I Get By With A Little Help From My Friends...

Hello Friends! 

 So, I missed a week, but had a damn good reason. I hurt myself at the gym - in a MAJOR way. What I thought was a rib out, was really just a super intense pulled muscle, at least that is what the doc thinks. It was the kind of hurt that makes it extremely difficult to breathe, let alone walk. It happened while I was doing a dead lift in one of my group fitness classes. When I came up from the lift, something literally snapped in my back which caused my back to seize up, sent my body into shock, and had me on my ass in seconds flat!! Seriously. That was some INTENSE, scary, and horrible pain! Thankfully my doc put me on some heavy duty drugs last week. This morning I still am tender in some spots, but seem to back on the mend thanks to some really wonderful friends and my mama! 

 I mean, these incredible women picked up my babies from school, cleared their schedule so they could do some bodywork on me, they helped carry me to get in/out of the car, they drove me to the doctor's, then the hospital, they called/texted me around the clock to make sure I was okay. In addition to all of this, my AMAZINGLY WONDERFUL mom ran my roost with ease, a gentle heart, and didn't blink an eye or break a sweat in the process of it all. As soon as I called her to tell her what was going on, she got in her car and was on her way over. How do I ever begin to say 'thank you' to each of you? Thank you for loving my babies when I couldn't. Thank you for staying with me for an entire week, nursing me back to health. Thank you for being so incredibly unselfish when you had enough on your own plate to deal with. THANK YOU.

These women, my dearest of friends, did it all without issue. They did it with love. They helped with a smile. As a whole, they were a well oiled machine! So, today, I'll just make this a personal post and give a great big shout out to those I adore and love. And please know I am so much better and stronger today because of YOU! So, to my Mom, Marce, Michelle, Christie, Miechaela, and Char, my heart is FULL because of you and the unselfish ways you chose to help me last week. It did not go unnoticed. 

Let us be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.

-Marcel Proust

There is a magnet in your heart that will attract true friends. That magnet is unselfishness, thinking of others first; when you learn to live for others, they will live for you.

-Paramahansa Yogananda

And a huge 'thank you' comes from my husband while he was away on business all last week. He thanks you for loving me and taking care of me and the boys when he couldn't. If you don't have solid friendships and love in your life, then you have nothing at all. To my friends and my Mama...Thank you and I love you! 

xoxoxo,

Nicole, aka The NorCal Contessa

Bedknobs Without Broomsticks

Bedknobs and Broomsticks. Who remembers that Disney classic? The little boy's bed has been cast with a magical flying spell, and it flies to Naboombu in hopes of saving Mother England. The bed flies, people! What little kid doesn't want to experience flying from their cozy bed? I know I did when I was little. Anyway, this post has nothing to do with the movie itself, but I will talk about my boys' beds! I just needed a somewhat catchy title to get your attention ;-)

I finally finished the boys spindle beds, just in time for my oldest's 6th birthday! I used the Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Paris Grey, which is to die for because there is the slightest trace of blue and I love that! Have you heard of Chalk Paint? It's amazing. Let's talk about the product, shall we? Annie Sloan, who is the creator of said paint, is the Queen Bee of the painted furniture craze. Like the name, it has a 'chalky' finish but the beauty of it is that it can be polished to a subtle sheen with a little or a lot of buffering. First coat dries within 10-20 minutes. I know, that's crazy, right?! You'll want to finish off your piece and seal it with furniture wax. Annie has her own wax that she sells, but I just went down to the hardware store and bought Minwax and it got the job done just fine! Here is a little shot of the paint below:

The beds turned out really well. I ended up applying two coats before distressing and waxing with the help of my uber crafty mother-in-law. Although I think I was a little heavy on the distressing. I get so carried away. I sit there, distress, and say to myself "That's awesome! You're awesome!" Then a couple days go by and I think..."huh...you went cray-cray on the distressing." Thankfully it's easy to go back and just retouch the spots that need a little TLC. Then seal it with the wax and you're set. I have fallen in love with chalk paint because of how easy it is to use. It's foolproof! Even the most novice of DIY'ers (ahem...moi) can create the most beautiful of pieces with this paint. There are a ton of chalk paint tutorials on YouTube, but one of my favorites is this gal, Christen from Blue Egg Brown Nest. 

