What I Wore Sunday: Newly Minted

Here I sit – the husband is out youth ministering, the babes are sawing twigs, there are cloth diapers that need to be washed, and toys, clothes, dishes, and Lord knows what else that needs to be put away – but first, I must blog.  Empty my noggin to you unsuspecting, sweet folks. 

I’m trying to think of some sort of deep reflection I can type out, something that struck me in Mass but I’m coming up short.  The only thing on my mind tonight is how busy Anthony is.  I’ve gotten used to mornings, noons, and lots of nights with just me and my girls and as much as I love that time, I miss ‘just me, my girls, and my man’.  I love when he’s home.  Everything just runs so much more smoothly and is so much calmer.  He doesn’t even have to be doing anything; both girls could be screaming at the tippity-top of their little lungs and the peace that hangs around while he’s here is intoxicating.  I love it.  He brings it in with him the moment he walks in our side door and out it goes when he does.  I feel like the Prodigal Son’s father so often…I get so excited the minute my love returns; the minute I hear his key enter the lock before he comes in.  I don’t always rush to meet him (and maybe I should…or maybe it’d freak him out) but it’s there the minute he is – the absolute joy and audible “Thank God”. 

And so here I sit – waiting for that key in that lock, the quick pick-up of my heart beats, the opening and shutting of that door, his face, that peace.

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But, until then, what’s a Sunday post without an outfit, huh?  Let’s pick up the mood.  Here’s what I wore to meet my other love:
 
Mustard, mint, and tan:  Target
Scarf:  gift from my madre  :)
Shoes:  Gabes (sniff, sniff…miss you Gabriel Bros.)

I looove pleats so when my friend Callie texted me a picture of the above pleated, mint top on the clearance rack at Target (online too, but not on clearance) a couple of weeks ago, I dropped the girls in their car seats and out we went to obtain one.  They didn’t have one in my size so I grabbed the next size up and got to sewing.  The fit wasn’t all that bad but the armholes were just a tad too big.  So, I took in the top of the shirt and let the bottom be.
 
You can barely tell the difference, I know.  I should’ve taken a side pic.

And because I have way too much time on my hands after bedtime, here’s a little diddy I whipped up in photoshop to show where I stitched:

(Pretend that the arm seams on the right side are lined up too.)  One straight stitch along the yellow line, a zig-zag next to it, and pinking shears to cut off the excess fabric and I’ve got me a new, cheap top.

I hope you had a great Sunday!  I’m off to wash diapers and put those toys, clothes, and dishes away before Anthony gets home and thinks all I’ve done all night is mess around in photoshop (well, technically pixlr.com) and blog.  ;)

Oh, one more thing…linking up with Fine Linen and Purple.  You should too (ahem)!

Not Mythology, or Salad, or Big, Fat Weddings

Nope, even though I love me a good greek salad, this post has nothing to do with those and everything to do with the window seat in the girls’ room.  I’ve had it on my to-do list to paint it white for awhile now, an easy project that just got pushed aside. 

Then that “easy project” picked up a little more time and effort as I threw around stencil options and whatever else my brain could conjure up.  I finally settled on taping off a greek key design to add a little more pattern and punch to their room.

Per the usual, here’s the what and how:

First, I drew a big’ ole box close to the perimeter of the front of the window seat using our level to make sure my lines were on the straight and narrow.

Then, using 3/4 inch wide masking tape, I taped along the outside of my newly penciled box.

Next, I taped off the pattern as follows:1 – place one strip of tape horizontally and parallel to the edge of the big rectangle
2 – place another strip of tape parallel to tape strip 1
3 – place four strips of tape across strips 1 and 2
4 – mark the areas of tape that will need to be removed and cut them off using an exacto knife (the photosh0pped lines show where I cut)
5 – done!

And, in case you’re wondering, here are the measurements I used:

They’re the same on both the upper and lower half and on each side.  I might also mention that after I was done taping, I wasn’t happy with the spacing in the middle, so I ripped off the bottom half of my taped design and moved it down an inch or two.  The above measurements stayed the same.

