#32: Blue nails

The effects of nine months of growing another human being really takes a toll on the body of any woman. I noticed the visible signs in my skin a few weeks ago and just felt like I was really tired but after three days off, I still look tired, its just whats in style this late pregnancy stage. So I decided to make an extra effort to do things I don't normally care too much about, hair, make-up and nails. So in honor of not being boring and beige, I got myself a bottle of blue nail polish for some added color in my appearance instead of yet another sheer blush color to add to my collection. And yes my fingers are swollen, my ankles are even worse but today, I appreciate bright blue nails! Hey what do want from me, I try...

#33: Little things

Shot with:Nikon D80, 18-135mm: ISO 5, F-14

There's something quite heartwarming about little things. I had forgotten how tiny newborn babies really are; maybe its the fragility of the baby one associates with these tiny items but they really reach into a realm of my psyche which is soft and not so jaded. Although I have a lot of hand me downs which are in great condition for the littlest one, I am compelled to buy a few special things as well. These knitted booties are one thing I couldn't resist even though she'll be born in the heat of the summer I figured she'd need them since we keep the house and car air conditioning on high at all times. So today, I appreciate all the little ( small and seemingly insignificant ) things that make getting through the next 33 days easier and fill my heart with a bit of warmth. 

#34: Dreams

Shot with:Nikon D80, 18-135mm: Auto (some touch up in iphoto)

Once up a time, I wanted to become a fashion designer, then I became an architect. The path seemed straight, it seemed to be direct yet long but paved without too much hinderance if I only remained persistent and tried to reach the end. Along the way, I only dreamt of what life could be once I reached the end of the path, that I could design beautiful artifacts to my hearts desire, that people would appreciate my creativity and craft and I would be satisfied with that. As my dreams became reality, there have been changes, unforeseen forks and turns in the path, confusing the choices on how to proceed, whats really at the end of the path or if even there is an end, the gratification?  It has transformed that dream and made the path slightly windier, a bit more treacherous and my determination to be questioned. 

I would continue to dream up new potentials for life  and believe in the possibilities it has to offer but are they for someone else, someone whom I see more time to explore these paths, more strength to conquer the many facets and to dream beyond the limitations of ones own vision. She is kind, naive, curious and energetic. She is love. 

#35: Morning Light

Shot with:Nikon D80, 18-135mm: ISO 40, F-14 (some touch up in Lightroom)

The morning light washes the walls so deliberately, its pure and intense as it reveals the new day, it unfolds ever so slightly from glare and reflection to clear and crisp, almost pacing the speed at which the body is moving towards wakefulness. It brings an opportunity to once again believe in the miracle of life, embark on a new journey, choose to leave yesterday behind and start afresh. In this moment, the quiet surrounds me, my mind is peaceful and clear. Its a moment that is both fleeting and surreal yet nostalgic.

#36: Dim Sum

Shot with: IPhone 3

Dim sum refers to a style of Chinese food prepared as small bite-sized or individual portions of food traditionally served in small steamer baskets or on small plates. Dim sum is also well known for the unique way it is served in some restaurants, wherein fully cooked and ready-to-serve dim sum dishes are carted around the restaurant for customers to choose their orders while seated at their tables.

Eating dim sum at a restaurant is usually known in Cantonese as going to "drink tea" (yum cha, 飲茶), as tea is typically served with dim sum.

#37: Gourmet Ice Cream

If you have sweet tooth or have temporarily developed one like I have in the last few months then you certainly can taste the difference between "regular" ice cream and "gourmet" ice cream. Like a  sommelier knows a fine wine, I have been able to refine my palette for desserts in a short time and now have a great appreciation for those made with great ingredients and today we had some really nice ice cream. I had a lovely hand-made waffle cone with two scoops of flavor called Calf Trax: Vanilla ice cream with peanut butter swirl and mini peanut butter cups. Yummy. 

The ice cream shoppe is run by the owners of a pretty large dairy farm (benefits of living in the sticks), so the dairy is top quality. Just outside the shoppe there are a few benches and its funny but never fails,  that everyone gets their choice of ice cream, then walks out and takes a seat facing and staring out at this view over the valley. Theres something about the combination that people like myself seem to really enjoy.

