Avery's World

The big kids started back to school this week, and I have to say, I've felt more busy than when they were home!  How is that possible?  Avery's been home with me (her preschool doesn't start until after Labor Day), and I realize how much I rely on the boys to keep her busy during the day!  Entertaining a four-year-old can be mentally exhausting!  But between the occasional moments of weakness when I caved and let her watch Dora for a bit, and those wonderful occasions when she got caught up in a story with her Little Pet Shop animals, I was able to do a bit of work in her art journal!

 

 

I did a spread about being the flower girl at my sister's wedding in April.

 

And another one about performing in her first dance recital in May.

 

 These were the first two spreads in her newest journal, since I finished her last one a few months ago.  (You can see all of her past journal spreads here.)  It most likely will be her last art journal, if I follow suit with the boys and switch over to Project Life when she turns five...

 

 Since I was in her room taking pictures of her scrapbook, I thought I'd take some quick photos of what her room's looking like these days.  It's still close to when I did her official room tour, but a few things have been added or changed around (not to mention things are a bit messier now!).

 

 I put this little dresser in her room, and she keeps her play jewelry, play makeup, and other little bits here.

 

Messy bed and lots of toys!

 

 I also moved this dollhouse in here, since my studio's obviously a little full these days!  We put a lazy susan on the bottom, and it works really well over in the corner.  I wouldn't say she plays with it a ton, but she does every so often, and it's just so pretty there, isn't it?

 

Anyway, just a little peek into Avery's world lately.  I love her to bits, but I'll be happy to have some time to myself in a week! 

 

 

Look Who's Four!

Miss Avery turned four yesterday!

 

I dressed her in a little vintage Polly Flinders dress, and took some birthday photos of her.

 

She reminds me a lot of myself as a girl in these photos.

 

While I definitely was a bit more "cheek"-y, I still see the resemblance!

 

I love the above photo- I wish it were a little sharper, but still so pretty!

 

 When all the serious photos were done, it was time to go on the swings!

 

And since I'm showing comparison photos, here are a couple.  The one on the left is from her second birthday, and the one on the right from her fourth.  My goodness, is that even the same girl?  Such a baby then, and such a real GIRL now!

 

 She opened a few photos while still dressed nice and pretty.

 

 Then she changed into more comfortable clothes (I made that "4" shirt for Noah when he turned four!) and opened some more.

 

 One of her gifts was this cat I made from a vintage pattern.

 

 

He's made from a beautiful teal velvet, with a vintage sheet used for the underside.

 

He's a little difficult to take photos of, because of his position, but he is definitely nice to hug!

 

 She also got this adorable kitty made by Diane Mars of Saturday Finds.  I've always admired these cute little figures she makes, and knew Avery would love a kitty cat.  Diane was sweet enough to rush my order to me (I forgot to order until last week!), and as you can see, Avery loves her kitty!

We've all had a fun couple of days celebrating with our little sweetie.  She's such a fun girl, and we're so glad to have her in our lives!  Happy Birthday, Avery!

 

Addressing My Front Room

The room at the very front of our house has always been a bit of a problem for us.  It's sort of awkwardly-shaped, and doesn't really serve a purpose other than as my computer room.  So, as a result, it's usually where the leftover furniture goes until we decide what we're doing with it! 

 

 However, I've recently decided to try and work with what I have in there, and make it as pretty as possible!  Above you see one side of the room.  The two big leather recliners are really leftovers, as I mentioned above, but for now, they're here.  The black piece of furniture is my computer desk, and I've conveniently moved my computer chair out of the photo since that's prettier!

 

 Here's the other side of the room.  If you've seen my Christmas decorating, you'll know that this is where I usually display my vintage Christmas décor.  I recently moved the two green side tables there, and I really love how the space is filled up!

 

 My favorite part of the newly redesigned space is my gallery wall. I previously just had the center piece hanging up, but gathered all the other frames and hung them around it.  I love how feminine and frilly it looks!  (If you've got an eagle-eye, you'll notice this close-up arrangement is slightly different from the other shots- of course, since I took the original photos, I've already done some rearranging!)  Most of these frames are from Hobby Lobby.

 

 I have to laugh, because I'm also seeing other elements that have been slightly rearranged since I took these photos- ha!  Oh well, this is what it looked like a couple weeks ago, anyway!

 

The dollhouse will be staying there though, because it's one of the only shelves in the house where it actually fits!  Plus, the colors match fairly well!

 

 

I can't believe school starts in less than two weeks!  The summer has flown by.  I'm ready to have some time to myself again, but I am not looking forward to making lunches, managing homework, and being a chauffeur to and from the tons of activities that I'm already for-seeing  for the upcoming year!!