Chair Redo and Apparently a Book Review

So. Yes I'm still working on project redecorate my entire house. The problem is that I started reading a book and I'm not the type of person who can read a little bit each day. I'm the type of person that disregards house, children, and self until the book is finished and then I join the world again. It's really not healthy, but I've come to accept it about myself so it's OK.

If anyone is interested I was reading this book.

If you have any desire to increase in understanding and respect for you children than I cannot recommend it enough! I have to warn you though that you will most likely experience feelings of guilt as you realize just how much you have been wounding your children. Don't despair though! She is quick to point out that it is never too late to start being a better parent.


OK, so I didn't intend for this to be a book review, but I just have to share this one example of how this has changed they dynamic of our home already. My son James is a type 1 in her energy profiling system. Fun loving, bouncy, random, and light. (the kind of kid that gets labled as ADHD) Unfortunately we have spent the last 8 years thinking that his randomness and bouncing constantly were bad things and have told him repeatedly to hold still and just focus! He has slowly changed from a happy fun loving toddler to a depressed and solemn kid.

After less than a week of honoring his energy and seeing it as a gift instead of a hindrance and making some changes that Carol recommends, he has become extremely affectionate and there is a happiness in his face again. Just the other day my four year old Macy asked if she could have a piece of her Halloween candy, but Laila was napping in her room where it was and when James saw that she was upset he immediately said "You can have one of mine Macy." I know that doesn't seem like a big deal, but you have to understand that offering to give something of his to someone else is HUGE! He has never done that before. Ever!

OK, that could have been it's own post, but all I really wanted to say is that you should read the book!

Alright back to the original point of this post. I have done a few things in the last two weeks other than read, and one of them was to give a major face lift to a chair that I have had for while now.

This is super embarrassing, but I think it was time to redo this chair a long time ago. Yikes!

And just in case any of you are thinking "I would love to cover a chair, but I don't own a staple gun!" Guess what? I don't either. I use thumb tacks instead. I would love to have a staple gun someday, but for now this works. And, the good thing is that it's a lot easier to take the fabric off if you need to wash it, which obviously I didn't!

OK, so after a fresh coat of paint, a little bit more batting to pad our bottoms, and this fabric, the chair is reborn.

Too bad it's sad and lonely right now, because the desk it is supposed to live with is still out of stock at IKEA despite being told for over a month "Oh ya, that should be in next week." Grrr!

 

Decorating My Bookcase

This has been on my To Do List for a long time now. When we first moved into our house EVERYTHING was white. White walls, ceiling, cabinets, etc. So I was desperate to get some color into the house. I thought painting the back of the bookshelf would be a cute and clever way to add color. And for a while it worked. (Or maybe not). It got to the point where it was so random, mismatched, cramped, and not put together that it was driving me crazy! This is literally what it looked like before I started my makeover.

 

Before:

It didn't always look like this but pretty darn near close. A piece of advice: when starting over clear your space out completely! A fresh canvas is always best. I kept trying to move things around and put things up randomly and it just never worked. What I discovered was that #1: the dark background color was making everything look dark and crowded and #2: NONE of it was working. So I started over.

The first thing I did was take everything off and paint the background a nice light color and then repaint the white shelves. Then I sorted my decorations into things I wanted to reuse and the things I knew I wouldn't. A good rule to follow when decorating a bookshelf is always put the "heaviest" items at the bottom. For example baskets (which I use for toys). Now I realize mine are not at the bottom but they are as close as I could get them. Unfortunately with the way my built in bookcase is made there are not baskets the right size for the bottom shelf (I would need very narrow and tall....hard to find). So To bring a little weight to the bottom I used a big wooden sign and picture frame.

Here I used books to add a little height to this tiny trunk that I filled with greenery and a small picture frame. (It's a picture of my husband when he was a little boy holding a fish he caught. So cute!)

 Here I used a metal bike as a bookend and put a bird on top of a stack of books. My children like to play with this bird and it drives me crazy so I put it on the very top shelf!