#38: Rain

Rain is quite a controversial phenomenon, its often unappreciated and unwelcome by most;  when its scarce, we panic, when its plentiful, we panic, we when we have to walk or drive in it, we complain, when everything's wet and we have to stay inside, we complain but sometimes when we are indoors relaxing or reading a good book holding a warm ( or cool) drink, the sound of rain can be glorious especially when we awake the next day fresh blooms. 

This year has been funny with the early Spring season, so we haven't really had many flowers recently, plus the fact that I live across the street from a 20 member family of deer who get their sustenance from the plants Austin keep buying and planting out in front of the house.

Anyway, this week it has been raining everyday and suddenly today, I see a bright pink flower coming out from a Peony plant we put in last year, I had forgotten it was there and am quite excited that its actually flowering. So today, I appreciate the steady rainfall as a sign of new life.

Weird.

What do you do when theres a little bully on the playground who's mother does not accept that her child might be a problem?

Do I let the child know that she's (or he) better watch her step? Do I sit back and trust that my little girl will find her way out of it? Do I take her out of the situation (save her)? Do I get the mom to say something?

Well I chose the second and it worked! Although Arie adopted an aversion strategy instead of talking/fighting back, it worked. She solved her own playground dispute without any help from us.

Kids are brutal on one another! gosh in the last few days I have had two playground encounters with little girls that makes me think what I have in store for myself. The mean girls (popular) and the others already exists at an early age and I think its reinforced knowingly by the mothers, simply by not addressing the kids actions, we encourage our children to make others feel bad for no good reason! 

Here's a little story: Arielle was playing by herself at the sand tables (there were 5 separate ones) and got confronted by two little girls about her age and a curiously bigger girl (maybe 12 yrs), they asked her her name numerous times and she just played deaf with a stone face (whats that all about..?). Anyway, she eventually joined in playing beside them and one of the two little girls snatched the shovel from her and would not give it back..backed by the 12 yrs girl, Arielle tried to get it back to no avail so she left. As she played at another table by herself, the friend of the snatcher came over to join her and this angered the other girl..at some point the little girl started crying loudly and screaming "I said I was sorry".. her mom as well as the mom of the other little one came over and scooped them both away..leaving Arielle playing once again by herself. The twelve year old shared the story with them but they seemed to not care. When I asked Arielle if everything was alright (because she didn't seemed phased by this at all), she said "yes" but let me know that the girls had said she was "WEIRD"..what? What's so weird about her? Not nice little girl! 

Week 35

The question of the week.."when are you due?"..everywhere I go people look at me like they are in pain for me...then they ask me that question. You know you're quite pregnant when people stop asking politely, "how far along are you?" and just assume you must be a walking time bomb of some sort. People are tripping over themselves to help me do things (outside of my house..that is). I wonder if I can milk this for a few more weeks, free car washes..cleaning my house or something. I feel good though, I have not gained anything this week so thats good..hopefully the little one has realized she's out of room and needs to save her growth spurts for the outside world. 

I bought myself some new clothes this week..mainly because 'Babycenter' told me to do something nice for myself and I always follow the rules..no just kidding, I just felt like I needed a pick me up in the looks department, I was starting to look like a tired pregnant lady who loses her temper too quickly. It was to nice to fit into regular sizes albeit in a funny stretched look but still. I bought a nice dress to wear for a formal occasion I have to attend on the 2nd and I bought a Medium which fits quite nicely.

Is it me or does my belly look like its growing another stomach? whats up with that? Might the baby have dropped..this early..could she be telling me she's going to come out on time or am I going to be ordering my margaritas from a hospital bed? This is my current state..a little crazy, still trying to look cute and often irritable.

#39: Smiles

#39: I appreciate the happiness that my sweet little girl continues to share with me, she lifts me up at anytime with her smile.

