As promised, I’m back with the details on the DIY’s for van’s birthday!

The first project I tackled was the highchair.  My plan was to find a “old school” wooden highchair via craigslist that I could spray paint.  A bit of stalking and I found this beauty for $10…

A can of spray paint later…

VIOLA!

I love how it turned out!

Maybe now I’ll put it back on craigslist to sell for double!! {make momma some extra moolah!}

Next, I was all about making a balloon wreath.

It took one 16″ foam wreath, some floral pins, and about a gazillon balloons.

My thought was that I could hang this balloon wreath on the storm door the week of our birthdays. {Jan, April and Nov}

Cute, right?

Let’s see, what else.. oh yeah.. the Birthday Banner.

I printed up 11 monthly photos of vannyB to hang on the mantle using some clothespin’s.

Just a fun way to see how much the boy has changed and grown over the past year!

Lastly,  I made a pendant banner cake topper for van’s Smash Cake.

All it took was some fun scrapbook paper, baker’s twine, and 2 lollipop sticks!

Using a cardboard template, I cut out a bunch of diamonds.

and then folded them all in half.

Once I decided the layout, all I had to do was glue the sides together with the twine in between.

Since the smash cake was so small, I thought 2 rows of pendants would look better than 1 long one.  {it only took 3 tries for me to figure this out!}

And to keep it real, there was one project that never came to fruition.

It was to make a homemade cupcake stand.

courtesy of maryjanesandgaloshes.com

I’m still working on finishing it up as I think it would be cute to put on the kitchen counter!

So there you have it, my Birthday DIY’s!  Who’s ready to start planning for next year??

Our boy is officially ONE and what a blast we had helping him celebrate!

I’m working up a full post with photos and details… stay tuned!

From start to finish my birthday was great!  And my laundry room is getting closer and closer to being done!

Here’s another sneak peak…

Plus I also had to show you the birthday cake Mr. vB made me.

A true Krispee Kreme Delight Cake!  Miss Maddy helped me to blow out the candles.

And then the sugar high insued.

Good thing Uncle DD doubles as a jungle gym!

Thanks to all my family and friends that made it such a great day! xoxo

In about 4 hours I will be a year closer to my mid-thirties! YIKES!! To make me feel better Mr. vB has started on a birthday renovation project for me! YEAH!!

{here is the back story}

The only room in our house that has not been touched since we moved in is our Laundry Room.  It is located down in the basement off of the main living area.  I have always kept it hidden from the camera’s view as it was a bit scary!  We upgraded our washer and dryer to front loading units about 2 years ago, but never upgraded the room surrounding them.  It was inevitable that every time I went to switch the clean clothes from the washing machine to the dryer, something would fall on the dirty concrete floor and have to be rewashed.  It was SO annoying!!  I was constantly begging Mr. vB to add this room to the To-Do list.  I got so desperate that I finally said a finished Laundry Room is ALL I want for my birthday!

Apparently I got my point across because when I got home from work today, there was an odd smell coming from the basement.  When I yelled down to Mr. vB as to what it was, he yelled back,”Dunno?!”  I could tell from his voice that he was clearly lying.  I then went around and opened all the windows on the first floor.  When I got to the window that overlooked the back yard, I knew immediately what he was up too!  All the junk that has been crammed into the laundry room was now in the back yard.

About 30 minutes later Mr. vB emerged from the basement and asked me if I would like to see my {early} birthday present.  He had spent the afternoon clearing out the laundry room, sweeping, spraying for spiders, water proofing the cement floor {the stinky smell}, and installing a new sliding window.

Tomorrow he wants to paint the floor, paint the walls, install more shelving, and put the wood trim around the exterior door and new window!  Did I mention that I love my husband??  {And a great renovation project that happens without me lifting a finger?!?}

Check back for the finished product! Doing laundry will never be the same again!

The Floor Guy starts today!

Mr. vB and I are taking bets on whether or not we are over-estimating or under-estimating the mess that is about to rain down on us. {Literally- remember we are living in the basement!}

I thought you guys would enjoy photos of the 1st floor cleared out..

