I’m getting personal today. I hope you don’t mind. My youngest, Elle, just turned 1 yesterday. Nathan and I turned our room into a mini studio to snap a few pictures of her. OK, a few as in over 300, but that is because she doesn’t sit still and I knew most pictures would turn out blurry. Good thing for digital, right?
This is for my little Elle who just turned 1 yesterday. All moms say it. So I’ll say it too. It’s hard to believe that a year ago, she was so tiny with a cute little yawn. Now she is the spunk in our lives. Full of energy and spirit. Never a dull moment with her around.
I love her…
Special delivery! Who doesn’t like it when the mail carrier comes by? I especially like it when they bring me packages. I designed these little mailboxes for Kaye and Elle for Valentine’s Day. I call them Special Delivery Paper Mailboxes. I thought it would be cute to exchange family Valentines in them. At 3, Kaye in intrigued by the concept of mail. Anytime we get a package, she thinks it’s a grandma envelope from Grandma in Washington.
I created these paper mailboxes from my own pattern which I put in PDF format for you. While putting these together, I have found that transparent tape will be your best friend. And after I made both mailboxes and taken the photos, Nathan notified me that the flags should be pointing the other direction. Oh well. Learn from my mistakes.
Supplies:
1. Print the paper mailbox PDF pattern. Follow the instructions on the patterns to piece together the mailbox base. Then cut out the rest of the pattern pieces. You should have 4 pieces in the end — mailbox base, mailbox cover, flag and tab.
2. Trace the mailbox base and mailbox cover pattern onto a 12″ x 12″ cardstock paper. Then race the flag and tab patterns onto the coordinating color papers. Make sure you cut the tabs as shown in the second picture below.
3. Cut out your pieces. Cut the solid lines and fold the dotted lines.
4. Use hole punch to cut out the holes at the indicated circles on the flag and mailbox cover.
5. Fold the tab according to the folds indicated on the pattern.
6. Use a brad to attach the flag to the mailbox cover. Secure the back of the brad with a piece of clear tape. Make sure you don’t make my mistake of pointing the flag in the wrong direction as shown in the picture. It is supposed to go the other way.
7. Apply glue to the tabs on the mailbox base. Then attach mailbox cover to the base by matching the tabs. The short sides of the mailbox cover attach to the long tabs in the middle section of the base. The trick is to use clear tape to help keep the glued parts together, especially at the curves.
8. Apply glue to the full half of the tab, not the half with a second fold. And attach it to the top center of the open flap of the mailbox.
9. Using Glue Dot’s instructions on the box, apply a removable Glue Dot to the top center of the mailbox. Make sure it’s the point where the tab on the open flap touches.
Let me know if any part of the instructions are not clear. Happy mailing!
I couldn’t believe Destri of The Mother Huddle invited me to guest blog for their Bullet List. I mean, it seemed like it was a thing for the elite. Only amazing bloggers and designers have gone before me doing the Bullet List. So, WOW!
Destri asked me to write a list of at-home date ideas. Of course! I was all over the opportunity to make another list. You know how I’m an avid list maker. It was nice to come up with ideas that I could use throughout the remainder of the year for our Project 52: Date Nights. Therefore, I highly suggest going over to The Mother Huddle for my list of 16 at-home dates. That’s enough dates to last you 4 months.
Thanks, Destri for giving me the honor of being on The Mother Huddle!
I saw Shauna’s idea of the date packets and instantly got in contact with her. I had to have her on SMM’s Simply Said and share with us her fabulous dating idea. This fits so well with our Project 52: Date Nights. Plus it can be a great idea for a Valentine’s Day gift, too. So here goes, Shauna simply said…
I am so excited to guest post here on Simply Modern Mom! I am Shauna Thompson and my blog is www.MyMixofSix.blogspot.com. Why mix of six? Because I have six kiddos, that I LOVE spending time with. However today I want to post about my husband that helps me take care of those six little ones, and how I LOVE to spend time with him. Here we are…
We have been married for 13 years now, and I have found a very important key to our marriage is spending time with each other. I know there have been times when I just don’t feel as close to him as I should, but then we go on a date or talk I feel more connected with him.
Dating is important in a relationship. There is a quote that says, “The value of a relationship is in direct proportion to the time that you invest in the relationship.” However finding the time and money to do it can be a struggle. I decided to take the stress out of planning and paying for our dates this year. I took some of my money from teaching piano lessons and made date packets for us to go on in the year 2010. I LOVE that they are all paid for, planned and ready to go!
Each packet is sealed until the first of the month. Then Stephen opens up the surprise date and we plan on the calendar the date that we are going to go.
Many have asked what some of the dates are. I initially wrote down a list of our favorite dates, ideas from others, ideas from the internet and then dates that I have wanted to do. I put gift cards, pictures of the activity or directions to the date in the packets. Here is a list that might help get you started:
One of my favorite parts of dating is watching and listening to our kids. They comment on how we dress up and look, they ask where we are going and can see that their parents really do love each other. I think this important because our habit will carry into their marriages of how important dating is.
Anyway, have fun planning and even better, have fun dating!
{image by tech}
I had this date planned. We were going to play the Wii. I was going to beat him in Dr. Mario and boxing. Then Nathan forwarded an email from his school concerning a back to school social the same evening as our date. They have a back to school social for all the MBA students at the beginning of the semester. We’ve been to a few of them before. We decided to go. Lesson #1: Experiencing change of plans can be healthy for the relationship.
