Hope Chest and Playroom Reveal!

I'm so excited to share my beautiful "new" hope chest with you all that I convinced Sassy Mama JJ to paint for me! Let me first start with the background info. My mother gave me this Cedar Lane hope chest about 20 something years ago as a special keepsake and I've always LOVED it. 

It is one of the very few pieces that has moved with me everywhere I've moved to (actually the ONLY piece that has moved with me everywhere).
                                                It has moved from Arizona
                                                    to Agoura Hills, CA,
                                                  to Sherman Oaks, CA, 
                                                to Manhattan Beach, CA, 
                                                        to West LA, CA, 
                                        to Beverly Hills Adjacent (LOL), CA
                                                  to Redondo Beach, CA
                                                      to Springboro, OH
                                                and now back to Arizona! 
I know some of you are going to say I'm crazy for having JJ paint over this keepsake, however it just didn't really fit the decor of my house and usually found its way in a closet, simply storing blankets etc. I wanted it to be out and to actually use it someway and thought it would be perfect in my matchy matchy kiddos playroom. (If you know me, you know I'm known for my obsessive, sometimes over the top matchi-ness!) And I know down the road, (many many years from now JJ) that I may want it simply restored to a wood finish, but that is waaayyyy down the road, and is do-able! So I showed JJ the colors that I wanted and gave her the artistic authority to have at it. I knew that no matter what she did, I would love it based on all of her other amazing pieces (Check them out above at the tab titled "Sassy Furniture & Decor" if you haven't seen some of her work!) Anyways, here's what she came up with and I LOVE IT!!!

The inside is soo Cute too!

And here's a few pics of how our playroom looks so far… still some tweaking to do, but everything in it's place which makes this mama happy. There's usually a coloring/writing  table in the middle, but I decided to put it in the corner for now. Our playroom does not have doors to close it off from the rest of the house and is completely visible to any company and so I definitely need some order to it!

(Below are some of the labels I created, laminated and attached with velcro for the toy storage bins. I can make many different colors/styles- Let me know if you're interested in purchasing some!)

Thanks for taking a look and remember to be on the look out for almost everything (and More!) in our "Sassy Furniture & Decor" to be listed for sale! And please, if you enjoy seeing our creations, please follow our posts and our FB page!
Much Love, Jules

Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year's from JJ and Jules!

Sassy Shop

Have you seen our newest page, Sassy Shop?? If not please check us out! Currently we have three adorable matching mother- daughter apron sets available for purchase. Make sure to check back often, as we will be updating with other great home and gift items! AND some of JJ's amazing handpainted furniture will be listed soon too! (I seriously want it all!!)

Here are some previews of what is listed and how you can personalize/ customize your order!

If you see something you like, you can reach out to us/order at 

twosassymamas@gmail.com

and please remember we do accept custom orders!

We're back!!

Hi Sassy Friends!
I know, I know- its been sooo long since we've posted. But we have some really good excuses… I mean life changing excuses!! And there's soo much to share! First off, my family and I made the big move out West… back to ARIZONA! I would've never believed it a year ago myself and never it saw it coming, but it happened! And while my family and I are missing some really great family and friends in Ohio, I'm not gonna lie... 70 degree temps with full sunshine in December is absolutely the way to go (Sorry Ohio)! JJ and I now live less than two miles apart- we haven't lived this close since we were in highschool. Honestly, we kept pinching ourselves for the first month or two and asking, "Is this for real??" I mean really, how did two young besties manage to grow up, marry brothers that live across the country from each other and then manage to be back in the same zip code and back at it again? Simply put, its simply amazing. Anyways, in our major absence of blogging, we've been up to a lot! Lots of painting, caking, sewing and party planning.  Moving forward, I wanted to let you know that we will be back sharing our creations and listing many items for sale on our new page (coming soon) "Sassy Shop." We are even open to custom creations, whether it be cakes, painting or sewing projects. It's not too late to get some last minute gifts for Christmas too! So here's what I'm asking of you to help get the word out. IF you like what you see, Please like and share our posts, but also PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE, click on the link (on our actual blog) to subscribe to our posts and add your email address to follow our blog and facebook page. We would be forever grateful! I promise you're bound to see some sassy stuff you like and may even want!  (we certainly couldn't get this up and running without your love and support!) Now off to some sassy creations before getting my littles ready for school.
Thanks for your love and support. Have a great day!
Love,
Jules

Liam's Nautical Nursery

Hi...J.J. here. So we haven't written anything in a really long time.  There are a few reasons for that. First, its really hard to get things back in order & get in the groove after Christmas...yeah I know its almost June..don't judge me :) Second, we have some exciting stuff coming up that we cant talk about quite yet but it has kept us a bit busy.  Just because we haven't written anything, doesn't mean we haven't been up to crafty stuff.

