Fabric World and a DIY Cribskirt

I have said it before and I will say it again!  I LOVE Fabric World!

Even though its a 30 minute drive from downtown Atlanta, it is so worth it.  My mom and I went last week and would you believe that we were there for 4.5 hours?!   It is totally disorganized with piles of fabric everywhere.  You have to dig, but we both love the search.  It is like a box of chocolates...you never know what you are going to get.  What you do know is that it is going to be CHEAP!  $2 a yard!  You just can't beat that....anywhere.

This is what our cart looked like before checkout

What variety in that cart! My mom picked up a lot of xmas and kids fabric for gifts.  I found a bunch of cute cotton fabrics for crib sheets and who knows what else?
Of course if I see any chevron I pick it up pronto. 

I loved this geometric pattern as well. It is a beautiful raspberry color.

We paired down a bit in the store, but still came home with a ton of fabric.

One of the fabrics I bought on my last trip was this gray and white print.  I knew I would use it for something in Mateo's nursery.

I decided I would whip up a quick crib skirt the other day.  There are a ton of tutorials out there, and I took pointers from a few different ones.  I ended up sewing a few edges, and ironing hems with  stitch witchery, but you could easily use it the for the whole thing (ie: no sewing machine needed)

I used a little less than 2 yards.  I started by cutting four panels. (2) 19w x 21h and (2) 52w x 21h
then ironed a one inch hem.

If you have never used stitch witchery, this stuff is magic!
 So easy and really holds.

I could have made pretty ties to attach the skirt panels to the frame, but alas it was easier to just use safety pins.  I can then easily raise the fabric when I lower the crib mattress.

I love how it turned out!

One more project to cross off the list. Yes, that is a Guyasamin print leaning against the wall. Still needs framing. Many, many things to do yet.  Im shooting for this nusery to be habitable before Mateo turns 5:)

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Trip to IKEA

I love IKEA.ikea.com Do you feel like the most unorganized person after leaving there? I know I do. I am so inspired to change every time I go!

We had a list of things to pick up for my sister in law and several things to buy for our home.  Problem was, we only had about one hour and, if you have been inside IKEA, you know that it is almost impossible to get through in less than two.

First on the list...curtains.  I can only imagine what all the neighbors have seen through our [uncovered] windows in the last 6 months.  I thought maybe I would sew the curtains myself, but after spending over 4 hours in Fabric World and not finding the right fabric, I turned to Ikea's MERETE curtains. At $25 a pair, it would be hard to make these for less.

MERETE curtains

 I'm so pleased with the quality of these. Also, I didn't realize how nice the grommet style is.  When you open them they create perfect folds.  The white looks beautiful and fresh against my gray walls.

The back door in the kitchen is a solid window and I love how lets in so much light.  At night though, it would be nice to know that you can't see in.  This ENJE roller blind is awesome for just that.  It actually still lets light in, and is see-through to the outside, but from the outside you can't see in.  Privacy for $18.  Not bad.  It matches the gray paint I put on the door too.

ENJE roller blind

I have a lot of artwork that has never been hung or even framed.  I wanted to take care of at least one picture I have for Mateo's room.  It's called Maternidad by famous Ecuadorian artist Guayasamin.

It will fit perfectly in this 19 x 27 RIBBA frame.  Simple gallery style for $20.  I bought white.

{RIBBA frame}

I saw these dog butt hooks and could not resist.  Take one guess at which color I chose.

BASTIS hooks

I have seen so many creative ways to display kids books, but I am still stuck on this picture I saw a year ago using picture ledges.

I was going to buy some at Ikea.  I would like to have 4 shelves.  They were $10, so $40.

When I saw them, I thought...Ernesto can make those.  Really,  I could make them.  Just 3 pieces of wood to nail together, sand and paint. Easy!  Anyhoo, I bought the wood and had it cut at Lowes yesterday and it only cost me $11 for 4 shelves.  I'll share them with you...just as soon as they are done.

Another thing that I went to Ikea for, but didn't have time to find and pick up [during our short trip] was the RAST dresser.  There are so many make-overs out there for this plain dresser.  It is solid wood, and perfect size for a nightstands and cost.....wait for it..... $35!!  

RAST dresser

Here is one of my favorites DIY's

I bought two of these JARA shades for my grandma's vintage lamps, but they didn't work.  Ikea does have a HUGE version of this shade that would look really nice over the dinner table.  I thought I could paint the inside gold and hang it from a pendant with a ceiling medallion.  I have had my heart set on this huge drum shade from Crate & Barrell, but can't pull the trigger with the $200 price.  It is just a lamp shade after all...surely I can find something cheaper.  I may buy this one and see how it works.

JARA shade

Do you guys love Ikea too??

Fluffy Chandelier for the Nursery {a how-to}

Well, I did it! I finished a project completely!  I have so many different ones going on, and many are only half done.  On march 4th, I decided to March forth and so far I am on a roll.  Many project updates coming your way!

