DIY Eye Chart Love Note

I love this idea of a love note disguised in an eye chart. It is one of my favorite DIY projects. I made this one year for my husband on our anniversary and hid a little love note within the eye chart and we have been displaying it ever since. 

You can disguise any note really, it just has to simply fit within the perimeters of a simulated eye chart. All you need to make this is a computer and a printer. The most time consuming part is just trying to space everything out evenly onto a word document.

First things first I checked the internet for examples of eye charts:

Then I chose which style I liked best and modeled my eye chart off of it in a word document. Just figure out the phrase or saying that you want to incorporate before starting and then space the letters out accordingly. This might take a little bit of time and tweaking but it is well worth the effort when you see your finished product. Don't ya think?!

DIY Changing Table Cover

I've got baby baby baby on the brain these days... and for good reason! Its almost time for our little baby to arrive!! So in preparation I am trying to get his little nursery ready so that I wont have to worry a thing about it when he arrives. We transferred E's crib and dresser/ changing table into the new babies room and gave E a big boy bed and new dresser, which he looooves! And since the new nursery will have a different theme than E had I decided I did not want to use the same color changing pad cover. Not to mention I thought I would give baby #2 the courtesy of having a fresh and clean cover as opposed to one that has seen more dirty bums than I would like to admit over the past 2 + years. 

I am always trying to do things on the cost effective side and I didn't want to have to actually purchase a new changing pad cover. Thats when my hoarding tendencies payed off! When Easton was born I  was gifted nearly 30 blankets. 30 people! Apparently women across the world are worried about children going cold! :) Despite knowing that Easton would never ever use all of these blankets, I couldn't help but keep them. So I have been storing them for over 2 1/2 years now and finally it has payed off! Well, at least it payed off to save one of them. I pulled out a really soft blue blanket that was big enough to make a cover and that I knew would look great in the new nursery.

I started by draping my blanket over my uncovered changing pad. If you are using a pattern that is only on one side you will want to have the wrong side facing up at you while doing this. Next I brought together the extra fabric at each corner and pinned it like I was making a dart. I did this for all Four corners. 

Then I sewed each dart, and cut off the excess fabric.

I turned my blanket right side out and placed it onto the changing pad to make sure everything fit nicely. 

 Next I flipped my blanket wrong side out again and sewed elastic along the entire opening. Once the elastic is attached you are all set. Slip on your cover and start changing diapers!

Pesto Shrimp Bruschetta

When summer rolls around I try my hardest to utilize all of the freshest and ripest ingredients that the season has to offer while they are available. And two of my favorite ingredients to use are basil and tomatoes. There is nothing like a fresh and vine ripe tomato in the summer. In fact once our farmers market starts up I have a tomato salad every single day for lunch. Yes, every single day, thats no exaggeration. In fact our counters are currently lined with tomatoes ready to be eaten. You'd think by the looks and smell of things in my kitchen that we run a fruit stand right out of our house. My goal by eating tomatoes every single day is to eat so many during the summer months that I will be sick of them by the time the season is over and wont miss them. The problem is that I never get sick of them and the season still comes and goes leaving me wanting and waiting for more. 

Until I can figure out how to harness the goodness of sweet ripe tomatoes all year long I will have to settle for gorging on them for a few months every year. My latest and greatest recipe using two of my favorite summer ingredients is my pesto shrimp bruschetta. I made it for dinner last night and as my husband took his last bite he said "You know what I hate about this bruschetta?" (I braced myself for a possible harsh critique) He continued "The thing I hate about this bruschetta is that there is never enough!" And that summed it up perfectly, because as soon as I had finished my last bite I knew exactly what he was talking about. My plate was empty and yet I was looking around as if someone was going to bring me another plate of this delicious shrimp bruschetta. Sadly a waiter did not magically appear with another serving, but I'll give you one guess what we are having again tonight for dinner?!

Pesto Shrimp Bruschetta

Ingredients:

Shrimp-

shrimp (I used 3 shrimp per bread slice)

zest of 1/2 of a lemon

2 garlic cloves, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

Bruschetta-

1 baguette of bread

olive oil

salt

1 large tomato

1 large garlic clove, chopped

1/2 cup fresh chopped basil

pesto, fresh or store bought

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Slice your bread, drizzle with olive oil and lightly salt each side, then place onto a baking sheet. Cook for between 10-15 minutes until golden brown on bottom side, then turn over to cook on opposite side for an additional 10-15 minutes until golden brown. 

