Creative Little House

Boys Room (Huge Paint by number painting)

2015-10-29T11:21:00.000-05:00

After almost a year I'm back in the boys room. I don't say that with a guilt trip tone to myself at all, that's is just how I roll these days. The older I get the more I understand my style as far a work, design and in life. Though I love the idea of being one of those perfectly DONE people, (that starts a project and gets it done in the right time frame), I'm just not. I'm creative, I start one thing and I'm thinking of another. Not to say being creative doesn't have it's costs, nothing in life is free and I'm not talking about money, well maybe in some cases;)

Anyways....welcome to my boys room. I got my huge paint by number painting framed up. And the ball just started rolling from there. When I first had William I was not a fan of primary colors as far as kid stuff. Seemed like every kid toy, piece of furniture had primary colors. I get it, they need to learn their colors but all of them together drove me nuts as far as design.... So I find it funny that in the boys big boy room I have a lot of primary colors going on, but I think I muted them enough with neutrals to live with them.

I really don't have a plan when it comes to kids room. I don't want people or my boys to walk in and see a pottery barn catalog but feel some soul. And I think that's why it takes a long time to get a room DONE....I'm not satisfied with surface, I want some meaning.

I love bringing the outside in with plants and landscape paintings. A lot of my paintings around my house are landscapes and are nice little windows on warmth during the winter months.... For the boys room I wanted something really bold and I love the retro paint by number style. So I looked up a bunch of paint by number paintings and literally just started copying one from looking at my computer to painting on the canvas. I hand a big piece of canvas cloth that I hung on the wall. I wasn't too exact in coping it and put a lot of my own style and changed some of the colors..........It was like I just systematically put blobs of paint in the right place to create a scenery.

I added some blank paint by number slots for a fun effect..... William always says "mom you need to finish it." I tell him that's the way it's supposed to be....And really how many of these half done paint by number paintings have you seen at the thrift stores?....I'm glad I'm not the only one! No I really liked the modern/technical edge the slots and numbers give to such a vintage style painting.....

In picking the frame color I could have gone with a safe stained wood color. But as the room was coming together red seemed like the right accent color.....

I love how this painting as a good balance of brightness and neutrals....I looked at this painting a lot as I accessorized this space....

I have some browns and grays. Black and white with pops of color....

I left the windows bare-wood, the boys toy bin/ and the coat rack below.

This coat rack was one of my first projects (like 3 years ago) when I didn't have a clue what direction I was going in this room. I love that it says northwood living in Iowa and has little pine trees logos. Who would have thought 3 years later, I would paint a painting with pine trees in it and pick green and white striped comforters. It somehow works and to me it's like magic!

Scotty had this Royals score book stored away.. The colors are perfect and tie in with a vintage feel.....

I find so many deals at thrift stores.... you really can live on a budget and have a great space, but it does take time to find these deals.... In a picture above I found those brass reading lamps for $1.50 each and last week I found this great royal blue trunk for $5 bucks. Don't underestimate your local thrift store. The deals you can get really don't add up:)!

I can't tell you whats next on my list, we are preparing for the winter and been working outside.

We are still conquering the fist level and I'm great with that. I don't think we will ever be DONE, it's more like we are shooting for a stopping point.

Looking forward to some of my winter indoor projects!

Have a great week, GO ROYALS!!

Solar Shades...a cool, simple, modern touch

2015-07-27T15:17:00.000-05:00

Hello All!! What a busy summer it's been! This is the first summer I'm not tied down to a nap schedule which means we are on the go almost everyday. And the days I'm not going I'm doing laundry so we have clothes to go again! When we decided for Scotty to finish school I knew blogging would go on the back burner. I always feel a little piece of me is missing when I'm not blogging and sharing... miss you guys!:) We have taken a break from major projects this summer and decided to just maintain. The past 3 years has been project after project. So it's been quite refreshing to take a break and have laid back summer!

I have been able to squeeze in a few projects that take no longer than an hour to complete or install. I've been wanting to replace our blinds for a while. When we first moved in I bought some pull down blinds to fit each individual window pane for our bay windows (shown below.) They looked nice but became more of a chore to open and close 7 individual blinds everyday. I began to do my research for some new blinds, which ended up taking me over a year to make a decision ......

There are soooooo many options for window coverings.... I took my time as I didn't want to make a mistake again. I got sample after sample. I knew I wanted something easy to clean. Something light filtering. Something private, at least during the day. Something that blocked the hot sun. And something that fit my style. After researching and sampling, I finally put an order in and went with a couple of black solar shades.

I have loved black and white for 10 years now, and I don't see that changing for a another 10. So I was pretty sure about the color and liked that it was a bit bold! Modern is not my first choice in design, I have a classic/country, almost Ralph Lauren style. But I have felt the need to add some modern touches to keep the room fresh. I've seen solar shades in modern homes and at first I wasn't sure if it would fit mine. But like I said I did a lot of research and took time to evaluate our space. So with a little risk with a lot of confidence, I pleasantly found they added just the right amount of balance.....

One thing I love about these solar shades is you can see right out without opening them. And when the afternoon sun beats in I can close them, and still have a view with my room cool and darkened. Another thing is they are completely private during the day. Kinda reminds of an interrogation room. I put my face right to the window from the outside and couldn't see a thing in.

You can see in at night, so we pull the curtains for complete privacy.

Slowing down a little gave me some time to evaluate our projects, time, energy, and budget. One decision I have made was to give up upholstery. I had to put some project boundaries up and this one I must say I'm not going to miss. I can upholster but I don't love it. And I really don't love how much time it takes. I will allow myself to do easy projects, like kitchen chairs. But anything that takes weeks to accomplish is out!

"You can do anything but not everything", has been one of my favorite quotes lately.

So with that boundary is place I bought a new chair from Ikea for our living room. It's more modern and really comfortable. To keep it personal I put a cashmere throw on it and made a new throw pillow for it.

Balance is a beautiful thing. Have you taken the time to balance out your projects and put some boundaries in place? Are you overwhelmed with all the window covering choices out there like me?

I'm sure we will be back to full board projects again, but I'm hoping this little break gives us just the wisdom we need to continue on!

Living and learning,
Julie

Painted Mudroom Floor

2015-05-29T11:33:00.002-05:00

Summer is here and I'm so glad I had the time to squeeze in my painted floor project!! When planning to paint our mudroom floor I knew I was going to use oil based paint, so that met I had to find the perfect week that wasn't too humid but warm enough to open the windows. I posted pictures on Instagram of the process and had so many nice encouraging comments. Not knowing exactly how it was going to turn out I felt a little pressured but I must say I'm pleased and wanted to give you a peak.....

Here is our before picture of the floor, just plain plywood. More of the before pictures ....HERE

And Here is the after.....
I had many ideas of what I wanted for this space. My 1st thought was a gray tile. But the more I looked at tile the more I like the mixture of tile and wood. The wood added a touch of warmth and class. I knew we didn't have the skills nor the money to hire someone to get this look. Then I thought why not try painting it.

So during the winter months I began to draw a design on paper...

I have found the times I draw things out and get a clear vision, the less trail and error I have. I feel more at ease with a plan and it's so fun to see it come to life from paper to room.

I plan to do a DIY post one day, but for now here are some pictures of the process. After drawing out the diamonds. I began staining the part I wanted to be wood.

Then lots of taping....

Followed by lots of layers of paint and waiting for it to dry.....

Then it was time to add my beloved hunter green.....

