A Few More Boutique Pictures

It's hard to see the detail of the curtains in this picture but they are white, the ruffle on the bottom is black with yellow sunflowers. I don't have place mats,table runner or dishes set on the table yet. It just has an arrangement of sunflowers in the center of the table (which my mom made years ago - she & dad used to own a flower shop). To the right is a bench and it has a sunflower throw draped across one corner of it. (You can see it better in the picture below.)



The picture above the bench is one my mom painted years ago (it has sunflowers in it) and a friend of her's gave it to me when she saw that I had sunflowers here. I miss my mom - she would have so many ideas and suggestions and she would be so supportive (even if it fails) of my dreams of the boutique. Since I took this picture, I have moved the picture that my mom took (it is still there, but I have moved it and put something else in that spot).


It's a work in progress. I am constantly making changes (and I'm sure that I will continue to do so - that's just me). Here are a few pictures that I made about 6 weeks ago (and I have changed things a little since then).



On the inside of the wardrobe doors I hung a couple of hooks. I have some hair ribbons that I made hung on this hook. If you look at this post, I have an outfit hung on it. (You can't see it in the picture, but inside the other door is a hook with the hair bows hung on it.)



At Hobby Lobby, I found a couple of black and white hat boxes (I love hat boxes and always have - they just seem nostalgic to me) and just had to get them (used 40% off coupon). I knew they would look great in the boutique. I set them on top of the wardrobe. While I was in Hobby Lobby, I found some black and white damask ribbon that matched one of the hat boxes, used it to make a burp cloth and laid it across the hat box.

Another friend of mine saw the changes that I was making (this is where I cut my friends and family member's hair - my hair salon, sort of) and asked what was going on. I explained it all to her and she was so super excited.

She made a couple of suggestions and one of them was to hang something on the side of the wardrobe. So I added a hook to the side (just like the ones that I added to the doors on the inside of the wardrobe). Now I can hang something there, you know to maybe "showcase" an item.



Right now, all the clothes hanging in the boutique are samples (I made them for my sons). I hope to have pre-made items to sell, soon.

Wedding Gift

Do you remember the gifts that I said that I made (in this post) and gave away before I took pix? Well, I said that I liked it so well, that I was going to make one for myself and I would take pictures of that? I did make one for myself and here are the pictures. (I tied a bow around the handle and attached a card to them before I gave the others away.)



Check out the picture below (the tub is yellow), then check out the tub in this picture. I found the galvanized tub and stand at Dollar General for about $12 - $14 (don't remember exactly) and I liked the stand with the tub. Then when I picked the yellow tub up and put my last name on it, I put it in the stand to see if it fit (and it did - now I can change them out).



Also, not sure if you remember (in this post) that I had something special planned for the wardrobe that I repainted? Well, I am in the process of opening a small boutique in my home. I had wanted to do something similar for a while, but I guess I was too afraid of failure and I never did. Well, a very dear friend of mine suggested it also and she came up with a game plan.

How could I say no? You know, often times people make suggestions, but that's as far as it goes. Well, not this friend she had a suggestion and a solution for implementing it as well.

You have been seeing bits and pieces of it coming together all along. Here is another one.



In previous posts, the dishes were red. (I just really thought that the red popped on the black and white - and it does - but the rest of the boutique is black and white and gold/yellow, so I changed my dishes to yellow.) I got the color scheme from the curtains: they are white with a ruffled trim, the ruffle is black with yellow sunflowers on it. I made the table runner and placemats, napkins are coming soon.

I really started sewing when Anthony and Rance came along. I wanted the cute boutique clothes, but being a SAHM of 4 it just wasn't in the budget. So my only other option: to make them myself.



Here is an outfit that I made for Anthony (then it was passed down to Rance) that is black and white gingham and I hand smocked black and gold hornets on the front. Our local schools' mascots are bees/hornets/yellow jackets, so I thought that it was appropriate (and cute). Since I made this like 5 years ago and it matched the boutique I hung it up (as a sample).

The name of the boutique is going to be Monograms and More. I will do custom sewing, children's clothes, wedding gifts, embroidery/monogramming, etc.



My children's art work is on the wardrobe again. I thought about erasing it, but I'm going to be selling children's clothes - so why not let the children do the art work?

You are 6 Today

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANTHONY!

