Owl Mobile & Phone Pouch

I am still riding the post Thanksgiving buzz. I had so much fun with my family and I miss them! However I am glad to get back to normal, which means spending time in my dungeon-o-craft. Here is what I have been up to. 

My cousin, Melissa, is expecting her second child! After I posted a picture of some owl stuff I was making for story time, she asked if I could make owls for a mobile. I was excited to except the challenge! I am still in the process of assembling them but here is what they look like so far. You can check out Melissa's blog (she specializes in maternity fashion) at MamanJolie. 

Lousia is my Dad's girlfriend and one of the most amazing ladies I know. According to my Dad she always loses her phone. So she asked if I could make her a phone case that she can wear around her neck. While she was still here, we hit up the fabric store and found some remnants to use. I was able to finish it before they left and here is how it turned out. 

Getting ready for the Holidays!

This week I have been getting ready for Christmas! I have been crossing a few names off my shopping list, how are you fairing? In the spirit of the shopping season this week I am having a sale at Nerd Craft Librarian on Etsy, just use the coupon code Holiday at check out!

My friend Michele over at Short Girl, Long Island is also doing some exciting things for December! She had a big birthday earlier in the month and to celebrate her birthday, and the Holiday season she is going to have a giveaway for everyday in December! If you haven't been to her blog yet, go check it out. More information about the month of epic giveaways will be posted soon. I will also be making something quite snazzy as a contribution to the giveaway. So be sure to enter!

Sunday Snapshots Vol. 2

I hope everyone has had a wonderful Thanksgiving! It has been quite the crazy week and I have had a blast with my family and I am sad to see them go! Here are some pictures from the week, enjoy!

My friend at work, Marge, gave me this super awesome Adventure Time hat and it just looks fabulous on Gypsy. 

The night before Thanksgiving is always a tradition amongst our group of friends we call Ridic Thanksgiving. We meet up at a dinner where we stuff our faces and each of us says what we are thankful for. This year was the 8th year we have done it. I am glad my brother Billy was able to come along with us. 

The actually day of Thanksgiving was craziness! I couldn't believe how much work was involved and I didn't even do the majority of the cooking. As you can see it was Tim's job. 

It was good having my Dad and Billy around. I miss those jerks. They also missed each other, you can see them sharing some love in the picture above. 

I tried our best to avoid Black Friday shopping at all costs! However I did go to one place to get Christmas lights. I also go these antlers for the dog, but I look pretty sweet in them, eh? 

I solved my Star Wars wrapping paper problem. Last week I mentioned how I had vintage wrapping paper and I wanted to use it to make coasters. It was a fun project I did with my bro. He made the Chewbacca while I did Han Solo.

One of my favorite pictures taken over the last week was of our chalk board. My parents gave us a Thank You for hosting. 

Thanksgiving

This is my first time ever hosting a family holiday so I am trying to prepare as best I can. I am very lucky to have the chef master Tim (so I don't have to worry about screwing big things up!) However when it comes to decorating, yo I got this!

Even though its not a Holiday as festive as Halloween or Christmas, it still deserves decorating and here is some stuff that I did around the house.

I printed out this Thanksgiving subway art picture and framed it and it looks quite nice!

I made some bunting out of burlap from Halloween, but I had a lot of it leftover. So I broke that stuff out again and made small banners. Here is my Tutorial for the technique.




 I also used some candle holders and stuck some left over pumpkins on them.

I wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving! 

ps anyone excited to get ready for the next Holiday?!

Sunday Snapshots

I have been taking a lot of pictures lately, I felt like I should share with you my week in pictures......

 

Last week Comedy Central premeired  Chris Hardwick's Standup special, Mandroid. Tim and I were lucky enough to score tickets back in February of last year. It was quite hilarious and I suggest you check it out. 

Also last week I did an Owl themed storytime. I needed some owl finger puppets to go along with it. 

