I'm ready to live not only survive...

I love music.
Very few things speak to my soul the way music does.

The lyrics to one of my favorite songs have been running through my mind quite a lot lately...

The Station...
I've been riding on this train so long,
trying to reach my destination.
Holding out for the perfect place,
hope I find it at the station.
Restlessly I watch the hours,
waiting to pull in.
Feeling like I've wasted time on dreams lost to the wind.

I'm ready to live not only survive
I'm ready to dance like no one's watchin
Climb a mountain, kiss the sky, 
then do it all again.
I'm ready to love like I've never been hurt
I'm ready to sing like no one's listenin
Watch more sunsets,
see the world.
If not now, when?

I've told myself it's all right,
to run without hesitation.
Enjoy the ride and live my life,
cause now I know, there is no station.
No finer place where dreams come true,
no better world than this.
Just moments filled with joy and tears,
where hopes and fears exist.

I'm ready to live not only survive
I'm ready to dance like no one's watchin
Climb a mountain, kiss the sky,
then do it all again.
I'm ready to love like I've never been hurt
Ready to sing like no one's listenin
Watch more sunsets,
see the world.
If not now, when?

Honestly, if I could have written a theme song for my life, this would be it.
I AM ready to live, not only survive.

finding the creativity again...

I am on a new creative journey and it is makin' this girl a happy one!

So, for months I've been wanting to get back into the school scene and get this whole degree thing done, but the timing has been way off... aka: the Lord has other plans for me. :)

Anyone who truly knows me, knows this past year has been particularly difficult.  I've desperately needed something in my life to lift my spirits; and for me that typically comes through using creativity.  God created us and therefor is a creative being, so why would it never cross my mind that He created us to be creative beings as well!?  This is probably why I am my happiest when I am doing something creative with my time. {my light bulb moment} 

One evening while the house was completely quiet I began thinking about the future.  As I said before, this past year has been a tough one, and in all honesty my confidence has been shaken quite a lot.  I just wanted so badly to do something just for me that would not only lift my spirits, but also give me the creative confidence boost I need. Knowing that school isn't an option right now, I kept trying to focus on using the creative skills I already have, but as I mentioned, am lacking in the confidence department. Knowing my love for design I wanted to do something related to that field without having to take on clients, projects and major work loads.  The design field is not a place for someone lacking confidence... art and design are so completely subjective... and either your clients love your work or they hate it.  I'm just not sure I want my work criticized in any way right now... even a constructively criticized way.

So, this quiet evening as I thought about the future I kept getting this "nudge" to look into graphic design.  Honestly I had never thought about graphic design before.  In my mind graphic design was all about logos, branding and web design...and for what ever reason that didn't sound appealing in any way.  Months went by and this "nudge" just kept coming back, so I finally started looking up some programs some friends had mentioned... I instantly felt an excitement I hadn't felt in a really long time, and... I enrolled in the course the very next day.  So, it's not technically school.  It's just a month long online course learning the in's and out's of Illustrator.  I'm one week into it and completely in LOVE!!! I may have a new obsession. ;)

My first official design... a 16x20 adjectives poster for my little miss.

I didn't really think anything of it... the idea originally came from an assignment (design a poster using only text), but when little miss saw it her face immediately brightened up.  She began asking questions and I could tell she loved knowing that I know all of these things about her.

If I gain nothing else out of this experience, this little moment with little miss made this side journey completely worth it!

published...

One of my goals when I graduated from design school was to have my design work published.  So when a friend of mine contacted me a few weeks ago and asked me to write an interior design article for a company that she is the social media manager for, I was over the top excited!  I had about 2 weeks to write it.  My mind was flooded with ideas... it was so much fun and inspiring, and so very fun to get the creative juices flowing again.  I haven't had a lot of time to devote to my design blog lately.  When I do find the means, time and energy to devote to writing about design, this is exactly the kind of design blogger/writer I want to be.  So here's a glimpse into the future possiblities...

New Year, New Look

the crafty christmas...

