By myself

Guys. Today I made a curtain for our kitchen window. No big deal, really. A handful of straight stitches. But I did it with only my own wit and creativity to guide me. No Pinterest, no tutorial. Just me and my brain. And Bernice of course. And it felt good. I love Pinterest and tutorials but I so enjoyed the (brain) exercise. And now I don't have to see our crumbly window frame ;)

Also, I just uploaded a bajillion photos from my phone so this blog may actually have posts in the next couple of days.

Small baby things

One of the many fun things about babies are all the miniature items. 

Tiny moccasins.

Tiny little corduroys. 

Tiny little flannel shirts. 

So when I bought new crib sheets and the packaging was a cotton sack, I had an idea. 

Tiny little backpack. 

I made the straps out of scrap material. 

It's nothing crazy. 

Maybe in a few months he'll understand that he can put things in and out of it. 

And maybe wear it. 

But it was a fun little project. 

No close-ups of the stitching. 

My stitches are all over the place. 

I have a pile of other little projects on my to-do list. 

Back to the sewing machine!

And maybe this example of reusing counts as an adequate Earth Day post. 

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!

Our hands: or one pinterest project i finally finished

I started this project during my pregnancy and I have FINALLY completed it! I still need to get a frame for it, but at least the real work is done! It wasn't even hard, I guess I'm just lazy!

I want to do this each time we add a little one to our family. Look how little Bridger's hand is! I actually did his hand pretty soon after he was born, so it's a lot bigger now. Sad face.

Found here.

Bridger's play-gym

Bridger is playing with toys now! He is such a big boy, we can't believe it!

We've seen lots of play-gyms for his age and decided to make our own. This one is great because we can take it apart and store it easily for the next baby.

This project was delightfully simple. We went into Home Depot with an approximate height we wanted and worked it out from there.

In case you are interested in making something similar, here are some basic instructions:

Materials
4 - 3/4" PVC pipe 24"long
1 - 1" PVC pipe 24" long
4 - 1/2" connecters
2 - 3/4" x 1/2" threaded connecters
Hacksaw
scrap fabric

Saw 9" off of each 3/4" pipe. Connect the short ends with the long ends using the 1/2" connecters. Then connect the two sides with the 1" pipe using the two 3/4"x1/2" connecters. Voila! You are done.

If you are like me and don't want the ugly pipes showing, you can make simple sleeves using scrap fabric. Just measure the length of each leg and the connecting bar. Easy-peasy.

The hanging straps for his toys are based on this tutorial. Again, scrap fabric will do. I used sew-on velcro instead of the snaps. I also made them several inches shorter than she suggests.

***

Bridger loves this thing! ...Until he rolls onto his tummy and needs our help rolling back over. It's tough being little. :)

Crafting for baby: Pennant banner

I feel so crafty! I've been working on this pennant banner and I am finally done!  It actually has 12 flags, I just couldn't figure out how to photograph the whole thing. Sadly, I had to pack it away after taking a photo because we decided against setting up a whole nursery for him right now since we will be moving at the end of August anyway. But at some point, this will hang in his nautical nursery!

This banner on Etsy was my inspiration and I used this tutorial as a basic guideline. Mostly I just winged it. A pretty simple process as a whole.

In case you are wondering, I made it in four separate parts:
1. Cutting the triangles.
2. Sewing the triangles.
3. Painting the triangles using painters tape and craft paint.
4. Sewing them together using a bias tape.

Crafting for baby

Inspired by this pin, Holly and I went to town on some onesies during the long weekend. I am pretty excited at how mine turned out! Holly suggested I try the whole ombre idea and it worked better than I thought it would. Such an easy project. I have another one in progress but it's taking longer because the stripes are much smaller. All we used is painters tape and craft paint. Easy peasy.

P.S. Florida this week!! Yay!

Crafting: Old Frame Re-do

We've had this frame lying around for awhile, waiting to be fixed into something fun. While Nate worked so much over the Thanksgiving holiday, I finally sat down and got to work on it. Inspired by this project.

 I used little screws from Lowes that were just a couple dollars. I measured out where I wanted the twine to line up and screwed them in. I got these teeny clothespins at Michaels. Pretty easy project!

Here's a little detailed shot of one of the screws. 

I like this because it's an easy way to display lots of photos (or greeting cards!) without a bunch of little frames. It's in our bedroom now, but we could easily use it in the living room for postcards or family photos. 