40 in 40

Today I officially have 40 days to go.. (you know until the baby decides to pop! I have spent the last 8 months worrying about my health and that of my little passenger, trying to balance work, being a wife, mother and planning for the arrival of our new family member. I have experienced every emotion many times, experienced every extreme in the privacy of my home or in public, doubted myself and lost my patience, and now after having one day off, and having to remind myself several times today to calm down, to realize that I now have reached the point I have been longing for, time to relax, I can't. 


I am still a bit on edge and feel like I should be rushing again but in fact, I have most things done, in reality if I were to have the baby today, all physical things are in place (except maybe the need to run to Target for a few little things). What is missing, is my mental clarity and a opportunity to truly savor the last moments of life as I know it. Just as dramatic as the first child, this too will have a huge impact on my life and I'm not sure Austin or Arielle comprehends the magnitude of this impending change. I on the other hand feel like it will be up to me to keep things in order. It will never again be just me and Arie alone (we've been able to spend a lot of time together since she was born) and I need to prepare for that. I know she will be a fantastic big sister, I can see it in how she acts right now but I really hope I can live up to the challenge, I need to, for myself, for Arielle and for this tiny baby who has no idea what she's about to encounter. 

Before this happens, I am initiating a small project that will encourage me to spend the next 40 days really trying to fully appreciate at least one thing each day. This is not to say that I don't do so already but I don't do it consciously enough, to take the time to really think about what I have, what surrounds me, what I surround myself with, why things have meaning, what defines me, affects me, what I may take for granted etc. Wow, that sounds a bit daunting already..well its supposed to be a fun way to document the little things, a refreshing look at everyday..maybe. Let's see if I get to 40...

Melancholy

This Saturday started out a bit strange and continued to be quite challenging for me; it was a glorious day but I was exhausted with a capital E-X-H-A-U-S-T-E-D! I woke up at about 8am and stayed up for most of the morning, made breakfast for everyone while husband and baby were outside planting for hours. The time alone is usually appreciated but I was not handling it well, I was feeling really 'alone'. Feeling a bit unlike myself, heavy, blurred and just not normal. This was very disappointing because I had planned to either go to the The Great Googa Mooga Festival in Brooklyn's Prospect park or just check out the Thomas Bull Memorial park (some lady told me about on friday) and spend the day out enjoying the weather; neither happened.

Without detailing the actual events of the morning that set off my permanent cloud over my head, I will say that this is something I am used to and can usually get out of rather quickly on my own so as not to waste any valuable time I could spend with Arielle having fun. This time I could not shake it, I was mentally weighted, feeling doubt about decisions I cannot go back and change, feeling like I needed to convince myself that the rest of the year will turn out to be as wonderful as I have imagined it would be.

I eventually took a nap ( which I never do no matter how tired I am), I slept from noon until I peeked out and saw that it was 1:35 and I didn't even want to get up and thats what bothered me, I don't like feeling and haven't felt like that in a while..you know the feeling of just not wanting to face the day! As the day went on I tried to loosen up, I needed to feed and take care of my daughter, we hadn't even had any lunch and there I was sleeping the day away.

I'll just say that even though it took a few hours the day got slightly better with food, fresh air and summer (like) sunlight. Arielle always gets me to smile. Since my last day of class is tomorrow, I'll have a few grading issues to tie up but then I am free  to focus on having a baby. Judging from yesterday, this could be really good or really bad, I get the feeling the next few weeks will be mentally tough rather than physically, I will continue to hit the gym until June 14th which is when my 'medical' suspension (..gym speak for we won't continue to charge you for something you  haven't used in several months) begins and Arielle has until May 31st in daycare/preschool and then we're taking her out for the summer. I plan to take advantage of the next two weeks, so I'll take her in even though I'll be home just so I get sometime to myself, she gets time to play with her friends and then in June we're going to take swim lessons together at the new YMCA until I can no longer move...if this kid is anything like my sweet girl, she'll be here one week late (July 8th)..and thus making for a really lame July 4th. Yay!..NOT..!

Week 34

I am swollen, thirsty and tired..no..I'm exhausted. I could probably sleep until July and still be tired! Luckily I had most of this week off, I only had to work on Monday, then attend my sisters graduation  at Columbia University on Wednesday (which in my state is considered work because it required my getting dressed and taking the 7:57 train with a 3 1/2 year old..). and Friday. That was enough to completely put me out. The baby has been moving a lot which is still very cool to feel, the movements are much more deliberate and even visible to the naked eye..Arielle is really intrigued by the movement but I'm still not sure she realizes that there is a human being in there.

