Take me out to the ballgame...

I have been brainstorming {as many of you already know} about Brayden's soon to be big boy baseball room.  Oh my, the ideas I have found.  I am loving this idea for painting his bed...what do you think?

And look at this baseball stadium chair?  How cute would that be?

I love LOVE love this stitch paint technique on the walls...darling.

I also love the red furniture in this room too.  The lampshade is adorable as well.

My very talented and artistic neice Molly is going to paint custom baseball pictures for Brayden {with Brayden} for his room.  I am so excited to frame the work, and get them up-how neat and special will that be?

Love this table...I could totally make this...I know it....

I also love the idea of putting lockers in his room.  They need to be red though...

Ugh...I LOVE these roman shades for his room.  I will make these...they are WAY too pricey to go and buy...

And last, but certainly not least.  Who would not love an organized wall like this one?  I love the PB chairs too.  I know I could make those...just need to figure out a pattern of sorts.  It's definately on my project list.

A Humble Artist...

My beautiful and very humbly talented neice Molly created a unique piece of artwork for a contest online.  She visualized the concept and made it happen! 
Well...it paid off-she won first place!
 Molly has had a knack for art since her early childhood.  She is full of so many ideas, and creations! What's even better is that she is so humble about it.  She is last person to tell you she is an artist.  {when if I were her I would be proclaiming it to the world!}  I know, I sound like a very overly proud and bias Aunt.  I am proud of her, but bias I am not-this chicky has some SERIOUS talent.  If only I could show you all of the things she has painted, drawn, created, molded and so forth I would...but that would require me breaking into their house and all...and I do try to respect their privacy ;-) 

I'm just sayin'. 
The Neon Hive {a multi-disciplined creative agency based on the south coast of lil' auld Great Britain} wrote this about her peice, "Molly’s entry entitled “The Flip Side” stole our hearts and the competition for several reasons: an original “spin” on interpreting the brief, unique handcrafted art (true DIY indeed) and for introducing an element of fun and vivid colour which really depicts the spirit of Damien Hirst’s “spin painted” skulls."
Did you see that part "stole our hearts"? 
All I could think when I read that was that if they could only see her, meet her or get a chance to talk even five seconds with her in person---
SHE would steal their hearts. 
She is just a doll, genuine, real, funny as hell and just...well...a total doll.
She is just artistically brilliant, and I had to show off the article that was written about her piece of artwork.
 I am so so proud of you Molly.  We are so proud of you.
I love you & Congratulations!!! 

You can read the original article on why she won by clicking HERE.

Here is the piece she created for the contest:

Sixpence...

A sixpence will soon be in her shoe.  I am so excited for her and her fiance' Blair.  My beautiful cousin Leah is engaged!!!  They will get married in California in April...just a few months away.  I am hoping we can attend. I am so excited for them.  Here are some of their gorgeous engagement photos.  Congratulations Leah and Blair.  We love you and are so very happy and excited for you both.  Much love.

Aren't these photos just to die for?  They are more than beautiful.  I love them!!!

Please Vote...

We entered Brayden and his Halloween Costume in a Costume Contest for CuteKids.com

We are really hoping we win!  How cool would that be?

You can vote once per day from your pc.  Please encourage everyone you know to vote. 

We are really hoping we win!  How cool would that be?

Ha ha-okay...I'll stop now...but it would be really cool. 
Click HERE to vote...and {thanks in advance}.

Our little Drummer...

Brayden loves to drum, so it was only fitting he be a drummer for Halloween.  I made a trip to WalMart late late lastnight in search of items to make this little drummer costume happen.  Fur, buttons, some black pants, a red shirt, ribbon, fringe, glitter, polyfoam, and hot glue later....this is what Mommy made {until 3am I might add} the night before Halloween. 

When I got the costume on him tonight, he quickly looked down at the fur on his sleeves and pet it so lovingly.  He then looked at me and said "puppy"!  "Ah, no Bray, that's fur baby, not a puppy!".  I thought for sure after that comment that showing him the hat I made was really gonna freak him out!

Oh the hat.  I will admit that in making this costume, that hat was indeed the hardest part.  I was trying polyfoam on Brayden's head in his sleep to make sure I could make this thing fit.  Trying to cut its shape was not any easier, and the hot glue involved left me with three blisters on my poor fingers. 

It was so worth it though.
Brayden had so much fun marching around telling everyone that he was "a drummer".
 He said " hi-see" for trick or treat, and {elcome} and {ankyou} to almost everyone he saw.
  It was quite precious to watch.

At one point he boycotted walking any further until we gave him a "sticky" aka: sucker.
 He could not figure out why it was so important to get all of this candy, only to put it in his little drum container!
 He finally had enough with getting candy he wasn't eating.
Stinker.

He finally stood up long enough to make sure the candy was still there, and to help Daddy pick out just the right "sticky".

Once he found the right one, and we inspected it and handed it over....we got our happy little drummer back...
Sticky, red lips and all...
{Yes, we know...we are suckers!  No pun intended}

He soon ran out of his little sugar rush, and decided to take a rest...
on a strangers front porch...
while insisting we "wing" with him.

Finally a pooped out little peanut with Mommy at the end of the night. 
He fell asleep in almost record time this evening.

I had so much fun making your costume this year again Brayden.  It makes me feel like my Mom-she always used to make things/costumes for us.  I am proud that you walked so far tonight, and with so much zeal and excitement.  You were so polite and so happy. 

We love you little drummer.

 Happy Halloween Brayden!

To paint or not to paint???

I acquired this bed.  It was a steal at 29 bucks. It has side rails as well when all put together, and it is actually a three quarter inch bed...almost a full size.  I am still in search of a mattress and box spring that size...but back to the bed.  It is a depression style bed per the antique dealers I contacted about it.  They said it's not really worth much of anything these days and if I wanted to paint it I could.  I really had my heart set on something else for Brayden's first big boy bed, but I don't have the extra $450 bucks laying around to buy it right now...so I am thinking about painting this bed and using it for his room.  Red perhaps with some stain over the distressed sanded edges?  Maybe an antique white slightly distressed.  Black even?  Help me ladies....what do you think?  Also-if you have any advice on how to pait this so it does not LOOK painted...I'm all ears.  The dealer I talked to said to spray paint it...I was thinking of using a small roller.  I don't know.  I need advice.

Head board:

Foot board:

{I want it....please}...

I have been telling Brayden to ask for "help" if he needs something, or to say "I want this-or that" to encourage communicating and not whining, or getting frustrated.  So...for the last few months he would get frustrated with something, whine a bit, throw a little tantrum, and eventually say..."ummm-help me, help me".  Progress right?  Well today he figured it all out.  He wanted a piece of Candy Corn.  I told him to tell me what he wanted and he replied, "ummm, I wann it-pees" {I want it please} while pointing at the candy corn.  I happily gave him one, and he told me "hankooo, elcome".  I was so ticked he told me he wanted it, and so politely, then followed it up with thank you AND welcome!!!  That is until I realized later on that it's all over now.  He is now going to WANT everything. 

Uncle Todd and Molly were laughing AT with me tonight about this.

 Ha ha! :-)