5.28.13 Make Over a Cheap Old Bookshelf

I started to throw this bookshelf out because it looked so cheap and ugly, but then I thought I might be able to make it over.  For the record, the 'shoe' box is covering a big hole. ;)

I needed it to be white to match the decor of the room, so I painted it white.  I first tried spray paint, but that didn't cover it well at all.  So I used regular latex paint and put it on with a roller brush.  It was kind of cool - the roller gave it some texture that ended up looking like this:

After painting it completely, I added some iron "gingerbread" that I bought at Hobby Lobby.  I wanted black, and they had black - but only one left.  Well, that wouldn't work.  I needed two.  They also had them in brown, so I bought two of those.  I could paint them black.

I was out of black spray paint, but I had some chalkboard paint so I just used that.  Worked perfectly.

Screwed these onto the bookshelf, and it was finished!

Here is the final result (although the lighting is yuck - I couldn't seem to get a good picture for some reason):

So we took it from this - to - this. 

I thought it turned out pretty cute.  And once again, cost very little.  That's always a plus. :)

Oh, and I didn't bother to fix that big hole. Lol.  I figured it would always have something sitting in front of it to cover it up. ;)


 

5.27.13 Back in the Olden Days

I took this picture yesterday at a state park.  It invokes so much nostalgia.  It's a former working farm, with tons of outbuildings and barns.  I'd so love to live in a place like this..... with all of the modern amenities of course. ;)

Penn Farm

5.26.13 Quick, Easy, Very Tasty Meal

This is one of our favorite quick meals.  Perfect for a Friday night while watching the game, or any time you need something quick, but good.

Brats, pepper jack cheese.  Spinach-artichoke dip from the freezer section of the store.  Crackers and some strawberries.

I usually get Johnsonville brats, but any brand will probably do.  Heat them in the skillet with a little water.  After they've heated through and through, let the water boil away and let the brats brown a little bit.

I buy the TGIFriday's spinach-artichoke dip from the freezer section.  Heat it in the microwave.  Buy your favorite crackers to scoop it up with.

Slice up the cheese, and add a strawberry or two to make the plate more colorful.

Quick, easy, and very flavorful.

And just for fun, you can make your cheese into a wheel.  Lol.

Enjoy!

5.25.13 Garage sale chair makeover

This chair was picked up at a garage sale for a few dollars:

It's a sturdy little chair, well built.

We slapped a coat of hot pink paint on it, and now it's one of the highlights of the room, as shown in the previous post.

We bought a sample can of paint from Lowes for less than $3.  It was enough to paint this chair, and several other things.

VERY inexpensive update, but what a difference!  Proving once again that beautiful doesn't have to = $$$$.

5.24.13 Girl's Room in Turquoise and Hot Pink

Work is progressing on my daughter's room, and we're getting close to done.  Just waiting on the rug and comforter we ordered to come in.  We're mostly through painting - just a few touch ups here and there. 

She chose the color scheme - turquoise with hot pink and touches of light pink. 

This is her favorite corner of the room so far.  She loves to play on her computer, write songs, draw pictures, seated at her desk.  The desk was the number one thing she insisted she needed in her new room.  :)

Will post all of the details, along with paint colors, once we're all finished.  I'm loving the colors, they're so cheerful.  Make me feel happy. :)

5.21.13 Work on Daughter's Room Continues

We've been working our little backsides off the past few days, and have accomplished quite a lot on my daughter's room. We've painted, moved furniture, scrubbed carpet, hung pictures.

And I'm TIRED.

We decided to go with the lighter color of paint.  Here it is in progress:

And completed:

As you can see, in spite of our careful taping, some blue got on the white trim.  Ugh!  I hate that!!  But we didn't have too many incidents like that fortunately.

My next project involves this quite ugly shelf.  I'm going to paint it white, and add some gingerbread trim on the top.  She'll put her tv on the top shelf, then she can use the bottom shelves to store dvds, books, etc.

 

I also bought a dresser and desk that need to be painted, so several more days of work ahead.

I'm looking forward to it. :)  I so enjoy creating a beautiful space.  

I will have many more details to share in the near future.  Stay tuned!

5.13.13 - Happy Mother's Day

I hope all of you had a wonderful Mother's Day!  Celebrating your own mother, being a mother, grandmother - whatever way it applied to you.

I had a very nice day.  I had lunch with all of my children, and my mother, father and brothers.  And their families.

