Quiet Book - Matching Game

I found some dump truck buttons on Etsy and thought they would make a perfect matching game for Kellan's Quiet Book.  Actually a pretty hard matching game - they're all the same shape, same wheels, but all have two different colors on them.  My next challenge was that there weren't enough different color combinations.  So I problem solved that #likeaboss and used markers to make some new color combos.  

I had to really think through this one.  For the game to be fun more than once, you have to be able to move the pieces around, so I cut out a lot of little squares.  I sewed Velcro to half the squares and hand sewed a truck button to half the squares and then sewed the Velco squares and the truck squares together.  Then I cut flap pieces, sewed those to the background pages, finally I sewed Velcro under the flaps.

My mom and I played it and it was very fun!

Thinking of making a Quiet Book - an assortment of felt will help get you started!

Quiet Book - Snail Lacing Page

For this project you'll need:

Felt: 9x9 blue, 9x9 purple (any shell color), scrap green, light pink (any body color) and white
pony beads
shoe lace
needle and thread
sewing machine
googly eyes (or you can make them out of black and white felt)

Steps:
1. Cut out felt pieces
2. Sew spiral shape onto shell (large circle piece of felt).  I used the triple stitch feature on my sewing machine so it would show up better
3. Hand sew the pony beads
4. Sew the felt pieces down
5. Sew the shoe lace to the bottom and cover it with another layer of grass.
6. Add googly eyes If you're making a Quiet Book - an assortment of felt is a great way to get started!

Learning Your Name Quiet Book Page

This is a pretty cool page!  To make the "paper" I used different colors of thread in my sewing machine.  On white felt, I sewed the top and bottom lines with a tight stitch and then the widest possible stitch for the middle.  Then I cut my nephew's name out of a double layer of felt, then I stitched them together, to give the letters a bit of weight.

The other side of the spread was a little pocket, with a snap closure to store the letters.

 

Bedroom Design Tips

 

1. Curtains make a huge visual impact.  The curtains behind my bed are covering up 1 window and a lot of wall.  From a practical standpoint - it's unnecessary!  From a design standpoint, it is everything.  It provides symmetry and a backdrop for the bed.  All my curtain rods were hung at the top of the wall, as close to the ceiling as I could get.  This adds height to your room and gives the room a sophisticated feel.  My curtains were from Kohl's, but the ones below from Amazon are similar.  

https://amzn.to/4tQrjOy 

 2. When you're designing in a neutral color palette, texture is everything.  My curtains have a linen texture.  The lamps have a texture.  The upholstered headboard, pillow shams and throw pillow all have texture.  The throw blanket was chosen for it's texture.  In a corner you don't see, I added a coiled rope laundry hamper.  Even the artwork I designed was all about texture.  I made this using an inexpensive canvas and joint compound.  The other thing is - don't be nervous if everything is not the same shade.  In this room, I have the range from greige to white to ivory to linen and I was nervous that the different shades would be disharmonious, but in reality, it all works together.  Tone on tone neutrals.

Similar art at Amazon: https://amzn.to/3Or142j

  

 3. Scale.  There were lamps that I really loved, I ordered them (from Walmart, surprisingly) and I really wanted them to work, but they were diminutive on my night stands.  The pic on the left uses "See it in your space" technology from Target, but that's about how the lamps looked.  

My lamps are from Target, but these from Amazon are similar and a great deal!  

https://amzn.to/4cBvO8T 

 4. Storage.  To the extent you can, "Marie Kondo" your items.  Then figure out what furniture or system you need to keep your room picked up all the time and work that into your design plan.  The storage cube system I got from Target contains:  gifts that I've bought, books/journals, a neck massager, cards/paperwork/candy, items to get rid of, and upcoming projects.  Before realizing I needed storage for these categories, they were in piles around my room.  Even if it doesn't stay perfect, it's important to have a place that everything is supposed to go.

5. Layers.  This is where things get expensive, but it's also what makes a room feel luxurious.  And it doesn't have to happen all at once.  My main window has a double curtain rod, with sheers behind the curtains.  All of that adds another texture and another layer.  Practically, they allow light it while giving some privacy.  On the bed, I have my regular pillows, 2 euro pillows and a lumbar pillow.  I have a super textured throw blanket for the end of the bed.  And I just bought a "summer throw blanket".  I haven't bought a rug yet, but that adds another layer to the room.  Also I've thought about getting some type of basket to put under my nightstands.

 

 6. Lighting.  Two lamps on either side of the bed is classic.  If you need the surface of your nightstand and feel like a lamp would take up too much room, wall sconces or mounted lights are good.  I found technology to help me with lighting and it has made me so happy!  I bought a "smart plug" that my two lamps are plugged into and I can control them via an app of my phone.

    https://amzn.to/4vDZs5N

They are scheduled to come on in the evening and then I use the app to turn them off when I go to sleep.  

7. Accessories.  I don't find it necessary to overly accessorize a bedroom.  It is important to have a natural element - a plant (live or faux) or flowers (live only).  Beyond that try to add necessaries that serve a purpose.  If you take rings off right before bed, add a cute dish on your nightstand.  If you like candlelight, add a candle. 

