J Cooper Photography

I’m still adding a few more sweet things to J’s room…any ideas for me on window coverings? She has one tall window at the foot of the bed. I’d love something girly and sweet without being overpowering or “fussy”. Come on you decorating experts…help a girl out!

I added these 2 little pillows to her bedding today!

One has a little birdie applique. Couldn’t resist throwing in a little yo-yo love.

I kept both pretty simple. I debated a ruffled flange and then decided to just let the front of each take center stage. I did include an envelope closure on the back of both for easier laundering. I’m sort of wondering how many nights I have realistically before these get thrown up on…it is flu season you know.

The second one was really fun to put together. Patty is putting together some pillow patterns which will appear in the Fall 2009 issue of Quilts & More. Lucky me…I got to try them out a bit ahead of time! I used Tina Givens “Chloe’s Imagination” and a yummy pink minky on this one!

OK…get to brainstorming that window situation won’t ya??

I should be back in a few days to share Sam’s SIX MONTH pictures (GASP!!!!!!!!!) Yes…it has truly been six months already since my little chunk of love entered this world. I’m waiting for a great sunny day for his little photo shoot and right now we are bunkered down under a blanket of snow!!

We worked feverishly this weekend and mostly completed J’s new bedroom. I’d like to put some finishing touches on it (curtains, throw pillows, and a new vinyl decal…had to take her’s down as it was no longer centered over her bed!) I love how the room feels fresh and girly…a bit shabby…and totally like my little princess

She woke up happy…said her bed was super comfy cozy…and is already back in taking a little afternoon nap!

The quilt was pretty fun to put together. I thoroughly love the design element…laying out the fabrics and choosing the placement. The sewing together was a bit more tedius as I apparantly can’t cut a perfect 9″ square. I actually started with 18″ squares. I was hoping for a big graphic punch but once I got it all laid out I wasn’t satisfied with the overall look…so back to the cutting board I went to cut each 18″ square into four smaller squares!

Then I searched for a proper backing. Wow…now THAT was labor intensive! I was hoping to find something wide enough so that the back could be one continuous piece. The only place I could find 108″ width fabric was Jo-Anns and their selection was pretty pathetic. I mean…really people…get with the times! Not everyone is still decorating with navy blue and burgundy! I finally settled on a pink tone-on-tone rose print. Not my first choice but it seemed to work out ok in the end. I was really hoping for a cute flannel sheet to use. Have you ever noticed how awful the prints are on flannel sheets? Come on now…really…who wants a moose print on their bed??

I tied off each corner (and yes my hubby did actually help me do this!) I let him watch a movie about submarines while we worked (so he really watched more than he tied…but hey…I’ll take any help I can get!)

I self bound the quilt by cutting the backing 2″ wider than the width of the top and batting and folding it over like a bias trim. This was The Librarian’s idea (had to give her a shout out) and since she taught me a lot of what I know about sewing…I always follow her advice. It made putting the quilt together MUCH easier! I laid the backing WRONG side up on the ground. Next went the batting (I used high loft so it is a bit more comforter-ish) and then the quilt top RIGHT side up. I safety pinned through all three layers all the way around the perimeter and on every other patch throughout. Then I tied it off…ironed over my trim…and straight stitched it down. If you try this method let me HIGHLY suggest that you don’t zig zag the trim as it stretches the fabric in a funky way that will have you muttering not-s0-nice things under your breath.

If you know anything about quilting…please be kind. I know this isn’t a REAL quilt. But after the effort it took to make this thing I think it is safe to say I am happy to remain among the throngs of amateurs.

I used an antique white latex enamel on the bed (Sherwin Williams) and then distressed it a bit. I prefer my furniture banged up a bit…saves me from having to worry about the first scratch when my kids fling a barbie bed across the room.

I painted right over the trim and hardware and then distressed those too with a small electric sander.

The hutch is my favorite piece because it just screams “little girl room”. It’s a great place to showcase some of her special toys and memorabilia and we can change the look of it as she grows.

Right now it is a happy landing spot for some of the vintage toys from her nursery, a few favorite stuffies, and a picture of her namesake.

I have a few more projects for the room to complete this week. As well as a bit more painting to do (sigh). I have moved the dresser that was in her room downstairs…going to paint it black and use it as a buffet in our dining room!

Better go get to work again! No rest for the weary

That’s what I feel like. Like my right appendage is actually a big sloppy lasagna noodle. Could have something to do with the fact that I painted J’s new bedroom furniture for 7 hours yesterday. Or the frantic sewing to finish her quilt. Or the carrying of the said bedroom furniture from our basement all the way to her second floor bedroom. None the less, I’m so excited to share the final result with you tomorrow!

