The Speckled Dog

Nursery Crafting

2011-12-04T22:10:00.006-05:00

Well, I'm still alive, and still baking this little bun. We've got about 10 weeks until her debut, and I'm just putting the finishing touches on her room.

Today, I want to share her mobile with you.

I'd planned on making one from the beginning, I just couldn't figure out what I wanted. I shared one type of mobile with you all, months ago. I actually started making that one, but of course, as soon as I found out I was having a girl, my nursery plans changed. Out went the gender-neutral room, and in came the floor to ceiling girly room.

I ran across this mobile a sometime back in late summer, and decided I'd give it a shot, even though, it seemed to be pretty time-consuming.

Following this link will take you to The Handmade Home, and to the tutorial for the mobile. I'm just gonna run through a few tidbits on how I made mine.

********

First off, this wasn't nearly as time consuming as I thought it'd be. It's the perfect TV project. Since I started knitting, nearly 10 years ago, I have the hardest time just sitting and watching TV. I absolutely HAVE to have something to keep my hands busy. This project was great for that!

Second, for a mobile, you can't beat the price. I spent around $5 on this. The only things I had to purchase were extra felt sheets, and the baker's twine I used for hanging.

I used a few pieces of fabric on some of the rounds, but I found I liked the way all felt looked better. It just really made the embroidery stitches stand out (it seems like I may have read this very same thing over at HH).

I found my baker's twine here.

I cut all of my circles by hand. I traced around various household objects with a fabric pen and then cut everything out. I used objects (spool of thread, small tape measure, suction cup) that had similar measurements to what Ashley recommended. * Just so you know, I've added the Sizzix Big Shot she recommended to my Christmas list this year. Fingers crossed that i get it! I have so many plans for that machine (think garlands galore).

Our ceilings are 8ft so I didn't make my mobile nearly as long as the ones over at HH. This means I didn't need quite as many rounds as she did. I ended up doing 5 strands. The 4 outside strands had 4 completed rounds on them and the center strand had 6. I ended up using a total of 44 rounds.

I used a 15" hoop, which I painted to coordinate with the rounds.

********

One good thing about this mobile is that you can use it for years. It's not really babyish, and would be fine in a child's room. Shoot, Han is 13 and she wants one for her room.

I'm hoping to be back to blogging more frequently, at least until Zoe arrives. It's been a LONG time since I've tended to a newborn so I'm not exactly sure how much free time to expect. My guess is, not much.

Linking to:
Met Monday
Motivate Me Monday
Sunday Showcase
Made By Me

A Perfectly Imperfect Quilt

2011-09-11T21:18:00.005-04:00

It looks like I'm just a day shy of a month with no posts. Sorry about that!

Let's see, I last posted about planning to decorate my new master bedroom. We've been in that room for three weeks now and I love it! I've still got to hang curtains and also hang a few other things up, and then I'll be back to blog about that.

Right now I want to share with you a couple of things.

Number One: We had an early gender ultrasound and found out that we're expecting a GIRL!! We were all three hoping for a girl. Her name will be Zoe Quinn. Charles chose the first name, years ago, and I chose the middle name. Actually, it was a name Han suggested several years ago, back when we used to sit around and try to come up with names for fun.

Number Two: I immediately went back to my original plan of a girly nursery with blues and reds instead of the colorful gender-neutral nursery I thought I wanted.

I have a pretty good board going on Pinterest for all of my ideas, and I've already started on making some things. This weekend, I finished this quilt.

It's a rag quilt that was inspired by this one made by Kristin at Write it Down.

I loved the fabric she used, but sadly, it's no longer available. Luckily, I was able to find a similar fabric line from Moda called Ruby. I bought 2 charm packs and ended up using 70 of the 84 squares (I left most of the gray fabrics out). I used cotton batting in the craft size, and for the backing, I used some matching fabrics from my stash.

I say this quilt is imperfect because it is. All of my quilts are. I'm what you'd call an impatient quilter. I try to get them done as fast as I can, and this often means that my blocks don't match up like they should, and I usually end up having to trim up the sides of my quilt tops because some rows end up longer than others. You know what though? I'm OK with this. The quilts I make are never going to be in a quilt show. They're never going to be passed down from generation to generation. They're meant for right NOW, to snuggle up in while taking a nap or watching a movie. If you're like me, or if you've never even tried a quilt, this one is for you! The ragged seams will take away from the fact that you have wonky blocks and rows, and the quilting-as-you-go part? Shoot, quilting can't get an easier than that!

The tutorial I used, which is the same one that Kristin used, is here at Creations by Kara. Kara mentions that flannel is the best fabric for flannel, but I honestly didn't have any problems with just plain old cotton.

Well, that's all I've got for now. Hopefully I'll be back later this week with a master bedroom update.

Linking to:
Motivate Me Mon @ Keeping it Simple
Met Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch
Amaze Me Monday @ Dittle Dattle

Master Bedroom Inspiration

2011-08-13T14:35:00.003-04:00

I may have mentioned that we're moving our bedroom from downstairs, to one of the bedrooms upstairs. To make a short story long, as Leslie likes to say, we'll be switching Charles' music studio with the master bedroom. His studio, is next to the bedroom that Han occupied until a couple of weeks ago. We moved her down the hall and we'll use her old room for the baby. The short version of this is, we want to be closer to the baby.

There were some other deciding factors in this, mainly that it's too loud on the main floor. Not only do I hear every cricket living in the backyard, but our room shares a wall with the living room and as luck would have it, it's the TV wall. Charles rarely goes to bed before I do, so when I do go to bed, it's like I'm trying to sleep in the living room. Another plus to moving is there'll be no more lugging laundry up and down the stairs. The laundry room will be right down the hall! One last plus is that I'll get the whole closet (not a walk-in) to myself. Charles will keep his clothes in his studio since he'll still be using the master bath (I'm now sharing a bathroom with Han.)

When we first began talking about the move, my first concern was as to how I would decorate the room (of course!). I just finished the current master look in March, but it just felt odd to do another room exactly the same. I looked around on Pinterest, and pinned a lot of photos, and decided that I basically wanted the same kind of style, but I'd just switch it up a bit.

The walls have been painted and I chose a Better Homes & Gardens (Wal-Mart) color called Creamy Pebbles. I had it color matched at Lowe's in Valspar paint with and eggshell finish. I found the color through Leslie from Goodbye House, Hello Home. She used it in the bedroom that her foreign exchange student is staying in. It's a beautiful room, so you should go check it out! BTW, I don't think I've mentioned this before, but Leslie and I are friends IRL. We met through our blogs and found that we only live about 15 minutes away from each other!

Since Charles is still working on the new floors and trim, I obviously won't be sharing any photos of the room today, but I'd like to share some of the pins I have for inspiration.

Here's my Pinterest link to this board. You can find the source for each photo by visiting the pin.

I'll most likely be using white bedding with neutral throw pillows. I especially love the throw on this bed. Pottery Barn has some that I love, but I was't really wanting to pay PB money for one. I thought I'd make one myself, but after I totaled the yarn costs, I found that it would be just as expensive as buying one from PB. I'll still check around to see if I can find a cheaper version, but since I'm not buying new bedding this time, I think we can maybe splurge on a throw (that baby can spit up on... ha!).

This wall color is similar to Creamy Pebbles, and I absolutely love this bedding!

Not sure if we'll have a bedside rug, but I do love this one!

I'd love to make some pillow similar to these for the bed. If anyone know of a good tutorial, please let me know.

I thought something like this would look nice over the bed, but since we have a tall-ish headboard, I don't think it'll work. I still like it, though!

I really like this plate arrangement. I'm planning to move the green desk from our foyer into this room, and if we don't end up installing a TV in the wall over it, I'd like to hang some plates there. This space is between the two windows in the room, and I think this piece of wall, with the plates on it, would look nice framed by the windows.

I've got all of the pieces for this little set-up by Miss Mustard Seed and I thought that it'd look great on the desk.

I pinned several boxwood wreaths because I wanted to make one to hang in a large empty frame I plan on using. I haven't been able to find faux boxwood stems anywhere, and finally just ended up doing a coffee filter wreath.

I haven't made too many final decisions yet, as far as what will hang where, because I want to wait and see how furniture placement goes first. This room is considerably smaller than the current one and so I'm not sure which of the two possible ways we'll be arranging the furniture. Hopefully the transformation will be completed by midweek. If so, I'll get started on everything that needs to be made and get a post up asap.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

My Piecemeal Hutch

2011-08-09T14:17:00.014-04:00

I'd been wanting a hutch for my dining room since I first started following blogs where very talented ladies perform fabulous makeovers on furniture. I spent about a year hoping to score a hutch at GW. It didn't seem to matter that I made the trek to my local shop at least three times a week, I never found one. Not only could I not find one to buy, I couldn't even find one that someone else had already snatched up. I guess people around here just don't want to give up those hutches!

I finally began looking for anything that would do the job, and I eventually wound up with two pieces that when put together, make a hutch. I bought the bottom half from a GW for $40, and I scored the top from an auction for $10.

I filled some holes and Charles mended some pieces.

After we got it all fixed up, it was time for paint. For the bulk of the hutch, I used an Olympic color called Dogwood Blossom. I wanted the back to contrast against the rest of the hutch because I'm planning to display white dishes and milkglass at some point. I ended up using Sea Anemone for the back. I thought it was a great color for either a beachy look for a Shabby Chic look.

After painting, we added new hardware that I picked up at Hobby Lobby for a few buck each. I'm still trying to decide if I want to paint and distress those. For now, I'm leaving them the way they are.

I just love this hutch, and I think even more so because it was something I had to put together, and I was able to do it for just a few bucks.

What do you think?

