Feature Friday FREE-FOR-ALL {#33}

We started home-schooling again yesterday…with about as much pomp and circumstance as a trip to the gas station.

I had envisioned a more exciting and official transition, but with everything else going on and the uncertainty of the twins’ arrival date, it ended up being more of a now-or-never approach.

Which means that I pretty much said something like: “All right boys! Grab your school books and meet me at the kitchen table in 20 seconds! 20, 19, 18, 17…”

It really threw a monkey wrench in my oldest child’s meticulously planned out play schedule (7:30 am—role play with dinosaurs, 8:15—role play with smaller action figures, 9:15—snack break, 9:25—role play with dinosaurs AND smaller action figures…), which resulted in quite the pouty lip and moist eyes for most of the morning.

He’s the one that wakes up and says something like, “Okay, Mama, what are we doing today?”

And if I answer, “Well, we have school and then cleaning up and then later on the gym and some errands,” he says, “How many errands? And what’s for dinner?”

Can I just tell you how much I love this trait of his?

Grrr…

Still, he’ll make an excellent tour guide someday. Or CEO. Or night watchman (he really enjoys telling/asking what time it is).

Needless to say, we’re working on flexibility and taking things as they come (something my second child possesses by the bucket-load; the words “hurry” and “get moving” only reach him when ice cream is waiting on the other end, and even then not so much).

I’ve mentioned that I’m in the process of redoing their room, and I’ve been on the lookout for some fun/colorful wall art that reflects their personalities.

So, of course, I turned to Pinterest for inspiration…and came up with this for Ezra:

Source: etsy.com via Abbie on Pinterest

 

…and maybe something a little like this for Simon (second born):

Source: design.org via Abbie on Pinterest

 

Of course, these days…I think Simon and I have more in common than Ez and I, so I found this one for me:

Source: via Abbie on Pinterest

 

Now, what was I saying?…

Oh, right!

It’s almost time to party, but first, let’s take a gander at a few projects that really kept my focus from last week’s shindig.

I’m really digging:

these goat cheese stuffed zucchini blossoms from From Dahlias to Doxies…

this pretty chevron ottoman makeover from Remastered Relics…

this back-to-school Lazy Susan from Creatively Living…

this decorative birdcage pillow tute from Design, Dining + Diapers. (Wouldn’t it look great paired with that the ottoman from above?)…

this family wall vignette from Painted Therapy…

and this adorable ruffled onesie from Etcetorize.

As always, I could list so many more, but I’ll restrain myself so you guys can get your party on!

Link up:

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Thrifted or Grifted Results + 5 Things Thursday—Babies, come forth!

You guys were feeling pretty sure of yourselves this time around.

70% thought that OPTION B was the thrifted one.

Well?

You were right!

Dress: Target ($10) Shoes: Dillards ($7) Jewelry: Beall’s ($5) Bag: Ross/The Sak ($30) TOTAL: $52

Dress: Mossimo/GW ($6) Shoes: MIA/GW ($3) Jewelry: GW ($5) Bag: Fossil/GW ($4) TOTAL: $18

I hesitated to use that shiny silver bag since somehow the way our brains automatically work is that shiny = new (I actually bought that bag about 2 years ago).

But I was surprised that I didn’t get more comments on the earrings in OPTION B.

I was pretty excited to find those puppies at Goodwill, but maybe that’s just me.

Oh, and my favorite commenter this week was Erica who said:

“Ok, it's always a sinking feeling when you click "vote" and you're in the minority! Eek. I voted A to be thrifted. I don't know what it is about the first outfit, I just love love love B so much that I don't know if I could stand it if it were thrifted! (hmmm, dramatic much?) Both are way cute...and that smirk at the end...no I'm not sure, ok Abbie, I'm just not!”