It's all coming together. It's not perfect, my diamonds got slightly off and the wood it very rustic looking, but that fits in a mudroom. The diamonds are very glossy, my boys didn't want to step on them at 1st because they looked so wet. Wasn't sure about my thrift rug but I think its complementing the floor nicely.

Baseboard is next on the list but for now I"m dipping back into the boys room working on window treatments.

I just love summer. Our days are longer and midnight project oil is burning brighter. We are still focused on finishing the 1st level of our home. We had quite of few outdoor projects last year with, growing grass, putting fence up, installing a place set , and adding a rock patio. So we are just maintaining the outside this year, and I'm excited to enjoy the fruits of our labor.

I hope you all are taking advantage the these longer days! Summer is a magical time. My son was so cute the other night. We were catching fireflies, and he said "they are sparkling and having a party for us!"

Blessings,

Julie

Mudroom after 2 years and my latest Color Crush

2015-05-07T10:39:00.001-05:00

If there is one room in my house besides our bathroom that I can't live without it would be our mudroom. Living in Iowa, winters are brutal and snow comes more often than some of us would like. I love having a whole room to drop everything, instead of a little mat at the door. As much as I love this room and all it's uses during the winter months, I love when spring comes, life overall gets lighter.

We've done so much to this little space. I so wanted to show a completely finished room, but after almost 2 years I gave up and had to give you a peek.

Overall we painted, wallpapered, put paneling up, tore out the tile, trimmed around the wallpaper, put lots of hooks up, made a coat rack out of pipe and added decorative touches. I know that's against some peoples rules to decorate before a room is completely done. but I've found putting some inspiration in the room is helping me decided on bigger decisions like the floor.

My latest color crush has been hunter green. So when I found this rug I had to get it, I wasn't certain it would work but for $3 bucks I was sold! I have a tile design in mind for this floor. I'm thinking about painting it instead of actually tiling it. Overall I think it practically keeps the floor warmer and it's something I've always wanted to do and what a perfect space to give it a shot!

I've added hints of green here and there like this Burlington Iowa basket picnic basket. I plan to add more touches of my beloved color:)

I've started a dog gallery wall. I don't know anything more welcoming than a dog. Our mudroom is a perfect place to display our 4 legged friends we love.

It's been a slow process but one I've enjoyed. I hope to get started on the floor soon before it gets too hot. I'll be showing little peeks of my process on Instagram.

Blessing,

Julie

Painting on a Glass Picture Frame

2015-03-19T13:49:00.003-05:00

I think what keeps my creative blood flowing through my veins is doing something that shocks my system every once in a while. Or else I think I might get bored and just die:) So when I decided to paint on a glass picture frame it was just the little zap I needed.
I got this huge picture frame from my grandma. I really didn't know what I was going to do with it but I liked the frame. I knew I wanted a big painting in my bedroom, so I thought I would buy some watercolor paper or canvas to paint and then frame. Then I got in one of those moods, (the I want to do this NOW kind!)....and thought why not paint right on the glass, right now?!......

So with a combination of (I want to do this now) and (I don't want to spend any money) mood, I was more than willing to give it a try.

This is what I started out with.....You can barely see it, but I thought I would make a big calendar for our kitchen before I decided using the frame for a painting.

My one tip with painting is use what you have. Go and get those cans of wall paint before they dry out. Use those babies up, especially when you have a big area to paint. I started off pouring some ceiling paint right in the middle of the frame. Then I took a putty knife and began spreading it all over the glass. I let it dry and put a second coat on with a brush. The one thing about painting on glass is layering. You have to get a good base to work from or else the paint can slide around on the glass. I think I have a total of 5 layers.

I knew I wanted to paint a rose, I just didn't know what color. I'm not a real fan of red roses, I had white roses for my wedding so I started there. Here is the 1st base layer of the roses......

Here is the second coat of detail......

I must admit, right now I'm kinda liking the painting above better than the one with the pink tones below. I haven't completely finished it and it's all up for changing. A girl has a right to change her mind, right? Especially when she has DIY'ed it for nothing:) When I'm finally done I want to seal it with some poly. So we will just have to see how this all pans out in the end.

So the big question is, which rose do you like better?
The rose with pink tones?
Or change it back to a white rose?
I'm just curious:)

Hope you all are enjoying this Spring like weather! My William is enjoying his 1st spring break from school and I'm love having him home! Makes me look forward to having him all summer!

I hope to share with you some pictures of my mudroom. I don't think I've ever posted anything and I think it's time, ready or not!

Love,
Julie

Master bedroom in the Making: Dark Paint

2015-03-02T08:40:00.000-06:00

The last time we did a major project in our bedroom was 3 years ago. We were scraping popcorn ceilings, painting walls and putting new flooring in. I can remember the night we finally moved our bed into our room. There is something to be said about a bed that is settled in the right place, and not on the floor of your boys room. Your surroundings do play a big part in your sleep. But since the day we moved in I have been pushing the snooze button on our room as far as design until recently. I've only painted the walls, but I'm excited about the impact so far.

BEFORE......

and the AFTER....

It's kind of like a night and day difference, literally. I love this Behr color named Black Bean. I wanted to go with a bold dark green color but hubby wasn't too keen on the idea. So I met him in the middle and went with a brownish, dark gray, green color. Don't tell him but I think I got what I wanted, I see a lot of green;) Do you?

No, he is really happy with the color and it seems like we are sleeping better at night with darker walls.

I hope to share more on my rose painting later. I originally thought I would put my painting above our bed right smack dab in the middle. But I'm trying to break out of my (everything has to be centered) ways and not be so mathematical/predictable about hanging pictures. For now it seems right that she is on my side of the bed, and I'm loving how it almost blends into the wall.

I'm putting a design together as I'm finishing up projects in our living. I think I need some time to marinate in this room for a while, and see what I really want. My thoughts have been go even bolder with black curtains. I think I would love the close contrast. Maybe with white sheers. The other day I had some fun putting colors together that have inspired me so far. An accent color is still up in the air. I want to put some fun modern pieces in here too to balance out the classic. Like something in my $2 dollar frame below....

This picture gives you a better idea of the color I'm working with on the walls. I'm I crazy for wanting black curtains?.....I just love these colors together.

Here is my $12 desk. I just love it because it's solid and it was made locally in Iowa, but not crazy about the color. Trying to decide if I should sell it or refinish it. It makes a nice little nook for me to do my makeup and a side table for Scotty. So it's working functionality wise. The woodwork on those drawers are'nt hard on the eyes either. Any thoughts on colors or stains?

Lots of decisions to be made for our room. I don't have a very detailed plan yet.... I guess you can say I'm going to sleep on the design and dream for a while;) but not for long. Hope to be back in here real soon.

Do you have a dark bedroom?
Do you happen to sleep better in a darker room?

A not so Faux Fireplace

2015-02-20T14:47:00.000-06:00

Growing up in Iowa my dad had a wood burning stove that heated our house every winter. I never understood the need for slippers and house robes until I moved into a house heated by a furnace. The difference is night and day! I've been trying to convince Scotty to put a little wood burner in our mudroom but he says it's too much work. Which he's probably right, and I'm not completely convinced I'm ready to add lumber jack duties to my list either.

But I still wanted to add some warmth to our home, so he agreed to put in a faux fireplace. I began to search for one to buy and was not impressed at all. If there was one word to describe them, it would be faux, which means fake. So I began researching DIY faux fireplaces and I came across this one This blog has inspiration galore to keep things simple and authentic. I fell in love with the fireplace they built for their guest house, and thought it would be perfect for us.... If you need a breath of fresh country air check out.... A Country Farm House .

If you missed how I made a dresser into a mantel, you can catch up here.

