My NEW Mudroom

I've always wanted a Mud Room. When we decided to move last year, we didn't want to have to move again until the boys had left and we needed to downsize. And as with most people we had a LIST of stuff we wanted in our new house. A mud room was on my list, so was a craft room (I had one in the old house). However when we got an offer on our old house it was Jan 1, and we had to be packed and moved by Feb 9, and little M2 was due in March! Leaving not a lot of time for searching.

The moment we walked into our house I was instantly in love. It was exactly what I wanted. Except it didn't have a mudroom (or a craft room but that's another story).

After living there for a couple months I quickly decided that the first floor laundry "room" was not going to work out. And my mind started spinning. Hubby agreed that it wasn't working and told me to figure out what I wanted. I wanted a mudroom. But the laundry "room" was off the kitchen, and the door to the garage was around the corner by the front door. So Hubby and my Dad did what any good Do-It-Yourselfer would do. They moved our garage door to the laundry "room" instantly creating a Mudd Room!!

The room is a weird shape, kind if line an oblong triangle. I drew a picture of what I wanted and Viola! Hubby built me a mudroom!

That's the garage door to the right. My washer was where the 'built in' is and the dryer was where the door is. It was a tiny and cramped space. The washer and dryer have been moved to the basement. Right now it's an unfinished basement. But I'm sure that will change too!

Each family member has their own hook above the bench, Hubby also added an extra hook 'for guests'. Although I'm glad there is a hook for our guests I'm pretty sure that was a hint that he wants another M.

The built in is stocked full of baskets and is a great overflow for things from the pantry and the kitchen!

Here's a close up of one of the M's hooks. We bought a standard black hook from the hardware store and then I bought letters from the craft store and painted them black with polka dots. Just a fun little touch.

This is also where my key hook hangs, it all ties together pretty well. I think my Dad and Hubby did a great job in a very small space! Now if we could just get the garage cleaned out enough that we could park in it and actually use the mudroom that would be great!

It's a Jungle in there....

You know what (one of) the best things about being a Mommy and owning your own house is? Getting to decorate your house however you want, even if that's with 'kids eyes'.

You see when I was a child I wasn't allowed to hang things on the walls of my room or my bedroom door. I wasn't allowed to paint the walls or anything like that. My room had white walls, mauve curtains, blinds and carpet. With, guess?, a mauve bedspread. Needless to say I hated that. When I got pregnant with M1 his room was decorated with dinosaurs, M2's room is with rockets (I'll take pictures and share some day). And their bathroom, well it's decorated with a bit of a Jungle theme. Actually if I remember correctly it's called 'Monkey Business'. How fitting!

This is the shower curtain, looking into the bathroom from the hallway it looks pretty basic right?
Wrong!! The newly painted 'Vanilla Chocolate' walls got another paint job. A palm tree, a monkey, a giraffe, some grass, flowers, a cloud and a ...
...bird have all moved into the bath. I LOVE every bit of it. Every time I walk in here I have to smile!!

Here's the sink and accessories that match the shower curtain....

The monkey is swinging from a palm tree branch that is behind the mirror and sink.
Doesn't he just look so ornery?
And seriously!?!? Could think guy look any happier? I mean he is just oozing with cheery-ness (is that a word??)

Doesn't that face just beg you to be his friend?

This is the rug that matches the accessories. I am seriously considering painting the vanity that blue color. It's the standard oak vanity but the sides of it are a little scratched up.

I also think I am going to paint the trim of the medicine cabinet in a zebra strip to match the sides of the soap dish. It's oak and boring!!

All in all this project cost me NOTHING! We already had those bathroom accessories, shower curtain and rug, I free handed the animals in chalk from looking at the shower curtain and then used craft paints that I already had to paint the chalk outlines. After the paint dried I took a black paint pen and outlined everything. I did the animals and the tree during nap time, and added the flowers, grass, cloud and outlines after the boys went to bed. All in all it took me maybe 4 or 5 hours.