My hair was getting pretty long. I was sporting a serious duck tail! I finally went to Bella Filia and got my hair chopped off. I feel like its shortest its ever been and I was a bit nervous as she was cutting. I always get nervous, but it always comes out great. 

My friend Laura has been wanting to learn how to sew for a while. She mentioned that she wanted to take her Mom's old concert T-shirts (mostly Bruce Springstein) and turn them into a quilt. So we met up and I helped her create a game plan! Glad to say the quilt is in progress and should be ready for her Mom as a Christmas present. 

Thanksgiving is in a few days. I am so excited to be not only hosting my first family holiday, but also having my Dad here! I have been preparing and decorating a bit. This subway art was on pinterest and I printed out a copy and it looks pretty fancy on my little mantle area. Here is the post if you would like to make one yourself! 

Last week we hung out one night at my friend Tyler's. I have been friends with him since Kindergarten and we were even in a band together durring High School. We were called the Helicopters, he sang/played guitar while I played drums. It was a lot of fun and while I traded my drums in for a sewing machine, Tyler is still playing music. This was taken in his basement as a bunch of us were just randomly jamming with his stuff. 

I had gotten this Star Wars wrapping paper from Louisa. While I was at their house I needed some wrapping paper to wrap a  present. Louisa has a box of wrapping stuff and this stuff was in there, unopened! She said I could keep it and I have been hanging on to it ever since. Its been a couple of years and I am in a moral dilema. I got my first Whimsey Box last week, in it were materials to make coasters. I am thinking about using the wrapping paper for it, but do I really want to open up the sacred wrapping paper?! I don't know! If you have any thoughts, please feel free to comment. 

Try Something New - Guest Post

Hey guys this is a guest post from Alex from Alex's Journeys. She has some good D.I.Y. decorating projects to for Fall. 



Many people are getting into the spirit of interior design and participating in do-it-yourself
projects. The fall is a great time to complete these projects because you can use the opportunity
to change to autumn colors. There are many new trends this season that are worth a second
look. Consider the following trends and examples:


Reupholster the Couch

A couch makeover may seem like a huge task, but it can be quite rewarding. Since vibrant and
bold colors are the trend this season, consider purchasing a bold-colored fabric in lime green
and brown print, ruby red, canary yellow or other bright and bold color. Couch upholstering will
require some sewing and stapling skills, but the project should be fairly straightforward if the
couch is does not have to many panels to remove and recover.


Add Hanging Plants

Add hanging plants to the room with festive pots. These hanging plant receptacles can be
decorated with decoupage or paint depending on your décor. If you want to fill the empty
space and draw attention towards the ceiling, hanging plants are a good choice. Plants also
help people to breathe better and are also visually appealing. These plant receptacles can be
made and hung in a single day or weekend. This is an easy DIY project that can add color and
vibrancy to any home.


Paint a Wall

Paint an accent wall. A single accent wall with bold colors can add so much to a room. Consider
painting a single wall to brighten the room and honor the autumn season. The cold weather could depress you, but a bright color on the wall can lift the spirits. Even the most premium paint will not cost more than $15 per gallon. One gallon may be sufficient for a small project. Larger projects may only require up to three gallons. An accent wall can be painted in one day.


Try Something New

Whether you decide to reupholster a couch, paint a wall or hang plants, DIY is an excellent
process that can change the way a room looks. Consider brightening your home with a simple
DIY project. Most people enjoy the changes and regret not doing something to improve their
situation sooner.

Alexandra is a travel enthusiast who has  blogged on topics between DIY interior design, fashion, and New York and Hamptons Real Estate.

If you would like to submit a guest post, drop me an email! I would love to feature you!

Project Bedroom: Planning stages!

