Mirror, Mirror

Before I get into this post I wanted to let you know that I met my goal of getting the down comforters cut, sewn, washed, dried, inserted in duvet covers and placed on my girls' beds that Monday night! They look and, more importantly, feel amazing!! And, we think the current bed skirt color works just fine with the new duvet covers so I was able to cross that dye project off of my to-do list. I'm working on the matching curtains and will post a pic of their room once the curtains are up ("getting it done" goal: 2/4).

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Kevin and I bought our house as a 'fixer upper'. I can't even begin to describe the dilapidated state this gorgeous house had been allowed to fall into (we have photos that prove we aren't kidding!). We had a plan in place for the renovation but once we started the demo part of the plan, we were pretty overwhelmed with everything. At that point we took a step back and decided to work on one project at a time, from start to finish. I should also mention here that we were both working full time, Kevin was working on his second Master's degree and we were hoping to start a family. So, that's part of the reason why we have not had a door or mirror on our medicine cabinet in our bathroom since 2000! I'm happy to report that my dear Kevin managed to finally build a custom three paneled door for our extremely large medicine cabinet and it is finally done and we love it (although it was much easier for two people to get ready at the same time when you didn't have to step aside to let the other person get into the cabinet!).

The only "before" pic I have but it allows you to see some of our toiletries lined up in our "open styled" cabinet! This is from '09 when the girls were watching Daddy wash his face one morning.

The finished product!

Getting things done!

I have so many projects that NEED to be completed (1/2 started and left or bits piled somewhere waiting to start). One of my resolutions for 2011 is to GET THINGS DONE! I'm happy to say that I'm on my way...

The thought for the project I'm working on today began months ago. Kevin and I have had a down comforter on our bed that I think has what is called an 'open baffle box' construction where the squares are not closed and the down can shift around. It is a great comforter but it is a pain having to shake the whole king sized thing out to redistribute the down each morning. So, we bought a wonderful new comforter that is perfect in every way. As one who attempts to be thrifty and hates to waste, I decided I could turn our old king comforter into two twin comforters for the girls' beds! We found cute duvet covers at Ikea and the covers and the scrunched king comforter have been sitting in a corner of our room for at least 6 months! This morning Kevin and I redistributed the down and I sewed two tightly stitched seams down the middle before cutting the comforter in half (with only minimal down escaping!). Now I just need to stitch all of the squares of the two comforters so the down doesn't shift, wash the comforters and covers and we'll be good to go! I'm hoping to have the comforters on the girls' beds Monday night. I'll let you know if I do it! :)

Next project: Curtains for the girls' room & dyeing bed skirts to better match the new duvet covers!

By Far, the Best!

I'm not quite sure where I found out about Portable North Pole but last year I had messages sent to several kids and it was a HUGE hit (it even made a believer out of an 8 year old who was 'on the fence'!). If you've got any little ones in your life, create a special message just for them. Click here and enjoy!

Special thanks to little. lovely. for sharing the 2010 link to Portable North Pole!

Image via here.

Dress Love!

Several months ago I learned about a designer, Kayce Hughes, with the cutest dresses for little girls (order was placed pronto!). The dresses are not only cute, they are very well made with quality fabrics and attention to detail. I guess I was so focused on the Children's section back then that I didn't even look at the Women's offering... until today. I'm in love!

QUICK! Go check out Kayce's blog here to enter to win one of her Women's Dresses!

image from Kayce Hughes' shop

This Moment

image via here

I'm sitting here browsing a super, new-to-me catalog called Nova Natural Toys & Crafts based in Williston, Vermont. I love, Love, LOVE everything I see! Check out their website here.

Every Little Bit Helps!

I credit my paternal Grandfather for teaching me the value of a dollar and for my thriftiness. I splurge every now and then, but for the most part I am a coupon clipping, promo code searching gal when it comes to making purchases. Lately, I've been using Ebates when making purchases online. It's a great way to get a little bit of cash back on just about everything I buy online. It's FREE! Sign up now and get a $5 credit! Check it out here!

image via here

A Visitor No One Wants!

Last year one of my friends had to deal with a case of lice that her daughter caught in school. I freaked a little at the thought and spent some time online looking for natural ways of getting rid of the little buggers, just in case we needed the information (didn't really find anything that I thought was worthwhile). Fortunately, we were spared the experience.

Recently I learned of a great product line called Babo Botanicals and they have a product combo that is all natural and 95% effective in clinical studies to PREVENT lice! How Cool Is That? I would say that this is a must have product for all families with children in daycare, preschool or elementary school. I'll be getting this gift set to be on the safe side!

image via Babo Botanicals