Wild About That Wednesday with The Dreamy Meadow

Here's what I'm wild about this week:

1. Felt Flowers as gift wrap...such a cute idea.
2. Crocheted Rainbow Rug made from your children's old clothes. Kenzie would love this.
3. Making New Memories lace dress - perfect for spring.
4. The comfiest looking outdoor swing I ever did see.
5. Roses in the Garden floral flats. Adorable.
6. Apple Pie Layer Cake. Need I say more?
7. Handmade Tissue Paper & Tulle Flowers, I'm definitely making these. 
8. Riesling Strawberry Wine Slush. I rest my case.
9. Loving these beaded jars - a beautiful way to play off the color of a simple flower centerpiece.
10. Homemade Sour Cherry Jam. I'm determined to try to make some...someday.

Dreaming of Baking....

One of my favorite hobbies is baking. I am obsessed love it. I love feeling like I've made something for my family to enjoy. I love the sweet aroma that fills every nook and cranny of our house until it smells like a home. I love the sense of accomplishment I get when I've baking something new, or out of my comfort zone, or with advanced techniques I've never used, and standing back with a sigh of relief and a sense of knowing I created this. 


For the past nine weeks I've been unable to whip up any new creations, since I'm immobile until further notice. So instead of actually baking, I'm dreaming of it instead. Here's a little collection of recipes I've been drooling over. Eye candy, baby.

Strawberry Lemonade Layer Cake

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    Pecan Mudslide Cookies

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     Blueberry Cheesecake Bars

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   Snickerdoodle Bread

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Are you salivating yet? 

The Paper Mama Photo Challenge: Black & White

"Reflection"

The Paper Mama Photo Challenge

Just a Little Bathroom Remodel

Since I'm laid up for awhile from foot surgery, (I talk about that a little here) things have been a bit slow around here in terms of creativity. I was completely unprepared in every way to a) re-injure my foot, therefore leading to surgery and b) stay off of my feet for more than 12 weeks. As a result, I'm kinda seriously lacking in the project department. So I thought I'd share our guest bathroom remodel from a couple years back.

Three words I would use to describe our old guest bathroom: Ugly, Ugly, UGLY! What? Okay, I know, that's not nice. I'll try again: Dated, Dark, Stripey. Very verrrrrry stripey.

Now, back in the day (er..2010) I wasn't much for taking Before and After photos of our home improvements, mostly because I didn't ever want to remember what the spaces looked like. That's called living in the moment, folks. I didn't foresee the consequences of my in-actions...mainly being able to look back and compare how far the house has come since I've been here.  Ya live 'n learn. I'm smarter now. So I apologize in advance about the lack of pictures.

Here's a picture to give you an idea of what it looked like pre-remodel. This is the best view I could get from the doorway, since it's so teeny tiny (think 8'x5', including shower space) that if I stepped in you would only get one wall. (please excuse the heinous point-and-shoot aka way-too-much-flash pictures. That was the old me. I'm a recovered flash addict now, promise.) :

Pretty depressing stripey, eh? Not pictured is our very small, old, dated (seeing a reoccurring theme here?) sink/vanity that was the same color as the door.

Here's Mackenzie helping me strip wallpaper, which I've found is one of her "most favoritest things ever in the entire world!". She's nine now and looks so young and un-tween like to me here. See that gaping square hole in the wall? That's where our toilet paper holder was located...ACROSS the room from the toilet, causing you to risk your life by leaning forward to try and snag some paper. Also note the horrific looking doorknob that would fall off every time we turned it...

At first I wasn't going to share this next picture. It was just too embarrassing. But I wanna be honest, you know...keep it real. So I'm gonna put it all out there. Be prepared.

WARNING: DO NOT look at the picture below if you have a strong gag reflex.

What can I say? I warned ya. The heating/air vent that we discovered upon ripping out the vanity was completely closed off by the bottom of the vanity. So for thirty years it was blowing air up onto the underside of the vanity. Couple that with a leaky sink and the moisture from the shower and you've got a recipe for disaster...and mold. Ew. But enough about that.

And now for the BIG REVEAL....... 

*drum roll please*

Fresh paint, a new cabinet above the new toilet, and a cute, whimsical shower curtain and bath mat for the kiddo.