If I wasn't so in love with my own bathroom I would definitely move into this bathroom!

I'm up to my ears in stickers!

As I mentioned last week, M1 gets a sticker for learning his Bible Verse at school every week. So far we are 2 for 2. Not to mention he manages to score stickers every where we go, and he usually leaves Target's Dollar Spot with a sheet every time we stop in there.

Most of the stickers end up in a basket with his coloring books and he uses them as he colors. Seeing those stickers he's getting for reciting his Bible Verse took me back to childhood. I remember sitting in my friends room showing each other stickers from our sticker book and suddenly I felt M1 Had.To.Have a sticker album. One problem, they don't make sticker albums like they use to! (Wow, I sound old!) These days stickers come in a book, no blank pages to stick stickers!

So I made one!
I picked up a sketch pad from Michael's (using a 40% off coupon of course)
Picked out some scrapbook paper measured it to cover the front and wrap around to the inside cover as well.

I attached using Martha's Brand of Mod Podge stuff. If I were to do it again I would use something different to attach. This made it too wet and even after it's dried you can tell it was too wet. But it's for a soon-to-be 4 year old, who will carry it around and probably trash it in no time so I'm not overly concerned.

I sat a heavy book on the top while it dried. (Adult Beverage is optional) Waiting for it to dry was the hardest part!!

After it dried I decorated it with, well, stickers and ribbon!

I also added some of his stickers to the first couple pages to help get him started!

I had so paper scraps so I added those as well for color!

Update: This was part of his birthday present and he went nuts!! He loves his book! More on his birthday to come, it was a John Deere theme party!!

It's beginning to look a lot like...

FOOTBALL SEASON!!!!

Here in Buckeye Country Football Season started last Saturday. Our beloved Buckeyes have taken the field, and the season has started.

With Football Season comes a change in decor!! It's easy to decorate for a sport. Just show your team colors!! Just like the inch worm here.

These little guys were added to the Scarlet and Gray collection last year. I just love them. The big guy did have a buckeye around his neck but I think a squirrel stole it from him last year. I'll have to pick another from the Buckeye Tree and stick back on his necklace.

Yes, we have a Buckeye Tree.

New this year is a wreath for our front door. I struggle every year to find a 'not so tacky' scarlet and gray wreath. This year I think I have succeeded. I used the same idea as this wreath, and TA-DA!! I LOVE IT!

Also new this year is this GINORMOUS OSU Flag for the garage.

And of course, no garden is complete with out a Garden Gnome. This one just happens to be a Buckeye fan as well! And that garden flag we have had since the first year Hubby and I were married. It's looking a little bad but it's bad luck to change a flag in the middle of the season (or something like that) so it will be retired at the end of the season. Which hopefully (although doubtful) will last until January.On to the inside....
This little guy has decided to spend Football Season on my end table.

See the football decor here?

Need a closer look? The football is taking a break until next Saturday in my Scarlet and Gray Longaberger Basket.
And these are the Cat's Meow of the Buckeye Decor (HAHAHA, Get it?)
We have 5 doors leading into our kitchen and the Buckeye Cat's Meow sits on 3 of them. These guys are out year 'round.

Do you decorate for football season?

Baby Quilt

As I mentioned here, I had a lot of projects going on the last couple weeks. Here is the baby quilt I had been working on.
I think it turned out pretty good. I really like the colors and prints.

I did this as a rag quilt, I just really like the way the 'raginess' (is that a word??) looks! The baby girl's room is done in fairies so I picked this fabric since the critters are winged!

I delivered it to the new parents Sunday night, they didn't say to much but I think they were kind of surprised by the gift. I do however think they liked it, at least I hope they did!!

They are our next door neighbors, but we have only lived there about 1.5 yrs. Their other child is a little boy, about 6 months younger than M1. The boys are friends and have been to each others b-day parties. Hubby and I really like them, we just haven't had time to become close friends with them yet.

