BubbaChic

Cat House

I came across this wonderful post last week and immediately forwarded it to my hubby at work...at last, proof that you can add a safe outdoor area for cats that isn't a complete eyesore!

I have been badgering Jay for a couple of years to make my kitties a place they could sit outside in safety.

After seeing the post by 'Cookoo for design' he agreed to make one (yay!!)

I constructed a very detailed drawing of what I wanted and he set to work!

There is still one more piece of wood to add to the front and then the whole thing needs staining, but we were far too eager to see what the kitties thought of it.

They love it! I was woken up at 7am by Maddy asking if she could open the window to let the cats out, as they were all sat there waiting!

I love the idea of extending it later on and adding tunnels to another bigger cat house...oh the possibilities!!

 

 

Our Block

This quilt has been sat around in my sewing room for two years, forgotten. Each block was made by a different lady within a 'sewing Bee' I was a part of a few years ago. After getting the squares, I neatly packed them all up (along with the blocks I made) and squirreled them away to a secret place that I promptly forgot about.

I came across it last Friday, when my Sister in law was in labour and I needed to do something to harness all the anxiety I was feeling. So I sewed up this quilt and I prayed. I prayed for my Sister in law, prayed for my new neice/nephew, prayed for the doctors who would be a part of the delivery. I prayed and I cried, feeling useless being so far away but knowing even if I was in the same country, the same city even - there would still be little I could physically do.

And after a while, the news came - a new healthy baby boy had become a part of the family!

and Sister in law was safe and sound and whilst completely knackered, she too was healthy.

So this little quilt got me through the worst of the anxiety and whilst I was more than ready to pack it up and send it to our new family member, I am thinking he probably needs a less pink version!

It now hangs on the wall in the playroom, blending in rather nicely with its surroundings and I cant help but to think of my sister in law and my new nephew when I see it.

and he is just the cutest little man to think of!

Brother Matt (Proud Papa) and the new little hunk of love!

 

 

 

 

 

The Playroom/Craft Room Reveal

I have been working on this playroom for a while which is often the case with any re-painting project I take on. Its not necesarily the painting of the room that is the slow part - its the re-organizing and putting everything in its place that takes me some time...and then the finishing touches! I don't think I ever feel like I have finished with the finishing touches, so on it drags.

Anyways, I once again started a project without taking any real 'before' pictures, so you will just have to believe me that the playroom was a mis-mash of functional (but not pretty) furniture. The colour was a light sapping shade of brown:

The room didn't just need painting, it needed switching around and organizing so that my sewing area and the kiddies play area could co-exist without stepping on anyones toes.

The transformation began with the colour:

and the furniture and old kiddies toys were gathered for a yard sale (which completely funded the new furniture and trip to Ikea to buy it)

Looking into the playroom from the front door/hall (pretty sight huh?!)

Looking back towards the front door (painting in progress) Notice the wooden cabinet, credenza, brown chair and Ikea storage station...all gone!

Looking through to the new streamlined and brighter playroom/sewing room

My sewing area is sectioned off by the table ($20 on craigslist) and new Ikea storage, which houses the toys.

My space :o)

On the wall opposite the desk is my fabric/craft books/threads/notions wall...

and in a funny little corner next to my fabrics are some bookeshelves (made from Ikea $3 spice racks) This is also the kitties corner and their tower and toys are there.

Looking back towards the front door:

The Kiddies sofa ($35 from garage sale) where the Wii and legos are played. Their favourite artwork is displayed on the back wall, which changes often. I have managed to encorporate a few British touches to the room, this cushion was sent here for my last Christmas by my lovely Sister in law.

 The TV and Wii - one day we will shell out for a more streamlined TV that we can wallmount and do away with the ugly cabinet (I did attempt to make it look more in-line with the room by purchasing cute ceramic knobs...and then promptly lost one, so now it just looks even more mismatched!)

When people ask me what I miss most from home, my answer is always Marmite. I managed to pick up this cute retro-looking Marmite tea towel on our last visit, which I stretched over canvas to make it art!

Faux roman shades made from the curtains in our previous house:

I also used the old curtains to made a skirt for my cutting table:

More Ikea storage additions to my area:

I made the collage of our families with a stack of photos I had sitting around. They were simply glued onto foam board with matt modge podge and then a film of modge podge put over the whole thing.

Artwork I have collected from Etsy over the last few years:

and another reminder of home, the clocks over the door frame giving us Tulsa time, Home time and New York time (Maddy is a huge fan of New York)

I have plenty more little things I would like to do, but I am happy to say that it is feeling almost finished!

 

Nearly there: Playroom

Its been a long hard slog, but we are finally putting the finishing touches to the playroom...

 

and as soon as I have completed the last window treatment, and sorted all the fabric, I will post pics

 

 
 
 

 

I am excited to get it done (as is Jay) as I have already started a new painting project: Re-vamping the pantry, there really is nothing like having too much on your plate in the last 2 weeks before the kiddies start back at school is there?!

 

Summer Plans

We are a little late this year, on getting together our list of what we are going to get done over the summer hols. My List looks like this:

Paint and decorate master bedroom

Establish some kind of eating area outside in the back garden - love this one

Think about painting playroom

Make a picnic quilt for use during the summer (better get started on that one pretty quick)

Host a martini night to test out our martini making skills!

