A Flawless Mirror Revamp

*Before I start on my DIY rant and rave, I want to take a few typed words to announce to the www that it’s our fifth wedding anniversary!  Holla!  Neither of us can believe that it’s been five years!  We’ve been verbally noting our happenings at ‘this moment five years ago’ for the past couple of days and it’s been so wonderful to relive those precious moments.  This year is even more special as we have two beautiful little human beings that are the tangible blessings of our love and we are so thankful to God for them, for us, and for all the years ahead!  Happy Anniversary Sweets!*

*Pst…You can get in on a smidge of our sappy love fest with this video!  Otherwise, it’s back to normal programming!*

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A couple of years ago, a friend gave us a really cool, antique mirror that’s been floating around different closets in our house, perpetually waiting to be the star of a DIY project.  I had always envisioned replacing the old artwork framed at the top with a family picture or some custom art.  Well, the twins came along and their nursery with them and it gave me the perfect spot and the motivation I needed to give my idea life.  Before I had even started working on the mirror, I had Anthony hang it one day during a minute of his rare free time right next to the girls’ closet: 

During the weeks of stripe painting it came down and I finally took a few extra moments this week to create a somewhat new mirror mirror on the wall.

I went back and forth between wanting to paint it and wanting to leave it gold.  Once the stripes were finished, I thought it’d help my decision to bring it back into the room and when I did, I loved the contrast of the gold with the stripes and the pinks and peaches in the room and also liked the idea of less work so gold it stayed.

Next up was the artwork.  The original artwork was held in place with some very stiff, very old cardboard and a few rusty nails.  I simply removed the nails and pulled everything out.

Here’s a better glimpse of the old artwork that was inside this thing.  It’s actually pretty cool and ‘vintage-y’ so I’m going to keep it for some rainy day project.

So, the artwork.  I loved the whole feel of the mirror being not just any old mirror, but one with a picture frame atop it and so I wanted the frame to hold something that would be a reminder to our girls of just how special and beautiful they are while they’re looking into the mirror.  With that, I whipped up this with pixlr.com:  

After I had finished the design, I had it printed on matte 8 x 10 photo paper.

I wanted a matte over the new artwork, but being an odd size and not wanting to get a custom matte made, I took matters into my own hands and made one myself.  It didn’t come out the greatest (which might have a lot to do with the fact that I quickly did it last night around 11), but here’s how I made it anyway.  The process worked, just not the creator.  :)

First, I took the old cardboard that had been in the frame and measured out a rectangle a little smaller than my artwork.

Then I grabbed a razor blade and a cutting board and cut along the ruler to get this:

I cut too quickly however and my top and bottom edges turned out a little less than straight which means that one of these days I’m going to have to make another matte but until then, the perfectionist in me is letting this one slide.  A few coats of some white, flat spray paint, a quick reinsertion, and back in with a few rusty nails and here we are:

 

I still have the editable Pixlr file, so if anyone is interested in printing it out for your very own, just email me (because I’m not tech savvy enough to include a download) at beaninlove@gmail.com and I’ll send it right over (for free of course).  You can mess with the colors, the background, the font, the size, whatever you like.  Then, just get it printed, frame it, and zootolo, some words to live by.  :)

Have a great weekend you flawless folks!

Baby’s First Haircut

We seem to have a hairy situation here.  My hair is falling out faster than you can type ‘follicle', partly due to the great nature of post-partumness and partly due to four tiny hands finding, yanking, and coming away with 100 or so strands every five minutes.  Cecilia is on the sure path to Mulletville as her mane is sparse on top with a whole lot of shiny, dark hair in back.  And then there’s Seraphia:Not really lacking in the amount, just in the symmetry. 

Right side:

Left side:

Something  had to be done.  I was having daymares of my sweet first-born turning into Peg from Edward Scissorhands in a matter of months and down that hair style lane I was not willing for her to go. (Image from here.)

So, a little snip here and a little snip snip there…

and she was back on the straight and narrow, albeit the left side still a smidge more voluminous, if I can even say that for the ultra-fine nature of her baby soft locks.

 

The back however, is another situation for another day.  Here’s to hoping baldy fills in soon because, St. Francis, as much as I love ya, your hair on my daughter I do not.

What I Wore Sunday

“What are you dressing for the color blind or something?”  That’s what came out of the hubs mouth as I walked out in my Sunday best tonight before mass.  “Go bold or go home” is what I should’ve said.  Instead I spouted that “Actually, I saw someone wearing these colors together and it looked good”, withholding anymore info than that for fear of opening a door Anthony would love to walk through.

You see, last night we were indulging in some mind-numbing tv viewing whilst trying to coax two over-tired babes into a peaceful dreamland when my brows perked up at a particular outfit one of ‘The Big Bang Theory"’ nerds sported.  I thought “Hey, I can do that”.

 

And so I did:(Is it weird that I copied a dude’s outfit?  Or is it weird that he was wearing that in the first place?  Either way, I think the verdict is in in that I should’ve copied his stance as well.)

Deets:
Shirt:  Hand-me-down from me seester
Pants:  Tarjay clearance rack
Shoes:  Fashion Bug and then capped by yours truly

If I were a little more spunky I’d have added a gold necklace or two or three and maybe some bangles or a bright colored scarf but I played my usual role as plain jane as far as accessories go and slipped some studs in my ears, calling it a done deal.

There’s many much more (Brian Regan anyone?) pretty, pretty ladies with much more fashion sense than I over at Fine Linen and Purple so hop, skip, and interjump over there for more.

Happy Sunday!  Go Giants!

In Between the Lines

I finally finished striping the nursery walls circa eleven in the pm last night, one hour before Anthony’s birthday!  Happy Birthday to the love of my life and my babies Daddy!  So, in lieu of writing up a wordy post all about how long it took me to check off this project, what’s next on the nursery agenda, or the various thoughts that painting provokes, I’m just going to put up some pictures and spend that time with my three loves.

If you want to put up some lines too, click here for last week’s pre-reveal tutorial! 

 

I’ll be back next week with another project down in a much more organized nursery!  Until then, have a great weekend everybody!

What I Wore to Thanksgiving Dinner

Quickest post ever because we just got the little beans down and this big bean is sure to follow.  But, not before I over share and easily fall into the ebb and flow of the cool crowd over at Camp Patton.

Here, ladies and gents, is what I wore to eat and eat and eat and eat… After a little coaxing I was lucky enough to go sans tripod and got the love of my life to snap an awkward shot three seconds before we pulled out for mass.  As I was uploading the freeze frame tonight, I couldn’t help but notice that spot on my left foot.  Verbalizing my question, “What the heck is on my foot”, my photographer who was sitting next to me at the moment said “You mean the leaf?”  I proceeded to give him the death stare that said “You knew there was a leaf on my foot and didn’t say anything?!"  He laughed, I moved on, here I am, leaf and all.

Anyway, it’s no surprise that my entire outfit hails from various Target clearance racks of the past few years.  My black wedges are Target too but were purchased at a discount store, Dirt Cheap, for $4.

More importantly though, here’s what the mini-Tobins wore:  Cute and cute…and goodnight.