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!

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!

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

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!

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

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…

If you loved it, be sure to PIN it!

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.

  If you liked 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…

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… 

If you  like it, please be sure to PIN it!

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!

If  you love it, be sure to PIN it!

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….

If you like it, be sure to PIN it!

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….

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!

Once thing that I’ve truly missed since the Corona Virus showed up is Pokeno night. So much so, that I figured out how to host a virtual Pokeno party!

Before I share how we did it virtually, let me give you some background on how we normally do it.

There are 12 members in our group, each member is in charge of hosting one time each year.

The hostess is responsible for providing her home for the game and dinner.

Each member brings a $25.00 gift that is wrapped in a black trash bag.

After dinner, we play 12 rounds of Pokeno.

Whoever wins a round chooses a bag, opens it and if they love it, pray that no-one wants to steal it in round 2!

Then we play 12 more rounds, with the winners stealing gifts from other members.

Now here’s how to do it virtually.

Step 1.

You will need to use an on-line platform that allows you to have several members on-line at once.

We used Zoom.

One of our members signed up and is in charge of “hosting” a Zoom meeting once the Pokeno hostess has chosen a date.

In our case, each member downloaded the Zoom AP to the digital device of their choice.

Our Zoom hostess sends out the meeting number and password to each member a few days before the Pokeno party.

Step 2.

The Pokenno hostess sends out an invitation to the members of the group.

The invitation includes the date of the party, supplies for each member to gather and a downloadable playing card.

Each member will need a card, (more on that in a minute) a deck of playing cards, card markers ( poker chips, pennies, beans etc) and a $25.00 gift card.

We decided that it would be simpler to buy a gift card and at the end of the night mail it to whomever ends up winning it, than trying to get $25.00 gifts delivered.

Step 3.

Now it’s simply a matter of everyone gathering supplies, buying a gift card and signing in to play!

How To Host A Virtual Pokeno Party:

I mentioned above that the hostess will need to send out digital Pokeno cards to each member.

I simply scanned the cards from my game into my computer and randomly chose a card that was then sent to each member to print off for play.

However, I realize that you may not have cards or a scanner so you can download cards here.

Each hostess will need a few things that will help her keep track of who wins what prize, who stole what prize and at the end of the night who ended up winning the prize.

Confused yet?

The first thing you will need is a sign up sheet.

As each member logs on for the game, assign them a number and write their name next to that number.

Make sure that each player knows what number that they were assigned.

Then start playing the game.

When the first member wins, she picks a number between 1 and 12.

Let’s say she chooses 4, then 4 is removed from the numbers and the next winner chooses between 1 and 12 with the 4 taken out of the mix.

You continue to do this until all numbers are chosen.

As each number is chosen you will write down who won round 1, what number they chose and what gift card is attached to that number.

EXAMPLE:

Tammy wins and chooses gift number 5.

You write down Tammy’s name next to the round number, gift number 5 which is a gift card to Home Goods.

In essence this sheet keeps track of who won that game and what gift she has won.

Time for Round 2, which is the round where you steal!

At this point, you play the game the exact same way with one exception.

Instead of a winner choosing a number they are choosing a specific gift card.

Nobody expects everyone to remember what gift cards are out there, so the hostess is responsible for giving her a list of available cards.

More than one Home Goods card?

Remember that the cards were assigned numbers?

The hostess will ask the winner to choose between #11 Home Goods and #8 Home Goods.

This is an easy way for the winner will choose who to steal the gift cards from.

At the end of the final 12 rounds, whatever gifts you have won you get to keep.

The final step in hosting is for you to give everyone the name of the person who won the card that they bought.

The members are then responsible for mailing – or dropping off – the cards they purchased to the person who won the card.

Sound hard and confusing?

Trust me, it really is pretty simple once you get used to they system.

The key is writing everything down and having FUN!

Our group loves it!

While it’s not quite as good as being with each other in person, I hope that by sharing how to host a virtual Pokeno party, it will make being able to get together a little easier!

Enjoy…

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

I don’t know about where you are, but here in Texas it’s hot! I’m talking hotter than the devil’s basement hot. I’ve been inside a lot more trying out a few new artistic projects. Today, I’m sharing hand painted oyster shells.

Before I could start my project, I had to first find some clean, sanitized oyster shells.

Who knew that you could find them on Amazon?

