LITTLE HOUSE OF PROJECTS

Chalkboard Love

2011-10-30T05:53:00.000-05:00

Hi!

I have seen so many great chalkboards on blogs and have been so envious! So, when I spotted this dresser mirror for only $5 I knew just what to do with it.

I know it's hard to focus on the mirror with all the mess in the photo, but trust me there is a mirror there :)

And it has these little finials shaped like globes that I knew would be perfect for stringing a banner from.

Aren't they cute?

So, I removed the glass, painted the backer board with chalkboard paint and painted the frame. This was going to hang in my dining area so I used my paint that was color-matched to my kitchen cabinets and then added a little glaze like on the cabinets. I can't decide if I should paint the globes, so for now they are in their original finish.

I made two bunting banners and a pumpkin wreath for a layered effect. And here she is - TADA! My very own chalkboard to decorate for every season or write notes or post menus....

(And yes, that is a unpainted patched spot on the wall. Just keeping it real!)

Thanks for stopping by!

I am linking to:

Versatile Blogger Award

2011-10-11T19:42:00.000-05:00

Hi!

I've been given an award by Inspire Me Heather!

Thanks so much for recognizing me!

The rules for this award is:

1. Thank and link back to the person who gave the award to you

2. Share 7 things about yourself

3. Send it along to 15 other bloggers and let them know you have awarded them!

Okay, so here are my seven things:

1. I have a twin sister. I am older by seventeen minutes.

2) I played flute in my high school marching band.

3) I had the Forrest Gump theme played at my wedding and had boxes of chocolates at the reception.

4) I love gyros, potica and porketta and of course chocolate

5) I love to paint anything

6) I live in my hometown

7) I am so thankful that I found decorating blogs!

Some of the blogs that I passed the award along too are brand new with only a few followers. I love the creative names that they all have.

I am passing this award along to the following bloggers:

cadamsCREATIONS
Salvaged Whimsy
Love of Homes
(mis)Adventures of a Wanna Be Martha
Not So Shabby - Shabby Chic
The Keeping Room
Between the Rafters
A Subtle Magnetism
House of Noise...I mean boys
Highpoint Circle
My 1929 Charmer

Thanks for stopping by!

So Simple, Yet So Meaningful

2011-10-09T19:32:00.000-05:00

Hi,

Today I am sharing a very simple project.

We have two women in our office who have been fighting for their lives.

We are having "Show Your Colors" Days to show our love and support for them.

Kelly has leukemia and had a bone marrow transplant that was unsuccessful. Her fight is over, and she has returned home to spend her last days. Tomorrow, 88 fellow employees will wear green and a green ribbon. This is actually the color for leukemia and bone marrow transplants, but we are calling it "Kelly" green to put the focus on her and not her disease.

Lisa has breast cancer. She is still fighting. On Friday, we will all wear pink and pink ribbons in her honor.

Such a simple project, just some ribbons, pins and a glue gun. But, most likely one of the most rewarding I will ever work on.

Thanks for stopping by!

Giant Candy Corn

2011-10-03T19:01:00.011-05:00

Hi!

I love Halloween! And Halloween is really big in my neighborhood. My neighbors have cornered the market on scarecrows and straw bales. One neighbor even has a gas powered torch in their front yard. So, I decided to come up with a decoration no one else in the neighborhood has, that is neither for boys or girls, something universal. Candy corn!

So, here's what I came up with:

Ta Da! Obviously, they are traffic cones with a little spray paint. This is my favorite kind of project - very little work and very little time. I found my traffic cones at Lowes and they cost me about $35 for the four.

I hope the trick-or-treaters like them!

Thanks for stopping by!

I am linking to these parties:

Chair Makeover

2011-09-24T08:49:00.016-05:00

I know Halloween is coming up and we are supposed to be loving all things orange, but... I just had to change out the orange on this chair and her sister.

I got them for $5 for the pair at our local "white elephant" sale. They had seen better days. It's hard to see here but the legs had a very sad stain color and the crushed velvet was kinda "crusted" velvet in places. But they had great potential. I am STILL working on our master bedroom makeover (although now we are moving to a different room which makes the project even larger!) and I thought these chairs would make a great addition.