As I've mentioned before, I L.O.V.E. making gifts rather than purchasing them... and this Christmas is no different.  I love making things because it keeps me busy.  No, I don't think that I'm not already busy enough chasing an almost 2 year old around, I just long for a different type of busy sometimes... the creative busy.  Creativity keeps me sane!  If I'm feeling overwhelmed, anxious, flustered-ish {yes, that is a technical term}, I break out the sketch book, the sewing machine or a gallon of Mod-Podge and my medium of choice, paper!  Making something always seems to put that spring back into my step.  One of my site faves, Pinterest, helps me keep those creative moments flowing with ideas galore!  Here are a few of the things {or a version of} I may be making for my littlest one this year.  On the must make list is the finger puppets and the quiet book... anything to keep this little boy happy at church. He's also getting a stocking full of Hot Wheels... no, he's not old enough yet {technically}for these, but he is obsessed with them, so I need to come up with a carrying case like the one below.

Which ever ideas make it under the tree this year, I do know that making that something special for my little man makes the gift giving process so much more meaningful. {awe... wasn't that a warm fuzzy moment}

{via}

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Are you a Christmas crafter too?  If you spot something fabulous, send the idea my way. :)
For more ideas, check out my Pinterest board, The Little Things in Life...

Happy Christmas Crafting!

an Attitude of Gratitude...

I L.O.V.E. November!  I don't know if it's the crispness in the air, the crunchy leaves under my feet, that one Sunday where we gain an hour of sleep, or the fact that Thanksgiving comes and Christmas is close behind.  Whatever it is exactly, this is definitely my most favorite time of the year.

This year I wanted to foster an attitude of gratitude with my family.  I feel like my kids are very grateful for all that they have, but I thought that taking time to notice those blessings was something I wanted to do with them this year.  This year we created a Thankful Tree...  I followed the idea I found here.

Kayla and I went out on a walk one afternoon to find the perfect branches for our tree... they are a rich red tone.  So perfect for our Thanksgiving~ish decor.  I love them and am so thankful we found them.

It was fun to see what the kids would come up with each day.  Here are some of the things my family is thankful for this year...

    

 

I think this is something we will continue to do every year.  I love the tree!  I think it will be fun to look back each year at the things we were all grateful for the previous year.
It truly is one of my favorite fall decorations.

To keep this perspective year round and encourage the kids to be thankful during prayer, I've posted this saying in our home...

"What if you woke up today with only the things you thanked God for yesterday?"

Be thankful EVERYDAY for everyone and everything in your life... I know for me it changes my attitude about everything and helps me be a little more grateful for the little things {which are usually the most important things}.

~Happy November~

{the decision...}

{the struggle}
I have struggled for months with this whole blogging thing. Actually I think I've been struggling with an identity thing.  I love writing about my family and keeping track of our journey throughout the year.  I love writing about interior design and have had a really strong desire to venture back into that world via blogging.  I was feeling like I was trying to mesh the family blog with a design blog and it just wasn't feeling right.  I love sharing my love for design with anyone and everyone, but sharing my family life with anyone and everyone just isn't for me.  I love my current following of close family and friends, but strangers... no.

{the solution}
Write another blog.  Duh... so simple.  I don't know why I have been so resistant to this idea.  I had a million excuses...  I just don't have time to maintain another blog, it takes me away from my family, I'm a mama right now not a designer, no one is interested in reading it, and on and on.  So, I sat down a few days ago & the inspiration just began to flow.  It came together incredibly quick.  I was so surprised.

{introducing...}
Imperfect Perfectionist {inspired design} Why start another blog completely devoted to inspiration and design?  Because it just makes me happy. :)  I need the creative outlet... desperately!  I also believe a lot of mamas out there get so caught up in being the wife and mom that they lose their identity without even noticing it's been lost.  There is nothing wrong with doing what you love while still being what you love to be {a wife and mama}.  It's funny how writing about your passion evokes a certain happiness.  Now I get to write about both passions... family & design.

What's with the imperfect perfectionist stuff?  I feel like it describes me perfectly.  I'm not only a perfectionist when it comes to being a mom.  I also get super caught up in the little details in design.  Sometimes that can be a good thing, but more often than not, I spend a lot of time focused on stuff that truthfully doesn't matter.  Realizing that perfection isn't realistic or necessary has been my saving grace!  I feel like there are a lot of imperfect perfectionists out there in the world... we tend to be creative people, with grand ideas & good intentions, who are insanely hard on ourselves all the time... when all we want is the best for our family.  So I guess this is my way of saying it's completely okay to be perfectly imperfect.  There, did you feel that?  ...I don't know about you, but I feel a little lighter somehow.

