busy bees

remember the sweet rustic clubhouse we bought cameron for her birthday? well, i figured i might as well give y`all a small peep at the progress we've made since there's no telling when we'll get around finishing it up. we`ve still got a few more details to add ::: the chimney isn't painted and neither is the inside, the potted plants are missing, i have yet to find the perfect little mailbox to replace the wooden white one (though i may just settle for painting what's there red), and a house without an address is like a pizza without cheese... so fingers crossed i can bring my address plate vision to life. there are also plans to homey up the inside a bit, too. although it sure won't be anything as jaw-dropping as this or this (we've only got a 4x4 space to work with), i know it will be loved just as much and that's the most important thing.

how do y`all like color scheme we settled on?! SUPRISE!! we originally painted the whole thing red and white and it was just WAY TOO WHITE (even for me), so i grabbed some leftover paint and went to town on painting all the outer support planks in a wanna-be shade of haint blue because only the kindest of spirits are allowed to gather here. my favorite addition to the whole thing is the little chalkboard sign hanging above the window on the right.  we took one of my old country signs and gave it a coat of chalkboard paint and now this little shack of love also rotates between being a general store, a lemonade stand, and a flower shop.  such fun!

this is my first wedding-free weekend in quite some time so i am looking forward to just sitting around and soakin' up a saturday at home...  what are y`all up to? anything good?

happy weekend, friends! <3

white daisy passing

today has been a wednesday for the books!  i painted for 5 hours straight and it was nothing short of the most intense labor of love i've ever committed.  unforetunately, i am not one of those "painting-is-therapeutic-to-me" types.  i am one of those, "goodness-gracious-i'd-rather-give-birth-to-quadruplets-than-be-painting-this-nonsense-lets-pay-someone-else-to-do-this-oh-wait-we-need-to-eat-this-week" types.  and suprisingly, when i say 5 hours straight, i mean it... there were no blogging/fooding/bathrooming breaks and i am a procrastinator by nature.

i am sitting here full bladder, empty stomach, and no tan to show for today's efforts, but completely content with the progresses on the front yard. Cameron's 2nd birthday present, the clubhouse, is coming right along and we are hoping to have her a little house-warming/birthday celebration next monday.  (pending i don't squeeze in too many blog reading/fooding/bathrooming breaks between now and then)

i can't wait to show you how our rather rustic cedar slice of heaven has transformed into the daintiest little cottage on the block. all it needs is an old metal mailbox, some flowers, and a chalkboard sign and we'll have the exterior complete.

as for the interior?
i believe the mexican restaurant has a bahama mama with my name on it waiting for me tomorrow.

happy cinco de mayo, friends!

What my Haley-do wore to storytime at the library today:

dress: vintage cotton dress with smocking from etsy.
shoes: l'amour navy blue t-straps from little monkey toes

doll: trade with sweet tweets on etsy! i made her etsy banner for her many moons ago.

little bow: handmade. learn how to make your own.

for more cute stylish kids, visit little vintage style.

decisions... decisions...

the weather was particularly flirty yesterday and we found ourselves out in the front yard making green leaf soup, playing store and hot dog stand, and taking in the enhanting smell of cedar wood.

have you ever smelt cedar?  it is heavenly... even our cheap stuff will put you at risk for splinters in your nose.  i am considering finding myself a lumberjack boyfriend... between his woodsy scent and the plaid shirts, i think there would be no room for arguments.  and if for some reason, you find yourself googling cedar scented perfumes (haha really? you too?), i`d just keep that to yourself but know you are not alone.

in other clubhouse related news...

the brown and green is growing on me a bit, but i still had to fight the urge to whip out the white paint and attack.  i am debating between painting the whole thing white with red accents or red with white accents.  and i am not sure what color to paint the roof either-- red, white, or a blackish grey? 

i would leave it up to the girls but haley just wants everything to be pink... and although that'll help her daddy rest easy (no boys allowed!) it will just make me nauseous.

i am leaning toward white with red accents and a gray roof, so it matches our house.

but i've always wanted my very own barn, so the red is tempting.

what do you think?

cotton dress, make it early spring...

i`ve had my eye on this clubhouse since Haley's 2nd birthday. she is a farm girl at heart, so we opted for one of those fancy green john deere ride-on tractors instead... but with Cameron's 2nd birthday quickly approaching, I knew this would be the perfect gift.

we snagged it for less than half of it's original price tag and already assembled (yay for displays!), so i am pretty much the happiest lady on the block... with the exception of haley and cameron, who know the undeniable joys of home-ownership at 1 and 3 and don't even have to worry about mopping or a mortgage.

we have plans to give it a fresh cottage-style paint job (i just can't seem to get into that whole rustic thing as much as i try) that compliments the rest of our set-up and landscape our "yard". i also see curtains, a pretty bunting, artwork on the inside, potted plants, and a snazzy "204" house plate addition in the near future.

a big part of me also wants to add a deck and stick it on stilts like this fancy european edition... but i can already see everyone rolling their eyes at me as if i were planning on adding a small kitchen, plumbing and electrical too.

i`m a bit much sometimes, it's true.
3 different paint jobs for our kitchen within a week's span much.
but atleast i mean well...





countdown to cameron's 2nd birthday: 30 days!
let the fun begin...

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p.s-
if i wasn't feeling so budget-conscious and patience permitted (surely i would have nailed my fingers together trying to assemble this bad boy), i would have scooped up the bayberry house from toys 'r us. it is much more aesthetically pleasing (hello sweet window boxes and rooster top!) and the price is the best i've seen on the web as far as small playhouses are concerned.

just thought i'd throw that out there for those of you that are letting spring get the best of you too and are now in the market for a playhouse. but please, keep it to yourself if you do purchase it... my heart might not be able to take it. i`m just kidding, please have us over for tea and cookies.

p.p.s-
the reproduction retro children's table and chairs are from lowe's.
go see nick in the garden center.
bring him sour patch kids and tell him i sent you ;)