Baby Quilt: Finished!! (finally...)

About 4 months ago, I decided I wanted to make a quilt for Baby Olive. It took me awhile to get started because it is, indeed, my FIRST quilt and I was pretty nervous about how/where to start. I bought a book (I chose BHG's Complete Guide to Quilting for the great step-by-step pictures inside!), picked out an amazing PATTERN TUTORIAL from Little Birdie Secrets (finding this tutorial is what inspired me to want to make a baby quilt in the first place - it is SO cute and the instructions were AWESOME! -and very simple for a first-timer like me!-) and chose a color scheme (I decided on lime green, teal, and brown - I didn't want it to be too 'pastel-y, but wanted him to be able to grow with it)

It took me forever to pick out the fabric and even longer to figure out the square combinations. BUT- once I got started, piecing together the blocks went really smoothly and before too long (2 months...) I had almost completely finished the quilt top.

That's when things start to get hairy.

In my never-made-a-quilt-before ignorance, I -on a whim- decided that I should throw the quilt top (before adding the outside border) in the washing machine on the 'normal' cycle. When I came to pull it out, this is what I found:

 An EPIC DISASTER.  

It was a tangled, ripped, frayed, pulled-apart-at-the-seams mess. 

I had myself a good long cry (I can blame hormones for that, right?!) and I was SO UPSET with myself for totally ruining 2 months worth of work in the time it takes for a spin cycle to complete. Seasoned quilters out there are probably wondering why in the world I would wash it at this point - especially on the normal cycle... to which I will plead 'pregnancy brain'. I'm still kicking myself for thinking that washing it before it was put together was a good idea... BUT that's how lessons are learned, right?! (why is it that I always seem to learn lessons like this the hard way?)  

So, I dried the tears, chalked it up to a learning experience, and promptly drove to the fabric store to pick up more of the same fabric to make Quilt #2. Yep. The same day. I was more determined than ever to make this quilt happen. It took me less than 1 week to finish piecing together the top (did I mention that I was determined?) and after ordering a walking foot to fit my 1989 Kenmore sewing machine (which took a few weeks...) I was able to sandwich the quilt together, add the quilt lines and binding and VOILA! Quilt #2 turned out even BETTER than Quilt #1!

The gathered block centers are my favorite part - they make the quilt so much fun and full of texture!

The border fabric is a white-on-white dots pattern - the perfect touch to an otherwise plain border
(without making the design too busy)

The backing fabric is 'minky' (THE softest fabric of all time) and it was great to work with because
it didn't slip around too much and it doesn't shrink when washed!

Do all the blocks line up perfectly? No. Are all the quilting lines even? No way. 

BUT- the quilt is overall square and VERY WELL SECURED (we don't want any repeat performances of the EPIC DISASTER above...). It has a heck of a lot of character and a really good story (of course, this is one of those stories that is only 'good' in hindsight). 

This is a true labor of love that involved a lot of blood, sweat, and tears (literally) and I'm proud to say that my first ever quilt will be my first gift to my first child. Pretty cool, I think. :)

Mommy Moment

PROJECT LIFE: The Beginning

Last week, Justin and I were supposed to be road tripping to a resort in Tennessee as our final little 'single'  vacation before baby arrives (We realize we still have lots of time left, but we have a busy couple of months coming up and I'm not sure how comfortable a 8 hour road trip will be in a month or so...) but he had some things at work come up at last minute and we weren't able to go. 

Although I was really bummed, I decided to keep my week off from work and get some things done around here! It was actually really great to have some 'me-time', because I know before too long those moments will be few and far between! 

I got in plenty of walks with Bella, did lots of reading, made a quick mini blanket out of some scrap 'minky' fabric I had leftover from the baby quilt I'm working on **(which will hopefully be finished in the next couple of weeks!)**

If you haven't heard of Minky ... or FELT it, I highly suggest you do! It is THE. SOFTEST. MATERIAL. EVER.

