Fancy House Road » keighley

DIY: Valentine’s Day Paper Packages

keighley — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 04:16:14 +0000

Around 6 o’clock this evening, I decided to snuggle with my heating pad for a few minutes. It’s been a long week and bedtime, the time for which I usually save my heating pad therapy, just seemed too far away. So with thoughts of how my hypothyroid and freezing house justified my crawling into bed, I turned the heating pad on high and took a break.

Well, not five minutes later, Michael decided that he was cold and wanted to “share” the heating pad for a bit. In order for both of us to use the heating pad we had to get some serious cuddling on. We had 18 inches to work with so Michael literally held me to him so I wouldn’t be pulled off the heating pad by my own body weight. Despite the most awkward position ever, we both started to fall asleep… the power of the pad. In my heating pad induced stupor, I completely forgot about Michaels tendency to spasm while sleeping. So imagine how wonderful I felt when out of nowhere my body was being simultaneously bucked, squeezed, punched, thrown and pulled. My body went into such a fight or flight mode that my heating pad session was officially called off at 6:15 pm.

In more relevant blog news, today I took a short break from work to get my glitter on.

Materials: Mod Podge, Loose Glitter, Glassine Candy Bags, Glittered Scrapbook Paper, Heart Hole Punch.

Instructions: Apply a thin layer of Mod Podge to the bottom 1/4 of your candy bag with a brush or via a dipping process. Immediately sprinkle loose glitter on the Mod Podged area. Shake to remove unnecessary glitter and let dry. Using the heart hole punch, punch the glittered scrapbook paper until you have enough heart to help seal the candy bags. Finally, stuff with small candies, fold the top of the bags over and seal with the heart cutouts.

Once materials are all collected this process is very quick! Definitely an easy and fun activity to do with the kids… however goggles may be required.

Design Inspirations: Fancy House Road’s Houzz

keighley — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 01:54:37 +0000

Have you heard of Houzz? For a couple years now the FHR girls have used Houzz for design inspiration, home tips, and product recommendations. If any of those things sound appealing to you, then you do not want to miss out on this incredible site! Well, recently we were contacted by a friend at Houzz and told about their IDEABOOKs.

Lets just say by the time our meeting came to an end, we all had our IDEABOOK pins added to our browser toolbars! As we begin our IDEABOOKs journey on Houzz, we thought we better invite you readers to start your own. If you’re interested, here is what you need to know about houzz.com and starting your own IDEABOOK- click here, here, here and here. I’m so excited about this I couldn’t help but share 4 links!

Also, check out our profile. We are just getting started so look forward to more IDEABOOKs soon.

Special thanks to houzz!

ELLE DECOR: Cleaning House

keighley — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 01:13:51 +0000

Today I stumbled upon an article titled Cleaning House while casually clicking around on Elle Decor. Intrigued by the title (the word clean always gets my attention. I wonder if it’s a product of having ~~OCD~~ parents? Nah.) I clicked on the article. I soon discovered that Cleaning House was formatted and written just for me. If I had a design guide for 2012, these five points would be it!

• Ronda Carman suggests that books as props have a short shelf life! Always remember that ‘An object added for effect instead of affection will always look like an affectation.’ -Rose Tarlow

• Antiques dealer Richard Shapiro lobbies for collecting furnishing and accessories from different time periods. He expresses himself quite boldly when he states the, “monotony of one midcentury room after another, all with predictable, gratuitous, gimmicky accessories.”

• Mary McDonald declares it’s time to retire brightly lacquered Hollywood Regency furniture. She begs, “I think we all have seen enough garage-sale junk sprayed in high-gloss Skittles colors to last through the next century.”

• Designer Mario Buatta singles out “dysfunctional decoration!” He abhors how design today is done for styling and has nothing to do with living.

• Finally Sheila Bridges hopes the DIY craze has run its course. She states that she’s seen enough “earthy, handmade concoctions. Just because it can be reclaimed doesn’t mean it should be.”

Personally I think these designers are spot-on with there 2012 design suggestions. Just don’t come knocking at my door because my own decor frightful. We’re working on it!

In conclusion, sometimes I regretfully ponder how we’ve enjoyed the beautiful furnishings and craftsmanship of older generations. I have a beautiful hutch in my front room that was made in the 1800′s. Despite the few bangs and bruises, it is a gorgeous piece that has and will survive for generations to come. Then I think of our generation…

I apologize now to my future posterity that get to look forward to an overwhelming number of spray painted tables, DIY pillows, bedazzled lampshades and repurposed fluff.

