Wednesday, June 29, 2011

A lesson in Modge Podge

Well, I got a hard earned lesson in modge podge last night. Wow is that stuff sticky and fickle! I'd never used it before, but next time we battle, I think I'll be more prepared. And, I love my piece even more because it seems to have some hard earned battle wounds.

Here's my process....

I got this adorable little wood piece from Michael's that seems to be just the right size for the 2 hooks I got at target... I painted the edges white because I knew I wouldn't be placing papere there and I didn't want to have just wood showing.. and I think it will help the green gingham pop a little more.
(I realize this image looks a little funny, blame my phone)

Next I modge podged the paper on... well, I didn't realize right away that I needed to place a layer of glue/modge podge under the paper to help it stick, so half way through doing the top, I lifted the paper and put some on the wood. I think this is why it got a bit lumpy. Oh well, battle wound right.
It has now dried overnight and I'm ready to put these adorable white hooks in.

Should I be trusted with a drill? We'll see. Final project photos may have to wait until husband comes home tomorrow...

But, one fun fact... I've decided that I'm going to invest in that velcro wall stick stuff to hang photos in our next home. We have a million "ooops" holes now, or where I've changed my mine. I've already got one roll that I plan to use to hang this beautiful finished project.

I love this green gingham. I think it if fun, summery, bright... fabulous. We hope to incorporate a beautiful teal, yellow, and bright green into our new bedroom.  I have a feeling that I'm going to need a lot more bright colors in our house to get through the dreary winter summers in denver...

however, turns out I'll be hating summers and winters there... supposed to be 97 today in denver...awesome.  so long beautiful california mid-70s weather...

what fun summer items are you all creating?  please share!

xoxo

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Adventures in Craftland

Lately, I've been a frequent visitor at my local Michael's Store. We are just over 2 months from our move and I keep thinking of fun things I want to do and make in our new home. We arent' actually buying a home for a few months, but still. I've been so inspired by my recent blog adventures that I truly can not help myself.
So, today, I decided to tackle a long standing problem of mine... jewelry.
I have several pieces of adorable jewelry that I wear almost daily. These are not the very special chain necklaces that I've collected over the years... the first piece of tiffany's jason gave me for my 19th bday, my love necklace from stella and dot, or my other S&D necklace with both a mom and "e" charm for my girl... These are the larger, more colorful statement pieces that I wear in rotation, seriously, almost daily. Many of them are 31 bits, some are Stella and Dot, all are amazing. However, some of them don't get out as often as they deserve because they get lost in my giant jewelry box. I mean giant when I say that... It's a stand up one, with doors AND legs. I love it, but it's huge and overwhelming. Currently, several reside in canvas bags (yes, toms shoes bags) in my catch all make up, lotion, etc basket on the dresser. But, they need a place to call home.

So... I've decided to tackle my first real crafty project. I'm going to make something adorable to hang on the wall that they, my prized jewelry pieces, can hang on!

Off to Michaels I went to get some treasures. I got a wooden board, white paint, modge podge, adorable crafting paper in a bright green gingam and sponge brushes. I just need to pick up some hooks and I'll be ready to go.

Wish me luck. I promise to share the results tomorrow, good, or bad.

We love Mater

I have to say... I love disney movies. I grew up watching them, my favorite being Aladdin, then The Little Mermaid. I love the music, stories of love and friendship, I love it all. And now that Pixar has entered the game, I'm a mom that loves disney/pixar movies.
Currently on rotation in our house, Toy Story! Emery loves her some toy story! She jumps up and down when we put it on and then runs in and out of her room to the living room to tell us how much she loves Toy Story.
More often than not, she can only get through about an hour before she wants to play in her kitchen or sing some songs on my lap... which is why I'm not ready to brave a movie theatre to see Cars 2. We're bigs fans of the original... but I've heard this one strays from the original warm hearted story line and has a lot more action. It's almost as if it was created for the 5 year olds that loved the original and are now 8. So, we'll wait and get it on DVD (yes, I refuse to give in to blue ray yet).

In the meantime, I've fallen in love with another option from the Cars franchise. I'd like to introduce you to Mater's Tall Tales
(thanks for the image)

This morning while dropping Emery off at her Auntie Jenny's, Mater's Tall Tales was in the DVD player. Bubbs (the love of Emery's life...) is an epic cars fan (which I think it why Emery loves it so much, because she loves him). I'd seen it before at my local target but hadn't broken down and picked it up. I think I'm going to have to give in now. It is an adorable 30 minute DVD of some adventures of Mater. They are exagerated in true mater style, but very sweet. My only complaint is that Owen Wilson is not the voice of Lightening McQueen....
This is a special "Car" Toons DVD, a side story of one of our favorite characters of the orignial full length Cars movie. I love that this one is a reasonable length for a 2 year old and still provides all the original characters.