Bedroom Design

I've lived in my house for several years now and the one room I have put no effort into has been my bedroom.  For the last year, I noticed I was waking up with a sore back or neck and then I realized my mattress was 15 years old and that it was time for an upgrade.  I considered buying online, but without being able to test it out - I didn't want the hassle of it not working.  I put off going to the store, but eventually I did.  

I wanted a queen size bed.  I wanted a comfortable mattress. I wanted a big upholstered headboard.

I also knew I didn't have adequate storage in my bedroom and it often became a catch-all for when I wanted the living room clean.

I also knew I was drawn to neutral, serene color palette for bedrooms, full of textures.

I put together a design plan in Canva and it definitely helped guide me.

I had my tape measure out every night!

Before (messy and at it's worst!)

Inspiration

Design

 

After

Takeaways:  

1.  If you're not sure exactly what you want, start a Pinterest board and pin anything that looks or feels like you want your room to look/feel.  It may be a kitchen, but you like how the black and white contrast.  Once you've pinned long enough, you'll start to see a pattern, start to get a feel for what you want and start to pinpoint what's important to you.

2. Use Canva (it's free) to help you visualize your design.  While you're shopping on your phone, screenshot the items you're considering.  Then crop around them and upload them into your Canva image.  It really does help you make decisions.  

3. Follow my blog for the next post - Bedroom Design Tips!

4th of July Charcuterie

 Fourth of July is a week away and you have just enough time to plan the perfect snack - a red, white and blue charcuterie board!  I saw several ideas on Pinterest and made my first charcuterie Board and I just loved how it turned out!  I wanted every food on the board to be red, white or blue.  I wanted everything to be something we liked.

Here are the things I ended up with:

salami

red grapes

club crackers

a mix of peanut and peanut butter M&Ms in red, white and blue

slices of pepper jack cheese, cut into star shapes with cookie cutters

cherries

pepperonis

red vines

salsa

gouda cheese 

(I wanted cheese that looked more white than yellow and did some research and found it's mild and tastes similar to cheddar, so I thought it was a perfect option)

blue corn tortilla chips

red pepper, sliced into sticks

blueberries

cream cheese with red pepper jelly on top

4th of July Lofthouse cookies

A few other food ideas that I had, but let go were cherry tomatoes, dried cranberries, marshmallows, star shaped cookies (the kind with red or blue sprinkles on top), white powdered donuts, ranch dip, apple slices (or apples cut into stars).

I just had a medium sized cutting board to work with, I kind of wished I had a bigger one.  I think these look like really nice options: 

But once I had everything on my work surface next to me, I just started adding things to the board - it was easy to put it together.

Patriotic plates and napkins from Dollar Tree!

 

Everyone really enjoyed it!

Castle Backdrop

I wanted to create a photo backdrop for my niece's Knights and Princesses Birthday Party - so I went to Pinterest and the Internet at large and found about 3 tutorials and 10 images - way less than I expected - on how to make a piece of cardboard look like a castle.  

So I'm going to add my experience, so there will be 4 tutorials out there!  

$ -                     Very inexpensive, I'd say under $10

Materials -        Easy to find - posterboard, paint, foam brushes all from Dollar Tree

Link to foam brushes - https://amzn.to/3PU1Odv

Link to paint - https://amzn.to/3PA2eFs

Skill -                Very easy, once you know the process

Time  -              This is the biggest hindrance - it took a bit to do a multi step process to a bunch of                                 posterboard

Result -             Great visual impact, looks a lot like a castle!

This was a large, heavy piece of cardboard that came with a piece of furniture - saved in my garage for just such an occasion!  I painted on a door, using mostly brown paint, and then some streaks of black, blended in.  That gives it dimension and makes it look more realistic.

My laboratory, where I mixed up paint

Step 1 - paint gray all over .  If I had more planning, inclination, I would've done this step with spray paint.  Kind of a medium gray, this will serve as the "mortar" between the stones.

Step 2:  Make a template for your stones out of cardboard.  I think mine was approximately 4-6.5 and I rounded the corners.

Step 3:  After the gray dries on the paint, trace your stone template in staggered rows, leaving 1/2 - 3/4 gap between bricks and rows.

Step 4:  Using black paint, paint an L shape down the left side and bottom of each rectangle you traced.

Using white paint, paint an L shape down the right side and top of each rectangle shape.

Then in the middle use a wet sponge to try to blend the two colors in the middle of each rectangle shape.

When you're right in the midst of it - you don't see how it's going to look like a castle.  It looks black, white and gray, messy.  Don't worry!

Then you let it dry and take a step back and realize - hey, that looks like a castle wall, it looks full of dimension, it's kind of amazing - I did that with paint!  I need to do a bunch more...

For around the door, I cut from cardboard (aka Amazon boxes) rectangles that were about 6x2 inches and did the same painting technique.  For the curved parts of the door, I just cut those in half and then glued them all around the door.

My nieces and nephews in front of the castle!  ♥♥♥♥♥  I added a wrapping paper tube with a flag for the birthday girl!