Round Peg, Square(ish) Home

If I had a theme song for today's post it would be "Happy" by Pharrell Williams. In fact, here's a link to the song on YouTube just in case you'd like to play it while you read.

There's just something about little things that make me grin. It's probably why the most satisfying projects I work on are for kids. Think about it - nearly everything, when made miniature sized, is just plain adorable. Ok...so maybe not everything (like probably not doggie poo or roadkill), but an awful lot anyway.

A few years back, we decided to do a little remodeling in our master bedroom, and as a result, reduced the number of dressers we needed. The chest of drawers remain, but the other piece retired to the basement. It currently houses a stereo, TV and some of the kids' toys. One of the bottom drawers was broken so I replaced both with some storage boxes from Ikea I had previously used in our toy room. Don't judge...it's an unfinished basement!

The other drawer, which was in really great shape, has been hanging out with the piles of laundry near the washing machine for the past two years. And, no, it has not been the same pile of laundry for the past two years. Just the same drawer, in the same place, collecting dust. It was a great size and I knew someday I would come up with an excellent new purpose for it. And this week I did - the excellent new purpose - a doll house!

I must admit it is one of my FAVORITE projects to date. Why? Because it includes some teeny tiny little peg people, miniature furniture and tiny little accessories. Little, itty bitty morsels of happiness.

It was a pretty simple project. A little time consuming, but easily done in bits and pieces. I started by building the room dividers out of scrap plywood and 2x5s. After attaching the "walls" to the "second floor," I ran a small bead of glue along each edge that would touch the drawer frame, and then tacked it with finishing nails from the outside. After filling all of the nail and screw holes, I painted the entire piece white.

To furnish the house, I raided our scrap wood bin again and pieced together anything that could resemble furniture, then pawed through a supply of scrapbooking paper I inherited from a friend of my mom's. I hit the jackpot when I found a whole kit of coordinating paper that also included little embellishments that I could use for wall art and accessories in the house.

I modge podged paper for the accent walls in each room and on some of the furniture for accents. Finally, I modge podged the accessories and wall art on top of that.

For the inhabitants of this home, I discovered wooden peg people while perusing Pinterest for some inspiration. I found the pegs at Hobby Lobby in the unfinished wood section. They also make smaller pegs to use for children, but I wasn't sure I could tackle painting on something soooooo tiny. But man, they sure could be cute! Since they're all the same size, either my peg family is a little unconventional...or the kids are really tall. But we're using our imaginations here folks, so just go with it! I used Sharpie Paint (oil-based) markers to paint the people. The Sharpie Paints are MUCH easier to maneuver than a paint brush so it was fairly easy to get the lines straight and the details just right. Still a little sketchy, but I think they're cute nevertheless.

And here they are...a happy little family in a happy little home.

I love them to pieces. It's going to be hard to see this one go.

If at first you don't succeed...

Bless me Father for I have sinned. It has been 23 days since my last blog post. I'll say three Hail Mary's. On my knees...

Over the last several weeks I've been gearing up for the Little Prairie Girl Barn Sale happening on Friday, April 11 and Saturday, April 12. If you've never been - it's a MUST! A woman by the name of Natalie Meester turned her good old Iowa dairy barn into a gift shop. On occasion from Spring through late Fall, she hosts Vintage Market Barn Sales. The loft of the barn, along with the adjacent Hen House and Machine Shed, are transformed into vendor space for local shops and individuals to showcase their talents. The focus? Repurposing, antiques and more.

Natalie Meester and her husband.
www.facebook.com/LittlePrairieGirl

Little Prairie Girl Gift Shop
www.facebook.com/LittlePrairieGirl 

Be there or be square!

I had been thinking about submitting an application (it's a juried sale) for sometime and on a whim I decided to contact Natalie to see if there was still space. Much to my surprise, I was accepted with open arms. So far, I'm only committed to the April show. I'm hoping to make enough to, at least, break even. Anything beyond that would be an added bonus. At first I was worried about filling my humble 10'x10' space and now I'm beginning to get a bit concerned about how I'll manage to haul all of the AWESOME finds I have stumbled across in the last month. Thank goodness my husband bought a trailer awhile back for his electrical company. Unbeknownst to him, I was secretly doing mental cartwheels at the thought of all of the "junk" I could scavenge with that trailer! Today while we were perusing Menard's he bought more bungees and tie downs and said they were "for me." I think he may be on to me.  But, YEAH, for bungees!

