Drop cloth curtain Complete.... Or almost.

So this is the successful finish of my first set of curtains I still have two more sets to complete. I must say the smaller stencil patterned throughout the cloth was much easier than working with the large floppy stencil. I cut and no sew taped the curtains to make a curtain rod, the total length of my curtain is seven feet, I then measured one foot from the top, three inches from the edge and six inches from the bottom for he placement of the first stencil, then I placed the top edge of the stencil under each foot mark on my tape measure, for the next row I measured three inches over from the last row and started my row placing the bottom edge of the stencil above each foot mark instead of under each foot mark. The pictures below really don't do the color justice, they are pretty muted plum with a. Dark plum stenciling. They came out just great only two more sets to go, I spent about three hours last night on this set so I have about six more hours of work to go.

Measuring out the rows.

I used the tape measure as a guide, stretched it out to 

Seven feet using the feet marks as spacing guides.

I locked the measuring tape and then taped the end to 

Use as a straight line guide.

One panel done!

One set of curtains finished, my pillows for the couch 

Are light green and plum, I have the plum one on the chair.

I think it works well with the colors in the curtain.

Lots of frustration figuring these things out but totally worth the accomplished feeling.

Drop cloth curtain take two.

So take two! I dyed each set of 6x9 drop-cloths a plumbish purple using one bottle of purple rit dye and one third bottle of dark brown dye to 5 gallons of water. Be sure to run the cloths through a cycle in your washer to get them damp before dying or you will have splotches from non soaked in dye. Now I have to new sew tape the pockets for the rods and graph out spacing for the new much smaller stencil using a tape measure and painters tape. I will place the stencil throughout the curtain using a dark plum color.... Pics to come soon. The larger stencil was too floppy and hard to keep lined up but it was great for edging or just doing one strip at the bottom or top of curtains, I will probably use it for the bottom of our bedroom curtains.

Pallet art.

Using some stenciled letters white paint and a nine dollar deconstructed quarter pallet from Home Depot I was able to make this cute piece of art for the mantel. I think I will have it hung over the plug outlet on the wall when Bright eyes gets back from deployment. I used a paint brush to fill in the stencil because a foam roller just was not working well at all.

Gallery wall projects

I made three wood plaques for my gallery wall. I used three fairly inexpensive wood plaques from Hobby Lobby some plum, antique white and sage green paint, plus mod podge , sand paper some pictures and a Dremel tool. Step one, simply paint your plaque then sand the edges after it has dried well to make it look a bit worn a vintage. Step two, brush a layer of mod podge on to the back of your photo then slide your photo around to center it on the plaque, once centered then wipe any excess mod podge with a paper towel from the edges of the picture, it will dry clear anyways so don't worry if it looks messy. Step three, Dremel a hole in the back of the plaque for hanging, your husband can probably better do this for you, mine are butchered back there because my Bright Eyes is not home yet. And that's it! I am going to add our Monogram in the middle and call the wall done. Under the pictures I plan on having a wood crate bookshelf, the crates are waiting to be stained and put together by Bright Eyes when he gets home.

Drop cloth curtains

Ok so I thought it would be nifty to try my hand atdrop-cloth curtains, I purchased a stencil and some paint but apparently not enough paint. I am going to head to the store for a gallon of plum paint hoping they can match my swatch since I already stenciled a row on one of my curtains. So far the stenciled paint looks really amazing on the cloth. I laid down a plastic drop-cloth on the floor to protect the floor from paint seeping through the cloth onto the carpet beneath. I purchased a morrocan wall stencil from hobby lobby and it is quite fetching. Bright is coming home soon so I need to get these done, I have one set trimmed and no sew taped to make a pocket for the rod, the taping , trimming and ironing really isn't too hard, the hard part was getting into work mode and then being stopped abruptly because I did not calculate the paint amount needed properly. Here is a pic of what I have so far. Tomorrow one gallon of flat matte latex paint should help me get my project going again. One gallon of latex paint should cover six panels, and six panels is what I need done. Then I am moving on to dying my drop-cloth curtains for the bedroom. Making some pallet art for above the fireplace mantel and perfecting the bedroom a bit. I finished my wood plaque mod podge pictures for the gallery wall and they look amazing. I will post a quick tutorial on how to do those as well.

