what i'm loving.

a few things i'm loving these days...

-  cut and seal sandwich cutter from pampered chef.  makes those almost-daily pb sandwiches a little bit more fun.

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-  college basketball.  final four this weekend... every year i get sad when it is over.
-  catalina mist spray paint by krylon.  i'm obsessed with this color and can't seem to find it anywhere, which makes me want it even more.

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-  vintage tablecloths.
-  grilling burgers with the mr.  doing it for our dinner tonight and i am so excited.  it's the little things.
-  these ikea planters.

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-  country living magazine.  especially whilst drinking a cup of coffee.  when the house is quiet.
-  emmy's oh-so-cute birthday dress.

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-  my newest shows: revenge and nashville.  love live tammy taylor.

-  barn lights.  and edison light bulbs.

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-  almonds roasted with sea salt.
-  super why.  bella's latest show obsession.  do i mind?  no way.  beats barney (what doesn't, really?  oh, beside the wiggles) and she now knows all of her letters.
-  katie daisy prints.  she is my fav artist and i am slowly collecting her prints around our home.  my sis just got me this one i've been wanting for our entryway.  she's the best.

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-  winter melting into spring.  love the reminder of *hope*.
-  planning my garden and flowerbeds... someday.
-  daffodils.

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-  groopdealz.com.  if you don't subscribe, you should.

-  this swimsuit for my 3 yr old bathing beauty.

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-  hangin at the park.  the best.
-  trader joe's tomato&basil hummus.  especially with their whole wheat pretzels.  delish.
-  my colorblock dress.  nick calls it my "hippie" dress.  i love it, though.

{source}

-  side braids.  my hair is waaaaay too long these days, so i've been having to find creative ways to wear it back.  haircut coming soon.  can't.hardly.wait.

-  trader joes masala simmer sauce.  quick, tasty dinner and a pleasant surprise?  my kids love chicken tikki masala.  even better.

a turquoise table.

i have a new obsession: turquoise. i.love.it. i think it's a great pop of color to any room and can transform anything into a statement piece (ex:my turquoise birds).

our bedroom in our new house is in the process of being put together (see our bedroom in our old home here)... but we have a mustard-y yellow bedspread and light grey walls, and i've decided to incorporate turquoise into the color scheme for some extra spice.

when we first moved here this summer, we put together a large yard sale with my sister, my mom and my sister's mother-in-law. i think what was the most fun was looking over each other's items and doing a little shopping ;) i spotted this antique table of sarah's (my sister's mother-in-law) and claimed it immediately. i think she sold it to me for three bucks. awesome.

this is what it looked like when i bought it:

and with a coat of rustoleum's aqua spray paint, here is the finished product, at home in our bedroom:

i sanded it down, primed the top with kilz white spraypaint primer (to cover up the letters), and gave it a few coats of the turquoise spraypaint.

my *favorite* feature of this table are the vintage crystal knobs i ordered on ebay for ten dollars. i have a huge affinity for crystal knobs, and these caught my attention. i love the gold & crystal against the turquoise.

for now, i have it decorated with a few pieces that i love. it will probably change as we work on our bedroom decor, but for now i'm content with this vignette that was composed mostly of things we already had that we can now display.

old white shutters (a friend, free)

brown picture frames (goodwill, $3)

vintage fan (ebay, $10)

bird/tree stand (tj maxx, $10)

table (yard sale, $3)

the perfect pop of turquoise for our bedroom. totally worth the three bucks and a little elbow grease :) will show pictures of our bedroom and our home as it continues to unfold! stay tuned.

chandelier makeover.

so i'm finally getting around to posting some of my latest projects (and by latest, i mean projects i've been working on since this summer)... geesh. they say my baby is the size of a lime but that little sucker zaps so much of my energy! ;)

as i've written about previously, nick&i moved into our first home about a month ago! we are loving it. it's a lot of work getting it where we want it, and will be a continual work in progress for a while... but it's been so fun making it into a home. our home.

one of the first things i couldn't wait to tackle in our house was this:

the not-so-cute brass chandelier in our dining room. i absolutely *adore* chandeliers. love them. it's a lil dream of mine to have one in every single room of our house one day. but for now, we'll just start at square one :) we spent several weeks before we moved in, painting and getting things ready... i took some time to give a little love to this chandelier. here's what i did:

- removed glass globes, tape off exposed electrical parts.

