Slowing things down...

I am going to be slowing down things on the blog just a little for the summer. I'll have a tutorial here and there and the occasional BOY style post but I'm planning to spend my days having fun with the boys and helping with Jason's company. I'll be posting about our summer adventures but don't want the pressure of "regular" features while F&O are out of school.

And totally off topic but today Jason and I are celebrating our 15th wedding anniversary. I'll spare you our cheesy wedding photos and share this oldie but goodie taken in a photo booth at the beach 19 years ago. So, so young.

Happy Anniversary to my love and Happy Summer to you!

Searching for gold and the eclipse

We took the boys to the Lost Dutchman State Park at the base of the Superstition Mountains this past Sunday afternoon for a little exploring. Legend has it that there is an old gold mine somewhere on the mountain. We filled the boys in on the details on our drive to the park and Oliver became obsessed. Whenever we ran into someone on the trail, he made sure they knew that the gold was his and that he was going to find it. I love his adventurous spirit.

Our little adventure happened to coincide with the solar eclipse. Because we didn't have the appropriate eye wear, we didn't tell the boys about it - we were worried they'd fry their eyeballs out trying to see it. Lucky for us, just as the sun was starting to set, we were treated to the tail end of it. Spectacular. (I didn't have a tripod or a telephoto lens so these photos aren't the best).

Such a treat for us to see that magnificent event surrounded by the mysterious beauty of the desert.

Mini Bedroom Makeover

After my dad passed away unexpectedly a few years ago, Jason and I asked my mom if she'd like to move in with us. About a year later, she decided to take us up on our offer. We thought it would be a good idea to buy a bigger house with a nice sized yard for gardening, chickens, etc. The original plan was to build a guest house in the back for mom. However, we found the perfect home with a split plan. Since I'm a minimalist by nature and don't need or want a lot of living space, Jason and I offered the master suite to mom and we took up residence with the boys in smaller rooms on the other side of the house. The situation has been ideal for all of us.

We've lived in this house for three years now and I have hated our tiny room from day one. It was an ugly beige color, had zero personality, and although I don't mind a small room - it was not functional for us in the least bit. I could never bring myself to take "before" pictures so you'll have to use your imagination. I painted the room a few months ago and had been putting off the rest of the project until recently. With some sweat, labor, and just a few dollars, we managed to transform our little space into my dream room.

The first thing we did was build the pallet headboard. You pinners had me fooled that this would be an easy project. I thought the hardest part would be finding pallets to use but Jason assured me that there wouldn't be a ton of crafty chicks at the local hardware store fighting over them in the wee hours of the morning. Our biggest challenge with the headboard was the construction of it. We get the occasional scorpion here in Arizona and those nasty little things love to hide behind wood. My number ONE requirement was that the headboard not touch the wall. Too many scary thoughts about scorpions crawling into bed with me. And since the headboard isn't entirely secured to the wall, we had to make it super durable - the thing weighs as much as a mini cooper.

The headboard has only three points of contact with the wall and I keep telling myself that scorpions won't crawl across a slippery bolt. ;)

The headboard took the better part of two weekends but was well worth the effort. I love it. I think my favorite part is the gorgeous mirrored bunting I ordered from Flux Glass. So fun.

The other challenge we had to address were the ugly, closet style built in shelves lining the far side of the wall. It's nice to have a ton of shelves but they aren't really finished so they were an eyesore. We got a quote from our carpenter to build doors for the shelves in our room and the boys room but it's just not in the budget so we settled for these great drapes from IKEA to cover them up. Now that they are covered, they are way more functional and we're able to use them more.

We put in some inexpensive LACK shelves from IKEA for nightstands, some reading lights, and we're finished for now. (Please overlook the ugly ceiling fan. In Phoenix, fans are a necessity).

Simple, tiny, perfect for us.

DIY Neon Gift Bags

I have a ton of muslin drawstring bags left over from my clothing line and I love to use them for gifts. They can be a little "blah" on their own so I've been doing some embellishing - in NEON no less.

This is a simple and quick project with really fun results.

What you'll need for the polka dot bags:

Muslin drawstring bags (any size is fine) - find them on Etsy or do a google search for a list of suppliers

Neon fabric paint

Circle sponge applicator thing (pictured below - super cheap at craft stores)

 Steps:

1. Place a piece of cardboard in the bag so that the fabric paint doesn't seep through.

2. Dab your sponge in the fabric paint - make sure you don't overdo it on the paint. It's better to have too little paint on the sponge than too much. You can practice on paper to gauge the best amount.

3. Press your sponge onto the bag to make your dots. Reapply paint on your sponge every dot or two.

4. Let paint dry completely.

5. Place a piece of scrap fabric over your bag and press with a hot iron to set the paint.

I made a ton of these bags up so that I can grab one whenever I need one for a gift.

