Month: June 2014

DIY: Homemade Circle Crib Mobile

Written by Jenna on June 20, 2014. Posted in DIY, The Nursery Nook. 4 Comments on DIY: Homemade Circle Crib Mobile

No baby yet. Still waiting… In the meantime though, thank you all for the kind thoughts on the Nursery Nook that I created for our new soon-to-arrive (any minute) bundle!

For the new ‘nook’ I created this adorable easy-to-make and completely homemade crib mobile too… As promised, I’m happy to show you all the steps.

This type of circle crib mobile is nothing new. I’m sure you’ve seen it before in stores and/or created by others (I’ve seen a few here & there and of course on pinterest), but I’ve always adored the look and how much color + height it brings to a room. Plus most importantly of all, how much it can grab a baby’s attention! Copy cat, who cares… I love it, so I made it.

Looking back I often laugh, because for baby #1 (my son) I chose and purchased some of the most neutral pieces. The crib mobile, specifically, was whites + creams and those are colors newborns don’t see. Color is what they need. For baby 3, making her way soon, this mobile will be very entertaining.

Crib mobiles can often be very costly as well. Not this handmade creation! It was super inexpensive and most of the materials I already had on hand.

The supplies I gathered were:

Scrapbooking paper
- At AC Moore I found a 4″ x 4″ book of colorful modern patterned papers. They were on sale for $5 a book and I snagged 2.
Circle Puncher
- I used a 2″ round circle cutter
Wood quilt hoop in 2 sizes
- I used an 8″ and 12″ diameter hoop
Yarn, ribbon, or string (to hang hops from ceiling)
Sewing Machine + sewing essentials

1. I started off by using the circle puncher and cut about 200 circles (it sounds like a lot, but it really doesn’t take long. It’s a good time to catch up on your DVRed shows).

2. Once the punching out of the circles was done, it was time to attach the circles to each other… I had never sewn paper before, so I thought it was going to be difficult. I was wrong. It was really easy. Basically I sewed through one circle, continued with a few more stitches and then added another circle. Because the design was only on one side (other side is white), I would alternate every 2 or 3 circles with the plain white side. In the end, the circles are always moving (dancing as my daughter calls it), but I didn’t want it to be noticeable that one side had all pattern and the other side was all white.

For the small wood hoop, I made 10 strands of 11 connected circles and for the larger hoop (which is the lower tier), I made 12 strands of 9 connected circles to each other. There really is no right or wrong way or specific height that is a must. Each strand of circles resulted in slightly different lengths, but that’s what makes it interesting + homemade. FYI: The room has 8′ ceilings and the mobile resulted about 30″ high.

3. Once the circle strands were complete, I tied them on to the wood hoop. It’s important to leave about 6″ of extra thread on one side so it can be attached to the hoop. Once tied, trim the thread.

4. Once the strands of connected circles are attached to the wood hoops, it was time to attached the wood hoops together. An extra set of hands is best for this quick step, but it can be done on your own. I used white yarn to connect the hoops and tried to keep the upper (small hoop) tier parallel to the bottom (larger hoop) tier.

The mobile is so light weight that I attached it to the ceiling with a small white hook. Voila, it was complete…

I used white thread for the project and I love how you can see it on the darker colored circles.

Here’s how the homemade circle crib mobile looks in the new Nursery Nook.

The paper I used for the mobile is scrapbooking paper which I found at AC Moore. It came as a 4″ x 4″ book with many colorful designs & patterns – perfect for the space. I also made these adorable origami butterflies using the same paper…

I’m thrilled with how this “nook” came out and I’m extra thrilled with the creation of my simple mobile…

This crib mobile was what I had my heart set on and even though it’s something done before by many others, I’m happy that I went with what I loved & I know my baby will love just as much.

What attention grabbing mobile do you (or did you) have for your baby?

Patio Paradise: Before & After Patio Makeover

Written by Jenna on June 6, 2014. Posted in DIY, Outdoor. 17 Comments on Patio Paradise: Before & After Patio Makeover

For the past 2 months we’ve been plotting, planning, shopping, implementing, and transforming our outdoor patio. It’s been a labor of love to get this space to be an inviting oasis that we always envisioned and now can truly enjoy.

We bought our home in the middle of winter when there was over a foot of snow on the ground. Once Spring hit, the melting snow revealed what we were up against a lot of work – much more than we anticipated. In the sideyard, there was an above ground pool, which had seen better days, plus 20+ overgrown trees that made the entire yard look dark & cavernous.

In the last 4 years, we’ve done a lot of work & spent a lot of money to upgrade the area (things that we had to hire out because we couldn’t tackle on our own). We’ve made progress over the years, but more work to really pull this outdoor space together needed to be done…

If you haven’t seen the before in previous posts (and this is actually after a lot of work had already been done), this is how the outdoor area looked before…

Yikes!