Since we were going out for date night, I arranged for my parents to babysit. Even though this was not an at-home date, I still wanted to keep it at the reasonable cost of $0. Then I dressed up for a night downtown with the one I love. Lesson #2: Going out = putting on makeup.
We went and had such a great time that I forgot to take pictures. We had great conversations with his classmates. Met a few new people. I ate all the cheese I could from their cheese platter. I am a cheese fiend. I was surprised at some of Nathan’s classmates talking to me about Simply Modern Mom. Nathan had told them about it and they have been following this site. Completely flattered. Lesson #3: Nathan is my no. 1 fan and supporter of SMM.
Nathan said: I appreciate Tiffany going to the MBA Social with me. She had other plans but was willing to accommodate a last minute change for me. She is very nice. I loved going out with her because I was able to show her off to my classmates – they still wonder how I got so lucky… so do I.
Another successful date for us. How about you? How did your date go? Comment or link below and tell me about it. I check every link and comment on your dates. I love reading about them. Want to join in on the dating fun? Learn more about Project 52: Date Night and start your date nights this week. Or read about past date nights.
When you link up, please remember…
(image by HW Wang}
While we are all getting ready for Valentine’s Day, I don’t want you to forget about Chinese New Year. It falls on Valentine’s Day this year. Chinese New Year is a big deal in my family. My mom is from Taiwan. I was born in Taiwan. We still have all of my mom’s side of the family living in Taiwan.
Also, my little Elle is turning 1 later this week. I decided to have a little Chinese birthday party for her this Friday with a few family members. We have several major events happening this year and I want to pace myself with all the party planning that I will do or help with this year.
As part of the birthday meal, I will be making this simple fried rice dish.
Ingredients:
Cook rice according to box or rice cooker directions. Set aside. Scramble the eggs and cook over stove top, breaking apart the scrambled eggs while cooking. Set aside. Heat the oil in a wok on medium heat for a few minutes. Toss in the onions/scallions allowing it to cook for a few minutes. Toss in the chicken and frozen vegetables. Cook heating the vegetables thoroughly, frequently stirring. Once heated, toss in the cooked rice. Mixing it well with the vegetables all ready in the wok. Fold in the eggs. Break apart the bouillon cube with fingers and sprinkle over the all the ingredients cooking in the wok. Also salt and pepper to taste. Mix it well.
Will you be celebrating Chinese New Year?
Last week, when I was going on and on about Poladroid.net, I said I was dedicating another Tumblr blog strictly for personal pictures turned Polaroid. When I told Nathan what I did, he wasn’t surprised I started another blog. That’s something I would do… tack on another project. As I found myself saying the words out loud, I realized could have save myself the trouble of doing another blog. How about just posting those Polaroid shots on SMM? Now that’s a time saving idea.
Here are a few to start off, and don’t be surprised if you see more Polaroid photos pop up randomly week by week. I think they are fun.
Congratulations to Jo and Karen for winning the $50 gift certificates to My Kids Art On Canvas! Make sure you check out My Kids Art On Canvas to discover how to have artwork transferred on to canvas as elegant displays in your home or as gifts.
I am a bit eager to bunk Elle and Kaye. I was looking at some bunk beds last weekend and found my favorite five. Well, the pink one was actually Kaye’s favorite because it’s pink. Click on images to see where I found them.
A while ago, Cat asked me to guest blog on Designing Moms. What a honor that was for me because I had been a follower of Designing Moms for a while. Cat herself is an amazing designer creating some of the most beautiful paper products and stationary. Today, we are learning a bit about Cat and her designs. Cat simply said…
My name is Cat and I design a line of stationery goods named “Cat Seto“. I run my design studio and shop in the Russian Hill neighborhood of San Francisco which is just a few blocks from the famed “Crooked Street”. On any given day, you can probably find me climbing up a hill, doodling at the studio or wolfing down a fish burrito at Nick’s Tacos. I also write a blog called Designing Moms. We are all designers…stationery, cake, textile, editorial, toy and many more. We blog about our lives balancing design, creative projects and little ones. I feel absolutely inspired and honored to be in the presence of such amazing women and mothers!
For the first couple of years I would say vintage chic, but I am obsessed with retro/mod patterns as well and find myself mixing and matching those elements with all of my designs.
I’m finding myself more and more inspired by people vs. things lately. I still get completely psyched when I see amazing storefronts or the vintage green muni cars rumbling up and down Market Street…but just the other week I was looking up wild flowers in the middle of the night after meeting an elderly woman at the grocery store who studied horticulture all her life. She was just adorable.
You’re asking the wrong person–I always find myself biting off more than I can chew! Although I’ve learned that if I have to spin a lot of plates, to make sure they are all plates that I want to spin.
I can only learn from my parents who were both instrumental in making sure they were cheerleaders in my creative pursuits without influencing me with their own personal tastes and opinions. I grew up in a small house with a big family and creativity was always my own “thing”…a place to retreat and explore independently.
Can I name two? Sewing and rock climbing. What a way to conquer aversions to needles and heights!
A series of thoughts and searches on Google led me to this awesome site that I am psyched about. It’s Poladroid.net. Nathan was telling me last year about how Polaroid is sooo early ’90s and the company is struggling to survive. I refused to put down Polaroid that way. Although I was not an 80’s child, I did own one Polaroid camera. The Polaroid i-Zone Pocket
How can you not like the click sound when you take the picture. Watching the thick film come out. Shaking it to make it develop faster. Anticipating the candid picture to magically appear in that square box. No other experience like it.
