Bye for a while, Facebook!

So, I got rid of facebook, at least for a time. I'll be on here a little more frequently, updating and posting pics.

Since my last post about the kids rooms, I really haven't done a whole lot in regards to decorating! I've been really busy with holidays, birthdays and baby showers.  Lots of gifts were made and given, and I LOVED it. There isn't much I love more than making something from nothing, and giving it to someone special to me.

The kids are vacation for 9 total days, including weekends. We are on day 5.  There is about 96 hours left of vacation.

Not that I'm counting.


Back later when I have something interesting to say!  Can I go here now?

Progress on the kids room

So, I told you guys a while back that I was starting to re-do the 3 big kids' room. It was quite an undertaking. The walls were green, the bedspreads didn't match and were NOT cute at all, and some of the furniture was just plain yucky. Some still is...like i said, it's a work in progress!

Here's a few shots of the room before I re-painted.

See the tear on that closet curtain? That thing was a mess since we moved in. So glad to be making a new one finally!

Pretty 'blah' right? Yeah. It really needed help. I grabbed my paint and roller, and got to it! First, I attacked the green. It was sort of a pukey shade and it had to go.  Next, the curtains. Oh...the curtains.  They were the originals, i'm pretty sure. Left to us by the owners, they were the pully kind. Ya know? You pull on one side, and the curtains part in the middle. They were on a track system and everything. Polyester, plastic lined ont he back. Great for blocking out the light, but SO ugly. And half broken! Wish I had gotten a picture of those.
So the curtains were replaced by a nice, thick, brown cotton. After that, I made duvet covers for each kid. Just finished Ro's yesterday, actually!
One of the furniture items that really needed some help was Bella's bedside table.  It was literally gross to look at.

My friend Morgan had painted this thing a few years back, and when she gave it to me, it was in great condition, but I guess that's what 4 kids will do to your furniture! :)
I gave that baby a paint job, which you can see in the pics below.
I then hung some stuff up, rearranged a few things, and decided it was time for some pictures for y'all.
Keep in mind it's not done yet!

I got the idea for this painting from Smile And Wave; she is a genius!

Gotta find some cute stuff to put on top of that dresser

The closet curtain you see here is just a bed sheet. Actual curtain coming soon!

I made this garland after I saw it at www.danamadeit.com! so cute!

Asher's bedspread was made with some of Joels and my old dress shirts, as well as fabric scraps I've had forever.

this dresser is my next project. Color ideas? I was thinking dark grey or a light greyish-green, and probably some knobs.

see? Really needs some help!

I think this is my favorite view.

There's a few more things I plan on doing to spruce this room up, so you guys will see them as soon as I'm done!
Paint dresser
More wall stuff, probably their initials above their beds
Paint bottom of boys beds
Closet curtain

Any other ideas?!

new life for an old chest of drawers!

The previous homeowners of our house decided to leave a bunch of furniture for us, which was awesome because we barely had any! I was so thankful. One of the things they left was this little yellow set of drawers. Looked to have been painted several times, but was in great shape.
I decided that I liked the charmed, vintage look of it, but after a while, the chipping paint starting wearing on me.
So, a few days ago, I mixed up some paint I had and gave it a little facelift! Here's what it looked like previously:

Not all that bad right? Should have gotten a closeup. It was pretty beat up looking when you looked at it closer.
Anyway, after some sanding and couple of coats of new paint...ta da!

Ok, so you can't really tell that well, but it really is quite an improvement!  Maybe not the best before/after post ever written, but you get the idea. :)

On a more personal note, I'm so very sorry  I have been neglecting my blog! I know I have a couple of faithful readers, so thanks for sticking around. :) I've been super busy with the holidays and now I'm preparing for 2 baby showers that I'm co-hosting! Hopefully I'll remember to take some pictures of some of the gifts I'll be making for these precious ladies. Then I may have something to actually show you on here!
Have a good day, everyone. Much love!

Jenn

New picture wall!

Without the pictures!
So I was surfing on Pinterest sometime during the past 100 bazillion times I've surfed Pinterest, and I found this photo.

How cute is that? Seriously cute. And i looked at it an instantly I knew in my heart...this...was meant to be. In my home. On my wall, forever and ever amen.

This is what my wall previously looked like. Snooze McGee.

