Coffee Table Upgrade...

My aunt and uncle gave this to us when Samuel was just a few weeks old. I liked it, it had charm but it had been through about four different families and had been pretty roughed up. My aunt originally bought it for her house and when they were done, it just started being passed around and somehow ended up with her again. She didn't want it, so naturally, I was thrilled to take it off her hands.



I almost forgot the before pic. I didn't sand a lot - I just primed (Killz Original). There was too much snow outside and Brandon hid the orbit sander because he knew that I would use it in the house if he were gone - he has this strange aversion to spray painting or sanding in the house... I couldn't imagine why????



Finished with two coats of Rustoleum Heirloom White! I love it - for some reason, I'm leaning toward the beach theme this time around. What do you think?

Today I Must....

Purchase one of these.... (photo from target.com).

Because I have moved my craft area from the basement to the living room. I guess you could call it the "formal" living room if there is such a thing in this house! Why do I need to purchase it today?? Well, today is the last day of January! Remember, I am on a spending freeze in February! I must hurry!

The desk took the place of the recliner... Remember that cheap table I tried to paint last week?? There it is to the left. It didn't turn out too bad - It'll do for now. If I want to sew, I just move the computer and pull the sewing machine out of here... The same goes form my scrapbook supplies.

Nope, its not fancy but it will do. I wasn't inspired in the basement. For some reason, I am inspired upstairs!

Window Treatments.... help?

At first, my thoughts were that I would make curtains out of my favorite drop cloths... Then I realized that all three of my drop cloths were different colors (different brands, different shade of canvas) so I haven't been in a real hurry to try to go purchase a fourth as it kind of defeats the purpose of being "frugal".

My plan was to embellish these drop cloth drapes with this sweet vintage drapery fabric that I scored at Goodwill a few months ago. This very "durable" fabric is a light teal and would add a nice pop to my color palette if added to the bottom of these panels.

For Christmas I received several Target gift cards and still had about $35 left so the other day, I stopped by to see what kind of deals I could get. So I found these.... Now I don't have to worry about making my panels out of my mismatched drop cloths!

I'm trying to decide whether or not to hang them "as is" or embellish them with my fabric... This is the look that I'm going for if I choose to embellish.

photo by Better Homes & Gardens

Your thoughts?? Should I add the fabric or not?

Lamp....

See this lamp??? Isn't she a beauty? I paid $6.50 at my favorite thrift store... We're painting our bedroom this weekend. Blue --- and I'm also going to paint my dresser ---Heirloom White.

Is it bad to paint all of your furniture white?

"Sew for Toddlers"... by Kerstin Martensson

So I bought this book from on of my FAVORITE thrift stores the other day. Yes - I did pay a full $3.00 for it which I feel is justified because I liked the book. Considering that it was made in 1979 and is a paperback its condition is superb.

The dress and one piece jumper patters in there are awesome- not to mention that these styles are TIMELESS as far as I'm concerned. I'm sure you could find free patterns on the Internet but whatever... The book was $3.00 and I bought it.

These little outfits may just sell in an etsy store....

Feeling for Photos

Photography is not something that I ever thought that I would be good at. As a matter of fact, I have had no formal training but people still compliment my photos.

This isn't something that I would ever do for a living. The pressure would kill me - I'm not a perfectionist so I would never be able to charge someone for my services because sometimes my images turn out worthy of being posted or displayed in my home and sometimes they don't.

Photography has however, taught me a wonderful lesson... For me it is powerful stress relief. I can lose myself behind my lens and attempt to blend in with my surroundings. I love looking at my images and to be able to actually watch myself grow artistically. To me this is exhilarating.

Like the books that I read, my hopes are that my children will cherish these images as much as I do. I hope that the photos that I have snapped over the years will be cherished by many to come after me and that they will be able to feel the love behind them.

My grandmother left behind many black and white photos and I love them dearly. While looking at those photos I have been able to learn so much about who my grandmother was as a young girl - before she became a mother to seven children. I cherish those images more than words can explain and I hope that my children and grandchildren will feel the same about mine.

Something like a Miracle...

Sam's babysitter has the stomach flu... In a sick way, I kind of got a second chance at a three day weekend. I'm embarking upon several different projects over the next few weeks and Saturday and Sunday just aren't ever enough.

I moved my desk upstairs to the living room from the basement. It looks nice but I need some place to store my printer. I've been using this cheap, hand me down, laminate, little cabinet. As you can see, I tried to paint it once before--- UMMM it didn't turn out very well. Today, I am going to try to brush paint my personal favorite, Rustoleum's "Heirloom White" onto this bad boy.

So when I say, "If I pull this off", it will be something like a miracle.

Books....