Anyway, thanks for following along as I recreate, reorganize and venture in new directions.

my newest obsession...

I am in designer heaven right now!
I recently stumbled across this website and I am completely in love.
One of my favorite things about design school and working for a design firm was the opportunity I had to make color boards {or mood boards} ALL the time.  There is just something so satisfying about putting together a board.  It's where the idea in my head becomes a real life vision, and it was one of my favorite parts of the design process.

This was my first attempt... {the Vintage Inspired bedroom}


...followed shortly by a second attempt... {the Shabby Southern room}


I am completely obsessed!!!  The program is a work of layering genius and I can't seem to get enough.  I honestly wish this would have been around back while I was in design school.

What I love {and think my design loving friends will love too} is this:

• every item you find and "pin" to your board keeps the link back to the original site where you found it... making it super easy to reference for a client.
• the program itself is super easy to learn and use.
• you can make 2D and 3D boards, which makes your design concept very easy for a client to envision.
• it gets the creative juices flowing... or at least it does for me.
• it's FREE {and who doesn't love free}!
• and finally... you can download the jpg file of your board and send it to a client. {absolute perfection!}

So there you have it... I confess to having a major obsession.  The fact that I walked away from the site long enough to blog about it is a major feat!

Check it out... go do it... now!

i'm back...

I love to write...
some of my favorite classes in college were the writing classes.  My love affair with writing keeps me coming back to the world of blogging over and over again. Does anyone actually read this... I don't know, but I do it because it's something I love to do, which is what really matters after all, right!?

Anyway, these pasts few months I've spent on hiatus have been renewing, refreshing and rehabilitating all in one.  It's been a bit of a bumpy ride, but in hindsight, a bumpy ride worth taking.

I rediscovered the joys of laughing as I took a lesson from this little guy as he took his first ride on a swing alone.  He laughed and laughed {one of those deep belly laughs} like it was the greatest thing he had ever experienced.  I just can't get enough of this little boy!
I need to laugh a lot more, just like this...

Then I rediscovered my love for beautiful places on a recent trip with my family to see the Brigham City temple.  This is probably one of the prettiest temples I have ever visited.  I was amazed by the intricate interior details mixed with the simplicity of the architecture.  The over all design, inside and out, was incredible.

I also rediscovered the joys of family as I spent an afternoon in Park City with my dad.  Lunch, Main Street and the outlet stores shopping for biking gear... yes, you read that right... shopping for biking gear.  Now this is when I wish I had remembered to take a camera with me, but my dad has taken up biking, so we went to the Izumi outlet store in PC so he could find a pair of riding shorts.  All was well until he burst from his dressing room wearing said shorts, while skipping around and singing a song about "men in tights".  $#!*&@#!!!  ...and of course there were other people in the store at the time.  I almost died.

And most recently I rediscovered my love for creating.  I'm not so much a crafter, but I do love creativity and artistry.  I found this lovely project and tutorial on a favorite site and decided to try it out.  I rediscovered why I love making things with my hands... it's incredibly therapeutic and it's always fun to learn a new technique.

Finally, I rediscovered authenticity.  Friends, family, neighbors {basically everybody} are always telling me that I should blog about tutorials, open an Etsy shop or do design work on the side {which is so sweet, kind and flattering btw}.  Maybe someday... but for now I'm enjoying life as a wife, mama, sister, daughter and friend.  My love for design and beautiful creations will take me somewhere wonderful someday, I know that, but for right now I'm loving right where I'm at. 

I recently discovered this wonderful creation by a friend of mine {she always makes the cutest things} and I wanted to share.  Words of wisdom for sure and something I need to read every day.  Now to find a frame and a spot to display it...

xo, Heather

the joy in the journey…

Change is inevitable.  Change is sometimes hard.  I do my best to view change as a good thing... without change there would be no progression.  True change is difficult, but there is no way to know what life has planned for you without change.  My friend Kristi posted this great quote about change in the comments of my last post and I thought I'd share it because it is simply AMAZING!

