DIY Baby Mobile

I love crafting! Especially during Christmas break when I have time. Josh plays his video/ computer games and I craft...very relaxing. A project I have been working on is a baby mobile for our baby girl's room. I wanted something bright and attractive that she can look at. The following sites inspired me to do a butterfly themed mobile:

http://raechelmyers.blogspot.com/search/label/Color

Raechel is such a creative person and is an AWESOME decorator! Her site is very inspirational and has great ideas.

http://heartlandpaper.typepad.com/heartland_paper/2009/08/handmade-chandeliers-on-studio-5.html

Here are the supplies I used:

I started by cutting strips of ribbon about 4 inches long. I tied them knots going around the circumference of the cardboard circle.

Next, I took clear thread and cut it into long pieces (~20 inches). I tied it to the circle and let the pieces hang down. I "sandwiched" identical butterfly piece stickers to the clear thread with hot glue. I glued 3-4 butterflies on each thread piece. I did the same with the sew-on dragonfly pieces.

***This part was kind of frustrating because the thread was like working with a piece of hair and the threads kept getting tangled. To solve this I used a black surface to work on. I put the circle in the middle of the table and had the pieces of thread spread out in different directions (like a sun).

Lastly, I used four strips of tulling to create a bow at the top for the mobile to hang from. Josh hung the mobile on the ceiling by a metal hook.

Baby Girl's Nest

First off, since Christmas is over I can tell our secret. We are having a GIRL & we are SO excited! She is healthy and moving like crazy!

It's hard to believe that Christmas has passed, and the New Year is 5 days away. It's crazy how fast time flies. Sadly, I know when our baby girl is here time will fly even faster. Josh and I have had a great Christmas break so far. We realize how fortunate we are to even have a Christmas break...and are enjoying every moment of it. Last week we painted the nursery a warm tan color. Auntie Kates came over to help...she's great! We started to organize and set up all of the baby things we have been collecting over the years and the past 5 months. Whenever I found something I wanted my future children to have, I would buy it and store it in the now baby closet... especially books!!

She already has some outfits (Grandma Nilsson gave a few years ago!) and stuffed animals. I was fortunate enough to find most of her nursery items at...I am embarrassed to mention it...Goodwill. I have so much luck there it's crazy. I found a light pink bumper for $2. I am going to add fun bows to it with my new sewing machine. The curtains in her room were $5, light pink changing cover (very soft, I might add) for $3, lamps for $5 each, orange blanket comforter $4, round mirror $4...the list goes on and on. It's amazing how much you can find second hand that looks brand new! The glider chair was a gift from my mom, which she also found at a second hand store. The changing table & pad was a gift from Katie at a second hand store near her. The only piece of furture we have bought so far is the crib & mattress and the turquoise storage cubes.

I am very pleased with how the nursery came out. It's exactly what I was going for...not matchy matchy or overly "babyish" or too gender specific- neutral walls with bold accent colors in turquoise, pink, orange, and lime green. God-willing, Josh and I want many children so this room will be very easy to adapt for a boy. I also wanted the room to be a space I could see myself spending a lot of time in, and so far whenever I walk past the room I have to walk inside and look around. I love how I was able to use little knickknacks from my childhood and Josh's to make it more meaningful.

I can't wait until our little girl is here!

Easy recipes, Fall Decorations, Baby Update

I just love being a wife! One of my favorite things to do for Josh is cook and bake for him!! I was invited to a Fiesta Potluck and thought I'd try out my recipe before I go in a few weeks. This recipe is from my mom, she made it all the time when I was a kid. It is SO easy and yummy!!

*Dorito Taco Salad*

-Salad (I used a bag of romaine salad mix)
-Taco Seasoned Ground beef or turkey (I make my own seasoning: cumin, paprika, garlic powder, red pepper, and chilli powder)

-Crunched up doritos

-Sweet & Sour Dressing

-You can add onions, olives, sour cream, tomatoes or anything else that you prefer on a mexican salad!

The hardest part is not eating the bag of doritos...

*Apple Cider*

I was shocked the other day when I went to Wal-mart and saw that there "fancy" apple cider was $4.00/gallon!! I decided to spoof up my generic apple "cider" and make it rich with flavor!

This is another "recipe" from my mom. She always makes it on Christmas and it makes the house smell amazing!!!

-One container of generic apple cider

-whole cloves

- cinnamon (or cinnamon sticks if you have one)

-pumpkin pie seasoning

-nutmeg

-caramel syrup

-Bring to a boil... not only does it taste good but makes the whole house smell festive! Sorry but I rarely use measurements. I just eye-ball it and taste test & add more if needed! If I were to guess at the amounts I'd say maybe 2 tsp of each ingredient.

When you come to our home, you can always tell what season it is. I LOVE Decorating...

*Our foyer ledge*

As most of you know, I LOVE a good deal! This sign was a few dollars ($7) from Burlington Coat Factory. The leaf garland was from Deals ($1).

Apparently, Charlie thought I was taking a picture of him he quickly ran over to the fireplace to get in the picture...:-)

-Mirror from Goodwill ($3)

-Bat tag from a gift bag from a student.. great way to dress it up!

Lil Pumpkin Update:

I am 10w 4d! I still feel great... although I am tired. Baby is growing and is now the size of a Kumquiat. Whatever that is! That is the size in the book, but in other words Pumpkin is 1 3/4 inch big.