When in Roam

Does clothing ever speak to you? I just saw Shabby Apple's new Roamin' Holiday line and I am giddy over this dress. If the Gondola dress could talk it would say, "I belong in Tatum's closet. I belong in Tatum's closet."


Also, I require the little red Vespa. Isn't it cute? Do you think I could strap a couple of car seats to it? No?

Cruising for Chicks

I'll be honest, I'm running out of ideas to keep children entertained indoors. However, we don't seem to be running out of cold weather (save me, Spring!)

One of the last ideas in my bag of tricks, was a trip to Cal-Ranch (our farming supply store) to see the sweet little baby chicks they sell in the Spring. If you have a farming supply store in your area that sells such fuzzy cuteness, you should pay them a visit. But be forewarned, apparently there was a significant salmonella outbreak last Spring just from people handling chicks, so this is a look-but-don't-touch activity and a mom-just-slathered-me-in-hand-sanitizer-just-to-be-safe activity.

I have many projects to share with you, but for now all I seem to accomplish is the chasing of children and the management of their never-ending eat, sleep, poop cycle. I'll have something new to share soon!

Enter My First Giveaway!

UPADTE: The giveaway is now closed, but you can visit Swanky Stitches any time to purchase or see the darling new hats they're cooking up!

I know this girl (OK, she's my sister), and she makes these darling hats and she's giving one away on this blog! Are you as excited as I am? It's my first giveaway at Keep it Simple, Sister!

Swanky Stitches creates handmade hats for babies and children and they love custom orders! One lucky person is going to win her or his choice of hat. You can choose a hat for boy or a girl, a baby or a kid and just about any color combo under the sun!

Here are a few of my favorites:

CONTEST RULES:

• Giveaway begins March 15 and runs through March 22.
• Winner will be announced on this blog March 23.
• You must complete ALL THREE of the following steps to be eligible to win:

1. Become a follower of this fun little blog (click the "Follow" button on the right side). Leave a comment letting me know you are a follower.

2. Visit the Swanky Stitches Blog, and become a follower, then come back here and leave another comment letting me know you're a follower of Swanky Stitches.

3. For one more entry, leave a comment here telling me which Swanky Stitches hat is your favorite.

Nautical Nursery: Striped Paint Banner Tutorial

Here is the latest installment from the Nautical Nursery posts; a striped paint banner on the wall above my son's crib. I am really happy with how it turned out, now I just need to choose some letters (wood or vinyl?) to go above his crib. "Captain Jack" is courtesy of Photoshop and not his actual name, just a place holder to show you how it is supposed to look. Anyway, on with the post...

Despite a handful of painting experiences, one skill has evaded me: clean paint lines, more particularly, clean stripes. Is there anything more frustrating than peeling off the tape from a big painting project only to realize your paint dripped, or leaked through the tape ? My husband would tell you that the remedy for this is to stop reading Pottery Barn Kids Catalogs, thereby alleviating the need for stripes on your walls.

I wanted to paint a striped banner above my son's crib and I was determined to get it right. So I loitered in paint stores and interrogated paint contractors, Home Depot employees and other DIY aficionados. So with their advice and my own trial and error, I give you two gifts: Six Tips for Clean Paint Lines and The Striped Paint Banner Tutorial.

Six Tips for Clean Paint Lines

1. Use Frog Tape - I believe this bright green painter's tape possesses magical properties. I know not everyone will agree with me. Like gun control and Justin Beiber, Frog Tape is a very polarizing issue. I've heard compelling arguments for and against, but in my personal experience, it was better than the standard issue blue tape for making clean paint lines.

2. Use a laser level when placing your tape - We used this handy little laser level from Home Depot. It has a vacuum that helps it grip the wall and then it projects a pretty red laser line across the wall so that you can line your tape up perfectly straight (also, if you let your significant other buy a toy such as this, he will be more willing to help with the project).

3. Wet Your Frog Tape- after your tape is in place on the wall, run a wet cloth over the tape (this activates the sealing process which helps to prevent paint from running underneath the tape).

4. Paint Your Base Color Twice-I think this is the most important tip, and it's a bit mind boggling, so stay with me here. Let's say your painting a white wall with a grey stripe. Once you've painted your base color of white, that paint has dried, and you've taped off your lines for your grey stripe, paint the striped section white. The reason? When the paint bleeds under the tape -and it will- the bleed will be white on white- so you won't see it. Once the white paint is dry, you can paint inside your tape lines with grey and the grey is less likely to bleed since there is already dry white paint in the spots where it would seep through- make sense? I hope so.

5. Less is More - The more paint on your roller, the more likely it is to run and bleed through your tape lines, so roll it on lightly.

6. Remove Tape With Caution - After you've done all of this meticulous painting and taping, you must overcome the urge to rip the tape off the wall. Pulling quickly might pull some of the new paint right off the wall when you're dealing with stripes. So remove the tape very carefully and slowly pulling downward at an angle.