Linking to:
Twice Owned Tues @ House of Grace
POWW @ Primitive & Proper
Restored It Weds @ Restore Interiors
Wow Us Weds @ Savvy Southern Style
Creative Spark @ Clean and Scentsible
Whatever Goes Weds @ Someday Crafts
Transformation Thurs @ The Shabby Chic Cottage
Under $100 Linky Party @ Beyond the Picket Fence
Crafty Soiree @ Yesterday on Tuesday
Hookin' Up With HOH @ HOH
Furniture Feature Friday @ Miss Mustard Seed
SNS Special @ Funky Junk Interiors
Met Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch

Treasury Tuesday - No. 20

2011-08-02T10:19:00.000-04:00

Mixed Berries

Hot Pink Wooden Leaf Earri...
marygracej...
$12.34 USD
Valentine hearts glitter h...
janinebasil
$35.00 USD
Purple Rain - Striped Arm ...
hipstarrdesi...
$18.00 USD
Oversized Beret slouch Boh...
BessetteAr...
$25.68 USD
SALE .SALE.SALE....%10 Fu...
vintageniltb
$58.00 USD
SALE 10% off Use Coupon Co...
Kinies
$55.00 USD
Turquoise and hot pink
LilCuteTs
Sold
Free Shipping Robin Egg Ne...
ManoCelebrat...
$12.00 USD
Knit cap with a slouchy si...
SENNURSASA
$29.00 USD
Sky Drop earrings
kalliART
$18.00 USD
Purple Dahlia Post Earring...
JennyMJewels
$6.00 USD
SUPER SALE Fuchsia Raspber...
sandeeknits
$22.00 USD
9 to 12 Month Visor Buckle...
TwoSeasideBa...
$27.00 USD
String necklace Scarf ...V...
Textilemonst...
$12.00 USD
Lacy Scarf, Fuchsia Plum P...
KnitzyBlonde
$49.00 USD
Mini Ruche Bag in Blue Tur...
jennyndesign
$191.00 USD

Spice Racks - Not Just for Spices

2011-08-01T12:42:00.010-04:00

Han is all moved into her new room, and is working on getting it all set up today. We still need to accessorize and order her new furniture, so I won't be sharing photos of the room until it's actually complete.

I was trying to come up with some way I could contribute to the room since all of the hard work was being done by Charles, and the design work by Han. I have a ton of spice racks in my stash, and I thought one might be useful to her as a rack to hold her nail-polish.

I used spray paint this time (I was careful of the fumes!), which seems to be winning me over again since it doesn't take nearly as long as brush painting does. It seems I no longer have the patience to work on a project for days. This was a can of Rustolem Green Apple that I bought last year when I first began doing makeovers. Basically, this was a free project, which is the best kind!

I'm loving how the green looks against the aqua wall.

I also love how she went all ROYGBIV when arranging them.

Linking to:
Met Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch
Made it by Monday @ Made it for Monday
Mad Skillz Party @ Mad in Crafts
Get Your Craft On Tues @ Today's Creative Blog
Trash to Treasure Tues @ Sassy Sites
One Project at a Time @ A Bowl Full of Lemons
Wow us Weds @ Savvy Southern Style
Creative Spark @ Clean and Scentsible
Frugal Friday @ The Shabby Nest
Feature Yourself Friday @ Fingerprints on the Fridge

Nursery Stuff

2011-07-30T21:03:00.001-04:00

First off, I'd like to give a big thanks to those of you who left comments on my last post. I replied directly to those I could, but some of you have your e-mail addresses blocked.

I've decided to let Han do the room the way she wants since it's HER room, and not mine. I got several suggestions of painting the dresser lime green, which is one of the colors in the bedding, and I think we'll be doing exactly that (with Han's approval, of course!) * Since I started this post, we've considered purchasing new furniture for her room. She's almost 13 and I think it's about time she has an actual bedroom set. We're planning to finish the rest of our renovations before we make such a large purchase, so until then, she's just using the yellow dresser.

Now on to the meat of this post. I showed a couple of nursery idea boards last month and I mentioned that I'd probably end up changing my mind. I know myself so well. I think it was that same week that I decided I'd like to do a gender-neutral nursery.

I was inspired by this nursery from Susan Weinroth. So bright and cheery!

One thing I have to consider when designing this room is the chair we'll be using in there. It's the big red chair from my studio that so many of you loved.

Considering the red chair, I thought it might look nice to have white walls and then uses pops of color around the room. Kind of this like nursery that I found on Pinterest. The source from the pin was from the boo and the boy , and she credits Spearmint Baby. I looked through the featured nurseries there, but I couldn't locate this one so I'm not sure where it originated. It sure is peppy though!

Once I got the general scheme down, I started thinking about accessories. I blogged a few weeks ago that I'd started knitting/making a mobile similar to this one.

blabla

So far, I've knitted the band and started on the birds, which are currently wingless, with a few still unstuffed.

bird pattern can be found here

Here's my dirty paint chip from the color we're using in Han's new room. Her wall color is the last one, Sea Wave. I was really hesitant about that color until Charles got it on the wall. Now I love it! I'd really like to use one of the other two colors for the nursery walls, instead of just having white walls. The reason I thought that might work is because it'll be a great contrast against the white furniture we'll have in that room, but it'll still look great with the red chair.

valspar colors

I have so many ideas for this room that I have to be careful not to over-do it. I want it to be cheerful, but simple.

Stay tuned for updates. We should have this room cleaned out and ready to work on sometime in the next few weeks!

Linking to:
Think Pink Sundays @ Flamingo Toes

While She Was Out... Again - Part One

2011-07-26T20:47:00.010-04:00

Just like this same week last year, Han has gone on a beach vacation with a friend. Just like this same week last year, Han is getting a room makeover. Actually, she's getting a new room altogether. We'll be using her current room as the nursery for baby since it's right next to the room that will become the master bedroom. A lot of work for one little baby, huh?

The room that is being transformed for her is what we have been calling "The Cat Room" for the past few years. It's the only spare room in our house, and that's where we've been keeping the litterboxes and cat food/water bowls. It also acts as a dumping ground for any type of home item that I'm not using, but may need one day. Sound familiar??? I know I'm not the only one!

Here are some photos I took last Jan when I was working on Kicking the Clutter. Although, I got rid of some stuff then, this room actually got much worse than what you see in these photos. I ended up putting all of these Christmas bins in there, and I started putting my pre-makeover Etsy items in there too.

A couple of weeks ago, we began to purge. So many items that still had Goodwill tags on them, went back to Goodwill, and probably 1/4 of my Christmas stuff went there as well. I still need to go back through my "keep" items and purge more. I seem to have kept more than I let go. Do I sound like someone on "Hoarders" or what?

Aside from some furniture painting, purging is about the extent of my involvement in this room. Charles is doing everything else. No painting or heavy lifting for me!

The difference between this makeover and the last is that we won't be finishing this while Han is gone. Turns out while I (and half of the blog world) loved her last room, she didn't. She said that she didn't get to choose anything and it wasn't "her". Grrr, right? This time, I'm letting her choose everything so she can't some to me in six months and say she doesn't like it. I have to admit, this is killin' me, y'all. I know it's her room, and I should let her have a room she loves, but it's driving me crazy!

Here's the paint color she chose. It's a Valspar color called Sea Wave. I will admit that once Charles got it on the wall, it didn't look bad. I can live with it. Not only do I think I can live with it, I'm actually considering a lighter color from the paint chip card for the nursery.

The problem I have now is the bedding she's chosen. We've already purchased it, but I'm itching to return it.

It totally works with the wall color but, I want to return it because the dresser I'm planning to repaint for her room is a completely different style than the bedding. It's an old Broyhill dresser from the 70's (I think) and it's French Provincial. Here's one someone else made over. The dresser I have only has 6 drawers, but you get the idea.

image courtesy of Rethunk Junk

Not gonna match, right? I'm hoping I can find something a little more feminine that she'll agree with. I know I'm not the only person out there who has struggled with the dilemma of letting a teen design their own room, but wanting it to look good. Have any of you gone through this? How did you handle it? Compromise or give in completely?

Treasury Tuesday - No. 19

2011-07-26T14:34:00.006-04:00

It's been awhile since I last did one of these. I decided to start it up again for a few reasons. One, it keeps me on some sort of blogging schedule, and two, it helps me keep my creative juices flowing. If you've been here in the past couple of months, you know that I've been struggling with creativity ever since I discovered I was pregnant with my 2nd child after nearly 13 years.

I'm s-l-o-w-l-y getting back into it. I've been working on several things this week and so I should have some better posts coming up soon.

I have to tell you, creating this treasury make me hungry! All of those yummy eats I included are things that I basically can't have right now since I'm trying to keep my diabetes under control for this pregnancy. I kinda felt like I was window shopping a bakery. I'm pretty sure I might be ordering some of that stuff to bring to the hospital with me so I can enjoy them after giving birth. Ha!

Buttery Browns

White Vanilla Chocolate Mo...

$4.80 USD

Cinnamon candle

$28.00 USD

pebbles and pods 1

$50.56 USD

Sweetly Carved Handmade Po...

$42.00 USD

The Shipper - Black Walnut...

$89.95 USD

French Sea Salt Butter Car...

$24.00 USD

2 Latitude Longitude coppe...

$72.00 USD

Super Snuggly Chunky knit ...

$79.00 USD

Vintage Teakwood Salad Ser...

$38.00 USD

Chocolate Butterscotch Bar...

$9.00 USD

Wood grain beaded hoops

$10.00 USD

Pick 3 Marshmallow Sampler...

$9.00 USD

Queen Bee Hive Honeycomb R...

$4.95 USD

Felted slippers brown

$80.00 USD

Spicy Winter Wash or Dishc...

$10.00 USD

Smore's Ganache Cookie...

$16.00 USD

Krud Kutter

2011-07-24T20:35:00.006-04:00

I'd like to start out by saying that I'm in no way being compensated for this post. I'm simply sharing a product that I love, with my readers and fellow bloggers.

