Bookshelves-Before and After

About a year or so ago, the inlaws gave us some old bookshelves that they weren't using anymore to help store all of my craft supplies. They definitely were not our style, but I saw great potential in them-and I truly appreciated the gift. Since we are getting our house ready to put on the market, we have been trying to make everything look perfect around here. So, we finally got around to updating the bookshelves! Check out the before and after photos. I love how they turned out!

This is one of the bookshelves before we began fixing it up.

Here they are pre-makeover...in all their blue and white glory!

Notice the ugly stain on the cabinet.

One last look at the before...and a side-shot of Chris. :)

Ta-Da!

Notice the stain is gone!

Love them! Much more our style!

The cute knobs we chose for the cabinet doors!

Well...I think they turned out really well! Now that we have all of our stuff on them, they look super cute! The total cost of this project was about $35.00 for paint, new hinges, and knobs. Not bad for a completely updated look!

My next project...maybe...

I think that I have decided on my next project! I am trying to find small projects that I can complete in a few hours so that I will feel like I have actually accomplished something and don't get discouraged. Time is a precious commodity right now, so it has to be quick! (I've had to put my quilt on hold for awhile.) Anyway, I am always taking pictures, so I have my camera around my neck, and it starts to rub my neck after awhile and gets uncomfortable. These super cute camera strap covers are all the rage on the internet right now, and most of them cost anywhere from $25-$75. Can you imagine spending $75 on a camera strap cover?!? I have decided that I can make my own (or at least try to do so)! Hopefully, I will get started on this project within the next week or so. I just have to find some super cute fabric and some time!

I have a confession to make.

I want to be Martha Stewart. Maybe I should amend that statement. I am very glad that I have never been to jail, and I definitely want to be known as a nicer person than she, but I long for her talent and skill. I read her magazine faithfully (folding down page corners of every idea that I love), look at her website, watch her show when I get the opportunity to do so, and google anything Martha Stewart related.

I so desperately wish that I could make a queen-sized quilt, four textured pillows, eleven fresh flower arrangements (with flowers from my own yard, of course), six homemade lemon lavender scented candles, a cute backpack or three for Jayden, a cherry cobbler (completely from scratch), and plan an outdoor party for 300 in one afternoon. How accomplished I would feel!

And I have definite Martha Stewart Craft Room envy. I think this picture explains it all...

Oh the things I could do in that room! A girl can dream can't she?

Well...I know that I will never be Martha Stewart, but maybe, if I keep on trying to create new things, cook delicious food, and plan parties, I will at least be Martha Stewart-esque!

Random Cooking and Craftiness

My love for cooking and crafting had disappeared for awhile (I think I got burned out), but it's back! YEA!!! I have been knitting, organizing photo albums, cleaning up my craft space so that I can be inspired, cooking delicious meals, dreaming of new projects that I can create, and sewing! The pictures below show just a couple of the things I have recently completed!

These are Cowboy Nachos. They are absolutely delicious. I guarantee you that you have never tasted nachos this amazingly wonderful. I got the recipe from The Pioneer Woman. I love her. Chris loves her because of the food she inspires me to make. You will love her. I guarantee it.

Mmmmm....is your mouth watering yet?

My next project I actually finished today. It only took me about an hour and a half. If you sew frequently, it would probably take you about 20 minutes. What can I say? I'm trying.

Here are the supplies that I used.

And Voila! A Thomas the Train crayon roll for Jayden!

Cute little pockets for each crayon!

I love it! Jayden does too!

My New Project!

It's beautiful, isn't it?! When I got home today, this is what was on my front porch! I absolutely love bright, cheerful fabric by today's fabric designers. I have been wanting to learn to quilt for a while now, and I finally found fabric that I love! I ordered this Fat Quarter Bundle by fabric designer, Michael Miller, from the online store, Fat Quarter Shop, over the weekend, and was so excited when it arrived today! I know this project is probably going to take a long time, but at least now, I have the fabric to start and complete the quilt top!

I am so excited about the bright colors and cute prints that I found! I have been looking for fabric to make a quilt for over a year now, and finally found this bundle. It was on clearance, too! :)

My favorite colors...pink, green, and blue!

I love it!

The pattern that I purchased-Octopus Garden by Abbey Lane. It's supposed to be a fairly easy quilt for beginners.

Won't it be cute in the fabric that I have chosen?!

My first sewing project!

I know that everyone thinks that I am really crafty, but I have a confession to make. I have actually never made anything with a sewing machine! I have always wanted to make something, I just never had a sewing machine that worked, and didn't have the patience to learn. Well, thanks to my very generous M-I-L, I now have a sewing machine that actually works! As for the patience to learn part, I just decided the only way I was ever going to learn to sew was to just jump in and try! I have had this zebra material for over a year now, and finally made the curtain that I intended to make a year ago! It's not perfect, but I'm pretty proud of it! I think it turned out really well for a first attempt-especially a first attempt without a pattern!

Yea! My new curtain in the kitchen!

I love how it turned out!

The cute little pleated ribbon that I added to the bottom of the curtain!

I can't wait to start my next project! I am going to make a cute little pillowcase for Jayden! I know it's nothing big, but I'm learning!