Even though I don’t want to do the whole pandemic thing over,  it certainly wasn’t all bad. I took the opportunity to take a few art classes, start brush lettering again and I signed up to do something 3 times a month that  I never had the time to do before.  Make painted door hangers.

We’ve all seen the cute door hangers on Pinterest and on the doors of perfect houses in our neighborhood.

So cute!

But taking the time to learn to use a jig saw and cut them out, then paint them, then seal and hang them?

Well, I just never seemed to find the time.

Then one day I saw Lisa Miller of Creative Canvas by you telling everyone about her new on-line classes and  how to join her inner circle.

I had watched Lisa paint on-line many times, but never thought to join up and learn all things door hangers.

Then one day I thought, why not?

This cute Easter truck door hanger was one of the very first things we painted in our class.

I’ve enjoyed every second of being a member of her inner circle.

Every Thursday night at 8:00 CST I jump on facebook and watch a tutorial on how to paint the latest door hanger.

I’ve learned new skills, such as how to use a jig saw.

I’m feeling pretty confidant about cutting out the hangers.

There’s only one downside to making these cute door hangers.

I paint 3 a month.

I never thought about how many that would end up being over a years time.

And that’s only if I don’t go into the archives and download previous patterns.

Cause you know I can’t help myself if I see a super cute one.

I do have a solution though.

My friends and family are the proud ( or maybe the reluctant) recipients of door hangers!

You get a door hanger and you get a door hanger and you….

Well, you get the idea.

This is my latest door hanger that I finished just yesterday.

I LOVE it!

But most of all I love that I’ve learned a new form of art.

Proving that an old dog CAN learn new tricks.

And that painted door hangers aren’t that hard to make after all.

And it doesn’t hurt that the door hangers are super cute either…

Until next time….

                                              IF YOU LOVE IT, BE SURE TO PIN IT!

Today I’m sharing how to zhuzh up a box. You know, give it something a little extra.

Why? Well, have you ever visualized something decorated in your home, but when it comes to finding it you can’t find it anywhere? I do all of the time! It drives me crazy.  I guess this dilemma is why I’ve made so many decor items in my home.

I have had these cute olive trees for awhile now.

But I’ve always felt like they needed something more.

Something extra.

Like a really cute planter to put them in!

Supplies

I wanted this cute little style of box to put my topiaries in, but sadly couldn’t find the right sized ones anywhere.

So I’m making my container.

These are the supplies to make one:

Box

Wood beads

glue

Wood filler

Scissors

Spray Paint

Basket reeds

Step 1

Measure your box.

You will need the measurements to both the width and length of your box.

Step 2:

Using your measurements, cut a strip of reed for the length and width of your box.

Then cut the reed in half lengthwise.

This will give you a total of 4 strips.

2 for the length and 2 for the width.

Do this for all four sides of your box.

Step 3:

I started out using wood glue to glue the strips to the box.

However, this took forever!

After a few sides of glueing, then waiting for it to dry before moving on to the next side, I quickly decided to use a hot glue and hot glue gun.

Step 4:

Cut your cross wood strips.

Math clearly isn’t my forte, so I did not measure the cross strips perfectly.

I measured my box diagonally.

Then cut a wood strip that was a little longer than my diagonal measurement.

Cut that strip in half lengthwise, set one piece aside.

Laying the piece diagonally across the box, mark the strip where the corners meet on the box.

Cut where you have marked.

Glue onto box.

Step 5:

Using the piece of wood strip that you set aside, cut it in half widthwise.

Mark the end pieces just as you did in step 4.

Place the end of the strip into the corner of the box and measure the other end, where your wood strip meets the cross wooden strip that you have already glued on.

Mark and cut.

Do this for the other side.

Glue both pieces onto the box.

Step 6:

Once you have completed all four sides of your box, fill any holes or spaces that don’t quite meet up with wood filler.

Let the filler completely dry, then sand smooth.

Step 7:

Glue the wooden beads to the bottom of your box to give it feet.

Step 8:

Paint the box.

Once your box is completed it is time to paint it.

I used a white spray paint that already had a primer in it.

Give it a couple of coats of paint and your box is finished.

Isn’t this the cutest?

I just plopped the topiary in, added some moss and tied on a bow.

It’s exactly as I visualized it and it goes perfectly with my decor.

I couldn’t be happier and feel like the traditional style will be perfect for quite some time to come.

Hopefully, you liked how to zhuzh up a box as much as I did making one!

Until next time….

                                     If you love it, be sure to PIN it!

It only took us about 6 weeks, but our kitchen remodel is done! I am so happy to say that we are no longer living in never ending dust. More importantly, the dark hole that used to be our kitchen is now a light, bright space that we love.

Before I share the finished kitchen, let’s take a look at what the kitchen used to look like and a recap of all the work we’ve done.

The Old Kitchen

The original cabinets were a white oak that had been lime washed.

I’m not sure of the original stain color, but over time they had taken on an orangy, peach color.

The top coat had worn off in spots and they had seen better days.

The granite countertops had been installed 18 years ago and had chips and dings in them.

You can’t see it, it had  a bright burgundy color in it to match the backsplash trim.

I was not a fan of either.

What I hated about the counter tops the most was that you couldn’t see when they needed cleaning.

Drove. Me. Crazy!

Don’t even get me started on the backsplash and the yellow under counter lighting.

Work in Progress

Step one was to have the counter tops replaced.

I agonized over this one decision more than any of the rest.

The trend is to go with a white quartz, but having everything in the kitchen white would be a little too much in this small space.

I loved the look of Soapstone, but didn’t want the up keep that came with it.

And after having busy granite in the last two homes we had, I was ready for something a little less “extra”.

So we went with a timeless look.

A black Quartz called Pittsburg.

It isn’t very shiny and has little bits of shiny pieces here and there.

Farmhouse Sink

For our sink we chose a farmhouse white porcelain sink.

LOVE it!

A brushed gold faucet was another big decision for me, as I was trying to choose timeless pieces, rather than trendy ones.
However, every time I would go looking at faucets I found myself drawn to the gold.

After the gold faucet was installed I was so glad that I went that route.

Bye Bye Raised Bar

The raised bar was removed to give us more countertop space.

Plus, the new countertop was extended about 6 inches to give us a place to actually be able to sit at the bar and eat.

What a game changer!

