home sweet home - chikaustin

home sweet home

May7th

8 Comments

it’s practical. really it is.

Posted in: crafting, home sweet home

I still make things from time to time. Really I do. I still pick up beautiful vintage fabric if it spots my eye when I’m thrifting. Bring it home, set it someplace I hope to not forget it, and wait for inspiration to appear.

A couple of weeks ago inspiration appeared right on my screen on Candace’s blog in the form of a sewing machine cover. A practical, looks easy enough project is exactly what I had in mind. My sewing machine is pretty dusty these days. She certainly doesn’t get the attention she deserves or that I told her she’d get when I justified the purchase back last summer. I don’t have a fancy machine, I wouldn’t know how to figure out how to use a fancy machine. This is the one I have and it does everything a mama like me needs it to do. Basically sew in a straight line and not jam at every opportunity. I really don’t ask for much. I’m still working on the straight line part.

Candace has a great tutorial for making this nifty cover. I had a nap time to make it in so as soon as I laid Chloe down I went to work cutting and measuring. I used all vintage sheets to make the cover and had it done in about an hour. Well two if you count a three year old and five year olds distractions along the way. No wonder I can’t sew in a straight line. I guess I could stay up late to work on these things, but late night is when I work on Craft Hope. There really aren’t enough hours in the day.

Here’s a new shot of the Craft Hope World Headquarters, tucked nicely into the corner of my living room so I can oversee operations of all of the tiny people in my house.

I hope you all have a beautiful Mother’s Day. If I haven’t told you lately, you all inspire me daily.
April22nd

10 Comments

i’ve got the whole world

Posted in: home sweet home, in my kitchen, thrift and vintage

I can tell you that we don’t take holidays lightly around here. Earth Day is no exception. So here I am, going about the normal morning time routine. Wake up, sometimes shower, smile at the baby, get the kids up, breakfast, make lunches, shuffle the baby, get the kids dressed, feed the baby, coo at the baby, grab our backpacks and out the door. It’s a hurry, we’re balancing precariously on the line of being late type of morning. Preschool is three minutes away, it’s 8:57 am. Go!

Put the baby in the car, open the hatchback on the car so Makena can climb in only to be greeted by a huge TARANTULA. I kid you not. Sitting on Chloe’s shopping cart cover thingy. I believe he had the same ‘oh my God’ expression and scream but we just couldn’t hear it. So this is what goes down when there is a TARANTULA in your car. Lots of screaming, running in circles, ‘get something, no not that, grab a stick, something bigger, will it bite me, I don’t know, don’t touch it, no Keegan a baseball glove will not work, more screaming, get a picture, quick, more screaming. Escort the tarantula across the street, pray he won’t return and didn’t bring any buddies to the Earth Day celebration in the swagger wagon.

Happy Earth Day, yeah right! I did my part by not killing him. How do you kill a tarantula anyway? I’m not stepping on it, he’d probably bite me. Run him over with your car? I always see them walking across the street when I’m driving, maybe that will work. Who knows. And yes, I am still freaked out.

Scorpions, tarantulas, and cougars oh my!

Seeing as it is Earth Day I thought you might like to see where the globes I bought in Round Top ended up. This is not my idea, I’d seen it on this blog (I think, can anyone tell me for sure?). I love globes, as you can tell and the entire time I was snatching them up I was singing ‘I’ve got the whole world in my hands.’ Yes, I know those are not the right lyrics but they made me laugh. And you have to laugh at yourself when you and your friends are walking around Round Top carrying seven globes. I ended up getting each globe for about $10 each. Not bad, not bad at all. I love me some Round Top.

And here is another shot for you. I also scored the huge number 5 at Round Top, since our family is now a party of five. I’m working on filling up the entire garage door with the kids art. I thought about turning it into a chalkboard, but don’t really want chalk all over the house. And I figure, they are only little for such a short time. Before I know it there won’t be kids art hanging, but schedules for events to shuffle them to.

Happy Earth Day y’all! I hope the earth minds its own business today and doesn’t greet you with a big hairy spider.
February4th

9 Comments

slowing down

Posted in: home sweet home

I didn’t really know what life had in store for our family two-and-a-half years ago when we moved to the lake. We moved from North Austin, close to Target, neighbors surrounding us, friends just a short drive away.