Here is another way to incorporate books into your decor (because hello it is a bookshelf!)

 And finally, greenery! My favorite space filler. I am terrible at keeping plants alive so I always go with the fake but adding some greenery does wonders to a boring bookcase.

 

And here is the After:

Now if I followed my own rules the black frame on top would be at the bottom (the black makes it "heavier") but it didn't look right with my sign and it was too tall to go anywhere else. Same with the black bike. But you get the idea. Use wood, wicker, metal, greenery, and candles for different textures. Use frames, statues, bowls, clocks and other decor to bring different shapes. And of course use lots of color.

Mirror Makeover

Even though my latest home makeover project started with a pillow in our living room, I've decided that I need to focus on the entry way first since it's the first impression people get of our home when they walk in and then work my way around to the living room and dining room.

 

So, what do you think of my Welcome to our Home?

 

 Slightly sad and not so welcoming, right? My favorite parts are the baby gate behind the door and the hole in the wall where the doorbell box is supposed to go. We had to take it down because it started going crazy one night and even after I changed the batteries it still kept on going. Now it's sitting on top of our fridge.

I've had this mirror for quite a while and of course I loved it when I first bough it, but lately I've been hating it. I knew I wanted to spruce it up a bit but wasn't quite sure how until Jenn suggested an idea that she saw on Pinterest. (I would link you to the actual inspiration pin, but Pinterest seems to be having major issues tonight. I'll try again tomorrow)

Getting those pegs out of the wood was quite an ordeal that almost caused swearing, but once those were out it was just a few coats of spray paint and some cute knobs. I am loving the way it turned out! So much lighter and fun.

Knobs and mirror from Hobby Lobby. 

I would show you what it looks like with the table, but the table is actually in the garage right now getting a makeover of it's own!

 

A Pillow



This weekend I made a pillow. Well a pillow cover actually. It's nothing fancy, but it makes me incredibly happy. And not just because I love the fabric. This pillow represents 2 1/2 years of procrastination! When we first moved into our house I was a little bummed about not being able to paint and remove the hideous 1970's wallpaper from the kitchen since we are renting, so I kind of half heartedly decorated and called it good. I've hated the way it looks the whole time, but couldn't seem to find the motivation that I needed to do something about it. 

 

Then last month we finally sold our house in Oklahoma after so much frustration and constant dissapointments and suddenly the idea of a rental seemed really great. In another 2 1/2 years we will pack up our stuff, walk out the door, and that's the end of it. As great as that sounds though I decided that I don't want to live in this house for 5 years and hate the way it looks the whole time just because it doesn't belong to me. There are a few things I can't change, but that doesn't mean I can't make everything else cute. And for some reason operation No More Looking Like We Live in a College Doorm Room really needed to start with giving my naked little white pillow some clothes.  

 

You guys, I'm so excited. I'm finally making our house a home, and all it took was making a cute little pillow cover for the pillow I bought 2 1/2 years ago. One little pillow was the push I needed to get excited about the possibilities and get to work.

 

Pillow tutorial found here.

 And working hard we are! I can't wait to show you all of my fun projects.

 

A Work In Progress

I've recently joined the Pinterest bandwagon. I know! How can someone who likes crafts and decorating, fashion, and has children not have joined Pinterest sooner! The answer: I have no idea. I can't believe it took me so long. The ideas out there are just endless. Although with so many ideas so readily available its hard to come up with anything on my own. I will think I have this totally great idea and then I'll see it on Pinterest and realize 5,000 people already had the same idea. But that's okay. The pros totally outweigh the cons. Like this idea that I fell in love with on the spot.