Painted Cabinets

The cabinets were painted next.

An airless sprayer was used and I have to say that it was one of the best decisions we made.

Previously, when painting cabinets, we sprayed the doors and drawers and hand painted the cabinets due to my fear of overspray.

Never again.

The spaying was easier and looks fantastic with little to no overspray.

In the middle of painting the cabinets and installing the backsplash, Snowmagedon took place and North Texas became  a frozen Tundra.

Since a spray tent was to be set up outside for the drawers and doors to be painted, we had to wait for the thaw before we could finish the painting.

Same with the backsplash.

No cutting tile with a wet saw outside in sub-zero temps.

Cabinet Hardware

After the thaw, the cabinets were finally painted and gold hardware was added to the drawers.

Glass door knobs were the finishing touch for the cabinet doors.

Tile

Then came the backsplash.

Other than the countertops, this was my one big splurge.

Originally, the plan was to do a white Subway or Moroccan tile backsplash, until I saw this Byzantine Arabesque Bianco by Ivy Hill.

It was love at first sight!

Once all of the major items were installed, it was time to do touch up paint, install molding, caulk, paint the crown moulding, paint doors, and put in under counter lighting.

All of which took a few days.

The last thing on my list of things to finish was to install the pendant lights above the island.

There is nothing like adding a little bling to make a space pretty.

Finished Kitchen Remodel

Here’s the north side of the kitchen remodel.

BIG difference, right?

The Hubs and I eat here all the time and we love it.

I left my island blue, but painted the pantry door back to SW Pure White to match the cabinets.

The original plan was to put a wooden top on the island, however there was a little mix up with the installers.

I walked in when they were done and the quarts was there.

Oh, well – plan B.

Plus, it’s not like I hate it or anything!

This is the south side of the kitchen.

I still haven’t decided whether or not I’m keeping the valance or changing it up.

For now it stays.

Other than a few different decorating choices still to be made, I’m officially calling our kitchen remodel done!

I can’t tell you how happy that makes me.

Until next time….

                                    If you love it, be sure to PIN it!

Good Friday morning y’all! I don’t know about where you all are, but here in North Texas we’ve been experiencing Spring like weather. After the frozen Tundra of a few weeks ago, the weather is so welcome. Since I’ve been dreaming of Spring, I’ve been thinking about my Easter table. While it won’t be like it has been in years past, I’m still trying to make it special. I was planing how I wanted my table to look when I came across these beautiful pink and white charger plates.

They had me at Buffalo check.

And then I saw the price and kept on scrolling.

However, I kept thinking about them.

How pretty they were and how cute they would look with my spring centerpiece.( you can see the video here)

Which got me to thinking, could I make them?

I had 4 chargers that I had painted white some time ago.

Which was perfect for my base paint color.

Step 1:

Make a grid for your plaid pattern.

Find the center of the charger plate.

Once you’ve done that, lightly draw a line down the center.

From there you will mark lines 2″ apart.

Then turn your plate 180 degrees and mark your charger the same way.

This will make your grid for the check pattern.

Step: 2

Tape the charger plate.

Following your grid pattern, tape off every two inches.

Do this vertically, but not horizontally.

Step 3:

Paint your first set of stripes.

Before painting, be sure to burnish the edges of your tape to prevent any paint leaking underneath it!

Then give the non-taped off area a light coat of paint.

Let the paint dry.

After the paint has dried, give the same painted area another coat of paint.

Now, at this point remove the tape and give the plate another 180.

You can tape the lines off again – but be very sure that the paint has thoroughly dried OR the area you just painted will peel off.

Or, I found that it was just as easy to paint the next set of stripes without using tape.

Step 4:

Add gold to the rim of the charger plate.

Once the next set of stripes has dried it’s time to add the gold on the rim.

This was the part that I wasn’t too sure about.

Honestly, it turned out to be so much easier than I thought.

I chose a flat brush the width that I wanted my gold edging to be, loaded the brush with gold paint, then started painting.

TIP: I found that if the outside of the brush lined up with the outside of the plate and I didn’t put too much pressure on the brush it was super easy to paint this edging.

This is what my pink and white charger plate looked like when I was done painting.

Not too shabby!

I chose to go with a darker pink paint that matched my napkins that I planned to use, but other than the color I think they are a good dupe for my inspiration chargers!

Step 5:

I gave my pink and white charger plates a good spray of this Triple Thick Clear Glaze.

I love how shiny it makes them as well as protects the paint.

Which I definitely wanted to do after spending the time to paint them!

The best part?

They turned out looking exactly like I wanted them to with the rest of my Easter table.

Here’s a sneak peek!

So, would I spend the time to make them again or splurge and buy them?

I definitely would make the pink and white charger plates again!

Until next time….

                                          Don’t forget, If you Loved it be sure to PIN it!

Happy March 2! I know I say this almost every month, but time is flying!  Which makes me so happy as I can’t wait for Spring. We are still working on our kitchen, but progress has been slow due to the weather. So when I can’t be working on the kitchen I’ve been making a few fun decor items. Today I am sharing how to make an easy wooden tray.

I’ve been looking for a round wooden tray to hold my canisters in my kitchen, but so far I either haven’t found the size I need or one in my budget.

On a recent trip to Hobby Lobby I found this “tray” in the wood section.

Since it had a hanger on the back I feel like it would hang on the wall, however it was the perfect size of the tray I wanted.

Plus, the tray was on sale making it $11.89.

All it needed was feet.

I also found these solid  wooden balls for $4.99.

With both the feet and the tray base together the price came in well under $20.00.

Which was more than in my budget!

Here’s just how easy it was to make.

Step 1:

Paint your tray and wooden balls.

I used white spray paint.

Since the center of my tray was not wood, I felt that a spray paint would adhere to the surface better than an acrylic paint.

Step 2:

Glue the wooden balls to the tray.

Once the paint had dried thoroughly, I flipped the tray over and removed the hanger.

Tip: Remove the hanger before spray painting. Don’t be me!

Then, using a ruler found the center of the tray.

If you look closely you can see my pencil lines.

Using E6000 glue, I adhered the wooden balls to the bottom of the tray.

I used my pencil lines to make sure that the feet were spaced evenly apart.

Step 3:

Distress the tray.

Make sure that the glue on the wooden balls dries thoroughly.

I cannot stress this enough.