- took a can of krylon white gloss spray paint and went to town. yep, we had nothing moved in yet, so i just spread a drop cloth over the floor and sprayed away. i did get some spray paint on the ceiling when i got to the top, but it's all white so it doesn't show. perfect.

- on a trip to my favorite antique store, i found these beautiful vintage prisms and bought one for each arm of my chandelier. they were attached to some long, stick-like prisms, so i just deconstructed them and used the wire loops to create the crystal look i wanted.

- attached my crystals to the chandelier, and voila. done. the whole update cost me less than five bucks since i already had the spraypaint on hand.

still would love to find some more crystals to embellish a bit more, but i like the classic simplicity of it, too. an easy, instant update that's even easier on your wallet ;)

oh, the wonder of spraypaint... which will be using it's magic again sometime in the near future on the hutch and dining room set we inherited from my grandparents; love it, just not a fan of the oak.

stay tuned... although that one will be after baby ;)

this post was linked to these *lovely* blogs:
southern lovely
newlyweds on a budget
tatertots and jello

turquoise birds.

i'm on a spraypainting binge. it's getting a bit ridiculous.

but seriously... spraypaint to me is like magic-in-a-can. sprayable magic, actually. which makes it even better.

we are in the process of going through some of my grandparents things since they just moved into a retirement home and downsized a whole lot. nick, bel and i are getting ready to move into their house, which is really exciting. it just makes my nostalgia-loving-heart really happy at the thought of living in a home that i have twenty five years worth of memories in.

the other night my mom, sis and i were going through some odds and ends and we stumbled across these porcelain birds. i remember these birds decorating my grandparents home when i was a little girl, which makes it even more special for me to have.

enter: spraypaint.

i fought the urge to just paint them white, since i tend to want that classic look... and instead, grabbed a paint of turquoise (my latest color obsession) spraypaint and went.to.town.

+

=

love these sweet little birds. and they will be perfect to add a pop of color & happiness to a spot in our new house.

have you spraypainted anything lately? frames, lamp bases, ceramic/porcelain figures, vases, plates... the possibilities are endless. one of the cheapest transformations you will ever do!

this post is being linked to these *sweet* blogs:

at the picket fence

the shabby creek cottage

homemaker in heels

somewhat simple

tales from bloggeritaville

white flowered vases.

note to self: try not to do any spray painting projects if there is *any* chance of wind or rain.

unfortunately, this is the sad story of my day.

several things to spray paint. light breeze turns into stronger winds and blue sky turns grey with clouds... and then comes the rain. so my lovely spray paint has a few bubbles, some marks from bugs and other things sticking to it, and various other imperfections. luckily, i know how to handle my perfectionism now and just be content with shrugging my shoulders and saying "it looks good enough."

here is one of my projects.

i found these vases at a local thrift store... i think they were 99 cents each. i grabbed them immediately because i knew they had serious potential.

enter: a can of white spray paint.

i see everything through the eyes of spray paint. everything i look at, i think: could that be salvaged through some paint-from-a-can? yes, i think so. and here is the finished product:

perfect for adding a little elegant touch to one of my end tables or a shelf somewhere in our yet-to-be-completed home. nick&i have been painting away and we hope to move in sometime this fall! in the meantime, i'm working on little projects here and there to get ready for our first house.

excited? yes. let me go see what else i can spray paint...

this post is linked to these *fantastic* blogs:

diy by design

homemaker in heels

the shabby nest

at the picket fence

farewell big, empty wall.

so we have had this big, empty wall for almost two years. it's above our recliner, almost in the corner of our living room.

it's been bugging me for nearly two years.

in an effort to decorate but not spend a lot of cash, here's what i came up with. i handmade a frame using one of my favorite prints from our wedding. and... it was really inexpensive! i ordered a poster print from walgreens photo online, using a coupon (they always have some coupon codes to use, don't fret) and i think the total cost for this 16x20 print was around thirteen buck-a-roos. yessss. i then went to home depot and bought a piece of plywood-type-material. sorry for the vague description! it was thin and only around $5-6. i had them cut it for me there (so i have another piece to play with too! *bonus*) and took it home and sanded it. i first spray painted it brown and modpodged photo to it. but when nick&i (or mostly nick) hung it on the wall, there was too much brown. soooo... i used the tin-foiling technique i used here on my tin-foil tables to create an antique-y silver-y frame. i will still probably add some faux glaze to the top to finish this look, but i haven't gotten to that just yet.

