{i love you} a lotta big

"How much do you love mama?"
"a lotta big!"

We're approaching the big two and we've been met with lots of tantrums and assertions of independence but two is also full of amazement and pride.
How can my heart not melt when I hear that?
:)

DIY chalkboard

Chalkboards can be pricey... but not if you make your own!
Most people have an ugly ol' picture laying around and if you don't you can get them at garage sales or thrift stores for about a dollar!
I can't take credit for the idea for this... I found it on Madigan Made. She has a great tutorial and I was surprised at how easy it was.

All you need is:
A framed picture you're not afraid of covering up
Spray paint for the frame (mine was white)
Chalkboard spray paint... that's it!

Here is the picture I started with.My mom regifted it to us after a neighbor gave it to her. It's...um...not my style.

Take the glass out of the frame and clean it.

Set aide your frame and spray paint it. I put a canvas tarp underneath it to protect our garage floor.(I was killing 2 birds with 1 stone by painting a picture frame too)

spray a thin layer of chalkboard paint.Make sure you read the instructions carefully. Only use this in a well-ventilated area because it's smelly. 

spray another layer. and another. and another.

I sprayed about 10 thin layers, each drying before the next.(I also made a mini-sized one for Sam's room)

once dry, put frame on...

...and hang!

Don't use for 24 hours and make sure you cover the whole board with the side of the chalk first so that you don't get any burned in images! Do those chairs look familiar? I reupholstered them again. 

 but how cute is this pattern?

they have a new home in our kitchen!
and now a quest for a new rug begins...
Hope everyone has a great (and short!) week!

decorating with jars

I love glass.
I love how sleek it is, how sophisticated it can be in lieu of plastic, how elegant it can look holding flowers, and how versatile it is.
Mix that with my love of containing and organizing and you get...jars!
Here are some ways I decorate my home with jars.

You can see how I made the tags here.

Greenery in a jar

mason jars make perfect drinking glasses

candle holders

apothecary jar usually holds M&M's...white jar holds sugar

large cylinder holds cooking utensils

small cylinder holds glass bingo balls that I got here.

studio supplies like fabric scraps, spools, zippers and buttons

my Ball jar pincusion holds my pins.Make your own here.
Oh, and this three-day weekend was very productive over here at casa de Ashby! Here's a sneak peek at Sam's room color I finally chose.

Painting continues this week :)

rasta tree

I saw this unique-looking candle stick holder at Hobby Lobby and thought "tree."

So I brought it home for 5 bucks on clearance, and found some leafy-looking stuff from a plant I had, and got the strange idea to hot glue it in the candle hole to look like a tree.

Well... instead it ended up looking like a cross between a Rastafarian and Sideshow Bob.

Oh well, it's going in Sam's room anyway.
I just thought a cool mosaic tree on a shelf would look cool in a boy's room!
I'll probably end up adding new leaves to it eventually and when I do I'll update here- I just wanted to share my "rasta tree" :)

make your own jar tags

I bought these cute jars from Walmart for $3.50
SCORE!
So I wanted to add cute tags to them.
Here's what you need:twine scissorshole puncherprinter 

 I printed out the labels I wanted on card stock and cut them out to look like tags.

 Then I wrapped the twine around the top of the jars, strung the tag on through the hole I punches at the top, tied the twine in a tight knot, and cut the excess.

That's it! Now you have adorable labeled jars!

organized lunches

Even though Sam is just going on two years old, I like to pack him lunches when he goes to my mom's house during the day.
However, I don't like packing lunches in the morning when I'm rushed, which is unfortunately always the time I remember to do it!
So today I headed to Walmart and got this cute little cloth bin for $4.00, and in it I put a bunch of easy-grab items that make packing his lunch (or just grabbing a snack on the go) much easier.
I thought I'd share here!

I printed the label from my computer on white card stock 

I put in things like baby food (we sneak it into sweet things like applesauce), cereal bars, pudding, fruit leathers, veggie puffs, goldfish, etc... 

Voila! That was easy!

dear daniel

I love Hallmark's new slogan "Valentines Day is not a day to say 'I love you' it's a day to say 'I love us'.
Well Danny, I love us!
I've loved us since I was 15 years old when you changed everything for me.
When you set the bar so high that no boy after you could quite reach it.

Circa 2002 I loved that when we would walk to Safeway for snacks you would always walk on the outside of the sidewalk in case a car came barreling toward us.

I love that you kept all our love notes and my 11th grade egg baby who's still intact!
And like a sneak preview into real life fatherhood, I love that you are the best daddy I've ever seen.

I love that you get as excited over Sam's little moments and milestones as I do, and that we can hide our laughter together when he's having a meltdown.

I love how hands on you are, and that you've always had an evolved sense of parenthood and never get lost in gender roles.
I love that you know how to be sweet without being cheesy. And I love that you know how I hate cheesy.
I love that I can be my best, secure self with you because I trust you wholeheartedly.

I love that after 12 years I still have a major crush on you ;)
I love that you're a completed person without me, who chooses to be with me because you want me, not because you need me.
I love how well you balance the duality of being a white collar workhorse Monday through Friday, and a laid back musician on weekends.
And I love how you love me. The way you let me be me for exactly who I am, the good, the bad, and the sweatpants-clad.

Happy Valentines Day baby!
I love us!

fabric scrap topiary

Anyone who sews has tons of scraps laying around, and I'm always trying to find ways to use them since I hate throwing away beautiful fabric!
Here's what you'll need:fabric scrapswooden dowelstyrofoamball Glue (I ended up using hot glue instead of Modpodge)spanish mossflower arrangement foam (not pictured)Twine (not pictured)flower pot (not pictured)

 wrap your wooden dowel in twine. you could also use ribbon.

 get out your jar of scraps!choose the color palate you want.

 stick your dowel up in the styrofoam ball.begin gluing fabric scraps to it, overlapping as you go.

 make sure you don't leave any bald spots

When you're done, stick foam in pot, stick dowel in foam, and glue spanish moss down around base of dowel

and that's it!Put somewhere cute like a mantel or craft room :)  I also added lot of new zippered pouches to the shop.
Here's a peek...

Happy Monday everyone!Here's to a great {and hopefully quick} week!

customer photos!

I love seeing my stuff in use!
So I'm excited to share these photos of some pouches living their new lives in purses and bathrooms!

I have a confession: this one's mine! I keep it in my purse with all my goodies I don't want to have to dig for.

They can also be used as makeup bags...

...or hair band holders

They're great for hiding personal purse stuff like tampons or medication.

 Or just everyday incidentals

If you've gotten something and want to email me a photo of you using it, email it to LaurenRAshby@aol.com so I can add it in a future post! You can also upload your photos in the shop.Speaking of shop, I'll be adding some new stuff today so make sure you check it out!