The Nursery

So it’s been a while. It’s so cute how I start my year with such determination. I really set some major goals with this blog and it’s taken a backseat to our everyday life. But I can deal.

We just got a new big boy bed for Owen. Owen sleeping in his crib was a huge battle. He wanted to sleep with mom & dad instead of his own bed. I have learned that 2 am Lexy has zero will power as opposed to 8 pm or 10 pm Lexy. Most nights I’d give up and allow him into our bed. I had an early day at work the next morning and I chose to be rested and crammed in our bed over groggy with space. Yes, I’m one of those moms. I’m picky with choosing my battles.

We got a good deal on a garage sale find. A Thomas the Tank Engine toddler bed in great condition. Thomas is huge in our household right now. I always thought I’d have cute kid furniture with cute bedding. I wouldn’t cave and get the cheesy character stuff. That was before I realized how much I love sleep.

This Thomas bed has been a saving grace. We really hyped it up and made a big deal in front of Owen to emphasize the big boy aspect. He’s so proud of himself sleeping by himself in his own bed. While I’m so excited about this new stage and watching him develop, I can’t help but miss that little bundle I had but just shy of two years ago.

As we packed up his crib I wanted to post pictures of his nursery. I caught major nesting bug when I was pregnant. I loved imagining what my boy was going to be like while decorating a room to call his own.

This dresser was my grandparent's. My mom & I painted it using homemade chalk paint. I added the new knobs to give it a more playful look. 

I made the quilt and matching pillow. Maybe when I get more comfortable I will do a tutorial. 

How To: Make a Mobile For $15 and Under

When I was pregnant with Owen, I caught major nesting bug. I wanted to craft and create a fun nursery that I did all on my own. One of my favorite projects I created was his mobile. I found these fun little hot air balloons that I just had to incorporate in his room. Now, these hot air balloons were hard to find at a price that I was comfortable paying. I finally found them online for $5, but typically these little cuties average to $15 a piece! That is an expensive mobile. Using other materials than expensive hot air balloon figures, I've come up with a fun project to make a mobile for $15 or less.

Owen's Mobile

Supplies you will need: fabric, felt, fishing line, needle, thread, stitching hoop, & yarn (optional)

When picking out fabric you won't need much. These piece aren't very large. I went to the clearance section of Walmart and found some fun colors & prints that totaled to roughly $5 for 7 scraps of different fabrics. If you are a fan of making everything match picking out a cheap quilting pack is a great cost efficient way too. I have found some quilting packs with 5 different combinations of fabrics for $5-$7 and the pieces are made to coincide together beautifully.

TEMPLATES:

Creating templates can be a fun part of making the mobile your own. If you'd like the templates I've used they will be provided in my next post for print. The key to creating a good template is to keep it simple and create layers that make your image pop.

STEP ONE:
Place template over felt & outline image to cut. The felt outline should cover the entire image. This will be your base piece that you sew all your layers to. I found these 8 x 11 felt sheets for about 88 cents a piece and I only needed 3 sheets.
A handy tip in tracing your image is to pin the template to the felt. This will give you a more accurate stenciling so you don't have any change in size. To trace the template on the felt & fabric I used an erasable chalk pen. This prevents the ink from bleeding into the fabric and allows for the chalk to be washed off with a little water.

STEP TWO: 
After you have cut out your template, stitch a knot with the fishing line so you have your line ready to hang your piece to the hoop for later stage. I find that if I do this step first I can cover any thickness in the knot with the layers of fabric placed over the felt.

STEP THREE:

Pin your layered templates to the desired fabrics. I highly recommend ironing your fabric before hand to prevent any adjustments in size due to wrinkles. Make sure you outline on the 'wrong side' of the fabric. That way no markings will be seen on your print.

STEP FOUR: 

Take your fabric cut piece and pin it to the felt, & begin stitching! Personally, I don't mind uneven stitches. I feel it gives it a more playful look for a nursery. However, if you are a stickler for perfection, I recommend taking your time stitch by stitch and keep the stitches close together to avoid any mistakes. For you super sewers out there, you can also sew by machine if you prefer. It really all depends on how you make it your own. 

STEP FIVE:

Once you've finished creating your hanging pieces you are ready to hang! I really like how the wood hoop looks all on it's own, but if you want a more finished look, wrapping yarn tightly around the hoop is another way to finish. It also can cover the knots you've made when tying your pieces. When I finish wrapping my hoop in the yarn I tie a knot and tuck the remainder yarn at the end of the knot into the loops wrapped in the hoop to hide those strands. The size hoop I used was 8 inches in diameter and roughly cost $3.

STEP SIX:
You are ready to hang your piece! When locating the desired spot to hang your mobile it is important to find a stud to support and hold the mobile. Once you find the stud, pre-drill a hole partially into the stud. Do not drill all the way through or the screw of your hook will not have enough to grip.  Once you've finished drilling take your hook and screw by hand into the ceiling. I used a 3 inch Crown Bolt ceiling hook you can purchase at any hardware store for about $1. I'm a safety freak so I also tested the hook's strength by pulling on the hook to make sure it was placed properly.

Today. Tomorrow. Someday.

In college I was always planning for my future. Maybe it’s just me, but college was all about working hard today so you could enjoy your ‘someday’. Don’t get me wrong I had fun – it was college – but my 18-20 some odd-self felt a lot of pressure to those standard questions: “What is your major?” or “What do you want to do in life?” I know the people asking these questions mean well and are just interested in what young minds aspire to be. I find myself asking my brother’s & sister the same questions now. Looking on the other side of it, I ask them these questions because the sky is the limit for them. I’m so excited for their journey they will soon be taking. I don’t mean to put pressure on my sibling’s – I’m intrigued because I know how brilliant they are and I can’t wait to see what inspires them.

