It's All In the Details

I'm still in disbelief that my baby sister has already been married for a year!  Yup, an entire year.  I may be a few days late but at least this is within the same month!


Wasn't she just five years old? Seriously, where has the time gone?   There was this one time that vividly stands out in my memory (maybe because we talk about it all the time) when she LITERALLY stole my Christmas present because it had the Little Mermaid on the front of the shirt. While I was blindsided by the millions of presents our parents used to buy for us, she proceeded to go into the other room and put it on so she could make it known that it was now her shirt.  As usual, I gave in and let her keep it.  I took my role as big sister seriously as you can see from the pictures below.


I think it was Dad who nicknamed her "The Mermaid Freak."  She is still a mermaid freak, however, you would never have known by looking at her wedding - no mermaids, or Sebastian, to be found! Some would say it's a miracle.

But regardless, as her big sister I have and always will have her back.  So, if mermaids are what she wants, mermaids are what she'll get!


Keith and I really wanted to do something handmade and special for their big day.  We talked about some ideas and narrowed in on creating  centerpieces and ceremony alter stands for the floral arrangements.  We were super excited to be involved and that we could provide my sister and brother-in-law with the one of a kind touch they were envisioning.


We worked with them on their vision and walked through some of their inspiration.  They identified that they wanted a refined rustic spring look and we got to work!

Kelli and Pat wanted to flank their ceremony space with two unique wooden stands so the florists could insert flower arrangements.  On a wedding budget, of course, we used pallet wood which worked out perfectly because the contrasting colors gave the altar stands more dimension and character.  The flowers sat right on top and sat on each side of the altar.  Since the stand was rustic in nature Kelli decided to keep in theme by making the flowers vibrant wild flowers.  They were stunning - the bride and groom, too!

This was no small wedding so in agreeing to make the centerpieces, we had unknowingly agreed to making about twenty centerpieces!  Good thing we love them.  We used pallet wood again to tie into the ceremony decor and created boxes for the table arrangements.  The flowers stayed in a vase and sat right within the box, which were offered guests to take at the end of the night.


Getting the wood prepared was the easy part.  There are many different ways to take a pallet apart however any opportunity to use a power tool, we will.  Keith took a reciprocating  saw with a metal blade running the blade between the pallet base and the planks, cutting through the nails.  This will not put added pressure on the pallet wood (which could cause it to break).  It will also retain the character of the wood.


Once you get your pallet separated it's all about putting together the pieces of the puzzle.  Some planks of wood are thicker and wider than others which will affect the thickness and height of the boxes.  If you can, match up similar sized pieces and then put the boxes together.  Once we had the pieces in similar piles we used an 18g Brad Nailer and it went rather quickly.


After we put the boxes together we made sure to sand down each box thoroughly.  We didn't want anyone to get splinters while managing or carrying them home.  Then we added a natural stain to help bring out some of the grain and varying colors in the wood.

To round out the decor, we decided to hand make the table numbers from the same pallet wood used for the ceremony altar and the centerpiece boxes.  Kelli and I spent a full day painting numbers with stencils onto the wood with me being in the early stages of pregnancy and with a two year old in tow. All in a days work.


In order to make the table numbers stand, we cut the pieces of wood at an angle and then used Gorilla Glue to add a small piece of wood to the bottom for stability.

The best part about all of these items is that they don't have to be perfect.  As a matter of fact, they wouldn't hold as much character if they were perfect.  They are relatively simple to make but certainly require lots of time and attention to detail.  We would do it again in a heartbeat!

The centerpiece boxes are currently listed in our ETSY shop. If you are interested in the table numbers or ceremony alter, request a custom order and we would love to help add a special touch to your special day.

Sorry for our absence but...

We're expecting! To say it has been a tough ride is quite an understatement. But this isn't new to me.

Back when I had Avery I started having severe morning sickness around the sixth week. The doctors had me try everything under the sun to help control my symptoms. From the natural remedies - ate ginger candies, sucked on ice pops, drank morning sickness tea, sucked on citrus and drank so much ginger ale I can't even look at the can without all of those feeling rushing back. To the medically prescribed - I wore acupressure bracelets and took various prenatal vitamins with B6 meant to help with this symptom.

After all of that and about three weeks later, with no progress and visits to the ER because I was so dehydrated, they prescribed me Zofran and diagnosed me with hyperemesis gravidarum. This was a pivotal point in my pregnancy.

I was so malnourished and continuously dehydrated that I was sent to the labor and delivery floor at the hospital for fluids. I also lost over 10 lbs in my first trimester. It was not fun.

Well, I was hoping this time around would be much different. I mean, the doctor said "every pregnancy is different," so there was hope. False hope that is.

This pregnancy has been much more of a roller coaster ride than the damage Avery did. Believe it or not. And again, it all started at about six weeks and is still ongoing. Like the first time I made a visit to the ER and my doctor provided me with weekly hydration treatments to keep my fluids at a more normal state.

I still take Zofran and I still do the home remedies, but the feeling has definitely lessened now that I am in my second trimester. 

Keith and I are thrilled to be welcoming a little girl in October and so is our resident super hero. We had the most special day with our families celebrating Mother's Day, the gender reveal and my 30th birthday two days later. It feels so great not to keep it a secret and to be able to start planning and decorating our little lady's nursery. Stay tuned for developments. 

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!

Life Lately

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.

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)

The Evolution of Giant Tumbling Blocks!

So, no surprise here but my sister was so amazing with helping my mom plan and execute my bridal and baby showers over the past few years, that I wanted to return the favor. She decided to go with a bbq/summer picnic theme and the day couldn't have been nicer.  

  

My mother-in-law works for a linen company and her and her employer were extremely generous in allowing us to use these beautiful red and white gingham table cloths that fit right in theme. We incorporated a little DIY and spray painted a variety of glass bottles then filled them with wild flowers. It really helped tie the entire look together.

My father created a horse shoe pit in the backyard since it is a huge pastime in my brother-in-law to be's family. There was also lots of basketball, some fun chalk drawing competitions and a few beer pong games and keg stands at the end of the night.

I wanted my gift to represent the day. Something special. Something that was both practical and fun. It needed to have thought behind it and I felt the need to custom make whatever I decided on. Pinterest was extremely resourceful when it came to selecting the right gift.

I settled on a life size (giant) set of Tumbling Blocks.....

To understand why Tumbling Blocks was the right gift, you need to understand Kelli and Pat. They are fun and outgoing. They work hard and play hard. They are selfless and caring, and we love them both.

We decided to go with the 72 piece (4 foot) version.  Keith began by cutting 8 2x4's into 72 10 1/2 pieces.  I then sanded them down using a 220 grit paper (if you do this, make sure you where a dust mask) to make sure the surface is smooth. Nobody likes splinters and it makes the blocks slide better!

As opposed to the traditional signing board or book, Kelli and Pat's guests signed the blocks with their well wishes.

Happy Engagement and best of luck to the guests of honor!

Thanks to Studio Three Photo for all of the great pictures!

Your own Giant Tumbling Blocks set can be purchased here.