What Now?

January 6, 2012 in family room/office, Projects with 5 Comments

I’ve really slowed down the pace of projects in recent months, and in fact haven’t gotten much done at all around the house. I decorated for Christmas, opened my etsy shop (made another sale yesterday! woohoo!), and got a new sofa and dishwasher. Other than that, I mostly just grew a placenta.

But now that I’ve got most of my energy back it’s time to get busy. Where to begin? I keep wanting to jump to installing shelves above my desk in the office because it seems like a quick and satisfying project, but then I remember that I should probably paint first. And then I remember how much I hate cutting in and decide I don’t want to paint unless I can somehow get away with doing just the middles. So I think I’ll hire someone to help me, but that seems like a lot of work (finding painters, contacting them, setting up appointments, stressing about the cost…ugh). And I remain kind of stuck in that holding pattern of painting ambivalence.

The other project looming over me is the wing chairs. I could go back to upholstering them. But the idea of working on them in my future clean, organized, and efficient office and sewing area seems so much more appealing than working on them in the mess I’m currently surrounded by. I definitely think I want to tackle the office first.

Maybe I should just dive into the painting. Bite the bullet and start taping this weekend. I am really excited about someday getting to this:

Gray Mirage

The more I write about it, the more motivated I’m feeling. The hardest part is getting started, right? Well, actually, no, not really, not for me. I’ve mentioned before how great I am at starting projects and how sucky I am at finishing them. That’s why I need to start with the hardest part, the edges, and then work my way in to the satisfaction of rolling broad strokes of paint onto the wall. And since I plan on taping this time instead of deluding myself into believing I have the steady hand and patience required for cutting in by hand, it should be easy as pie once that tape is on the wall, right? Right? Please tell me this won’t be as awful as I suspect.

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Modified Mini Message Board

January 5, 2012 in Crafty Goodness, Projects with 4 Comments

(try saying that title five times fast)

My mom’s birthday is two days after Christmas and I always have a hard time coming up with two nice, distinct gifts so close together. Trying to combine the two occasions into one larger gift is a recipe for disaster, and I can’t blame her. I don’t think she really cares what we give her for her birthday, as long as it is completely separate from Christmas (that includes the use of Christmas wrapping paper). Her Christmas gift this year was easy–there was a necklace I knew she wanted. But for her birthday I had to get a little more creative. She’s been gradually redecorating her kitchen over the last year or two in shades of red and yellow, and somewhere I got the idea to get her a red-framed mini-chalkboard to prop up on her kitchen counter as a message board. I picked up this unfinished one for a mere two bucks on Amazon.

Then I covered the chalkboard area in painters’ tape…

And used the spray paint left over from the DIY snow jar to coat front and back in glossy red.

After it dried I peeled off the tape and admired my masterpiece. You can see near the upper right though that I did miss a spot with my tape. No biggie. A little elbow grease and a magic eraser made it good as new in under five minutes.

Unfortunately I didn’t take any pictures of it with the cute frame stand I got for it (although I’m sure I could have found something cheaper at a brick and mortar discount store my first-trimester self was not really so into the idea of actually stepping foot into a real life retail store in the middle of December). I combined it with a little baggie of chalk and a pair of vintage salt and pepper shakers from etsy to be a cute little kitchen set. I think I gave vintage salt and pepper shakers from etsy to at least three people this year. I got the idea from this blog and ran with it–in fact, I just realized that’s where I got the idea for the chalkboard as well! That Karen is a gift-giving genius.

Also, I’m aware that it’s probably not advisable to use spray paint while pregnant. Unfortunately, this thought didn’t even occur to me until after the deed was done. I was outside in the middle of my yard and i do always try to avoid inhaling the fumes, but if I find myself feeling compelled to spray paint again in the next six months or so I’ll just trick Nick into doing it for me.