If they aren’t sufficiently adhered to the tray, they will fall off.

And nobody wants to have a tray loaded with pretties when a foot falls off!

After your glue has dried, give it a quick light sanding to distress the edges.

I just wanted hints of wood showing through, not a full blown distressed look.

So, easy on the sanding.

Once you have finished distressing your tray, you are ready to load it up.

I am so happy with the way my tray turned out!

Also, wouldn’t it be pretty if you added a design to the middle?

Maybe Mod Podge a napkin to the center to match your kitchen?

The possibilities are endless.

Making an easy wooden tray was well… truly easy!

Until next time….

                                         If you loved it, be sure to Pin it for later!

When I last shared my kitchen remodel plans with you, this is what my kitchen looked like. A little sad. Very dark. A little outdated. A lot has changed since then. It’s been a few weeks, so I thought I’d share my kitchen remodel update with you!

Here’s a day by day update.

The day before the counter top crew arrived, I emptied out all the cabinets and removed everything from the walls and countertops.

Day 1 :

The countertop crew arrived and started demolition on day 1.

They took out the bar wall and made it counter height.

Moved an outlet that was on the bar wall, tore out the backsplash and put up new sheetrock,  and rebuilt the sink cabinet to hold the new farmhouse sink.

Day 1 was hoppin’!

Day 2:

Not much was going on here at the castle, except cleaning up massive amounts of dust.

Everywhere.

The crew were busy in their workshop making the countertops.

Day 3 :

To say that I was excited for day 3 to get started was an understatement!

The countertops were installed, as well as the sink and faucet.

I am in love with the new sink!!!

She’s so shiny and pretty.

Day 4 and 5:

The original plan was to do the backsplash, then the cabinets.

At the end of day 3 we saw that the weather was going to to change drastically by weeks end.

Since part of the painting would be done in a spray tent outside, we needed to get the painting done before the weather turned cold.

We spent 2 days removing doors, hinges, drawer guides, drawers, undercounted lighting, light switch covers and covering all surfaces with ram board, paper, tape and plastic.

Once all of that was done, we sanded, scraped and cleaned all cabinets, doors and drawers inside and out.

By far the hardest 2 days so far.

Day 6:

We sprayed the base cabinets white.

I will say this was time consuming, but so much better than painting and rolling the cabinets.

We purchased a new stationary HVLP sprayer.

Not only was it affordable, but it was so well worth the investment!

This was the half way mark and I was like a kid on Christmas morning.

Day 7:

The Hubs and I had a lot of work to catch up on, so not much was done other than remove all of the tape, paper, plastic etc and give the room a good cleaning.

We still have to paint the drawers and doors.

Fingers crossed we get them done before it gets too cold.

Already it is so light and bright.

No more dark hole!

We still have a lot of work to be done.

Repair the walls where they took out the bar wall.

Paint the doors and drawers.

A few places need paint touch up.

All trim and crown molding needs to be painted to match the cabinets.

The white plug in on the island will be replaced with a black one.

The black towel rack on the island will also be painted gold.

New hardware will be installed onto the cabinets.

And a few places either need caulk or trim moulding.

Of course, everything needs to be put back into the cabinets!

Yep, a lot still needs to be marked off of our punch list, but I’m already loving what we have done so far!

Also, happy mail or should I say happy packages have started arriving.

These are my new counter height bar stools.

That’s it for the kitchen remodel update.

I’ll be sure to share more with you next week!

Until next time….

                                                   If you loved it, be sure to PIN it!

I love a good sale, don’t you? And when the sale is 90% off, well I am hearing the heavenly choir sing! On a recent trip to  Hobby Lobby I made a quick trip down the 75% off isle, only to find out that it was just reduced to 90% off. The first thing that caught my eye was this sweet little lamp. Now most people would take one look and walk right on by, but I’m going to share how I turned janky into swanky!

Repairing the lamp

After carefully looking the lamp over, making sure that the only thing wrong with it was a hanging harp and the socket I snatched that cute little lamp up faster than a monkey jacked up on Mountain Dew.

You see I knew that all I had to do to fix it was gently pull on the cord at the base until all the slack was out of the cord.

Once that was complete it was simply a matter of screwing the light socket to the base.

The socket had just come unscrewed!

The price?

$8.99!

Total girl squeal.

And it is perfect in my library for a cute little reading lamp!

Revamping the mat and frame

Now, you know I  wasn’t done shopping the 90% off isle!

I spied this chinoiserie print.

In fact, I already own it and it sits on a shelf in my living room.

The mat had some dark marks but the frame was in excellent condition.

So I bought it!

No, it’s not weird to have two of the same prints!

Especially if you aren’t using the print part of it.

I just wanted the frame!

A sweet friend sent me the cutest topiary prints a few months ago and I’ve been looking high and low for the perfect frames!

I unscrewed the back of the print and  took out the print portion.

Once that was done I added one of my topiary prints to see if the mat and frame would work.

It was perfect!

I used a Magic eraser to remove the dark marks on the mat.

A little white paint took care of a couple of chips to the edge of the mat.

Put it all back together and this is what it looks like now.

I couldn’t love it more and it matches my living room perfectly!

The total cost for this janky to swanky?

$2.49. Plus tax.

Woo Hoo!

The moral of this story?

Don’t judge a book by it’s cover.

Sometimes it pays to look a little more closely and think outside the box.

Until next time….

                             Remember, if you love it, be sure to Pin it!

Hey y’all! Today I want to share a couple of super easy projects that I promise will help you get organized for the new year! I like to call it Command Central.

Even before the holidays I started looking for some kind of chalkboard/magnetic board/ calendar system to put on the side of my fridge cabinet.

I just wanted something that looked cute but that would also let me keep track of things like my grocery list, reminders etc.

Also, if it had a place for me to put a few photos of my littles that would be a huge bonus.

I thought that it would be easy to find, but boy was I wrong.

What I found was either too big, too small, too expensive or didn’t function as I wanted it to.

So  I made my own!

After looking through my stash of unused stuff, I found a red metal decor piece.

I painted it a pretty navy blue.

Once it had dried, I took it into the kitchen and held it up against the cabinet and was so disappointed.

It looked flat and drab.

PLan B!

I painted the metal sign white.

Two good coats and a little distressing with sandpaper and this is what my new sign looked like.

So much better!

