The Life of Sprite

I'm not much of a soda drinker myself, but if there are fresh flowers nearby, so shall the Sprite be. I brought home a dozen of yellow roses for my husband yesterday. oh, just because. Actually, because I read somewhere (either on msn or the Dating Divas blog, I can't remember) that guys sometimes secretly wish they would get flowers from their wives to show their appreciation -and I very much appreciate all that my husband does, so I thought it seemed an appropriate gesture. {As I'm writing this, I'm realizing how silly it is.} HA! Well, I don't think that advice is necessarily true. Not in my case anyway. Jeremy was flattered, but definitely not like a wife would be. Since he is currently home with the kids while finishing up school, I handed him flowers and his first comment was, "does this make me an official housewife?" hahahhahaahaha! I think it did more damage than good.
...Nonetheless, yellow roses are still beautiful and I get to enjoy them.
...So flowers and Sprite do have some correlation with each other, I promise. If you ever give or get flowers, pour an entire can of Sprite (or Sierra Mist, whatev) in with the water and those flowers will look better than ever! The BEST part is you will see a full bloom of beauty at least a week longer. At the LEAST! [I had some roses one time that looked gorgeous and fresh for 2 straight weeks] It's the high fructose corn syrup that keeps them alive and happy longer than usual. [HFCS doesn't have that effect on humans]
Such a simple tip.

...and the whole flower-giving thing should really remain for females to receive. I'm just saying.

Easy Fabric Flower Hairclip

When I was in high school, before the flower hairclip fad, I loved to wear flowers in my hair. My husband said when he first met me, he thought, "what's with the flower?" {he loved it though} Ha! Now, they are totally in and I love them even more. (so does he :) My friends, Chelsea & Alyssa, came over to make some hair accessories. Chelsea brought over lots of lovely fabric to choose from, along with clips, buttons, and an array of all the different flowers she had made. Crafting is more fun with friends! Start by cutting a long strip of fabric. Then fold it over lengthwise (exposing the front print of the fabric) and sew the loosest seam possible with your machine along the edge. Make sure to leave a long tail of thread on each end for pulling. If you carefully pull one of the threads, it will easily scrunch up (make sure the other end of the thread doesn't come out). You can also sew along the edge by hand, but this method is quicker. Once you get the amount of scrunch you want, start slowing wrapping the fabric around itself while hand sewing it all in place. Remember to keep the ugly seam hidden. Once you get to the end of the fabric strip, pull the thread snug, tie it in a knot, and trim it. Cut a small piece of felt (round or square, doesn't matter) and hot glue it to the back of the flower. Make sure the felt is the right size before gluing. It's also less of a mess if you put the hot glue on the felt, then stick it to the flower instead of vice versa. Hot glue on a clip and... ...Vwalla! a pretty lil' hair accessory.
Love your braid, Alyssa. So lovely.

Goofballs & Chelsea's Bday

okay, i know i promised to dedicate this blog solely to artsy fartsy stuff, but i can't help myself sometimes :)
...was my little sister's birthday, so we all went out to celebrate...
and by "we all", i mean a group of whimsical, sarcastic goofballs i call my family. auntie Lacey found herself a new man ...and i still got mine :) ...with a mouthful of water pictures are ALWAYS better when you don't know someone is behind you doing the 'over-done-but-still-somehow-funny' bunny ears for some reason, when we're all together, life isn't serious...i love that this is the firstborn goofball who started it all (and her husband who nurtures that silly spirit) these silly genes continue to run in the fam so glad

