Destination deck

 Our house backs up to a big greenspace, and our yard slopes steeply down towards it. It tends to be wet and marshy down there, due to a small creek. Soon after we bought the house, we brought in several dump trucks full of dirt to fill in the yard and make it a bit more usable. But it's still pretty small. It'll work for five years or so, but we are always looking for ways to get more use out of the space we have, because we love spending time outside.

Hubby came up with the idea for a tiny, second deck near our new sign. It hangs over the steep edge of our yard and makes the useless space functional. The adirondack chairs we got on clearance at Joann fabric store for $27 each! And they even came whitewashed already. 

We decided to paint the deck one of the colors in our sign to unify the look a little. The color we chose is called 'head to the beach'. Love it. 

We are hoping to build a short railing of some sort across the back since the drop-off is pretty steep- but we aren't sure yet what would look good on this funny little deck. Hubby also plans to add some stairs to the left side to make it seem bigger. 

There is a small, ornamental tree to the left of the deck that provides a bit of welcome shade during the hot afternoons- the only shade we have out back. 

This spot provides a 180 degree view of the entire yard, so it's much easier to see the kids while they play than on our upper deck. 

On a side note, here's our pretty new banana tree from my parents! It's a hardy banana, so it grows here in the NW but doesn't produce fruit. Just gives a great tropical look. They get super tall, too- and if you plant them in the ground they multiply like crazy. Even in the pot ours already has three baby shoots starting. 

Front porch makeover

Busy, busy summertime + camera memory card on the fritz = long blogging hiatus. But I fixed the card today! So here is our front porch makeover. This post isn't as fun as it would be had I remembered to take before pics... But I'll just paint ya a little picture:

Imagine shapeless, faded cushions and throw pillows... no cute curtain... and horribly stained Trex decking since I'd never pressure washed it before!

Can I just say how much I love pressure washing? Best thing ever. I did the porch and the driveway, then halfway down the sidewalk before I realized I had to stop somewhere. What a difference! 

In the background you can see the curtain I sewed to make our little porch feel cozy and private, since our neighbors' house is rightthere. We spend a lot of time out here, since it's east facing and gets lots of morning sun. It's our breakfast and coffee spot on sunny days. 

We bought these outdoor fabrics so I could sew the curtain, then the two throw pillows on each chair. They are actually the existing pillows that I just recovered. Saves some money not having to buy new pillow inserts. The seat cushions we just happened to find on sale at World Market and I love the way they look with these fabrics.

I even sewed piping for the first time! It was so much easier than I thought! And really gives the big pillow a finished look.

Hubby got a set of four of these chairs on uber-clearance at Target a while back. One fits perfectly by our front door and gives us a little more seating. We've started another project out back that may make room for these chairs at some point... but for now the other three are still in boxes in the garage. 

And... off the subject but here is my test photo from when I was attempting to fix the memory card:

Quinn got all cozy on some recycling I was sorting. Isn't she pretty? Love these kitties of ours. :)

Check back tomorrow for another project! Lots of catching up to do, now that I can actually import photos. 

Curtains for Beckham

My perfect sleeper went through an unwelcome phase a month or so ago, when the sun would beat through his many bedroom windows (2 of which face east) and wake him promptly at 6am. This does not work for me. Nor for him- he would be ultra cranky all morning and need an earlier nap, which made for a longer and crankier afternoon... not a good schedule for us. 

So I decided to sew some curtains to help darken his room in the mornings. Also for bedtime, since it's still light out at 7 when he goes to bed. 

I found this adorable owl fabric quite a while ago and bought a yard of it, knowing it would be perfect in Becks' owl room but without a plan in mind. One yard isn't enough to cover his three windows but I thought this owl fabric would make a great accent for curtains. So I headed to my local fabric store in search of something sort of neutral to complement it, and also match his room. I wanted something heavy to block the light, but not too expensive... tough criteria!

