...And Ice Fell and I Painted...

If you are from the north, you probably won't get why I put on seven layers of clothes to go photograph my windshield this morning. This is newsworthy in the south.


It's cold here. Really, really cold. Southerners are allowed to say that when temperatures get below 40.

Even the magnolias are shivering here today.

We're iced in! Schools and local businesses are closed for the second day in a row. It is a nice treat to have a reprieve from our regular routine. Buzzard has been working from home. The kids love it when he is here. Plenty of opportunity for mid-day visits.

Also a little extra time to work on a project. Behold, my "newborn" is now thirteen months old, and still not in her own bedroom. Her cute little crib is tucked in the corner of our bedroom, and I've grown accustomed to the ease and sweetness of having her nearby. I love being able to hear her, and walking only a few steps to get her in the mornings. I love having her little bowl of pacis on my dresser and hearing "falling rain" on her sound machine as I fall asleep at night. She is a dandy little roommate.

But, she is thirteen months old.

It's time to evict my sweet little roomie. I'm afraid if I don't get her settled in her own space soon she will develop sleep issues. So, I've been looking at nursery photos online and trying to make some decisions about decorations and such for Emma's room. Name canvases seem popular, and I think they are whimsical and fun. So, I decided to try my hand.

My canvas was inspired by my favorite pair of Emma's pajamas.

This Carter's sleeper is green with white flowers and pink polka-dotted, scalloped trim. I just love it. Since the walls in Emma's room are painted a yummy shade of green, and I didn't want the greens to clash, I swapped the colors on the canvas and went with a pink background and green polka-dotted trim.

As with every DIY project, I learned a few important lessons....

#1 - Craft paints that are twelve years old are a real bummer. The goo that emerges when you shake the bottles hard and scrape the insides with toothpicks and q-tips does not glide onto the canvas with a satiny smoothness. Rather, it glumps. It would have been well worth springing for some new 88 cent craft paints.

#2 - While I was at it, I could have/should have gone on a spending spree and picked up a new brush. Brushes that come free in old paint-by-number kits have more bristly, wayward hairs on them than my beloved Grandma did on her blessed little chin.

#3 - Dixie paper plates make fabulous palettes for mixing paint.

Despite my rather crude art supplies, I gave it a sincere effort, and I'm rather fond of the result. It seemed to be missing a little something, so I waited for inspiration to strike. I was hoping a spectacular idea for a stunning little embellishment would pop into mind. But, as with many "unfinished" projects in my life, once I stared at it long enough, I decided to call it done. I intend to use a fluffy ribbon and a cute finial to hang it on the wall. I hope every time I look at it in her room I will be reminded of how soft and cuddly she is in her fuzzy little jammies.

I wanted to get Emma's picture with her new sign in her Carter's. I was hoping for something sentimental and charming that could even be framed for her room. She was only interested in picking up the sign and walking away with it, so after two dozen tries I decided to call that idea done too!

I've got a few more ideas to implement for the nursery. There are a few pieces of furniture and some more art projects I want to move in during the next few days. Who knows? Maybe someday soon I'll put a baby in there too!

Last night I heard the ticking of sleet and ice flicking against my windows. Tonight I hear the drips and trickles from a thaw. It was fun to "freeze" for a few days - literally and figuratively - and to play hooky from our busy mid-week schedules. :)