If you follow my blog regularly or have taken a peek at my Etsy shop from time to time, you know that most of my makeovers involve wood items that I've thrifted such as candlesticks, pedestal bowls, spice racks, knife blocks, napkin holders. If you've made over these kind of items you know that they are usually filthy when you buy them. The kitchen items, which are mostly what I deal with, can be especially grimy, with layers of caked on grease and dust. You know, the kind of gunk that just won't come off with a quick little soapy wash. Not only that, since you're dealing with wood, it's not like you can scrub and scrub with soap and water. I'd like to point out here that I once got adventurous with a particularly nasty spice rack and ran it through the dishwasher. I guess you can imagine how that turned out!

Anyway, I finally found something that gets rids of the grime in minutes. It's called Krud Kutter and it's fabulous! I originally bought a small bottle just to see it worked. After one cleaning, I was hooked! It's just amazing. Not only does it clean that nasty gunk, it also tackles the bazillion price tags the thrift shops like to stick all over everything! One thing it has going for it over other chemical removers is that it has a very low odor.

Visit the Krud Kutter blog to see other cleaning uses!

I've found the best way to use it on my thrifted items is to soak a cotton ball in it and the use that to wipe the piece down. You can use q-tips to get down in any nooks and crannies the piece might have. I have from time to time, had to clean a piece twice, but that's usually it. The stuff evaporates in no time so you can almost start painting immediately after cleaning. That's one thing you can't do after cleaning with water!

I've gotten my Krud Kutter at Lowe's in the past, but I've also seen it at Wal-Mart, back in the paint section. It only costs a few bucks which makes it an even better product in my book!

Color of the Week - Sheer Blossom

2011-07-22T11:00:00.004-04:00

Whew! I've been trying to post this since yesterday. My compose tab was grayed out and I couldn't get out of "edit HTML". If anyone else is having a problem with this, a quick fix is to go to the Settings tab and change your post editor to "old editor". You can find it under Global Settings.

OK, now on to my post!

Hey, guys! I've missed blog world! In addition to not feeling very creative lately, I've not been reading any of my favorite blogs. I've finally started on a couple of projects that I'll be able to blog about soon, and I feel the creative juices flowing. Whew! So glad that's over! I just wanted to take a minute to thank everyone for your kind comments on my last post. It makes me feel so much better that you guys are so understanding and supportive!

I haven't painted anything new in almost two months, but I wanted to share with you a color I'd used not to long ago. It's a Folk Art color called Sheer Blossom. Now, I'm not usually a fan of pink, but I do realize that pink plays a big part in the Shabby Chic color pallet. Aside from white, it's probably the color most people think of when they hear the term Shabby Chic. When I started painting this cloche with it, I immediately had second thoughts. It just seemed too pink. Is that even possible??? Anyway, I reminded myself that even though pink isn't my thing, there are people out there who LOVE it, and so I kept at it. Once I distressed it, I was won over. I guess I don't mind pink if it's the rough-around-the-edges kind of pink... literally.

Yeah, I Got Nothin'

2011-07-13T10:06:00.002-04:00

Seriously, guys. I'm having huge creativity block over here. My mind is consumed by pregnancy and diabetes (I'm type 2) right now, and the only creative thing I've done lately is some knitting for baby. Even that's hard since I have no idea what gender this little niblet will be.

I haven't posted in over a week, and believe me, I haven't forgotten about my blog. I just can't come up with a project to do and blog about. Well, I should say that I can't come up with a quick project to blog about. I haven't found the time to work on anything that would take a good amount of time to work on. I seem to run errands all day and by the time I get home, I'm too tired to do anything. I can only imagine what life will be like once baby arrives. I honestly don't know how you guys with multiple small children find the time to do all of the projects you do, AND blog about them.

Like I said earlier, I have been doing some baby knitting. Right now, I'm working on making a mobile that will be a mix between these two CUTE mobiles that I found. I've done the band that goes around the ring and am about to start knitting birds just as soon as I can get a few minutes to sit down.

*If anyone is interested in these particular mobiles, you can find them here.

Oh, Baby!

2011-07-05T17:27:00.000-04:00

If I've seemed MIA the past few weeks, it's because I've been working on a new project.

(Charles made these tickets which we included in our dads' Father's Day cards)

That's right, our family of three will become a family of four sometime late next February. This was a huge surprise for us and we couldn't be more excited. We have some pretty big adjustments to make as it was only Han and I for the first five years of her life, and then we were joined by Charles about eight years ago. Han will be 13 when this baby is born. Long gone are the years of not leaving glasses and other breakables lying around, and not having to be conscious of basically every move we make. What a difference this baby will make! It's surreal to think that this time next year, when we have dinner (in or out), there will be another body to fill in the empty space that's always there.

I haven't been pregnant in nearly thirteen years and I can basically say that this feels like my first time being pregnant. I've found that I don't remember much at all after all of this time. Some things, I remember once they happen this time around (hello, crazy boobs!). Mostly, I'm feeling VERY impatient for that sweet babe to get here, just like last time. I always thought that if I ever did get pregnant again, I wouldn't rush it and would enjoy it. Yeah right! ha ha

Lucky for me, we might be practically rearranging our whole house, which will give me something to occupy myself. Yay!

Of course, I wouldn't be myself if I hadn't already started daydreaming about a nursery. Here are my mood boards so far. I'm sure this will change 10X over before the time comes to actually do the work.

GIRL:

SOURCES:

1- Fabric - Michael Miller

2 - Artwork by Emily Martin (theblackapple on Etsy)

3 - Fabric - Michael Miller

4 - Artwork by Emily Martin (theblackapple on Etsy)

5 - Fabric - Michael Miller

6 - Artwork by alittlesweetness on Etsy

7 - Artwork by Emily Martin (theblackapple on Etsy)

8 - some sort of white ceramic lamp

9 - Fabric - Heather Bailey (she's expecting too!)

10 - Fabric - Michael Miller

BOY:

SOURCES:

1- Fabric - Michael Miller

2 - some sort of green ceramic lamp

3 - Fabric - Michael Miller

4 - Artwork - sugarloop on Etsy

5 - Artwork - sugarloop on Etsy

6 - Fabric - Michael Miller

7 - Artwork - sugarloop on Etsy

8 - Artwork - sugarloop on Etsy

Why is it so much easier to plan a girly room? We're still looking around for what furniture we want to use. I do know that whatever we get, it'll be white. I have a big red chair that is in my studio right now, that we'll be using in the nursery. I think that's why there's so much red on the girl's board. I'm not sure how red would do with the colors for the boy board, but I guess I could always slipcover it. Anyway, I'm just rambling now. I think this will be the only nursery post for a few months. I still have several months before we get started on it, and I'm not really counting my chickens, even though it kinda seems like it. I just couldn't help it. The designer in me just needed to get this out of her system. Plus, it sure is fun to put those boards together!

DIY Beachy Wall Art

2011-07-03T08:59:00.003-04:00

Happy 4th (OK, 3rd) guys! I hope everyone is enjoying this wonderful holiday weekend.

Last week, I participated in the Beach Bash over at The Country Chic Cottage. If you missed out on the projects that were posted, head on over and take a look. Here's the project I shared.

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I want to share with you today, a simple project to help you "beachify" your summer vignettes or even a spare wall you might have. It's a great way to bring some beach life into your decor. I'm planning hang mine as a collection in my master bath.

The project I'm sharing is my Simple Beachy Wall Art. I think the whole project took me less than 30 minutes, and I was able to do the whole thing almost completely with items I already had on had.

Materials Needed

assorted frames
paint & brushes (optional - My frames were already pretty beachy so I left them as is.)
burlap
scissors
spray adhesive
shells

Directions

*If you're going to paint your frames, go ahead and do that first.

Remove backing and glass from your frame.

Lay your backing onto the burlap and trace around the backing. Then cut burlap. I cut mine a little larger than the size I needed, just in case I made some sort of mistake (I ~~usually~~ always make mistakes).

Spray backing with a light coat of spray adhesive and smooth the burlap onto the backing. Any creases or wrinkles in your burlap will be smoothed out at this time.

Let the adhesive set about 10 or 15 minutes, and then trim away any excess burlap.

Put backing back into frame (without the glass).

Now it's time for the fun part! Lay your frames flat and play around with different shell arrangements until you find the ones you like.

Once you're satisfied, use your glue gun (I couldn't find mine and had to use E600) to glue the shells in place, making sure to leave everything flat until the glue sets.

That's it! Pretty simple, right??

Linking to:

Met Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch
Mad Skillz Party @ Mad in Crafts
Market Yourself Monday @ Sumo's Sweet Stuff

Beach Bash - Beachy Wall Art

2011-06-29T18:14:00.001-04:00

My beachy wall art is the subject of today's post for the Beach Bash, which is going on over at The Country Chic Cottage this week.

Head on over for the deets, and learn how to make your own!

Antiqued Wall Sconces

2011-06-27T09:11:00.005-04:00

Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a great weekend! My posts have been a little scarce the past two weeks, but I hope to be back in the saddle from now on. There's been a lot happening over this way and I hope to be able to share it with you guys soon.

Today, I'll be sharing a new glazed piece with you.

I think anyone who thrifts has seen this gold-ish plastic stuff before.

This stuff seems to have been popular in the late 60's, based off of some of the dating I've seen on the back of some of it. Two manufacturers that I can remember off of the top of my head are Homco & Syroco. While this stuff might be ugly as is, it looks great painted, and even better painted and glazed.

Honestly, these weren't too bad before, but I don't usually buy something and just leave it alone. I really love how the glaze helped bring out all of the details. It really added a lot of depth to them.

Thanks to everyone who commented on my last post. I'm planning to start on the jewelry box this week. It's a pretty detailed piece so I expect it to take me awhile to finish. I'll definitely be posting on it when I get finished.

Linking to:

Met Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch
Get Your Craft On @ Today's Creative Blog
Twice Owned Tues @ House of Grace
Restored it Weds @ Restore Interiors
Mad Skillz Party @ Mad in Crafts

Color of the Week???

2011-06-22T12:46:00.000-04:00

I'm not sure, yet.