To protect the paint, I put a satin top coat on the sign.

This metal sign was the perfect size and I would be able to post reminders and photos on it easily.

While rummaging through my stash, I also came upon a piece of 12″ x 24″ chalkboard.

I normally use these to make back to school chalkboards for the littles in my family.

And it was the perfect size!

However, it didn’t have a finished edge.

After very little searching I found this frame at Hob Lob.

It was the perfect size and color.

And to make it even more perfect it was 50% off!

I simply dropped the chalkboard into the frame, then because it didn’t have any way to hold the chalkboard into the frame, I simply put a bead of silicone around edge fo the frame.

I put some weight in the center to hold the chalkboard down until the silicone dried.

After leaving it overnight, I removed the mugs and my chalkboard was secured to the frame.

Once I added a picture frame hanger to the top of the board and it was ready to hang.

Command central is complete!

I have to say that having a place to see all of my favorites every day sure makes my heart sing.

And the chalkboard grocery list?

Works so well for me!

No more having to walk into another room to write it down – or forgetting to write it down – or forgetting why I walked into the room….

I love it!

One last tip.

Prime your chalkboard!

Before using any brand new chalkboard take a piece of chalk , lay it on it’s side and rub it all over the board!

Wipe the chalk off and your board is ready to be written on.

The priming helps you  keep from getting ghost images of what was written on the board.

Until next time….

                                                         Don’t forget, if you love it be sure to PIN it!

Welcome to Plans for Cumberland Trail  part 2! Last week I shared just how busy last year was for us.  I didn’t realize just how busy until I did that walk down memory lane. Needless to say, it was a full year for us. Today I’m sharing what we plan on doing this year here at the castle. Don’t worry, we all know that there will always be small changes and projects to do! Nobody wants to hear ALL of those, which is why I’m only going to share some of our bigger projects with you.

The first thing on my list is to finish up the laundry room.

This room has come a long way since we moved in.

It had linoleum flooring.

Wallpaper from the 80’s… maybe even the 70’s.

Fluorescent tube lighting on the ceiling.

The cabinets may have been a cream at one time, but over the years they had yellowed and just looked dirty.

The first week we were here all floors in the house were replaced.

The second week I striped the wallpaper and gave it a good cleaning.

Everything in this room from the ceiling to the floor has been painted.

The fluorescent lighting was replaced with a pretty crystal one.

So what’s left?

The countertop, new sink, faucet and tile on the wall above the sink.

I have all of the  supplies to do this and have for a few months, I just never found the time.

I’m making this my number 1 project.

The Kitchen.

I knew before we moved in that there needed to be big changes in the kitchen for it to function for our family.

First off, it’s much smaller than our previous kitchen so I’m having to learn to let go of things and be more intentional with my space.

Plus, it’s not my style.

At all.

At one time they had lime washed the cabinets.

The finish has worn off in some spots, making it very porous.

At certain times during the day the cabinets look almost peach.

Fluorescent tube lighting under the  upper cabinets.

And I’m not sure what the granite was finished with but it always looks streaked even after polishing.

It’s the darkest room in the house.

When we moved in the first week we replaced all of the appliances.

We plan on painting the cabinets white.

Replacing the sink, faucet and undercounter lighting.

If it fits into the budget I will be replacing the countertops. Fingers crossed.

Long term, I’d also like to take the upper cabinets all the way to the ceiling for extra storage and put in a new simpler style of doors.

The Master Bathroom

There is nothing terribly wrong in here.

It functions, but it just needs a few repairs and updates.

Right before Christmas we painted the vanity, walls and trim.

It had a bad antiquing treatment on the vanity and the walls were builder beige.

The vanity was painted a blue gray color, the walls a greige and the trim pure white.

I’d like to get rid of the wall of mirrors.

Aint nobody need to see that much of themselves!

And remove a few of the light fixtures.

They are blinding!

The ceiling needs to be painted white.

The window treatments in the master bathroom and the bedroom are Duets.

At one time I’m sure they were super nice, however they are tired, worn and there really is no good way to clean them.

They are going.

I’m going to replace them and put in some kind of valance to give the space a little color and texture.

We do have one issue, the wall between the tub and the shower moves.

Yep, it gives just a little.

We are betting that it will need to be replaced before long.

Bathroom Countertops

The last two really large things on my list are the powder room and the guest bathroom countertops.

It’s hard to tell in the picture, but the tops are a biscuit color.

Nothing else in either room is that color and they stick out like a huge elephant in the room.

Not sure what the plan is for either of these rooms is at this point, but I’m working on a quick fun solution!

That’s it for Plans for Cumberland Trail Part 2.

As you can see, we have our work cut out for us!

However, I’m really looking forward to getting started and make Cumberland a little more “us” every day!

Until next time…..

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…

Don’t forget! If you love it, be sure to PIN it!

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…

If you loved it, be sure to PIN it!

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…

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….

If you like it, be sure to PIN it!

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.

If you liked it, be sure to PIN it!

It’s 10 on the 10th! Every month on the 10th, a group of lifestyle bloggers get together and share ideas for under $10.00. This month’s theme is Summer Party! While there haven’t been a ton of parties going on here at the Castle, there have been a few small gatherings. And one thing that always makes me crazy is that the solo cups get knocked over and you can never find where someone left the Shapie marker. So I’m taking matters into my own hands and making a Solo cup holder!

Normally I would have The Hubs make a box for me, however I found this box at Hobby Lobby.

With my 40% off coupon it cost $4.79!

Before painting the box, I filled the staple holes with wood filler.

I added feet to the bottom of the box by gluing on 4 wooden beads.

Don’t you just love E6000 glue?

It works on almost everything!

Next, I attached a metal clip to the outside of the box to hold my Sharpie.

No more excuses as to where the elusive marker went!

Once the glue and the wood filler was dry, I gave it a light sanding.

Then it was time to paint.

At this point I could have called it good and been done.

However, I saw that there was room in the back of the box for straws.

I cut a dowel rod the width of the box interior.

Once the dowel rod was in place, I painted it white to match the box.

This solo cup holder is finished and ready to party!

I’m thrilled that the glasses have a home and hopefully we won’t be on a constant hunt for a marker!

Please join me in visiting the rest of this months bloggers!