We moved to a neighborhood on Lake Travis. Some folks live on the lake, others (like us) are only a short walk away. It’s quiet out here. Most houses evenly spaced with acres between them. A community that gathers on the shores of the lake to fish, boat, and swim. To BE.

It took us a while to adjust to the move. Knowing that we moved to slow down our pace of life. When Makena, at two, was waking up asking to GO somewhere I knew things had to change. The need to GO. The need to stay busy.

I still hear from people that we live ’so far away.’ From what I ask?

We like it out here. I like to sit on my porch and do nothing. I like to sit in the yard and watch the kids roll down the hill in their wagon at top speeds. I like to sit at the lake. I like impromptu picnics in the yard and down at the lake. I love to sit on my couch, with toys and art supplies strewn about. I LOVE that. I like it that my kids think that going on a nature hike involves navigating around the cedar trees in the yard. Picking up rocks and sticks along the way to aid them in their imaginary play.

Mind you, the need to GO is in my blood. My mema was a mover and a shaker and could shop like nobody’s business. I still love to shop, don’t get me wrong. With time, the need to go has subsided. I prefer handmade gifts over the store bought variety. To me, it’s easier because I don’t have to leave the house.

For Valentines this year, we are making these. I don’t have to buy anything. I still don’t know what I’ll do for my own kids, but it will be handmade and they will love it because their mama tried. Part of setting my limits involves just showing you a good idea someone else came up with and not showing you how I make it. I am surrounded by a community of extremely talented ladies and they do a darn great job of showing you how. I am thankful for that.

I think it’s a constant work in progress. To slow down. To say no.

I have found wisdom and inspiration here, here and here. Learning to set my limits, to know I am not alone. The fear, the joy, the pain.

Don’t get me wrong, I know we aren’t all living at the lake. You can slow down wherever you are. It was a process to get here. Mentally as well as physically. Selling our 2,300 sf house, moving into a tiny apartment with two little ones for 4 months, then finding a very small lake house. Selling half of our furniture, trading in cars, reducing our spending. Learning that passed down furniture is the very best find. Trying to make it all fit in this house. The constant rearranging to make it work.

Last year, starting preschool 30 miles away so we’d still be tied to the city somehow. Then doing some homeschooling in the fall while I wrapped up the Craft Hope book in the last trimester of my pregnancy and adjusting to a new baby in the house. And now putting the kids in a new school two minutes from the house. With other lake kids, whose parents have chosen to live a life less ordinary as well.

It’s what works best for our family. I’m just doing my best here. I think we all are.
November18th

4 Comments

thankful day 3 :: lemons

Posted in: home sweet home, kid crafts

When life gives you lemons…

Put up a reminder to be thankful. Even if it takes all day to make it.

And make construction paper hand print turkeys with your kids.
September17th

6 Comments

featured

Posted in: celebrations, crafting, home sweet home

Deadlines are looming and this baby is coming within the next week and a half. AACK! So much to do, so little time… and I could go into labor sooner. I have to get movin’.

I made this pillow, a while back, for the nursery to go in the vintage La-Z-Boy. In true Jade fashion, I didn’t follow a pattern, I simply traced the pillow and cut fabric accordingly. Then started adding embellishments such as the rick rack and the stitching along the flowers.

Last week, Ohdeedoh (aka Apartment Therapy) contacted me about Chloe’s nursery. They had previously featured Makena’s room, which no longer exists (sniff… sniff), and it is such an honor to be featured again. You can see the tour here. Thanks Ohdeedoh!!

Okay friends, I wish I could stay and chat but I’ve got to run. If only I could have a cup of caffeinated coffee or tea to make this easier.
September14th

5 Comments

my kids love me, they really do

Posted in: babes in toyland, home sweet home

We spent the weekend all cuddled up at home, enjoying the steady rain and temperatures in the 70’s. I tell you, Texas weather doesn’t do anything half way. We’re either roasting at 106 degrees or chilling at 70. It’s either feast or famine around here.

With the rain came all of the wildlife in our hood. The birds were all a flutter and asking for more bird seed. The deer were out in full force, running and playing. And the kids went exploring every chance they got. With muddy hands and rain boots they found plenty of treasures. From acorns to old small toys abandoned in the yard.