Pardon the interruption, but while I was taping I had the girls in the room playing and I looked over to see Seraphia clapping for the first time ever.  So, I snatched the opportunity:

Sooo, all clapping aside, here’s what the entire design looked like sans taping, cutting, moving down, and taping and cutting again:

Last, I rolled on one coat of white primer followed by one coat of white paint leftover from painting the stripes, took off the tape right after painting, and… …greek key everyone…and a free one at that.  I used things I already had on hand…love those kinds of projects!   

You might’ve also noticed we moved/squeezed in the second crib which means that the girls have officially taken up residence in their own room!  As a matter of fact, I snapped these pics right after laying them down for a nap that day.  Little angels I tell ya!  :) 

Well, the only thing left to do for the window seat is to make a cushion and that’s it.  I’m still hunting for some cheap fabric for that so it’s on to another project involving a mirror, some pretty paint, and some sticks.  Stay tuned!

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Anyone else used tape in creating recently?  How about painting a greek key pattern somewhere?  Speaking of greek key, how cool would it be to turn it up a notch and greek key an entire wall, the front/top of a dresser or desk, or a box of some sort, or the bottom of a tray, or around a mirror…the possibilities are endless! 

Adios Christmas

I may not have changed out of the yoga pants I wore to bed last night, but I fed both girls (six times each), changed 2,483 cloth diapers, ate too many cookies, indulged in my daily cup ‘o joe and a coke, and made this:

Which means that, up until this afternoon, our front door looked like this:
 
Yes, we are those neighbors that keep our Christmas decorations up alllll year long…nope, just kidding.  Just this year…

While perusing the endless abyss you all know as Pinterest, I stumbled upon the prettiest tulip wreath from Etsy.  Needless to say, as much as I wish I had 48 bucks to spend on a wreath, I knew I could do it myself.  And so can you.  It’s easy peasy.  In case you’d like to, here’s what you’ll need:

I bought everything at Hobby Lobby yesterday because they were having a 50% all their floral.  The sale ends this Saturday, fyi.  (Michaels is having the same sale, however I really wanted magenta tulips and they only sell light pink and red in that color fam.)

First, bend each stem down at the base… 

and, using a wire cutter (mine is on the handle end of our needle-nose pliers), cut…

until all stems are separate.

Then, starting on the inside, place individual tulips around the entire wreath by sticking the ends amidst the branches.  Make sure you don’t stick them all the way in; you want a few inches of the stem showing.

Once you’ve done the inside, stick some tulips around the outside of the wreath.  They should stick out a few inches from the outer circumference of the wreath.  Also, make sure that your stems point out at an angle, they don’t have to follow the direction of the wreath exactly.  And don’t worry if the tulips aren’t evenly spaced or sticking out the exact same length, imperfection is pretty in this case.  :)

When you’re done placing tulips, carefully turn your wreath over and use a hot glue gun to glue each stem to the closest branch.

And that’s it!  You’ve got yourself a brand new wreath that will usher in spring faster than you can say “groundhog”! 
Cost:
Tulips:  $12 (50% off sale)
Grapevine Wreath:  $4 (with a 40% off coupon)
Hot glue and gun:  already had
Trip to the attic to stow Christmas wreath:  50 calories
Total:  $16
(Side note:  I wanted a big ‘ole wreath at 24 inches, but you can also get smaller sizes which means you won’t need as many tulips, which means less moolah, which means…well, you know.)

 

 

P.S.  It’s party time!!!  Linking up with Gingerly Made!  See lots more craftiness over yonder!

What I Wore Sunday ~3/3/13~

Also known as “What I’m Wearing Sunday” because as phenomenons would have it, it’s three and a half hours before Mass even begins (even though technically I have music practice at 4…so two hours) and I’m rarin’ and ready to go, blogging while the girls nap.  This.never.happens.  I’m usually pressing the shoot button right as I’m walking out the door juggling the two tidbits.  Today however, I’m in control and I had a hott photographer whose name begins with A and ends with Y.  Yessiry.

This is what I’m in:    (I hate posed photographs…next week we’re going candid.)

