Perhaps One of the Greatest...

...Before and After Projects ever!




Baby M and I were visiting family this past weekend.

And Saturday night Grandadder got in town...Baby M was ecstatic!

Grandadder came bearing gifts.

BEFORE

BEHOLD...a plain piano bench found at a junk sale. Nothing fancy with a simple wood frame...

AFTER

Seriously. My parents are creative woodworking geniuses. Mom designed the set, sourced the accessories, and painted while Dad did the production and figuring out how to make the knobs turn and things fit in-place. Together they created a phenomenal {and manly} play kitchen for Baby M. Mom found the hardware {real appliance knobs, some of them gratis from a local shop}, a metal bowl as a sink, a pipe out of the backsplash used as the faucet, plexiglass for a see-thru oven window, CDs as stove burners...I'm still in awe!

Baby M gave Grandadder a huge "Thank You" hug!

And Gigi helped him cook.

He even gave his new puppy a bath in the sink.

We can't wait to get this transported to our house!

Now I just have to make that chef's hat, apron, pot holder, and possibly a chalkboard... Oh yeah and we must have playfood and a bakeware set too!

Family Weekend

Oh how I love my family!

I feel very blessed to have a phenomenal family. Family isn't tied through bloodlines nor is it kept together by default; Family is a love kinship...a bond sometimes brought together by circumstance but always kept together by choice. And while every family is dysfunctional {everyone is to some degree...some more than others}, our family love is unconditional and every member is connected through a lifetime of experience. Family goes deeper than even my best of friendships so it's a blessing when we're able to spend time together now that we're scattered throughout the States.

We spent the past weekend visiting my brother, Pink Pimpette & Baby S. Here's the baby cousins & parents:

And by some minor miracle, we were all able to be together in one place at one time well minus the youngest brother...that's why he doesn't get to be in the photo!

What a LOVELY weekend and great way to head into a busy week. Hope yours was wonderful too!

Celerie...not Celery

Celerie Kemble creates gorgeous rooms. Check out some of her pretty designs below.

I spy a recurring style of: hints of green; dramatic drapes; live plants; a single strong pattern on either a textile, flooring, or a wall; and strong traditional undertones throughout.

{all photos via kembleinteriors.com}

Going Green

Love these prints...in green of course!

{ 1.Googled Image 2.APrintADay 3.Ballard Designs 4.Gypsy Soul Creation! }

Some More Sweets

Here are some more ideas from my 2nd attempt at making the sweet baby treats from last week

Jumbo Cupcake:

receiving blanket, washcloth & the "large cupcake liner" is really a coffee filter

Sundaes:

2 onesies, washcloth, sippy cup, spoon & pompom

I've been neglecting making anything for Baby M lately...he has enough stuff! But last night I did think of a really cool idea for a boy, but I have to sketch things out- I'll leave you with this hint: Baby M will feel like he's a King!

BR Spring 2010

Banana Republic Springtime Favorites

I entered the blogging world 2 years ago. I don't know that I've ever shared this with anyone, but I was inspired after I began following "Charming, But Single", a witty blog about a twenty-something, young professional's quest for love.

It was sort of "Sex and the City" only real life, in the South, and with pseudonyms... FANTASTIC! {as of today, CBS's last post was in December 2008}

And like a good copy cat, I began writing my own blog sharing dating misadventures adventures as well. It was fun being a young, single professional with no ties or responsibilities other than having just becoming indebted with a 30-year mortgage purchased my first home the year prior. I was relishing in developing my career, traveling, furnishing my home, stocking my closet with designer clothes shoes and purses, and pursuing the like... I was having a blast in my dating life despite the number of bad dates I had to get through, and I looked at it with a sense of humor but inwardly longed for Prince Charming. And then everything changed.

TODAY, it's amazing right now to think about how I still have those things to enjoy...AND I have a precious, precarious, and pretty {yes, I said "PRETTY"} son who enriches my life beyond what I could have ever imagined. I'm such a different person from 2 years ago; I've changed drastically...

I've grown from my experiences...

I've changed my perception and outlook on life...

I've altered my priorities in extreme ways...

And I'm a better person for it.

There are currently 43 posts with the label "dating", I'm not deleting all of those posts, but I've made the decision to cull some of these stories by the end of this week.