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One Mama Roundup: Top Product Picks for Getting and Staying Fresh and Clean

keighley — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 23:18:05 +0000

With two of the FHR girls just having had babies, now is the perfect time to share my favorite products for keeping clean. For my final guest post, here is the roundup of my favorite products to keep those smiling little faces clean and those precious little fannies fresh throughout the new year!

#1 MVP: bumGenius Flip All-in-One Diapering System

This was the very first thing I started researching after I learned I was pregnant. I left the doctor’s office with a swag bag full of formula samples, diaper and wipe samples and some parent-focused magazines. I was thumbing through the pages of one of them when I came upon a bumGenius advertisement. I had never seen anything like it! The thought of old school cloth diapers didn’t appeal to me too much but neither did the thought of mounds and mounds of diaper waste on its way to the landfill. When I learned there was something like this that made cloth diapering much more convenient, I was intrigued. After pouring over pages and pages of online reviews, we decided to stock the nursery with these babies. My daughter was quite small when she was born—she wore premie clothes until she was almost three months—so we had to wait to try them out but when we did, we were thrilled. We had used disposable diapers until she was big enough for the bumGenius and we had leaks, diaper rash, and that unmistakable diaper pail smell wasn’t something I was thrilled about. Once we began using the bumGenius, leaks were far less frequent and diaper rash almost never happens anymore. I haven’t found them to be much less convenient than disposables and of course, the savings doesn’t hurt! We also invested in some doublers and the diaper sprayer—both must-haves, in my opinion, if you’re going to go the cloth diapering route.

#2 RLR Laundry Treatment

This is the product I didn’t know I needed until I KNEW I needed it. I read in most of the forums I consulted during my diaper research about products used to “strip” the cloth diapers. I was sure exactly what it meant but I gathered it was the remedy when the diaper situation got a little funky. I didn’t really need it at the time but decided I’d go ahead and order a few. I was glad I did because eventually, things did get funky. It’s kind of an inevitable situation when you opt for cloth diapering. This stuff does a great job neutralizing odors and brightening everything up. We add one of these to the diaper laundry about every two months (unless we need it sooner) and almost a year later, we’re still running on the original set of diapers.

#3 Honorable Mention: Boudreaux’s Butt Paste

I have tried MANY diaper ointments and honestly this is the only one I need. This stuff clears up diaper rash at lightning speed. Enough said!

#4 Mustela Foam Shampoo

After we came home from the hospital, my daughter developed a mild case of cradle cap. This stuff did wonders to clear it up. I tried several homeopathic remedies I read about online and nothing seemed to make a dent until I tried this stuff. Full disclosure—I received it as a gift and did not have to pay the relatively high price to buy it myself. I’d squeeze a bit of this on the baby’s head, massage, comb through and rinse and within a couple of weeks, her little head was beautifully flake free. I loved the fact that it was a nice, wet foam because I could apply it to a dry head and save a step. The cap was also great for rinsing!

#5 Burt’s Bees Baby Bee Wash and Lotion

I’m going to be honest. I know Johnson & Johnson baby is the standard. All the hospitals use it. I continued to use the little bottle I brought home from the hospital. But I’ve found that my sense of smell is tied very closely to my memory. Every time I cracked that little bottle open to give my daughter a bath, my mind was transported back to the day she was born. It was, for sure, one of the best days of my life for obvious reasons, but it was also one of the longest, most exhausting, most emotional days I’ve ever had and, frankly, I don’t need to be remembering every uncomfortable detail while I’m bathing my kid. I lived through it. Isn’t that enough?!! So I set off to find something that was gentle and natural, something that worked well but was easy to rinse and something that smelled amazing. This stuff fit the bill. The wash is super gentle and rinses clean, the lotion is rich and creamy but absorbs quickly and leaves my baby’s skin soft and supple. And it smells incredible (to me it smells a bit like honey and apricots). And of course, I don’t have any other memories tied to it in my brain which allows me to just be in the moment with my daughter. And that’s a VERY nice thing!

#6 Johnson’s Hand and Face Wipes

Let’s face it—you can’t give the baby a bath every day. But it sure seems like they can find a new way to get gross and sticky everyday! That’s where these wipes come in. In between baths, after meals and on the go, these babies are a handy, quick way to get your messy little munchkin reasonably clean. And they smell great! On those non-bath nights, I like to whip one of these out and do a quick little sponge bath from top to bottom.

