Christmas home tour....

I noticed many bloggers featured their Holiday Home Tours earlier this month. I've been a bit slow getting around to it for a number of reasons.

First, the dog ate my card reader. Seriously. She ate it. And I read somewhere that you should never hook your digital camera directly to your computer because it could get "infected" with any bugs or viruses that might be lurking in your computer. So I always use a card reader to get my pictures.

Second, I have been "playing" with the camera. I am notorious for taking "not so hot" photographs. Primarily because I was afraid to use anything but the "auto" setting which makes it difficult to get decent interior photos. Last week I decided to step outside my comfort zone (reasons explained here) and start playing with the camera settings in the manual mode. SHOCK! I was able to take some half way decent interior shots without blowing out the room and subjects with a flash! In the past I had to wait until the light was "just right" in a room or move pieces around or live with cruddy "flash" photos.

I still honestly have no idea what I am doing "setting wise." But I feel better about turning dials and experimenting. At some point I will take a photography class and actually learn how to use a DSLR camera! Funny thing...I am not a newbie. I have had a digital camera for ten years...I just never used the manual settings and I was terribly limited in the quality of photos I could take.

So today I am going to share a few holiday shots of my house. I still have to be careful about when I take the pictures because I have a lot of windows and the sun can cast some pretty harsh shadows during the day! And they still aren't the best photos...but they are a tad better....

Welcome....

I always try to do a little something during the season around the front. I stick a little lighted Christmas tree in one of the flower pots and then a few wreaths and garland here and there. It is tough to see my Santa and pine forest in the arch window but he is well lit at night!

The living room...

...the BIG feature of course is always the tree!

I made several Christmas pillows this year...you can see the post here!

Decorating can be as simple as sticking a few sprigs of berries or floral in vases or urns!

I absolutely LOVE the look of garland and ribbon down a bannister, but several years ago I decided I had to make holiday decorating a little easier on myself so I made 6 identical wreaths and tie them to the bannister! Simple but pretty!

For both Thanksgiving and Christmas I buy the little "candle wreaths" and tie festive ribbon on them and hang them on the doors throughout the downstairs. It is an inexpensive way to dress up the doors and I don't feel guilty about buying "fad" colors or styles because they are pretty cheap.

I have a thing for skinny Santas...I don't think it is intentional, but it just seems that all my Santas are a bit on the thin side...

This year I took the gold shades off the dining room chandelier...I like the "brightness" of the lights.The fixture really is simple to decorate. I just wrap a little plain garland around the fixture then stick a few sprigs of red and white berries here and there...a few crystal doo-dads from last years clearance...pretty!

When my oldest daughter was a baby, my grandmother made her this Raggedy Andy and Ann. With my girls "grown" I really had no way to display them so a few years ago I made little pilgrim outfits for Thanksgiving and Santa outfits for Christmas. Now they get to hang out during the entire Holiday season!

The den during the day...

...and at night! Very cozy especially when it is cold enough for a fire!

Several years ago I decided to dress up the windows in the den...again, wreaths and festive ribbon! Simple.

Another skinny Santa by the fireplace...

I keep the holiday decorating in the kitchen to a minimum. Mainly because I have limited counter space and I don't want to clutter up what space I have. In the last few years I started adding little simple elements to the top of the cabinets...like Lord/Sir ? (Still no name!)

Just a few little touches here and there can make a difference. I found a Christmasy apron at Hancock's Fabric this year. Holiday salt and pepper shakers, a penguin soap dispenser (you can't see it!), leftover ornaments in glass bowls and serving pieces, wreaths, my Southern Living cookbooks, and again, a few sprigs of holiday floral stuck here and there! Just a few things I think are pretty and festive.

Not much changes from year to year. As I have said before, I stick with the traditional and add just a few little elements here and there every year. But honestly, little changes. My basic rule is if I haven't displayed it or used it in the last two years, it gets donated...and I try not to spend too much time and money on the "fads." One thing about holiday decorating...if you stick with traditional, you probably won't go wrong. "Fads" are good in moderation as long as you don't bust your decorating budget.

I don't mind hanging a few inexpensive peacock blue and neon green wreaths, but let's be honest...when it comes to Christmas, Santas and snowmen, green garland and pine trees and red, gold or silver colors, will probably never go out of "style!"

Have a VERY merry Christmas!

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Simple Christmas gift!