Our objective: To use the patio we already had (no money in the budget for something new) and to create a little slice of paradise with colorful decor! I’m no expert on outdoor landscaping (or even keeping a flower alive for that matter), but I put my mad decorating skills to the test to transform this space…

If I can do it, so can you!

Before we could sit back, enjoy, and relax, there were a whole lotta steps that went into pulling this patio together.

First, the shopping.

It started with the pergola. I first spotted it at Lowe’s in late Winter and fell in love. We’ve always wanted a pergola, but were hesitant on building it from scratch. Fear sometimes gets the best of us. Anyway, the black steel pergola seemed like the perfect (and much easier) way to go.

After that the layers. Pillows + lanterns + pots + lighting + flowers! I found all of these beauties at Lowe’s. They have a great new outdoor collection this year with bold colors & patterns.

Once back at the house, one of the first things I tackled was painting the doors to the shed. I was going for an orange vibe a few years ago, but that idea was ditched and the new outdoor space called for blue. I started off attempting to spray paint the doors and that didn’t work. Then I used the HomeRight Mini Paint Stick + a paint brush, and that was just the trick for an easy project makeover…

The patio set we chose was incredibly easy to put together. So easy that each chair took about 2 minutes and 34 seconds… no joke! The sides + the back literally snapped into the seat and voila it was done. No nails, no screws, no allen keys, just wam-bam done!

The chairs were REALLY heavy, but my man could handle it. With one hand – WOW. totally kidding, they are actually incredibly light, but don’t tell him that because he was super impressed with himself.

Ya gotta laugh along the way, right?!

And of course with creating an outdoor oasis, there is a lot of planting involved. From weeding, planting, and mulching, it took a few weekends to tackle. Plus there was the cleaning of the pond, the removal of an old fence, and the putting together of the outdoor fireplace – which is a must for a Patio Paradise – so we’ve been busy to say the least…

…but in the end it’s all been worth it because this is the result of our beautiful space.

Too fuzzy? Want a clearer picture? Check it out…

Come join me on the patio.

The garden which was created (not by us, but by a previous homeowner) with a retaining wall sits about 2′ high than the patio and brings nice height and elevation to the patio setting. When you come down to the patio level, you are greeted by a blooming, oversized (not yet, but by mid-summer it’ll be huge) Russian Sage perennial.

The pond, which until last week was a muddy, gross mess, brings such a special touch to this area of our yard. There is nothing like the calming sounds of water. We’re also still loving the garden sculpture created 2 years ago from an old barrel. It’s such a pretty focal point.

The cushions for the chairs & sofa are incredible because the rain beads away instead of soaking in. I found that out the other day by mistake. Typically we put the cushions away each night, but they were accidentally left out. The next day I was super bummed {enter mad-at-myself-face}, but when I touched them, they were completely dry! They are made of Sunbrella fabric & I’m really impressed.

With the patio furniture set came different pillows, but instead of being matchy-matchy, I swapped them for a few others that I was drawn to at Lowe’s.

Lantern Love…

Want some drinks? Let’s chill at the table.

I took this beautiful Indian throw that I typically have on a chair indoors and used it as a table cloth. The colors are so vibrant + bold, so it really brought a fun & festive vibe to the new patio. Again, using what I have on-handmade makes it easier and less costly.

A simple pallet box that the Mister made is set as the centerpiece filled with colorful annuals.

Can you blame me for not wanting to leave my house for the next 2 months?!

For the underside of the pergola, I hung a lantern that I purchased a few years ago and draped lights from each corner to the center.

Important Info: The pergola came with 6″ stakes to anchor it into the ground. First, we positioned the pergola on the patio, so the stakes wouldn’t work. Secondly, I would be reluctant using stakes because I could still see the pergola pulling away. The pergola has received rave reviews on the Lowe’s site, but the anchoring to the ground has been the only issue. With an intense gust of wind, the fabric could easily act as a sail.

To make the pergola sturdy and in-place, we first used a masonry drill bit to make a hole into the concrete patio. Then we used Tapcon concrete screws (see them here) in each of the 4 holes on the 4 posts. It was a fairly easy process which took about 10 minutes.

Now that it’s all complete {thank goodness}, we can sit back and simply enjoy!

We’ve already enjoyed our first fire. And within minutes of us starting it, some neighbors popped over. That’s what Summer is all about…

And it melted my heart when the kids grabbed the poufs and started to read side-by-side. It didn’t last long (I’m not going to pretend we are some kind of ‘perfect’ family where our kids always get along), but for the short moment, it was a treasure which I bookmarked in my mind.

If you missed (or didn’t see) the mood board I created for the patio outdoor space, this was the original vision that I created. It always helps to have a ‘plan of action’ when shopping & executing a new space – either indoors or out. Sources (with links) for all the elements are in last week’s post: The Plan.

No landscape expert designed this outdoor room, just lil’ ole’ me & I’m pretty darn satisfied!

Here’s a recap of the before & after…

Want to see another outdoor space of ours that I just finished? Check out the deck…

You know where we will be all Summer! Come join us!!