In finishing the fireplace I knew I wanted brick for the inside, but didn't necessarily want to add brick laying to my skills. So I went to the Home Depot and bought a big sheet of red brick paneling. I cut it to size and nailed it in. The electric flame looked best against a white background compared to charcoal. So I painted the brick with some flat paint that gave it an off white/light gray base. I liked it, but thought it was a little too clean cut for a real used fireplace. So in my quest to make it look as authentic as can be I grabbed some black chalk from my art supplies. Then I basically scribbled on the brick where I wanted it to be black and took a dry cloth and blended it in. I made the brick floor especially dirty, since that is where all the ashes would fall.

Researching so many fireplaces I began to love brass andirons. Amazon had some for around $200. Then I stopped into the Habitat for Humanity and ran into these. My mouth dropped when I saw the 20 dollar price tag. I thought surely 20 a piece. Nope, $20 for all, and it came with a huge fireplace screen fit for a castle. They add just the right touch to my fireplace and gave it a little more depth.

My one big expense was the heating insert. I went with an electric Duraflame insert. I bought mine on amazon for $80.00. I think the flame looks really good for an electric insert. I looked at a lot of Duraflame youtube videos before I bought it, and was pretty impressed. It also does a nice job heating our space too.

The next thing to tackle was the hearth. I thought about tiling it. Then I thought about making a concrete slab to lay on the hardwood floor or buying a piece stone or granite. Then the thrifty side of me thought, why not make a piece of wood look like stone.

I had a perfect sized piece on hand and decided I have nothing to loose. I got my Dremel tool out and began to make cracks in the stone and ruffed up the edges. Then I ruffed up the top of the wood with a sander. Next I got some old wall paint and began to swipe paint all over the board with a putty knife. The putty knife made it look like it had many layers instead of a flat brushed look. You might be able to add some plaster too for extra texture too.....

After I got the look I wanted, I sprayed it with mate finish poly. This seals everything in. I think I might have gone a bit overboard spraying it because it turned out pretty glossy. Maybe I can wipe it with some paint thinner to knock the sheen one day....but for now I'm not minding it.

So my overall cost for the fireplace is:
$80 for the Duraflame insert
$20 for the androids
$20 for the brick paneling
$5 Can of Poly
Everything else was an old dresser, left over trim pieces, paint I had on hand, and a strong will to do this for nothing:)
TOTAL=$125

My bedroom makeover has begun. I used a dark green color called black bean. It's funny how paint colors behave, never would have thought this color would have pulled green tones by reading the name. I will probably be hopping back and forth from our room to the living room. I have one more chair to recover, a buffet to refinish and blinds to purchase in our living room. I feel a bit obligated to those projects since I have already invested into them. So for now my room will just have to be happy with new paint and a new painting. Before and after pictures to come.

My Style, living room endings and bedroom beginnings

2015-02-16T15:11:00.001-06:00

So I FINALLY got a new computer and blogging has become not only possible but enjoyable again! I've suffered a long time with a slow computer and I took my husband's advice and a got a new one. I've missed you guys and sorry for the long break....

I hope everyone is enjoying the new year! With time off of blogging, I had a lot more time to reflect on what I really want for my home. And I must admit some days I don't know exactly what my style is. I've always thought my style was eclectic but I felt the need to narrow that down a little. I've read that if you are stumped in what your home style is, start in your closet. So that's what I did. Looking in my closet I found a very simple wardrobe with classic brands like Ralph Lauren, crisp white button down shirt from Lands End, Frye Riding boots, little black dress, with a bright silk floral shirt. So right away I thought classic, comfortable, with a touch of unexpected color, print or texture.

The room I've been focusing on the most is our living room.

After concluding/confirming my style, I've been busy. I've kinda have been all over the place but wanted to give you a peak into my progress.

If you asked me what my favorite colors are this year, it would be black and brown. My base colors for my home have been black and white but lately I'm embracing brown. I've snubbed my brown leather couch the past couple years, thinking I need something lighter and new. But after doing my closet exercise, it confirmed to me that my brown riding boots will always be classic, and will only get better the longer I have them. I'm finding that to be true with my dear couch, if I let her be!

When we 1st put these book shelves in they were all white. I had a good go with the all white look, but now I'm wanting to bring out more rich tones for a dramatic feel. I had some black vinyl and double sided tape on hand that did the job nicely.

My faux fireplace has been a long work in progress, and sorry for the bad picture. We are enjoying the comforting feel of this piece and the warmth during this brutal winter. I have a few more finishing touches to do on this project. Hope to share more details on this project soon. If you missed it, here's how I made a fireplace from a dresser.

I love taking a break from the big projects and doing something fun! I got this bamboo tray for less than a dollar at a thrift store. I knew I wanted to give it a different look, so I got some white oil based paint and tapped off the part of the tray I didn't want white. Then I poured the painted right on the tray and just like flouring a cake pan, I tipped the tray back and forth, and let the paint cover it.

After I let it dry for a couple of days I took a sharpie marker and covered it with a Dalmatian print. It added just the right touch of fun to my coffee table!
A couple weekends ago I was at Ikea and was surprised to find this bamboo tray. You could easily make this with just a sharpie if you are so blessed to have an Ikea in your area!

Welcome to our bedroom. This poor room as not been touched in 3 years. Though I'm in the middle of finishing/polishing our living room, I decided to take a much needed break and work on our bedroom. I'm embracing a dark gray/brown/green wall color.

Hope to get this painted this week. Before and afters to come.....

Do you get stumped or second guess what your style is?

Maybe a trip to your closet with give you some clarity too:)

the Boys room at Christmas

2014-12-16T16:44:00.000-06:00

Welcome to my boys room. Step right in to their little part of the world. I hope you find yourself inspired to let go of your adult responsibilities and be a kid again. That' the way I feel when I walk into this room, I'll have dishes to do, bills to pay, laundry, but if I want to get away from it all this is the place to go.
So When I put up their tree up I use the most colorful lights and let them decorate with the ornaments they picked out over the years. I want them to feel proud of their tree, this is their space and I want them to love it! And I get the joy of seeing my babies sleep under their tree every night too.....isn't that the best?!

This year I wanted to make the boys flannel pajamas and pillow cases. I looked high and low for a set of sheets from LL bean, to Walmart, to Potterybarn, literally everywhere. I originally planned to use a set of sheets to make the boys pjs and use the already made pillow cases for their beds. You can sometimes get more yardage for your money that way. But with my particular taste I could not find what I wanted, then I finally came across flannelworld.com and the selection of plaid flannel was great.

So glad I didn't settle, I love the warmth these pillow cases bring to the room.....

and in Iowa we do need warmth, not that it's been very cold, it's been super nice lately.......

I got these energy saver nostalgic lights for the tree. I like the original ones but they scare me how hot the bulbs get. These are perfect, unbreakable and they look pretty authentic too.

This is the tree we used in our little house in KC. It's pretty special, we used to put it on a table because there wasn't enough floor space in our 1st house....I have great memories with this little tree and I'm so glad my boys get to enjoy it now!

Last year I saw this antique cooler and my 1st thought was, I'm putting the boys Christmas tree in this thing. I was on the fence of (do I really need this) but for $2 I had to get it! I think the leather strap sold me!

Santa is enjoying the desert this year....:)

This room brings the kid out of me, I had too much fun taking pictures. Here's Elmo hitting the slopes!

and his friend Snoop Dog....

