Family Night: Valentine's Edition

So Valentine's Day is right around the corner. The blog world is bubbling over with Valentine crafts, decor, and food. I though I would jump on the love day post bandwagon seeing as how birthday prep has gone into high gear around here and decorating projects are on the back burner. Today I'm sharing with you photos of this past Friday's family night's tablescape.

I used a simple white tablecloth and centered a red baby blanket in the middle (only red fabric I had in the house). The red heart plates (tar-jay) and "fancy glasses" (as the kiddies have deemed them) were easy, family friendly additions. 

The little cupids were genuinely excited to see this table (mommy note: nice to get some recognition for my effort). I think it might have had something to do with this whimsical little diner.

I'll be back tomorrow with the easiest Valentine's cupcakes. How about all of you, has cupid hit you with his arrow lately? Feeling the love? Do you celebrate holidays multiple times or only once?

Basement Rejects

Well to wrap up basement week around here, I thought I would share with you 2 design elements who's lives were cut tragically short. You all remember me swooning over the beautiful oyster shells I was using on a project. Well here is what I was working on:

My little slice of iridescent heaven. Until it came time to hang it. This beauty weighed a few 100 pearlescent pounds (ok perhaps not that much, but that puppy bent the mounting bracket). Defeated, I pealed the shells from the mirror & toyed with the idea of finding a sturdier replacement. But the fear of having something so heavy hanging over delicate, little heads made me decide to scrap this project. Design wise, it would have looked marvelous in the space, but it wasn't the prudent choice (anyone else thinking Dana Carvey? Wouldn't be prudent.). As of now, I'm mulling over a few other uses for the shells....they are too stunning not to use.

On to reject #2. Remember this swatch I had planned to use for couch pillows? It was described as a blue, cream & brown striped fabric. Well upon arrival I discovered a gigantic, rust-colored stripe running through the fabric! Didn't see that coming.

The unsightly stripe is wide & repeats twice in the fabric. A work around required too much effort at the time as all the sewing was done late at night while the little ones slept & Hubby was on a business trip. As a result, this guy received the boot and is now at home in the remnant pile. Luckily, I over bought on the other fabrics & could make up for this shortcoming. I still can't believe the company didn't bother to note that the fabric also contained the color rust and not just a smudge of it, 2 gigantic sections.

So there you have it, full access to the basement decorating dilemmas and drama. If you have any ideas for ways to use the oyster shells (I've got over 150 of them) I would love to hear. And has anyone else ever received fabric that didn't match the sample? Were you able to use it or was it banished to your fabric stash?

Open House

Last week was Open House at Belle's school. We opted to forgo swimming lessons and spent the evening canvasing the halls of H elementary school.

First stop was Mrs. E's 1st grade class room. Some of the highlights included: a look at Belle's desk (which was actually organized I'm happy to report), viewing the class' art masterpieces, reading a few of Belle's favorite books and playing with the smartboard.

Mrs. E set up a cute station where the students write letters to one another highlighting each other's greatness. Here is Belle's bucket…Hubby added a note, as did Peanut.

Belle taught Peanut how to play a couple of her favorite word and number games. 

We spent nearly an hour in Belle's classroom, but eventually we made our way to the gym, LRC (library), music room and finally art room. One of the 5th graders had made a paper mache angry bird, Peanut was in heaven.

We thoroughly enjoyed getting a glimpse of Belle's 1st grade goings & doings. I can hardly believe in a few short months school will be over & I'll have a second grader! Where has the time gone?

The Basement Stats

First of all I have to say that I am truly blown away by all the hits this little blog has seen. Thank you all so much for taking a minute or two out of your busy schedule to come take a peak at the B family home. We're so pleased to have you with us!

OK, on to the basement. This post is more or less a laundry list of sources for the artwork & linens that went into creating this space. No literary prizes to be won here, but important info none-the-less. So here we go.

Drapes & Pillows:


I came across two fantastic tutorials & we followed them almost to a tee.
1. Sewing Tab Back Curtains
2. Envelope Pillow Covers (important to me that I be able to remove & wash the covers)

I have permanently filed these away as "go-to" tutorials for future decorating needs. Especially the pillows..couldn't get any easier and this is coming from a gal who hadn't touched a sewing machine since 7th grade Home Ec.

The fabrics are all Premier Prints and I purchased them at buyfabrics.com. I would not recommend the retailer as I had multiple issues with them and ended up receiving a nearly 40% rebate making my fabric total only $65.00. Add in down pillow forms I bought clearanced at Home Goods and my total is still under $100!!


