aqua, orange, & lime green baby boy's room...

Now that my kiddo is a year old, I guess I'll go ahead and post some pics of his nursery.

FINALLY.  Sheesh.

There wasn't the best light for picture-taking today...but the toys and books and laundry were all cleaned up, so I had to strike while the fire was hot!  His room is also really small and kind of hard to photograph, but whatev.  You'll get the idea.

I love the color palette and the dinosaur theme is there, but not over the top.  My goal was to make things easy to swap out if/when his interests change as he gets older.

I edited out my little one's name in this shot. 

Trying to protect his future privacy.  (You're welcome, son.)

Just imagine SUPER cute orange wood letters spelling the most adorable little boy's name you can think of. :)

I'm really glad I made this little gallery wall in the corner here.  Since it's right behind the glider where we often sit, he looks at all of the fun decorations back there all of the time.

I really need to put some stuff on his little cork boards, though.  Another one of those things I've been meaning to do...

And how cute is this stuffed triceratops?  I was searching for a good dinosaur with no luck, but grandma came through!  It even matches the nursery's color scheme.  Can't beat that.

The decor is pretty simple on this side of the room.
The gallery wall on in the other corner is plenty busy.

Putting a mirror above the changing table has proven to be great choice.  It's helpful when the kid is grumpy after a diaper change or whatever.  (Heaven forbid he hold still for 30 seconds!)  His own cutie face cheers him right up.

And I love seeing his newborn portraits all the time.  He has grown up so fast!  It's sweet to reminisce on his itty bitty baby days.  Well, as itty bitty as a 10 pound newborn can be... :)

Anyway, it's a happy little room that came together much like I had imagined.  I like being in there, and I like to think my son does, too!

Here are some links to other posts involving the decor in this room:

Dino Quilt

Graphic Alphabet Canvas

Mod Podge Dino Wall Decor

Song Lyric Canvases

3-D Wood Dino Puzzle

Changing Pad Cover

Adjustable Fabric Bunting

car seat canopy...

Hey friends!  I know what you're thinking...

"Isn't she supposed to be on maternity leave?"

Well...this stubborn little boy of mine is very overdue.

 Sad face. :(

So I took advantage of the extra time on my hands and sewed up one last baby project before he gets here--a car seat canopy to keep him covered out in the elements or when napping (and to prevent strangers at the grocery store from touching my kid!).

Here's what you need if you'd like to make one of your own:

Two cuts of fabric - 1 1/4 yards each (Mine are both cotton--the dino print & a lime green solid.)

Two small cuts of fabric - 8 x 4 inches (I used more of the lime green.)

Two small cuts of fabric - 8 x 3 inches (I used black/white dots from my scrap bin.)

Sew-On velcro

Thread, pins, rotary cutter, iron, etc.

**Pardon the step-by-step photography...It got dark while I was sewing.  (Oh, the joys of winter!)**

Place your yardage right sides together and trim them up so they are the same size--cut off selvages, square up sides, etc.  (You may want to drape it over your car seat to check what will be the best length and width to fit your seat.) Then place a large bowl at each corner and use it as a guide to round off the corners.

Sew all the way around the edge with a 1/4" seam allowance, making sure to leave a gap for turning.

Clip around the corners to reduce bulk.

(I forgot to take a picture, so here's one from my receiving blanket tutorial.)

Turn right side out, press with your iron, and top stitch all the way around.  Make sure to close up your gap!  You should now have what basically looks like a blanket with rounded corners.

Now we make the straps.

Line up the long sides of your two strap fabrics right-sides together and sew using a 1/4" seam allowance.  You should end up with two "blocks" of fabric like this:

Then line up the other long sides and sew.  Since one fabric is wider than the other, you'll end up with a tube like this:

Turn the tube right-sides out and press flat with your iron, creating a "trim" look.

(So, the back of my straps are solid green and the front are dots with green edges.)

Fold in the raw edges of the tube 1/4", press, and top stitch 1/8" all the way around your strap.

Now cut your velcro to the desired length (I did 2 1/4 inches.) and sew it to the ends of your straps.  The "top" piece needs to be sewn on the underside (green) and the "bottom" piece needs to be sewn on the front (dots).

Next, I pinned my straps to the canopy where I thought they might need to go, then put it on my car seat.  I made adjustments until it hung how I liked and the straps were in a good spot on the handle.  (I did mine wider than most canopies I've seen...I didn't want the straps in the way of the handgrip area.)  Once I got the straps arranged how I liked, I sewed them to the canopy with 3 rows of stitching.

And that's it!

If I made one again, I would probably trim my canopy fabric a little narrower and a little shorter so the corners wouldn't graze the floor.  But considering I just winged it, I think it turned out pretty well!

Now I just need Baby to get here so I can put it to use. :)

3-D wood puzzle as decor...

If you're looking for an inexpensive way to add some modern decor to your home or kids' rooms, look no farther than an inexpensive 3-D puzzle.

I picked up this balsa wood dinosaur puzzle for a buck or two at Michaels.

They generally have lots of different animals to choose from.  I just used wood glue to adhere all the pieces together and gave it a bright coat of paint.

Viola!  Instant sculpture.

Perfect for a display shelf or dresser.

And if it eventually gets broken or we change out the dino theme in my son's room, it was only a $2 project...so no big deal.

mod podged dinosaur wall decor...

I'm excited to finally have a post to share...

Baby will be here in 6 weeks, so I've got to get this nursery done!

I mentioned previously that I have a ton of half-finished projects in the works.  That is still true.  But I've had a lovely baby shower, a not-so-lovely stomach virus that landed me in the hospital for IV fluids, and a weekend trip away for a Mormon Tabernacle Choir concert to keep me busy.  So I'm happy to finally have this cute dinosaur wall decor project completed and on display.

I was originally contemplating making a mobile, but this image on Pinterest caught my eye.

I think those little elephants are just cut out of paper, but I already had some balsa wood brontosaurus shapes on hand.   I thought they would be perfect for a more permanent wall hanging.

For this project, you'll need:

balsa wood shapes of your choice

craft paint & brushes

scrapbook papers

xacto knife

mod podge

nail file or sandpaper

yarn, twine, or ribbon

tape or glue

Start by sanding the edges of your little wood shapes, if necessary.  I like to use a nail file...it's easier to hold and maneuver in tight spots.

Next, place one of your shapes on a piece of scrapbook paper...

...and cut around your shape.

Repeat until you have all your papers cut out and ready to go.

I wanted the edges of my wood shapes to be painted a contrasting color, so I went ahead and painted the whole shape.  It's easier than just trying to do the edge.  

(If you'd like to leave your wood natural, that works, too.)

Next, apply a coat of mod podge to the surface of your wood shape AND to the back of your paper cutouts.  Position the paper on top of each shape, smooth in place, and allow to dry.

Once dry, you can burnish any roughly cut edges of the paper with your nail file.  Then top with a coat of mod podge and allow to dry.

Now all you have to do is adhere the shapes to your yarn or ribbon and hang them up!

They add a fun pop of color and pattern to the room.

Mine are going to be a part of a little gallery wall/picture grouping that I'm looking forward to showing you later!