AND.... I spent LOTS of time kicking off my NEW LONG-TERM PROJECT!! This project is very much like my Project: 365 that I finished up in December, as I hope to post my progress weekly. 

I've never been much of a scrapbook-er, mainly because of the time that goes into each page - I have a problem committing so much time to any one layout and I have WAY too many photos to only put just a few on each page ... so THIS is the answer! 

PROJECT LIFE.

(Ironic how I keep choosing these projects named... Projects!) 

Project Life is a form of scrapbooking, but focuses more on recording daily life memories and moments rather than big events. It also requires much less of a time commitment, and records the small things everyday that are often forgotten. Instead of working on ONE page for ONE event, Project Life has specially-designed pages for quickly slipping in photos and journaling cards to write down quick memories, events, etc. Check out Becky Higgins' website for the complete low-down. (she's the genius behind the idea!)

I bumped into the idea on accident while checking out my friend, Lindsey's website and she opened my eyes!  (Thanks, Lindsey!) and the more browsing I did online, the more people I found doing amazing things with this idea!  

I started off the project by picking up a basic 3-ring scrapbook binder at Hobby Lobby and ordering a variety pack of different page protectors and some blank journaling cards from Amazon. These things should get me through the whole year! (with some journaling cards that I make myself - or find free printables online!)

I'm going to use my first book as a form of a 'baby book' to record all the memories/events/moments from Baby Boy's first year - starting with my pregnancy and our preparations. I've gotten a pretty good start on the first 5 pages, which I've shared below! (They aren't completely finished, but I couldn't wait to share!)

I was so excited for these little boxes to show up in the mail!!

Using some scaled-down 8 1/2 x 11 page protectors, I was able to display the 'baby pages' I've been making every month while creating layers in the book!)

What's nice about these pages is that the ultrasound photo that is currently in a frame in the nursery can easily be slipped into the top left slot when I switch it out of the frame!

This project is a perfect way to organize the 'little things' that I hoard collect - like appointment cards and receipts for special items!

I'm hoping once baby arrives, I'll be able to fill one spread (2 pages) every week for the first year of his life. The pages come in 6 different layouts, allowing for lots of photos/journaling cards or just a few, whatever I get done that week!  (I like the no-pressure take on scrapbooking - I might actually be able to keep up with it!) I highly suggest you check out Project Life - go to Becky Higgins' website or Google it - it's amazing what other people are coming up with!


Let's just say the nesting has begun... or is continuing... I'm pretty sure I've been 'nesting' since I found out I was pregnant :)

Mommy Moment

Forgive the delay - I am actually 26 weeks today and we had a doctor's appointment to test my sugar/glucose levels. We also got to hear baby's heartbeat and found out that he's still measuring at about 27 weeks - so a week 'ahead'. Everything looks good so far - he certainly is becoming more and more active!

Meanwhile, in the dining room, spring has sprung and the bulbs I planted a couple of weeks ago have started to bloom - there are some Hyacinths in one window and some Tulips in the other! They smell wonderful and make the room so much more bright! (they also make me long for spring to really start!)

I also used some ripe bananas that I had stored in the freezer to mix up this delicious banana cake with peanut butter frosting. (the frosting is really sweet, but it MAKES the cake!)

Link to the recipe HERE

P.S. I've got a great new project in mind - I can't wait to share it with you after I collect my ideas! :)

Nursery REVEAL!

I'm so excited to say that the first photos I show of the nursery are of it in it's finished state!!  Justin and I are the kind of people that when we get an idea in our minds, we're so excited to see the final product, we obsess over it a little. (ok, so maybe I was doing most of the obsessing, but Justin was a willing partner :) We've been working over the past few weeks on evenings and weekends and love the way that it came together! 