Leaving Home To Go Home

The last year has been hectic, hence the no blogging for a long time. We have had a colicky baby, a move, and a deployment, so it has been rocky for us. I will soon be leaving my childhood home to head back to Washington where my husband is stationed. And after nine long months I will be welcoming  him home from the Sandbox. I am so grateful to my family for allowing me to stay with them for  the nine months of deployment. I would have surely been heartbroken and lonely without them. I am sad to leave them behind because they have become a big part of Gage's life, but I am also thrilled to introduce the fun new toddler Gage to his father. I am excited to see how they will grow to love one another and interact with each other. Gage really is a miniature of Bright Eyes, so I do not see how they would not hit it off right away. I have twenty days until I leave home to go home. Today I will wish time to go faster so I can see my husband but I know I will wish I had more time with my family after heading back. So for now I will relish in the moment.

Pinterest Fall Wreath

I did it!! It was only up for one week. But it was a great accomplishment considering the fact that I rarely get any time to myself. My sweet baby boy seems to think that his job is to monopolize all my time. Here are a few pics  of the Fall Wreath. I made it so that the flowers and decorations can be removed and replaced with Christmas colors, such as red and white roses with green holly leaves made out of felt. I was goin to convert it into a Christmas wreath but because of our upcoming move I will not have the time, so it will have to go into storage and next year it will be ready for fall and hopefully Christmas.

I was just playing with the color effects on my camera... Highlighting green.

Yay .... finished!!! Ready for next season.

A Little Bit More!

It came without tags! "It came without packages, boxes or bags!" And he puzzled three hours, `till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before! "Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store. "Maybe Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more!"

                                                                                                                 - Dr. Seuss

I am throwing a Dr. Seuss themed dinner for Christmas and I just love this quote from the book "How The Grinch Stole Christmas!", I know it doesn't refer to the birth of our Savior but it does remind me that Christmas is not about just a little bit more but a lot more!!! Christmas means so much more than gifts and goodies, it is a time to remember the birth of our Savior, a blessed time for sure. Even though he was not born at this exact time of year, we can still rejoice in the fact that he was a gift unto us. If Christmas means the gift of a savior then be sure to spread that gift far and wide this Christmas don't be a Grinch and steal the only true gift from some lost soul by keeping your gift of the Savior hidden!!! On another note I am truly excited , because this Christmas is Gage's first Christmas, and a little sad since the coming of this year will be quite a bit different for the three of us as a family. But the Lord has been good to us and I am excited to see what He will do in the new year.

Pinterest Project Fall Yarn Wreath

 

 

 

So I am still working on the yarn wrapped letters from my previous post, but I needed to finish my fall wreath before fall is up! Gage takes up much of my time so this has been a work in progress. I have accomplished making all of the felt flowers. The flowers are actually pretty, I am surprised I made them so well. I used a tutorial from another blog to make them, so if you are interested here is the link http://papernstitchblog.com/2011/12/14/diy-felt-flowers-five-ways/ . All my flowers are sewn together and ready to be attached to the wreath. Now all I have to do is finish covering the wreath with brown yard and then accenting it with ribbon. I also felted a cardboard letter "B" for our last name to attach to the wreath. I plan on securely pinning the flowers on my wreath so that I can interchange the flowers for Christmas. I want to make some red roses and holly leaves out of felt to replace some of the yellow and brown flowers with during the Christmas season. Plus with my leftover felt I am going to make some hair pretties for a few of the baby girls at church.

 

 

 

If you use a hay wreath, leave the wrapping on, this makes it easier to yarn wrap.

  

To make the flowers I rolled them all then pinned them together.
Once they were all assembled then I sat down and sewed them together.
 

                                                  

Pinccessful Project #1

We all love pinterest, it is full of the most awesome "why didn't I think of that" ideas, tips, tricks, and projects. Most of us have accounts and multiple boards of yummy food, decor, and DIY projects. But boards are all I have right now, I pin but never use the pins. So I am going to vow to complete one pin idea a month, at least one anyways. This month I am going to try to attempt two, my first two projects involve yarn art. So yarn letters and a yarn wreath or on my list. These are the two pins that inspired me.

Source: evie-s.com via Elizabeth on Pinterest

 

Source: tipjunkie.com via Laura on Pinterest

I will be posting finished  pics soon since I have gathered all of the supplies needed for both projects. But here is what I have so far. I am going to do a monogram for our picture wall in the living room.

