Dollhouse Makeover: The Craft Room!

Every time we finish a room I say that it's my new favorite but this room will be hard to top for me.  It's for reals my favorite!!  We LOVE it!

 

THE CRAFT ROOM

This was definitely the most fun to decorate and Nora and I agree that we'd LOVE to have a craft room this cute!

Originally, Nora had picked out pink glittery "wallpaper" for this room but then decided that since the pink bathroom was right next door, she needed to pick new wallpaper. 

She spotted this mini gold dot paper and fell in love and I was super excited because I'm loving the new gold trend lately. 

We already had the desk and chair but while I spray painted the desk, Nora gave the chair a coat of gold paint.  The "chandelier" is another tea light with an adhesive trim hung with a little gold chain necklace.  We love the blingy chandy!!

We couldn't have a craft room without a few PaperDoll products...mini note cards and a personalized tray. 

We already had the frame but added my NEW PAPERDOLL GIRL.  I love her!!  

We added some more of the gold trim so the lamp would match the chandelier. 

We had the table but Nora painted it and then covered it with this awesome paper that looks like old wood.  I want this table in my size!! 

We already had the dress form.  We just tied some fabric around her.  So cute!  We made the "fabric bolts" by wrapping bits of fabric around cardboard. 

The sewing machine , chalkboard (with Nora's cute handwritten CREATE)  and glass bottle came from Hobby Lobby.

The bunting is twine and scrapbook paper.  The houndstooth "rug" is printed paper.

I'm ready to shrink down and set up PaperDoll shop in this craft room!!

I'm seriously thinking about going this gold, aqua, coral direction for MY office.  LOVE it!

 

DOLLHOUSE LIVING ROOM

DOLLHOUSE BATHROOM

DOLLHOUSE MASTER BEDROOM

 

© 2013 paperdoll designs Please don't be shy!! I'd love to hear your comments!

Linking up to:
Commona-my house
Funky Polkadot Giraffe
Skip to my Lou
Craft-O-Maniac
 

  

Summer Crushes

Car Crush

Fiats.  I'm not a car person so I could care less (or even know) whether these are considered cool or not.  My dream car when I was sixteen was a VW Rabbit convertible.  This car reminds me of those...so I want one.  Never gonna happen but a girl can dream.  The kids and I keep our eye out for them while driving around.  They are so cute.

 

Clutch Crush

I am in big time love with the clutch I won from Tickled Sew Pink!  It's been great for summer!!

 

 Perfume Crush

I am loving this Pacifica Tuscan Blood Orange perfume for summer.  I also love the lotion.  The only flaw is that it doesn't last all day but it's affordable so I still love it!  I also like the Hawaiian Ruby Guava.  So summery! 

 

Song Crush

 

We have declared "Cruise" as our "Call Me Maybe" this summer.  Last summer it was Carly Rae on repeat ALL. SUMMER.  LONG.  This summer it's Nelly & Florida Georgia Line.  I kinda like it.  A LOT.  REPEAT. 

 

What are  you crushin' on this summer?

 

 

© 2013 paperdoll designs Please don't be shy!! I'd love to hear your comments!

Bloglovin'

I'm a little in love with Bloglovin'.  Have you checked it out?  I've been out of the blog loop for so long that I'm just now discovering it.  It's my new favorite way to follow blogs.  You can pick which blogs you want to follow and then they are all right there for you when you go to their site.  You can also choose to get an email when your fav blogs are updated.  I've got a link over there to the right if you want to follow me on Bloglovin' and you can check out other blogs too.  It's way cool. 

© 2013 paperdoll designs Please don't be shy!! I'd love to hear your comments!

CURRENTLY

Before you read what I'm CURRENTLY up to....make sure you have left a comment on the GIVEAWAY post!!  All you have to do is comment...tell me what you're CURRENTLY up to if you want!  I'll be announcing a winner tonight!

CURRENTLY...

