Monday, November 28, 2011

Christmas decoration extravaganza!

I got him! I finally convinced Kennedy to help me decorate. (In his defense, he always gets all the decorations from the attic for me, so he's not a total grinch.) But this year, he has put his thumb in the actual decorating pie, and it's like Christmas synergy at the Dean house!

Man's a natural. He even put up Christmas lights on the house (first time in 3 years!) I'll go ahead and give the baby credit for his Christmas cheer. He is so excited he doesn't know what to do with himself.

So yesterday I decided to decorate in room themes. I now have a candy cane room (stole this idea from sister Emily) and a peacock room (so trendy right now!)

In addition, I made a fun Christmas sign using ONLY materials we had on our property. Translation: FREE Christmas decor.

Take a look!
In the stairwell! (Ignore the following things: baby gate propped up against the bottom step, any dents or divots in the walls...)

Close-up of the signs! (I miss Hawai'i.)

I love Christmas decor!

Friday, November 25, 2011

Necessity is the mother of invention

And my invention was bred from not wanting to spend $100+ on a crib skirt. So I decided, after seeing countless crib skirt tutorials online, that I should make my own. (I realize, yes, I did not invent the crib skirt. I just like the saying.)

After all, most baby bedding has monkeys or frogs on it for boys. Not that there's anything wrong with that, it's just not my style. I like things to be a little unique.

Luckily, I was dragging Kennedy to IKEA to get a shelf for the baby's room that will double as our changing table (IKEA hack to follow) and got to browse their wacky fabric selection. I ended up finding a fabric that I thought perfectly complemented the tree wall.

Behold!

I set to work hemming 3 sides of the piece I'd be using for the skirt. That's all I did. I hemmed a piece of fabric. Then I added ties to it so it wouldn't fall off. DONE.

Ironed hems (made it much easier to sew on the machine.)

Finished skirt! With a blanket folded to look like a mattress with a sheet on it, since we have neither yet. Perfect little hiding space for JUNK! Can't wait to push everything under the bed when I feel like I need to clean.

Ribbons sewn onto the top hem of the skirt so I could tie it to the frame.

Cute little dog snuggle blanket that Aunt Amy sent us! This baby will never be deprived of things related to dogs.

Stay tuned for more nursery updates!

Aforementioned crib skirt tutorial links:
Oh yeah, don't let me forget to show you pictures of our new master bedroom! (Just as soon as we get some furniture in there...)

Friday, November 18, 2011

Nursery Sneak Peek!

The "feature wall" is done! Nevermind the texture and paint all over our floors. Kennedy will be removing the floors this weekend to make way for our carpet installation on Monday.

In other news, I'm hosting a giveaway for "gently used" laminate flooring. Any takers?

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Tired. Grumpy. DIYing.

It's a dangerous combination. Luckily for Kennedy, he is working in another room of the house. Otherwise, he might be subject to my hormonal outbursts (again).

I guess we finally decided we need to start working on projects concurrently, especially since my due date is a little over 8 weeks away. So I'm prepping the nursery for Kennedy to paint while he patches drywall in the master bedroom.

Cece and Uncle Harry have joined me for moral support, while Elvis stares longingly out the front living room window. No help at all from that dog.

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

OMG we knocked a wall down

So... We bluffed forever about knocking that wall down between our bedroom and the guest room. This week, it is happening. Now I'm freaking out that I have to fill a room twice the size...wish me luck!
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