Painting Fall pumpkins is one of my favorite things to do.

Every year I find something new to paint on my pumpkins whether they are real, faux, wooden, plastic, canvas or styrofoam.

Really, with pumpkins, the possibilities are endless!

A few years ago I shared how to paint a pumpkin, if you missed it you can see how to here.

I recently found the perfect blank wooden pumpkin for a front door hanger at Hobby Lobby.

I couldn’t wait to get started painting!

Step 1 was to remove the twine loop at the top and give the pumpkin a light sanding.

I won’t bore you with the painting details, I’ll just give you the highlights.

If you want to see how to paint them in detail, hit up the link I shared earlier!

Starting on my left, I paint in the shape of a “C”.

I continue each “C” until I hit the middle section, where I paint an oval shape.

Then on my right side I work my way to the middle painting reversed “C”s.

This creates the indentations on the pumpkin.

 TIP:

When painting my pumpkins I rarely clean out the brush.  For this pumpkin I used a dark turquoise, turquoise and white.

By not cleaning my brush it creates many different colors of the turquoise which gives it depth.

Once my turquoise was painted, I added some white and orange highlights.

Then, it was time to paint my stem.

Again, I used a dark brown, medium brown and white.

There are several ways to add the word “welcome” to my door hanger.

I could have used vinyl, however I didn’t have any permanent vinyl on hand so I decided to paint it on.

So, I did what I did in grade school when I wanted to transfer a design.

I drew the word welcome, then flipped the paper over and ran a pencil over the back of the paper where the word was written.

Once that was done, I flipped the paper back over and placed it where I wanted the word to be on my pumpkin.

Then, using a stylus, I traced the word.

After that it was just a matter of painting between the lines!

Once my paint dried, I reattached the twine and added a few burlap leaves.

At this point, the only thing that my pumpkin needed to be finished was a colorful bow!

My door hanger was ready to be hung.

Of course, I couldn’t just paint one!

I painted these smaller pumpkins using the same technique, only this time I painted on leaves and on the smaller one a fun leopard design.

Painting Fall pumpkins couldn’t be easier or more fun!

Until next time….

                                                           Remember, If you love it, be sure to PIN it!

 I’m so excited! I made a Halloween Tear drop! What’s a Tear Drop you ask? Well, we will get to that momentarily, but first a little back story!

Remember a month or so ago when I shared my Halloween Dollar Tree haul with you? Ever since then I’ve been adding things here and there to my stash just waiting for the right time to use it all. And then one day I was on Miss Cayce’s Christmas  Wonderland site and fell in love with Tear Drops.

This is one of Miss Cayce’s Tear Drops.

Isn’t it the cutest?

The base is an upside Christmas tree shaped “swag” of pine branches.

If I lived closer to Miss Cayce’s I would definitely take a class or two on how to decorate a Tear Drop.

Unfortunately, I’ll have to do with their Youtube tutorials!

Normally I would wait to share my finished product with you until the end.

However, this may be how my Tear Drop looks now, but it certainly isn’t what it looked like to start with.

My Tear Drop arrive a few days after ordering it.

Nicely packed with a personalized note inside.

I quickly took it out of it’s package, fluffed it up and added these cute black and white floral picks to the top and bottom of the Tear Drop.

Next, I added these cute witch hat picks, again at the top and bottom.

Now this is the part I was so excited about, I added a black glitter cat!

I had made this, along with a ghost and pumpkin from my Dollar Tree haul.

I knew  it would be the perfect focal point for my tear drop.

Just like Miss C’s tutorials, I added balls and bows.

Shiny curly things, as well as glittery spiders with webs.

And when I was done, I took a few steps back to admire my lovely glittery black cat with the bows and all things shiny!

All I could think was:

This is not at all what I had in my head!

The cat doesn’t show up at all…

I sat down at my studio desk to roll around in my disappointment and my eye caught a shiny little ghost sitting on the  worktable.

And I knew.

While I loved my glittery black cat, my shiny white ghost was perfect for my Tear Drop.

His glittery shiny white self just pops off of the greenery!

My Tear Drop isn’t nearly as cute as the ones at Miss Cayce’s, but I think it’s pretty cute.

Even without my black cat.

Now, I can’t wait to hang it.

Bring on Halloween!

Until next time….

It’s week 3 of the $100 Room Challenge. I can’t believe how fast it’s flying by! I got a lot done this week, although it may not look like it. A lot of tiny, behind the scenes stuff that you have to do, but really doesn’t show up that much.

A month or so ago I was at a clients home and she asked if I wanted an old chandelier.

Why, yes I did!

I love old chandeliers.

Can you say Granny chic?

I took this one home and cleaned it up, not really sure what I was going to do with it.

Until a few weeks ago.

The Hubs graciously hung the chandelier in the guest bedroom for me this past week.

I LOVE it!

So much better than the old beige ceiling fan.

I found new curtains.

Not exactly what I wanted, but they are cute, I couldn’t beat the price and my oldest son who is the one usually staying in this room loves them.

Sold!

I found an old black curtain rod hanging out in the guest room closet and decided to use it.

I sprayed it Rust-0-leum metallic gold and the curtains were ready to be hung.

The package said that the curtains were 95 inches long.

I used that measurement to determine the height of the rod.

However, once I hung the curtains they were not the same length all the way across and they were too long.

So I left them hanging, turned them up and pinned them the correct length.

Then hand sewed them.

So glad that’s done!

I couldn’t find artwork for the bedroom that I loved, so decided to paint my own.

This is my inspiration piece.

It would have been perfect except it’s got a black background, which won’t work in my room.

And it says “Gather”.

Not really for a guest room.

Cute, but I’m changing it up a bit to go with my room.

I’m not even close to being finished, but I did get started on it.

I have also started on a updating a few other accessories for the room, but still have a way to go to finish them up.

So how much have I spent so far?

This week’s total:

I bought curtains for $7.25 each,  gold metallic spray paint, and a faux plant for $28.49.

Combined with last weeks expenditures I have spent a total of : $59.18.

Which I feel like isn’t too bad.

I still have to make up my mind about what color I’m going to paint the dresser and nightstands.

Finish up the accessories and pull it all together in the next 2 weeks.

Fingers crossed!

So that’s it for week 3 of the $100 Room Challenge, if you missed week 1 or week 2 you can see those here:

                                              WEEK 1 / WEEK 2 / WEEK 3 / WEEK 4 / Week 5 Reveal

Now, please join me in visiting the other $100 Room Challenge Participants!

I’m so excited to have cooler temps here in North Texas! The cooler weather has me dreaming of fall and Halloween. So I finally dusted off the pumpkins and started decorating the front porch. As I was decorating, I realized that you only need 5 things for a fall front porch that is beautiful.

5 things that aren’t all that expensive and are  easy to do.

That’s my kind of decorating!

Step 1:

Clean everything.

This is the time to sweep the porch, clean your windows and doors, and if need be mulch the flower beds.

