Slumping

I am still blog slumping. There are lots of things I WANT to blog about... okay, i will blog about ONE thing. My dining room. 

 I love my dining room. 

 It is finally painted. I am sorry these pictures were taken at night, but if you want a blog post. So be it. 

 I love tulips. They are my favorite flower, and were my wedding bouquet too. Love. Love. Love Tulips. I was lamenting the other day that I can't have them here in my sunny California home. I lamented it in Arizona too, but I think I lament it every year when January and February rolls around. I always look forward to them in the spring, but here, I don't have to wish the snow was gone. . . It is a hand off. 

It makes me happy to see them. I walked into Lowe's today to finish off another house project... And they were smiling at me. It was meant to be. . . I couldn't WAIT to get them home and into my pots. My favorite addition to my dining room are these pots. They started out as Amaryllis pots at Christmas, Ala nie nie.  She plants Amaryllis every year, and I think I like that as a tradition, however, my Amaryllis were freakishly tall. I may have to try to fix that next year. ...

And now, since I posted a Christmas picture, how about a few more. I had a great time decorating our new digs this year. I love having a new slate, with the traditional decorations you have used year after year. I love how they "find a new home" in a new home. 

 There are some changes coming to this area (shown above) I can't wait to show them to you!

 I had to do a traditional fresh garland. My mom used to do it every year, and this is the first home I have had a banister in! It was fun, but messy, beautiful, but messy, smelled wonderful, but it sure was MESSY!

I know I haven't done any before and afters... and that is because I would have to dig though my pictures, which I just don't have time for right now... Just use your imagination. The home has been a work in progress, but each day it feels more and more "homey". 

On a Bender

I went on a painting bender this weekend.

Painting is hard on a body. I wasn't even painting WALLS! I was painting Abby's furniture for her room so that I can GET to my walls, because I promised...

Anyway, I got to work on her desk, and some boxes that I have had in my playroom for... hmmm.. I don't know, 7 years???? They will no longer fit in the play room, and we had designs to get a trunk for the end of Abby's bed to hold her THOUSANDS of stuffed animals, but, why buy a trunk when you have a perfectly good set of box cubes that you can paint and put in her room?

The answer to that why question is, you just don't buy a trunk, you fix it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without..... Most of the time.

I also have a dresser I need to paint for her, and it is not yet under way... HOWEVER,

I have taken that mirror off the dresser and it is now serving a useful purpose.... Want to see?

I took the corroded mirror off of this little mount that was attached to her dresser. This is a picture of it upside down, but you get the idea.

And I painted it up like this. .




Can you believe those little rosettes? They were fastened on to that antique wood with the oldest rustiest nail... And that is it. They were just simple little pieces of wood. So cute.

I will tell you the paint that I used for BOTH of these projects, was seriously just a sample can of paint for $2.65 at home depot. It has done both jobs, and I am nearly through with it. Can you believe that? As Wade would say, "BOOYA YOU DIE". (Ps- That is Abby's cute desk that is getting primed under that frame. Cute huh? Don't let it fool you, it was a NIGHTMARE!)

Anywho....
I grabbed a few supplies at the store, mainly Michaels, and made Abby a super cute cork board that she can put stuff up on...
Some spray adhesive, cork, and some foam core cut to back your frame. It is nice to use the foam core, because you can punch holes in it, and the cork is thin, so, it will help hold the pins in when the board is up.

Measure you cork. Spray your board generously and voila. . . .


So easy.

Then, you take a look at the handle pulls that you just pulled off Abby's dresser... Unfortunately, you are not going to be able to use them, because there were a few missing.

So you make your kids sand them.



And you take pictures of them, because they are ANCIENT, and look how darn cute they are! You can't even believe how old these puppies are...





Then you prime them, and stick tacks to them with a hot glue gun with your disgusting looking hands that are covered in paint primer, glue and spray adhesive....




And then you paint them that crazy turquoise color and suddenly they look like little candies, and you can't stand how cute they are... or at least I can't anyway.

Can't wait to put it up in her room!

Sneak Peak

I promised Abby that I would decorate her room FIRST. I have had a hard time keeping to that promise because with unpacking comes some level of decorating. But when I found myself dreaming of painting my dining room and making curtains, I recommitted myself to doing her room FIRST!!!! (I'm easily sidetracked...)

Anyway, since we moved on her ACTUAL birthday this year, her birthday was pretty lackluster. . . as was Peter's, which is a day later. My gift to her was her California room re-do. As I mentioned before, I let her pick out the bedspread, and we built from there. If you want to see my design ideas, you can go HERE.

One of the things that I acquired for her room I had actually bought probably 1 1/2 years ago. I.know. I had EVERY intention of painting it and putting it in her room, but I am SO glad I didn't... Who knows what color I would have painted it.. and since I can't take it apart, it was a COMPLETE beast to paint. And it had this high gloss finish wich I didn't exactly want to take the time to sand off. . . It sat in our garage untouched for that year and a half, and when I was outside painting it this week, I said to Peter, "Why did I not do this before!!?!?" And he said, because you would have died a heat stroke.... True. So. True. (PS- it was $10-- Garage Sale)


SO, I decided to go with a "beachy" feel.