 

DRINKING...

water with lemon but only out of my cute vintage blue jar with my cute pink straw and lid from The Mason Bar Company.  Why is it that the water tastes better when it's in a cute jar??  I'm not a water drinker, so this is HUGE.  I go days...okay, sometimes weeks, without drinking water.  HUGE.  And NO, I haven't given up the Diet D.P.  That's never gonna happen.  I'm just adding some water to the mix.

LOVING TO HATE...
Barre Class
I decided to try the Barre class at my gym about a month ago and I am hooked.  No, I'm not wearing a tutu (although that would be kind of fun) and leaping across the gym but YES, I'm getting an awesome workout.  I walked in with this "I do CrossFit, I got this" attitude and walked out with my legs shaking so badly I could barely walk down the stairs.  It's serious.  LOVING to hate it!!  I'm hoping my butt and thighs will be thanking me later.

MISSING...

Nashville.

I'm not liking that I have to wait until the fall to see this one again.  I got hooked during the first season.  Were you watching??  I did have a really bad TWO WORLDS COLLIDED moment the other day when I realized that the kinda dorky dad on Jessie (the Disney show that my kids sometimes watch) is the pretty hot Deacon on Nashville.  Kinda ruined it for me a little...but I'm sure I'll get over it by the next season.

 

EATING...

Angie's Sweet & Salty.

Darn that sample lady at Target who just had to ask me if I wanted to try some popcorn! 

 

OBSESSED WTH...

Instagram

I'm fascinated by all the crafty, creative people that I am following!  I'm a little obsessed with all the apps that make your pictures look awesome.  It does give me Photo Skills Envy but it's still SO FUN!

 

 



© 2013 paperdoll designs Please don't be shy!! I'd love to hear your comments!

SCHOOL'S OUT!!!

It's been a great school year for all three of my little darlings but we are all very excited to be starting our summer break today!!  Here's a little recap of the last few days for Nora & Charlie.  I didn't get any pics of Graham because 6th graders are way too cool for moms with cameras.

 headed to kindergarten graduation in style!

his moment at the mic

starting out the candle tradition with a candle in his quesadilla!

 I've been meaning to make my kids these shirts for the last day of school since Graham was in kindergarten.  I FINALLY did it!  Charlie had a great year!!  We are REALLY going to miss his AWESOME, ADORABLE, AMAZING teacher.

 Nora had a great year too!  STRAIGHT As ALL YEAR deserves a candle in her spaghetti for sure!!

We took these jars of chocolate covered pomegranates to the teachers on the last day.  I tied on a little chevron scoop from Sucre Shop and I confess it was really hard for me to give those adorable scoops away.  I'll be ordering a set for myself right away.  Aren't they the cutest?

 

HAPPY SUMMER!!!

LET"S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!!

© 2012 paperdoll designs

Window Shopping

I am not an impulse shopper.  I think this is one of the things my husband loves most about me.  I tend to think about buying things for quite some time and usually I end up moving on to something else before I ever buy what I was so in love with.  Of course, sometimes I break down and do a little shopping but I usually really have to think about it.  Yep, my husband loves me.

If I WERE an impulse shopper, these things would be mine already...

 I've had my eye on this cute wallet for a while now.  I love the blue....but think I'd go for the yellow....

I think I've thought about this one long enough and it needs to be mine.  I've been on the hunt for the perfect wallet forever and I think this one is it.

 I've also been thinking about buying another pair of FitFlops.  I LOVE the pair I have and think this tan pair would be perfect for summer.  Should I or shouldn't I?

I fell in love with this white Coach watch a few months ago.  LOVE.  SO PRETTY.  I think this one will stay on the Wish List for awhile. 

 

 

© 2012 paperdoll designs

It was a good day...