First of all, it is by total coincidence that the walls in baby boy's room are 'baby blue' color. This room was painted this color when we moved in and we chose it for the nursery because it is by far the brightest room in the house and was the easiest to transition into a nursery. (It was my 'craft room' for all of 4 months... it was nice while it lasted :) If baby ended up being a girl, we were going to keep the blue walls and just add lots of pink accents around the room to make it more of a 'girly' space.

BEFORE picture of the room... when it was in transition from my office to the nursery

We chose to go with an 'Eric Carle' theme (for those of you not familiar, he's the artistic genius behind The Very Hungry Caterpillar children's book, among many others.

We wanted something that was going to be gender-neutral and would last beyond the 'baby' years - I know many 7-8 year olds who still love Eric Carle! (Heck, I'm 26 and I still love him!) His work is made up of numerous different bright colors and textures arranged collage-style into animals and other natural elements. His books are also written in a very repetitive fashion, making them perfect for beginner readers. His whole style rocks my world... I see many themed Eric Carle events in our future... birthday parties, art parties, maybe even a trip to the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Massachusetts? :) Oh, the possibilities!

This is the collection of Eric Carle prints that are placed on the wall above the crib. For safety's sake, the frames are screwed directly into the drywall on both the top and the bottom. No, the frames won't be able to be re-used as 'normal' frames again and Yes, the wall now has 18 large holes in it, BUT we can rest easy knowing there is NO WAY they will fall off or baby can pull them down. Plus, we can always switch out what's IN the frames, they will just always have this arrangement. (knowing how I am with decisions in general, not to mention PERMANENT ones, this layout took me many nights of swapping the frames around on the floor.) 
 
I got the 3 large (12" x 18") images from this book and the smaller ones I scanned some of these alphabet flash cards and printed them different sizes to fit the frames. Both the book of prints and the flash cards are AWESOME! The flash cards are large (good for small hands) and made of thick book board - each card also has a corresponding animal whos name starts with the letter on the card! Double awesomeness! 

The Book Wall. It was inspired by many similar ideas I found on Pinterest (who says Pinterest is a waste of time?! :) It will serve as a functional storage place for books, plus will be a rotating art gallery of book covers! We just picked up some unfinished shelves at Menards for $9 each, painted them white to match the trim in the room, and attached them with anchors and screws.  

1. We picked up this sweet little amphibian at a flea market when we went to go visit Justin's sister and her family in Texas in 2007. We have very fond memories of this trip, as it was our first ever together (and we had only been dating about a month at the time we took it!) 

2. This was one of Justin's childhood toys - The Happy Apple! (I'm pretty sure it's considered 'vintage' now) It's a wobble and chimes when it moves - it fits in perfectly in the room and I'm sure baby boy will love it just as much as his papa did!

*Book note: Thank you to Kohls and to my mother for frequenting Kohls for having Eric Carle books/stuffed animals as their current 'Kohl's Cares' fundraiser campaign. My mom brought baby the kangaroo book (and matching animal, of course :) and we picked up 2 of the other Eric Carle books for $5 apiece! AWESOME! And what great timing! They also have a really fun line of Eric Carle educational toys too!! 

The Changing Station is all ready and set to go, all it needs is some supply stocking! The diapers will eventually be put in the cloth bins, changing accessories in the basket, and lots of super sweet clothes in the drawers.
1. This 'Mandala Tree' embroidered wall hanging was a gift from Lisa (at Git Down Kitty) -See more information about Lisa and the creation of this masterpiece on this post. This is an inspiration piece and looks like it was made for this room and its blue walls. 

2. This frame will eventually house a 'name collage' that I will create and hang once baby comes. It will include name, birth date, birth time, weight, length, etc. (another Pinterest-inspired project!)

3. This frame is where baby's hospital bracelet will be saved. I love the idea of incorporating little personal trinkets/memorabilia to make the room more unique! 

The contents of the other frames are still somewhat unknown. I have many ideas and so little space! :)  I'll keep you posted.

