I have fifteen gazillion nieces.

Or perhaps it's just 6.

Anyway, I love them all dearly and don't get to see but one of them on a regular basis, being that most of them live in Virginia and I live here in Texas.
So I decided to try and make most of them a little something to remind them why they love me the most. Isn't that what Aunts are supposed to do? (by the way, I wanted to make them all the same thing, but my fingers said nope.)
I got all the bags at Hobby Lobby (of course) for super cheap.
I then went to work, cutting out letters and the flowers.
I got the flower tutorial from this great blog.
They were lots of fun to make. I wish I had more time to make them a little more fancy, but that's life.

Hope everyone had a safe and happy New Year! We went to a family party on Friday night, then headed straight to the deer lease to try one more weekend of hunting since buck season ended Sunday. I saw nothing, but my husband had the great luck to see his first buck of the season yesterday... One day after buck season ended. How's that for luck? Oh well, we had a great time being together and letting the boys shoot the gun.

I'm ready for a new year, although it's always a little sad to see the old one go and know that you can never get back those moments. I can't wait to welcome a new one into our home this year and to get busy on all of the many projects I have lined up!

I sometimes bemoan the fact that I'm not getting anything done, so it helps sometimes to look back on what you have done. You can then give yourself a little pat on the back and move forward with new vim and vigor to the things you need to do.

So let's look back on the things I did around the ol' homestead this year....

My first big project was my kids bathroom. This was actually one of the easiest ones that I did this year.

Next up I (uh, we) tackled the boys bedroom. This one required me to put my thinking cap on since kids rooms don't come naturally to me, especially not when you're trying to keep the child's taste in mind as well.

I attempted to lighten up my living room with a very cheap (under $50!) redo later on in the year. This room is still in progress and and ever changing. Next up, adding a new window!

The same attempt was made with our family room. This was a little easier since it has lots of natural light anyway. (unlike the living room) I do need to update some pictures from this room though since I have since changed out more than half the furniture since then. (what can I say? Buying and selling is my hobby!)

My biggest and best project was one that took me months and made me rethink my idea of redoing it over and over. It was so worth it in the end though. The boys love playing out in the pool house and it definitely gets used a lot more now! Best of all, it doesn't smell like a dog anymore!

My last one is also one that is still in progress. I started redoing our kitchen/dining right after moving in, since it was a dark and gloomy room that I spend have of my life in. Our dining room is really just a little niche at the end of the kitchen, so I started there and am working my way out. This project is top priority since I am determined to get it done before baby no.3 arrives in May!

I also threw in a few misc. projects here and there, but we'll take a look back at those another day.

Oh by the way, I was super surprised and excited to click on over to The Lettered Cottage today and see my pool house featured in her post!! I think this is the closest I will ever come to fame;-) Be sure to stop by there and see the post, plus all the great room makeovers that are featured and linked up!
Thanks Layla for adding me to that super talented line-up!

Do you ever go to the Goodwill/Thrift Store and pick up a treasure that makes people look at you with following thought written on their face...
"Oh that poor dear! She has no taste! I just can't imagine what her house must look like."
And so on...

Well my last trip to the Goodwill produced a few items of this caliber, but the potential was worth every stare.

(um, I might be exaggerating a wee bit about the stares)

Here was my treasure.

Nice huh?

After slapping (and I do mean slapping) a few weak and sloppy (and I do mean sloppy) coats of paint, forgetting about it for a few days, then remembering it again and quickly (and I do...never mind) sanding it.... this was what I got.



For $2, it was worth every penny. (and stare)

Now I just got to figure out what to with it. Ideas?

In the words of Martin Luther King, "I have a dream!". Ok, so our dreams aren't quite the same, but it is still a dream none the less.

When we had our son four years ago I searched and searched for baby bedding that I liked and could also afford. Nada, zip, nothing.

There was stuff like this by the bucketful...


Now don't get me wrong if this is your style then I'm good with that. It just wasn't what I wanted.

That is where my dream began. I dream of creating a line of baby bedding that is both affordable and adorable. I want baby bedding that makes you think of lemony sunshine filtering through the curtains. Of crisp cotton snapping on the clothesline on a hot summer day. Of white sand and foamy green waves. Then the sweet smell of baby's breath, the curl of their tiny fingers over yours, the look of delicate lashes on sweet chubby cheeks.
I want to make something that looks like this beautiful bed from Melanie's guest bedroom.
Image from Pretties and PosiesImage from Pretties and Posies

Or these designs from Targets line of adult bedding. Target Simply Shabby Chic
Target Simply Shabby Chic

Serena & Lily is the closets that I have seen so far, but unfortunately it is out of my price range. (Lets face it, I'm very cheap and $100 for bedding is out of my range.)

