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Oct 18 2016

painting pachyderms {songbird’s birthday party}

Posted by hayley
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This past weekend we celebrated Songbird’s 8th birthday!

Birthday Painting Party | greyhouseharbor.com

She decided on a party themed around her favorite animal: elephants. So we planned a painting party where I would lead her friends in creating a pachyderm piece of art to take home. My studio was set up with mini tabletop easels and 12″ x 12″ canvases, on which I had pre-drawn the basic design.

Birthday Painting Party | greyhouseharbor.com

In lieu of “goody bags,” her guests got to take home their paintings, easels, painter’s palette and brush set.

Birthday Painting Party | greyhouseharbor.com

To protect everyone’s party attire, I sewed each girl an art smock — made from those big TJ Maxx reusable shopping bags: waterproof and adorable. Win!

Birthday Painting Party | greyhouseharbor.com

We kept the rest of the decor fairly simple. A few Martha Stewart accordion lanterns that were gathering dust in the back of my closet made their way out into the sunshine — strung up among the kitchen pendants. The balloon elephant was courtesy of a carnival entertainer from the elementary school fair the night before. And did you know that Coldstone will pop whatever trinket you want atop a custom ice cream cake? Mint chocolate chip ice cream and chocolate cake with chocolate ganache frosting, YUM.

Birthday Painting Party | greyhouseharbor.com

Once everyone was suited up in their aprons, we got to painting. I showed them each step on my own canvas as they followed along. We used acrylic craft paint and talked about proper brush size/shape for different strokes. The colored brushes really helped with this… “For the teal background, we’re going to use our purple brush.”

Birthday Painting Party | greyhouseharbor.com

Birthday Painting Party | greyhouseharbor.com

Birthday Painting Party | greyhouseharbor.com

Birthday Painting Party | greyhouseharbor.com

Half way through the artists took a break for gifts and cake.

Birthday Painting Party | greyhouseharbor.com

In all the years that Handsome has traveled for work, this was the first of our kids’ birthdays he wasn’t able to attend. But he made sure to join in via Skype for awhile.

Birthday Painting Party | greyhouseharbor.com

Birthday Painting Party | greyhouseharbor.com

Some girls finished sections quickly and others really took their time. It was cute to watch them walk around complimenting and encouraging each others’ progress.

Birthday Painting Party | greyhouseharbor.com

Birthday Painting Party | greyhouseharbor.com

The party lasted about 2.5 hrs, which was long enough to get most of the paintings dry with the help of a hair dryer. In the end, everyone’s project turned out fantastic. They were excited to show them off to their parents and siblings.

Birthday Painting Party | greyhouseharbor.com

Birthday Painting Party | greyhouseharbor.com

Handsome and I are so proud of the young lady that Songbird is growing into. Lover of all the animals, singer of made up songs, reader of real chapter books, fluent in emoji, puppy snuggler, friend hugger, expert swimmer and adventure seeker. Lawfully old enough to ride without a car seat and half way to a drivers license. We love her to pieces. Happy 8th Birthday, sweet girl!

Birthday Painting Party | greyhouseharbor.com

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Tags: birthday, birthday party, our life, painting, songbird
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3 comments
Apr 11 2014

the playroom : it’s always sunny in here

Posted by hayley
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Our kids playroom continues to be one of my favorite rooms in our home. Probably because, a year after moving in, it’s still the only room that is entirely done. Or because it’s the first time we’ve had a space solely dedicated to toy chaos (halleluiah!) and realize what a luxury that is.

Or maybe just because it’s really fun.

wpid3227-kbug / insect kids playroom  |  greyhouseharbor.comids-playroom.jpg

Technically, this is the formal dining room in our house, but the closest this family gets to formal dining is the rare sighting of fabric napkins. So, an entire room dedicated to play seemed much more our speed.

bug / insect kids playroom  |  greyhouseharbor.com

bug / insect kids playroom  |  greyhouseharbor.com

From the get-go I knew I wanted to paint a mural in the room. But I really didn’t want anything gender specific or immature. The space also has a large entry with no doors, so I needed something I wouldn’t grow weary of seeing every day. Thus, I drew inspiration from the simple idea of being very small (think, Honey I Shrunk the Kids).  The scenery and critters were painted from the perspective of someone just inches tall.

bug / insect kids playroom  |  greyhouseharbor.com

Two large windows fill the room with ample amounts of light.

bug / insect kids playroom  |  greyhouseharbor.com

bug / insect kids playroom  |  greyhouseharbor.com

No matter what the weather is doing outside, it’s always blue skies in here.

bug / insect kids playroom  |  greyhouseharbor.com

I spy with my little eye… a frog butler in a crimson tailcoat. Believe it or not, I bought that funny little side table 10 years ago (pre-kids) not knowing it would one day suit this space perfectly.  And the cardboard playhouse was constructed from an empty dryer box – but that’s a tutorial for another day!

