Yankee Belle Home

Introducing Baby

2011-05-06T10:03:00.004-04:00

Ava Wren was born at 8:05 in the morning on December 9th weighing 6 pounds, 2.2 ounces and measuring 20 inches long. She is absolutely perfect, and my heart has expanded yet again for another child that I call my own.

The past few months have been a blur in many ways. Time goes even faster as a family of 4. I feel like I only had a tiny amount of time with her as a newborn. Now she is eating solids, rolling over, and trying to sit up.

Having two means twice the amount of work! But it also means twice the amount of rewards.
The best part of having two? Watching them together.

This Mother's Day, I am twice as blessed. And thankful beyond measure.
Thank you to all of you who find your way back to my blog!

Things To Do

2011-05-04T12:22:00.002-04:00

With another little one in our house now (more to come on that soon) my mind has officially flown the coop! I write to do lists constantly and stash them somewhere, but then forget where I stashed them. So when I stumbled upon this easy To Do List Frame I quickly printed the template and threw it in an old 8X10 frame for immediate use.

I'll be on the look out for a more appealing frame (from Goodwill, Target's end cap clearance spots, etc). And I think a fine point dry erase marker might be better for me since I tend to have large handwriting.

Hopefully this little list will help keep me in line!

Be sure to check out all the fabulous ideas and free downloadable templates at eigtheen25.blogspot.com!

Half & Half

2010-09-29T12:59:00.000-04:00

These mums on our fireplace have been cared for equally and yet one is dying.
This sums up how I feel these days:
half of me is blooming, thriving and eager while the other half of me is stressed, wilting, and giving up.

Something for Free!

2010-09-15T18:11:00.001-04:00

Are you familiar with One King's Lane?

It's a online site that allows you to buy designer décor and home essentials, entertaining and travel needs, fantastic gift selections and more for up to 70% off retail.

I have heard of the site before, but it wasn't until The Nester over at The Nesting Place posted about an awesome deal that I finally signed up.

And for doing so, I got this gorgeous BIA Cordon Bleu stoneware baking dish FOR FREE!

Ok, I had to pay $7.95 for shipping...but the baking dish was free. And you can get one for yourself, too! Or maybe you need a nice gift for someone for a great price? (You get a $15 credit to spend toward whatever you want on the site...so if bakeware doesn't tickly your fancy, check out their other awesome offers.)

All you have to do is create a new account here at One King’s Lane and you will get a $15 credit to spend on whatever you want.

Be sure to spread the word! You can earn referrals and get another $15 credit {plus they still get their $15 credit}. More fun for everyone! Go ahead and sign up at One Kings Lane. Be sure to come back and let me know what you got. (The offer is good through Saturday.)

Little Girlie Headbands

2010-09-10T09:07:00.001-04:00

I am STILL working on the various rooms we bought furniture for, so I'm not ready to share pics quite yet. In the meantime I'll share some crafty goodness that I've been up to!

Since I am expecting a baby girl in 3 short months, and several of my girlfriends either just had a baby girl or are also expecting girls, I had to give the adorable flower headbands a try.

I've used an assortment of headbands: cotton, crocheted, and the thinner non-slip ones.
I have used silk flowers as well as a few paper ones that I found in the scrapbook section of craft stores. And I like to add small rhinestones to the middle.

I chose to hot glue the flowers to the headbands since I read several tutorials saying this worked fine and I love how easy hot glue is. For the crocheted headbands, I cut a small circle of felt material and glued it under the area of the crocheted area where the flower would go to help hold it all together since there are holes in the crocheted headbands. But for the cotton ones I just glued right on the headband.

For the thinner, no slip headbands (that sort of look like ponytail holders) and I used the smaller paper flowers. These headbands have to be cut down to size and sewn by hand, which is sort of a slow process compared to the other headbands. But I like these type of headbands with small flowers for newborns. I like the daintiness of them on the tiny babies.

Here are my results!

I am trying to learn to make hairbows next, but they are a little more challenging. If you have any tips let me know!

Show & Share Day at Just a Girl

Shopping til I Drop!

2010-09-08T15:21:00.001-04:00

We took advantage of the long weekend and shopped, and shopped, and shopped some more! After spending the summer with the bare minimum in our house so it would show well, we are making lots of progress toward making our house our home again. The basement is coming along nicely, the kitchen is feeling much cozier, and our son's room is beginning to look like a big boy's room! I have also been pulling out fall decor from storage and doing a little shopping for some extra pieces. I'll have lots to show you over the next little bit but until then here's some of the major pieces we purchased.

Ikea:

Pottery Barn Kids:

Have you made any big purchases for your home recently? What did you splurge on?

Cheap Organization

2010-09-03T13:57:00.001-04:00

I'll admit it...I'm cheap! And there is nothing I love more than cheap organization and home decor. (Ok, I do love my dear hubby and children more, but I wouldn't call them cheap. ha!) And what I mean by cheap is finding nice products at nice prices (on sale, clearance, etc). Therefore, the end caps of the aisles at Target are some of my favorite shopping spots.

Let me introduce to you my most recent cheap organization find.

It's a dry erase weekly magnetic calendar...and it was on clearance for $3.99! Now I can remember important school items, significant dates, big games, plans with friends, etc. (Ok...let's be honest, it's more to remind my dear hubby. But with my pregnancy brain these days I can use the help as well.)

What are some of your favorite cheap home organization finds?

New Sofa Seeks Pillows

2010-09-01T14:47:00.002-04:00

I guess I should begin this post by saying that we have taken our house off of the market and plan to stay put for a while longer. Otherwise, I'm sure you would question why we are buying new furniture for a house that is for sale.

As we prepare for our 2nd baby we know we will be losing our guest room. Therefore, we knew we needed to get a sofa sleeper for our basement so that my family and our friends who live out of town will have a comfy place to sleep when they come to visit. So last weekend we spent an entire day visiting furniture stores trying to find a sofa that not only looked nice but that was comfortable as well.

The sofa was delivered this morning and I love it!

However, I am not loving the pillows that came with the sofa so much. Despite the fact that the colors seem to go well in the room, what you can't see is that we have accented with a lot of white and green on the other side of the room.

So I am in need of some ideas for throw pillows that incorporate green and white. Any ideas?

I am linking up with Help Me Wednesdays at White House Black Shutters.

Back to School Time!

2010-08-25T18:51:00.003-04:00

It's that time of year again! I love fall, and always loved shopping for back to school supplies. While my son goes to "school" (daycare) year round, he will be moving up to a new room on the first day of school next week. So we will be giving the 2 teachers he will be leaving a thank you gifts and giving his 2 new teachers "happy school year" gifts.

This year, we are giving the teachers school supply boxes full of some essentials! I originally saw the idea here. I'm going to add gift cards to the boxes for the 2 teachers he is leaving, but not to the boxes for his new teachers. (they will get gift cards and a little something when he leaves their room)

I got the boxes and all the items to go in the boxes for 4 teachers for under $30 at Michael's. I found all Laura Ashley stuff (pencils, paper clips, pens, erasers, etc) for 50% off. (everything was like 60 cents!) And, I got the boxes in the scrapbook organization area --2 boxes per pack for $6.99 and they were 40% off!

I used my craft stash for all the supplies to decorate the tops of the boxes. I think they turned out really cute, and I hope all of the teachers enjoy them!

(Note: You can click on the pics to see them larger. I need to get around to redesigning the blog so I can post bigger pics!)

Do you give gifts to teachers on the last day/first day of school? Share your ideas!

I've Been A Bit Busy

2010-08-02T12:19:00.001-04:00

Oh my, time flies when you are having fun!
Or, maybe not so much fun, but rather preparing for fun!
I am so sorry that I haven't posted in forever and a day, but I have been really busy. I have 2 very big projects to share with you!

First up, I have been working on a little number I like to call Baby Girl!

We are thrilled to be adding a little girl to our family! Now we will have a prince and a princess.
And while I'd love to say the pregnancy has been a breeze, it's been a bit more like a hurricane. I have been sick. Very sick. In need to medication sick. So sick I havent' felt like blogging, or anything else. I seem to be feeling a bit better now that I am in my 21st week, but the nausea/pukies just don't want to completely leave. But, I know it will all be worth it! Our little girl should arrive on December 9 (scheduled c-section), one month before her already very proud big brother turns 4.

And our second big project:
Selling our House!
Lord have mercy, I never knew how much work it would take to even get the thing listed let alone sold! So through the morning sickness we have packed away and stored a ton of stuff, done some home maintenance that we kept putting off, had some painting done, etc. And don't even get me started on keeping the place "show-ready" at all times with a 3.5 year old while working full time and being pregnant.
I am pretty proud of the way the house shows. I even had a realtor ask the other if we had a professional stager! I was very flattered.

We have a few prospective homes to buy when we finally sell our place. Wish us luck!

And please do forgive me for not blogging in a while. There just isn't much going on in the way of decor at the moment. However, once we sell and are ready to move into a new place, I will be ready to do some serious nesting!

Making New Friends

2010-04-25T18:40:00.000-04:00

Wow, I am being such a bad, bad blogger. I am so very sorry. I worked so hard to create a little community here and am so grateful for all of my followers, and now I have disappeared on you all. I haven't been feeling my best lately. I've also been traveling to be with family. And to top it off April and May are my 2 busiest months of the year at work. I will be headed to Orlando this week for business. Whew! I promise to try to be better, but if you don't see much of me til later in May please forgive me.

A while back Wendy from Relatively Unique graciously invited me along to a day of lunching, thrifting and antiquing in Lancaster, PA with some other bloggers. I truly wanted go, but I couldn't afford missing an entire workday this time of year. So I was incredibly happy when the week of the gathering Wendy let me know they had decided to venture to King of Prussia instead. That's my stomping ground! So I was able to meet the ladies for lunch!

I forgot my camera! How unblogger of me! So I stole this pic from Wendy's blog.

(left to right)

Jessi from Yankee Belle Home

Stephanie from Conversations from the Cul de Sac

Deb from Confessions of an Ugly Mom

Kim from My Domestic Bliss

Wendy from Relatively Unique (taking the pic!)

These ladies were all so sweet and welcoming to me. I wish I could have gone shopping with them! Dang job! But I hear they had a blast, so be sure to check out their blogs to see their scores!

Deckin' out a Deck with Bernadette!

2010-04-19T10:39:00.001-04:00

I am incredibly happy to introduce you all to an uber talented friend of mine, Bernadette Uzcategui.

Bernadette is a fabulous on-location photographer in the Philadelphia/Main Line area specializing in pet, newborn, baby, children and family photography.

Please take a moment to visit Bernadette's site here.

When I saw Bernadette's deck prepped and ready for the summer, I asked her to be a guest blogger so that all of you can be as impressed as I am! So without further ado, here is the lovely Bernadette!

My back deck.

A place for oversized squirrels to scurry and mock my dog? Check.
A place for pollen+leaves+bugs to collect and hang out? Check.
Place for me to relax and put my feet up while enjoying the sunshine? Not so much!

