. . . and like a whisper it transformed and evolved until it was gone. Christmas ’19.
sweet and simple will forever be my favorite (and homemade cinnamon rolls 😉).
Hope you and yours had a very Merry Christmas and that the joy of why we celebrate lives with you the whole year through!
~xoxo~
P.S. – Goodbye 2019! Hello 2020!
At around 19 months (last month), we decided to begin transitioning Mr. Tate to his own room and a bigger bed. I know, it seems a bit early for the bigger bed, but he wasn’t utilizing the crib at all and we are thinking a very slow transition to it – starting with naps (for a few months) and then adding in nights. Our older two kiddos used and slept in their cribs so much more than Tate has by this age so we weren’t in any rush to transition them to a different style or kind of bed.
We’ve pretty much co-slept with Tate since birth. And while it’s a little bittersweet to know that the nighttime cuddles will be becoming less and less, our little man is getting big and we are running out of room for the two of us and our crazy horizontal sleeper.
With that being said, naps (we are down to just one a day now) in his own room and his own bed are going so-so – he still likes having a sleepmate. 🙂
All except for a few things in Tate’s first bigger boy room are previously loved (hand me down) items. His bed was his older sister’s up until our move last August. A couple of months ago, I painted it with a blue jean colored chalk paint that I found on clearance at Target and then coated it with a semi satin polyurethane. It was originally a $40 purchase off of Craigslist nearly ten years ago. We have definitely gotten our dollars worth out of it!
Estate sales are most definitely one of my favorite “stores” currently. I’m fascinated at being able to get a peek into how others lived, their travels, their collections, their dreams. I feel like it’s an honor to be able to browse and enjoy others belongings and essentially be able to enter into a summary of their life within walls.
Other finds:
The bottom art is a miniature framed painting I purchased at an estate sale for a couple of dollars. The top print on wood I thrifted for some odd cents.
The below wardrobe was from a thrift store in Alabama. It was gray until I painted it green. 🙂 The rocker is a hand me down from my parents. They inherited it from a great Aunt. The heart pillow I made. The hanging basket was made out of a thrifted basket and some rope.
The fawn pillow, sail boat stacker toy, school bus and hobby horse were newly purchased. The toy top was a gifted thrift store find from my sister. When it’s spinning, this is probably still Tate’s favorite toy. The soda bottle crate (night stand), I purchased several years ago from a flea market.
I thrifted the lighthouse painting several years ago for a couple of dollars (it was framed when I bought it, but I removed it). It reminds me of the northeast and the time I got to spend there when I was a tween/ teen.
All of the blankets were thrifted or found at an estate sale except for the blue/ cream gauze coverlet and gingham sheets. All had hardly been used and were in great condition.
I took the below photo while traveling along the historic Route 66 here in Missouri (outside of The Mule Trading Post). Although a “kitschy” landmark, I liked that it was unique and something that is native to the portion of Route 66 close to where I grew up. And my Father-in-law gifted me the boat diagram prints that he found a garage sale in their retirement community near the gulf in AL. The framed crewel seaside scape was another flea market find I purchased while living in Alabama.
The holtztiger wood animals and figurines are new and we have been gifting them to Tate thus far for special occasions (Christmas, first birthday, baptism, etc) throughout his little life. And my plans are to continue to do so for at least a couple more years. The small barn shelf they are in was thrifted for just a few dollars.
Although it’s a little bit of a hodgepodge, it feels cozy and like home. A little bit like this post (wink, wink).
Just in case you’re not familiar with thrifting and estate sale going, here are a few easy tips or tid bits.
Links to the newly purchased items in Tate’s current room: Opal house Gauze Coverlet // Fawn Pillow // Boat Stacking Tower // Hobby Horse // School Bus // Holtztiger Wooden Figures // Rising Clouds Print
P.S. – Bed rails will be added when he begins sleeping in it overnight.
the beginning of this past week brought rain and then sunshine and now all of the small buds that were peeping have begun to turn into beautiful blooms. after living in the south for several springs, i was looking forward to seeing what those first blooms back in our area of the midwest would be and look like. even though i grew up here, living elsewhere for awhile has made me so much more attentive to things I never paid much attention to before. our first spring back feels magical. just like our first spring did after moving south. cheers to the old that’s new again!
