Sandberg Ramblings

Baby Ames is here!  Our little boy arrived Saturday, November 16, 2013.  Yep, right on his due date. I was able to deliver naturally and we are both doing great!  More details and birth story are to come. But for now, here are some pics of our little guy... Introducing…  Ames Landon Sandberg 11/16/13 9 lbs  -  21 in.  8:40 am 

I have a great guest post for you today from the talented Wendy Smith. She's sharing some great tips on how to give your  home  personality and character. I had the privilege of going to design school with Wendy and she is one amazing designer.  She works for AMB Design , helping to create truly stunning interiors. Here's a little bio on just what she does over at AMB Design …    "AMB Design stands at the intersection of design, building and remodeling.  Grounded in classic principle, AMB's homes entail organic ingredients such as dry white oak floors, walnut, bronze, woolen textiles and rich hues creating the "real factor" leaving no space untouched with a sense of natural. We strive to create environments that raise the quality of life of those who live there.      I have worked with Anne Marie Barton for just over 3 ½ years.  Starting as an intern, learning the backbones and basics to interior design and architectur...

Giftwrapping, especially at Christmastime, is an obsession of mine.  I LOVE it. It must be the creative side in me,  but I'd rather wrap the gift all pretty than shop for the actual gift :)  I love coming up with and finding new ideas to use each year.  The bonus is that they are a great addition under the tree :)  I've rounded up some of my favorite ideas for you to try out yourself.  Some of these I will be trying out this year myself  and some are tried and true from last year.  The best advice I can give you is to buy a couple rolls of brown kraft paper.  You can get it at any craft store  or I found  this website  where you can buy it in bulk online  if you really have a lot of gifts to wrap :)  I have almost completely stopped buying patterned paper  unless I find something really unique that I love,  because you can do so many different  and creative thi...

We decided to take a little day trip last Saturday to Winterset, Iowa.  You've probably never heard of this place,  but you may have heard of The Bridges of Madison County ,  a 1995 American romantic drama film based on the best-selling novel by Robert James Waller. Winterset is the home of these covered bridges and is also the birthplace of John Wayne.  We were a little late for most of the leaves, but it was still so beautiful!  There is a little tower set back in a forested park that you can hike to and look over the countryside.  We had lunch in a little dive Mexican restaurant that was actually pretty good and then Landon also took me to the hunting property where he shot his deer, which isn't too far from Winterset.  Our last stop was Mt. Pisgah .  This is where a small settlement was established along the Mormon Trail from Nauvoo.  It's been really fun to be able to visit so many of the LDS church...

Don't worry, not all of my DIY gift ideas are for kids,  but today I had to share these super easy baby toys.  Next week will be more devoted to grown up gifts :)  I saw some baby toys practically identical to these on Etsy,  but I wasn't about to spend $15 a pop on something I could very easily make myself.  The trick was finding the supplies I would need.  After a little searching I found what I needed,  and now I have supplies to make several of them for about $5-6 a piece!  Here's what you need for one toy:  (3) 1/2" wood beads (5) 3/4" wood beads (1) 1" wood bead (3) crocheted beads (2) 1 1/2" wood rings  (2) 14" strands of 10 lb. hemp cord  You could use whatever combo of beads you would like of course, this is just the recipe for mine.  If you only want to have to buy 1 or 2 sizes of beads instead of 3, I'm sure it would still look great!  I purchased my beads a...

I'm starting off my DIY Gift Series with these cute little guys... Say hi to the Caravan Shoppe Ollibots ! If you haven't discovered Caravan Shoppe , you're missing out!  They have a variety of cute printable downloads to make your own toys, holiday decor, and more.  I made these cute blocks last year.  All you do is purchase the download, print it at your local copy store, and assemble.  The download comes with great step by step instructions and tips. I plan on keep a couple for Mr. Ames, but I'm also going to gift some as well.   If you're going to try making these guys yourself, here's a few tips I have after doing it myself… 1. Have the download printed on full sheet label paper like they suggest.  It makes assembling them so much easier!  Then you can just cut the pieces out, stick them in place, and mod podge over the top. 2. Watch your magnets as they are drying!  Magnets are at...

We all know those people who are hard to shop for.  They seem to already have everything, or if they need it, they go buy it.  These are the perfect people to create something original and homemade for. Those of us on tight Christmas budgets  can also appreciate homemade gifts that cut the cost of giving,  but still allow you to give a meaningful gift.  If you need a few ideas,  I've made a few for my own friends and family this year that I'll  share with you throughout the week. And to start off this week's homemade gift series,  I've rounded up a few of my favorite ideas to get your mind going… 1 - Scarf Camera Strap 2 - Gold Leaf Monogram 3 - Wood Photo Transfer  4 - Stenciled Tote Bag 5 - Wood Slice Quote   - (you can buy these wood slices at Michael's!) - 6 - Silhouette Artwork

Ok I'm going to throw out a random post for you and stand on my soap box for a minute.  If you didn't know, it's bow hunting season,  and last week Landon shot his first deer.  He has become quite the hunting enthusiast since joining my family. :)  I posted the picture below of him on my Facebook  and of course received a wide variety of comments.  Some people were impressed and excited about it,  some people were concerned or upset, and some seemed to be offended by it.  Now while I respect the rights of these people to feel however they want,  I think that they should also respect the thoughts  and rights of those who do responsibly hunt and become more educated on the subject.  It is most definitely sad when any living thing dies,  but regulated hunting actually prevents many animals from dying of disease  and the destroying of habitat caused by overpopulation.  Here are s...

