playroom

Rainbows

November 6, 2012 By Rachelle

It’s been pretty freakin’ rainy here in Michigan for the past few weeks. So, instead of spending weekends at the pumpkin patch like we kept planning on doing…

We’ve been napping. Coloring. Watching endless episodes of Sons of Anarchy (Me! Not the children, don’t call CPS quite yet.) and..making rainbows.

The playroom needed a little happiness so a pack of paper (only one page of each color made the whole thing!) and a little glue and bam, major happiness.

Did you notice the change on the gallery wall? I put the gift Kristi sent me from her shop Barn Owl Primitives and a 2.00 button I bought at Hob Lob a while back.. Oh, and that frame next to it? I saw a tutorial on Pinterest and HAD to go for it. So cute.

I still want to strip the paint off the desk there (I did it in a moment of confusion, I blame it on little sleep– I really hate that I did that to the beautiful wood. Don’t hate me) and add a string of lights per request of the little ladies. I’m also thinking of taking out the kitchen since they don’t play with it and replacing it with a tent perhaps?

Filed Under: playroom 1 Comment

Playroom Art

July 31, 2012 By Rachelle

It all started with this left over board.

I used the other half of it to create a little birthday gift for my Mother in law.. But, that’s not what this post is about.

Nope.

This one is about some easy, peasy art. Simple.

I have these maps that I added to the girls playroom not too long ago, and they were way too small for the room so I needed a little something to add some oomph to the wall.

I also didn’t want it to take me more than 10 mintues.

Board.. Plus paint. Plus a fun quote.

Done and done.

This wall screams possibilities I think. Which is just what I want to encourage.

Filed Under: playroom, Uncategorized Tagged With: Playroom 2 Comments

Pinterest Challenge

July 10, 2012 By Rachelle

I did it y’all. I finished <i>SOMETHING</i> that I pinned. Finally.

If you’ve been here a while you might have noticed a change in me lately. Throwing more color into the house. Adding more handmade items. These times, they’re a changin’ aren’t they? Anyway, I wanted to make something FUN something BIG and something that screamed SUMMER.

Just in time to finally make something from pinterest, instead of just pinning.. I’d try actually finishing a project.

Meet..Surf & Turf.

Nothing says “Summer is all up in your face” like a giant dead lobster right? I think so. I hung that sucker right up in our dining room where he belongs. Perched on the wall where you can clearly see our favorite Summer photos tacked up to the fridge & our out of date Jones Design Company Calender. Am I the only one who is so bad about changing the calender? Seriously once I realize it’s time to change, the month is half over.

Back to the painting. I saw this beaut on Pinterest one day and wanted it. Badly. More so I wanted to make it myself rather than buy it.

I just used a cheap piece of MDF from Home depot and went to town. I think it should probably be aged a bit more with some stain and I thought about using a crackle method on it but seriously the fact that it’s this finished is a big accomplishment in my book.

It wasn’t really rocket science, or anything that deserves a full tutorial. I just eye-balled it with a pencil and then went to town with plain jane acrylic paint. It’s far from perfect, and that’s okay. Not much is in this house. Imperfections are welcomed!

Big thanks to Sherry, Katie and the gang for really kicking me in the butt to finish something instead of just drooling over everything I see on Pinterest like usual.

Filed Under: playroom, Uncategorized Tagged With: DIY, painting, Playroom, sign, vintage 4 Comments

2012 Resolutions

January 10, 2012 By Rachelle

Okay.. I’ll admit it, I love them. I love the idea that I can start FRESH. Kind of like when I say I’m going to start working out but it can’t be on any day other than a Monday. New week. New year. You get the drift. New beginnings, and I enjoy them. Mucho.

A few things I want to work on this year..

Quit looking for perfection in my marriage. It wont happen. We can’t erase the past, nor is it a romance movie where he’ll sweep in and say all the right things and I’ll feel that twinge in my stomach, with a twinkle in my eye and know every things better. Nope. Nada.

We’ll still have fights.. Will they lead to divorce? Lord help me I hope not, but it’s NORMAL to fight. I don’t have to stay awake after every fight worrying that this one was the one that broke the camels back, we should have just agreed on where to have dinner damn it.

Source

Breathe Rachelle. LIVE. Stop worrying. Be happy. Quit being so concerned with the idea that he might not be happy. You make him happy, shut your head up.

Source

Be a Yes Mom. Sometimes I think I’m the cranky Mom who doesn’t want to do anything. I’m also not really a “play” Mom. I love to take the girls to lunch dates, or movie dates, or shopping. We snuggle all the time or color but I don’t really…. play and I always feel like I’m scarring them for life by not rolling on the floor playing barbies.

