It isn’t surprising that I love to decorate my home in fabric since my mom owns a Kansas City quilt store. I find that regardless of my easy access to fabric, it really is much more affordable to decorate with than the typical artwork, and matching fabric allows for so many options. The first time I did this was right when we moved in, and I was at a loss of how to decorate my green kitchen quickly and affordably for a temporary time (apparently I liked it so much, I never changed it).

This time, I had been working on a quilt (and still am working on it) with adorable fabric panels for my older son’s “big boy” room. I immediately knew when I saw the fabric that it would be on the walls too! Even though the quilt is not done and my son’s been in the room for 18 months, the fabric is up to decorate while I continue to work on the quilt.

How to Create Your Own Fabric Artwork:

1. Find some fabric and a frame that you love and matches with the look you are going for.

1. Iron the fabric well – I used my temporary (smaller) iron for this and Mary Ellen’s Best Press

3. Use the glass or plastic and center it over what you want seen in the frame (I just eyeball it but measuring always works too) – I use a regular pencil or fabric chalk to trace around it.

4. Trim right on the traced line – excess fabric will not allow it to lay flat in the frame.

5. For this white fabric, I had to line the back of the frame with another white paper (or packaging paper inside of frame if light colored).

6. I use regular scotch tape to do this and put a circle of tape in all corners and half way between on the frame back or in this case the white paper (already secured with scotch tape to the frame back).

7. Lay the fabric on top of the tape and secure from middle out to the sides – be sure here that all frame mounting hooks are aligned based on the design and how it is desired to be mounted.

8. Put frame together based on instructions – I notice with white that I had to carefully make sure all threads and dust were wiped off the fabric before framing.

9. Enjoy and keep the love of fabric throughout your home!

Valentines Day Edition

Tomorrow marks what some might criticize as the “Hallmark” holiday, and although my expectations are low from my husband (he hates the holiday), and we don’t go all out, I certainly love to celebrate any holiday spoiling and decking my boys out. After I picked my Valentines Three, I realized they all had to do with my kids, which is our reality!

Valentines Books

For the Kids: My mom gave us this book at the beginning of the week, originally for my 15 month old, but both boys have wanted to read this book over and over this week. I like that it brings some holiday spirit out early, so we can discuss and explain the importance of the upcoming day. We do this with Christmas and Halloween books, but I can’t wait to continue to do this throughout the year with other holidays that I want to teach my boys about, like St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, 4th of July, and so many more!

Valentines Graphic Tees

For the Kids: Unfortunately, this is not the shirt I picked up in the stores last week for my boys, but this one is just as cute! The price was low last week in store, but WOW $1.97 for them the day before? It makes me want to stock up for next year, even with the risk of forgetting or the size being incorrect. I jump on any excuse to match my boys, and I love the unique designs of Old Navy.

Homemade Class Valentines

For the Kids: Disclaimer – these do not compare to the “cuteness” of some store bought Valentines, but I love the process! This is Frank’s 4th Valentines Class Party (benefits of full-time daycare), and I have truly enjoyed coming up with something every year that is unique to what he, and now George, currently like. I certainly don’t turn my nose up to those that give candy, but I feel like holidays have enough treats involved that something to entertain my kids is needed after all that sugar; stamps and stickers it is this year! This year, Frank helped me decorate his for the first time. I was tempted to write some Valentine/Car pun on his, but wanted to make his more authentic as he is getting older and can take more ownership and pride for them. I look forward to this tradition of making our own Valentines in years to come!

Kansas City Addition

The Chiefs won the Super Bowl this week, so our city is electric! Schools closed for a Red Snow Day, so the city could celebrate at the parade together. This week’s celebrations are reminders of why this city is amazing!

Here are a few of my favorite Kansas City favorites!

Boulevard Brewery

For Us: This local brewery’s beer is found across the nation now, and we know why! Not only is their Boulevard Wheat (the Hazy American Classic) a staple in your household, but their innovative new brews keep locals checking out their latest at our local liquor store. They just launch their Fling Cocktail series and like all their products it is a beer twist on everyone’s favorite cocktails; think Blood Orange Vodka Soda, Cucumber Lime Gin & Tonic, Mai Tai, and so many more!

Minsky’s Pizza

For the Family: A weekly stop for our family! Pizza is great for the family but having a dine in restaurant in our neighborhood has been a lifesaver. The table are covered with white paper for the kids to draw on; my son helps himself to the crayon drawer for this fun entertainment option. The pizza is great and the weekly special help us mix it up, but I can never leave without our regular Philly Cheesesteak pizza. Not only do they have regular and gourmet pizzas, they also have a plethora of appetizers, salads, pastas, and calzones. We are creatures of habit and probably need to venture out on their menu.

Royals Games

For the Family: Although the Chiefs just left our city feeling more pride than we have felt since the Royals won the World Series in 2015 (pre-kids), I have to admit that my kids have never been to a Chiefs game, BUT we are avid baseball game attendees. One of our favorite summer activities are to pack up the boys and head out to the ballpark! Since having our first son, we still attend 5 or 6 games a season and enjoy *almost* every moment. No games are never the same as they used to be, but with enough snacks packed and weather appropriate clothing we truly enjoy our time out at the ballpark as a family!

Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

For Teens: As a high school English teacher, I do read Young Adult literature frequently to be able to recommend novels to my students. I originally picked this book up after Elizabeth Acevedo committed to come to our school, but a snow day cancelled that plan unfortunately. Although we were all devastated to not see her speak, I will wildly recommend this QUICK read for my students interested in slam poetry or not. I literally read the entire book in 3 sittings; the story is made up of beautifully crafted poems that engage the reader in Xiomara story of struggle with her strict parents, first love, and understanding her own religion. Each obstacle she embraces with her eloquent words are ones our teens can connect with on so many levels. I can’t wait to get my in the hands of a student (and eventually many)!

Cozi App

For the Fam: I honestly do not think my family unitizes this app to its full potential, but the one aspect I utilize every day is the list function. I am able to make multiple lists: Costco, grocery, Walmart, Target and add to them right on my phone. Although my husband does not check the app as frequently as he should, we are able to share the lists and add so that everyone’s list is covered when we are at our shopping stop. It also has the capabilities for a shared calendar (which syncs to Google calendar), and I know we will use this as our boys get older and our schedules become so much more hectic. There is so much more for my family to explore!

Solo Trader Joes Shopping Trip

For Me: Note the word “SOLO”. I rarely get trips to any store alone, and now that we use Walmart grocery pick-up, we only have a few family trips a month to Costco on Sundays. This past weekend, it was amazing to escape the hustle of the weekend to enjoy checking out all the tasty products Trader Joes has and of course to stock up on some cheap wine and beer. Our local Trader Joe’s had an employee chili cook-off, and they were sampling the winner. It was uniquely Mexican fiesta themed with tamales chopped up; needless to say, I bought all the ingredients and made it for dinner this week. Trader Joes always has fresh new dinner ideas and great products that re-energize my excitement to cook. Although this trip was not the most helpful on my checking account, it sure did soothe the soul and motivate me to try some new recipes.