LoLo's room

When LoLo was born I had no idea how to decorate their room. There wasn't much creative anything in my mind as I prepared to care for these two little munchkins. I looked around the internet for possible ideas, but almost all designs were either for boys or for girls; never for both.
So, LoLo's baby room turned out cute and functional for babies, but soon they've outgrown the teddy bear pattern and were ready for something else.  Space is limited and I knew that a bunk bed is not a great idea for 3 year olds, plus it would cover the entire window. What I wanted for the room was a rainbow of colors, functionality, playfulness and interactiveness. I wanted the room to scream "play" and "imagination".

I've seen many scrapbook wall ideas and I've always loved patchwork, so I decided to make LoLo a house of their own in their room. It took me an entire morning to mod podge these pages to the wall. After I was done and realized that the house looked very similar to the tower of Pizza, I actually went to look for a level and you know how that turned out ... The entire house was about 3 inches off! Hah! I corrected it by patching it here and there, but you could never tell because the pattern is so crazy :).

This is how it turned out: 

The windows are made from Ikea box shelves, the toys are placed in an outdoor planter and you see the house number? That's LoLo's birth date all the way from Home Depot! The roof is made from cork, so we can pin photos and artwork and holiday decorations on it. I can't wait till it's Christmas again so that we can make a Christmas house. LoLo is loving the planter teddy holder!
We've re-discovered so many old "friends". I thought about making a few tiles chalboard, but we already have a chalkboard in the living room and I am not a big fan of chalk dust, so I scratched the idea, but I still think it would work great.   

I attached a long mirror to the side of the cabinet right by the entrance and
made it a dress up corner ...
 

Here is the opposite side of the room ...
LoLo loves books and I love reading to them, so a book display was a must!

The shelves above will serve not only for more storage above, but also for a reading nook once I find the perfect curtains to hang from them. The carpets are also from Ikea and we drive around those streets so much! All worth the 20 price tag!   

And here is how LoLo sleeps ... 

There are still many details missing from the room. I want to make floor pillows (a pouf is one step from being done), a hair accessories organizer,  buy those curtains for a hide-away play and secret reading time, make storage boxes for the shelves, pillows for the bed, a chimney for the house, LoLo's old clothes patchwork quilt for the bed, play kitchen on the other side of the book shelf, a potted fabric flower for the window and I am almost finished with a bunting!
Once that all is done I will be really done :)
(Though LoLo may be 25 by then lol). Stay tuned!

Thank you for reading. Let me know if you make one of these little houses or what you think. This is what LoLo thinks .. open mouth, eyes wide open "Mommy, this is beautiful!"  

Lo(lo)V(i)E to you all, 

LV

Letter of the week - F!

Hii! I've neglected the alphabet project for a while, but here I am back with F!

Thank you as always to all contributors! I am looking forward to G soon! 

xoxo LV

Hanger/Christmas ornaments turned Valentine's Day wreath

Call me cheese, but I love Valentine's Day.
I know we should love each other every day, but let's face it, sometimes you just don't feel the love as much as you would want to and so, it's nice to have a day dedicated to hearts, roses and TLC and most importantly, each other.

Sometimes I buy things with an intention of converting them into something else. Right before Christmas while heading towards the anaconda length line leading up to an Ikea cashier I picked up a pack of soft, fuzzy white heart ornaments and a white and red polka dot garland with a plan.
I used them both on our Christmas tree, but as soon as I took the tree apart I made them into this ....

I took a hanger and formed it into a heart; tied my Christmas garland to the heart wire hanger with red wool and attached a bow from ribbon and sequins. I hung two Christmas tree decoration hearts on it and wrapped the hanging part with red scrap fabric ...

I was so inspired by the wrapped fabric hanger (my friend Virve gifted me a pair of adorable wrapped wire hangers a while ago, where this part of the idea comes from) that I carried on and made another heart. I cut off the hanging part this time, wrapped the hanger around with fabric this time and secured it with a glue gun.