If you are a subscriber to Houzz you may have seen Nicole's  pendant light made out of coffee filters.   Yes, you read that right.  Coffee filters.  I bookmarked it knowing I had to recreate it.   Im a total copy cat.  I hope Nicole knows that old phrase "Imitation is the best form of flattery." 

At first I thought maybe I would put this in the dining room, but after we painted the stripes in the nursery, I thought it would be the perfect spot.  Yes, yes it is!  It's totally awesome right?

Believe it or not, this beauty was really easy to make.  It took me roughly 5 hours [over 3 days] to put it together and cost me less than $25! 

Here is what you will need:

One paper lantern (Mine was a 15.5" from World Market for $6.99)

800 flat bottom coffee filters (I bought Kroger brand -200 pk for $1.29)

Hot glue gun

Hot glue sticks (for gun)

Here are the simple directions:

Glue the filters on the paper lantern.

Ok, ok...I'll be a little more specific.  Put your hand around the filter with the bottom facing up.  Add a drop of the hot glue and attached it to the lantern.  That.  Is.  It.

 Start wherever you want on the lantern, just place the filters close together.  You want them to be scrunched in pretty tightly.

The process starts out slow, but moves quickly once you get into a groove. 
When you see progress you push on.

I bought a hard wire kit for $12.99 (also at World Market) and my dad hooked it up in less than 5 minutes.  The glow the light gives off is amazing!

I am now reconsidering buying a huge drum shade pendant for the dining area and making one of these...but in a color! Ombre maybe?! Oh that would look so cool!
What do you think?

The Nursery Part I: A Striped Ceiling

I knew back when I first found out I was pregnant that I wanted stripes on the ceiling. It all started with the blue stripes I saw in this nursery.  I was pretty much decided on a horizontal orientation....until I saw this:

 I traced this picture back to a Swedish blog and unfortunately there were no details on this amazing ceiling.  I showed it to Ernesto and he said..."No problem, I can do that!"
I was so excited, we got to work that day!  Ernesto drew up the plan by taking the dimensions of our room (10x12ft)

  He marked the walls in 14-15 inch stripes.  Then he and my mom snapped a chalk line from each mark to the center of the ceiling. 

This went very quickly and then we got to taping.  As you can imagine, this part is the most important step.

We used Frog Tape and the lines came out perfectly. No bleeding whatsoever.

I chose Behr's "vintage orange" paint in a flat finish.  (I actually color matched it to Martha Stewart paint which was on clearance.  $4.90 for a quart!!) 
The color is vibrant and so happy.  The white paint is "Lamb" also by Martha.

It is really amazing how these stripes make the ceiling look vaulted.  The ceiling is 9ft but the room  just feels more open now. 

After finishing the stripes and painting the walls "Sharkey Gray" (also by MS), we didn't think it looked finished.  We first tried painting a black stripe, but though it looked like electrical tape and ended up painting a thicker white stripe at the bottom.

The griege color on the walls is pretty bland, and I considered re-painting, but I have a lot of colorful art to go on the walls and a really bright turquoise armoire, so I think a neutral background will be perfect. 

I am so happy with how Mateo's room is coming together.  As you can see I have added a light fixture.  It's a DIY...and made out of a surprising material.  It could be my best DIY EVER!!!  I saw it on houzz a couple months ago.  It was unbelievably easy! You can see how I made it here.

So, what do you think?  Do you guys have stripes somewhere in your house?

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Bebe´ Mateo's Birth Story

I finally finished writing this....Mateo turned 5 months old this week! 
(you may want to grab a cup of coffee, it's a long one.  I was sure to add lots of pics to hold your interest)


A Scheduled C-Section September 20th, 2011

It was one week before my due date and because Mateo was still in a Frank Breech presentation, the doctor recommended a c-section.  I had tried everything to turn him.    I did all of the midwife tricks and even tried an external version to no avail.
(**on a side note, I recorded a video of my version and uploaded it to YouTube.  As of today, it has been viewed over 25,000 times)

At first, I was very disappointed to not have a vaginal birth, but just as everyone had told me, "once the baby arrives, you could not care less how he got to you."  Touche.

I thought with a scheduled c-section, my birth story would be boring but as it turned out, I had a lot of anticipation and excitement of "the unknown" leading up to the birth.  Instead of wondering when/where I would be when my water broke, I thought about the craziness of being awake while the doctors cut me open and pull a baby out??  Amazing!

I gave birth at Atlanta Medical Center.  We toured both AMC and Emory Midtown and chose AMC for two reasons:
1.  It was close. We could walk from the hospital to our apartment (and we did!)
2.  They have midwives on staff (not that it ended up mattering since I had a c-section but...)

The night before my appointment, Ernesto and I enjoyed "the last supper" as a family of  two.  I was supposed to be at the hospital at 6am to prep for surgery at 8:30am, but in true Espinoza style, we showed up at 6:40.  Fashionably late.
All that waiting made me nervous.