On Wednesday morning, Arie and I made our way to the train station to get the 7:57 into Penn station. We had a few hiccups..mainly because I can't run, the trains arrived and I had a stroller, diaper bag and Arielle ( who's afraid of trains!) to carry on. Once we settled in, I pulled out a magazine and she played on my phone. About 20 minutes into the ride, I felt really strange, I could not breath, I felt faint and a bit cloudy, I started gasping for air while trying not to make a scene..some passengers noticed and inquired if I was in labor, I had never felt anything like this before, I was getting hotter and feeling like I was going to faint. I called Austin to let him know partially because I wanted a distraction to see if I could get it to stop and also to make sure he knew just in case something happened to me and Arielle was alone (or with Transit police..his number would be my last call and she knows her daddy s name!) Talking to him did not help and it continued..luckily one of the passengers who was sitting close by is a mom of one of the kids at Arielle's school so I felt a bit better that she would help me or Arielle if something were to happen. Anyway, after about 10 minutes, I caught my breath and felt a bit more stable but was left with a pain in my chest and headache. When we finally got off the train I almost turned around to return home instead of trying to transport all our stuff all the way to through the station to the 1 train uptown! I did it anyway with a lot of help from strangers (who says New Yorkers aren't nice..they were amazing!). We made it uptown, into the graduation space and even found my mom and sister in the crowds! The ceremony turned out to be quite nice and we even made it lunch.

On Friday, I had another quick doctors appointment and found out basically nothing but I'm now assuming if they don't say anything, then thats good. One encouraging thing was that I met a doctor who I have only seen once, very early on and she seemed really nice and personable that day which means I'm feeling a bit better about who will be on call when labor beings. I heard the baby's heartbeat, I've gained a total of 22lbs and will be back there in two weeks for the GBS test. Yay! 6 weeks to go..may be less?

Baby Birth Announcements

Classic Birth Announcement

I don't know this baby nor do I know the owner of this company BUT I really enjoy the little cards they make and have decided to order some birth announcements from them. The place is called Pinhole Press and I found it through another blog I keep up with ( I think they may be friends). Anyway, for Arielle, I dropped the ball on the birth announcements and actually got some folks angry because they found out I had the baby through the grapevine instead of from me and felt really hurt that they weren't told, called or something! So this time, I will try not to be a lazy bum and actually be proactive; one of the things I will do in my free time between now and the first contraction will be to print out labels so that as soon as the little one makes her debut, I can snap a shot, upload it and get my cards made. Sound ambitious..yes maybe but I did say 'Try'.

I guess people like to do things online these days through some form of social media but I actually really love paper, card stock and such. Theres something really nice about actually getting your mail and having something meaningful in the pile of junk (and checks of course), I search for it like a squirrel looking for nuts in a pile of leaves. So as much as people continue to send Evites for parties, post birth announcements on Facebook etc..I will continue to favor the tactile. My impending birth is making me both excited and nervous at once, I really look forward to the change but am right now feeling like I need a break with the two people who keep me going before that number become three. I just realized a few days ago that I only have 3 free weekends of the 7 remaining before my due date and one of them is actually memorial day weekend! I am now frantically looking for a quick getaway for the three of us for the 4-day weekend but everything is booked..I am sure theres got to be some piece of land covered in sand, adjacent to water that hasn't been commercialized and sold off to the highest bidder. I literally want some relaxation without any crowds (because really I shouldn't be allowed to be seen in public let alone in a bathing suit right now) and just some quiet with the smell of ocean. Is that too much to ask?

