Operation Nursery: The Chair

So, I am one that is always up for a challenge...but I have to say, this project almost did me in! Some good friends of ours so kindly gave us their rocker/glider/chair that they were no longer using. They used it for both of their little ones and were no longer needing it and since we didn't have one we were beyond excited to have it. Chad went over, picked it up and brought it on home.
It was in great shape but it was a different wood color then the rest of the furniture in Landry's room. So, I had a decision to make...do I sand and re-stain...or should I say, sand and beg someone else to re-stain it...or could I upholster it? Hmmmm....decisions, decisions!

Well, being the over achiever that I am...and the thought of sanding all of the little spindles didn't sound like fun...I decided to upholster it. Now, you may ask yourself, "Does Kristin know how to upholster furniture?" Nope, not at all...never in my life have I even attempted it...that should have been a sign!

Off to JoAnn's I went to get batting and the softest, coziest, chenille fabric...perfect for my little one's chair. Now, I had read on several other women's blogs how they had re-covered furniture before...so I did have a little bit of info...very little. Very eager to start my project, I grabbed my handy dandy staple gun and started stapling batting on any piece of wood I could find. Here is what it looked like after the batting was on...

Yes, I did just add batting right on over the existing cushion...didn't remove it or anything...as Chad would say, "That's the was I roll!"

Next came the fun part of actually attaching the fabric. All of my math teachers should be very proud because there was a lot of math and geometry skill that went into this...not anything like formal equations...more like a lot of trial and error with angles and such. After everything was said and done, I added some navy blue trim to cover the staples...yup I just stapled the fabric on...oh, and used a "bit" of hot glue as well...here is the final project:
All in all I think it turned out pretty good. I just need to make some pillows for a touch of color and it is ready to go! Don't get me wrong...I am NEVER going to give up teaching to do furniture upholstery...but when you figure the fabric and batting only cost about $40...I don't think it is too shabby!

Operation Nursery: The Bedding

Most women who are pregnant go to the local baby store, choose a bedding ensemble, put it on their crib and...whoila...the bedding is done. Well, being that I couldn't have possbly been that easy, my adventure in baby bedding has been quite a ride...but so worth it in the end. When Chad and I found out that we were pregnant...well actually let me be honest...BEFORE we had even talked about having a baby...I knew, that if we had a boy, I wanted the nursery to be done in fun, bright colors...periwinkle, lime green, orange and navy blue. Now, I know that at first thought you are probably making that scrunched up, just bit into a lemon face. Yup, I know...kind of crazy. Did you really think I was going to do pastels? C'mon...this is the woman who's kitchen and guest bath are painted "Posh Red"...pastels are not exactly my thing.

So, I once again hit the internet running...shocking, I know...in search of bedding and/or fabric that matched the colors and picture I had painted in my mind. I was so excited when I had found this really fun set of coordinating fabrics. All I had to do was wait and see if we were having a boy or a girl so that the ordering could begin. And of course, being the extremely patient person that I am...the night we got home from our ultrasound I went right online and ordered samples...just to be safe. Well, thank goodness I did. Because after days of stalking my front porch and mail box...and after doing my excited, happy dance when the fabric arrived...I opened the box and oh my lord...the fabric was HIDIOUS!!!!!! In Chad's words, "Wow, that is very 70's looking!" Let's just say that the whole 70's thing was so NOT what I was going for.

And so, the adventure continued...needless to say I was a bit deflated and totally bummed that I had this great picture in my head of what I wanted and no fabric or bedding. I tried to talk myself into some other bedding sets but just couldn't do it. So, I headed off to JoAnn's in hope that something would inspire me. Well, after 2 hours in JoAnn's looking at fabric...yes, 2 hours...before I even waited to get my fabric cut...I struck gold! I had remembered that some of the bedding ensembles I loved on-line were made up of kind of random fabrics, colors and patterns all put together...and yet, when they were together they were amazing. So, that's what I did...I found a fabric that had each of the four colors I was looking for and headed to the cut table.
Fast forward...so, after much deliberation, excitement, disappointment, creative-soul- searching, and sewing...here is the result!

This is Landry's bumper...made by his dear, sweet, ol' mama:
The full view of the bumper...

And here it is with "the wall"...by the way...no one makes navy blue crib skirts...so, I took a really inexpensive drapery panel from Target ($7) folded it in half, and safety pinned it to the springs underneath the mattress...yup, that's right...$7, no-sewing, bed skirt...DONE!

Well...what do you think? Not too bad, huh! Next up...upholstering the glider...this is sure to be exciting...and window treatments...stay posted!

**As you can see it is a hit with our sweet kitty Amp, too. This is her new favorite room!**

If you look closely you can see the silver safety pin holding the "crib skirt" on! :o)

Operation Nursery: Round 1

Here it is...round 1 of "Operation Nursery!"