Here is the after!

Black painted legs, new fabric and trim and these girls are now stylish ladies. A great way to add a bold pattern but not in an overwhelming way. And I know it's hard to tell but I did keep the button tufting detail.

Maybe someday I will get to show you how they look in the room :)

Thanks for stopping by!

I'm linking up to these parties:

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2011-03-17T12:11:00.000-05:00

Hi!

Just thought I would share this photo of Bubba.

We had this made into St. Patrick's Day cards a couple years ago.

That's real beer in the mug, but we made sure Bubba didn't take a taste of it!

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!

Please Pray for Her Family

2011-03-11T19:05:00.000-06:00

I follow Tea Rose Home and she has posted about family members they haven't heard from in Japan. Please visit her post here

http://tearosehome.blogspot.com/2011/03/earthquake.html

and keep her family in your thoughts and prayers.

Thanks!
Jane

Wall Decor on the Cheap

2011-02-21T07:34:00.008-06:00

Hi!

I thought I would post a few things I put together for our master bedroom.

I got an oval mirror from my sister-in-law and wondered what to do with it. Then I got an oval picture from my mom. Then I saw one at Goodwill. This is what I came up with.

I've seen a lot of metal wall art at Pier One, so when I saw these at GW I thought I would give them a try since it was only 50 cents for the pair.

I just painted them black and they came out great - kind of like a 3D version of the drapes in the room.

Then over the course of a few months, I found these two small oval frames at Goodwill. With all the craze over the Mr. and Mrs. pillows I've seen, I decided to do my own take on the theme and made these. I don't have a special stenciling machine so I improvised. I photocopied my muslin fabric and just printed the Mr. and Mrs. onto the paper. They came out really cute.

I'm really liking how this room is FINALLY coming together.

Thanks for stopping by!

I'm linking to:

Pop of Orange Chair Covers

2011-02-15T19:49:00.000-06:00

Hi!

When my husband moved in, one of the items he brought with him was a dining set. I think it's from about the 1950's and it had been left by his home's original owner. This is what the chair cover fabric looked like.

Little bouquets and scallops on an ivory background. Not really my style. I went to Joann Fabrics with visions of brown and tan striped fabric but I found this orange fabric that I fell in love with. It was a remnant and it was just big enough for all six chairs.

I think the new fabric really brightens them up and makes them feel less formal.

Here's the before and after.

Thanks for stopping by!

Lantern Makeover

2011-02-10T05:26:00.000-06:00

Hi!

I got two of these lanterns for a beachy grad party a few years ago. Ever since the party they have been taking up space in the closet. I had them ready for Goodwill, but then decided to try a makeover.

Before:

After:

I just took out the glass, used some ORB and toasted almond paint to cover up the aluminum finish, some twine to cover up the Asian aspect at the top and a round base for more presence.

They went from wacky, tacky party decor to charming home decor. Now, they're taking up space on display in my living room.

Thanks for stopping by!

Valentine's Day Projects

2011-02-06T12:42:00.000-06:00

Hi!

Just thought I would share a few Valentine's Day decorations that I came up with this year.

Felt Topiaries
Just cut a styrofoam ball in half, draw a circle in the center of the rounded side. Cut up ~a ton~ of little petal shapes. Hot-glue them to the styrofoam. When the petals are done, make a button with a button maker for the center. Use a small dowel as the stem, wrap it in ribbon and vintage eyelet lace and pop it into a little pot.

Button Heart
This is the button heart I made in ~April~ last year. I was a little behind with my Valentine's decor, but this year I'm all caught up.

Love sign
I just painted some chip board letters white and adhered them to some craft paper. A very quick decoration. I have a silly, sweet story about the letters, though. My husband and I were in a craft store on an out of town trip. He usually would never step foot in a place like this. We got separated and when I found him he had this little bag of letters. I asked what he found and he said "I'm gonna get these," with a smile on his face. I gushed about how cute they were and then asked what he was going to use them for. He blushed! He hadn't thought of what to use them for, he just knew he liked them. It was such a cute moment. So, they came home with us they have sat in the my craft bin waiting for just the right project. How appropriate that they would be used for a "LOVE" sign.