And there it is, my vast wealth of knowledge of painting stripes!

Striped Paint Banner Tutorial

Supply List

4 paint colors (for the small navy and red stripes we just used sample cans from Lowe's)

1 roll of Frog Tape (available at Lowe's)

4 Paint trays

Paint roller with 4 replacement heads

Drop cloth

Tape measure

Laser level

Pencil

I'm linking up to these fabulous blogs:

Hapari swimwear sale

{hooray for a cute one-piece! so hard to find!}

I have never tried Hapari swimwear, but I've been tempted for a while now . I love that any of their styles are available in any of their fun prints. Plus their tops can be worn with straps straight, crossed or halter style, so you can really customize your suit to get what you want and what fits you best.

I saw them today on a local show, Good Things Utah. They are having a two-day 20% off sale with the code "good20." Has anyone tried them?

These are some more of my favorite suits...

"Up" Themed Birthday Party

If you are a fan of the movie, "Up" you will love this birthday party. How sweet is that cake? I'm so glad that Kevin made an appearance on it- she is my favorite! This party looks positively amazing!

Real Ellie badges for party favors? Are you kidding me?!

This party surpasses all of the legal limits of cuteness and cleverness. See all of the details of the party at Hostess with the Mostest.

Giveaway over at Swanky Stitches!

Have you heard of Swanky Stitches? They are a new company making handmade hats for babies and children and they love custom orders! They are doing a giveaway on their blog. The contest ends Monday (3/7). So go over and check it out. Just please tell her I sent you.

(all images by AK Studio and Design for the Swanky Stitches Blog)

I love the long stocking caps for babies.

I have already ordered this cute gray slouchy for my little man.

The pink owl is a hoot (and worth the terrible pun)

I love all of the fun color combinations (hooray for the yellow and red!) Am I biased about these products? Maybe a little, they are my sister's. Good luck on the giveaway!

Learning the Alphabet

(image from The Paper Tray)

If you have small people in your house trying to learn their letters, do go to Starfall and give it a spin. All previous attempts at letter learning seemed to follow the same crash and burn pattern (blaming the teacher, not the student). Nothing I did seemed to click for my daughter. Starfall came as a recommendation from a friend who is a teacher. It's a pretty simple little site with games, information, downloads and products all dedicated to helping kids learn to read. At first the ABC games seemed too simple to be effective, but my pre-pre-schooler was digging, it so we did it just for fun. Then one day she was looking at the tag on her shirt and asked me, "Mom, what does XS mean?" I realized she was starting to learn letters?! In less than a month, and with very intermittent use of this simple little game, I am proud to say that my daughter is fluent in alphabet!

And since we're talking ABCs, check out this fun alphabet bet poster from The Paper Tray. They have many fun color combos and themes for their alphabet posters.

Favorite Trend: Silhoutte Children

{Image from le papier studio }

I've been mentally purchasing (am I the only one that does that?) these sweet little sibling silhouette prints for a while now. The problem is: how do I choose just one? Here are some of the prints on my wish list- all from Etsy.

Nella Designs has so many options, with a modern twist

saratams designs are classic and pretty

I like the color combinations from le papier studio.

Stainless steel soap

Have you heard of this stuff? Am I the last one to know about it?

Stainless steel soap is rumored to rid your hands of onion, garlic, fish and other less-than-sexy smells, plus doesn't it just look cool? It could be a design piece of it's own You can buy a bar on Amazon for less than $10. I think I may give it a try? I told my husband about it and he thinks we should just wipe our hands on the fridge. I guess it is sort of a valid idea?

Nautical Nursery: Simple sailboat mobile

I decided to do a series of posts on my son's nautical-themed nursery, since we did a handful of fun DIY projects in his room. So here is the first Nautcial Nursery post. It was not easy to photograph the mobile because it's, well, mobile! So I apologize that the photos are not the best.

This is quick and inexpensive- three cheers for instant gratification!

The supply list is pretty basic

dowel rod

screw eyes

fishing line

paint

wooden cutout shapes ( I found mine at Dollar Tree but they are available at most craft stores).

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Putting it to a Vote: Baby Boy Jacket

For now I can't picture us in anything but our big bulky coats and hats. But soon it will be time for Spring jackets! I snagged this little number for my daughter from Old Navy.

Now, my favorite baby boy needs a sharp-looking spring jacket.

I've found three that I like.

The Drummer Boy from Next

This sweet little cardigan aslo from Next

This cool knit blazer from Baby Gap

Which do you like?

Ruffles 4 Ever!

Ruffles are one of my favorite trends. I hope they never go away!

Here is a darling pattern for ruffled leggings from No Big Dill, using the fun pre-ruffled fabric that I've mentioned before.

