DIY Pinterest Challenge

I've decided to create my own Pinterest Challenge.  Whether this ends up being on my own or if others decide to join me - I am determined to finish at least 6 new projects from my Pinterest boards.  

I had previously enjoyed participating in this Pinterest Challenge, and even received "honorable mention" one month.  But, unfortunately the project seems to have been abandoned :(  So, now I am starting one "just for fun" and I am hoping that by posting my progress here on my blog it will keep me motivated!  

So, here are the 6 projects that I have chosen:

1. Chicken Alfredo Lasagna

2. Homemade fruit snacks

3. DIY hoodie

4. 4th of July star decor

5. Homemade Sangria

6. Ipod cover/stand

This is not necessarily the order that the projects will be completed! But, over the next 6 weeks I will attempt to complete them all.  Each week I will feature one of the projects & the progress - whether a success or a failure.  So, here goes...  Anyone want to join me?  

Feeling Crafty

Now that things with Watching Me Grow have slowed down after the holidays I have been working on a few projects of my own.  Thank you Pinterest!

New curtains for the living room window!  I found a great tutorial on how to make my own roman shades and there is NO sewing involved!  I have only finished one shade, so I will post a complete picture (hopefully soon)!

I also put away the Christmas decorations and needed something new for the mantle.  So, I made these cute little snowmen (found here) and then added some winter subway art.  I am still waiting for my sign "Let it Snow" from It's The Thought to complete the look.  

In the next couple of weeks I will be trying some new things with Watching Me Grow.  I need to add the ruffle bum options for girl onesies and I am brainstorming some ideas for the boy option!  I am also hoping to make Braden his own alphabet set, including lower case letters which I attempted just before Christmas!  

Pinterest Challenge

As I mentioned in my home update post, my most recent Pinterest project is the styrofoam art piece.  I have decided to use that project as one of my entries for the Pinterest Challenge (five days left if you would like to join in the fun).  

We recently repainted our living room, which inspired me to work on the styrofoam art piece.  I wanted some new decoration for the one blank wall left in the room.  I have had no luck finding artwork that I like, so I decided to create my own.  

My inspiration came from a few different pins, but ultimately I decided to go with the more abstract option. The tutorial was great and really easy to follow. The one problem I had was with cutting the styrofoam - I could not get nice, clean, straight cuts.  So, I was little disappointed with the uneven pieces, but you have to look really closely to notice.  

I think the final product looks good, and I absolutely love the fabrics and how they pull the room together.  The only problem is that the piece looks too small on the long, blank wall that it was intended for. For now it works above the mantle. But, during the holidays I like to put up new decor on the mantle.  So, I think it will end up on the wall to the right.  It will balance out the room with the TV being mounted on the other side. 

Who is going to join me?

Turning a House into a Home

We have been in our house for 3 years now. I am still slowly working on new decorations & project ideas to give it that added touch to make it feel like home.  Just in the last month we have finished a few things that I love! 

Upstairs in the hallway - I finally used the Oslin sign given to us as a wedding gift!  The birth art project I found on Pinterest, but have since found a MUCH easier way to do them.  

This is all directly across from Braden's growth chart. 

Over the last 3 years I have shopped around for some art/decorations for both the ktichen & living room.  Finally, I decided to try a different approach and create my own art.  In the kitchen (again inspired by Pinterest) I made some clothespin wreaths and created a space to display Braden's artwork.  

Today we finished some apples & pumpkin crafts that will be displayed soon!

In the living room I asked Mike to build a shelf for the electronics & mount the tv to the wall, so we could have a little more space (for Braden's toys).  As a result of this project we ended up painting the living room (grey with the one purple wall).  

I was looking for some decoration for the long blank wall and so I created this art piece using styrofoam & fabric.  Unfortunately, the piece looks small, because the wall is so long.  So, I am not sure what I am going to do with it.  I like to leave above the mantle open for different holiday decor.  

Up next: I am still looking for ideas on the long, BLANK, grey wall in the living room.  I am contemplating something like this: 

or again create my own art:

We'll also need new, brighter curtains because the new colors make the room darker. 

I am thinking about something like this in the entryway (although it is a pretty small space).  Mike? 

