Nursery Projects: Paint and Bookcase Re-do

It has been so very fun to start on our baby girl nursery! When Sawyer was born we were living in a very small, upstairs apartment and were very limited on what we could do decor wise. Getting to paint and design both Sawyer and baby Jane's rooms is such a treat!

A couple of weekends ago we began working on Jane's nursery. We started with painting the walls an adorable, super soft, shell pink. I'm so happy with how the paint turned out and how it pairs with the ceiling and carpet colors.

My awesome husband is a fantastic painter!

So eager to help!

Proud big brother

Once the paint was on the walls it was time to think about how to arrange the furniture. Sawyer has recently transitioned to a "big boy" bed, thus freeing up his crib for sister. We moved the crib into the nursery and got the changing table out of storage.

The next step was to re-do an old oak bookshelf someone had given us when we got married.

First we sanded

Then came a couple coats of primer

Then came the super cute yellow paint

 

We primed the back of the bookshelf

 We used our bedding fabric to line the back of the bookshelf and the result...SUPER CUTE!

 

We are so happy with how things are turning out! Can't wait to meet our baby Jane!

To Lent or Not To Lent

This is actually a post from a year ago...I don't know how re-posting blog excerpts fits into blog etiquette but rather than re-invent the wheel, I figured I'd share what my thoughts were on the observation of Lent this time last year. We are excited to participate in Lent again this year and are, once again, saying "adios" to sweet treats until Easter. It has been such a blessing to investigate this tradition. My prayer is that as we approach the Easter season, God would begin to prepare our hearts to celebrate the resurrection of our Savior.


From Feb. 26, 2010
"Last year Tim and I were blessed to attend a presentation of the symbolism and significance behind the Jewish tradition of the Passover meal. We were both fascinated by what we learned and discussed the beauty of ancient cultural and religious traditions and how so much of that Old Testament reverence is lost in our "what ever works for you" Christian culture. At the end of the presentation, the Jewish missionary who spoke, ended his time talking about the tradition of Lent. Having grown up in non-denominational and Southern Baptist churches, Lent was not something we observed or really spoke about. This novel idea excited Tim and I and last year we decided to fast away desserts and sweet treats for Lent. 

This year we have again given up all things sweet and delicious. Lent started last Wednesday, Feb. 17th and continues until April 3rd, the day before Easter. Though giving up sweets may not seem too big a deal, let me tell you, it is tough. Its not so much the big treats (pies, cakes, cookies, etc.) because we don't eat a lot of those foods. Its the things we eat without thinking about it (a chocolate covered strawberry at Bible Study, a handful of M&Ms at the office, a mocha from Starbucks) that are hard to say no to. 

I was reading about Lent earlier this week and really liked the following description from churchyear.net:

The purpose of Lent is to be a season of fasting, self-denial, Christian growth, penitence, conversion, and simplicity. Lent, which comes from the Teutonic (Germanic) word for springtime, can be viewed as a spiritual spring cleaning: a time for taking spiritual inventory and then cleaning out those things which hinder our corporate and personal relationships with Jesus Christ and our service to him. Thus it is fitting that the season of Lent begin with a symbol of repentance: placing ashes mixed with oil on one's head or forehead. However, we must remember that our Lenten disciplines are supposed to ultimately transform our entire person: body, soul, and spirit. Our Lenten disciplines are supposed to help us become more like Christ. Eastern Christians call this process theosis, which St. Athanasius aptly describes as "becoming by grace what God is by nature."

(That last quote from St. Anthanasius makes me so excited and fills me with hope!) 

Observing Lent has become a new tradition for our little family and I am very excited to incorporate it into our Easter celebration. Though giving up chocolate donuts does not seem like a spiritually transforming act, our decision to remove yummy things from our menu for the 46 days until we celebrate Christ's resurrection, allows us to be reminded of the huge act of self-denial our Savior made on our behalf. Thinking about His ultimate sacrifice makes putting down that cookie much easier."

Cranberry Salsa Recipe

I haven't shared many recipes but I'm so excited about this one I had to spread the joy.

I am blessed to be a part of an amazing group of women who meet every Thursday evening for dinner, Bible study, and accountability. Between the 20 of us, there are some amazing dishes brought each week. A few weeks back (at our super fun baked potato bar), my friend Bethany laid out an amazing spread of chips and cranberry salsa. I was apprehensive at first but after one bite I was pretty much glued to that spot on the table, guarding my newly discovered, ruby treasure.

I found a similar recipe online and made a batch of the salsa for a small Super Bowel party we had the next weekend. I was not able to find fresh or frozen cranberries and attempted the deliciousness with a canned version. Though it was still delicious, it was a bit too sweet (the canned fruit has a fructose additive). I can't wait to make it again with fresh or frozen berries and really party with my taste buds...

Last Thursday night Bethany gave me a super cute recipe card with her version of the cranberry salsa.

