Monday, January 28, 2013

Bird On A Wire

I am so excited.  For many reasons.  One of my friends is having a baby!  Her third girl!  And she asked me to help her with the nursery!  And she didn't want to use pink or purple!  But she did want to use birds!!!  Which is funny because I had just started a bird nursery board on pinterest, for a future little girl (not mine) that will have a vintage bird nursery.

Here is where we started:  Mom wants to use grey for the walls and incorporate blue, yellow, & pink.  The bumper (there is pink and white polka dot on the back side of the bumper!) and bedskirt had already been purchased.
"Molly" from Pottery Barn Kids


And the bedskirt which is pink gingham. She is also using the crib she used for the other two girls which is a honey colored wood. 

I have created my first design board online (using Picasa).  It was a challenge but hopefully I can perfect my style with a few more tries (I'm hoping to do a boys room soon with or without being asked by the mom!).

Let's go through the images (If you click on the image above it will make it bigger)!
A.  I'm not a huge fan of things to dust or buying things, just to buy them, but it never hurts to have a few little birdy trinkets to keep the theme alive!  This little felt bird from Cecily on Etsy.  Of course if you made it yourself, it wouldn't cost you anything!  It would be fun to use some of the fabric from the room.
B.  This cute little birds nest from Ezekiel Jewelry on Etsy made from hemp, would be cute on a side table to hold baby & mommy needs.
C.  These little birds (4") from Lisabees on Etsy are a cute little addition to the wall.  I think you can add some tiny cup hooks to hold towels or headbands or even a hanger.
D.  This mobile is adorable.  (Image from here)  Looks simple enough to make if you can do the birds.  Which again would be great to make with fabric from around the room.
E&F Are pretty prints from bomobob on Etsy.  They have all the colors mom wants to incorporate in the room (pink, yellow, & blue).  I also liked the ferris wheel, mom is from Jersey, it reminded me of the shore.  Nevermind that it's the wrong kind of seat, it's the idea!
G.  Paint color.  Valspar Chromium.  We used it in our last playroom and we used it in the playroom & kitchen in our current house. 
H.  Mom loves a gallery wall, but dad is an engineer and can't seem to embrace them.  They are tough.  However, mom already got all these fun frames from Hobby Lobby, so we are hoping to change dads mind!
K,L, M, N &O all fun little prints or paper art for gallery wall.  They are all over Etsy, you can find anything there and I'm sure if you didn't feel like making any of them yourself, the artist would be more than happy to make them in your colors!  (Sources:K, L, M, N, O)  Of course pictures of the big sisters would be included!  I think the big sisters would have fun putting together some of the paper bird pictures!  We did this silhouette in our nursery and it was a great thing for the boys to do to feel included!  Gallery walls can be fun.  I like incorporating all kinds of different things.
I &J.  Fabric.  Fabric.  Fabric.  I love these colorful little birds on white for curtains and pillows or maybe a bean bag (for the big sisters to lounge).  This polka dot is too cute.  Pink, white & polka dot.  I melt.  Plus, I think it would be fun to play off the pink & white polka dot on the other side of the bumper.  I would trim out the curtains with this and use it on the back of any pillows and for the little birds (either in the mobile or for a shelf sitter!)

And that my friends is our little bird nursery wrap up!  This post was all about the fluff  but what is the one (or more) things in your nursery you could not live without?

Monday, January 21, 2013

Listen to the music..

I'm so excited!  Lots of fun things happening here at Refresh & Repurpose.  Thankfully no one is making a living off this blog, because I've got more projects than time, which means no time for blogging, because I do have three children that insist on being fed?

VIA
We got a new over the sink pennant light but upon removal of the beautiful fluorescent there was no junction box....and since we have an active baby her naps are 3-4 hours, which means little to no noise (only because I like her to get as much sleep as she needs) and it was so beautiful outside Sunday that we spent all our time outside instead of putting up lights.  A project that should have taken 5 minutes will now take 5 days...maybe 5 weeks, depending on how late the hubs decides he needs to work.

On the fun side, since posting our Winter ONEderland party for Little Miss, I've been asked to help with a music party for a three year old friend and a blue nursery for a baby girl!

Little R is turning 3.  Mom and dad won a home music party so that will be her theme.  I love a theme.  It helps to keep the look cohesive.  Even if it's just a color.  Now granted, most of our hard work is lost on the under 5 set, but it's still fun.  So without further ado, here were my thoughts on a music party...trying to keep it simple.

The Invite
VIA Pinterest. Original source not in service anymore
I think these are fun and still easy to mail.  Backstage passes on lanyards are also a fun ticket like invite.