Last month, I was inspired by this post from knack, to try a similar color. I chose Martha's Rainforest. It's a rich blue-green that I thought would appeal to those who aren't really into the whole cottage look.

I decided to try it out on this mug stand, and I have to say, I'm just not sure about it. Maybe it's because it's not really my style. I prefer the lighter colors that make up the shabby cottage look and this definitely isn't one of those. It seems a little plain to me, and maybe it just needs to be distressed to add a little oomph to it. What do you guys think?

Even though I don't really think I like this color on the mug stand, I do think it might be perfect for this jewelry box that I scored at an auction awhile back. I think the design of the box, coupled with this vivid color, would make a nice India-inspired piece. Yes???

*This post is part of a series of color posts. To see all past colors, click here.

Color of the Week - Meadow Mist

2011-06-13T15:46:00.002-04:00

This week's color is another blue. For whatever reason, I seem to be stuck on blues and greens. I do have a couple of pink pieces that I've done and I'll probably be sharing that color next week, just to change things up a bit.

This color was used on two projects that I shared with you last week. I'm reposting the photos below since these are the only two completed pieces I've used this color on. I've got one piece that I'm still working on and I'll share that with you later this week.

cloche post is here

the shelf post is here

This is another great beachy color, but it's also a good shabby chic color too. I'd say that if Sea Anemone and Sea Glass had a baby, this would be the result. It's a Valspar color called Meadow Mist.

I have to tell ya, the sample colors they show online usually DO NOT match the true color at all. You can tell the difference between what's being shown on the link from Lowe's (above) and my photos. This particular color has more green in it than what they're showing. That just shows you how different a color can appear online. I try to get my photos as close to the actual color as possible, but even that is a problem sometimes. If you're in doubt, trust the paint chip from the store. I'm not talking about the online chip, I mean the one you grab at the store. That will be more reliable to you, in person, than what they show online or what I share with you.

I've been having fun with these color posts and I'm excited to try some different colors. I'd like to step out of my comfort zone and go with something completely different than what I've been using. So far the colors I've shared, have all been ones I had on hand. I'm just starting to use a few that I bought specifically for these posts and again, they're green and blue. Agggghh!! I will say that one them, even though it's a blue, really has me outside of my zone. So I guess I'm taking baby steps in the color world and I'm thrilled to have you all along with me!

*This post is part of a series of color posts. To see all past colors, click here.

Linking to:

We Did it Weds @ Sew Much Ado
Wow us Weds @ Savvy Southern Style

Little Shelf Makeover

2011-06-12T21:10:00.004-04:00

I hope everyone's having a great weekend! Han and I thrifted a couple of things for her new bedroom makeover. YES, we're doing it again even though it hasn't been a year since the last one. She's just like her mama that way, I guess. Most everything will be cosmetic and we're trying to keep it under $100. Under $200, if we make this bed for her. She does need a sturdier bed and storage underneath would be great. The bed she's using now, which I thrifted for $20, will go in the guest room, once we get to that room makeover.

Anyway, I just realized that I only posted twice last week. I hate it when that happens. I want to try and post at least three times a week. This week, I've been scrambling to get my dining room finished so I can start painting stuff for the Upcycled Living Fair & Market which is only TWO WEEKS away! Until the dining room makeover, I'd been painting pieces consistently, but also listing them on Etsy. I've sold most of what has been listed in the past few weeks and so my Market stash has been depleted.

I'm posting this here little shelf makeover today and then I'll be back again tomorrow with a new Color of the Week post.

Here's my little shelf as it was when I bought it.

I stained her with Minwax stain in Ebony and then went over that with a sweet color that I'll be sharing with you guys tomorrow. I also added the knob that had been on this, to the little drawer so that it could actually be opened.

I ended up listing and selling it as a spice shelf which I think is the perfect job for her. Wouldn't you agree?

Well, I'm off to clean Han's room. She opted to clean the whole downstairs, including my room if I'd clean hers. Yeah, it's that bad. ha ha

Have a good night!

Linking to:

Met Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch
Motivate Me Monday @ Keeping it Simple
Get Your Craft on @ Today's Creative Blog

The Pedestal Cloche, All Gussied Up

2011-06-09T10:11:00.010-04:00

Ah, pedestal cloches.

I'd have to day that I love making them more than anything else I do. It's just amazing how a little paint can unite two pieces in such a wonderful way.

Before I go any further, I have to give a shout-out to Allison @ House of Hepworths, which is where I first saw this idea. Thanks, Allison!

I've made and painted at least 20 pedestal cloches in the past year. The materials for these are my top priority when I go thrifting. Sometimes the domes are scarce and sometimes it's the wood candlesticks. Recently, I'd used up my candlestick stash and was having a hard time finding new ones. Around this time, I was scouring the isles of my local Good Will when I came across these resin candlesticks.

I'm a big sucker for anything ornate and of course, I know how much paint can transform something and make everything look crisp and clean. Needless to say, I bought these babies. I'd planned to paint them as sell them as what they were, but then I noticed that one of them was missing the aluminum cup that holds the bottom end of the candle in place. Hmmmm..... what to do? Well, why does the cloche candlestick have to be made of wood? Couldn't I just use any kind of candlestick?

Yes, I think so.

I can't get over just how pretty these two are, and I'm sure you can guess what else has made it to the top of my thrifting list.

Linking to:

Hookin' Up With HOH @ HOH
Everything but the Kitchen Sink @ A Little Knick Knack
Check me Out Sat @ A Vision to Remember
Nifty Thrifty Sunday @ Nifty Thrifty Things
Making Monday Marvelous @ CRAFT
DIY Project Parade @ The DIY Showoff
Met Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch
Motivate Me Monday @ Keeping it Simple
Get Your Craft on @ Today's Creative Blog

Color of the Week - Sea Anemone

2011-06-06T21:57:00.012-04:00

Welcome to this week's Color of the Week post. This is a new color for me and so I've only got two pieces to share.

I bought this sample of Martha Stewart's Sea Anemone back in November when I was trying to choose paint color for my bedroom makeover. It looked terrible as a swatch on my wall, and I just didn't care to try it on anything I wanted to sell. Week after week, I kept reaching around it as I chose another color. Poor Sea Anemone. I finally decided to give it a try when I felt it was time to start listing more Beach Cottage items. I'm glad I did! It looks so much better than it did on my wall! Out of my beachy colors, this one is my favorite. It's a very pale blue. Almost like a white with just a hint of blue.

Here are the two pieces I've done with it so far.

Here's a neat little tidbit about the pedestal bowl.

The BEFORE bowl, was thrifted and given to me by my sweet friend and fellow SC blogger, Leslie, and it was purchased by another SC blogger, Carrie, with a Speckled Dog @ Etsy giftcard she won last fall. Cool, huh?

Linking to:

We Did It Weds @ Sew Much Ado

Creative Share @ Trendy Treehouse

Who's Got Talent @ Night Owl Crafting

Transformation Thurs @ The Shabby Chic Cottage

Hookin' Up With HOH @ HOH

Everything but the Kitchen Sink @ A Little Knick Knack

Making Monday Marvelous @ CRAFT

DIY Project Parade @ The DIY Showoff

Met Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch

Motivate Me Monday @ Keeping it Simple

Scouting for Fellow Blogging Belles

2011-06-03T21:38:00.002-04:00

source

For those who don't know much about me, I'm a Carolina girl. SOUTH Carolinian, to be exact. During my year of blogging, I have run across several, and been lucky enough to actually meet a few other bloggers who live in my state or my neighboring states, NC & GA.

One of these ladies, who I've not yet met in person, is Jen from Scissors & Spatulas. She and I were thinking last week, that we'd like to try and get a group of bloggers from SC, NC, GA, and any other state nearby, together so that we can plan a meet-up and be able to meet each other in person.

I'm pretty sure that Leslie, from Goodbye House, Hello Home, have also discussed this so I think she's on board too.

I know of a few of you that also live around these parts, and I'd planned to send e-mails out to you, but I just didn't get to it. So, this post will hafta do what I didn't. :-)

If you are in this area and are interested in this, please leave a comment with your e-mail address. If your e-mail address is available on your profile, I don't need it in the comment. If you're not sure that your e-mail address is available, please go ahead and leave it in your comment. Also, if you would mention what state you're in, that would be great!

Right now, we're basically just trying to compile a list of interested ladies/gentlemen. Once we have that, we start e-mailing to hammer out the details of our first meet-up.

Now Offering Ad Space - BOGO

2011-06-02T13:55:00.001-04:00

I've decided that I'd like to try offering ad space again. I attempted this last Fall and made it a little too complicated for myself and it ended up just not being worth it. This time, things are about as simple as they can get.

For $5 a month, you will get a 125x125 pixel button (that you provide) in the top right corner of my blog. Ads will be arranged in the order they are purchased. Your ad will remain until your term expires.

I'm running an introductory special of Buy One Month, Get One Free. Yes, you can get 2 months space for only $5. I'm extending this offer to include multiple month purchases. What I mean by this is that if you decide to buy 3 months from me, you will get 3 months for free.

For more info on my blog stats and to find out how to contact me, please see my ad page.

Color of the Week - Patina

2011-06-01T22:41:00.008-04:00

So, I've started this thing where I feature paint colors that I like to use on my trash to treasure and other projects. I'd noticed that I used the same paint colors over and over and I thought it'd be kinda cool to share them here since the stuff I list on Etsy, where those colors were used, tends to "fly off the shelves". I mean, if my customers liked these colors, it stands to reason that my readers and bloggie friends would too.

Really, there were only around four colors that I was using a lot, and so I'd only planned to do this color thing for as many weeks, but the feedback on these color posts has been so great that I've decided to carry on and share a new color with you each week. This will help all of us (you guys and me) discover new paint colors. I tend to play it safe and use only the colors that sell, but I believe this will help me climb outta that box. I will try to have at least two projects to show with each color post, which means I'll be cranking out at least two Etsy items a week.