This room has been so much fun to design and build upon and yes I do have more to come with this little space. But for now you'll find me laying on one of the boys beds, building block towers, reading books, their little world makes me happy! I think this quote sums it up for me....
“Creativity is an area in which younger people have a tremendous advantage, since they have an endearing habit of always questioning past wisdom and authority.” -Bill Hewlett

How about you, is there a place in your home that makes you happy?
And do you think we are going to have a white Christmas?, dang I sure hope so!
Love,
Julie

You can see more of my home at Christmas here

Feels like Home Christmas Tour

2014-12-10T08:37:00.000-06:00

Christmas time is here....

After having 2 Christmas's here in Iowa, I feel we are most settled in our home this year. We've always been in the middle of a big project that was pulling me from Christmas decorating. The 1st two Christmas in this house I'm trying to figure out what works and what doesn't, decorating this year it felt like a home I knew! So the other day I got out my camera and had so much fun taking some pictures of our living room. So here's my official Creative Little House tour....

People say the best pictures are with living things in them, Katie girl was just perfect this afternoon.....

Speaking of living things, I love plants during cold months of winter...I try and bring in the outdoors as much as I can.

I adore this vintage postcard . The perfect Christmas to me is a good old fashion Christmas, where they make gifts for each other, have a simple tree, lots of snow, a fire, peppermint sticks, lots of love and Jesus. Just like Laura Ingalls Wilder had. The simplicity of this postcard reminds me of that.....

I don't really know what I'm doing when I put my bookshelves together, I shuffle, add and take away. This one ended up having Kansas City theme. KC is where Scotty and I met and married. I have great memories of the Plaza Lights, so my plaza plate has to go up every year.

I love a real tree!! Love the smell, the life it brings and not having to store a huge tree. We cut lots off our tree and I used the branches around the house as garland.

Over all when I decorate for Christmas I love a touch of red. It's classic! I made some red plaid ornaments a couple years ago and I thought I would balance the masculine plaid with a feminine leopard print this year.

I ended up painting some dried gourds I had and turning them into over sized ball ornaments..

I also made these fun spoons ornaments.. Christmas music and stories inspired these....

A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices! Thought the leg lamp was fitting for the "thrill" part. And no I did not plan that!

My favorite carol.....

Special shelf for our babies......

Speaking of babies, this one has been sick for a week, he's recovering now and this is the best way to do it.....

I hoped you enjoyed my little tour. I love seeing people's homes this time a year....No matter how simple or complex the decor is, the little girl inside me thinks it's magical.
I hope to show you a few more things that I've made and a couple more rooms.....
Blessings,
Julie

My First Thanksgiving

2014-11-14T14:22:00.001-06:00

I offered to do Thanksgiving this year. My mom has done a great job hosting Thanksgivings year after year, I thought she needed a break and I needed some practice. So in preparation I've been moving things around in our home to make it more spacious, preparing a kids table in the spare bedroom right off the kitchen, making a menu, and figuring out the table details. It's a lot and I can see why one would like a break.....but at the same time what a privilege to serve my family this year!

I cam across a home interior painting at a thrift store that was around $2. I spray painted over the brass frame and painted the inside black. Since I didn't have chalkboard paint I just used regular craft paint, it worked fine and the chalk went on just fine. Who knows what this cute oval framed piece will end up being but for now it's a Thanksgiving sign...

My mother-n-law gave me this China that was her moms. First thing I thought when I saw it was Thanksgiving. It's simple and I love the wheat for this time of harvest. I'm trying not to buy much as far as decor and paper goods. I'm sticking to things I have around the house and yard. I picture the tables being very simple with the China doing most of the talking. I love using cloth napkins, there is something liberating about not having to buy them. My dad made this beautiful copper and metal candle stand that I want to use. I love how things just end up going together.....

My sis-n-law is bringing adorable copper cups. I love the touch of color they bring to the table.

It's seems as I'm going to do a fancy dancy sit down dinner with china and all....but I'm keeping it free flowing buffet style. And as far as the china I don't want to fuss all over it, I just want to use it, if it breaks it breaks. I plan to have most of the warm foods in the kitchen, I'll keep the deserts on my buffet in the living room and my little black dresser is where the appetizers will be. It's been fun figuring out the details.
So if you don't here from me before Thanksgiving you know what I'm doing....hosting is quite the learning experience. I'm getting excited but I know my personality needs to be well prepared for me to enjoy it.....I hate stress!

How about you, does entertaining stress you out?

Blue October (Fall Decor)

2014-10-10T10:51:00.000-05:00

Growing up in Iowa you have a mixture of sports fans with no pro sports here. So when I moved to KC and lived in Raytown, MO (thee sports "town" of Kansas City), I got hooked! I have loved baseball since I was a kid. My stud little brother was rippin it up when he was in Tball, to AAU, to high school. So I learned the game young and began to love it. I've been a Royals fan for 16 years now. It was a long 13 years watching the boys in blue struggle and even longer for those Royal lifetime fans, but now we are all over joyed as we see this team come together and now playing round 2 in the postseason!!
Last Sunday afternoon we decided to head to KC to watch the Royals play the Angels.....

We were listening to the Chiefs on the radio but all I could see and think about was Blue! I love our Chiefs but at this point is anyone thinking about football?! It was a gorgeous Sunday drive!

So the last time we came to KC to watch the Royals they played the Angels, it rained, the game got delayed 5 hours, we left, they got beat bad. So my superstition started kicking in, and I thought we were going to mess the whole game up. Like I have that kind of power!:)

But as we pulled up to the Kauffman Stadium, all was well.....we were in Royal heaven!

Scotty took me to a Royals game on our 1st date! This place has always been special to us. For us, who needs the beach when you got Kauffman Stadium! I guess you could call us Royal!

It did rain that night, so I guess my superstition was a little right, but the Royals reined down on the Angels harder! They played the most amazing game! Home runs, diving catches, stolen bases, and to end it all for the win an MVP strike out!! The Royals fans were and are out of this world along with those KC BBQ nachos! Celebration kiss was in order for sure!!

So when I came home I did a little fall decorating. And since we are playing the Orioles next I said "no orange pumpkins"! Superstition kicking in again! I must admit I'm a postseason, world series virgin. I mean I've watched other teams go and I get excited, BUT when it's your team, it gets crazy. Like thoughts of painting my house Royal blue with Gold shutters crazy!

I wanted to make our entry a Royally festive, so I painted our little pumpkin white with red baseball stitches on it. Topped it with a hat that we had BBQ nachos in, threw a yellow mum in and a baseball bat.

I been wanting to make a sign for a long time for the Royals.....and I thought, it's time!

I completely copied a sign I found on pinterest. I free handed it, so I guess in some ways it's mine!:)

Now I'm ready for Blue October!!
It's such a fun time to be a Royals fan. We have nothing to lose at this point! I see a team that is in it for their fans and fans that are in it for their team!! One happy mid west family!
For the love of the game, GO ROYALS!!!

Do you get all festive for your Team?
Do you buy into superstition?

Blessings,
Julie

From Dresser to Mantel

2014-09-30T13:53:00.006-05:00

I'm always looking at something and envisioning something else. I will find myself walking in a home and in my mind I'm tearing walls down, or I'll be shopping for clothing and start seeing curtains. So it was no surprise to me or my husband when I told him that I was going to make a mantel out of a dresser. I've been wanting a mantel for years. We have a small electric log insert for our living area. I see our living room being more of a sitting reading room one day but until we refinish our basement its used for many things including watching TV.