A Few Updates

     The end of July passed very quickly and a new school year is fast approaching. We have been a little busy in the last couple of weeks, so here are a few little updates.

     After the baby shower, the next two weeks were pretty low key. I spent time in Scarborough around the house doing some cleaning and working on a few projects. One of those projects was finally starting our wedding album (only took me a year to get started).

 

    Elliot was here visiting for three weeks while Danielle was in Greece, and Prescott was here with us off and on. We went on many walks/hikes and Sage and Elliot even managed to get locked in the bathroom at one point in time. Thankfully everything turned out all right. But, I think Sage is missing her puppy pals!

     At the end of July Mike and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary. Because it was the paper anniversary we decided to incorporate paper into different activities throughout the day. We started with a scavenger hunt, watched our wedding video, read through some of our old cards/letters, and then enjoyed some champagne and a nice quiet dinner. We didn't get to the crossword puzzles or paper mache. Afterwards we decided to give our year old wedding cake a try. Surprisingly it didn't taste as bad as I thought it would! We had a few bites and then tossed the rest. 

The flowers Katie had left for us when we returned home!

Many clues...

The last week in July I headed to NYC with my mom and Jon. I will post more pictures and info about the trip in a separate post.

     Now it August already (CRAZY)! In the first two weeks we have spent some time with family. Mike and Dave participated in a homerun derby at Marshwood to raise money to fight breast cancer (article). My cousin Sam came and visited for a night.  We enjoyed some Wii and a little disc golf with him.  Mike has had some vacation time the last week and a half to spend with his sister Kelly while she was home. We have been to Peaks Island, visited here in Scarborough and spent some time at the Oslin home in Littleton. I am sure we will be making a few more trips to Peaks in the next few weeks before school starts.

Mike and Dave relaxing before their turns to hit.

    Finally, since Mike had some time off we have worked on a few house projects. We have started to power wash the deck in hopes that we will be able to stain it soon. We also finally stained the shed.

Oh and I almost forgot, Mike got a new car (very exciting)! Toyota Highlander.

     Well, I think those are all of the quick updates I can think of for now. Looking forward to enjoying the last few weeks of summer vacation and hopefully more blogging to follow!

Going to Make This Garden Grow

A few updates from the last two weekends...

The shed has arrived!

Mike built a ramp for it.

We now have plants in the garden!

Lilies, Zinnias, Daisies, Petunias, Mountain Bluets & Pink Pincushion flowers.  We are also going to attempt to grow some pumpkins in the middle?!  We have seeds for carrots and corn, but we kind of ran out of space - so we may possibly grow them somewhere else.  

There are four solar lights - one on each corner.  I attempted a picture as they changed color at night, but it didn't come out so well.  I guess you'll just have to stop by to see for yourselves!

                                      

                                           

Inch by Inch, Row by Row

We have had some beautiful weather these last two weekends! Which means that the closets have been cleaned out, winter clothes & down comforter have been put away, patio furniture is out and we have started a few outdoor projects. The first was to level some ground space in the backyard for a new shed. Mike completed this on his own! Sometime this week he will fill it with crushed stone, just in time for the shed to arrive on Friday, which means there will be more room in the garage soon!

The second project we started this weekend was a garden. The former owners had one originally, but the grass had grown in unevenly, and there were weeds and rocks everywhere. We decided to dig an 8 by 10 space, we picked out as many of the rocks, weeds, and roots as we could. Then we made a trip to Lowe's and picked out some bricks for edging. Finally we were able to put the bricks in and get everything to look as straight and even as possible. Finally, we filled it all in with top soil. The next step will be to figure out what exactly we want to plant in our garden...

Sage enjoying some shade while we are working.

Finally, warm weather means nice long walks outside and enjoying the sunshine. Last time I decided to go in the woods with Sage. I recorded a little video of her running around freely. I think she had a lot of fun getting all muddy and I got a good workout. However, it was NOT fun picking off all of the ticks when we got home (I lost count - GROSS)! I think next time I'll just stick to walking around the neighborhood! Only 6 more weeks of school and then hopefully I'll have plenty more sunshine stories to share!

Notice those muddy little paws!!!