birdies

just found this in the antique's section of the phoenix craigslist (here). too bad i don't have an extra hundred bucks to drop. it would be a nice addition to my house.

halloween

i love how classy this halloween decor looks!

see it on life in the fun lane.

cute decor

i stumbled upon this dining room/family room combination by stacey sargent and really liked a lot of the elements, so i thought i'd "catalogue" it for future reference. i like the wall by the dining room table especially! i love how it adds a little pop of color to the house. i also love the wall paper!

see the original post here.

DEFINITE must-do project

i just saw this project on design mom and fell in love! i have been trying to figure out what to do for max when he is ready to move to a big boy bed and have been going between the toddler bed or twin bed scenario.

i wanted to do a twin bed cuz i didn't want to purchase another crib mattress (since a baby will be sleeping on it - we'll need two). but then, a toddler bed is a much better size and i am sure someday we'll need both a twin and a toddler bed.

this project would cost $75 for two toddler beds, so even cheaper for just one! that definitely beats out even the cheapest beds i have had my eye on. that price doesn't include a mattress but ikea has some mattresses (here, here, and here) that are definitely priced in my budget. PLUS, i can customize the bed however i want as far as color scheme goes.

i am really excited about this! i think i will either do it later this fall, before the baby comes, or have my dad make it for me when my parents come down to see the new baby. since big brother won't be two until after the baby is born, i think i definitely have time before he is ready to move to a bigger bed (that is unless he magically starts climbing out of his crib suddenly!).

see the entire project & tutorial here.

dream kitchen

i love white kitchens and i just found one on design*sponge that i absolutely love.

go here to check out more pictures.

more nursery ideas

ever since i saw this nursery, i was in love!

it kinda goes along with the color scheme i have been thinking of...but i just love it. especially the bright, bright yellow!

it is my dream nursery, i think.

i love this idea. i was thinking of using frames to put fabric in but these hoops are neat too. i love the circular look. maybe even a combination of circles and squares would be neat.

how could your baby not be happy in this cheery crib?!? :)all pictures from megan at me and wee

thanks for the inspiration!

baby room

although i don't know what i am having yet (finding out august 10th!!), i am dreaming of what i would do for a nursery if we had a girl...

of course, if we have a boy, i will just continue to use the bedding we already have for our son...but, it'd be fun to have a girl because i could change things up!

our third bedroom gets the hot afternoon sun, so it heats up really badly. i bought some curtains at ikea the other day (on sale for $14.99 - but incredibly heavy, and good quality!) to help keep the room cooler. they are a light red, almost pink-red, color. so...i thought, if we had a baby girl, those curtains would obviously already be in her room, so here are some ideas i am stirring around in order to tie those curtains in with a nursery...

maybe a bumper made out of this beautiful amy butler tree peony in ivory fabric...

and maybe some accents with this amy butler lotus wallflower in mustard fabric...

and of course, i would need to put lots more pink in the room...so maybe some wall hangings done with some other coordinating fabrics...

what do you think of a light red, pink, and mustard color scheme? not typical...but, i think it would work! do you?

updating

there is something that is very appealing to me about living in an older house and then updating it. i like the "new house" feel...and the comforts that go along with it, but a big part of me has always loved the "old."

often, old houses need a lot of TLC and design wise, are pretty ugly. i thought i would post some pictures i've seen recently of things that have inspired me and showed me what you can do with something that may appear to be sort of "blah." i've learned you can really make things look great with just a little paint and some creativity!


how ugly is this? well...i think it is. it's just very plain and typical.

how lovely is this?? a COMPLETELY different feel to the house!from design*sponge

those wood doors seem to be so common in older houses and i am really not a huge fan of wood...i really like lots of white in a house...

look what some paint can do! it instantly updates it and gets rid of that '80s look.from design*sponge

another way to update a very out-dated room...again, the wood doesn't appeal to me at all...
doesn't it look completely fresh & different after the new paint and molding?
what is the best about this makeover is that it cost $82. INCREDIBLE!
from the lettered cottage

now here are pictures from my friend's sister's house...
it looks incredible...tiffany is of course an interior designer...but still, i think with some help, anyone could do this. her house looks great! (some of the rooms are still in progress in the photos but they still look completely amazing!)

how beautiful is this room now? i love the molding around the window. instant update.
how many kitchens have you seen like this and think how expensive it would be to update it? some paint on the cabinets and new hardware is a great way to save money yet still have an updated look...
the countertops are supposed to be a concrete look...i really like it. very modern.
this is the living room after they refinished the floor. i really love how it looks.
all images from modernbarn

vintage suitcase

i have a vintage suitcase that my grandmother used on her honeymoon and i can't think of how to use it...it doesn't quite go with the decor in my house, so i have been a bit stumped because it is something i love and would love to put to use.

i think i have an idea brewing after seeing these...

oops can't remember where i got the above image...

image from here, as seen on design*sponge

loving pink

someday, i would really love to have a room in my house that is pink. i saw a beautiful living room in house beautiful that was pink and it really got the ideas flowing.

these images are from absolutely beautiful things. isn't this room darling? i sure love it. it's so vibrant and happy.

fabric tufted ottoman

i love ottomans but they are just so darn expensive...here is a great tutorial on how to make one yourself for under $100! i am definitely keeping this in mind for the future...