Decorate And More With Tip

Pandora’s Box

French Ethereal

The Apple Street Cottage

Hello my friends! Today is the first Wednesday of July. Which means that today is the DIY Challenge. This month’s theme is Summer. Which is right up my alley ’cause summer is my favorite time of year! Today I’ll be sharing how to make a garden hose guide.

However, before I share that, I want to thank our hostess, Terrie from Decorate and More With Tip. Terrie is one of the sweetest, most talented gals I know, so if you haven’t visited her go there NOW! You can thank me later.

Also, if you are coming here from Jodi’s, The House House, welcome. I’m so glad that you stopped by. I always love to meet new friends.

We’ve been hand watering the flower beds since the pool dig started.

I gotta tell you that watering the flower beds and the flower pots on our wrap around front porch became quite the event.

Clearly it was time for some garden hose guides before I killed a few plants.

I went to order a few and quickly became discouraged, as all of the cute hose guides were quite pricey!

After doing a little research on making some of my own, I remembered that we had some left over finials from the new fence.

Add the finials to a copper pipe and Ta- daaaa !- new garden hose guides were born.

After picking up a copper pipe from the big box store, The Hubs was kind enough to cut me 18″ pieces of the copper pipe using a jigsaw.

Once he had them cut out, he used a rasp to sand down the rough ends of the pipe.

Now, it was my turn.

The left over finials were black.

Honestly, I almost left them that color and called it good.

However, I loved the look of the copper so much that I wanted the finials to be the same color.

I lightly sanded the finials, then gave them a few coats of Martha Stewarts Copper metallic paint.

After the paint dried, it was time to glue the finials to the pipe.

I used E6000 glue along with the double sided foam tape.

Because my finial was a little larger than my pipe, I wrapped some double sided foam tape around it.

Then liberally coated the tape with E6000 glue and inserted the pipe into the finial.

After letting the glue completely dry, I lightly sanded the finial to give it a worn and slightly distressed look.

The last step was to put a protective coating on the finals.

And my garden hose guide was done!

I have to say that I love the warm color of copper in the garden.

However, if you aren’t a copper fan you could use plain pipe and top it with just about anything.

Door knobs, drawer pulls and curtain rod finiasl are just a few that come to mind.

Now if you will please join me in visiting Pamela at DIY VIBES.

I can’t wait to see what she – and all of the other talented bloggers – is doing this summer!

DECORATEANDMOREWITHTIP | PALLETANDPANTRY | CELBRATEANDDECORATE | CLOCHESANDLAVENDER

B4ANDAFTERS | AVINTAGEFLAREFARMHOUSE | BLESSINGSBYME | PAULASHANDMADESPACE

THEHOUSEHOUSE | PATINAANDPAINT | DIYVIBES | BLUESKYATHOME

It’s time for the June DIY Challenge and boy was this month different from months past! Our challenge this month was a surprise. Terrie from Decorate and More With Tip, asked each of us to send a surprise box filled with whatever we wanted to one of our fellow DIY participants.  I anxiously awaited my happy mail to arrive. The excitement was high, as it was like waiting to open a gift at Christmas! So you can imagine my excitement  when I got a package from Liberty from B4 and Afters, I couldn’t wait to open it. This is what I found in my surprise box! All I can say is – Bring on the Bling!

If you are coming here from Decorate and More With Tip I am so glad that you are here!

Now, let’s get this party started!

Let me backtrack for a minute. Have you ever started a project, thinking that you would make one thing and ended up making another? Well that’s what happened when I started this project. My first thought was that I was going to make the cutest little tray. So, I got two boards and glued them together. Then glued two left over blind slats across both boards.

To make sure that the strips were secured, I screwed them place.

Since I planned on painting the entire piece white, I glued on the pearl beads with hot glue.

Once I saw those beads, I knew that my project would never be a cute tray. Those beads reminded my of my great nieces, Miss A, aka Beep. This is her Easter picture. Her Granny curled her hair, dressed her up and because she had been so good Granny said she could choose her jewelry for her Easter pictures. I’m pretty sure Granny never thought she’d choose those beads!

Our girl loves her Bling!

Now I was coming at this project totally backwards! I painted the top portion of the board turquoise, being very careful to paint around the beads. Then I added the word “bling” to the board using letters I printed off from my computer. To transfer the letters, simply flip the letters over and using a pencil, color over the letters outline.

Then, flip them over, place them on the board and trace.

I painted the letters white, then drilled holes for my hooks that would hold all of Beep’s “joory”.

The hooks were made out of the drawer knobs from my surprise package. I spray painted them white as they were an oil rubbed bronze color to start with.

Beeps room is turquoise, white and lavender. To bring in the purple tones, I took the yarn from my surprise package and twisted it to create a trim. I glued it to the edge of the board. I did this twice around the board to make a bigger impact.

Once that was done, I painted the back a pretty lavender color. Yep, coming at it totally backwards – again!

Next, I added a cute white bow with all of the colors.

And a tiny bit of bling.

Bring on the Bling!

This sweet little sign is ready for all of Miss A’s joory!

This months surprise box challenge was so much fun. Now, I can’t wait to see who sent what to who! I’m headed over to Liberty’s site, B4 and Afters, and I hope  that you are too!

DECORATEANDMOREWITHTIP | PATINAANDPAINT | B4ANDAFTERS | SWEETSOUTHERNGRACE

CELEBRATEANDDECORATE | JESSICABSIMMONS | THE HOUSE HOUSE

If you liked it, don’t forget to PIN it!

I’ve been sprucing up the front porch over the last month or so. Lots of projects to keep me busy for sure. I added some pretty black and white striped cushions to my bench and chairs. Almost immediately I knew that I wanted some hot pink throw pillows added to them for some color. Except I couldn’t find hot pink pillows that were the color, fabric, or price range I wanted. It quickly became apparent that I was going to be making them. So today I’m sharing how to make outdoor throw pillows on a budget!

Here’s what you will need:
Napkins  18 x18″ , 2 per pillow
Pillow form 16 x 16″
Sewing Machine
Thread
Pins
Scissors
Scotchgard

First of all, this project is so easy it’s almost ridiculous, and using the same steps below, you could make these a no sew project. Just use a heat n bond type tape or fabric glue! I found my napkins here.

