Paper Dress Art

I've been so inspired by all the adorable laundry room makeovers I've seen that I wanted to make my own laundry room a little prettier. So I came up with this quick art project to get started.
First of all I took white, gray and turquoise acrylic paint and did broad streaks across it to resemble a sky.

Then I used a few of my favorite scrapbook papers by Amy Butler to cut out dresses and some simple letters.

Using a hot glue gun, I placed twine as a clothesline and then with regular white glue attached my paper dresses and letters.

This would be really cute in a nursery too. Can't you just imagine it with the child's name and some onesies on the clothesline?
Now I'm one step closer to a cute laundry room!

Portraits

     I came to a sad discovery the other day when Ucreate needed a picture of me to put with my tutorial Apparently I didn't have any nice pictures of myself despite the fact that my husband is a PHOTOGRAPHER!
     Good grief! You know how it is. You are always the one posing people or getting the kids attention so you get left out and there are a million pictures of everyone else.
     So last night we had a little photo shoot after the kids went to bed. He then gave me a lesson in using Photoshop. I think they turned out great! Thanks honey! If you'd like to see his portfolio check him out at

Nelson Fotography

My New Quilt

Last year I decided to start making a rag quilt for my bed. Of course, it took ALL YEAR! You'd think I was working on some amazing tiny pieces and hand binding it. Nope. I used LARGE pieces and it's a RAG quilt! Oh well, that's what happens when you have two little kids right? It would be much easier to buy a cheap comforter but our bed is HUGE. Ordinary king size bedding doesn't fit for some reason and I bought a few unsuccessful duvets over the years that literally came up short. I really had no option but to bring out the sewing machine.

Here are all my cheats while making my quilt:

1.I used a lot of white fabric because solids are cheaper than prints.

2.I staggered all my pieces so I didn't have to match corners.

3. I used large pieces so I didn't have to sew forever.

4. I made a rag quilt because I didn't want to actually "quilt" anything or do any hand binding. I also figured there is less mass in a rag quilt so I could wash it in my washer without any problem.

The next project will be making new pillow shams and curtains. Oh, and painting my bedroom. I'll be sure to post pictures of my entire room when the makeover is complete.

My First Tutorial On Ucreate!

Oh wow! I am soooooo excited, and surprised to be a creative guest on Ucreate.
(This is my very first time to be a guest on anyone's blog.)
Kari is super sweet and always shares amazing projects. I was really flattered when she told me she liked my Frayed Rosette Headband and now my tutorial is up this weekend!
You should totally check it out! I had so much fun with this one, I seriously hope to do more in the future.

Chocolate Cake Cookie

Last week I had an unexplainable craving for cake mix cookies. They are gloriously easy, cheap, and quick to make. I simply followed the directions on the back of the cake mix box except I omitted the water. We also added 1/2 a bag of chocolate chips. Then I dropped the dough by rounded spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet and baked at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

Easy to make with kids. 

Easy to eat. 

Easy to remember next time you have a craving!

Dollhouse Remodel

All these years my parents kept the dollhouse I had when I was a kid. One day my daughter discovered it and from that point on said she wanted a pink dollhouse for her birthday. So we painted it inside and out. I bought cheap furniture kits on eBay and even made some from popsicle sticks. I wallpapered with scrapbook paper I already had and put bedding on the beds with scrap fabric. The cost of this house remodel was only about $25 not included the new dolls her grandparents purchased. She loves it, I love it, and new memories are being made the second time around!

How To Cut Side Bangs

Everyone's bangs seem grow faster than the rest of their hair, so I'll share some secrets to cutting a side bang.
Does anyone remember Nick Arojo from What Not To Wear?  A few years back I took a class from him down in LA. What I'll be teaching you is similar to what he taught me. The only differences are the fact that he had us cut tiny sections at a time and we used a straight razor. The over all concept is the same though.

Step One: With dry hair, section out your bang area. You want your hair to be dry so you don't accidentally cut too much. Clip the rest of your hair out of the way.

Step Two: Starting at your eyebrow, cut down the side of your section with the scissors to create an angle. You might have to take another pass going upward to get a nice clean line.