As for the paint I'll be using, I like some Folk Art colors and I've really been into Martha Stewart colors lately. It seems those are the only two brands/colors that I've shared so far, but they won't be the only ones forever. I don't want to limit myself because there are tons of other colors/brands out there. I do think I'd like to work my way through Martha's paint palette (you can pick up a complete palette, with all 280 colors, at Home Depot), though I will definitely not be trying all of them.

Anyway, the color I'm sharing this week is another Folk Art color that I've used a few times. It's called Patina and it works beautifully with antiquing glaze. Of the projects below, all, except for the last one were glazed.

I hope you're all having a great week! I'll be back on Friday with a scouting post. A few of us in SC, NC & GA are looking to find fellow bloggers from the area. If that's you, keep your eyes peeled for that post.

Linking to:
Hookin' Up With HOH @ HOH
Strut Your Stuff @ Somewhat Simple
Fridays Unfolded @ Stuff & Nonsense
Feature Yourself Friday @ Fingerprints on the Fridge
Frugal Friday @ The Shabby Nest
Check Me Out Sat @ A Vision to Remember
Met Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch

A Makeover & Guest Post Shout-out

2011-06-01T03:35:00.001-04:00

I'm sharing my Beaded Garden Stake tutorial over at lolly jane today. Make sure you head on over there to get the deets.

P.S. While you're over there, check out some of their awesome tutorials. Those are two talented chickies over there. Thanks for having me, Kelli & Kristi!

Now on to the makeover. I have just about finished my blog makeover, and the best part is, I DID IT ALL BY MYSELF!! Well, Charles helped with a couple of issues. I really tried to do most everything on my own, but when I just couldn't get something worked out, my knight in worn-out Converse came to my rescue.

The bulk of the work was done ~~tonight~~ this morning (I'm writing this at 3:26 AM). By bulk, I mean my background and new header. I just love them!!

I know that some of you know how to maneuver the twisty roads of design, but I know there are probably more of you out there who are like me when it comes to things like this. If there is enough interest, I'd be willing to compile all of my sources for the tips and tricks I used into a kind of tutorial. Since it's something that would probably take a while, I'd like to get some feedback as to whether this is something you guys would like to see. Lemme know in the comments.

Y'all have a good night. Errr... I mean morning!

* I do have another "color of the week" post coming. I should get it posted either Thursday or Friday.

Guest Posting Over @ Yesterday on Tuesday

2011-05-30T21:42:00.000-04:00

Hey guys, I'm guesting over at Yesterday on Tuesday today. It's my first guest post EVER so head on over to check it out.

P.S. Don't you just love that blog name? I started following last Fall and I just smile every time I see that name.

Upcycled Pedestal Bowl in Duck's Egg

2011-05-29T22:40:00.004-04:00

Now, before I get started, I want to make it clear that I know this bowl is very similar to the one I posted about last week. I couldn't help it. I loved how the first one looked with Duck's Egg color and I just had to use it again. Actually, I did start this new bowl out with a similar color, but I just wasn't diggin' it. So I painted over it in the Duck's Egg. Based on the number of comments, features and Pinterest pins the first bowl got, I don't think many people would blame me. Chuckle, chuckle, chuckle.

I'm lovin' this bowl because it was made from two thrifted pieces. Specifically, these two pieces.

Here it is again, all gussied up.

I had Charles pop the candle holder off and then we attached it to the bowl by coring holes in both pieces and then using some glue and a dowel to hold them together.

I've had this on my dining room table for the last week. Those pears match my green and white checked tablecloth perfectly, and the bowl color pops against the two. Like most of the pieces I'd love to keep around for awhile, this one sold rather quickly. I've got some spare parts in my stash and some more Duck's Egg for another pedestal bowl. Maybe I'll keep the next one.

Linking to:
Met Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch
Wow us Weds @ Savvy Southern Style
Under $100 Link Party @ Beyond the Picket Fence
Crafty Soiree @ Yesterday on Tuesday

Under Construction

2011-05-28T22:47:00.001-04:00

Please excuse the mess. I'm trying to do a li'l blog makeover, and at the same time, learn some basic design tricks. Right now, I'm using a background from Shabby Blogs. Man, they have some cute stuff over there!

My goal is to come up with my own template/design to use permanently. Charles used to be a web designer and while I will probably get him to do most of the work, I'm trying to figure some things out on my own.

I found some great tips on Sneaky Momma Blog Design, last night.

She's got tips separated into categories by ability levels (Beginner, Intermediate & Experienced).

Today, I went to Google Web Fonts and learned how to override the template I'm using and use fonts other than those Blogger provides. You can see an example by looking at my Page tabs (about, trash to treasure, more trash, etc.) and my Gadget headers (search this blog, archive, my etsy shop, etc). The font I'm using is called Waiting for the Sunrise.

Next, I want to try and make cute gadget tags like this, but with the font I'm already using for gadget tags.

image from Shabby Blogs

I'm also going to make a new header. I actually like the one I have (for now), I just need to figure out how to stretch it a bit more. You can see how doesn't fit all the way across the header space. If anyone knows of a quick way to remedy this, please let a sistah know.

I hope everyone has a great weekend! We're finally getting those dining room chairs painted!

Upcycled Living Fair & Market - Plus a Redo

2011-05-25T21:08:00.014-04:00

This June (25th & 26th), I'll be participating in the first Upcycled Living Fair & Market which is being sponsored by The Grapevine, an awesome shop located in Greer, SC.

To say that I'm super excited about this event would be an understatement for sure! This will be my first event and I'm having a lot of fun planning for it. I've finally gotten around to planning my booth and have started pinning some ideas for things I'd like to make for decor.

In addition to that, I have really kicked production of my work into high gear. I'll be listing most of it on Etsy, up until it's time to go to the market and then I'll close up shop for a couple of days while I'm selling at the market. I'll also be dedicating posts to most of the new pieces. If you see anything you'd like, you can always get it from my Etsy shop, or if you're not too far from Greer, SC, you can come out to the market and save yourself the shipping costs.

Also, if there is anyone out there who may be interested in selling at this event, they are still looking for a few vendors. Please check out the market website for the vendor application and more information.

I just finished this piece today and I looooove it!

This is what it looked like when I brought it home.

I sanded off the rest of that ugly label and then added a wood ornament thingy that I'd stained (so somethin' peeks through after distressing). I painted in Folk Art's Patina and then lightly distressed it.

Those little wood pieces are great for adding a little something to plain pieces found at the thrift shops. If you've not seen them before, you can get them at Lowe's, Home Depot and most craft stores. They're only a few bucks and they can really boost your makeovers, making them look really fancy-pants.

Linking to:
Strut Your Stuff @ Somewhat Simple
Under $100 Link Party @ Beyond the Picket Fence
Whatever Goes Weds @ Someday Crafts
Crafty Soiree @ Yesterday On Tuesday
Hookin' Up With HOH @ HOH
Everything but the Kitchen Sink @ A Little Knick-Knack
Feature Your Sassy Sites @ Sassy Sites
Frugal Friday @ The Shabby Nest
Frugalicious Friday @ Finding Fabulous
SNS Special @ Funky Junk Interiors
Weekend Wrap-up Party @ Tatertots & Jello
Met Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch
Wow us Weds @ Savvy Southern Style
Strut Your Stuff @ Somewhat Simple

Pinterest - How to Tell if You've Been Pinned

2011-05-24T10:12:00.010-04:00

Have you wondered if your blog content has ever been pinned on Pinterest? You wanna know how to check???

This might be common knowledge, but just in case, I'm sharing this with ya.

partial screenshot of my stuff, pinned by others

In your web browser, type http://pinterest.com/source/ and then add your blog address info.

It should look like this:

http://pinterest.com/source/thespeckleddog.blogspot.com/

You'll be able to see every pin made from your blog. You might be amazed at just how many peeps are diggin' your stuff!

*Speaking of Pinterest, does anyone need an invite. I think I can give out 10 invites. If you need one, hit me up at thespeckleddog (at) yahoo (dot) com and I'll get one sent to the e-mail address you used to e-mail me.

Also, if you want to check out my boards and even follow me (I'll follow ya back), you can find me here.

Linking to:

Wow Us Weds @ Savvy Southern Style
All Things Inspired @ All Things Heart & Home
We Did It Weds @ Sew Much Ado
Whatever Goes Weds @ Someday Crafts
Crafty Soiree @ Yesterday On Tuesday
Strut Your Stuff @ Somewhat Simple
Hookin' Up With HOH @ HOH
Everything but the Kitchen Sink @ A Little Knick-Knack
Feature Your Sassy Sites @ Sassy Sites

Sea Glass

2011-05-22T21:53:00.009-04:00

If you've been following me the past few weeks, you know that I've been sharing some of my favorite makeover paint colors. You can find my past color posts here.

This week, I'm sharing another Martha color. This one is called Sea Glass and it's another of those colors that's perfect for all things beachy.

It's one of the colors that comes in a premixed sample. I'd say if you're going to use this to paint small stuff, like me, you should go ahead and get a sample mixed. I say this because the premixed samples have the a brush attached to the inside of the lid and it's kind of a pain to use.

With that being said, I'd like to share with you, the pieces I've painted with this wonderful color.

Linking to:

Met Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch
Three or More Tues @ The Gypsy's Corner
Wow Us Weds @ Savvy Southern Style
All Things Inspired @ All Things Heart & Home
We Did It Weds @ Sew Much Ado
Whatever Goes Weds @ Someday Crafts
Crafty Soiree @ Yesterday On Tuesday
SNS Special @ Funky Junk Interiors
Weekend Wrap-up Party @ Tatertots & Jello

In Love

2011-05-19T10:07:00.015-04:00

Over the last couple of weeks, I've been sharing some of my favorite paint colors. If you've missed those posts, you can find them here, here & here.

Last week, I stopped by Home Depot and browsed through the Martha colors, taking three color samples home with me. I've fallen in love with the first one I used. It's called Duck's Egg and it is GORGEOUS!

