Easy Halloween Craft

I did a Halloween craft!! I think I'm really starting to get into this crafting thing. I really enjoyed making these! Aren't they cute? I got the idea and "How To" here. I was looking for a craft to do and I thought they looked fun, cheap, and easy. And they were! They were pretty hard to mess up and easy to make them look good. I used orange, red, and purple tissue paper and came up with the faces myself. You can't see in the picture but I also added some glitter so they are pretty and sparkly during the day. When Austin saw them he was shocked that I made them! He said "Really? I thought you bought those". Always a good sign.


When my husband is out of town, I like to try and fill-up my evenings with fun things to do to keep myself occupied. So I went out and bought the supplies, then in the evening I popped in one of my favorite Halloween movies, made some hot cider, lined my kitchen table with lots of newspaper, and went to work! To me it sure beats just staring at the TV for hours. It was fun to have something to do while I, well, watched TV. But at least I was getting something accomplished I suppose. It was fun!

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Dining Room Inspiration

So we sold our dining room set recently (ok, it's been a few months now..), so I get to start from scratch re-decorating! Sounds like a dream...but it's a little daunting starting with a completely clean slate.

I realized I wasn't even sure of my dining room style. So I scoured some of my favorite sites like decorpad.com, southern living, and potterybarn, and cut and paste pictures I was drawn to into a Word document.

And I was really surprised by what I discovered! I really L.O.V.E. informal dining rooms. The cozy, inviting, beach-cottage-in-the-countryside-in-the-mountains-off-a-garden look. ..as I like to call it :)

Can you imagine sitting down for breakfast here every morning? And then wandering in that garden for the day? This room is going on my wish list for heaven!

I love mismatched sets that looks like you gathered some pieces you love and threw them together. I realized I want a room people want to hang out it in and feel happy and comfortable and at home.  Not a stuffy room only used once or twice a year..and looks like it.

I like the softer colors and even the wicker here. Who would have thought! I really love this ceiling! I'm thinking of doing something like that in our kitchen down the road.

I need a new chandelier too. I'm not sure yet of my style. I'm kinding of torn between the pendant light above..

..a slightly more formal look with the little "hat" shades.

..and I like the lantern look too. Hmm. One thing at a time. I need to decide on a table set first.

This room is from the movie "Something's Gotta Give". Have you seen it?? If not, you MUST. Not because it's a great movie..it's just okay..but it's one of those movies you must see for the house! Every square inch is my dream home. Ahh...

Anyways, I'm really loving the idea of an oval, pedastal table too. I like the idea of squeezing everyone around it. Seems cozy and a better use of space. And not something I would have ever thought to do before.

I'm also loving the natural fiber rug. And I was surprised that I was really drawn to rustic, antiqued white tables. I saw this table in the pottery barn store and was in love. I wanted to bring it home like a lost (expensive!) puppy. I almost cried having to leave it behind.

Okay... so here's the problem. I ran this informal room concept past my husband and he hated it. He has in his head that dining rooms should be formal. I did too until recently, so can't blame him. Although, he'll also admit he has no sense of style and loves and trusts my decorating decisions. I want to respect his input and not come up with a room he hates. And, the more I thought about it, I still want a dining room formal enough that people don't feel silly eating a fancy holiday meal, all dressed up, in the room.

So what about this style for a compromise...

Dark wood, fancy table legs, color of chairs match the table..which says traditional and formal to me, to make my husband happy. But I like the more informal look of the chairs. I'm also thinking of doing a different style end chair, for my mismatched look. And I like the tie-on chair cusions. I could do them in an informal pattern, like stripes. Kind of like the idea of mixing things up with a formal chandelier too, like the picture above.

Does this style look inviting?? Like you would be happy hanging out for a cup of tea or sitting down to a nice holiday dinner??

I want to get something I really love that is good quality. But I also don't want to, and can't, spend pottery barn kind of money.

So I found these at jcpenney.com. Isn't usually the first place I check for furniture, but I was desperate and had searched everywhere else first. They actually have some pretty nice stuff for great prices!

..for $145..for BOTH!

You can't even get half a pottery barn chair for that price!

And these tables, from jcpenney too.

The one on the left is $299, and I like it better, but it doesn't exend. The one on the right is $399, but can be extended. Hmm.. still looking around for a pedastal table I love for the right price.