So, I know it doesn't look like much...I had to give you two "before" photos! :o) Yes, the two above photos are most definitely the "before" photos. I have to take a few minutes to point out some of my favorite parts of the "before" photos. Here they are...

1.) The Rockband drums that you see in the background...awesome, I know.

2.) The chandelier on the floor...that is a future project for our master bedroom...it is going to be receiving a fresh coat of paint...and did I mention that it has been there, in that state, since oh...August!

3.) The large canvas with orange and pink ribbons on it. Any guesses as to what that is? What...you don't think it is the perfect decoration for a boy's room...come on...all right. It is what we used a placecard holder at our wedding. Yup, the wedding that happened, oh, a year and a half ago...yup...that one.

Needless to say...we have a bit of work ahead of us before we are able to complete Landry's room. So, the first step was to clean out the cluttter...which of course meant cluttering up the other bedroom in our house.

Many of you know that I am a bit of a "blog stalker" and my husband will most definitely spill the beans on my internet addiction...I don't think it is that bad of a problem...doesn't everyone spend a few hours searching the web for great ideas? Anyway, during one of my "stalking" sessions I came across a great picture of a nursery at Design Dazzle...if you haven't checked out their website...it is a MUST SEE...www.designdazzle.com...love it!

So, once I had the room cleared out...mostly...it was time to start taping, caulking and painting. I must share that this project led me to purchase a new toy that I am in love with...a laser level! Yup, that's right...I spent a whoppin' $15 on a Black and Decker laser level at Lowe's...if you are thinking of doing a project like this...it is a must...it will literally save you hours and the pain of painting crooked lines. With the help of my laser level I had the entire wall measured off and taped in about 30 minutes...no lie! Here is a picture of the tape with the caulking:You may wonder why it is that I took the time to caulk all of the tape lines. Well, my dear friend, Shara told me that it was a guaranteed way to prevent the paint from seeping under the tape. If you have paint experiences like me, then you have definitely shared in the "what in the world" horror that often arises when it is time to peel away that magical, blue, painter's tape only to find TONS of bleed throughs. She told me to get regular painter's caulk and use it to "seal" the edges of the paint. Now, I must warn you...the caulk does cost like $2...I know...it may blow your budget...and it took me about 1.5-2 hours just to caulk...but...the end result, after paint and all was this...Can you hear my scream of excitement through your computer? Yes, I have to say that I am ABSOLUTELY in love with the way it turned out. Do you see all of those fabulous, straight, crisp, clean lines and boxes. Let me just add that I did NO touch up work...not a lick! So, I am now a true believer in the magic of a little caulking. Yes, it added to the prep time...but the amount of joy that it brings me knowing that the lines are so crisp is undescribable...it is like crack for someone with a type A personality...I LOVE IT!

Now, there are still several projects to start and finish...keep posted for an update on the bedding I am making...until then...SMILE!!!!

Bump It...chapter 1

As most of you know, Chad and I are expecting our first baby this May. Those of you that are parents already...especially you moms, know what an adventure preganancy is and how the moment you see the positive result on the pregnancy test, your world goes into a whirlwind. Are you going to be a good parent? Is the baby going to be healthy? What about that drink I had last week...have I given my baby brain damage already? Is it a boy or a girl? Are we REALLY ready for this? Is he REALLY going to be excited when I tell him he is going to be a dad? How is this child going to get out of me? Oh my goodness...there is something living inside of me, that I am going to be responsible for FOREVER!!!!!! Those are just a few of the thoughts that raced through my mind the moment I found out I was pregnant...and let me tell you, the worries, thoughts, questions, concerns, excitement and anticipation hasn't stopped.

I haven't been really good about giving updates about the pregnancy...so here goes...I'm giving it the ol' "college try!" So, here is a quick update on where we are now...

I am 21 weeks along and so far life has been pretty easy. I was SOOOOOOO fortunate and missed the entire "morning sickness" period. My one and only problem has been my "lovely" sciatic nerve. I have definitely developed a "love/hate" relationship with it. I am absolutely in love with it when I wake up in the morning and forget that I have a sciatic nerve at all. I absolutely despise it when I wake up and am unable to get out of bed because it is causing so much pain I find myself contemplating cutting off my own leg because I am sure that would be less painful.

About two weeks ago my bump started to show. Just last week I asked Chad if he would be willing to take a picture of me so that we could have a series of photos to document how "large and in charge" I get. I figured he was going to make so much fun of me for wanting a picture of my belly but once again, he surprised me...I gave him the camera and he shot away. He was so cute...he must have taken about 5 different shots of it, close up, side view, full body, partial body, etc. It was so neat to see the excitement in his eyes and to hear him say, "We have to get a good shot of this...our baby is in that belly!" My heart is melting!

So here is it's pictoral debut...my bump!

Yes, that is me...20 weeks along!