These cute little coasters aren't "Christmasy" but they would make awesome, inexpensive gifts...and you are ONLY limited by your imagination. You could use favorite family photos, holiday graphics from The Graphics Fairy...maybe tickets stubs from your favorite concert or movie...old letters or stamps...or anything that can be copied or printed onto paper!!! These would make awesome teachers or hostess gifts...or even stocking stuffers!

As I mention here, I am horrible about using coasters...as a result, my bedside table was in pretty bad shape from the beating it took from my nightly glass of water and morning coffee cup!

After finding and refinishing this walnut table treasure, I knew I needed to do something to protect the top. I had a piece of glass cut to protect the old Duncan Phyfe table, but I honestly didn't want to cover this table with glass.

Pinterest to the rescue! I saw some really darling personalized coasters on Pinterest and I knew exactly what I wanted to do! (Did I bother to pin it so I would have a "link"...no!)

Brian and I love to fly fish and I decided to make "map coasters" of a few of our favorite fishing spots in Colorado and Arkansas.

I picked up a few pieces of ceramic 4 x 4 tile at Habitat (.10 each!). I found a few old maps in my closet and used the tile to trace the area I wanted to cut out....

I used a 2" chip brush to coat the top of the tile with Modge Podge....

...and carefully placed the cutout map on the tile and then brushed the top with more Modge Podge.

The map paper was a tad flimsy and wanted to "crinkle" and bubble. I used my finger to smooth it out and then brushed it with the Modge Podge again! After letting the MP dry per the directions, I sprayed 2-3 coats of poly on the top just for good measure!

After the poly dried, I cut a piece of "felt blanket" to fit and used hot glue to secure it to the back of the tile. You could use cork board as well!

There you go...a simple little project that can be personalized to your heart's content! I had honestly intended to make some "Christmasy" coasters for the holidays but "crafting" isn't something I have a whole lot of time for during the holiday season! You could make one for every holiday...Valentine's Day, the 4th of July, Halloween. This is a simple, inexpensive little project that would be easy and fun for kids as well!

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Help, I'm trapped!!!

Two things happened this week that forced me to pick up my son's professional DSL camera and flip it to "manual." Something I have needed to do from day one, but just couldn't bring myself to do...messing with ISO and AF and Fsomethingoranother...just so out of my comfort zone.

I pretty much just use the "point and shoot" feature and my pictures are often "lacking." Since I am more about sharing "the process" than I am the "pretty" I have never taken the time to learn how to take awesome "professional looking" photos of all my projects.

First, I received an email from another blog asking me to share my tutorial on refinishing a dining room table. One of the things they asked for was "amazing images" of the table, both before and after. Um...okay...probably not going to happen with my current photography abilities. I love sharing, but I have seen other blog photographs and they are amazing. And this table has a lot of carving and detail that I just can't capture well with my "point and shoot" abilities.

Second, I was trapped for an entire day in my house. My phone was dead, the dog ate the charger cord, the stupid Mophie thing wasn't working and my son had to take my truck because his car wouldn't start. It's not like I haven't had entire days when I was home ignoring the phone...I just always had the OPTION to leave if I wanted...and I could call for help if I fell and broke a hip or something! Not this day. This day I was stuck with no way to leave and no way to call anyone.

Soooo, it was a good day to pick up the camera and start playing with the settings! I have to say, I did manage to take a few picture inside that were much better than what I had before.

One thing I did learn was I desperately needed a tripod. When you start taking pictures inside without a flash, you have to have your camera very still...not something I am going to be able to do without help. I knew Matt had a tripod, I just had no idea where it was...and of course I couldn't call him, or drive to the store and get one.

I do feel a little better now about flipping over to "manual" mode. And the great thing about digital cameras...you can instantly delete anything that looks bad and take another shot! This, of course, assumes you can see well enough to judge whether a picture is going to look good on a computer screen verses a 3" display on the back of the camera. Truth be told I thought I was doing pretty good until I loaded them on the computer and could see how blurry many were!

Once I set the camera on a tripod, the pictures turned out a bit better!

I was able to get several really pretty shots of my tree...day and night time! Since I am "sharing" my tree, I will tell you a little about it...I don't add a lot to my 9' pre-lit tree...just colored lights and pearl garland. The real show stoppers are the ornaments. Every year, since my oldest daughter was a baby, my mother has bought each of my children 2-3 beautiful, special ornaments. Four kids and thirty three years later, my tree is bursting with heirloom ornaments! It is indeed beautiful!!

I still have NO idea what I am doing but I know with more time and experience I can do better. I wish I could tell you exactly what settings I used, but um...no. I just know I changed the exposure, shutter speed and white balance A LOT! Matt tried to explain everything to me, but him teaching me how to use a camera is a lot like me trying to teach him to flyfish. Probably should let someone else do that.

