Embroidered Hand Prints

My monthly article for Inspired by Family is up today.  Go here to see how I tried to stop time for a moment!

Grateful Sunday

Source: media.photobucket.com via Laurel on Pinterest

I am grateful for:

• we started planting our veggie garden for the year!
• I. nailed her performance in the school play this weekend!
• no more rehearsals for the performance!
• a baby that doesn't spit up nearly as much as the first three kiddos!
• so so many delicious meals that have been brought into our home!
• fashion shows with Polly Pockets -  I've played this many times this week!
• a new niece born on Friday - a cousin for baby J!

What are you grateful for:?

Imperfect's Guest Post

Hello all! I'm thrilled to be here guest posting on Laurel's blog - Laurel and I have been blog friends for a few years and we live in the same great state of Colorado - quite a distance apart, but I'm always on the look out for her in stores anyway :).  I blog over at imperfect about decorating, budgeting and family life - and I thought I'd share a recent low-cost project I took on.

We recently made over our guest room as our son's room in order to make room for a new baby in our nursery.  With a baby on the way and two rooms to make-over (because I just can't leave well enough alone!), I was looking for ways to get the look I wanted for my son's room within a reasonable budget. 

After scouring stores and catalogs for industrial-esque lighting, I came up with options that were 1) far too expensive for a toddler's room - especially a toddler with an affinity for indoor golf - or 2) not exactly the look I was going for.

As I was moving our guest room's belongings to the garage sale pile to make room for our boy's room, I realized the old IKEA lamps I had actually had great bones - but the shades were a little too white and pleated for the vintage brown, red and blue room I was aiming for, and the brushed nickel finish wasn't quite what I had in mind.

A quick trip to our local Target and I had two textured drum shades for to update the style of the lamps.  I pulled out a can of Oil Rubbed Bronze Spray Paint I already had on hand, taped off the electrical components of the lamp, and went to town transforming the lamps from shiny and silver to exactly what I had in mind.

So for $26 for a pair of lampshades, I updated two basic IKEA lamps to get exactly the look I wanted on a very tight budget.  

BlueSusan Makes Guest Post

Hi there, I'm Sarah, visiting you today from BlueSusan Makes.  How fun to be invited to guest post for Laurel while she is busy caring for little Baby J.  Laurel is an old college friend of mine and for all of you who only know her in the world of blogs, she is just as great and genuine in real life.  I only wish I lived closer to her.  I love to make things and "BlueSusan Makes" is my place to show off the things I make for my family and home, or to sell at seasonal craft fairs.

Today I'm showing off a pillow I made recently.  It was originally intended to be made as a Valentine's day accent inspired by this pillow...but I plan on leaving it out all year long.   It reminds me a bit of a beaded door curtain.

A couple of weeks ago I got new gray couches and it looks great on them...but a little lonely. So I grabbed some pillows from my kitchen bench and some fabric from my stash to experiment with colors.

How about a little turquoise?

Or maybe some Orange?? 

Or maybe turquoise and orange...

Okay, enough playing with pillow colors! Here's a quick peek into how I made my "Beaded Door Curtain" pillow.  I used my Quick Pillow Cover Tutorial and appliqued felt circles to the front.

  

For a 16" inch finished pillow I started with a long rectangle 17" X 40".  (a 1/2 yard of fabric will be just enough). I hemmed each short edge. Then found the center and drew a line along it.  Next I drew the rest of the lines 2 1/4 inches away from the center line (3 on each side, 7 lines altogether). For the felt circles I used 28 - 2" circles, 20 - 1 3/8" circles, and 21 - 1" circles.  It took some rearranging to get them to all work out. Then I stitched them down making sure to leave 1/2 inch on the long edge for a seam allowance.

To finish the pillow I folded the hemmed edges into the center overlapping them about 4 1/2 inches and then stitched the side seams closed making an envelope closure.  For a more thorough explanation of the finishing process check out my tutorial HERE.

 Thanks for reading! Feel free to stop by BlueSusan Makes and say hello! And "Thank You"
 Laurel for the fun opportunity.  Have fun getting to know your newest little "duckling"!

 

Source: mumstheboss.blogspot.pt via Laurel on Pinterest

I am grateful for:

• all the guest bloggers that have been some awesome - seriously, I should always have guest bloggers!
• sunny sunny days 
• the peony plant that I planted last summer has a bud!  There is only one, but it makes me happy.
• elastic waistbands

What are you grateful for?

Newlywoodwards Guest Post

I am thrilled to be guest posting for Laurel over here at Ducks in a Row. I'm Kim from NewlyWoodwards, and Laurel is one of my favorite bloggers out there - she's sweet, she's creative and she's real. So, needless to say, I'm so excited for Laurel, her family and her newest little one.

To celebrate the family's newest addition, I thought I'd share a few of my go-to recipes from NewlyWoodwards. If you are anything like me, you celebrate some of the best moments of life at the dining room table over a home-cooked meal. And I'd say a new baby definitely fits the bill for a celebration. These recipes (like pretty much everything I cook) are the simplest type of recipes. No huge amounts of time or prep. Perfect for a new momma (or a friend who agrees to come over and cook dinner - hint, hint).

Slow cooker Italian beef

Chicken with cilantro-lime pesto

Happy Joes-inspired taco pizza

Cheesy potatoes

Grilled bruschetta chicken

Thanks again for having me, Laurel!

freckles chick Guest Post

Have you read freckles chick?  It is another one of  my favorites - I could move into her home and be oh so very happy!  Enjoy this post:


Hello Ducks In A Row readers!

I've been a devoted fan & reader of Laurel & her blog for a few years now.  I've always
admired how she juggles it all: family, DIY decor, organizational projects, culinary endeavors, crafty
creations.  Just typing that was exhausting.  We're also Colorado 'neighbors' though
we have yet to meet in real life.....Laurel, let's work on that!  So when she invited me to guest
blog while she spends time with her sweet new family member, I was more than happy to oblige.


