Sorry, this always happens when I'm at work. I stumble across some awesome idea and want to remember it, so into my blog notebook it goes. I'm so disorganized that if I wrote the idea down somewhere I'd probably forget it, but on the internet, it's saved forever, in a searchable fashion! Which is why I also have like 50 gmail drafts going with various ideas and reminders...at least that way I know where to find them--right, Cora? :)

So here's the idea--a diaper changing pad.



The reason this makes me so excited is because I already knew I wanted to make one, but I really know how to do nothing, so this step by step is my Dummies guide! yay!

Real Life Post!

So finally here is something in our lives we have actually done, and not just an idea I daydream about doing. It's not much, but it was a really fun Saturday project and made me realize how much I missed Saturdays growing up when we would do something huge like organize the basement or work in the yard. I don't know if it's "nesting" or what, but my latest obsession is wanting to totally revamp everything. Previously I had been content to let our mish-mashed Goodwill furniture remain in its current state until the end of law school when we will move and start from scratch, but suddenly everything feels like it needs sprucing up....so we decided to fix things in some small measure by painting a few drab pieces white.



So we hit Home Depot with a gift card from our wedding that we STILL hadn't used, and got some painting stuff, and then went to work on our tv table....for some reason the camera randomly likes to put in lines like a printer running out of ink....


....and our bedside tables!


Now both our bedroom and the family room look sooo much lighter and brighter...I should've taken before pics, but oh, well. But now that the tv table is painted, it just makes the bookshelf stick out even more...can't wait to get to that next! :)

One more idea, and then I promise the next post will be something in our actual lives.... :)


Ellis and I have been wanting a rug for our living room to help cover up the disgusting Village carpet, but the only rugs I remotely like are way more expensive than what we would spend--that is, like 20 bucks, haha.....sooooo I thought Apartment Therapy's this idea to stencil cheap rugs was pretty awesome!

Something else for my to-do list: make ugly bottles pretty.

Adding something else to my to-do list--I'm FINALLY wrapping up some stuff, so I have to find some new things to get myself motivated next!

When Ellis and I were doing our major purging/spring cleaning (actually still in progress--besides....every day is purging day, right, Dad? :) ), I found all this oilcloth that I had bought back when I worked at La Bella Vita. I had planned at the time to use it as a tablecloth, since that's what all the cool people did in Moscow back in the day, but since our kitchen/dining room/living room is such an explosion of color since I can never make up my mind---I love ALL the colors...how can I coose?--both of my oilcloths would completely clash...so basically they have been sitting in a box for 2 years now.

SOOO...I decided to make ONE into a picnic "blanket" and to make the other into a go-green grocery tote...yay! Found an awesome pattern for the tote here at the Purl Bee!

A Warm Saturday!

Abby and I went antiquing in Norfolk and I found an amazing window, which I will post really soon!!

Ellis and Brandon had to do some studying but we wanted to take advantage of the fact that it is FINALLY nice here! So here is our dorky little Dawson's Creek pic--the "ooh, we're the cast that likes to pose like we're being candid" pic. Although this one actually is candid--they didn't know I was taking the pic yet.

Here are Brandon and Ellis studying on Mount Trashmore--they had to huddle together sitting on the concrete electrical cover because the ground was wet and so everyone thought they were gay


Niki and me at Mount Trashmore...the next pics are from our walk around the "mountain" while the guys studied :)

Etsy cami dress--just loved the pic

Something else I want to do--make a chalkboard! :)

Basically I'm now using this blog as a little notebook to jot down ideas before I can forget them :)

One more reason to learn to sew :)

Ok, it's things like THIS that make me really wish I hadn't dismissed sewing as a kid, thinking the only reason to learn to sew was if you wanted to make jumpers and culottes (not cute and vintagey like these though...we're talking the ultimate in homeschool fashion)--both were favorites of my local homeschool community and I didn't see the point in spending a lot of time and effort to craft my own hideous accoutrements. Wish I'd had the foresight to know all the CUTE things you could make!

So after I finish practicing with my little burpcloths and potholders and all those little things, I'm totally gonna try my hand at making Haymitch something like that!

And speaking of Etsy, this is on my wishlist too, and also my latest painting inspiration!