With the turn of the season and the gorgeous sunshine filtering through the blossoming trees, I decided it was time for a mini-makeover. I have a 2.5 year old running around, so quick-turnaround was a big part makeover!
I decided to start with the basics: clean the deck. Go figure! A can of OxiClean and a brush broom did the trick!
Next: A table. I had an old vintage iron table base in my basement that I have been lugging around since college, so I pulled that up, along with a salvaged wooden YMCA sign and a HUGE piece of glass that used to be my tabletop…again, in college!

All of my furniture was the same: basic wooden chairs from IKEA. But I needed a real color POP. That is where one of my favorite design stores of all time comes in: Target. Seriously, everything that you see in the after shots that is aqua is from none other that Target! IKEA is the second contributor to the final look: the red accents including the cute lantern on the table are from IKEA.

I completed the festive look with some string lights around the fence to give us a glow while entertaining in the evening and some palms, which I am seriously hoping that I can keep alive this year! I threw weather-proof rug down for the kiddos to play and vio-la! A budget-friendly space where I can sit and enjoy in less than 3 hours!

Finally Hung the Crates!

2010-04-11T19:46:00.000-04:00

So that took longer than I meant for it to take! But they are up and that's all that matters. And I am so happy with them!

The stool was Goodwill find. Sorry no before pics (they got lost on my cell phone) but it was originally green and very banged up. I sanded it a ton, primed it with flat paint and topped it off with ORB. Honestly, it looks mostly black unless you get real close.

I wanted to only use large nails to hang the crates, but that meant I couldn't put the heavy white plates I had bought to go in one of them. And of course it threw the whole "filling" plan. I had to get creative and shop the house. Here's what I came up with:
Top Crate: 2 flameless candles (so I can actually have them "lit" in the crate!) and a fabric napkin.
Middle Crate: taper candle tied together with jute, a cookbook, and more fabric napkins.
Bottom Crate: Faux plants (that were in my hutch).

I didn't have room to use the smallest crate, so I had to find a new place for it along with the white plates I had bought to use as filler. Can you spot where the ended up?

There they are! Now...what to use as filler in this little crate? It is quite small.

Embroidery Hoop Hamper

2010-04-09T17:45:00.000-04:00

Laundry Bag + Embroidery Hoop= Hanging Hamper

I saw this idea over at ohdeedoh. The idea came from Martha Strewart...who else?
We don't have a good place to put a hamper. Our bathrooms are too small to take up valuable room with one. And while we have one in the hallway upstairs where our laundry closet is, I hate having it out in the open and taking up room in the small hallway. So I am going to be on the look out for cute laundry bags. Oooohhh...maybe even monogrammed/personalized ones! I will pick up large embroidery hoops at a craft store. Then I will add hooks to the back of our bedroom and bathroom doors. I'll report back as to how it goes!

How and where do you coral your dirty clothes?

Spiderman, Spiderman!

2010-04-08T21:46:00.000-04:00

My son is OBSESSED with superheros. Batman, Ironman, Green Lantern, Superman, etc. But his first love is Spiderman. The obsession began before he even turned 2. Way earlier than I expected. And while many obsessions for children come and go, my son is now over 3 still going strong. He has several superhero shirts and basically wants to wear one every day. He is currently asleep upstairs in his batman PJs, complete with cape.

I have been eying the spiderman bedding at Pottery Barn Kids for some time now. My son's room is already light blue and dark blue, so I wouldn't have to do anything else at all.

It's now 20% off online and I soooo want to order it. I won't buy it all...just too much.
But I was thinking I could just get the duvet and a sham and match it with solid sheets. (And of course my son already has spiderman sheets from Target!) If I get the duvet, do you think filling it with a regular twin bedspread would be OK? I don't want to have to buy a down insert.

Now I just need the hubster to approve...

10 Minute Clean Up

2010-04-05T21:56:00.000-04:00

I love 10-minute-clean-ups. It's an easy way to feel like you've accomplished a big task, but without the big work. I try to find at least one 10-minute-clean-up project a week. Today, I chose my son's kitchen areas--his drawer and cabinet. Both had gotten wildly out of hand!

Before

After

Before

After

So much better in just 10 minutes! I purged and got rid of several sippy cups that my son is too old for now or that had taken such a beating it was time to trash them. This opened up a shelf in the cabinet that allowed me to move his plates and bowls in, which meant I was able to get them out of our cabinet. I love using ziploc bags in organization of drawers. It's a great way to get lots of little places in one place, and the clear bags allow you to see what you are looking for quickly.

I also have a nightly 10-minute-clean-up ritual. I walk through the first floor and do one last clean up before we go up to bed. Straighten the pillows on the couch, put away blankets, file mail, stow away toys, clean out the sink, etc. This means that clutter doesn't pile up as quickly, and we come down to a clean house in the morning!

Do you have any quick clean up routines? Any tips you can share?

Weekend Challenge (Easter)

2010-04-02T13:45:00.003-04:00

This cold has totally kicked by behind! I had so many plans for this week that just didn't happen, such as:
* Take my son to see the Easter Bunny
* Mail Easter packages to nephew, Godson, etc.
* Clean house top to bottom for Easter
* Finalize Easter tablescape and place settings for Easter

Yeah, none of those things happened. I finally got the packages mailed this morning, but they won't get there in time for Easter now. And I waved the white flag on Easter. I surrendered. My inlaws are taking over.

I host Easter every year. It's "my" holiday, and I always enjoy it. But this year time got away from me and being sick this week completely messed me up. So when my husband's parents called and graciously offered to host this year, I shocked my husband and said, "Yes, and thank you". See, I tend to be a perfectionist who wants to fit it ALL in. I want to be a mommy, wife, career woman, friend, sister, daughter, aunt, crafter, decorator, etc. And not only do I want to be all those things, but I want to do them all at the same time, to the very, very best of my ability. And sometimes I get overwhelmed. If I had hosted Easter this year the next 3 days would have been all about cleaning, decorating, etc...till I dropped and cried. I decided to instead give in and cop out.

So now my weekend challenges can be:
* Enjoy a cook out with friends tonight
* Enjoy time with my husband and son
* Work on our flower beds
* Take our son to a movie
* Play Easter Bunny
* Go to church
* Enjoy Easter morning
* Relax

And something tells me I will accomplish all that and more! :)

Happy Easter!

PS: I'll leave with a few pics of the Easter eggs my son dyed with his cousins while I was in bed sick.

Guest Room Progress

2010-03-31T13:45:00.001-04:00

This poor tiny room gets overlooked all the time. It easily turns into a storage room where we throw everything we don't have a place for and shut the door...and forget it. See what I mean?

I recently rearranged the room and added some new touches. I tried my best to get good pics, but it is nearly impossible to do so with light coming in though the blinds. This is what most of the pics came out looking like...so bear with me.

The bed is now under the window (which still needs window treatments...I'm on the prowl for cheap sheer curtains.)

I am quite proud of the side table. It's my first attempt at repainting furniture!

This is what it looked like before when it was in our living room:

It took 2 coats of leftover paint from trim in our house and 1 coat of polyurethane. I used sponge rollers as suggested by Chris at Just a Girl and now agree that they are the only way to go when painting furniture. I distressed some of the table for an aged look, although a lot of it doesn't show up in these pics. Sorry...once again the lighting made it really hard to take pics. I also turned the table sideways by the bed for a bit of a different look from when the it served as an end table.

I like the look of the brown wrought iron of the lamp and this basket against the white in the room. The basket is from Southern Living at Home, and it's filled with magazines for guests and my favorite lotion to share!

I made the burlap pillow by covering an old pillow we were no longer using with burlap and adding our last name initial in twine.

The shelves hold my Willow Tree collection, special shells from my favorite beach, and other meaningful trinkets.

I made the chalkboard using a large frame we were no longer using. I spray painted the frame white and distressed the edges and spray painted the glass with chalkboard paint.

This darling wire bird basket holds my baby blanket made by my great aunt. And the old jar holds my husbands collection of wheat pennies.

As you can see, the other side of the room still needs work! And while it is hard to tell in the pic, there is much more floor room with this new layout. Now our friends with kids can fit a pack n play in here when they come to visit!

I won't do much more to this room as I hope to someday turn it into a room for yet another member of our family. But for now, I am much happier making this little place a brighter, more inviting room for our beloved guests.

This post is part of "Show Us What You're Workin' With" at Me & My Bucket "Show and Share Day" at Just a Girl. and "Transformation Thursday" at Shabby Chic Cottage.

Sunshine Award

2010-03-30T20:09:00.002-04:00

I received a very nice surprise today! The lovely Stephanie at Decorating Addiction granted me The Sunshine Award, which is given to bloggers whose positivity and creativity inspire others.

Can you see me blushing?!? Thank you so very much Stephanie! I was feeling sort of bummed this morning as I am still feeling yucky and the rainy weather wasn't helping. But this award made me cheer right up. It was indeed a little bit o' sunshine in an otherwise gloomy day here in my neck of the woods.

And now it's my turn to pass the sunshine along! I am choosing 3 bloggers that I have just begun to follow recently. These ladies are inspiring me and teaching me so much!

1. Shelley at House of Smith's
First, let me say that Shelley has the most gorgeous smile! I originally "met" Shelley back in January when I stumbled upon her Wonderfully Wordy vinyl line while looking for some vinyl to spruce up my kitchen. I had a ton of questions and Shelley was incredibly friendly and helpful. I ordered an adorable pantry vinyl from her (see it here) , and went back to her recently when I wanted a house number vinyl for our door (see it here). And the whole time, through two orders and lots of email exchanges, I never knew Shelley had a personal blog! Her home is bright and cheery and so very welcoming. I am having lots of fun catching up on her posts, and hope you will, too!

2. Cheri at I Am Momma Hear Me Roar
Cheri is an uber talented momma, and one super chic lady! I fell in love with the shirts she has been making for her boys and had to give them a try. It is just so darn hard to find cute inspiration for boys! Cheri patiently answered all of my questions about paint, removing pockets, etc and with her encouragement I made my first two shirts for my 3 year old son (see them here). I look forward to trying out many of the other tutorials Cheri provides on her site and I look forward to her super creative posts in the future. And if that wasn't enough, Cheri is also opening a small hair accessory business with her sister called Loopdeelou! Their headbands are cute, cute, cute! Their products will be available online soon.

3. Wendy at Relatively Unique
Wendy began her blog when she thought she was getting her dream home, an old farmhouse complete with a barn. Unfortunately, the deal fell through...the farmhouse wasn't meant to be. But instead of sulking and feeling duped, Wendy is taking what she is meant to have and putting her family's own personal mark on it. Wendy and her family have made their house a home, and I so enjoy following along their journey! Wendy and her dad make gorgeous photo frames that they sell in a little booth. And Wendy has such a talent for refinishing furniture that she and her husband also sell in the little booth, which they recently named "Portare Alla Vita" (Italian for "bring to life"). And lucky for me Wendy is a neighbor! Well, not a -right-down-the-street neighbor, but close enough that I hope to meet up with her and some other lovely bloggers in April!