My husband stumbled upon this celery green fabric on the clearance rack... it was home deco weight and width, and lined- just what I needed! Plus it has this great velvety texture, almost chenille-like. And the best part? There were exactly 4 yards, clearance priced at around $3 a yard!

So here is what I put together with my fabrics: 

This is his single window, and I could've used a bit more than the 4 yards of fabric to make the curtains more ruffly when closed, but I think it looks great as is. Beckham loves these owls. He points at them whenever I change his diaper and makes hooting sounds. 

Here they are opened. 

This is the double, east-facing window wall. This heavy fabric really does block the light- completely solved the 6am problem.

Aren't they cute?! Most owl fabrics I find are super girly. I was thrilled when I saw this one in neutral, woodsy colors. It's a pretty heavy, canvas-like texture. 

Lined! You can see the texture of the green fabric pretty well in this pic. It almost looks like some kind of upholstery fabric to me. I could see a fab vintage love seat recovered in this. 

I had a couple small pieces of the owl fabric left over so I sewed up a simple little pillow for Beckham's chair...

...and backed it in green with a little appliqued owl.

My baby loves it. I love when I can sew things for my boys; it's so much harder to find cute handmade ideas for boys. 

Inspiration

It's been raining here for 30 days. Really. Not a complaint, just a statement. Thought it might be interesting to those of you who don't live in the Land Of Endless Wet.
Here's what I've been doing:
Hibernating
Making far too much 5 minute bread (jeans are rather snug...the downside of bread being too easy)
Not crafting
Cooking! Oh, yes. A few new recipes to post soon.

Back to the crafting. I must be in a rut. Haven't been sewing either. Good thing I had a nice supply of coffee cozies already. I decided to look to Etsy for inspiration, which always gives me good crafty vibes. But I got distracted by some amazing, gorgeous craft rooms. Then I started daydreaming.... do the kids really need a playroom? Does hubby really need an office? I spend more time in here than he does. Wouldn't I feel inspired all the time if I had one of these amazing rooms?

I decided I needed to save my favorite rooms. Make a sort of inspiration board. Cause someday I will have one of these rooms. Even if I have to make the kids share a room. Perfect chance to finally play with Pinterest! It is a super cool website that lets you "pin" things that you come across, and categorize them into  "pinboards", which you can share with friends. Or just save for future inspiration. I heard about pinterest on the make happy facebook page but didn't check it out right away. So glad I finally did! It's just full of gorgeousness! You can view boards that other members have created... sort of reminds me of the "treasuries" on etsy.

Anyway, here are my pins! I can't figure out how to actually post them here, so click the link to view, and here are a few of my favorites...

Wow, right? I think if I actually ever do have a room of my own and the funds needed to create a space like these, I don't know how I would choose a look! I love each of these for different reasons. But, oh, what a problem to have. :)

from sweatshirt to purse

While cleaning out my closet recently I came across this sweatshirt. 

It used to fit me. Used to look cute, actually.

Then I had babies and, well 

it shrunk.

But the minute I pulled it out of its drawer I knew I had to make a purse out of it. The ribbed top with the bow would be perfect for the top of a cute handbag. And this silky, bright pink velour just couldn't be tossed into my Goodwill pile. 

So it sat in my sewing room (aka our office) for a couple months. But I kept thinking about it, and finally yesterday I pulled it out and just started cutting. 

I cut off the sleeves and bottom ribbing, and cut away the kangaroo pocket.

Then added a crazy array of interfacing, fusible fleece and batting. Funny little scraps of each.  I was determined to not buy a single thing for this project. I used quilt adhesive spray (Sulky- my new fav thing) to hold the batting in place....

...for this! I knew right away it had to be quilted. A la Juicy Couture. Well, not quite a la Juicy. But kinda.

Love, love, love how it turned out!! 

I gusseted the bottom so it is nice and roomy (gotta stash diapers somewhere).

And lined it in pink satin with cute pockets. 

Double pocket on one side for lipgloss and other important things. 

Not bad for an old sweatshirt and no pattern!