Our living room is light green tan and plum, so I am working with those colors.
Wood letters and yarn are all that I needed for this project.

Long Time No Post

                                                                    My two loves
                                                            
I admit it has been a while, a long while. I have not posted since the birth of my son. My son, that is where I will start. Gage Westley Byerly was born at 15:00 on June 13th and he is absolutely everything I expected and much more.  Really he is quite the handful, Gage has had a touch of colic and has been a very demanding baby for the last couple months. Gage now giggles and squeals and smiles at his parents or his puppy Remington and is starting to acclimate to his new world. Having Gage has been a joy as well as a trial to us as a family, we have laughed over his developments and personality and at times we have cried and become upset over the stress of an almost constant unhappy and inconsolable baby. Bright Eyes and I have grown apart due to the stress and I am not proud of it. However I am happy to say that as of last week Gage has been coping with the world so much better and we have slowly been mending our relationship and nourishing it back to health. We are so excited and looking forward to each passing month and the opportunity to see Gage grow and to develop our family. Plus I am finally able to say that I am happy to be a mom, because sadly in the first few months I was not happy at all. So there it is, an honest post about why I haven't posted in a while.

My Boy Gage Westley

As most of you know, Gage Westley Byerly was born on June 13th 2012 at 15:00 on a lovely sunny day.  He weighed 7lbs. 8oz. and measured 20in. long. We are so thankful that Gage came before my scheduled induction date. We are thankful to all of our friends and family for the many prayers regarding a safe delivery and healthy baby. I must say that labor was indeed a painful experience, but all is forgotten and was worth enduring for my little Gage. I already cannot imagine life without my little love. Granted  there are times when I feel like I am ready to break emotionally and physically, but then I am gifted a sweet look from my baby boy or that moment when he can only be calmed by me and melts in my arms, and that always thrills my heart and strengthens me in every way. I am also so blessed to have an amazing best friend, love, and husband. Bright Eyes has been an encouragement to me through the entire pregnancy, labor, and now the first weeks of being a new parent. He is honest , he helps me to pull through the hard stuff and he loves me, and has faith in me even when I am frazzled and unsure of my mothering skills. I have two great guys, and of course a great dog who has also been very accepting of the new changes and baby Gage Westley.

1 Day From Gage's Due Date

Deep Purple Cuckoo Clock painting by: Anniepoon Etsy.com

We are one day away from D-day and I don't think he will be here tomorrow. But he could surprise me . I have another doctors appointment on Wednesday the 6th. Gage had an ultrasound last week and at that time they roughly estimated his weight to be 7 lbs. 7 oz. with a standard  issue sized head. His movements are considerably getting more painful and my ribs and bladder would appreciate it if Gage would make his appearance soon. My husband's mom is here for three weeks and she talks to Gage occasionally , and has nicely asked him to come as soon as possible to see her. My husband made a request this morning for him to wait about 5 days because of a work related issue. And my mom asks me if I am calling from the hospital every time I ring her up. Yes the waiting game has started and hopefully will not last long. Bags are packed the crib is ready, car seat installed, baby things washed, diapers and wipes are sufficiently stockpiled....... and the clock keeps tick tick ticking until Gage arrives.

35 Weeks

How far along? I am 35 weeks

Total Weight Gain? I was 124 when I started and now I am at 138 although I do not have a scale so I am going off of my last weight measurement at the docs office. I have an appointment next week so I will update you then.

Maternity Clothes? I have not bought any maternity clothing, I often wear stretchy regular not maternity Old Navy jean skirts and layered stretchy tanks and hoodies... hoodies because it is still rather chilly here at times. For church again I wear my jean skirts , Old Navy foldover skirts , or a maxi dress with an empire waist.

Stretch Marks? No not yet, but I am sure in these last few weeks a few will show up..... after all you can only stretch so far.

Sleep? This subject is touchy, some nights I sleep like a rock, but more often I have quite a bit of hip pain so I have a hard time getting to sleep. I welcome the hip pain hoping that it means my body is just getting ready to birth this baby more easily.

Best Moment This Week? We set up the crib!! My husband picked it out all by himself . We should be getting the crib bedding set next Wednesday so at that time I will post pics.