What you'll need for the chevron bag:

Muslin drawstring bag

Neon fabric paint

Paint Brush

Freezer paper

Chevron template - available here

Exacto knife or small pointy scissors

The chevron bags are a bit more labor intensive than the polka dot bags but still don't take too much time. (It would save a ton of time if I could figure out a way to make a reusable template rather than cutting out new freezer paper for every bag.)

1. Print out the chevron template. Place it underneath the freezer paper and trace it.

2. Use an exacto knife (place a cutting mat or cardboard down to protect your surface) or use small pointy scissors to cut out two of the zig zags.

3. With the waxy side of the freezer paper down, iron it on to the bag. 4. Again, put cardboard inside the bag and use the paint brush to paint the fabric paint onto the design. Be careful not to use too much paint. You need just enough to cover the surface.

5. While the paint is still wet, carefully peel off the freezer paper. 6. Wait for it to completely dry and then heat press it with an iron (place a scrap piece of fabric on top of the bag to be safe).

Super easy. Not only do these make great gift bags, they can also be used for toys, crayons, party favors, etc. Endless possibilities here.

Muslin bags come in all sizes and quantities. You shouldn't have any problems finding them online but if you do, let me know and I'll help you out. Cheers!

What He Wore: BOY style

Sorry for skipping BOY style last week (hectic!) but I'll make up for it this week with the adorable and stylin' Hudson! Hudson is such a stylish little guy that he's got two outfits to show off for us.

Shorts: Old Navy
Gingham long sleeve shirt: Target
Whale short sleeve tee: Crew Cuts
Shoes: Toms

Skinny jeans: Gap
Nautical striped tee: The Children's Place
Lizard sneaks: Converse

(where do we get the cute puppy?)

Clearly, Hudson knows how to rock an outfit. I'm guessing in part that it's because he has a super fun mom who designs the darling clothing line for littles, Eight Baby Legs. Eight Baby Legs is closed for the moment because Hudson has recently become a big brother.  But because I absolutely cannot resist, here's a peek at just some of the cuteness that will fill the shop when it reopens!

Eight Baby Legs should reopen soon. Check out the FB page and be the first to know when it does.

A big thank you to Hudson for sharing his style with us!

Weekend Wine Getaway

This past weekend Jason and I took a quick weekend trip up to the Verde Valley in Arizona to celebrate our 15th anniversary. We spent most of our time exploring some of Arizona's wineries and tasting rooms. Grapes grow surprisingly well in certain regions of Arizona and there are some amazing wines being produced here. No joke.

We started off at Arizona Stronghold Vineyard's tasting room in the little town of Cottonwood. I can't recommend this place highly enough. Great wines, super friendly and knowledgeable staff, and a laid back, relaxing atmosphere. 

We followed that up with some shopping, a boat load of food, and more wine tasting at Pillsbury Wine Company. The next morning we headed out to Page Springs Cellars for a Build a Blend class taught by winemaker Eric Glomski (what a treat!). As soon as we arrived at the vineyard, I knew I'd never want to leave. So peaceful and beautiful.

We arrived early so Jason had time to explore, make friends with the staff, and check out the irrigation. He was in heaven. I'm surprised he didn't ask for a job.

The class was a blast - we enjoyed playing "winemakers" for the morning. I really had no clue what I was doing but I have to say, I totally rocked my blends (most of them, at least).

Eric Glomski himself mixing my blend. So cool.

We had a great time exploring the Verde Valley Wine Trail and are looking forward to our next visit. Local friends, if you haven't made the quick trip up there yet, do it soon! You won't be disappointed.

Page Springs Cellars
Arizona Stronghold Vineyards 
Pillsbury Wine Company

A Bit Quiet...

Things have been and will continue to be a bit quiet here on the blog for the next week or so. We spent the past few days building a pallet headboard (I thought it would be easy - so wrong) and working on our room and now I get to spend the week preparing for a super FUN project. This project promises tons of visual eye candy and amazing tutorials for you all...stay tuned. Regular blogging will commence soon.

{Here's a little peek at the bed. I'll share more when we've finished the rest of the room}

What He Wore: BOY style

You guys are going to melt when you see our adorable guest, Gibson, and his ridiculously awesome style. Gibson's talented mom, Lyndsey, put together a carnival party for Gibson and his sister - complete with a petting zoo, carney food, and Patches the clown. Lyndsey wanted the party to have a retro state fair vibe so she dressed Gibson to fit.

I love every single detail of his outfit. Especially the houndstooth pants. We need a pair of those.

And the bowtie. We need that too. 

 

Gibson's oufit:

Hat: Gap

Bowtie: Amelie Jo

Pants: Punkee Monkee

Shirt: Leftover from a wedding

Shoes: Converse from Gap

Ava's outfit:

Dress: Amelie Jo

And on top of these cutie kiddos, how fun does this party look!? Such a fun theme and the details are so clever. Gibson's parents own a party design/styling shop. You can find several of the design elements from this party in their Etsy shop:

LuLu's

LuLu's on Facebook

Photos via Kendy Schimmel Photography

Thanks so much to Lyndsey and Gibson for sharing some serious style this week!