I never pay full price for books... Well, rarely ever but for just $5 I bought all of these books! The 4th Harry Potter book is there! I've decided that I'm going to just pick them up at different thrift stores until I find them all! "Where the Sidewalk Ends" is amongst my true all time favorites as a kid!

Some of these books may never be read by me - my hope is that my boys will appreciate these books as they grow and grab them off of our shelf as they feel like reading one.

Not a DIME in February....

Its raining today... My plan was to sand my coffee table outside so I could apply a coat of primer but I can't because its raining.... Again.

I've collected a laundry basket full of items that I need to transform so I've made the executive decision that I will not spend a dime at any thrift store for the whole month of February. As a matter of fact, I will log my Master bathroom/bedroom progress as I go. I really hope I finish by the end of February because I still have the "public" restroom to paint and the floor in my kids bedroom. Obviously - these projects will not take place in February but I hope to have them complete by May so that when I come back from Gulf Shores I can concentrate on baby-making...

Planning is definately a downfall that I have so we'll see how this goes down. Will I finish it all by May???

How do you prioritize your projects? What keeps you to that plan? At this moment, all of my plans are swimmng around in my head and of course are subject to change.... HELP!!!

Vintage Button Tin

Did your grandmother have a tin of buttons that looked similar to this one??? These buttons weren't my grandmothers but she did have a tin like this one.

What is your favorite thing about buttons?? I am very partial to buttons of the "vintage" variety! Just like everything else - I love the mystery behind where they came from. I often wonder why would someone sell them/give them away!

If this house were mine

Sorry for the poor photo quality... This house is one that I pass daily. Seriously, I love the worn/distressed look. Those colors are to die for. It seems that everything is original!

Sure it needs some work... I would give it all the tlc it needs!
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Crafting, Friendship & Vintage Fabric From my "PERSONAL" Stash

As a working mommy of two boys, my social life is nearly non-existent and believe me I'm fine with that aspect of my life. My social life is my boys and in my opinion - "me time" is while I'm at work. My kids didn't ask to be placed in this world so it is my job to raise them to the best of MY ability. I do on the weekends get away occasionally but those occasions are carefully chosen.

Last weekend, Loren (mommy friend who has a 2 year old boy, Deacon and is expecting her second baby in June, Desi) and I went to a Sewing 101 class last week and learned all about straight stitches, interfacing and even how to create a "blind hem". It was fun and we are both exploring our"inner seamstress" by sewing different things here and there. I spend my time making pillows and window treatments while Loren has made a car seat canopy for Desi and she really wants to make her a quilt - among many other things. Obviously, our inspirations differ but I think its great that we are both embracing "hand made". We share links with patterns and bounce ideas off one another almost constantly.

My friendship with Loren is great because the expectation is the same. We are both moms who work full time and our kids occupy our free time. It was nice to share a couple hours at a class with Loren kid free but it was also cool to not feel the pressure to "got to lunch" as after a full week at work, we both wanted to get back home.

On the "friendship" note...Before I ever even sewed my first stitch - I consulted another very good mommy friend of mine, Deanna @http://funmama-deanna.blogspot.com/. She recommended that I try the book "Bend the Rules Sewing" by Amy Karol. Of course, I ordered the book immediately and loved it. No, I haven't made anything out of the book but I suggested to Loren that she order the book so that she can make Desi a quilt! There are 30 patterns in this book and I love absolutely all of them! There is a pattern for a "lap quilt" and I think this will be perfect Loren!

I found these vintage fabrics in my personal stash! Loren, I hope you love them because they are all yours! It will be awesome to see that quilt! Desi will love it for many years to come!

Oil Lamp...

This was a wedding gift! Five years ago.... I put it in our living room! What do you think?

Thrifty Find...

Last Wednesday, I went thrifting... My original goal was to acquire some more vintage buttons for my collection... Unfortunately - I came home empty handed in the button department. I did however, find this awesome vintage fabric that is going to make some AWESOME curtains and pillows for my living room this spring.

This $7.00 find threw me straight into a serious case of CABIN FEVER!!! The colors are very similar to what I'm working with now. They will incorporate nicely in the living area with the greens/teal combo.

I just love the border! Its perfect!

Pillow Issue...Resolved

With this one little flower that I sewed on... I used leftover "drop cloth" scraps, scraps from the pillow itself and a vintage button from my collection.


You like?

Sorry and yessss another question....

So I'm sorry because this past Wednesday, i promised you that I would post some vintage buttons that I "just knew that I would find" while out on the hunt... Well, I went to two stores and not ONE vintage button... Maybe I've purchased them all!

I did however, score some awesome vintage fabric that I will use to make a "spring" curtain for my living room - I'll post some pics this afternoon.

What would you do with this photo??? I LOVE it - I took it at this years state fair and it is begging for a place in my home... Where would you hang it?