(first blooms of spring ’19)
“May your soul beautify the desire of your eyes that you might glimpse the infinity that hides in the simple sights that seem worn to your usual eyes.” ~ John O’Donohue
~xoxo~
Just recently I did a little sprucing up in the kid’s bathroom which is also our main bath. I kept coming across all of those little things that almost 10 year old girls tend to accumulate and throw into drawers. In addition to buying a few drawer organizers, I thought it wouldn’t hurt (and it might be fun) to provide her with another way to not only stay organized but keep things easily accessible. In other words, something that will hopefully help the drawers stay cleaner longer. 🙂
Materials & Supplies:
*Optional: paint, paintbrush, painters tape, grommets
Instructions:
Step 1: Cut fabric and vinyl pieces. The size and dimension of your organizer is entirely up to you. Keep in mind the space you have available and the materials you have on hand (how much fabric and vinyl you have, the size of your dowel, etc). I cut my canvas down to 18″ wide by 60″ long (this was already the width of the fabric so I just kept the finished edges and went with it). For the vinyl, I cut two pieces 8″ tall by 17″ long, one piece 8″ tall by 6″ long, and one piece 8″ tall by 10″ long. These will be my pockets. When cutting your vinyl pieces/ pockets, keep in mind what types of items you will be storing in your organizer (example: bigger items, bigger pockets). I also mention later on how you can make a bigger pocket multiple pockets by doing an extra stitch. This is your chance to really customize your organizer!
*The final size of my finished organizer is 30″ long by 17.5″ wide.
Step 2: Finishing edges. In order to avoid fraying edges. Fold and iron down 1/4 inch of fabric on all unfinished edges. Then sew the edges. (refer to photo below)
Step 3: Create pocket for dowel. Fold your canvas fabric in half and place your dowel in the fold. Roughly pin down where you should sew your pocket for the dowel making sure that all edges of your canvas are even with each other. (refer to photo below) Remove dowel and then sew pocket. Mine was approximately 1″ from the fold.
Step 4: Sew the front and back of your folded canvas fabric together. Once you have sewn your pocket for the dowel, pin and sew the two halves of your folded canvas together. You will really only need to sew along your sides and bottom. There is no right or wrong way to do this, just make sure you don’t sew your pocket shut.
Step 5 (optional): Paint design. This step is fun but definitely not required. My intention was to add a little color while keeping the design and painting relatively simple. I used painters tape and taped off some areas underneath where my vinyl pockets would be and painted them with a color that would somewhat match the bathroom. Once the paint is dry, remove the tape. (refer to photo below)
Step 6: Layout and sew pockets. You want to make sure that the vinyl pockets you cut earlier fit the layout of your canvas and your design. Once you have your pocket layout determined, pin down your first pocket into place. (refer to photo below) Then sew your pocket onto your canvas. Repeat with each pocket. If you have a bigger pocket, you can always make it smaller once it is sewn on by stitching a line down the pocket to create a seperation in the pocket. Make sure you don’t sew the tops of your pockets closed. And feel free to reinforce your stitches at their start and stop points by reversing and forwarding over them once or twice.
Step 7: Finishing touches. Once all of your pockets are sewn on, you can add your finishing touches. I added four screw on grommets at the bottom (for necklaces and bracelets). I then placed my dowel back in its pocket, added dowel caps, tied on a piece of thin rope for hanging and tied on some decorative tassel trim to each side. (refer to photo below)
Total cost: around $12
Total time: 2 hours (give or take some depending on whether you partake in the painting step or not)
The windows are open and the sun is shining. Have a beautiful first weekend of Spring!
~xoxo~
plaid pockets & pink shoes 