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Because You Know I’ve Thought About It…

January 4, 2012 in Nursery with 8 Comments

I admit that I’ve been trolling Pinterest for nursery inspiration long before I got pregnant, but now that there’s an actual bun in my oven it is so exciting to think about all the possibilities for the real-life nursery I get to have in my house. Here are the inspiration images that make my little heart go pitter-patter:

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This is the exact crib that I want, except white. Although the yellow is very pretty, I think I’d rather white for something I’m likely to re-use with future kiddos. I’m definitely hoping to use pops of yellow elsewhere though. And I love the use of fabric in embroidery hoops to adorn that blank wall.

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Ahhhhh this room just looks so soothing and serene. I want to sit in that green chair and stretch my toes out to touch that pretty textured rug.

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I just realized that the first three pictures I posted were of rooms with blue walls,  but none of them screamed “boy,” and in fact all three seem pretty likely to be girls’ rooms. I love a lot about the room above: the white Jenny Lind style crib, the long dresser with changing pad on top, and the mirror over the crib, especially.

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This room looks a little more boyish to me, maybe because of the pops of red (which, coincidentally, is pretty much my least favorite color. Can you see why I’m so convinced it’s a girl? I’ll have to shift my whole world perspective to raise a boy). I can’t quite put my finger on what I love about this room. I think it’s that it’s so eclectic.

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OMG I love those poms clustered in the corner. And the crib. And the rug. And the footstool. And the clever little shelf under the window. And I totally would have pegged myself for a no-crib-skirt kind of gal but how soft and pretty and not-overly-sweet is this one?

So this is what I think I want: a white Jenny Lind style crib (like the one in the last picture. Maybe I can track one down secondhand to save some bucks), a long, low dresser to double as a changing table, a comfy chair that can be repurposed elsewhere in the house later on (so traditional nursery gliders are out), and lots of fun, pretty color all around. And the less money we spend the better, so that means being patient, stalking craigslist, and putting in a little elbow grease. Good thing I’ve got about six months to get ‘er done. Hopefully by the end of June the smallest bedroom in our house will have been transformed into a little baby paradise.

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2012 Resolutions

January 3, 2012 in Jack, On a Personal Note... with 2 Comments

I guess yesterday would have been the day for a post about resolutions, it being my first post of the new year and all. But there was no way I could write a post about my hopes and dreams for the year to come without mentioning the major, major fact that this year will be my first as a new mom. So first I told you about the baby, now I’m telling you about my resolutions. I am actually pretty into goal-setting and all that, but I try to resist the temptation to make sweeping and unrealistic proclamations of how things will be different this year. More like just tweaking and adjusting my focus towards things I may already have in the works. Without further adieu, I give you my goals:

  1. Be an awesome parent. Isn’t this what everyone with kids wants? I feel like I’ve got a pretty good shot, since part of my work is coaching parents, but folks everywhere are quick to assure me that it’s completely different when it’s your own kid. My goal for the first half of this year is to learn as much as I can about parenting little ones (a blind spot for me since all my clients are five and up). After baby arrives, I’ll be trying my darnedest to actually remember and reference some of what I’ve learned instead of just reacting with panic to whatever this little tyrant throws at me. Easier said than done, I’m sure.
  2. Balance. One thing the first 12 weeks of pregnancy taught me is that it’s not the end of the world if I slow down a bit. The blog will keep running, the housework will wait, and the neighborhood Christmas committee will not come after me for not having the most festive home on the block. I know that the arrival of a child in my life will put obscene amounts of strain on my time and energy. My priorities will shift, and I need to make sure that I make enough time for me (and Nick, and baby) to rest and reconnect.
  3. Projects. That said, there are some things I want to get done around here. I’m determined to wrap up some unfinished projects: the office slash family room and the wing chairs, namely, as well as get a good start on that nursery. I’ve only got about six months, so I better get a move on. Who knows what I’ll be working on the second half of the year. I’m just gonna wait and see what happens.

That’s it. I think three is a good, solid number of realistic and attainable resolutions. But really, these are only for now until July. I have no idea what life will be like after this kid shows up. My goals for the second half of the year will probably be: survive, survive, and lose the baby weight. I’ll be doing good if I can just knock out the first two.

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