It’s amazing how a quick cleaning can make everything look so much better!

Step 2:

Add a pretty wreath or door hanger to your front door.

I believe the front door is one of the first things you see as you look at a house.

Making sure that it is clean, shiny and wearing a little bling is key.

Step 3:

And while you are at the front door, add a fun door mat.

I love all of the funny, colorful and inviting mats that you find today.

They come in a huge range of colors and sizes.

Normally my front door has a layered rug and mat combo, however this mat was so large that a rug under it looked like overkill for the space.

No worries.

I love this mat so much that I don’t even miss the rug!

Step 4:

Add fall flowers and pumpkins.

Right now my Summer flowers look better than they have in quite awhile, so I’m leaving those out for little longer.

However, that hasn’t stopped me from adding Mums to my front porch!

I never pay more than $5.00 or so for them.

That way when they are finished blooming I don’t feel bad about replacing them.

Also, I leave them in the plastic black pots they come in.

To spruce them up, I add a colorful bow to the front.

Sprinkle a few pumpkins around them and you never notice the cheap plastic pots.

Once the weather gets cooler I will get rid of the Summer flowers and add in more flowers and pumpkins.

Speaking of disguising the cheap plastic pots, I just had to share these cute little pails!

Aren’t they just the cutest?

And they were only $7.84  each.

Just pop a mum or fall flower in and it just screams fall and Halloween.

Step 5:

Now that your yard and porch are clean, the door is welcoming and you have your fall flowers and pumpkins out, it’s time to add the bling.

Just like a little black dress, when you add bling, it completes the look.

At my house, a garden flag welcomes you as you come up the sidewalk and head to the door!

A few colorful metal cornstalks are added to my summer planters for some added color and height.

My home sign is sporting a new fall charm.

And I’ve added fall pillows to my rocking chairs and other seating areas.

My front fall front porch is complete!

See?

Adding 5 things for a fall front porch is a super easy way to make sure that your porch is beautiful!

If you liked it, be sure to PIN it!

Welcome to 10 on the 10th!  This month’s theme is all things Fall.  Which I love because it’s all things fall here at the Castle. This month I’m sharing a blue and white Dollar Tree pumpkin.

I don’t know about you , but I’m always on the hunt for smaller items to add to my seasonal two tiered tray. All those smaller knick knacks can get a little pricey.

So on a recent trip to the Dollar Tree I spied a few items, that with a little make over, would be perfect for my tray.

Of course, my blue and white pumpkin didn’t start out that way.

This is what it looked like when I bought it.

Well, without the white paint splotches.

(Note to self: Take the before picture before you start painting!)

Cute, but not my style.

So, I flipped it over and on the back side gave it  a couple of coats of white paint.

Originally, I was going to replace the stem with something a little more rustic.

However, I decided  to take a craft knife and mess this one up.

Effectively making this one very rustic.

Once the stem was done, I took some scrap material from my new kitchen valance and used Mod Podge to attach it to the pumpkin.

While that was drying, I painted a dollar tree leaf in a fall design.

After that,  I attached the leaf to the pumpkin using velcro.

A little raffia added to the stem and my blue and white Dollar Tree pumpkin is finished.

Cost for my pumpkin?

Pumpkin: $1.00

Leaf:  There were 5 leaves in a package for a $1.00, .20 per leaf.

Fabric : free

Raffia: free

Mod Podge: free

All free products were already in my studio!

Not only was my blue and white Dollar Tree pumpkin easy to make, but it looks so cute on my fall two tiered tray!

Now I hope that you will join me in visiting the rest of the 10 on the 10th participants to see what Fall things they’ve come up with.

Pandora’s Box

Decorate and More With Tip

The Applestreet Cottage

Cloches and Lavender

French Ethereal

It’s the $100 Room Challenge – Week 2. Boy, has this week flown by! Honestly, between the holiday weekend, a wedding, and #life I feel as if I didn’t get much done.

However, I did get a few things painted as well as a little shopping done.

So without further ado, here’s what I did get done!

I chose my paint color for the walls.

Honestly, I’m not a gray fan, but the color that I went with is a soft blue/gray color.

Sherwin Williams Misty.

It’s perfect because not only does it go with the bedding, it also compliments all of the other colors that I plan to put in this room.

Day 1:

Once the paint color was chosen, I couldn’t wait to get started!

I cleared the room of everything but the big furniture items.

I was just about to start taping the room off when I just happened to look up.

That’s when I realized that the ceiling was the same color as the walls.

How did I miss that?

The ceiling definitely needed to be painted before the walls.

Luckily, I had an almost full gallon of ceiling paint in the garage from painting the Library a few months ago.

So, the bedroom ceiling got painted first!

Day 2:

Bright and early the next day I got up and started painting the walls.

Boy, did they need it!

Unfortunately, the walls were previously painted in a flat finish.

So the walls sucked up the new satin paint.

I had a bout 5 square feet of wall left when I ran out of paint!

Instead of buying another gallon, I purchased a sample of the same color.

Did you know that Sherwin Williams samples are quart sized and they come in a satin finish?

Plus, they are only $8.69 each.

Since they are having a 30% off sale, my sample came to $5.65!

The room is completely painted!

Everything is put back together, except for one thing.

I forgot to put the vent over the bed back into the ceiling!

Oh, well. There’s always tomorrow.

I thought that I needed to paint the crown molding, trim, and doors, but once the room was painted they looked great.

 Budget:

So where am I on my budget?

Here’s what I’ve spent so far:

1 gallon satin paint: $25.02

Ceiling paint – free (as it was sitting in the garage from another project.)

1 quart of sample paint: $5.65

Which brings me to the grand total of $30.67!

That’s it for the $100 Room Challenge Week 2.

In case you missed week one, you can find it here.

Also, I’ll be linking each week up as we go.

                        Week 1 / Week 2 / Week 3 / Week 4 / Week 5 Reveal

Now I hope that you will join me in visiting all of the other wonderful participants in the $100 Room Challenge to see what they’ve been up to!

Welcome to the $100 Room Challenge. I’m so excited to be a part of the challenge this time around as it’s the $100 RC’s 5th anniversary! Thank you to Erin from Lemons, Lavender and Laundry for allowing me to participate and for hosting such a fun challenge.

In case you’ve never heard of the $100 RC, let me give you a quick run down.

One room.

One month.

$100 to spend.

Every Wednesday in September all participants will be posting their progress, with the reveal being on the last Wednesday of the month.

I love this challenge because with only $100 to spend you learn to get creative really fast!

This year my challenge is this really beige, really boring guest room.

This is what it looked like when we moved in almost 1 year ago.

A couple of mis-matched night stands, a white bed and a dresser.

Fast forward a few months and this is what it looked like.

Much better, but it had a few issues.

• The bed was a full size.
• It was still all white and beige for the most part.
• Also, still very boring.
• Most of everything in this room was exactly how it was in our old house, and it didn’t work that well in our new house.