Thanks for stopping by!

Copy Cat Twine Pears

2011-02-06T10:30:00.001-06:00

Hi!

Have you seen these twine covered pears in the Ballard Design catalog?

Well, when I saw them, I knew I had to try to make one. I think mine came out to be a different variety of pear, but a pear nonetheless.

I used two styrofoam balls. For the larger one, I trimmed both the top and bottom to a flat surface. For the smaller one I cut off about a third of the ball leaving a flat surface.

Then I just glued the two pieces together and started gluing on the twine.

I just used a little twig piece for the stem. After I tried it out with the baby pear, I made the mama pear.

I didn't like the transition between the two balls, so I added a muslin bow. At first I was hesitant because I thought "Why would there be a bow on a pear?" but when I thought about it I realized that the point isn't to be realistic and if I was already having twine on a pear why not have a bow? So, I went with it.

Thanks for stopping by!

I linked to:

Trying out a new header

2011-02-01T17:11:00.003-06:00

Necklace Case

2011-01-30T19:34:00.041-06:00

Hi!

I have really been getting into costume jewelry these days. And I've been struggling to keep all of my necklaces from getting tangled. I was thinking of buying a jewelry organizer, but then I saw this in Goodwill. It was only $2.99.

The interior has mirrors on the three sides - which kinda reminds me of that mirror they use on "What Not to Wear." Good thing it's only my jewelry going in here and not my big butt! It also has some etched flowers on the glass that I'm not so fond of. And the legs were gone. And the pulls were gone. But not to worry.

I took it home with me and yada, yada, yada, this is what it looks like now. New paint, feet, twine tassels, tuxedo pleats, etc. It looks pink online but the fabric is just muslin.

I thought this was silly. This was sitting (upside down) on the desk next to the computer. Bubba likes to sit in my lap while I'm online. He was very startled by the mirrors inside the case.

Thanks for stopping by!

I'm linking up to:

Colossal ~Stair Tread~ Trivet

2011-01-29T09:39:00.023-06:00

Hi!

My husband and I love to have our families over for Christmas dinner. And, as is often the case with this type of gathering, there are quite a few hot items on the
menu. To protect our counter top we made a giant trivet that can hold several crock pots and other hot serving dishes. This is what we came up with.

It's a stair tread! I just put some poly on it and it was good to go for easy cleanup. Then we attached some large ball feet and put sticky back protectors on the bottom.

The height of the feet make it possible to thread a power cord underneath and we can neatly tuck the appliance cords away. This is important with a peninsula, because little ones could potentially go to the other side and get a hold of a cord if these were loose.

It's also just the right size so that while you're serving, you can set your plate down on the counter. This makes getting a giant serving of pasta a lot easier. Unfortunately, the crock pots in this post are empty and for demonstration purposes only :).

Thanks for stopping by!
Jane

I'm linking up to:

Tator Tots and Jello:
Weekend Wrap Up

Totebag Makeover

2011-01-26T19:57:00.001-06:00

Hi!

Have you ever gotten a promotional tote bag? While it's a nice gesture and it's nice to support a local business, after a while you're just over it and you don't want to be a walking billboard.

I've had two of these bags hanging around for a long time. I decided to just make them over with a little fabric so I could use them again.

The first is from the University of Minnesota Duluth Library (Go Bulldogs!) UMD is my alma mater and I worked there for years. But I think it's about time to let go.

So, I just added some decorative fabric, a small pocket and a frayed flower.

The second bag was from a local bookstore. This time I added coordinating fabrics in stripes and a flower pin I made.

Voila! Two new tote bags :)

I'm linking up to

Thanks for stopping by!

Introducing Bubba

2011-01-23T19:52:00.000-06:00

I haven't posted anything in a very long time. But I think Debbie Doos Pet Party is the perfect opportunity to come out of hibernation.

This is Bubba. His name comes from the movie, Forrest Gump, because I knew he would be "my best good friend." He is also affectionately known as Bubba Monkey, Monkey Man, Stinky Buttles, and a whole host of other silly names.