Lately I've felt like I've been locked in my office.  Other than Christmas, this is my busiest time of year.  I've been pulling all nighters which means I've skipped A LOT of morning workouts.  I'm so glad my workout buddy, Karis, convinced me to get out of my office and meet her at the gym this morning after getting the kids off to school.  It's amazing how much better a workout can make you feel.  I totally didn't want to go as I was walking into the gym but walked out SO HAPPY that I went.  We did this workout that I found on Pinterest a few weeks ago.  We added some abs at the end and it was a pretty good workout.  As I was leaving the gym my friend, Shelle, asked me if I wanted to go on a walk and since it was a beautiful day AND I really needed a PaperDoll break AND I hadn't seen her in a while, I said yes.  My FitBit was thrilled to be moving!  I was thrilled to have a little time away from working.  I'm so glad I enjoyed the sunshine...it's going to be 39 tomorrow!!  Hello, Oklahoma!

It's back to work tonight but not before I do a little catching up with my dvr:

I love me some of these guys!

Are you watching?

© 2012 paperdoll designs

Little Yellow Chair

I've often joked that we don't have "grown up" furniture and don't live in a "grown up" house.  When I visits friends' homes, they seem so "grown up."  I don't know how to explain it any other way but their beautiful homes with beautiful furniture and beautiful artwork seems just that...GROWN UP.  I do love it and maybe someday I'll live in a "grown up" house but for now I love my hand me down, flea market furniture and vintage vibe.  The other day I actually realized that in our entire downstairs we have maybe one piece of furniture that we didn't find at a flea market or have handed down from family.  It makes me kind of happy that I can look at our dining room table and remember when my parents bought it back when I was probably Charlie's age.  I know that the cabinet in our breakfast nook used to be in a little girl's room I know that is all grown up now. Most of the furniture in our bedroom belonged to my mom when she was a little girl.  I also like that when I break out the paint my husband doesn't even bat an eye.  It's not like we are going to ruin an expensive piece of furniture.
For years I have been wanting to paint the hand me down table in our dining room.  It's black.  I don't really do dark furniture.  If I had my way, every piece of furniture in our house would be antique white.  I wish I had taken a picture before sanding down the top of the table but here it is mid redo:

And here it is after painting the base and staining the top:

Of course the chairs and that bench back there now needed a redo. 



Makes the dining room look COMPLETELY different now that the big black table and chairs are gone.

 

I decided I wanted to do something a little crazier than antique white for the bench and settled on yellow.  I 'm loving it.  While we were painting the bench, I started thinking about my grandma because she always had a yellow dining room.  I can still picture the yellow and white gingham tablecloth that was always on her dining room table.  And in the corner there was a little ice cream parlor chair.  It was my grandma's when she was little.  Every one of her kids and grandkids sat in that chair.  It has been painted a million colors but I remember it best sitting in the corner of her yellow dining room.   I always loved that chair growing up and am beyond blessed to have it now that my sweet grandma is gone.  I had Nora run in and grab it and gave it a little makeover too.  I had painted it light green YEARS ago for Nora's baby room and it was looking so sad and dingy.  Now it looks so happy and reminds me of my grandma and her yellow dining room.

 

 

© 2012 paperdoll designs

A Few of My Favorite Things

BABY LIT

While we were at Pinkitzel, I stumbled upon the most adorable board books.   I took one look and was smitten with these "Baby Lit" books.  I don't have babies anymore but was so tempted to buy them all for myself and I'm still thinking about it.  They will be my new favorite baby gift for sure!!  I could not get over how cute they all were!!

There are many other options:  Jane Eyre, Moby Dick, Alice & Wonderland, Pride & Prejudice & more.  LOVE LOVE LOVE them!

 

MY NEW FAVORITE SNACK

It's a problem how much I love these Dark Chocolate Covered Pomegranate snacks!!  I have had to start measuring them out by serving into snack bags to keep myself from eating half the bag in one sitting.  They are so good!!  I also LOVE the blueberry and raspberry.  YUM!

