Boppy Pillow Recover

I have been SO busy this week! I've been trying to get everything ready for a baby. Eric and I are about to become foster parents! We are so unbelievably excited about this! We are only taking infants under 1yr, so our house is slowly being taken over by baby paraphernalia. No complaints here though! We don't mind at all :)
Anyway, this week has been filled with trips to all sorts of baby stores. I have found some that I really like! There is one store call Kid to Kid that buys and sells gently used baby and kid stuff. From clothes to strollers, they have it all! And the prices are pretty good too. I've been on the hunt for all things essential to baby.... one of those being a Boppy Pillow. I found one at a resale shop today that is in really good condition and only $5! Can't beat that. The only thing was that the cover was pink. And since we don't know whether we will have boys or girls, we need the nursery (and all that it contains) to be neutral. And I have to say that it seems to be easier than it used to be to have a neutral space. (thank goodness!)
So I just searched around online a little and found these two great tutorials:

This one looks great and pretty simple too. I definitely want to try this one, but I didn't have a zipper that size that would match the fabric I was using and couldn't be bothered to go out and get one tonight. So I tried this one instead:



The no zipper version. This is just a video on how to do it, but you have to buy the pattern from their website (they have some great patterns!), so I just drew out my own pattern by outlining the pillow. Everything else is pretty much the same. And here's how it turned out:

And here's the back:

I am quite pleased with how it turned out! It took a little bit to get the pillow into the cover (which is why I would still like to try the zippered one), but it does fit nicely once it's on.
Well, I'm off to sew a changing pad cover next! I'll let ya know how that one turns out later. Wish me luck!

Blog Make Over!

I have spent the entire day revamping my little blog. I've visited some of the cutest blogs lately and I realized that mine just wasn't where I wanted it to be. So I did some hunting and found some super cute blog templates and also found some amazing photo editing sites to make my snazzy new header! It's the little things in life...

Here's where I found the great templates:
    

And also here: Leelou Blogs (for some reason I couldn't get their button to work...)

Cheri over at I Am Momma Hear Me Roar has a great video tutorial on how to make a header using Picnik.com. This video is so helpful. I have now found one of my new favorite photo editing site! Another editing site I found is FotoFlexer.com. ShabbyBlogs has another great video tutorial on how to use that site. It is truly amazing! I've had so much trouble using the editing software that came with my camera, but these sites make things a piece of cake!
Well, all said and done, I'd say it was quite a productive day and I'm rather pleased with the results :)
Hope this can offer some help to someone else in my shoes!

Bathroom Mini Make-over

This past weekend, my huband and I decided to tackle a mini version of a bathroom make over. Ultimately, we would like to gut the bathroom and start fresh. Our inspiration for the big renovation came from this fantastic blog. BUT, until we have the time and resources to take on that beast of a job, we wanted to spruce things up a bit. I'm sorry to report that we haven't done a thing to the bathroom since we moved in... 9 months ago. I know, I know, how could we possibly use this room everyday and NOT do anything to make it more liveable?! But we bought a fixer upper house, so other rooms have been the priority. Well now that the other rooms are mostly done (those pics will have to wait for a later post) we can focus a little more attention on the ever-so-desperately-in-need-of-attention bathroom. Now I must start by saying that we still have quite a bit of work to do to make this place shine, but this is only the beginning of making this a more beautiful (and functional!) place to be. The first place we wanted to start was the sink. It was a horrible 70's dark wooden cabinet (not original to the house). When we first moved in, we were at Lowes one day and found this great pedestal sink on clearance for $41! It was originally over $100. So we snagged it for a song knowing that we wouldn't be able to mess with it til much later. Amazingly, the cabinet came out quite easily, leaving the tile on the wall and the floor intact and not too much worse for the wear. It looked pretty nasty, but most o the dirt came up with a wet sponge. Then came the hard part. The caulking that was around the edge of the vanity. After a little research online (thank you Google!), my sister found that if you use a hair dryer to heat the caulk, it will become pliable and peel off rather easily! It worked like a charm!

After all the caulking was gone and we cleaned the tile, my husband, Eric, installed the new sink! It wasn't too difficult really, but I made a huge difference. Before, the bathroom felt odd and claustrophobic. Now it feels like a normal bathroom. Yes, it's a little small, but normal. Love it!

Ok now this is a pic of BEFORE WE MOVED IN, this is not my decor, but I completely forgot to take a picture of before our make over, so here ya go:

And this if after our little weekend DIY:

Not too shabby, eh? Like I said, we still have a lot more that we want to do, but I'd say this was a pretty good start. Any bathroom make overs out there? I'd love to see them! 

Green With Envy

Well, house projects are coming along slowly, but surely. My goodness, it does take quite a while to fix up a fixer-upper! So in the meantime, I am trying to bring some freshness and light into our cozy little home. And what better way to do that than with plants? I have been obsessed with "rescuing" these little leafy friends from their sad, small homes on the Lowes clearance rack (not that I'm complaining that they were on clearance!!). And, might I add, Lowes' clearance plant section is an excellent way to grab some greenery on the cheap. I try to pop by every week or so lately, to see what's new. I recently adopted a couple of sad looking orchids that I am currently trying to nurse back to health. Wish me luck! The rest of the plants I've purchased have been in very good shape, maybe just needing a little water and pruning. But for $1-4 a piece, I will water and prune away! So here's a little glimpse of my new little friends:

These beauties are in our bedroom and add so much color to brighten up the space. I love the texture that they bring and how they reflect off the mirror to look even more luscious.