He truly is the love of my life (don't tell my husband). He is a 3 1/2 year old Maltese and he weighs in at nine pounds. He was almost ten pounds at his last vet visit. I was told that the cheese slices I was giving him everyday at lunch time, were the equivalent of me eating a pound of cheese, so I had to cool it with the cheese. But it's his favorite food!

This is his "room." He stays in the play pen while we are at work.

I made a name sign for him by drilling holes in the outline of his name and "sewing" ribbon through them.

Yes, I sewed a slipcover for his kennel and underneath it is a fleece blanket to keep out the chill. We live in Minnesota and it can get drafty.

He also has some artwork. An illustration of Lassie and framed pages from "The Puppy Twins" (but I wasn't sure if I could post them due to copyright). And, his own Wordle.

He's very affectionate and sleeps in our bed every night. He is our "snuggly buggly bear." This is his favorite way to sleep wrapped right around one of our heads, silly Bubba.

Thank you so much to Debbie and Lucy for hosting this party! I'm so looking forward to meeting everyone's pet.

And I've been working on some projects and I'll be starting to post again.

Thanks for stopping by!
Jane and Bubba

Drop Cloth Window Coverings

2010-05-22T11:30:00.009-05:00

Hi!

I love to change out my draperies for the seasons. Oftentimes, I just move them from one room to another just to get a fresh look. I decided I wanted something light and airy for spring and summer. But, I didn't want to buy anything new and I didn't have anything in my stash that would work. Then I remembered that I had seen canvas drop cloths used on some other blogs. My husband had three drop cloths still in their packages in our basement. It was fate!

Here they are (sorry for the poor picture quality - it is quite cloudy here today):

They are paired with canvas faux roman blinds that I made several years ago. The blinds can be lifted up and buttoned at different levels. I saw some of these on the Martha Stewart blog. Martha's had button holes, though, and I don't do button holes. So, I just made loops instead.

This is how they look when they're down:

Then I just put the bottom loop through the top loop and put the top loop over the button

They were very inexpensive and easy to make. Being as my home was built in 1939, the window sizes are not the dimensions of today's standards and most blinds would have to be custom ordered. So, this worked out great. They're neutral enough that they go with whatever draperies I decide to use.

Here's another photo I thought was silly, Bubba needed a chair at the window so he could watch my husband mowing the lawn :)

Linking up to:

Thanks for stopping by!

Look What I Won!

2010-05-20T22:21:00.000-05:00

Hi!

I came home from work for lunch today and when I opened my mailbox, there it was! The gift I won from Trish at Notes of Sincerity. Look how cute it was wrapped -

Then inside was this great bracelet and matching earrings!

The bracelet looks just like something I would pick out myself! The earrings were so cute, but I don't have pierced ears (I know, I know, it's wierd, but that's just me) soooo, I called my (twin) sister and told her she won some earrings! It worked out great!

I put the bracelet right on and wore it the rest of the day at work.

Thank you so much Trish!

Thanks for stopping by!

Dresser Makeover

2010-05-11T20:19:00.001-05:00

Hi!

Well, I'm stilllllll working on the master bedroom makeover. But, I just had to show the transformation of this dresser. My husband and I got married a little over a year ago and he brought his bedroom furniture. Knotty pine. All my delicate white painted furniture was ousted. I've been living in a a bachelor's bedroom. But, he relented and let me paint out the knotty pine so we have a good compromise.

Here's the before and after:

Now that it's painted you notice the nice details so much more. Oh, and the dresser originally had wooden knobs that were almost two inches across but I didn't get a picture of that...but you can imagine it just added to the "not-my-styleness" of the piece. And, yes, that is paint on the floor - just keepin' it real.

I'm going to link this to Thrifty Decor Chic's Before and After Party.

I also posted this at:

Thanks for stopping by!

White Elephant Dresser

2010-05-06T23:05:00.000-05:00

Hi!

Every spring in my hometown there is a "White Elephant" sale hosted by a local church. It's held in the arena and I always find awesome deals there. At last year's sale, I got the little dresser with shelves below. It had really been loved by some little girl because there were stickers all over it and the drawers even had some Barbie shoes and barrettes in them.