While bread is cooking you can start to prepare your shrimp and tomato mixture for your bruschetta. Place 1 tablespoon of olive oil into a pan over medium high heat. Add your 2 chopped garlic cloves and sauté for about 1 minute. Add your shrimp and lemon zest and cook until shrimp are just pink and done. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Dice your tomato and  place into a small bowl with your chopped garlic clove. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and season with salt to taste. Stir ingredients and let sit to marinate while you continue to prepare your bruschetta.

Once your bread is done, spread a thin layer of pesto on top of each slice, then place a nice helping of the tomato mixture over pesto and top with your cooked shrimp and sprinkle with freshly chopped basil. Enjoy, I know you will!

Crochet Baby Girl Summer/WInter Dresses

Im  not just selling beanies in my Etsy shop theses days!  Now you can purchase a sweet little crochet dress for your little princess(s)! Perfect for summer or Fall/Winter with some adorable tights and a onesie.

Feel free to convo me with any special or custom orders or colors!

How to Clean and Reuse Candle Jars

So many times I have wished that I could save a candle jar after having burned the candle down to the end of its wick. Especially when the jar is so beautiful like my favorite candle for Anthropology. Half of the reason I bought this candle was because I loved the colored glass, pattern and lid. So when I was finished burning the candle I literally kept it sitting on my counter for a few months deliberating what to do with it. I envisioned spending hours with a knife and an old sponge trying to remove all of the left over wax and soot.  Turns out, its WAY easier than I thought to turn it from greasy and dirty to looking brand new. And it only took me 2 minutes of actual cleaning time, and gave great results! I will be doing this with all of my favorite candle jars forever!!!!!

BEFORE

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AFTER

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All you need to do is pour boiling water into your candle jar and forget about it for awhile. 

The wax will actually start to melt and rise to the surface. 

Once your water is completely cool you can brake the solid piece of wax at the top of your candle and remove it along with any remaining wick. 

Then just clean out your candle jar with soap and water and if any wax remains try using vinegar or olive oil to remove left over residue. Works like a charm!!

*A few notes to remember*

• Do not pour your waxy cooled water down your drain. Instead try pouring it outside in the dirt. You do not want to clog your pipes with wax while trying to reuse your candle jars.
• Do not use a good sponge or towel to remove any leftover waxy residue unless you are no longer planning on using it again.

Upholstered Ikea Chair

Ikea Pello Chair After

With a new baby due in just a few weeks, it was about time that I started to get things ready for his arrival. The baby will be in our bedroom for the first few months so there was no need for me to be in a rush to set up his actual bedroom. However we did need to order him a small bassinet that we would be putting in our bedroom. We also got the Pello chair from Ikea that had just the perfect amount of bounce and comfort for the hours on end that I would be nursing and rocking our sweet little baby in. I didn't want a big bulky rocker that would steal even more space from our bedroom, so this was the perfect compromise and is even more comfortable than you might expect. However I was not thrilled with the only two cushion color options...white and black.

Ikea Pello Chair Before

With a 2 year old running around I knew that both white and black would show any and every sort of grease, grime or stain. So I decided I would just reupholster the cushion. I ordered a beautiful patterned fabric from fabric worm that I thought would help hide any smudges or smears of food or dirt that might find its way onto the chair at any given time. I only needed 4 yards of fabric for this Ikea cushion makeover. 

The cushion, once the neck flap is folded back, is really just one big rectangle. So if you can sew four straight lines than you've got this one in the bag!!

I literally just measured the length and width of the cushion and made sure to leave enough allowance for the thickness as well as when the cushion is folded in the chair. I then just sewed up the two long sides and one short side. Then I put the original cushion into the new slip cover and sewed up the last short side. It could not have been any easier and only took me about 30 minutes. I was able to make it so seamlessly and fast that I had time to add a great pillow for some extra back support!

Now all we have to do is wait for this little one to make his arrival into the world!