I knew things had to change.

My husband and I were sleeping on a fairly new Queen size mattress that just wasn’t working for us.

We bought a new mattress for us and moved our Queen mattress into the guest room.

The picture above was my inspiration for the new room.

New Guest Room Must Haves:

The room needed to be colorful, fun, a little masculine, a little feminine and most of all functional.

The inspo picture above was from Ballards.

Beautiful, but just the quilt and the shams cost over $400.

Well, beyond my budget for this room.

Then I came across this photo.

It’s almost identical to the Ballards quilt, except for the price tag.

It was under $60.00 with shipping and tax.

Sold!

Which brings me to what the room looks like today.

Don’t get me wrong… it’s okay.

In fact, it’s way better than it was before but it’s till needs a little something else.

Plans for the $100 Room Challenge:

I’m keeping the bed and the bedding because I like them and they are fairly new.

The pink chair stays because I love it!

The dresser, walls, trim and a nightstand ( maybe 2 nightstands) will all be painted.

Say good-bye to the ceiling fan!

I plan on adding new or upgraded accessories, artwork and curtains.

And if I’m standing at the end of all of that, I plan on cleaning out the closet and making it a bit more functional.

Right now it’s where I stashed artwork that I didn’t use when we moved in a year ago.

I know, it’s an ambitious list, but I think it’s achievable!

Be sure to check in every Wednesday to see how my room is coming as well as check in on all of the other participants.

You know you don’t want to miss this!!!

Until next Wednesday…..

Welcome! Can you believe that it’s already September 1? I would complain, but for the first time that I can remember I’m ready for fall. With the first of every month comes the DIY Challenge and I’m loving this months theme – Fall inspiration! Nothing makes me feel like it’s fall until I get my kitchen decorated. One of the things that I love best is pulling out fall themed kitchen towels.  Which is why I’m sharing how to make fall kitchen towels with you today!

A great big shout out to Terrie from Decorate and More With Tip. She’s our fearless leader and  I can’t tell you how much work she puts into hosting each month. Thank You Terrie!

Also, if you are visiting here from Blessings by me, I’m so glad that you are here!

Now, let’s get started!

I love cute flour sack towels.

Especially the ones that have fun quotes.

One teeny tiny issue though, sometimes they can get pricey.

So, I decided that I could make a few of my own.

In some ways this craft is so simple that I’m almost embarrassed to share it with you.

Simple, yet time  consuming!

Supplies:

1. Cutting Matt
2. Vinyl
3. Scissors
4. Iron or Heat Press Machine
5. Computer
6. Flour Sack towels. I found mine here.
   

   
   Step 1:

Before I go much further, I realize that not everyone has a cutting machine, however I plan to offer you what I think is a cute alternative at the end of this post!

I used my cutting machine’s software to upload a design for my kitchen towels.

Step 2:

Once my design was finished, I loaded my cutting machine with vinyl and let it do it’s magic!

This particular design has several colors.

Each color was cut out separately.

Step 3:

Iron on your design.

In my case I had 4 different colors, so each color would have to be ironed on separately.

Honestly, I know that there is a way to put all of the layers together before ironing them on, I  just haven’t had the time to watch a tutorial to figure it out!

I ironed mine on with my new heat press machine, however an iron works just fine.

Here’s how my Fall kitchen towel turned out.

I love it!!!

So much so that I think that I will be making some Fall and Christmas ones for gifts!

Now what if you don’t have a vinyl cutting machine?

I have two ideas for you.

Did you know that you can buy precut vinyl decals?

Well, you can!

You order, then simply iron on.

And what about stencils?

How simple would this be?

All you would need would be kitchen towels, paint and a brush!

I love making kitchen towels, but I also like that I can choose my design, color and theme to perfectly match my kitchen.

Making Fall kitchen towels have never been so much fun!

Now it’s time to head on over to visit Liberty at B4 and Afters, I can’t wait to see what she has made!

Also, be sure to visit all of the other DIY Challenge participants and their wonderful Fall projects!

Decorate and More with Tip

Jessica Simmons

Cloches and Lavender

Bluesky at Home

Bushra’s Lifestyle

Pretty DIY Home

A Vintage Flare Farmhouse

Blessings by Me

B4 and Afters

As always, if you loved it, be sure to Pin it!!

On a recent trip to Hobby Lobby, I was lucky enough to come upon their 90% off isle. It was suppose to be a quick run in, run out  trip, but I made the time for a quick stroll. I found several things that just had to come home with me, including the cutest bamboo candleholders ever!

Each candle One of the candleholders was missing a slat on the bottom for the glass cup to sit on.

However, I knew that would be an easy fix.

Each candleholder was$4.49 each.

I grabbed all four that they had left.

I love the look of bamboo, but I’ve never really known where to put it in my home.

While I think of myself as an eclectic decorator, bamboo always seemed a little too Gilligans Island in my home.

With the recent trend of gold bamboo picture frames, trays, and all things chinoiserie I knew that I could finally find the perfect place for a little bamboo.

Once the broken slat was repaired, I gave each of the candleholders a couple of coats of gold spray paint.

I was so excited.

Until I set the candleholder next to the picture frames that I already had.

The gold on the candleholder didn’t seem gold enough and looked really flat.

And even though the candleholders might never be next to the picture frames, the gold color just didn’t work for me.

My solution was to give the candleholder a quick coat of Rub N Buff.

The new gold color  had  the luster, warmth and shine that I had envisioned.

The gold candleholders pair well with my white pumpkin, fall leaves and berries.

I love this fall vignette.

My sofa table sits in a walkway, so I put potpourri in the glass cups instead of candles.

Less chance of a lit candle getting knocked off.

Plus, it smells heavenly!

I love this how well the gold looks in my blue and orange fall living room.

But I can’t help but wonder how they might look in a different color.

How about a bright hot pink?

Maybe a bold navy blue?

A deep emerald green might be nice!

No matter what color my bamboo candleholders eventually end up, right now they are perfect just the way they are!

Until next time…

Remember, if you liked it, be sure to PIN it!

For those of you who have been following along for a few years you know that Beep is my niece’s little girl. I can’t believe that she recently turned three! For her gift, my sisters and I decided to do an Ikea Duktig children’s kitchen makeover.

Full disclosure, it comes in an average size box that weighs a hundred pounds.

Slight exaggeration, but I suggest taking someone with muscles to help you carry it home.

Also, just so you know, it takes hours to put together!

NOT an exaggeration.

This is how it looks straight from the store.

Cute, but it can be so much better!

Step 1:

The first thing I did was decide how I was going to give it a tiny facelift.

Step 2:

Then I separated all of the many parts that needed to be painted.

All of the hardware was painted gold.

The countertop received a few good coats of white spray paint.

Step 3:

Once it was dry, I painted gray veins that resembled marble.

Step 4:

When all of the painting was done, I spent two evenings painstakingly putting it together.