Originally I was looking for TV entertainment center to make the mantel. A lot of them aren't used these days and have been donated. I see the great crown molding they have and the solid wood they are built out of. While most people see a entertainment center that no one uses anymore. I found a lot of them but not the right one. So one day it hit me as I was in the boys room.....I looked at their dresser and I thought that looks like just about the right size.......(NOTE: before I envisioned the mantel I envisioned a toy storage unit)

Sure enough after measuring the dresser, it was the right size. So now prepare yourself for a lot of pics of my mantel making process...

Here we are at the beginning with a big cup of coffee.....

1st thing I did was cut the back off.....The dresser was the right height and width but not depth. So I cut it off on a rainy day and made a mess.....

Oh and I gutted the dresser too and ended up with this .......

I framed it in....sorry no pics. I did pretty good from what I can remember about framing. I learned a bit from my dad. Seriously I basically free styled this baby, measured twice, used my level, and my square.....I think directions would drive me to the nut house. I guess rule breaking is in my blood....it a good and bad thing!
Here I'm getting an idea of what size boards I want and layers. I used paper because its light and easy to work with.

I ended up with something like this after putting the main boards in place.....

My favorite part was the trim. It's like decorating a cake. The wood I used was from past projects. I've learned that keeping things around can be a good thing....though it can be annoying to store. But in the end I haven't spent a dime on wood yet.
As far as trim you can just keep going and going and making it as detailed as you want. I would have probably made this more simple if I was going by a plan. But I had a lot of different trim pieces in my garage and it was so fun to try them out. Plus cleaning my garage out was nice too.....

I did pretty much all the work except angle cutting. Hubby helped me there.

Here's what we have so far. I still need to sand this puppy down nice and smooth. Paint it, brick the inside and decide on tile. We want to raise the TV a bit and get that pile of wires out of sight. That is Scotty's department for sure!.... and of course center the mantel under the TV....looks a little out of place right now:)

We have some black marble tile from the bathroom that I'm considering.

So woodworking has been my new adventure lately. I sometimes think I should learn more in this area. I'm grateful for my husband who lets me skip cooking dinner a couple nights and lets me explore new things.
More to come on on the finishing touches of the mantel....I'm so excited to have it for Christmas this year.

Are you a figure it out type of person or do you have to have specific instructions?
Are you like me, do you see something and think it should or could be this?

Living Life: advice from Gus McCrae

2014-08-18T11:34:00.000-05:00

I just can't seem to sit down these days and get on this blog! I think this beautiful summer weather has thrown me a curve ball that strikes blogging out for the moment! But I did want to stop and say hi and say I'm thinking of my readers.

This past week I've been sick with my boys right along with me, so I watched a little more TV than normal. I came across one of my favorite westerns on Hulu....Lonesome Dove. That Gus McCrae has some of the best lines.....Here's one of my favorites:

“Lorie darlin', life in San Francisco, you see, is still just life. If you want any one thing too badly, it's likely to turn out to be a disappointment. The only healthy way to live life is to learn to like all the little everyday things, like a sip of good whiskey in the evening, a soft bed, a glass of buttermilk, or a feisty gentleman like myself.”

Or two little blonde heads that still fit in the cart side by side.....

So for now I'm just living and if blogging gets in the way I'm plowing right across it. Those two boys of mine seem to pull me in a different direction every time too. I still love decorating and I'm always doing projects but I think right now with the weather so nice, my eyes won't stay open long enough to blog at the end of the day....I guess you can call me a blogging wuss!:) When the days get shorter you'll here from me more!
Our William is going to start School, so I'm hanging on to him as much as I can.

Counting my "little everyday " blessings!

Love,

Julie

Back Deck Bargains

2014-06-17T17:40:00.000-05:00

This has been our spot lately! The weather has been awesome, I can officially say that this week so far has been "hot"....otherwise it's been perfect! So the laundry has gotten behind as it piles up faster in the summer months and my house is slacking a little. But after the winter we had, I have to get my outdoor fix! Since today is a bit hot, I thought I would share with you some of my steals and deals on our little deck. Seems like everyone is on a budget these days and looking for a bargain or freebie Bargain shopping can be kind of a mind twister compared to just going and buying exactly what you want. Questions go through my head like this: do I buy this because it's such a good deal even though I don't really need it?, how much more money will I put into it?, or how much time and energy will I put into it making it my own?, is it worth it?, how much is it brand new?.
Then sometimes you come across a deal that you can't resist.....

I found this patio set in the middle of winter at the Salvation Army, I was shocked when the guy told me $20 for the set! It didn't have cushions but I knew the set would fit perfectly on my little deck. I thought about making the cushions but when I compared the price of buying verses making, I came to the conclusion that foam is expensive all around, and there wasn't a big enough difference to make them. So I skipped the DIY and bought the cushions for $200 at Target. Probably spent $10 bucks a chair for Target to make them...it was worth it!

Our house gets hit hard by the sun every morning. So I bought this cute umbrella for $100 at Kohl's. It was a bit of a stretch for me, but didn't want to go cheap here.

My Mother n Law gave me this adorable plant stand! We downsized on flowers this year so we could invest into bigger projects. So this little stand will stand empty, but I'm thinking of putting a couple of plates on it to set a drink down. I also think it would be cute on a table as a cake, cupcake, pie or appetizer stand for a party!

Right now around the deck is looking pretty shaggy! We plan to put in a gravel patio. Gravel you ask? If we stay here for good, we plan to extend out our kitchen so we didn't want to put anything permanent down that we would have to rip out later. Plus I've been drooling over some gravel patios in Ballard Design catalog. So I think I have a vision of what I want!

We want to put a fire pit in with pavers that we already have and put a long table and chairs along the house..

I've been slowly prepping the patio as we are still working on the fence and getting the play house up. Being in the middle of projects is not the best of times, but I try and stay focused on the reward! I look at our front yard, though it's not completely done, it's maintainable now. I know next year we will have more projects, but I see a light at the end of the backyard, and see us just maintaining it too next year!

Caught a few cute moments of the boys helping daddy and Katie managing her new yard.

Our baby girl is going to be a teenager this year....the big 13, so we are enjoying her so much. And she continues to age beautifully!

So I hope I'm not the only one who has laundry piling up as life is a little unbalanced being outside so much! The hot weather will surely come and my days will be more inside or by my moms and dads pool. Will be sharing more about our backyard journey.

It's Eclectic: Boys Bedroom Art

2014-05-22T17:12:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm back in the house for a moment and I thought I would finally give you a peek into the boys room and show you some art! I've tried to explain my style to people and I really have a hard time. The best I can tell you is my style is eclectic. And when you decorate with an eclectic style, you can't just go out and get a themed bedroom set, buy some art work and call a room complete. That's why I rarely post a complete room, it takes time to cultivate an eclectic style. I sometimes tell my husband, I'm almost done with the boys room, and he just looks at me and says..."really"? He's so right like most of the time....I'm never really done. But there is only so much wall space to hang art and I have a good portion of it done. I do have a couple of pieces to frame and one more DIY piece for the boys closet. Yes, I'm putting art in their closet and yes my husband is almost always gospelly right!:)

I decided to make a gallery wall. I bought nothing new, I just found some art around the house I wasn't using, framed some of the boys art work, and made a DIY sign. ..

Found a vintage KC Royals Score book of Scotty's and Framed it.

This is a G that we got on our honeymoon. I decided to paint the "a t e s" on the wall to complete the name and fill in a bit of space.

One of Williams drawings, his penmanship before preschool, he's doing so much better, but I just love this!

Every boys room needs some wild life!

William loves his chalk board!

Here he is making clouds.

Boys sign I made.....

Here's a baseball sign we had around.

Here's Fishers art work. It's more like spin art. This totally represents this kid right now, he is a whirlwind of crumbs and toys! Love that boy!

