Setting Sail

I saw this in Pottery Barn and loved it.  However, I wasn't about to pay $99 for it, so I set out to make my own.  I used a round tree stake from Olsen's Nursery ($4), a dowel rod from Lowes ($2), twine,  and black spray paint to make the mast.  I simply used the jute twine to lash the two pieces of wood together.  I could go into ship building I know :).  To make the sail, I purchased a yard of heavy canvas for $10 and had it screenprinted for $15.  Then I used gromets from Hobby Lobby ($6), and shower curtain rings from Target ($6) to finish the sail.  So for a grand total of $43, I got the exact same look as the Pottery Barn inspiration for half the price.  I LOVE IT!!

A Pirate's Life for Me

Porter wanted a pirate bedroom, so I set out to find sophisticated accessories that would last beyond a juvenile themed room.  Enter Hobby Lobby where I found the mirror, ship's wheel, and anchor.  Usually, they will have their wall decor 50% off.  I used three 40% off coupons and spent $80 for all three.  I love the mirror as it reminds me of a porthole.

Check back all this week for the big unveiling!

A light summer dinner

Utah is finally feeling like Spring!  For that reason I thought I'd share a light dinner recipe.  Although its salmon, this recipe gives it a great flavor and masks any "fishy" taste.  My friend Amy also asked for the recipe so I thought this would be a great place to share with all!

Salmon Marinade

 (Photo courtesy of wine-scamp.com)

Salmon fillet

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup water

1/4 cup canola oil

Lemon pepper and garlic to taste

In a gallon ziplock bag mix soy sauce, brown sugar, water, oil and seasonings.  Place fillet in Ziplock and marinate for 2 hours.  Either bake in the oven at 375 for 15-20 minutes or grill on the barbeque wrapped in tin foil for 20-30 minutes (or until done).

A great vegetable to make with the salmon is asparagus.  My Grandma gave me the idea to cook it this way and it is yummy!

(Photo courtesy of momsinablog.com)

Bundle of asparagus spears

Olive oil

Garlic salt

Cut asparagus in sections (throwing out the bottom part) and place in gallon Ziplock.  Coat with olive oil and shake garlic salt into Ziplock.  Shake to completely cover and marinate in fridge for at least 30 minutes.  Place on tin foil-lined cookie sheet and bake at 400 for 20 minutes.

Best room in the house

Now that the playroom is finished I wonder where I put all the toys before!  It's so nice to have it organized and in its own room! 

The IKEA organizer is the best!  I'm also impressed that the $8 end table can hold up our beastly box television.  It weighs a ton!

IKEA now sells these great area rugs (they are about 2 1/2 x 2 1/2 feet).  They come in a number of different colors and are soft!

These body pillows are at Walmart for $8 and are perfect for two little heads to lay down and watch a movie or read a few books.  I have a vision to add a little book nook in this area of the room...I will share when its done!

Yes its quite pathetic how many toys we have...but if you ever design a playroom a closet full of shelves is a must!  It is SO great!

I've had friends tell me they have their kids share bedrooms so they don't have to give up the playroom...I can see why!  It's so great and has been a fun space to decorate!  Can't wait to find the last few finishing touches!

Playroom collage

When I bought the fabric online I also wanted to buy prints to hang on the wall.  Instead of paying $8-$10 per print I decided to buy a calendar with 12 prints for $14!

The Pottery Barn Kids catalog had this great idea to hang a collage...I really love how it turned out!  The frames are the Ribba frames from IKEA for $10. 



It was pretty simple to do.  First I laid out the photos on the ground to see how far apart I wanted each frame.  Then I measured the total size of the collage and how much space it would take on the wall .  Once I found the center point on the wall I hung the middle picture on the top line as my reference point.  Then I hung the two middle frames followed by the bottom middle frame.  It was easy to build out from there.  I had each frame overlap by 3 1/2 inches. 

These are a few of my favorite Dick and Jane prints...

The nice thing about frame collages is they take up space on a large wall!  My playroom feels much more decorated now!  Photos of the full room coming tomorrow!

Sewing Curtains

Lisa is the talent behind all the sewing projects featured on this blog.  Here's her tutorial on sewing curtains...

Before beginning your curtain project, measure the width and length of your window.  With pocket curtains, (meaning your rod slips through the pocket at the top) you want to have an extra 8 inches in width and length.  That way, you'll have plenty of room for seam allowance, as well as having the curtains gather.  So make sure to add an extra eight inches per panel in width and an extra eight inches in length.

 We started by backing both the Dick and Jane fabric and the polka dot with muslin.  To do this, simply measure your two pieces to size, cut muslin to be the same as each piece, put right sides together, sew around the edge leaving a 4" opening, pull the fabric so that the right sides are showing, and stitch opening shut.  For the Dick and Jane panels, we added a decorative zig zag stitch with red thread.

 Next, we centered the Dick and Jane panels on the polka dot fabric and pinned the two pieces together, make sure to leave the extra inches at the top to create the pocket for the rod.  Then, we simply stitched a straight stitch along the entire panel.



 For the top pocket, fold over the excess material to form a 3-4 inch pocket.  Sew seam at the bottom of the pocket.  Leave the sides open for the rod.  Repeat on second panel.  Place on rod.

And here's the finished product...

These cost about $40 to make...but to have custom curtains that match the room perfectly its not a bad deal!

Dick and Jane

When I first saw the Dick and Jane fabric a few years ago I knew I wanted to decorate somehow with it...

Of course when I actually had a space to use it I couldn't find it anywhere anymore!  I searched online and a Raggedy Ann collectors site had Dick and Jane items at fairly reasonable prices.  If you love Dick and Jane too you can find it here.  I'm excited to share how I've used this theme for our new playroom!

I found the red polka dot fabric at Broadbents in Lehi.  They have the cutest fabrics!  A tutorial is coming tomorrow on curtains we made for the playroom!