizer!

There, the things I saw added up to $6.  And I bought each and every one of them!

Here's my loot:

First up: 
Nothing mind blowing, but a cute little wooden spice rack.  Future plans include:  Paint and distressing. 
It will be perfect to hang in front of my scrap work space for odds and ends I like to keep withing reach... like adhesives and punching tools!  Especially since it was a WHOLE DOLLAR!!  Score me.

Second: 
A wire utensil basket.
Future plans include:  I think some spray paint... It's a little too shiny and new for my liking, lol! 
It will be perfect to hold MUST BE ON DESK at all times while scrapping tools... like scissors (yes, plural), ruler, my journalling pens etc.



After exploring the basket/wood/crap aisles (my favorite place to dig for treasure), we wandered through the furniture.  I was tempted by a chair... it would need a LOT of love... and with the basement currently occupied by contractors, I am out of space to store large items that need love.  So we left it.  But it was a beautiful shape and felt solid... just would have to be completely reupholstered.  Not in my realm of possible right now.

So next, we went to the book section.  And I found these two beauties!  The bottom brown one is titled:  The Complete Home Handyman Guide.  It was published in 1949.  The top blue and orange one is titled:  The Record of America.  It was published in 1935. 

They are both filled with the most spectacular information!  I love books like this. 

The first one, all sorts of (mostly out of date) home owner information.  I totally love the illustrations. 

The history one is soooooo interesting!  I glanced through several sections while we were waiting for the school bell to ring.  It's really fun to read the perception of a pre World War 2 historian.  The section on the Great Depression sounds a lot like our current news broadcast... reserved optimism that we will one day have a chicken in every pot! 

They were both $2,  totally worth it for the smell alone!  They just smell like old paper... and those of you who know me well know I LOVE the smell of paper!

I was so excited about the books, I never made it over to my third favorite section of the store... the frames!  As I drove away, I was kicking myself, because you KNOW there was something fantastic there that I totally missed, lol! 

Before I close my thrifting post... I do have to say, people at thrift stores CRACK ME UP!!  Now, please don't get me wrong... I am all for digging for awesome crap.  I am not above throwing a few elbows to get what I saw first. But hovering around the door to the back room and attacking the poor employee pulling the cart out before it's even completely on the sales floor is a little much for me.  There was this one woman who Ryan and I watched for 5-10 mins who seriously did just that.  As soon as the door opened, she was right there on top of them, pulling anything that looked remotely interesting to her out and dropping it into her cart.  Then, after she had a chance to look it over and realize she did not actually want/need it, she would toss it onto the nearest shelf.   One employee actually threw her hands up and walked away from her cart with it still halfway through the doorway.  The woman pulled it the remainder of the way out, don't worry!

Anyway... that was our thrifting adventure.  And even though I wish I wish I wish I could have come home with these:

I still think it was a pretty good day!

Possibly My Most Favorite Craft/Home Project!

Okay, so it's pretty basic.  And definitely not rocket science.

But it is adorable and functional. 

And easy to change up if/when I decide to.

It started like this:

And as lovely as that picture is...ummm... it doesn't really "go" with anything in my house. 

Oh, here it is again... Don't you love it??

The paper is My Mind's Eye "So Sophie" which is possibly my favorite line of paper in a LONG time. 

The letters are really really old MM, which I distressed with a little ink.

The brads I have had forever... in fact those were my last two.  I have no idea who made them.  The ribbon was random left overs...

Oh, did I not mention it was a dry erase board??

Thrifting

So, a gal I work with gave me a SMASHING idea for a craft/home decor project... and I needed a frame. 

So I decided to make a trip to one of our local thrift stores, the lovely DI (Deseret Industries). 

First, who KNEW there would be a line to get in!!  Honestly.  We were a few minutes early thanks to an uneventful and easy Target Diaper Trip.  There were easily 25 people standing outside the doors waiting to get in.  As soon as the bell tolled the hour, 20-30 more got out of their cars and walked up.

There are some SERIOUS thrifters out there! 

Anyway... I went in specifically for a frame, but figured I might as well dig around a little.  And WAHOOOO!  I got some great loot. 

Now, one thing about thrifting... you have to use your imagination a little bit... so it may not look like much, but I got it all for less than $20.

And as much as I do NOT like the idea of second hand shoes... I could NOT pass up those cuties! 

FOUR DOLLARS!!  I almost bought this exact pair a few months ago, but didn't think they were worth $40... they are SO worth $4 and some clorox wipes!

The wire baskets are so adorable... I'm a sucker for baskets!  75 cents a piece!!  Love it!

The frames... well, the big one is for the project I had in mind to begin with... I'll post about it later... still working on it!

The two smaller long ones will go on either side of the mirror...  Of course, before I can do that, I needed to make the "match" because Cherry and Oak don't really look smashing together.  I will post an explination of the steps soon... but for now...  My $9 Dollar Entry Wall.

Sorry for the crappy lighting... I had to wait until I put the wee one to bed before finishing them, so it was late and those dang CFLs really are not very kind to photographs!

Here's a little closer... they look flat in the picture...

In other news... I've got to figure out what is wrong with my printer!  Everything is coming out very pinkish... I think my "yellow" tank is plugged or something.   The other project... at this time... has some printing... so unless I figure out an alternative...it's in a holding pattern!