Tag Archives: DIY

08.10.12

We're expecting....you to read this

Posted by Christina // 8 Replies

All of my friendlies are having babies.

But you knew that, because I told you here. I do not have kids on the agenda, which I told you here.

But that doesn’t mean I can’t be inspired by all the baby making going on. Don’t get any ideas boytoy.

I’m just saying that I do enjoy looking at all of your pin boards chock full of nursery goodness.

I’m so inspired that I am going to create a nursery mood board for our fictional twins. Because in a perfect world you would knock a boy AND girl out in one try.

So while I am probably giving both of our mothers heart palpitations right now, I present our baby rooms. And no, we are not expecting. Double negatives means I’m serious.

So get off the “you’re next” bus y’all, I don’t drink the kool-aid.

Okay…you can call me predictable on this one. Gray will be the last name so the color is a given, and hello look around…we are kind of obsessed with all things that live in saltwater.

I feel like a lot of this you could DIY…specifically buying a used crib and painting it navy. Making a cute fishie mobile and if you are really brave, I bet you could make that boat.

The awesome crib is so different from your typical white or brown. I love it, and it’s so nautical, so I’m lusting.

The paint….Gray of course is Benjamin Moore’s, Graytint.

I think the mobile is such a sweet take on something that can be totally tacky. I would love to paint it a bright glossy red and let my baby dream of sweet whales singing to him all night long. Maybe I will put on whale songs.

The gorgeous jute rug is a really good way to bring in texture and curves. Who knew a rug could be so spicy.

The bedding is my favorite. It’s patriotic and ocean-esque but still classic and best of all it doesn’t have ducks on it.

The clock and rocking boat are fun ways to incorporate a theme into the room and make it feel cohesive and fun. I woulda killed for one of those boats to cruise around in.

Overall, I would say our non-existent baby boy will be quite a catch. Ok that was cheesy, but as long as he doesn’t think having a sailor room means he can talk like one….I’ll be a happy mama.

Not what you expected eh? Who does blue and green in a girls room you say…..we do. Little miss will inevitably love mermaids, so call me a psychic when I say her colors are sea foam green, coral, and oyster pearl blue.

My favorite thing in the whole room is the Ombre Curtains. I know it’s a big fad right now, but the ruffles make it so girly and they really do remind me of the ocean.

Like the post before, a plain ol’ crib is not going to cut it. So I went with this freaking adorable coral crib.

The picture frame is made of seashells and of course this imaginary kids room will be full of photo shoot memories. I also love the print that says, “The World is Your Oyster”. It is indeed little merbaby.

And isn’t the light fixture incredible? I am really putting it on my Christmas list. I’m a planner you know!

The paint is none other than Behr’s, Seafoam Pearl.

Talk about some stylin and profilin kiddos. Can I just remind you that I am not pregnant and this was just for fun, mmkay thanks!

08.06.12

One Hot Mama

Posted by Christina // 12 Replies

I had never thrown a baby shower.

In fact I am not sure that I have ever been to a baby shower. I mean I am sure I have, but I have always blocked that stuff out because I never really cared much for babies.

Until I met Tim, and decided that I wanted to have twenty-seven of them. That’s just a starting point.

Then each and every one of my friends got pregnant. Something to do with Fifty Shades movement or something, I’m not really sure. Now I am planning baby showers left and right.

I have a little practice in the party planning area…I threw her bridal shower and bachelorette party last year.

But the challenge here, besides it being a baby shower, is that she lives in Pennsylvania. Which means no traveling when she’s about to pop, which means throwing a shower without knowing the gender until a week before the shower.

Mission impossible….accepted.

Without knowing the gender, I had to make the invites neutral. Have you seen the “gender neutral” invitations lately? Gag me with a spoon. This baby was not of the rubber duck variety. Quickly decided I needed a theme. I scoured Pinterest for ideas…tea party? ready to pop? library themed? They all left me feeling a little luke warm.

Oh yea….also….I am lazy. Cleaning the whole house, just to clean when people leave is not my idea of a party. I am a firm believer of enjoying yourself at parties. The only logical thing to do was to pick a venue which I did not have to clean.

If you knew the future mama…the one thing you would know for sure is her love of Mexican food. It’s basically what we bonded over, and the thing she misses most about good ol’ Missouri. The fine, not-very-clean-but-delishious Mexican food. It was only appropriate to celebrate her at a Mexican restaurant.

So we had a feista….to celebrate One Hot Mama.

The very first step was the invites. I found a designer I liked on Etsy and gave her my basic “theme” for the shower. She took it from there and I couldn’t be more thrilled with how they came out. Spicy….

I called the most delish place I could think of, Hacienda. I gotta say that they rocked it out.

It was bright and fun and the food….oh the food.

The food was the hit of the party for sure….I mean besides this girl.

Throwing a One Hot Mama themed baby shower was a hoot.

Lots of “rattle maracas”, “leis”, “baby pinatas”, “new daddy mustaches” and well…fiesta shades.

Now if you actually read the 241 words that started this post you remember that we did indeed find out if it was a girl or a boy about a week before the shower. So of course I had to throw that little tidbit into all of the details to let everyone know.

Get ready for “detail overload”

When walking in our guests got to sign a little onesie for baby Brooklyn, then they grabbed a homemade pin. And the games begin.

Yes I actually wrote a poem…..my mom is so proud.

I made the pins for the “Don’t say baby game” by spraypainting clothespins hot pink and the hot glueing cute scrapbooking embellishments.

They stayed in that awesome formation for about three-point four minutes.

