Monday, December 21, 2009

My Little Owl Nursery

Here they are! Pictures of my little owl nursery!  The only thing I'm still shopping for are a new ceiling light, a round rug and I also need a cover for the changing pad.
This gorgeous cradle was handmade by David twenty-five years ago for the birth of his first daughter and we are fortunate to be able to use it for our grand-babies! I just love it-and Andrew is loving it, too!
The set of four black and white signed owl drawings were an ebay purchase I made several years ago when my owl obsession began.  The cross-stitch  sampler was salvaged from attic hiding--I stitched it almost thirty years ago!
I just love this color I painted my old porch rocker-it's called cherry jubilee! Yummy!  I made the cushion to match the whimsical owl print of the cradle bedding. The dog hand puppet was salvaged from the attic and belonged to my kids (Jenni was terrified of it!).
 
A little baby owl pillow I made for the nursery! Cute cute cute!

 

Andrew's favorite thing in the world right now-my hand made dragonfly mobile hanging above the changing pad I made atop the dresser.  These dragonflies might look familiar-they are re-cycled from Jenni's bridal shower. I strung them with fishing line along a branch from the back yard.  Andrew loves to ooh and ahh as they spin and dance above him!

Another shot of the dragonflies with my cute little owl collages hung on the side of the book shelf.

This is the book shelf in the corner behind the rocker. David made the wooden fire engine and the airplane years ago in one of his wood shop classes-I think Andrew will love them!
A closer look at all my favorite books! And below: a close up of the owl garland hanging on the shelf that reads "BOOKS".
The owl garland is made from card stock, glue, stamps and twine. I might add another above it with the word "READ". Adorable.
One of my favorite books by Jane Yolen, "Owl Moon" and an adorable green frog that belonged to my mom chilling out.

Above: Some of my art work (which I had a lot of fun with) and an old tree-frog puzzle from Nathan's childhood I hung on a peg board.

I call the collage I made from newspaper, paint and glue "Owl Eyes".  This one is done in blue, brown and yellow-another above the changing table is done in red, orange and brown. I painted the "blue owl" in watercolor.
Another owl done in watercolor and framed for Andrew. I'm going to do one for each grandchild and fit it to their personality.  This owl has big sweet eyes that remind me of Andrew and pretty fall leaves to commemorate his October birthday. That's our beanie baby friend, "Skunkie" beside him.
This is a close shot of one of my owl collages and a giraffe that belonged to Jenni; he stands guard over the changing table.

Another watercolor owl awaiting a frame and the old Fisher-Price xylophone that belonged to my kids. It was missing its music stick so David made me a couple in his shop!  Great idea-now we can make music together!
  This little wicker chair belonged to me as a baby and was then passed along to my children and will now graces the owl room for my grandchildren!  I even made it a brand new owl cushion!  The little Fisher-Price ride horse was Nathan's first Christmas present (from 1980)!
Frog's friend, Tree Frog, chilling on the window sill. I love the idea of filling the room with all kinds of animals!
Atop the window, our friend Brown Bear (all the beanies were found hibernating in a box in the attic, left over from my kid's beanie crazed days) and a little owl I stitched up.  The song bird print is another paper collage I made-the clouds are made of the sheet music to the hymn, "Sing Praise".
Last but not least, a soft little owl I stitched and stuffed to hang on the door knob. Shhhh . . .

This is a really small room but I think it's going to be a fun and magical place for the grand kids to sleep and play and imagine!  And it didn't cost me much to create-a little material, some fresh paint and a few frames! Lots of the other items were brought to new life from their long dark hiding in the attic or created by me with a little imagination!

Friday, November 6, 2009

Owlie Art





I've been having lots of fun making these oh-so-cute owl collages for the baby's room!  These are 4x6 and 5x7 and look great in these little frames I picked up at Target for $3.99!  Love love love the owl thing!

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Sew Baby Sew!


Isn't this owl fabric just the cutest!?!  Found this little cradle blankie on etsy and just had to have it for the nursery I'm making out of the spare room for the grandbabies!  Of course, then I found the fabric (Alexander Henry) and bought a yard so I could make this cute pillow to match!  Needless to say, the nursery is fast becoming the "Owl Room"!  I am just crazy about owls! And this fabric has all the best colors to mix and match for decorating.  My next project: stuffed owls!  I'll post pics when the room is done.