Not only did this comment make me smile, but all of Erica’s do. She recently wrote me an email about trying the 30 Minute Goodwill Challenge and a lady eyeing her with disbelief and suspicion as she raced through aisle after aisle, while her little girl yanked every other shirt right off the hangers into the basket (can we say, next generation of thrifters in training?).

I can’t tell you how much that tickled me!

You know what else has me pretty jazzed?

The fact that I get to meet my girls soon!

Not that I really need to explain the desire to meet my babies, but I thought I’d share 5 reasons why I’m especially keen today.

1.

SHOES!

When I had to chance to get the twins some footwear from Joyfolie—my favorite line of little girls’ shoes, which just transitioned from handmade to mass porduction—for a deep discount for bloggers, you better believe I snapped up two matching pair in a heartbeat!

Sure, the girls won’t be able to wear them for a while after they’re born, but can you imagine how crazy cute their little matching tootsies will be when they do?

Joyfolie now carries a to-die-for women’s line as well:

Yup, I’d be happy to clad my feet in all three of those designs.

Actually, if I had a bottomless shoe budget, I’d buy everything on Joyfolie’s site. It’s all that gorgeous!

2.

My other kiddos can’t wait to meet to them either:

This is from the other morning when Della spotted Ezra sitting on the ground and promptly ran over, turned around, and backed her little caboose up until she could plop down in his lap.

Simon didn’t make it in these shots, but he and Della are known to be just as cuddly (just this morning I glanced over at them sitting in their stools eating their cereal and saw Della reach over and gently pat Simon’s arm, to which Simon responded by leaning over to give her a hug and kiss on top of her head…heart melt).

Just the other day, Ezra said, “Mama, God sure must love us to give us so many kids in our family.”

Best. big. brother. EVER.

And Simon tells everyone we meet that “My mama has two babies in her tummy. We get to have twins!”

And if you ask Della where her babies are, she immediately starts patting my belly with gusto.

Yeah. These girls are in for treat.

3.

I know that sounds insane since I’m pretty much guaranteed to be as sleep-deprived as I’ve ever been in the upcoming weeks and months, but we’ve been in hardcore project mode for a while now, and I am so looking forward to having a really good excuse to not sew, paint, glue, or rearrange anything for several weeks.

I’m incredibly blessed to have a husband who works from home and can usually arrange his schedule for a decent amount of time off when our babies come, so we’ll probably end up watching movies with the kids, playing games, reading books, and napping when the babies are doing this:

via

Sounds pretty good right about now.

4.

Room to breathe!

I guess that belly is pretty self-explanatory as a reason for wanting to have the girls out, but yesterday at my appointment with my midwife, I was measuring 39 cm (at 36-weeks-pregnant), and if the girls came soon, that would mean that I didn’t quite make it to 40 cm. with twins inside me, which—I’m not gonna lie—I would kind of get a kick out of.

5.

Labor Day is Monday.

‘nuff said…

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Wardrobe Wednesday: Thrifted or Grifted—Gray Dresses + Messenger Bags

Normally, when it’s time again for Thrifted or Grifted, I start off by saying something super-original like, “It’s time again for Thrifted or Grifted.”

And I continue on about how it’s a “silly little fashion game I came up with where I get dressed in two similar outfits, and you pull out your binoculars and scrutinize every last detail to see if you can tell which one is thrifted and which one is grifted. WRINKLES DON’T COUNT!”

But today, I’m not saying that (although, if you’re confused or don’t know the definitions of thrifted and grifted, feel free to click here to get it all sorted out),

Nope.

I’m saying nothing of the sort.

Instead, here’s what I got:

It’s time for the last Thrifted or Grifted I will EVER do…

…while pregnant…

with identical twin girls…

(I think).

Because regardless of whether they come today or 4 weeks from now (both of which are possible…crazily enough), I cannot even begin to imagine mustering the interest/energy to come up with two similar looks that a) cover the bump and b) are even mildly comfortable and stylish.

The jig’s up, folks. It’s pajamas and bunny slippers to the end!

