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!

Wishlist Wednesday

I've been talking baby stuff with my sister who is having twins, and this is the bedding she has picked out:

available here.

Pretty cute stuff, huh? I should mention the twins are one boy and one girl, so the gender neutrality is awesome. What little baby wouldn't want to wake up to the sun?

New Beginnings-The Games

Our New Beginnings Theme was the Olympics.  We wanted to do something fun and different for the girls.  They always have fancy dinners that they have to dress up for, so we wanted casual.

Here are the games we played...


Pairs Ice Skating Cross: The girls get into pairs and have to "skate" across the gym floor in their socks.  They all go at once and it's a race, so hence, "Cross."  At the end of the race they had to put a scrambled version of the Young Women Theme in order on a chalkboard.

Bobsled: Two girls pulled a third girl across the gym floor on a towel.  We set up cones for a "track."

Curling: We used stool cushions as "the rock" and tossed it toward a posterboard goal.  The girls used brooms to get the rock all they way to the target.

And, that's a wrap for New Beginnings.  Maybe I'll time for some house projects now =)

New Beginnings-The Set-up

Happy Monday!  I've finally had time to sort through the pictures I took at New Beginnings last week, and I thought I'd share some of the things we did. 

I was in charge of the podium, and I wanted to use $0, so I shopped the garage.  I found some old pallets leftover from the sod we ordered for our yard last year.  They were a bit unsightly, so I covered them with the curtains Eric banished from our room.  I finished them off with some flat wood for a sturdy place to stand.  I had every intention of painting the wood, but I forgot to bring the paint in from the garage and it was too frozen to use.  So, I added vinyl numbers, to tie in the wood to the podium.

It wouldn't be the Olympics without pennants, so there were pennants and banners everywhere.

The gift bags were filled with gatorade, granola bars, and a cute little notebook.

Tomorrow I'll share "the games" that were apart of our Olympics. 

Easter Decorations

I started working on my Easter decorations, but my one year old thinks all of the bunnies are her babies, and my two year old thinks anything with wheels is his truck...

It's time to take back the decorations.

Wishlist Wednesday

In the spirit of New Beginnings tonight, I thought today's list should focus on Etsy seller TypeTypeType. 

I bought these prints from TypeTypeType already, but my wishlist of their products is looong. 

Like this awesome print:

Or this one:

Or this one:

Pretty much look at all of TypeTypeType's products.  I want them all.

Young Women Classes and Symbols

We're still busy working on New Beginnings around here, and in that vein, I thought I'd share this today:

I looked far and wide (ok, did a couple google searches) for images of the different class symbols and I couldn't find a single thing on the Internet. I finally had to scan in the entire page from the Personal Progress manual to get them. Anyway, I thought since I went through the trouble I thought I'd share so maybe someone else wouldn't have to.

Sweat Equity

My husband and I are huge fans of sweat equity.  We love trying new projects that will add value to our home.  So far we've owned two houses, and we've finished two basements.  I never would have believed I was capable of "building" entire rooms, but thankfully, Eric knew we could do it. 

It's amazing how this:

Can turn into this:

And this:

Can turn into this:

Now that the rooms are built, the much smaller, but just as challenging task, of accessorizing them is left.

Silver Reef, Utah

credit here.

We just got back from a little winter break down in St. George, UT.  We got lucky and caught a couple of beautiful days.  While we were down there we took a quick little trip over to Silver Reef, UT, which is now a ghost town.  I don't know if ghost town is a fair assessment though, because while we were driving around we stumbled across some of the most amazing homes I've ever seen.  They were huge and all that, but they were all completely unique.  It was like each one was a showpiece for a different architect.  I regret that I didn't take any pictures, and I am even more surprised that I can't find a single picture on the Internet.  I am starting to think that Silver Reef doesn't want to be found.  If you're ever in St. George I highly recommend stopping off in Silver Reef just to drive through the neighborhoods.

And, if anyone knows any more about Silver Reef, I'd love to hear.

Woops.

Things got a little hectic and there was no Wishlist Wednesday yesterday. We're back in town and getting settled down, so regular posting will resume tomorrow. In the meantime check out Wishlist Wednesdays Past here. See you tomorrow =)

I Heart Garden Gnomes

Seriously.  I would have a yard full of garden gnomes if I could.  I think they are so adorable, especially peaking through the leaves of a plant.  I bought Eric a garden gnome, named Thomas, to keep him company while he worked in our garden last year, but looking back Thomas was probably more for me.

here.

here.

I am also starting to think fairy doors are very cool. 

here.

And, I know Eric would never go for it, but I am pretty sure Amos would rock the gnome costume.
 

here.

Fountain Inspiration

Ok, we're back after an exciting Friday and weekend with Tip Junkie.  In case you missed, I am still excited enough to share, here (#12 is Amos' Room).

And, onto today: How cool is this?

We have just the spot in our yard for a fountain like that.  Come on spring!