Lucky Kitty

Etsy Finds Monday?

Huh? Monday?  Friday I woke up with the most terrible stomach virus ever - so, there was no blogging going on - there was not much but sipping 7-Up and feeling sorry for myself...

But I'm back, and I'm still alive!  So, let's do some Monday finds, shall we?

First up, check out White Rabbit Ring by Vienna Horses...

 
This ring can also be a brooch - your choice!  I love the shape, texture, size and color of this little beauty.  So simple and cute!

Next up, it's something for the Man Cub - have I mentioned how much my baby enjoys the company of finger puppets? 

They are by far his favorite toys... Check out these awesome Fun With the Farm Animals Finger Puppets  by With Hugs and Kisses...

These are a must have for somebody's Christmas stocking this year!

Finally today, check out probably the single greatest item I've ever stumbled upon on Etsy in all my days of Etsy Finding...

Do you like Night Court?  Sure, we all do...

Do you like bringing your own bar to the party?  Hmmm... never thought of it, but could be a good idea...

Well then... the Night Court Travel Bar by Frosty Darling might just be the one thing that could make all your dreams a reality...

 
I'm not really even a drinker, but OMG I so want to show up to the next dinner party with my own Night Court Travel Bar! 

Happy Monday!

Baby needs a bulletin board...

In an effort to not be like Kate from Jon & Kate + Hate, I've decided against hanging my child's art all over my kitchen cabinet doors.

Do I want to display it?  Sure!

Do I want it taped to every available surface in my house? ummm... pass...

So, what to do?  Make a bulletin board for the baby's room?  Perfect!

If you've ever gone out shopping for bulletin boards, you've probably found nothing but ugly out there.  All cork all framed in cheapness... blah, boring, no thanks.

Thank goodness for cork tiles, tape, and a little fabric!

 
I got a set of four tiles over at Ye Ol' Target for under $10 - woot!

 

Everything else I had laying around the house, thereby making this project extremely affordable!

My cork tiles were 12" square, so, I cut my fabric 16" square - just to give myself plenty of room on the back to tape.

Center your cork tile on the fabric, tape it up, and you're ready to roll!

Shazam! Custom bulletin board!

 
The best part?  We can have a rotating display of Mr. Man's art on display for all of us to enjoy. 

When he's bigger, he can pick and choose what to display - pretty darn cool!

For now, it's pudding art...

Craftiness is genetic...

When we decided to become parents, one of the things the Hubs and I discussed time and time again was if our child would be the creative type. 

We figured that as he got older, maybe he would like being crafty because he's been around it... but it would be more nurture than nature...

Turns out my little super baby genius didn't need for me to show him the crafty ropes, he's got his own thing going on...

First, he did an awesome finger painting at escuela...

All the babies in his classroom have done some finger painting, but their's doesn't seem as arty... there's such movement and texture to this painting - I absolutely love it!

So, for Halloween, Quinn's teacher asked for me to bring a paper bag to school so that he could make a costume... um... yes, you got it - I will bring anything you need to encourage my son to be artistic!

He was a paper bag pumpkin... hand painted by the baby man himself...

Apparently, they all made little pumpkin stem hats to wear too - but none of the babies were into it...

They also made little trick or treat canisters... complete with googly eyes...

Love love love!

It just goes to show - you're never too young to express your artistic side! 

I'm so thankful that he's enrolled at a place that isn't afraid to get down with the crafting.

Can't wait for the little man to make some Christmas prezzies for the family!

2nd Place!

Spider Pumpkin won 2nd place in the pumpkin carving contest at work!

My work daddies couldn't have been more proud!  I even get to display my fancy pants trophy next to their real estate tombstone thingy dingys...

Yay for Spider Pumpkin and yay for bringing just a touch of crafty goodness to an otherwise non-crafty environment!

Etsy Finds Friday!

Happy almost Halloween! 

The baby wolf man costume is complete - it will be unveiled soon... patience my pets...

Until then, check out these awesome finds on a most awesome Halloween eve...

First up, check out Small Personalized Bowl by Lynn Cardwell Pottery...

These are so cute - I love that they come in Fiesta colors and am also fond that I get to choose the phrase for the bowl - oh, how I love to personalize things!

Next up, check out Vintage Brass Deer Bookends by Greatfindz...

I'm not sure why, but I've been so totally into things made of brass and things that are in the shape of deer lately... these kill both birds with one stone! 

...and finally today, I usually try to find one goodie each week for Mr. Baby Pants, but this week, I've discovered something for my old babies... my kitty boys...

Check out Retro Modern Pet Bed in Textured Avocado by Like Kittysville...

I wish I knew of this when I had avocado green couches!  I absolutely adore the design of this bed - the wood, the shape, the vintage fabric - OMG!  I wonder if it's scratch proof...

Happy Friday!

Pumpkin contest!

The building that I work in is having a pumpkin carving contest this week.  They dropped our pumpkin off in the office last week in order for us to decorate them. 

I'm sure I've mentioned my work daddies here before - they are three of the nicest, smartest, most awesome dudes and it's usually a complete pleasure to work with them.

However... last week, after I had left for the day, they must have been bored or in the mood to break something because they tried to derail my chances at winning the pumpkin contest.