This evening, while I was working on the Craft Hope site they came running up the front porch to me saying ‘mama, we got you some flowers!’ Now living in the Texas Hill Country this could mean a variety of things. Not knowing what I would find, I opened the door to this awful wonderful smell. They so lovingly picked poisonous mushrooms and onion flowers.

I honest to goodness would not trade my mama job for the world. Those sweet moments are heaven on earth.
September7th

38 Comments

the nursery

Posted in: babes in toyland, crafting, home sweet home, thrift and vintage
Sorry about the brief break in postings. I don’t have a very good excuse other than that I am officially nine months pregnant and am using all of my free time for naps. I’m not sleeping well at night. My belly is poking out from under most of my maternity tops. And I’ve been downright grumpy for a few days now. We do have a c-section scheduled for September 29th so at least I’ll have a sweet baby in my arms next month.

The house is quiet. My hubby has taken the kids to the park so I can have some writing time and the best way for me to find my writing mojo is to write up a blog post so here goes. Although, this one is going to be pretty picture heavy.

Without further ado, here is Chloe’s nursery…

The crib is the Jenny Lind style purchased for Makena when Keegan was born. Yup, I had two in cribs at the same time. The decals and wall art are from Etsy. The vintage mobile was found at a garage sale. I picked up inexpensive white bedding here and there. And I made the little pillow and quilt using my favorite Amy Butler fabrics. We decided to paint the bedroom an aqua color and go with the red accents. Makena’s nursery was pink, pink, and more pink and I’m a bit pinked out.

Amy Butler fabric makes my heart swoon.

I found the letter C at Hobby Lobby and spray painted it red. The ABC print is from Etsy. And I picked some of the fabric from her quilt to display in the hoops. The dresser and bookshelf were purchased for Makena about two years ago at Target.

Most of the decorations on her bookshelf are vintage. The owl bank was found at Target.

My really sweet blog friend, Rebekah, made this coordinating block and ball set for my soon to arrive baby. She has mad skills.

I found a ton of inspiration on Ohdeedoh, flickr, and Etsy. Also, while perusing other blogs looking at nurseries. I’ll take another picture of the other side of the room when the light is cooperating.

:: Links ::
- Wall decals – Etsy seller Byrdie Graphics
- You are my sunshine print – Etsy seller The Wheatfield
- ABC print – Etsy seller Orange Ink
- Paint – Behr (Home Depot) Refreshing Pool 500A-2
This place on the web may become a little picture heavy until the baby and book deadline arrives. At the same time!
August20th

6 Comments

name art

Posted in: home sweet home

A few of you asked about the kids name art hanging above their beds. So I took some close up shots to give you an idea of what all they entail.

My friend that makes these is incredibly talented, she really should open an Etsy shop. At around their first year she asked me for a list of the highlights. From where we lived, travels, birth information, to personality traits, and so on. I then selected a theme. For Keegan’s I went with cowboy, since we live in Texas. And for Makena I went with the fairy. She’s always been a flighty little thing and was a fairy for her first Halloween.

I believe that she gets the frames at Michaels. I think these are just the most perfect ways to capture your child’s first year and also something for them to look back on. Also, a great way to share memories with your child. Those special moments that seem to go so fast.

Speaking of special moments, what do you all use for baby books? In the past I used the store bought variety, but was curious if there was something new out there I was missing. Maybe an online program or a favorite baby book you’ve found some place? I’d love to hear what you use.
August17th

12 Comments

scenes with a belly

Posted in: babes in toyland, home sweet home, in my kitchen, mama life

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. We took a quick trip to San Antonio for my brother-in-law’s birthday and hit up Sea World one last time before the baby comes. I think we did it right this time. We went in the evening and it couldn’t have been more pleasant. Actually, it gets nicer and nicer as fall comes and school is back in session. The crowds disperse, the temperatures drop, and the water park closes so there aren’t people walking around in bikinis. What’s that about anyway? That’s a whole other blog post entirely. What not to wear to a theme park. Followed by Why on earth are you wearing that?

Sorry, I got distracted. Today was a pretty low key day. I get many comments from my bloggy friends concerned about me, that I’m overdoing it. I swear I have the BEST friends in blogland. I wouldn’t trade any of you for the world. While many days I’d trade my kids in for a goat or two.

