A little beachy

I picked up this cute child's rocking chair at my local Savers a few months back. I have one from my childhood, actually I believe it was my mother's from her childhood. (Mom, can you confirm?) I had been wanting to re-do a little rocker but really didn't want to do mine. So when I ran across this one, I grabbed it up quick.
I had one vision for it: beachy and unisex.
I think I achieved it, what do you think?

I made the little cushion reversible so if you didn't want the flowery motif any more, just flip it over and have a nice solid cream ribbed motif.

I added grommets to the ends of the tabs on the cushion, then just flipped the chair over, marked where the grommets landed, added some little screws for the grommets to fit over, and voila!
Reversible cushion. : )

So, if you are in the market for a darling little beachy rocker, let me know!
I've got one I can sell you. : )

Update: I sold this cutie at my garage sale to a sweet elderly couple for their great granddaughter! Yeah!

~nic

I've linked up to:

Pool Party!

Pictures from Justin's 10th Birthday party.

The little crew of 4 J's and an M had a blast goofing around in the pool. We played a few games, one being a big hit. We marked 20 each of 5 different colored poker chips with a "J" on one side and then added in a HUGE bunch of blank poker chips and threw them all in the pool. Boy, the pool was quite for at least 45 minutes while the boys searched for those marked chips. Easy, cheap, and fun game!

We also did an art project, but got so wrapped up in it I forgot to take still pictures of it, just video. We bought blank canvases, put a 12 inch initial with contact paper in the middle of the canvas, bought 6 different colored paints and loaded up spray bottles and condiment squeeze bottles and let them go at it. We also had torn up sponges and those water foam ball things, I don't know what to call them, but they worked great for soaking up paint and then splattering on the canvas. After drying, we pulled off the contact paper and ended up with some very unique initial art work. We liked it so much, we did it at the family party that night as well.

We just got home from taking little man to see Step Up 3D for one of his Birthday presents. GREAT movie! We all loved it! Next up on his Birthday list (yes, his presents tend to span over a few weeks) are the tickets to see his all time favorite DJ, Bassnecter. He is beside himself in anticipation! He's got two more weeks to wait but will have it fresh in his mind for when school starts. What a weekend that will be, Bassnecter on Saturday, he'll be DJ'ing in the park on Sunday, and then starts school on Monday as "Seniors" of the school. Okay, he'll only be in 5th grade, but they are the "Upper" class of school.

I feel like I've been rambling, maybe I should throw up some pictures.

(face/arm painting from company picnic)

(In the backyard working on his flips...could never catch the awesome mid-air action shot)

(In the trees at the S.F. Renegade Craft Fair)

I love you Justin!

~mom

For you Jamison!

My good friend Ashley is pregnant with her second son, Jamison, and had this adorable Pottery Barn style baby bassinet. However, it was a little on the dingy white side and she was looking more for the beautiful espresso side.
So, that's what I did for her.
What do you think?

(Before)

(After)

I threw the white table cloth in between because it will eventually have a white with blue trim bed set and matching crib skirt. I wanted to show Ashley (and Lia..Hi Lia! haha!) an idea of what it was going to look like. She and her hubby love it and have already picked it up and moved it into place at home. I hope you enjoy your new home when you arrive Jamison! I had fun cleaning it up for you! : )

~nic

P.S. I will have Birthday pictures posted soon. I'm hoping to do it tonight, but you know how real life works out. The boys had a blast and the party was a big success! Thanks Nanny and Poppy for hosting and letting us, yet again, use our beloved family pool! : )

Last day of being a single

It's true.
My little guy is turning 10 tomorrow.
This was his "last day of being a single" as he puts it.
That is, a single digit.
I was able to sneak in a few pictures before heading off to nanny and poppy's for the day.








I hope you enjoyed your last day of being single my sweet one! I love you so much and can't wait to see what your "double digits" bring!
~mom

Little Ribbon Bar

I do love me some ribbon...and trim...and yarn.
I have lots of it.
I had been storing it in random containers in my craft room.
Then I ran across a lovely individual on CL giving away for free their child's royal blue semi-broken toy holder.
After some white paint, some awesome wrapping paper from PaperSource and some new wheels, I turned it into this:


Then I filled it with all of this:


Okay, it didn't ALL fit, so some still have to be stored in their containers on top. But they still look lovely!


