Great bib tutorial!

I apologize for the radio silence around the blog - we were in Texas all last week for a funeral and are headed back tomorrow for Scott's graduation from seminary!  I came across this great bib tutorial from Fishsticks Designs this weekend and wanted to share it with you.

This pattern is fantastic!  It has patterns for bibs in three sizes, lots of pictures, and is extremely well-written.  And it's ALL FREE!  I used cotton for the front of my bibs and terry cloth for the back.  I was looking for chenille, but both Joann's and Hobby Lobby were out of it.

If you're looking for a baby gift idea, or have a baby yourself to sew for, definitely check this pattern out!

{quick tip}: plastic grocery bags

I'm here today with a simple little tip - what to do with those plastic grocery bags that seem to multiple at an alarming rate!

We keep MK's diapers in the top drawer of the dresser that I spruced up.  It takes up a drawer, but since we hang a lot of her clothes, it hasn't been a space issue for us yet.

One little tip I have to share is to keep one of the plastic wipe "boxes" and stuff it full of plastic grocery bags to stuff those unusually stinky diapers in before they go in the trash can.

It is SO handy and helps keep the plethora of plastic bags under control!  Do you have any great tips for storing those plastic grocery bags?

Don't forget to enter the "31 Days to a Heart of Hospitality" e-book giveaway!  Today is your last day to enter!

Mollie Kate is two months old...

I can't believe that this sweet baby girl of mine is two months old!  It seems like just yesterday that we found out we were adding a girl to our family but we also can't remember life without her!

Mollie is the sweetest, happiest baby on the block...just like her big brother was.  She smiles at everyone, although she definitely reserves her biggest smiles for Grayson.  Mollie "talks" and coos at us and is THIS CLOSE to laughing...I'm secretly not-so-secretly hoping that I'll be the first to hear her laugh.

MK is a great sleeper, already sleeping from about 10:30 or 11pm until 6:30am!  She wakes up happy and smiley - we couldn't ask for much more!

And just to show how much Mollie Kate has grown in just a few short weeks, here's a peek at her at one month and two months.

estate sale finds...

I have hit up a few estate sales lately and have found some fantastic finds...but these are my favorite "finds"! We went to an estate sale on Friday at the home of a man who lived to be 99. I can't imagine the stories that he could tell!

As with most estate sales, I headed straight for the "linens" section. I typically find some great sheets and fabrics, but I feel like I hit the jackpot this time.  There were 2 large chenille bedspreads for a fabulous price, so I quickly snatched them up.  I wasn't picky about the condition because I could always cut them up to make pillows, etc.  I brought them up and laid them out on the Jenny Lind bed in MK's room to inspect and found that they are in excellent condition!  There are a few worn spots but I think that's part of the beauty of vintage linens.

Here are the two chenille bedspreads that I found...

A beautiful peachy-pink spread with some darker salmon-colored patterns...

Don't you love the look of that chenille next to the spindles of the antique Jenny Lind bed?!

 

The next one is this gorgeous creamy white colored spread with yellow flowers.  I love it!

A little close-up...

Don't mind the empty embroidery hoops or the price tags hanging from some of them.  I have grand plans for that corner of MK's room!  I hope to be able to share "after" photos with you soon!

Do you love vintage linens as much as I do?

random Wednesday...

a little Instagram peek at what's been going on at our house for the last week and a half...

  big feet on a little baby girl...meeting his baby sister...a squinty-eyed girl riding home from the hospital.

  loving on her big brother...all dressed up for Grayson's 5th birthday...

celebrating our sweet first-born boy

I'll be back later this week with some Christmas projects...in the meantime, I'll be kissing a precious baby girl and her sweet big brother.

Introducing...

Mollie Kate! She arrived on Sunday, November 25 at 10:09am, weighing 7lbs and measuring 21 inches. We are in love!

Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! - 2 Corinthians 9:15

instagram tour: mollie kate's nursery

Our sweet Mollie Kate is set to arrive any day...so I thought I'd share a few details of her nursery via our favorite little square instagram photos.

Yep, I changed the color of the dresser....the Annie Sloan Duck Egg chalk paint made the gray walls look a little too blue for my taste.  So, I DIYed my own chalk paint in Behr's Sweet Nothings.  I'll be back with more details about that soon!

A banner made using linen-like fabric and vintage sheets...

The updated Jenny Lind crib where she will lay her sweet head and (hopefully) sleep through the night at 8 weeks! :)

Pink and white gingham curtains that I made for a STEAL!  4 lined panels (90-inches long) for less than $30!

A DIY crib mobile made using an embroidery hoop and vintage sheets...

Mollie's monogram, courtesy of the Fine Line Market...you'll be hearing more about this SOON!

A DIY ruffled crib skirt made with a vintage pink sheet ($1.90 from the thrift store) and trimmed with another vintage sheet!  I will be back with a post about this crib skirt.  I used a BRILLIANT tutorial that I found on another blog...

So there are the little details...I will post more pictures of the nursery in the coming days/weeks!

A peek at the crib and nursery...

Wow, that little blog break was unintentional!  I can't believe I haven't posted in 3 weeks!  And no, Miss Mollie Kate hasn't made her appearance, yet.  I've just been working on finishing up her nursery and soaking up my last moments with an only child.