Mother's Day

I had thought 3 years ago (after being a mom for 6 months) that becoming a mother had changed me tremendously but what I have realized is that it continues to change me over time, everyday in every way. at every moment, that relationship is redefined, its never constant and the feelings I experience are always changing, they shift from one extreme to another and everything in between but they are all amazing. I am happiest when I can sit with my baby cuddled next to me and just be quiet, its the only pure moment left in my day. Everything else seems crowded, intense for no reason, contentious, nervous, rushed, uncomfortable but in that moment when all I have to do is wrap my arms around a little body and not even speak but still convey how much love I feel for her, its pure. I think I was made to be a mother and she was perfectly sculpted to be my daughter, we have similar personalities but she has a sweetness that has really softened me and revitalized the romantic dreamer in me which I thought I may have lost. (Arielle, you will never really know the kind of effect you have had on me, I love you.)

I woke up feeling a bit run down (allergies, headache, tired..) and extremely hungry so I went hobbled downstairs and got myself some tea and a yogurt while I waited quietly for my little one (the monkey..) and husband (the bear..) to wake up. Amid the snores, snorts and rolls, I had some quiet time to myself and thought about the fact that I was about to become a mother again. I have just over 6 weeks, which could be just over 4 weeks or more ( if she decided she's had it with my confines), she'll be full term in 3 weeks. From my position in bed I glance up and have a direct view into the baby's room and her crib; we had put a bookcase in the room and finished up some little projects in there on Saturday evening after back to back birthday parties so the nursery looks 'done' and ready to receive a baby. Its kind of amazing how it came together, I really stuck to the the initial sketch I had made months ago.

Anyway, Mothers day took off when they woke up and stepped out to get breakfast stuff, when they returned I was extremely hungry and a bit grumpy but things went  pretty smoothly; in our house I usually cook but this morning my husband made breakfast and cleaned up afterwards! They also brought me beautiful orchids, cards and a little potpourri container which Arielle made at school and had hidden behind the curtain for two days all by herself. It was really nice that she actually 'gets' what mothers day is. She said to me at one point "Are you having a good mothers day mama? because..you are a mother (mudda)!", in her best 'matter of fact' tone. 

I still felt a bit sleepy and had told them that all I wanted was a nap, so they both left me to sleep when I fell asleep and I got a good 2 hour nap in, I woke up feeling much better (to Arielle and her little friend tip- toeing through my room getting toys out!). We then went to a late lunch, home depot (to get hardware to hang my new mirror-gift as well) and Home goods just to look around for any little additions for he baby room (Austin said it lacked color!). I found two nice rugs that I had wanted for very affordable prices, a large rattan rug for the kitchen and a yellow chevron for the nursery. Shopping and goods deals always put me in a great mood!

He had also planned an extravagant dinner but we were so full from lunch that we instead got a strawberry shortcake on the way home to have for desert instead. It was a nice day and everyone was sleeping by 9:30. 

Week 33

                               

This weeks the books say I should be going through a growth spurt along with the baby so I should gain about a pound a week for the next five weeks (until 37 weeks of full term). If thats true then I get the sense that baby E will be about the same size as Arielle was because last week I was told she is 4 lbs 2 oz. and will double by birth so thats about 8 lbs 4oz..I'm not really all that concerned about her size as long as I can make it through the next few weeks of finals week without collapsing between the train and the campus because the weight is starting to make it uncomfortable to walk and harder to breath, not to mention the lack of my ability to fit into my clothing. After this week I will inevitably revert to sweatpants or stretchy maxi dresses depending on the weather and I only really have a handful of occasion left to dress up for.

I feel pretty good except for feeling like I have elephantiasis, I have swollen feet which I haven't been able to get down. They are slightly swollen in the morning and very swollen in the evening, and the right foot is quite a bit worse. luckily the semester is almost over so I will have a lot more time with my feet up and time to workout a bit so maybe that will help.

I will miss being pregnant..I never thought I would ever say those words but theres something about the idea that there is a person living inside of me. To the outsider, it may seem a bit weird but I have gotten used to the little taps and grumbles all day reminding me she's there and she's safe.

On another note, the picture is rather deceiving, the angle and the long skirt both make me look larger than I actually am ( I feel for Jessica Simpson) but who knows I may delusional as well. 

