domakefindcreate

Designing a 'Big Girl' Room

2010-09-09T18:08:00.000-07:00

As we prepare to transition our little girl from a crib to a twin bed, I am inspired to give my daughter's bedroom a bit of an update. The design that I originally used for her room was relatively simple and gender neutral (since we didn't find out if 'the baby' was a boy or a girl). But, now that she is 2 and has a definite personality and style of her own, I think it's time to give her room some character. Here are some of my ideas:

1. Yellow and White Zig Zag fabric from Hodi and Poppi Fabrics
2. Amy Butler Floating Buds fabric from Seth Grayson
3. Take Shelter print from Ashley G and Drew
4. Love Candy print in lemon from Made By Girl
5. Pretty Bird plush from Pretty Little Things
6. Tall Wood Bed Frame in white from West Elm
7. DwellStudio for Target rug (we already own this rug and it is no longer listed on Target's website)

I will post updates once the room is in progress / completed. What do you think so far?

Back From Vacation

2010-09-08T11:17:00.001-07:00

A bad case of the flu, 3 weeks out of the country (on vacation) and potty training have kept me away from this blog for a little while. But, now that we are back home and settled, I am feeling ready to start posting again. Plus, I received a little extra incentive this morning via an email from Apartment Therapy. Luca's birthday party is featured today on Ohdeedoh. If you are unfamiliar with Apartment Therapy and their children's site, Ohdeedoh, you Must Check Them Out Now. I always find inspiration and great ideas on both of these sites, so I am very honored to be featured.
Lots more posts coming soon :)

A Very Simple Felt Board

2010-08-06T11:27:00.001-07:00

A little while back, I made this little felt board for my daughter. It was really easy to make, and Luca has a great time playing with it. Plus, it is one of those toys that you can constantly modify by adding new felt pieces.

I started by buying a basic white frame. Any size will do, but this one was 21 x 17". I removed the glass and mat from the frame (I used the mat for this project). Then I cut a piece of cardboard (I used the cardboard that the frame was packaged in) to fit the frame. I cut a piece of blue felt slightly larger than the cardboard.

I attached the felt to the cardboard by gluing the overhanging pieces of felt onto the back of the cardboard (it helps to cut triangles out of the corners so that you don't get bunching from excess felt). When the glue was dry I put the felt-covered cardboard in the frame, and voila!

So far I have just cut a few basic shapes out of colored felt, along with some pennant letters, but you could really have so much fun with this. I am thinking of buying one of these sets off of etsy if I don't get around to making my own.

I don't know how I missed this...

2010-08-05T12:36:00.000-07:00

We were featured on Prudent Baby in their Prudent Project Round-Up on July 31st. So exciting! Take a look.

Now this is my kind of sewing machine...

2010-08-04T11:27:00.001-07:00

I'm not sure that my daughter would know what to do with this, since my sewing machine hasn't seen the light of day in quite some time. But, it's so cute that she might have to fight me for it.
This pretend plush sewing machine is from the etsy shop Nifty Kid Stuff. They also have some adorable plush bunnies and pretend cake decorating sets.

The owner, Caitlin also has a great blog. You can check it out here.

ABC!

2010-08-02T12:18:00.000-07:00

I just designed an alphabet poster for my daughter, so now I've got letters and typography on the brain. I love how a simple letter can look so beautiful, graphic and bold. As a designer, I have so much fun playing with different fonts, colors and negative space. With that in mind, here are some of my favorite 'typography/alphabet' themed finds on etsy:

White Wood Ampersand by Hindsvik

Paris Letters - 5x5 Original Photos by Little Brown Pen

Initial Letter G (from Antique Typewriter) by QA Create

Yellow Orange and Pink Alphabet Pillow by Pillow Factory

Wood Alphabet Blocks by August Grove

Stylish Storage

2010-07-30T13:21:00.000-07:00

I have been a big fan of Sewing Momma on etsy for quite a while. Her shop's tagline is "Trying to make organizing pretty", and I think she has succeeded. These beautiful storage bins could be used to store just about anything. Here are a few of my favorites:

Large Comfy Storage Bin

Extra Deep Fabric Bin

Perched on a Branch Fabric Storage Bin

Love this!

