Project Camp Quinn - Art

With the hubs doing school work during all his free time, it could take a while for the bigger aspects of Project Camp Quinn to officially begin, but that doesn't mean I can't window shop for cute artwork!

Here's what I've found so far:

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Oh.my.gawd.

I LOVE THOSE TREES.

And according to Lizzy, in her tutorial here, they are super easy to make!

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A camp-themed room wouldn't be complete without a bear and this is flipping adorable.

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Tree or triangle wallpaper in a rainbow of colours?

YES.YES.YES.

And this garland...

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Um yep, need that too. 

Well I better leave it there for today. 

We have a trip to visit Santa in the works when Miss Q wakes up, so I'm off to finally wash my face for the day. 

Yes, its 2pm. 

No, I have not yet washed my face.

I like to live dangerously on my days off.

xo, Vicky

Camp Quinn

 

Well after two years of deliberation, Simon and I have finally narrowed down a theme for Miss Quinn's room.

 

Camp Quinn

(YAY!)

 

And it all came about when my eyes spied this bedding from Land of Nod...

 

I love that its not girly, not boyish but perfectly gender neutral. This bedding was categorized under 'Boy Bedding', but to me it just says kid.

 

And this shared kids room over at Lay Baby Lay sealed the deal.

 

 

Seriously. How. Cute.

 

Now for a list of things to do:

 

Find a bed

Buy a mattress

Pick a paint colour?

Paint the walls?

Curtains

Make some fun art

Hang art

 

Have I mentioned that my hubby is working on his Master's and has zero free time?

This could get interesting...

 

xo, Vicky

New beds for all !

Happy Belated Merry Christmas to Me!

Simon finally got around to making my Christmas present.

Dun dun na na!

 

 

Isn't she a beaut'?

It feels like I'm staying at a luxury hotel every night.

I.LOVE.IT.

 

She's not 100% done yet; we still have to add some bling bling to it in the form of nailhead trim, but I must say I'm rather pleased with our handiwork.

 

You may also have spied a few other little beauties.

We FINALLY found some bedside tables! When we first placed them beside the bed I initially thought they were too tall but having lived with them for a few days, I kind of like them as is. Now I just need to find some pretty lamps and we'll move on to the next room.

Somebody else got a new bed recently.

And by new bed I mean Simon dismantled her crib and she now sleeps on her mattress on the floor. This is the only decent photo I've gotten of Quinn on her new bed. Let's call it a work in progress.

I've been doing a lot of reading up on the benefits of floor beds and was sold on it when we visited Simon's cousin this past weekend who's little girl has one. Not only is it adorable, but it will also give Quinn some independence and hopefully the ability to put herself to sleep. Not to get too technical, but I think this quote sums it up pretty well:

The Human Tendency for exploration is fully satisfied when providing a low bed for the child instead of a crib. Human beings have a natural tendency to explore the environment and to gain knowledge from it. By allowing the child to experience his environment in this manner, he will be able to understand all of its components and will be comfortable and at ease when alone in his room. From all of this activity, the child will then become better acquainted with the world in which he lives, and will arrive at the end of this process of self-construction. If we know that the process of self-construction in the child can only take place through the exploration of the environment, then this process is crucial. The child must be able to explore the environment in order to become adapted to his place and time. The child from zero to three explores the environment through the senses, but mostly through movement. By giving the child the opportunity to experience the low bed, he will benefit immensely. Not only will the child learn to function on his own, but this exposure to his environment will aid him in the development of independence, concentration, movement, self-esteem, and decision-making, leading to a healthy, well-adjusted child later on in life. 

(Julie Stanford - mariamontessori.com)

 

If that hasn't sold you, then take a look at these adorable Montessori-inspired rooms:

 

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 How cute?!

 

Happy Monday :)

xo, Vicky 

Busting out a bench

 

When my hubs gets excited about a project, he gets really, really, really excited. It consumes him completely. When I casually sent him this link about a kitchen bench I didn't really think he'd be down with a new project. I was wrong. Very wrong. Since I planted that tiny little seed into his mind, he's measured the area in our kitchen about twenty times, researched Ikea cabinets, decided on a cabinet and was asking me what fabric we should use for the cushion this morning at breakfast.

Good lord man! Don't you have a Master's thesis to work on or something?!

I really shouldn't complain though. 

Its actually pretty adorable that he's into home projects now.