Now, even more exciting is that we had our second ultrasound appointment one week ago. You know, this "big" one...the one that would hopefully tell us if we were having a little boy or a little girl. We were both so excited for the day to come...and I was so excited that I woke up at like 2:00 on the morning because it was like Christmas morning for me. So, later that afternoon Chad and I made our way to Advanced Medical Imaging. It was once again, the most amazing experience ever!

We were so blessed to have the nicest tech EVER! She walked us through the entire process and pointed out all of out little one's precious anatomy. I will never forget the emotion I felt, lying there, looking at the monitor and watching my beautiful baby BOY move around in my belly. Chad was so excited that he was texting friends while we were seeing his cute little foot print, his thumbs up he gave us...almost as if to say, "Don't worry mom and dad...I'm loving it in here!" So, Landry Tigh Lofgren will be joining our family sometime around May 11, 2010!

More from the Real World!

So, this past week I received some more photos of cute little ones in my creations. The first is absolutely the most handsome little man ever. I had made his mom one of the "Executive" onesies as a shower gift before he was born. Then just a few weeks ago she contacted me and wanted to know if I could make a Christmas version of the "Executive." So, I headed to my faithful ol' JoAnns, found some adorable Christmas stripe fabric and here is the result...and here is Liam, wearing his "Executive" onesie for his meet-n-greet with Santa... Tell me that he isn't too cute for words!

Now the next set of photos are as precious as "Cherry Pie"...sorry, I know that was cheesy but I couldn't resist. This darling little girl, Baker, is so dang cute you just want to pick her up and give her a big hug! Her mom came across my blog this past summer and contacted me about making one of my pillowcase dresses for her. She was so sweet and sent me the pictures of their photo shoot...and of course I couldn't resist posting them...especially since they are so darn cute. Check her out...

My Work in the Real World!

As a teacher I am blessed each year with getting to know some absolutely wonderful families. Many times these families become a part of my "adopted" family...I think of their children as my own and the moms and I become great friends. This post is honoring one of those families! I had the pleasure of having their son in my class two years ago and Kim (mom) and I are still good friends. Kim has been so supportive of my side venture and always gives me a "shout-out" when she posts her pictures on Facebook. So, like any proud mom...here are some pics of my work...in the real world! Thank you Kim and family for all of your support and love!!!!! This is Kim's niece...

Kim and her family on vacation in Florida...the girls are wearing their "Mocha Splash" pillowcase dresses.

How sweet is this...nothing beats a ride on Daddy's shoulders!

***Sorry the pics are so small...I "stole" them from Kim's Facebook page! :o)

Pottery Barn has nothing on me!

So, last weekend I decided to break out the Christmas decor and start working. As I looked around our family room area I was very happy with our tree, mantel, and even the garland on our kitchen cabinets. There was one problem...this: For some reason the big, bare, blank window really bugged me. I had been stalking these wreathes I had seen at Pottery Barn last year. The ones on the gate...love them! I loved the simplicity of the greenery with the sparkle of the ornaments.

Now, I don't want to hate on Pottery Barn because they have so many things that I love...but...the price for these wreathes...take a deep breath...you'll need it...$80 for one 22" wreath. CRAZY...I know. So, knowing that there was no way I could justify spending $80 on a Christmas wreath...which may I add...is decorated with PLASTIC balls...yes, PLASTIC...I decided to make my own version.

I ran down to JoAnns, got a plain wreath...36" on sale for $12...plus I got to use my 15% teacher discount card...LOVE IT! Then I headed to Dollar Tree and bought a whole bunch of red and gold ornaments...shiny ones, matte ones, glittery ones, etc. I will be honest...this project sat in my trunk for oh, about a week...but the important part is...I did it. With the help of my trusty ol' hot glue gun, here is the final result:

And some close up shots of the detail...yes, I like to think I'm some sort of professional! :o)

And...here is what it looks like in my window:

Oh, how I LOVE it!!!! Wondering how it is "magically suspended in the air"...well, with the help of another friend of my...FISHING LINE! Yup when I was finished with my project I shared with my hubby that I was going to hang it in front of the window. His response...he gave me his, suspicious, skeptical, "your aren't going to put a bunch of holes in the wall" look. I said, "Don't worry, Babe. I'm going to use my thick Christmas ribbon, wrap it around the wreath, over the blind valance...and "voila" it will be done." Well, as with many of my "ideas"... that didn't work so well. So, I grabbed the fishing line and it worked...yes, I stood of the back of the couch...4 1/2 months pregnant...to reach the valance...my hubby was gone and you know how patient I am! No worries, I am safe, baby is safe and more importantly...THE WREATH IS HUNG AND BEAUTIFUL!!!!

So, the point of the story...Pottery Barn wreath...$80...Kristin Lofgren wreath...$20...and did I mention that my wreath is 14" bigger!!!