So I decided to take some pictures today to show you a day in the life of what it’s really like around my house.

Breakfast which usually consists of frozen waffles or cereal. Notice the adult plate and fork. Makena insists on it.

Ahhh… the living room. I had planned on doing a post to show you our new sofas and new arrangement, but decided to show you what it normally looks like in our house. Toys strewn about. Boy laying on the couch watching cartoons. Crooked pictures on the wall. Yup, that’s about right. We used to have a dark green sofa and red curtains. I totally changed up the place by purchasing two white sofas. Yes, I’m crazy. And white curtains. I really love a white room.

With toys everywhere. This is my reality.

Afternoon. Feet propped up. Belly relaxed. I finally bribed (payed off) the kids to clean up the toys. It’s amazing what 25 cents will get you. On the ottoman in front of me is some of the work I’m doing for the book. Hidden in the binder. Mooahahaha… The most recent Land of Nod catalog to dream from. And my stack of magazines that I plan to read.

Oh wait, and across from me is a humongous pile of linens from the kid’s old beds that need to be folded and stored away. I have no idea where I’m going to put them, that’s why they are sitting right there. I’m sure they’ll be there in the morning. And possibly the rest of the week.

And right after this picture was taken it was nap time for all of us.

All of this to show you, my friends, that I’m doing okay. I’m resting, I just tend to show you the activity in my life. There is plenty of downtime. Trust me.

This evening I went and sat in the kids room for a bit while my hubby cleaned up the kids toys down there. I decided that the room was too cluttered and cleared out half of the pictures from the art wall and half the toys from the shelves. The bassinet went away and so did the parking garage. A much cleaner space. Maybe it will encourage the kids to keep the room cleaner. Maybe not.

Rest well friends and put your feet up when you get a chance. You are in good company.
August14th

24 Comments

kids new shared room

Posted in: home sweet home

I think it was really starting to bother my hubby that we moved my son into his sisters room. Pink walls. Princess dresses. You name it.

So last Sunday after church he said to me ‘lets go get the kids new mattresses for their beds.’ We were fortunate to be given my hubby’s dad’s beds from when he was a kid. We just didn’t have the mattresses for them. We made one stop at a mattress store and realized that was way out of our budget, then road tripped it up to Ikea for a more wallet friendly variety. We passed on the box springs because we didn’t want the beds too high since the kids are only two and four.

Then two nights ago my hubby stopped by the paint store and picked out the perfect butta (butter) color to replace the pink. I got the kids bedding at Marshalls, another very wallet friendly store. I let the kids pick out what they wanted, which was difficult for me. I kept asking Makena ‘are you sure you want the butterfly sheets?’ Of course she does. Keegan picked out train sheets and a patchwork quilt. I wanted to do the whole vintage linens thing in the room, but had nothing that was twin size. Go figure.

Have a looksy. Tell me what you think.

The kids new space. One whole wall is sliding glass windows so the room is always very bright. The downside is that the room is always very bright and we lose a wall for furniture.

Keegan’s bed with his favorite toys. The art above the bed was made by a friend of mine documenting the first year of their lives.

Makena’s bed with her name art hung above the bed.

The fabric bunting I made for their room. The biggest problem I had in decorating their room was trying to make it good for both a boy and a girl. This was quite the challenge.

I swear that shelf is straight. Weird how it looks wonky in the picture. I put all of their vintage/breakable things on the shelves. Many from mine and my husbands childhood. Some collected while thrifting.

Makena’s princess dress rack was cleaned out to make way for Keegan’s boy dress up items. Move over Cinderella, there’s a new sheriff in town.

A few of my favorite childhood things.

This is the wall opposite their beds. My bassinet from when I was a baby now holds Makena’s dollies. The basket under the bassinet holds doll clothes and blankets.

I incorporated art that was in both of the kids rooms into a small art gallery for them. A couple Belle and Boo prints, pages taken from a Where the Wild Things Are book, a rocket painted by a friend, a Russian doll necklace holder, and of course a stuffed animal buffalo head.

The kids have been playing in their room nonstop since we got it all fixed up. Very glad that project is off of the list and they have a space that both of them can enjoy.