2010-07-29T11:53:00.000-07:00

I found this free printable alphabet bunting at Ruffled via How About Orange. It's so cute (and free) that I just had to share. I think I might print these out, attach some felt to the back and let Luca use them on her felt board.

Displaying Children's Artwork

2010-07-27T11:38:00.000-07:00

We do a lot of painting at our house, and sometimes it can be hard to figure out what to do with all of the resulting artwork. I'm sure this has been done before, but I decided to cut out pieces of some of my daughter's paintings and frame them in a mat that I had leftover from a previous project (more on that later). And voila, here is the result:

I think it turned out pretty cute!

Birthday Bash

2010-07-11T10:40:00.000-07:00

My daughter turned 2 about a month ago and I was so excited that I went into party planning mode months in advance. I really wanted to create a fun and relaxed atmosphere for my daughter and about 9 of her friends (plus their mommies). I also wanted the day to reflect her personality and the things that she loves.
My little girl is really into butterflies and her favorite colors are pink and yellow, so that made coming up with a theme pretty easy: pink and yellow butterflies!
I kept the decor simple. I made two butterfly garlands out of pink, yellow and white vellum paper. I got the idea here.

The one change I made was to hand sew, rather than use a sewing machine. This was primarily because I wanted to have a lot of control over the spacing between the butterflies.

The rest of the decor consisted of pink, yellow and white balloons, and some butterfly shaped confetti that I purchased from Paperika and sprinkled on the dining room table.

Every child received their own party cup to use (and take home with them). I designed some simple labels and stuck them on some straw cups that I found at Target.

Then I made some custom paper party hats (I used an old hat that we had as a template), and a special "2" crown for my daughter.
The menu consisted of my daughter's favorite foods: hot dogs, fruit, pretzels, veggies, guacamole and chips. It was the dessert that was probably the most labor-intensive part of the whole process. I made chocolate cupcakes with buttercream icing, and decorated them with pink and yellow fondant butterflies.

Then I made sugar cookies and decorated them with pink and yellow royal icing.

I got all of my recipes from the wilton website and read some excellent cookie decorating tutorials at prudent baby.
The treat boxes were small brown paper boxes that I sealed with round labels (bought at Michael's in the wedding section).

I stuffed them with teddy grahams and some fabulous recycled butterfly crayons that I bought at Gaddy Nipper Crayons.
It turned out to be a beautiful day, and my daughter had a blast, which made the late nights decorating cookies and sewing butterflies totally worth it!
Here's my little girl enjoying her cupcake:

Oh, and this was the invitation that I designed:

Modern High Chair: IKEA

2009-11-20T10:58:00.000-08:00

While doing a little shopping at the Houston IKEA this week, this [straight out of the Jetsons] high chair caught my eye. I have not read any reviews for the Leopard, but after seeing that it retails for only $60.00 I am left feeling a bit silly for my foolhardy spending on my Svan.

The Leopard is not listed on the IKEA website, but here are the details:
The plastic base: black or white
The seat: red, grey, black & white (if you tire of one color, you can buy another for $20.00)
The tray is detachable

You will love this magazine...

2009-10-15T08:16:00.000-07:00

If you were a devoted reader of the late great Domino, you will be very excited to learn about the brand new Lonny Magazine. Lonny is an online mag, whose mission is "to reopen the doors of accessible design." (in a time when shelter publications are turning their last pages).
And let me tell you, they have blown the doors wide open with a breath of fresh air. In fact, stumbling across Lonny (thank you decor8) is what finally inspired me to get creative again (after a much-too-long hiatus). I am now officially painting, creating and blogging again. Thank you Lonny!

P.S. You can check them out on facebook too.