bug / insect kids playroom  |  greyhouseharbor.com

Tags: art, home decor, kid stuff, murals, our home, painting, playroom
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6 comments
Apr 7 2014

pride of ownership

Posted by hayley
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pride of ownership - kids painting  |  greyhouseharbor.com

Most of the design decisions in Songbird’s room have been mine. The only real choice I gave her was what color to paint her desk and when she said PINK I even convinced her that coral was pinkish enough, so it would fit my vision for the space.

pride of ownership - kids painting  |  greyhouseharbor.com

As much as I want her room to be her personal haven, if I left the design decisions in her tiny hands the entire room would be Pepto pink and I’d be muraling flying rainbow unicorns on the ceiling. Sorry sweetie, this Momma ain’t up for no Michelangelo shenanigans.

pride of ownership - kids painting  |  greyhouseharbor.com

While the corkboard above her desk is a nice place to showcase her many doodles and creative projects, I wanted at least one prominent element in the bedroom to be totally hers. It’s important to me that she has a sense of ownership and pride in her space.

pride of ownership - kids painting  |  greyhouseharbor.com

Drawing inspiration from some abstract works of the talented Michelle Armas, Songbird spent the better half of yesterday afternoon painting this large canvas. She helped mix the right colors and learned the difference between warm and cool hues. I was her official brush-washer and occasionally gave her tips on where to put what color.

pride of ownership - kids painting  |  greyhouseharbor.com

Bug was napping, so it was quality girl time. Jamming to Disney’s Frozen soundtrack, she sang and painted with equal amounts of passion. I snapped photos and may have joined in on the karaoke action.
♬ ❄ Let it go… LET IT GO!!! ❄ ♬

pride of ownership - kids painting  |  greyhouseharbor.com

Upon completion, she was radiant; gleaming with the excitement of her success. I can’t wait to make her beautiful artwork a key piece of the final bedroom design. Even more importantly, I hope that this painting plants a seed of pride in her heart – that she contributed something important and lovely to her bedroom.

pride of ownership - kids painting  |  greyhouseharbor.com

pride of ownership - kids painting  |  greyhouseharbor.com

I actually nicknamed her Songbird for a very good reason… she sings all. the. time. While she was painting, she sang about painting. At the end of our art sesh, I wanted to get her thoughts on film. I just love her to pieces.

Tags: art with kids, painting, songbird, songbirds room
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6 comments
Apr 2 2014

how to paint a throw pillow

Posted by hayley
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paint a throw pillow  |  greyhouseharbor.com

While looking for decorative pillows for Songbird’s bed, I came across this adorable anchor design. But $52 for a 20″x 20″ pillow?! I didn’t like it that much.

Naturally I decided to make it myself. I already had an unused throw pillow insert and white fabric left over from another project. Since I was sewing my own pillow, I cut two squares of fabric to size first. However, this technique can still work if you’re starting with a pre-sewn pillow cover.

To make the stripes, I used plain ‘ole painters tape. Since the tape was already 2″ thick, I just used a small piece of it as a spacer to mark off equidistant stripes.

paint a throw pillow  |  greyhouseharbor.com

Did you know you can paint fabric with latex house paint? True story. When dry, the paint is flexible and feels smooth. Since I wanted the colors to match what I had already used in Songbird’s room, I got out the sample-sized tester jars that I used for her ombre scalloped wall.

paint a throw pillow  |  greyhouseharbor.com

Apply 2-3 coats with a small brush.

paint a throw pillow  |  greyhouseharbor.com

The fabric may bubble a little, but you can run an iron on low over the back side of the painted areas to flatten them once the paint is entirely dry. (Never place a hot iron directly onto latex paint!)

paint a throw pillow  |  greyhouseharbor.com

Once the stripes were dry, I cut the anchor shape out of freezer paper (tutorial here). To make sure the stencil was properly positioned when the pillow was full, I sewed the pillow on 3 sides and slid in the insert. Then I pinned it in place. To protect my iron from the stripe paint, I placed a piece of parchment paper on top of the stencil when I ironed it on.

paint a throw pillow  |  greyhouseharbor.com

The stencil didn’t adhere very well my textured fabric, so I used a detail brush to clean up those edges.

paint a throw pillow  |  greyhouseharbor.com

paint a throw pillow  |  greyhouseharbor.com

And because I am terrible at blind stitching by hand, I bought a zipper and finished the pillow that way.

paint a throw pillow  |  greyhouseharbor.com

Ultimately, the zipper was my only cost for this awesome accent pillow – $3! Got exactly what I wanted for a price I can live with.

paint a throw pillow  |  greyhouseharbor.com

paint a throw pillow  |  greyhouseharbor.com

*** Please keep in mind that latex house paint is NOT machine washable. Since this is a decorative pillow I figured that wasn’t a big deal; I can spot wash it if needed. I recommend using fabric paint if you desire washability.

Tags: diy, diy home improvement, paint techniques, painting, songbirds room
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6 comments


I'm Hayley. Wife and mother by day, DIY enthusiast by night. Fueled by sweet tea and jelly beans, I own power tools and know how to use them. Consider yourself warned.

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