"All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another."
- Anatole France


I love that last part "...we must die to one life before we can enter another".  That is exactly where I'm at... the crossroad where one life is ending and another is beginning.  And as I'm discovering, I'm facing this more and more as time goes on.

Big change #1 A little less than 2 years ago my life as a single mother was coming to an end.  Blessings and much happiness came from those years of my life.  While those years were tough, it really was a transition to leave that life behind because I truly was leaving a piece of me in the past.  Was this a good change... YES!  Was the change hard to make... oddly enough, yes.  It wasn't just a change for myself.  It was a change for my girls too, and a big one at that!  It's funny that years later I'm still adapting.  I was incredibly independent as a single mommy and find that I need to remind myself often that I now have Brad and don't have to do everything on my own anymore.  It's a work in progress, but I am SO grateful for my sweet husband and his never-ending patience with me. (:

Big change #2 was something I thought I wouldn't have to face for another year... high school graduation.  I attended my youngest brother's high school graduation a few weeks ago.  I didn't expect to experience all of the emotions that came with it!  I look at my beautiful daughter and can't believe that she will graduate from high school in a year!!!  I sat there sobbing at my little brother's graduation for two reasons... 1, I'm happy for him and all the excitement that is coming his way.  And 2, I'm not ready for the changes that are coming with my oldest daughter growing up, graduating and heading off to college.  True, we've been talking about the future and college for quite sometime now, but I guess sitting at this graduation it finally hit me that these changes are coming and they are coming soon, very soon.  I am so in love with this "little" girl and I'm so excited for her future, but am definitely experiencing some melancholy in the process.

Big change #3  Starting the world of mommy-hood all over again from the beginning.  With a 10 year span between K and Z came a variety of change.  Sleep... I don't really remember what that is.  While Zach is a good little sleeper, I forgot what it was like to lose the freedom of an afternoon catnap; and while I would love to sleep in later than 7 a.m. on the weekends, this little boy sees nothing wrong with waking up with the sun.  I had also forgotten the ease that came with older children... something that used to take an hour to accomplish now takes at least 2.  If I needed to run an errand, I did.  Now I either enlist a big sister to babysit or I tow this little boy around with me everywhere... everywhere... all the time.  He's really such a trooper!  Again, the change has come and I'm rolling with the punches, but sometimes those changes are full of learning curves and bumps in the road.  I've discovered that with change comes a lot of JOY!  I love this little boy more than anything {he ranks right up there with his sisters and Brad} and he makes me so happy.  
I would be lying if I didn't admit that there are days when I long to spend time with the old me, or to pack up Kayla's backpack for her and send her off to first grade again... oh, and to maybe take a nap, but with change happening everyday lately I'm reminded how quickly it comes... before I know it I'll be writing about being an empty nester. (:


So many changes in sight... so much excitement.  I may shed a few tears along the way {sniffle, sniffle}, but I will enjoy my journey none the less. 

Here’s to the joy in the journey…

blessings and lyrics...

Nothing inspires me more than lyrics to a good song.
One of my favorite groups to listen to lately is Mercy River.  I love their music.  I love that they are a trio of moms doing what they love... singing.  Their music just makes me happy!  {and you know it's good when the teenagers don't complain about having to listen to it either}

This is one of my favorite listens lately...

Blessings

{From the album Higher}

We pray for blessings, we pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops?
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near?
What if trials of this life
Are Your mercies in disguise?

We pray for wisdom, Your voice to hear
We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
And all the while You hear each desperate plea
And long that we’d have faith to believe

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears?
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near?
And what if trials of this life
Are Your mercies in disguise

When friends betray us, when darkness seems to win
We know the pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home
It’s not our home

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears?
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near?

What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst
This world can’t satisfy?

And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise?

timing is everything sometimes...

BYU Women's Conference was absolutely amazing this year!  And it came at the perfect time as well...
I'm anxiously waiting for transcripts to be available so I can re-read some of my favorite talks. {as a side note, it's well worth a visit to the site to check out past conference archives}

I think what I love the most about Women's Conference is the idea that over 15,000 women from all over the world come together in one common purpose.  That many women singing As Sisters in Zion is an experience like no other.  It's truly an awe inspiring moment! 
I really needed WC this year.  The timing couldn't have been more perfect for me.  It didn't take long for me to realize that the Lord really knows what I'm in need of hearing.  The very first speaker addressed 2 major things that had been weighing heavily on my mind for some time.