Anybody who has ever put together anything from Ikea can relate.

It was already looking much better!

Step 5:

After putting it together, I realized that I could have painted more pieces white.

Just to give it a little more pizzaz.

To go with the kitchen I had made an apron, chefs hat, and oven mitt.

I decided to use the scrap material and mod podge it to the back of the cubbies.

The material gave the kitchen some much needed color!

However, it still needed something.

A backsplash!

Step 6:

The hubs cut out a thin board that fit the entire upper back half of the kitchen.

My first thought was how cute it would be to put peel and stick tiles on it.

After pricing the peel and stick tiles I realized two things.

1. It was pricey for our budget.
2. The scale of the tile was all wrong.

Instead, I went to plan B and painted the wooden board dark gray.

Then cut out heavy white poster board pieces to look like subway tile, then glued them to the board.

Once they were dried, I painted over the entire board with a clear gloss sealer which gave it the look of tile!

Step 7:

Now that the kitchen was all put together, it was time to add the jewelry!

This painted wooden knob was a perfect “hook” for Beep’s apron and chef hat.

A painted small 4 x 6 frame with vinyl kitchen art made the cutest little kitchen sign.

This next addition just may be my favorite!

Two coats of chalk board paint and a cut vinyl sticker made the perfect menu board.

The hubs made a chalk tray that rests on the countertop at the bottom of the sign.

A girls gotta have a place to put her chalk and eraser!

We also added a tiny little hook to the lower left side to hold Beep’s oven mitts.

Sadly, I didn’t get a picture of either.

I was so excited to be done that apparently I lost my mind…

While we were at Ikea we also picked up the utensil set and the pots and pans.

I think both of which were under $10.00.

They are so well made and stinking’ cute too!

I can honestly say that I love our Ikea Duktig children’s kitchen makeover.

Better yet, so did Beep!

Until next time…

Can you believe that September is just around the corner? With September comes all things fall. Pumpkins, sweatshirts,  leaves, Candy Corn and pumpkin spice everything! On a recent trip to Hob Lob I came across a few things in the Spring section that I thought would make great inexpensive fall decor. That’s right, I said things from the Spring section would make great inexpensive fall decor!

I found these cute little signs.

They had me at wooden beads.

However, as much as I love the beads, the artwork just wasn’t my style!

We all know that I love a good sale.

The Spring shop is now 90% off.

That’s not a good sale, it’s a great one!

It made these cute little signs .69 cents!

So, yes, I loaded them up and they went home with me.

Steps 1 – 4:

I knew that if I fixed them up a little bit, they would be perfect little signs to go on my two tiered tray in my kitchen.

Step 1:

Paint the entire surface with Mod Podge.

Step 2:

Lay pre-cut scrapbook paper on top of the  Mod Podge.

Be sure to gently rub out any air bubbles that you might have.

I use an old credit card to smooth mine out.

Step 3:

Put a coat of Mod Podge on top of your scrapbook paper.

Step 4:

After the paper had dried thoroughly, choose a wooden cut out to put on top of your sign.

What to do with your wooden beads

Step 1:

Flip your sign over and cut the knot holding the wooden beads to the sign.

I wanted to paint my wooden beads to match each sign that I was making.

To paint the beads, I load them onto a wooden stick and then paint them.

This makes it super easy to paint with little to no mess!

Step 2:

Once the beads are painted and dried, re-string them onto a piece of twine.

Step 3:

Take both ends of the twine and re-thread them into the hole at the top of the sign.

Step 4:

Tie the ends of the twine securely into a knot.

Your beads are finished!

Now for the fun part, decorating your wooden cut outs.

This is the time for you to get creative!

Add burlap, lettering, rhinestones, metal, paint, bows, raffia, paper or metallic paint.

Really, the only limitations are your imagination.

I made 4 signs in all.

This cute little fall sign cost less than $2.00 to create.

The leaf came from the Dollar Tree, 5 for a $1.00.

Everything else was leftover from another project.

Once again, my sweet little ghost was a 5 for a $1.00 Dollar Tree find.

Everything else I had on hand.

I bought this turkey cutout last year.

I’ve just been patiently waiting for the right time to use it.

Again, I think he cost less than $1.00.

The Christmas sign definitely cost me more than the other three signs.

I’ve had this Christmas tree in my stash and the sticker said that the tree was $2.00.

Right about now, I’m feeling like a big spender!

You know that you are making super cute, inexpensive fall decor when you can make all 4 signs for under $10.00!

That’s a bargain!

But how do they look on my two tiered stand?

I think they look pretty darn cute!

My head is spinning with all the possible decor that I can add to them.

Did I tell you that I love a good sale?

Until next time….

Remember, if you liked it, be sure to PIN it!

Lately I’ve been working a little outside of my home. I’ve been reluctant to do it because, #therona. But, when your BFF calls and asks you to help her paint a starry, starry night sky on her entryway ceiling, you say yes!

BFF Roxanne has been lucky enough to move into a house that she has been mooning over for over 20 years!

When you enter her house, you step right into  a library.

That’s her entryway!

To get an idea of how big the entry is, the table you see in the photo above will seat 4 comfortably.

And the ceilings are just over 12 foot high!

When Roxanne moved in, the ceiling had a beautiful painted map that spanned the barrel ceiling.

It was pretty, but in her mind the ceiling should be a night sky with stars!

Step 1:

Roxanne had her painters paint the ceiling a mid-tone blue for her night sky base coat.

Step 2:

We used a dark blue paint with glaze added to it to give it a faux finish that looked like a night sky.

This is what her entry way looked like after day 1.

We could have stopped right there, because it definitely had the highs and lows of a night sky, but we wanted more depth and color.

Step 3:

Fast forward a few weeks as her workers took over the space to put in new flooring.

This is where we started.

The plan was to make the center of ceiling darker, fanning out the paint toward the sides of the ceiling.

An added bonus was that the lights at the top of the book shelves already helped give it that illusion.

So we gave the center of the ceiling another pass with the dark blue paint and added glaze.

This is what the finished ceiling looked like finished.

Even though this photo of the ceiling is pretty, it is so much prettier in person!

It has the highs and lows as well as the depth and color that Roxanne was hoping for.

I just love when a project comes out better than you imagined!

Step 4:

Adding the stars.

Roxanne had found a stencil that she loved that had several different sizes of stars.

Using metallic gold paint, we (she) added stars all over the ceiling in a random design.

Tip: Using gold metallic paint to stencil the stars makes them look like as if they disappear and reappear as you walk around the room!

Because they tend to “disappear” it’s hard to get a good photo of them.

If you look closely, you can see them here!

This photo was one that I almost tossed out as it is so washed out.

However, I decided to share it as you can really see the depth and the stars.

It truly does look like a night sky!

We realize that this night sky isn’t for everyone, but that’s okay.

Roxanne is thrilled with her starry, starry night sky!