sepia tone poster print: walgreens ($13 with coupon code)

plywood: home depot (around $6)

tin foil, mod podge, pewter finish for frame: already on hand

foam board&scrapbook paper for "c": already on hand

bottle: goodwill (0.50)

button flowers: walmart ($5 for a bunch... i dried them out)

frame: already on hand

ceramic bird: pier one ($4 for a pair)

antique wall sconces: ebay ($6.99 + shipping)

i also purchased these antique bronze wall sconces from ebay... just a quick coat of white spraypaint and i'm in love (and how much do i love krylon spray paint? a.whole.lot).

i repurposed this old shelf i had found a while ago on clearance at target and put a few accessories on it... my friend hannah had these super cute bird salt&pepper shakers on a shelf at her house that she told me she got at pier one for 4 bucks. yes please! i made this "c" by using an x-acto knife to cut a c out of foam board i had on hand and covering it with scrapbook paper.

this is my favorite picture of bella taken by my super-duper talented friend, amanda, of {aka}photography (she also did all the family portraits on the right side of my blog!) yeah... amazing, right??! i put it in a vintage-y distressed frame i had bought years ago and i *love* it. anyone that knows me and my decor-loves, knows i'm obsessed with bottles (remember my other shelf??) i think i found this one at goodwill, and i loooove these yellow button flowers dried out... i have them all over our house!

so long, big empty wall. with a little thrifty-ness, creativity and repurposing, you have been conquered :)

this post was linked to this *lovely* blog:

http://www.homemakerinheels.com

put a lil tin foil on it.

old oak end tables + tin foil, mod podge and pewter finishing paint = love.

intrigued?? read on...

so, i was given these old oak end tables by a friend and they've been sitting in our apartment now for almost two years. i was trying to decide what color to paint them, how to refinish them... and then, while bella was napping one day, i decided to watch the nate berkus show (which i now love). he had a design-blogger on there who had some great ideas so i decided to check out her blog.

a-mazing.

her style is quite a bit different from mine, but she had some ideas on there that i loved. and then, i saw it. a table she had refinished with tin foil and mod podge. who. knew. it was weird and quirky and something i would've never thought of myself, but what did i have to lose?? i decided to try it.

here's how i did it.

materials:

-old piece of wooden furniture (nightstand, end table, even a picture frame or a tray)

-tin foil (i bought a big roll)

-popsicle stick

-mod podge (go ahead and get the big container... you will use it all on this and future projects. never used mod podge? well, it's about to become your new bff)

-paint brush

-a metal finishing paint (i used "modern options sophisticated finishes" and the color i used was pewter... this stuff is amazing... i think it ended up being about $5 at michaels after my 40% off coupon)

-craft sponge brush

-a faux glaze tinted black (many dyi bloggers recommend ralph lauren faux glaze in black silk... however, i found that it's been discontinued in stores and is now only available online. instead, i got a behr faux glaze and asked home depot to tint it black for me)

-an old t-shirt

how to:

- begin applying mod podge with sturdy paint brush to the furniture, followed by tin foil, followed by more mod podge ontop. this is the tedious part. i was cursing the long, curved legs of my end tables and all the nooks and crannies. straight edges and surfaces are *much* easier. use a popsicle stick to help smooth out any bubbles (you'll have wrinkles... they just add character)
- allow mod podge to dry, and then apply another coat of mod podge to secure, and allow to dry.
- next comes the fun part. the finish paint. i used a craft sponge brush for this. follow directions on the bottle (i had to shake mine well before using) and then just brush onto your piece, and wipe some off with an old t-shirt... this adds variation.
- i did a second coat of this to my end tables.
- next, comes the faux finish which i'll admit i haven't done yet (i was just too anxious to post all this!) and because i really love the pewter finish to my tables i'm a little nervous to make it darker... so i may or may not. but you can check out this link to see what the faux finish does; you apply the glaze and then immediately wipe away with an old t-shirt and the black settles in all the cracks and crevices. i will probably do it because i love the antiqued look it gives, i just haven't had the time and i really wanted to get this post up because i love my new tables so much!

and now for some pics...

before...