So this is what I'm leaning towards right now. Might all change tomorrow, but I really need to just make a decision soon. I will let you know what I decide and share my decorating progress as I go!

I'd love to hear any input or suggestions!

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Spring Purge: The Mass Exodus

I wanted to update how my Spring Purge is going. It's been a slow but steady process, which is great because that approach has kept me from stressing about getting everything done at once...which usually leads to me becoming overwhelmed and giving up.

After clearing out my master bedroom closet, I put everything into bags and tucked them away in a massive pile in the guest bedroom...where they sat for weeks! 

That was totally counterproductive to clearing things out. I had just created a bigger mess to tackle. And I was too overwhelmed to deal with it. It was just too much stuff to shuffle to the basement or to load up my car and drop it off at a donation center. Not to mention I was starting to get a little anxious and cold feet about giving so much stuff away, even though it was abundantly clear I wasn't using any of it. It was so easy to pick outfits and my closet was so easy to keep clean now!

Then I got a card in the mail saying a charity, Big Brothers Big Sisters, was going to be coming to the house to collect donations! Perfect! Next time I will call to schedule a charity pickup first, or at least have a plan to get the stuff out of the house, and then use that as a deadline and motivation for clearning out. It's so much easier to justify getting rid of things to when you know it's going to a good cause. Other people actually need these things. I just wanted them. Lesson learned.

And the pickup was for both clothes and housewares. That reminded me, when we moved into this house, I did a great job of sorting through the things we no longer needed...and then they sat piled in boxes in the basement for over a year. I think I used the excuse we were collecting things for a garage sale or something. That never happened and probably never would. Time for it all to go!

The charity certainly hit the jackpot at my house!

I kept adding more throughout the day until the front door was completely blocked!

That's just the clothes and shoes I got rid of! Isn't that disgusting? Disgusting that I had accumulated so much stuff I didn't need. Stuff that I didn't need but was still floating around my home...stuff that was taking up valuable space...and stuff that was eating up my time to deal with on a daily basis!

And there was more inside I couldn't fit on the front step! Books, old curtains and curtain rods, old picture frames and rugs, cooking items and bedding. I kept adding to this pile throughout the day too.

My husband told me I needed to keep track of what I was donating for tax purposes, but I had no idea how. I found this great resource, itsdeductible.com.   It creates a list and assigns values to all the items you donate for tax deductions. The lists of things were so extensive that it gave me ideas of more random things to donate, like a wall hanging from my first apartment and some pieces from my extensive collection of vases from all the beautiful flowers my husband has sent me through the years :)

The experience made me realize...I love clearing out my home BUT I hate getting rid of stuff.

 I look at all these things we spent our hard earned money on. Things I thought we needed and that would somehow improve our lives. Gifts that we had given each other or that had been thoughtfully given to us.  It really hurts to get rid of things. Things we could use "someday" but never do. But, at some point, you just have to step back and tell yourself that your peace of mind and time are worth more than all the stuff. I'm just glad I finally reached that point because my life is so much better now without it all!

And because it was so hard to get rid of so many things...now I'm more careful about what the new things I bring back into my home!

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DIY: Framed Corkboard Message Center

I wanted to share this cute, quick, easy, functional little organizational project. I was sick of having papers all over the kitchen and only having a calendar of events in my head.  

I've had this picture from my first apartment sitting around. I don't really care for the picture, but always really liked the frame. 

So I just popped the picture out to use the frame. I used the picture as a template to cut out a piece of corkboard to fit.

I've also had my husband's old full-sized corkboard hanging out in my basement storage area. I like the idea of it, but to just put it up as is felt a little too "college-dorm-room/bachelor pad" to me (yes, I am a corkboard snob now). It was a little tougher to cut the corkboard than I was expecting. I had to use a combination of scissors and different sharp knives to cut out the board.

You could use any frame you have around for this project, and they sell just corkboard at any craft store or even walmart and target if you don't have a spare corkboard.

... And this is what I ended up with!  I love it and feel so much more organized now. The corkboard is great for things like invitations, grocery lists, and other important pieces of paper, that used to float around the kitchen. I just attached a calendar I had around to the back. I'd like to eventually make something for the calendar too, but not sure what yet. And I may also spray paint the frame and board, but I'm happy like this for now.