Norman Rockwell "a boys life"! I bought this for William's nursery and I still love it!

My latest piece has been this paint by number mountain scene. It's a huge piece and really gives the room a statement. I will post more on the detail of making this painting later. For now I have it hung with duck tape. Though duck tape is fitting for a boys room, I plan to frame it in a bright glossy red frame, like below....

I think my favorite thing about this room is the unexpected pops of bright color. You look around and see pops or Red and bright green. Seems like I can't commit to one color, on wood type....I love it all. But somehow it comes together in the end.

When I'm not pulling weeds or working on the backyard, I hope to share with you the so called "completed" room with before and afters! This has been the most fun room so far! I can't wait to finally get to our room! Unlike this room it has not one picture up, complete blank slate!

I think you have to be a little brave to make a room eclectic, I think it demands the unexpected that can't be all planed out! Stepping out and not seeing the whole picture is the exciting part and causes me to be more creative!

What is your style? Do you have a hard time describing it like me?

I'm BACK, here in the backyard!!

2014-05-13T16:38:00.002-05:00

Hi guys!!! I'm back, here in the backyard! It sure has been a while and would say I'm sorry for leaving you guys hanging a few weeks, but I'm guessing you guys have felt the tug to go outside too. For me it's not a tug a war, I just let go of the rope and let nature win!! OH, it's been beautiful here! We've had one hot day of 86 but otherwise it's been perfect weather! Our backyard has been our summer project this year. We are so excited! We been busy tilling, grading, watering, wearing our rubber boots and keeping the mudroom busy!
Wanted to show you guys a little peak our of backyard project....

Here is our backyard before. Our fence was about 10 feet back from our house. Before we bought the house, we were hoping our neighbor would give us the same offer as the previous owner, and let us buy some land from him. He did, the paperwork was a nightmare, but it's ours now! And well worth it for our two active boys running below....

Scotty and the boys went on an airplane ride with my uncle Bruce and got some aerial shots of our house. You can't really see our house with all the trees, but this marks out our yard when we 1st bought it.....

Here's the outline of our yard now...... soooo much better!

1st thing we did was put up this lovely Home Depot fence.....

Then my dad came over with his kitty cat and took out the old fence poles and started grading the yard level....

There were lots of dips and holes. We graded the whole area.....

Then he tilled the whole thing with the bobcat and leveled it more. Dug up some stumps and picked up rocks. Then racked and racked the heck out of it with the riding mower.... I look like I'm prego here, the wind got my shirt! Not to say I have a six pack or anything ;)

I sound like my dad when I say the ground is so dry. Iowans are not used to dry at all. We are so spoiled with our rich soil and warm and humid air! After we seeded it, it rained really hard and got real dry again. Almost like the rain didn't phase it. We racked it up with the mower so the seed would be covered with soil.....Below in the middle of the picture you can see how dry it is.

After racking it several times it's started to look better. We are hopeful but not counting on having great grass for a while, fall is the best time to grow it!

Watering is added to the daily chore list!

I am a little sorry for not being on my blog as much, I always miss it! I feel like I'm having an outside overdose. And who doesn't need a little electronic rehab/break?!

Just look at this view! I would be crazy if I didn't go chase a rainbow now and then!!

Hope your enjoying your outdoor home! It's so alive and beautiful!

I'm off to see the wizard!! or put a swing set up! More to come!

Easter Baskets, Eggs and Hunts

2014-04-17T09:29:00.001-05:00

I have wanted to make the boys Easter Baskets for a while now! I've look at the cute ones at Pottery Barn and Landsend. Sometimes I think they are a little too cute for my boys!....I'm a little bit of an Easter basket snob I guess! I wanted something I could possibly pass down to my grandchildren! Seems like now days kids stuff is so disposable. You use it, than you donate it. That's fine, but every once in a while I like to keep some things of the boys that is meaningful! Something that's not automatically bought by one click but made by hand.....as Miranda Lambert would say in her new song!

I knew I wanted leather. Boys need something strong and something that can age! I thought Canvas was a good fit for Easter too. So I had my medium in mind.....

Then I started drawing, this saves a lot of time to have somewhat of a plan. I made copies of my 1st drawing and started playing with colors, which saves time too!

Then I called up LL Green Upholstery. Meet LaNeysa, she has taught me tons! She has bad boy machines that can sew through concrete! She did the sewing and I did the cutting! We were a good team!

When you walk into her shop you are kissed (like when I smash my boys faces and squeeze them while I lay a big one on them!) with the smell of Leather. It's leather aromatherapy! She has a lot of skins and leather! Looks like Rudolph made it to the shop too!:)

Here's the basket I picked.....

Here I am cutting everything out.....didn't get very many pictures, we were busy! I use the ruff side of the leather for the bunny....he looked a little more fuzzy that way!

Here's the final product! Lots we liked, lots we would change next time! That's the bliss of making things by hand, ya actually learn something!

The boys loved them.

Love how William has his slung over his shoulder! I picked a running bunny to put on the basket, because it suits a boy running at an Easter Egg hunt!

On another Easter note. I went to Walmart and got these white paintable eggs! I thought how fun to keep these every year! I can just see having 100 plus eggs in a huge basket or glass vase one day!

We got anything that distributes color......

and covered the eggs!

Love making memories with the boys! It will be neat to see what how they decorate them every year. I put the year on each egg too.

I hope you have a great Easter! I found some new clothes for the boys within an hour! I'm still shocked, I don't think I have ever shopped so quick! I plan to paint my toes and my nails get pretty with them too!

I didn't really plan on having any Easter Traditions, but I guess we are starting one with the eggs!

Do you have any Easter Traditions?

PS: Big Thanks to LL GREEN for helping me make this awesome baskets for my boys!!

How to Fold a Rose Napkin

2014-04-14T09:49:00.001-05:00

I just loved these rose napkins so much, I had to share with you how to do fold them! It's so easy and once you done it once, you've got it! This isn't a really wordy post, so be prepared for a lot of how to pictures!:)

You could put these napkins on the center of a place setting, in a basket, or as a table runner like I did for here.....

Get your folding fingers ready, here we go:

You start with a square napkin....

Then you fold it into a triangle. This napkin wasn't completely square but you want to get it as close as you can to a triangle.

Then you want to start rolling the napkin from the bottom of the triangle up.

Stop rolling about right here and flip the napkin over.

Then at one end start rolling a tight roll across the napkin...

Keep rolling till you get to the end of the napkin.....

till about here....

Then you want to tuck the other end of the napkin into the roll....

It should look something like this......

Then stand the napkin up with rolled side down.....

Take both ends of the napkin and pull down to form the leaves of the rose......

Should look like this.....

Flip it over and there you go!! It seems like a lot of steps but once you get the hang of it, they are a lot of fun to do!!

I love the little touches you can do in decorating a table! These roses are an inexpensive way to make a table special for any occasion or just dinner! Enjoy!

Are you getting ready for Easter? I'm so behind, I typically have outfits bought for the boys and everything ready! One thing I did was make was some Easter baskets. It's going to be a busy week but I hope to share with you their baskets. And if I have time I want to give you a peak into the boys room too! More to come of this Little House of mine!

Happy Monday!

Julie

DIY Painted Rose Sweatshirt: Comfy and Pretty

2014-04-07T09:00:00.000-05:00

Hey guys! I'm so excited to share with you my little weekend project! I've wanted to make a rose painted sweatshirt for like 2 years. I love the comfort of a sweatshirt and the feminine class of a rose. I probably should be doing projects with higher priority...but I've told myself you have to do some fun things to break up the remodeling madness!! I do enjoy remodeling, but doing something just for creativity's sake is well needed for this artist!