This is a before shot of the dresser just as a teaser I had planned on removing some of the decals but realized there was a ridge along the face of the drawers. So I kept everything in tact. I literally thought it would take WEEKS to get this project completed. My hubby and I had a serious “discussion” about whether or not to pay to have this furniture painted (I was in favor)…I know shocking…but like I’ve said before…I’m a “time is money kind of gal”. Obviously he won. And I suppose I owe him some sort of apology for my behavior but since her doesn’t read this blog there is no use in letting him know he was right

I did take a break from all the painting Saturday to watch J in her very first ever violin recital. It was a complete deja vue…watching J up on that stage doing what A was doing just a couple of years ago.

She was so poised and sure of herself up on that big, lonely stage. Pretty darn cute too don’t you think? It always helps steal the heart of your audience when you are a head and shoulders smaller than everyone else

Love this little guy turned around the wrong direction

And a cute shot of A with stern concentration. Her teacher scheduled a piece on the program that A had just started…she spent the next two weeks practicing SO hard so that she could play that piece with the rest of the kids. And guess what? She did. And she did a darn good job too.

Will be back tomorrow with all sort of bedroom yumminess!

The girls are both asleep in J’s new bed as I type…J invited A to an inaugural sleepover in her new bed. Their discussion went something like this:

J: Would you like to have a sleepover in my comfy new bed tonight?
A: Why yes I would. And tomorrow would you like to come to my bed for a sleepover? I’d be happy to make you an invitation.
J: That’s silly…we live in the same house.
A: Just trying to be polite!

Stop back tomorrow!

3mnkees…you’re my gal! Send me an email (link on the side bar) so I can send you some headband goodies!!

If you didn’t win…don’t fret. My etsy shop is still stocked. And I promise to share more love soon!

xoxo

It all started while I was aimlessly searching our local Craigslist listings. I tend to do that fairly regularly. Over the past year I’ve found some great pieces of furniture from the listings….I’ve had to drive to a few questionable neighborhoods to retrieve the items…but hey…who doesn’t love a good treasure hunt?? When I spied this bedroom set I fell in love immediately for my youngest princess. She doesn’t really need bedroom furniture. We were looking for a sleeper couch. But this was so much more fun and it provided the extra bed we were needing for guests so my guilty conscience was at least partially relieved.

So I emailed the seller lickety-split. Only to find out it had already been sold. I was in agonizing pain. I NEEDED this furniture now and couldn’t envision my little princess resting her weary head anywhere else. I fired back another quick email asking (read: BEGGING) the seller to please let me know if her other deal fell through. Then I spent the Thanksgiving holiday agonizing over my loss and talking about it as if there was a death in the family (insert an apology to my family for the incessant chatter about my sour deal here). When I returned home from our trip I had an email from the seller…WHAT’S THIS?? Fate. Her other buyer had turned into a “no-show” and the furniture was MINE! The heavens parted (I did a serious happy dance) and began planning. I have a SERIOUS amount of painting to do next week. Anyone want to help?

Which brings me to this:

I’ve spent the last two days knee deep in my fabric stash putting this quilt top together for J’s new big girl bed. Don’t think I wasn’t tempted to buy this (ok, ok…I even had them holding one for me at my local store) But the budget policeman vetoed my idea. He suggested I make a quilt utilizing my vast supply of fabric and I agreed that the idea wasn’t half bad. So I started planning and preparing…laid out every scrap in my stash that I thought might possibly work…and then ran to Marshall’s just to double check that there weren’t any amazing quilts on the clearance rack.

The top is finished! My sweet hubby and I have plans to watch a movie and tie it off tomorrow night (what a romantic date huh? Kind of like two old women on the prairie!) I’m fairly proud of myself as I am usually a “time is money” kind of gal. But this whole experience fit so tidily into my handmade Christmas theme that I went for it and I’m so glad that I did.

OK…enough talk. How about a couple of cute pictures of Sam with his little girlfriend? Miss A belongs to a good friend and we got the kiddos together for a baby play date today. If you have read this blog before you might remember her from here. Wow has she changed! She’s about as cute as can be!


Sam was pretty enamored by this little gal!

Thanks for the fun morning guys!

