Look Ma! No Training Wheels!

Sophie got the idea yesterday that she was ready to ride "a 2-wheel bike", so she has been asking Jake to take her training wheels off since he got home from work yesterday.

He did it this afternoon, and this is what we had within about 10 minutes:

She's a pro! I think we have the no-pedal wooden bike that Cathy got her (for her balance skills) and her next door buddy Tommy (for the idea) to thank for the quick progress.

Go Sophie!

Looks Like We're Not Going Anywhere Today

Home Tour Wrap-Up

We've all been sickies around here - everyone with something different. So today I just wanted to wrap up my home tour with a few random pieces of art that have been added recently.

Fabric World Map
(discovered in my parents' attic)

Yellow Framed Art
(by Duane Armstrong, found at a thrift store)

Art Gallery
(a work in progress)

Home Tour Part VIII: Master Bedroom

I finished decorating my master bedroom. When we moved into the house, we had a bed and 2 stools to put in the room. Shortly after we moved in, we bought a set of dressers. But that was it for a long time.

I was on the lookout for nightstands, a full-length mirror, new bedding, and SOMETHING to do with the walls.

BEFORE:
AFTER:

BEFORE: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . AFTER:

• We found the mirror right away (this one from IKEA), which we promptly knocked over and broke. It was the fastest way we've ever blown $50. Luckily we found a replacement a couple of months later at an auction in Phoenix.
• The nightstands were a lucky find at an estate sale. They match the style & color of the dressers perfectly.
• The lamps were next - they came from Marshall's.
• The artwork above the bed is a Sophie original. I'd like them in larger frames, but these will work for now.
• The other art is an original oil painting we scored at a thrift store.
• And the bedding is a damask print set from Ross.

And then it was on to the walls. I got the idea for the wall from this blog. It's a stencil pattern. I couldn't find the design I wanted in a price I could afford, so I did my favorite thing. I went to etsy, found an artist I liked with prices I liked, sent them pictures of my ideas, and had them make something custom for me. This is who I used. You can see my design for sale now in his shop here (except I had my stencil with the pattern repeated 4 times for easier use).

The application was surprisingly easy and fast. I used silver paint - the same color as the wall but with a metallic finish. It looks lighter than the wall in some lights and darker in others.











Starting the stencil process

Here's what it looks like

My dresser

Jake's dresser & the replacement mirror


It's so great to have the room DONE! Plus, I get to cross it off my 30 x 30 list -->

Someone Went to Disneyland (not me)

Jake's mom is either a really super nice grandma or a real sucker for a certain 4-year-old girl.

(this one)

She has been dreaming of the day when Sophie would be old enough to take to Disneyland unaccompanied by parents.

We decided that day was here in December. Sophie, her grandma, her grandpa, and her aunt and uncle all flew to California on a late night flight, went to Disneyland in the morning, back again to Disneyland the next day, and flew home that afternoon.


And they all loved every minute of it. It was Sophie's first trip to Disneyland where she was old enough to ride most of the rides, and she was fearless. In fact, she officially changed her favorite ride from the Teacups to Tower of Terror.


Seriously. The ride I can only convince myself to ride once per trip is her favorite ride. She loved how the falling elevator lifted her off her seat and made her feel like she was flying. But don't use the phrase "feel like you were flying" around her, because she will quickly correct you. "NO! I was REAL fwying. I PWOMISE! Yike a Shupa Hero"

She had an awesome time. She still talks about it all the time, and I'm really glad we let her go. Thanks Grandma and Grandpa!

Am I Taller Yet?

Over the summer, Stephanie posted about a growth chart she found on etsy, and so I decided to copy her. I mean, it's from a shop called Abbie's House - how could I not?

So I finally got it all put together. I did mine a little different - I bought a 6 inch board instead of 8 inches, and had it cut to 7 feet tall instead of 6 so that I can have taller children. I also asked the wonderful shop owner if she'd make me an additional cutout that said "The L_______ Family" to put on the top of the board. And she did. For FREE. How great is that?

And now Sophie can ask me daily if she's taller than 41 inches yet.

Someone Got a Haircut (not me)

I finally cut Sam's hair. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with it for a long time, so i just let it keep growing. Like this:

Super handsome, I know.

But last night I turned it into this:

Luckily, he's still cute.

2010: Year in Review

2010 was a quiet year at our house.

Here's a recap of my year:


January
Sam tries FOOD for the first time

February
I finish my ALPHABET Wall


March
We SIT around


April
Sophie goes to SCHOOL for the first time


May
We (finally) have our HOUSEWARMING PARTY


June
Was spent in the POOL


July
We head to BOSTON


August
Sam turns ONE


September
Sophie gets her CAST off


October
A BEE and a MONKEY


November
Thanksgiving with FOUR GENERATIONS

December
Was spent with FAMILY



And here's to 2011!
How was your year?


(visit my 2006, 2007, 2008, & 2009 if you wish)

Boutique Success

My first boutique was a success! It gave me motivation to look for more real-life sales, instead of just selling online. It was a lot of fun, I met a bunch of great people, I had a lot of good friends stop by to say hi, and I look forward to doing it again soon!

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from our family to yours.
I hope you all enjoy this holiday season.

Basement Boutique

I've been crazy busy. Ridiculously busy. Business, family, extended family (more on that later), Christmas decor, last week of school stuff, sending Sophie off to another state for a couple days (more on that later too), and finally, preparing for this:

Basement Boutique Vintage Sale

Be there. It's gonna be awesome.