And I must say playing with these bright and cheery colors made my day!

Here I am modeling my new sweatshirt! I love how bright and cheery it is! Over all this shirt makes me smile, it's full of color and joy! Unlike my half smile that's not really happy about modeling it, but I do realize it's kinda needed when you make a piece of clothing. Otherwise it's like snapping a picture of "just the fabric" and telling you I reupholstered a sofa with it.....I'm pretty sure you would want to see the sofa completed. So I do this for you, I get it, but I don't necessarily like it! XOXO'S!!:)

Here's my process in making this sweatshirt.....

1st I found a rose that I liked. You can look anywhere, fabric stores, magazines, wallpaper, I went with old faithful Pinterest and found a rose fabric...Here

I painted the rose on paper first to see what colors I wanted to go with. You could print out a rose if you want, I just went by the picture on my phone, because ink cartridges cost like a billion dollars and are very painful to buy;)

I painted a couple different sizes.

Then I placed the roses on the shirt to see if I liked the colors.

After envisioning the colors on my shirt and approving them, I then cut the roses out and began to place them in the spots I wanted them. This just helps portion it out and get a pattern down. Not that the pattern has to be perfectly portioned out!

I found a rose sweatshirt on Pinterest to give me an idea of where to place the roses...Here

After I find a place that I want a rose, I mark an x on the sweatshirt. This is to help to visualize spacing. You could use a fabric pencil if you want. I went ahead and marked it with acrylic paint....which makes it permanent. But if you tend to change your mind you might want to use something washable.

I put a white paint base down of the shape of the roses before painting the colors. This helps the colors really pop out!

Then I started layering the colors on with acrylic paint. As far as how to paint a rose, I'm sure there are many techniques out there. I paint my roses with big and little swoopes that swirl to the center....that's the best I can explain it! After painting the color in, I let the front side dry and then painted the back side.

When the sweatshirt is dry you can wash it as normal. The paint will soften up after a couple of washings. I have had no trouble with my acrylic painted shirts, as far as them chipping paint or fading. But if they do fade at all you can always retouch them.

After painting my sweatshirt I found a cute little spot for one of my paper roses......

I'm starving for anything springy and bright! I guess this is my way of coping with this late coming warm weather!

My son William is always interested in what I'm doing and wants to help with my projects. So when I was painting my sweatshirt, he wanted to paint one too. I gave him a stick and a white T-shirt and he went to town.....

I love watching him get excited about painting, the joy of doing projects with kids!

I sure hope you picked up a tip or two on how to paint a shirt! I think this sweatshirt is a perfect addition to my casual wardrobe. Nothing like feeling comfy and pretty!

If you have any questions on how to paint fabric please let me know, I would love to help!:)
Julie

Dog Portrait of Sweet Arwen

2014-04-01T22:15:00.002-05:00

I hope you like my blog updates. It feels like I've opened the windows, washed down the walls and washed the curtains! Nothing like a deep spring clean! I'm loving my clean slate to work from after a hard winter: emotionally, physically and not one break from the FREEZING COLD weather....I feel like warmer days and brighter horizons are ahead!!

I'm still adding a thing here or there, but I feel like I got a good portion of it done. In the midst of updating my blog, I had a friend ask me to paint a portrait of her dog. I was honored and thrilled to do it for her and her family. It was a nice break to do something hands on, instead of staring at a computer!

Here's some pictures of sweet Arwen....(I've only met her once, but her eyes just say sweet to me)!!

Arwen and I burned the midnight oil together while watching Jimmy Fallon. Here I'm getting the base of the portrait down. It kinda looks like paint by number at this point. I'm just getting the shadowing and highlights in. I had 3 pictures to go off of. I went with the picture with Arwen's tongue out. My friend wanted her mouth closed, and her color was is more white than blonde.

I think the eyes seal the deal for me. If the eyes aren't right then the whole painting is not right. I really like to focus and get them exact! My type A personality comes out strong when I paint portraits . I find myself second guessing myself and analyzing it to death! So when my friend told me that it looks just like Arwen....I was so happy!

I gave Arwen some texture since she is covered in fur:)! I wanted it to look textured but not too ruff since she is so soft!

Dogs just melt my heart! I can see that she is so sweet and such a blessing to the family! I can't wait to see to see her completed in a pretty frame!

The boys room is in the close to the finish line! Paint by number mountain mural is in the making right now. I have my Instagram pics up on my blog now if you want to follow along and see little peeks into my projects!
Blessings,
Julie

30th Birthday Party for Julie

2014-03-31T09:43:00.002-05:00

My sis-n-law Julie turned 30 last week. Julie and I have had the privilege of sharing our exact names (middle name and all) for a short while. Then I met Scotty and the rest was history!! If only I could share my age with her age now!!

So since the old girl was turning 30;) I offered to throw a little desert party for her. After I offered, I had a really busy week and time just slipped away from me! I woke up on the day of the party with no plan of how I was going to decorate and I started to freak out a little....Now I know no one expects me to fuss all over the decorations but I still wanted to do something special for her! Typically I have pinned ideas to death on Pinterest and have everything all ready to go, well I guess a girl can't always be on her game!:) I knew from experience that freaking out wouldn't help matters, so instead I went to my craft room, gathered a few things and got to work!

The one idea I had was to put a definition of the name Julie on a sign. I love using my big mirror as a focal point in my kitchen. When you walk into my house, go through the mudroom and hit the kitchen, this is one of the 1st things you see. I painted a Lorax sign on my mirror for my son Fisher here. I thought I would use the mirror again for Julie. I used words to rhyme with thirty in the definition: Thirty, Dirty, Flirty, and Purty! We Overall I wanted it to be fun, pink and chic, just like Julie! and I think I pulled it off by the skin of my teeth...

I got out my china, wine glasses, and cloth napkins. I love, love, love using fancy stuff. Being away from our kids for a few hours and having adult conversation demands a celebration, and why not make it special!!

Instead of buying roses I found a tutorial on how to fold napkins into roses. It seems like every party I throw, I learn something new. This doesn't happen very often for me when following tutorial directions, but I got it right the 1st try! These napkins just made me smile, and what girl wouldn't like a rose napkin!

I placed the roses on some black card stock, strung some pink ribbon around them, and placed some asparagus around them to add a touch of green, or look like stems or something, I don't know I was winging it here girls!

I hope to do a tutorial on how to make these napkin roses soon.....so fun and easy!

I free styled the sign with white craft paint with my lovey penmanship ;P! I so wish I could write pretty! I guess it gave it a "personal" touch with my own font!

Drinkie area!

Coffee!

This was such a fun party and so simple to decorate! Julie your worth a million but this cost me $0! It's amazing what you can do if you just look around your home. Or your husbands tool bag, where I found this boundary tape. This stuff is awesome! There is so much of it and it doesn't tear like streamers and has a little stretch to it!...lots of possibilities here!

Do get a little stressed when you have people over? I feel like the more I do it, the more confident I feel. Also letting go of the idea that everything has to be perfect, is like finding gold for your soul! I still have a folding table in my dinning area, I still have trim that's not painted and mudroom with no floor. Just forget about it and focus on the people and have fun!! And if decorating is your thing, do it! If it's not your thing, but you want it to be, ask a friend for help....that always makes it more fun!

Happy Birthday Julie!!

xoxo's

Julie

DIY BOY Sign: 1. a noise with dirt on it

2014-03-26T15:00:00.000-05:00

The blog face lift is starting to come together. I'm excited that my social media buttons are working now! I've been busy doing really boring stuff like moving old blog posts into a new file. Though it is completely boring, I'm excited to have a nice clean start! So as my eyes were crossing from data entry, I decided to do something fun.