For decorations
This concert poster would be fun for an entry door.  Obviously, this works for an invite too, but Change the colors to match the invite and the wording...

VIA
I like this colorful music fabric.  It's true.  I love fabric and I can come up with a way to incorporate it into anything!

VIA
It's easy to make a table runner (no sewing) for the food table or throw it on the cake table or to cover any table!
I think you use instruments to hold food trays or even records.  But actual LPs would be totally lost on the kids...shoot depending on the ages of the parents, maybe on them too!

It's a late afternoon party (3 or 3:30) so no real food, but snacks and cake!  There is lots of candy (pop rocks, rock candy etc) out there for this type of party but I'm not a big fan of all the candy.  A plate of PB&J sandwiches cut into the shape of a guitar is small enough.  Cups of carrots/celery/cucumber strips with ranch in the bottom and the most popular pretzel rods, as drum sticks. 
VIA



Let's not forget about the cake!  A drum cake would be cute.  There are a ton of these out there on google images, but since it is a three year old, it would be nice to keep it, looking like an actual drum.
VIA

R's mom had a great idea of a CD full of his favorite music as a favor. I love it. Best favor ever. No candy and no junk to get thrown away! Creating a label is easy! I'm ready to throw a music party! How about you? If you have any extra ideas for this party mama, leave a comment, link or pictures!

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Pinch Pleat Curtains

It almost took me as long to write this post as it did to complete these curtains. But they are done and I LOVE them! I found this fabric
It's called Loop de Loop by Duralee in smoke. I bought it while on vacation. I was at one of those huge "pottery" type stores that sell EVERYTHING. It was cheap cheap, I can't remember exact per yard (it was January 2011!) but I'm going to guess it had to be around $10. The only reason I think it was so cheap, is because days before we had gotten an offer on our house and were moving, but we didn't have a new house. I had no idea what I was going to do with it, but I bought enough to at least make four plus panels (figuring 8ft ceilings). I would never have spent more than that!

We closed on this house Sept 1, 2011, and I was 6 mo pregnant chasing 2 preschool boys. I had no idea what I was going to do in any of the rooms (except the boys and the nursery) and was too tired to care. Fast forward to December 2012 and I finally decided I was going to use that fabric to make pinch pleat drapes for the living room, which faces a busy intersection. So for a year we have let our neighbors watch our tv from the street.
I searched and searched for an easy way to make these. I even considered pinching them by hand and clipping them from behind. A fake pinch pleat. There are lots out there in pinterest land. One night when my mom was here, I made it a priority to work on them. I don't sew anything without consulting her first. There was NO WAY she was going to let me do a fake anything. Her motto has always been if you are going to do it, do it right, do it once, and be done. I'd like to think I got this from her. I always end up doing this, but always research an easy way first, you know, just in case.

Then it was time for math. Measuring the windows, measuring the space, measuring the fabric. Writing out a plan with arrows and numbers and drawings. I wish I could tell you what all the measurements were, but honestly, I have no idea what I did with that paper. I can tell you that it takes 3 yards (54"wide) per panel for pinch pleat curtains for 8ft ceilings. The hard part was laying them out (which can only happen while littles are asleep). Ironed. Laid them out. Measured. Cut. I then ironed and laid out my lining (which was a white flat sheet). Measured and cut. Then I pinned. Each long side has a 1" fold over and then 1" again for sewing. The top is 1/2" and then 2". Bottom hem is 1/2" and then 3". All four sides got sewn (thanks mom!) She then sewed pinch pleat tape to the top. Right underneath the hem. I bought the 4 prong pinch pleat hooks and the hanging hardware.
Curtain is open
Curtain is closed.
There are all kinds of tutorials on you tube, they are going to be much better for you than anything I could write out! I know curtains are expensive and now I know why. My problem and the only reason I insist on making everything, is because I am a fabric lover. I can never find the print in the color way I want in the style I want. Whether it's chairs, curtains, or bed linens. When I went online to find more of this fabric to do my dining room, it was in the $20/yard range. I need 6 yards per window. No thanks. I did find some on Ebay for $220. They were rod pocket (just a straight seam) and not lined?!

Anyway, I absolutely love these curtains. I think they turned out perfect. My dining room is waiting for some as well but it's going to take awhile. First I have to decide on fabric (which needs to "go" with this rooms) and then they have to get made.
These just hit the floor.  They don't puddle and there isn't even room for a matchbox to go underneath!  Excuse the tree, I promise it got taken down.  December 27th to be exact!

Monday, January 7, 2013

Winter ONEderland

I'm over at The Y Journals today blogging about the Winter ONEderland celebration we threw for Little Miss.  It's chock full of crafts and cuteness!
Enjoy!