So there you have it, 3 bloggers who bring sunshine to me through positivity and creativity! And hopefully they will choose to pass on the award.

Ballard Knock Off Bee Tumblers

2010-03-29T19:18:00.002-04:00

Have you ever seen these bee tumblers from Ballard's?

I received a set of 2 small glasses and the matching carafe as a bridal shower gift over 8 years ago. At the time I had no idea what Ballard's was or where they came from, but I knew I loved them. Then a few short years ago I came across them in the Ballard's catalog. But at $45 for a set of 4 I just couldn't bring myself to buy them.

Well, as I was strolling though the aisles of The Christmas Tree Shop searching for items to use in my herb crates (which you can read about here and here), I saw them. My large bee tumblers! For $1.29 each! Yep, you read that right. $1.29 each. I grabbed 8 and with a huge smile happy forked over the $10. 32 for my bee tumblers wanting to shout to everyone in there they were indeed, as The Christmas Tree Shop slogan says, "a bargain!" I saved $80!

Here are my lovely bee tumblers with my matching carafe and small tumblers. Can't wait to use them for Easter! You can't tell a difference at all! Wish they had also had the small tumblers.

I also brought home these adorable little glass lanterns for 89 cents each. I plan to add a burlap runner to outside table on the deck, fill these glass containers with sand and tea lights and add them to the table. Can't wait for some night time cookouts!

I am linking to Rhoda's "Today's Thrifty Treasures" party at Southern Hospitality and "Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays" at Coastal Charm.

I am still feeling very under the weather. I stayed home in bed today, and am hoping to find the will power to get to the office tomorrow. Thanks for all the get well wishes!

Herb Crates 1/2 Reveal

2010-03-28T18:40:00.002-04:00

This is as far as I got on my weekend challenge.
What I thought was allergies turned into a full blown head cold. I've been tearing though tissues like nobody's business. Taking this picture and posting here is the most productive thing I've done all day, unless you count blowing my nose til it's raw and red as productive.
I made it to The Christmas Tree Shop on Saturday before I gave into the cold. I got the extra large white plates for $1 each! I also scored some awesome drinking glasses that I will share soon! Stay tuned.
I had the napkins already. The faux grass in the pails were from my Easter Tablescape Attempt #1. (I only had enough for 4 place settings but need 8 so they've been scrapped.) The battery operated candles were also in my stash. The smallest box remains unfilled. I'm thinking maybe seed packets?
I hope to have these up on the wall as soon as I can breathe and find my energy...or when my dear husband decides to do it for me, whichever comes first. But since he is manning the house and our 3 year old wild child, I won't bet on the hubby getting around to it.

How did your weekend challenges go?

Weekend Challange (Herb Crates)

2010-03-26T20:35:00.000-04:00

After stalking package tracker for 2 days, looky what arrived on my front doorstep today:

Seen them before? They've become a bit of a home decor fad among us home decor bloggers. The fabulous Layla of The Lettered Cottage started the trend:

Layla originally found hers at Home Goods. We should all be so lucky, although I am sure I would have moved right by them assuming they were meant for adorable garden sheds, which I do not have. I have got to start learning to think out of the box--or herb crate as it may be--more!

I am a total copy cat, and so I had to have these crates. I have the perfect wall to hang them on in my kitchen/eat-in area, and have already secured a stool from Goodwill to make over to go in the corner with them. It took a few attempts to track down these crates. I believe Layla ended up making sets of these herb crates and selling them, but doesn't seem to be doing so any longer. I also know that Whitewash Sundries used to sell them on etsy, but they've been sold out for a while now. I finally purchased my set from Blessed in Maine's etsy shop

My new goal is to post each Friday what my weekend challenge will be, whether it is decor, organization, craft, or shopping related. I hope you will join me by sharing your weekend goals/challenges in my comments section. (I hope to eventually host link parties, but I'm still too chicken to give this a try so early in my blogging presence) And if you have suggestions on how to accomplish my challenges, please let me know! At the end of the weekend I'll post an update sharing how the challenge turned out.

This weekend's challenge:
Finding the perfect touches to add to my new herb crates!

Decorating Toddler Shirts

2010-03-26T15:36:00.001-04:00

Wow...this week flew by!
My obsession this week was shirts for my 3 year old son. The incredibly talented Cheri over at I Am Momma Hear Me Roar inspired me with her adorable shirts. I have spent the past few nights running to the craft store after work and then staying up way past my bedtime making freezer paper stencils, painting, sewing, etc. Here are two of my favorites that I've made so far:

Be sure to visit Cheri's blog for more information on how to make these adorable shirts!

Sprucing Up the Garage

2010-03-22T21:08:00.004-04:00

We recently added a mud room to our house. I designed it and my husband and father in law made it happen. I love it, and will share it with you soon. We live in a tall, skinny townhome and our front door is actually on the 2nd level of the house. We have quite the set of concrete stairs leading to that front door. And I was always terrified that I was going to fall down them when I was pregnant and later when I carried my son up and down them. Once my son started walking and insisting on doing everything on his own, we started entering the house through the garage, which leads to the basement, in an effort to avoid those dreadful stairs. This new habit led to the creation of the mudroom...which has led to the sprucing up of the garage. Everyone now enters our home through the garage and into the basement...so I wanted them to be greeted with something more appealing than this:

( I almost forgot to take before pics--bad blogger!--that's why the ladder is there...I had just started painting.)

Now our guests are greeted with this:

It doesn't really look like it in the photos, but let me assure you that I painted those walls! I used left over paint from our living room and kitchen (Benjamin Moore's Dunmore Cream). I still have more painting to do. (Can you spot where it ends?)
The shelves were once in a closet and were moved to the garage.
The galvanized buckets were purchased several summers ago for ice and drinks at a party. I added the numbers using peel-and-stick chalkboard paper I had in my stash. I printed out the numbers, taped them to the chalkboard paper and cut the out. Easy peasey.
I also already had the watering cans...I just spraypainted the larger one black with a silver spout. And who doesn't grow flowers in their garage?!? The other pot is holding a stash of twine.

I love seeing all of our boots lined up ready for use at the first sign of a rain cloud!

We hung the curtains--which are drop cloths--last fall all across the width of the garage to hide our storage area. We have shelves full of stuff, stuff and more stuff behind there. I still need to iron those drop cloths!

I painted the door black and added the white vinyl house number, which I purchased from the fabulous Shelley at Wonderfully Wordy. And I found the L rug on clearance at a Marshal's that was closing for under $10!

I think our guests will appreciate entering our home much more now...I know I do!And here's a little sneaky peek into the mudroom! I promise to show you more soon.

Where do you enter your home? The traditional front door, the garage, or somewhere else?

This post is part of "DIY Day" at A Soft Place to Land and "Get Your Craft On" and Today's Creative Blog.

Ammunition Boxes Revevaled

2010-03-21T19:54:00.005-04:00

Ready to see what I did with these?
(Ammunition boxes from Goodwill for $2.95 each)

Well, after lots of thought, and after reading through all of your suggestions (which I greatly appreciate) I decided to do this:

As I so often do, I got my inspiration from Pottery Barn. I remembered their bankers boxes as I was starting at my ammunition boxes trying to figure out what to do with them to make them decorative while also making them functional.

Each of the boxes got 2 coats of chalkboard spraypaint. The one on the left shows the box after being treated with chalk, the one on the right before.

I added old mason jars in the top box, also found at Goodwill. One is now a pen holder and the other a vase (although it could easily hold paperclips, rubberbands, etc in the future). I also added blank index cards so that they are conveniently next to the pens for quick to-do and grocery lists. (I love using index cards for lists as they are easy to stick in my pocket, handbag, etc.) The bottom box will hold important mail, paperwork, etc. that needs to be accessible but hidden. And since I used chalkboard paint, I could change the writing to "In" and "Out" or anything else!

And the addition of these boxes to our desk led to a full on reorganization!
While we have had good intentions for our desk, it's never really panned out. For some reason our bill organizer has always been in the kitchen taking up prime space on our counter tops. Moving it to the desk only made perfect sense. Luckily it's black, so it goes well with the my version of the bankers boxes. I added a burlap runner that I made out of my burlap stash. I hemmed the edges this time using heat-n-bond. My little bird cage stayed. The lamp is the same but the lampshade got replaced by something less formal.And all the drawers in the desk were purged and reorganized. So happy to have been prompted to do that!

A basket in the floor next to the desk helps to act as a catch all for junk mail, items, keys, etc.

This is now one of my favorite and more functional areas of our home. Funny how the addition of small items can lead to a whole makeover!

These ammunition boxes were my first great find at Goodwill at only my 2nd visit. I plan to make pitstops there all the time now in the hopes of finding more gems! What was your first and/or favorite find at a thrift store?

I'm linking up to "Today's Thrifty Treasures" at Southern Hospitality, "Metamorphosis Monday" at Between Naps on the Porch, "Make Your Monday" at Cottage Instincts, "Get Your Craft On" at Today's Creative Blog, and "Best DIY Projects of March" at Beneath My Heart.

Ammunition Boxes as Decor?

2010-03-18T19:25:00.000-04:00

Here are the pics of my Goodwill finds that I accidentally left out of my post last night.

And from last night:
Ok, now I need your help. I found these metal containers at Goodwill and grabbed them for $6 for both. I have no idea what to use them for, but I liked the heavy, industrial feel to them. A friend who is a retired soldier told me today that they are actually military cases for bullets. I am considering spraypainting them in chalkboard paint and adding them to the shelves along with the galvanized tubs. Or should I spraypaint them ORB and find a place for them in the kitchen or living room? Thoughts? Suggestions?

So let me hear from y'all!

Paint, Cherry Blossoms & Metal

2010-03-17T22:40:00.004-04:00

What? You don't think those 3 things go together?
Well, that what I've got goin' on around here.

Paint
Finally, the weather has been good enough here to haul a bunch of stuff outside to paint. And I am officially hooked! Now you have to forgive me, but my camera died and I didn't get before pics. I just couldn't put off painting to wait on the battery to charge. This is the only before pic I got...it's what my driveway has looked like the past two evenings. The table is for the guestroom that I have been redoing...consider this a sneak peek. The black square is a piece of glass from a frame that I spraypainted with chalkboard paint, also for the guestroom. I will show you the outcome in another post soon.

This little bunny was green glass before it got a coat of white spray paint.

I used oil rubbed bronze (ORB) to transform a few things that are in my kitchen so that they would match the ORB hardware and wrought iron accessories I have in there. The canisters are from Ikea and originally had silver lids.

The utensil holder was also originally silver, and the little olive jar's lid was a horrible orange wood. The ORB spraypaint made them all much better!

Cherry Blossoms
I love cherry blossoms. I love them even before they bloom. I added real ones to the vingette on top of the new piece we recently added to the living room.

And I added some faux ones to the shelves in the staircase leading to our basement.