I found the inspiration photo above over at Little House Blog. Not only is the bench functional as a seat but also has a ton of storage as well. I'm picturing tablecloths, placemats, dogs paraphernalia and kiddo stuff being stashed away in there. The hardest part about the project is not the bench itself but the cushion topper. Looks like I finally get to put the sewing machine I got for Christmas to good use! 

This is where we are at so far: 

The cabinets have been purchased and assembled and Simon is just starting to figure out how to build the bottom frame. 

And because this is my domain and I am allowed to say whatever I darn well want, I just want to declare that I was adamantly against the wine rack you see at the right of the photo. While I busy keeping Quinn happy at Ikea, Simon busy was sneaking the wine rack onto our order. 

Toddler + toddler-height wine rack + wine bottles + ceramic floors = TROUBLE.

Aside from the wine rack I am super pumped! 

Let the fabric shopping begin! 

xo, Vicky

Embracing the hobo look

Remember this piece of crap post about me doing Spring Cleaning?  

I have literally accomplished one item off that list. It must have slipped my mind when I wrote that post, that I'm a lazy S.O.B. who would rather spend all her spare time watching Lost while drinking coffee. Yes, coffee. Remember that other piece of crap post I wrote about having to quit coffee? Well I did in fact give it up but then the stupid time change came along and blew that idea all to hell.

Any professional organizers/cleaners out there looking to take on my house pro bono?

 I have a cute kid that could entertain you / undo everything you have done while you work.... eh, EH?

I've booked Friday off work as my 'personal day' so I can clean my m.f-ing house and prep for a super fun day I have planned on Saturday (more details on that later).

But the real reason for this post was to share a few thoughts on looking like crap and not giving a damn.

I went out last Friday night.

Like went, went out.

To a bar.

I can't tell you the last time I did that. It was a fun time. I drank some drinks, I laughed, I gossiped, I caught up with friends I hadn't seen in a while. It was glorious.

 One of the best parts of going out for me these days is the getting ready to go out.

 B.C. (before child) I dreaded getting ready. Picking an outfit took forever and doing my hair and makeup felt like a menotinous chore.

A.C. (after child) I love it. I lock myself in my bathroom, turn on some tunes and go to town.

The reason I love it so much is because I so rarely get to do it.

This ecard sums it up pretty well:

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Before Quinn came along I NEVER went out in public without at least some makeup on. Nowadays I'm lucky if I have time to slap on some undereye concealer and mascara. 

But you know what?

 I love it.

I love not fretting about how I look all the time.
 The time I used to spend getting ready is now spent keeping a kid alive, nourished and loved.

 Its freeing.

 Plus, I feel like a supermodel when I do get some time to doll myself up instead of always feeling in a rut about my appearance.

Yes, I look like a piece of poop the majority of the time but is my kid alive, dressed, fed and happy? If the answer to any of those is yes, its a good day.

xo, Vicky

Spring Cleaning

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Spring is just around the corner. Thank baby jesus.
The sun is shining, the birds are coming out and we can finally spend time outside without fear of losing an appendage from frost bite.

Spring is awesome.

Spring cleaning is not, but my house is in dire need of some TLC.
We try to keep the place tidy but only get around to actually cleaning it a couple times a month so needless to say it's high time this house gets cleaned AND organized.

Here’s what we have on our To-Do list:

1) Organize and backup all photos 

2) Make photobooks (FINALLY)

3) Clean, sort and organize kitchen cupboards

4) Clean, sort and organize bathroom cupboards

5) Clean, sort and organize closets and linen cupboard

6) Organize and sort baby clothes and toys

7) Clean kitchen sink (I thought it was called ‘stainless steel',WTF)

8) Clean and organize fridge

9) Clean and organize freezer

10) Clean dishwasher
 

11) Clean washing machine

12) Donate old clothing and shoes

13) Donate old electronics

 

PLUS everything on this list

I don’t know about you, but I need to be in a certain mood to clean. If I am not in that mood and am forced to clean, I'm a miserable human being. Simon can certainly attest to that.

One way to get me in the ‘mood’ is a great playlist. Specifically an oldies playlist. I'll get on Grooveshark or 8tracks, stream some golden oldies and by some mystical and mysterious reason I actually begin to enjoy cleaning. Based on my list above it looks like we'll be listening to whole lotta oldies music for the next few weekends.
At least I've got Quinn helping me out with dusting duty.

xo, Vicky

I'm dreaming of a ...

New master bedroom!