Take a look at this beautiful pedestal bowl, transformed with a few coats of this beautiful color.

after

before

I predict there'll be lots of Duck's Egg pieces in my future. Maybe even a furniture piece or two.

Linking to:

Free for All Friday @ Sassy Sites
Frugal Friday @ The Shabby Nest
Feature Yourself Friday @ Fingerprints on the Fridge
Show & Tell Fri @ My Romantic Home
Think Pink Sunday @ Flamingo Toes
Sundae Scoop @ i heart naptime
MMM @ C.R.A.F.T.
Met Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch
Three or More Tues @ The Gypsy's Corner
Wow Us Weds @ Savvy Southern Style
All Things Inspired @ All Things Heart & Home
We Did It Weds @ Sew Much Ado
Crafty Soiree @ Yesterday On Tuesday
Under $100 Link Party @ Beyond the Picket Fence
Weekend Wrap-up Party @ Tatertots & Jello

Fresh Foliage

2011-05-15T22:44:00.012-04:00

For the past two weeks (here & here), I've featured colors that I've often used on my Etsy shop items. I've had a lot of fun going through all of my Picasa photos. As I'm scrolling through my library, looking for that certain flash of color, a candid photo of family life will jump out at me and I just have to backtrack and go take a closer look at it.

This week, I'm sharing my favorite green. It's Fresh Foliage by Folk Art. I've used this many, many times and it never gets old. It's a funky (and, yes, fresh) bold green.

Here are some of the pieces I've done with Fresh Foliage.

Although I don't do it often since I think it takes away from the "shabby", this color really pops when I add a coat of Polycrylic to it. You can see on the coffee mug rack and candelabra, how nice it looks.

Linking to:
All Things Inspired @ All Things Heart & Home
Free for All Friday @ Sassy Sites
Frugal Friday @ The Shabby Nest
Feature Yourself Friday @ Fingerprints on the Fridge
Think Pink Sunday @ Flamingo Toes
Sundae Scoop @ i heart naptime
Met Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch
Wow Us Weds @ Savvy Southern Style
Whatever Goes Weds @ Someday Crafts
Crafty Soiree @ Yesterday On Tuesday

Simple DIY Planter Boxes

2011-05-13T19:19:00.013-04:00

Last month, I found several of these CD storage crates and my local GW.

They're pretty much a dime a dozen at the thrift shops. If you're unable to find them there, try your local craft store. I believe they're only a few bucks in those shops too.

Once you have them in your hot little hands, the next step is to stain them (if they're naked wood). You'll need to do this so that once you distress the pieces, there'll be something dark to peek through. I was using Minwax Dark Walnut, but I found a better color, which I'll be using from now on. It's still Minwax, but it's the Ebony shade. Anyway, when you do this step, just brush it on with a foam brush and leave the piece to dry for a day or two. There's no need to formally stain (you know, wiping and then reapplying) them since I'll just be covering it in paint anyway.

After the stain has dried, paint the whole thing in your favorite paint. Once that's done, sand the piece down and adorn with you favorite little real (or fake!) houseplants.

paint - Folk Art in Turquoise

paint - Folk Art in Fresh Foliage

I think these would be great for a teacher's gift. Wouldn't it be a sweet gift with some seed packets and some gardening gloves tucked inside?

Linking to:
FFA @ Sassy Sites
Feature Yourself Friday @ Fingerprints on the Fridge
SNS Special @ Funky Junk Interiors
Sunday Showcase @ Under the Table & Dreaming
Think Pink @ Flamingo Toes
Motivate Me Monday @ Keeping it Simple
Met Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch
All Things Inspired @ All Things Heart & Home
Frugal Friday @ The Shabby Nest
Show & Tell Fri @ My Romantic Home
We Did It Weds @ Sew Much Ado
Under $100 Link Party @ Beyond the Picket Fence

Milk Pail

2011-05-09T22:54:00.012-04:00

My last post, which was on one of the paint colors I've used on a lot of my Etsy shop items, got such a good response that I thought I'd share another favorite color with you.

But first, a new project which uses this week's color.

I just finished this jewelry box and will be listing it on Etsy sometime this week. For whatever reason, I didn't take a before photo, but it doesn't really need one. It was just a standard brown jewelry box, although it did already have a painted black top.

I removed the knobs and spray painted them with some ORB. Then I gave the box a couple of coats of Milk Pail, which is another great Martha Stewart color.

Before painting, I'd removed the top by prying the hinges off. This messed the inside of the top up some. There was also a mirror on the inside that I wanted to remove and once I'd done that, there was even more damage. I thought about using wood filler to fill the gouges and then repainting the top, but I honestly didn't feel like going through all of that trouble. Instead, I sanded the mirror's glue residue off and then Mod Podged some matching scrapbook paper to the inside of the lid. Of course, it wouldn't be a project of mine if there wasn't a mistake. Somehow, I managed to apply the scrapbook paper unevenly and now it's all crooked. Oh well.

I sanded the piece down, attached the new hinges that replaced the ones I bent up when I removed them and then reattached the knobs.

You can see how much I love this color based off of the number of pieces I used it on. The funny thing about this color and the Driftwood Gray is that those samples were two of the four I bought when I was trying to decide on a wall color for the bedroom. I didn't end up choosing either for the walls, but I've used both so many times on my Etsy pieces. Just so you know, one sample has lasted me through all of these projects, plus a few more.

glazed

It's been fun for me to go back and see just how often I use these colors. I've got a few other colors that I've used a lot as well so I think I'll continue to do a weekly post on those.

Linking to:
Take A Look Tues @ Sugar Bee
Get Your Craft On @ Today's Creative Blog
All Things Inspired @ All Things Heart & Home
Show & Tell @ Blue Cricket Design
We Did It Weds @ Sew Much Ado
POPP @ Domestically Speaking
Feature Yourself Friday @ Fingerprints on the Fridge
Sunday Showcase @ Under the Table & Dreaming
Think Pink @ Flamingo Toes
Motivate Me Monday @ Keeping it Simple
Met Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch

Touch of Gray

2011-05-03T22:38:00.017-04:00

Geeze, time sure has been flying by. I was shocked today when I realized I hadn't posted since Thursday. I totally missed Favorite Things Friday too. Sorry guys! I've been busy purging the garage and organizing my thrift store/Etsy shop stash.

You know how it is when you want to do a room makeover, but you have to do a bazillion other things first, before you can make it happen? That's what I'm in the process of doing now. I want to turn out spare bedroom into a guest room, but before I can do that, I have to find a place for everything that's being kept in there, including two cats and their litter boxes.

Obviously the garage with the unpacked boxes from when we moved here, in May 2007, was the obvious place to start. I had to get rid of things in there so that I could move MORE STUFF in. Ack!

Anyway, I wanted to share a makeover I did awhile back. I took this country-ish looking magazine rack and gave it a little update.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

I sold this on Etsy right after I listed it and the buyer recently left this awesome feedback.

"Everyone loves this in our bathroom -- it's a truly unique piece :) "

The paint color I chose is a Martha Stewart color called Driftwood Gray. I've used this color on several other pieces. It's a beautiful color and excellent for giving a piece a beachy look.

Linking to:

POPP @ Domestically Speaking
WUW @ Savvy Southern Style
We Did it Weds @ So Much Ado
Show & Tell @ Blue Cricket Design
Everything but the Kitchen Sink @ A little Knick Knack
Frugal Friday @ The Shabby Nest
Met Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch
Take A Look Tues @ Sugar Bee
Get Your Craft On @ Today's Creative Blog
All Things Inspired @ All Things Heart & Home
Show & Tell @ Blue Cricket Design
Feature Yourself Friday @ Fingerprints on the Fridge
Sunday Showcase @ Under the Table & Dreaming
Think Pink @ Flamingo Toes
Motivate Me Monday @ Keeping it Simple

Sweet Chippy Console Table

2011-04-27T16:49:00.012-04:00

Get ready for a flurry of furniture pieces. I'm doing a makeover on my dining room and all of the furniture is getting painted and banged up, Shabby Chic style.

I just finished working on this little console table that I got at Target a couple of years ago.

I painted, I think, four coats to get this completely covered. I had a quart of paint that I bought last year and never used so I pulled that out and used about 1/4 of it. I'm a Lowe's girl so I usually end up with Olympic or Valspar paint. This one is an Olympic color called Dogwood Blossom. It's a creamy white with just a slight tint to it. This will be the color I end up using for my dining chairs and all of the other furniture that'll be in this room.

After painting, I distressed with my orbital sander. Then I added a cute knob that I found at Hobby Lobby. I'd planned on using this knob and it's mate on another project, but it just didn't work out. Luckily, it's is the same color green as my little desk, which is basically in the dining room itself. Oh, I also lined the drawer with some cute scrapbook paper that has the same green. Look at me, gettin' all matchy-matchy!

Here she is sportin' her new duds.

*I'm really good at photographing my Etsy stuff, but I just stink at shooting rooms and larger pieces like these. I'm really trying to get better with it and have even started using a tripod to try and steady things a bit. I know there a ton of tips on shooting rooms out there, I just need to carve out some time to study them and practice.

Linking to:
Transformation Thurs @ The Shabby Chic Cottage
Hookin' Up With HOH @ House of Hepworths
Show & Tell Friday @ My Romantic Home
Friday's Unfolded @ Stuff & Nonsense
Furniture Feature Friday @ Miss Mustard Seed
Frugal Friday @ The Shabby Nest
Frugalicious Friday @ Finding Fabulous
Think Pink Sunday @ Flamingo Toes
Met Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch
Mad Skillz Party @ Mad In Crafts
Making the World Cuter Monday @ Making the World Cuter

Little Green Desk

2011-04-26T14:49:00.021-04:00

This was the first larger piece of furniture I bought after I began blogging last April. It's not THAT big, but it is bigger than the first piece of furniture I bought.

