New House. New Projects.

It's been well over a year since we started our house hunting effort. The six of us were bursting out of this little townhouse. Some days it seemed like the house was trying to eat us! Just too much stuff and not enough space.

In 3 weeks we'll be moving to our lovely 5 bedroom single family home in a nearby town. We're so excited. Yet the scope of work ahead of us crazy! There are so many things I want to do. But until we actually move in I have to be contented with planning and creating small crafty items for the extra space......

I can't go overboard. My husband will be so annoyed if I create more junk to move. So here's what I'm working on: Kid's Decor.

I'd like to create custom pictures for my daughter room. She'll have a fairy theme in her room. Her furniture is white. So I'd like to create art work that's bright, dreamy and appropriate for a toddler. Green, pink and orange will be prevalent in the room. Though I haven't found nor created the pop of orange I want.

The lamp was $7.99 at Target. I'd like to embellish it with contrasting ruffles. Kinda like these Pottery Barn Lamps:

I picked up the frame for $3 at AC Moore. The initial was $1.99. I painted it a pale pink with the crap load of acrylic paint I have in the house. I'll likely hang this over her crib.

Cheap Bathroom Art

Michael and I have been trying to buy a house for months now. We just can't find the ideal characteristics we want. Namely great schools (elementary, middle and high school) and proximity to the base where my hubby works, I shop and the kids go to the doctor.

My time in our crowded townhouse isn't wasted. I have tons of little projects to do while we get it ready for the next family who'll occupy it. My primary focus (besides the usual paint and carpet redo) is updating the kitchen and bathrooms.
Here's an inexpensive craft I tried this week to spiff up the downstairs powder room. All you need is scrapbook paper and inexpensive frames. The ones in the picture were purchased for $1 each at Target.

The theme I'm going for is calm and beachy. I want to feel like I'm sitting on a private North Carolina beach at dawn. Gray, blue and sandy brown really appeal to me here.

Next go 'round I think I'll try my hand at fancy frames for the living room.

Mama Bird Diaper Mock Up

After looking at numerous diaper patterns online I finally decided to try the Mama Bird newborn pattern. Some of the others (like Ottobre) were nice but WAY too big! Who has the patience to break out a calculator to figure out the math? The Mama Bird Pattern was simple and sized right. It fits newborns up to 12lbs. So I'll likely make several more. Maybe opting for the All-In-One next week.

This one was made for practice. Making mock ups of my projects for practice and learning works well for me. It's comforting to know that the item doesn't have to be perfect. So I'm patient and willing to try new things that ultimately increase my skill and ensure sewing success.



Personal Notes:
1.) Shorten the soaker from 12" to 10.5"
2.) Try wider/colorful velcro.
3.) Lengthen leg elastics.
4.) Stick with coordinating thread. It hides mistakes well.