Fall Decor

Long time no see!  Life has gotten in the way of blogging as usual but I did want to pop back in and share my fall decor.  I have been eyeing those boxes on Pinterest for our dining room table for awhile now and knew it was the perfect use for the barn wood from my late grandpa's barn.  The wood dates back to when the barn was built in the 20's so you can imagine it means a lot to me.  Jacob and I put the box together and now I'm excited to change it up with the seasons.

I did my usual of adding in cream hydrangeas with the white for a fall/winter feel.  I like that it feels different than spring/summer!

I did something totally different on the mantel and I'm loving it. 

Better feel for the actual colors

This is my favorite of all my decor because I made it with M!  I let her paint (which she loves!) and then I simply cut them into leaf shapes.....easy and meaningful---perfection in my book!

Outside I did something different.  I got the box when I ordered something online this summer and have been hanging on to it ever since.  I love the height it adds along with another pop of color.

That's the majority of my decor this year.  I'm really loving everything I did, which doesn't always happen!

Happy Fall!

Play House Makeover

This winter I came across a Little Tikes play house for $30 on Craigslist and I snatched it up!  I was inspired by the makeovers of different play houses on Pinterest and was excited to try one myself!  

The house was faded and missing a shutter in the back so a makeover was in order.  M instantly loved it and it was great having outside for her to play with!

I was a bad blogger and didn't take pictures of the painting process but I can tell you that it was relatively easy but that I used a lot more spray paint than I originally thought.  I used spray paint specific to plastic and outdoors, which is key.  I tried and tried to get the shutters and door off but couldn't.  I started by spraying the shutters and door with several coats (3-4) and then letting it dry overnight.

The next day I used wrapping paper and painters tape to cover the shutters and the door.  The roof comes off so that was easy to do.  Once the everything was covered I sprayed the body of the house, which took several coats to cover the over spray from the black and red.

Even though I spent close to $60 in spray paint I would definitely do it again.  I love that it blends into the yard better and looks so much better than the faded house it started out as.  

Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!

Easy Chandelier Update

Hello!

The sickness bomb went off in our house towards the end of January and it was nearly a month before we were on the mend.  Ugh.  I'm happy to say we are healthy and I'm praying spring is right around the corner because it certainly seems like it.  If it would quit snowing once a week after a 60 degree day I would be happy. ;)  

In an effort to complete an easy project and get some quick satisfaction I decided to tackle our brass chandelier.  When we moved in our home there were a lot of upgrades, which we LOVE.  However, there were a lot of things the previous owners went builder basic on and fixtures was one of them.  Throughout the house we have cheap brass fixtures and door handles mixed with cheap silver faucets.  Awesomeness.  And because there is ALWAYS something more important it will be a long time before these things get changed out.

Here is the lovely traditional (can I say 80's?) chandelier in our formal dining room.  Want to see the evolution of this room click here:

Armed with some Rub n Buff and my step ladder I went to work.  It took 2 coats and 2 days, which I didn't love as I was hoping for a quick project but all in all it was worth it.

Here is the after, which cost around $12 and was fairly easy to create:

Here a side by side Before and After:

I have to say that this wasn't the smartest project to learn about Rub n Buff on.  I really want to love it but it wasn't easy to work with like everyone says....I am ok with the chandelier and it is a whole lot better but it I don't think I will be doing any other light fixtures like I thought I might.

Am I the only one that doesn't love Rub n Buff or am I the only blogger alone in this thought?

Have a great weekend!

Grandma's Recipes

Hello!

I hope you all are well because it has been awhile!  We have been busy as usual but are happy to be getting back into our normal routine.  M and I have been hitting the gym in the mornings and I have been trying to squeeze in at least one item from my (never-ending) to do list each afternoon while she naps.  This past weekend Jacob and I purged our closet and master bedroom, which felt great!  

I'm here to share one item that has been on my list for forever and I'm so happy I took 10 minutes to do it and mark it off the list!  I saw the idea on Pinterest originally to frame your Grandma's recipe cards and since both of my Grandmas have passed I definitely knew this is something I wanted to do.  I'm still working on Jacob's Grandmas who are still living but not in the best of health.  I hope to one day have all 4 hanging but for now it is just 2.

Here is where they are located in the kitchen.....near the coffee pot....a gathering place in our kitchen!

Grandma Snyder's recipe for Beef Stroganoff

Grandma Richardson's recipe for French Chocolate Pie

This one is very special, you can see my name on it because I made this pie years and years ago (I found it in a magazine) and I have been dying to make it the last 5 or more years but didn't have the recipe and then I found this while cleaning out her house.  I love it.  I'll make it and share it if it is as delicious as I remember!

I used this website to download canvas images on paper to matte the recipe cards.  There are several to choose from and it's free!

I love looking at their handwriting.....the recipes don't really matter :)

Why hello there plate wall!  Here is another one of my favorite spots in the kitchen

I think I have FINALLY settled on curtains for the master bedroom.  I'll be back soon with pictures!

Quick Mantel Update

Hi all!  

Happy New Year!  I took an unintentional few weeks off when the Holidays arrived but I'm back!  We had a great Christmas with family and friends and a wonderful New Year celebration with friends from out of town.  Like several blogs I read today I feel refreshed in the new year and can't wait to get to work on several home projects.  