Over PROTECTING our children

My sweet girl 

Its no secret that I am a cross between a helicopter mom, a tiger mom, a self professed attachment parent and a mush! I've gone from being a nervous wreck over the news of having a daughter to not being able to even leave this little girl without falling to pieces. I know its partially my fault that she is also rather clingy, she melts when she has to leave me, she melts when she's had to leave her cousins, she's genuinely saddened when family hang outs have to come to an end. She loves so hard already that I'm so afraid for what life's ups and downs will do to her heart and spirit.
I certainly hope she has everything she's ever wanted and never gets turned down or let down but thats not possible and its healthy to know what it is to lose someone you love or not to get your way or win all the time, the issue is that its my responsibility to teach her that concept and how to cope (and in a few weeks..I'll have two!) I'm not sure even I have developed my coping skills to  a degree where I feel completely secure in giving others life defining advice/ guidance. I know, I know, she's only 3 1/2 and she must develop some of this on her own from mistakes and such but its really hard to see your little one hurt isn't it?  So how do I do this?  Still thinking?

If I may digress, I thinks that's been the shift in my mindset, now as I'm expecting another child, and I am still surprised by the fact that I'm not nearly as anxious as I was to meet my first. By week 33 the last time around I was so, so, so anxious I thought I would burst but right now, I realize that in 7 weeks I will have a baby girl and I am okay with that and the time left before we meet. Knowing the littlest is safe in there just swimming around with no idea what's out here is so comforting to me and of course, I take her with me everywhere.

My sweet girl and one her friends (what do 3 year olds say to each other?)

Anyway, so how do young-ish moms (and dads..I suppose) who work and therefore leave their children for the whole or part of the day feel about the type of care the kids get and the effects of the experiences your children have outside your protection. Yes, she's only 3 1/2 but she expresses herself quite well and when we discuss her day, there are things she tells me that make me proud and there are things that make me want to just quit and take care her myself..I will warn you this is the 'mush' part of me speaking now so you may not think this is as critical as I did last night..but my sweet girl has been drinking a larger juice box this week (Yes..its THAT dramatic!) and has had two accidents during nap time at school this week, so I asked her about this before bed and she said she felt embarrassed because Michael C. (yep I'm calling him out!) was laughing at her while she was changing! Immediately my mind starts racing.."why was Michael C. in the bathroom while you were changing?.."Why wasn't your teacher helping you?"..."Did she stop Michael C. from harassing you?"...I bombarded this little girl with questions hoping something she says would make me feel better about this. I'm not sure if she felt as bad as I did, and if my line of questioning might have recast another light on the experience for her. 

I dont think, its okay for little kids (boys and girls) to change together..is that wrong? I don't appreciate the teacher telling my daughter that she doesn't need help changing because she's a "big girl"..and I certainly have no appreciation for Michael C. making fun of my baby because she had an accident ( I got my eye on you little boy!) So am I overreacting? Should I say something to the teacher or is this just par for the course?

I've heard people's feeling on this kind of attachment parenting or overprotection of your children, that it results in 'spoiled and bratty', 'undisciplined', 'disobedient' and even overly independent children but I tend to think that theres enough they have to deal with so early on that my role as a mother needs to cushion some of those realities for as long as I can. 

Barn Project Part I

A. Existing Barn Structure

As  architects, we don't yet have a consistent strategy for finding architectural projects/work, we both work full time jobs in practice and academia and in the past have basically have applied for some projects and gotten recurring work through some of these past clients, colleagues and acquaintances. This is normal in architecture especially for smaller firms; word of mouth and networking is really the norm but in general we treat every project with care and try to go above and beyond the clients requests so they come back when they need more work or refer us to others. 

B. Verifying measurements

Things slowed down over the winter and due to the economic status but once in a while we'll find a project that seems worth the extra effort and I think this might be one of those. We met with the client who is an artist and talked about how to convert this barn located in Highland NY into an artist space. The project would consist of various studio spaces and gallery space in a picturesque setting, alright so its not Italy but its a nice quiet location in upstate NY.  The project seems interesting enough and could be fun for us because of its size (pretty small) and what it entails. As usual the budget is small, at least for architectural services so we're doing it basically for free..or to be fair it may provide enough to pay for the baby's furniture (crib and dresser). Why would an architect work for free? Good questions..well we basically get the experience and the opportunity to work on something you think you may put a project you think is worth. 