It is hard to believe that 6 years ago today I was sitting on my couch when the labor pains hit me. They were not close together, but they were extremely painful. This was my third pregnancy and I hadn't felt labor pains this strong so early in the process. I was home alone with Lee (6) and Champ (5). I live 20 min. away from the hospital on back roads (very curvy, winding and steep).

I had the phone right next to me and I couldn't pick it up and dial it because the pains were so strong. I asked Lee, in the calmest voice I could muster, to call his dad at work. I told him the number and told him to ask to speak to Frank please (explaining that there were other 'dads' that worked there). I guess his 6 year old instincts knew something was up because when the secretary answered the phone Lee excitedly said, "I need my daddy!!!!! I need my daddy!!!!!"

The secretary asked to talk to me. With her voice quivering, she said, "Jena. He's gone to lunch and I don't know where he went. What should I do?"

I told her the pains weren't that close together, but I did need him to call me as soon as he got back from lunch. Frank told me later that several of his co-workers met him in the parking lot before he even got out of his vehicle.

Background information: We have a small farm and Frank gets the boys actively involved in it with him. He had been teaching Lee to drive the lawnmower (with out the blades engaged) in low gear (Frank walking beside it). Lee was learning to steer and brake and basic things like that. Frank had a small trailer hooked behind the riding lawn mower and had fencing supplies in it. Frank would ask Lee to pull up a little (Frank walking right beside him) and stop so he could repair the fence. They had been doing this for a few weekends.

When I got off the phone, Lee asked if daddy was coming. I told him not right now. He began to get worried. He said, "Mommy, I can take you to the hospital. I know how to drive the lawnmower, you can ride in the trailer." It was precious. There is so much humor there and unless you knew where we lived, you cannot appreciate that statement to its fullest. But I think you can appreciate the sweetness of it.

Side note: My first labor was very long, we induced my 2nd child b/c the Dr. was going out of town, and I didn't experience a lot of pain until I was getting close to delivery so we had discussed me driving myself to the hospital and Frank meeting me there.

Frank called (it seemed like forever, but was less than an hour after I had called his work) and said, "Do I need to meet you at the hospital?"

I told him there was no way I could drive and that he needed to come get me as quickly as possible. (His work is about 20 min. away from our home and then there would be another 20 minutes to the hospital and then somewhere along the way we were going to have to drop off Lee and Champ to stay with someone - I needed him to hurry!)

Well, we made it and I could barely walk into the hospital. (You know those movies where the pregnant women scream when they are delivering their baby? I never got that, until now. When a labor pain hit me, I couldn't do anything, literally. Every time a labor pain hit me as I was walking into the hospital, I had to stop and Frank would have to help hold me up. I felt like screaming - I had never felt like that before).

They took me in and hooked me up and did all the routine hospital stuff and left me there with Frank. They would come in occasionally and check on me. I was in tears and asked about an epidural. The nurse said it wasn't time yet. After the nurse telling me to relax and me getting short with her, she finally said "Honey, your contractions aren't close enough together. You've probably not even dialated yet." She paused and then said, "I guess I could check you."

She did and then she looked surprised. I was dilated to 6 or 7 (can't remember exactly). The nurse said, "You're contractions must be very strong, because they are not close enough together to make you dilate." I'm thinking this whole time "That's what I've been trying to tell you." She immediately ordered my epidural, but of course the anesthesiologist was busy with someone else. She paged him several times over the next few minutes. She didn't leave me after she checked me until he arrived.

A short time later we had our beautiful bundle of joy. I am so thankful that God gave me this child (along with my other 3). Motherhood is the best thing that has ever happened to me. I am so blessed.

Graduation Cake

A friend of mine was talking to a co-worker that needed a cake for her daughter's high school graduation and she put in a good word for me.

So I was able to do a cake for her. The school colors were white, grey and maroon. She sent me several pictures of cakes that she liked and then let me have at it. So this cake is like a combination of 3 different cakes that she liked.

She wanted a small cake (I did a 6" cake) that she could place on top of a tiered stand and then she wanted 4 dozen cupcakes (forgot to get a picture of them) to go on the bottom tiers of the stand. She wanted enough cake/cupcakes for about 50 people and she wanted them to be able to serve themselves.

I hope she is happy. I was pleased with the way it turned out.