                      

 Fun Fact: These beds have been in my family for 40 years! They belonged to my Noni and Nono, who gave them to my cousins, who then gave them back to my Noni and Nono. Did you follow that? These are the beds my sisters and I used to slumber in, at my grandparents, when we were little girls. Surprisingly, they were in pretty good condition!                

Lucky is really good at pointing out the aesthetics of the bed ;-) 

You can get a little idea of what one of the beds look like. It was so tricky getting both beds in the photo based on the way the room is laid out. Let's hear it for a TWIN mattress...WOOT! WOOT!

 I am really happy with how they turned out. The best part is the boys have REAL beds, not mattresses sitting on the floor anymore, and they are a family heirloom to boot! Yay for us! Now that you've been slightly schooled in chalk paint, you should go out, purchase a can or two, and create something amazing!

Creatively Yours,

The NorCal Contessa

All He Wants For Christmas Is His 2 Front Teeth...

This kid.

What.Am.I.Going.To.Do?! He's losing teeth left and right O_o. In the past 2.5 months, this kid has lost 3...1,2,3 teeth. Months ago, the dentist said it was going to happen.

"So Nicole, Mase has 4 loose teeth which will probably all be out by the end of summer. Just wanted to give you a head's up." 

Me: "Huh!?" 

Mase: "AWESOME!" 

Well, Dr. Ray wasn't kidding. All but one of those little Chiclets have dropped out of that handsome little mouth of his. 

So when Dr. Ray told me about this upcoming milestone, I decided I needed to make him a Tooth Fairy Pillow! Don't know what that is? It's a pillow...wait for it...that holds teeth...for the Tooth Fairy to collect! And in return she leaves behind a little George Washington, if you catch my drift ;-) My Italian Noni had made me and my sisters our very own tooth fairy pillows when we were little. I loved that little pillow. It was a scarecrow, in a perfectly stitched straw hat, the bluest of overalls with red and orange little patches in all the right places. The scarecrow's overalls had a top pocket deep enough for a little pearly white to sit comfortably. I can see it now! But what I loved most about it was that she made it. By heart. By hand. It made an impression on me. Anyway, I searched the web for the perfect tooth pillow and hated them all for one reason or another. Until I came upon one of my favorite blogs, Suzanne, over at Just Another Hang Up (justanotherhangup.blogspot.com). She had these darling templates for a tooth fairy pillow. Done deal. I headed out to JoAnne Fabrics, bought some bold colors of fabric and it was game on! Here is our version of Suzanne's "Manfred the Tooth Fairy Pillow:"

It was pretty simple to do. The template called for a 10" pillow, but I chose to make ours a little larger at 12" instead (in case I royally screwed up...which I did in a few places).  I wanted to add a little personal touch and homage to my late Noni, so I hand stitched his name across the top and everything else was done in applique for the most part. So now Mase has a tooth fairy pillow of his very own. I'm excited to make little brother one of his very own soon too! This post is dedicated to my late Noni. For my Noni Eva, who made an impression on my heart and who still inspires me from the heavens above. This little pillow is for you xoxo

Creatively Yours,

NorCal Contessa

1st Things First, I'm The Realest...

Hello? Is it me you're looking for?! Did you just read that in Lionel Ritchie's voice? I sure hope so...otherwise I look like a total weirdo. Hello World, I'm Nicole aka The NorCal Contessa. Yep. I did it. I decided to share my love of everything DIY with a side of photography and cooking (who am I kidding...99.9% BAKING, people!!). I live in Northern California suburbia with my two rowdy boys and kick ass husband. Here I'll try channeling a little mix of Martha Stewart-meets-Ina Garten-with the likes of Ansel Adams. Totally makes sense, right? I know! Let's see if I can pull it off though....!

I've always had my hands intertwined in some sort of project. I LOVE to create. Be it behind my lens (check out me, Nicole Haldeman Photography at http://www.nicolehaldemanphotography.com/ and http://nicolehaldeman.zenfolio.com), constructing and sewing everything baby,  or dabbling in sweet-tooth confections. If I'm not creating, I'm laying on the kitchen floor going "OMGwhatamIgoingtodotoday?" Ha! Anyway, I'm here to create for myself, my family...and FOR YOU! Is there something you see here and you'd like it replicated for yourself or home, just let me know! Stay tuned as I turn up this mutha and add all my favorite projects I currently have going on :)

Creatively Yours,

The NorCal Contessa