It was a perfect solution to my tiny problem. See last summer (before baby #3 came) my dad, the contractor, came to "visit" for a few months and built an addition on my 100 year old house. Quite a feat actually. Then again he's amazing at what he does (and just plain amazing) so it's no surprise. In the process I somehow convinced my husband to let me get new kitchen cabinets as well. The existing cabinets were home made out of cheap pieces of barely sanded wood and spray paint. They needed a serious upgrade. But back to my tiny problem. I have these awesome new cupboards and no wall space. So my dilemma? How to decorate my kitchen when I don't have wall space or room above the cupboards. You can put things on the counter I guess, but I like my counter space to be pretty clear for the most part. That's why it was such a genius idea. Paint the pantry door for a splash of color!

I forgot to take a "before" picture and just spent 20 minutes looking through every picture on my computer to find one but I've got nadda. Too bad. But here is the after:

 See that calendar to the left of the door? Yeah, that is my only wall space.

 

I call it a work in progress because I want to antique it a bit and I need to repaint my sign so that it flows better with the color of the door. I also need to make curtains before I can do my final kitchen reveal. (For which I do have a "before" picture).  But overall I think it turned out pretty well.

 

I purposely painted my while my husband was gone knowing he wouldn't like it. But he surprised me by coming home and saying "interesting color choice, but I like it." Thanks honey.

 

 

Dumb Camera Phone

I hate that summer is in full swing and all I have to capture the beauty of it is my camera phone! Not to mention all the projects I've been busy working on and sweating about whether or not I'm really going to get this all day in just 7 short weeks! Yikes!!

If the camera repair shop sticks true to their 4-6 week repair time (which they did not last time) Than I should have my camera back in the next two weeks and I can post some decent pictures.

Until then, here is a little preview of what I have been working on.

These Pom Poms are nothing new, but they are easy, cheap, and cute. A perfect recipe for decorating! Tutorial found here!

Basket liner tutorial found here! This was way easier than I expected and very fast. Also a great way to add some pop to your room!

I hope you are all enjoying your summer. And taking lots of great pictures, not with a camera phone!

I've Been Working On The Railroad

You know how the song goes, right? I've been working on the railroad, all the live long day. Well I haven't exactly been working on the railroad, I've been working on the train. And it hasn't been all day, it's been For.Ev.Er! {At least it feels like it!} A while ago {a long while ago} I was on my friend Mirissa's blog and saw the cutest train I'd ever seen. It was a train that spelled her daughters name and I loved it! I was quick to ask where she got it and how I could get one for myself. Imagine my surprise when she told me she purchased the train letters at Michaels and painted them herself! I was seriously impressed and super excited to try one myself. I hopped in the car {the next day, I think!} and made the hour and a half drive to Michaels to gather my supplies. Unfortunately my Michaels did not have these adorable trains and my long drive was all for naught. {I'm pretty sure I didn't come home from Michaels empty handed though!} I'm lucky to have such a sweet friend though because she was more than willing to go to her Michaels, collect the goods, and send them my way. So a big shout out to Mirissa. Thanks for the wonderful idea! So here's my version of the "name train" {which by the way I didn't do a name, as you'll soon see}. I started by painting the base of the train car and the wheels. {Yes, I realize I'm dyslexic and my "s" is backwards.} I seriously despise sanding so I decided to forgo it and just went straight to painting. Serious mistake.

After painting my train and realizing how bad it looked not being sanded I went back and sanded, painted, and then re-painted until my trains looked good. Then I sanded again around the edges because, well it's kind of the "in" thing right now. No one paints and just leaves it alone anymore do they? I finished my train off by spraying it with a sealer. I think it turned out pretty darn cute.

I'm working on revamping my girls' bedroom which is where this train will reside once their room is done. {Look for more posts to come from their room. I have a super exciting Pottery Barn Kids copycat coming your way!}

Confession: I am a compulsive "match"-er. I think everything should match exactly and have a specific order. I tried really super duper extra hard on this project to just go with the flow and even now I am sitting here looking at the pictures and thinking how badly I want to change some of the letters. But I won't. I will leave it just the way it is. I think. Maybe.

I really want this to be a decoration in their room but I'm not sure the girls will let me keep it on a shelf. They are having too much fun playing with it!

Go Green!

