Lasso The Moon

Hair Bow Hangers :: A Tutorial

Getting the kids ready and out the door for school each morning can be a circus. 

We have school clothes, breakfast, packing lunches, teeth brushing, gathering backpacks and homework...the last thing on the list is hair.

And if I don't know exactly where to find a hair bow in that last minute before go-time, Emma's going to have to go without.

She has gone without many, many times.

So I made some of these:

With a few simple elements, I made three hair-bow hangers for Emma's bedroom door.  They are out of the way, easy to reach, and they hold every last hair bow in this house.

Here's how you can make one (or three) of your own.

1. Picture frames.  I had a few extras around the house that weren't being used, and removed the backs and the glass. They were already black, so I gave them a couple coats of light blue craft paint.  When that was dry, I painted on some teal streaks, and then wiped off some of the teal paint with a paper towel before it had time to dry.  The paper towel took off some of the blue paint too, so the black shows through.  So easy, and it matches Emma's room.

2. Use a sturdy ribbon like grosgrain that will look cute with the frames.  I have been a bit of a ribbon hoarder, so I had this on hand, too.  I love projects that use up some of my hoard!

3. Measure three inches longer than the opening of the frame.  Cut 3 or 4 ribbons per frame, and tie a couple knots in each one.  The knots will keep the bows from sliding down the ribbon and puddling at the bottom.

4. Make sure the ribbons are facing the right way, pull taut, and staple with a staple gun. Space your ribbons evenly across the opening of the frame.

5. Now your hangers are ready to fill with hair bows!

We put ours on the back of Emma's bedroom door.  They were wobbling a little with in and out traffic, so I added some hot glue to keep them steady.  It'll just pop right off when we're ready to move them somewhere else.

Organize by size or color, or just get them up there so you can see what you have.

One morning task made so much easier.

Let me know if you make a set for yourself!  I'd love to see your version.

For more pictures of the flowers painted on the walls, click here!

 

 

Hallways, Closets, and Secret Doors

I have this recurring dream.  Not a daydream, but a real asleep-in-my-bed nighttime dream. 

I live in a house.  Sometimes it's a cottage.  Sometimes a ranch or cabin.  Sometimes it's one of my childhood homes.

And at some point during the dream, every time, we find a secret door.

Source: newyorksocialdiary.com via Krystal on Pinterest

 

Or a hallway.  Or a passage or stairway or series of closets.  The details are different each time, but the theme is the same. 

 

Source: bookriot.com via Deborah on Pinterest

 

This secret area of the house is HUGE.  And we are all, how did we never see this before?  And as we explore this newly-discovered expansion of our home, we realise that it is sprawling, and it's filled with cool stuff.

 

Source: bing.com via Debi on Pinterest

 

 

Source: 2gypsygirls.com via Najwa on Pinterest

 

The rest of the dream is spent looking through the rooms, taking inventory of the treasures we find, and deciding what to do with it all. Who's going to sleep in this room?  Should we have a big estate sale?  Stuff like that.

It is the best dream I've ever had.  Every time I wake up from it, I'm surprised that it wasn't reality.

 

Source: 2gypsygirls.com via HagAndNagAntiques on Pinterest

 

Anybody out there into interpreting dreams?  What on earth could this mean? 

Because when I think of my dream house, my day-dreaming-while-I'm-awake house, it is not at all sprawling.  And it's not at all filled with junk.  When I dream about my household, and what it could be, it is a happy, bright, tidy, inviting place that welcomes people into its comfortable spaces.  Everything has a place, the layout is simple and functional, and I'm able to keep everything in order with the least amount of effort, because we've edited carefully, and set it up to work for us.

This is the opposite of the house in my recurring dream.  It's too big (but I love it!) and it's full of stuff (and I love it!).  So weird to me that these two ideas are so different.  If I had those secret passageways to deal with in real life, I would be overwhelmed and stressed out.  But while I'm asleep, it's an exciting adventure, and I love every minute of it!

Source: google.com via Dorothy Prudie on Pinterest

 

Last weekend I painted the entryway of my real house.  We chose Vanilla Milkshake. 

It's light and creamy, and has just a whisper of yellow.  I'm very happy with it.

I'm going to continue to edit and refine my real house, and dig through the relics of my dream-state houses, and hope that the two never meet.