So we've been in our house for a few months and although we have gotten some big furniture pieces  we have yet to do any big projects. With our Halloween party out of the way, the gears in my brain are at work thinking of some bedroom ideas. Some simple and some serious D.I.Y. projects, but if they turn out like our awesome coffee table it will be awesome. Here are some ideas that I am kicking around:

  

Color
First things first, before I really dive into this thing head on, this room needs a color palette! I hunted a few down on Design Seeds. I have been kicking around a few possibilities but there is one common element in the choices I've mad: shades of grey (No not that horrible book series). My absoute all time favorite color combo is green and blue (noticed the blog color scheme) but I felt it might look a big cartoonish if I tried pulling it off in our bedroom. For some reason I was really drawn to the grey with pops of bright color (teal and chartreuse) I guess because something about it feels so mature and a bit luxurious.

Layout

Here is our bedroom, please ignore our gross unmade bed. Its kinda huge so we have a lot of space to work with. To figure out furniture placement I am using this:

Furniture
Speaking of furniture I am excited to have a real dresser again! I was using a cubbie thing for ages. I never managed to get myself a nice one (it never seemed like a priority) On a trip to Ikea I fell in love with this dresser. I love the sleek black and frosted glass drawers! It also matches the color scheme!

the Bed 
We have a down comforter and I put duvet covers on it. It drives Tim a bit crazy but I like the idea of a duvet cover because you can change it out frequently. So I think we are gonna stick with that and he can suck it up and deal. I have been shopping around for a few options but nothing that I have really fallen in love with yet. (Click the image for its source)

 

I really want a tufted headboard. They are so swanky! I like to sit up and read in bed before going to sleep, so the fact that its cushioned really appeals to me. If I wanted to straight up purchase one, I am looking at a hefty price tag. However thanks to instructables,I just have to break a little sweat making one rather than breaking the bank buying one.

Click the image for the link!

Has anyone ever taken on any big home redecorating projects? Any advice for a first timer?

Lincoln (Meme for Monday)

So this technically isn't a meme but it is still hilarious! This past weekend one of the most brilliant comics of today, Louis C.K. hosted Saturday Night Live. This sketch, Lincoln, was by far my favorite of the night. I also thought it was topical because tomorrow is election day! Enjoy and happy Monday.

Getting Back to Normal (or trying to)

Its been a few days since the Hurricane however we are still feeling its effects. So many people in Nassau County and the City have been hit really hard, and that is just the damage in New York. I have heard horror stories from my mom, she spoke to family that lives in Nassau. Boats are on lawns and houses were flooded with 6 feet of water.

I myself was very lucky to only be inconvenienced without power for a few days. There were many Long Islanders that were not so lucky. If you feel so inclined make a donation!

Aside from the overall devastation  the hurricane has caused a mad panic for gas. I was pretty lucky and filled up before the frenzy and I have been keeping driving to a minimum. Driving home from work (which finally opened!) I saw the scary effects of a gas shortage. Caution tape was wrapped around every gas pump and a police car was in front of every station, making sure no funny business occurred. Here is a gas line I passed the other day. The gas station isn't few a few hundred feet.



It is weird and a bit unsettling as we try to get back to normal as craziness ensues. I haven't encountered it but apparently there have been plenty of fights over gas and it reminds me of a little old film, Mad Max. I am trying to shed some humor on the situation (because that's how I deal)

As mentioned earlier I am glad to be able to go back to work. It is a bit of normalcy back however, these past few days have been pretty exhausting. The service we have been providing for the community makes me proud of my job. The library has become what feels like a refugee camp. We have provided space for families, senior citizens everyone is coming in to get warm, keep busy and of course charge their devices. We also have tried to have programing to keep every one busy.

With the gas situation we have tried to limit our driving only to work, however we decided that we needed a break and we treated ourselves to a movie and we saw Wreck it Ralph. Its a silly movie for any turbo video game fan. Ralph always plays his part as the bad guy and he just wants a little love now and then so he jumps around to see what the other video games have to offer. It was a good escape and I recommend it even if you aren't a gamer.