Check this Out

Hello dear readers!
Please follow me on to my new and improved design blog, House of Chic and Penoche. My co-contributor Stacey and I met in college where we got our  degrees in Interior Design, and worked at the same granite/tile showroom after graduation.  If you like what you've seen here, wait till you see the fun projects we've been working on lately.  Come check us out for double the design at www.houseofchicandpenoche.blogspot.com and fill your home with the yummy stuff!

Shoulda Used Mod Podge Project

Instead of throwing out used formula containers, I thought they would be great to help me organize the kids stuff.  Why buy a cute can for $4 or so when you can make one for free?  I just got some scrapbook paper and cut to size and glued it around this container and voila, we have a craft container.  I was too lazy to find my mod podge, but when I make more I will so they will be cute without the bubbles. Luckily my kids don't even notice. This could work with any can that isn't sharp around the edges after you take the top off.

Before & After:

DIY Baby Carrier Wrap Whatever

Is that a baby in there?*

[Note to self: apply make-up first, take photo after.]  

I saw these online, and thought it might be more comfortable than my previous baby wearing apparatus.   But did I want to pay the $45+ price tag? No way Jose.  I found a bunch of handy videos on You Tub e about how to wrap them, and then how to make them. Uh, ridiculously easy!! I couldn't take it anymore.  I went to Jo Ann's to buy my 5 1/2 yards of Jersey knit.  Well, did I luck out, because what is usually $12.99/yard was on sale for 50% off! (lucky because I really really really wanted to get it THAT Day!)  So, at $6.50/yard later, I got home and sewed up this baby wrap.  Just kidding- you don't even need to sew it.  It's just one looong piece of fabric.  Actually, I want to sew on some cute fabric to mark the center, but I haven't gotten that far, and none of my fabric scraps were quite large enough.  Anyhoo, I used this flower pin to mark the center so I'd know where to put it on.  [Maybe a blue flower would be more appropriate :-)]

  I didn't think I'd go back to "mom-doesn't-always-get-ready-when-I-don't-leave-the-house-baby-mode" but there is no avoiding it.  All my pics looked as scary as this spotty mirror, guess that needs some cleanin!

 If any of my local pals want one, I'd be happy to sell you the fabric at my cost ($12), since I have extra, (it takes 1/3rd of the yardage,but I had to buy that much to get the length). This baby wrap has come in handy when I've gone on places that dragging a stroller along isn't convenient (like when we took a tour of Historic Kirtland, and toured told homes with a lot of stairs).   And, YES, your husband can wear it if you don't make it too girly. There's a great You Tub e video that some gal's husband is demonstrating tie-ing it on.  Photos to come later after I sew on the pretty center panel cover to fancy it up.

*Babies can be forward facing in this as well.

Quick Chair Cover

I got 6 of these old chairs from the Radisson hotel from the Schriners club. (You know, the old guys that wear red hats in parades and drive the mini-cars in them, and Schriners Hospital?). They were $8 a piece, and since they were used commercially, they are very well-made.  We were living in good ol' Wyoming at the time, (6 years ago)  and these were our current dining chairs::

That's right, cheapo outdoor  plastic chairs from Lowes!  Haha, nothing like roughin' it when you're first married.  

My original plan was to reupholster and paint them. But, I found this toile fabric on clearance at Hobby Lobby, and decided to slipcover them instead.  The seat came off and I used it as a pattern, and then pinned pieces all together to mark where to sew, and hence, the toile chair covers were born.  I love quick fixes like slipcovers that really change up the look of your chairs, and they go right in the wash.

Entry Way Chandelier Update

Previous Light Fixture:

(This is sitting in the garage, but I had to show you so you could appreciate the after::-)

Wandering through the lighting department at Lowes while the manager is trying to get rid of their floor models is a GOOD THING!  We walked out of the store with this little pretty at over 50% off!  I was pretty stoked at the deal, because I am really over the cheap lights that the builder put in.  

Not only did we save $$ on the fixture, but instead of paying an electrician approx $150 to hang it from our 18ft ceiling, the hubster  and father-in-law rented scaffolding from HD and installed it  for only $18!  It's supposed to be $25 for 4 hours, but we rented it at 8pm, and got to use it overnight, which gave us more time, and since they open at 6am, we got to take it back at 8am the next day.  It did take a little while to hang..... like a few hours because we have 3 different switches  that connect to that fixture, so that was a major puzzle to figure out which wires went where, but I'm definitely glad to have saved the money (and that I wasn't up there on that scaffolding, since I'm afraid of heights, and cats--weird I know!)

The chain is a little short, since it was the floor model, but it looks good from the street, and I didn't want to be looking down on the light bulbs when I was on my second floor, and so there it is.  Goodbye Ugly Cheap Fixture, hello Classy Lassie!

Easy Burlap Memo Board

I wanted to share this memo board I made, inspired by this cute gal.  I found a regular old cork bulletin board at Wallyworld on clearance for $5.  I had some old green burlap lying around from 6 years ago when I was in college, and stretched and used trusty glue gun to glue it around the back.  Then I did the same thing with the ivory ribbon.  Then I tied the bow and glued that on the top.  I love the textured look of the burlap and the feminine-ness (making up words here) of the satin ribbon.

I made the flower push pin by glueing some dollar store flowers and a jewel type button from JoAnns, and then hot glued it onto an extra large pushpin. (I think I will change out my pushpins with the seasons, this one will be for spring/summer.) I put a dot of glue in the center where the ribbons overlap for stability. I like being able to tuck photos, important mail, recipes, etc in there.  Also, it's hard to tell, but I have some gift cards hanging  on the bottom ribbon.  I really enjoy having my things organized prettily over my Mac.  How do you organize your desk pretties?

Strip Skirt

s**This is a repost from 2009, there may be a few repeats as I try to get all my craft/decorating posts together on this one blog.

There's nothing like giving up an old hobby to master a new one. Well, maybe not so much master as tinker around with one. After my bunny fiasco I had  foregone gardening for the rest of the year (although I have pondered planting daffodil bulbs since they were the only thing that didn't get eaten) and turned on my sewing machine. I ordered some cute Amy Butler fabric on etsy, and got this Pink Fig girls stripwork skirt pattern and went to work. I wish I would have timed the project, but I'd probably say somewhere around 5 hours, since I had finished all the edges (so it wasn't "scratchy" and my daughter might actually wear it) and I'm a pretty slow, novice sewer. It actually turned out really cute (and she was happy to wear it to church- success!)

I've also gotten addicted to many cute crafty blogs, and have been inspired. Hopefully I'll have more projects to post soon.