Thanks Auntie Jenny...another DVD to add to the collection.

Monday, June 27, 2011

I hate Mondays!

Why? Because I have to leave this beautiful face and head back to work. Our weekends have become such fun adventures in family time. The only drawback is the laundry not getting put away and dishes in the sink... but who cares? I'll never get time with this beautiful face back!

Happy Monday!

Friday, June 24, 2011

Another busy blaylock family weekend...


Blue Window is this ADORABLE store on 2nd in LB. They are having a 31 bits trunk show today and tomorrow. I'll be there you should too. Check out their website here: http://bluewindows.net/

And, because one activity in a day isn't enough... Jason and I are having a double date with my college roomie/love-a, Heather and her husband, Nick. We don't get to spend nearly enough time with her...and I adore her, she was my maid-of-honor... as shown here (wow we look like babies!)

Last, but not least, Sunday will be spent at the Buyou Festival, you can buy tickets at http://longbeachfestival.com/201053110/HTML/LBBMF_New_Home.html
It's a lot of fun, good music and food. Plus it raisese money for Comprehensive Child Development (CCD) in Long Beach. Join us!

What are you doing this weekend? Take a nap for me! ;)

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Something fabulous for our new home

Yes, I realize we haven't actually moved. But, I'm slowly collecting fabulous things that I know I will love in our new house.

Here is something I stumbled upon.. either through another blog... or etsy.

Petit Design Co. is amazing! We got the beautiful print below of Emery emailed to us (no shipping!). It was very inexpensive at $15 and we have unlimited use of the emailed image. We plan to print a few extras to give to family members.

blog.petitdesignco.com

It was so easy! I purchased the image through her site, then emailed in a few profile shots of Emery... a few days later, this landed in my email.
The hardest part was trying to get a profile picture of a two year old that loves to say "cheese" to the camara.
Jason and I had something simlar done at disneyland a few years ago...
So did my two cousins, Cami, Rachel, and I, when we were kids.
I just love how it is such a subtle image that captues the beauty and innocence of a little one.
I'm so excited to add this to the amazing hodge podge of items I've been collecting from etsy...

Celebrating silly (but important) milestones of my girl

Now that Emery is 2 (and 3 months), I am quickly realizing that the major milestones are fewer and farther between. Gone are the days that I want, or need to document her every smile, outfit, and movement. In fact, there were a few months when we only took 5 pictures IN THE WHOLE MONTH, which is devestating. Those moments with my precious baby are gone. To be honest, it is getting harder and harder to even get a good picture because she never slows down long enough for it to happen.
But, since I am 'the' crazy picture taking mom, and since we just invested in a crazy fabulous new camara, I'm back to celebrating milestones and capturing moments. Mostly, because this new awesome (and by awesome, I mean expensive) camara can take great pictures of a moving target.
So, last night, we celebrated Emery's first time using a big girl plate! Yes, a regular plate. She still isn't using my princess house plate (over my dead body), but she got her own nice, but plastic plates this week. I had been admiring them for a few weeks at my local Target. And when they went on sale to just over $1 a piece, I knew it was a sign. I was socially obligated to impact our economy and take them off the hands of this particular Target. Which I did, 3 of them, along with 2 matching bowls.
We had been using some baby take and toss plates for Emery. Except we never actually tossed them. Or, we had a lovely collection of the kid plates from the Target dollar bins.
Next up, big kid utencils.
And because any good milestone celebration is not complete without pictures...

Emery decided to have a dinner party with her new bear last night... We even "fed" the bear some smoothy from her "like mommy" straw sippy...

What fun milestones are you celebrating? Because it's more fun to celebrate the silly ones!

Monday, June 13, 2011

Fashion?