Metal
And lastly, I added numbers to metal galvanized tubs that I keep on the shelves outside the door in our garage leading into our mudroom. (This is another redo in progress...more to come soonhopefully!) I made the numbers with left over peel-and-stick chalkboard paper. I printed out the numbers in a font I liked, taped them to the chalkboard paper, and then cut them out.

Ok, now I need your help. I found these metal containers at Goodwill and grabbed them for $6 for both. I have no idea what to use them for, but I liked the heavy, industrial feel to them. A friend who is a retired soldier told me today that they are actually military cases for bullets. I am considering spraypainting them in chalkboard paint and adding them to the shelves along with the galvanized tubs. Or should I spraypaint them ORB and find a place for them in the kitchen or living room? Thoughts? Suggestions?

And thank you all for the feedback on my Easter tablescape. I appreciate all of the suggestions! I have taken note of all y'all said and am putting together a plan. So thank you!

This post is part of "Transformation Thursday" at Shabby Chic Cottage, "Feature Yourself Friday" at Fingerprints on the Fridge and "Frugalicious Friday" at Finding Fabulous.

Easter Tablescape

2010-03-16T21:37:00.004-04:00

I got started on my tablescape for Easter, but am sort of at a standstill. I need your opinions! Let me know what you think so far...

My inspiration came from Pottery Barn.

I made a no-sew table runner out of burlap and love it. I made it wider than the standard runner. I just cut it, threw it in the washer and dryer and then trimmed what needed to be trimmed. (And I did iron it before putting it on the table...obviously, I need to do a better job!)

I found the ceramic duck at the Pottery Barn outlet. I wasn't sure about it, but then decided I like the departure from the traditional bunnies. The small glass vase came from The Christmas Tree Shops (clearance for $4.99!) and the tall one came from the Pottery Barn Outlet. I filled them with Spanish Moss, some twine covered eggs, and white wooden eggs.

I covered some hardback books to mimic the ones in the PB tablescape in order to gain some height for one of the vases.

I covered the book with modge podge and then added the scrapbook paper. I had to cover the front, then the back, and then the spine.

I then sanded away the extra paper from the edges.

I then used my walnut ink on the edges to "age" it even more. I finished up by tying the 2 books together with satin ribbon.

Now, here is where I am having the most difficulty...the place settings. I was really hoping to find some new Easter/Spring plates, but haven't had any luck. So I added green cloth napkins between the plate and salad plate to add some color. I found the metal buckets on clearance at Michael's for .50 cents and the faux grass was 50% off, so they were only $1.50 each. I need 4 more of these settings, so I am hoping my 2nd Michael's will have more.

I stopped there. I still need stemware and flatware. (I want to buy new flatware but haven't found what I love yet...any suggestions?)

Also, my biggest goal for Easter dinner:
PAINTING THIS TABLE!
I want to leave the top of the table and the seats of the chairs the stain they are while painting the rest of the table as well as the legs and backs of the chairs Benjamin Moore's Bone White. I am very, very nervous about this, but HAVE to do it. Have to. I am accepting any and all suggestions about painting furniture!

I think I need to add more...more what though?
Daffodils? In metal buckets? Or would that be too much metal?

I am now open for critiques, criticisms, etc...

This post is part of "Show Us What You're Workin' With" at Me and My Bucket and 'Tablescape Thursday" at Between Naps on the Porch.

Vinyl + Burlap = Framed Monogram

2010-03-15T18:56:00.002-04:00

Here's an incredibly quick, easy and cheap project for all monogram lovers!

$2.99 Black Frame
(From The Christmas Tree Shops...I was there for some other things so I grabbed the frame while there. Otherwise I would have got one at the $1 store for even cheaper!)

.70 Vinyl Decorative Letter
(Found at JoAnn's on clearance!)

Free Burlap
(I bought 3 yards at JoAnn's to make a table runner and some pillow cases for $8.00. I used leftovers.)

TOTAL: $3.69!

Frame the burlap...

Rub the vinyl on the outside of the frame's glass...

Voila! Quick, easy and cheap monogram!

This post is part of "DIY Day" at A Soft Place to Land and "Get Your Craft On" at Today's Creative Blog.

Hopping Down the Bunny Trail

2010-03-14T21:02:00.004-04:00

Yet again, I had Easter decor from years past that just didn't cut it this year. These little bunnies came home with me a few years ago from Micheal's.

I thought they needed some paint and aging, so I went to work with my craft paints again. I used the JoAnn's brand craft paint (only 59 cents!) in ivory and coated the green lettuce leaves using a foam craft brush. I didn't touch the bunnies at this stage. (Sorry, I forgot to take a pic once everything was white.)

Next up I tried something that I wasn't sure would work. I love walnut ink. I used this stuff like crazy when I was into scrapbooking and paper crafting. It's perfect for aging paper. But is it perfect for aging bunnies and lettuce leaves?

I sprayed it on....

Gently wiped the excess off...

And then used a foam brush to achieve the look I wanted...

I think it worked!
What do y'all think?

Please meet Mr. Bunny:

And the lovely Mrs. Bunny:

Some of the green still shows through here and there, and I'm OK with that. They are now on the island in the kitchen, helping to usher in spring and Easter.

What are your favorite paints to use when re-purposing items and/or aging them? So far I've only used craft paints. And I am incredibly happy to learn that I can use my beloved walnut ink on things other than paper! I hope to jump on the spray paint bandwagon as soon as it is warm and dry enough here to get outside.

This post is part of "Thrifty Treasures" at Southern Hospitality., "Make it for Monday" at Cottage Instincts, and "Make Your Monday" at Twice Remembered.

(I hope Rhoda doesn't mind that my bunnies didn't actually come from a thrift store. I just don't have a good thrift store near me! But these bunnies were thrifted from my stash...hopefully that will count!)

Herb Garden

2010-03-12T15:02:00.001-05:00

I was inspired by the window sill herb garden over at White House Black Shutters. She added chalkboard labels to glass vases to grow herbs in, and I decided that I wanted to create the same little garden. A perfect way to usher in spring, decorate my window sill, and contribute to dinner.

Lucky for me, I already had 4 small glass containers perfect for this project on hand. I also had leftover peel-and-stick chalkboard from the end cabinet I covered a while back. (you can see that here) I used an exacto knife and a ruler to cut 4 labels all the same sizer and stuck them onto the glass containers.

All I had to purchase was the soil and the seeds. I got all of that at The Christmas Tree Shops for $6.

Now, I don't have a green thumb. As a matter of fact, I have a black thumb. Nearly every single plant in our home is fake. I am not a gardener. But, I was able to fill these containers with soil and add the seeds. My 3 year old son even helped and had a blast. The whole project only took about 20 minutes. The hardest part was writing the names on the labels. I wanted them to look pretty!

My son came running downstairs this morning eager to see the herbs. Much to his dismay, they weren't here yet. Hopefully, between the two of us, we will nurture this little window herb garden enough to actually produce herbs...with patience.

I think my herb garden on the window sill goes nicely with the rest of the spring decor I recently added to this area of my kitchen. The glass apothecary jars came from Home Goods a while back and were filled with pine cones over the winter. I filled them with Spanish Moss and white wooden eggs that I found at Michael's last year for 80 cents each.And I, of course, had to add a little bird! I found the little guy at the Dollar Tree.

Do you garden? What do you enjoy growing?

Easter Banner

2010-03-11T21:08:00.002-05:00

I got this "Happy Easter" banner last year at Home Goods.

I liked it last year, but it was a bit too colorful and bright for me and my current decor this year. I pulled out my paints and went to work. The letters were made of cardboard and covered in batting and fabric. I wasn't sure if it would work, let alone achieve the look I was going for, but I decided to give it a go.Using foam craft brushes, I covered the letters that were covered in patterned fabric with brown paint first. I left the solid green and blue alone.

Then I covered them all with white. I think I did 2 coats.

Then I used the a small brush and brown paint to "dry brush" the edges to give the letters an aged look. (dry brush technique = dip brush in paint, then wipe most of it off on paper so that the brush is almost dry before painting with it)

Lastly, I went over each letter with a very, very dry brush of brown paint.
(I have tried and tried to rotate this photo, but it just won't cooperate! Sorry.)

I hung the banner on our hutch in the kitchen's eat-in area. I love it so much more this way!

I also added my tiny Easter salt and pepper shakers that my Mom gave me a few years ago. Aren't they adorable?

And did you see my fresh bouquet of flowers? I simply love having fresh flowers around. Thank goodness for my local Produce Junction where I can get cheap, cheap flowers and put my own arrangements together. In another lifetime, I'd like to be a florist.

Our home is looking more and more like spring! I have been putting away all of our winter things (like pine cones) and am enjoying the lighter, airier look around here. It makes me feel much more energized!

What are you doing in your home to prepare for spring?

This post is part of "Feature Yourself Friday" at Fingerprints on the Fridge.

The Caged Bird

2010-03-10T18:48:00.000-05:00

We have had gorgeous weather the past few days and I am officially ready for spring! I have been getting the house ready here and there and am happy with the progress I am making. Yesterday I made my twine eggs, and I added a sweet little bird cage to our desk in the living room.

I found the cage at Michael's for 50% off and the eggs (in a little baggy with several others) for 40% off. The Spanish moss was form my stash. So this little decoration added up to only about $7!

Since my living room has a bird theme going on, this little beauty may stay out past spring!

Twine Eggs

2010-03-09T21:28:00.000-05:00

Tonight I took this:

And made this:

Maryann over at Domestically Speaking had a fabulous idea--covering plastic eggs with twine! I loved the coloring and texture of the eggs and jotted down the info in my Idea Book. I finally had time to run my Dollar Tree yesterday to grab supplies. I got 18 eggs for, you guessed it, $1. I also grabbed 2 large bags of Spanish moss for this project and to have on hand. Unfortunately, I didn't like the twine they had. It was too light colored and thin. But I found the perfect twine at Michael's for $3.99 and used a 40% off coupon.

I took my Simon Pearce hand blown glass bowl, added some Spanish moss, and added a few twine eggs. I added it to my vignette on top of our new piece of furniture.

I am already looking for other things to cover in twine. Glass milk bottles? Old glass jars? A wreath? Anyone have any ideas?

A Useful Kitty Cat

2010-03-08T20:43:00.003-05:00

This little ceramic kitty cat sat on my Granny's window sill in her kitchen for as long as I can remember. Granny loved gum. And I guess she conserved and made it stretch as long as she could. When she passed, I brought home a few things that reminded me of her including this little kitty. But I wasn't too fond of the mustard yellow and orange combo, so I recently decided to paint him.

I grabbed some white and brown craft paint from my stash. I added a drop of brown to the white to soften the white. It took about 3-4 coats.

I then mixed some brown paint with water to create a glaze and painted over the cat, using a paper towel to wipe it away before it dried.

He's now perfect for holding my rings! I put him in my master bathroom.

