Creating a New Play Yard for Little Marin

My Little Miss Marin has no where to play..... What is a mother to do?

Well, with Mommy's design skills and Daddy's building skills I think she is covered!

We decided to turn our old, boring dog run into a play yard for Marin.

So... The Madness Begins.

What better inspiration for a little playhouse than the beloved home I grew up in in Ohio!

Here it is... in all it's glory, just like we left good ole Leith Street. I was recently contacted on facebook by the current owners letting me know they found the time capsule I made when I was ten. Funny Right? It brought back all the wonderful memories I had in that house and inspired me to create a replica for Marin's play yard.

This is what we are working with.. not much to see.

Day One. Laying the Deck. Dave and my Dad are two HANDY guys:)

Finished Deck.

Day Two. Framing It all out and adding the Windows.

A Happy Little Customer.. She is playing in it already!
Find the Free Play House Plans Here.


Day Three, Four, Five and Six. Siding and roofing.

Daddy poses for a Roof Shot.


We added a door we found from remnants in "as is" at Ikea, mailbox, house numbers, flower boxes from Biglots and fake flowers from the dollar store. But wait.... something is missing. Oh yes! The picket fence and flower bed full of real flowers.

Well............ Here it is..... the finished project!

 I think our Little Marin is one happy customer!

No mail today?

Now what is a fancy playhouse with out a fabulous interior??

Take a peek inside, Marin will be your personal guide!

We got the stove on sale after Christmas last year at Sears. I make the sink from plans I found at http://thecraftingchicks.com

The pots and pans are from IKEA and accessories from the dollar store.

Hey good lookin' what ya got cookin'?

I made the curtians out of fabric scraps and dwell studio napkins from Target.

Who's coming for dinner?

What house would be complete without a family photo wall? Marin's last initial is surrounded by pictures of Mommy, Daddy and her best friend (cousin) Morgan.

Would you like to join me for a spot of tea?

Thanks for visiting my little house!

Love,

Marin

Garnet Hill- Fun Bedding for the Summer!

So...I woke up early this morning, and had a few hours to myself before the kids woke up..YES!!! I checked my email and found a new online catalog for Garnet Hill!

I took a look and found some of the cutest sheet sets I've seen in a while. Adorable prints for girls and for boys!! Usually, it's a little more challenging to find cute bedding for boys
( I have two adorable ones!) but I loved the boy bedding!! 

My boys share a room and one loves Rocket ships and the other Skateboarding...I love the idea of matching duvets, but the sheets are different, reflecting their personalities...Although Garnet Hill does not have a skateboarding sheet set...We might be able to make the Peace Bedding work... 

Take a look! Perfect bright colors for Summer!

 XOXO,

Jen

Sleepin' High and Sleepin' Low

 We are receiving more and more requests for bunk beds lately...... Who knew they could be so chic! Check out these beauties we found while poking around on the Internet.

 I love all the bright colors... So cheery!

This bunk bed is multifunctional and a space saver.

 This Pirate ship bed is a little boy's dream come true.

 Fun and functional.

A cozy space all your own.

Storage underneath the bed is always a good thing for neat and tidy spaces.

To bunk or not to bunk? That is the question.

XOXO,

 jO

Photo Credits

Elle Decor

alldoing.com

Designer: Steve Kuhl

sohautestyle.com

Elle Decor

Elle Decor

The Cutest Little Easter Basket

Easter is almost here!
I love everything about Easter...I love the reason, the food, the drinks, the family getting together in our Sunday's best...but mostly I love watching my kids search for the most Easter Eggs...
and then discovering their Easter Baskets outside our front door!

So... what would the cutest little Easter Basket hold?

Take a look at some of our favorite little goodies....

First Let's start with a cute Easter Basket...

If you are a mom of boys, like me, ...maybe this easy DIY basket would be right up your alley...

I love the simplicity of this bucket with foam stickers...A basket that can be used in the sandbox or for storage again and again!

I love this basket from Martha Stewart (who else?)

 This slipcovered basket is really sweet and heirloom worthy.

You can't go wrong with the classic wooden basket. Again, from Martha Stewart.

To make the "paper grass" the editors at Martha just took colorful paper and shred it through an office shredder....cute and environmentally friendly!

For Girls, This basket is so sweet!

I love the glued on bows and the variety of goodies in the basket. From home made treats to store bought items re-packaged in cellophane bags to make them extra special.

How about a Flowered Easter Basket? Trim your basket in silk flowers or dried leaves...

Use vintage berry cartons as cute baskets for young ones...

Instead of the traditional basket, how about a paper bag embellished with ribbon and cut paper accents.

Some personalized baskets from PB kids are adorable for any little Girl or Boy..

Need some cute Ideas on what to put in the baskets?

How about  some adorable Sheep Sugar Cookies from Just Crumbs on Etsy

Aren't these polka- dot bunnies adorable?

 Package them individually in a cellophane wraper with a cute tag.

Available on Etsy from Sugar and Flour

Bubbles are always a Hit! Especially when they are battery operated!

PB Kids

Sunglasses are a popular treat around our house at Easter...especially in Arizona!

PB Kids

You can't go wrong with the Beatrix Potter Books at PB Kids...A classic!

We hope that have found some inspiration here...

There are so many wonderful places to shop for even more Goodies!

Some of our favorite TO GO places are:

IKEA

Michael's Crafts

Joanne's

Target Dollar Section

Dollar Store

Hobby Lobby

PB Kids

Smeeks

Marshall's/ TJ Maxx/ HomeGoods

Some additional Ideas for Baskets Are:

Socks

Toothbrush

Art Supplies

Jewelry

Bubbles

Swim Goggles

Bug Catching Kit

Seeds

Books

Stay tuned as Jo and I put together our Easter Baskets for our kiddos...

We will show how-to's, where to buy,  and the end result!

XOXO,

Jen

Photo Credits:
1-7 Marthastewart.com
8. PB kids
9. Just Crumbs- Etsy
10. Sugar and Flour- Etsy
11-13. PB kids

Custom Climbers!

Our good friend and collegue Hayley McNeil is an awesome artist

who has lent her talented hand to customizing modern toddler step stools!
So often the step stool is the last thing you think of as looking stylish..typically they have NO personality at all.....b u t...

Once we saw the chic designs she came out with we just had to share!!

 Take a look at her site here...she has plenty of designs to choose from or you can customize your own!

Cute Argyle Croc. Love the bright orange! $55.00

How cute would this be in a little girl's room next to her bed?  

For the Rocker's in your family!  

I love this two step option. My son is a little short when trying to reach the faucet in the bathroom.

This is the perfect solution!

A two step option for girls! $95.00

Even Better? 10% of all proceeds are donated to a charity close to her heart, the Navy Seal Foundation. They provide assistance and education scholarships for the families of Navy Seals killed in action.

Enjoy browsing and share with your friends...

XO,
Jen

Artsy.............. Artsy............. Artsy..........

Super Cute Kid's Art can be hard to come by.

Not to worry, we've got you covered

If you are looking for something a little modern and not so typical you may want to check out  

Children Inspire Design....  Here are a few of her prints

 

Check out the numbers print we used on our 
Design Board

Here it is, and it can be all yours!

 If  you want to see more visit their website at...

www.childreninspiredesign.com 

xoxo,