Making it Ours: Vanity Area Jewelry Holder and Wall Art

 

This series is documenting my husband and I’s projects that make our 1960’s home ours.  Some are simple, and some are not!  I hope you enjoy this post.

Hey there!  Today, I’ll show you something I did to make my vanity area feel more like mine.  Let me explain something about my house.  When you walk towards the bathroom, you turn right and where the bathroom should be, you keep walking to the bathroom door.  Before you hit the door, there’s a full on vanity area with a sink, large counter, and mirror.  Then there’s a full bathroom on the other side of the door as well.  It’s super nice because with only one bathroom in our home, I can get ready while my husband does without being in the same bathroom. 

The bathroom is pinned for a major remodel (like paint is peeling off the wall and our shower has a nasty insert in it) that was supposed to happen this past winter, but with everything that occurred in January, it didn’t happen.  But someday it will.  The vanity will also be painted and have a little done to it, so these projects I’m showing today are to get by until we really fix the area up.

I made this canvas for the wall.  The picture quality is a little poor because of the poor quality of light in the vanity area.  Such is life.  I got the saying from a Kohl’s clothing tag---for reals.  I liked it, and thought that it could encourage me to get ready more often than I was with a demanding newborn.  Well, nearly a year later, and I’m still only wearing makeup to church---oh well!  I do have (more) cute clothes now, yay! (I started out with 2 shirts I would wash every other day…ya, great huh?!?)

I had this bulletin board from my craft room that was on the wall before the remodel.  I got a paint sample from lowe’s along with some white that came with the house and painted this stripe design.

Here’s it all loaded up with my jewelry that I don’t wear because I have a grabby toddler around these days.  At least I get to look at it when I get ready everyday, right? ;)

Thanks for reading!  Have a great day!

~Lynette~

Favorite Things Friday: Baby Items (What I couldn’t live without!)

Hi there everyone!  Today, I decided to share some of my most favorite baby items with you.  I think every mom could make a list, and they would all be a bit different.  I’ll go through some of the big items, and the small items that I have absolutely loved.  And maybe sometime next week I’ll share with you some of my not-so-favorite items too! :) (There’s only a few of those.)

Alright, so the big stuff first:

Chicco Keyfit 30 Car Seat (Color: Midori): I wanted a car seat that had the adjuster strap in the FRONT so I could cinch it tight each time I used the seat.  I also wanted one that was easy to install.  I was back and forth between getting a seat that could handle up to a 30lb baby, I still don’t know which is better.  I ended up with the 30lb seat, and am still using it as my son is still in the 20lb range.  This has been a fantastic seat for us, and I’m really glad we like it.  We DO NOT have LATCH in our cars, and it was a very easy install.

Chicco Cortina Stroller (Color: Midori):  I needed something that could handle pavement, since I have very few sidewalks in my neighborhood.  I wanted something that had an adjustable handle, and that would recline all the way flat (ya, some of them do not).  I put several miles on the stroller a week, and it’s holding up beautifully after nearly a year of using. It’s easy SUPER easy to fold and put in my car, and I love it. 

What I don’t like:  The stroller is kinda big (but what one isn’t these days).  I had a Camry, and it took up all the trunk space.  I upgraded to a 4 Runner, and now I have room for the stroller, a large box of diapers, AND a Costco run.

We got this as the travel system, and I love that the car seat snaps on easily to the stroller.  I love this system.  Yes, it’s expensive, but it was a gift---and one I use everyday. 

Crib- We didn’t have any preferences, and I think we have a Carter’s one.  It’s great.  My son is chewing the rails, so don’t stress about a fancy one.  They get teeth and decide they need to leave their marks on it.

Highchair-  I have a dining set with 6 chairs and didn't want an extra one to clutter up my kitchen.  My cousin has a fisher price space saver high chair, and I decided to get one as well.  The chair straps to one of your existing chairs, so it might work for some families but not everyone.  Mine has a different cover, but it’s the same chair.  What I like about it:  I can take the cover off easily to wash it.  I have had crusty dried food on it, and it always comes out clean.  The five point harness was fantastic when my little guy was too small to sit well.  The five point harness is removable as well---and easy to get off.  The chair also reclines and can be raised or lowered.

What I don’t like:  I wish the fabric was slick so I could just wipe it off, but I do like that it washes up so well.  If it was sticky, my kid would probably stick to it as well, so it’s probably fine.  The waist straps are hard to take out…I think you have to disassemble the whole chair to get them out.  My straps are stained and need a wash, but I haven’t messed with it.

Fisher Price Bouncer Seat:  We have a small home, and didn’t want to clutter our home with a baby swing, pack n’ play, Johnny jump up, etc.  so we were very selective on the equipment that we got our son.  We did have a bouncer made by fisher price, and used it EVERYDAY for about 4-5 months.  My son loved nap time in it, and I could get something done while he rested.  We just had the basic one, and it was great.  It did have a vibrator, and we used it sometimes, but I don’t think fancy toys or stuff is really necessary.  Our cover is zoo animals, but this is the same model (judging by price range and overall look).

Once my son was mobile, I was finding him in the kitchen…down the hall…everyplace—and I couldn’t even cook dinner.  I was going absolutely bonkers! We got the Evenflo Exersaucer  in Mega Town.  We chose this because I can easily move it from room to room, it has a little bit of “bounce,” to it, and it was affordable.   This was the only ‘splurge,’ item we really got, but it is a lifesaver when I need to open my oven or take out the trash.

The only other thing that we have and I’ve loved is a changing table.  We got it off Craigslist for $15.  It’s simple, but it was really nice before my son got too squirmy for it.  The only thing I don’t like about it is that it’s open shelves.  I have baskets on it, but I sometimes wish it had drawers instead.  But I can’t complain about a $15 item!