After I started pulling it all out, I realized that I REALLY like cream and white trim, lace, ribbon and pearls. I decided it should all go in one of the cubes.
I love to just "paw" through all that creamy dreamy goodness!


My yarn took over the two bottom cubes. I LOVE that it is on rollers and can be wheeled to wherever I want in my room. I'm thinking I'm going to be putting wheels on a lot of my units, they are just so functional!

Now...to just use some of this and create something fabulous!

~nic

Mark this one off the list!

A few months ago I picked this little gem up from, yet again, a CraigsLister who just didn't have a spot for it anymore. I love our little town of Los Gatos, sweet people that have very cool things.



It's a White Sewing machine and it came not only with the booklet, but with all KINDS of little sewing feet and attachments. I really do want to plug it in and try it out, I'm hoping that all the little attachments really do work. I don't have a ruffler for my Brother machine, but this one does!

Oh, and look at the little built in bobbin and pin holder in the top drawer.
Love!

My mom says to just plug it in and go for it! I'm always so leery when it comes to electricity and electrical things, especially when they are super old.

So after I gave it a good cleaning, I just went ahead and started spraying. Yes, I am a spray paint kinda girl. My daddy probably isn't very proud of that, as he prides himself on his painting skills, and the man has painted his entire house, inside and out, with just a little 4 inch wide brush, but my patience level isn't as big as his.

Anyways, here she is!


The sides both still open and the original White Sewing machine is still inside, so for now, I'm keeping my machine on top. I'd like to get a thin sheet of Luanne wood (I think that's how it's spelled, I know it sounds like that : ) ) and when I need to open it up and use my machine, I can just put the wood over the opening with the White in it. If you haven't noticed, I seem to be into painting the "feet" of furniture. Lucky for me, there was a nice little trim edge around the bottom that just screamed, "Paint me like feet!" My pedi's seem to be all with black polish, but I sure do love it!

I love how my chair pops against the yellow.

I can't wait to sit down and start using her!

And find the guts to plug the original machine in. : )

~nic

I'm linking to:

http://www.domestically-speaking.com/

I can't seem to figure out the grab my button and link up thing this morning...

Should I open shop?

I didn't think it would happen to me.
But I think it has.
I've become a furniture collector!
I can't believe I'm going to show you these pictures of our backyard right now...but hey, this is what blog land is all about, being real.

Amongst all the free furniture I've collected and have plans for, our backyard is also in the middle of a transformation. Above picture is of one of the two free shabby chic nightstands, free round double tier table and free little 5 drawer dresser.


Two sets of drawers, one set (the two that are actually sanded down) belong to my hubby's dresser. Yes, I've got two of the six drawers sanded down. The other three belong to the little 5 drawer dresser.


This lovely picture above has our free white outdoor bar, the rest of hubby's drawers for his dresser($10.00 if you remember), his dresser under the canvas painters tarp on the right, three doors that go on my cabinet in my guest bath that my daddy built me, a little gray and blue child's rocker ($5.00 from Savers) and on the left, facing backwards, is a behind the door coat and purse shelf hanger thing my father built ages ago. I do mean ages, like I think I was 5 or 6 maybe. My daddy built it so that each of us kids, 4 including me, and my parents would each have our own hook to hang bags and coats and such. I've got plans to update it with a fresh coat of paint, add some cool hooks and hang hubby's collection of record bags on it. Also, you can't see them, one is under the tarp and one is keeping the tarp from flying up, but there are also two mirrors out here. One was free and all curvy delicious, and one was $5.00 from St. Justin's and is a HUGE bar style mirror.


Oh yea, and this little number, a very loved free wooden chair. It needs ALOT of attention, but I know I can do it. Ha, you know what else was totally free in the back yard? Our hammock! You can see it shoved up against our patio swing in the first picture. I guess I should give a big shout out to all you CraigsListers out there, you make my day complete! Without you guys, I wouldn't have a back yard full of free unwanted furniture that previous owners just couldn't see potential in. I thank you for giving me your unloved, unwanted children and allowing me to teach them how to act and feel. They leave my hands new children with a fresh, renewed outlook on life.

Okay, maybe I took that a bit far?

~nic