I am considering adding a word to his belly where it used to say "Gum". What do y'all think? Rings? Trinkets? Maybe something in French, or maybe Italian? Or should I leave the little guy alone?

This post is part of "Make Your Monday" at Twice Remembered, "Made by You Monday" at Skip to my Lou, "DIY Day" at A Soft Place to Land, "Power and Paint Party" at Domestically Speaking and "Make it for Monday" at Cottage Instincts

Finishing the Living Room

2010-03-07T18:41:00.002-05:00

After analyzing photos of our living room, I came to the conclusion that it was all "wall".

Funny how you can see a room every single day, but not really see it till you look at photos.

So, what's wrong with this picture?

1. Huge empty wall.

2. Shelves above oversized chair are way too small.

3. Too many bird pillows.

4. Wrong prints for us.

5. End table not really our style.

So I got to work on correcting these problems.

I kept one bird pillow and exchanged the others for some variety.

I returned the prints and found the bird canvas at the Pottery Barn outlet that I absolutely love.

Then I tried filling in some of the empty space by decorating under the end table.

I figured that would do til I could get rid of the coffee table. It was a hand me down and worked for us for several years, but just isn't our style.

But, then the hubby and I decided to just go ahead and finish this room. We spend the bulk of our time at home in this room and we were so close to being done. So we took an impromptu trip to Ikea Friday night in search of an Expedit piece. It took care of the end table problem and the too-small-shelves issue all at once! We went with the brown/black color that has a wood grain look to it. I think it blends nicely with the other furniture in the room.

What a difference adding this piece made! (please indulge me while I share a ton of pics!)

The baskets in the Expedit also came from Ikea. They are the Knipsa ones. They fit perfectly and are a great way to store some of my son's toys in the living room without them being seen. (The small peek at a blue toy can be seen in the pic, but not in person.)

The large wooden plate on top is the Hutlet dish from Ikea. The glass vases are the Snartig vases also from Ikea on clearance for 80 cents each! I love the texture on them. I filled them with large white flowers from the grocery store for only $4.

The lamp was from the end table, and I got a new drum shaped lamp shade for it form Target in burlap. It goes great with the natural linen drapes.

Everything else in this piece was re-purposed form other places in the house.A great way to fill it up and de-clutter other areas at the same time! I love the look of all the candles (battery operated) lit up in there at night.

With the end table gone, we wanted to be sure to have something we could set a drink on if need be, but no longer had room for anything large and/or bulky. We found the perfect solution at Pier 1: the Perry Pedestal. We placed it on the other end of the couch, opposite of the Expedit. I re-purposed an orchid (since I ended up with one too many for behind the fireplace screen) and a little birdie, which I placed on top of some of my vintage hardback books from my great aunt and my Mamaw.

I am in LURVE with our living room now! It so much cozier. We have one more little thing to do in here (a new light fixture in the entrance area) but other than that, this room is DONE!

(Disclaimer: yes, the front of our front door is blue. We can't change the color of it due to association rules. The blue looks totally out of place when the door open like that, but I love having the door open to let in all the beautiful sunshine! And the blue actually looks very nice with the rest of the house on the outside.)

Thanks for sharing this journey with me as I added finishing touches to our living room!
This post is part of "Make Your Monday" at Twice Remembered.

Master of Friendship Blog Award

2010-03-05T15:53:00.000-05:00

Andrea over at Andrea's Attic kindly awarded me with this blog award today! Thanks Andrea!

The Rules

1. List 6 things you are a master in.

2. Pass it on to 6 master bloggers you think make blogging so awesome

6 Things I am a Master of...

1. Reading.
I love to read. I can't fall asleep at night if I don't read first. The last 2 books I read were Ken Follet's Pillars of the Earth and Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol. I highly recommend both. Currently I am reading Pearl S Buck's Dragon Seed. But don't get me wrong. I also look a good chick lit book. I adore Jennifer Weiner and am anxiously awaiting her next book.

2. Bubble Baths
I love hot baths, and I can't take one without bubbles. Or a book. I take them almost nightly. It is the ultimate relaxation.

3. Multi-tasking
I am work full time, have a family and have several hobbies. I only have time for all of this because I can multi-task.

4. Bargain Shopping
I refuse to pay full price for anything unless I have exhausted all efforts to buy it on sale or find a close alternative for cheaper. I love Target, TJ Maxx, Home Goods and Marshals!

5. Loving my Boys
I have been happily married to my husband for nearly 8 years (together for 11 as of today!) and an energetic 3 year old son. They bring my so very much joy and laughter! They have taught me to take life more lightly and to enjoy each moment.

6 Master Bloggers

1. Kim at Our Over Full Cup

2. Meg at House Notes

3. Kim at Savy Southern Style

4. Amy at All Things Home

5. Melanie at Southern Comfort in a Northern Life

6. Meg at Beauty in the Attempt

Hopefully these wonderfully talented ladies will join in the fun!
Happy Friday!

Fluffing the Nest, Part 3

2010-03-03T20:58:00.001-05:00

I fluffed one more area of our living room this past weekend that I want to share with you.
(You can read more at Part 1 and Part 2 posts.)

Something really bothered me in the this photo that I posted on the blog a few posts ago. Can you guess what had me cringing?

Aside from the prints that are now gone, I couldn't stand how empty the room looked. Specifically the area under the end table. I hope to replace that table before long, but in the meantime I had to fill that space.

I went shopping around the house and I came up with a basket to house all of my decorating magazines. But there was still a lot of space in the basket and I needed something with some height. I came across tall glass vases on sale at Target as well as boxes of wine corks to use as filler (yes, I had to buy them...we are beer drinkers and something tells me bottle caps just wouldn't be as classy.)

But I didn't like the pair of vases. So I shopped around the house again and found another greenery arrangement that was in a bag in our mudroom ready to be returned because I didn't think I had a place for it. Glad I didn't have time to return it!

Aaahhhh...that's better.

This post is part of Transformation Thursday at Shabby Chic Cottage.

Fluffing the Nest, Part 2

2010-03-02T21:02:00.001-05:00

Next up on my list of things to fluff was our entertainment center nook. It has always bothered me that the entertainment center just sort of sat in the the nook without any sort of decor other than what is in or on the piece of furniture. (This is where before pics would be helpful. Sorry I don't have one!)
So I finally did something about it and ended up with this: (click on pics to see them larger)

A while back I added the patina wall tiles from Southern Living at Home to the wall on the right. (Yes, those are also plastic pieces attached to the same wall for baby gates! Try to ignore them.)

Then I added the basket in front of the entertainment center. I filled it with special quilts all made by amazing women in my family.

Next I wanted to some color, so I added the greenery on the top of each end of the center.

You can read about how I made these pieces here.

To add more color, and to make my collection of pink depression glass and milk glass (all inherited from my Granny) stand out more, I lined the back of the cabinets with textured wall paper.

And most recently, I added some decor above the entertainment center. That blank space had always bothered be, but I was baffled as to what to put there. Prints just didn't seem right, and I have more than enough iron scroll type decor in this room. Then I found the perfect thing! While shopping at Target last week I found square basket weave chargers on clearance for about $3 each. I grabbed 4 thinking it was time I start working on table scapes for our kitchen table. But once home, I thought, "Hey, why not out these over the entertainment center?!?" And so I did. What do you think?

I still need to work on the decor there in the middle over the TV. It's on my to do list!

NOTE: Please forgive the quality of these pics. I am finding that I need to make time to take pics during the day when the room is filled with light. And I am learning through looking at pics of my home that I need to find a way to hide all those hideous power cords!

Fluffing the Nest, Part 1

2010-02-28T20:21:00.002-05:00

I have spent the past few weeks fluffing our nest...the room we spend the most time in...our living/family room. I'm still not completely finished, but I am so much closer than I've ever been in the 7 years we have lived here. You saw the drapes I added just the other day. This weekend I added artwork, new pillows, and a new fireplace screen.

I love, love, love our Pottery Barn Outlet, and I scored my two best deals ever there this weekend!

First up, their Bird Canvas Wall Art.

I saw this in their spring catalog and sighed over it's unique beauty, but at $279 I moved on to the next page. But as I made my initial walk through the outlet I came across some miscellaneous items gathered in the back. I strolled over and lo and behold there were 2 of these canvases thrown on top of some furniture. I was surprised because it is unusual to find something a the outlet that is brand new to the stores. The first one was tagged $199.99. Still more than I wanted to pay. Then I glanced at the second one. $99.00. WHAT?!?!? I didn't let go of it till I loaded it into the car.

Then my hubby asked me if I'd be interested in a new fireplace screen. Not something on my radar, but I was curious and told him to lead the way. He had stumbled upon some newly marked down...are you ready for this?...$9.99! The original tag on the box said $250. We quickly ushered it to the front claiming it as ours and got in line.

Next on my list: pillows. I took all the comments on my bird pillows to heart, and agreed with everyone. 3 was just too many. In fact, with the large bird canvas now going over the couch I also felt that 2 bird pillows was even too many. I had hoped to score some others at the PB Outlet but didn't have any luck. As you all know, I hate to pay full price for anything, but I had exhausted all efforts at all of my regular haunts searching for pillows. So I headed to PB and exchanged 2 of the bird pillows for 2 of their new crocheted pillows and a new floral lumbar pillow. At least I already had most of the inserts I needed and didn't have to buy those!

So here is my new wall art, pillows and fireplace screen! I am in LURVE.
(Please excuse the ugly laptop cord in these pics that I failed to move, and the poor lighting.)

I love that the screen is so much bigger than the one we had (you can see it here). Unfortunately, the middle orchid is now obscured. I'm trying to decide whether to only use 2 there, or just remove them all. And my newly painted vintage sign is just propped above the fireplace. I am considering moving the circular tea light holder up and putting the sign under it. What do you guys think?

I have a few more things to share that I've done in this room lately that have made a big difference for me. I'll share those over the next few days, so be sure to check back with me!

In the meantime, tell me...what have been your biggest and best scores for your home?

Vintage Sign

2010-02-26T11:01:00.005-05:00

I love so many of the wooden vintage-inspired signs I've seen on blogs and in stores lately. Susie Harris is an incredibly talented artist and I have fell in love with her creations over and over:

And so as we settled in for yet another night of snow here in PA, I decided to give my own vintage-inspired sign a try.

Supplies:

Left over white paint from painting trim in the house.

Brown and black acrylic craft paint.

Paintbrushes.

Sandpaper.

Wood.

We received this sign a few years ago. It was perfect in a little bar area in the basement, but now that the bar is defunct I decided to repurpose it. I flipped it over and had an unpainted, rough surface.

I sanded and sanded, and then painted 2-3 layers of white paint. Then I mixed the brown acrylic paint with some water and using a foam brush "stained" the sign a bit so that it wasn't such a bright white. I let it dry for about an hour and then began the lettering process.

I printed the lettering in a font I liked and printed it out. Then I traced the letters on the front and back of blank printer paper. Then I traced the letters onto the wood. The lead from the tracings on the back transferred the letters onto the wood.