Disclaimer: I am not fashion-ista, but I do have some serious opinions on the topic.
I didn’t grow up in a house that ever seriously considered fashion. My family subscribed to the mantra of “It’s on sale, and it fits, it’s perfect.” I love my mother and grandma, but they were not exactly fashion icons growing up. My grandma has dressed like a grandma, since before she was actually a grandma. Think stretch top pants and stretchy bottom blouses… My mom… well, she has one look: A cotton tee (which now-a-days is either from Northern Reflection, or is an Elks Lodge polo), tucked into her black denim, bedazzled belt buckle, and sneakers. Yes, they are both comfortable and always ready to leave the house in 10 minutes, but it certainly will not be featured in vogue magazine…
Looking back, High School was a fashion mess. I was the poster child for teenage anger and angst. And I was all too proud to tell you that I didn’t give a (enter dirty word here) what you thought about me, or my clothes. I regularly sported slippers to school, courtesy of a very lax dress code. And, because I worked in a doctor’s officer after work, I would wear my work scrubs to class. In the end, I basically wore pajamas to school every day, and I looked like a sloppy mess.
Come college, and I find myself in a sorority with 100 other ladies that apparently did already know what coach and jimmy choo were, and I had some serious catching up to do. I got my first adult credit card and promptly bought myself a tiffany’s bracelet and coach purse. Yes, it was the smallest purse ever, but it was mine! I look back at my freshman year photo album and wonder how I managed to put together such ridicules outfits, and how did I manage to still have friends. Whoa!
I have spent much of my 20s still trying to figure out fashion. Now, as a mother, my goal is to make it out of the house each day dressed. It really is that simple. I love watching shows and reading blogs about fellow mothers and our universal struggle to gain (or learn) some fashion tips for being a mom on the go without wearing pajamas. Now, I strive for the “chic mom on the go” look… which mostly just includes classic items that actually fit my new mommy body, and items that it is ok if they get juice/snot/tears/food, or bodily fluids on them. My beautiful kelly green silk blouse from Banana Republic has not seen the outside of my closet in over a year. But, it’s stunning, so I keep it. And, I hope someday I’ll have a job again that requires fabulous business attire. I love cardigans and ballet flats, tunic blouses and relying on jewelry (insert www.31bits. com plug here) to make an outfit fun.
But, I have been known to try to tackle fashion… mostly unsuccessfully. When I do, I end up taking every fashion trend of the moment and putting it in one outfit. Like the time I wore my tunic style dress, with a belt to give a shape, with a scarf (because it was winter), which was also why I added the tights. Add the headband because I was too lazy to actually “do” my hair, and the cute ballet flats because I’m 5’10” and don’t need any extra height. Looking back, I must have looked ridicules. By the end of the night, I found myself delaying my trendy looks, one piece at a time. I felt stupid, I looked stupid. But, I was so excited about each trend, and I don’t get to go out all that often, so I decided to toss them each into one outfit.
Or the time I tried leggings as pants. This is probably the WORST TREND OF ALL TIME! Unless you are actually a model, you should probably skip this one, ladies. I especially love it when women add a printed full-bottom panty that we can clearly see because the butt of you leggings is begging for mercy! My outfit consisted of leggings, with a cute long tunic, that same damn adorable scarf and my trendy brown steve madden boots. You know the ones that every girl on the planet owns, with the buckle on the side/back and a small wedge. Yup, those. Then, I added a short, almost cropped jacket (also not covering my booty) and headed out the door for date night with Jason. In his defense, he did suggest another outfit. Something I DID NOT react well too and stomped into another room to sulk. I knew he was right, and he said it with the “but I want you to feel comfortable,” concept… but I didn’t listen….
Here’s a few other “trends” of our recent past that I tried, and failed at….
-Uggs, with a denim skirt and hoodie
-Tennis skirts and rocket dogs
-White “wife beater” and a black bra
-Ultra low rise denim (insert thong top and butt crack here)
Here’s my point. Most trends are ridicules. 95% of the population is going to stuff themselves into an outfit because it’s trendy, but end up feeling uncomfortable and self-conscious most of the time. Why not just wear what fits, what flatters, and what you love?
This is my work in progress and my eternal struggle… finding a balance between comfort and fashion…. And motherhood.

Friday, June 10, 2011

My issues with personal space.

