Monogrammed Pumpkins

 

I LOVE Halloween. Seriously.  I don't know what it is about the holiday but I adore the pumpkins, cauldrons, witches, spiders and everything ghoulish about it!  We usually throw a huge Halloween party every year and I spend weeks decorating our home.  This year, with a new baby, I decided to use a sprinkling of decorations around the house and try a simply chic approach.  I searched Pinterest during one of baby's feedings and found a terrific inspiration.  http://radiobutlers.blogspot.com/2011/10/monogram-pumpkin-tutorial.html



 

This tutorial was fantastic but time consuming.  I wanted to make this craft simple and chic.  I visited my local Michael's Arts and Crafts store with my handy 40% coupon and found cream foam pumpkins.  This would eliminate the need for spray painting since I wanted a cream pumpkin with black lettering. 

 

My sister and her husband recently purchased a new home. So I decided to try out my plan for a monogrammed pumpkin as a housewarming gift for them.  If it failed miserably then they would never have to know! 

 

Materials: craft pumpkin, black craft paint, pencil, scissors, small paintbrush, tape, a computer with word program, and a printer.

 

1.  Wipe the pumpkin off and find a spot that is fairly flat and blemish free.

 

2.  On the computer, print out the letter of choice in a font and size that will fit your pumpkin.  This may take a bit of trial and error. 

 

3.  Next, cut out the giant letter and tape it directly to your pumpkin.  Try to use just a few pieces of tape because we will be tracing around the letter.

 

4.  Trace around the letter with a pencil.  Remove the letter and tape pieces. 

 

5.  Use a paintbrush and craft paint (in the the color of your choice) to fill in the letter.  You may need two coats.

 

6.  I loved the simplicity of this look but decided to add some pizazz!  I free handed a spider based on

another Pinterest design.  http://www.oopseydaisyblog.com/2011/09/black-and-white-pumpkins-2 -tutorials.html.  To do this, I just used the rounded end of my paintbrush and created the spider using a series of dots.

 

 

The original pumpkin created as a gift for my sister.

I loved the way the first one turned out, that I made one for my mom too! 



Gender Neutral Nursery

I discovered the magic of Pinterest near the end of my pregnancy.  I am a crafter at heart but I was SO inspired by the outpouring of creativity in one spot!  I scoured Pinterest for ideas on creating the perfect gender-neutral nursery.  I just love the way it turned out so I want to share it with all of you and hope to inspire others.

In my search for nursery inspiration, I ran across an amazing blog that included specific directions on how to create the look.  Happily, Jason was on board with the design and we set to work.  Big thanks to Taryn from Design, Dining and Diapers for the phenomenal blog and inspiration! 
          
The centerpiece for the room was the crib and vinyl tree wall backdrop.  The vinyl decals were easy to order (thanks to Taryn's blog) but challenging to put up.  My mom came to the rescue and together we spent the day putting each tree, branch, and bird up one at a time. 

With the decals up, it was time to add the furniture.  We purchased the furniture from decor4kids in Noblesville.  It was heavy furniture and not too expensive.  The crib, dresser/changing table, and swivel rocker all came from there.

The room was coming together quickly!  I spent more time than I'll admit accessorizing the space and making it perfect for our little one.  The little touches and projects make this room feel like home to me. 

The vinyl decal on the taupe wall really pops.  We happened to find a swivel rocker recliner at a child's furniture store nearby that matches perfectly!  We added floating shelves and a few knick knacks.  I found a birdhouse (which I painted white to match) and small ceramice birds in turquoise and orange at Michael's Arts and Crafts.  I printed silhouette pictures of birds on the computer and then traced them onto orange patterned scrapbook paper and framed them!  Another Pinterest project: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nanacompany/2693793966/.  I wanted a clean look to the bedding and purchased white jersey sheets and a white crib skirt.  My mom added two rows of orange ribbon to the crib skirt for a splash of color.  My mom made a beautiful centerpiece for my baby shower using bird shapes cut from scrapbook paper.  After the shower, I took the birds and strung them with fishing line to a wreath form to create a mobile for above the crib.

White grommeted curtains, white gutter shelves loaded with books (see instructions below on how to make these bad boys), white changing table with orange changing pad, bird mobile purchased from Etsy, and an ABC inpsiration painting added just the right amount of modern to the space.

I purchased a ClosetMaid Cubeical and added orange drawers for additional storage and a punch of color.

Our baby's gender and name was a surprise to all of us so this letter was added later.  Again, I was inspired by Pinterest and a post by The Potter's Place.  I purchased the paper mache' letter from JoAnn Fabrics and pulled out various scrapbook papers I had on hand in orange or turquoise along with a few embellishments.  With the help of my mom and sister during a drunk arts and crafts weekend, we traced and cut the paper and then mod podged it all together on the E. 

Creating Gutter Bookshelves

Vinyl guttering comes in ten foot lengths. Our shelves were roughly two feet on one side of the corner and three feet on the other.  Make sure to purchase end caps and corner pieces along with the gutters.  We started by placing our top gutter shelf where we wanted it to go.  It was difficult to find studs so we decided to put anchors in for each screw to ensure it was plenty sturdy.  This proved to be difficult because the drill didn'tt fit easily into the gutter so that it could be attached to the wall.  After many issues and plenty of frustration, we (I but he excuted) came up with a plan. 

TIP: Make sure you have the left and right connected to the corner connector before installation.
1.  Predrill the holes into the gutter where you plan on putting screws.
2.  Place a painter's tape line where you want the top of the shelf to be.  Easier to level the tape than level the flimsy gutter!
3.  Hold the shelf up and mark the holes that you predrilled onto the wall with a pencil. 
4.  Take the shelf down and put the anchors into the wall where you marked the holes.
5.  Hold the shelf up and drill the screw through the gutter and into the anchor.
6.  Now carefully add the caps to both ends.
7.  Add books and marvel at the coolness of this project!

I found the project on Pinterest but had difficulty finding a set of instructions.  We had to wing it! 

My daughter is a miracle and we enjoy her every single second.  I am thrilled that with the help of my family and Pinterest, I was able to give her this magical space.  I love it and I hope she does too!


Paint Color: Wall Paint: Java from Eddie Bauer at Lowes

Vinyl Decals: DesignedDESIGNER Etsy Shop

Bird Mobile (above changing table):  WelcomeWithLove Etsy Shop

Curtains: Bed Bath and Beyond Union Square Window Panels

Changing Pad Cover:  Babies R Us

Furniture: Decor 4 Kids

Closetmaid Cubeicals:  Target

Fabric Drawers:  Walmart

Giant Letter: JoAnn Fabric and Craft Store

Gutter Shelves: Lowe's