Miss Anything? I miss being able to bend over easily, I am really not that big so I can still bend over but when I do bend over my sweet little Gage compresses my lungs resulting in shortness of breath.

Movement? I literally got scared yesterday. He was kicking so hard you could see a limb protruding, the scary part was he kept doing it over and over rapidly.... I felt like he was going to bust out. Then afterward I laughed at how scared it made me.

Food Cravings? Red, Green and Yellow Bell Peppers the taste but mostly the smell of them..... and Oranges

Anything Making you Queasy or Sick? No

Gender? Still a boy, we may get another ultrasound before he makes his appearance and at that point I will ask again.

Symptoms? Just the hip pain, I have been pretty blessed this pregnancy and have not had any major problems or discomfort.

Belly Button In or Out? Flat.... just flat, my husband Bright Eyes feels it and says " That is so Weird and Smooth!"

Wedding Rings On or Off? On and still very loose, I haven't gained any weight in my arms, hands, legs, or behind... In fact the opposite my arms and legs have gotten thinner so I have just tummy.

Happy or Moody? Half and half at this point, the thought of how little time we have to get ready for Gage's arrival sometimes gets to me. But we are doing a new sunday school class on Joy and that is helping me view things differently.

Looking Forward To? Summer Months with the new baby and seeing my mother in law , Bright Eyes and my baby together.... That will be just neat.

Babies and Trusting in God's Plans

Scripture Art is from Etsy.com Shop: artbyerinleigh

First I want to say sorry for not posting in a while. We have been so busy cramming all that needs to be done into the 5 weeks before Gage gets here. I have finally come out of my denial and realized that Gage will be here regardless of if we are ready or not! So we have our hospital bags mostly packed, we installed the car seat in the car on Sunday, my husband did an awesome job of picking out and buying a crib and mattress all on his own yesterday. Last night the purchased crib was assembled and we picked out and ordered a crib bedding set that should arrive soon. I will post pictures of Bright Eyes setting up the crib as well as the finshed product as soon as we get the bedding set to pretty it up. But through all of this preparation I have often had another Baby on my mind as well. I have a friend from church named Marie who just gave birth to a baby boy named Joshua. Baby Joshua has been born with cancer, a rapidly growing form of cancer. Joshua is receiving chemo treatments , his name is special name to his family and as far as I know he is being a standing strong, and being a fighter just like Joshua in the Bible. His parents are also taking a queue from the Biblical Joshua and putting their complete faith in the Lord's plan for Baby Joshua's life. It is an inspiration to see the trust this family has in the Lord. I thank Baby Joshua's family because in a way this family has helped me come out of my fear of being a new mom. I realized that my worries and my fears are so petty compared to what Baby Joshua's family is going through, and if they can come out giving God all of the glory in whatever trial or worry their family faces, then I can do the same. Please if you took a moment to read this post, please take just one more moment to pray for Joshua and his Family.

Strolling Along

Yesterday we received an Expedition ELX jogging stroller system as a gift from our parents and younger sister, well actually Bright Eye's parents and sister but they are mine too. We had our eye on this stroller for quite some time and are truly thrilled to finally have it. My husband assembled it, of course. He is the Engineer so he should be able to. He actually pulled out the instructions and said " Those are for housewives" and promptly tossed them aside..... only to pick them up again later. It reminded me of how we have an instruction book for our lives, the Bible, handy at all times , and we are blessed to still have that freedom, yet like my husband did with the stroller instructions we tend to toss it aside. We may say "Those instructions don't pertain to modern day Christians" or "Who has time for instructions!". And also just as my husband had to pick up the instructions when he got lost, we as Christians can sometimes fall into a slump and only pick up our Bible when life gets confusing. I know this was suppose to be a stroller post but I needed to share what was on my mind, Bright Eyes and I had been in that slump, but thanks to the Lord and a supportive Pastor and his wife we are making a daily effort to get into our Bible privately and as a family. And trust me it is easier to read the instructions before you get lost and have to backtrack and repair damage that you have done. Proverbs 23:12 Apply thine heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge. So I was gifted a stroller and was also gifted a reminder of how we should always follow sound instruction from the Word of God. Yes,yesterday was a most lovely and blessed day.

                                         Nope!! I don't need these!

             My husband always being a dope for the camera!

