How To Surprise Your Husband

1. Wait until he goes out of town on a business trip to a warm, southern location and politely decline his invitation to go along.

2. Survey your home for areas that need improvement. 

Exhibit A: Master Bedroom

3. Hire family members to spend a Saturday night replacing the old ceiling fan.  Offer to pay family members. When they refuse, send them home with baked goods.  (gracias to Paul and Evan!)

4.  Admire new ceiling fan. 

5. Remove ugly, outdated wallpaper.

6. Spend hours deciding on  a paint color.  Eventually choose one that is so yummy it makes you want to drink almond flavored coffee.

6. Remove ugly light fixtures.  Patch, prime, paint and hang new curtains.

7. Attack old night stands with a can of white Valspar spray paint.  Use a piece of sandpaper to achieve a weathered, shabby chic look.

8.  Add some personalized pieces.

9. Find a reliable assistant to inspect your work.

10. Pick up unsuspecting husband from airport. Take him to dinner.  
Return home and watch his reaction.

11. See step #1 when he tells you that he has another trip coming up and wants you to go. 

Inspiration: Marshmallow Peep

When I saw Dana's Marshmallow Peep project, it got me thinking.  Using her template for a Peep Bunny, I came up with this:

It was super easy.  I downloaded Dana's pattern (I opened it in Word so that I could adjust the size) printed it, cut it out and traced it onto the back of my fuzzy, pink chenille fabric.  I ironed some Heat 'N Bond to the back of the fabric, cut out the bunny and then pressed it onto a onsie.  Using a paper hole punch, I made three dots for the eyes and nose.  I placed the dots onto the bunny and did a quick forward and back stitch over each.  I then made a tiny little bow and attached it to the bunny's ear.  Finally, I did a zig zag stitch around the entire bunny using a pale pink thread.

Since the bunny was wearing a pink polka dot bow, I made a matching one for Hannah.

Both of these little peeps are almost good enough to eat!

License and Registration, Please

Jewelry Display

My jewelry box is usually a tangled mess of necklaces and bracelets.  I've seen so many cute jewelry display frames and I knew that I just had to make one.  So, I pulled out this shirt...

...that I wore while pregnant.

Here's a close up of the prettiness:

I got a 12x12 corkboard, centered the pretty design around the board and cut.  Then I stapled the fabric to the back of the board.

Next, I used a nail and hammer to make two holes for hanging. Here's the back.  I know it doesn't look great, but I'm okay with it.  If I were giving this as a gift, I would cover the ragged edges with ribbon.

Here's the front.  I then used a pair of scissors to cut holes in the shirt for hanging.

I added some ribbon for hanging.

And tied cute little knots to hold in place.

Next, I screwed little hooks through the shirt and corkboard.  I was loving this project so much that I forgot to take a picture of this step.

I found the perfect spot on the inside of my closet and hung it with a nail.  I added my jewelry and there ya have it.  Necklaces and bracelets organized and ready to wear!

I'm linked up with:
Just Something I Whipped Up
Penny Pinching Party
A Little Craft Therapy
Make It Yours Day

New Item on Etsy

I have another new item on my Etsy site and I am so excited about it!  Check out these little dresses.  They are cute, comfortable and oh-so-versatile!  I the warm months, they can be worn alone and when the weather cools down, simply pair them with jeans, tights, or leggings and a long sleeved shirt underneath.  They can be worn as a dress and as your child grows, they can be worn as shirts.

The orange dress is available in 6-12 months and 2T and is ready to ship.  The fabric is from Joel Dewberry's Aviary Collection.  The brown and pink dress is ready to ship in size 12-24 months. 

I'm currently working on more of these adorable little dresses and welcome custom orders!

This Ohio Girl...

has spent all winter looking at this:

And dressing her daughter like this:

And doing a lot of this:

So, this week, it has been a welcomed reprieve to be able to dress like this:

And do this:

And this.

Extreme Makeover: Blog Edition

My blog has a new look! I've been reading Diana's blog, The Girl Creative and I thought she had great style.  Last week she made an announcement that her blog design waiting list had opened up, so I contacted her.  She was a delight to work with and has very reasonable prices! I had only some sketchy ideas of what I wanted and she went right to work to create something that is totally me.  Diana has a lovely portfolio showcasing her shabby chic and modern designs and will do a complete blog makeover or just spruce you up a little.
You likey?  Me likey!