Then I began painting the letters using a fine point brush and the black acrylic paint. I did 2 layers. Then I went over the letters with the brown acrylic paint. I did one layer of brown to soften the black.

Then once dry I began to age the sign. I wish I could give details on how I did that, but I sort of just made it up as I went. I think my old scrapbooking skills came out. I was very into distressing paper crafts back in the day. I just used the brown paint and a napkin to distress the edges and some of the surface. I even scratched off some of the paint and let the wood show through in some places.

And here is what I ended up with!

I chose "La Vita e Bella" (Life is Beautiful in Italian) because it was the first movie date my hubby and I had so many years ago. And because my husband's family is Italian. It's just a special phrase for us. A nice reminder that life is precious and indeed quite beautiful.

Now I just have to figure out where to put my vintage sign! I keep moving it around the house trying to find it's spot.

What would you want on a sign in your home? Your last name? A special phrase?

This post is part of the Before and After Party at Thrifty Decor Chick, Make Your Monday at Twice Remembered and Transformation Thursday at Shabby Chic Cottage.

Draping the Window Seat

2010-02-24T22:14:00.002-05:00

We have an odd window seat in our living room. I say odd because it isn't as wide as most window seats. I've had a hard time "dealing" with this space. It took me FOREVAH to find a curtain rod that worked on the window because one side of the window goes all the way up against the fireplace leaving no room at all for a finial, while on the other side there is plenty of room for a large finial. I finally found the perfect rod over the summer and brought home some cheap drapes. And my husband hung the rod too high. So the drapes were "high waters", as my Gramps would say. They have driven me crazy for months. And lately I've been bothered by the green as well. I love dashes of green in the living room in plants, moss, etc., but I haven't been loving it on the windows. So today on a whim while in Tarjay I grabbed some linen-like, textured natural drapes that I could use clips to hang to extend the length.

So without further ado, here is the transformation.

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

The Breakdown

Drapes: Solid Natural Linen from Target's Home line, $19.99 each panel

Drapery Rings/Clips: Target's RE style line in mocha, $4.99 for 7

I am much happier! I had wanted to do the whole drop-cloths-as-drapes craze on the window seat, but hadn't had the time nor the confidence to do so. These drapes were cheap and very close to the coloring of drop cloths, so I am very happy with the results and with no work on my end other than hanging them and steaming them.They are still a tad shorter than I'd really like. I would prefer they puddle on the floor. But we have two vents right under so it just wouldn't work well there.

Tomorrow our blinds guy will be installing a new set of blinds. The ones there now were warped in shipping, and therefore can only be opened in the direction you see in the pics. And with new drapes and new blinds, and I nearly ready for the next step...a cushioned seat!

What do you think? Like the linen better than the green? Or would you have kept green on there?

This post is part of Transformation Thursday at The Shabby Chic Cottage.

A Make-Do Cloche

2010-02-23T19:47:00.000-05:00

I have been yearning for a cloche since I began seeing them all over the decor blog world a few months ago. I guess I am easily influenced!

photo from greendaily.com

photo from cottageelements.blogspot.com

photo from www.paleandinteresting.com

photo from www.vanessachristenson.com

photo from www.j-a-girl.blogspot.com

So far, I haven't come across a bargain cloche. I am still looking. I'd love to find a tall one that could house a plant. But for now, here is my "make-do-using-what-you-have" cloche. I had the glass cheese dome on hand (I had actually forgotten all about it til I stumbled upon it in a cabinet the other day!). I also had the green grass and snatched the bird from my hutch. This is now in my living room. It makes me happy til I can find exactly what I want!

Do you have any cloches? Where did you find them, and what do you have in/under them?

Birds of a Feather?

2010-02-22T20:06:00.000-05:00

So, guess what I brought home this weekend?

Actually, I brought home 3!
I fell in love with these bird pillows when I saw them in the Feb. Pottery Barn catalog. There are 3 different birds:

Originally I planned to buy one of each. However, I'm not so great about ordering home decor stuff online...I tend to want to see the item(s) in person. My closest PB didn't have the pillows, and the one I went to that did have them only had 3 of the same bird. I grabbed them and figured I'd decide if I liked having all the same ones once home and return them if I didn't.

So, what do you think?

Should I:
A) Keep the pillows.
B) Keep the 2 on the couch and exchange the one on the oversized chair for a different bird.
C) Keep the 2 on the couch and exchange the one on the oversized chair for something differnt.

If you chose A, which bird? Red or blue?

If you chose C, I am considering the following. Which do you think would go best?

And yes, the floral prints are still over the couch. I still think I prefer some fern prints that have more green in them, maybe in a set of 6. But then when I threw the bird pillows on the couch I kind began to question whether or not maybe I like these prints after all. Any thoughts?

In Progress

2010-02-19T16:10:00.003-05:00

Lots of projects in progress around here. I seem to find little chunks of time to work on things just a little, but never enough time to actually finish anything.

1. Prints for living room.
We have shopped and shopped (both in store and online) for prints to go over our sofa. I brought home these options, but have decided they just aren't "us". They will be returned. I am now in search of a set of 6 fern-like prints. Let me know if you know where to get them!

2. Greenery for the entertainment center.
I actually finished this project, but can't put them in place yet as we realized that the movers put our entertainment center back wrong when we got new carpet and now need to correct that problem.

I had these that I had found at Ross last summer for about $8 each, but wasn't in love with the greenery in there anymore.

So I ripped out the greenery (I kept it just in case I ever want it for a future project) and tore out the styrofoam.

Then I just stuck this greenery inside the copper tins. Found them at Christmas Tree Shop for $8 each!

3. Master Bath Redo
We started redoing our bathroom back before Christmas. Yep, still trying to finish. We still need to paint around the light fixture and do touchups. But, after searching everywhere for some art to go in there, I inherited a print from my inlaws that I think fits perfectly. I finally got a frame for the print and got it on the wall, so here's a sneak peek at our new master bath.

4. Prints and shelves in the staircase.
This the staircase leading from the main floor to the basement. I have been meaning to do this project forever and finally just went for it. I had been waiting to have all the photos we need to fill the walls, but I'd never start if I waited for that. So I figure I'll just add to it as I go. I'm still not loving the decor on the shelves, but I'll figure it out as I go. Most of the pics are old black and whites of our family with a few current ones thrown in.

What projects do you have going on? Are you a "do-it-as-I-have-time" kinda person, or a "do-it-all-at-once" kinda person?

This post is part of "Make Your Monday" at Twice Remembered and "Make it for Monday" at Cottage Instincts.

Count Your Blessings

2010-02-16T21:28:00.000-05:00

Remember how I said I wanted to get something on the wall above the baskets in my laundry room? Well, I stumbled upon just the thing today...

There, that's better, don't ya think?

I know it is sort of hard to see in the pics. (It's not the best place to take pics...the closet is at the top of the stairs, so I have to stand in the staircase to take a pic, which means it's awkward and there's bad lighting.) In person, it is much more noticeable. And while I would have liked to find something bigger that spanned more space, I found this vinyl (by Lot 26 studio) at Marshals. The location is moving, so what was left (which wasn't much) was 40% off of the already clearance price. So I scored this vinyl, which is normally around $20, for less than $2! Can't beat that.

I had originally planned to put something there that said "Laundry" or something along those lines. ButI like the reminder to "Count your Blessings". Sure I could grumble about having to do load after load of laundry. But instead, I will try to remember that I am lucky to have loved ones to do laundry for...and that I have the convenience of a washer and dryer to do it in!

I also scored these prints:

Originally $70, down to $39.99 with 40% off. So I got them for $24 each! I've been searching and searching for new prints to go over our sofa in the living room. I had hoped to find something with less red and orange and more green, but in looking, and looking, and looking I haven't come up with anything that I love. I think these will look nice with the right pillows and accessories. Hope to test them out in the next few days. What do you think?

Organization is Key

2010-02-14T21:13:00.002-05:00

I tend to be a super organized person. My huge calendar at work is color coded by task. My coupons are categorized and filed in a small carrier that stays in my handbag at all times. And I 've been known to throw out hangers if they aren't the right color (white plastic or wood). Yet somehow, over the past year, closets and various drawers throughout the house have become extremely disorganized. A dear and quite brave friend of mine who is an organizing guru came over at the end of the summer and helped me tackle two large closets. It was just the jump start I needed and it helped me to regroup. However the holidays then took over and organization was put on hold. But now that things are calm again, I've had a chance to tackle two big problem areas.

The Linen Closet Before

The Laundry Nook Before

I told you they were big problem areas! (And my husband is abhorred that I posted before pics...but it's reality!) The linen closet is tiny and therefore it easily gets out of hand. And the laundry nook (sounds so much better than laundry closet, don't you think?) is quite small as well. Someday I will have a huge linen closet and a laundry room! Someday. Til then, a little organization can go a long way!

The Linen Closet After

The Breakdown:

This project was completely free! The blue bins were left over from my son's nursery and the white baskets were there before. On the top shelf we have a first aid kit and extras for the bathroom like soap, bubble bath, lotion, etc. The next shelf is a bin full of washcloths and a bin full of hand towels. The next 2 shelves are towels. And in the bottom we have an extra comforter, extra bath mat, and a bin of sheets.

The Laundry Nook After

The Breakdown:
Baskets: All of the baskets came from Home Goods for a total of $38. They hold paper towels, toilet paper, cleaning products, laundry essentials, etc. The one on top of the dryer is full of things I use constantly: laundry detergent, dryer sheets, spray Oxi-clean (can't live without it with a messy son), linen spray (makes fresh sheets smell so good), Meyer's all purpose wipes (awesome for quick bathroom clean ups), Swiffer dusting spray (love this stuff), etc.

Lamp: The lamp was repurposed from elsewhere in the house. It got a new shade from Target for $9.99.

Ironing Board Cover: We needed a new one, and it's funny how replacing something like that gives you such a fresh feeling! Found it at Home Goods for $9.99.

Ironing Caddy: I knew I wanted to get the ironing board onto the wall and came across this wall caddy at Target for $9.99. I love that it houses the iron and starch as well!

I'd like to add a cute laundry sign above the baskets, so I'll have my eye out. Let me know if you know of any!

Are you an organizer? What area of your home could use an overhaul? My kitchen "junk" drawers are next!

This post is part of "DIY Day" at A Soft Place to Land!

Decorating Valentines

2010-02-12T13:16:00.001-05:00

I have been known to slap some decoration on just about anything, and my son's valentines for his classmates didn't escape me! I found a bouquet of heart shaped lollipops at Target for $3.99. He has 12 classmates, and there were 12 lollipops. Perfect! I took the bouquet apart and went to work. I used my circle punch (leftover from my scrapbooking days), an alphabet stamp kit and red ink, and cute valentine ribbon from Michaels and came up with these:

And for Gabe's teachers and the directors of his daycare, I hit up my favorite place to score great bargains on flowers. (For anyone in my area, it's Produce Junction!) I got a dozen red roses for $7. Can't beat that! I needed 4 bouquets, so each person got 3 roses. I bought clear wrapping at the $1 store and used ribbon from my ribbon stash. 4 bouquets for $8...That's $2 a bouquet! (Yeah, I can handle simple math...just don't throw any algabra at me!)