So far we've been paid to survey the entire barn, do a code review (sort of) and produce drawings to describe a renovation of the exterior (clean, paint and restore original wood cladding) and interior (new concrete slab/grade beam, interior partitions, insulate and close walls, 'close' it (so its climate controlled not open to the environments) re-design and re-frame two roofs and add some fenestration. 

The first visit was for a quick meeting and survey so we brought our little one and she had a good time pretending to be an architect. It turned out she was pretty helpful in holding the other end of the tape measure until she lost interest! The worst part of surveying old buildings is the dirt and possible "other inhabitants" in the building, in this case there were some birds nests, cobwebs galore, a possible fox and small bugs but I've been surveyed a building where we walked in and there were squatters living (and relieving themselves) out in the open  in the building along with a host of dead animals etc..luckily this was not that bad. Anyway, when its done I'll post a part deux to show the outcome.

'I Think I Canvas Hamper' HACK

My 'Land Of Nod' I think I Canvas Hamper hack.

After the unfortunate demise of my daughters plastic laundry bin (long story..), we have been making due with piles and a hanging laundry bag to put all her dirty clothing in and for me to get them down to the basement where I do the laundry. It not only got to be annoying but also, its teaching her a bad habit..throwing her clothes on the floor because she couldn't reach where the bag hung. Although  I am still working on getting her putting her toys away but at least she was really into putting her clothing in a hamper at bath time and putting her shoes in her room in a nice neat line in the corner, and I saw that all starting to change.

It was partially my fault as well because I haven't been able to put away the laundry fast enough so she sees laundry piles in every room; me, being a 'good example' hasn't been so great. Anyway, after looking for some simple hampers and not really finding what I wanted, I gave in and decided I needed something..anything, I also needed one our new little one as well. So the project began..

I found one at PB kids which I almost ordered embroidered with their names but they got mediocre reviews,  then I found one I liked at Restoration Hardware but it seemed too rugged and it was $79, its a bit expensive at least for Laundry hamper, so I then found these beige (plain) canvas hampers at the Land of Nod for $16.95 and decided it may be fun to try to personalize them with some stencils and paint. It initially began as just wanting to put a standard stencil letter for each one but my lovely husband suggested actually spelling their names out on the hampers as well, sort of like the RH hampers. 

Land of Nod's I think I Canvas Hamper

Restoration Hardware's Salvaged Tarp Laundry Hamper

Process: 

Homemade stencil

We found 4" stencils at Michael's to spell their names out and I decided to make my own stencils for the bigger letters because they didn't have anything I liked or anything big enough at Michael's. I printed the letter on card stock and cut it out with an X-acto knife.

We decided to use a matte grey spray paint and some masking tape to basically try to achieve a slightly uneven, 'standard issue' type effect on each bag. 

Stencils from Michael's

Firstly we taped all the letters together spaced as tight as I wanted them to read, then taped them to a piece of scrap paper to keep the spray paint form getting all over the rest of the bag. At this point we discovered the text was a bit to big and wouldn't fit on the bag as 'Arielle' so since we call her 'Arie' quite a bit we cropped it to say 'Arie'. 

We then taped the entire template to the bag, laid it  down and just sprayed it. 

We did run into some problems because the bags weren't able to be completely flattened due to built in piping (good for making it stand up and bad for trying to mount a stencil).

Stencil after we sprayed the first hamper

Stencil taped to the hamper

Hamper after removing the stencil

I was a bit shocked by the result initially, the flatter the bag is, the more control you will have over the spread of the spray paint, the better (neater) it would have looked but once I got over the initial result, I actually liked the imperfections. It took about 20 minutes to dry and then we filpped it and did the other side with a big 'A'. We also made one for the baby but I won't show this until we have actually officially named her and shared the name with our family and everyone (currently only the three of us know what it is). Obviously, if we stick to the name we have, then she has a cool hamper but as of now you can see that it begins with the letter 'E', if we change it, we can always toss the hamper!

Finished