Voila! New Bedside Tables!

Today, I've been spray painting furniture!  I love spray paint.  By spending no more than $10 and 30 mintues, you can get a brand new piece of decor.  My parents moved back to Austin recently and I was thrilled saddened to learn that some of their old furniture didn't fit into their new home.  Boo-hoo for them, new furniture for us!  Neither Marcos nor I are crazy about wicker but what we are crazy about is....free furniture!!!  

Here's the before picture of the wicker side table:

Here's the after:

This is not the original color that I wanted.  I thought about painting the tables a blueish teal color to compliment the painting above the bed (here's the story of the painting).  Unfortunately, the only blue colors available were Smurf blue.  This color is "Greek Stone."  I like it, but if I end up dying because of inhaled fumes, I'm not sure I can say this was worth it.  

Here's our side table for the past 7.5 years.  Boooooo.

The table before was basically just a piece of cardboard with a white tablecloth and glass top.

Here is the entire bedroom with the new tables!

Here's a MUCH better picture...  :)

This is my princess saying, "Mommy, I just LOVE your new bedside tables!  And by the way, Mommy, you are just too gorgeous for words!!!"  As you can tell, she's very advanced for a 20 month old.

All in all, I'm pretty excited about my new tables.  I'm ecstatic about having drawers in which to put my many books.  The spray paint on the wicker (on my table in particular) is somewhat blotchy, but in the words of the New Kids on the Block, "what'cha gonna do about it?"  

10 Minute Painting

Today I painted.  I didn't get much done, of course.  I painted for a grand total of 10 minutes.  I laid a creamy foundation on the canvas I hope to hang above my sewing desk (to be revealed at a later time!).

Many folks have asked me how in the world I get anything creative done with three kiddos.  The answer is: 10 minutes at a time.

I've had this canvas for several months and have actually come close to applying paint to it several times.  A while ago, I saw this painting at World Market and decided I'd like to make one just like it (but $80 cheaper).  We'll see how it turns out.    

If you look very closely at the bottom left hand corner, you can see little scribbles by my little 19 month old gremlin, Scout.  She climbed up on a stool while I was on the computer and went to work.  She's a little artist in the making.  I know this because she has scribbled on just about every surface of my home.

Here's to hoping for 10 more minutes tomorrow...

Simple Felt Stocking

Halleluuuuuuuuuuuuuuujah!

Finally.  Two weeks after Christmas, I finish my first Christmas stocking!  I am embarrassed to say that I actually bought the materials to make stockings during Christmas of 2009.  I had every intention this past Christmas (2010) to make a stocking for each of the five fine folks in our family, but never got around to it.

The devil on my shoulder prodded me to hold it off another year, but after writing out my New Year's Craft-olutions, I realized that I just needed to get it done now.

I really like the way this one turned out.  My plan is to make very simple felt stockings similar to the ones I adore (but can not afford) at Hable Construction.  My only wish is that I could afford nicer felt in cooler colors.  But, good wool felt is so stinkin' expensive!  I don't know how you felt junkies do it.

So, one down...four to go.  Wish me luck.

New Year's Craft-olutions

Do you make resolutions?  Lose ten pounds...get organized...stop picking your wedgie in public.  Whatever it is, there are no resolutions more fun to make (and break?) than craft resolutions!
Here are my craft-olutions for 2011:

1.  Clean out that stinkin' craft closet...starting with the 1500 yards of .25 inch scrap fabric.  Something that looks like this might work:

Country Living

2. Finish making pillows for Merrick's bed.  Make him some super cool old school car pillows that will rock his world.  One idea - make two pillows side by side with a felt car that can come unattached and be raced across the two pillows.  Or, this tutorial by Noodlehead is a great option as well:

3. Make a pouf or bean bag for the playroom.  Little Scoutie Girl still goes over and sits in her little pink bouncie chair to read a book.  I'd love to make a reading nook for the kiddos in the playroom.  This pint sized pouf tutorial rocks my world:

4.  Learn how to better use my serger!  My hubby was so generous to give me a beautiful (though somewhat complicated) serger for my birthday this past year.  So far, I have figured out how to use it for one stitch.  I would love to be the master serger-er by the end of 2011.

5.  Finish decorating my craft room.  This includes making some silhouettes of my children, a painting for above my sewing machine, and perhaps a cool, gigantic tissue ball/japanese latern poof above my work desk like my one of my favorite online rooms here.

Small Creatures

6. Make a barrette holder for all of Scout's little hair thingys.  Along with that, I want to have another Girl's Craft Night where we make tons of bows (instead of paying $10 a piece for them at the local boutique)!  Check out this bow holder on sale over at Etsy:

TTotBoutique

7. Finally...finally...scrapbook the twins' first year.  I bought them each a beautiful scrapbook from Aimeej Keepsakes and, a year and a half later...they are completely empty.

8.  Paint a few mixed media paintings for above Scout's crib.  Originally, I had a freaky cool (and pretty huge) custom metal art piece there, but took it down when it fell down and almost squished my baby girl.

Sascalia on Folksy

9.  Make some huge floor pillows and a painting above the mantel in the living room.  We have new furniture in the room as of yesterday and I can't wait to complete the look!  I really like these paintings below.  I'm thinking about doing an abstract longhorn in blues and greens (the colors of our living room decor).

                           Bill Jackson                                                                  Robert Joyner

10.  This is a true resolution: finish making stinkin' Christmas stockings for my poor stockingless family.  I bought the supplies to make a mantel full of stockings in 2009.  I am about half way through one stocking.  My goal is to start getting ready for Christmas in July (which means I need to start sewing Halloween costumes in April, which means I need to start preparing for my three childrens' birthday parties by January 1st...today).

Hable Construction

What are your Christmas resolutions?