I apologize in advance if you happen to encounter me in the grocery store. I’ll be the one in XXXXL t-shirt, shuffling through the ice cream aisle with a dazed expression in my eyes.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Hmm…after rereading this, I’m thinking I might not have had the most restful sleep last night.

Oh well.

Here comes…

OPTION A:

And now for…

OPTION B

So…which is it?

Think you know?

Like, really know?

All right then.

Time to vote…

And comment telling me why  you chose the one you did!

 

Which outfit is 100% Thrifted?

Linking up at The Pleated Poppy

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Try-it Tuesday: Twice the Love Twin Onesies

Well, our sonogram last night was the stuff of dreams (good ones).

Both girls are head down and in the perfect position for delivery.

In fact, they’re pretty much face to face, and I can already imagine them chattering away and whispering little secrets to each other in a language only they can understand.

Not only that, but they are approximately 5 1/2 and 6 pounds each already, which would be pretty impressive for a singleton, much less two little twin girlies.

They passed their bio-physical exams with flying colors, and we even got both of them to turn their little faces toward the screen, so we could get one last inside-the-belly glimpse of them before we get to kiss those sweet, chubby cheeks for real.

Oh! And they both have tons of hair (which might explain all the heartburn I’ve been enjoying recently; old wive’s tale or not…there it is…your own little tidbit of TMI for the day).

It was such a fun time of rejoicing and grinning at each other like fools, and I am so, so grateful to God for His great mercies and hand of protection on this pregnancy.

I know that I could have had complications like many other twin mamas do, and it wouldn’t mean that He loved me any less or wasn’t sovereign, but the smoothness of this pregnancy has been incredible testimony of His grace in my life, and it leaves me in awe a little bit that He loves me and my girls so fiercely.

In fact, the sonogram was such a flying success that it pretty much wiped out yesterday’s only disappointment, which was that we didn’t get to do a last minute prenatal photo shoot because of rain.

Of course, I suppose we need the rain more than I need pictures of my belly ‘o twins (imagine Eeyore saying this…and then try not to giggle), but I thought I’d show you a fun, little craft we put together for the pictures.

It was my husband’s idea, really, and I can’t wait to see the girls wearing their new “X2” onesies!

Why X 2?

Well, outside of the obvious twin reference, Shaun had the idea to print out both the X and the 2 in extra curvy font to achieve “twice the love”—an effect I’ll show you in pictures rather than words.

I started out with:

• A paper X and a paper 2 (printed out in large black font)
• Two onesies
• Fabric (I used an Amy Butler Cameo print called Harriet’s Kitchen in Sugar)
• Fabric glue
• Sewing machine/thread
• Fabric paint pens

And did the following:

1. Pinned my paper letters onto the fabric and cut around each shape.

2. Glued the fabric letters to in place on the onesies.

3. Stitched around the edges.

4. And, finally, sealed the edges to keep them from fraying (and to give them a little more definition) with fabric paint.

Of course, it’s only a Twice the Love onesie if you get the full effect of both side-by-side:

See where I’m going with this?

If not yet, then how about now?

{Can you see it?}

Not that we’ll ever get our girls lined up like this while they’re actually wearing them, but I still think the effect (and the sentiment behind it) is super-cute!

Now all we need is some cuddly little babies to wear them!

Linking up with:

Or so she says

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Move-it Monday: A little of this and that…

Last weekend was a bit of a mash-up.

In fact, there was a little bit of all of the following:

Spray paint, Words With Friends, stomach bugs (which every single member of my family, including me, was obliging enough to get), church, naps, laundry, Corner Gas, dishes, bulk cooking, and backyard races (after we got over the upchucking).

And since I haven’t succumbed to the lure of Instagram (yet) and therefore have little to no documentation of most of these activities (not that you wanted to see any photographic evidence of the stomach bug), I figured I would model today’s post after my weekend’s theme (which was randomness) and show you a couple of things I actually got accomplished (there’s my Move-it Monday tie-in…smooth, huh?) and a couple of things I’d like to get moved out (yet another reference; pure talent, I tell ya).