The Cuddle-Nook is the brightest spot in the room (in the whole house, probably!)
and is the perfect size to accommodate lots of cuddling :) 

1. More Eric Carle prints - scanned and printed from flash cards. I thought these 3 sea life prints went really well together on this wall and remind Justin and I of our amazing scuba-diving adventures!

2. Tie backs I made out of leftover fabric from the window seat/toy box. They are really easy to latch and un-latch to close the much needed light-blocking curtains for naptime! I loosely followed this tutorial and attached them to the wall the same way.

3. This is a glass mosaic piece made by my sister when she was in high school (obviously, I love it because it's a panda, but more because she thought to give it to me! :) It fits perfectly in this room!

4. Our custom-built window seat/toy box! (an original design by Justin!) See all about how we made it here.

The super-cozy Crib (and the uber-soft bedding that was sponsored by baby's grandma Jodi :) 

All of the bedding is made by Carters and we ordered it online from JCPenny. Instead of ordering a 'set', I opted to mix-and-match different patterns/textures to help it fit the room. This set is also very gender-neutral if we have a little girl someday, just add a pink patterned sheet, and voila! :) 
I was originally going to skip the bumper pad, but after feeling this one made of the softest cotton ever ('minky' I hear it's called), I couldn't resist. It also really helps make the crib seem more cozy and 'finished'

...and last but not least....

Obviously, this photo was taken before the bedding had been delivered - just stare at the light :)

The Light Fixture. I fell in love with this fixture from Ikea when I first saw it and was just waiting for the opportunity to buy it for a room! I love it not only because it just looks really neat during the day, but because of the AMAZING shadows it casts at night! We're using this in place of a mobile over baby's bed - how fun would it be to look up at those shadows all night?!  (Of course, he'll be sleeping all night...right?!) We installed a dimmer switch (when I say 'we', I mean my handy electrician, Justin :)  so that it can always be on a little bit - so it's a mobile AND a night-light! It's perfect!

Because we weren't going to Ikea anytime soon, I had my sister pick this up on her way back to Wisconsin a couple of weeks ago and send it in the mail. How exciting to find this (and all 90 pieces inside) on my doorstep!

The flowery parts are just made out of paper, but the fixture requires only a small 40 watt bulb - so no fire hazard! (and although there were 90+ pieces, it was really easy to assemble  - it just snapped together!)

The Finished Product:

View from the door

View from the closet (Just as we suspected, Jasper has completely taken over the window seat - he rarely leaves that spot during the day when the sun is out!)

View from behind the glider

Our Nursery Window Seat/Toy Box!

After browsing Pinterest for hours days, I had mentioned to Justin how great it would be to have a window seat bench in our nursery, seeing as the wall randomly juts out next to one of the windows, and it would be nice to have some extra seating in the room. A couple of days later, I came home from work to a pile of lumber and Justin's drawn-out plan for the bench!  (What a guy :) 

It took us a weekend to construct it (When I say 'us', I was really only the board holder/nail handler/sidekick) and then another week to paint, order/receive the foam and choose fabric. (it took me numerous trips to the fabric store to decide on a fabric... I'm THAT girl that stands in front of a wall of fabric bolts for an hour and then leaves the store with nothing. It's torture)

We chose to not actually 'install' it in the room so that we had the freedom to move it around in the future and we didn't have to destroy the walls around it. At first we weren't going to put walls on the inside, just put some fabric baskets in there to hold toys, etc., but then decided that it would look much more finished with the interior walls so it made a trip back down to the garage for the finishing touches.

After painting the outside white I had the wild idea to paint the inside a bright, contrasting color for a little 'surprise' when you open it up, so on a recent trip to Lowes, we browsed the reject mis-mixed paints and found a gallon of a bold orange color for $5. How can you beat $5 for a whole gallon of paint?! So orange it was!! (by the way, if anyone is looking to paint something bright orange, let me know... I have about 3/4 of a gallon just sitting around :)

I am by no means upholstery-savvy, but for my first project, this one was easy and turned out pretty well - the fabric seems really secure to the board and doesn't have much give, probably because it's attached underneath with no less than 1,000 heavy-duty staples.