They had a 12 pack of 18 x 18, 100% cotton napkins  for $17.81 Which would make each napkin $`1.48. You will need two napkins so we multiply the $1.48 x 2 = $2.96

Step 1:

Wash and iron your napkin. Once that is done, lay napkins right side out, one on top of the other. Pin all the way around leaving a 6 – 8 inch opening.

Step 2:

Sew along the previously sewn hem line all the way around the napkins, leaving a 6 to 8 inch opening for the pillow to be inserted through. If you miss sewing along the hem line perfectly, no worries. You won’t see it when it’s done.

Step 3:

Remove the pins. Stuff your pillow form into the opening. I found my pillow forms here, each cost me $4.74. The pillow forms cost Make sure the pillows forms corners fill the corners of the pillow cover and that the pillow form is evenly distributed.

Step 4:

Once you have your pillow form inserted into the pillow cover, at the 6 -8 inch opening put the outer edges of the pillow cover together and pin. Make sure that your pillow is not in the opening! Sew the opening shut.

Step 5:

Once I had made all of my pillows, it was time to Scotchgard them. Following the directions on the can, I gave each pillow a solid coat of Scotchgard on both sides.

Let completely dry.

I placed mine outside on a table to dry.  As my  young niece would say “ooohhhh, stinky!”

LOL

It will definitely fill your house with that chemical smell!

Step 6:

Put them outside! Total time to make? I have to say that the sewing part of my pillows took me around 1 hour. Not bad at all. Waiting for the Scotchgard to dry took the longest in this process. Probably a half of a day.

Cost? The napkins per pillow were $2.96. The pillow forms per pillow were $4.74. The Scotchgard I had on hand, however you can buy this at any grocery or big box store for around $6.00 per can. My can was almost new when I started and I would say I used about 1/2 of a can for all of my pillows. So estimated cost: $3.00. So .75 per pillow. Total cost per pillow: $8.18!

I can honestly say that’s how to make an outdoor throw pillow on a budget!

Until next time….

Don’t forget to PIN it to read later!

Welcome to our Knock-Off Challenge. If you are coming from CD’s Country living, I am so glad that you are here! Every Month our fearless leader Terrie from Decorate and More With Tip gives us a  decorating challenge.

This month Terrie also asked if we would like to participate in a Knock Off challenge.

YES!

You know, when you see something you love, but it’s out of your budget or you think to yourself, “I could make that!” We’ve all been there. Well, that’s what happened to me.

Today I’m sharing how to make a HOME sign.

I saw this “HOME” sign at my local grocery store’s gift isle right before easter. And immediately fell in love with it. It’s part of The Round Top Collection, which is one of my favorite.

In the space where the O should be there is a small hook where you place a piece of art called a charm.

So cute!

However, the board itself was over $55.00. Not terribly priced, but I paint wooden signs a lot and knew I cold make this one for a few dollars, if not for  free.

Charms can be square pieces of art or wooden cut outs like the bunny you see here. They make just about every theme you can imagine. Bats, Christmas trees, candy corn, American flags, hearts, flowers, four leaf clovers….

If you can think of it, they probably have it. My favorite place to buy the charms is online from Miss Cayce’s Wonderland in Lubbock, TX.

You can also buy them here.

We had an old oak stair tread left over from our stair makeover at our last house.

The Hubs removed the bullnose portion and I had the exact size of board for my home sign.

Since my home sign was going to be on my covered front porch, I decided to paint my board with the same paint that I used on my front door.

I love Modern Masters front door paint because it doesn’t fade, dries quickly and goes on smoothly!

After my paint dried it was time to add the lettering.

I searched my fonts on my computer until I found a similar block lettering like the original.

Once I found it, I printed off the letters from my computer.

I used white transfer paper to put the lettering onto my board.

Simply lay out your letters that you printed off, then slid the transfer paper underneath.

I like to tape the top layer down so that there is no movement when tracing the letters.

Trace your letters with a stylus and this is the end result.

Once you have transferred your letters to the board it’s simply a matter of painting them!

Once your painted letters have completely dried, it’s time to distress your board.

I sanded over the entire board, letters included.

How distressed you make your board is up to you!

I like to use 220 grit sandpaper for this step.

After I distressed my sign, I gave it a good coat of poly to protect it.

I looked high and low for a simple black hook to hold my charms just like the original sign, but no luck.

So I decided to go in a different direction.

I had a bunch of old key hole covers in my stash and thought that they would be a pretty background to a simple cup hook.

Both of those together created a pretty hook for the charms.

I painted both of these gold.

Here’s my finished HOME sign.

I couldn’t be happier.

And guess what?

Since I already had everything that I used it cost me nothing.

My kind of project!

These signs were so easy to make and I loved them so much that I made a few for birthday gifts.

I made the signs and ordered the charms from Miss Cayce’s.

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

Happy Mother’s Day and Welcome to $10 on the 10th!  Each month a few blogger friends and I get together on the 10th and share ideas for under $10. This month our theme is Upcycled or Recycled. Which is right up my alley!

I love it when I’m able to use bits and pieces of other left over projects to create something useful. Today I’m sharing my Recycled Pool Towel Rack.

We are in the process of putting in a pool here at the Castle. Which means that we’ve had to put in a new fence mandated by our HOA. The Hubs decided to build the fence himself, board by board. So we had quite a few 2 x 4  cedar wood scraps left over. They were perfect for what I had in mind. Which was to make a towel rack for the pool area!

Here was the plan. I knew I wanted to make a 40″ x 12″ rack, painted in blues and browns. Lots of distressing, but very colorful. But then I realize that it really wouldn’t match anything that I planned to do in the backyard. So, I went to plan 2.

The size was still going to be 40″ x 12″, however the colors changed. I pulled the spa tile sample and chose all of the blues in it to paint my towel rack.

Now, it made sense! 

So here’s how we made it. The boards were a little thick for what I wanted. The Hubs was kind enough to to cut them in half for me.

After The Hubs gave each board a good sanding, they were ready for paint!

Using the tile samples, I chose 5 different paint colors.

I painted the 9 boards 4 different colors of blue, then painted the cross braces navy.

Once the boards were all painted, I gave each several coats of clear poly spray paint.

I know that it may be over kill, however since this towel rack was going to be outside it needed a protective top coat.

Next, we put the towel rack together using waterproof wood glue and a nail gun.

I found these hooks and bought a set of 5 for $6.81 which includes the shipping and tax.

