Mint Nursery Style Boards

Boy's Room

Color Palette is mint, grey, orange

Wall Color: Valspar Icy Mint
Round Captains Mirror: Target
Woodland Rug: Land of Nod
Crib: Restoration Hardware
Pom-Pom Trimmed Curtains: Anthropologie
Rocking Chair:  Wayfair.com
Chandelier: DIY
Cloud Mobile: Etsy
Orange Porthole Contact Paper (For back of bookshelves): chicshelfpaper.com
Orange Pillow: Society6

DIY BONANZA!!!

Hi Bloggies!  It's a DIY BONANZA!!!  Here is a compilation of a few fun DIY projects I've done in the past.

Get creative with detail!

Window Planter DIY

Take an old window and break out the glass. Paint and sand after to make it look aged. Use a staple gun to attach chicken wire to the back and screw in a heavy duty picture hanging hardware (hold at least 20lbs). Cut ceiling trim to make box planter and glue & screw to the bottom of window. Or screw in a pre-made metal planter from you local outdoor store.  You can add designs and details to make it one-of-a-kind.  Plant climbing roses, succulents between the chicken wire (make sure you place a backdrop cloth if you do this), morning glories, or just leave it as cute cottage decor!

Darling Dresser DIY

It seems just this easy...but I had a lot going against me the week (s) I spent refinishing this 1980's style dresser.

For the full tutorial click here: 

Darling Dresser DIY

Homemade Plant Markers

I took a couple plastic playing cards (the extras you don't need) & cut out shapes for the markers. I painted them an eggshell color (outdoor paint) & glued two back to back for strength. I used a sharpie to write the names and dressed up the sharp corners using a corner stamper from a craft store. Super easy and really cute!  I would recommend removing them when you water, however.

Picture Frame Fixer-Upper DIY

We all have those ugly old, yellowing frames sitting in the closet with hunter green and gold matte, maybe even with a picture of a bass or flying mallards.  I know I had plenty of these handed down to us, just waiting to be brought back to life.  Well it is time to bring them into the light, and this decade for that matter.  First take out the glass, matte, etc so you just have the frame left.  If they are wood, give them a good sanding- get down to bare wood, right through the splintering old finish.  If they are metal it is a bit easier- just get a good metal-adhering spray paint and go to town.  Clean your wooden frames with some water and, once dried, paint a more neutral color using acrylic paint.  I used a dry brushing technique with both white and black, then sanded to let some of the natural wood come through for a more rustic look.  Seal with a coat of spray poly. Paint the colorful matte white or light grey.  Then find some neat pictures you have taken and convert them to black and white, and if you can, print them at home to save time and moolah.  Reassemble and hang over a mantle or on a bare wall! Easy-peasy and it only takes a few minutes and drying time!

Halloween Paper Bunting 

Super easy and on-the-cheap.  Here is a great way to add some spooky Halloween fun to your mantle.  The full tutorial for this paper bunting can be found here:  DIY Halloween Paper Bunting

 $25 DIY Halloween Wreath

This is so easy to make!  Purchase a natural grapevine wreath from a craft store- mine was about $4.  Black and silver ribbon ($4), Chinese lantern spray faux floral (about $7- seasonal), beaded glass floral vine (also about $7- seasonal) and some green floral wire ($3).  Use a coupon to get these items even cheaper.  Cut the lantern spray into several branches and spread them out around the wreath.  Attach stems with floral wire.  Uncoil beaded vine, arrange, and attach with floral wire.  Finally, tie ribbon into a bow and leave a little slack in case you want to use it to hang.  That's it!  Simple, beautiful and much cheaper than buying a pre-made wreath for the fall and Halloween season!

Hope you enjoyed this DIY Bonanza.  Until next time!  Thanks for stopping by~

-Mrs. Frog Prince

1st Trimester- That's a Wrap!

Weeks 4-12

This week marks the end of the first trimester!  Hooray for making it through 13 weeks without morning sickness, nausea, or complications.  I've been keeping up with our chalkboard door to track the week-by-week bump progress, but it has ended up being every couple weeks.   Between holidays, summer vacations, and pool time, this first trimester has gone by so fast.

I am blessed to have had very few of those ugly first trimester symptoms, and the worst was fatigue.  Adjusting to a life without drinking, medium-rare filet's, sushi, and wicked awesome roller coasters has been the other hard one.  About 9 months before I had found out I was pregnant, I quit smoking cold turkey.  I always hate to talk about smoking, much less admit that I was addicted since college.  But anyone who has or currently smokes knows how hard it is to give it up- the cravings don't go away entirely.  Until I got pregnant, I was actually doing really well in the cravings department, but I got pregnant and Boom!  I wanted a cigarette. So I eat a fruit Popsicle instead and focus on how good I feel, and how happy and healthy my baby feels.

Mr. Frog Prince and I just celebrated our 2-year wedding anniversary (6 years together) and it is amazing to see him turn into a Dad right before my eyes.  It's so hard to describe how a man changes when he creates a child, and nothing is quite so precious.

Now that trimester #2 is here and I have a burst of energy, I have never wanted to paint and decorate so bad in my life.  Nesting instincts are really kicking in.  The nursery plan and layout has been planned out and on the brain for a while now, if only we could reclaim the baby room from the two furry monsters...  We have been caring for my brother-in-law's two large dogs since we bought the new house.  Long story short- he lives 30 hours away in an apartment that doesn't allow pets, so his dad and mom took care of them until my father-in-law contracted lymphoma, when we took them in.  Since we already have 2 (well-trained) dogs of our own and acreage for them to run around, we figured it would be a simple job.  WRONG.  They are shedding, destructive, wild beasts. But otherwise pretty sweet dogs if you aren't hormonal and attached to your landscaping, gardens, furniture and wood floors...  Anyway, the dogs will be gone, things will be back to normal, and we will get our baby room back in only two weeks!  We are definitely counting down the days until I can paint those walls, hang curtains, place baby furniture, and stock the baby closet.

Here are 10 of my goals for the second trimester:

1. Decorate the nursery
2. Go on 20 minute walks every evening (take our dogs)
3. Prenatal yoga every couple days and free weights in between
4. Swim and exercise in the pool 2+ times each week
5. Spend a few minutes each day praying and meditating- bonding with baby
6. Talk to midwives and enroll in the natural birthing center
7. Save, Save, Save money!
8. Cook more dinners for Mr. Frog
9. Start stocking up on baby diapers, wipes, lotions, etc.
10. Take a special trip with Mr. Frog 

One-third of the way done and so much still to do...I absolutely can't wait to see this little guy/girl again!

-Mrs. Frog Prince