Overall, this project ended up costing us about $150 which, to me, seems like quite a bit but things add up! (lumber, foam pad, fabric, hardware, paint) But after thinking about it, we couldn't have gotten one like this that fit perfectly into our space and is so STURDY (Seriously, I invite you and your two largest friends to take a seat... this thing won't BUDGE!) for less than what we paid for materials. The final dimensions are about 3.75 ft x 2.5 ft on top and 2 feet tall. It will be perfect for hanging out with baby catching some afternoon sun :) (Plus it has SO MUCH room inside to store toys and 'stuff' - what kid doesn't love a toy box?!

The front of the box will eventually be home to some wooden letters spelling out baby boy's name... but we're keeping that one a secret until June. Sorry! Check back for an updated window seat post around then! :)

... And for those of you wondering, the bench has already become a favorite hang out for our furry friend, Jasper. He pretty much thinks he owns the place and we built the bench for him to get a better angle at the afternoon sun/view of the neighborhood. (we don't have the heart to tell him differently... he's in for a big enough shock-to-the-environment come June, we don't see the need to take away the last few months of peace and quiet that he'll enjoy in this room. We're such suckers for that furry face :)

Mommy Moment

I'm going to try my best to keep you updated with the progress of my pregnancy without totally taking over my entire blog talking about it (although it IS pretty much all I think about these days!) 

Please don't confuse the 'parts' - refer to the arrow :)

We found out at our ultrasound appointment a couple of weeks ago that...

Baby Olive is a BOY! 

We're super excited to meet this little guy - sometimes it seems like 9 months takes forever, and sometimes it seems like it's flying by! It seems my belly has emerged in full force in the last few weeks, and I've recently been struggling with my wardrobe in the mornings. Although I have purchased some maternity clothes, it seems those are still a bit too big, while my regular clothes are a bit too tight... it's an adjustment :) 


I've been making a 'journal' of sorts that incorporates the belly photo we take every month. It's more of a monthly letter to baby boy to keep him updated on his growth and see what kinds of things were happening in the months leading up to his birth. Maybe I'll bind them in a book of some sort for him. Here's our 20 week page:

Also - we got to take a few short video clips from the ultrasound with us - I've been watching them over and over ever since. Enjoy! 

I'm Back!

These past few weeks, since my 365 project has been completed, I've been taking a hiatus of sorts from blogging/spending so much time on the computer in general. It's nice to disconnect sometimes - it's amazing how much extra time I have when I'm not spending it all aimlessly browsing the internet! (I have to admit, I have still been checking in with Pinterest from time to time... I just can't get enough of the inspiring ideas I find on there!) 

In my new-found free time, I've been working/crafting/decorating/entertaining and enjoying the amazing weather we've been having in Indiana!

----------Here's some of the highlights-------

20 weeks = Hello... BELLY!

- I've been in awe of baby's increasing movement inside me. I was at a conference for work earlier this week and found myself starting down at my belly for extended periods of time WATCHING my belly poke out every time he gave a little kick. It's just an amazing thing!

- The decorating of Baby Olive's room is practically FINISHED! (I got nursery fever a couple of weeks ago and couldn't shake it, so we just went ahead and got to work while the mood was striking us!)

- My mom, step-dad, sister & brother (+ his girlfriend) came to visit last weekend so we could celebrate a belated 'Christmas' together. IT was so nice having them around for a few days - our house came to life!

- I started working on my first-ever QUILT for baby boy - I have all the pieces cut and have started assembling the blocks! I'm so excited that it's going according to plan and that I have an incentive (and a June 'deadline') to move from 'just practicing' to the real thing!


