I'm in love with a coffee bean

We moved into or house almost a year ago, and I'm embarrassed to admit that we have thoughtfully hung only one thing on our walls: the tv. Between pregnancy ickyness, other big projects (like the floor and railing), and now a demanding infant, it just want a priority.  So we have had the pleasure of looking at this dining room wall for nearly 12 months. Yikes.

Holes, cable outlet, electrical outlet, missing paint

 We have several large scale frames with "art" in them sitting downstairs,  but I wanted to hang up a large burlap coffee bag I got for free from taking a very informative tour of this place last year.  In addition to the intense need to find a vacuum coffee maker secondhand, the coffee bag was a great takeaway.  I have to confess that this idea was stoles about 6 years ago from my hubby's roommate and now wife.  And she is an awesome and ambitious cook so go to her blog. http://maedeforyou.blogspot.com/?m=1

I first needed to build a frame for the bag and then planned on stapling the bag around the outside (like a canvas would be stretched and go around the frame). This solution to our at problem would also hopefully cover up these stupidly placed outlets.  We are of the "one tv in our house is enough" variety. And on the of chance that we eat in the dining room,  I like to interact with my husband,  not watch tv.  So covering up that outlet was no big deal. 

I made a run to menards and picked up the thinnest, cheapest wood I could find: lath. Random,  I know.  And since menards had their11% rebate going on, I got the heavy duty staple gun I've been wanting for years (seriously,  if im promoting menards this much I should be getting some sort of perk from them, don't you think? )

Laying out the lath to decide the size of the frame I wanted to build.

Not Norm-Approved, but it works for me!

I laid out my bag and cut the lath to make a nice square frame, then glued and stapled it in place.  Norm would not approve of my method but it works and I am on a serious time crunch.  Although adorable things like this happen while I'm working away.

Then I cut and stapled the burlap to the frame, pulling it nice and snug.  I added a wire to the back for hanging.  It came out a bit crooked because the printing is a little of center, but I like it.

SIDENOTE: I should have a tag line of "beautifully imperfect" because I seriously believe that if a person goes into a craft project thinking it will come out just exactly how they want with straight lines and perfect stitches,  they will be very disappointed.  Instead, finding joy in the imperfect creations you make helps you keep going amd really enjoy making things.  If you want prefect,  buy it.  If you want to enjoy the "making", let it be wonky.  Dillon and I have been discussing how he is "goal oriented" and I am "process oriented" and this is the ultimate example of where I find my joy.

Anyhow,  I like the final result.  We are a long way from our gallery wall that im going for in here though. I think a few crisp perfectly straight picture frames and a few other wonky looking items will make it perfect. Now we can say we have TWO intentionally hung items on our walls.

finishing up the pantry cupboard

Remember this post about fixing up our *steal* of a pantry cupboard?  Well this is a quick update about how we finished it. I used the shiny new brass closures on the doors, only I made them a little less shiny and new first: I let the pieces sit in a container of vinegar for a couple days until I likes the amount of "aging". It worked perfectly and was so much easier than sanding or blowtorching or other suggested methods. Just remember to do the screws too, since they are visible.

Vinegar turned the shiny brass knob on top into something closer to matching the original keyhole

There was some concern that the aging process would gunk up the mechanics in the back; it definitely doesn't turn as smoothly as when it was fresh out of the packaging,  but it still works great.

Velcro so I can change my mind

I also finished this up by adding a couple of cork boards to the inside. The thought was that we can put our shopping list on one,  and other coupons and things I keep long term (like wedding invite & information) on the other. To make these, I just reinvented a couple of circular cork trivets we have had since college.  I simply cut a piece of scrap fabric to size around each trivet and used a regular staple gun all the way around to affix it to the back of each one. Then I used a velcro (or is it "hook and loop"?) command hook on the back and sick it to the easiest to open cupboard door.  Easy peasy.





I found this adorable container of wooden push pins in the dollar spot in Target, and snatched it up just for this project.

 

 

Shopping list, coupons, wedding invitations--No longer cluttering up my fridge!

My favorite part is that it keeps all of our coupons and lists and such off the fridge so the kitchen immediately looks cleaner and more organized.  

Month 1

Pretend this post went up 2 weeks ago. I started it on time but had a hard time finding time to finish it.


 Is been a month already since our little family of two became a family of three.  Holy moly.

We decided to track Levi's growing up by snapping a picture every week.  This far,  he has been a pretty unwilling model.  But he will get used to it.  Or maybe not and he will be crying in every single week.

We are using the quilt I made him as a background (occasionally just white if thats what we are feeling that day) and I'm hoping to dress him in blues, greens, and yellows. Because I want to torture myself coordinating his outfits every Friday morning along with him.  Here we go:

Week1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

4 weeks in, I like eating and sleeping.  Sometimes both at the same time. Daddy is better at shushing and rocking me to sleep.  I sleep in 1.5 hour stretches during the day and 3-4hour stretches at night in my bassinet.  I fooled mommy  and daddy for a couple weeks by sleeping well in my bassinet during naps but now I'm done with that!  I also have been getting good at spraying daddy during diaper changes before he leaves for work.  I'm like a lot of men in the family and I love to always be in motion!