I kept my Polaroid i-Zone throughout college. Had it even when Nathan and I were first married. Finally he convinced me that I couldn’t find film for it anymore in stores. I got rid of it. Still wish I had it.
So, boy, was I glad to find Poladroid.net. Download their free application. Drag digital photos into the Polaroid on your desktop. Wait and watch it develop right before your eyes. Love it. Love it so much that I am dedicating a Tumblr site to it. Remember my goal to practice photography in 2010? This will help. See personal photos of my family at tiffanybird.tumblr.com.
I recommend visiting Poladroid.net. Download the application. Use it. Love it. Donate to support the Polaroid Project.
We postponed our date to Saturday because Nathan had a guys’ night. We both agreed to switch nights since we didn’t have anything planned Saturday night. Lesson #1: Let the guys have some fun as long as date night still happens before the end of the week.
This week’s date night we discussed a book titled Tribes
I tried to make the date setting like a coffee shop. Drinking out of mugs, discussing books. Nathan wanted milk. I opted for a dulce de leche drink we had in the pantry. We had a great time talking about what we liked about the book and how we can apply it to the various projects we are working on. Lesson #3: Learning about the other person’s interests will give you more things to talk about.
Nathan said: I was excited when Tiffany wanted to read and discuss Tribes. We don’t usually enjoy the same genre of books so it was fun to talk about this book and how the principles can push us beyond our comfort limits. The evening was calm and pleasant. I thought the coffee shop theme was creative and made the date special.
If you haven’t joined Project 52: Date Nights, click on the link or visit the button at the top of this page to find out more about our weekly date nights. It is never too late to join!
OK, now it is your turn to link up to your date you had last week. Remember these rules…
We all know the story. We all learned about it at school. At least for those of us living in the United States. We were all affected by it one way or another. It began because Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream. It began there, but didn’t end there. Thank goodness.
Inside all of us, we all have a dream. It may not be something as grand as equal rights for everyone. But it doesn’t mean it is not important. We all have something we are seeking and going after. The lucky ones know what it is they are going after. They have found their purpose. The other ones are still searching for what they are meant to do.
I think I have found my dream. And Simply Modern Mom is helping me achieve it. Simplicity. Not everything in life have to be complicated. It can be simple. Just let it be. I have dedicated this site to the simple things. Everything I have made, everything I have created can be replicated in simple steps. Everything I do is simplified. I wouldn’t exactly call it short cuts. Rather, I think of it as cutting out the unnecessary excess. Trimming off the fat. Going back to the basics. Living on the bare necessity. Remembering what is important. Putting priorities in order.
Simplicity is something I am constantly improving in my life. And in the process, I hope to share with others way to bring simplicity in their lives.
How about you? Have you discovered your dream yet? What are you doing to make it come true?
P.S. Remember to post about your date you had last week. Tomorrow is when you’ll link up about your Project 52: Date Nights.
My shop, The Gift Box, is a place where your purchases come with gift boxes or wrappings. I also designed and created these gift tags to go with the boxes. I designed a few different patterns. Reused paper bags. Tied raffia. Simple and easy.
{image by Kennalyn}
We all have a list of people’s birthday we want to keep track of each year. Several ways of keeping track of it all to fit your lifestyle…
For the paper lover: Make a chart with the month in the heading. Then list each day of the month below it, not set to any days of the week. Fill in people’s birthdays accordingly. Kennalyn.com is offering this free printable birthday calendar (pictured above) on her site for a limited time. It’s free until Jan. 21. After that you can purchase if for $2.
For the online savvy: Hallmark and American Greetings offer free online birthday and special event calendars. They will alert you of the approaching birthdays in advance sending the reminder to your email or phone. You can even keep an address book of people to send cards to and when it is time, you are a few clicks away from having a personal card sent.
For the iPhone user: There is an app for that. Actually several apps ranging from free to $0.99. myDays seems to me to be the best since it allows you to create a personalized eCard that you can send to the person from your phone.
For the computer friendly: If you are already using the calendar on your computer to organize your family calendar, simply turn on the reminder or alert for each person’s birthday.
I am looking forward to 2010. There will be some exciting things happening to our little family of four this year.
The picture is Nathan helping the girls get ready to go out and check the mail. They both wanted to go with dad to check the mail. I am in love with those three.
I am so impressed by the response from everyone about Project 52: Date Nights. Some of you are a bit hesitant. That’s OK. It is quite the commitment to do a date each week. Others were eager to join. Thank you. The outpour of emails, blogs and comments about Project 52: Date Nights has been incredible. Thank you for spreading the word.
Some of you have been blogging along with me showing me dates you have been doing with your special someone. I love it when you leave a link so I can see what you have been doing. So I decided to finally use one of those linky lists to make Project 52: Date Nights more interactive. Beginning next Tuesday at the end of each of my Project 52: Date Nights posts there will be a linky list for you to link to your blog about your date. We can all support each other. Cheer each other on throughout the year. Exchange ideas. Meet new friends. How ’bout it?
Don’t have a blog? That is A-OK. You can still tell us about your dates in the comments. Want to share with me, but not the general public? Email me at tiffany{at}simplymodernmom{dot}com. We need ways to communicate. And I am opening up all sorts of ways for you to communicate with me and with each other.