Repurposed IKEA Curtain Wire

2009-07-30T15:46:00.000-07:00

My husband and I were given a photography portfolio as wedding gift from our friend/photographer Jason Reed. I wanted to display the photos in my breakfast area with the ability to rotate the collection with ease. Custom framing and mounting was out of my budget. Enter:IKEA

Using DIGNITET curtain wire and clips from IKEA, I was able to achieve an easy, modern, and inexpensive solution.

Cost:
2 DIGNITET curtain wire kits 14.99/each
1 pack of DIGNITET clips 4.99/pack of 24

This is also a great way to display children's artwork throughout the school year.

I want...

2009-07-15T09:56:00.000-07:00

... a silver moroccan pouf.

It would make a great (albeit expensive) little kid seat.

Bold Striped Rugs

2009-07-14T19:30:00.000-07:00

I'm really loving bold, striped rugs right now. They have such a fresh, clean, nautical vibe. Here are a few of my faves (I'm especially in love with the black and white striped Flor tiles).

Bold Striped Rugs by lclaireeves on Polyvore.com

Click on the image for more info.

Wallpaper: Help me make a decision

2009-07-08T19:19:00.000-07:00

The wallpaper trend is still going strong, and as a result there are a ton of gorgeous papers out there. However, for someone who is "decision challenged", such as myself, the abundance of choices can make it rather difficult to pick just one. So, I was hoping to get a little help selecting a wallpaper design for our dining room wall.

Here is a photo of the wall we are planning to paper, along with 4 runner-up designs. The plan is to remove the picture ledge, wallpaper the whole wall, and then frame and hang all of the pictures (on that wall). So far, the dining room is relatively neutral - the chair covers are black and white. However, the main colors in the adjoining living room are blue, teal and yellow.

So, which do you like best:

1. Family Tree in petrol by Ferm Living
2. Modern Birdcage in ebony by Graham & Brown
3. Silver and Yellow Flowers by Moda Wallpaper
4. Elinor in duck egg by Graham & Brown

Or maybe you can suggest something else. Let me know!

Bring on the Toys

2009-06-23T19:52:00.000-07:00

As any mother of a toddler can relate, the endless desire to find a storage solution for the growing collection of toys will make you crazy! I've used plastic tubs, baskets, bags... all of which I can't stand looking at. The backs of my sofas and chairs are now hiding places for eyesores. Today, however, I came across Mod Mom Furniture. This California mom's modern, handcrafted, eco-friendly toy boxes are so hip, you'll want to host playdate every week!

For ordering and/or a list of retailers visit ModMomFurniture.com

Photos courtesy of ModMomFurniture

Etsy Love

2009-06-23T17:59:00.001-07:00

If you have never checked out Etsy, you really should. It will change your life (or at least the way you shop). Etsy.com is "an online marketplace for buying and selling all things handmade". It is a wonderful wonderful place, and I spend far too much of my precious free time browsing through all of it's amazing handmade goodies.
Here are a few of my current faves:

Little Forest Organic Blanket by GreenThreadShop

Wool Felt Butterfly Delight Lampshade in Cream by MIXKO

Small Tote (Mushroom Spore Print in Turquoise) by willywaw

Coriander in Pink Maryjane Baby Shoes by GraciousMay

Happy Shopping.

Blu Dot for Urban Outfitters

2009-06-16T12:26:00.000-07:00

Okay, so maybe I'm a little behind the times, because Oh Joy posted about this on the 10th, but I was just browsing the Urban Outfitters website and fell in love with their new line of furniture by Blu Dot called "+oo™ by Blu Dot for UO". There are 7 pieces so far, and my favorites are definitely the "In a Pinch Chair"

and the "Tripod Side Table" in Yellow.

Take a look at their website to view the whole collection.

Photos courtesy of Urban Outfitters.

Celebrating in Style

2009-06-15T14:17:00.000-07:00

We celebrated my daughter's 1st birthday on the weekend, and judging by how much fun she had, I would say it was a huge success. I only wish I had taken a few more photos of the decorations. But, these will have to do...