As much as I would love to be showing you pictures of the mudroom, we've had a couple of setbacks with the cold weather. I need to paint the doors with stinky enamel paint which requires us to open the windows. We need to tile the floor, which requires us to open the door to the garage. So unless we want to freeze to death, it's just not happening! Hope to get back in there soon, come on warm weather!

So I'm taking a little detour from the mudroom to the boys room. And it's been a fun trip so far! I feel like there is so much freedom for creativity in kids rooms. You can literally do anything from ceiling to floor. I like making my boys room nice and put together, but with touches of fun and pure adolescence!

I needed one more picture for their gallery wall I'm putting together. I found a print with a cute definition of a BOY. I really wanted something bright and electric. The print was printed in red, but I wanted it to be neon....to give it a unexpected pop of color! Knowing my printer couldn't print that bright of a color, I decided to cut the letters out with bright green card stock........

Here's how I made the print:

1. On my computer I went Microsoft Word and set up an 8 1/2 X 11 document. Typed in BOY on one page. Then type in the definition on another page: 1. a noise with dirt on it.

I made the BOY really big and the definition medium sized and placed it low on the page. Use card stock if you have it. NOTE: Regular paper works fine and the wrinkles will iron out when you put it in a frame.

2. Then I took the bright green paper and Trimmed a little under 3/4 of an inch off of each side. And then I trimmed 2 inches off the bottom of the paper. Keep the 3/4 inch strip to put on the bottom of the print.

3. Then I drew a line with a straight edge along the bottom of the letters. Then cut the line.

4. Lined up the BOY letters on the bottom of the green paper, leaving a little space on the left hand side (about 3/4 inch space) Then I tacked them with postits so that the paper wouldn't slip or rip.

5. Cut the letters out. I cut the Y out with scissors.

And the inside of the B and O with and x-acto knife.

Keep the insides of the B and O and set aside.

I finished cutting the B and O with scissors...

6.Tape the back of the Green paper.....

and place and center it right above the definition.

7. Glue your B and O insides with a glue stick....

Glue your strip along the bottom.

8. Tape the back of the whole print...

9. Center it on your mat.

and frame it!

So glad I decided to make this print. It was so fun to do something creative on the computer instead of organizing files! I love electric touch it gives in the boys room. I spent a $1 on this project for the frame at the dollar store.

Hope to share with you their whole room soon. I'm looking at a small grass turf rug now, after this crazy winter I'm so tempted to buy it, the more green the beter! I love that you can get a little wild in a kids room! They are only little once, so I go for it!
What is the craziest thing you done in your kids room?

My Happy Wall: Dresser Polishing

2014-03-20T14:04:00.000-05:00

Happy 1st day of Spring!!! I just had to take a break myself from updating my blog and share with you one of my favorite walls in my home. And I think it's quite springy too!

When I wake up and head myself to the coffee pot, this little wall graces me 1st thing in the morning.....

along with this baby girl.....

While making this hexie quilt art piece, I never knew how much I would love it. I don't always have some grand plan when it comes to decorating. Sometimes I just do and it works. I honestly got curious and wondered; what would a quilt look like on the wall and how can I do that? After a lot of cutting and modge podging with water base poly, this is what I came up with. I don't have a ton of bold colors in my home, Its pretty neutral with my boldest colors being black and white.....but I love, love, throwing an unexpected piece up that's got a modern edge.

Now for this dresser (that I found on the side of the road and drug home) I haven't touched. A true gem in the rug, when you don't have to fix it up and you just love it the way it is. The saying "the best things in life are free" rings true here.

I put the dresser in between our living room.....

and our Kitchen....

I've decorated the top of this dresser with several things over the years....but I think I've found some solid pieces for now.
I added some succulent plants. This is my 1st go in growing succulents, and they have been nothing but agreeable!

I found this container at a garage sale.

for 50 cents.....

The 1st thing I put in the glass globe was a big tarantula for Halloween...but I think it works perfect as a planter....

I just love the green touch, it makes me anxious to see little green shoots come up out of the ground as my world turns green again!

I set it on top of a few of my upholstery books and a bright Mexican cuisine cookbook.....sounds like a party to me, upholstering with Mexican food!

In the past I've gotten in the habit of having a ton of picture of family and my boys around my home. I love my family but I had to cut back, it was becoming too much with all of those eyeballs looking at me!:) So I put a couple of non people pictures on display, one that Scotty took of the Nelson Art Museum yard in KC. And I printed a #5 for our family. Simple and no eyeballs:)

This little wall just makes me happy!! I've found that it's best for me to follow my heart when it comes to design. And that's a simple journey of questions: what do I like, what do I love, what is us? Isn't that how you make a house a home anyway filling it with things you love and represent you? What is your favorite place that just makes you smile and happy?
Spring Blessings,
Julie

PS: Hoping to accomplish a ton this weekend on the blog....we'll see! Thank you for coming along with me on this part of my journey!

While Under Construction: Smoothie and Shrimp Recipe

2014-03-18T14:20:00.000-05:00

Still working away on freshening up my blog. There is still saw dust in the air, the smell of paint and the sound of saws running! WELCOME!! I actually LOVE going into a house that is under construction....I love seeing the walls torn down and envisioning what could be!! Then going back a week, or month, or year and see the reveal! Hopefully my construction won't take that long. I want to tweak a few design things and there is always more technical things to work out! I'm excited to have a new slate to create from and get back to JUST blogging!! Patience Patience.......

So as I'm smoothing out the edges of my blog, I thought I would share with you a couple of recipes that I really love.... I can remember thinking what the heck is a green smoothie! I like to have something green everyday but I don't necessarily want to eat a salad everyday. Making a quick green smoothie gives me something with substance and the ability to grab one when I'm on the go.

GREEN SMOOTHIE
2 handfuls of spinach
1/2 cup of chopped frozen pineapple and mango
1 Banana
1 Heaping Tbsp. of coconut oil
1 cup of almond milk
1/2 cup of water
This smoothie tastes like paradise to me, with the pineapple and coconut oil. It really is really sweet and yummy.

Shrimp scampi is one of my favorites. It's so nice to make something with fresh flavors in the middle of winter when our gardens are asleep. I found a new recipe on Pinterest that called for coconut oil instead of butter. Wasn't sure about it at first, (since everything is better with butter) but it came out just as rich as the butter version.

SHRIMP SCAMPI
1lb Med Shrimp peeled & deveined
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 Tbsp chopped garlic
1 1/2 c. Chardonnay white wine
Juice of a 1/2 lemon (I like to make it with the whole lemon for a stronger taste)
1 Tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 cup coconut oil
1 Tbsp parsley
1/2 c. grated Parmesan Cheese

DIRECTIONS:
In a skillet on med-high heat add olive oil and shrimp. Cook until tender and reduce heat. Remove shrimp and set aside. Add garlic and cook 2-3 min. Don't allow garlic to brown. Add white wine and lemon juice. Cook until wine is reduced by half. Add Italian seasoning. Reduce heat to low and add coconut oil. Add the shrimp back into the skillet. Add parsley. Salt and Pepper to taste. Add grated Parmesan cheese.
I added pasta and steamed broccoli to mine. When the pasta is done, I take it right out of the hot water and combine it with the shrimp.

Do you have a go to fast lunch when your busy? How about a fresh meal you like to make in the winter months to help you forget it's 0 degrees?

Hope your having a good week, it's Spring break here!