I tried to distract myself, but being hooked up to an IV is a hard thing to overlook, especially when you have to go to the bathroom. 

They did one last ultra sound, just to make sure baby was still breech.  Yes, yes he was:(
They were ready to get underway and led me to a big scary operating room.  Guys, I go to the gynecologist once a year.  That is the extent of my Dr./hospital experience.  I was nervous, but kind of like the feeling I get when I am about to get on a huge roller coaster at Cedar Point.  Scared, but excited because I know everything is going to be fine. 

I was given a spinal block as opposed to an epidural.  The spinal block numbs you for a couple hours with one shot. The anesthesiologist was a young, funny guy.  He explained exactly what he was going to do and what I would feel.  It put me at ease.  While seated, I curled my back to spread my vertebrae and the shot was administered.  A few seconds later I felt heat in my back and actually felt it spread to my lower body until I felt nothing.  I was heavy like a log, and the staff had to lift my legs onto the table and lay me down.

I was supposedly stuck with a pin to test if I was numb, but before I could be sure if I was, they told me I had already been cut open.  So crazy!  I was wrapped like a mummy with towels and the sheet was a few inches from my face to make sure my body temperature stayed at a safe level. 

I have never been the claustrophobic type, but I did feel a little short of breath and like I was being weighted down.  (is that what it feels like dad?) Luckily, Ernesto was right by my side, holding my hand.  I felt a little bit of tugging, but no pain or discomfort whatsoever.  We had the camera ready to capture the first seconds of our baby's life.  Ernesto said he was not going to look over the sheet, however the Dr.'s team was giving us a play-by-play and he had to peek.  He ended up getting some great photos.

WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!
If you are the queezy type, you may want to skip over the next few pictures. 
They are truly amazing.... but you have been warned!
WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!

The doctor told Ernesto to look over the sheet to see if we had a boy or girl.  He started laughing and said "ohhh it's a boy!"  Our son came into the world at 9:41am.
It was the most exciting news I ever heard! The best surprise I ever had! 

I could hear him crying, which was good, but yet I was still behind that damn curtain and couldn't see a thing.  The Dr. was busy sewing me up, and the nurse was doing....whatever they do to a newborn.  Minutes seemed like hours waiting to see him.  Ernesto walked over to the nurse and took a few pictures then brought them over to show me on the camera.

Finally, our son was brought over to us and we experienced emotion like we have never felt.  I cried my eyes out.  He was absolutely perfect.  Just beautiful.

 

We had picked out the name Mateo for a boy, and when we saw his little face, we thought it fit him perfectly.  My little mexi-mouth Mateo was here!  The little guy who gave me zero problems while I carried him for 9 months was healthy and finally in our arms.
The actual c-section was a breeze.  If you are scared of labor and the unknown then you would probably love a scheduled c-section.  However, I still hope I can one day experience vaginal birth. If I do, I think both will be great stories to tell!  I love the "unknown" and new experiences.  The more surprises the better!  

Anyway, the nurses took the baby to do some tests and checks while I sat in a recovery room until the spinal block wore off.  My parents were at the hospital waiting to meet their newest grandchild (and see me of course). They flew in that morning from Ohio and it was so nice to have them there.

When I was finally wheeled into my room [with an awesome view of Midtown] my temperature was low from the surgery....but I was sweating.  They put heat blowers under the covers to bring my temp back up.

Mateo was just down the hall in the nursery and Ernesto and my parents kept going to look at him.  My only complaint about the whole experience [at AMC] was that my baby was away from me for too long after the birth.  Had I discussed a birth plan, maybe that wouldn't have happened?? (Later I found out that they are working on a policy to minimize mother-baby's separation after birth)  I waited for what seemed an eternity for the nurses to bring Mateo into my recovery room.  Luckily, from that point on he was there to stay!

Ernesto slept with us at the hospital and turned into a wonderful dad overnight!

 We stayed 3 nights.  I was given painkillers intravenously the first day. The pain was not as bad as I expected and I was walking to the bathroom by that evening.  By the next day I was just taking Ibuprofen.  My cut was small, glued shut (can you believe that?) and healing quickly.  I was walking the halls on day two and walked home from the hospital the day I was released. 

Final Review of AMC:
Besides the extended separation,  I was very happy with my experience at AMC and having a c-section in general.  The nurses were wonderful and there was also a lactation consultant to help me with the challenges of breastfeeding (that is a whole other post).  I would definitely deliver there again provided the separation is shorter.  Great staff!

Final Review of c-section: 
Predictable. Quick. Painless. Safe. Easy.
Funny thing is that I almost always want things the "easy way" in my life and that is exactly what I got.   No wait!  This is what I got....

{mama y bebe´ day 3}

 ...and I loved how it happened! A non-boring scheduled c-section.  Sweet Mateo's birth story.