And I’m thrilled for her.

Once she finishes decorating this area, it’s going to be a show stopper!

Until next time…

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Hey y’all! I hope that you all had a wonderful weekend. We had a low key, laid back weekend. I dragged the fall containers out and did a little fall decorating. I’m so ready for fall! This year my decorating is a little different. I chose to go with a non-traditional color scheme in  a few rooms and a more laid back style. The breakfast room has not only  a different fall color scheme, but also a simple fall table design. We all know how I love to set an over the top table!

If you haven’t read about my breakfast room design saga, you can read that here.

The fabric I used  for the window curtain panels has  teal, turquoise, golden rod, navy and white colors in it.

So it only made sense that I use those colors for my fall decor!

I found this beautiful table runner here.

It matches my curtains perfectly!

Since this is my everyday table, I like using a runner instead of a tablecloth.

Easy clean up!

Next, I found these placemats.

Not only do they have the colors of the curtain fabric, but they also have the pretty steel blues of the area rug!

Next, I used my white hob nail dishes.

I know that I use these almost every time, but they are so versatile.

These striped golden cloth napkins are one of my favorites, however even thought they were the perfect size and color they were a little plain.

Adding the simple navy leather napkin rings helped, but they were still too plain for me.

I took some burlap leaves and spray painted them blue.

After bending the wire tail of the leaf, I tucked them into the napkin ring.

The folds in the napkin hide the wire!

These burlap leaves may just be my favorite fall accessory this year!

For a centerpiece I added three white pumpkins, then wrapped them in a fun light yellow berry vine.

Once again, I added a few more of the blue burlap leaves under the pumpkins to glam it up a bit.

Adding teal glassware finishes off my simple table perfectly!

Now, just in case you are wondering who I am and what I did with the old “Tammy” since my table is so simple, don’t worry!

We all know that a little closer to fall I won’t be able to resist breaking out the pumpkin plates!

And maybe some new gold flatware…

But, until then, I think that I’ll stick with a simple fall table!

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It’s not often that you have clients that are fun and want you to paint fun stuff. Fortunately, I have had the pleasure to work with Princess P’s Mom and Grandmother several times. They both put the fun into me painting for them. Painting for them this time did not disappoint. Princess P’s Castle was a dream to paint.

Before:

 The mural needed to be finished before my clients moved in,  so I begged my BFF Rox, aka former painting business partner to help.

You can see our Library painting here.

She is just the best!

This is where we started.

Not the best photo as these were snapped by the homeowner when they were looking at buying the home.

Miss P hasn’t moved into her bedroom yet.

So this was the perfect time for us to paint.

When I first visited with the clients about what the room would look like, the only criteria was that they wanted a castle.

Also, they wanted the bed to “fit” inside of  the draw bridge door of the castle.

And maybe a Unicorn?

This is what I came up with.

However, since I hadn’t seen or measured the room I let the clients know that there might be some changes.

Miss P’s Castle:

Once we got into Miss P’s room, we realized that the existing drawing would not work.

The castle draw bridge wasn’t nearly big enough for a queen sized bed to fit “into”.

However, we didn’t scrap the whole thing we modified it and this is what it looks like today.

Miss P also wanted one teeny, tiny thing.

A Unicorn.

Of course, we painted a unicorn.

Isn’t she cute?

Painting the mural took us three whirlwind days to finish Princess P’s castle, but I think it turned out pretty cute.

Luckily, so did Miss P!

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Can you believe that it’s August already? In fact, it’s $10 on the 10th! Our theme this End of Summer. Gardening, home decor and back to school. Blogger’s choice. This month I chose  back to school organization.

Whether you are home schooling or actually going back to school this year, the one thing that we all need to start the year off right is a little organization.

Today I’m sharing a few things to help you get started.

Before I start, I just want to say that organizational items for school have come a long way from Trapper keepers.

So many things that are super cute and are functional as well!

Back to School Organization

Let’s start with a few things that you’ve may, or may not, have seen before.

However, by adding some personalization they become one of a kind.

A. Crayon Box Super Stacker -This may just be my new favorite! Add a vinyl decal and you have the cutest way to keep track of your crayons ever. And it’s only .99!

B. Glitter Pencil Box – I know these have been around forever, but there’s a reason for that. Super functional. Again add some vinyl to it and you have yourself a pretty cute box. Also .99!

C. Glam Pencil Bag –This one’s for the not so little kid in your life! What girly teen wouldn’t love her own personalized bag? The monogram is a vinyl heat transfer. Super easy to iron on! The bag was 50% off at $5.00, the matching pencils, also 50% off, came in right at $4.50.

 D. Art Box – This one may be more for homeschooling, but it’s also my favorite! What better way to coral your art supplies? I think it would also be great for a nail polish tote! This one is above my $10.00 limit at $11.99. However, if you use a 40% off coupon it  comes in at $7.20.  Can you say personalize it? Paint pens, stickers, and vinyl are all perfect choices.

E. Stackable Lap Trays – again this might be better suited to the homeschooler, but I’ve always thought these were fun. $7.49.

F. 6 Cup Crayon Caddy – These 6 cup caddies would be perfect for holding tons of things besides crayons. They are a steal at $3.99 and they had me at all the bright colors!

P.S. I found all of these at Michaels!

I saved the best for last.

A personalized memory box.

I was gifted one a few years ago and keep all sorts of fun mementos in mine.

What better way than to remember your school year than by making one of these to hold all your treasures?

Supplies:

1 photo box – $2.99

Scrapbook paper – I had on hand

Mod Podge- on hand also

Peel and Stick letters

Step 1:

Cut your scrapbook paper to fit three sides of your box and lid, leaving 1/4 inch border all the way around.

The front of the box has a metal slot for you to label. I left that one bare.

Also, for the top of the box, I cut two pieces of  co-ordinating paper for embellishment.

1 – 9″ x 2 1/4″

1 – 10″ x 3 1/2″

Step 2:

Next, apply the paper to all sides and top of the box using Mod Podge.

Once those papers have dried, add your two co-ordinating papers to the center of your lid, starting with the larger paper, then add  the smallest.

Step 3:

Once the paper has completely dried, it is time to add your embellishments.

I added my name and of course a few crowns here and there.

Tip: Don’t be like me and spill the glitter on top of the box!

Not a good look.

But it is original.

Here are just a few of the projects I made to make back to school organization just a little easier and a whole lot more fun!

And all were well under $10.00.

Now, it’s time to visit all the other bloggers in this hop.

I can’t wait to see what subjects, and projects, they chose!

Patti – Pandora’s Box

Anne – The Apple Street Cottage

Barbara – French Ethereal

Beth – Creatively Beth

Don’t you love finding something on sale? Then adding one or two little tweaks to your find to make it look super cute? That’s what happen to me recently. I found these super cute beach bags for $4.00! Each bag came with the cutest tassel on it. Cute, but by adding one tiny thing I turned them into totes adorbs swag bags.

