Do it. Now.

Since I haven't blogged in ages, I have lots of things to share with you that are happening or have happened at the House of Grebe. 

A quick share would be the stenciled entry. 

I have always loved Orla Kiely's multi-stem wallpaper, but haven't ever had the chops to buck up and buy it.  It really isn't all that pricey for wallpaper, but I was afraid Big Daddy might have a few choice words for me if I asked him to wallpaper on top of the myriad of other things he has been doing around here.  So...

I decided to try and stencil the design. 

I went to Hobby Lobby and bought a pack of uncut stencil paper.  I think it was about $4 for 3 sheets.  I also picked up a new exacto knife so that the blade was extra sharp. 

Next, I blew up the multi stem design in Photoshop and printed it.  Then, I just traced it onto the stencil sheet.  Finally, I cut out the design with the exacto knife.  I did leave the top and bottom edges of the design uncut so that I could use those as a guide to line up the pattern as I moved along.  Does that make any sense?

Because there were so many colors involved, and the fact that walls are not perfectly straight but I wanted to make sure the design looked level, it was a slow moving process.

Off and on, it took me about 2 days to finish.  When the stenciling itself was complete, I had to touch up around the door frames, and ceiling.  Then to give it a more worn finish, I lightly sanded over all the walls. 

I am super pleased, and it gives the entry a little space definition from the rest of the space since we have such an open concept floor plan.  My sister says it looks like a circus, which secretly makes me quite pleased.  I mean, c'mon...the circus is super fun, AND you can buy loads of cotton candy there.

Anywho, if you've ever thought about stenciling, but couldn't find a design you liked, this is a pretty easy, albeit time consuming project. 

The only advice I have is that make sure your stencil brush or sponge is almost COMPLETELY devoid of paint before you start the stencil process.  Otherwise, the paint will bleed under the stencil and onto the walls for a very unpleasant effect.  LESS IS MORE.  I never thought I'd say that, but in this particular case it's very true. 

**Please ignore the shoe basket as we are a 'no shoe' household.

It is always overflowing because no one puts their shoes in their closet.  Don't get me started.**



Let me know if you have any questions about this project.

Or the circus.

I would be happy to discuss either.

The last birthday party...for awhile.

I'm all birthday'd out.  BUT...
my youngest, Rosie, is turning 5 in March. 

I cannot believe it. 

After much ado, she's decided on a county fair theme.

I've made it as far as the birthday outfit {which Crystal made}, and the invites which I did in Photoshop. 

That's it. 

Let's hope the invite provides some much needed decor/menu inspiration. 

Oh, and the fonts are all from Dafont.com, the clip art is from Just Something I Made, and the tickets were a dollar store find. 

Any ideas...

I have pies, jam, pickles, kettle corn, hot dogs, funnel cakes, chocolate cake, sack race, blue ribbons, blue grass music.  A petting zoo is out of the question, but I may dress the pups up as a cow and a pig.

HELP!

I'm too depressed about my baby turning 5 that I can't get creative.  The invites may be the best thing about the party. 

And, I can't have that, now, can I? 

Tidbits.

I love this free clip art from Martha Stewart.  It is colorful, fun, and could be used for so, so, so much!

We are super addicted to clementines.  Are you?

It will be a sad day when the season is over.  Sad, indeed.

Betsy stands at the refrigerator and sniffs the fruit drawer until I get the hint.  It's redunkulous.

This certainly isn't the best photo, but that is the current progress of our master bathroom redo. 

Lots more to do, but I think it's pretty rad so far.

And, finally...

we are going on vacation to Destin!

We have never been anywhere with our whole family except Chicago and Trout Lodge {one hour from our house}, so this is super exciting.  I cannot wait for my kids to see the ocean.

If you have any tips on where to stay that has 2-seconds-to-get-there beach access, full kitchen, and a condo pool, or tips for traveling hours on end with littles in the car...please share.  We are very new to this. 

The most wonderful time of the year.

Things have been {for the most part} quite cheery around here.  I have had a stress headache for the last 4 days, but that is my own fault.  Betsy has been peeing on the potty at home A LOT!  Yippee!

Cookies are almost all baked, Harry Potter is on the tele.  Breakfast casseroles for tomorrow morning are up next. 

Sadly, my mom is sick, and probably won't be celebrating tidings of joy with us tomorrow, and maybe not even on Christmas day.  Which sucks, but what can you do?  When you're sick, you're sick.  Oh, and our washing machine is broken, and the part won't be in until next week. 

So, my sick mom has been doing my laundry.  I'm not sure what the hell she's thinking, but sometimes you just don't argue with your sick mother. 

