Floating Window Wall Art

I'll have to write a post soon solely dedicated to the journey my house has taken up until now. I am fairly certain if my walls could talk they would tell you about their various identity crises due to my constant new "visions" for them. No room more so than my living room. I have moved the furniture all over the place trying to make everything fit just right. I realized that what was currently missing, (besides the frame tray from last week, hehe) was more COLOR. I combined my need for more color with some old windows I found (aka forced Matt to turn around and pick up off the side of the road) to add a unique new touch to the living room. (Thank you government incentive for new energy efficient windows! There should be plenty laying around your neighborhood too! ) Here is what I did:

1) Scoured the dirty windows. YUCK!

2) Added a fresh coat of paint to each. Cheap Robin's Egg Blue and Light Grey, ($.33 each, yeah!!) As well as my favorite Martha Stewart Anjou Pear (I might cry when I use the last of that!)

3) Laid out the windows in just the right combination for sturdiness and visual appeal.

4) Purchased and installed mending plates from Home Depot. We used flat head screws to attach the mending plates in two places on each window to make them sturdy. I was pleased with how well they worked.

5) Found the best, low traffic spot to put our newest treasure. We had to rearrange some furniture (surprise, surprise!) but I found the perfect corner for a little burst of color.

As if I wasn't crazy about decorating before, getting involved in this crafty blogging community has made me down right mad over perfection. I think I am going to have to be content with this room for now. In the next couple of weeks I might just have to share a little over view of what I've done to make this living room just right for us.

On a side note: If only I could find these gorgeous ranunculus for $4.00 at my local kroger year round?? They are just the right color to make my windows pop. I think I am in love!

This week I'll be linking to the CSI Project. Stop by and see what other projects are out there!

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What I Like Wednesday: Etsy

Who doesn't like Etsy, right? You can find anything and everything you could want on the site from some amazingly gifted people! If you are a crafter, artist, seamstress, etc. it is a great place to get inspiration. I just love browsing the shops and seeing what is out there.

Here is a small sampling of my favorites on Etsy right now...

1.) Melissa Frances Vintage Attic Treasures Boy Alphabet Flash Cards...

Can you imagine the possibilities with these cuties? Seriously. Oh, how I love them. You can find these flash cards here.

2.) Chrysanthemum Ring By MiaBeads...

I actually own a white one of these. I bought a hot pink one for my niece. I fell in love with it right away. It's the perfect flower ring. The packaging it comes in is even perfect. You can get the band in silver, antiqued brass, or gold and the flower comes in a variety of colors. She also makes other jewelry including gorgeous hair pins made with these flowers. You can find this beauty here.

3.) Ruffled Happy Little List Taker by KnittyBitties...

Do these not make you happy just looking at them? I can't imagine how fun it would be to make lists inside these little notepad holders. Oh, the ruffle and flower and fabric, all so perfect! I got a purse for my birthday from this shop and I love it! The quality is fantastic, the packaging adorable, and the style of everything in her shop is gorgeous! She has purses, list takers, mini wallets, and camera strap covers all in beautiful fabrics! You can visit this shop here.

So, when you get a spare moment, grab a cup of coffee and browse Etsy. You never know the treasures you will find.

Happy Wednesday!

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mini living room makeover

After 5 years in our house, I was ready for some serious changes. After reading blog after blog including The Lettered Cottage and The Shabby Nest (two of my very favorite), I felt so inspired to go ahead with the changes and not wait until I had more money. I made these changes about 1 year ago now, but they still make me smile so I thought I would share...

We opted not to re-paint at the time even though I wanted so badly to be done with the green walls. Instead, I decided to make the green work for me. I searched the house for things that were just lying around and put them to work. So, a few cans of spray paint, a couple trips to Ikea & Hobby Lobby, a yard sale or two and I've got the changes I was so desperately wanting.

The first thing I did was change the red candles next to the barn picture...

I bought some fake flowers at Hobby Lobby for about $3 and placed them in the candle holes. Such a simple change that could so easily go unnoticed, but I love it!

Then I added the jars that I bought at a yard sale for $9 and painted numbers on (you can read about those here)...

Next up was the brown mirror with hooks that we had received as a wedding gift...