Jacob helped me take down all the Christmas decor yesterday and while the house always feels bare after it's all put away I also love the clutter free feel!  I need to work on our mantel and the first step was adding some height.  In typical fashion I shopped the house and back yard and this is what I came up with.  I'm still tweaking it and I need to figure out what I want to do to anchor it a bit.

I needed something to hold the sticks in place and found a toilet paper roll was perfect!  Winning!

Once I add to it and get it the way I want I'll be back with pictures!

Have a great day!

$100 Month: January 2012 Edition

Hi all!

As promised I'm here to share a project. You may remember that last week I posted about being more intentional with my money (I get $100/month for DIY) and not starting projects I'll put a ton of time and money into (and probably never like....I'm picky....let's be honest). One area of our house that I have decided to tackle is our guest room. We actually have 2 guest rooms but this one will always be the guest room, the other one will eventually be Baby #2's room.

So, a few weeks ago I took my $100 and headed to IKEA where I knew I could get a lot of bang for my buck. I'm hilarious. I know. Anyway, I picked up 2 of the RAST dressers for $34.99/each.

Here's the RAST:

It's an unfinished small chest of drawers and I knew I wanted to use them as end tables

I used some off white paint from the powder room and some stain I had from an old project (I suppose random DIY pays off because I have a ton of paint, stain, and spray paint).

Here's what I came up with:

Not too shabby for $75! Yeah, would I like to change the knobs....yes, but waste not want not and I would rather spend the remaining $25 of my money on something else. I'll change them eventually.

I'll be back tomorrow with pics of the guest room and some before and after shots.

Have a good one!

Emily

Easy Christmas Centerpiece

Good morning!

I wanted to share this easy DIY centerpiece I just whipped up for our breakfast nook table. I had everything on hand so it was free but you could grab the supplies for a bit of nothing.

I got the runner after Christmas at Target last year for around $5 and I had forgotten about it until I found it last night. Score!

I started with a bowl and stuck extra greenery (I ALWAYS get extra when we buy our tree.....it's free and you can do a lot with it around the house) under 1 apple. I then layered a few more apples and stuck in a few pine cones. I then tweaked it a bit and stuck in a bit more greenery and trimmed some of it back. Done!

Easy Peasy!

Emily

Green Dresser Reveal

Good morning!

Thank you all for your kind words about Tatum. We are hanging in there....taking one day at a time.

Last week I showed an inspiration picture of a green dresser here. With that in mind I took this dresser and gave it a makeover. I moved it from the guest bedroom to the hallway where we had a blank wall. I want it there to store games and other toys as Madeleine grows.

Here is the before:

And the After:

The color is Sherwin Williams 6445 Garden Grove and I love it!

I wanted a kelly green color but not too bright and this color was perfect.

You can see the little nook I was working with and I think this fits perfectly. I used the same knobs just stuck them on bamboo skewers to spray paint them and it worked like a charm! I plan to hang a few frames above the dresser but I was too anxious to share so I put a few things on top and snapped a few pictures. I'll do a full reveal when it's finished....but who knows when that will be! :)

Not too bad for a 30 year old piece of furniture that started out as my brothers, then my baby dresser.

Emily

DIY Fixed Roman Shade Tutorial

Good morning!

This is a little project I have been planning on doing for a few weeks now. I finally got my supplies and got started yesterday. Jacob hung it last night and I snapped a few pictures this morning.

This is a fixed roman shade meaning it is inoperable but I like that it gives the appearance that it does actually work. The whole project cost me around $20 for fabric, blackout fabric, a 1x2 inch board, and a packet of L brackets.

Here is how I did it.....(I followed Darby's tutorial found here):

The materials I used are pictured below:

fabric

blackout lining

measuring tape

1x2 inch cut to fit the exact measurement of the window

L shaped brackets

and not pictured a sewing machine and hot glue gun

I measured my window and added 2" to the width and 4" to the length. For example: the window was 23" + 2" = 25" width x 47.5" + 4" = 51.5" length. I started by cutting my fabric to 25 x 51.5 and hemmed the 2 sides and top by 1/2".

I then cut the blackout lining to the 24" (the size of fabric less 1/2 " on either side) and less the hem allowance at the bottom. I folded the edges under and hot glued it to my seams all but the bottom.

I was left with a nicely lined piece of fabric (except for the unfinished bottom seam)

I then folded the bottom edge under 1/2 " and then up 3" like pictured below. Sew a straight stitch.

From here I winged it as far as measuring and choosing my folds. I just did what looked nice according to how far down on the window I wanted it to hang. It worked for me to end up with 3 folds. I pinned and sewed a straight stitch on each one.

I then stapled my fabric to the wood and Jacob mounted it for me. I chose blackout lining so I could fake it and hang the shade much higher than the actual window creating the illusion of a taller window.

I think it really dresses up the bathroom and for $20 even though it's far from perfect I like it! I'm glad that I went with a fabric that that not only has blue in it to tie in with the paint (RH Silver Sage color match) but has pink. This is the guest bathroom as well as Maddie's so I can bring in pink accents to make the bathroom more hers as she grows.

Have a great Labor Day weekend!

Emily