Today I'm sharing nursery art that was easy, cheap, & creative (the decor trifecta!).  When I saw that my fabulous friend Cathy had pinned this alphabet art created by the clever Destri of The Mother Huddle,   I immediately repinned it to my daughter Quinn's board of fun ideas I hope to eventually get to

(aptly named "Quinnterest").  At a glance, it looked like I'd need a fancy cutting tool to recreate
this art but Destri had smartly used a stencil layered over patterned fabric.  My jaw literally
dropped to the floor at the sheer brilliance of it all.  So I set about creating a customized version
of alphabet art for Quinn's room.

I already had a spare white frame stashed away, as well as a can of satin white spraypaint left over from
various projects, so the stencil was all I needed (fyi: I skipped the priming step).   The only stencil
that would fit the frame I had was one displaying lowercase letters, which was fine with me (little letters
for a little girl, ha!).  Even the exclamation at the end of the stencil was cutely quirky.  As
for "filling" in the letters, I raided my collection of craft supplies & found this striped paper (from an
old gift bag).

I'll let the photos do the talking but for more detailed instructions, pop on over to Destri's blog to see more
greatness.  A huge thanks to her for inspiring such a sweet piece of art that can be customized so
many ways!

Thank you so very much to Laurel for having me over to share my version of alphabet art with you
all!

Laurel, I hope you are enjoying this precious time with your family!

Grateful Sunday

Source: itworksforbobbi.com via Laurel on Pinterest

I am grateful for:

• a comfy bed - I'm not sure it has ever felt so comfortable!
• perfect little toes to kiss
• every newborn should come with a 9 year old!  It is heaven!
• 3 older siblings who are as in love with baby J as I am!
• I did it -  first week with my mom gone and Tom at work.  Done!

What are you grateful for?

Domestic Fashionista's Guest Post

Hi!  I am Ashley from Domestic Fashionista and I am so excited to be sharing with Ducks in a Row readers a recent recipe I came up with.  We love pizza around our house, so this variation inspired by my mother in law's chicken ring, is perfect for throwing together and popping in the oven without much preparation.

First you will need 2 cans of refrigerated crescent rolls.  I used the lite generic brand.  Set out all of your crescent rolls in a sun pattern.  You can also press the crescent rolls together with your hand so the dough gets all pushed together {not pictured}.  Preheat oven to crescent roll directions.

Next you will want to make your filling.  I used marinara sauce, turkey pepperoni, chopped tomatoes, and lite mozzarella.  You can use any variation you want.  I am looking forward to trying a pesto, spinach, and chicken version soon!

Mix all ingredients in the bowl.  I rarely measure things out, so just get a mixture of the ratio of items that you would like.  You may have extra or not enough {in that case, just mix some more!}.  Any extras would be great on top of a bagel or piece of bread for the next day's lunch!

I think Laurel is going to love this next part {I heart her healthiness ways!!!}.  I juiced that morning for breakfast and threw in some of the pulp into my sauce mixture.  Just mix enough to taste...adding too much might taste a tad bit too strong.  Just a little bit will add some sneaky nutrients!

Then spoon your mixture onto the crescent rolls in a circle.  Next time I will probably use less sauce as I like a little more crescent in each bite.  But it is up to you and how much you want per bite.

 Once your sauce mixture is on the crescents, roll up the ends and seal in a ring shape.

To add a little more pizazz, I sprayed the dough with some cooking spray and covered with garlic powder, parmesan cheese, and some of the leftover mozzarella.

Hello garlic and cheese goodness!

This bakes a little longer than the crescent cooking directions.  Mine baked for about 20 minutes.  I suggest checking on it after it has passed the cooking direction time.

Serve it up and enjoy!

Thanks so much to Laurel for having me!  We go way back in blog years and I am so honored she asked me to share this recipe with you all while she enjoys some special family time right now!

Please stop by my blog, Domestic Fashionista, and say hello!  When I am not cooking up delicious and healthy recipes, I love to share about my home, fashion, photography, and my life with my sweet hubby!  Any friend of Laurel's is a friend of mine! xo

Good Girl Gone Glad's Guest Post

Today, our post is from Good Girl Gone Glad - who has the prettiest pictures and the greatest sense of style!  Thanks so much Jesse!

Hi everyone, I'm Jesse from Good Girl Gone Glad. I am a homeschooling mother of 3. Between schooling the kids, running my etsy shop and having way to many hobbies there is never a dull moment. I wouldn't have it any other way. I am so excited for Laurel and her family! What a blessing babies are and am tickled to be here today sharing what I have been day dreaming about!

After you have lived in your house for a while do you tend to think of all of these tweaks you could make to it for it to work for you better? Lately I have been thinking about my kitchen. Our home was built in the 50's and the kitchen still has most of the original "charm". We have changed out a few things, like giving it a fresh coat of white paint, new hardware and installing backsplash and countertops. All a little at a time. Oh how I would love to start from scratch. Making a kitchen that works for our more modern needs. Maybe adding in a desk area for managing bills and such. Also some better functioning storage would be fabulous. 

Here is some inspiration I have been pouring over lately. A girl has gotta dream!

I love the contrast of having this large rustic island!

Get a look at those tall cabinets! I can't get enough of both of these spaces and how they flow together.

Double sinks, subway tiles... can't find a single thing to dislike about this gorgeous kitchen.

Seems as though open storage is all the rage. I would love to have a few peeks of it. Maybe not the whole kitchen, but definitely a place to display pretty bowls and cups... or cake plates!

via 1./ 2./ 3./ 4./

Thanks for reading,

xx