Bike Update: Part III

In case you didn't hear, we are restoring an old bike. See original post here and the first update here. I made a goal to publish a post about it each week in order to motivate us. Well....that has not exactly happened, but we are close! While this was begun as a fun couples project that we could bond over, it has turned into a fun project for Nate. Yep, I have not helped as much as I should! Although,  I have gotten down and dirty and helped sand down the gears etc. So our couple-bonding hope may not be completely lost!

Here is what we have completed since the last update:

1. Finished sanding

2. Painted, including a clear proctectant coat.

3. Purchased the bike seat, handlebar tape and brake cables.

 Handlebars before sanding

Gears before sanding

Handlebars and gears after sanding.

Gotta love vintage products...from back when metal was quality!

Our goal for the next few days:
1. Assemble!
and purchase the:

2. Rims

3. Tires

4. Inner tubes

5. Pedals

If you have questions about what products we have used so far, let me know!

Gibby Girls Retreat: Part III

H&M!!! I was probably annoying everyone while in here because I was going CRAZY! Everything was so beautiful and CHEAP! And it was HUGE! 3 STORIES! Above, Amanda is showing off a beautiful lace skirt. A little out of my price range unfortunately ($60). Erika was seriously thinking about buying those leather leggings ;) And isn't that fur coat nice? ;) But I actually bought a really cool skinny tie for Nate ($13), warm socks for me ($12) and really nice slacks for $15. I almost bought this blazer, but I had already spent so much at Old Navy, I couldn't justify it. Can't wait to go back for Christmas shopping! Also, they had an amazing men's department, so I am excited to take Nate!

*********

'

On Saturday morning, Lora and Shellese helped us make these fun witch's hats for Halloween.

Aren't they cute?!

*******

We stopped at Trader Joe's on the way home. Jennica is a big fan and tried to convince Erika and I that it's the best place for groceries. I'm not sure if I'm completely convinced yet, it's a little too granola-organic-all natural-hippy for me. But I did get some apple cider that was delicious. Everything in there just looks like it would taste like grass. But, the pretzels and veggie chips that Jennica and Erika got were actually pretty good. So maybe I will embrace my inner-hippy and shop at Trader Joe's when I get the chance.

**********

I really loved spending time with the Gibby girls. I honestly feel so grateful to have married into such a wonderful, loving and welcoming family. Looking forward to many more retreats! :)

Bike Update Part II

 In case you missed it, we bought a vintage bike that needs some extra TLC. Check out the original post here. Our goals for this week on the bike were to: (1) take detailed shots of the bike so we could put it back together more easily (I won't bore you with those photos); (2) take it apart (as seen above); and (3) we started sanding. 

 Here is the color we chose. I think it will be a little darker with several (2?) coats.

Check out that candy apple red! The original color of the bike. Why would anyone paint over that red with that dull blue? Strange.

Bike goals for this week:

1. Finish sanding

2. Paint

3. Order needed parts

P.S. Wait! It's October already?? How did that happen?

Weekend update + New project

We had a big weekend full of adventures!

Crafting. Borrowed Holly's sewing machine and tailored some old khakis using these tips. They actually turned out pretty well.

Music. We went to The Brocks concert at Sammy's. A.m.a.z.i.n.g. Seriously. Go buy their CD.

Broadcast. Watched it. Loved it.

Celebrating. We celebrated the engagement of Sam & Kyle at Olive Garden. Yay for marriage! 

Swap meet. Well I didn't buy anything at the swap meet. Although I should have. There was a great $5 Gap sweater that I wasn't quite sure about...until someone else bought it. Darn it. 

But, on the bright side, we got something even cooler. 

We got this old Schwinn at a yard sale right after the swap meet for $40.

 Obviously, it's gonna be a BIG project. So in order to motivate ourselves, we have decided to have a weekly post for updates on our progress with the bike. I'll try and save links and other online resources that we use and post those as well.

Nate is taking care of the mechanics and all that stuff. But I am excited to pick out the handlebar tape and paint color. I really like this color scheme:

Source: bellacosas.tumblr.com via Diane on Pinterest

And this cutie shows off what my bike looked like in its heyday:

Source: trfindley.com via Lacey on Pinterest

This week's bike goals:

1. Take photos of everything on the bike so we can put it back together.

2. Take it apart.

3. Start sanding the rust and paint down.

P.S. Thanks for all of the comments on Hair Help!

