Little Man's Nursery

The same day we found out it was a boy Hayden ordered these stuff animal mounts. We just added the wood slabs behind it. Not sure what baby boy's name is yet so we left the middle one open. We will add his name in vinyl lettering after he is born.

Next, my dad made the big wood slab with the bark on the outside. I added the "riffles, racks, and deer tracks..." vinyl lettering. It is a little sentimental, coming from baby boy's Granddad.

My sister made the cute vinyl sign that says "dream big little one." I had to find something to go with it so I made the wood arrow.

The little guy got a ton of camo blankets! They all so well with his room. The quilt on the crib was made by my aunt. She also made a car seat cover, receiving blanket, bibs, and a sack to hold diapers. On the changing table there is a hand crocheted outfit (includes diaper cover, booties, and beanie) Hayden's mom made. Can't wait to take some newborn pictures in them. There is also a handmade crochet blanket from Hayden's step mom that matches so well.

I already spend a lot of time just chilling in his room. I just can't wait for him to get here!

Christmas traditions

Here are some of our fun Christmas traditions that we do every year!

Girls Day

On a Saturday before Christmas all the girls on my side of the family get together and make Christmas candy. This year only my mom, my sister and myself were able to do it. My sister in laws were not able to come. It still was a blast. It is so cool to learn recipes that have been passed down through our family. My mom and sister are much better cooks then I! I learn something new every year. This year we made Divinity, Carmels, and Fudge. Not only did I get to hang out with my mom and sister but, you have a fun and cheap present to give to neighbors and friends!! We are new to the neighborhood and it was a great ice breaker to run over a sweet treat to my neighbors houses.

Cutting Down Your Own Christmas Tree

First, YOU HAVE TO BUY A TAG TO DO THIS! It is not legal to go and cut down a tree unless you have permission. We get our tag in Preston Idaho. It is much cheaper to buy a tag to cut your own tree down, then to go to a lot and buy one. Our tag only cost $10. You get the Christmas smell and the adventure of cutting it down. It is so worth it!! Second, be ready to hike! It takes awhile to find the right tree. It can be hard to hike in the snow as well(especially when you are pregnant). We hiked for quite awhile and found one that was least looking like a Charlie Brown tree. We were so excited to be able to get a tall tree for our vaulted ceilings this year! Hayden cut it down and carried it out all by himself!! he was a champ! Again it is a little dificult to help out when you are pregnant! Finally, we got it home and started decorating it! Tip... buy Christmas decorations during black friday. Most stores have everything 50% off. It's not perfect but I love our little tree!

Barn wood Headboard

As I said in my first post that my granddad was a woodworker. He handed all of his tools down to my dad when he past away. Now I am lucky enough that my dad trusts me to use them! This is my first big project that I did by myself and I'm super excited to share with you.

A little background on this project. My husband's Grandma lives right by where she grew up. Her dad owned a barn that is now located right behind her house. This barn slowly started to fall down. As I watched it falling down i kept telling Hayden(my husband) I would love some wood from it. Barn wood is so awesome. He talked to his grandma and she agreed that i could take some. I knew I wanted to make a headboard.

This is what I came up with. We have a king size bed. The dimensions are 80 inches wide x 55 inches tall. The actual barn wood was 36 inches tall. It all depends on how tall you would like it for the height.

I literally only had to wash and disinfect it; lightly sanded it; then add a coat of clear coat stain. I wanted the rustic look. That is what barn wood is all about!

The pictures up above I had previously made. The lights came from AT HOME stores. Bedding came from Target and Homegoods.

Gallery Wall

This is a short and sweet post. I just want to encourage everyone to take chances. I was so nervous to do a gallery wall. I love them so much, but was not sure I was equipped enough to actually do one myself. I knew my husband would be a little upset if i put a ton of holes in the freshly painted wall, and then change my mind. I love how personal it is to us. I think it turned out ok. I think for sure I may need to add more. I like it though! Don't be scared to go BIG!

Camping trailer Renovation

We bought this 70's trailer at the first of the summer. My husband is a hunter. Sleeping in a tent got old for both of us, especially at the end of hunting season when it is freezing cold. Here are some before and after pictures.

It was very retro and very wooden. The first thing we did is paint. I would recommend painting first on any reno. If paint got on the tile we didn't care because we were replacing it. My granddad always said "start from the top and work your way down". We didn't want to do everything white because it would be too much. Also campers get dirty very easy. We did the side wall that had wallpaper ,grey, and also the ceiling. All the cabinets went to white. We then replaced all the outdated hardware on the cupboards. This is a cheap way to update any space.

Next, my husband replaced the wood paneling in the back. It had water damage to some of the pieces. Some pieces were still in good shape. We just replaced the damaged ones. We added White boards to outline the sides. It really made the wood paneling pop!

Lastly, we bought new flooring. We were not going to break the bank on this trailer. We wanted it to look nice, but also keep in mind we were buying a house which we would love to have the more expensive flooring for that. I recommend the pill and stick vinyl tiles. We choose a tile that was a tan to match the paneling. It also had a grey to match the walls. It was super easy installation. My husband just started from the back and worked his way up! We got the flooring at Lowes.

The Upholstery was pretty bad! Very 70's and worn out. Once we had the fabric we turned over the project to my husbands grandma. She works magic on upholstery. The cushions were still in good shape so she just recovered them for us. I sewed up some new curtains to match. You can buy some cheap curtain rods for .99 cents at Walmart or Joanns was having a sale. It was a fun project that the husband got to help me out on. It is not perfect but it is amazing how some cheap fixes go a long way.

Why I want to do this

Well guys, I am doing it! I have decided to finally start this journey. I have been wanting to do this for a long time now. I have finally got up the courage to start. Here we go!! Thanks for taking the ride with me. When I was a young girl I spent everyday at my Granddad and Grandma's house. They were the ones that took me to school in the morning and picked me up after school. Pretty much my babysitters! Some of my fondest memories were sitting in my Granddads shop, watching him create things out of wood. He had all these awesome tools for woodworking. My job was sweeper of the sawdust!! I think there was a purpose for this, to keep me out of Granddads way. But, we all know I just made a bigger mess out of the Sawdust. That stuff is hard to not play with as a child. My granddad was an amazing man and even better carpenter. I believe this is where the passion began. This is a picture of THEE most favorite thing my Granddad built....The Family Cabin (Only some of my family pictured here).

As I got older I noticed more and more how i loved to do projects of any kind! My brothers were both mechanics and loved fixing up there old cars. In High School I spent many of nights bonding with my brother in the garage. He had an old mustang that he was fixing up. I think it was just difficult at times to hold things and fix at the same time. So, I became the holder of things while he fixed! It really helped develop a good bond with my brother. It also appealed to the tomboy side of me. I definitely am not the girly girl type afraid to get my hands dirty. There were times that he would trust me enough to help. He let me weld once or twice. He let me sand and do body work before he painted it. I loved that time learning and being with him. This is My brother(Ryan) and I working on the Mustang. I had just came from soccer practice so excuse the clothing choice.

Fast Forward to now. My grandfather has since passed away and guess who inherited those amazing woodworking tools. That's right his son, which is my dad. My dad is now the one out in the shop with the grandkids watching his every move. I love that it is getting passed down through the generations. Keeping it in the Family! The past few years my interest has grown. I love thinking of new things to make or rejuvenate! I would love to eventually have my own business making and refinishing all sorts of things! So that is my goal and this blog here is the start! I hope that you can enjoy the ride with me and see what fun projects i can come up with! Maybe i can even teach you a thing or two! Hope you enjoy what I post!