I know “totes adores” is so last year, but I just couldn’t help myself!

So what did I do that made the swag bags totally adorable?

I did what any southern girl would do, I monogramed them.

Here’s how you can monogram you beach bag too.

Step 1:

Cut out your monogram on a digital cutting machine.

Don’t have one?

No worries!

I wanted to use a single initial on my bags, so I didn’t need anything fancy.

You could use a stencil,  hand draw your letter or use a pre-cut scrapbook letter.

I sprayed the back of my card stock letter with spray adhesive to ensure that it would stick to my bag.

Step 2:

Next, simply place your letter on your bag.

Make sure to press down firmly to make sure that it adheres well.

Step 3:

Using a pencil, lightly trace around your letter.

This is what your design should look like after removing the card stock.

Honestly, you could skip the spray adhesive if you want, it just helps keep the letter in place.

Step 4:

Paint your letter.

I used an acrylic multi-surface paint and a small paintbrush.

I matched the color of paint that I used to the colors in the tassels for a more custom look.

You may find that you need a couple of coats of paint to achieve full coverage.

Once mine had fully dried, I added a few tiny white accents to give it a little dimension.

That’s it!

Your bag is done.

Such a small thing that creates a lot of bang for your buck!

I did four of these bags for my sisters and nieces, painting each one a different color.

Once the bags were done, I filled them with all sorts of fun goodies.

I do believe that these are totes adorbs swag bags!

Last time I say that…

Promise!

Until next time…

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Welcome to August’s DIY Challenge! This month our challenge was to make something out of dowel rods. That’s right, you read that right. Dowel rods! After much thought I knew that I wanted to add to my gallery wall letters. There are a few spaces that still need a little letter here and there. Thanks to Terrie from Decorate and More with Tip for being our fearless leader! I just love her monthly challenges. Also, if you are coming here from Michelle, Blessings by Me, I am so glad that you are here. Now, let’s get down to business!   Our media room is really a bonus room above our garage. When we moved in last year, a lot of the old house’s decor landed here. So there is a lot of color. I decided to just go with it. This throw is one of my all time favorites and it matches all of the color in the room I used it as my inspiration for my letter. I found this letter at Hobby Lobby, as well as the small dowel rods. The plan was to cover the entire letter with different colors of dowels.

Step 1:

I measured and marked each dowel that I was placing on the letter.

Step 2:

Once I had each dowel marked, I cut them using my mini miter saw. I just love this thing for cutting small pieces of wood! It may just be my favorite tool!

Step 3:

After cutting the dowels, I gave them a light sanding on the ends to knock off any rough edges.

Step 4:

After each of my dowels were cut it was time to paint them. For this next step, I highly recommend wearing gloves! I was going for a distressed, worn look to match the other letters on my gallery wall. With that in mind, I watered down the paint slightly. After giving each dowel a coat of paint, I then wiped them off with a paper towel.

Step 5:

Paint the letter black. My dowels are going to cover most of the letter, however there were a few spots here and there that would show. The black just gave it a more cohesive look and did not compete with the other colors.

Step 6:

Glue the dowels to the letter. I worked in 1 to 2 inch sections. Put on a little glue, place the dowel rod. I continued doing this until all of my dowels were in place. Make sure that you have  plenty of glue to ensure that the dowels adhere well. So how did my dowel rod letter turn out? I love it! It fits right in with the rest of my gallery wall letters. And matches my inspiration pillow and throw perfectly! Plus who doesn’t love an easy, budget friendly project that adds so much to a space? Now it’s time to visit Terrie from Decorate and More With Tip ( you are not going to believe what she made!)  and all of my other DIY Challenge friends.

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My BFF Roxanne was kind enough to gift me her blue flower pots when she moved. When we went to pick them up she asked if I wanted to do a children’s lounge chair makeover? Actually, it was more like “here’s a child’s lounger, I know you can do something with it!” So we loaded it up and took it home.

My first thought was to just clean the cushions and umbrella top and paint them.

However, before I could paint, the cushions needed a good scrubbing.

As I scrubbed, I discovered a zipper.

Cool!

I could take the covers off of the cushions and wash them in the washing machine!

Umm, nope.

Not happening.

What I found inside the cushion cover convinced me that plan B was  a better option.

I took the foam out of the cushion cover and the umbrella top off of the umbrella.

My plan was to take them apart and sew new ones, using the old ones as a pattern.

Until I priced outdoor fabric.

It would cost me more than my BFF had originally paid for the lounger.

So not happening.

Plan C.

I power washed the lounger and umbrella.

Already they were looking much better!

I ordered enough outdoor material and a few embellishments to make a new umbrella top.

Using the old umbrella top as a pattern, I cut out pieces to make a new umbrella.

It was a challenge, but I’m happy to say that it came out better than I expected.

With the sewing done, I painted the umbrella skeleton a bright white.

Giving the lounger 2 good coats of white paint made it look like new!

This is coat one.

Once the painting was done it was time to put it all together.

And this is what it looks like painted with a new umbrella.

I had just enough material left over to make a swanky little pillow.

When Miss A came for a visit a few weeks ago, she took one look at it and said “look, it’s just my size!”

She’s right, it is.

I have to admit that this children’s lounger makeover took a lot more time and planning than I ever thought it would.

But if the rest of our littles enjoy it as much as Miss A did, then it was so worth it!

Until next time…

If I’m being honest, this whole self isolation business – while not the best of situations – has made me come to appreciate several new items. Some because they haven’t had my normal item at the store and I’ve had to go with substitutions , some because #imbored and a few because I’ve done a little retail therapy! So today, I’d like to share with you a few new things I like!

My first is a substitution.

Lavender Magic Erasers.

They are suppose to be for cleaning the bath, but I’ve used them just about everywhere because they smell so good!

Not only do they smell good, but they are still great at getting the job done!

The next few items came about because The Hubs and I rescued an old sewing machine cabinet from the trash.

Sewing organization items!

Why have I not known about these sooner?

I must have  been living under a rock!

I’ve seen this wall mounted  thread holder.

I’ve resisted buying one because they always look messy.

Threads hanging… etc.

Then I found these!

OH. MY. GOODNESS!

These embroidery bobbins, bobbin holder clips and thread spool huggers are the bomb!

I HATE that my bobbin thread comes loose and gets everywhere even though I’m super careful about storing it.

Same with thread.

These thread spool huggers keep thread neat and in place.

Then these bobby pin looking things allow you to store your bobbin on top of it’s matching thread.

Whoever invented this was a genius! 

These planters from Costco.

We are in the process of redoing our entire back yard.

New pool, decking, pergola…

Since I won’t have many beds in the sea of hardscape, I realized that I would need to add in some large planters for color.

When I saw these at Costco, for only $40.00, the heavenly choir started to sing!

They are 21 1/2″ tall x 15 1/2″ wide at the top.

LOVE them.

