Wishing. Hoping. Dreaming.

Even though Santa already came early for me this year:

I'm a Minivan Mom:)!

...I thought it still would be fun to make a little Christmas list with some items that have caught my eye as of late.  Perhaps some of these items will help give you some gift giving ideas for those on your Christmas list:)!

Quinn Popcorn

Microwave Popcorn that is non-GMO and is actually healthy...I'd like to give it a try:)!

The Handbuilt Home

by Ana White

I'd love to pick up a copy of Ana's book.  Bill and I have poured over her website when making projects like our patio table.  We also have a couple projects we'll be tackling in the near future using plans from her site.  The fact that her plans are free is amazing in my opinion.  I feel like I owe her at least the $15 cost of her book:)!

Tivoli Radio

I love both the look of this tabletop radio and the reviews that it gets.  I have the perfect spot for it in our basement!

Scotch Naturals

Seaboard

I love this brand of nail polish, and I'd like to add to my collection.  In addition to a new color or two (I really like Smoky Martini too), I'd love to try the On the Rocks Topcoat as well to see if I can keep the color on my nails longer.

Art Brush Set

I'd love to get a nicer set of craft paint brushes than the toddler friendly brushes I currently use:).  I'm sure these aren't top of the line, but it would be a huge step up for me.  And I love the carrying case too:)!

Leather Pouf

I have long loved these leather poufs, and one would love living in my home:)...though I honestly don't know what color I'd prefer: dark brown or teal!

Grey Cardy Uggs

These just look so comfy to me...like slippers that are okay to wear out of the house.  (I've been looking for a cheap pair on eBay for awhile now, ever since I read this post at Isabella and Max Rooms.)

Eddie Bauer Flannel Shirt 

I have also been looking for a flannel shirt that fits for forever, and I think that the tall sizing on this shirt might be perfect for me!  

Tortoise Shell

Nate Berkus for Target

I love these shells! 

Blue Spice Jar with Chalkboard Label

World Market

These jars are adorable, and would be handy in my craft area.

Storsele Chair

IKEA

This chair is quite adorable!  I could see it spray painted in a super bright color too:).

And that rounds out my 'just for the fun of it' list for this year.  I hope you've all been especially good this year, so Santa brings you everything on your list:), and I hope Christmas shopping is effortless and easy for you this year too!!  As for me, I'm LOVING my new minivan, affectionately named Blanca Bianca Version 2.0.  Thank you Santa!!  And I'll more likely than not be braving the crowds on Turkey Thursday/Black Friday this week for a little Christmas shopping and to continue the Black Friday shopping tradition that goes back many, many years in our household.  The coffee high and thrill of the chase is so darn exciting.  Plus, I inevitably get to see my husband run in a store like a kid running to meet a super hero and it makes me bend over with laughter.

Regardless of scoring any good deals this weekend, Black Friday is going to be awesome:)!  Is anyone else heading out this year or do you plan to do your shopping online this year?

One More Look at Lucky's Room

So here's one last picture filled post of Lucky's Room.  It is one of the two most 'finished' rooms in our house.  (Our dining room is also feeling finished these days ever since we added a second set of chevron curtains.)

The gallery wall has had a couple changes from the beginning.

I added this 'owl always love you' hoop that I picked up at Urban Outfitters last winter for $5 on clearance.  It was a 'faux' embroidered hoop meaning the stitches were just 'drawn' into the fabric.  I took the time to actually embroider over the pattern.  I had no idea how long it would take, but I got it done eventually:)!

These hand prints (there's a second one not pictured above) were added over a year ago on Lucky's 4th birthday.  I painted simple wood plaques from Michael's with acrylic paint and then had Lucky stamp her hand onto the wood.

I can only think of three changes/improvements I could make to her space right now.  One would be figuring out how to photograph the window wall of her room better.  The lighting is so tricky/bad and it shows whenever I photograph the wall.  Another change would involve moving her curtain rod to the ceiling and making some curtain changes.

Finally, I'm pretty much over this rug.  I'm thinking a white flokati rug would be fantastic in the space down the road.

Overall, Lucky's room makes us all smile...especially Lucky girl!!

Let the Thanksgiving Fun Begin!!

With only one week to go before Thanksgiving, I figure it's time to mention a couple Thanksgiving themed activities that we are doing in our household this year.  I found a great "Thanksgiving Bucket List" on Modern Parents Messy Kids, and we plan to tackle many of the activities listed.

The first activity that we're working on is a chalkboard Thanksgiving Countdown.  We take turns coming up with people, places or things that we are thankful for, and then I write them on our dining room chalkboard, one per day.  My favorite so far was when Charm said he was thankful for, "All my people."  I think he meant he is thankful for all his relatives and friends that he loves.  It was so funny and so sweet.

We also started gratitude journals and each day the kids draw a picture of something they are thankful for.  It keeps them busy while dinner is cooking, which I am thankful for:).

In addition, we are planning a few turkey crafts for today, and some fun and festive thanksgiving themed snacks for the next few days. I've tracked down a few Thanksgiving books to read as well.

Thanksgiving is such a wonderful tradition, and a great reminder for us to be grateful for all the blessings in our lives!  Do you have any Thanksgiving activities planned for the next week?