I got her for $5. We took her home and replaced one side of the dresser portion as it was cracked. Then it was just time for some sanding and paint. I gave her some new hardware and she looks great in my craft area.

I'm linking this up to:

Thanks for stopping by!

Tiny Transformation

2010-05-06T20:40:00.000-05:00

Hi!

I got this jewelry box from my sister-in-law when I was about 10. It was the first "grown-up" gift I remember getting. I've had it hanging around for over 30 years now (go ahead, do the math, I'm almost 43!).

I never did understand why it had an image of slaves picking cotton on it. Maybe this is a famous painting or something but nevertheless it needed a change. It was one of those fast and easy projects. Just take out the mirror and the fabric, paint it black, put in some new fabric and you're done.

Wasn't that easy? And isn't it funny how the smallest project can give you a feeling of accomplishment?

Thanks for stopping by!

Drop Cloth Slipcover

2010-04-28T18:56:00.003-05:00

Hi!

Just as I made the drop cloth draperies for the dining area to help lighten up the mood for spring and summer, I decided I needed to make a change in my living room.

This is how it looked before. Please take note of silliness: Our dog has a little "recliner" right next to my husbands :)

The colors were too dark for this time of year. So, I changed out the draperies (for some that had been in the master bedroom...). That helped a lot. But, what about the cranberry red loveseat? Well, I got out the second drop cloth and made a very simple slipcover. This was my first try at a project like this so give me a break.

I linked up to:

Thanks for stopping by!

Honey, I Dyed the Draperies!

2010-04-28T12:21:00.001-05:00

Hi!

I'm decorating our master bedroom. I've been trying to keep the cost ultra low and use as many items as I already have. I wanted to change out the white quilted drapes but couldn't find anything I liked in the price range I had set. So, I decided why not just dye the existing drapes? Since they were white they had some areas that had yellowed and I've had them for ages. So, I felt I could justify a dye job. Not as easy as it sounds. Did you know that draperies are very heavy when wet? And that they are extremely difficult to wring out? I hadn't thought of these important issues. Good thing my husband is the type who, when seeing me working on any type of project is always on the lookout for some type error I may be in the process of making and hands out loads of free advice on the better method of accomplishing the goal at hand. Usually I am frustrated by this behavior but this time it was a blessing! He took over the project and they came out pretty well. They went from boring white to this:

This took quite a bit of time as even with an 18 gallon wash tub we felt that we could only do one panel at a time in order for the panel to move freely in the water so that the dye would come out evenly. And when you dye them separately it makes it MUCH harder to have a uniform outcome. And it did take two hours of his time to complete. It's just a good thing I started this project after the Twins game was over.

Now for the cost breakdown: dye $12; canvas I already had (from a drop cloth) $0; new trim $11. So, the total makeover on these drapes came to about $23. I think that's pretty thrifty. And they could now be considered "custom draperies" :) You'll see the whole panel when I reveal the bedroom makeover .... someday.

I linked this to:

"

Thanks for stopping by!

Rock the Night

2010-04-25T01:12:00.008-05:00

Hi!

I just had to share some photos of the awesome props my sister made for prom. The theme was Rock the Night. She made these cool (to scale) giant guitars for the auditorium stage where they hold the Grand March and five more for the gym where the dance is held.

Aren't they great? Everyone loved them! Guess she's in charge of prom props for next year!

Thanks for stopping by!

Pillows, Pillows and Posts with No Photos

2010-04-18T00:20:00.013-05:00

Hi!

I'm slowly finishing projects for our master bedroom makeover. My husband picked out a creamy colored bedspread so I decided to use black and cream as the colors in this room. I altered some large shams I got for $3 each. I didn't have a pillow that fit such a large sham, so I just measured a square pillow I had and sewed a square into the center of the sham. This created a "trim" piece on each sham. This only took 10 minutes. They do have a "sting-ray" quality to them but I'm thinking the more they're used and washed this will go away :)

Then, I put together two pillows using some canvas (of course) and some black denim I've had for ages. Then I put a square of decorator fabric in the center of each pillow. I'll probably add some trim to the pillows also.