I love the fresh, clean look of our new vanity. I wish I could have gotten a picture of it head-on, but there's not enough room between the door and the vanity to get enough of the cabinet. Aaaaand, there's a reflection of the mirror on the wall. Such wonderful photography skills I have ;)

And finally, here's the new tile flooring. It made the room look a liiiittle big bigger, and it needs all the help it can get in that department. Notice the bottom of the vanity sits up off the floor a bit so the air can get out of the vent underneath. We also lined the underside of the vanity with sheet metal, just to be sure we didn't have another problem with rotting wood and mold.

Here's a list of all the changes we made:

•  Stripped the stripey wall paper
• Patched the huge hole where the previous toilet paper holder was, and relocated the new one to the vanity next to the toilet.
• Added a few fresh coats of paint to the walls and the inside of the door. Eventually the door will be replaced, but for now we just painted the inside white because the exterior had to match the doors in the rest of the house.
• Tore out all of the old laminate flooring, and laid brand spankin' new tile.
•  Removed the old sink/vanity and replaced it with a new one.
•  Replaced the toilet, toilet paper holder, shower head, towel bar, lightswitch/outlet covers & doorknob.
• Purchased all new accessories: shower curtain, shower curtain hooks, bath mat, bath towels, bath collection  (waste basket, soap dispenser, toothbrush holder, and striped covered jar), and striped solid washcloth pack. 

Well, that's it for the guest bath remodel. What has been your favorite home project so far?  Put your answers in a comment below. :)

The Dreamy Meadow's Wild About That Wednesday

Things I'm wild about this week:

1.  Is this the cutest spring yarn wreath you've ever seen or what?

2. This side braid/pony tail would be great for every day wear or a special event. I love it!

3. Adorable pink rose iPhone case...WANT!

4. Amazingly amazing whole grain raspberry pancakes. Yes, please.

5. Fancy flip flops - so I can look cute and still be comfortable. That's my kinda style.

6. Oh yeah, baby.  Roasted Lemon Garlic Herb Shrimp = heaven.

7. This family tree necklace should be around my neck ;)

8. A pretty purple and gray crocheted garland...someday I will have enough skill to make this.

9. I wish I would've stumbled upon these black glittery nails before New Years Eve. Perfect!

                                         

Things That Make Me Smile

Since we're still getting to know each other, here's a really long post few things that really make me all warm and fuzzy inside. These are just a few inspiration photos from my "to-do" craft list.

Old windows that have been re-purposed. I already have a set of two old barn windows waiting for me in the shed in the back yard, so look forward to a post on how I'll use them in the future!

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Cute throw pillows, especially against white couches, which my hubby won't let me have, boo hoo. :(

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Unique light fixtures - particularly in children's rooms/nurseries:

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Chillen's in knits. I recently bought a crochet needle and a how-to crochet book/DVD combo so I could learn. So far I've mastered the single crochet (the double crochet is a different story, heh heh heh). Not much melts my heart more than seeing a kiddo in a cute knit hat... I just can't get enough of these little cuties!

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What about you? What decor/products make your little heart go pitter pat?

New Dining Room + Choosing Paint Colors

Remember when I posted about inspiration for my future dining room? Well, it's time that I reveal the all the juicy deets.


Before Dusty and I met and got married, he already owned a cute little three-bedroom, two-bath ranch style house. When I relocated from my townhouse 45 minutes away to move in with him (and brought two bedrooms and two-and-a-half bathrooms worth of stuff with me), we quickly realized that 1,300 square feet is not a whole lot of space for such a massive amount of stuff. Fast forward and add in a nine year old and two large dogs and you've got some spacial issues.


I'll get around to taking some pictures of our cramped cozy quarters once I'm able to be on my feet again, but for now I'll just try to explain.


Our kitchen sits at the back left hand corner of the house and is long and extremely narrow (think the width of your outstretched arms). At the far end of the kitchen on the left hand side sits our washer and dryer. In our kitchen. I'll say it again so you get the full effect of this functionality disaster: IN OUR KITCHEN. What this means for two adults, a nine year old girl (who honestly thinks it's reasonable to change outfits 502,349 times a day) and two huge, often filthy dogs is that we often have laundry backup...and no where for that laundry back up to relax while it waits it's turn. If you read between the lines you already know that this means I often have a laundry basket (okay two or three...) sitting in my kitchen. We have very little counter space, most of what we do have is taken up by our microwave, toaster, home phone, and my best friend (my Kitchen Aid mixer). So imagine: no counter space, tripping over dogs, kids and laundry...all while trying to maneuver hot pots and pans to cook a meal.