I attached the hooks to every other board. Since we had 9 boards, this allowed me to put one on each end, as well as a few in the middle, leaving plenty of room for towels. Each hook has two arms, so the rack will hold a total of ten towels.

Perfect for when we have the family over to swim.

Once we were finished putting the towel rack together, the holes for the nails really bothered me. Not the look I was going for. At. All. So I filled them with a little wood filler. Repainted each board and gave it a couple of coats of a  poly top coat.

Ta Daaaa!

My recycled pool towel rack is ready for the swimming to begin. Total cost was $6.81 as I  already had the paint, scrap lumber, poly, and wood filler.

Now, If only the pool and backyard were as easy to finish up as building the towel rack was!

Please join me in visiting my blogger friends and see what recycled or upcycled items they are sharing today!

Decorate and More With Tip

The Apple Street Cottage

Pandora’s Box

At Home With Jemma

The House House

Blue Sky At Home

French Ethereal

Let’s Add Sprinkles

Don’t forget! If you liked it, be sure to PIN it!

A few days ago I was sitting on the sofa contemplating repainting my fireplace mantle. I’ve put it off for awhile because my plan was to make it darker. To do that I had to strip the old varnish and stain it. One small  problem. The mantle is embedded into the stone on the fireplace, so striping it would have to be done in place. All I could think about was the mess. The more I thought about it, it occurred to me the reason I didn’t like the mantle was  that it looked a great big dark spot against all the white and nothing in the room had that finish. I finally came to the conclusion that the best thing to do was paint it white to match the rest of the fireplace and bookshelves. So Today, I’m sharing how to watch paint dry or how to paint a mantle.

Of course, I forgot to take a before picture.

Seems to be my M.O. lately!

So this is what the mantle looked like in February, right after I painted the fireplace shelves white.

Supply List:

(Luckily, the project took more time than supplies and I had everything I needed on hand.)

Here’s what you will need.
Paint Brush
Cabinet and Trim Paint
Liquid Sandpaper
Drop Cloth
Damp rag ( to clean up any spills etc.)
Paint key

Step 1:

Clean your mantle with warm water. Let dry. Your mantle should be super clean. Any spots or dust will result in paint chiping and flaking later. Tape off any areas that you don’t want paint on.

Step 2:

Using a rag, thoroughly wipe down your mantle with the liquid sandpaper. Don’t miss any spots! Work it into the creases and crevices.

Liquid sandpaper takes the place of sandpaper. It’s actually a deglosser that removes the shiny, slick surface of the poly so that the paint will adhere.

Read the directions.

Mine stated that I needed to paint within 30 minutes of dry time. Please note that Liquid Sandpaper can only be used on surfaces that don’t have any large chips or divets or rough areas on the surface. If you have any of those, you should sand and repair your mantle first.

Step 3.

Paint.

I used a water based semi-gloss cabinet and trim paint. Try to apply in long even coats, slightly overlapping for even coverage. Check occasionally for runs or drips.

As you can see, if you look closely, one coat was obviously not enough. After I painted the first coat, I sat around watching the paint completely dry before putting on the second coat.

This is why I titled the post Watching Paint Dry. Cause you do a little bit of painting and a lot of watching and waiting!

Step 4:

Apply the second coat of paint. Paint the second coat just like you did the first, making sure to check for runs or drips.

Watch paint dry.

I put 2 coats on in one day . One early in the morning, one late afternoon.

Step 5:

Early on day 2, I added coat three. And…you guessed it, watched paint dry!

On the third day I put my mantle back together.

I love the way the entire fireplace area looks. It’s so clean and now everything matches.

My OCD is happy!

I’ll probably style it a little differently soon, but for now I’m happy with it just the way it is. Aren’t you glad that I shared watching paint dry or how to paint a mantle with you?

It seriously takes an art in being patient that’s for sure!

Until next time…

If you liked it, be sure to Pin it!

Hi y’all! How’s your week going?

I hope that you are having a wonderful week.  It looks like we will be home for a little while longer. Seems like everyone has their own way of dealing with being at home more.

So, are you learning anything new? Or are you sitting on the sofa binge watching in your pajamas?

Me? I’m doing a little of this and that. What went on this week at the Castle? A lot!

It’s the second full week in April and feels like day 7000 of this Pandemic. But my goal this week was to be hopeful, upbeat and stay busy!

I started off the week on Easter Sunday by making honey bunnies. Not a bad way to start a week at all!

I was so grateful to find flour. I’d been looking for a few weeks and was fearful that we would not be enjoying them this year. After searching for what seemed like forever, I found a bag!

Honestly,  I will never take the ordinary things for granted ever again!

Monday found me taking all of the bunnies, nests and all things easter down. I found these two candlesticks and small vase at an estate sale my bff was having.

I’ve been waiting decor always makes me happy!

Tuesday found me making masks for friends and family. I’m no expert at making masks for sure…but with the shortage of masks it only made sense to make a few.

I think I’m up to about 30 now.

I’ve decided to learn a new art. Watercolor painting.

Of all the different types of art, this is one that I’ve never done a lot with.

Y’all, it’s hard!

Then I saw that Lucy from Craftberry Bush was giving free lessons on instagram and I couldn’t resist! Still practicing a lot and honestly I have nothing worth showing, but I will say that I am enjoying the process so far!

I did break out the acrylic paints to paint a super quick fun painting for my sister who loves pigs. It’s been one of those weeks for her and I thought that I’d send her some hi I’m thinking of you happy mail.

Wednesday was super exciting. 

We’ve been trying to get a pool built since we moved in. With the holidays, then the weather it’s been a slow process. Last week they dug a huge hole.

Monday the metal benders and the plumbers came and the mud hole became a hole with lots of pipe and wire in it. Then on Wednesday, out of the blue, a crew showed up in the afternoon and this is what our pool looks like.

Finally!

Its starting to look like a real pool! Our  builder is hoping to get the electrician out soon. Once he’s done, its time for rock, tile and decking. Bring on the decking!

Momma’s already tired of cleaning up the mud!

Thursday found us with the most beautiful weather, even if it was a little windy. 

We’ve been slowly, section by section, digging up the old overgrown shrubbery that came with the house. If you look at the very top of this picture you can see what I’m talking about.

