Playroom Update!

A friend of mine's mother was giving away a living room set and I jumped on it the second I saw it was available.  We now have a very nice sofa and chair with ottoman in our basement!  Our friends came to help and it was such an adventure getting it down the stairs hahaha but it's there now!

Our next project is to organize all of the toys for our boys and set up activity centers for a playroom.  We are also going to get a small TV.  The playroom has more floor space than our living room does and it will be much easier to let our little baby grow and explore down there than on the first floor.  I've been looking at organization ideas on Pinterest and we are going to look for some gently used bookcases and shelving units at garage sales and thrift stores very soon.  As we make progress I will update with pictures.  It will be a long long project.  Our baby is due in January and we are hoping to have it done by then.  It just depends on what we are able to find.

We don't want to put Conrad's baby toys into storage since his little brother is on his way soon.  It will be a busy play room so I'm thinking of setting it up like a pre-school setting.  We're so excited! I'm going to look into some more crafts (handprint paintings, etc) to hang on the walls down there.

We have so many plans for this apartment.  We want to stay here until I'm done with school and probably even longer until my career is well established.  Hubby and I were talking about our dream home ideas last night and we started exploring prices for the houses we would like.... definitely going to have to wait a while haha.  But it's so worth it.

So anyway-- what kind of activity centers do you have set up in your playroom?  Or what kind of activities would you like to see? :)

Business Cards For A Side Business?

Do you have a side business of your own?  What do you do? I'd love to learn more.  A friend of mine and I worked on ribbon wreaths for a while last year and I also sell Mark. cosmetics, fashion and beauty products.  It's nice to be able to hand a future customer a business card with all of my information on it.  I like to write down their favorite item on the card and if I can, I'll also write down a discount amount meant solely for that specific person.  It's a nice added touch.

You could even make business cards for your blog! It's a great way to attract new followers.

VistaPrint has amazing package deals for business cards.  Right now you can get 250 business cards for free! Their designs are awesome.  You can also make your own designs and upload your own images to certain business cards.  Make them super personalized.

Check it out today! Let me know what you think.

Vista Print

I found two amazing ideas!

I love Pinterest.  Seriously.  I just found two awesome ideas that I can do for pretty cheap!

Here's the first one: http://jhsmith88.tumblr.com/post/25449246805/i-think-im-going-to-start-craft-blogging
It is a canvas painted and covered with scrapbook cutouts.  I love the flower design, but may try a design of my own and with a different background color.

This is the other one that I will probably do first.  http://eighteen25.blogspot.com/p/subway-art-collection.html  I want to find my own frame, and either paint it or scrapbook/mod-podge it up and change out the inside picture every time the season or new event happens.  It would be gorgeous to display and fun for the kids to watch as it changes from time to time.

The crafty side of my brain is totally churning today.  I also want to take sewing and crocheting classes so now I am off to find out more about the ones offered at Joann Fabrics :)

When I get around to doing these two projects, I'll post my DIY and step by step guide so you can see how it turns out!

Cheap DIY crafts?

I have a lot of free time since I am a stay at home mom, but I don't have a lot of money for the same reason. What are some crafts I can work on to add decoration to our living room, Conrad's room or our bedroom?

I am going to start working on a quilt soon.  I wish I had a sewing machine and I actually knew how to use it... I thought about taking some classes at Joann Fabrics.  They have the most adorable quilting fabrics! Share with me your most recent craft creations! I'd love to see them and try a few, myself!

Puffy Quilt

This is the first craft I want to start working on for the baby on the way :) If I'm successful I really want to make more!! http://lsp-projects.blogspot.com/2011/08/puffy-quilt-tutorial.html

It's so cute. I want to use a lot of different textures like corduroy and minky for tummy time. Have you ever made one before? I'm going to attempt it free hand-sewing since I don't have a sewing machine. Think it's possible? I'm going to price out everything this weekend. I want to get started really soon. The biggest appeal to me is that I can sew one square at a time and take my time.

Crafts!

I love working on DIY projects. I have SOOOO many I want to get started but I am unemployed right now and money is tight. I make custom wreaths with my friend Heather and I am also going to try my hands at sewing baby puff quilts very soon! If it is a success, I plan on keeping it as a hobby and possibly selling them. I don't have a sewing machine so everything will be done by hand. I also like photography and decorating photo frames. We are going to be designing a playroom in our basement soon and I can't wait to share it with you! Check back for updates!