I found some great tutorials on how to use a napkin to decoupage oyster shells.

However, I found that it was hard to find patterned tissue, or napkins, with a small enough pattern to fit the shells.

You can even purchase downloadable chinoiserie patterns here.

Simply, purchase, download and print them off.

Which was fantastic.

However, my printer did not print them in the vibrant blue tones that I wanted.

So, I decided to hand paint them instead of decoupaging them.

After removing any dust from the shells, I painted the insides of each shell white.

Painting the inside of the shell white covers up any dark spots or irregularities.

This may require a couple of coats.

Once the white paint was dried, I painted all sorts of fun designs!

Since I was putting these in my living room, I decided to paint a few chinoiserie designs.

I also decided to paint a few free form designs.

Really, design wise, you are only limited by your imagination.

Since my living room colors are blues and whites I used those colors to paint my shells.

When the designs were dry, I gave them a couple of coats of glossy Mod Podge to protect them.

The finishing touch was painting the edges of my shells with a metallic gold paint to give the them a finished, upscale look.

These shells vary in size from 3 to 4 inches each.

Which would also make them perfect to place them in a bathroom or on a dresser to hold jewelry.

I’ve also seen them used as three dimensional art.

Simply glue your shell to the inside of a deep frame.

Ta-daaaa! Instant art.

I chose to put my hand painted oyster shells in a pretty bowl in my living room on a shelf.

I love all of the color and texture that they add visually.

Even though I hand painted most of mine, I still plan on keeping my eye out for some pretty napkins and tissue paper to decoupage a few more shells.

Maybe even making a few of these for fun gifties!

Until next time…

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

You may think that it’s too late to put together a fun 4th of July table. However, think again. This last minute 4th of July tablescape is full of fun, color and whimsy. Best of all, it was all put together with things I already had on hand!

We will be celebrating outside on the 4th of July.

After may years with out one, we finally have an outside dining table!

I bought this metal lantern at Target a few years ago.

It is the perfect base for a centerpiece.

I filled it with napkins, pinwheels and sparkly fluff for a last minute centerpiece!

Everything in the placesetting was something I’ve used before.

From the straw placemat to the melamine plates.

Can I just say that plastic plates and glasses have come a long way in recent years?

The pinwheel napkin rings are a DIY from a few years ago.

You can see just how easy it is to make them here.

On the day of this photoshoot the wind was a whopping 25 miles an hour.

Which is why I chose to put the silverware, Twizzlers, straws and treats into the mason jar glasses.

At our house, we like to bite off the ends of the Twizzler and use it as a straw.

However, for those of you who eat your Twizzler before you can use it, I added a cute blue and white paper straw just for you!

For a little fun, a glow in the dark bracelet was added.

It wouldn’t be the 4th of July without a little bling!

Next, a box of Cracker Jack popcorn was added to each placesetting for an after dinner snack.

Next to the table is an old tool chest that am using for a serving area.

However, it makes a great bar cart too.

A fun chalkboard with a happy 4th message was added for a little colorful decor.

My last minute 4th of July tablescape came together in no time!

It is cute, colorful and just waiting for our guests.

Honestly, it just may be one of my all time favorite tablescapes.

Let the celebration begin.

Until next time…

Let’s be honest. While I love the 4th of July, I’m not one to do a lot of decorating for the holiday. I’m not really sure why. I justify my non-decorating with the thought that it’s a lot of decorating for one day. But Christmas is only 1 day! And let’s get real here, I spend WAY more than a few days decorating for Christmas. This year we are have a few guests over for the 4th, so I was determined to get into the decorating spirit. At least a little. Today I’m sharing how to put together a 15 minute 4th of July Mantle.

I started with a freshly dusted, mirror cleaned mantle.

After pulling out my meager 4th of July decor, I found this fabric banner that I had made a few years ago using fabric scraps, ribbon and jute.

On top of the banner, I hung a string of red pom poms that I picked up at an after Christmas sale.

Tip: I use small clear Command strip hooks to hang my banners.

On a quick trip to Michael’s a few days ago, I found this red, white and blue decor kit.

I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with it, but I picked it – and a couple of others – up just in case.

FYI – Michael’s is having a huge sale right now on their Spring, Summer and Red, White and Blue items.

This kit is normally $9.99, but with a 60% discount the kit came in right at $4.00!

The kit came with 5 hanging fans.