I just recently finished helping friends put together a nursery on a budget...and when I say BUDGET I mean like under $100. Here are some of the things that went into Sweet Liam's Nautical Room..

Everything was based on this bedding that his mom loved:

Mom & Dad had some old furniture they wanted reinvented & refinished

First a little nightstand makeover-

Next, fix up one of those brown book shelves that everyone had in the 70's.  I think they sent one home with every baby born, like a souvenir or something

Then we needed some stuff on the walls.  First was his name.  This was made by taking hard canvas, 4 to a package, and painted them in our theme.  Then I glued inexpensive letters painted white to the canvas.  To give it a touch more nautical feel I used rope to hang them rather than ribbon.  I bought pre-cut nautical shapes at Michaels & painted them.  Once they dried I glued them to nails & used them to hang his name.

And of course we needed some nautical art

I wanted a few pieces that didn't hang on the wall, and since these are friends from church I thought a Bible verse would be great.  So thanks to Pinterest inspiration & a piece of scrap wood this next little project cost absolutely nothing...and that was exactly what our budget called for

Finally we needed a LARGE piece to fill up a whole wall.  What to do??? Whats big enough to fill a whole wall??? Of course A WHALE. Now Canvas that size is so expensive & that didn't fit our budget.  So I thought pallet art...however I didn't have a pallet & I am way to chicken to "find" one at a grocery store or construction site or something...so time to improvise... I went to Lowes and bought a bunch of wood & stuck it together using all of my carpentry skills & training (ZERO) and voila pallet(ish) art.

So that is Liam's Nursery.  I wish you could capture how cute all the stuff looked in his room with an iphone but you really cant & if you can...well I am not tech savvy enough to do that.  I know that mom & dad loved it, I got a thumbs up from his siblings and I'm pretty sure Liam loved it.  He's only a few months old but I could just tell, either that or he was really just enjoying his bottle.  

I choose to believe it was the room.

If anyone reading this has any need for furniture make overs, repainting or any art similar to that on this page. Please do not hesitate to message us & we would be happy to create custom pieces for you too.

Peace!

Sass it Forward- Toy Safe Drive

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This post is way past due since my little one decided to take an unexpected trip to the hospital. Jules & I started this blog to show our crafting adventures & mishaps however in addition to that we also wanted to find a way to participate in & promote charitable events.  

Of course the spirit of this is all about Pay it Forward and 

in keeping with the theme of our blog we call ours Sass it Forward. 

So here is our first Sass it Forward Event we are so proud to be working with & supporting 

Ellianna's Ohana & their amazing "Toy Safe Drive"

Let me first introduce you to Ellianna's Ohana.  This beautiful charity born out of love by our dear friend from grade school Taunya in honor of her daughter Ellianna.  

Here is Taunya & Ellie's story in her words:

This will be the fourth event I have hosted in honor of my daughter, Ellianna. Ellie was killed in January of 2009 in a car crash that occurred on Union Hills Road. She was just ten days shy of her fourth birthday when the car she was safely strapped into, in a car seat installed by the fire department, was hit by a car speeding 92 miles per hour in a 45 mile per hour zone. The driver had a current warrant out for his arrest for a previous DUI and was on a self-proclaimed "beer run" at the time of the crash. Ellie was unconscious on scene and remained so during her four days at St. Joseph's Hospital as the doctors there did everything they could to save her life. The injuries she sustained were unrecoverable. We hosted her funeral on the day that was to be her 4th birthday party. Because of the way that Ellie was killed, the safety of our streets is an important cause for me. I have volunteered with our law enforcement at several DUI checkpoints where I have witnessed DUI vans fill with the "taking" and they overflow with it during the holidays. The Governor's Office of Highway Safety has provided a DUI processing van that we will fill with toys and other needed items for the children of Crisis Nursery. Let's fill this van full of "giving" instead of "taking", especially as we head into the holiday season. Let's help meet the needs of these children while we remind our community of the need to drive safe!