The nursery is almost done...I just need to add a few final touches and it'll be ready for the big blog reveal!  Hopefully MK stays put until her nursery is done!  Until then, here's a peek at her crib (remember the before pictures?), a sweet monogram that you will hear more about soon, and a crib mobile that I made out of vintage sheets and an embroidery hoop!

a little nursery sneak peek...

I spent the afternoon painting the nursery yesterday...the color I finally decided on is Martha Stewart's Nimbus Cloud.

It's a beautiful pale, pale gray that looks fabulous with the white bed, crib, and trim!

Here's a little peek at the antique Jenny Lind bed in the nursery against the Nimbus Cloud walls.  The picture is a little dark but it gives you an idea!   I can't wait until it all comes together...only 9 weeks until our sweet girl is due to make her arrival!

Have you ever painted a room while 31 weeks pregnant?  Am I crazy or just nesting? :)

thrifting lately…

I have been on the hunt for vintage sheets and pillow cases to use in our sweet girl’s nursery and hit the JACKPOT the other day at a local thrift store!



Some sweet floral sheets…



I loved the color of the pink sheet (second from the top)…it feels as though it’s been washed a million times.  Love it!



The pillow cases were all marked $0.99 and then the sweet lady at the register gave me a discount! Some of these pillow cases will be cut up to use for a quilt, but several are going to be turned into pillow case dresses…



Especially this one!  I can’t stand how cute the floral pattern is combined with the pink piping and ruffled edge.  Adorable!



I also found this queen-sized lace bed skirt (for $2.99, then discounted!) that I originally just bought for the lace…but now I’m thinking it might be a sweet crib skirt for the Jenny Lind crib I’m painting.

All of those fabulous treasures were mine for less than $18!  Gotta love thrifting! Have you found any sweet deals while thrifting lately?

Linking up to:

Thrifty Treasures @ Southern Hospitality

another nursery project…

I feel like we have lots of unfinished projects floating around right now, but why not add another one to the list?   We scored this dresser, which will serve as a dresser/changing table, at a yard sale for $20!  It doesn’t look like much now but with a little paint and new hardware, it’ll look great!



I’ve been waiting to try my hand using Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and think this will be the perfect piece.  I picked up a sample pot of Duck Egg blue and LOVE the color!  Here are a few pictures that I’ve found on Pinterest to use as my inspiration…

Source: serendipityfurnishings.com via Mary Jo on Pinterest

This dresser is almost identical to the one that we purchased...even down to the hardware!  I wish that I could find replacement hardware to match the existing (unbroken) ones, but I'm not holding out hope on that one. 

Source: ruthsfarmandfurniture.com via Mary Jo on Pinterest

The drawers on our baby girl's dresser are lined with...wait for it...multi-colored cat print paper. I'm loving these drawers lined with old hymnal pages!

I will be sure to keep you posted on this, and all of the other unfinished projects we have for our sweet baby girl's nursery!

a date with spray paint…

 

My Craig’s List search turned up pure gold…a Jenny Lind crib (in good working condition) for only $15!  The lady who posted it was advertising her garage sale, but I quickly emailed her and offered $20 if she’d hold it for me.  She agreed and the crib was mine!  The crib definitely has some spray paint lurking in its future.

It has been sitting in the garage for a few weeks because it’s been SO UNBELIEVABLY HOT here in the Midwest.  Hot sun + spray paint + pregnant momma = not a good combination.  But, yesterday’s weather couldn’t have been better so I dragged the crib out to the driveway and hit it with some spray paint.

Those pesky little beautiful spindles require a LOT of paint, so I’ll be back to post the “after” pictures…

i love jenny lind….

Well, I don’t really know Jenny Lind…but I love Jenny Lind style cribs and beds!  I have always loved the vintage-look of those sweet spindles (apparently other people do, too!  Check out this post by Apartment Therapy) and knew I’d have one some day.

When Grayson was just a few months old, I started seeing pictures of painted Jenny Lind beds used in boys’ rooms…I was sold!  I had visions of a red painted bed with navy and white bedding.

I stumbled upon a practically perfect, chippy painted, antique one at a garage sale in Austin for just $5 (including the headboard, footboard, and metal rails!) and threw my money at quickly paid the nice family.  It sat in our garage for 2 years, moved with us to Missouri, and eventually became our guest bed.  I'm so glad that I never painted it!

                                   Source: itstwoam.files.wordpress.com via Mary Jo 

**This is not our bed…but it looks very similar!** 

Now that we’ve flipped rooms and are combining the nursery with the guest room, the Jenny Lind bed has taken up residence there.  I have been secretly dreaming of selling Grayson’s old white crib and buying a Jenny Lind crib to match.  Just take a look at some of my “pins” to see how sweet this crib looks in a nursery!

Source: meaganmusing.com via Mary Jo on Pinterest

I love this sweet, white crib with beautiful bedding...

Source: blogs.babble.com via Mary Jo on Pinterest

The yellow crib pops off of these turquoise walls!  I love all of the fabric used in this nursery...especially that crib skirt.

Source: google.com via Mary Jo on Pinterest

Another great white crib with beautiful bedding...and check out those tissue paper poms and paper lanterns!  Love!

Source: blog.urbangrace.com via Mary Jo on Pinterest

Erica, of Urban Grace Interiors, had the crib she used as a child repainted in a gorgeous gold!

I decided to try my hand at Craig's List to see if I could find a reasonably priced Jenny Lind crib...I'll be back tomorrow to show you what I found!