fire pit...

While I was away at my fall scrapbook retreat this year, my husband completed a project that we had talked about off and on -- a fire pit in the backyard.

He was chomping at the bit to build a fire in it once I got home but the weather wasn't cooperating very well (very gloomy/rainy for about a week).  We finally got to enjoy the fire pit a couple of nights last weekend.  It was nice...

Happy fall, y'all!  We'll be spending a lot of time around the pit in the coming months, I think.  :)

pillowcase for my son...

So our almost 2.5 year old son has been in his big boy bed for about a month and half now.  And he really hasn't had any trouble at all with the transition.  So proud of him!

 

There are some dynamics, though, that come with a big boy bed, that you don't necessarily have with a crib.

 

Like a pillow.

 

Deacon didn't have a pillow in his crib -- only his lovey and a blanket.  So when we made the transition we weren't really sure what we needed to do there.  Should we get a bedding set for him?  Or just put him in there with what he had was used to?  We didn't have any bedding for him since we kind of decided on the fly to make the switch so that wasn't an option anyway.  But we did have an extra pillow so we thought we'd try giving it to him to sleep on.

 

We actually tried both ways (with and without the pillow) and having the pillow in there actually keeps him laying the right way that will prevent him from falling out of the bed.  So we kept it in there with his lovey + blanket (and another blanket we added).

 

But poor thing didn't even have a pillowcase!

 

He didn't care but mama started to.  :)  And, of course, I wanted something that would match what we already had in his room, without having to completely revamp.  We didn't choose a very "baby" theme for his room so I plan to use it for aWHILE.

 

So I decided to make him a pillowcase myself.  I found a really simple tutorial online and I am so impressed with how it came out!  I mean the seams (even the inside ones) look professional and everything!  :)

 

Take a look...

 

 

fabric basket...

I've completed another sewing project, yay!  These days it takes me days weeks to accomplish what someone could sit down and do in 4 or 5 hours maybe, but I just NEVER have that much time to just sew.  I never have that much time to do ANYTHING really. 

 

I barely get that much time to sleep.

 

So this project took me a few days/weeks of naptimes to complete, but complete I did.  And that's the important thing, right?

 

More important than that, though, is photographing it and blogging about it, yes?!  :)

 

I wanted to find something of substantial stability to keep my makeup in on the counter (or under the sink, if I could find a place in the madness that is our ONE bathroom cabinet).  So I started looking online for tutorials for fabric buckets or baskets.  I found one and modified it a little for my purposes.

 

But not too much, cuz that usually blows up in my inexperienced-beginning-sewer face.

 

The tutorial I decided to use had a flap that went over the entire basket so you could carry it with you when you travel.  I have other bags I carry my toiletries in when I travel, so I decided to just leave that off.  No big deal.  But I also modified the pocket on the inside a little.  The tutorial added a large pocket on the inside, but I divided the pocket into 2 sections to accomodate my makeup supplies and how I wanted to store them.  Again, no big deal.

 

But I'm very pleased with how it turned out!  It looks just like I thought it would, and it works.  :)  And check out that quilting -- first time I've tried doing that (well, other than these from my HomeEc class online) and I really think it adds to the stability of the basket.

all you need is love. and a few hearts.

For some reason, I've been into decorating for Valentine's Day this year.  This isn't a holiday that I usually put a lot of decorations out for.  Usually just a little something on the door and maybe a candy dish that has hearts on it or something along those lines.

 

But maybe that was my thinking before Pinterest.  In this new era with Pinterest, I've seen all kinds of ideas -- simple, mind you; and inexpensive, too -- to spread a little love in the house.

 

Cuz when love is in the house, then the house is packed, right?

 

Anyway, I am pretty pleased with the way my Valentine's Day decorations around the house turned out and wanted to share them here:

 

Made this with some coordinating papers and a couple of Cricut cartridges.  I am so into the banner thing and we have the perfect space between our living room and kitchen to hang them!

 

Definitely stole was inspired by this idea from Pinterest...so simple but dramatic!  I had the hearts and just strung them on some twine across our key holder by the front door (it's the closest thing I have to a mantle).  Found the (free) printable on Pinterest and threw it in a frame I already had, and then moved a couple of frames in with it.  I've had the tin for a few years -- got it from the Target dollar section (holla!).

 

1) hanging on our front door (got from Michael's a few years ago)

2) centerpiece on our kitchen table (had the flowers in another vase which I set right down in the bigger flower pot and threw some pink tissue in)

3) jewels from Pier 1 (I think?) -- just laid them out on the kitchen window sill

4) hanging from our kitchen light fixture (more hearts from that pack I had)

 

Well, what do you know?  I already have a photo frame collage on our kitchen wall that goes quite nicely with my "love" theme... :)

And a little something to spruce up my IKEA shelf...more hearts strung on twine.

Hope your Valentine's Day is filled with lots of hearts love this year!