I have been completely amazed by the blog Better After, which features big ol' pieces of wooden junk that people have refinished. I am no where NEAR at the level of ability that most of these people are. . that said, I like to think I can do just about anything. SO, I gave it a whirl.

I wanted to paint it all white, but since I am keeping the walls in her room white (for now) I decided it needed a little punch of color. THat is when things got messy, because when you can't take a shelf apart to paint indiviual pieces, you better believe there was turqoise all over that thing... Oh well, after a quick conversation with a new friend, (HI MARCIE!) she convinced me to just "knock the paint off" and forget about touch ups and antiquing. . .


I did just that, and I couldn't be more pleased with the results. . . That nice weathered look makes it feel like I just pulled it out of an old beach house. . .

You can't see them well, but the nobs are old glass antique nobs, and they look just great! You can see the cord hanging down from the shelf. It actually lights up! LOVE!

I can't show you the rest of her room yet, because it isn't finished, and I am hoping that it will motivate me to hurry up! But.. since I can't resist... I will show you her bed. . .

Cute huh? How do you like the disco lamp? Jaxon gave that to me a few years ago for my birthday, because he said it was "sparkly" and "girls like sparkly things..." So true Jaxon, so true. Since I never got a chance to return it (PETER WOULDN'T LET ME!) I kept it.... in a box... and now it has found a very welcome home. :) Ps- Someday, I am going to make Abby a new headboard with black and white polka dots! Can't wait!

Design Mind

Renting a house for the past three years has almost killed my design desires.

I LOVE decorating. Love. But, on our budget . . . let me just put it this way, there WAS no budget for decorating. And the fact that we couldn't paint walls or make changes was stifling to say the least. I would look at catalogs and try to be inspired for the "future" but let's face it, it just isn't the same. . .

Our "budget" hasn't really changed, yet. Probably won't for quite some time, but I am excited to start doing "projects" that can make a big difference, but not take a lot of money. There won't be any big purchases, but I am excited to be able to paint a wall, or a piece of furniture. To be honest, I don't think I have spent over $100 on ANYTHING but our couches in our house, and I am proud of that fact. Don't think that will be changing either, but as least I can do something little here and there without stressing the budget.

For Abby's birthday, I told her we could re-do her room as her gift. When you decorate, it is best if you pick a favorite piece and build around it. I wanted to try to pick out a new comforter or duvet cover to work around. Abby knows her momma's MO so, it had to be cheap, or on sale. We finally settled on this.

It was on sale in the Pottery Barn Teen Catalog. It was the only item we got from the catalog, and I had a $25 off coupon. That always helps. :) It is not my favorite color scheme (HELLO 80's!) But someone has a mind of her own, and decided she LOVES blue (my least favorite) and didn't want any more PINK! I decided I could handle this aqua color over a navy, or baby blue, and liked the beachy pattern since we are going to be oh, so, close to the beach.

We have a kid transitioning from crib, to bed, and since Abby wanted to "grow up" and out of her room, that was going to involve some purchases. I have been super inspired by THIS website as of late, and decided that I could re-do some pieces for her to make her room just the way she wanted. Just click through some posts and you will be inspired too! You will never look at an old dresser the same way again!!

I started scouring Craig's List for some used furniture and found some great pieces I thought I could work with.

I got a desk:

PRICE: $20

A dresser: Hers is going to Kaylie's room. No more changing table or crib!

Price $60

The dresser came with a framed mirror for the top, which I am going to be making into something like this:

We also got a few accessories:

A round chair, perfect for reading books: Target $29. It folds up and is going to be a perfect cuddle spot and will replace the tea party table and chairs that are currently in her room.
And this peace sign at Home Goods $9. (Notice there is one EXACTLY like it in the picture below, and I didn't even notice it before I bought it!)
It is just a start. We are still missing a bed and bed frame, but since I haven't been able to find anything I like, or anything cheap, I think I am going to do something like THIS and do it in a Black background with white polka dots. (Watch the video to get inspired!)

I am hoping that her room will turn out looking something like this:

I love the light and airy look, so, I am going to have to steer clear of any more black accents, but, I think so far, so good! I will keep you posted on project updates. I told her this would be my first priority when we got there, so, stay tuned!

A GIVE . .(some love). AWAY

Hello? Anybody out there? *tink* tink* tink* Is this thing ON?



Anywho.. WHO is ready for a GIVEAWAY??? Oh! ME! ME! ME! ME!



Lovely.


So, WHO IS FEELING VALENTINEY?




Oh! ME! ME! ME! ME!





Not too long ago my mom called and said, "Hey! I want to make a banner for Valentines Day!" And me being a total follower (just kidding-I am so not..Ok, maybe I am) said, Ya! ME TOO! So, I found a cute little banner on-line that I could knock off (thank you etsy) and I DID! And it was cute! And then, I decided to make one for you!





And guess what?






Because I had already made one? And learned from my mistakes? THE one I made for you is WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY cuter.