I really want to challenge all of our friends reading this to please participate in this event in one way or another.  Our lives are built up of all these little moments where we can choose to help someone. It may be just a small act but lots and lots of small acts can lead to really really BIG things, and of course that's what Sass it Forward is all about.  

Tonight at mass the priest was talking about being a saint & that we are all called to be a saint.  Of course that sounds so overwhelming, I know I was like dude I'm pretty sure sainthood is not in the cards for me but he said not all of us are called to be like Mother Teresa or St. Francis or the Pope. Those people had specific calls from God who granted them the grace to do the things they did.  The way in which we can all be saints is by the small things we do in our lives.  The love we give our families, the way we love others, the way we help those in need.  Small moments everyday that add up to something big.  

So keeping this in mind I ask you to please participate in this event.  

Ideally we would love to see you at the event on November 23 

which will have many awesome things

 including fire trucks, police cars, train rides, & clowns to name a few things. 

 If you cant make it to the event then please still consider donating items.  

Ellianna's Ohana's Facebook page has ideas of what the Crisis Nursery needs or you can just donate a toy.  Just message me & I will be happy to pick up the items anywhere in Arizona. 

 If you are not in a position to donate than please just share this event.  

Like the page & share it with others & tell your friends.  

This event is shaping up to be something extraordinary but that can only happen with help from people like you so please give us just a moment to create something big.  

Like this page & share it with all your friends!

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Toy-Drive-Safe/574734322594987

Sew Sassy Cute Couture Debut

So I've finally hunkered down and learned how to use my sewing machine... and learn to sew! I say finally because I bought my "new" sewing machine when I was pregnant with my son, ummm, almost FOUR YEARS AGO! It has never been used since I got it because it just seemed too overwhelming to thread it and actually sew! Well, guess what?? It's no so hard after all! A little over a week ago I thought, this is ridiculous, I'm constantly buying stuff on Etsy.com that I simply love and I'm sure I could make. I just LOVE ruffle pants, apron dresses, peasant tops etc. And I LOVE brands like Persnickety, Matilda Jane and Giggle Moon with these adorable styles, but they're just a little too pricey to be buying all the time. I do sneak them in when I can get away with it, but why not LEARN to make this stuff?? So I set out and found some great tutorials on how to make these little outfits. (I need to hurry because my youngest daughter is five and I know she won't allow me to dress her like this for much longer!)

The first tutorial I searched for was for the ruffled pants. The easiest and user-friendly tutorial I found was on a blog called www.campclem.com She has a post titled, "Fast, Easy, Stinkin' Cute Ruffle Pants." and she was right!! She made it soooo easy to make ruffled pants... and cuffs for a shirt! I used some left over material from Maddison's halloween costume that I made, so they're kinda funky, but not bad for my very first thing I've sewn! She also had a great tutorial on applique shirts. So  I used an old, too small shirt and practiced with that. Below are my results:

I don't love, or even really like the turkey, but hey it was good practice!

I seriously have become obsessed with learning to sew so I attempted another pair of ruffle pants, a bib shirt and yes, a tie for my little man! You know how I love to match!!

Then came a dress. I used another one of my daughter's old, too small shirts and turned it into a dress. Now this was seriously the easiest thing ever!! 

And for my final project for the week...you guessed it, another pair of ruffled pants and bib shirt, but this time with a headband to match! 

For the bib shirt, I found another great blog called Bless Our Nest, which you can find over at thedavisfamilynwa.blogspot.com. She laid it all out so easily! I think my ruffles are a bit too big on the shirt, but again, I'll take it for my first attempt :).

Now my next goal is to learn how to use an actual pattern. I bought several a few days ago at JoAnn Fabrics for $1 each that are so so super cute. I'm just a little overwhelmed with all the pattern instructions etc, so a friend is going to help me learn how to do it all the right way, lol! I'll let you know how it goes! In the meantime, thanks for checking out my stuff! It's been so much fun!

<3 Sassy Jules