Cowboy Bedroom

Inspired by these little boots, I created a cowboy themed room for our two older boys. (the room still looks boring I know, but we might be moving so I didn't put forth too much effort - like painting the lackluster white walls) These boots were my husbands when he was little. Found them in his mom's garage hiding in a box. My 3 year old tried to put them on, but they were too skinny. My kids all have fat feet. Well, wide is a nicer way to put it. Thanks to my husband and I who are both on the wide side, our poor kids now have extra wide feet.
Since they're in bunk beds, I need to make two quilts. I have only made one so far and since it turned out better than I thought, I'll do a tutorial on the next one if you want to try it. The picture doesn't make the blanket look very fluffy or thick, but it is actually pretty heavy and keeps you very warm. (I would know, I've taken a few naps under it :)
This was my first quilt ever and you'd think sewing a bunch of squares together is no big deal, but to my dismay, there is actual thought that goes into it. Ha! In all seriousness, it was super easy, but I picked up on a few things I wish I would have known in the beginning. So I'll include some pointers in my 'first time quilter' tutorial.
Oh P.S., it's not actually an official quilt, it's a quilt duvet cover - which is easier.8 months ago, I bought my boys matching comforters for their beds. (Didn't necessarily LOVE them, but they were do-able and super cozy. Then a certain child of mine got sick and the poor comforter was the innocent bystander. When I started the washer, all I was thinking was, "kill the germs! kills the germs!" and washed them in the hottest water possible- ours is scorching! It wasn't until I took them out of the dryer, that I realized why all the colors had blended into a tie-dye. (and not in a cute way) Now those blankets are nothing more than the cushiony center of my cowboy quilt duvet cover :) Btw, I LOVE love LOVE Pelon-Wonder Under! The greatest invention since sliced bread. It's this super cheap paper you cut out and iron onto your fabric to make it stick to another piece of fabric. Keeps your fabric straight when you sew around the edges of a decal. My new best friend. (I have a lot of best friends in the crafting world) Also made up some curtains, but these are not finished. I want to add a large horseshoe (or cowboy boot) to each side using my new bf, as well as some blue plaid trim up on the top somewhere. Haven't decided yet. Does this dresser look familiar? This is that bad boy with 6 layers of paint. My camera is no bueno, so it doesn't do justice, but my hubby did a really good job of stripping all that paint, sanding it down, and spray painting a light coat.

...if any of my sisters are reading this, this is that big dresser we shared growing up. Under the layers of paint, there were hieroglyphics, I mean engravings, where we each put our name when we were little girls.
Some other decorations here and there to tie it all together. I'll be hanging that 'welcome' plaque up a few inches from where it is now.
That's it for now. Gotta start my other quilt, finish the curtains, and probably make a few more throw pillows just for fun.

grandma's sun room

...beautiful flowers in my mom's sun room. something about these new, fresh flowers growing up against the old weather-worn wood makes me love this room even more. so pretty. and the view is even better.

even bryce loves it.

Easy Planting Pot

Let me first say that for some crazy reason, I almost always forget to take a 'before' picture until I'm halfway finished with a project. Frustrates me too. (don't worry, one day I'll get into the habit).
Do you have a flower pot that needs a makeover? Or a houseplant that could use a new home? Or maybe even a glass jar or bottle you'd like to display flowers in? The possibilities are endless. This little brown pot was bright lime green with big blue polka dots. Yes, it was cute and colorful, but I just couldn't find a spot for it except in my cupboard for the past 2 years. I snatched a small house plant for 5 bucks (looks fake, but it's real. i promise.) and wanted a cute pot to display it in. ...and what's better than decorating one yourself? {You can also find small flower pots at the dollar store}
A can of spray paint can really do wonders. It's one of my fave things besides my staple gun. As you can see, I didn't care too much about the paint job on the inside of the pot.
I measured and cut some ribbon to wrap around it and hot glued it on. Hot glue gun!- that's my other fave thing :) Tied a knot in the back and glued it in place. ...and display! So cute. See, I told you it was easy. AND! I know you couldn't help but notice the beautiful tile :) My friend, Kathy Decker, makes those and sells them for ...get this...$10.00!!! Can't believe how affordable they are. She prints all kinds of different (vinyl) sayings on tiles- even pictures! I bought this one from her as a gift to my hubby for Father's Day from our boys. He loves it! If you'd like one, contact me. She'd be happy to print anything you'd like. Soon, I'll post a few on my 'Rather Buy it?' page.

Paint Stripping an Old Dresser

My hubby took over on this project, hallelujah. Thanks honey! This was the dresser my sisters and I shared when we were young girls. Over the years, this bad boy had collected 6 LAYERS of paint! and stickers, and name carvings, and cobwebs, oh my!

With a little paint stripper, okay a lot of paint stripper, the layers finally peeled off. A metal scraper would have been easier to use than the crappy plastic one I bought - sorry babe! - but he did good nonetheless. So if you're going to strip an ancient dresser with endless layers of paint, do yourself a favor (or your husband) and upgrade to a metal scraper!
The base layer of paint was pretty seeped into the wood, so Jeremy spent quite a few hours sanding it down. He then spray painted a light coat of brown onto it, which you can see a picture of in my Cowboy Room post.
I love watching him take over my big projects.