 Since the sewing machine has been brought out of hibernation and dusted off, I've been bitten by the sew bug again! I used to sew all the time when the kids were little--clothes and crafts and quilts, but my favorite things right now are baby blankies, so this morning I made one!  It's recycled from a seersucker bedspread that was my mom's and an old flannel blanket of mine.  It's just the prettiest for a little baby girl (there's bound to be at least one baby girl in my future, right?). And it only took a little more than an hour to make!  Thinking about making more in really pretty fabrics and maybe opening an etsy store . . . stay tuned!


Tuesday, October 27, 2009

The Cheap but Chic Bride Ensemble



The Dress:
I purchased this dress online from David's Bridal over a year and a half ago (Yes, it really did arrive at my door in this white box-a wedding dress!).  It was intended for my daughter, Jenni, who passed on it for a dress she had her heart set on.  No worry.  I only paid $179.99 for it on sale!  I just couldn't pass up a bargain like that! And I adored it! The vintage look, the lace and sparkle, the cut and the flow of it--just darling!  So . . . when Bethany told me she was getting married in just 3 weeks time, I took it out of the closet, and with a little altering, it fit her beautifully!


The Shoes: I think the shoes are the only thing Bethany purchased for this outfit besides the garter, and what a bargain!  She found these classic white peep-toe pumps at Payless for $24.95!  They were just perfect with this dress!
The Clutch & the Hankie:  Both the classic white clutch and the tatted hankie are the same that Jenni used in her ensemble.  Both belonged to my mom who passed away in April, so it was very special to both girls to have a part of their grandmother with them on their wedding day.  I remember my mom using this clutch every time she attended a wedding--and the hankie was hand-tatted by her mother, my grandmother!

The Pearls:  The pearls were also borrowed--from me!  I've had these pearls for years and they were the perfect compliment to this classic vintage dress.  Anything too glitzy would not do--pearls fit the bill!
 
The Hair Comb:  We knew we wanted something vintage looking for her hair, which was curled into a soft and sassy  bob on the wedding day, but we didn't have a lot of time, and everything I found was just too expensive.  So again, we borrowed! (I am a huge fan of borrowing for weddings!) This is from my friend Kiley, who is also a phenomenal hair stylist (and did both the girl's hair on their wedding days).  It ended up being perfect!


The Garter:  Just for fun, Beth picked up a pretty garter at the Dollar Store, for--what else-$1.00!

The only other accessory Bethany wore was a pretty pearl bracelet that the groom had purchased for her.


The Bottom Line for this Chic Bride Ensemble:  $205.94!!!!!!

Cost to the Bride: $24.95

Cheap but oh so very autumn chic :)

Monday, October 19, 2009

DIY Wedding Bouquet


We did all the flowers for Bethany's wedding ourselves--one of the advantages of a small wedding.  Beth knew exactly what she wanted for her autumn bridal bouquet: bright yellow sunflowers, happy orange lilies and deep red roses.  She picked them up at the super market the night before for less than $20. and I made them into her bridal bouquet.
The only thing is, Beth forgot was the floral tape!  So we had to improvise and we used duct tape to hold the stems together.  I found a wide piece of ivory satin ribbon (which Beth also forgot) and we finished it off with some long pearl-topped floral pins.
Beth Jenn and I all had a good laugh over using the duct tape, and I'm sure we'll be laughing about it for years to come, but that's one of the best parts of DIY weddings--learning to just relax and go with what is! No one but us knew what was beneath that satin ribbon and the bouquet was gorgeous just the same! We trimmed the stem bottoms when we were done, then stuck the bouquet in a vase with just about 2" of  water overnight.

Bethany was happy with the end result and that is all that really mattered!

This is Bethany with her sister and Maid-of-Honor, Jenni, on the way to the ceremony.

Wedding bouquets can cost $100. and up, but by purchasing just the right flowers and knowing a few simple tricks of the trade (and having the right supplies!), you can really save some cash and still have that fabulous eye-catching bouquet!  Everyone loved Beth's flowers, and we did it ourselves for less than $20!

Thursday, October 15, 2009

The Sunflower Cake


The three-tier sunflower cake was the special creation of Jenn Klopotoski (Cakes by Jenn) and it was dee-lish!  The top and bottom layers were yellow cake, the middle layer chocolate, all with sweet black raspberry filling.  The frosting was buttercream done in a rustic spread and the gorgeous sugar sunflowers were all hand-made by Jenn as were the white-chocolate leaves that added just a touch of elegance.  What a perfect compliment to our fall house-wedding!

Sunday, October 11, 2009