Since this post has, sadly, taken a negative turn, I will also tell you I don't have any present wrapped, and still 3 more things to pick up tonight with all the crazies that will be out. 

We have made time for some Steak-n-Shake Happy Hour.  Which, I'll have to say, is better than Sonic's.  I will argue to the death about that with anyone, anytime, anywhere. 

I'm also ticked that I cropped the above photo the way I did.  I hardly ever crop, and I'm not sure why I did on this photo, but it was such a wonderful shot of my oldest's Lloyd Christmas hair.  The kid is almost 11, and really needs to start styling it.  Otherwise...Lloyd. 

In more uplifting news, the teacher gifts were a hit.

So, you see?  Things have actually been quite pleasant here as of late. 

Perspective, people.

And, finally, to bring this post about nothing to a close...
a big welcome to all the newest followers who found me via Young House Love.

I submitted our kitchen project awhile back, and was pleasantly surprised to see our remodel was featured on their blog-diggity yesterday HERE.  I have been enjoying all of the comments and questions.  Keep them coming.

I am also humbled at some of the wonderful emails I've been receiving about sharing Betsy's story.  If what our family has been through touches any one person, and makes them feel less alone, then this blog has accomplished just what I intended it do when it all started over 3 years ago. 

Thank you, thank you!

It's been awhile...

I have not fallen off the face of the Earth.  Quite the opposite.  I've been firmly planted on the ground trying to get things done for the holidays.  My goal was to have the non-glamorous stuff out of the way 2 weeks before Christmas Day.  For the most part, I've accomplished that, but there is little stuff that pops up along the way.  The little detail bits that I always seem to forget year after year.

Once school let's out, I will breathe a bit easier. 

But sharing details about my schedule is a total bore.  So, I will tell you what I'm making all of the teachers, bus drivers, occupational therapists, speech therapists, physical therapists, and teacher assistants for Christmas gifts. 

I insist on handmade when possible, and useful in some way.  You can imagine my difficulty every year in coming up with something.  Honestly, if I could give them all $100 in a card I would.  We love our teachers, etc.  They deserve it without a doubt, but my pockets do not run that deep.  :(

For the men on the list above, we are doing THIS.

Assembly will take place later this week.  If you want to know where any of my supplies came from they came from here and here.  I am making some cute, vintagey red & white labels for the spice containers with clip art from here.

For the ladies on the list, we are making THESE.

They are coming along nicely.  I was able to find fun wooden spools at Hobby Lobby, and I think they make the kits look much better than the cheap plastic ones. 

These gifts are turning out cheaper than I originally budgeted for, but I think since our blood sweat and tears {mostly mine} is going into them, they are more meaningful, even if it's just a little bit.

What do you do for teacher gifts?  Do you give to your mailman, trash men, etc?  If so, what do you give?  In the past, we've given those peeps fast food bucks for a quick lunch.  You'd be amazed at what good service you'll receive when you let them know they are appreciated, too. 

If you have any questions about these projects just let me know...

The Rock.

Our master bathroom sucks.  It's functional, and that's about it's only endearing quality.  Real problems, right? 

Well, it's just not in the cards for a total gut job.  {Which it desperately needs.}  It's a totally awkward space, and needs to be reconfigured.  The sink area is open to our bedroom which is strange, and that door that you see {which we screwed shut}, is a pass through to Pete's room.  The toilet and shower are to the left and are separated by the sink area by a door.  It's just a little too cuckoo-ka-choo for me. 

It was so bad, I didn't even take before photos.  Which I now regret.  The sink was peach with some sort of permanent toothpaste'ish stain in it, the vanity was a creamy color, with a faux marble finish, and you can still see the pretty floor.  Stunning as it is.  It was lovely.  Plain lovely.

It made me want to vomit every morning.  Right in that pretty peach sink.  Something had to be done.  Enter creative ingenuity.  We had some grayish/tan paint that I slapped on the walls, stupid door, and ceiling.  Then I took this {but was able to purchase the faux bois 'rocker' separately,and not the whole kit at Home Depot}, and some brown paint that we had, and did a faux bois finish on the vanity.

Then, add a white-less-than-$30 drop in sink, and it looks MUCH better.  I added the white deer head for a little towel rack, and moved my old-window-turned-accessory-holder and hung it over the hole where an old, nasty medicine cabinet randomly was.  Big Daddy also changed out the light fixture for my old favorite stand by HERE. {Yes, you can still buy them in-stores, and yes, it's an outdoor light, but who cares? They also look fab spray painted obnoxious colors, which I still may do.} 

Then, the piece de resistance...that mid-century rocker.  It's awr-some!  My mother-in-law was getting rid of it.  YES, PLEASE!  Now, I know a rocking chair seems a bit odd in a master bathroom, but it just works, ya know?  

