What little girls are made of.....

I am the mom of two girls, although they are no longer LITTLE divas... My oldest daughter is 25 and my youngest is 16. We were long past the cute little hair bows, dresses, patent leather shoes, and glitter...until now! My granddaughter will be making her entrance tomorrow morning! My grandson, her big brother, will be 4 next month, on Valentine's Day. I must say, when he came along, I was out of my element making things for little boys, but we managed very well! Now, I am back in my comfort zone, and my husband is drowning in the sea of pink and glitter once again!

We have been online, and in, literally, every store in town, looking for the perfect 'Little Sister' shirt. The big brother shirt was found months ago. So, since we were down to the last hours, we (and when i say 'we', i mean, my oldest daughter!) decided that YaYa, (me) could make one! So, at 7:30pm, YaYa started this adventure.

Although this was painless, and required very little thinking, It did, however, take a little preparation. First things first: Craft store to find the exact pattern. I was very lucky, today. We found Iron On decorations in EXACTLY what she wanted. Second: You must wash the clothing to remove any sizing from manufacture. And DO NOT use fabric softener.
Now, just follow the directions on the packaging for the decals. Now, every little girl has to have a little bling, right?? I added a string of pearls. Normally, I would not add these, as they are a choking hazard, but these are attatched with a safety pin, so they can be removed easily for washing, or sleeping!

The hardest part of this, was fitting both of the decals on such a small piece of clothing. But I think it turned out absolutely adorable! The only thing left is a little rhinestone in the flower, but I dont have time to break out the bedazzler tonight! That will wait until next week!

recycled bed slats

Years ago, we needed slats for our bed. I went to the barn, and found some old 1x2s that had been there for many, many years. I had long since forgotten about these painted, yet naturally distressed, slats, until we moved into our new home. I sold the headboard and footboard that they went with, and the new owners didn't seem to want the multicolored beauties. So, I put them back in the barn, until I could decide what to do with them. One day, out of necessity for a table in my bathroom, I made the trek back to the barn. Low and behold, there they were! With a little planning, measuring and a couple of drawings, I made this! The top removes, and there is storage inside! I absolutely love it!

more painted furniture...

I was in a local Goodwill the other day, and found a small bookshelf marked with a 3.99 yellow sticker, and it just so happened, that yellow was the .99 color that day! How lucky!!! I didn't get a pic of the bookshelf before, because I was so excited to get it painted. It was stained a dark walnut, with the bottom trim unattatched (but at least it was there!)
After just a few minutes (about 30), 2 coats of Krylon Ivory spray paint, and a little sanding, here is my distressed bookshelf! I love it! I cant wait to get some baskets in it, for the odds and ends (remotes, mail, small toy cars for my grandson, etc..)

repainted baby bed

yes, you can safely paint baby furniture. You just have to make sure the paint you use is safe for babies!!!!

You cannot buy drop side cribs any longer. It is a safety issue. I, standing at just 5 feet, cannot reach inside a 'fixed side' crib. Although, the drop side cribs are not encouraged, I cannot leave a baby in a crib, anyway :)

I bought a wooden crib at a garage sale one day, with the intention of painting it. I really didn't like the crib, as I was really wanting a drop side, but time was getting close to my grand daughter entering this world, so i gave in and bought it. A week or so later, I was in a vintage store, and low and behold, I saw a wooden Basset crib manufactured around 1995. Not only was it a drop side, it had 2 drop sides!! The store was planning on using it for display only, although she did not really like the style. She was looking for a sleigh style that would convert to a toddler bed, to display baby bedding. We decided to trade cribs :) So, we both got what we wanted! Here are the pictures....

Before....

After....

french onion soup...its easier than you think :)

take 3 lbs of onions, sliced thin, put in a deep pot with 3 tbls butter. cook on medium heat until they are soft and starting to brown. this took around 20 minutes. then, i added about 2 tbls of flour (to thicken) and a 32 oz box of beef broth. You can add 1/4 cup of red wine if you like that punch of taste. simmer for about 15 or 20 minutes and its done! I topped mine with a slice of cheesy french toast. It was amazing!

Busy Time of Year!!!

With Thanksgiving now a memory, and Christmas approching rapidly, I am reminded of how short our days are! It seems I never have the time to do all that I want to do, but this time of year, I don't have time to do all that I need to do! I am knitting and crocheting in all of my spare time, leaving the cleaning for another time. I still have to make some home made soap for Christmas presents and baby shower gifts.... And, I have yet to put up my Christmas displays outside. With the help of the hubby and kids, we did get the icicle lights on the house yesterday, and the lights on the big inside tree.... Not moving as fast as I would like, but it is going to have to work, because I cannot add more hours in the day, and I love my life so much, that I wouldn't want to share it with a clone!

Home Made Christmas!

I am blessed to have a friend that is 95 years young, and she is teaching me how to knit and crochet! She has some beautiful work that she has done over the years, and I hope to be half as good as she is! I have made some baby blankets, baby booties and dish rags. I am pleased to say they have turned out great, so far! haha I am in the process now of making some Sock Monkey hats with ear flaps for my teenagers. They have an obsession with Sock Monkeys for some reason! I will add some pics of my work, at a later date, as some of the projects I have been doing are gifts for Christmas :) I am thinking of starting a new tradition with my family: At least 1 (one) gift must be homemade by the giver....Imagine the possiblities! I think it is a great idea. My kids may think otherwise, but hopefully, it will become a tradition for many, many years to come!