Tooth Fairy Pillow

He-ey!  I’m almost fully recovered from my surgery so I have plans to pick up a paint brush again very soon, but in the meantime, I’ve been revisiting my sewing skills by whipping up this tooth fairy pillow:

Why the need for this little helper?  Well, someone seems to think that she can, I don’t know, turn the big SIX and start losing her teeth!

Yes, that would be TWO missing teeth – with the help of the school nurse, no less.

I used the Tooth Fairy pillow pattern from mmmcrafts as I did for the one I made for my oldest daughter.

I didn’t want this pillow to be exactly like big sister’s, so I made a few modifications.  Rather than a skirt, I added a ricrac and pearl trim belt and I left out the little felt teeth as they interfered a bit with the Tooth Fairy’s, er, retrieval process.

I used the same pearl trim to make a “crown” for this little fairy by turning it upside down, forming a circle and securing it in place.

I left off the wings and put a pocket instead, perfect for the Tooth Fairy’s deposits (she likes to leave gold dollars around here).

And the best part?? The Tooth Fairy can pay a visit without waking up the sleeping child!  We’ve already used this pillow twice and so far it’s working great (not to mention it’s cute as can be just hanging out under that pink boa wreath…)

Have you made a Tooth Fairy pillow for your children?  Tell me about it!

Easy Fabric Garland

If you’re looking for a quick, inexpensive way to spruce up your mantle, a fabric garland is the perfect project.  Mine took me all of ten minutes to make from fabric that I had on hand and brought instant cheer to my wood mantle.

I used four coordinating fat quarters from the local quilt shop, making cuts about one inch apart along the shorter edge and then ripping the fabric into strips.  I then doubled them and pulled the tails through the loop over a piece of twine.  Your fabric “knots” slide easily along the twine so you can space them evenly… and that’s it!

I’ll be a little scarce over the next few days as I’m having surgery Wednesday morning – it was completely unplanned so it’s rocked my world a bit, but I hope to be up and around soon.  Projects will be put on hold for a bit while I recover – prayers for a quick recovery and for healing are greatly appreciated.

Thanks for stopping by my little corner of life…

Office Progress Reveal

I have been working on this room in my home for what seems like forever… and while it’s still not finished, I wanted to share the progress I have made so far.  This room started out like this:

It was painted a dark chocolate brown with a light tan trim (and ceiling, which I discovered after I started priming the walls… ugh).  It was just way too dark for me, especially since the plantation shutters filter so much light.  Sooo… here is what it looks like right now:

I will always be amazed at the ability of paint to completely transform a room from a dark dungeon to a light, airy retreat.  After priming the walls, I painted this room Martha Stewart Sharkey Grey.  And in case you want to know how slow progress is around here, I painted this when MS paint was still available at Home Depot… nearly two years ago.  Ahem.  The trim color is Muslin White, from Glidden.

You probably recognize my Mod Podge Library Book Bin and Duck Egg Blue Chevron Side Table tucked in this little corner.  The pineapple-ish lamp is a fill-in for now left over from my previous master bedroom décor.  The striped throw is from West Elm, snagged during a flash sale for cheap.

The sleeper sofa is from the Cindy Crawford line at Rooms to Go.  I planned on getting the turquoise version, but it was unavailable by the time I’d saved enough money to buy it (darn Dave Ramsey).  I still think this tan color is neutral enough to go with the room, and it works as a perfect place for my sister when she visits.  The pillow covers (except the yellow floral) are from The Pillow People on Etsy – they are great quality for a great price and I can’t wait to order another to cover the remaining matchy-match pillow.

I know you’re all wondering about this fabulous rug, right?  It is the Homespun Chevron Rug from Rugs USA – I got this during their Easter sale for, like, 75% off or something crazy like that (AND free shipping!).  It is very well-made and the blue color is perfection.  I love it – it totally made this room the moment I rolled it out.  If you don’t already follow Rugs USA on FB, you should so you’ll know when these great sales are taking place.  (Not being paid to say that, btw… just my honest opinion.)

That sweet little turquoise table is from IKEA… you’re welcome ;).

This is the view from the office into our living room.  The antlers above the doorway are all from my hubby’s hunting adventures, including his first deer (the tiny one on the right).  I repainted the wooden crests with ASCP in Old White (with his permission) and they were instantly stylish (take that, Anthropologie).  Our guitars flank the doorway, a tribute to our mutual love for music and to an instrument beautiful enough to be displayed.

The opposite wall is still a work in progress – the sideboard and tall cabinet were used in our formal dining room in our prior home.  Since this home does not have a formal dining room, this furniture is being used as a TV cabinet and craft cabinet for my girls.  I eventually want a larger media center/bookshelf unit on this wall but this works for now.

I’m sure you’re wondering what part of this is an office, right?  Ha!  It’s funny… when we moved in, we called this room the office with the intention of turning it into one eventually but it’s sorta morphed into a game/craft room/multipurpose room over time.  I craft in here while I watch HGTV, I do my Jillian Michaels workouts in here *groan*, the kids play the Wii in here… and now it’s our unofficial guest room. 

One final look, including the gorgeous domed window that is a feature in this room.  When I open the shutters like this, the light is amazing.  It’s easily becoming one of my favorite rooms.

So what’s left to do?

Floor length drapes for the windows

Paint leaning shelves (white?)

Add Media/Bookshelf Unit

Gallery Wall above sofa

Add console/desk in front of window

This home décor/DIY thing is a neverending process, no?  So how do you like my new and improved room so far?

Linking up here:

Thrifty Décor Chick Before and After Party

Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

twelveoeight

Three Mango Seeds

Puppy Cupcakes for my SIX year old!

My youngest recently turned the big 6 – I can hardly believe it!  For her birthday, she requested a chihuahua cake that was a replica of her own little chi, Olive.  Since lifelike puppy cakes are not quite in my bag of mama tricks (ahem), we settled on this trio of puppy cupcakes with the help of my favorite cupcake book, Hello Cupcake!

My sister and I stayed up until after midnight icing these babies – if you follow me on facebook or instagram, I snuck in a few peeks as we worked.  We decided on little Yorkies, Westies, and of course, Chihuahuas.

Everything on these cupcakes is edible – cake, icing, marshmallows, MnMs, and  some sugar sprinkles!

They turned out so cute and tasted amazing – many thanks to my sister who not only made the cupcakes and icing in advance, but also brought along all of the extras.  She is awesome – she knows that homemade birthday cakes/cupcakes are important to me and she always helps me make it happen no matter how late we have to stay up!

The best part of all?  This happy girl:

Happy happy birthday my sweet GG!

Have you ever had a crazy request for a birthday cake?  What’d you end up making?

Check out some prior birthday cake creations:  Dora Party, Girl’s Camping Party, Little Mermaid Party, Puppy Party, Horse Party, Zebra Cake.