What about you?  What plans do you have for your home that differ from the ideas you have for your "dream" home? What dreams do you have over and over?  (I have others, but none so interesting as the secret rooms dream.) Talk to me, friends!

Entryway :: Thinking about yellows

Spending some time, as we head into the weekend, thinking about yellows.

Something light and cheery, that will help bring in some much-needed brightness to the first room we see when we come home everyday.

I can't wait to get rid of those brown walls!

I guess you'll have to wait til Monday to see what we picked!

Homemade Chicken Dumplings

This is not a cooking post.

It's a fund-raising post!

It's been a while since I brought it up, but we have an on-going goal of $500 that we are striving to raise for Breast Cancer research.  And every once in a  while, I add a little something to the shop to help it along. (So far, we have $331 toward the goal!)

These little chicken dumpling pincushions are on a mission. 

They are $20 each, and the full sale price will go directly to our Susan G Komen fund.

I know each of us knows someone who has been affected by breast cancer.  For me, it was my grandmother and a close friend--just to name a couple of many.

I don't know about you, but I think the pink ribbon motif is a little tired.  I like to come up with new reminders to be praying and supporting our friends who are facing this diagnosis.  And since chickens also have breasts, I thought these little gals would be just the thing.

Wouldn't they make the loveliest gift for Mother's Day? Or Easter? Or a birthday!

You can pick up one of your own here.

Love Notes

 

I have to take a moment here and say something about my Ethan. 

He's six and is in kindergarten this year. 

I was so nervous about sending him.  He's sensitive, easily distracted, and has a hard time sitting still.  I mean, he's a six year old boy.  They are rarely a perfect fit for the classroom.  The night before his first day, I was up all night crying and praying for his year.  That his teacher would be encouraging and gentle.  That his beautiful spirit would not be changed.   That he would learn!

But he is thriving in school.  His daily behavior report comes home sunny every day.  And he is soaking up information like a sponge. I wasn't sure if my mile-a-minute, flip-off-the-couch, lego-crazed little guy would ever slow down enough to try reading, but he is!  And writing, too.  We've been finding love notes from him all over the house.

(I had a cold last week)

(Daddy is the best)

I love when kids start to figure out letters and words, and it finally starts to click.  The whole world opens up before them.  So fun to watch.   This week Ethan's been home from school with a stomach virus, but that gives me a little extra time with him.  I love you, my Ethan.  I hope you are feeling good soon!

Entryway :: Paint the Front Door Black

I have loved black interior front doors for years, and was anxious to get working on my own this weekend.

I found a couple of excellent examples as inspiration.

seen here.

found here.

via

via

I like to have some examples to show Donnie in case he hears my plan and is all You want to paint the door WHAT color??  Although lately he's been pretty much game for anything.  (That's right.  Give the crazy pregnant lady what she wants.)

To get this project going, I started by taking all of the hardware off of the door.  I took out the door knobs on the inside, but left the deadbolt in place in the doorjamb, because those are a beast to put back together.  I did tape around it so it wouldn't get covered in paint. 

Then it was time to sand.

I used the orbital palm sander that Donnie gave me.  Practical, creative gifts are the best! It made quick work of the cheap, ugly paint job that was on the door when we moved in.

Sanding a painted surface is messy.

Very messy.

Even the baby was covered in paint chips!  Make sure that you use some kind of eye protection, and maybe something over your mouth too, to keep the paint dust out.

After the sanding mess was mostly cleaned up, I got out my brushes and paints.

Once again, I used the Zinzer Bin Primer.  This stuff is intense, so make sure you are protected from the fumes, and that you have something strong to clean your brush after you're finished.

Once that was dry, the door took 3 coats of Martha Stewart's Francesca that I had mixed in a Glidden Satin base.  I love this color.  It's a true black, but it has a soft tone to it, and it looks GORGEOUS in the satin finish.

Ready to see the difference one painted door makes?

Before:

And After:

Every time I walked past it during the day, I thought Man, I love how that looks! Then it got dark outside, and every time I walked past, I jumped a little because I thought the door was open.  But it's been a few days now, and I'm not quite so jumpy at night.  I really love how it looks, and now I can't wait to get those walls painted.

So, what have you done this week to make your house more like a home?  Share your stories and links in the comments!

 

 

 

How to make Chocolate Covered Strawberries in Tuxedos

I made these little guys for Donnie for Valentine's Day this year.

They are so much easier than they look.