I mean, I’m probably not scarring them, but I want them to grow up and have memories of me being fun, loving and a part (Not to be confused with APART.. Thankyouverymuch) of things.

Not remembering me working on something while they played in the playroom. I want to be in their memories. All of them.

Source

Be in photos.
LOL this one sounds so superficial, doesn’t it? I’m always behind the camera. I say to Mr. Fingerprints all the time, “What if I were to die. You wouldn’t even remember what I looked like!” I’m trying to be better. Say, “hey! Take a picture of us.” But I feel so lame doing it. Stop it Rachelle.. Quiet that head up again!

Be happy with my body. This also means taking care of it. Sure I want to lose 20 more pounds but if I don’t that’s okay. I’ve been working hard as a mother trucker to lose my baby weight.. (Ha, the baby who is almost…Four. Gulp) But my body will NEVER be pre-baby. It’s okay. Learn to live with it, learn to like it. I should probably quit messing with my hair too because it’s a hot mess and can’t afford any more fried ends or patches from it falling out all the time.

Be a happy person. Be a good friend. Be content. Be the sunshine in someone’s life. Be the blog that people feel good after they read. Be the best me that I can be.

Because I only get one shot at this lil’ thing called life. I fully intend to rock it this year.

Source

What about you? Do you have any new years resolutions that you’re going to work on this year?! Share with us!

Sharing over at Amandas!

Filed Under: My life, playroom Tagged With: Playroom Leave a Comment

Best of 2011

December 30, 2011 By Rachelle

It’s time to wrap up 2011 and take a look at the highlights of the year..

One project that we got done this year that I’m super excited about is the…

Playroom!

It was slow and steady that’s for sure but I’m so happy that it’s done and is a nice comfortable room for the girls to play in. Tons of details here, and here.

We did a little magic to the hallway, and even though it’s 6 or 7 feet of space that usually gets unnoticed I love the new closet doors we built.

Definitely better than they were. Plus the white is so fresh and pretty compared to the black.

I did a quick face lift to the bathroom with some fabric art.

Put a Bird on it.

Worked on the kitchen a little bit by adding a Chalkboard wall, Kitchen shelves, beadboard backsplash, and some bun feet.

Had some fun in the mantel department

Some favorites..

‘Twas quite the year. I hope you have fun browsing the links and going through the memories with me.

And, of course it wouldn’t be possible to run this place alone, and thanks to my ah-mazing sponsors this year.

Thank you ladies from the bottom of my heart.. Thank you!

And, of course there would be NO blog without the love and support from you lovely ladies. Every reader..subscriber..every one of you. You mean more to me than you’ll ever know. Through your encouragement as I fluff my home, mother my children and learn how to make this thing called marriage work. You’re my cheerleaders and there isn’t anything quite like real friends is there? Even if you friends are thousands of miles away. I’m honored to call you friends.

Group hug.

This year was pretty tough for some of us, so I’m praying for us all to have one hell of a 2012. Can I get an Amen?

Love. Just love.

Jen is having a best of 2011 party! Check it!
Lovin’ it over at TidyMom’s!
I’ll be joining Rhoda for her 2011 party!
And, Petals to Picots The best of 2011 party!
Don’t forget My BFF’s partay!
The lovely Ange is having a best of party too!
So much fun going around blog land.

Filed Under: Mantel, playroom, The fixer upper Tagged With: decorating, Holidays, Mantel, Mantels, Playroom, Vignette Leave a Comment

Home-made Christmas gifts

November 21, 2011 By Rachelle

We’re a few days away from the (suggested..Psh! I’ve been rocking Christmas scents and music for a while now) kick off to the holiday season so it’s time to think about gifts! And, what better gift is one that’s hand made..with love.

The first one I want to share is a fun little memo board that I saw floating around on Pinterest. I don’t have any ornate vintage frames but I do have a Wal*mart and they’re cheap. 4.00 cheap. Yes, please.

I bought some yummy spray paint colors but I actually ended up liking this one the way it was. Since, it’s for my kitchen and all. I used brown painter paper from Home Depot for inside the frame. I really dig brown and black together, classic and neutral but you could do anything inside these! Scrapbook paper, fabric, a photo, the possibilities are endless. That’s the beauty of this.

I bought the paper for our Thanksgiving tablescape so technically it wasn’t in the total cost of this project but if you want to add it to it, it was 10.00 for a HUGE roll. Awesome for coloring at the table for kids, seriously.

I wanted to use magnets but, let me tell you about these suckers.

They were a dollar something at Wal*mart and to put it bluntly they suck. I put about 100 of them on the back of the frame and they still didn’t hold it up. Boo! I could have went to Michaels and used the heavy duty ones, because I have before for other projects and they do rock the socks, but.. I didn’t want to waste the gas driving there. Hello, I’m Rachelle and cheap.

