Bunkbeds (Part 2)

Last Sunday, we headed to town to get bunkbed supplies as I mentioned in Part 1. After work on Monday, my handyman built the loft bed!

Following Ana White's loft bed plan, G did most of the assembly outside.

Then he brought it into J's room and finished setting it up.

The plans are awesome and the bed is sturdy!

J was so very excited to be up there!

Yes, it has rails; these pictures were taken while Daddy was outside building the rails and ladder.

I'll let you know, J isn't fearless. Just a few weeks ago he went on strike against the basement stairs and would not go down them because he was afraid he would fall. I was worried that he'd be a little scared of his new bunkbed's height and the stair he had to climb.

But no! I could barely catch him in the act with the camera! He's has no problem with the stairs at all, either up or down!

Neither has little brother. Well, it took him a few days to figure out the stairs and his crawling back down freaks ME out, but he's got the hang of them too!

A few days after my husband built the fort bed, he adapted the plans for short legs and built J2's bed. It's free-standing and exactly the same as the upper bed, down to the side rail. J2 is 22 months old and is just transitioning out of a crib, so we wanted him to be secure. The rail can easily be removed when he's a little bigger.

The boys LOVE their new beds! They play on them a lot and seem to enjoy sharing a room. Nap time and bed time are a bit more challenging, but we're getting there! 

The only thing I don't like about the beds is making them. How do you deal with the sheets and blankets and tucking in? Any hints?

DIY Photo Canvases

There seems to be quite a few projects going on around here. My new curtains are here and I'm fighting with the hardware to get them hung... My husband made part one of the new beds for the boys and plans to finish the second bed tomorrow. Then there's the regular stuff I don't choose to blog about--making bread, doing laundry, sorting clothes for my growing boys and going through baby clothes--only 9 weeks left!

So while all of the above is going on, how about a pre-blog crafty/decor post? Even better, here's a link to a Throwback Thursday party where you can see other bloggers pre-blogging projects!

I've also linked up to Get Your Craft On at Today's Creative Blog.

Since I always seem to have a back story, here's the picture first.

Now the story: I was looking for inexpensive art for my condo back in the day when I was a Young Urban Professional. Yes, I was a yuppy along with the best of them! I had just spent Christmas in Paris (go here for a fun story about that trip) and the week after in London, so I had tons of great pictures. I noticed some art in a pastor-friend's office and knew right away I'd found my inexpensive art project! (That pastor later did the pre-marital counseling for my husband and me. He signed papers at our wedding, his little girl was our flower girl... Sadly he was killed instantaneously while riding his bike a year or two later. I have homemade art on my walls that reminds me of him and how fragile life can be. And yet I was grumpy at my kids this morning...)

Back to the art!

I waited for a sale and a coupon at Michael's and bought six large canvasses.

I printed my favorite six shots from my trip on 8 x 10 photo paper.

I had just helped a good friend paint her house, so I knew she had this amazing brown paint from Eddie Bauer (this was 6 or 7 years ago now, so I don't remember what it was!).

I rolled the paint on the canvas then stuck my picture down where I wanted it while the paint was still very wet. I was worried that the photo paper would bubble, but it didn't!

When the brown paint dried, I used black on the edges and around the picture to act as a frame within a frame. (My friend's art in his office was bright yellow with red accents and used pictures from a calendar!)

Last, I used stickers to spell out the name of the place where I took the picture. 

I love my inexpensive, personalized art! It's been on the walls of three homes now. Hope you enjoyed it too!

Bunkbeds (Part 1)

On Sunday after a yummy breakfast, my husband hooked up the trailer and we loaded the boys in the car to go on a family outing. Town is an hour away, remember? We don't take these things lightly! 

So where did we go? To get bunkbed supplies!

We chose to go with this plan from Ana White.

http://ana-white.com/2010/05/furniture-plans-loft-bed.html

I know, it's a loft bed, but my husband plans to make a second bed just like the top part of the bed and we'll put it under the loft perpendicularly. 

When we got home (by way of Japanese food and yummy ice cream!), my handyman went to work measuring...

marking...

 and cutting.

And that's where the project stands for now! I'll keep you posted. 

Curtains!

So you know those ads for curtains that have been popping up all over your favorite monetized blogs? Well, updating the curtains in our living room is one of the things I wanted to do in our living room makeover. (If you missed it, here are some of my ideas for the new look.)