My point...take your digital camera OFF auto, turn the flash off, set it on a tripod or stack of books and start playing with all the settings...AF, ISO, white balance....again, the great thing about digital is the ability to delete pictures you don't like! I bet I took 30 pictures of my tree to get just a few I like!

Maybe after the holidays I will take a REAL photography class and actually learn what all those buttons and dials mean.

But again, there is hope! Hope is good!

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Simple fall decor....

I am a "warm" person so I love the traditional colors of fall and it is my favorite time of the year!

I know a lot of people are decorating with blue and white pumpkins...tablescapes, vignettes (that's a fancy way of saying a "grouping" of decor), mantles, etc...but I like the orange, burnt reds and yellows of a traditional fall! Warm tones....and I have TONS of natural light in my house so it makes it a lot easier to decorate with "warm" holiday colors!

Several years ago I decided I wanted to remake my bannister Christmas wreaths in blue and silver....a touch of "cool." Katie quickly reminded me that "red and gold" were our TRADITIONAL colors and she didn't want that messed with. So I obliged and stuck with the "traditional" colors of the season. Occasionally I sneak in something a little "non-traditional," but very little.

So very little changes from year to year...except maybe a few little "additions."

Traditional decorating is, in my opinion, the way to go. I said last year that I thought it unwise to spend a great deal on burlap and chevron Christmas decor only because I knew it was a "fad" and would eventually fall by the wayside. As I predicted, we are seeing less and less of that this year.

So find a style or decor elements that you truly LOVE and make that the bulk of your "traditional" seasonal decor. No harm in infusing a few "faddish" elements here and there, but if you try to go all out with the newest fad, you may find yourself with an attic full of outdated seasonal decorations. (A few of us are old enough to remember Santa ducks and "mauve" Christmas ribbon...ouch!)

The BEST time to buy seasonal decor is AFTER the season. I know it is tough to buy things you are going to immediately stick in storage, but it is soooo much fun to discover all your new goodies year after year...and it is a great way to build a stockpile without spending a lot of money. MOST of my seasonal decor was purchased on sale for 80-90% off after the season!

Another tip...you are going to get older and there will come a time when a lot of fluffing and froofing and climbing up and down ladders is hazardous...to both your physical well-being and your pets (yes, I have stepped on a few coming off the ladder!) So years ago I started transitioning to things that were easy for me to "set out." It is much simpler to tie wreaths to the bannister than it is to struggle with yards of garland and ribbon...and I am not consumed for days every year painting and sewing and making wreaths and garland with the newest fads.

So this is my "traditional" fall decor....

The den is the perfect template for fall decor. The fireplace wall is "burnt red" and it makes a beautiful back-drop for both my fall and Christmas vignettes. Years ago I bought new fall garland for the front door...the old garland had gotten a little "aged" looking but I didn't want to toss it, so now I just lay it across the mantel....takes all of 10 seconds. The white owl is a new addition I shared here. I bought 4 identical wreaths and hang them in the windows from ribbon. Fall leaf floral in the urn, pumpkins and scarecrows and knick-knacks here and there...

I shared how I dress up these simple outdoor lanterns for Christmas here. For the fall, they get a "fall" ribbon and floral pick, pine cones or a seasonal candle.

Outdoor lanterns are great for all seasons. After the holidays I just remove all the ribbon and seasonal stuff and place a candle in them! I love that they are simple to decorate and don't have to be stored from one season to the next!

The den side table gets a little fall vignette as well....

I shared the branch box on the floor here. Years ago I made two "table wreaths" with a round floral form, a grapevine wreath and fall picks. I put a candle in one and I found a nifty little grapevine pumpkin at a garage sale for pennies for the dining table! Both are simple to set out and store!

A few little knick-knacks here and there. (I bought the silly turkey at an auction for a few dollars! Garage sales, thrift stores and auctions are great places to find holiday decor for next to nothing!)

I bought a bunch of candle holder "berry wreaths" several years ago. I hang them on all the downstairs doors and on a few frames and cabinets with seasonal ribbon...super simple and when I decorate for Christmas, I just replace them with holiday wreaths!

This wreath I hung on my new living room mirror is a little larger. I think I found it in a box of seasonal goodies I bought at an auction for next to nothing! For Christmas I have the perfect crystal wreath I shared here and I think I will pick up a boxwood wreath for after the holidays! Wreaths are super simple to decorate with and store after the holidays! I just drop mine in plastic bags for storage!