I'm pretty pleased with how they came out. And they were very easy to make.

And if you noticed that there were a couple posts that had no pictures, I'll get those fixed. You can tell I'm a newbie blogger!

I linked this project up to:

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Valentines Day!?!?

2010-04-17T12:35:00.002-05:00

I know, I know, it's April! But I just finished my Valentine project and I wanted to show it to you.

I just used a 10 x 10 canvas, some buttons from my mom's and grandma's button boxes and made this cute Valentine decoration.

First, I sewed the first layer of flat buttons on, leaving some spaces between them. Then, I hot glued buttons with shanks into the spaces.

Something funky happened to the bow :) I didn't notice that before I took the picture, but you get the gist anyway.

I'm linking this post to:

and

Thanks for stopping by!

2010-04-15T00:10:00.000-05:00

These are some parties that I linked up to:

http://www.thethriftyhome.com" src="http://www.thethriftyhome.com/images/pennypinchparty.gif"/>

Mirror Makeover

2010-04-14T21:57:00.000-05:00

Hi!

I've had this mirror for ages. It started out china blue, then it was this rusty red color. (Sorry for the poor picture quality!)

I just noticed it in the closet the other day and thought I would try to give it a makeover. Of course, it needed a new paint job, and I decided black would be the color to go with. I took out the mirror and carefully knocked out the existing design and painted the frame. Then I put the mirror back in and played around with masking tape laying out patterns. Once I decided on a pattern, I just cut 1/4 inch square stock (that's what my husband said it was called) with the compound miter saw. I made sure the pieces were nice and tight when they were put in place. Then I took the mirror out and covered it with newspaper so I wouldn't get glue onto it and put it back in. Then, I simply used Gorilla Glue to affix each piece. Once the glue was dried I gave the square stock a paint job, too. And here's how it turned out:

It was a pretty fun and easy project. I think even Bubba likes it. When he saw me with the camera, he came over to pose :)

This is yet another piece of our master bedroom makeover.

I'm linking this post to

Thanks for stopping by!

Our name in .... canvas?

2010-04-10T22:13:00.000-05:00

Hi!

My sister saw this bird print at a thrift store and picked it up for me.

Unfortunately, the glass broke in transit but maybe that's a good thing because one of the birds in the print had a scary face - yikes!

So, out came the black paint. Then, I cut a piece of canvas to size, printed a sign and ironed it onto the canvas. Ta da!

This will be used in our master bedroom makeover.

Thanks for stopping by!

Canvas Chrysanthemum

2010-04-10T16:53:00.001-05:00

Hi!

I have been trying to make projects with supplies I already have. I have had a 10 X 10 canvas laying around for a long time. It had a dog bone idea started on it and since I was disappointed in how looked I didn't finish it. (A dog bone idea? you ask. Yes, I know it was crazy, that's why I quit)

What to make, what to make? I took the canvas and stapled on some black denim. Then I hot-glued some ribbon around the edge. Then I went to town adding loops of canvas strips until I ended up with this canvas chrysanthemum:

I got the idea for this from the V & Co. tutorial on no-sew fabric wreaths. I simply changed it up to lay the loops down parallel to each other. Once I got to the center, I just made the strip into a circle instead of a loop.

This could be made with any type of fabric in any color. And of course, it would look more upscale if you didn't use frayed fabric :) but that's the look I was going for. This is meant for our master bedroom that will have a black and cream scheme for the summer.

Is it just me or does this look like a blooming onion?

I'm linking this up to:

Thanks for stopping by!

Silly Little Birdie

2010-04-09T14:19:00.002-05:00

Hi!

We've all seen the cute little birds at the Dollar Store, right?

I thought the glazing was a little too much for my taste and the black eye - scary... So, out came the handy dandy Toasted Almond paint. I painted the bird and then gave it just a hint of mocha glaze. Much better.

Then, I took another Dollar Store staple - a candle holder. I rummaged through my things looking for just the right perch for the little bird. I found a small clay pot saucer.

I painted and glazed them and put it all together and this is how it came out!

She looks great in my coffee table grouping. The little pot contains my collection of small, egg-shaped rocks so it's like she's watching over her nest.

