What I Wore Wednesday - Preggers Edition & a Fleur Tour

Here goes another edition of What I Wore Wednesday. I didn't get a lot of pictures this week because most of the time I was in elastic-waisted athletic shorts (but sadly, not doing anything athletic, unless you count painting and chasing after kids as being athletic) and a tank. Or I was in a swimming suit. And trust me, no one wants to see that.

So here goes...

Friday:

Shirt: TJ Maxx
Jeans cuffed into capris: Ann Taylor Loft
Sandals: yard sale

Here's a closeup of the shirt - I just love me some flower details! And I think it was around $12.99!

Sunday:
Shirt: Kohls (a gift)
Capris: Gap Outlet
Sandals: yard sale

Tuesday: (it's not so much a bump anymore - more like a basketball!)
Tank: Target
Sweater: Old Navy from Goodwill
Flower pin: Claire's
Skirt: Homemade by me
Shoes: Goodwill

~ ~ ~ ~

This week my mom, sister-in-law Heather, and I went on a twilight garden tour of this backyard. See for yourself how gorgeous it was!

It looks so inviting, doesn't it?


An outdoor sleeping area in the gazebo!



And I just loved this pergola with the hanging curtains! They are actually just dropcloths. Perfect! Don't you just want to eat dinner here?

And a bathtub in the flower bed...this backyard was so creative. The owner, Esther, has some serious talent!

Nest Sign

A friend of mine asked me to make her a rustic sign with this quote "Those who admire the freedom of birds have never built a nest" for her home.

I got it finished this weekend and thought I'd show you how I made it.

The first step was to find some wood to use as the sign. I looked in our basement and found an old oak cabinet door that the hubs had brought home from a jobsite. I painted the door with white primer, then layered on different colors of watered-down paint until I got the rustic result I wanted.

I then figured out the fonts that I wanted to use and printed out the lettering for the sign and placed it on the door. I put carbon paper under the paper and traced all the words onto the sign.


Then I painted the lettering using acrylic craft paint and when that was dry, I used a spray sealer over the whole thing to give it a nice finish.


It takes time, patience, and a steady hand, but it really isn't very difficult! I'm planning on making some more signs to put in my little Etsy shop sometime soon.

If you are interested in a custom-made sign, just let me know and I'll be happy to make one for you too! Shipping will be available. Send me an email at maweaver1@gmail.com.


Have a great Monday!

Linking up to Making the World Cuter linky party.

Hand Towel Pillows

I was in Target the other day looking at their throw pillows. I've been thinking about getting a couple of soft white ones, but at $12.99 a piece, I didn't feel like I could justify it (although that is still a good price.).

So I walked by the towel section and my brain started whirling. I found some nicely textured white hand towels that I thought would work to make easy pillow covers.


I bought two of the same hand towels and made pillows two different ways. For the one, I overlapped the edges, sewed the sides together, and sewed on buttons.

And the other one I just folded it in half, sewed the edges together, and sewed on string to tie the side together. Really, it couldn't be easier!

I also painted the "5" number onto this one. My method? Pretty easy. I printed out the number on cardstock paper, cut out the number using an Exacto knife and created a stencil. Then I used craft paint and a stencil brush to paint the number onto the pillow. I probably should have used fabric paint, but I didn't have any on hand and I'm a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants kind of girl, so I just used what I had. We'll see if it works!

And at about $3 per towel, it didn't break the bank!




Happy Weekend!

What I Wore Wednesday - Preggers Edition

Here goes another edition of WIWW - linking up to The Pleated Poppy's linky party.


It feels really weird having a post with just pictures of me and my ratty-tatty clothes, but whatever!

I've found that maternity clothing overall just doesn't fit me very well, so I usually wear "regular" tops that are a bit longer than I would normally wear. Of course, as my bump gets bigger, my tops do too. My regular pants usually fit with the help of a button-extender.

Make fun as you wish! :)

Thursday: I did some shopping then spent the afternoon and evening at my mom's house with the kids.
Tank: Target (they recently had their tanks on sale for $5 and I stocked up as you can tell!)
Bubble skirt: thrift store
Shoes: Goodwill
Flower pin: Claire's

I went for the messy-hair look.

Friday: at home most of the day then to a bbq with friends
Gray top: Forever 21 found at Plato's closet (consignment shop)
Pink tank: Target (where else?)
Jean cuffed into capris: Ann Taylor Loft on clearance
Sandals: yard sale

Saturday: I had a blissful morning of thrift shopping all by myself! It was heaven. In the evening we went to another cook-out with friends.
Tank: Target
Striped sleeveless whatever-it's-called: Ross ($7.99! Holla!)
Jeans cuffed into capris: Old Navy
Sandals: yard sale

(Avery wanted in on the action)
Sunday: to church then to a bridal shower
Dress: Ross ($12.99 from a few years ago-their prices are awesome!)
Shoes: Ann Taylor Loft on clearance
Avery's dress: yard sale (she insisted on wearing my old painting flipflops!)