My son was so proud to deliver the roses this morning, and couldn't wait to hand out his valentines to his friends. I hope everyone has a very Happy Valentine's Day and that Cupid is good to all of you!

This post is part of Strut Your Stuff at Somewhat Simple.

It's The Little Things

2010-02-10T18:54:00.003-05:00

Yes, sometimes it's the little things that make me happiest! And lately I've made some little changes/additions to the kitchen that have really made me smile.

I brought home a new trash can over the weekend, and it's is ridiculous how happy it has made me. The one we had was a wedding gift 8 years ago and while it served its purpose for just the two of us, it was too small for our family of 3 now. Little boys make big messes!

This is the puny trash can that could no longer keep up with the amount of trash we produce:

When we were filling up the trash can every single day, I decided enough was enough and headed out to Bed, Bath & Beyond armed with a 20% off coupon (remember...they never expire!). I brought this 40 liter beauty home:

It is my new love. What could be more romantic than a new stainless steel trash can for Valentine's?

Did you notice my chalkboard?
It's another little thing that we added recently and it has made taking messages and remembering important things much easier. I used chalk contact paper (great because it is removable without leaving any residue) that I found at Home Goods and cut it to fit the end of the cabinet.

Next up on my list of little things in the kitchen that make me giddy is my new pendant light. Thrifty Decor Chick posted a while back that she had found the recessed light conversion kit at Home Depot or Lowe's and I knew I had to have one. Unfortunately, I can't remember which blogger it was that posted about it. If you are reading, let me know! I sent the hubby out, and out, and out...yeah, it took a few tries to get exactly what we needed but we ended up with this:

It was the perfect touch to the sink area! And I love having just that light on in the kitchen at night.

And while I am noting the little things that make me smile, I must mention this soap:

My dear friend Meg introduced me to Johnson Parker hand soap from The Christmas Tree Shop last year. Much like the more expensive Bath & Body Works version they come in a variety of scents. I tend to change them out according to the season. And at $1 a pop, I stock up every time I get the chance!

So what little things in your home are making you happy lately?

This post is part of "Transformation Thursday" at The Shabby Chic Cottage!

Candle Conversion

2010-02-08T19:51:00.005-05:00

I got this candle for my birthday this past November right before Christmas. It smelled wonderful and lasted all through Christmas and most of January. We burned it all the time. But the candle had melted all into the potpourri and had become quite a mess.

I love the canister and decided to empty out the melted candle-potpourri concoction (that took several minutes and a butter knife). Then I went to work on making a new candle using the following:

I stuck the Yankee jar candle into the canister and started filling up the canister with the river rocks:

I just filled it until just the rim of the Yankee jar candle was visible. And now I have a nice new candle!

You can't tell in the picture, but when the candle is lit there's a nice soft glow through all of the rocks.

The Breakdown:
Canister: Leftover from a gift

River Rocks: From Pottery Barn Outlet, $7.99 for the bag

Yankee Jar Candle: A Christmas gift

I'm thinking I should start to save the jars and glass containers that my candles come in and remove the labels to use them in various ways once the candles are all burnt out. Any ideas to share?

This post is part of "DIY Day" at A Soft Place to Land, "Trash to Treasure" at Reinvented, and "Decorating Dilemma Party" at Serenity Now!

More Moss

2010-02-05T17:01:00.003-05:00

I finally replaced my worn out glue gun and was able to finish my other moss project.
(And yes, I bought the glue gun at Michael's with a 50% off coupon!)

This is my attempt to add more color to our home, and I am lovin' the green. Pottery Barn has moss wreaths but at $49 I said no thank you! So I made my own for under $5. I need to change out the ribbon to a less stark white one, but the white will do til I can find exactly what I want.

This is our desk area in our living room.I know the desk needs to be painted. It sort of blends too much with the walls. But, I am still afraid of painting furniture! I know, I know. I need to just jump in. Hopefully in the spring when it will be warm enough to open the garage door and enjoy being outside.

I used to have candle in these vases, but we never lit them (too dangerous with a rambunctious 3 year old). So I replaced them with a little moss topped off with grapevine balls. The little carved bird was my Granny's. And once again I brought in hardcover books to add some height. (Can you see the title of the top book? "Building a Home with my Husband"! How perfect is that?!?)

This is a plant/beverage stand that gets moved all over the house! Filled with ice it keeps our beverages chilled in the kitchen or on the deck during gatherings with friends. At Christmas time it houses poinsettias. During the summer it usually has a large green plant in it. For now, it is full of huge pine cones.

A suede and leather blotter provides a nice place to write letters and thank you cards. And the votive candles (which are battery operated!) are nice soft light at night when I don't have the lamp on.

I love the iron chair! See the little birdie on the bottom? It used to be in a corner of our guestroom, but when we brought in the desk and needed a chair I knew it would be a perfect match. Granted it's not incredibly comfy, but I throw a pillow on it when I need to sit there.

The Breakdown:
Wreath: Foam wreath from the $1 store. Bag of moss from Micahels for $3. ($6, but used a 50% off coupon!) Had the ribbon in my stash, but on the hunt for a better color.

Mirror: It came from Home Goods or TJ Maxx, I can't remember.

Desk: A hand-me-down from the in-laws. My father in law originally found it at a garage sale! He striped it and painted it and then didn't want to keep it. Score of us!

Plant/Beverage Stand: The Entertaining Bucket and Tray & Red Mountain Iron Stand from Southern Living at Home. It's $140 together, but I got a great deal on it when I hosted an SLH party! I always have a stash of pine cones to use around the house in the fall and winter. I recently added to the stash when Michael's had them for 99 cents a bag after Christmas.

Lamp: We've had this lamp for years. I think it originally came from a department store. It has a mate and the pair have been in our first bedroom in our first apt, our bedroom in our house, the guestroom, and now this on is on the desk while the other is in our laundry nook. I'd like to replace the shade, but I'm not sure what kid/style/color. Any suggestions?

Votive Candles: The Jamestown votive candle holders from Southern Living at Home. I don't think they carry them anymore. I usually buy the battery operated candles from Michael's with, you guessed it, a coupon!

Desk Blotter: From Home Goods for $12!

Candle Holders: Also from Southern Living at Home, but they are no longer available. The moss was left over from the wreath and the grapevine balls are from Michael's for $2.99. each.

Iron Chair: From Ross. I hardly ever go there, but over time it has become my go to place for small furniture. Our leather storage benches in the mudroom and our leather chairs in the basement are also from Ross. I scored the chair for, I believe, $39.99.

Do you have a desk in your home? Where is it? In your living room, kitchen, an office? And don't forget to share your ideas for what color we should paint the desk!

This post is part of Shanty2Chic's "I Made it Without my Hubby" and Cottage Instints' "Make It for Monday".

"Hutching" a New Plan

2010-02-03T20:34:00.004-05:00

My hutch needed sprucing up, and I wanted to lighten it up.
Here it is at Christmas.

And this is the way it's been ever since the Christmas decor disappeared. I couldn't really remember how I had it before the fall and then Christmas arrangement, so I left it this way for a month. That's all I could take.

So the other night I shopped around the house and piled a ton of stuff on the kitchen table and went to work. This is what I ended up with.

Better, right?

The Breakdown
Glass Pitcher: A wedding gift.

Pictures: I found the prints in our linen closet when cleaning it out recently. A friend handed them off to me over the summer and I had forgotten about them. I matted and framed them in frames that I already had.

Sugar and Creamer Set: These were my Granny's and I left them tarnished. I added moss to the top. I stuffed them with paper towels and then hot glued the moss to the top so that I didn't have to use much moss.

Silver Platter: A wedding gift.

Glass Canister: Found on clearance at Target over the summer. I added sugar to it to get more white on the hutch, and added an antique soup tureen.

Silver Salt and Pepper Set: A wedding gift.

Glass Carafes: One was a wedding gift and one was here in the house when we bought it!

Cordial Glasses: Wedding gifts. I turned them upside down to mimic the shape of the carafes.

Silver Dish: I think this came from Target, many years ago. I had the white wooden eggs from my Easter decor stash, but I went ahead and pulled them out to get even more white in there.

Silverware: From my antique silver collection.

Glass Vase: From Southern Living at Home. I love the rectangular shape! Unfortunately, they don't seem to carry it anymore.

Brighton Candle Sticks: A wedding gift. They are beautiful, and unfortunately, my photo doesn't show their detail.

White Ceramic Bird: Found him at Michael's this week on sale for $1.19! It has an aged, cracked look but again my photo isn't very good.

Clay Flower Pots: From Southern Living at Home and they are on sale now! They plants are faux topiaries that I scored at The Christmas Tree Shop for $2.99 each! ("Gotta Love a Bargain!")

Glass Jar: From Target. I put what flour I had in it to yet again add some more white to the hutch. I need to add more! I added one of my anitque silver spoons.

So there you have it! A lighter, brighter hutch. I am much happier!

(Please try your best to disregard the missing borders on some of the pics. Thought I had done them all, and now I don't have time to do it. Thanks!)

This post is part of The Shabby Chic Cottage's Transformation Thursday and The Stories of A to Z's Mantle Party!

Moss Monograms

2010-02-01T21:33:00.006-05:00

I love monograms and initials. And I love all of the natural textures that are popping up in home decor right now like moss. So when I saw Carrie's moss covered initial over at her blog, Buzzings of a Queen Bee, I knew I had to have one as well.

So I headed to Michael's for my supplies armed with a 50% off coupon (which you can find here and use til Feb 8). Remember my Michaels--AC Moore--JoAnn's rule: never, ever shop at any of these stores without a coupon. They are always available!

I scraped up some free time and pulled together my supplies.

I really didn't have a plan other than to hot glue the moss to the letter. So I started gluing...

...and 30 minutes later I had my moss covered L!

I must say that it looks better in person. You can't see the white spots of the letter (I guess the flash picked it up). And it is greener (like in the photo above).

I sort of wish I had a different last name that started with a letter like G so that I could hang the letter like Carrie did, but the L just doesn't lend itself to hanging. So, I'll settle for nestling my L on this shelf.

I have another moss project in the works, but my poor little glue gun gave out tonight. So I've had to postpone that project until I can get to the store to replace it. Stay tuned!

The Breakdown:
Moss: 1 bag Super Moss, $5.99 at Michaels, used 50% off coupon

Letter: wooden, $2.99 at Michaels

Glue Gun & Glue Sticks: from $1 store (although the gun is dead now)

How would you display a moss covered letter? Hang it? Put it on a shelf? Nestle it in a wreath? Let me know!

This post is part of "DIY Day" at A Soft Place to Land, "Get Your Craft" on at Today's Creative Blog, "I Made it Without my Hubby" at Shanty2Chic, and "Make It for Monday" at Cottage Instincts.