First, Daddy #3 dropped the pumpkin and broke it.  Stem popped off, pumpkin was busted up in a couple of different spots.  Thinking that he could save it, he taped it back together... with packing tape...

Then, he decided to try his hand at decorating it himself...

Wow - that pumpkin sure is hard at work... did he just close a deal?

My first thought was to enter the pumpkin in the contest as it appears above and then do my own pumpkin in addition... but then I thought- screw that, I'm gonna save this pumpkin and turn it into something awesome!

Spider pumpkin!

I remembered that Martha Stewart had mentioned that if you paint a pumpkin and perhaps cover it in a nice healthy coat of Mod Podge, it creates a seal and will preserve your pumpkin for months...

Thanks Martha!  That's exactly what I did!  I even mixed some black glitter into the Mod Podge, but you can't really tell - should've sprinkled it on top of the Mod Podge instead... oh well.

A couple googly eyes, pipe cleaners, and some craft paint later and I have a most awesome spider pumpkin to enter into the contest.

Daddy #2 said that if I win, it will be the greatest thing our office has accomplished this year...

Yikes... slow year, huh?

Etsy Finds Friday!

Friday Friday!  It's finally starting to look and feel like Fall here in Austin today!  Halloween decorations are up, costumes are made, all that's left is pumpkin carving - maybe this weekend...

So much good stuff to share with you today - let's get to it!

First up, check out Vintage Typewriter Keys Initial Necklace by Freshy Fig...

I just love initial necklaces and these are awesome!  I'm digging the gold plate background and chain and the fact that these are vintage typewriter keys - radical!

Next up, check out Round Heat Resistant Board by Nature Design...

Wow - I'm so crazy about these boards - the colors, the textures, the way all the pieces fit together - swoon!

Finally today, check out the most awesome Fake Won't Kill Fox Fur Tee by Designer Playground...

 
The little old lady design sense that I seem to sometimes have loves me some fox fur wraps... now I can totally have one without any foxes being harmed in the process! 

Happy Friday!

Wait! Don't throw that pickle jar away...

... make it into a Halloween candle holder instead!

It's super duper easy - all you need is an empty pickle jar (or any type of glass jar), some Mod Podge, and your favorite Halloween ribbon...

Yes, you're right - it's that easy - just slather on a nice even coat of Mod Podge, wrap the ribbon around the jar, then go over everything (ribbon and all) with Mod Podge again...

 

Bing, bang, boom - you've got yourself a super cute candle holder - all you need now is a votive to drop in the jar!

Happy Halloween!

Bjornin'

I wasn't quite sure what type of carrier my little man would prefer, so, I collected up many choices to try out once he arrived.  A few were handed down by some dear friends, and I even purchased an awesome looking pocket sling - just so we would have options.

At first, Mr. Man wasn't fond of any of them - if you wanted to make my baby cry almost on que, just place him in a sling and stand back... but now that he's a little bit bigger, he seems to enjoy the Baby Bjorn most of all.

My Bjorn was gently used but in perfect working order, so, I've been gladly using it for weeks now, but have been wanting to give it a bit of a face lift.

A little baby fun fact for you - you will end up washing things like car seat covers and bjorn carriers about one million times during the short time that your baby is using them, which fades the fabric and makes everything look a little bit tired.

First, I purchased some good ol' fashioned Rit dye from the grocery store - just to darken and deepen the color of the Bjorn... which kind of worked, but didn't provide the necessary amount of cuteness that I was desiring...

So I asked the internets- to see if someone out there had found a way to make a Bjorn slip cover... oh yes, they have...

Thanks to Cut Out & Keep, I found an awesome pattern to make exactly what I was looking for - a Baby Bjorn slip cover!

The instructions were quite simple and the slip cover took about 20 minutes to whip up - easy peasy.  I did have to alter it a bit once I tried it on the Bjorn - just to make more room for the snaps and the harness at the bottom of the carrier, but they were minor adjustments that solved the problem in a snap!

Behold!

I even added a little pocket on the front for my cell phone! 

But how does the baby like it?

I think the client is pleased...

I do wish I had used a more colorful fabric for the inside fabric - I opted for just black not thinking about how much of the inside ends up on the outside... but other than that, I'm quite pleased with the result and am so happy that I managed to breath a little new life into a very well loved baby carrier.

Etsy Finds Friday!

Friday Friday!  There's finally a chill in the air here in the ATX and it almost seems like fall around here finally... which has put me in the mood for a Finds Friday theme...

Owls and faux bois... here we go!

First up, check out Owlie Woods Tryptich Panel Three by the Gorgonist...

I absolutely love the colors used in this panel - and also love the way they were blended - almost like an acid wash technique.  The mommy and baby owls are too awesome for words...

Next up, check out Redwood Lovers Hoot Owl – Humboldt by Buttercupbloom...

 

OMG - where did they get such yummy faux bois fabric... must troll the internet... I love all the little details here on this owlie - his eyes and beak are so sweet and delicate - and I'm also swooning over his big heart!

Finally today, one for the little man - who is already getting his first tooth and is therefore a drool machine... check out Woodsy the Owl by Coco + Milkweed...

So cute!  Love all the handstitching details on the felt owl and am totally in love with the faux bois of it all - wonder if it would be as absorbent as my Sham Wow bibs... hmmm... either way, it's cute cute cute!

Happy Friday Everybody!!!