Putting the fans together was super easy and took a whopping 3 minutes.

The fans came with double sided padded sticky tape to attach the paper medallions to the middle of the fans.

I cut the tape in half to adhere the medallions, leaving me with 5 more pieces of tape which I used to stick the fans to the mirror above my fireplace.

Once the top half of the mantle was complete, it was time to bring a little color down to the lanterns on the hearth.

I added simple red and white pom ribbon to each lantern for a tiny splash of color!

And my 15 minute 4th of July Mantle is complete.

I couldn’t be happier with it.

I love that it’s super cute and bonus – it was super fast and easy.

My kind of 4th of July decorating.

Until next time….

Welcome to the Pink Flamingo room! One of our guest rooms earned this name from some super cute sheets that I received one year for a birthday present. Slowly, but surely I kept adding  cute little flamingos to this room here and there. When we moved from Saddlewood last October I basically just used most  of the same items in the guest room in our Cumberland house. Now that we’ve been here for 8 months it has become clear that a few things need to change. So today, I’m sharing why the Pink Flamingo gets a facelift – Part 1.

There is nothing wrong with this room per say.

It’s just not working.

Our grown sons come home and if they are here at the same time they fight over  who gets the other guest room.

The full size bed really isn’t all that great for big boys!

And for as long as I’ve had it set up this way, I’ve felt like something is missing.

I knew that I wanted a guest room that was predominately neutral, with a lot of color.

Sound contradictory?

Take a look at this bedroom from Nell Hill.

It’s got a ton of neutral in the background and a ton of color up front.

It’s traditional, yet quirky.

There are some masculine overtures, yet it also has hints of feminine design tucked here and there.

I fell in love with it!

This would be my inspiration room.

I  currently have a white quilt on the bed and I love using it, however remember that I said my sons fought over any room but this one?

I saw this navy quilt that sports white stitching and  pom trim and knew immediately that it was perfect.

Masculine color with girly poms!

This quilt comes from Ballards – which I love almost everything of theirs – however, it was a bit out of my price range at $279.00!

So, I started looking for something else.

And stumbled across this Navy quilt from Steinmart.

It has the same white stitching!

Yay!

And it has pom trim too.

Double Yay!

The poms may be a bit smaller than the Ballards quilt, but the quilt and 2 shams are only $79.00!

Um, yes please!

Next, I knew that I probably needed to get a more masculine bed.

I wanted a beautiful black iron bed like these from The Vintage White Farm House.

Every iron bed that I found that was the size, weight and design was clearly out of my price range.

Back to the drawing board!

Stuck on the iron bed idea, I hit up the used furniture sites.

And found this one.

While it isn’t the plain, masculine iron bed that I was looking for, the scrolls of this one tugged on my heart.

I feel like the iron is masculine, while the curves are girly.

And it was a fraction of the cost of a new one.

SOLD!

That’s as far as I’ve gotten on the absolutes in the room.

These are the fabrics I already have in the room.

 Hot Pink, navy’s, greens, and a tiny touch of orange.

I’m hoping to keep all of these in the room, but who knows where this room will end up down the road?

I do know that I’m keeping the pink polk a dot chair as it’s one of my favorites!

I’m also thinking of adding a little color to the nightstand and dresser.

I love this navy and white buffalo plaid chest!

It’s masculine, with a touch of bling.

Right up my alley!

I also need to paint the walls and add curtains.

Right now I’m thinking that they will be neutrals since I’m adding a lot of pops of color through out the room.

What do you think?

Neutrals, color, or pattern?

I’d love to hear you thoughts on what this room needs.

I hope that you will come back for part 2.

By then I will have nailed all of the other details down and have started working on the room!

Until next time….

It’s 10 on the 10th and our theme this month is Red,White and Blue! Of course, with a patriotic theme, a ton of things came to mind.

I think of long hot summer days and nights, fireflies – or lightning bugs as we like to call them, fireworks, iced cold Dr. Pepper, parades, flip flops,  swimming, ice cream, cicada’s singing, picnics,  sweet iced tea, BBQ, a good margarita and S’mores.

It’s one great big Texas party!

I recently had surgery so I’ve put most of my projects on hold. I’ve been taking it easy,  watching our backyard pool area having the final touches put on it and taking quite a few naps.