$100

$60

you decide...
here's the tutorial!

wallpaper

i love this idea using wallpaper in a living room. i am really in love right now with bright, cheery colors. i just love how fresh this room looks. and don't you love those pleats on the couch??

the baby crib - finally!

i finally got a picture of the crib i painted. it was given to me by my sister and had been used by 3 children previously and was 9 years old (at least...). it was in okay condition but starting to look very worn. plus, i really wanted a white crib for my baby. it was a TON of work to paint the crib, mostly because it was in pieces and so it was a slow process. but i am so happy with how it turned out!

the before crib...nice, but not in love with the wood...

the after crib...the white is called "whispering wind" and is more of a dirty white...i wanted it to be older looking...antique, if you will...

i still need to paint this dresser and glider, plus a changing table...so much work but it will be worth it! i'll post those pictures as i finish them (it helps me stay motivated to think..."i've got to post those pictures!")

magnets

i love love love magnets and especially pretty magnets. they just make my day brighter when i look at the fridge. here is a tutorial on how to make fabric covered magnets...

silhouette how-to

i searched and searched on how to make a silhouette and after spending hours trying to do it digitally, i finally decided to do it by hand. for me, this way was so much easier and not to mention much more efficient!

step 1: take a profile picture of the image you want to use for your silhouette. the subject should be the primary focus in the frame.



step 2: print the photo out. i printed these in a 5x7 size on regular cardstock. there is no need to use photo paper or to even have a great quality printout (as you can see, the ink was running out which was no problem at all!). next, cut the photo out very carefully so that you have only the profile left.



step 3: paint over the photo with black acrylic paint. usually only one coat is needed. it dries very quickly.


step 4: arrange your silhouette however you would like to display it and voila! you're done! it was that easy!


here is another example of a silhouette i did of my son at 9 months old:

this was the best profile shot i could get of him and it ended up turning out just fine. i had to do some extra trimming of his neck and chest but it worked.

...and, the final product:

(this silhouette was printed as a 5x7 as well. generally it seems that you would print the silhouette out according to the size of frame you'd like to put it in).

have YOU ever made a silhouette? if so, how did you do it and did you love the end result?

halloween decor

{link to tutorial}

i don't have very much holiday decor so i am always looking for some DIY ideas. i found this idea from tanya's blog and thought it was very cute and looked pretty easy!

magazine holder 2

well i gave the magazine holder tutorial that i found awhile ago a try and it worked! it is pretty cute and i'm excited to hang it in our bathroom. the only thing i would recommend is using heavier fabric for the backing (like the tutorial says to do). i didn't have heavy fabric so i just used a lightweight cotton and although it works fine, it would be better with heavier fabric. also, the tutorial was a little hard to understand so i ended up just doing it my own way but i think it turned out fine. here it is!

{i found the cute blue fabric at joann's...it was a remnant and i only paid just over $2! i LOVE it. i love good finds!}

bed frame makeover

i lied...i said next up would be the baby crib...but, when we went over to our house the other day (we are s-l-o-w-l-y moving in) we forgot all of the pieces to set it up...so, as soon as i get it put together, i'll post it on here - i'm so excited to see the finished product!

here's another project i have been working on...a bed frame...an ugly one with lots of potential. my parent's gave it to us because we didn't have a bed or a frame (it came from D.I.)...well so they gave us this frame and a full size bed. yes, a tiny full size bed - but it was free! so, this will be our bed for the next few years. i thought this frame would look beautiful painted in antique white so that's what i did. it was a big project mostly because of all of the spindles, but after sanding, priming, and painting 2 coats of paint, it looks great! i am SO happy with how it turned out!

{this is the bedding i found at target the other day for 50% off! it was so cheap! and i just love how it looks sort of vintage. it isn't super high quality but i am not a super high quality girl...i mostly just care about the price...if it's cute and the price is right, that's my kind of thing. it's all wrinkly because i had just taken it out of the bag because i couldn't wait to see how it looked on our new beautiful bed! i am in love!}

not too shabby of a makeover, right?

hall table

here is my first ever refinishing project. i am so happy with how it turned out! it is robin's egg blue and very bright. i am going to use it as a hall table in our entry way.

this was a desk that my dad built about 45 years ago. it was one of his first ever woodworking projects. that is why this means so much to me! i have always loved this desk but it needed a little face-lift.

• i bought a quart of paint which cost $10 - actually free with a left over giftcard to Lowe's from our wedding 2 1/2 years ago :) score!
• i sanded (well, actually, my husband sanded) down the desk and then primed it with one coat of primer
• i filled in the two holes with putty where i removed the original hardware
• i put two coats of paint on
• i lightly sanded the edges to give it a more vintage feel
  
• attached a new piece of hardware that cost me just over $1 at Home Depot (i might get one at anthropologie eventually...they have really beautiful drawer pulls)
  

so...this project basically cost me next to nothing AND it has tons of meaning!

i decoupaged the inside of the drawer with SUPER cute paper - but, i can't get it open now! it is seriously stuck. i think the paint made it a tighter fit. it never opened very well anyway. but, i will try to get it open and when i do, i'll take a picture of the inside of the drawer because it's one of my favorite parts of this project.

my husband worked hard and got the drawer out so i could take a picture of the inside. cute huh! well, i think it is at least. you can see where the drill wore down some of the paper, oh well...it doesn't bother me so i'm not going to touch it up - the drawer doesn't work anyway. we sanded the paint down on the sides but it's still not a great fit so that drawer will just not be used. but - at least I know it's cute inside!

next up: the baby crib.
ohh. too much work. can you tell i'm having a hard time finishing it? it is taking so much motivation to finish because it's plain old annoying.

table runner

i loved this table runner idea. here's the tutorial!