Project Updates

Yesterday I finished knitting the green hat! When I started it looked a little big for a newborn, so while babysitting my little friend Ethan (10 months) I tried it on him and it didn't have much wiggle room. For the record, it is knit with stockinette stitch (not very stretchy) and is 16" in diameter, and I used a Stitch 'n' Bitch pattern (see here: scroll 2/3 down the page to Umbilical Cord Hat). I went to the library to look for books on knitting and other crafts, and several including one on scrapbooking for baby. That's a big step for me because I easily go into cutesy-sugar-shock when I think about scrapbooking. (The one review on Amazon intended this negatively but described me well: "If you do mostly black and white photography and like simple layouts this is the book for you!")

I have finished painting 3 of the 4 small canvases in the grouping that will go above the changing table. I ordered belly bands* from Etsy (like this, this, and this) and one came wrapped in Awesome Circle Paper (pictured). Makes me want to just glue the paper right on the 4th canvas because the colors and motif are perfect, but at the very least I will use it for inspiration. The large canvas (paisley print) is to go above the crib, and that is sketched out but yet to be painted.

*A belly band is a tube of stretchy fabric that covers/holds up unbuttoned jeans or the ugly tops of maternity pants, and extends the hem of shirts so one can wear them longer. Also called egg warmer, tummy tube, or Bella Band.

We're having a few rooms in our house painted, and today Sean is working on the nursery. There is a sunny, happy glow coming from the nursery - exactly the look I am going for in there! You can see a little bit of green cut in at the bottom of the wall, and the chair rail will be installed after the painting is finished. And in case you're wondering, we are using Duration Home by Sherwin Williams, which is considered low-VOC.

The striped valance for the window is almost finished. I need to do the grommets and install the rod, but I am putting that off until after the painting is finished. Also, I hemmed several pairs of maternity pants yesterday during football, leaving chocolate brown thread in my sewing machine in hopes sewing on the chocolate brown quilt binding.