Watercolor flowers and modern calligraphy table numbers

My church's women's ministry is organizing a women's retreat coming up in a few weeks and I'm looking forward to a weekend of fellowship, reflection, and hopefully some rest even though I'll be bringing my 2 month old! The retreat coordinator asked me to make table number signs for the small groups that included watercolors and lettering. While the little one was napping, I made these table numbers using Tombow brush markers and watercolors.

I'm thinking these can easily be repurposed into signs for monthly baby birthday photos or wedding table numbers!

Quilled lion nursery decor

My friends recently adopted a sweet boy from India and named him Aslan after the character in Chronicles of Narnia, one of my favorite book and movie series that I grew up reading and watching. As they patiently went through the long process of paperwork and logistics, I had some time to make a quilled lion for his nursery art. It took me awhile to find a lion that didn't look too fierce! I didn't want his wall art to give him nightmares overnight.


Click below for more of the step-by-step photos!

Floral nursery mobile

I debated for a LONG time what to make for the baby's nursery mobile and wall decor because being married to an ophthalmologist resident means that we are hypervigilant about preventing eye injuries. We ruled out sharp pointy objects to give my husband some peace that even if something fell onto our poor baby, it wouldn't cause an open globe.

This floral mobile with soft silk flowers and a styrofoam base fit the bill and earned my husband's approval for baby safety!

Read on for the full tutorial!

Quilled nursery decor and watercolor greeting cards

I co-hosted a baby shower this weekend and it was so delightful to celebrate a dear friend Bekah from my church! She is naming her daughter Elsa after her grandmother (and also happens to be a Disney princess now ;)  ). I've been loving the combination of watercolor and calligraphy and also made a birthday card for my bff. Read on to see the framed quilled nursery decor that I made for Bekah!

Painting an upholstered chair

I've been on the hunt for a wingback armchair for years now. One with perfect bones, a light grey color. I decided to give this tan wingback armchair (gifted by a neighbor cleaning out their shed) a makeover. Although I've sewn a new cover for a square-shaped ottoman before, I decided that sewing a cover for this wingback chair was one DIY project that I did not feel up to, despite watching countless tutorial videos.

Instead, I decided to paint the chair instead to give it a new look. First, I cleaned the chair thoroughly with a spray bottle filled with water, dishwashing soap, and vinegar, scrubbing carefully with a brush, and then I cleaned it with vodka, which removes odors and is a trick that many professional upholstery stores use. I let it air dry in the 98 degree Durham heat and then set to work painting!

Before and after applying chalky paint!

Read on for the tutorial.

Banners galore

I've been making more banners than I expected this year! Basically banners make ANY party instantly more festive! 

For Luke's 1st birthday party banner, my friend Brittany went with a nautical/ocean theme. She found some awesome nautical rope from Joann's to go with the burlap banner. I cut 6-inch diameter scalloped circles using my Cricut machine. The font is from the "Don Juan" cartridge, and the whale and the anchor are both from the "Wild Card 2" cartridge. We used gluesticks to attach the letters (cut from scrapbook paper) onto the heavier cardstock backing. I love the color scheme Brittany ended up choosing! If you look closely you can see that some of the letters were cut out with scrapbook paper with an adorable anchor pattern.

Next, the "ONE" banner on burlap. I cut cardstock letters with my Cricut machine and we used Elmer's glue to attach it to the burlap, which we cut out in bunting shapes.

We then used a hot glue gun to fold the top edge of the burlap down onto the rope and secure the banner in place. 

Love the finished look of this burlap banner! 

Last week I made this banner for my friend, who was organizing a bridal shower for her best friend. Her wedding colors are coral, gold, and yellow. 

Reminds me of pink lemonade! My favorite part was the shimmery gold cardstock I found at Michaels. 

DIY Letter Decor

I've longed to make letter decor for awhile now, and the perfect opportunity arose when I threw my coworker and friend B a baby shower! I love it when my friends announce their baby name ahead of time because it enables me to go all-out in personalizing their baby gifts and baby shower decor. B chose the name Luke for her baby boy. 

It took Andrew a long while to guess what I made these letters from....cereal boxes! We kind of have a problem in our household, AKA consuming mass quantities of cereal--Honey Nut Cheerios, Frosted Mini Wheats, and our favorite, Honey Bunches of Oats. In college I used to eat cereal for breakfast, afternoon snacks, and midnight snacks. Basically, we have tons of cereal boxes, and I finally found a way to upcycle them!

Read on for the full tutorial!