This might be my new addiction... gonna have to search through sweaters and sweatshirts at the thrift store. This was ridiculously fun. And free!

Plus I had scraps left to make a matching quilted coffee cozy!

With the cutest little crocheted button ever, from my grandma's collection. 

Fun stuff. :)

A little button makeover

Sadly, this was my button collection:

I had some to begin with, but when I started selling coffee cozies and using a button to fasten each one, my grandma gave me all her buttons. Many were super old and way cool! Then my other grandma gave me hers! Also some vintage ones. So I had tons of buttons and no way to organize them. It was so hard to pick through all these containers and baggies to find the perfect button.

So the fam and I went on a search for some kind of organizer. Hubby found this:

Actually it was just the plain wood... I masked the glass top and spray painted it this teal color. 

It has two layers of trays, and the top ones pull out. Exactly what I needed! And much sturdier and prettier than those plastic organizers, which I would have resorted to. 

My sweet Ty offered to help sort. It was actually pretty fun. Got to see tons of buttons I didn't know I had. Took a couple hours though. 

But look! 

So neat, so pretty. So easy to find what I need. And I still have tons of room. I filled the bottom layer but barely any of the top.

Fits perfectly in my new desk. Hooray for organization. :)

Sewing desk

I cautiously dream of the day Beckham is old enough to sleep in a big boy bed. I'm hesitant because I remember this transition with Ty; it was frustrating at times. Also because he is my baby. And once he's a "big boy", I'm not sure that I'll be having more babies. So I cling to this time a little bit. 

But here is my plan:

When he can sleep well in a big boy bed, we will move him into Ty's room and they can share the bunk bed. Which I think they will love. At least for a while.  Then, I get to turn his room into my craft room!! I'll pull my big, antique scrapbooking/craft desk out of it's squishy corner of the playroom and move it in there. I need some big bookshelves, with bins and baskets and organized, gorgeous things. Maybe a big table for cutting fabric or gift wrapping. Then I can add my new sewing desk! 

Hubby bought it for me last weekend after my beloved kitty died. Got her as a kitten when I was 18. She lived to be 13 years old. I know. Not gonna dwell on it. It's already been a rough week. But it took me a while to feel like blogging again. And poor hubby felt my sadness and I know he wanted to take it away... so he did what he knew would cheer me up. He bought something for me. Something that had to do with sewing. And organization. Two of my favorite things. He really is a genius. 

Pretty! 

Excuse the annoying flash circle. Of course I waited until dark to photograph it. 

So it has this pull down front that becomes the desk, but folds up so I can hide my sewing machine and accoutrements when not it use. Looks so much cleaner than having my machine sitting out on our computer desk all the time. Still not completely ideal in the office, but it's very functional for the next year or two until I can create my own space.

Isn't it great?! It's designed to be a computer desk, but works well for my purposes. I've been working on organizing all my supplies as well... luckily our office has a walk-in closet so I have shelves and baskets in there for all my fabric. But my big problem has been my button collection. It's grown immensely thanks to my wonderful grandmas who each gave me their collections! And since I've been making so many coffee cozies with a button on each, I've been needing a good system for sorting them. 

So check back soon to see my potential solution. I'm pretty-ing it up as we speak. :)

changes

Lots of exciting stuff going on around here!

Perhaps you've noticed the new look... three columns, new background, new owl. :) Plus the 'popular posts' section on my sidebar, which links to my most read posts. Fun, right? 

And check out sleepless in Sandy from your smartphone... I have a new mobile version which is more user friendly from your phone! About 90% of my internet time is from my iPhone or hubby's iPad, so this is handy for me!

Now here's what I'm most excited about.... 

I've finally launched the sleepless in Sandy etsy store!!!! This had been a work in progress for months. But really, a dream for way longer than that! Ever since I discovered etsy a few years ago, I've wanted to join the community of amazing artists and crafty folks there. But boy is it intimidating. I think having my coffee cozies selling at the shops here in Sandy has given me a bit more confidence to just go for it. 

