I love the bright colors of the paper I used!  This is the best picture I have of the whole banner.  We intended to trim the ribbon the left side but got distracted with other party prep.

Love the bright colors!

I used some scrapbook paper purchased about 3 years ago when I thought I would have time to make these amazing scrapbooks to document The Littlest Apple’s life.  3 years later, this is the first time I’ve used this paper.  (You can see more of this paper in the background of the photo in my Apple Pie Scented Playdough post).  LOVE it!

So, Ross Boss and I didn’t really measure anything.  We eyeballed all of it.

First we played “guess and print” until we found a font style and size we liked.  I think we wound up using Font Size 500.  Then we printed out all of the letters we would need.

At this point, we were having trouble figuring out how to get the letters traced onto the solid cardstock.  Ross Boss said “It’s too bad you don’t have one of those cool light table things, so we could just trace the letters onto the cardstock.” And a lightbulb went off in my head…we could use a window. It was pure genius, I tell ya.

Except that it didn’t quite work for the green cardstock.  For the green letters, I just taped the cardstock behind the paper with the letter and cut through both sheets simultaneously.

Next, we glued the white cardstock to the colorful scrapbook paper, then glued the letter on top, leaving room at the top of the cardstock for hole punches.  We used adhesive spray, which works great for projects like this (and I much prefer it to Mod Podge), but Ross Boss and I both learned the hard way that it is REALLY hard to get the spray adhesive off your hands.

I added a rectangle with stars made with a giant star punch to separate “happy” and “birthday.”  I intended to add some stars randomly to the rest of the banner, but didn’t quite get back to that.

Finally, I punched holes at the top a few inches apart (using a regular hole punch) then fed my blue ribbon through, trying to make it lay as flat as possible against the backdrop of the white cardstock.

Now that I’ve entered the world of paper crafts, I can’t wait to make something else with all of the beautiful scrapbook paper.  You know, something besides scrapbooks!

PS.  I also wanted to share a FAIL.  While Ross Boss was working on cutting out the letters for the Happy Birthday Banner, I was attempting to make a Buzz Lightyear Cake, using this cakepan…

Have you ever tried decorating a cake like this?  Well I hadn’t, until this.  I knew it would be tedious, but it was SO DIFFICULT!  I probably should have practice my technique first with a simpler design.  Also, the little insert with the directions and the photo to use as your guide is reversed from the way your cake actually looks.  A few days after this FAIL, I realized I could have rigged up a mirror or something so that the image “matched” what I was trying to decorate.  But my brain kind of imploded while I was trying to do this.  After my cake broke coming out of the pan, trying to smooth it out with frosting (which effectively removed all of the contours of the cake pan), I only got as far as the black outlines (which I kind of just made up as I went along) and filling a few areas before I threw in the towel.  It took me several hours to do that much, and I didn’t even get to the main part of piping in the rest of the colors.  Besides, that was just a practice cake…I was either going to have to do it all over again the night before the party or somehow freeze this cake for a week until the party.  Cake decorating is so NOT my thing.

Poor, deranged Buzz….

We went with hastily decorated cupcakes and cupcake toppers instead.  And they were just fine.

Have YOU ever made a banner?  Have YOU ever used a shaped cake pan like this? What was your experience like?

Over the weekend, I created a Chalkboard Calendar and a Chalkboard Menu board using chalkboard spray paint.  As usual, I’m late jumping on the chalkboard bandwagon, and this is only my 3rd spray paint project.  (Remember when I tackled the bathroom cabinets with spray paint?)  I’ve been wanting to try some chalkboard paint for a few years now, and finally I have!  I purchased 2 picture frames from Michael’s (both 40% off!) and sprayed the glass with 2 coats of chalkboard spray paint.  You let it dry, then “cure” it by rubbing chalk all over, then erasing.  That’s it!

(Looking forward to changing the yellow paint, too!)

I’m going to order some Chalk Ink to use with my chalkboards (it was sold out everywhere I looked), and I may outline the calendar squares in paint pen for a more permanent look.  I’m super happy with how they turned out, and I can’t wait to finish the entire Kitchen Command Center!  I’m also itchin’ to spray paint something else with chalkboard paint…maybe something for The Littlest Apple’s room?

Have you ever tried Chalkboard Spray Paint?