I 'rocked' the vanity, and 'rocked' the chair. 

What can I say?  I like to rock.

Now, I just need to find an affordable oriental'ish type rug to cover up some of that floor.  Yick!  I think the reds, golds, and blues will really tie into the other colors going on in the room.  I found one I loved at HomeGoods, but when I checked the price it was $99!!!!  For a 4x3 rug?!  Pass.  Hello, Craigslist. 

We have a plan for the shower/toilet area to cover the sub-par tile on the wall, but I don't want to talk about that now.  I'm tired of typing.  But, I can assure you it will be cool & cheap, with a super-fly industrial/cottage feel. 

Someday, we will lay the leftover hardwood where the nastiness now lies, dry wall in the non-functioning door, and we will retrofit an old dresser to fit this bad girl...

In all honesty, we will probably never gut it after doing all of the above.  The hard part will be finding the right piece to fit the sink.  That may take some time.  I am NOT patient, so it will be interesting to see how this turns out. 

Time will tell...

To bunk or not to bunk?

image via Dmagazine, photo by Stephen Karlisch

So, we've only been here for about a year, but I'm thinking about {per Rosie's urging} putting bunk beds in the girls' room.  They can use the ones the boys used to sleep in. 

It really would give them a lot more room since they have a shared space.  I could even give them a little art table, ballet barre and mirror, and a dress-up center.  Sounds like a long list of pros. 

The big con...talking Big Daddy into moving things around and putting the bunks back together.  Yikes!  That is a BIG CON!  I think he is done with house projects for awhile.  {Little does he know the master bathroom reno looms in his future.}

IF I can work my magic on the old man, I have another big idea to try a simple mural the girls' bedroom.  I'm loving the pagoda in the image above.  One of those in glossy red would fit perfectly on the wall space next to their closet. 

What to do, what to do?



Pardon my absence...

We've been busy little bees around here...

doing this:

I have lots of other stuff to share non-house related...stay tuned!

Party in the works.

Betsy's favorite thing to eat is probably cereal.  Breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  No matter.  I saw this amazing cereal buffet birthday party on the internets, and I stupidly didn't bookmark it.  I can't find it for the life of me, now.  BUT, it gave me the spark I needed to throw a little something together for Betsy's 7th birthday.

Just her cousins, cereal galore, and Saturday morning cartoons! No cake to bake, no craft to come up with, no stress to kill my party buzz!

Here's what I've come up with so far...
Simple and quick invite I made in Photoshop.

I've hooked up with a few great Etsy vendors to lend their artistic hand.  I found this great shop that makes custom pinatas.  If there is one thing Betsy loves more than cereal, it's a pinata.  Even if she never cracks it open.  She could whack it forever!  Enter the amazing 'Whack'.  Below is just a sampling of 'Whack's' amazing work.  They are replicating the cereal bowl and big spoon from the invite for the festivities.  

Yipee!

I've heard great things about Makmaydesigns from friends.  She was running a great deal on preorders, so I ordered Betsy a t-shirt and ruffle pajama pant set.  She's using the invite as inspiration, and I can't wait to see the finished product!  Sadly, she is closed for the next couple of weeks because she is THAT busy with custom orders.  I'd say that is a good sign!

Here's a sampling of some of the goods...

Then, I found ApropoRoasters.  They're whipping up personalized spoons for each of Betsy's guests.  They are too cute, and something that will actually be used post party.  Aren't they cute?

I'm planning on tying them up with some of those individual servings of cereal you can buy for take home favors.  Like these...

In my searching for the original cereal party, I did find this one from The Purple Pug.

Pretty amazing, right?  I love the oranges with the juicer straws stuck right in.  Fabulous.

I'm really excited about this party.  I think Betsy will LOVE it!

You can find all 3 mentioned Etsy shops on Facebook, too:
AproposRoasters                             Makmaydesigns                              Whack!

What cereals should I include on the buffet bar?  Any favorties?  We are big Fruity Pebbles and Cinnamon Toast Crunch fans!  You know, the healthy ones.

Backyard bounty.

We have amazing hydrangeas in our back-yard.  At first, I thought they were old lady colors, but I have completely admitted being in the wrong.  Normally, I am an all greenery, foliage, and white flowers landscape kind of girl, but I have been rethinking that.  Needless to say, I am glad I haven't 'fully' landscaped the front because, much like the interior, I want color!  I don't have high blood pressure, but if I did, all that amazing color would lower it, I'm sure.  It makes me that happy!