 

FIT CHIC HEADBANDS

I love Fit Chic headbands SO MUCH that I pretty much wear one everyday!  I love wearing them to work out and I love them when I'm having a bad hair day and I love them on Nora and I just pretty much LOVE them!  Even better, I know Julie who started the company and I got to hear her story about how it all started the other day and it just make me happy to support other mommy owned businesses.   

 



© 2012 paperdoll designs

Fitbit: My new fav gadget!

I've been on a eat healthy, get fit kick lately.  In fact, my friend Karis and I just realized that one year ago this month we started doing crossfit at The Grand and much to my surprise...we are still at it!  There are weeks (this week) that I am a major slacker, but for the most part I've been pretty good.  I definitely couldn't do it without my exercise buddies!  There are several fabulous ladies that brave the workouts but Karis is a major cheerleader and when I think one more burpee will kill me, she assures me that it won't. 

I started looking into The Fitbit at about the same time that we started doing this crazy exercise thing.  I thought it would be an extra motivator if I knew how many calories I was burning and how many steps I was taking.  I am not an impulse buyer.  It took me almost a year to buy it.  I've been living happily with my Fitbit for about a month now.  I love it. 

I will confess that the first few weeks had me mildly obsessed.  I was constantly checking the screen and syncing the app on my phone to see how many steps I had taken, how many calories I had burned, how many miles I had traveled, etc.  It gives you the goal to take 10,000 steps a day and for a girl that sits at her computer most of the day, that is HARD!  Even on my run days or xfit days, I have a hard time meeting that goal BUT it is motivating!!  There have been several nights that I've run up and down my stairs at 5 minutes until midnight just so I could make my goal.  I've called for impromptu dance parties in living room so I could hit that 10,000.  I've gone so far as to jump on the trampoline with all three kids for some extra steps/calories.  Mommas that have had three babies don't need to jump on trampolines. 

Now that the newness has worn off, I'm not quite as obsessed but I still love it and I still wear it everyday...it's tiny...clips to my waistband and I never even notice it.  It's my favorite little gadget. I love that it pushes me to move more.  I find myself parking further away at the grocery store so I can get extra steps in.  We've been going on more walks/runs in the neighborhood which my kids love.  It's really pretty cool.  I know there are lots of trackers like this out there but I'm a Fitbit fan!

*this is my own opinion...fitbit didn't ask me to write this...they have no clue who I am.  :) 




© 2013 paperdoll designs

About me...

As promised, a cheesy "all about me" questionnaire to kick off the fact that my blog and I are BACK TOGETHER!!  I went back to a post from 2008 and copied this.  I LOVED seeing my old answers and I'm going to leave them for you to see.  The CURRENT answers are in pink. And you might notice that a few numbers are missing...I deleted a few that didn't apply...like who's going to respond, blah, blah, blah...