...and after.

table: friend (free)
vintage candle holder: friend (free)

framed picture: target clearance ($8)

ceramic bird: michaels ($4)

mirror: already on hand (free; spray-painted by me)

table: friend (free)
vase: target clearance ($8)
votive candle: dollar store ($1)

river rocks: walmart ($5)

branches: already on hand

books: already on hand

lamp&shade: target ($20)

canvas: made by me

i now love these pretty lil end tables! what ugly furniture can you re-create? thrift, garage-sale, antique shop away and don't forget to buy your tin foil.

this post was linked to these *wonderful* blogs:

http://diybydesign.blogspot.com/

http://morrowsunshine.blogspot.com/

http://www.homemakerinheels.com/

http://tatertotsandjello.blogspot.com/

http://shabbynest.blogspot.com/

http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

flowered canvas re-do.

this was a lil project i did one day while bella was napping. remember this before picture of our dining room area?

BEFORE:

i bought those canvases at target a few years ago, and they are just too modern for my taste and i've been wanting to give them a lil update to suit the decor in our apartment. here's what i did:

AFTER:

i used some fabric i already had on hand to cover the canvas and create a few squares to "frame" a family photo with the help of my trusty glue gun. i took some fake flowers that i spray-painted with white spray paint and combined them with some rosettes i made out of my fabric.

cost? i think $5 to buy the fake flowers. everything else i had on hand.

voila. here's the finished product! (ignore the ugly lamp cord in this picture, please)

note: the end table in this picture is another project-in-the-making. these were oak end tables we have had forever that i've been trying to decide what to do with. i saw this idea on a blog that i wanted to try: mod-podging a piece of furniture with tin foil and glazing it with a couple different finishes. sounds crazy, but it's true. i have one more step to go with these pretty-lil-tables, but i absolutely adore them already! i'll be sure to post a before-and-after on these lovelies when i'm done.

what is in your home currently that you can refresh? you don't have to spend a lot of money to create a brand new piece! happy creating :)

this post was linked on the following *wonderful* blogs!

http://diybydesign.blogspot.com/

http://www.centsationalgirl.com/

wall art.

ohhhhhhhh i am so addicted to home decor blogs right now and finding dyi crafty ideas. i'm not even kidding, friends. it keeps me awake at night. i look around my house and think of all the things i want to do. and i have to do all of them. right. now. which obviously is not possible. time wise or money wise. but thinking about scouring thrift stores, flea markets and antique shops and filling my home with lots of pretty lil goodies seriously makes me start twitching.

i really may need help.

{obviously you know i'm being dramatic}.

but as i am able to do little projects here and there, i'll be sure to post them for all of you, my lovely readers. maybe you will get the craft-dyi-decorating-bug too. i hear it's highly contagious.

but here is a lil project i worked on a couple of weeks ago. i love finding inexpensive ways to decorate a large, blank wall. this project cost me hardly anything since i already had most of the materials on hand. i did purchase a can of green spray paint, three saucers from goodwill and some decorative paper and foam board from hobby lobby.

here's a pic:

as you probably already know about me, i love reusing things i already have and giving them a new look. these frames used to be silver collage frames. i was getting tired of them. enter: green spray paint.

i love the look of white plates on a wall (remember my recent dining room project?) so i took the glass out of one of the frames and hung them down the middle. love. it.

i love google images. i knew i wanted to do a mod-podge creation for the other frame. since i have a hard time visualizing a design on my own and do MUCH better copying an image, i googled "bird on a branch" and browsed through the images to find one i wanted to re-create. with simple scrapbook paper and mod-podge i created this cute lil piece and mounted it to some foam board and secured it in the frame. i love this lil song bird!

i love, love, love this frame. i decided to spray paint it green and i am in love with the anthropologie-inspired look. i also heart prints in sepia tone, and family photos instead of random artwork...

i found this pretty lil plate at homegoods for 5 bucks. so cute. i'll post a how-to of how i hung my plates soon. i love the clean look instead of having those plate-hanging-prongs showing.

tada. my wall of art. i'd love to add some fun mirrors, some vintage skeleton keys and some more pictures... ahhhhhhh. one day.