Also, please spread the word about Project 52: Date Nights. The more people we have to join and follow along, the more ideas we have to exchange with each other. The more support you get to keep you going throughout the year. Let’s show each other some love.
Sorry, but I do have to lay down some general rules and guidelines for the Project 52: Date Nights linky list.
That’s it. We begin next Tuesday. Get your date posts ready!
I love making new blogger friends. So many of you have been so generous in helping to spread the word about Project 52: Date Nights, showing off my master bedroom makeover and sharing my tutorials and DIY projects. I haven’t met many of you, but can I just say how much I love you? A bit much? OK, how about I just call you friends?
Now check out these amazing sites and people…
FedEx started a blog called Out of Office. They contacted me wanting to feature Project 52: Date Nights in one of their posts. Awesome!
Australia’s Craft Blog featured my Bird tree canvases in a post. Oh how I would love to be in Australia right now.
Be Different… Act Normal featured my DIY knob and frame tutorials.
Designing Moms shared my bedroom makeover. Thanks, Cat! We’ll be hearing from her soon.
Craft Gossip posted about my felt hair clip tutorial. I love craft gossiping.
Lyndsey of The Stationary Place featured my snowflakes. If you love stationary or any type of paper crafts (I do!), you have to see Lyndsey’s site.
Sew, Mama, Sew’s list of tutorials included me! Who doesn’t love Sew, Mama, Sew? I adore them. Such a great sewing community.
And I can’t forget the ever so generous Melissa at The Inspired Room who referred all her readers over to me for my big bedroom reveal. She’s the best!
*** This giveaway is closed. Thanks for entering. ***
This is a fun way for your children to display their artwork. Can never find enough ways to do so, huh? My Kaye loves to draw stuff and her masterpieces are everywhere in the house. She is so proud of her art. And if some of your children’s art have sentimental value, My Kids Art On Canvas is a cleaver solution to display their work in a sophisticated way. My Kids Art On Canvas take artwork and transfer it onto canvas. I am thinking this would be great for my own artwork.
It is a three simple step process to have your children’s artwork transferred onto canvas through My Kids Art On Canvas. Scan or mail in artwork. Upload and create an order online. Then enter billing and shipping information. Once they receive your order, it takes about five business days to process it. Simple. Done.
My Kids Art On Canvas is sponsoring this giveaway with $50 gift certificates to 2 winners. This giveaway is open to international readers. Giveaway closes Wednesday, Jan. 20, at 10 p.m. EST. The winners will be announced Friday, Jan. 22.
To enter, do ANY of the following. For multiple entries, do more than one and make sure you leave a separate comment for each entry.
Today is a great day for Autism Speaks. Jessica of Allora Handmade contacted me a while ago telling me of a generous benefit she put together for her nephew Jonathan’s 10th birthday. I will let Jessica take it from here…
“[Jonathan] was diagnosed 8 years ago with Autism, and that diagnosis has drastically changed the life of my sister and all the rest of our family – in so many ways. Every Christmas and birthday I struggle with what to get him that he will really enjoy. Since buying gifts for Jonathan is so difficult, this year for his birthday I plan on having an Autism Awareness benefit sale in my shop. I will load up my shop and from January 13 – 15, I will donate 100 percent of the proceeds to Autism Speaks. I figure the best gift I can give him (and his family) is a chunk of change to help solve the puzzle that is autism.”
Please help support Autism Speaks and Allora Handmade by making purchases at Jessica’s Etsy shop beginning today and ending on Friday. And for every $10 you spend you will be entered to win a $40 gift certificate towards a future purchase at Allora Handmade.
Week 2 of Project 52: Date Nights has all ready brought upon challenges. The original plan was to roast marshmallows outside in Nathan’s new fire pit from Christmas. Then it snowed the night before our date night. And the 17 degrees temperature didn’t melt the snow in time. Way too cold. Lesson #1: Blame the weather.
Then I thought of borrowing the Super Mario Brothers game from our neighbor and playing it on the Wii. Yes, this is the same neighbor who makes the kids do push ups for candy on Halloween. He is the best neighbor ever. And I mean that sincerely. He offered to let us borrow the game because it is so awesome. Except he was going to play the game that same night as our date night with his girlfriend. Dang. Lesson #2: Blame the neighbor.
So… the day of our date I still had nothing. I dug deep into my creative mind and came up with a simple game. A game that Nathan and I have both been afraid to try. A game that all of you, I’m sure, have heard of but called by many names. In our case, I’m calling it First Words. It’s where someone say a word and the second person say the first thing that comes to mind. Nathan and I have avoid playing First Words because we are not good at thinking off the top of our heads under pressure.
After the kids went to bed, Nathan and I cut out the game cards I made. Then we warmed up some apple pie and had date night in our room. We love it so much that we decided to hang out there for the night. The game didn’t turn out too bad despite our nervousness trying something new. We had a great time laughing and discussing our answers and why we thought of whatever it was that came to mind. Lesson #3: Trying something new together makes it easier to do.
Nathan said: This was a fun and simple date night. It was especially nice to relax and enjoy our newly finished bedroom. The word game led to a fun conversation about past experiences and memories related to certain words. We laughed and talked and had some time to ourselves without any distractions.
Want to play the game for your date night? I conveniently made this PDF print out of the First Words game cards for you. These are the cards we used. Have fun and tell me about your date.