Step Three: Do the same to the other side.

Now you should have  a nice point with the shortest pieces being by your brow.

Step Four: Take thinning shears and cut into the section vertically several times to reduce the bulk of the hair. My biggest criticism of people cutting their own bangs is how it tends to look like a big random chunk of hair hanging in their face. This helps with that.
What are thinning shears? Take a look! They are also called texturizing shears.

Anyone attempting haircuts at home needs a pair of these. The "teeth" come in different sizes and spacing to cut a lot or very little hair. This pair has pretty moderate spacing and I use it the most.

Your done! Easy enough right?

My Master Bedroom Inspiration

     I'm getting ready to paint and rearrange our master bedroom. We've been putting it off for too long, and now I have two really good reasons to fix it up a bit.

#1 We may have to move or rent our house in the next year or so and this will make it more appealing to buyers/renters.
#2 We may not move for some time so we might as well enjoy our house.

     There are so many amazing blogs with gorgeous homes, I thought I'd share some of my inspirations. There is no way my room will measure up to these, but you can bet it will be the best I can do with the resources I have.

     First up is Kirsten Krason's home. Her family is even more adorable than her house. We have a sleigh bed similar to hers so that's why I'm drawn to her room. I feel our bed looks huge and dark. She's managed to keep her room looking light. I also like how her style is a newer take on traditional. Beautiful!

     Next is a blog I've been smitten with for quite a while. Sherry and John Petersik have the ever so addicting Young House Love. They are a cute family too with a fresh and stylish approach to decorating their house. It's loads of fun to watch them tackle each room. Every inch is inspiring. The colors they use are the ones I'm drawn to over and over again as well.

     Now I'll share my all time favorite design blog House Of Turquoise. There is an endless collection of photo's that speak to my sense of beauty. I could browse her images all day long.

     Today a guest blogger posted pictures of  her own home on House of Turquoise. Her name is Paige and her room in surprisingly a lot like mine. The layout of doors and windows is pretty much the same and she even has a sleigh bed. We just decided to paint our walls gray a few days ago, and HER walls a gray. Crazy weird. These are a couple of the pictures.

     So far I have a quilt in progress, some curtain fabric, and the paint color selected. Now I just need time to get it all done.

Joann's Clearance Beads

Joann's had a crazy amount of beads on clearance the other day. YIPEE! 

Most of the strands were 97cents each. AMAZING!

I had a gift card from my birthday. YAY!

So here's what I bought-

Three strands of light aqua beads at 97 cents each and one strand of silver discs for $1.97

Here's what I made.

I've been avoiding necklaces because for the longest time my baby boy has been pulling on all my jewelry. He's finally out growing it. Time to celebrate this much appreciated milestone with a new piece of jewelry!

My Dream House

I'm house hunting obsessed. Anyone I've talked to in the last 6 months realizes just how obsessed I am. My husband works an hour away and I want to buy a house by where he works. I keep imagining my life would be perfect somehow if we lived somewhere else. In my darkest moments of discontent I look around my home and try to analyze what exactly I think is so unpleasant and what I can do to make it better. Then one day I bought a magazine about decorating and in the back a new book was being advertised.

I loved the idea of making my home fit our life style regardless of it's layout. Due to the sad state of our economy, we are probably better off staying in the home we have. It's actually a very nice house. But I drool over having a separate office for my husband and getting his work stuff out of our bedroom. I dream of a playroom for the kids, and now a school room as well. These homes do exist (in our price range even) but there's also termite damage, mold, and various untold issues that would ultimately cost too much to fix.
My new focus needs to be rearranging what the Lord's blessed us with in such a way that it will work for us.

We have what I like to call the piano room. It doesn't serve much of a purpose other than to hold a few unsuccessful bookcases, our piano and a small sofa. I plan on making the most of this room somehow. I just haven't figured out how to do it yet. I'm hoping my new book will help.

There is always a chance we might still move. Until then I'll learn contentment and look at the home I have now as my dream house.

 "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want." Philippians 4:12