Heart Wreath

2010-01-31T16:51:00.001-05:00

Our front door needed a little Valentine's love, so I made this heart wreath.

Can you tell what it is made of?

Burlap!
Love that stuff.
I can't take credit for the idea though. I saw it over at Crafterholics Anonymous. For a full tutorial, click here.
After seeing Linda's wreath, I remembered that I had some left over burlap from some Christmas decorations. I grabbed it, scissors, and a wire hanger. I cut the strips of burlap without measuring, and I made the shape of the heart with the hanger without cutting (as Linda instructs). It was super easy, and quick. When finished, I grabbed some red ribbon from my ribbon stash, hot glued it to the back, and slapped it on the front door.

What's on your front door this time of year?

Firing up the Mantle

2010-01-29T14:54:00.002-05:00

I am joining the Beth's Mantel Party over at The Stories of A to Z this Friday!

So here is our "mantle" for your viewing pleasure. (Click on any of the pics to enlarge)

You probably noticed that we don't exactly have a mantle on our fireplace, but I've made do with what we have. The shape of the area is rather odd. Rather than an area to accessorize directly over the fireplace, the area is off to the left.

I change up this area every so many months, especially during the holidays. After Christmas I only had the two pictures there and was stumped as to what to do from there. I didn't want anymore candles in the area, but needed some height. So I added the woven vase. I went back and forth as to what to put in the vase, and went with the faux green ferns.

I love the look of lanterns, and since we don't light the fireplace very often now (it costs about $20-$25 just to use it for one evening!). I liked the idea of having big chunky candles to light in the lanterns to have that pretty soft glow in the evening. You can't really tell from the pic, but the lanterns and the candles inside are really big. And I love the candles! They are flameless (a must with little ones around) but are made of beeswax so they look very real. And they are on a timer, so I never have to open the lanterns to turn them on/off! And last but not least, they are vanilla scented.

Then once I had the lanterns in place, I realized the fireplace was very dark, so I added the faux orchids to brighten up the area. And again, since we don't light the fire that often, it's no problem having them right there behind the screen.

Here you can see our window seat area next to the fireplace. The lightening was bright, so you can't see the white wooden blinds there behind the drape. (And if you are like my friend Elise, you'll notice the drapes are a bit short. I blame that one my husband, and will be taking care of that problem as soon as I can.)
Also, you'll notice that we actually painted the fireplace area a totally different color than the walls of the room. We wanted the fireplace to stand out, and I am so happy we chose to do that.

The Breakdown:
Mirror: Found at Sam's club way back when we first bought the house. I can't remember how much it was, but I remember that it was a good deal.

Bronze Leaf Candle Holder: We received this as a Christmas gift a few years ago. It's from Pier 1 and it looks like it is on clearance now!

Woven Vase: I scored it Kohls on sale! It was one of those times where I knew I wanted something for that spot, but had no idea what til I saw the vase.

Faux Ferns: I grabbed a bunch of these this past summer when they were on clearance for like $1 a stem at Peir 1. They are no longer online, but I am pretty sure I saw them in my Pier 1 recently.

Firescreen: We bought the firescreen at Target several years ago, and they no longer seem to have them. But they have one similar now.

Lanterns: These are from Ikea. I had seen one on display earlier in the winter but they were all out. I never got around to ordering them (hate to pay for shipping) so I was super happy when they had them back in stock last time we were there! And at only $15 each they are a definite score.

Candles: We found the amazing flameless candles at the The Old Candle Barn, a great place that I love to go to whenever we are in Amish Country. Unfortunately, I threw out all the packaging and now can't remember the name of the company that makes them. I'll let you know once I track it down.

Orchids: I found the orchids at the Pottery Barn Outlet for $5 a stem. I also got a back of natural river rocks while there for $8 a bag. I already had the pots, which are from Ikea and had originally help real plants which I promptly killed as always. I picked up some floral foam from Michaels and put it all together to get what you see in the pics.

Do you have a fireplace mantle? Is it traditional or an oddity like mine?

Tweet Tweet

2010-01-28T13:09:00.001-05:00

I love birds . I know that my love for the feathered creatures comes from my dear, sweet Granny who I lost just a few short years ago. She was a bird lover. After she passed, I began to notice birds around me much more and now feel pulled to them in a way I wasn't before. I guess they let me feel close to her even though she is no longer physically nearby.

And lucky for me, birds are now a hot trend in the decorating community. Pottery Barn recently released their spring line, and it is full of, you guessed it, birds! And since I am already tired of winter and am thinking about spring and spring decor, I have a long wish list now. However, I very rarely pay full price for anything at Pottery Barn. I usually shop for comparable items at places like Home Goods or Target, or I hit up our local Pottery Barn outlet. Unforunately, falling in love with a new line is a curse though because none of this stuff will be at the outlet.

These pillows would be lovely on my living room couch! And they are just the right colors, especially the red and gold one. I like that they would transition the main room of my house to spring and summer, without changing the regular color scheme (which tends to lend itself best to fall and winter).

And how sweet are these little birdie candles?

And there are always plenty of glass jars, vases, etc around my house to fill with lovely things, and these speckled eggs would go nicely with the bird theme for spring. I do know that I see similar eggs all over the place come spring such as Micahels, JoAnn's, etc so I will plan to puchase them there with coupons!

I am also intrigued by the look of old bird cages. I love the new light weight wire bird cages from Pottery Barn. think I may keep my eye out for some. Hopefully I will come across some cheaper ones at Home Goods, Target, JoAnns, or maybe even a thrift store.

Lastly, I must have these bird salad plates. The are breathtaking. I host Easter every year, and every year I wish for special Easter dinnerware. But I've never been able to bring myself to buy plates that are so obviously Easter themed that I can't use them any other time of the year. These, however, would fit right in with my solid cream and green dinnerware that I already have and could be used all spring and summer. I haven't totally given up on finding something similar, so I am still looking. However I have a feeling I'll be treating myself to these soon.

Are you thinking about spring yet? What are some of your favorite items to decorate with that time of year?

Mastering the Master Bedroom

2010-01-27T20:24:00.010-05:00

My husband and I have been married for 8 years and for over 7 of those years we had a hand-me-down bedroom. It worked and was fine with us. When we moved into our home 7 years ago we decided we wanted to worry about furnishing and decorating the parts of the house that guests saw whenever they came over. And since not too many guests recline on your bed in your bedroom over dinner and drinks, we continuously moved our bedroom to the bottom of the list. But last March we finally put ourselves first and bought our first ever bedroom set. From there we decided to start from scratch, which meant all new paint, bedding, drapes and decor.

First we bought the furnishings. We shopped around at big chain furniture stores, but ended up buying from a smaller local furniture company. We were very happy working with a family owned business, and got a fantastic deal on great, well made furniture. We got the bed and two nightstands as well as a unique dresser.

After having a very dark bedroom (red and tan) for several years, we wanted to really brighten things up. We painted the walls a very light color of green.

(Note: You can click all pics to enlarge them.)

Can you tell which side of the bed is mine? (And yikes! We need to hide that power cord.)

I love to have fresh flowers around the house. Normally, I like to have white and green flowers in the bedroom, but I had to go with yellow this time. But I kind of like it! Extra pop of color. I also love using old glass carafes as vases. I try to remember a rule that my sister in law taught me (she has an interior decorating background) of arranging items in 3s (Tall, Medium and Short) and in a triangle formation. A great trick to acheive height when you need it is to use hardback books. Just take the cover off and you have a very classic look. Personal photos (ours are from our wedding) are always great, especially in a personal space like the bedroom. But remember that you can frame other things as well. In the small frame next to the flowers is our table card from some close friends' wedding.

The wall where the dresser is looked sort of empty, so we added sconces to either side. And I put all of our perfume and cologne on a tray...easy access and a pretty display.

The Breakdown:
Furniture: Hooker from Moore's

Bedding: Pottery Barn Outlet

Lamps: Pottery Barn Outlet

Drapes: Bed Bath & and Beyond (With a 20% off coupon! Remember, they never expire)

Sconces: Kohls (During a buy one get one free on lighting, so we also got a great item for our new master bathroom.)

Prints: Ikea (These have been with us through 2 apartments and now our home.)

Tray for perfume: Micahels (With a 40% off coupon. Available each week in the Sunday paper or you can always fine one online to print out. Never ever go into Micahels, AC Moore or JoAnn's without a coupon...and they all accept each other's coupons.)

Flowers:We get our flowers from the Acme Grocery or Produce Junction, a local produce place. Cheap! The flowers in the pics here cost a total of $8 for 2 bunches, which made a total of 2 large and 2 small bouquets.

We still have a few things to do to the room. (Did you notice the doors to the closet and bathroom? Yep, white trim and beige doors. We'll get to it eventually!) And I still feel like we need a few things here and there to make it a bit more cozy. But all in all, I love our bedroom now and love ending each day reading in my cozy get away!

So, tell me, what is your master bedroom like? Just a place to sleep or a relaxing escape?

Pantry Door

2010-01-26T14:38:00.001-05:00

Thank you so much to all of y'all who have stopped by, and especially to those of you who have left comments. I truly appreciate your support in this new endeavor!

It sounds as though everyone is interested in hearing about our master bedroom so I will plan to photograph that this evening. (Hopefully there aren't too many toys, books, water bottles, etc scattered about the room!) About a year ago my husband and I began to weigh our options and started looking into selling our townhome and purchasing a single family home. Long story short, it didn't work out. Instead, we decided to put more work into our home and to truly make it a place that we love. And the bedroom is the first room we tackled! So it is fitting for it to be the first room I present here on my blog. I will post all of the pics along with a break down of where we purchased all of the items.

In the meantime, I thought I'd share one of my favorite decor spots from the past few months--the pantry door in the kitchen.

The breakdown:

Wreath--

I purchased it at the post-Thanksgiving sale at Target for around $5. It is very neutral with creams, greens and browns. I hung it with a wide satin ribbon from my ribbon stash.

Door--

We gave the door a fresh coat of white paint and changed out the doorknob from an outdated, badly scratched brass knob to an oil rubbed bronze knob that we purchased at Home Depot. If I remember correctly, the new hardware ran around $25-$30.

Decal--

The decal says "KITCHEN the heart of the home". I ordered it from Wonderfully Wordy. Shelley is super sweet and very easy to work with. I believe the decal was $15 and it was very easy to apply to the door.

So there you have it! An easy do-over on what was otherwise an overlooked door in our home.

Hi Y'all!

2010-01-25T21:46:00.001-05:00

I have spent months now pouring over other people's home decor blogs. I have been inspired and have spent the past year decorating and redecorating our home. But I still have so much to do! I am ready to join the home decor blogging world where I can share my own ideas and inspirations. So to get me started, let me know what you'd like to see me post about first:
Our Master Bedroom
Our Fireplace Mantle
Our Mudroom
Whichever gets the most votes wins! Just leave a comment and let me know what you want to see first.
And thanks for stopping by!