Inexpensive (especially on clearance) floral picks and sprays are ideal for vases and urns...it usually doesn't take a lot to dress them up and they make a huge impact. I just replace the fall floral for Christmas floral every year!

Seasonal garland is super simple to lay on top of hutches, wrap around light fixtures, hang around doors and lay on tables. I love fall garland...but if you have ever priced it, you know it can be super expensive!!! And that, my friends, is where "after holiday" sales are great. Every year, I hit Hobby Lobby the weekend after Thanksgiving and snag their 80% off decor!

I lay inexpensive garland in the dining and den transoms and then mix in a few real pumpkins and gourds....well, usually but this year I didn't quite get around to picking up pumpkins and gourds...but it is still pretty!

Last but not least, the "kiddo scarecrows." I hesitate to even share these because it is so hard to get a good picture because of the glare (as I have said MANY times, I am NOT one of those bloggers that has killer photog skills!) I originally put these up when my two boys and youngest daughter were little...now they and the pumpkins are a tad faded and tired looking. I intend to change this little vignette every year, but a busy life always seems to get in the way. So, someday! In the meantime, they take their place every year and are replaced the day after Thanksgiving with Santa and the pine forrest!

Building a cache of seasonal decor can take time. But if you keep your eyes open at thrift stores and garage sales, shop the after season sales and stick with "traditional" decorating, you don't have to break the bank. Save the "fad" vignettes for one or two special places in your home and avoid the frustration and stress of having to decorate your entire house every year in a "Pinterest theme."

Enjoy the season!!!!

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Christmas pillows....

One of the great things about the "blogoshere" is all the great inspiration AND motivation!

This past week I was reading one of my favorite blogs, "The Interior Frugalista", and Marie was sharing her snowflake decorative pillows...only she calls them "toss cushions." Gotta love those Canadians...lol!

Anywho, it not only inspired me, it motivated me to do something I seriously dislike doing...sew!

I have been scavenging down pillow forms. I wanted down forms for the decorative pillows that have poly-fill and a few extras for some holiday pillows!

As I mentioned before I like down forms because they are more comfortable and have a "designer" look! To me they just look "rich" but their price tag can reflect that and it is difficult for me to fork over twenty bucks for something I am going to have to make a cover for and something that is nothing more than a "doo-dad."

This past week I found 6 awesome down pillow forms, in varying sizes, ALL for under $7...a few for as cheap as $5. Thrift stores and flea markets. Yep...I am buying ugly old designer pillows, removing the cover and sanitizing the forms for reuse! (just toss them in a hot dryer with a dryer sheet!)

Since I had all these forms piled up, I knew it was time to drag out the old sewing cart and get busy!

TIP: If you have a 18 x 18 pillow form, you may be tempted to cut your cover fabric 19 x 19 to allow for the seams. DON'T. Cut the fabric 18 x 18...your cover will be about 1" smaller than the actual pillow form, but that is what will make them look super "puffy" and "full." I read that once on a designer website (no source, just info stored in the back of my brain!) and I tried it...makes a huge difference!

I have shared "pillow tutorials" on several posts in the past (you will note I advocated cutting your cover fabric larger back then...again, don't)...you can check them out here, here, here, and here.

There is no sense in rehashing the "how to." I've provided a tutorial and there are "how to" tutorials all over the internet. Marie does a great job of "tutorialing." (As I have said before, if you can sew a straight stitch, you can sew a decorative pillow...if you can't, now is the time to learn.)

So I am going to share just to provide inspiration AND motivation and give you a few little tips on where you can find material to make inexpensive holiday covers.

My first "inspiration" came from a Pottery Barn knock-off I found on Pinterest....

This little pillow was super simple to make. I used two pillow shams that came with a white bedspread I ordered to put over my down comforter for the winter. I was never going to use them on the bed, so I decided to use the fabric for my decorative pillows. I didn't have enough for the back, so I used the leftover fabric from the tea towel pillows I will share in a bit....

As you can see, I changed things up from the "inspiration" pillow. I used green sparkly felt and rhinestones...both of which you can buy at your local craft store. I cut a bunch of "leaves" from the green felt, and used a bowl to guestimate a circle...

Then it was just a matter of filling in the "wreath" and placing a few rhinestones here and there...basically, I eyeballed it! I used fabric glue on the green leaves and "Jewel It" glue on the rhinestones and let it sit overnight before I constructed the pillow. I used a "premade" silver bias tape for the piping!