Haven’t signed up for Project 52: Date Nights? You can join any time by signing the Project 52: Date Nights Pledge. Then come back each Tuesday to tell me about your date.
I can’t help it. I am kind of proud of this one. This was my very first canvas artwork. I have always wanted to do one. Just didn’t know what to do. Now that I finally did it, I love it. And thank you for all your kind words regarding my first original canvas painting. If you know me, you would know that I’m not the painting, drawing artistic type. So this was quite the accomplishment for me.
This is how the Bird tree canvases came about. Yes, uppercase B because we are the Birds. During the process of making over our bedroom, I couldn’t find a canvas print that I liked and large enough to fill the huge empty wall. I am extremely selective about the artwork in our home. Part of it is my love for art. Part of it is my many years of framing art professionally and seeing exquisite as well as horrendous artwork.
Many of you know of my love for trees. So I thought, a few days before the big bedroom reveal, that I could attempt to paint a huge tree. I sketched and sketched and came up with a design of a large tree. But when I went to purchase the canvas, I couldn’t find the size I wanted. I ended up purchasing two medium size ones. Hm… back to the sketchbook for a second design that uses both canvases.
With some inspiration and suggestions from Nathan, I decided it would be two separate trees. But when put together could look like perhaps it is one tree. I sketched the trees onto canvases then painted it. I used magazine pages for the leaves to add color and uniqueness. I had plenty of magazines to scrap.
Now this is my favorite part of the canvases. The two blue birds and the birdhouse. They have personal meanings to them. The birds: Our last name, Bird. Since this goes in our room, there are only two birds. In other words, no kids allowed. Just a little reminder for us to make each other first in our lives. The birdhouse: Our home. Then I Mod Podge the whole thing a few times and sprayed it with a sealant.
Some of you have asked if I would be willing to reproduce this Bird tree canvases and sell it. I am flattered that some of you like it enough where you would want to have it in your house, too. Wow. First, since the leaves came from magazine pages, I can’t make exact replicas of the canvases. Second, it would be quite costly due to the size of the canvases (24″ x 36″) and the amount of time it takes to create it. Then there’s the shipping cost for something this big. Taking these two points into consideration, if you are still interested in purchasing this then email me at tiffany{at}simplymodernmom{dot}com.
Thanks for all your positive feedbacks. I read all your emails and comments. I love hearing from you.
P.S. My watermark logo isn’t really on the painting. It’s on the photos.
I live in the South. On purpose. I am not a snowy winter type. Give me 70 degrees with sunshine and I’ll be happy. However, my 3-year-old Kaye had been hoping and praying for snow. She desperately wanted to build a snowman this winter. I finally gave in. I also hoped and prayed that Kaye’s snow wish would come true. I guess with the power of both of our wishes, it came true.
Last Thursday around 1 p.m. the snow started coming down. Oh, the face on that little girl’s face. It was priceless. I took the girls out for a little catch-the-snow fun. And by the evening, there were enough snow to make a mini snowman. A dream come true.
The next morning, the snowman looked like he got mugged by a bigger snowman. But the morning view with snow was breath taking.
Messy room and no corner shelves.
Hours before the photo shoot of our bedroom we were still putting things together. Goes to show I DO need deadlines. We were pressed for time as we had a few consecutive dark and rainy days here. I couldn’t take pictures since I used natural lighting in all my photos. I finally scheduled the photo shoot for the day before the reveal when it was forecasted to be sunny outside.
Either way, we still had tons to get done before the shoot. The morning of the shoot I was still finishing up one of the drapes, putting wire on the tree canvases I painted and cleaning up the room. Nathan was out exchanging wall shelves and putting them up along with the canvases. Just wanted you to know that we are like every other family out there. However, I do have an amazing husband who took time off work to help me pull it off in time. No complaints. Just kept asking me, “What can I do next?” Isn’t he great?
My handy man, Nathan helping me put up the canvases. He is very precise with his measurements for wall hangings. I love it.
Elle wanted to help, too. She loved playing with daddy's tools and going through mommy's bags.
Although the bedroom has been revealed, there are still a few things I want to change and do to our room. Many of you have all ready noticed and mentioned many of the things I still want to improve in our bedroom…
As part of SMM’s new addition to the new year, I have a segment called Simply Said where I feature other bloggers and select followers of SMM. Melissa from The Inspired Room is my first guest. She is the reason for the makeover of our master bedroom. She is an inspirational interior designer. Her site is full of marvelous advice and tips for the home. I asked her specifically to help me with a problem I had in my home… keeping the kids and their stuff out of our bedroom. A million thanks to Melissa for sharing her wisdom with us and encouraging me to makeover our bedroom.
I am so excited that Tiffany invited me to share a post on her blog. It was such fun awarding her the HomeGoods gift card and seeing how she has turned her bedroom into a lovely and peaceful retreat.
My husband and I have three children. Two of them have now flown the coup to college, but our 9 year old son is still at home. We’ve experienced all the challenges parents face in trying to keep their sanity while raising children, including how to create a peaceful master bedroom to retreat to as a couple at the end of a long day!
It can be difficult to justify time or money spent on a creating a master bedroom. Not only is it hard to justify it, it is hard to make it happen with kids underfoot! But after being married now for 23 years, I can say with certainty that it is not selfish at all to create a sanctuary for just the two of you! I think a healthy marriage between happy parents is one of the best gifts you can give your kids. If your kids are like mine, they have the run of the rest of the house and take up a lot of our available energy every day. But when we cross the threshold of our bedroom, we need to leave that chaos behind.