I’m sharing this post with:

These next two photos obviously show some things we’ve added more recently, The Littlest Apple’s art wall (planning a more permanent solution for his big boy room):

and the train table which is gigantic and not getting played with very often…

DETAILS:

Wall Colors: Main wall color is Benjamin Moore Faded Denim.  Stripes are Benjamin Moore Mystical Blue (the light color) and Blue Suede Shoes (the dark color).  Since the bedding was striped, we just used a few stripes in each corner (all different!) to prevent stripe overload.  My favorite stripes are the ones behind the chair.

Crib: Target.  Don’t be afraid to use white for boys!

Crib bedding: sheet and crib bumper, Pottery Barn Kids; navy crib skirt, BabiesRUs (would have liked a longer crib skirt!)

Rug: Pottery Barn Kids Ethan Rug

Chair: Pottery Barn Kids Dream Rocker with White Twill Slipcover.  I explored many cheaper options, but kept coming back to this one.  I got it for my birthday the summer The Littlest Apple was born, and I still absolutely LOVE it.  This chair has been used and abused for 3 years now, and still looks great.  So many memories!  I sat in this chair and pumped while The Littlest Apple was still in the NICU.  I nursed in this chair every 2 hours for months and months and MONTHS when the pediatrician was telling us that The Littlest Apple needed to gain weight.  We sat and rocked The Littlest Apple in this chair (and bounced around the room) for hours on end when he had colic.  And we sit in this chair before every nap and every bedtime to read stories.  I LOVE this chair, but unfortunately there won’t be room for it when The Littlest Apple gets his new bed.  BUT, it will have a new home in our master bedroom, and I can’t wait to use it there, too!

Blackout Roman Shade: Pottery Barn Kids (no longer available).  Keeps the room REALLY dark…but The Littlest Apple still gets up before 6.  sigh.

Wall Letters: Pottery Barn Kids Lowercase Letters

Bookshelf: actually an old bathroom shelf from Target, with feet broken off.  Time for a bigger and sturdier shelf!

Lamp: Target

Changing Table: Target

Changing Pad Cover: BabiesRUs

Diaper Caddy: Pottery Barn Kids Sabrina Diaper Caddy

Dinosaur Wall Art: Target

Train Table: Imaginarium from ToysRUs, a birthday gift from us for his 2nd birthday last year.

I’m sharing this post with The Lettered Cottage Nursery Linky Party.

My nemesis.

Let me let you in on a little secret about me: I’m messy.  Maybe even a slob.  I like to organize and make lists, but I do NOT like to clean.  Some people enjoy cleaning.  Me?  Not so much.  This is my domestic downfall.

image from Isgcp via Flickr Creative Commons

As we work on various projects around the house (the master bedroom makeover, The Littlest Apple’s big boy room, making our home office a functional workspace and not a dumping grounds for extra stuff), it’s becoming more and more apparent how much I’ve been slacking off in the cleaning department since we moved here 4 years ago.

So in addition to decluttering and organizing, I’m making a renewed effort to be a better housekeeper.  I’ve used FLYLady’s system before, and I’m re-reading her book now.  I’ve also read and used the Sidetracked Home Executive System (SHE)…..and got, well, sidetracked.  So I’m creating my own system, a mish-mash of FLYLady, SHE, and several other things I’ve seen around.  In true list-lover fashion, I’m compiling lists of my Daily, Weekly, Monthly and Seasonal housekeeping chores which I plan to share here, in a few separate posts.  Then I plan to post these lists as part of my upcoming Kitchen Command Center project (The Picky Apple thinks that’s a goofy name), which will include chores, weekly menus, a calendar, and other important action items.

Writing lists is the easy part.

It’s the actual cleaning that often eludes me, and that’s why my current focus is on just getting the Dailies done.  (Okay, and a little decluttering, too since you can’t clean clutter).  As I write this blog post, the dishwasher needs to be unloaded and loaded, there is laundry sitting in the dryer, junk dumped on the counters that needs to be moved, and toys that need to be picked up from the living room, playroom, my bedroom, and the extra-bedroom (The Littlest Apple isn’t even here, but he was a little tornado this morning!!).  I’m really struggling with the Dailies….let’s not even think about the Weeklies and Monthlies just yet.