I headed out front this morning with the intent of taking the old stone border and use it to lay out the shape of the new bed. However, the shrubs were so overgrown that I couldn’t even begin to do that. So, before we knew it we were tearing out all of the overgrown shrubs in this bed.

What a workout!

Today I’m off to pick up new shrubs that I ordered for this bed. Maybe a few new flowers to keep me busy over the weekend. Truly my happy place!

Oh, I did find time somewhere in the week to make some homemade bread.

So yummy!

Good thing we got a great workout gardening. I sure needed it!

So what projects are you working on? Learning anything new? Or maybe just enjoying an old hobby or being with your family. I’d love to hear what you’ve been up to! I need some ideas for next week.

Until next time….

I gotta tell ya, being at home has its benefits. It also has its downfalls. The downfalls?  I can’t just run to Hobby Lobby when I need to.  I will say that not being able to run to Hob Lob has made me way more creative. For instance, today I’m going to share how to frame art on a budget, which will prove that necessity is the mother of invention!

I use the term “art” loosely in this case. Last fall I bought this paint by numbers kit. I know that there are a ton of people out there that are fans of the PBNK’s. However, I am not one of those. First, I am not someone who likes to color between the lines. Second, this isn’t the PBNK you had as a child. I needed a magnifying glass to see the numbers they were so tiny! This endeavor took me almost 6 months to complete. NEVER. AGAIN!

However, since I spent so much time on it, I was determined to hang it somewhere in my home. I could have just hung it as it was, but I wanted to add a black frame. How to do that when you can’t go shopping? You make your own!

I wanted a simple black frame to go around my painting. My solution? Make a frame from lattice. At 69 cents a foot, it’s a bargain!

Step 1:

Measure the art.

Since I didn’t want to miter the corners – way too much math for this girl- I measured the top and bottom for exact measurements. For the sides, I wanted the side lattice strip to cover the canvas as well as the entire end of the lattice strips that were on the top and the bottom. This would make a solid frame with no gaps. To do this I measured the sides of the canvas, plus the width of the lattice strip, x 2.

Step 2:

Once I had my measurements, I cut the lattice strips using a small miter box and saw. This is perfect for cutting thin strips of wood! In fact, this is my new favorite tool. It’s small, compact and this small little saw is so easy to control. Definitely not like the one my Dad used to have!

Step 3:

After cutting the strips, I lightly sanded the edges to give them a clean, finished look!

Step 4:

Once I had the strips of lattice cut, I painted them black with multi- surface paint.

Step 5:

Normally, at this point, I would have simply nailed the lattice directly onto the canvas using small brads. However, I was out of small brads. So, I simply stapled the lattice to the canvas. I used 1/2 inch staples to insure that they would go thru the lattice as well as the canvas frame.

Step 6:

To help hide the staples, I painted them black, using the same paint that I used on the wood.

This is my finished frame. Not too shabby for my first attempt.

Honestly, not only was the frame budget friendly, it was also an amazingly easy project.

So easy that I couldn’t not share how to frame art on a budget with you!

Total cost: $4.14

Time: less than an hour.

Most of that time was spent watching the paint dry! Most important – I love the way my new piece of art looks in the powder room.

Until next time…

Hey there! Welcome to 10 on the 10th, where some really fun and talented bloggers get together on the 10th of the month to share their ideas for under $10. This months theme is tips while social distancing. My tip?  Keep your children busy! One theme I’m seeing a lot of on social media is Mom’s wondering how to keep their children from being bored. 

So today I’m sharing: How to build a busy box!

What is a busy box?

A busy box can be any container, a box, a duffle bag, a tote or as you will see today, a suitcase! The busy box can be plain jane or it can be decorated to the nines!

It’s up to you!

Once you have your container, you will fill it with things to keep your children busy! With Social distancing, my suggestion is to rotate out toys, games etc. that you already have in your home. Or, if you are going through shopping withdrawal, Amazon still delivers. The beauty of a busy box is that it can cost you nothing at all!

We all know that my busy box was not going to be plain Jane. Hey, don’t judge! I got nothing but time on my hands! My BFF Roxanne was selling this cute little suitcase at a garage sale. I picked it up for $5.00! It only measures about 15″ x 10.5″ x 6″. The perfect size for a busy box.

I could have left this cute little suitcase just like it was, however the insides had seen better days and there were a few tears on the outside. So I decided to spiff it up using only items I had on hand. My solution? To cover the insides with material. I measured the bottom, top and sides, added 1″ to all measurements and cut out the material.

Giving the suitcase a new lining was pretty easy. I used Spray mount to attach the material to the suitcase. For the bottom and top I simply sprayed the adhesive and added the material, making sure to smooth out any bubbles.

For all side pieces of material, I folded the material under 1/2 ” and ironed it to stay in place. Once that was done, I sprayed the sides and added the material to the suitcase.

Once the material had been attached to the suitcase, I added some black gimp around the edges to give it a finished look. I simply hot glued it on!

As you can see the ends of the suitcase had seen better days!

I found some fun scrapbook paper in my stash.

Then using white glue, I glued it to the ends. For me it was a super cute and easy solution!

Now for the fun part! Filling it up. For me it was easier to decide what to put in my busy box by thinking of a theme. And once I started thinking I came up with a ton of ideas based on what I had on hand.

Here are just a few of the themes I came up with:

1. Dress Up
2. Tea Party
3. Legos
4. Games
5. Art
6. Cars and Trucks
7. Picnic
8. Train set
9. Outdoor games
10.Gardening
11. Beauty box
12. Scavenger Hunt.

Really the list is endless!

For older kids a game box would be fun. Just fill it with old favorites or with new games that they haven’t played before. I’m willing to bet we all have a ton of games that haven’t been played in a while!

What little wouldn’t enjoy a tea party? I added a few dress up items. A boa, tiara and some fancy jewelry. Throw in a tea set and a stuffed animal or two and your busy box is full!

Other than spending zero money on a busy box, the best part is that it’s easy clean up and store. When the littles are done playing, pack it up and return to mom. Who will hopefully fill it up for the next time the kids get bored!
So how much did I spend on my busy box?

$5.00.

Everything else was already here at The Castle!

Now I hope that you will join me and visit my fellow bloggers and see what wonderful tips they are sharing!

At Home With Jemma
Blue Sky at Home
Let’s Add Sprinkles
Pandora’s Box
Decorate and More with Tip
The House House
The Apple Street Cottage