I {Heart} Friday!

Pottery Barn Kids released a cute {free} Kids Costume Finder app this season. It allows you to see what your children look like in the 30+ costumes they offer (and of course buy them directly from the app). We've been having fun playing with it...here are my sweet Cookie & Milk:


(These aren't their actual costumes....he's a Mummy (fingers crossed I can pull his costume off!), and she's a Princess/Fairy/Butterfly Something.)

And since I'm apparently a 12-year-old boy...I have to take things to the next level and use the app for my own entertainment.

Little Punkin' Beiber:



Always in the Doghouse Gosselin:


And let's not leave out his Misses, Kate:


(not even a witches hat can contain the reverse mullet)

And because she's Bat-Shizz Crazy:



And of course, the yummy cupcake:



Mr. Sugarplum and I are playing hookie from work today, dropping the kids at school and having a day of bliss together! The fast-paced-holidays will be upon us soon, and we like to take some time out just for us. We're hitting the Katy Trail for a long bike ride, and stopping along the way for lunch on the patio of Toulouse.* {Sigh}

Enjoy the weekend with your Sugarplums...and Happy {Safe} Halloween!

*Is it so wrong that part of me wishes I could spend my day off painting Babygirl's room?!

{Babygirl's Room} Painting the Bed

The impending Holidays have ignited a fire under my arse, and I am determined to finish my daughter's Big Girl Room this year! It's time to get serious....that means I can't do laundry, cook dinner, or shuttle kids until it's done! And while I'm delusional dreaming, let's throw in no work either.

Okay, since reality doesn't play that game, I'll just dedicate my 5 minutes free time to solely her projects until it's done. And really, I'm starting to get very excited about how it's coming together.

Remember my Craigslist score:



She's now officially girly, thanks to Sherwin Williams Radish:



First step was primer...I used Zinsser...LOVE it:


It's waterbased, so goes on thin, dries quickly, isn't overly stinky...and has stuck to everything I've ever painted without sanding. that's what she said

Since my paint is such a deep color, I added black, left over from my front doors, to the primer as tint. Using a foam roller, I covered the wood completely:



It was dry to the touch pretty quickly, but I gave it about an hour before rolling on the Radish.


Again, I used a foam roller for the flat surfaces, and a small foam craft brush for all the annoying intricate crevices. I know it's a little hard to get amped up about it while it's sitting bare in my garage...so let me show off my photo-editing skills with a before and after shot:



It took two coats of paint, and a third in some of the larger, more visible areas.

I still haven't decided on the monogram, but look how stinking cute this bed will look with one:


Hopefully this bed (and new mattresses I've yet to buy...have you seen the price of mattresses?!) will be set up in her room soon. I think Babygirl's crib is about to collapse around her. (Yes, she's 4 1/2 and still in a crib, shut it!!!)

Speaking of, does anyone have any mattress-shopping tips? What about her crib...I don't think I should sell or donate a severely loved one, but I hate to just trash something. Ideas?

{Outfit Inspiration} Magenta & Shell Pink

I am definitely very Elle Woods in regards to pink. I love it. Every variation of pink really...fuchsia, shell pink, dark pink, flamingo, coral, bubble gum, even Pepto Bismol (although, I'd use that pretty sparingly!) Most of my favorite flowers are shades of pink...peonies, roses, cherry blossoms, bougainvillea.

I've already demonstrated my knee-jerk reaction to pink by painting my coat closet a vibrant shade of it.

I recently came across these glamorous pictures from an old issue of In Style magazine:



Not a lot of husbands would give the okay to decorate completely in this scheme, but it is lovely to look at.



The touches of gold and the deep magenta shades definitely up the glam-factor and help ease the sweetness.

I tried something similar in my outfit. I paired a deeper pink with a shell pink, and used a metallic shoe to make it more 'ladies that lunch' and less 'preschool playground.'



The pearls are to remind myself I'm a grown-up too.

Hey, maybe Miranda and I could hang out....perhaps have lunch with her new husband!?! (Orlando Bloom, duh)

She's pretty much rocking the pink...of course she's got the whole 'super model' thing going for her. And some pretty amazing shoes that surely aren't sold at Target! What is your relationship with pink?

{Outfit deets: cardi - jcrew; dress - tjmaxx treasure; shooz - nine west; pearl cluster necklace - jcrew outlet}

Mom Cave? What's That?!