First up, this crazy-huge barrel shade that I swiped from my mom’s house (Hi mom! It just now occurred to me that you weren’t there when I snagged it; blame your son! : )).

Let’s just say that it’s seen better days….

BUT…it’s the perfect size for sprucing up the light kit in the boys’ room (it’s attached to a fan, which, while practical here in the land of molten lava Texas, is still my least favorite kind of light fixture).

It only took a little Goodwill scrap fabric, some grosgrain ribbon (embarrassing side not: I discovered last week that I’ve been pronouncing it just like it sounds for years when it should actually be “gro-grain”), and a little help from Glenda the Hot Glue Gun to fancy it up a little.

Better, no?

Actually, despite the fact that the twins could come any day now, and not too long after they do, Della, who is still sleeping in her (soon to be their) crib will need a room of her own, I’ve actually been working on the boys’ room as much as, if not more than, the girls’ (all three of them; such a weird thought).

Which means that, if I can actually get all my decorating balls correctly juggled, I'll soon have three room reveals for you guys (and probably no will, energy, or sleep-enabled brain cells to show them to you).

Here’s another little project for the boys’ room that took the familiar elements of grosgrain ribbon and fabric from above and threw in a little spray paint just for fun.

From room décor mooooooo-urder (couldn’t resist).

To a bit of prep.

{I think that big expanse of white to the left of the wheel could use some help; suggestions?}

Oh, and speaking of the twins’ room and Della’s old room, I thought I’d see if anyone is interested in the following items:

A full, unopened roll of Amy Butler Lacework wallpaper in the Midnight colorway (measures: 20.5 in. – width X 32.8 ft. – length):

I know you guys have heard me talk about it to no end in relation to the twins’ nursery, and I haven’t changed my mind or anything.

In fact, it’s already hung (except for the single strip I ended up short; boo!).

But, long story short, I ended up with an extra roll that I don’t need and can’t send back, so if anyone’s interested, I’m selling it for $70 + $10 shipping (It currently sells at Graham and Brown for $85 + $17 shipping).

Also, I’m selling the bumper that I recovered in Alexander Henry’s Starling (in natural) and the matching curtains from Della’s old room for $50 for the set.

I absolutely LOVE this fabric, and there are zero stains or wear on any of it, but I don’t see myself hanging onto it and redecorating a room with it in the future, so shoot me an email if it’s your style.

If you’re interested in more pictures or exact measurement, just shoot me an email, and I’ll be glad to supply them.

Disclaimer: I am not, nor do I claim to be, a professional seamstress, but while there are small imperfections that can be found in any handmade product, the curtains are lined, the fabric high-quality, designer fabric, and the workmanship represents (and embarrassing large amount of) hours of my life.

Ooooookey dokey.

And thus concludes an extraordinarily random round of Move-it Monday.

Tomorrow, I’ll show you another project I finished for the boys’ room (assuming I actually, you know, finish it),

P.S. We have our last (hopefully) sonogram this evening, and I can’t wait to see the girls’ faces in 3D again!

Please pray that they are both head down and growing healthy and strong if you think of it!

What’s on your Move-it Monday agenda?

Linking up:

Or so she says

 

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Feature Friday FREE-FOR-ALL {32}

{I’m definitely not going to be the one to break this streak : )}

Okey dokey…

Before we get this week’s party rolling…

The winner of last week’s $50 Shabby Apple giveaway is:

MOLLY B!

Check your email, chica!

And now for the features from last week’s party:

I LOVE…

This DIY vintage Ribbon Skirt from Shop Ruby Jean

. And this adorable DIY pillow from A Heart-ful Home.

.This DIY Giant chalkboard from It’s Just Laine.

This gorgeous DIY (sensing a theme?) picture frame molding from Crazy Wonderful.

