Out with the Old, in with the New

Back in college, my best friend Megan and I rented our first apartment together and had no money for furniture. So, I decided to be "ecofriendly" and rummage through our neighborhood dumpsters for furniture. I know it sounds gross, but Megan and I made out with a coffee table, end table, and nigh stands. 

They were pretty beat up when I pulled them from the trash but with a little help from a quart of paint, sand paper, and stencils, our first apartment furniture looked shiny and new and cost less than 15 dollars for paint and supplies.

When Tony and I got married, however, my once shiny and new furniture from college looked dated and weathered from many years of use and I've been dying to refurbish them. We have been covering up the top of the table, which is scratched and stained, with a decorative pillow case that moves around every time people put their drinks on it and we know that with a baby in the house, that pillowcase is going to be on teh floor more times than it's on the table. One of my big fears with this table was that if I don't get it done before the baby comes, it won't ever get finished. So, I ventured to the paint store, picked out a great color and went to town on refinishing our coffee table.


I'm so happy with how it turned out. I had a piece of glass made for the top which protects the shadow box insert I made for the middle where I plan to display many wonderful memories over the years with my family, loving husband, and baby on the way. The wood insert pops out and can be flipped over with another pattern when I feel like changing things up and in time, we will make more inserts that I can decorate with fabric and decoupage to give the coffee table versatility throughout the seasons.

I can't to enjoy this coffee table for years to come and if you have an adventurous side to you and need furniture on a tight budget, drive around your neighborhood or apartment complexes nearby and see what people are giving away...

DIY project tip: Buying a quart of paint in your favorite color will only set you back 6-10 bucks and it can completely transform an old piece of furniture. Reburbing old furniture can be done in 3 simple steps. 1) Sand the existing surface and wipe down depris 2) paint 2 coats of new fun paint 3) embellish with stencils or decoupage.

Car Seats and Meltdowns...

Tony's expression says it all!

For Father's Day, we decided that it would be a "fun" activity to put the car seat in my car in preparation of Baby Moreno coming soon. After 30 minutes of tugging on impossible belt straps, breaking nails, sweating profusely, and climbing in and out of the car to sit on top of the car seat while pulling and tugging to get the thing in nice and tight, we almost threw in the towel due to the sweat and frustration of getting the seat in correctly.

But, we persevered and after an hour, the seat didn't budge and was fastened in all the right places. The manufactures need to put another WARNING label on the car seat that reads,

"CAUTION: To put the car seat in correctly, you will sweat, roll your eyes at the horrible instructions in the manual, have a meltdown or two, and possibly curse a few times under your breath in order to ensure that you have been successful at putting the car seat in correctly. However, once it's in correctly, kiss your loved one and thank them for being patient, and treat yourselves to cool beer (dad, not mom of course) and a wonderful dip in the pool!"

By George, I think we've got it!

Now that the seat is in, it's one more thing we can check off our  "Things to do" list and it's an important one seeing as we can't bring the baby home without it. I have to admit though, I do feel a bit odd to be driving around with a car seat and no baby. In a few short weeks, Tony and I will be able to check that one off our list too.

Crafts-Gone-Wild!

With a new baby on the way and much to plan for, you'd think I'd be wanting to nest and prepare for the "baby's" room for...well, a baby. However, since Tony and I are under the allusion that babies don't really need too much space when they are newborns, I have transformed the once guest/office into a Crafts-Gone-Wild room. The "baby's" room which we always refer to it as, will have to wait a bit longer while I continue creating my products to grow ModernLace Design and Events. I have successfully gotten things rolling on Etsy, the mega craft hub on the net, and not only have sold a few of my custom banners and party crafts, but also have met some wonderful people along the way as I help them create visions for their upcoming events.

I recently made an adorable birthday banner for a women in New Jersey who is having a combined party for her 3 year old daughter and 1 year old son. Her theme was princess and princes and she not only allowed me to create a fun banner for the party but also asked if I could come up with a cute Thank you tag to put on her lollipop favors. I LOVED every minute of helping her and only wish I could attend her cute little party to see it all come to life. I even have a pretty princess tiara I could wear!

I'm sure Tony laughs when he tries to find something while squeezing through the maze of boxes, paper cutters, ribbons and endless bundles of craft paper that it takes to create these designs for my new friends and customers, but one day soon, the Crafts-Gone-Wild room will be the room we dreamed of when we first moved in three years ago...the Baby's room!

It's Time for a Shower or Two...or Three!

I can't even begin to explain how excited I am for all of the showers coming up in the next couple of weeks. My calendar tells me that I have four showers in a row and for someone who had to start her summer vacation early due to some little gliches in my pregnancy, I'm itching to see my family and friends. The first series of showers involve all the many babies coming into the world followed by a beautiful bride-to-be's shower in June.  The song, "Shower the people you love with love..." comes to my mind as I prepare my little gifts and trinkets for them.

A few months back, my mom and mother-in-law were hesitant to have a baby shower for me before the baby due to me not being able to really leave the comfort of my bed and now, thanks to the Lord above and all of His blessings, I am feeling much better and have two of my own baby showers given with love by my aunts, mom, and Tony's wonderful family coming up.

I can't wait to get these parties started!

Invites make things Bright!

I don't know about you, but I've always gotten excited opening the mail box and seeing an envelope that looks like a possible invitation and then opening it with glee to find out I was right. Invitations make me happy...there, I said it! I love getting them and even more, I love making them for others. When you receive an invitation, it's like receiving an early Christmas present. You have been invited to share in the joy of someone you love: What a great feeling! I have always loved making invitations for parties including my wedding invitations that my husband, Tony, and I thoroughly enjoyed creating. My aunts and mom are throwing a baby shower for me in June and although this sounds a bit unconventional, I asked my aunt if I can make the invitations because I simply get a thrill perusing the aisles of scrapbooking stores searching for the best combination of patterned and colored paper, buttons, ribbons, stamps, and tools to make the "perfect" invite.  The color theme for the shower is purple, green, and white and I found the cutest purple and white gingham paper to mat the invitation with along with some beautiful green ribbon with little birdies on them. I can only hope that my family and friends receiving the invitations are filled with as much happiness as I am when they open it!

The Birth of a New Career and Baby on the Way!

Baby M. at 4 1/2 months

My husband and I are expecting our first child in July which has been such an incredible blessing and it has made me really think of what my next career path will look like being a full-time mom. Because of this new parenthood adventure,  I am going to take a break from my world of teaching and enter the world of running a small business where I can spend more time creating, crafting, planning events, and being with my wonderful family.



My first endeavor for starting a design and event co. is to create my website which has been quite a fun and daunting task: HTML code, need I say more.

I decided to name my company ModernLace Design and Events because when I create various crafts and products for people, I always find myself combining classic and vintage pieces or fabrics with new and modern ones to create what I believe to be a perfect blend of the old with the new. I am, after all, a very traditional gal with a great love for the modern, fun, and whimsical style.

Please stay tuned for my newest creations~ Currently, I am working on French Memo Boards of all shapes, sizes, designs, and patterns and up next, I will be venturing into the world of light as I tackle hand-painting and layering fabrics onto lamp shades to create one-of-a-kind pieces of art that will light up not only a room, but one's day as well.

French Memo Board for Nursery