I'm off to my Sewing 101 class at JoAnn's Fabrics in Louisville! I'm really excited because I really can't even sew a straight line!

I love buttons

Not really these but I love all vintage buttons...I am going on the hunt for some vintage buttons tonight! I can't wait to post my finds!

Sorry about the photo quality but in order to blog on a regular basis I must use my blackberry!

Have a GREAT day!
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Crooked...again?

So I wanted to tone down that teal...here's another crooked pillow that I made from fabric scraps and the stuffing came from an old pillow.

Does this help the boldness of the teal?

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Crooked Pillow

Today I must go back to work...No more snow days! I made this crooked pillow for my living room... Its just a little too teal. Any ideas on how to tone it down?
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Question....

How do you sew ruffles without a "ruffler" on your sewing machine???? I'm new at sewing and I don't think my machine came with one but I really needc to make a skirt for my couch.

Mod Podge Coasters

This was a coaster that my husband received as a gift when he was working at his last job. I've always secretly hated them because they just looked like something that belongs in the garage. No disrespect to the American flag but they just looked very "masculine" if you will.

Even with strict instructions to "please don't spray paint in the house" I quickly cleaned  my coasters because they were gross and I wasn't looking for the extra "texture"... Once they were clean, I opened the basement door and quickly primed my 5 coasters. I grabbed a tiny paint tester bottle to paint my coasters once the primer dried.

The color that I chose was "Soothing Green Tea" by glidden. It's a shade or two lighter than what is on my walls in the living room so I was sure that once finished, those coasters would blend in just fine.

After the paint dried I grabbed that book of old sheet music, some scraps left from my sons 1st year scrapbook, my x-acto knife, a monogram stamp with a brown marker and most importantly - Mod Podge. I just started decorating - my theme was family. For those of you that know me - I try not to agonize over one thought very often so my ideas change by the second. With that being said, there was no plan here - I just did what I thought was pretty! Here they are with the mod podge drying. I love them. I'll have to be sure to take a photograph when they have found their place in my home.

What do you think??

Sorry but I didn't photograph myself completing this because I did it around Halloween and its just been sitting in my bedroom waiting for something - that something has been a mystery for a couple of months now...

Back to the beginning, I bought a vintage .50 cent book of sheet music and the one dollar barnwoodish frame (without the glass) back in September at Goodwill. I tore out a sheet and stapled it to the back.

Yesterday while snowed in.... I decided to lightly spray paint the frame (Rustoleum Heirloom White). I let it dry, reattached the music and there you have it. I didn't even have to distress it... The frame just dried this way.

It's hanging in my kitchen. I really like it!

What do you think?

Picture Frame - Upcycle....

Here's the 11x14 frame that held my wedding photo. I bought it on sale at Michael's Crafts right before we were married in May 2005.

 

A few weeks ago, I found this gold frame at Goodwill for $1.00. It was missing the glass but for just a dollar, I couldn't pass it up. The gold isn't my favorite but I know that its nothing that I can't fix with a few sprays of Heriloom White by Rustoleum.

 

So I lightly sanded and primed it gray. I wasn't really concerned about full coverage of the primer because I planned to distress it.

Here it is... I sanned it a little to distress somewhat.

Up close...

Here it is hanging on my wall. I think it looks better - an improvement anyway...

No spray paint today....

This is one of my thrifty finds though. One of my very good friends, Deanna http://funmama-deanna.blogspot.com/ loves Strawberry Shortcake and I am so proud to have found this for her. The fabric is very thin and it appears that someone made bedding out of it at one time. She has a cute little girl and I'm sure they will make something awesome with it!!

So I have this list of projects that need to be completed at my house. With the weather being well below freezing, none of them will take place in the garage so that rules out spray paint and all of the wooden furniture pieces that I have been dying to sand, prime and paint. I have however, talked my hubby into ripping up the carpet in both of my kids rooms and painting the subfloors!!!! I am sooooo excited as I have researched this project for months!!

Stay tuned --- this will be interesting.

Semi - Re-upholstered Couch with Drop Cloths

First, let me welcome you to my new blog... There are so many random DIY projects that I undertake around this house and it feels so good to know that I will be able to share my successes with people who have the same interests.


This couch--- well its kind of a "work in progress".... Underneath all of that canvas is an old, tattered and torn couch that I was afraid to snap a before photo of... Not because I was embarrassed because I was terrified that my mother might see it and kill me dead since my dogs were the ones who destroyed it..

This old couch has endured several expensive slip-covers, none of which really satisfied me and then one day I was introduced to the canvas painters drop cloth. For about $40 I have been able to successfully cover this couch. Its not perfect as I'm currently working on ways to tuck, fold, staple or sew to keep it from looking battered. I'm thinking about nail head trim....

Any suggestions??? I'm open!