Anyway, it was a steal at $10 so I snapped it up. Not long after I bought it, I ran across this post by Myra over at My Blessed Life and fell in love with the color she used on her foyer desk. I know some people just scan blog posts and don't really read them so please note that this is NOT MY DESK.

photo courtesy of My Blessed Life

I found a similar color and got to it (last July). Yes, last July. I've no idea why I'm just now blogging about this, but better late than never, right?

She lives in my foyer, in a little nook where you can find my sconce wall. These photos were taken in my dining room which is right inside the front door. The nook where she stays is too awkward of a place for me to get good photos of her.

Linking to:

All Things Inspired @ All Things Heart & Home
Piece of Work Weds @ Primitive & Proper
Wow Us Weds @ Savvy Southern Style
Creative Share @ Trendy Treehouse
Make it Yours Day @ My Backyard Eden
We Did It Weds @ Sew Much Ado
Power of Paint Party @ Domestically Speaking
Transformation Thurs @ The Shabby Chic Cottage
Hookin' Up With HOH @ House of Hepworths
Show & Tell Friday @ My Romantic Home
Friday's Unfolded @ Stuff & Nonsense
Furniture Feature Friday @ Miss Mustard Seed
Frugal Friday @ The Shabby Nest
Frugalicious Friday @ Finding Fabulous

Think Pink Sunday @ Flamingo Toes
Met Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch
Mad Skillz Party @ Mad In Crafts
Making the World Cuter Monday @ Making the World Cuter

Sconce Wall

2011-04-23T21:29:00.021-04:00

* Please ignore the fact that I keep calling these sconces. I've only just realized that they probably aren't sconces, but since I've been calling them that all week, I'll stick with it.

I posted last Sat about a project I'd started, which was inspired by Nester over at Nesting Place. I had all intentions of getting this finished and posted by Monday at the latest. I don't know about y'all, but deadlines never work out for me. Go figure.

Anyway, I got everything painted and temporarily hung where I wanted them and then decided that I didn't like the two larger wood sconces. They looked horrible after I painted them and they just didn't play well with the others. So... I started over with placement. I had everything almost in place and was driving a nail in for one of the last pieces on the bottom when the top left sconce fell and knocked all but two pieces down. Luckily, only one corbel broke. Still...

I'd like to take a second to mention that this is the point where I gave up trying to do this myself and called in the reinforcements.

Now that I had someone who always knows how to do things better than I do (seriously), I had to find a way to fill three gaps (the two booted sconces and one broken corbel) in my display which basically meant that I had to find three fillers and then work on placement again. Thankfully, I have such a big stash that I was able to recover quickly. I remembered a collection of ornate frames that I'd been working on a couple of months ago. I'd planned to sell them on Etsy once I finished them. Of course, I hadn't gotten around to finishing them so there they were. See, sometimes it pays to be a slacker.

Anyway, Charles had the brilliant idea of taking a photo of every sconce, corbel and frame and then using Photoshop to work out placement. Here's the chopped and shopped wall.

nice, right??? so much simpler than putting 1,000 nail holes in the wall

while trying to work it all out

After that, it was easy-peasy. Using the chop-shop photo, I directed while Charles hung everything. We ended up using anchors and screws so that everything would be more secure. This basically means that I CANNOT change the layout of these. heh.

I'm really happy with this tiny slice of wall and I'm soooo glad I'm a collection-type thrifter. If I start seeing enough of something while I'm out, I'll begin to get them and save 'em up for something. It really paid off here.

Linking to:

Think Pink Sunday @ Flamingo Toes
Nifty Thrifty Sunday @ Nifty Thrifty Things
Hookin' Up With HOH @ House of Hepworths
Sunday Showcase @ Under the Table and Dreaming
Sundae Scoop @ i heart naptime
MMM @ C.R.A.F.T.
Just Something I Whipped Up @ The Girl Creative
Amaze Me Monday @ Dittle Dattle
Motivate Me Monday @ Keeping It Simple
Met Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch
Weekend Warrior Link Party @ Ask Anna
Making the World Cuter Monday @ Making the World Cuter
Mad Skillz Party @ Mad In Crafts
Paint Projects Link Party @ Centsational Girl
Trash to Treasure Tues @ Sassy Sites
Get Your Craft On @ Today's Creative Blog
Tues Link Party @ A Bowl Full of Lemons
Transformation Thurs @ The Shabby Chic Cottage
Show & Tell Friday @ My Romantic Home

Frugalicious Friday @ Finding Fabulous

Frugal Friday @ The Shabby Nest

Favorite Things Friday - No. 20

2011-04-22T11:02:00.000-04:00

TGIF, y'all! Welcome to the 20th (wow!) FTF!

I've been sick almost all week and didn't get much done at all. The sconce wall is finished and I'll be posting it as soon as I can get some decent pics. I took pics yesterday in my Nyquil induced haze and started trying to edit some, but I was just too tired. Maybe that was a good thing. I need to take a look at them today to see if any are useful.

I'd hoped to feature some of last week's links today, but I've got to hop to it and get this house put back together. You know how it goes when you're sick. The place falls apart on ya.

I hope everyone has a great Easter weekend!

I leave you with one of my favorite things this week. I bought my first peony plant last week and the only bud on it bloomed this week. I'm this close to cutting it off and bringing it in so I can enjoy it.

Rules:

There's really only one. Please, please, please link back to the party so that others can join in. Also, it'd be really nice of you if you could visit a few of the other linkups and leave a nice comment.

Mismatched Dining

2011-04-19T05:29:00.001-04:00

I love the look of a mismatched dining set. Don't you?

Coastal Living

Elle Decor

All Things Thrifty

I've been planning to paint my dining set for about a year. I decided last Summer that I'd like to rid myself of the ugly blond wood, but it was just too hot out. I knew Winter would be too cold, but Spring, I decided would be the perfect time for it.

The look I wanted would require me to sand everything down and restain in a darker color. I wanted a dark stain underneath with an off white paint on top. Then I planned to attack everything with a sander to shabby up things. The reality was that it seemed like an awful lot of work and frankly, I just didn't want to deal with all of that.

I finally decided on using thrifted mismatched chairs, which would already have a dark stain. All I'd have to do is sand down the imperfections and then paint. I already had one chair in the garage, which I'd thrifted last Summer. All I needed were five more.

I seriously thought it would take F-O-R-E-V-E-R for me to find five chairs that would be perfect for the look I was going for. I couldn't have been more wrong. I found my five chairs in less than a month, without actually going out to look them specifically. I thrift about three times a week and whenever I was out, I'd go over and take a peek at the furniture.

All of my chairs, including the one from last Summer, which was the most expensive @ $7, cost just under $25.

Meet the girls:

my favorite @ $1

last piece of the puzzle @ $5

first piece @ $7

$5.50

I'm expecting this project to take awhile. I'm planning to start prepping the chairs this week, or I was until yesterday before I started feeling sick. I'm hoping this is just a small cold or, even better, allergies. Wait... did I just say that???

Anyway, I'll be prepping first and then Charles will paint them with our NEW Wagner paint sprayer (YES!!) I've still got to choose the upholstery fabric and then the ones that need it, will be sent off for reupholstering. Charles and I decided that it'd be best to have them done professionally instead of me trying to wrangle everything into place. I'll be making chair pads for the two chairs that have hard bottoms (ha ha).

One last thing before I head back to bed. The sconce wall is almost finished. I had a minor setback on Sunday when a heavy one up top fell and knocked all except for two sconces off. Luckily, only one broke. Since that one left an empty space and I decided I didn't like two of the wood sconces, we're supplementing with some ornate picture frames. I can't wait to have it done because it's going to be beautiful! Fingers crossed that my next post will be the reveal.

What's for Lunch

2011-04-18T13:21:00.004-04:00

Just popping in as I eat my lunch, to share the recipe with you.

I stumbled across the recipe several years ago and even though I'd never eaten chickpeas, except for hummus, I tried it. I've been making it ever since. It's a great Spring/Summer type recipe. Perfect for a light lunch, a picnic or a BBQ.

From Molly over at Orangette, I bring you,

Chickpea Salad with Lemon and Parmesan

1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 ½ tsp. olive oil
A pinch of salt & cracked pepper
¼ cup loosely packed shredded Parmigiano Reggiano

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, and stir gently to mix. Taste, and adjust seasoning as necessary. Serve immediately, or chill, covered, until serving.

I usually double this recipe and if I have it on hand, I'll add a handful of chopped cilantro.

This time of year, I LOVE cold meals like pasta and bean salads. Anyone got any good recipes that I can add to my collection???

Linking to:

Sugar & Spice @ seven-thirty-three
Whatever Goes Weds @ Someday Crafts
Recipe Link-up @ Remodelaholic

Where to Get It - Shabby Chic Soap Dish

2011-04-16T23:57:00.001-04:00

Back in Jan, I shared my half-bath makeover in this post. I got several compliments on my soap dish. I've had it for a few years and couldn't remember where I got it. I was flipping through a magazine tonight and ran across the almost same exact dish on the "fresh picks" pages. You can get this sweet soap dish for just $10 from Chick's Picks. Go here for the goodies.

photo from Chick's Picks

What I'm Working on Today

2011-04-16T12:33:00.002-04:00

Earlier this week, I was given a jolt of inspiration by Nester over at Nesting Place. She did a post on jazzing up your walls cheaply (of course!) with a grouping of wall sconces.

image from Nesting Place

How awesome is this??? I've been thrifting these things for the most part of a year, intending to paint them and sell them on Etsy. I was actually just about to list a pair the same day I ran across Nester's post. Needless to say, they did not get listed.

Yesterday, I began spray-painting a few of them. I had a rough go of it due to wind and finally just gave up. Since then, I've been working on placement and have added about 30 new nail holes to the wall. The wall these are going on is really narrow. It's part of a little nook right inside the foyer. The walls there have been pretty bare as I've been trying to decide what to do with them. Here's where I stopped last night.

I decided that I wanted to have these running from the ceiling to right above the small desk I have in this area. Since I didn't have THAT many sconces, I went out last night to find some. I ended up finding two corbels that were perfect!