I made the cupcakes using this recipe, which I found via the wonderful blog 52 Cupcakes. They were surprisingly easy to make, and very yummy.

The cupcake toppers were pretty easy as well. I just created a simple design on the computer and printed it out onto some patterned paper. Then, I cut them out and glued them onto toothpicks.
Voila!

To read more about the prep work I did for the party click here.

The Wanderous

2009-06-10T11:53:00.000-07:00

Ashley North (my husband's adorable, sharp-witted, bohemian cousin) wrapped up her Houston visit today and is off to Austin. Ashley is on a 2 month road trip in which she will overnight in 18 cities and explore 5 more. She is photographing, interviewing, and blogging about food, art, and local culture. Check out her website here.

Not Your Mother's DIY Magazine

2009-06-09T16:12:00.000-07:00

If you want to make it, eat it, buy it, organize it, you're bound to locate it here!

Getting Ready

2009-06-08T07:18:00.000-07:00

With my daughter's first birthday just two days away, I have turned into a crafting machine. I am making a paper 'Happy Birthday' banner, which I started assembling yesterday.

I also purchased Martha Stewart's Tissue Paper Pom-Pom Kit, and will be hanging the pom-poms from the ceiling. I will be making her cupcakes from scratch (please wish me luck on that one), and am making cupcake toppers from the same paper that I used for the banner.

I also made her a birthday onesie (that's my design, above). When I told my husband what I was doing, he said "Don't they sell pre-made 'first birthday' outfits?". I just looked at him and said, "Do you even know me? Of course I HAVE to make it myself!". It's just way too much fun.

I'm going for a casual, summer garden-party vibe. Hopefully it turns out - I will post pictures once we have everything set up.
Wish me luck!

Seriously Good Cookies

2009-06-03T12:24:00.000-07:00

Image courtesy of Aunt Gussie's

So, I stopped by the grocery store yesterday to pick up dessert for a BBQ that my husband was hosting. I was looking for some simple cookies that would go well with fruit. Pretty much everything in the bakery was frosted or sprinkled in one way or another, so I grabbed a package of sugar free lemon cookies (made with spelt, no less), and held my breath that they wouldn't taste like cardboard.
Well, it turns out that these Aunt Gussie's Naturally Delicious cookies are just that! They are crisp and sweet with the perfect hint of lemon. They were wonderful with fruit and coffee, but I bet they would taste even better with vanilla ice cream!
When I checked out their website, I found that they offer a wide variety of sugar free, spelt and gluten free cookies, plus crackers too. Definitely worth a try!

DIY Project: Chinese Garden Stools

2009-05-26T12:51:00.001-07:00

This is a really easy, fun project.
I found these 2 Chinese Garden Stools at a local thrift store for about $70 a piece.

They're cute, but they didn't match our decor (or each other). So, I primed them with 3 coats of a Shellac-based primer (one that is good for use on ceramics), then painted them with three coats of an All Surface Enamel (acrylic latex high gloss) from Sherwin Williams in 'Cooled Blue'. I also sanded them lightly between coats of paint for a smoother finish. And here is the result:

DwellStudio Rugs for Target

2009-05-22T12:39:00.000-07:00

I have been looking for an area rug for our living room for what seems like forever. I didn't want anything expensive, because it was really going to serve as a glorified play mat for my daughter and dog. However, I couldn't seem to find anything in my price range that matched my taste, and I just couldn't bring myself to buy something that I wouldn't enjoy looking at every day.
Target to the rescue: I was browsing their website one day when I stumbled upon two area rugs by DwellStudio. They are both cute, 5x8 and (drumroll) just $140.
So, I bought the Floral Block rug, and have been extremely happy with it. Here it is in my living room:

Coming Soon...

2009-05-13T13:17:00.000-07:00

Here we go. Just getting some of the basic design elements / stuff together & we should be good to go.