And while we are on the subject of discounts, lets talk wall art. This lovely measures in at 60" x 30" and cost me a whopping $3.00. While perusing the aisles of the dollar store, I found 20' x 30" foam chalkboards. I brought one home (careful not to bend the edges, which is not an easy feat with a 1 and 4 year old in tow) and immediately realized I needed 2 more. Hubby ran back to the dollar store, which is not at all conveniently located, and procured 4 more boards. I believe we spent more in gas than on the piece of artwork.

Moving right along. The decoupaged, melamine plates ran a grand total of $1.20 (59 cents each for a sheet of scrapbook paper). The tortoise shell was the "splurge" of the room at $40.00 and is part of the Nate Berkus collection at Target.

These silhouettes are my favorite pieces in the room. I am crazy for them. They were created using this fabulous tutorial and for a grand total of $4.25 each.

In the game room, I decoupaged letterpress scrapbook paper to the top layer of an old framed canvas print we had sitting around. Then I glued a paper mache #5 (painted oil rubber bronze) to the center of the canvas. Grand Total: 1.16 paper + 1.64 number = $2.80

The final piece features our family name & established date. I created the image on picmonkey.com and then had it printed at Costco for $8.00. The frame hung in Peanut's nursery in our old house.

So there you have it folks. A rundown of the basement, which when totaled came in around $200.00  including items like curtain rods & crafting supplies (modge podge, rubber cement glue, etc.) I didn't aim to do this room on a ridiculously low budget, it just worked out that way thanks to a little creativity and a repurposing. How about you, repurposed anything lately?

Valentine Note Printable

Valentine's Day festivities are in full swing around here. The kiddies awake every morning chomping at the bit to open their mailboxes. Hubby & I have rotated the task pleasure of composing sentiments to our little cupids. And as promised, here is the stationary I created on pic monkey. As Belle would say, "It was easy peasy lemon squeezy". Feel free to save the file for yourself & jot notes to all the loves in your life. 

Basement Reveal

The basement "face-lift" as I like to call it, is complete. The layout, wall treatments, carpet, & built-ins were all here when we moved into the house. Rather than start anew, we decided to rework this 1990's basement and give it a masculine, aquatic feel (read more about the room inspiration here). I am delighted with the way the room came together. I would say it is a fresh, bright, playful spin on traditional decor.

The Playroom

When choosing wall decor, I racked my brain to come up with items that were not only esthetically pleasing, but also reflective of our family. I created a silhouette canvas of each kiddie, while the large chalkboard on the opposite wall features a whale, our elementary school's mascot. Above the love seat hangs a tortoise shell to remind us of the countless turtles we observe during our summers at the lake. And flanking the shell are plates I decoupaged in a fun number print to represent Peanut's love of all things numerical.

Despite my hesitation, the decision to add floor to ceiling drapes reigns supreme. We were completely amazed by how much larger (both in height and length) they made the basement feel. The drapes also unified the mismatch basement windows. And since we would like to have the option of using the basement as space for both kiddie and adult festivities, the full length drapes add a level of sophistication to the room.

Belle's Cedar Closet Clubhouse (more photos here)

Game Room

Hubby wanted this space to be all & only about the games (read: no frill or fuss). The built-ins function great as a buffet for parties and neatly house my crafting & sewing supplies. The only real decorative elements in the room are the two wall hangings I created to help bring some color and personalization to the room. Since I adorn every other room of the house with my design whims & wishes, it is easy to look the other way when it comes to this room and Hubby's design request or lack-there-of. Plus he is a saint to share his "man cave" with the kiddies.

So there you have it folks, our newly redecorated basement. I would be remiss if I did not send a whole hearted "Thank You" to YiaYia who helped me sew the drapes and pillow covers. So very blessed to have such a loving Mom. Now we can check basement off the list;  just in time for Birthday Party season.

Click here for budget breakdown, source list & tutorials used.

Linking Up To:

Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch

Masterpiece Monday at Boogieboard Cottage

Make the Scene Monday at Alderberry Hill

February before-and-after at Thrifty Decor Chick

Wow us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

DIY by Design

Open House Party at No Minimalist Here

Stone Gable

Tatertots and Jello

Emily A Clark

Peanut Butter Cookies

Earlier this week Peanut helped me prepare these delectable peanut butter cookies. We will be carting a tray full of these bad boys with us when we head to Hubby's aunt's house for Super Bowl Sunday.

The recipe is a slight adeptation of Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies. YiaYia Terry & Hubby's aunt don't eat chocolate so I leave it out. I also add extra vanilla & peanut butter.

I promise you the tray will be gone in seconds and these cookies will become a prerequisite for all future gatherings. Enjoy & don't say I didn't warn you.