So... check out the shop. I've posted a few coffee cozies and plan to post more, plus maybe some other things as I get to it! And if you're new to etsy, you must browse around. It's one of my favorite time-wasters. :) And a fabulous place for one-of-a-kind, handmade gifts! Also vintage fabric.... but that's another story.

To celebrate this exciting new venture, I've decided to do a giveaway!!! I was experimenting with a new style for my cozies, which turned out pretty cute... but it's a bit too labor intensive to sell for $5. 

Sooo, I'm giving it to one of you!

Isn't it pretty? It's the same Amy Butler fabrics I used for my Cosmo bag, but I gathered it! So it's all ruffly and girly. 

See? And it has a pearly white button. It'll fit pretty much any size cup just like my other cozies. And it's one of a kind! I'm not making any more like it. 

So there ya go: a girly, one of a kind cozy, in pretty spring colors. Just for you!

Want it? 

Just comment on this post before Monday, January 31st at 11:59pm.

I'll randomly choose a winner on February 1st and post it here. 

Make sure you leave an email address in your comment so I can contact you!

For an extra entry, become a sleepless in Sandy follower and leave another comment telling me you did!

Ty's extreme room makeover

Really? I only have one before pic of Ty's room?

Must be because it was so boring and void of personality.

Poor Ty. 

His favorite color used to be orange... for years. We kept waiting for him to outgrow it and pick a new favorite color. He wanted all his walls painted orange. I'm not a huge fan, myself. We had kinda settled on one orange accent wall, but then... lo and behold... he decided orange was not his favorite color any more. He still really likes it... but it's not the fav. Phew. 

He desperately wanted a bunk bed for a looong time... so this Christmas he got one. Joint effort... Nana and Papa, Great Grandma and Great Grandpa...

He was beyond excited.

So to complete his "new" room, Mike and I decided to finally paint and decorate a bit for his birthday. 

We sent Ty to Nana and Papa's for a sleepover, put Beckham to bed, and started painting at 8:00pm. It was crazy and fun, and turned out so cute.

We ordered this bedding ahead of time (thanks to my grandparents for buying the bottom set!), and I love it! It has a little orange in it, but also the gray we planned to incorporate into his room. And it looks like big boy bedding, so Ty hopefully won't outgrow it too soon. The best part- they are just simple comforters. Not duvets like I've tried before for him... impossible with a wild little sleeper. His comforter always ended up wadded up at the bottom of the duvet. These are so much easier for making the beds.

So we left two walls the existing color (Sherwin Williams 'whole wheat'), and painted two walls 'mink' (a warm gray... it photographed a bit weird...), also SW. We did opposing color stripes on each wall as well to make it more fun.

Mike got a couple clip on lamps so Ty can easily read in bed at night, but used an orange light bulb for the top one and a blacklight for the bottom. Not terribly practical for reading, but Ty loves them!

We also added stick on, glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling above the top bunk. So fun!

This is the same dresser he's had, but you can see the wall stripes well in this photo. 

A little bit of cool trivia: the giraffe bank in the photo above is from Goodnight Room, a store here in Portland. They outfitted the nursery in the movie 'Management' with Jennifer Aniston... and they used this very giraffe bank! I always meant to watch the movie to see if Ty's bank is shown, but never have. Anyway.

Same orange chair... But aren't the wall stripes cute?! New lamp, which he loves. It thrills him to have so many cozy reading areas. Mike installed a dimmer switch for Ty's ceiling light. We've slowly been putting every light in the house on dimmers. I love the flexibility. It was one of my favorite things about Beckham's nursery... dim light for bedtime stories and middle of the night diaper changes. It's nice to have in Ty's room now, too. 

I love this little wall decal. Dream Big. So true. 

On a side note, I wanted to share a witty, entertaining new blog written by a great friend. 

It's called Mother of the Year... in a sarcastic, self-deprecating kind of way. And can't we all relate to those moments in motherhood? I think you'll enjoy it. :)