This one is a Ficus. I just got him over the weekend and decided he would go quite nicely in the kitchen. I love glass on the counters, so having some pops of color really helps even things out. And you gotta love how much color those little nesting tea cups from Starbucks add! Sadly, they have been discontinued, but you can still find them at some stores on the clearance rack. (Have you noticed by now how much I LOVE  clearance racks?!)

Ok, now this one is just too cute. I never really thought about putting a plant in the bathroom (and yes, it is on the back of the toilet), but something about it makes the bathroom (which is in dire need of a makeover) feel a little more homey.

I think this one just might be my favorite... cute, no?

This little guy has defied all odds. He is actually from Ikea a couple years back, and even through moving several times and being sorely deprived of water, he just keeps on goin'! He's a fighter.

I think by now, I have a little bit of lovely, air-purifying greenery in almost every room of the house! (well, the ones that are finished at least) And I've been quite happy with how much they brighten the room! On top of looking oh so pretty, they help purify the air in your home! And who could pass up a pretty air purifier for under $10?

What about you? Where do you find your little bit of green? What are your favorites? I'd love to hear!

A Very Productive Sick Day

Yesterday I started feeling like I was maybe coming down with something. I made a big pot of homemade chicken noodle soup and planned to have soup, tea and lots of medicine and vitamin C for the next few days. I really didn't even plan on moving from bed much. But even though I wasn't feeling well at all today, I somehow managed to get quite a bit done! I'm actually rather impressed with myself for getting up at all. Those unexpected productive days are some of the best. They're like bonus days!

So today I was able to check lots of stuff off my to-do list and get a bunch of etsy projects done! Here's a look at what I was working on:

These are some felt keychains and some vintage button bobby pins for my etsy shop:

www.applestone.etsy.com

A Perfect Rainy Day

I LOVE rainy days! They make me want to stay home in my jammies, drinking tea and curled up with a good book. Or, in todays case, baking and sewing... tea is a given here. So I turned on some good music (I'm loving Ray LaMontagne) and got busy in the kitchen doing one of my very favorite things. Baking!


Last weekend, I finally got a chance to use my new Madeleine pan. I got it a couple weeks ago, but with all the craziness of the last few weeks, I haven't had the chance to use it. I thought Madeleines were going to be these difficult, temperamental things, but they weren't at all! They were amazing. I had really only ever had the ones from Starbucks, but let me tell you... once you've had homemade Madeleines, you'll never go back.

They were so good that I made another batch today because
I ate them all
everyone loved them so much! The recipe I used came with the pan, so I didn't even bother looking up recipes and reading all the reviews and, like i said, they turned out great! Here's the recipe I used:

Madeleines:

Ingredients:

• 2/3 c. flour
• 1/4 t. baking powder
• 1/2 c. butter, melted and cooled
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 t. vanilla extract
• 1 c. powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Spray Madeleine pan with Pam (I used the cooking spray with flour in it)

Sift together flour and baking powder in a small bowl and set aside. In a separate mixing bowl, beat eggs and extract on high speed for 5 min. Gradually beat in powdered sugar. Beat another 5 min or until thick.

Gently fold in flour mixture, then melted butter. Mix until smooth. Spoon the mixture into pan, filling about 3/4 full. (I used a measuring teaspoon, but I've been told these work great) Bake approximately 8 min. or until edges are light brown. Cool in the pan for 1-2 min. Loosen cookies with a knife then invert pan onto a cooling rack.

Optional:

Dust tops with powdered sugar

To make Orange Madeleines, substitute orange extract for the vanilla and add 1/2 t. orange zest.

I probably could have filled them just a little more, but I'm still working out exactly how much I need before they overflow.

Now I can sit down with that cuppa tea and enjoy the fruits of my labor!

I hope that you enjoy these little treats too!

Recouping

Today I was going to accomplish alot. I'd start by doing yoga, get my day started right. Then I'd get showered and ready and make phone calls and send emails (all of which have needed to be made or sent for some time now). Then I'd clean up the house, make sure the laundry is done and then finally get to work on some projects for Etsy.

Well, it is now 2:47 in the afternoon and, I'm sorry to report, none of those things have been accomplished. It should have been a very productive day... but it just didn't happen.

I think the main reason is that yesterday was the first day after a very long two weeks.

My little brother got married last weekend. And while I am so very excited for them, it was quite a busy couple of weeks! Lots of family in town, house projects to finish before they got here, rehearsal dinners and finally the day of the wedding. It really was a lovely wedding!

Being on the grooms side of things, I didn't know a whole lot about the actual ceremony. So I was just as pleasantly surprised as all of the guests at the gorgeous chapel and the dresses and the ceremony. It was beautiful!

So Congratulations to the lovely couple!

But now, after having had a couple days to recoup from the busy-ness that is a wedding, I need to get back to a routine. I have phone calls to make, emails to send, a house to clean and all of these fun projects waiting ever so patiently in the study!

Here's to hoping that tomorrow will go as planned!

A New Beginning

A few months ago, my husband and I bought our first home. It is a small 50's bungalow style house. And when we moved in, it needed quite a bit of work. But we felt we were up to the challenge! Everything (and I do mean everything) needed a good coat of paint. Walls, trim, baseboards, cabinets... some of which we still aren't done with. We have re-drywalled, torn up carpet and taken at least of bucket of nails out of the walls. And in the last 4 months, we have accomplished alot! It's not always easy, but it is so rewarding to be putting in a lot of hard work and getting a home in return. So, this is going to be a place where I can document the fun (and not so fun) projects around the house, plus all the other great stuff that life brings!