Demonstrating the wrist runaway strap, He also demonstrated how you could trip fall and pull the   stroller down with you..... My husband the Engineer! It was quite comical cause he was screaming, Oh dear! My baby my baby! Are you ok baby!

Here is our practice baby, I have had this monkey since I was around 3, Bright Eye's grabbed it and squished it into the seat, twisting it by it's head a few times and then plucking it out by the head to check the straps underneath..... Poor BOBO that's the monkey's name.... Much practice is needed .

And with his Price is Right wave he displays his accomplishment!

Remington gets the job of reading the housewife instructions for the car seat.

                             This is Remy's don't let him stuff me in that basket look!
                                                                 Yes Bright Eyes did try!

                                        All finished and ready!

28 Weeks and A Photogenic Dog



Reminton Ran over and sat looking at the camera ... just 5 seconds before the timer went off.
He refuses to be ignored in this post.

How far along ? 28 weeks

Total weight gain? I was 124 when I got pregnant now I am at 130.

Maternity Clothes? No not really stretchy materials for my skirts and tops are still working.... for now  but probably not long.

Stretch Marks? Nope, none at this point.

Sleep? Not bad, I am sleeping much better than the last update post. Except I get nauseated when my husband rocks in his sleep. He rocks back and forth while sleeping and it is like being on a boat!

Best moment this week? When Bright Eye's and Gage played tag, Bright Eye's taps on my stomach and Gage tapped back in the same place.

Miss Anything? Being away from family during this time.

Movement? I think he will take up kickboxing one day.... pow pow pow on one side then at the same time on the other side kick kick kick..... so yes he is very active!

Food Cravings? Watermelon and Cucumbers

Anything make you queasy or sick? No , just when my husband rocks in his sleep and moves the bed.

Gender? All boy , we have many pics of how he is 100% boy.... I was going to frame his ultrasounds but so many of them are indecent! Ha ha... So I picked out a few of his cranium shots and filed the others.

Symptoms? Swollen taste buds....they drive me nuts but my dentist said to keep with my regiment of flossing and brushing twice a day and using mouthwash often during the day.

Belly Button In or Out? Flat it has converted to a flat button.

Wedding Rings On or Off? On and still very loose.... I find them in the dryer sometimes when I take out the clothes, they must fall off when I am grabbing the clothes.

Happy or Moody? My husband says moody for the most part.... sadly I believe him and have no excuse.

Looking Forward To? Adding more things to the nursery.... slowly but surely we will get all we need.

Prayer is for the little things too!

I recently had been stressing out about not having anything for the baby, not having anything in the babies room, and not even starting to get ready. I am due in June and was wondering how it is all going to come together. I got to the point where I just couldn't sleep I was thinking about it so much. Then I realized that I was trying to make all things happen through my own power. I hadn't been praying for help. No more than a week after I started asking the Lord for what I needed, He provided. A sweet, selfless and loving lady named Diane sent me a care package. And when I say care package I mean CARE! Because she put a lot of thought, a lot of love and a lot of care into the gift. What caught me off guard was the fact that I had only met this sweet lady once, and it was a quick hello and congratulations during our husbands Basic Training graduation. Granted I have talked to her a few times via facebook message , we still have touched base less than 10 times! Diane saw a need she understood the feelings of being in a new town away from family and she understood that I would be feeling even more alone without any friends to share my pregnancy with. She set out to make me feel loved and thought of and prayed for, and she accomplished that. I received Diane's gift a few days ago and it was like having my own tiny baby shower. Diane filled a very loveley and awesome baby bag with things such as wipes, breast milk storage bags, onesies,a pacifier clip and holder, a bottle insulator,a disposable scented diaper baggy dispenser with extra baggies, and a super soft blanket lined with satin. These gifts could not have come at a better time, I know that my prayer was answered , and I thank the Lord for Diane's sweet spirit and will be thankful to her for the love she has shown me and my family. And one day I pray I can be a blessing to another just as Diane has been to me. Oh and today's sunday school message was about praying for the little things! If we ask not we receive not!

I had a doctors appointment so I had to wait to open the bag till after!

I wanted to get home so badly to open it!! Like a kid in a candy store .

Here are all the gifts I pulled out.

Close ups of some of the nifty things Diane sent.

                                    This is pretty much all we havein the nursery right now.
                    Everything on the shelf is from Diane and the bouncer is from my Sister.