Have at least one datenight with hubby

 
 

Kids Summer List:

Camp in back garden one night

Swim (lots)

Visit Oklahoma City

Swim (lots)

Visit an ice cream shop late one night as a special treat

Play with the Birman Babies (lots)

Swim (lots)

 

 
 

Free Tulsa Summer Programs:

Barnes and Noble Summer Reading Programme

Tulsa Library Summer Reading Programme

Free fishing

Free movies

Cheap Bowling at Andy B's

 

Summer Table

Our little nature table for summer is underway with the help of some supplies from the dollar store and thrift store...

 

I am enjoying working on it here and there in between quilting and embroidering, it has been a nice little creative distraction...

 

I may even dig out some of my most precious fabric ever (Heather Ross beach and seagulls) to make a little table runner...thats if I can bare to cut into my precious fabric!

 

 

 

Bedroom Inspiration

Our bedroom is currently the kind of mish mash of items that you would expect to find in a family that only found out they are staying in the States last year. Up until that point, cheap, functional items were purchased in order to get us through until we would have to return home.

However, now we have a more long term view and over the last year we invested in some decent furniture for the bedroom. It does still look a little out of place though.

I would like to think that I could could decorate our bedroom over the summer and turn it into the grown-up haven that both Mr B and I would like it to be. We no longer have children or babies in our room each night, so I am finally ready to make it ours, all ours.

I had no idea of where to start. I am useless with paint colours and I am always drawn to magnolia-type colours (without fail) but I want our bedroom to be something special, so I am trying to think a little more out of the box. Jay and I both have very different styles. Jay is a very traditional kinda guy. Buy furniture from a big store, match it with bedding and curtains from the same store et voila hand picked bedroom.

I am a little more ecclectic. Drawn to vintage colours and textures (which often make Jay cringe) and vintage furniture that can be beat up and repainted time after time. So we have to find a good balance that we are both happy with, or the bedroom would not be a haven for both...no?

So, the other day I came across this plate and I fell in love:

 

I love the aqua colour and I finally feel like I have a starting point for our bedroom! From there the creativity seems to be coming more naturally. When I was wondering around the same store - Anthropologie I came across this AMAZING shower curtain and it clicked that I would love to make a similar ruffle curtain for the windows:

 

and pair it with some beautiful, clean white cotton sheets (with ruffles of course)

 

or even better, here (oh my, be still my beating heart!)

and now I feel like I have a starting point and an idea about colour schemes...now I just have to convince Mr B ruffles in his bedroom is not a slate on his manhood!

More bedroom inspiration here, here, here and here.

 

 

 

Pottery Barn on a Dollar Store Budget

We have a Pottery Barn near us here in Tulsa, I love it, but in the interests of paying the mortgage and saving for the kids college funds (and all that other good stuff) decking my house out in Pottery Barn isn't really an option (nor do I want it to be!)

But, oh my, I was drawn to their Easter display - so pretty...

 

 

and thus marked the start of producing my own Easter Pottery Barn table display on a dollar store budget. All of the items I bought for this display added up to under $20 and were bought from the thrift store, dollar store and flea market. Any item that was not white, I primed and sprayed white....and tadaaaa...

 

Finds at the flea market and thrift stores...

 
Finds from the dollar store and bag of real looking eggs from Michaels (use a coupon!)

 
 

 

All for under $20 (as oppose to $200+) 

 **added**

I used Brite Touch Primer on the ceramics before painting them white with JoAnn Craft Essential white spray paint (both of which we already had in the house)

I painted the plastic eggs with JoAnns own brand acrylic paint (about 99c a tube)

The letters were also painted with acrylic paint from JoAnns

To make the hanging eggs - you can buy cheap plastic eggs like that with the ribbons from Michaels, JoAnns (all their Easter items are 50% off right now) the dollar store. Or if you are unable to find them enymore, Michaels carries paper machier eggs that can be easily painted and hot glue a ribbon on (remember to google Michael's coupon before heading there)

I got my branches from a tree in the front garden! and then added the flower spray which I bought from JoAnns reduced. I think you can also get similar flowers from Hobby Lobby for cheap.

 

 

Featured!

Maddy's Room was featured on Apartment Therapy today, with my little Jasper on the featured picture (gosh I miss him)  Go check it out!

Today

Mr B has been away on business for a while now and I must admit it started to feel a little overwhelming just trying to keep up and get everything done. This morning I woke up to a pile of dishes in the sink, towels on the lounge floor from last nights bath, doll sewing on the go in various piles...and that is just the downstairs!

Having been without a vacuum for the last 10 days the floors feel, well, just ick.
2 small children + 2 fluffy cats - a vacuum cleaner = ick

However, I am seeking solice in the fact that we are all healthy and my kiddies are fed and kinda clean!

It seems so ironic that at this time of chaos, I found a photo of our art area in the play room that I realised I hadn't shared! It looks so tidy!

I recently spent the morning putting up artwork all over our house. We had a variety of beautiful pictures that I finally found frames for and found a home on the wall for. I am so happy I finally did display them all - they are beautiful and just make our house feel more like our own and less like a rental house that we just bought.

The artwork displayed by the art table is of course mostly by my babes. I picked up the frames over the course of a few months - the ones missing the glass were transformed into framed pin boards with the help of a roll of cork. The ones that were just bare naked frames - were perfect for stringing wire onto to and then using tiny clothes pegs to hang the artwork.

I love the fact that the artwork here can change as often as Mads and Josh want it to, and I know that the wall of their art combined with a clean art table, pencils and paper servesas an inspiration to produce many more works of art.