Think having a private retreat is an impossible goal right now? Think I don’t know YOUR CHILDREN or YOUR HUSBAND or YOUR HOME? Here are my top five tips that might help get you started, in spite of your own personal challenges!
If your room is overrun by toys, electronics and piles of laundry, it most certainly won’t feel like a relaxing retreat! If your house is small or you have trouble keeping your room clutter free, here is my realistic suggestion for a quick solution: at the end of the day, right before dinner if you can manage it, do the ‘grab & box technique’ (a highly technical term I made up myself.)
Take a big box or laundry basket and gather up all the stray stuff that has made its way to your room and set it “somewhere else.” While you will still have the basket to deal with later, at least your room will feel clean and ready to unwind in at the end of a long day!
Make your bedroom as inviting and beautiful to you as possible. Oftentimes as parents we spend so much money on bills, the kids or the rest of the house we neglect our own space. Pretty doesn’t have to be expensive, and honestly, an inexpensive but pretty room is always cheaper than therapy. Just sayin’.
This is definitely a mom thing to say, but us moms need to follow our own advice! While it is a fairly simple suggestion, it is possibly the most beneficial step we can make in our goal of having a peaceful master retreat. Getting into the habit of making your bed in the morning will set the tone for the mood of the room. It will make you think twice before piling junk on the bed or around the room all day. It will remind you to keep the space sacred, and will hopefully remind the kids that this is not their personal flop house. A bed that is made and set up all pretty only takes a few moments of your day. Time well spent, I think!
In the rest of the house, life tends to revolve around the needs of family. In your personal space, you deserve to be surrounded by everything YOU love. Think about what you want your room to feel like, smell like and look like. Light a candle, turn on a pretty lamp, snuggle in a soft blanket, open the windows for fresh air and breathe a sigh of relaxation. Whatever stage of child-rearing you are in, this is YOUR space– so indulge yourself and your senses.
Once your kids are old enough, they can learn to knock on your closed door and wait for your response. Even if you are just reading a good book you deserve a place in your home where you can enjoy a few moments of peace away from the hustle and bustle of the outside world.
If you do not have a lock, I would encourage you to teach your kids about knocking and waiting until they have been invited in before entering. And even better, if you have kids old enough to read, make a sign for your door that reminds them that you are having a few moments to yourself. I know that isn’t really an option when kids are tiny, but once they enter grade school you can expect them to respect your privacy and stay out of trouble for a short while each day.
Having a master bedroom retreat is important for your sanity and good for your marriage — and those two things are a gift to your children! I know I am inspired by Tiffany’s bedroom makeover and her commitment to weekly date nights this year!
Thanks for allowing me to guest post!
Thank you, thank you. Thanks so much for all your comments, suggestions and questions regarding my master bedroom makeover. I was overjoyed by the responses. Many of you gave great suggestions and I will be working on those next. Many of you also asked wonderful questions that I wanted to answer…
Two reasons actually. One, Nathan and I both like to sit up in our bed leaning up against the wall for support. We do this mostly as we read in bed. Having the frames lower would mean it would be in the way of our heads or backs when we lean against the wall. Two, Nathan pointed out that eventually, when we do get a headboard for the bed, the frames should be high enough where we can keep them there. You can call it laziness.
Knobs on the wall — $32 for 4 (used a gift card we redeemed with our credit card points)
Wall paint — $32 for 2 gallons (used a gift card we redeemed with our credit card points)
Corner shelves — $20 for 2
Decorations from HomeGoods — $200 gift card from The Inspired Room and I think I went over by $17
Thrift store frames — $15 for 4
White spray paint — $15 for 3 cans (used coupons)
Drapery fabric — $20 for 6 yards (on sale + coupon)
Drapery rod set — $13 (on sale + coupon)
Blank canvases — $30 for 2 (on sale 40% off)
Total out of pocket expenses: $130
Everything else we had in the house.
I love Ralph Lauren paints. And Polaris comes from their Thoroughbred Collection. RL has the best colors. All the colors in my home comes from RL. However, I have yet to use actual RL paint on my walls. It’s a bit too pricy for our budget at this time. So I get Home Depot to match the RL colors. One day though, I will be using the actual RL paints. Some day.
I am glad so many of you share the same obsession I have with trees. In fact, the other day Nathan and I watched (500) Days of Summer for the first time and in the scene where they were at a wedding reception at night I noticed the gorgeous tree. I said aloud, “I love that tree!” By then, the scene had passed and Nathan said, “There was a tree?” He had to go back to that scene to see what I was talking about. Trees. Love them.
Anyway, the tree canvases is an original artwork by myself. I have a whole post dedicated to the tree canvases I made coming next Monday.
Two reasons. One, I like to use the high spaces in the room. I think it makes the room look taller. Two, Nathan is relatively tall, 6′2″ to be exact. He comes from a family of giants. The shortest member of his family is his mother at 5′6″. One of his youngest brothers, a twin, is 6′6″. So when we put thing at eye level on the wall, it’s a bit higher for Nathan. Which is fine with me (at 5′6″ myself) in some instances because I have a fear of running into things and hitting my face if it is exactly at my eye level. Maybe I’m a klutz?