Honestly, I wasn’t sure I’d have much to share with you this month, however I remembered that I had ordered 2 things recently that might just be worth a share. Even if they technically aren’t red, white or blue , they sure remind me of it!

I ordered these marshmallow roasting sticks last week in preparation for the little’s upcoming visit. We put in a fire pit near the pool and I just knew they’d be perfect for making S’mores in the evening. We’ve had these roasting sticks before- many years ago- and they are a favorite in my family.

The first ones that I ever bought were found in the dollar isle at Target. Today, you can find them just about everywhere for a wide range of prices.These came in right at a little over $1.00 a piece. I purchased 8, however I’ve seen sets as large as 20 and as small as 4.

I love that you can find each skewer with a different color of collar. This is great in assigning each child, or adult, to his or her own skewer. No fighting over who’s is who’s! Also, they are telescopic. To store them they slide down to a nice compact 12″, but they extend out to about 32 inches to ensure a safe distance from the fire. And they clean up like a dream!

I like to make a S’more “buffet” ahead of time. It’s pretty and cuts down on the mess. I start with milk shake glasses or french fry holders. Fold up pretty pieces of wax paper and line the glasses or holders. Then, simply stuff each container with your S’more ingredients. Graham crackers, marshmallows, and a good chocolate bar.

I ordered these french fry holders a few weeks ago and I’m really impressed with them. At $6.95 a piece they are perfect for a s’more buffet. Of course, they are perfect for french fries, shrimp, hush puppies or my all time favorite, Mexican Street Corn. An added bonus is that they don’t break and they are an easy  clean up. Just throw away the wax paper!

You can find those here.

We even have a few adults that like to crush up the graham crackers, put some dark chocolate or butterscotch pieces in, followed by a hot marshmallow.

Mix it up with a spoon and it’s the perfect summer dessert!

Now, I hope that you will join me in visiting my fellow bloggers to see what wonderful Red, White and Blue things they’ve come up with!

Carol at Blue Sky At Home

Jemma at At Home With Jemma

Barbara at French Ethereal

Jodi at The House House

Terrie at Decorate and More With Tip

Ann at Apple Street Cottage

Patti at Pandora’s Box

Katie at Let’s Add Sprinkles

Don’t Forget! If You like it, be sure to PIN it!

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 recently did something that I swore I would never do again! I hung wallpaper in my entry. I know, crazy right? After years of moving into homes and spending days removing wallpaper I thought that I would never put wallpaper in my home. Nope, no way. But I have a good reason for changing my mind, and putting wallpaper in the entry, which I will share with you here!

This post contains affiliate links, however the opinions stated are my own!

When we moved into our home last October this is what our entry looked like. Pretty plain and boring. It drove me crazy!

I couldn’t wait to paint one wall to bring in some color. Once it was done, it was so much better, however I couldn’t help but feel like something was missing. New mirror? Maybe a fun chinoiserie stencil?

So when Erin from Photowall reached out wondering if I would like to give one of their murals a try I was a bit skeptical. Because, you know, I did say never, ever will I do wallpaper.

But then I went to Photowall’s site and fell in love with several of their designs. However, I was a little worried about a few things. Things like, how much to buy. Since the company uses meters instead of inches, would I be able to translate that? I need not have worried, turns out the hardest part was choosing a design! Whether it was choosing a design or calculating how much product I needed the whole process was super easy.

I was hooked!

You simply enter your dimensions in inches into their calculator and they tell you how much wallpaper you will need for your wall.

But the best part for me? You can crop anywhere on the design you choose, so that you get the exact design what you want! And the rectangle that you use to crop the design with is the same dimensions of your room.

How genius is that?

They even have photos of your design on a wall with furniture in front of it to give you an idea about the scale of your design. Ordering couldn’t have been easier!

Once I placed my order I received it in less than 4 days. Yes, you read that right.

4 Days!!!

Which is amazing considering that this design was printed custom for my wall. I couldn’t wait to open it up and get a look at it. To say that I fell in love with it the minute I unrolled it was an understatement. The colors were exactly what I wanted, and the quality of the paper is unbelievable! Also included in the box were detailed instructions and wallpaper paste.

I couldn’t wait to get started!