So, put your name down.. and say you want it, and tell me which of my posts you LOVE the most (you have almost three years of them to choose from!) And you might just win... My banner.






So, this is mine.... Up close,

and hanging, (Hopefully you have a very cute mantel to hang yours on... I do not)

It says, BE MINE... cuz, could you be mine, would you be mine, won't you be, MY BABY!

And THIS is YOURS! (Don't worry, I will be attaching cute ribbons to it too, but I was just so excited I couldn't wait until going to Michaels for more ribbon tomorrow!)

But it will have some, and it will be CUTE!

Come on... Your chances are GOOD! :) Enter until Friday, Feb 5th.

** JUST ADDED! A PAMPERED CHEF GOODIE!!! Now, get the banner AND a Pampered Chef tool!

Re-new

A little while ago I posted about my room re-do. Ok, well, I didn't re-do it. Just spruced it up a bit. . . It needed a facelift, and I STILL love looking down the hall way at it! It got my creative juices flowing SO MUCH that I have been BEGGING people to let me help them spruce up their homes!! (Any excuse to go to Home Fabrics!)




My friend Wendy finally took pitty on me (Did you see my button for her website here?----------------->) and let me go with her to Home Fabrics last week. She didn't need my sewing skills (she has them in spades) so, I just assisted in some spending money. . . I mean, picking out new fabric for her home! We had so much fun oooooooohing and aaaaaaaaaaahing over fabrics in the store. (We are easily entertained) and I had the VERY guily pleasure of helping her go from THIS:

TO THIS!!!

oh sorry, that button is HERE!--------------------------------------->

We went a little bold but it sure paid off! Her new look is FANTASTIC! And I had waaaaaaaaaay too much fun convincing her to GO BOLD! (Check out that green and brown check!) Love it Wendy! And thanks for letting me go to the fabric store with you! (See MORE of her make-over here!)

Now, who is next?
I need another trip to the fabric store!

(I even offered to sew for you people!)

A new Look.

I posted my latest obsession in decorating... and my "makeover" came back to me a little sooner than I had thought! Meet: MY NEW LOVE.

Remember her before?

Well, this is her, AFTER


VAVAVOOM!

Doesn't she just look a whole lot happier?? That is what I hear anyway, after people have their "procedure" done. She definitely looks like she has gotten a LIFT.


And now, she looks good at ANY angle.

And isn't that what we ALL want.

Now, when she is in a room, it really adds some UMPH!!

I even like staring at her from down the hallway... she looks so good.

Now, there is just one thing in that room that doesn't look so hot...

My $100 piano.. .and although she isn't very good looking... I still love her. But I still think she would look better with a little make-over too... How about a BUTTER YELLOW?

Check back. :)

Making me HAPPY! + DEAL FOR YOU!

A few years ago on my blog, I did an ODE TO YELLOW and a demo on making the cutest Spring Wreath. I haven't felt so "domestic" since I have lived in AZ. Don't get me wrong, I did do a little something to spruce up Kaylie's room before she arrived, but, since we have been here, I have just been in survival mode. . . just. keep. head. above. water.


I love to be crafty and I love to make my home a better place to be, and I have learned, from moving so many times, that you can make ANYPLACE feel like home. I rejected doing this for a while in our latest home because, I will be honest, it is hard to feel all "homey" when you are renting.


But, since I unpacked not too long ago, the "creative" juices have started flowing again and it feels good. I like to be "working on something"... not just to keep busy (I am still kinda house bound with two napping kids at home) but it makes me feel accomplished... in a weird sorta way.

You KNOW the sewing machine is going to make a debut when my MIL is in town. And, it did. We visited a store called Home Fabrics in Mesa.. It is a discount decorator fabric store and the minute I stepped through the doors, the juices started flowing. It has been too long. Really.


I found two amazing fabrics.. one that would be PERFECT in my living room. I have had my drapes done for a long time, but have wanted another fabric for throw pillows. . It was $4 a yard, and if you know decorator fabrics they are anywhere between $18 -$25 per yard, so, this was a steal!!! (All the fabrics there are deeply discounted)


HELLO LOVER...

this is totally me. . .

and I am in love with it.

I pretty much had to make pillows for my couch on the spot... I look in this room now and it makes my heart go pitter-pat. (Ok, so, I get excited about fabric. Weird, I know)

LOVE.
And see this lonely little chair? I think it needs a new look.. Something a little more splashy.. Don't you think? I will show you its' make-over soon.

Now, I didn't want my family room to feel left out... and I couldn't resist when I saw this happy flower fabric that I knew would just blend right in... and if you don't think a few little throw pillow will make the difference, I beg to differ... here is the proof.

BEFORE

boring. ho hum. blech.

AFTER

Your eyes go straigh to the cuteness, don't they?? And doesn't it just bring a smile to your face?

Well, here is my offer... If you are looking to spruce up your look, I will happily go to Home Fabrics with you and if you don't know how, I WILL MAKE YOUR PILLOWS! They are easy and fast and if you take me to lunch I will consider us EVEN. Deal?