The first was the statement that children want a strong mother.  They want a mother that sets standards for them and sticks to it... without waffling.  Ugh... I can be a big waffler at times.  Resisting the urge to waffle is harder than it sounds.  It's even harder when the teenagers band together and gang up on me {this is when I waffle the most}.  It was slightly comforting hearing several thousand women start chuckling.  I'm not the only occasional waffler apparently! 
Being a parent is hard... being a good parent is even harder sometimes!  So, armed with new courage I came home and held a family meeting.  For as long as I can remember I've always had rules in our home about which television programs were okay to watch.  Before things got out of control and busy ( with the move and a new baby) I was very clear about what was and wasn't okay to watch.  Admittedly I had let things slip through the cracks over the past few months, and in all honesty I had waffled along the way quite a lot.  I geared up for my moment to prove I could set rules for my family and not waffle.  I explained to my older daughters that even though a tv rating says they are old enough to watch a certain program doesn't mean the program fits into the design of the lifestyle we are choosing to live in our home.  I openly explained that some shows bring a feeling into our home that I don't want in my home.  I know I can't protect them from what they are exposed to outside of our home, but it's completely my responsibility to be the good mom I know I am and protect them while they are at home!  Our home is supposed to be a safe haven from the world and certain programs leave my home feeling more like the world than I wanted.  I honestly was a little afraid of the reaction I was going to get from them, but surprisingly they agreed to follow the rules without an argument.  Oh my... could the speaker have been right about children WANTING mothers who set standards and stick to it?  I know it may seem a little trivial making a big deal about a few programs on tv, but I wanted to show my family (and mostly myself) that I can set standards and stick to it.  It has been well worth it... the feeling in our home has changed enough that both of my older girls have commented on the difference.  That truly was one of those happy mom moments.

The second was a statement about judging and grudging... and how as women we should support each other and work together to strengthen our homes and families rather than work against each other by judging and holding grudges.  Having just had a personal experience where I was the one being judged by another, this shook me up a little.  This has been quite a difficult experience for me honestly.  It's tough knowing that someone you are close to has been making judgments about you and thinking rather unkind things.  When you are the peacemaker type personality, my first reaction is to make things peaceful and happy... but I don't want to put myself in the position to be hurt the same way again.  This talk helped to change my view though.  The speaker helped me process the reality that as a woman and a mother it's completely okay to surround myself and my family with women who are uplifting, supportive and compassionate, and to forgive and let go of those who can't be that for me.  I learned that it doesn't make me a bad person for letting go of people who don't support me in being the best me that I can possibly be.  I can forgive without having to be close to this person anymore, and that's okay.  It's also okay to LOVE from afar for a while.  We don't always know the reason behind the actions of others... it's possible that a personal struggle in their life is unfairly being projected onto you, putting you (or me) in the crossfire.  You just never know.  {Apologies for the personal post}

The timing of WC was perfect.  These past 2 weeks since the conference have been a rejuvenating process for me and I am amazed at how quickly the rebuilding and repairing has been.  It's been enlightening.  As a creative person stress seems to have a huge impact in so many areas of my life sometimes.  When I'm stressed and have a lot on my mind, the creativity just doesn't seem to flow like it should.  I'm grateful that I'm beginning to feel like my creative self again.  The timing couldn't have been more perfect.  Maybe this will lead to an upcoming post involving creativity somehow.  Sigh......

I kind of like who I am... most days :)

I came across this article last week and it really got me thinking. It's one of those articles that's a little sad in a way, but incredibly true... and then I remembered this talk by President Uchtdorf from the October 2011 Relief Society general session of General Conference, which I thought went along nicely with the subject.