#7 Baby Washcloths

This is one thing I really didn’t think I needed. Why on earth would this kid need her very own washcloths? Surely I can just use mine, right? Well, I tried, anyway. I don’t know why it didn’t occur to me that the fact that my washcloths were large enough to be blankets for this baby might be a problem. I tried once to use a normal washcloth and it didn’t go well. The real issue came when trying to wash her face, which of course is the first thing that gets washed. No matter how I tried to hold the washcloth or how I positioned my hands, I just couldn’t prevent all the excel cloth from falling on her face. As I was struggling to do a tricky, slippery job with one hand and the wrong tool, I thought to myself, “This is nuts! She’s so tiny and this washcloth is so huge! What I really need is a…” Yup. A baby washcloth. Turns out it’s not so useless after all. (Note: the Gerber baby washcloths are the ones I use. They’re nicely sized, lightweight and inexpensive.)

#8 American Red Cross Baby Oral Care Kit

Okay, you don’t really need an entire kit, but I would definitely recommend two things—a fingertip toothbrush to help you get started and a regular infant toothbrush. We started a tooth brushing routine as soon as we could detect little pearly whites pushing toward the surface and now it’s a regular part of our bedtime routine. Luckily, my little one has been quite fond of having her teeth brushed since the beginning. When you first get started, a water resistant bib is also a handy thing to have. She drooled so much that she’d soak through a normal bib and get slobber all over her jammies and a second wardrobe change is definitely not a part of the bedtime routine!

A Special Note of Thanks

As I close out the final One Mom Roundup, I’d like to thank Cammie for having me on. It was a blast sharing my favorite things with all of you!

Jess

Another fresh new year is here

keighley — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 17:06:23 +0000

Is it really 2012? Call me crazy, but I am 100% certain time is speeding up. Seriously, it is. People are still claiming that there are 24 hours in a day, however I think time has warped somehow making it faster. In fact, I bet there is an equation out there that goes along with my theory… if only I had paid more attention in my Physics courses! Dang.

Well 2011 ended better than it began. I am counting the year a success and feeling very grateful.

1. Landrie Ellette (Ashley’s little girl) arrived a few days before Christmas. I am thrilled that I was able to compose myself enough to stay in the room during her delivery. Watching a little baby come into the world is miraculous.

2. Decided I needed a picture with pregnant Patti. As the auntie, I felt it was my duty to have an impromptu maternity shoot at a wedding. Pictures last a lifetime..

3. Along with a baby and impromptu maternity shoot, 2011 ended with a wedding. I loved spending time with family; even with a leaky nose and aching lungs.

4. Finally got my brother (in law) to give me one of his teapot creations. It only took a year…

5. Started 2012 with Mother Nature. We initially planned to end 2011 with a hike, but luckily we ran out of time. I don’t think anything beats starting a new year like being outside enjoying our beautiful planet.

Wishing A Merry Christmas With tinyprints

keighley — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 02:24:02 +0000

We’ve been bad bloggers lately. I remember all of us talking in August about how crazy November, December, and January would be, but I could not have guessed the insanity of it all. In fact, I wish I could go back to August and opt out of everything I agreed to! Kidding.

Life is crazy, but wonderful. Along with getting to participate in all the hustle and bustle of the season, we are anticipating the arrival of two beautiful baby girls! This means, Camberley is gearing up for maternity leave… no easy task for someone who puts her heart and soul into her company. Ashley on the opposite side of the spectrum, is not gearing up for maternity leave… she already has two little monsters that will continue to demand time, love, and attention.

The rest of us are trying to sort through our own responsibilities and to-do lists. As I was pondering over our blog abandonment I realized, the blog is like family, you know that even if you don’t make enough time for them, they will always be waiting to love you when you return. So in actuality, our ignoring Fancy House Road only means we love it and know it loves us. Now the blog waiting around is obviously a tad different then the readers… We won’t ponder those possibilties. ha.

One thing we did manage to find time for this month was ordering our Fancy House Road holiday cards from tinyprints! Being that it’s only Michael and I, I’ve always ignored the possibilty of sending out holiday cards. I thought, too much of a hassle and not enough time. Wow, I guess there is a theme to my life… I’m always going on and on about time. I feel a resolution coming on…

Well, I’m happy to have discovered that I’m no longer opposed to holiday cards! I volunteered to place our order on tinyprints and I could not believe how easy it was. Have you used tinyprints? I’m probably the last to know about it, but I love it. Since I didn’t have all of your addresses or near enough cards, I wanted to share what we sent out to some of our favorite bloggers.

Have a wonderful week and we promise to pop in as often as we can! I will also keep you updated on any baby news.

Side note: I may or may not send out some Valentines cards to make up for not sending out Christmas cards the last 5 years! Here are my favorite:

Or I may just get this for Michael!