Here's what you need:

white chocolate or candy coating

dark chocolate or candy coating

large strawberries

toothpicks

wax paper

************

Make sure your strawberries are clean and dry before you start.

Melt your white chocolate according to package instructions.  If you are using the microwave, please stop and stir it every 30 seconds, because it has a tendency to hold its shape, and will burn without you realizing it.

Dip each strawberry's front into the white chocolate.  You only need to dip the front, as this is the "shirt" part of the tuxedo.

Dip each one, and let them cool completely on wax paper.

Meanwhile, melt the dark chocolate, again stirring frequently to prevent burning.

Dip each strawberry into the chocolate at a tilted angle...

First one side:

And then the other.

Be careful to leave a triangular patch of white in the front.  The chocolate should form a "v" around it.

If your chocolate is starting to cool at this point, heat it up a little and grab your toothpicks.

Use a toothpick to draw a little bow-tie and some buttons on each one.  It might take a little practice to find your groove, but you can always eat your mistakes, right?

I picked the best three for my sweetie, and stashed the rest in the fridge to share with the kids.

So cute, and SO much cheaper than buying them at the store.

If you make some, let me know how they went over!

 

Valentine's Day 2013

Here's a look at our Valentine's Day this year.

The kids took Valentines to school.  We went the non-pinterest-inspired route this year, to save pregnant me from too much stress.  They made these all by themselves.

They are construction paper, markers, and store-bought valentine cards and candy.  These are exactly the type of valentine's cards that my siblings and I made as kids--orchestrated by my creative mom. 

Cinnamon rolls (from a can!) with heart sprinkles.

I made the tuxedo strawberries for Donnie.  We like to keep things simple for Valentine's Day.  Do you have an unspoken (or spoken) set of gifting rules for different occasions?  I think valentines should be consumable.  Made of paper and string, edible, or of the floral variety.  Something that says, hey I love you! without breaking the bank.  I would be much happier with a post-it that said something sweet than a diamond bracelet for Valentine's Day.

Donnie knows this all too well. (Let's just say, the year he bought me an SUV instead of a card was a little tense.  I know, you probably think I'm insane.)

He surprised me with chocolates and a hilarious card that sings a love song in Spanish. (I don't know Spanish!)

We didn't have a sitter lined up, so we put the kids to bed early and made ourselves dinner.

He grilled the steak, I broiled the lobster tails, and we met back at the kitchen for a quiet meal alone.  Exactly like we did on our first married Valentine's Day 10 years ago.

Happy Valentine's Day, y'all!

 

Thrift Therapy

Found some great stuff while thrifting this Sunday.

My mom came over to relieve me for a couple hours, since Donnie had been out of town the whole weekend.

This sweet little vintage child's chair is perfect for Emma's girly turquoise bedroom.  The price? $1.21

And on the other side of the store I found this:

Double wedding ring quilt with a perfect blend of pinks and blues.  In "good" condition, with only a handful of rips or stains. 

They even look darling together!

The quilt was only $6.50.

I felt a little guilty using my tiny home-improvement fund to take these home, but for $7.71, there was no way I was leaving them there. This is why I keep going back.  You never know what you might find.  This is also why I try to never bring something home from a thrift store that I don't love.  Because the perfect something is waiting--you just have to keep looking.

I've already put these two treasures to work in a photo shoot.

You can buy the bunny here.

Entryway :: Inspiration Board

Since the post in January about resolutions, I have been anxious to get going on my #1 goal: Making the House a Home.

I'm starting at the front door, with the entryway.  The room is long and narrow, and a little dark.  The only light is from the overhead fixture, and the windows in the dining room. 

The house-flipper-grade-brown tone is doing nothing to lighten this room up.

For the most part, the room is functional.  There is a place to hang backpacks and keep things off the floor.  But I know it could be better.  More inviting and quite a bit brighter.

So I've thought of a few things to help, that won't also break my piggy bank.  Because that's the size of my budget.  Right now the home-making fund is at a whopping $150.  I guess we'll see how far that goes, and I'll try to add to it as we go.

Here are some of my plans for the room.

1. Mirrors, to borrow some light from the adjacent dining room. Via

2. Board and Batten wall treatment. Via

3. More hooks! Via

4. A longer bench or side table. Via

5. Black interior door. Via

You can see more cool entryway ideas on my pinterest board, "Entryway."