On top:  Old Navy
Skirt:  thrifted and altered
Tights:  ?  (either hand-me-downs or Gabes)
Wedges:  Target via Dirt Cheap
Necklace:  vintage from my Grandma

Once upon a time before there were husbands and children involved, my sister and I would make regular trips to our local Salvation Army at home on the hunt for skirts.  During one of those care-free outings I found this polka-dotted one thinking I’d shorten it.  Well, somewhere between here and there I lost it or forgot about it or somethin’ and then it resurfaced last summer.  Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago when, during one synchronized nap session, I finally took off some inches and then pulled it on for Mass tonight.  And that’s that.

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Let’s talk about Lent.  I don’t have a homily to gather from since I’m still to hear it but I do have some thoughts on the season.  It has been a great Lent for me so far.  I’m constantly being reminded of how much I lack and therefore, how much I need God.  Recently I’ve been confronted with situations involving people that get on my last nerve.  You know those kinds of people, right?  I’m a pretty empathetic, sensitive person but sometimes I get so angry and fed up with other people’s words and actions and this week, the poop is pretty far up there.  Well, amidst all of the annoyance, I’m constantly being reminded by our Lord that I need to be even more sensitive and even more loving to the people that are driving me the most crazy.  In particular, I feel myself called to pray for them verses fuming and having venting sessions in my mind or with others.  When I do pray for them, the black cloud over my head (or theirs, depending how you look at it) usually disappears and it becomes so much easier to deal with them and ultimately to love them.  Some people, oftentimes through no fault of their own, just don’t get it (sometimes that person is me).  We live in an imperfect world full of imperfect people with a perfect God who wants us for His own.  As long as we keep working for Him, life will only become easier.  Difficult situations may and probably will arise, but under God’s command we will have the strength to deal.  Carry on trials, carry on.  For you are what make me turn in my tracks toward He who loves me and He who will make me strong.  :)

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Linking up with Fine Linen and Purple along with lots of others in their Sunday best.  :)

It’s A Shlaque!

A what?  A Shlaque!  A what?  A Shhllaaque!  Oh!  A shelf plaque.

 
That’s the only way I could think to describe this combo of shelf-and-plaque-in-one.  It used to hang in my grandparent’s “house in town” (that’s what we called their home while we resided on the farm) and once Christmas a couple of years ago, I spotted some decor potential in it and asked if I could have it.  I had some flowers painted on it but I had a different sort of paint job in mind, so I sanded them off right after I got it home.  And then it sat until the past week when I thought I’d hang it to the left of the off-center angel in the girls’ room:

And then I changed my mind, but not until after I took some tape and spray paint to it.  Here’s what I did:

I wanted the entire thing to be white, except an outline design close to the edge of the plaque.  So, I taped off the area I didn’t want painted: (Side note:  The shelf broke off in transport from Nebraska to here and so that’s why it’s missing some of these pictures.  A little Liquid Nail will come in handy to reattach it, which we still haven’t done.)

Then I drew a design mimicking the curves of the top and bottom of the plaque right over the tape:

Next I whipped out the craft knife I bought at Target this week ($5.50)…

…and cut around my penciled lines on each end.

Outside I went where I propped up my good ‘ole spray painting plywood, popped a nail in, and hung up the shlaque.  (I hung it because I’ve been getting annoyed with bugs jumping from grass to newly spray painted surfaces while my board is on the ground.  So, prop-and-hang equals no bugs, no sanding bugs off, and no post-bug touch-ups.)

I sprayed on one coat of white primer followed by three thin and even coats of white spray paint, doing the same thing to the unattached shelf. 

Then, after letting it sit outside for the remainder of the day lest it smell up my house, I carefully peeled off the tape and:

it went from old school to new and cool real quick like.

Except when I held it up next to the painted window it didn’t quite jive.  I’m not sure if it’s the color (maybe I should’ve gone a light coral or add a little distress or…) or adding more lines to an already striped wall but I’m not in love and so I’ve got another plan for that space.  For now, the shlaque is patiently waiting another wall home.

By the way, I’ve seen gobs of these things in thrift stores.  Go snatch up a shlaque for yourself and show me what you can do!

Have a great weekend!