Our front yard has gone under a complete overhaul, and would like to know what is your landscape like?  Wild and crazy with color or monochromatic?  I would love to see and share photos. 

The new abode: living space.

It's been awhile since I've updated you all on the house.  I've had a couple of inquiries.  The photos are a bit grainy as the light was fading away.  Hence, there aren't any good ones of the kitchen family room because the light was really undesireable back there.  I was going to work on finishing up some things in the boys' rooms and snap some photos in there in the upcoming weeks.  If only I could find my mojo.

This is pretty much the view to the left when you step in the front doors.  You can see part of the kitchen and family room in the rear past the dining room.  If you remember, we took a wall out between the kitchen and dining room.  We love the openness.  It is great for when we have parties, which is pretty often.  It's also thrilling to me that we can fit 8 chairs around the table, now.  It's the small things.

That family photo of us on the upper left of the shelves was the inspiration for the colors, etc. in the new house.  I think it's getting there.   I always thinks it takes a good couple of years for a house to be 'done'.  Decorating takes layers, layers take time.  One of my favorite layers is Chopper.  Ha!

This is the view into the living room when you're standing in the entryway near the master bedroom doorway. Not that exciting, but a different perspective.

Basically, the full-on, opposite direction.  You can see into our bedroom if you look close.

This was taken standing near the yellow chair on the side of the fireplace.  The buffet in the dining room is one of the few things I bought new when we bought this house.  I lurv it!  I got it at TJ Maxx of all places.  It reminds me of something from Anthropologie.  It was waaaaaaaaay cheaper than anything you could pick up there.  I think it was $199.  I debated for at least an hour over it.  When I finally decided to buy it, it didn't fit in the back of my mom's CRV.  You should have seen us in the parking lot.  It was a circus, for sure.  Jake had to come and pick it up with the truck.  Pi$$ poor planning, pi$$ poor performance, as my dad would say.

I was standing in the kitchen with this one.  Again, not too riveting, just a different view.

Like I said, I will add more.  I like to satisfy all of the noisy people.  Only because I am one of them, and I always appreciate a good house tour!  So, enjoy...

The Wall.

Sorry to disappoint, but I'm not referring to Pink Floyd.

I'm referring to a our off-the-cuff family gallery.  It is actually two walls, each with two of THESE oh-so-easy-oh-so-cheap shelves.  Jake made them in a matter of a couple of hours.

By the way, did you know you could add hyphens to any series of words and create your own legitimate 'word'.  True story.

Silly me thought I would have too much space to fill.  Too bad I still have a whole box FULL of photos and art.  I have decided I will swap things out as I see fit.  I have about 4 canvases I'm planning on ordering of photos I took of my littles.  Those will have top shelving priority when I get around to it.  Whenever that may be.

For now, the shelves are full of oldies, but goodies with a few posters and art that I love mixed in for good measure.

I love this idea that all of our photos are displayed in a large statement grouping.  There aren't any other photos in the house except on these two walls.  Okay, I lied...there is one other photo in the master bedroom.  See?  I can't be trusted.

I've read personal/family photos shouldn't be in 'formal' rooms or bedrooms.  I say, "Dumb.".  My house, my rules.  These two walls are the first thing you see when you come in the front door. Bam!  In yo face!

You can also see the right wall when you  walk down the back hallway where the kids' rooms and the main bathroom are.  Our floor plan is very open and the lines of formal and informal are blurred.  Better yet, they're non-existent.  Just the way we like it.

Now, my question for you, dear readers...should I paint all the frames white to make such a busy installation more cohesive, or do you like the mish-mash {there's that hyphen thing again}?

What is your take?

For alas, I can't make up my mind for chiz.

HomeGoods is fun.

HomeGoods...

I always find something fun there, like these chairs.

Then again, the trash is fun, too.

That table is from the trash.

See?

With an ounce of perspective...ANYTHING can be fun!

Snapshots of home.

Things are coming along swimmingly.  

I found some great fabrics locally, and have been sewing pillows galore.

Finally, we have a spot for our mid-century green chaise.

We've had it for almost 11 years.

Incidentally, it reclines and vibrates.

It's amazing.

I discovered this great bench at Home Goods.

The colors tie everything together.

It was a happy, happy find.

My momma passed down a chair in the perfect shade of yellow.

I'm collecting Gs for a wall vignette.  