I posted this on:

"

Thanks for stopping by!

New Life for 1970s Flowers

2010-04-08T21:04:00.001-05:00

Hi!

I linked this project to Thrifty Treasures at Southern Hospitality.

I saw these at a thrift store and had to have them. They cost $1.50 for the set.

Of course, they needed a coat of paint. However, this time I didn't use white paint! I mixed up some paint that would be fairly similar to the cherry frames I have in my dining room. There is an odd short wall that just seemed like it needed something and these were perfect.

Thanks for stopping by!

I linked up to the following parties today:

Frugal Friday

Eggs-tremely Easy Centerpiece

2010-04-07T18:44:00.003-05:00

Hi! I'm finally back to this blog! Thanks to my two followers who didn't delete me!

I thought I'd start out with a very simple centerpiece I put together in about ten minutes.

First, I took out my aluminum lazy Susan.

Second, I added a twig wreath I had that fit exactly so I know it was meant to be.

Third, I added some trivets for height. Fourth, I added a plate from the Dollar Store.

Then, I got crafty. I had some wooden eggs and some pages copied out of an old bird book that I've had for about 10 years. I simply Mod-Podged strips of the pages onto the eggs.

Lastly, I added some spanish moss, and Voila! I had a centerpiece.

This works well on this table, as this is our main eating area, we need a centerpiece that can be moved easily.

I'm linking this up to:

Fast and Easy Table Runner

2009-12-06T23:01:00.001-06:00

The day after Christmas a few years ago, I purchased some pretty white and silver coordinating ribbon. When I stopped at my mom's house the other day, I saw that she needed a table runner to match her blue and silver ornaments. All I did was sew the ribbon together - we're talking all straight seams here nothing fancy - and the whole project only took about half an hour. (I had previously made a pillow for my niece using 3/4 inch wide ribbon and that took quite a bit longer). My runner was limited by the amount of this ribbon I had. I might have to make her another one for next year when she alternates and uses red and gold. Sorry my pictures aren't the best - I'm still getting the hang of it. Just to get an idea of how it will look at her house I put some blue ornaments in a bowl. I just hope she likes it...

Easy Wreath

2009-11-23T21:08:00.000-06:00

I just love the fall leaf wreath that Vanessa made for So You Think You're Crafty. She is so talented and creative. This is a link to her blog V. and Co.

I decided to make one, but wanted to make it a Christmas wreath. I had some green corduroy on hand - I have no idea why I ever would have purchased this, but, anyway...it came in handy. I have also seen so many people make things with the pretty plates from the Dollar Store. So, I combined these two things and this is what I came up with.

I did sew my leaves together since I was using heavier fabric than Vanessa had used in her tutorial. I also used fabric glue as well as hot glue for each leaf. And I added some "cranberry" beads.

This would be so cute to make for every different season as it would look completely different in say, pastel fabrics for Easter.

Thanks for stopping by!

Shop Class Wall Sconces

2009-11-22T16:09:00.000-06:00

I love going to Goodwill to see what I can find and spruce up. On my last trip there, I found several items to transform. I found two sconces like the one below for $2.99.

They looked like something a young man would have made in shop class and given to his mom for Christmas. I just loved the rustic quality and the natural element of the wheat but the wood tone was no good. So, I brought them home and went to work with some cream paint, a little sanding, and my mocha glaze.

And here is one completed. Doesn't it look completely different?

Here's the one in original condition and the completed transformation.

These will go in my husband's manroom, (aka, the basement family room) when we finish our mantle. I better get crackin' on the second one.

Thanks for stopping by!

My Space

2009-11-19T19:02:00.000-06:00

I like to see where everyone works on their projects and how the space works for them. So, I thought I'd share my space. The room I work in is a multi-purpose room that we call "Bubba's Room." Yes, that is in Bubba, the dog. This room was his first (yes, my dog had his own room) and as new functions have been added it remains Bubba's room. In a future post, I'll show you Bubba's digs. But, for now, back to my project area.

When a local company relocated they gave away their old office furniture. I was lucky enough to get three of the filing cabinets and purchased a piece of counter top from Lowe's to serve as a work surface. This works great!