I’d like to blame it on The Littlest Apple, Mr. I-Wake-Up-At-5:30am-And-Can’t-Be Trusted-To-Play-By-Myself-For-Three-Minutes-And-I-Must-Have-An-Audience-At-All-Times, but I’m pretty sure I was like this before he was born.    (Sidenote: this morning while getting ready The Littlest Apple climbed on top of the dresser in his room.  He was SO proud of himself!)  How do you get it all done?  That’s the million dollar question, right?  How do you take your high-energy kid outside for an hour everyday, do neat art activities, read together, cook meals, run errands, write a blog, AND do all this cleaning?  I’m certainly not as efficient with my time as it could be, but it still baffles me.  So right now, I’m focusing on the basics, the things that need to get done every day….

DAILIES:

• Make bed
• Laundry (wash, dry, fold and put away)
• Swish and swipe toilets
• Clean kitchen (put away food, unload/load dishwasher, handwash pots and pans)
• Wipe down counters and shine sink
• Pick up toys
• Water garden and yard
• Sweep around table
• Clean hot spots

Is there anything else you would add to this list?  What kinds of things are part of your daily cleaning routine?  How do you make sure it all gets done?

Where was I?  Oh yes, the drop cloth curtains!  I’m about a year behind on the drop-cloth-as-home-decor craze that hit the blog world, but I absolutely LOVE the way my curtains turned out.

I purchased two packs of drop cloths (6′x9′) at Home Depot.  Each pack was $9.97, so each panel was less than $5!!  That price is hard to beat, wouldn’t you say?  This was the cheapest part of the project.  Drop cloths are already hemmed on all 4 sides, so no sewing necessary!  I washed and dried them once so they’d be nice and soft.  One word of warning: there was a slight color variation between the two packages of drop cloths…and it wasn’t noticeable until after I washed them.  They also shrunk several inches, but that didn’t matter for my project.  Mine were actually still too long.  Instead of hemming, I simply folded them over at the top (eyeballed it), and that was good enough.  They aren’t perfect—a little wrinkly (I don’t iron!) and I probably could have used a few more curtain clips, but they are exactly the beachy look I was going for.

The most difficult part was the curtain rod.  This window (which is identical to the one directly below it in the living room) requires a rod that is 144″ long, AKA the longest curtain rod known to man.  This length is REALLY hard to find, especially for a reasonable price.  I bought the living room rod at Pottery Barn 4 years ago for a bajillion dollars.  This time I did my research and discovered some at JC Penney.  Originally $119, the rod was on sale for $71.  (And don’t forget the clips!!)  Still pricey, but it was the cheapest option I could find.

The Picky Apple installed the rod this weekend, and I got to work hanging the curtains.  LOVE the way they look.  They add so much presence to the room.  I am so glad that I went with four panels instead of just two on the outside (that’s what I’ve got in the living room, and I’m already looking forward to changing them!)

I had some extra canvases leftover from Splatter Paint Art, and I decided that The Picky Apple and I should try painting our own triptych (hello art history vocab!) to hang above the bed, inspired by the painting mentioned in my Master Bedroom Makeover post.  We both had lots of fun painting with all of those extra little paint samples amassed over the years, but I’m not sure how well our paintings actually go with the blue-gray walls of our room.  One of the paintings had a little bit of red tempera paint on it…I figured I could just paint over it, but no matter how many coats I used, the red still bled through to the top.  So we’ve only got 2 paintings.  Mine’s on the left, The Picky Apple’s is on the right.   We’ll use them somewhere, somehow, just maybe not in the Master Bedroom.

And the paintings are blurry in this one, but look at that cutie with the blue eyes!

I’m sharing this post with:

Bedding options:

Cirrus Duvet from Anthropologie

Ruched Duvet from Pottery Barn

Headboard inspiration (we’ll be making our own):

Colette Bed from Crate & Barrel

I’m planning on making my own drop cloth curtains like these (here’s a link to my completed curtains!), and I may add some decorative trim:

image from The Lettered Cottage

I love the idea of a seating area, with two comfy chairs to lounge in, but I’m having trouble working that in to the traffic flow of the room.  The Picky Apple thinks there is NOT room for 2 chairs, so for now we’ll just have a reading nook in the corner with a chair and ottoman (we already have the ottoman)

Ektorp Chair from IKEA

or a chaise

Ektorp Chaise from IKEA

One main element of the room I haven’t quite figured out yet is shelving.  We don’t need any clothing storage in our bedroom (we fortunately have a gigantic closet), but we do need some bookshelves.  I could make an entire wall of shelving, or just use a long low shelf with decorative paintings above….I’m still having trouble picturing what I want.

