Wordless{ish} Wednesday: A few fun finds

{You might be wondering just what's been keeping me busy these days, or at least busy enough to be dropping the ball left and right in regards to keep up this blog.  Well, I'll tell you--I've been busy finding fabulous vintage things all over the place thanks to local thrift shops and estate sales.  If I keep this up I really am going to have to consider opening up my own little vintage store.  Captain Husband thinks I'm nuts for buying quilts when we live in the desert, but we won't always live in El Paso, right?}

{I found this lovely Arts and Crafts drop-front desk at an estate sale a few weeks ago; the estate was of a couple who had owned their own antique store, so going through their house and giant garage had me feeling like a kid in a candy store.}

{This stunning step-back cupboard came from the same estate; it had been hidden at the very back of the garage and no one seemed to notice it.  Of course, they probably had more sense than me and realized that moving an 8' tall and 4' wide ONE-PIECE cupboard just wasn't worth the trouble.  Thank goodness the ceiling in my garage is high; this thing just barely fit inside with only a few inches to spare.  The movers are going to hate me the next time we have to PCS.}

{And last, but not least, is one of my favorite thrifted treasures: a full set of vintage Lustro Ware yellow kitchen canister set, bread box, and salt and pepper shakers.  I honestly don't think they've ever been used--the bread box still has the Good Housekeeping seal of approval sticker on it.  I found them at a thrift store in New Mexico and nearly did a little dance when I realized that the bread box was filled with the other things and that they were all included in the already ridiculously low price.  I think these might be my best thrift store find to date!}

Wordless{ish} Wednesday: When Sammy met Charlie

{Charlie and I came home from the hospital yesterday and we've slowly been integrating into family life.  Sammy is very interested in his little brother, or at least as interested as the average two-year-old can be; he even brought some of his cars over to Charlie to share them with him.  And in other news, pain killers are my best friend right now.}

Worldess{ish} Wednesday: Just hanging out

{Some days you just really have to let it all hang out.}

Wordless{ish} Wednesday: Baa, baa, black sheep

{Some of you may remember that my oldest and dearest friend, Aubree', was expecting a baby boy this summer--well, I'm pleased as punch to announce that she and her husband welcomed their not-so-little bundle of joy on Friday; baby Andrew weighed in at a whopping 8 lbs, 14 oz and was 21 1/4" long!}

{I knew that Andrew's nursery was going to have a lambs theme, so I used some of my time while on bed rest to make him a mobile based on this adorable tutorial.  And in true procrastinator's form, I didn't have the whole thing done until Andrew made his arrival on Friday--so much for being on top of things!}

{I hope Andrew, Aubree' and Sean like it--it's so cute that I'm starting to think that I need to make one for my own little guy, who is more than welcome to make his arrival any day now, hint hint.}

Wordless{ish} Wednesday: A trip to the zoo

{Yesterday was one of those rare days in El Paso where the temperature wasn't expected to climb above the low 90s and it was overcast for most of the morning--basically, it was downright pleasant outside, which is unusual for the end of July around these parts.  We had nothing planned for the day so I suggested that we head to the zoo and take in the sights while taking advantage of the break in the weather.}

{This parrot spent the better part of the morning perched like this and squawking loudly at anyone and anything that walked by; it was almost like he was saying, "HEY YOU!  CHECK OUT WHAT I CAN DO!  I BET YOU CAN'T DO PULL-UPS WITH YOUR TOES."}

{Sammy's favorite exhibit at the zoo is the sand cat display--he loves going up to the glass and talking to the "kitties."  I thought it was kind of funny to see the cardboard boxes and paper bags scattered amongst the more natural aspects of their enclosure; I guess all cats love curling up inside of boxes.}

{We then made our way over to the sea lion display so that we could all sit and relax for a bit (and enjoy a snack or two).  I could have sat and watched the sea lion's underwater ballet for hours; it was just so mesmerizing and hypnotic the way he moved through the water.}

{It's amazing how much different this trip to the zoo was compared to the last time that I took Sammy there in December; he's so much more aware of the different kinds of animals that were on display and was really putting two and two together based on what he remembered from his picture books about animals.  Plus Sammy is now tall enough that he can see over most of the fences and barriers, which I'm sure made the visit all the more interesting for him now that he can actually see the animals in their enclosures.  What a difference a few months makes!}