Yet the word 'dreaming' in the post title is a key here as we have no extra moolah for any big expenditures. Darn. But a girl can dream, can't she?

Since Simon and I have been spending quite a bit of time camped out on this makeshift bed on Quinn's bedroom floor, I've been itching for some bedroom upgrades.

Before you ask, yes that is a 'snoodle'.

They are amazing. Don't judge.

The child has recently boycotted bedtime and instead prefers to stay up until all hours of the night. We are at a total loss as to what to do, so we just curl up on the floor and let her play until she tires herself out. Looking at this picture, it's no wonder I've been dreaming of plush, luxurious beds...
 

So anyways, the number one thing that our master bedroom needs is A BED. We bought a king sized mattress when we moved to our current house eight months ago and it is the bees knees. The only problem is that its just a mattress and box spring sitting on a frame - no bed. 

Here's what I'm thinking :

From left to right:

 Gorgeous!, Beaconsfield Arched Bed - Sears ($698), Amber Interiors, Love everything, Colette King Bed - Crate and Barrel ($2500), LOVE the turquoise, Beaconsfield Upholstered Sleigh Bed - Sears ($698)

I'm a lover of upholstered head/footboards, grey/beige tones (or turquoise!) and dark brown legs. But alas, the likelyhood of us buying a brand new bed is slim to none however I think I might be able to convince Simon to help me make a DIY headboard.

I'll continue nagging him until he gives in and report back soon.

 

Happy Thursday!

xo, Vicky

How I recovered some chairs

Over the weekend I decided to recover our kitchen chairs.

 They were a boring beige and I frankly was starting to hate them.

Recently I have been craving colour, so I got out my staple gun and got to it.

I would like to preface this post by saying I am obviously not a re-upholstering expert. This post is not an authoritative guide to recovering chairs. Rather, it is to demonstate that recovering chairs with new, fun fabric is a fairly easy project.

Trust me, if I can do it, you can too.

 

Here's what you need:

1) A chair

2) Fabric

3) Batting (optional - I didn't end up using it for this project)

4) Staple gun and staples

5) Scissors

6) Screwdriver

 

Here's how I did it:

 

Step 1) Distract baby with empty (what kind of mother do you think I am? I made sure to eat them first) Smarties boxes. 

 

Step 2) Remove cushions from the frame

 

Step 3) Remove black backing from the bottom of the cushion 

 

Step 4) Remove animal burrowing in your fabric

 

 

Step 5) Cut the fabric. Make sure to allow for extra on all sides for stapling to the back. This is also when you would cut the batting to size.

 

Step 6) Staple the fabric to the cushion. If you decide to use batting to add extra cushyness to your cushion, staple that on first then your fabric on top of that. Make sure to pull very tight so you don't end up with wrinkles.

 

Step 7) Neatly fold and staple corners and cut off extra fabric

 

 

Step 8) Staple black backing back on

 

Step 9) Screw cushion back onto frame

 

Step 10) Admire your work!

 

Before:

 

And after:

 

See, it wasn't that hard!

Go buy some fabric and get stapling!

 

xo, Vicky

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our weekend :)

Whew, that was a busy but amazing weekend!

Friday night, we packed Quinn up and sent her over to G-Ma and Grumpa's house while Simon and I headed over to my friend Heather's place to celebrate her birthday.

This was no ordinary party though.

It was a plaid party!

SO FUN :)

Photo cred - Ms. A. Alter

Saturday morning was an extra-special occassion.

Simon and I slept in until 10 am!

Lets all take a moment to be thankful for grandparents...

Saturday afternoon, we picked up our little nugget and headed to the place everyone else in Ottawa apparently goes to on Saturdays.

Ikea.

 

"Hey, look. There's an adorable child for sale at Ikea."

SOLD.

Quinn loves shopping at Ikea.

 It makes her want to dance.

Saturday night, we all headed to Kanata for our friends, Nasso and Melissa's Halloween party. Quinn actually stayed asleep in her playpen the whole night (something that doesn't always happen) and the rest of us snacked on delicious goodies and played Werewolves (yesss!)

A socket and a plug. How romantic.

Sunday morning, we went out for breakfast with the rest of the party-goers from the night before. Since Quinn went right to bed when we arrived at the party, no one saw her costume so obviously we made sure she wore it to breakfast :) 

Before we left for breakfast, Simon made sure that Quinn was good and hyper...

 I couldn't love these two more

Sunday night, something HUGE happened.