Kate over at Centsational Girl is hosting a 'Mom Cave' Contest sponsored by the best store ever Home Goods (remember our field trip?). Men have been getting the attention and space with their 'Man Caves' for much too long...now it's time for Mom! I know I certainly need time and space to re-charge, relax and create....I'm definitely a better mom and wife when I make that happen.

The idea behind the contest is to share your 'Mom Cave' and how having your own little Nirvana Space keeps you sane and organized. According to designer Elaine Griffen there are 4 Mom Cave Essentials:

After reading this list I thought about my own Mom Cave....and sadly the answers to all 4 criteria were No, No, No and um, No!

And that is because there is no 'Mom Cave' at Casa Sugarplum!! I have yet to carve out a spot for me in our home. It is a pitiful sad state of affairs.

Here's my stuffed beyond capacity craft box .... under my son's bed:

(Isn't he supposed to put his own junk under his bed?!)

Current projects peeking out from under the TV in the master bedroom:


And fabric in these boxes atop my pink coat closet:

(Really?! Who paints their coat closet before their home office?!)

More supplies in the kitchen baskets meant for table linens:


My junk drawers may be organized, but they only contain a small portion of my supplies:


Oh look, stationary and papers hiding out in the living room secretary:


And even if I had my own space, I'd probably still blog at the breakfast bar, so I can cook dinner stay near the family:


It would be so much more efficient if I were able to keep all these supplies together (how many rooms are they diluted between?!). I usually end up rummaging every spot until I find what I'm looking for; and then I have to hunt around the house looking for a space that isn't occupied by little people, covered in peanut butter, or blocking a football game.

The sad part is, there is room in my house to make my own. Our neglected 4th bedroom serves as guest room/office/shove-it-in-there-until-you-figure-out-where-to-put-it room, and has space waiting just for me! It has great light, and is separated from all the people other bedrooms.

Keeping it real with these pics:

(I told you it's where all the random stuff goes to die!)

Look at these shelves...amazing organization opportunity!!

(Yes, those paint swatches have been hanging there for 6 months!)

I'm not trying to get you to feel sorry for me...but I am hoping the stunningly beautiful and talented judges take pity on me! Because fortunately for me, there is a second part to this contest (did I mention there is a $250 Home Goods gift card at stake here?!?!)....

"How can a $250 gift card to Home Goods help you create your own 'Mom Cave'?"

The question is, how wouldn't it?! I think the main objective for me would be to have all my supplies in one location, and a peaceful space to work and create (Does Home Goods sell peace?! I'll take two please). Because after all, an organized, relaxed, creative mom is a happy Mom! And everyone wants Mom happy, right?! RIGHT?!!!?

I'd start with a new desk that has a flat work surface, bring in better lighting, utilize the shelves (and subsequent double closet!) with organized supplies grouped by their purpose. A fun rug and comfy chair would make it 'me.' I'm fortunate to have some square footage to convert, hopefully a Home Goods gift card will help get me there! I think part of the prize is Kate, Layla and Rhoda (the supermodel judges) come to your house to drink wine help you!!? (update: apparently I made this last part up?!)

I'll leave you with a pretty picture so you aren't too traumatized for visiting my blog today:



khloe kardashian's home office, via decorpad



What about you...do you have a place in your home to hide retreat?!

Weekend Re-Hash

Hello loves! As my son said this morning, "I wish today were Thursday, then tomorrow would be Friday!" I couldn't agree more. But we certainly squeezed every drop out of the weekend:



You'd assume the stingray was left to 'grow' by my boy....nope!



And I decided it was time to get serious about my daughter's Big-Girl Room! I made the mistake of counting the weekends before the holidays start...and now I am determined to finish her room before Thanksgiving! It's a little more difficult working on her room since she actually lives in it (as opposed to my son's room which I was able to makeover while he was out of town), but I made some progress:



Closet shelves and backs got their new colors...and I'm really happy with how the color palette is coming together. What do you think? How was your weekend?!

Babygirl's Nursery

Since I've started the projects for my babygirl's Big-Girl Room, I thought I'd share her nursery with you. And while she has a smaller room than her brother, and sadly only one sliver of a window, she hasn't exactly been slumming it in a plain ole room:


(These are old pics I dug up, so they aren't great.)