We had a silver mirror in the basement from our apartment that I decided to try instead...

Next up were the couch pillows. My Mom had made me these when we first moved in. It is amazing how much my taste has changed in the last 5 years. I still think these are pretty, but just not the look I am going for anymore...

I found this beautiful Alexander Henry's Mirabelle fabric at this etsy shop . My Mom made me these pillow covers. I got 1 1/2 yards for $11.25. I was in love with it. The picture does not even do it justice. It is bright and happy. All the other changes are very classic and simple, but I always have fun with my pillows since they can be changed at any time...

I had striped curtains that matched one side of the couch pillows along with a red rug at the front door...

I just wanted some classic white curtains and that is when Ikea comes in handy. You can get two panels for $9.99. I got four of them so I only spent $19.98 + tax on new curtains. They hang nicely and don't get too wrinkled, love them. These made the biggest difference in the whole room.

I wanted a simpler rug too and found a solution at Ikea for $2.99. I got one for the front and back door...

Then there was the giant red chair we got when we were first married. It is the chair I nursed my babies in and oh so comfortable, but I was over it and ready to see it go. I sold it on craigslist (& 1 year later, my husband is still bitter about it)...

I found a temporary replacement in our basement. It is a little black chair that just needed a fresh coat of spray paint and a little number sticker for character. Still saving for a more permanent solution.

The last thing I worked on were the frames on the wall. I wanted to add black in the room and loved the way it looked against the green wall so I took down the old shelves and frames...

and replaced them with some with other frames from the basement and around the house. I spray painted them all black and distressed them. To fill them, I printed a picture of Avery, cut around it and traced it onto black paper for her silhouette. I also used iron-on transfer paper to get the word family on a piece of orange dotted fabric. I just had to include a wedding picture and the other is an old picture of my Mom with my grandparents and some siblings.

So, this mini living room makeover actually cost me nothing since I sold the old pillows, curtains, and chair on craigslist. Although, I am still searching for the perfect chair replacement, and then there is the strong desire for a new entertainment stand. Oh, well. It's a work in progress for sure, but that is the fun part. Small changes can make such a big impact.

I am joining these fabulous link parties, so come on over, check out all the amazing talent, and show us your latest project!

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Cheater Accent Pillow

I have been seeing lots of fun pillows popping up everywhere, including Tiffany’s incredible assortment, and I am always jealous because they are so adorable, but fall into that category of stuff that I just can’t mess with because I don’t have a sewing machine. (Other “stuff that I can’t mess with” are projects that require power tools, a husband who enjoys tackling projects around the house, an assumption that there is spare wood lying around, etc. I am happy for these limitations because they reduce the number of projects I can obsess with completing. But I digress.)  Anyway, I recently thought of a loophole for my pillow dilemma, and was able to make this fabulous pillow with no sewing involved!

I had a large pillow sham that I wasn’t using, and this summer I cut up several pieces and framed them for some cheap art for our bedroom. The top half of the pillow sham was still intact, so I grabbed my handy stamp and fabric paint, and stamped a pattern across the top.

I trimmed the edges so that they were straight, and then turned to my old friend, HeatnBond. I bonded (I don’t really know what you call this), about 3/4 of the way across my pillow with this stuff, waited for it to cool and then flipped it and stuffed it.

I then bonded the last portion of the pillow. It was not easy to iron this part, especially while holding back the stuffing to make sure that it wouldn’t melt. But I still maintain that it was faster and easier (for me, anyway) then sewing.

This just left the very end openings,

which I also managed not to sew…

and you never would be able to tell.

The pillow had this decorative ruffled edge, which still shows on three sides, and since I closed up the bottom of the pillow, I didn’t need to worry about replicating this for uniformity or anything. Perfect and easy.

If I hadn’t already used the rest of the sham, I could have easily made 2 pillows with no sewing!  Perfect!  I think this pattern with some white paint would look amazing on a bright fabric.  Hmm, where else do I need an accent pillow…?

 

As always, we’ll be linking to some great parties this week with some amazing talent, so please drop by and check them out here.

 

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Paint Can Gifts

Working in the schools, I was once given a very creative gift: a paint can. Not just any old paint can, this one was festively decorated with incredibly yummy treats inside. This paint can was my inspiration for a new cute, different, and economical signature gift from our family.