For decorative accents (where I’ll bring in more color), this is the kind of stuff I have in mind:

Seahorse Print from Etsy seller YeOldeArteShoppe

Abstract Beach Canvas from Etsy seller breverjohnson

To keep it from being too formal, some signs like this, (though maybe not yellow)…

Beach Rules Vintage Sign from Etsy seller barnowlprimatives

Eva Colored Glass Lamp from Pottery Barn

Alexis Ceramic Lamp from Pottery Barn

Paolo Stripe from Pottery Barn

Link Beach Pillow from By The Sea Decor

Coastal Pillows from Pottery Barn

Are you getting a sense of my vision for this room yet?  I still have a lot to figure out (and purchase/make) but I’m excited about the direction this room is headed.  What do you think?

I’m sharing this post with the Show Me The Progress Party at Serenity Now.

Have you ever seen the game show on NBC called Minute to Win It?  Hosted by Guy Fieri, contestants on this show complete increasingly difficult challenges using household items in one minute or less.  The Picky Apple and I have watched it a few times, and we always say “I could do that!”  We decided to put ourselves (and others) to the test.  Inspired by a post on The Dating Divas about a couples Minute To Win It Party, we decided to host our own Minute To Win It Party.  We had 12 people, including us, and it was SO MUCH FUN!

The Food

• Cafe Rio Sweet Pork
• Cilantro Lime Rice
• Cafe Rio Black Beans
• Tortillas and other fixin’s
• Pico de Gallo (made by The Picky Apple, trying to get the recipe…)
• Taco Dip (recipe coming soon)
• Buffalo Chicken Dip (recipe coming soon)
• Spicy Garlic Nuts
• Corn and Blueberry Salad
• Watermelon
• Sugar Cookie Bars
• Derby Pie (brought by guest)
• Freezer Caramel Drizzle Pie (brought by guest)

I loved this menu!  Most of the items could be prepared ahead of time.  I much prefer serving this type of meal to a big group rather than hamburgers that have to be cooked as the party is happening.  By preparing food ahead of time, you can relax and enjoy the party too!

The Drinks

Speaking of relaxing….

• Absolut Raspberry Lemonade
• White Sangria
• Margarita Popsicles (recipe coming soon)
• Strawberry Margaritas (recipe coming soon)
• Beer

Did I mention this was an adults-only party?!  We don’t do parties like this much, and we I got a little carried away with the drinks.  I couldn’t make up my mind, so I just decided to make it ALL!  As a result, I still have freezerful of delicious margarita popsicles.  That’s not a bad thing, I don’t think.

The Games

We selected 5 games (and 2 bonus games) from the Minute To Win It website (and described in detail below).  We have some rather competitive friends, and I figured the drinks would loosen everyone up, but I wanted to encourage everyone to play without forcing them to do each game if they didn’t want to participate.  Therefore, we created the following rules:

• Times will be recorded for each player.  3 points will be awarded for 1st place, 2 for 2nd place, and 1 for 3rd place.
• The winner of each of the 5 games will receive a prize.  (The prizes were all from dollar bins at Target at Michael’s: sling shots, velcro catcher things, little guns, etc)
• After the games are completed, the scores will be added up, and the winner will receive the Grand Prize.  (We really hyped this up, but kept it a secret.  It was a giant WWE belt, which was fabulously gaudy.)
• The Picky Apple and I were disqualified from winning since we practiced the games to test them out and kept the games top secret from everyone else.
• 2 or 3 people will go at the same time for games if possible, to speed things up.  Even though people weren’t competing against each other in pairs, it helped fuel the competitive spirit.  Also, no one felt too silly going by themselves.
• Names will be drawn from a hat to determine the order for each game.
• We let some of the games go for a little longer than a minute…some of these games seem impossible to complete in just one minute!
• Scores were recorded on the official scoreboard…created lovingly by me, channeling my inner high school self…

As I mentioned, we had 5 games planned that would count toward the final score, and 2 bonus games in case of a tie or if everyone just wanted to play a few more silly games.  Well, not only did everyone want to play MORE silly games, they wanted them to count toward the final score!  Love our competitive friends!