Next best thing, these velcro command strips. I can’t rave enough about these things! I used them in the playroom makeover to hold up all the girls art on the walls and they’re still going strong. If you’re giving these away for gifts you could buy a pack of these and just put two on the back and leave the paper on the strips so they don’t lose their sticky, and it’s great because of the velcro you can still take it off the fridge to write on.

Which leads me to my next point, I’d wrap up a sharpie with the gift. Get a pack of 6 or whatever they come in for 5 bucks and tie it with a ribbon, instant cute! Bonus is with using a sharpie rather than a dry erase marker, if you bump it while you’re writing on it, it doesn’t come off but, it does come off clean with windex or a baby wipe if you’re like me and always have them in the house for messy faces and what not. Love those things!

So there you go.

This was a pain in the butt to photograph because of the glare but you get the gist. Super cute, super cheap and everyone would use it. If you wanted to go up one notch you could always order some cute vinyl and put the families last name on it, or something equally as cute like “Meal planning..Calender..To Do” Like I said.. Possibilities? Endless!

I’ll be back all week sharing fun handmade gift ideas, woohoo! See you tomorrow!

*Also I’m joining Chris at Just a Girl for her Handmade Holiday party! Check out all the fantastic links won’t ya?*

Filed Under: Christmas, Gifts, playroom Tagged With: Playroom Leave a Comment

Pick Fair Designs Giveaway

May 20, 2011 By Rachelle

*Giveaway now closed*

Pick Fair Designs Woo hoo!

Their pillows are rockin’ out in our playroom as we speak. Such fun designs, lemme tell ya.

Sure you could go to a big box store and buy pillows that everyone else has

*cough cough*

Target..Pottery Barn..Etc.

But, why not get some that no one else has that someone made with their own ~~hands~~ sewing machine. I know, much more personal. Means more. Feels better.

Trust me.

Oh, and they have tons o’ other fun stuff too! Love these straws and baggies.

Today they’re offering up the Green and White Polka Dot indoor outdoor Pillow.

Shweet!

Want to know how you can win? Let me tell you the ways!

These are all optional, you can do one or you can do all of them just be sure to leave separate comments letting me know each time so it’s easier for random.org to choose a winner!

1.) Leave a comment, any comment!

2.) Check out Pick Fair and let me know what your favorite item is (Besides the pillow you’re planning on winning, duh.)

3.) Ice Cream flavor, what tickles your fancy?

Ready..Set..Go!

Did you miss the last one? Urban Frontiers

Next up..Sugar and Dots!

Filed Under: Birthday Week Giveaway, Giveaways, playroom Tagged With: Playroom Leave a Comment

Easy Canvas Prints

May 4, 2011 By Rachelle

When I was in the midst of the playroom redo I was contacted by a lovely lady from Easy Canvas Prints asking if I’d like to have a canvas made.

1.) Duh, I would.

2.) Hello PERFECT addition to the playroom, for reals.

First off the ordering was about as easy as you can get.

Pick your size, up to 30×40 (Holy huge canvas batman!)

Pick your wrap, Standard or Gallery

Choose your picture

Bam. Done.

The shipping was seriously fast, I think it was about a week if that until it was on my doorstep. And, the packaging was awesome there was no chance of bending or being ruined in that sucker.

I got the gallery wrap so it’s nice and thick, I also got it in a 12×18. Perfect size for the space.

I love that it anchors the photowall. It’s definitely the first thing you notice, maybe because we’re such a good lookin’ family, maybe because it’s such an awesome canvas, I don’t know.

But, I do know that I love it and I love the impact it makes on the playroom. So even when the rest of the room looks like this..

The photo wall still looks good.

Right now they’re running an awesome special for free shipping (in the U.S) and you get a free 8×10 with any purchase over 60.00! Check it out buddies! A great and affordable idea for a Mother’s Day gift, Birthday, Father’s Day, or just to add a little canvas spice to your life.

I was asked to do an honest review in exchange for a free photo canvas. But all the positive love is just because they rock. I don’t lie, yo.

Filed Under: playroom Tagged With: Playroom Leave a Comment

Playroom follow up answers.

April 14, 2011 By Rachelle

Whew, thank you all SO much for the playroom love yesterday! Ah, you all rock. I was so nervous about making it just right that I forgot to just “let it be”.

I got a few emails and comments regarding some items in the room. Here’s the answers

1. The L-O-N cards are held up by the 2.00 sticky putty that came with them. They fall off every day. I know, shucks. Maybe I didn’t put enough on them, or the textured walls? Oh well, soon I’ll change it to double sided tape or something. I used velcro on the READ letters and they’re holding up FANTASTICALLY.

