Lucas's Name Rack

One of the most rewarding things we get to do is make a piece for a good friend.  Especially when that friend just had a beautiful baby boy.

I wanted to create something original but at the same time, practical.  After trying to find inspiration online, I was striking out.  I knew I wanted to do something with his name on it but not your typical baby gift.

Just around this time I had come into some great pallet wood.  There was one piece in particular that stood out.  I am all about making things even and neat (it’s just me…I am OCD like that), but nothing about this piece had those features which was intriguing to me.

I think the fact that it isn't symmetrical is one of its greatest attributes, especially for this project.  It had such great character.

I started by sanding down the piece to ensure there were no splinters, especially since this is for a baby and may likely be put in his room.

Next, I put on a pre-stain conditioner and let it set for 24 hours.  When I returned the following day, the conditioner had really brought out the texture in the the wood.

I sanded it down, once again, to remove any fibers that were lifted from the conditioner and then applied a natural stain.  I wanted to keep the original look of the wood as much as possible.

At this point, I still didn't have a vision for the final product but then again, I usually never do. My vision usually develops and changes as the project does.

What helped me with this project was thinking of what I wish my 2 year old son would have.  Since Avery has made a pastime of throwing his coat, clothes and basically everything else on the floor, a clothing/coat rack could be a nice thing to have.

I choose the simple font of the letters because I didn't the attention to be taken away from the interesting detail of the wood. You can pick them up from Michael's, or any other craft store. OK, now I was seeing the project start to come together!

I wanted the letters to stand out from the board a bit to create a more three dimensional look.  The other important thing was that this piece needed a touch of color.  Not much but enough to add some vibrancy and life to a piece with otherwise neutral, and mostly natural wood, colors.  Adding the blue and pallet blocks served both purposes.

To finish off the piece, I added D-hooks to the back for easy wall hanging and hooks beneath each letter so Lucas can hang jackets and baseball caps in the future.

We are now offering this piece on our Etsy shop and can be customized in a ton of ways!

Toddler Art Desk

Our little man loves to draw and color (but seriously, what two year old doesn't), so when Avery and I came home one day to find this awesome little desk waiting for him in the middle of the living room, he was ecstatic! He ran to it, started pointing and screaming "wook mommy, wook!" Keith created it with a chalkboard top and ample storage for chalk, crayons and coloring books. It is the perfect little addition to our living/play room. 

It has been sitting in our living room ever since (a good year - I know, embarrassing), unfinished because I couldn't figure out what I wanted to do with it. It wasn't until baseball season came along that I knew exactly what to do - Yankee colors, of course! Avery is following in Keith's footsteps with his fascination and love for baseball. He sees the Yankee logo and screams "baseball!" It tugs at his daddy's heartstrings. 

We were having a project filled weekend this fall and decided to finally tackle finishing the desk with the help of my sister. A little paint and poly, and voila! 

Since then, we have built and designed several other desks for friends and clients along with the chairs and benches. We offer color/design customization and can adjust the size based on the age of  your child. The desk's shown have been used for children 2 years - 5 years. You can find them on our Etsy page. 

Life Lately

Mod Podging

Last year, when we moved into the house, Keith made Avery a step stool so he can look out the front window with Winston to watch all the cars, people and dogs go by. Eventually he will be able to use it to wash his hands and brush his teeth. 

We painted it white with a big black "A" on the top step. It was fine until the white started getting dirty and I found myself having to clean it quite frequently. I have been wanting to spruce it up for quite some time but I wasn't sure what I wanted to do. That was until I was looking up Mod Podge for a dresser renovation and the light bulb went off! 

Materials Needed

All of these materials can be picked up at a craft's store such as Michaels or Amazon. I picked  up the Mod Podge  and foam brushes at Walmart because they were cheaper. 

• Desired object to enhance (this could be anything)
• Craft paper
• Mod Podge
• Foam brush
• Paper plate
• Drop cloth

I started by preparing the stool for paint by lightly sanding and cleaning it. Then I laid a drop cloth on the front lawn and got to painting. I sprayed the bottom with a light coat, let it dry 24 hours, then sprayed the top with a light coat. I repeated this process so the stool would have full coverage and there were no white spots seeping through. This process took a few days because I let it dry for a while and was working on this project in between others.

Determine what paper you would like to use for the project. I picked up a variety of decorative paper from Michael's at .55 - .99 cents per sheet. Since baseball is Avery's favorite sport, we decided to go with the baseball design. 

The next step is to trace and cut out the letter, or design, you would like to place on the object. We decided to continue with the large "A." This step takes a bit of measuring to ensure it fits the way you envisioned. Once the letter, or design, is cut out grab the Mod Podge and start crafting.

I started with a very thin layer of Mod Podge on the entire top step to ensure uniformity and that there were no weird lines from the glue once it dried. Then, I placed the paper on top of the glue and pressed down. It was helpful to start from one side and work my way across the paper. I used a card (from a deck of cards) to push it down and to eliminate any bubbles that might pop up.

Once the paper is flat on the object, I painted a very thin layer of Mod Podge over the entire top step/ Once that dried, I painted the last and final coat to make certain the edges don't creep up.

I found this website to be very helpful when planning my Mod Podge project.

Our Week In Review

a few pictures from this past week including a trip to Ben & Jerry's, visiting daddy at work, our 4th wedding anniversary, Mema and Pop-Pop babysitting for the weekend, sleeping past 6am, Avery going to temple for the first time, staining a dining room table, making a towel rack, mod podging Avery's stool and putting my brother to work sanding a Jenga.

TWO!!