A lot of my office and craft supplies are stored in this sweet secretary type dresser. She was in pretty bad shape when I got her for $5 at a white elephant sale. But we fixed her up, gave her some new paint and hardware and she's a beauty again.

The area is still kind of sparse but I just love the two pieces of "art" that I have hung so far.

The first piece is a window that I painted brown and distressed a bit. Then I made copies from an old bird book and mounted them to the window panes using photo corners. I didn't take an individual picture of it but it's above the counter top.

The second piece is very special to me. When I was little I used to look through the photo albums my mom created as a teenager in the 1940's. The albums have black craft paper pages and the photos are mounted with photo corners. She gave me some of the duplicate photos a few years ago and I wanted to display them. So, I mounted them to black craft paper with photo corners before I put them in the frames. This way I have them out for all to see, but still retain the photo album look I remember from my childhood.

And, here's a photo of my mom. I wish scarves would make a comeback; they're so ladylike.

I'll have to show you the computer/office area at a later date as right now it's filled with all of the "mess" that was in the project area before I took the pictures :) You didn't really think my project area was that neat, did you?

Thanks for stopping by!

Fabric Flowers

2009-11-16T20:43:00.002-06:00

Hi,

I spent Saturday afternoon (in my pajamas) making fabric flowers. Husband was out deer-hunting so the house was nice and quiet except for the hum of my sewing machine. I found this great tutorial over the summer when I was looking to make myself a flower brooch to wear to a wedding. It was so much fun to make and it wasn't very hard.

I used some homespun I had on hand and added zig-zag stitch around the edges to bring in a little bit of color.

Aren't they cute? As I took this picture I kept wishing they were cookies!

And here is a close-up view. You'll have to stay tuned to see the ideas I have for these little beauties.

Go check out Dawn's tutorial at sew ritzy-titzy

I'm linking this up to:

Thanks for stopping by!

Entry Way Decorating

2009-11-15T19:30:00.000-06:00

Hi,

I'm going to try to link up to the Cottage Instincts McLinky Party Made It With What I Had. This is only my third post so wish me luck!

All of the items that are hanging near our back door were things that I had collected over the years knowing that I would use them somehow. These items include:

1) a bell my sister got for a wedding gift in the early 90's - I spray painted the black metal a textured deep brown

2) an old mailbox from my sister's first house - this was also black and got the same paint

3) a small gold row of birds with hooks - ditto on the paint and attached to a painted and distressed backer board

4) I save the best for last. It's the door knocker from my Grandma's front door. After she passed away and the front door of the house was replaced, I got to keep the knocker. That one also got some paint and then I made a frame for it out of some wood I had around the house.

So, here are the pictures of my Made It With What I Had decorating:

I think they make a nice little grouping, I hope you do, too.

Cell Phone Bench

2009-11-08T13:19:00.000-06:00

When we redid our kitchen, we didn't anticipate how much we would use the small span of counter top just inside the back entrance next to the stove. It's just the logical space to charge your cell phone so you won't forget to take it when you head out the door. Well, all those cords next to the possibly hot stove top didn't make sense. I found this little bench at Goodwill for $1.99 and thought I could make it work. It must have started life as some kind of candle holder but it was missing what I assume would have been the glass "seat" for the candles to sit on.

So, I painted it black. Then I needed something to make the new seat out of. My mom had these pieces of wood that were actually from the bottom of old roller shades (and yes, she had kept them)and they would work perfectly. I just cut them to size and put poly on them.

But what to do with the cords?

So, I sanded this little cheese box I've had forever and poly'ed it, too. Then the cords can be stored here and the excess cord can be hidden when the phone is being charged.

Now, my cell phone is just chill-axing on it's new little bench.

Happy "Howl"oween!

2009-10-31T23:23:00.000-05:00

I hope you all had a safe and fun Halloween! She made me a costume. I was a pony complete with ears, mane and a horse blanket. I hated wearing my costume and really put my growl on so She would take it off. We had 204 trick-or-treaters come to the house and I was so excited! Unfortunately, my barking scared some of the smaller children so I was exiled to the bedroom.