Articles like this seem to be everywhere these days, and it's sad to think that so many women out there are feeling so much pressure to be everything to everyone, all the time. (I'll admit, I get caught up in this from time to time).  The article talks about seeing what others do on Pinterest and Facebook and blogs etc... which then leads to feelings of being overwhelmed and inadequate.  It's funny, for me, Pinterest and Facebook don't do this to me.  For me Pinterest is purely inspirational, and Facebook, well, I don't get on fb all that often, but I do occasionally love to catch up with friends that don't live so close anymore.  I do know however that design blogs, craft blogs, and certain tv programs (design and diy related) tend to leave me feeling a little 'depressed'.  I know this about myself though and know that I'm just better off not venturing into that world.  So with a little (or a lot) of self discipline, I do my best to just stay away from those things.

I do have to wonder why though; why do we waste our precious time cataloging our flaws, weaknesses and inadequacies?  And who's to say that because you don't have an immaculate, neatly decorated home with gourmet meals gracing your dinner table nightly, all while juggling a career and family, with 10 diy projects happening at once, that you are in any way inadequate? It may be what someone somewhere considers underachieving, but let's be realistic... it's really not... realistic, that is!
For me the key is finding my authentic me... I kind of like who I am (most days :) )...

About a year and a half ago I was having a particularly tough day.  It was one of those days when every little thing seemed to be a huge ordeal.  Day upon day of upset and frustration had built up to this moment of feeling completely unhappy, overwhelmed and inadequate.  I was very aware of everything I was doing wrong.  One evening during a 'complaint session' to my husband, he asked such a simple question; "well, what makes you happy?"... I honestly didn't know at that moment.  In fact, if remember right, I got frustrated with him and told him to go away.  It was such a simple question, but so hard to answer at that moment.  I had spent so much time focusing on everything I was failing at, that I had forgotten about all I had accomplished.  I had forgotten about the happy little things that make me truly feel good at the end of the day.  His simple question just wouldn't leave me alone, so I got out a notebook and pen and made a list.  I know, it seems silly to make a list of what makes a person happy, but I love lists and knew that if I were going to get this question off of my mind it would have to make its way onto a list.  This list really helped me clear through all the junk that had cluttered my life, and helped me refocus my energy into what truly matters to me.  I've kept that list to this day.  My list makes no mention of losing 10lbs, finishing the basement, organizing my closet, planning some big party or making scrapbooks for all of my kids.

My authentic me finds happiness in cuddling with Krystian reading a book, pouring through paint swatches, tickling Zachary's tummy, teasing my husband, checking my daughter out of school for a 'dr. appt.' and taking her to lunch instead (yes, I'm a rebel, I know), girls nights, rearranging furniture, sketching for hours, and on and on...

President Uchtdorf said it best in his talk... "Never stop striving for the best that is within you.  Never stop hoping for all of the righteous desires of your heart.  But don't close your eyes and hearts to the simple and elegant beauties of each day's ordinary moments that make up a rich, well-lived life".

cataloging inspiration...

One of my favorite things about design school was creating resource binders. I LOVED resource binders because it was a system of cataloging and organizing things I loved to look at. If I was ever in need of design inspiration I cracked open one of my many binders. I love to inspire and be inspired... then add organization to the mix and I am in heaven! I was elated when I found a way to catalog and organize online. I am completely obsessed with this website... and if you are looking for a way to get organized, whether it's recipes you find online, books you want to read or craft projects you want to try, I highly recommend checking it out. What I love about it is this... say you find a recipe online that you'd love to try sometime... rather than print it out and file it in a recipe binder, you "pin" a photo of the recipe to your very own recipe board on the site. When you are ready to use that recipe, simply click on your "pin" and you'll be linked to the original recipe. As I said... I'm pretty much obsessed with it!

Here's what has been inspiring me lately...
(the someday when I get my pre-baby body back outfit)

Source: polyvore.com via Heather Anne on Pinterest

And this...
(yummy rug)

Source: thenester.com via Heather Anne on Pinterest

Oh and this...
(drooling over this cinnamon roll cupcake)

Source: foodfolksandfun.blogspot.com via Heather Anne on Pinterest

And this adorable thing...
(if only I knew how to knit... sigh)

Source: flickr.com via Heather Anne on Pinterest

And someday I want to do this to little Zachary's room...

Source: ohdeedoh.com via Heather Anne on Pinterest

I could go on and on. Get inspired...