I made this pillow out of tea towels I picked up at Hobby Lobby...

....they were around $4.50 (50% off!) for two!

One set of towels made TWO pillow covers and I used the leftover fabric for the backs of the wreath pillow! I spruced it up a bit by placing a rhinestone in the middle of each of the snowflakes and added a little piping around the edge. The piping is made out of bias tape and you can find a tutorial here on how to make inexpensive decorative piping from bias tape!

I made two pillows with this snowflake cutout table runner and a white table cloth I bought at TJ Maxx. (I would not suggest using inexpensive tablecloths for pillow projects...just seems too "thin" and tends to ravel quite a bit. Lesson learned.)

I centered the runner on the piece of fabric I cut out for the front of the pillow and basted the top and bottom to it with my machine to keep it in place. After I basted it, I used the fabric glue around the edges of the cutout to keep it "flat."

Again, I glued a rhinestone in the middle of each snowflake. I just love "sparkle!"

After making two white snowflake pillows, I had enough of the snowflake cutout to make one more pillow. I picked up a "burnt red" pillow and I kind of liked the color so I deconstructed it, made it a tad smaller so the pillow would be fuller and added the white snowflake cutout material.

I only have one, but I think it will look great in the den where I have more "fall" colors year round!

I also put zippers on all these pillow covers so I can easily remove them and reuse the forms!

I tend to be an "OCD/symmetry" kinda person so I made two of each of the decorative pillows so I will have one for each end of the couch when it is time to decorate for Christmas.

All these pillows are 18 x 18 and honestly, I don't like the three lined up together. I found two smaller pillow forms and plan on making Christmas covers for them and using one with two of the 18" pillows on each end of the sofa...maybe...someday...IF I get a little more motivation in the future!

While I was making a mess, I decided to make another "floor pillow" for the den. I had two large poly-fill forms (actually they were Euro-pillows with ugly covers!) I bought at an estate sale and I thought they would be perfect to toss around on the den floor for tv watching! I had already made one large toss pillow and two smaller decorative pillows out of some leftover fabric from my dining chair project.

I used the drop cloth material leftover from this chair project and an iron on graphic from The Graphic Fairy. Since the pillow was fairly large, I decided I wanted the graphic to be bigger so I pulled it up in Adobe Photoshop, enlarged it and then printed it out on four sheets of iron-on transfer paper. Then it was just a matter of piecing the graphic together and ironing it on the fabric. There was a little "line" where two of the pages didn't quite fit together perfectly...I used a Sharpie to fill it in a tad.

I removed the "Grain" wording on banner in Photoshop and had intended to replace it with "Love Life." But I had a few issues with my printer so I ran out of transfer paper. Since I put zippers on all my pillow covers, I will just remove the cover and iron on the new words when my order of paper comes in.

I still haven't shared my fall decor. Truthfully, it hasn't changed a whole lot from last year. But I have a few little additions and I thought it would be fun to do an entire post about the fall decor and update my Holiday Decor pictures. After all, Thanksgiving is less than three weeks away and the day after Thanksgiving, it all goes back in the attic! If you see anything that "inspires" you, it will be the PERFECT time to snag fall decor for pennies on the dollar!!! You may have to wait til next year to use it, but it is always fun to find things you forgot you bought last year!

So this week...I promise!

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Finding inspiration for a ladder shelf!!! And my master bedroom update!

One of the awesome things about the "blogisphere" is all the great inspiration and instruction you can find for just about anything you want to do!

A few weeks ago, my inspiration came from Kristi at "Making it in the Mountains." She built a ladder shelf for her back deck and it is awesome!!!

Someday I plan on making one exactly like this! I bought a few ladder shelves at an auction recently and when I priced them to see how much I should sell them for they were going for around $150! Craziness! And they aren't even fit for outdoor use like Kristi's!

Anywho, MONTHS ago I ended up with a beat up old desk from an auction...the auctioneers know us now so when no one bid on the poor old thing, he pointed at me and asked if I would pay a dollar...whatever...I figured I could do something with it. Heck, the awesome hardware is worth a buck!

I originally planned on restoring it but truth be told, it was pretty rough and I have learned that "rehabbing" these old desks really isn't worth the time and effort for resell. The top was laminate and the drawers were veneered. The only good solid wood was the leg and it was hanging on by a few flimsy nails!

But the drawers were well constructed...and the veneer was easily "patched."

So I decided to use the drawers and make a "modified" version of the ladder shelf...a drawer shelf!

