Wishlist Wednesday

I just returned home from a trip to visit my sister back east.  While I was there, I got to help her get ready for her twins that are arriving any minute now (seriously, they're coming today!). 

One things she doesn't have is a diaper bag.  She isn't worried about it, because she knows any bag will do, really.  BUT, if she were worried I would show her these:

From Coach, the Alex stitched patent leather baby bag, $398.  I've moved on from Coach, but I saw this bag in person and it is absolutely perfect.  It's light, large, and has all the right pockets.

I have a Petunia Pickle Bottom Cake bag ($349) now, and I love it.  Its heavy, but, boy is it pretty.

And finally, a "little" down to earthness:  The Emily Storksak is only $175.

I love a good bag.  A good, functional, cute bag is even better.

Tip Me Tuesday

Can today be another travel day?  Just kidding.  Things are surprisingly settling very nicely around here.  I am sure a blog about unpacking and doing laundry isn't really of any interest to anyone though, so I thought I'd share this:

It's Tip Me Tuesday over at Tip Junkie and there are tons of cools projects linked up.  Check 'em out!

One More Day

I knew it would be ambitious to say I'd be back to blogging today, but I had good intentions.  We thoroughly enjoyed our Spring Break vacation and I didn't spend one second thinking about blogging.  We ended up having a couple hour delay in the Chicago airport because of lightning storms last night and we didn't get home until almost 1 a.m.  So, I am declaring today a travel day.

Playing with cars on the Chicago Airport floor.

See you tomorrow!

A Good Cause

I know, I said I wouldn't be posting this week, but I really wanted to share this.  My friend Kelli is working very hard (like running a marathon hard) to raise money for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Go here to donate and help her (and a lot of people) out.

And, go here to read her blog about her progress.

Family Room

The other day when I was sharing the art Eric and I made for our family room, I realized I've never shared the entire family room.  Its still a work in progress, but here's what we've got so far:

and from the other side:

We have big plans for some beadboard wainscotting or board and batten (or something along those lines) around the room.  Its a big, blah room, and its needs something to break it up.

That's it for today, and as a birthday present to myself I am taking a little blogging break.  I am going to enjoy spring break with my family and I'll be back on April 5th.  I hope you all have a great Easter!  If you're celebrating my birthday, I hope that's great too =)

Wishlist Wednesday

 credit here.

Tomorrow is my birthday, and the things I really want are a massage and to sleep in in the morning.  Like, for reals sleep in.  No little visitors poking me or asking me to get them milk.

 credit here.

I think those are both reasonable requests...

Help a girl out...

Today I am posting to help out another blogger.  I don't know Whitney, but I've heard it through the bloggy grapevine that she's working on her thesis and needs to collect data from as many bloggers as possible.  So, go here and learn about her project.  Also, you can find a link to her questionnaire.

I know if it were me looking for help I'd really appreciate it, and so will she!  (Plus she's having a drawing for two $100 giftcards if you participate).

Fabric covered canvas

Happy Monday!  I spent Saturday having a much needed hair appointment, shopping, and going on a date with my husband.  Needless to say, no work got done =)  It was a perfect day.  Since there's no new project to share, I thought I'd share one I did just a little while ago.  The idea is by no means a new one, so I mostly wanted to remind you of the possibility of using it as a solution.   The idea: using a canvas (or any wood frame) and fabric to create "art."

The large, empty walls in our family room needed something big, and since we didn't have the budget for real "art," we made our own.  I bought two of the largest canvases I could find at a craft store (with a 50% off coupon).  Then I bought enough fabric to cover the canvases with a little excess to go around the edges and back.  Eric stapled the fabric to the frame of the canvas and we called it good.

This is so easy, and can be done to match any decor.  

Coat Rack

While working on yesterday's post, I got thinking about the other storage solutions in our playroom that I love. One of my favorite solutions is the coat rack for dress-up clothes and hats.  I love have them all hung up and easily accessible as opposed to crammed into a trunk or box somewhere.

I got the idea from a play area in a children's museum we visited.  A trip to Ikea and $10 later, we had the perfect spot for all of Amos' hats.

Baskets

If you have children, are thinking about having children, or have children that visit you, you need baskets for all of their stuff. The other night after we cleaned the trashed playroom in about 5 minutes, Eric and I were full of praise for the simplicity of our basket system. Tossing stuff in a basket is so easy, our 1 year old can do it!

Our baskets of choice are the Sabrina collection from pottery barn kids. Although they're a bit pricey, they have endured a lot of abuse at our house and still look great. I think the interchangeable liners and chalkboard labels are pretty great too.

Truthfully though, we don't discriminate, any basket, bin, or bucket will do.  There are always plenty of toys to fill them all!