That’s all the big equipment we have for our son.  I have wanted a pack’n’play mainly for travel, but my mom has one and I’ll just borrow it when we need it.

Other things I’ve loved so far include:

Munchkin Dishwasher Basket:  Once my son started using sippy cups (We like the Nuby ones with handles for learning and the Gerber ones with or without handles after that), I NEEDED one of these.  I had valves, lids, etc. all over the place.  This is a lifesaver. :)

Munchkin Spoons:  I tried the Gerber spoons first, and they were okay.  Then I went back needing more, and saw that the munchkin were cheaper…and WAY cuter.  They look kinda like crayons!  These are fantastic.  The only thing I DON’T like about them is that they have to be in the top rack of the dishwasher, so get a basket (mentioned above).  The handles are longer on these babies too, and my wrist doesn’t get as tired.

Lingerie Bags:  They are cheap-like 1.49 a piece at Target.  I got several and put my baby’s socks, bibs, washcloths in them.  This way they don’t get eaten/lost in the wash.  Fantastic---and because of this method I haven’t lost very many socks (so far).

I honestly can’t think of anything else.  What are some of your must have baby items?

~Lynette~

Craft Room Accessory: Glittered Pen Holder

Here’s an easy peasy project I did sometime last year and never posted it.  I found the project here via pinterest, and was able to complete this during my son’s nap one day.  In fact, I think it took about 10 minutes minus drying time.  I love having a sparkly addition to my craft room.  I got the container from the dollar store, the glitter from Michaels for very little, and had the mod podge on hand.  Cheap project, and instant gratification=my kind of craft!

Thanks for reading,

Lynette

Oh, and p.s. A shout out to my Sister, K, HAPPY BIRTHDAY SISTER!!!

13 in 2013 Update: Mini Tote Bags

Hi everybody!  I’ve been working on my 13 projects for the year.  I’ve enjoyed having some direction in the projects I make.  I certainly do extras, but it’s fun to have some sort of plan. 

Mini Tote Bag.  (Taken next to a bottle of Mod Podge so you can see that it really is mini!)

First up, is the Mini Tote Bag.  We got a disney resort themed scrabble game for Christmas, and to hold the letter tiles is a super cute mini-tote bag.  It was so adorable that I needed to make one.  This one didn’t completely end up the way I had envisioned, but it still works.  No tutorial, because I was totally sewing on the fly, but if I make another one I may take note of measurements and share. 

I use this tote to hold little strips of paper for the class I teach at church.  The strips of paper have questions that we answer each week to get to know each other better.  It’s a great opening activity to get the class moving.

That’s all for today.  I’ll be back soon to share another project.

Thanks for reading!

Lynette

Journal Cards Created with the Silhouette Cameo

Hi there everybody!  Today, I decided to share with you a little bit about how I am documenting my baby’s life.  Let’s keep a few things in mind:

1.  I am NOT a scrapbooker.

2.  I don’t have nor WANT to dedicate a lot of time to keeping his book.

3.  I only have about 5 years of my life documented, and I wanted something that I could do to keep his life documented, and not feel overwhelmed if I get behind or need to stop at some point.

4.  I won’t be sharing layouts because my husband and I don’t like the idea of our pictures out on the internet, BUT I will show you the journal cards and the type of book/layout I am using.

Alrighty.  I had seen this idea on pinterest over a year ago, and it stuck with me.  I played around for awhile on doing project life, but with as expensive as it was I decided not to.  I also didn’t like the idea of only having ONE book for the family.  What’s going to happen WAY down the road and my kids only have 1 book between them to have our memories?  I want all my kids to have their own books.  I will also do one for our family with trips/holidays, etc.  So, I scrapped that idea.  I do, however, LOVE the way Project Life looks.  I love how there are different cards, and designs, and places to journal with your pictures.  So I imagine I will get more creative as I go, but this is what I’ve done so far.

 

A sample of my journal pages made with the silhouette cameo.

The Book: Recollections Photo Album.  400 4 X6 spots (40 pages).  I found it at Michaels.  I paid $18 with a 40% off sale, but remember they always have 40% coupons floating around as well.  I loved this books because they have places for pictures to go vertically AND horizontally on both pages.  They have nearly every color of the rainbow, and I plan on getting myself a purple one to catch up on my life once my baby’s book is well established.

(Don’t bother going to Joann’s. They didn’t even know what I was talking about, and all they had was scrapbooks or silly photo books with horizontal spots only.)

My Layout:  I use 5 pockets on each page for pictures, and 1 for journaling unless the material requires different.  The journal cards change positions each page, depending on how many vertical/horizontal pictures I have.

The Journal Cards:  Here’s what I did.  I created a rounded rectangle in silhouette studio.  I sized it just under 4 X 6.  Then I chose my shapes: T-Rex, Moon, Gears, Wrench, etc.  I placed the shapes on the rectangles where I wanted them.  Then I grouped the shapes, and cut out the cards.  After that, I had cards with cut outs.  I grabbed scraps and glued them behind the cutouts (see picture below).  I kept the shapes that had been cut out for future projects.  I could glue these on plain journal cards, or use them for complete different projects.

Backside of journal cards so you can see how I glued my scraps to fill in the cutout.

The cards were generally easy to do, and I had them cut out and some written on all in one nap time on a Sunday afternoon.  So, there ya go!  That’s how I am memory keeping, and journaling along with the pictures.  If you have any questions about specific shapes, or anything else, feel free to leave it in the comments!

Thanks for reading!

Lynette