Sewing machines

{With my mom here, I've definitely noticed a drastic increase in the amount of sewing going on in this house.  It's just so nice having someone else to work with, especially when that other someone can cut out patterns because you're too cumbersome to get down on the floor any more.  It also helps that a bunch of friends are expecting babies or just recently had babies, so I've got a lot of gifts to finish up and send off--my mom and I have been turning out blankets and car seat canopies like an assembly line.}

{We haven't forgotten about Sammy, though--my sewing skills still revolve primarily around sewing straight lines, but my mom is considerably more advanced, so she's making Sammy a pair of summer shortalls, complete with a pocket embellished with a vintage Grover iron-on.  He's going to be stylin'.  What projects are you working on?}

Up, up & away: Sammy's second birthday

{Sammy's been obsessed with airplanes for about the last six months, so when it came time to choose a theme for his second birthday party, it was pretty much a no-brainer.  I decided to use the same color scheme as last year because 1. I like it and 2. I could re-use some of the party supplies and decor that I had saved from Sammy's first birthday.  The invites are actually do-it-yourself stickers that I designed and cut out; the scalloped cards were leftovers from the big wedding that Captain Husband and I started planning for but wound up never having.}

{I also designed and cut out stickers to be used as cupcake toppers and tags on the party favors.  Believe it or not, I did everything using free software like Pixlr and PicMonkey; the airplane is based on a photo that I took of an airplane that's currently "flying" over a junkyard about ten miles from our house.}

{Using this tutorial, I made a dozen airplanes from craft sticks and wooden clothespins that I spray painted in the birthday boy's colors; I then stuck them on my ubiquitous yarn wreath hanging on our front door and made a mini banner using cloud stickers that I found for 50% off at the Hobby Lobby.}

{Since Sammy had several toy planes in his collection, I used them as decorative anchors for the helium balloons that were leftovers from last year's party.  I also made a banner out of some adorable gingham fabric that I had thrifted a few months back following this tutorial.  My mom was kind enough to fold a bunch of the giant paper airplanes that I then hung throughout the house the day of the party.}

(The Happy Birthday banner is another decoration that I made leftover from last year; I used the rest of the clothespin planes to make a mobile that I hung in front of the kitchen window.  I plan to re-hang the mobile in the boys' bedroom, but for now I'm still enjoying it's cheerful colors in the kitchen.}

{It's like déjà vu all over again: I used the same vanilla and vanilla buttercream frosting recipe that I used for Sammy's party last year and I honestly think they were even better the second time around.  I had scored an airplane cookie cutter at the thrift store a few weeks ago so I (and by I, I mean my mom) made citrus sugar cookies for this party as well--they were pretty darn good, too!}

{And last but not least, the party favors--since Sammy and his friends all seem to be of the age that really enjoys coloring, I decided to make some crayon rolls following this tutorial.  You can just toss them in your diaper bag or purse--no more scrambling for loose crayons while your kid throws a fit at your local restaurant--the perfect party favor for today's toddlers.  To save you all from photo overload, I'll be sharing some of the candid photos from the party tomorrow, so be sure to stop back!}

A connoisseur of comfort

{I feel like I've been burning the candle at both ends preparing for Sammy's birthday this Saturday--holy crap, I'm going to have a two-year old in the house!--and as a result, I've been staying up late and working through Sammy's nap time just about every day this week...that is, on the few occasions when he actually deigns to go to sleep.}

{I think I need to take a page or two from Miss Sandy Cat and get serious about lounging about without a care in the world; after all, it certainly looks very relaxing.}

Wordless{ish} Wednesday: Vintage handkerchief pillow tutorial

{I came across a great little book entitled Sew a Beautiful Gift (Claire B. Shaeffer, Sterling Publishing Co.; New York, NY, 1986) while out thrifting last week and I just couldn't pass it up as it was chock full of easy-to-follow patterns for everything from tote bags to children's aprons.  One of the tutorials in the book was for a one-piece pillow that was perfect for a vintage handkerchief that I bought for a dollar at an estate sale last week, although any piece of square fabric will do.}

{After you've followed the first two steps, turn the pillow right-side out and then fill with whatever you happen to have on hand.  Once your pillow is stuffed, hand-stitch the opening closed; if you're feeling truly wild and crazy, feel free to add a button to the center of the pillow to give it a nice, tufted look.  Then sit back and admire your handiwork!}