Enjoy:

Bethany's Cranberry Salsa

1 bag of cranberries
2/3 c. sugar
1 1/2 limes for juice
1 bunch of green onions
1 bunch of cilantro
2 jalapeños (more or less depending on how much spice your craving- seeds optional as well)

In food processor, blend cranberries and place them into a mixing bowl. Add sugar, lime juice, and chopped green onions to cranberry puree. Place cilantro and jalapeños in food processor and chop. Add mixture to cranberry mix and stir well. Allow to chill in fridge for at least 2 hours before serving.

-Here is an added bonus-

Before placing the salsa in the fridge, poke holes into the top of a block of cream cheese and pour the salsa over the top. Place this into the fridge for a couple of hours to allow the salsa to seep into the cheese. Serve with Ritz crackers and tortilla chips.

Thanks Bethany for the amazing recipe!!

Etsy Favorites

The "world of girl" is such fun. As we prep for the next big project of putting together baby Jane's nursery, I can't help but scour the world wide web looking for all things pink and floral and vintage and poofy.

Etsy is a favorite shopping spot (if nothing else, it provides amazing inspiration and motivation). Here are some of my recent finds:

Anything made with Amy Butler fabric is a winner...

From JMBthreedesigns's Etsy shop

Just plain cute...

From Bonniebluebelle's Etsy shop

I can't get over the rufflidge. I'll take one in every color!!!

From Dressbabybeautiful's Etsy shop

Along with perusing the clothes and accessories, I have begun the ominous diaper bag search. With Sawyer, Tim and I decided to go with a gender neutral messenger bag so that both he and I could get away with carrying it (and he could maintain his man dignity). I loved our bag and it has held up quite well but now that there is a girl on the way, I am craving a more feminine piece. This beauty has caught my eye:

From Kolobags

The search continues...We are definitely getting excited about our little lady!!

The DIY Show Off: More Than Rubies featured post!!!

I am so excited! Our closet/office re-model was the daily DIY feature at The DIY Show Off. A HUGE thanks to Roeshel for the blog spot!

As I was trying to explain the thrill to my husband, all I could think of was equating it to that feeling of pride a child gets when their teacher chooses their piece of art to hang on the wall.

Call me dramatic but its one of my first times being "featured" and I can't help but be a bit giddy...

Be sure to check out Roeshel's blog and the plethora of inspiring DIY ideas she boasts!

Closet/Office Re-model

I have been itching to blog about our weekend project...well...all weekend! As we begin to prepare for our little baby Jane, we have encountered a few obstacles. First, the room we intend to use as the nursery has been our office/craft room/"don't know what to do with it" room since we moved into the house in August. Our first solution was to move the office into our bedroom and find storage space for my crafting supplies in one of the hall closets. The plan was to find a medium to large hutch type piece of furniture and convert it to our office space. I had found a few pieces I liked but they ranged from the low $300's to the high $700's and that just wasn't in the budget. Even if we were able to find an affordable hutch, I wasn't super excited about having to move the office into our room. We brainstormed a bit and came up with a Plan B: turn the guest room closet into our office! We did some research online and found great inspiration...

From blisstree.com

from dwellerswithoutdecorators

Our first step was to clean out the closet:

Second step was to re-vamp our old computer desk (which I bought at Goodwill years ago):

Tim bought a 7ft piece of plywood which we used to extend the desk top to fill the closet.

Then came the sanding, priming, and painting.

After getting the painted desk and desktop into the closet, we added some side shelving for additional storage...

As a finishing touch, we ran a piece of molding across the front of the desk so that the plywood addition wasn't so obvious. It worked out perfectly!

I LOVE IT!!!

The total cost of our closet re-model was about $100 dollars. So much more cost effective than trying to find and fix up a large hutch or looking into custom shelving options for our room. I am thrilled with how it all turned out and so thankful I married a man who can turn my ideas into reality. He even re-wired the electrical socket in the room so that we can plug-in the computer and printer from the inside of the closet!

The final step is to find fun curtains to hang over the front. I'm seeing an Ikea trip in the near future...

The most exciting part of the project is now that we have moved the office and craft supplies out of the soon-to-be nursery, we can really get going on prepping for the baby! Pink paint samples, here I come!!

It's a girl!!

In case you hadn't heard, we're having a girl!!! We are thrilled and I can't stop dreaming in pink and tulle. Girl clothes and accessories are just more fun than boy stuff. As I've begun to seek out inspiration for the baby's nursery, I have come across some fantastic ideas:

Lemon Tree Creations (a favorite blog) is hosting a giveaway this week and I am in love with the pack of vintage nursery rhyme cards from Pretty Little Studio's Etsy store:

Can't you just picture them framed and hanging in a little girl's room? So cute. 

I'm also obsessed with Micheal Miller's Meadowsweet fabric collection:

This reminds me of old Disney movie artwork...not sure what it is. 

Decorating a little girl nursery is pretty much all I think about these days. The options are endless!! Can't wait to see how it all turns out!