However, being 18 I remember how hard it was to figure out what I really wanted. And if I don’t know what I want how can I prepare for my future? How can I make my tomorrow better?

Well, I worked hard to be a set designer. I did this because I love to build, and people told me I was good at it. I think I was too. I worked hard to make my tomorrow better, so when I graduated everything would be easy. At least that was the mindset I had and I trained for. I couldn’t be more wrong. There were so many times I worried about making tomorrow that I didn’t live for my today. I never expected my interest’s to change. Now my life looks different than what I had planned for. And it couldn’t be better.

My set design for Evangel University's production: A Mid-Summer Night's Dream.  Photo by: Jeanette Schaaf

When others were asking me those questions about my future I wish I knew their thoughts the way I probably do now. To me, I had limitations. I couldn’t reach the sky. So I had to keep my dreams on the ground in order to be happy. But when I ask those questions to my sibling’s I truly believe they are capable of anything. 

Today, I have a wonderful husband and an incredible son. I really love it, and I never expected it. My after college plans are nothing like I planned them to be. But I still catch myself living for tomorrow.

Ryan and I are saving and planning for a house, we plan on having more children some day – a while away. We work hard to give our boy a great life. Sometimes I can disappear into the world of tomorrow wondering how we are ever going to accomplish such feats. How will we get to where I want our family to be? There’s nothing wrong for wishing better in your life, but in my experience I have wasted so much precious time in hoping that tomorrow will be perfect.

I have this terrible thinking process that creeps into my mind. “Once we buy a house then we will be happy." or "Once Ryan finishes this class then we will be happy." If I keep chasing tomorrow I will never catch up to the happiness of today. If I keep chasing tomorrow I will lose touch of the relationships I hold most dear. Luckily, my sweet boy reminds me of this daily. He is just about 5 short months from being two. I know its cliche, but it really is the must true statement: They grow up so fast. 

The beginning of January I was writing in my planner month by month documenting everything we have to look forward to. My boy reached up and put his hand on my face to get my attention. It was such an 'Earth to Lexy' moment for me. He was longing for my time and I was busy thinking about the times ahead. I don’t want to miss this precious time while I’m wishing for tomorrow.

For me, I take trials extremely hard and I really drag my feet through them. But if I find a small sparkle of light to enjoy in the moment it can make those times just a little easier. If I can really immerse myself in today I can focus on the people around me. I can make memories with my family. And maybe, just maybe, I can get lost in the moment I’m living for.

Exposure to Light

When I was in high school I hesitated getting a Facebook account. I was worried it would take over my life updating my page trying to make myself look cool while still keeping an effortless composure. I created an account in college. I promised myself I’d never post selfies or write long lengthy notes that were deep and meaningful in my 18 year old mind. Because chances are I’d look back and face-palm with regret. I would be critical of myself wishing I could have adjusted my post to fit the image I wanted to show. But this is the internet. Once you expose yourself it’s there.

I was wary about all social media as it exploded in my generation, but I eventually converted to many social media outlets. And I know by this point you’re probably wondering why I’m creating this blog if I’m wary about putting myself out there on the internet, but trust me when I say I’ll get to that.

For me, I’ve had to take a step back from all these sites. I had to realize what they are for and how I can use them responsibly.

I used Twitter as a way to try to look witty, but in reality I thought long and hard about what to tweet and how it could be funny. I used Instagram as a way to make myself look fun. I’d take pictures of things I was doing, places I visited, or images of me on a good day. (And by good day I mean good hair day).

I used these outlets to make myself look interesting. I wanted to create this image of a perfect person. Someone smart, funny, cute, and innovative. Someone who has it together.

In reality I was saying ‘Look at me’ because when I looked at my friend’s profiles, quotes, and pictures and I thought they had it together. Their lives were perfect, their thoughts were innovative, and their pictures were flawless--and I should be that way too.

And now I’m writing this blog. I’m writing this post to say I’m not perfect. My project’s don’t always turn out. Sometimes I enjoy vegging out to a mindless movie and turning off my brain. And most days I enjoy wearing no makeup and comfy clothes.   

I don’t fault anyone for promoting the good things in their life, and I don’t discourage anyone from expressing themselves. I just want to be honest. My plan for this blog is not show off myself or lie to you as the reader about who I am. I am an everyday mom who relies solely on the Lord. I have everyday problems and I enjoy expressing myself through my passions, and that’s what will be seen here.  

We cannot escape the social media. I fear young adults have more challenges becoming who they are when they have all these social examples around them telling them who they should become. Use these outlets as a way to encourage yourself and make yourself stronger. I encourage you to be yourself and love who you are. Don’t conform to the world. Be who you want to be. For me, that is relying on God. My looking glass of myself and the world is broken. Sometimes I can be pessimistic about life. I have a hard time finding joy in the everyday miserable, wonderful, thing that is called life. Sometimes it's like finding a needle in a haystack. Relying on Christ lets me see myself and his creations for how he truly intended them to be. Fearfully and wonderfully made. He helps me seek my joy.

I believe that God has created everyone to be unique. To go with the trend is fine, (I do it all the time) but for me, knowing who I am through Christ is the greatest blessing. But just because I have the Lord doesn’t make him a superhero that has the power to make everything super awesome in my life. Life will always be hard. This God who I lean upon has created me and given me these funny quirks that make me who I am. It’s so cool to think that out of the billions of people in this world not one is exactly alike.

I hope this message encourages you to promote joy in your life. I’m just warning readers now perfection is not the purpose of this blog. My purpose is to post fun projects and share pieces of my life. I’m a faulty human who makes mistakes and leans upon the Lord for everything -- and I love it.