So, now we have a house full of hearts.

Will you come back to see how I  re-re-cycled(?) this heart? ... Hint: I deconstructed the entire garland throwing the polka dot fabric ... see what happened next ... ;)

LoLove to you LO(lo)V(i)Es!!!!!

LV

Moments of life: "At the food store"

It's 9 am on Wednesday. I walk into the food store pulling my polkadot Ikea bag. It's not a particularly fancy food store, neither do they have the best produce in the area, but it's on my way home from the school where I drop LoLo of three times a week. I pick my second pair of wheels at the door and carry on through the organic section pulling my bag in one hand, cart in the other. The broccoli looks good, I grab a bag of celery that is destined partially for the garbage and check the price of the organic strawberries hoping the 9.99 USD price tag was half.
It's not.    

I roll through the isles still half asleep visualizing my coffee that awaits at home. If I can't make it, I'll just grab one at a bakery on the way home.
There aren't many of us, shoppers here at this hour. A few pensioners and another half dozen of stay-at-home moms perhaps. We keep passing each other.
"Excuse me"
"Excuse me"
Some are more patient than others.
I can't imagine what it would be like to be here during busy hours. I maneuver my four wheels with proficiency that comes with practice of frequent visits.
I am glad we retired our double stroller; that was a real challenge! Great times were had, but I could never buy paper towels those days, because that isle is notoriously full of boxes to be restocked leaving barely any space to pass by.
No toilet paper either!

"Excuse me!"
The voice sounds more pronounced this time.
It's the same lady.
I can't shrink my bags, or my long grey puffy jacket lady, you'll just have to manage! ..

Everyone is grumpy!
I am grumpy!
No wonder, it's the middle of January, it's cold and wanting to rain outside.
It's also grey.

I can't find yeast! I've never bought yeast, but I promised the kids to make heart pretzels. The lady next to me looks like she would know; she does. She directs me to a small box with little silver envelopes.
I would have never found it!
She's not happy either. Polite, but not happy.

The stock boy with a huge trolley is annoyed, I can tell!
He grimasses when I try to move out of his way.
"I'll wait!" trying to buy sympathy points  ...
"No, you go!" he instructs me firmly; I comply.
I can't turn from one isle to the other. The wheels don't cooperate, so I force my bag in front while lugging the cart behind almost knocking over the cookie display on sale.

The frozen section gives me chills even in the summer.
As I turn by the stack of tortillas I hear a familiar tune come through the store speakers. All I've registered until now was the shuffling of my jacket and the scraping of boxes. I've been shopping here for the past two years and never once have I heard any music among the chaos of cash registers, shoppers, shop assistants, stock boys and crying, inpatient children.

"How can I just let you walk away, let you leave without a trace .. " Phil Collins sings so clearly I have the urge to sing along.
There is nobody in the isle and so I park and take the opportunity of a stage (uhm food store isle between cheese, milk and frozen pizza) that feels empty and mine.
"Take a look at me now, there is just an empty space .. "
I dance and sing towards organic milk.
("Buy fat free!" Geoffrey said .. here you are! The blue ... )
"You coming back to me against all odds is the chance I'll take"

"How can you just walk away from me .... "
Twirl
eggs
(no, not these, one is cracked!)
twirl again ...

Never thought a food store can be so intimate, so uplifting, so self-actualizing.
"Take a look at me noooowwww"
(Puffy jacket, lack of caffeine, showerless, stay-at-home mom with messy hair, no make-up .. )

By the middle of the song I sing aloud.
Not real loud, but I can certainly hear myself .. then I miss a beat and I hear another voice.
"You're the only ooonneeee"
A lady in her sixties with a walker turns the corner by the tortillas.
She sings even louder than me.
None of us is willing to budge their performance and so we sing together as we pass each other holding onto the eggs and the rail, smiling ear to ear.

"Take a look at me now"

I wish I could sing.
I am sure she does too!