I really need to stop reading/ watching birth stories because I'm so emotional these days I start bawling every time I do.  It's just so amazing to watch and know that will be me soon. It seems like every tv show I watch there is a baby born so that doesn't help either. :) My first contractions of the pregnancy happened this week. Just a couple of irregular ones, but it's nice to know I'm making progress and my body is getting ready! At my appointment they also said I'm a good 2 now. We will just continue to wait and try to be patient! Here is my thankful list for this past week... Day 3: I'm thankful for cameras and all the memories they capture.  I love going through photos and remembering the highlights of life.  Day 4: I'm thankful for thoughtful and caring people.  It's so easy to be busy with our own lives,  but I really appreciate people who  are good at stopping to think of and serve others.  It's somethi...

The talented,  Ashley Stephens , is here to share another awesome, easy, and inexpensive  DIY to help dress your Thanksgiving table… Plus it includes a free printable!  For the last year or so i have been really into buying cloth napkins.  They come in lots of great colors and patterns,  they are reusable, and just an all around great way to jazz up a table setting.  Besides, they make you feel really grown up. ;) Cloth napkins don't have to cost a fortune either.  Between retailers like World Market, TJ Maxx, and Target,  you can score really great ones for hardly any moola.  Even west elm has great sales on them from time to time.  (I have my eye on a   metallic set   from there...) So, while i have been "collecting" my textile-based facial dabbers, twelve at a time,  I have yet to acquire any napkin rings.  I am currently too fickle and, ahem, frugal...to spend money o...

1 .   Gorgeous Giclee Print 2 .   J.Crew Colorblock Coat 3 .   Brown Booties are high up on my Christmas list 4 .   Anthropologie Felt Garland - I'm thinking I may try my hand at making one 5 .   Jenny Lind Bed - from Walmart!  Almost identical to the one from Land of Nod but with a much lower price tag.  Great for a little girl's room! 6 .  Zebi Baby Elephant Romper 7 .   Skip Hop Diaper Bag - cute, versatile, and a great price!

Today I've rounded up a few of my favorite FREE Thanksgiving printables for you.  All you need is some paper!  Jones Design Company Thankful Tags - use these adorable tags to make a fun thankful tree with some branches from outside - Melissa Esplin Thank You Postcards - What better time to send out some thank you cards?  Think of all the people in your life who do so much for you  and let them know how thankful you are! -  52 Mantels Thanksgiving Table Centerpiece  - a super easy and inexpensive way to decorate your dinner table - 

There are so many fun Thanksgiving tablescapes floating around the web,  but to recreate the majority of them you're going to have to  go on a shopping trip and spend some $.  Since pretty much anyone can create or recreate a great table by spending some money,  I decided to to take on the challenge of creating a table spending absolutely no money! I was able to create this little Thankgiving table for my husband and I  using only dishes and decor I already have.  I honestly did not make one single trip outside my home to create this look.  Just using a little creativity, maybe a unique color scheme,  and repurposing what you have can really go a long way!

I'm dying over these gilded flowers by artist Tommy Mitchell .  They were featured at this year's High Point Furniture Market   and I'm sure they are a pretty penny for such unique and beautiful pieces.  Since I won't be able to afford these beauties any time soon, it got me thinking… That maybe I should seriously consider taking Brittany Jepsen's paper flower class .  A little paper, paint, and gold leaf and I think you could create your own little masterpieces. 

Well it looks like Ames wanted to be a November baby after all. No big news at my appointment yesterday either. Everything is pretty much the same so I'm starting to prepare myself that he may make us wait around :) I guess the one new development is that I figured out how to install the carseat base! Now there really is NOTHING left to do but wait. Man this is a real lesson in patience for me. If you don't mind I'll be sharing my weekly Thankful List on Saturdays for the month of November.  I did this last year and am so glad I did! I hope you'll join me and make your own list. :)  Day 1 : I'm thankful for a healthy body that has allowed me to conceive and carry this baby. Day 2 : I'm Thankful for beautiful fall days. 

One design mistake I see a lot in homes is furniture glued to the walls.  It seems people think that their guests are afraid of them,  or each other, and don't want to sit close,  because they push all of their furniture away from each other and into the walls :)  So I have two words for you... group it!  Creating groupings of furniture, especially in living areas,  helps your room make sense, allows for better traffic flow and conversation,  and makes your room cohesive.  If you have a large space or multi-functional space you can always create more than one grouping of furniture.  Using area rugs can really help when creating groupings.  Just use the perimeter as your guide. Here's some great examples of living spaces that group it!  via via via