Anyhoo...back to my preparation for the sale. A few of the projects I've been working on include some seasonal Easter decor, a small dresser/nightstand in the most amazing shade of turquoise, a recycled crib bench and some glorious accessories in shades of pink, orange, red, yellow, antique white and hints of grey. I found inspiration in this amazing fabric and these adorable little Easter eggs.

Can't wait to share everything I've been tackling!

I love the feeling I get after I finish a project. Most times I stand back and I'm just tickled with the results. Giddy, in fact - like a crafting high. Or, maybe it's all of those paint, glue and stain fumes I've been sniffing. I did have turquoise boogers the other day from all of the spray paint that undoubtedly made it's way into my lungs. Hmmm... So, usually there's a lot of giddiness, and then, on occasion, there are those epic fails. I had one of those fails this week. Luckily, the only thing it cost me was time and a few dollars.

I've been working on a small child's table that I converted from a sad looking end table. The top was pretty beat up so I sanded it down and talked my father-in-law into letting me use his shop for some re-staining (because it's heated and the weather here is still freezing ass cold). He assisted with a couple of coats - it took three! After some additional help from Annie Sloan for the legs, I was ready to decoupage a sweet little vintage ABCs poster to the top. It was my first attempt at a large-scale decoupage and let me tell you that anyone who says it's easy is either a. lying or b. LYING! The paper bubbled, warped and looked just plain AWFUL after it was permanently attached to the top of my beautifully stained table. This project had just earned a big fat 'F' for 'FAIL!' After scraping off what I could by hand, I introduced the top to a belt sander. Bye bye, beautiful stain. Ugh... And now the big question, what to do with the top?! The poster was one of a kind (but luckily only $1.50 at Goodwill). I didn't want a run-of-the-mill painted top and I didn't really want to take the time to stain it yet again. And then - AH-HA - the solution! Chalkboard paint - and I happen to already have some on hand for a couple of other projects. So...now something that looked really awful and elementary, looks classy enough for any playroom. A+

After a bit of meditation, I realized this little lesson in crafting says a whole lot about life, too. We all know the saying, "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again." But should we keep "trying" the same strategy over and over until we get it right? If we really aren't good at baseball should we just keep playing baseball until we make our way to mediocre? Or should we maybe try football or tennis? And maybe we went to college for a certain field and we get our first job, but we don't really love it. Should we keep trying the same job, in the same field over and over until we find the position that makes us just kind of happy? Or should we dig deep and ask ourselves what we're passionate about and perhaps change direction? I'm not sure I know the answer, and I'm not saying we should change direction simply because our first try wasn't successful, but maybe we shouldn't be so afraid of a little change either. After my little end table lesson I now like to say, "If at first you don't succeed, maybe, just maybe, you need to change your plan." Oh yeah and there's this little takeaway too. Everything, even really big, epic fails, can be fixed. Even if it means you need a really big belt sander to remove a few layers of the crap to get back to the good stuff.

Keep Calm & Eat Cupcakes

And the hits just keep on comin'! It is the first day of March, and we are currently under assault. The snow and cold just won't seem to stop this winter. We've already seen 2-3 inches of snow in the last 12 hours and by the end of tonight the forecasters are expecting an additional 5 inches of accumulation. Oh - and the kicker - tonight's forecast is for -10, which will feel like -28.

WHAT?! It is March, right?

I'm beginning to wonder if it will EVER get warm again. I feel a bit like I did in my ninth month of pregnancy. I was never one of those women who take pregnancy in stride. I had nearly every side effect known to man (er...woman), and I remember feeling like the discomfort would never cease - that I would be pregnant for-ever! Logically speaking, of course, I knew it wasn't possible to be eternally preggers. And, I'll go out on a limb here and say that I doubt there's ever been evidence of a woman who's pregnant state was never-ending. Nevertheless, I couldn't help but think that I would never see a light at the end of the tunnel.

This winter has catapulted me into that same state of mind. When it hasn't been snowing, it's been freezing ass cold. Yes, that's a technical term for so cold it could freeze your butt off. My kids have been bouncing off the walls, nearly killing each other with their pent-up energy. I've been hiding away in my basement or sewing closet like a hobbit, grasping for anything that might help me keep my sanity: a paint brush, needle and thread, or more often than not, Girl Scout cookies - by the row. And my poor husband - he works most of his days in the elements and is beginning to wither from the daily layering of clothes, hand-warmers, heated insoles and frozen lunches. Will it ever end? Are we entering a second Ice Age? I'm beginning to wonder. I mean, it has to get warmer one of these days. Right? Right?!