We are a few weeks late but I am still in disbelief that we have a two year old! Although not surprising, Avery decided to hit the terrible two's with full force. Everyone keeps telling me that three is worse and if that is the case, we are in for some serious trouble (and in need of lots of wine).

This year we decided to split up his party instead of having one big one. We were lucky to be able to grab a spot for his party at the farm he loves - Muscoot Farm. Since the party was from 10am - 12pm we decided to do brunch style food. We picked up bagels that morning and brought pastries, fruit and other snacks for the kids. We also brought juices and water and called it a day.

We had tables set up under the trees, access to roam the farm to look at all the animals and a private hayride around the farm. We certainly lucked out with a gorgeous day! It was simple and relaxed and everyone had such a great time.

We decided to have Avery's family party at our house which dually served as his 2nd birthday and a house warming since a lot of our family hasn't been up to see our new house. Avery has been big into baseball this summer so we had a Yankee themed party. Thanks to my awesome mother-in-law for providing the fun table cloths and baseball napkins, my sister for making such a great tie-dyed baseball cake, and for everyone else's help in setting up.

This party took a little more effort since we did more cooking than picking up bagels.  The spread included sausage and peppers, hot dogs, grilled chicken sandwiches, corn pudding, tomato, cucumber and pasta salads and chicken and waffles. Everything was delicious!

The night before his birthday, Keith and I spend some time decorating the living room with balloons of his favorite characters (Lightning McQueen, who he calls Mater, and Buzz Lightyear), streamers, party hats and noise makers. He was in shock when we walked down the stairs repeatedly saying "Wow!" He was so excited to receive his first bike and continually wants to "ride with the big boys." 

Time is passing so quickly... we must be having fun. What a difference a year makes!

Happy birthday Avery Knox! Mommy and daddy love you so much! We are beyond thrilled with the little man your are turning into. So smart and witty, you are always keeping us on our toes. You are the greatest light we could have ever imagined and we admire watching you learn and grow - although I wish I could keep you little forever!

Avery's Art Project

I have been wanting to work with Avery for some time now to create artwork for his room. Since moving in, a year ago, we haven't focused on putting up pictures and artwork and I really want his room to be his own space - somewhere he can go for inspiration. This project is great for nearly any age. I had so much fun with him that I want to make one of my own! Here's the details...

Below are the materials you will need:

• Canvas boards - whichever size you prefer, and however many you want to make
• Painters Tape -  We used two different widths 
• Foam brush
• Acrylic paint - Be sure to use a variation of colors

I was able to start the beginning stages without Avery, so I did the prep work the night before we painted. I started with taking different widths of painters tape and running them in different directions across the canvas. Be sure to gently press the edges (I used my fingernail) to be sure they stick to the canvas. You want to make sure the paint doesn't bleed through and and leave you with funky lines. I also painted the entire board with white acrylic paint as another guard against bleeding paint.

Once the paint dries (approx. 1 hour), it was Avery's turn! We started with the darkest color first using the foam brush.

After that, we implemented a lighter blue to give the colors some contrast. I even added a little white to lighten it up a bit and to make them stand apart even more.

We took a snack break in between the second and third colors. When he wanted to paint again we focused mostly on the third color and this time decided to use his hands. I wanted to make sure almost all of the white canvas was covered so we would distinctly be able to see the white lines. He had such a blast with this part!

Let it dry a good 1 - 2 hours before peeling off the tape to reveal your child's masterpiece!

He was so proud of his artwork and kept pointing to them saying "I did it!" Made me so happy. 

From the Mouth of Babes

Our little comedian in the making continuously has us laughing and while the main purpose is to document our funny conversations and his antics, we also want to share with our friends and family. We will be sure to update periodically. Enjoy!


Sonia: I overcooked the pasta
Avery: Aye, Aye, Aye. No comer (spanish for eat)
Sonia: It's okay Avery. I will cook more. It will be ready in 10 minutes.
Avery: (rolls eyes) No comer

________________________

Mommy, I love you! (with the biggest grin and his cheek to his shoulder) - Avery

________________________

Daddy: Avery, get your lovies so we can go bye bye
Avery: Oh yeah
Daddy: Do you have them?
Avery: Yes (hands are empty)
Daddy: Where are they?
Avery: I don't know (shoulder shrug)

___________________________

Keith: Avery, did you have pizza tonight?
Avery: Yes (with a big lisp)
Keith: How was it?
Avery: Eh (with a shoulder shrug and a head tilt)

___________________________

Mommy: Avery, you drive me crazy
Avert: I know! (with a shoulder shrug and a grin)

Enter Logo

We wanted to give a big "Howdy Ho" to Keith's brother Scott, for creating a perfect logo for our new venture! You can see how much baby Avery loves it below.

Originally from Long Island, Scott moved to Baltimore to attend Towson University.  Before entering a world in the arts, Scott began his collegiate career as a Mortuary Science major.  His family was finally able to talk him out of that choice and go for a more "warm blooded" selection.  Scott now works for a design agency in the Beltway region.  He is a very handsome young man who enjoys a delicious slice of pizza as much as he enjoys a new t-shirt.  In recent years, he has taken a vital interest in the color blue.   Go Figure.  Oh and ladies, he's 100% Bar Mitzvah'd.  

While a designer by day, Scott heads the Baltimore based Vinny Vegas by night.  A five piece ensemble who are regularly traveling the country East of the Mississippi while spreading their sound via LP's, EP's, radio, and most recently, their first ever vinyl release.  Be sure to give them a listen and check their Facebook  page for upcoming shows and news.

Here's to Scott.....well done sir.  Well done.