Lucky's Completed Canvas

I've already posted a few pictures of Lucky's room that showed that her once blank canvas:

is now a piece of art filled with a picture from this photo shoot:

I just love this canvas!  I've had this project planned in my mind for months and months, so it feels great to see it hanging finally.

 

 

 

 

To complete this project, I first painted the edges of the canvas a bright pink color.  You can see the edge color better in this picture:

Next, we edited and sized the picture we chose to fill the 30" x 40" canvas appropriately.  We sent the picture to our local Staples and requested a blueprint black and white print out sized to 30" x 40".  When I went to pick it up, they told me that they were now charging the 'color price' for large photo print outs since they were getting inundated with orders and their printers were breaking.  I told them that in the past I had paid about $5 for a black and white paper print out in a similar size (for a project I have yet to share:)) and wouldn't be paying the $60 price they wanted to charge.  They told me they would charge $5 one last time as a courtesy...phew.  Lesson being...call around and get a quote first:).  I have a feeling that places like Kinko's still offer low priced black and white print outs.  

When I got the picture home, I realized that the print out was a bit larger than the canvas, so I outlined the canvas onto the back of the picture with a pencil and cut off the excess paper.  When it came time to adhering the paper onto the canvas, we first tried using a spray adhesive that I had on hand, but it didn't adhere for more than a couple hours.  It was a big bummer.  Then I went to Michael's and picked up some of this:

Aleene's Crystal Clear Tacky Spray

$6.99 at Michael's (less with a coupon:))

It seems to have worked extremely well thus far, but I should note that we were planning on sealing the paper/canvas combo this past weekend, and when we took the canvas outside to spray, it started bubbling up like crazy.  I ran the canvas back in and put it in front of the fire to warm it up.  Thankfully the bubbles all flattened.  I'm assuming this happened because we didn't achieve 100% adhesion on the entire large canvas.  The edges seem great, but there are places in the middle that must not be held as tightly and the colder outside temperatures made it more apparent.  One tip that might help in the future is to place books on the back of the canvas (edges and middle) after spraying to make sure the paper is sticking to the canvas appropriately.  I had turned over the canvas and put books on top of the wood frame parts of the canvas, but not the middle of the canvas.  Or maybe just keep the frame flat on it's back, picture side up and let gravity take care of it?  I'm not sure, but our canvas is not sealed now, which is a little bit of a bummer.  I may attempt to seal it again in the spring when it is warmer out, but for now, I'd prefer an unsealed canvas to a sealed, but bubbled up canvas:).  If anyone has any tips on spray adhesive or sealers, please pass them along!!

Lucky's New Bench

Over six months ago, I picked up this bench that I posted about here.  It was a $2.99 Goodwill find:

I decided the stool would be great at the end of Lucky's bed, so I picked up some of this fabric from IKEA.

Lappljung Randig Fabric

$7.99/yd

I spray painted the stool base with Rustoleum's Heirloom White.  I replaced the cushion (which seemed to be a big pile of lint pressed together) with foam cushion that Bill picked up for me with a coupon for about $8.  (I so wish foam were cheaper!)

Here is the final product in Lucky's Room:

Cost Breakdown:

• Stool $2.99
• Fabric $4 for 1/2 yard
• Foam: $8

Total: $15 for a custom stool:)!!

Linking up to Primitive & Proper.

A Little Lucky Room Love

My sweet girl turned five last month, which is incredibly hard to believe.  We had a two week long birthday extravaganza for her with a dinner in Milwaukee on her birthday, a party with her school friends the following week, and another gathering up north the following weekend.  She loves being 5!!  Part of her present from Bill and I were a couple small room updates.  I don't think I've shared much in her room in the last year or so, though we've made a few changes in the space.  Her original room reveal post is here.

One area that was changed was her desk area.  When Charm got a desk area update, so did Lucky.  Her desk area went from this:

To this:

The back of the bookshelves above the desk were lined with dollar store foam core cut to size and covered with wrapping paper that I had on hand already.  I painted chalkboard paint on the back wall between her desk and upper cabinets and on the back wall under her desk.  Finally, I added a tension rod with little curtains to make a little play cave under the desk:).

When I wrote 'Lucky's Room' on her chalkboard, she insisted that I add 'Charm is allowed'.  So cute.  

I found this driftwood horse at Gordman's awhile back.  It was $28 with a coupon.  Lucky had a chance to ride a miniature horse at our local county fair this summer and she was really taken with the experience.  She likes horses:).

These wallflowers are by Umbra.  I picked them up on super clearance at Bed Bath and Beyond.

 

 

I paid just over $5 for the box (with a coupon) and spray painted some of them gold. 

Lucky keeps a bucket of chalk and a mini LED lantern in her girl cave.  

She also painted this canvas.  Each flower represents a family member, our fish included.

I spray painted this owl gold as well.

Lucky is spending more time drawing at her desk as of late, which is really fun to see.  She most certainly is growing up quickly!  I'll be back next week to share a few more updates in her room.

Have a fantastic weekend!

Election Day!

We made a family trip to our local polling place this morning to cast our ballots.  

Bill and I let Lucky and Charm wear our 'I Voted' stickers:):

This election is a big one!   Make sure to take a moment today to make your vote count!