I realized that I could use this idea for children's birthday gifts.

I've done various versions. I started with an empty paint can found at Home Depot (for around $5).

Then I decided to cover the can with brown wrapping paper, adding ribbon around the top and bottom. You could easily use any form of paper or fabric covering. This step was the most tedious tracing the exact shape and cutting out the holes for the handles (I first removed the handle so I could cover the paper around the holes). I also covered the top of the lid in coordinating paper. For other kids, I kept the metal paint can plain and made magnetic letters from chipboard letters. That way, the kids can take off their letters and use them around their house.

I filled the cans with various art supplies. I tried to gather a variety of art such as paint, brushes, smock, paint pens, glue, scissors, crayons, small coloring books, stickers, pom poms, squiggly eyes...the list could go on! You could also fill the can with just about anything-felt food as Tiffany shared with us a few weeks ago, bean bags, small dress-up clothes, plastic magnetic alphabet letters and numbers, blocks, Easter eggs with shredded Easter grass/paper, school supplies, scrapbooking supplies. You could then decorate the outside with any coordinating colors using scrapbook paper, fabric, wrapping paper, ribbon, stickers, spray paint, and even a brown paper grocery bag to be more green.

Enjoy your weekend and don't forget to check out these link parties!

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The Frame Tray

There is just something about my living room that I can't get "just right." I am constantly adding or subtracting items. Don't get me wrong, I mean in the interest of full disclosure, I absolutely love the colors and feel of the room. It just seems like something is always missing. I've tried to convince my husband that what is really missing is fresh flowers, though he seems to have discovered an "angle" on that ploy. I decided this week that the newest thing we REALLY needed was a good coffee table display, so I went to work and came up with this...

TA DA! The frame tray! I am admittedly a little over excited about this one. I guess maybe because it started like this...

While perusing goodwill searching for a cast off tray, I came up empty handed. I really wanted something that I could jazz up a little to get just the right elegant look. There wasn't one tray to be had. So, I went for an old frame instead.

This is what I did:
I painted the frame white to offset my black coffee table. I was wrestling with whether or not to paint it black, but I liked the contrast the white provided.

Next, I went with some old cast iron drawer handles that I picked up for $2.99 each. (Please don't cringe, I wasn't too pleased with the price either, but they were perfect for what I wanted and I was too anxious to wait around for a sale!)

I attached the handles with shallow screws. Once attached, I painted the screws black to blend with the cast iron handles.

For the picture insert, I batted and covered the original cardboard backing with a cute black gingham fabric that is a theme throughout my house (using hot glue). This gave the insert a raised, cozy look that I was very pleased with. I like the texture the batting provided.

I then simply put the insert in place, attaching with hot glue to make it more sturdy. There were already metal tabs to hold it in, so the hot glue was just extra security. (Not pictured, I covered the unsightly cardboard showing through with extra fabric. I mean, who looks at the bottom of a tray right? But, just in case...)

This was the temporary look, before the glass was added. At this point I was getting really excited!

Now, this is the part that I discovered made the frame the PERFECT bones for a serving/ display tray: The Glass. I decided to mount the glass on top of the frame for a couple of reasons. First, it protected the batted fabric without smashing it. Second, it made the tray a lot sturdier because I don't have to worry about heavy objects pushing the insert out. (Try it and you'll see what I mean!) I simply mounted the glass with a dot of hot glue in each corner. Good thing it is clear so it wasn't too obvious at all.

I never get too excited about my projects until I really see how useful they are to me or others, but I am loving this one. I have decided that even if it proves inconvenient, I will always love it. I am totally going to judge this book by its cover. :)

Now, here is my new problem. This $4.00 frame is now the classiest thing in my funky little living room. Hmmmmm, this could create new decorating obsessions, should I be worried? Well, maybe my husband should be...

Well, I guess we shouldn't worry too much. The two little monkeys in the background I'm sure will bring me back to reality and remind me that I don't live in a magazine. And that is just the way I like it!

Thanks for stopping by once again to see my new favorite thing.

I'll be linking to the CSI Favorite Things Project!

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