art stuff: something pretty to remind us

We use A LOT of magnets around our house, especially considering the size of our magnetic family wall calendar, but most of them aren't pretty. They're functional, heavy duty - meaning they can hold up a stack of papers three inches thick for the next Junior National Honor Society Meeting.

Adding just a pop of color and ART to this board makes it so much easier to view - overloaded schedules and all. This is our family calendar- not pretty, but useful.

Now this is is pretty. And fun. A little painted canvas turned into workable magnet. We have started using these on our family calendar to remind us of something important.

( Plus we reserve these ART magnets for special tidbits - like love notes and free tickets! No tacking up a yucky dentist appointment with these - fun stuff only! )

Sometimes all we need to feel better about our crazy schedules and hectic lives, is just a little bit of ART. Everyday life can be so routine that we dread it. That's why anything unexpected makes it so much better- like a secret note, or a child's drawing-  things that are visually pleasing. I don't like to LOOK at my family calendar. It is almost always overwhelming, but by adding a little bit of pretty, I get an unexpected smile from myself. I am reminded that eveyday life can be beautiful- I just have to help make it that way.

December is not so bad, but most of the time our calendar is overflowing with stuff to do, places to be, people to meet. Having something pretty to remind us to slow down, have fun, and LOVE YOUR LIFE - well that's worth looking at.

in my house: happy halloween

...wishing you all a safe and fun filled holiday!

Read more about how I made this sweet All Hallows Eve Banner,  this Yummy Triple Decker Candy Dish and this Spooky Stack of Vintage Books!

tutorial: sweater band pillow

I know I have been absent lately, but summer is here and that means the kids are home and projects are in motion. You might have read here that I am in the middle of a bedroom makeover - part of decorating on a dime, shopping your home. In keeping with that I am making some new pillows for part of the redo. This one  is my favorite so far!

By the way - this is a sneak peek at part of the bedroom redo in progress...more to come soon. This pillow was super easy and fast. Here's how you can make one. Gather your supplies.

How much you need of each fabric will vary according to your pillow insert. Mine was 14" square. This was a quick and unorthodox way to make a pillow cover so tweak it to your needs as you see fit. You will need a long rectangle of fabric. One that will fold over and cover your pillow, twice. HEM SHORT ENDS OF FABRIC FIRST. Next, lay out your long rectangle of fabric and place your pillow just off center. Fold fabric over and line up sides and pin. Your pillow now looks as if you stuffed it into an envelope. Fold second end of fabric over, line up sides and pin almost all the way to the top, leaving just enough room to slip pillow out. This is an extra step to ensure our pillow flaps look good. Feel free to skip it if you have made one like this before.

Don't sew yet. Next grab your burlap and fold a rectangular piece in half once and then again. This piece will need to be as long as your outside facing pillow flap. Pin and stitch down each side.

Carefully remove pins (you will have to repin later, but this ensures are flaps are positioned correctly) and pin your finished burlap strip to one short hemmed end of your fabric. Next reposition your pillow and repin with RIGHT SIDES FACING. It should look like this so far.

Fold second flap over (this one should have no burlap edge) and line edges up. Pin one side and carefully remove pillow insert. Pin second side and stitch up both sides, being careful to reinforce where your two flaps overlap.  Turn right side out. This is what you should have now.

Next take your sweater and cut the bottom band off, keeping it as wide as you would like. My sweater had a ribbed band and so I had a nice guideline to follow, making it approximately 5 inches wide. Be careful when cutting to cut the exact amount of buttons and buttonholes that line up.

Now stuff your pillow insert into your new pillow cover and button your sweater band around it. I used the burlap as a guide, leaving that showing on the back for contrast.

All done! You can add an embellishment if you like. I made a little brooch out of leftover scraps of duckcloth, linen and lace. Lovely!

Once again, a pretty re-purposed project. AND we are decorating on a dime! Yea! Oh! And if you want to make one of these sweet crocheted baskets you can find a pattern here!

on the worktable: crocheted baskets

As part of my yearly goal to decorate on a dime I am trying to shop my home and create things that I would normally buy. I loved these pretty crocheted baskets but had to stick to budget on my bedroom makeover so I decided to google a pattern instead.

I feel I should mention I am not a seasoned crocheter! I am self taught and I can tell you practice makes perfect. This was a very simple to follow pattern and at no point frustrating. I haven't added the fabric stiffener yet per the instructions, but I still might. I really wanted this basket to remain soft looking and I am worried the stiffener will change that look. We'll see. Anyway- I love it and I think I will make a few more and cluster them together on a nightstand or desk to keep things clutter free!

