DUMPSTER SWEET DUMPSTER

I'm not sure what is possessing me to share this post today,

besides the fact that it was just an interesting curiosity for me.

This fella, named Gregory Lincoln Kloehn, a builder/artist/engineer
and a direct descendant of Abraham Lincoln, 

made a house (albeit a very tiny one) out of a dumpster.

A trash recepticle!

He and his wife Erica, who live in Berkeley, California, own this one-of-a-kind, custom home.

It boasts granite countertops and hardwood floors,
a Cuisinart microwave and a toilet!

Gregory started making tiny homes by transforming shipping containers into apartments.
Shipping/cargo containers also known as the boxes that ride on the backs of semi-trucks.
The appeal of these homes is that they are recycled,
pared down to the bare necessities,
portable, and a novelty.

From this:

To this:

Some of the interiors of the shipping containers are amazing!

Source

As he was working in a shipping container one day, Gregory got an idea
while looking over a fence at a dumpster, and he thought to himself,
"That looks like a little house."

And so he made one.
I love that he took a wildly creative idea and made something of it!
(This video is only a minute and a half long.)

One of the pros of a dumpster home is that that cleaning would be a cinch.
Cons? You can't have Christmas parties.

Could you live in a shipping container home or a dumpster?

How about just one night to experience it?
(Me, too.)

Free

I just felt the need to share this today.

I needed it. Maybe you do, too?

Let's read and re-read it.

Most importantly, let's remember it.

Hugs, you beautiful home makers!

You are free.

.

Pink and Aqua Baby Blessing Party (aka Girl's Baby Shower)

For You created my inmost being, 
You knit me together in my mother's womb.
I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Your works are wonderful.
I know that full well.
Psalm 139:13-14


The couple's first baby.
The grandparent's first grandchild.
A special day.

A celebration of life, love and hope, and a new generation.

Three weeks ago, my friend, Ann, my other mother, Suzanne,
a dear friend of the family named Jill, and I hosted a shower

for Ann's daughter, the new mom, Mrs. T, in Ann's beautiful home.

Please come in and join us!

Dollar Store curly ribbon and pink bottles adorn the berry wreath.

Simple. Whimsical. 

Straight ahead of you when you walked in the foyer, was the baby's changing table.

It was painted by Ann and given to her daughter as a gift.

I adore the aqua handles!

On the dresser, to the left, is a Wisdom and Wishes Tree.

My daughters and I cut out paper birds and hung them on the branches

with teeny clothes pins.

The back side of the birds was blank, and ladies wrote their bits of inspiration

or advice on them as a momento for the new parents.

The tall daisies are actually pens!

Teeny sticker pearls for the birds' eyeballs!

On the dresser to the right, is a mini Candy Station.

Suzanne, Lovely (our new girl), and I made bags to hold the candy from 8 1/2" X 11'' sheets of paper.

I got the idea from Emily at Jones Design Company.

Our menu was: 
Chicken, Egg, and Ham Salad on Croissants
Spinach Strawberry Salad with Candied Walnuts
Olive and Pickles Relish Tray
Fresh Fruit
Greek Salad
Fresh Vegetable Platter
Vanilla Cupcakes with Vanilla Bean, Lemon, or Raspberry Buttercream
Water and Sweet Tea

Ann made the darling centerpiece. 

Gladiolus in a vase, inside a gift bag, surrounded by tucked-in tissue paper.

A chalkboard-in-the-center plate.
I love how the concrete statue behind the plate mimics a sleepy sigh.

I made the buttercream frosting for these tiny cakes and decorated them.

I found the pattern for the cupcake wrappers HERE.

The wrappers are made from the same paper as the invitations.

I simply cut triangles from scrapbook paper and hot-glued it to ribbon and presto! This banner.

A view from the dining room into the living room.
The Fluffy Ceiling Decorations came from Party City.

The baby's name?

Penelope Layne.

"Penny Layne".

The parents?

The Beatles fans.

The tiny clothesline banner, made by Jill, was created with baby washcloths

and letters drawn on scrapbook paper over those.

Cute, no?

We love chalkboard stuff.

The baby's monogram.

Not sonogram.

Mrs. T's invitation, framed and given as a gift.

Prayers for Penny.

What a beautiful day!

Only 10 days (whew! that was close) after the shower, Penny was born.
She is beautiful!

Welcome, precious blessing.

Sunday Serenity :: Through the Night

While the storm clouds gather far across the sea

let us swear allegiance to a land that's free.

Let us all be grateful for a land so fair

as we raise our voices in a solemn prayer.

God bless America

land that I love.

Stand beside her and guide her 

through the night with a light from above.

From the mountains to the prairies,

to the oceans white with foam.

God bless America!

My home sweet home.

God bless America, my home, sweet home.

Cottage Makeover of Room #2 :: Teen Girl's Bedroom

Hi y'all!

I apologize for not posting this sooner.

I showed y'all the younger daughter's room that we blogger ladies madeover,
during my time at Gina's Shabby Creek Cottage, at the end of July,
but haven't shown you the older daughter's room yet!
How time flies!

After my time at Gina's, read more HERE,
Gina and her hubby drove me an hour + to Nashville to Jenny's house,
my sweet friend that I met and roomed with at Relevant last Fall.
My family picked me up there, and we spent a week in Nashville.
Jenny's blog is titled: The Southern Institute.

She wrote about our time together HERE.
Go say "hi" to Jenny. She is super-duper lovely.

On to the room...
Here it is.

Before:

During:

After:

Lala, the teen who lives and dreams here, is an arteest!
All the paintings were created by her.

This is the under the seat base of a loveseat!
Painted white and hung so Lala can display pretties.

The red console also started out as plywood.

These nightstands were made from plywood by Gina's hubby, and I gave them 3 coats of paint!

What a blessing to be able to create this space with these fine ladies:

Lisa Pennington

ChaCha

Angie

Gina

and Polly.

It was a lot of work and a lot of fun, too!

Lala loved her room and I had pictures of her during the reveal...but I can't find them!

Suffice it to say, she was all smiles!