That's it- that's all I'm stopping =)

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emersonmade House Tour!

After raving about emersonmade a couple of weeks ago, I couldn't believe my eyes yesterday when Design*Sponge featured EmersonMade's home? LOVED IT! {of course}

Click {HERE} for the full post.

Best Way To Peel A Potato

I'd seen this method before on a mass e-mail, the one with Dawn Wells from Gilligan's Island peeling an Idaho potato {HERE}

But while I was amazed at the ease of peeling, I hadn't tried it myself to see if it'd actually work.

So tonight I tried my hand at it {that white circle in the pot is my clay pot watcher which keeps the water from boiling over...pretty cool stocking stuffer Mom!}'

Oh and if you'd like to submit my kitchen in a contest for a major remodel, please be my guest! Those appliances are original to the home; 32-years old. And I've had good intentions on putting up a backsplash for the past 2.5 years. Don't get me started on those dated cabinets...

While you heat your water to a boil, score the potato around the center {just one cut line}
Dawn Wells suggests on the video to boil for 15 minutes; I was making mashed potatoes so 20-25 min for a whole potato worked better for me {it's a little longer cook time than if you had pre-peeled and cut up your potatoes}. If I were making potato salad, 15-20 min would be an appropriate boil time.

Prepare a bowl full of ice water.

Once your potatoes are finished boiling, remove them and immediately immerse them in the ice cold water.

The peeling will slide right off. No need to work hard at scrubbing and peeling your potatoes, it's an extremely easy way to get the peeling off!

We'll be having more mashed potatoes over at our household now that I know it's so simple to peel a potato. I'm going to try it with sweet potatoes next!

Sweet Baby Treats & Instructions

Have you seen these at Baby Showers? Some creative crafters decided to gift-package baby staples like diapers, onesies, washcloths, socks, and bibs and make them look like sweet treats such as lollipops, cupcakes, sundaes, and even a flower bouquet. How do they come up with this fun stuff?

Do a search on Etsy and you'll find a plethora of sweet gifts:

Gigglebug Baby

Gigglebug Baby

Gigglebug Baby:

Babycakes & Decor

Baby Sweet Treats

Baby Sweet Treats

Baby Sweet Treats

So I searched for an Online Tutorial to make these sweet baby gifts and came up with: PDF instructions for Sale, "How to Applique a Cupcake Onesie", and screenprinted cupcake onesies...pretty much nothing to help.

Perhaps I wasn't searching with the right keywords, but the gifts are adorable and appeared to be fairly easy to make so I bought some onesies Wednesday night and tried my hand at figuring it out myself. It took a couple of tries, but I think I've figured out how to put my own personal spin on them and I'm sure they'll only get easier to make as I practice more. My friends better be making some babies now!!! =)

Supplies for My 1st Cupcakes

• Onesies
• Washcloths
• Pompom
• Wide Ribbon {at least 1.5 in width}
• Cupcake Liners {OR you can always make your own cupcake wrappers HERE}
• Doublestick Tape
• Straight-Pin

1. Fold washcloth in half, then fold again length-wise {so it's long & skinny}
2. Roll the long washcloth tightly & temporarily secure with a straight-pin
3. Lay the onesie out & fold it into thirds length-wise so it's long and skinny {you may have to try at this a while to figure out the best fold for your roll}
4. Remove straight-pin from your washcloth roll & place it on the end of your onesie and beginning rolling your onesie tightly over the washcloth roll
5. Secure the cupcake form with the straight-pin
6. Cut ribbon the length of the cupcake circumference {leave about 1/4" extra}
7. Tape the ribbon at your desired height {see below photos} & secure the ends with the straight-pin so that it holds the ribbon in place along with the cupcake form
8. From the bottom of the cupcake form, push the washcloth center slightly up to make a fully risen cupcake {see photos}; dont be afraid to adjust as the straight-pin will help hold the form together
9. Place a small piece of tape at the top and stick a pompom on as decoration
10. Sit your cupcake in a liner and Ta-Da!

I packaged them individualy in the clear favor bags {I think they were $1.50 for 20 at WalMart}

Here's some I did for a friend at church who is on bedrest expecting twins:

Then I made some gift labels in Word:

And packaged their "sweet baby treats" with some chocolate chip cookies and cupcakes:

Okay, give me some sweet babies...I want to make more treats!