On the upside - today is my birthday and I had a cupcake.

Stay warm friends.

Sharpie Mug DIY

My mom often tells me that I'm an overachieving Mommy. I'm never quite sure if this is a compliment. She tells me it is, in fact, a good thing - that it just means I'm an overachiever in the DOM (Department of Mom). Since I'm not part of the world of "working moms," who have their jobs for creative outlets, I often search for crafts or DIY projects at home to keep my creative juices flowing. Plus - it's either keep my fingers busy, or my fingers find refuge in the candy bowl or the mall.

So today, after tearing into the Girl Scout Cookies that found their way to our home over the weekend, I decided I better get going with something crafty or pay the price. Awhile back I found a DIY for Sharpie Dollar Tree mugs. This particular pin illustrated some ADORABLE Valentine's Day themed mugs. My oldest son will be having a Valentine's Day party on Friday at school and I thought these mugs would be the perfect gift for his teachers. Filled with some yummy sweets, of course! Here's how my version turned out...

This project was SO EASY! It took about 5 minutes to draw on the mugs and another 30 minutes to finish them in the oven. The result is oh-so-cute! Without further ado - the directions for my Overachieving Mommy Sharpie Mugs...


Sharpie Mug DIY
Supplies:
White Mug (I purchased mine for $1 each at Dollar Tree)
Sharpie Paint Markers - color of your choice (make sure they are the oil based Paint version of Sharpie)
Conventional Oven

Directions:
Draw a design of your choice on the mug with the Sharpie Paint Markers. Place mugs on a cookie sheet in a cold oven. Set oven to 350 degrees. When oven reaches 350 degrees, set timer for 20 minutes. Let the mugs cool in the oven. Hand-washing is recommended to preserve the design.

That's it! With these simple directions, you too can be an overachieving Mommy! Happy crafting!!!

An Affair With Chairs: Part I

Last Saturday morning I had the pleasure of doing a little shopping with my mom...kidless. Those of you with kids can appreciate how absolutely amazing that little treat can be. It was AWESOME! Rarely does the opportunity come along that I get to hang out with my mom minus the three-ring circus that is my offspring. Most of our trips end in hauling a screaming two-year-old out of a store because he a. doesn't want to ride in the cart, b. can't have whatever it is he's fixated on for the day or c. just felt like today was a good day for a tantrum. And that's just a taste of what it's like if there is only one along for the ride. Add my oldest, and the show becomes Barnum & Bailey's Circus Extravaganza! I digress...

So...back to Saturday. After hitting up several of our favorites, we made our way to downtown Cedar Falls. Mom made a trip to one of the local gift shops and I eventually found myself digging through old books at St. Vincent de Paul. I came up short in the book department, but after wandering to the apparel side of the store, came upon a couple of chairs that were begging me to take them home. I had discovered several similar chairs last summer at a small-town vintage market. They had been all prettied up and looked absolutely amazing. Rounded upholstered backs with caned insets, upholstered seats and beautifully detailed legs. Similar to this one:

navybeanonline.blogspot.com

I've been keeping my eye out for one or two since that day in May, and low and behold - there they were - just hanging out on a Saturday afternoon, in St. Vincent de Paul, right in front of a sad looking pair of boots. After finding these beauts, my inner-monolgue went something like this:

"You don't need another chair to refinish - you still haven't sold the yellow dining chairs."
"But these are so different from those, and come Spring, I'm thinking I might do another open house."
"Ok - but you don't need both of them. They don't even match."
"But if I paint them the same color and upholster them the same - then they'll sort of match."
"You've never even tackled an upholstery project this complicated."
"Ok...maybe just one."
"Really?!"
"You're right - two it is!"
"You'll be lucky to fit just one in the back of your mom's car."
"Ok...just one, I can always come back for the other one."
"Your husband will KILL you if you come home with even one more chair!"
"Ugggh. Ok...maybe I don't need them."
"You're right! You don't need them!!!"