In my house: bedroom redo

...I get a wild hair once in awhile. Okay, often. I get a wild hair often. What else can I say? Stay tuned...

in my house: living room redo part 2

So - I am finally ready to share my Living Room with you. Back in February I posted part 1-  what prompted me to redo my living room. I know it took me two months to get back to this, but I wanted it to be complete when I shared it with you again and with the exception of the finish on my coffee table it is all done!

Two items on my BUDGET BOARD were my intended focal point and grounded the room perfectly - this furniture and my antique chalkboard. I gave my old toss pillows a face lift with burlap & duckcloth shams, adding linen ruffles and medallions. The wreathe is one I made with recycled materials.

I tackled the dark laminate tv cabinet with one coat of this primer and two coats of this awesome paint which I had tinted to Natural White. Once dry, I sanded the cabinet roughly with an electric palm sander, creating deep grooves and rounded edges.

I loved the gray with the hard wood floors, so I opted to tie in a few antique pieces. I gave an old dresser a new coat of my favorite wax in Natural, and it now serves as added storage for games, coasters, and blankets. An oversized library table gets the same treatment and houses school and kids arts and crafts supplies.

I don't like things to be "matchy matchy" so I tied in a few old chippy painted pieces as well. I am in total love with this green side table. It just so happened to match my walls perfectly - which are painted a very pale shade by Ralph Lauren called Killington Traverse. This little round beauty still shows signs of the original floral tromp de l'oeil design visible on the table top surface.

I went ahead and bought the wooden lamp base at Target but found my burlap shade at Wal-Mart. The floor lamp also came from Wal-Mart. I just swapped out the original shade for this one.

 Because my Kitchen and Living Room are basically one giant room, it was mandatory that they tie together seamlessly, without being exactly alike. I was able to achieve that with color. The kitchen cabinets are a coordinating shade of white and the antique gold curtains picked up the warm hues of the wood and burlap. I like the cohesion this rug from Ikea gives the entire room and since my kids love to hang out on the floor I made two oversized floor pillows using duck cloth and left over linen and ribbon scraps from Christmas projects.

The small things on my BUDGET BOARD were easy. Metal trays and vintage ice buckets were picked up for pennies in local shops and at goodwill. Grainsack material covers a recycled oversized pillow. I had fun embellshing it with burlap and a hand crocheted flower with a vintage bling center. Books and more vintage trophies filled with flowers line the cubbies on the tv cabinet and giant metal stars I lugged back from PA years ago got a new coat of silver paint and hang on the walls.

I love it. That is a surefire way of saying I will tweak it down the road, no doubt, but I do love it.

my style: sneak peek fancy photoshoot fun

My baby was twelve last week. Not possible, but they tell me it is true. I surprised her this week with a trio of special friends and a fancy photoshoot and tea party! I will share more photos later, but could not resist this one sneek peek. Baubles, bubbles, crowns and glitter - what could be better?

in my house: living room redo part 1

This is my BUDGET BOARD. It is a board of all the items I wanted to see in my new living room makeover. It was really crowded at first, but then I remembered I actually HAD a budget and so some things fell off of the board.

This is what prompted the board. A simple but fatal mistake when it comes to me and decorating - I moved something. Just one thing.

And I had motive, two motives actually. My family of seven had been enjoying these WHITE LINEN sofas for over six years. And while they certainly proved their worth, this lovely dim photo doesn't show their true loving wear & tear. The second motive being this beautiful (uhum) laminate TV wall unit. It was the only thing I could find to fit. That's all I will say about it.

This is similar to how it looked at the store. I loved that it filled a big empty wall. I loved that it will so slim - the shelves only about 18 inches deep. I loved that it was super sonic cheap. I DID NOT LOVE, NOR WILL I EVER LOVE the dark color. I couldn't even find a photo of mine if that tells you anything. But what I did LOVE was this.

I took a dark, laminate, Target Library Table and turned it into this shabby white beauty. (See how here) And so I wanted more of this... If you would like to see how it all turns out, check back often. I will have it all done and ready to post soon! And it is GOING TO BE PRIIIIITTTTTTY!

In My House: Milk Glass

In my house there is an abundance of milk glass. I love the look of simple white vessels spilling out of cupboards and piled up on counter tops. My mother has long been a collector of milk glass and ironstone. Not so long ago she declared HALF of that collection mine - she was simplifying as we all do, and knowing I had admiringly coveted her pieces for years, lovingly gifted me half of her small treasure.

Now it adorns every nook and cranny of my dining room and kitchen. I love it.