{I know this photo is dark, but I didn’t want to debut our new kitchen with blue tape everywhere.  Justin You will just have to wait a little longer for the big reveal. Patience.}

We have sealed up all the air vents and cabinets, and taped off the hall to the upstairs and back room with plastic.  We are trying to contain the dust as best as possible, but I know it is going to end up EVERYWHERE!

Also wanted to show you guys the cute Birthday Cake my Mums made for Mr. vB yesterday. My Daddio even hand delivered it!

Stay Tuned to see the progress of the floors.  Mr. Sanders {I’m not kidding- the guy sanding our floors is named Mr. Sanders} says he should be done sanding the majority of the floor by tonight.  The kitchen and hall floor is going to take him a little longer due to the left over grout we couldn’t remove by hand.  Plus I am working up a little post about our new “diggs” in the basement.

Happy Birthday to my Most Amazing Husband!

I know you prefer to be anonymous on this blog, but today you are center stage!

I love you very much. xoxo Mrs. vB

Mr.vB and I always visit with his Mom and step-dad around the 4th of July and this year was no different. So after dropping the dogs off at the kennel (as noted in the prior post) Mr. vB and I got on the road for our 6 hour trek down to Myrtle Beach.  It was Mr. vB’s step father’s 65th bday and the whole family was planning on parting the weekend away.  We did a pretty darn good job I must say!

First we did a little decorating,

Then we did a little playing…

And finally we did some celebrating!!

Happy Birthday Hootie!! We LOVE You!

We ended up having an indoor picnic because it was WAY too hot and humid to have it outdoors.  Just envision 9 adults and 3 kids all spread out on beach towels in the living room.  It was great!!

Then the next day we got busy decorating for a surprise baby shower for Mr. vB’s brother and his wife.  They are having baby #2, so we thought we would help them out with some blue goodies.  (They were down at the beach while we quickly decorated)

Aunt Ashley, the artist, worked on a cute sign with the baby-to-be’s initials.

I worked on laying out all the food and stringing the onesies from various things.

Aunt Ashley also made some awesome sugar cookies that we painted to resemble soccer balls.  Miss M was a big fan.

I think her parents were quite surprised and excited too by the event!

In between all the partying we also fit in plenty of beach time.

Is this a pose or what???

And then sadly it was time to leave the ocean behind and head back to Richmond.

I had to share this great birthday gift I got from my friend Sauce.  Obviously she has been reading my blog, as she incorporated two of my favorite things into one great gift!

Can you guess what it is??  Here’s another hint..

Still guessing??

Be Honest- who guessed correctly??

It’s a reusable bag with my nickname embroidered on it!!!  How cute is that?!?!

I love how easily it unfolds to reveal a great bag with a front pocket.  And the pear design is totally fun!

Thanks Sauce!! I know we will put this to good use at Secret Target and Secret Marshalls.

If you could make a list of your favorite things to do on your favorite day of the year what would it be??

Today was my special day and here was my list: (remember my birthday was during the work week and I was limited by budget)

1.  Wake up and go to Krispee Kreme and get a dozen original donuts and coffee (did not accomplish)

2. Go to local fabric stores and peruse the aisles at my own pace searching for my next interior inspiration (accomplished)

3. Have lunch with great friends at a local favorite spot (accomplished)

4. Hit up the local thrift stores to further my interior inspirations (tried to accomplish but they were closed)

5. Take a nap (accomplished)

6. Have more coffee with more good friends (accomplished)

7.  Get a manicure (accomplished)

8.  Have a great dinner at another favorite spot with family and friends (accomplished)

It was a great day and I got most of the things on my list accomplished. I loved all the calls and emails from my family and friends, it made me feel very special!  Now I am enjoying some down time with Mr. vB after a great dinner.  Is it a sign of getting old when you would rather sit on your sofa in your pjs than be in a smoky bar??  Oh well, here’s to old age I guess!

What’s on your list?