To hang your wallpaper here’s what you will need:

Bucket
Roller and Tray
Brush
Spirit Level
Ruler
Sponge
Pencil
Knife
Seam Roller
Wallpaper Brush
Trim Guide

Another thing that I loved? Most traditional wallpaper comes on a roll and you have to figure out the repeat, or how to match it up when hanging it. Which makes for a lot of wasted paper. Since this is technically a mural, each sheet comes numbered, which takes the guess work out of it.

As you can see, I  had six sheets total. Just cut off the top, line it up and hang! Also, there is no “booking”. With regular wallpaper you basically brush  the paste onto the paper, fold it up and let it sit before hanging.

Which was always a huge mess!

With Photowall’s murals, you paint the paste directly onto the wall.

Before starting I measured where my first panel would be positioned and using a level drew a vertical straight line to help make sure that I was getting the first panel perfectly straight.

Once that was done, I applied the wallpaper paste, one panel width at a time, and hung the wallpaper panel. Hanging the panel is so easy. Simply hang the panel, smooth from ceiling to floor, then trim off excess paper. Repeat until all of your panels are hung. 

This is my entry wall immediately after I hung my mural, so it’s still wet. It was so hard to wait and let it dry before putting everything back together. A 24 hour drying time is recommended.

While waiting, I painted the baseboards and doors a pure white just to give the entire room a fresh new look. 

I can’t tell you how much I love this room. It just screams “Welcome, come on in!” doesn’t it? Now, every time I walk into the entry, I get a warm happy feeling. No more feeling as if something isn’t quite right. And shouldn’t that be how we all should feel when we come home?

Photowall was so generous that they are offering all of my readers a 25% discount from now through July 4, 2020!

Just use the code: patinaandpaint25 when you order!

Oh, and just in case you don’t have a space for wallpaper, they also create prints and posters. They can even take one of your images and create a custom design just for you! All you need to do is just head on over to Photowall and get started!

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

This is the way the dining room looked when I last shared it.

I’m happy to say that my check off list is growing shorter!

All of the furniture is painted.

If you missed it, you can see it here and here.

I have made a few tiny changes here and there.

Like changing out the artwork frames from black to gold.

Now, all that’s left are a few of the biggest changes.

Adding new curtains and rug in the breakfast room will make or break this room!

This was the original plan.

One, Emmie Blue fabric for the curtains.

I chose this fabric because not only did I love it, but it had all of the steel blues, navy and light blues that I wanted for the breakfast room’s color scheme.

Two, this rug had all of the colors in the fabric and the furniture.

Three and four were my choices of fabric for the chairs.

I went back and forth over which one I wanted.

Three had all of the blue tones, but four was the co-ordinating fabric shown with my curtain fabric.

After going back and forth for DAYS I decided to hold off ordering the chair seat fabric until I saw the curtains with the rug.

And I am so glad that I did!

Because when the curtain fabric arrived it wasn’t steel blue tones at all!

It had the navy, but the colors that looked like steel blue on-line, in person were really very teal.

While the fabric is absolutely beautiful in person and the quality was great, the color was off just enough that I was just sick about it.

To make matters worse, no returns.

I threw a big pity party for myself for a few days and decided that since this fabric wasn’t cheap and I couldn’t return it, I was just going to have to make it work.

The rug came in a few days later and it was exactly what I had hoped for!

I love the high/low pile and the variation throughout the rug.

Perfect!

The original curtain rods were black in the breakfast room.

I never really liked them, they felt too skinny and small for the room, but they were the only ones I could find to fit that spot at the time.

Fortunately, I had some of my favorite curtain rods left over from the living room.

I LOVE the finials.

They are big and chunky and look like big glass squares.

The only issue with them was that the metal parts  were black too.

Spray paint to the rescue!

( On a side note, I LOVE my spray paint tent. BEST THING EVER!)

Once I had them painted and put up I wondered why I hadn’t thought to do it sooner.

This is the final result so far.

And to be totally honest, it’s not perfect but it’s not bad either.

If I hadn’t been expecting all steel blues, I would be in love with the fabric!

So the hunt for chair fabric continues!

The current chair fabric looks great with the rug.

If a few of them didn’t have a some stains, I might not recover them.

As it stands, they will be this way until I find a fabric to tie in the steel blues, navy and the teal.

The struggle is real my friends…

It’s not as easy as it sounds.

I guess decorating is a lot like life.

Some days it’s smooth and easy – other days you hit a few pot holes in the road!

The breakfast room saga continues here at The Castle!

Until next time…..

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