1. What is your occupation right now? Diaper Changer, House Cleaner, Nose Wiper, Referee, Homeroom Mother, Chauffeur, Stationery Maker, and much more...House Cleaner & Cook (sometimes), Referee, Stationery & Gift Maker and much more...
2. What color are your socks right now? I don't think I even own a pair of socks! White.  And I own tons of socks now!!  My favorites with tennis shoes are my Under Armour low profile that I'm wearing right now.
3. What are you listening to right now? Third Day Maroon 5
4. What was the last thing that you ate? Mexican Food Dark Chocolate Covered Pomegranate...oh my! 
5. Can you drive a stick shift? no way! still a big NO
6. Last person you spoke to on the phone? my friend Lucy I love this...my answer is Lucy.  :)
8. How old are you today? 34 39
9. What is your favorite sport to watch on TV? Olympic gymnastics...does that count? I really don't watch sports on TV...I guess I'd say basketball. 
10. What is your favorite drink? Diet Dr. Pepper...that could also be my answer to "what is your favorite meal?" Some things never change.
11. Have you ever dyed your hair? yes yes
12. Favorite food? Ben & Jerry's ice cream I've gotten over Ben & Jerry.  I'm going with sushi.
13. What is the last movie you watched? Definitely, Maybe (so cute!) Zero Dark Thirty
14. Favorite day of the year? Christmas Christmas
15. How do you vent anger? I never get angry...ha ha ha I vent to my husband.  Poor Nathan.
16. What was your favorite toy as a child? my dollhouse My dollhouse.  It's still my favorite. 
17. What is your favorite season? Spring Spring...but not Spring in Oklahoma...it's freezing here today!
18. Cherries or Blueberries? blueberries I'm going with cherries because my latest guilty pleasure is black forest cake!
22. Living arrangements? In "This Old House" with my husband, my three little darlings and our dog. All the same except we've added a dog. 
23. When was the last time you cried? Today when I was talking about Charlie's first day of school that is coming up on Monday :(  Last week when my oldest was praying.  His prayers are beautiful.24. What is on the floor of your closet? shoes and purses shoes and purses
26. What did you do last night? Worked, worked, worked  worked, worked, worked
27. What are you most afraid of? Anything happening to my babies the same
28. Plain, cheese, or spicy hamburgers? plain if it's fast food...I don't eat fast food cheese. I'm afraid of it.  I still think fast food cheese is scary
29. Favorite dog breed? I think Pugs are adorable but we have a Schnauzer because they are allergy friendly and my family is a big sneeze waiting to happen.  We still have the schnauzer and we've added a Morkie.  Lots of yipping over here.  Some day I will have a dog that doesn't yip.30. Favorite day of the week? Saturday Saturday...but only the ones that I get to sleep in.
31. How many states have you lived in? 1...that is so sad.  Still 1...good ol' Oklahoma.
32. Diamonds or pearls? diamonds!!! Diamonds
33. What is your favorite flower? Gerber Daisies I still love Gerber Daisies
34. What are your favorite colors? Pink and Martha Stewart blue Always pink, still love Martha's blue and I've got a think for yellow.  However, almost everything in my closet is black or grey.  ??
35. Ice cream or cheesecake? cheesecake!!! YUM! White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle from the Cheesecake Factory!!! I think I ate one too many pieces of cheesecake.  I've moved on.  I'll go with ice cream...with hot fudge...on a brownie. 

Just so I know you are out there...pick any of the questions above and leave your answer in a comment.  One of you will win a PaperDoll Note Pad!!

 

© 2013 paperdoll designs

Rubbermaid Containers & Chandeliers?

When orders are finished I put them in one of those huge Rubbermaid containers to ensure that little hands don't come along and touch them. I know Christmas season has begun when I have to break out Rubbermaid container #2! Yesterday it officially began. Rubbermaid container #2 made it's yearly debut. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas over here despite the pumpkins!
One day last week I came home to 6 huge boxes on my front porch. I ripped them all open...

and started sorting plates and platters and trays. Aren't they beautiful! The second shipment is set to arrive later this week so don't panic if I haven't emailed you yet.

I'm throwing the next two pictures in mainly to show you what The Baker (who broke out his chocolate chip pumpkin muffins today) calls the "most expensive chandelier ever!" When we were looking for houses I knew we had to buy this one as soon as I opened the front door and saw this chandelier hanging in the dining room. I instantly fell in love with it. It's so fabulous I can't stand it. It's my favorite part of this old house. There is a matching baby one in the entry way and matching sconces by the stairs. So...we bought a house based on the antique light fixtures. Who does that? I do.

Pictures don't do it justice...it's like jewelry for your ceiling!!

© 2009 paperdoll designs

Lately I'm Lovin'...

*The new Reasors that just opened up near our house. It's sad that I get excited about a grocery store but seriously...it's awesome. The produce is beautiful, the flowers are so pretty and you can't beat a grocery store with police car carts when you have a three year old!

*Netflix. I decided that since we rarely go see movies we would treat ourselves to Netflix for the summer. It's been awesome. I've used it more than the kids. I'm getting caught up on all the movies that I really wanted to see but didn't have a babysitter for. Love it.