I've also been working on a few miscellaneous projects around the house that I've had the energy lately to start- AND FINISH!  I'll be posting photos of all these exciting happenings in the next few days- stay tuned! :)

365 Project: Week 52 - FINALE!!

I'm both excited and sad to announce that this is my LAST 365 Project post! I started taking a photo every day on January 1, 2011 and on December 31, 2011, I wrapped up the project. It has been a very fun and challenging experience, and I'm really excited to print my year-in-photos in a book and flip through it. So many things have happened throughout the course of this one year, and I'm so glad I've been able to document it day-by-day. To summarize,here are the top 5 most exciting things to happen to the Olive family in 2011:

1. We found out we're expecting BABY OLIVE in early June! (this pretty much blows all other exciting things out of the water...)

2. We purchased our FIRST HOME (and are LOVING making it our own)

3. We MOVED to West Lafayette, Indiana (8 hours from home!)

4. Justin was promoted to his new JOB with Pizza Hut! (which made the previous 2 points possible)

5. After living apart for 3 months (boo...) we took a getaway trip to MEXICO 

Wow! We've really been so blessed in 2011 and are looking forward to what 2012 has to offer.
I won't be continuing the 365 Project, but I in no way plan to stop taking photos (obviously, with a baby arriving in June, I'm probably going to take even MORE photos!) Over the next couple of months, I'll still be posting about nursery progress and crafting, pregnancy updates and hopefully show some photos as we 'finish' more rooms in our house. I originally created this blog to showcase my Project 365 photos, so it might take me a little bit to find a new 'groove' but I'll come up with something - STAY TUNED! Thank you so much for following me on this journey - It's been so fun for me to upload every week (or every 2 weeks sometimes... ) and get positive feedback from so many of you. It's what's kept me going to day 365!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!! I hope 2012 brings you great things! 

365 Project: Week 51 - The Journey to the Northwoods!!!

 

This week, we packed up the circus and made the journey to Rhinelander, Wisconsin where we got to spend plenty of time with Justin's family and enjoyed all the winter wonderland had to offer - including ice fishing! (Bella loved it - obviously) It was even more special to us this year because we don't get to see our families nearly as often living 8 hours away, we got to see Justin's mom and step-dad for the first time in 2 years, we got to meet a new niece AND a new nephew, and this is the last Christmas Justin and I will share without children!

This week I was also 17 weeks pregnant and starting to sport a little belly :) I am so fortunate to have felt so amazing throughout my pregnancy so far - there really isn't anything that I haven't been able to do (besides have a drink with my sister on her 21st birthday!). I have even more energy now and am ready for the growth spurt to begin! :)

I hope you all enjoyed your holiday with friends and family - it's always a little depressing to come home to an empty house after being around so many people for so many days, but we have so much to look forward to in the coming months!!

365 Project: Week 51 - Merry Christmas!!!

It's been rainy and surprisingly warm in Indiana this week... so, naturally the water level is 8 feet over flood stage and there are actually new green plants sprouting up - what happened to WHITE Christmas?!  :)

I've been working quite a bit taking lots of basketball, wrestling, and swimming photos at schools and working in the office getting those photos ready for print. I've also been organizing and finishing up some Christmas crafting and wrapping (which I think is finally done!) I'm trying my best to get everything organized and stored so that we can start thinking about how baby Olive's room is going to take shape. Right now, it's still kind of a mess, but it's much better than it was 2 weeks ago! We've decided to leave the walls the light blue color they were when we moved in - whether baby is a boy or a girl - but so far, that's really the only decisions we've made regarding that room - so stay tuned for details. 

I hope you're ready for Christmas! (it's exactly ONE WEEK from today!!) We'll be leaving next Friday for Wisconsin and are looking forward to seeing lots of family - including Justin's mom, who we haven't seen in FOREVER! (Seriously... not since our wedding 2.5 years ago!) AND our new niece, Rylee, who was born about 2 weeks ago! We're going to try to get a lot of family time in in the week that we're there! Happy travels to you if you're going to be out-and-about also!  Merry Christmas!!