Here's where I am right now. I've got a few more to hang and If the weather will cooperate, I'll be finishing up with the painting today and get them all in place tomorrow.

*I'm still not 100% on the placement. I need to make a few adjustments and then Charles has to come back and replace my nails with anchors and screws. Then I have to go back and fill in all of the extra nail holes. Yippee!

Linking to:

Think Pink @ Flamingo Toes
Sundae Scoop @ i heart naptime

Favorite Things Friday - No. 19

2011-04-15T10:05:00.000-04:00

It's that time again!!

Rules:

She Can't Resist

2011-04-14T18:08:00.001-04:00

Our bedroom is on the main floor, right off of the living room. This is where Dax spends her downtime. She usually lies at the foot of the bed. The only exception to this is if there is a big ol' pile of pillows up there at the head. If I've made the bed look all nice and pretty, chances are I'll find her right smack in the middle of the pillow pile every time.

Linking to:
Everything but the Kitchen Sink @ A Little Knick-Knack

Some Spring Cloche Love

2011-04-13T09:34:00.012-04:00

yippee!

About a month ago, I was reading Kathy's (Creative Home Expressions) post on all of her cloches. Her first photo was of one of those dome clocks that she'd turned into a cloche.

I had something similar that I'd picked up last year. I'd painted it in ORB and stuck a fake plant in it.

What I especially liked about Kathy's was that she'd decoupaged scrapbook paper to the base, adding visual dimension to it. Of course, I set out to copy her right away.

I did a makeover on my cloche and I also made this ugly one over.

Here they are again, all gussied up and looking all pretty for me.

paint color is Heirloom White by Rustoleum

You may (or may not) remember that I dressed up an earlier cloche with some scrapbook paper. It helped to cover the screw that showed after we screwed the cheese dome base to the candlestick. Awesome fix!

If you've never tried decoupage, you should. These instructions from How Does She are perfect. You should go on over and take a peek.

Linking to:

POPP @ Domestically Speaking

Cheap Thrills Thurs @ Black Kat Designs

Crafty Soiree @ Yesterday on Tuesday

Hookin' Up With HOH @ House of Hepworths

Everything but the Kitchen Sink @ A Little Knick-Knack

Simply Link @ Simply Designing
Show & Tell Sat @ Be Different, Act Normal
Weekend Wrap-up @ Tatertots & Jello
Nifty Thrifty Sunday @ Nifty Thrifty Things
Just Something I Whipped Up @ The Girl Creative
Sugar & Spice @ seven-thirty-three
Whatever Goes Weds @ Someday Crafts

Favorite Things Friday - No. 18

2011-04-07T20:40:00.000-04:00

Yay!! It's almost Friday!

Welcome to FTF 18!

Here are some of my favorites from last week. I've decided to share 10% of what gets linked up. We had 44 links last week, so I'll share 4 this week. believe me, there were way more than 4 that I loved!

I'm in love with this cute twine wreath that Jocelyn from Inside BruCrew life made. Go on over there and see how she made it. It's made from 3 things that I bet most of us have around the house. For realz.

Then there's this Berry Bread Pudding from Sweet Little Smoothie. I've never had bread pudding. Ever. I'm having some for breakfast tomorrow, though (maybe even tonight). I've got everything I need for this. That's what is so great about keeping frozen berries around. You can always throw a cobbler or something like this together. Head on over there to get the recipe.

Have you seen this awesome chair makeover from Living in the Woods??? I.WANT.THIS.CHAIR! I love that Taylor admits that her husband, Talon, did most of the work, even though it was supposed to be a joint project. That happens around here a lot too. There, I said it. :-)

This lady does the most awesome projects. Really! You have to go over and check out all of her stuff. I'm talkin' about Suzy from Suzy's Artsy-Craftsy Sitcom. This week, she shared this method of batik with crayons. This is really cool and I think it'd be a great craft to do with an older child. I'm kinda hoping for rain on Sat so we can stay in and do this for our weekly Family Day.

I think most crafters know what batik is, but just in case, go here.

Thanks to everyone who linked up! If I "faved" you, feel free to grab a button from the sidebar.

Now it's your turn! What are some of your favorite things?

Rules:There's really only one. Please, please, please link back to the party so that others can join in. Also, it'd be really nice of you if you could visit a few of the other linkups and leave a nice comment.

Primitive Style Upcycled Planter

2011-04-07T11:47:00.002-04:00

I bought this last Spring, right after I started blogging.

I had no idea what to do with it. I wanted to paint it, but i could never decide what color to use on it.

In the Fall, when my Etsy shop started off and I was doing all of these shabby makeovers, I decided I'd paint it in a cream color and then distress it. Like most plans I have, that fell through and I never did it.

A few months ago, I bought my first Country Sampler magazine. I'd never really been into that sort of decor before, but I was drawn in by the shabby, junky goods on the front cover. Since starting my blog, my taste and decorating style has done an about-face. All of a sudden, I was in love with these primary colored items with scratched up and peeling paint. I learned that this style of decor was called Primitive style, not just Country. I love the simplicity of this style and I love this magazine. I love using it for inspiration and I've recently created a new section in my shop called Primitive Country. I've got several pieces queued up for this section of my shop. This is one piece that I just sold.

And, I didn't even have to do anything to it! I just staged her, took some photos, listed her and she sold. I have to be honest and say that I almost didn't list her and once I did, I really hoped she'd stay put for awhile. She lasted all of two days.

Here she is with two fake plants from Michaels ($5 each) and two galvanized metal buckets from Target's Dollar Spot.

Linking to:

Everything but the Kitchen Sink @ A little Knick Knack
Friday's Unfolded @ Stuff and Nonsense

A Sweet Spice Shelf Makeover

2011-04-06T02:37:00.006-04:00

I just love this!

I bought this shelf several months ago.

It took me a long time to get to it because it was N-A-S-T-Y!

grease & grime

I finally cleaned it up. Then I removed the back and sanded that a little. I also sanded the edges of the shelf some too. After that, I brushed on a dark walnut stain. When I stain things that I'll be painting later, I don't apply the stain in the typical way. I just brush it on and then leave it to dry. Since I'm just gonna be painting over it, the the stain job doesn't need to be perfect. I will usually let it sit for 24-48 hours before I paint over it.

I waited. And waited. And waited some more. Then I painted over it. I used the Martha Stewart paint tester of Sea Glass (from Home Depot) which I've also used here & here. It's the perfect color for Spring and Summer projects and it's currently one of my favorite colors.

After the paint dried, I sanded it all again, put the back, back on and, voila!

Here's a side by side.

Sweet, huh?

Linking to:
Hookin' Up With HOH @ House of Hepworths
Crafty Soiree @ Yesterday on Tuesday
Everything but the Kitchen Sink @ A little Knick Knack
Friday's Unfolded @ Stuff and Nonsense
Sundae Scoop @ i heart naptime

Treasury Tuesday - No. 18

2011-04-04T19:34:00.000-04:00

It's been awhile and I felt like creating one today so here ya go. Click here to visit this treasury on Etsy.

It's Finally Here!

Charles Darwin Butterfly F...
BugUnderGlas...
$24.00 USD
Birdhouse, Shabby Chic Cot...
baconsquaref...
$70.00 USD
Bouquet of poppy Pods - St...
honeytree
$28.00 USD
BLOOM - antique spoon gard...
Hammermann
$7.00 USD
Dipping dish - leaves in c...
hopejohnson
$24.00 USD
Gerber Daisy 2 - 8x10 Fine...
Lori411
$25.00 USD
Kite - Linen Pillow cover ...
sukanart
$39.95 USD
A Beautiful Spring
twoinspireyo...
$75.00 USD
Esme Necklace
tamar
$48.00 USD
Three Honey Bee Hives- Arc...
unitedthread
$20.00 USD
Modern Window Box QUILT
humbleneedle
$235.00 USD
Blue Ball Mason Jar Flower...
postroadvint...
$12.00 USD
English Cottage Flowers, P...
Mycraftgarde...
$6.90 USD
Felted black/green wool sl...
Grazim
$65.00 USD
Country Blooms - set of 3 ...
ciaobellapho...
$35.00 USD
Pinwheel Mobile Josie Chan...
pickledparlo...
$60.00 USD

I Made a Spring Wreath Too - Dolla Tree Style

2011-04-01T14:54:00.005-04:00

*Pssst... there is a Spring Wreath link party @ the end of this post.

I really wanted a nice Spring wreath for my front door, but I didn't want to shell out the big bucks. Also, most pre-made wreaths are too big for the space between my front door and the storm door. I'd planned to do another ribbon wreath, but then decided I wanted something a little more professional looking.

A few weeks ago, when I went to a doctor visit, I noticed they had a really pretty grapevine wreath that was covered in faux ivy. I decided to make one just like it. I bought this sad little grapevine wreath from the Salvation Army for 99 cents. Then I went to the Dollar Tree and bought four packs of ivy garland.

I wrapped the garlands around the wreath, hooking each end to the start of a new "vine". The I hung it up with some hemp rope. It looked sooo sad and plain. So sad that I didn't even bother taking a photo.

I looked around for some kind of flower that would look nice on my poor little ivy wreath. I was thinking roses & ivy would look nice together. I Googled "rose & ivy wreath", looking for some inspiration, but found none. Boo!

I finally stopped by the Dollar Tree last Sat and found these "magnolia" bushes. I say magnolia that way, because the stigma (that fuzzy thing in the middle) on these are gray, and our magnolias don't look like that around here (SC). I've never seen one that's gray and so I don't know if that's right or not. You know, there is a reason stuff ends up at the Dollar Tree.

Anyway, I still think my wreath is awesome, and for $7, you can't beat it. Or maybe you can.

Gotta cheap DIY Spring wreath to show off? Link 'er up here.

Linking to:
Hookin' Up With HOH @ House of Hepworths
Everything but the Kitchen Sink @ A little Knick Knack