And, finally, this yummy-looking Spaghetti Squash Tomato Pasta Bake from Ewe Creek Cottage (I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that it was DIY too).

Hope you guys have a wonderful, relaxing weekend and enjoy…

The party!

Time to link up…

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5 Things Thursday: Chiang Mai Dragon

I’m not much of a trend-follower—in fashion, home décor…life.

If it’s popular, and I happen to like it, I (usually) won’t completely avoid just because it’s popular (although, sometimes, my inner rebel absolutely refuses to comply; I still haven’t seen any of the Twilight movies or read the books). But, for the most part, I choose to wear, decorate, watch, read, or obsess over something because, well, I like it.

And if a trend is expensive, then that makes it all-the-easier for me to ignore.

Everybody has it, and it costs big bucks? I’m out.

Which is why the fact that I pretty much adore Schumacher’s Chiang Mai Dragon fabric is a bit of a head-scratcher to even me.

If you don’t know what I’m talking about, then you’ve probably never read a home décor blog, since Chiang Mai has been huge among “shelter bloggers” for years now.  Probably the longest running trend I’ve ever seen (although the chevron fixation has been going strong for a while now as well).

So, what’s so great about this fabric?

via

It’s happy, bright, funky, yet timeless, full of movement and warmth, and, yes, dragons.

My decorating style has been described as everything from eclectic to bohemian to quirky, etc., etc., but it’s also a touch traditional.

Meaning, I’m never going to have all white walls festooned with Andy Warhols, and I gravitate towards vintage looks rather than anything with a modern aesthetic.

And Chiang Mai just embodies everything I love about fabric: color, pattern, and the ability both of those have to enliven an otherwise lackluster space.

So…that’s the good.

The bad?

A yard of this stuff can run you anywhere from $70 (on the low side) to $300 (on the crazy-high, you-must-be-desperate-to-get-your-hands-on-it side).

And the last time I paid $70 for a yard of anything was…yup, you guessed it…NEVER.

And still I troll Pinterest and Ebay and Etsy and Craigslist (foolhardy, I know) in vain hope of scoring even one measly yard for less than $50.

No luck yet.

So, in the meantime I thought I’d tantalize console myself with 5 spaces that use Chiang Mai Dragon in ways that make my heart beat just a little faster:

1.

Source: ilikewhatimherring.blogspot.com via Abbie on Pinterest

 

{Like anybody would actually let their child anywhere near a chair that cost $1,000 to recover}

2.

Source: aestheticoiseau.com via Abbie on Pinterest

 

{Not a huge fan of the chair that pillow’s in, but I’m pretty much in LOVE the with the way the pattern/colors interact with that fantastic peacock blue dresser and Greek key mirror}

3.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

{There are several aspects of this room that don’t do anything for me: that wall color, the rug, and those chunky plaid pillows, for three. But the upholstered head and footboard? Fantastic}

4. 

Source: styletemple.blogspot.com via Emma on Pinterest

 

{Sure, those lamps now officially cost at least $100 each because of the fabric alone, but it sure does lend a nice punch to all the white}

4.

 

 via

{This one’s by far my fave because I have a major thing for patterned ottomans; interestingly enough, this shot is from the living room of actress, Kristen Bell}.

{The dog seems unimpressed with Kristen’s mad decorating skills}

The thing is, even though Chiang Mai comes in various colorways (the snooty, decorate-y term for “color schemes”), the only one I’m the least bit interested in is the one I’ve shown you:

Alabaster.

All the others are too muddy, over-the-top, or grannyish for me.

OH!

And just in case you’re wondering what I would do if I managed to snag me some…

I even have these exact same chairs that I was planning on using it on.

*Sigh*

Anybody got any hot tips on a deal?

So…what about you guys?

Any home décor crushes you can’t seem to get over, no matter how unpractical?

Linking up here:

It’s Overflowing

Or so she says

 

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