*the library. We've been going to the library a lot lately. I've actually read a book this summer. A real book...not a kid's book. I've been using the library's website to reserve books that I want the kids to read and it makes things so much easier! We just walk in and grab our books off the reserved shelf. DONE. Then I can let the kids grab a few books off the shelf so they feel like they have picked them all by themselves. It doesn't really matter what they grab because I know that I already have a bag full of books that I handpicked for them. Sneaky.

*Oil of Olay. A few weeks ago I was feeling paranoid. Am I getting wrinkles??? Do I look old?? I went here and took their little quiz and decided to try some of their stuff. I love it. I look 10 years younger. Well, maybe not...but I'm happy with it. Why haven't I used this stuff before??

*Bento Boxes. I developed a little obsession with these about a year ago. One of the mommy chores that I absolutely do not like is making lunches. I usually dread making three lunches everyday but something about these cute little bento boxes makes it all seem less dreadful. I use them at home even though they are supposed to be for lunch on the go. I like seeing how much food I can pack in these tiny boxes and cute little food picks much it much more fun to eat. I ordered them SUPER CHEAP from an online store that has now disappeared so if anyone knows where to find them at an affordable price I'd love to know! We need to add to our Bento collection. I only like the cute ones though...I've got issues.*Switchflops. Okay, at first I thought they were a little cheesy. But then I saw these and I was hooked. I decided that since I never bought those Born shoes I was drooling over, that I could have these as a little summer fling. I got this pair and an extra strap and now I can't stop thinking about all the other straps that I need. I NEED them, right??

*So You Think You Can Dance. Need I say more? I'm in love with this show. I've been watching it for years and I LOVE it. Are you watching it? If I were a freaky stage mom I would start grooming Nora right now for her big debut on this show. It's actually crossed my mind. How proud would I be if someday Nora actually danced across that stage? But I'm not a freaky stage mom. Really, I'm not.

So what are you loving this summer??

© 2009 paperdoll designs

I'm Back!

I've been away. I can't tell you that before I go because it seems weird to tell Blogland that I am vacating my house for a few days. You never know who's out there. I feel creepy...like it's an invitation to the boogie man. Anyway, The Baker and I went to Kansas City for a few days. He had some meetings and I tagged along. I had a fabulous time. I slept, I read, I did tons of home school research, I slept some more, I ate lots of yummy food and I visited Anthropologie. I LOVE Anthropologie. Even when shopping is not in the budget, I still love Anthropologie. It is my most favorite store EVER. LOVE IT. I wish we had one here. Actually, I'm glad we don't. It would be dangerous for me.
I'm back and the house is a wreck and I'm way behind on laundry, orders, grocery shopping and house cleaning but it was worth it. It's nice to sneak away every once in a while. Now that I am back to work please feel free to send in those orders! Start thinking about teacher gifts!!!

Seriously Considering...

I'm seriously considering the following things...some of the them might shock you...
*cutting off my hair
*taking a sledgehammer to our master bathroom even though we can't afford to remodel right now
*taking a sledge hammer to our kitchen tile even though we can't afford to remodel right now
*hiding every can of Lysol in the house from The Baker and officially changing his blog name to Lysol King
*buying these shoes
or these shoes
AND these shoes
because something has come over me and I am all about orange and green right now. I'll need matching purses. I'm considering adding these because you know how I already love this color
*Home Schooling...yes, you read that right.
*Painting every last piece of furniture in my house ivory (starting with my black dining room table) because I love that clean look and it just makes me happy
*blowing off the idea of an honest to goodness grown up PaperDoll website because loading all the pictures and pricing and info on the darn thing is just making me crazy
*kicking my kids out of their "game room" which is really just a GINORMOUS closet that they never play in so I can use it for storage
*taking flu girl and "I don't want to pee in the potty" boy to get cute donuts in the morning followed by a gigantic Diet Dr. Pepper fountain drink

That last one is probably the only one that is sensible...don't you think?