Then, I walked away. Out the front door of the store. And, continued to obsess over these chairs for the next. three. days. Over the weekend, I perused Pinterest to see if I could manage the upholstery job and to get a few ideas on how similar chairs had been refinished. By Tuesday afternoon, I had convinced myself I could reupholster an entire living room! Ha - the trap that is Pinterest! After a quick call to my mom to watch the kids while they were napping, I was off to St. Vincent, hoping they still had The Chairs. If you follow me on Facebook (you can by clicking here) you know how this story ends. In case you don't - I'll build the suspense. After dashing into the store, adrenaline pumping, I made a b-line for the apparel section at the back. There was only one chair left. SHOOT! But hey - even just one would make an excellent project. Then, I saw her - shoved up against a rack of worn-out button down shirts, with her golden velvet back towards me. She was still here, waiting - the missing third of a love triangle between me and a pair of chairs! Pure, junktastic, bliss!

I can't wait to get started on these little ladies! It will have to get warmer before I can begin the painting - just one more reason Spring needs to hurry up already! I'm thinking a nice glossy, antique white finish on the chairs paired with a beautiful neutral fabric on the backs and seats. Or, maybe a glossy black with a more brightly hued, bold pattern on the seats and backs. Or both? Should they each get their own individual look or should I attempt to make them a set? Oh the possibilities! Any suggestions?!

Oh yes - and by the way - my husband didn't kill me, but I did get a very deep sigh and an exquisite eye roll. Ah well - he knew what he was getting when he married me!

Bye-Bye Blues

I am dun with snow...D-U-N. I try to be a glass half-full kind of girl. But this morning as I woke to falling snow, I was hoping my glass was half-full of a margarita on a beach. Bring on the sun!!!

This has been an especially long and harsh winter, in my humble opinion, and I'm SOOOOOOOOooooo ready for Spring. Good ole Punxsutawny Phil better keep that head high tomorrow or I may be serving Groundhog Soup for supper! Ok...deep breath....I'm calming down now.

After ripping down all of my Christmas decor in December, I did spare the snowmen that were more "winter" decor than "Christmas." I decided earlier in the month of January, however, that come February 1st those snowmen were taking a hike. So yesterday afternoon (yes, one day shy of the 1st), every last piece of winter was tucked safely away in the basement. And today - I finished the job during the heatwave (that's right, it was 22 degrees ABOVE ZERO and it felt like a heatwave). Every last drop of winter decor outside is history. Well, at least every last drop that isn't permanently affixed to the frozen tundra that is our front yard. Grrrr....

Yesterday as I was swapping snowmen for Valentines' Day hearts, I decided I didn't have nearly enough to decorate for the month of love. Since we recently returned from a trip to Orlando (read more about that here), I've been trying to be a bit more budget conscious. So, instead of running to the store to buy more Valentine's Day goodies, I decided to raid my craft closet to see what I might be able to make with what I already have. Aren't I frugal?! No...really...I'm not at all...but I'm trying.

After pawing through my fabric bin and other supplies, I happened upon some red and tan burlap, red and white paint, red and white twine and some stencils. SCORE! Here's what I managed to piece together...

A sweet little stenciled heart on a framed piece of burlap!

A red burlap runner with more stenciled hearts (are you sensing a theme?!).

An "XOXO" stenciled burlap garland.

Found some tulips at Hobby Lobby (see - not so frugal).

I already had these sticks displayed in a large vase - so I added some glitter hearts from Dollar Tree.
That place is a GOLD MINE and CHEAP (a.k.a. frugal)!

Can you feel the love?!

I really love how these doily garlands turned out!

Just the right amount of cheer this house needed, don't you think?!

By the way - on a completely separate note - I bought an Amaryllis bulb the day after Christmas for 50% off at Target and it was by far one of the best impulse buys I have made. Sometimes it pays to not be so frugal. It is now blooming - and such a welcomed sign of Spring!!! Winter blues - it's time for you to get the boot!

An update, a rant (or two), and a soapbox...

I'm baaaaa-aaaack!

Yup...I suck. My last post is dated September 18. That was nearly FOUR MONTHS AGO! Agggggh! Just for the record - I was very honest about my ability to keep up with this blogging thing. But still, no excuses. All humility aside - I'm pretty good at a lot of things: crafting, organizing, tending to the house,  being a mom (although sometimes I wonder...), even writing. But I s-u-c-k at blogging. Most days I'm lucky to dress myself and brush my teeth. I should have known it would come to this. Forgive me for my ineptness.