I think it could be used as a storage shelf in a bathroom or laundry room...maybe toy storage in a kid's room! It's pretty sturdy so it can hold a lot of "stuff."

I painted the drawers with the "frosted berry" paint I bought for my room. Not that I think it NEEDED to be that color, but I have the paint and I like it! Rather than use the awesome hardware (I am hoarding those for a special project) or fill in the holes, I used rope on the two bottom drawers and a plain white knob on the top! It doesn't NEED pulls, but I want it to look like what it is...drawers!

I cut the top drawer down....I contemplated cutting the middle drawer down as well...no reason why I didn't...I just didn't!

Thanks for the inspiration Kristi!!!

(BTW, it sold within hours of putting it in my booth! Wow!)

MASTER BEDROOM PROGRESS!

As I mentioned in this earlier post, I finally broke down and bought the laminate I want for my master bedroom! Lumber Liquidators had a deal I just could not pass up! Fortunately, it will take two weeks to get it.

"Back in the day" that would frustrate me. There was a time when I could pull the trim, remove the old flooring, lay the laminate, reinstall the trim and paint...all in ONE day...or at least a weekend. Now...not so much. I have been pulling carpet and glue-down hardwood for over a week! My back ache and sore legs make living in this disaster of destruction somewhat tolerable!

Please note that even when my room is in complete disarray, I still make my bed every day! I am thoroughly convinced that the first day I don't make my bed will be the day I die...it's a "thing" I have. (discussed in detail here)

I had to remove the base of the fireplace surround to remove the flooring. I stupidly laid the floor THEN built the fireplace surround...I know better than that. This is a prime example of WHY it is a problem to set cabinets and fireplace trim on top of flooring!!!! Chances are you will replace the flooring long before you replace cabinets or fireplace surrounds...and removing the old flooring will be very difficult if it is under the cabinets or surround!

I did find one neat thing...I guess when I built this room I painted "I "heart" you" on the floor. How sweet!

There is a downside to DIY projecting! The mess! But I have wanted new flooring for YEARS so it will be worth it!

I decided to reuse the existing trim and set it on top of the new flooring...so I have to pull all the trim, remove the nails and scrape off the old caulk.

I also decided to do the floors in the office...but right now I am only going to do the main bedroom and get it back in order before I tackle the office. The office is ALL glue-down hardwood and it will be a booger to get it all up! I played with gel staining the existing hardwood...and it would have worked had I stained it all at once rather than doing a big "test splotch." Unfortunately, you can see the "lap over" of the stain and it looks horrid. So it all comes up and new flooring goes down!

I am hiring my neighbor to remove all the old flooring in the office...it is a small room but after a week of working on the master bedroom and what I know will be a labor intensive 2-3 days of installing the new flooring, I am finally having to admit I am too fricking old to "do it all."

Curses.

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When the mouse is away...

This has been a week of MAJOR work so I will have lots of goodies to share. I had tons of projects piled up in my garage. I even skipped a potentially awesome auction this weekend because I knew I did not need to haul anything else home until I cleared out some projects. Even though I know I put a huge dent in it, there is still so much to do.

Saturday and Sunday I painted outside. Brian (affectionately, the mouse) went out of town Monday so I rolled out my handy-dandy "sewing cart" and went to work on a few sewing projects! Seriously, I LOVE this sewing cart!!!!

I know it looks fairly organized in the picture, but truth is I had stuff strung all over the dining and living rooms for three days...compressor, staple gun and staples, fabric, piping, pillow stuffing, etc. When I project, I go all out. That is one reason I waited until Brian was gone for a few days...because the house was a disaster (I NEED A SHOP!) and I stayed pretty focused.

Painting and reupholstering. For me, they are time consuming projects because I firmly believe in doing it right, even if I do plan to sell the piece! Whether I am keeping it or selling it, I treat it the same. Maybe that is why it is so hard for me to step out of my comfort zone and go bold on some upholstery projects.

When I rehabbed this side chair and rocking chair a few weeks ago, I picked a very nice and neutral pallet and meticulously painted and reupholstered them. Only to have the person who bought them ask how much I would charge to REupholster them...go figure!

Completed this week..six throw pillows, four upholstered chairs, three wood folding chairs, two antique oak school desks, one small table...if I had a partridge in a pear tree I would have painted and stuffed it!

The BIG chore is always the upholstered chairs. My first mental block is the fabric choice. I want something that will appeal to a lot of people, but is unique and interesting as well!

I dropped a little tease about this chair here!