Now if I could just finish the other bazillion projects I am in the middle of that would be great!

Gizmo...or is it Gadget?

As I mentioned in yesterday's post I am the Craft's Leader for VBS this year. This is my 3rd year doing it and I really do like it, it's a lot of fun. This years theme is Gadget's Garage. The director asked me if I could make a robot as part of the decoration this year. Of course I can!! And by I, I mean Hubby!!


Here is a picture of the robot. (I can't find a really good one in color on the website) I have yet to figure our who is Gizmo and who is Gadget (and it's day 4!)


Here are some pictures from 'our' work in progress. We didn't buy anything new to make him, it's all found/used/recycled 'parts'.

Eyes, nose and buttons~don't mind the napkin, we had takeout from Cane's that night!

arms and computer...

hat...

head...

body...

legs...

The action shot....

As you can see he is pretty tall. All the kids (and adults) really seem to love him. Hubby did a great job on him. All the classes even got there pictures taken with him!!

This is the preschool class, it's hard to get a picture of all of them. M1 is in the yellow shorts, M2 is being ushered into the picture by the teacher. The two girls to the side are the teachers daughter and friend, they are both great girls and really good with the kids. See the little girl with her arm around M1? Her mom and I went to school together, we were in the same confirmation class. Isn't that funny?? I wonder if she will replace her?

Now the only question is what do we do with the robot after Friday?

Where to hang?

Since we have moved to our (not so-anymore) new house (last year) we have been trying to find a key hook. Who knew this would be such a feat? I didn't want something junky, or tacky, just a nice key hook.

So after seeing this project on Feature Friday, I had an idea for my key hook. Of course I didn't take before or during pictures, but I do have an after!
I bought 6 skeleton keys, 6 hooks and a piece of wood trim at the local hardware store. The keys and hooks were gold so I found some black matte spray paint in the garage and went to town. Hubby cut the trim and made me a frame, and I painted that too. I added some scrapbook paper to the back of the frame, glued on the keys and screwed in the hooks and Viola!

A nice key hook for under 10 bucks! Not bad if I say so myself!

The half...

....bath

Hubby did some house work a couple weeks ago, and I hadn't gotten around to sharing. He updated our half bath. It's your standard half bath off the main hall on the first floor. Obviously its the one the guests use, but my Mom uses it the most since she stays at our house with the boys while Hubby and I work everyday. M1 usually uses this one during the day too. Eventually I think we are going to put a half bath in the basement too (near the toy room), but not for a couple years.

Anyway, this bath was your standard builders bath. Oak light bar, oak square mirror, cheap silver water faucet and white walls.



Well it's not standard builders bath anymore!! Hubby painted it 'White Chocolate' and hung a new mirror and light, and replaced the faucet. Everything is Oil Rubbed Bronze now.
We even got Oil Rubbed Bronze, towel holder, soap dispenser and trash can. (And isn't this little guy adorable??)
And I love this vase and flower arrangement. The flowers and the bird were on clearance at Michaels. The vase is Longaberger Pottery. I knew the second I saw it that it would fit perfectly right there.I've had this plan in the works for quite some time, all the ornaments, including the gold bird were bought at clearance at Target. I couldn't find any black Christmas bulbs, so I bought clear ones and just painted the insides!! They look great in the glass jar. The black bowl is Longaberger Pottery as well. I usually use it as a candy dish for Halloween, but decided to use it to decorate in here. No sense in it sitting in a box when it's not in use. It looks cuter sitting on my shelf!

These cute little things are from Kohl's~$5!! Can't beat that!! I love them, and I'm thinking about getting a couple more! I think they are made of resin, they are heavy and textured!

The towels are a dark brown, light brown and black stripe, and the rugs are a dark brown also from Target.

I love the way it turned out, although the pictures don't do it justice. Now my Mom and our guests can visit a stylish bathroom!!