Thursday, September 16, 2010

Halloween Etsy Finds

In honor of Halloween (yes, I realize it's a month and a half away), I've put together a list of my favorite current finds on Etsy.





Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Just for Fun Summer Giveaway @ Jones Design Company

Head on over to Emily's blog and sign up to receive her blog via email. You'll automatically be entered in her Just for Fun Summer Giveaway.

Friday, July 23, 2010

Fresh Coat Friday!

My most recent paint project was featured on today's Fresh Coat Friday

Before:













After:

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Nothing, nada, zero, zilch!

I have nothing to show you today. I thought for sure that I would, but I don't.

No painted table, no Valentine cards, no hanging charger plates and no heart wreaths. Instead of working diligently on these projects over the weekend, I chose to spend time with my kids, husband and extended family. And it was totally worth it!

My husband, however, spent all of yesterday putting up crown moulding in our master bedroom. I have to say that it's one of the best home improvement projects that he's ever done. Way to go, honey!

I'll hopefully be back tomorrow with pictures of what HE did and possibly a few pictures of what I managed to do. ;-)

Friday, February 5, 2010

Rain=Indoor Projects

It has been raining in our area since late last night and will continue raining throughout today. I'm pretty sure we should be several feet under by the time it's done. Only kidding! ;-)

With that said, I will be diving into several projects while I'm stuck inside. For starters, I'll be working on those silhouette chargers that I've been saying for two weeks now I was going to do. Then, I'll be making one of these:












This particular wreath was made by ItzFitz on Etsy. I absolutely adore it! And hopefully I'll have it hung just in time for Valentine's Day.

Last, I will be repainting a small side table we bought several years ago. It has definitely seen better days and I just can't take the cup stain on top anymore!

Happy Friday, everyone!

Monday, February 1, 2010

Snow!

Yep, we had our first snow early Saturday morning. Most everyone in our county had snow starting late Friday night but the area where I live didn't get any until several hours later. I was completely fine with that though because I don't really like the snow--to be completey honest!

I take that back. I like the snow, I don't like the ice!

Overall, it was a pretty fun time being at home with my kids and my husband who managed to get an extra day off (due to the snow, of course). We were able to repaint our entire bedroom, which I absolutely love!

I say all of this because...I am behind on my other craft project. You know, the one that includes the charger plates and silhouettes. I'm behind for two reasons--our printer is out of ink and painting our bedroom was top priority once we started it. ;-)

I hope to finish my other project this week, so again...stay tuned!

Friday, January 29, 2010

What do a charger plate and silhouette have in common?

My next project!!! ;-)

I'll be using a gold charger plate similar to this one:










And silhouette's of my kids. Although I'd prefer REAL china plates, I'll be using plastic ones because that's what I bought!

Stay tuned to see the final result.

Thursday, January 28, 2010

All you need is love

How many of you out there send Valentine's each year? I have good intentions but have to be honest and admitt that I don't always succeed. It can be really hard finding time throughout the year to send cards for each holiday.

Valentine's Day has been and always will be one of my favorite holidays. There's just something about getting to tell your loved ones (even more) how much they mean to you. That includes spouses, children, parents, extended family and friends.

My parents did a great job of spoiling us (and still do) during every holiday and making it extra special. I've tried to carry on the same tradition with my kids. Although some may say that those type of things aren't necessary, I believe it's a matter of opinion. I spoil my kids in more ways than one. ;-)

I am prepping myself to make Valentine cards this year. I don't really have any ideas in mind yet, still trying to get that part together. I'll be making a trip to the craft store in the next week or so but I came across these adorable cards sold by various shops on Etsy. Thought they were worth sharing:








Make someone smile this year by sending a Valentine card.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

When all else fails...

hang a door on the wall??? Yes, a DOOR! I struggled for months trying to figure out what to hang on one of the walls in our living room. I would literally sit on the couch for an hour trying to visualize different decorating techniques. Let's face it..there is nothing normal about me OR my decorating style. The beautiful magnolia picture that I once adored was just not doing the job anymore.

So, I took advice from The Nester . Y'all, she is seriously awesome and if I could ever have one person decorate my house, it would be her. You just don't understand...her style is so comforting and practical. Check out her blog when you have a few seconds and see what I mean.

Back to "the door". My husband picked up one of these bi-fold doors from the Habitat for Humanity store:

I believe he said it was about $20-25. It's not exactly what I wanted but for the price, it was the best choice.

That same day I picked up a sample can of paint from Lowe's for about $3. The color I chose was Cut Ruby--gorgeous! If you haven't tried the sample paint cans yet, do it! It beats spending $10+ on a can of paint that you'll probably never finish off.

I was able to paint the entire front of the door and the sides in a matter of an hour & then my husband went around the edges with extra paint we had sitting around (see what I mean about the extra paint that typically doesnt get used???). This is what we had by the end of the night:


I loved it but wanted something more. Me, want more? NEVER! ;-)

The finished product ended up with a custom shelf that my husband made and two lights that we bought from Home Depot. I think it adds needed color in our living room which is mostly brown and khaki green (can you visualize that color?).


I am just visualizing the many ways I'll be able to use that shelf throughout the seasons and holidays. One of the best and most useful projects we've done yet!

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

A Lost Art

Let me tell you..I absolutely adore silhouettes! I've liked them for as long as I could remember but have you noticed HOW popular they are becoming again? Everywhere I look someone is doing something creative with them. My most recent "favorite" item using a silhoutte is jewelry.

These are to die for!













They're made by Le Papier Studio on Etsy . Check out their other products as well. I could seriously go broke buying from their shop!

Have you ever tried to make your own silhouette? They're pretty simple, actually. My mom came up with this great idea at Christmas time to make silhouette's of all the grandchildren and great-grandchildren as a gift for my grandparents. There are 13 of us total! Do you know how hard it is to find gifts that will accommodate names and/or photos of 13 kids? Go ahead, I dare you to find something! Of course we could have done a simple family photo but we are not simple people!

A few weeks before Christmas I stumbled across a beautiful decorative tree at Things Remembered. At last, something that would hold pictures of the whole gang. This picture does not do this tree justice.














So, one by one I used Photoshop Elements and made the silhouettes. It doesn't take much creativity, just time and patience. Here are a few of the sihouette's that I did:









I wish I had a picture of the finished produt to share with you but of course I don't. Hopefully one day soon I can snap a picture or two. Just try picture it in your mind though---GORGEOUS!

My next project includes the silhouettes of my children, husband and myself. In addition, I'll be using charger plates. You know..those things that rich people use under their regular plate? Don't ask where I came up with this crazy idea but I'm going with it for now.