Again, note the grass...dormant...that tells you how long this chair has been stuck in limbo!

When I pulled the back upholstery off this old chair, I found layers of old fabric...including a really cool piece of hand stitched quilt someone had used as padding at one point. I am always amazed at the history these old chairs reveal!

Several of you were fired up about the prospect of PURPLE! Truth is, I'm a tad too boring and conservative to actually paint the entire chair purple. I bought purple paint, but in the end, I just couldn't bring myself to do it.

But purple is the "color of the year" (or so the ads at Lowe's say!) so I wanted to use a bit on this chair!

I chalk painted and distressed the frame an "off-white" and then covered the back and seat (yes, I had to make a seat!) with this awesome fabric!

Since the fabric had purple in it, I went with purple trim! Aren't I just a wild and crazy gal!

So many other projects completed and I will share a few "before and afters" over the next few weeks. I made a large note and stuck it on the table to remind myself to take pictures before I hauled anything away!

Unfortunately, I don't have the space right now in my booths...so now the question becomes, WHAT DO I DO WITH ALL THESE STINKING CHAIRS!?

I guess I could throw a party...Lord knows there would be enough seating for everyone!!!

AWESOME RECIPE PERFECT FOR GARDEN VEGGIES!!!

I haven't shared a recipe in a while but I tried this totally awesome CRISP CUCUMBER SALSA and it is TOO. DIE. FOR! And it is low cal for those who care!

&nbs… — Photo and recipe curtesy of ***tasteofhome.com***

Usually I try a recipe verbatim and then mix it up a bit to my own tastes. This recipe has cumin and honestly, I'm not a fan...so I was certain I would change it after the initial try.

Nope. Not changing a thing (except I added a little more tomato.) It is wonderful and perfect for chips or on a salad.

Give it a try...this is a perfect time of the year for fresh cucumbers and tomatoes and there isn't a better way to prepare them! (Okay, sliced with salt is pretty awesome!)

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY KATIE!!!! Tales of a teenagers room...

First, I want to say happy birthday to my baby girl! Seventeen...wow! I can't believe you are 17!

In honor of her birthday, I am going to share her room. She is a teenager so it is rarely this organized and clean! But it is her creation and she loves her "stuff" and her space.

I featured the mural on Katie's wall here....and her "unstuffy" wing back chair here. Since we remodeled her room, she has added a lot of her own touches that make the space her own.

As with most teens, her room in a constant state of OH MY GOSH...CLEAN YOUR ROOM!!!! Dirty dishes, dirty clothes in the clean clothes basket (with the clean clothes still in it!), make-up and hair covering the floor and trim, dust bunnies EVERYWHERE! Just a mess.

She is a busy girl. She is an outstanding student (4.2 this last semester...she rocks), she works part-time and she was the lead in the spring musical. (Seriously, the girl has some crazy chops!)

So in spite of all my pleading, begging and bribing, her room stays in a constant state of "mess." Usually the result of just too much "stuff." So a few weeks ago, I decided to take action and tackle the mess.

Since it was in a half-way decent state, I decided it would be a good time to share pictures of ONE of the rooms upstairs!

I also came up with an idea that MIGHT give her incentive to get rid of "stuff." Keep in mind, kids lack the ability to organize and like most of us, they hang on to stuff that they really don't need or want any longer. It is important to "purge" on a regular basis!

I left this bag on her trunk. I told her I would pay her $20 for every large trash bag she fills with clothes, shoes, books....stuff! What many don't know is you can donate "stuff" to your local non-profit thrift store (Salvation Army, church organizations, etc) and get a receipt for a nice tax deduction. So $20 for a bag of things they no longer want or need benefits both you AND your teen...you get a nice little tax deduction and they get pocket change (or gas money!)

Younger kids can be enticed into "giving" their unwanted toys to kids who NEED them. Start them young!

I have learned that teenagers tend to be a bit more myopic and aren't as eager to clean out closets and drawers for the benefit of those in need...sad, but true! They want hard, cold cash!

So far I haven't seen the bag...we'll see. This is why I don't give parenting advise.

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Bedroom makeover...part 2? 3?

I don't know how many times I have griped about my master bedroom. So this past month I began chewing away at a few little things I dislike.

It is my favorite room in the house AND my least favorite. My favorite because it is an awesome room...big, bright, cozy. Least favorite because after 13 years, I STILL haven't decorated it the way I REALLY want it.

I blame it on the furniture.

Ornate, heavy, dark, veeeery traditional! I paid entirely too much for it, so I can't bring myself to get rid of it. One bad thing about furniture...no matter how much you paid for it, chances are you are only going to get pennies on the dollar.