So "What have you been up to the past four months," you ask?! It seems a whole lot of nothing. But as I think a little longer - a whole BUNCH, actually. This post has absolutely NOTHING to do with repurposing, decorating or the like. So proceed with caution. And consider yourself warned.

We held our first Hatchlings & Hens open house in November and up until then I was busy as a bee getting projects ready for the sale. Perhaps you saw a few of them on Facebook. I became very good friends with a woman named Annie Sloan. Ok, so I don't know her personally, but I'm IN LOVE with her Chalk Paint. It's made me want to paint just about everything I see. Including (but not limited to) my children, husband and our kitchen cabinets. The kitchen cabinets portion of that painting, not the children, mind you, has sent my hubby into hysterics! Probably not going to win that battle. Dang...

Also in November, we lost a member of our immediate family, our 11 year old black lab, Izzy. I have to be honest - I don't really understand people who don't "like" dogs. I'm going out on a limb here because I have several friends who are in this boat. Friends I still call them - and I love them. But there's a tiny part of them I just won't ever understand. I think there's a certain unspoken language that "dog people" have and those who don't speak it are a mystery to me. Having to put Izzy to sleep (she went into kidney failure) was one of THE hardest decisions I've had to make thus far in my life. Knowing that the decision for her life to continue or end was in my hands, was enough to make an already half-crazy girl certifiably NUTS! You guys - it was HORRIBLE! The worst part of it all was that to a lot of people she was "just a dog." I would run into friends who would ask me what was new and after mentioning that we lost her, would brush it aside as if I was telling them I had a tooth pulled. I was grieving and very few people acknowledged that grief. We're not what I would call "crazy dog people." We've never dressed our dogs in clothing, we don't let them kiss our lips or even sleep on our bed - but they are undoubtedly part of our family. To ignore the grief of losing a part of our family is unspeakable. As my husband put it when we drove away from the vet that dreaded day - "I loved that dog more than I like most people." She is forever in our hearts and will be missed no less than the closest of friends and the dearest of family.

Izzy

Of course, in December, we had that little holiday called Christmas. My youngest son's birthday also falls on December 20th so we had a whole lot of craziness in our neck of the woods. I always look forward to the Christmas season and by the time it's all over I am so exhausted from all of the visual and mental clutter - that I can hardly wait to "un-deck the halls." Though I always try to keep the meaning of the season at the heart of it all - Jesus. And, while the tree and garland all come down the day after Christmas, my nativity scene remains until the Epiphany! So, yeah, there was that.

In early January my husband and I, and our two children, along with both of our immediate families, took a trip to Orlando, FL. At the forefront of the trip was running the Family Fun 5K at Disney World to raise money for a charity near and dear to our hearts - the A-T Children's Project. You can learn more about the charity here. When combined with the efforts of all of the other ATCP families this year, we raised over $900,000 dollars to fund research and life-improving therapies for children with a genetic disease called Ataxia Telangiectasia (A-T for short). We had been looking forward to this trip for so many reasons, including a trip to the Disney World theme parks. But the highlight, by far, was the race and the supporting pasta dinner the charity hosted. I was moved to tears more times in that week than I care to count - tiny little moments of happiness, sadness, pride, humility...it goes on. It was incredible. No, it was more than that - it was life changing.

My gang with The Mouse & Minnie!

Magic Kingdom Fireworks!

If you've never had the joy to stand for something you care about - do it. The reward is great! I'm not a runner. Not even close. I can barely call myself a "walker." But every time I wanted to quit during that 5K I reminded myself that there are some in this world who can't even walk, let alone stand and run a race. So I kept pushing on - running for those who can't, holding my niece and nephew in my heart. What do you stand for?

"Selfie" during the race!

Ok, whew - and as if all of that wasn't enough to fill four month's time - we adopted a black lab mix on Saturday. Her name is Penny. She is 63 pounds of pure puppy and she is bringing life back into a house that has seemed a little empty since Izzy left us. The list of things she has already damaged with her teeth is growing by the day. My husband has nicknamed her Chewbacca. She came to us with absolutely ZERO training so we've got a long road ahead of us. But she's smart - and she's already learning the rules of the house.

Penny

Penny is snoozing on her bed as I write this and in an hour's time she'll be back to her tricks. It's a little like having a newly crawling baby in the house again. I can't take my eyes off of her for a second, for fear of what she might decide to devour next. We'll survive. We always do. But if you decide to stop by - please excuse the half-eaten couch and the holes in our dining room chairs.