Guests also got to grab a homemade gamecard. Really labor-intensive stuff, just printed on cardstock.

So that we could play the best game ever.

If only we could have gotten a guest appearance by Bob Barker.

I packed the prizes into cute little polka dot pink lunch bags and then threw a strip of tissue fringe to fuss them up a little.

I however, did not account for multiple people guessing correctly in Baby Price is Right. Should have had at least forty more prize bags.

I did have enough baby pinatas though.

These things were great! Just got cute candy cups, filled them with candy and girlied them up with ribbon and tissue fringe. It was super easy and made the most adorable favors.

I also filled a little picture frame with a sonogram picture so that everyone could sneak a peek at the little dumpling.

The most fun I had was making the onesies on my Silhouette Cameo.

If you were unaware….Missouri is the show me state. And I have to have this little bean representing up in the PA. Or something like that.

And so the “Show Me Love” Onesie was born. Get it? Born? Ok, overboard.

I also made one with an “L” on it for the babe’s last name.

Needless to say….there was plenty of pink floating around. Here let me show you….

Miss Brooklyn is going to be such a girly girl. Thanks to yours truly.

I do believe a good time was had by all. At least I hope so, and if it wasn’t well it was my very first baby shower y’all.

I do know one thing….baby shower presents are the cutest thing I have ever seen. I forgot to take a “present picture” but the girl made a haul.

No baby shower is complete without a diaper cake…

Katie loved all the cute outfits, of course.

And I just loved seeing my best friend so happy….

So I am calling my first baby shower a success!

08.03.12

Office Inspiration....Fifty Shades of "Gray"

Posted by Christina // 9 Replies

Ok so I have never actually finished the books….but Tim’s last name is Gray so I feel like it’s totally appropriate.

There will be no crazy smut scenes on this blog folks. You’re welcome.

Although there will be lots of desk talk. Just as exciting, right?

We have been spending a lot of time in the office lately; T is really busy at work when he is not learning HTML for me. I have been obsessed with finding little nuggets of gold on the galactic universe we call the internet to inspire an office makeover.

Our office needs to be two things….comfortable and functional. We are in the office chairs way more than we are on our nice fluffy-hug-me-with-pillows couch, so we need a little cushion for the tush that’s for sure.

If Tim had his way, it would have wall-to-wall fish tanks. Huge flat screens on every wall. Three, yes three, enormous monitors on his oversized desk. An endless supply of pens, and snack food. A built-in bathroom. A recliner. A fridge, fully stocked. Oh and a maid, can’t forget the maid. And my office would be in another room.

My dream office looks a little more like this…

Our whole house is pretty light and airy; I need some moodiness in my life. Which is why I went with a princess of darkness kind of feel. All it needs is some dang handcuffs or a tie or something.

First thing is first….our walls right now are this mucus yellow color. There isn’t a plethora of rooms that can handle the snot look, you’re really limited to the bathroom. So we are going to tone it way down with a not too dark gray. We really want to do one wall with chalk board paint so we have a fun way to jot down schedules, love notes, and play hangman of course. For all of you worried that “it will be so dark” we have a huge window that lets in more than enough light. We are thinking Benjamin Moore‘s, Bear Creek.

The rug is a little feisty, and more for Asti to have something soft to play on. I think the office should be inspiring and needs lots of little fun pops of interest to keep you coming back. This rug definitely pops. Plus the whole I-look-like-an-animals-stripes thing throws a natural element into this very gray and sophisticated room.

The chair is perfection…I would love to find a cushy chair like this at a yard sale and completely DIY something to be this chairs little sister. Dark, high gloss paint….fancy schmancy fabric and it comes out looking like a curvaceous piece of comfort. Mama likey.

Every single day one thought crosses my mind. “I need an ottoman.” This one not only looks good, but I’m fairly certain I wouldn’t have that “oh wow this is digging into my calf” feeling that I get from most ottomans. Not sure if our office is big enough to hold it, but a girl can dream.

As much as I love Gray…I crave a pop of bold color. Hello sweet, industrial, bright blue desk. With the curves of the chair, frames, and mirror…we need something to break all that girlyness up. You know you want to sit and blog at this desk. It’s so simple. I find that if I have a bunch of drawers, they just get stuffed with secret junk. I would prefer some open shelves above the desk to stay a little more organized. Next to Tim’s flat screen of course.

The mirror is the bling that will draw your eyes up and away from our funky rug. Just enough glitz for the room, and a good way to check the bags under your eyes to know if you should call it a night. She is like our little pageant queen.

Then it all comes down to the details. You know we need a fish in every room, so voila…fish vase. Sweet ruffled curtains to lighten up all of the gray. Chunky black frames full of homemade art. And a huge candy jar, filled to the brim to keep my man happy!

There you have my dream office….now to get T on board. Wish me luck!

08.02.12

Putting my pins to work...

Posted by Christina // 4 Replies

So I do all of this pinning…and I look at my pins lovingly every day, and then wish I had more time.

But for this…I made time.

After pinning lots of these bad boys…

I decided that I ~~wanted~~ needed to make one right this second.

So I did.

I gotta say….everytime I walk in the room I am instantly happy.

I decided I needed a little more color than my inspiration pins, so I went for a punch you in your eyes yellow. Instant sunshine on our gray walls.

Y’all that know me…know I got these knobs on the cheap. Just waited for Hobby Lobby to have a 50% off sale and I scooped them up. I picked up the spray paint with a coupon, and the wood we had laying around so the whole project cost under $20.

Pretty sweet upgrade from hanging on push pins.