Every Man's Battle Book Review

Wow! What a book. 'Every Man's Battle: Winning the War on Sexual Temptation One Victory at a time' by Stephen Arterburn, Fred Stoeker, and Mike Yorkey came highly recommended to me by several people, men and women alike. I have to say that it lived up to it's recommendations.

I was very impressed with the depth of the book, but I didn't feel like I was drowning. Everything was clear and concise. As a woman, I had no idea what it must be like for a man. I was so unaware how many challenges a Christian man faced on a daily basis (actually several times a day). While reading the book I began to watch television differently, and to see newspaper ads, billboards, magazine covers and so much more in a new light.

As a wife and a mother of four boys, I am more aware than I have ever been about their surroundings and the impact that it has on them. As a woman I hope I can be more sympathetic to their temptations and challenges.

Stephen and Fred were very open about the temptations that they have faced in the past and the challenges that they face today. They give a lot of real life examples of how men overcame these sexual temptations and what happened to men that didn't try.

They even have sections for women called 'The Heart of a Woman' that gives us the perspective of the wives of the men as they over came their sexual obstacles. It tells the challenges that a wife will face with her husband, how she can be supportive and how her love and support are critical to overcoming sexual sin.

I highly recommend this book to men and women alike. This book I think should be for mature adults (married, about to be married or mature singles), if you have younger children/young adults I do not suggest this book (it is very candid, but in a mature and responsible way). This book is part of a series of books and there are books for younger men, women, etc. Please choose the age group appropriately.

At this moment I am actually reading with my oldest son, Preparing Your Son for Everyman's Battle.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review, but the review and opinions are my own.



Please click on this link and rank my review on this and other books. I would really appreciate it.

Wall Art

I am so excited. I got a Cricut Expression for Mother's Day (I ordered it before MD, but just before, so it didn't arrive until like 10 days after MD, but I got it and that's what counts).

I scrapbook (some - I am really behind, haven't scrapbooked much in a couple of years), but I don't really consider my self a scrapbooker (see the above parenthesis and you will understand why).

Really I consider myself a crafter, I like so many different crafting mediums. And I am willing to try just about any crafting medium at least once. So I have put off getting this machine. I have wanted one for years, but it is primarily marketed to scrapbookers. I finally broke down and purchased one (for crafting) and I am loving it.

This was one of my first projects (not the first, I gave them away as gifts and forgot to take a picture - but I like it so well, I am going to make myself one and I will take a picture of that).



I used the brown vinyl (my walls are a light tan, with dark stained trim) and cut out a saying/quote that I liked and put it on the wall. I used the Plantin Schoolbook Font that came with the machine. I cut the letters out in 3 inches, except for small and big. I cut small out in 2 inches and I italicized it. I cut big out in 4 inches, all caps and italicized it also.

Yes, the "o" in one is crooked. Guess what, I took it off and fixed it (after the picture was taken). I have also added a fleur de lis to the bottom of it. Will have to take a new picture of it soon. I am debating on whether to add quote marks to the beginning and end? Not sure, I kind of want to, but hubby liked it the way it was. What do you think?

Hey, I saw that the Cricut has a cartridge for cupcake wrappers. That would go great with this project. Can't wait to get my hands on that cartridge!

Cupcake Stands

I saw the cutest cupcake stand tutorial here. So, of course I had to make some for myself.

I followed her tutorial, but as usual I put my own twist to it. I used a different wood for the top of the cupcake stand (thicker and more substantial looking). I also used different shapes: round, heart and square. I also used 2 different heights (a taller one - like in the tutorial and I made some shorter ones also). I painted all of them with several coats of paint and allowed them to dry between coats.




I painted 3 of them black...



and 3 of them white...



With the white ones, I wanted to try a couple of distressing techniques.

On one of them (after painting it white) I sanded the top and around the edges (to give it a worn - well used look). Note: I didn't think to sand it down until after I painted several coats on it. To make it easier to sand, next time I won't paint as many coats on it to start with, just the one I decide to sand.



On another white one I put a stain on it and immediately wiped it off. The stain stayed in the cracks and imperfections and also gave it a slightly aged look.





Here they are...



Aren't they cute?



I think they would make great party favors (wedding receptions, anniversary party, birthday party, girl's night out, or any special occasion). You can make them any color to match your decor. I've just been on a black and white kick lately. It's just classic looking and goes with everything. Check it out here and here.

UDATE: 5/25/11 I forgot to mention that I printed the cupcake wrappers from here for FREE!