There are a few pieces I would never get rid of...my dad's walnut chair and my grandparent's old trunk. The rest of it...honestly, if I had unlimited funds, it would all go.

But I don't...so it won't. The next best thing is to change it up a bit with a little bit of paint!

I featured the beside tables and the high boy here!

The next big project was the bed!

Honestly, this set would be perfect for a chalkpaint and distress treatment. I painted it with Kilz and sanded it and it was so cool looking. But alas, that is not my "thang" so I just went with my go-to Valspar Dune color.

I did finally paint the top of the Duncan Phyfe drum table...bye, bye beautiful mahogany!

I still need to do some kind of little vingette around this table...in time!

I'm not real thrilled with the bed. I had originally planned on painting all the raised part of the head board and just leaving the inset stained but Brian talked me into just painting the top scrolly part...which is really the part I disliked and it seems the paint just highlighted it. (See, I take his advise!) Oh well...it is different and that will do for now!

I also picked up this darling little antique fan at an auction. I'm not really into "froo-froo" stuff just sitting around and eventually it will probably go to one of my flea booths. But I like the color and retro style and it looks kinda cool on top of the highboy...for now! Until I have to dust it!

Now that all the furniture is painted, I REALLY want to install hand-scraped laminate flooring. And I really want to reupholstery the big chairs. Someday!

I found this AWESOME color chart on Pinterest....

I have some white and tan in the throw pillows and bedding but the majority of my white is a little more "off-white" and my walls are more of a "cream" than a tan. I can live without the grey...I like black better. But the blue is the color of my fireplace wall and I am itching to throw the cranberry color in there somewhere. Maybe in the upholstery on the chairs or a large rug on my new floors!

The paddle fans? Hum...might have to do a little a little paddle fan treatment!

So much I WANT to do.

That is one thing one has to understand about home decor. Unless you have A LOT of money and can afford to have a professional designer come in and do it top to bottom (my choice would be Candice Olson!) the best approach is a little bit at a time.

Don't be afraid to buy used and do a little work to make it your own. As much as I disliked this furniture when it was all stained and matchy-matchy, I'm kind of digging it now! Still want something different, but I like it a lot more now than I did two weeks ago! The floors will come in time and I know someday a piece of upholstery fabric for the chairs will "speak to me" ...someday.

I always tell my kids...it's a good thing we don't have a lot of money...think of all the great things we would never have learned to do had we had the money to pay someone else to do it!

Seriously how much personal satisfaction could one get from having a bazillion dollars and being able to design, built and decorate your "dream" house without concern for costs?

See what paint fumes do to you....

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Arch window covering and temporary window coverings!

It's that time of the year...time to put up the blinds and shades to keep out the blazing sun and cool down the house a bit!

This past week Brian and I put up the outside roll-down blinds that cover the west-facing windows in my den! I love all the natural light, but when the sun hits those windows around 4:00 on a hot summer day, oh my!

Hanging the blinds on the OUTSIDE makes a huge difference...and honestly it makes this room much more comfortable in the summer! (As you can see, I turn the couch around in the summer!)

The arch window in my living room is another story! I know....arch windows are soooo 90s. But that was when this house was built so that is what is there! It is a great place for fall and Christmas displays!

It would be very difficult to put a blind on the outside of the this window...so I had to settle with putting something on the inside.

This is how bright it is BEFORE I put up a blind....

And AFTER...

Seriously, no Photoshop and no camera tricks. Before and After...within a few minutes. That is how much difference there is and it makes a huge difference in the temperature of the living room!

Fortunately my living room is two stories, so it still FEELS bright and airy, I just don't have the blazing sun heating up the room!

I couldn't really afford a "custom" blind for this arch. When I was searching for a solution, I stumbled across a "temporary" pleaded blind...maybe $15.00. It is perfect! When I put my fall decor up in the fall I take it down, fold it up and store it away until late spring. It has a clear plastic "base" that sits in the middle of the window and you just drop one end of the pleated blind into the holder, "fan" it out and secure the outside ends. It came with a "peel and stick" adhesive on the base of both sides, but that was pretty much shot after the first year. So now I either tape it or tack it down. Even though it is just a cheap little thing, it has lasted a good 5-6 years! Worth the small investment!

So if you have a room that is uncomfortable because of the heat generated by the summer sun, think about using temporary window treatments! You just might find the room a little more enjoyable and you will help cut down your cooling bills.

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