painting a canvas for baby brother.

For about two months now, I have been wanting to do a little art project with the girls that involved them creating something for Lincoln's room. [He doesn't actually have a room yet. Ha!] I found a project on Pinterest and it caught my eye. Finally, today I got up some motivation and did the project with the girls. It's really easy, fun, and turned out great.

You need a blank canvas, painter's tape, paint, paint brushes (I used sponge brushes) and some type of letter cut-outs. I found my letters at Hobby Lobby, they feel like post-it notes. I glued the letters on lightly with some of the kids stick glue.

First, I glued the letters onto the canvas. I was nervous about glueing them on, but I needed them to stick through the painting. I did it pretty lightly, but enough for them to stick. Then I used the painter's tape to create the "chevron" design.

Then I let the girls go at it with painting. The colors were orange, grey, and turquoise-blue.  (They were only in smocks and underpants. Easy clean up. Also, it was a windy day, so we put rocks on the plates to keep them from blowing away.)

When the girls were finished, I immediately took off the letters and tape. I didn't want the letters to dry too much on there since I glued them down. They came off fairly easily. Then I let it dry. 

And ta-da! It's far from perfect. I didn't measure and do exact taping or anything. I but I love the handmade look to it. The girls were awfully proud of the painting too. 

Lincoln has some creative sisters, ready to welcome him into our family!

come on in. {naomi's nursery}

Almost exactly a year ago we were in this room ripping down a drop-ceiling, scraping old plaster off the ceiling, putting up drywall all around the border of the room because there wasn' t any (seriously, the drop-ceiling was hiding the missing drywall), installing a new ceiling, new electrical, new windows, new carpet, new door and painting.

This is what we started with:

At the time, we didn't know this room was going to be "Naomi's nursery" but I did paint it a light mint green with hopes that one day a little baby would be using it. And a year later, we will be welcoming her very soon.

Come on in to Naomi's nursery.

(Notice- we still need trim up-ha. I also plan on expanding the wall of picture frames, as I continue to collect them. And that recliner, kind of an eye sore, but I went for comfy and practical after buying a trendy cute chair when pregnant with Audrey that ended up not being comfortable at all. I will conquer all those late nights with the help from that ugly Lazyboy found on Craigslist.)

(I made those pom-poms for a baby shower and now using them above the crib.)

(One of my best buys when pregnant with Audrey- $25 changing table that was originally $225. I think buying a dresser is a practical way to go, but I couldn't pass up such a deal. And now I'm getting more use out of it. The pictures above the table were all gifts- the blue and white plate on top was Andrew's when he was little, it has his name and year he was born on it.)

(Vintage picture frame with a preggo picture of me came from my MIL and the teacup was also a gift.)

(The vintage dress was a gift, I sewed the burp clothes, and the other items came from garage sales. The mason jar is actually filled with vintage pink Christmas ornaments.)

(That picture? It's my mama and me when I was little. I smile every time I see it. The basket is filled with headbands, and the vintage train art came from a garage sale.)

I'm really happy with how her nursery turned out. It isn't anything crazy or super nice, but so much of the room was created with really memorable items that have meaning to me. I'm so not a theme girl or matchy-match. I didn't even go with a color scheme really. I just did what felt right and took on the vintage style approach (no surprise, that's how I roll). I think I spent a total of about $65 dollars this time around. I tried to use a lot of what I already had (crib, changing table, Lazyboy recliner, vintage child's desk (which was Andrew's when he was little), white shelves, curtains that I made years ago when I was pregnant with Audrey, and I already had the bedding too). The only thing I really splurged on was the wallpaper behind the crib, which was about $40. The Shabby Chic chandelier came from Goodwill for $10 (that my sister-in-law found for me), and then a couple of other vintage items from garage sales. Everything else was gifted to me.

Of course, I love decorating, so making a nursery for my little girl was just part of the experience and preparation for me. But, in no way, is a nursery necessary. The most important part is welcoming your little one with love. And I just can't wait to do that.

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Wanna see the other parts of our house I have revealed so far? Check out the front porch here and the living room here.