I've been feeling pretty dumpy lately and so yesterday decided against all better judgment to go forth and get thee a haircut. I was just so tired of trying to grow it out and only hating every minute of it. I think I have finally decided after nearly 31 years of various hairstyles and colors that what is me is my dishwater blond hair cut pretty darn short. So, without further adu, here I am, with some new lovely locks. And, just for Sue, I too quite on accident am also wearing my grey wife beater.

Our spare bedroom that is, well, it started out as a studio/craft room and morphed into my office and when that didn't work either, it became the catch all for my stuff. Now, with baby #2 coming, it will be their room. Maybe I'm doing some early nesting, or maybe I just have a moment to breathe and I've decided to take advantage of my energy and go forth and clean and sort. it's not like it's a massive job, I mean come on, the room is only 10x10, but I have a TON of supplies to go through, throw away, give away and maybe even sell on Ebay.
This morning I did some searching on the internet for "modern" baby rooms and I do believe I've stumbled upon my theme. I wanted to go with something basic and simple and have always just loved geometric shapes, such beauty in simplicity. So, I found a few things that I'm going to "sample" from to get my new baby nursery in full swing, once we find out the sex anyway.
I really, REALLY love these dots of all sizes, but I'm thinking without the Paul Frank monkies inside of them, too busy. Then Matt and I could make stencils of the different size dots, draw a shape on the wall, maybe a paisley pattern or a wave or swirly shape going from one wall to the next. We are both excited to execute this design.

Then I found a few accessories that I thought I could either replicate or find MUCHO cheaper than this expensive albeit very cool baby site. I think that I'm just crafty enough and just cheap enough to be able to finish my baby's room for under $200, let's see if that happens. I think I'll post as I purchase, receive or pick up items for the room and tally everything up once I'm all done, and let you know. Also, if anyone has any places for good garage sales and shops to look in for fun unique items and they don't just have to be for baby, Ohhhhh, I'm very excited now.

Though it was a raining day, we decided to venture out together. We headed to Ann Arbor, not to the Art Fair, but to two of my favorite places in Ann Arbor that not many people know about. The first is a really cool place and it appeals to the Green Crowd, it's the Ann Arbor Recycle Center where you can find the oddest things for great prices, usually. Matt was in search of a bike to restore, which he can normally find an older bike for any where from $5 - $15 but since the price of gas has skyrocketed, so has the cost for used bikes. Not 2 months ago he picked up an old bike worthy of restoration for $5, but on this day, they wanted a bike of similar quality for a whopping $65. He was flabbergasted and sadly he DID NOT purchase any bike. We did however find 6 books, a small pink tv tray and a collapsible Sponge Bob chair for Stella. Then we ventured over to The Scrap Box, which is another Green place where you never really know what they'll have, and that's the fun in it. It's really a place for local groups like boy scouts, girl scouts and preschools and such can get little odds and ends and crafting supplies that could otherwise end up in landfills, so fun is to be had here. Check out the website to see all they offer, but be sure to check there schedule of when they are open, because there schedule is odd. While we were there, Stella made this for free. There is a table set up for kids to do a little project while they visit and while you look around. Today Matt and I found a few cool things. We picked up 5 of these cool wire condiment carriers that were made by the Tabasco company and we paid 25cents a piece, Matt found a nice textured cardstock he can use to make his books for $2 for a stack that's 1" tall and I got a 1" stack of chipboard for $1. All in all not a bad day and oh so cheap.

Oh, and just because I was taking pictures below it, I decided to take a pic of that Mason Jar Light Fixture Matt put together for me. Thank the lord for a man that isn't afraid to try new and crazy ideas I find or come up with, gotta love that.

I have this friend and you should check out her blog because she's all about being green. You know, environmentally conscious and all that. It's cool too because she's crafty as well. She likes to garage sale and garbage pick and I've known this chick since she moved here in elementary school and she's one hip lady. Check out her blog at greentag.typepad.com and eventually her Etsy shop once she gets it all going. I'm sure it won't disappoint. She even blogs about local interest and politics, it's definitely one to tag and keep an eye on. Plus, if she's knows people are reading, she's more apt to continue to be insightful. Check it out!

A blog I frequent to strangely enough, get parenting advice, get inspired and drool over for her fabulous knitting is that of sue-paperdiva.blogspot.com/ Sue is VERY cool and I used to work with her at a local scrapbook store. You must check out her blog and even more than that, encourage her to open an Etsy shop selling her fabulously knitted work. She has more talent than she obviously knows of. I was just visiting her blog and was inspired myself. She is redoing her daughters room and mentioned that she has a bunch of letter "E's" that she has collected for her daughter, the first initial of her name, that she will put all over her wall as decoration. LOVE IT! Now, I must go in search of the letter "S." I feel like I'm on Sesame Street. I guess that makes it sort of a "vision board" item now doesn't it?

While looking at a blog I love to glance at from time to time, http://divingforpearls.typepad.com/ and you really must check out Maz's work, it's so gorgeous; books, layouts, projects oh my! She even crafts while away on vacation. I found she had a link to this blog, http://michelleward.typepad.com/how_cool_is_that/
a very cool blog that I haven't explored in its entirety but what I did see was oh so cool. Not just cool projects, but how to create those cool projects, everything from how to create wax rubbings to cutting out your own stencils to making your own rubber stamps and I can see so much more. This is so a site I will be back to and often.

I stumbled upon this little gem via Design Sponge and then my always inspiring go to mag "Somerset Life." In it I flipped to a page about a woman named Marilyn Healey from Utah who puts German Glass Glitter in vintage perfume bottles, takes a scroll of paper, dips it in wax and uses that to cork the bottle then ties a beautiful ribbon around it. Gorgeous! I'm always on the lookout for things that people use found objects for and this is right up there, she also sells these from time to time in her Etsy shop. Check out her blog at marilynhealey.blogspot.com it's chock full of beautiful vintage things and elegant collage work. It's a must see and I'm so glad to have found it.

This being the positive blog that it WILL BE, I want my first "vision" post to be for something that I like to peruse often and will probably reference continually. If you haven't heard of Design Sponge, you are missing out! Run, don't walk over right now to http://designspongeonline.com/
It is truly an amazing site dedicated to artists, their work and tres cool DIY projects.

Here is one neat project that we actually replicated in our own home and we love it. It is a mason jar light fixture and the how can be found at http://www.designspongeonline.com/2008/06/diy-project-whitneys-mason-jar-lights.html
Here is a pic of what they did, maybe in time I'll post our pic.