So, I got my hands on lots of frames. I already had several, and I bought a few more at the thrift store. My sweet grandma got the kids a little chalkboard for Christmas, and I already had the paint!
I got to work.
Painted, waited, more paint, wait. Measuring, leveling, mapping out, etc.  Finally, I felt like I had enough frames ready.  Got them up on the wall.

Seemed like something was missing. It just wasn't enough awesomeness, am I right? I wasn't satisfied. So I looked around my house for more un-used or waiting-for-a-new-purpose frames and found 2 more plus a cute little hoop. VOILA!

I am so pleased! I love it. And the kids like the chalkboard more than before because now they get to take it off the wall and use it, then put it back to display their masterpiece.  And I just LOVE being able to put my kids school stuff on the wall, instead of the fridge, where it often gets lost in the mix of calanders, pictures, etc.

I've been working on lots of other projects as well, like finishing the kids rooms and my office. It's coming along, but slowly. You may have noticed my extended absence from blogging (again.), oops. I was going NUTS making all the Christmas gifts I had committed myself to! Made one for every family member, except a few of the kids. It was so fun, but sure was time consuming.

For the kids room, I hung up a few pieces of art that I made, and one that I just printed from the Interwebs, and then I made this garland. And then this. (the pic is the one I was inspired by.)

It is so cute.  As soon as I finish the boys duvet covers, I'll post the before/after. I know you are all on the edge of your seats!

Some amazing news happened amidst all the crazy though! I am an aunt for the very first time, on my side of the family! My big sis, Bets, had her first baby, Maggie, on Christmas day! Mommy and baby are doing fine, although a bit sleep deprived, but as soon as that passes, I'm excited to see how much they enjoy life together.  So happy for that cute little family! And I have to say, it's fun to be an aunt. :)

Bless you guys! see ya when I see ya.

Jenn

We have a winner!!

Congrats to the winner of my giveaway!! I used Mr. Random Generator and it came up with number...

 #20!!
       "Hi there!! Thanks for the chance to win such a fabulous bag!! :) Have a fun giveaway!" -Lauranie


Congrats, Lauranie!! You'll be hearing from me soon!
Thanks, all, for participating! 

Blessings! -Me

It's GIVEAWAY DAY!

One of my absolute favorite sewing sites, SewMamaSew, is doing their semi-annual Giveaway day today, and I am SO psyched. I waste entire days scrolling through the giveaways, entering, leaving fun comments, and hopefully winning something! It's a fantastic way to snag a free prize that you can turn around and give as a Christmas present! How sweet is that. Seriously.
Ok, so as you can guess, I am participating!
Here's the cute bag that I'll be giving to one lucky blog visitor...
Ta-da!

So cute, right? I know. I was tempted to keep this one, but I figured I should share. :)
Anyway, on to the rules.
I'm  not gonna make this difficult, as I know how annoyed I get when I have to answer a question on these giveaway days for my comment entry. So here's what ya do.

Madatory entry:  Say hi to me in the comments section!

Second entry option: Follow my blog!

Third entry option: go 'Like' the Make Mine Blue facebook page and come back to let me know you did.

Fourth entry: go to my shop and let me know what you're favorite item is over there.

*If you don't have a blogger account, don't forget to leave your email or some way to contact you in your comment so I can let you know that you won!*

The giveaway entry time will end on Dec 16th at 5 p.m, and I'll announce the winner shortly after that.  Yay!!  And P.S, I dont ship internationally for giveaways, but shop orders do! (hint hint.)

Have fun! Grab your cup of coffee, a comfy pillow to sit on, and surf through the amazing list of talented crafters and bloggers over at SMS.

Enjoy!
-Jenn

**P.S.  All SewMamaSew Giveaway participants are offered a 15% discount on any single item in my shop!! Head on over, enter 'SEWMAMASEW' in the coupon code during checkout! The code is good until the 16th.**

Christmas sale!

This weekend only, you can buy any item from my shop for 40% off!!! Just enter the coupon code 'MERRY' in checkout and voila! A new Christmas gift, or just a treat for yourself.

Come on over and shop around!
Lots of cute bags and gifts to choose from...

See you there! :) Merry Christmas. And look for another sale before Christmas, too! Maybe even a giveaway....