This day sort of got away from me. We always try to post first thing in the morning but my day started off busy and never let up. So I apologize for being a little late today.

In case you saw the title of this post and thought I was about to start preaching about hybrid cars and such let me assure you I am referring to a different kind of green. Not that I have anything against being "green". It's just not what I want to talk about today.

When we sold our house in Denver our real estate agent brought in an interior decorator to dress up our house a little before we sold it. Not only did I get free tips and tricks from her but she helped us sell our house super quick (2 weeks!). The #1 thing she taught me is that you should always, always have greenery in your house. I never forgot that advice and immediately upon moving into our new house here in the country I started adding greenery to my decor.

I now have 1 tree, 2 bushes, and 7 plants throughout my house!

Before I go on I should mention these are all fake plants. It's sad I know. See, I have a brown thumb not a green thumb. I kill everything and anything so I have finally given up on keeping live plants and gone to the fake. If you can do live plants then I applaud you.

Here is an example from my house of using greenery to decorate. It is one of the first plants I added to my house. I got this pot from Hobby Lobby on clearance for $3.

Not the prettiest thing but I knew by adding a little bit of this:

(this is a green bunch I got from Hobby Lobby)

I could get something pretty like this:

And here it sits on my buffet table in the dining room (next to me scentsy, gotta love scentsy!). Isn't that nice?

So go green!

I got a tree for my house on sale at Michael's for $15 and it was the best purchase I ever made.

If at first you don't succeed....

Do you ever get on one of those kicks where you just can't stop "doing"? I get on them every once in a while and for however long it lasts (a few days or a week) I'm like the energizer bunny. I just keep going and going and going.

I'm on one right now and for whatever reason most of my energy has been geared towards my girls' bedroom. It started with me rearranging their room then cleaning it out. Then I decided it needed some work in the aesthetics department. I've been working (crafting) like crazy and I'm still not done. When it's finished I'm sure I'll do a post with the big reveal. For now here is what I've been up to.

I thought it'd be fun to dress up (no pun intended) Ava's boring plain white dress up box and I got this idea into my head that I could turn the top into a sort of seat. I went to the fabric store and picked out the fabric I wanted, got some batting, and came home excited about covering the top and doing some vinyl on the front. To make a long story short I had the vinyl printed slightly too long and it wouldn't fit on the front. So I ended up putting it on top which meant I wasn't going to be making a seat. I'm sad about that but I still like how it turned out.

(Don't ask why the "me" is in brackets...I just thought it looked cute)

Saturday night while trying to decide what kind of craft I could do to occupy my time (and avoid watching a football game) I was thinking about my extra fabric (from my no-longer seat cover) and what I could do with it. THIS post came to my mind. It doesn't specifically mention fabric but the basic concept of dressing up your lampshade was enough to make a light bulb go off. (haha...again, no pun intended.)

Here's how it turned out. I love how happily it's situated on their nightstand.

I wish I had taken pictures while I was doing it but it was so spur of the moment it never crossed my mind. But just in case someone out there wants to try it (I think it'd be great in a living room as well) I'll give some simple directions.

1. Measure the height of your lamp and the distance around it.
2. Cut your fabric so that you have the height exact (or slightly smaller) and the length about an inch extra.
3. Glue your fabric on around the bottom and top edges and down the seam.
4. Trim the bottom and top if necessary. (If you measured right you should be able to skip this step.)
4. Glue any trim you like (gimp braid is what I used) around the top and bottom and down the seam to hide the raw edges of your fabric.
5. Sit back and enjoy because you are done.

So the moral of the story is if at first you don't succeed, try something different.
p.s. If you looked at the link there is a picture of a lamp shade I made for the girls' room....It has since been broken. Hence the need for a new lamp shade.

p.p.s. I linked up over HERE.