If you haven't been to my house, then you don't understand my struggle with personal space. Meaning, in my house, I have none. We are so lucky to rent my childhood home from my grandma, with a yard large enough for our two very big doggies.... but what the house has in yard space, it looses in actual home space. When it was just Jason, Carley (our beloved mutt), and I... we had plenty of space. The second bedroom served as our guest/office space, where Jason or I could escape one another for a few minute to check email or, in my case, various celebrity smut cites that have my undivided attention.... It wasn't ideal, but it worked. And, we never thought we still be there 3 1/2 years later, with a toddler and second, larger dog, Jackson. But, here we are.
For a while, the computer desk stayed in Emery's room. But, then her toys began to take over the living room, and we thought we could contain them all in her room and bring the desk into the common space. Well, that was crazy. We've brough most of her toys into her room, but the living room is now the home to her table, desk, stroller, and shopping cart. Serously, as she grows, so do the size of her toys!
We have one common area, and all of our stuff, and the 3 of us are here, together. All. the. time.
We made the decision when we got married that our bedroom would not have a TV. Our bedroom was not going to be a place that we disconnected from one another, or stayed up late watching TV. We have some of our best conversations as a couple in the time between going to bed and falling asleep.
We had originally made the same decision about Emery's room. No TV. I wanted to be able to control what she watched, and when. Well, months of fights and tantrums over backyardagins vs. real housewives... and we are getting Emery her own TV. I'm not sure where, in the maddness of her room with a pop up tent/house, kitchen, bookshelf and toy bins (yes there is a bed in there...), we are going to put it... but the time has come. She will not have cable EVER hooked up to her room. Just a DVD player. And, I'm ok with this cave of my "ideal" parenting ideals.
But, as we prepare to move to Colorado, the little voice in my head that has been frustrated and begging for some personal space is getting louder and louder. I love being a mother, and a wife. But, I never shared a room until I was in college. Now, 8 years later, I'm still sharing with Jason (which...is fine), but I'm desperate for some personal space. As any mother knows, the bathroom isn't even a place of peace. Now that we are potty training, Emery has to celebrate everyone else's bathroom accomplishments.... which involved a face to face clapping and "woo hoo!" Showers? Forget it! I've learned to avoid getting water on the floor with the curtin half open... avoiding the 100000 million "what are you doing mommy?" questions...
All I want is a small craft/mommy nook. I don't need a whole room. I'm willing to share the other half as a family office. But one desk, one wall, must be mine. If I'm getting really greedy, I want a vanity table. Someplace to set up my jewelry and makeup where I can sit and get ready in the morning.
I've been reading some mommy blogs about amazing craft areas on one of my FAVORITE DIY blogs:

Some of these spaces are amazing. How do moms find time to create them, then utilize them. I envision a place to house and wrap gifts, work on Emery's snapfish photobook, keep my photo albums and books... I want to decorate a small space with all my own tastes. In our home, I walk a fine line of something being to feminine for my "macho" husband. (insert belly laugh here).
My grand plan involves finding two small old book shelves that will be the foundation for my desk. We'll (and by we, I mean Jason) add a top and front legs. I want to create a chevron design on top and paint the whole desk in some bright colors... maybe yellow and green! I'm going to need some bright sunshine in
winter-y Colorado.
I don't claim to be an interior designer, but I did a simple sketch of what I hope for. I don't look like much here, but in my head, it's a little piece of mommy heaven.
I love being a mother, but as any mommy knows, 5 minutes of time to breath and collect your thoughts in priceless. I realize it will be a few months before we move, and several months before we purchase our forever home... but this is helping me get excited about a move that is pretty scare for me.

I'm going to be reusing some frames we have in the closet to create the j+c=e. I'll paint them all one color and use card stock for the letters/symbols. I plan to tack some fishing wire to one wall and use the clothes line clips to hang current photos of my friends and family. The "flower" picture in the center is one we already have from IKEA a few years ago... I got a mason jar from Michael's for scissors, pens, and markers. And I hope to scout a couple of used book shelves from a yard sale or thrift shop.... Besides being budget friendly, this is a fun project that can help me settle into CO life. I can explore and find fun vintage shops and find a way to fall in love with somewhere new.
I'm going for a fun spring, clean, uplifting vibe... that celebrates my friends and family. Ironic, since it is supposed to be some personal space...

Monday, June 6, 2011

Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body. ~Elizabeth Stone


I want to try to do more with this blog. This has become a way for me to document my life, sorta. I want to explore more and share more. We are getting ready to move 1100 miles away from my family and friends and I know that this will provide a window into the life of our family. We hope to explore Colorado...and I want to share these explorations... our frustrations. The good. And the bad. But mostly the good, in hopes of bringing a friend, or family member to the dark side (aka, getting them to move onto my block, so I can have a piece of home with me in CO)....hint hint: Cami...Angela? I know you are already on the fence. =)

That is my goal for the summer: Figure out how to make reading my blog more fun. And figure out how to make writing it more fun... This time? One of my favorite quotes about parenthood. I truly believe this is true. Emery and I have this unspoken connection. It's like we look through eachother's eyes and into our souls. I feel the women of my family are all cut from the same cloth and have a kindred spirit feeling. Which, might explain why we are all so passionate, crazy, opinionated, compassionate.... so love fiercely, and fight the same way...