I clicked on the ad for curtainworks.com that I kept seeing and was pleasantly surprised! I ended up ordering the Sailcloth Cotton Canvas panels in light blue.

curtainworks.com

I thought about making my own dropcloth curtains because I've seen so many lovely ones around blogland. I really wanted grommet-topped curtains though, so I did a little pricing of grommets and dropcloths and wasn't sure I could make them for less than I could buy ones that were already hemmed. I also thought of just buying the material by the yard and making my own... Again, the price was right to go ahead and buy them. I thought it would be nice to have a color on the wall that didn't involve paint--it's a little easier to switch seasonally. 

The final part of the decision was finding a coupon code. I googled 'coupon code curtainworks' and got this: CWB6. It's good through April for 25% off and free shipping on all orders!

I ordered three 84" panels for $17.99 each. With my coupon code, the total order came to $44.99! So far I'm thrilled with my purchase. Can't wait to actually see the curtains! 

Mommymoon

I took a vacation.

Georgetown

Oh yes, I did!

DC-driveby

It just so happens that my BFF is also my SIL. Back before Christmas, the two of us started brainstorming how we could see each other. She and my brother live in Virginia, so a road trip was out; my husband is saving his time off for when the baby is born, and I wasn't even going to entertain the idea of flying with my two boys. Can you imagine?! So that left just me.

Yours truly

Fast forward through the rest of the brainstorming which involved my MIL and some strategic timing, and what happened is this: I got on a plane by myself, flew to Virginia, and spent 7 days relaxing and catching up with my brother and sis-in-law! 

Jefferson Memorial

I know it doesn't really sound like a big deal, but 7 nights of uninterrupted sleep (except for my 8-months-pregnant trips to the bathroom), sleeping in, enjoying hot drinks, long showers, trips to Target, Antropologie, Dean & Deluca, IKEA, Caribou Coffee, dinners out, cooking at home... all without interruption or 'help' or naps or bedtime!

SIL's coffee house of choice

It left me refreshed and ready for the last 10 weeks of this pregnancy, getting the garden planted, projects around the house, and the daily routine with my little guys.

Have you seen TLC's "DC Cupcakes"?

Who I missed like crazy!!! 

IKEA

Seriously, when J2 was born, J1 only was gone for the day (a benefit of homebirths!). I've left both boys with sitters for a few hours but never overnight. This was a big deal for us! My MIL came and took care of everyone and I will be eternally grateful. 

Anthropologie

I loved my time on vacation and am so glad I took the opportunity. The time away also helped me appreciate my wonderful husband and my adorable little boys.

Dean & Deluca

It's good to be home.

Pregnancy Update-30 Weeks

How Far Along: 30 Weeks

Size of baby: Approximately 3 pounds (like a head of cabbage) and 15.7 inches. 

http://www.babycenter.com

Maternity Clothes: All the time. No hiding the bump now! Some of the things that fit well at first are getting too small, but I haven't had to pull out the tents yet. ;)

Gender: My husband is convinced it's a girl, but I'm afraid to commit to that! We would be thrilled with a boy too.

Movement: Yes, lots, and usually at predictable times too. So fun!

What I miss: Being able to be on my feet longer; taking walks, tying my shoes...

Sleep: Only a couple positions are comfortable, but I'm managing.

Symptoms: I'm starting to get tired more. I definitely need some down time during the day--thankfully my boys still nap. I also get a crazy tightness in my stretched-out abs when I'm on my feet for very long.

Best Moment This Week: Looking forward to hearing that sweet little heartbeat at my midwife appointment on Thursday!

What I am looking forward to: Meeting our little one!

Black Beauty

You know how you always feel prettier in a little black dress? Or pants... Or stretchy maternity pants and a tent-like top, as in my case. :) Something beautiful happens with such a striking color. 

Case in point:

Here's the before:

We got this very well-made dresser from craigslist two years ago for $20. It had a white-washed finish with dull brass knobs on the top four drawers and the same color handles on the bottom. I spent hours sanding this thing to get that wash off! I wasn't a blogger and didn't care about 'before' pictures, and I hadn't been introduced to spray paint and its amazing ability to change ugly hardware into something pretty! I used a light stain and poly'd the dresser and new wooden knobs, then moved it into my second son's room. It worked perfectly as a changing table for almost two years.

Then I met this pair...

So... the other more practical and better made dresser had to go! But not without a makeover.

Love the new black dress(er)!