 

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Goodbye Vertical Blinds!

I HATE vertical blinds more than almost anything. Brian's giant recliner in the family room is a close second, but at least it's comfortable...yellow-orange wood furniture and regular blinds round off my list...oh, and the white linoleum in our master bedroom...but, I digress...

I died a little inside waking up to this every morning in my otherwise beautiful home... so ugly, so cold, so impractical, falling apart every time I tried to open or close them...

Brian hated them too, but thought I was crazy when I mentioned we switch them for the curtains in the dining room. But, being the most wonderful and handy husband in the world, he indulged me and put them up when I explained how I was going to lose it if I had to look at them for one more day!

Sooooooooooooo much better!!

Look out! You're next to go, orange bottom-of-the-line cabinets! I read this post on painting cabinets and am inspired!

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Homemade Spring Wreath

I'm a big wreath fan now and want to have one for every season. It just makes the front door and house look so welcoming.

I'm so in love with the wreath I made for Spring/Easter and had to share!!

I love grape vine wreaths. They are so inexpensive at any craft store. This one was around $4.00 at Michael's. Use the 40% coupons to get them for next to nothing. Sure beats the $30+ premade ones!

I may add some ribbon or something to jazz it up a bit still, but I'm perfectly happy with it as is.

And yes, I made all the felt flowers myself!! I'm obsessed with felt lately.  I'm planning on making some gorgeous hair bands for my daughter with some more of these flowers. It's the easiest craft in the world.

I'll do a post on how to make them in the next few days. Just have to get the pics off my camera first. No small task considering I've been home alone all week with a 9 month old into everything while Daddy was on a training trip. I also have some more Spring/Easter decorations to share. Some of the cutest ones from the Dollar Store!

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DIY: Heirloom White Decorating

I feel like every frugal decorating blog I've visited has mentioned being obsessed with Rustoleum's Heirloom White spray paint. I didn't quite get it.. it's just white spray paint, right??

But I have seem some amazing transformations using it, taking collections of mismatched things, like dishes, frames, candlesticks, etc., painting them all heirloom white and getting amazing results.

Like Centsational Girl using Heirloom white to turn all this:

To THIS in the post here... 

So yeah... I went ahead and picked some up the last time I was with my husband at Home Depot.

I can home and was frantic to find something to paint.

This ugly cheap plastic green flower pot was the first thing I spotted.

By the way, I went out and got this plant (at Home Depot) after much debate over the fake plant I was debating keeping at the end of this post. I decided you just couldn't beat the real thing. It makes me so happy every time I see it, as opposed to the fake one, as nice as it was.

Especially now, after a quick heirloom white makeover....

After seeing the color in person, I totally get why everyone loves it. It looks like an antique white.. something that was originally a bright white that has aged beautifully over time. I am obsessed now and am constantly on the lookout for things around my house to bring back to life with a little spray paint.

I think I may make a trip to the dollar store tomorrow to see it there are any hideous Easter decorations like these:

And use my now beloved heirloom white to turn them into these babies:

I'll share how any other projects turn out!

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DIY: Chalkboard Frame 'Love'

How cute is this??

Inspired by my crafting success with my wreath, I decided it was time to finally do something with the chalkboard paint I bought a year or so ago and had yet to do anything with...

I first heard about chalkboard paint on other blogs and loved the look of crafts like this one. 

To me, there's just something so 'home-y' about chalk messages. Is it just me??

You should be able to find the paint at any craft store. Would be a good thing to get with those 40% off coupons that are always floating around for stores like Michael's or JoAnn's. 

You really can paint just about anything with a good writing surface. You can get creative with what you paint. Even a flat piece of wood would work for a cute message board. I realized my first chalkboard craft had been staring me in the face for the past month in this perfect black frame Steph got me for Christmas. It was a plastic base and the paint adhered to it with no problem.

Speaking of problems...

I set everything up on the floor so I could sit and watch my 7 month old while I worked. I'm not used to having a mobile, curious baby yet. The second I set everything down she came flying from across the room as fast as her little army crawl could take her.

 Luckily I hadn't started yet.

So...just work on a table if you have a mobile child...you probably would want to anyways...I don't know why you would work on the floor..I've just always been a work/study-on-the-floor kind of person...I guess I don't have that luxury anymore. Oh well..not really that big of a loss...