Decorating With Towels

When I went off to college I swear I went with the intention of getting a useful degree of some kind. Instead I ended up doing generals and getting my "MRS" degree. Someday I'd like to go back and get that useful degree and I'm 99% sure that I'd do interior decorating. I'm not quite sure why but I love to decorate. I've spend plenty of time looking at magazines, watching TV, and looking at other people's houses gathering ideas. Now I'm super excited to share my tips and tricks with all of you!

Today is all about towels. Did you know you could decorate with towels?!?! Seriously. It's way fun and it looks so much more put together than just hanging your towels over the bar (or in some cases a ring).

In the interest of not turning this into a novel if something doesn't makes sense or I didn't give enough info either leave a comment to ask your question or shoot over an email. I'd be happy to give further instruction.

We'll start with the simple hand towel. If you don't want to get too fancy or crazy this is the one for you. Start by folding your hand towel in thirds and hanging it over the towel bar or ring. Then gather the towel near the top and secure with ribbon or raffia (shown).

Towels can be on display even if they aren't being used. Putting them in a basket is a great way to add some decoration to your bathroom. In the example below I used hand towels. First I folded them in half width. Then in half the same way. I finished by rolling them up length wise. Now put them in the basket and POOF you have instant decoration!

To add a little more flair to the basket simply fold a coordinating washcloth in half then make a fan. Take one end and place it in the center of one of the hand towels and let it fan out. Another idea (not displayed) is to tie ribbon around one or all of the hand towels. If you do this, make sure your ribbon is tied high enough that it will be seen once the towels are in the basket.

Yes, this awesome green bathroom is actually mine. Was I should say. This was our house in Denver. Anyway, this is an example of two different techniques.

First is the hand towels. This is two hand towels folded in thirds and then hung on the towel ring together. You can use two of the same towels or if you feel daring use two different colored towels, as shown. Gather near the top and secure with ribbon or raffia. Use a rubber band to secure first if necessary.

The bath towels are my favorite! I call them the upside down gather. They are so easy and look way cool! Start by hanging your towel over the towel bar with the ends matching up at the bottom (it's not necessary to fold the towels in half first but you can if you want. I've done it both ways). Gather both ends together about 6 inches from the bottom and secure with small rubber band. Take the gathered end and bring it to the top of the towel bar. Fan the tops and bottom until you have a nice easy wave. Tie some ribbon or raffia around the rubber band to hide it. Finish off by adding one or more synthetic leaves to the knot. Add leaves to any of your towel displays to give some extra eye appeal.

If you want something more simple just use the easy hand towel display on your large bath towels by hanging them over the bar and tying off with raffia. Add leaves for a little extra fun.

Are you still reading?! I'm so impressed! Hang in there we're almost done. I'm just so excited to share my ideas with you I couldn't limit myself to just a couple.

This is the final bath towel idea. I call it the gathered flower. First hang your towels over the towel bar in a way that gives you your desired length (I fold mine in a funky, kind of in thirds way so they don't hang so long). After you get your towel length the way you want it take a hand towel of a coordinating color and fold it length wise 5-6 times, approximately 2 inches at a time. (see picture below).

When your hand towel is rolled wrap it around your large bath towel and gather the ends together. Secure with a rubber band.

Next fold the raw ends of your towel back to give it more of a flower look. Now the finished product is up to you. Leave it as it is, add some raffia or ribbon, and/or leaves to finish off the look.

To add even more to the gathered flower, hang an additional coordinating hand towel (folded in half or thirds length wise) over the large bath towel then wrap the flower towel around both towels. Continue with finishing your flower the same way as mentioned above.

And last but not least one more basket display. I love this one! Mostly I just love all the color. This really is on display in one of my bathrooms and I love it!

Depending on the size of your basket you will probably need between 6-8 washcloths. You can use as many different colors as you choose. Fold your cloths in half then roll them up length wise. Put the raw side down when placing them in your basket to give it a more polished look. If your washcloths are too short (like mine) put a folded hand towel on the bottom of the basket to raise them up a bit.

Now, sit back, relax, and enjoy looking at your beautiful towels!

Linking up HERE.