My children surprised me with a lovely gift.  They had all gotten together and done some photos.  Both of my daughters-in-law are photographers.  The pictures turned out wonderful!  They put them in a nice frame and gave it to me.  Isn't it lovely?

This is a close-up of all of my children, and two daughters-in-law:

Don't I have a beautiful family? :)

My oldest daughter wanted a photo to put as her facebook profile for Mother's Day, so we took this one:

The dog didn't want to be left out. :)

Being a mother is the most rewarding thing I've ever done.  Also by far the hardest.  I think it is nice that we take a day to say "thanks".  Everyone needs to know that their efforts are appreciated, at least one day a year. ;)

5.7.13 Mother's Day gift idea

I made this for my mother for Christmas, but it would also make a great Mother's Day gift.  Or Father's Day.

My grandmother passed away last year, not long after Mother's Day.  She and my grandfather had a rocky marriage, particularly in later years.  So when we came across a picture of them that reminded us of the fun they could have together, it was a precious thing! As soon as I saw the picture, I knew I wanted to showcase it in some way.

I decided to frame it and give it to my mother for Christmas.

I bought a black wooden frame at Hobby Lobby.  I wanted it to have some texture, so I covered the backing board with burlap.  Used scrapbooking tape to attach it to the burlap, and then I added a couple of clear "family" sticker labels.  The flowers I also bought at Hobby Lobby, and put them on with hot glue.  This was the result:

My mother absolutely LOVED it.  She took it to our big family gathering to show everyone, and they loved it, too.  It was a gift she will always cherish.

I wanted to give my father something similar.  A few weeks before he had emailed me a picture of his parents when they were young - one of his cousins had unearthed it.

I had it printed in sepia, and made 5 x 7 size.  I bought an 8 x 10 frame for it.

I covered the backing board in a piece of textured scrapbook paper that I thought went with the picture and frame perfectly.

Once again I used the clear "family" stickers.

Used another of the Hobby Lobby flowers.

Here is the final result  (with my daughters fingers and forehead - ha!):

He loved his gift, also.  I loved the way the ornate frame made the simple picture stand out.

So very easy to do, but big, big hits as gifts.



This post was linked on this 'linky party' here:
http://www.notjustahousewife.net/2013/05/show-me-what-ya-got-118.html

5.5.13 Just because it's beautiful

This color combo caught my eye.  It was a gas station, painted a beautiful blue.  The pink roses up against the blue background made an eye-catching display.

Beautiful!

5.4.13 What to do with a broken bicycle

If you look closely at this picture, you'll see that one handle-bar is broken off.  Pretty hard to ride a bike in that condition.

I've pinned many photos on Pinterest that involved old bicycles leaning up against buildings, fences, etc.  I love the look it invokes of having just jumped off of your bicycle to run inside to have a cup of tea with a friend.

So I was overjoyed when this bicycle got broken. Ha!  A couple of coats of white spray paint was all it took to transform it to garden-ready.  I change the flowers with the seasons, and this is one of my VERY favorite outdoor decor items.  It makes me smile every time I look at it.

Do you have a broken bicycle in the back of your garage?  Grab a can of spray paint and go to town! 

5.3.13 Daughter's Bedroom Transformation Begins

Older Brother moved out of his room, so Youngest Daughter finally gets a room of her own!  She is beyond excited.

She is my little decorator.  She has given me a step-by-step, extremely detailed plan for exactly what she wants.  I pretty much sat there with my mouth hanging open as she explained to me the most minute details.  I was completely impressed at the way she had thought out every inch of the room.  Not bad for a nine-year old. ;)

Blue is her favorite color, so she decided on turquoise as her wall color.  She wants to accent with shades of pink and pops of black-and-white.

We went to Lowes and got a couple of samples of paint. 

She loved the darker shade, but we decided that it might be a little much for the entire room.  So we decided on the lighter shade on three walls, and then on one wall we're going to do wide stripes in both colors.  I'm excited about this!  I think it's going to be a really, really fun room.

She asked me - 'What if the room doesn't turn out as pretty as what I have pictured in my mind?' I told her - 'We'll keep working on it until it does!'  :)

I'm so looking forward to working on this new project.  I'll share the step-by-step process with you as we go along.

5.01.13 - Big Life!

A friend gave me a calendar for Christmas. Today I flipped it over to May and look what I saw:

How cool is that?? Could it be more fitting?  Simply tailor-made for my blog. 

Love it!