Anyways.....

Is this not the cutest thing ever??

Love my Love Frame!! Love the look of the chalk and love even more that I can change it all through the year!

(please ignore the outdoor table we are using indoors that mortifies my husband because I'm still waiting for him to build all the furniture for the family room...plus I just like it.)

Please share any other fun chalkboard crafts you do or ideas you have!

(By the way...what do you guys think of my fake Walmart flowers in the picture above?? Usually fake flowers make me kind of sad (and I know how strongly you feel about them Steph), but I saw these and they kind of made me happy because they made me think of real flowers. I guess I could get a real plant for the spot. I dunno..jury is still out).

(Wow..sorry for all the side comments today..that's just how my brain works lately after 7 months without a full night of sleep)

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DIY: Valentine's Day Fabric Wreath

I did it!! I crafted!!

Check out this beautiful wreath I made for Valentine's Day!

Yeah..I made that!

I was inspired by the Valentine's Day wreaths in this post from MoneySavingMom.com. I loved the look and was surprised by how easy they looked to make.

Inspired by those and this...

Yeah...that's our new bed that my husband built completely from scratch, using techniques he completely taught himself. He even made the decorative wood trim pieces!! Granted...he is some sort of super-human that does things no normal person does...BUT, it made me realize that if he can teach himself to do that, and actually do it..in 2 weekends, no less...then I have no excuse to not at least try one of the crafts I sit around talking about wanting to do and dream about doing, but never follow through and actually do it.

So I busted out some crafting things I had sitting in a box in my basement. The kind of things you pick up on a trip to Michael's while you daydream about being crafty and think, 'hmm..I could use this for something, someday'..then pack away in a box in your basement storage area for a year (ok..2+ years).

I pulled out this woven circle thing I had bought for $1 to make a Fall wreath and never followed through, my glue gun that I've used once or twice, and this piece of red fabric remnant I picked up at JoAnn's with plans for a sewing project someday.

First, you need some sort of a base. Really, anything would work as a base, since it gets completely covered. You could even cut out a piece of cardboard. A heart shape would be really cute for valentine's day.

Get some fabric and cut up into a ton of squares. No need to measure at all or make them perfect. If you buy some, about 1/2 yard of the cheapest fabric you can find would work fine.  Any type of fabric you have around would work. Even coffee filters and cupcake liners work!

This gives you some sense of the scale. I cut mine around 2 x 2 inches-ish. You can see that clearly they weren't perfect. I tried to put the bigger ones in the middle and smaller squares on the sides

So, you just fold each in half..

And then fold in half again...

Add a dab of glue on the ends

And stick on the wreath. That's it! Now repeat about a 100+ more times.

Keep filling in until you can't see the base anymore. It took me between 1-2 hours to do in between taking care of my little rugrat.

Warning....I wouldn't recommend doing this on the floor near a very curious 7 month old. My newly crawling daughter made a beeline from across the room for the small pieces of fabric!

And there you have it...a very cute Valentine's Day wreath for less than $5. I loove how it turned out!

I made the felt roses to stick on there too. I'll have to do another tutorial on those..I'm addicted to making felt flowers now!

I didn't really plan it, but I love that the red fabric is the exact color of red roses. The woven wood base I used made a perfect hook for a picture hanger. You could also add a strip of fabric to hang from.

It makes me smile every time I see it! I foresee lots of these wreaths in my future for the rest of the holidays...a burlap one for the Fall,  a silky, sparkly, or all white one for Christmas. I'm in love!

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Living Room Updates

I know you both might be horrified that we got Lazy Boy type chairs. You guys are a little more contemporary then I am. But I really like them! They add a really cozy, comfortable, homey touch to the room. At first when Austin pointed them out I said "No way!" but that all changed the second I sat in one. They are by far the most comfortable things my bottom has ever come in contact with. Austin and I are all about comfy and cozy. Even before style. And it was either this set up or a sectional couch that Austin really wanted. I did not want a sectional! It's not that I don't like them, I just think they are so impractical. Sure it might work in this house, but what about our next one. And there will be plenty of "next ones"! So this was the compromise! Tada! Oh and I think I'm going to spray paint that gold mirror so it matches the tables. (Isn't that mirror great? It's so me!)

-B

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