Thanks for coming over for a tour of our new patio paradise. It’s a dream that this space (+ the deck) are finished. I can now sit back & enjoy the Summer days to come!

What outdoor projects have you tackled this year? Do you have a patio or deck that you transformed or plan on transforming?

Disclosure: I am part of the Loweâ€™s Creative Team and was provided with a Loweâ€™s gift card to purchase items for my project. I was also compensated for my time to use the products. No one told me what to create, what to buy, how to use the product, or what to write. All opinions are 100% mine!

7 Savvy Tips for Finding Thrifted Treasures

Written by Jenna on June 3, 2014. Posted in Decorating. 4 Comments on 7 Savvy Tips for Finding Thrifted Treasures

Once Spring hits, my brain goes immediately to the thoughts of garage sales & thrifting. We finally come out of Winter hibernation to get our feet wet and hands dirty in the garage by upcycling and transforming those blah finds to be beautiful.

Hitting up a weekend garage sale or visiting a local thrift store is a great way to introduce unique, interesting, and inexpensive dÃ©cor into your home. That â€œsomething specialâ€ is unlikely to be the same piece your neighbor picked up last week. Thrifting allows the opportunity to bring elements into a home that are meaningful and/or have the potential to be transformed or upcycled for little money. With the warmer days to come, itâ€™s the perfect time of year to find some new fun and fabulous thrifty treasures.

With some garage sale + thrift hunting experience under my belt, these are 7 tips + tricks that I find helpful to find the perfect thrifted treasure…

1. The Best Spots for Thrifting
There are various types of venues to find used and/or thrifted items, including but certainly not limited to: thrift stores, garage sales, flea markets, antique malls, and even the side of the road (my personal favorite because the â€œtreasureâ€ is usually free â€“ major score!)

Here’s my favorite side-of-the-road before & after…

2. Keep a List
Looking for thrifted treasures can sometimes be overwhelming when you finally get to your destination, so having a list is key to staying focused. Either keep an ongoing list (I keep a list in myphone) or create one before you leave home. It will help keep you focused and evaluate what things you really need. If you have your eye out for a piece of furniture, take wall measurements ahead of time, so youâ€™re fully prepared and arenâ€™t questioning the size when you finally find â€œthe oneâ€.

3. Look for Good Bones
When on the prowl for thrifted decor, especially furniture, look at how itâ€™s constructed; be sure it has good â€œbonesâ€. The stability and structure of a piece of furniture is important for itâ€™s longevity. If it gets the approval, using it as is or giving it a fresh new coat of paint will make the perfect addition in your home.

I found this beauty on Craigslist. It had dovetail joints on the drawers and felt very stable. At $50 it was a great score. After a paint makeover, it was perfect for my boys room makeover…

4. Think Outside the Box
When on the search for a new treasure, look beyond the items current state and imagine what it could be with a little TLC. Whether you decide to upcycle, repurpose, or revamp, think outside the box at the items potential.

Take a step back from an object and ask:

Can I paint it?
Can I reupholster it?
Can I use it for a different purpose itâ€™s original intent?

This is my FAVORITE part of thriftingâ€¦ finding an ugly duckling that just needs a little DIY love! Like this clock to mirror makeover…

5. Look High. Look Low. Look Everywhere in Between.
Finding a secret treasure can sometimes be a challenge, but in the end, the result is often worthwhile. When shopping at a thrift store or garage sale, take an extra minute to scan all surfaces â€“ the lower shelves, the higher ones, and every spot in between. O, and since the back corners are usually forgotten, they often have the best, hidden treasures.

6. Do you really need it?
When thrifting, having your list in hand will help you stay on track. When you find something, ask yourself, â€œDo I really need this?â€ or â€œWhere and how will I use this?â€. Even if the item is a great deal, itâ€™s worth nothing if it canâ€™t be used. And if youâ€™re unsure, take a minute to think about it.

My most recent find which fell short of a treasure because of the price tag, is this awesome life-size metal windmill. How cool is it?! I spotted it while driving by a local shop & had to take a closer look. I asked myself, “Do I really need it even though I love it?”… At over $500 I passed, but I’m still thinking of a way to make it myself!

7. Negotiate.
One of the beauties about garage sales or thrift stores is the possibility of getting your treasure for a lower price than marked. It doesnâ€™t hurt to ask. If they say no, then you can ask yourself if the item is really worth it and how much money needs to go into it, if any. Again, it doesnâ€™t hurt to ask!

The best garage sale finds are usually snagged right away, so grab a cup of coffee and start your day early. As for thrift stores, if you want a great deal, ask them if there are specific days they put out new inventory (I do the same thing with stores like HomeGoods & TJ Maxx). If youâ€™re looking for something specific, ask them to call you if the item comes their way.

I hope these tips help you prepare and get you excited for thrifting season. And donâ€™t forget, shopping is always better with others, so put on your comfy shoes and team up with friends or family who also enjoy a finding a treasure!

What have been your favorite garage sale or thrift store finds?