Help! A Courtyard in Which to Hold Court!

Last week, Jaime introduced you to our exciting Summer project. Each of us are giving a social space in our home a makeover using gifted American Express Membership Rewards Points. Lucky!!! Jaime chose her back patio and I chose my front-entry courtyard-type space. It's one of my favorite spots in the house but also one of the most neglected. It has so much potential but I just haven't done anything with it. Let me take you for a little tour and tell you what I have in mind. I could really use your advice and ideas! Thanks Prudent mamas! Oh, and I should mention that all the kiddo stuff and grill is in the backyard so this is really a space for beauty and adult relaxation ie. drinking sangria with my girlfriends. Where were we? Back to the tour...

This is the path to my front door. So far, so good. Then you walk in the gate and see...

Cement. Lots of cement. So what do we do?...
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Help! How Do I Turn My Deck Into a Place of Relaxation and Beauty?

Jacinda and I are on a mission this summer. We've both lived in our homes for about two years and we want to finally get around to creating beautiful (yet prudent) outdoor spaces, but we need your help. So I'm gonna go first and ask (beg?) for your thoughts. Y'all know I like to wax poetic about my garden (like when I've shared with you our Backyard Farm projects from last year and this year), but I have a secret... The kind of secret moms of young children everywhere try to hide away… My shots have been carefully calculated to avoid revealing the reality of what my deck and patio have devolved into:

Can any of you relate (please say yes)? If you've been following us on facebook you have seen this disaster zone of toys and assorted folding chairs and empty sippy cups and know that a few weeks ago I managed to sweep off the bird seed and discard the melted crayon heaps, and that it was a soul-cleansing experience. But, well, this is the progress I've made. This pic is from the day we moved in to our lovely little home over two years ago:

And this is last week:

So, umm, that took two years. Now in the next few weeks I want to fix it up. I'd like, hmm, I don't know, someplace to sit. Or maybe someplace to sleep? Or plant? Or store toys? Or drink tangerine mimosas at 11 am (it's after 12 in dallas, so if I call Jacinda while I'm doing it that counts, right?). Your advice for the Craft Room Redesign Project has been insightful and indispensable so I must call upon you again: Please help! Let me show you some before pictures and tell you all about it and ask ten million questions after the jump...
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Need your Advice!

We moved the girls into a shared bedroom this past weekend. It's going ok. They fall asleep eventually, and isn't that half the fun of sharing a room with your sister... chatting and getting into a little mischief?
But enough of the parenting business, let's move on to more important things like fabric and decorating!

The bedroom already has gorgeous DIY (Thanks awesome MIL!) ceiling to floor curtains in Jessica Jones Amusement Park, Fireworks  and the walls are a light peachy pink. Now I want to make some bedding. Not everything matchy-matchy but maybe some fitted sheets and a few throw pillows. These girlies already LOVE their pillows. So that's where I need your help. What fabric(s) should we add to the room?

Here are a few that I like. What do you think? Maybe too coordinated? Any other suggestions?
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What Color Should I Paint This Mirror?

Ladies!  I picked up this awesome mirror at Goodwill for $19.99.  I've been looking for the perfect mirror for above the fireplace, Score!  But I can't decide what color to paint it, or if I should paint it at all.

It's hardwood and I kind of like the dirty bronze sheen, but up close, it's a little grungy as you can see:


Our living room has a distinctive turquoise couch, so I'm not sure which way to go. White? Silver? Gold? Bright red? Mustard yellow?

If you really want to take this assignment seriously, there are a ton more photos of the living room in question on my Apartment Therapy Home Tour.

Please weigh in down in the comments. Your feedback could even win you this week's best-comment prize, that Aleene's Tacky Pack! XOXO

Interview with Anna Maria Horner

We are thrilled to share YOUR interview with Anna Maria Horner today. Anna hand-picked questions that she felt were the most popular. Not surprisingly, they mostly have to do with our wonder and amazement over how she manages to get it all done with 6 children including a toddler at home during the day! I thought I was doing pretty well getting a blog post up here and there (and sometimes getting dressed)... she's running an empire people! Hmmmn, maybe I just need more kids to make it all happen. Read and learn, and then go pick up a copy of her new book Handmade Beginnings so you can make a pair of these most-adorable booties. They are so cute that I want to bite them, I'm not kidding.


Take it away Anna!
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What do you think?

Dear readers of good taste and sophistication; I need your help.

I'm trying to decide which fabric to use for a new set of cloth napkins. My kitchen is white with hints of yellow, and the bulk of my dishes are red. Mmmmmm, pretty combination, not really. So here are my two options:


A: Anna Maria Horner Small Gathering Citrus

B: Alexander Henry Natura Birdsong Bright

Help me out! Which should I do? Please leave a comment!

Here is the kitchen in question. Note the Halloween candy, indicating the last time it was clean enough to photograph.

Giveaway Winner: The Handmade Marketplace & Kari Chapin Interview

The winner of The Handmade Marketplace is Christa who happens to have a shop filled with adorable greeting cards. I'm partial to this Bright Tree Mini Box Card Set but these are really cute too. Christa, I'm quite certain that after reading this book you will become a handmade greeting card mogul. Don't forget us when you do! Drop us your address using the form to the left! woot!

So now my pretties (may I call you my pretties?), let's move on the the interview with Kari who has us charmed with her delightful and thoughtful and invaluable answers to a few of YOUR questions. So take it away Kari!
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World's Greatest Play Kitchen Revealed

Ladies, I'm sorry I've been remiss in not revealing where I got Scarlet's Red Play Kitchen ...everytime it shows up in a post I get a flood of emails wondering where I got it and how much it cost.  So here's the scoop...

I researched all the play kitchens in the entire universe and I have to say it paid off.  This kitchen is compact yet has everything a child wants in a mini-kitchen including a microwave, sink, fridge, oven, cabinets and even a phone!  This is the single best toy Scarlet ever received, and she's played with it since about 11 months and still plays with it every single day.

It's made by KidKraft and costs less then $150.  I'm not gonna lie, my husband DID NOT ENJOY assembling it, but he did get an extreme sense of pride when it was complete.  GO GET IT HERE: KidKraft Red Vintage Kitchen And if you have one, or have thoughts on this or other Play Kitchens, please share with us in the comments!

Recycle Baby Shower Cards: 4 Ways

Our friend Robyn came to Prudent Baby with a great crafty question...

"Do you know of any good projects that use all the cards we got for Zane at his baby showers?"

So in addition to our recent DIY for origami boxes, we pulled together a few more ideas.

If you are a sentimental nerd AND a stationary geek (like me) you might not want to actually cut your cards. Simply display them on a ribbon or bakers twine with tiny clothes pins. These are from Paper Source, but I recently saw them at Michael's, in the wood isle.

If you can bear to take to your cards with scissors (or have a copier, he he), here are three more...

Take this tip from Amesh and glue your cards to wood (or cardboard) blocks. You can also mix it up and add some baby photos and pretty decorative papers. Mod Podge would also be excellent for this but beware of using mod Podge with the (typically) water-soluble ink in home printers, it will run.


Make a mobile. Punch your art out of the cards using a Large Craft Punch. Glue circles of decorative paper to the back side with ribbon sandwiched in-between. Tie the ribbons to an embroidery hoop covered in decorative paper.


Or use the circle punched cards sandwiched with ribbon and make an adorable garland.

Does anyone have other ideas for Robyn?