2. The curtain fabric is from Hawthorne Threads. Love them, I also bought the girls bedroom fabric from them. Very very very fast service.

3. Nope, it’s not always this clean haha. The big toys are hidden in the closet behind the ~~shoe shelves~~ faux built ins.

4. Yes the gumball machine is usually on the stand, but for the pictures I wanted it in here. Velcro remember? But, a reader informed me that JCPenney has stands! Holy cow.. I want one, because well.. then it’s real metal and not wood..not to mention fan-cy! But we’ll see. They’re 20.00 or so I believe.

5. The blue-tealish frame next to the lamp is from Target, they have a ton o’ colors and I love them.

I think that’s about it! If there’s any other questions I’ll just add the answers to this post, so check back if you still have one.

Happy Hump Day!

Filed Under: playroom, Uncategorized Tagged With: Playroom Leave a Comment

The Playroom

April 12, 2011 By Rachelle

Aka. Longest post ever.

Woohoo! It’s time it’s time! I’m finished, and it’s lovely. I’ve been waiting to get this room together for-ev-er it seems and it all started with the ABC prints from Land of Nod.

They’re vintage looking (love) they have great primary colors, good for a boy or a girl room (love) and at 30.00 they’re super reasonable for the set (LOVE) I put them on the long wall to add some length to the room, and to help anchor all the crazy patterns and primary colors I had in mind for accessories. I figured if the BIG pop was on the wall, it would tie everything together. It does..it does.

You know I went out on a limb with the curtains, I still adore them. Modern graphic print and all.

The bins came from Target, I thought about using fabric bins but they were 6.99 a pop and these looked a lot more like vintage locker baskets and they were a buck cheaper. I’m all about saving. The only bad part about them is when the girls throw their ceramic tea set in them, being metal and all.. But um.. My girls wouldn’t do that.. no way.

The crates came from an antique store in my town. They were 5.00 a pop and they’re perfect for books, the coloring accessories and a little stuffed animal or two. I thought the room needed a little height to balance out the long Target shelf, and the Land of Nod cards, so the crates seemed like a great bookshelf, I have another crate but I’m living with just two for now, I like the third for the height but then the lamp was way too high up there. Ah, whatev.

The closet is one of my favorite parts of the room! It’s teeny tiny so even when it was little lovies room there wasn’t much she could do with it. But it’s PERFECT for a dress up closet! Their collection is still growing so everything fits for now. I also picked up two 10.00 shelves from Target (sensing a theme here?) and stacked them for a little built in love. Some dollar store baskets and dress up shoes and it’s just right. I used a white twin flat sheet that I had (the girls don’t use them) as a little door, for some flair, the lovely tie backs. Whoop whoop, a little more tiles in grass love.

A little yellow clock for some charm- Target 3.99

PLAY letters, you remember those..right?

The table and chairs are from Ikea (Kritter set) and the rug is two 3×4 rugs from Target. I didn’t want to spend 100.00 on a rug that may or may not get ruined by crayon, paint etc.. so I picked up these two for 12.00 pc good enough for me.

The chair and I… are an issue. I had a moment of ghettoness last year and picked up a GREAT wicker chair on the side of the road. Yeah I know, don’t judge. It was free..and huge..and loverly. But, I couldn’t get the paint to stick to that sucker for the life of me. I think maybe the wood was rotting. Which makes me sad. Don’t tell me how I could fix it now, it’s already trashed. For now, I have an extra dining room chair in here until I find something else I like. Boo, I know.

The awesome canvas came from Easy Canvas prints and you’ll be hearing about them soon! I paired it with some prints that the lovely Jen Badalamenti took last fall. The colors were perfect for the space. I used a few free printables and some more letters from Hob Lob and we have quite the gallery wall.

Another few details that I’m crazy about…

The ceiling fan all jazzed up.

Lamp Target (duh.) with some teal and green ribbon on the shade.

Random Jars with pretty vintage fillers (Blocks, Scrabble tiles, game pieces)

Perfect Pillows all from Etsy shops. I love the mix of colors and patterns with them. They work, at least I think they do. I’m 90% crazy though..10% genius.

1. Red Striped pillow & Colorful Town pillow, Yellow dandelions pillow, Blue lattice print pillow

So.. there you have it. Any questions go ahead and leave it in the comments and I’ll try to answer it as best I can. Oh, and no.. Target didn’t ask me to buy their entire store but.. if they choose to ask me. I totally plan on taking them up on it. Just to forewarn you.

Oh! And, the ceiling isn’t totally done. But, for “promise to post about it” purposes, I showed it off anyway. We plan on adding a faux crown molding trim so there isn’t a line of paint separating the wall color and the ceiling. Silly ol’ round walls.

Hangin’ out at HOH