My mom gifted her with Pottery Barn bedding, and we designed the room around the dark pink/celery/turquoise palette. Even before she was born I knew she wouldn't be a sweet pastelly kind of gal.



I freehand painted the scallop pattern around the top of all four walls using Martha Stewart for Sherwin Williams 'Bouganvilla', then we used painters tape to paint a straight turquoise stripe over the pale celery color. The birds are actually cut from cardboard and mounted on the stripe with a piece of Velcro. It gives them some dimension and realistic shadows...and I think the 'Bird on a Wire' is a fun touch without giving it a 'theme.'



I 'Pizz-Azzed' basic Ikea mirrors and Target shelves by adding ribbon and beaded trim:



We took the sliding doors off her closet because they didn't allow full access to the shelves. I meant to go back and paint the inside of her closet, but trimming out the shelves with ribbon was as far as I got:



Nurseries are always such special rooms, and this one was no different. We've had a lot of sweet times in her room:



Of course, those nursery pics were taken before she was even born! It didn't actually look like that for long. The room has grown up with her a little, and this is how it looks these days:



Still pretty cute, but definitely ready to move up to a big girl room worthy of a 4-year old!

Play kitchen and electric 'aquarium' replaced the changing table:



LOTS more baby dolls and their accessories added:



Baskets from the changing table moved to the closet, along with more toys, more clothes and more books:



Dress-up clothes replaced the sweet baby dress:



It's funny, I hadn't realized until this post ... the background of Hi Sugarplum! is the same color of her room! Guess I'm drawn to it. Perhaps that's why I've drug my feet letting her room grow up, I'm trying to hold on to her last morsels of babyness. But as you see, my Silly-Bandz-wearing, Tattoo-covered, No-hairbrush babygirl is no longer a baby. {gulp}

Are you guilty of keeping a nursery too long longer than your child wanted?

{DIY} More Cheapo Drapes

One of my favorite projects in my son's room makeover were his drop cloth drapes. I thought they turned out great (pat, pat), and hanging them so high really opened up the room and showcased the large window:




Now I'm making over Babygirl's room, and curtains are definitely on the To-Do list. Unfortunately, she does not benefit from a large picture window.



She has a single, narrow window that faces west. So she gets great afternoon light, but it's pretty dark the first half of the day. I thought white curtains would help to brighten things up, and hopefully if I hang them high and wide enough, the eye will be tricked into thinking it's a grander window.

Drop clothes aren't white, so I splurged for the Lenda drape panels from Ikea. (I kid, they're $25):



118" long?!? That is a serious amount of fabric for only $25!!! And you know this girl doesn't sew (didn't stop me from making this), so I cut the excess fabric and 'hemmed' them with the iron-on hem tape included in the package. (Don't forget to wash and dry them first, they're cotton and will shrink that's what she said.)

I love the clean lines of a basic, straight trim, but her new room doesn't have a lot of pattern, so I'm hoping to bring a little in on the drapes. Using 1" wide black grosgrain ribbon, I played with designs and patterns until I settled on something I liked. And I'm always a sucker for Greek Key:



I laid the ribbon out in my desired pattern, then cut equal length pieces needed to create it in all four corners. This assured everything would be aligned and perfectly symmetric.

Then I just used more hem tape to iron the ribbon on to the curtain panel.



This is when Mr. Smartypants-9-year-old walked in and proclaimed that it looked like a bank logo.




he has a point

Once I completed the first panel, I realized a potential problem and decided to come to you guys before making the other one. Since the window is so narrow, and these curtain panels are so wide, when the drapes are open will you even be able to make out the pattern...or does it look like a hot, jumbled mess?

Babygirl wanted in on the picture action. Yes, those are her pants tied around her waist.

I've cropped the bottom out of the picture because I want you to notice only the pattern at the top (not the massive amount of fabric pooling at the bottom), and what happens to it when the drapes are open. I plan on moving the curtain rod almost to the ceiling height, so the Greek key portion will be much higher.

What do you think...do you like the pattern, or should I do a simple trim similar to these:

I wanted to get your fabulous input before slaving over the second panel.

Again, open:

And closed:

Someone got bored with my back-and-forth lunacy dilemma and I found her in her closet playing:

Hmmmmm.....can you hear the creaky, frazzled gears working in my brain?! I think someone is going to need a secret nook in her new room!!

Weigh in on the curtains please...you guys have great taste and ideas and I'd love to hear what you think!