A print + links

On a boring Sunday afternoon while Nate was working, I saw this print on Pinterest. Just for fun, I made my own using Picnik. Maybe I'll keep my day job ;) But what do you think? I made a few others. Want to see more?

P.S. Another print I made as a gift.

..........

P.S.S. Friday links:

A little trip down memory lane for Nate and I.

Living a balanced life.

Dreaming about Nova Scotia.

Can't wait to make these yummy red-velvet brownies!

Love these smart tips for back-to-school clothes shopping.

And this is for the members of my family who are considering coming out for Christmastime: things to do in Utah in the winter :)

Crafting: "Keep Calm" Print

To celebrate ( or mourn) the first day of fall semester, I have a little craft to show you.

My mom and one of my sisters are both starting new teaching jobs this fall, so I wanted to make them something that would be fun and inspiring. Being inspired by the "Keep Calm and Carry On" trend, I found this teaching version. I simplified it and made my own version. I used Picnik and this tutorial to make the print.

If you want, you can snag this print for your own use :)

Happy fall y'all!

Crafting: Love on a Map

Inspired by the love map, I made my own. Danielle made a heart map for where they met, where they got married and where they live now. Since where we met and where we live now is basically the same map, I did where we are both from, where we met/where we live now and where we got married.

Super fun and easy! Not sure if this frame if right for this though. Maybe I should paint in black?

Dress to Skirt :)

So I have this old swimsuit cover-up that I'm so much a fan of anymore.

And lo & behold a new skirt was born!

Find the whole tutorial here.

But seriously, all it takes is a little snip-snip-snip :)

Crafting: Yarn Letters

While in Canada, the girls started a few crafts. I tried out the yarn letter trend. I kept seeing them all over Pinterest and thought it looked pretty easy.

I got my letters at Michaels for just a couple bucks each. Rachel let me use some of her yarn, so I didn't have to buy any. I found out that it's a bit harder than it looks.

For mine, I wrapped vertically to cover the letter and then did a second layer horizontally. I used a little fabric glue along the way to keep the loose ends in place.

All in all, an easy and fun craft!

the inspiration

Thrifting: Yard Sales

I think the first Saturdays of each month are going to be my favorite time of the month this summer! I went to a total of five yard sales this weekend! (Yeah, I know, I may need some help.) I first stopped by the big one at our apartment complex. There was a ton of stuff, just nothing we really needed. So I headed to the one I had been planning on. The poster read, "Multi-family yard sale: Vintage and Designer!" How could I not stop by? The photos below display my success.

Prints: $1/each I think I'll use this one for a birthday card maybe!

I picture this one to be framed in our (future) laundry room.

Key wall art: $2 I painted this after I took this photo with gold spray paint, but I think I'm going to try it in white or black.

Chair: $8. It just needed some scrubbing and good as new! I was thinking about sanding it down and painting it yellow to use it as a second chair in the office. But I think I like it how it is!
Blank canvas: $4 This canvas was still wrapped in plastic! I was so excited about it, I painted it as soon as I got home.

The rest of the yard sales I went to after this one were pretty junky. But I'll be back on the yard sale hunt next month!

Crafting: wreath and necklace

Fabric Wreath

I've had this wreath for awhile, but I thought it was worthy of a post.

Materials: hanger and strips of fabric

Cost: $0

I started by bending a hanger into a circle. The strips of fabric I started with were actually fabric samples from various fabric stores I got when searching for fabrics for the wedding (a.k.a. free). The rest were strips cut from an old shirt and part of a tablecloth used at the wedding. I double-knotted the fabric strips to keep them tightly on and voila! A free wreath!

Fabric Necklace

This is the result of a boring Friday night.

Materials: 6 2 inch strips of fabric about 2 feet long and string

Cost: $0

These were all materials I had on hand, so it cost nothing. Also, it takes no skill. I just braided 2 sets of 3 strips and then used the string to tie together the ends of each braid. I connected them with another piece of fabric using hot glue. Easy peazy.

Crafts: Easter Egg Garland

After reading about this Easter egg garland, I knew I had to do it!

On Saturday, we stopped by Lowe's and swiped a bunch of pastel paint cards .

Nate helped by making the pattern for the eggs!

For some reason, we only have kindergarten-size scissors in our house, so that made it interesting!

It ended up being really easy, while a little tedious.

To hang them up, I threaded a string with a needle through them all.

It almost felt like real sewing!

Finished product!

(Please ignore the cinder-block walls!)