This next item came about due to sheer boredom.

And it cost absolutely nothing.

Free Watercolor lessons from Craftberrybush.

If you’ve ever seen her paint, you would know why I’m so excited!

She not only gives free lessons that you can watch on her Instagram and Youtube channels, but she shares what paint and tools to buy.

Both the beginner level and the splurge.

I’ve painted as long as I can remember, however I’ve never painted with watercolors.

This is my first painting and while I’ve got a long way to go, I think I’m hooked.

The next one came about because I’m tired of my bath rugs slipping all over the bathroom floor whenever anyone walks on them.

Drives me crazy!

I’m trying out Anti-curling rug grippers.

I’ve only had them on for a little while, but so far so good.

The great things about these – when I’m ready to wash the rug, I peel them off of the rug.

Ready to put them back on?

I lightly wet them and they are reusable!

I’ll let you know how it goes.

The next is my new guilty pleasure and may – or may not- be the cause of Corvid weight gain.

DON’T Judge!

Dr. Pepper & Cream Soda may be an acquired taste, but it takes me back to summers when we would get cream soda at my great uncles corner gas station as a treat!

I can still remember opening up the “coke” box lid and reaching down into ice cold water with ice to pull out my favorite flavor of coke in a small glass bottle.

(Here in the south we use coke as a generic term for a soda.)

Even though I don’t drink Dr. Pepper that often anymore, I’m still a Dr. Pepper nut.

10, 2 and 4!

Worth the try.

That’s all of the new things that I like, however if Corvid keeps rearing it’s ugly head, I’m sure that I will have a few more to share soon.

So what are the new things that you’ve tried in the past few months?

I’d love to hear what you’ve been up to!

Until next time… 

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The Hubs and I were leaving our self isolation for a quick adventure a few weeks ago and it was trash day. As we pulled out of the drive, The Hubs spotted this old sewing machine cabinet. He stopped and asked if I wanted it?

Yes, you know you have a trash diving issue when everyone you know helps you dig in the trash for gems!

So we loaded this cabinet, complete with a sewing machine, spiders, a pair of grandma glasses and a stapler, and took it home for a sewing machine cabinet makeover!

At first I wasn’t sure what to do with it. And then the more I thought about it, the more excited I was to have found it. I could put it in my studio and actually leave my sewing machine out, ready for use. No more storing it in my studio closet and wagging it out every time I wanted to use it.

What a pain!

First thing I did was clean it out and relocate ( kill) the spiders and ditch the sewing machine. I asked my friend Charlene who is an antique aficionado if the sewing machine had any value.

“Yep”, she said, “as a boat anchor.”

So, we waived goodbye to the sewing machine and gave it a good cleaning with warm water. After a light sanding,  The Hubs helped me take it apart to so that I could paint it.

Don’t judge!

Normally I would cringe at painting an antique, but this one had seen better days and quite honestly, while sturdy, it wasn’t built with that great of wood to start with.

Since I was putting it in my studio, which is navy, hot pink and white, it just made sense to paint it the color of the rest of the furniture. I used General Finishes Klein Blue. It took two coats and once it was finished, I put a water based polyacrylic top coat on it.

When I went to remove that hardware, I realized that they had glued the handles on. In fact, I’m not entirely certain what the handles are made of. So I painted them blue to match the drawer.

The handles on my desk are a bright shiny gold. So I painted the detail and the handles on the sewing machine cabinet a bright gold too. I used Martha Stewart metallic gold, which is truly my favorite!

Once I was finished painting the front of the drawers, I lined each of them with a fun drawer liner. A fun drawer liner is a favorite of mine, they make me smile every time I open a drawer!

I was so excited to get it into my studio! I set it up, filled the drawers and stepped back to get a great photo and then I saw the cords.

Which are a BIG pet peeve of mine.

So, I did what any cord hating girl would do, I got out my Cordmate. If you haven’t seen this, it is a hard plastic tube with a slot in the side to stuff your cord into with a sticky back.

Genius!

Cordmate is so easy to use.

It comes in 4 ft lengths, just cut the cordmate the size you want, adhere it to the back of furniture or wall and stuff your cord into the side slot.

No more sloppy cord hanging down.

I am so happy that The Hubs talked me into bringing this cabinet home! Now I’m motivated to organize the rest of my sewing accessories. Who knew that they had so many sewing organization tools?

Until next time!

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Welcome to Christmas in July Part 2! Last week I shared how to make a fun Christmas decoration with you and today I’m sharing another one. Why?Mainly because I couldn’t decide which one to share last week! So, I made two.

Do you know who Brooke from Re-fabbed is? If not, you need to head on over there. She’s adorable! A few weeks ago I caught her live video with Stacey from Wilshire collections.

They made the cutest Christmas present craft.

I could not resist making one of my own!

As I watched the live, I knew while I didn’t have the supplies to make one like they did, I did have a few other things on hand that I felt would make a cute one.

I started with an 8″ x 13″ piece of unfinished lumber.

Step 1:

Paint the wooden plaque black.

Step 2:

I took a 12″ x 12″ piece of scrapbook paper and cut it to fit the painted board.

Making sure that the paper would wrap around both ends of the board.

Everyone knows that a perfectly wrapped present is covered on all sides!

Step 3:

Next, I gave the board a generous coat of Mod Podge, placing the scrapbook paper on top of the glue, gently rubbing it to adhere and get rid of all of the air bubbles.

Once that was done, I added an even coat of Mod Podge to the paper covered board.

Step 4:

Now that we have the base of the present finished it’s time to add the lid to the top of the present.

After trying out several papers, I chose a red with white polk-a-dot paper.

I cut a 2″ x 10″ strip and Mod Podged it to a paint stir stick.

( not sure if “podged” is a word, but I’m running with it!)

Step 5:

Once the glue was dry, I hot glued the stir stick to the top of the black and white board.

Now, it is time to embellish the my Christmas present!

Step 6:

Brooke and Stacey added tiny wreaths, jingle bells, ribbon and a tag to their gifts.

I didn’t have a tiny wreath but I did have this large roll of small garland.

Which made a perfect small wreath!

I simply wrapped the garland around a can of spray paint a couple of times to form the wreath.

Then, for a little glam, I added a strand of tiny red berries my wreath.

Next, I tied two of jingle bells to each end of a piece of twine.

Once I had both the wreath and the bells put together, I glued them to the top of the present.

Step 7:

Every present needs a pretty bow!

Using scrap pieces of ribbon, I added this bow, gluing it right on top of the twine holding the wreath and jingle bells.

Now it was actually starting to look like a present!

The last thing I always put on my gifts is a tag.

I had a few small wooden tags lying around.

After painting one white, I addressed it with a black sharpie pen.

My Christmas present is complete!

I love this project simply because it is so versatile and can be adapted to any decor or theme.

That’s my kind of Christmas decoration!

Now that Christmas in July Part 2 is in the books, I think I’m ready to get back to a few summer projects.

