Hello Fall!

I have always been a huge fan of Fall. In my old pre-mom teacher life, Fall meant fresh boxes of Crayolas, stacks of pocket folders and stickers, and sweating with my students out at recess. Fall in Florida is effing hot, you guys. It's no secret that I am more excited about experiencing our first Fall in Virginia than is normal for a grown woman. And while the last few months have had some not-so-awesome moments (read about that here and here), I'm kind of sad to see Summer fade into Fall. And as Z seems to be growing extra fast these days, I'm trying to hold on to every moment and memory while she's still my baby girl. Trips to the aquarium, lot's of time in the backyard with Scout, water balloons, getting buzzed by the Blue Angels, and the smell of sunscreen in Z's hair. It's all kind of amazing.

And as I enjoy these cool Fall breezes, collect colorful leaves with Z around the neighborhood, and switch from tank tops to flannel, I can't wait to make more memories! (Ugh! SCHMALTZ! I know! I'm having a moment.)

Happy Fall, y'all!! 

Friday Favorites - Fall Style, Kiddo Edition

Happy September, friends! It's been hella hot around here, but, somehow, some of the leaves are already changing and there's highs of 78 forecast for next week. Eeeek! The idea of a proper fall has me so so jazzed! Z's already starting a fall leaf collection, most of which are just dead and brown, but she'll get the hang of it once more of the trees start to change. 

So! Another Friday Favorites! This time it's kiddo style, but, I have to be honest, I'm not loving a lot of the toddler stuff I'm seeing. Lots of blushes and pinks and cats everywhere...so not my style (or Z's, she's all purple and tutus, of course!). So this week, I've picked a few items on my "Must Buy List" for the kiddo this season. 

plaid tunic | denim leggings | moto boots

denim dress | unicorn necklace | sparkle shoes | footless tights

baseball tee | overalls | sneakers

Nothing says fall like plaid, and Z is crazy for boots right now. It's gonna be hard not buying every pair I see...for both of us! And that denim dress works now, with the warmer temps, but with tights or leggings and a long sleeve shirt underneath or a cardigan, fall perfection. And any time overalls are involved with a cute tee and sneaks, I'm super on board!

And we're already thinking about Halloween, aren't you guys? We'll be grabbing our annual pair of skeleton pjs, and this cute festive tee as soon as possible. So many good sales right now, you guys! Take advantage! 

DIY Magnet & Chalkboard

ABC magnets | animal puzzle magnets 
 sidewalk chalk | eraser (covered the back with silver glitter washi)

Y'all know I love a good chalkboard, and I've made a bunch in the last few years. Our new place has double the space of our cute house back in SoFlo, so I thought Z needed a chalkboard upgrade. 

A couple of months ago, before all of the Scout business, the Hubs and I brainstormed a few ideas and came up with a magnet board and chalkboard duo. And I love the results!

I started with an extra piece of cabinet grade ¾ inch plywood. As random as it sounds, we actually had some of this laying around from another project, which was per-fect, cuz when it comes to chalkboards - the smoother the better. I had my little helper give it a light sanding.

I picked up a big oil drip pan at Walmart, with the intention of cutting the raised edging off. Cut it to size with metal snips, and glued it on the plywood with a little StrongStick, then the Hubs placed a weight on it to make sure the adhesive did it's job. On the other half, I primed the wood, and painted a few coats of chalkboard paint.

We put this board in our family room, so I wanted it to look a little classier than just a slab of wood, so we framed it out with some trim on the front and sides, stained it (I picked Minwax English Chestnut), threw on a coat of poly, and let it cure in the garage for a few days. (I'd love to use a more eco poly product like this one, but they are a little pricey. Instead I use Minwax Polycrylic for my projects, and I just leave whatever I'm working on in the garage to off-gas for a few days before I bring it in the house.)

Since the kiddo is still little, we keep this guy on the floor (with a little towel under the chalkboard side to protect the carpet, which isn't cute at all but is very effective.  #renterproblems), but it can easily mount to the wall once she's bigger. It can also be set vertically, depending on how much space we have. It's a little huge, but I wanted to give Z plenty of room to get creative and have fun.

I'm so happy about the way it turned out, and Z must be, too.  This sucker gets used every day!

We've got so many more projects in the works around here...including a very slow transformation to Z's room. We just finished a little book shelf (more on that later) and I'm working on a mood board to share with you guys, though that's probably as far as we'll get for a while...like a said, a ssllooooowww transformation!