I am plain and simple. You probably all ready knew this about me seeing the design of Simply Modern Mom. But may I add the word elegance in there? I like to describe my taste as simple and elegant. I enjoy lots of white spaces, open spaces and empty spaces. It’s another way I feel relaxed. I think we all need to bring back the white space. Simplicity is good in a world of busyness.
Although, some of you have given me some great suggestions about what I can put in the frames if I ever decide to do so. Probably some natural elements coming straight out of my backyard.
It was intended to have Polaris as the color in the room. Then white everywhere else. That’s our how we define tranquil and relaxation. The bed spread, guitar, a couple of the bowls and tree canvases provide a few other colors in the room.
Please keep asking questions. I love answering them. Maybe I should do Q&As more often. What do you think?
I think knobs can be such great decorations on the wall, especially antique knobs. We have knobs in the children’s playroom to hang their artwork. The ones in this tutorial were for our master bedroom room to hang frames above our bed. There are so many other decorations you can hang on these knobs mounted on walls. But first, let’s learn how to mount them. It’s easier than you think. Don’t forget about the tutorial on how to reuse frames to make ribbon hanging wall frames.
Supplies:
1. Use the bolt cutter and cut off the closed end of the screw.
2. Measure where you would like to hang the knob and drill a hole. Look on the wall anchor packaging to see what size drill bit you need.
3. Place the wall anchor in the hole and hammer it flat into the wall.
4. Screw the knob into one end of the double open ended screw.
5. Screw the other end of the screw into the anchor all ready in the wall.
I decided to make hanging wall frames and the knobs as two separate posts. These are the frames that hang over our bed substituting a headboard. A cheap and simple solution that can decorate any plain walls in the house. Having worked as a custom framer for four years in college, I knew how to do the frames pretty easily. I knew exactly what to look for in a good sturdy frame as I searched the thrift stores. And don’t forget the tutorial on how to mount knobs on the wall for the complete look.
Supplies:
1. Take out the glass, backing, artwork and any matting that were in the frame.
2. Wipe the wooden frames with a slightly dampened cloth or paper towel. Allow to dry completely.
3. If the frames have a sealant on the wood, you will need to cover it with paint primer or sand it down to the original wood. And if you sand it, make sure you wipe off all the dust with a clean damped cloth or paper towel. Then let it dry completely.
4. Spray paint the frames. I used Krylon’s spray paint and it worked great getting the sides and creases of the frames.
5. Remove any staples that held the glass and backing of the artwork using a flathead or pliers.
6. Measure and mark where you want the screw eyes to go. Since you will be tying ribbon to it, you will want it closer to the top corners that will hide the ribbons better. Do to both sides of the frame.
7. Use the awl and hammer to punch a small hole in the back of the frame. It doesn’t need to be very deep, but deep enough where it can hold the screw eye while you screw it in the frame. Do to both sides of the frame.
8. Screw the screw eyes into the holes. Do to both sides.
9. Cut and tie ribbons through the screw eye holes. Do to both sides.
Finished! And with the finished product, you can put artwork in them, or put vinyl lettering on the walls within the frames or hang other items or decor within the frames. The ideas are endless. What would you do?
This is now my favorite room in the house… and currently the only clean room in the house. The makeover for our bedroom began in October when I won the gift card to HomeGoods from The Inspired Room. Since then it has been a journey. One that I could see never ending if I didn’t commit to a deadline. And today is it.
Nathan and I talked about what we wanted for this room, our room… tranquility, relaxation and peace. We wanted a room inspired by nature and the color white. When we shopped at HomeGoods, we were drawn to all the white decorations in the store. We purchased beautiful decorations for the room using the $200 gift card. We also bought a drapery rod on Black Friday. Then I made simple drapes, actually two set of drapes. The first set were too cream colored for me. Those will be going in another room. And we painted the room a grayish blue color called Polaris. I am in love with this color. Everything else is accented with white and nickel colored metal.
Here we go with the before (and more before info here) and the after pictures…
So, what do you think? I love it. Other things we’ve done to the room… First, the craft supplies from the cubed bookshelf are now in my newly finagled craft closet downstairs. I needed a place where ALL my craft stuff can call home rather than some here some there throughout our house.
Second, the ugly covered green couch has relocated to the children playroom. That’s something they can spill on and jump on without me worrying about it.
Third, still no bed frame or headboard. But I concocted a simple solution using thrift store frames, ribbons and door knobs. Tutorial for this coming tomorrow.
Forth, at the last minute (as in last Thursday), I came up with an idea to paint a tree on canvas for one of the large empty walls in the room. I have an obsession for trees. Nothing more beautiful in nature than trees. I finished the canvas painting right before the photo shoot with only one layer of sealant. I will be finishing it up this weekend. But it did make it in the shoot. More on this tree canvas in a later post.
Fifth, my parents gave me the wall shelves that I asked Santa for this Christmas. Then we purchased a couple corner shelves. It worked out perfectly. Nathan also sanded the square framed mirrors and spray painted them white.
Sixth, we moved the cubed shelf to the end of our bed and filled with with white colored spine books. Minor details.
And lastly, the filing cabinet moved into our closet and replaced with this table purchased from HomeGoods.
That’s it. That’s the tour of our new room. Any suggestions?
This was long overdue. Our first date in a long time was our first date for Project 52: Date Nights. We had some friends who were crashing at our house for the evening on New Year’s Day after a long flight. We weren’t sure if they would be up for date night with us after a long cross country flight and having to drive several hours home the next day. So Nathan and I moved our date night to New Year’s Eve. Lesson #1: Flexibility is allowed.