And one more little piece of business. A number of you were intrigued by The Writer’s pink house so I thought I would share (pardon the minivan!) It isn’t ALL pink…but might as well be for the amount of pepto bismal pink the previous wanna-be-Victorian owners punished this Craftsman with! It is such a fantastic home though and the pink will be all but a distant memory some day.

And with that I’ll wrap up this random post and hit the hay.

Stop back TOMORROW for the WINNER of the GIVE AWAY!!! (I must be seriously tired…I’m starting to rhyme!)

Just stocked my Etsy shop with all sorts of fun stocking stuffers for the girls in your life! Fun for little girls…and not-so-little girls too! Stop in and take a look. Come back and tell me what your favorite item is and Friday I will hold a drawing for a FREEBIE HEADBAND! If you buy the market dress I’ll throw in a free headband of your choice as well! Spread the word…if lots of people enter I might give away more than one prize just to share the love!

There are lots to chose from…so what are you waiting for??

So there are piles of laundry to do…empty suitcases to put away…and my floors could use some serious attention. But I’ve been bit by the Christmas bug and didn’t even try to resist! The girls helped me decorate our big family tree (I’ll admit to just a wee bit of rearranging once they were in bed) and I spent the afternoon crafting!


I’ve been searching for a fun centerpiece for our round dining room table. Something simple, festive, and personal. And something that would last beyond Christmas. I must say…I’m really happy with the final result!

I started with a glass hurricane filled with a couple of inches of fake snow. I snipped a budding branch from a tree in our backyard…added a few pine cones (I may switch these out for some pretty Christmas ornaments for our holiday dinners)…and some images of the kids! I drizzled a bit of hot glue on the tips of the branches and dusted them with the snow. For the pictures I simply printed sepia images on cardstock on my home printer and burned the edges with a lighter. They look like little vintage postcards and really tie in with the round, beaded placemats I scored at Kohl on Black Friday!

I think you could play up this idea with lots of different “fillers”…shells from a beach vacation with a few black and white images…tiny jewel-toned ornaments with striking color photos, etc.

If you try this at home…be sure to snap a picture to share! I’d love to see!

Once our decorating was finished (and kiddos were up from their naps)…we indulged in a little NO-BAKE treat. Now…if you know me AT ALL…you know I am no chef. You will rarely find delectable recipes on this blog because…well…I don’t cook. But these little treats are SO simple and yummy. And my girls truly believe they are real cookies…which makes me happy! They couldn’t be easier to make.
Banana “Cookies”:
1. Throw a handful of Nilla wafers into a gallon sized ziplock.
2. Crush using a rolling pin.
3. Slice a banana in 1″ chunks and top in the bag.
4. Shake and serve.

OK…off to do the laundry that I have been neglecting…and to see about those floors!

I genuinely love my family…love spending time together…love the constant noise of kids and laughter. I love that we got to spend Thanksgiving together in my sister’s big pink house. I love that I wasn’t responsible for the yummy food. I love that there were enough arms to hold the baby and enough cousins to entertain my girls that the weekend required very little work. I love that we could all be together…and take impromptu family photos in my sister’s backyard.

Every year we haul all the kids to a photo studio to try our hand at a “cousin” picture. This year we even tried the entire family….now I know why I don’t like to photograph large groups! All the “big people” did just fine…but those little girls and their cheesy smiles…and the baby…we never did get him to look! It was a wee bit cold as well (ok…like mid-30s) and my mom was less than thrilled that I didn’t have a hat on the baby!

This is “The Librarian” and her family. She’s my older, older sister. I like to say that cause it makes her sound like she’s ancient In reality she is pretty darn young and hip. Her kids are supposed to still be toddlers running around the backyard…not teenagers with college plans!

“The boys” who happen to be identical twins. They are 13 and towering above me!

“The girls”. These two are such fun (can’t you tell from the pic!)

Uh…America’s Next Top Model called and they want their girls back…

My favorite shot from the afternoon

“The Writer” and her family. She is my older sister…just older…not older, older. She’s young and hip too and was our hostess with the mostest. They recently bought an amazing 3 story Craftsman mansion…it’s pink…it’s our new family party house.

Her fun not-so-little-anymore girls.

Another favorite shot!

So…it is really rare that my family ever gets a family photo as I am usually behind the camera. We decided to try our luck during the festivities…I prepped my camera…and handed it over to my Dad. Yeah…not thinking any of these are gonna make the final cut



I did manage to get a sweet shot of the kiddos together though!

Hope you all had a laughter filled, memory making kind of holiday. Here’s to good food, big pink houses, and a camera to capture another year of change!