I tried to pick games that would not only be fun to play, but fun to watch too.  And boy, were they ever!

Penny Hose: Two pennies are placed in the ends of the legs of a pair of pantyhose. Using only their hands, the contestants must inch their way down the legs to retrieve the pennies and pull them out. Each arm must work independently and the player cannot use one hand to stretch or hold the hose for the other.  (We used quarters instead of pennies, and this is MUCH harder than it looks!)

Face the Cookie: Contestants, using only their faces, must move three Oreo cookies individually from their forehead to their mouth. (We only did one cookie.)

Paper Dragon: Contestant must unspool two rolls of party streamers using only their hands and arms. (I bought 32! rolls of crepe paper at Party City)

The Nutstacker: Contestant must create one stack of large metal nuts by sliding them off a chopstick without touching them with their hands. (We used 6 nuts)

Elephant March: Eight unopened water bottles are placed in two parallel rows on the ground, precisely eight feet apart. The contestant must wear a standard pair of pantyhose over the head, with a baseball placed inside the end of one leg. Keeping one foot on each side of the centerline, the contestant must swing back and forth using the momentum of the baseball to knock down all eight bottles. (We only used 6 water bottles, and used an orange instead of a baseball)

(After this, the photo taking fell by the wayside…)

Ping Bounce: Bounce ping pong balls to land in 3 different cups full of water.  (We simplified the Tic Tac Toe game from the show)

Tipsy: Contestant must balance three 12-ounce cans on their beveled lower edges. It is impossible to balance a full can like this, therefore the contestant must first drink from the can. The contestant must balance a total of three cans to successfully complete the challenge. (I let our contestants use their drink of choice.  All the guys used beer (mistake?) and the ladies either used Fresca or diet soft drinks)

Baking Day: Tortillas, Apple Pecan Flaxseed Bread (new recipe), Chai-Spiced Granola (new recipe), Grammy’s Chocolate Cookies (new recipe)

Sunday: Tangy Spiced Brisket (new recipe), Corn and Blueberry Salad (new recipe), Beer Bread, Watermelon

Monday: Chopped Beef Sandwiches, Green Beans, Oven Fries, Strawberry Ice Cream (new recipe)

Tuesday: Chimichangas, Mexican Rice, Salad with Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

Wednesday: Sweet Peanut Chicken Stir Fry, Basmati Rice

Thursday: Chicken & Corn Chili (new recipe), Cornbread

Friday: Baja Fish Tacos, Refried Beans, Coleslaw, Watermelon Margaritas (new recipe)

Saturday: Dine Out

I’m sharing this post with Menu Plan Monday at I’m an Organizing Junkie

As I’ve become more and more interested in gardening, I’ve been looking for ways to share my interest with The Littlest Apple.  He loves digging in the dirt, admiring flowers and leaves, watching our vegetables grow, and helping with yard work.  I let him help with our Spring Garden this year (progress post coming up soon), and I created a Gardening Sensory Bin for him.

I read about this book on The Artful Parent.  Roots, Shoots, Buckets and Boots: Gardening Together With Children by Sharon Lovejoy is such an amazing resource!  Not only is this book filled with gorgeous drawings, but there is also a plethora of information about activities, projects and crafts to do with kid-friendly plants you can grow.  There are plans for 9 different theme gardens, including a Pizza Patch, a Sunflower House, Flowery Maze, and a Moon Garden to visit at night.  There is a wonderful chapter at the beginning of the book about the top twenty plants for kids.

There are so many great ideas from this book that I can’t wait to try!  My wishlist of plants to try (already a longish list) now includes: hollyhocks, woolly lamb’s ear, four o’ clocks, evening primrose, and moon plant.  I’m also going to plant the same mammoth sunflowers I had so much success with last year.  This book contains several sunflower projects that I think The Littlest Apple would enjoy.  I’m already growing some beans, but I’d like to make a teepee covered with beans or some other quickly spreading vine.  Wouldn’t that be so much fun for little ones to play in?

If you’re even the slightest bit interested in gardening and looking for inspiration (whether you have kids or not!) you should definitely check out this book!  I’m looking forward to reading some of Sharon Lovejoy’s other books.

Disclosure: I have not been asked to review this book.  This was just a Good Read I wanted to share! Some of the links above are Amazon affiliate links.