Tuesday: a full day of grocery shopping, dr. appt., then some Goodwill perusing in the evening.
Top: Anthropologie from Plato's Closet (just $12 - um, yes, I will take that! Love me some Anthro!)
Jeans cuffed into capris: Old Navy
Shoes: Goodwill

Nautical-Inspired Bedroom

I've been having so much fun working on this little boy room for the past few months! You'll have to excuse the pics - the room doesn't get much natural light and my camera isn't exactly professional!

I made a very conscious effort to re-do this room as inexpensively as possible. Most everything is second-hand or made by me.

Oh, how I love the Ikea light that we hung in place of an old, outdated ceiling fan! It is perfection. And cheap, I might add!

Here is the tired old fan that used to be there...


Much better!

I sewed the curtains using a heavy striped fabric from a fabric outlet, then used rope trim to tie them up. Couldn't be easier!


Like I said in a previous post, I made the sailboat that's hanging on the wall behind the headboard. I cut up some canvas drop cloth and used branches, twine, and small nails to put it together.

I added the "J09" lettering using my usual method of printing out the lettering on paper, copying it onto the canvas with carbon paper, then painting it with craft paint.



The pillow shams and sheets are from HomeGoods. LOVE that store! The simple white comforter is from Ikea.

I found the old bed at a barn sale for - get this - $15!! And I didn't even paint it! Can you believe it??



I painted the side table red and distressed it. It was originally bright blue and when I sanded the edges, some of the blue comes through, which is perfect.

The stainless steel light came from Goodwill for just $2.97! It looks brand new. I found the boat shelf at a yard sale for a few dollars. The hanging baskets came from Ikea, and I added the lettering with some paint.


This sweet little white chair came from Goodwill.


Here is what it looked like before I painted it white. Quite orange, dontcha think?



Here is the other side of the room. I made the flag banner using leftover fabric and a piece of rope. I just cut holes in the flags and stuck the rope through. Very easy!


I painted the "Sailing Club" sign using some wood we had laying around in the basement (aka. dungeon).

It's called free artwork! My favorite kind!



My dad gave me this metal crab trap that was stored in his shed at my parents' beach house. I hung it from a small hook that I put in the ceiling.


Remember this bookcase/dresser? I found it along the side of the road for free and moved it up to this room.

I found the wooden milk box with rope handle at the Walnut Creek Antique Mall in Ohio last weekend and just couldn't resist picking it up! I had found the old fan at the same place a few years ago.



And here is the chalkboard wall that I painted.


It's the perfect little corner for toys and looking at books at the child-size table I found at a yard sale.


The red book holder came from Goodwill and the metal shelf is from Ikea.

I wrote on this post about how I painted the floor in the diamond pattern. So much work, but totally worth it!

I'm still doing some tweaking in the room (it never ends!), but overall, I really like how it turned out. Jack will be moving into this room when the new baby comes in November, and until then, it'll be a spare room.

Oh, yes, I wanted to give you paint colors, so here you go. They are all from Lowes.

Floor: Valspar Ghost Ship (lighter color)/ Valspar Evening Eclipse (darker color)
Walls: Valspar Seashore Fog (isn't that the perfect name for this room??)

"Man cannot discover new oceans until he has courage to lose sight of the shore."
-Andre Gide

Linking up to these linky parties:
Making the World Cuter
Southern Hospitality
Lucky Star Lane
The DIY Showoff
Making the World Cuter

Girls Trip

Last weekend I went on a quick trip to Ohio with my sister, mom, and my Avery to hang out with some family (my mom is from that area) and what a blast we had!

Had brunch at this always-fabulous little bistro.


I think I have over 80 cousins on my mom's side of the family. Yeah, crazy. My mom comes from a family of 10 girls and 1 boy. Can you imagine?

Some of my beautiful cousins - Carol and Sue...


My sister & I cheesin it up for the camera. The food is always insanely good there and the atmosphere is even better.



Oh course, we had to get some junking and antiquing in while we were there. What's a girls trip without some shopping involved?


I bought a few things like an old rocking chair that we somehow fit into the back of my small SUV amongst the suitcases. I'll show you my finds in another post.



My cousin Miriam has an adorable little chicken coop in her back yard. I am completely envious!


Avery loved gathering the eggs and feeding the chickens! Too cute. I want me some chickens!

It was a fun trip but so good to get back to the hubster and my little Jack! Although I don't think the little guy missed me at all. He loved his bonding time with his daddy!