{If you have any good sources for old, nasty letters...do share.}

I painted our big clock in a chevron print with the help of my mathematical husband.

It really anchors the dining room.

Here is a good tutorial if you're interested in painting chevron stripes.

I'm happy to have a bundle of forsythia branches resting peacefully on the entertainment credenza.

Spring is coming.

And, finally, we come to my new favorite.  

That big, yucky head on the other end of the credenza {also from Home Goods}.

We have named him 'Bob'. 

I think he'll like it here.

Sadly for him, if he does not...he has no legs to leave.

Poor Bob.

I'm also hoping to share the gallery ledges Jake built for me sometime next week.
I'm still tweaking photo arrangements and painting frames.
There are A LOT!
Hopefully, enough to fill approximately 30 feet of shelving!

Have a great weekend!

I'm taking the boys to see THIS.

The first one was so great, so we have high expectations!

Jake and Pete are huge fans of the books, too.

Hope we like it...

so it goes...

Finally, I feel like this house is becoming our home.  With the girls' room near completion, I can see how each space is becoming 'us'.

I love that.

My one goal in the new house with the kids' rooms was to try and stray from a theme.  Ironically, the girls' room has lots of winged creatures, Pete's room has a British/music vibe, and Jake's room is going to be a bit 'world traveler'.  Funny how that works.

Their room is the biggest of the three kids' rooms, obviously, with two bodies they needed the space.  The color palate and overall vibe of the room started with their shams that I purchased from Urban Outfitters several months ago.  Actually, I think I got them before we closed on the new house.  They were a super deal at about $7 or $8 on clearance.  I loved the Swedish feel to them.  In fact, I think that line of bedding was called 'Swedish Landscape'.  The toss pillows on each of their beds are Dwell Studio for Target.

I love this little nook right inside the door.  I bought that little bench when Jake was about 1.  I love that I've had it that long, and keep finding uses for it.  Rosie sits there with books, and uses it as a pit stop to talk on her 'cell' phone.  The mirror is from a garage sale, and I sprayed it gray for another room, then, decided it works better in here.  I need to spray it a different color, but can't decide on that color.  The little squirrel print is one my favorite things in the whole house.  Again, I bought it at Urban Outfitters on clearance when I bought the shams.  His name is Cornelius Thoroughgood.  Enough said.

The collage wall is full of lucky finds and happy accidents.  I found the letter 'R' in the trash in a historical part of town when I was taking pictures for a friend.  I am, seriously, dumb.  There were about 6 other letters in the same finish, but since they weren't relevant to anyone I knew, I left them there.   See?  Dumb.  The albums were purchased for a quarter at an estate sale.  The colors were great, and they are just awesome.  Album frames can be purchased at Hobby Lobby, Michael's, Urban Outfitters, etc.  Instant, cheap art.  The 'laugh' is kind of a funny story.  I bought it at Hobby Lobby, but it was covered in mirror.  Well, I dropped it.  The mirror cracked and fell off.  The crackly blue finish was what was left behind from the adhesive that held the mirror on.  Love.  The 'B' is from Hobby Lobby {$5}, and the collage print is from Target.  They still had them last time I was there.

The curtain rod and valance were on clearance at Home Depot of all places. The valance was really a panel that I cut in half and steam-a-seam'd end to end to create a long valance.  It was no-sew and super easy.  The sconces above each of their beds are ancient.  I bought them on eBay about a decade ago.  The shades are the shades that were on our chandelier in our kitchen at the old house.  Incidentally, that chandelier is now hanging in the girls' room with new red & white striped carnival-ish shades that I made.

Finally, we come to toy storage and a play area.  This was tough because of space.  Rosie uses her doll wardrobe all the time since it houses all of her American Girl clothes, shoes, brushes, etc.  It took up precious floor space, so I had Jake hang it on the wall, but within her reach.  It is securely mounted with heavy hardware right into the studs.  I, also, got a cubby unit from Target, and had him mount that, too, but horizontally.  Add a few baskets to house toys, and use the open space for books, and, voila...it's out of the way storage.  This left room for their heavily used play kitchen, doll bunks, and Harry.  Necessity truly is the mother of invention.

The rugs are from Wal-Mart.  I wish they weren't, but what can I say?  They were cheap, and are machine washable.  Sometimes, I cave.

There isn't much else to report, except to say that the girls love it.  They spend a lot of time in there which makes me feel like I did something right.

And, just to reiterate the fact that we are real people, really LIVING in our home, I thought I'd share a snapshot of the living room during the girls' bedroom photo shoot...

Classy, huh?

Linking HERE and HERE and HERE.