Leading into the kitchen is what can only be described as a breakfast nook being disguised as a dining room. We've somehow managed to cram a small round table and four chairs in there, but one chair is  unusable because its squished between the table and wall. Sigh.


Here's a picture of the color of paint that covers the entire general living space in our home.. entryway, living room, dining room, kitchen, hallways..oh and even our bedroom and the guest room:

The swatch above does it's uglyness no justice. It's faded, yellowing, and dirty. Ick Ick Ick. Plantation Beige, I can't wait to kiss you goodbye!


Oh wait, you wanted fancy new future dining room details, didn't you?


Dusty and I finally decided it's time to make a little more room around here. Expand our horizons, if you will. So, we're starting fresh. Gutting that dated, teensy little kitchen, closing off the garage (which my husband has used as a garbage can storage for the past 8 years), and building a brand spankin' new open kitchen (whoo!), dining room (squee!), laundry room (those exist!?) and a huge storage closet (you mean I'll actually have a place to hang our winter coats and store my board games!? Yippee!). I am over the moon. I Elated. I bet you couldn't even tell. Okay, I'll admit it - I CAN'T FREAKING WAIT! Renovations are set to begin on the garage (dining/laundry/closet area) on March 6th and on the kitchen shortly thereafter.

Here's the paint color I'm leaning towards for the new dining room, Benjamin Moore's Silvery Moon:

Sofisticated, ain't it? ;)

And here's the lovely shade I'm loving for our living room/kitchen, Benjamin Moore's Wythe Blue:

Whaddya think? Better than that yucky beige? I recently recieved a copy of our new kitchen layout from the Lowe's designers, so I'll post that when I get some pictures of the current state of our domain. :)

The Paper Mama Photo Challenge: Family

Welcome to my Little Corner of the World

Wow, blank slate. That's not overwhelming at all...


Why would I want to start a blog, you ask? What makes me think I need to reserve my own little corner of the world?


Well, a few things:

• INSPIRATION. I have dozens hundreds of file folders on my computer FULL of inspiration pictures and tutorials. I really need a place to organize all of it and get some opinions from all of you. Making decisions isn't my strong point.
  
  
• Would I sound crazy if I admitted that 85% of my day is spent daydreaming about home decor, crafting, and creating? Call me crazy, then, because I am obsessed. I gain most of my inspiration for all things crafty and creative from the good 'ol world wide web. Every spare moment of my day is an opportunity to search the 'net for new cute stuff to attempt create.  
  
  
• I've spent many years wishing that I was crafty. One of those wives that can bake like no other, who's house smells of cupcakes and cinnamon. One of those moms who could see something and just make it. Like a hairbow. Or a cute framed picture. Or an entire house full of amazing, unique decor...the kind of decor that when people walk into a room, they stop and say, "wow..". No pressure. No big deal. ;)
  
  
• I recently came to my senses and realized that there's nothing stopping me from becoming one of those moms - except of course, me. So I decided to get out of my own way and go for it.
  
  
• Over the past few years I've started taking on a few small projects and challenges here and there, and by doing so I've found a passion deep within and become way more domesticated than I ever dreamed I would (or could) be. I'm still workin' on it, and I still have parenting/project/decorating/baking failures often just as anyone does.
  
  
• I need a creative outlet, yo. I had major surgery on my foot last week (seriously, they removed a bone from my foot [WHO DOES THAT?] and re-routed all the tendons/ligaments to another part of my foot.) Sitting on my butt staring at the ceiling and feeling these walls close in on me is becoming...well, old. There's only so many episodes of Dr. Phil a girl can take (and I luuurve me some Dr. Phil) before she just hops right on the crazy train (I wonder if that train would actually lead me to Dr. Phil? Hmm...).
  
  
• Why not share my life, family, love, trials, triumphs, and inspiration with others?

 I'll leave you with a picture that is the inspiration for one of my future dining room walls (which are yet to exist):

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I'm loving the quote above the frames, but I'm not sure yet if I'll use that one or something a little more original to our family. What do you think? Any suggestions for quotes, wall colors, improvements?


P.S. Stay tuned about the NEW dining room - there's more of that to come soon.


P.S.S. Thanks for reading :]