So now you know my dream. The thing is, it's actually within my grasp in a way. I could design them and sew them and sell them on Etsy. But I do hate to sew and I don't know if they would sell and I don't know that I could make them as affordable as I would like since fabric and time would take up a considerable amount of $$.

Meanwhile I'll keep on dreaming. Let me know if you've ever looked for baby bedding like this to. I would love to hear if you found it...

I was laying in bed thinking about a few things and it struck me that though I made our baby "announcement" a few weeks back, I had failed to follow up on it.

So, this is baby no.3. We have two bouncing boys and though we would love to have a little girl, I'm very ok with another boy. We are going to let this one be a surprise though (did this with our first and loved it!)

I am due in May (just 3 weeks after one of my sisters!) and have finally ceased being sick!!!! That really deserves more exclamations!!!

One of the worst parts was that I sat, literally sat on my sofa for almost 4 months doing nothing. My creative juices were temporally sucked out of me. My desire to clean my house or fold laundry (uh wait, I never desire to Fold Laundry!) had totally dissipated. So my bestest news is that they are back! My house is clean and I've been working on projects again! The problem now is that I have more projects in my head than actually going and I don't even know where to start. I'm sure I'll figure something out.

So that was me catching you up on the news. I can tell we all feel better now.

More soon...

How many of you are still searching for "your style"? I know you pick up the latest PB or some other catalog and you fall in love with a hundred different looks till you are left feeling lost and confused and wondering what you really like! I know I'm not the only one out there that feels like this.

I remember about a year ago I "found" a blog called The Lettered Cottage and I felt like I had finally come home (ok so that's exaggerating a bit). It was like looking at a dream that was actually within a normal human beings grasp.

traditional living room design by media and blogs The Lettered Cottage

I later came across the website Houzz, which really helped me hone in on what I liked even more.

traditional entry design by media and blogs The Lettered Cottage

I found that going through (yikes) hundreds of pictures and saving them, then going back again and seeing which ones actually jumped out at me, helped me realize what I like most.

eclectic dining room design

Do you know what it feels like when an image actually jumps out at you?! It is a picture that isn't lost in the crowed. Something that you remember and think back on.

spaces design by media and blogs Dreamy Whites

Then you adapt those images for your own use.... this is the hard part.

traditional bathroom design by seattle architect Bosworth Hoedemaker

Sometimes a beach cottage just doesn't fit in with a brick rancher. Dirty carpet floors don't complete that perfect clean look.

spaces design

Hmmm, I guess now is when you shoot for the image that is both reality and dream. That is possible, thank goodness. Don't put your expectations so high that you can never achieve the look that you want. Don't try to make a hunting lodge out of a coastal retreat. Do adapt the look you love to the home you're in.

kitchen design

I do live in a brick ranch style home. It doesn't have plank walls, wood floors or vintage hardware. It has carpet and tile, textured walls, shiny gold knobs and such.

traditional bedroom design by seattle architect Bosworth Hoedemaker

But I have found my style! I found that I love bright and airy rooms. Texture in many ways and forms. Clean and simple. A touch of days gone by. The feeling that you might catch a whiff of salt coming off the foaming waves when you walk into a room.

family room design

So I'm learning to adapt. Add those touches in a way that doesn't clash too much with the style of my home that I can't change, and change the style that I can. (Sheww, did that confuse you too?)

traditional kitchen design by seattle architect Bosworth Hoedemaker

So if you're still looking for your style, don't worry if it takes you a while to find what you're looking for. I promise it's out there.

traditional kitchen design by media and blogs The Lettered Cottage

Don't make any rash or sudden moves until you find it though. Who wants to end up with a pile of overpriced decor that you bought because you got desperate?

eclectic dining room design by birmingham interior designer Tracery Interiors

Then again, who wants to read all this stuff that I'm typing?

eclectic home office design by media and blogs French Larkspur

It's ok to skip a few words. There won't be a pop quiz at the end.

traditional family room design by seattle architect Bosworth Hoedemaker

In the end it's really just an excuse to show you some really great looking rooms.

eclectic kitchen design

All of these pictures are ones that "jumped" out at me. In a good way.

eclectic bedroom design by other metros media and blogs The Shabby Nest

Hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

spaces design

If you don't that's ok too.

spaces design

Now I'm just rambling....
(Congratulations to Megan from Little Blue Prints for winning the CSN Giveaway!)

I wonder how many have discovered the wonders of Sundance Home? Yes they are expensive and out of my range, but oh the beauty.

Let us reflect on some of the lovely things I have seen over there....








Not too shabby huh? I pretty much like everything they have and just had to share!

You still have a few hours to enter my giveaway!! (ends tonight!)
Have a safe and happy weekend...