Someday Sofa

( image from Alice Lane Blog via Veranda)

I love this whole look: the mirror, the light fixture, the ivory and natural tones and of course the furniture. I can just picture this in my house...smeared with jam, crayons and barbie heads protruding from the cushion, a herd of My Little Ponies piled on the end table :)

Still, it is so pretty!

Curl Up with a Good Book

For some time, I have secretly been coveting my sister-in-law's collection of Penguin Classics. Beside their obvious value as great pieces of literature, the book covers are so pretty and make such a great display piece in her home.

Well, Penguin has done it again. Their newest release of classics like Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights and Sense and Sensibility are so pretty! Do you love the covers?

I want the whole collection but my favorites (aesthtetically speaking) are Emma, Middlemarch, Great Expectations, The Picture of Dorian Gray and Little Women . They all remind me of my grandma who is an avid reader and owns both the book and the movie adaption of most of the classics. If you visit her on the weekend you are likely to find yourself curled up on the couch, completely drawn in to Cranford or Tess of the D'Urbervilles and loosing all track of time. It's fabulous.

v

All of the books are available at Amazon.

I am excited to share a project with you soon but for now I have some sick kids that need me. Stay tuned!

It's Time to Celebrate the Boy!

{image from MADE}

I am excited for a new series that launches tomorrow from one of my favorite blogs, MADE. The series is called "Celebrate the Boy" and it is a whole month dedicated to ideas and inspiration on boy clothing, crafts and more boy stuff. If you have a little guy, you've probably noticed there are not as many fun ideas for our boys as their should be. So MADE is out to change it. I can't wait to see what they've come up with this time. Pop on over on Tuesday and check it out.

A Little Etsy Love: Baby Byrds

Happy Valentines Day! Sadly, two of my sweethearts are sick. But I think these sweet little prints from the Baby Byrds shop would cheer them up. Aren't they fun? They are customizable too.

{Image from Baby Byrds}

{Image from Baby Byrds}

My Funny Valentine, a quick paper craft

The inspiration for this project came from this post at the the Idea Room .

Her paper craft is made with a paper quilling technique that is really cool. But when I thought of paper quilling, I could almost hear my high-maintenance children laughing at me, mocking me for daring to believe I had time for such an endeavour. So I modified the project a bit (K.I.S.S., remember?)

So my version is about as simple as it gets.

First I spray painted this thrift store gold frame with Krylon satin spray paint in Ivory.

The background paper is a pink and cream hounds tooth printed paper from the Lush product line by My Mind's Eye that I found at Robert's Crafts.

I decided to incorporate an old book page, and had originally planned to print some Valentine-related sentiment directly onto the book page...and then my printer ran out of ink. So I pulled the laziest crafting move of all time. Folks, instead of intricate paper quilling or a pretty printed font, I scrawled out my message with a Sharpie. Yes, I did. And I'm not sorry.

Valentines are supposed to be heart-felt and really they should be hand-written, so the Sharpie works, right?

I used a glue stick to attach my "hand-crafted" message to my background paper, and to glue a band of black grosgrain ribbon underneath. Then, using hot glue, I attached some flowers made from tights (read how to make them here). I framed the project and that's all she (I) wrote!

Flowers made from tights

At our house, the life span of a pair of tights is tragically short. I am sure many people can relate to that frustration of snagging a brand new pair of nylons, but now you can put your trashed tights to good use!

Here is my tutorial on making fabric flowers out of hosiery.  As a disclaimer, you should know this is not my idea, I saw something similar on one of my favorite lifestyle shows, but this is my version, so here we go.

1. Cut off tights at the upper thigh, at the point where they are reinforced.

2. Snip off the toe, leaving yourself with a tube.

3. This is the Choose Your Own Adventure part. You have to decide how many layers of material you want. If you are using nylons or very thin tights, you'll probably want two layers, but for thick or textured tights, you generally only need one layer.

Since I am using a very thin pair of nylons, I need two layers. So I fold the tube in half length-wise ( if you are only working with one layer, just lay it flat).

4. Regardless of the number of layers you've made, this step is the same. Make sure all layers are stacked on top of each other evenly and then, using the longest stitch on your sewing machine, simply sew down the middle (don't reverse stitch).

5. If you folded your fabric, cut the folded edge open so that that all of your edges are loose.

6. Take one of the threads at the end of the tights and pull gently (if you pull too hard, the thread will snap and you will have to sew it again).

This is a tedious process so gently slide the fabric down each time your thread feels too tight.

7. Once your material is all bunched up, you will look at it and think, "Hmmm...this is too short to work with." Just slide it outward and adjust it on the thread to the width you want and then snip any trailing threads.

8. Twist one end inward in a spiral to make the center of the flower.

9. Hot glue it together as you wrap the fabric around it's self.

10. Glue a piece of felt to the back of the flower.

11. Now you can attach a pin, or an alligator clip or just glue or sew it directly onto your craft ( I attached pins to mine).

It's so simple and pretty, you'll want to snag all of your tights!

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