Although I have to say that a little bit of Christmas in July sure is fun!

Until next time….

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Merry Christmas in July!

Honestly, I can’t even believe I’m even thinking about Christmas as it’s hotter than the devil’s back porch here in North Texas! Seriously, while I’m not excited about the heat and humidity, I am excited to be a part of the Christmas in July blog hop!

Thank you Terrie from Decorate and More with Tip for bringing us all together for a little Christmas fun!

If you are visiting from Carol’s Blue Sky at Home, welcome! Yay, you’re here!!!

Did you know that it is only 151 days til Christmas?

Probably didn’t need to hear that.

However, with a lot of us still staying home due to THE COVID, this is the perfect time to break out all of the Christmas projects.

You know, the ones we promise ourselves that we will get done, but never do?

My poject starts with these Mosaic Wooden Plaques from Michaels.

Today I’m sharing how to make a Christmas tree plaque.

Supplies:

Mod Podge

sponge brush

Ribbon

Scrapbook paper

Hot Glue and Glue Gun

Step 1:

First, paint your plaque the color of your choice.

I painted mine black.

Step 2:

Now it’s time to cut out your Christmas trees.

I used my Silhouette cutting machine to do mine.

Don’t have a cutting machine?

No worries, there are a ton of templates online.

Step 3:

Next, make a background for your design using scrapbook paper.

Step 4:

Paint the back of your wooden plaque with Mod Podge.

( I swear I’ve Mod Podged more things since the pandemic started than I have my entire life!)

Step 5:

Lay your background paper on top of the glue,

Tip: I like to use a clean brush to smooth out all of the wrinkles and air bubbles.

Once your paper is smooth, paint a coat of Mod Podge on top.

Step 6:

Place your Christmas trees on your paper where you want them, making sure to smooth out any air bubbles.

Once you have the trees where you want them, give them a coat of Mod Podge.

Step 7:

While my design was drying, I made a bow to go on top of my plaque.

However, you won’t need a lot of ribbon for this.

In fact, I used a lot of scrap ribbon that I had in my craft closet.

Once your plaque is dry, hot glue the ribbon to the top of the plaque.

Your Christmas plaque is complete and more importantly it’s ready to decorate with.

As far as projects go this one is pretty simple and a lot of fun!

So much fun that I made several for gifts!

Now, it’s time to hop over to visit Chloe at Celebrate and Decorate. I can’t wait to see what she has featured.

After that, be sure and check out all of the other wonderful ideas.

 
Decorate and More with Tip | Sew Sassy by Paula | DIY Vibes | Pretty DIY Home

Bluesky at Home | Patina and Paint | Celebrate and Decorate | B4 and Afters
 
A Vintage Flare Farmhouse | LeCultivateur | Country Road 407 | The House House\

Jessica B Simmons | Living Little John

My sister is a minister in a small rural community in Oklahoma. Last week I recieved a call from her asking if I would do her a favor. She needed a few signs that would give a few people a gentle reminder, It doesn’t flush itself!

After I stopped laughing, I asked her why she needed those signs?

There are a few groups of people using the outreach building during the week.

Without fail, almost every week, the cleaning committee would come in on Saturday to clean before church on Sunday and they would find that the toilets hadn’t been flushed.

In days.

You get what I’m saying.

Ain’t nobody want to deal with that!

The outreach center’s decor theme is Cowboy Chic.

Keeping that in mind, I wanted to keep the sign’s design rustic with a little bit of glam.

Also, I was on a tight budget!

A quick trip to Hobby Lobby yielded a large 12 x 12 wooden frame for $9.99.

Using my 40% off coupon brought the frame’s total to just under $6.00.

So much cheaper than a pre-finished frame!

I also found ribbon and some wrapping paper to match.

The first thing I did on this project was to paint my frame black.

Once the paint was dry, I took the wrapping paper and cut out a square the exact size of my black frame.

I painted the frame with a generous coat of Mod Podge and then applied the wrapping paper.

Tip: When using Mod Podge make sure you have a nice even coat applied to your surface.

Once you have your paper laid on top of the glue, take a clean brush and gently remove any air pockets or wrinkles.

Once that is done, apply another even coat of Mod Podge to seal the paper.

While the Mod Podge was drying, using my Silhouette cutting machine, I cut out the vinyl lettering for my sign.

After cutting my black card stock to fit inside the frame, I applied the vinyl lettering to the card stock.

And just like that, my sister’s gentle reminder, “It doesn’t flush itself” was finished.

My sister is picking up the signs this weekend.

I sincerely hope that the signs work, as the cleaning committee is all in an uproar about the lack of hygiene!

Every time I see these signs I can’t help but laugh.

Of course, I’m not the one that has to clean the toilets either or I just might be tempted to give a not so gentle reminder, IT DOESN’T FLUSH ITSELF!

Until next time….

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After weeks and weeks of searching for the perfect material to recover my breakfast room chairs, I’m happy to say that I finally found one!

Just a quick recap in case you missed it.

A few months ago I started giving my dining room a quick makeover.

I refinished my breakfast room table.

Made new curtains and added a coffee bar.

As you can see from the picture, the material looks as if it has several shades of blues, greens and yellows.

However, when it came in it was actually several shades of teal, not blue.

Now, I had to figure out how to match up all of the blue in the room to the curtain material.

This material, Emperial Trellis, is from Ballards.

It is shown several times paired with my curtain fabric, however I worried that the green was brighter and a little too much on the mint side.

Also, it is an embroidered fabric and a little too pricey for me!

This is the Osaka Bamboo Trellis fabric from Spoonflower.

Not only is it similar to the Ballard’s fabric, it is a perfect match to my curtain fabric.

Winner, winner chicken dinner!

Step 1:

Remove the chair pad from the chair.

In all honesty, since there was no piping to deal with, I was hoping that I could simply cover the cushions with the new fabric.

However, as you can see, the old striped fabric could clearly be seen through the new fabric.

Step 2:

The old fabric had to come off.

Did I mention that I hate the tedious process of removing the staples?

When I remove staples from furniture there are always a few bloody knuckles before the project is over!

So much fun.

Once the staples and fabric were removed, I positioned the new fabric making sure that the pattern was centered.

Then using a staple gun, I attached the new fabric.

Seriously, if I could ignore the staple removal process, this is one of the easiest reupholstery projects to date.

( The fabric looks very lime here, but is really a grass green!)

It took me a long time to commit to this fabric, but I am so glad that I finally did.

Why did it take me so long?

Can you say white and green?

Don’t get me wrong, I love both colors.

But white on a dining chair?

It honestly made me a nervous wreck just thinking about it.

However, after much thought, I decided to go for it!

Did I mention that I bought lots and lots of Scotch Guard?

Seriously, I really do love the new fabric on my breakfast room chairs.

So much so that I wish I had done it a few months ago!

Now, if only I could make up my mind on the wall paint color…

Until next time.

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