Dun, dun, DUN...

Well, actually two HUGE things happened.

Dun, dun, DUN...

First, Quinn decided to stand on her own!

Then after some practice standing,

Quinn took her first steps!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It happened so fast I didn't get it on video but I don't think i'll ever forget it.

Well, that about does it for me.

I hope you all had wonderful weekends too.

xo Vicky

Mommy fail

First of all...

YAY !!!

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 There are some days when I just couldn't give a 'hoot'. 

Yesterday was that kind of day. Simon had class (he's working towards a Masters in Sociology) so we were rushed and I just didn't have the energy to put together an acceptable meal. 

If hotdogs are so bad for you, why do they taste so damn good?

Simon ended up eating my leftover Thai from lunch and a grilled cheese sandwich. We ran out of bread so Quinn and I had boiled hotdogs, cheese, baby carrots and orange slices. Gourmet, I know. 

Maybe I'll get my act together and make something decent tomorrow...

I was still feeling lazy after dinner so I threw on a couple animal videos on the laptop. 

It's days like this that I am thankful for YouTube and Baby Einstein.

I remember swearing that no child of mine would watch tv, especially not young, impressionable babies/toddlers. I also swore I would not feed my kids crappy food. 

How opinions change when life with kids become a reality.

For that matter, everything changes when kids enter the scene.

Like any attempt at keeping a tidy home...

I have resolved myself to the fact that my livingroom will always look like a toy tornado ripped through it.

C'est la vie.

We have a busy upcoming weekend. Tonight, Simon and I are going to my friend Heather's birthday party (cowboy/girl theme) and Saturday we are going to a Halloween party.

Here's our costumes:

Happy weekend!!!

xo Vicky

My new routine

Before having Quinn my days were free to do whatever I wanted.

Sure I had to put in time at work, but my mornings, evenings and weekends were all mine.

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I could go out for drinks with friends after work and not come home until late at night. I could come home and slowly make dinner and enjoy a glass (or five) of wine. I could have a long bath if I had a rough day. On weekends, I could go out with girlfriends for dinner or drinks. I could get really into a book and not put it down all day. Simon and I could drop everything and head to the States for outlet shopping.

I could do anything I wanted, whenever I wanted.

Now, post-baby, if I can get an hour a night to myself its a small miracle.

Yet, as much as I kick myself now for taking my free time pre-baby for granted, I wouldn't change how my life has turned out.

While talking to my friend yesterday about returing to work after her honeymoon, I jokingly told her that we need bad days to appreciate the really good ones. 

Before Quinn I had so much spare time, I longed for something to fill it. By having so much I lost sight of how good it was.

Although I wouldn't call my busy nights and weekends with Quinn bad, they certainly put the small sliver of downtime of I have in better perspective.

Let me give you a peak into a typical day in my life.

• 5:20am: Begrudgingly wake up, shower and get ready
• 6:00am: Head downstairs for breakfast with the dogs
• 6:20am: Let dogs out and leave for work
• 7:00am-3:00pm: Work
• 3:30pm: Pick up Quinn from daycare
• 3:45pm: Take Quinn and dogs for walk and park time
• 5:00pm: Get dinner ready / chase Quinn around
• 6:00pm: Dinner time
• 6:30-7:00pm: Playtime with Quinn
• 7:00pm: Bathtime
• 7:30pm: Storytime then bedtime for Quinn
• 7:45pm - 9:00pm: Clean up dinner dishes, pack lunch for the next day, get Quinn's clothes/daycare bag packed, laundry, general house tidy, (insert miscellaneous other household tasks), watch Coronation Street (yes, its our guilty pleasure)
• 9:00pm: Head up to bed, read or watch T.V. or have a bath
• 10:00pm: BED
• 2:00am: Quinn normally wakes up and needs a cuddle
• 2:30/3:00 am: Back to bed
• 5:20am: Repeat.

My favorite time of the day is our walk/park time. Quinn LOVES the park by our house. She LOVES swinging, LOVES the slide and LOVES playing with the woodchips that surround the park (aka the bain of my existence).

Little Q walking to the park

Swingin' away

Woodchips = worst idea ever City of Ottawa

They get stuck to everything!

Park butt

In the tunnel

Throwing woodchips 

More woodchip fun

(At least the kids like them...)

Ahhhh

By the way, the photo above is a fairly accurate picture of what our house looks like on a regular basis.

Happy Thursday!

xo Vicky