January is my month to be in charge. I planned a little in-house New Year’s Eve party for the both of us. We ditched other New Year’s Eve parties because with little kids, we couldn’t keep them up until midnight and a few other reasons mentioned yesterday. Since it was a special occasion being New Year’s Eve, I picked up a few appetizers at the grocery store. Our date nights occur after dinner and after the kids went to bed. Then I had about 30 minutes to prepare the food and for the date. Rather than decorating, I picked the toys off the floor. Having a clean house helps to create a more date-like atmosphere for us. Lesson #2: Simplicity is good. Even something as simple as a clean living room helps to set the mood.
The date consisted of us eating appetizers and talking about some of the things we wanted to do this year — personal goals, family goals, trips, so on and so forth. It was refreshing to have a conversation without interruptions from children. It also got us excited about 2010 and the things we wanted to do… Nathan will be finishing his master’s degree this year. So the possibilities are endless. Lesson #3: It doesn’t always have to be a fancy date. Do what fits your lifestyle and schedules.
We were going to watch a movie and the ball drop, but our power went out around 10 p.m. So we grabbed flashlights and lit candles. I would say the evening was a success even though it ended with power outage. Lesson #4: Things won’t always go as planned, but it can still be fun.
Nathan said: I was excited for this first date. Tiffany did a great job making it feel special and like a date. The food was good and it was fun to talk about some of the fun trips and events we want to do in 2010. When the power went out I thought we might have to cut our date short but with some flashlights and candles we had a great evening. I can’t wait to see what she has planned for this week.
It’s not too late to join us in Project 52: Date Nights. In fact, it is never too late. Even if you don’t join us in having date night once a week, please comment and tell us some fun date ideas you have done. We need all the ideas we can get, well 52 to be exact.
Can I just say… I am excited about 2010. I love the fresh feeling of a new year. We didn’t party hardy for New Year’s. Rather, we stayed home and spent the night relaxing with the kids. It was much needed around here. It would have been impossible for us to party with our friends on New Year’s Eve.
First, Elle came down with pink eyes, ear infection that caused her ear drum to rupture AND strep in the affected ear Christmas Eve. She was also extremely irritable from lack of sleep. Would only allow me to hold her all day long. It also meant I didn’t get much sleep or much done around the house one handed (Elle in the other arm). I tried to get her into pediatric urgent care over Christmas weekend but the wait was over 4 hours long. So she suffered through it like a trooper until I could get her to the pediatrician first thing Monday morning. She is doing much better since she has been on antibiotics for a week now.
Second, it was too cold outside. It is still cold. I am freezing to death here in the South. It’s supposed to be warm. But it’s not. It’s around 12 degrees at night. Brrr.
Third, we couldn’t keep a 3-year-old and a sick 11-month-old up until midnight. My children value their sleep. And I value their sleep too. It’s the only way I get things done around here.
Last, our power went out that night. Yup. Pitch black around 10 p.m. It came back on just before the stroke of midnight. But by then, we were all ready for bed. So no ball drop for us.
We still had fun. We can use more relaxing night around here.
Happy 2010 to you!
September 3, 2009: I entered our despairing master bedroom in a contest at The Inspired Room. Melissa of The Inspired Room was giving away $200 gift cards to HomeGoods. This was when our bedroom was the storage room for all things that didn’t fit anywhere else in the house. Hence, despairing. See link for proof.
October 2, 2009: The winners were announced for the HomeGoods gift cards giveaway and Melissa picked me as one of the winners! And the journey of our bedroom makeover began.
This week I will focus on our bedroom and the transformation it has gone through since winning the gift card. Tomorrow will be my big ta-da! bedroom reveal. There will be an abundance of before and after shots. And I won’t forget about posting about our first date night for Project 52: Date Nights. Wednesday I will post a few home decor tutorials. Thursday, we will hear from Melissa giving priceless tips for the home. She is an amazing woman. Someone who really knows how to decorate. Lastly, I’ll have Friday’s 5 at 5’s list of things I still need to do to our room. It’s an never ending project, isn’t it?
Now back to how I spent my $200 gift card at HomeGoods. It was so much fun spending money that doesn’t come out of my own pocket. I had never stepped foot in a HomeGoods before until that day. Shopping at HomeGoods was a treasure hunt. There will always be something new each time you go in, never know what to expect. If they have it, they have it. If they don’t, check back next time. Or that may be the last one they will ever have. It was adventurous hunting for the best bargain and matching decors. I had to really control myself from purchasing items for the kids’ rooms, bathrooms or the kitchen. I was dedicated to spending the full $200 on just our bedroom. I made three HomeGoods trips before spending all $200.
I gave you a sneak peek back in November of some of the items I purchased. Now you can look…
2 torch lamps… just my style.
1 large milk jug and 2 sets of the dry plants.
2 lanterns.
4 gorgeous flower vases. I absolutely love these.
Another view of the vases.
1 clear vase and 1 package of natural potpourri to go in it. Our room smells divine.
1 set of weaved fruits and 2 bowls to put them in…
1 jewelry tree stand I have been wanting eons ago.
1 table with a drawer.
2 metal wall hangings.
It’s a new year. Time for a fresh start. Another year wiser, right? This is what I hope to accomplish personally in 2010…
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