Hobby...intro.

I have a hobby. I have lots of hobbies, but this post is about the one I have been doing the most lately. Call it nesting, call it spring fever/cleaning, or just call it my hobby, but I have been busy lately. I have been happily busy doing what I love.

Let's back up a bit.

My mom is an incredible crafter. I grew up with her doing HUGE craft shows in hotels about every 6 months. They were a big deal around our house. Our couches, stairs, beds, floors, ect. would be covered with tons of crafts, shelves, goodies, ect., that were being made for the shows. My dad is an amazing wood carver/cutter, so he would do all of the wood work. Mom and and dad would work for hours and hours and hours. Grandma and grandma would also come over and help. My mom sold stuff in stores, made stuff for the house, made all of our Halloween costumes, made prom dresses modest, made curtains, bed spreads, made adorable crafts, made wreaths, made dolls, made rubberband guns, and on an on.
She can sew ANYTHING, she can paint anything, she can craft anything and she is so dang creative it is insane. It was fun to grow up watching her make the things her mind was envisioning.

My parents built their dream home and finished it when I was 10 yrs old. It took them 2 yrs to do it, because THEY built it. Not kidding. It is an absolutely gorgeous and immaculate home. It sits on 2 1/2 acres of thick green grass and gorgeous landscaping. The inside of the home has my mothers amazing creative touch. It has so many awesome nooks and crannies. It is very open and classic looking. Each room has its own unique touch, but they all come together to make one beautiful home. My room was above the garage, complete with vaulted ceilings, cubby holes in the walls, a walk in closet with tons of shelves made by my dad and grandpa, and my own sink and vanity. The boys had an enormous pasture where they spent summer after summer building an entire paintball city complete with underground tunnles, little huts, bridges, a glass viewing area, and even a garden. It was a dream home for us all, and it still is. I come from some very talented, hard working and creative parents.

I, on the other hand, just can't quite match that. When I was little, I would help in the assembly line for the crafts. I would paint eyes on the bunnies, glue legs on the stools, put a dress on a doll, and try to stay out of the way. When the house was being built, I would hammer a nail in here, or help level a pile of dirt there. I helped wallpaper my own room and put some seed down for the lawn. (my parents seeded the entire 2 1/2 acres themselves) And, of course, I loved going to the craft shows and just browsing and looking at all of the amazing things people could create. I loved to watch as my parents made things beautiful.

I can sew something from a pattern and I can craft if someone shows me what to do, but I guess I just got enough of it growing up. I did inherit the amazing ideas and creativity for things, but I did not inherit the ability to make those ideas a reality. My hands just won't make what my mind can see. I never got totally into it because of that. I did come away with something though.

I came away with a deep sense of making a house a home through decorating, painting, coordinating and making things their own kind of beautiful. I gained a deep love of decorating. I got a keen eye for what is cute and hip vs. what is classic and timeless. I learned that if you can envision it, it can be done. I learned, through watching my parents, that any dream can be yours, but you darn better be able to work your bum off for it.

And so my friends, that is why, as I walk around our home and our yard, my mind is constantly swirling with ideas, color schemes, decor ideas, landscaping ideas, and so on. It is in my blood. I can't help it. But I love it. It is my hobby. And I am finding my own way to make my ideas a reality. I may not be able to make everything myself (like my parents and a lot of talented friends), but I am finding ways around that. I am also learning one step at a time, the things that come so naturally to my parents.

The past few months, the ideas have been burning more than ever. Especially with the kids rooms. With our new bedroom set and bedding in our room, I am satisfied with our room for the time being. I can't paint, so I am done for now. I like to keep it simple and elegant.

The kids rooms, on the other hand, have been driving me absolutely crazy! My mind changes so often, that I have hesitated to put any of the ideas swirling around in my head into action. Kids rooms can be so fun, and there are so many ways to make them adorable. I waited until I kept with the same idea for at least a few months before I started putting things in motion. And once I did start, I couldn't stop. In fact, I am still going. It is great! And I have to say, I love how things are looking. I really do.

The thing that kills me the most though, is to walk into a craft store, or a home decor store, and buy something, knowing full well that because of my genetics, I should be able to make that thing. But I can't, so I am letting myself be happy with the fact that I came up with the idea and the colors and the theme all by myself, and I just need help making it a reality.

Because I can't paint (we are renting at the moment), it will be hard for all of you to see the big picture of what I am trying to create. The rooms might look plain, because once the paint is on the walls (when we buy a home), you really don't need a ton of decor. The paint does it for you. And I have some amazing paint ideas in my head. Amazing! In fact, every room in the house is carefully painted in a vault in my brain.

So, I have just been doing what I can with what I have.

With that long and lengthy introduction, I will start posting what I have been up to as far as my "hobby" is concerned. They are little changes, but after so many little changes, the big ones start to appear. There are too many pictures to do one big post, and this one is plenty long, so I will be posting in chunks. I will post the things that I think turned out great, the big mistakes, future ideas, ideas in currently in the works, before and after pictures, ect.
I won't only post about this, but I will post here and there, in between other happenings in our lives.
You may like my ideas or you may think I am just a crazy pregnant woman making a poor attempt at nesting, but regardless, it has been fun, and I like to share things that are fun! Feedback is always welcome.

Stay tuned.....